migratory pigeon. 
295 
from considerable distances, visit them in the night, 
" ith guns, clubs, long poles, pots of sulphur, and Yarioiw 
other enidnes of destruction. In a few hours, they ml 
oiauy sacks, and load their horses n ith them. By the 
Indians, a pigeon roo.st, or breeding place, is considered 
»U imnortant source of national prolit and dependance 
for that season ; and all their active iiigeniuty is 
OYercised on the occasion. The breeding place ditters 
from the former in its greater extent. In the western 
Countries above mentioned, these arc generally in beech 
Ivoods and often extend, in nearly a straight hue, across 
the countrv for a great way. Not lar from Shelbyville, 
‘n the State of Keiituckv, about Hve years ago, there 
'^a.s one of these breeding places, which slretched 
throiinh the woods in nearly a north and south direc- 
tion: was several miles in breaddi, and nas said to be 
lip wards of forty miles in extent ! In this li act, almost 
«very tree was’ furnished with nests ivherever the 
hranches could accoraniodatc them. T he pigeons made 
their first appearance there about the 10th of April and 
*«ft it altogether, with their young, betore the 25th of 
hlay. „ 
As soon as the young were fully grown, and betore 
they left the nests, numerous parties of the inhabitants, 
from all parts of the adjacent country, came with 
'^agons, axes, beds, cooking utensils, many of thena 
Accompanied by the greater part of their families, and 
Aiicam ped for several days at this iiumcnso nursery. 
Several of them informed me, that the noise in the 
teoods was so great as to terrify their horses, and that 
Was difficult for one person to hear another speak, 
" ithoiit ban ling in his ear. The ground was strewed 
"ith broken limbs of trees, eggs, and young siiuab 
pigeons, whicb had been precipitated Irom above, ami 
PU nhich herds of hogs nere fattening. 
“Ozzards, and eagles, were sailing about lu great iium- 
i'ers, and seizing the squabs from their nests at pleasure ; 
"'hile, from twenty feet upwards to the tops of the 
frees, the view through the woods presented a perpetual 
frmult of crowding and liutteriiig multitudes of pigeons. 
