WILD PIGEONS AND DOVES 343 



gray trunks of dead trees, and the pigeons flew out 

 from the woods to their branches, and, after surveying 

 the ground for a moment, dropped into the bushes to 

 feed on the purple berries. After observing them for 

 a time at the fence, I noticed that most of the birds 

 came in at one corner of the field and I took my stand 

 there in perfect concealment among the thistles. From 

 my blind I soon saw a flock of pigeons coming from the 

 forest on swift pinions, and as they passed I gave them 

 both barrels and killed several of them. A single bird 

 followed, throwing his weight into his downward flight. 

 But at the report of the gun he fell far out into the 

 thistles. I never made a better shot, since the bird 

 attempted to pass behind my back, and was a right- 

 hander. The flight continued for several hours, begin- 

 ning early in the day. My shooting at birds coming in 

 alarmed those which had arrived from other directions, 

 and which were on the ground feeding, and these flew 

 up to the branches of the dead trees, and then left for 

 the woods, often passing within range. At times the 

 shooting was very rapid. 



Toward the middle of the day the flight slackened, 

 the intervals between the flocks became longer, and, as 

 I sat in my blind and observed the sunlight on that field, 

 I made good resolutions to bring the color-box and 

 white umbrella and leave the gun at home. The pred- 

 atory instinct is, however, often stronger than the 

 artistic. Good resolutions were often broken, and I 

 decided many mornings — against the umbrella and in 

 favor of the gun. 



There was another flight at evening when the birds 

 returned to feed, and in the middle of the day I some- 



