196 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



RING-DOVE [No. 345, Wood-Pigeon]. So called from the 

 white patch on each side of the neck. Also known as Wood- 

 Pigeon, but this latter name is inappropriate, having 

 frequently been applied to the STOCK-DOVE, and the 

 attempt to revert to it in the " Hand-List " is therefore un- 

 fortunate. Turner (1544) has " Ringged Dove," while 

 Merrett writes it " Ring Dove " as does also Sibbald. 

 Willughby calls it the "Ring Pigeon," Pennant (1766) 

 has "Ring-dove," and this name is used by nearly all 

 subsequent authors. Dyer relates a North Yorkshire belief 

 that once upon a time the Cushat or Ring-dove laid its eggs 

 upon the ground, while the Peewit or Lapwing made its 

 nest on high ; but one day they agreed to exchange their 

 localities for building. Hence the Peewit now expresses 

 its disappointment as follows : 



Peewit, Peewit ! 



I coup'd my nest and I rue it. 



The Cushat, however, rejoices that she is safe out of the 

 reach of mischievous boys : 



Coo, coo, come now, 



Little lad 



With thy gad, 



Come not thou. 



A Suffolk legend is that the Magpie once undertook to teach 

 the Wood-pigeon how to make a more substantial nest, 

 but the latter kept repeating her cry of " Take two, Taffy ! 

 take two ! " until the Magpie, after insisting that one was 

 enough at a time, finally gave up the attempt in a passion. 

 Pigeons were regarded in former times in England as 

 portents of death, and a sick man who had a desire to eat 

 of one was supposed to foretell his own death (De Kay). 

 Martial says of their flesh that : 



Ringed doves make a man's loins slow and dull, 

 Who would be lusty should not eat this bird. 

 But it is not improbable that he referred to the small Collared 

 Turtle-dove and not our northern species. The Ring-Dove 

 is not so gentle as popular fancy would have it. Montagu 

 relates that he once bred up, to live together "in perfect 

 amity, a common Pigeon, Ring-Do ve, White Owl and 

 Sparrow Hawk ; of which the Ring-Dove was master." 

 RINGED BLACKBIRD, RING BLACKBIRD, RINGED THRUSH, or 

 RING THRUSH: The RING-OUZEL. From the white 

 gorget. Macgillivray calls it the Ringed Thrush, and Fleming 

 the Ring-Thrush. 



RINGED DOTTEREL or RING DOTTEREL : The RINGED 

 PLOVER. The second form is in use on the Scottish 

 Borders. 



