On the Common Pigeon, 175 



fall woods, wLcrc there is no brusli, and where nuts and acorns are abundant, 

 searchiDg among the leaves for mast, and appear like a prodigious torrent 

 rolling along through the woods, every one striving to be in the front. — 

 Vast numbers of them are shot while in this situation. A person told me, 

 that he once rode furiously into one of these rolling multitudes, and picked 

 up thirteen Pigeons, which had been tram^Dled to death by his horse's feet. — 

 In a few minutes they will beat the whole nuts from a tree with their wings, 

 while all is a scramble, both above and below, for the same. They have the 

 same cooing notes common to domestic Pigeons, but much less of their 

 gesticulations. In some flocks you will find nothing but young ones, v/hich 

 are easily distinguishable by their motley dress. In others, they will be 

 mostly females ; and again, great multitudes of males, with few or no females. 

 I cannot account for this in any other way than that, during the tim.e of 

 incubation, the males are exclusively engaged in procuring food, both for 

 themselves and their mates ; and the young, being unable yet to undertake 

 these extensive excursions, associate together accordingly. But, even in 

 winter, I know of several species of birds who separate in this manner,, 

 particularly the Ecd-v/inged Starling, among whom thousands of old males 

 may be found, with few or no young or females along with them. 



" Stragglers from these immense armies settle in almost every part of the 

 country, particularly among the beech woods, and in the pine and hemlock 

 woods of the eastern and northern parts of the conthient. Mr. Pennant 

 informs us, that they breed near Moose Fort, at Hudson's Bay, in N. lat. 

 51°, and I myself have seen the remains of a large breeding place as far- 

 south as the country of the Choctaws, in lat. 32^. In the former of these' 

 places they are said to remain until December ; from which cit'cumstance, 

 it is evident that they are not regular in their migrations, like many other 

 species, but rove about, as scarcity of food urges them. Every spring, 

 however, as well as fall, more or less of them arc seen in the neighborhood 

 of Philadelphia ; but it is only once in several years that they appear in such 

 ftirmidable bodies ; and this commonly when the snows are heavy to the- 

 north, the' winter here more than usually mild, and acorns, &c., abundant. 



"The Passenger Pigeon is sixteen inches long, and twenty-four inches in 

 extent ; bill, black ; nostril, covered by a high rounding protuberance ; eye, 

 brilliant fiery orange ; orbit or space surrounding it, purplish flesh-colored 

 skin ; head, upper part of the neck, and chin, a fine slate blue, lightest on 

 the chin ; throat, breast, and sides, as far as the thighs, a reddish hazel ; 

 Ib-wer part of the neck, and sides of the same, resplendent changeable gold, 

 green, and purplish crimson, the latter most predominant ; the ground color, 

 slate ; the plumage of this part is of a peculiar structure, ragged at the ends ; 

 belly and vent, white'; lower part of the breast, fading into a pale vinaceous 

 red ; thighs, the same ; legs and feet, lake, seamed with white ; back, rump, 

 and tail-coverts, dark slate, spotted on the shoulders xnth a few scattered' 

 marks of black ; the scapulars tinged with brown ; greater coverts, light 

 slate ; primaries and secondaries, dull black, the former tipped and edged" 

 iritli brownisli white ;, tail, long, and greatly cuneiform, all the feathc3S- 



