248 STARNOENAS CYANOCF.PHALA. 



iug it, and a short time after, while looking for them again, I had the ill luck to run a cactus 

 spine, some three inches long, into my knee, the point entering between the small bones, 

 wheie it broke; as a consequence, I was confined to the house for nearly two weeks. This 

 occurred during the second week in November and when I recovered sufficiently to again 

 enter the resort which I have described, I could not find the Doves, so concluded that they 

 had migrated. 



Although I was not near enough to identify these birds beyond a doubt, I am convinced 

 that they were the Key West Doves. Shortly after this, I was informed by Mr. Joseph 

 Brown who was then mayor of the city of Key West and who had lived on the place for 

 many years, that he had known Audubon when he was on the island and that this ornithol- 

 ogist had taken the Key West Pigeons near the place where I saw the Doves in question. 

 Mr. Brown also informed me that Doves of all the species which now occur on the island, 

 were much more common then than now, for the island was thickly covered with a heaA'y 

 growth of timber, whereas, at the present time, there is scai'cely a tree in the wilder section, 

 over twenty feet high. 



GENUS V. STARNOENAS. THE QUAIL DOVES. 



Gen. Ch. Bill, very short. Tail, but little rounded, short, and broad. Wincjs, also short and not pointed . Tarsus, 

 not long. 



Members of this genus closely re^emWe tlie Quails in general appearance, being stout and round in form, with short 

 wings and tail. There has been but one species taken within our limits. 



STARNOENAS CYANOCEPHALA. 

 Blue-headed Dove. 



Slarnoenas cyanoccphala Bon., List; 1838. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Sp. Cn. Foi-m, robust. Size, quite large. Tail, shoi-t and but little rounded. Wings, short. Tarstrs, moderately 

 short ;ind stout. Sexes, quite similar in color. 



O.)t,ot:. Adult. Above, and on sides and fl-.mlcs, chocolnte-brown, overwashod with olivaceous. Top of head, hlue, 

 banded bolow with a line of black wliich becomes quite wide on occi|)Ut and narrow in front. Sides of head and forehead, 

 black, with a white line jiassing from chin, lieneath eye, toocciput. Throat, black, bjvdered with white below. Remain- 

 ing lower portions, reddish-brown, becoming ligliter on the middle of breast and darker on the under tail coverts. The 

 tail Icalliersarc overwnshed with bluish on outer webs. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



This species may be readily known by the short tail, robust form, and colors as described. Found only by Audubon 

 on the Florida Keys; resident in the AVest Indies. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Average measurements of specimens from the West Indies. Length, 11-60; stretch, 17-25; wing, 5-50; tail, 4-40; bill, 

 •65; tarsus, I'SO. Longest specimen, 12-50; greatest e.'ctent of wing, 17-50; longest wing, 5-60; tail, 4-50; bill, -60: tarsus, 

 1-35. Shortest specimen, 10-70; smallest extent of wing, H'OO; shortest wing, 5-40; tail, 4-30; bill, -50; tarsus, 1-25. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 



Pifsts, placed on the ground or in trees or bushes and when in the two latter named situations, they are composed of 

 sticks, c;irclcssly arranged: when on the grounil hut little material is used. 



E;/<js, one or two in number, varying from elliptical to oval in form, and pure white in color, with the surface very 

 smooth. Dimensions from I'OS x 1-40 lo MOx r43. 



