Note III-39 — Chapter III · ITINERARY, CONCLUDED: LEECH LAKE TO ST. LOUIS, FEBRUARY 1ST-APRIL 30TH, 1806.

Pigeons are among the least fecund of birds, as they lay only two eggs at a clutch, and that not oftener than most other birds. But Pike's account of their vast numbers is not in the least exaggerated. The aggregate of individuals in existence in the United States during those and for many later years defies all attempt at calculation. Some single flights have been estimated to include millions. The settlement of the country, and consequent wanton destruction during our generation, have exterminated the wild pigeon in some regions, and reduced to comparatively few its numbers in others.