8o From Magazines, &c. [isf'o'ct. 



noticed in this case a habit that I have before observed with 

 some other doves — namely that, when building, the cock generally 

 alights with a piece of twig on the back of the hen, the object 

 being doubtless to avoid disarranging the nest. Having settled 

 on her back he bends his head over hers, and she takes the twig 

 and arranges it in its place while he descends for another." Ten 

 days after their arrival the first egg of Phaps elegants was laid, 

 the second next day, and on 9th February one young bird was 

 hatched. On 22nd February, when the young bird was getting 

 well fledged, the parents appeared anxious to nest again, and 

 next day started another nest, still feeding the young bird. On 

 2nd March two eggs were in new nest, birds sitting. Next day 

 the young one was on the ground " in a very bad way, and 

 evidently starved." It died on 4th March. The second brood 

 was only a partial success, and whilst they were still unable 

 to feed themselves the parents were building hard at another 

 nest, and the young birds were found with their crops empty. 

 Three photo-prints of the nests are given. Continuing his 

 remarks on P. clegans in the next issue of the above-named 

 magazine (pp. 263-266, vol. ii., No. 9, July, 1904) the author 

 records a successful hatching, and makes some remarks which 

 are worth noting. On 3rd June " two remarkably strong birds 

 left the nest, strong fiiers," and the parent birds had another 

 nest and were sitting well. " The nesting habits of P. elegans 

 seem to be just the same as those of P . chalcoptera ; the male 

 appears to select the site for the nest, and having found what 

 he considers a suitable site invites his mate to inspect it by his 

 oft-repeated ' Hoop, hoop, hoop.' " Details of the structure of 

 the nest are given, as well as of some curious habits of the birds 

 whilst building. But what ought perhaps to more seriously 

 engage the attention of Australian ornithologists is the following 

 passage : — " It is extremely strange that so excellent an observer 

 as Gould, who must have come across many of these birds, should 

 state that ' the sexes differ so little in their plumage that dissection 

 is requisite to distinguish them,' for not only is it perfectly easy 

 to distinguish the sex of the adults at a glance, but the young 

 when in the nest are distinguishable by the brighter and deeper 

 tints of the young male." Has Mr. Seth-Smith realized the 

 advantages he had over Gould ? The latter saw them only in the 

 wild state, when impossible to handle. 



* * * 



The Auk. — In vol. x;xi.. No. 3, pp. 322-333, Mr. P. A. Taverner 

 faces a difficult problem under the title " A Discussion on the 

 Origin of Migration." He asks " Why should a bird leave a 

 warm land of plenty to journey to a country but half recovered 

 from the frozen embraces of an arctic climate ? " Proceeding to 

 mention a few of the many theories that have been put forward 

 on the subject, he cites" the most important and the most gener- 

 ally received." Starting with one which supposes " that the 

 northern nesting stations are safer than the tropical ones," Mr. 



