THE PASSENGER PIGEON—-KALM AND AUDUBON. 423 
in Louisiana, I saw congregated flocks of these birds as numerous as 
ever I had seen them before, during a residence of nearly 30 years in 
the United States. : 
The breeding of the wild pigeons, and the places chosen for that pur- 
pose are points of great interest. The time is not much influenced by 
season, and the place selected is where food is most plentiful and 
most attainable, and always at a convenient distance from water. 
Forest trees of great height are those in which the pigeons form their 
nests. Thither the countless myriads resort, and prepare to fulfill 
one of the great laws of nature. At this period the note of the 
pigeon is a soft coo-coo-coo-coo, much shorter than that of the 
domestic species. The common notes resemble the monosyllables 
kee-kee-kee-kee, the first being the loudest, the others gradually 
diminishing in power. The male assumes a pompous demeanor, and 
follows the female whether on the ground or on the branches, with 
spread tail and drooping wings, which it rubs against the part over 
which it is moving. The body is elevated, the throat swells, the eyes 
sparkle. He continues his notes and now and then rises on the wing, 
and flies a few yards to approach the fugitive and timorous female. 
Like the domestic pigeon and other species, they caress each other by 
billing, in which action, the bill of the one is introduced transversely 
into that of the other, and both parties alternately disgorge the 
contents of their crop by repeated efforts. These preliminary affairs 
are soon settled, and the pigeons commence their nests in general 
peace and harmony. They are composed of a few dry twigs, crossing 
each other, and are supported by forks of the branches. On the same 
tree from 50 to 100 nests may frequently be seen: I might say a much 
greater number were I not anxious, kind reader, that however won- 
derful my account of the wild pigeon is, you may not feel disposed to 
refer it to the marvelous. The eggs are two! in number, of a broadly 
elliptical form, and pure white. During incubation, the male supplies 
the female with food. Indeed, the tenderness and affection dis- 
played by these birds toward their mates, are in the highest degree 
striking. It is a remarkable fact, that each brood generally consists 
of a male and a female. 
Here, again, the tyrant of the creation, man, interferes, disturbing 
the harmony of this peaceful scene. As the younger birds grow up, 
their enemies, armed with axes, reach the spot, to seize and destroy 
all they can. The trees are felled, and made to fall in such a way that 
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 described above; 
in other words, the old bird introduces its bill into the mouth of the 
1 Later observers report that in fully half the nests only one egg was deposited.—Ed. 
