346



Miss R. Aldekson,



have made these notes from two fine young birds who have been out

of the nest a few weeks, and the grey shade is still only beginning to

show a little. These young ones can now fly very strongly, and are

half as large as their parents. Crown of head drab, cheeks lighter:

throat greyish, with very faint deeper markings, almost like bars

going across : breast and flanks white ; back drab ; w T ings drab, with

bars across of lighter shade; tail drab, the outer feathers white :

beak drab, and feet drab-pink; the eyes are large, full, and dark, as

yet there is no trace of the bare coral skin or the red eyes, nor the

tiny white pink spots on the wings.


It is a pretty sight to see a cock making love to a hen. He

will run up to her very fast, and then standing still will raise and

spread his tail, the sharp-pointed feathers making a very pretty fan,

he will then start to bob up and down, cooing rapidly all the time.

The coo is quite a loud sound for so small a bird.


I have found the diamond doves very good-tempered birds,

though of course they want looking after in the nesting season.

They are generally anxious to nest very early in the year, and it is

then that they need watching, or they may fight amongst themselves.

These doves are very easy to please in the way of food. Canary

seed and white millet form their chief diet, but as they are rather

wasteful it is best to put the seed into a pot several inches deep and

large enough across to more than hold the bird comfortably inside,

If only a slight layer of seed is given there should be no waste.


I always think one great advantage in keeping doves is that

they eat their seed whole. In tiny birds and in parrots the food pot

gets full of husks, and blowing them out is not a pleasant occupation.

In this way doves need less attention than other birds, and the

aviary is far easier to keep tidy. In addition to the seed diet it is

w 7 ell to give the diamonds flowering grass or chickweed, though they

will do well on seed alone. Like all other doves diamonds seem

long lived and free from illness. I never remember to have had a

hen egg-bound, but simple precautions such as plenty of grit, green

food, and a little oil run on the surface of the drinking water, would,

I think, be all that would be needed.


I look on the diamond dove as a fairly hardy bird. Indeed

I think that many birds have more artificial heat than they really



