618 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



THE WHITE-CROWNED PIGEON (C. leucocephala). 



Fig. 3 It is a large species, first described in 1792 by Bonna- 

 terre from specimens taken on Guadeloupe Island, West In- 

 dies. The bird is very striking in appearance on account of its 

 white crown and the wonderful irridescent colors on the sides 

 of the neck. 



year;" and when but one egg is laid, he has heard it 

 said that it is "sometimes carried about by the fe- 

 male." But in what way it is "carried about," this 

 authority does not commit himself. 



In Lower California we have another wild pigeon 

 known as Viosca's Pigeon, which is a good deal like 

 the species just described, but the band on the tail may 

 either be absent or only slightly in evidence; in fact, 

 this pigeon is but a subspecies of the true Band-tailed 

 form. 



In the same region with these, with its range extend- 

 ed to New Mexico, Arizona, and, perhaps, to the ex- 

 treme southern part of Texas, one may meet with the 

 Red-billed Pigeon a beautiful species that lays but 

 a single egg and in a nest of a more substantial char- 

 acter than birds of this family usually build. (Fig. 2.) 



Passing to Florida more especially to the Florida 

 Keys one may meet with two other elegant forms of 

 these birds, the White-crowned and the Squamous 

 Pigeons, which are also found on certain islands of the 

 West Indies the last-named bird being only a casual 

 visitor on the islands of Key West. (Fig. 3.) 



No longer is the genus Ectbpistes the genus next 

 following Columba represented anywhere in the world. 

 It contained but the one species, the famous Wild or 

 Passenger Pigeon (. migratorius) , which is now ut- 

 terly extinct. Last spring (1921) The Scientific Month- 

 ly reproduced an article of mine devoted to the "Pub- 

 lished Figures and Plates of the Extinct Passenger 

 Pigeon," which was illustrated by fifteen fine figures, 

 selected from the works of various authors who had 



given pictorial records of the species in their writings. 

 (Fig. 4-) 



As many of us are aware, the Passenger Pigeon is a 

 species having a most remarkable history a history 

 which has been told by many authors in many places. 

 In my above cited article I said : "No species of bird 

 known to man, in all time, can in any way rival the 

 extraordinary series of chapters that go to make up the 

 history of the life-span of this now totally extinct pig- 

 eon. As a story filled with romance, prodigality, cruel- 

 ty and short-sightedness, it outranks the most unbe- 

 lievable fables of the ancients. As one who, among 

 many, witnessed the marvelous flight of these birds in 

 the early seventies, I never for a moment thought how 

 soon the species would be in the same category with 

 those other birds of which the world will never again 

 see living specimens. We can now only regretfully look 

 back on the picture, and systematize the data at hand 

 with respect to the literary part of this ; and not a little 

 has been accomplished by those competent to under- 

 take it." 



In the days of Wilson and Audubon, flocks of Wild 



CASE OF WILD PIGEONS, U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Fig. 4 This is the now extinct pigeon of North America. It 

 will be noted that there are nine in the flock, the birds having 

 been mounted by the late Nelson R. Wood. 



