268 



THE REASON -WHY : 



; I have heard her with sweetness unfold 



How tiiat pity was due to a dove / 

 That it ever attended the bold, 

 And she called it the sister of love.&quot; SHENSTONE. 



842. Why does the ringdove feed greedily, and get very fat, in 

 the autumn months ? 



In order to be better prepared for enduring the severer and less 

 abundant months of winter. 



843. In autumn the ring pigeons begin to associate in flocks. At first they feed 

 upon the fruits of forest trees, and particularly the beech-mast, which at that 

 time is strewed upon the ground. The grains and seeds left, and small fallen fruits, 

 are their first subsistence ; but, as they are ravenous feeders, they, if in great 

 numbers, speedily exhaust these. After this, they migrate farther south, and 

 attack the more succulent green leaves which remain in the fields such 

 as those of field-greens, turnips, and mangold-wurtzel. 



844. Why does the dove tribe seek the vicinity of man, so as 

 to prefer an artificial pigeon-house to its native haunts in 

 rocks, &c. 



The feet of the dove, or common pigeon, are walking feet, with 

 very little of the perching character. The external and internal 

 front toes are of equal length, the hind toe is short, and the claws 

 are not hooked, as in the decided perchers, but so placed as that 

 the foot may be wholly planted upon the ground. Hence A 

 regularly formed ground may have a charm for the pigeon, which 

 its wild rocks cannot supply. 



845. IVhy are the notes of the wood-pigeon commonly associated 

 with gentleness and love? 



Because the cooings of 

 these birds accord so inti 

 mately with our conception 

 of all that is gentle and 

 innocent, that one cannot 

 listen to them without being 

 impressed with feelings which 

 no other sounds in nature, 

 save that of the human 

 voice itself, could inspire. 



