The dove's choice of watering places is Eeculiar. 
In the hills they like springs, stock tanks, and open sandy 
creeks. On the Rio t;rande bottoms they use waste wa er spilled 
along open roads, grassy vegas provided the cover is short, and 
ponds with bare shores. It is generally supposed that they seek 
freedom from cover which mightharbor natural enemies, but if this 
is the main factor governing their choice of watering places, 
then the shallow rills on the big open sandbars of the Rio Grande 
ought to suit them exactly. But I have .nevar seen a dove light 
in a river sEndbar. Here is an interesting problem to solve. 
Many doves are killed yearly in New Mexico but no 
decrease in numbers is noticeable. The ,area adapted to doves 
is so enormous that the total population is probably very little 
effected by localized shooting. 
 
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