. Coloured illustrations of British birds, and their eggs . ndies, China, Japan, and the islands in the SouthSeas. This bird, being migratory, is found only during mildweather in some of the northern countries ; and being also atender bird, its arrival takes place later than that of theother pigeons, and its departure for the south earlier. Theirstay with us is generally from the latter end of April untilthe end of August. The Turtle Dove differs from other pigeons in respect ofits attachment to its mate, as the males arrive some timebefore the females, and they only pair for a season. The cho
. Coloured illustrations of British birds, and their eggs . ndies, China, Japan, and the islands in the SouthSeas. This bird, being migratory, is found only during mildweather in some of the northern countries ; and being also atender bird, its arrival takes place later than that of theother pigeons, and its departure for the south earlier. Theirstay with us is generally from the latter end of April untilthe end of August. The Turtle Dove differs from other pigeons in respect ofits attachment to its mate, as the males arrive some timebefore the females, and they only pair for a season. The chosen locality of the Turtle Dove is a woody coun-try, without caring whether it is hilly or flat; but they appearto avoid very mountainous parts, probably from the absencethere of well sheltered woods. Woods by the banks ofrivers, interspersed with fields and meadows, are their favour-ite haunts, for both the seeds of the pine and those that arefound in the fields equally tend to supply their wants. TheTurtle Dove seems to be more nearly allied to the wood. TURTLE DOVE. 57 pigeon than to either the rock or stock clove, for it frequentsthe haunts of the wood pigeon more generally than those ofeither of the others, only differing from them in inhabitingtrees of smaller dimensions. At night it roosts on a strongbranch of a tree among the thickest foliage. The Turtle Dove is a very beautiful bird; its feathers arevery smooth, and its movements exceedingly graceful ; but wemust differ in our description of its character from that whichis generally received. It is usually supposed, and reported tobe, loving, kind, and patient; such qualities are indeed fre-quently displayed towards their several mates, but towardsother birds, when caged together, the Turtle Dove showsitself spiteful and quarrelsome in the extreme, pursuing andpersecuting them incessantly ; and so bold is it, that it willmolest and harass in this manner birds much its superiors insize and strength, the wood pigeon more
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1840, bookidcoloured, booksubjectbirds
