516 THE PIGEONS 



plane tree, and the sticks were passed to her in a curiously methodical, 

 one might say mechanical manner, for though there was an ample 

 fairway along the bough the bird always stood on the back of his 

 mate and passed them over her head ! This nest was completed 

 in about three days. Both birds left the unfinished nest every 

 night, and returned to their labours early in the morning. 1 On the 

 fourth day the first egg appeared, and from then onwards she sat 

 continuously, save for a short occasional break when she moved out 

 along the bough of the tree for a few minutes, or went oft' to feed. 

 The male during this time disappeared, save for an occasional visit. 

 But during an unguarded moment, when the female seems to have 

 gone off to feed, a carrion-crow came along and took the eggs. Both 

 birds for about twenty-four hours hung about the empty nest dis- 

 consolately, and then betook themselves off, probably to try elsewhere f 

 During the period of courtship, and the short spell of incubation 

 before the disaster, the male kept up an almost continuous anthem 

 of " cooing," " coo-coo-co-coo-co ; coo-coo-co, coo-co" This " song," for most 

 of us, has a peculiarly soothing effect, and it is not, happily, confined 

 to this season of the year, for it may be heard in almost every month 

 when the weather is fine. 



THE STOCK-DOVE AND THE BOCK-DOVE 



[W. P. PYCBAFT] 



The two species now to be considered present many points in 

 common, and both differ, somewhat conspicuously, from the wood- 

 pigeon, as will become plainly apparent presently. So similar in 

 appearance, to the unpractised eye, are these two birds, that they are 

 commonly confounded. This confusion is excusable, since, among the 

 older ornithologists at any rate, Montagu, Bewick, and Fleming failed 



1 As has already been pointed out, p. 509, the wood-pigeon does not always take the trouble 

 to build a nest, flimsy though this be ; for it will adopt the deserted nests of sparrow-hawks 

 and magpies as well as squirrels' dreys. 



