20 THE CONDOR Vol. XXIIT 
increase implies a high percentage of second broods and re-nestings. That 
second broods and re-nestings are common is strongly indicated by the evidence 
available. For instance, | found a dove brooding eggs near Tucson, Arizona, 
on September 1, 1916; I have also found numerous eggs and fledglings near 
Albuquerque in August. Many very small squabs are killed very late in the 
season. 
The table shows that the weight of old birds decreases slightly after Sep- 
tember 1. This is probably accounted for by food habits. As already stated, 
the old birds congregate on the wheat stubbles in August and there fatten rap- 
idly. But these stubbles are generally plowed under about September 1, at 
which time the birds move to the doveweed patches along the foothills, mesas, 
and other sandy ground. ‘The seed of the doveweed (Psoralea, sp.?), is pre- 
ferred above all other food, except possibly wheat and beeweed (Peritoma ser- 
rulatum and P. breviflorum). However, during backward years the doveweed 
seed is often not matured by September, and the birds must seek the hottest 
banks to find mature seed. In any event, feeding on doveweed requires more 
work and longer flights to water, which probably accounts for the loss in 
weight. During the winter the few birds that remain are found in wild sun- 
flower patches, where they eat sunflower seed, or around old strawstacks, 
where they pick up waste wheat. During pinyon years doves are very fond of 
pinyon nuts. J. F. Mullen counted 60 nuts in one crop and H. B. Hammond 
counted 72 in another. Pinyon nuts occur only at three or four year intervals. 
The decreasing average weight of squabs shown by the table is plainly due 
to the fact that as the birds grow scarcer in September, the hunter must seek 
his birds instead of waiting on a flyway, or flush-shooting a doveweed patch. 
In doing this he hunts groves and trees, thereby killing many small late squabs 
not yet big enough to migrate. Such few big squabs as are killed during the 
later part of the season weigh nearly as much as the old birds; in fact,-by No- 
vember, squabs are mostly indistinguishable from adults. 
The dove has several habits, as a game bird, which |] have never seen de- 
scribed in print. High, fast-flying birds, especially on a stormy day, may often 
be induced to pitch down and light by firing a shot at them. A dove merely 
winged will fall down and walk away, but will not seek cover like other wounded 
birds. A dove with body wounds will not even walk. <A certain kind of wound 
(probably lungs) results in the bird flying away and alighting on the ground 
or in trees in nearly natural manner, but when found the bird is stone dead. 
This manner of death is much commoner with doves than with any other game 
bird I know of. Many hunters do not watch their ‘‘missed’’ birds carefully, 
and this accounts for the large number of dead doves found on the shooting 
grounds. Head shots tower spirally, with sudden collapse, like quail. 
What are the doves’ natural enemies? I do not think they have as many 
as quail, else they could not double yearly on two eggs, but I think hawks get 
quite a few. On November 23, 1919, near Tome Hill I saw a Sharp-shinned 
Hawk (Accipiter velox) catch an apparently healthy grown dove in a cornfield. 
I killed the hawk, and found the fresh blood and dove feathers on his claws, but 
could not find the dove. Two or three Marsh Hawks wheeling over a doveweed 
patch will sometimes flush many birds and cause them to flee to trees, but one 
Marsh Hawk does not worry them much. I never saw a Marsh Hawk actually 
pursue a healthy bird. 
‘The dove is a temperamental bird. On certain days the doves do not feed, 
’ i” J 
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