. The popular natural history . Zoology. PASSENGER PIGEON.—(Ectopistes migratoyius.) breadth, was said to be nearly forty miles in length, and in which every tree was absolutely loaded with nests. All the smaller branches were destroyed by the birds, many of the large limbs were broken off and thrown on the ground, while no few of the grand forest-trees themselves were killed as surely as if the axe had been employed for their destruction. The Pigeons had arrived about the loth of April, and left it by the end of May. The Stock-Dove derives its name from its habit of building its nest in the s
. The popular natural history . Zoology. PASSENGER PIGEON.—(Ectopistes migratoyius.) breadth, was said to be nearly forty miles in length, and in which every tree was absolutely loaded with nests. All the smaller branches were destroyed by the birds, many of the large limbs were broken off and thrown on the ground, while no few of the grand forest-trees themselves were killed as surely as if the axe had been employed for their destruction. The Pigeons had arrived about the loth of April, and left it by the end of May. The Stock-Dove derives its name from its habit of building its nest in the stocks or stumps of trees. It is one of our British Pigeons, and is tolerably common in many parts of England. It is seldom found far northward, and even when it does visit such localities it is only as a summer resi- dent, making its nest in warmer districts. As has already been mentioned, the nest of this species is made in the stocks or stumps of trees, the birds find- ing out some convenient hollow, and placing their eggs within. Other locali- ties are, however, selected for the purpose of incubation, among which a deserted rabbit burrow is among the most common. The nest is hardly worthy of the name, being a mere collection of dry fibrous roots, laid about three or four feet within the entrance, just thick enou,L,h vO keep the eggs from the ground, but not sufficiently woven to constitute a true nest. The head, neck, and back and wing-coverts are bluish grey, the primary quill fea- thers of the wing taking a deeper hue, the secondaries being pearl-grey deepening at the tips, and the tertials being blue-grey with two or three spots. The chin is blue-grey, the sides of the neck slaty-grey glossed wi^n The specific name of cr/tas, or " stoCk-dove. —(Columha anas.) green, and the breast purplish red,. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these i
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1884
