MALE DOVES REARED IN ISOLATION 125 



being who came near, partly in friendship, partly in anger in 

 defense of nest. But even in showing hostility toward us, Jack 

 reacted toward us, not as he would toward other enemies such 

 as dogs and cats, but with the behavior which a normal dove 

 would show toward intruding members of its own species. 



The eggs were of course infertile. At the end of the brood- 

 ing period I separated the pair, and kept Jack in isolation again 

 through the winter. When the spring awakening came upon 

 him (spring of 1909), he directed his display at first to no fixed 

 and definite objects, but a little coaxing started him bowing- 

 and-cooing to human beings, and soon he cooed to us a great 

 deal, though not, I think, with quite the same earnestness as 

 in his first spring season when he had had no experience with a 

 dove mate. 



July 5, 1909. For the first time since the previous year, I 

 placed him where he could see another dove — this time dove 

 No. 20, an old, experienced female. The next day he began to 

 show eagerness, evidently erotic, to reach human beings. On 

 July 11th he tried to copulate with the hand. On July 15th, 

 on two occasions, I saw him trying long and hard to accom- 

 plish the sexual act on one of the perches of his cage. 



July 22, 9:15 A. M. -12:30 P. M. I opened the doors, allow- 

 ing Jack into the cage of the female. He made no attempt to 

 copulate with her; but at 11:30 A. M. I saw him, by himself, 

 trying as on July 15th to accomplish the sexual act on a perch. 



2:15 P. M. Again I open the doors. Soon I see the pair 

 billing. The female, an old experienced bird, takes the lead, 

 assuming the copulation posture many times, but the male does 

 not mount. 



2:35. They try again. The male mounts, but fails to ac- 

 complish the act. 



2:43. They try again. The male does not mount. 



2 :50. The male tries to get out toward me. 



2 :58. After long preliminary the male mounts, but too far 

 back and to one side, and he soon dismounts. They bill again, 

 then give it up. 



3:07. After billing male begins to go through the sexual 

 reaction on the perch. The female interrupts him by commenc- 

 ing again her begging reaction. 



3:10. The male tries to get out toward me. 



