of the Alleghany Mountain Range. 535 



frying pan, they are soon in delicious condition: the coffee 

 boils, and, with the help of maple sugar, a glorious breakfast 

 ensues. I do not exactly say that we fared so sumptuously 

 every day, as I am unwilling to spoil the romance of the 

 thing. In truth, I must admit that, in the spring and fall, we 

 were something like frost-bitten, and an extra blanket would 

 have been agreeable now and then ; and that at times provi- 

 sions were rather scarce, compelling the observance of a general 

 fast for some twenty-four hours. A bitter infusion of hemlock 

 [^f v bies canadensis] is an indifferent, but sometimes necessary, 

 substitute for tea in the woods, and one must learn to bear 

 with philosophy an occasional inundation of a few inches of 

 water over our " lowly bed." The f* lights and shadows " 

 will be found inseparable, even in a back-woods life. During 

 fifty-three nights passed in this kind of bivouacking, and al- 

 together eight months almost wholly living in the woods, we 

 became familiarised to these circumstances. Abundant leisure 

 and opportunities were afforded for studying nature and her 

 varied productions. 



Our first camping ground was, for twenty-three nights, at 

 different points of the Tioga valley, a few miles from the 

 sources of that river. Here we had the pleasure of the society 

 of my friend Dr. Saynisch, an able German naturalist, seek- 

 ing specimens of the numerous birds which traverse the 

 Alleghanies on their way from the south. We had sufficient 

 guns and rifles among our party to insure a supply both of 

 birds and animals, and to afford work during the evening to 

 skin and prepare them. At this position we found ourselves 

 in the midst of a scene which was new to us, and, in fact, of 

 rare occurrence. It was the nesting place, a season or two 

 previously, of the passenger pigeon (Cblumba migratoria) ; 

 and here the gathering together of these birds, for the purpose 

 of incubation, was exhibited on a scale perfectly astonishing. 

 For the length of nine miles they had occupied every tree and 

 sapling in the whole breadth of the valley, which is from a 

 quarter to a third of a mile wide. Thousands and millions 

 of nests were seen on the beech, birch, and maple trees, every 

 tree of which contained several nests ; and I counted on some 

 of them from twenty to fifty nests. Unlike most birds, they 

 are said never to return to their " nesting places " in a suc- 

 ceeding year ; we therefore saw only their deserted nests : yet 

 even these were interesting, as evidences of the countless mul- 

 titudes which had congregated here. During the season, 

 when the young pigeons, or " squabs," were ready to fly, 

 their retirement was invaded by numerous persons, who filled 

 sacks and carts with them ; there requiring no other trouble 



p p 4? 



