BRUSH BRONZE-WING PIGEON. 



73 



Mr. Campbell tells us that in Western Australia 

 this pigeon is fond of placing its nest in the fork 

 of a grass tree. Mr. Brent noticed that the Brush 

 Bronze-wing usually chooses the shady sides of 

 deep gullies for nesting places. The bird "breeds 

 almost any time of the season, but usuall}' during 

 the months from October to January." 



LIFE IN CAPTIVITY. 



To Mr. D. Seth-Smith belongs the honour of 

 first breeding this' most beautiful pigeon in this 

 country, in 1904. Up to this time the Brush 

 Bronze-wing was almost unknown in English 

 aviaries, though one was purchased for the Zoo- 

 logical Gardens in i88i. Mr. Seth-Smith has 

 given us some very interesting notes on this bird. 

 He tells us how he purchased three birds, two 

 cocks and a hen, and how from the ver}' first these 

 birds were tame, and directly they were turned out 

 into his aviary the cocks began to pick up sticks 

 to build a nest with, and bow and coo to the hen. 



They started nesting within two or three days of 

 their arrival, when one cock was removed away 

 and the pair left together. My own Brush Bronze- 

 wings when nesting have been verj' particular as 

 to carrying plenty of material up for their nest ; 

 indeed, this has proved before now an unfortunate 

 trait. I tie up nesting tins for iny doves, with just 

 a small quantity of dead heather in to start them ; 

 and heather is also thrown on the floor for the 

 birds to pick up and arrange in the nest them- 

 selves. My Brush Bronze-wings had built their 

 nest and seemed sitting well, one or two eggs 

 having been laid, when I had to put down more 

 heather for the benefit of some other nesting doves 

 in the same aviary. The sight of it was evidently 

 too much for the Bronze-wings, for the}' persisted 

 in adding more material to the finished nest, a 

 ])roceeding in no way good for the eggs under- 

 neath. 



Mr. Seth-Smith noticed with his birds a very 

 interesting fact whilst they were building'. The 

 hen sat on the nest, the cock fetching all the 

 material, which she arranged, and often he would 

 settle on her back and, bending over her, pass her 

 the twig over the head, which she would take away 

 from him and tuck in its place, whilst he would 

 descend for more ; the idea evidently being that 

 in this way the nest was undisturbed. 



Just ten days after Mr. Seth-Smith 's bird:^ 

 arrived the first egg was laid, and the next day 

 the second followed. Like all other of the dove 

 tribe, the cock sat during the day, the hen taking 

 his place on the nest at night. One egg was 

 fertile and hatched, and at first the young one 

 received most devoted attention from its parents, 

 then came that disappointing experience which is 



the common lot of those who keep doves ; the 

 parents began to want to nest again before the first 

 young one could do for itself, with the result that 

 it eventually drooped and died. This is about the 

 worst trouble one has to contend with in breeding 

 doves ; the building, laying eggs, and hatching are 

 easy enough, but rearing the young birds — that is 

 quite a different matter. 



A second time the birds nested, and again the 

 same danger threatened, then as the hen seemed 

 the worst parent, she was removed from the 

 aviary, and the cockbird, having nothing now to 

 distract his attention, began again to feed the 

 }'Oung ones well. One of the poor little things, 

 however, died ; the other pulled through, and 

 changed into adult male plumage when about ten 

 weeks old. Even when in the nest the sex of the 

 two young ones could easily be seen, the young 

 cock showing much more buff on the forehead than 

 his little sister. 



Later on in the year, when the weather began 

 to be warmer, the Bronze-wings nested without 

 any trouble (the hen having been given the second 

 cock for a mate), and the young birds hatched 

 were able to fly as strongly at three weeks old as 

 the first young bird could at six ; further, a week 

 later, when a month old, these two young doves 

 could feed themselves. The old birds, at the time 

 Mr. Seth-Smith wrote, were sitting again. 



The Brush Bronze-wing is one of the prettiest 

 of all the dove tribe usually seen in aviaries. It is 

 so plump and compact in shape, and the colouring 

 is most harmonious and beautiful. They do not 

 seem to ever get very low in price, and a pair of 

 good birds would fetch 25/- to 30/-, though odd 

 specimens would not cost nearly so much. The 

 cock when cooing to the hen spreads his tail and 

 beautiful metallic wings, and bobs up and down 

 like the Crested pigeon. 



I have found the Brush Bronze-wings very 

 devoted to each other, and to their eggs and 

 young. My present pair are a model couple. 

 While one bird is sitting its mate will frequently 

 sit close by the nest, and I remember once when 

 one of the young ones fell out (when only a few 

 days old) finding the hen sitting brooding it on the 

 floor as it lay dying, for it was injured badly. The 

 poor little mother's heart must have been sadly 

 divided, for the remaining young one was still up 

 above and too )'oung to be left alone. The young 

 birds when they leave the nest are still covered 

 with long down-like hairs as well as feathers, the 

 latter being mostly dark brown edged with a 

 lighter shade, while the down is buff colour and 

 stands up amongst the feathers. The eyes are 

 very round and bright, and -have the innocent 

 wondering look that all young doves have — as if 



