10 PASSENGER PIGEON. 



are shot while in this situation. A person told me, that he once 

 rode furiously into one of these rolling multitudes, and picked 

 up thirteen Pigeons, which had been trampled to death by his 

 horse's feet. In a few minutes they will beat the whole nuts 

 from a tree with their wings; while all is a scramble, both above 

 and below, for the same. They have the same cooing notes 

 common to domestic Pigeons; but much less of their gesticula- 

 tions. In some flocks you will find nothing but young ones, 

 which are easily distinguishable by their motley dress. In 

 others they will be mostly females; and again great multitudes 

 of males, with few or no females. I cannot account for this in 

 any other way than that during the time of incubation the males 

 are exclusively engaged in procuring food, both for themselves 

 and their mates; and the young being unable yet to undertake 

 these extensive excursions, associate together accordingly. But 

 even in winter I know of several species of birds who separate 

 in this manner, particularly the Red-winged Starling, among 

 whom thousands of old males may be found, with few or no 

 young or females along with them. 



Stragglers from these immense armies settle in almost every 

 part of the country, particularly among the beech woods, and 

 in the pine and hemlock woods of the eastern and northern 

 parts of the continent. Mr. Pennant informs us, that they breed 

 near Moose fort at Hudson's Bay, in N. lat. 51, and I myself 

 have seen the remains of a large breeding place as far south as 

 the country of the Chactaws, in lat. 32. In the former of these 

 places they are said to remain until December; from which cir- 

 cumstance it is evident that they are not regular in their migra- 

 tions, like many other species, but rove about, as scarcity of 

 food urges them. Every spring, however, as well as fall, more 

 or less of them are seen in the neighbourhood of Philadelphia; 

 but it is only once in several years that they appear in such for- 

 midable bodies; and this commonly when the snows are heavy 

 to the north, the winter here more than usually mild, and acorns, 

 &c. abundant. 



The Passenger Pigeon is sixteen inches long, and twenty -four 



