EASTERN GROUND DOVE 439 



ful character has given it the local name of " mourning dove " in 

 many places. Nicholson says that ' ; their cooing is done entirely from 

 an elevated position ; a house top, fence, telegraph wire, dead or living 

 trees. I do not know if the female coos or not. For hours at a time 

 it is kept up, but with rest periods, of course. Four or five males 

 can be heard at one time within a 400-yard space." 



Enemies. — The gentle little ground dove is too small to be of any 

 account as a game bird, and, because of its sociable and confiding 

 nature, there is a strong sentiment in favor of its protection every- 

 where. It has little, therefore, to fear from man ; but it has plenty 

 of natural enemies, such as cats, foxes, skunks, opossums, hawks, 

 and snakes. It seems well able to take care of itself, however, and 

 its numerous broods, though small, are enough to keep up its numbers. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — Southern United States and Central America. 



The range of the American races of the ground dove extends north, 

 to southern California (Brawley and opposite Ehrenberg, Ariz.) ; 

 Arizona (Big Sandy Creek, Fort Verde, Beaver Creek, H Bar 

 Ranch, and Pima) ; southern New Mexico (Mesilla Park) ; Texas 

 (Pecos, Devils River, and Seguin) ; Louisiana (New Orleans) ; Ala- 

 bama (Autaugaville and Montgomery) ; and North Carolina (David- 

 son County). East to North Carolina (Davidson County) ; South 

 Carolina (Waverly Mills, Sullivans Island, and Frogmore) ; Georgia 

 (Savannah, Blackbeard Island, and Macintosh) ; and Florida (Wa- 

 tertown, San Mateo, De Land, Canaveral, Micco, Eden, Lake Worth, 

 Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami). South to Florida 

 (Miami, Royal Palm Hammock, Vaca Key, Big Pine Key, Key 

 West, Boca Grande, and Marquesas Keys) ; Guatemala (Duenas and 

 Santa Maria) ; Guerrero (Chilpancingo) ; Jalisco (Chapala and Za- 

 potlan) ; Tepic (San Bias and Tres Marias Islands) ; and Lower 

 California (Cape San Lucas). West to Lower California (Cape San 

 Lucas, San Jose del Cabo, La Paz, Espiritu Santo Island, and San 

 Felipe) ; southwestern Arizona (Yuma) ; and southern California 

 (Winterhaven and Brawley). 



The range as above outlined is for only the two American races, 

 the eastern ground dove {C olvmibigalUna passerina passerina) , and the 

 Mexican ground dove (C. p. pallescens) , the first of which is found 

 in the South Atlantic and Gulf States west to Louisiana, while 

 pallescens is found in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, southern Cali- 

 fornia, and south to Guatemala. This species has been separated into 

 many other geographic races, extending from Bermuda, through 

 the West Indies, to northern South America (Colombia and Vene- 

 zuela). 



