148 LIFE HISTUUIES OP NOETH AMERICAN EIRD^. 



The average measurement of seventy-four specimens in the U. S. National 

 Museum collection, is 30.5 by 23 milHmetres. The largest egg measures 34 

 by 24, the smallest 28 by 19.5 millimetres. The type specimen (No. 20822, 

 of the Mei-rill collection, from a set of two, PI. 2, Fig. 23) was collected, near 

 Edinburgh, Texas, by Asst. Surg. J. C. Merrill, U. S. Army, May 16, 1876. 



51. Columbigallina passerina (Linn^us). 



GROUND DOVE. 



Columba passerina Linn^us, Systema Naturae, ed. 10, i, 1758, 165. 

 Columhigallina passerina Zeledon, Proceedings U. S. National Museum, viii, 1885, 112. 



(B 453, C 3?4, R 465, C 547. U 320,) 



Geographical range : West India Islands ; north to southern Atlantic and Gulf 

 States excepting Texas (casually to District of Columbia). 



Tlie little Ground Dove breeds abundantly throughout the southern Atlan- 

 tic and Gidf States, from South Carolina, south, through Georgia, Alabama, 

 Florida, and southern Louisiana, being much more abundant in the immediate 

 vicinity of the coast than in the interior. 



Dr. William L. Ralph, who is familiar witli this species, writes me as fol- 

 lows about it: "Few of tlie l)irds I am acquainted with have so much inter- 

 ested me as these little Doves. They are very tame, and seem to delight in 

 frequenting the vicinitv of houses, often building tlieir nests within a few feet 

 of the ground, near places where people are constantly ])assing. In Florida 

 they are particularly fond of I'esorting to orange groves, l)oth for nesting and 

 feeding. In other localities they prefer fields in the vicinity of woods, with 

 very .little undergrowth. 



"Their nest?, which are usually larger in proportion and more compactly 

 built than is common with birds of this family, are composed of twigs, weeds, 

 dead leaves, pine needles, Spanisli moss, etc., and lined with fine grass or some 

 similar material. They are generally placed on a horizontal branch of a tree, 

 preferaljly an orange tree, from 5 to 25 feet above the ground, most of them 

 being under 10 feet. I have not infrequently found them in bushes or vines, 

 and occasionally on the ground, but I believe the Ijitter situation is not at all 

 common. 



"I have found these birds nesting at all times between the 1st of March 

 and the 1st of June, but they do not begin breeding in any numbers before 

 the middle of April. The earliest and latest dates of sets of my own collect- 

 ing, now at hand, are March 21 and May 7. In all probal)ility these liirds 

 nest several times during the season, l)ut I have no personal kno\vledge of 

 their breeding more than twice, as I never remained in Florida after the 1st 

 of June. 



"Both parents assist in incubation, and show a great deal of concern in the 

 care of their homes. When one is driven from a nest containing eggs, it wiU 



