WOOD PIGEON. 155 



peas: if I did not follow him at once, but continued where 

 I was, he soon returned, and after waiting a little, presently 

 went back again. This I always understood as an invitation 

 to go and open the pea pods for him; and it was one 

 I always acceded to, although sometimes I caused it to be 

 repeated several times. 



He was now as nearly in a state of nature as possible; 

 with abundance of his natural food within his reach, uncon- 

 trolled, as far as liberty was concerned, and with numerous 

 birds of his own species in the neighbourhood. There was 

 nothing to prevent his making off if he chose, yet he never 

 shewed the least inclination to do so. He flew to me fear- 

 lessly as ever, to the very last day of my stay at home; if 

 he saw me lying on the grass, he came and nestled on my 

 breast. I walked about the garden, and in and out of the 

 house with him on my shoulder; and though he never 

 favoured any of my friends with the same symptoms of 

 confidence and attachment as he did myself, he was under 

 no kind of fear of them. At last 'Black Monday' came 

 round again. I loved him too well to confine him; still 

 less could I think of taking him back to school with me; 

 so I left him to do as he liked. 



For the first three or four days of my absence he con- 

 tinued to keep about the house; he seemed to be looking 

 for something he had lost; once, and once only, he flew 

 on my father's shoulder, but seemed instantly to be aware 

 that it was not his well-loved master, and stayed no longer 

 than to find it out. He was seen about the garden for 

 long afterwards, but came no more near any of my relatives. 



Some of his habits were sufficiently amusing. For instance, 

 if a dead bird were shewn to him, his ire was instantly 

 roused, and he attacked it with the greatest fierceness; a 

 rough harsh note was first emitted, and then followed a 

 shower of pecks and blows of the wing upon the bird, the 

 feathers of which were dispersed in all directions. So deter- 

 mined was the onset, that the bird was half plucked in a 

 very short time. If while sleeping previous, that is, to his 

 being left out all night I awakened him unceremoniously, 

 his anger was expressed much in the same way; the rough 

 coo and blow were instantly given. 



I have never had another King Dove so thoroughly tame 

 as this one, though I have succeeded in familiarizing several; 

 the fact is, I never took so much pains and trouble with 



