Bird Notes from the South-west 193 



in the neighboring high mountains, where also, if one is for- 

 tunate, he may get a Wild Turkey. 



Next in interest comes the doves, of which Arizona has 

 five species. The Inca Dove is the most common, treading 

 daintily along gravel paths, across front yards, barn yards, 

 and often seen among chickens in the coop. As early as Feb- 

 ruary 25 some were sitting upon their two pearl-like eggs in 

 the pepper trees, while others were only selecting their brides, 

 scrapping and fighting over them in the most undove-like 

 fashion, batting each other with their salmon lined wings, 

 and " pulling each other's hair," or rather feathers, with their 

 small, sharp beaks. The feathers of this bird, especially when 

 ruffled, are so arranged as. to suggest scales. The Mexican 

 Ground Doves are the smallest of all doves, really only half 

 a dove in size, resembling nestling " turtle " doves. You 

 might mistake one for a large gray mouse as it patters about 

 on the ground hunting seeds ; indeed they are so small and 

 dear that you wish you could carry one about with you as a 

 sort of living watch charm ! 



The White-winged Doves, — the Sonora doves of the na- 

 tives — frequent the mesquite groves near water, where large 

 flocks will gather to drink at evening, and where many meet 

 their fate at the hands of the Mexicans and local " sports- 

 men." ^ The Band-tailed Pigeon is a large dove of general 



^ See Vol. 12, page 275, Bird-Lore, 

 distribution in the west, where they live in the oak regions 



of the mountains, feasting upon acorns and wild berries. The 

 Mourning Dove, with which we are all familiar, completes 

 the quintet. 



There is no complete, up-to-date list of the. Birds of Ari- 

 zona. Scott's list, published in the Auk in 1886-'88, is good 

 as far as it goes. It lists the birds of three counties in south- 

 ern Arizona, mentioning some 230 species. Visher (Auk 

 27: No. 3) adds thirty new species to that and gives fuller 

 notes on many others. This briefly annotated list purports 

 to bring Scott's list down to date. Swarth, in the Condor 

 (Vol. 7, Nos. 1, 2, and 3), has given us a valuable and com- 



