TURTLEDOVES. 



265 



the outer webs of the inner lateral feathers partly 

 bro«-n; head dull vinous, darker at ba<-k ; cheeks ivnd 

 throat rufescent; cliin whitish; two steel-blue spots, 

 one above and the other below the ear-coverts ; breast, 

 abdomen and under tail-coverts deep vinous ; sides, 

 ;ixillaries, under wing-coverts, and sides of rump grey ; 

 l)iLl black, carmine-red near the gape ; feet carmine- 

 n?<l ; irides dark brown. Female not differentiated, 

 l)Ut probably .smaller and less brightly coloured. Hab., 

 " Florida Keys, Hahamas, Cuba, Isle of Pines, 

 .Jamaica. Little and Grand Cayman (?), Haiti and San 

 J)<iiniii_'o. Mona, I'orto Hico, Tortola, St. Thomas, 

 \'ii;;iii (iorda. St. Croix, St. Eustatius, Barbuda and 

 Antigua." (Salvador!.) 



(iosse says ("Birds of Jamaica," pp. 307-309) : "The 

 open pastures, or the grassy glades of pimento pens, are 

 the favourite haunts ol tliis pretty Dove, where it walks 

 ■on the ground singly or in pairs. In such open situa- 

 tions it tan discovei and mark the motions of an 

 intruder, and long before he is ^^■ithin gun-range it is 

 upon the wing. Few birds are more difficult of 

 approach, unless the intervention of a wall or a thick 

 bush jjerniit a concealed access. Its flight is rapid and 

 forcible, and i>erformed with a peculiar whistling of the 

 wings, by which it is at once recognised, though 

 unseen. 



" The Pea-dove is frequently seen in the middle of 

 dusty high roads, but whetlier they resort thither 

 for the pur|x)se of dusting, or to procure gravel, I 

 cannot say, as they usually fly as soon as seen. When 

 the rains have ceased, the increasing drought renders 

 these, as it does many other birds, more familiar; and 

 they may be seen lingering on the borders of streams 

 and ponds. Indeed, they seem, of all our Doves, to 

 haunt most the vicinity of water; particularly those 

 <lreary swamps or morasses which are environed by tall 

 woods of mangrove. In the winter months, when the 

 I'astures are burnt up with drought, we may hear all 

 <lay long their plaintive cooing, proceeding from these 

 .•^;mbre groves, though it is not much heard in any 

 other situation. The coo consists of tive deliberate 

 notes, load but mournful. ^ Siirii-coat-triir-hhip,' all in 

 the same tone, save the second, which is short and 

 tlevated. It resendiles the note of the Carolina Dove. 



" The Pea-dove subsists on various fruits and seeds ; 

 pimento berries, orange pips, sop seeds. caster-oU nuts, 

 j)hysic-nuts, maize, and the smaller seeds of pasture- 

 wce<ls are some of its resiources. His flesh is white 

 and juicy, and when in good condition is in general 

 fstimation." 



Mr. (lOsse kept several of tlie.<=e birds in a cage, and 

 he says: "They were jealous of other birds, and, not-, 

 withstanding their gentle physiognomy, irritable and 

 ])ngnacious." This is true of all the si>et:ies of Zenaida, 

 and, in fact, of most of the Cnhimhrv. 



Mr. J. L. Bonhote met with this species in the 

 Bahamas '" in pairs on the pine-barrens." [The Ihi", 

 1899. p. 517.) 



The London Zoological Societv acquired the first 

 cxamrle exhibited at Regent's Park in 1S61 : subse- 

 inuntly many others were added. Russ. however, states 

 that it i.-; rare in the trade, though he himself ]x)ssessed 

 a jiair in 1889. and several were exhibited in later years 

 at the exhibitions of the " Ornis " Societv. 



Bronze-necked Dove (Zenaida anrkulain). 

 The head is vinous with grey crown and two black 

 _»pots on the side, one behind the eye, the other below 

 The ear-coverts: the neck and breast ar; vinous but 

 th'^ sides of the neck and nape are metallic violet, 

 changing to glittering brass in certain lights ; remainder 



of upper surface brownish-olive ; vent and under tail- 

 coverts buifish-white, slightly washed with vinous ; ex- 

 tremity of tail below white. In other res[>ects the 

 plumage nearly resembles that of L. aurita. 



The female is smaller and rather browner than the 

 male ; the metallic neck patch smaller. In the young 

 the upper parts and breast have the feathers streaked 

 and edged with white, the primaries and theiv coverts 

 edged with rufous; no metallic neck-patches. Hab., 

 South America, on the west from Pearl Island to 

 Ecuador, Peru and Chili ; and on the east from Fer- 

 nando Noronha to Brazil, Argentina, Patagonia, and 

 perhaps the Magellan Straits. In its w'ild state this 

 Dove is seen abundantly in fields of lucerne, probably 

 attracted by the tender green shoots in which many 

 doves delight ; the seeds of the giant thistle are also 

 said to be much relished. 



The nest consists of a slender platform of sticks, 

 through which the two white eggs can easily be seen, 

 situated in the fork of a tree, and by preference not far 

 from the habitations of man ;, the destruct'on of their 

 eggs and ycung by birds of prey having, it is su|ijK)3ed, 

 driven them to seek the protection of the human species. 

 The five sobbing notes of this Dove are soft and pleas- 

 ing. 



Speaking of it as observed in Chili (Thi Ibis, 1897, 

 p. X98), ilr. Ambrose A. Lane says: ''This dove is 

 very plentiful throughout Central Chili. 1 aaw only a 

 few near Concepcion on going south in June (1890), 

 when it was mid-winter there, and further south I found 

 it only occurred as a summer visitant. 



" It arrived at Maquegua (as a summer visitant) about 

 the end of August. On going to Valdivia in September, 

 1 did not find it there, nor in any other locality I 

 visited' until I got to Rio Bueiio, where it was plentiful 

 on the banks of the rivers, on the margins and "Debbly 

 beaches of which it constantl.y appeared to be feeding. 



" In Central Chili it breeds from November to Decem- 

 ber, and at Rio Bueno from. Christmas till March. 



" The nests are like that of the European Turtle- 

 dove ; those I found at Rio Bueno being usually placed 

 in a thick bush or tire fork of a tree overhanging or 

 standing in water. 



" I got a young bird to rear in January, 1891, at Rio 

 Bueno ; Vfe took it from a nest in a ' quila ' whilst going 

 along the Rio Conta in a boat ; but scon after w'e were 

 shipwTecked on a rapid, and all my specimens, and 

 most of my clothes, were swept away. I subsequently 

 got a pair from another nest, but they were too young, 

 and I could not get them to thrive ; they died in conse- 

 quence after I had had them a week." 



Speaking of it as observed by him on Fernando 

 Xoionha, Mr. M. J. NicoU says" (The Ibis, 1904, p. 

 39) : " This small Dove is the most abundant bird on 

 the island. It is very difficult to find it when shot, 

 owing to the dense undergrowth. I saw several large 

 flocks sitting on the branches of a species of fig-tree 

 which grows all over the island. Its note is a loud, 

 rattling ' coo.' " 



The l.ite Mr. Cre^swelil described the nesting of this 

 species in captivitv in The Ariciiltiixd Moijoziiie, 

 First Series, Vol. III., p. 205. 



I piirchased a pair of Zenaidr. aiiriculala on June 

 10th, 1897, and turned them into my garden aviary, 

 where they assisted a pair of Necklaced Doves to incu- 

 bate their eggs ; so that I hoped I was about to breed 

 some remarkable hybrids. In this, of course, I was dis- 

 appointed. In 1898 I brought the birds indoors, putting 

 them into one of my birdi'oonr aviaries, where they re- 

 mained till they died some years later ; they are pretty 

 birds, but verj' quarreUome. Th« London Zoological 



