COAXING A BABY DOVE. 203 



away perhaps fifteen feet, when he turned and 

 flew back to his own tree beside me. I was 

 pleased to notice that the voice of this talkative 

 dovekin was of the same quality as the " whis- 

 tling " said to be of the wings, when a dove flies. 

 The last interview I had with the dear baby, 

 I found him sitting with his back toward me, 

 but the instant I whistled he turned around to 

 face me, and seated himself again. He replied 

 to me, and fluttered his wirigs slightly, yet he 

 soon became restless, as usual. He did not fly, 

 however, and he answered louder than he had 

 done previously, but I found that my call must 

 be just right to elicit a response. I might 

 whistle all day and he would pay no attention, 

 till I uttered a two-note call, the second note a 

 third above the first and the two slurred together. 

 I was delighted to find that even a dove, and a 

 baby at that, could " talk back." He was unique 

 in other ways ; for example, in being content to 

 pass his days in, and around, his own tree. I do 

 not believe he had ever been farther than a 

 small group of cedars, ten feet from his own. I 

 always found him there, though he could fly per- 

 fectly well. This interview was, I regret to say, 

 the last ; the next morning my little friend was 

 nowhere to be seen. Perhaps mamma thought 

 he was getting too friendly with one of a race 

 capable of eating a baby dove. 



