The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1911-03-24

ton about the disappearance Oh INC
Wild ngeons which once, as II 10 o.
ravs nut. "darkened the sun WIFI theli
aights" The members OF the o'oioer
col survey in Washington are speciA"'
interested in the subject OF the uaS"p
noarance Of this bird Of passage iioin
10 wild haunts For years 1t has peen
boned that nesting pairs might De lounu
IN some part Of the country anu .nh.
-;+h nroner protection the bird mlghe
he restored in part at least 10 lls pi"'o ... g.
in nature. ,usbed
Recentlv there was story pupisheu
~ tho effect that the birds, Wearleo u
tho constant persecution when he.
tbom in the United States had changeu
The course Of their flight and had gone
into Mexico and there were living peaoe
fullv and happily. This story proved W
ba absolutely without foundation. sun
| another tale was to the effect that inc
| iaoone had gone into the heart of South
| hmorica and there finding conditions
n)easant were leading a non-nlgralolS
| life This tale also proved to De Ell
tirely fictitious
In all parts of the southern states III
he winter seasons there are people
watching sharpeyed for glimpse Vi
tho bird that once was common slght.
In the summer sharp eyes OF the north
are constantly on the alert for the same
nnrnose but as yet no authentic report
has been received that the bird OF mys-
terous disappearance has revisited the
scenes familiar through the centuries 10
its ancestors &c.,.
One of the scientists most interested
m the search for the wild pigeon Is
, Rutnven Deane, fellow of the American
:, Ornithologists union and president OF
: the Illinois Audubon Society for the
- protaotion of Wild Birds. Mr.. Deane -F-s
virtually has given up all hope that any
living specimen of the passenger pigeon
>, ever will be found, but he Is as ttreless
y today as ever in tracing reports of the
- birds temperance to their sources.
The offer of $500 for the discovery of a
nesting pair of the pigeons and their
- undisturbed nest comes from Clifton Il.
- Hodge of Clark university, but $500 adj "
y ditional will be paid for the discovery .
of a pair of birds and their nest if found
In the state of Illinois. The additional
W reward is the joint offer Of Mr. Deane -: =:
~ and as I remember it, Of Professor Whitman OF
l' the University Of Chicago.
~ One of the most curious features" OF the
aearch for the wild pigeon is the mistakes which
are made constantly by men who years ag'
ie trapped the pigeons and were as familiar VIII
oh their appearance as they were, and are toda
7al for that matter with the appearance of the CON
in from all sections of the country of the real
pearance of the pigeon, but on investigation
nea invariably has been found that the discoverel
, IL had seen nothing more nor less than the COL
enn mon wild dove (venaidura macroura), or mour
LOT ing dove, which Is SO familiar bird that
seems almost impossible; that any man OF u
countryside could have failed to overlook IL
the his constant neighbor and could confuse IL WI
Z ei' It's much larger cousin, the passenger pseon
W. other days, -
in To give an example Of how the search is &C
ancted for the wild pigeon and how consclentlo
are the scientists in attempting TO verify repo
man of its temperance this one instance taheh i
lptly a hundred instances, may be noted Recently
old report from northern Michigan reached the pre-
be, dent of the Illinois Audubon society thal
passenger pigeon in very truth mao reapp ps
IN the vicinity of club house freQueh'eo
the fishermen and gunners, many ol "non
man known the pigeon well IN the oio oaSs anu
aire" were certain that in this case they coulo
has be mistaken as to the loentlty VI 'he o''N
itors. NJ;
II was a long Journey to the northern MI
,,or. or o,,h house but an ornithologist unoert
logra- the trip DeneVlhs III NO ~ go Gov ho r.
n nre passenger pigeon had been founa loi no n
from that the men who had made the report nao
familiar with the bird in the OLD Gays anu
nooodlv knew the appearance of its every fea'
,,oroa A. the end Of the Journey he was told that
y WI. n,peons were there and he was led out 10
70 Tho them. They proved to be mourning aoVe
"a nor. bird common in nearly all parts OF Mich Nj,
70 nos and IN most Of the states of the Unlon' lhe
. annointment was keen. and keener In TINS
because this was one report which SCENE
Taught have about it every mark of truth -
,ine ~ When was q. boy knew the Wiid pl
.hat an fairly we'll. 1t was nothing like as aDui
yUa,,os. az Il had been in the years gone py' out
ID this eionay small focks were seen In the vicn'
nv birthplace in the foothills OF the Aairol
mountains In central New York l am sor
-. ., say that shot some Of the birds before
". ~ realized the value Of giving protection TO
" 9,a Wv ,shing race The mourning dove know al
rialn "a know the English sparrow, and thini
nos' iin there il no chance of confusion IN my mil
SUNG snecting the identity of the dove and It's
rro"ins relative, the pigeon is possible though
not sure that. such is a fact, that saw saw u
Wild pIgeon, reported in Illinois others
ent clti have been seen since that time WITHIN IN
; word ders Of the state but IL SO have not seer
anger in uels =. renorted.
do Is 10 At five o'clock on the morning OF la,e