The Passenger Pigeon 19 



with such ease and elegance of evolution, forming new 

 figures, and varying these as they united or separated, 

 that I never was tired of contemplating them. Some- 

 times a hawk would make a sweep on a particular part 

 of the column from a great height, when, almost as 

 quick as lightning, that part shot downwards out of the 

 common track, but soon rising again, continued advanc- 

 ing at the same height as before. This inflection was 

 continued by those behind, who, on arriving at this 

 point, dived down, almost perpendicularly, to a great 

 depth, and rising, followed the exact path of those that 

 went before. As these vast bodies passed over the river 

 near me, the surface of the water, which was before 

 smooth as glass, appeared marked with innumerable 

 dimples, occasioned by the dropping of their dung, re- 

 sembling the commencement of a shower of large drops 

 of rain or hail. 



Happening to go ashore one charming afternoon, to 

 purchase some milk at a house that stood near the river, 

 and while talking with the people within doors, I was 

 suddenly struck with astonishment at a loud rushing 

 roar, succeeded by instant darkness, which, on the first 

 moment, I took for a tornado about to overwhelm the 

 house and everything around in destruction. The peo- 

 ple, observing my surprise, coolly said: "It is only the 

 pigeons"; and on running out I beheld a flock, thirty or 

 forty yards in width, sweeping along very low between 

 the house and the mountain, or height, that formed the 



