A very peculiar grayish colored bird with a greenish gloss to the back, and a long, broad tail, quite long legs, and with the face and sides of the throat devoid of feathers. They are very abundant birds in some localities, and very noisy during the breeding season, their notes resembling a harsh trumpeting repetition of their name. They are ground inhabiting birds, but nest in low bushes. Their nests are made of sticks, twigs, leaves, or moss and are generally frail, flat structures only a few feet above the ground. During April, they lay from three to five buffy white eggs, the shell of which is very rough and hard. Size 2.25 × 1.55. [Illustration 193: Greenish buff.] [Illustration: Buffy white.] [Illustration: Chachalaca.] [Illustration: right hand margin.] Page 192 PIGEONS AND DOVES. Order XI. COLUMBÆ Family COLUMBIDAE Pigeons and doves are distributed throughout nearly every temperate and tropical country on the globe, nearly five hundred species being known, of which twelve occur within our limits. Their plumage is generally soft and subdued colors, the head small, the wings strong and the flight rapid. 312. BAND-TAILED PIGEON. _Columba fasciata fasciata._ Range.--The Rocky Mountains and westward to the Pacific, from British Columbia south to Mexico. This large species may be generally recognized by the white crescent on the nape; it is about 15 inches in length. They nest abundantly on the mountain ranges, sometimes in large flocks, and again, only a few pairs together. Their nests are rude platforms of sticks and twigs either in bushes or in large trees in heavily wooded districts. The two eggs which are laid during May or June are pure white in color, and like those of all the pigeons, equally rounded at each end. Size 1.55 × 1.10. 312a. VIOSCA'S PIGEON. _Columba fasciata vioscæ._ Range.--Southern Lower California. This is a paler variety of the preceding species and is not noticeably different in its habits, nesting or eggs. 313. RED-BILLED PIGEON. _Columba flavirostris._ Range.--Mexico and Central America, north to southern Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. This species, characterized by its red bill, purplish colored head, neck and breast and absence of iridescent markings, is abundant in the valley of the Lower Rio Grande, where they build their frail nests in thickets and low bushes, and during May and June lay their white eggs. Size of eggs, 1.55 × 1.05. 314. WHITE-CROWNED PIGEON. _Columba leucocephala._ Range.--Resident of the West Indies; in summer, found on the Florida Keys. This species, which can be identified by its white crown, nests in trees or mangroves on certain of the Florida Keys, laying its two white eggs on its rude platform of sticks and twigs. Size of eggs 1.40 × 1.05. Nests in April and May. 314.1. SCALED PIGEON. _Columba squamosa._ A West Indian species, a single specimen of which was taken at Key West, Florida.