I5O THE PIGEONS AND DOVES. 



these respects they arc far ahead of the majority of 

 the human race. Polygamy and polyandry are alike 

 unknown among them. They are all monogamous, 

 and, as far as my observation goes, a pair once united 

 remain true to each other till death do them separate. 

 Their arts of love and courtship are strangely like 

 our own, and after they are married they are always 

 assuring each other of their affection by pretty tokens 

 of tenderness. They are also devoted to their children. 

 I had a pair of pigeons of which the hen died suddenly, 

 leaving two naked and helpless infants. I thought 

 they must die, but the father took the whole care of 

 them on himself and brought them up successfully. 



After all this, it is painful to say, what is never- 

 theless true, that pigeons appear to have been 

 designed in a special degree for the food of other 

 creatures. Being, as I have said, strict vegetarians, 

 their plump bodies are both wholesome and tasty. In 

 this opinion hawks and cats are at one with man. 

 And having no means of protection and no resource 

 in danger, except their swiftness, they are fair game. 

 But they hold their own and multiply, for, though 

 they lay only two eggs at a time, they go on making 

 nest on nest all the year through in warm countries 

 at least. A pair of domestic pigeons, if provided 

 with two nest boxes, will have eggs in the second 

 before the young are out of the first. 



The whole tribe may be divided for our purposes 

 into three groups, namely, Pigeons, Turtle Doves 

 and Fruit Pigeons. We have one of each in Bom- 

 bay. The Blue Rock, parent of all domestic pigeons, 

 is one of the commonest birds of Bombay. It differs 

 from the Blue Rock of Europe in having the lower 



