[ 



3027U 



the Office of the Coordinator of Fisheries, a war time unit of the Fish and Wild- 

 life Service. .This action, and the loss to the armed services of State personnel 

 in "both Arizona and Texas, has delayed completion of the White-winged Dove report. 

 For a time it seemed that Dr. Saunders himself might he inducted into the Army 

 hut at the request of Assistant Secretary Chapman, Chairman of the Interior 

 Department Committee on Deferment, his local hoard has granted deferment. 



In Arizona, the study has. been completed and "biologist Johnson A. Neff has 

 returned to his duties with the research lahoratory at Denver, Colorado, 



Dr. Saunders has continued study of the eastern race, "both in the Rio Grande 

 "Valley of Texas and in eastern Mexico. 



L. J. Goldman of the Pacific Flyway in the course of his work in Mexico in 

 the summer of 19U2, reported that White- winged Doves wrere a common nesting species 

 in the Conchos River Valley and he also noted them in the plazas of Santa Rosalia 

 and La Boquilla and along the tree-lined, avenues of Chihuahua City. 



Band-tailed. Pigeon 



Management of the Band-tailed Pigeon of the western States is "by no means 

 satisfactory. Unfortunately, these birds are sometimes guilty of serious local 

 depredations on cherries and other fruit crops so that any great increase in their 

 numbers may not be desirable. 



Biologist Arthur S. Einarsen of the Oregon Cooperative Wildlife Research 

 Unit submitted an. excellent report on this species in which he summarized its 

 history back to 1918. Only one egg is laid to a clutch, but like the Mourning 

 Dove, the breeding season extends well into August. Shooting, as now practiced, 

 does not appear to follow recognized lines of sportsmanship as the crippling loss 

 is very heavy. Finarsen estimates that it may be as much as 60 percent and that 

 in some areas hunters may fire from 100 to 250 shells per day, chiefly at 

 birds, well- beyond effective killing range. Thus it is fortunate that only a 

 relatively few individuals hunt this bird. Its numbers appear to be slowly in- 

 creasing. 



While it always has been a resident of Colorado in small numbers, a re- 

 port from the Regional Forest Service Office in Denver, indicates that it is 

 increasing in that State, A census of birds actually seen by forest rangers in 

 19U2, yielded a total of 3,032. 



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