198 The Passenger Pigeon 



were through the district subsequently reported by Mr. 

 McLean to the east and northeast of this district. 

 There is no doubt that the difference in the character 

 of the country east of the Red River from that of the 

 west would present more favorable conditions for the 

 birds, but not in one case has it been shown that the 

 birds nested in colonies approaching the size of the 

 famous eastern and southern ' roosts. Reports seem 

 rather to show that those which bred within the prov- 

 ince were more generally scattered over the country, at 

 the same time being numerous enough to permit the 

 shooter and the netter to make a profitable business of 

 killing the birds. 



All evidence seems to show that large numbers passed 

 through the province to and from a northern breeding 

 ground, possibly that recorded by Hutchins near Hud- 

 son's Bay and to the westward, and that they were ex- 

 cessively numerous up to about 1870, when they began 

 to decrease. As to the latest authenticated records, I 

 quote from notes in my pamphlet on "Rare Bird 

 Records:" 



'The beautiful specimen of the Passenger Pigeon that 

 I have been able to secure for illustration is loaned me 

 by Mr. Dan Smith of Winnipeg, who shot it in St. 

 Boniface, southeast of the cathedral, in the fall of 1893 ; 

 and, so far as I have been able to discover, it was the 

 last bird found in the vicinity of Winnipeg, while the 

 only specimen in the flesh which I was ever privileged 



