﻿BIRDS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  T,8 
  

  

  0^0 
  

  

  shoots. 
  About 
  II 
  o'clock 
  in 
  the 
  forenoon 
  all 
  the 
  hens 
  left 
  their 
  nests 
  to 
  

   feed, 
  and 
  about 
  3 
  o'clock 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon 
  another 
  flight, 
  consisting 
  entirely 
  

   of 
  red-breasted 
  cocks, 
  occurred. 
  Just 
  before 
  the 
  laying, 
  the 
  birds 
  fed 
  

   largely 
  along 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  streams 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  river 
  flats, 
  searching 
  eagerly 
  

   for 
  earthworms 
  and 
  other 
  "green 
  food," 
  when 
  many 
  were 
  taken 
  by 
  

   netters 
  and 
  shipped 
  from 
  Olean 
  to 
  New 
  York 
  city 
  by 
  the 
  carload. 
  

   Great 
  numbers 
  of 
  wagonloads 
  were 
  frequently 
  seen 
  coming 
  into 
  Olean. 
  

   The 
  whole 
  tribe 
  of 
  Indians 
  from 
  the 
  Cattaraugus 
  Reservation 
  moved 
  to 
  

   the 
  nesting 
  ground 
  and 
  remained 
  for 
  two 
  weeks 
  to 
  capture 
  pigeons. 
  Pro- 
  

   fessional 
  netters 
  who 
  followed 
  the 
  pigeon 
  nestings 
  also 
  captured 
  them 
  by 
  

   tens 
  of 
  thousands. 
  Their 
  method 
  of 
  procedure 
  was 
  to 
  construct 
  a 
  bow 
  

   house 
  near 
  some 
  favorable 
  spot 
  in 
  the 
  valley 
  and 
  set 
  a 
  large 
  net 
  with 
  spring 
  

   poles 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  cover 
  a 
  wide 
  spot 
  or 
  "bed" 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  bait 
  was 
  scattered, 
  

   then 
  stool 
  pigeons 
  with. 
  their 
  eyes 
  sewed 
  together 
  were 
  tied 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  posi- 
  

   tion 
  that 
  they 
  would 
  keep 
  up 
  a 
  fluttering, 
  or 
  could 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  flutter 
  by 
  

   the 
  pulling 
  of 
  a 
  string 
  which 
  worked 
  the 
  stool. 
  Then 
  flyers 
  were 
  tethered 
  

   and 
  when 
  a 
  flock 
  appeared 
  they 
  were 
  cast 
  up 
  and 
  drawn 
  back 
  again 
  by 
  the 
  

   strings 
  to 
  attract 
  the 
  approaching 
  flocks 
  to 
  the 
  net. 
  In 
  this 
  manner 
  many 
  

   barrelfuls 
  were 
  captured 
  in 
  a 
  short 
  time. 
  They 
  also 
  invaded 
  the 
  roosts 
  

   and 
  knocked 
  the 
  squabs 
  off 
  the 
  nests, 
  felling 
  trees 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  shake 
  down 
  

   hundreds 
  together. 
  In 
  preparing 
  them 
  for 
  shipment 
  their 
  crops 
  were 
  torn 
  

   out 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  breast 
  meat 
  from 
  souring, 
  they 
  were 
  then 
  packed 
  in 
  

   barrels 
  and 
  hurried 
  to 
  the 
  city. 
  Pigeons 
  continued 
  to 
  nest 
  in 
  this 
  general 
  

   locality 
  until 
  1872, 
  but 
  no 
  nesting 
  of 
  any 
  considerable 
  size 
  occurred 
  sub- 
  

   sequent 
  to 
  1875 
  when 
  they 
  bred 
  in 
  McKean 
  county. 
  Pa. 
  

  

  In 
  1875 
  there 
  was 
  an 
  immense 
  roost 
  at 
  Coopers, 
  Steuben 
  county 
  and 
  

   on 
  May 
  5th 
  the 
  birds 
  seemed 
  about 
  to 
  nest 
  [Forest 
  and 
  Stream, 
  4:204], 
  but 
  

   I 
  have 
  been 
  unable 
  to 
  find 
  evidence 
  that 
  a 
  nesting 
  actually 
  occurred 
  there 
  

   at 
  that 
  time 
  ; 
  although 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  year 
  would 
  indicate 
  its 
  probability. 
  Dr 
  

   C. 
  Hart 
  Merriam 
  writing 
  in 
  1881, 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  wild 
  pigeon 
  in 
  the 
  Adiron- 
  

   dack 
  region, 
  says: 
  

  

  It 
  breeds 
  plentifully 
  some 
  years 
  and 
  others 
  is 
  not 
  found 
  at 
  

   all. 
  Early 
  in 
  June 
  1878 
  Dr 
  C. 
  L. 
  Bagg 
  and 
  I 
  found 
  several 
  of 
  their 
  

   nests 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Moose 
  river 
  and 
  about 
  Fourth 
  lake 
  of 
  Fulton 
  

   chain, 
  in 
  Herkimer 
  county. 
  In 
  one 
  was 
  a 
  young 
  bird 
  almost 
  ready 
  to 
  fly, 
  

  

  