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North.  Some remained to feed in these fields while other passed on to large cleared areas that lay to the South.

Although the mourning dove is seldom hunted here and is said never to be molested in the breeding season, I found the birds extremely wary.  In the preliminary investigations I had only two shots at birds and those were over eighty yards distant.  From observation I found that in coming into feed the doves followed certain lines of flight and came to certain favorable areas so that on the following day I was able to secure five.

During the warmer portions of the day I found mourning doves resting in the tops of the tall living pines where they were well concealed by the heavy branches.  In the morning and evening they came out in the usual manner on open limbs and in dead trees.  In such localities it was very difficult to approach them.  I tried to stalk them carefully many times but without much success.  Often the birds took alarm and left the perch on noiseless wings while I was still some distance away.  Or they would leave noisily just before I was within range.  Often I saw them circling about tree tops with stiffly spread wings as they do during the breeding season. F

From the season of the year at which the damage to soy beans occurred it may be supposed that it was caused by individuals resident in the immediate vicinity.  In this connection it is worthy of remark that the mourning dove is a common bird throughout the United States and that it is so far as known consistently a seed eater throughout the year.