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 New York, and those birds 
sold for a cent a piece. I knewa 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. 
““T 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 te 
the ground.” 
