430 



ZOOLOGY— BIRDS. 



launcli out from their perches, the noisy flapping- of their wings resembles 

 that of the domestic pigeon, being different from the whistUng flight of the 

 Turtle Dove. At this season, they were silent. Returning here in October, 

 I foimd they had nearly abandoned the higher regions of the mountains, 

 and were congregated in flocks among the oaks farther down ; acorns, as 

 long as the supply holds out, being their chief resource. While upon the 

 west coast this pigeon has a very extensive range, reaching into Washington 

 Territory, and presumably into British Columbia, its habitat in the Interior 

 is much more restricted. Its occurrence, therefore, in Colorado, as ascer- 

 tained by Mr. Aiken during the past season, is interesting. He detected it fii-st 

 at the western base of the Spanish Peaks, early in September, and later (Sep- 

 tember 25) met with them again in "considerable numbers about fifteen miles 

 above the town of Del Norte, on the Rio Grande River." His notes are as 

 follows : "At the latter place, a flock of twenty of these pigeons was found, 

 and I learned from persons living in the vicinity that the same birds had 

 been noticed throughout the summer ; so they had doubtless reared their 

 young there. In their habits, they resemble the common wild pigeon 

 {Edopistes migratoria). They fly in a compact flock, and frequent both the 

 conifers of the mountains and the cottonwood groves of the river bottoms, 

 though apparently preferring the latter. On the Rio Grande, they were 

 feeding greedily upon a small white berry that grew abundantly upon the 

 river bank." 



Iris red ; bill yellow, lilack at tip; legs and feet yellow. 



