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Miss E. Alderson



help had been given them, though they were almost unconscious

when found. One bird was a young hen, not long out of the nest,

and though she is now quite healthy and strong I shall always think

the shock checked her growth, for she is undersized and habitually

droops her wings. The other bird affected was one of my original

four. I found him laid on the ground and moaning, but warmth

and a little weak brandy and water brought him round, though for a

day he would eat nothing.


I have noticed this cry of distress, when ill or frightened, in

one other dove, the Aurita, who really cries before it is hurt. If

you only catch the bird it begins to make a sobbing cry, most

distressing to hear. Most doves, and I think other birds too, suffer

pain in complete silence. I shall never forget a little Dwarf Turtle

that had injured itself most terribly on the head, and though the

dressing I put on must have smarted very badly, the bird never

uttered a sound, but kept quite still in my hand during the operation.


I find the Green-winged Dove is a general favourite whenever

any visitors—those especially who know nothing about birds—come

to see my aviary. I have got quite used to hearing “ Oh ! what are

those green ones—that one with the red beak ? ” Just as it is always

said of my Bleeding Heart Pigeon that it really looks as if it was

wounded ; indeed on one occasion a visitor took the “ heart ” quite

seriously and thought some tragedy had happened.


The Indian Green-wing was first kept at the Zoo in 1856 and

the Australian five years later. Both varieties were bred by Mr.

Seth-Smith some years ago. Dr. Euss bred the Indian freely in his

bird-room. In Dr. Greene’s “ Notes on Cage Birds ” there is a most

interesting account of the nesting of the Indian Green-wing in Wales

in an unheated aviary. This pair had five young birds during the

season, and three were reared, the other two died through falling out

of the nest. Some of the winters these birds passed through were

very cold, especially in 1881 when the thermometer went down to

three degrees below zero.


The Green-wing is an easy dove to keep. I have read of

some being fed on maize, some on Canary seed and millet, others on

hemp, and in each case the birds seemed to thrive and do well. My

own birds have a choice of about six seeds—as there are other



