he received a random shot, after which I lost sight of him for a considerable time; but I found him at last, located upon the other side of the island, where he remained till his death.
"The Rock Dove's nest is made up of small sticks or heather, or dried seaweed, and is lined with dried grass: the situation selected is any little ledge or cleft within the sheltering bosom of a rocky cavern. The eggs are two in number, generally producing male and female birds. The time for commencing their nestling seems rather variable: this year I found some young ones already hatched on the 2nd of April, while other pairs were only erecting their nests. They have several broods in the year, and their eggs may be found unhatched as late as September.
"It is rather a timid bird if offen shot at, but is by no means a shy or wary bird: in the fields the feeding flocks may often be openly approached, or the most barefaced attempts at stalking them will succeed. In the breeding season the hen will sit on the nest till approached, and never deserts it, though often disturbed, and her nest and eggs handled. She does not seek for inaccessible ledges to build her nest on, but takes any spot which offers, sometimes even the very floor of the cave. If her eggs are taken out, she will probably replace them; and if her young are taken when half-fledged, she seems glad to get them so soon off her hands, and at once prepares for rearing her second brood. The young birds instantly become quite tame, and reconciled to hand feeding; indeed, as they grow up, their impertinent boldness becomes rather troublesome. They readily take to the dovecot, and pair with the tame pigeons; even with fancy breeds, such ag Fantails, etc. If a pair of real wild ones breed in confinement, their progeny at once show signs of diverging in colour from the natural uniform of their wild ancestry; the young birds are of a dark slate-colour in their first plumage, though they have the same markings as the adult birds. The male is recognized from his mate by a slight superiority of size, and more lustrous plumage.
"In a gastronomic point of view, these pigeons are one of the most valuable kind of birds which frequent our coasts. They are nearly always fat and in good condition, are numerous and always to be procured; besides, being fed constanily upon our barley and oats, one can feel no compunction in levying a tribute upon them in return.
"They are easiest shot while feeding abroad in the fields: at the caves, a shout will cause them to fly out, but with such suddenness and swiftness, that it requires something of a pigeon-shooter's knack to succeed in hitting them quick enough. An indifferent shot (after knocking over one or two which may be incautiously napping upon the outer ledges) had better conceal himself either in the cave or in a good position above it: in a short time the bird is sure to come darting swiftly for its accustomed haunts, but upon catching a glimpse of a lurking foe, he stops his rapid career, flutters his pinions for a moment, uncertain what to do; that momentary indecision is fatal—down he falls!—while a roar
