1911 J Wiught, Early Records of the Passenger Pigeon. 433 



of the year the trees are literally covered with flocks of wild pigeons 

 (Columba migratoria)." 



In 1842, J. S. Buckingham writes at considerable length about 

 this bird. He quoted Wilson's, Catesby's and Hinton's accounts, 

 the first two of which are well known biologic sources and are there- 

 fore omitted. The last we retain because not so widely quoted. 

 At Virginia Springs, August, Buckingham found 1 "The wood- 

 pigeon was also more numerous than we had before observed it; 

 and we were told, that sometimes their numbers here exceeded 

 all belief." 



"Hinton's account of these birds is as striking and as accurate 

 as either of the preceding. 'The most remarkable characteristic 

 of these birds is their associating together, both in their migrations, 

 and during the period of incubation, in such prodigious numbers, 

 as almost to surpass belief, and certainly to have no parallel among 

 any other of the feathered tribes on the face of the earth, with 

 which naturalists are acquainted. Their roosting-places are 

 always in the woods, and sometimes occupy a large extent of forest. 

 When they have frequented one of these places for some time, the 

 ground is covered several inches deep with their dung; all the 

 tender grass and underwood destroyed; the surface is coyered 

 with large limbs of trees, broken down by the weight of the 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 can be pointed out, where, for several years 

 afterwards, scarcely a single vegetable made its appearance. 

 When these roosts are first discovered, the inhabitants from con- 

 siderable distances visit them in the night with guns, clubs, long 

 poles, pots of sulphur, and various of other engines of destruction; 

 and in a few hours they fill many sacks, and load their horses with 

 the birds. The breeding-places are of greater extent than the 

 roosts. In the western countries they are generally in beech-woods, 

 and often extend, nearly in a straight line across the country, a great 

 way. Not far from Shelby ville, in the state of Kentucky — once 

 included within the boundary of Virginia — a few years ago, there 



1 Buckingham, J. S. The Slave States of America, 2 vols., London and Paris, 

 1842, Vol. II, pp. 330-332. 



