on the Nesting of the White-fronted or Violet Dove. 29


outer feathers of tail white; remainder of tail grey brown ; legs

dirty flesh-coloured ; length between six and seven inches.


The old birds took the greatest care of their young ones,

and “Bessie” would sit on the straw in the sun with a baby

dove on each side of her. Strangely enough I don’t remember

ever seeing the young birds being fed. The eldest I first noticed

pecking seed when it was a month old.


On July nth we had a most terrible storm with thunder,

lightning, and a torrent of heavy rain. I hurried down to the

aviary fearful for the safety of the young Violets, and to my

surprise found the young cock thoroughly enjoying himself and

spreading out one tiny wing to catch the rain. Both young

birds got very wet but took no harm.


The spots on the wings had almost disappeared by July

21st, and ten days earlier I had noticed the sheen coming on

the neck of the elder young one—and a few days later on the

second also. The violet patch also began to show, and by the

end of July there was not really very much difference between

the old and young birds.


The latter quickly learnt to come to me for bits of peanuts,

and were as fond of this dainty as their parents. It was by

using this inducement that I managed (on August 1st) to take

photograph No. 3. The bird in the foreground is “Narcissus,”

that 011 the right (and also in photograph No. 2) is the young

cock.


I find Doves, Quails, and even small birds delight in cut-up

peanuts, and I think they are a very wholesome addition to their

usual diet. I cut up my own nuts at first, but it took up a good

deal of time. Later I found they could be procured from

Messrs. Armitage, seed merchants, Nottingham, ready ground,

for 4/- per stone, carriage extra. I now buy the nuts by the

stone and use them regularly.


The Violet Doves nested again but failed to hatch their

eggs. I think the young ones were partly to blame as they

would keep returning to the nest. Since then the Doves have

again nested and had two eggs, but, as I am writing this from



