international basis is decided upon for such ques- 
tions, one or the other of those who use diametri- 
cally opposite views will be considered inconsistent 
if not unscientific. WILLIAM PALMER. 
* Italics mine. 
_- + 
Wild Pigeon and Dove. 
NTIL about 1880 the Wild Pigeons 
were seen regularly almost every 
season, generally migrating in Sep- 
tember and October in flocks of from about 
fifteen individuals to large ones of several 
hundred. From about 1880 up to 1893 
very few birds were seen, but in the latter 
_ year they made their appearance in various 
parts of the state, the following having 
been reported to me: 
August 27, three birds in Dulaney’s 
Valley, Baltimore county (Kirkwood); Sep- 
tember 17, ‘‘a flock of from 50 to 60 birds 
8 miles from Ellicott City [Howard county] 
flying north about 10:30 A. M. They 
flew to a piece of bottom land ‘‘grown up 
with pin oak’’ (Ridgely). In September 
a flock of about forty were seen near Lake 
Roland, Baltimore county (Cottman); and 
some time during November ‘‘a good sized 
flock’? was seen feeding in the woods in 
Long Green Valley, Baltimore county 
(Schenck). ‘This latter flock was reported 
as being very wild. 
Personally I have only seen three birds 
in the last fifteen years; in September ’88 
I shot one near Bradshaw, Baltimore 
county, flying alone; in September ’89 I 
shat one from a flock of about ten Doves 
in Dulaney’s Valley, and March 8, ’94, one 
was seen alone near Harewood Park, Balti- 
more county. . 
The following notes refer to this species 
as they were in Howard county about 1840 
—1845. F 
“Large flocks would be seen reaching as 
far as the eye could see. In roosting they 
always used a piece of pine wood, and 
would begin coming in about four P. M., 
continuing to do so until long after it was 
too dark to see, and they would leave at 
sunrise. They would never fly direct to 
the roost, but would always first stop in 
the heavy timber and then fly down to the 
pines. At times they would crowd on a 
tree until their combined weight would 
snap the limbs. 
“Tn feeding on the ‘mast’ on the ground 
they would keep up a rolling motion, those 
behind continually arising and flying 
THE NIDOLOGIST 139 
ahead of the ones feeding in the front rank. 
‘“‘No nests were ever seen, the birds 
making their appearance in the fall and 
generally remaining until about Christmas, 
although at times a few would winter with 
us.’’ (Ridgely), 
ee 
MOURNING DOVE; DOVE, 
This species is a common resident, but 
ia the last three years I have found them 
to be decreasing in number in the neigh- 
borhood of Baltimore, possibly on account 
of the ‘‘blue thistle’? fields, where I have 
commonly found them feeding in the fall, 
being plowed up and put under cultivation. 
They begin nesting early (about April) 
and when most of the young birds have 
left the “nests, the old and young collect 
into flocks, sometimes numbering several 
hundred, and feed in the thistle, stubble, 
and corn fields. In 18g0-1-2, I had great 
sport with them during August and Sep- 
tember, flushing them from the ground in 
the thistle fields. We would frequently 
hunt them with dogs, the dogs ‘“‘drawing”’ 
on them as on a covey of Partridges. 
Late in the evening after eating their 
fill, they visit the bank of some small 
stream and lay in a supply of gravel tu aid 
their digestion. 
I have frequently tried to find their 
roosts but only came across one, and walked 
into that quite unexpectedly. It wasin a 
small clump of low pines, and as I was 
passing through them one evening after 
dark, it seemed as if all the Doves in the 
State started up from about me. Thenext 
_ night I went back to see if I could find 
them, but they were not there, and judg- 
ing from the manure on the ground they 
had only used the roost the one night. 
If taken young, Doves will become very 
tame, and will mate with the Ring Dove, 
breeding in confinement. 
Wo. H. FISHER, 
Baltimore, Md. 
oo ee = 
A Good Advertising Medium, 
Eugene S. Rolfe writes: ‘‘My daily mail is 
heavily charged with inquiries for fine sets of 
Ferruginous Rough-leg, and these inquiries are 
from the dest collectors, scattered all over the 
country, which to my mind establishes two things 
—first, that THE NipoLocrst is a good advertis- 
ing medium; second, that the best collectors are 
not as yet supplied with a satisfactory representa- 
tion of sets of this fine species.”’ 
