GROUND-DOVES. 



293 



to feed like the species of Leptoptila when in cap- 

 tivity. * 



RUFOUS-NECKED Wooo-DovE (Haplopelia larvata). 



Upper surface brownish-olive; interscapular region 

 slate-colour, with green-shot coppery edges to the 

 feathers; nights greyish-brown ; four central tail- 

 feathers of the same colour, but the outer pair greyish 

 towards the extremity ; remaining feathers blackish - 

 brown, with a broad dark grey terminal belt ; front of 

 head and upper throat white; cheeks and ear-coverts- 

 .ako white, but tinged with vinous ash; back of head 

 and neck coppery -purple, sometimes with green reflec- 

 tions, most defined at back of hind neck ; fore neck and 

 breast dull vinous, the former with metallic purple 

 shades, the latter passing into dusky brown on the sides 

 of the body and into cinnamon on lower breast, abdo- 

 men, and under tail-coverte ; bill black ; feet dark pink ; 

 irides with an inner dusky circle and an outer 

 pink one ; eyelids and orbital skin pink. 

 Female slightly smaller and duller. Hab., 

 South Africa. 



Messrs. Stark and Sclater say (" Birds of 

 South Africa," Vol. IV., pp. 183, 184) : " The 

 Lemon Dove is confined to the forest and 

 thick bush, and is seldom or never found out- 

 side. It is generally seen on the ground 

 seeking its food, which consists chiefly of 

 forest berries ; it is shy and by no means 

 easy to see or procure, but can often be heard 

 rustling among the fallen leaves, and thus 

 causing disappointment to the sportsman who 

 is lying in wait for buck ; it has a peculiar, 

 short, melancholy coo. Shelley found two 

 nests of this bird on April llth in the bush 

 near Durban ; they were placed about 4ft. 

 from the ground in low creepers close to the 

 path, and contained two eggs each. The nest 

 was a flimsy structure of sticks. 



" Eggs in the South African Museum, taken 

 near Durban by Mr. Millar in November, are 

 oval in shape, white, with a slight tinge of 

 brown, and measure a.bout 1.0 x -75." 



Two specimens of this Dove were presented to the 

 London Zoological Society in 1892. 



In the Report of the additions to the animals in the 

 London Zoological Society's collection for 1907 it is 

 stated that eleven specimens of Verreaux's Dove (Lep- 

 toptila verreauxi) were presented by Sir William 

 Ingram ; but Mr. T. H. Newman writes that he believes 

 them to be only L. reichenbachi. He has two of the 

 latter. Under these 1 circumstances I think it would be 

 premature to claim Verreaux's Dove as an imported 

 species. 



RED-UXDERWINGED DOVE (Leptoptila rufaxilla). 



Above olive-brown, the hind neck and upper mantle 

 purplish-violet, and the back slightly purplish ; primaries 

 slate-brown, bases of inner webs of all the flights more 

 or less washed with cinnamon:; central tail-feathers 

 olive-brown, lateral ones blackish, the two outer pairs 

 with white tips ; forehead whitish-grey shading into 

 bluish-grey on the crown, into dull purple on back of 

 head, the last colour merging into the violet of the 

 hind neck ; chin and centre of throat white ; sides of 

 head and upper throat reddish ; sides of neck and lower 

 throat vinous, paler on the breast; sides and flanks 

 olive-brown ; abdomen white ; under tail-coverts with 



* In their wild state all the Geotrygonime appear to paee 

 most of their time on the earth. 



the outer webs more or less brown, the inner ones white ; 

 under wing-coverts cinnamon ; bill black ; feet probably 

 lake-red. Female doubtless a trifle duller in colour, and 

 with greyer forehead. Hab., "Guiana, Amazonia, Peru, 

 Ecuador, and Colombia." (Salvadori.) 



According to Russ, Burmeister states that this Dove 

 is abundant in the forest region of Brazil, " not in open 

 situations, but on narrow forest-paths one frequently 

 meets with it on the earth. It also nests in the forest, 

 and at a moderate height, and lays two small white 

 eggs." Its breeding season, according to Euler's state- 

 ment, falls in the months of September to May, and he 

 believes that it has four broods in the year. 



Dr. Goeldi met with this Dove during a visit to Soufh 

 Guyana "in the low campos-grass behind the 'sitio.'" 

 (Of. The Ibis, 1897, p. 164.) 



Taczanowski only tells us that it inhabits the forests 

 of Eastern Peru. 



YOUNG RUFOUS DOVES. 



This Dove first reached the Regent's Park Gardens in 

 1880 ; two examples also were presented in 1883, and 

 another was purchased in 1891. 



RUFOUS DOVE (Leptoptila reichenbachi). 



Above glossy brownish-olive ; back of head, nape, and 

 upper mantle brown glossed with purple ; primaries 

 brown, the inner webs washed with cinnamon ; four 

 central tail-feathers brownish-olive, the others more 

 slaty, becoming blackish towards the tips, the three 

 outer pairs with white tips; forehead whitish, shading 

 into bluish-grey on the crown ; cheeks, sides of neck, 

 lower throat, and breast deep reddish-vinous ; chin and 

 middle of throat whitish ; sides and flanks brown ; 

 middle of abdomen white ; under tail-coverts brown, 

 their inner webs whitish towards the tips; under wing- 

 coverts cinnamon ; bill black, feet probably lake-red. 

 Female doubtless slightly duller and with the forehead 

 greyer. Hab., South Brazil and Uruguay. 



Burmeister says ("Systematise-he Uebersicht," Vol. 

 III., p. 305) : " Of all the Doves which I have seen in my 

 travels this ie the commonest in the forest region ; it 

 also moves about a good deal on the earth, but one does 

 not see it in open spots, where C. talpacoti is every- 

 where running in the road, but only in the narrow 

 forest-paths, where it can tolerably easily escape under 

 shelter. It nests in the forest, tolerably high, and lays 



