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on Foreign Doves.



very seldom, and is worth about 13/6 a pair. The cock

Harlequin has a black mask over his face and throat, and the

same shade appears in the wings and long tail and the bauds

across the rump. The remainder of the plumage is soft

brownish grey, and there are some white feathers in the tail.

The beak is orange at the tip, turning to dull crimson at the

basal half. The lieu Harlequin lacks the black mask, and is

much browner than the male bird. The flight is very graceful,

but weak, and the bird really looks not unlike a large

Swallow-tail butterfly when flying. I have never been successful

in breeding this dove, though my hens have laid eggs.

Unfortunately both my female birds are dead, one of them, poor

thing, coming to a very miserable end. The bird had a knack of

getting over on her back, and was then quite helpless and not

able to right herself. Many a time she had been rescued, but

one morning early she was found dead, having got over 011 her

back, and 110 one had been by to save her.


THE DECEPTIVE TURTLE-DOVE.


Turtur decipiens.


Besides the doves I have mentioned I have two other

kinds. One sent me by my friend from Africa, is a handsome

bird, and has been identified by the Museum authorities as

Turhir decipiens. I had four specimens, but two are

unfortunately dead. In colour this dove is brownish on the

back, lavender-grey on the head, shading into a beautiful pale

vinous colour on the breast, and a black collar edged with a very

narrow white line running round the back of the neck. The

eyes are pale yellow, surrounded by a bare patch of red skin.

Decipiens is a very attractive looking bird and is about the size

of a Barbary Dove. Both my specimens are unfortunately very

nervous birds.


This concludes the list of all the doves I have kept up to

the present. There have been some lovely varieties in the

market lately, beautiful Fruit Pigeons, Scaly, Geoffrey’s, and

others. I have not been fortunate enough to possess any of

these, but I hope some of our members who have obtained them



