AMERICAN PIGEONS. 57 



The numbers of these birds which associate in 

 their breeding- places almost surpass belief; but the 

 facts are too well authenticated to admit of any 

 doubt. These breeding-places are always in the 

 woods, and sometimes occupy a large extent of 

 forest. " When they have frequented," says Wil- 

 son, " one of these places for some time, the ap- 

 pearance it exhibits is surprising. The ground is 

 covered to the depth of several inches with their 

 dung ; all the tender grass and underwood destroyed ; 

 the surface strewed with large limbs of trees, broken 

 down by the weight of the birds clustering one above 

 another ; and ftie 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 could be pointed 

 out where for several years after scarce a single 

 vegetable made its appearance. By the Indians, 

 a pigeon-roost or breeding-place is considered an 

 important source of national profit and dependance. 

 The breeding-place differs from the former in its 

 greater extent. In the western countries above 

 mentioned, these are generally in beech woods, and 

 often extend in nearly a straight line across the 

 country for a great way. Not far from Shelby ville, 

 in the State of Kentucky, about five years ago, there 

 was one of these breeding-places, which stretched 

 through the woods nearly in a north and south di- 

 rection ; was several miles in breadth, and was said 

 to be upward of forty miles in extent ! In this tract 

 almost every tree was furnished with nests, wher- 

 ever the branches could accommodate them. The 

 pigeons made their first appearance there about the 

 10th of April, and left it altogether, with their young, 

 before the 25th of May. As soon as the young were 

 fully grown, and before they left their nests, numer- 

 ous parties of the inhabitants from all parts of the 

 adjacent country came with wagons, axes, beds, 

 cooking utensils, many of them accompanied by the 



