File:Bird lore (1913) (14768875663).jpg

Identifier: birdlore151913nati (find matches)
Title: Bird lore
Year: 1899 (1890s)
Authors: National Committee of the Audubon Societies of America National Association of Audubon Societies for the Protection of Wild Birds and Animals National Audubon Society
Subjects: Birds Birds Ornithology
Publisher: New York City : Macmillan Co.
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Institution Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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arry Merrill, who was perfectly competent to identify it. The specimen,when mounted, was returned to the man who shot it, but Mr. Baxter lost hisrecord of the name of the owner. Mr. A. Learo, taxidermist, of Montreal,informs me that a specimen was taken by Mr. Pacificque Couture in St. Vin-cent, Province of Quebec, Canada, September 23, 1907. Mr. Learo statesthat he has returned the bird to Mr. Couture, but I have been unable to findthe gentleman or learn anything more about the specimen. Therefore thismay not be authentic. I have investigated other statements which havebeen published regarding recent alleged occurrences of the Passenger Pigeonin Canada, and find that the birds taken were Mourning Doves. Now for the last living Passenger Pigeon of which we have any infor-mation. David Whittaker, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, procured a pair ofyoung birds from an Indian in northeastern Wisconsin in 1888. During theeight succeeding years, fifteen birds were bred from this pair, six males and
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PASSENGER PIGEON ON NESTThe bird doubtless in some fear of the photographer (101) 102 Bird - Lore nine females. A part of this flock finally went to Professor C. O. Whitman,of Chicago University, and several individuals of it are figured in this num-ber of BiRD-LoRE. In 1904 Professor Whitman had ten birds, but his flock,weakened by confinement and inbreeding, gradually decreased in number.The original Whittaker flock decreased also, and in 1908 there were but sevenleft. All of these died but one female, which was sent to the Cincinnati ZoologicalSociety. At that time the society had a male about twenty-four years of age,which has died since. The female in Cincinnati, so far as I know, is livingstill, and in all probability is the last Passenger Pigeon in existence. Protected and fostered by the hand of man, she probably has outlived allthe wild birds, and remains the last of a doomed race. Many attempts have been made by gunners, marketmen, and others, toaccount for the disappearance

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