PIGEONS 123 



ward, always flying head to wind. Mr. Abel Chap- 

 man, in his " Bird-life of the Borders," gives an 

 excellent account of the Wood Pigeon from personal 

 observation in the north of England, where this bird 

 is known as the Cushat. He states there is no 

 doubt that at some seasons, and under certain con- 

 ditions of weather, large flocks of Wood Pigeons 

 cross the North Sea, especially in the month of 

 November ; but as no great number are bred in 

 Norway, Sweden, or Denmark, it is probable that 

 many of our visitors come from the Scottish High- 

 lands, the Lothians, or elsewhere, merely shifting 

 their quarters in search of food. 



Although the usual number of eggs laid by 

 pigeons is two, both the Wood Pigeon and the 

 Stockdove occasionally lay three {Zool, 1876, p. 

 4875, and Field, May 28, 1898). The two species 

 have been known to inter-breed, and more rarely 

 the Wood Pigeon has paired with a house-pigeon 

 (Field, July 22, 1876; Zool, 1894, p. 23). Several 

 cases are recorded of the Wood Pigeon breeding in 

 captivity (Field, Jan. 26, 1895), and occasionally in 

 a building (Field, Feb. 3, 1900). In July 1875 a 

 pair nested in the dome of the Infirmary at Elgin, 

 although there are large woods of Scotch fir in the 

 neighbourhood. Sometimes a nest has been found 

 on the ground (Zool, 1895, pp. 232, 275). I have 

 noted the following contents of crops in Wood 

 Pigeons shot in different months, chiefly between 

 Sept. 1 and Feb. 1 : — (l) 26 acorns and nearly 100 

 ivy-berries ; (2) 33 acorns and 44 beech-mast ; 



