236 BULLETIN 15 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



indicated by the remarkable case recorded by Granvik -'^ who lists 

 a male bird in an, " * * * advanced phase of molt and the curi- 

 ous thing is that the new rectrices have already grown to two-thirds 

 of their future length while the old rectrices are still left. One 

 might almost say that the bird has two tails, which are, moreover, 

 separated by an interstice, so that one can easily discern the old one 

 and the new one." This instance sounds hardly credible and cer- 

 tainly can not represent the normal state of affairs. However, it 

 does indicate that the molts of this species are worth investigating. 

 This my material does not allow me to do. 



The adults vary greatly in shade of coloration and also in the color 

 of the iridescent wing spots, which are blue in some individuals and 

 reddish purple in others. Both extremes are found side by side in 

 all parts of Africa. 



In size, the variations range as follows: Males: Wing 98-107; 

 tail 125-144.5; culmen 13-15 millimeters. Females: Wing 96-105; 

 tail 120-142 ; culmen 13-15 millimeters. 



Heuglin found this dove in the coast lands of Eritrea and French 

 Somaliland, south to the Gulf of Aden, while in the interior of 

 Ethiopia he records it up to altitudes of 7,000 feet (2,100 meters). 

 It is possible that the Danakil coastal records may be erroneous, as 

 Zedlitz "^ lists this bird from west of the eastern Eritrean-Ethiopian 

 escarpment, but not from the Danakil country to the east of it. 

 However, Hilgert recorded it some years before from Danakil. It 

 may be that the species is partly migratory there, as during the dry 

 season the low coastal country is very arid. 



In this connection it is interesting to note that Blanford "^^ writes 

 that " * * * in December, January, and February there were 

 none whatever near Annesley Bay, but after the rain in the latter 

 month numbers appeared, and in May and June it was one of the 

 commonest birds about Zulla and Komayli. It also abounded in 

 Samhar and the tropical portion of Habak, becoming, however, very 

 rare or wanting in the subtropical or Anseba Valley." 



In Gallaland and southern Somaliland the bird is common. 

 Erlanger '^^ noted it frequently throughout his journey from Zeyla 

 to Kismayu. Antinori and Ragazzi and others found it to be numer- 

 ous in Shoa. 



The breeding season is rather variable and prolonged. Erlanger 

 obtained an e<i;g on June 9 in the Hawash region, while Zedlitz re- 

 cords the courtship season in northern Ethiopia as being in February. 

 Granvik took an egg from the oviduct of a bird collected at Kisumu, 



■^'Journ. f. Ornith., 1923, Sonderheft, p. 57. 

 0" Idem. 1910, p. S512. 

 «^ GpoI. and Zool. Abyss., 1870, p. 418. 

 "Journ. f. Ornith., 1905, pp. 135-136. 



