Evening star., 1949-02-01
This and That
By Charles Z. Trace,Ueu
FALLS CHURCH. Va.

Dear Sir:
You love birds so much that you defend all
pirds. But I shall go far beyond you in the
defense OF the turtle dove. Their soft, LIQUID
mournful call Is to me full of beauty, poetry
and remorse.
Because in childhood knew only the song
when the first dove came to our bird trav
regarded him as a wonderful thing honorinp
us with his visit. found him prettier than a
pigeon because his color was more delicate and
he was smaller
1 saw him as you say we should see birds
whole, so his head did not seem too small
After ALL he is dove. Since have been used
10 the term gentle as dove was amazed
to see him ruff1e his feathers and defend the
bird tray against every intruder until he was
through with it himself. But I admired his
spirit.
L rather like his slow walk, and love the
Whlrr OF his wings. Until you told me it was
his wings, thought he whistled when he
hghted on the tray and left it.
Il have heard the wood dove in the noun
talns around Hendersonville N. c. and Luray
Va But won't you please tell me- does he go
up high in the mountains, or to the Skyline
drive on the top of the ridge?
Yours sincerely, j. A. p"
Our turtle dove, sometimes called mourning
dove, is peculiarly the bird of the home yard
1t suggests home to most people, probably
because of childhood, memories, as our cor
respondent suggests.
Its call is its most widely known character
istic
The next is the whistling Of the wings
1t has other peculiarities, however, not so
we'll known, perhaps One Is the nest building
habits. Many persons know the nest Is poor
affair." but they have never thought why
Close inspection of bills and feet would reveal
the reason. Feet and bills are simply not we'll
adapted to nest building.
That is why they just throw a few sticks
together and call it a nest.
Seemingly it sufices, because the dove tribes
still exist, despite the fact that their members
were classed as game birds, and many thou
sands shot each year.
Few people watch them sufficiently closely to
ever see the mating fight. The male bird
suddenly leaves his perch, and flies up at least
100 feet, after which he gldes down again to
the perch.
This seems to be typical show off" habit.
Nesting begins early, sometimes as early as
May, or even earlier, in very mild season.
Incubation of the eggs takes two weeks.
There are three or four broodS season. The
eggs are white, one or two nesting.
In mild years, sometimes eggs are laid al
most the year around.
Here q another popularity of the birds:
Feeding is by regurgitation. The young take
their food found by the parents, after it has
been mixed with pigeon milk" as it is called,
light colored fluid from the parents crop.
1t Is not always realized that the dove is
one of the most helpful birds we have. 1t eats
both weed seeds and insects, the latter at
nesting time. 1t will eat grasshoppers when it
can get them.
Probably in time 1t will consume quantities
of Japanese beetles.
It does practically no HARM despite the
claims that it eats fresh vegetables notably
peas.
Those who like doves also must like pigeons,
because they are relatives. Pigeon is French
word from the Latin. Dove is Dutch through
the Danish. Usually the name Of dove Is used
for the small specimens.
The term gentle dove" Is of such antiquity
that it is usually a shock when one sees, for
the first time, that the bird is anything but
gentle. 1t can and often does fight of blue
jays, and even starlings
Small birds get along with 1t, however, at
feeding station. No one need fear they will
suffer when the doves come around.