rr-jg* f ... > • v 
WHITE-CROWNED PIGEON. 
light falls. The sides of the head, the body above, and whole 
inferior surface, the wings and tail above and beneath, in short 
the whole bird without any exception but the parts described, is 
of a uniform deep bluish slate, much lighter on the belly, more 
tinged with blue on the stout-shafted rump-feathers, somewhat 
glossy and approaching to brownish black on the scapulars: the 
quills are more of a dusky black. The wings are nearly eight 
inches long, reaching when closed to two-thirds of the tail; the 
first primary is somewhat shorter than the fourth, and the second 
and third are longest; the third is curiously scalloped on the 
outer web, which is much narrowed for two inches from the tip; 
all are finely edged with whitish. The tail is five inches long, 
perfectly even, of twelve uniform broad feathers with rounded 
tips. The feet are carmine red, the nails dusky; the tarsus 
measures less than an inch, being subequal to the lateral toes, 
and much shorter than the middle one. 
The female is perfectly similar. It is one of this sex, shot in 
the beginning of March, that is represented in the plate, and is 
perhaps a young, or not a very old bird, for it would seem that 
as they advance in age, these Pigeons become somewhat lighter 
coloured, the crown acquiring a much purer white. This however 
we only infer from authors, our plate and description being 
faithfully copied from nature. 
The young are distinguished by duller tints, and the crown is 
at first nearly uniform with the rest of their dark plumage: this 
part after a time changes to gray, then grayish white, and 
becomes whiter and whiter as the bird grows older. It is proper 
to remark, after what has been said under the article of the 
Band-tailed Pigeon in vol. i., that the white colour extends 
equally over the whole cr.own, not more on one part than 
another; thus never admitting of a restricted band or line, as in 
that much lighter coloured bird. 
vol. in.—F 
A 
