112 MOURNING DOVE. 



The drumming of the Grouse, as described by Mr. 

 Thompson, begins " with the measured thump of the big 

 drum, then gradually changes and dies away in the rum- 

 ble of the kettle-drum. It may be briefly represented 

 thus : Thump — thump — thump — thump, thump ; thump, 

 thump — rup rup rup rup, r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r. The sound is 

 produced by the male bird beating the air with his wings 

 as he stands firmly braced on some favorite low perch." 



The Ruffed Grouse makes its leaf -lined nest usually 

 at the base of a tree or stump, and the eight to fourteen 

 buff eggs are laid early in May. 



PI&EOITS AND DOVES. (ORDER COLTTMB.^!.) 



Pigeons and Doves. (Family Ooltjmbid^.) 



The three hundred species belonging in this order are 

 distributed throughout most parts of the world, but only 

 two of them are found in the northeastern States. One 

 of these, however, the Wild Pigeon, is now so rare that 

 its occurrence is worthy of note. Less than fifty years 

 ago it was exceedingly abundant, but its sociable habits 

 of nesting and flying in enormous flocks made it easy 

 prey for the market hunter, and, with that entire disre- 

 gard of consequences which seems to characterize man's 

 action when his greed is aroused, the birds were pur- 

 sued so relentlessly that they have been practically ex- 

 terminated. 



The Mourning or Carolina Dove has happily been 

 more fortunate. Nesting in isolated pairs, and not 

 Mourning Dove, gathering in very large flocks, it has 

 Zenaidura macroura. escaped the market hunter. 



Plate XIII. This Dove is found throughout the 



greater part of North America. In the latitude of New 

 York it is a summer resident, arriving in March and 



