REMARKS ON THE ROCK DOVE. 301 



might be said of the Ring-necked Pheasant, common in certain districts. 



Formerly a Wild Cat was described and figured of a beautiful striped 

 grev colour. Now you will be told that Wild Cats are found grey and 

 white, yellow, or black; whereas the truth is that ''Wild Cats" of these 

 piebald colours are, to use a botanical phrase, "Garden escapes," although 

 leading a life naturd fera, and not the British Wild Cat, but hybrids of 

 domesticated sorts, possibly of them and the Wild Cat. 



We cannot allege any difference between the Rock Dove and Stock 

 Dove in the matter of perching, for I have repeatedly seen our farm-Pigeons, 

 which are the Rock Doves, perch on the large branches of our forest trees. 

 Again in the choice of a place for building you will find the Stock Dove 

 generally selecting a bank for its nest, and sometimes the hollow of a 

 tree. True, I am not writing from experience, for never having seen a 

 Stock Dove, if our Rockier be not one, I possess no means of ascertaining 

 the fact, or its real place of abode and nidification. Not having therefore 

 practical experience, I can only indulge in theory to clear up a doubt which 

 has long been on my mind as to the identity of "a Pigeon building in 

 caves, and never alighting on trees." I feel some hesitation in indulging 

 such a doubt. There is something so pleasing to the imagination to hear 

 speak of "a little blue Pigeon never alighting on trees." Apropos of its 

 littleness about which any one versed in the Rock Pigeon theory will tell 

 you is a characteristic mark; go to the "History of British Birds," you 

 will there see, under the head Stock Dove, "Male, length one foot two 

 inches;" under the Rock Dove, "Male, length one foot two inches." The 

 histories also say that the Rock Dove has a patch of white over the tail. 

 Mine, which came direct from Robert Dunn, of Stromness, hold it in what 

 attitude you choose, and I have for this reason set it flying, shews no 

 white feather at all; all the feathers, from the shoulders to the tail end, 

 (where they are dark grey,) are of a pale blue colour. I know of only 

 one station for the "Rock Dove" in this locality, and that is the limestone 

 cliffs at Wentvale, about four miles from Pontefract, where they breed. 



Were I to be shewn a blue Wild Pigeon, with a white rump, I should 

 say that either it or its progenitors had been bred in a dove-cote, but 

 was of Stock Dove extraction, which is probably the origin of our blue Pigeons, 

 wild and tame. This white-rumped blue Pigeon, that breeds in our 

 sequestered rocks, banks, and caves, be they of chalk, lime, or sand, be 

 they high or low, by the sea or inland, has, I dare almost affirm, Stock 

 Dove blood in his veins. Either the older naturalists have overlooked it 

 as a variety, or it has taken up its abode exclusively in rocks, only 

 because it has been taught to live amongst stone and lime by its protector 

 man. I incline however to the latter opinion, and must do so till we can 

 discriminate between it and the Stock Dove. He is in short a cosmopolite 

 dwelling in a bank, a cave, or a tree, as fancy leads. Thus in this part 



