DOVES. 



These are pretty, gentle, quiet birds, and easily 

 tamed. They are very affectionate, and should never 

 be kept in solitary confinement, for they are unhappy 

 without their mates, unless they become extremely 

 attached to their owners. The only species commonly 

 kept in the house are the Turtle-Dove and the Col- 

 lared Turtle, which require warmth at night, but 

 abundance of air during the day. They will very 

 soon become tame enough to follow their owner about 

 the garden without attempting to fly away. They 

 should have a wicker cage, and be taught to return to 

 it at night. They wash and bathe a good deal, and 

 require plenty of gravel and old mortar on the floor 

 of their cage, and should have bay salt mixed with 

 their food, as they are subject to diseased throats, for 

 which this is a remedy. They feed principally upon 

 corn, pease, and vetches, and will also eat hemp, 

 canary, and millet-seed, bread, fir-seeds, and berries. 

 Both the Turtle and Collared Turtle breed readily in 

 confinement, and feed their young from their crops as 



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