Turtle Doves and Allies. 149 



The Typical Turtle Doves (Turturince). 



Common Turtle Dove (Turtur turtur). 



" Female. — Rather smaller than the male, and the plumage less 

 bright and pure" (Salvadori, Catalogue of Birds, vol. xxi. p. 399). 



Eastern Turtle Dove {Turtur orientalis). 



Nearly related to the European Dove ; therefore the same 

 differences may be looked for in the sexes. 



Mauritian Turtle Dove (Turtur picturatus). 



Only sexed females are recorded in the Museum series, but 

 doubtless the males are larger and somewhat brighter in colouring. 



Aldabran Turtle Dove (Turtur aldabranus). 



The female is " similar to the male, only somewhat smaller " 

 [" Bill, lead colour, with the tip yellowish ; feet, flesh colour." — 

 Sclater]; "iris, bright red " (Salvadori, Catalogue of Birds, vol. xxi. 

 p. 412). 



Barbary Turtle Dove (Turtur risorius). 



This domesticated race is extremely hard to sex. The male is 

 perhaps a slightly slimmer bird than the female, and his forehead a 

 trifle more prominent ; but in pairing them up for breeding I have 

 been so often deceived, and had to revise my decisions, that I have 

 concluded that such differences as existed in the original wild stock 

 have been practically bred out. On one occasion I concluded that 

 I had in one aviary a female and three males. I picked out the 

 former and one of the others and caged them for breeding purposes. 

 Shortly after both laid eggs. I then separated them and substituted 

 a second supposed male, and again both laid. I actually had one 

 male and three females, yet by their actions, their quarrelsome 

 behaviour, and their eagerness to breed, I was completely 

 hoodwinked. 



Half-collared Turtle Dove (Turtur semitorquatus). . 



The sexes are a good deal alike, but the male is distinctly paler 

 (more ashy) on the forehead than the female ; so that, seeing the two 

 together in an aviary, there is no difficulty in distinguishing it at a 

 glance. 



Double-ringed Turtle Dove (Turtur bitorquatus). 



Count Salvadori describes the female as "like the male," but I 

 have no doubt that in the living bird the forehead is paler than in 

 the male. Such differences are less pronounced in the dead skins. 



Cape Turtle Dove (Turtur capicola). 



I have no doubt that the same note applies to this as to the 

 preceding species, although Stark and Sclater agree with Salvadori 

 in stating that the sexes are alike. In living Doves also, the female 

 almost always has a more squat, heavy appearance than the male. 



