VOl '5il VI11 ] Kalm, Wild Pigeons in North America. 63 



those which the plough has not sunk sufficiently deep. In order 

 to prevent such a damage boys as well as others are seen at this 

 season of the year running around armed with guns and other 

 "contraptions," to kill or scare them away. On such occasions, 

 however, they are not in general particularly timid, especially 

 the young ones, so that when a few of them have been shot at a 

 stack, the others oftentimes fly away only a short distance to 

 another stack, and hence the gunner, albeit he has made some 

 lucky shots, generally becomes exhausted before the birds become 

 scared. In Pennsylvania this species of grain, as well as the Rye, 

 commonly ripens about midsummer (old style), and sometimes 

 earlier; but further North it ripens later. 



Buckwheat they are also very fond of, and levy considerable 

 tribute on it. The Buckwheat matures in Pennsylvania in the 

 middle of September, old style. 



The berries of the Tupelo or Sour-gum tree (Nyssa), they also 

 consume with great avidity. In Pennsylvania these ripen in 

 September. This tree does not grow in Canada. 



Acorns. — Most forests in North America consist of oak, of 

 which arboreal genus there are several species; of these the greater 

 part have nearly every year a great number of acorns which in the 

 autumn fall off in such quantities that quite often the ground 

 below the oaks is covered by them one hand high and sometimes 

 more. These serve as food for several kinds of animals and birds, 

 as for instance Squirrels of several species, Forest Mice, Wild 

 Pigeons, &c, in addition to which, in places inhabited by Euro- 

 peans, they serve as the staple food of hogs during the greater 

 part of the year. During certain years the numberless swarms 

 of Wild Pigeons already described come to Pennsylvania and the 

 other English Provinces, in search of these acorns. In Pennsyl- 

 vania and other localities in North America the acorns mature 

 in September and the following months. 



They are also very fond of Beech-nuts. There is a great abun- 

 dance of beech-trees in Canada, but further south they grow 

 somewhat more sparsely. In Canada the nuts become ripe in the 

 middle of September. These, together with acorns, constitute the 

 principal food of the Pigeons during the entire latter part of the 

 fall and throughout the winter. 



