28 BEHAVIOR OF PIGEONS. 



These mourning-doves, then, like ring-doves, do not know the differences between the 

 sexes until they meet and exchange salutations. The male's place is to coo and strut, while 

 the female retreats, bowing and showing herself off if she happens to be disposed. If she 

 does not retreat, the male tests her by pecking and claiming his mastership. The 

 behavior is the only guide they have in selecting a mate of the right sex. This may seem 

 incredible, but it is certain. 1 (SS 10, C 7/48.) 



INFLUENCE OF VOICE. 



Fulton, on page 38 of the work already cited, states in regard to the influence 



of voice : 



"One more caution must be added in regard to mating the birds. It frequently happens that, 

 on account of proved sterling qualities, it is desired to breed from an old pigeon as long as fertile 

 eggs can be obtained from him; and this can only be done by matching him with a very young hen. 

 Such a pair will frequently breed well; and we have had fine, strong young ones from an old barb 

 over 10 years of age which had won many prizes. But it is in such cases particularly needful to 

 avoid having in the same loft a lively young cock with a strong voice, for if this is the case the young 

 hen will frequently leave her eggs to reach and pair with the young bird, even though he be already 

 mated, and thus all the owner's plans are liable to be frustrated." 



INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT. 



If a bird of one species is hatched and reared by a wholly different species, it is very 

 apt when fully grown to prefer to mate with the species under which it has been reared. 

 For example, a male passenger-pigeon that was reared by ring-doves and had remained 

 with that species was ever ready, when fully grown, to mate with any ring-dove, but could 

 never be induced to mate with one of his own species. I kept him away from ring-doves 

 a whole season, in order to see what could be accomplished in the way of getting him 

 mated finally with his own species, but he would never make any advances to the females, 

 and whenever a ring-dove was seen or heard in the yard he was at once attentive. 2 (SS 10.) 



It may be remarked by the editor that the discovery of this principle furnishes 

 the key to Professor Whitman's success in hybridizing the various species of pigeons. 

 A novel and important principle of behavior is here involved. The range of stimuli 

 to which an instinctive tendency will respond may be modified by habits acquired 

 long before the first expression of the instinct. The first expression of a delayed 

 instinctive tendency may thus be in part a function of all that the organism has 

 previously acquired. 



PAIRING OF FEMALES. 



That behavior is of prime importance in sex recognition is apparent from the 

 fact that females sometimes pair with each other. It is not always easy to dis- 

 tinguish the sexes on the basis of any observation of morphological features. Such 

 distinctions are best made in terms of behavior during the breeding cycle. For 

 this reason it happened that, in his breeding experiments, the author occasionally 



1 Does a pigeon distinguish males from females in general, or does he know the female only in his own mate? 

 The male pigeon usually knows the sex of each bird in the flock, and is always ready to play up to the females. When 

 a new bird comes to the flock he does not seem to be so sure of its sex at first; but he tests it by display behavior. 

 If the newcomer proves to be a male, he then pays less attention to it. It is wonderful how quickly one pigeon can 

 tell whether he is looked upon with favor and liking by another. It seems as if the expression of the eye tells at once 

 that the bird likes or does not. 



I have noticed that some males are less successful than others in securing mates. Of two given males it will gener- 

 ally be observed that different females prefer the same one. And this is usually the more active male. An exception- 

 ally strong male may even entice a female away from her mate, especially if he defeats her mate in fight. The female 

 is more inclined to thus desert her former mate for a victorious male at the time the female is ready to start a mating 

 cycle than at other times. At any other time she would pay no attention to the strange male. (Conv. 7/2/10/ W. C.) 



'Illustrative material may be found in Chapter X. 



