The Lace-necked Dove — SCHWARTZ and SCHWARTZ 
97 
// 
' ' ■ iff'" r , * 
• ■• ' •"•;;':'.'fr<’'' v.-.r.-'.vi . 
Fig. 4. Lace-necked Doves frequently feed in the fallow sections (foreground) of pineapple fields which sup- 
port a rich growth of herbaceous annuals. The cultivated pineapple fields (background) are seldom utilized by 
this species. Lanai. Vegetation zone B, elevation 1,500 feet above sea level; August 27, 1946. 
from the distribution of the food species in 
the Islands, it was obvious that feeding oc- 
curred almost entirely within this area. No 
great seasonal difference occurs in the food 
supply of doves in Hawaii although there 
may be periods when individual plant species 
produce seeds more abundantly, especially 
following rains in the drier regions. This food 
analysis was not made according to vegeta- 
tion zone, as was done for most other game 
birds during this survey, for two reasons: 
Some doves collected on fly ways were sus- 
pected of having fed in a vegetation zone 
different from the one in which they were 
taken; also, only a few zones which comprise 
dove range in the lower elevations are used 
in this food analysis. 
Table 2 lists the foods of the Lace-necked 
Dove in Hawaii. Sixty-five plant species form 
99.5 per cent of the diet and 13 animal items 
constitute the remaining 0.5 per cent. Of the 
plant foods, seeds and pods form 84.1 per 
cent, succulent fruits constitute 14.4 per cent, 
and roots and seedlings comprise the re- 
maining 1.0 per cent. The nine most im- 
portant foods on the basis of volume and 
and frequency of occurrence in crops (more 
than 2 per cent or more than 14 occurrences) 
are discussed briefly. 
Momordica Balsamina L., balsam apple, is 
an exotic member of the family Cucurbitaceae 
and forms 23 per cent of the foods taken. It 
occurred in 43 (29 per cent) of the crops and 
16 (22 per cent) of the gizzards. Although its 
