The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-05-06

rag FLIGHT. OF MILLIONS foNAeD
xoRTH--uow THEY BUILD THEIR Nhs's'

THr FLIGHT OF MILLIONS fo"A"D IN"
xoRTv--uow THEY BUILD THEIR NESTS
fcor,srordcncs Of theDe,roit Posi.]
IrrTrr TRAVERSE, MICH. Aprii "a
eoneth,ng more than four weeks ago the
biennial fight OF pigeons 10 tue WOODS oil
Nor,heru Michigan, for which the hunters
had long been watching, commenced
These birds on their iourneyings from the
scu,h 10 the far North stop every two wears
for Two or three nestines In M'cn'san'
usually coming In immense numbers. on
the alternate years, when beech'puts are nov
abundant in this State, they take some otueI
course In their northward night. Fopmea.
their first nesting was In Ateeah OF Vl'a"s
county. or late they have generah. se'.
tied first In Shelby, Oceans county, anu ia'er
In The season IN BeDzie and Emmet coun-
,ies Two wears ago they skipped Dotn
0.o.as and Rerzie counties and nested first
In Fmmet. near Petoskey. This year their
fret flight was to the same section, but they
soon discovered that they bsd been fooled
bv the VAIN weather further south. The
weather about Petoskey was stll cold, the
bsv was frozen over, the snow was deep IN
the woods. the prospect for good ftcding
was bad, and after day or TWO OF apparent
irrfsoluliop and many erraiic hights tDe
birds. as II by common consent, TOOK thelr
course TO the neighborhood OF Platte
river. in Bepzie county. As a local
nubIcation stated at the time, "ihey
came In clouds, millions upon millions. IL
seemed as il the entire world OF pigeons
was concentrating at this point. The air
was full OF them aud the sun shut out OF
sight, and stiil they came, millions upon
millions MORE" They spread over an area
OF more than fifteen miles in length and SIX
10 eight miles wide. and The prospect Tor a
time was that the nesting would be the
most extensive eyer known in the state.
The news speedily reached all parts OF the
State, and it is said that in afortnighps time
5000 NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., amateurs,
greenhorns- invaded the country from
all directions, surrounding and penetrating
the nestIng-grounds.
1t was noticed, however, by old hunters
that the birds did not settle down TO DO
nestle lie as Quickly as usual. The r0Ost-
inc birds-that is, those who had not yet
mated-outnumbered sthe nesting birds
100 10 I. Some Of the more jealous and in
considera,e sp0rtsmen entered The nesting
woods and commenced popping away at
the nests themselves snow-storm foi-
lowed, high winds prevailed, and many OF
the roostiDg birds, disguised, postponed
their anticipated housekeeping, and scat
tered. The testing consequently falls Tar
short in magnitude OF what was ut first eX-
pecied, though still large in area, and con-
flaming millions OF birds. 1t scattered
along the banks OF the Platte river.
i'm the townships OF AImira, Zee
land, and Homestead. The distance from
one end 10 the other is over ten
miles, and The width varies from few rods
TO three or four miles. There are, how
ever, numerous long distances between the
two extremes where no nests are to be
found, and the birds have occasionally
changed their ground, so that many OF the
hunters themselves are very uncertain rs to
the exact whereabouts Of the birds at the
present time. In the nests first made the
Young are about ready to fly, and have been
abandoned by the old birds, and in some
places, owing to the winds and the constant
shooting, the uests have been deserted be-
fore any birds were hatched.
One nesting Is as about the same as
another, and the first nest you come 10 like
the million others in the county. When
these migratory birds have mated, decided
where to settle, and have staked of their
claim, they proceed at once TO construct
about the slightest nest that will hold an egg
and bird. Three sticks and feather d"
constitute about the material, according 10
q recent visitor here. The feather IS
often wanting. but few more sticks are
generally added. The nest is placed in the
crotch OF a tree, on two fol ked branches, or
anywhere else in the tree where suitable
support can be found. Cedar trees along
the river bottoms seem to be preferred, but
when he nestings are large, beech and other
trees are occupied. From hall dozen to
fifty or sixty pests are butt in tree, and
onlv one epp Is laid in each nest,