THE PASSENGER PIGEON IN PENNSYLVANIA 15 



iiig the counties of Cambria and Somerset is located, 

 was visited by millions of pigeons. There was no 

 snow on the ground during January and February of 

 that year, and mast in the form of beechnuts and 

 chestnuts was abundant. It was not generally known 

 that they wxre there, although I lived within eight 

 miles of this locality, until B'ebruary 1. About that 

 date, their presence became kncjwn to me and I, with 

 others, went up to hunt for them. When we arrived, 

 we found hunters there from Bedford, Johnstown, 

 Pittsburg, Altoona, and even from such distant points 

 as New York. 



The pigeons roosted in the cedar swamps in north- 

 eastern Cambria county, and in the morning they 

 would fly from their roosts and cover thousands of 

 acres. When in flight, they made a noise like a pass- 

 ing freight train. You could stand for an entire day 

 on one spot and either shoot at those on the wing or at 

 those which settled on the trees nearby. I made sev- 

 eral trips during the month of February and about the 

 first of March, several of us took provisions and feed 

 for our horses and set out, intending to make a two 

 days' hunt. We spent the night at the house of a 

 friend near the feeding grounds of the pigeons. Dur- 

 ing the night, snow fell and covered the ground, bury- 

 ing the mast. We went into the timber in the snow, 

 but only a few pigeons apeared. After that no more 

 pigeons were seen, having left for parts unknown. 

 Some people, more greedy than myself, visited their 



