174 GARDEN AND AVIARY BIRDS. 
Overcrowding, however, must be guarded against, or 
the birds will spoil each other’s appearance by conti- 
nual fighting. 
The male when courting, inflates his neck and bows 
‘to the female, dragging his closed tail on the ground, and 
which to me is very 
ce che 
uttering a note like ‘‘ coo-kur-roo, 
pleasing, though some people find it painfully monotonous, 
_as the bird coos a great deal even when not ‘‘ playing 
up’’ to the female. She also coos, at any rate when 
alone. This Dove also has a nasal laughing note, uttered 
whenever it settles on a perch, and also by the male 
when pursuing the female before he settles down to coo 
‘to her. At such times he hops instead of walking in the 
usual way, and runs the last laugh into the first coo in the 
most ridiculous way, trying to say two things at once! 
The general shape and courting positions of the wild 
Turtle-doves are very similar; they may also often be 
seen to fly up straight into the air fora few yards and 
come sailing down again with wings and tail outspread, 
_a very pretty feat which the domestic bird practically 
never has a chance of performing, although I have seen 
a very tame old cock I had in England do it when I let 
him out in the open. But letting out birds like these 
would be too risky an experiment in India. 
THe witpD Rinc-DoveE (Turtur risorius) bears a very 
great resemblance to the tame bird, but is considerably 
-darker in colour, being drab instead of pale fawn, running 
into pinkish grey on the head and neck. It is about 
the same size, but slightly more delicate in form, and 
altogether certainly looks as if it might well be the 
