TURILE-DOVES. 



271 



middle of abdomen buffy white; under tail-coverts 

 white ; under wing-coverts leaden-grey ; tail below with 

 the basal half black, the terminal half white; the 

 outer feathers with the outer web white ; bill black ; feet 

 pinkish-red ; irides brown. Female probably with 

 greyer forehead. Hab., Cape Colony to Natal and 

 Southern Transvaal. 



Messrs. Stark and Sclater say ("Birds of South 

 Africa," Vol. IV., p. 171) : "The Cape Turtle-Dove is 

 one of the commonest birds in Cape Town and the 

 suburbs, where its constant harsh cooing becomes some- 

 what wearisome ; it is generally about in pairs, though 

 a, good many may sometimes be seen together feeding 

 on the ground ; it is comparatively tame, and allows a 

 quite near approach. Its food consists of grain and 

 feeds, and is almost entirely obtained on the ground. 



"It nests near Cape Town in September; a little 

 later, from October to December, in Natal ; while 

 Eriksson and Marshall state that it can be found 

 breeding at almost any time during the year. The nest 

 is constructed of a few sticks, so loosely put together 

 that the eggs can usually be seen through when looked 

 at from below. The sticks form a flat platform, and 

 on it are laid two shiny white eggs of oval shape with 

 equally round ends, measuring 1.10 to 1.20 by .87 to 

 ,90." 



Two specimens of this Dove were presented to the 

 London Zoological Society in 1886. Russ does not 

 mention the species. 



DAMARA TURTLE-DOVE (Tuitur damarensis). 



Differs from the preceding in its generally paler 

 colouring, the forehead and front of cheeks being 

 almost white ; the grey shade absent or ill-defined on 

 the cheeks, neck, and breast ; it is also a rather smaller 

 bird. Hab., Angola, Damaraland, and East Africa 

 from the Transvaal to Mount Elgon, also the Comoro 

 Islands and Madagascar. 



This is regarded by Messrs. Stark and Sclater (I 

 think rightly; as a mere race or " sub-species " of T. 

 ((i/iii-iila. They quote the following account of its 

 habits from Andersson : " This is the most abundant 

 species of Dove in Damaraland and the parts adjacent. 

 It cannot be strictly said to be a gregarious species ; 

 yet numbers are often found in close proximity, both 

 MI trees and on the ground, and rise in one flock when 

 flushed, producing a great noise by the rapid concussion 

 of their wings above their backs. They seek on the 

 ground for their food, which consists almost exclusively 

 of insects. They build in small trees, generally at 

 the extremity of a bough, constructing a rough nest 

 of a few twigs, with no lining of any kind. The eggs 

 are two in number, of a pure white. I have observed 

 these Doves building on Aug. 20, and have found their 

 eggs abundantly at the end of December, so that it is 

 probable they produce two broods in the year." 



Miss Alderson received four specimens of what she 

 believed to be this Dove, in a consignment of birds 

 from Africa. She says that it agrees with the descrip- 

 tion given in the British Museum Catalogue. The 

 birds went to nest soon after they were received, and 

 continued to do so later, but either the eggs were broken 

 or the young came to grief. 



VINACEOUS TURTLE-DOVE (Turtur vinaceus). 



The adult bird has the head and neck wine-pink ; the 

 forehead paler (especially in the male); the crown 

 somewhat greyish ; a black line in front of the eyes, 

 and a broad black collar on the back of the neck, edged 

 with whitish above ; the back, scapularies, tertials, and 

 inner half of wing-coverts, earth-brown; rump and 



upper tail-coverts greyer ; outer upper wing-coverts pale 

 grey with lighter edges ; bastard-wing, primary-coverts 

 and primaries black, with pale edges ; secondaries 

 smoky-grey with narrow pale edges ; two centre tail- 

 feathers earth-brown, the rest black towards the base, 

 white towards the extremity, the outer feathers also 

 white-edged externally at base ; below, the chin, throat, 

 lower abdomen, vent, and under tail-coverts are white ; 

 the under wing-coverts are grey ; the tail below is 

 black towards the base, but with the terminal half, as 

 also the edge of the outer feathers, white ; feet brown ; 

 bill black; iris reddish-chestnut. Hab., Tropical N. 

 Africa from Senegal and the Gold Coast on the west 

 to Ngur and Bogos on the east. It is also believed to 

 occur at Loango. 



Lord Lovat thus describes the soft parts : " Iris 

 brown; bill black; feet red." 



When feeding on the ground or drinking, this species 

 collects in countless numbers, but during the heat of 

 the day it is seen in pairs or family parties ; its food 

 when free consists chiefly of tufted maize and grass- 

 seeds. The song is said to resemble that of the common 

 Barbary Dove, but to be less penetrating. 



This species has been, since 1858, when it first began 

 to breed there, one of the commonest and most abun- 

 dantly bred species in the London Zoological Gardens ; 

 it certainly continued to breed there as recently as 

 1900, and, from first to last, I should think the Society 

 must have possessed quite six dozen examples. Yet 

 Russ says : "With us this Dove is very rare in the 

 market." I must admit that I have never myself seen 

 it in a London bird-shop, but then I have never asked 

 for it. 



BURMESE COLLARED TURTLE-DOVE (Turtur 

 xanthocyclus). 



Upper surface pale brown, changing to pearl-grey 

 on the outer upper wing-coverts and secondaries ; rump 

 partly suffused with grey ; bastard-wing and primary- 

 coverts pearl-grey with brown tips ; primaries dark 

 brown, with more or less partially pale edges ; lateral 

 tail-feathers leaden-grey, gradually fading to white 

 towards the tips ; head, neck, and chest pale vinaceous, 

 fading to white on the chin ; forehead paler ; broad 

 black crescentic collar, edged above and below with 

 white on the hind neck; the vinaceous colour of the 

 chest changing to grey on the flanks, abdomen, and 

 under tail-coverts ; under wing-coverts pearl-grey ; 

 flights below brown, becoming ashy-white towards base 

 of inner webs; tail below with the basal part black, 

 abruptly changing to whitish-grey on the terminal part ; 

 bill black ; feet dark pinkish-red ; irides red ; orbital 

 ring broad and yellow. Hab., Burma, and possibly 

 China. 



Mr. T. H. Newman, in a highly interesting illustrated 

 article in The Avicultural Magazine, Second Series, 

 Vol. IV., pp. 321-326, gives cogent reasons for separat 

 ing this Dove as a sub-species from the Indian Collared 

 Turtle-Dove. The only question in my mind is, sup- 

 posing that the Chinese bird should prove to be the 

 same as the Burmese, whether Severtzoff s name of 

 eftinenffis should not stand as a synonym of it. 



Hume says ("Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds," 

 Vol. II., p ; 358): "The nest has been taken at 

 Thayetmyo." Describing the Indian form (which he 

 calla Turtur risorius), he says : " I myself have taken 

 the feggs 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 Zizi/phus, 



