CHAP. FIFTEEN PIGEONS ^ DOVES 



nests close to my windows, and frequently immediately 

 over some walk, where the birds sit in conscious security, 

 within five or six feet of the passer-by; and there are gener- 

 ally a pair or two that feed with the chickens, knowing the 

 call of the woman who takes care of the poultry as well as 

 the tame birds do. 



I have frequently attempted to tame young wood- 

 pigeons, taking them at a very early age from the nest. 

 They generally become tolerably familiar till the first 

 moult; but as soon as they acquire strength of plumage and 

 wing, they have invariably left me, except in one instance 

 which occurred two years ago. I put some wood-pigeon's 

 eggs under a tame pigeon of my children's, taking away 

 the eggs on which she was sitting at the time. Only one of 

 the young birds grew up, and it became perfectly tame. It 

 remained with its foster parents, flying in and out of their 

 house, and coming with them to be fed at the windows. 

 After it had grown up, and the cares of a new nest made 

 the old birds drive it out of their company, the wood-pigeon 

 became still tamer, always coming at breakfast-time or 

 whenever he was called to the window-sill, where he would 

 remain as long as he was noticed, cooing and strutting up 

 and down as if to challenge attention to his beautiful 

 plumage. 



However, like all pets, this poor bird came to an un- 

 timely end, being struck down and killed by a hen-harrier. 

 I never on any other occasion saw a wood-pigeon remain 

 perfectly tame, if left at liberty; and if they are entirely con- 

 fined, they seldom acquire their full beauty of feather. The 

 bird seems to have a natural shyness and wildness which 

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