THE PASSENGER PIGEON. 195 



general cry of ' Here they come !' The noise which 

 they made, though yet distant, reminded me of a 

 hard gale at sea, passing through the rigging of a 

 close-reefed vessel. As the birds arrived and passed 

 over me, I felt a current of air that surprised me. 

 Thousands were soon knocked down by the pole-men. 

 The birds continued to pour in. The fires were 

 lighted, and a magnificent, as well as wonderful and 

 almost terrifying, sight presented itself. The Pig- 

 eons, arriving by thousands, alighted everywhere one 

 above another, until solid masses were formed on the 

 branches all round. Here and there the perches 

 gave way under the weight, with a crash, and falling 

 to the ground, destroyed hundreds of the birds be- 

 neath, forcing down the dense groups with which 

 every stick was loaded. It was a scene of uproar 

 and confusion. I found it quite useless to speak, or 

 even to shout to those persons who were nearest to 

 me. Even the reports of the guns were seldom 

 heard, and I was made aware of the firing only by 

 seeing the shooters reloading. 



" No one dared venture within the line of devas- 

 tation. The hogs had been penned up in due time, 

 the picking up of the dead and wounded being left 

 for the next morning's employment. The Pigeons 

 were constantly coming, and it was past midnight 

 before I perceived a decrease in the number of those 

 that arrived." 



The Passenger Pigeon is quite abundant in almost 

 all parts of the Union, — roaming in wild and un- 

 controllable masses from one place to another, now 



