go 



MY FOREIGN DOVES AND PIGEONS. 



nearly meets at the throat. To a casual observer 

 they may seem all alike, but to their owner there 

 is just a little difference in the same way that the}' 

 say no two sheep in a flock are exactly the same. 



WONGA-WONGA PIGEON. 



(Leiicosarcia picata). 



Habitat. — Eastern Australia, from Rockingham 

 Bay, through the interior to Victoria. 



Length. — About 15 inches. Shape, broad and 

 heavy, with long strong legs. 



Colouring. — The back, wings and tail leaden 

 grey, forehead and chin white, cheeks pale grey, 

 breast leaden gre}', divided by a broad semi- 

 circular white belt; centre of chest white, flanks 

 and abdomen white, covered with black-dotted 

 spots ; bill purplish towards the tip, shading into 

 pink nearer the head. Eyes very dark brown, the 

 eye-lashes crimson, feet and legs pink-red. 



The sexes are ver}' similar, but the hen is rather 

 smaller than the ma'e bird. The young are very 

 like the adult birds, but browner on the wing, and 

 without the dark feathers of the sides. 



WILD LIFE. 



It is fairl)' common in the bushes of New South 

 Wales, and frequents both dry and damp ground. 

 The Wonga-Wonga is strictly a ground feeder ; it 

 only takes to the trees when disturbed. Dr. 

 Ramsey says its deep and melancholy coo may 

 often be heard in the woods. 



Gould tells us that "to look for it on the plains 

 or in any of the hilly open parts would be useless." 

 "The Wonga-Wonga spends most of its time on 

 the ground, where it feeds upon the seeds and 

 stones of the fallen fruits of the towering trees 

 under whose shade it dwells, seldom exposing itself 

 to the rays of the sun or seeking the open parts 

 of the forest. While traversing these arborean 

 solitudes one is frequently startled by the sudden 

 rising of the Wonga-Wonga, the noise of whose 

 wings is quite equal to, and not very different 

 from, that made by a pheasant. Its flight is not 

 of long duration, this power being merely employed 

 to remove it to a sufficient distance to avoid detec- 

 tion by again descending to the ground or mount- 

 ing to the branch of a neighbouring tree." This 

 pigeon's coo ("hoo" repeated four times) can be 

 heard half-a-mile off. 



LIFE IN CAPTIVITY. 



The Wonga-Wonga is also known as the White- 

 fleshed Pigeon of Australia. Its name of 

 "Picata" is in allusion to its black patches, Picata 

 being Latin for "besmeared with pitch." The 

 flesh of this pigeon is white and is considered a 

 great delicacy for the table in its native land. 

 Gould tells us that it is "one of the most delicious 

 birds for eating that can be met with anywhere." 



Dr. Greene considered the Wonga-Wonga a dull 

 bird in an aviary unless it had plent}' of room. If 

 confined in too small a space it would sit 

 motionless for hours. The egg is white and rather 

 round, and hatches in 18 or 19 days. The hen 

 generall)' builds the nest almost alone, the cock 

 helping very little. As a rule but one egg is laid 

 at a time, though instances are recorded from 

 Germany where two young have been reared, and 

 that five or six times between May and the end of 

 September. 



Dr. Greene gave his birds grain of all kinds, 

 especially maize and dari ; he also mentions that 

 the Wonga-Wonga preferred soaked maize to an}- 

 thing else ; besides the grain he gave soaked bread, 

 not onh' to the pigeons, but to all his birds, the 

 bread being soaked for a few minutes in cold water 

 and then lightly squeezed and crumbled. 



The Wonga-Wonga is very fond of bathing, 

 and besides drinks a good deal, so it should always 

 be provided with a good supply of water. 



I have onl}' kept two specimens of this very 

 handsome pigeon. I do not know if they were a 

 pair, but I never bred any young ones. One of 

 the birds had a crippled wing when it was given 

 to me, and so was forced to spend most of its time 

 on the ground. The Wonga-Wonga is a quiet 

 harmless bird, and in spite of its sober colouring 

 very attractive. AVhen my birds used to walk up 

 and down the aviary floor they looked very im- 

 posing and dignified, and the curious neck mark- 

 ings used to rather remind me of a Mayor or 

 Alderman in his chain of office, and the pigeons' 

 stateliness added to the effect. You felt as if the 

 smaller doves would hardly dare to take a liberty 

 with them. 



Dr. Butler, though he greatly admired the 

 Wonga-Wonga, was very disappointed in them 

 when he came to keep some of his own. The 

 cock's coo was an annoyance to all who lived near, 

 and the nesting was not a success, for the hen- 

 bird laid time after time on some bare branches, 

 and the eggs continually dropped through and were 



