with the rapidity and elegance of the motions exhibited, feel desirous of
seeing them repeated, his wishes will be gratified if he only remain in
the place until the next group comes up.
It may not, perhaps, be out of place to attempt an estimate of the
number of Pigeons contained in one of those mighty flocks, and of the
quantity of food daily consumed by its members. The inquiry will tend
to shew the astonishing bounty of the great Author of Nature in providing
for the wants of his creatures. Let us take a column of one mile in
breadth, which is far below the average size, and suppose it passing over
us without interruption for three hours, at the rate mentioned above of
one mile in the minute. This will give us a parallelogram of 180 miles
by 1, covering 180 square miles. Allowing two pigeons to the square
yard, we have One billion, one hundred and fifteen millions, one hundred
and thirty-six thousand pigeons in one flock. As every pigeon daily
consumes fully half a pint of food, the quantity necessary for supplying
this vast multitude must be eight millions seven hundred and twelve
thousand bushels per day.
As soon as the Pigeons discover a sufficiency of food to entice them
to alight, they fly round in circles, reviewing the country below. During
their evolutions, on such occasions, the dense mass which they form exhibits
a beautiful appearance, as it changes its direction, now displaying a
glistening sheet of azure, when the backs of the birds come simultaneously
into view, and anon, suddenly presenting a mass of rich deep purple.
They then pass lower, over the woods, and for a moment are lost
among the foliage, but again emerge, and are seen gliding aloft. They
now alight, but the next moment, as if suddenly alarmed, they take
to wing, producing by the flappings of their wings a noise like the
roar of distant thunder, and sweep through the forests to see if danger
is near. Hunger, however, soon brings them to the ground. When
alighted, they are seen industriously throwing up the withered leaves in
quest of the fallen mast. The rear ranks are continually rising, passing
over the main-body, and alighting in front, in such rapid succession, that
the whole flock seems still on wing. The quantity of ground thus
swept is astonishing, and so completely has it been cleared, that the
gleaner who might follow in their rear would find his labour completely
lost. Whilst feeding, their avidity is at times so great that in attempting
to swallow a large acorn or nut, they are seen gasping for a long
while, as if in the agonies of suffocation.
On such occasions, when the woods are filled with these Pigeons, they
are killed in immense numbers, although no apparent diminution ensues.
About the middle of the day, after their repast is finished, they settle on
the trees, to enjoy rest, and digest their food. On the ground they
walk with ease, as well as on the branches, frequently jerking their beautiful
tail, and moving the neck backwards and forwards in the most graceful
manner. As the sun begins to sink beneath the horizon, they depart
en masse for the roosting-place, which not unfrequentlv is hundreds of
miles distant, as has been ascertained by persons who have kept an account
of their arrivals and departures.
Let us now, kind reader, inspect their place of nightly rendezvous.
One of these curious roosting-places, on the banks of the Green River in
Kentucky, I repeatedly visited. It was, as is always the case, in a portion
of the forest where the trees were of great magnitude, and where
there was little underwood. I rode through it upwards of forty miles,
and, crossing it in different parts, found its average breadth to be rather
more than three miles. My first view of it was about a fortnight subsequent
to the period when they had made choice of it, and I arrived there
nearly two hours before sunset. Few Pigeons were then to be seen, but
a great number of persons, with horses and waggons, guns and ammunition,,
had already established encampments on the borders. Two farmers
from the vicinity of Russelsville, distant more than a hundred miles, had
driven upwards of three hundred hogs to be fattened on the pigeons
which were to be slaughtered. Here and there, the people employed in
plucking and salting what had already been procured, were seen sit>
ting in the midst of large piles of these birds. The dung lay several
inches deep, covering the whole extent of the roosting-place, like
a bed of snow. Many trees two feet in diameter, I observed, were
broken off at no great distance from the ground ; and the branches of
many of the largest and tallest had given way, as if the forest had been
swept by a tornado. Every thing proved to me that the number of birds
resorting to this part of the forest must be immense beyond conception.
As the period of their arrival approached, their foes anxiously prepared
to receive them. Some were furnished with iron-pots containing sulphur,
others with torches of pine-knots, many with poles, and the rest with
guns. The sun was lost to our view, yet not a Pigeon had arrived.
Every thing was ready, and all eyes were gazing on the clear sky, which
appeared in glimpses amidst the tall trees. Suddenly there burst forth