July, 1920 HABITS OF THE WHITE-WINGED DOVE 141 
pair occupied a tree alone. There was no crowding and apparently the birds, 
while gregarious, were too truculent to permit close proximity of nests. Often 
two or three trees, suitable in every way for the primitive needs of these doves, 
intervened between occupied sites. 
In most cases the nest, slight in structure, though usually somewhat larger 
and bulkier than that of the Mourning Dove, was placed in a mesquite, though a 
few were observed on the desert in palo verdes. Nests were built on inclined 
living limbs where forking of small branches gave a firm, broad support. The 
site varied from six to twenty feet from the ground, with about eight feet as an 
average height. In most of those that were examined the structure was composed 
of dead twigs of the mesquite, small in diameter, and from six to ten inches long. 
For the inner layers small twigs were chosen that had been dead for some time, 
so that the spines, abundant on mesquite limbs, crumbled at a touch and caused 
no discomfort to the brooding bird or to the young. The nest was flat and had 
merely enough depression to receive the eggs that often were visible through the 
loosely interlaced twigs at the sides. Two eggs formed a complete set. They 
were distinctly buffy in color when fresh but varied in depth of shade so that 
occasional sets were nearly white. When blown these eggs frequently fade out 
even when not exposed to light so that they appear dull white with hardly a 
suggestion of buff, a circumstance that caused unpleasant surprise when, a few 
days after they had been blown, I came to examine sets that I had chosen origi- 
nally for their rich color. The eggs of the White-wing appeared to have a duller . 
‘surface than the eggs of the Mourning Dove. Although two eggs formed a com- 
plete set 1t was not unusual to find that one was infertile; in addition there may 
have been mortality for some reason after eggs had hatched, as many nests were 
noted that contained only one young bird. Young White-winged Doves when 
first hatched were well covered with long, straggling down, that in color was 
dull white slightly tinged with buff. This natal down was replaced by secondary 
feather growth so rapidly that it had disappeared for the great part at the end 
of the first week. The feather quills that followed the down did not burst until 
they were quite long so that for a time the young were as grotesque as young 
euckoos. The young birds were fed by regurgitation and at the age of four days 
received solid food in the form of undigested seeds, in addition to the usual diet 
of “‘pigeon’s milk’’. Fledglings left the nest when between three and four 
weeks old, as nearly as I could ascertain. The first young bird able to fly was 
noted on June 12, and by June 15 birds of this age were fairly common. These 
young were still dependant upon their parents for food, and though able to fly 
well were undeveloped and small. On first leaving the nest they perched about 
in the mesquites, always seeking shade, but in a few days were often found on 
the ground, preferably where the soil was sandy. There they walked about in 
the thin shade of the mesquites, examining bits of sticks and other refuse curi- 
ously, often testing such fragments with their bills, or rested quietly, squatting 
on the earth. In many instances it was found that they were heavily infested 
with small ticks against whose attacks they seemed inexperienced. No ill re- 
sults from the presence of these parasites were noted and older birds were free 
from them. 
I was of the opinion that males did not aid in incubation, but this I was un- 
able to ascertain with certainty. Occasionally I saw both parents perched on the 
sides of a nest that contained young, but all birds that were definitely identified 
while engaged in incubating, were females. Each male chose a perch near the 
