Pi·geon n.
 1. Zool. Any bird of the order Columbæ, of which numerous species occur in nearly all parts of the world.
 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.
 2. An unsuspected victim of sharpers; a gull. [Slang]
 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 Treronidæ.
 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.]


 Hawk n.  Zool. One of numerous species and genera of rapacious birds of the family Falconidae.  They differ from the true falcons in lacking the prominent tooth and notch of the bill, and in having shorter and less pointed wings.  Many are of large size and grade into the eagles. Some, as the goshawk, were formerly trained like falcons.  In a more general sense the word is not infrequently applied, also, to true falcons, as the sparrow hawk, pigeon hawk, duck hawk, and prairie hawk.
 Note: ☞ Among the common American species are the red-tailed hawk (Buteo borealis); the red-shouldered (Buteo lineatus); the broad-winged (Buteo Pennsylvanicus); the rough-legged (Archibuteo lagopus); the sharp-shinned (Accipiter fuscus). See Fishhawk, Goshawk, Marsh hawk, under Marsh, Night hawk, under Night.
 Bee hawk Zool., the honey buzzard.
 Eagle hawk. See under Eagle.
 Hawk eagle Zool., an Asiatic bird of the genus Spizaetus, or Limnaetus, intermediate between the hawks and eagles. There are several species.
 Hawk fly Zool., a voracious fly of the family Asilidae. See Hornet fly, under Hornet.
 Hawk moth. Zool. See Hawk moth, in the Vocabulary.
 Hawk owl. Zool. (a) A northern owl (Surnia ulula) of Europe and America. It flies by day, and in some respects resembles the hawks. (b) An owl of India (Ninox scutellatus).
 Hawk's bill Horology, the pawl for the rack, in the striking mechanism of a clock.