"I didn't know such birds stayed with their mothers their whole life," Duncan commented. The bird was singularly cute, though. What did doves eat? He could not imagine the pretty lady feeding it either insects or chewed-up seeds as a hatchling.

"And don't worry. I'm neither American nor a truckdriver, though I've lived over there for a while. I'm Scottish, orig'nally. From the clan McLeod."