PASSENGER PIGEON. 
This extraordinary bird, whose powers 
of flight are almost incredible, is a native 
of America, and overspreads the country 
in countless myriads during the breeding 
season. It is well that their power of wing 
is so great, for were the enormous flocks to 
be confined to one place, they would de- 
vour the whole of the grain. Pigeons have 
been killed in New York with Carolina rice 
still in their crops. As their digestion 
is remarkably rapid, these birds must 
have flown between three and four hun- 
dred miles in six hours, giving an average 
speed of a mile per minute. 
