Literary cadet and Rhode-Island statesman. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1827-1829, 1827-08-15

THE WILD PIGEON OF AMERICA.

Of the West, will probably. have their creduli-
ty put to the test, whilst reading the annexed
account of the Wild Pigeons of the West,
which is extracted from new work, entitled
"An account Of the Wild Pigeons of Amer
lea, by John James Audubon, recently issued
from the Philadelphia Press.
"In the autumn of 1913, left my house in
Henderson, on the banks of the Ohio, on my
way to Louisville. Having met the pigeons
flying from north east TO south west, in the
barrens Of natural wastes few miles beyond
Hardensburg, in apparently greater numbers
than thought had ever seen them before,
| felt an inclination to enumerate the hocks
that would pass within the reach of my eye in
one hour. dsmounted, and seating myself
on tolerabe emnence, took my pencil to
mark down what saw going by and over me,
and made dot for every flock which passed.
Finding, however, that this vas next to i'm
possible, and feeling unable to record the
tlocks, as they multiplied constantly, | rose,
and counting the dots then put down, dscov-
cred that one hundred and sixty-three had
been made in twenty-one minutes. l travelled
on, and still met more the farther went. The
air was literally filled with pigeons; the light
of MONDAY became dim, during an eclipse;
the pigeon dung fell in spots not unlike melt
ing fakes of snow; and the continued buz of
their wings over me, had tendency to incline
my senses 10 rcpOse.
Before sunset | reached Louisville, distant
from Hardensburg lifty-fve miles, where the
pigeons were still passing, and this continued
for three days in succession.
The people were indeed all up in arms, and
shooting on all sides at the passing focks.-
The banks of the river were crowded with men
and children, for here the pigeons flew rather
low as they passed the Ohio. They gave
fair opportunity to destroy them in great num-
bers. For week or more the population
spoke of nothing but pigeons, and fed on no
other flesh but that Of pigeons. The whole
| atmosphere during the time was strongly i'm
pregnated with the smell appertaining to their
species.
Ii may not, perhaps, be out Of place TO at
tempt an estimate of the number Of pigeons
contained in one Of those mighty tiocks, and
the quantity of food daily consumed by its
members. The inquiry will show the aston
ishing bounty Of the Creator IN his works, and
how UNIVERSAL, this bounty has been granted Q
every thing on the vast continent of America
We shall take, for example, column OF one
mile in breadth, which is far below the aver
age size, and supposed passing over us with
out interruption for three hours, at the rate of
one mile per minute. This will give us a par
allclogram OF one hundred and eighty miles by
! one, covering one hundred and eighty square
miles, and allowing two pigeons TO the square
| yard, we have one billion one hundred and iii
| teen millions, one hundred and thrty-slx thou
| sand pigeons IN one flock; and as every pigeon
consumes fully half pint of food per day, the
| quantity mus, be eight millions seven hundred
and twelve thousand bushels per day, which is
| required to feed such flock.
| As soon as these birds discover a sufficiency
| of food TO entice them TO alight, they fly round
| in circles, reviewing the country below, and at
this time exhibit their phdlanx in all the beau
! ties of their pumage; now displaying a large
| sliseDing sheet of bright azure, by exposing
| their backs TO view, and suddenly veerlng eX-
( hibit "A mass of rich deep purple. They then
| pass lower over the woods, and are lost among
| the foliage for Il moment, but they re-appear
suddenly above; after which they alight, and, as
| if atirighted, the whole again take to wing with
! a roar equal 10 loud thunder, and wander swift
! ly through the foresj 10 see II danger is near.
| impelng hunger, however, soon brings them
| all to the gro.nd, and then they seen indus
triously throwing up the fallen leaves TO seek
ior the last beech nut or acorn, the rear ranks
|
in front in such quick succession, that the whole
| still bears the appearance of being On the wing.
| The quantity of grounds thus swept up, or, TO
| use Il French expression, WoisSORnce, is aston
| ishIng, and SO clean is the wok, that cleaners
| never find it avCrth their while to follow where
| pigeons have been. On such occasions, when
| the woods are thus filled with them, they are
! killed in immense numbers, yet without any ap-
parent din.inuton. Daring the middle of the
dav, after the repast is finished, the whole settle
on the trees to ENJOY rest, and digest their food
but as the sun sinks in the horizon, they depart
en- mosSc for the roosting place, not unire-
quently hundreds of miles oil, as has been as
certained by persons keeping account Of then
arrival, and of their departure from their curl
Gus resting places, to which must now con.
duct the reader.
TO one of those general nightly rendezvous
not far from the banks of Green River in Ken.
lucky, paid repeated visits. Ii was, as is al
ways the case, pitched III portion OF the
forest where the trees were OF great magn
tude of growth, but with little underwood.
rode through II lengthwise upwards OF forty
miles, and crossed it in different parts, asccr
tanning its width TO be rather more than thrci
miles. Ny first view of it was about n fort
Il. cht subsequent TO the period when they ha,
chosen this spot, and arrived there near
two hours before the setting OF the sun. Few
pigeons were then to be seen, but u grca
number of persons with horses and Wagons
guns and ammunition, had already established
different camps on the borders Two farmer
from the ncighbourhood OF RussclsviIle, dis
tam nore than one hundred miles, had driver
upwards of three hundred Logs To be fltlene,
on pigeon meat; and here and there the peo
pie, employed in picking and sailing what ha,
aheaJy been procured, were seen sitting in th
ccntrc OF large piles Of those birds, all provni
to ne that tie number resortng there at nigh
must be immense, and probably consisting q
a.; those then feeding IN lndldne, some dis
tancc beyond Jacksonville, not less than on
hundred and fifty miles oil The dung OF th
birds was several inches deep, co,erng Tia
a. InI, rAin ~ If Ihn rnnslinn NJ llr liz a be-