380 
PIGEONS AND SAND-GROUSE. 
summer or even on warm days in winter. Six small species, ranging from the 
Southern United States to South America, represent the second genus ( Chamce - 
pelia), which has a tail shorter than the length of the wing and rounded at the 
extremity, the middle feathers being longer than the outer ones. The remaining 
genera may be passed over without notice. 
The South African cinnamon-dove ( Hctplopelia larvata ) may be 
taken as a well-known representative of another subfamily of ground- 
doves ( Geotrygonince ), which contains more than seventy species of somewhat 
partridge-like birds with no well-defined metallic spots or bands, although a violet 
patch may be present near the bend, of the wing. The metatarsus is stout and 
longer than the third toe, and in the short and rounded wings the primaries exceed 
the secondaries in length. Of the nine recognised genera, the one above mentioned, 
which has six African species, is characterised by the primary feathers being broad 
and not tapering to a point, while in the remaining eight they are narrow and 
more or less pointed. The cinnamon-dove is distinguished from its allies by having 
the forehead white, the top of the head, hind-neck, chest, and upper-breast metallic 
coppery purple, the back and wings olive-brown, and the abdomen and under tail- 
coverts pale cinnamon. The Zamoen Duif, as the colonists call this bird, is common 
in the dense bush along the coast of Natal, where its brown colouring renders it 
difficult to detect as it sits motionless among the dense creepers. It never appears 
in the open, and is generally to be seen on the ground beneath the trees, silently 
and busily searching for food. Of the remaining genera with narrow primaries, 
two have the outermost pointed at the extremity; and of these, Leptoptila is dis¬ 
tinguished by having the tail equal to more than half the length of the wing. The 
species range from Texas through Mexico and Central America to Peru and 
Argentina, and may be divided into a long-tailed and a short-tailed group. Two 
handsome species form the genus Osculatea y in which the length of the tail is less 
than half that of the wing. In the six following genera, the first primary is not 
pointed at the tip; the first five agreeing with one another in having the front of 
the metatarsus covered with transverse scales; while, in the three genera to be 
next mentioned, the tail is composed of less than twenty feathers. The Central 
and South American genus, Geotrygon, is also characterised by its rather short tail 
of twelve feathers. Another genus, Phlogamas, differs from the above in having 
fourteen feathers in the tail. More than twenty species are known, some of which 
Blood-Breasted are remarkably handsome birds, but none more so than the blood- 
Dove. breasted dove (P. luzonica), from the Philippines, represented in the 
woodcut on p. 381. The forehead and crown are pale grey; the top of the head, upper- 
parts, and sides of the breast dark grey, the feathers being edged with metallic 
purple and green ; the cheeks, throat, and breast white shading into buff’ below ; and 
there is a large patch of blood-red on the middle of the breast. The quills are 
reddish brown, there are six alternate bands of grey and chestnut across each wing 
and a black band near the tip of the outer tail-feathers, The two remaining 
genera, with the tail composed of less than twenty feathers, are distinguished by 
the longer tail. 
wonga-wonga The Australian wonga-wonga ( Leucosarcia piccita) is the only 
Dove - representative of a genus, distinguished from the seventh (Entrygem) 
