The San Francisco call., 1897-04-06
OBSCURE THE sun
IN THEIR FLIGHT
Myriads of Wild Pigeons
Invade a Shasta
Ranch.
Take Possession of a Grove and
Intend to Make 1t Their
Abiding-Place.
Like the Roar of an Oncoming S:orm
Is the Whirr Of Wings as
They Approach.

REDDING, CAL, April 5-The wild pig
bon excitement does not abate in the
7eigh borhood of Redding. For week or
past local sportmen have been enjoying
are sport hunting wild pigeons along the
acramento River between this city and
Anderson. The birds appeared in no un-
usual mum bers until yesterday, when news
was brought in by James Fletcher, a
prominent miner living near Round Noun
tain, in the eastern part of Shasta County,
that there had appeared in that section a
flock of wild pigeons outnumbering any
seen there since the pioneer days of the
Middle West when hocks came in such
num bers as to darken the sun and break
the branches of the trees where they
roasted. Where the wild pigeons of the
early days ever went to was a mystery,
and the reappearace OF the birds in Shasta
Countyis only adding to it.
Fletcher says that last Thursday, as he
was returning TO his ca bin from work at
his mine, he heard q whirring noise be-
hind him like the rush of coming storm
of wind. Turning his head he saw flock
Of wild birds, their specie not ct that time
being reco -nized by him. The whir ring
noise was only prelude to great storm
yet to come. For probably FIVE minutes,
he says. he STOOD dazed, watching the
fight OF the birds. that came by hundreds
and thousands. He was so startled and
so lost in wonderment that he can give
no adequate description of the size of the
lock, or make any estimate of the mum.
ber; but he says it must have been a mile
IN length and with a varying width of
from 100 to 200 yards.
rletcher's cabin is situated about two
miles distant from where he first saw the
BIRDS, and the valley there is about three
quarters oea mile wide and is covered by
heavy growth of black oaks. He arrived
at his cabin half hour after the last
stragglers had passed and found that the
birds had taken possession of the grove.
Apparently every twig and limb of the
grove, covering perhaps l60 acres of land,
was roosting- place for birds, which he
could now readily recognize as a variety
OF pigeons, though plainly not the domes-
tic bird. The cooling and Iove-making was
going on at great rate, and the pigeons
nave evidently taken possession of the
grove for a nesting and breeding-place.
FLETCHER says that the birds were so
thick that be could without difficulty kill
any huAu uSI lie wanted Win club or
stone. His grove has been visited by
every one in the neig hborhood, who gaze
IN wonderment at the novel sight and who
shoot and kill pigeons until the sport
ceases to be novelty. Fletcher brought
about three dozens OF the birds to Redding
Yesterday, and people who pretend to
know something OF ornithology pronounce
them to be the true wild pigeon that added
TO the romance of the early settler OF Ken
lucky, Ohio and Indiana
An accurate description gives them
length Of not quite twelve inches from tba
TIP OF the bill 10 the end of the tail. The
prevailing color is blush gray, in some
parts with green and purple reflections
ana with two broad and distinct bars of
black across the colored wings. The lower
part OF the back is white, while the tail is
deep gray, with a broad, black bar at the
END. The bill is blackish brown and the
legs and toes are OF reddish orange. There
is great uniformity, IN both size and
color, OF the birds brought to RedGing.
Where they came from, how long they
will stay in Fletcher's grove and whittier
they will 90 are all matters of pure con-
lecture. Certain it is that this is probably
the hrst instance on the Pacific Coast OF
the coming OF one OF the enormous tocks
of wild pigeons our grandfathers saw in
the Vast