352 THE MOUNTAIN. 



pigeon. Yast flocks of this pigeon stop on the mountain 

 spring and fall. They are said to breed, from latitude 32 

 to 51, around Hudson's Bay. Their range is the continent, 

 from latitude 25 to 62. Stragglers remain on the moun- 

 tain through the summer season, but do not breed there. 

 The supply of food seems to determine the movement of the 

 myriads of these birds, which sometimes stream through the 

 air, and not the ordinary migrating instinct which impels 

 other birds to travel.* 



COLUMBIA Livia. This is the common domestic pigeon, 

 an introduced species. 



GALLINACEOUS BIRDS. 



(Gallinas, Linn., etc.) 



MELEAGRIS Gallopavo, (Linn., Bon.) Wild turkey. 

 This bird is rarely seen on the Alleghany, although abund- 

 ant on the parallel chains of the Appalachian range. Its 

 geographic distribution extends from Mexico to Canada. 

 It is not migratory in its habits, only making foraging ex- 

 peditions in search of food. This magnificent bird is pecu- 

 liar to North America. Of the turkey tribe, Cassin remarks : 

 " Of the turkeys, two species are known, the most numerous 

 of which is the wild turkey of North America. The other, 

 even more handsome in its plumage than the former, has as 

 yet only been found in Central America, and is known as 

 the Honduras Turkey. It is by no means well established 

 that the Domestic Turkey is descended from the wild spe- 

 cies of North America. Its origin probably has not yet 

 been disco vered."f 



* " Birds essentially tropical are known to migrate to different dis- 

 tances on either side of the equator, so essentially necessary is this 

 wandering habit to almost all the feathered tribe." Nutt. 



f " Since the above was written, the distinguished English ornitho- 

 logist, Mr. Gould, has introduced to the notice of naturalists what 

 he considers a third species, under the name of Meleagris Mexicana, 

 and which he regards as the parent stock of the domesticated turkey. 



