42 MY FOREIGN DOVES AND PIGEONS, 
from its head and tail, making the head look 
larger. Two days afterwards it roosted outside the 
nest, closely guarded by both birds; the day after 
it roosted still further from the nest; by now, when 
over three weeks old, the young one was very much 
the colour of its parents, only the shades were 
fainter, and its eyes were dark. 
Four days afterwards the young bird came down 
to the ground, in the morning. I had to watch it 
carefully and put up some protection at night, for 
it continued its misfortunes by getting into the 
birds’ bath. It remained on the ground to roost, 
and this seemed to trouble the old birds. At this 
time its eyes were still dark, the grey on the head 
was now defined at the back by a fine line. 
Whether the hot sun affected the bird or not I 
don’t know, but it did not seem nearly so strong 
as when it was in the nest, and its head began 
to shake, apparently from weakness, a very bad 
sign in a young bird. Even by July roth, when it 
was a month old, it made no effort to feed itself. 
Meanwhile the old birds had made a nest of fir 
twigs they had snipped off the fir boughs; the hen 
laid one very small egg, so I took all the nests 
down. The young bird lived a few days longer, 
and died whilst I was away from home. I still 
have the old pair, and they have nested several 
times this year (1910), but the eggs scem unfertile, 
though both birds are in lovely plumage, the bloom 
on the purple of the cock and the blue-green on 
his head being exquisite; the culminating point 
of his beauty being his brilliant ruby eyes, which 
are like real jewels. The hen is as fine in her own 
way, but she is not so regal as the cock. My 
friend in Jamaica has had no more Rufous pigeons 
sent him, but I believe they have had some quite 
recently at the Zoo, and that last year they success- 
fully nested. Several had been kept there many 
vears ago—as far back as 1867. 
CHAPTER VY. 
FAMILY PERISTERIDAE. 
The Martinican (or Aurita) Dove. 
The White-winged Dove. 
The Madagascar Turtle-Dove. 
The English Turtle-Dove. 
The Barbary Turtle-Dove. 
The Half-Collared Turtle. 
The Deceptive Turtle-Dove. 
The Damara Turtle-Dove. 
The Dwarf (or Ruddy) Turtle-Dove. 
‘The Necklaced Dove. 
The Senegal Turtle-Dove. 
MARTINICAN (OR AURITA) DOVE. 
(Zenaida Aurita). 
Habitat.—Martinique and other of the West 
Indian Islands, also in South America; the Lesser 
Antilles, St. Croix, also Jamaica. 
Length,—About 11 inches. Shape, short, plump, 
and upstanding. 
Colouring.—Adult male—Head, back, and wings 
chestnut, quill feathers of wings blackish edged 
with whitish, irregular black spots (edged with 
white) on wings; neck, very beautiful iridescent 
purple and golden-green, two metallic dark blue 
marks on cheek, one directly behind the eye, the 
other lower; chestnut throat, fading into pale 
purple vinous, under-parts and under tail feathers 
pure white, upper tail feathers chestnut and black; 
feet crimson, iris black, very full, round, and dark. 
The hen is very like the cock, but rather smaller, 
her neck not sv iridescent, and the breast less 
purple-pink. 
WILD LIFE. 
The Martinican, or, as I prefer to call it, the 
\urita Dove, is very common, though so beautiful, 
and may be found in abundance in Jamaica (where 
it is known as the Pea Dove) and also in South 
America, the latter birds being more brightly 
tinged than the Jamaican ones, being the reverse 
in this respect of the little Passerine dove. Gosse 
says that the Pea Dove is very timid, frequenting 
the vicinity of water more than any other variety 
of dove in Jamaica, and that when the bird flies 
the flight is very rapid and ‘‘performed with a 
peculiar whistling of the wings, by which it is at 
once recognised, though unseen.’? The Aurita 
feeds on various fruits and seeds; pimento-berries, 
orange-pips, hop-seeds, castor-oil nuts, physic-nuts, 
maize, and the smaller seeds of the pasture weeds. 
The flesh is white and juicy and considered good 
eating when in good condition. On one occasion 
the Pea Dove has been known to feign a crippled 
wing to lure intruders away from the nest. The 
nest is a loose platform of twigs, no leaves being 
used, and is often built in an orange or a pimento 
tree. 
LIFE IN CAPTIVITY. 
The .\urita Dove is a special favourite of mine 
in spite of his tyrannical ways over others of his 
tribe. I am afraid this is a very common fault of 
this dove, and that my old cock is in no way excep- 
tional in his behaviour. He is still one of the 
finest birds I have; in plumage and condition 
simply perfect, and yet I have had him some 12 
years, and he was adult when I bought him with 
his hen. This was in 1898, and I believe I gave 
about 16/- for the pair. Only very few specimens 
were in England then, and I got my pair of birds 
