The Western Mourning Dove 
contained two eggs, apparently fresh, and those were left undisturbed. 
Nearly a month later, viz., on August 25th, a Dove was flushed from the 
same nest, which was found to contain four eggs, all sterile. Apparently, 
an unmated bird, or one which had lost its mate early, had functioned 
according to nature’s predetermined schedule. 
Young Mourning Doves are delicate creatures, in spite of the fact 
that they get as fat as oysters before they leave the nest. They are fed 
by regurgitation and their food is mingled with a whitish fluid from the 
adult stomach — “pigeons’ milk.” 
“At night,” according to Langille, 
“the old one sits crosswise on 
them even when they are 
quite large, the nest and 
birds together thus mak¬ 
ing quite a grotesque 
pile.” 
When frightened 
from the nest the female 
drops instantly to the 
ground, and goes off into 
a series of elaborate con¬ 
vulsions in an effort to 
distract attention from 
her treasures. F rom the 
fact that this trait of 
decoying is oftenest ex¬ 
hibited by ground-nest¬ 
ing species, it is fair to 
guess that the Mourning 
Dove was originally and 
exclusively, as now oc¬ 
casionally, a ground- 
nester. The male, also, 
is pretty sure to be close 
at hand, if, indeed, he 
was not taking his turn 
upon the eggs; and when 
the young are ready to 
leave the nest he takes 
charge of them, while his 
mate is incubating 
another Dair Taken in San Bernardino County Photo by W. M. Pierce 
“A DOVE'S NEST IS THE SYMBOL OF FRAILTY” 
