260 ' PASSENGER PIGEON. 



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

 females. I cannot account for this in any other way than that during 

 the time 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 accord- 

 ingly. But even in winter I know of several species of birds who sepa- 

 rate 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. 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 circumstance it is evident that they are not regular in their mi- 

 grations, 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 are seen in the neighborhood of Philadelphia ; but it is only once 

 in several years that they appear in such formidable 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 ; lower part of the neck and sides of the same resplendent 

 changeable gold, green and purplish crimson, the latter most predomi- 

 nant ; 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, spot- 

 tered on the shoulders with a few scattered marks of black ; the scapu- 

 lars tinged with brown ; greater coverts light slate ; primaries and se- 

 condaries dull black, the former tipped and edged with brownish white ; 

 tail long, and greatly cuneiform, all the feathers tapering towards the 

 point, the two middle ones plain deep black, the other five, on each side, 

 hoary white, lightest near the tips, deepening into bluish near the bases, 

 where each is crossed on the inner vane with a broad spot of black, and 

 nearer the root with another of ferruginous ; primaries edged with 

 white ; bastard wing black. 



The female is about half an inch shorter, and an inch less in extent ; 



