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 still on the 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- 

 tion ensues. About the middle of the day, after their repast is finished, 



