TEXAS NATURE OBSERVATIONS AND REMINISCENCES. 97 



The small Mexican doves are get- 

 ting to be very numerous, and they 

 are much tamer than our wild 

 dove, and often seen in large 

 bunches along the side streets 

 or in the many parks and gardens 

 of our beautiful Alamo City. It 

 seems there are different varieties 

 among the turtle dove; the more 

 common ones being of a light 

 bluish lead color and striped with 

 darker plumage and with vermil- 

 lion red feathers under the wings. 

 They breed like the wild dove, 

 laying two small white eggs which 

 are about the size and shape of 

 a sparrow's egg. In cold weather 

 they gather in large groups — 

 just like the wild dove, especially 

 in hilly and brushy regions, where 

 they find more shelter from 

 the elements. 



Of other wild dove species Texas 

 in former years was occasionally 

 visitfed by the large migratory 

 pigeon, which is much larger than 

 our "wild dove, but equally as 

 delicious on the dining table, 

 and the writer recollects a hunting 

 trip some thirty-four yearsago with 

 an old friend — the late Adolf 

 Dreiss, when we encountered mil- 

 lions of these migratory birds in 

 the neighborhood of the great 

 Lugunas of Graytown, some twen- 

 ty-two miles south-east of San 

 Antonio. The oak forest bottoms in 

 that rep:ion were literally covered 

 with these wild pigeons and branch- 

 es of the oak trees, and large 

 numbers of acorns were strewn 

 on the ground — caused by this 

 greedy pigeon. We met some oth- 

 er town friends on this occasion 

 who had a butcher cart nearly 

 filled with these wild pigeons 

 and which they later distributed 

 among friends here in town. In 

 the Leona valley along the large 

 tanks of the old Withers ranch 

 we also encountered during cold 

 winter spells large flocks of this 

 fine game bird, and the surrounding 

 farmers were complaining bitterly 

 about the havoc these greedy 

 pigeons had done in their corn 



fields some months previous. Also 

 at this same place, Dr. J. Hines 

 and the writer during an outing 

 many years ago, met large flocks 

 of these pigeons— distributed among 

 the many high mesquite trees — 

 and my friend Hines secured quite 

 a number of them, but these were 

 not the genuine, now declared ex- 

 tinct migratory or passenger pig- 

 eons described, but the socalled 

 Mexican white-winged migratory 

 wild pigeon — a large, fine game bird, 

 nevertheless. 



They are much wilder than the 

 common dove and about one-half 

 larger. 



The late strict gun laws of 

 Texas have considerably contribut- 

 ed to protect the wild dove as 

 well as other game, which, before 

 the game laws, was about nearing 

 extinction. 



After the breeding time, and 

 during the entire winter months, 

 the wild doves often gather in 

 large flocks throughout the fields 

 and pastures, or along roads and 

 thickets where the sunflower and 

 other wild grain plants, especially 

 the wild Mexican prairie tea plant, 

 and some species, of the white 

 thistle abound. 



After the doves have scattered 

 over the plains and fields and 

 gathered their food during the 

 day time, they gather in large 

 flocks and fly sometimes for miles 

 and miles to some favorite water 

 tank in a pasture, and here they 

 can be ' seen of ten' by the hiindreds 

 scattered among the mesquite or 

 other trees surrounding a tank, 

 or they fly directly on the rounded 

 surface of the tank, and before 

 sun down large flocks can often 

 be seen scattered along the tank 

 edges, and others drinking water 

 from the tank. And here is where 

 the sportsman often secures the 

 limit of doves allowed by law. 



As a rule the Texas hunter 

 proceeds about thus in hunting 

 the wild dove : he seeks a secure 

 hidine; place, and awaits the gather- 

 ing of the game bird as they 



