1911 Craig, Emotion in the Mourning Dove. 401 



leaps, whereas on all other occasions he walks, advancing one foot 

 at a time. The attitude of the charge has become very definite, 

 conventionalized, as it were; perhaps originally the attitude was 

 simply a result of its being the easiest way to cleave the air at 

 full speed, but now it has become a form, a ceremony, and we see 

 the dove assume this position and stalk about slowly, though with 

 scarcely suppressed energy, whenever his aggressiveness is aroused 

 and he is thinking about charging somebody. The Ring Dove, 

 as he charges, utters a loud hah, but the Mourning Dove charges 

 silently. 



The Coo. (a) The Perch-Coo, or Song. The cooing of the Mourn- 

 ing Dove is of two distinct types, which may be called respectively 

 the perch-coo, or song proper, and the nest-calling coo, or nest- 

 call; the song being sung usually from a perch, whereas the other 

 coo is given typically in the nest or in a place where the birds are 

 making overtures toward nest building. These two types of coo 

 are distinguishable in nearly every species of pigeon; indeed, many 

 species have three or more different coos, but the Mourning Dove 

 has only these two. The song of the Mourning Dove serves 

 functions which, in the Ring-Dove, are divided between the perch- 

 coo and the bowing-coo. 



The perch-coo of this species is the well known strain the plaintive 

 sound of which has given to the bird the name of "Mourning" 

 Dove. This strain impresses one as most beautifully melodious, 

 not only when contrasted with bird songs of a far inferior order, 

 but even in the pigeonry where the Zenaidura competes with the 

 gentle cooers of the whole world. Some pigeons have more 

 elaborate songs, but for romantic sweetness there is no pigeon 

 song I ever heard which can approach that of our Mourning Dove. 

 It consists of a series of three (sometimes four) notes on one pitch, 

 preceded by an introductory note which begins below the sustained 

 pitch, glides up above it, and then down to it, thus (No. 1): 



!Mo i. T = qo. 



oo — oo coo coo coo coo 



The last note in this score is usually omitted. The mere notation 

 can convey no adequate idea of the exquisite plaintiveness of the 



