The Western Mourning Dove 



contained two eggs, apparently fresh, and those were left undisturbed. 

 Nearly a month later, viz., on August 25th, a Dove was flushed from the 

 same nest, which was found to contain four eggs, all sterile. Apparently, 

 an unmated bird, or one which had lost its mate early, had functioned 

 according to nature's predetermined schedule. 



Young Mourning Doves are delicate creatures, in spite of the fact 

 that they get as fat as oysters before they leave the nest. They are fed 

 by regurgitation and their food is mingled with a whitish fluid from the 

 adult stomach — "pigeons' milk." 

 "At night," according to Langille, 

 "the old one sits crosswise on 

 them even when they are 

 quite large, the nest and 

 birds together thus mak- 

 ing quite a grotesque 

 pile." 



When frightened 

 from the nest the female 

 drops instantly to the 

 ground, and goes off into 

 a series of elaborate con- 

 vulsions in an effort to 

 distract attention from 

 her treasures. From the 

 fact that this trait of 

 decoying is oftenest ex- 

 hibited by ground-nest- 

 ing species, it is fair to 

 guess that the Mourning 

 Dove was originally and 

 exclusively, as now oc- 

 casionally, a ground- 

 nester. The male, also, 

 is pretty sure to be close 

 at hand, if, indeed, he 

 was not taking his turn 

 upon the eggs; and when 

 the young are ready to 

 leave the nest he takes 

 charge of them, while his 

 mate is incubating 



.1 ■ Taken in San Bernardino County Photo by W. 



" " "A DOVE'S NEST IS THE SYMBOL OF FRAILTY" 



1 163 



