making a nest like that of the common turtle, and lays two white eggs. It seeks its food in the open grounds, and subsists upon grain, grass-seeds, and pulse, &c. Its trivial name is derived from a fanciful resemblance to the human laugh in its cooings. (Selby.)

A race between the common turtle and this species has been obtained; but the mules are stated to have been invariably barren. T. communis (Linnæus), the Turtle Dove (Columba turtur of authors), is found in Great Britain. It occurs only as a summer visiter coming from Africa.

Mr. Selby provisionally places the C. lophotes of Temminck under this genus.

Ectopistes (Swainson).-Bill slender, notched. Wings rather elongated, pointed; the first and third quill equal; the second longest. Tail rounded, or curvated. Feet short, naked; anterior scales of the tarsi imbricate; lateral scales very small, reticulate.

E. migratoria. It is the C. migratoria of authors, the Passenger Pigeon of Wilson, Audubon, and others. Our limits not allowing us to give a detailed history of any length of the habits of more than one species, we have selected Wilson's graphic account of this elegant bird as the most striking :

Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratoria).

"The roosting-places are always in the woods, and sometimes occupy a large extent of forest. When they have frequented one of those places for some time, the appearance it exhibits is surprising. The ground is covered to the depth of several inches with their dung; all the tender grass and underwood destroyed; the surface strewed with large limbs of trees, broken down by the weight of the birds collecting one above another; and the trees themselves, for thousands of acres, killed as completely as if girdled with an axe. The marks of their desolation remain for many years on the spot; and numerous places could be pointed out where, for several years after, scarcely a single vegetable made its appearance. When these roosts are first discovered, the inhabitants, from considerable distances, visit them in the night with guns, clubs, long poles, pots of sulphur, and various other engines of destruction. In a few hours they fill many sacks and load horses with them. By the Indians a pigeon-roost or breeding-place is considered an important source of national profit and dependence for that season, and all their active ingenuity is exercised on the occasion. The breeding-place differs from the former in its greater extent. In the western countries, namely, the states of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, these are generally in back woods, and often extend in nearly a straight line across the country for a great way. Not far from Shelbyville, in the state of Kentucky, about five years ago, there was one of these breeding-places, which stretched through the woods in nearly a north and south direction, was several miles in breadth, and was said to be upwards of forty miles in extent. In this tract almost every tree was furnished with nests wherever the branches could accommodate them. The pigeons made their first appearance there about the 10th of April, and left it altogether with their young before the 25th of May. As soon as the young were fully grown, and before they left the nests, numerous parties of the inhabitants from all parts of the adjacent country came with waggons, axes, beds, cooking utensils, many of them accompanied by the greater part of their families, and encamped for several days at this immense nursery. Several of them informed me that the noise was so great as to terrify their horses, and that it was difficult for one person to hear another speak without bawling in his ear. The ground was strewed with broken limbs of trees, eggs, and young squab pigeons, which had been precipitated from above, and on which herds of hogs were fattening. Hawks, buzzards, and eagles were sailing about in great numbers, and seizing the squabs from the nests at pleasure, while, from twenty feet upwards to the top of the trees, the view through the woods presented a perpetual tumult of crowding and fluttering multitudes of pigeons, their wings roaring like thunder, mingled with the frequent crash of falling timber; for now the axemen were at work, cutting down those trees that seemed to be most crowded with nests, and contrived to fell

them in such a manner, that in their descert they might bring down several others; by which means the falling of one large tree sometimes produced 200 squabs, little inferior in size to the old ones, and almost one heap of fat. On some single trees upwards of 100 nests were found, each containing one squab only; a circumstance in the history of this bird not generally known to naturalists. It was dangerous to walk under these flying and fluttering millions, from the frequent fall of large branches, broken down by the weight of the multitudes above, and which in their descent often destroyed numbers of the birds themselves; while the clothes of those engaged in traversing the woods were completely covered with the excrements of the pigeons.

"These circumstances were related to me by many of the most respectable part of the community in that quarter, and were confirmed in part by what I myself witnessed. I passed for several miles through this same breeding-place, where every tree was spotted with nests, the remains of those above described. In many instances I counted upwards of ninety nests on a single tree; but the pigeons had abandoned this place for another, sixty or eighty miles off, towards Green River, where they were said at that time to be equally numerous. From the great numbers that were constantly passing over our heads to or from that quarter, I had no doubt of the truth of this statement. The mast had been chiefly consumed in Kentucky; and the pigeons, every morning a little before sunrise, set out for the Indiana territory, the nearest part of which was about sixty miles distant. Many of these returned before ten o'clock, and the great body generally appeared on their return a little aft noon. I had left the public road to visit the remains of the breeding-place near Shelbyville, and was traversing the woods with my gun, on my way to Frankfort, when about ten o'clock the pigeons which I had observed flying the greater part of the morning northerly, began to return in such immense numbers as I never before had witnessed. Coming to an opening by the side of a creek called the Benson, where I had a more uninterrupted view, I was astonished at their appearance: they were flying with great steadiness and rapidity, at a height beyond gunshot, in several strata deep, and so close together that, could shot have reached them, one discharge could not have failed of bringing down several individuals. From right to left, as far as the eye could reach, the breadth of this vast procession extended, seeming everywhere equally crowded. Curious to determine how long this appearance would continue, I took out my watch to note the time, and sat down to observe them. It was then half-past one; I sat for more than an hour, but instead of a diminution of this prodigious procession, it seemed rather to increase, both in numbers and rapidity; and anxious to reach Frankfort before night I rose and went on. About four o'clock in the afternoon I crossed Kentucky River, at the town of Frankfort, at which time the living torrent above my head seemed as numerous and as extensive as ever. Long after this I observed them in large bodies that continued to pass for six or eight minutes, and these again were followed by other detached bodies, all moving in the same south-east direction, till after six o'clock in the evening. The great breadth of front which this mighty multitude preserved would seem to intimate a corresponding breadth of their breeding-place, which, by several gentlemen who had lately passed through part of it, was stated to me at several miles."

Wilson then enters into a rough calculation of the numbers of this mass, and he comes to the conclusion that its whole length was 240 miles, and that the numbers composing it amounted to 2,230,272,000 pigeons, observing that this is probably far below the actual amount. He adds, that allowing each pigeon to consume half a pint of food daily, the whole quantity would equal 17,424,000 bushels daily. Mr. Audubon confirms Wilson in every point, excepting that he very properly corrects that part of the narrative which would lead to the conclusion that a single young one only is hatched each time. The latter observes that the bird lays two eggs of a pure white, and that each brood generally consists of a male and female.

Description.-Wings long and acuminate, having the second quillfeather exceeding the others in length. The tail is greatly cuneiform or graduated, and consists of twelve tapering feathers. Bill black, and like that of the turtle. Legs purplish-red, short, and strong. Iris bright orange-red, the naked orbit purplish-red. Head and cheeks pale bluish-gray. Fore-neck, breast, and sides brownish-red, with a purplish tinge. Abdomen and vent white. Lower part and sides of neck purplish-crimson, reflecting tints of emerald green and gold. Upper plumage deep bluish-gray, some of the scapulars and wingcoverts spotted with black. Greater coverts gray, tipped with white. Quills blackish-gray, their exterior webs bluish-gray. Tail with the two middle feathers black, the other five on each side gray at the base, with a black bar on the interior arch, and passing into white towards the extremities.

The female is rather smaller, and has the colours of her plumage much duller than those of the male, though the distribution is the same. (Selby.)

The Passenger Pigeon inhabits the North American continent, between the 20th and 62nd degrees of north latitude. Mr. Eyton has figured one as a visitant to our shores, on the authority of Dr. Fleming, who, in his 'History of British Animals,' says that one was shot in the parish of Monimail, Fifeshire, on the 31st December, 1825. Mr.

Yarrell also records the capture of another specimen at Royston, in Cambridgeshire.

Mr. Selby refers provisionally Columba Capensis, Auct., C. Macquarrii, Lesson, and C. venusta, Temm., to his group of Ectopistina, and thinks that by these and some other nearly allied forms a passage to the next group, Peristerinæ, the Ground-Doves, is effected.

Family Peristerine (Selby).-Distinguished from the preceding groups by their terrene habits, and their evident approach in many points to the more typical Rasores, or Gallinaceous Birds. In these the bill is rather slender, frequently sub-emarginate, and the tip of the upper mandible gently deflected; the wings are generally short and rounded, and in many instances concave, as in the partridge, grouse, &c. The legs are considerably longer than in the typical pigeons, the tarsus usually exceeding the middle toe in length, and the feet better adapted for walking than grasping; the claws are obtuse and slightly arched. The hallux is shorter, and its relative position different from that of the arboreal species. Their plumage is plainer and more uniform in tint than that of some of the preceding groups, though it is still brilliant in those species which connect them with other forms. They live almost entirely upon the ground, and many of the species run with great celerity, on which account they have been called Partridge Pigeons. Their flight, which is usually low, is effected with greater exertion than that of the pigeons, and is never long sustained. (Selby.)

Mr. Selby observes that this division contains a great number of species, and is of opinion that when better investigated it will be found divisible into a variety of minor groups or genera. He places under it Phaps, Chamapelia, and Peristera. This group is distinguished by a longer bill, very faintly emarginate, and by its tarsi, which are moderately long and naked, with the frontal scales divided into two series, and the sides and hinder part reticulated with minute scales. Another group, he adds, seems indicated by certain Asiatic species, conspicuous for the rich metallic green of the plumage of their backs, resembling therein some of the Ptilinopina. The tarsi of these are destitute of scales, except a few indistinct ones in front, just above the toes. The bill is rather long, and destitute of a notch. They live mostly on the ground, but their flight is powerful. Mr. Selby takes Columba superciliosa of Wagler as the type of this last-mentioned group.

Phaps (Selby).-Bill moderately long, rather slender; upper mandible gently deflected at the tip, and with the indication of a notch or emargination. Wings of mean length; second and third feathers longest, and nearly equal. Tail slightly rounded. Legs-tarsi as long as the middle toe, the front covered with a double row of scales, sides and back reticulated with small hexagonal scales. Hind toe short; inner toe exceeding the outer in length. Claws blunt, slightly arched. Type, Columba chalcoptera, Latham. C. elegans, Temm.; and C. picata, Wagler, belong to this group. (Selby.)

P. chalcoptera. It is the C. chalcoptera, Latham; the C. Lumachelle of Temminck; Bronze-Winged Ground-Dove.

purplish-gray. Belly and vent gray, with a pale purple tinge. Back, scapulars, rump, and upper tail-coverts, brown tinged with greenish in some lights, the border of each feather paler. Wing-covers bluishgray, but the outer webs of every feather have a large ovate spot, producing various tints of metallic brilliancy according to the direction of the light. Quills brown above, with the inner surface of the webs, the axillary feathers, and under wing-coverts bordered rather deeply with pale orange-red. Tail slightly rounded, bluish-gray, with a black band. Legs red; two rows of scales in front, the sides reticulated.

It is an inhabitant of Australia and islands in the Pacific; in the neighbourhood of Sydney from September till February. It haunts dry and sandy places, where it is generally seen on the ground, and occasionally perched upon the low branches of shrubs. Nest inartificial, in holes of low trees or decayed trunks near the ground, sometimes on it. Eggs two, white. These birds go in pairs generally; their cooing is loud, and has been compared, when heard at a distance, to the lowing of a cow.

Chamapelia (Swainson).-Bill slender, entire. Wings rounded, the first quill short, third, fourth, and fifth nearly equal and longest; the webs on both sides slightly emarginate. Tail rounded. Feet rather short; the sides of the tarsi feathered. Types, Columba passerina, Linn.; C. squamosa, Temm. (Swainson).

C. Talpicoti. It is the Columba Talpicoti of Temminck, the species which Mr. Selby considers to be the type. Length 6 inches, adult male; forehead, crown, and nape of neck, ash-gray; cheeks and throat pinkish-white; upper plumage entirely brownish-orange, with the exception of a few transverse streaks of black upon the exterior webs of some of the wing-coverts nearest the body; under plumage deep vinaceous-red; axillary feathers and part of under wing-coverts black; tail with the two middle feathers brownish-orange, the remainder brownish-black, with reddish-brown tips, moderately curved; bill and orbits bluish-gray; legs and toes pale red, the outer side of the tarsus with a row of small feathers down the line of junction between the acrotarsia and paratarsia; quills broad, the fourth with a large projecting notch towards the middle of the inner web. The female has the crown of the head of a sordid gray; the upper plumage of a wood-brown, tinged with red; the scapular and wing-coverts marked as on the male; under plumage dirty gray, tinged with pale purplishred. (Selby.)

Chamapelia Talpicoti.

This bird inhabits Brazil, Paraguay, and other districts of South America. It haunts open grounds near woods, where it roosts and breeds upon the underwood, but never far from the ground, where it is active, and feeds upon the smaller cerealia, berries, &c. Generally observed in pairs, sometimes in families of four or six, never in large flocks. Does not fly from the face of man, but affects the confines of houses and farm-yards. Easily kept and propagated in aviaries.

Peristera (Swainson).-Bill slender, sub-emarginate. Wings rounded, the first quill short and abruptly attenuated, second and fifth equal, third and fourth equal and longest. Tail rounded. Feet strong, naked, somewhat lengthened; anterior scales of the tarsi imbricate, lateral scales none. Type, Columba cinerea, Temm. (Swainson).

P. tympanistria. It is the Columba tympanistria of Temminck. Length about 9 inches; upper plumage brown, slightly tinged with gray on the neck; large spots of shining dark green on the outer webs of three or four of the greater wing-coverts; middle tail-feathers brown; the two exterior on each side gray, with a broad black bar near the tip; inner webs of greater quills deep brown; forehead, streak over the eye, and under plumage, pure white; under wingcoverts and sides pale orange-brown; under tail-coverts brown; bill and legs gray, the latter with a reddish tinge.

It inhabits South Africa, where it is said to haunt woods. The species does not seem to be common.

Geophilus (Selby).-Mr. Selby, speaking of Columba cyanocephala, Wagler, Turtur Jamaicensis, Brisson; Columba carunculata, Wagler; and Columba Nicobarica, Latham, Columba Gallus, Wagler, says

them together by a peculiar oft-repeated cry, and brood over them with their wings. Their first food consists of the larvae of ants, dead insects, and worms, which the parents point out to them. When strong enough to find their own food, they live on grain of different sorts, berries insects, &c., and keep together in coveys, like the partridge and other Tetraonida, till the pairing-time.

If the wattles of the last-named species recall to the observer the same parts so highly developed in the gallinaceous birds, the species which we next present will remind him of the hackles which ornament the Gallina.

G. Nicobaricus. It is the Columba Nicobarica of Latham, the C. Gallus of Wagler. Length hardly 15 inches; bill slender, about 14 inch long, tip but little bent downwards; the tail pure white, the quills deep blackish-blue, with varying tints of green; all the rest of the plumage rich metallic green, shooting, according to the light, into the variegated tints of golden-green, bronze, bright coppercolour, and deep purplish-red; neck-feathers long, narrow, and pointed, like those of the domestic cock; barbules towards the tip silky and distinct; tail short, pendent, nearly square; wings, when closed, reaching nearly to the termination of tail; legs strong, moderately long, black, covered with hexagonal scales; nails yellow, gently curved, blunt. Upon the base of the upper mandible of the male a round fleshy tubercle (probably apparent in the breeding season only). The female resembles the male in colour, but her neckfeathers are not so long, and she has no tubercle.

the sides, inclined towards the point; nostrils situated in a groove; wings rounded. (Vieillot.)

L. coronatus. It is the Columba coronata of Latham; Phasianus cristatus Indicus, Brisson; Columbi Hocco, Le Vaill.; Colombe Galline Goura, Temm.; Great Crowned Pigeon, Edw. A species surpassing in size all the other Columbida. Total length from 27 to 28 inches; bill two inches long, black, tips of mandibles thickened, that of the upper one somewhat deflected; head with a large elevated semicircular compressed crest of narrow straight feathers, with decomposed or rather disunited silky barbules, always erect; crest and body below grayish-blue; feathers of back, scapulars, and smaller wing-coverts, black at the base, rich purple-brown at the tips; greater coverts same colour, but centrally barred with white, forming a single transverse band across the wings when closed; quills and tail deep gray, the latter terminated with grayish-blue; legs gray; tarsi 34 inches in length, covered with rounded scales not closely set, with a white border of skin round each; toes strong and somewhat short, scales placed as in the Columbine.

Bavarian specimens contain Pclopic acid, which, according to Rose, accounts for their high specific gravity, which ranges from 5-7 to 6.4. This mineral is infusible alone before the blowpipe, but on mixture with borax in fine powder it fuses slowly but perfectly, forming a dark green glass, which indicates the presence of iron.

Columbite is found in granite at Bodenmais in Bavaria, also in Bohemia. It occurs in the United States in feldspathic or albitic rocks, at Middletown and Haddam, Connecticut, at Chesterfield and Beverley, Massachusetts, and at Acworth, New Hampshire. Ferrotantalite is a Columbate of Iron.

Great Crowned Pigeon (Lophyrus coronatus).

This bird is found in many of the islands of the great Indian group. Not rare in Java and Banda, abundant in New Guinea and in most of the Moluccas. Nest built in trees; eggs two; cooing of the male hoarse, accompanied by a noise somewhat like that of a turkey-cock when strutting. Food-berries, seed, grain, &c. Flavour of the flesh said to be excellent.

"In this magnificent and beautiful bird," says Mr. Selby, "we observe a combination of form different from that of the groundpigeons so lately described; for, instead of the marked affinity to the typical rasorial families, the Pavonida and Tetraonide, so decidedly exhibited by these species, both in their mode of life and in their deviation from the usual Columbine figure, we have, in the present instance, an approximation of structure much nearer that of some of the Cracida, another tribe of birds which constitutes an aberrant family of the Rasorial Order; and it is on this account we think that this bird cannot well be placed in the same division with the grounddoves, but must constitute the type of a separate group."

Fossil Columbida.-Dr. Buckland enumerates the bones of the pigeon among the remains in the cave at Kirkdale, and figures a bone which he says approaches closely to the Spanish runt; but Professor Owen, in his 'British Fossil Mammals and Birds,' is silent on this subject.

COLUMBINE. [AQUILEGIA.]

COLUMBITE, a Mineral into the composition of which the metal Columbium enters. Columbium on its first discovery was also called by chemists Tantalum, and this mineral has also been called Tantalite.

Columbite occurs in rectangular prisms, more or less modified, also

5

Columellia oblonga.

The

ripe fruit; 4, the fruit opening, with the calyx adhering; 5, the pericarp sepa1, a flower seen from above; 2, the ovary, style, and stigma; 3, the halfrated from the calyx; 6, valves of the pericarp; ", one valve and seeds. unsymmetrical flowers. They are evergreen shrubs or trees. leaves opposite, without stipules, entire or serrated; the flowers yellow and terminal; calyx superior, 5-parted; corolla rotate, 5-8parted, with an imbricated aestivation; stamens 2, inserted in the throat, alternate with the segments of the corolla; anthers roundish, 3-lobed, bursting externally, each consisting of three pairs of narrow somewhat sinuous cells, which open longitudinally, and which are placed upon a solid fleshy connective. The affinities of this order are very doubtful. Professor Don, who first noticed the order, places it near the Jasmines. It differs however materially from them, and may almost be described as a form of monopetalous Onagracea. Dr. Lindley, in this uncertainty, leaves it by the side of Berberacea and Cinchonacea; to either of which, and especially to the latter, it may