138 AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



The young are easily distinguished from those of other birds. You 

 at once notice the dark skin and dark bill. At the end of the upper 

 piece of the bill is a small triangle of ivory white, and from near the 

 tip of the lower one a tiny barb of the same color slants downward and 

 and toward the rear. These patches of. ivory color are retained until 

 after the bird has left the nest, but the adult does not possess them. 

 When the doves are but a few days old they are sparingly covered with 

 tufts of filaments about the color of unbleached muslin. Later it is 

 seen that these were really the feathers just coming through. 



When on the wing its sober color seems only relieved with a little 

 white; but when closely approached it is found that for beauty of plum- 

 age the dove has few equals. The modest shades of its satiny coat, 

 which seem never ruffled, blend so beautifully, and in harmony with the 

 black bill are a few black markings. Even the legs which are lake-red, 

 seem in harmany with the red tints in the beautiful bronzing about the 

 throat and below. 



Last summer I spent much time in an effort to obtain a photo of a 

 dove on her nest. Several different nests were subjected to the eye of 

 the camera — a string device having been arranged to use in making the 

 exposure — but with no success. In one instance the camera was 

 fastened to a step-ladder and directed at a nest and left about all 

 day without the dove returning. So the camera was removed and a 

 similar bundle with the same covering was left in its place. Although 

 reluctant to do so the dove ventured under this and hovered her bird, 

 After this had been left several days the camera was substituted for 

 the bundle, but the bird immediately detected the difference, and al- 

 though the camera was left about all day she would not even perch up- 

 on the nest. Yet her mother love and wise precaution were beautifully 

 shown by her alighting upon a limb just below and back of the nest so 

 that the young bird was but a few inches from her and in plain view. 

 After her remaining patiently in that position for about an hour — just 

 beyond the plane of good focus — I decided to remove the cause of her 

 anxiety and worry her no more. But it was worth all the bother just 

 o witness the display of the Dove's noble traits. 



