386 APPENDIX 



In a recent bulletin of the United States Department of Agriculture, it is 

 stated that the dove is protected at all times in Maine, New Hampshire, Ver. 

 mont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Delaware, West 

 Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Wyoming, Arkansas, and the District of 

 Columbia. Ohio has prohibited dove-shooting since the bulletin was issued. 

 It would seem that the States are inclined to follow Mr. Shields. Dove-shoot- 

 ing, however, is still a very popular sport in most of the Western and Southern 

 States. 



In Central and Southern Arizona in the summer, the white- winged dove is 

 found in great quantities. This is probably the finest shooting in the world. 

 Experienced wing-shooters are frequently able to kill a hundred of these swift 

 flying birds within an hour or two. These birds are so numerous in the farming 

 regions as to be almost considered a pest at times. Report of Governor Brodie 

 to the Secretary of the Interior. 



127. Red-billed Pigeon. Columba flavirostris. 



Head, neck, and breast purplish wine-color ; back olive brown, with 

 bronze reflections ; other portions slate-colored ; base of bill red. 

 Length, 14 in. ; wing, 7^ in. 



Hab. Texas to Arizona. 



128. Passenger Pigeon. Ectopistes migratorius. 



Slate blue above ; throat and breast red, becoming white toward 

 tail ; under outside feathers of the tail white ; neck iridescent, reflect- 

 ing red, green, and purple. 



Female. Duller; neck less iridescent; tail long, 8X in. Length, 

 15-17 in.; wing, 8X in. 



Hab. Formerly, North America from Atlantic to the Great Plains, 

 now extinct or nearly so. 



Note. The Ornithological Union has proposed that the term "game" be 

 restricted to four orders. Anatida, the swimmers Rallidte, the rails, coots, 

 mud-hens, Limicolce, the shore birds, and Gallince, the turkeys, grouse, part- 

 ridges, etc. This excludes from the proposed game list, pigeons and doves, 

 and the cranes and reed-birds. 



F. Henry Yorke, writing of the disappearance of the wild-pigeons, says : 

 "There is only one possible solution, and I believe it to be a true one. They 

 were drowned ! At first I was skeptical on the point. Could they not rise above 

 or outride a storm, hang on, pay off or run before it ? Many or most of them, 

 although exhausted, would reach a friendly shore. They did not. and the stern, 

 hard fact remains, that in that manner they must surely have met their fate. A 

 report was current among the sailors and masters of ships, that from Key West 

 across the Gulf, ships plowed their way through dead pigeons, and that the 

 shores were lined with them." This occurred in 1883, Mr. Yorke says. But the 

 pigeons disappeared before that date in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and 

 elsewhere. 



