324 
COLUMBA MIGRATORIA. 
resembling’ hanging swarms of bees, as large as hogs- 
heads, were formed on every tree, in all directions- 
Here and there the perches gave way under the weigh* 
with a crash, and, falling* to the ground, destroy 6 ^ 
hundreds of the birds beneath, forcing down the dens*’ 
groups with which every stick was loaded. It was * 
scene of uproar and confusion. I found it quite usele sS 
to speak, or even to shout, to those persons nearest i"' 1 ' 
The reports, even, of the nearest guns, were seldc® 1 
heard ; and I knew only of the firing by seeing tl>* 
shooters reloading. No person dared venture within tl ,p 
line of devastation ; the hogs had heen penned up bj 
due time, the picking up of the dead and wound'' 1 
being left for the next morning’s employment. Still th* 
pigeons were constantly coming; and it was past ffli* 1 ', 
night before I perceived a decrease in the number 0 
those that arrived. The uproar continued, howef* r ' 
the whole night; and, as 1 was anxious to know 1(1 
what distance the sound reached, I sent off' a mS* 1 ’ 
accustomed to perambulate the forest, who, returnin' 
two hours afterwards, informed me he had heard ** 
distinctly when three miles from the spot. To oar''’ 
the approach of day, the noise rather subsided; b 11 *’ 
long ere objects were at all distinguishable, the piged 1 ’ 4 
began to move off, in a direction quite different ft" 01 ? 
that in which they had arrived the evening before ; a 11 *!' 
at sunrise, all that were able to fly hail disappear*"’ 
The bowlings of the wolves now reached our e» fS ' 
and the foxes, lynxes, cougars, bears, racoons, opossum 4 ’ 
and pole-cats, were seen sneaking off from the sp« t ' 
whilst eagles and hawks, of different species, need"' 
panied by a crowd of vultures, came to supplant then*- 
and enjoy their share of the spoil. It was then th»‘ 
the authors of all this devastation began their enth' 
amongst the dead, the dying, and the mangled, I* 11 
pigeons were picked up, and piled in heaps, until ea*' 1 
had as many as he could possibly dispose of, when t‘ 1< ’ 
hogs were let loose to feed on the remainder.” 
