622 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



our native birds, says of this Carolina Pigeon that 

 "their flight is quick, vigorous, and always accompa- 

 nied 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 indiscriminately ; are exceedingly fond 

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

 berries of the holly, the dogwood, and poke, huckle- 

 berries, partridge berries, and the small acorns of the 

 live oak and scrub 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 build- 

 ing about the beginning of May. The nest is very rudely 

 constructed, generally in an evergreen, among the thick 

 foliage of the vine, in an orchard, on the horizontal 

 branches of an apple tree, and, in some cases, on the 

 ground. It is com- 

 posed of a handful 

 of small twigs, 

 laid with little art, 

 on which are scat- 

 tered dry, fibrous 

 roots of plants ; 

 and in this almost 

 flat bed are de- 

 posited two eggs of 

 a snowy white- 

 ness. The male 

 and female unite 

 in feeding the 

 young, and they 

 have rarely more 

 than two broods 

 to the season. 



"The flesh of 

 this bird is consid- 

 ered much super- 

 ior to that of the 

 Wild Pigeon ; but 

 its seeming confi- 

 dence in man, the 

 tenderness of its 

 notes, and the innocency attached to its character, are, 

 with many, its security and protection ; with others, how- 

 ever, the tenderness of its flesh, and the sport of shoot- 

 ing, overcome all other considerations. About the com- 

 mencement of frost, they begin to move oflf to the 

 south ; numbers, however, remain in Pennsylvania dur- 

 ing the whole winter." 



Referring to the nest and young again, it will be 

 appreciated by a glance at the accompanying cut how 

 accurately Wilson described the nest of this dove (Fig. 

 6), and, although the bird did not select a cedar for 

 its home, it did build in a pine tree, which is the next 

 iliing to it. It is probable that the Carolina Dove has 

 'milt, as has not a few of its congeners, this same kind 

 of flat, poorly constructed and shiftless nest for cen- 

 turies, and when it is placed high enough in the tree. 



SHELL OR SCALED DOVE 



F'g- '3 The species here shown is the Inca Dove (Scardafella inca), which 

 ranges over our southwestern border. The sexes look alike and the birds 

 are small. Two species are known, and one writer refers to them as a 

 "remarkable genus." 



with no limbs to obstruct the view, one may easily see 

 through a structure of this kind, readily observing the 

 eggs or young, should either be in it this I know from 

 personal observation. 



Like all pigeons and doves, the almost naked squabs 

 are by no means noted for their beauty or attractive- 

 ness, and not until they gain their full plumage are 

 they in any way engaging. On one or two occasions, 

 while serving as surgeon at some army post in Wyo- 

 ming, I have reared these doves, taking them about the 

 time when their feathers are first in evidence. They 

 make lovely pets, possessing many traits' that appeal 

 to the lover of birds, although many are unable to en- 

 dure their constant cooing during the breeding season. 

 Carolina doves get along well with other species of 

 birds in a large cage, an excellent example of which may 

 be seen any day at the National Zoological Park, 



a t Washington, 

 where a number 

 of them are thus 

 associated with 

 various birds from 

 different parts of 

 the world, such as 

 the widdah birds. 

 Java sparrows, 

 ground doves, car- 

 dinals, several 

 sorts of finches, 

 canaries, and so 

 on. 



Once, when out 

 shooting near old 

 Fort Laramie, in 

 the territory of 

 Wyoming, a wild 

 Carolina dove 

 flew past me at a 

 tremendous rate. It 

 had not gone over 

 five hundred yards, 

 when I saw it 

 suddenly double up 

 and fall to the ground. At first I did not realize what 

 had happened to it, as the bird was evidently in the best 

 of health and no shot had been fired in my neighbor- 

 hood. Upon picking the bird up, I found its head near- 

 ly twisted off its body, and the solution of the casualty 

 was in plain view directly over my head where I stood. 

 At its high rate of speed, the poor bird had flown against 

 the telegraph wire that led from Cheyenne into the Post. 

 Evidently the poor thing had not noticed it at least not 

 until it was too late. Whether this would have hap- 

 l)ened to a hawk of rapid flight, such as a Duck Hawk, 

 with its wonderful sight, it is hard to say. I am in- 

 clined to think, however, that the sight of a dove is not 

 as quick or as keen as that of the representatives of 

 the falconine birds nor need it be when one remem- 

 bers the habits and requirements of the species in the 

 two groups. 



