BIRDS. 213 



The turtle-dove is a smaller, but a much shyer bird, than aiiy 

 of the former. It may easily be distinguished from the rest by 

 the iris of the eye, which is of a fine yellow, and by a beautiful 

 crimson circle that encompasses the eye-lids. The fidelity of 



roosting place. These roostinp places are always in the woods, and some- 

 times occupy a large extent of forest When they have frequented cue ot 

 tlii'so places for some time, the appearance it exhibits is surprising. The 

 ground is covered to the depth of several inches with their dung ; all the 

 tender grass and underwood destroyed ; the surface strewed with large 

 limbs of trees, broken down by the weight of the birds clustering one above 

 another : and the trees themselves, for thousands of acres, killed as com- 

 pletely as if girdled with an axe. The marks of tills desolation remain for 

 many years on the spot ; and numerous places could be pointed out, where, 

 fur several years after, scarce a single vegetable made its appearance. 



" When these roosts are first discovered, the inhabitantsirom considerable 

 distances, visit them in the night, with guns, clubs, long poles, pots of sul- 

 phur, and various other engines of destruction. In a few hours, they fill 

 many sacks, and load their horses with them. By the Indians, a pigeon roost 

 or breeding place, is considered an important source of national profit and 

 dependence for that season; and all their active ingenuity is exercised on 

 the occasion. The breeding place differs from the former in its greater ex. 

 tent. In the western countries above mentioned, these are generally in 

 beech woods, and often extend, in nearly a straight line, across the country 

 for a great way. Not far from Shelbyville, in the State of Kentucky, about 

 five years ago, tl'.ere was one of these breeding places, which stretched 

 through the woods in nearly a north and south direction ; was several 

 miles in breadth, and was said to be upwards of forty miles in extent I In 

 this tract, almost every tree was furnished with nests, wherever the 

 branches could accommodate them. The pigeons made their first appear- 

 ance there about the 10th of April, and left it altogether, with tlieir young, 

 before the 25th of May. 



" As soon as the young were fully grown, and before they left the nests, 

 numerous parties of the inliabitants, from all parts of the adjacent country, 

 came with waggons, axes, beds, cooking utensils, many of them accompanied 

 by the greater part of their families, and encamped for several days at this 

 immense nursery. Several of them informed me, that the noise in the 

 woods was so great as to terrify their horses, and that it was difficult for 

 Due person to hear another speak, without bawling in his ear. The ground 

 was strewed with broken limbs of trees, eggs, and young squab pigeons, 

 which had been precipitated from above, and on which herds of hogs were 

 fattening. Hawks, buzzards, and eagles, were sailing about in great num. 

 bers, and seizing the squabs from their nests at pleasure ; while, from 

 twenty feet upwards to the tops of the trees, the view through the woods 

 presented a perpetual tumult of crowding and fluttering multitudes of 

 pigeons, their wings roiiring like thunder, mingled with the frequent crash 

 of falling timber ; for now the axe-men were at work, cutting down those 

 trees that seemed to be most crowded with nests, and contrived to lell them 

 in such a manner, that, in their descent, they might bring down several 

 others ; by wliich means thu falling of <inc large tree sometimes produced 



