. Boys and birds; or, Miss Truat's mission . ment of feathers about the neck and head,and the fantails show a rare spread of wings andtail. The carrier is a useful bird, often employedto send rapid messages and to give intelligencewhen cities are closely invested in times of birds can be taken hundreds of miles fromtheir roosting-places, but as soon as released theywill make a circle or two, and then take a bee linefor home, bearing whatever of news may have beenattached to the neck. Being raised by man and familiarized to hispresence, the doves become exceedingly tame, andlose nearl
. Boys and birds; or, Miss Truat's mission . ment of feathers about the neck and head,and the fantails show a rare spread of wings andtail. The carrier is a useful bird, often employedto send rapid messages and to give intelligencewhen cities are closely invested in times of birds can be taken hundreds of miles fromtheir roosting-places, but as soon as released theywill make a circle or two, and then take a bee linefor home, bearing whatever of news may have beenattached to the neck. Being raised by man and familiarized to hispresence, the doves become exceedingly tame, andlose nearly all the habits of their ancestors. TheBlue Doves are the most common and hardy, requir-ing but little care save a box or a few holes cut inthe gable of a barn or outhouse. With these pro-visions they are satisfied, as they will feed amongthe poultry and multiply with great rapidity. They will enter the stable and get on good termswith the fa -ding out of the manger with great familiarity. (Fig. 83.) Sometimes they will 328 BOYS AND Fig. 84.—Adopted into the Family. take a notion to form associations with creatureswhich are natural enemies, as an instance whichonce came under my notice will illustrate. A dove BOYS AND BIRDS. 329 of the common sort unfortunately lost its mate, andfor days was moping about quite inconsolable. Inthis condition it happened to come near an old catoccupying a basket with a litter of young some cause it seemed to take a great liking toMadame Puss. It \vas perhaps because puss lookedso benevolent and motherly; at any rate, the dovehopped into the basket, and after a short contem-plation nestled down by the little kitties, and wasseemingly consoled for its loss. The old cat gavea searching look at the disconsolate intruder, andseemed to take in the situation; for, with a benevo-lent purr, she made room for the new-comer, andaccepted it as a member of the family. (Fig. 84.) The dove has a sanctified record. It first provedto the in
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1874
