822 0 O L U 
of the neck and bread:; fome of the wing-coverts are of a 
deep alh-colour ; others vinaceous, marked with gloffy 
green fpots; the two middle tail feathers are deep alh- 
colour ; the others blackilh ; legs red. The female differs 
in being every way more dilute in colour. Tliefe inha¬ 
bit the warmer parts of America, and the iflands conti¬ 
guous thereto ; chiefly between the tropics, though fome- 
times found in Carolina. Willughby lays it is very com¬ 
mon in Mexico, where it inhabits mountainous places, 
and is thought excellent eating. Bancroft obferves, that 
this is the only dove met with in Guiana. It is alfo com¬ 
mon in Jamaica; where Sloane mentions that they feed 
cn the ground like partridges, and fpring as they do, 
riling and flying for a Ihort flight, and then light again 
on the ground. They are taken in traps made of reeds, 
baited with the feeds of the wilJi caffada. 
63. Columba minuta, the minute dove ; which is (till 
lefs than the preceding, being only live inches and a half 
in length. The upper parts of the body are brown ; the 
under parts more or lefs rufous white; wing-coverts ru¬ 
fous brown, with feven fmall fpots of the colour of po- 
liflied flee], three on the leffer and four on the greater 
wing -coverts ; the two middle tail-feathers are brown ; 
the others alh-coloured at the bafe, then black, with 
brown tips; the bill and legs are brown. Native of St. 
Domingo. 
64. Columba Mnlaccenfis, the Malacca turtle; about 
tire fize of a houfe-l'parrow, but longer. The bill is black, 
tinged,with'yellow at the tip and bafe; irides yellow; 
the forehead and throat are light cinereous grey; the 
hind part of the head the fame, eroded with black lines; 
the back, rump, and Idler wing-coverts, are pale cinereous 
grey, tipped with a black band ; fides of the neck white, 
croffed with numerous lines of black; bread and belly 
pale vinous grey; the fides undulated with black lines; 
quills brown 5 the middle tail-feathers the fame; the 
others are brown for two-thirds of their length, and from 
thence to the end white 1 ; thighs and under tail-coverts 
are alfo white ; legs yellow. Inhabits Malacca in the 
Eaft Indies, and is a beautiful fpecies ; the fielh is laid 
to be extremely delicate. It has been traniported into 
the Ifle of France, where it has multiplied exceedingly. 
PIGEONS WITH LONG TAILS. 
65. Columba migrator, the migratory or paffenger 
pigeon; larger than the common pigeon; bill black; 
round the eyes crimfon ; irides orange; the head, throat, 
hind part of the neck, back, rump, and upper tail-co¬ 
verts, cinereous; the wing-coverts the fame, but marked 
with black fpots; fides of the neck of a gloffy variable 
purple colour; the fore part of the neck and breaft vina¬ 
ceous; quills dark brown, with whitifh edges; the tail 
very long ; the two middle feathers blackifh brown ; the 
reft hoary; legs red. The paifenger pigeons breed in the 
northern parts of the American continent: they neftle 
on trees, and lay two eggs. During incubation, they live 
on the leeds of the red maple, and afterwards on thofe of 
the elm. As foon as their provifions fail, they gather in 
vaft bodies, and advance towards the fouthern provinces. 
In hard winters the air is darkened by their flight: -one 
flock fucceeds to another, and this paffage lafts feveral 
days. When they rooft in trees, the branches are fome- 
times broken down by their weight, and the ground be¬ 
neath is covered to a confiderable depth with their dung. 
They are plentiful in all the Caribbee iflands, where they 
are common at every table, and much elteemed. The 
Indians ufed to kill vaft numbers, and colle&ed their fat 
to ferve as butter. In the ftate of New York, the paffen- 
ger pigeons are obferved in their progrefs to the louthern 
or weftern fettlements about the beginning of Auguft, 
and in their return about the beginning of March : they 
fly in mornings and evenings. The people at Philadel¬ 
phia (hoot them from the tops of their houfes; and in 
New England they are knocked down from their roofts 
in great numbers, which it is not difficult to do, as they 
M B A. 
are either very tame at the time, or much fatigued ; and 
the common people there chiefly fubfiit on them. They 
have alfo another way of catching them in Louisiana. A 
party of five or fix go in the evening into the woods, and, 
taking with them feveral flat veffels, they let brimltone 
on fire in thefe, under fuch trees as the birds rooft on, 
the fmoke of which lo ftupifies them, that they fall to'the 
ground, when no more remains than to fill their facks 
with them. In this they are often accompanied by the 
ladies, who etteern it an agreeable amufement. Another 
method of taking thefe birds in nets is deferibed, under 
Bird-catching, vol. iii. p. 54. 
65 . Columba Carolinenfis, the Carolina pigeon; fize of 
the common pigeon: bill blackilh ; eyes furrounded with 
a bare blue Hein ; irides black; the forehead, fore part of 
the neck, and breaft, incline to reddilh, with a green gold 
and violet glols; the hind part of the head and neck are 
of a brownilh ath-colour ; the back, rump, and upper tail 
and wing coverts, the fame, but irregularly mixed with 
rufous; belly, fides, thighs, and under tail-coverts, in¬ 
clining to rufous ; on each wing, near the tip, are black 
fpots; quills dark alh-colour, with whitilh edges; tail- 
feathers unequal, the two middle ones are four inches and 
a half in length, the outer ones very Ihort; the two mid¬ 
dle ones are wholly of alh-coloured brown ; the next two 
on each fide are alh-coloured, marked with black in the 
middle, and the others are of a lighter alh-colour, whitilh 
at the end, with a black fpot between the two colours ; 
legs red. The female differs in wanting the glofiy violet 
colour on the breaft. They inhabit Carolina, Brafil, St. 
Domingo, and other places. In the firft they are found 
throughout the whole year, and confequently breed there. 
67. Columba marginata, the marginated long-tailed 
dove; nearly the fize of tne common turtle: the bill is 
horn-colour, dark at the tip; irides dull rufous ; from 
the corners of the mouth to the eyes is a white ftreak; 
the fore part of the head and throat are rufous brown ; 
the hind head blueifh alh-colour; between thefe two co¬ 
lours, under the ears, is a black (pot about the fize of a 
tare; the hind part of the neck, the bqck, fcapulars, and 
wing-coverts, are brown ; but the- fcapulars, and greater 
coverts neareft the body, are marked with oval black fpots 
of different lizes ; the lower part of the back, the rump, 
and upper tail-coverts, incline to alh-colour; the fore part 
of the neck and breaft are of a rofe-colour, growing paler 
by degrees as it approaches the fides ; the belly, thighs, 
and under tail-coverts, are brown, mixed with alh-colour; 
quills deep brown, with the outer edges rufous ; tail-fea¬ 
thers of unequal lengths: the two middle are blackifh; 
the others ate afh-colour, with white tips; between which 
two colours is a band of black; the legs are red. This 
fpecies inhabits America. That from which our engra¬ 
ving was taken, came from the Weft Indies. 
68 . Columba Amboinenfis, the Amboyna turtle ; larger 
than the preceding : length fourteen inches, of which the 
tail alone is eight inches ; the bill is red ; the head, neck, 
breaft, belly, fides, thighs, and under tail-coverts, rufous; 
the feathers on the top of the head, the neck, and breaft, 
have each of them a blackifh tranlverfe band near the tip ; 
the upper part of the back, and wing-coverts, are deep 
brown, tipped with rufous ; quills deep brown ; the tail 
very unequal, the outer feathers being very ffiorr, and 
wholly of a lufous brown colour ; legs red. The female 
is much of the fame colour, but not fo bright as the male : 
natives of the ifiand of Amboyna. 
69. Columba Capenfis, the Cape pigeon; a very fmall 
fpecies, not bigger than a lark ; the length indeed is nine 
inches and a half, but the tail alone meafures five inches 
and a quarter. The bill is red ; the throat, and fore part 
of the neck, are of a very fine black ; the reft of the head,, 
neck, breaft, back, rump, upper wing and tail coverts, 
are grey brown; greater wing-coverts tipped with black; 
the belly, fides, thighs, and under tail-coverts, are dirty 
white ; on each wing is a bright fpot like polifhed lteel; 
the greater quills are rufous within and brown on the 
3. outer 
