PIGEONS AND DOVES loi 



F. Thompson at Canandaigua, New York. He was breed- 

 ing successfully a number of foreign kinds of doves and 

 pigeons, but no American species, because the laws forbade. 

 As a matter of curiosity he had in time past elsewhere ex- 

 perimented with the mourning dove on a small scale. Tak- 

 ing some eggs of this species, he had substituted them for 

 those of tame pigeons. The birds hatched and raised these 

 young doves, and he found them just as amenable to artifi- 

 cial conditions as other kinds. They are fed like other 

 pigeons on small grain, are hardy, and without doubt would 

 breed well. ' 



The next stage would be to let some go free, and experi- 

 ment to see if they could not be made to breed on the prem- 

 ises in the natural state, holding them to the vicinity by 

 regular feeding. They are hardy, and might not migrate 

 if fed. In case they did, the natural homing instinct would 

 be likely to bring them back. 



Other Species. Another interesting species is the band- 

 tailed pigeon of the Pacific Coast and the Southwestern 

 States. It is a large and valuable species, and must be quite 

 hardy, as it is found as far north as British Columbia. The 

 terrible slaughter to which it has been subjected has aroused 

 general indignation. Here is another species notably worthy 

 of practical interest. 



A number of other species, probably less hardy and not 

 suited to northern climes, are found in southern Florida 

 and on the Mexican border. The tiny ground dove, which 

 ventures regularly as far north as North Carolina, is a tame 

 and gentle little bird, and in the South could doubtless be 

 readily propagated. 



Foreign Species. Various foreign species are bred in 

 America in aviaries. Wallace Evans, William Rockefeller, 

 and others breed the wood pigeon of Europe, which is a 



