^2 



MY FOREIGN DOVES AND PIGEONS, 



from its head and tail, making the head loolc 

 larger. Two days afterwards it roosted outside the 

 nest, closely guarded by both birds ; the day after 

 it roosted still further from the nest ; by now, when 

 over three weeks old, the young one was very much 

 the colour of its parents, only the shades were 

 fainter, and its eyes were dark. 



Four days afterwards the young bird came down 

 to the ground, in the morning. I had to watch it 

 carefully and put up some protection at night, for 

 it continued its misfortunes by getting into the 

 birds' bath. It remained on the ground to roost, 

 and this seemed to trouble the old birds. At this 

 time its eyes were still dark, the grey on the head 

 was now defined at the baclv by a fine line. 

 Whether the hot sun affected the bird or not 1 

 -don't know, but it did not seem nearly so strong 

 as when it was in the nest, and its head began 

 to shake, apparently from weakness, a very bad 

 sign in a young bird. Even by July loth, when it 

 was a month old, it made no effort to feed itself. 



Meanwhile the old birds had made a nest of fir 

 twigs they had snipped off the fir bouglis ; the hen 

 laid one very small egg, so I took all the nests 

 ■down. The young bird lived a few days longer, 

 and died whilst I was away from home. I still 

 have the old pair, .and tliey have nested several 

 times this year (1910), but the eggs seem unfertile, 

 though both birds are in lovely plumage, the bloom 

 ■on the purple of the cock and the blue-green on 

 his head being exquisite ; the culminating point 

 of his beauty being- his brilliant ruby eyes, which 

 are like real jewels. The hen is as fine in her own 

 way, but she is not so regal as the cock. My 

 ■friend in Jamaica has had no more Rufous pigeons 

 sent him, but I believe they have had some quite 

 recently at the Zoo, and that last year they success- 

 fully nested. Several had been kept there many 

 years ago — as far back as 1867. 



The 

 The 

 The 

 The 

 The 

 The 

 The 

 The 

 The 

 The 

 The 



CHAPTER V. 



FAMILY PERISTERIDAE. 



Martinican (or Aurita) Dove. 

 White-winged Dove. 

 Madagascar Turtle-Dove. 

 English Turtle-Dove. 

 Barbary Turtle-Dove. 

 Half-Collared Turtle. 

 Deceptive Turtle-Dove. 

 Damara Turtle-Dove. 

 Dwarf (or Ruddy) Turtle-Dove. 

 Necklaced Dove. 

 Senegal Turtle-Dove. 



MARTINICAN (OR AURIT.\) DOVE. 



(Zcnaida Aurita). 



Habitat. — Martinique and other of the West 

 Indian Islands, also in South America; the Lesser 

 Antilles, St. Croix, also Jamaica. 



Length. — ^About 11 inches. Shape, short, plump, 

 and upstanding. 



Colouring. — Adult male — Head, back, and wings 

 chestnut, quill feathers of wings blackish edged 

 with whitish, irregular black spots (edged with 

 white) on wings ; neck, very beautiful iridescent 

 purple and golden-green, two metallic dark blue 

 marks on cheek, one directly behind the eye, the 

 other lower; chestnut throat, fading into pale 

 purple vinous, under-parts and under tail feathers 

 pure white, upper tail feathers chestnut and black ; 

 feet crimson, iris black, very full, round, and dark. 

 The hen is very like the cock, but rather smaller, 

 her neck not so iridescent, and the breast less 

 purple-pink. 



WILD LIFE. 



The Martinican, or, as I prefer to call it, the 

 Aurita Dove, is very common, though so beautiful, 

 and may be found in abundance in Jamaica (where 

 it is known as the Pea Dove) and also in South 

 America, the latter birds being more brightly 

 tinged than the Jamaican ones, being the reverse 

 in this respect of the little Passerine dove. Gosse 

 says that the Pea Dove is very timid, frequenting 

 the vicinity of water more than any other variety 

 of dove in Jamaica, and that when the bird flies 

 the flight is very rapid and "performed with a 

 peculiar whistling of the wings, by which it is at 

 once recognised, though unseen." The Aurita 

 feeds on various fruits and seeds; pimento-berries, 

 orange-pips, hop-seeds, castor-oil nuts, physic-nuts, 

 maize, and the smaller seeds of the pasture weeds. 

 The flesh is white and juicy and considered good 

 eating when in good condition. On one occasion 

 the Pea Dove has been known to feign a crippled 

 wing to lure intruders away from the nest. The 

 nest is a loose platform of twigs, no leaves being 

 used, and is often built in an orange or a pimento 

 tree. 



LIFE IN CVPTIVITY. 



The Aurita Dove is a special favourite of mine 

 in spite of his tyrannical ways over others of his 

 tribe. I am afraid this is a very common fault of 

 this dove, and that my old cock is in no way excep- 

 tional in his behaviour. He is still one of the 

 finest birds I have ; in plumage and condition 

 simply perfect, and yet I have had him some 12 

 years, and he was adult when I bought him with 

 his hen. This was in 1898, and I believe I gave 

 about 16/- for the pair. Only very few specimens 

 were in England then, and I got my pair of birds 



