COLUMBA. 
$2© 
lay, and rear their young, which are able to join them in 
their retreat. They choofe the darkeft and cooled woods 
to form their fettlement, and they condrudt their ned, 
which is nearly flat, on the tailed: trees, at a diltance from 
any habitations. In Sweden, Germany, France, Italy, 
Greece, and perhaps in countries dill cooler or hotter 
than thefe, they likewife remain only during fummer, 
and depart before autumn ; only Ariftotle informs us, 
that in Greece a few flay behind in the mod dickered 
fituations: this feems to prove that they feek very hot 
climates where to pals the winter. They are found in 
every part almolt of the ancient continent; they occur 
alio in the New World, as far as the South-Sea Idands. 
They are extremely frequent in the iouth of Ruflia, and 
in the rocky country beyond the lake Baikal. This bird 
is highly favoured iibthe Turkidi dominions, where it is 
extremely plentiful, the government allowing a certain 
rate per cent, in refpeft to the duty on corn, on their ac¬ 
count. A crowd of thefe birds condantly alight on the 
corn-veflels which crofs the port of Condantinople, where 
they carry this commodity uncovered, either to the maga¬ 
zine or mills, and the boatmen never oppofe their depre¬ 
dations. This permidion given the turtle to fead on the 
grain, brings them in great numbers, and familiarizes 
them to fuel) a degree, that they are feen Handing on the 
flioulders of the rowers, watching for a vacant place where 
they might fill their crops in turn. The turtles, like the 
pigeons, are fubject to varieties j and, though naturally 
more wild, they can be railed in the fame manner, and 
multiplied in the domedic date. The length of the com¬ 
mon turtle dove is about twelve inches: the bill is brown ; 
the irides yellow ; the eyes furroun'ded with crimfon ; the 
top of the head cinereous olive; the forehead and chin 
nearly white; on each fide of the neck is a patch of black 
feathers with white tips; the back is afii-coloured, mar¬ 
gined with reddilh brown ; fcapulars and wing-coverts 
leddifii brown, each feather black in the middle; quills 
brown, with pale edges and tip; the fore part of the neck 
and bread vinaceous, but pale; the lower part of the 
bread and fides dulky grey; the belly, thighs, and vent, 
white; the two middle feathers of the tail are brown, the 
others darker, tipped with white; and the outer one white 
on the outer edge ; the legs reddilh. They are very com¬ 
mon in the wed of England, and alfo in Kent, where it 
is often feen in woods during the fummer, and frequents 
the pea-fields in flocks of twenty or more, as foon as the 
peafe begin to ripen, of which it fometimes dedroys too 
niany. They lay two eggs, like the other fpecies, and 
are fuppoled to breed but once in the feafon; which is 
the more probable, as their day in this country is at lead 
two months Ihorter than the other fpecies which fre¬ 
quent us. Mr. Pennant, as well as Scopoli, are both 
icrupulous of adding the fynonym of Linnaeus to this 
bird ; but there is no doubt of this being the identical 
fpecies meant by him, though he particularifes his as In¬ 
dian. BriiTou mentions a drawing of one lent from China, 
no way differing from the bird by him delcribed, except 
the whole of the under parts being vinaceous : it is his 
opinion likewife, that the car dove, of Sloane, is the fame 
bird ; and in the Indian Zoology, the European turtle is 
mentioned as an inhabitant of Java. A variety of this 
bird was fltot in Buckinghamfhire, which differs from the 
common one, in having almolt the whole fide of the neck 
black, indead of a patch only; and, initead of each fea¬ 
ther being tipped with white, there is a round fpot of 
white on each very near the- end, giving the fides of the 
neck a mod beautiful appearance. And among fome 
birds which came from the iait expedition to the South 
Seas, was one of thefe j but, as it was in a parcel wherein 
were fome others which belonged to the Cape of Good 
Hope, it is pofiible that this may have been brought from 
that place, and ferves to fliew that neither this nor the 
former variety are confined to the European regions. The 
Portugal dove is a variety of this, and is rather larger 
than our turtles the bill is black 5 irides iaffron-colour 3 
the whole of the body deep brown; on each fide of the 
neck, about the middle,- are two or three diining black; 
feathers tipped with white ; the leffer wing-coverts are 
black, edged with yellow; tail feathers deep afh colour, 
tipped with white ; legs red. The Luzonian turtle is alfo 
a variety of this fpecies, and is about the common fize: 
bill and irides the colour of carmine; head and neck 
light grey afh-colour; on each fide of'the neck fix or 
fieven of the feathers are tipped with black ; the break 
and belly vinaceous grey; quills black; inhabits Manilla. 
The Chinefe turtle is likewife a, variety of the common 
dove, and is nearly'of the fame fize: bill and irides 
red; head, neck, bread, and back, brownifh grey, paled 
on the bread; on each fide of the neck are fome black 
feathers, with pale cinereous grey ends; wings brown, 
crofled with a band of yellow ; tail deep cinereous grey 5 
legs red. 
44- Columba Surinamenfis, the Surinam turtle dove 5 
ten inches in length; bill of a deep blue without, and 
red within; the head and back are afh-colour; throat 
mixed green and black ; the exterior wing feathers brown, 
and thofe of the middle afh-colour; the bread and belly 
whitifh ; the legs red. This isFermin’s defeription, who 
fpeaks of it as a bird common at Surinam, and fays that 
it lays twice in a year, making its ned in the woods, 
didant from habitations, on the higheft trees ; in this 
imitating our fpecies, to which it bears fome refemblance, 
though fmaller by two inches. The flefh, he obferves, is- 
juicy and delicious. 
45. Columba riforia, the collared turtle dove; larger 
than the preceding; bill blackifh; irides fine red ; the. 
upper parts of the head and neck, the back, and wing- 
coverts, are nearly cream-colour; the fore part of the 
neck and bread white, with a vinaceous tinge ; the reft 
of the under parts white; the rump is greyifh brown; the 
quills the fame, with whitifh edges; tail cinereous, the 
two middle feathers plain, the others tipped with white 4 
the hind part of the neck is marked with a collar of black, 
feathers; legs red. The female differs from the male in 
having the colours lefs vivid, and inclines more to grey. 
This inhabits India; but is a bird common to France, 
and other parts of the European continent; but it is not 
found in England except in cages. The Chinefe grey- 
turtle is a variety of this fpecies, and nearly the lame 
fize: bill black; irides red; top of the head grey; the 
back part of it deep vinaceous grey ; round the eyes the 
feathers are white; fore part of the neck, bread, and- 
belly, very pale red vinaceous grey. The Hybridal tur¬ 
tle, mentioned by Briffon, is a mixed variety, between 
the common and collared turtles. The head, neck, and 
bread, are vinaceous; back dull reddifh adi-colour; quills 
brown ; legs blood red. 
46. Columba Sinica, the driated Chinefe turtle; fize of 
the common pigeon : bill blueidi afh-colour; irides white; 
the top of the head aflt-colour; cheeks and fides of the 
neck yellow, the tips of the feathers on the lad red, which 
colour is feparated from the upper part of the neck by- 
a longitudinal band of blue; the hind part of the head, 
the upper part of the neck, the back, rump, and upper 
tail-coverts, are brown, tranfverfely marked with narrow- 
black arcuated bands ; the bread, belly, fides, and thighs, 
are rofe-colour; the leffer wing-coverts are pale brown, 
varied with a black and white tranfverfe mark near the 
tip of each feather; tail a palifh brown ; legs red. 
47. Columba driata, the barred turtle; fmaller than 
the common turtle: bill of a pale horn-colour; nodriis 
pale blue ; irides blue grey ; the eyes are placed in a bare 
white fkin, which pades to the nodriis; the forehead, 
cheeks, and throat, are pale blue; the top of the head, 
and hind-head, incline to rufous ; the upper part of the 
neck, the back, and wing-coverts, are brownidi afh-co¬ 
lour, marked with tranfverfe arcuated black bars ; foie 
part of the neck, breait, belly, and thighs, tinged with 
rofe-colour; the under taii-coverts white; iegs pale redv, 
Inhabits the Eaft Indies and China, and called by the 
Chinefe 
