THE PASSENGER PIGEON. 137 



woods where their nests are placed. The absurdity of such reasoning is 

 self-evident, but, singularly enough, the netters, many of whom struck me 

 ■as intelligent and honest men, seem really to believe in it. As they have 

 more or less local influence, and, in addition, the powerful backing of the 

 large game dealers in the cities, it is not likely that any really effectual 

 laws can be passed until the last of our Passenger Pigeons are preparing to 

 follow the Great Auk and the American bison." 1 



In order to show a little more clearly the immense destruction of the Pas- 

 senger Pigeon in a single year and at one roost only, I quote the following extract 

 from an interesting article "On the habits, methods of capture, and nesting of 

 the Wild Pigeon," with an account of the Michigan nesting of 1878, by Prof. 

 H. B. Roney, in the Chicago Field (Vol. x, pp. 345-347): 



"The nesting area, situated near Petosky, covered something like 100,000 

 acres of land, and included not less than 150,000 acres within its limits, being 

 in length about 40 miles by 3 to 10 in width. The number of dead birds sent 

 by rail was estimated at 12,500 daily, or 1,500,000 for the summer, besides 

 80,352 live birds; an equal number was sent by water. We have," says the 

 writer, "adding the thousands of dead and wounded ones not secured, and the 

 myriads of squabs left dead in the nest, at the lowest possible estimate, a 

 grand total of 1,000,000,000 Pigeons sacrificed to Mammon during the nest- 

 ing of 1878." 



• The last-mentioned figure is undoubtedly far above the actual number 

 killed during that or any other year, but even granting that but a million 

 were killed at this roost, the slaughter is enormous enough, and it is not 

 strange that the number of these Pigeons are now few compared with 

 former years. 



Capt. B. F. Gross, of Peewaukee, Wisconsin, writes me: "Ten years ago 

 the Wild Pigeon bred in great roosts in the northern parts of Wisconsin, 

 and it also bred singly in this vicinity; up to six or eight years ago they 

 were plenty. The nest was a small rough platform of twigs, from 10 to 15 

 feet from the ground. I have often found two eggs in a nest, but one is by 

 far the most common. These single nests have been thought by some acci- 

 dental, but for years they bred in this manner all over the county, as plenti- 

 fully as any of our birds. I also found them breeding singly in Iowa. These 

 single nests have not attracted attention like the great roosts, but I think it is a 

 common manner of building with this species." 



Mr. Frank J. Thompson, in charge of the Zoological Gardens at Cincinnati, 

 Ohio, gives the following account of the breeding of the Wild Pigeon in con- 

 finement: "During the spring of 1877, the society purchased three pairs of 

 trapped birds, which were placed in one of the outer aviaries. Early in 

 March, 1878, I noticed that they were mating, and procuring some twigs, I 

 wove three rough platforms, and fastened them up in convenient places, at 

 the same time throwing a further supply of building material on the floor. 

 Within twenty -four hours two of the platforms were selected; the male car- 



■Auk, Vol. vi, 1889, pp. 285, 291. 



