The Passenger Pigeon 23 



like many other species, but rove about as scarcity of 

 food urges them. Every spring, however, as well as 

 fall, more or less of them are seen in the neighborhood 

 of Philadelphia ; but it is only once in several years that 

 they appear in such formidable bodies; and this com- 

 monly when the snows are heavy to the north, the winter 

 here more than usually mild, and acorns, etc., abundant. 

 The passenger pigeon is sixteen inches long, and 

 twenty- four inches in extent; bill, black; nostril, covered 

 by a high rounding protuberance; eye, brilliant fiery 

 orange; orbit, or space surrounding it, purplish flesh- 

 colored skin; head, upper part of the neck and chin, a 

 fine slate blue, lightest on the chin; throat, breast, and 

 sides, as far as the thighs, a reddish hazel; lower part 

 of the neck and sides of the same, resplendent change- 

 able gold, green, and purplish crimson, the last named 

 most predominant; the ground color, slate; the plumage 

 of this part is of a peculiar structure, ragged at the ends ; 

 belly and vent, white; lower part of the breast, fading 

 into a pale vinaceous red; thighs, the same; legs and 

 feet, lake, seamed with white; back, rump, and tail- 

 coverts, dark slate, spotted on the shoulders with a few 

 scattered marks of black; the scapulars, tinged with 

 brown; greater coverts, light slate; primaries and sec- 

 ondaries, dull black, the former tipped and edged with 

 brownish white; tail, long, and greatly cuneiform, all 

 the feathers tapering towards the point, the two middle 

 ones plain deep black, the other five, on each side. 



