COLUMBID.E — THE PIGEONS — ZENAIDURA. 513 



lars spotted with black, mostly concealeil, and an oblong patch of the same below the 

 ear. Tail feathers seen from below blackish, the outer web of outermost white, the 

 others tipped with the same, the color becoming more and more Ijhiish to the inner- 

 most, which is Ijriiwii. Seen from above, there is the same gradation from white to light 

 blue in the tips ; the rest of the iijatlier, however, is bhie, with a bar of Ijlack anterior 



to the li^ht tip, which runs a little fiirwaril, alons the iriargin and shaft, of the 

 feather. In the sixth feather the color is uniform bluisli, with this bar ; the seventh is 

 without bar. 



Female smaller and with less red beneath. 



Lentrth of male, 12.75 ; extent, 18,00 ; wing, 5.75 ; tail, 6.70. Iris brown ; Ijill black ; 

 feet red. 



Hah. Throughout the United States from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Cuba, Gimd- 

 lach ; south to Costa Rica. 



This do^'e is aluunlant tlirougliout Califoriiia, and nortli at least to lat. 

 49° in summer, while a few winter in California as far north as San Fran- 

 cisco, lat. 38°, thongh I think most of them leave the State. 



They arrive from the soutli in large flocks in jMarcli and A2)ril, and 

 spread over the whole country, even those barren desert mountains towards 

 the Colorado, where scarcely any birds are to be found. I there noticed 

 them in May coming from all directions about sunset to drink at tlie springs 

 whicli are scattered at long inter\-als in that region. From early in April to 

 June their nests and eggs may lie f(iun<l in various situations, on the ground, 

 on fences, stumps, large brandies, and among the foliage of trees and bushes. 

 The nest consists of a few twigs carelessly laid togetlier, is aliout 4.50 inches 

 wide, M'ith scarcely any depression, and so open tliat the two white eggs 

 may be seen tlirough tlie bottimi. These measure about 1.12 X 0.90 

 inches. 



Being delicate food, and easily killed, tliey are much shot, and being un- 

 protected by law, are bavbannisly killed even during tlie breeding season, 



