It is a well
ascertained fact that their power of digestion is so great, that
their food is in the course of twelve hours so entirely changed,
that one cannot know what it was. Now the distance of the rice
fields from New York--that is, the number of miles travelled in
twelve hours--is such that the pigeon must have flown at the rate of
about a mile in a minute; so that if he pleased he might go to
England in two days; but, Frank, if you will give me that pamphlet
that lies on the table, I will read the account of the wild pigeon
of America from the book itself."
"It was written by the celebrated Audubon, who resided a great many
years in America, and who most faithfully watched the birds he
described."
After giving an account of the speed of the pigeon, he goes on to
say, "This great power of flight is seconded by as great a power of
vision, which enables them, as they travel at that great rate, to
view objects below, and so discover their food with facility. This I
have proved to be the case by observing the pigeons, as they were
passing over a barren part of the country, keep high in the air, and
present such an extensive front as to enable them to observe
hundreds of acres at once."
"If, on the contrary, the land is richly covered with food, or the
trees with mast, (the fruit of the oak and beech trees,) the birds
fly low, in order to discover the portion of woods most plentifully
supplied, and there they alight.
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