THE PASSENGER PIGEON IN PENNSYLVANIA 209 



How the Marsh Beds Were Prepared to Attract the 

 Birds. 



The ground was spaded and raked over as in the 

 making of a garden, then a quantity of salt was scat- 

 tered over and whipped into the earth with a brush 

 until it was thoroughly mixed. The pigeons would eat 

 this *'muck" with a relish. This mixture doubtless 

 aided the birds to digest their rich diet, which consisted 

 in the main of beech nuts and Black Jack acorns. The 

 salt was applied about every other day in small quan- 

 tities to freshen the "muck bed." By break of day the 

 nets were set and the pigeon stool placed at the edge of 

 the '^muck bed" and the stool pigeon fastened by the 

 feet on the pad at the end of the arm of the stool, and 

 attached thereto was a rope leading to the bough house 

 in which the netters were concealed. The bough house 

 was built of either hemlock, spruce or white pine of 

 sufficient size to admit of two persons to move about 

 easily and not be noticed by the flight of pigeons. At 

 times the flocks were so large that they fairly darkened 

 the sky, cloud-like. In order to attract the attention of 

 the flock, four to six long-line fliers or decoys were put 

 out, when the flock would suddenly break in the centre, 

 funnel-like ; then the netters in the bough house would 

 by means of the rope slowly raise the arm of the stool 

 upon which the stool or decoy pigeon was fastened, 

 then lower it quickly, thus causing the bird to spread 

 its wings as if in the act of alighting on the '*muck 

 bed." The birds would come streaming down, and 

 there would be seemingly in extent an acre or two of 



