174 TURTLE DOVE. 
over one foot; bill, dark greyish black, the tip of the upper 
one yellowish brown: it is much compressed about the middle, 
and the end is hard in substance; inside it is reddish. Iris, 
bright orange yellowish red, the bare space around it light 
red—darker than in the female; head on the sides, yellowish, 
fading off into the pink of the neck and breast; on the crown, 
and neck on the back, light greyish blue; on the sides the 
latter has a rounded patch of black, each of the feathers 
tipped with white, surrounded with a tinge of blue; in front 
it is a delicate light purple red colour, fading off backwards 
into grey; chin, pale brown; throat and breast, delicate lght 
purple red, bluish grey on the sides; back, greyish brown above, 
on the lower part brownish in colour. 
The wings, one foot nine or ten inches in expanse, long and 
acute, have the second quill the longest, the first nearly as 
long, the third a little shorter than the first, the others 
rapidly diminishing in length; greater wing coverts, mostly 
grey, the others greyish brown, with narrow whitish edges; 
lesser wing coverts, edged with grey, with broad light reddish 
margins, and a central pointed black spot, the outer one 
bluish grey; primaries, greyish brown. ‘The inner secondaries 
edged with grey, with broad light reddish margins, and a central 
pointed dark spot; the outer ones greyish brown, with narrow 
whitish edges; greater and lesser under wing coverts, bluish 
grey. The tail, long and much rounded, of twelve feathers, 
greyish brown, the two centre ones brown; all the others tipped 
with white, widest on the side feathers, the outer web of the 
side one white; underneath it is blackish brown, tipped with 
white; under tail coverts, white. Legs and toes, carmine red— 
the latter underneath dull yellowish; claws, blackish brown. 
The female is less in size, and lighter-coloured. 
The young, at first covered with yellow down, have, their 
first year, the bill dark brown; iris, dusky, till they are about 
half a year old, then it becomes by degrees yellow and orange: 
the red round the eye appears the second year; they assume 
also the black on the side of the neck the second year. Breast 
on the sides, bluish grey; back, darker brown than the neck 
in front; greater and lesser wing coverts, tipped with buff 
white; primaries, slightly tinged on their outer edges with 
rufous. Tail, brown, the lateral feathers with their outer webs, 
and the next two with their ends white; underneath it is 
blackish brown; under tail coverts, whitish. Legs, toes, and 
claws, brown. 3 
