Identifier: ourownbirdsfamil00bai (find matches)
Title: Our own birds : a familiar natural history of the birds of the United States
Year: 1879 (1870s)
Authors: Baily, William L. (William Lloyd), 1828-1861 Cope, E. D. (Edward Drinker), 1840-1897, ed
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.B. Lippincott & Co.
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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assem-ble in the most astonishing multitudes. These mi-grations are performed only for the purpose of ob-taining food, and are not influenced by any changesin temperature, or the desire to seek a more genialclimate. Such countless thousands of hungry birdsmust of necessity soon deprive a large tract of landof all its available resources; hence the necessity oftheir frequently changing their position. Audubon, speaking of one of these companies,says: In passing over the Barrens, a few milesbeyond Hardinsburg, I observed the Pigeons flyingfrom northeast to southwest, in greater numbers thanT thought T had ever seen them before; and feelingan inclination to count the flocks that might passwithin the reach of my eye in one hour, I dismounted,seated myself on an eminence, and began to markwith my pencil, making a dot for every flock thatpassed. In a short time finding the task which 1had undertaken impracticable, as the birds poured inin countless multitudes, I rose, and counting the dots
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(191) THE PASSENGER PIGEON. 193 then put down, found that 163 had been made intwenty-one minutes. I travelled on, and still metmore the further I proceeded. The air was literallyfilled with Pigeons; the light of noonday was ob-scured as by an eclipse. Before sunset I reached Louisville, distant fromHardinsburg fifty-five miles. The Pigeons were stillpassing in undiminished numbers, and continued todo so for three days in succession. They are very fond of acorns, beech-nuts, and thesmaller fruits of the forest trees generally; and whenthey have discovered a spot where these abound insufficient quantities to induce them to alight, they doso in the most graceful manner, wheeling around incircles, as though to discover if danger were near.When fairly settled, they commence scratching amongthe leaves for food, which they swallow with such hasteas sometimes fairly to choke in the process. Partsof the flock are almost constantly changing their po-sition, which gives it the appearance of bein

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