The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1905-09-08
The American Passenger Pigeon.
Its DISCRIMINATION Accounted For In an In
teresting and Instructive Article by
A. &. Gliddeu.

The sudden disappearance OF the
passenger pigeon, which migrated Ill
immense fiocks across the middle
states TO their northern nesting places
in spring and returned with their
young in the fall to feed on the stub
bic lands, has been the source of
many surmises and much speculation
as to the cause thereof.
From the earliest settlement OF the
country up to the years 1872 the
passing of the pigeons heralded APP
preaching spring, and every country
bred man of middle age or Older with
i'm the borders of the states alluded to
has stories 10 tell of the numbers he
has brought down at single shot
while they were feeding or alighting
on the stubble fields or sitting mud
died close in the tree tops.
As the cities increased in popula-
ton, there was lively market demand
for the dead birds at 50 cents per
dozen and trapping them with nets
became a regular business for many
men in every locality, and later on
expert hunters kept in touch with the
flights by telegraph at their first APP
pearance and followed them with all
the modern appliances for their cap
ture.
The spring net was the most effect
i've. 4 bed" about l5x50 feet square
was leveled and smoothed off, and on
It grain was sown to attract the hun
CRY fiocks. When they became &C
customed to this daily ration, they
visited it regularly and III increasing
numbers. Now net of the same size
of the bed was stretched to one side,
held back by springy saplings and
fastened by catch that released by
the pull of cord that reached to a
cover. At the moment of the great
est number on the bed the string
was pulled and the net tapped over
the flock. The men rushed TO hold
down the net and to break the necks
= of the hapless birds "a they were
2 thrust through the meshes until the
, whole catch was killed.
t The baited trap became too slow
I and the stool pigeon was introduced.
D He was frequently blinded by stitches
e through the eyelids. He was then
D tied TO a perch. one end Of which was
o held to an upright through which
e string passed from the perch 70 the
cover. Pulling the string raised the
+ pigeon end Of the perch and on re
J., leasing it the bird would drop anc
a hutter "a though alighting. This at
II tracted the passing hocks and was eft
; fective a. frequently a the catci
/, could be bagged and the net agair
d set. From y to % dozens was tn
e usual catch. but as high as 100
y birds have been trapped at a singh
l. spring of the net.
# Some observing trapper OF hunte
d had noted the fact that breeding
1t pigeons frequented salt licks in grea
Is numbers, 50 a lick was prepared nea
te the nesting place by tramping pee
of salt into a muck bed. One taste G
h. this sailed muck was the. undoing c
Of every bird in the flock 70 whic
ne he belonged. 4 sailed bed l5Xt
re feet and 10 inches deep has bee
it known to be carried away entirel
of by pigeons. It has been inforre
that salt induced the formation {
it the macerated curd in the birds Gro
in with which the young are fed. TIL
of method of enticing pigeons made ne
he ting very easy for the trappers al
ne was very destructive to the birds.
at There are three noted pigeon ira
lie. pers still in this county who were
DO. at the death Of the hocks, c. +. ID,
ed Of Lawton, c. II. Engle of Hartfo
ise and G. II. Sherburne Of Hartford.
ay an interview with Mr.. Dey { fro
of whom much Of the information CO
If. tanned in this paper was gathered.
,ed stated that in the spring Of 1873
out and Mr.. Engle followed the pigeo
re- TO their nesting places in vario
TO parts OF northern Michigan, Shelf
,et. Reed City, Traverse City and Elmi
,ng i'm Benzie county. The hocks we
on scattered by various causes. I
sed first and most destructive was V
and lent storm of wind and sleet viii
Who blew the nests from the trees a
ay- killed the young of this first nestii
osi- Mr. Dey states that Mr.. Engle a
in himself picked up eight barrels
squads the next morning after
the storm and shipped them to New Y,
eve at 80 cents per dozen. When it
in noted that nesting place was
Of queutiy from 10 10 % miles long Z
/ in five or six miles wide along sire
WA or river, the number. of dead hi
ieve must have been appalling. TIL
lase two men shipped about IS dozen hi
inc. daily for three weeks, and hundr
osi- Of other trappers were doing the sal
ter -Four car loads of birds went out d;
8