68 JOURNAI^ OF MAINE ORNlTHOLOGICAI, SOCIETY. 



in an article in the Neiv York Trihine of August 30th, 1910. 



It is to be regretted that Mr. Mead did not give the exact date 

 of the extracts from his note-book regarding the appearance of the 

 Pigeon, which he has incorporated in his interesting article, as 

 dates are of great importance in the discussion of this question. In 

 the first part of this article he gives the date of 1877 as being that 

 on which he "saw eight or ten pigeons" in North Bridgton; but 

 later says, could he have realized "twenty-five years ago" that the 

 species would so soon have become extinct, he would have been 

 more particular about dates. Of course 1877 was thirty-three years 

 ago, or eight years more than twenty-five. 



I would like to add my early recollections of the Passenger 

 Pigeon in Maine. My father moved from Bloomfield to South 

 Norridgewock, March 30th, 1846. At that time and for a year or 

 two later, our next neighbor, Heber Wheeler, "a very prosperous 

 farmer who owned a large farm on the West Waterville road at the 

 south part of the plains near where the fair ground or trotting 

 course now is, made a regular practice of trapping pigeons in large 

 numbers, which I remember very well. He would clear a place on 

 his fields, moving it from time to time, and throwing wheat upon 

 it as a bait to the pigeons, after he had spread a large net over the 

 cleared spot. Near the Pigeon field a small house or shelter was 

 erected, to which a line extended from the net and into which Mr. 

 Wheeler would secrete himself and be ready for a "throw" of the 

 net when it was full, and around which the Pigeons would gather 

 in countless numbers. It was current talk in the neighborhood, 

 whenever the people would see this, "that Mrs. Wheeler was to 

 have a Pigeon pie", for she was a beautiful woman, a fine enter- 

 tainer and a good cook and her Pigeon pies became famous in that 

 part of the town. lyir. Wheeler had a large family, but the children 

 left the place after the death of their parents. Two boys became 

 leading and wealthy merchants in Boston; two children are residents 

 in California, one daughter is the wife of Mr. H. E. Eaton, founder 

 of the celebrated Eaton school in Norridgewock, and one son died 

 a year ago while on a visit to a sister in California. 



