I3S NATURAL AND CIVIL 



nccoimt of that state p. 179, 180. "The vast 

 *' flights of pigeons in this country seem incred- 

 *' ibie. But there is a large forest in Water- 

 *' ford, containing several hundred acres, which 

 *' has been killed in consequence of their light- 

 " ing upon it during the autumn of 1801. 

 " Such numbers lodsred UDon rhe trees that 



O I. 



*' they broke ofFlarge limbs ; and the gTound be- 

 *' low is covered, and in some places a foot 

 *' thick, V, ith their dung, which has not only 

 *' killed all the iuidergrov;th, but all the trees 

 **are dead as if they had been girdled." 



Tke above, he adds is confirmed 6y a letter 

 from the Rev. Mr. Story^ dated Marietta, June 

 3, 1803. *' I ha^'e visited two pigeon-roosts, 

 ** and ha^'c heard of a third. Those I have seen 

 *' are astonishing. One is supposed to cover 

 '' one thousand acres ; the other is still larger. 

 " The destruction of timber and brush on such 

 *' large tiacts of land by ,thesc small animals is 

 •' almost incredible. How many millions of 

 *' them must have assembled to effect it ! espe- 

 *' cially as it was done in the course of a few 

 *' weeks." The settlement of the country has 

 since set bounds to this luxurlancy of animal 

 life ; diminished the number of diese birds, and 

 drove them further to the northward. 



We have four species of Svv^ ALLOWS in this 

 part of America. 1. The house swallow. This 

 may be readily distinguished from the rest, by 

 the greater forkedness of its tail. It has also 

 a red spot upon its forehead ; and under its 

 chin. This species build their nests in chim- 

 neys. Their nests are made of small sticks, 

 cemented together, witii a kind of gum, and 



