324 



PASSENGER PIGEON. 



ORDER IV. COLUMBINE, 

 XIX. PIGEON. Geju Birds, XL.. 



187. Pas-senger. Tjgeon, Jojeljin't P^oy.ggi 



Wild Pigeon, LatJii/on, 140,-— ^i/w. ii. Szj. 

 Pigeon of Paflage, Catefiy, i. tab. 23. 

 Wood Pigeon, Du Pratx, ii. 88.. 

 Columba Migratoria,, Lin. Syjl. 285. 



Le Pigeon fauvage d'Amerique, Bri£on, i. 100.— 27* Bufon, Oif. ii. ^z;.-—- 

 Lev.Mus. — Bl. Mus. 



P 



With a black bill :: red iridfest head, and hind part and fides 

 • of the neckj.of a flaty blue;, on each of the laft a large fhining 

 golden fpot : coverts of the wings of a dark blueifh grey, marked with' 

 a few black fpots : quil feathers brown : tail of a great length, and: 

 cuneiform : the middle feathers dufky grey, the next paler,, the out- 

 moft white. Weight nine ounces. 

 Manners. Thefe birds viflt the provinces o^ North America in moft amazing: 



numbers every hard winter. They appear in greater or lefler num-^ 

 bers,. according to the mildnefs or feverity of feafon ; for whea; 

 the weather proves mild, few or none are feen in the fouthern parts*. 

 Neceffity alone obliges them to> change their quarters, infearch of' 

 Food. acorns,, maft,. and berries,, which, the warmer provinces yield in vaft: 



abundance. When, they alight, the ground, is foon cleared of all; 

 efculent fruits,, to the great lofs- of the hog, and other maft-eating 

 animals- When they have devoured^ every thing which has fallen on; 

 the furface, they form themfelves into a great perpendical column,, 

 and by rotation keep flying among the boughs of the trees, from> 

 top to bottomj beating down. the acorns with their wings, and fome^ 



or- 



