21 8 The Passenger Pigeon 



It will be noted that the wild pigeons began to be 

 "much diminished" even at that early date. 



The following extract is from the journal of the 

 voyage of Father Gravier in the year 1700: 



"Through the Country of the Illinois to the Mouth 

 of the Mississippi." 



Under date of October 7th he says: 



"Below the mouth of the Ouabache (meaning the 

 Wabash River), we saw such a great quantity of wild 

 pigeons that the air was darkened and quite covered by 

 them." 



The journal of Alexander Henry, the younger, writ- 

 ten in August, 1800, states that large numbers of wild 

 pigeons were seen and used for food by his party. This 

 was at a point on the Red River not far north of what 

 is now Grand Forks, N. D. 



The Passenger Pigeon found a place in a book called 

 "Quebec and Its Environments; Being a Picturesque 

 Guide to the Stranger." Printed by Thomas Cary & 

 Co., Freemasons' Hall, Buade Street, 1831. A rare 

 copy was found in the library of the late Charles Dean, 

 having been purchased by him while visiting Quebec in 

 1 84 1. It is now in the possession of Ruthven Deane of 

 Chicago. I quote from this old guide-book as follows : 



"At one period of the year numerous and immense 

 flights of pigeons visit Canada, when the population 

 make a furious war against them both by guns and nets; 



