The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-12-01
PASSENGER PIGEON
SEEN IN TWO STATES
New York and Connecticut OBJ
servers Familiar With Bird,
Obtain Near View.
HOPE OF THEIR RETURN.

1,it rass bile thatthe passenger pigeon.
xhlch once was 10. numerous that II
darlyened the sun In it's flight, is,not ex-
tnct after ait| s5-..<.- .,
+. n. Alanross, vice-presldent- OF. the
Connecticut state Board Of Fisheries, and
Dame, s very positive that he has. seen
several individuals of this species with
IN recent months, aud he has furnished
the game commissions of Connecticut
and New York and the American Game
Protective Association with. a detailed
account Of his observations.
This reads In part as follows: =
"About the middle OF May while fish,
ing with a friend at Crannis Pond In
the town OF Southington. Conn.,. near
lake Compounce, discovered three pas
sanger pigeons perched on a dead tree in
main View. not more than fifty feet away
and almost directly overhead. There Is
absolutely no doubt about their identity.
zone was Il fine specimen of the fun
Aedged cock pigeon with all the mark
ings; another was full grown hen pig
con. and the third individual a yearling
cock. with slightly mottled breast. These
birds were on the property of the Forest
Vile Fishing Club. On June 2 the three
birds we're observed again by a friend.
and on June another friend saw the
two old birds.
Observer Familiar With Bird.
81 am 81 years old. My first hunting
WAS at the age OF IS years, and the first
birds l shot were passenger pigeons. My
father had a pigeon bed and many
times early in the morning and just at
night when a small boy have been out
with him and helped catch the birds
When a lad took two young passenger
pigeons from the nest and succeeded in
raising one to maturity 1t was very
tame and would perch on my shoulder
and remain there even when I moved
around. o..
II mention these detailed facts so that
there may be no doubt as to my ability
10 Identify a passenger pigeon. Mourn
Ing doves, which are frequently mistaken
for the passenger pigeon, are very COM
mon here and l am thoroughly familiar
with their markings"
Mr.. Manross and three friends who
observed the birds at different times
Rave made affidavit to the fact that
they, were undoubtedly passenger
pigeons
Some years since various individuals
interested in the passenger pigeon
offered a reward in excess OF $4,000 for
any one discovering the nest, undis-
turbed. OF such bird. This reward was
withdrawn few years ago. The last
known individual OF the species died in
captivity IN the Cincinnati geological
gardens several years ago.
Pigeon Can Re Bred.
Leo S. Crandall, assistant curator OF
hirNz At tl,A NaW Ndri- 1nnlnpipal r.
dens, states that the passenger pigeons
can be bred in captivity with compare
tive ease. II some Of these birds really
DO exist. as many pairs as possible
should be placed In charge of Mr.. Gran
dali, In order that at least q remnant
Of the species may be saved.
In recent years under Mr.. Crandalrs
supervision the mourning dove has been
successfully bred in captivity in con-
siderable numbers. This bird. ~ fire.
quently mistaken for the passenger
pigeon.
Audubon estimated that an average
flock Of these pigeons contained billion
and quarter birds, which consumed
more than eight and a half million
bushels Of mast in a days feeding.
william r. Nershon in his book The
Passenger Pigeon" gives April. 1906, as
the last authenticated report Of these
pigeons having been seen In the wild.
This Is based on a statement by John
Burroughs, the well known naturalist. to
the efiec; that one Of his friends, Charles
W. Benton saw a large fool of the
pigeons near Prattsv''' ..4r county,
New York. In April Of that year.
The late Judge u. c. Beaman OF Den
Ve-, Col, IN an article contributed to a
'p0rtsWlu'5 publication in 1914 stated
that M 20 1865 there was only a slight
essen!ng Of the numbers of the passen-
ger pigeon and that their flights did not
entirely cease until some time after
1850, AS late as 1876, according to
Judge Beaman, there was one nesting
ground IN Michigan. which was four by
lFtnty-e.ght miles in area, Nestings
we're also reported in Michigan as late
as 1856.
Pigeons Seen by BIRD Students.
While the passenger pigeon was mer-
'.essly slaughtered, It's reduction in
numbers during the last few years Of its
existence was so great that many who
nave studied the subject are inclined to
believe that its slaughter. merciess as
j vas, does not wholly account for the
maj disappearance OF the species
Among theories advanced TO account
'or It's disappearance are that 1t was
wiped out by an epidemic or that a
great storm drove the birds out to sea,
Where they persisted. There seems to be
10 ground, however, for these or any
C'7er theories advanced.
IN connection with Mr.. Manross's re-
Por' !, is Interesting TO note that three
men OF Amsterdam y. Y, students OF
''aS declared recently that they saw
small flock Of passenger pigeons some
Were between West Galway and Charl-
"A Al account OF their discovery was
I-AHsHed IN Science Of November /.
soekeye Averages IT Miles a Day,
WAs:nHGTo~, d. C., Nov. sO.-The
H-Te'u al Fisheries has received q rec
rrr1 ~: the capture in tho upper Fraser
ever Of q sockeye bearing on its tail a
n-Non that had been inserted In the
,,a'rf.ng experiments of Puget Sound
no asn was dipnettcl by an Indian al
:" Creek Canyon, British Columbia
S.I assuming that the fish moved In a
uFe'' route, itS average rate OF trave
"e7 seventeen miles a day.
Louisiana Home of Waterfowl.
NEw ORLEANS, La. Nov. 3O.-M. L
H.'A'Hctr, Jnservation Commissioner
W. Lou s.aua, estimates that rs pei
,'l Of the wild waterfowl of the
''9 states and Canada make theiI
nome I'm this State. This is partly due
d " said. 10 the destruction OF theii