58 THE UNVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA 



in his relations with people, Ijeing equally friendly with strangers 

 as with those who cared for him His lack of intelligence — and 

 this was true of all the mourning doves we had — showed itself also 

 in an absence of curosity; he never examined anything about the 

 house, he almost never explored any place ; as a rule he merely 

 stayed on the window sill and the feeding table. This is just the 

 opposite of the behavior of my pet bobwliite who always experiment- 

 ing on things (Nice, 1911). F. showed "fear" twice (Craig, 1909) 

 by raising his wings as high as he could; the first occasion was 

 September 25 upon the introduction into his cage of two hopping 

 toads, one of which he tried to peck ; the second time was later in • 

 the same day when the first of the young doves was put with him. 

 He paid no attention to a quiet frog, nor, later to young doves. 



Although the epitom.e of gentleness with people, he was cruel 

 to the younger doves, pecking them especially viciously when they 

 annoyed him by "begging" from him. After D. grew big enough to 

 peck back, the two birds seemed to be good friends most of the 

 time, but April 15, D. was feeling droopy and F. started to peck 

 him so unmercifully that I had to shut the tyrant up. About a 

 week before this, F. had been very afifectionate to D., caressing and 

 preening him, apparently trying to make a mate of him ; D., how- 

 ever, usually hurried away. 



On April 21, 1920, we gave him his freedom; he quickly flew 

 out of sight, but came back twice, once in the afternoon of the 

 same day .when he was so tame that he let neighbors catch him, 

 and again the next day. He is banded with the number 20480. 



D. was taken from the nest Oct. 1, 1919, when he appeared to 

 be about 9 days old. He learned to drink milk in 5 days, to pick 

 up seeds in 7 days and to eat bread and milk in 11 days. He was 

 tame a,s long as he was dependent on me for food, but just as he 

 was becoming independent — about the age of 3 weeks — he began to 

 show fear by striking at me with his wing when I tried to feed 

 him, and two or three days later he was thoroughly timid and re- 

 mained so as long as we kept him. At 4 weeks of age he still 

 begged frantically from F. when the latter returned after an hour's 

 absence, but that was the last instance I saw. At this time his 

 head was entirely bare due to the treatment he had received from 

 F. When 3 months old he sometimes got the better of F. but in 

 general they were peaceable. March 31, when F. seemed sick, D. 

 did not molest him. D. was banded with the number 20481 and 

 j^ivcn his freedon April 21, since which time we have not seen him. 



