64 OUR SOUTHERN BIRDS 



arrival of the Chat or the Thrush as the signal 

 for barefeet, instead of listening to one so reck- 

 less of untimely frosts as our friendly Dove. 



The nest is loosely and carelessly woven of 

 sticks laid in the fork of a tree, scarcely pro- 

 tecting the two white eggs, which sometimes fall 

 out. The young, like those of all doves and 

 pigeons, are fed by regurgitation, that is, with 

 predigested food from the crops of both parents. 

 Their tender, naked bodies cannot be very com- 

 fortable or even safe in such a rudely con- 

 structed lattice-work of twigs, but they have the 

 gentlest care and brooding. Two or three broods 

 are raised in a season. 



Doves, like others of the Pigeon family, are 

 believed to mate for life. Their lover-like ways 

 and refined manners are very pleasing to watch, 

 as they walk about in pairs during the nesting 

 season. Usually they go in pairs, or in small 

 flocks, and never nest in colonies as did the 

 Passenger Pigeon. For this reason it will prob- 

 ably never be exterminated like its ill-fated rela- 

 tive. While in some localities they have become 

 rarer than we could wish," owing to excessive per- 

 secution by hunters, their name has now been 

 removed from the game list and their numbers 

 allowed a gradual increase. 



On the wing, like most Doves and Pigeons, 

 the Carolina Dove is a strong and swift flier, but 



