on Foreign Doves. 131


bred many young ones, but none of them have equalled the old

bird in their markings. I have had him now for some years.

He was an imported specimen from Burma. The cock Necklaced

Dove looks the most imposing when he coos—for his fine collar

is all puffed out until you would almost think he had a ruff

round his neck My old friend has one grave fault, he is some¬

what flighty and impatient over his nesting arrangements. The

hen is a pattern bird, and will never stir from the nest on any

consideration, but when the cock is taking his turn on the eggs

I sometimes think he is only too glad of an excuse to leave them

on my coming into the aviary. Young Necklaced Doves are very

pretty little things, soft drab in colour, with the most innocent

round eyes imaginable. Necklaced Doves may be had from

12s. 6d. a pair and upwards.


THE WHITE-WINGED ZEN AID A DOVE.


Melopelia leuccptera.


In the Magazine for last October I wrote a full account of

these pretty doves—so that it seems hardly necessary to say

much about them here. Their general colouring is a soft olive

brown, with a broad white band crossing the wings. The eyes are

orange surrounded with a patch of sky blue skin, which greatly

enhances their beauty. I found m3'' cock White-winged rather

aggressive towards other birds in the nesting season, but he

never did any real harm. He seemed to think that because the

nest was such an event to u. must be equalH so to every

other bird in the aviaiy. He Wc, i lower his head until it was

in a straight line with his body—and then make for an\ r

inoffending bird that happened to be near him, but after all this

show of fierceness he generall}' quieted down, and did nothing

more than chase the other doves.' 3,4 I found the White-winged

Doves steady sitters and excellent parents. Three other pairs of

doves nested in this aviary (which is 16 ft. by 6J ft.) at the

same time, namely Bleeding Hearts, Necklaces, and Senegals,

and all reared young ones successful!}'. I took out several of



A male Melopelia leucoptera in our possession was such a terribly quarrelsome bird

that we were glad to despatch him to the Zoo.—E d.



