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 1 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. 



