492 
CHAMBERS’S JOURNAL. 
Sometimes, liowever, the ‘ April fool ’ would he 
for me ; for though a flock of pigeons might not 
have heen seen up to that time, hy looking a few 
minutes one could almost always pick out a stray 
flock. 
When I was hig enough to shoot, I used to go 
with my two uncles, whom I looked upon at that 
time as mature men, although in reality they were 
decidedly young men. Early in the morning I 
would he awakened hy them, for it was generally 
the rule to he on the way hy four o’clock, and at 
daylight he helow the old salt-works out at the 
point of woods where would stream flocks of pigeons 
crossing the river to the west, going to some favourite 
hreeding-ground if they had begun their nesting, 
or migrating to find their nesting farther west in 
Michigan. 
I used to go along to pick up the birds, and well 
do I remember one morning when my two uncles 
had made up their minds to get one hundred 
birds that outing. Of course, muzzle-loading guns 
were used, for it was before the days of the breech- 
loaders. We went down to the north end of the 
little village (for Saginaw was only a village then), 
and even before we had got to the desired place the 
first streak of dawn brought the pigeons over iis, 
so my uncles began shooting in the village streets. 
When we did reach the old solar vats of the salt- 
works, the flight had become so fast and furious 
that we stayed there to do our shooting, and I 
rushed around among the salt-vats and picked up 
the birds that fell everywhere. Sometimes the 
flight was high and it would be long shooting, but 
more generally they would fly across the commons 
or flats so as to be within what we consider nowa- 
days good, easy-shooting distance. When we picked 
up the birds and returned to breakfast a little after 
seven, the count showed one hundred and one birds. 
After I grew older my father gave me a sixteen- 
bore English gun, which had stub-and-twist barrels, 
and I remember the name ‘Playfair’ Avas engraved 
on the locks. I soon learned to shoot as Avell as 
my elders, and used to delight in picking out 
a single pigeon that would come tAvisting and 
hurtling through the tree-tops. I had about a mile 
and a half to go to school, and during the spring 
flight I generally AA'ould get up at four o’clock in 
the morning and come back at seven o’clock for 
breakfast, take my dinner-pail, and be off for school, 
and rarely did I miss having from half-a-dozen 
to tAvelve or fifteen birds for my morning’s sport. 
And hoAV good they Avere on the table ! Pigeon 
pot-pie, or stuffed and broAvned doAvn in the pot, 
or broiled over the coals, to this day bring to my 
mind the juicy morsels and hoAV Ave all enjoyed 
them. When too many Avere on hand to serA’e 
for our family and our friends, mother used to 
take the breasts and put them in brine for a 
short time, and father Avould cut a thorn-bush and 
stick these breasts on the thorns. An old hogs- 
head Avas called into recpiisition, and the thorn- 
bush Avith the pigeon-breasts Avas hung in it and 
lightly smoked, and put away for the time Avhen 
pigeons were not in seasoir. 
After the nesting had become established, there 
Avould be certain points in the Avoods around town 
Avhere, night and morning, shooting could be had, 
Avhen one of the parent birds had gone to the feeding- 
ground in the morning, and the other later in the 
day ; at least, I belieA^e that A\'as the process. People 
used to say that if the parent birds hajApened to be 
killed, the young in the nests Avould be taken care 
of by some other pigeon ; but this, I am afraid, Avas 
not the case. 
I believe the Avholesale netting of pigeons during 
the nesting-period AA^as the great cause of the extermi- 
nation of this beautiful bird ; and not only AA^ere the 
old birds killed, but the brood of partially groAvn 
poults at the nesting-ground starved to death, so 
that Avhile the netter AA^as shipping his thousands 
of birds to the markets of the large cities, as many or 
more Avere exterminated by starA^ation at the nesting- 
ground. The young pigeons began to come late in 
June, and during August good shooting Avas often 
to be had by the finding of some stubble-field AA'here 
they AA^ere feeding. The young birds Avere mottled, 
and it AA^as Avell into autumn before they had taken 
on a plumage that looked like the mature bird. 
Professional netters used to folloAv the birds away 
from their Avinter nesting-ground in the hills of 
Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina ; so the 
Avarfare Avaged on them Avas continuous, all for the 
almighty dollar. 
The method of trapping pigeons Avas something 
like this : A bough-house Avould be built (this aa^is 
a building or shed for the trapper), and a bed or 
feeding-ground made in the AA'Oods or groA^e Avhich 
the pigeons frequented. This bed consisted of the 
mossy ground being cleared of all tAvigs, sprouts, 
or anything that Avould catch the net ; then it Avas 
carefully soAvn Avith AA'heat, oats, and chaff, and left 
undisturbed for a day or two so that the birds Avould 
get into the habit of feeding there. A stout rope Avas 
fastened to a spring sajfling behind the bough-house, 
then passed through the bough-house, extending a 
hundred feet or more to another spring sapling 
opposite ; then one edge of the net Avas fastened to 
this rope and Aveighted, and the other edge thoroughly 
pegged doAvn Avith Avooden pegs to the ground on 
one side of the feeding-bed. When the net AA'as set, 
tAvo men Avould take hold of it Avhere it Avas fastened 
to the line Avhich had draAvn it taut to the opposite 
side of the bed from Avhich it AA'as fastened, and 
press it back over to the side Avhere it Avas pegged 
doAvn to the ground, and hook it there under tAvo 
AA’Ooden hooks or clutches ; and thus the net Avas 
gathered along one side of the bed under a great 
strain because of the tAvo saplings Avhich had been 
sprung by the operation. The net AA'as then covered 
AA'ith leaA'es and everything made so as to attract the 
least attention possible. 
The stool-pigeon Avith eyelids stitched together 
Avas on hand, and some AA'ere frequently throAvn in 
the air to attract passing flocks. The blinded bird 
