The love which the male lavishes upon his mate, is none the deeper and intenser than that which the sexes bestow upon their offspring. Few birdies are objects of more special regard upon the parental part. From morning until night the parents are constantly on the search for some racy tidbit to gratify their fastidious appetites. Beetles, spiders, and such like, which are savory articles of meat to a Robin and Bluebird, are not considered fit for these dainty creatures, who must needs be nurtured with food of a more kingly nature. Prepared food, as rich, as nutritious, doubtless, as the honey which the Brazilian Fairy imbibes from painted tulip and chaliced lily, are their portion. Nature does not prepare it as she does the nectar of flowers, and offer it up to their toothsome appetites, but she has endowed the authors of their being with the power so to do. Deep down in the innermost recesses of their bosom exists a churn, which learned men call the crop, and here it is prepared. This tempting food consists of a lacteous secretion and the macerated materials of the crop. Its preparation is the work not of the female exclusively, but of both parents. The method of feeding is quite interesting, and after the fashion of the common domestic pigeon. As in this case, either parent thrusts its bill into the mouth of the young, and by a process of regurgitation, forces the contents of its crop into the stomach of the latter. Nor does their food consist always of such a substance, but only during the first five or six days of their existence, for at the expiration of this time, various caterpillars of the measuring-worm family, and other smooth-skinned larvæ, are gathered, and after being completely killed and mashed, are fed to their rapacious appetites. When seventeen days old, the young are able to leave the nest. They are not, however, ready to seek their own fortunes until a fortnight later. Strange to say, the nest-full usually contains a bird of each sex—a beautiful and wise provision of Nature.
Having attained to maturity, the young still linger with the parents in the old, familiar haunts, until the season for departure arrives—about the middle of September—when they leave together. It is nothing uncommon to find several families associating with each other, forming some sort of society, in which the most perfect harmony and good-will prevail.
When captured, either in the young or adult stages, and confined within cages, these birds soon become reconciled to their lot, and make quite agreeable pets. They quickly recognize their keepers, and learn to come at their call. As to the matter of raising them, there does not seem to be any great difficulty. The different kinds of bird-seeds, rape and canary especially, being very nutritious, can be fed to them with splendid results. When vegetation is in season, chick-weed, grasses, and the tender leaves of the common cultivated salad, will be found equally successful. Care must be taken to see that they are also provided with plenty of gravel and fresh water. In confinement as many as four broods have been known to be raised. In his interesting volume on the "Birds and Seasons of New England," Mr. Flagg gives his experience. When a boy he came into possession of one of these birds. At the time of its capture, it was nearly ready to fly. A strictly farinaceous diet enabled him to bring it to maturity. As it grew, it became very tame, and resembled in its actions the young of a domesticated Dove. This bird was always allowed to wander at will. When hungry, it would fly off to a distance, and having satisfied the demands of its being, would regularly return to its accustomed quarters. At length it grew so docile, that it would often fly to its master and sit upon his hand. Other instances of a similar character might be mentioned, many of which have come under our own immediate observation, but we forbear.
The eggs of this Dove are of an elongated oval form, nearly symmetrical at each end, and of a pure-white color. A clutch from Pennsylvania measures respectively 1.18 by .87 and 1.20 by .88 of an inch. Specimens from Texas, California and Maine manifest not more than ordinary variations of size. The largest egg, out of four sets which were sent to us from the Pacific coast, has a length of 1.21 of an inch, and a width of .86; the smallest, .97 by .84 inches. The same difference holds reasonably true with respect to samples from other localities.
[Original Size]
Plate XX.—TINNUNCULUS SPARVERIUS, (Lnn.) Vieillot.—Sparrow Hawk.
The Sparrow Hawk is the handsomest of American birds of prey. Few small species are more active in the pursuit of quarry, and none more friendly and sociable in their intercourse with man. It receives its common name from the fringilline character of its fare, our various Sparrows forming a no inconsiderable portion thereof.