52 



BULLETIN 326, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Between 9 and 10 in the morning the birds come to the streams and ponds 

 for water, usually in pairs, flying swiftly, high in the air. On the gravel bars 

 of the larger rivers they walk about quickly, quenching their thirst, and pick- 

 ing up bits of sand and gravel. Usually they are wary, but sometimes prefer 

 to hide at the approach of an intruder rather than fly. 



Food. — As in the case of the ground dove, this zenaida dove may be con- 

 sidered entirely vegetarian in its diet. In 22 stomachs examined, animal matter 

 was found only four times. Two birds had eaten bits of the chrysalis of a 

 lepidopteran, one had found fragments of a bettle, and another had taken a 

 snail (TruncateUa sp.), perhaps along with gravel. These combined amount 

 to only 0.36 per cent, indicating that this dove practically confines itself to 

 vegetarian fare. Seeds comprise its principal diet, only small quantities of 

 other vegetable matter, perhaps leaves, being found. Grass and sedge seeds 

 figure to a less extent than in the food of the ground dove, while there is a 

 corresponding increase in wild legumes, larger euphorbias, mallows, and others. 

 Seeds of knotweed, goosefoot, pigweed, and purslane were eaten, as well as 

 large quantities of caltrop and mallows. 



One bird had secured grains of hedionda (Cassia occidentalis) , which is used 

 as a substitute for coffee, and another had eaten seeds of a citrus fruit, perhaps 

 of an orange. The latter, however, were almost certainly taken from the 

 ground, not from the fruit itself, as this dove is incapable of tearing open 

 undecayed fruit. Three birds taken near Comerio had eaten rice, of the in- 

 ferior red variety, which may well have been picked up as waste. None of the 

 others examined had eaten grain, a strange fact when the habits of the bird are 

 considered. The birds were observed in the field eating fruit of the moral 

 (Cordia sp.), and pits of this fruit were found in two stomachs. On Vieques 

 Island they were said to eat other fruits, as do the larger pigeons, but no trace 

 of such was found. The little damage that they do in eating grain is more than 

 offset by the injurious seeds destroyed. Thus the bird may be considered of 

 some value to the landholder, in addition to being a game bird of importance. 

 As this species frequents the open country, it is well able to adjust itself to 

 changing conditions and with proper regulations will remain a common game 

 bird. The same restrictions should be placed on its pursuit as on that of the 

 other large pigeons. 



The following seeds and fruits were eaten by the zenaida dove : 



Paspalum (Paspalum sp.) 



Panic grass (Panicum sp.) 



Broad-leaved olyra (Olyra latifoUa)—, 



Arroz (Oryza sativa) 



Nut rush (Scleria sp.) , 



Knotweed {Polygonum sp,) 



Goosefoot (Chenopodacese sp.) 



Pigweed (Amaranthus sp.) 



Terdolaga (Portulaca oleracea) 



Cardosanto (Argemone sp.) 



Senna (Cassia sp.) 



Hedionda (Cassia occidentalis) 



Fabaeeaa sp 11 



Vetch (Vicia sp.) 1 



Wild bean (Phaseolus lathyroides) 3 



Yerba rosario (JEschynomene sp.) 2 



Caltrop (Eallstrasmia maxima) 2 



Orange (?) (Citrus sp.) 1 



Espino (Xanthoxylum sp.) 1 



Euphorbiacese sp 9 



Jatropha (Jatropha sp.) 3 



Malvaceae sp 4 



Escoba (Sida sp.) 1 



Cadillo (Urena lohata) 2 



Passinoracese sp 1 



Adelia (Adelia sp.) 1 



Morning glory (Convolvulaceae sp.) 1 



Nightshade (Solanum sp.) 1 



Yerba mora (Solanum nigrum) 1 



Moral (Cordia sp.) 2 



Trumpet flower (Tecoma sp.) 1 



Llanten (Plantago sp.) 1 



Corapositse sp 1 



[MOURNING DOVE. Zenaidura macroura macroura (Linnaeus). 

 Tortola. 



Tbe mourning dove has been variously attributed to Porto Rico, but has not been un- 

 questionably recorded. Ledru (1810, p. 208) has the earliest record and is followed by 



