3OO R. M. STRONG. 



in late January or early February. Breeding operations, even 

 under apparently favorable conditions, may be delayed until 

 May, especially with young birds. The greatest number of 

 young produced in a season by a single pair of ring-doves was 

 nine from five sets of two eggs each (see mating 8, Table XXL). 

 The records for this pair were as follows. 

 Brood i. First egg laid April 12, 1905. Hatched April 28. 



Second egg laid April 14. Did not hatch. 

 Brood 2. First egg laid May 15. Hatched May 31. Second 



egg laid May 17. Hatched May 31. 

 Brood j. First egg laid June 24. Hatched July 10. Second 



egg laid June 26. Hatched July 10. 

 Brood 4. First egg laid Aug. 4. Hatched Aug. 20. Second egg 



laid Aug. 6. Hatched Aug. 21. 

 Brood 5. First egg laid Oct. 5. Hatched Oct. 21. Second egg 



laid Oct. 7. Hatched Oct. 22. 



With the first three broods, the eggs both hatched in the 

 early morning of the fourteenth day after the second egg was 

 laid. It will be noticed that there was some delay in the hatching 

 of the eighth and tenth eggs as is apt to be the case at the end 

 of the season. Both young of brood 4 died during the first week 

 of September. Under favorable conditions, an average of six 

 young per season may be considered good. Delays due to 

 sickness, errors in mating, and occasional deaths reduce the aver- 

 age which might otherwise be higher. It will be seen in Table 

 XXI. that there is a large variation in the number of eggs which 

 are laid in a season. 



The breeding habits of the blond ring-dove have been described 

 by Whitman ('98), and in more detail by Craig ('08 and '09). 



III. RESULTS. 



All of the hybrids which were obtained resembled one or the 

 other of the parents. The dark hybrids had, however, a slight 

 tendency to be somewhat lighter in color than the dark or blond 

 parent. According to Professor Whitman, the voice of the 

 hybrids tends to be intermediate. A comparison of the voices 

 of many individuals is not easy to make, and I never felt cer- 

 tain enough about this point to venture an opinion one way or 



