GEOPELIA TRANQUILLA. 



(Tranquil Ground Dove.) 



Ceown of the head, face, and, throat, light grey ; back of the neck, back, shoulders, and wing coverts, ashy vinous brov^m, banded with a deep 

 black line at the extremity of each feather ; spurious wings and primaries, blackish browai ; chest and sides of the neck, light grey, narrowly 

 banded with black; abdomen, of a light vinous tint; the four central feathers of tail, ashy brown— the remainder black, largely tipped with 

 white ; irides, nearly white ; bill and orbits, greyish blue ; legs and feet, pink ; the front scales of the tarsi, purple. 



Length, 7f inches ; wing, 4i ; tail, 4 ; bill, | ; tarsus, f . 



This tame and familiar species is found all through the country bordering the eastern coast of Australia, from New South Wales 

 to Cape York. It is subject to some variation in size, the northern specimens being the smallest. The species described, but not figured, by 

 Mr. Grould, under the name of Gr. Placida, is now^ considered by Australian naturalists to be only a small variety of the present one, many other 

 birds varying much more in this particular which have never for a moment been doubted as identical. This little dove is very common in 

 many parts of Queensland, and also in the interior, especially on the Darling, Murray, and other large streams. It is generally to be found 

 in small flocks, feeding upon the seeds of the various species of acacia which have fallen from the trees, and is also not uncommon in the 

 gardens around Brisbane. "When disturbed, it rises with a whirr, and alights on a branch of the nearest tree, anxiously watching the cause 

 of alarm, whether man or beast. It will allow of a very near approach, and during the progress of the line of railway from Ipswich to 

 Toowoomba, would frequently attend upon the tents of the workmen to pick up crumbs. It is trapped in considerable numbers, and forms a 

 quiet and interesting source of attraction in the cage, where it is often to be seen in company with finches and parakeets, and generally fares 

 the worst among them, as I have seen many specimens with their heads almost totally denuded of feathers by their bolder and more active, 

 though more diminutive companions. The nest is a small, careless, and loose structure of small twigs, and so fragile that the eggs can be 

 seen through it. The latter are two in number and white. The little architect is not j)articular as to the kind of tree in which to build — the 

 wattle tree being, perhaps, preferred above others — and at no great height from the ground. , 



GEOPELIA CUNEATA. 



(Graceful Ground Dove.) 



-¥ 



Head, neck, and breast, delicate grey, passing into white on the abdomen ; back and four central feathers of tail, drab ; wing coverts, grey — 

 each feather of the coverts and scapularies with a spot of white on each web, near the tip ; spurious wing and primaries, brown — the latter 

 rufous on the inner webs; the remainder of the tail feathers, greyish black, largely tipped with white; irides, red; orbits, salmon color; bill, 

 olive brown ; feet, yellowish flesh color. 



Length, 1\ inches ; wing, 3| ; tail, 4| ; bill, \ ; tarsus, |. 



This species is equally tame and familiar as the formei^ and is almost as frequently seen caged in the colonies of New South 

 Wales and Queensland. Like the former species, it is generally to be seen on the ground, and in its habits is quite similar. Its note is very 

 soft and plaintive. The range of this pretty species is very great, it being a denizen of both east and west, and all over the interior. The 

 nest is described by Mr. G-ould as a frail but beautiful structure formed of the stalks of a few flowering grasses, crossed and interwoven. The 

 eggs are two in number, white. Size, W by -{-^. A nest in Mr. Waller's collection, from which the female was shot about the latter end of 

 August, 1868, was formed of small twigs, loosely put together, and was about four inches in diameter. It was discovered in a small gum 

 sapling, about four feet from the ground. 



