38 BIRD WATCHING 



" Most interesting aerial nuptial evolutions of the 

 male and female stock-dove. — They navigate the air 

 together, following each other in the closest manner, 

 one being, almost all the while, just above the other, 

 their wings seeming to pulsate in time as soldiers 

 (if sweet birds will forgive such a simile) keep step. 

 Now they rise, now sink, making a wide, irregular 

 circle. Both seem to wish, yet not to wish, to 

 touch, almost, yet not quite, doing so, till, when 

 very close, the upper one drops lightly towards the 

 one beneath him, who sinks too ; yet for a moment 

 you hear the wings clap against each other. This 

 sounds faintly, though very perceptibly ; but the 

 distance is great, and it must really be loud. Every 

 now and again the wings will cease to vibrate, and 

 the two birds sweep through the air on spread 

 pinions, but, otherwise, in the manner that has been 

 described. I must have watched this continuing for 

 at least a quarter of an hour before they sunk to the 

 ground together, still maintaining the same relative 

 position, and with quivering wings as before. Here, 

 however, something distracted me, the glasses lost 

 them, and I did not see them actually alight. Another 

 pair rise right from the ground in this manner,* one 

 directly above the other, quiver upwards to some 

 little height, then sweep off on spread pinions, follow- 

 ing each other, but still at slightly different elevations. 

 They overtake one another, quiver up still higher, 

 with hardly an inch between them, then suddenly, 

 with an, as it were, ' enough of this,' sweep apart and 

 float in lovely circles, now upwards now downwards. 

 As they do this another bird rushes through the air 

 * But I did not see what they were doing before they rose. 



