26 



quantity of sands, shells and other solid mineral matter, aiuouut- 

 ing often to more than 6 per cent of the gizzard contents. By 

 means of the powerful muscles and sharp-edged sand grains, 

 shell, etc., the food is ground to a fine pulp ; even the tough outer 

 casing of most seeds is reduced to an extremely fine sort of bran. 

 After passing through the gizzard, the nutritive elements are 

 absorbed and the indigestible matter, together with the seed bran; 

 is excreted. The digestive organs of a dove are such that it is 

 impossible for a grain or seed of any kind to pass through the 

 body and not have the germ of its life destroyed. 



We thus see that perhaps the main accusation laid against the 

 doves is utterly unjust; and the worst that can be said against 

 them is that they do not eat some of the seed that is sown broad- 

 cast where it lies on the ground uncovered; but even here the 

 damage is slight and can be readily obviated, to some extent, by 

 bushing or drilling in the seed. They do, however, like the 

 meadow lark and some other birds, probe the ground with their 

 bills and scatter the surface to one side, picking up such grain 

 as may then be exposed. Yet this habit is not practiced continu- 

 ally while feeding, and so the damage done is not great and is 

 but little M'orthy of consideration. 



The conclusion, then, is obvious — namely, that doves are 

 wholly beneficial to man. The useful grains eaten are of little 

 or no value to the farmer, they being necessarily waste, and may, 

 therefore, be considered neutral in their effect upon the economy 

 of the farm. Seeds of plants, neither useful nor harmful, are 

 taken more frequently, but these in themsleves have no effect, 

 direct or otherwise, if left or destroyed. But as weed-seed de- 

 stroyers they take an important place, consuming innnense quan- 

 tities 01 these pests-in-the-germ. 



Man may be able to destroy the seeds after they sprout, and 

 each plant eliminated means thousands of seeds destroyed, but 

 what can he do to get rid of the tons of weed seed that are pro- 

 duced annually and may be scattered over his district? What 

 means can he adopt that will more effectually keep in check the 

 rank growth of weeds that eat up the nourishment of the soil 

 than to spare those birds that will destroy them in the germ? 

 Among such birds the farmer may depend on the doves. Let 

 the question be put in another form: Can 66 pairs of doves, 

 at highest market price, compensate for the value of a t(^n of 

 weed seed destroyed? 



