File:Britain's birds and their nests (1910) (14732357706).jpg

Identifier: britainsbirdsthe00thom (find matches)
Title: Britain's birds and their nests
Year: 1910 (1910s)
Authors: Thomson, Arthur Landsborough, Sir, 1890- Thomson, J. Arthur (John Arthur), 1861-1933 Rankin, George
Subjects: Birds -- Great Britain Birds -- Nests
Publisher: London : W. & R. Chambers
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
fundamental as they might at first sightappear. Certainly they lack permanence, and a breedmay be lost as rapidly as it was built up; a fewgenerations of indiscriminate mating destroy the effectsof selection. In the case of two birds of differentbreeds, the chief quality in common is the underlyingancestral strain, however disguised. This has probablythe best chance, and the offspring may show a throw-back towards the original stock, with its more enduringcharacteristics. Thus it is a familiar fact that the majorityof domestic Pigeons, left more or less to shift forthemselves, closely resemble true wild Rock-Doves. Butalbinos and other marked variations occur with muchgreater frequency among the former than the latter. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between trulywild and merely feral Rock-Pigeons. Feral is theterm for domestic animals that have reverted to the wild state. The term wild * is strictly applicableonly to birds whose ancestors have never been underdomestication.
Text Appearing After Image:
Plate 43. TURTLE-DOVE— Tnrttir conuminis. Length, 11-25 • \ wing, 6-8 in. (Columb.e : Columbidfe.)Q 128 BRITAINS BIRDS AND THEIR NESTS. 129 As a truly wild bird, then, the Rock-Dove is foundon parts of the coast where there are cliffs with plentyof caves and indentations. Such haunts are few in Eng-land and Wales as a whole, and the species is littleknown except on parts of the west coast and on thenorth-east. Round the coasts of Scotland and Irelandand their outlying islands, haunts are abundant andthe bird is numerous. Inside a suitable cave many birdsmay be foiuid nesting on the ledges. Except that itgenerally uses ledges or fissures of the cliffs, the Rock-Doves nesting economy resembles that of its allies alreadydiscussed. The two eggs are oval in shape, and glossywhite in colour. Domestic or feral birds not occupyingspecial dove-cots use buildings instead of cliffs; like thewild birds, they avoid even perching on trees. THE TURTLE=DOVE (Turtur communis).Plate 43. The three n

Note About Images