THE TURTLE-DOVE. 283 



Arriving in this country towards the end of 

 April or beginning of May, the Turtle- Dove is 

 seen only in pairs until the young are able to 

 fly. Young and old then unite in flocks, and 

 ten or a dozen may often be found together in the 

 pea-fields and on the stubble, where they pick 

 up the fallen grain. They are very partial also 

 to vetches, rape, and wild mustard, and do some 

 service to farmers by ridding the cultivated 

 lands of the seeds of numerous weeds, such as 

 the Corn Spurrey (Spergula arvensis), which is 

 common in corn-fields, and the Silver-weed 

 {Potentilla anserina), which they find upon the 

 fallows. 



When Partridge shooting in September I 

 have frequently found Turtle- Doves feeding 

 amongst the root crops as well as on the bare 

 stubble, but notwithstanding the cover afforded 

 by the turnip-leaves I have generally found them 

 so exceedingly wary, that it required a good 

 deal of manoeuvring before I could get a suffi- 

 cient number to make a pie. In point of 

 flavour, and of course in size, they are not to be 



