22 The Passenger Pigeon 



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, which 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 time of incu- 

 bation, the males are exclusively engaged in procuring 

 food, both for themselves and their mates, and the 

 young, being yet unable 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 red-winged 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 continent. Mr. 

 Pennant informs us that they breed near Moose Fort, 

 at Hudson's Bay, in N. latitude 51 degrees, and I 

 myself have seen the remains of a large breeding place 

 as far south as the country of the Choctaws, in latitude 

 32 degrees. In the former of these places they are said 

 to remain until December; from which circumstance it 

 is evident that they are not regular in their migrations 



