The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1879-03-06
A Bind Combat.
Appieton's Journal.

That trim, geHtle-lOOs ing, drab coloTed
bird, erroneouslv called turtle dove by
jewellers in the United States, generally
deemed sOutteriY innocent and pure that
TO kill it for tie table or any other Use Is
branded as heinOus in the extreme, Is not so
innocent after all. It's moaning, sad-sound..
II voice Is mockeTy and chest. It's
sort, dark eyes are sham; its sober Quaker
gaIb is calculated To deceive; It's timid
move ments are not to he trusted When
il has once been insulted or injured by
one OF its kind the dove becomes as cruel
and outTageously heartless as anv MUIR
deTeT cin be. Some years ago / witnessed
a fight b tween two female-mourniBg
doves which, Tor utter bal b4ruusness,
could not be exceeded. / was angling
in brook for sun peTch, bali prone on a
grassy bank, lost IN a brown study, with
Il cigar tween my lips, when happen
td-to see a dove slight on gIsrled boueh
or a plane-tree q few yards distant. In
mediately il beesD TO COO in that dole
fully plaintive strain so we'll known to
every lover of nature, and was soon join
ed By a male, who perched himself with
in a foot or two of her. I espied their
nest, not yet finished, in the fork of an
iron-wood near by. The birds made
very expressive signs to each other with
their heads by a series of bows, and side
wise motions, 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 fragrant,
the sound of the water very soothing,
amp the fl Nv OF the wind steady and cool
ing, so / did not care to move Just to
humor the within of & pair of billing doves.
1t proved, however, after all that I was
not the cause of alarm. ysAnother female
dove presently drOpped-hke hawk from
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 ealm<interest by myself and
/ the male dove. At first the combatanIs
struggled desperately together on the
! bpugh, fiercely beating esch other with
! their wings, and plucking out the feathers
| from breast ard NECK, all the time ut
| teTing low, querulOus notes, differing
| from any thing l had ever before heard
! Pretty soon they both 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
! thrsshiDg with their besks like swords
men. Blood began to show itself alb Iut
their heads, and in places their necks
were quite bare of feathers When at last
one OF them became 50 exhausted that
iurther struggle was impossible, the 9TH
er proceeded TO take its stand upon its
elpless opponent, and would have quick
| " made an end OF it had | not Intertered
The vsnquished bird was minus an eye,
and WIS unab e to fly for some minutes.
The 81 cret OF the battle was jealousy. The
male sat by and watched in nonchalsnt
way until twas all over, when he very
lovingly strutted up to the victorious
dove snd began coOIDg in low soothing
tone. From that day to this have repu>
dated the figure innocent as a dove"