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Decrease of Birds ia Mass, J. A. Allen 
The Wild Pigeon ( Ectopistes migratoria), though by no means 
yet extirpated from the State, has greatly decreased here in num- 
bers during the present generation, and has not been seen within 
the present century in nearly so great abundance as in earlier 
times. Space will allow of reference to but few of the many ac- 
counts of its former almost incredible numbers. Morton refers to 
the presence of “ Millions of Turtle doves on the greene boughes ; 
which sate pecking of the ripe pleasant grapes, that were supported 
by the lusty trees”;* and Josselyn speaks of “the Pidgeon, of 
which there are millions of millions. I have seen a flight of 
Pidgeons in the spring, and at Michaelmas when they return back 
Southward for four or five miles, that to my thinking had neither 
beginning nor ending, length nor breadth, and so thick that I could 
see no Sun, they join Nest to Nest, and Tree to Tree by their 
Nests many miles together in Pine-Trees. But of late they are 
much diminished, the English taking them in Nets.”+ Their 
abundance on the Vermont border, in 1741, is thus described by 
Williams : “ The surveyor, Richard Hazeu, who ran the line which 
divides Massachusetts from Vermont, in 1741, gave this account 
of the appearances he met with to the westward of the Connecti- 
cut River. ‘For three miles together the Pigeons’ nests were so 
thick that five hundred might have been told on the beech trees at 
one time ; and could they have been counted on the hemlocks, as 
well, I doubt not but five thousand at one turn round.’ The re- 
marks of the first settlers of Vermont,” continues Williams, “fully 
confirm this account. The following relation was given me, by one 
of the earliest settlers of Clarendon [situated about fifty miles 
north of the Massachusetts line] : ‘ The number of Pigeons was 
immense. Twenty-five nests were frequently to be found on one 
beech tree. The earth was covered with these trees, and with 
hemlocks thus loaded with the nests of Pigeons. For an hundred 
acres together, the ground was covered with their dung, to the 
depth of two inches. Their noise in the evening was extremely 
troublesome, and so great that the traveller could not get any sleep 
where their nests were thick. About an hour after sunrise, they 
rose in such numbers as to darken the air. When the young 
Pigeons were grown to a considerable bigness, before they could 
readily fly, it was common for the settlers to cut down the trees, 
and gather a horse load in a few minutes.’ The settlement of the 
country has since set bounds to this luxuriance of animal life,” 
and these birds have been driven to other districts.]: The early 
history of the country shows that down to about the year 1800 
this bird was found in similar abundance, at times at least, all 
along the Atlantic coast from Virginia to Maine, since which time 
it has greatly decreased throughout this whole region. 
* New English Canaan, p. 60. , 
t Voyages to New England, p. 99. 
J Natural and Civil History of Vermont, p. 114. 
Bull, N.O.O, I, Sept, 1870, p, 6 % - 6 - 7, 
