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with other birds I have seldom heard or seen one sing, although in

the absence of a male bird I have heard the hen give out a

distinctly pleasant though low-toned imitation of her lord and

master.


I wish these birds were more freely imported.



NOTES ON DOVES.


By Rosie Aederson.


Foreign Doves and Pigeons have always had a great

fascination for me. In several ways they have advantages over

other species of birds. Most doves are hardy (at least the

larger kinds), healthy and long-lived. They are easy to keep,

and many kinds will breed freely in confinement. Doves seem to

adapt themselves to captivity more easily than many other birds,

and though Doves and Pigeons are but soberly plumaged com¬

pared to the gorgeous colouring of the Parrakeets, yet the

beautiful blending of their quiet tints is very restful to the eye.


I have kept Doves now for nearly four years. At the

present time I have eighteen varieties; and in these few notes I

purpose to first tell you how I keep them, and then give a short

account of each kind of bird. It may be useful, too, to give

about the value of the different Doves, not as a strict guide, but

only to give some idea of their worth to any member who may

be thinking of getting the same varieties.


To begin with, I keep all my larger Doves in outdoor

aviaries all the year round, exceptions only being made if a bird

is getting old and feeble, or if it is purchased newly-imported in

winter. In the latter case I should probably keep it in my heated

aviary until the spring. My outdoor aviaries, of course, have

shelters provided, but I find the birds use them very little,

preferring to sleep in the fir branches outside in the flights.

Fortunately I live in a well-wooded county where there is no

difficulty in getting a load of fir branches—the price being io/-

for a large load, including cartage. The most durable kind

is that known as the Scotch fir. The “ needles” stay on for a

long time, and do not fall off nearly so quickly as in the case of

some of the other varieties of fir. This is a very great advantage

as the thickness of the boughs affords protection from the cold

in winter, and privacy during the nesting season. My bird man,

George Hallarn, is very skilful at fastening up these branches on

the walls of the aviaries, by means of driving in a long nail and

lashing the boughs to it with wire. Of course all ends of the



