Like the other Doves, it breeds in the plains at all seasons, it also appears to ascend the hills near Mussoora to breed there in spring. The "coo," says Blyth, is quite different from that of the domestic Turtle Dove, and may be expressed by "kookoo-koo, kookoo-koo."
DWARF PIGEON (Chalcopeleia Afra).
THE DWARF PIGEON.
The DWARF PIGEON (Chalcopeleia Afra), a small and delicate species found in Africa, represents a group recognisable by their short, rounded tail, high tarsi, and the very remarkable metallic coloration of the upper secondary quills. In this bird the sombre olive-brown mantle is relieved by a yellowish sheen; the top of the head is grey; the brow and throat are whitish; the under side is reddish grey, with belly of a very pale tint, and black rump. The quills are blackish brown, with cinnamon-red roots and inner web; the metallic patches on the plumage gleam with deep blueish black; the centre tail-feathers are olive-brown, and those at the exterior black. The eye is red, the beak blackish, and the foot yellowish red. This species is seven inches and a quarter long. The wing measures four and the tail three inches.
The Dwarf Pigeon inhabits the southern and eastern parts of Africa, rarely appearing, according to our own observations, farther north than sixteen degrees north latitude. Amongst the forests in the vicinity of the Blue River we met with it constantly, as also in the well-wooded valleys of the Samchara and Abyssinian mountains. In these situations it almost invariably frequents the shelter of thick brushwood, never ascending to the summits of lofty trees, and only quitting its leafy concealment for a few minutes at a time, for the purpose of drinking. The immediate vicinity of water is an indispensable necessity to these birds, and where this is to be found they frequently confine their movements within the limits of a few yards, provided the neighbouring bushes and parasitical plants afford them a constant supply of the various seeds upon which they rely for subsistence. In disposition they are peaceful and unsocial, each pair keeping apart, and never congregating even in small parties. Like most members of this family, the male exhibits the utmost tenderness towards his mate. The nest, which is built indifferently in low bushes close to the ground, on fallen tree trunks, or in hollow trees, resembles that of other Pigeons, but is somewhat stronger, and more neatly built. In Soudan the period of incubation commences with the rainy season. The solitary egg we were able to obtain was found on the fourteenth of January, and had a yellowish white shell.
The GROUND PIGEONS pass their entire lives upon the ground, and are remarkable for the length of their legs. These birds have short or moderate-sized wings, and powerful, high tarsi. The tail is variously formed, being sometimes short, quite straight, slightly rounded, or much prolonged, and wedge-shaped. The members of this group are met with in all parts of the globe except the continent of Europe.
The AMERICAN GROUND PIGEONS (Zenaidæ), as Bonaparte has named such of these birds as inhabit America, have a powerful body, short wings, and long, well-developed legs. The various species comprised in this group are met with in all parts of that continent, but are especially numerous in the south. In their general habits they seem to occupy a position intermediate between Pigeons and Rasoreal Birds, and some of them strikingly resemble certain Partridges.