12 The Passenger Pigeon 



By the Indians, a pigeon roost, or breeding place. Is con- 

 sidered an important source of national profit and de- 

 pendence for the season; and all their active ingenuity 

 is exercised on the occasion. The breeding place dif- 

 fers from the former in its greater extent. In the west- 

 ern countries above mentioned, these are generally in 

 beech woods, and often extend, in nearly a straight line 

 across the country for a great way. Not far from 

 Shelbyville, in the State of Kentucky, about five years 

 ago, there was one of these breeding places, which 

 stretched through the woods in nearly a north and south 

 direction; was several miles in breadth, and was said 

 to be upwards of forty miles in extent ! In this tract 

 almost every tree was furnished with nests, wherever the 

 branches could accommodate them. The pigeons made 

 their first appearance there about the loth of April, 

 and left it altogether, with their young, before the 

 29th of May. 



As soon as the young were fully grown, and before 

 they left the nests, numerous parties of the inhabitants 

 from all parts of the adjacent country came with wagons, 

 axes, beds, cooking utensils, many of them accompanied 

 by the greater part of their families, and encamped for 

 several days at this immense nursery. Several of them 

 informed me that the noise in the woods was so great 

 as to terrify their horses, and that it was difficult for 

 one person to hear another speak without bawling in 

 his ear. The ground was strewed with broken limbs 



