1-30 Dove, The Dusky Rohm (Peirceca vittata). [isf'oct 



What I believe to have been the same pair of Robins built again, 

 only a few yards distant, on the broad fork of a prickly mimosa 

 {Acacia verticillata), 3 feet from the ground, on a twig founda- 

 tion as before ; nest composed of rootlets, dry grass, quantity of 

 spider-web round rim, into which was woven a piece of string. 

 Several pieces of thick string, much weathered, which had evidently 

 been lying on the ground a long time, had been put in as lining. 

 This nest was found complete on 20th October. On visiting it 

 again on 23rd, the string lining had been removed by the birds, but 

 the nest was otherwise intact. On 25th October it contained two 

 eggs, reposing on a fine rootlet lining — one of the usual olive-green 

 tint, the other inclined more towards blue. The dimensions were 

 about the same — .87 x .68. Both eggs were faintly marked, the 

 green one most distinctly, with brownish blotches, principally about 

 the apex. Next day a third egg was present, of the olive-green 

 tint, marked faintly with brown about the larger end. The eggs 

 are thus laid on successive days. The sitting bird allowed me to 

 approach very closely to her low, exposed position. On 4th 

 November I went again, and found the female very trustful and 

 confiding ; she allowed me to almost place my hand on her before 

 she would leave the eggs. When I visited the spot at 6 a.m. on 

 loth November one of the young had just hatched out — a blind, 

 naked, palpitating atom, lying on its side, the skin of a reddish 

 tint, but dark on the thighs and across the hinder part. It was 

 hatched from one of the green eggs. Next morning I was there 

 before 6 o'clock, and found three young, the other green and the 

 bluish egg having apparently hatched later on the previous day. 

 It was noticeable that the red tint of birth soon gave way to a dark 

 appearance, as if caused by the feathers preparing to push through. 

 When I placed my hand close over the parent, she tumbled off the 

 nest with feigned disablement, while the male, near by in the scrub, 

 whistled a warning " Twee-tu." On 13th November the young had 

 a dark, scaly appearance along the spine, where its feathers were 

 beginning to sprout. The wing-quills were also sprouting, while 

 the heads and rest of the bodies had a blackish look ; the bills were 

 greyish, with yellow at sides. Next day the plumage was sprouting 

 well on wings and spine, while the head had a scaly appearance. 

 On 17th November my visit was at 6.30 a.m., when all the chicks 

 had their eyes open, the spine, wings, and head well covered with 

 a light brown plumage, the wing-quills partly blackish, reddish- 

 brown bars across wings (these bars are white in the adult), tails 

 just beginning to sprout, bills dark grey with yellow sides. All 

 the nestlings looked sleepy and contented, as if they had already 

 been well fed that morning ; they did not open their mouths or 

 make any sound. My next visit, at early morn on 19th of the 

 month, was saddened by the discovery that some midnight prowler 

 (perhaps a tiger-cat, for the nest was not far from a dense swampy 

 thicket) had been before me, and all that was left of the happy 

 home was an overturned nest and a few feathers. This was the 

 more annoying as the young were within a few days of flying. 



