EASTERN MOURNING DOVE 405 



As a rule a pair of mourning doves, in contrast to the habit of 

 the passenger pigeon, nests well removed from the nests of other 

 doves, but Charles E. Stockard (1905) reports in Mississippi an 

 interesting exception to this rule. " Doves," he says, " often nested 

 in small colonies. In a clump of about fifteen young pine trees I 

 once found nine nests, and in an Osage orange hedge about one-half 

 mile long twelve nests were located. But most doves nest singly, or 

 with the nests too far apart to suggest any gregarious nesting habit." 



Most commonly the nest is made of sticks and is lined with finer 

 twigs. A. D. DuBois, however, in his notes records the use of grass, 

 weed stalks, roots, and a lining of leaves and mentions one nest 

 made " almost entirely of rootlets and stems lined with finer root- 

 lets (a shallow affair)." 



The nest, oftenest, perhaps, just a platform of sticks, but firm 

 enough to withstand usage for 30 days, is made apparently entirely 

 by the female bird. Frank F. Gander in his notes states this to be 

 a fact in the case he describes, and he demonstrates the aid that 

 the male bird gives to his mate. He says : 



The bringing of the material was accomplished by the male, who flew to 

 the ground and searched about until a suitable stick was found. In selecting 

 material the male was very careful and tested the sticks by shaking them 

 vigorously. Perhaps this was as much to test his hold upon the stick as to 

 test the stick itself, as many times sticks were shaken from his beak. So 

 much time was consumed in this choosing of a twig that his trips to the 

 nest averaged about one every two minutes. He always approached the nest 

 by the same route, alighting upon a protruding branch, hopping from this to 

 another, and walking along the latter to the nest. Reaching the nest, he 

 turned the material over to the female, who reached up her beak to receive 

 it. Sticks were frequently dropped during this exchange. The female placed 

 the sticks under and about her to construct the nest. 



Building did not continue uninterruptedly, as the female frequently left 

 the nest when the male would pursue her and peck at her until she returned. 

 Work for the day was stopped at about 11 a. m. The nest building was taken 

 up again on the following morning and carried on until about 10 a. m. 



Continuing, he shows the division of labor during the incubation 

 period of 15 days: 



The male took up his duties at the nest at about 10 in the morning and was 

 relieved again at about 3 in the afternoon. The male often left the eggs un- 

 guarded for a few minutes about noon while he flew to a near-by watering 

 place to drink. 



Margaret M. Nice (1922), referring to the building of the nest, 

 corroborates the observation quoted above. She says: 



Nest building as a rule takes place in the early morning. The male mourn- 

 ing dove gathers the materials and carries them to his mate who arranges them. 

 He takes one piece at a time, and if he happens to drop it. he does not stop but 

 continues his journey to the tree and then starts over again, 



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