PASSENGER PIGEON. 
them with fresh meat, especially at the out-posts. 
A friend told me, that in the year in which Quebec 
was taken the whole army was supplied with them, 
if they chose it. The way was this : every man 
took his club (for they were forbid to use their fire- 
locks,) when they flew , as it was termed, in such 
quantities, that each person could kill as many as 
he wanted. They in general begin to fly soon after 
day-break, and continue till nine or ten o’clock ; 
and again about three in the afternoon, and con- 
tinue till five or six ; but, what is very remarkable, 
they always fly westerly. The times of flying here 
are in the spring, about the latter end of February 
or the beginning of March, and continue every day 
for eight or ten days ; and again in the fall, when 
they begin the latter end of July, or the beginning 
of August. They catch vast quantities of them in 
clap-nets wish stale pigeons. I have seen them 
brought to this market by sacks full. People in 
general are very fond of them ; and I have heard 
many say they think them as good as the common 
blue pigeon ; but I cannot agree with them by any 
means. They taste more like our queest, or wild 
pigeon ; but are better meat. They have another 
way of killing them ; they make a hut of boughs of 
trees, and fix stale pigeons on the ground, at a 
small distance from the hut. They plant poles for 
the wild pigeons to light on when they come a-salt- 
ing, as they term it, which they do every morning 
in the season, repairing to the marshes near the sea 
