ir THE STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE 31 



American naturalist, Alexander Wilson, will be read with 

 interest: — 



" Not far from Shelbyville, in the State of Kentucky, 

 about five years ago, there was one of these breeding-j^laces, 

 which stretched through the woods in nearly a north and 

 south direction, Avas several miles in breadth, and Avas said to 

 be upwards of 40 miles in extent. In this tract almost 

 every tree was furnished with nests wherever the branches 

 could accommodate them. The pigeons made their fii^st 

 appearance there about the 10th of AjDril, and left it 

 altogether with their young before the 25th of JMay. As 

 soon as the young were fully gi'o-nTi and before they left the 

 nests, numerous parties of the inhabitants from all parts of 

 the adjacent country came with waggons, axes, beds, cooking 

 utensils, many of them accompanied by the greater part of 

 their families, and encamped for several days at this immense 

 nursery. Several of them informed me that the noise was 

 so great as to terrify their horses, and that it was diflScult for 

 one person to hear another without bawling in his ear. The 

 ground was strewed with broken limbs of trees, eggs, and 

 young squab pigeons, which had been precipitated from above, 

 and on which herds of hogs were fattening. Hawks, buzzards, 

 and eagles were sailing about in great numbers, and seizing 

 the scjuabs from the nests at pleasure ; while, from 20 feet 

 upwards to the top of the trees, the view through the woods 

 presented a perpetual tumult of crowding and fluttering 

 multitudes of pigeons, their Agings roaring like thunder, 

 mingled Avith the frec^uent crash of falling timber ; for now 

 the axemen Avere at Avork cutting doAvn those trees that seemed 

 most crowded Avith nests, and contriA^ed to fell them in such 

 a manner, that in their descent they might bring doAVTi several 

 others ; by Avhich means the falling of one large tree some- 

 times produced 200 squabs little inferior in size to the old 

 birds, and almost one heap of fat. On some single trees 

 upwards of a hundred nests Avere found, each containing one 

 squab only ; a circumstance in the history of the bird not 

 generally knoAA^n to naturalists.^ It Avas dangerous to Avalk 



' Later observers have proved that two eggs are laid and usually two 

 j'oung produced, but it may be that in most cases only one of these comes to 

 maturity. 



