56 Forest Birds. 



old, the squeakers are considered a great delicacy, 

 and if reared by hand from the nest, they become 

 very tame. 



Buds, green leaves, seeds of plants and trees, such 

 as acorns and beechmast, and grains of various kinds 

 form the chief food of the Stock Dove, but being a 

 much shyer and rarer bird than the woodpigeon, it 

 does not invade our gardens and carry off the fruit. 

 In autumn and winter, however, Stock Doves often 

 join the flocks of woodpigeons, which cause so much 

 devastation in the cornfields. 



This bird's note, unlike other members of the pigeon 

 tribe, is harsh and unmusical. It resembles the 

 syllables " coo-hoo," the last one being accentuated ; 

 and when this note is uttered in a wood it might 

 almost be mistaken for the distant bark of a dog, 

 so gruff is the sound. 



The Stock Dove is very local in its distribution, 

 being plentiful in some districts, and rare, or entirely 

 absent, in others. It is abundant in certain localities 

 in most of the midland and southern counties of 

 England, but becomes rarer on the whole farther 

 north ; although of late years it has been increasing 

 rapidly, and having spread northwards considerably, 

 has now become numerous in several counties in 

 Scotland. In some parts of the country it remains 

 all the year round, while in others it is migratory, 



