J^oies re Picul and other Doves. 15 



comical to see hiin doing Doves Day Duty sitting on those two 

 large eggs in that large basket. 



April 20: My original pair ol" Picuis have begun build- 

 ing upci'ations to-day (veiy warm), clioosing a ledge near the 

 ruoi. All day the hen has been squatting on the ledge, 

 and llu; cuck Ijiiskiy foraging lor materials, which he carries 

 up and invaiiably settles on the hen's back or to the rear of 

 her, laying the material round her form; iu a lew minutes 

 he Hies oil for moi'c, while she works the material into shape, 

 and a very good shape, too, especially for a Dove. The 

 completed structure, a tidy, lairly well shaped cup and almost 

 invariably lined with a few feathers. 



May ist: Had from damage's two pairs of Doves, both 

 are new to me; one pair being Cape (jEua capensis) and the 

 others called by the seller Bronze -spotted Doves, I could not 

 lind them in Miss Alderson's book,* but on looking through 

 Dr. Hopkinson's " Birds of Gambia," I am enabled 

 to identify them as Rufous -winged Doves {Chalcopelia afro). 

 I don't think they are a true pair for I have now (Dec, 

 1912) had them six months, they have made no attempt to 

 nest, nor yet uttered a single note. They are both in faultless 

 condition [The hen is said to be more vinous below, bill dark 

 brown, with no yellow tip, and the wing spots not so dark a 

 green as those of the male. — Ed.]. 



I have got rid of some of my Barbarys and put in two 

 White Javas — this change of course breaking up the union 

 of the young Picui, with the hen Barbary. 



The adult Picuis have nested again, only one egg this 

 time, a young bird was hatched on the 19th, but it dis- 

 appeared on the 26th. 



June 27: The Picuis have gone to nest again, using 

 the same nest, only one of their two eggs hatched, and the 

 young bird left the nest for the first time to-day (July 20th), 

 and on the 21st, it was flying all round the aviary. 



During August the Picuis again nested and hatche'd 

 out and fully reared one young bird, making six in all. 



December 14: The White Java Doves have two 

 newly hatched young in a box. 



Some of the young Picuis have attempted to nest, but 



*Aliss Aldersoa's book only covers the species she has kept.— Ed, 



