COLUMBID. 997 
puts one in mind of Falstaff’s incredible amount of 
sack to the one poor pennyworth of bread, the two 
Wood Pigeous had not really done the farmer so 
much harm as may be supposed: his crop of barley 
having by that time been gathered in, they had only 
gleaned up the wasted and shelled out grains, or 
what they could pick up round ricks; at that time of 
year, too, the farmer might have revenged and paid 
himself by shooting and eating the Wood Pigeons, 
and he would have found them quite as good eating 
as any Partridge. In the crop of a Wood Pigeon shot 
by myself in a wheat-field in August were one hun- 
dred and forty-six grains of wheat; the gizzard was 
also crammed with wheat. 
The nest of the Wood Pigeon is generally placed 
in a high bush or shrub, or in a moderately low 
tree, or in thick ivy by the side of a tree; mdeed 
some sort of evergreen is generally chosen for the 
earlier nests, such as a holly or highish laurel. The 
nest itself is a very slight structure of sticks, so 
loosely put together that the eggs and the young 
birds may be seen through it. Yarrell says they 
have sometimes as many as three broods in the 
year: I should think, however, he might have said 
four, as they are rather early nesters, and go on 
laying until late in the autumn. I have frequently 
myself found their nests, with young birds in them 
not fully fledged, when out shooting in October, as 
late indeed as the 18th of that month; and an 
