82



Mr. T. H. Newman,



bouse, each in its own particular spot. The notes of this bird

are quite distinct and differ much from those of any other dove

that I know, both birds very frequently utter a hoarse nasal

sort of grunt. He-he-he, when alighting or fighting another

bird ; when on the ground they often draw in their heads and run

at another bird uttering this note; but they do not seem at all

quarrelsome as doves go. The coo proper is very different, the

cock draws himself stiffly up before beginning to coo to another

bird and making a very low bow utters his coo-co-5-0-0, the

last part very much drawn out, this note is low and of consider¬

able sweetness, so very different from the ordinary irritable

grunt.


Although the birds were together from January, they did

not mate until August, when I was quite surprised to notice that

they were getting friendly.


Their first egg was laid on August 15th, the second

probably on the 17th, and a day or two afterwards I found the

eggs deserted, as they had chosen for their nest a zinc bowl in

the corner of the inner house of their aviary and the nesting

materials had slipped so that the eggs had got underneath, as

a last resource I put the eggs, which were of course cold, under

another pair of doves just as I was leaving home, not expecting

any result, when I returned a fortnight later, both eggs had

hatched, but one young had disappeared, and the other which

was about four or five days old was lying in the nest cold and

almost dead ; I warmed it up and gave it to a kind-hearted old

Pigeon x Dove hybrid who is now over thirteen years old, and

his white Barbary wife. They never have had any children of

their own but make most excellent foster parents ; although they

had only been sitting a few days, they welcomed the little stranger

gladly and brought it up splendidly. So this is how probably

the first Turtur picturatus was reared in this country.


In the mean time the old birds had built another nest in

the same place, this time using quite stout sticks and twigs,

making a good substantial nest, which was evidently quite

satisfactory as the two eggs which I found in it on the 1st of

September, both hatched and the young were successfully reared

by their parents. I am unable to say exactly how long incuba-



