HYBRIDIZATION OF COLUMBA PALUMBUS. 405 



by a signal. He is the most affectionate bird I have ever 

 possessed. 



On April 12th, 1900, I made the following note :— " The 

 Ring-Dove hybrid, now over six months old, has mated to a 

 Blue Carrier hen. He was very fierce during the process of 

 mating, and at one time I feared the hen would be pecked to 

 death. His blows were delivered with beak and feet. He used 

 the feet in a somewhat ridiculous fashion, taking short flights, 

 and spurring the hen upon the back. This method of bullying 

 deprived her of many feathers, and caused me ultimately to 

 separate them. 



While building the nest the hybrid made many fruitless 

 attempts to place the twigs crosswise over the perch, taking the 

 material in his beak, and lowering the head until it was in line 

 with the breast-bone. A fan-like spreading of the tail was 

 observable after a short flight towards his mate. 



The Ring-Dove hybrid had a curious habit of twisting his 

 body playfully in mid-air while flying for exercise in the con- 

 servatory. This attitude recalled to mind the remarkable twist 

 of the wild Ring-Dove when turning in swift flight from a sus- 

 picious-looking danger spot. When alighting he would open wide 

 the shoulders of his wings, and spread the tail-feathers widely 

 apart. While paying court to his mate the beak was opened and 

 closed several times, and the feathers of the neck raised. The 

 note after mating was uttered very loudly twice, instead of three 

 times, as with the Ring-Dove. The note of the bird is a curious 

 mixture of both parents. When enticing the hen to nest it is 

 somewhat similar to the grating sound of the Stock-Dove, but 

 when paying addresses to the hen he has a curious custom of 

 taking short hops, and then bowing the head, inflating the chest 

 and spreading the tail in mid-air like the Ring-Dove cock." 



Prof. Newton, in his admirable 'Dictionary of Birds,' p. 162, 

 says : — " No sharp distinction can be drawn between Pigeons 

 and Doves, and in general literature the two words are used 

 almost indifferently, while no one species can be pointed out to 

 which the word Dove, taken alone, seems to be absolutely 

 proper." Valuing as I do the learning and kind sympathy of 

 this celebrated zoologist, it would be presumptuous on my part 

 to take exception to the above quotation. This I will not do. 



