The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-15
W1ID PIGEONS ArMosr GONE
The Historic Roosts Many Years AEo-Dis.
appearance Like Thnt of the Buffnlo.

OF the ornithologist. the wild pigeon OF the
sportsman-once so plentiful within the borders
Of Pennsylvania and other Eastern States. is
doomed. Like the buffalo. its extinction Is
only the matter OF a few years. Even now there
are few Of these birds frcquenting places close
TO our largo cities, where n score OF years ago
millions ncsted and reared thoir young. The
breeding range of the passenger pigeon to-day
Is almost wholly in the sparsely settled wooded
regions that form our extreme northern
border, from northern Maine westward to
northern Minnesota; along the Michigan pc
ninsula, In the central parts Of the Domin-
ion OF Canada and as far north as
the shores of Hudson's Bay. If they have been
breeding extensively in these remote corners
OF the country in recent years. man has no
knowledge OF IL. Isolated and scattering pairs
still find a home In tho New England States. in
northern New York and Pennsylvania, New
Jersey. Michigan. Wisconsin. Minnesota and.
further south, in Kentucky and eastern Ten
nessee. The enormous pigeon roosts OF by
gone years, II they exist. are in the impene-
trablo wilderness of the north.
The determination OF tho passenger pigeon
has progressed even moro rapidly than did that
OF the American bison. The latter's dead were
counted by tho tens OF thousands; the wild
pigeons by the millions. Eight or ten years
ago. small colonies OF wild pigeons frequented
the beech woods In the northern counties Of
Pennsylvania and southern counties OF New
York. In the spring Of 1888 n colony OF 100
pairs were found breeding along the shores of
a small creek in the upper end Of Potter coun-
ty. Pa. This was the last roost reported from
the State. Single pairs. however. breed in Pot
ter. Pike and Monroe counties. Pa, even yet.
In the counties of Cumberland. Cape May
and Atlantic. in southern New Jersey, a few
scattering pairs have been breeding in recent
years. The stories told by old settlers in the
srarsely settled counties of Pennsylvania of tho
big wild pigeon roosts they have witnessed are
interesting. The early spring of 1869 brought
what was probably tho largest nesting that
ever took place within the borders of that State.
Mehoopany Greek. Wyoming county. was the
scene OF the roost. which was seven miles
long and three miles wide. or the thou
sands Of trees adjacent TO the shores
OF the creek. there was scarcely one which
did not contain at least one nest. while some OF
them held half n dozen nests. A conservative
estimate placed the number of pigeons in this
roost at not less than half a million. Thou
sands of the birds were killed by pot hunte rs
and meters, who shipped them to the markets
of the Eastern cities by the carload.
This Pennsylvania nesting. however. was a
pigmy compared to that which took place on
the southern peninsula of Michigan, about If
teen miles south OF tho Straits of Mackinac, in
the early spring OF 1876. Late one afternoon
Une Wllu pigeons began 10 arrive near 1etOSky.
1t was a dismal March day. The birds camo in
two bodies. one directly from the south by land,
the other following the east coast of Wisconsin.
until they reached Manitou Island. when the
great army of birds changed their course and
flew straight, across Lake Michigan. This lat
before dark. and those who saw il say that it
was a compact mass Of birds fully six miles
long and two miles wide. The first flock to
arrive In the woods adjacent to Petosky was
ALMOST as large.
the woods, where the sun. could not reach it.
but with the /. ids bare. this monstrous body
colony extended its boundaries so rapidly that
It soon spread over a vast territory, This nest
tofivc miles wide. From Petoskyfo nine miles
through hardwood timber. then across a river
s s w q S and t taHn do 99 t Ibhr9 y ihD went ss9te miles Fys Of
tree Of any size through this stretch of twenty !
nine miles contained a nest; many OF them a
less mass Of wild pigeons was deafening. their
combined ciamor being easily distinguished
For six weeks tho birds remained at tho
Pet0sky, nesting. During this time, several
men wagcd a warfare OF determination against
the pigeons. The shipments of dead birds to
smaller towns along the peninsula averaged
two CARLOADS eneh day for fully one month: hut
| ono bird in a thousand was taken. Owls and
hawks preyed upon both the old birds and the |
SQUADS that occupied the nests to an alarming
extent.
This Petosky nesting covered something like
birds sent by rail each day was counted at H. !
5Oo. whlIn an equal number was ssthtpIed by
sent away by METERS. In forty days more than
100000 were slaughtered.
rst man TWmI was an eyeILw,,nesi OF TINS great
were left dead in the nests and thousands Of
dead and wounded old birds were not secured.
ing number than 10000, 900 pigeons were
sacrificed during the nesting.
Whn 1,ntt,rG u-hn huyn lnnn q pn1,nI fN a~-
terminate the American wild pigeon are be-
coming almost as scarce an article rs the birds
numbers is that they have been driven into the
into Hrt" BritiSh N EHfi3l Hm "GFSl o' THis f iTeor sa may
- part be true. but surely the intense cold OF
warmer climes; In, the warmer Southern
States few of these birds are now to be seen,
wild pigeon Is. not counted among, the birds
that take flight. north or south. The last big
took place in Michigan in the spring ol 1888.
According to men who Witnessed the flying
@miiIion, Birds were on the Wing The ]netters
were on the alert on that occasion to learn of
the tn IarEE% nesting mace these nd birds tTd must hayS
futile. The trackless woods of British North
America. no doubt. proved to be the pigeons
The methods pursued by the meters in cap
turing the birds are varied, the more common
with their eyelids sewed shut. These birds are
cast into the SPACE %inclosed by the net. There
they ilutterobout ana decoy around them thou
hind a barrier OF hcmIock boWghs, pulls lis
ncts Often become So full hat The ssttr1ggIiimngs
birds tear 1t loose from the pegs to which it is
The wild pigeon becomes easily brwildered.
On one occasion an immenSe ii2ck Of young
Michigan, in a heavy fog. Instead OF flying
strI3,ght ahead they began to circle about, NJ
nally they descended when nearing the shore.
and thousands oil them struck The water and