THE RINGD OVE. 235 



flight up and down the aviary, greatly to the conster- 

 nation of the rest of the inhabitants, which until then 

 had never seen anything so big with feathers on, except the 

 chickens in another enclosure further down the garden, 

 and with which they had never been in actual contact. 



After some time the watcher at the window saw the 

 Doves settle themselves down again and compose their 

 weary wings to rest on a perch, but the first time 

 anyone went near them, off they were again, flapping 

 wildly round and round until they dropped from sheer 

 exhaustion: and so this unpleasant state of affairs 

 continued for several days, by which time the silly 

 Doves had quite disfigured their heads, and I very 

 heartily wished them back again whence they had come. 



By degrees, however, they got a little, a very little, 

 tamer and instead of rushing wildly about when I 

 entered the aviary of a morning to feed them, would 

 take refuge in the covered-in portion of the enclosure, 

 where they would remain, hiding, until the coast was 

 clear again. 



They were very handsome birds, I must say, and 

 much larger than any of the domestic Pigeons, except 

 the Runt, and perhaps some of the bigger breeds of 

 Pouters. They measured one foot five or six inches in 

 length and were stout in proportion, with small finely- 

 shaped heads, long straight bills, and bright eyes that 

 sparkled like beads of jet. 



The female could scarcely be distinguished from her 



