TURTUR SENEGALENSIS. 569 
being black, broadly tipped with fawn-colour” (Shelley). It is 
widely spread over Africa, and is found throughout the colony, and 
is well known from the peculiarity of its note, which somewhat 
resembles a human laugh. It frequents the same localities as do 
the other species, and is often mistaken for them when on the wing. 
A hen-bird, attracted by the call of the male of the Australian 
Geopelia tranquilla in our aviary, entered the room and was 
captured. We kept her in confinement a few days, and finally let 
her loose. To our astonishment she appeared in the evening on the 
window-sill to pick up the seed spilt there accidentally. She 
remained about the house and garden, sometimes venturing into the 
room, and in the breeding season sought a mate and bred in one of 
the oak trees close to the window. Her first nest was destroyed by 
a mischievous boy; but she made another, and brought off the 
young one, which together with herself and mate were daily to be 
found morning and evening, feeding in the garden, unmindful of 
our presence. ‘They also associated with them T'urtur semitorquatus 
and a Java sparrow. Subsequently they attracted many of their 
own species, and we have counted as many ag sixteen in the garden 
at once. Eggs taken from the nest of this bird measure—axis, 13” ; 
diameter, 10’’. They are of the usual pure glossy white. 
This species is rather scarce near Grahamstown, but is common at 
Fort Brown, on the Fish River. Itis not mentioned in Mr. Rickard’s 
lists from East London and Port Elizabeth, and is stated to be rare 
near Kingwilliamstown by Captain Trevelyan. 
Mr. Ayres has not procured it in Natal, but a specimen was given 
to him from that colony. Captain Reid found the species common 
in the mimosa bush along the Tugela River, at Colenso, in November. 
From the Transvaal Mr. Ayres writes:—“ These Doves are common 
in the Mariqua district; and many may be seen together hunting 
for wheat or other grains amongst the chaff and straw on the 
threshing-floors of the farms in the neighbourhood of the bush. I 
have found but one nest of this bird, the egg from which I now 
send; it is pure white, rather glossy, and equally obtuse at either 
end. The nest was composed of a few twigs, and placed on the 
horizontal branch of a low thorn tree growing on the banks of a 
stream. A pair of these Doves built a nest in a rose hedge in June, 
and laid two eggs; these I took, and in a fortnight they had built 
another nest and laid two more eggs. Their eggs are pure white, 
