16 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 



selves eaten and partly digested. You will seldom 

 see mourning doves in compact flocks, like the 

 blackbirds and finches. They are most often in 

 pairs, or in groups of four or six. They are very 

 fearless during the season in which they are pro- 

 tected by law, and are sometimes seen with the 

 hens in the barn-yards, or in stubble-fields close 

 to the farm-house. They are ground-birds, and 

 get their living by what they pick up, seeds 

 and grains, and perhaps some fruits like grapes 

 and berries. 



A pair of mourning doves are true and faithful 

 to each other> and are said to be mated for life. 

 But the life of any dove in the West may be very 

 short indeed. From August 1st to February 1st 

 they are hunted and shot without mercy. 



During the summer, they were so happy and so 

 tame! They would come to drink at fountains 

 and streams right in your sight, and often fly 

 past you, so near you could have touched them. 

 But one morning there came a sudden fright to 

 the trustful little doves; and before they knew 

 what was happening, a dozen shots were in the 

 air, and as many fluttering birds fell dead. Mates 

 were separated, parents and children were lost to 

 one another, and those who escaped on that 

 morning were hunted the next day. It does n't 



