112 NESTS AND EGGS OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



roost and breeding place near Kirkersville, Licking county, and large num- 

 bers were to be seen from sunrise till nine o'clock and after flying westward 

 from the roost, and in the afternoon about four o'clock till sundown re- 

 turning. At these hours they were never out of sight, and often dozens 

 of flocks were in sight at once. Dr. Kirtland states that near Circleville, 

 in 1850, one thousand two hundred and eighty-five were caught in a single 

 net in one day, and the average price for the birds in Columbus was five 

 or six cents per dozen. The only large flight of Pigeons I have ever wit- 

 nessed was in the spring of 1872, when different large flocks were passing 

 westward in the morning, and continued in sight about an hour. The 

 Wild Pigeons breed in vast communities, placing the nest in trees 

 and bushes; it is a mere platform of sticks. 



460. Mourning Dove — zenaidura carolinensis. Pure white, ellipti- 

 tal; two in number; size about" 1.12 by .82. The Turtle dove is distrib- 

 uted throughout temperate North America; it is to be found everywhere, 

 both in woodland and in open places. During the breeding season they 

 are found in pairs, but at other times are highly gregarious, though flocks 

 of them never attain the size of those of the Wild Pigeon. The nest is 

 placed on the horizontal branches of trees, on stumps, on the top rail of 

 old snake fences, on rocks in bushes, and on the ground. It varies in con- 

 struction with its location. When placed in small branches of trees it is 

 made of a tew sticks, somewhat after the style of the Cuckoo's; but if on 

 a large limb or stump, it is often but a rim of twigs to retain the eggs; 

 when on the ground, a few straws and twigs are used to indicate the nesf. 

 The Carolina Dove rears two, sometimes three broods in a season. 



462. Zenaida Dove — zenaida amabilis This Dove was found by 

 Audubon only on the Florida Keys. It is resident in the Bahamas and 

 West Indies. The nest is similar in construction to that of the Carolina 

 Dove. The eggs, one or two in number, are pure white, with a very 

 smooth surface; size 1.25 by 1.03. Audubon says it spends most of its 

 time on the ground, and that its habits are not dissimilar to those of the 

 Ground Dove. 



464. White-winged Dove — melopelia leucoptera. This is a very 

 abundant bird in suitable localities in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, South- 

 ern California, and southward. " The nests, as a rule, are smaller and more 

 frail than those of the Mourning Dove, and the eggs have a decided 

 creamy tinge, which is rarely lost after blowing, at least not for months. 

 Thirty four eggs average i .17 by .88; extremes 1.30 by .95 and 1.05 by 



