(12) THE MATING CEREMONIAL OF SOME DOVES BY DEREK GOODWIN. THE Handbook does not describe the coitional ceremony of the Turtle-Dove {Streptopelia t. turtur) and dismisses that of the Stock- Dove (Columba cenas) and Rock-Dove (C. /. livid) as similar to that of the Wood-Pigeon (C. p. palnmbus). It is true that in this, as in other aspects of behaviour, all the British doves are remarkably alike, but in respect of the behaviour under discussion differ in some details both from the Wood-Pigeon, as described in The Handbook, and between themselves. It would therefore seem worth while to describe that of each species in detail. My observations have largely been on tame or captive birds, but on different pairs and on many occasions. In the cases of the Stock- Dove and Turtle-Dove these observations have been checked respectively three and five times with wild specimens. In the case of the Rock-Dove, I am not sure that any of the specimens seen were pure wild birds, although some seen in Egypt were in appear­ ance genuine Columba livia schimperi; but as the behaviour of scores of feral birds in Britain, Egypt and Malta was identical both inter se and with that of the different domestic breeds, it may fairly safely be taken as specific. Rock-Dove.—Male struts or "marks time" with head erect, feathers particularly on rump somewhat puffed out and tail often slightly spread. He pecks behind his folded wing and as he brings his head back to its former position opens his bill. This may be repeated a great many times standing by female's side if she is not responsive. When the female is also eager she approaches the male or, if standing by him, goes through the same motions but without opening the bill. She then inserts her bill into that of the male and symbolic "false-feeding" follows in which food is not actually passed. Female then crouches with shoulders somewhat spread and flattened and male mounts her. Immediately after coition the male either struts vigorously away with feathers raised, wings held out slightly at shoulders and tail somewhat spread and depressed, with hen following in the same posture, or else takes wing, clapping loudly in a display flight, in which the female usually joins. Variations.—Male may adopt crouching posture after coition and reversed coition may then occur. This may also occur when the female is soliciting the ceremony and the male is unable or unwilling to take the dominant r61e. Female (domestic varieties), if unpaired and eager to pair and nest, may fly up to displaying male and crouch for him to mount her without the normal pre-cotional behaviour. Male, if repeated attempts fail to evoke response from Ms mate, may—if she stands passively but will not crouch—mount her and attempt coition, usually unsuccessfully. Stock-Dove.—As Rock-Dove, but male tends to hold wings more VOL. XLI.] MATING CEREMONIAL OF DOVES. 13

•widely spread at shoulders and often struts with the folded wings held out horizontally, as do some individual Domestic Pigeons. Female when about to insert her bill seems more effusive and usually shakes her wings in a similar but much less marked manner to that of a young bird soliciting food (however, I think that in this species also, no food actually passes). Male after dismounting, displays to female, bowing with fanned tail raised and neck inflated and utter­ ing the low droning coo peculiar to this display. Variations (captive birds).—Male once seen to display whilst remaining perched on female's shoulders instead of dismounting after coition. He then dismounted and displayed again in the normal way. Female, perched on a horizontal log, was indifferent to male, who kept pecking behind wing and proffering his bill. As he pressed up against her she sidled along to the end of the perch, then crouched without having inserted her bill, and coition took place. The next species described, Streptopelia risoria, is not on the British list, but I include it as it more closely resembles the Turtle- Dove than do the foregoing species. Domestic Collared Dove.—Male "marks time" in a rather grace­ ful manner and pecks behind wing as does Rock-Dove, often turning around on his perch whilst so doing (as may the other species), but does not, to my knowledge, strut with raised wings. Female may insert bill, but more often birds appear merely to "fence" with their bills for a few seconds. As male alights after coition both sexes utter in unison a loud version of the well-known laughing cry, standing in the normal posture in which this cry is uttered, with rump and tail somewhat raised and head held low and thrust forward. Variations. As Domestic Pigeon, but reversed coition following immediately after normal coition is more frequent. Turtle-Dove.—As Domestic Collared Dove, but after coition male stands for a few moments in a peculiar erect penguin-like posture with neck-feathers somewhat ruffed out, whilst female postures with raised rump feathers. I have never seen the female actually insert her bill into that of male. Variations.—None observed personally, but Mr. C. D. Deane saw a case of reversed coition between captive birds in the Edinburgh Zoo. It is, however, not certain that they were of opposite sexes. I have made no mention of the display of the various male birds because it has been accurately described in The Handbook and else­ where, and not because I do not think it directly related to the mating ceremony. On the contrary, in my experience the latter has always been preceded within a short time, although not always immediately, by display of the male to the female. Commonly the male displays and the female may appear passive ; but immediately he flies to another perch and adopts the postures to initiate the coitional ceremony she flies to him and reciprocates.