O50 AVIin i:-HKAl)ED riUEON. 



My lioiitmen iiirorineil mv tliat this rookery w,s occupied by iiiauy tUousaii.l birds 

 duriii"- the past year, and that the spongers were accustomed to \'isit t'.ie place at uight 

 and capture the sitting ))irds. This statement was confirmed hy the remahis of torches 

 which were scattered about the ishmd. Many nests contained egg shells, the contents of 

 which had been removed by Buzzards, Man-of-war birds or (iidls. The time of this visit 



was May 8th, 1884. 



On June 7th of the stime _\ear, I visited the Green Key lying to the eastward of the 

 Ton o-ue of Ocean, a large island containing many acres, and a noted breeding ground 

 of the Pi"-eons. At this time there wei-e perhaps a thousand l)irds on the island and tliey 

 ' were preparing to breed, several nearly completed nests being fomid but none contained 

 fresh e^o-s. Judging from my experience with the Pigeons here and elsewhere, 1 should 

 say that in the Bahamas, as on the Florida Keys, the time of breeding for the White- 

 headed Pigeon is the middle of June. 



About the firstweek in July, previous to 1S84, sportsmen from Xassua had been in 

 the habit of visiting Green Key and shooting the breeding Pigeons as they tlew from theii- 

 nests to cross to Andros Island, some fifteen ndles distant, where they are siid to go 

 daily for food and water. Many of the nests of the previous season which I had examined 

 on Green Kev contained broken eggs that contained the remains of half formed yovmg, 

 and in some of the nests were the skeletons of newly-hatched young ; the parents of l)oth 

 eo-crs and vountf had doubtlessly been killed as they left the nests. This sight was a most 

 piteous appeal to humanity. I was inlbrmed by one of my l)oatmen, who had aci-ompa- 

 nied hunting parties to the key, that so great was the slaughter of Pigeons that many 

 more were killed than were needed, and that he had frecpiently seen hundieds of birds 

 buried in the sand of the beach near ^vliere they were shot. 



Upon mv return to Nassau T promptly stated the facts as I had ob.served them to the 

 Governor, Sir Heiu-v A. Blake, and as T have elsewhere stated in this work, tlnough his 

 readv and svmpathetic co-o])eration a law was enacted protecting th(,'se Pigeons dm-ing 

 ihc b\Tcding si'ason. 



UmiiiLL two snlpsi'(|Ucnt \isitsto the itaii.imas I was happ\ to sec that this law iiad 

 the desired effect and that it has afforded absolute protection to the Pigeons fnnn May 

 until September. 



It seems singrdar that the White-beaded Pigeons should resort to a ke\- so far from 

 their supplv of food and water, yet they have nested upon this kvy for many years, and 

 upon the time of my visit fiocks consisting of about a dozen or fifteen individuals were 

 constantly rising and leaving the key in the direction of Andros. 



The notes of this Pigeon are very loud and characteristic, soimding .something like 

 "wof, wof, wo, co-woo." The first three notes are re])eated several tunes, then the '• co- 

 Avoo," is long drawn out; all being in as low a key as the hoot of an owl. The entire cry 

 is cleverlv imitated by the Ci'eoles Avhen they Avish to decoy the bird within gun shot, but 

 there is a certain trenuilousness in the real notes which cainiot be imitated by the human 

 voice. 



