100 THE PASSENGER 'PIGEON IN PENNSYLVANIA 



to desert their nests. Luckily for them, however, a 

 frost had occurred, in many localities, before the beech- 

 nuts were fully ripe, and the nuts had not fallen out 

 of the burrs. At that time I was preparing to make 

 sugar. In some parts of the woods were many beech 

 trees, from which a large proportion of the nuts had 

 not fallen. For two or three days after the snow 

 storm, along in the forenoon pigeons would come in, 

 immense flocks to feed on these nhts. By a peculiar 

 flapping of their wings, they would hold themselves 

 suspended in the air in an upright position, at the ends 

 of the twigs of the trees, and pick the nuts from the 

 burrs. The noise made by the flapping of wings was 

 almost deafening, and could be distinctly heard for a 

 half mile or more. 



In a few sunny places at the edge of the woods 

 the snow had thawed, exposing the bare ground. Up- 

 on such places great flocks of pigeons would swoop 

 down, struggling and scolding, to get the few nuts to 

 be obtained. 



The difficulty wnth which the pigeons could obtain 

 food was the pigeon netter's opportunity. 



A bed would be made by clearing the snow from 

 a small section of level ground. Upon this wheat or 

 buckwheat would be scattered. Beside this bed a net 

 would be arranged, and so folded back, that by the 

 means of springs, it could be thrown forward quickly 

 up and over any birds that might light or hover over 

 the bed. For the purpose of concealing the netters, 

 a booth or hut of boughs would be built near the net, 



