202 SMALL ANIMALS AND INSECTS. [Chap. IL 



who has never seen a pigeon-roost or a nesting-place, the trutli will seem 

 almost as fabulous as the tales of Sinbatl the sailor. Yet it is far within the 

 bounds of truth to say that we have seen many millions of wild pigeons at 

 once, or at least as soon as wc could direct our eyes upon them. We have 

 seen them on theii* evening flight toward the roosting-place, in one unbroken 

 flock, two miles wide, and two hours' continuance. AVe have ridden two 

 hours in a straight line tlu'ough a pigeou-roost at least seven miles wide. 

 We have seen upon a single beech-tree many wagon-loads. At one time a 

 little section of the main flock got belated in reaching the roosting-place, 

 and settled in a heavy beech wood near our house in Indiana, and: the noise 

 tlicy made resembled a terrific tornado ; and they piled on to the trees in 

 such numbers that all the weak limbs were broken ofl', and hundreds of 

 largo trees, such as stood leaning, and were weak at the roots, were entirely 

 broken down. We spent hours of the evening in that temporary roost, 

 witnessing thi.ir operations, and trying to imagine the vastness of the mul- 

 titude. There is great danger in visiting siich a roost, from the falling 

 timber. In one long occupied, fill that is liable to break has been prostrated, 

 and there is less danger, so there is less commotion. They often sit so low, 

 and remain so quiet, that you may approach near enough to kill half a score 

 at a blow. A charge of shot sent into a full tree brings down a great 

 number. When they alight upon a tree that breaks under the mass, they 

 fly and light upon the backs of others already loading a tree all it can bear, 

 and so the additional weight perhaps produces a second crash, and sometimes 

 crash after crash, almost without cessation. That M'as the case upon the 

 evening mentioned. The breaking commenced at dusk, when they began 

 alighting, and continued imtil we left at midnight. In the morning about 

 two hundred acres were literally covered with broken timber. 



A pigeon nesting-place is a still greater curiosity than a pigeon-roost. It 

 covers hundreds of acres of dense forest, and every tree is covered with nests 

 almost as closely as the birds can build them, by laying a few loose twigs 

 together among the branches. It is an easy matter to load a wagon with 

 squabs. Often they fall out of the frail nests, and fall a prey to wild animals 

 and wood hogs. Audubon gives a very truthful picture of the immense 

 numbers of wild pigeons in the great West. To us it is the more interest- 

 ing, because we know it to be true. 



Those who have read Audubon, or others who have written accounts of 

 pigeon-roosts, and can believe the truth, will be able to realize the extent of 

 the trade we have spoken of. 



Having now, we hope, said enough about birds to create an interest in 

 their behalf, and induce a study of their character, and their value to the 

 farmer, we shall leave the subject for another, which, though about small 

 things, is of great importance to all om- readers. 



