THE PASSENGER PIGEON IN PENNSYLVANIA 129 



called "Natty," we recognize the spirit of a true sports-' 

 man of modern times. Billy Kirby and Richard typi- 

 fy the pot-hunter and game hog, whose descendents 

 still range at large in Pennsylvania after nearly one 

 hundred years of protest against their practices. 



Chapter twenty-two is particularly of interest to 

 sportsmen for it relates the circumstances of a wild- 

 pigeon flight a century ago. A'ividly Cooper describes 

 the incidents of the pigeon slaughter and the methods 

 employed in that day. The scene is along the head- 

 waters of the Susquehanna river in New York state. 

 The events described, however, as correctly show the 

 practices of early Pennsylvania hunters as they do 

 those followed at that time 'in New York. How 

 thoughtless were the hunters of that day! The chap- 

 ter is too long to reprint in its entirety", but the fol- 

 lowing paragraphs, with some abbreviation, tell the 

 tale of long ago. And we believe it will be appreciated 

 by the true sportsmen. If it engages the attention of 

 any others who do not exercise restraint in hunting 

 such of our game birds as still remain, we commend for 

 their particular study the sage observations of Leath- 

 er Stocking. 



