COLUMBID^ TUETUE 171 



Eeid) ; Orange Eiver Colony — Heilbron district (B. Hamilton) ; 

 Transvaal — Potchefstroom and Eustenburg (Ayres), Johannesburg 

 and Modderfontein (Eoss and Haagner) ; Ehodesia — near Salisbury 

 (Marshall), Victoria Ealls (S. A. Mus.). 



Habits. — The Cape Turtle Dove is one of the commonest birds 

 in Cape Tovm and the suburbs, where its constant harsh cooing 

 becomes somewhat wearisome ; it is generally about in pairs, 

 though a good many may sometimes be seen together feeding on 

 the ground ; it is comparatively tame and allows a quite near 

 approach ; its food consists of grain and seeds, and is almost 

 entirely obtained on the ground. 



It nests near Cape Town in September, a little later, from 

 October to December, in Natal, while Eriksson and Marshall state 

 that it can be found breeding at almost any time during the year. 

 The nest is constructed of a few sticks, so loosely put together 

 that the eggs can usually be seen through when looked at from 

 below. The sticks form a flat platform, and on it are laid two 

 shiny white eggs of oval shape with equally round ends measuring 

 1-10 to 1-20 X -87 to-90. 



637. Turtur capicola damarensis. Damara Turtle Dove. 



La Tourterelle blonde, Levaillant, Ois. d'Afr. vi, p. 78, pi. 268 (1808). 

 Turtur damarensis, Finseh Sf Hartl. Vog. Ost-Afr. p. 550 (1870) ; 



Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxi, p. 426 (1893) ; Flech, Journ. Omith. 



1894, p. 389 ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 137 (1896) ; Alexander, Ibis, 



1900, p. 428. 

 Streptopelia damarensis, Qurney in Andersson's B. Damaraland, p. 



233 (1872). 

 Turtur capicola damarensis, Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 414 (1901). 



Description. — Very similar to T. capicola but paler throughout, 

 especially on the forehead, which is nearly white. Dimensions 

 slightly smaller than those of the typical form. 



Distribution. — This bird was first clearly distinguished by Finseh 

 and Hartlaub, who described an example from Damaraland obtained 

 by Andersson. It appears to replace the typical form throughout 

 German South-west Africa, Angola, Nyasaland, and East Africa. 

 Two Turtle doves from Potchefstroom in the South African Museum 

 do not appear to be distinguishable from those obtained in the 

 neighbourhood of Cape Town, but a specimen collected by Bradshaw 



