THE PIGEON 131 



of the Mediterranean islands are their chosen haunts 

 in Europe." 



"But it is no uncommon thing, " Louis remarked, 

 "to hear of wild pigeons being shot in this country." 



"You confound the rock-pigeon, my friend, with 

 another kind of wild pigeon, the wood-pigeon. This, 

 as its name indicates, perches on the branches of tall 

 trees, which the rock-pigeon never does." 



"Yes, that 's so," Jules interjected. "I have 

 never seen pigeons that are descended from the rock- 

 pigeon alighting on trees. They alight on rocks, on 

 roofs, or on the ground." 



"In its free state the rock-pigeon builds its nest 

 in the hollows of rocks ; the wood-pigeon, on the com- 

 trary, builds in trees, in the depths of dense forests, 

 where it finds in abundance the acorn and beech-nut, 

 its principal food. These habits are not the only dif- 

 ference between the two birds. The wood-pigeon is 

 much larger; its breast has the color of lees of 

 wine; its neck, gleaming with variegated metallic 

 glints like that of its brother, is further adorned on 

 each side with a white spot in the shape of a cross. 

 Its flight is sustained and rapid, its cooing sonorous, 

 its sight piercing. It feeds on all sorts of seeds, es- 

 pecially acorns, which it swallows whole. 



"Wood-pigeons like to perch on dead branches at 

 the tops of trees. During the cold winter mornings 

 they stay there motionless, waiting for a little 

 warmth to come with the rising sun and arouse them 

 from their torpor. In summer they frequent full- 

 grown forest-trees, and their cooing may be heard in 



