The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1878-01-24
A Bird Combat.

n That trim, gentle-looking, drab-col-
ored bird, enormously called turtle
dove by dwellers in the United States,
and generally deemed so utterly inno-
cent and pure that to kill it for the
table or any other use is branded as
heinous in the extreme, is not so inno-
cent after all. Its moaning, sad-sound-
ing voice is a mockery and cheat.
Its soft, dark eyes are sham; its So
Der, Quaber garb is calculated to de-
ceive; its timid movements are not to
be trusted. When once it has been in
suited or injured by one of its kind the
dove becomes as cruel and outrageous
ly heartless as any murderer can be.
Some years ago witnessed fight be-
tween two female moaning doves, which
for utter righteousness could not be
exceeded. l was angling in a brook
for sun-perch, half prone on a grassy
bank, lost in brown study, with a
cigar between my lips, when hap
pened to see dove alight on gnarled
bough of a plane-tree few yards dis
tant. Immediately it began to coo in
that dolefully-plaintive strain so well
known to every lover of Nature, and
was soon joined by a male, who perched
himself within foot or two of her. |
espied 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 Sc
ries of bows, mods and sidewise mo-
tions, of which l understood enough to
know 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 fra
grant, the sound of the water very
soothing, and the flow of the wind
steady and cooling. SO l did not care to
move just to humor the whim Of a pair
of billing doves. 1t proved, however.
after all, that was not the cause of
alarm. Another female dove presently
dropped like a hawk from a dark,
dense mass of leaves above the pair,
and struck the first on the back with
beak and wings. A fight ensued, wit
messed with calm interest by myself
and the male dove.
At first the combatants struggled des-
perately together on the bough, tiercely
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 l had ever before heard. Pret-
ty 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 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 further 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 an eve and was unable to fly
for some minutes. The secret of the
battle was jealousy. The male sat by
and watched, in nonchalant way, un-
til it was all over, when he very loving
ly strutted up to the victorious dove,
and began cooling in low, soothing
tone. From that day to this | have re-
pudiated the figure "innocent as a
dove" and, whenever opportunity Of
fered, have sped two-ounce arrow
full at the breast of the bird, widow OF
no widow. When properly cooked,
by parboiling, stuffing and baking, a
dove is a choice bit for the table. While
on this subject may add in the South.
ern States of our country, doves often
congregate in innumerable swarms, like
pigeons, and do great damage to the
pea-felds, yet even there the prejudice
against killing them is SO great that you
rarely see trap OF spring set for
them, or gun leveled at them.-Ap-
pletons' Journal for February.