294 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY: 



tr\ro white, rather short eggs, of which I have only 

 brought one home; the second got smashed on the 

 journey." 



It almost looks as if Russ had obtained his informa- 

 tion respecting L. lufa-rilla from Burmeister's account 

 of the present species. The species of Lejiloplila have 

 certainly been a good deal muddled over by naturalists ; 

 but fortunately the Museum catalogaie lia.< disentangled 

 the confusion." Mbs Rosie Aldersou successfully bred 

 this Dove in her aviaries in 1904, and has published an 

 ac<;oujit of her experiences in 77;e Aviriiltiiral Mmjnziiie, 

 Second Series, Vol. II., p. 273. Mr. Castle-Sloane. wlio 

 bred it sulisequently, says that incubation takes seven- 

 teen days. 



Apparently this is the Dove of -which Sir William 

 Ingram gave eleven specimens to the London Zoological 

 Society in November. 1907, and of which Mr. Newman 

 possesses two si>ecimens. 



Bbonze-naped Dove (Leploptila chalcauchenia) .* 

 Upper surface greyish-brown ; top and back of head 

 and hind neck leaden-grey, with glittering bronze-green 

 edges to the feathers : flights brown, cinnamon toward.-? 

 base of inner webs, and with narrovr pale edges to outer 

 webs ; centre tail feathers ibrowiiish-grey, the othei-s 

 grey at base, blackish towards tips, white at tips; tire 

 outer feathers with a narrow white edge to outer webs ; 

 forehead and chin whitish ; throat and breast pale vina- 

 ceous, fading to white on abdomen and under tiiil- 

 coverts ; under wing-coverts cinnamon ; bill black ; feet 

 pink ; irides orange. Female doubtless with greyer 

 forehead. Hab., Soutih Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and 

 Argentina. 



According to Hudson (" Argentine Ornithology," 

 Vol. II., pp. 144, 145):— "This Dove . . . inhabits 

 the woods of the Plata district, and never, like other 

 Pigeons, seeks the ojjen country to feed. It is solitary, 

 although, where many birds live in close proximity, 

 three or four maj- be sometimes seen in company. It 

 spends a great deal of time on the ground, where it 

 ■walks about under the trees rather briskly, searching 

 for seeds and berries. Their .*ong is a single uninflected 

 and rather melodious note, «hich the bird repeats at 

 short intervals, especially in tbe evening during the 

 warm season. A^Tiere the birds are abundant the wood, 

 just before sunset, becomes vocal with their curious far- 

 sounding notes ; and as this evening song is heard as 

 long as the genial we.ither lasts, it is probably not 

 related to the sexual instinct. The nest is a simple 

 platform ; the eggs are two and white, but more 

 spherical in .-ihape than those of most other Pigeons." 



Miss Rosie Aldersonbred this species in 1904 (cf. The 

 Aririiltiiral M'lijiizhie, Second Series, Vol. III., pp. 153. 

 134). In November. 1907, Sir William Ingram i)re- 

 sented three specimens to the London Zoological 

 Society, but this LcjitoptUa seems not to be a common 

 one in the market. 



Oean-ge-wingkd Dove {Leploptila orhrojyfcra). 



Differs from the preceding species in its inferior size ; 

 it may therefore be regarded as a local form. Hab., 

 Brazil. 



I liave found no notes on the wild life of this 

 Dove, but it is not likely to differ from that of typical 

 L. chalrrnirlienia 



A specimen was purchased by tile Zoological Society 

 of London in 1877, and another was presented in 1883. 



• The name " Bronze-necflced Dove," employed by the Zoologi<^l 

 Society, has been for many years pafit in use for Zenaida 

 auriculata. 



White-fronted Dove (Leptoptila jamaicensis). 



Above olive, more or less glossy, according to the- 

 light ; hind neck cupreous red, glossed behind with 

 bronzy or golden-gi-eeii, changing to pm-plish-blue close 

 to the mantle ; flights greyish-biown, p'lrtly edged with. 

 whitish oil outer webs ; two centre tail feathers olive, 

 the others greyish-brown with white tips, the cuter ones, 

 also with white edge to the outer webs; shafts ot 

 feathers pale reddiSh-brown ; forehead white, shading, 

 into grey on the crown and bronzy-grey on back of 

 head ; throat whitish-grey, peai'ly-wliite on the cro'p. 

 region, especially at the sides; lower breast, abdomen, 

 and under tail-coverts white : sides slightly gi-eyish- 

 brown ; under wing-coverts, axillaries, and inner webs 

 of flights below cinnamon. Hab., Jamaica. 



Gosse says (" Birds of .Jamaica," pp. 513-316) : — '' This- 

 lovely Pigeon is chiefy confined to the upland districts, 

 where its loud and plaintive cooing makes the woods; 

 resound. The negroes delight to ascribe imaginary 

 words to the voices of birds, and indeed for the cooing 

 of many of the Pigeons this reijuires no great stretcli 

 of imagination. The beautiful Whitebelly complains all 

 day, in the sunshine as well as the storm, ' Rain-come- 

 wct-me-through! ' each syllable uttered with a sobbing 

 separateness, and the last- prolonged with such a melan- 

 choly fall, as if the poor bird were in the extremity of 

 suffering. But it is the note of he;ilth, of joy, of love ; 

 the utterance of exuberaait animal happiness; a portion 

 fif that universal song wherewith ' every thing that hath 

 breath may praise the Lord.' The plumage, as usual 

 in this famil.v, is vei-y soft and smooth, the expressioa 

 of the countenance most engagingly meek and gentle^ 

 And it is a gentle bird : I have taken one in may hand,. 

 when just caught, in a springe, full gi-owii and in its- 

 native wildness, and it has nestled comfortably down 

 and permitted its pretty head and neck to be stroked, 

 without an effort to escape, without a flutter of its 

 wings. 



" 'ITiis is one of those species whidh habitually live- 

 on the ground. In unfrequented woods as well as those- 

 which are open, as those which are choked with under- 

 wood, the Whitebelly walks about singly or in pairs,. 

 picking up various seeds. About Content, a densely 

 wooded mountain side, it is very numeious in June and 

 July, feeding on sop-seeds, and many are taken ia 

 springes. The physic-nut forms a large portion of its 

 food, as well as -or;inge-pips and fragments of the large- 

 seeds of the mango chewed by hogs. Its flesh is gene- 

 rally esteemed ; it is wihite, juicy, and well-flavoured,. 

 without being liable to bitterness. 



" As it walks to and fro, it frequently flirts the head 

 and tail, but not so markedly as the Pea-Dove. If 

 flushed, it betakes itself to a low tree not far off, whence, 

 if unmolested, it is ."Con down again. Often when seen 

 in the woods it runs a few vards, and then rises to 

 fly. but as if trusting less to its powers of flight than 

 to those of running, alights again immediately, and runs 

 .swiftly off among the bushes. It has no regular roost- 

 ing place, often spending the night on a stone, or a log, 

 or a low bush that hajqiens to be near the spot where 

 it was feeding at nightfall. This is not the case with 

 the other Doves. 



" The asj)ect and air of the WIiitel>elly are unlike 

 those of its kindred. Its round head, the prevalence of 

 light hues, and its height uixin the legs, contribute to 

 this peculiarity. Esi^entialh- a ground Pigeon, its length- 

 of tarsus enables it to run n ith ease and celerity ; per- 

 haps more rapidl.y than any other of the family. 



" Unlike the tree Doves, the Whitebelly usually builds- 

 in rather a low situation; often a logwood, a favourite- 



