374 PIGEONS AND SAND-GROUSE. 
o 
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 

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