THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST. 
'■"Penny, G. C'., Lands Dept., Hobart. 
Piessc, E. L.. Bay-road, Hobart. 
*Philp. J. E., Battery Point, Hobart. 
Pitfield, L., Glebe Town. Hobart. 
•Pitman, (’. A., Lands Dept., Hobart. 
•Pitman, C. B., Bonds Dept., Hobart. 
•Pottengar, Ii. L., 205 Davey-street, 
Hobart. 
Pretyinan, E. H., Samly Bay, Hobart. 
•Reid, A. 11., Liverpool-etfeet, Hobart. 
Roberts, Mrs. il. L.. Beaumaris, Battery 
l’oint. Hobart. 
Robey, Miss, Federal-Street, Hobart. 
•Rodway, L., Mncquarie-street, Hobart. 
Simpson, T. C. Holebrook Place, Hobart. 
•Simson, Aug., High-street, Launeeston. 
•Smith, Di. G., London. 
•Smith, J. E., Friends’ High School, 
Hobart. 
Stephens, A. A., Lansdowne Crescent, 
Hobart. 
Tarleton, -T. W.. Sandy Bay, Hobart. 
Tribe, R., juu., Murray-street, Hobart. 
Walpole, S., Union Bank, Hobart. 
Walkir, li. R„ Study Bay. Hobart. 
*Watehonij, A. D„ Battery Point, Hobart. 
Wardman. J., Botanic Gardens, Hobart. 
Watson, H., Sandy Bay, Hobart. 
•White, A„ Broomhill, Mangalore. 
Woolley, C. E., Lindjsfarne. 
Wright, C., Trinity Hill State School, 
Hobart. 
¥)F)e ^Breeding Jiabits of fBronzewing ‘Pigeons 
By MARY G. ROBERTS, M.A.S.E., M.A.O.U. 
(The birds bare dealt with are our com¬ 
mon bronzewing (iPhaps chalcoptera) 
mull .tire created bronzewing of New 
South Wales (Ocyphaps lopbotes).) 
In my aviaries, where these varieties 
have been kept season after .season under 
exactly the anno conditions, 1 find the 
time of year ire wirin’ a they begin to 
build, and the period nesting lasts, 
vary considerably; influenced, no doubt, 
by .the severity or otherwise of weather 
conditions. For instance, in 1004 they both 
began to lay in July and! August, and 
both sat five times, and carried on breed¬ 
ing operations until quite the end of 
Ma ref j. lit is almost needless to say tlnat 
all the eggs were not lia.Uiied, nor all 
the young reared; in one instance a pair 
of our own bronzewings fell from the 
nest and 1 died when a few days old, and 
another time one egg was laid ancl for¬ 
saken. Some untoward circumstance 
also befell the crested variety, and, from 
my experience, 1 conclude that three 
times nesting in one season would Ire the 
normal or outside number. In the fol¬ 
lowing year (lt>05) operations commenced 
stili earlier, and, to my surprise, on Jims 
27 1 found eggs in the nest of tine New 
Sou tin Wales crested, and two days later 
in that of our common bronze-wing, there 
ace many disappointments in avicultr-re.the 
crested bronze-wings deserted the nest 
owing to being disturbed during some al¬ 
terations to the aviary, and the young of 
our bronzewings hatched out only to fall 
victims to a sudden and severe change of 
temperature. The ben nested again at 
the end of August, but on September 16 
a heavy fall of snow was .responsible for 
me death of one squab; next morning the 
other died, and .the following morning 
the mother—a matter of keen regret to 
me, a> during her .short and interesting 
life ste bid 1 engrafted very much pleasure 
into mine. The last season (1906) was 
much later than usual, owing to the 
frequent and! intermittent snowstorms 
which fell upon the mountain up ito the 
beginning of December. The birds .show¬ 
ed no sign of nesting until October, and 
it was November before the first common 
bronzewing was hatched; they were not 
only later in beginning, but earlier in 
leaving off, and by t in end of November 
this variety had iflnished, .the result, being 
two young from the first nesting, and 
onr. from the second; the crested variety 
had begun somewhat earlier. It has b<vn 
a great pleasure to me watching the nest¬ 
ing operations of .these two -varieties 
being carried on simultaneously, although 
denizens of different; states. In speak¬ 
ing to country residents, they invariably 
tell me that Christmas is the best time 
to obtain young birds, but d fail to agree 
with them, as the facts lyhkh I .have 
given prove the opposite. They may 
probably see more birds about during 
that time, as, doubtless either for work 
or pleasure (they ramble i n the bush 
much more frequently in summer than 
during the cold weather, and, judging 
by .my experience, probably many of the 
eai ly-hatched do not .survive through the 
inclement weather. After hitching, the 
young are for some time well protected 
in the day by the presence of both birds 
or. the nest, who are most attentive to 
their duties; but when night comes and the 
code retires ,to his perch, the ben, owing 
(ID 
