Project Gutenberg 2014-01-22 Public domain in the USA. 267 Mershon, Wm. B. (William Butts) 1856 1943 Mershon, William Butts Mershon, W. B. (William Butts) 07012260 The Passenger Pigeon Introduction -- My boyhood among the pigeons -- The passenger pigeon, from "American ornithology", by A. Wilson -- The passenger pigeon, from "Ornithological biography", by J.J. Audubon -- As James Fenimore Cooper saw it -- The wild pigeon of North America by Chief Pokagon, in "The Chautauquan" -- The passenger pigeon, from "Life histories of North American birds", by C. Bendire -- Netting the pigeons, by W. Brewster, in "The Auk" -- Efforts to check the slaughter, by Prof. H.B. Roney -- The pigeon butcher's defense, by E.T. Martin, in "American field" -- Notes of a vanished industry -- Recollections of "old timers" -- The last of the pigeons -- What became of the wild pigeon? By S. Cook, in "Forest and stream" -- A novel theory of extinction, by C.H. Ames and R. Ridgway -- News from John Burroughs -- The pigeon in Manitoba, by G.E. Atkinson -- The passenger pigeon in confinement, by R. Deane, in "The Auk" -- Nesting habits of the passenger pigeon, by Dr. M. Gibbs, in "The oölogist" -- Miscellaneous notes. E-text prepared by Tor Martin Kristiansen, Tom Cosmas, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) "The Passenger Pigeon" by Wm. B. Mershon is a historical account written in the early 20th century. The book explores the life, behavior, and eventual extinction of the Passenger Pigeon, a species once common in North America. Through a combination of personal recollections and documented observations by notable ornithologists, the narrative highlights the majestic existence of these birds and raises awareness about the consequences of human actions on wildlife. At the start of the book, the author reflects on his childhood experiences with Passenger Pigeons, describing the excitement of hunting them in Michigan and the awe they inspired in flocks so numerous that they darkened the sky. He recounts observing their incredible migrations and the deep connection he felt to nature during those times. The introduction underscores a broader inquiry into the pigeon's fate and the impact of human exploitation on their population, suggesting that a combination of habitat destruction and ruthless hunting led to their downfall. This opening portion sets a nostalgic yet urgent tone, prompting readers to consider the historical beauty of the Passenger Pigeon and the lessons learned from its extinction. (This is an automatically generated summary.) file:///public/vhost/g/gutenberg/html/files/44729/44729-h/images/cover.jpg Reading ease score: 72.9 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Birds Passenger pigeon QL Text Category: History - American Category: Nature/Gardening/Animals Category: Archaeology & Anthropology 382558 2025-07-18T07:18:10.990940 text/html 363437 2024-10-24T00:54:03 text/html 1455820 2025-07-18T07:18:19.552888 application/epub+zip 1459862 2025-07-18T07:18:13.396950 application/epub+zip 206514 2025-07-18T07:18:11.439954 application/epub+zip 1259501 2025-07-18T07:18:23.194898 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1229732 2025-07-18T07:18:17.527918 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 277573 2022-09-20T12:17:25.462843 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 343553 2025-07-18T07:18:10.467963 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 323636 2024-10-24T00:54:03 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 18653 2025-07-18T07:18:23.388885 application/rdf+xml 11443 2025-07-18T07:18:11.517941 image/jpeg 2139 2025-07-18T07:18:11.479938 image/jpeg 1502394 2025-07-18T07:18:11.052955 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia