C. H. Merriam Birds of Connecticut. 97 



alighted everywhere, one above another, until solid masses were 

 formed on the branches all around. Mere and there the perches gave 

 way under the weight with a crash, and, falling to the ground, de- 

 stroyed hundreds of the birds beneath, forcing down the dense groups 

 with which every stick was loaded. It was a scene of uproar and 

 confusion. I found it quite useless to speak, or even to shout to 

 those persons who were nearest to me. Even the reports of the guns 

 were seldom heard, and I was made aware of the firing only by 



seeing the shooters reloading The Pigeons were constantly 



coming, and it was past midnight before I perceived a decrease in 



the number of those that arrived Towards the approach of 



day the noise in some measure subsided ; long before objects were 

 distinguishable the Pigeons began to move off in a direction quite 

 different from that in which they had arrived the evening before ; 

 and at sunrise all that were able to fly had disappeared. The howl- 

 ing of the wolves now reached our ears, and the foxes, lynxes, cou- 

 gars, bears, racoons, opossums, and pole-cats were seen sneaking off, 

 whilst Eagles and Hawks of different species, accompanied by a 

 crowd of Vultures, came to supplant them, and enjoy their share of 

 the spoil." Two farmers, "distant more than a hundred miles, had 

 driven upwards of three hundred pigs to be fattened on the Pigeons 

 which were to be slaughtered."* 



" Audubon attempts to reckon the number of Pigeons in one of 

 these flocks, and the daily quantity of food consumed by it. He 

 takes, as an example, a column of one mile in breadth, and supposes 

 it passing over us, without interruption, for three hours, at the rate 

 of one mile per minute. This will give us a parallelogram of 180 

 miles by 1, averaging 180 square miles; and allowing two Pigeons 

 to the square yard, we have one billion one hundred and fifteen mil- 

 lions one hundred and thirty-six thousand Pigeons in one flock : and 

 as every Pigeon consumes fully half a pint per day, the quantity 

 required to feed such a flock must be eight millions seven hundred 

 and twelve thousand bushels per day !"f 



" Indeed, for a time," Nuttall correctly remarks, "in many places 

 nothing scarcely is seen, talked of, or eaten, but Pigeons!" 



* The Birds of America, by John James Audubon, vol. v, pp. 29-30. 

 f Wilson, ibid, Appendix, vol. iv, p. 323. 



TRANS. CONN. Ac AD., VOL. IY. 13 AUG., 1877. 



