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Show V - - by , il c-? m r i i - r -J n -jv a a Oh, you white v'inus! I am not pain j ''Mr. ' White Win-," the apparition govned i:i whit wiio nanip'j ,:ir ps t u- 1 broom whilo manicu: inr til.- Mrt-oU, t!;e sworn f-Momy of the liulo Knalish spar- , row. TN 'urd 1 l-.av. in nr. ml is tho wh'ro-v.-ir-t'.-.d -lore haihn from th Ptato i of Sor.ora, Mexico, a v.-in.o i aisemMy, or ' o 1 1 1 ; 1 1 . tii:i di mourning ciove. pasiongor I or wild pi-en, vitii tho winsed markings ' of a iro k:: ' liird. wiiose cooing notes ai o . hkont-i io t::o firs: at romp t at crowing b v a y o ! : 1 1 - r on s : o r. AV i t h s V i : d r 'f o d y , i elormattid ur pohited wins. this bird an-i-.TuitT. v.u-n f".-;nvr, fiirly splits tiie air. T:iey rci.larly Disrate KHw.-pn S. .r.oTM ;'r.l .r.;;.'!ia; are ai- found in Toxas, New Mexico and soumern Caii- TlKir migration, or arrival ?.nd depar- 1 Hire. Is Tivtd ly food conditions a: lth eif's of ih ro'itn. They m:xy ho Fnfe'y schelnh d :n arrive in the Salt River val-h'v. val-h'v. r?ar Phnnrix, Ariz.. 1 ecween, Mny 1 ' i ar.d l.T. th-:r 0":iuiil: duo in a m.-asure to : i climatic conditions. Departing al.ont Sp- : tem'r.i-r 1, or imnitrJiatf.lv following tlie first cold snp, th..-y K-a'e in a body for more southern climes. At a point where t'nrmsands of birds were in evidence the dav before, not a bird will be found after ill'-' first frosty nl.cht. R.-'iir.-rp:r'-:on is. ;he:r slogan immedi ately after arrival. Thousands of nests are constructed in the mesquite tr,-e, a brush about f. to 7 fec-t hiu'ii, sliahby plaiforms of twUs lined with bits of weeds, moss and loaves, usually contain two small white ..c-s. Xcsts are aiter-nnttdy aiter-nnttdy covered by the male and female.! Tiu.-y" are very prolific and a duplication I of ecirs may le found in the nest every tweniy-one days. The yountr bird, or' fbHl-jlimis, are frequently crowded from the lieu prior to the time they are adle to take winK so that their successors ar.d kinsfolk may be hatched. . I Larger Than 3Iourning Dove. The Melopeiia Asiatica or "white-win'" ! are larger than the mourning dove, but smaller than the oid-time passenger i pii: on. now entirely extinct. They sol- do in comr rebate in lar numbers, a re ! usuahy found In pairs, singles or small 'flocks of thirty or less. V::ey fly with great velocity at varied hei:-; h ta. i If the adv.mee Vi.rd or h-.'.dor is killed i the balance of the flock fre pnmtlv tum-: tum-: b :n i turn, mlliin v. c:wi:s as t'-v volplane to earth, presenting at that iii t most .l..;..utf. s..-.i...i'. A s'io at a "coasitinv" bird is considered one of ti.e most d.lficult .by o.; ert wim,' shots. When a iVedinor f.eld is located l y the i white whites they are frequently attracted by the thousands. A crop N soon devastated, devas-tated, unless the birds are "shot out." re-nuiritifcT re-nuiritifcT tlsrt work of many hunters, as they are not easily discouraged from fre-. fre-. quenting or occiipying favorite feedinsr proundj. The mi lo-maize is an especial delienov for tlie Sonnra inirf-on. There are times when crop preservation by common consent removes tho bap limit. It is then a question of one's ability to rapidly reload and select available shots, as tiie birds are in continuous transit. When the huntern are called upon to preyerve crops, hundreds of birds a re killed In a single afternoon a red-letter day for charitable institutions, as they are bounteously boun-teously remembered with tho "makings" of a white vin4 pot-pie. The real test of shooting' ability comes with the siK' essinl negotiation of a double dou-ble on the "flv-way" of the Sonoras who follow blazed aerial trails of flight. These I fly-ways are about lf0 yards wide, leading lead-ing from their breeding, roosting or feeding feed-ing grounds to tiie "water holes." The flight frequently follows the course of a dry river bed. Their flight is steady and ex tremely rapid, unless they start to volplane or coast down to feed or water, at which time the corkscrew effeet is in evidence. If a double is cut out at that particular time, the scatter gun artist i3 entitled to honorable mention. Salt River vallev. about twenty miles wide and fiftv" miles hme, near the base of Pquaw peak, or ad iacent to the Gila river, is their favorite nesting place, their nesta remaining from -year to year, to be slightly slight-ly renovated on the return from the south. As a shooting guest of H. P. De Mund and W. H. Twitchell of Phoenix, Ariz., I was Introduced to a white wing flight in Paradise vahev. Stationed near each ot her. t he result of shots could be seen and results noted. My position was near a chaparral thicket about the center of the flv-way. A wonderful flight of birds was on. tlv-y were coming from the ml!o-maize ml!o-maize fi his to the water holes obsessed with a burning thirst. They were cer-ta cer-ta inlv ca rrying the aerial mail, and it was a "case of good judgment" when thev were able to read velocity, distance and heiirht. placing the daylieht ahead of the bird scoring a kill. A delightful afternoon's after-noon's sport on a "white wing" dove pass. |