A H'UTER' S NOTES ON DOYLS IN 'HE RIO G!PiADDE VALLEY. 
Alde Leopold. 
S'nce 1917 I have kept a record Of weights, food, 
plumage, habils, and percentage of squabs of about 400 mourning 
doves killed during the hunting season in the central Rio 
Grande Valley near Albuquerque, New exico. The data has been 
plotted to show percentage of squabs killed at weekly intervals 
from Augxst 16 to December 15, and also the average weight, old 
birds and squabs separately, for the same period.  The data is 
as yet insufficient as i basis for smoothed curves, but it is 
sufficient basis for tabular expression as followc: 
Date    Percentage     -eight,      Weight, 
of Squabs     old birds    Suabs. 
Aug. 16       1J% 
"            15 
Sept. 1       55          4.4 oz.      3.7 oz. 
it  8       60          4.3,         3.6 
" 15        50          4.4          3.5 
"           Z350        4.4          3.4 
The table shows first of all that there are few 
squabs abroad on the shooting grounds until September, and that 
therefore the old opening date of August 16 was too early. It 
shows that the present opening date of Se1temor I is biologi- 
cally correct. The explsnation of the rapid increase in squabs 
about September 1 apiears to be as follows: The main crop of 
squabs stays near the nests in the cottonwood bjus and in the 
foothills, until well grown. The adults, however, make long 
flights to -wheat stubble, where most of the August shooting used 
to be done. Ths August stubble shooting -,a5 wrong, 'because it