52 Mr. D. Seth-Smith,


ing to Mr. North, is a perfectly distinct species, that I have had

any experience, and of which I propose to offer a few brief notes.


In the first place it may be as well to quote from the

writings of those who have met with this bird in its native wilds.

In the Report of the Horn Expedition to Central Australia in 1894,

Mr. Keartland writes: "At Crown Point, on 18th May, Mr. Belt

secured the first pair of these birds. They proved to be adults,

and the female contained a well-developed egg in the oviduct.

Subsequently I obtained them in numbers at Lawrie's Creek,

Petermann Creek, Hermannburg, and in fact wherever rocks

and water existed, until we reached Crown Point on the return

journey on 26th July. On several occasions they made a welcome

addition to our table, where their beautiful white flesh was much

appreciated. Their love of rocky country has gained for them

the appellation of ' Rock Pigeons.' They are strictly ground

birds and never perch 011 trees, but assembled in small com-

panies on the rocky sides of the gorges through which we passed,

where they seemed to enjoy basking in the hot sun. Owing to

their colour they are not easily seen on the red sand and rocks.

They are easily approached, and when disturbed rise with a

4 whirr' like a quail ; but as soon as they are on the wing they

gently glide away, giving a tempting shot. At Stokes' Pass,

Hugh Edgar, one of our camel drivers, found a nest, if such it

might be called, containing two young ones nearly able to fly.

They were entirely brown, but others probably a week older were

found, which had developed the white and black on the throat

and head, which were invisible on the nestlings, as the feathers

had not formed on those parts. The birds lay their eggs on the

ground, generally near a tussock of porcupine grass, and place a

few loose straws around, but in such a careless manner that it

scarcely deserves the name of nest. Subsequently, at Haast's

Bluff, Dr. Stirling found several nests containing eggs or young

ones. There were never more than two eggs, which are about

one-third smaller than those of Ocyphaps lophotes, and are of a

dull, creamy-white colour, with a rather rough surface and lack-

ing the usual glossy surface of pigeon eggs."


The first Plumed Ground-Doves to reach the London

Zoological Gardens appear to have been a pair purchased on May



