CHAPTER VIII 

 Efforts to Check the Slaughter 



By Prof. H. B. Roney, East Saginaw, Mich. 



The following article appeared in "American Field," of Chicago, Jan. 

 II, 1879. Parts omitted here referred to an ineffectual attempt on the part 

 of the Saginaw and Bay City Game Protection Clubs to put a stop to the 

 illegal netting and shooting of pigeons. The Michigan law was a bungling 

 piece of business, working rather in the interest of the netters than of the 

 birds. Prof. Roney and Mr. McLean accompanied the two representatives 

 of the Game Protective Clubs sent North on this mission. I make this 

 explanation as certain parts of the article I reproduce would otherwise not 

 be as well understood. 



FOR many years Passenger Pigeon nestings have 

 been established in Michigan, and by a notice- 

 able concurrence, only in even alternate years, 

 as follows: 1868, 1870, 1872, 1874, 1876, 1878. In 

 1876 there were no less than three nestings in the State, 

 one each in Newaygo, Oceana, and Grand Traverse 

 counties. 



Large numbers of professional "pigeoners," as they 

 term themselves, devote their whole time to the business 

 of following up and netting wild pigeons for gain and 

 profit. These men carefully study the habits and direc- 

 tion of flight of the birds, and in the spring of the 

 year can tell with considerable accuracy in about what 



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