300 COLUMBID^E. 



THE TURTLE DOVE is only a summer visiter here, and 

 like most of our summer visiters comes to this country from 

 Africa, and returns there again before winter, not remain- 

 ing even in the Italian states beyond the middle of autumn. 

 These birds arrive in England about the end of April, or 

 the beginning of May, and are rather more numerous in 

 the south-eastern, southern, and midland counties than in 

 those which are farther north. Their appearance is ob- 

 served and hailed with pleasure each returning spring, as 

 denoting the season of buds and flowers, and as emblems of 

 serenity and peace their mournfully plaintive notes give 

 pleasure. Sportsmen speak of a flight of Pigeons, but they 

 say also a dule of Turtles, from doleo, the term in this in- 

 stance, as in that before mentioned at page 278, having 

 reference to the particular character of the voice of the 

 bird. They frequent woods, fir plantations, and high thick 

 hedges dividing arable land. They make a thin, almost 

 transparent platform nest, eight or ten feet above the 

 ground in the forked branch of an oak, on a fir tree, or 

 near the top of a thick and tall bush. Upon this nest the 

 female deposits two eggs about the middle of June, accord- 

 ing to the observations of Mr. Jenyns. The eggs are 

 white, rather pointed at one end, one inch two lines and a 

 half long, by ten lines in width. The parent birds sit by 

 turns, the male occasionally also feeding his mate during 

 incubation, and both afterwards mutually labouring for the 

 support of the young. In this country they are considered 

 as producing but one brood in the season, but in the South 

 of France these birds are known to have a second pair of 

 young. Their food is grain, particularly wheat, and they 

 are constant visiters to the wheat-field while the corn is 

 growing, and to pea-fields : they also feed on rape, and 

 other small seeds. In the autumn they fly in small parties 



