324 
COLUMBA MIGRATORXA. 
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 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 nearest me. 
The reports, even, of the nearest guns, were seldom 
heard ; and I knew only of the firing by seeing the 
shooters reloading. No person 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. Still the 
pigeons were constantly coming; and it was past mid- 
night before I perceived a decrease in the number of 
those that arrived. The uproar continued, however, 
the whole night ; and, as 1 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 fiy had disappeared. 
The liowlings 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, accom- 
panied 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.” 
