182 PASSENGER TURTLE. 



passed for several miles through this same breeding- 

 place, where every tree was spotted with nests, the 

 remains of those above described. In many instances 

 I counted upwards of ninety nests on a single tree, 

 but the pigeons had abandoned this place for ano- 

 ther, sixty or eighty miles off towards Green River, 

 where they were said at that time to be equally nu- 

 merous. From the great numbers that were con- 

 stantly passing over our head to or from that quar- 

 ter, I had no doubt of the truth of this statement. 

 The mast had been chiefly consumed in Kentucky : 

 and the pigeons, every morning, a little before sun- 

 rise, set out for the Indiana territory, the nearest 

 part of which was about sixty miles distant. Many 

 of these returned before 10 o'clock, and the great 

 body generally appeared on their return a little after 

 noon. I had left the public road to visit the re- 

 mains of the breeding-place near Shelbyville, and was 

 traversing the woods with my gun, on my way to 

 Frankfort, when, about 1 o'clock, the pigeons which 

 I had observed flying the greater part of the morning 

 northerly, began to return, in such immense num- 

 bers as I never before had witnessed. Coming to 

 an opening by the side of a creek, called the Benson, 

 where I had a more uninterrupted view, I was asto- 

 nished at their appearance. They were flying with 

 great steadiness and rapidity, at a height beyond gun- 

 shot, in several strata deep, and so close together, 

 that, could shot have reached them, one discharge 

 could not have failed of bringing down several indi- 



