360 J. E. Sweetnam—Some Notes from a Somerset Aviary


can hardly give them away. The cock of one of my two adult pairs is of

the Indian, and the hen the African variety, about half the young

having the characteristics of each parent and being indistinguishable

from pure-bred birds.


Though stupid and rather uninteresting, I find Diamond Doves most

prolific and excellent “ seed providers ”. I reckon on obtaining an

average of one pair of young per month from each pair from March to

September, but this applies only to fully adult pairs, young birds being

uncertain during the early months of their first season. For the benefit

of any who may not have discovered it it may be worth mentioning



opinion, almost essential to success in breeding this species. Indeed,

some pairs seem to feed their young almost entirely on it.


I remember reading that someone—I think it was our President—

had bred Diamond Doves freely by keeping several pairs in the same

aviary. If so, it must have been an exceptionally large one as, in my

experience with them, even two cocks in an ordinary sized aviary

spend their time trying to murder each other, with disastrous results to

all breeding operations. Mine are no trouble at all to feed but are so

prolific that eggs laid immediately after, and often before, the young

leave the nest must be removed. Otherwise the parents devote their

attention to the destruction of the first pair. When this occurs the

unwanted young can be easily hand-reared on nothing but milk until

old enough to peck maw for themselves.


An alternative to removing the eggs is the removal of the cock

before the young leave the nest, when the hen will manage the feeding

of both nestlings. Last season I had no less than twenty-three young

from two adult pairs, and I have already had almost that number

from three pairs this season.


As they are entirely harmless with all other birds I generally keep

one pair in each hardbill aviary where, apart from the addition of

maw, they require no special treatment of any kind.


After Diamond Doves and Zebra Finches I find Java Sparrows the

best seed providers, and no birds could be less trouble to feed and

breed—the young seeming to turn up from nowhere. In my experience

the percentage of fertile eggs is considerably greater when pure whites



