Texas Nature Observations and Reminiscences Page: 100 of 322
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100 TEXAS NATURE OBSERVATIONS AND REMINISCENCES.
Just at this time of writing pigeons, thirty to forty years
these notes, in June, the prairie ago, will remember the flights
plains, pastures and forests, etc.. and perhaps the resting places
are full of breeding wild doves, of these birds, then so plentiful
and about the end of August the that their annihilation seemed almain
breeding season is over. most an impossibility. Mr.
and they are met with only David N. Hoy, of Milton, Pa.,
sparingly afterward when they are, writes us as follows on this subas
a rule, well protected by the ject, with special reference to the
wild game hunter of any decency manner of trapping pigeons for
about him-to shoot a dove that the market.
had escaped its nest. Ad
had escaped its nest. "I have frequently read arBesides
the elements, especially tides about wild pigeons and
storms, and the various enemies, about the big rewards offered for
the dove eggs are apparently a nest of the wild passenger
destroyed by the socalled egg pigeons. It has been a long while
sucker bird-a long slender bird. since the birds have
nested
of olive brown color, and I have in Pennsylvania. As near as I
myself occosionally met a nest can tell it has been twenty-eight
of dove eggs where the eggs were years ago this spring since they
perforated and empty. This egg
have paid us their last respects.
sucker, with its long curved and I know very well that I went to
sharp pointed bill is very at
Potter county, in the northern
tractive in appearance, and some part of Pennsylvania, to trap
time ago I endeavored to snapshot some. But as I was farming I
one on its nest, but it is a very could not stay to trap any of
shy bird and it flew to a nearby them, as this was in the spring
mesquite thicket and the wild and I had to go home and get to
persimmon trees. The nest had work.
been built on one such persimmon "What I want to tell you about
tree, and the view of same herein the birds is this: Two of my
shows the four large eggs, which friends stayed there all summer
.were of light bluish-green color, and trapped pigeons on salt beds.
and the . nest inside was Perhaps some of my brother sportsoutlined
entirely with dried up men do not know how this is done.
mesquite leaves. Some of the The trappers would select a swampersimmons
are seen on the photo py place in the woods and clean it
scattered around the branches and off nice and clean, and then take a
close to the nest. The four eggs oe and make little mud puddles
were reproduced in normal size, and then the water would collect in
with extra close focusing lens. them. Then the trappers would
In conclusion and in connection scatter a few quarts of salt over
with the above matter of our Texas this place and the pigeons would
wild dove, I append below interest
come to these places for water
ing and valuable publications anent and would feed their young some
the wild pigeon, from the pen of of. the mud. Then the trapper
Mr. David N. Hoy,-which was would have a net say fourteen
published in the June number of feet wide and twenty-eight feet
the Texas Field and National long, would set this net and
Guardsman, to wit: build a small house made of pine
"How the Wild Pigeons Were brush, and when a large number
*. , ' of birds had gathered on the
Destroyed net place, then the net would be
Many of the sportsmen, now thrown over them and as many
veterans, who resided in the line as from three to six hundred
of immigration of the passenger birds would be caught at one
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Menger, Rudolph. Texas Nature Observations and Reminiscences, book, 1913; San Antonio, Tex.. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth14396/m1/100/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.