The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-04-09

me- pigeon with d long string tied 70 lts leg.
THIS pigeon no would rclense from the bouCh
mouse ana II would Ny upward only to futter
oaok to the ground when the end OF the string
vas reached. This would attract tlle attention
OF nocks OF pigeons flying over, and they would
circle around and come own nearthe spot, evil
oontIy curious TO see what was The matter with
the captive pigeon. They would not be long
In discovering tho bnited ground. and thonthey
would crowd upon this SPOT until every inch of
IL would be blue with pigeons. Then tho not
ter srrang tho not by pulling the rope out Of
the notches III the stakes. The hickory poles
would fly back to their positions like n flash.
shooting the net out over the ground covered
with the birds. and In n second hundreds Of
pigeons would be he'd captive In and beneath
the meshss. "A many as l 100 birds hive been
caught ut one netting.
During nesting time i stool pigeon was used
70 lure the focks to the snare. This was u
pigeon that had been trained for the purpose.
Experience showed tina. no matter how well
one o! those birds was trained 1t would never
'aii TO give warning to the wild birds Of their
danger IL II could SEQ them. The stool pigeon
wns therefore blinded by sewing its eyeliils to-
Sethsr. This poor bird would be secured on a
perch IN the rear OF the net. near the ground.
which was manipulated by a string in the
hands 0: the hidden Meter so that this
pigeon would he kept luttering. This
would attract tho attention OF the fly
ing birds. and they would gather in
trees around and watch the
OF the decoy bird q long time. AT last one or
W pigeons would venture to fly down to the
ground to get closer inspection. then they
would 1nd the salt or ~buckwheat. when the
movement Of tho decoy bird would be for
gotten and the pigeons would begin to feed on
the baited ground. That would at once bring
flock after DocE swooping down, and soon the
space would be covered with the greedy birds.
and the net would he sprung as described.
In spite o. all the destruction that weather.
meters. huntors. hawks. crows and other enc
niles of the Wild pigeon worked in n pigeon
roost. it was evident that more pigeons would
leave the woods when the roost broke up than
entered 1t at tho beginning OF nesting. III tho
memorable pigeon year OF 1890 pigeons began
" arrive in the woods as early as February.
ana for two weeks there wns n ceascless influx.
Tho snow was still deep. but the pigeons swept
down upon it by millions. and by using their
wings uncovered the buried beech nuts. Tn
told thousands OF the birds persisted from star
walton and cold during the first two weeks
Of the roost. Another large division OF the main
colony sought feeding grounds in that year IN
the Indian Territory. and anotherin tho Michi-
gan wilderness. but the roost in PENNSYLVANIA
was so much larger than tho others. and so
ttS W a'CtSS anu tullN elllfilt W MA htI. IIluI
the professional METERS came from all parts Of
the country TO western Pennsylvania. As
usual, almost ihn entire population OF the back
woods. including the Indians from the reserva-
tons as far as from Cattaraugus county. y. V.
hogan its onslaught upon the birds. killing
them with guns. with clubs. with nets and
traps. They we're not content with this
slaughter by day. but kept IT up during the
night in n, roosts by torchlight. The roost
did not break w until the latter part nf April.
yet it was plain to any one that the woods were
, more rowded with pigeons when the
birds ibe2an 20 take their fight than they
were when the roost was started. 1t
was estimated that tho original roost or
pigeon city. as these enormous gatherings Of
the birds were called. contained 2OO,OOO. 900
pigeons. which number was naturally in
creased nv 6OO.OOn 900 BY the pigeons Matched
during the stay in the woods. There we're per
haps ]. 900 persons constantly In tho woods day
and night during the fifty days that the roost
was maintained. Strengthening pigeons and
squads indiscriminately. and IL each killed
1000 birds n dav, which is not likely. they
would not have reduced the colony by one
twelfth even Of its increase while the
slaughter was going on. This would not
apply to that particular pigeon city alone.
but to every one ever known. so that
the theory that the wild pigeons have become
%extinc,. like the buffalo. by ruthless slaughter
will not hold. That theory. moreover. is over
thrown by the fact that on the last appearance
Of the wild pigeon. in 1899. which was in north
ern Michigan. the colony was fully as large as
it had ever been known in that favorite roost-
ing and breeding place OF the mysterious bird.
The last appearance OF the wild pigeon in any
numbers as far east as it's old nesting and feed
ing ground in western Pennsylvania was in
1856. 1t had deserted its former favorite re-
gions in southern New York and eastern Penn
~sylvania ten years before that. No wild pig
cons. except in isolated flocks in the fall. have
been seen east of tho .Alleghany River since
1876. The last great pigeon roost east Of that
was in sullivan county. y. Y, and the adjacent
Pennsylvania counties in that wear. The writer
remembers II well. rs he was fortunate enough
to be an eyewitness Of It.
One day in the last week OF March. 1875.
lumhermen from the ~headwaters OF the Bea-
vcrkill and the beech woods OF the wilderness
Of Sullivan. Delaware and Ulster counties. y,
Y. brought in the news that those regions
had beer taken possession o! by wild pigeons
In untold numbers aud that they were prcpar-
ing for the nesting season. Two days before
the SKY had been obscured IN n great portion
OF sullivan county by the passing over oil an
apparently endless flock Of pigeons going
northward. The incessant procession gave &c
the SURROUNDINGS the SOUlDfe appearance ina
accom- panics The gathering and RAISING OF
henvy thunder clouds. 1t was sGbseuu"ntl!
learned that the mass OF pigeons extended &c
the eastward more than twelve miles in ny
broker line. hunters. nett"rs and people gencr'
ally tlo,ked 4 to the great pigeon roost. and i; was
found that half had not been told OF its vast
ness. The birds had scarcely begun ,hc;l
nesting when T. severe snowstornr came on
Snow fell to the depth Of more han = foot "a!
through that then Wild ard isolated region
When the snow had ceased falling an wnusua
and peculiar stir was notice: throughout tht
whole extent Of tho gr"ot ro1st, an! NJ "oon ~
tho NTH day after their coming into tho hc"cl
woods the pigeons lcgan 20 taEc flight. 81 <"
ing due west. IA al hour there was not
single live piGeol. left in tia. .p"alitS from Oh
ord O! ':hs 'rooia 10 the other.
That same iuy, a. abort i quarter OF | IN tn
attcruonn. Clinton Walters aud Isaac Bennett
wuDdchoppers and bark pcclers. were III th'
l-,I. ~ .I, D,.,,,,n Iupn,n Nvt,p,la than "A frnp