Introduction xi 



in Michigan was undoubtedly the last large migration, 

 but the pigeons continued to nest infrequently in Michi- 

 gan and the North for several years after that, and 

 until as late as 1886 they were trapped for market or 

 for trap-shooting. Therefore the pigeons did not 

 become extinct in a day; nor did one tremendous catas- 

 trophe wipe them from the face of the earth. They 

 gradually became fewer and existed for twenty years 

 or more after the date set as that of the final extermi- 

 nation. 



At one time the wild pigeons covered the entire north 

 from the Gaspe Peninsula to the Red River of the 

 North. Separate nestings and flights were of regular 

 yearly occurrence over this vast eastern and northern 

 expanse. Gradually civilization, molestation and war- 

 fare drove them from the Atlantic seaboard west, until 

 Michigan was their last grand rendezvous, in which 

 region their mighty hosts congregated for the final 

 grand nesting in 1878. As late as 1845 they were quite 

 numerous on the Gaspe Peninsula of Quebec, but dis- 

 appeared from there about that time. 



The habits of the birds were such that they could 

 not thrive singly nor in small bodies, but were dependent 

 upon one another, and vast communities were necessary 

 to their very existence, while an enormous quantity of 

 food was necessary for their sustenance. The cutting 

 off of the forests and food supply interfered with their 

 plan of existence and drove them into new localities, 



