THE KED-BILLED PIGEON. 129 



minutes' time I had also its mate. The nest was only 8 or 9 feet from the 

 ground, and set upon the horizontal branches of a sapling, in the midst of the 

 vines. It was composed of sticks, lined with fine stems and grasses, had a 

 depression of an inch or more, and was about 8 inches in outside diameter by 

 2 J inches deep. It contained one egg with embryo just formed. Dissection of 

 the bird showed that she would have laid no more. 



"On May 8, at Lomita Ranch, a few miles abo'\'B Hidalgo, in the fine 

 grove of ebonies in the rear of the buildings of the ranch, I found two nests. 

 Both were well up in trees, one about 25 feet and the other about 30. The 

 nests were situated close to the body of the trees, on large branches, and were 

 composed of sticks and grasses, with an inside depth of about 2 inches. One 

 contained a single egg far advanced, in the other also lay a solitary egg, from 

 which a young chick was just emerging. The parents persisted in staying 

 about, notwithstanding we were making a great disturbance, even shooting 

 into the same trees. Whenever we would go ofi" some distance, they would 

 immediately go on their nests, and seemed loath to leave on our return. These 

 were the only ones seen breeding so near habitations. The grove was a com- 

 mon resort for man and beast, besides being the place where wagons, tools, etc., 

 were kept and repaired. * * * 



"From my observations I conclude that the Red-billed Pigeon breeds on 

 our extreme southern border during April and May, that it builds a nest differ- 

 ing from those of other Pigeons, and lays but one egg. * * * 



"The shape of my five eggs of the bird under consideration is oblong 

 oval, with the greatest diameter in the center. Some vary slightly, tending 

 sometimes to double pointed, and again to double rounded. The color is 

 pure white. They measure 1.60 by 1.10, 1.55 by 1.12, 1.60 by 1.08, 1.48 by 

 1.08, and 1.46 by 1.07 inches, averaging 1.54 by 1.09 inches" (equaling 40.6 

 by 27.9, 39.4 by 28.4, 40.6 by 27.4, 37.6 by 27.4, and 37.1 by 27.7 millimetres, 

 averaging 39.1 by 27.9 millimetres).^ 



In his "Further Notes on the Ornithology of the Lower Rio Grande of 

 Texas," Mr. George B. Sennett gives the following information regarding this 

 species: "Through the kindness of Dr. S. M. Finley, U. S. Army, who was 

 stationed at camp near Hidalgo, and a good observer of animal life, I obtained 

 valuable information concerning the ari-ival and departure of the Pigeons. In 

 answer to my inquiries in regard to this species, lie gave the following from his 

 note book for 1878: 'First noticed on January 24, in flocks; about the middle 

 of February they were seen in the woods in pairs, and cooing. The last seen 

 of them, in 1887, was the latter part of November. These Pigeons were seen 

 several times consorting with tame Pigeons in the ebony trees in the neighbor- 

 hood of the village of Hidalgo.' This bird is resident, therefore, on the Lower 

 Rio Grande about ten months in the year. The remaining two months it is 

 probably in the more central part of our continent, wandering in flocks from 

 place to place in search of food. 



' Geological and Geographical Survey, Hayden, 1878, Vol IV, No. 1, pp. 45, 46. 

 26957— Bull. 1 9 



