THE PIGEONS 



surrounding the crop. Tin- Muid is appaivnth sucked up by tin 

 young, and doubtless the ;ivat width and swollni margins of the 

 lower jaw. at its base, considerably aid in this method of feeding. 



The excrement of young pigeons, according to Seebohm, 1 is of a 

 peculiar nature and without smell, no that it in never removed from 

 the aeet, and soon hardens on exposure to the air, thus converting the 

 fragile, loosely constructed platform of sticks into a durable structure. 



Of the 480 known tp^ciai but four are to be reckoned among 

 our native birds, and these represent two of the most typical genera ; 

 but many exotic species are conspicuous for the remarkable beauty 

 of thin coloration. 



since the eggs are laid in an open nest, it is somewhat remark- 

 able that their shells should be white, all other birds which lay white 

 __> depositing tin in in holrs. and. it has IMTII assiimrd. for tin 

 sake of concealment To explain the fact that species like the wood- 

 pigeon and turtle-dove seek no such concealment, it has been 

 contended that with these birds the whiteness of the shell is their 

 protection, since the nest is so flimsy that light is readily seen 

 through its interstices when the structure is seen from below, and 

 this being HO, the white shells become indistinguishable from flecks 

 of light ! As a matter of fact, the eggs seen from such a standpoint 

 would appear black Further, even if it were otherwise, it would 

 afford no protection against the only foes that need be dreaded 

 those which can climb, or surmount the nest squirrels and egg- 

 eating birds. These can have but small difficulty in finding such 

 quarry, at any rate with the early clutches laid before the leaves are 

 fully out Later a measure of protection is afforded by overhanging 

 foliage. But it is clear that though the risk of destruction to which 

 such eggs are exposed is considerable, the annual losses by the 

 community cannot be heavy, or these birds would either have 

 become extinct or they would have reverted to the ancestral habit 

 of breeding in holes and caverns, like the rock-dove and stock- 



1 fVmbohm. Britith liird*, vol. ii. p. 807. 



