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Mr. D. Seth-Smith,



NESTING OF THE SCALY DOVE.


Scardafella squamosa.


By D. Seth-Smith, F.Z.S.


The Scaly Dove is a bird that until recently was very

rarely imported, though during the last two or three years Mr.

Thorpe, of Hull, has had a good number through his hands, as

well as many other rare Neotropical birds.


I received a pair of these very pretty little Doves on the

28th of August, 1903, and turned them straight out into my out¬

door aviary. They showed no sign of nesting during the

autumn, and spent the winter in the warmed aviary with the

majority of my other birds.


Early in April they were let out with most of the other

Doves into the large outdoor aviary, and immediately showed

signs of nesting. They selected a site on some rough ivy stems

that had been fastened up in a plum tree. The cock would sit on

this and coo, a peculiar coo unlike that of any other Dove I

know, and at each coo he would throw up his pretty rounded tail

into a perpendicular attitude. They commenced to sit on the

19th of April and sat well, taking turns with one another, the

cock doubtless sitting in the day and the hen at night like other

Doves, but they are so exactly alike that it was impossible to say

which was the cock or hen. On the 8th of May I noticed both

birds away from the nest, and upon examination discovered two

young ones, apparently about a week old, dead in the nest. The

night before had been extremely cold, and possibly the sitting

bird may have been frightened off during the night and the

young have perished from exposure.


The pair soon set to work again however and repaired the

old nest, which is exactly like that of other Doves, consisting

merely of a few fine twigs. O11 the 12th of June I noticed three

Scaly Doves sitting together on a branch, and except that the

third was much smaller than the others, with a short tail and

general baby-like appearance, it exactly resembled its parents.


I have not heard of any case in which the Scaly Dove has

reared young before in this country, although from an article by



