38 The Passenger Pigeon 



axes, reach the spot, to seize and destroy all they can. 

 The trees are felled, and made to fall in such a way 

 th^t the cutting of one causes the overthrow of another, 

 or shakes the neighboring trees so much, that the young 

 pigeons, or squabs, as they are named, are violently 

 hurled to the ground. In this manner, also, immense 

 quantities are destroyed. 



The young are fed by the parents in the manner de- 

 scribed above; in other words, the old bird introduces 

 its bill into the mouth of the young one in a transverse 

 manner, or with the back of each mandible opposite the 

 separations of the mandibles of the young bird, and dis- 

 gorges the contents of its crop. As soon as the young 

 birds are able to shift for themselves, they leave their 

 parents, and continue separate until they attain matu- 

 rity. By the end of six months they are capable of 

 reproducing their species. 



The flesh of the wild pigeon is of a dark color, but 

 affords tolerable eating. That of young birds from the 

 nest is much esteemed. The skin is covered with small 

 white filmy scales. The feathers fall off at the least 

 touch, as has been remarked to be the case in the Caro- 

 lina Turtle. I have only to add that this species, like 

 others of the same genus, immerses its head up to the 

 eyes while drinking. 



In March, 1830, I bought about three hundred and 

 fifty of these birds in the market of New York, at four 

 cents apiece. Most of these I carried alive to England, 



