Breeding of the new Pigeon Hollandais.



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BREEDING OF THE NEW PIGEON

HOLLANDAIS (Alectrcenas pulcherrima ).


By J. Delacour.


1 have already laid before the members of the Avicultural

Society an account of this beautiful Fruit Pigeon, and have long

desired to breed it in an aviary; but I did not expect to succeed,

on account of the difficult habits of this bird, and also on account

of the complete inaptitude for nesting in captivity hitherto shown by

all the Fruit Pigeons.


I am, therefore, particularly happy to he able to announce that

a young “ Pigeon Hollandais ” has been born and reared at Villers-

Bretonneux this year.


The parents have lived in my collection since the spring of

1914, separated in neighbouring compartments, and have always

shown a profound aversion for one another, as I have previously

related.


This year, at the end of May, it was noticed that the hen was

carrying pieces of straw in her beak, and manifested a good deal of

agitation ; and so I had the idea of opening the door between the

compartments. The two birds straightway approached each other

and were soon united.


Two days afterwards one egg was laid under a shelter in a

basket, where the pigeons had already placed a little dry grass.

This egg was rather large compared with the size of the bird, and

longer than those of doves in general; it was white, with a very

delicate shell. The parents sat most assiduously, after replacing one

another on the nest, but at the end of ten days the egg proved

unfertile.


On June 15th, 1917, the hen laid another egg in a nest placed in

a young fir-tree ; but this was situated in a corner of the aviary nearest

the park, and the constant passing of visitors disturbed the birds,

who abandoned the nest after a few days. I tried to keep the egg

for a more favourable opportunity of incubation, but it very soon

decomposed.


To avoid such another failure, I put the pigeons in a large


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