398 
FOREST AND STREAM 
March 29, 1913 
The Band-Tailed Pigeon in Danger. 
In the Condor of Jan. 13 last, Prof. Joseph 
Grinnell has published an interesting contribu¬ 
tion from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology 
of the University of California. It deals with 
the outlook for conserving the band-tailed pigeon 
as a game bird of California. 
This is one of the species so often confused 
with the passenger pigeon, but hardly, or not at 
all, found east of the Rocky Mountains. It 
occurs in Boulder county, Colorado, and in 
Western Texas, and thence south into Mexico, 
but chiefly on the west side of the Rocky Moun¬ 
tains, from British Columbia south to Mexico. 
Never flocking in such wonderful numbers as 
did the passenger pigeon, it still occurs in large, 
though loose, flocks, and in 1912, we are told, 
was slaughtered in California in enormous num¬ 
bers. A writer there speaks of a single hunter 
who shipped from Los Olivos over 2,000 birds 
to the San Francisco and Los Angeles hotels 
in the winter of 1911-12, and quotes other peo¬ 
ple as saying that on Sundays that winter the 
morning train from San Luis Obispo to Los 
Olivos averaged 100 passengers who came to 
hunt pigeons, and that these passengers aver¬ 
aged about thirty birds apiece per day; in other 
words, 3.000 pigeons for a single day's hunting 
in one locality. The flight, for some reason or 
other, at this time was greater than had ever 
been seen in certain localities in this neighbor¬ 
hood, and the writer above quoted states that 
the birds “evidently hung around until they were 
simply shot out.” 
Mr. Grinnell discusses the general distribu¬ 
tion of this species, its local distribution, rela¬ 
tive numbers past and present, its food, nesting 
habits, rate of increase, its enemies and its value 
to man, and concludes by recommending legis¬ 
lation. 
The passage of the Federal migratory bird 
law is quite certain to help this species, which 
has long been believed to be growing more and 
more scarce. 
The band-tailed pigeon summers in the Tran¬ 
sition Zone up and down the coast, and winters 
in the upper Sonoran Zone. In certain localities, 
therefore, it only goes higher up into the moun¬ 
tains in summer, and not necessarily to the north. 
It feeds largely on acorns, the berries of the 
madrone, of certain species of manzanita, and of 
the Christmas berry, or California holly. At cer¬ 
tain seasons of the year it feeds on buds, and 
at other seasons gleans in the stubble fields. It 
is believed to breed only once a year, and the 
weight of testimony shows that the usual com¬ 
plement of eggs is one; in other w'ords, the rate 
of increase of the band-tailed pigeon is extra¬ 
ordinarily slow. A valley quail is supposed to 
rear on an average of ten young per year, and 
a wild duck eight per year; but this paper says 
that the rate of increase of the band-tailed pigeon 
does not exceed that of deer, antelope and elk. 
On the other hand, the enemies of the pigeon 
are presumably few, and if it could be protected 
from the attacks of man, it might well enough 
hold its own. It does not breed in colonies, in¬ 
dividual pairs scattering out through the woods 
and nesting at a distance from any others. Its 
nest is not easy to find. Its winter distribution 
is irregular, and it is presumably shy. 
Mr. Grinnell believes that from every stand¬ 
point the pigeon deserves consideration as a game 
bird of California. He urges its total protec¬ 
tion in that State for at least five years, and be¬ 
lieves that only such a close season, at once put 
into effect, will save the band-tailed pigeon as 
a game bird. The danger which threatens it 
now is due to the fact that it has never been 
protected either by close season, bag limit, or 
a prohibition against its sale. It has been law¬ 
ful to slaughter pigeons at any season, and in 
any numbers, and to sell them without restric¬ 
tion in the open market. 
The McLean Bill. 
While it seems hardly possible that any 
reader of Forest and Stream may not be ac¬ 
quainted with the meaning of the McLean bill, 
rather than leave one reader uninformed we 
print the gist of the bill hereunder. —Editor. 
“All wild geese, wild swans, brant, wild 
ducks, snipe, plover, woodcock, rail, wild pigeons 
and all other migratory game and insectivorous 
birds, which in their northern and southern 
migrations, pass through or do not remain per¬ 
manently the entire year within the border of 
any State or Territory, shall hereafter be deemed 
to be within the custody and protection of the 
Government of the United States, and shall not 
be destroyed or taken contrary to regulations 
hereinafter provided therefor. 
“The Department of Agriculture is hereby 
authorized and directed to adopt suitable regu¬ 
lations to give effect to the previous paragraph 
by prescribing and fixing closed seasons, having 
due regard to the zones of temperature, breed¬ 
ing habits, and times and line of migratory flight, 
thereby enabling the department to select and 
designate suitable districts for different portions 
of the country, and it shall be unlawful to shoot 
or by any device kill or seize and capture migra¬ 
tory birds within the protection of this law dur¬ 
ing said closed seasons, and any person who shall 
violate any of the provisions of this law for the 
protection of migratory birds shall be guilty of 
a misdemeanor and shall be fined not more than 
$100 or imprisonment not more than ninety days, 
or both, in the discretion of the court. 
“The Department of Agriculture, after the 
preparation of said regulations, shall cause the 
same to be made public, and shall allow a period 
of three months in which said regulation may 
be examined and considered before final adop¬ 
tion, permitting, when deemed proper, public 
hearings thereon, and after final adoption shall 
cause the same to be engrossed and submitted to 
the President of the United States for approval. 
Provided, however, that nothing herein contained 
shall be deemed to affect or interfere with the 
local laws of the States and Territories for the 
protection of non-migratory game or other birds 
resident and breeding within their borders, nor 
to prevent the States and Territories from en¬ 
acting laws and regulations to promote and ren¬ 
der efficient the regulations of the Department 
of Agriculture provided under this statute. 
“There is hereby appropriated, out of the 
moneys in the Treasury and not otherwise appro¬ 
priated, for the purpose of carrying out these 
provisions, the sum of $10,000.” 
Sir Thomas Dewar has made a record in 
British East Africa by shooting four cheetahs 
in three minutes—all while the animals were run¬ 
ning. This is a remarkable achievement, as chee¬ 
tahs are great sprinters, and the average number 
shot in a year is about forty.—London Daily 
Mirror. 
