THE MATING PERIOD. 5 



breeding-records, giving the dates for the first and last eggs for the year. Too 

 much reliance may not be placed upon these data. Frequently the birds were not 

 together early in the year, being mated late in the season, and as a consequence 

 the date of the first egg is often not a true index of the beginning of the season. 

 In some cases the records state that the birds were kept in the house, and this 

 special care may have accentuated, in some pairs, the early development of the 

 breeding impulse. As to the location of the birds, within or out of doors, there is 

 no indication in many of the records. Frequently the pairs were separated and 

 remated during the season for experimental purposes and, from the manuscripts 

 dealing with behavior, no clue can be obtained as to the normal end of the season. 1 

 Further, experimental control and quasi-domestication (see following topic) may 

 profoundly influence the duration of the season. Besides the table referred to 

 above, the following comment is given: 



During 1898 not an egg was laid by the passenger-pigeons until July 14. One was 

 laid on July 15, and the remaining pairs soon became active. Why they began so late 

 I do not know. They were brought to Woods Hole, May 25, and should have begun to 

 lay in April at the latest. Possibly I fed them too much corn or too much in general. I 

 ceased giving them corn about the end of June and lessened the amount of seed given. 

 I do not know whether the laying was brought about by the change, but think it prob- 

 able. In the season of 1899 the first egg from these birds was laid on Feb. 24, and the second 

 on Mar. 1. Perhaps the late and small work of the previous year led to an earlier 

 activity this year. The birds have been in the pen outside all winter, and it is the coldest 

 winter experienced here for many years. 



A mourning-dove X ring-dove pair (Zen. 5-C) failed to fertilize eggs after August, 

 the end of the regular season for the mourning-dove. Eggs were laid September 5 and 

 7, after the mourning-dove ceases normally to coo or care for eggs. (R 19, R 11.) 



"Fancy pigeons generally show an inclination to mate together some time in the month of 

 February; but much depends upon the temperature, as in very severe weather they will sometimes 

 show no signs of doing so until March, whilst if it be mild some birds, ff allowed, would go to nest 

 in January." '' 



PROLONGATION OF BREEDING SEASON IN WILD PIGEONS. 3 



A pair consisting of a mourning-dove and a ring-dove 4 was mated in April 1899. 

 Three sets of eggs were produced and incubated by the end of August. Four sets of eggs 

 were laid between Sept. 8 and Dec. 23, but all failed of development. The male contin- 

 ued to sit faithfully until the first week in November, but after that time he lost interest 

 and performed his incubation duties very irregularly. It is noted that "this pair, although 

 remarkably successful in fertilizing and hatching during the normal season, failed after 

 August, i.e., at the end of the regular season for the mourning-dove." 



Another similar pair was also mated in April of the same year. Six young were raised 

 by Nov. 1. A pair of eggs was laid on Nov. 15 and 17 and these were successfully incubated 

 by the male up to Dec. 17, when they were removed. Another set of eggs was produced 

 on Dec. 23 and 25 and the male exchanged faithfully until the removal of the eggs on 



1 A large number of complete and reliable data on this topic may be found in Volume II. The designations of 

 pairs of birds e.g., Zen. 5-C which are often appended in this volume, will enable those who care to do so to make 

 further examination of the entire breeding record, as this is given in the previous volume. EDITOR. 



2 Fulton and Lumley's Book of Pigeons, London, 1895, p. 35. 



' For a further reference to this phenomenon, sec wood-pigeon, Vol. II, table 87. EDITOR. 

 4 In these designations the name of the male is written first, that of the female last. The same order is used 

 in referring to hybrids. EDITOR. 

 2 



