212 INDIAN PIGEONS AND DOVES 



as 3 ft. At this height Mr. J. Darling found a nest built on the upper surfaoe 

 of a large-leaved tree growing on a range of hills east of Tavoy. 



More curious even than this is the finding of two nests of the Malayan 

 Turtle-Dove on the ground by Mr. C. W. Allan. Writing from Henzada in 

 Burma, he says : " Yesterday, the 3rd March, I found two nests of the 

 Common Dove (Turtur tigrinus) built on the ground. 



" The first I found in the morning whilst inspecting a timber cutting in 

 the Kyangin forest reserve. It was on the ground, right out in the open, 

 under a teak tree and was of the ordinary kind. Just a few twigs collected 

 on some fallen leaves. There was no attempt at concealing the nest. There 

 were two eggs in this nest, freshly laid. 



" The second nest I found the same evening. It was placed at the foot 

 of a catechu (Acacia catechu) tree not far from my camp. The bird flew off 

 as I approached the tree. There were two eggs in this nest, also freshly laid. 



" In all my wanderings in Burma and India I have never before come 

 across Doves nesting on the ground and cannot account for these, as there 

 were lots of bushes and trees about to build on." 



The eggs of this bird cannot be distinguished from those of the Indian 

 Spotted Dove. 



The eggs recorded in Hume's Neata and Eggs varied in breadth from 

 .76 in. ( = 19.3 mm.) to .88 in. ( = 22.3 mm.), and the series in the Museum 

 average 1.18 by .86 in. ( = 30 by 21.8 mm.) whilst the extremes in length 

 are 1.05 and 1.25 in. ( = 26.6 and 31.7 mm.) and in breadth .8 and .9 in. 

 ( = 20.3 and 22.8 mm.). 



Macdonald's eggs average a good deal smaller than this and he records 

 the measurements as 1.05 by .88 in. ( =26.6 by 22.3 mm.), but it will be 

 noticed that his eggs are broader than those in the Museum series. 



The eggs in my collection all come within the limits given above. 



The Malayan Turtle-Dove differs but little in its habits from its 

 Indian cousin. It is perhaps on the whole more of a jungle and forest- 

 bird, and it certainly does not seem to ascend the hills to so great a 

 height, not commonly being met with much above 4,000 ft. At the same 

 time it does not haunt jimgles and forests unless these are broken up 

 with open land, either cultivated or barren, for it is a bird which 

 generally seeks its food on the ground and the greater part of this 

 consists of grain and seeds which are obtained in the cultivated areas. 



Robinson's remarks on this bird's habits in the Malay States are 

 worth quoting. He vmtes : " This bird is found in much the same 

 situations as the Barred Ground Dove, but is less tied to cultivation 

 than that species. It is widely distributed throughout the Peninsula, 

 and is particularly abundant in the sandy wastes and casuarinas that 

 fringe large portions of the East Coast. It is also very common in Negri 

 SemlUan, especially in the Linggi district, but is rarer ia Selangor and 

 Perak. In habits it is less terrestrial than Oeopelia striata and is much 

 shyer. It is also more gregarious, and at certain times of the year 



