TURTLE DOVE. 23 



10 P.M. and 3 A.M. on September 7th-8th. In the autumn, 

 young and old birds may be found in small flocks upon the 

 stubbles and among the root-crops, and are at that time 

 decidedly beneficial to the agriculturist by devouring the 

 seeds of numerous weeds. 



In Cornwall it appears to be a somewhat irregular visitant, 

 nor is it very common in Devon, but in the other southern 

 counties, and up to Lincoln, it may be described as generally 

 distributed, and breeding where the nature of the country is 

 suitable to it. Shropshire, especially between Shrewsbury 

 and Ludlow, seems to be a favourite district ; and Mr. Eyton 

 says that it is known there by the name of the Wrekin Dove. 

 In western Wales it is rare, but it occurs in Lancashire, 

 Westmoreland, and Cumberland. As a rule, however, to 

 the north of the line of Sheffield it can only be considered as 

 a straggler on migration ; but it has recently been known to 

 breed in Durham, although not as yet in Northumberland. 

 The last remark applies to Scotland, although it has occurred 

 in many counties, especially in those on the western side of 

 the kingdom : on migration it also strays to the Hebrides, to 

 the Orkneys, and to the Shetlands. In some of the wooded 

 parts of Ireland it is generally distributed, but in the western 

 districts it was formerly unknown, and notwithstanding the 

 increase of larch and other plantations, Mr. R. Warren has 

 only observed three specimens in Mayo and Sligo within the 

 last twenty years. 



A straggler to the Faeroes, it occurs throughout a great 

 part of Scandinavia, and even at such an elevation as 

 Quickjok, although somewhat rare and local in Denmark. 

 Throughout Central and Southern Europe it is found from 

 spring to autumn, being especially abundant in the south at 

 the epochs of migration ; in South Russia it occurs in large 

 flocks; it abounds in Asia Minor, Palestine and Persia, 

 chiefly on passage, and was obtained by Dr. Henderson in 

 Yarkand. In Turkestan, South-western Siberia, and India 

 it is represented by T. ferrago, Eversmann, in which the 

 tips of the feathers on the side of the neck are slate-grey 

 and not white ; and eastwards, again, the latter species is 



