[Forward the Light Brigade]

I heard Passenger pigeons really tasted good—that’s why they went extinct—too many humans eating them. I say, bring em back, raise them on farms and serve them at the best restaurants!

[muawiyah]

'sweet' is a relative value sort of thing. In an age when most people's idea of fresh meat was walking around out in the chicken yard the passenger pigeon was a break from the monotony. They were also very stupid and easily captured.

The packing methodology was simple ~ take a bird, put in barrel, take another bird, put in barrel, get a good layer, then cover with salt. Start over. Do that until you fill the barrel.

I think they took the feathers off much later.

Your alternative was my Great Great Grandfather and his meat wagon ~ they'd slaughter a steer. Chop it into various cuts. Sell off what they could of the ofal, et al, in town, then pack it in salt in boxes inside the wagon and go off on their regular rounds ~ which I believe took 3 days out, then 3 days back.

You didn't want to be the last customer on that route ~

[M1903A1]

From what I understand, it was because they were simply cheap meat that could be hunted with ease, as they migrated in flocks that were miles wide and literally hundreds of miles long.

Even with that many birds, when they’re being trapped by the score with nets or blasted with veritable antiaircraft guns, over and over again, year after year...it adds up. (Or, in this case, takes away...until there weren’t enough left to survive predators and other natural attrition.)