Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1907-11-02
MISCONCEPTIONS.
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State, and especially from the Catskill
region, that focks of genuine passenger
pigeons had been seen there. John
Burroughs, the naturalist, has followed
up and, so far as may be, confirmed
these reports, until 1t seems probable
that in the mountainous district north
west Of Kingston there actually exists
an increasing colony Of birds of
species supposed to have become ex-
tilct.
In the natural history of America
there Is no more remarkable story than
that of these beautiful birds which for
merly frequented the entire central
part Of the continent in unbelievable
numbers. Noveists and story-writers
have frequently referred to the old
time pigeon shoots" and pigeon pie
was favorite dish Of our grandfathers
and even of our fathers. The birds
were lessened In number by indiscrim-
mate slaughter for fifty years, Il single
dealer, says w. b. Mershon in his book
on the pigeons, having shipped one
hundred and seyenty-fiye thousand live
birds to market from a single nesting
one spring, besides thousands of barrels
of dead birds. This formed but a
small part of the catch at that nest
ing.
Probably no more remarkable ac-
count is given by any naturalist than
that of Alexander Wilson, the earliest
Of American ornithologists, who visited
in Kentucky westinghouse forty miles
long and several miles wide, in which
every tree held from one to one hun
dred nests, and many trees were broken
down and every growing thing was
killed by the roosting birds.
About one o'clock says Wilson,
"the pigeons, which | had observed the
greater part of the morning flying
northerly, began to return in such i'm
mense numbers as | never before had
witnessed. Coming to an opening by
the side of a creek where | had more
uninterrupted view, l was astonished
at their appearance. They were flying
with great steadness and rapidity at
height beyond gun-shOt, several
strata deep, and so close together that,
could shot have reached them, one dis
charge could not have failed of bring
ing down several individuals.
From right to left as far as the
eye could reach, the breadth Of this
vast procession extended, seeming
everywhere equally crowded.
Curious to determine how long this
appearance would continue. l took out
my watch to note the time and sat
down to observe them. 1t was then
half past one. | sat for more than an
hour, but instead of a diminution Of
this prodigious procession, 1t seemed
rather to increase in both numbers and
rapidity; and being anxious to reach
Frankfort before night, | rose and went
on.
about four in the afternoon l cross
ed the Kentucky river at the town of
Frankfort, at which time the living
torrent above my head seemed as nu-
merous and extensive as ever. Long
after this l observed them in large
bodies until six o'clock that evening.
II have taken from the crop of a
single wild pigeon a good handful OF
the kernels Of beechnuts. acorns and
chestnuts- To form a rough estimate
of the daily consumption of one of
these immense flocks, let us first at
tempt to calculate the numbers Of that
ut Frankfort. If we suppose this col
umn to have been Il mile in breadth,
and | believe 1t to have been much
more,-and that it moved at the rate Of
mile n minute, for hours, the time it
continued passing would make Its
who's length two hundred and forty
miles
again, supposIng each square yard
Of the moving body compreheuded three
pigeons, the square yards in the whole
space multiplied by three would give
two billion, two hundred and thirty
million, two hundred and seventy-tWo
thousand birds, number probably far
below the actual number
computing each Of these to consume
half a pint of mast daily, the whole
quantity at this rate would equal
seventeen million, four hundred and
twenty-four thousand bushels of mast
a day.
Heaven has wisely given these birds
rapldity Of flight and a disposition to
range over vast uncultivated tracts
Otherwise they must have persisted in
the districts where they resided, or de-
voured up the whole product Of agrI-
culture as we'll as the products of the
forests"