40



Mr. T. H. Newman,



NESTING OF THE PARTRIDGE BRONZEWING


PIGEON.


Geophaps script a.


By T. H. Newman, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.


(i Concluded from page 343, Vol. VI).


To return to the history of the second young one. July

13th was very wet, the young bird was sitting under the shelter,

it spends most of its time there if the weather is not fine, but

seems to prefer sitting ou the grass among the shrubs when fine.

It ran into the flight when I went into the aviary, some time

later I heard it chirping among some ivy, soon it came into sight,

and one of its parents ran to it and seemed to talk to it for a

minute or two, in the way these Pigeons do, and as the young

one wanted to be fed, uttered a low note (all Pigeons seem to

have a special note when about to feed their young) which was

heard by the elder young one which was some distance

off; it ran up and the parent fed both at once., The young

do not flap their wings much when being fed, though they

are sometimes quivered a little. The old bird then left the

young ones, which remained sitting facing one another ; the

elder bird pecked a grain or two of seed, which remained

sticking to the bill of the 3'ounger. The second bird was now

seventeen days old and about the size of a small Quail, the

white markings 011 the face were getting quite conspicuous and

the white stripes on the side of the breast were beginning to

show. The young bird at this stage chirps very like a young

game bird, a sort of soft twitter, though it can be heard some

distance off; the chirping note is replaced by a more pigeon-like

squeak when being actually fed. If the young wander about

much one wonders how the parents find them when in the wild

state, they are certainly very active and the old birds do not keep

by the young. A pair of young which have lately left the nest

seem to keep constantly together, though they move from place

to place, and their parents seem to keep a watchful eye on them.


July 14th. The young one was very active stretching and

flapping its wings ; it was pecking about ou a sanded path a good

deal. Its tail was short, just reaching beyond tip of wings, very



