SOMERSET HILLS 27 



that I proceeded. The air was literally 

 filled with Pigeons; the light of noon- 

 day was obscured as by an eclipse, 

 and the continued buzz of wings had 

 a tendency to lull my senses to 

 repose." 



The Mourning Dove lays two pure 

 white eggs in a poorly constructed nest 

 of sticks not very high from the 

 ground. In identifying Doves on the 

 wing, one has to be careful that he 

 does not mistake them for Sparrow 

 Hawks, whose actions in the air are 

 similar to those of the Dove. 



YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO 



This is the commoner Cuckoo in 

 the Somerset Hills, though I have sev- 

 eral times seen the Black-billed Cuckoo, 

 which may be distinguished by having 

 the lower mandible black instead of 

 yellow, and the white marks on the 



