A CENTURY OF ZOOLOGY IN INDIANA. 203 



Of the Pigeon Hawk lie says: "Occasionally seen following the flight of 

 pigeons in their migrations; very rarely seen at other times." He says the 

 "Cooper's Hawk destroys more young chickens and quails than all the other 

 hawks together. They fly with amazing rapidity, and scarcely ever miss 

 taking their prey." 



Of the Carolina Paraquet he states that he never saw but one flock, and 

 "that in June, many years ago;" but old inhabitants assured him this bird 

 was very numerous at the time of the first settlement of the country. 



Of the Wild Pigeon he says it is "Still seen in large numbers, though 

 evidently they have been constantly diminishing in numbers for the last 

 forty years, and are probably not half so numerous as they formerly were. 

 In the months of January and February, 1854, these birds roosted about two 

 miles from Brookville, notwithstanding the country is thickly inhabited. No 

 one who did not see them, or who has not seen a 'pigeon roost,' can form any 

 adequate conception of their numbers." 



The Wild Turkey had become practically extinct in Franklin County even 

 as early as 1869, and the Ruffed Grouse was becoming rare. 



The Wood Duck he says was very common along the Whitewater. 



Dr. Haymond never saw but one Canvasbaek Duck in the county. That 

 was in March, 1855. He had a chance to taste it and pronounced it "very 

 tender and juicy, but with such a fishy flavor that it could scarcely be eaten." 



Of the White Pelican he says its visits are like those of the angels, "few 

 and far between." 



It is thus seen that many of our most interesting native birds had become 

 or were becoming quite rare as early as 1869. 



At a meeting of the State Board of Agriculture, January 6, 1870, an 

 appropriation of f 100 was made and placed at the disposal of the State Geolo- 

 gist, Prof. E. T. Cox, for the purpose of putting up a case in the room of the 

 Indiana State Board of Agriculture, for the specimens of Indiana birds and 

 mammals. This was apparently the first allotment of funds for state museum 

 purposes. It shows that but little attention had been given by the state 

 authorities to the natural history of the state. 



In the Geological Survey report for 1873 mention is made of the commer- 

 cial fisheries of Lake County. For the year 1873 the shipments of fish from 

 Michigan City totaled about 270 tons, valued at $27,000. The whitefish 

 made up nine-tenths of the entire catch, the muskallunge and Mackinaw 

 trout forming the other tenth. 



These important food fishes are much less abundant now in Lake 

 Michigan; indeed, the muskallunge is practically extinct in that lake, and the 

 Mackinaw trout is rare. 



It was stated that the fishermen often take the species of duck known as 

 oldwife (Harelda glacialis) in their gillnets set at a depth of ISO feet. On 

 one occasion as many as 300 were taken at one haul. 



In 1873, in a report on the geology of Lawi-ence County, Professor John 



