. Birds and their nests and eggs : found in and near great towns . and the feathersof the tail are barred at the end with blackand show white when the tail is expanded inflight. It, too, has iridescent feathers onthe neck. Its note is a distinct tur, tur:hence its name. It is migratory, andnever remains with us in winter. It isoften kept in confinement. Tame pigeons,in their endless varieties, have been bredthrough many generations from the RockDove, a small blue pigeon found near thesea, where it inhabits caves and holes. Thelove that domestic pigeons have for alump of rock salt to peck at is
. Birds and their nests and eggs : found in and near great towns . and the feathersof the tail are barred at the end with blackand show white when the tail is expanded inflight. It, too, has iridescent feathers onthe neck. Its note is a distinct tur, tur:hence its name. It is migratory, andnever remains with us in winter. It isoften kept in confinement. Tame pigeons,in their endless varieties, have been bredthrough many generations from the RockDove, a small blue pigeon found near thesea, where it inhabits caves and holes. Thelove that domestic pigeons have for alump of rock salt to peck at is traceableto this fact. As has been before noticed, theeggs of birds that lay in dark holes and nestsare in most cases white. But the familiarwild pigeons nests are never in the dark, so wemust conclude, I suppose, that their remoteancestors were of the sea type, and that in MID-APRIL 65 time they will learn to lay variously colouredeggs, so as to harmonize with their environ-ment, as Darwin puts it, and be thus the betterconcealed. The Turtledoves nest is like. Plate XIX : Stoikdove. Male (J size). that of the two preceding species, carelesslybuilt of twigs, and flat, and it also lays twopure white but smaller eggs. Wild pigeonsgenerally raise two broods each season, but —n. F 66 MID-APRIL if the weather keep fine and warm they maygo on nesting right up to autumn. Theyassemble in great flocks in the winter, theirnumbers being largely increased by arrivalsfrom the continent. They devour seed cropsof all kinds, and do not spare turnip probably never eat insects or love corn but especially peas and on the ground the gait is peculiar, thebird advancing with a nodding movement ofthe head. The flesh is delicious, but is wise to eat pigeons as young as possible,and whilst in what is known as the squeaker or squab age. The feathers and skin arevery shot resisting, and the birds remarkablytenacious of life. The flight is strong andrapid. T
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