28



Miss R. Anderson,



NESTING OF THE WHITE-FRONTED OR VIOLET


DOVE.


Leptoptila jamaicensis.


By Miss R. Alderson.


(Continued from p. 397, Vol. 1 ., New SeriesJ.


Three days after the first young Violet Dove had left the

nest, the second one followed. For some hours it had been

getting restless, and late in the afternoon it descended in safety.

This second bird (which I take to be a hen) was smaller in size

than the first young bird, and whiter on the forehead. I had a

thick bed of straw put down in one corner of the aviary just

below the nest, and an L shaped piece of floor boarding 11

inches high enclosing it. This protection can be made in two

separate pieces, the ends shaped so that after being fitted

together they can be held by a single nail; made in this way, they

are more convenient for storing away in the winter. I find these

■cribs splendid for keeping young birds in safety when they first

leave the nest. The cribs should be a good size, say 4ft. by 3^-ft.


For the further protection of the baby Violet Doves, I

also put an empty box in one corner of the crib with a small

doorway at one end. They were fond of retiring in here and

nestling in the hay inside, and by just raising the lid I could

always see if they were all right.


It is a good plan to always put a thick layer of straw

under a dove’s nest directly the young birds have hatched. It

will be a great protection to them when they leave the nest, as,

if they fall heavily on to a hard floor on their first attempt to

venture out, it' may cause a broken leg or wing. During the

past summer, before I adopted this plan, I had a fine j^oung

Half-collared Turtle fatally injured in this way.


Photograph No. 1 (see last number) was taken when the two

young birds had just left the nest. Their colouring was as

follows :—Fyes brown ; forehead, throat and breast, whitish drab ;

back and wings chocolate brown, with chestnut spots on the

wings (like the spots on a Necklace Dove); under parts white;



