° 1911 J Wright, Early Records of the Passenger Pigeon. 355 



remember to have seen ten doves since I came into the country: 

 they were all turtles, as appeared by divers of them we killed flying, 

 somewhat bigger than those of Europe, and they flew from the 

 north-east, to the south-west; but what it portends, I know not." 



In 1634 we find the first extended notice of the pigeons of New 

 England. Wood describes them at some length: 1 "The Pigeon of 

 that Countrey, is something different from our Dove-house Pig- 

 eons in England, being more like Turtles, of the same colour; 

 but they have long tayles like a Magpie: And they seeme not so 

 bigge, because they carry not so many feathers on their backes as 

 our English Doves, yet are they as bigge in body. These Birds 

 come into the Countrey, to goe to North parts in the beginning 

 of our Spring, at which time (if I may be counted worthy, to be 

 believed in a thing that is not so strange as true) I have seene them 

 fly as if the Ayerie regiment had beene Pigeons; seeing neyther 

 beginning nor ending, length, or breadth of these Millions of 

 Millions. The shouting of people, the ratling of Gunnes, and 

 pelting of small shotte could not drive them out of their course, 

 but so they continued for foure or five houres together: yet it must 

 not be concluded, that it is thus often; for it is but at the beginning 

 of the Spring, and at Michaelmas, when they returne backe to the 

 Southward; yet are there some all the yeare long, which are easily 

 attayned by such as looke after them. Many of them build 

 amongst the Pine-trees, thirty miles to the North-east of our 

 plantations; joyning nest to nest, and tree to tree by their nests, 

 so that the Sunne never sees the ground in that place, from whence 

 the Indians fetch whole loades of them." 



In the well known 'New English Canaan' (Amsterdam, 1637), 

 by Thomas Morton, he in his general survey of the country says 

 it 2 "Contained . . . .Millions of Turtledoves one the greene boughes, 

 which sate pecking of the full ripe pleasant grapes that were sup- 

 ported by the lusty trees, whose fruitfull loade did cause the armes 

 to bend." Six years later (1643), Roger Williams's 'Key into the 

 Language of America ' appeared in London. 3 Of the "Wuskowhan- 



1 Wood, William. New Englands Prospect. London, 1634. Prince Society 

 Publications, Vol. I, 1865, p. 31, 32. 



- Prince Soc. Publications, Vol. XIV. p. ISO. 



3 Colls. R. I. Hist. Soc, Vol. I, p. S7; also Mass. Hist. Soc. Coll., First Series, 

 Vol. Ill, p. 220. 



