loo A Ilolidaij in Uie West Indies. 
spect to the olfactory powei-s of this Inrd ; in Waterton's Kssays 
we learn that their food is carrion, in search of which they ai'e al- 
ways soaring in the air ; they liave a wonderful sense of smell 
(says Catesby), no sooner is there a dead beast than they approach 
from all quai'ters. Gosse, in " Birds of Jamaica," gives instances 
of this Vultui'e's power of discovering putrid matter, also of their 
attacking a wounded animal. In Darwen's Journal we read it is a 
solitary bird and at most goes in pairs. 
I have seen them soaring high in the air, on outstretched 
pinions, wheeling about with graceful undulating movements, and 
one can watch them for several minutes without noticing a single 
stroke of the wing ; their power of flight is very great, I tried to 
catch one in the street early one morning, it allowed me to ap- 
])roach within four feet, but when I attempted to seize it, I found 
it too quick for me. When rising they run along the ground with 
wings partly extended for some distance. 
After making various enquiries respecting the birds of 
Jamaica, I was introduced to our esteemed member Mr MacKenzie 
to whom I am greatly indebted for many of the birds I sent home. 
Mr. MacKenzie is a great lover of birds, and has an aviary entirely 
devoted to Doves and Pigeons, where he frequently breeds the 
Bald-pate, Violet, and several other Doves ; he also has another 
aviary under his verandah. In one portion he keeps Budgerigars 
and other Paraquets, in the other portion Red-billed and Mada- 
gascar Weavers, Bishops, Cutthroats, Zebra Finches and various 
African Waxbills, etc., and in cages he keeps an English Goldfinch, 
Mocking Bird, and Canaries, etc. 
There are a great many Doves in this Island, the commonest 
being the White- wings {Turtur leucopteras) Bald-pate or White 
crowned Pigeon {Columha leucocephalci) the Pea Dove (Zenaida 
Pigeon), of all these I secured several pairs, thanks to the kindness 
and energy of Mr. Wareham, of Kingston. I only secured one 
Ring-tailed Pigeon (ColiDiiha carribbea) a 2 ; they are very 
scarce and difficult to catch. 
Most of the common Doves can be seen daily, feeding on a 
kind of small bean which grows on a bush and which I can only 
describe as a sort of wild Pea ; these bushes are very numerous, in 
some places there are scores of acres of them. The Passerine 
Ground Dove simply swarms all over the Island ; they are pretty 
little birds. When passing along the roads, one can put them up 
