AGRICULTURAL AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS 85 



When the attention of the flock had been caught 

 and its flight arrested the stool pigeon was made 

 to hover by being suddenly raised and lowered. 

 If the flock became mistrustful pigeons have a 

 way of snapping their wings when frightened 

 it took quick work to net them and some always 

 got away, but that did not matter as other flocks 

 were certain to follow. Seneca County is now en- 

 tirely deserted by the wild pigeon and the pigeon- 

 weed is no longer a serious menace ; but the Canada 

 thistle, like taxes, still puts in an appearance every 

 year. 



Wild geese and ducks seldom came to the fields 

 but dwelt in the marshes at the foot of the Lake. 

 The chipmunks, the crows and the brown cut-worm 

 sometimes did much injury to seed and growing 

 plants of maize. The two former have long de- 

 parted but the latter still remains in fields which 

 are not under regular short rotation. I am glad 

 the chipmunks remained as long as they did for 

 they gave me many a cessation of hoeing corn 

 while I chased them in and out of the crooked 

 worm fences. While trying to circumvent the 

 crows we boys learned that they could not count, 

 for if two persons went into a " blind " and one 

 went out, the crows would come back to the field. 



