a last word on the passenger pigeon.pdf

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ol. XXlXl1912 j IODOE,LastWord n he assengerigeon. 169

A LAST WORD ON THE PASSENGER PIGEON.C. F. HODGE, CLARK. UNIYERSITY, WORCESTER, MASS.

TE questionwith which we started out two years ago was:HasscientificallydequateearchfNorthAmericaeennadeorEctopistesmigratorius? The answer then was that such a searchhad not been nade. A year ago he fact that no nestings ad beendiscovered nd that not a single eather of evidence ad been sentin seemed ractically o provethat the species as extinct. How-ever, since no definite tbne linits had been set for the rewards,and sincea nunber of apparently encouragingeports had beenreceived,we were inpelled o continue he investigation.During the seasonof 1911 satisfactoryand practically generalpublicity had.been secured hrough the educational,agriculturaland sportingpress. ProfessorLockheadhas also continuedhiseo6peration or Canada through this season. The final result is:No nestings eported, and there are no undecidedeasesand nodisputes. The slate is clean. None of the rewardswere elabned,and, as announcedn all published,officialstatements, ll offersofreward terminated Oct. 31.

Many false reportswere received,but all except our of thesewere settled by correspondence. n nearly every such ease nyinfornantwould describe wo eggsor squabs n the nest. It wasonly necessaryo forward a reprint with the late ProfessorWhit-enan's nphatiestatenent hat the Passenger igeonnever aid butone egg- containing also cuts from the excellentphotographs e-eently furnished by the Aneriean Museun of Natural Historyof the eggsand adults of both Pigeonand Mourning Dove- toinduce the people o acknowledgehat their birds were Doves.One ease, nvestigatedby nyselfearly in May, is deservingofpernanent ecord. My informants eported a flock of ten pairsor nore nesting n a grove of evergreen rees, thirty to thirty-fivefeet frmn the ground. They couldnot be induced o tell how nanyeggsor squabswere in the nests. I found the evergreen rees tobe three elunpsof large Norway sprucesn a farm door-yard.The housestoodon a slight elevation n a valley, devoid or the


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[' Auk170 I{ODGE,LastWordn he assengerigeon. kAprilmost part of trees. The case was evidently one of crowdinganumberof pairs of Mourning Doves nto a small, preferred slandof nestingcites. Reasons or unusual elevation were also patent.A number of cats were in evidence and the lower branches of thespruce reesdroopedsobadly that the birds were forced o choosethe higher branches. I circled the place and found practicallyall the Doves, and climbed the treesand examineda number of thenests. There was no evidenceof any Pigeonsmingledwith theDoves in the locality. This report came from Pleasant Valley,New York.

The three other reportswhich required nspectionwere investi-gated by Professor . N. Mitchell of Milwaukee, who generouslydonated his time in making the trips. His first journey was t,possibly, he most ikely spoton the continent--northeasternWis-consin. The informant, Mr. Ben Fagg, had seenPigeons n ornear a large black ash swamp. With Mr. Mitchell.he attemptedto relocate he birds, but the regionproved too difficult and thehunt wasabandoned. Mr. Fagg nsistedon paying he $5 forfeit,and it was received,but with the understanding hat it would bereturned, f he could showus Pigeons here later. A portion ofMr. Fagg's etter is cited below n anotherconnection.In responseo insistent eports - informanthad lived in Michi-gan all his life, knew the birds intimately, had locateda flock offrom 300 to 500, a nmnberof whichcame o his barnyard daily forsalt, etc. etc.--- Mr. Mitchell twice visited this man in southwesternMichigan, but could find absolutelynothing but a few MourningDoves n the neighborhood.The man offered o forfeit not only$5 but $10, if he was mistaken in the birds, but when the time cameto pay he "did n't have he money."This concludesall there is to say on the search for nestingPigeonsduring the season. My best acknowledgmentsre dueto ColonelAnthony R. Kuser and all thosewho followedhis leadin continuing heir offersof rewards or the past season. Withthe plan as projected wo yearsago there s no fault to find. Ithas workedadmirably n awakening he country o the problem,and this awakening an, and doubtless ill, be utilized n savingotherspecies hichare in present anger. It mightbe in order osuggestn this connectionhat a committee e appointedwhich


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Vol. XlX] HODGE,LastWordn he assengerigeon. 171912 Jshall, in coSperation ith the BiologicalSurvey,be requested oprepare for discussion t each annual meeting an authoritativestatement concerning he American specieswhich are in dangerof extermination. Is it not high time that the American Orni-thologists'Union take a strong, eading part in presenting o thecountryproblemsn this importantfield?A numberof reports,a few of them seemingly f great proba-bility, indicate hat straggling inglePigeons nd evensmall lockshave been sightedduring 1911.Professor . H. Moore writes from Chicago, uly 14, 1911.

"I have seen his bird on two different morningssinceJuly 4, and havetaken out grains and other foods and put them near where the bird wasseen. I have, however not seen t for several days now. This bird wasalso observedby another gentleman of Chicago to whom I told the exactlocation of the bird -- a man who has seen thousands of them wild. Thereis no doubt of the identity of the bird, as I studied it very carefully thesecond ime I saw it." (From letter forwarded by W. C. McAtee.)

Cottage Grove, Wis.Mr. John E. Mellish reports that he studied for an hour, during a rain,a "large bird" which came from the south about 10 x. M., Apr. 13. It laterflew north. He examined it at a distanceof 60 feet with a 3 inch telescopewith a power of fifty diameters, which revealed every marking distinctly.There was "not a single speck of dark under the ear or on the side of thehead in any place." (From a letter forwarded by Prof. I. N. Mitchell,whose acquaintance with Mr. Mellish leaves him in no doubt that he sawa passengerpigeon.)

Paul J. Sisson, enaca alls, N.Y. writes,Sept. 12, 1911."I saw a singlemale passenger igeonon Sept. 9 at 3 o'clock n the after-

noon, in an apple tree in our orchard .... The bird flew direct south."Mr. James Finch, of Albion Michigan, under date of June 1,1911, describeswhat he believes o have been a nestingroost of aflock of nearly 500 Pigeons in a pieceof woodsby the river" onhis farm. This refers to season of 1910. He writes:"We did not notice the birds until sometime n July, and soon afterharvestwe noticed hem flying from the river and woods o a wheat stubbleabout half mile away. 50 or 60 years ago pigeonswere very plenty on

the same ields. They came hen in flocksand all togetherand thesebirdscame in a flock and went away all at once. Their departure vas aboutthe middle of September. They acted so much like the old wild pigeons


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[ Auk172 Hon, ALastWordn he assengerigeon. [Aprilthat we took for granted that they were the old pigeons... The boyson the farm killed a few and had them in the pot before knew it. I neverheard of mourning doves going in such large flocks, 800 to 1,000. (Thiswas n the fall when there were many youngpigeons.) I presume he birdswill be back here next seasonand I assureyou we will investigate them."James Finch (83 years old).

There is no reason o supposehat this widely migratory specieswould eturnto.any particularocality o nest,and I havenotheard from Mr. Finch again. I was unable o secure ny feathersby which to identify the birds which were killed.From another etter datedApr. 3, 1911: Arcadia, nd."On March 28th last about 100 passenger igeonswere seen to passover my father and I about 50 feet above our heads. My father havingseen them by the thousandsseveral years ago can firmly swear that theywere passenger igeons. They came from the southwestand were lastsen flying northeast. (The time was given n a subsequentetter as3 r. M.)"We live in Hamilton Co. about 28 miles north of Indianapolis."(signed) Harry Noble.The following s quoted rom a copy of a letter forwarded o meby Dr. A. K. Fisher.

Davidson, Mich., May 30, 1911."It may be of interest to you to know that I saw a flight of between50 and 100 wild pigeons - the so called passenger igeon - E. migratoris,I think you scientistsname them.I was in the Northeast corner of Burton Township, GeneseeCounty,Michigan, at the time. A small boy with me cried out "0 see the geese,no ducks." I lookedup and there they were, ess han 300 feet over head,in the irregular constantly shifting formation, I remember so well. I sawmillionsof them when a boy, tens of thousands f flocksand shotnot a few.There can be no mistaking them. They flew swiftly, almost due northwhile over head, but shifting westward at short ntervals and disappearedflying almost due northwest.I have not seenone before in more than forty years as neaxly as I canrecall." (Signed) Ernest Hollenbeck.

Mr. Ben Fagg finds he Pigeons fter he failed to show hem toMr. Mitchell and writes him as follows:

Algoma, Wis., Sept. 23, 1911.Prof. I. N. Mitchell,Milwaukee, Wis.Dear Professor: Pardon for delay in reply to your letter of Aug. 14.Had relinquished y position n the Record or the solepurpose f looking


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Vol. XXIX ]1912 J HODGE,LastWord n hePassengerigeon. 173after the pigeonsand waited until I had somethingsatisfactory o writeyou. Following is the result of my observations nd experiences.Could not get a glimpseof the birds until last week, when they cameout of the deep woods, n small flocks o feed in the fields as usual justbefore migrating. In the meantime had gathered all the data possiblefrom people who had seen hem during the past two years.As rewards are about to expire and there was danger of the searchbeinggiven up entirely, I carried a shotgunwith me to wound and capture or killone just to prove absolutely that they make their summer home in thislocality.At about 8 o'clock on the morning of the 23d inst., while in the samelocality that you and I visited and at the spot where I had seen hat youngone, I saw a full-grown male pigeon strutting along upon the road, inplain view and within easy shooting distance. It was such a fine birdI did not shootbut stood gazing at it until it flew away. Am satisfied hatin the immediate vicinity is to be found the nesting place. Later in theday I saw a small flock whizzing across he fields, but although I chasednearly all forenoon, could not get near them.(Mr. Fagg then gives a list of severalpersonswho have seen he pigeonsduring this season nd last.)"At Gregor,a coupleof weeksagoa passenger igeonwasshotand killed.It was cookedand eaten before the diners discoveredwhat a rare bird theyhad partaken of. From description obtained, I am sure that the birdwas a true EctopistesmigratoriusLinn ..... By the time that they returnin the springpropermeasureshouldhavebeen aken for theirprotection.Altho the nestshave not been discovered, here is ample proof that theysummer in this big swamp and vicinity."Very truly yours Benn Fagg.

A final letter contributed by Mr. Chpmn is interesting sindicatinghow mny Pigeons mn in most likely locality hsclaimed o hve observed uring the pst 19 years.Mr. Frank M. Chapman, Editor Bird Lore.Dear Sir:

In the last issue of Bird Lore I noticed two items in regard to theextinction of the wild pigeon. I saw one wild pigeonat Gulliver, School-craft Co., Michigan about 1892. Again at the sameplace, one came ntomy yard, where I watched it from a distanceof a few feet for severalminutes; the time being May 1903. At Newberry Luce Co., MichiganI sawonewild pigeonon eachof the daysOct. 13 and Oct. 24, 1909, sawa small flock June 9 1910 at Newberry. On two other occasions haveseenbirds whichmay have been and probablywere pigeons ut owingtounfavorable conditions of observation I am unable to identify the birdswith certainty. Yours truly, Ralph Beebe,Newberry, Mich.Jan. 9, 1911.


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[ Auk174 HODGE,LastWordn he assengerigeon. [AprilDo such etters constitutesufficientwarrant for continuing he

investigationa third season? The correspondenceor the seasonwill not be complete ntil, probably,Jan. 1. If decisive videncedoescome n, that the species till survives nywhere t may de-termine future action.The nightmare of the whole situation has been that the lastsurvivors f this great species erebeing gnorantlyshotoff. Oartwo years' active searchhas developed onsiderable erbal, butno tangible,evidence or this. The latest in this line is the follow-ing -- whichhasbeengivenwidepublicity (not by me) in the dailypressas definiteproof that Passenger igeons re still being shot.The remainsof another Mourning Dove came n from Maine theday after.

Dr. C. F. Hodge,Dear Sir:One day recently, while out hunting, I shot a bird and had itmountedby oneof our leading axidermists. It proved to be a "PassengerPigeon" (Ectopistesmigratorius). I think it is a young bird as it has darkspots on the back. Please reply giving me some more information con-

eerning this bird. Yours truly,Dwight P. Cushman,Hebron, Me.Oct. 30, 1911.I did reply, sendingeafletswith photographs nd underscoredboldly n red ink the comparativeengthsof the Pigeonand Mourn-ing Dove. I also enclosed he Audubon Association's oloredplatesof the two birds,and said:"If, after examining our bird in the light of the material I am sendingyou with this, you are still sure that the specimens a Passenger igeon,I wouldbe glad to pay express oth ways or a look at it and for the privi-lege of keeping t a few days to show to the American Ornithologists'Union, which s meeting n Philadelphiasoon."An earlyexpress roughta little boxwith a little stuffedMourn-ing Dove n it. It went back by returnexpresso Hebron,Maine,express .70.My expensesor the season ave been$99.70. The balanceof$.30 is suggestive.Of this amountCol. AnthonyR. Kuser and

family voluntarilycontributed 80.Sincewriting the abovereport it has been decided o continuethe rewards another season, .e. until October 31, 1912, as follows:


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'Vol. XXIX]1912 J HODGE,LastWordn he assengerigeon. 175

ONE THOUSAND OLLARS$1000) REwxrFor first information, exclusiveand confidential, of the locationof a nestingpair or colonyof Passenger igeons, nywhere n NorthAmerica; when properly confirmedand if found by confirmingparty with parent birds and eggsor youngundisturbed:

ColonelAnthonyR. Kuserwill pay a rewardof $300.JohnE. Thayer will pay a rewardof ......... $700.For first nesting discovered hereafter in the following Stateswill be paid by:

John Burroughs, New York .................................. $100.A. B. F. Kirmey, Massachusetts ............................... 100.Anonymous,Massachusetts,or 2d find ......................... 100.Allan B. Miller, for 1st nesting ound in WorcesterCo., Mass ........ 20.Edward Avis, Connecticut .................................... 100.Harry S. Hathaway, Rhode sland ............................. 100.Worthington Society, New Jersey .............................. 100.JohnDryden Kuser, or 2d nesting ound n New Jersey........... 10.Henry W. Shoemaker,Penna. $200. (adds$25, if nest is protected)... 225.W. B. Mershon, Michigan ..................................... 100.R. W. Mathews, Mirmesota ................................... 100.Ruthyen Deane, Illinois ....................................... 50.John E. Thayer, Me., N.H., Vt., Ont., Wis., $100 each ........... 500.John Lewis Childs, for first three nestingsnot entitled to any of theabove rewards, $200 each ................................... 60.

The purpose f theseoffers s to secure n intelligentsearchofthe Americancontinent or breedingPigeons n the hope that, iffound, the speciesmay be saved rom extermination.All above ewardsare offered solelyand only for informationoflocation of undisturbednestings. We do not desire possessionof any birds,alive or dead,but are workingsolely o save the free,Wild Pigeon.As soonas a pigeonnestings surely dentifiedwrite the under-signed,who will arrange or confirming arty and for paymentof the reward. All rewardsnot claimedby Oct. 31, 1912, will bewithdrawn.

Signed,C. F. HODGE,Clark University, Worcester,Mass,

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