33



on the Madagascar Turtle-dove.



tion lasted, as the young of the first nest were hatched and the

eggs of the second laid when I was away, but I expect about

fourteen days, perhaps a day or two less was the time.


The eggs seem to be remarkably large for the size of the

bird, they are larger than those of the Half-collared Turtle-dove

(Turtur semitorquatusJ , the largest being hardly inferior to an

egg of Columba rufina, a bird to which this Turtle-dove bears

quite a strong resemblance in general colouration. The eggs are

of course white and moderately glossy, I have the four first pre¬

served. The two laid in March are quite different in shape, the

smaller one is a blunt oval not much more pointed at the smaller

than at the larger end, this may probably be the first egg ever

laid by the hen, as the fellow egg and both those laid in April

are larger and taper off to a quite remarkable point at the smaller

end, giving them the shape of a short fat torpedo.


The young are hatched well covered with bright yellow

down, almost reddish fawn on head back and outer edges of

wings, bill flesh-coloured with an almost black band near the

tip, extreme tip yellowish flesh, feet and claws flesh-coloured.


The first plumage is very different from the adult bird. I

fail to notice the “greenish” tinge mentioned by Milne-Edwards

and Grandidier and quoted in the Museum Catalogue. The vinous

purple of the adult is only foreshadowed by a vinous tinge at the

base of the neck and on the interscapular region, while the whole

of the smaller feathers on the outer aspect of the wings are dark

gray broadly edged with bright chestnut, the quills have their

tips and outer edges also outlined with chestnut ; the under sur¬

face is ashy with each feather washed with chestnut, the feathers

on the neck lack the dark bases and are not notched, the bill is

duller than the adult, being brownish gray with dark tip, feet grey

with, pinkish tinge, the scales purplish brown. The chestnut

ends of the median and greater coverts form two quite distinct

bars across the wing, when the wing is spread out a narrow,

almost black band is seen across the end of each ereater wino--


o o


covert, the extreme tips are again chestnut.


The eldest young one, about eight weeks old, has got many

purple feathers on the shoulders and has renewed nearly three

of its primaries, all the chestnut ends of its feathers have much

faded.



