360 BULLETIN 16 2, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



usually about seven or eight of these hoots in a series, but sometimes as many as 

 eleven. When finished, the male pigeon brings his neck back into its natural 

 position and allows the air to escape from under the neck skin. This perform- 

 ance is repeated at irregular intervals through the early morning and the latter 

 part of the afternoon. 



Fall. — Illustrating the heavy fall flights that formerly occurred in 

 California, W. Leon Dawson (1923) writes: 



In the fall and winter of 1911-12, lured by an unusual crop of acorns, and 

 impelled, no doubt, by corresponding " crop " failures elsewhere, immense 

 numbers of Band-tailed Pigeons appeared in the interior valleys of Santa Bar- 

 bara County, centering about the town of Los Olivos. It is probable that prac- 

 tically the entire summer population of California north of the Tehachipe, 

 Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia concentrated at this point. It is 

 not surprising, therefore, that " millions " of birds should have been reported 

 in this section, although half a million would probably be much nearer the 

 truth. What followed on this occasion was a humiliating example of what 

 human cupidity, callousness, and ignorance, when unrestrained, will accom- 

 plish toward the destruction of birds. Reports of the birds' abundance spread 

 rapidly. The " Wild Pigeon " of the East had unexpectedly turned up in the 

 West. Hunters from the outside flocked to the scene. Every gun was put into 

 commission. By automobiles and trainloads they came. The country was 

 aroar with gunfire. The ammunition business jumped in a dozen towns. En- 

 terprising dealers organized shipments to the San Francisco and other mar- 

 kets. W. Lee Chambers, writing for The Condor, reports a Sunday excur- 

 sion of hunters from San Luis Obispo which brought home 1,560 birds. Another 

 man, hunting for the San Francisco market, killed 280 pigeons under one oak 

 in one day. The stupid birds, knowing nothing of their offense, flew miserably 

 from one part of the valley to another, but would not, or could not, forsake 

 their food. How great the destruction of that winter really was is a matter of 

 merest conjecture, but it must have been a very sensible proportion, possibly 

 more than half the entire species. I passed through this section of the country 

 on the 1st of the following April and saw only 28 pigeons, but the sides of the 

 road in many places were so covered with paper waste from cartridge boxes that 

 I was reminded of a street in Chinatown on the morning after New Year's. 

 Fortunately, this destruction and the agitation which ensued prompted the 

 Government to declare a five-year closed season on Band-tailed Pigeons. 



Game. — Grinnell, Bryant, and Storer (1918) say: 



The value of the Band-tailed Pigeon as a true game bird is to be conceded 

 without argument. Its pursuit is of a different type from that offered by any 

 other game species. An anonymous writer in southern California, who signs 

 himself " Stillhunter," says that the best place for hunting pigeons there is 

 near a dead tree where the birds are known to alight. For such a situation 

 he advises using a .22 or 25-20 rifle ; then single birds may be secured without 

 frightening away others in the flock. For sneaking up on birds a " duck gun " 

 is recommended. Ten pigeons are considered a good day's bag. If the flesh 

 has become " strong " by reason of the birds' acorn diet, soaking in brine 

 flavored with vinegar or lemon will remove the disagreeable taste. After such 

 treatment the birds should be broiled, or baked in a pot pie. 



Enemies. — Band-tailed pigeons apparently have few natural ene- 

 mies, and these have proved of little consequence in reducing their 



