Since that visit to Salisbury, described in a former chapter, when I watched and listened to the doves in those cold days in early spring, I have been there a good many times, but never at the time when the bird colony is most interesting to observe, just before and during the early part of the breeding-season.

At length, in the early days of June, 1908, the wished opportunity was mine--wished yet feared, seeing that it was possible some disaster had fallen upon that unique colony of stock-doves.

It is true they appeared to be long established and well able to maintain their foothold on the building in spite of malicious persecuting daws, but there was nothing to show that they had been long there, seeing that it had been observed by no person but myself that the cathedral doves were stock-doves and not the domestic pigeon found on other large buildings.

Great was my happiness to find them still there, as well as the daws and all the other feathered people who make this great building their home; even the kestrels were not wanting.

There were three there one morning, quarrelling with the daws in the old way in the old place, halfway up the soaring spire.