The Wilmington morning star., 1947-02-16

Soo WCV
what is written about them ir
American Orthodoxy. by Alex.
ander Wilson and Prince Charles
Luclen Bornaparte, a n d published
more than a century ago, he would
De thrilled with the word pictures
OF them drawn by the authors. This
approach of the birds in the spriny
and fall sounded like the comine
OF a storm. The sun was all bui
oollterated by them. Horses were
frightened. An estimate of the
number in one flock resulted in
such stupendous calculation as fol.
lows:
If we suppose this column
10 nave been one mile
In breadth (and I believe it to
nave been more, and that it
moved at the rate of n mile
In a minute, four hours, the
time it continued passing.
would make its whole length
two hundred and forty miles.
Again, %supposing that each
square yard of this NOV
Ing body comprehended three
pigeons, the square yards
in the whole space, multiplied
by three, would give two thou
sand two hundred and thirty
millions, two hundred and
seventy-two thousand pigeons!
an almost inconceivable multi
Jude, and yet probably far be-
low the actual amount"
2,230, 272, 900 pigeons in one lot!
NO wonder the exclamation ap
pears in the description of the
brlds : Wonderful and terrifying
sight"
Here they comet" the people
cried when they saw the distant
of birds.
Their pauses in migration north
and south were foreknown, and
farmers prepared to slaughter
This they did by the thou,
sands, using guns, poles, traps
and every available means at their
command. Feasting on a large
scale was the order of the dav un-
every one was satiated with the
meat. Often the birds were captur-
ed, to be fed with corn and other
grams for future use. Sometimes
the meat was preserved bv salt.
Markets in the towns and cities
flooded with the birds, which
sold at from IL to 25 cents a dozen.
The pigeons would stop at GER
tain interior points for nesting in
April and May. AS many as 90
nests have been counted in one
tree. The weight of the birds and
nests would break limbs, and
squads would fall to the ground in
large numbers, where they were
easily gathered for food. The
ground was enriched by droppings
and litter; and foxes. raccoons and
lynx gored themselves on fallen
bros. Farmers, anticipating the
arrival of the birds, would move
their hogs to the locality where
they were expected, and the ami
mails flourished on them.
Slngly the passenger pigeon was
a really handsome creature. being
a larger member of the dove fam
lily, with beautiful markings. 1t
was about Is inches in length, with
a wing spread Of about "a inches.
cooed like a domesticated
pigeon, or a dove. Their great num-
oers, however, robbed the birds of
sympathetic interest on the part OF
people who saw them.
Now they are all gone, and are
only of the curiosities of the early
days of our land. There is a pathos
hat attaches to the thought OF
hem. And how unfortunate it is
that they do not exist today, so
that, at least to some controlled
extent, they might figure in the
economic affairs of u people. A
similar fate has befallen the Car.
Dina parakeet Cor paroqueD
though a few of them are said to
exist in some of the sWamps OF
the far South; but their numbers
were much smaller than those OF
the wild pigeons. Other birds have
also been decimated; and a real
protection from guns, foxes and
cats, should be accorded them to
preserve them from extinction.
Yet none will ever take the place
Of the passenger pigeons.