go MY FOREIGN DOVES \ND PIGEONS. 
nearly meets at the throat. To a casual observer 
they may seem all alike, but to their owner there 
is just a little difference in the same way that they 
say no two sheep in a flock are exactly the same. 
WONGA-WONGA PIGEON. 
(Leucosarcia picata), 
Habitat.—Eastern Australia, from Rockingham 
Bay, through the interior to Victoria. 
Length.—About 15 inches. 
heavy, with long strong legs. 
Shape, broad and 
Colouring.—The back, wings and tail leaden 
grey, forehead and chin white, checks pale vrey, 
breast leaden grey, divided by a broad semi- 
circular white belt; centre of chest white, flanks 
and abdomen white, covered with black-dotted 
spots; bill purplish towards the tip, shading into 
pink nearer the head. Eyes very dark brown, the 
eye-lashes crimson, feet and legs pink-red. 
The sexes are very similar, but the hen is rather 
smaller than the ma‘e bird. The voung are very 
like the adult birds, but browner on the wing, and 
without the dark feathers of the sides. 
WILD LIFE. 
It is fairly common in the bushes of New South 
Wales, and frequents both dry and damp ground. 
The Wonga-\Wonga is strictly a ground feeder; it 
only takes to the trees when disturbed. Dr. 
Ramsey says its deep and melancholy coo may 
often be heard in the woods. 
Gould tells us that ‘to look for it on the plains 
or in any of the hilly open parts would be useless.”’ 
“The Wonga-Wonga spends mos. of its time on 
the ground, where it feeds upon the seeds and 
stones of the fallen fruits of the towering tree. 
under whose shade it dwells, seldom exposing itself 
to the rays of the sun or seeking the open parts 
of the forest. While traversing these arborean 
solitudes one is frequently startled by the sudden 
rising of the Wonga-Wonga, the noise of whose 
wings is quite equal to, and not very different 
from, that made by a pheasant. Its flight is not 
of long duration, this power being merely employed 
to remove it to a sufficient distance to avoid detec- 
tion by again descending to the ground or mount- 
ing to the branch of a neighbouring tree.”? This 
pigeon's coo (‘thoo’’ repeated four times) can be 
heard half-a-mile off. 
LIFE IN CAPTIVITY. 
The Wonga-Wonga is also known as the White- 
fleshed Pigeon of Australia. Its name of 
‘“Picata”’ is in allusion to its black patches, Picata 
being Latin for ‘‘besmeared with pitch.” The 
flesh of this pigeon is white and is considered a 
great delicacy for the table in its native land. 
Gould tells us that it is “‘one of the most delicious 
birds for eating that can be met with anywhere.” 
Dr. Greene considered the Wonga-Wonga a.dull 
bird in an aviary unless it had plenty of room. If 
confined in too small a space it would sit 
motionless for hours. The egg is white and rather 
round, and hatches in 18 or 19 days. The hen 
venerally builds the nest almost alone, the cock 
helping very little. .\s a rule but one egg is laid 
at a time, though instances are recorded from 
Germany where two young have been reared, and 
that five or six times between Miy and the end of 
September. 
Dr. Greene gave his birds grain of all kinds, 
especially maize and dari; he also mentions that 
the Wonga-Wonga preferred soaked maize to any- 
thing else; besides the grain he gave soaked bread, 
not only to the pigeons, but to all his birds, the 
bread being soaked for a few minutes in cold water 
and then lightly squeezed and crumbled. 
The Wonga-\Wonga is very fond of bathing, 
and besides drinks a yood deal, so it should always 
be provided with a good supply of water. 
I have only kept two specimens of this very 
handsome pigeon. I do not know if they were a 
pair, but I never bred any young ones. One of 
the birds had a crippled wing when it was given 
to me, and so was forced to spend most of its time 
on the ground. The Wonga-Wonga is a quiet 
harmless bird, and in spite of its sober colouring 
very attractive. When my birds used to walk up 
and down the aviary floor they looked very im- 
posing and dignified, and the curious neck mark- 
ings used to rather remind me of a Mayor or 
Alderman in his chain of office, and the pigeons’ 
stateliness added to the effect. You felt as if the 
smaller doves would hardly dare to take a liberty 
with them. 
Dr. Butler, though he greatly admired the 
Wonga-Wonga, was very disappointed in them 
when he came to keep some of his own. The 
cock’s coo was an annoyance to all who lived near, 
and the nesting was not a success, for the hen- 
bird laid time after time on some bare branches, 
and the eggs continually dropped through and were 
