Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1906-11-15
The Passenger Pigeon-A Bird Tragedy.


ner pigeons. The question as to what
became of them and why they went
has become one of the most puzzling
problems of ornithology. Those old
enough to remember these beautiful
birds have never ceased to regret their
unaccountable determination. One
day as numerous as the sands of the
seashore and flying in myriads that
darkened the SKY for hours at time,
next day they have disappeared as
completely as if never in existence,
so completely that large reward Of
fered for a pair still remains unclaim-
ed. A celebrated American ornithol-
ogist estimated that flock he saw
early in the last century numbered
largely over two thousand two hum
dred and thirty millions, and they
would consume seventeen million four
hundred and twenty-four thousand
bushels of mast every day These
are big figures but many of our older
readers, remembering focks seen in
their boyhood, will readily believe
them to be true. AS late as the six
ties it was no uncommon thing thing
to see in Kentucky, Indiana and
Michigan, focks that darkened the
sky in every direction as far as the
eye could reach, and they would be
passing for hours at time.
1t has been over thirty.three years
since any considerable number of these
birds were seen south of the great
lakes, though an extensive nesting
place was reported from the region
of Petoskey as late as 1881. Though
hundreds Of men were engaged In
netting them and captured fully TO-
100000, it was estimated that not one
bird in thousand was taken. An
eyewitness declares that this nesting
covered an area twenty-eight miles
long and fully four miles wide, while
every tree of any size over this extern
sive space had more or less nests and
many were full of them. This, how
ever, seems to have been the last Of
the passenger pigeon in numbers.
Soon thereafter he disappeared AZ
suddenly as the Virginia sora after a
frost and as completely as the great
aux of the southern seas. What be-
came of them still remains and doubt
less always will remain one of the
unsolved mysteries of science. 1t was
at first thought that they attempted
to cross the ocean, but unequal to the
long flight fell and were swallowed
by the waves. A more probable con-
clusion is that in the destruction of
the forests, which deprived them of
their natural food, aided by the re.
lentless persecution of man in every
locality, we may find the real explain
alton of this deplorable tragedy in the
kingdom of the birds.
The domestic pigeon, 80 familiar
around all farm homes, is descend
ant of the swift and forceful flyer
whose untimely end we have been la
menting. The whole pigeon family,
which includes the doves, have some
remarkable peculiarities which dis
tinguish them from all other birds or
poultry. They mate for life and the
male and female each assists in the
incubating, dividing the time as
carefully as a railroad schedule, the
first taking the day shift from 9
o'clock in the morning until 2 o'clock
in the afternoon, while the mother
sits out the remaining hours. The
most notable characteristic of these
birds, however, is their methods of
feeding the young. This is done en-
tirely by reorganization. the young in.
sorting its beak into that of the pa
rent and extracting therefrom curd-
like secretion, which is the tbickened
and "peeled up" lining Of the parents
crop. Both parents thus contribute
for nine days, after which the curd is
mixed largely with the food Of the
parent, until at length the young, hav.
ing grown stronger, are compelled to
eat their bread without cheeee. In
many sections pigeon.breeding is an
important adjunct of the poultry bus
mess and when well managed is found
quite profitable. Though sometimes
conducted in combination, the larger
firms near the great cities usually de-
vote their whole time to rearing
squads, which find ready sale in all
the markets.
| Mothers who give their children Ken
/ olx-s. Tavstiva (e0ntainin0l Honey