that lie met with immense flocks of this Dove in the 

 neighbourhood of the Sierra Nevada, but I cannot recall 

 an instance of having noticed it at more than the distance 

 of a mile or two from the sea. In all the localities in 

 which I have met with this species it is resident, and, so 

 far as I have observed, it generally feeds within a short 

 distance of its accustomed haunts. Although the Rock- 

 Dove generally nests on the ledges of caves, I have found 

 the eggs more than once laid upon the ground, with 

 very scanty bedding, amongst large stones, and we found 

 several nests amongst the extraordinary chaos of rocks 

 that lie scattered in masses in the Straits of Bonifacio, 

 in situations easily reached without leaving our boat. 

 In one or two instances I found fragments of samphire, 

 sorrel, and wild cabbage in the crops of this bird, but 

 their usual food appears to consist mainly of the seeds 

 of various weeds and, when they can get it, of corn. 

 The only birds with which the Rock-Dove seems habi- 

 tually to consort, when searching for food, are Starlings 

 and Choughs. I never saw a Rock-Dove perch on tree 

 or bush, in fact, in my experience it seldom frequents 

 any but the most treeless districts. From the fact of 

 having shot well-fledged young Rock -Doves in the 

 beginning of May, and found incubated eggs in August, 

 I presume that these birds breed several times in the 

 year, as is the case with all the European species of the 

 Pigeon-family. 



