230 



THE CROWNED PIGEON. 



ana drawn it, she found its craw stuffed with a collection of the ten 



der tops of turnips. Hence we may 

 see that graiiivorous h^rds, when their 

 usual kinds of subsistence fail, caD 

 feed on the leaves of vegetables. There 

 is indeed reason to suppose that they 

 would not long be healthy without 

 these substances; for Turkeys, though 

 corn-fed, deli-ht in a great variety of 

 plants, sUeh as ca' bage, lettuce, and 

 endive; {)uuitry pick mueh grass; and 

 Geese live for months together on commons, by grazing only. 



Attempts have frequently been made to domesticate the.-e birds, by 

 hatching their eggs in dove-houses, under the common Pigeon; but 

 as soon as the young-ones were able to fly, they always escaped to 

 their prop.-r haunts. Mr. Montagu was at considerable pains in 

 experiments of this nature; and though he so far tamed ihein within 

 doors as to have them become exceedingly troublesome, yet he never 

 could produce a breed, either by themselves or with the tame Pigeon. 

 Two that were brought up with a male Pigeon, were rendered so 

 tame that they would eat out of the hand; but as they showed no 

 signs of breeding in the spring, they were suffered to fly away, by the 

 window of the room in which they were confined being left open. It 

 was supposed that, the Pigeon might induce them to return to their 

 usual place of abt)de, either for food or to roost; but from that moment 

 they assumed their natural habits, and nothing more was seen of them, 

 although the Pigeon remained. This gentleman bred up a curious as- 

 semblage of birds, which lived togethtM- in perfect amity: it consisted 

 of a common Pigeon, a Ring-dove, a White-owl, and a isparrow-hawk; 

 and the Pdng-dove was master of the whole. 



THE CROWNED PIGEON". 



This bird is about the size of a common Turkey. It-, head is 

 adorned with a most sujierb circular crest 

 of fe-thers, standing erect and composed of 

 loose, unconnected webs, of a fine bluish 

 ash-color. The e3'es are lodged in a shut- 

 tle-shaped b'lnd of black. The lesser 

 coverts of the wings, and the upper part of 

 the back, are of a dark reddish purple 

 the first greater coverts are white, edgea 

 with red ; and ad the rest of the plumage 

 is of the same color as the cri st. 



The wings of the Crowned Pigeon are 

 armed each with a horny excrescence, 

 with which they are able to strike a severe 

 blow. These birds are easdy rendered 

 tame : and, in the East Indies, they arb kept 



