2022 Birds. 



long snows they become more bold, and, flocking together like ring doves, repair to 

 turnip and cabbage fields, and it must be acknowledged are serious depredators. Ow- 

 ing to their light and delicate plumage, they have a very pretty appearance as they 

 rove from field to field. On these occasions they sometimes are accompanied by rooks 

 and starlings, but it is not often that the two pigeons are seen together. They remain 

 the year round in considerable numbers, but towards autumn, when beech-mast and 

 acorns are ripe, receive very considerable accessions to their numbers. The greater 

 part of these visitors again depart in a few weeks ; but it is very remarkable that they 

 suit the time of their coming exactly to that period when wild fruits are ripe : they 

 are therefore sooner or later, according to the state of the season. In spring they 

 commit serious damage to clover and young seeds, taking the youngest and freshest 

 leaves as they spring from the ground. The stock dove invariably builds in the old and 

 weather-worn trees in our parks ; at least I have never known an instance of one 

 building beyond the outskirts of those places ; neither have I ever seen it, like the 

 ring dove, place its nest on the bough of a tree, but always in the bowels of one, either 

 on a projecting ledge of wood or deeply in a hole, oftentimes some feet in length. 

 They build about the third or fourth week in April, but I have generally found them 

 in the first week in May, sitting on eggs pretty well advanced towards incubation. 

 Eggs rather smaller than those of the ring dove, and white. The nest is composed of 

 dead oak twigs outwardly, and lined with strips of the inner rind of the bark of trees, 

 blades of grass dried, bits of withered fern, and a good profusion of the cast-off hair 

 from fallow deer. The birds sit close, and will not leave the nest until the intruder is 

 at the root of the tree, and when they find themselves detected endeavour to steal away 

 more cautiously than the ring dove. Fine weather and a favourable season will some- 

 times induce the stock dove to breed very early. On April 7th, 1845, 1 saw a young 

 bird shot, which, from its remarkable tameness, the tenderness of its feet and youth- 

 ful appearance of the feathers, seemed to have but just left the nest. If startled while 

 feeding, they immediately wing their way to the woods and bury themselves in seclu- 

 sion. The cooing is more pleasing than musical, and yet where these birds are nume- 

 rous their voices blend very harmoniously with the mellower notes of the blackbird, the 

 wild polyglot of the song thrush, and a hundred other sweet sounds which enliven the 

 fine old domains which they frequent. — John Joseph Briggs ; King's Newton, Mel- 

 bourne, Derbyshire, January 18, 1848. 



Early Nesting of Ring Doves (Columba Palumbus). — In the spring of 1845 a pair 

 of ring doves hatched very early at Roydon. I forget the exact date, but one of the 

 young was found dead below the nest while the ground was hard with permanent frost. 

 The winter broke up about March 15th, and this was therefore prior to that day. The 

 other bird arrived at maturity. The nest was made in the thick branches of a Phyl- 

 lyrea— H. T. Frere ; Aylsham, 1847. 



Anecdote of a Turtle Dove (Turtur migratorius). — In August, 1846, an adult bird 

 of this species came and fed with the pigeons at my father's, Rear-Admiral H. G. 

 Morris, at Beverley. This it continued to do for several weeks, and from never being 

 disturbed became tolerably tame. It continued to feed with the pigeons till the cold 

 weather arrived, in October, when, on one or two occasions, it took refuge at night in 

 the pigeon-boxes : fearing the cold might be too severe for it, it was caught, and was 

 kept in the kitchen all the winter ; in the spring it was turned out, and after a few 

 days disappeared, and has not been seen since. It was in most beautiful plumage 

 when caught, and by the end of winter got very tame. I do not think it was one that 



