238 



ORDERS OF BIRDS— PIGEONS AND DOVES 



The latest and most gratifying information 

 on this subject is contained in a letter dated Nov. 

 9, 1903, transmitted by Mr. Shields. In Penn- 

 sylvania, in a locality that shall be nameless here, 

 three flocks of Passenger Pigeons, containing 

 in all about 300 birds, have been feeding for three 

 weeks on the farm of a sportsman and nature- 

 lover who is protecting them. 



!&*'•' ■ 



THE BAND-TAILED PIGEON. 



So it seems that our old friend is striving to 

 ignore the black record of the past, and come 

 back to us, to live and breed. Wherever it elects 

 to be seen, or to breed, it should be accorded the 

 most thorough protection, both by public sen- 

 timent, and by law. 



The Band-Tailed Pigeon, 1 of the Pacific 

 states from British Columbia to Guatemala, 

 and eastward to the Rocky Mountains, yet ex- 

 ists in fair abundance, and it is earnestly hoped 

 that it never will be annihilated without reason 

 or mercy, as was the sad fate of its eastern rela- 



1 Co-lum'ba fas-ci-a'ta. Average length, 15 inches. 



tive. Wherever found it should be accorded 

 legal protection, without delay. 



This fine bird is conspicuously marked by a 

 white collar around its neck, and a square-ended 

 tail which terminates with a dull-white band from 

 one to two inches wide. The head and under 

 parts are purplish-pink, fading downward to a 

 lighter color. The back is brownish-gray, fad- 

 ing out toward the tail into a dull-blue tone. 



This Pigeon subsists upon acorns, seeds and 

 berries, and attracts attention to itself by its 

 noisy flight. Its strange vocal utterances are 

 graphically described by Mrs. Florence Merriam 

 Bailey : 



"If you follow the pigeons to their breeding- 

 grounds in some remote canyon you will be 

 struck by the owl-like hooting that fills the place, 

 and you will locate the sound here and there 

 along the sides of the canyon at dead tree-tops, 

 in each of which a solitary male is sunning him- 

 self, at intervals puffing out his breast and hoot- 

 ing. The hooting varies considerably. Some- 

 times it is a calm whoo'-hoo-hoo, whoo'-hoo-hoo, 

 at others a spirited hoop-ah-whoo' , and again 

 a two-syllabled lohoo'-ugh, made up of a short, 

 hard hoot and a long coo, as if the breath was 

 sharply expelled for the first note and drawn in 

 for the second." ("Handbook," p. 139.) 



To me the Mourning-Dove 2 has always 

 seemed like a sacred bird ; and although I could 

 have killed thousands, I never took the life of 

 one. When a very small boy at my mother's 

 knee, she related to me the story of the winged 

 messenger which Noah sent out of the ark, over 

 the waste of waters, to look for real estate. She 

 told me that Doves were innocent and harm- 

 less little birds, and that I must never harm 

 one in the least. Had my good mother issued 

 an injunction covering the whole animal king- 

 dom, I think I would have grown up as harm- 

 less to animals as any Hindoo ; for her solemn 

 charge regarding Doves has always seemed as 

 binding as one of the ten commandments. 



1 mention this in order to point out to mothers 

 the far-reaching extent of their pow r er in behalf 

 of our wild creatures, and the vast influence 

 which they can easily wield in behalf of birds 

 and mammals in sore need of protection. Is it 

 not a good thing to teach all boys that it is rnor- 



2 Ze-na-i-du'ra ma-crou'ra. Average length, 12 

 inches. 



