. The birds of Berwickshire; with remarks on their local distribution migration, and habits, and also on the folk-lore, proverbs, popular rhymes and sayings connected with them . nd again at the Rammel Cove, whichis nearly opposite Dowlaw Mill Pond. He adds that itlikewise nests at Windylaw Cove, which is towards theRedheugh Shore, at Siccar, and in the cave mouth atSwallowcraig, and at Greenheugh, near Oldcambus. Whenthe mouth of one of these deep and dark caverns, moistwith the spray of the thundering surge, is entered by aboat, the Pigeons dash out in great alarm, bringing to ourremembrance
. The birds of Berwickshire; with remarks on their local distribution migration, and habits, and also on the folk-lore, proverbs, popular rhymes and sayings connected with them . nd again at the Rammel Cove, whichis nearly opposite Dowlaw Mill Pond. He adds that itlikewise nests at Windylaw Cove, which is towards theRedheugh Shore, at Siccar, and in the cave mouth atSwallowcraig, and at Greenheugh, near Oldcambus. Whenthe mouth of one of these deep and dark caverns, moistwith the spray of the thundering surge, is entered by aboat, the Pigeons dash out in great alarm, bringing to ourremembrance the following beautiful and descriptive linesin Drydens translation of Virgil:— As when a Dove her rocky hold forsakes,Roused in a fright her sounding wings she shakes,The cavern rings with clattering, out she flies,And leaves her callow care and cleaves the skies ;At tirst she flutters, l)iit at length she springsTo smoother flight, and shoots upon her wings. 1 Address to the members of the Berwickshire Naturalists Club by GeorgeJohnston, (read at its first anniversary meeting held at Coldstream on the19th of September 1832).—Mist. Ber. Xcd. Club, vol. i. p. 11 1/ f,/; y,\ ,11 H J j! ..^_i?>--^*V-=^^ \W, ^^ fl V^-^ aiikT f ^- l,;l I I I • THE EOCK DOVE. 147 Sometimes sportsmen go round the coast in a boat to shootthe Pigeons as they fly out of the caves, frightening thebirds off the rocky ledges inside by shouting, clapping thehands, or firing a shot at the entrance,^ whereupon theyrush over the heads of the intruders, and are then verydifficult to bring down. When thus disturbed they gener-ally pass close round the face of the precipitous rocks andmake for some other neighbouring retreat. Their flight isstrong and very rapid.^ This species commences to breed early in spring, andcontinues to do so at intervals until autumn. It makes aslight nest on the rocky ledges of the caves, and lays twowhite eggs. It often assembles in large flocks, which maybe seen fee
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