THE PAIRING OP PIGEONS. 37 



universal or limited to the domestic varieties. 1 In this connection one might suggest 

 the possibility that the promiscuous tendency is somewhat universal and deep- 

 seated, while the marked degree of fidelity characteristic of pigeons is a product 

 of their division of labor in nest-building, incubation, and feeding of young. This 

 division of labor of necessity keeps the two birds together and somewhat isolated 

 from others of their kind and thus reduces the opportunities for illicit matings. 

 In other words, pigeons might be promiscuous like fowls if, like these, the males 

 were so constituted as to take no share in mating activities other than copulation. 

 Fulton, in his work previously cited, states: 



"For although pigeons as a rule pair with great fidelity, exceptions are by no means rare; and 

 cases have been known in which a cock has mated with two hens, and even assisted both in hatching 

 and rearing their young; while we once possessed a cock which, though he never aided them in 

 family duties, regularly paired with no less than five hens. This case being so very remarkable 

 we took particular notice of it, and can vouch for the truth of what we state. To the naturalist 

 such instances are particularly interesting, as showing that, under some instances, pigeons might 

 possibly become gregarious, like poultry." 



UNUSUAL PROCLIVITIES. 



The old bronze-wing birds were beginning to prepare for a nest, the male taking the 

 lead in going to the nest-box and calling. The male gradually became more earnest and 

 more attentive towards the female. Not satisfied with her coolness, the male frequently 

 mounted the young of the previous cycle (these young birds were 7 to 8 weeks old at the 

 time) . 



The male bronze-wing was again anxious to copulate and renew the cycle, while the 

 female was still taking care of the young. In response to the call of the female on the nest, 

 the male raised his feathers a little and let his wings hang loosely at his side; he then 

 wheeled about and gave a jump onto the corner of the seed-pan, stood there a moment, 

 dropped his abdominal feathers, and fixed those about the anal opening as they are placed 

 preparatory to sexual union. He turned again without going further and hopped off. 

 Three times in succession he repeated this performance. The female's call set him off. 

 I have seen him behave in this way two or three times before during the last few days. 

 There was another call from the female and similar behavior over the corner of the seed- 

 dish resulted. Before mounting, the male lowers his head and acts as if pressing down 

 on the dish just as he does with his mate; then he gives a quick jump both feet at once 

 halts on the edge, fixes his feathers, dismounts, quickly remounts, etc. When the female 

 came down to the seed-dish the male attempted to mount her. 



I once had a mourning-dove which I kept in my room during the winter. He became 

 well acquainted with me and was quite tame. There were some other mourning-doves hi 

 the room and I expected that he would of course pick out one of them and mate. But 

 when the mating season came, in March, he began to show an interest in me! Every time 

 I came into the room he would jump into the nest-box, raise his tail and spread it somewhat, 

 put his head down low, and begin to give the nest-call, looking at me and vibrating his 

 wings very slowly as if inviting me to come. If I approached the nest he would be still 

 more active and seem very much delighted. His little eyes would twinkle and he would 

 turn around and look at me in the most loving and inviting way. He kept on in this way 

 for a week or two and I finally had to break him of it by simply keeping out of his sight. 

 At the time he was very anxious to mate and finally accepted one of his own kind. 



1 Dr. Riddle reports an instance of a hybrid blond-white ring-dove male being paired simultaneously with two 

 females, one a white-blond hybrid the other a Senegal turtle-dove. 



4 



