BIRDS OF THE WAVE AND WOODLAND 59 



" The Rilig-dovc in the eiiibowermg ivy yet 



Keeps up her love lament. ^^ 



Shelley. 



" Siiininer hath spoken soothingly to each nested Finch^ 



Keats. 



Their larger and more beautiful relative the ring-dove or 

 wood-pigeon we have with us always, and I think it 

 is conspicuously the bird of June. The young are then 

 on the wing, and it is impossible, passing near their haunts, 

 not to be attracted by this ornamental bird, which, whether 

 flying or at rest, adds a grace to every scene. Above 

 all, it is beautiful when it beats its way up into the air 

 to a height, and then, expanding its wings, comes floating 

 down again. This exquisite performance may be seen at 

 almost any time, for the ring-dove sometimes has three 

 broods in the year, and if, as Is supposed, it is a part 

 of the bird's courtship, is as appropriate in October as in 

 March. Both birds may sometimes be seen executing this 

 graceful "manoeuvre" together; and It is, I think, the most 

 prettily significant of all bird-gestures. Throughout June 

 may be heard "the deep mellow crush of the wood-pigeon's 

 note, making music that sweetens the calm " of the summer 

 woodlands or the sudden clapping when the startled bird, 



