212 THE PASSENGER PIGEON IN PENNSYLVANIA 



of Williamsport with wild rice in their crops that had 

 doubtless been gathered the morning of the day when 

 they were caught. 



Pigeoneers kept each other constantly informed as 

 to the movements of the birds and probable nesting 

 grounds. Birds were shot from passing flocks and 

 dissected to see the egg development, and from that 

 would determine, if possible, the nesting time. 



I have a letter from Mr. S. A. Stephan, general 

 manager of the Cincinnati Zoological Garden, Cincin- 

 nati, Ohio, which he wrote me at the time of the death 

 of the last passenger pigeon which they had in cap- 

 tivity, in which he says : "The last survivor, female, 

 died at 2 o'clock p. m. on Saturday, August 29, 1914, it 

 being the last of a flock of seventeen that was captured 

 in the year 1876." Sincerely yours, 



Ch-arles H. Eldon. 



Letter from Cincinnati Zoo : 

 THE CINCINNATI ZOOLOGICAL COMPANY 



Cincinnati, Ohio, August 19, 1913. 

 Mr. Charles H. Eldon, 



331 W. Fourth Street, 

 Williamsport, Pa. 



Dear Sir: 



Replying to your inquiry of August 11th, I beg 

 to say that our one remaining wild Passenger Pigeon 

 is still alive and is apparently in a good healthy condi- 



