Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-12-27
Wild Pigeons
ByTrsdsrio J. Haskin

Washington, ID. e., Dec. 27y--Jhat
there il no such thing MS wild pigeon ~
the United States any more ~ an idca
which seems 10 be widely entertained ~
this country, and which is wholly enron
eo,s. according 10 the ornithologists.
The fact OF the matter is that the pas
senger pigeon which was once phenone,
nally abundant in the western Dnitcn
States, is extinct; but there are ~ ieast
three species Of wild pigeon folino toosy
within the United States. Al tnfes ~
them are little known, despite tne Iact
that one of them is distributed, IN
| srarao and scattering manner, over good
| part Of the West.
For some reason, the wild pigeon - an
| object Of exceptional popular interest, "
| one NAV Judge by the number ot ques-
| t,one that come " an information bureau
| about il, and the number of newspapefs
an q magazine articles that nave DSfh
written on the subject -.
Nearly every American now knows
| something Of the tragic and myseefio,gD, ~,
history of the passenger pigeon, Sfich %
or 10 wears ago darkened the sky WIN ~.
vast focks. killed whole forests oy usihg
them as roosting places, ana s'otysu
American markets with its fesh. ~ Oe
Iieved by scientists that the slaughter oi
the pigeons did not alone account Iof
their complete and sudden dishppearanee
along in the eighties, but that some other
| factor. which hes never been ~
yIained must have nad part in u.
Al ~ this has been orten recited- IN,
,aesenger pigeon has been gwen grea'
saaI II publicity, while the other Amer
can ,y,ld piqe0ns are almost unknown
10 the general public
AxoTHrR Wild PiGzor.
The moet important of these - IN
band-taicd pigeon which occurs ~
: scattered and accountable way aI ~. !.
tho Rocky Mountain country aho -. 49,. = !
Q tLc pac;e'c consf. The center Of abunoanC 2
: = aid ~ he ~ the mouth Of the Coiurnoi
4 y;,.sr ADD neopla who live in that sectiol
arc urobaf,lv familiar with the piros' %
roost persons. even in States whore lhf
are found, never saw one
Q The band-taled pigeon y true pigo,'l
II is a good deal more like the aVerng
e mans idea Of y pigeon than the pessen y
r;e,aoo vgas because IL belongs - ~ -.
o sar,o e,ants as the domestic pigeon "
q ha.-o saen THE bird and u looks exscti
= l;Le Zig blue domestic pigeon. ~ 70
tl,o savne vvav and when Il rlses makes ~
y same nd clapping sound with nc wlhg'
, II M me vcry peculiar haoi, q - -
It's light nest 81 twigs with Y wnen y zil..I
cd during he nesting season lhls 49,
y fabulous, btit Is attested Dy goFerilIl'sL Il
SCIENTISTS II pasps the nest anp esss y
fe tween the legs Sometimes meTeiY s'Hs
egg il carried in this way
This riQeon has a way of appearing VI
NJ JanI,, n ierge focks where good crops
- acorns IT, favorite food, are iounn y
vears afterward, il there are isw scofh
~ ~rarr aFYgsnfr
w Down in the KEYS Of Florida they flsVs
n another wild pigeon known as the Winy
" crowned pigeon. 1t Is rare, and extreme {,
qbv the reason being that i y one q = =
most too+hsorne ~ birds. A native IN ~
ce Wes4 Told ,,s Iast winter that during =
.Iy tourist season Is high as three dollars ea'
II L naid for the birds. Il probably hhs
mt hard life 80 /,
{. A third Wild pigeon comes MO
United states along the Rio OTarine On N \
n MEXICAN border. II ls called the reo-tll. m
Of pigeon, and is . large bird OF eA0''''
.sv table qualities. .
~. world and they make q most 'nIeress.
- study because they Illustrate 20 aptiy
wav n which environment anec's Sle
veloprnent Of living creatures.
Thus. Il u not generally known tlAs
dodo was a great hightless pigeon IN e Z
although the word dodo his become
~ our slsng, very few people know VIE
means.
TIE DEATH or TIE DoDo-
The dodo wes as bi z as a swan, and co
m more fv than an ostrich; yet = va
+r,e D,eeo-. Il developed Is pecu
,,b,.s.csl characteristics because u nVe'
c1artaio 1., islands of the South ceAs, vheT
ha5 - natg,ral enemies Il grew large,
ehIrnsy and tiightless, because II hsd
neresSity for beng otherwise u sodos
occurred some enemies when the ~
discovered the island Cf MaurltIus, vi
vyas its home The Dutch sailors "a
down on foot killed It with cluos ana a.
yy5-h great e,lsto The last OF the BIRDS
killed in The l7th century, put there
written records Of II, anu $50 sseief
The same - true Of IFS near retatlve'
solitaire, which was mucn Ike - -Nv
smaller and s trihe quicker on It's
50 that Il survived lew years lou
Pigeons live chiefly on Islands, bee
;-1a1Is are ,snerally free Of the preds
anInals which destroy such O!ros. Fi-'
are s4llpid. and are easily killed, v
their nests are always poorly hidden
the tropical Islands IN AusCrsils, y
they most abound, plgeo1s nesFly al7
1--we Ia trees. and their oaly enemies
baxks II interesting 70 note that I
,l-.,- ,rorical pigeons nearly always sre :
or oreerIisR in color above, 50 that
: O 6aWks r9nnot see them among the lea
ton. On the other hand, the Nortn amer
,1Sis :, aaors and doves. which spend =
t;o1 - ~ their time on the ground. 81
~ lra,s ,ray Ia color. Nature does the
she can for her creatures, snd man >
.tftt - he the one force that can upset
+ cslc,,latioDs. He wiped out the dodo
= he nassenper pigeon, lust IS he h.
= many other forms that had been cent
= in achieving an adaptation 70 thei
~