Beitzah 11A

דמתעכל קטרייהו.

their knot becomes worn and untied. Consequently, it is possible that someone took only one of the two pouches.

בתוך הקן ומצא לפני הקן ⁠— אסורין. לימא מסייע ליה לרבי חנינא, דאמר רבי חנינא: רוב וקרוב ⁠— הלך אחר הרוב!

§ The Mishnah taught that if one designated fledglings inside the nest and found them before the nest, they are prohibited. The Talmud comments: Let us say that this supports the opinion of R' Ḥanina, as R' Ḥanina said: In a case involving a majority and an item that is near, one follows the majority. Since doves from the outside world are more numerous than those that one designated, the assumption is that these fledglings are from the majority, and therefore they are prohibited.

אמר אביי: בדף. רבא אמר: בשני קנין זו למעלה מזו עסקינן. ולא מבעיא זמן בתחתונה ולא זמן בעליונה, ומצא בתחתונה ולא מצא בעליונה ⁠— דאסירן, דאמרינן: הנך אזלו לעלמא, והנך אשתרבובי אשתרבוב ונחות.

Abaye said, in refutation of this claim: Here we are dealing with a ledge affixed to the front of the nest, where all the doves gather. Therefore, the principle pertaining to a majority and an item that is near does not apply to this case. Rava said: Here we are dealing with two nests, one above the other, i.e., adjacent nests rather than any two nests. And it is not necessary to state that in the case of one who designated the fledglings in the lower nest and did not designate those in the upper one, and he found fledglings in the lower one and he did not find fledglings in the upper one, that the fledglings are all prohibited. The reason is that we say: These that were in the lower nest went to the outside world, while these still present have dragged themselves and come down.