THE PARROT PIGEON (Phalacroteron Abyssinica).
THE PARROT PIGEON (Phalacroteron Abyssinica).
THE PARROT PIGEON (Phalacroteron Abyssinica).
The Ring-dove, so called on account of the white feathers that partially encircle the throat, is the largest of all the wild Pigeons met with in Europe, the warm and temperate portions of which it frequents in large numbers, only visiting such northern countries as Sweden and Norway during the warm seasons. It is particularly fond of fir plantations, and in these its tender, cooing note may be heard during the entire spring and summer. In England these Pigeons resort to woods, coppices, and enclosed ground; and in winter assemble and roost in large parties on the summits of lofty trees, the ash-tree affording them a very favourite gathering-place. Their food consists of young leaves and seeds of various kinds, according to the season of the year. In spring and summer they subsist principally on the tender leaves of growing plants, and often commit great ravages in fields of beans and peas. Spring-sown corn is also attacked by them, both in the grain and the blade; and as soon as young turnips have put forth their second leaves, they, too, become objects of devastation. As the season advances they visit the corn-fields, especially those in the neighbourhood of their native woods, and seek for oily seeds of all kinds with great eagerness. At the approach of autumn they assemble in small flocks, and resort to oak and beech trees, where acorns and beech-mast, swallowed whole, afford them an abundant and nourishing diet. In winter these small flocks unite, and form larger ones, so large, indeed, that it would appear probable that their numbers are considerably augmented by arrivals from colder climates. Both parents assist in making their strange and carelessly constructed abode, which scarcely deserves to be called a nest, being nothing more than a mere platform of twigs, so loosely put together that the brood is distinctly visible through the interstices. The fork of a branch is usually selected as a resting place for the nest. The eggs, two in number, are long,rough-shelled, and of a glossy white; both ends are of equal breadth. The work of incubation is shared by both parents; the father, in such broods as we have observed, taking his place upon the nest from about nine or ten in the morning till three or four in the afternoon. When first hatched the young are fed with pulp from the crops of the adult birds, and, when older with softened seeds. When strong enough to go forth into the world, each parent takes care of a fledgling, and conducts it into the fields to seek for food on its own account. Towards man these birds exhibit much timidity, and if disturbed whilst brooding often desert their eggs.
THE RING-DOVE, OR WOOD PIGEON (Palumbus torquatus).
THE RING-DOVE, OR WOOD PIGEON (Palumbus torquatus).
THE RING-DOVE, OR WOOD PIGEON (Palumbus torquatus).
The Ring-dove is easily tamed, but very rarely breeds in captivity; and even when reared from the nest, if set at liberty, it at once seeks its native woods, and never voluntarily returns.
In all ages of the world this Dove has been regarded with especial favour, and, as a sacred symbol, is in some countries regarded with particular reverence.
The Himalayan Cushat differs from the European by the neck-patch being clayey buff instead of white, and much contracted in size, also in the less extent of the white border to the primaries. Mr. Blyth also notices that whilst in European birds the green gloss prevails above the neck-patch, and amethystine below, the reverse is the case in the Asiatic race. This Wood Pigeon has only been found in the North-western Himalayas, near Simla, and in the Alpine Punjaub. It visits the salt range and the plains of the Punjaub during winter.
THE STOCK DOVE.
The STOCKDOVE(Columba œnas) is of a deep blue upon the head, throat, upper wings, lower part of back, and rump; the upper portion of the back is deep greyish blue, the region of the crop rich deep red; the rest of the under side pale blue. The quills and ends of the tail-feathers are slate-blue, the wing is decorated with a dark band, and the neck enlivened by the metallic lustre common to the race of Pigeons. The eye is deep brown, the beak pale yellow, with dark flesh-pink base, powdered with white, and the foot pale red. The young resemble the parent birds, but are duller in their colours. The length of this species is from twelve inches to twelve and a half, and its breadth from twenty-five to twenty-six inches; the wing measures eight inches and a half and the tail five inches.
Many authors have regarded this as the same species as the Rock Dove, or as having but trifling differences. Yarrell, however, considers them to be perfectly distinct, both as to habits, voice, plumage, and the localities which they frequent. "The Stock Dove," says this accurate author, "was calledœnas[A]on account of the vinous claret-colour of the plumage of the neck; and Stock Dove, not because it was by some considered to be the origin of our domestic stock, but because it builds in the stocks of trees, particularly such as have been headed down, and have become in consequence rugged and bushy at the top." In more open parts of the country, holes in the ground are selected as breeding-places, especially the burrows of rabbits. When the warreners find the young in a burrow, they fix sticks at the mouth of the hole in such a manner as to prevent the escape of the young, but so as to allow the old birds to feed them. Bishop Stanley refers to this bird's habit of building in holes as illustrative of a passage in Scripture. He says; "In the Eastern countries and the Holy Land, the Wild Pigeons almost invariably prefer such situations to trees, thus confirming the words of the prophet, who speaks of the 'dove that maketh her nest in the sides of the hole's mouth' (Jer. xlviii. 28)."
When the eggs are laid in this manner in deserted burrows, they are either placed on the bare sand or upon a few dried roots, about a yard within the entrance. The Stock Dove also nestles under furze bushes, or in the holes of decayed trees. The eggs are two in number, oval and white, and are laid about the end of March or beginning of April. The food of the Stock Dove is similar to that of the last-mentioned species.
TheColumba œnashas not been found in Scotland. On the continent of Europe it is abundant, visiting the central and northern parts during the summer, and it has been seen in Northern Africa. It is also said to be met with in the Deccan. The harsh and somewhat grunting note of this species is usually uttered while the bird is perching, and is accompanied by considerable inflation of the throat. When in flight its movements are very rapid and noisy, the wings producing a rushing sound, which gradually becomes shriller and clearer, but altogether subsides when the gently hovering motion commences that precedes alighting. So strong is the love of the Stock Dove for its favourite retreat, that even if repeatedly alarmed it returns immediately to its place. The period of incubation commences early in spring, and, if not disturbed, the female produces three broods in the season, the first eggs being deposited by the beginning of April. During the whole time his mate is thus busily engaged, the male bird testifies the greatest devotion, keeping close to her, and constantly uttering his cooing note. Many are the quarrels that ensue between the various couples at this period, for, as each requires an unused hole in some tree wherein to deposit a brood, the demand is usually greater than the supply, and as these localities are also much resorted to by such formidableantagonists as Starlings, Woodpeckers, and Jackdaws, the domestic career of a pair of Stock Doves is by no means one of uninterrupted peace and harmony. This constant change of domicile is rendered necessary by the rapid accumulation of the castings from the young, with which the inmates become so soiled that some time elapses after they have left the nest before the feathers are thoroughly purified; fortunately for the building birds, by the following season, insects of various kinds and the busy Woodpecker have cleared away the refuse from the holes, and made them fit for occupation. We are told that the affection of this species for its brood is so strong that it is almost impossible to force the parent birds away, and that a female Stock Dove will remain to be shot rather than desert her eggs.
THE ROCK DOVE.
The ROCKDOVE(Columba livia)—see Coloured PlateXXVII.—is of a pale greyish hue on the mantle and bright blue on the under side; the head is light slate-blue, the throat deep slate-colour, glistening above with bright blueish green, and on its lower portion with a purple gloss; the rump is white. Two black lines pass across the deep grey wings; the tail-feathers are dark bright blue, tipped with black; those at the exterior are white on the outer web. The eye is sulphur-yellow, the beak black, with a light blue base, and the foot deep blueish red. The sexes are alike, and the young somewhat deeper in their colours than the adult birds. This species is thirteen inches long and twenty-three broad; the wing measures eight inches and one-sixth and the tail four inches and one-third.
The Rock Dove in its natural state inhabits rocky sea-coasts, flying only sufficiently inland to procure food. It is spread over a very wide range of country, being met with as far north as the Faroe Islands, and as far southward as Africa. In Great Britain it is found both on the southern coasts of England and in the east and west of Scotland. In the Orkneys it breeds in the crevices of the rocks, the nests being at such a depth that they are quite out of reach. During the day the Doves associate in flocks and search for food, which consists principally of grain and seeds.
The Rock Dove breeds twice in the season, each brood consisting of two young, generally a male and a female. The eggs are white and of a short oval shape, rather pointed at one end. From this species our Dove-cote Pigeons are derived, and they, like their original progenitors, seldom roost or settle on trees.
The nest of the Rock Dove is a mere heap of straw, dry grass, and twigs, with a slight hollow in its centre for the reception of the eggs, which have a glossy, pure white shell. The female alone builds, but is supplied with materials by her devoted mate, who remains constantly near her both day and night. The blind and unusually helpless young are hatched about sixteen or eighteen days after the eggs are laid, and leave the shell within from twenty-four to thirty-six hours of each other. As with their congeners, the nestlings are at first nourished with pulp from the crops of their parents, then with partially digested seeds, and when fledged, with hard seeds, with the addition of tiny pebbles and bits of clay, to assist the still weak gizzard in the work of trituration. When about a month old the young are strong enough to quit the nest in company with their parents, who, however, soon leave them to their own devices, and at once commence their preparations for a second brood.
"The Blue Pigeon, or Rock Dove of India" says Jerdon, "differs from that of Europe only in having an ash-coloured instead of pure white rump. It is one of the most common and abundant birds, congregating throughout the country in large flocks, and breeding wherever they can find suitable spots. They are most partial to large buildings, such as churches, pagodas, mosques, tombs, and the like, frequently entering verandahs of inhabited houses and building in the cornices. Hollows in walls of cities or towns are favourite places, and in some parts of the country they prefer holes in wells. In default of such spots they will breed in crevices and cavities of rocks, caverns, and sea-side cliffs, and are particularly partial to rocky waterfalls. The celebrated falls of Gaissoppa aretenanted by thousands of Blue Pigeons. These Pigeons are held in respect by most Hindoos, and almost venerated by some, insomuch that if a pair build in the house of a native he considers it a favourable omen."
The CUCKOO PIGEONS (Macropygiæ) constitute a group distinguishable by the slender formation of their bodies, their small heads, long tails, and short wings and feet. These birds are all eminently social in their habits, and frequently keep together in large flocks. All subsist principally upon fruit and seeds, and, in order to obtain these, constantly occupy woods and forests, from whence they occasionally venture forth to seek for food in well-planted gardens and orchards.
THE PASSENGER PIGEON (Ectopistes migratorius).
THE PASSENGER PIGEON (Ectopistes migratorius).
THE PASSENGER PIGEON (Ectopistes migratorius).
THE PASSENGER PIGEON, OR CAROLINA TURTLE-DOVE.
The CAROLINATURTLE-DOVE, or PASSENGERPIGEON(Ectopistes migratorius), a large and well-known member of the above group, inhabiting North America, is very powerfully built, and has a long neck and small head. The medium-sized beak is slenderly formed, and the wing, in which the second quill exceeds the rest in length, long and pointed; the tail is long and graduated, the tarsus strong, but shorter than the centre toe without its claw. The plumage of the mantle isslate-blue and the under side reddish grey; the sides of the throat gleam with violet; the belly and vent are white, the wings black, edged with white; the centre tail-feathers are black, those at the side light grey, marked with greyish brown and black spots at the base of the inner web. The eye is of a brilliant red, the beak black, and the foot crimson. The female is smaller than her mate, with duller plumage, in which greyish brown predominates; her back and rump are whitish grey, and the centre tail-feathers reddish brown. The length of the male is sixteen inches and a quarter, and his breadth twenty-five inches; the wing measures seven inches and two-thirds, and the tail eight inches and one-sixth. In the female, the length is only fifteen and the breadth twenty-three inches. The Carolina Pigeons inhabit the United States during the summer season, from Canada to Florida, and from the sea-coast to the west of the Mississippi. In the Northern and Middle States they are partially migratory. In North and South Carolina they assemble in flocks during the winter, sometimes of many hundred individuals, but in the spring they return northward, and most frequently fly in pairs, more than three or four being rarely seen together. Their flight is rapid, and generally accompanied by a whistling sound. They frequently circle about, but seldom mount above the trees, visiting the fields for the grain they may be able to glean, and live principally on seeds, acorns, and berries; they are also fond of hempseed and Indian corn. In the winter, when food is scarce, they visit the farmyards, and feed in company with other guests.
The nest is but slightly formed of a few twigs, and lined with dry root-fibres. The eggs, two in number, are snow-white. The young are fed by both parents. More than two broods are seldom produced in the year, sometimes there is only one, but this appears to depend upon the time of laying, which in some parts of the United States begins as early as March, in others not until the middle of May, and on the borders of Lake Superior still later in the year. The usual roosting-places of these birds are among long grass in deserted fields, or dried stalks of corn, amid the stubble, or among the withered foliage of trees. They will return to favourite roosting-grounds from a considerable distance; but though a whole flock often settles in one locality, they seldom roost very near to each other, and if any one approach, even in the darkest night, will at once rise and take flight. The note of the Carolina Turtle Dove is low, plaintive, and repeated at intervals; in the early spring it may be heard among the newly-budding trees of the forest, even at a considerable distance.
"The Passenger Pigeon," writes Audubon, "or, as it is usually named in America, the Wild Pigeon, moves with extreme rapidity, propelling itself by quickly repeated flaps of the wings, which it brings more or less near the body, according to the degree of velocity which is required. Like the Domestic Pigeon, it often flies during the love season in a circling manner, supporting itself with both wings angularly elevated, in which position it keeps them until it is about to alight. Now and then, during these circular flights, the tips of the primary quills of each wing are made to strike against each other, producing a smart rap, which may be heard at a distance of thirty or forty yards. Before alighting, the Wild Pigeon, like the Carolina Parrot and a few other species of birds, breaks the force of its flight by repeated flappings, as if apprehensive of receiving injury from coming too suddenly in contact with the branch or spot of ground on which it intends to settle. I have commenced my description of this species with the above account of its flight because the most important facts connected with its habits relate to its migrations. These are entirely owing to the necessity of procuring food, and are not performed with a view of escaping the severity of a northern latitude, or of seeking a southern one for the purpose of breeding. They, consequently, do not take place at any fixed period or season of the year; indeed, it sometimes happens that a continuance of a sufficient supply of food in one district will keep these birds absent from another for years. I know that in Kentucky they remained for several years constantly, and were nowhere else to be found. They all suddenly disappeared, when the mast was exhausted, and did not return for a long period.
"Their great power of flight enables them to survey and pass over an astonishing extent of country in a very short time. This is proved by facts well known. Thus, Pigeons have been killed in the neighbourhood of New York with their crops full of rice, which they must have collected in the fields of Georgia and Carolina, these districts being the nearest in which they could possibly have procured a supply of that kind of food. As their power of digestion is so great that they will decompose food entirely in twelve hours, they must in this case have travelled between three and four hundred miles in six hours, which shows their average rate of speed to be at about one mile in a minute. A velocity such as this would enable one of these birds, were it so inclined, to visit the European continent in less than three days.
"This great power of flight is seconded by as great a power of vision, which enables them, as they travel at that swift rate, to inspect the country below, discover their food with facility, and thus attain the object for which their journey has been undertaken. This I have also proved to be the case by having observed them, when passing over a sterile district, or one scantily furnished with food suited to them, keep high in the air, flying with an extended front, so as to enable them to survey hundreds of acres at once. On the contrary, when the land is richly covered with food, or the trees abundantly hung with mast, they fly low, in order to discover the part most plentifully supplied."
The innumerable hosts in which the Passenger Pigeon moves, as related by Audubon and Wilson, might seem to be almost fabulous.
"On my way to Frankfort," says the latter writer, "when about one o'clock, the Pigeons which I had observed the greater part of the morning flying northerly began to return in such immense numbers as I had never before witnessed. Coming to an opening by the side of a creek called the Benson, where I had a more uninterrupted view, I was astonished at their appearance. They were flying with great steadiness and rapidity at a height beyond gunshot, in several strata deep, and so close together that could shot have reached them one discharge could not have failed of bringing down several individuals. From right to left, as far as the eye could reach, the breadth of this vast procession extended, seeming everywhere equally crowded. Curious to determine how long this appearance would continue, I took my watch out to note the time, and sat down to observe them. It was then half-past one. I sat for more than an hour, but instead of any diminution of this prodigious procession, it seemed to increase in numbers and rapidity, and, anxious to reach Frankfort before night, I rose and went on. About four o'clock in the afternoon I crossed the Kentucky River, at the town of Frankfort, at which time the living torrent above my head seemed as numerous and as extensive as ever. Long after this I observed them in large bodies, that continued to pass for six or eight minutes, and these again were followed by other detached bodies, all moving in the same direction, till after six in the evening. The great breadth of front which this mighty multitude preserved would seem to intimate a corresponding breadth of their breeding-place."
"In the autumn of 1813," relates Audubon, "I left my house at Henderson, on the banks of the Ohio, on my way to Louisville. In passing over the Barrens, a few miles beyond Hardensburg, I observed the Pigeons flying from north-east to south-west in greater numbers than I had ever seen them before, and feeling an inclination to count the flocks that might pass within reach of my eye in one hour, I dismounted, seated myself on an eminence, and began to mark with my pencil, making a dot for every flock that passed. In a short time, finding the task that I had undertaken impracticable, as the birds poured on in countless multitudes, I rose, and counting the dots that had been put down, found that one hundred and sixty-three had been made in twenty-one minutes. I travelled on, and still met more the farther I proceeded. The air was literally filled with Pigeons; the light of noon-day was obscured as by an eclipse; the dung fell in spots, not unlike melting flakes of snow, and the continued buzz of wings had a tendency to lull my senses to repose.
"While waiting for dinner at Young's Inn, at the confluence of Salt River with the Ohio, I saw at my leisure immense legions still going by, with a front reaching far beyond the Ohio on the west, and the beech-wood forests directly on the east of me. Not a single bird alighted; for not a nut or acorn was that year to be seen in the neighbourhood. They consequently flew so high that different trials to reach them with a rifle proved ineffectual, nor did the reports disturb them in the least. I cannot describe to you the extreme beauty of their aërial evolutions. When a Hawk chanced to press upon the rear of a flock, at once, like a torrent, and with a noise like thunder, they rushed into a compact mass, pressing upon each other towards the centre. In these almost solid masses they darted forward in undulating and angular lines, descended and swept close over the earth with inconceivable velocity, mounted perpendicularly, so as to resemble a vast column, and when high in the air were seen wheeling and twisting within their continued lines, which then resembled the coils of a gigantic serpent.
"Before sunset I reached Louisville, distant from Hardensburg fifty-five miles. The Pigeons were still passing in undiminished numbers, and continued to do so for three days in succession. The people were all in arms. The banks of the Ohio were crowded with men and boys, incessantly shooting at the pilgrims, which there flew lower as they passed the river. Multitudes were thus destroyed. For a week or more the population fed on no other flesh but Pigeons', and talked of nothing but Pigeons.
"It is extremely interesting to see flock after flock performing exactly the same evolutions which had been traced as it were in the air by a preceding flock. Thus, should a Hawk have charged on a group at a certain spot, the angles, curves, and undulations that have been described by the birds in their efforts to escape from the dreaded talons of the plunderer are undeviatingly followed by the next group that comes up. Should the bystander happen to witness one of these affrays, and, struck with the rapidity and elegance of the motions exhibited, feel desirous of seeing them repeated, his wishes will be gratified if he only remain in the place until the next group comes up.
"Perhaps it may not be amiss to make an estimate of the number of Pigeons contained in such a host, and of the amount of food consumed by them. Granting the procession to be a mile broad, which is certainly no exaggeration, and that at a given speed it travels for three hours, we obtain a parallelogram of eighteen square miles, English measure; this, reckoning only two pigeons to the square yard, would give 1,000,115,736,000 individuals in such a flight; and if each Pigeon required daily half a pint of food, the whole multitude would consume 8,712,000 bushels daily. Wilson makes a similar calculation, and arrives at the conclusion that one swarm contains more than 2,000,000,000,000 Pigeons, and requires daily 17,424,000 bushels of corn.
"As soon as the Pigeons discover a sufficiency of food to entice them to alight, they fly round in circles, reviewing the country below. During their evolutions on such occasions, the dense mass which they form exhibits a beautiful appearance as it changes its direction, now displaying a glistening sheet of azure, when the backs of the birds come simultaneously into view, and anon suddenly presenting a mass of rich deep purple. They then pass lower over the woods, and for a moment are lost among the foliage, but again emerge and are seen gliding aloft. They now alight, but the next moment, as if suddenly alarmed, take flight, producing by the flapping of their wings a noise like the roar of distant thunder, and sweep through the forests to see if danger is near. Hunger, however, soon brings them to the ground. When alighted, they are seen industriously throwing up the dead leaves in quest of the fallen mast. The rear ranks are continually rising, passing over the main body, and alighting in front in such rapid succession that the whole flock seems still on the wing. The quantity of ground thus swept is astonishing, and so completely has it been cleared that the gleaner who might follow in their rear would find his labour completely lost.Whilst feeding, their avidity is at times so great that, in attempting to swallow a large acorn or nut, they are seen gaping for a long while as if in the agonies of suffocation.
"On such occasions, when the woods are filled with these Pigeons, they are killed in immense numbers, although no apparent diminution ensues. About the middle of the day, after their repast is finished, they settle on the trees to enjoy rest and digest their food. On the ground they walk with ease, as well as on the branches, frequently jerking their beautiful tail, and moving the neck backwards and forwards in the most graceful manner. As the sun begins to sink beneath the horizon, they departen massefor the roosting-place, which not unfrequently is hundreds of miles distant, as has been ascertained by persons who have kept an account of their arrival and departure.
"Let us now, kind reader," continues Audubon, "inspect their place of nightly rendezvous. One of these curious places, on the banks of the Green River, in Kentucky, I repeatedly visited. It was, as is always the case, in a portion of the forest where the trees were of great magnitude, and where there is little underwood. I rode through it upwards of forty miles, and, crossing it in different parts, found its average breadth to be more than three miles. My first view of it was about a fortnight subsequent to the period when they had made choice of it, and I arrived there nearly two hours before sunset. Few Pigeons were then to be seen, but a great number of persons, with horses and wagons, guns and ammunition, had already established encampments on the borders. Two farmers from the vicinity of Russelsville, distant more than a hundred miles, had driven upwards of three hundred hogs to be fattened on the Pigeons which were to be slaughtered. Here and there the people employed in plucking and salting what had already been procured were seen sitting in the midst of large piles of these birds. The dung lay several inches deep, covering the whole extent of the roosting-place. Many trees, two feet indiameter, I observed were broken off at a great distance from the ground, and the branches of many of the largest and tallest had given way, as if the forest had been swept by a tornado. Everything proved to me that the number of birds resorting to this part of the forest must be immense, beyond conception. As the period of their arrival approached, their foes anxiously prepared to receive them. Some were furnished with iron pots, containing sulphur, others with torches of pine-knots, many with poles, and the rest with guns. The sun was lost to our view, yet not a Pigeon had arrived. Everything was ready, and all eyes were gazing on the clear sky which appeared in glimpses amidst the tall trees. Suddenly there burst forth a general cry of 'Here they come!' The noise which they made, though yet distant, reminded me of a hard gale at sea, passing through the rigging of a close-reefed vessel. As the birds arrived and passed over me, I felt a current of air that surprised me. Thousands were knocked down by the pole-men. The birds continued to pour in. The fires were lighted, and a magnificent, as well as wonderful and almost terrifying sight presented itself. The Pigeons, arriving by thousands, alighted everywhere one above the other, until solid masses were formed on the branches all round. Here and there the perches gave way under the weight with a crash, and, falling to the ground, destroyed hundreds of birds beneath, forcing down the dense groups with which every stick was loaded. It was a scene of uproar and confusion. I found it quite useless to speak, or even to shout to those persons who were nearest to me. Even the reports of the guns were seldom heard, and I was made aware of the firing only by seeing the shooters re-loading. No one dared to venture within the line of devastation. The hogs had been penned up in due time, the picking up of the dead and wounded being left for the next morning's employment. The Pigeons were constantly coming, and it was past midnight before I perceived a decrease in the number of those that arrived. The uproar continued the whole night, and, as I was anxious to know to what distance the sound reached, I sent off a man accustomed to perambulate the forest, who, returning two hours afterwards, informed me he had heard it distinctly when three miles distant from the spot. Towards the approach of day the noise in somemeasure subsided; long before objects were distinguishable the Pigeons began to move off in a direction quite different from that in which they had arrived the evening before, and, at sunrise, all that were able to fly had disappeared. The howling of the wolves now reached our ears, and the foxes, lynxes, cougars, bears, racoons, opossums, and polecats were seen sneaking off, while Eagles and Hawks of different species, accompanied by a crowd of Vultures, came to supplant them, and enjoy their share of the spoil.
"It was then that the authors of this devastation began their entry among the dead, the dying, and the mangled. The Pigeons were picked up and piled in heaps, until each had as many as he could possibly dispose of, when the hogs were let loose to feed on the remainder."
Precisely the same slaughter takes place in the nesting-places of the Passenger Pigeon, and Audubon goes on to describe these localities in the following manner:—
"The breeding of the Wild Pigeons, and the places chosen for that purpose, are points of great interest. The time is not much influenced by season, and the place selected is where food is most plentiful and most attainable, and always at a convenient distance from water. Forest trees of great height are those in which the Pigeons form their nests. Thither the countless myriads resort, and prepare to fulfil one of the great laws of nature. At this period the note of the Pigeon is a soft 'coo-coo-coo-coo,' much shorter than that of the domestic species. The common notes resemble the monosyllables 'kee-kee-kee-kee,' the first being the loudest, the others gradually diminishing in power. The male assumes a pompous demeanour, and follows the female, whether on the ground or on the branches, with spread tail and drooping wings. The body is elevated, the throat swells, the eyes sparkle. He continues his note, and now and then rises on the wing, and then flies a few yards to approach the fugitive and timorous female. Like the Domestic Pigeon and other species, they caress each other by billing, in which action the bill of one is introduced transversely into that of the other, and both parties alternately disgorge the contents of their crops by repeated efforts. These preliminary affairs are soon settled, and the Pigeons commence their nests in peace and harmony. They are composed of a few dry twigs, crossing each other, and are supported by forks of the branches. On the same tree from fifty to one hundred nests may frequently be seen; I might say a greater number, were I not anxious that, however wonderful my account of the Wild Pigeon is, you may not feel disposed to refer it to the marvellous. The eggs are two in number, of a broadly elliptical form, and pure white. During incubation the male supplies the female with food. Indeed, the tenderness and affection displayed by these birds towards their mates, are in the highest degree striking. It is a remarkable fact that each brood generally consists of a male and a female. The young are fed by the parents in the manner described above; in other words, the old bird introduces its bill into the mouth of the young one in a transverse manner, or with the back of each mandible opposite the separations of the mandibles of the young bird, and disgorges the contents of its crop. As soon as the young birds are able to shift for themselves they leave their parents, and continue separate until they attain maturity; by the end of six months they are capable of reproducing their species.
"Here, again, the tyrant of creation, man, interferes, disturbing the harmony of this peaceful scene. As the young birds grow up, their enemies, armed with axes, reach the spot, to seize and destroy all they can. The trees are felled and made to fall in such a way that the cutting of one causes the overthrow of another, or shakes the neighbouring trees so much that the young Pigeons or Squabs, as they are named, are violently hurled to the ground. In this manner also immense quantities are destroyed."
Wilson thus describes the breeding-places in detail:—"When the Passenger Pigeons have frequented one of these places for some time, the appearance it exhibits is surprising. The ground is covered to the depth of several inches with their dung; all the tender grass and underwood destroyed;the surface strewed with large limbs of trees broken down by the weight of the birds clustering one above another; and the trees themselves, for thousands of acres, killed as completely as if girdled with an axe. The marks of this desolation remain for years on the spot, and numerous places could be pointed out where, for several years after, scarcely a single vegetable made its appearance. By the Indians such a breeding-place is considered an important source of national profit and supply during the season, and all their active ingenuity is exercised on the occasion.
"Not far from Shelbyville, in the State of Kentucky, there was one of these breeding-places, which stretching through the woods in nearly a north and south direction, was several miles in breadth, and was said to be upwards of forty miles in extent. In this tract almost every tree was furnished with nests, wherever the branches could accommodate them. The Pigeons made their first appearance there about the tenth of April, and left it altogether with their young before the twenty-fifth of May. As soon as the young were fully grown, and before they left the nests, numerous parties of the inhabitants from all parts of the adjacent country came with wagons, axes, beds, and cooking utensils, many of them accompanied by the greater part of their families, and encamped for several days at this immense nursery. Several of them informed me that the noise in the woods was so great as to terrify their horses, and that it was difficult for one person to make another hear without bawling in his ear. The ground was strewed with broken limbs of trees, eggs, and young Squab Pigeons, which had been precipitated from above, and on which herds of hogs were fattening. Hawks, Buzzards, and Eagles were sailing about in great numbers, and seizing the Squabs from their nests at pleasure; while, from twenty feet upwards to the tops of the trees, the view through the woods presented a perpetual tumult of fluttering and crowding Pigeons, their wings roaring like thunder, mingled with the frequent crash of falling timber, for now the axe-men were at work, cutting down those trees that seemed to be most crowded with nests."
Persons unacquainted with these birds might naturally conclude that such dreadful havoc might soon put an end to the species, "but I have satisfied myself," remarks Audubon, "by long observation, that nothing but the gradual diminution of our forests can accomplish their decrease." In 1805 there came into New York schooners laden in bulk with Pigeons caught up the Hudson River, which were sold for a cent apiece. A man in Pennsylvania caught in a clap-net in one day, upwards of five hundred dozens, sweeping sometimes twenty dozen or more at a single haul; and in the month of March, 1830, they were so abundant in the markets of New York that piles of them met the eye in every direction.
The TURTLE DOVES (Turtures) constitute a very numerous section, whose members are all recognisable by their slender body, small head, long wings and tail, and the comparative length of their feet, which enables them to walk over the surface of the ground. The plumage is usually of a reddish hue, and in most species adorned by a broad line around the throat. This band is either black or spotted black and white.
The various members of this group inhabit almost every portion of the globe, Asia and Africa being particularly rich in species. In their habits they resemble other Pigeons, but are readily distinguished from them by the peculiarities of their flight and cry. The Turtle Doves are of a social disposition, and frequently assemble in large flocks, which fly over large tracts of the surrounding country, after the manner of the Passenger Pigeons of North America, described above. Brushwood or groves of low trees are the situations which they principally frequent, though many species also occupy the moist depths of primeval forests, and evidently prefer such localities as are in the immediate vicinity of water. The carelessly-constructed nest is usually placed in low brushwood, at but a little distance from the ground.
THE TURTLE DOVE.
The TURTLEDOVE(Turtur auritus) possesses a slender body, straight beak, slightly compressed at the tips of both mandibles, long, weak-toed feet, long wings, in which the second and third quills exceed the rest in length, and a very decidedly rounded, long tail. The feathers on the back are brownish grey, edged with brown and spotted with black and grey in the centre; the top of the head and nape are light greyish blue, the sides of the throat adorned with four black streaks, bordered with silvery white; the throat, region of the crop, and upper breast are deep red, the rest of the under side is purplish grey, shading gradually into greyish white; the primary quills are blackish grey, the secondaries greyish blue, the shoulder-feathers of a blackish hue, broadly edged with rust-red. The eye is brownish yellow, the eye-ring blueish red, the beak black, and the foot carmine-red. This species is eleven inches long and nineteen and a half broad; the wing measures six and a half and the tail five inches.
The Turtle Dove is spread over the whole continent of Europe, even very far northward, but is not found within the Arctic Circle. In the autumn it visits the shores of the Mediterranean, going still farther southward as the season advances. It feeds on grain and vegetables, frequenting fields of corn and peas. The note is a soft and mournful "coo," often uttered when the bird is on the ground. The Turtle Dove is merely a summer visitor to the British Islands, arriving in April or May. It is more numerous in the southern and midland than in the northern counties, but it has been seen both in Scotland and Ireland. It frequents woods and fir plantations, and also thick hedges of ploughed fields.
The nest of this species is placed in the forked branch of an oak, in a fir-tree, or near the top of a tall thick bush. Both parents sit by turns, the male sometimes feeding his mate, and both combining to procure food for their young. In England, only one brood is produced during the year. In the autumn, the Turtle Doves fly in parties of ten or twelve, departing at the close of the fine season to winter in Africa.
Jerdontellsus that among the Indian species the Ashy Turtle Dove most resembles that of Great Britain.
The INDIAN RING-DOVES (Streptopelcia) have a shorter and less abruptly rounded tail than that possessed by the members of the above group; the line around the neck completely encircles it, and the general coloration of the plumage is of a lighter shade. They are all remarkably beautiful birds.
THE INDIAN RING-DOVE.
The INDIANRING-DOVE(Streptopelcia risoria) has a somewhat shorter and less decidedly rounded tail than the Turtle Dove. The plumage of this species is principally of creamy yellow, darkest on the back, and with the head, throat, and belly of a light shade; the neck is decorated with a black collar; the quills are of a blackish hue; the eye is light red, the beak black, and the foot carmine-red. The length of this bird is twelve and its breadth twenty inches; the wing measures six inches and a half, and the tail five inches.
The western part of India, Ceylon, Yemen, Arabia, and a great portion of Eastern Africa form the habitat of the Indian Ring-dove. Reichenbach, it is true, discredits the statement of Le Vaillant and other writers who have described this bird as being met with in Africa, and supposes that they mistake for it a nearly-allied species: we can, however, positively assert, on our own experience, that this Ring-dove has been observed not only near Aden, but in Africa, namely, in Samchara and the forests near the Blue River, and that in extraordinary numbers. We are certain we are not mistaken as to the identity of the species, as we killed and closely examined many African specimens in their native haunts, and found them in every respect like such as inhabit Asia.
TURTLE DOVES.
TURTLE DOVES.
TURTLE DOVES.
This species is generally diffused throughout India, where it frequents hedges and trees in the neighbourhood of cultivated districts, and also low bush or reed jungle; it is also found in Ceylon, but is rare in Malabar and the countries east of the Bay of Bengal. Layard notices its partiality for euphorbia bushes, on which, he says, it generally builds its nest.
Like the other Doves, it breeds in the plains at all seasons, it also appears to ascend the hills near Mussoora to breed there in spring. The "coo," says Blyth, is quite different from that of the domestic Turtle Dove, and may be expressed by "kookoo-koo, kookoo-koo."
DWARF PIGEON (Chalcopeleia Afra).
DWARF PIGEON (Chalcopeleia Afra).
DWARF PIGEON (Chalcopeleia Afra).
THE DWARF PIGEON.
The DWARFPIGEON(Chalcopeleia Afra), a small and delicate species found in Africa, represents a group recognisable by their short, rounded tail, high tarsi, and the very remarkable metallic coloration of the upper secondary quills. In this bird the sombre olive-brown mantle is relieved by a yellowish sheen; the top of the head is grey; the brow and throat are whitish; the under side is reddish grey, with belly of a very pale tint, and black rump. The quills are blackish brown, with cinnamon-red roots and inner web; the metallic patches on the plumage gleam with deep blueish black; the centre tail-feathers are olive-brown, and those at the exterior black. The eye is red, the beak blackish, and the foot yellowish red. This species is seven inches and a quarter long. The wing measures four and the tail three inches.
The Dwarf Pigeon inhabits the southern and eastern parts of Africa, rarely appearing, according to our own observations, farther north than sixteen degrees north latitude. Amongst the forests in thevicinity of the Blue River we met with it constantly, as also in the well-wooded valleys of the Samchara and Abyssinian mountains. In these situations it almost invariably frequents the shelter of thick brushwood, never ascending to the summits of lofty trees, and only quitting its leafy concealment for a few minutes at a time, for the purpose of drinking. The immediate vicinity of water is an indispensable necessity to these birds, and where this is to be found they frequently confine their movements within the limits of a few yards, provided the neighbouring bushes and parasitical plants afford them a constant supply of the various seeds upon which they rely for subsistence. In disposition they are peaceful and unsocial, each pair keeping apart, and never congregating even in small parties. Like most members of this family, the male exhibits the utmost tenderness towards his mate. The nest, which is built indifferently in low bushes close to the ground, on fallen tree trunks, or in hollow trees, resembles that of other Pigeons, but is somewhat stronger, and more neatly built. In Soudan the period of incubation commences with the rainy season. The solitary egg we were able to obtain was found on the fourteenth of January, and had a yellowish white shell.
The GROUND PIGEONS pass their entire lives upon the ground, and are remarkable for the length of their legs. These birds have short or moderate-sized wings, and powerful, high tarsi. The tail is variously formed, being sometimes short, quite straight, slightly rounded, or much prolonged, and wedge-shaped. The members of this group are met with in all parts of the globe except the continent of Europe.
The AMERICAN GROUND PIGEONS (Zenaidæ), as Bonaparte has named such of these birds as inhabit America, have a powerful body, short wings, and long, well-developed legs. The various species comprised in this group are met with in all parts of that continent, but are especially numerous in the south. In their general habits they seem to occupy a position intermediate between Pigeons and Rasoreal Birds, and some of them strikingly resemble certain Partridges.
The SINGING DOVES (Melopeleia) have comparatively long wings, a moderate-sized tail, and plumage much resembling that of the Turtle Dove. The region of the eye is bare. Of these the best known is
THE KUKULI.
The KUKULI(Melopeleia meloda) is a species inhabiting South America. This bird has reddish brown plumage, shaded with yellow. The crown of the head is deep brown; the under breast and belly are of greyish hue; the wings dark brown, bordered with greyish white; the tail-feathers blackish grey tipped with white. Under the ear is an oval black spot, and the sides of the neck are decorated with patches of metallic brilliancy. The eye is blackish blue; the eye-ring, or, rather, broad, bare cheek-stripe, is deep blue; the beak black, and the foot red. This species is twelve inches long. The wing measures six inches and three-quarters.
We are without any detailed account of the life of this Pigeon, but are indebted to Tschudi for a short communication respecting it in his "Travels in Peru." "The Kukuli," he writes, "one of the largest species of Pigeon, is a great favourite in this country, and much kept in cages. Its song, which is monotonous, but very melodious, is continued up from the earliest hours of the morning till mid-day, and is re-commenced at sunset. The song consists merely of a threefold repetition of the syllables 'cu-cu-li.' Some of these birds repeat 'cu-cu-li' more than thrice, and their price increases according to the number of their uninterrupted repetitions, which seldom exceed five or six. In Coackacra, however, I heard one of these birds that repeated its 'cu-cu-li' fourteen times, and the owner would not sell his favourite for a less price than fourteen ounces of gold."
The SPARROW PIGEONS (Pyrgitænas), the smallest members of the entire order, are strongly-built birds, with a short neck and small head. Their wings, in which the second quill is the longest, are of medium length; the tail, composed of twelve feathers, is comparatively short, and rounded at its tip; the short beak is straight and delicate, the foot small, and the tarsus bare.
THE SPARROW PIGEON, OR GROUND DOVE.
The SPARROWPIGEON, or GROUNDDOVE, as it is called in North America (Pyrgitænas passerina, orColumba passerina), is principally of a greyish brown, with dark grey crown of head and nape. The rump is dull brownish grey, and the breast whitish; the feathers on the breast and fore part of the throat are edged with deep brown; the quills are dark brown, with brownish red inner web; the tail-feathers black, those at the exterior bordered with white on the outer web; the feathers on the wing-covers are enlivened by round spots of metallic lustre. The eye is bright orange, the beak pale red, deepest in shade at its tip; the foot is reddish brown. The Ground Dove is six inches and a half long, and ten inches and a quarter broad. The wing measures three inches and a quarter, the tail two inches and a third.
This species, which is the smallest, most delicate, and inoffensive of all Doves, is a native of the West Indian Islands and the Southern States of North America. In the northern parts of that continent it visits the country near the coast only during the course of its migrations. In Jamaica, on the contrary, it remains throughout the entire year, living in small parties of from four to twenty birds, and frequenting grassy plains or pasture land.
"The flight of the Ground Dove," says Audubon, "is low, easy, and accompanied by a whistling sound, produced by the action of the wings when the bird is surprised and forced to fly; but it seldom flies more than one hundred yards at a time, and, indeed, is extremely attached to the spot it has selected for the season. You may drive it to the opposite end of a field, and yet in a few hours after it may be found in the place whence you raised it. Although it alights on trees or low bushes, on the branches of which it walks with ease, the ground is its usual resort. There it runs with facility, keeping its tail considerably elevated, as if to prevent it from being soiled. It is also fond of alighting on fences, where it is easily observed, and where it may be heard cooing for half an hour at a time. These Pigeons are met with in groups of four or five, and it is seldom that more than a dozen are seen together. They prefer the thinly-grained, sandy portions of cotton-fields, pea-patches, and such places. In East Florida they are seen in the villages, and resort to the orange-groves about them, where they frequently breed." "I have found them," continues our author, "in the famous Spanish fort of St. Augustine, where I have been surprised to see them rise almost perpendicularly to reach above the parapets, by which they insured their escape. They are easily caught in traps, and in that place are sold for six and a quarter cents each. They readily become domesticated, and, indeed, so very gentle are they that I have seen a pair that have been caught at the time when their young ones were quite small, and placed in an aviary, at once cover their little ones, and continue to nourish them until full grown. They afterwards reared a second brood, and showed great spirit in keeping the Jays and Starlings away from their charge. The Ground Doves were fed on rice and other grain."
The nest of this species is large and compact, the exterior formed of dry twigs, with a lining of grass disposed in a circular form. The eggs, deposited in April, are two in number, and of a pure white; usually two, sometimes three broods, are reared in the season. The male struts before the female after the manner of the Barbary Ringed Dove.
"I met with some of these birds," says Audubon, "on Sandy Island, six miles from Cape Sable. They were so gentle that I approached them within less than two yards. Their nest was placed onthe top of a cactus, not more than two feet high." In a wild state these Pigeons feed on various small berries and grass seeds, with which they pick up a considerable quantity of small gravel. They also dust themselves with sand, lying down in it after the manner of Partridges.
The SPARROW-HAWK PIGEONS (Geopeleia) are small, graceful birds, remarkable for their slenderness of form and length of tail. Their wings are short and rounded, the tail graduated, and the plumage striped.
THE STRIPED SPARROW-HAWK PIGEON.
The STRIPEDSPARROW-HAWKPIGEON(Geopeleia striata) has light brown plumage; all the feathers on the mantle and under side being striped with black; the brow and throat are dark grey, the belly and rump whitish; the quills and feathers of the centre part of the tail-covers of a metallic brown, delicately sprinkled with black towards their roots, and pure white at their extremities. The eye is light brown, the beak pale, and the foot dark yellow. This species is nine inches long, its wing measures three inches and three-quarters.