194 The Wood-Pigeon. 



may occasionally be seen quietly feeding on the 

 grass plots in St. James's Park, surrounded as they 

 always are by crowds of pedestrians. Kensington 

 Gardens are always frequented by a few of these 

 birds, and they breed there from year to year. 

 We have also every reason to believe that they 

 build in the gardens of Buckingham Palace. 



It is surprising that these birds are not better 

 known to the average Londoner than they 

 appear to be. Their size they are the largest of 

 our wild pigeons their peculiar flight, and their 

 distinctive markings the most noticeable of these 

 being the white feathers on each side of the neck, 

 from which they derive the name of " Ringdove/ ' 

 and by which alone they may be at once distin- 

 guished from any dovecote pigeon should, one 

 would suppose, attract the attention of the least 

 observant. Their note, again coo, coo-coo, roo, 

 roo, the last two syllables long drawn out once 

 heard, can never be mistaken, being entirely 

 different from that of any other pigeon. There 

 are many word versions of this note, but we think 

 it is best expressed by one we have heard in 

 the Eastern Counties, to wit, "My toe bleeds 

 Betty." 



The wood-pigeon is not only the largest, but in 

 our opinion the handsomest, of our wild pigeons. 

 The London bird, however, from his habit of, after 

 the manner of his kind, perching in and roosting 

 on trees, is always soot-begrimed and dirty, but 

 notwithstanding is still a handsome and noticeable 



