on the Half- Collared Twtle Dove. 321


ordinary circumstance connected with the nidification of this

bird. It must be borne in mind that this is a large bird almost

equalling in size the smaller breeds of the domestic pigeon,

and yet I find the eggs sometimes hatch in twelve days. I

have the exact records of six young ones, which, counting from

the laying of the second egg when incubation may be said to

begin, are as follows : One in twelve days ; three in thirteen

days, but one of these probably hatched in twelve days as it was

some hours old, with food in crop, when discovered on the thir-

teenth day ; and two in fourteen days. Both these last were

however under other birds, which is not quite the same as the

natural parents, so I think incubation may be said to be from

twelve to thirteen days. I have no personal record of any other

species of Turtle-Doves' eggs hatching in twelve days.


The following is a description of the young at one day

old : Body, head and neck well covered with longish yellow buff

down, longest on the under surface of neck and crop region ;

bare face and base of bill purplish ; chin dark flesh-colour ; bill

grey with reddish tinge, dark purple grey band at end, extreme

tip pale flesh-colour ; legs and feet livid flesh ; claws bright

pink. I was also struck with the rapidity with which the

young mature. I kept some notes on the first pair of young,

hatched on the 17th and 18th of June 1906. The bird hatched

on the 17th was given to a cock Necklace and hybrid Necklace

x Barbary hen to bring up, the other bird was reared by its

parents. On the 2nd July the bird hatched on the 17th June,

being fifteen days old, first left the nest and flew down

quite lightly, though rather unsteadily; it was replaced in the

nest. The next day it again flew down, and seemed to be able

to fly quite well, as it flew from floor to perch (about four feet

from the ground) several times, flying backwards and forwards

(about ten feet) quite well, roosted at night on a branch about

seven feet from the ground. On going into the aviary on

the morning of the 4th the young bird was on a branch about

eight feet from the ground ; it flew through the open door into

the flight for about twenty feet, alighting in a bush. The follow-

ing day it was flying strongly about the bushes in the flight,

and on being frightened, it flew into the inner house on to a



