1. First it was the pigeons. Dozens of them vanished from Culverton's sunny parks, grimy streets, and looming rooftops. This caused very few complaints. If anything, it brought about widespread delight. Pedestrians traversed the sidewalks unmolested by such aerial bombardments as those wretched birds were wont to inflict on them. Statues displayed themselves in all their glory, free from a crust of white filth. The elderly fed their more elegant avian friends without being mobbed by a veritable plague of the creatures. Therefore everyone not of the Columba livia species was quite satisfied.