MY FOREIGN DOVES AND PIGEONS. 



Length. — About lo inches. Shape very like a 

 Barbary dove, but more slender. 



Colouring. — Breast, throat and bacli of neck 

 palest shade of purple-pink. Top of head grey, 

 forehead and chin white, tail greyish brown, back 

 olive drab, shading into soft grey on shoulders. 

 Long wing quills blackish edged with fawn ; 

 under parts and outer tail feathers white. Black 

 collar (with narrow white edges) round hinder part 

 of neck. Beak dark slate, feet dark crimson, iris 

 full and very dark brown, nearly black. The 

 general colouring is very pale, giving the bird the 

 look of a Barbary dove, but greyer, smaller, and 

 with dark eyes instead of orange-red ones. 



WILD LIFE. 



This pretty dove is the most common dove in 

 Damaraland and the country round about. It is 

 said not to be strictly gregarious, but we are told 

 "numbers are often found in close pro.ximity both 

 on trees and on the ground, and rise in one flock 

 when flushed, producing a great noise by the rapid 

 concussion of their wings above their backs." 

 "They seek on the ground for their food, which 

 consists almost exclusively of seeds. They build 

 in small trees, generally at the extremity of a 

 bough, constructing a nest of a few twigs, with 

 no lining of any kind. The eggs are two in 

 number, of a pure white. I have observed these 

 doves building on August 20th, and have found 

 their eggs abundant at the end of December, so 

 that it is probable they produce two broods in the 

 year" (from "The Birds of Damaraland"). 



Mr. Swynnerton, on the birds of Gazaland, 

 Southern Rhodesia, tells us : "This is the common 

 dove of the mountains, is found in considerable 

 numbers in the neighbourhood of Kaffir kraals and 

 homesteads. It is extremely tame, and the 

 individuals frequenting my gum-trees come readily 

 to any food which may be thrown down. The 

 call resembles the syllables 'Ku-koro! ku-koro ! ' 

 often repeated, the middle one long drawn. The 

 birds in my aviary frequently call at night." 



The same writer notes how he heard one of these 

 doves calling repeatedly in the open bush (in the 

 Umtali district) in the dead of night. He further 

 adds, "A curious courtship through the wires took 

 place during July and August between a wild bird 

 and one that had been in my aviary many months. 

 In the low veldt I noticed this dove in some 

 numbers between Chimbuya and the Umtefu, and 

 again at Bimbo and Inyamita." 



I.IFK IN CAPTIVITY. 



In March, 1902, I received a consignment of 

 doves from a friend in Africa. Amongst them 

 were four doves that proved to be Damara turtles ; 

 three, I believe, were cocks, the fourth a hen. I 



think it must be this dove that the late Mr, O. E. 

 Cresswell wrote of in The Aviciiltural Magazine 

 for 1896. He says, "There is a Dove largely im- 

 ported from Africa and sold under many names. 

 In plumage it is almost identical with the Barbary 

 turtle, though the neck ring is rather thicker at 

 the back and does not come quite so far forward. 

 In size it is slightly less, but the real distinction 

 is in the eye, which is large and entirely dark, 

 instead of having the brilliant red iris of the 

 Barbary turtle." 



My pair of Damara turtles began to nest soon 

 after they came to me ; this nest was only the first 

 of iTian}', The hen laid clutch after clutch of eggs, 

 and sat well, but continually something happened 

 to the young birds, for as a rule the eggs were 

 always fertile; some few were broken, but 

 generally they hatched out and the young birds 

 died from neglect (after leaving the nest) as much . 

 as from any other cause. 



Hand-feeding was tried, but without success. 

 The young ones were ver}' prett)', gentle-looking 

 little things, much more graceful than the 

 generality of young doves. Their colouring was 

 as follows : — Back dark grey, tail drab brown 

 (darker than the back), light fawn edges to the 

 long wing quills. Forehead and throat whitish, 

 shading into grey pink on top of head and breast ; 

 under parts white, collar black, beak slate, feet 

 flesh colour, iris dark brown ; the drab on the back 

 shading into grey on the shoulders, as in the adult 

 birds. 



Though so gentle-looking, this dove is not 

 always very amiable. About a year after they 

 came I had to remove my birds from the aviary 

 they were in because they were so tiresome to the 

 •other inmates; later on the Damaras were in their 

 turn disturbed by some Senegal doves. One of my 

 young Damara turtles was murdered by a bad- 

 tempered Necklace dove who had a great dislike 

 to the old birds. This is the only instance I have 

 known where a dove has extended its hate of 

 another bird to its helpless young ones ; the poor 

 little bird, strong and healthy and just out of the 

 nest, was reall)' pecked to death. I have never 

 seen this dove offered for sale, so I do not know 

 its value. I sold my last two, however, for a few 

 shillings, though doubtless they were worth much 

 more; but in those days very little interest was- 

 taken in keeping doves in England. 



DWARF OR RUDDY TURTLE. 



(Turiur humilis). 



Habitat. — North-East India. From Cachar 

 through Burmah to the Andamans, and eastward 

 to Cochinchina, China, and the Philippine Islands. 



