THE NATURAL HISTORY 
2* 
it is the want of food that compels them to fly 
from one province to another. If the winter be 
mild, few are feen in the fouthern parts of that 
continent. They feed on acorns, the berries of 
various trees, and feveral kinds of mail. Where- 
cvcr they flop they devour every thing of that 
kind, for they fly in myriads. 
When they have eaten all the mails, or berries, 
that are fallen upon the ground, they fly flrait 
upwards amongft the branches of the trees, in 
columns, by turns, and they beat down the acorns 
and maft with their wings. In Canada they fre¬ 
quently do great mifehief in devouring the corn, 
before they begin their flight into more fouthern 
countries. They abound in the country near 
Hudfon’s Bay, where they breed in the woods ; 
in fome parts, it is faid, they are in fuch num¬ 
bers, that they join neft to ncfl, and that thefe 
nefls reach from tree to tree for feveral miles in 
length. When their food is exhaufled in thofe 
cold climates, they collcdt in immenfe numbers, 
and it is afierted that they fly by millions in a 
flock, intercepting the light of the fun, fo as to 
crcafion a degree of darknefs in thofe places over 
which they pafs. Thefe flocks are faid to be two 
miles long, and a quarter of a mile in breadth.— 
According to fornc writers, they are four or five 
miles 
