9^2 PIGEONS AND DOVES 



note that is sounded by the vibration of its wings. As the 

 bird springs from the ground in flight, or wings its way over- 

 head, the pulsations of its wings give forth a ringing, metallic 

 sound, like the twanging of a tight wire. 



This Dove loves country roads, more than any other bird, 

 and to those who love beautiful things, its exquisitely moulded 

 form and immaculate plumage is always a pleasing touch of 

 Nature. One might as well try to describe in words the colors 

 in a fire opal as those of this bird. There is pink iridescence, 

 and brownish, and grayish, and blackish, and other shades too 

 numerous to mention, but the combination baffles description. 



This Dove breeds throughout the United States from the 

 international boundary to the Gulf, and migrates as far south 

 as Panama. In California it is now counted as a "game bird," 

 and killed by sportsmen, and in the South also it is killed by 

 the negroes for food. A great "game bird" this, truly! A 

 genuine sportsman must be very hard pressed for gun victims 

 when he can seriously call this tamest of all birds "game." 

 And can any farmer in his senses afford the expense of having 

 Doves shot on his farm, or in his neighborhood? Let us see. 



When the Biological Survey of the Department of Agri- 

 culture took up the case of the Mourning Dove, and examined 

 the stomachs of 237 specimens, the summary of results proved 

 that as a weed-destroyer this bird is one of the most valuable 

 in North America. Weed-seeds constitute 64 per cent of its 

 food, all the year round, with little monthly variations. In 

 order to arrive at an exact determination, the seeds in three 

 stomachs were carefully identified and counted. One con- 

 tained the following: 



