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MY FOREIGN DOVES AND PIGEONS. 
Length.—About 10 inches. Shape very like a 
Barbary dove, but more slender. 
Colouring.—Breast, throat and back of neck 
palest shade of purple-pink. Top of head grey, 
forehead and chin white, tail greyish brown, back 
olive drab, shading into soft grey on shoulders. 
Long wing quills blackish edged with fawn; 
under parts and outer tail feathers white. Black 
collar (with narrow white edges) round hinder part 
of neck. Beak dark slate, feet dark crimson, iris 
full and very dark brown, nearly black. The 
general colouring is very pale, giving the bird the 
look of a Barbary dove, but greyer, smaller, and 
with dark eyes instead of orange-red ones. 
WILD LIFE. 
This pretty dove is the most common dove in 
Damaraland and the country round about. It is 
said not to be strictly gregarious, but we are told 
‘‘numbers are often found in close proximity both 
on trees and on the ground, and rise in one flock 
when flushed, producing a great noise by the rapid 
concussion of their wings above their backs.” 
“They seek on the ground for their food, which 
consists almost exclusively of seeds. They build 
in small trees, generally at the extremicy of a 
bough, constructing a nest of a few twigs, with 
no lining of any kind. The eggs are two in 
number, of a pure white. I hive observed these 
doves building on .\ugust 20th, and have found 
their eggs abundant at the end of December, so 
that it is probable they produce two broods in the 
year’’ (from ‘“‘The Birds of Damaraland’’). 
Mr. Swynnerton, on the birds of Gazaland, 
Southern Rhodesia, tells us: ‘‘This is the common 
dove of the mountains, is found in considerable 
numbers in the neighbourhood of Kaffir kraals and 
homesteads. It is extremely tame, and_ the 
individuals frequenting my gum-trees come readily 
to any food which may be thrown down. — The 
call resembles the syllables ‘Ku-koro! ku-koro !” 
often repeated, the middle one long drawn. The 
birds in my aviary frequently call at night.” 
The same writer notes how he heard one of these 
doves calling repeatedly in the open bush (in the 
Umtali district) in the dead of night. He further 
adds, ‘‘A curious courtship through the wires tool 
place during July and August between a wild bird 
and one that had been in my aviary many months. 
In the low veldt I noticed this dove in some 
numbers between Chimbuya and the Umtefu, and 
again at Bimbo and Inyamita.”’ 
LIFE IN CAPTIVITY. 
In March, 1902, I received a consignment of 
doves from a friend in Africa. Amongst them 
were four doves that proved to be Damara turtles; 
three, I believe, were cocks, the fourth a hen. I 
think it must be this dove that the late Mr. O. E. 
Cresswell wrote of in The Avicultural. Magazine 
for 1896. He says, ‘‘There is a Dove largely im- 
ported from Africa and sold under many names. 
In plumage it is almost identical with the Barbary 
turtle, though the neck ring is rather thicker at 
the back and does not come quite so far forward. 
In size it is slightly less, but the real distinction 
is in the eye, which is large and entirely dark, 
instead of having the brilliant red iris of the 
Barbary turtle.” 
My pair of Damara turtles began to nest soon 
after they came to me; this nest was only the first 
of many, The hen laid clutch after clutch of eggs, 
and sat well, but continually something happened 
to the young birds, for as a rule the eggs were 
always fertile; some few were broken, but 
generally they hatched out and the young birds 
died from neglect (after leaving the nest) as much 
as from any other cause. 
IJand-feeding was tried, but without success. 
The young ones were very preity, gentle-looking 
little things, much more graceful than the 
generality of young doves. Their colouring was 
as follows :—Back dark grey, tail drab brown 
(darker than the back), light fawn edges to the 
long wing quills. Forehead and throat whitish, 
shading into grey pink on top of head and breast ; 
under parts white, collar black, beak slate, feet 
flesh colour, iris dark brown; the drab on the back 
shading into grey on the shoulders, as in the adult 
birds. 
Though so gentle-looking, this dove is not 
always very amiable.  A\bout a year after they 
came | had to remove my birds from the aviary 
they were in because they were so tiresome to the 
other inmates; later on the Damaras were in their 
turn disturbed by some Senegal doves. One of my 
young Damara turtles was murdered by a bad- 
tempered Necklace dove who had a great dislike 
to the old birds. This is the only instance I have 
known where a dove has extended its hate of 
another bird to its helpless young ones; the poor 
little bird, strong and healthy and just out of the 
nest, was really pecked to death. I have never 
seen this dove offered for sale, so I do not know 
its value. I sold my last two, however, for a few 
shillings, though doubtless they were worth much 
more; but in those days very little interest was 
taken in keeping doves in England. 
DWARF OR RUDDY TURTLE. 
(Turtur humilis), 
Habitat.—North-East India. From  Cachar 
through Burmah to the Andamans, and eastward 
to Cochinchina, China, and the Philippine Islands. 
