54 



MY FOREIGN DOVES AND PIGEONS. 



and I am' inclined to think would nest nearly all 

 the year round if permitted. The colouring of the 

 young cocks is only very gradual, but should show 

 definitely by the end of the nesting season. 



There is one point in the nesting of the Dwarf 

 turtles that I have not noticed in any other doves, 

 and that is the frequency of both birds leaving the 

 eggs whilst sitting. Time after time I have seen 

 both birds off the nest when I have known that 

 they have eggs, and j'et the eggs almost invariably 

 hatch ; it is quite the exception for them not to do 

 so. The eggs are small and white and rounded 

 at both ends. 



In accident or illness the Ruddy Turtle is one 

 of the bravest little birds I know. Once a cock 

 bird that I still have almost scalped himself against 

 the wires — the top of his head was a terrible sight, 

 not merely grazed, but bleeding very badly. I 

 painted the wound (after bathing it) with "New 

 Skin," which is a liquid court plaister. It is a 

 most excellent remedy, but for a few moments 

 after being applied smarts most painfully, though 

 afterwards the feeling is a very soothing one. I 

 held the little dove all the time in my hand (till 

 the painting was dry) and he scarcely flinched and 

 never cried out, though the pain must have been 

 very great. The large wound healed splendidly, 

 and to look at the bird now you could not tell he 

 had ever received an injury, for the feathering on 

 his head is perfect. 



NECKL.\CED DOVE. 



(Turtur Tigrinus). 



Habitat. — Burma, Malay, Peninsula, Sunda 

 Islands, as far south as Timor, and the Moluccas, 

 where most likely it is found onl)' during the 

 winter. 



Length. — About ii inches. Shape, rather long, 

 but not too slender. 



Colouring. — Adult male — Head vinous grey, 

 greyer on cheeks and forehead. The back is dark 

 brown, each feather being tipped with a buff spot; 

 round the back of the neck is a very broad black 

 collar all spotted over with tiny white dots. Tlie 

 chin and centre of throat white, while the breast 

 is dull vinous, becoming paler on the under parts. 

 The feet reddish flesh-coloured, bill black, iris 

 reddish pearl. The long tail black, white, and 

 grey. The female is similar to the male, but 

 smaller and slighter. 



WILD LIFE. 



Mr. Oates writes of the Malayan Spotted Dove 

 (which is very much akin to the Necklace, and is 

 sometimes sold as the latter bird) that it is 

 "extremely abundant over the whole province (of 



Burmah). This familiar dove is met with in all 

 the open and cultivated parts of the province, and 

 also in small numbers in forests and dense jungles ; 

 it does not, however, ascend the higher hills. It 

 feeds entirely on the ground, on seeds and grain." 

 "It breeds almost all the year round, but chiefly 

 from August to March, making a flimsy nest of 

 twigs in low trees, bushes and bamboos, and 

 laying two eggs." 



In "The Birds of Celebes" we are told, "This 

 species is kept in cages, and much loved as a pet 

 in Sumatra and in the Malay Peninsula ; in the 

 former country it is regarded as something almost 

 sacred, and absurdly high prices are demanded for 

 specimens, but Hagen seems to have found that 

 they were treated with less reverence in East 

 Sumatra, the males being kept for fighting 

 purposes." 



Davidson, writing from Tenasserim, describes it 

 as resorting to gardens, fields, grassy lands, in fact 

 wherever the country is open, sometimes singly,, 

 sometimes in pairs, small flocks or hundreds. It 

 feeds on seeds, rice, and other grains. 



LIFE IN CAPTIVITY. 



This beautiful dove is also known in Germany 

 b}' the name of the Pearl-necked Dove. In the 

 year 1898, at the Palace Show, I bought my first 

 pair of Necklaces for 15/-. They were supposed 

 to be a pair, but I am not at all sure that the cock 

 was not a near ally of the Necklace dove, namely, 

 the Spotted Turtle. 



He was the most beautiful bird of his kind I 

 have ever seen, and his eyes, instead of being 

 orange, were a rich ruby red, and the buff mark- 

 ings on his wings were much more like "spots," 

 being very round and distinct. When he puffed 

 out his neck to coo his fine collar looked almost 

 like a ruff. Amongst the many young ones I bred 

 none equalled the old cock in his markings. He 

 was sold to me as a Necklaced, not a Spotted dove, 

 and was said to be an imported specimen from 

 Burmah. 



My hen was a most excellent breeding bird, and 



I reared eight young birds in about a year, and 

 should have had many more (for there were 10 or 



II nests), but so many eggs were broken, and some 

 of the young ones hatched only to be forsaken. 

 Of course it was very foolish to let my birds nest 

 so often, but these doves were amongst my very 

 first birds, and I was very ignorant, having then 

 had next to no experience in keeping doves. 



The Necklaces were very gentle and would never 

 fight unless attacked first. The hen laid eggs 

 regularly every few weeks, and if some disaster 

 happened to them two more would be laid within 

 the next few days. I remember they nested at first 



