Recollections of the Passenger Pigeon in Captivity 



97 



their expressiveness was greatly enhanced by the bird's movements. With 

 the loud notes, as used in anger, he stood at full height, in his majestic way, 

 and impressed the enemy by his bold appearance; and sometimes each loud 

 keck was accompanied, quick as lightning, by a stroke of both wings, which 

 struck the enemy if he was near enough, and powerfully frightened him if 

 he was at a distance. On the other hand, with the soft, clucking notes, which 

 expressed gentler feelings, even to devotion, the talking bird sidled along the 

 perch to the bird to whom he was talking, and sometimes put his neck over 

 her in a way which clearly showed his tender emotion. The Passenger was 

 very quick and nimble in moving sideways along a perch, and this movement 

 was so characteristic of his courting as to distinguish it from the courting of 

 any other species. 



Though all this chattering and kecking was so very expressive, it was 

 never sweetly musical. The loud notes were strident, and even the faint 

 notes were hard. The male, when courting, gave also a coo, which was musical, 

 but so weak and faint that in my early memoranda I put it down simply as 

 "the weak note;" and this little coo, sounding more like keeho, was usually 

 given after the clucking or kecking notes, as a subordinate appendage to 

 them. The species gave also a nest-call, as do the other Pigeons; but this, 



PASSENGER PIGEON, YOUNG 



like the coo, was weak and inconspicuous compared with the strong and ex- 

 pressive notes described above. 



The female of this, as of all other Pigeons, was more quiet than the male in 

 both voice and movement, and distinguishable from him even when motion- 

 less by a characteristic shyness in her attitude, especially in the pose of her 

 head. So distinct was this difference between the sexes that, in looking at the 



