126 LIFE flISTOEIES OF NOKTH AMEiilOAi^^ JilEDS. 



last fresh egg having been taken only a few days later; and the females 

 examined show that they will lay on for two months more at least. 



"In reg-ard to their carrying the egg about I have, in addition to the 

 cases noted, shot two other females having the egg embedded in the feathers 

 of the belly, and further, held by the legs while flying; but in such cases 

 they seem simply to alight on the limb of a spruce and incubate there with- 

 out any nest. This accounts for the shooting of Pigeons having a broken 

 egg smeared over the feathers, as I have done when no nest was to be seen. 

 I have found them nesting on oaks, maple, and spruce trees, often in old 

 nests of some other bird, or on a slight platform of twigs laid loosely on a 

 flat limb. 



"These birds sit closely, and allow one to go much nearer them than 

 when merely feeding or resting. In fact, this is the only way to know when 

 you have found a nest. The entire bird may be in plain sight, but no nest 

 can be seen from below, even when within 10 feet of her; and I had gen- 

 erally to note the spot from whence she flew, and climb above this, 

 when on looking down the egg might be seen, which usually laid directly 

 over the limb, and hence was invisible from below. The average distance of 

 the nests from the ground is about 10 feet, the extremes being- 6 and 70 feet. 



"Pigeons are most plentiful in these mountains during the months of 

 June and July. They are then scattered over the entire range, from the 

 oak groves at the bases of the foothills to the pines at the highest point. 

 They, however, have certain points where they congregate, favorite feeding- 

 grounds, which are generally near the mouth of a canon, and to which they 

 repair regularly, coming and going singly or in pairs and flocks of all sizes. 

 In coming down from the higher points to these feeding places their flight 

 is exceedingly swift, and the noise made by their wings is wonderful. It 

 appeared to me similar to the rush of steam from an engine, and can be 

 heard when the birds are scarcely visible and a thousand yards overhead. 

 The crop of a good-sized male after feeding contains from twenty-five to 

 fifty acorns." 



I have quoted, without further comment, the remarkable statement of Mr. 

 Poling, in regard to the alleged removal of eggs by this Pigeon. 



Undoubtedly the irregular distribution of the Band-tailed Pigeon at cer 

 tain times is due, to a large extent, to the comparative abundance of its 

 favorite food, acorns, which are found only in certain localities. On the 

 eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada in California, and the Cascade Range in 

 Oregon and Washington, oaks are but seldom seen; hence the scarcity of 

 these birds. I have seen flocks of the Band-tailed Pigeon repeatedly while 

 stationed in southern Arizona, but only along the foothills of the mountains 

 where oaks were abundant. The fruit of some of these trees is exceedingly 

 sweet and palatable, equal to the best of nuts. There is, however, a great 

 deal of difference in the taste of these acorns. While on one tree sweet ones 

 may be found, those of the next, although of apparently the same species, 



