the matter of diet they are very accommodating, and have a special predilection for picking a bone: all is fish that comes to their net, and the aviarist will not have much difficulty in providing for their wants, as they will thrive on any kind of scraps from their owner’s table.
If lodged in a cage, this must be of considerable dimensions and be carefully attended to, for otherwise the Piping Crow, on account of its size and the miscellaneous nature of its diet, would soon render uninhabitable the place where it was kept. In a large outdoor aviary, however, there would not be the same objection, and, everything considered, that is the best position for such a bird, or it may be allowed the free range of a garden if one of its wings is clipped.
The female does not greatly differ in appearance from her mate, but is rather smaller, and the white portions of her plumage are more or less tinged with grey; she can pipe, and will learn to talk and whistle almost as well as the male.
THE HUNTING CROW, Cissa venatoria, is one of the most beautiful members of this group of birds, as well as one of the most interesting: it is a native of India, and is occasionally imported in considerable numbers, but appears to be rather delicate, and does not usually survive its captivity for any length of time.
In size, the Hunting Crow about equals our English Magpie, but has a shorter tail; its strong beak and legs are a bright orange-red; from either side of the mouth a black band, embracing the eye, projects backwards to the middle of the head, which is ornamented with a crest of long, narrow feathers, which the bird has the power of raising up, but which it usually carries lying flat. The whole plumage is of a soft, silky texture—its general colour is sky-blue in some specimens and sea-green in others; the wings are chestnut colour with white spots, and the tail is similarly marked. It is a gorgeous-looking creature, and a great ornament to an aviary.
It is chiefly found in Nepaul and the Himalayas, where it is sufficiently abundant and very frequently domesticated. In confinement it may be fed as a Jackdaw, giving more animal food, especially small birds, which it plucks, feather by feather, before eating. A large cage is necessary on account of the delicacy of its feathers, and it should never be put in a dark place, as light is indispensable for the preservation of its beautiful colours, which quickly fade away and become dull and dingy amid gloomy surroundings.
THE WANDERING PIE, Dendrocitta vagabunda, is another member of this family that is well deserving of the attention of amateurs, but space, will not admit of a detailed description. The same remarks will also apply to the CHINESE BLUE PIE, Urocissa sinensis; THE CHINESE BLUE MAGPIE, Cyanopolius cyanus; THE SPANISH BLUE MAGPIE, Cyanopolius cooki; THE BLUE-BEARDED JAY, Cyanocorax cyanopogon, and THE PILEATED JAY, Cyanocorax pileatus, all of which are handsome and lively birds, and not difficult to preserve in confinement.
CHAPTER IV.
THE DOVE FAMILY
(Columbidœ).
The Cape Dove—The Barred Dove—The Graceful Ground Dove—The Barred-shouldered Dove—The Australian Crested Dove—The Blood-breasted Pigeon—The Indian Green-winged Pigeon—The Australian Green-winged Pigeon—The Bronze-spotted Dove—The Tambourine Pigeon—The Java Dove—The Egyptian Turtle Dove, &c.
DOVES have long enjoyed the reputation of being the most peaceful and gentle creatures on earth, and a belief in their merits, and especially in their fidelity and affection for their mates and young, has long been current among mankind—so long, indeed, that I feel a natural repugnance to “hold the mirror up to nature” in their case and display them in their true colours, divested of the fictitious adornments wherewith they have been invested by inaccurate observers, at a time when little was known of natural history, and the imaginative descriptions of a few writers were accepted without questioning as accurate, and handed down by successive generations of writers, who lacked either the leisure or the opportunity to investigate this subject for themselves, as veritable sun-pictures of which the fidelity was indisputable.
THE CAPE DOVE, Œna capensis, also very frequently called the Harlequin Dove, on account of the black mask, or “domino,” worn by the adult male, is a pretty little bird, about the size of a skylark, but of slimmer build, and with a much longer tail.
As the English name implies, it comes to us from South Africa, and is one of the most desirable inmates of the columbarium. Care, however, must be taken not to lodge it with any of the larger or more pugnacious members of its family, by whom it would be speedily killed, for it is one of the most defenceless little creatures I have ever come across, permitting itself to be bullied to any extent by birds no bigger than a sparrow, without offering any resistance, or even remonstrance, beyond a little grunt and a slight raising of the wing.
The general colour is grey of several shades, and the male may be at once known by his black face. These birds nest freely in confinement, but the young are not always reared, for unless the weather is very warm, they die as soon as the old birds cease to brood them at night. They have not bred in my aviary, where they were too much disturbed by other birds, but have done so freely in that of a lady in the South of England, who thinks them the most delightful of Doves, “perfectly charming, but for the constantly recurring tragedy of their young.” It is, however, satisfactory to find that patience had its appropriate reward, and that a pair of young Cape Doves were at length successfully reared to maturity, to rejoice their owner’s heart by their gentleness and docility.
THE BARRED DOVE, Geopelia striata (see Fig. 3), is also known, especially in the trade, as the Zebra Dove. It is a native of India, and is a very pretty bird, about the size of a thrush, and has bred at the “Zoo,” as well as in several private aviaries. The plumage is, generally, fawn-grey, prettily marked with narrow, wavy black markings, from which its names are derived.
FIG. 3. THE BARRED DOVE.
THE GRACEFUL GROUND DOVE, Geopelia cuneata (illustrated at Fig. 4), is also called the Diamond Dove. It is about the same size as the Barred Dove, but is of a light grey, prettily marked on the sides and wings with black and white spots, whence its common English name. It is a native of Australia, but has reared young in the London Zoological Gardens.
FIG. 4. THE GRACEFUL GROUND DOVE.
THE BARRED-SHOULDERED DOVE, Geopelia humeralis, like the preceding species, is a native of Australia, and has also reproduced its kind at the “Zoo.” It is a trifle larger than the two last-named species, but is equally attractive and desirable as an inmate of the aviary.
These small Doves are best fed on white millet, which is a kind of sorghum, dari, and canary-seed; hemp is objectionable, and care should be taken to supply them with an abundance of coarse grit, as well as a lump of rock-salt, and an unfailing supply of fresh water. Heather sprays form the best material for their nests, which are but slight affairs, and usually constructed on an artificial basis, such as the top of one of those small wicker cages in which so many canaries are brought over from Germany to this country.
THE
