PASSENGER PIGEON. 325 



" New Tork, June 21, 1770. 



" I think," fays Mr. Blackburne, " this as remarkable a bird as 

 ^' any. in America. They are in vaft numbers in all parts, and have 

 *' been of great fervice at particular times to our garrifons, in fup- 

 " plying them with frelh meat, efpecially at the- out-pofts. A 

 " friend told me, that in the year in which ^ebec was taken, the 

 " whole army was fupplied with them, if they chofe it. The way 

 " was this : every man took his club (for they were forbid to ufe 

 " their firelocks) when they flew, as it was termed, in fuch quan- 

 " titles, that each perfon could kill as many as he wanted. They 

 *' in general begin to fly foon after day-break, and continue till 

 " nine or ten o'clock ; and again about three in the afternoon, 

 " and continue till five or fix : but what is very remarkable, they 

 " always fly wefl:erly. The times of flying here are in the fpring, 

 *' about the latter end of February or the beginning of Marcb^ 

 " and continue every day for eight or ten days j and again in the 

 *' fall, when they begin the latter end of July or the beginning of 

 *' Auguji. They catch vaft quantises of them in clap-nets, with 

 " ftale pigeons. I have feen them brought to this market by facks- 

 *' full. People in general are very fond of them ; and I have heard 

 " many fay they think them as good as our common Blue Pigeon ; 

 " but I cannot agree with them by any means. They tafte more 

 *' like our QHeefl:, or Wild Pigeon ; but are better meat. They 

 " have another way of killing them — They make a hut of boughs 

 " of trees, and fix ftale Pigeons on the ground at a fmall diftance 

 ** from the hut. They plant poles for the "Wild Pigeons to light 

 " on when they come a falling (as they term it) which they do 



every morning in the feafon, repairing to the marflies near the 

 *' fea-fide; then the perfons in ihe hut pull the ftale Pigeon, when 

 " the birds will alight in vaft numbers on the poles, and great 



multitudes are ftiot. Sir William John/on told me, that he killed 

 " at one Ihot with a blunderbufs^ a hundred and twenty or thirty. 



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