INC A DOVE 449 



ing dove, a slowly uttered coc-coo or co-o-o-h coo-o-o, the first slightly shorter, 

 high-pitched, coarser, and with o as in go; the second lower, with a typical oo 

 sound, as in moon. 



Myron H. and Jane Bishop Swenk (1928) give the coos in musical 

 notation, and they describe them as follows : 



The call of the Inca dove is a monotonous, unvaried, rather plaintive coo-oo- 

 coo or whoo-oo-ivhoo, rapidly repeated over and over. There is a blowing 

 quality to it. We heard the call all through the winter, but it became louder 

 and more insistent as the nesting season approached in March and April. It is 

 very different from the soft, drawled coo-oo-coo, coo-coo, coo of the mourning 

 dove. 



During the very hot months of July and August the monotonous 

 repetition from morning to night of the Inca's coo is much disliked 

 by those with overwrought nerves. 



I have quoted under Courtship M. F. Gilmairs (1911) description 

 of the " growl " of the fighting birds, and he adds that " in animated 

 talk, gossip perhaps, they excitedly utter sounds like cut-cut-ca-doo- 

 ca-doo. In all quite a vocabulary is at their command." 



Field marks. — The chief field marks of the Inca dove are the long 

 tail with its white edges and' the scaled appearance of the feathers 

 over much of the body, which is due to the darker outline of their 

 edges. By these two marks the Inca dove may be distinguished 

 at once from the Mexican ground dove that occurs in the same 

 region. Half of the Inca's length is in the tail. The chestnut-brown 

 of the wing coverts, which is concealed or nearly concealed when 

 the wings are closed, is prominent in flight. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — Southwestern United States and Central America; non- 

 migratory. 



The range of the Inca dove extends north to Arizona ( Wickenburg, 

 Eice, and Safford) ; New Mexico (Silver City) ; and southern Texas 

 (Kerrville, Austin, and Columbus). East to Texas (Columbus and 

 Santa Maria) ; Tamaulipas (San Fernando de Presas, Ciudad Vic- 

 toria, and Tampico) ; northern Guatemala (Lake Peten) ; Honduras 

 (San Pedro); and Nicaragua (Chinandega). South to Nicaragua 

 (Chinandega) ; Salvador (La Libertad) ; western Guatemala 

 (Duenas) ; Oaxaca (Tehuantepec) ; Jalisco (Guadalajara) ; and 

 southern Sinaloa (Escuinapa, Presidio, and Mazatlan). West to 

 Sinaloa (Mazatlan) ; Durango (Rio Sestin) ; Sonora (Opodepe) ; 

 and Arizona (Tubac, Tucson, Sacaton, Phoenix, and Wickenburg) . 



Casual records. — Although repeatedly listed as a bird of Lower 

 California, there are apparently only two records. Dr. Witmer Stone 

 (1905) reported seeing " a very few in the upper Hardy River 



