420 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1911. 
described by the birds, in their efforts to escape from the dreaded 
talons of the plunderer, are undeviatingly followed by the next group 
that comes up. Should the bystander happen to witness one of 
these affrays, and, struck with the rapidity and elegance of the 
motions exhibited, feel desirous of seeing them repeated, his wishes 
will be gratified if he only remain in the place until the next group 
comes up. 
It may not, perhaps, be out of place to attempt an estimate of the 
number of pigeons contained in one of those mighty flocks, and of 
the quantity of food daily consumed by its members. The inquiry 
will tend to show the astonishing bounty of the great Author of 
Nature in providing for the wants of His creatures. Let us take a 
column of 1 mile in breadth, which is far below the average size, and 
suppose it passing over us without interruption for three hours, at 
the rate mentioned above of 1 mile in the minute. This will give 
us a parallelogram of 180 miles by 1, covering 180 square miles. 
Allowing 2 pigeons to the square yard, we have 1,115,136,000 pigeons 
in one flock. As every pigeon daily consumes fully half a pint of 
food, the quantity necessary for supplying this vast multitude must 
be 8,712,000 bushels per day. 
As soon as the pigeons discover a sufficiency of food to entice 
them to alight, they fly round in circles, reviewing the country 
below. During their evolutions, on such occasions, the dense mass 
which they form exhibits a beautiful appearance, as it changes its 
direction, now displaying a glistening sheet of azure, when the backs 
of the birds come simultaneously into view, and anon, suddenly pre- 
senting a mass’ of rich deep purple. They then pass lower, over the 
woods, and for a moment are lost among the foliage, but again 
emerge, and are seen gliding aloft. They now alight, but the next 
moment, as if suddenly alarmed, they take to wing, producing by the 
flappings of their wings a noise like the roar of distant thunder, and 
sweep through the forests to see if danger is near. Hunger, however, 
soon brings them to the ground. When alighted, they are seen indus- 
triously throwing up the withered leaves in quest of the fallen mast. 
The rear ranks are continually rising, passing over the main body, 
and alighting in front, in such rapid succession, that the whole flock 
seems stillonthe wing. The quantity of ground thus swept is astonish- 
ing, and so completely has it been cleared, that the gleaner who 
might follow in their rear would find his labor completely lost. 
Whilst feeding, their avidity is at times so great that in attempting 
to swallow a large acorn or nut they are seen gasping for a long 
while, as if in the agonies of suffocation. 
On such occasions, when the woods are filled with these pigeons, 
they are killed in immense numbers, although no apparent diminu- 
tionensues. About the middle of the day, after their repast is finished, 
