256 
THE NATURAL HISTORY 
[LETT. 
own pigeoii-lioiise ; hoping thereby, if he could bring about a 
coalition, to enlarge his breed, and teach his own doves to beat 
out into the woods and to support themselves by mast ; the plan 
was plausible, but something always interrupted the success ; 
for though the birds were usually hatched, and sometimes grew 
to half their size, yet none ever arrived at maturity. I myself 
have seen these foundlings in their nest displaying a strange 
ferocity of nature, so as scarcely to bear to be looked at, and 
snapping with tlieir bills by way of menace. In short, they 
always died, perhaps from want of proper sustenance ; but the 
owner thought that by their fierce and wild demeanour they 
frighted their foster-mothers, and so were starved. 
Virgil, as a familiar occurrence, by way of simile, describes a 
dove haunting the cavern of a rock in such engaging numbers, 
that I cannot refrain from quoting the passage : — 
" Qualis spelunca siibito coinmota Colnmba, 
Cui doinus, et dulces latebroso in pumice nidi, 
Fertur in arva volans, plausumque exterrita pennis 
Dat tecto ingentem — inox aere lapsa quieto, 
Radit iter liquidiim, celeres neque commovet alas." 
(ViRG. ^^n. V. 213— 217.) 
" As when a dove her rocky hold forsakes, 
Roused, in a fright her sounding wings she shakes ; 
The cavern rings with clattering : — out she flies, 
And leaves her callow care, and cleaves the skies ; 
At lirst she flutters : — but at length she springs 
To smoother flight, and shoots upon her wings." 
(Dryden's Translation.) 
Seleorne, Nov. 30, 1780. 
