26 HISTORY OF THE 



brown; secondaries dusky, edged with pale grayish blue, and broadly tipped 

 with white; primaries dusky, the inner more plumbeous, all rather broadly 

 tipped with white. Central portion of the rump uniform light bluish gray; 

 lateral and posterior portions of the rump, upper tail coverts, entire lower parts, 

 forehead, lores and eyelids white. Bill brownish, dusky terminally; feet brown 

 (in skin)." 



Stretch of 

 Length. wing. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Bill. 



Male 14.75 37.00 11.25 4.20 1.65 1.13 



Female... 14.00 36.00 11.00 4.00 l.CO 1.10 



This beautiful bird, called by the farmers the Prairie Dove, 

 feeds largely upon the land, often great distances from the 

 water. In the spring it hovers over the newly-plowed lands, 

 and often follows the plow, picking up the insect life, larva and 

 worms exposed in the furrow; and in the fall catches the grass- 

 hoppers in the air, often flying high and circling. 



The birds are easily tamed and make interesting pets; one 

 that I kept for some time became greatly attached to me; would 

 follow me about the room, and the moment I stopped, whether 

 standing or sitting, would perch upon one of my feet and com- 

 mence dressing up his feathers; climbing back as often as I 

 would toss him off. Most birds dislike to be handled, but this 

 one seemed to enjoy it, rubbing his head and bill against my 

 hand and cheek, as if coaxing me to caress him. 



During the winter I have met with the birds in Central 

 America, and on the southwest coast of Mexico; and they have 

 been found breeding as far south as northern Iowa, and in 

 abundance in the vicinity of Manitoba, and north at least to 

 the 65th parallel. They breed in communities, on low, wet, 

 marshy grounds, in shallow water, upon the tops of broken 

 down rushes. Their nests are made largely of grasses and 

 rushes. Eggs usually three, 2.12x1.45; one set of three eggs, 

 taken May 20th, 1885, by J. D. Preston, on Marsh Lake, Min- 

 nesota, measure: 2.00x1.40, 2.12x1.40, 2.08x1.44. Ground 

 color pale grayish gi-een to light olive drab, splashed with 

 rounded and zigzag markings of varying shapes and sizes, of 

 olive brown to dark sepia; thickest and generally forming a 

 wreath around the larger end; in form, rather oval. 



