34 OUR FRIENDS, THE BIRDS. 
senger has been developed by various races, and many 
instances of its usefulness are known in our own day. 
But, although doves in a wild state are very powerful 
on the wing, they are feeble walkers, as they have very 
small feet and legs. Almost the only notes they utter 
is a gentle cooing. They are so gentle that they are 
used as a symbol of purity, and also of innocence, gen- 
tleness and affection. In Christian art they are an 
emblem of the Holy Spirit, and with an olive branch 
in the mouth one of peace. 
“The Mourning Dove is among the earliest arrivals 
from the south. Laura has a story to tell about a pair 
that built their nest near her house last spring.” 
‘“‘A pair came to our lawn last March. Before the 
snows were entirely gone they were walking about in 
their gentle, graceful way, always together. They 
built a rude nest in the lower limbs of a pine tree just 
over the hydrant. 
‘The last week in April I found two young birds 
in the nest. Both parents fed them in the same way, 
by placing their bills in the mouth of the young and 
giving a shaking motion, which sent the milky, half- 
digested food from the parent’s crop into that of the 
young. 
“They all stayed about the nest for several days, 
and then went away. The last week of July the pair 
returned and used the same nest.” 
‘““What is the difference between Pigeons and 
Doves ?” asked “‘Querist.” 
