174 -P rof - C. O. Whitman,


"which is now at the Zoo. would beat most cats at catching

these.


" They are very beautiful in their adult plumage. We have,

on several occasions, caught the adults but we could never save

them. The bird which forms the subject of these notes is about

two years old, and to the best of our belief it is the only living

specimen in Europe. It happened that when we sent this bird

to the Zoo. we sent at the same time a kangaroo which was also

the only specimen of its kind in England, if not in Europe.


"The photograph of the bird was taken just before it

commenced moulting and it was not in good feather, but now

it is in splendid colour."



CHEQUERS AND BARS IN PIGEONS AND THE


DIRECTION OF EVOLUTION.


By Prof. C. O. Whitman.


In a review^ of my paper, "The Problem of the Origin of

Species," Dr. A. G. Butler comments as follows 011 my con-

clusion that the bars in Pigeons have been evolved from

chequers : — " This is certainly not the conclusion to which a

study of the nestling plumage of some at least of the African

Doves leads me, inasmuch as the conspicuous spots on the

scapulars and inner secondaries appear in the adults with the

disappearance of the juvenile bars."


I presume that the Maiden Dove (Calopelia puella),

recently described f by Dr. Butler, was one of the "African

Doves " he had in mind. This species is pictured as having only

three " metallic spots on the inner greater wiug-coverts and

largest scapulars." An immature bird described by Captain

Shelley in 1883 {Ibis, p. 322), is referred to as having " black

bars on the scapulars, wing-coverts and secondaries."


These " black bars " of the young are not further described,

and I am therefore in doubt as to whether they represent rows of

chequers, or the higher stage of development seen in apical


* Avicultural Magazine, Dec. 1906, p. 74.

+ Avicultural Magazine, June 1906, p. 251.



