﻿382 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  DeVries 
  found 
  them 
  very 
  numerous 
  at 
  Fort 
  Orange, 
  Albany, 
  in 
  1639 
  [New 
  

   York 
  Hist. 
  Soc. 
  Col., 
  Ser. 
  2, 
  3, 
  90]. 
  Father 
  Reffeix 
  speaks 
  of 
  them 
  as 
  nesting 
  

   abundantly 
  near 
  Cayuga, 
  in 
  1670 
  and 
  167 
  1, 
  where 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  seven 
  or 
  eight 
  

   hundred 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  one 
  haul 
  of 
  the 
  net 
  at 
  the 
  "salt-licks" 
  where 
  they 
  

   came 
  to 
  drink 
  [Jesuit 
  Relation, 
  1671-72, 
  1675]. 
  Near 
  the 
  head 
  waters 
  of 
  

   the 
  Susquehanna 
  in 
  1753, 
  Rev. 
  G. 
  Hawley 
  found 
  them 
  breeding 
  in 
  "numbers 
  

   almost 
  infinite, 
  in 
  an 
  extensive 
  valley 
  6 
  or 
  8 
  miles 
  in 
  length, 
  every 
  tree 
  

   having 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  nests 
  and 
  some 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  15 
  or 
  20. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  

   young 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  fiy 
  they 
  are 
  seen 
  no 
  more" 
  [Documentary 
  History 
  of 
  New 
  

   York, 
  4: 
  632]. 
  Near 
  Albany, 
  on 
  March 
  25, 
  1830, 
  thousands 
  of 
  pigeons 
  

   which 
  had 
  begun 
  their 
  spring 
  migration 
  were 
  overwhelmed 
  by 
  a 
  severe 
  

   snowstorm 
  [Munsell, 
  Annals 
  of 
  Albany, 
  9: 
  206]. 
  In 
  1835, 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  great 
  

   roost 
  near 
  Norwich, 
  Chenango 
  county, 
  [Whitfield, 
  Auk, 
  7: 
  224] 
  and 
  in 
  1863, 
  

   near 
  Fort 
  Edward, 
  Washington 
  county. 
  In 
  1867 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  large 
  

   nesting 
  in 
  Clinton 
  county 
  between 
  Altona 
  and 
  Chateaugay 
  [Rintoul, 
  

   Canadian 
  Sportsman 
  and 
  Naturalist. 
  1883. 
  3:242]. 
  About 
  1852, 
  occurred 
  

   the 
  last 
  nesting 
  at 
  Ashford, 
  Cattaraugus 
  county 
  and 
  practically 
  all 
  the 
  

   squabs 
  raised, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  greater 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  birds, 
  were 
  cap- 
  

   tured. 
  Between 
  April 
  i 
  and 
  June 
  15, 
  1854, 
  millions 
  flew 
  regularly 
  across 
  

   Wayne 
  county, 
  N. 
  Y., 
  to 
  feed 
  at 
  the 
  Salt 
  springs 
  near 
  Monteziuna 
  [Mer- 
  

   shon. 
  Passenger 
  Pigeon. 
  1907. 
  p. 
  122]. 
  

  

  The 
  last 
  great 
  pigeon 
  nesting 
  on 
  New 
  York 
  soil 
  evidently 
  occurred 
  

   in 
  1868, 
  when 
  millions 
  of 
  birds 
  occupied 
  the 
  timber 
  along 
  Bell's 
  run, 
  near 
  

   Ceres, 
  Allegany 
  county, 
  on 
  the 
  Pennsylvania 
  line. 
  This 
  nesting-tract 
  was 
  

   about 
  14 
  miles 
  in 
  length. 
  Mr 
  Fred 
  R. 
  Eaton 
  of 
  Olean, 
  who 
  visited 
  the 
  site 
  

   during 
  its 
  occupation, 
  has 
  furnished 
  the 
  following 
  particulars: 
  The 
  birds 
  

   began 
  laying 
  in 
  April 
  and 
  the 
  hight 
  of 
  the 
  nesting 
  season 
  was 
  reached 
  about 
  

   the 
  loth 
  of 
  May, 
  when 
  hundreds 
  of 
  thousands 
  of 
  nests 
  occupied 
  the 
  hemlock, 
  

   pine 
  and 
  hardwood 
  trees 
  extending 
  several 
  miles 
  into 
  Pennsylvania. 
  A 
  

   large 
  hemlock 
  would 
  frequently 
  contain 
  30 
  or 
  40 
  nests 
  with 
  eggs 
  or 
  3^oung. 
  

   Both 
  male 
  and 
  female 
  birds 
  took 
  part 
  in 
  incubation 
  and 
  in 
  feeding 
  the 
  

   squabs, 
  one 
  or 
  the 
  other 
  continually 
  covering 
  the 
  nest. 
  The 
  cock 
  birds 
  

   left 
  the 
  woods 
  in 
  a 
  great 
  flight 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  morning, 
  scattering 
  northward 
  

   for 
  many 
  miles 
  to 
  feed 
  on 
  beech 
  nuts, 
  all 
  kinds 
  of 
  grain, 
  seeds 
  and 
  tender 
  

  

  