Northern Observations of Inland Birds 193 



captivity in the hope of eventually establishing a breed 

 of table bird midway between the wild ring dove 

 and the domestic pigeons, but such efforts have not yet 

 met with success. The young birds are quite easy to 

 rear, but they never lose their wild distrust of man, and 

 on gaining their liberty when adult at once return to a 

 wild state. Moreover I have been unable to induce a 

 ring dove to mate with a domestic bird. The methods of 

 courtship of the two are so entirely different that both 

 birds seem to prefer to remain single rather than mate 

 with such an idiotic companion. This is rather curious 

 since in a wild state ring doves are anything but un- 

 sociable where domestic pigeons are concerned, and may 

 often be seen feeding with them. If the young ring 

 doves are liberated in a loft containing adult domestic 

 pigeons, the male birds of the latter order are very likely 

 to kill them. I have no doubt that the experiment carried 

 out with the wild stock dove would prove entirely 

 satisfactory, but since superiority of size in the wild bird 

 is the chief feature which recommends the experiment, 

 it is hardly worth while except in the case of the ring dove. 

 A very heartless method of obtaining a pigeon pie 

 gratis is not uncommonly practised by labourers in 

 country districts. When the young are half grown they 

 are secured by the feet to the nest, and so are left as 

 prisoners for the old birds to feed till they are of sufficient 

 size, and, of course, properly fattened for the pot. I 

 have had as many as a dozen nests under observation 

 at the same time, but could never bring myself to attempt 

 this unsporting method. I should have thought it would 

 have been as effective to clip one wing of the young birds — 

 that is, if the nest were so located that the birds, though 

 unable to fly, could not escape by passing from tree to 

 tree. If one wants pigeons for food, however, there is 

 usually no difficulty in obtaining permission from the 



