40;
4- COMMON
TURTLE.
D escription.
Place and
Manners.
Columba Tuitur, Lin. Sy/l. i. p. 284. N° 32.— Scop. mu. i. N ° 't8 i.—
Kram. el. p. 359. 3.— FeUfcb. t. 140.— Georgi Rei/e, p. 173.
La Tourterelle, BriJ. orn. i, p. 92. N° 7.—Buf. oif. ii. p. 543. pi. 7,3.—,
PI. enl. 394.
Turtle Dove, Rail Syn. p. 61. A. 2.— Will. orn. p. 183. pi. 33,— Albin. ii,
pi. 47.—Br.Zool. i. N° 103. pi. 4^.— Ara . Zool.
Br. Mu/. Lev. Kuf.
H r H E length of this bird is above twelve inches. The bi(l is
brown : the irides yellow: the eyes furrounded 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 alh-coloured, margined with reddifh
brown : fcapulars and wing coverts reddiih brown; each feather
black in the middle: quills brown, with pale edges and tips :
the fore part of the neck and bread vinaceous., but pale : the
lower part o f the bread and fides dulky grey : the belly, thighs,
and vent, white: the two middle feathers of the tail are browns
the others darker, tipped with white ; and the outer one white
bn the outer edge: the legs reddifh.
This bird is very common in thefe kingdoms, and I believe is
wholly migratory, none having been obferved after the time of
departing in autumn. It arrives later, and departs fooner, than any
other of the Pigeon tribe; and is pretty common 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 Peas begin
to ripen, of which it fometimes dedroys too many, and continues
thus doing till the departure,, which is about the end of Auguft
oi
or beginning of September. They build for the mod part in the
thick woods, on the highefl trees : lay two eggs, like the other
fpecies, and are fuppofed to breed but once in the feafon ■, which is
the more probable, as their flay in this country at lead is two
months Ihorter than the other fpecies which frequent us.
I obferve that Mr. Pennant, as well as Scopoli, are both fcru-
pulous of adding the fynonym of Linnaus to this bird; but I
make no doubt of either this or the firft variety being the identical
fpecies meant by him, though he particularifes his as Indian.
Brijfon mentions a drawing of one fent from China, no ways differing
from the bird by him defcribed, except the whole of the
under parts being vinaceous: it is his opinion likewife, that the
Ear Dove of Stoane* is the fame bird: and in the Indian Zoology f ,
the European turtle is mentioned as an inhabitant of Java.
40.
V ar. a .
s p o t t e d .
J N the Leverian Mufeum is a bird fhot in Buckinghamjhire, D escription.
which differs from the common one in having almoft the
whole fide of the neck black, inftead of a patch only; and inftead
of each feather being tipped with white, there is a round fpot
of white on each very near the end, giving the fides of the neck
a moft beautiful appearance. I have been likewife informed,
that many of this fort have been obferved in this county.
Among feme birds which came from the laft expedition to the
South Seas, I obferve one of thefe j but as it was in a parcel wherein
were fome others which belonged to the Cape of Good Hope,
* Hift. Jam. ii p. 304. t. 262. f. 2.—Raii Syn. p. 184. 26,
f P. 42.— This too is noticed in OJb\ f f p i. p. i$8,
it