22 



As stated above, adult doves kept in the house consume but 

 a small per cent of their weight of food per day. This is, of 

 course, for birds that are more or less inactive, being confined 

 in a large cage. There can be no doubt but that in the wild 

 state they would eat considerably more, probably as high as 15 

 per cent or even 20 per cent of their own weight. 



Doves shot in the afternoon have been found to contain food 

 in the ci'op and gizzard amounting to nearly 20 per cent of the 

 entire weight. This, of course, does not include food eaten in 

 the forenoon and which had been digested. 



Let us now consider the approximate annual consupmtion 

 of a pair of doves. An adult weighs about 110 grams, this being 

 the average of a considerable number; and it is safe to say that 

 in nature the}^ consume daily at least 15 per cent of this weight 

 in food. On this basis it would take 33 grams a day to maintain 

 a pair of doves; which, allowing an average of 30 grams a day 

 for food fed to the young during six weeks of the summer, 

 amounts to over 30 pounds a year; at which rate it would take 

 but 66 pairs to consume a ton of feed a year. And one can 

 readily see that this in itself must count for something in the 

 economy of nature. These figures are taken by comparing the 

 food records of birds kept in cages, together with crop and giz- 

 zard contents of those shot wild. In determining the proportion- 

 ate weight of food eaten, the doves are weighed as they are 

 brought in from the hunt. The crop and gizzard contents are 

 computed after these have been dried and the mineral matter as 

 far as possible been separated. Thus we are able to determine 

 approximately the actual weight of. seeds and grain as they are 

 picked up hy the birds. Of course, this is not near exact, since 

 the doves are only gotten in the afternoon, and there is no way 

 of determining the amount of food that has been previously 

 digested. The figures, as given, are rather low than otherwise. 



Let us now consider whether this enormous amount consumed 

 by the doves annually is detrimental, neutral or beneficial to the 

 farmers of the country. It is to be regretted that tables are not 

 available which show the varieties of seeds eaten by these birds 

 and the relative amounts of each. Data collected in this vicin- 

 ity is not sufficient to warrant any definite statements. It can, 

 however, be said from what little information has been gotten 



