NESTS A.\D EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 695 



t- ^^ 



Spcakiug of the genus generally, Gould says : " If we may judge from 

 analogy, we may also infer that the young of these little Ground Bronze- 

 wings do not reuiiiin callow and lielpless for any length of time, but like 

 the young of the Gall inacta generally, they are able to trip over the 

 groiuid soon after exclusion from the egg." I think I have proved that 

 GoiUd was mistaken about the young of the Geopliaps being able to fly 

 strongly when only the size of a quail. Likewise liis opinion is eiToneous 

 with reference to the young of the Lo])hophaps being able to run soon 

 aiter they are hatched. The young remain in the nest (merely a few 

 straws on the g^-ound), where they are fed by their pai'ents like ordinary 

 Pigeons for about three weeks. This fact I leamt from Mr. Adolph 

 Russell, a neighbour of mine, who had these sprightly httle Pigeons 

 breeding in captivity. 



Mr. Keai'tland kindly loaned me for examination a pair of skins of 

 fledgelings of this Pliuued Pigeon, apparently a week or ten days old, 

 taken from the nest in Central Australia. Jvidging by the development 

 of the feathers, the birds were quite incapable of flying at that stage. 



As pets, the White-bellied Plumed Pigeons arc very pugnacious, 

 readily attacking other birds in the aviaa-y. 



555. — OcvPHAPS LOPHOTEs, Teinmiuck. — (469) 

 CRESTED PIGEON. 



Figure. — Sould : Birds of Australia, fol., vol. v., pi. 70. 



Reference.— C3.\.. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. xxi., p. 535. 



Previous Descriptions of Eggs. — Gould : Birds of Australia (1848) , 

 also Handbook, vol. ii., p. 140 (1865) ; Ramsay : Proc. Linn. 

 Soc, N.S. Wales, vol. vii., p. 410 (1882) ; North : Austn. Mus. 

 Cat., p. 277, pi. 14, fig. 10 (1889). 



Geographical Didributiuii. — Australia in general. 



Nest. — A sUght, flat stioicture of twigs, usually placed in a bush — 

 polygonum, hakea, salt, &c. — or low tree, sometimes on a stump. 



E(jgs. — Clutch, two ; elliptical in shape, sharply nipped off at one 

 end ; texture of shell fine ; sui'face glossy ; colour, pure white. Dimen- 

 sions in inches of a proper clutch : (1) 1-32 x -DS, (2) 1-29 x -93. 



Ohservatium. — This beautifully shaped and extremely elegant Pigeon 

 is a dweller of open timbered parts inland throughout almost the whole 

 of Australia. 



Wlien flushed it is a pleasant sight to see a small flock of Crested 

 Pigeons on whistling wings sail mto a dead tree, and there on the grey 

 limbs cluster theii- chastely-coloured figures into a pretty art pyramid. 

 Many times have I enjoyed looking at such hving pictures on the 

 MxuTay and Riveriua plains. 



