446 THE TURTLE-DOVE. 



Pigeons rise to a great height, generally hover about for a while in an undecided manner, and 

 then, as if they had got their line, dart off with an arrowy flight. Missives written on very 

 thin paper and rolled up tightly, are secured to the bird in such a way that they will not be 

 shaken off by the flapping of the wings, or encumber the bird in its flight ; and before the 

 introduction of the electric telegraph, this mode of correspondence was greatly in use, mostly 

 in political or sporting circles. 



The splendid Top-knot Pigeon is one of the handsomest of the tribe, and in any collec- 

 tion of birds would be one of the most conspicuous species. 



It is a native of Southern and Eastern Australia, and, according to Mr. Gould, is most 

 plentifully found in the bushes of the Illawarra and Hunter rivers. The powerful feet and 

 general sti-ucture point it out as an arboreal bird, and it is so exclusively found in the trees 

 that it will not even perch among the underwood, but must needs take its place on the 

 branches of lofty trees. When perched it sits boldly and uprightly, having an almost hawk- 

 like air about it. 



It is a gregarious bird, assembling in large flocks, and being very fond of constant 

 proximity to its neighbors, whether it be swiftly flying through the air, or quietly perched 

 upon a branch. When a flock of Top-knot Pigeons directs its flight towards a tree, 

 the rushing sound of wings can be heard at a considerable distance, and when the 

 birds perch simultaneously upon the boughs, bending them down with their weight, or 

 fluttering their wings and displaying their beautiful crests, they present a very animated 

 scene. Their wings are proportionately powerful to their feet, and they have a custom 

 of ascending high into the air and taking very long flights, packed so closely together 

 that the spectator involuntarily wonders how they can move their wings without striking 

 their companions. 



The food of this bird consists mostly of fruits, and it is very fond of the wild fig and 

 the beri'ies of the cabbage palm. Its throat is wonderfully capacious, and Mr. Gould says it 

 could swallow a walnut without inconvenience. Fortunately for itself, it is not good eating, 

 the flesh being dry and coarse. 



The crest of the forehead and top of the head, together with tlie hackle-like feathers of 

 the throat and breast, are silver-gray, showing the darker hues on the breast. On the back of 

 the head the crest is of a ruddy rust color. From the eye to the back of the head runs a 

 dark streak shaded by the crest. The upper surface of the body is dark slaty -gray, and the 

 primaries and secondaries, together witli the edge of the wing, are black. The tail is gray 

 of two shades, liaving a broad band of black across the centre, and the extremity deeply 

 tipped with the same dark hue. The under surface is silver-gray like the breast. The eye 

 is flery orange, surrounded with a narrow crimson line ; the base of the bill is blue and 

 the remainder red, and the feet are purplish-red. The length of this tine bird is about 

 seventeen inches. 



The world-famed Turtle-Dove is, although a regular visitor of northern countries, better 

 known by fame and tradition than by actual observation. This bird has, from classic time until 

 the present day, been conventionally accepted as the type of matrimonial perfection, loving but 

 its mate, and caring for no other until death steps in to part the wedded couple. Yet it is by 

 no means the only instance of such conjugal affection among the feathered tribes, for there 

 are hundreds of birds which can lay claim to the same excellent qualities, the fierce eagle and 

 the ill-omened raven being among their number. 



The Turtle-Dove seems to divide its attention pretty equally between Africa and England, 

 pausing for some little time in southern Italy as a kind of half-way house. It arrives in Eng- 

 land about the beginning of May, or perhaps alittle earlier, in case the weather be warm, and 

 after resting for a little while, sets about making its very simple nest and lajing its white 

 eggs. The nest of this bird is built lower than is generally the case with the Wood-Pigeon, 

 and is usually placed on a forked branch of some convenient tree, about ten feet or so from 

 the ground. Both parents aid in the duties of incubation, as they ought to do, and both 



