HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THIS BIRD?
Hodge, C. F.
Have You Ever Seen this Bird? If so, Try to find One Now; There's a Reward Offered For Traces of the Passenger Pigeon, in a Last Effort to Save This Beautiful Denizen of the Woods. By C. F....
...Rewards will be equally divided, if two or more letters or messages bear record of same date and hour...
...THE PASSENGER PIGEON mentioned in Professor Hodge's article must not be confused with the "carrier" pigeon...
...We are now turning toward "Conservation" and strong movements are afoot in different States to bring back our splendid game birds, especially, to their ancient, native ranges...
...Please report all pigeons seen, giving exactly date, hour, number in flock, direction of flight...
...By C. F. HODGE WISCONSIN was one of the last halting places of this fine pigeon—Passenger Pigeon—and it is now one of the most likely states in which to look for nestings, if any of the birds still exist...
...All nestings within one mile of one another will be counted as one colony...
...Hodge for INFORMATION...
...The great need of united effort is seen from the fact that this list of rewards stood practically as below i or last season and not one was claimed...
...Please do not write Dr...
...31, 1911, will be withdrawn...
...As long as there is life there is hope...
...ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($1000) REWARD For first information, exclusive and confidential of the location of a nesting pair or colony of passenger pigeons, anywhere in North America...
...The State Game Commissions and State Warden service, sportsman's associations everywhere, and all the Audubon So-ieties will join in the work...
...If any nesting pigeons can be found and if they can then be effectively protected, in a few years we may have them back again filling our skies and transforming the most of our woods into beautiful and valuable life...
...Destructive forces have gone all too far in exterminating interesting and valuable American species...
...200 (adds $25, if nest is protected) 225 W. B. Mershon, Michigan 100 R. W. Mathews, Minnesota 100 Ruthven Deane, Illinois 50 John E. Thayer, Me., N. H., Vt., Ont., Wis., $100 each 500 John Lewis Childs, for first three nestings not entitled to any of the above rewards, $200 each...
...This is only fair, since the amount may cover but a small part of the costs occasioned by a false report...
...when properly confirmed and if found by confirming party with parent birds and eggs or young UNDISTURBED: Colonel Anttony R. Kuser will pay a reward of $300 John E Thayer will pay a reward of $700 For first nesting discovered thereafter in the following States will be paid by: John Burroughs, New York $100 A. B. F. Kinney, Massachusetts 100 Anonymous...
...All above rewards are offered solely and only for Information of location of undisturbed nestings...
...Now, it is harder to find one of them than to find teeth in a hen...
...The wild pigeon always nests in trees, generally 10 feet or more from the ground...
...They are different birds...
...Everyone, everywhere, must be awakened to the danger and realize that there is a passenger pigeon problem in America...
...Let's Conserve American Birds THIS is only a part of a larger problem...
...For information and descriptive leaflet with colored pictures of the pigeons and mourning dove, enclose 6 cents, stamps, to Chas...
...We cannot organize a movement to "restore" or "save" a species that does not exist...
...Disregard all nests on the ground...
...K. Reed, Worcester, Mass...
...Theodore Roosevelt has expressed his desire to join the confirming party, when the first colony has been located...
...600 The purpose of these offers is to secure an intelligent search (Continued on page 13...
...The official list of rewards with conditions governing them is quoted below: January 10, 1911...
...Note.—You are millions to one, already busy man...
...The money will be immediately returned, if the birds are found to be passenger pigeons (Eetopistes migra-torius...
...One record indicates that a bird was killed in southern Virginia at Christmas...
...of the American continent for breeding pigeons in the hope that, if found, the species may be saved from extermination...
...Unless absolutely certain that you know the Band-tailed, Viosca and Red-billed pigeons, do not report that you have seen the passenger pigeon in the Rocky Mts...
...All news will be promptly given to the public press...
...We may then hope to have our wild turkey back in our forest reservations, our wild swans and our wild geese and ducks nesting again along lakes and rivers, the prairie chickens booming in our fields and ruffed grouse drumming in every clump of woods and our bobwhite whistling along every roadside and from the top of every garden fence...
...Old residents of Wisconsin remember seeing the Passenger Pigeon, in large flocks—veritable clouds of beautiful colors...
...The Passenger Pigeon is a wild species...
...As soon as a pigeon nesting is surely identified write the undersigned, who will arrange for confirming party and for payment of the reward...
...20 Edward Avis, Connecticut 100 Harry S. Hathaway, Rhode Island 100 Worthington Society, New Jersey 100 John Dryden Kuser, for 2d nesting found in New Jersey 10 Henry W. Shoemaker, Penna...
...Considerable evidence, however, has accumulated to prove that the pigeons were seen in some numbers through the Eastern and North Central States and in Ontario...
...100 pays the postage on only 5000 letters...
...With a flock of nesting birds to start with, we may be able to organize protection for the entire continent in such wise as to save this valuable and beautiful species and also save the good name of the American people...
...We do not desire possession of any birds, alive or dead, but are working solely to save the free, wild pigeon...
...Then, as its wanton destruction is the saddest, its restoration will be the gladdest story in the entire record of American natural history...
...In the case of nesting pigeons, there can be no excuse for sending in false reports...
...or Pacific Coast region, from British Columbia to Mexico...
...Massachusetts, for 2d find 100 Mian B. Miller, for 1st nesting found in Worcester Co., Mass...
...In this glad procession we may still hope that the passenger pigeon will take the lead...
...while it is not unusual to see the "carrier" pigeon at work, as for instance when the Milwaukee Journal used them to carry news bulletins from the State Fair grounds to the office...
...All rewards not claimed by Oct...
...the birds will be adequately protected by law, and be accorded the absolute freedom of the continent to feed and breed in safety anywhere in North America...
...but the moment a colony, or even a single pair of nesting pigeons is found, the Passenger Pigeon Restoration Club of America will be organized...
...The "carrier" pigeon is domesticated, a product of scientific breeding with a line of pedigreed ancestry as imposing as that of a Jersey cow...
...Priority of claim will be decided by time of receipt at post or telegraph office...
...The liberal rewards offered below are for one and only one public service— the discovery of breeding pigeons...
...To insure intelligence and good faith informants of nestings are advised to enclose or agree to forfeit at least $5 in case they have failed to identify the birds correctly...
...It is just this danger that the last stragglers will be ignorantly potted off that makes general publicity necessary...
...This is an object well worthy of the best enthusiasm of every citizen of the United States and Canada...
...Signed, C. F. HODGE, Clark University, Worcester, Mass...
Vol. 3 • April 1911 • No. 14
