In praise of … the turtle dove
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/13/in-praise-of-turtle-dove Version 0 of 1. On St Valentine's Day, sometimes thought to be the start of the season when birds set out to seek love, or at least sex, remember the turtle dove with its soft mushroom-coloured breast and tigerish wing plumage. It – or rather they – are the avian symbol of conjugal bliss, for they are commonly assumed to mate for life (although recent research on their lifestyle suggests they may be no more monogamous than humans). What really underwrites their place in romantic legend, at least from the time of Chaucer's Parliament of Fowls, is the billing and cooing that gives them their name. Turrrrr, turrr, turrr, they whisper lovingly – that's where the turtle in the Song of Solomon comes from – while enticingly puffing out their chests. Sadly, they are becoming less and less common for familiar reasons – not enough for them to eat in Britain, and too many people wanting to eat them in the Mediterranean. Don't cook them, feed them. |