.Jan., 1913 OUTLOOK i?OR CONSERVING THE BAND-TAILED PIGEON 29 whole such relatively huge objects as the acorns of the golden oak, in particular. In the coast region of central California the berries of the madrone (Arbutus menziesi) form an attractive food source in the fall of the year. In certain in- stances bands bf pigeons have been known to s?ay around tracts of madrones un- til practically every berry had been taken. Sometimes the birds feed so largely on these berries that the flesh becomes discolored thereby (Jenkins, I9o6, p. ?26). ' The berries of certain species of nlanzanita (Arctostaphylos) are resorted to when acorns fail. The little apple-like fruits are eaten both green and ripe, be- coming available in July as about the earliest crop. At times in midwinter, Oc- tober to February, the pigeons fall back on the abundant fruit of the Christmas- berry or California holly (Heteromeles arbutifolia), and more rarely upon the fruit of the coffee berry (Rhamnus californicus). The latter bears almost peren- nially. There is a period of the year when fruit and nut crops have almost vanished. The flower and leaf buds of certain plants are then eaten in quantity. In February manzanita buds have been appropriated by the pigeons in the Sierran foothills (Dean, 19o4, p. 111). In March and April the pigeons have been repeatedly ob- served to feed upon oak buds in the interior valleys of both west-central and southern California. One observer describes a bitter taste noticeable in the flesh of pigeons, thought to have been due to this diet of oak buds (Bendire, 1892 , p. 123). In southern California the sycamore balls are frequently eaten in early spring.. No less than thirty-five of these ball-like flower clusters have been counted in the crop of a single pigeon (Evermann, ?886, p. 93)- Various small plant seeds have also been reported as found in crops of pigeons. Finally, in two instances, pine seeds have been found in the birds' crops: in Calaveras County in July (Belding, 189o, p. 21); and on Mount Pinos, Ventura County, June 29 (Grinnell, 19o5, p. 382). It is, of course, probable in these cases that either the cones were fully ripe and the scales spread so that the. seeds could be readily extracted, or that the seeds 'were picked up from the ground beneath the trees where they had fallen. All of the above articles of diet include only wild fruits, such as are. of in-- different value to man. At times, however, pigeons have been found to resort extensively to grain fields. In many cases the birds have repaired to stubble fields where they gleaned the waste grain, wholly worthless of course. Thus near Three Rivers, Tulare County, in July, ?891, pigeons were foraging in barley stub- ble (Fisher, 1893, p. 3T). Then again, in a few instances, newly sown grain has been resorted .to, with the result that more or less damage has been inflicted-- the only way known in which the Band-tailed pigeon affects man's interests unfa- vorably. At Palo Alto in January, 19o?, good sized flocks were observed on newly sown barley fields. The crop of one bird was crammed with seed barley (Grinnell, MS). At Santa Monica, in February and March, 19o?, flocks were feeding in grain fields. Their depredations were complained of by a rancher who had put out poison for them. Eight of the birds thus killed were examined' (Swarth, MS). "In March, I9ol, great' flocks of the pigeons poured into San Gorgonio Pass and fed in the barley fields. For about two .weeks there were hundreds of them.
- * * Their method of feeding was peculiar. Instead of spreading out they
kept together, alternately walking and flying. Those behind would fly a few feet ahead of the advance line, alight, and walk along picking up ? grain until other rear ones would fly ahead and it came their turn again. In this way the flock
