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by the Beech-nuts, which constitute the chief food of the Wild 

 Pigeon. " It sometimes happens, that having consumed the whole 

 produce of the beech trees in an extensive district, they discover 

 another at the distance of perhaps sixty or eighty miles, to which 

 they regularly repair every morning, and return as regularly in the 

 course of the day, or in the evening, to the place of general ren- 

 dezvous, or, as it is usually called, the roosting-place. When they 

 have frequented one of these places for some time, the appearance 

 it exhibits is surprising ; the ground is covered to the depth of several 

 inches v/ith their dung, and the tender grass and underwood de- 

 stroyed ; the surface strewed with large limbs of trees, broken down 

 by the weight of these birds clustering one above another — and the 

 trees themselves, for thousands of acres, killed as completely as if 

 girdled with an axe. The marks of this desolation remain for many 

 years on the spot ; and numerous places could be pointed out, 

 where, for several years after, scarcely a single vegetable made its 

 appearance." 



The flight of the Wild Pigeon is estimated at the rate of a mile 

 in a minute. I have been informed by ship-masters, that they have 

 occasionally seen large flocks of pigeons drifting about at sea. The 

 supposition is, that they have lost their way, or have been driven 

 out to sea, and becoming fatigued, have alighted on the water, and 

 perished. 



The nest is formed of a few dry sticks, put together with but 

 little attention to its structure. The eggs, two in number, are pure 

 white. 



I have heard frequent controversies relative to the number of eggs 

 deposited by the Wild Pigeon. I can assure those who are of opinion 

 that it Jays but one egg, that the number is as stated above, though 

 generally but one young bird is found in the nest. This is ac- 

 counted for by the inequality of the hatching ; one usually precedes 

 the other a few days — and the remaining egg or young, as soon as 

 it appears, is thrown from the nest by the first comer. 



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