362 



THE NATURE BOOK 



these, together with the white wing bars, 

 mark it off distinctly from the smaller 

 Rock and Stock Dove. During the pro- 

 longed breeding season — from April to 

 September inclusi\'e — the natural shyness 



All four species of Doves lay two eggs 

 only, and both sexes take equal shares in 

 incubation. The eggs of all are pure 

 white, somewhat elongated, and equally 

 pointed at either end. The Turtle and 



YOUNG PARTRIDGES. 



PhotCi,'ya/>h by J. T. .\< 



, Kcrkliampstead. 



of the wary Wood Pigeon wears off. In 

 the summer, too, the dense tree foliage 

 prevents approaching man from being so 

 easily seen by the amber-eyed Cushat, 

 whose peculiar nuptial flight — consisting 

 of a series of dives, the bird alternately 

 rising and falling voluptuously through 

 the air — may then frequently be wit- 

 nessed. The bird is much persecuted 

 in consequence of the great damage 

 done by flocks of this voracious feeder to 

 ripening grain, swede tops, and young 

 clover plants. 



The only redeeming features about the 

 Wood Pigeon from an economic point of 

 view, that I am aware of, are, that it 

 devours the very astringent seed of the 

 buttercup, a troulilesome weed in per- 

 manent pasture, and that the abundant 

 meat on the bird's breast — needful muscles 

 to work its loud clapping wings — renders it 

 an acceptable adjunct to the dinner table. 



Ring Dov'es deposit theirs upon a cle\'erly, 

 though a]')])arently carelessly, and widely, 

 woven platform of sticks, placed in trees 

 or bushes at varied altitudes, according 

 to the privacy or otherwise of the sur- 

 roundings. The Stock Dove breeds in 

 holes of trees and ruins, and also in deserted 

 rabbit -burrows, whilst the rarer Rock 

 Dove, as its name suggests, inhabits rocky 

 coast land caves, never even condescend- 

 ing to perch on trees. The chief distinc- 

 tive marks in the two similar-sized Doves 

 last mentioned are as follows — the Rock 

 Dove has the rump, as well as the back, 

 blue, and one black wing bar only, whilst 

 the Stock Dove has a white rump and 

 two black alar bars. 



The foreign Pheasant, probably intro- 

 duced by the Romans, has been with us 

 long enough to win a place ujwn the 

 British list, and even without the aid of 

 artificial rearing it sufficiently maintains. 



