34 
THE PIGEONS. 
The mighty forests of America can never 
be exhausted, or the supply of food would fail 
for such a countless host ! 
Hunger at length brings the pigeons to the 
ground, and they begin to throw about the 
withered leaves in quest of beech-nuts. The 
pigeons in the rear keep flying over the main 
body, and alighting in the front ; and this 
goes on so quickly that it looks as if the 
whole .flock were on the wing. Very soon 
they clear the ground of acorns and beech- 
nuts so completely that not one is left. Then 
they rise, and pursue their way, until they reach 
the tract of forest to which they are going, and 
they rush into t it with tremendous noise and 
confusion. They beat the trees with their 
wings, to knock down the nuts, and, in course 
of time, make a scene of desolation as complete 
as the one they left. 
When the people of the country hear that 
the pigeons are flying, they turn out to shoot 
as many as they can. Besides this, the 
fowler uses a decoy to entrap them. He 
conceals himself in a little hut of branches ; 
and close by, he fastens four or five pigeons to 
a stick, and strews plenty of corn round them. 
