CAROLINA PIGEON. ^9 



of the vine, in an orchard, on the horizontal branches of an 

 apple tree, and, in some cases, on the ground. It is composed 

 of a handful of small twigs, laid with little art, on which are 

 scattered dry fibrous roots of plants ; and in this almost flat 

 bed are deposited two eggs of a snowy whiteness. The male 

 and female unite in feeding the young, and they have rarely 

 more than two broods in the same season. 



The flesh of this bird is considered much superior to that 

 of the wild pigeon ; but its seeming confidence in man, the 

 tenderness of its notes, and the innocency attached to its 

 character, are with many its security and protection ; with 

 others, however, the tenderness of its flesh, and the sport of 

 shooting, overcome all other considerations. About the com- 

 mencement of frost, they begin to move off to the south ; 

 numbers, however, remain in Pennsylvania during the whole 

 winter. 



The turtle dove is twelve inches long, and seventeen inches 

 in extent ; bill, black ; eye, of a glossy blackness, surrounded 

 with a pale greenish blue skin ; crown, upper part of the neck 

 and wings, a fine silky slate blue ; back, scapulars, and lesser 

 wing-coverts, ashy brown ; tertials spotted with black ; 

 primaries, edged and tipt with white ; forehead, sides of the 

 neck, and breast, a pale brown vinous orange ; under the ear- 

 feathers, a spot or drop of deep black, immediately below 

 which the plumage reflects the most vivid tints of green, 

 gold, and crimson ; chin, pale yellow ochre ; belly and vent, 

 whitish ; legs and feet, coral red, seamed with white ; the 

 tail is long and cuneiform, consisting of fourteen feathers ; the 

 four exterior ones, on each side, are marked with black, about 

 an inch from the tips, and white thence to the extremity ; 

 the next has less of the white at the tip ; these gradually 

 lengthen to the four middle ones, which are wholly dark slate; 

 all of them taper towards the points, the two middle ones 

 most so. 



The female is an inch shorter, and is otherwise only dis- 

 tinguished by the less brilliancy of her colour ; she also wants 



