on the Habits in Captivity of the Bncsh Bronzewing Pigeon. 265


it perfectly easy to distinguish the sex of the adults at a glance,

but the young when in the nest are distinguishable by the

brighter and deeper tints of the young male.


It is curious also that Gould should never have seen this

species perch on the branches of trees, for those that have been

under my observation for the last six months certainly show

quite as much inclination to perch on branches as does the Phaps

chalcoptera. Mr. Campbell writes :—


“ The Brouzewing loves the open and the forest, but the

Brush Bronzewing is more shy and solitary, and, as its name

indicates, prefers scrubby situations and the growth about

swampy places. I have seen the birds and obtained their eggs

in the Leptospermum tracts that gird the shores of Port Philip

Bay, and also in the west in the short thick scrubs of King

George’s Sound. In Western Australia it is fond ,of placing its

nest in the fork of a grass tree ( Xanthorrhoea ).


“ Writing from Yorke Peninsula, South Australia, Mr. G.

McDougall states he found the Bronzewing a rare bird there,

while its Brush congener was common in the mallee scrub and

melaleuca swamps, and further, that the kangaroo hunters rear

and sell the young of the latter bird.


“ In Tasmania, Mr. A. E. Brent observes, the Brush

Bronze-wing usually seeks the sides of deep gullies for a nesting

place, and almost in every instance the shady side of the same.


“ Like the other Bronze-winged Pigeon, the Brush bird

breeds almost any time of the season, but usually during the

months from October to January.”


The nesting habits of P. elegans seem to be just the same

as those of P. chalcoptera ; the male appears to select the site for

the nest, and having found what he considers a suitable place, he

invites his mate to inspect it by his oft repeated “ hoop, hoop,

hoop.” If she will deign to inspect it he is immensely pleased,

and shows his pleasure by nodding his head and flipping his

wings. Should the hen approve of the site, she settles herself

down on it, while the cock descends to the ground to search for



