302 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



eggs without making any proper nest, and, of course, 

 nearly all of them fell through the interstices and were 

 smashed. The hen made some attempt to incubate those 

 nearest the surface, but without result. About Novem- 

 ber 18 she was taken ill and died on the 22nd. On 

 the 27th I exchanged the cock bird for two pairs of 

 Cockatiels. 



After chasing the hen, the cock bird often flew up to a 

 lofty perch and sat pitching forwards and rhythmically 

 tilting his whole body forwards, evidently as an invita- 

 tion to the hen to approach him. I noted the same 

 trick later with other Australian Pigeons. 



The Wonga-wonga Pigeon first reached the London 

 Zoological Gardens in 1859, and bred there the same 

 year. It has bred repeatedly since then ; in fact, I 

 saw a hen sitting the last time I visited the collection. 

 Why my hen did not lay when out of doors I cannot, 

 imagine, but perhaps it is as well that she did not, as 

 I might have found it rather difficult to dispose of the 

 young birds. 



BLTJE-HEADKD PIGEON (Starnasnas cyanocc-phala). 



Above olive-brown ; nape and mantle more oliva- 

 oeous ; crown dull blue, bordered with black; a broad 

 white band from chin, .below eye, to back of head ; 

 throat and chest black, bordered behind by a semi- 

 circular narrow black stripe edged with black, the front 

 ^tnd sides of the black area tipped with blue ; remainder 

 of under surface dull ferruginous, the breast tinged with 

 purple; bill coral-red at base, bluish-grey at tip; feet 

 dull reddish-white, with, the tarsal scales bright carmine 

 and those of the toes deep bluish-red ; the skin at the 

 joints of the toes sky-blue ; irides dark brown. Female 

 not differentiated, but probably smaller and duller. 

 Hab. Cuba and Florida Keys. 



According to Gundlach this species " is not uncommon 

 in the extensive forest, especially in such in which the 

 ground is rocky, but is scarcely ever found in cultivated 

 fields or open prairie country. It moves slowly, with 

 the neck contracted and tail erected, while searching 

 for food among the dead leaves on the ground. This 

 consists of seeds of various kinds, berries, and occa- 

 sionally small snails. After feeding, it usually flies into 

 a tree, and perches on a leafless horizontal limb, or on 

 one of the leafless parasitic vines, to rest. In the early 

 mornings, should its plumage, perchance, have become 

 wet while travelling through the dew-laden shrubbery, 

 it selects a sunny spot to dry itself. From time to time 

 this Dove utters its call-note, consisting of two hollow- 

 sounding notes " hu-up " the first syllable long 

 drawn out, the second short and uttered very quickly. 

 Besides this note a low muttering is occasionally heard. 

 Its call-notes are deceptive, appearing near when dis- 

 tant, and distant when close by. Its flight is noisy when 

 starting, like that of the European Partridge, from 

 which it receives its misleading name " Perdiz. " 



" It nests in April and May ; the nest is a simple 

 affair, consisting of a few twigs. It is usually placed 

 in the tops of parasitic vines Tillandsia. It lays two 

 white eggs, measuring 35 by 25.5 millimetres." 



The London Zoological Society first purchased two 

 examples of this pigeon in 1864, and has, from first to 

 last, possessed quite a number of examples, the last re- 

 corded in the ninth edition of the List of Animals 

 having been presented in 1887 ; it bred in the Gardens 

 in 1870. In the Amsterdam Gardens this species was 

 represented as long ago as 1854 ; Russ and Landauer 

 both possessed single examples purchased from German 

 dealers, and Russ says that at the " Ornis " Exhibition 

 of 1893 the price asked was only eight marks for a pair. 



HACKLED PIGEONS 

 (Sub-family Caloenadinae). 



This group is characterised by the long, narrow, 

 hackled feathers of the neck ; the feathers on the head 

 are short, and give these birds a naked aspect; the 

 powerful hooked bill and strong feet, with formidable 

 curved claws, produce altogether a remarkable Yul- 

 turine-looking type, and remind one somewhat of the 

 Yulturine Guinea-fowl. In captivity they should be 

 fed upon maize, wheat, dari, and hemp ; they are 

 especially fond of maize. 



NICOBAR PIGEON (Calosnas nicobarica). 



The adult male is metallic green, with golden coppery 

 reflections, the under parts duller and bluer ; the 

 feathers on the hind neck long, narrow and tapering, 

 like those of Guinea-fowls; head, neck, and front of 

 breast with close, hair-like feathers, and blue-black ; 

 quills black, with blue outer web, below brownish ; 

 longer upper tail-coverts, tail and under tail-coverts pure 

 white ; feet crimson, powdered with white, and whitish 

 at the back, claws ochreous ; bill black, a knob just 

 behind the nostril on the culmen ; iris hazel. 



The female is slightly smaller, and sits less erect than 

 the male ; the neck-feathers are somewhat shorter ; the 

 bill viewed in profile is much more slender, and the 

 frontal knob at the base of the upper mandible is small 

 and little developed ; the plumage generally is duller, 

 less varied with metallic golden copper above, and with 

 gleaming emerald green below. Hab., Nicobar Islands 

 and Mergui Archipelago, through the Malay islands, 

 eastwards to the Solomon group. 



In an article on birds from Duke of York Island and 

 New Britain (" Proceedings of the Zoological Society," 

 1879, p. 14), Dr. Otto Finsch saya that the native name 

 for this species is Parreparre. 



Dr. Guillemard (" Proceedings of the Zoological 

 Society," 1885, p. 576) describes the soft parts thus : 

 " Iris greyish pink; bill black; tarsus dark coral red; 

 soles of feet yellowish," from Obi. At p. 663 he 

 describes them as follows : " Iris dull red, or reddish 

 brown ; bill and cere black ; feet dull reddish, yellowish 

 beneath," from Waigiou and Salwatti. It would there- 

 fore seem that, as with many other birds, the colouring 

 of the soft parts is of local significance. 



iSipeaking of it as observed in the Xicobars. Mr. Hume 

 observes (" Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds," Vol. II., 

 pp. 365, 366): "Its home, its breeding headquarters, 

 wfhich we had the good fortune to discover, are in the 

 little, almost absolutely inaccessible island of Batty 

 MaJve. . 



" Of this I said in my account of our cruise amongst 

 the Niicoiba.rs ("Stray Feathers," Vol. II.. p. 95) : 

 ' The island appeared to be almost wholly composed of 

 coxal, resting unconiformaibly on a base oil sandstone. 

 It was low, nearly level, bore a certain amount of high 

 tree- jungle and a feiw patches of cocoanut, and was in 

 most places covered by an excessively dense under- 

 growth of some thorny, bramble -like shrulb, he.re and 

 there interspersed with a few open plots of grass. The 

 moment the level of the island was gained the mystery 

 of the black birds was solved they were Nir 

 Pigeons, and this was par r.rrrllrnce the home and 

 stronghold of this magnificent bird. Thousands were 

 flying about from tree to tree or feeding on the seeds 

 of the undergrowth (with which we found their crops 

 mostly full). Their nests were as thick upon the : 

 as ever nests are in a. rookery at home. Young ones 

 in every stage of growth, from naked blind things to 

 birds fully fledged, were to be seen in or alongside the 



