178 WASTE-LAND WANDERINGS. 



be a very mild one, they continue with us for a much 

 longer time. This was the case in the winter of 1792 - 

 93, when immense flocks of these birds continued about 

 the city and did not migrate farther southward until 

 the weather became more severe in the month of 

 January." 



At present, these pigeons find too little food to tarry 

 long in this neighborhood, yet I believe I have never 

 known a winter to pass without a few of them remain- 

 ing about our woods, especially such as have many 

 beeches growing therein. Dr. Turnbull, writing in and 

 concerning the neighborhood of Philadelphia, remarks 

 of this pigeon, that it is " plentiful, but is more frequent 

 iu spring and autumn, when it congregates in large 

 flocks." This does not accord with my own observa- 

 tions, and I find on inquiry that fifty years ago flocks 

 of pigeons annually wintered in the valley of Cross- 

 wicks Creek, about thirty miles from Philadelphia as 

 the crow flies. It may be, therefore, that these birds 

 were not as sensitive to cold as Dr. Barton supposed. 



Another quotation from our author's "Fragments," 

 and I have done. He writes : " It is highly probable 

 that the periods of the migrations of birds will be found 

 to be more or less uniform in proportion as the climates 

 of the countries to which they migrate are more or less 

 variable in their temperature. It is, perhaps, upon this 

 principle that we are led to explain the difference of 

 the times of arrival and departure of the birds of Penn- 

 sylvania, and other parts of North America. The elk 

 mates of these countries are extremely variable ; I sup- 

 pose more so than most other countries that are known 



