Female Nor should the female ever be mistaken for 

 any other bird. It partakes much of the general colors 

 of the male, but much subdued and more of a general 

 ochreous hue, the plumage being buff mottled with 

 brown. The tail, however, is not more than one-fourth 

 the length of that of the male. 



Nest and Eggs The nest is generally a depression on 

 the ground, but often in the hollow of some log. The 

 eggs number from 12 to 18 and are of a dark ochre in 

 color. 



Measurements The measurements of a Mongolian 

 pheasant are practically useless on account of the 

 larger portion of it being the tail, which greatly varies 

 in length. 



THE PIGEONS AXD DOVES 



The family Columbidae is represented on the Pacific 

 Coast by three genera which are considered, to more 

 or less extent, legitimate game, though they can not be 

 termed game birds in the generally accepted use of 

 the term. Still as they are hunted to a very consider- 

 able extent by the sportsmen of the Coast, they right- 

 fully belong in a work of this kind. I shall, therefore, 

 give them a place, and briefly treat each species that 

 is pursued as game within the territory under consid- 

 eration. 



THE WILD PIGEON 



(Columba faciata) 



The wild, or banded pigeon, is a mountain dweller, 

 found principally in the southern half of the territory 

 covered by this work. They visit the valleys in the 

 fall and winter months to feed on the oak mast, and at 

 such times they are seen in large flocks in the Sacra- 

 mento, San Joaquin and coast valleys of California. 

 They are found in good numbers in parts of Arizona, 

 and are common along both sides of the Sierra Madres 

 of Mexico. When visiting the valleys they afford good 

 sport, as they are swift flyers and capable of carrying 

 off a good deal of shot. They have no migrations like 

 the passenger pigeon once so plentiful in the eastern 

 states, nor do they congregate in such immense flocks. 



Color About the same as the darker colored tame 



pigeon; the tail is a trifle longer than the tame bird 



and a little lighter than the rest of the plumage with a 



dark band across the middle of it; a small patch of 



39 



