THE



Bvtcultural ®a<3a3me t


BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE


AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.



VOL. VI. —NO. 62. All rights reserved. DECEMBER, 1899.



PASSERINE DOVES-


f Chamcepclia passerina.)


By A. Savage.


I think I am right in saying these pretty little Doves have

only been mentioned once in the Magazine—February, this

year, in “Notes on My Doves in 1898,” by Mr. Cresswell—and

this single mention induced me to send a few notes on a pair

I purchased, a few months ago, from one of our (two) bird-

dealers in Rouen. When at home, I pay frequent visits to these

shops, on the look out for new arrivals, and I found, one day,

the dealer in question had eight of these tiny Doves in a small

cage, just arrived from Havre. This was the first time I had

seen the species offered for sale, and, in fadt, the first time I had

ever seen the Dove anywhere; and being struck with their

prettiness and miniature size, I immediately purchased a pair(n).

They were in bad condition as regards plumage ; their wings

had been cropped quite close, so flying was altogether out of the

question ; and many of their tail feathers were broken. Mr.

Cresswell sa}^, in the above mentioned article, “They are

terribly difficult to import from their extreme timidity. Over

and over again cages of them have been shipped for England,

but none ever arrived alive. They absolutely batter themselves

to pieces.” The man who shipped those that my pair came

from may have been aware of the difficulty, and it may be

the explanation why they were shipped with wings cropped as

closely as they could be cropped—to reduce their movements and

fluttering in the cage in which they were packed, and their chances

of self-destrucfion, during the voyage over, to a minimum (£).


(a) The remaining- six were disposed of shortly afterwards, i.e. two pairs sold, and

the last couple eventually put into a cage with a pair of Lophotes. The latter very soon

killed them, it appears—as was to be expected ; and they were allowed to do so by the

dealer !—A. S.


(d) I bought a pair in July of the present year ; the female could fly, but the male had

to be placed in a cage, where it has entirely recovered its plumage. This trick of throwing

the tail upright is very peculiar.—A. G. B.



