358 COLUMBID^. 



and iu the hills also, up to elevations of from 2000 to 5000 feet, 

 according to locality. Jerdou says that it does not occur in the 

 countries east of the Bay of Bengal, but it is really found in Upper 

 Pegu at any rate, and the nest lias been taken at Thayetmyo. 

 As for the breeding-season, we may say— 



" Crows have their lime to huild, and Larivs 

 For breediiif^ and comndDial love, 

 And other birds to lay and hatch — but thou, 

 Thou hast all seasons for thine own, O Dove I '' 



I myself have taken the eggs in every month from December to 

 August, and I have no doubt that others have found them (though 

 the bird is so common that no one writes about it) in the remaining 

 quarter. 



The nest is placed on any bush or tree, prickly and thorny sites, 

 such as are afforded by the Zizyplins, wild date, babool, 7i'<f|:»7;oyV^irt.s, 

 &c., being often, but by no means universally, selected. Generally 

 the nest is within 15, not very rarely within 5 feet of the ground, 

 but again I have found it 30 or 40 feet up in a large tree. The 

 nest is placed indifferently in a fork, in amongst numerous prongs, 

 on a broad horizontal bough — anj'where in fact w here a secure and 

 sufficiently wide basis can be found, and is usually a mere plat- 

 form some 6 inches iu diameter, composed of thin twigs and lined 

 with grass-stems, with a slight depression in the centre. Occa- 

 sionally the nest is rather moi'e saucer-like, a few roots or grass- 

 stems are not unfrecpiently intermingled, and I have seen nests 

 composed wholly of grass. 



Like our other Doves, they lay t\\o eggs as a clutch, and rear 

 several successive broods. 



Captain Hutton says : — " This is common in the Dhoon at all 

 seasons, but only visits Mnssoorie during summer, arriving on the 

 hills about the end of March and returning to the plains in 

 October. It breeds in April, May, and June, making a loose 

 platform-nest of dried twigs with a few roots within. The eggs 

 are t\\-o iu number and pure wliite." 



Mr. A. Anderson writes : — '"Since forwarding my former notes 

 on the nidification of Doves generall}^ I have discovered a curious 

 nesting-site for Tartar risorius, viz., the hare groand. On the 

 20th November (of the present year), while drawing sandy downs, 

 covered with low flowering grass, such as the desert fox delights 

 in, a Dove vvas flushed from off her nest, \\'hich contained a pair 

 of fresh eggs. These clearly belonged to T. risorius, but not having 

 seen the bird myself, and identification in a case of this sort being 

 a matter of absolute necessity, I replaced the eggs, and subse- 

 quently shot one of the parent birds. 



" The nest, if such it can be styled, consisted of a few dry twigs 

 and grass-stalks wluch rested on the bare sand. There was no 

 tree nearer than a mile, but the ground on all sides was covered 

 w ith grass-seeds, which constitute the chief food of these birds ; 

 and this pair were evidently sensible enough to adapt themselves 



