﻿388 
  

  

  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  r 
  

  

  V, 
  

  

  ■■\< 
  ^^ 
  _ 
  

  

  2ky 
  

  

  

  ir/ 
  

  

  .:i/ 
  

  

  7— 
  ^.ic^;:-^ 
  

  

  It 
  frequently 
  begins 
  to 
  breed 
  as 
  earl}^ 
  as 
  the 
  20th 
  of 
  April 
  and 
  two 
  

   or 
  possibly 
  three 
  broods 
  are 
  reared. 
  The 
  nest 
  is 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  thick 
  branches 
  

   of 
  an 
  evergreen 
  tree, 
  in 
  the 
  fork 
  of 
  an 
  apple 
  tree, 
  in 
  an 
  old 
  robin's 
  nest, 
  

   on 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  a 
  stump, 
  or 
  rotten 
  rail 
  in 
  an 
  old 
  fence, 
  or 
  any 
  other 
  convenient 
  

   location, 
  sometimes 
  even 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  at 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  a 
  gravel 
  pit 
  or 
  embank- 
  

   ment. 
  It 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  slender 
  twigs 
  and 
  grass 
  stalks, 
  and 
  lined 
  with 
  a 
  

   few 
  leaves, 
  grasses 
  or 
  moss, 
  but 
  quite 
  flat 
  and 
  meager. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  two 
  

  

  in 
  number, 
  nearly 
  elliptical 
  

   in 
  shape, 
  and 
  pure 
  white 
  

   in 
  color, 
  averaging 
  about 
  

   1 
  . 
  1 
  2 
  X 
  .82 
  inches 
  in 
  size. 
  All 
  

   '^.»J 
  stimmer 
  long 
  the 
  mournful 
  

   cooing 
  of 
  this 
  little 
  pigeon 
  

   can 
  be 
  heard 
  in 
  the 
  orchards 
  

   and 
  shade 
  trees, 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  

   villages 
  and 
  the 
  outskirts 
  

   of 
  cities, 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  left 
  

   unmolested. 
  

  

  The 
  Mourning 
  dove 
  is 
  

   beneficial 
  in 
  its 
  food 
  habits, 
  

   partaking 
  only 
  of 
  waste 
  

   grain, 
  weed 
  seeds 
  and 
  in- 
  

   sects. 
  I 
  have 
  taken 
  several 
  

   thousand 
  seeds 
  of 
  the 
  foxtail 
  or 
  pigeon 
  grass 
  from 
  the 
  crop 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  dove 
  

   which 
  was 
  shot 
  from 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  about 
  30 
  that 
  were 
  coming 
  from 
  an 
  oat 
  field 
  

   in 
  Ontario 
  count}'. 
  By 
  measurement 
  it 
  was 
  evident 
  that 
  this 
  company 
  of 
  

   doves 
  had 
  just 
  pickeci 
  up 
  about 
  two 
  quarts 
  of 
  weed 
  seeds 
  for 
  their 
  afternoon 
  

   meal. 
  Consequently 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  several 
  weeks 
  they 
  would 
  do 
  the 
  farmer 
  

   an 
  inestimable 
  service. 
  The 
  flesh 
  of 
  the 
  Mourning 
  dove 
  is 
  well 
  flavored, 
  and 
  

   they 
  are 
  killed 
  by 
  thousands 
  for 
  food 
  in 
  the 
  southern 
  states, 
  and 
  if 
  they 
  

   ever 
  become 
  too 
  abundant 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  State, 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  treated 
  as 
  a 
  

   game 
  bird 
  under 
  proper 
  restrictions, 
  to 
  replace 
  in 
  some 
  degree 
  the 
  finer 
  

   species 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  lost. 
  

  

  Photo 
  by 
  Ralph 
  S. 
  Paddock 
  

   Mourning 
  dove's 
  nest 
  and 
  eggs 
  

  

  