n. [ OE. & F. passager. See Passage, and cf. Messenger. ] 1. A passer or passer-by; a wayfarer. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A traveler by some established conveyance, as a coach, steamboat, railroad train, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

Passenger falcon (Zool.), a migratory hawk. Ainsworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

. (Railroads) A unit of measurement of the passenger transportation performed by a railroad during a given period, usually a year, the total of which consists of the sum of the miles traversed by all the passengers on the road in the period in question. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

. (Railroads) Passenger miles collectively; the total number of miles traveled by passengers on a railroad during a given period. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

(Zool.), A once common wild pigeon of North America (Ectopistes migratorius), now extinct. It was so called on account of its extensive migrations. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

☞ The passenger pigeon presents a striking example of how dramatic a negative influence man can have on other species. The population of the passenger pigeon is estimated to have been at one time as high as five billion in North America, but over a period of about one hundred years large scale hunting for use as food and killing for “sport” reduced the numbers below that necessary to sustain existence of the species. At one time over 200, 000 birds were shipped to the food markets in one day. The last wild pigeon is believed to have died in 1900, and the last bird in captivity died in 1914. It is a rare example of the date of a man-made extinction being recorded with certainty. [ PJC ]