30 



MOURNING DOVE 



ing out at us from the foliage of a tree, turuing 

 its head from side to side to inspect us, while its 

 mate calls solicitously, " coo-o-o, ah-coo-o-o — coo- 

 0-0 — coo-o-o ; " again, we see it walking along the 

 ground, moving its head back and forth with the 

 peculiar motion of the Doves ; then we hear a 

 musical whirr as it passes swiftly through the air 

 beside us, and on looking up catch sight of the 



Fjg. 12. 

 Tail of Mourniii"- Dov( 



white circlet of its long vanishing tail (Fig. 12) ; 

 or perhaps watch it soar low over the bushes with 

 wings stiffly spread till it gets near the nest, when 

 it alights wdth a wabbling motion of wings and 

 tail. 



But the pleasantest part of this acquaintance 

 comes when we visit the bird at its nest. To be 

 sure it does not always build where there are peo- 

 ple. In the dry part of Arizona, Major Bendire 

 found it nesting a long distance from water, so 

 far that it could onl}' go to drink twice a day, but 



