House Pigeons Perching Upon Trees. 33 



And noting the difference in their habits, we again 

 find a parallelism of gradation. The Ring makes its 

 nest upon the branches of trees, the Stock in the cavities 

 of their trunks, and, as we have seen, also on ledges, 

 while the Rock is exclusively a bird of the cliffs. 



Though so near akin and so much alike, nature has 

 certainly adapted each of these birds to a different mode 

 of existence ; but stranger far is the graduated approxi- 

 mation in their habits, combined with that in size, colour, 

 and markings. It is indeed strikingly singular. 



HOUSE PIGEONS PERCHING UPON TREES. 



On one occasion, while out for a drive, I observed 

 several birds of large bulk perched upon the topmost 

 branches of a tall elm. Their size, shape, and attitudes 

 proclaimed them pigeons, and I, of course, came to the 

 conclusion they were Quests ; but as my carriage came 

 under the tree, which stood by the side of the road, and 

 the birds still kept to their perch, showing no shyness 

 nor sign of alarm, I scanned them more carefully. Wild 

 pigeons, whether Ring-doves or Stocks — Rocks they could 

 not be, roosting on a tree — would not stay such near 

 approach of man — certainly not in this, the winter season. 



On scrutiny, they proved to be none of the wild 

 species, but simply House pigeons, that had taken a 

 fancy to curve their claws around a tree branch instead 

 of standing with them flattened out on ridge-tile or cope- 

 stone. There were about [a dozen of them, the tree on 

 which they were perched, — seeming perfectly at home 



D 



