35G 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, August 31, 1858. 
existence. Acting under the conviction that the food supplied 
by the old Wood Pigeons would have been of a far more 
herbaceous character than that of my domestic Pigeons, I fed 
the old birds purposely on green Peas and wild seeds, taken 
directly from the growing plants, during the whole time occu¬ 
pied by incubation, hoping I had discovered the cause leading 
to my former disappointments, and should now, therefore, 
obtain a more successful issue ; but it proved otherwise, for 
the same fate also awaited these nests. 
I then applied myself assiduously to rearing birds by hand 
(as my tame Pigeons refused to feed them), taken from the 
nests of the wild Wood Pigeons when partially feathered. If 
pretty well plumed when first taken, I experienced not the 
slightest difficulty in rearing every bird, and bringing them 
up, to all appearances, as perfect and as healthy as they would 
naturally have been, if never interfered with in their native 
trees. If, however, they came into my possession before 
they were tolerably fledged, invariably distortion of the bones 
of both legs and wings ensued : even if reared, they remained 
permanently crippled, and, therefore, very unsightly. 
I thus, by carefully ‘‘ cramming,” during one year, raised 
about a dozen pairs of young ones, all possessing constitutions 
as robust as could be desired. They moulted to very perfect 
adult plumage, and remained, by constant kind and attentive 
treatment, tolerably tame. Rut my Pigeons cared not to as¬ 
sociate with them. 
They paired throughout early the following spring, except 
two odd cocks, that I at once removed altogether, placing my 
Wood Pigeons alone in two aviaries, of about fifteen feet 
square, and which had the advantage of many bushes growing 
in them, having been previously used, for many years, for the 
purpose of breeding Chinese Golden and Silver Pheasants. 
They thus escaped any annoyance from Pigeons ; and pieces 
of old besoms, ling, and small branches from beech trees, 
were liberally supplied them. The different couples appeared 
“ to pair” very fondly, fed each other, carried about the ma¬ 
terials for nesting, but never actually built, nor proceeded to 
lay. Both morning and evening, their peculiar cooings were 
incessant; and, being in the most perfect plumage, at such 
times they bore a very handsome appearance, the cocks 
“ showing” to their respective mates very similarly to 
Pigeons. 
Finding every effort useless, and some neighbours com¬ 
plaining of <{ the constant roio the birds made every morning, 
even before it was light, to the prohibition of their morning’s 
nap j” and, as the complainants evidently were not the per¬ 
sonal advocates of early rising, to keep good neighbourhood, 
I sent them all away. One pair I gave to a gentleman, 
who possessed an aviary of an unusual construction. It con¬ 
sisted of a piece of ground about eighteen feet square, between 
two high outbuildings, the back being also a plain wall, 
perhaps three stories high : the top and front was of netting, 
gas-tarred, to prevent rotting; and a larch fir, with well- 
grown branches, stood somewhat centrally. They had not 
been there more than a month before they built, on a prin¬ 
cipal branch, a nest exactly similar to the wild birds, so often 
to be met with in our woods. They hatched and reared two 
young ones, each bird taking part in the duties of both incu¬ 
bation and feeding. Before the young ones were quite ready 
to leave the nest, they built another, within about a yard of 
the former one ; but, just as the two eggs were laid, the pre¬ 
viously hatched Wood Pigeons left their nest. This event 
seems to have disturbed their family arrangements altogether, 
for they immediately began to pull away all portions of the 
nest rendered foul by the nestlings just flown; and strange to 
say, notwithstanding abundance of materials for nests lay pur¬ 
posely scattered about for their particular use, they repaired 
their original one by tearing to pieces the nest just built, and 
actually letting the eggs fall without the slightest observation 
on their part. The eggs were of course broken, and at once 
devoured by the Pheasants that were kept with them. They 
now again laid, and this time also reared a couple of 
youngsters. Late in the season, they again brought out a 
single bird, from a nest of two eggs ; but, singularly enough, 
this latter proved to be a cripple, similar to those referred to, 
at the commencement of this narration, as taken when un¬ 
fledged. 
The next year the same result ensued, as to the last bird. 
Iwo or three pairs were reared the following year, but all in 
the originally built nest; nor did the old birds ever again 
attempt to build another. 
They now took to beating all their young from the tree, 
and the Pheasants naturally maltreated them even still more 
upon their alighting near the ground; so that continued per¬ 
secution was their daily lot, to which several birds, thus fed, 
fell victims. 
Their end was unfortunate. One night some thieves cut 
through the network, and killed and took away all the 
Pheasants, as well as all the Wood Pigeons, save the old cock 
bird. He was heard cooing most noisily in the morning, 
although midwinter (a time of year when usually silent) ; and 
a servant, who went to see what was the matter, frightened 
the poor bird out of his home, by the very aperture made by 
the thieves. He flew as well as any wild bird could do, but 
for many days frequently came back to the top of his late 
habitation, calling for his lost companions in great distress, 
although he would not enter. He now roosted in an elm tree 
closely adjoining the aviary, but after about eight or nine days 
never returned, nor could any further tidings be obtained 
respecting him. 
What I have just written suggests some curious matters for 
a naturalist’s consideration. The reasons to be advanced for 
such varied results I confess myself unable to assign. The 
old Wood Pigeons, that reared their young so successfully 
in complete confinement, were fed on precisely the same 
description of food as the tame Pigeons I endeavoured to 
induce to act as foster-parents, yet nothing could be more 
contrary than the issues. A cripple, being the uniform 
result of the last batch from the Wood Pigeons each season, 
might possibly arise from a weakened habit of body in the 
parents just prior to moulting, as being a common occurrence 
throughout most domesticated creatures (leaving the offspring 
distorted in the bones, with considerable enlargement of the 
joints), where the parents want constitution and robust 
health. It is evident, from whatever cause, that young Wood 
Pigeons, in their earliest days, require some peculiar nourish¬ 
ment, not afforded by common Pigeons. 
The above is the only instance, that I know of, where Wood 
Pigeons have bred in close confinement; and it will be seen they 
will not associate with Pigeons, nor yet breed in boxes , being | 
strictly arboreal in their habits. 
Years back, 1 have frequently bred the Stock Dove in con¬ 
finement, in large aviaries, unmolested by other birds, and in 
boxes provided purposely as nesting places. 
The Turtle Dove I have also bred in an aviary, the parents 
selecting a branch of a wall tree for the purposes of a nest. I 
have also raised hybrids from the Barbary Dove and the 
Turtle Dove. Strange to say, these latter birds built re-, 
peatedly in a box, but never laid at all. 
I have thus jotted down my own experience for the con¬ 
sideration of your correspondent, and now conclude with the 
suggestion, that, to an amateur, these trials to subdue nature 
yield much pleasure, but little gain.— Edward Hewitt, 
Sparlc Brook , Birmingham. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Prize Game Chickens.-- At the Crystal Palace Poultry Show, just 
passed, I found, from your report, that a W. Bentley, of Sclioles, 
Yorkshire, obtained the third prize for Game chickens (Black-breasted 
and other Reds). Could you let me know, in your “ Answers to 
Correspondents,” whether the pen I speak about, was yellow-legged, 
or dark-legged ?— Tiios. Bottomley. 
[We have no (means of ascertaining, nor do we know any one who 
could give the information. So far as our recollection serves us, and 
we are almost sure we are right, they were dark-legged, hut we could 
not say whether they were willow or blue. We have little doubt, but 
we are not positive.] 
LONDON MARKETS. —August 30th. 
POULTRY. 
We have only to remark that Grouse are moderately plentiful, but 
piincipally from the English moors. Yery choice birds make good 
prices, but inferior ones sell badly. 
Each. 
Large Fowls ... 
4s. 6c?. to 5s. 0 d. 
Leveret3. 
.. 2s, 0 d. to 3s. 
6 d. 
Small ditto. 
3 0 „ 3 6 
Grouse. 
.. 2 0 „ 3 
9 
Chickens. 
20 ,,26 
Pigeons . 
..0 8 ,, 0 
9 
Geese . 
6 0 „ 6 6 
Rabbits . 
.. 13 „ 1 
4 
Ducks. 
2 0 „ 3 0 
Wild ditto.... 
..0 7 „ 0 
8 
Each. 
