07 i the Nesting of the Dwarf Ground Dove. 259


I turned them out in a small division, measuring 12 feet

by 6 feet by 6 k feet high, which I call the “tropical aviary”

because, being entirely enclosed by glazed frames and having

a large pipe area, it generally maintains a high temperature.

Here the}' made themselves quite at home, dividing their time

between the floor and the perches, but they would not take to

any of the nesting sites provided. On the 26th December

“ Worp” laid an egg on one of the wire guards covering the liot-

water pipes and a second on the following day, but made no

attempt to incubate them. Several more clutches of eggs were

laid in the same position during the winter, but there was no

attempt at nest-making.


Early in April I turned them out in the Waxbills’ aviary,

but here we were at once confronted by a new difficulty. The

outdoor flight of this aviary communicates with the warmed

house by a small aperture in one of the glass frames forming the

sides of the latter. Many species of small foreigners have been

kept in this aviary as well as various Tanagers, Shamasand other

insectivorous species and not one has ever had any difficulty in

finding its way in and out after a few days. But “Worp” and

“ Werp ” were far too stupid to comprehend the arrangement:

they could find their way into the covered house but could not

get out again. So once more a clutch of eggs was laid on one of

the water pipes.


Again I removed them—this time to my original aviary

which also has a small lean-to house, but one that not even a

Dove could fail to obtain access to. Forthwith “Worp” collected

a little hay and placed it in the fork of an apple tree. As I felt

quite sure that her limited intelligence would not enable her to

build an efficient nest, I constructed one myself and fixed it up

with wire in the position they had selected, with a small wooden

roof over it. I was only just in time for the very next morning

the nest contained an egg. The eggs of this species vary a good

deal in size ; two that I have before me measure '82 by "66, being

rather larger than the average. They are pure white with a

smooth china-like shell.


For a few days all went well. “ Werp” used to sit during

the morning and his partner during the afternoon and at night.



