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Tht Ring-Dove in its usual haunt is a shy and wary bird, it is 
mor« frequently heard than seen. Through the spring and summer 
its low sweet crooning love song may be heard in almost any wood- 
land, while its noisy departure when startled gives one the idea of it 
almost < r siting through the overhead foliage. Strangely enough 
this bird has of recent years become a denizen of the parks of London, 
and the countryman is astonished to see his native Cushat, usually 
so shy and wary, here tame and confiding, so much so, as to actually 
take food from the outstretched hand 
The nest of the Ring-Dove is frequently placed on the branch of 
a fir tree though it will select ivy covered trees and various other 
sites. It is built rudely of a few dried twigs, and is frequently so 
loosely constructed as to show from below, through the interstices 
of its frame, the two white eggs which it contains. 
Rook. — The Rook, often erroneously called the Crow, is one of the 
most familiar and widely distributed of British birds. It is to be 
found everywhere, save in the outer islands, and even to those spots 
is occasionally a visitor. The plumage of the Rook, as seen in the 
sunshine of early spring, has a rich dark blue gloss ; the length 
of the bird is seventeen inches, and in the mature form, the face is 
devoid of feathers, giving it an unsightly and almost repulsive look. 
As is well known, the Rook is gregarious, both in winter and during 
the nesting season, which begins early in March, at which time they 
build their nests in colonies, known as rookeries. In the main the 
rook is undoubtedly the farmer’s friend, ridding his ground of the 
grubs of many destructive insects. The eggs are three to five in 
number, pale green in ground colour, spotted and blotched with 
blackish brown. 
Snipe, Common. — In size the Common Snipe occupies an inter- 
mediate place between the Great Snipe and the Jack Snipe. Its 
length is some ten inches, and its chief characteristic is its long bill, 
which measures about three inches, or not far short of one-third of 
its total length. When in flight it appears to be a dark brown bird, 
but on close examination its plumage is found to be of a rich brown, 
each feather centred with glossy black, and in certain parts, particu- 
larly the tail coverts and tail itself, the colour is exquisitely delicate 
and beautiful. The eye of the Snipe is placed very far back on the 
head, and this is no doubt to enable the bird to freely indulge in the 
probing of the soft mud of river bank and pool edge, which is the 
means by which it finds its food. This consists chiefly of worms, in 
the capture of which it is guided by a delicate and wonderfully con- 
structed nerve which extends down the whole length of its bill. 
The Snipe is resident in our Isles, and breeds in many counties, 
chiefly in Ireland and in Scotland. Its numbers are, however, enor- 
mously increased in winter when an invasion from north and east 
takes place to our shores. It is a bird much valued by the sports- 
man, more on account of the difficulty of bagging it, than for its 
edible properties, the bird being so small. When the Snipe is 
flushed it rises with a shrill cry of “ Scape,” “ Scape,” in rapid zig- 
zags until at a little distance from the intruder, when it makes off in 
a straight line at high speed. The nest of the Snipe is placed upon 
the ground, usually in a tuft of grass or sedge, the depression is 
lined with grass, and contains four pear-shaped eggs, often very hand- 
some, the ground colour stone spotted and blotched with rich black. 
Sparrow-Hawk. — This bold raptorial bird is resident with us 
during the year, and despite the most persistent persecution of the 
species by the game-keeper over the length and breadth of the land, 
