on the Habits in Captivity of the Brush Bronzewing Pigeon. 213


Feb. 23. Parents building another nest, but continue to feed

young one.


“ Feb. 24. Young one nearly fledged.


“ March 2. Two eggs in new nest, birds sitting. Young one

appears to have very little in its crop.


“ March 3. Young bird on ground in very bad way, very weak

and evidently starved. Try to hand feed it but fail. Put it

back in nest, and later notice cock trying to feed it, but it is

evidently too far gone.


“ March 4. Young P. elegans dead.”


Such is the miserable history of, possibly, the first young

Brush Bronzewing Pigeon hatched in England. It is a repetition

of what has happened before in my own and other aviaries with

other species of foreign Doves. This strong desire on the part

of birds to nest a second time, before the first brood can shift for

themselves, is a trouble that, I must admit, I cannot account for,

but which is well known amongst aviculturists to occur with

other birds besides Doves.


The bachelor had all this while contented himself,

when not eating or sleeping, with cooing. The note is not

unmusical, but when it is repeated, “hoop, hoop, hoop,” at

intervals of about one second throughout the greater part of

the day, it becomes somewhat monotonous, and this bird

generally went by the name of “ the hooter.” It occurred to

me that this continually-repeated call-note might perhaps have

unsettled the breeding birds, and have been partly accountable

for their want of success in rearing the young one; so I

persuaded my brother to allow my bird to “ hoot ” for a while in

his aviary at Caterham, where there would be no chance of its

voice being heard by the others.


The days were now lengthening, and I hoped the birds

would behave better with their second brood ; but still I have

so far only partial success to record.


“April 5. Two young nearly fledged, evidently a true

pair, one showing much more buff on the forehead than the

other. Parents inclined to nest again, but at present feed the

young well.



