TUBTTJE. 359 



to the force of circumstances, even at the expense of being con- 

 sidered somewhat eccentric in their selection of a site for their 

 homestead." 



Major Bingham remarks : " Breeds nearly all the year round, 

 both at Allahabad and at Delhi." 



Lieut. H. E. Barnes writes from Afghanistan : " The Common 

 King-Dove arrives about the second week in March, and breeds 

 during May, at which time they literally swarm." 



Colonel Butler writes: "The Common King-Dove breeds in 

 the neighbourhood of Deesa and Mount Aboo from March to Sep- 

 tember, but the greatest number of nests are built about the second 

 week in August. The nests are usually placed in low thorny 

 trees or bushes about 6 or 8 feet from the ground, sometimes 

 higher. The earliest nest I have noted was taken on the loth 

 March, and the latest 25th September.*' 



Lieut. H. E. Barnes, writing of Kajpootana in general, says: 

 "The Common King-Dove breeds from October to July; at least, 

 I have taken eggs in each of these months, but I believe that had 

 I searched I should have found them during the remaining 

 months." 



Messrs. Davidson and Wenden, referring to the Deccan, say : 

 " Common and breeds." 



Mr. J. K. Cripps, writing from Furreedpore in Eastern Bengal, 

 says : " Excessively common and a permanent resident. The 

 birds of the year have the back of a deep vinous grey. This species 

 breeds from December to July in small bushes and trees at from 6 

 to 12 feet from the ground in very exposed situations ; the nest is 

 a mere apology of twigs, and never contains more than two eggs. 

 AVhen the crops are being sown here this species congregates in 

 small flocks of 10 to 30. I once shot one of these birds while it 

 was flying past with a flock of Blue Kock-Pigeons." 



The eggs are usually broad and perfect ovals, white and 'glossy. 

 They vary a good deal in size ; but as a whole are, excepting 

 those of T. pulchrala, the largest of all our Doves' eggs. Although 

 many might be correctly enough described as pure white, yet, 

 when contrasted with the eggs of the Blue or Green Pigeons, the 

 vast majority of them are seen to have a just perceptible ivory 

 tinge. This is not so conspicuous as in the eggs of T. tranque- 

 karicus, but still it exists. 



In length they vary from 1-05 to 1-25, and in breadth from 

 0*85 to 1*0 ; but the average of fifty-eight eggs is 1*16 nearly by 

 092 full. 



Turtur tranquebaricus (Herm.). The Western Ruddy Dove. 



Turtur Imrnilis (Temm.\ Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 482 ; Hume, Rough 

 Draft N. E. no. 797. 



The Western Kuddy Dove breeds in all parts oE India, but is 

 very capriciously distributed, and I am unable to say what kind of 



