THE TURTLE DOVE. 263 



feed from the hand of the person who had brought 

 them up from the nest. 



They certainly seemed to be as described, for they 

 allowed me to stroke them and even take them in my 

 hand without evincing the least fear, or showing any 

 sense of annoyance; but as to eating some corn I 

 offered them, "No, thank you", they positively de- 

 clined but perhaps they were not hungry. 



I inquired the price, and on being told that I might 

 become their owner for the ridiculously small sum of 

 four shillings sterling, I gave the man the amount and 

 at once transferred the birds to another and more 

 roomy cage, in which also they seemed to be quiet and 

 perfectly at home. 



Had I left them there, all would, probably, have 

 been well, but I had a number of other Doves and 

 Pigeons in one of my aviaries in the garden, and con- 

 cluding that the Turtles would look very well among 

 them and form a pleasing combination with their 

 scarcely more brilliantly plumaged relations from foreign 

 parts, I turned them out one fine morning, about a 

 week after I had obtained them from the dealer. 



I cannot determine if it was the smell of the fresh 

 air and of the flowers in the garden, or the sight of 

 the other Doves or of the plants in the aviary itself 

 that drove them wild, but my sedate pair of hand- 

 reared Turtles lost their heads at once on regaining 

 comparative freedom and as soon as they were released 



