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Range (Florida Keys West Indies)

Florida Keys, West Indies, and coast of Central America. Nest, in low bushes. Eggs, two, glossy white, 1.41 x 1.02. This Pigeon is locally common in some of the keys off southern Florida, and has been known to occur on the mainland. According to Mr. J. W. Atkins (Auk, vi, 1889, p. 246), it arrives at Key West early in May and remains until November. 315. Ectopistes migratorius (Linn.). PASSENGER PIGEON. (See Fig. 28.) Ad. 8. - Upper parts rich bluish slate-color; back and sides of the PIGEONS AND DOVES. neck with metallic reflections; middle of the back and scapulars more or less washed with olive-brown; middle tail-feathers fuscous, outer ones black at the base, then slaty blue, fading into a broad, white tip; under parts deep, rich vinaceous; lower belly white; throat bluish slate-color. Ad..-Similar, but upper parts with less iridescence and more olive-brown; breast pale grayish brown; belly whitish. Im. - Generally similar to the, but the feathers of the upper parts and breast tipped with whitish, the primaries edged and tipped with rufous. L., 16.29; W., 7.82; T., 7.53; B., 7.10. Range.-Eastern North America, northward in the interior to Hudson Bay, breeding locally throughout the more northern part of its range. Washington, rare and irregular T. V. or W. V. Sing Sing, formerly rare S. R. and common T. V., Apl. 15 to May 17; Aug. 21 to Oct. 11; last seen Oct. 11, 1888. Cambridge, rare and irregular T. V.

Nest, a platform of sticks, in a tree. Eggs, one to two, white, 1.45 x 1.09. ...

Wilson, writing about 1808, estimated that a flock of Wild Pigeons observed by him near Frankfort, Kentucky, contained at least 2,230,- 272,000 individuals. Captain Bendire, writing in 1892, says: " It looks now as if their total extermination might be accomplished within the present century. The only thing which retards their complete extinction is that it no longer pays to net these birds, they being too scarce for this now, at least in the more settled portions of the country, and also, perhaps, that from constant and unremitting persecution on their breeding grounds they have changed their habits somewhat, the majority no longer breeding in colonies, but scattering over the country and breeding in isolated pairs" (Life Histories of North American Birds, p. 133).

An article by William Brewster on The Present Status of the Wild Pigeon as a Bird of the United States, with some Notes on its Habits (Auk, vi, 1889, pp. 285-291), gives much information concerning the recent history of the bird in Michigan, one of its last strongholds. According to an informant of Mr. Brewster's, the last nesting in Michigan of any importance was in 1881. "It was of only moderate sizeperhaps eight miles long." The largest known Michigan nesting occurred in 1876 or 1877. It was twenty-eight miles long and averaged three or four miles in width.

In the Atlantic States the Wild Pigeon is now so rare a bird that during the past sixteen years I have seen only one pair. 316. Zenaidura macroura (Linn.). MOURNING DOVE. Ad. 8.- Upper parts olive grayish brown; forehead vinaceous; crown bluish slatecolor; sides of the neck with metallic reflections, a small black mark below the ear; middle tail-feathers like the back, the others, seen from above, slaty gray for the basal half, then banded with black and broadly tipped with ashy and white; breast vinaceous; belly cream-buff. Ad. q.-Similar, but with less iridescence; breast and forehead washed with grayish brown. Im.- PIGEONS AND DOVES.

Much like the, but the feathers tipped with whitish. L., 11-85; W., 5-72; T., 5.50; B., 53.