WESTERN MOOBNING DOVE 



591 



Over much of the state the Mourning Dove is found throughout 

 the year, but not at all times or in all localities in the same numbers. 

 During the summer months it is common over all of the lowland and 

 foothill country, and occurs in small numbers in the lower part of the 

 coniferous belt (Transition life zone), thus ranging up into the 

 mountains. It extends clear to the northwestern seacoast through the 

 redwood belt. East of the Sierrail divide it ranges up the mountains to 

 fully 8,000 feet altitude (Mus. Vert. ZooL): It is found all over the 

 dry deserts of southeastern California, as well as on all of the coastal 

 islands. During the winter months it is well represented in the coast 

 district of southern California, and occurs also at that season in vary- 

 ing numbers in the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys. Nearer 



the seacoast small numbers are 

 found in various localities north 

 as far as Redwood City. Every- 

 where the number of wintering 

 birds varies from year to year. 

 Our knowledge of the mi- 

 gration of the Mourning Dove 

 in California is incomplete; 

 this is due to a lack of ob- 

 servers, and also to the fact that 

 in many places small numbers 

 of the birds remain through 

 the winter which makes it diffi- 

 ' cult to determine the dates of 

 arrival and departure of actual migrants. Belding (1890, p. 22) 

 says tbat in 1886 it was first seen at Agua Caliente [Palm Springs] , 

 Riverside County, on March 27, and became common there after 

 April 1. At Mecca, Riverside County, the first in 1908 was noted 

 March 18 (Richardson, MS). Stout (MS) says tha;t about Los 

 Angeles it is rare from October to February, but becomes common 

 in March; and at Santa Maria, Santa Barbara County, where few 

 are resident, the migrants arrive in April (Abels, MS). McGregor 

 (1901, p. 5) states that the dove arrives in the coastal part of Santa 

 Cruz County about April 1. In the vicinity of San Jose and Red- 

 wood City, and about San Francisco Bay in general, it does not appear 

 until late April or early May (Koppel, MS; Maloney, MS). The 

 first for the season was seen at Olema, Marin County, on April 18 

 (1884), and at Nicasio on April 20 two years later ; while at Hay ward. 



Fig. 91. Head of Western Mourning 

 Dove. Natural size. 



ville F P Cadv Weaverville, G. 0. Laws; Weed, L. A. Streuber; Greenview, J. W. Harris; 

 Ores'eeiit City, H.' S. Prescott; Fort B^agg, C. E. Perkins ; Eureba, B. P. Barnes. 



In addition, copies of the letter were sent to, and replies received from the following 

 ornithologists: John G. Tyler, Fresno ;. Leo Wiley, Palo Verde; and J. Eugene Law, Holly- 

 wood To all of these persons the authors are grateful for their kindness in furnishing 

 the information requested. Material used from these replies in the following discussion has 

 been credited to the correspondents as MS (c g., Toms, MS). 



