THE MATING PERIOD. 19 



carried out in much the same way as both parents feed their young. This part of 

 the activity of billing may also be spoken of as "feeding." That billing is not 

 universal among pigeons, though it occurs in widely different groups, is indicated 

 by the several observations which follow: 



Bandtail pigeons (Columba fasciata) approach each other by the usual method of 

 billing the wing, but the female does not insert the beak, and the male does not offer her 

 an opportunity. The preliminary movements are slow in these birds. The male mounts 

 without offering the beak and slowly takes his position, while the female as slowly aids 

 by raising her wings to support him. The male then finally pitches back rather suddenly 

 and dismounts after a flash contact. As he alights beside her he raises his head and points 

 his beak upward for a moment in the expression of his pleasure. 



I have seen a male mourning-dove (Zenaidura carolinensis) take the beak of his mate 

 in his mouth and give one or two quite quick and vigorous shakes. This bird then mounted 

 and finished the act in a moment's time much quicker than in any other species known 

 to me except the small ground-doves of Florida. The rapidity of the mourning-dove's 

 movements in these acts was in striking contrast to that of the passenger-pigeon (Ecto- 

 pistes). The mourning-dove rapidly bills his wing, shakes his feathers, and offers his 

 open beak, gives a few jerks when it is accepted, and then finishes in the usual way. 



The male of Geopelia humeralis mounts, jumps off, takes the female's beak once or 

 twice, mounts again, etc., until the female is thoroughly aroused and ready to respond. 

 The male of the bronze-wing seems rather rarely to take the beak of the female, but often 

 opens wide his beak as he approaches her. (Sh 30/13, C 7/7, R 28, R 33.) 



The male sometimes feeds the female during the billing activity. This phe- 

 nomenon was recorded three times in the bronze-wing records. We shall quote 

 the references and then give the detailed circumstances under which the act 

 occurred : 



The female was sitting on the ladder 3 feet from the ground. The male was 5 or 6 

 feet away on the ground. He bowed and called; she flew down, ran up to him, and put her 

 beak in his. The male fed her with an up-and-down shake; after billing from one side of 

 his beak the female shifted to the other side. On the following day the male called the 

 female from the ladder. He opened his beak and she inserted her beak, first on one side 

 and then on the other. He apparently fed her; at least he went through the motions of 

 doing so. 



On Jan. 5, at 2 p. m., I saw the male walk off on the perch and fly to the floor, where 

 he then began bowing profusely; the female put her beak in his mouth, and the male gave 

 a few very vigorous shakes, during which the rattling of the contents of his crop could 

 be heard. The female after accepting this feeding from the male at once returned to the 

 nest. 



At 7 h 30 a. m. on Jan. 26 this female bronze-wing was on the floor. The male bowed 

 and the female ran to him and the two began hugging. The female soon reached out her 

 beak to that of the male, feeling about as if she wanted to be fed. Then the male opened 

 his beak and received that of the female, and fed her with a few shakes. Hugging by the 

 male occurred for a moment. The female again at once reached out her beak to be fed, 

 and the male again fed her with a few strong shakes. This was repeated for a third time, 

 and shortly afterward, without any coitus, the female went to the nest. (R 28, R 33.) 



The circumstances under which the first of these "feedings" occurred are not 

 definitely stated, except that the act was connected with their courting. Judging 

 from the context, this case probably occurred during the incubation period, and 



