on. Foreign Doves at liberty.



131



they not been prevented by a timely rescue. They had always-

seemed so peaceable, sitting together huddled up in a heap for

hours at a time that I was much astonished by this murderous out¬

break. The victim was kept shut up until he had recovered from his

injuries and was then released in another part of the garden.


Not long afterwards, one of the three in the quadrangle was

killed by a dog, but the others, which proved to be a pair, survived

the winter and showed no disposition to stray when their wings had

grown. They spent their whole time on the ground, never attempt¬

ing to perch, and if anyone approached them they would squat until

nearly trodden on, rising at the last moment with a loud whirring

flight which carried them up and over the roof like rockets, almost

before one had time to realize that they had gone. In a very short

time however they would be back again in their old quarters.


The courting display of Smith’s Ground Dove bears a very

close resemblance to that of the Crested Dove, the bird bowing and

half-spreading its wings and raised tail and uttering a loud purring

“ corrw ” with each bow. Both sexes indulge in this performance,

and may sometimes be seen bowing and cooing to each other, alter¬

nately, a habit I have not observed in any other pigeon. When

moving about, feeding, the birds have a rather different call to the

one already described, a kind of “corrw — coo ” uttered at frequent

intervals with a short pause after the first note. I have found mine,

on the whole, quite peaceable with other birds, but occasionally the

persistent quarrelling of the Crested Doves would irritate the cock

Geophaps smithi, causing him to rush upon the disturbers of the

peace and chase them until they took flight, when he would indulge

in his funny little display as a last defiance to the retreating foe and

return in triumph to his wife. As the pair appeared to be in the

best of health I had great hopes that they might breed this summer.

They have not, however, done so, and recently the hen became

partially paralyzed in her legs, apparently in consequence of some

injury, but is now I am glad to say well on the road to recovery.

The single bird stayed for some time in the enclosure in which we

had placed him and then vanished entirely for about three months.

I had quite given him up for lost and was therefore considerably

surprised one day to hear that he had been seen walking along the



