AVES— PIGEON. 583 



each had as many as could possibly be disposed of; and afterwards the hogs 

 and dogs were let loose to feed on the remainder. 



"Persons unacquainted with these birds must naturally conclude, that such 

 dreadful havoc must soon put an end to the species ; but this is very far from 

 being the case, for by long observation I have satisfied myself, that, as they 

 not unfrequently quadruple their numbers yearly, always, at least, double it, 

 nothing but the gradual diminution of our forests can accomplish their de- 

 crease. In 1805, I have seen schooners loaded in bulk with pigeons caught 

 up the Hudson River, coming into the wharf at Ncav York, and those birds 

 sold for a cent a piece. I knew a man in Pennsylvania, who caught and 

 killed upwards of five hundred dozen in a clap-net in a day, sweeping some- 

 times twenty dozen or more at one haul. 



" I have also seen the negroes at the United States' Salines, or salt- 

 works, of Shawnee Town, wearied with killing pigeons, as they alighted 

 to drink water issuing from the leading pipes, for weeks at times ; and yet, 

 in 1826, in Louisiana, I saw congregated flocks of those birds as numerous 

 as ever I had seen them before, during a residence of nearly thirty years in 

 the United States. 



"The breeding of the wild pigeons, and the places chosen for that pur- 

 pose, are points of great interest. As I have said before, the time set apart 

 for this is not influenced by climate or season, but generally takes place 

 where and when food is most plentiful and most attainable, and always at a 

 convenient distance from the water, and in high timbered forests. The spot 

 generally chosen is not, like that above described, a scene of confusion and 

 death, but one where, it is no exaggeration to say, the tenderest affection 

 seems to prevail. To this place these countless myriads of pigeons fly and 

 settle to coo, and, with parental care, begin their nests in general peace and 

 harmony. On the same tree, from fifty to one hundred nests may be seen, 

 formed of slight materials, being only composed of a few dried twigs, cross- 

 ed in different ways, supported by suitable forks in the branches from the 

 lowest to the highest, and each mate partakes in the task of incubation. 

 The females lay two white eggs each, proportioned to the size of the bird, 

 and, as they sit the greater portion of this precious time, the males feed 

 them from bill to bill, with amorous tenderness and care. 



" The young are hatched, and would grow and leave the nest in course of 

 time, did not man discover the place, and commence his work of devasta- 

 tion. Armed with axes, their enemies reach the spot, to seize and destroy 

 all they can. The trees are felled, and are made to fall in such a way, that 

 the cutting of one causes the fall of one or two more, or shakes others in 

 such a manner, that the squabs, or young pigeons, are violently hurried to 

 the ground." 



