PASSENGER PIGEON. 
197 
they abound in the country round Hudson’s Bay, where they 
usually remain as late as December, feeding’, when the 
ground is covered with snow, on the buds of juniper. They 
spread over the whole of Canada ; were seen by Captain 
Lewis and his party near the Great Falls of the Missouri, 
arrived. Every thing was ready, and all eyes were gazing on the clear sky, 
which appeared in glimpses amidst the tall trees. Suddenly, there burst forth 
a general cry of, ‘ Here they come /’ The noise which they made, though yet 
distant, reminded me of a hard gale at sea, passing through the rigging of a 
close reefed vessel. As the birds arrived, and passed over me, I felt a current 
of air that surprised me. Thousands were soon knocked down by polemen. 
The current of birds, however, still kept increasing. The fires were lighted, 
and a most magnificent, as well as a wonderful and terrifying sight, presented 
itself. The Pigeons, coming in by thousands, alighted every where, one above 
another, until solid masses, as large as hogsheads, were formed on every tree, 
in all directions. Here and there the perches gave way under the weight with 
a crash, and, falling to the ground, destroyed hundreds of the birds beneath, 
forcing down the dense groups with which every stick was loaded. It was a 
scene of uproar and confusion. I found it quite useless to speak, or even to 
shout, to those persons who were nearest me. The reports, even, of the 
nearest guns, were seldom heard ; and I knew of the firing, only by seeing the 
shooters reloading. No one dared venture within the line of devastation ; the 
hogs had been penned up in due time, the picking up of the dead and wounded 
being left for the next morning’s employment. The Pigeons were constantly 
coming ; and it was past midnight before I perceived a decrease in the number 
of those that arrived. The uproar continued, however, the whole night ; and, 
as I was anxious to know to what distance the sound reached, I sent off a man, 
accustomed to perambulate the forest, who, returning two hours afterwards, 
informed me he had heard it distinctly when three miles from the spot. 
Towards the approach of day, the noise rather subsided ; but, long ere objects 
were at all distinguishable, the Pigeons began to move off, in a direction quite 
different from that in which they had arrived the evening before ; and, at 
sunrise, all that were able to fly had disappeared. The howlings of the wolves 
now reached our ears ; and the foxes, lynxes, cougars, bears, racoons, opossums, 
and pole-cats, were seen sneaking off from the spot, whilst Eagles and Hawks, 
of different species, accompanied by a crowd of Vultures, came to supplant 
them, and enjoy their share of the spoil. It was then that the authors of all 
this devastation began their entry amongst the dead, the dying, and the mangled. 
The Pigeons were picked up, and piled in heaps, until each had as many as 
he could possibly dispose of, when the hogs were let loose to feed on the 
remainder.”— Ed. 
