^°''.JoT'"] General Notes. I^I 



when not scared from the ground, will often deliberately clamber to some 

 stump, or other eminence, in order to get good wing-space below its body 

 for the first stroke in flight. The awkwardness of a leap from the level 

 I found beautifully illustrated upon a flat piece of fresh soft snow some 

 three inches in depth. Here, at the bird's spring, its entire form from 

 tip of tail just to the swell of the throat, and from tip to tip of both wings, 

 had pressed a mould some inch or two deep. Tliis mould measured 

 eighteen inches long and twenty inches in spread. Even the primaries 

 of both wings were perfectly distinct, struck hard and clean. At a dis- 

 tance of eleven inches in front of this wing-beat the primaries had again 

 struck into the snow, an inch in depth, as the wings met below the bird's 

 body on the second stroke. The tips of these marks at their deepest were, 

 I think, about four inches apart, showing that the bird normally needs 

 an air-space below the body of almost the wing's full length. On firm 

 ground the legs might push to this height; but on soft snow this manner 

 of departure could hardly have been premeditated. These observations 

 were made at Beverly F'arms, Mass. — Reginald C. Robbin.s, Boston, 

 A/ass. 



The Passenger Pigeon. — Since the year 187 1 I had not seen a Wild 

 Pigeon until 1896, when, near the Bay of Quinte, I saw a pair. The fol- 

 lowing year in the same vicinity, I saw from four to six birds on several 

 occasions and during the next two years I saw about the same number. 

 The past season I had not the opportunity of observation. 



In 1898 I wrote in 'The Globe,' the leading daily paper of Canada, ask- 

 ing any one who had seen Wild Pigeons, during recent years, to make it 

 known. This elicited many replies through ' The Globe ' and by personal 

 letters. 



There was a general agreement as to a total disappearance about 1870, 

 continuing until 1895. A few stated they had seen an occasional bird 

 earlier. The reports were from all parts of Ontario and Manitoba. Mr. 

 D. C. Black, Appin, Ont., writes: " I saw nine in a wheat field near the 

 village of Glencoe, and they are the first I have seen in twenty-five years. 

 They did put me in mind of the olden times. When I was a boy I used 

 to spend a great deal of my time trying to strike them with sticks. They 

 have often taken half a day, crossing over our farm, flying very low, as 

 they seemed to be very tired .... To see a few of them is to me as seeing 

 a dear old friend." 



I think we may fairly conclude that the Wild Pigeon abruptly became 

 very rare about 1870 (it is probable there was a diminution during the 

 previous decade), and that there has been an increase in their ninnber in 

 recent years. 



I am not aware of any satisfactory explanation of the phenomena. It 

 is not improbable, some epidemic disease, spreading more rapidly on 

 account of the immense number of individuals, nearlv exterminated the 



