358 COLUMBIA. 



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

 according to locality. Jerdon 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 has been taken at Thayetmyo. 

 As for the breeding-season, we may say 



" Crows have their time to build, and Larks 

 For breeding and connubial love, 

 And other birds to lay and hatch but thou, 

 Thou hast all seasons for thine own, O Dove ! " 



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 /Azyplius, wild date, babool, Euphorbia*, 

 &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 anywhere in fact where a secure and 

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

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

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

 sionally the nest is rather more saucer-like, a few roots or grass- 

 stems are not unfreqtiently intermingled, and I have seen nests 

 composed wholly of grass. 



Like our other Doves, they lay two eggs as a clutch, and rear 

 several successive broods. 



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

 seasons, but only visits Mussoorie 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 two in number and pure white." 



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

 on the nidification of Doves generally, I have discovered a curious 

 nesting-site for Turtur risorius, viz., the bare ground. 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 was flushed from off her nest, which 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 which rested on the bare sand. There was no 

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

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

 and this pair were evidently sensible enough to adapt themselves 



