Identifier: birdlifeguid00chap (find matches)
Title: Bird-life; a guide to the study of our common birds
Year: 1898 (1890s)
Authors: Chapman, Frank M. (Frank Michler), 1864-1945 Seton, Ernest Thompson, 1860-1946
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: New York, D. Appleton and company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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Pigeons and Doves. (Family Columbid^e.) The three hundred species belonging in this order aredistributed throughout most parts of the world, but onlytwo of them are found in the northeastern States. Oneof these, however, the Wild Pigeon, is now so rare thatits occurrence is worthy of note. Less than fifty yearsago it was exceedingly abundant, but its sociable habitsof nesting and flying in enormous flocks made it easyprey for the market hunter, and, with that entire disre-gard of consequences wmich seems to characterize mansaction when his greed is aroused, the birds were pur-sued so relentlessly that they have been practically ex-terminated. The Mourning or Carolina Dove has happily beepmore fortunate. Nesting in isolated pairs, and notMourning Dove, gathering in very large flocks,-, it hasZenaidura macroura. escaped the market hunter. Plate xiii. ^-g j)ove is found throughout the greater part of North America. In the latitude of NewYork it is a summer resident, arriving in March and
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EV-fteSfc SeXonThotnf>sor^ Plate XXXIV. Page 126. HORNED LARK.Length, 7-75 inches. Upper parts brownish and sandy ; front and sidesof crown, sides of throat, and breast-patch black; forehead, line over eye,and throat pale yellow; breast dusky, belly white, tail black, outer feath-ers margined with white. TURKEY VULTURE. . 103 remaining until November. In April we may hear itssoft, sweet call, coo-o-o, ah-coo-o-o—coo-o-o—eoo-o-o, as sadas the voice of the wind in the pines. Although the bird is as beautiful in appearance as itis graceful in flight, it is a surprisingly poor housekeeper.Its platform nest of a few twigs is about as flimsy as any-thing worthy the name can be, and one wonders howeven two eggs are kept on it long enough to hatch. Inthe West the nest is placed on the ground; in the East,on the lower branch of a tree. Like all the members of their family, Doves immersethe bill while drinking, and do not withdraw it untilthe draught is finished. The young are fed on sof

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