on Birds from Shendi, Sudan. 25 



70. TUKTUR ROSEOGRISEUS (Suud.). 



86 J, 339 c^, 26 ?, 35 ?, 36 ?, 164 9,165 2, 340 $, 

 353 pullus. 



This Dove was exceedingly common. Upwards of fifty 

 might sometimes be seen sitting in one of the bigger trees 

 near the river; it was also well distributed all over the 

 desert, but was less numerous there. 



Several nests were found in acacia-bushes at heights 

 varying from three to six feet from the ground. They were 

 light structures of twigs, very similar to those of the 

 European Turtle-Dove. The number of eggs was two in 

 every case ; they are white with very little gloss : average 

 measurements 29'2 by 23 mm. 



71. TuRTUR DECiPiENs Finsch & Hartl. 



123 6 , 192 6, 256 <S , 372 d, 124 $,158 ?. 



This is the same form which has been called Ttirtur 

 ambiguus by Mr. Witherby (Ibis, 1901, p. 266). Mr. 

 Witlierby found that his specimens from the White Nile, 

 and those in the Tring Museum from N.E. Africa, differed 

 from the type of T. ambiguus in having slightly longer wings 

 and considerably wider tips to the rectrices. But after an 

 examination of the specimens in the British Museum, he 

 decided not to separate the form found in North-East Africa 

 from the West-African T. ambiguus. 



W^e are inclined to think that it would be more correct to 

 separate the two forms, but in any case our birds must be 

 called T. decipiens, and not T. ambiguus-, the former name 

 was published some years before the latter, and was originally 

 given to the North-East African form. 



This Dove was very much less numerous than the pre- 

 ceding species, from which it was readily distinguished by its 

 larger size. It becomes increasingly common as one goes 

 southwards from Shendi, which place seems to be about its 

 most northerly limit. 



A nest containing two eggs was found in an acacia-bush 

 on March 16th. The nest was like that of the preceding 

 species. The eggs are of a pure white, without glos?, and 

 measure o2"l by 22'5 and 296 by 23 mm. 



