THE PASSENGER PIGEON IN PENNSYLVANIA 245 



busy, the catcher knew it. He got up before day- 

 light, and went to the bough house and waited for the 

 pigeons to come. About 6 o'clock, or about daylight, 

 the largest flight from the nesting took place. That is, 

 the pigeons that liad been on the nests all night at that 

 time were relieved by their mates. 'JMiev soueht the 

 salt bed and took it the same way they gathered their 

 food in the woods by what seemed to be a rolling 

 process. That is, they did not alight, but kept on the 

 wing and rested on their beaks, the front line being 

 supported by the rear, and all the time new recruits 

 from the rear and the flock entering the front, so that 

 nothing was visible but tails, all sticking up in the 

 air. And when the bed was as full as it could or 

 likely would be, the man in the bough house gave 

 the spring pole in front of him one mighty surge 

 backwards, releasing the nets, which sprung toward 

 each other, each net getting the pigeons near the cen- 

 ter that would have escaped by their alertness. The 

 wild pigeons, as may be inferred, were inordinately 

 fond of salt. The field catching was done in the same 

 way, only that a stool pigeon and flyers were used to 

 draw them from the sky in their flight. The word 

 'stool pigeon' has become a part of the English lan- 

 guage, though it is safe to say that not one person in a 

 thousand who uses it will associate it with the trapper's 

 method of capturing the Passenger Pigeons of the 

 olden days." 



