374 



PIGEONS AND SAND-GROUSE. 



white on the under tail-coverts. The back and sides of the neck glitter with 

 golden and violet metallic colours. In the female the upper-parts of the breast 

 are brownish, shading into white on the abdomen and rest of the under-parts. 



There can be little doubt that the vast numbers of this pigeon have greatly 

 diminished during recent years, and though at present by no means on the verge of 

 extinction, it seems certain that unless laws be made for its protection its 

 extermination is only a matter of time. Mr. Brewster writes that in Michigan 

 " we found that large flocks of pigeons had passed there late in April, while there 

 were reports of similar flights from almost every country in the southern part of 



;i.s 



PASSENGER-PIGEON. 



the State. Although most of the birds had passed on before our arrival, the 

 professional pigeon-netters, confident that they would finally breed somewhere in 

 the southern peninsula, were busily engaged getting their nets and other apparatus 

 in order for an extensive campaign against the birds. Our principal informant 

 said that the last nesting of any importance in Michigan was in 1881, a few miles 

 west of the Grand Traverse. It was only of moderate size, perhaps eight miles 

 long. Subsequently, in 1886, Mr. Stevens found about fifty dozen pairs nesting in 

 a swamp near Lake City. He does not doubt that similar small colonies occur 

 every year, besides scattered pairs. In fact he sees a few pigeons about Cadillac 

 every summer, and in the early autumn young birds, barely able to fly, are often 



