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THE CAROLINA TURTLE-DOVE. 
Ectopistes carolinensis, Linn. 
PLATE COLXXXYI. — Males and Females. 
I have tried, kind reader, to give you a faithful representation of two 
as gentle pairs of Turtles as ever cooed their loves in the green woods. I 
have placed them on a branch of Stuartia, which you see ornamented with a 
profusion of white blossoms, emblematic of purity and chastity. 
Look at the female, as she assiduously sits on her eggs, embosomed 
among the thick foliage, receiving food fr.om the bill of her mate, and 
listening with delight to his assurances of devoted affection. Nothing is 
wanting to render the moment as happy as could be desired by any couple 
on a similar occasion. 
On the branch above, a love scene is just commencing. The female, still 
coy and undetermined, seems doubtful of the truth of her lover, and virgin- 
like resolves to put his sincerity to the test, by delaying the gratification of 
his wishes. She has reached the extremity of the branch, her wings and 
tail are already opening, and she will fly off to some more sequestered spot, 
where, if her lover should follow her with the same assiduous devotion, 
they will doubtless become as blessed as the pair beneath them. 
The Dove announces the approach of spring. Nay, she does more — she 
forces us to forget the chilling blasts of winter, by the soft and melancholy 
sound of her cooing. Her heart is already so warmed and so swelled by 
the ardour of her passion, that it feels as ready to expand as the buds on 
the trees are, under the genial influence of returning heat. 
The flight of this bird is extremely rapid, and of long duration. When- 
ever it starts from a tree or the ground, on being unexpectedly approached, 
its wings produce a whistling noise, heard at a considerable distance. On 
such occasions, it frequently makes several curious windings through the 
air, as if to prove its capability of efficient flight. It seldom rises far above 
the trees, and as seldom passes through dense woods or-forests, but prefers 
following their margins, or flying about the fences and fields. Yet, during 
spring, and particularly whilst the female is sitting on her eggs, the male 
rises as if about to ascend to a great height in the air, flapping his wings, but 
all of a sudden comes downwards again, describing a large circle, and sailing 
smoothly with wings and tail expanded, until in this manner he alights on 
