94 The Passenger Pigeon 



covering perhaps, of territory actually occupied by the 

 nesting, a tract some fifteen miles long and three of 

 average width, or forty-five square miles. 



The principal catch was made from the Crooked 

 and Maple rivers nestings, and when the former 

 "broke," which was about May 25, the pigeoners 

 pulled up and left, many going home, and others to 

 the Boyne Falls nesting, some thirty miles south, which 

 "set in" at about the same time. This gave a duration of 

 two and one-third months to the Petoskey nesting proper, 

 though it is true that, feed being abundant, some very 

 few birds remained around, roosting for a little longer. 



The Boyne Falls nesting lasted something over a 

 month and broke early in July ; from this the catch was 

 very light. After that, the only catch was a few young 

 birds taken "on bait." 



Besides these nestings, there was one further south 

 on the Manistee River, some twenty-six miles long by 

 five average width, or 130 square miles, in which the 

 birds hatched three times, and from which not a bird 

 was caught, as it was an impenetrable swamp, and the 

 putting of birds on the market would be attended with 

 such expense as to destroy the profit. There were also 

 one or two smaller ones, east of this one. These com- 

 prised the Michigan nestings, in addition to which, at 

 Sheffield, Pa., there was fully as large a body, and 

 fully as large a catch as at the Crooked and Maple 

 nestings, the birds hatching there, I think, three times. 



