The Western Mourning Dove 
solemn tenderness of the Mourning Dove, but they are such as have 
never loved, or who, having loved, have seen life’s wine turned into 
vinegar. They do not wish to remember. For forgetfulness and indiffer¬ 
ence are alike impossible 
for those who listen. 
Wheeew hewh heeeeoooo 
hewh heeeeoooo. Voice of 
the heart! the heart ex¬ 
pressive, yet forever 
unexpressed; achieving, 
yet forever uncontent; 
aspiring and forever 
aiming higher, higher, 
higher! Voice of the 
spirit art thou, O gentle 
bird! Wheeew hewh 
heeeeoooo hewh heeeeoooo. 
These familiar, long 
drawn “mourning” 
notes are uttered only 
by the male, and for all 
their tenderness they 
have a penetrating qual¬ 
ity, which makes them 
one of the most insistent 
elements in the chorus of 
springtime. Besides these the birds make no other sound, unless we count 
a musical wing-note which is made when suddenly taking flight, and which 
is so distinct that one can never be quite satisfied that it is not a vocal out¬ 
cry. The same note, moderated, is heard in mid-flight, and also with 
renewed force when the birds are checking their flight or alighting; and it 
is so exactly timed with the wing movement that we must conclude its 
external origin. 
The Wild Doves are model lovers and are chiefly known for their 
domesticity. During the mating season they sometimes vary the monot¬ 
ony of the ordinary whistling flight by sailing about in graceful curves on 
stiffened, noiseless wings. There is always an abundance of billing and 
cooing; and love-making, it is to be feared, often interferes somewhat 
with the practical side of housekeeping. At least the young wife is not a 
good house-builder, although she may be, and doubtless is, a kind mother. 
A Dove’s nest is the symbol of frailty. A few careless sticks or straws 
are laid together in a platform, and lodged at a moderate height in the 
Il6l 
Taken in San Luis Obispo County Photo by the Author 
ON NEST IN MONTEREY CYPRESS 
