GROUND-DOVES. 



297 



and at last it is satisfied — no -wonder ! Between every 

 moutliful it has waggled its body, as if it would say, 

 " That tastes good," and presently would begin to 

 wrangle a little with the other Doves which approached 

 it and drive them all away, giving them tjuick blows. 

 Moreover, it so pursued a pair of wild fowl, birds of 

 an entirely dffferent kind, that they withdrew to the 

 ■farthest corner of the aviary. It is a shame that I 

 can procure no female for the Dove, as it is broody 

 and keeps carrying twigs about. Breeding it would 

 certainly be very interesting." 



The above is necessarily a somewhat free translation, 

 as Russ has a trick of abruptly changing his tenses, and 

 in any. case a strict verbal translation would sound 

 •comical in English. 



Tlie London Zoological Society first purchased four 

 examples of this Dove in 1864, and has added others to 

 its collection certainly as recently as 1885, if not since 

 that date. 



MorXTAiN WrrcH Ground-Dove [Gcotrygon cristata). 



Interscapular region and upper wing-coverts purplish- 

 <;he6tnut; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts dark 

 greenish blue shot with purple ; primaries cinnamon, 

 greenish-black at the tips, especially on the inner webs ; 

 secondaa'ies and tail above blackish-green ; forehead 

 blackieh-grey, shading into olive-brown towards the 

 back ; a broad, dull reddish stripe on the cheeks : 

 throat rufescent ; neck golden-green shot with purple ; 

 breast dark grey ; middle of abdomen pale vinous : 

 sides, flanks, and under tail-coverts chestnut, the lattei 

 with pale edges; under wing-coverts cinnamon; tail 

 below brown ; bill black. Female with paler thighs and 

 -under tail-coverts, as also the primaries. (Gosse.) Hah., 

 Jamaica. 



Gosse says (" Birds of Jamaica," pp. 317-320) : " This 

 magnificent bird inhabits the most retired mountains. 

 and the deepest woody glades there ; places difficult 

 of approach and rarely traversed. In the dense and 

 lofty forest that clothes the brow of Bluefields Peak it 

 is very numerous, usually seen singly or in pairs, walk- 

 ing on the ground ; the freedom of the forest there 

 from underwood allowing it to exercise its fleetness of 

 foot to a/dvantage. If alarmed, it generally seeks to 

 escape by running, its bulk and shortness of wing ' 

 rendering its flight burdensome and ineffective. Its 

 coo consists of two loud notes, the first short and sharp, 

 ■the second protracted and descending with a mournful 

 cadence. At a distance its first note is inaudible ; and 

 the second, reiterated at measured intervals, sounds like 

 t.he gi'oaning of a dying man. These moans, heard in 

 the most recluse and solemn glens, while the bird is 

 rarelv seen, have probably given it the name of Moun- 

 tain Witch." 



" Various seeds and mats I ihave found in the giz- 

 zards oif many that. I haive lexamiine*), some haaxl and 

 ttony, others fairinaceoars and comminuted. The seed 

 of the lance^wuod is ©aid to afford lit food." 



" I had been ai^isured Ibv linteMigenit men, very faimiliar 

 with these birds, t'hiat the Jlounfca.in Wdtoh lays in 

 March, in the angle of the root-s of a tree, on the 

 ground ; tlhait the young Jeave the nest, albont a week 

 after they are hatched, and are led about by .the mother, 

 who scratches for them in the manner of a fowl. Some 

 •-lia;\-e declared that they have Ibeen eye-witnesses of this, 

 persons w'ho have never heard that this pigeon has any 

 .■systematic affinity to the GalUnaffir. I made many 

 inquiries, and loimd the Statement very -general, almost 

 Tiniversail. A female .shot in .March had an egg in the 

 oriduct, shelled and perfectly ready for exclusion ; .it 



was of a dull reddijih-whiite, unsjwtted, and me«6Ui'>ed 

 l^in. by |in." 



The London Zoological Siocielty fiirst acquired this 

 Dove in 1860, and purchased three more in 1861, and 

 four in 1869. Rusis does not mention its occurrence an 

 a.ny of the Cc^ntinental 'bird -markets. 



■Venezuel.\n GKOUNDiDovE {Geotrygon venezuelensis). 

 Albove rufous-ibrown ; mantle purplish-.bil'ue ; lesser 

 wiiiig-coverts tinged wiiii piirplu ; primaries siaty -brown ; 

 forehead rufous, lir. .>iii:iin vmous on the crown and 

 on the centre of tin- Ijack •:( the head imt'O purplisJi- 

 vinous, bounded -at the sides 'by grey ; back of neck 

 pu.iipl'ish-(broiwn ; sides of head whitish, riifous towards 

 base of loiwer ma.ndiilble ; a blackish line below tha 

 cheeks ; throat whitish, chan.gi.ng to dull greyish-vinoue 

 alt 'back of throat and fi'oiit of breast ; rest oif under- 

 Siunface reddish-hrovvn, ibecoming much whiter in centre 

 of .abd.oimen ; flights below greyisli-bro'Wii ; under wing- 



BlEEDING-HEART and BARR-VNCJUILLA I'lGEONS. 

 t 



coverts brawn, the gi'eater ones somewhat greyisih ; 

 tail below brown, da.rker towards itip of inner webs ; 

 irides browniish-yellow. 'Female not differentiated. 

 Hab., Venezuela. 



I have not been able to find lany field-noltes relating 

 to tbis pigeon. Six specimens of it were presented to 

 the London Zoological Society bv Captain Pam on 

 August Mth, 1909. 



iBleeding-heart Pigeon {r/il/yeeiias luzonira). 

 In the cock bird the crown of the head is bluish ash- 

 grey ; the back of the neck purplish maroon; the i«- 

 m.aiinder of tbe upper surface 'is of a bronzy greyddi- 

 b own, shot with emei-ald green ; t'he upper wing- 

 coverts are sQiaded with crimson, and b.roadJv tipiped 

 with pale bluish ash-colour ; the 'sho'ulder clouded with 

 the same colour ; tbe primaries and secondaries slightly 

 rufous ti.nlted on outer web ; the thi-oat pure 'white ; tbe 

 brea.?it with a deep blood-J'ed ceaitral diffused patch, the 

 remaiinder 'of the breast beiinig stained with pa.le salmon, 

 which also tints the front of .the belly ; the sides ashy- 

 bro'wn, cbaiiigirug into olivaceous clay-(h.roi\vn on tlie 

 belly ; the feathers round the vent white, stained -with 

 pale sandy-brownish round the sides, the under tail- 



