cross-beams in an old church tower ! The rock-dove haunts 

 deep caverns worn out of the cliffs, both inland and on the 

 coast. But one can never be certain that one is watching 

 really wild birds. Certain it is that most of the " rock- 

 doves " one sees are domesticated birds run wUd. This 

 is the ancestor of our dove-cote birds, from some of which, 

 those with a white rump and two black wing-bars, they 

 cannot be distinguished. It is on accoiint of this ancestry 

 that our domesticated pigeons never alight in trees. They 

 are inherently cliff dwellers. The turtle-dove is a summer 

 visitor to the British Islands. The cinnamon-brown of its 

 back, bluish ash-grey head, wing-coverts and rump, the patch 

 of black on its neck, and the fan-shaped tail, tipped with 

 white, readily distinguish it from the other three species just 

 described. 



Where the summer holidays are spent by the sea — ^in 

 places where there are no bands, piers, " promenades," and 

 other abominations of "civilization" — one may spend 

 delicious hours watching some of our " wading-birds." On 

 such parts of the coast as have a rocky shore one may be sure 

 of finding the handsome oyster-catcher, a black-and-white 

 bird, with a long red beak, and flesh-coloured legs. His 

 loud, shrill " wheep-wheep " seems to harmonize perfectly 

 with his wild surroundings. His striking coloration, shrill 

 note, and swift powerful flight, make , confusion with any 



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