The Hijlory of ANIMALS. 
49 * 
BIRDS ; 
Clafs the Sixth, 
PASSERES* 
H E beak of. the Pafieres is of a cofiic and much attenuated figure. 
C O L U M B A. 
T H E beak of the Columba is ftraight, and it is furfuraceous at the bafe : the 
noftrils are oblong and membranaceous, and are in part covered: the tongue is 
entire or undivided. 
mm 
Columba ccerulefcens collo nitido y macula alarum duplici 
nigra. 
'The bluijh <Columba , with a double blackijh fpot on 
the wing . 
» 
This is fomewhat larger than the common pigeon kept in our dove-houfes, and is a 
more beautiful bird, though much like it in the general colouring, as well as in form : 
the head is fmall; the eyes are fmall, but bright : the beak is moderately long, 
ftraight, of a kind of conic figure, pointed, and of a pale red colour: the head is 
of a dufky bluifh-grey; the neck is covered with feathers of a changeable colour, 
which in different lights are either purple or green, both colours bright and gloffy : 
the bread:, on it’s upper part, is of a purplifh colour, and fo are the fhoulders, and 
the tops of the wings: the wings are long j and their principal feathers are variegated 
with black and grey : the tail is moderately long, it is compofed of twelve feathers $ 
they are black for about one third of their length from the extremity, and the reft is 
grey : the legs are flender and red. •' 
This fpecies is frequently wild in our woods, and has been defcribed by all the au* 
thors who have written on this fubjed, under the names of ./Enas and Vinago* 
From this have been propagated the common dove-houfe pigeon, 'jhjfyt 
and all the tame fpecies, as all our varieties of the fowl-kind from 
the original yellowifh wild cock. The Pouter, the Tumbler, the 
Barbary Pigeon, the Jacobin, and the reft have all their origin from this, and are 
varieties, not diftind fpecies of birds. 
* 
Columba collo utrinque albo , pone macula fufca . 
The Columba , with the neck white on each fde^ 
and a brown fpot behind. 
i 
This is larger than the common wild pigeon, but greatly refembles it in form: the 
head is fmall; the eyes are fmall and very bright, and their iris is of a pale yellow; 
the beak is moderately long, flender, and yellow, and is covered at the bale with a 
reddifh membrane; and above the noftrils, which are fituated in this membrane, with 
a furfuraceous matter: the head, the back, and the wings are of a dufky bluifh-grey 
colour j the hinder part of the neck is ornamented with a white femi-circle or ring, 
reaching half way round, and refembling a kind of collar: the part of the neck be¬ 
low, as well as above, this collar, is of an elegant changeable colour, appearing green, 
purple, or blue, according to the diredicm in which the light falls upon it : the front 
of 
