290 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



head, which is of the same colour as the rest of the 

 upper surface ; ear-coverts and throat dull blackish ; 

 the gorget and a patch below the ear-coverts whitish 

 buff ; lower throat pale sandy-brown ; tips of primaries 

 and lateral tail-feathers whitish buff. Hab., "Interior 

 of Australia, and also Ports Darwin and Derby, X."YV. 

 Australia. " ( Salvador!.) 



Gould quotes the following remarks by Captain 

 Stur.t (" Handbook," Vol. II., pp. 129. 130) : "Thdfl 

 beautiful Pigeon is an inhabitant of the interior. It lays 

 its eggs in February, deposit'.ng them under any low 

 bush in the miiddle of the open plains. In the latter 

 pa>rt of March and tihe beginning of April they collect 

 in large flocks, and live on the seed of the rice-grass, 

 which the natives also collect for food. During the 

 sihort period this harvest lasts the flavour of this Pigeon 

 is moat delicious, but at other times it is indifferent. 

 It flies to water at sunset, but, like the Bronze-wing, 

 only wets the bill. It is astonishing, indeed, th;; 

 small a quantity as a bare mouthful should be suffi- 

 cient to quench its thirst in the burning deserts it 

 inhabits. It left us in the beginning of May, and I 

 think migratted to the X.E.. for the further we went to 

 the westward the fewer did we see of it." 



Mr. A. J. Campbell (" Nests and Eggs of Australian. 

 Biirds," p. 684) describes the eggs as follows : " Clutch, 

 two ; e'liptical in form ; texJture of shell fine but strong ; 

 surface glossy ; colour, white, with a sliigM creamy 

 tone. Dimeawons in inches : (1) 1.32 x -98, (2) 1.24 x 

 .98." 



According to Mr. A. J. NoTtbh this species has bred 

 in captivity in the aviary of the late Hon. William 

 Macleay, of Elizabeth Bay, during 1887-88. Mr. North 

 asserts that July and August are the usual breeding 

 n of this species, but Mr. Ganiipbell seems to think 

 that this statement lacks proof. 



The London Zoological Soeietv secured this Pigeon in 

 1865, and bred it the year following ; it also nested in 

 the park of Beaujardin, near Tours, where, in 1881, a 

 pair brought up six young. It is a rare bird in the 

 market. 



PARTRIDGE BRONZE-WINGED PIGEON. 

 (Geophaps scripta). 



The adult male above is pale brown, the upper wdnig- 

 coverts with paler tips ; the forehead somewhat aslhy : 

 outer iweibs of several of the greaiter coverts with a patch 

 of purple shading into greenish, and obscured by darker 

 bars ; tail-feathers, excepting the two central ones, 

 greyish -(brawn at the base, and broadly tipped with 

 black ; lores, black ; a broad stripe from the lower 

 mandible to beneath the eye, a second from the pos- 

 terior angle of the eye down the side of the neck, a spot 

 on the side of the neck, the chin and throat snow-white ; 

 the intervals between these markings jet-black, this 

 colour surrounding the eye and forming a crescent 

 across the lower part' of the throat; abdomen, grev ; 

 flanks, white ; feet, deep purplish -cnimson ; bill -black ; 

 naked skin round eye. bluish leaden, the corners o-f the 

 irf.s mealy wine-red ; iris black. 



The female resembles the male in pluma.ge, but is 

 slightly smaller. Hab. North-W'eslteTn and Eastern 

 Australia, from Rockingham Bay through the interior 

 to Victoria. 



In its habits this bird is very aberrant, behaving in 

 eome respects more nearly like a Quail than a Pigeon. 

 Gould says that he usually observed it in small com- 

 panies of four to six in number, which, when 

 aipproached, ran off with great speed and crouched down 

 on the bare plain or among scanty herbage, where it 

 often remained until almost trodden on. When finally 



flushed it flies rapidly, with much noise, either alight- 

 ing on another pant of the plain or upon the branch of 

 a tree, on which it squalls, like the Nig-bLjar. in the 

 same line with the limb. The eggs* two in number 

 are deposited upon the bare ground. The food con- 

 sists of grass and other seeds, and at certain seasons 

 insects and berries. 



According to Dr. Ramsay, the nest consists of a 

 shallow hole in the ground beside a tuft of grass, and 

 lined with a few blades of dry grass. The eg.gs two 

 in number are creamy white. 



The coo', according to Dr. Russ, i* either short or pro- 

 longed ; he says that its flight is wild and exceedingly 

 swift, and that at night it roosts uipon a toleralbly high 

 branch, buit neither Mr. Seth-Smith nor Mr. Newman 

 mentions thiis habit. The Paritrudge Bronze -wings are 

 far more tanreetrial tbian anbareial. This Pigeon was 

 first ^resented to the London Zoological Society in 1883, 

 the following year a specimen was purchased, and three 

 more were added in 1891, in which year two young were 

 bred in the Gardens.* It was present in the Amster- 

 dam Gardens in 1882, and in 1883 and 1884 Baron von 

 Comely bred it at hie castle in Beaujardin ; young 

 were reared at the Melbourne Gardens in 1904 ; Mr. 

 Setih -Smith possesised specimens, but failed to breed 

 from them ; they then passed- into the possession of 

 Mr. T. H. Newman, who bred them three times (four 

 young birds) in 1908; he says that the young when 

 hatched are not more covered with down than several 

 other species of Pigeons. Incubation lasts seventeen 

 days. A study of Mr. Newman's article (Th? Avicul- 

 tural Magazine, Second Series, Vol. VI.. p.p. 337-343, 

 and Vol. VII., pp. 40-45) will be found both interesting 

 and instructive. Mr. Seth-Smith says that these birds 

 are perfectly ha.rdy, and that they live on good terms 

 with other birds excepting their near allies, such as 

 G. smithi or Lo 



.SMITH'S BRONZE- WINGED PIGEON 

 (Geophaps -/// >VA<). 



Upper surface brown tinged with olivaceous ; outer 

 webs of inner greater wing-coverts and inner secondaries 

 rich purple shot with green ; flights brown, with narrow 

 buff edges to outer webs ; lateral tail-feathers with a 

 broad subterminal black belt ; a white line from the 

 no-strils passing over the eye and ia second from base of 

 lower mandible [passing under the eye enclosing the 

 reddish -orange naked orbital skin ; cheeks brownish- 

 igrey ; tthroalt iwhite surrounded Iby a narrow grey band ; 

 sides of breast white ; feathers on centre of breast clear 

 grey with black edges ait tips, those on dower breast 

 wiiith a narrow isuibterminal dark band and whitish edge ; 

 middle, of abdomen and venlt (fawn-coloured ; flanks and 

 under ttail-<aovents dark 'grey edged rwith (fawn or towny ; 

 flights below grey ; bill blackish -grey ; feet bluish- 

 grey. yellowish-grey at back and on soles; irides wiith 

 an dnner red ring, a central purple one. and an outer 

 broader ning of pure white narrowly encircled outside 

 by a grey ring. Female similar to* the male, buit 

 smaller. Hab., " N.W. lAu.sitra.lia, (from Derby to (the 

 Gulf of Carpentaria." (Salvadori.) 



Gould says of this Pigeon ("Handbook," Vol. II., 

 pp. 133, 134) : " Like the G. scripta, this bird, which 

 at Port Essington is termed the Partridge, differs con- 

 siderably from its congeners in its general habits, flight, 

 voice, mode of incubation, and the character of its 

 newly-hatched young. It is rather abundant in all parts 

 of the Peninsula, is mostly seen in small families, and 



* Mr. Snth-tSm.ith says that the egigs were hatched under 

 Ba.rbary Doves, but apparently not reared; yet they are entered 

 in the society's list. 



