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of the French “ Ramiers.” On their arrival (for I had never

seen their like) I referred to my favourite but ponderous tome,

Temminck’s “Res Pigeons,” splendidly illustrated by Madame

Knip. It is, as far as my knowledge goes, by far the finest,

though not always absolutely correct, work on its subject.

There, under the name Pigeon a nuque ecaillee, I at once found a

perfect picture of the species. In the Catalogue of the British

Museum ( Columbce , p. 280) it is described as Columba sqiiamosa ;

elsewhere as Columba corensis and Columba portoricensis. It is a

large Pigeon about 14 inches long, with a flat and rather snake¬

like head. Its general colour is dull and plumbeous, but this is

relieved by a lovely cape at the back of the neck, each feather of

which is crossed by bands of rich metallic violet and velvety

black ; the eye-ceres are yellowish red, and the beak red shading

into yellow towards the tip.


I had the misfortune soon to lose three out of the six ;

one arrived with and died of a bronchial affection, the two

handsomest cocks succumbed to the common ill of closely-caged

birds, excessive fat. The long cold late spring was very

embarrassing; were the time to come over again, I should put

them all into an outdoor aviary the first sunny day, but I waited

for real warmth and, meanwhile, lost these three. The survivors

seem perfectly healthy out of doors, and I hope may this year

enjoy life and possibly breed in a large enclosure which is

slowly approaching completion, and is destined to be a

“paradise” for many birds.


Second.—The next was a single specimen, not rare and at

first sight not beautiful, but in the hand its vinous tints and

delicate pencillings were really so—a Picazuro Pigeon, Columba

picazuro of the Museum Catalogue. She had come in a ship to

Barbados, probably the pet of sailors, where my friend bought

her for me. With him, she paired with a Ramyer. With me,

she took no notice of any other bird ; she was the tamest and

most gentle creature possible, lavished all her affection on

human beings, and delighted to nestle her head in my hand.

She could not fly. For some weeks I put her in a large cage,

and then put her out in a summer aviary, where my Zebra and

Diamond Doves and such small fry nest. She molested nothing,

and spent her time in a quiet way, till one hot morning we found

her dead—another vidtim of much food and little exercise.


Third.—The next lot—an extremely rare and valuable

importation of six, about a third larger than Barbary Turtles—

were procured from Tobago. The first thing which struck me



