Nesting Habits of the Pigeon 211 



will now never be known, but they were found to con- 

 tinue in flocks in Virginia, Kentucky and even Ten- 

 nessee. 



. . In the latter part of April or early May 

 the birds began nesting. The nest building beginning 

 as soon as the birds had selected a woods for a rookery, 

 the scene was one of great activity. Birds were flying in 

 every direction In search of twigs for their platform 

 nests, and it did seem that each pair was intent on secur- 

 ing materials at a distance from the structure. Many 

 twigs were dropped in flying, or at the nest, and these 

 were never reclaimed by their bearers, but were often 

 picked up by other birds from another part of the rook- 

 ery. This peculiarity in so many species of birds in nest 

 building I could never understand. 



It takes a pair of pigeons from four to six days to 

 complete a nest, and any basketmaker could do a hun- 

 dred per cent, better job with the same materials in a 

 couple of hours. In the nest of the pigeon, man could 

 certainly give the birds points for their benefit, for it is 

 one of the most shiftless structures placed in trees that I 

 have met with. 



The nest is always composed of slender dead twigs, 

 so far as I have observed, or ever learned from others, 

 and in comparison, though smaller, much resembles 

 some of the heron's structures. In some nests I have 

 observed the materials are so loosely put together 

 that the egg or young bird can be seen through the 



