218 INDIAN PIGEONS AND DOVES 



They are favourite cage-birds and constantly utter their soft 

 kroo kroo in captivity. Their voice has been well described as " low, 

 subdued and musical, a dissyllabic sound, repeated four or five times 

 successively." 



They drink regularly in the mornings and possibly also at midday 

 before their siesta, and again in the evenings, but there seems to be no 

 evidence on this point. 



They are excellent eating, but are sometimes said to be rather 

 more dry than the Spotted Dove, though similar to it in taste. 



