292 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



is probable that a male owned by Mrs. Rathbone a year 

 earlier, and a pair belonging to the Contessa Baldelli at 

 Florence in 1904 were also of this species. In 1905 

 Mr. Seth-Smith obtained five specimens, and in The. 

 Avimltural Magazine, Second Series, Vol. V., pp. 

 51-54, he has published some interesting notes an the 

 Plumed Doves, illustrated by a coloured plate and a cut 

 representing the display of this species. In April, 1907, 

 ten specimens found their way to the Regent's Park 

 Gardens. 



AUSTRALIAN CRESTED PIGEON (Ocyphaps lophotes). 



The adult bird has the entire head, breast, and 

 abdomen grey, .but the crest on the head black; back 

 and rump olivaceous grey ; upper tail -coverts greyish- 

 brown with white tipe ; sides of neck and breast rosy ; 

 small and median upper wing-coverts sandy-grey, the 

 outer ones pure grey ; each feather with a subterminal 

 black band ; greater wing-coverts metallic green with 

 white borders ; primaries greyish-black ; secondaries 

 broadly white edged, the inner ones with their outer 

 webs metallic violet shading into blue; two central tail 

 feathers brown ; the others blackish-brown, faintly 

 glossed with purple, blue, and green on their oute'r 

 webs, and tipped with white ; under wing-coverts 

 pale grey ; flanks brownish ; under tail-coverts deep 

 grey ; tail below brownish-black, tipped with white ; 

 feet crimson-pink ; bill olive-blackish ; naked skin round 

 eye pink ; iris orange. 



The female resembles the male, but is perhaps very 

 slightly smaller ; the young bird is also similar. Hab., 

 Interior of Northern and Eastern Australia, from Port 

 Darwin a'nd Port Ess-ington to Southern Australia. 



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

 pp. 139, 140) : " It frequently assembles in very large 

 flocks, and when it visits the lagoons or river-sides for 

 water, during the -dry seasons, generally selects a single 

 tree, or even a particular branch, on which to con- 

 gregate before descending simultaneously to drink. 



" Its flight is so rapid as to be unequalled by those of 

 any member of the group to which it belongs ; an im- 

 petus being acquired by a few quick flaps of the wings, 

 it goes skimming off apparently without any further 

 movement of the pinions. Upon alighting o'n' a branch 

 it elevates its tail and throws back its head, so as to 

 bring them nearly together, at the same time erecting 

 its crest and showing itself off to the utmost advantage. 



" I met with the nest of this species in a low tree, on 

 the great plain near Gundermein on the Lower Namoi, 

 on the 23rd of December, 1839 ; like that of the other 

 species of Pigeon, it was a slight structure of small 

 twigs, and contained two white eggs, which were one 

 inch and a quarter long and nearly an inch broad, upon 

 which the femade was then sitting." 



I purchased a pair of this handsome Pigeon in 

 December, 1896. and shortly afterwards the hen laid an 

 egg on the earth ; but from that time onward, in spite 

 of every opportunity being afforded, -no attempt at nest- 

 ing was made ; yet the cock bird was constantly bowing 

 to her with tail elevated fanwise, and the wings thrown 

 up over the back, the secondaries opening and closing, 

 so that, combined with the brilliant greater coverts, they 

 formed a nearly perfect rainbow of metallic colour, set 

 off by the tail. As it bows, the male utters its mono- 

 tonous grunt-like coo, repeating it to each movement 

 of head, wings, and tail. 



The late Mr. Abrahams assured me that my birds 

 were two cocks, and when I asked him how he accounted 

 for one of them having laid a'n egg, he at once turned 

 round and' said they must he two hens. If they were, 

 one of them certainly showed off to the other most 



indefatigably. I got tired of keeping these profitless and 

 somewhat boisterous birds at last, and, after having had 

 them nearly seven years, I sold them o'n September 26th. 

 1903. 



Probably no Pigeon is so nervous and wild in cap- 

 tivity as this, and yet it has been frequently bred both 

 in zoological gardens and by private individuals. During 

 the breeding season it is aggressive towards other 

 Doves, but I do not at all agree with Dr. Russ that it 

 is a dangerous bird to keep either in bird-room or 

 aviary, for I know no Dove which quarrels with birds 

 of other orders, excepting perhaps the spiteful little 

 Passerine Dove. 



This Crested Bronze-winged Pigeon appears to 

 adapt itself to acclimatisation more readily than any 



AUSTRALIAN CKESTED PIGEON. 



other, breeding freely at liberty both at Woburn Abbey 

 and in Regent's Park. 'Whether it would be able to- 

 get its own living, if not supplied with seed, remains to> 

 be seen. There seems -no reason why it should be less 

 capable of providing for itself than our native Doves. 



It is said to have been bred in the Zoological Gardens- 

 in 1859. and again in 1865. 1866, 1867, 1869 1870. 1871, 

 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875, 1876, and so on up to at least 

 1895. 



CHAPTER XX. 



GROUND DOVES AND PIGEONS. 

 (Sub-family Geotrygoninae). 



Most of the birds placed in this sub-family are of 

 robust habit with stout and rather long legs ; the wings- 

 short, broad, and rounded, but the primaries distinctly 

 longer than the secondaries. They may be fed in cap- 

 tivity much in the same manner as the Turtle-Dovee. 

 The species of Phloga>,nus and Leucosarcia are essentially 

 ground birds ; that is to say, they spend much of their 

 time running about on the earth, not going there merely 



