CHAPTER XII 



FIR WOOD AND FARM LAND 



(Ring Dove, Stock Dove, Rock Dove, Turtle Dove) 



AMONG the largest of our familiar wild birds, the 

 cushat or woodpigeon is familiar to most people by 

 the note of its courtship, v^hich so delights the ear 

 of the listener in our woodland groves, while to the 

 farmer it is best known on account of its amazing appetite. 



To anyone who studies bird life it is very clear that the 

 most prosperous birds are those which are most energetic 

 and adaptable as regards their food supplies. In the 

 wild, to live well is to prosper. Not that those species 

 which have difficulty in finding their food actually die of 

 starvation in any numbers, for I believe that few birds in 

 this country meet their fate in that way, but the birds which 

 can turn from one food to another in accordance with 

 the seasons, retiring to roost each night well fed and in 

 plump condition, are far more prolific than those which 

 are often hungry. Starlings and our wild pigeons stand 

 out as a marked example. 



In wild animal life this is even more marked than in 

 bird life. Hares, rabbits, rats and the like prosper or 

 fail in exact accordance with their food suppHes. Food 

 is obviously nature's governor. If food is plentiful and 

 there is an abundance for all, the number of young per 

 family and the number of famihes per year may increase 

 by a hundred per cent. Let us presume that a certain 

 animal normally gives birth to four young per litter and 

 breeds twice per year. There comes a season of food 



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