BRITISH WILD PIGEONS. 33 



Ring-doves, scouring the country in search of 

 food. In the air it is difficult to distinguish 

 between the two species ; but, if closely ob- 

 served, the Stock-dove is seen to be the smaller 

 bird, and to fly with greater lightness and 

 speed than the Ring-dove. The birds alight 

 in the same feeding-grounds, though experi- 

 ments have proved that they do not invariably 

 feed upon the same food. For instance, in the 

 case of two birds killed at one shot, the crop of a 

 Ring-dove contained clover-leaves, turnip-tops, 

 and pulp; whilst that of the Stock-dove was 

 without a leaf of clover, but contained a quan- 

 tity of charlock, barley, and the seeds of weeds. 

 From this fact it may be seen that wild 

 pigeons may do good as well as harm. Like 

 the Ring-dove, the Stock-dove is an early 

 breeder. The pairing notes are not so pleasant, 

 being neither so round nor so full as the 

 cooing of the cushat. When the bird breeds 

 in a burrow, only a few sticks or bents 

 are collected, and sometimes the eggs are 

 simply deposited on the dry soil. These are 

 creamy white ; they hatch in about seventeen 

 days ; and the young quickly come to maturity. 

 No sooner do these quit the nest than another 



