50


I had two nests (five and three) of African Silver-bills, and two nests

of Zebra Finches (three in each). The Silver-bills built a lovely solid nest

in a gorse-bush. Chestnut Finches built three large globular nests, but

laid no eggs. Bronze Mannikins built in a small cage, and laid three eggs,

when I was obliged to take them in. St. Helenas, Red Avadavats, and

Cordon Bleus had commenced nests. A hen Saffron Finch lined a cocoa-

nut shell with fine ha}^, and laid three eggs, when the male bird nearly

killed her, having already destroyed a pair of Green Singing Finches ; so I

parted vi'ith them.


Three-coloured Nuns I find very meddlesome : they interfered greatly

with domestic arrangements generally, sleeping in the newly-built nests one

after the other.


The temperature was 42° when I took the birds in, all in perfect

health and plumage.


Pekin Robins are out now. I hope to do better in 189S.


Grace Ashkord.



CONFUSION IN NAMING FOREIGN DOVES.


Sir, — In my letter which appeared in the last number of our

Magazine, under the above heading, I mentioned Turtiir se?nitorquatus as

being slightly smaller than T. risorius : but in a foot-note Dr. Butler says

that this is incorre6t.


I niiist own to having been decidedly confused over the proper

identification of the species.


A few years ago I had two pairs of African Doves, which, at first

sight, might readily have been taken for Barbary Turtles. They were,

however, slightly smaller, and the collar was somewhat broader than in the

domestic species ; the iris, moreover, which in T. risorius is bright red, was,

in these birds, very dark.


I had not, at the time, the opportunity of examining the collection

of skins in the British Museum ; nor had I access to the Museum Cata-

logue : but when at the Zoological Gardens, I found the species labelled

and figured as 7'. semitorquatus.


On referring to the Museum Catalogue, I find that the birds above

referred to as being less in size than T. risorius correspond with the

description of T. vinaceus ; while T. semitorquatus is, apparently, the larger

species referred to in my last letter as 7\ vinaceus.


Thus the nomenclature of the Doves at the "Zoo." differs from that

at the British Museum, and the only safe plan is to refer to the Museum

Catalogue for the identification of rare Doves.


The length of T. vinaceus is given by Salvador! as scarcely 10 inches;

that of 7\ senegalensis as about II inches, and that of T. semitorquatus as 12*4

inches.


D. Seth-SmiTh.



Sir, — In his note on this subject in the December part of the

Magazine, Mr. Seth-Smith allows himself to be wholly guided by the

names on the cages at the Gardens of the Zoological Society when he paid



