LOVE AMONG THE BIRDS 



In no aspect are birds so charming and entertain- 

 ing as in their love affairs, for no creatures are so 

 full of tender sentiment, and none display the 

 said sentiment so gracefully, whether the display 

 be a musical or spectacular one. Their affections 

 also are often deep and lasting, though it is not 

 always the species most credited with constancy 

 which really display it the most. 



The dove family, for instance, have always 

 been taken as patterns of conjugal affection, and 

 certainly they make fuss enough about it. The 

 " livelier iris gleams upon the burnished dove " 

 as, with swollen throat and sweeping tail, he 

 parades round his mate, rolling out his love-song ; 

 but pigeon-fanciers find that if the two are sepa- 

 rated for a winter they rarely recognise each 

 other next year, which argues that the pigeon's 

 attachment to his mate is not so strong as his 

 known love for home. At the same time, it must 

 be admitted that if the pair are let alone, they are 

 ikely to remain mated till death parts them, 

 though cases of infidelity occur now and then in 

 individuals. 



The pigeon's more graceful relative, the turtle- 



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