252 
Allen s naturalist’s library. 
Raage In Great Britain.— The Passenger Pigeon has been shot 
ve times m our islands, but Mr. Saunders doubts if, on these 
occasions, the birds have been really wild individuals. 
Range outeide the British Islands.— The range given for the 
species in the “Check- List of North American Birds” (p 170) 
IS as follows Eastern North America, from Hudson’s Bay 
southward and west to the Great Plains, straggling westvrard 
to Nevada and Washington Territory.” 
BirT’VNe? North American 
^ following notes on the species •— 
Mr. Audubon states that in 1813, on his wav from 
Henderson to LoinsviUe, in crossing the barrens near Hardens, 
burg he observed these birds flying to the south-west in 
peater numbers than he had ever known before. He attempted 
to count the different flocks as they successively passed ^but 
after counting one hundred and sixty-three in Lenty-one 
minutes he gave it up as impracticable. As he journeyed on 
their numbers seeipd to increase. The air seemed filled with 
noon-day to be obscured as by an 
phpse Eot a single bird alighted, as the woods 4re 
destitute of mast, and all flew so high that he failed to reach 
any with a rifle. He speaks of their aerial evolutionTas 
beautiful in the extreme, especially when a Hawk pressed unon 
the rear o a flpk All at once, like a torren^anT with a 
noise like that of thunder, they rushed together into a compact 
mass, and darted forward m undulating lines, descending Ld 
weeping near the earth with marvellous velocity then 
mourning almost perpendicularly in a vast column, wheeling 
and twisting so that their continued lines seemed to resemblf 
the cmls of a gigantic serpent. At times they flew so low that 
multitudes were destroyed, and, for many days, the entire 
populpion seemed to eat nothing else but Pigeons. 
^ flight of Pigeons discovers an abundant supply of 
food, sufficient to induce them to alight, they are said to mss 
around in circles over the place, making /arious evolutS 
after a while passing lower over the woods, and at length 
alighting; then, as if suddenly alarmed, taking to flight oSv 
to return mimediately. These manceuvres arf repeafed with 
various indications of indecision in their movements, or Ts if 
