THE PASSENGER PIGEON. 193 



then put down, found that 163 had been made in 

 twenty-one minutes. I travelled on, and still met 

 more the further I proceeded. The air was literally 

 filled with Pigeons ; the light of noonday was ob- 

 scured as by an eclipse. 



" Before sunset I reached Louisville, distant from 

 Hardinsburg fifty -five miles. The Pigeons were still 

 passing in undiminished numbers, and continued to 

 do so for three days in succession." 



They are very fond of acorns, beech-nuts, and the 

 smaller fruits of the forest trees generally; and when 

 they have discovered a spot where these abound in 

 sufficient quantities to induce them to alight, they do 

 so in the most graceful manner, wheeling around in 

 circles, as though to discover if danger were near. 

 When fairly settled, they commence scratching among 

 the leaves for food, which they swallow with such haste 

 as sometimes fairly to choke in the process. Parts 

 of the flock are almost constantly changing their po- 

 sition, which gives it the appearance of being con- 

 tinually in motion. 



It is a singular circumstance that the roosting- 

 places of these birds should be at so great a distance 

 from the spots where they feed, being sometimes as 

 much as sixty or eighty miles apart. This is no doubt 

 occasioned by their being compelled to change their 

 feeding ground frequently, while they still return to 

 the same nightly rendezvous. 



One of these roosts is thus described by Audubon : 

 " It was, as is always the case, in a portion of the 

 forest where the trees were of great magnitude, and 

 17 N 



