Breeding of Hybrid Turtle Doves. 
knowledge of these birds I could not tell either, for they were 
practically destitute of feathers — I have never seen anything in 
the adult bird line so nude. I handled them and found they 
were plump and apparently healthy, so decided to purchase 
them and see what they proved to be. When I got them home 
I washed them and turned them into a flight — in a few weeks 
they had feathered up well. Three proved to be Vinaceous 
Tui tie-Doves, and one the common English Turtle- Dove. The 
true pair of Vinaceous went to our Editor at Lingfield, and, as 
luck would have it, the remaining two were also a pair, the cock 
being 7'. vinaccus and the hen T . turtur. 
It occurred to me that this would be a nice hybrid to breed, 
especially so, as after searching breeding records I could not 
find that it had been reared before. Here, then, w-as a chance, not 
only to breed a nice hybrid but also to win a club medal. 
Soon after the departure of the pair to Mr. Page, the 
cock I kept, who had spent most of his time sparring with the 
other male, commenced paying attention to a hen T . turtur, but 
as far as I could see she did not respond to his w-ooing; there- 
fore, 1 was agreeably surprised one day on going into the aviary- 
shelter to find an egg in a clumsily built nest in some dried 
bracken. As she, however, laid no more and also sat badly, I 
did not expect the egg to hatch. After ten days it proved to be 
infertile. Later on another egg was found broken in the flight. 
'Ihis was all that happened during 1919. 
Early this year a nest was built in the same spot and two 
eggs were deposited therein; both of these were broke-i after 
seven days' incubation. Within a fortnight two more egg?: were 
laid, both of which proved to be infertile, and I teyan to 
despair of rearing a hybrid and securing a medal. 
The Doves, however, thought differentlv and built again 
early in May. and two mo'e e^gi were laid — this lime one was 
fertile and a squab was duly hatched out. The youi^g hybrid 
grew very fast, and made its exit from the nest eighteen or 
nineteen days old, but was not ahle to fly for several c'ays. 
