The Louisiana cotton-boll. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], Attakapas, La.) 1872-1883, 1878-03-06
The Cruel Turtle Dove.

That trim, gentle-lOcEIng, drao' coioFed
bird, erroneously called turtle dove by
dwellera in the United States, and gen
orally deemed so innocent and pure that
to kill it for the table or any other use Is
branded as heinous in the extreme, is not
30 innocent after all. Its moaning, sad
sounding voice is a mockery and a cheat;
its eoft, dark eyes are a sham its srber,
Quaker gsrb is calculated to deceive; its
timid movements are not to be trusted,
When once ii has been insulted or injured
by one OF its kind, the dove becomes rs
cruel and outrageously heartlcss as any
murderer can be. Some years ago wit
messed 81 fight between two female moan
ing doves which for utter righteousness
could not be exceeded. | was angling in
a brook io1 sun perch, halt prone on a
grassy bank, lost in a brown study, with
u cigar between my lips, when hap
pened to see dove alight on a gnarIed
bough of plane tree few yards distant.
Immediately it began to coo in that
dolefulIy plaintive strain so well known
to every lover OF nature, and was soon
Joined by male, who perched himself
within q foot or two Of her. ] cspied
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 series of
bows, mods and sidewise motions, of which
l undarstnnd enough tn know that SOME
intruder was near--Pethaps they rHvort-
me. The fish were net biting any too
well, but the shade was pleasant and the
grass fragrant, the sound of the water
very soothing and the flow of the wind
steady and cooling, 50 did not care to
move Just to humor the whimofa pair OF
billing doves. 1t proved, however, after
all. that | was not the cause of alarm.
Another female dove presently dropped
like hawk from a dark, dense of leaves
above the pair, and struck the first on the
back With beak and wings. A fight en-
sued, witnessed with calm interest by
myself and the male dove AT first the
combatants struggled desperately to-
eether on the bough, fercely beating
each other with their wings, and plucking
out the feathers from breast and neck,
all the time ,uttering low, querulous
notes, different from anything had ever
before heard. Pretty soon they fell off
the bough, and came whirling down upon
the ground, where they continued the
battle with constantly increasing fury,
their eyes fairly flashing fire, and cutting
and thrusting with their beaks like
swordsmen. Blood began to show itself
about their heads, and in places
tE.eir necks were quite bare of feathers
When at last one Of them became so
exhausted that urther struggle was
impossible, the other proceeded to take
its stand upon its helpless opponent, and
would have quickly made an end OF IT
had | not interfered The vanquished
bird was minus on eye, and was un-
able to fly for some minutes. The secret
of the battle was jealousy. The male
sat by and watched in nouchalant way
until it was all over, when he very
lovingly s.rutted up to the victorious
dove and began cooling in low, soothing
tone. From that day to this haVe
repudiated the figure innocent as
dove" and, whenever opportunity of
fered, have sped two ounce arrow full
at the breast OF the bird, widow or nc
widow. When properly cooked by par
boiling, stuflipg and baking, dove il
A choice bit for the table.