Wisconsin magazine of history: Volume 59, number 4, summer, 1976

              THE  PASSENGER   PIGEON
quired 17,424,000 bushels of mast daily. Au¬ dubon, for a flock of 1,150,136,000, made a comparable estimate of 8,712,000 bushels." It is obvious that if the species had persisted in anything like its original numbers, agricul¬ ture would have been impossible. The pigeon was voracious. Dr. T. S. Roberts [in The Birds of Minnesota, Volume I] mentions re¬ covering seventeen acorns from the crop of one bird. Translate acorns into wheat for a few millions of birds and the loss becomes enormous. When the purse of the farmer is touched, he takes matters into his own hands, as we witness even today. Which would have been preferable—our present-day agriculture, or vast forests with their thousands upon thousands of flashing blue meteors—is a mat¬ ter of individual opinion.
[Nothing is knoxun of F.E.S., putative author of this 7nemoir of pigeon-netting which was published in two issues of Forest and Stream magazine in 1894. The article xuas datelined Eau Claire, Wisconsin, but it is clear that the incidents took place at more than one time and in several different places. No matter: the work he describes so vividly xuas much the same throughout the nesting range of the pas¬ senger pigeon, xuhich is to say most of the northeastern quadrant of the United States. Despite the morbid aspects of the pigeoner's trade, it is almost impossible to remain un¬ moved by the excitement of the hunt or unim¬ pressed by the ingenuity of the hunters.]
Netting Wild Pigeons"
Forest and Stream, 1894
w
ILD pigeons are growing more scarce each season. The busi¬ ness of snaring and handling them for the trap' and table has been closely followed for a generation by a number of netters, and a few of the details which are most interesting will be given by one of them who has had a rare experience.
As swift in level flight as any bird that flies.
in the habits and mental capacity of the pigeon there is something lacking, which makes it the frequent victim of its enemies, and of whicli the netter avails himself. The birds migrate in a large body or a number of large bodies. You have heard of the wonder¬ ful flight of pigeons which your father or grandfather saw. Soiue have seen a flight of them in their semi-annual migration to tlie north. It is the only way these birds ever leave winter quarters for summer. When their scouts return with the old story of "corn in Egypt," the birds quickly leave in regular flocks, stringing into line, and having reached the proper height, fly in a solid sheet to their destination.
In the fall, after they have got their winter plumage and are bound for the South, they are scarce and shy, for they are well fed and the young are fully grown. They have gleaned the stubbles of the Northwest and are on their way to a land where rice and acorns and corn will be their food during cold weather. A few may be caught on bait, but it is only by the greatest care and skill, aided by fortune.
From 100 to 200 men have been engaged in the business of netting these birds all die time, and this number is increased by a great many local netters wherever die birds happen to nest. These regular netters are located in al¬ most every state in the Union, each new nest¬ ing seeming to develop a few new catchers, who make frantic efforts to get into the ring and find out the news away from home and in return give the boys any local points they may discover.
In this very large country there would seem to be every chance of losing a body of birds and not finding out where they are. But a very   good   system   has   been   established   for
° Schorger elsewhere points out that the foxy Audu¬ bon simply halved the figures of his ornithological rival Alexander Wilson!
"Reprinted from Forest and Stream, 43: 28, 50 (July 14 and 21,  1894).
' Millions of pigeons were shipped live to trapshoot- ing clubs all over the country, where sportsmen shot tliem, one at a time, as they were released from spring- operated cages. Adam H. Bogardus, a famous marks¬ man, won a thousand-dollar wager in 1869 by killing 500 pigeons in 528 minutes; another man, E. T. Martin of Chicago, recorded 27,378 pigeons killed at trap- shooting over a period of years. See Schorger, Pas¬ senger Pigeon, 163-164.
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