424 



BULLETIN UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. [YolY. 



113. C^AM^PELIA PASSBRINA (L.) Sw. — Ground Dove. 



Not abundant about Lomita, though, occasionally seen, 

 seek a more open and cultivated country. 



I think they 



234 



483ffl 

 509 



Lomita 

 ..-.do . 

 ....do . 



April 28 

 May 23 



May 25 



6.75 



6.87 

 7.00 



10.75 

 10.75 

 11.00 



3.38 



3. y7 



3.50 



2.25 

 2.60 

 3.00 



114. ^CHMOPTILA* ALBEPRONS (Bp.) Coues. — White-fronted Pigeon. 



Dr. Finley reports the arrival of this Pigeon at the vicinity of Hidalgo 

 and Lomita about tJie middle of February, its departure having taken 

 place in IsTovember. Although it is less numerous than the Eed-billed 

 Pigeon, yet, by its peculiar note, it is easily distinguished from all other 

 species, and can thus be readily obtained. We heard it daily. It is so 

 much more retiring in its habits than other Pigeons, that were it not for 

 the peculiarity we mention, it would be met with very seldom. It fre- 

 quents the dense and heavy growth of timber, and long and frequent 

 were our endeavors to find its nest. By the 8th of May we had given 

 up the task, and I gave orders to my assistants to shoot all of this species 

 they could find, in hopes of obtaining females, as up to this time none 

 but males had been secured, and but few of them, as we had refrained 

 from shooting many specimens, in order to secure nests and eggs. A 

 few females were afterwards obtained, but it naturally happeneu that 

 we took more males, who alone made the cooing, and thus discovered 

 to us their whereabouts. A fortunate circumstance, however, occurred. 

 A boy having found in a hole in the bank of the old river-bed three kit- 

 tens belonging to a wildcat, picked nj) one of them, and being frightened 

 by the old cat, ran with it to Pancho, my Mexican assistant, who went 

 immediately to secure the mother and the remaining kittens. He chose 

 for ambush a dense growth of alder-like shrubbery in the bottom-land, 

 within easy range of the hollow, and cut away the stalks to have a full 

 view of it, trusting to the return of the mother, who was not at that 

 time with her young. After Avaiting some time, his attention was 

 attracted by a White-fronted Pigeon's flying from a nest further back in 

 the shrubbery. Knowing how anxious I was to get a nest of this bird, 

 be cut a waj^ through the bushes to obtain a clear view of the nest, 

 which he discovered contained two eggs, and then returned to his retreat 

 to watch for both prizes. The Pigeon which he had frightened away 

 returned first and was shot. Wliile he was carefully packing away 

 the bird, nest, and eggs in his bag, the old cat stole away one of her 

 kittens. He concluded to take the remaining one without further delay, 

 and brought the prizes home to me, by whom he was received with 

 great satisfaction. The two kittens were put out to nurse with a cat of 

 our house, wlio received them kindly. 



[* See Bull. U. S. Geol. Surv. Terr, iv, No. 1, 1878, pp. 48-50.— E. C. ] 



