Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIII.djvu/521

 PIGEON 505 called from its faculty of inflating the oesopha- gus to an extent sometimes equal to the size of the body ; this inflation subjects the bird to many inconveniences, diseases, and fatal acci- dents, and hence, though of handsome plu- mage, it is not much esteemed by fanciers; Ring Pigeon (Columba palumbus). it is also unproductive ; the prevailing color is reddish brown. The tumbler is so called from its habit of rolling over and over in the air before alighting. The Turkish pigeon, of the same race as the carrier, is large, with a bill tuberculated at the base, and the eyes widely surrounded by naked red skin. The cushat or ring pigeon (G. palumbus, Linn.) is wide- ly distributed over Europe and northern Asia and Africa, even where the winters are se- vere ; it is an arboreal species, perching, roost- ing, and nesting upon trees, keeping a vigilant watch in the daytime ; the eggs are two, white, and hatched out in 17 or 20 days ; two broods are raised in a year. It is a large species, measuring 16 or 17 in. in length ; the sides of the neck are glossed with green, bound- ed by a patch of white which nearly meets behind, forming a half collar ; the breast and abdomen purplish red, with the outer ridge of the wing and some of the greater coverts white. The wood pigeon (G. anas, Linn.) is smaller and of more limited distribution, found principally in well wooded districts, migrating to the south in winter; its habits resemble those of the ring pigeon; it is about 14 in. long, with an alar extent of 26 in. ; the general color is bluish gray, with the sides of the neck golden green, the fore neck and breast pale vinous, and the outer web of the secondaries and some of their coverts with a spot of black, not forming bars as in the rock pigeon. Neither of the last two species has been domesticated, and neither will breed with the rock pigeon, nor with their own species in captivity. There are several wild species of columba, in the Uni- ted States, as the band-tailed pigeon (G. fasci- ata, Say), about 15 in. in length, found from the Rocky mountains to the Pacific, and as far south as Mexico ; the red-billed pigeon (G. flamrostris, Wagl.), of the lower Rio Grande, 14 in. long and 22 in. in alar extent ; and the white-headed pigeon {G. leucocephala, Linn.), a little smaller, inhabiting the Indian and oth- er southern Florida keys and the West Indies. The passenger pigeon (ectopistes migratoria, Swains.) has been described under that title. In the genus carpophaga (Selby), embracing the fruit pigeons, the bill has a large and prom- inent soft basal portion, beneath which the nostrils are situated; the second, third, and fourth quills nearly equal and longest; tail lengthened and generally rounded ; tarsi very short, and clothed with down below the knee. There are about 30 species, found in the for- ests of India, Australia, and the islands of the Indian and Pacific oceans ; they live on the branches of the highest trees, feeding on fruits and berries ; their colors are green, yel- low, and purple, with bronzed and metallic reflections. One of the handsomest of this beautiful group is the nutmeg pigeon {G. cenea, Selby), about 18 in. long, inhabiting India and its archipelago ; the general color is a fine pale bluish gray, with golden green back, wings, and tail, and deep chestnut under tail coverts. In this and the allied species the metallic lustre of the plumage changes with every motion, rivalling the hues of the humming birds. They feed on nutmegs, figs, and in Australia on the top leaves of the cabbage palm ; the nutmegs are swallowed whole, the external envelope or the mace digested, and the hard nut voided not only uninjured but the better prepared for germination in the soil on which it is dropped ; Nutmeg Pigeon (Carpophaga oenea). in this way the nutmeg has been extensively disseminated through the East Indian islands; on this food the flesh becomes very fat and highly flavored. The genera turtur and ana of this subfamily will be noticed under TUE- TLE DOVE. In the subfamily treronince or tree