364 
BIRD-LIFE. 
over-weighted limbs of trees falling suddenly to the earth, 
often crushing masses of Pigeons in their fall; besides 
the disagreeableness of having one’s clothes plastered 
with the ordure of these birds. 
“ These particulars were communicated to me by 
persons of undoubted veracity; and later I convinced 
myself personally that their accounts were worthy of 
credence. I travelled over several miles of this vast 
nursery, and found every tree covered with the deserted 
nests of these Pigeons : on several trees I counted no 
less than ninety on each. The birds had, as I was 
informed, quitted the locality for another place, some sixty 
or eighty miles towards Green River, and had established 
themselves in quite as great numbers in their new colony 
as there were formerly at the old one. The numerous 
flocks which I continually observed flying in that direction, 
gave a certain value to this statement. These birds had 
consumed all the beech-mast in Kentucky, and were now 
compelled every morning to fly some sixty miles to 
Indiana to obtain nourishment for themselves and their 
young. Many of them would return before 10 a.m., 
though the main body generally came back in the 
afternoon. With the object of visiting the old breeding 
place at Shelbyville, I had left the high road and struck 
a line through the forest in the direction of Frankfort. 
Coming to an opening by the side of a creek, called the 
Benson, I obtained a more uninterrupted view, where I 
saw a sight that perfectly astonished me. The migrating 
flock was passing overhead in one continuous stream and 
at a tremendous pace : it was several ranks deep, and so 
compact that I could assuredly have brought down 
several birds at one discharge, had they been within 
gun-shot. Right and left, before and behind, as far as 
