CHAP.V.] CHAEACTEEISTICS. 183 



seem to be affected by the cold in winter, if common 

 care be taken not to expose them on severe nights, and 

 they breed amazingly seven or eight times in the year, 

 if permitted to hatch ; but if the eggs are taken away 

 (and I was generally obliged to do this), nearly twice as 

 often. These Doves build a slight nest of sticks, the 

 hen being the architect, and the cock bringing material. 

 She lays two white eggs. 



" Young birds do not have the black ring round the 

 neck distinctly marked till they have moulted. They 

 are fed on canary seed (hemp seed is apt to give them 

 skin disease), bread, and bits of biscuit, which last they 

 are very fond of, and would come into the room to per- 

 secute me till the box was opened for them. They were 

 coaxing little creatures, and would come and sit by me 

 when reading, sometimes on my shoulder, merely for the 

 sake of company. The cock puts himself into the most 

 ridiculous attitudes when pleased. Like most pets, 

 they came to an unlucky end, the hen being choked by 

 trying to get out of a window not opened sufficiently to 

 admit her body to pass through." H. H. 



Their feet are formed for walking and perching ; they 

 feed on the ground accordingly, but most usually roost 

 upon a perch. Their colour is a light fawn of different 

 depths of shade, the back the deepest, with a nearly 

 black half-collar on the hind neck, inserted within a 

 very narrow white circlet, which throws up the dark 

 collar brilliantly. The irides are crimson, the pupil 

 black, the bill black, the feet lake red. Mr. Blyth 

 states *, that " Besides the common cream-coloured 



* Annals of Natural History, vol. xix. p. 182. 



