THE ZENAIDA DOVE. 121 
tempt al drawing had been from the preserved 
specimen of a dove. Of this he had often bee» 
reminded, too young at the time of his first essay 
to remember it in after years himself. 
The Zenaida dove, a visitor to East Florida 
from the West India Islands, is remarkable for 
the indescribably plaintive tenderness of its 
cooing. So touching is its utterance, that evea 
to the heart, hardened hy a life of crime, it is 
‘resistible. 
A notorious pirate, linked with a band of 
desperadoes, who menaced the Florida coast, 
chancing to hear its soft melancholy notes, 
lingered till feelings to which he‘had long been 
a stranger, subdued his spirit, and melted it to 
repentance. It was effectual too, for, resolved to 
lead a different career for the future, at the cost 
of difficulty and danger, he effected his escape, 
and returned like the prodigal to a rejoicing 
home. 
The male bird which first appears in Florida, 
may be heard coding for his companion for about 
a week before she arrives. They choose for 
their resting place spots thickly covered with 
grasses and low shrubs, in the heart of which 
they form their nests, glad if protected in ad- 
dition by a hedge of sturdy mangroves. This 
meek, unambitious bird seldom soars high, and 
when crossing the sea flies close over the surface 
- 11 
