PIGEON. The pigeon is bred in a domesti cated state in every civilized country in the world, and is now broken up by breeding into an almost infinite variety of forms and characteristics_ Their powers of flight are most astonishing, the carrier pigeon having been known to traverse 800 miles without food or rest. The wild pigeon (Ectopietes migeatoria). is remarkable for its sym metry of form, the extreme rapi dity and elegance of its flight, as well as for the incredible num bers which at times pass over different portion s of our land, affording, seem ingly with but little diminution in their crowded ranks, the mil lions killed dur ing their flight.
It propels itself by repeated flappings of the wings, bringing these at times closely to the body with firm strokes, and, before alighting, breaks the force of its flight by several rapid beats, as though fearing injury from coming too suddenly into contact with the object upon which it may desire to rest. It is supposed to be capable of moving through the air at the rate of a mile a minute; and it has been killed in New York with its crop yet filled with the rice collected in the fields of Georgia and South Carolina, which it must have left only five or six hours before meet ing its death, because, as they digest their food rapidly, they must necessarily have traveled the distance within the time allowed, in order to have arrived with the rice still in its perfect state. The shape of their body is oval, with a sharp-pointed tail, admirably constructed for rapid evolutions, and also furnished with a pair of long wings, moved by large and powerful muscles. The mpidity with which tiffs bird will pass through a wood is perfectly astonishing, threading its way amid the closely grown branches with unerring course, it flashes upon the sight like a meteor, and is gone. A pigeon-roost is a curiosity well worth a visit from any one who has the slightest fancy for the strange things in nature. No language can give a perfect idea of the appearance of one of these places, when occupied by its millions of tenants. Instances are known where these birds have covered the trees for a distance of forty to fifty miles in length, by three to five in breadth, every limb of every tree within that spacious extent loaded and groaning with the weight of the numberless pigeons clustered on it. When approaching these roosts their advance is heralded by a sound like the gale when it sweeps over the ocean in uncon trolled fury, the sky is darkened by their incon ceivable numbers, and the noise of their flapping wings, as they stay the rapidity of their course, is like the sound of many waters. They come by thousands in a flock, and settle on the trees around, while frequently the confusion reigning everywhere is increased by great limbs breaking from the weight of the birds upon them, and falling with a crash, carrying death and destruc tion among those which have alighted beneath.
Some of these places are resorted to annually by the birds, and the farmers, just before the time the pigeons usually appear, will assemble for the purpose of obtaining them. Sometimes the hogs are driven to the roost to be fattened on the birds which are slain. Guns are used to kill them, but often long poles are equally effective, for the pigeons make little or no effort to escape. They continue to arrive often until the night has far advanced, and the uproar is continued until day break, when they begin to move off, and when the sun rises the majority have departed. The flesh of the wild pigeon is dark, and by some is much liked. The young, or squabs, as they are termed, are very tender and delicate, and much more esteemed as food than the adult bird. The pigeon generally selects the tallest and largest trees to breed in, and as many as fifty nests may be counted upon a single tree. They lay only two eggs, elliptical in form, and of a pure white. When the young are about half grown, their enemies of every kind come to these places, and disturb the peaceful birds by endeav oring to get possession of them in all manner of ways. The quickest is to cut the trees down, and as one falls. by coming in contact with another, it shakes all the squabs out of the nests, which may be on it, and soon the ground is covered with the little helpless things, and immense numbers are thus destroyed. The wild pigeon never rests at any great distance from water, to which it resorts several times during the day, and when it drinks iminerses its bill up to the eyes, and so remains until its thirst is satisfied. Immense flocks of these birds are not so often seen now as formerly; the diminution. of their number may be attributed equally to the destruction of our forests as to the birds them selves. and it is a rare thing in these days to. witness, near the cultivated districts, any. very great flight of pigeons. The skin is very tender and easily torn, while the feathers fall off at the least touch—characters peculiar to this family. The male of this species has the throat, breast, and sides brownish red, sometimes with a purp lish tint, rest of under parts bluish white. Head blue; hind part and sides of neck changing to gold, green, and bright crimson. Upper part of body blue; wing coverts marked with black spots; quills blackish, tipped with white. Inside tail feathers dark brown, rest blue on the outer web, white on the inner. Bill black; feet red. The female has a similar distribution of colors, but very much duller than the male. These are olivaceous above and beneath pale blue instead of red; a slight tinge on the neck and the throat of a whitish color.