268 DOTES. 



reaching for a mile- together. When they thus rendezvoused 

 here by thousands, if they happened to be suddenly roused 

 from their roost-trees on an evening, 



" Their rising all at once was like the sound 

 Of thunder heard remote." 



It will by no means be foreign to the present purpose to 

 add, that I had a relation in this neighbourhood who made 

 it a practice for a time, whenever he could procure the eggs 

 of a ring-dove, to place them under a pair of doves that were 

 sitting in his own pigeon-house, hoping thereby, if he could 

 bring about a coalition, to enlarge his breed, and teach his 

 own doves to beat out into the woods, and to support them- 

 selves by mast. The plan was plausible, but something 

 always interrupted the success; for though the birds were 

 usually hatched, and sometimes grew to half their size, yet 

 none ever arrived at maturity. I myself have seen these 

 foundlings in their nest displaying a strange ferocity of 

 nature, so as scarcely to bear to be looked at, and snapping 

 with their bills by way of menace. In short, they always 

 died, perhaps for want of proper sustenance ; but the owner 

 thought that by their fierce and wild demeanour they frighted 

 their foster-mothers, and so were starved. 



Virgil, as a familiar occurrence, by way of simile, describes 

 a dove haunting the cavern of a rock, in such engaging 

 numbers, that I cannot refrain from quoting a passage ; and 

 John Dryden has rendered it so happily in our language, 

 that, without further excuse, I shall add his translation 

 also : 



" Qualis spelunca subito commota columba, 

 Cui domus, et dulces latebroso in pumice nidi, 

 Fertur in arva volans, plausumque exterrita pennis 

 Dat tecto ingentem : mox ae're lapsa quieto 

 Eadit iter liquidum, celeres neque commovet alas." 



" As when the dove her rocky hold forsakes, 

 Roused in a fright, her sounding wings she shakes ; 

 The cavern rings with clattering ; out she flies, 

 And leaves her callow care, and cleaves the skies. 

 At first she flutters ; but at length she springs 

 To smoother flight, and shoots upon her wings." 



