196 THE PASSENGER PIGEON IN PENNSYLVANIA 



pigeon would flap its wings as if settling to -the 

 ground in a natural way. The pigeon stool would be 

 placed just outside of the area to be covered by the 

 net so as to be caught when the net was released. 



There were also live pigeons that had a long string 

 attached to their legs. The fliers were sent up into the 

 air and then pulled in again. These decoys would 

 attract a flock of pigeons flying near and it would settle 

 on the bed and the net would be released. \>ry few 

 pigeons ever got away as the men would rush out 

 from the bough house as soon as the net had been re- 

 leased, and get onto the net on their hands and knees 

 and bite the heads oft" as the pigeons protruded them 

 thru the opening in the net. The ground would be 

 cleared and everything again fixed for the next flock 

 that came along which would not be very long in 

 coming. 



Sometimes a double net v/as worked, which con- 

 sisted of two nets released towards each other, thus 

 doubling the catch. 



The last of the pigeons came about the year 1880, 

 altho the real big flights were made fifty years ago. 

 The cutting out of the beech trees, as well as the de- 

 structive methods used in capturing them, had much to 

 do with their total disappearance. 



