loo VvaTH THE U. S. NATURALISTS 



than the old birds, and scores of men spent their 

 entire time in throwing to the ground, by means of 

 long poles, all the nests within reach. Others, 

 for whom this method was too slow, attacked the 

 trees with axes, bringing down a hundred nests at 

 once.' " 



"That was hoggin' it," the pot-hunter declared, 

 blamingly. 



" 'Eyewitnesses testify that the spectacle was 

 an awful one, ' ' ' the ofiQcial continued, ' savage In- 

 dians and still more savage white men, with many 

 women and children, all engaged in killing birds. 

 With hands and faces smeared with blood and with 

 feathers sticking in their clothing, many of them 

 looked scarce human in the uncertain light, as they 

 ran back and forth over the blood-slippery ground, 

 shouting at the tops of their voices in order to 

 make themselves heard above the thundering roar 

 created by the wings of millions of Pigeons. 



" 'All night long this awful slaughter continued, 

 and at da^vn the woods were seen to be carpeted 

 with dead and dying birds. Sneaking away 

 through the shadows of the woods could be seen 

 the dim forms of mountain lions, foxes, wild cats, 

 skunks and other night prowlers, and then, in the 

 air, would appear Eagles, Hawks, and Vultures 



