A PIGEON HUNT ON THE OHIO. 307 



with ordure have retired beyond the borders of the roost 

 to rest themselves for the night, their ground is occupied 

 bj the prowling wolf and fox ; the racoon and cougar , 

 the lynx, and the great black bear. 



With so many enemies, one would think that the " pas 

 sengers" would soon be exterminated. Not so. They are 

 too prolific for that. Indeed, were it not for these ene- 

 mies, they themselves would perish for want of food. 

 Fancy what it takes to feed them ! The flock seen by 

 Wilson would require eighteen million bushels every day / 

 and it most likely, was only one of many such that at the 

 time were traversing the vast continent of America. Upon 

 what do they feed, it will be asked ? Upon the fruits of 

 the great forest upon the acorns, the nuts of the beech, 

 upon buck- wheat, and Indian corn ; upon many species 

 of berries, such as the huckleberry (whortleberry,) the 

 hackberry (celtis crassifolia^) and the fruit of the holly. 

 In the northern regions, where these are scarce, the ber- 

 ries of the juniper tree (Juniperus communis) form the 

 principal food. On the other hand, among the southern 

 plantations, they devour greedily the rice, as well as the 

 nuts of the chesnut tree and several species of oaks. 

 But their staple food is the beechnut, or "mast," as it is 

 called. Of this the pigeons are fond, and fortunately it 

 exists in great plenty. In the forests of Western America 

 there are vast tracts covered almost entirely with the 



