THE RUFOUS DOVE. zy 
though it could fly quite well when they were first 
put together. 
Meanwhile the pair of Rufous were sitting well, 
and on April 26th the first egg was hatched. The 
aviary the Rufous were in was only about 16 feet 
by 63 feet, and in it were also pairs of Solitary 
Ground, .\urita, and Bronze-wing doves, and at 
the same time all these four pairs were nesting, 
and agrecing, except for a small fight just at first 
between the cock Rufous and cock Aurita. 
The Rufous were ideal parents; they did not 
both leave the nest till the young were nine days 
old. The nest was very high up, but on May 8th I 
saw the old birds feeding one young one; it was 
olive-brown in colour, with white underparts and 
grey forehead, a white streak running from the 
beak over the eye. The next day I saw the second 
young bird; the one I took to be the cock had a 
much greyer forehead than the other. 
On May 13th, when the young birds would be 
about 17 days old, they both left the nest, reaching 
the ground in safety. The Rufous family made 
such a pretty picture when I first found the young 
ones out, for all four were nestling together in the 
straw (put to break the young ones’ first descent) 
in a state of great pride and contentment. Next 
day one young one went back to the nest to roost, 
the other passed the night outside. 
Two days after the little Rufous left the nest 
two small Bronze-wings followed their example, 
and the four baby birds used to sit together in the 
straw the greatest of friends. Now the young 
Rufous were out I could see them better. Their 
length was about 7 inches, their beaks long and 
dark horn-coloured, feet and legs dark crimson, the 
two outer feathers of the tail tipped with white. 
On the wings were light spots or marks (like those 
on a young Violet dove). These spots had nearly 
disappeared by the time the birds were about five 
weeks old; their foreheads were then becoming 
lighter, and in one bird especially the ruddy breast 
was getting very decided. The eves of the young 
birds were dark, with a very innocent look in 
them. 
The poor Solitary Ground doves had lost both 
their young ones when only a few days old. They 
used to watch the young Rufous with hungry eyes, 
and one day I saw the Solitary cock timidly preen- 
ing their feathers. When he found the young 
birds did not mind he grew bolder, and began feed- 
ing them as well. It is no wonder that with this 
extra care added to that of their parents the young 
ones thrived. 
The hen Rufous, ‘Millie,’’?’ was one of the most 
loving, motherly birds I have ever met. Her heart 
seemed large enough to hold all comers, for she 
preencd the young Bronze-wings, was devoted to 
her husband, lavishing the most affectionate 
caresses on him, and I need not say was a model 
mother to her own young, but she carried her 
affection further still, as you shall hear. 
In another division of the same aviary was a 
case of great contrast. <A poor little Necklace 
dove, just about the same age as the young 
Rufous, was getting weaker and weaker, its 
parents in their desire to nest again leaving it to 
slowly die of starvation. Secing the poor mite 
had no chance where it was, I moved it into the 
house where the Rufous were. I put the little 
Necklace on the floor, but it was so weak it could 
hardly stand. I saw the eye of the Solitary Ground 
cock light up with pleasure. Here at least was a 
chance, but he dare not come to the rescue, though 
burning to do so, till he had seen what ‘‘Millie”’ 
meant to do, for he stood rather in awe of her. 
She acted very promptly, and at once took the 
matter into her own hands—-or rather beak—for 
she went straight up to the young Necklace and 
began to feed it. It was very grateful, but 
‘Millie’ was evidently puzzled to find it so weak 
after her robust young ones, and still more per- 
plexed when it tried to nestle under her for 
warmth. She covered it and was very gentle with 
it, but she could noc well stay brooding it on the 
aviary floor all night, so I finally put the little 
Necklace under some Barbary doves; they took 
kindly to it, but it had got too weak to recover and 
died later. 
After the Rufous had left the nest the Solitary 
Ground doves took to it (the old Rufous having 
chosen another site), but the young birds came still 
now and then to their old home, and it was pretty 
to see one on each side of the sitting cock Solitary 
—that good-tempered bird seeming quite to enjoy 
having them with him. 
You will be sorry to hear poor ‘‘Millie’’ died a 
year or two ago. I found her one cold day looking 
ill, so brought her into a cage in the heated passage 
and the cock with her, fearing she would miss him. 
She got worse, and I then put her close to the 
stove in the “hospital box,” of which I have told 
you already. This seemed to do her good, and 
with great care she recovered so much that after 
a time I put her back into a large let-out cage with 
the cock; but soon after she had a severe relapse, 
and died suddenly in my hands. She was a great 
loss—one I can never hope to replace. 
The Rufous lays two white eggs, and the 
incubation lasts 16 or 17 days. This dove has been 
kept at the Zoo (two or three of my own young 
birds going there), and has been bred in several 
private aviaries. 
