WHITE-CROWNED PIGEON 369 



COLUMBA LEUCOCEPHALA Linnaeus 

 WHITE-CROWNED PIGEON 



HABITS 



The fine white-crowned pigeon is a permanent resident in the 

 Bahamas and West Indies and occurs in the Florida keys as a sum- 

 mer resident only. Audubon (1840) writes: 



The White-headed Pigeon arrives on the Southern Keys of the Floridas, 

 from the Island of Cuba, about the 20th of April, sometimes not until the 

 1st of May, for the purpose of residing there for a season, and rearing its 

 young. On the 30th of April, I shot several immediately after their arrival 

 from across the Gulf Stream. I saw them as they approached the shore, 

 skimming along the surface of the waters, flying with great rapidity, much 

 in the manner of the common house species, but not near each other like 

 the Passenger Pigeon. On nearing the land, they rose to the height of about 

 a hundred yards, surveyed the country in large circles, then with less 

 velocity gradually descended, and alighted in the thickest parts of the man- 

 groves and other low trees. None of them could be easily seen in those dark 

 retreats, and we were obliged to force them out, in order to shoot them, which 

 we did at this time on the wing. 



In creeping among the bushes to obtain a view of them whilst alighted, 

 I observed that the more I advanced, the more they retired from me. This 

 they did by alighting on the ground from the trees, among which they could 

 not well make way on wing, although they could get on with much ease 

 below, running off and hiding at every convenient spot that occurred. These 

 manoeuvres lasted only a few days, after which I could see them perched 

 on the tops of the trees, giving a preference perhaps to dry branches, but 

 not a marked one, as some other species are wont to do. 



Of their haunts there he says: 



The key on which I first saw this bird, lies about twenty-five miles south of 

 Indian Key, and is named Bahia-honda Duck Key. The farther south we pro- 

 ceeded the more we saw, until we reached the low. sandy, sterile keys, called the 

 Tortugas, on none of which did I see a Pigeon of any kind. On our return from 

 the Tortugas to Key West, our vessel anchored close to a small key, in a snug 

 harbour protected from the sea winds by several long and narrow islands well 

 known to the navigators of those seas. Captain Day and myself visited this 

 little key, which was not much more than an acre in extent, the same after- 

 noon. No sooner had we landed than, to our delight, we saw a great number 

 of White-headed Pigeons rise, fly round the key several times, and all realight 

 upon it. The Captain posted himself at one end of the key, I at the other, while 

 the sailors walked about to raise the birds. In less than two hours we shot 

 thirty-six of them, mostly on the wing. Their attachment to this islet resulted 

 from their having nests with eggs on it. Along with them we found Grakles, 

 Red-winged Starlings, Flycatchers, and a few Zenaida Doves. 



The next morning we thought of calling at this little key on our way, and 

 were surprised to find that many new comers had arrived there before us. 

 They were, however, very shy, and we procured only seventeen in all. I felt 

 convinced that this spot was a favourite place of resort to these birds. It being 

 detached from all other keys, furnished with rank herbaceous plants, cactuses, 

 and low shrubs, and guarded by a thick hedge of mangroves, no place could be 



