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Mr. T. H. Newman,



traces of the cinnamon brown border with central portion

darker, the outer web of the outer tail feathers was conspicuously

white, the white tips of the outer tail feathers were also sharply

defined from the black portion, as in T. turtur. O11 each side of

the neck was a patch of black and white feathers, but not so

scale-like in appearance as in that species. Two more specimens

of the same cross, in nearly adult plumage, seem to differ in

several points from the original bird. They were thought by

their breeder to be hens, but I am not yet sure of the sex, as I

have only had them a short time. In size and shape they are

more like Barbary doves, and are larger than my former bird.

The scapulars, if anything, show stronger traces of the

cinnamon ; the neck patches are scale-like, and very similar to

those of the wild Turtle ; the white border is present at the

sides of the tail, but the white tips are not so sharply defined.

But to return to the first bird : he was mated in the beginning of

June, 1901, to a hen, which was supposed to be a hybrid between

a male Barbary and a female Necklaced Turtle dove ( T.

tigrinus) ; but as she in no respect, as far as I can see, differs

from an ordinary Barbary dove, I am compelled to say in her

ease—not proven.


The history of this bird seems to have been as follows:

A pair of Barbary doves were kept with two hen Necklaced

doves, no other doves being with them. The cock Barbary was

noticed to be on friendly terms with one of the Necklaced

hens, and accordingly the hen Barbary was removed. The

Barbary cock and hen Necklaced nested, with the result that

this bird, the very naturally supposed hybrid, was reared. The

hen Barbary was not again introduced till a day or two before the

young bird was hatched. The hen Necklaced dove afterwards

came into my possession. Four days after, she mated with

another Barbary cock which I had only bought the day before.

This, I think, showed that she had been used to the company of

a Barbary dove. She laid one egg which was unfortunately

unfertile ; then several imperfect eggs followed, and she died

when I had only had her two months. Thus I was unable to

clear up the mystery which hung round her supposed daughter.

Certainly all the eggs which this supposed hybrid lays are



