gives description and size of the eggs (1.18 by 0.90) in the Berlandier collection. Now these statements apply so exactly to the egg of the White-winged Dove, Melopelia leucoptera, and are so decidedly at variance with my experience, that I have no hesitation in saying that undoubtedly Dr. Berlandier and the Mexican were laboring under a mistake, both having the eggs of Melopelia leucoptera (see my description of this further on), instead of Columba flavirostris. The shape of my five eggs of the bird under consideration is oblong-oval, with the greatest diameter in the centre. Some vary slightly, tending sometimes to double-pointed, and again to double-rounded. Their color is pure white. They measure 1.60 by 1.10, 1.55 by 1.12, 1.60 by 1.08, 1.48 by 1.08, and 1.46 by 1.07, averaging 1.54 by 1.09. ZENÆDURA CAROLINENSIS, (L.) Bp.-Carolina Dove. This bird was most abundant of all the Pigeons wherever we went. At Galveston and Corpus Christi, on the way down, and at Brownsville, up to about April 10th, they were in flocks. When I reached Hidalgo, April 17th, they were mating, and they filled the air with the sound of their cooing. On April 25th, I found the first two eggs, and soon thereafter they became abundant. By the first of May, we came upon their nests in all sorts of places and at all heights, within from two to eight feet from the ground, but never on the ground. Their construction was usually a small, simple platform of twigs, with the slightest depression. Frequently they were made of bleached grasses alone. It was a very pretty sight to see one of these nests of yellow grass, with its snowwhite eggs. This bird is at all times very tame, and when sitting on its eggs will often allow one to come within two feet of it to observe it. Of some fifty eggs, the average is 1.10 by 0.82. 25-9-12.25 x 18.25 x 5.75 x 5.50. 308-9-11.25 x 17.00 x 5.40 x 4.90. 309-6-12.00 x 18.00 x 5.75 x 5.50. 370-6-12.00 x 18.25 x 5.65 x 5.50. Mar. 8, Corpus Christi. MELOPELIA LEUCOPTERA, (L.) Bp.-White-winged Dove, In all wooded districts on the Rio Grande above Brownsville, this Dove is abundant. In the immediate vicinity of Brownsville I did not meet with it; but I had not gone far up the river by boat before I saw it in company with others about the banks and shores of the river. Whether at rest or on the wing, it is a handsome bird, showing almost as far as you can see it the characteristic wing-patch which gives it name. These birds are very affectionate and attentive toward each other, and their soft, sweet cooing is pleasant to hear. They are not under foot as much as the Carolina Dove, yet they are by no means shy. I have frequently been within twenty-five feet of them, and stood, to be curiously observed by them, for some seconds before they took flight. Though not as shy in the trees as the Red-billed Pigeon, yet they do not like one to come near their eggs. When I reached Hidalgo, these birds were in pairs, and I was quite surprised on the 1st of May to see a flock of a dozen or so. They were probably males in search of food, while their mates were incubating their eggs, for at that time no young birds were out. I found numbers of their nests situated in all sorts of trees (the mezquite is a favorite tree with them), and in thickets at all heights within from four to ten feet from the ground. They are generally composed of sticks and weeds, with little, sometimes no lining, of leaves or feathers. I have one nest of Spanish moss. The complement of eggs is two. They are oblong-oval, and of a creamy-white; occasionally a set will be very dark cream, or one again will be pure white. Of thirty eggs, the largest is 1.30 by 0.92, and the smallest 1.10 by 0.90, although there is one narrower, it being 1.20 by 0.86. The average size is 1.20 by 0.89. CHAMÆPELIA PASSERINA, (L.) Sw.-Ground Dove. In the vicinity of Brownsville, I saw a few small flocks, but not where I could obtain any. At Hidalgo, I saw them occasionally in pairs, and they breed all along the Lower Rio Grande, but I did not collect any of their eggs. The officers at camp near Hidalgo said they came in the mornings to the river, near by, to drink with other Pigeons. I am indebted to Dr. Merrill for a set of two eggs, taken near Brownsville. They are oval, pure white, and measure 0.87 by 0.63 and 0.88 by 0.65. 244-9-6.75 x 10.85 x 3.50 x 2.25. 384-6-7.00 x 11.50 x 3.40 x 2.50. 385-9-7.00 x 11.50 x 3.40 x 2.40. Apr. 19, Hidalgo. [Genus ECHMOPTILA, Coues. Peristera, of some authors. Leptoptila, Swainson, Class. B. ii. 1837, 349 (misspelled "Leptotila"). (Not Leptoptilos Lesson, Tr. Orn. 1831, 585, nor Leptoptilus Strickl. 1841, nor Leptoptila Gloger, 1842.) Bp. Consp. Av. ii. 1854, 74.-Gray, Handl. ii. 1870, 242, n. 2319 (“Leptotila"). CH.-First primary abruptly emarginate, attenuate and linear near the end. Wings of moderate length: 3d and 4th primaries longest; first shorter than 7th. Tail much shorter than the wings, rounded, of 12 broad feathers. Tarsus entirely naked, equalling or rather exceeding the middle toe and claw. Lateral toes nearly equal, the ends of their claws reaching about opposite the base of the middle claw. Hind too shortest of ali, but perfectly incumbent. Bill small and slender, much shorter than the head. A considerable naked space about the eye, thence extending in a narrow line to the bill. Size medium or rather small. Body full and stout. Coloration subdued, but hind head and neck iridescent. No metallic spots on wings. Type, E. jamaicensis (L.). This genus comprehends a number of species of Middle and South America and the West Indies, one of which, E. albifrons, before only known from Mexico, I recently had the pleasure of introducing into our fauna, upon specimens secured by Mr. Sennett, at Hidalgo, Texas. Other species, as recognized by Bonaparte in 1854, are Æ. verreauxi of New Granada, E. erythrothorax of Cayenne, and E. dubusi from the Rio Napo. G. R. Gray, in 1870, records, as additional species of the same immediate group, E. rufaxilla, E. brasiliensis, E. cerviniventris, E. plumbiceps, E. cassini, E. riottei, and E. ochroptera. The characters of the genus are drawn up from E. albifrons. The group is closely related to Peristera proper, of which Gray makes it a subgenus. It was originally named Leptotila by Swainson in 1837, but the name is preoccupied, having been used in 1831 by Lesson, under the form Leptoptilos, for a genus of Storks. Difference of termination may suffice to distinguish any two names when indicating any difference of meaning, as in the cases of Picus and Pica, but can hardly be considered sufficient in this instance, especially as the original form of the word, Leptoptilos, requires to be corrected into Leptoptilus or Leptoptila, as has already been done by Strickland and Gloger. Echmoptila includes a number of species of "Ground Doves", related to such forms as Zenaida, Peristera, Oreopelia, &c., distinguished from the more arboreal Pigeous of the New World by their long naked tarsi. They are of rather small size, stout, full body, small bill, short, rounded broadly, 12-feathered tail, and have the first primary abruptly linear-attenuate at the end for an inch or so. They are of rather plain colors, though the neck h s the iridescence so common in Pigeons, and usually have the lining of the wings chestnut. ECHMOPTILA ALBIFRONS, (Bp.) Coues.-White-fronted Pigeon. Leptoptila albifrons, Bp. C. A. ii. 1854, 74. (Mexico; "Cuba".-Lawr. Bull. Nat. Mus. n. 4, 1876, 44 (Tehuantepec). Iris orange; bill black; orbital space bluish; feet carmino.)-Cones, Bull. Nuttall Club, ii. n. 3, July, 1877, 82 (Hidalgo, Texas, May, 1877, G. B. Sennett). Peristera (Leptotila) albifrons, Gray, Handlist, ii. 1870, 242, n. 9380. CH. SP.- - brunneo olivacea sericea, cervice cupreo-purpurascente, fronte albescente; subtus albido, lateribus obscurioribus, pectore juguloque subvinaceis, crisso et mente albis; tectricibus ala inferioribus axillaribusque castaneis; rectricibus media dorso concoloribus, cæteris nigrescentibus apicibus albis; rostro nigro; pedibus ruberrimis; spatio orbitali livido-incarnato. Long. tot. pedalis; alæ semipedalis; caudæ 4: rostri : tarsi 13-13. dig. med. cum ungue 14. d, adult: Upper parts brownish-olive, with silky lustre (much as in Coccygus americanus for example). Hind head, nape, and back and sides of neck with coppery purplish iridescence. Top of the head of a somewhat bluish or glaucous "bloom", fading to creamy-white on the forehead. Under parts dull white or whitish, more or less. shaded with olive-brown on the sides, deepening on the fore breast and jugulum to pale vinaceous; belly, crissum, and chin quite purely white. Wing-coverts and inner quills like the back, and without metallic spots; other larger remiges slaty-blackish, with very narrow pale edging toward the end. All the under wing-coverts and the axillaries. bright chestnut. Two middle tail-feathers like the back; others slaty-black, tipped with white in decreasing amount from the outer part inward, the largest white tips being about half an inch in extent. Bill black. Feet carmine-red. Iris yellow. Bare skin around eye red and livid blue. Length 12-12; extent 19-194; wing 6-61; tail 42-44; bill -; tarsus 1-1, middle toe and claw rather less. Female not seen.-E. C.] Shortly after obtaining my first specimen of this Dove, I sent a description of it to Washington. It was identified, and a portion of the letter Bull. iv. No. 1-4 published in the Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club for July, vol. ii., No. 3, p. 82. Since then I obtained more birds, and will here give a further description of it and its habits. On April 18th, I obtained my first in a tract of timber a mile below Hidalgo, near the bank of the river. It was shot from the upper branches of the tallest trees. Scattered about the woods in pairs were Columba flavirostris, Red-billed Pigeon, and Melopelia leucoptera, White-winged Dove. On the 19th, another was shot in the same locality. Five specimens were secured up to the time of leaving, and a number of others seen and heard. It is more secluded than the other Pigeons, and only found among the tallest timber. Seen in the woods, it resembles M. leucoptera both in size and shape of tail, but can be recognized from it at sight by the absence of the large, white wing-patch. Its note is somewhat prolonged, ends with a falling inflection, and is exceedingly low in pitch. Most of my birds were obtained by following the sound of their notes until within range; all were seen sitting quietly in secluded places; all are males, and injured considerably by falling from great heights. On the last day of my stay at Hidalgo, I watched a pair for a long time, in hopes of find. ing their nest, but without success. If they had one, they were evidently not anxious to get to their eggs. From their actions, I am sure they were mated. I was anxious to get the female, but, as I could not distinguish it from the male, I had to take the chances; and upon shooting one, the other flew out of sight, and I could not obtain it. Now, that the bird is known to be on our border, we shall soon know all about its breeding habits. This species has the following specific characteristics:-Upper parts greenish-olive, the metallic coloring purple, with bronzy-green reflections, and restricted to the back of neck. Crown drab, shading to nearly white on forehead. Orbital space small, faintly red and blue. Chin white. Foreneck creamy-slate. Belly white. Sides ashy. Wings brown above, slaty below, and whole under wing-coverts bright chestnut, which color extends even to the sides. Tail square, of twelve feathers; middle ones olive, like the back, and the others brown above and tipped with white. in increasing amount until the outer ones are white for half an inch. Tail below black, with the white tips as above. Under tail-coverts pure white. Iris yellow, with reddish-brown shade when fresh, but changing after death to a deep salmon. Bill black, 0.62 to 0.70 of an inch. Feet carmine. Tarsus 1.35; middle toe and claw the same. 224-6-12.50 x 19.50 x 6.40 x 4.50. CRACIDE. ORTALIDA VETULA, Wagl.-Texas Guan. Apr. 18, Hidalgo. This curious and interesting bird is well described in "North Amer ican Birds"; but I must take issue on a few points, particularly in regard to its breeding habits. In the vicinity of Brownsville, the heavy timber being scarce, I saw none, and only heard them a few times in the heaviest chaparral. Hidalgo is in the very heart of their habitat within our limits, and my facilities for observing them at that point were very good indeed. Mornings and evenings we could hear them from every direction, and whenever we went into the woods they were always observed. One is sure to find them where dense thickets of undergrowth are under large trees. At the time I was with them they were in pairs, and generally a number of pairs would be in one locality. The sexes are similar in appearance, and their notes alike, excepting that the female's note is pitched higher. Its notes are loud and simply indescribable. If you will sound the word cha-cha-la-ca in rapid succession in the loudest possible whisper, always accenting the last two syllables, you will give to yourself, but to no one else, some idea of their love songs. The loudness and hoarseness are the same in both sexes, and one answers the other so closely that it is hard to distinguish their notes, although one may be closely observing them. Their concerts. take place mornings, evenings, and at all hours on dark days. They are at such times in the tops of the trees, and, if alarmed, at once give the warning note, and sail, with spread wings, down into the thickets, becoming instantly quiet. The woods which a moment before resounded with a deafening noise of an uncertain number of these birds (it is impossible to judge by the sound whether few or many are engaged in their concerts) is now still as death. Those unobserved and farthest off will, when they feel reassured, start up their cry, and set the whole company to screaming again. Several times, when well concealed, I have noticed a pair spring from a thicket into a large tree, jump from limb to limb close to the body until they reached the top, when they would walk out to the end of the branch and begin their song. They roost in trees, and hunters frequently get them at night. Rarely did I see them on the ground. Once, while resting in a mezquite grove, which looked very much like a peach-orchard on a well-kept lawn, I saw a Chachalaca trot out from a neighboring thicket in full view. He seemed looking for food on the ground. He discovered me, and we eyed each other for a moment, when it turned, ran a short distance, sprang into the lower branches of a tree, and, hopping along from tree to tree, disappeared into the thicket about five feet from the ground. They are very fond of blackberries, which were then getting ripe. Another peculiarity of this bird is that the male alone has the trachea doubled over some three or four inches on the muscles of the breast, directly under the skin. Their meat is white, and most excellent eating. Of their crossing with the common game fowl, and thereby producing the superior fighting-cocks for which the Mexicans are so noted, I saw no proof, but it is accepted as true by everybody in the region. They |