Michigan Ornithological Club 69 



THE PASSENGER PIGEON IN THE EARLY DAYS OF MICHIGAN. 



JAMES B. PURDY. 



While rummaging in the attic lately I came across an old relic — a relic 

 that brought back to me the fondest recollections of my early boyhood. It 

 was an old stool that my father used for catching pigeons. 



In those early days I kept no dates, but as near as I can remember it 

 was somewhere in the early fifties when the wild pigeons (Ectopistes miga- 

 torius) made their regular spring and fall migrations through this part of 

 Michigan in such vast numbers that they would nearly darken the sun. 



As these great flocks passed one behind the other, far above the tree 

 tops, they reminded me of fast fleeting clouds before a gale. Occasionally 

 one of these high flying flocks would pitch down upon a field to feed and 

 the great trains behind them would follow suit until the large field would 

 be blue with pigeons. When they arose from the ground the roar of their 

 wings would sound like distant thunder and they would light upon the old 

 girdlings, which stood in the fields, in such great numbers that limbs of 

 considerable size would be broken off under their weight. 



It was during these migrations that my father would take this old stool, 

 his pigeon net and a basket containing not less than three live pigeons and 

 go out into the middle of a cleared field — stake out his net, build a bough 

 house and prepare for business. The net was attached to the center of the 

 net rope, the latter was probably three hundred feet long, each end of which 

 was tied to a good firm stake which was driven in the ground. Around one 

 of these stakes was built the bough-house, which was comprised of thick 

 bushes about eight feet high, the ends of which were driven in the ground 

 in a circle about eight feet in diameter. 



The old stool was then driven in the ground just far enough from the 

 net bed so that the net when sprung would just miss the stool pigeon. A 

 small line was then attached to the stool, which run back to the net pole in 

 the bough-house. The three pigeons were then blinded and boots placed 

 upon their legs. The stool pigeon was then tied upon the stool and the other 

 two pigeons called flyers were tied to the ends of long fish lines two hundred 

 feet long, the other ends of which were tied to a bush at the entrance of the 

 bough-house — these lines were carfully paid out so as not to get tangled 

 when the flyers were thrown into the air. The flyers were then placed on 

 the ground at the entrance of the bough-house and a stone placed on the 

 line near the pigeon to keep him in place until wanted. I have said 'the 

 pigeons were blinded' — some one may ask, how was this done? This was 

 performed with a needle and thread. The point of the needle was placed 

 between the eyeball and the lower eyelid. The needle was then passed out- 

 ward through the lower eyelid. The thread was now brought up over the 

 top of the head and through the lower eyelid of the other eye. Now, the 

 two ends of the thread are brought up over the top of the head and tight- 

 ened until the eyes are closed, after which they were gently twisted together. 

 Some may say this was cruel, to which I may answer that blood scarcely 

 ever made its appearance from the punctures through their thin eyelids and 

 soreness scarcely ever occurred. 



We now proceed to set the net and bait the net bed with wheat, and 

 walking back to the entrance of the bough-house we are ready for business. 

 We see a flock approaching and when within twenty-five or thirty rods we 

 roll off the stones, throw the flyers and rush into the bough-house and 

 play the stool pigeon, which is done by pulling on the stool line which raises 

 the stool two or three feet high and by letting it down suddenly the stool 



