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Nest and Eggs. — These birds nest 

 freely around the foreign style houses 

 in this portion of China, using any con- 

 venient projection forming a shelf on 

 which a nest may be placed. They 

 seem especially partial to thick vines 

 or shrubbery in close proximity to the 

 house. The clutch consists of two 

 pure white eggs. 



Notes. — This is one of the common 

 breeders on the Soochow University 

 Campus. Every spring, two or three 

 pairs of these birds come around to 

 hunt for suitable nesting places and 

 may be frequently seen in pairs on the 

 chimneys or the ridges of the roofs, 

 gently cooing to one another. During 

 the winter months they rai'ely come 

 about, though they may be found 

 feeding in the fields and thickets around 

 the Chinese houses or grave mounds. 



BLUE PIGEON. 



TURTUR ORIENTALIS (lATH). 

 (Turtur rupicola Bp.) 



Description. — Length about 13 in- 

 ches. Bill blackish grey. Feet dull 

 purplish lake. Iris orange yellow, 

 eyelids pale blue. 



Upper parts olive grey. Crown 

 blue grey. Neck, breast, and abdomen 

 rosy lavender. Nape and sides of 

 neck have a demicollar of black, 

 the feathers tipped with white 

 or rufous. This gives the effect of a 

 mottled patch on the side of the neck 

 which is the easiest mark of identifica- 

 tion. 



Distribution — India and China gene- 

 rally. It is a common resident in the 

 Yangtse Valley. 



Nest and Eggs. — The nest is a 

 loosely constructed one, though pro- 



