TURTLE DOVE. 13 



The Turtle Dove is a general inhabitant, in summer, of the 

 United States, from Canada to Florida, and from the sea-coast 

 to the Mississippi, and far to the westward. They are, howev- 

 er, partially migratory in the northern and middle states; and 

 collect together in North and South Carolina, and their corres- 

 ponding parallels, in great numbers, during the winter. On the 

 second of February, in the neighbourhood of Newbern, North 

 Carolina, I saw a flock of Turtle Doves of many hundreds; in 

 other places, as I advanced farther south, particularly near the 

 Savannah river, in Georgia, the woods were swarming with 

 them, and the whistling of their wings were heard in every 

 direction. 



On their return to the north in March, and early in April, 

 they disperse so generally over the country, that there are rare- 

 ly more than three or four seen together, most frequently only 

 two. Here they commonly fly in pairs, resort constantly to the 

 public roads, to dust themselves, and procure gravel; are often 

 seen in the farmer's yard, before the door, the stable, barn and 

 other outhouses, in search of food, seeming little inferior in 

 familiarity at such times to the domestic Pigeon. They often 

 mix with the poultry, while they are fed in the morning, visit 

 the yard and adjoining road many times a day, and the pump, 

 creek, horse-trough and rills for water. 



Their flight is quick, vigorous, and always accompanied by 

 a peculiar whistling of the wings, by which they can easily be 

 distinguished from the Wild Pigeon. They fly with great 

 swiftness, alight on trees, fences, or on the ground indiscrimin- 

 ately; are exceedingly fond of buckwheat, hemp seed, and In- 

 dian corn; feed on the berries of the holly, the dogwood and 

 poke, huckle berries, partridge berries, and the small acorns of 

 the live oak, and shrub oak. They devour large quantities of 

 gravel, and sometimes pay a visit to the kitchen garden for peas, 

 for which they have a particular regard. 



In this part of Pennsylvania they commence building about 

 the beginning of May. The nest is very rudely constructed, ge- 

 nerally in an evergreen among the thick foliage of a vine in 

 an orchard, on the horizontal branches of an apple-tree, and in 



