226 
COLUMBINE. COLUMBA. 
afterwards narrow ; stomacli a powerful gizzard of a some- 
wliat rhomboidal form, with very large muscles ; intestine 
long and slender ; coeca very small, cylindrical. Nostrils 
linear, direct, in the lower and fore part of the bare fleshy 
nasal membrane. Eyes of moderate size ; eyelids generally 
bare. Head oblong, small, compressed ; neck rather short, 
body compact, full. Legs short, rather strong ; tarsi very 
short, roundish, anteriorly scutellate, behind scurfy ; toes of 
moderate size ; the first about half the length of the third, 
the lateral nearly equal ; all free, marginate, with nume- 
rous short scutella ; claws short, arched, compressed, rather 
acute. Plumage various ; the feathers with extremely short 
tubes, and thick spongy shafts, without plumule ; wings long, 
broad, rather pointed, of about twenty-four quills, the second 
quill longest ; tail generally moderate, even or rounded in 
various degrees, of twelve broad feathers. 
Four species of this genus are found in Britain. Of these, 
three are permanently resident, while the other, the Turtle 
Dove, is a summer visitant. 
146. CoLUMBA Palumbus. Binged Dove, or Cushat. 
Plumage of the upper parts greyish-blue ; wings and scapu- 
lars tinged with brown ; hind part and sides of the neck bright 
green and purplish-red, with two cream-coloured patches ; 
fore part of neck and breast light reddish-purple ; a white 
patch on the wings, including the four outer secondary coverts* : 
Male, 18^, 31, lOj, 1, 1/^, l/g, Female, 17? 30. 
This species is generally dispersed over the wooded and 
cultivated parts of Britain and Ireland. It feeds on seeds of I 
wheat, barley, oats, leguminous plants, field mustard and char- 
lock, beech-mast, acorns, grasses, blades of clover, and leaves 
of the turnip. In winter it appears in large flocks, sometimes 
composed of many hundred individuals. It reposes on the 
branches of tall trees, especially beech, ash, and pine, in 
hedgerows, avenues, or plantations ; places its nest also on 
trees, forming it of twigs loosely put together, in a circular 
form, and nearly flat above ; and lays two oval, pure white, 
glossy eggs, an inch and seven-twelfths in length, an inch and 
two-twelfths in breadth. In fine weather it basks in the sun, 
on dry banks, or in the open fields, rubbing itself in the sand 
or soil. The male in spring struts and cooes, rises in the air, 
strikes the points of his Vv^ings against each other, descends, 
