BIRDS OF KANSAS. 241 



Genus ZENAIDURA Boxapakte. 

 "Bill weak, black; culmen from froutal feathers about one-third the head 

 above. Tarsus not quite as long as middle toe and claw, but considerably longer 

 than the lateral ones; covered anteriorly by a single series of scutella?. Inner 

 lateral claw considerably longer than outer and reaching to the base of middle. 

 Wings pointed; second quill longest; first and third nearly equal. Tail very 

 long, equal to tiie wiugs; excessively graduated and cuneate, of fourteen feath- 

 ers." 



Zenaidura macroura (Lixx.). 



MOURNING DOVE. 

 PLATE XIV. 



Summer resident; abundant; an occasional winter sojourner 

 in the southern part of the State. Begin laying the last of April. 



B. 451. R. 460. C. 544. G. 216, 110. U. 316. 



Habitat. The whole of temperate North America, north to 

 the British possessions, south to the West Indies and Panama. 



Sp. Char. " Tail feathers fourteen. Above, bluish, although this is overlaid 

 with brownish olive, leaving the blue pure only on top of the head, the exterior 

 of the wings and the upper surface of the tail, which is even slightly tinged 

 with this color. The entire head, except the vertex, the sides of the neck, and 

 the under parts generally, light brownish vinaceous, strongly tinged with purple 

 on the breast, becoming lighter behind and passing into brownish yellow or 

 creamy ochraceous on the anal region, tibia; and under tail coverts. Sides of 

 the neck with a patch of metallic purplish red. Sides of body and insides of 

 wings clear light blue. Wing coverts and scapulars spotted with black (mostly 

 concealed), and a small oblong patch of the same, with a steel-blue reflection, 

 below the ear. Tail feathers seen from below blackish, the outer web of outer- 

 most white, the others tipped with the same, the color becoming more and more 

 bluish to the innermost, which is brown. Seen from above, there is the same 

 gradation from white to light blue in the tips; the rest of the feather, however, 

 is blue, with a bar of black anterior to the light tip, which runs a little forward 

 along the margin and shaft of the feather. In the sixth feather the color is 

 uniform bluish, with this bar; the seventh is without a bar. Bill black, the 

 angle of the mouth carmine. Female: Smaller, and with less red beneath. 

 Bare orbits pale blue, with a green tint; iris dark brown; feet lake red. Young: 

 With the feathers of the upper parts and jugulum margined with paler; the 

 tints more brownish." 



stretch of 



Lengik. wing: H^/ng. Tail. Tarsus. Bill. 



Male 12.50 18.00 5.90 5.75 .85 .60 



Female... 11.00 17.50 5.75 4.25 .80 .55 



Iris dark brown; bill black; legs and feet lake red; claws 

 horn blue. 



This familiar bird is extensively distributed throughout the 



United States, from southern New England and Washington 

 —16 ° 



