336 
Birds. 
everywhere for his mate, came and mournfully perched 
upon the wonted trough, waiting patiently for her to 
repair thither in order to get food ; but, after two days 
of unavailing expectation, he, by spontaneous abstinence, 
pined and died on the place. Such examples are not 
common ; and we believe that, when not domesti- 
cated, the appearance of another female, in the time of 
coupling, sets at defiance all natural propensity to con- 
stancy, and puts an end to the much-famed disconsolate 
widowhood. Their general colour is a bluish grey ; the 
breast and neck of a whitish purple, with a ringlet of 
beautiful white feathers with black edges about the sides 
of the neck. Nothing can express the sensation which 
is excited in a feeling mind when the tender and sweetly 
plaintive notes of the Turtle Dove breathe from the 
grove on a beautiful spring evening : 
" Deep in the wood, thy voice I list, and love 
Thy soft complaining song, thy tender cooing; 
Oh, what a winning way thou hast of wooing, 
Gentlest of all thy race — sweet Turtle Dove ! 
Thine is a note which doth not pass away 
Like the light music of a summer's day ; 
Hushing the voice of mirth, and staying folly. 
And waking in the breast a gentle melancholy." 
Inglbs. 
