n02 NORTH AMERICAN •IirRDS. 



tinned tniinnrisli tliom until rnll-<,M'(t\vn, and urtorwards misod (i second brood 

 I'ldin tlic sanic nest. Tlicy wi-n* led on rice and oilier sniall ;,'rain. 



Tliu nest of liiis Hpucius is de.scriltcd as eompai't, and as larj,'e for the size 

 of tliu liird. It is composed of dry t\vij;.s cxtornally, and witlun is made of 

 dry grasses disjiost'd in a eircnlur form. Tliis is usually l)uilt in hedges or 

 low hushes, and anion,!:,' tla^ liraiiehes of oran;4e-trees. The eggs arc two, pure 

 white, and with one end usually much more obtuse than the other. They 

 are two in number, but, as Mr. Audubon Htates, ov \;asionally the uest con- 

 tains three. Two broods are raise<l in a season. 



In the vicinity of I'liarlcstoii these birds were observed to reniain all the 

 year, though tlie greater ])roportioii reth'cd south or to the sea-i.slands. 



In the Florida Keys Mr. Audubon met with them among the islands re- 

 sorted to by the Zcnaida Doves, and also on Sandy Island, near Cajie Sable. 

 In the latter place they were so gentle that he a]>proached to within two 

 yards of them. Their nest was on the top of a cactus, not more than two 

 feet from tla; grountl. 



'Their food, in a wild state, consists of grass-seeds and various small ber- 

 ries, with which they swallow a large proportion of gravel to assist digestion. 

 They are extremely fond nf dusting themselves in the sand, lying down in 

 it in the manner of various gallinacecais birds. 



The eggs of this species are of a uniform bright white color, are slightly 

 more pointed at one end than at the other, and measure .85 of an inch in 

 length by .03 in lireadlii. 



This s])ecies was i'ound in abundance at ('a]>e St. Lucas by !Mr. Xantus. 

 They were nestii.g from A\ml 15 until August 2'.), and evidently had two or 

 more broods in a season. Their nests were usually placed in low cactuses, 

 near the ground, or in small shrubs. Their nests, eggs, and general habits, so 

 far as we can gather them from the meagre notes of Mr. Xantus, are in no 

 wise diflbrent from those of the more eastern birds. 



Genus OREOFELEIA, RKicnExnAcu. 



Oreopchia, Rkichesbacii, Handbueh der .spcciellcn Oniitliol. I, i, 1851, page xxiv. (Typo, 

 Columba martiniea, L.) 



Gen. Cn.\R. Bill leiigthonod, slender ; culmen half the rest of the head from the 

 frontal feathers. Feet large, .stout ; tar.<i longer than the nii<kllc toe and elaw, covered 

 anteriorly by transverse .scntellic. Inner lal(M'al daw longer than outer; reaching beyond 

 the base of the middle one, the outer tailing .short of it. Hind toe and claw more than 

 half the niidiUe. Quills and tail-feathers very broad ; the wings rounded ; second and 

 third quills longest, the first intermediate between the fourth and lillli. Tail suborbicular, 

 the shafts convex outwardly ; the feathers rounded, an<l a little graduated. 



Of this genus, which is peculiar to America, two well-marked species 

 may be distinguished. 



