48 BEHAVIOR OF PIGEONS. 



incubation before the arrival of the second egg. He may thus occupy the nest at 

 the usual tune and refuse to leave on the demand of the female. (See Early 

 Incubation, Chapter V.) 



BEHAVIOR IN LAYING. 



A few days before laying the female blond ring shows symptoms which are peculiar 

 and diagnostic. The wings are held loosely and allowed often to drop below the tail. 

 The bird looks as if sick, and moves about heavily and with unusual care. She usually 

 sits in the nest more or less for from 3 to 4 days before laying. The white ring-doves 

 behave in the same way. 



At 9 a. m., I watched one of my blond ring-doves lay her second egg. Sitting at my 

 desk, I happened to notice that the bird had taken an attitude as if in the act of laying. 

 On going close to the nest I found that I was not mistaken. The bird was standing with 

 head straight up and the hind end of the body lowered, almost touching the bottom of 

 the nest. She was evidently in some pain and appeared to be struggling to deliver the egg. 

 As the egg came the head was thrown back and turned half way round, with eye-lids 

 closed, in the agony of sharp pain. That it cost pain was evident by a mark of blood on 

 the egg and by the swollen, bloody appearance of the lips of the anus. For some moments 

 after the egg was delivered the bird continued standing, without moving, so that I could 

 see both eggs under her. At length she seemed to recover, put her head down far enough 

 to look at the eggs, put her beak under the new-laid egg with care and fondness, and finally 

 settled down over them, appearing to be somewhat exhausted with the effort. Some 5 

 weeks after the above observations were made I saw the "supposed male" of this pair 

 lay an egg; it behaved in the same way, except that it did not exhibit any agony, but 

 merely a severe strain. 



A crested pigeon mated with a magpie laid her first egg at 4 h 35 m to 4 h 37 m p. m. She 

 sat upright with tail above her wings. She gave the call-note almost continuously just 

 before laying. She had a hard task to deliver the egg, making repeated efforts, and suc- 

 ceeded only at the end of 2 minutes after her first effort. The egg was not above the usual 

 size for this species. 



An Ectopistes was observed in laying an egg at 5 h 25 m p. m. She moved forward in 

 the nest and held herself in a more or less erect position. When she dropped the egg she 

 lifted her wings a little, just as I saw her do in laying a previous egg. Another Ectopistes 

 female stood up for 5 minutes after laying and then sat on the egg. She gave a few low 

 calls shortly before laying. 



In laying her second egg a mourning-dove sat up erect, as does the ring-dove, with her 

 tail raised between the ends of her wings. The small end of the egg came first. This bird 

 gave a low call several times just before she took a position to lay. This call was the usual 

 call to nest-making. 



A female bronze-wing, at 9 h 41 m a. m., began to take a position for laying; that is, she 

 stood a little in front of the middle of the nest, so that the coming egg would be placed 

 in the middle. She then raised her head and the fore part of the body and lowered the 

 hind part with the axis of the body inclined at about 45; she made one or two efforts 

 to drop the egg, then finally lowered the body and laid the egg beside the first so care- 

 fully as not to give it any jar. The egg came small end first and was left for a moment 

 standing on this end. 1 



A white dove was observed while laying an egg at 4 h 15 m p. m. She gradually raised 

 the fore-body and head, leaning back as if partly supported by the tail. As the egg came 



"The small end generally comes first, with occasional exceptions. A single exception disproves the idea that 

 form is due to mechanical causes. Form is due to self-differentiation of the egg-cell," says W. V. Nathusius (Arehiv. 

 f. Entw'mech. d. Organismus, VI, 1898), but the author does not agree. 



