

NATURAL 
WILD PIGEONS. 
I am in receipt of your favor of 11 June, 
asking for information regarding the pas- 
senger pigeon in Wisconsin. Am sorry 
to say I am able to furnish but few abso- 
lutely reliable facts, from personal ob- 
servation. Have gone back over my books 
and notes in order to verify dates and the 
following is about all I can furnish: April, 
1891, 3 males were brought me by a farm- 
er. They were killed in his barnyard, 
from a flock of 20 (estimated). Same 
year saw personally 2 or 3 ata time, sev- 
- eral times during the summer and_ fall. 
In September I shot a lone male. From 
this time until 1808 saw from 2 to 5 ata 
time, once or twice each year, generally 
in April or May and August or September. 
In the spring of 1898 Mr. H. C. Son, of 
Edgerton, Wis., a true sportsman and bird 
lover, and an absolutely reliable observer, 
told me he had seen a flock of about 15, 
A few days later he again reported that 
sometimes those he saw were all females, 
and again all males. This led us to think 
they were nesting in a tract of timber 
where years ago they had a “rookery.”’ 
I saw bunches of 3 to 7 in August and 
September of 1898, probably 5 or 6 dif- 
ferent times. This year I have been out 
of town less than usual and .ay opportuni- 
ties for observation have been fewer. 
Have personally not seen any of the re- 
ported large flights. I have, however, 
seen 3 or 4 times, in April and May, 2 to 
5, and once in May, a considerable flock— 
perhaps 20. They were, however, too 
far away for positive identification. I 
think I have seen more pigeons during 
’98 and ’99 than from ’9o0 to ’98 inclusive, 
though my opportunities the past 2 years 
have been fewer. Haveexaminedone killed 
in Walworth county in ’97, and one pair 
killed in Jefferson county in 1808. 
I spent the winter of 1886-87 in Hot 
Springs, Arkansas, and was frequently 
told by different parties that the passen- 
ger pigeons were resident in the Ozark 
mountains and had been for 5 years. It 
was spoken of as a change in their habits, 
etc. It impressed me at the time as a pos- 
sibility and I have never abandoned the 
idea wholly. I think they are now grad- 
ually going back to their old breeding 
grounds in Wisconsin, Michigan and 
Canada. I have reports of pigeons having 
been seen from so many different points 
within the past 2 years that I am begin- 
ning to think that if we can enforce our 
game laws we will yet have a fair supply 
of them. 
I admire what RECREATION is doing 
toward the enforcement of game laws. 
Keep it up! 
Ludwig Kumlien, Department of Biol- . 
ogy, Milton College, Milton, Wis. 

HISTORY. 221 
Mr. Jamieson, Dr. Edwards and I have 
been chasing up all the reports of pigeons 
and I am glad to say out of about I5 re- 
ports 6 or 7 are authentic. I went to 
Sparta yesterday and found a man who 
says he saw a flock of about 500 last Tues- 
day and he is a man who should know, as 
the big pigeon roost at Sparta years ago 
was partly on his land. 
We have another case within 15 miles of 
Milwaukee where there is a flock of 17 
which has been there since the middle of 
April. They have as yet shown no dis- 
position to nest, but go away in a flock 
every morning and return in the evening. 
I spent 4 nights there, at different times, 
and they always came to roost about sun- 
down. We are having a close watch kept 
on them and will let you know further 
developments. I enclose some feathers 
picked up under the roosting tree, which 
you can easily see are the genuine article. 
W. T. Dervin, 531%4 Cramer St., Mil- 
waukee, Wis. 

I recently saw a flock of about 50 wild 
pigeons. They were flying Southeast and 
going at a lively rate. They flew almost 
over me and as I am we"! acquainted with 
the wild pigeon I knew they were the 
genuine bird. L. L. Bales and I killed 
lots of them 25 years ago. My father 
raised Bales and we have been friends alf 
our lives. He came to our house when 6 
years old and lived w+ us until he grew 
to manhood. He is a good fellow and a 
true friend. He sent me hundreds of relics 
and specimens from Washington and Alas- 
ka. Iam fond of hunting and fishing, but 
no game hog. I don’t believe in killin 
everything I see. . 
I have a deer park and love to care for 
the deer. We have lots of rabbits here and 
some quails and chickens. Our people are 
trying to protect the game and fish; 
there are lots of game hogs here, but they 
get their bristles singed once in a while, 
when they root in the wrong field. 
Albert Lego, Chadwick, Ill. 

On May 15 I saw a flock of about 200 
wild pigeons flying Westward, over the 
Southwestern section of the town of Nor- 
way, Racine county, 25 miles Southwest 
from .Milwaukee. They were flying very 
high, approximately 400 to 500 feet. A few 
days later a farmer from Waukesha county 
said he saw a-similar flock flying very 
high and heading Westward. 
M. J. Eagan, Milwaukee, Wis. 

In answer to your letter: I counted 16 
small flocks of pigeons, numbering 10 to 50 
birds to the flock and at intervals of 
% to % hours. The majority flew due 
One flock of 
West; some Northwest. 
