EASTERN WHITE-WINGED DOVE 425 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — Central America, north to the lower Rio Grande Valley 

 in Texas; nonmigratory except that in the northern part of the 

 range there is probably a slight withdrawal from November to 

 February. 



The range of the white-fronted dove extends north to Tepic 

 (Santiago) ; northern Nuevo Leon (Rio Salado) ; and southern 

 Texas (Rio Grande City, Lomita, and Sause Ranch). East to Texas 

 (Sause Ranch, Santa Rita Ranch, and Brownsville) ; southern 

 Nuevo Leon (Montemorelos) ; Pueblo (Tecali) ; eastern Guatemala 

 (San Geronimo) ; and northwestern Nicaragua (Chinandega). 

 South to northwestern Nicaragua (Chinandega) ; Salvador (La 

 Libertad) ; western Guatemala (San Jose, Duenas, and Retalhuleu) ; 

 Chiapas (Tonala) ; Oaxaca (Santa Efigenia) ; and Colima (San- 

 tiago). West to Colima (Santiago); and Tepic (San Bias and 

 Santiago). 



A specimen in the United States National Museum from Tres 

 Marias Island, Tepic, can be considered only as a straggler from 

 the mainland. 



Egg dates. — Texas: 42 records, March 30 to July 25; 21 records, 

 May 6 to 27. Mexico : 18 records, April 13 to June 28 ; 9 records, 

 May 20 to June 24. 



MELOPELIA ASIATICA ASIATICA (Linnaeus) 

 EASTERN WHITE-WINGED DOVE 



HABITS 



The type name of the white-winged dove is now restricted to the 

 birds found in the West Indies and the eastern part of the range 

 of the species. This eastern form is much less numerous than the 

 western form and is not nearly so well known. For these reasons 

 it has seemed best to write a full life history of the western form 

 only. 



Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway (1905) say: 



This species is abundant in Jamaica, where, according to Mr. March, it is 

 more a lowland than a mountain dove. They are said to be gregarious, usually 

 keeping in flocks of from 10 to 20, but in January and in February, in the 

 Guinea-corn season, and at other times when the Cerei are in fruit, they con- 

 gregate in large flocks, often of several hundreds. Their food is principally 

 grain and seeds, but they are equally fond of the ripe fruit of the different 

 species of Cereus abounding on the savannas and salines during the summer. 

 Inland, the White-Wings, in the same manner as the Baldpate, breed in solitary 

 pairs ; but in the mangrove swamps, and in the islands along the coast, they 

 breed in company, many in the same trees. The nest is a frail platform of 



