A PECULIAR DOVE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XI, Issue 46, 14 March 1884, Page 16

A PECULIAR DOVE.

A female dove, whose peculiar actions for some time past gave it the name of the " crazy dove," was killed near Elmira, N.Y., on Saturday, and under these curious circumstances : The bird was one of a pair that belonged to a young lady livine near the Erie Railway track, a mile or two from Kathboneville. A few months ago, in flying across the railroad track, the male bird came in contact with the smokestack of the Pacific express locomotive. It was killed instantly, and was thrown suddenly out of the sight of its companion. The female circled about in the air for a few minutes, in evident amazement at the sudden disappearance of her mate. She then flew to a mile-post near by, and for a long time gave utterance to the mournful notes peculiar to the species Suddenly she seemed to realize what had carried her companion from her, and she rose in the air and flew swiftly in the direction the train had taken. She did not return for a long time. When she did return she alighted at her cote, where she remained for the rest of the day uttering her plaintive criea. The next morning, just before 7 o'clock she flew to her position on the mile post, near the spot where her mate had disappeared the day before. When the express train came along she flew at the locomotive, hovering about the smoke-stack and cab as if looking for her mate. She accompanied the train for about half a n?ile. and then returned. Every day she repeated her strange actions, taking her place at her lookout on the mile-post at exactly the same time, and waiting for the train, no matter how late it might be, and then going through the same manoeuvres, and returning to her cote to mourn as before. She ate but little. On Saturday she collided with the smokestack of the express train locomotive, just as her mate had done and met the same fate at nearly the same spot. — JSxciumge.