360 MISCELLANEA. 



on the bare ground in a hole under an old Lilac tree, it struck 

 me veiy forcibly, that the young were those of the Stock Dove, 

 and not of the Ring Dove, as my friend supposed. On our way 

 back to the house he pointed out an old Elm, with a hole at 

 the top of a large branch, saying, ''that another nest must be 

 there, for he had seen a Dove fly out of the hole the other day." 

 This settled the question that it really was the Stock Dove. 

 However, to make it more certain, I wished to see the bird come 

 out of the hole myself, upon which he replied, " your bed room 

 looks upon the tree, and by getting up early in the morning you 

 will see one of the birds sitting on the tree close by." I fol- 

 lowed his adWce, and, rising early, I saw the bird leave the hole 

 and fly to a tree near, and after pausing awhile it flew right 

 away : in about half an hour it returned and went into the hole. 

 The Stock Dove is considered by naturalists to be a very shy 

 bird, and I can bear testimony to this fact, for the bird made 

 many movements fi'om tree to tree before it reached the branch 

 in which the nest was. I felt sure that the bird saw me through 

 the window, although I kept very quiet and made no movement. 

 After breakfast my friend got a ladder to get up to the hole to 

 make certain tliat tlie nest was there. As soon as the ladder was 

 placed against the tree, three birds flew out; one fell to the 

 ground and the others flew away. The bird that fell to tlie 

 ground was a young bird, with its right wing injured probably 

 by some Jackdaw wanting a dinner, and thinking the young 

 Dove would be a nice tender bit. 



I may mention that a fourth bird flew from the same Elm tree 

 but from anotlicr hole a little lower down the stem, whicli was 

 about one foot six incites deep, and at the bottom of which lay 

 two wliite eggs, undoubtedly those of another Stock Dove, mak- 

 ing three nests in the same locality. 



I had never seen this species in the first plumage before ; a 

 short description therefore will not be out of place : — lUU dusky, 

 the upper mandible tipped with white ; feet, toes, and claws the 

 same colour as the bill : these parts in the mature birds are red. 

 All the plumage is of a blue-grey, rump a little paler, bastard 



