Whilst waiting for dinner at Young's Inn, at the confluence of Salt
River with the Ohio, I saw, at my leisure, immense legions still
going by, with a front reaching far beyond the Ohio on the west, and
the beechwood forests directly on the east of me. Not a single bird
alighted; for not a nut or acorn was that year to be seen in the
neighborhood. They consequently flew so high, that different trials to
reach them with a capital rifle proved ineffectual; nor did the reports
disturb them in the least. I cannot describe to you the extreme beauty
of their aërial evolutions, when a hawk chanced to press upon the rear
of the flock. At once, like a torrent, and with a noise like thunder,
they rushed into a compact mass, pressing upon each other towards the
center. In these almost solid masses, they darted forward in undulating
and angular lines, descended and swept close over the earth with
inconceivable velocity, mounted perpendicularly so as to resemble a
vast column, and, when high, were seen wheeling and twisting within
their continued lines, which then resembled the coils of a gigantic
serpent.
Before sunset I reached Louisville, distant from Hardensburgh
fifty-five miles. The pigeons were still passing in undiminished
numbers, and continued to do so for three days in succession. The
people were all in arms. The banks of the Ohio were crowded with men
and boys, incessantly shooting at the pilgrims, which there flew lower
as they passed the river. Multitudes were thus destroyed. For a week or
more, the population fed on no other flesh than that of pigeons, and
talked of nothing but pigeons. The atmosphere, during this time, was
strongly impregnated with the peculiar odor which emanates from the
species.
It is extremely interesting to see flock after flock performing
exactly the same evolutions which had been traced as it were in the
air by a preceding flock. Thus, should a hawk have charged on a group
at a certain spot, the angles, curves and undulations that have been
described by the birds, in their efforts to escape from the dreaded
talons of the plunderer, are undeviatingly followed by the next group
that comes up. Should the bystander happen to witness one of these
affrays, and, struck with the rapidity and elegance of the motions
exhibited, feel desirous of seeing them repeated, his wishes will be
gratified if he only remain in the place until the next group comes up.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account