400 Craig, Emotion in the Mourning Dove. [bet! 



Alarm (or Fleeing Fear). The expression of fear treated in the 

 preceding paragraph is that of a bird which, for one reason or an- 

 other, must stay in its place and meet the danger: A bird when 

 fleeing from danger exhibits a very different expression which it is 

 best to distinguish with the separate name, alarm. The expres- 

 sion of alarm, indeed, is quite the opposite of the expression of 

 defensive fear: for in defense the bird makes itself appear as large 

 and terrible as possible; but in alarm it appresses all the feathers, 

 and, stretching out the neck to get a good view of distant danger, 

 appears extremely slender, inoffensive and inconspicuous. 



This expression of alarm is found in all pigeons, and in most if 

 not all is accompanied by an alarm-note. The alarm cry of the 

 Mourning Dove, like that of the Blond Ring-Dove, is a single, 

 short, emphatic ejaculation, which at once communicates the 

 alarm to all birds within hearing. Another sound which is well 

 understood as an alarm signal is the noisy fluttering of a frightened 

 bird: let one faint-hearted bird beat against the bars of his cage, 

 the noise of his fluttering will spread terror throughout the aviary. 



The Kah. The Blond Ring-Dove, as all fanciers of this cage 

 bird know, not only coos but utters vociferously on a great variety 

 of occasions a cry sounding like kah hah kah hah hah. This utter- 

 ance is common to a great many species of pigeons, though in most 

 species it is a single note instead of a repetitional cry. In the 

 Mourning Dove, however, this utterance is greatly reduced; all 

 its variations and applications have disappeared save one, which 

 is the copulation-note. The copulation-note is given by both male 

 and female, immediately after coition; in the Mourning Dove it 

 is a faint growling note, repeated two to four times, with rests 

 between. So far as I have seen, the Mourning Doves, throughout 

 the utterance of these sounds, keep the bill wide open ; but I know 

 of no other species of pigeons which utters any sound with the bill 

 wide open. 



The Charge. The Mourning Dove shares with many other 

 pigeons, including the Blond Ring-Dove, a habit of charging upon 

 other individuals with the head held horizontally forward, the 

 tail pointed horizontally back, and the whole body raised till on 

 the tips of the toes. (Expressions in Pigeons, I, plate, fig. 2). 

 In charging, the bird often gives a great leap, or even a series of 



