WHITE-FRONTED DOVE 423 



among the varied bird life of that interesting region, more fully 

 described under the chachalaca. Their characteristic notes were al- 

 most constantly heard, and we found several nests of each of these 

 species. The white-fronted and white-winged doves looked much 

 alike, but could be easily recognized by the deep-toned notes of the 

 former and the white wing patches of the latter. The nests and the 

 eggs of these two species were also much alike, but could usually be 

 identified by seeing the birds leave them. The only set of eggs of 

 the white-fronted dove that I collected was taken from a small, frail 

 nest of sticks, 10 feet above the ground, on a horizontal limb of a 

 small tree, in the dense underbrush of the forest. I attempted to 

 photograph the bird on a similar nest, not so high up, but something 

 destroyed the eggs before the bird returned. 



Sennett (1879) had a nest brought to him (with the parent bird) 

 that " was situated in the forks of the bushes, about five feet from the 

 ground, was flat and quite large for a Pigeon's nest, and composed 

 of the dead branches, twigs, and bark of pithy weeds." Dr. J. C. 

 Merrill (1879) took a nest that " was about seven feet from the 

 ground, supported by the dense interlacing tendrils of a hanging vine 

 growing on the edge of a thicket." Major Bendire (1892) says: 



Mr. William Lloyd writes me that this Pigeon breeds abundantly in the 

 Sierra Madre, from southern Chihuahua to Beltran, Jalisco, Mexico, at an 

 altitude of from 1,100 to 2,200 feet. The nests, usually placed in thorny 

 shrubs, Huisache, Acacia farnesianna, 10 to 12 feet from the ground, are 

 substantially made of straw. He found eggs as early as May 10, and up to 

 June 13, when they were much incubated. It frequents deep arroyas mostly 

 during the breeding season. 



According to George N. Lawrence (1874) the white-fronted dove 

 of western Mexico nests on the ground. He quotes Colonel Gray- 

 son as saying that " differing from all our American doves, it de- 

 posits its eggs upon the ground, forming scarcely any nest; the 

 eggs are two, and white; the young soon follow the mother, before 

 being able to fly, like some of the gallinaceous birds." 



Eggs. — The white-fronted dove lays two eggs, which are easily 

 recognized, when first collected, by their color. They are elliptical 

 oval in shape and somewhat glossy. The color is " cream-buff " 

 at first, but it soon fades to " cartridge buff " or dull white. The 

 measurements of 49 eggs average 30.6 by 22.9 millimeters; the eggs 

 showing the four extremes measure 33.7 by 23.5, 29.2 by 24.1, 28 by 

 22.2, and 30.2 by 21.4 millimeters. 



Plumages. — I have seen no specimens of the downy young. Speci- 

 mens in juvenal plumage, in June, have the crown, mantle, wings, and 

 tail " sepia " ; the tail and wing feathers and scapulars are narrowly 

 edged with " cinnamon-buff " or " pinkish cinnamon " ; the greater 

 and lesser wing coverts are more broadly edged with " cinnamon- 



