on Bartlett's Bleeding-heart Pigeon. 229


long in shape, one end being rather sharply pointed ; the shell is

rather smooth and glossy in texture. This first egg was broken

on the 23rd, when it was found to be addled. On July 5th,

another egg was laid in a nest made quite close to the first. On

the 8th an accident happened which might have ended fatally,

for I found the hen hung up by one leg to some of the material

of the nest which had become twisted round the foot; the nest

was dragged out of place, and the egg was on the ground, the

poor hen went lame for a day or two, and then quite recovered ;

one would have thought that this would have put her off nesting

for some time. I put the egg under some other doves, it also

proved to be addled ; I think it had got cracked from its fall. It

is this egg that is described above. O11 August 12th a third egg

was found, which was probably laid the previous day, the first

nest being again used. On the 27th of August, being a very wet

day, a young bird was found in the nest dead, with head injured

and yolk-sac not properly absorbed ; (I rather think the egg must

have been broken just before it was due to hatch). I placed it

in spirits ; it is scantily clad with very pale down, the bill is

long with only a very small egg-tooth on the upper mandible,

the breast is very plump for so young a bird, and the legs are

enormously developed ; it altogether presents a very strong

contrast to an infant Partridge Bronzewing ( Geophaps scripted)

which is its bottle-companion. Nothing daunted, the birds soon

made another nest, this time on the top of a small bush about 3

feet high ; how the hen got there I never knew, but I certainly

saw her jump off one day. On September 14th, I found a broken

egg on the ground, so that nest came to nothing. It will be

noticed that only one egg is mentioned for each sitting, thus

confirming the experience at the Gardens over 40 years before;

it is very curious that crinigera should only lay one egg, while

luzo7iica and platcnce , another allied Bleeding Heart, should lay

two at a clutch.


Some time before I had fixed a round hamper lid among

the ivy near to where the first nests had been made; sticks were

arranged so as to make it quite easy for the lieu to get up to it;

it was not three feet from the ground. Although I had never

seen the birds go near this provided nest, to my joy I found an



