The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1878-08-30
THE CRUEL TURTLE DOVE.

That trim, gentle looking, drab-colored
bird, enormously called turtle dove by
dwellers in he United States, and gener-
ally deemed SO utterly innocent and pure
that to kill it for the table or any other use
Is branded as heinous in the extreme. is
not so innocent after all. Its moaning
-sea-sounding voice is u mockery and a
cheat; its soft, dark eyes are q sham its
sober, Quaker garb is calculated to deceive
its timid movements are not to be trusted
When once it has been insulted by one of
lis KIND, the dove becomes Us cruel and
outrageously heartless as any murderer can
be- Some years ago / witnessed a fight
between two female moaning doves which
for utter righteousness could not be ex-
ceeded. l was angling in a brook for sun.
perch, half prone on a grassy bank, lost in
a brown study, with a cigar between nv
lips, when l happened to see q dove alight
on q gnarled bough of n plane-tree n few
yards distant. Immediately it began to
COO in that dolefully plaintive strain SO
well known to every lover of nature, and
was soon joined by q male, who perched
himself within a foot or two of her. 1 es.
pied their nest, not yet finished, in the fork
OF an iron-wood tree near by. The birds
made very expressive signs to each other
with their heads by a series of bows. mods.
and sidewise motions, Of which l under.
stood enough that some intruder was near
perhaps they meant me. The fish were not
biting any too well, but the shade was
pleasant and the grass fragrant, the sound
OF the water very soothing, and the flow of
tho wind steady and cooling, SO | did uct
care to move just to humor the whim of n
pair of billing doves. It proved, however.
after all, that l was not the cause of alarm
Another female dove presently dropped
like a hawk from n dark, dense cluster Of
leaves above the pair and struck the first
on the back with beak and wings. A fight
ensued, witnessed with calm interest by
myself and the male dove. At first the
combatants struggled desperately together
on the bough, fercely beating each other
with their wings, plucking out the feathers
from breast and neck, all the time uttering
low querulous notes, different from any.
thing l had ever before heard. Pretty soon
they fell off the bough, and came whirlinp
down upon the ground, where they con,
the battle with constantly -increas-
ing fury, their eyes fairly flashing fire, and
cutting and thrusting with their beaks like
swords men. Blood began to show itself
about their heads, and in places their necks
were quite bare of feathers. When at last
one of them became SO exhausted that fur
Their struggle was impossible, the other
proceeded to take its stand upon its help
less opponent, and would nave quickly
made an end of it had I not interfered.
The vanquished bird was minus an eve.
md WINS unable to fly for some moments.
The secret Of the battle was jealousy. The
male sat by and watched in a ~nonchalant
way until it was all over, when he very
lovingly strutted up to the victorious love
and began cooling in a low, soothing tone.
From that day l have repudiated the fig
ure innocent as a dove" and, whenever
opportunity offered, have sped a two-ounce
arrow full at the breast of the bird, widow
or no widow. When properly cooked by
par-boiling, stufing and baking, a dove is
a choice bit for the table.