Columba livia

Columba livia
    n 1: pale grey Eurasian pigeon having black-striped wings from
         which most domestic species are descended [syn: {rock
         dove}, {rock pigeon}, {Columba livia}]
    

Homing \Hom"ing\ (h[=o]m"[i^]ng), p. a.
   Home-returning; -- used specifically of carrier pigeons.
   [1913 Webster]

   {Homing pigeon}, any pigeon trained to return home from a
      distance. Also called {carrier pigeon}. Most are bred from
      the domestic pigeon {Columba livia}. Homing pigeons are
      used for sending back messages or for flying races. By
      carrying the birds away and releasing them at gradually
      increasing distances from home, they may be trained to
      return with more or less certainty and promptness from
      distances up to four or five hundred miles. The birds
      typically do not stop on their way home, and may average
      as much as 60 miles per hour on their return trip. If the
      distance is increased much beyond 400 miles, the birds are
      unable to cover it without stopping for a prolonged rest,
      and their return becomes doubtful. The record for returnig
      from a distance is close to 1,200 miles. Homing pigeons
      are not bred for fancy points or special colors, but for
      strength, speed, endurance, and intelligence or homing
      instinct. Although used since ancient times, homing
      pigeons have been largely displaced for practical purposes
      by radio and electronic communications, but they are still
      used in some special situations at the end of the 20th
      century. They were used in military operations as recently
      as in World War II.
      [Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC] hominian
    

Pigeon \Pi"geon\, n. [F., fr. L. pipio a young pipping or
   chirping bird, fr. pipire to peep, chirp. Cf. {Peep} to
   chirp.]
   1. (Zool.) Any bird of the order Columb[ae], of which
      numerous species occur in nearly all parts of the world.
      [1913 Webster]

   Note: The common domestic pigeon, or dove, was derived from
         the Old World rock pigeon or rock dove ({Columba
         livia}), common in cities. It has given rise to
         numerous very remarkable varieties, such as the
         carrier, fantail, nun, pouter, tumbler, etc. The common
         wild pigeon of the Eastern United States is the
         {Mourning dove} ({Zenaida macroura}, called also
         {Carolina dove}). Before the 19th century, the most
         common pigeon was the passenger pigeon, but that
         species is now extinct. See {Passenger pigeon}, and
         {Carolina dove} under {Dove}. See, also, {Fruit
         pigeon}, {Ground pigeon}, {Queen pigeon}, {Stock
         pigeon}, under {Fruit}, {Ground}, etc.
         [1913 Webster +PJC]

   2. An unsuspected victim of sharpers; a gull. [Slang]
      [1913 Webster]

   {Blue pigeon} (Zool.), an Australian passerine bird
      ({Graucalus melanops}); -- called also {black-faced crow}.
      

   {Green pigeon} (Zool.), any one of numerous species of Old
      World pigeons belonging to the family {Treronid[ae]}.

   {Imperial pigeon} (Zool.), any one of the large Asiatic fruit
      pigeons of the genus {Carpophada}.

   {Pigeon berry} (Bot.), the purplish black fruit of the
      pokeweed; also, the plant itself. See {Pokeweed}.

   {Pigeon English} [perhaps a corruption of business English],
      an extraordinary and grotesque dialect, employed in the
      commercial cities of China, as the medium of communication
      between foreign merchants and the Chinese. Its base is
      English, with a mixture of Portuguese and Hindustani.
      --Johnson's Cyc.

   {Pigeon grass} (Bot.), a kind of foxtail grass ({Setaria
      glauca}), of some value as fodder. The seeds are eagerly
      eaten by pigeons and other birds.

   {Pigeon hawk}. (Zool.)
      (a) A small American falcon ({Falco columbarius}). The
          adult male is dark slate-blue above, streaked with
          black on the back; beneath, whitish or buff, streaked
          with brown. The tail is banded.
      (b) The American sharp-shinned hawk ({Accipiter velox} or
          {Accipiter fuscus}).

   {Pigeon hole}.
      (a) A hole for pigeons to enter a pigeon house.
      (b) See {Pigeonhole}.
      (c) pl. An old English game, in which balls were rolled
          through little arches. --Halliwell.

   {Pigeon house}, a dovecote.

   {Pigeon pea} (Bot.), the seed of {Cajanus Indicus}; a kind of
      pulse used for food in the East and West Indies; also, the
      plant itself.

   {Pigeon plum} (Bot.), the edible drupes of two West African
      species of {Chrysobalanus} ({Chrysobalanus ellipticus} and
      {Chrysobalanus luteus}).

   {Pigeon tremex}. (Zool.) See under {Tremex}.

   {Pigeon wood} (Bot.), a name in the West Indies for the wood
      of several very different kinds of trees, species of
      {Dipholis}, {Diospyros}, and {Coccoloba}.

   {Pigeon woodpecker} (Zool.), the flicker.

   {Prairie pigeon}. (Zool.)
      (a) The upland plover.
      (b) The golden plover. [Local, U.S.]
          [1913 Webster]
    

Rock \Rock\, n. [OF. roke, F. roche; cf. Armor. roc'h, and AS.
   rocc.]
   1. A large concreted mass of stony material; a large fixed
      stone or crag. See {Stone}.
      [1913 Webster]

            Come one, come all! this rock shall fly
            From its firm base as soon as I.      --Sir W.
                                                  Scott.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. (Geol.) Any natural deposit forming a part of the earth's
      crust, whether consolidated or not, including sand, earth,
      clay, etc., when in natural beds.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. That which resembles a rock in firmness; a defense; a
      support; a refuge.
      [1913 Webster]

            The Lord is my rock, and my fortress. --2 Sam. xxii.
                                                  2.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. Fig.: Anything which causes a disaster or wreck resembling
      the wreck of a vessel upon a rock.
      [1913 Webster]

   5. (Zool.) The striped bass. See under {Bass}.
      [1913 Webster]

   Note: This word is frequently used in the formation of
         self-explaining compounds; as, rock-bound, rock-built,
         rock-ribbed, rock-roofed, and the like.
         [1913 Webster]

   {Rock alum}. [Probably so called by confusion with F. roche a
      rock.] Same as {Roche alum}.

   {Rock barnacle} (Zool.), a barnacle ({Balanus balanoides})
      very abundant on rocks washed by tides.

   {Rock bass}. (Zool.)
      (a) The stripped bass. See under {Bass}.
      (b) The goggle-eye.
      (c) The cabrilla. Other species are also locally called
          rock bass.

   {Rock builder} (Zool.), any species of animal whose remains
      contribute to the formation of rocks, especially the
      corals and Foraminifera.

   {Rock butter} (Min.), native alum mixed with clay and oxide
      of iron, usually in soft masses of a yellowish white
      color, occuring in cavities and fissures in argillaceous
      slate.

   {Rock candy}, a form of candy consisting of crystals of pure
      sugar which are very hard, whence the name.

   {Rock cavy}. (Zool.) See {Moco}.

   {Rock cod} (Zool.)
      (a) A small, often reddish or brown, variety of the cod
          found about rocks andledges.
      (b) A California rockfish.

   {Rock cook}. (Zool.)
      (a) A European wrasse ({Centrolabrus exoletus}).
      (b) A rockling.

   {Rock cork} (Min.), a variety of asbestus the fibers of which
      are loosely interlaced. It resembles cork in its texture.
      

   {Rock crab} (Zool.), any one of several species of large
      crabs of the genus {C}, as the two species of the New
      England coast ({Cancer irroratus} and {Cancer borealis}).
      See Illust. under {Cancer}.

   {Rock cress} (Bot.), a name of several plants of the cress
      kind found on rocks, as {Arabis petraea}, {Arabis lyrata},
      etc.

   {Rock crystal} (Min.), limpid quartz. See {Quartz}, and under
      {Crystal}.

   {Rock dove} (Zool.), the rock pigeon; -- called also {rock
      doo}.

   {Rock drill}, an implement for drilling holes in rock; esp.,
      a machine impelled by steam or compressed air, for
      drilling holes for blasting, etc.

   {Rock duck} (Zool.), the harlequin duck.

   {Rock eel}. (Zool.) See {Gunnel}.

   {Rock goat} (Zool.), a wild goat, or ibex.

   {Rock hopper} (Zool.), a penguin of the genus {Catarractes}.
      See under {Penguin}.

   {Rock kangaroo}. (Zool.) See {Kangaroo}, and {Petrogale}.

   {Rock lobster} (Zool.), any one of several species of large
      spinose lobsters of the genera {Panulirus} and
      {Palinurus}. They have no large claws. Called also {spiny
      lobster}, and {sea crayfish}.

   {Rock meal} (Min.), a light powdery variety of calcite
      occuring as an efflorescence.

   {Rock milk}. (Min.) See {Agaric mineral}, under {Agaric}.

   {Rock moss}, a kind of lichen; the cudbear. See {Cudbear}.

   {Rock oil}. See {Petroleum}.

   {Rock parrakeet} (Zool.), a small Australian parrakeet
      ({Euphema petrophila}), which nests in holes among the
      rocks of high cliffs. Its general color is yellowish olive
      green; a frontal band and the outer edge of the wing
      quills are deep blue, and the central tail feathers bluish
      green.

   {Rock pigeon} (Zool.), the wild pigeon ({Columba livia}) Of
      Europe and Asia, from which the domestic pigeon was
      derived. See Illust. under {Pigeon}.

   {Rock pipit}. (Zool.) See the Note under {Pipit}.

   {Rock plover}. (Zool.)
      (a) The black-bellied, or whistling, plover.
      (b) The rock snipe.

   {Rock ptarmigan} (Zool.), an arctic American ptarmigan
      ({Lagopus rupestris}), which in winter is white, with the
      tail and lores black. In summer the males are grayish
      brown, coarsely vermiculated with black, and have black
      patches on the back.

   {Rock rabbit} (Zool.), the hyrax. See {Cony}, and {Daman}.

   {Rock ruby} (Min.), a fine reddish variety of garnet.

   {Rock salt} (Min.), cloride of sodium (common salt) occuring
      in rocklike masses in mines; mineral salt; salt dug from
      the earth. In the United States this name is sometimes
      given to salt in large crystals, formed by evaporation
      from sea water in large basins or cavities.

   {Rock seal} (Zool.), the harbor seal. See {Seal}.

   {Rock shell} (Zool.), any species of Murex, Purpura, and
      allied genera.

   {Rock snake} (Zool.), any one of several large pythons; as,
      the royal {rock snake} ({Python regia}) of Africa, and the
      {rock snake} of India ({Python molurus}). The Australian
      rock snakes mostly belong to the allied genus {Morelia}.
      

   {Rock snipe} (Zool.), the purple sandpiper ({Tringa
      maritima}); -- called also {rock bird}, {rock plover},
      {winter snipe}.

   {Rock soap} (Min.), a kind of clay having a smooth, greasy
      feel, and adhering to the tongue.

   {Rock sparrow}. (Zool.)
      (a) Any one of several species of Old World sparrows of
          the genus {Petronia}, as {Petronia stulla}, of Europe.
      (b) A North American sparrow ({Pucaea ruficeps}).

   {Rock tar}, petroleum.

   {Rock thrush} (Zool.), any Old World thrush of the genus
      {Monticola}, or {Petrocossyphus}; as, the European rock
      thrush ({Monticola saxatilis}), and the blue rock thrush
      of India ({Monticola cyaneus}), in which the male is blue
      throughout.

   {Rock tripe} (Bot.), a kind of lichen ({Umbilicaria
      Dillenii}) growing on rocks in the northen parts of
      America, and forming broad, flat, coriaceous, dark fuscous
      or blackish expansions. It has been used as food in cases
      of extremity.

   {Rock trout} (Zool.), any one of several species of marine
      food fishes of the genus {Hexagrammus}, family {Chiradae},
      native of the North Pacific coasts; -- called also {sea
      trout}, {boregat}, {bodieron}, and {starling}.

   {Rock warbler} (Zool.), a small Australian singing bird
      ({Origma rubricata}) which frequents rocky ravines and
      water courses; -- called also {cataract bird}.

   {Rock wren} (Zool.), any one of several species of wrens of
      the genus {Salpinctes}, native of the arid plains of Lower
      California and Mexico.
      [1913 Webster]
    

Dove \Dove\ (d[u^]v), n. [OE. dove, duve, douve, AS. d[=u]fe;
   akin to OS. d[=u]ba, D. duif, OHG. t[=u]ba, G. taube, Icel.
   d[=u]fa, Sw. dufva, Dan. due, Goth. d[=u]b[=o]; perh. from
   the root of E. dive.]
   1. (Zool.) A pigeon of the genus {Columba} and various
      related genera. The species are numerous.
      [1913 Webster]

   Note: The domestic dove, including the varieties called
         {fantails}, {tumblers}, {carrier pigeons}, etc., was
         derived from the {rock pigeon} ({Columba livia}) of
         Europe and Asia; the {turtledove} of Europe, celebrated
         for its sweet, plaintive note, is {Columba turtur} or
         {Turtur vulgaris}; the {ringdove}, the largest of
         European species, is {Columba palumbus}; the {Carolina
         dove}, or {Mourning dove}, is {Zenaidura macroura}; the
         {sea dove} is the little auk ({Mergulus alle} or {Alle
         alle}). See {Turtledove}, {Ground dove}, and {Rock
         pigeon}. The dove is a symbol of peace, innocence,
         gentleness, and affection; also, in art and in the
         Scriptures, the typical symbol of the Holy Ghost.
         [1913 Webster]

   2. A word of endearment for one regarded as pure and gentle.
      [1913 Webster]

            O my dove, . . . let me hear thy voice. --Cant. ii.
                                                  14.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. a person advocating peace, compromise or conciliation
      rather than war or conflict. Opposite of {hawk}.
      [PJC]

   {Dove tick} (Zool.), a mite ({Argas reflexus}) which infests
      doves and other birds.

   {Soiled dove}, a prostitute. [Slang] Dovecot