254 THE PASSENGER PIGEON IN PENNSYLVANIA 



The country there is practically level and all cleared, 

 so we could see these birds a long distance. They 

 flew in a northerly direction until they were nearly out 

 of our range of vision, when they circled to the left 

 and came back on the northwest side of us and about 

 the same distance from us as they were when they 

 passed at first, but on the opposite side, and we could 

 plainly see the white breasts of the hens and the 

 red breasts of the toms. These birds are a uni- 

 form color except the red and white breasts of the 

 toms and hens. When these birds are making a flight 

 they fly as steady as wild geese or ducks. They do not 

 wobble or crisscross, but go straight ahead, unless 

 something frightens them. Then, too, they have the 

 long, pointed tail. Of course, there are rare excep- 

 tions as to color. During our time we saw ten or 

 twelve spotted birds. Some of them are about white. 

 During the latter part of the fifties we saw a snow- 

 white Passenger Pigeon, ten or twelve different times. 

 We have photographs in our memory of the Passenger 

 Pigeon in all stages that are as plain as the most skilled 

 photographer could have produced in a lifetime. We 

 have seen billions of these birds. We have caught 

 over sixteen hundred dozens with nets, and we have 

 shot thousands of them. When a small boy we caught 

 hundreds of them in quail traps ; so taking our experi- 

 ence into consideration, we think we ought to be able 

 to tell a flock of Passenger Pigeons today, for our 

 memory is good, even if we are growing old. 



Very truly yours, C. W. Dickinson. 



