THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA

Biology

GIFT OF

Professor
LeRoy C. Merritt

SELMAH HESS, PUBLISHER. N. Y.

WOODCOCK,

Wniiatp Creation;

POPULAR EDITION OF

OUR LIVING WORLD,"

A NATURAL HISTORY

BY

THE REV. J. G. WOOD.

X£y/SED AND ADAPTED TO

ZOOLOGY,

BY

JOSEPH B. HOLDER, M.D.,

FWaw of tJU Jfno York flo*d**y of OoUnom ; Jfanl*r qf th* Boairty qf JiatureMiU, B. U. B. ;
of tH* flmirioan Omithologittff Union. ; Curator of 7«rt«fcrat« Zoology, j«m«noa»v
of Jfatural Hittarjf, Central (Parfc, Jfnu York.

FULLY ILLUSTRATED WITH SCIENTIFIC ACCURACY.

VOL. IT.

NEW YORK:
SELMAR HESS

COPYRIGHT,

13TH OF OCTOBER, 1898

BY SELMAR HESS.

CONTENTS.

Trlfc* Cmm

; on

nn.LEn Binw» (Continued).

.

HirJ— OTOCT.I

.117

. sir

i, ... am

«n

liqpi

mlly HTIK«IX.«; TRfK STAKUXU* . 810

HowColured Paatur . 8I»

m8tarUn«— Mornui TI./UUII. ...SJO

^Family , . i . H..M i Mt.CD BIRO* SSI

il Boat-Tall fjuttcalu* nutjur ..til

vto-NttT BUM ...an

Orchard Oriole— A" n". .. 8U

Ba:

.- ., ' .!

Created Oriole— Coetoew crt«ini»..

'»«

^Family AXORLAIXJI:

l-Jfo/olfcnu ptrnru ...

Illlk' H./.I.IIU

l/r(roru» . . ni

'•'•'• N ''.irnJ'i/ Pu« r.lXJI 89

l*MkBbto Wmrrr li -i I'tnlrlxtTMii torlu* SB

I'aradlM WMab hlrd— r<<l»<i »>-,r.,./|jr.i SS8

j OicarrHRAUmx.*; HAwrixcHn 88ft

Cardinal Gnwbeak— < .ir./(».i/(« rliyinlunu*.... an

Sub-family TAXAOU».«: TAXAURIXB BIRM ase

Scarlet Tanauer— Pyranu«i r«/.r ...88»

Sub-Family fuxiilLUX.c; TRfE FIXCUKX ... 841

Uooldlan riDch— Ammllxa ynul<lll. 8tl

Qotdnneb— FrinyUln mrdoelii 841

Sparrow— Power domntlm, . .844

tt hlu-Throated Sparrow— ZonotrieMa alMeol-

HM ....:?. . 847

Sbarp^ Tailed finch— A mmndromui atu-lnrutut 84H

'y EMBKRunjc ; BCXTIXO* 848

Y-ll.iw Buntlnit-fiMMrtM rltrlnrlln 84H

Black Throated ItunlliiK Kiititlin omrrieoaa.. 8 I
Snow Hunting -Plet*ropA<inc» nltvill* 83

Sub-family ALAMUXJC LARK* .. s.%4

l^rti-Alauda rirr>n«l« 8M

Peuclllrd Lark -Otocori* prnrll/ultu 8M

Sub- Family PYRRNrLIX.*:

liultnoch— Pyrrftwio ruMrilln 858

Sub Family Ix)XIAX.«: CROWBILL* Ml

L nMabill— Luila nirrlnufri* 881

Sub-family PnrroToi«rx.«; PLAXT Crmnw an

Chilian Plant i utter— Phytutoma rara an

family OOLID.C:

Senrgal Coly— Colliu mncrounu 884

family Mmorn\ori>.«: Hub-Family MutopHAOiK^B;

PLAXTAIX-KATKU .an

Vlolrt PUnUiln Ealer— M*toph<>aa rln'acm.... 885
White Createil Tmiraco— Tunu-tu •<ll**-rittntiu 8W

Blue Plantain K*t*r -SdtltorHU gioanUa an

Sub-family OrBTHoooMrx M :

Uoatsin— UH*l/iuoumiu crtolatuf 867

family BUUUOIID.C: HORNBILLM 887

Rhlaoeero* Hurnbill— liucerut rMnoetrof an

Order SCAX9ORBS: oRCI.MlllXii BIRDS 871

family KiiA¥niAgTlt>.it:

Toco— Rhompluutot toco 871

family PWTTACID.*; PARROTS; Sub Family PKZO-

roRix A; UROCXD PARRAKKETR 874

Parrakect Cockatoo— KympM^u* notae hol-

landta 874

Yellow-Bellied Pamkeet— Plotyorrciu oaleoVm-

teW* 878

Groortd Parrmkeet — Prxaptwrut /ormomu 877

Kuitfrd Parrakeet— Paliieontt* torquatu* 878

Warbling Graw Parrakeet -itdopHttocut u*

iluliitu* 861

Blue- Banded Gnw PmrrmkMt— Euphema chryv-

oetoma an

Sealr Br«wted I/orrlkeet— 7X«ho(X»enu

Sub-Family ARAIS.K ; If ACAWB . ........................ 884

Blue and Yellow Macaw— Ara nrarauna ...... 884

Carolina Parrot—fun unu enroUiMMit ........ 888

VOL. lY.-H. B.

,i,iiiM, or

>mi/i/ i/uiiv r:

Papuan Ixiry --('/!. ii in. ..yii. i ,.
l'ur|.lr i »|,|. ! .

Sufc Fami:

Mern'«Ixjvr Hinl l'*litm u n »n IM.'I . >.fun<i
CA< ( n i\ i r . i. M..W ............. ____

• 111 \r»i.«i Mil • -

Orwit Whit*. c.« km...

-..'../.(,. i. i

I'lilhp UUn.l I*i«rr<ii •
II. hurt Cockitff. '
Owl l'«rr..i .Vi in ...j..
PrrM|iirt'ii lli-.M'1'1"- I
Family I'U'lli.*: . W.HIIU-M kMfc.

is.«; HAKBKTO .......

iUir Krruuxl lUrbrl- /..••„,.«;,„,

I-irnnire.*: Piccumi ..........

Plumy Plculet— Plmmniu ininultu ............

SMl>fcifMfi|/ Ptnx.t:; TiifK WoonrKCKEiH ..........

Ure«t >|Niti.i| Woodiirrkrr /'Ii ». major ......

Ivory Hlllml \Votxlprckrr Cii»i;>.;i/i/Ju« ;>rlnr(-

IXltlM ..........

Sub-Family CitCUinM; GRRKK Wcxi|>ricrlC KM ........

OrMiiWiMjdpwkvr— tlmuiu (or <'nii»i ilrlili*.
im/(u MAI.ASKHIMX.* ; HI.MK WIHIUPKCKKM:
Rwf llnultd U aodpoclirr— MtlaHrrpeftor f'leiu)

"

(„.

>i* i/<ifi .ifit>
M.

/'riM/n.11*

Mi/,

4> .t
40ft

4«i
408
407
407
4flB

400

411

4IS

4I&

Sub-Family COLAPTIV.«: Gnorsn V'ooDritriiE»i ......

Gold Wluvnl Woodtwckrr-C»lii|i(n utiruliu..

Wryiirck— J^iix tnri[ultl<i
ramlJyCrn Lin^:; Crntfxw;

I»»ICATO»-

Grmt Iliinry (julde— Itvllrtilur mnjor ..........

SAritoTHERis.c; GnorxD Cracnnn ........

iit/!, r-i t.dil.i .................

; LARR-HKn.ro Crricoo* ......

Pbauwiil riu-kmi <'mln.;iu« ;i/iilm<iiiu< ........

Yrllnw lilllril Amrrlcan C u c k o o— Coocygtu

'I Hi. rl i ii n .." ....................................

n>i-ii M.IN.C:
Hlnr

418
41»
41»

421

4M
4*3

497

rklilrti— rr<if(.jih/i<M on< .......... 43*

Sn/Uirup* nttnr hulltindUr ...... 4JO

Sub-Famtl]i Cni TIV.K; TlirR PCCKOO*

Cuckoo— C'li'ii.'iu rrinoru*
Onter COLUM&B; DOVES ASD PIGEON'S

411
431

; Suit fnmUy COM Mmx*:
Oceanic Frtiii Pigtma— Cnrp«;>h<itf>i orr»n<oa..

......

Stock Dore— Oiinm/ia nrnai .................. 443

Top-Knot PlK">n— /-"('hol/ilmiu antitrcltcui. . 440
Turtle IXiT«— T^irfur t-ul'jurlt .................. 44ft

Sub- Family GocmtHM:

Crated PlKWNi— Oeypfiam 'or Phap«) lopkote* 449
Bronte-Wing Pigeon— PVip* (Aateoplrm ...... 44»

Waaio-Wonga I-i«ron-J>«rflwirr1a p4oa<a.... 480

Nlnilttr Wpeon—t'nttrnOM ntciibnrira ........... 4 -4

Crowaed Pigeon — Ouur.i (orl'otumbaicnmnala 4il

.Suft-fum/ry DiomcruiCJl:

Tooth- Billed Pigwn-IMduncuIiu t4H0<fVM(rU 4Bt

Sw6-ram</v Dimx* ................................... 40*

Dodo— IMdiM (ncptiu ............................ 4M

Onlcr (iAI.I.IN.K; TH1 POULTRY ............. ........ 4tft

fiuni/v CRACID4; Stth-Fnmdv CHArl«Jt:

Crested Canuww— Crax aleelor ................ 4Sft

ramiiy MtaAmninjt: SuA-Fim«lu MtOArooiWA:

Auntrallan Jangle Fowl— Jifrvi|>od(iM Iiimulvj 4S7
Lelpaa— Ijtipnn nrrtlata .......................... 4M

Sub-FnmUv TAI.I.KOALI.IX*:

Brtuh Turkey— Tnllrrinlln Imtvimt ...... 4B»

family PHA«IAXII>«; Sub- family PAVOSTUJI; P«A-

ooau ................... ............ tm

Peacock— Pato criftatm ........................ 4fli

Crwud Peacock PbwMMt—

278

CONTENTS.

PiUE

Sub-Family PHASIANIN.*: ; PHEASANTS 4C4

Argus Pheasant — Anjiis giganteus 4(H

Pheasant — Phasianus colchlcus 465

Sub-Family GALLING :

Golden Pheasant — Oallophasis (or Thaumalea)

picta 467

Bankiva Jangle Fowl-Gaflus Banktva 471

Horned Trapogan— Ccriornts tatyra 473

Sub-Family MELEAGKIN.E ; TURKEYS 473

Turkey — Meleaqrig gallopavo 473

Guinea Fowl— Numlda pucherani 477

Sub-Family LOPHOPHORIN.* :

Impeyan Pheasant— Lophophorus impeyanus.. 478

Family TETRAONID/E ; Sub-Family PERDICIN^E 479

Partridge — Perdu cinerens 479

Red-Legged Partridge — Caccabterufa 481

Sanguine Francolin— Hhwiinls crutntus 482

Quail — Coturnlx cnmmunit 482

Sub-Family ODONTOPHORiNvB :

Virginian Quail-Ortyx vtrglniana 484

Sub-Family TETRAONIN,« :

Capercaillie— Tetran urngalliis 487

Willow Grouse — Lagopug albus 495

Sub Family PTEROCLINJE :

Sand Grouse — Ptcrocles erustus 498

Family CHIONID^B ; Sub-Family CHIONIDIN.S ; SHEATH-
BILLS 409

White Sheath-Bill— Chionis alba 499

Family TINAMID^ ; TINAMOUS 499

Elegant Tinau ou— Tiruimotis elcgans 499

Order STRUTHIONES; OR RUNNING BIRDS 501

Family STRUTHIONID>« ; Sub-Family STRUTHIONIN<E :

Ostrich— Struthio camelus 501

Emeu — Dromalus novce hollandice 504

If hi'.-i — Rhea nmerirann 505

Cassowary — Co»uarii« galeatus . . 507

Sub-Family APTERYGIN,E :

Apteryx — Apteryx australis 511

Sub-Family OTININ^K :

Great Bustard— Otis tarda 514

Order GRALL^; OB LONG-LEGGED BIRDS 514

Family CHARADRIAD^E : Sub Family (EDICNEMIN.* :

Great Plover— CEdlcnemus crepitans 517

Sub-Family GLAREOLIN.S :

Pratincole— Olareola pratincola 518

Sub-Family CURSORIN.*:

Cre«m-Color«-d Courser— Cursnrius gallicut, or
Hy-is cegyptin 519

Sub-Family CHARADRIN.* :
Lapwing — VunrUiM
Golden Plover — Charadrlus pluvia'.lt

Lapwing_- VonrUys cristatus 519

Sub-family H^EMATOPODIN^E :

Oyster-Catcher— llcein/atopus ostralegus 529

Sub Family CINCLINJS :

Turnstone— Hindus interpres 531

Family AISDKI n.i: ; Sub-Family PSOPHIN>« :

Goldeu-Brea-Oed Trumpeter— Psophla crcpttant 532
Cariama— Carlama cristnta, or JJlchnlophus
crl»tatus 533

Sub-Family GRUIN^E :

Crane— Oru» dnerea 533

Demoiselle Crane — Scops (or Anthropoides)

virgo 535

Crowned Crane— Balearica pavonina 538

Sub-Family ARDEIN^ :

American Egret — Herodias alba egretta, or

Arden egretta 537

Bittern— Butnurut stellarig 545

Nankeen Night-Heron— Nvcticorax caledonimw 549

Boat Bill— Cancroma cochlearea 550

Spoonbill— Platalea leucorodta 551

Sub-Family CicoifrNjK ; STORKS :

Stork— Ciconln allui 553

Adjutant— Leptoptllus crnmcntfer 553

Jabtrux — M ticteria scnegnlengig 555

Whale-Headed Stork— Balcentcepg rex 557

Vot. IV.-N. B.

Sub-Family TANTALIN^E; IBIS 559

Sacred Ibis — llris aethiopica 559

Straw Necked Ibis— Qcronticus Kiiinicollte 560

Family SCOLOPACID^ ; Sub-Familu LIMOSIN^E 562

Curlew — Numeniii.? arquntus 562

Black-Tailed Godwit — Limosd (crjoccphala 565

Sub-Familu TOTANIN^E ; SANDPIPERS 568

Green Sandpiper— Totan us ochropug 568

Common Sandpiper — Tringoldes hypoleucu 569

Sub-Family RECURVIROSTRINYE :

Avocet— Recu rvirostra avocetta 569

Stilt Plover— Bimantopus candidus 570

Sub-Famili/ TRINGIN^: :

Ruff— Phllomnchus (or Machetes) pugnax 571

Knot — Trlnga oanutus 571

'Sub-Family SCOLOPACIN.« :

Great Sntpe— 0aUino0o major 575

Woodcock — Scolopnx rusticola 577

Sub-Family PHALAROPOPIN^ :

Gray Phalarope— I'luilaropug fulicarius 578

Family PALAMEDEID^E; Sub-Family PARRIN^E:

Mexican .lacana — Purra riymnnstorna 578

Chinese Jacana— Hydrttphaittanus chtnensls 579

Sub-Fam,ily PALAMEDEIN^E ; SCREAMERS 580

Horned Screamer— Palameddea cornuta 580

Crested Screamer— Chan na crtstatus 581

Family RALLID^E ; RAILS; Sub- Family RALLIN.S 581

Water Rail— Rallu* aqiiattcus 581

Corncrake— Ortyijomefra crex 585

Sub-Family GALLINULIN.* :

Hyacinthine Gallinule — Porphyrtn veterum 586

Water Hen— Gallinula chloropus 587

Coot— Fulica atra 589

Order ANSERES ; THE GOOSE, SWAN, DUCK, ETC. . . 590

Family ANATID.E ; Sub- Family PHCENICOPTERIN.*: :

Flamingo— Phceni&ipterus ruber 590

Sub-Family PLECTROPTERIN^E :

Spur-Wingeil Goose — Plectrophanes gambcnsis. 592
Cape Barren Goose -Cereopsts (or Anser> m>vce

hollandice 593

Bernicle Goose— Bernicla leucopsis 594

Sub-Family CYGNIN^B :

MuteSwan — ( 'ygntis olor 597

Sub-Family ANATIN^E ; TRUE DUCKS 601

Mandarin Duck — Aix gnlerlculata 601

Widgeon — Mnrecn penelope 601

Mallard— Anas Imschil8 603

Teal— Querquedula crecca 603

Shoveller Duck— Spatula clypeata 605

Sub-Family FULIGULIN^B 606

Pochard Dun-Bird— Nyroca terlna 606

Common Duck— Somaterta mollissima 610

Sub-Family MERGING 612

Goosander— Mergits mcrgauser 612

Smew— Mergelliis albellus 612

Family COLYMBID.E ; DIVERS ; Sub-Family COLYMBIN^E 613
Great Northern Diver— Colymbus glacialis 613

Sub-Family PooicEViN^E ; GREBES 614

Great Crested Grebe — Podlceps crlstatu» 614

family ALCID.B; Suli-Family ALCIN^E : AUKS 615

Great Auk—AIca (or Planlus) impennis 615

Puffin— Fratercula arctica 616

Sub-Family SPHENISCIN^ ; PENGUINS 617

King Penguin— Aptenodytes pcnnantli 617

Sub-Family URIN^E 618

Guillemot — Urla trotte 618

Family PROCELLARID^E ; Sub-Family PROCELLARIN^E ;

PETRELS 61 8

Stormy Petrel-- Thalaxsidroma pelagica 618

Fulmar Petrel— Procellaria glacialis 619

Sub-Family DIOMEDEIN/J 620

Wandering Albatross— Diomedea exulans 620

Family LARID^B; Sub-Family LARINA; GULLS 621

Skua Gull— Stercorarius catarrhactes.orMegal-

estris skua 621

Common Gull. .Larus canus 623

Ki' tiwake Gull— Rissa trydactyla 623

Sub-Family RHYNCOPIN,* :

Scissor-Bill— Rhyncops nigra 024

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

ILLUSTRATIONS 1 I; IN TED IN COLORS.

r*o»

W«ar»r Hinl.
Group of Flocbee.

pioc

1'artn.lice

Mallard Dock.

FULL-PAGE WOOD ENGRAVINGS.

K*rl> Hreakfaet .

MOT

Group of Bunting* ................ M8

Croe»bilU
Neetor-ParroU .......... ,

Woodpecker*
Albatroee ..

nan

ILLUSTRATIONS IN TILE TEXT.

MOT

African HeefKater SIS

Row-Colored Paator *1>

Ceeumuu Starling, and Un (colored

Starling HO

Great Boat-Tall Ml

Created Oriole .885

Cow TroopUl 887

R«d-Win«ed SUrllng «•

Rio* TroopUl. or Bobolink 831

WEAVER BIROS.

Sociable Wearer Bird 888

Gold, and Rufotu-Necked Weaver

Hint ... 8M

Red Billed, and Aleeto Wearer Bird 83S

IIAWKISVIIKS. SI- \KROW8,

III MINi. s. AXI» I.AKK3.
Cardinal Groebeak. and Hawfinch.. 837

WUdCaoary 8*5

Commoo «^g"-i« Sparrow and Tree

Sparrow 846

White- Throated Sparrow 847

Yellow Hunting, or Yellow Ammer 84»

Ortolan 811

Snow Banting 8M

Lapland LomgBpor 8S8

Wood-Lark. Sky Lark, and Boanet-

Lark 8B6

Pencilled Lark 857

PLANT ri-TTKRS. AND COLTS.

Chilian Plant-Cutter 804

Senegal Col 7 8M

Violet Plantain Eater 88B

UORXBILLS.

Two Horned Hornbill 888

Toco —

871

PARROTS.

Group of ParrakeeU 87S

ROM Hill Parrakeet 877

Groaod Parrakeet 879

Parrakeat . «79

FAQ*

Warbling Oraa* Parrakeet 8B1

Soaly-BraMted Lorrikevt 8M

Bine and Yellow Macaw 883

Carolina Parrot 8M

Porple-CkppedLory 8*0

Gray Parrot 301

AmatonUreen Parrot 8M

Goliath Aratoo a07

Great Wblu Cockatoo 8M

1/oa.lbeator'e Cockatoo 401

Long Billed Parrot and Black Cock-
atoo 408

Helmet Cockatoo 403

Owl Parrot 408

WOODPECKER&

Pigmy Plcnlet 407

Head of Woodpecker 408

Woodpecker* 408

Ivory-Billed Woodpecker 413

Green Woodpecker 410

Three- Toed Woodpecker 417

Red Headed Woodpecker 418

Gold Winged Woodpecker 490

Wryneck 4*8

CUCKOOS.

Great Honey Guide 4*4

Groand Cuckoo 425

Pbeaeant Cuckoo 4»

Yellow Billed Cackoo 417

Sarannah Blackbird 4C0

Channel BUI 480

Cuckoo 481

DOVES AND PIGEO.Va

Paewnger Pigeon 488

Blue-Headed Pigeon 441

Ring Dore and Stock Dore 448

Blue Rock.Ptgeon 444

Turtle Dore 447

Greeted Pigeon and Broue Wing
Pigeon 44«

MOT

Nloobar Pigeon 4M

Crowned Pigeon 461

Tooth Billed Pigeon 488

CURA830W. PIIKASANTB, TUR-

KKYrt, KTC.
Created CuraMow 451

Broah Turkey 410

Reere'g Pbeaeant 44$

Golden Pheasant 4**

Amberet's Pbeaeant 49

SUrer Pheaautt 470

Horned Tragopan trj

Hondnrae Turkey <:>,

Guinea Fowl 478

PARTRIDGES gi'AII.s. GROUSE.
AM) VAKIKTIES.

Red-Legged Partridge 481

Quail 48|

California Quail 4M

Capercalllle 497

Black GrooM 490

Pinnated Grooae 401

Willow GrooM (Summer Plumage) 4M
Willow GrouM (Winter Plumage) 488

Ptarmigan 497

SandGrooee 498

RfVXI.VG BIHDa
O.trtrb W|

Rbea ... MM

Apteryz, or Kiwi Kiwi 511

BUSTARDS.

Great Boetard .514

Little Biutard ..515

PLOVERS. AND VARIETIES.

Great Plorer, or Thick-Knee 817

Pratincole 5i»

Cream Colored Conner 81*

Lapwing an

Dotterel, and Golden Plorer 881

Oyeter Catcher ..881

Turnct •*...

You IV AXIBIT* r«i*nm.-K.K

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

CRANES, HERONS, ETC.

Golden Breasted Trumpeter 533

Qariama 534

Demoiselle Crane ami Crowned

Crane 535

American Egret 538

Bittern 54<i

Day and Night Herons 5)8

Boat-Bill 550

Spoonbill 651

STORKS, IBIS, AND VARIETIES.

Adjutant 554

Whale-Headed Stork 558

Sacred Ibis 559

Curlew 5«3

Avocet 569

PAGE

Ruff 5T1

$*uderling 574

lacana 579

Horned Screamer 580

Hyacinthine Galliuule 587

GEESE, SWAN'S, AND DUCKS.

Flamingo 590

Spur-Winged Goose 591

Cape Barrou Goose 592

Gray-Lag Goose 693

Bernicle Goose 594

Egyptian Goose 595

Whistling Swan 598

Black Swan 599

Wood Duck 604

Shoveller Duck 606

PAOE

Eider Duck 610

Goosander 612

GREBES, AXD AUKS.

Great Crested Greb 614

Great Auk 615

King Penguin 617

Guillemot 618

PETRELS, GULLS, AXD TERNS.

Stormy Petrel 619

Fulmar Petrel 620

Giant Fulmar 620

Group of Gulls 621

Skua Gull 622

Daption, or Cape Petrel 622

Ross's Gull 624

VOL.IV.-N.K.

THE GRAKLES.

THE Orarulinan, or (JraU. - form tin- next group of birds, l-'oimerly :i MTV larire number
»f species were ranked among the member* of this group, hut tin- naturalists ..f the |»
day have rest i i. t.l the apjiellatiori to comparatively few birds. In all tin- s|>ecies tin- hill is
broad at the base, with tin- ridire of the upjier mandible slL-litly curved, and there is ;i little
notch near tin- extremity.

THE MINO BIKI- ..nun. .11 in many pnrts of India and the Indian Islands, where it

is frequently captured and domes! jrat>-d.

It is a bright and lively little bird, wonderfully intelligent, and e\.-n conceiving no great
an affection for its master, that it is jiermitted to fly about at will. Many amusing tricks are
often taught to the Min<» Mini, and it pomesMS a talent for talking equal to that enjuyed by
the magpie, the niven. the starling, or the parrot. 80 admirable a < onv.-rsationnliM is the
Miriii Mini that some writers who have had |>ersonal exjterience of its capabilities, think that
it surpasses even the gray parrot in its ]» .\\.-rs nf imitating the human \«\<->-. It will repeat
many words with extraordinary accuracy, and some sjM-cimens have learned phrases and sen-
tences of considerable length.

The color of the Mino Bird is a deep velvet-like black, with the exception of a white mark
on the base of the quill-feathers of the \\ imr. Around the base of the beak and the forehead
the feathers are extremely short and have a velvety sensation to the touch. The bill and the
feet are yellow, and on the back of the head are two wattles of a bright yellow color. The
food of this bird consists chietly of l>erries. fruits. artd insects, and in dimensions it is about
equal to a common thrush. By the Javanese it is known by the titles of Beo and Mendio. ami
the Surnatrans call it Teeong.

THE CROWDED GBAKLE is one of the handsomest of the genns to which it belongs, and on
account of the peculiar coloring from which it derives its name is a very conspicuous bin!.

It inhabits the parts of the jungle when- the vegetation is thickest, and interspersed with
tall trees, on whose topmost branches the Crowned (irakle loves to settle while engaged in it.s
search after berries, fruits, and the various substances on which it feeds. It is not a \>-ry
timid bird, and will frequently haunt human habitations, entering the gardens wherever tall
trees have l*-«-n left standing, and whistling cheerily as it lli.-s from one tree or bough to
another. When frightened, it signifies its alarm by a harsh, rough screech, but its ordinary
notes are full and melodious.

The top of the head and part of the nape, together with the chin and a mark on the <-.-ntre
of several of the primary feathers of the wings, are bright "king's" yellow. Round the eye

Vot IV. or M«t. ttmam. (17

318

THE AFRICAN BEEF-EATER.

is a large comma-shaped patch of bare pink skin, the point of the comma being directed
towards the ear. The general color of the body, as well as the short and square-tipped tail,
which looks as if it had been snipped off abruptly by a pair of shears, is a very deep green,
"shot" with blue in certain lights, and sooty-black in others.

ANOTHER curious group of this large family is known by the name of Buphaginse, i.e.,
Beef-eaters, or Ox-peckers, a title which they have earned by their habits. They may be
easily known by their remarkably shaped bill, which is wonderfully adapted for the pecu-
liar duties which it has to perform. One of the most common species of this group is the
AFRICAN BEEF-EATER, a bird which is found in great numbers both in Southern and West-
ern Africa.

It generally assembles in flocks, and haunts the spots where cattle are kept, alighting
upon their backs and setting vigorously to work in digging from beneath their skins the larva*

iJTRJCAN

of the bot-flies which burrow beneath the hide, and may often be seen on the backs of cattle
by means of the little hillock of skin which they raise. To extract these deeply-buried creat-
ures would seem to be a matter of considerable difficulty, but the Beef-eater manages the
matter easily enough, by fixing itself tightly on the animal's back by mea,ns of its extremely
powerful claws, and working with its strong and oddly-shaped beak. Other animals besides
oxen are subject to the attacks of these insect foes, and are equally visited by the Beef -eater,
who pursues his beneficial avocation without the least opposition on the part of the suffering
animal.

The general color of the African Beef -eater is a dull brown upon the whole of the upper
portions of the body, the chin, and the throat. The breast and abdomen are buff-colored, and
the upper and under tail-coverts are nearly of the same hue. The tail is wedge-shaped, and
of a grayish -brown color, warming into reddish -brown on the inner webs of the exterior
feathers. The basal half of the bill is rich orange, and the curiously squared extremity is
scarlet. The total length of the bird is between nine and ten inches.

THK KOSE-VOLORMD PASTOR.

BIO

\Vi n. .u ,,,.!,.• i,, tin- tnii- - -. *>r Murninae, as the j an scientifically termed. In

these birds tin- I. ill is almost straight, tap. -ring, and elongated, slightly llatt.-m-d at tin- u.|..
and with a hanlh ]» n.-|.iil<l<- n..t.-h. '\'\\» examples of this group are found in Kunij«-, tin-
first and ran-si <if \\hi.-h i- tin- K<»j. . m.<ii:i i> !'\^i..i;.

These liinls an- vt-ry common in many countries, and in some part* of India an- «... tnmi.T-
oii- that f..rty <»r tift\ ha\- N-.-H killed at a >ini:l.- shot, and they are aaid bj agriculturist* to
l*> hanlh ..-the than lonista. Like the common Starling, tin- Ko-*--colon-d Pastor

alwa\ - ili.- in Hock*, and seems to [Mjssess many of the habits which belong to the In-
l--i. Iniu- on tin* bai ks of ,-attli- and feeding en the paraaido \\\» ^rubn whi. h an- &-\\

«-i-.illy found in Mirh -itiiatioi^. ( m an .unit of this habit of fr.-.jiu-nt in^ tin- catll.- lidd and
tin- .sh.t-i' fold, tin- bird has received the title of Puator, or »ln-|.hi-rd. It feeds t-hi.-lly on
bHSCts, bill ill tin .1 .: i. in', i':-!.: !.- \.i : .- - i'- .ii. i -A i : .. i i ; .• 1 1 -i\\ -

The Rose-colored Pastor posa oases a rather flexible voice ; its ordinary cry Is rather harsh
and grating, but the bird is able to modulate its voice so as to imitate the tones of various

members of the feathered tribe. Otu- of tht-*- birds, that was domesticated by a person
who bod slightly wounded it and afterwards tended it until it had recovered, was so good a
mimic- that on excellent judge of songsters, who had heard its voice without seeing the bird
from which it proceeded, thought that he was li-t.'iiing to a concert of two starlings, two gold-
tinrln-*. and some songster, probably a siskin. This bird was fed upon insects and barley-meal
moistened with milk.

It is a n-inarkably jiivtty and conspii-iioiis bird ; the beautiful rivst which decorates '
crown and the delicate tints of the plumage renderimj it easily distinguishable from any of it*
kin. The head is ornamented with a crest of long, flowing feathers, which an; of a jVtty black
glossed with violet : and tin- n»>rk, witnr*. and tail an- of the same hue. The chin, throat,
front of the neck* thighs, and under tail-roverts are also block, but without the blue gloss.
The back, scapularies, breast, sides, and abdomen are of a beautiful rose-pink ; the legs and
toes are yellowish-brown, and the beak yellow with a dash of rose. The total length of this
species is between eight and nine inches. The bird does not attain this beautiful plumage
until the third year ; in the first year there is no crest at all, and the plumage is simply colored

320

THE COMMON STARLING.

with different shades of brown and white ; in the second year the crest is comparatively small
and scanty, the dark parts of the plumage have a brown tinge, and the rosy parts are dull and
washed with gray or brown.

THE common STARLING is one of the handsomest birds, the bright mottlings of its plumage,
the vivacity of its movements, and the elegance of its form rendering it a truly beautiful bird.

The color of the Starling is very beautiful, and is briefly as follows : The general tint is
an extremely dark purplish-green, having an almost metallic glitter in a strong light. The
feathers of the shoulders are tipped with buff, and the wing-coverts, together with the quill-
feathera of the tail and wings, are edged with pale reddish-brown. The beak is a fine yellow.

COMMON ST A l( LI NO and UN ICOLOKKD STABUNQ.-Sturnut miyaris and unicvior.

The feathers of the upper part of the breast are elongated and pointed. This is the plumage
of the adult male, and is not brought to its perfection until three years have elapsed. The first
year' s bird, before its autumnal moult, is almost wholly of a brownish -gray, and after its moult
is uartly brown and partly purple and green. In the second year the plumage is more decided
in its tints, but is variegated with a great number of light-colored spots on the under and upper
surfaces, and the beak does not attain its beautiful yellow tinge.

Tin: < i;<>\\ /,•/.. i r A" /;//;/>.

891

BOAT-TAILED BIRDS.

'I'm <^ui^-aliii:r. «.r Boat-tailed Birds, an- so naiii.-d fn.in th.- jKTiiliar formation of their
tail-, which, an may be S»-»MI ..n ivfnvnc.- to th.- illu-tration, an- holloufd in a manner somewhat
-imilar ti> i!i.- iin.-rii.r of a ran.-- There are several -|.<-.-i,-> of I tout tail-, nil being natives of
Am.-rii-a. ami U-ing spread over the greater part <>f <>ur vast country. One of the beat known

•;.. . |. - l~ !!:••<• 1:1 \ , BOA1 : \il ..•!<.!.! .,<):••.•. 1 '.: \ , i. 1.1 :. i .. ;,~ i • i - -, ,m. ; < m. ., ra I !.-•!.

OKXAT BOAT-!*!! -

This bird is rather a large one, being between sixteen and seventwn inchea in length, and
twenty-two inrlics across th<- <iut*]iiva<i win>p<. Its p-n--nil rolor is black, gloHHed with Mm-,
green, and purpli*. in <liff«'n-iit lights. It i^ mostly found in the southern fK>rtionn of th««
I'nited States, where it posses niuli-r the name of jackdaw, and is seen in vant flocks among
the sea islands and marine marshes, busily engaged in finding out the various substances that
are left by the retiring ti<|.-. It preserves its social disposition ev»-n in its nesting, and builds
in company among reeds and bushes in the neighborhood of forests and marshy lands. Tli.-
eggs are of a whitish color and generally five in number. It is a migratory bird, leaving
America for winter quarters about the hitter end of November, and returning in February and
March.

THE BOAT-TAILKD ORAKLE (Quiscalut major} is another local name in the southern
Atlantic States and th.- (inlf coast

A species, called Mexican Boat-tailed Orakle, inhabits the southwestern extremity of
North America.

TH* CBOW BLACKBIRD (Quitealiu purpureu*— formerly wrrfeotor), or PURPLE GRAKLK,
is a common bin!, in the warmer season, in New England, arriving about the first week in
April. It is eminently a social bird, forming flocks, and ••v»-n bn^iing in numbers on one tree.
It rarely produces more than one brood yearly. At times enormous numbers are seen congre-
gating.

322 THE ORCHARD ORIOLE.

The Bronzed Grakle is a variety of the Purple. It breeds in Maine, and in Illinois it is
resident throughout the year.

The Florida Grakle is much smaller, and seems to be confined to the peninsula of Florida.
It is also regarded as a variety of the Purple Grakle.

THE RUSTY BLACKBIRD (Scolecophagus ferrugineus) is a visitor in New England during
the spring and fall months, when migrating. In Virginia and southwards, these birds are very
abundant in the winter. They also extend westward. Occasionally they have been found
breeding in Maine. This blackbird is unsocial and retiring, and on that account is not often
seen. It visits the low, swampy thickets.

BREWER'S BLACKBIRD (Scolecophagus breweri), named for Dr. Brewer, the eminent
ornithologist of Boston, Massachusetts, is found on the high, western plains, and thence to the
Pacific, and southwards to California and Mexico. It is considerably larger than the preceding.

HANG-NEST BIRDS.

THE ICTERIN^E, or Hang-nest Birds, now claim our attention. These birds are remarkable
for the hammock -like nest which they construct, and the wonderful skill with which they
adapt its structure to the exigencies of the climate or locality.

ONE of the most familiar examples of these birds is the ORCHARD ORIOLE, popularly
known by the title of Bobolink throughout the countries which it inhabits.

This bird, in common with other allied species*, is so extremely varied in its plumage,
according to its age and sex, that several species were confounded together in the most per-
plexing manner, until Wilson succeeded, by dint of patient observation, in unravelling the
tangled web which had been woven by other writers.

The nest of the Orchard Oriole is a truly wonderful structure, woven into a bag or purse
like shape from long grasses, almost as if it had been fashioned in a loom, and so firmly con-
structed that it will withstand no small amount of rough treatment before its texture gives
way. In one of these purse-like nests now lying before me, I find that the bird often employs
two and sometimes three threads simultaneously, and that several of these double threads pass
over the branch to which the nest is hung, and are then carried to the very bottom of the
purse, so as to support the structure in the firmest possible manner. The entrance is from
above, and near the mouth ; the nest is comparatively slight in texture, becoming thicker and
more compact near the foot, where the eggs and young are laid. The interior of the nest is
generally lined with some soft, downy seeds. So admirably does the bird's beak weave this
remarkable nest, that an old lady to whom Wilson exhibited one of these structures, remarked
that the Orchard Oriole might learn to darn stockings.

The size and form of the nest may vary very greatly according to the climate in which the
bird lives, and the kind of tree on which its home is placed. Should the nest be suspended to
the firm, stiff boughs of the apple or other strong-branched tree, it is comparatively shallow,
being hardly three inches in length, and rather wider than it is deep. But if it should be
hung to the long and slender twigs of the weeping willow, as is often the case, the nest is
lengthened until it is four or five inches in depth, the size of the entrance remaining the same
as in the shallower nest. This variation in structure is evidently intended to prevent the eggs
or young from being shaken out of their home by the swaying of the boughs in the wind.
The same amount of material appears to be used in either case, so that the elongated nest is
not so thick as the short one. My own specimen is an example of the elongated structure.
Moreover, in the warmer parts of America, the nest is always much slighter than in the colder
i-egions, permitting a free circulation of air through its walls.

The habits of this bird are very curious and interesting, and are well described by Wilson
in his well-known work on the Birds of America : —

Tin: i mm Aim <>I;IULB.

Hi.- t »r- hard Oriole, though j«art!\ a .I.-I--M.I.-MI on th- in.luntry of the fanner, ia DO
aneaking pilferer. Ion :m ^\»-\\ .m.l truly I- ii.-ii.-.-ni fri.-n.l. To all those countless mult it ude*
of destructive bugs and caterpillars tliut infest tin- fruit tn-es in spring ami Humnier, preying
• •a the leaves, blossoms, and .-iiii.rx.. ..f the fruit, he ia a dead!

wherever lit- ran liu.l tli.-m. and <i. -troying on an average some hnn.ln-.l- «.f thorn erwy day
without offering the slightest injury to tin- fruit, however much it ma\ -tan.l in his wa .
have witnessed instances where the entrance to hia neat waa m»P ii,:,n half do— ,1 i ,\ :, , luater
of apples, which h.- could . usily have demoliahed in half a minute; l.ut. a-, if holding the
|.I..|H-M> of lib patron sacred, or considering it a natural bulwark to hia own, he >li<l out and
in wit li the greatest gentleness and caution.

I am not sullicirnth comersant with entomology to ]Nirticiilarize the different .sjH-.-i.-s on
which he feeds, but I have good reason for l>elieving that they are almost altogether Midi an
.•oiniiiit the greatest depredations on tin- fruits <>f the orrhnrd ; and, as he riaita us at a time
when hia services arc <>f th.- greatest value, ami. like a faithful guardian, takes up hia station

A ',. M HM MSB] IBBOH '" •• .\l--.-i. i..- Ollghl tO '" held in !•-]«•, I'u I . -.t.-.-in. :,n,| ).!,.

teeted by every considerate husbandman. Nor ia the gaiety of bin aong on.- of hi.s leant

rsMSBSBSldfttioni !'-iii_- .,!, . v ..-.!;::_!;. afltff^ s.ii_!n!\. :,hl M0HI bM, h- i- "li th.-
ITIOIIIK! in tli- ii.-.- t!\ in- and carolling in his hurried manner, in almost one and the name
install' His notes are -hrill and lively, l-ut uttered with sn.-h p.ij.i-lit\ and seeming con f union,
that the ear in unable to follow them distinctly. Between theae he ha* a single note, which is
agreeable and interesting.

••\Vh-n-\-r he i> |.i..te«'te<l. he .shows hi.s confidence and gratitude by hw numben* and
familiarity. In the Botanic Ihirden.s of my worthy and scientific friends, the Messrs. Hart rams,
of Kingsess, which present an epitome of everything that is rare, useful, and beautiful in the

\.-_'-iaM- kili_'.!..ni ..f tlii- MtaaBI ' "iinn.'ii'. ati-l MI-IT lh- iniii'1-l.ni-. L'IIII -.-ai.-.' r\er

intrudes, the Orchanl Oriole revels without n-tniint through thicketH of aromatic flowers and
blossoms, and, heedless of the busy gardener tliat labors below, hangs his nest in perfect
security on the brunches over hia head."

Audubon, also, has taken great interest in this bird, and has devoted a considerable por-
tion of his work to the elucidation of its liabita.

" No sooner have they reached that portion of the country in which they intend to remain
during the time of raising their young, than the birds exhibit all the liveliness and vivacity
belonging to their nature. The male ia seen rising in the air from ten to twenty yards in a
violent manner, jerking his tail and body, flapping his wings, and singing with remarkable
im|H'tuosity, as if under the influence of haste, and anxious to return to the tree from which
he has departed. He accordingly descends with the same motions of the IxNly and toil, repeat-
ing his pleasing song as he alights.

" These gambols and warblings are performed frequently during the day, the intervals
being employed in ascending or descending along the branches and twigs of different trees in
search of insects or lorv«. In doing this they rise on their legs, aeldom without jetting the
tail, stretch the neck, seize the prey, and emit a single note, which is sweet and mellow,
althongh in power much inferior to that of the Baltimore. At other times it is seen bending
its body downwards in a curved posture, with the head gently inclined upwards, to peep
at the outer part of the leaves, so as not to suffer any part to escape its vicilance. It
soon alights on the ground when it has espied a crawling insect, and again flies towards
the blossoms, in which are many lurking, and devours hundreds of them each day, thus
contributing to secure to the farmer the hopes which he has of the productiveness of his
orchard."

One of these birds that was kept in a cage by Wilson proved to be a very interesting
creature, chanting its wild clear notes at an early age, and accommodating itself to its captivity
with perfect ease. It had a curious love for artificial light, fluttering about its cage, and
becoming uneasy -at the sight of a lighted candle, and not being satisfied when its cage waa
placed close to the object of attraction. In that case, it would sit close to the side of the cage,
dress its plumage, and occasionally break into snatches of song.

324 THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE.

The adult male is nearly black upon its head, neck, back, wings, and tail, a brownish tint
being perceptible in the wings. The lower part of the breast, the abdomen, tail-coverts, and
some of the wing-coverts, are light reddish-brown, and the greater wing-coverts are tipped
with white. The adult female is yellowish olive above, with a brown tinge on the back, and
a brown wash over the wings. The whole of the lower parts are yellow, the primary feathers
of the wings are slightly edged with yellowish white, and the same color is found on the
edges of the secondaries and greater coverts, and on the tips of the lesser coverts. The length
of the bird is between six and seven inches. The young male is like the female during his
first year, but in his second year sundry feathers of black make their appearance in various
parts of the body, and in the third year they spread over the upper surface and breast, as has
already been mentioned.

The Orchard Orioles arrive in Pennsylvania rather later than the Baltimores — usually
about the first week in May. Early in September they take their departure. In New England
they are not often seen. They are easily raised from the nest, and prove very agreeable pets.

Since the days of Audubon and Wilson, several species have been discovered. The
Hooded, Scott's Waglers, and Bullocks, are among them. The Troopial is another and splen-
did species, larger than the others. Another is named for Audubon ; all found in the West
and Southwest.

THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE (Icterus galbula) is an inhabitant of the whole of Northern
America, its range extending from Canada to Mexico — even as far south as Brazil. '

It is a migratory bird, arriving about the beginning of May, and departing towards the
end of August or the beginning of September. The name of Baltimore Oriole has been given
to it because its colors of black and orange are those of the arms belonging to Lord Baltimore,
to whom Maryland formerly belonged. This species is remarkably familiar and fearless of
man, hanging its beautiful pensile nest upon the garden-trees, and even venturing into the
streets wherever a green tree flourishes, and chanting its wild mellow notes in close proximity
to the sounds and sights of a populous city.

The nest of the Baltimore Oriole is somewhat similar to that of the preceding species,
although it is generally of a thicker and tougher substance, and more ingeniously woven.
The materials of which this beautiful habitation is made are flax, various kinds of vegetable
fibres, wool and hair, matted together, so as to resemble felt in consistency. A number of
long horsehairs are passed completely through the fibres, sewing it firmly together with large
and irregular, but strong and judiciously placed stitching. In one of these nests Wilson
found that several of the hairs used for this purpose measured two feet in length. The nest
is in the form of a long purse, and at the bottom is arranged a heap of soft cow's hair and
similar substances, in which the eggs find a warm resting-place. The female bird seems to be
the chief architect, receiving a constant supply of materials from her mate, and occasionally
rejecting the fibres or hairs which he may bring, and sending him off for another load better
to her taste.

Since the advent of civilization, the Baltimore Oriole has availed himself largely of his
advantages, and instead of troubling himself with a painful search after individual hairs,
wherewith to sew his hammock together, keeps a lookout for any bits of stray thread that
may be thrown away by human sempstresses, and makes use of them in the place of the hairs.
So sharp-sigh ted is the bird, and so quick are his movements, that during the bleaching season
the owners of the thread are forced to keep a constant watch upon their property as it lies
upon the grass, or hangs upon the boughs, knowing that the Oriole is ever ready to pounce
upon such valuable material, and straightway to weave it into his^nest. Piecesof loose string,
skeins of silk, or even the bands with which young grafts are tied, are equally sought by this
ingenious bird, and often purloined to the discomfiture of the needlewoman or the gardener.
The average size of the nest is six or seven inches in depth, and three or four in diameter.
Wilson thinks that the bird improves in nest-building by practice, and tHat the best speci-
mens of architecture are the work of the oldest birds.

The eggs are five in number, and their general color is whitish pink, dotted at the larger

Tin ^ /'/:/' tnuoLB.

e:id«ith purplish -|H.ts, and oof«i at tin- smaller end with a great numU-r ..f tine inter* •
lint- of id.' same lux'. 'I'll.' f'"-| <>f tin* Haltinioi. < >ri»i<- -M-.-HIS in be almost entirely of an
animal nature, an.l tu consist of caterpillars, beetles, ami ••*, most uf tin-in injurious

t<> ill.- f:iiin.-r "i- the gardener.

Tin- coloHni: ••( this I'ird N a- follows : Tin- head iiiul throat, together with the upper part
<>f tli.- Lack an. I tin- "in--, an- d.-ep Ma. k. with the exception of an orange bar ii|.«.n ih.-
shoulder-.. 'I'll.- low.-r i^nt of th.' kick and tin- \vhol.- ..f th.- unili-r -m face are bright or.nme.

war inin.: int» scarlet <>n tin- breast. The edges of the secondaries, the t-v- M<T edges of ih.-

_'• . '• • • '"••! :~. in-! ; ..r • ..f Mi..-. ..f ! I,.- pi iin.i! i- -. .1;. irhite. 1 !.•• :.. 1 1 I- i 1 1 !.. I . ->i i-l ,

...|.,i-...|. and thus described l>\ \Vii-.,n: ••'!'!,.• tail-feathers under the coverts, orange ; ih-

uiddlc ones I'nuii thence to the tips an- l>la.-k. th.- n.-xt five on each side Mark m-ai tin-

coverts, and orange toward* tin- • •x.ti-.-mities, so disposed that wlu-n th.- tail is .-\|..m.|.-d and

the coverts r» in..\.-d. th.- Mack apjM-ars in th.- f..rm of a pyramid supjMirted on an an-h of

i :-._••• The female is dull Mack ii]«m tin- iipjM-r \<urta and mottled \\iihliro\vnish-yl!

.• li»-i In-iii ii • . • •. • : .:>••'••',•- Ehl iwer juirt of tin luu i-. in ! ..II

th«- iindt-r |Mtrtioii> of th.« Ixxly ore dull orange, and th«- tail i» mostly »li\»- \i-llo\v. The wings
are dull brown, and marked «ith \.-llo«i^h whit.- n]«m tin- rovrrte.

Fnmi these colorn tin- Mnl hasd.-rived thenameflof (ioldi-n Holiin ami Fin- Mini. Its total
length in about -.-x- n in.-li.-.

Tli.- Baltiinoiv ( diol.- U-longs to a genun almost wholly Aiii.-ri.-aii, though what are t«-rmt-d
th.- tru.- Orioles are Old \\'..iM l.inls. The song of this Mnl is a clear, mellow whistle,
repeat") at short intervals, as he gleans among th<- J>nm.-h.-. Th*-n- is in it a certain wild
plai:iti\.-n.-s and nmrvM extremely interesting. It is n»t utt«-n«l with the ni]>idit\ of the
f.-rniirin-iis thrush, ami some oth.-r .-inin.-nt songsters, but with tin- pleasing tranquillity of
a careless plough !MI\, whiMUm: in.-r.-ly for his own amusement. \Vh«-n alarmeil by an
ajiproarh to his m'st. or any such cin-uMi>tami-. hi- niak.-s a kind of rapid chirping- MTV
dilT.-n-nt from his usual note. This, however, is always succeeded by those mellow tones
w hich seem so congenial to his nature.

High oo you poplar, clad in gloria* >i»«i.

The onoge, black -capped Baltimore !• aaco.

The lin«.l. ntrndrd bough* (till plvaao him hot;

BMieath their bending akirU he hang* hU nert.— WIUKM.

He is several years in getting his full plumage.

OXE of the most curious and handsome birds of this group in termed the CRESTED ORIOLE,
on account of the sharp, pointed crest which rises from its head.

It is a native of tropical America, and seems to be rather a familiar bird, often leaving the
forests where it usually dwells, and making its home near the habitations of man. \Vlu-iti--r
in the vast woods of its native hind, or whether in the cultivated grounds, it is always to be
found in the loftiest trees, traversing their I mini-lies in search of food, and suspending its nest
from the extr.-mity of the slenderest twigs. It is a very active Mnl ln»th on foot and in the
air, one quality being needful for it s movements among the boughs while getting berries, and
the other for the chase of the various insects with which it varies its diet.

The ne-t of the Crested Oriole is a very elegant structun-. much larger than that of either
of the preceding species, being soin.-tim.- not less than three feet in length. It is always hung
fn>m the very extremity of some delicate twj>;, so as to escape the marauding hand of tin-
monkey, or the dreaded fangs of the snake ; and as a great number of these are generally

found u | MIII one tree, tl omMm-d ertWt. totMher with the busy scene of the parent birds

continually going and n-tuminj: from their homes, is remarkably fine. The shape of the nest
is cylindrical, swelling into a somewhat spherical form at the bottom; and it is found that
both birds take an equal share of work in its construction.

The Crested Oriole is very beautifully as well as curiously colored. The head, shoulders,
breast, and abdomen are warm chocolate-brown, and the wings are dark green, changing

THE COW TROOP I AL.

gradually into brown at their tips. The central feathers of the tail are dark brown, and the
remaining feathers are bright yellow. There is also a green tinge upon the thighs and the
middle of the breast. Upon the top of the head there is a long and pointed crest, and the horny

CRESTED ORIOLE.— Ostinopi erittata.

portion of the bill is green, and, as may be seen in the illustration, extends above the eye. The
legs and feet are black. The Crested Oriole is larger than either of the preceding species,
being about the size of a common jackdaw.

IN the Cow BIRD, or Cow TROOPIAL, of America, we have a curious instance of the fre-
quency with which a remarkable habit, supposed to be almost unique, and especially character-
istic of some particular species, is found to occur in a totally distinct species inhabiting another
continent. That the cuckoo of Europe is no nest-maker, but only usurps the homes of other
birds, and forces them to take care of its progeny, is a well-known fact, and it is really remark-
able that the Cow Bird, which inhabits the opposite quarter of the globe, and belongs to an
entirely different order of birds, should follow the same principle.

Before commencing the description of this bird, I must caution the reader against mistak-
ing the present species for the American cuckoo, which is by many persons called the Cow
Bird on account of its cry, which resembles the word "cow, cow," frequently repeated. The
American cuckoo is free from the intrusive habits of the Cow Troopial, and not only builds its
own nest, but rears and tends its young with great affection.

The Cow Bird (Moloihrus ater) is one of the migrators, arriving in Pennsylvania about the
end of March or the beginning of April, and is somewhat gregarious, being found in little

//.!/.•//> HE COW BIRD.

BS1

parties, generally aooompani-i l.y the red-wing*-*! Marling. whi.-h l.inl will MOB be described.
fw <!•!- •'.• ii id .!• orwdol ' >.-..>..•!. :!:•• OM BMi '•.;•. ••• :••...•• th« ph — r tin ii t. m
poiury msi.lenoe, and again assembling in Hocks, together with th- n« I -winged starling, take
tii.-ir .|.-|.arturv for th-ii- »,,, m ( •;,,,, iiM:, and Georgia. \Vhii,- remaining in the

country, t IMV are generally seen near streams, | .-r.h.M I ,,n the trees thut -k ,«k*.

Ii N a rath-r ruiioiiH fart that .luring tli.- month* ,.f July aixl AIUJIIM. tl. < Iroopialn hii.l
denly \anMi. and are not seen again till Sepu-mUi. « h-n they m:,k- th.ir appearance in oon-
M.l.-ral>!.- tnimbera. Whether th. .:rn.-y .luritiK' that tinif. ..i u h.-t her retire Into th.

depths ..f the forest, b n..t . I. arly aacertJiim-.!.

I'nlik.- th- generality ..f l.irds, the Cow Bird seems to be artuated by no attarhnx -nt t.>
those uf the opposite sex. No pairing has yet been observed. n..r .I.N-H tlw male bird take pos-
aessitm of a nuiiiU-r ..f females, as is the ease with mans s)M^-ie«. In<l.-.«l. there would be no
need for such an alliance, for the female Cow Bird makes no n—i. n.-itli.-r does (the trouble-

COW

herself about rearing her young, but searching out for the nest of some little bird, she deposits
her own egg among the number, and then leaves it to its fate. The remarkable featnr- in th.-
matter is, that the poor bird on whom this intruder has been foisted invariably takes charge
of it in preference to its own offspring, and will always rear the young Cow Bird, even though
the whole of its own offspring perish.

There seems to be in the Cow Bird an irresistible :itn-n ti\.- power, forcing other birds to
take charge of it and attend to ita wants. This .supposition is strengthened by the conduct of
a cardinal grosbeak, kept by Wilson, into whose cage was introduced a young Cow Bird just
taken out of the nest of a Maryland yellow throat At first, the grosbeak exarnin-'l th-
int ruder with some reserve, but as soon as the stranger began to <-ry f< .r food, the grosbeak took it
under its protection, tended it carefully, brought it food, tore Urge insects to pieces in ord. r t. ,
suit the capacity of the young bird's mouth, cleaned its plumage, taught it to feed itself, and
exhibited towards it all a mother's care. Wilson writes as follows, after describing the singular
habita of this bird :—

" From twelve to fourteen days is the usual time of incubation with our small birds ; but,
although I cannot fix the precise period requixite for the Cow Bunting's eggs, I think I ran
almost positively say that it it is a day or two less than the shortest of the above-mentioned

328 THE RED-WINGED STARLING.

species. In this singular circumstance we see a striking provision ; for, did this egg require
a day or two more, instead of so much less, than those among which it has been dropped,
the young it contained would, in almost every instance, most inevitably perish, and thus, in a
few years, the whole species must become extinct. On the first appearance of the young Cow
Bunting, the parent being frequently obliged to leave the nest to provide sustenance for the
foundling, the business of incubation is thus, necessarily, interrupted ; the disposition to
continue it abates. Nature has now given a new direction to the zeal of the parent, and the
remaining eggs, within a week or more at most, generally disappear. In some instances,
indeed, they have been found on the ground, near or below the nest, but this is rarely the
case. I have never known more than one egg of the Cow Bunting in the same nest. The egg
is somewhat larger than that of the Bluebird, thickly sprinkled with grains of pale brown on
a dirty white brown."

The Cow Bird is pretty evenly distributed over the United States, from the Atlantic to the
Pacific, though it is rare in Maine, and on the coast of the Pacific is not often seen.

The Cow Bird derives its name from its habit of haunting the pasture-lands for the pur-
pose of feeding upon the numerous flies and other insects that are always to be found in the
vicinity of cattle ; it is also known under the titles of Cow Bunting, and Cow-pen Bird.

The coloring of the Cow Bird is pleasing, though not brilliant. The head and neck are of
a dark drab, and have a kind of silken gloss ; the whole of the upper surface and abdomen
are black, "shot" with green, and the upper part of the breast is dark violet. When young
it is altogether brown, and the darker tints make their appearance by degrees, showing them-
selves in patches here and there, which enlarge as the bird grows older, and finally overspread
the entire body. The length of the bird is about seven inches.

THE MEADOW LABK (Sturnella). Wilson says of this bird: "Though this well-known
species cannot boast of the powers of song which distinguishes that 'harbinger of day,' the
Skylark of Europe, yet in richness of plumage, as well as sweetness of voice, as far as his few
notes extend, he stands eminently his superior. He differs from the greater part of his tribe
in wanting the long, straight hind-claw, which is probably the reason why he has been classed
by some late naturalists with the Starlings. But in the particular form of his bill, and his
manners, plumage, mode and place of building his nest, Nature has clearly pointed out his
proper family. The species has a very extensive range, having myself found them in Upper
Canada, and in each of the States. Extensive and luxuriant prairies near St. Louis, Missouri,
abound with them."

These birds, after the breeding season is over, collect in flocks, but seldom fly in a close,
compact body. Their flight is something like that of the grouse, or partridge, laborious and
steady, sailing and renewing the rapid action of the wings alternately. When they alight on
trees or bushes, it is generally on the tops of the highest branches, whence they send forth a
long, clear, and somewhat melancholy note, that, in sweetness and tenderness of expression, is
not surpassed by any of our numerous warblers. This is sometimes followed by a kind of low,
rapid chattering, the particular call of the female ; and again the clear and plaintive strain is
repeated, as before.

Two varieties are noticed— one of them found in Mexico, and the other in the Western
States

THE RED-WINGED STARLING is one of those birds which may either be looked upon as
most beneficial or most hurtful to the coasts in which they live, according to the light in which
they are viewed.

From the fanner s point of view, it is one of his worst enemies, as it eats vast amounts of
grain, and assembles in such enormous flocks that the fields are black with their presence, and
the sun is obscured by the multitude of their wings. The soft immature grain of the Indian
corn is a favorite food with the Red-winged Starlings, and, according to Wilson, "reinforced
by numerous and daily flocks from all parts of the interior, they pour down on the low coun-
tries in prodigious multitudes. Hence they are seen like vast clouds, wheeling and driving

-,

ili- m-adows and deserted corn' .-nimr th- :iir witli th.-ir nombeni. They corn -

mi-no- •:,. work ••: •:• «t ruction on ';= ..... m, the iri-U- ••• which, though coin] • •- .i nl nUMMM

• "v. i, ].!,,. ntN < ' . :.•-.;. AI..I.J..-., iMPHt m not raapli krij lorn -ir , while from iH qpvti n
iii\ri:i-U continue in IH.III- .|..«n like » tein|>eMt, blackening half an •ore at a time, and if n<>t
<list.n-l»-.l ivj.-at th.-ir «lej,r,,|:,iions till little n-mains l-.u i he cob and the si <
the grain, l-'n.m <l:i\\n i<> nearly sooaet thia open and daring deraatjitimi \* rarried on,
umler the ••>•• <>f tli<> pn.|.ri«-tor ; and a fann.-r \\lio has very ronaiderable ext«-m- of corn
woiilil r",juii-.' luilf a iiK-n :it l--:i-i \\itli -unii to guunl it, and «>vi»n th<-n all their vigi-

laooe nii'1 :«-ti\ity ronlil not j.n«v«-nt a git>un<l-tith<- <>f it from becoming tin- ]>n-\ ..f tin-
Mai-khinK"

In ronrnqoenoe of pn-. hit ions tho Kod-xringed Starling in pemaeutfl IM ««T«ry

poaaible way. Every man and buy who haa a gun takes it and altooUi at t)i- •• blackbirds,

"

every urchin who can throw a stone hurls it at their blackening flockM, and even the hawks
come from far and near to the spot where these birds are assembled, and make great havoc
among them. As they are in the habit of resting at night among the reeds that grow in pro-
fusion upon the morasses, the farmers destroy great multitudes of them by stealing qui- tly
upon their roosting- places at night and setting fire to the dry reeds. The poor birds being
suddenly awakened by the noise and flames, dart wildly about, and those who escape the fire
generally fall victims to the guns of the watchful farmer and his men. Thousands of l-inls
are thus killed in a single night, and as their flesh is eatable, though not remarkable for its
excellence, the party return on the following nmrnimr for the j»ur] •<»««• of picking up the game.

Such are the devastations wrought 1>\ t he Red-winged Starling, and on the first glance
they appear so disastrous as to pine.- the l>inl in the front nmk of winged pestilences. But
r!i- •!•• i- another side ••', the question, whii I. we will MM .•\:nnin.-.

During the spring months these birds feed almost exclusively upon inserts, especially
preferring those which are in their larval state, and devour the young leaves of growing crops.
AtwdestnictivegnAtnttknteil )>y the HI><I. \\inp-4l Starling with the L-f-:it.-t ].-i^.-\. r:m.-,..
ne«>in? that upon these the existence of themselves and their young entirely depends.
Whether a grub be deeply buried in the earth, eating away the root of some doomed plant.

330 THE RED-SHOULDERED BLACKBIRD.

whether it be concealed among the thick foliage which it is consuming, or whether it be tun-
nelling a passage into the living trunk of the tree, the Red-winged Starling detects its presence
and drags it from its hiding-place. From many dissections which he made, Wilson calculated
that on the very smallest average each bird devours at least fifty larvae per diem, and that it
probably eats double that number. But, taking the former average as the true one, and
multiplying it by the number of Red-winged Starlings which are known to visit the country,
he calculates that these birds destroy sixteen thousand millions of noxious insects in the
course of each breeding season, even supposing that they do not eat a single insect after the
young are able to shift for themselves.

The nest of this bird is made among the rank foliage of marshy and low-lying soils, and
is not unfrequently placed upon the bare ground. The materials of which it is made are tine
reeds, roots, and grasses, lined with soft herbs. In order to keep the nest in its place among
the loose and yielding substances in which it is placed, the bird fastens the twigs or herbage
together by intertwining them with the exterior rushes which edge the nest, and sometimes
fastens the tops of the grass-tufts together. The eggs are five in number, pale blue in color,
and marked with pale purplish blotches and many lines and shades of black. The male bird
is extremely anxious about his home, and whenever he fears danger from an intruder, he
enacts a part like that which is so often played by the lapwing of England, and by feigning
lameness and uttering pitiful cries as he nutters along, endeavors to entice the enemy from
the vicinity of its nest. The young birds are able to fly about the middle of August, and then
unite in large flocks.

When captured young it soon accommodates itself to its new course of life, becomes very
familiar with its owner, and is fond of uttering its curious song, puffing out its feathers and
seeming in great spirits with its own performance.

The color of the adult male is deep glossy black over the greater part of the body, reddish-
brown upon the first row of the wing-coverts, and a rich bright scarlet decorating the remain-
ing coverts. In length it measures about nine inches. The female is much smaller than her
mate, being only seven inches long, and is colored in a very different manner. The greater
part of the plumage is black, each feather being edged with light brown, white, or bay, so
that she presents a curiously mottled aspect. The chin is cream, also with a dash of red ;
two stripes of the same color, but dotted with black, extend from the nostrils over the eyes,
and from the lower mandible across the head. There is a stripe of brown-black passing from
the eye over the ear-coverts, and the whole of the lower parts are black streaked with creamy
white. The young males resemble the females in their coloring, and as they advance in age
present feathers of the characteristic black and red in different parts of their plumage. Not
until several years have elapsed is the male joyous in his full plumage, and it is seldom that a
perfectly black and scarlet bird is found, some of the feathers generally retaining their
juvenile brown and bay.

THE RED- WINGED BLACKBIRD (Agelaius phceniceus), or Starling, so-called. Wilson takes
up the charges against this bird for theft, and disposes in this wise: " In investigating the
nature of these, I shall endeavor to render strict historical justice, adhering to the honest
injunctions of the poet : —

' Nothing extenuate,
Nor set down anght in malice.'

Let the reader divest himself of prejudice, and we shall be at no loss to ascertain his true
character. These birds arrive in Pennsylvania late in March, and are known as Swamp Black-
bird, Marsh Blackbird, Corn-thief, Red-wing Starling, and Red and Buff-shouldered Blackbird.
The male is notably very much larger than the female. It is common from the Atlantic to the
Pacific.

THE RED-SHOULDERED BLACKBIRD is a variety found in the Western States, and confined
to the Pacific coast.

7V//; AW: ration M..

IH>HU/./.\K.

TlIK Ki i • \MI \Viun:-- ii
uii the western j-ortiou «>f th

Hi.

v. KIIII:I>

found • Kclush • !v

Tin YKI.I.OM in M.I n HI.A. Kiuitn ^ Xnnthocepkalu* icttroccpkalu*) is a large species,
Inhal'ltim: the reiri'-n from Illinois to Texas, and thence to the Pa< uc the pnnriem,

Dr. Cooper states that the only song this )>ir.| lias consists of a few hoarse . lm. klm M..I. ,
an.l coniiculsqueakingH, uttered as if it were a great effort to make any noittu at all Its voice
is regarded as the harshest of any known l.inl. It is very abundant in California. It walks on
th- cronnd much in the same steady manner of the Cow Binl.

l'> " "f the American birds ore better known than the RICE TBOOPIAI.. which is familiar
over the greater part of that continent

No American loologiM ..mit* a notice of the Rice Troopial, and there are few writers
on country life who do not mention this little
bin! un.I-r one of the many names by which it
is known. In some parts of the States it is called
th- KICK HIKII. in another the Un.n Hum. in

'M >t In i id.- I; ; UKKH !'• -. : i •.... -A hil«< it*

more familiar title, by which it is called through-
out the greater jmrt of Am.-ii.a, is BOBOLINK, or
Bon Li .\K m. It also occasionally visits Jamaica,
where it gets very fat, and is in consequence called
the BI-TLEB BIRD. Its title of Rice Troopial is
earned by the depredations which it annually
makes upon the rice crops, though its food is by
no means restricted to that seed, but consists in a
very large degree of insects, grubs, and various
wild grasses.

Like the preceding (060168, it is a migratory
binl, residing during the winter months in the
sou them parts of America ami the \\'.-t Indian
Islands, and passim; in vast Hocks northwards at
the commencement of the spring. rVw birds June
so extensive a range as the Rice Troopial, for it
is equally able to exist in the warm climates of
tropical America and the adjacent islands, and
in the northerly regions of the shores of the St.
Lawrence.

According to Wilson, their course of migra-
tion is as follows: "In the month of April, or
very early in May. the Rice Buntings, male and
female, arrive within the southern boundaries
of the United States, and are seen around the
town of Savannah, in Georgia, about the fourth

of May, sometimes in separate parties of moles and females, but more generally promiscuously.
They remain there but a short time, and atx>ut the twelfth of May make their appearance
in the lower part of Pennsylvania as they <li<l in Savannah. While here, the males are
extremely gay and full of song, frequenting meadows, newly ploughed fields, sides of creeks,
rivers, and watery places, feeding on mayflies and caterpillar-, of which t hey destroy great
quantities. (n their passage, however, through Virginia at this season, they do great damage
to the early wheat and barley while in its milky state. About the 20th of May. they dis-
appear on their way to the north. Nearly at the same time they arrive in the State of
New York, spread over the whole New England States, as far as the river St. Lawrence, from
Lake Ontario to the sea, in all of which places, north of Pennsylvania, they remain during the
summer, building and rearing their young."

V-

TBOOPIAL, OB BOM>UNE.-JMb4«.*r

,33% THE FINCHES,

As soon as the young are able to fly, the Rice Troopials collect in vast flocks, and
settling down upon the reeds and wild oats, feed so largely that they become very fat, and are
thought to be equal in flavor to the celebrated ortolan of Europe. Multitudes of these birds
are killed for sale, and are exposed in the dealer's shop tied together in long strings.

OP the family Icteridce there are twenty-two species inhabiting North America, the
Bobolink (Dolichonyx orizivorus) being a most familiar one.

To the rice planters of the Southern States this bird is not welcome ; for the immense
flocks that visit the rice fields do incalculable mischief and loss. "They arrive about the
middle of May in the New England States. Their song in spring is exceedingly interesting,
and, emitted with a volubility bordering on the burlesque, is heard from a whole party
at the same time ; and it becomes amusing to hear thirty or forty of them, beginning one
after another, as if ordered to follow in quick succession, after the first notes are given by
a leader, and preceding such a medley as is impossible to describe. Although it is extremely
pleasant to hear, while you are listening, the whole flock simultaneously ceases, which appears
equally extraordinary. This curious exhibition takes place every time a flock has alighted on
a tree." — AUDUBON.

Wilson says of him : "The song of the male, while the female is sitting, is singular and
very agreeable. Mounting and hovering on wing, at a small height over a field, he chants out
such a jingling melody of short, variable notes, uttered with such seeming confusion and
rapidity, and continued for a considerable time, that it appears as if a half a dozen birds
of different kinds were all singing together. Some idea may be had of this song by striking
the high keys of a pianoforte at random, singly and quickly, making as many sudden contrasts
of high and low notes as possible. Many of the tones are in themselves charming, but they
succeed each other so rapidly that the ear can hardly separate them."

FINCHES.

WE now arrive at the large and important families of the FINCHES, in which group is con-
tained very many of the more familiar birds, which are popularly known by the title of Pinch,
together with some distinctive prefix, as well as a large number of less known but not less
interesting natives of foreign lands. In all these birds the bill is conical, short and stout,
sharp at the extremity, and without any notch in the upper mandible.

The first group of the Finches is composed of a number of species, which, although for the
most part not conspicuous either for size, beauty of form, or brilliancy of color, are yet among
the most remarkable of the feathered tribe. The nests of the Baltimore and orchard oriole are
sufficiently curious examples of bird architecture, but those of the Weaver Birds are even
more wonderful. Dissimilar in shape, form and material, there is yet a nameless something in
the construction of their edifices, which at once points them out as the workmanship of
the Weaver Birds. Some of them are huge, heavy, and massive, clustered together in
vast multitudes, and bearing down the branches with their weight. Others are light, delicate,
and airy, wove^ so thinly as to permit the breeze to pass through their net-like interior,
and dangling daintily from the extremity of some slender twig. Others, again, are so firmly
built of flattened reeds and grass blades, that they can be detached from their branches
and subjected to very rough handling without losing their shape, while others are so curiously
formed of stiff grass-stalks that their exterior bristles with sharp points like the skin of a
hedgehog.

The true Weaver Birds all inhabit the hotter portions of the Old World, the greater num-
ber of them being found in Africa, and the remainder in various parts of India.

WEAVER BIRDS.

Tin: .v.i in / 1 WEAVER fi/i;n

. ; ;

TIIK SOCIABLE WBAVKR Bum is found in several part* ..f Africa, and has always attracted

ill- :itt.-iiti..n <>f tni\eii,.i>. from the very remarkabl, .-liti,-.. »hich it .onstrocta. The bugp
*M-ial nest* «,f this Unl opinions an to be n..t.-il.|,. ,,|ij,*-t» milm* «iHnm-,

and it i> found that the\ aiv -.-n, -rally luiilt in tli. l>r.m. h.-, ,,f the ^inlT.- thorn flT " fcimool
dorn." one of the aca.-ia iriU\ on \\liich tin- -inlTe in f,,n,l uf f.isling, and which i- (-«|«-.
valuable in S.uth.-ni Africa for tlif hnnliwtM of itn «(MM|. fnmi VN |,j,.|, the axl«-tl«C« of wmgona,
handles of a^ricultunil tools, and flu- >ti..n^.-si timU.,-* of IIOM--S ,,,. • ,„. lin|v

-io\\-, in tip MI..-! aild distriotB, ii IK I \» I1 >.-i\ snitai>l- for the |>nr|x><««« of the Sociable

UVnv.T Mini, \\lii.-li hn* a rurioiiH attarliiin'iit to dry lo-.ilr I..KI water.

SOCIABLE

THE M \ n \ T i WEAVER BIRD is alao an inhabitant of Africa, and has a rather large rang*
of country, being found spread over the land as far wrath an the tropic of Capricorn, and prob-
ably to a still farther extent.

The nest of this bird is qnite as remarkable as that of th«- preceding specie*. In general
shape and size it somewhat resembles the reed-covered bottles whirh are oft«»n to U- *-«-n in tin-
windows of wine importers, being shaped somewhat like a flask, or ix-rh!ij>s iimn- lik- :• com-
mon skittle, and being composed of a number of very thick grass stem* laid lont:itiidinully,
and interwoven in a mann.-r that can hardly be understood without an illustration. Contrary
to the usual custom of nests, in which the materials an- woven very smoothly, the nefft of thin
bird is purposely constnicN-d so as to present the roughest jiossible exterior, all the grass stem*
being so arranged that their hn.k.-n ends protrude for several inche« in a manner that remind*
the observer of a military "abattis," a def, -n. -.- formed by prostrate trees with the ends of the
branches cut off and sharpened. Probably thin structure is f,,r the Mine purpose a-
abattis, and is meant to protect the bird from the inroad of its enemies. Several of
curious edifices may be seen in the natural mu—ums. The interior of the nest is soffldently
soft and warm, more so, indeed, than would be supposed from the porcupine-like aspect of the
exterior walls.

334

THE RED-BILLED WEAVER BIRD.

THE RUFOUS-NECKED WEAVER is also an inhabitant of Africa, being found in Senegal,
Congo, and other hot portions of that continent.

By many persons this species is known by the name of the Capmore Weaver, a term which
is evidently nothing but a corruption of Buffon's name for the same bird, namely "LeCap-
noir," or Blackcap Weaver. It is a brisk and lively bird, and possesses a cheerful though not
very melodious song. It has often been brought to Europe, and is able to withstand the effects
of confinement with some hardihood, living for several years in a cage. Some of these caged
birds carried into captivity the habits of freedom, and as soon as the spring made its welcome
appearance, they gathered together every stem of grass or blade of hay, and by interweaving
these materials among the wires of their cage, did their utmost to construct a nest. The food
of this bird consists mostly of beetles and other hard-shelled insects ; and in order to enable
it to crush their defensive armor, which is extremely strong in many of the African beetles,
its peak is powerful and its edges somewhat curved. Seeds of various kinds also form part
of its diet ; and the undulating edge of the bill is quite as useful in shelling the seeds as in
crushing the insects.

,- ,

v/M

GOLD and RUFOUS-NECKED WEAVER BIRD.- Hyphan/ornU gaUbula and abyeniuca.

The general color of this species is orange-yellow, variegated with black upon the upper
surface. The head, chin, and part of the throat are black, and a ruddy chestnut band crosses
the nape of the neck. Like many other birds, however, it changes the color of its plumage
according to the time of year, and after the breeding season is over, its head assumes a tint
somewhat like that of the back. It is by no means a large bird, its total length being a little
more than six inches.

ONE of the best known of these curious birds is the RED-BILLED WEAVER BIRD.

This species is common in Southern Africa, and is notable for its habit of attending the
herds of buffaloes in a manner somewhat similar to that of the African beef-eater, which has
already been described. It does not, however, peck the deep-seated grubs from the hide, as
ita bill is not sufficiently strong for that purpose, but devotes itself to the easier task of

Tin: \\nw.\n BIRDS.

( ai >t M i i ng and eating t In • n u merous paraaUio ianoto which always infect those Urge quadruped*
Tli.- MiitTaloes are quite sfi»iMi- of tin- benefit which is conferred upon them by their feathend
allies, aiiil IM..M- aUiut quite unconcerned I \ u hile serving as pasture-grounds for the Weaver
Hinis.

Allothrl i'. ; .:•:••-. i ,;.• • : • :• :• I to tl iffulo b] A I W<MMI l';''' 1 1 I- .1 " .it.'tl

ful and susj.i >-atim>, ami ai the lirM intinuition of danger it flies abrupt I \ mt" Hie aii

fioiu ih.- buffalo '> l>:i< k. 'I'lie beast, who, as long as th<- \\faver Bird ntmained quietly on his
. coiuiinuxl to ttttl rahiily. i-> nni«M-«l l«y tin- Mi«l.l«-u Hutter of the wings, an«l raises its
head to ascertain the rauae uf the di.sturbunce. Sln.ul.1 it «e« grounds for apprehension, the
alarm is given, and the whole herd daah off to a place of safety, accompanied by their watch-
ful feathered friends.

KED-BIUJCD ud ALSCTO WXAVKB

This species has also been brought to Europe, an<l :«•< ..mniodates Itself so well to the
climate that the Parisian bird-dealers are able to breed it like the canary, thonirh not \vitli
quite such success. The general color of this bird is blackish-brown, variegated with whit.-
on the primaries, and reddish -brown below. The chin is black, as is a pnt< -h on the ears, and
the beak is crimson, with a dash of piirpV on the sides. Sometimes the plumage varies
slightly, and when the bird is in peculiarly fine condition and has arrived at its full maturity,
a roseate hue appears on several parte of the body, and gives to it a very pleasing aspect.

AMONG the birds which are grouped together und«>r the fill.- of W.M\.-I>. none am more
curious than those species which are popularly known by the title of Widow Birds, and more
rightly by the name of Whidah Birds.

336 THE CARDINAL GROSBEAK.

The PARADISE, or BROAD-SHAFTED WHIDAII BIRD, is the species that is most familiar in
cages and menageries, as it is by no means an uncommon bird in its native land, and bears
confinement better than most inhabitants of a tropical land. It is an inhabitant of Western
Africa, being found throughout the whole district from Senegal to Angola ; and as it is of a
light and airy disposition, it gives a lively aspect to the trees among which it lives. It is per-
petually in motion, flitting from bough to bough with graceful lightness, pecking here aad
there after a casual insect, and evidently admiring its own beautiful tail with thorough appre-
ciation.

The name Widow Bird is altogether an erroneous title, although it is supposed by many
persons to have been given to the bird on account of its dark color and long train, as well as
in consequence of its evidently disconsolate state when the beautiful tail-feathers have fallen
off after the breeding season. Certainly a caged Whidah Bird in such a condition exhibits the
sincerest grief for his loss, and conducts himself as if laboring under the most poignant sorrow.
Instead of boldly skipping among the highest forks, and flirting his long tail for the admira-
tion of every spectator, he sits humbly on the lowest perches, or even on the floor of the cage,
backs himself into a corner, and seems thoroughly ashamed of his undress. In point of fact,
however, the proper name is Whidah Bird, a title that was originally given to it by the Por-
tuguese, because the first specimens that were brought to Europe came from the kingdom of
Whidah, on the eastern coast of Africa.

THERE are many species of these pretty little creatures, all being remarkable for some
peculiarity in their form or coloring. One of them is the SHAFT-TAILED WHIDAH BIRD.

This exquisite bird is found along the African coasts, and is in great favor in Europe as a
cage bird. Its voice is superior to that of the preceding species, although none of the Whidah
Birds are remarkable for the musical power or brilliancy of their song. It is bright and
sprightly in all its movements, flitting about its cage with a restless activity and fearless
demeanor that endear it to its owner. From the Paradise Whidah Bird it may be distinguished
not only by its coloring, but by the curious arrangement of its tail-feathers, which are very
short, with the exception of the four central feathers, which are most singularly elongated,
each feather presenting to the eye little but the bare shaft for the greater part of its length,
and then slightly widening towards the extremities. The sides of the head and around the
neck are deep, rusty red, and the back of the neck and top of the head are mottled black.
The total length of the Shaft-tailed Whidah Bird is from nine to ten inches.

THE HAWFINCHES.

THE Grosbeaks or Hawfinches now claim our attention. They are all remarkable for their
very large, broad, and thick beaks, a peculiarity of construction which is intended to serve
them in their seed-crushing habits.

The most magnificent example of this group is the CARDINAL, or SCARLET GROSBEAK,
an inhabitant of various parts of America, where it is known under the titles of Red Bird,
Crested Red Bird, and Virginian Nightingale.

It is rather a large bird, measuring about eight inches in total length, and is colored in a
most gorgeous fashion. The back is dusky red, and the whole of the rest of the plumage is
bright, vivid scarlet, with the exception of a patch of jetty black short feathers that decorate the
chin, forehead, and base of the beak. Upon the head there is a high pointed crest, which can
be raised or lowered at pleasure. Even the bill is bright scarlet. The female is a smaller bird,
and is not nearly so handsome as her mate. The upper parts of the body are brown-olive, and
the tail, tip of the crest, and the wings are scarlet. The chin and forehead are ashen-gray,
and the breast and abdomen are drab, with a dash of red. The bill is scarlet like that of the
male.

The voice of the Cardinal Grosbeak is naturally fine, though the song is apt to be rather
too monotonous, the bird repeating the same phrase twenty or thirty times before proceeding

THi: ( •.\HIH.\M. r.AK.

to another. Still. it> muMcal powers are Hullii-i.-ntly marked to earn for tin- bird the title of

Virginian NL'htiniralr. and it is a curious fa, t il.at tli.- f.-mal,- often ring* Dearly M wall M
her mail-.

This bird seems to be of a very t.-nd.-i h.-artfd disj.o*ition, and given to the tuloption uf
other birds when young an.l h.-lplos. Wilson mentions that I..- placed a young cow bird in

.-

CABIMH4I. GBCMBJUK wd UAWKLNCU. -(*»•««-*.

the same cage with a Cardinal Grosbeak, which the latter immediately adopted, and reared

the poor, heljilf-s little creature that ha<l :i|>]x>al<-<l ><> MnMrnly to its compassionate feeling*.
Mr. Webber, moreover, in liis account of the Birds of America, gives an anecdote of a Scarlet
Grosbeak belonging to an old woman in Washington City, which u~-<l to make a regular busi-
ness of n-jirin.i; the young of other liinls which w.-n- plucod undt-r his charge, and tln-n-liy
learning a con-il'T.it'l'' sum of money in th«« course of a season. She had often been offered a
high price for her bird, but always refused to sell him, imj>«'ll«-d rithi-r by hope of gain or by
love of the bird : w<« may IIOJM- that tip- latt«-r ftn-linu' pn-<lomin:r

In its nativi- land tin- Ca'iliiial (Jrosheak is 1:1 mon i'i tin- S.uilirni States, and in

some l<«-aliti.-s is mitrnitory. while- in others it remains throughout th.« year. "In the
Nortli'-ni Stai.-." my* \ViIs.»n. "tlii-y :m- in; . but in the lowrr parts r.f r<-nn-\ Ivania

th.-y n-side during tli«- whole year. fr<-'iu«-ntiiiur tin- lMinl«-i-s (,f cni-ks and rivul.-ts, in Hheltend
hollows coven-.! with holly, laun-1, and oil. reens. Th.-y love alto to rwdde in the

vicinity of li.-l-ls <,f Indian c.,ni. a -rain that contribute thfir chi»-f and favorite food. The
seedsof apples, rli«-i "f many other sorts of fruit are also eaten by them, and

are accused of destroying bees."

338 THE HAWFINCH, OR GROSBEAK.

Many of these splendid birds are now brought to Europe as inhabitants of the aviary, and
are found to be hardy birds, able to withstand the inclemency even of the English climate. It
is a remarkable fact, that in confinement the Cardinal Grosbeak is very apt to change its color,
the bright scarlet and vermilion fading to a dull whitish red ; probably the effect of insufficient
or improper food. When carefully tended, it is a really healthy and long-lived bird, having
been known to survive for a space of twenty years in a cage.

The nest of the Cardinal Grosbeak is generally placed in a holly, cedar, laurel, or other
thick evergreen, and is made of slender sticks, weeds, strips of bark, and fine grass-stems.
The eggs are generally five in number, and their color is dull gray-white, covered with numer-
ous blotches of brownish olive. There are generally two broods in the season.

The Cardinal Grosbeak is the most familiar example of a group of birds whose plumage
is quite suggestive of the tropics. It is called in the Southern States Red-bird, and as such
is in great request as a singing bird. The male is very rich in color, much of the plumage
being in singular contrast to that of most of our North American birds. "To the name,
Virginian Nightingale," says Dr. Latham, "they are well entitled, for the clearness and
variety of their notes, which, both in a wild and domestic state, are very various and musi-
cal. Many of them resemble the high notes of a fife and are nearly as loud. In the Northern
States they are migratory, but in the lower parts of Pennsylvania they are resident the
whole year."

In confinement these birds are known to have lived twenty-one years. A specimen is in
the old Peale's Museum, in Philadelphia; such a fact is recorded with the stuffed specimen.
One peculiarity is that the female often sings as well as the male.

A variety of this bird is called Saint Lucas Cardinal. There is also another species named
Texan Cardinal.

THE ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK (Zamelodia ludomdana) is one of the most beautiful of
American birds. It is seen in New England during the summer and fall. The male has most
beautiful markings of pink and white upon his breast ; and being of considerable size, as com-
pared with most of our songsters, is notably handsome and conspicuous.

THE BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK is another species of about the same size, and though
very handsome in coloration, is much less brilliant than the preceding. The Blue Grosbeak is
smaller, and is of a rich purplish blue. It inhabits the Southern States.

THE PINE GROSBEAK (Pinicola enucleator) is a large, stout bird, of plain olive and red
plumage, and is one of the most attractive birds that visit the colder regions of America.
They breed about Hudson's Bay, and visit New England during the more severe winters.
Its notes are regarded as sweet and mellow.

Another species is the EVENING GROSBEAK, inhabiting the Southern States.

EUROPE possesses a good example of this group in the well-known HAWFINCH, or GROS-
BEAK.

This bird was once thought to be exceedingly scarce, but is now known to be anything
but uncommon, although it is rarely seen, owing to its very shy and retiring habits, which
lead it to eschew the vicinity of man and to bury itself in the recesses of forests. So
extremely wary is the Hawfinch that to approach within gunshot is a very difficult matter,
and can seldom be accomplished without the assistance of a decoy-bird, or by imitating the
call-note, which bears some resemblance to that of a robin. It feeds chiefly on the various
wild berries, not rejecting even the hard stones of plums and the laurel berries. In the spring,
it is apt to make inroads in the early dawn upon the cultivated grounds, and has an especial
liking for peas, among which it often works dire havoc.

It is a gregarious bird, associating in flocks varying in number from ten to two hundred,
and always being greatest after the breeding season. According to Mr. Doubleday, it is not
migratory. Forests with berries of various kinds are its chief strongholds. When in the

THE SCARLET TAXAOfX. ::.:•.»

forest, the bird generally perches upon the extn m<- top of some lofty tree, from whence it

keeps so complete a watch that baldly a> Waa.se] could -i.-.,I u|Min it without I- in/ I..-M

and it-* presence retried by an alarm not*-, which is jN-rfectly understood not only by other
(iroslw-aks. luit I iy all the feathered untl some of the furred tribes.

The n. -M of the Hawfinch i> n<>t remarkable .-iili.-r f< >r elegance or peculiarity of form It
i-, ver\ simplj built t>f sleudei twfai, btsiof dried >:••;••:-. .JM\ lichens, mill nd li >n. •!
j> v,, rarelessh put togethei thai it can h:n i:\ •••• nowi '• • ntn. I!;.- ftjp BM fi.,m f..m |Q --i\
in numU-r. and tin 'ir color is very pale olive-green, streaked with gray and spotted with black
d»i- The birds pair in the middle of April, begin to build their neste about the end of that
month, ami the young are hatched alxiut the thinl week in May.

The color of the adult male (Jn.sU-ak is briefly as follows: The head and nape of the
neck are fawn color, deepening towards the shoulder* and fading into gray on the other ]>or-
tions of the neck, and the chin and throat an- velvety Mack. The upjH«r jiurt of the body
is chestnut-brown, and the wing-coverts are variegated with white, black, and fawn. The
primary f.-.uli- -r- of the wing are deep blue-black, white on the inner webs. The upper tail-
coverts an- fawn, and the tail its.-lf is Mack and white, with the exception of the two 01*11! ml
feathers, which are grayish-brown, tipped with white. The >id.-s of the neck, the breast,
aMomen, and whole of the under parts are brown of a lighter and paler hue than that of tin-
back, and the under tail-coverts are white. The female is similarly colored, but the hues are
much duller than in her mate. The total length of the bin! is seven inches.

On examining the wings of this bird, the observer will be struck with the curious shape of
the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth primary feathers, which an- not jointed, but
are larger at the ends, rounded and hooked in a manner which is well compared by Yarn-11 to
the head of an ancient battle-axe. Perhaps the Jedburgh axe is more like the shape of these
curious feathers.

ALTHOUOH not possessed of the glowing scarlet hue which decorates the cardinal Gros-
beak, the BLACK AND YELLOW GBOSBKAK is quite as remarkable and scarcely a less handsome
bird.

Its ordinary habitation is in the northern parts of India, but it is a bird of strong wing,
and often wanders as far as Central India in search of food. Like others of the same group,
it mostly feeds on berries and various stone-fruits, crushing even the hanl -helled seeds and
stones in its thick and powerful l»eak. Kven at a distance, this bird is \.-r\ conspicuous on
account of the bold and dashing manner in w Inch the whole of the plumage is variegated w ith
black, white, and yellow, all these colors l>eing of the purest and brightest quality.

The whole of the upper surface and the breast an- deep jetty black, with a slight silken
gloss when the bird is in good condition. A few snowy -white spota appear on the banal j-or
tions of the four central primary feathers of the wing, and several of the primaries, together
with tin' whole of the secondaries, are edg--d with the same hue. thus presenting a very strong
contra-t to the jetty feathers of the back. The lower part of the breast and the aMomcn are
bright K"'!'-''" yellow, so that the bird is colored only with these thn-e deridi-d hues, without
an\ u'f.idation through intermediate hues, as is. generally the case in birds of bright plumage.
The female is easily distinguished from her mate, as the up)«er surface i.s dusky black, largely
mottled with yellow nj«.n the h.-ad. n.-< k, and kick. The breast and abdomen are grayish
\eliow-. profusVly covered with black spots resembling the "tears" in heraldry. The quality
of the hue is rather variable, as in some sjiecimen-. the black is of the dee]--!, and the yellow
of the richest, glossiest gold, whereas in some individuals— prolwbly the young male just
• iit. ring his perfect plumage, or the old male getting f.-ble with age— the black has a dirty
look, and the yellow is nearly white. In size this bird is about equal to the cardinal Grosbeak.

THE Tanagrine birds are well represented by the SCAULET TAXAOER of Am- :
It is a very handsome bird, decorated with lively scarlet and deep black, and is possessed
of a tolerable, though not especially mn-ical voice. This is one of the migratory species,
arriving in the northern portions of the lnit«*d States about the end of April, and remaining

340 THE SCARLET TANAGER.

until the breeding season is over. The nest is made of rather rough materials, such as flax-
stalks and dry grass, and is so loosely put together that the light is perceptible through the
interstices of the walls. The number of eggs is generally three, and their color is dullish blue,
variegated with brown and purplish spots. While engaged in the business of incubation, both
birds are extremely terrified at the presence of any strange object, and if a human being
approaches the nest, the male flies to a little distance and keeps cautiously aloof, peering
through the boughs at the foe, and constantly fearful of being seen. The female also leaves
the nest, but continues to fly restlessly about her home, hovering over the eggs or young in
great distress. When, however, the young are hatched, the male parent takes his full share
in attending upon them, and cares nothing for being seen.

The attachment of the male bird to his young seems to be very strong, as is shown by the
following account, extracted from Wilson : —

" Passing through an orchard, and seeing one of these young birds that had but lately left
the nest, I carried it with me about half a mile to show it to my friend, Mr. William Bartratn,
and having procured a cage, hung it up on one of the large pine-trees in the Botanic Garden,
within a few feet of the nest of an orchard oriole, which also contained young, hopeful that
the charity and kindness of the orioles would induce them to supply the cravings of the
stranger. But charity with them, as with too many of the human race, began and ended
at home.

"The poor orphan was altogether neglected, notwithstanding its plaintive cries, and as it
refused to be fed by me, I was about to return it to the place where I found it, when towards
the afternoon a Scarlet Tanager, no doubt its own parent, was seen fluttering round the cage,
endeavoring to get in. Finding this impracticable, lie flew off and soon returned with food in
his bill, and continued to feed it till after sunset, taking up his lodgings on the higher branches
of the same tree. In the morning, almost as soon as day broke, he was again seen most actively
engaged in the same affectionate manner, and, notwithstanding the insolence of the orioles,
continued his benevolent offices the whole day, roosting at night as before.

" On the third or fourth day he appeared extremely solicitous for the liberation of his
charge, using every expression of distressful anxiety, and every call and invitation that nature
had put in his power for him to come out. This was too much for the feelings of my venerable
friend ; he procured a ladder, and mounting to the spot where the bird was suspended, opened
the cage, took out the prisoner, and restored him to liberty and to his parent, who, with notes
of great exultation, accompanied his flight to the woods."

The tail is forked, and very slightly tipped with white. This plumage is, however, only
donned during the breeding season, for in the autumnal moult a number of greenish yellow
feathers make their appearance, giving the bird a uniformly dappled or mottled aspect. The
female is a comparatively soberly clad bird, being green above and yellow beneath, with wings
and tail brownish black, edged with green. The total length of the Scarlet Tanager is between
six and seven inches.

They may readily be distinguished from the other Fringillidse by the notched upper
mandible, and by the triangular base and arched ridge of the beak. Most of them are pos-
sessed of musical powers ; one species, the ORGANIST TANAGER (EupTionia musica), deriving
its popular and scientific title from its rich full tones. The colors of the Tanagers are gen-
erally brilliant, scarlet, black, and orange being the ordinary hues with which their plumage
is bedecked.

The Scarlet Tanager is one of five species inhabiting the United States. The family of
Tanagers is especially American. The larger number of these species are found in South
America, where they abound. Many of them excel, in beauty and richness of plumage, any
known bird. Wilson says of our visitor, the Scarlet Tanager : "He is dressed in the richest
scarlet, set off with the most jetty black. Among all the birds that inhabit our woods, there
is none that strikes the eye of a stranger, or even a native, with such brilliancy as this. Seen
niiiong the green leaves, with the light falling strongly on his plumage, he is a superb creat-
ure." The Louisiana Tanager is native to the Southwestern United States. A Western
species is known ; and one, called the HEPATIC TANAGER, inhabiting Mexico.

*

FINCHES.

rut: ciiAtn.\<-/{. 841

THE SDMMKI: KM. Hn:i> />,//,,/" ,rsfir,,,. This IB • favorite cage bird in the Southern
>tat.-s. The male in wholly of a rich \.-nni!i<.n color, most brilliant on tin- lower part*, except
the inner vanes and tips of the winirv The female is of a M.UT brown color, or olive brow n.
It ,-. niiiiii- in tin- north until Au-u-t. when it retires southward, having raised its young, one
brood. Th<- note is a -ti-uii: sonorous whistle, resembling a loose trill, <>r shake on Uie note*
of u (if.\ frequently rejH'jit.-d : that of tin- female is rather a kind of chattering. She la, how
ever, rarely s»«en, and is usually mute, and scarcely to ]*• distinguished from tin- color <.f the
foliap- at a distance ; whil- the loquacity and brilliant red of tin- male make him very con-
spicuous. This bin! is very abundant in the Qulf States. It is a rare summer visitor as far
north as New England. Its food consists of insects, and berries are eaten in the season.

THE true Finches are known by their rather short and conical beak, their long and pointed
wings, and the absence of nostrils in the beak. Europe possesses many examples of these
birds, several of which are celebrated for their beauty of plumage and powers of song.

AMONG the most beautiful of these birds, the GOULDIAN PINCH holds a high place, Its
plumage being decorated with the softest and most harmonious hues, the feathers glowing
with delicately opalescent shades of lilac, green, and golden yellow.

This exquisite little bird is a native of New South Wales, and although not very scarce in
the district which it frequents, is yet decidedly local in its habits. It is seldom seen in the
open country, preferring to haunt the thicket and edges of forests, where it may be seen hop-
ping easily among the branches, in little bands of from four to seven or eight in number. The
voice of this finch is not remarkable for force or beauty, l»eing little more than a querulous
kin. I of twitter, which it utters mournfully when disturbed, at the same time Hying to the
.summit of the nearest tree, and there sitting until the cause of alarm is removed.

The color of this bird is as follows: The head and throat are deep velvet-black, the back
and wings are soft yellowish-green, and a stripe of bright verditer-green runs from behind tin-
eye down the sides of the neck, until it is merged in the yellow-green of the back. Across the
breast i tins a broad Imnd of purple, yellow, or lilac, and the whole of the under surface is
golden-yellow, with a kind of waxen gloss. The bill is scarlet at the tip. ami while at the
base. These tints belong only to the adult bird, the young being soberly chid in gray, buff,
and olive.

Ox the colored illustration of the Finches, one represents the GOLDFINCH. It is one of
the most familiar and prettiest songsters of Europe.

The Cn A n i N < n. another representative of the same species, is one of the commonest field
birds, being spread over the whole of Europe in very great numbers, and frequenting hedges,
fields, and gardens with equal impartiality. It is a most gay and lively little bird, and wh
singly, or assembled in large flocks, it always adds much life to the landscape, and delights
the eye of every one who is not a farmer or a gardener, both of which personages wage deadly
war against the bright little bird. For the Chaffinch is apt at times to be a sad thief, and has
so strong a liking for young and tender vegetables, that it pounces u|«m the green blades of
corn, turnips, radishes* and similar plants, as toon as they push their way through the soil,
and in a few hours destroys the whole of the seedlings. In one instance, a few Chaffincl
settled upon a piece of ground about one hundred and twenty yards square, that had beei
planted with turnips, and before the day had closed, they had pulled up every young shoot
and eaten a considerable amount of them.

As, however, is the case of the rook, the chief food of the Chaffinch consisi
which would be most noxious to the agriculturist, and in all probability the harm which th->
do in eating young plants and buds is more than counterbalanced by the benefit which t
confer in destroying myriads of dangerous insects.

342 THE AMERICAN GOLDFINCH.

The specific title of Calebs, which is given to the Chaffinch, signifies a bachelor, and
refers to the annual separation of the sexes, which takes place in the autumn, the females
departing to some other region, and the males congregating in vast multitudes, consoling
themselves as they best can by the pleasures of society for the absence of the gentler portion
of the community. Very large flocks of these birds appear towards the end of autumn, and
seem at first to be wholly composed of females. It is, however, more than probable that they
consist of the females together with their young families of both sexes, and that the immature
males have not as yet assumed their perfect plumage. The flocks are generally seen about
hedge-rows and stubble-fields ; and if the weather should be very severe, they adjourn to the
vicinity of human habitations, haunting the gardens and farm-yards, and often rivalling the
sparrows in their boldness of demeanor.

The note of this bird is a merry kind of whistle, and the call-note is very musical and
ringing, somewhat resembling the word "pinck," which has therefore been often applied to
the bird as its provincial name.

The nest of the Chaffinch is one of the prettiest and neatest. It is deeply cup-shaped,
and the materials of which it is composed are moss, wool, hair, and lichens, the latter sub-
stances being always stuck profusely over the surface, so as to give it a resemblance to the
bough on which it has been built. The nest is almost invariably made in the upright fork of
a branch, just at its junction with the main stem or bough from which it sprang, and is so
beautifully worked into harmony with the bark of the particular tree on which it is placed,
that it escapes the eye of any but a practised observer. Great pains are taken by the female
in making her nest, and the structure occupies her about three weeks. The eggs are from
four to five in number, and their color is pale brownish buff, decorated with several largish
spots and streaks of very dark brown.

The color of this pretty bird is as follows : At the base of the beak the feathers are jetty
black, and the same hue, but with a slight dash of brown, is found on the wings and the
greater wing-coverts. The top of the head and back of the neck are slaty-gray, the back is
chestnut, and the sides of the head, the chin, throat, and breast are bright ruddy chestnut,
fading into a colder tint upon the abdomen. The larger wing-coverts are tipped with white,
the lesser coverts are entirely of the same hue, and the tertials are edged with yellowish white.
The tail has the two central feathers grayish black, the next three pairs black, and the remain-
ing feathers variegated with black and white. The total length of the bird is six inches. The
female is colored something like the male, but not so brilliantly.

OF all the Finches, none is so truly handsome as the GOLDFINCH, a bird whose bright
yellow orange hues suffer but little even when it is placed in close proximity to the more gaudy
Finches of tropical climates. Like the chaffinch, it is spread over the whole of Europe, and
may be seen in great numbers feeding on the white thistledown. There are few prettier sights
than to watch a cloud of Goldfinches fluttering along a hedge, chasing the thistledown as it is
whirled away by the breeze, and uttering all the while their sweet merry notes.

The birds are not very shy, and by lying quietly in the hedge the observer may watch
them as they come flying along, ever and anon perching upon the thistle tops, dragging out a
beakf ul of down, and biting off the seeds with infinite satisfaction. Sometimes a Goldfinch
will make a dart at a thistle or burdock, and without perching snatch several of the seeds
from their bed, and then alighting on the stem, will run up it as nimbly as a squirrel, and
peck away at the seeds, quite careless as to the attitude it may be forced to adopt. These
beautiful little birds are most useful to the fanner, for they not only devour multitudes of
insects during the spring months, but in the autumn they turn their attention to the thistle,
burdock, groundsel, plantain, and other weeds, and work more effectual destruction than the
farmer could hope to attain with all his laborers. Several Goldfinches may often be seen at
one time on the stem and top of a single thistle, and two or three are frequently busily engaged
on the same plant of groundsel.

THE AMERICAN GOLDFINCH (Astragalinus tristis) is a pretty and familiar little bird. In

ULMM HCM. PUBLItHtft. H. V.

GROUP OF FINCHES

THE BROWS 1.1\\RT. |4|

New England it is called Yellow. bird. It is :i ri.-li lemon \,-l]«,». will! wimr« ,,f black. Th*
great resemblance of this bird t,, i lie canary induce* j», k-.-pth.-m TI,.-\ ..fi.

with tli- c:mar\. :i- thy are easily domesticated. The song of the Yellow Mi. I reaembl

of tin- (Joldtinch of I-'.iu..|H

-; • < • • • ..... ;• • • ' :••:'•.•.: . • ' - • ,• . • •. • . : \\ . • • '.

i.-n

Tin SI-KIN, or Am i:i>i \ INK, la one of tin- Kuropean birds which jM-rfonn* Ml
migration either partial or complete. a question about which there lias been Nome controversy,
and one which ma\ full} receixe a solution from the supj>oMtion that some birds remain in the
rountriea of that jmrt of tin- world tlmnmhout the year, retiring no farther to the north than
Scotland, while otln-i .rway and Sweden for the pur]Hw«e of niditication, and do not

return to a warmer climate until the autumn.

The\ ai.- lively little birds, assembling In small flocks of eight or t.-n in mimlxT, and
haunting the edges of brooks and streams for the purpose of seeking the seeds of the elder and
othei '•• • -. •••. • • • ' ' .'••',•••: \: • th' inks they are quick and active, tluttei in.-
from one bough to another, and clinging in every imaginable attitude, with a strength of limit
and briskness of gesture much resembling the movements of the titmice. While thus engaged,
they constantly m t.-r their .sweet and gentle call note, which is so soft that bird-dealers HP- in
the habit of pairing the Siskin with the canary, in order to obtain a song-bird whose voice
is not so ear- piercing as that of the pure caiiai \ .

The coloring of this bin! is remarkable for the MTV ]«-<MI liar green with which most of its
]>lmnage is tinged, and which is spread over the whole of it* back and the upper portions
of ita Ixxty. The centre of each feather of its buck is dark olive-green.

TIIK (luiKNUN. ii is one of the commonest birds. U-iiu: a resident in Kurojiean count i
throughout the year, and not even requiring a partial migration.

It is mostly found in hedges, bushe-*. and copses, and as it is u U>ld and familiar bird.
is in the habit of frequenting the habitations of men, and even building its nest within rlos».
proximity to houses or gardens. During the mild weather, the Greenfinch remains in the
open country, but in the severe winter months it crowds to the farm-houses, and boldly
disputes with the sparrows the chance grains of food that it may lind. When young, the bird
is fed almost wholly upon caterpillars and various insects, and not until it has attained its full
growth does it try upon the hard seeds the large bill which has obtained for it the title of
Green Grosbeak.

The voice of the Greenfinch is very ordinary. U-ing possessed neither of strength nor
melody, so that the bird is in \ery little demand as an inhabitant of the aviary.

The nest of this bird is generally built rath, r later than is usual with the Finches, and is
seldom completed until May has fairly set in. Its substance is not unlike thatof the chaffinch,
U-inir - omposed of roots, wool, moss, and feather*. It is not, however, so neatly made, nor so
finely woven together, as the nest of that bird. The eggs are from three to five in nuinU-r, and
the color is bluish-white covered at the larger end with sjwte of brown and gray.

In the adult male bin 1, the head, n.-ck. and all the upi»-r i«itt* of the body are yellow with
a green wash, and the wings are partly edged with bright yellow. The primary feat
of the wings are gray -black, edged for a considerable jM.rtion of their length with brilliant
yellow. The great.-r \ving-coverts, together with the tertiaries, are gray : the chin, throat,
breast, and under parts of the body are yellow, falling into gray on the flanks. With the
exception of the two short middle feathers, which are gray-brown throughout, the tail-feathers
are yellow for the first half of their length, and gray-brown for the remainder. The female
is of much more sober colors, being greenish brown on the back and under surface, and the
yellow of the wings being very dull. The total length of the bird is alnmt six inches th.-
female being little less than her mate.

THE common I is sometimes called the BROWN LINNJ i. iu contradistinction to the

preceding species, or the GRKATKB REDFIXCH, in allusion to the vermilion-tipped feathers
the crown.

344 THE BLACK SNOW BIRD.

Few birds are better known than the Linnet, although the change of plumage to which it
is subject in the different seasons of the year has caused the same bird, while in its winter
plumage, to be considered as distinct from the same individual in its summer dress. Except
during the breeding season, the Linnets associate in flocks, flying from spot to spot, and feed-
ing upon the seeds of various plants, evidently preferring those of the thistle, dandelion, and
various cruciferous plants. It is a very lively bird, and is possessed of a sweet and agreeable,
though not very powerful song.

THE PURPLE FINCH (Carpodacus purpureus). This is a winte* bird of passage, coming
to us in the Northern States in September and October. Great numbers remain during the
winter as far south as Pennsylvania, feeding on the seeds of buttonwood, cedar, etc.

In severe seasons they are found farther south. They return north to breed in May. The
Purple Finch is a hardy, vigorous bird, and very quarrelsome if placed with other birds
as pets.

A Californian variety is known, and three other species of the genus Carpodacus.

THE CANARY, THE SPARROWS, AND THE BUNTINGS.

THE SNOW BIRD, which is not to be confounded with the Snow Bunting, hereafter to be
described, is an inhabitant of America, and has a very large range of country.

According to Wilson's lively description of this bird, "at first they are most generally
seen on the borders of woods among the falling and decayed leaves, in loose flocks of thirty or
forty together, always taking to the trees when disturbed. As the weather sets in colder, they
venture nearer the farm-houses and villages, and on the approach of what is usually called
'falling weather,' assemble in larger flocks, and seem doubly diligent in searching for food.
This increased activity is generally a sure prognostic of a storm.

" When deep snow covers the ground, they become almost half domesticated. They collect
about the barns, stables, and other out-houses, spread over the yard, and even round the steps
of the door ; not only in the country and villages, but in the heart of our large cities ; crowd-
ing around the threshold early in the morning, gleaning up the crumbs, and appearing very
lively and familiar. They also have recourse at this severe season, when the face of the earth
is shut up from them, to the seeds of many kinds of weeds that still rise above the snow,
in corners of fields, and low sheltered situations, along the borders of creeks and fences, where
they unite with several species of sparrow. They are at this time easily caught with almost
any kind of trap, are generally fat, and it is said are excellent eating."

At the very beginning of summer, as soon as the weather begins to be warm, the Snow
Bird retires from its winter quarters, and migrates to the higher regions of the earth, for
the purpose of breeding. Even in the business of rearing their young, the Snow Birds are
very gregarious, placing the nest upon the ground, or on the grass, in close proximity to
each other.

The head, neck, and upper parts of the body, and the wings, are very deep, slaty -brown,
either color predominating according to the age of the individual and the season of the year.
The lower parts of the breast and the abdomen are pure snowy-white, and the two exterior
tail-feathers are of the same hue, the secondaries being dark slate. The female has but little
of the slaty-blue, and is almost wholly brown. The total length of this species is about six
inches.

THE BLACK SNOW BIRD (Junco Jiyamalis — formerly fringilla) is a cheery, pretty little
winter visitor from the far north, and is by far the most numerous and widely disseminated
of all the feathered tribes that come from that direction. Their migrations extend from the
Arctic Circle to Mexico, and from the Atlantic Ocean to Louisiana. As the winter lengthens,
this bird, in flocks, approaches the farm-houses, and even the dwellings in towns. They are
lively and familiar little creatures.

EARLY BREAKFAST.

I UK CAN Alt)

Several species we known, inhabiting the southern country, as the Mmdffun and the

<>aiideloii|ie E irds.

I.IKD to the preceding are numerous species of Townee*.

The Cm. u INK. m- T.. \\HI.I. , /',>//.. , i<ith».i>tl>nlmux) is the more familiar species in New
Kngland :ni<i the N..rtli.-rn St;ite>. it j> quickly recogniaed, if present. \>\ it-. cm-ion.. h:i>
•M-ratching uniung the dried leaves of tin- forest.

Four other species uiv kn..wn. One. th.- ()n-p>n Towlu-c, inlialiit.s the far went, mi the
Pacific slope. Another is the Gaiideloiijie Towhee, inhabiting tl n.- southern limii^ ..f

North America. Others and varieties an- found in th.- canons of Colorado, un<l in Califoniia.
The To \\he.-s a iv .•sjHvialh interesting birds; aie N|I.I|--!\. and though tin- plumage is sober
in color, it is nevertheless pleasing.

Thi < !:••!;,.' i>\ Sort hern l'it\vh«««-, n •., . ,, - ..-..j |:.-.,,.i -. <..>••<•. in/ .1 n.- n,.- l.-.i\.-

of the forest during the full months, in always pit-using.

WE must now pass on to another species, which everywhere has become so far naturalized,
that to many eyes it i* <-vi-n more familiar than the sparrow.

THE pretty little CANARY BIRD, so prized as a domestic pet, derives it* name from the
locality whence it was originally brought.

Rather more than three hundred years ago, a ship was jtartly laden with little green birds
raptured in the Canary Islands, and having been wrecked near Klini, the birds made tin-it
escape, flew to the island, and there settled themselves. Nnmlters of them were caught by tin-
inhabitants, and on account of th»-ir sprightly vivacity and the brilliancy of their voice they
soon became great favorites, and rapidly spread over Kurojie.

The original color of the Canary is not the bright yellow with which its feathers are gener-
ally tinted, but a kind of dappled olive-green, hlark. nnd yellow, either color predominating

WILD CAXABY.-JMMM

according to circumstances. By careful management, however, the bird-fandere are able to
procure Canaries of every tint between the three colors, and have instituted a set of roles by
which the quality and arrangement of the coloring is reduced to a regular system. Still, the
original dappled green is always apt to make its appearance; and even when two light-colored
birds aie mated, a green young one is pretty sure to be found in the ne*t. For my own part,
I <are little for the artificial varieties produced by the fanciers according to their arbitrary

Vot IL-4*.

346

THE TREE SPARROW.

rules, always subject to variation ; and to my mind, an intelligent bird and a good songster is
not one whit the less attractive because the colors of its plumage are not arranged precisely
according to the fanciers' rules.

THE noisy, familiar, impatient SPARROW is one of those creatures that has attached itself
to man, and follows him wherever he goes.

Nothing seems to daunt this bold little bird, which is equally at home in the fresh air of
the country farm, in the midst of a crowded city, or among the strange sights and sounds of a

THE COMMON ENGLISH SPARROW and THE TREK SPARROW. —Patter dotnetUcta and montantu.

large railway station ; treating with equal indifference the slow-paced wagon horses, as they
deliberately drag their load over the country roads, the noisy cabs and omnibuses as they rattle
over the city pavements, and the snorting, puffing engines, as they dash through the stations
with a velocity that makes the earth tremble beneath their terrible rush.

THE TREE SPARROW may readily be distinguished from the preceding species by the
chestnut head, the triangular patch of black on the cheeks, and the browner white of the lower
surface of the body.

This bird is not nearly so common as the house Sparrow, and generally places its nest in
trees in preference to thatch and walls. Sometimes, however, it follows the common Sparrow
in the building of its domicile, and has been known to place its nest in the deserted home of a
crow or rook, making a dome like that of the common Sparrow when building in trees. Occa-

MARAUDING SPARROWS.

•nu: ii /// //.- / iu;<>. i rKh ar.iKRO w.

M7

Hionnlly it has Uvn olwerved t<> l>nil.l ii- n> -t in the hollow of i n.i-. and t<> tak«- j«.H--'^i.iri «-f
a hole that hail formerly been occupied by the woodpeekfi liiT.i.m in hn.

ili..--.' of ilir common >|.;nit.\\. IM-III^ dulli.sh white, covered fiiti« l\ «ith very light dote of
ashen -brown. Their nuinlNT is i^-iiefalh from four to six.

Lately was published a short ouniiiiniii<ati.>n frum a gentleman residing at Penaance.
"A Norwegian brig put into Penzance a i".-« .lays since, and among other incident* of th«
voyage between Norway and England, the ma.si.-r of die vessel mentioned that midway
(..•tu.-. ii the two countries, thousands of snuill Sjiarrowf paused and alighted on the
.ship, covering the deck and rigging. The birds were exhausted and soon died, and some
half-dozen were kept from mere curiosity to show to friends. These were bronchi for my
ins|Hi -tion, a day or two since, by a person who begged them of the captain to show me.
Tin- >ix SJHH -miens were all Patter monlanut, the Tree Sparrow, the Mountain Sparrow of
Bewick."

Besides the markings which have already been m.-ntion.tl, the Tree Sparrow has a streak
of white, marking the boundary between the chestnut of the nerk and the nsl hue of the Iwck
and wings. The lower wing-coverts are not so lin»a<lly tii>|M-<l with white as in the common
sjK.ci.-s. t>ut are of a deep blark, irfthl WtJ •Omr«dgbgof white ]'>• l..u (lie rye aftd OVM
the ear-coverts, there is a narrow blm-k streak, and the breast and abdomen are white, with a
brown tinge, deepening on the flunks. In size the Tree Sparrow is not HO huge as the common
species, by nearly half un inch of length.

WHITB-THBOATEO «PAJUK»W.

THE WHITE-THROATED SPAKROW is nn inhabitant of America, and i* »n. --f th«- pai
migrators, passing to and from the northern and southern portions of that continent, a«
ing to the season of the yenr.

Of this bin! Wilson >peaks as follows : -This is the largest as well as the hand*om.-t ..f
all oar Sparrows. It resides in most of the States south of New England. Prom Conn*

,,,«. ,\ •,„'!. iii I ;'...,...| :',.•- -Hi.!- ::'i!i,. •'.•••.-.•,'.:•:• ,'...i;> !•."• MlgUNM I 0* tk !.'

river and among th.- ri.-e plantation*. In summer they retire t.. the hi-h.-r inlaixl j-arts ..f the
country, and also farther south, to breed. According t.. P.-nnant. they are al-. f.-und at that
season in Newfoundland. Durini; th.-ir n-i-l'-n.-e h,-n- in winter th. y colWt to^-ther in II- -ks.
always preferring the borders of swampy thick. -t>. creeks, and mill-ponds, skirted with alder
boshes and long rank weeds, the seeds of which form tin -ir principal food.

348 THE YELLOW BUNTING, OR YELLOW AMMER.

" Early in the spring, a little before they leave us, they have a few remarkably sweet and
clear notes, generally in the morning a little after sunrise. About the twentieth of April they
disappear, and we see no more of them until the beginning or second week of October, when
they again return, part to pass the winter with us, and part on their return farther south."

The coloring of this bird is very graceful. The upper surface of the body and the lower
wing-coverts are rather agreeably mottled with black, ashen-brown, bay, and clear ash, the
breast is ash, and the chin and under portions of the body are pure white. The head is striped
with black and white, and another white streak which passes over the eye warms into orange-
yellow between the eye and the nostril. The female is easily distinguished by the lighter
breast, the drab wash upon the white, and the smaller size of the orange line on the head. The
legs are flesh-colored, and the bill has a bluish tinge. The total length of the White-throated
Sparrow is about six and a half inches.

THE SHARP-TAILED FINCH derives its popular and appropriate title from the peculiar
shape of its tail.

It is an interesting little bird, remarkably swift of foot, and a very excellent climber of
reeds and rushes, two accomplishments which are very seldom combined in the same species.
The sea-shore is the favorite haunt of this bird, which seems to depend wholly upon the waves
for its subsistence. While feeding, it courses along the edge of the water with wonderful
celerity, pecking here and there at the little fish and crustaceans which have been flung ashore
by the water, and would make good their escape were not they interrupted by the ready beak
of their destroyer. As it trips over the sands it has all the appearance of the sandpipers and
other shore-living birds, although its legs are shorter and its dimensions smaller.

The low coral-covered islands that edge the Atlantic coast of America are the favored
resorts of the Sharp-tailed Finch, which seldom quits these places of safety, unless driven by
continuous and wild easterly gales, which drive the sea over the islands and render them
untenable for the time. The bird then flies over to the main land, but still remains close to the
sea, preferring to roost on the ground and run about after dark. On examining the stomach
of several of these birds, Wilson found that they contained fragments of shrimps, very small
mollusks, and broken limbs of small crabs, no other substances ever being found in their
interior. Owing to this diet, the flesh of this species is not at all fitted for the table, being
rank and fishy.

The crown of the head is olive-brown divided laterally with a streak of slaty-blue or light
ash. The head and sides of the face are marked with several streaks of white, one of which
becomes orange-yellow near the beak. The whole of the upper parts are brownish olive with a
perceptible blue wash, the chin and abdomen are pure white, the breast is ashen-gray streaked
liberally with buff, and the under tail-coverts are buff streaked with black. All the wing-
coverts are tipped with narrow white bands, and the wings are rather richly variegated with
yellow. The total length of this bird is rather more than six inches.

THE Buntings are known by their sharp conical bills, with the edges of the upper mandi-
ble rounded and slightly turned inwards, and the knob on the palate. They are common in
most parts of the world, are gregarious during the winter months, and in some cases become
so fat upon the autumn grain that they are considered great dainties.

ONE of the most familiar of all these birds is the YELLOW BUNTING, or YELLOW AMMEK,
as it is often called.

This lively bird frequents our fields and hedge-rows, and is remarkable for a curious mix-
ture of wariness and curiosity, the latter feeling impelling it to observe a traveller with great
attention, and the former to keep out of reach of any missile. So, in walking along a country
lane, the passenger is often preceded by one or more of these birds, which always keeps about
seventy or eighty yards in advance, and flutters in and out of the hedges or trees with a pecu-
liar and unmistakable flirt of the wings and tail. It possesses but little song, and is conse-
quently of no value as a cage-bird, remaining scathless while many a poor goldfinch, lark, or

', ;

O

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H
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u,
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o:
o

TIII: ir.u.ow 0t \ i \utntL

i •

thrush falls a victim t<> the birdwatcher, and passes the remainder of it* life cooped in the
narrow precincts <if a cage.

Hi. song— if it may so be called— of the l.inl is net in th« minor key, and has a peculiar
intonation, which is almost urti.-ul.it.'. and is variously ren.l.-i.-.!. For example, it ia well
rvprvsent.-.l Ly the words, --A linl,- Lit of Lread and «o cheeaet" the last syllable but one
being strongly accented. In Scotland it assumes a sense quit*- in accordance with the character
of ita surroundings, and i- supimsad to say, M l»-'il. d.-'il. d.-'il / u revenge for

the sentiment by which the Linl is supposed to be actuated, the rustics per-
little cn-atiuv :n,,>t shamefully, killing the i«m>nts, breaking the egg* und destrovini: the
nests, wh.-n.'x. i i hey can find au opiHirtunity. Mr. 'riioin|Mion says that, t.i lii> i-ap.. tin-
cry of the Yellow Bunting is of a mournful character, in which opinion I cannot at all agree
\Niih him, having many a time been cheered by the odd littl.- ton.-s t hut were poured forth
close to my ear.

The nest of the Yellow Bunting in generally planed upon or very close to the earth, und

/ T

Vs

TELLOW Bumnifa, UK YKIXUW

the best place to seek for th<> structure, is the bottom of a hedge, where the grass has been
allowed to grow freely, and the ground has been well drained by the ditch. In rustic parlance,
a "rough gripe" is flu- i>lac.- \\li.-n-in to look for tin- Y.-llow A miner's nest. It is a n«-aily-
built edifice, compos^l chi.-tly of grasses, and lim-<l with hair. The eggs are five in niinilx-r.
and their color is whit.-, with a dash of very pale purple, and dott«-d and scribbled all over
with dark purple-brown. Both dots and lin«>* an- most variaLl.-, and it also frequently hap-
pens that an egg ap;»-ars with hardly a mark UJMIII it. wliil,- others in tin- s,-im«- rn-st an-t-ntjii-ly
covered with the qBSint-lookiag' deootmtioos. < Jem-rally thi- nest is Lnilt later than tli
most small Linls. Lut then- :m- instances when it has been completed and the five eggs laid as
early as January, or even Decemlier.

Both parents are stmndy attach.il to >~.\r\\ other and to th.-ir youn^. :md during th<- 1:M
few days of incubation the mother Linl U-cornes so feaiiem that she \\ill sit in h«-r nest even
when sh.- i- «lis<-<iv.-re<l. and in some in-tuncee has even sufTered herself to be touched b»-foiv
she would leave her charge.

350 THE COMMON BUNTING.

About the end of autumn, all the young birds have been fully fledged, and instead of
haunting the hedge-rows, they assemble in considerable flocks, and visit the fields in search of
food. In the winter, should the weather be severe, they become very bold, and joining the
sparrows, and other little birds, enter the farm-yards and cultivated grounds, and endeavor to
pick up a subsistence. When food is plentiful, the Yellow Ammer becomes very fat, and in
some instances is killed for the table, being thought nearly as good as the celebrated ortolan,
to which bird it is closely allied.

The reader may probably have remarked, that I have called the bird Yellow Ammer, and
not Yellow Hammer, as is mostly the case. The correction is due to Mr. Yarrell, who well
observes that, "I have ventured to restore to this bird what I believe to have been its first
English name, Yellow Ammer, although it appears to have been printed Yellow Ham and
Yellow Hammer from the days of Drs. William Turner and Merrett to the present time. The
word Ammer is a well-known German term for Bunting in very common use. Thus Bechstein
employs the names Schnee-ammer, Grau-ammer, Rohr-ammer, Garten-ammer, and Gold-
ammer, for the Snow Bunting, Corn Bunting, Reed Bunting, Ortolan or Garden Bunting, and
Yellow Bunting. Prefixing the letter H to the word appears to be unnecessary and even
erroneous, as suggesting a notion which has no reference to any known habit or quality in
the bird."

The general color of this bird is bright yellow, variegated with patches of dark brown, and
having a richly mottled brownish-yellow on the back, with a decided warm ruddy tinge. The
primary feathers of the wing are black, edged with yellow, and the remainder of the feathers
throughout, with all the wing-coverts, are deep brown-black, edged with ruddy brown. The
chin, throat, and all the under parts of the body are bright, pure yellow, sobering into rusty-
brown on the flanks. The female is similarly marked, but is not so brilliant in her hues.
The total length of the bird is about seven inches.

THE ORTOLAN, or GARDEN BUNTING, is widely celebrated for the delicacy of its flesh, or
rather for that of its fat ; the fat of the Ortolan being somewhat analogous to the green fat of
the turtle, in the opinion of gourmands.

The Ortolan is most frequently found on the European continent, where its advent is
expected with great anxiety, and vast numbers are annually captured for the table. These
birds are not killed at once, as they would not be in proper condition, but they are placed in a
dark room, so as to prevent them from moving about, and are fed largely with oats and millet,
until they become mere lumps of fat, weighing nearly three ounces, and are then killed and
sent to table. The net and decoy-bird are the means that are generally employed for their
capture.

The nest of the Ortolan is placed on the ground, generally among corn, and upon a sandy
soil, where some slight defence helps to conceal the nest, and to afford a partial shelter from
the wind. The materials of which it is made are grasses of different degrees of fineness, and
a few hairs which are placed in the interior. The number of eggs is five or six, and their color
is pale bluish-white, covered with spots of black. The nest is generally begun in the early
part of May. The Ortolan has no real song, its voice being limited to a few monotonous
chirping notes.

The coloring of this bird is as follows : The head is gray with a green tinge, and the back
is ruddy brown, beautifully mottled with black. The wings are black, with brown edges to
the feathers ; the chin, throat, and upper portions of the breast are greenish-yellow ; and the
abdomen is warm buff. The total length of the Ortolan is rather more than six inches.

As the COMMON BUNTING is not so brilliant a bird as the Yellow Bunting, it is less
noticed, though quite as plentiful.

It is a thick-set and heavily made bird, not being possessed of the elegant shape which is
found in its yellow relative. During the spring and summer, the Bunting is generally found
in the corn-fields, from which habit it is sometimes termed the Corn Bunting, and is but seldom
seen among trees, or on open pasture-lands. Its food chiefly consists of various grass seeds,

Till K-THItn I Tf.lt III .\77ffO.

,-|..-.-i;.ll> |fco« of 111.' Ktra^M -;••-. i--. n :!..,: ;• often doei | I •rHM t" the r.inn.-i. l-\

preventing the increase of tit.-. \.-i\ -.tuMmm \\ewls. The inill.-t i- ;i \ery favorite artir I • of
food, as may be supposed from the specific name of milim •>. \\ hi.-h ha- (wen given to tin-
by systematic coologiste, and considerable Injury ia often done to the millet crops by the

attack* of the Hunting.

THE BLACK-THROATED Brsrixo is a native of America, and is rather lem than the pre-
ceding species. Of this bird and it* habits, Wilson writes as follows:—

•• They arrive in Pennsylvania, from the south, about the middle of May, descend in the
neighborhood of Philadelphia, and --.•m t<> prefer l--\.-l l'n-l<l.i covered with rye grass, timothy
or r lover, where tliey htiilil tln-ir m-^t. lixin^ it on tin- ground, ami formin- it of lin«', <lrif<l
grass. The female lays five white eggs, sprinkled with specks and lines of Murk. Like most
part of their genus, they are nowise celebrated for musical powers. Their M hole x>nu < -on.siM*
of five notes, or more properly of two notes, the first repeated twice, and slowly, the

ORT<"

thrice, and rapidly, resembling '••hip-.-hip. . li- « ]„• , h-.' In their -1.;.]- and manner they
very much resen.l.le th.- yell-.w an.n.ers of Britain; like then., they an- fond of mounting
the top of some half-u'rown tn-.-. and then- rhirnipiiiK for half an hour at a time.

"In travelling through different parts of New York and PttmytvMfa in spring
summer, when-^.-r I .-am.- to level H-lds of d«-j' ^niss. I have ,-on-tanth 1
around me. In August they U>come mute, and soon after, that is, towards the beginning c

September, leave us altoiretl

Th.-topof the head is gri-.-i.ish yellow, the n.^k i* dark ashen -gray, and
red, touched with Mark, the same color ext..|idini: to the uings and tail, l.iit of a -lark. ,
without the black spots. Tlie chin i* white, and the thn.it is marked with a heart-
patch of deep black edged with white. The bn«.st is yellow, and a I'm- of the smme
extends over the eyes and into the lower angle of the bill. The leaser coverte are bay, and the
abdomen grayish-white. The total length • .f the bird ia about six inches and a half.

352 THE SNOW BUNTING.

THE SNOW BUNTING, or SNOW FLECK, is one of our winter visitors, and is known by a
great variety of names, owing to the manner in which its plumage is colored, according to the
time of year or age of the individual. In some places it is called the Tawny Bunting, White
Lark, or Pied Finch ; in others, the Mountain Bunting, because it is usually found upon the
hilly ranges of the countries which it frequents.

It is an interesting bird, and has engaged the attention of almost every practical orni-
thologist. It generally arrives in the northern regions of Europe at the end of autumn, and
remains during the winter ; the oldest birds always leaving lust and keeping towards the
north, while the young birds arrive iirst, and go farther southward than their elderly relatives.
They generally congregate in little flocks, and may be seen scudding over the snow-clad hills,
their black wings and tail contrasting strangely with the pure white surface over which they
pass. Colonel Montague once shot more than forty out of the same flock, and found that
there were hardly any two specimens whose plumage was precisely alike, the feathers varying
from the tawny hue of the young bird to the pure white and black of the adult in full winter
dress.

While treating of this bird, Mudie gives the following interesting remarks: "There is
another trait in the natural history of birds, which, although it may be observed in them all,
resident as well as migrate, is yet so conspicuous in the Snow Bunting that this is the proper
place for noticing it. The male is the most sensitive to heat, and the female to cold. That
difference appears, whether the result of the action of heat be change of place or change of
plumage. The males of all our summer birds arrive earlier than the females, and in all resi-
dent birds the change of plumage and voice of the male are among the first indications of the
spring, taking precedence of most of the vegetable tribes, for the redbreast and the wren sing
before the snowdrop flowers appear.

"It seems, too, that the song and the attractions of the male are accessories in aid of the
warmth of the season, to produce the influence of the season upon the female ; and even as
the season advances, the female remains a skulking and hideling bird throughout the season,
at least until the young have broken the shell and require her labor to feed, and her courage
(which she sometimes requires to a wonderful degree at this time) to protect them. Whether
it be that instinct leads the female to husband her heat for the purpose of hatching her eggs,
or simply that the thinning of the under plumage, which takes place at that time, is the more
conspicuous the more closely the bird sits, it is certain that the females of most birds avoid
the sun, and that all cover their eggs from the light during the period of incubation."

Wilson says of this species that it makes its appearance in the northern states early in.
December, coming in flocks of different sizes, and flying closely together at some little elevation
from the ground. They seem to be restless in their disposition, seldom staying long in one
spot, and resuming their flight after a short repose. The nest of the Snow Bunting is made in
the most retired mountainous districts, and is placed in the cleft of a rock at some distance
from other habitations of the same species. It is built of grass and feathers, and is lined with
down or the fur of different quadrupeds ; the fox and the hare being the most usual. The
number of eggs is five, and the color is white spotted with brown.

The song of the Snow Bunting is feeble but pleasing, and is continually uttered while
the bird is sitting near its nest. There are, besides, several notes peculiar to this bird ; one, a
sweet, short call, and the other a harsh, ringing scream of alarm. In several countries this bird
is valued for its flesh, which when it is fat is thought to be very delicate, and in Greenland it
is captured in great quantities and dried ; the Laplanders have an idea that it fattens on the
flowing of the tide and grows lean on the ebb.

The food of this bird is rather various, but greatly consists of seeds. According to Wilson,
it " derives a considerable part of its food from the seeds of certain aquatic plants, which may
be one reason for its preferring those remote northern countries, so generally intersected with
streams, ponds, lakes, and sheltered arms of the sea, that probably Abound with such plants.
In passing down the Seneca river towards Lake Ontario, late in the month of October, I was
surprised by the appearance of a large flock of these birds feeding on the surface of the water,
supported on the top of a growth of weeds that rise from the bottom, growing so close together

TV//: i..\ri..(M> ; / /.•

... :

that our Nut c.,uM with great «litli.-ult\ m «;,\ ihmuuh them. They wan ranning

:ii... MI uith -i.-at a. in 11 \ ; ;,,„! t!,,.>t. | >|lut ai.,| ««xamined were filled, not onl\ » nh th.- r-«iN
• if thi> plant. I- IK uiih a minut- kin-l ,,f -!,.-!l tisli tli:ii :i.lheres to the leaves. In thin kind of

a.|it:iti.- .-VMM..I, th.-\ an-, doul.ilitw, greatly assisted by the length of their hind heal and
.•hws. I aUc, ,,),>,. r\.,i a f.-u ,,n Talil.- Uock, above ill.- Fall* of Niagara, seemingly in i

«>f tin- sunn- kinil of f<>«;,|."

Aa has ali-.-a.lv |:.-.-n n..ii,-,Hl, tin-
plumage of the Snow Hunting varies
irr--ail\ in its ciiloi -iiii;. jiassin^ 1 1 1 rough
f\i-iy iniairinal'l' U-i\\.-.-n tli«»

\\int.-i- an.l -a miner dress. Tin- \\int. i
pluinap- of this lui-1 i- Liit-tly :i-« I'ol-

IOWB : The back and \uri of the wings
are dark black -brown, and the whole
of tiie remaining feathers are pun-
snowy-whit.-. In all cases the amount
of Mark is very variable, and in some
the i-ntin | kOB^t h M tw I
In tin- siiiniin-r, the color is a
tawny-brown, speckled with white,
and the back is black, mottled with

< • . • , • • • .

brown. Tlie quill-feathers of the wing

and tail are black, variegated with bay an<l whit.-, ami th.- iin-Ii-r «urfac»« dull white, deepening

into tawny on Die tlankfl. The length of the bird is about wv.-n inches.

Besides the examples already given, there are vt-ry many otlwr «]>«-<-ies of Bunting
scattered over the surface of the globe, whose history is equally int.-n-sting. but cannot be
given in a work of the present dimensions. The speciex. li< vliich )iav<- already been

nii-iit ioned are good examples of the group, and will serve as types by which the character of
the sub-families may be kno'Mi.

THE SNOW BUNTING (Pltctrojjhantt ninalU) is common to both hemispheres. The ent in-
Arctic circle is inhabited by flocks of this bird during the summer.

W7MT1MO.—

Tire LAPLAND LONOSPUR, Smith's Bunting. ( Tiestaut-collared Bunting, McCowans,
closely allied species, with -imilar habit** an«l l»<-aliti>-».

354 THE SKY-LARK.

A LAEGE number of Sparrows inhabit the North American continent. Allied to these
are certain Finches and Buntings. Besides those already enumerated, there are forty-six
distinct species. Among them the CHIPPING SPARKOW (Spizella domestica) is an interesting
and very familiar species. It is a migrating bird ; spending his summer in the north, and
sojourning in the south during the winter season.

The Tree Sparrow, Field Sparrow and Song Sparrow are also familiar and welcome visitors
in the summer season. Wilson says of the latter : " Of all our Sparrows, this is the most
numerous, the most generally diffused over the United States, and by far the earliest, sweetest,
and most lasting songster. It is only partially migratory, some staying in the north during
winters, in secluded places. It is the first singing-bird in spring, taking precedence even of
the Pewee and Blue-bird. Its song continues occasionally through the entire summer and fall,
and is sometimes heard even in the depth of winter. The notes or chant are very sweet, but
short, resembling the beginning of a canary's song, and frequently repeated, generally from
the branches of a bush or small tree, where it sits chanting for an hour or more.

THE LARKS.

THE Larks may be readily recognized by the very great length of the claw of the hind toe,
the short and conical bill, and the great length of the tertiary quill-feathers of the wing, which
are often as long as the primaries.

The first example of these birds is the well-known SKY-LARK, so deservedly famous for its
song and its aspiring character.

This most interesting bird is a native of Europe, and has cheered many a sad heart by its
blithe jubilant notes as it wings skyward on strong pinions, or flutters between cloud and earth,
pouring out its very soul in its rich wild melody. Early in the spring the Lark begins its song,
and continues its musical effort for nearly eight months, so that on almost every warm day of
the year on which a country walk is practicable the Sky-lark's happy notes may be heard ring-
ing throughout the air, long after the bird which utters them has dwindled to a mere speck,
hardly distinguishable from a midge floating in the sunbeams.

The natural impulse of the bird to hurl himself aloft while singing is so powerful, that
when kept in confinement it flings itself against the top of the cage, and would damage itself
severely were not a piece of green baize strained tightly as a roof, so as to take away the shock
of the upward spring. In a state of nature, the Sky-lark sometimes sings while on the ground,
and has been seen to sit on the top of a post, and from that point of vantage to pour forth its
light sparkling melody..

Although it is by no means a familiar bird, nor does it seek the society of human beings,
it is marvellously indifferent to their presence, and exhibits no discomposure at the close
vicinity of the laborer, springing from the ground close to his feet, and singing merrily as it
passes by his face. When pressed by danger, it has even been known to place itself under
human protection. A gentleman was once riding along a road, when a Sky-lark suddenly
dropped on the pummel of his saddle, where it lay with outspread wings, as if wounded to
death. When the rider tried to take it up, it shifted round the horse, and finally dropped
under the legs of the horse, where it lay cowering, evidently smitten with terror. On looking
up, the rider saw a hawk hovering above, evidently waiting to make its swoop, as soon as the
Lark left her place of refuge. The Lark presently remounted the saddle, and taking advantage
of a moment when the hawk shifted its position, sprang from the saddle, and shot into the
hedge, where it was safe.

The following curious instance of a Lark's intelligence I had from the lady who was an
eye-witness of the scene.

A pair of Larks had built their nest in a grass field, where they hatched a brood of young.
Very soon after the young birds were out of the eggs, the owner of the field was forced to set
the mowers to work, the state of the weather forcing him to cut his grass sooner than usual.
As the laborers approached the nest, the parent birds seemed to take alarm, and at last the

Till -A')-/ \HK.

ni..tli.-r l>inl laid li.-rs.-lf ll:,t ii].<>n the ground, with outsprmd wings and tall, while the
bin! took OEM 0< the yOttag OOl <>f the ni*t, and In .lint ..f pushing and pulling, got It «'
mc.tii.-i'- i.:i. k. sin- 1 1 1, -M tl< \\ith h.-r \ ming one ow the floMi, and soon returns I for

aiioth.-i. Tliis tiin.-, tin- fath.-r t<K>k his nnn to carry one of the offspring, being assisted by
th.- tiiotli.-r in -retting it firnily on his !«uk ; un«l in this ni.n.n.-r they carried off the whole
brotxl Ix for. tin- mowers had reached their nest. This IB not a «• instance, a* I am

acquaint.. 1 with on.- inure example of this inc'-nious mode of shifting the young, >
parent-birds feared that their nest was discovered, and carried the brood into some sUi
wlieat.

Mr. Yarrell, moreover, mentions that the Lurk has been seen in the act of carrying away
her young in h«-r claws, but not on her bark as in the previous instance. Perhai* th«- lord
would learn the art of carriage by exi»-ri.'in .-. for the poor little lord was dropped from the
claws of its parent, and falling from a lu-ight »f nearly thirty feet, was killed by the shock.
It was a bird some eight or ten days old. Th.- I^irk has also been known to carry away its
eggs when threatened by danger, gra>]>inir tli.-ni with Ix.th feet.

The nest of the Sky-lark is always placed mi the ground, and generally in *oine link
depression, such as the imprint of a horse's hoof, the side of a nml»*hill, or the old furrow
of a plough. It is very well concealed, the top of the nest being only just on a l.n.-l with tho
surface of the ground, and sometimes below it. I have known seTeral in-tan. -en when- th«
young Larks would suffer themselves to be fed by kind as they sat in th.-ir n.-sts, but the
parent birds always seemed rather distressed at the intrusion into th.-ir premis*-*. The
: ials of whii -h ii i^ made are dry grasses, bents, leaves, an>l hair, the hair being generally
used in the lining. It will be seen that the soN-r coloring of those substances renders the

356 THE PENCILLED LARK.

nest so uniform in tint with the surrounding soil, that to discover it is no easy matter. The
eggs are four or five in number, and their color is gray-yellow washed with light brown, and
speckled with brown of a darker hue. They are laid in May, and are hatched in about a
fortnight.

The young birds are rather precocious, and leave the nest long before they are fully
fledged. Even when young, the sexes can be distinguished by the deep yellow of the breast
and the more upright carriage. Dealers say that the most certain mode of ascertaining the
sex of the Sky-lark is to lay it flat on its back, when, if it be a male, it will spread its tail like
a fan.

The flesh of the Lark is very excellent, and thousands of these birds are annually cap-
tured and sent to market. Although it may seem a pity to eat a bird of such musical
capacities, the Lark multiplies so rapidly that their numbers seem to suffer no perceptible
diminution, and possibly their quick death at the hands of the bird-catcher may be a merciful
mode of terminating their existence. The food of the Lark consists of grasshoppers, beetles,
and other insects, worms,, spiders, and various grubs, all of which it finds upon the ground.
In the spring and autumn it varies its diet with vegetable food, eating young grass shoots in
the spring, and seeds of the wheat in the summer.

The upward flight of this bird is rather remarkable, as it does not consist of a diagonal
shoot like that of the pigeon, nor a succession of leaps like that of the eagle and hawk, but is
a continual fluttering ascent, taking a spiral course, widening as the bird rises into the air.
The form of the spiral has been well described by comparing it to a spiral line wound around
the exterior of an ascending column of smoke. Mudie suggests that the bird extends the
diameter of the spiral in exact proportion to the sustaining power of the atmosphere, and
remarks that while descending the Lark follows the same line which it had taken in its ascent.

During the spring and summer the Sky-lark lives in pairs, and is assiduously employed in
attending to the wants of its family, of which it generally produces two broods in each season.
Towards the end of autumn and throughout the winter the Larks become very gregarious,
"packing" in flocks of thousands in number, and becoming very fat when snow should cover
the ground, in which case they speedily lose their condition. These flocks are often aug-
mented by the arrival of numerous little flocks from the continent, that come flying over the
sea about the end of autumn, so that the bird-catchers generally reap a rich harvest in a
sharp winter.

The color of the Sky-lark is brown of different shades, mingled with a very little white
and an occasional tinge of yellow. The feathers on the top of the head form a crest, and are
dark brown with paler edges. The whole of the upper parts are brown mottled with a
darker hue in the middle of each of them, the throat and upper part of the breast are grayish-
brown spotted with dark brown, and the abdomen is yellowish-white deepening into pale
brown on the flanks. The greater part of the tail is brown, dark in the centre of the feathers
and lighter upon the edges, the two exterior feathers are white streaked with brown on the
inner web, and the two next feathers are dark brown streaked with white on the outer web.
The total length of this bird is rather more than seven inches.

ANOTHER species of Lark is often mistaken for the preceding species, from which, how-
ever, it may be distinguished by its inferior dimensions, its shorter tail, and the light streak
over the eye. This is the WOOD-LARK, so called on account of its arboreal tendencies and its
capability to perch upon the branches of trees, a power which seems to be denied to the sky-
lark. I have, however, seen one or two letters from persons who assert that they have seen
the sky-lark singing in trees, and proved the truth of their assertion by shooting the songster.

THERE is a curious genus of Larks called by the name of Otocoris, or Eared Larks, on
account of the double pencil, or tuft of feathers, which they bear upon their heads, and which
project on each side of the face like the pen of a lawyer's clerk from behind his ear. Two
8{)ecies of this genus are now well known to ornithologists, the one being the PENCILLED
LARK, and the other the Shore-lark.

THE SHORE I.

:; ,-

The IVnHH.-d Urk is a very ran- MM. :m.l has comparatively recently been intn-du,-,*! i,,
It i. r,.uu.l in Persia, especially about Enwroum, and is worths '.f notice on account
<.f (he greatly d.-v.-loprd j-Mirils ,,f dark feathers from «hi,-h ,f ,|. rivi* it* nan*
I-i. tiily. thouirh nut brightly, colored bird. Th,- U|.|MT j^rt ,,f t|1(- U.ly in darkiah ash. th.-
w ings and quill-feathers being of a browniah oast, with the except i. .1, , ,f

which are white. The forehead, tin- <-hin. ear-coverta, breast, and abdomen are white, and
the two projecting pencils are jetty blark. The top of the head and the nape of the neck are
also ashen, but with a purple wash. The tail is dark brown, with the exception of the two
central feathers, which are dusky gray.

A CLOSELY allied species is the SHORK-LARK, a bird which has occasionally been seen, and
of course killed, in England, although its ordinary dwelling-place is in North America. Of
this bird, Wilson speaks as follows :—

" It is one of our winter birds of passage, arriving from the north in the fall ; usually
staying with us the whole winter, frequenting sandy plains and open downs, and is numerous
in the Southern States, as far as Georgia, during that season. They fly high in loose, scat-
tered flocks, and at these times have a singular cry, almost exactly like the sky-lark of Britain.

"They are very numerous in many tracts of New Jersey, and an- fn-jm-ntly brought to
Philadelphia niark.-t. Th»-y are then generally v»«ry fat, and are considered <-x« .-ll.-nt eating.
Their food seems principally to consist of small round compressed seeds, buckwheat, oats,
etc., with a large proportion of gravel. On the flat ••oimnons, within the boundaries of the
rity of Philadelphia, flocks of them are regularly seen during the whole winter. In the
stomachs of them I have found, in numerous instances, quantiti.- of the eggs or lame of cer-
tain insects, mixed with a kind of slimy earth. About the middle of March they generally
disappear, on th«-ir rout.- t<> th«- north."

Forster informs us that they visit tin- ••nvimns (.f Albany first in th- beginning of May,
but go farther north to breed; that th.-y feed on grass seeds and hud- of th. s,.rinir l.in-h.
and run into small holes, keeping close to the ground ; from whence the natives call them

358 THE BULLFINCH.

" chi-chup-pi-sue." The pencils which decorate the head of this bird are movable, and are
raised or depressed at the will of their owner, thereby producing a very grotesque appearance.
It is a remarkable fact that when the bird is dead, they lie so closely among the other feathers,
that they can with difficulty be distinguished.

THE well-known BULLFINCH is, perhaps, rather more familiar as a cage bird than as a
denizen of the wood, for it is so remarkably shy and retiring in its habits that it keeps itself
sedulously out of sight, and though bold enough in the pursuit of food, invading the gardens
and orchards with considerable audacity, it yet has a careful eye to its own safety and seldom
comes within reach of gunshot.

It cares little for open country, preferring cultivated grounds, woods, and copses, and is
very fond of orchards and fruit-gardens, finding there its greatest supply of food. This bird
seems to feed almost wholly on buds during their season, and is consequently shot without
mercy by the owners of fruit-gardens. The Bullfinch has a curious propensity for selecting
those buds which would produce fruit, so that the leafage of the tree is not at all diminished.
Although the general verdict of the garden-keeping public goes against the Bullfinch, there
are, nevertheless, some owners of gardens who are willing to say a kind word for Bully, and
who assert that its mischievous propensities have been much overrated.

It is true that the bird will oftentimes set hard to work upon a fruit-tree, and ruthlessly
strip off every single flower-bud, thereby destroying to all appearance the prospects of the
crop for that season. Yet there are cases when a gooseberry-bush has thus been completely
disbudded, and yet borne a heavy crop of fruit. The reason of this curious phenomenon may
probably be, that some of the buds were attacked by insects, and that the kind of pruning
process achieved by the Bullfinch was beneficial rather than hurtful to the plant.

The Bullfinch affords a curious instance of the change wrought by domestication.

In its natural state its notes are by no means remarkable, but its memory is so good, and
its powers of imitation so singular, that it can be taught to pipe tunes with a sweet and flute-
like intonation, having some of that peculiar "woody" quality that is observable in the
clarionet. It is always captured very young for this purpose, and from the moment of its
capture its instruction begins. The teacher keeps his birds separate, and always plays the tune
to be learned upon some instrument, such as a bird-organ or a flageolet, as soon as he has
given them their food. The latter instrument always turns out the best birds, as those which
are taught with the bird-organ acquire that mechanical precision of note and total absence
of feeling which renders the notes of a grinding organ so obnoxious to musical ears.

The birds are always apt to forget their lesson during the moulting season, and if they are
permitted at that time to hear other birds, they pick up notes that are entirely foreign to the
air which they are meant to perform, and so make a sad jumble. I once knew a piping Bull-
finch, a very amusing bird, who had forgotten the first two or three bars of "Cherry-ripe,"
and always iised to commence in a most absurd manner in the very middle of a phrase.
He always finished with a long whistle, as of surprise, and then began to chuckle and hop
about the table as if greatly charmed with his own performance. He had a great wish to teach
me to pipe, and used to give me lessons every time I saw him. Sometimes I would pur-
posely go wrong in the tune, when he would break off his piping, scold harshly, and begin
afresh.

The Bullfinch is a remarkably tamable and loving bird, and is easily affected by predilec-
tion or dislike for different persons, generally holding fast by its first impulse. The bird
which I have just mentioned was most absurd in the violence of his feelings. He was fond of
scudding about on a bare mahogany table, and liked to lift up knitting-needles and let them
fall, merely for the pleasure of hearing them rattle against the wood. But towards the lady to
whom the said needles belonged he had an unappeasable enmity, and so jealous was he,
that when she was working at the same table, she dared not touch her thread or scissors
without looking to see whether Bully were near, for if he could do so he always dashed across
the table and pecked her fingers, hissing loudly with anger, and all his feathers ruffled up. •

The lady who was in possession of General Bern gives a very interesting account of a Bull-

A JEALOUS Hri.LriM-H.

finch which w*«nt the way of most pets, and perhaps a happier way than that which would
have Ut-ii ir:n.-Il.-.l in their neglected state : —

" The lorn of our pet, General Bern, was deeply felt There was a sad vacancy in «-,ir
houseagain which we di<l not soon i-\j..-.-( t.. h:i\.- iill.-l. H.i«,.\,.r. one moraing, while I ••
wept for General I {-in, \\ • .• •.. in will , -•:..':. .;.,. •>•;',- i, n I, , ,,u!.,r,.!i , I'.mliim I,

'See!' said he, 'I hare brought a fin- Hulllin, -h t.. diver you ; be sings very swretly
several German airs, and it will till Bem'H place a littl.- for you.'

"'No, no, I cannot 1> ( liim -i;,\ ; no bird can take Bern* a place; I do not want another bird
to love ; tuke him away.'

•• • Poor little Hobby, I f<>uii<l him in the room of a rough fellow who did not care for him.
ami who gladly exchanged tlu< sullen bird, as be called him, for some trinket, A little girl I
saw there told me how sweetly he sang, and I determined to have him at any rate. Must I
take the poor bird awayt He will be BO startled among my clamorers that he will n»f
MM_' to me.'

" ' Well, let the fellow stay, though I assure you I cannot love him.'

" So he hung the bird-cage on a nail in my room, and I tried to turn my back upon him.
I could not help observing, however, that he seemed to relish the glow of my wood fire and
the warmth of the room greatly, and was commencing to dress his feathers, and to jump about
m his little cage with quite a cheerful air.

" I thought him at oil events a sensible bird, and determined to give him a larger cage
iluiiii.- the day. I then discovered that he had been so unfortunate a* to lose three of
his toes, perhaps in the struggles he had made when he had lx<en taken prisoner, by means of
the deceitful bird-limed twig, so that he was almost incapable of resistance, if one chose
to catch him while in the cage, and then he would only crouch in a corner, and with his bright
black eye and beseeching chirp pray to be left at peace.

KOI a week or more I took but little notice of him. only admmng his irrewistible
song, for he became so cheerful as to sing to us once or twice during tin- twenty-four hours.

"One afternoon, however, I caught myself mimickinc the droll whistle with which he
would break his song, and which had precisely the sound we expressed by the whew-o-o-o
when we make what we know to be some ludicrous mistake.

" He instantly repeated it more slowly. I tried again and again till he seemed satisfied,
and commenced the first bar of a strain of German music, and then paused. I looked up.
' What, do you mean to teach me your song i '

" He repeated the notes, and I essayed to reproduce them ; my effort, however, seemed to
amuse the young master, for he drew out to its fullest extent his whew-o-o-o-o, but instantly
commenced the bar again. By this time I had become thoroughly interested, and not liking
to be laughed at, mode a more successful effort. Thii time Bob seem**! more satisfied,
and added a few more notes. When I had achieved these, he repeated all ami put me to the
test, and so on through his whole song; every few momenta, however,- evidently enjoying
the fantastic mistakes which I made, and uttering his whiMl.- in tin- most prove >kin»;ly
sarcastic tone. I was greatly amused, and related the story with great gusto on my husband's
return.

"The next morning when I came near the cage, the bird came as near me as he could

and commenced a pleasant chirping, which evidently meant 'Good-morning to you.' This

nned in tones resembling his as nearly as I could, an-1 it finally ended by my taking the

young gentleman into my hand and feeding him. He took his seeds from my tin«e« from

that time even- m< >rning, for two or three weeks. Then we were to leave C- - for some time,

and I sent him la, k to W , congratulating myself that I was yet heart-whole as far

as Bobby was concerned.

" Iii alvoiit n month we returned, and we called to see the birds. What was my surprise
when Master Bullfinch instantly descended from his perch to tin- corner of the cage nearest to
my face, and after th«- first chirp of greeting commenced singing in a sweet undertone, hover-
ing and turning, his feathers lifted, his eyes gleaming, and his whole expression one of the

360 SAD END OF A PET.

most profound admiration for little me. I was quite heartless, only shrugging my shoulders
and turning away.

"But I do not know exactly how it came about ; in a few weeks I had the painted finch
and the Bullfinch quite domesticated in my room, and though I still said I did not love him,
yet I talked a great deal to the bird, and as the little fellow grew more and more cheerful and
sang louder and oftener each day, and was getting so handsome, I found plenty of reasons for
Increasing my attention to him, and then above all things he seemed to need my presence quite
as much as sunshine, for if I went away, if only to my breakfast, he would utter the most
piteous and incessant cries until I returned to him, when in a breath his tones were changed
and he sang his most enchanting airs. He made himself most fascinating by his polite adora-
tion ; he never considered himself sufficiently well dressed ; he was most devoted in his efforts
to enchain me by his melodies. Art and nature both were called to his aid, until, finally,
I could no longer refrain from expressing in no measured terms my admiration. He was then
satisfied, not to cease his attention, but to take a step further ; he presented me with a straw,
and even with increased appearance of adulation.

"From that time he claimed me wholly ; no one else could approach the cage ; he would
fight most desperately if any one dared to approach, and if they laid a finger on me his fury
was unbounded ; he would dash himself against the bars of his cage, and bite the wires as if
he would obtain his liberty at all hazards, and thus be enabled to punish the offender.

" If I went away now he would first mourn, then endeavor to win me back by sweet
songs. In the morning I was awakened by his cries, and if I but moved my hand, his moans
were changed to glad greetings. If I sat too quietly at my drawing, he would become weary
geemingly, and call me to him ; if I would not come, he would say in gentle tone, ' Come
here ! come here ! ' so distinctly that all my friends recognized the meaning of the accents at
once, and then he would sing to me. All the day he would watch me ; if I was cheerful,
he sang and was so gay ; if I was sad, he would sit by the hour watching every movement, and
if I arose from my seat I was called, ' Come-e-here ; ' and whenever he could manage it, if the
wind blew my hair within his cage he would cut it off, calling me to help him, as if he thought
I had no right to wear anything else than feathers, and if I would have hair it was only suit-
able to nest-building ! If I let him fly about the room with the painted finch, he would follow
so close on my footsteps that I was in constant terror that he would be stepped upon or lost in
following me from the room. At last he came to the conclusion that I could not build a
nest ; I never seemed to understand what to do with the nice materials he gave me, and when
I offered to return them, he threw his body to one side and looked at me so drolly from
one eye, that I was quite abashed. Prom that time he seemed to think I must be a very young
creature, and more assiduously fed me at stated periods during the day, throwing up from his
awn stomach the half -digested food for my benefit, precisely in the manner of feeding young
bjrds.

" But I did not like this sort of relationship very much, and determined to keep it down,
and forthwith commenced by coldly refusing to be fed, and as fast as I could bring my
hard heart to do it, breaking down all the gentle bonds between us.

" The result was sad enough ; the poor fellow could not bear it. He sat in wondering
grief ; he would not eat. At night I took him in my hand and held him to my cheek ;
he nestled closely and seemed more happy, although his little heart was too full to let
him speak. In the morning I scarcely answered his tender low call, ' Come-e-here ! ' but I
aat down to my drawing, thinking if I could be so cold much longer to so gentle and uncom-
plaining a creature.

"I presently arose and went to the cage. Oh, my poor, poor bird ; he lay struggling on
the floor. I took him out, I tried to call him back to life in every way that I knew, but it was
useless ; I saw he was dying, his little frame was even then growing cold within my warm
palm. I uttered the call he knew so well : he threw back his head with its yet undimmed
eye and tried to answer— the effort was made with his last breath. His eye glazed as I gazed,
«nd his attitude was never changed ; his little heart was broken. I can never forgive myself
for my cruelty."

/•///; CR os*. tut. i..
Tmi>l "hn !• •:••••: •' • • • ..• n •• . ii ;.. • ,

retir-d part- of woods or copses, and th. perhaps, find th,- n.-*t hidden ?ery careful h

:nv:i\ in H..I,,,. leafy bnmrli at no great height fn. m th-^n.m.d. A thick l-u-h isaTeryfav
-j«.r f<>f ili>- nest ; hut I have more than once found II..-MI in luu*l branches, so slender thai
th.-ir w-L'ht has u-nt ili,tn aside. The eggs an- marked with deep rlolei

:tn.| purpl- l.rown -tr-ak- ami mottling upon a gm-ni-.li whit- Around, and are easily reoog-

ni/.ilil- l.y tli.- nior- ,,r less ]»-rf«v{ rim; which th-y form round th.- larger .-n.| ,,f tl w.

Tli** eggs are generally ti\- i:i inunlN-r.

••nt- ar- \.-ry f..n.l ..f their youiiir. an.l n-tain th-rn through th- aiitiitnn and
wint-r. tint ca-tiag them off until (In- m-xt 1.1,-,-diiu; nenson. Th.- families av-mM.- together in
littl.- tl.M-ks only fix,- or six in numU-r, uiul may be seen thin- ;ilN,,it in company, hut never
associating with hinittof any <>th<-r ^[M-,-J,.>.

In riinliii.-iiH-nt it i-. a v.-ry j.-alous an«l withal a incwt »-«milmti\.- liinl, not easily .lauiitixl,

ami tiirhtim; witli its fi.ll..«-|.rix,.u.-r-< till mi • tin- ..tln-r is vaiujuinh,. I. ,„ ,.\,-n kill'.xl. These

lunls have been known t.. liirht continually with oth.-r inhaliitants <.f th«- xnm- i-ac--. ami «-v.-n
to kill tin- -oliltinch in >|.it- of IPS loiiir )H,ii,t^l |.i|| and hL'h M.irit. Many penoos who
k.-«-i> Hulltin. -li-'s tin,! th«-ir ]>lunia^i- -••Mini: ^nulually ilark«-r until at la-t it a.Hsuni.-s a Mai-k
hue. Thus change of color i- mostly i-nnluc^l l,\ two caii-v-s ,,n(- th«' conlini-iiu-nt in a Mimky
atmonphfiv. and tin- oih.-r th.- presence of h.-mp-seed in th- fo.N|. H.-nip-— ••.!. uh<-n t<«>
lil». rally j,nv«-n, has oft.-n this effect ii|-.n tin- cap- l.inln, and evon tho %lit color- of tl,,. -,,1,1-
linch will ilarkrii into iliniry hhu-k ami hrown uml.-r its inllm-m-.'. The reason of so run
phenomenon is not known, but it is virtually a j.rolil.-in which, wh.-n ^.U.^l, ,May IM- of oon-
-i'l'-iiil>l" valm-.

The color of the adult male bird Ls a« follows : —

Th- base of the neck and the back are beautiful slaty-gray, which nan been known to tak-
a roseate hue. The top of the head, the givat.-r « in- coverts, the upjier tail -co vert**, and tin-
chin an- j-tty -hlack. ami the tips of the wing-coverts are snowy-white, so that th«-\ form
a bold white bar across the wing. Th«> quill-f.-ath-rs of the winp ami tail an- il^-j! black with
a penvptibl- \ioh-t lu-tn-. ami th- si-h-sof th- h-a.l, th- throat, breast, ami aUloni-n ar- li^ht
and nith-r ]>«-ciiliar ml with a slight «-h— tnut tinge. As is the case with most birds, varieties
are not uncommon. Th- l-ill i- <l.--|i -liinini: black.

The fenial- is not so brilliantly <-<>lon><l a- h-r mat-, th- ^r.iy of th- bark b-ini: of a rather
din-y cast, and the red of the under jxininns U-in- of a purplish-brown hu-. Voun- binls are
oolorwl like the female, except that the head is not black. The total length of the bin! rather
exceeds six inches.

THE CROSS-BILLS, THE PLANT-CUTTERS, AND THE COLIES.

THE CROSS-BILLS are most remarkable bird*, and hav- long been celebrated on account of
the singular form of beak from which they d-riv- their name.

In all these binls, the two mandibles compl.-t-ly cross one another, so that at lir-t sight
th- striictnn> appears to be a malformation, ami to prohibit the bird from picking up seeds or
feeding it—If in any way. But wh-n the Cross-bill is seen f-«-ding, it speedily proves itself to
be favored with all the ordinary faculti-s of birds, and to be as capable of obtaining its food as
any of th- -trai-ht-U-aked !>:

The food of the Cross -bill con-Ms almost, if not wholly, of seeds, which it obtains in
a very curious manner. It is very fond of apple-pips, and settling on the tree where ripe
apples are to be found, attack- th- fruit with its beak, and in a very f-w iiiom- nts ruts a hole
fi.irh into the "core," from which it picks out th- s.-»-<l- daintly and eats them, reject im: the
rii»- pulpy fruit in which they had been -nv-lo|.ed. ' .-vs-bill is rather a voracious

bird, the havoc which it will make in an on-hard may U- imagined.

Soim- i-r^n-say that th- bird is able to cut an apple in two with a single bite ; Lot I
should fam y that in such cases the apple must be of the smallest and the bi. largest.

362 NESTING OF THE CROSS-BILL.

for it is hardly larger than the bullfinch, and the head is not at all disproportionate in length
to the rest of the body.

This bird is also very fond of the seeds of cone-bearing trees, and haunts the pine-forests
in great numbers. While engaged in eating, it breaks the cones from branches, and holding
them firmly in its feet after the fashion of the parrots, inserts its beak below the scales,
wrenches them away, and with its bone- tipped tongue scoops out the seed. They get their
beaks under the scales by partially opening their mouths, so as to bring the extremities of the
bill immediately over each other, thus forming a kind of wedge. The points of the beak are
then easily inserted like a wedge under the scales, and by suddenly drawing the lower man-
dible sideways, the scale is detached from the cone.

The power of the beak is quite extraordinary, as the bird evinces no difficulty in breaking
open almonds while in the shell, and getting at the kernel. This feat is achieved by pecking
a hole in the shell, pushing the point of the beak into the aperture, and then wrenching the
shell asunder by a sudden turn of the bill. The apparently clumsy beak is thus shown to be
an apparatus adapted in the most perfect manner to the wants of its owner, and to be capable,
not only of exerting great force on occasions, but of picking up little seeds as well as could be
done by a sparrow or a canary. Indeed, the bird can shell hemp and canary seed with perfect
ease and readiness.

As might be gathered from the description of the habits of the Cross-bill, the beak and all
its attendants are of very great strength, the muscles on each side of the face being very con-
spicuous for their size and development. The position of the two mandibles is not at all
uniform, nor does it depend, according to some persons, on the sex of the bird. Sometimes
the upper mandible is turned to the right and the lower to the left, while in other individuals
the reverse arrangement is followed. In either case, the lower mandible is that which is used
for the wrenching asunder of the coverings which hide its food.

The Cross-bill is not common in England, although when it does make its appearance
it generally comes over in flocks. Usually, it consorts in little assemblies consisting , of the
parents and their young, but it has often been known to associate in considerable numbers.
It is a very shy bird, and has a peculiar knack of concealing itself at a moment's notice, press-
ing itself closely upon the branches at the least alarm, and remaining without a movement or
a sound to indicate its position until the danger has departed.

Mr. Yarrell mentions that on one occasion he had succeeded in shooting seven of these
birds upon a tree, and as they still hung upon the boughs, one of the party volunteered to
climb the tree in search of them. When he had got among the branches, a flock of eighteen
or twenty Cross-bills suddenly flew out, uttering a shrill, sharp cry of alarm. Sometimes flocks
of great extent have been noticed in England, upwards of a hundred individuals having been
seen in a single flock.

In Sweden and Norway the Cross-bill is a very common bird ; and the north of Europe
seems to be their proper breeding-place.

The nests are always placed in rather close proximity, so that if one nest is found, others
are sure to be at no great distance. The nest is made of little fir-twigs, mosses, and wool, and
is of rather a loose texture. It is always found upon the part of the branch that is nearest
to the stem. The fir is the tree that is almost always, if not invariably, employed by this bird as
the nesting-place. The eggs are generally three, but sometimes four in number, and are some
thing like those of the greenfinch, but rather larger.

The nest is generally built at the end of February or the beginning of March, and the
young are remarkable, from the fact that their beaks are not crossed like those of the parents,
but made much like those of any other young bird, the crossing not taking place until they
are attaining an age and development which will enable them to shift for themselves.

The color of this bird is variable in the extreme, seeming to depend on external circum-
stances for its difference of tint and depth of hue.

The adult male assumes several varieties of tint, the plumage being colored with red,
yellow, or orange, which latter hue, as Mr. Yarrell well observes, is partly covered by the
mixture of the other two. His description of the different kinds of plumage is very interesting :

CROSS BILLS.

Tin: i iiu.iA x I-,

"A red male now l*>fore in- hud completed hla moult during his first autumn, ha*

the back dull reddish-brown, darkest in <-«.l..r towards the tip of th.- iip|«r mandible ; the head,
rump. throat, breast, and IK-UN ti'.- red ; t|u« feather* on the back mixed with «»•

a chestnut brown; wing-coverta, and quills, and tail -feat hen nearly uniform dark

" A second male l>inl. killed at the Mine time as the red bird jtut described, baa the head,

rump, and undi-r surface of the \«»\\ jiule \.-llow, tinged with given, the back olive-brown ;
\MH_-- .iM<l i. in feather* like ;:..— of tin- red 1'iid.

\ third inali-. killed at the same time, has the top of the head and the bark a mixture
of reddish-brown and dark orange; tin- rump i. -dd Mi-orange ; the upper tail-covert* linht
oraii.:'- . ih«- chin. threat, and up]»-r |»rt of the breast red, pflTffing OH the lower part of the
breast, belly, and sides to oraiii:

"Bed males that have moulted in confinement have changed during tin- moult to greenish-
yellow, and others to light yellow ; thus apparently indicating thai the \ .-How color in that of
the older livery ; but young males, as • -lieerved, certainly som.-timt-s duinge at once to

yellow, without going through either the red or the orange-colored stage*. The lightest colon,
wh'-ih.-r -i.-. h. yellow, red, or orange, pervade the feathers of the rump and the upjier tail-
coverts.

•• In captivity I have known several instances of red and yellow-colored specimens chang-
ing back to dull brown, as dark or even darker than their early plumage. This might be the
effect of particular food, which is known to exercise such an influence on other birds ; but
whether having once assumed light tints, they ever in a wild and healthy state go back to
olive-brown or more dull colors, has not, I believe, been ascertained."

The young birds are dark green, covered with horizontal dashes of black. They aft-
wards a>-um-- their yearling plumage, which is a general dull brown, grayish white on the
head, and with the under surface of the body liberally streaked with a darker tint. The
female is of a .!_'!• •• -n yllow, with a dash of brown on the top of the head and the upper sur-
face of the body, changing into a purer yellow on the upper tail-cov*

The total length of the male bird is rather more than six inches, and the female frequently
reaches seven inches in length.

THE CROSS-BILL (Lorin n/rrirnxfrn) is very closely allied to the Euro|Miin sjwcies. It
breeds in the high northern latitudes, and d urine the severe winter weather t i-it- the pine
forests of New England and the Middle States. The color of plumag* is much the same as in
the Purple Finch and Tine Finch. When kept a- a (N-I, in a caire. it lia.s many of the habits
of the parrots. Two -|»-i -i--s are recognized— th.- pr."--nt, an 1 tin- Whiti-wiujred.

There are thirteen other birds closely alli-d to the preceding, including the Rosy Finch.
Mealy Red-poll, Linnets, and other interesting species.

THE PLANT-CCTTEBS derive their name from their habit of seizing the plants on which
they feed, and nipping their M.-ms asunder with their sharp bills as neatly as if they had
been cut wi:h shears. They are a,l of moderate >i»-. aU.nt equalling the bullfinch in dim.-n
sions. In order to enable them to obtain their fo<»d. their beak* are very sharp and slightly
notched.

THE CHILIAN Pi.ANT-rn-mi is rather a large species, be ' to a thru-h in dimen-

sions. It is a common bin! in its native country, and is most destructive to t
very fond of -proutin- ••••in. ami. not cont.-nt with eating the green blades, it seem* to tind
such pleasure in th. of its bill that it cuts down hundreds of stalks as if in mere

wantonness, and leaves the-green >t. -m- l\ ing strewed about the ground. On account of these
destructive propensities it is greatly persecuted by the agriculturists, «!i. 'rap

and further aid in its extermination by setting a price on its head, and giving a certain snro
to every one who will bring in a dead b*.rd.

364

THE SENEGAL, OR LONG-TAILED COLY.

The nest is made on the summit of a lofty tree in some very retired situation, so that in-
epite of all the persecution with which it meets, it still holds its ground against the farmers.

In color it is sober ; the
usual tints being gray,
with a bronze tinge on
the back, and somewhat
of a slaty hue upon the
breast and abdomen. The
quill-feathers of the wing
and tail are black. Its
voice is rather harsh, and
consists of a series of
rough broken notes.

THE COLIES form a
small family of birds,
whose exact place among
the feathered tribes seems
to be rather uncertain.
They are inhabitants of
Africa and India ; and as
their plumage is of a soft
and silken character, and
generally of sober tints,

they often go by the name of Mouse-birds, a title which is also due to their mouse-like

manner of creeping among the boughs of trees.

THE SENEGAL, or LONG-TAILED COLT, is found in Africa, in the country from which it
derives its name.

CHILIAN PLANT-CUTTEK.—

SENEOAL COLT.— CoKus maerwnu

It is a pretty bird, and as it traverses the branches has a peculiarly elegant appearance;
its long tail seeming to balance it in the extraordinary and varied attitudes which it assumes,

Tin: \K>U:T r; is-EATEtL

and . ly movable crest being continually raised or depressed, giving It a very spirited

It is gregarious, living in littl.« romjimiies of f..ur or li\.- in number, and is continually
jumping :in<l running about tin- Lnnirli, •- in search of it- food, which consists of fruit and
IMI, K Tim grasp of its feet is very i«>werfnl, as minii n indeed as thmt of the ] and

while traveisjllir the boughs it may often be Been honging b\ it- f,-,-t with its head downward,
and occasional I \ irmainin^ for some time sus]>ended by a single foot La Vaillant my* that
his bird, in rommon with oth, r iii.-mliera of the some family, is fond of sle.
singular attitude, and that in the early muniiny it may often lie found so benumU-d with cold,
that it can be taken by hand before it can loosen its hold from tin- UniKii which it grasps so
firmly.

Owing to the formation of its feet, which are almost wholly formed for grasping, it is
seldom seen on the ground, and when it has alighted, is awkward in its movements. Among
tin- boughs, however, it is all life and energy, leaping about with a quirk \ harity that remind*
the observer of our common long-tailed titmou.se. In climbing from <.n.- branch'to another, as
in l..w, -ring themselves, the Colies frequently use their beaks to aid tln-m, aft.-r the well-
known practice of the parrots.

The nests of the Colies are all large and rounded, and are generally placed in close prox-
imity to each other, five or six being often found on the same branch. The materials of w I,
they are made are slender twigs externally, lined with mosses and soft feuth. r-. Tin- number
of the eggs is from four to six. When fat and in good condition, tin- flesh is said to be dell
cate and tender. In size it is about equal to a blackbird.

The general color of this species is a rather li^ht chestnut-gray, brightening into ruddy
fawn on the forehead. The crest is composed of fine and feathers. Tin- na|«- of the

neck tukes a blue tint, and the back is gray, changing to slaty-blue on the upper tail -co verts.
The chin and the abdomen are pearl-gray, and the chest is of the same light ruddy fawn as the
forehead. The beak is thick and sturdy, and is black at the tips, and brown towards the
base.

ALLIED to the colies we find another curious and interesting group of birds called the
PLANTAIN-EATERS.

These birds are natives of Africa, where they are not at all uncommon, and in the forests
which they frequent may be seen flitting among the branches of tin- lofty trees, gliding among
the boughs with great adroitness, and displaying their shining silken plumage to the bait
advantage. They are wary birds, and seem to have tolerably accurate ideas respecting the
range of shot, for they mostly keep to the highest parts of the tree, and can but seldom be
approached sufficiently near to be killed by the gun. Their food is almost wholly composed
of fruits, and for feeding on such substances they are well suited by tln-ir large and |»-<-nliurly
formed beaks.

They are all handsome birds, th>-ir dimensions averaging those of tin- European jay, and
their plumage glancing with violet, green, purple, and red of different shades. One of the
finest of the species is the VIOLET PLANTAIN i MM:, a bird which is found »l>ont Senegal and
the Gold Coa>t. It is remarkable for tin- extraordinary slui]M':nid dimension* of theln-ak, which
is everywhere large and prominent, but is especially swollen towards the base, where it
expands into a large shield like mass of horny stibstan, ••. which spreads over the forehead as
far as the crown, where it terminates in a semicircular thickened line. The ridgt* of the beak
is greatly an-hed, and its sides are much compressed. Its color is equally singular with its
shape, for it is of a fine golden -yellow, passing into rich crimson on the upper part of the
bee*.

The top of the head is crimson, not unlik-- that of the l>eak, and the feathers are very soft
and fine, bearing a velvety or plush-like a*\» •• -i. The general color of the plumage Is very deep
violet, appearing black in the shade, and'glossed with rich gn-en in many lights. Part o' tb»
primary quills of all the secondaries are carmine, softening into delicate lilac, and tipped with
deep violet The huge and powerful legs are black.

366

THE BLUE PLANTAIN-EATER.

ANOTHER beautiful example of this group is the WHITE-CRESTED TOURACO.

This bird is remarkable not only for its handsome plumage, but for its peculiar customs.
It is even more suspicious and wary than the previous species, and has a peculiar talent
for concealing itself. Let a White-crested Touraco only take the alaim, and in a second of
time it will be so well hidden that even a practised eye can scarcely obtain a clue of its
whereabouts.

It is generally to be found among the branches of trees, and if it should be alarmed, and
fly from one tree to another, it will vanish from sight so rapidly that the only way to get a
shot at it is by sending some one up the tree to beat each bough in succession. While travers-
ing the branches, it runs along them, always keeping its body in the same line with the bough,
so that if it fears any danger, it has only to crawl closely to the upper part of the bough to be
quite imperceptible from below. Like the European creepers, or the squirrel, it often avails
itself of the thick trunk of a tree to hide itself from a supposed enemy, slipping quietly round
the trunk, and always keeping on the opposite side.

VIOLET PLANTAIN-EATEH.-Jfc«wpAa(H» dotoceo.

Some of these birds are extremely inquisitive, and, in spite of their native caution, will
follow a traveller for miles ; keeping just out of gunshot, and streaming loudly the while. The
general color of this species is olive-green above, except on the crest, which is also green, but
of a lighter hue, and is edged with a delicate line of white. The wings take a bluish-purple
tint, especially upon the primary quill-feathers, and there is a horizontal streak of pure white
beneath each eye. It is about as large as a common jackdaw.

THE BLUE PLANTAIN-EATER, whose color may be known by its popular title, is generally
to be found on the lofty trees that skirt the edges of streams, either perched demurely on the
boughs, or flitting rapidly through them in search of the fruits and insects on which it feeds.

The wings of this species are but weak, and are unable to endure a lengthened flight. It
is rather remarkable that this species should have two distinct modes of flight : the one — which
is its most usual method — is by a succession of rapid and apparently laborious flappings ; while
the other is a graceful soar, in which the bird floats softly through the air, with wings extended
and motionless. It never employs its wings if it can avoid doing so, and even in making a short

Unit \HILL8.

tluht it axaiN it-elf «,f ,.v,.ry n|i|Mirtiiiiiiy nf alichtin-. thinking. like the unfortunate people

who live in the court* of m\ nit \. that to -it wh.-n.

conduct.

Thi- .lupli, •;,!.- kind ,>f movement extend- t.. its feet aa well as its wings. Sometime* it
uill i:ik.- :i !.,/> tit. and will -it in :, lumpi-h. dr..wsy position, as if it were one of the tUowrat
l>ird- amoni; tin- f.-atli.-n-d trilled, its body all huddi md it- head Sin

shoulder-. Hut when roused, it leaps in a single iu-t.-mt fn.m il
graceful vivacity. ,-\ers iii..\.-m.-m full ..f lif,. and Darkling win

with \vmid. -i -ful speed, its head and neck being darted in every dtawtta, lik.- that ..f a «•*«
• •rest i-i pidly raised and depressed, its eyes full of light, and it- voice .m.-iini; l..ud ami
animate! .1

Tli.- \oice of this and other Plantain-eaters is always of a loud character. It i- .|n
ahy ;.- it- comrades, concealing itself in the same effective manner. and di-pla\ in- n,..i,- t|,:ill
ordinary precaution when in the vicinity <.f hunmn habitation*. Tin- nest of this binl is made
iu the hollow ,,f ..om.- d.-ca>ini: tree. Th,- p-neral <-olor of this binl is dark blue. mark. -I with
verditer-green. The crest is almost blark. tin- alMlonifii i- L'1-.-.-iii-h. and th.- tlii«li- rh, --111111.

'1'iiK r.-!ii:u-kal>l.- binl known by th- name of HOM/IN. ..r CKKXTRD TOURACO, is the sole
example of the family or -ub. family, a- th.- .-a-*- may U-. to whirh it U-l..m-«. It.s .-xart place
in th»- catalogue of birds is rather unsettled, some authors i-on-iddin- it to U-lom: to th.-
poultry, or the gallinareous birds, and oth.-r-s looking II]MHI it aa one of th.- tru.- PaMerinea.

It is a very I'm*- binl. U-in^ n.-arly :is large as a ])earo.-k. and ha\ in>j sc/mewhat of the same
gait and mode of carnai:.-. Th.- jM-<-uliar construction of tin- foot, tl ..... ut«-r t(»- <.f which can-
not lie turned backward. lu».s induced zoologi.sts of th.- jin-wnt day to nc|>arat»- it fn>m the
plan tain -enters, and to ron-id.-r it a- a utiiiju*' n-pn-si-ntative of a sub-family.

This binl is a nativ.- of tmpiral America, being foiin<l iu (tiiiana and tin- Hra/.ils. where it
leads a gregarious lif,-. as.s.-mblin^ together in large flock-, mi the banks of creeks and riven.
Although so closely re-M-mblinn the jpilliiiac.-..us birds in fffiieral a|iiM«ranc«> and habit-, its
flesh is, fortunately for itself. <iuit.- uneatable, l»-in« impregnated with a -trout: and |n-<'uliar
odor that deters any but a starving man fn>m makini; a meal ujton it. Perhaps this odor
may be caused by its food, which consist- almost wholly of the leaves of the arum.

The nest of the Hoatzin is mad.- in the lower |>art of a tree, and is composed exteriorly of
slender twigs, and interiorly of mosses and other soft substances. The eggs are about three
or four in number, and their color is %r.\\ i-h w hite, U-sprinkled with red spots. The head of
this species is adoni.il with a tuft of elomnited and narrow feathers. It- color is brown above,
striped with white, and the bn-ast and throat are light brown washed with gray. The abdomen
is deep chestnut, and the tail tipped with white. The bill is short, thick, very convex, and
bent downwards at the tip.

HORNBILLS.

THERE are many strange and wonderful forms among the feath.-n-d tribes ; but there are,
perhaps, none which more astonish the Upholder who sees them for the first time, than the
group of birds known by the name of HORN BILLS.

They are all distinguished by a very Urge beak, to which is added a singular h- 1m. t like
appendage, equalling the beak itaelf in some species, while in others it is so small as to attract
but littl.- notice. (>n ao-oiiut of th>- enormous size of the beak and the helmet, which in some
species recede to the crown of the head, tin- binl appears to be overweighted by the mast of
horny substance which it has to carry ; but on a closer investigation, the whole structure is
found to be singularly light, and yet very strong.

368

THE RHINOCEROS HORNBILL.

On cutting asunder the beak and helmet of a Hornbill, we shall find that the outer
shell of horny substance is very thin indeed, scarcely thicker than the paper on which this
description is printed, and that the whole interior is composed of numerous honey-combed
cells, with very thin walls and very wide spaces, the walls of the cells being so arranged as
to give very great strength when the bill is used for biting, and with a very slight expenditure
of material. The whole structure, indeed, reminds us greatly of that beautiful bony network
which gives to the skull of the elephant its enormous size and lightness, and which is fully
described in the volume on Mammalia, page 598. The general appearance of the dried head
of a Hornbill, with its delicate cellular arrangements, and its thin, polished, bony shell,
is not unlike the well-known shell of the paper nautilus, and crumbles in the grasp almost as
easily.

The most common is the Rhinoceros Hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros) : one of the hand-
somest is the White-crested Hornbill (Buceros albocristdtus) ; other interesting species are
the Crested Hornbill (Buceros cristdtus), the TWO-HORNED HORNBILL (Buceros bicornis), and
the Woodpecker Hornbill (Buceros pica.).

TWO-HORNED HOKNBILL.-JBt/eero» Wcor.il*

PERHAPS the greatest development of beak and helmet is found in the RHINOCEROS HORN-
BILL, although there are many others which have these appendages of great size.

As is the case with all the Hornbills, the beak varies greatly in proportion to the age of
the individual, the helmet being almost imperceptible when it is first hatched, and the bill not
very striking in its dimensions. But as the bird gains in strength, so does the beak gain in

Till-: Will ./>/V-:/' H»liM;ii.l.. ;;,..|

:md wh,-n it is adult it,., d. -I met and beak attain their full proportions. It in said that
til- age of ili,- 11, .mi, ill m;,y IN- known l.\ -hi- U-ak. for that in every year a wrinkle

j- :xl l.-.i to ili.- number of ill.- fm rows that are found mi tin- I. ill.

Tli.- obj.-.-i <>f ill.- 1,11-.- li.-im.-t iik.- apjiondage ia very obscure, but the probability la that
y aid tin- l-inl in pi-odin-im; id,. l,,u,l n.;. f.,r wdicd it is no celebrated. \Vli«n at

liberty in its native forests, th<> II. .ml. ill is li\.-ly and active, leaping from l-.iiijh to bough
with nivat light ne>s, and appeorin- not to U- in id., l .mmod.-d by its Urge beak

ascends id,- tree by a succession of easy jumps, each of which brings it to a higher branch,
an<l when ii has attained the very summit of td,- in-.-. i» stops and pours forth a nurccorion of
loud rouring sounds, whi< -h can lie heard at a considerable distance.

The flight of the Hornbill is rather laborious, and iterfonmxl by rapid flappings of the
wings. While in the air the bird lias a habit of .-lati.-ring its great mandibl,-* together,
which, with tin- noise of the wings, produces a most weird dike sound in the forest depths,
which is a fertile source of alarm to tin- timid traveller.

The food of the Hornbill seems to .-..n-i-t l«.th of animal and vegetable matters, and
Lesson remarks that those species which indal.it Africa live on carrion, while those tdat are
found in Asia feed on fruits, and that their flesh acquires thereby an agreeable and j>e<-uliar
flavor — something, we may presume, like that of the famous Iamb fed upon pistachio nuts.
Perhaps this statement may be too sweeping, and td«- birds of both continents may in all
probability be able to eat both animal and vegetable food.

At all events, the enormous beak of the Rhinoceros Hornbill, which is one of the Asiatic
species, appears to be made for the express purpose of destroying animal life, as is now known
to be the case with t! i corresponding member of the toucan. It is hard to tdink tdat .so for-
midable a weapon should be given to the Hornbill merely for tde i>nr]>o«e of eating fruits;
and when we remember that many of the species are acknowledged to be carnivorous, and
that the toucan employs its huge and similarly formed beak in the destruction of small
quadrupeds and birds, it is but rational to suppose that the Hornbill acts often in a similar
fashion.

One individual, a Concave Hornbill (Bucero» rardtus), which was kept in captivity, was
much more attached to animal than vegetable food, and, like the toucan, would seize with
avidity a dead mouse, and swallow it entire, after squeezing it once or twice between the saw-
shaped edges of its beak. The Rhinoceros Hornbill is said to IN- oftentimes extremely
carnivorous in its habits, and to follow the hunters for the purpose of feeding upon the offal
of the deer and other game which they may have killed.

While on the ground, the movements of tde Honiliill are rather peculiar, for instead of
walking soberly along, as might be expected from a bird of its ni»-, it hops along by a suc-
cession of jumps. It is but seldom seen on the ground, preferring the trunks of trees, which
Its powerful feet are well calculated to clasp firmly.

The color of the Rhinoceros Hornbill is as follows : The general tint of the body is dusky
black, changing to grayish-white Mow. Tde feathers of the head and neck are long and
loose, and more like hairs than feathers. The tail is of a grayish-white, with a Ixild Mark
band running across it near the extremity. The enormous bill is generally of a yellowish-
white color, the upper mandible being of a beautiful red at its base, and the lower man-
dible black. The helmet is colored with black and white. The length of the bill is about
ten inches.

AifOTHER species of this cnrious group is the Wnms-CMWTKD HORXBILL, a bird which is
remarkable for the peculiarity from which it derives its name.

Although not nearly so large as the preceding species, it is a truly handsome bird, and,
except by an ornithologist, would hardly be recognized as belonging to the same group as the
Rhinoceros Hornbill. Its beak, although very large in proi»ortion to the rest of the bit
not so prominent a feature as In the other Hornl.ilk and ii* U»aiitiful white fan-shaped crest
takes off much of the grotesque aspect which would otherwise be caused l.y the large bill.
Very little of the helmet is visible in this species, as it is of comparatively small

Vou FL-T.

370 THE WHITE-CRESTED HORNBILL.

and is hidden by the plumy crown which decorates the head. The tail is very long, and
is graduated and colored in a very bold manner, each feather being black, except at the
extreme tips, which are snowy white. The general color of this bird is deep, dull black,
through which a few very small white feathers protrude at distant intervals ; the tail is black,
each feather being tipped with white, and the crest is white, with: the exception of the black
shaft and black tip of each feather.

The noise produced by a flock of Hornbills passing through the air is said to be frightful.
The constant clattering of their bills with the utterance of loud croaking, and the rush of such
large bodies through the air, has much the effect of a brisk wind. Their voice is like a blast
from a bugle.

The nest of some Hornbills is most singular. " The first time I saw one," says Livingston,
"was at Kolsberg, when I had gone to the forest for some timber. Standing by a tree, a
native looked behind me and exclaimed, ' there is a nest of a Korwe ! ' I now saw a slit only
about a half -inch wide, and three or four inches long, in a slight hollow of the tree. Thinking
the word Korwe denoted some small animal, I waited with interest to see what he would
extract. He broke the clay, which surrounded the slit, put in his arm, and pulled out a
Tockas, or Red-breasted Hornbill. He informed me that when the female enters her nest, she
submits to real confinement ; the male plasters up the entrance, leaving only a narrow slit that
exactly suits the form of his beak, through which to feed his • mate. The female makes the
nest of her own feathers, lays her eggs, hatches them, and remains with the young until they
are fully fledged. During all this time, which is stated to be fully two or three months, the
male continues to feed her and the young family. The prisoner generally becomes fat, and is
esteemed a very dainty morsel by the natives, while the poor slave of a husband gets so lean,
that on the sudden lowering of the temperature that often occurs after a fall of rain, he is
benumbed and dies."

Dr. Livingston also gives the following interesting anecdote, illustrative of the affection of
these birds to their mates : "Near sunset, on the 25th August," (he writes from Dakomoio
Island), "we saw immense flocks of the largest Hornbills (Buceros cristdtus) come here to
roost on the great trees which skirt the edge of the cliffs ; they leave early in the morning,
often before sunrise, for their feeding places, coming and going in pairs. They are evidently
of a loving nature, and strongly attached to each other, the male always nestling close to his
mate. A fine male fell to the ground from fear of Dr. Kirk's gun ; it was caught and kept
on board. The female did not fly off in the morning to feed with the others, but flew around
the ship, anxiously trying by the plaintive calls, to induce her beloved one to follow her.
She came again in the evening to repeat the performance. The poor disconsolate captive
refused to eat, and in five days died of grief, because he could not have her company. No
internal injury could be detected after death."

The Great Homray, or Two-horned Hornbill, has been seen five thousand feet above sea
level, on the Neilgherries and the Himalayas. It is often seen in flocks of twenty. It is
a silent bird generally, making merely a deep but very loud croak. Hodgson says: "The
clamor made by a wounded bird is altogether amazing. I cannot liken this vehement vocifer-
ation to anything but the braying of a mule. Its power is extraordinary, and is the conse-
quence of an unusually osseous structure of the rings of the trachea. The Homray flies with
more repeated flaps of the wings than the others, only, in general, sailing just before alighting.
The noise of its wings could be heard a mile distant. Like the others it builds in holes of
trees ; the male building the female in and plastering the entrance, as in the case just described.
Major Trickell has witnessed this operation, and described it with due care of a naturalist.
Mason, in his work on Burmah, makes the following statement ; " The female must sit during
her incubation, for, if she breaks through her enclosure, her life pays the forfeit. But to
compensate for loss of freedom, her spirited mate is ever on the watch to gratify his dainty
mistress."

Mr. Gilbert remarks of this species, that a small sac is placed at the root of the tail, in
which is a bundle or pencil of short bristles, forming a brush, from whence exudes a yellow,
oily secretion with which the birds appear to dress their feathers.

>

SCANSORES, OR CLIMBING BIRDS.

im>up of birds in arranged by naturalist* under the title of SCAI

or CI.IMIMM. Hi UPS, and may be recognized by the stru.-tm.- ..f th.-ir feet. Two
toes are direcN-d forward and tin- other two twkward, so that tin- Mid i* al-1.- to
take a Tory powerful hold «.f tin- -ui .stance on which it is sitting, and thi- enal.l.-.
some species, as the wood!>«-.-k.-r>. to run iiiml.lv uj> tn-e trunks und to Imld
tli- Missives tightly on the burk while they hammer away witli tli.-ir beaks, and
other species, of whidi tin- Parrots are familiar examples, to clasp th<- liough as
with a hand. Tin-re, is Home little difficulty in settling the exact limit.M of this group.

'tl/1*

very curious birds that go by the name of Tot CAMS are not one whit leas remarkable

than the horndills. their lieak
y U-ing often as extravagantly

large, and their colors by far
superior. They are inhabi-
tants of America, the greater
niimlwr of sjie«-ies U-ing found
in the tropical regions of that

of these l.irds there are
many species. Mi «.«>uld. in
his magnificent work, the
Monograph of the " Hham-
jhastida-." figures fifu -on,-
species, and ranks them under
six genera.

The most extraordinary
part of these birds is the enor-
mous beak, which in some

species, such as tin I Ion-

« \v. is of gigantic dimensions,
seeming big enough to give its
owner a perpetual headach.-.
while in others, such as the
I < ucanetA, it is not so large as
to attract much attention.

As in the case of the horn-
1-ilN. their beak is very thin
and is strengthened by a vast
number of honeycomb-cells, so

rooo. -****•*,»». fllllt il i* TeI7 HKnt "d doe§

not incommode the l.inl in the

least. In performing the usual duties of a beak, such as picking up food and plurnin.
feathers, this apparently unwieldy beak is used with perfect address, and eren inflight its
iocs not incommode its owner.

372 HABITS OF THE TOUCANS.

The beak partakes of the brilliant coloring which decorates the plumage, but its beauti-
ful hues are sadly evanescent, often disappearing or changing so thoroughly as to give no
intimation of their former beauty. The prevailing color seems to be yellow, and the next in
order is red, but there is hardly a hue that is not found on the beak of one or other of the
species. As examples of the coloring of the beaks, we will mention the following species.
In the Toco Toucan it is bright ruddy orange, with a large black oval spot near the extremity,
in the Short-billed Toucan it is light green, edged and tipped with red ; in the Tocard Toucan
it is orange above and chocolate below ; in the Red-billed Toucan it is light scarlet and yellow ;
in Cuvier's Toucan it is bright yellow and black, with a lilac base ; in the Curl-crested Arayari
it is orange, blue, chocolate, and white ; in the Yellow-billed Toucan it is wholly of a creamy-
yellow, while in Azara's Aracari it is cream- white with a broad blood-red stripe along the
middle. Perhaps the most remarkable bill of all the species is found in the Laminated Hill
Toucan (Andigena lamindtus), where the bill is black, with a blood-red base, and has a large
buff-colored shield of horny substance at each side of the upper mandible, the end next the
base being fused into the beak, and the other end free. The use of this singular, and I believe
unique, appendage is not known.

The flight of the Toucan is quick, and the mode of carrying the head seems to vary in
different species, some holding their heads rather high, while others suffer them to droop.
Writers on this subject, and indeed, on every point in the history of these birds, are rather
contradictory ; and we may assume that each bird may vary its mode of flight or carriage in
order to suit its convenience at the time. On the ground they get along^with a rather awkward
hopping movement, their legs being kept widely apart. In ascending a tree the Toucan
does not climb, but ascends by a series of jumps from one branch to another, and has a great
predilection for the very tops of the loftiest trees, where no missile except a rifle ball can
reach him.

The voice of the Toucan is hoarse and rather disagreeable, and is in many cases rather
articulate. In one species the cry resembles the word "Tucano," which has given origin to
the peculiar name by which the whole group is designated. They have a habit of sitting on
the branches in flocks, having a sentinel to guard them, and are fond of lifting up their beaks,
clattering them together, and shouting hoarsely, from which custom the natives term them
Preacher-birds. Sometimes the whole party, including the sentinel, set up a simultaneous
yell, which is so deafeningly loud that it can be heard at the distance of a mile. They are very
loquacious birds, and are often discovered through their perpetual chattering.

Grotesque as is their appearance, they have a great hatred of birds which they think to be
uglier than themselves, and will surround and "mob" an unfortunate owl that by chance has
got into the daylight, with as much zest as is displayed by our crows and magpies at home
under similar circumstances. While engaged in this amusement, they get round the poor bird
in a circle, and shout at him so, that wherever he turns he sees nothing but great snapping
bills, a number of tails bobbing regularly up and down, and threatening gestures in every
direction.

In their wild state their food seems to be mostly of a vegetable nature, except in the breed-
ing season, when they repair to the nests of the white ant which have been softened by the rain,
break down the walls with their strong beaks, and devour the insects wholesale. One writer
says that during the breeding season they live exclusively on this diet. They are very
fond of oranges and guavas, and often make such havoc among the fruit-trees, that they
are shot by the owner, who revenges himself by eating them, as their flesh is very delicate.
In the cool time of the year they are killed in great numbers merely for the purposes of the
table.

In domestication they feed on almost any substance, whether animal or vegetable, and are
very fond of mice and young birds, which they kill by a sharp grip of the tremendous beak,
and pull to pieces as daintily as a jackdaw or magpie. One Toucan, belonging to a friend,
killed himself by eating too many ball-cartridges on board a man-of-war. As the habits of
most of these birds are very similar, only one species has been figured, for the description
of other species would necessarily have been limited to a mere detail of coloring.

/•///: Tin OAK

Th. -re exists a very im. -noting account of ;n> Ari-1 !'. • ...m :m.l it* habit*, which ha* been
fr.-.jii.-ntly quoted. I. ,n i» so graphic a desrripti.-n that any work of t .n- w..uld l«-

\\itli.iut it. It is given l.y a gentleman fond of !>r

••After looking at tin- l>ird \vhi,-)i wa.s the ohj.vt <.f m\ vi-.it. :m.| which waa apparently in
the highest state of health, I asked tl:.- proprietor t<> him.: ii|. :i littl.- hird, that 1 might see
how the Toucan would U- atf.vt.-.l i-\ n> u prance. He aoon returned, bringing with him a
goldfinch, a last year'* l«ird ; tin- in-i;mt he introduced his luiml with tin- goldfinch int.. the
cage of the Toucan, the latter, which was on a perch, snat- li'--l it with his lull. Tli.- |-«.r little
bird ha<l only time to utter u short, weak cry, for \\ithia a M*cond it was dead— killed l.y com*
pression on the sternum und abdomen, and that go powerful, that th>- !•..».•.
uft«-r a very few squeezes of the Toucan'* l.ill.

" As soon as the goldfinch waa dead, tin- Toucan hopped with it Mill in his l.ill to another
perch, and placing it with his bill between his right foot and tin- i--r.li. U-g-.m to strip off tin-
feathers with his l.ill. When he hn«l plucked away most of them, he broke the boned of tin-
wings and legs (still holding the littl.- l>inl in the sjune ].. .-iu.'ii \\ ith his hill, taking the limb*
therein, and giving at the Hume time a strong lat«-nil wrench. ll«- continued this \\«.ik with
great dexterity till he had almost reduced the I. ml to a ahapeleas mass ; and ever and anon he
would take his prey from the j*-n-h in his bill, and hop from perch to j»-n-h. making at the
same time a peculiar hollow, clattering noise; ut which times I olwerved that his bill and winga
were affected with a vibratory or shivering motion, though the latter were not ex]>anded.

"He would then return the bird to the j»-rrh with his bill, ami x-t his f.M.t on it ; he fimt
ate the viscera, and then continued pulling off and swallowing pieoe after piece, till the head,
neck, and part of the sternum, with their soft parts, were alone left. These, after a little more
wrenching while they were held on the perch, and mastication, aa it were, while they were
held in the bill, he at last swallowed, not even leaving the beak or leg* of his prey. The hut
part gave him most trouble ; but it was clear that he felt great enjoyment, for whenever he
raised his prey from the perch he appeared to exult, now masticating the morsel with his
toothed bill, and applying his tongu»- to it, now attempting to gorge it, und now making rtie
peculiar clattering noise, accompanied by the shivering motion above mentioned. The wlml<-
operation, from the time of seizini: his prey to that of devouring the last morsel, lasted about
a quarter of an hour; he then cleansed his bill from the feathers, by rubbing it against the
perches and liars of his cage.

While on this part of the subject, it may be as well to mention another fact which
appears to me not unworthy of notice. I have more than once seen him return his food some
tini" aft«-r he had taken it into his crop, and after maMicatitu: tin- morsel for awhile in his hill.
again swallow it ; the whole operation, particularly the return of the food to the bill, bearing
a strong resemblance to the analogous action in ruminating animals. The food on which I saw
him so employed was a piece of beef, which had evidently U-en macerated some time in his
crop. While masticating it, he made the same hollow, clattering noise as he made over the
remains of the goldfinch.

•• Previous to this operation he had examined his feeding trough, in which there was
nothing but bread, which I saw him take up and reject, and it appeared to me that he was thus
reduced from necessity to the above mode of solacing his palate with animal f<md. His f.-.i
iDBBjtta of '•••'.. ' •'. • i •...•:'.-.. -. • . •'• -•:. ••• vtt h I ':<tV bW Ii MM tAdcd ibort
every second or third day. H-- »!„,«, :i ,1,-,-Med preference for animal food, picking out
nil morsels of that description, and not resorting to the vegetable diet till all the former U
exhaust'-'l."

When settlin-: itself t'» sleep, the Toucan packs itself up in a very systematic manner, sup.

portin.-r it- hu-.- Ix-.ik by rating it on its hick, and tuck -mpletely among the feather*.

while it .louhl.'s it, t.,ii :i.-n« its back. f it ni'.vedonaspring hinge. So completely

is the bill hidd.-n anioni: th- f.-athers, that hani ••••• of it is vi.sihl.- in spite of its great

Jit cok.r. an 1 the bird when sleeping look* like a great ball of loose ,*•

374 THE PARRAKEET COCKATOO.

In the Toco Toucan the beak is of enormous size, being eight inches and a half long,
forming rather more than one third of the entire length. Its color is rich, glowing orange,
with a large oval patch near the tip, and a black line round the base. There are also a number
of darker red bars upon the sides. The head and body are deep black, and the throat and
cheeks are white, changing into brimstone-yellow on the breast, edged with a line of blood-red.
The upper tail-coverts are grayish- white, and the under tail-coverts deep crimson. Around the
eye is a large orange circle, within which is a second circle of cobalt-blue. The eye is rather
curious, a green ring encircling the pupil, and a narrow yellow ring encircling the green.

In one species, the Curl-crested Aracair, the feathers of the head assume a most unique
and somewhat grotesque form, reminding the observer of a coachman's wig dyed black. On
the top of the head the shafts of the feathers, instead of spreading out into webs, become
flattened, and are rolled into a profusion of bright shining curls, so that the bird really
appears to have been under the tongs of the hair-dresser. Indeed, it appears almost impossible
that this singular arrangement of the feathers should not be the work of art.

PARROTS.

THE general form of the PARROTS is too well known to need description. All birds belong-
ing to this large and splendid group can be recognized by the shape of their beaks, which are
large, and have the upper mandible extensively curved and hanging far over the lower ; in some
species the upper mandible is of extraordinary length. The tongue is short, thick, and fleshy,
and the structure of this member aids the bird in no slight degree in its singular powers of
articulation. The wings and tail are generally long, and in some species, such as the Macaws,
the tail is of very great length, while in most of the Parrakeets it is longer than the body.

THE first sub-family of this group is composed of those birds which are called by the
title of Ground Parrakeets. In the generality of the Parrot tribe, the legs are short, but in
these birds they are of greater length in order to enable them to run freely on the ground.
One of the most striking examples of this little group is the PARKAKEET COCKATOO of
Australia.

Although not clothed with the brilliant plumage that decorates so many of the Parrot
tribe, this bird is a remarkably pretty one, and is worthy of notice not only for the curious
crest with which its head is adorned, but for the grace and elegance of its form. With the
exception of the head, on which a little crimson and yellow are seen, the plumage of the Parra-
keet Cockatoo is simply tinted with brdwn, gray, and white ; but these colors are so pure,
and their arrangement so harmonious, that the eye does not at all look for brighter coloring.

It is mostly seen upon the ground, where it runs with great swiftness, and is very accom-
plished at winding its way among the grass stems, upon the seeds of which it subsists. It is
by no means a shy bird, and will permit of a close approach, so that its habits can be readily
watched. When alarmed, it leaves the ground and flies off to the nearest tree, perching upon
the branches and crouching down upon them lengthwise so as to be invisible from below.
There is no great difficulty in shooting it, which is a matter of some consequence to the hunter,
as its flesh is notable for its tenderness and delicate flavor.

The eggs of this species are pure white, which is the case with Parrot eggs generally, and
their number is from four to six.

Mr. Gould gives the following description of the Parrakeet Cockatoo : —

"The interior portion of the vast continent of Australia may be said to possess a fauna
almost peculiar to itself, but of which our present knowledge is extremely limited. New
forms therefore of great interest may be expected when the difficulties which the explorer has

Tin: i'.\i;i;.\Ki:r.r COCK A

:-~, •

t<> . n.oiint.-r in his journey towards the centre shall be overcome. This beautiful and elegant

l.ir.l i- on,-, ,f it- ,1,-m/. n- | |l;n... j, ,, (,,„., .,,.„ ,, ,.n>ss ,|,, ,.,,,,, (....uniaia range* and breed
on th.- tlat.s i--t«...-n ih.-m and the sea ; still, tin musual occurrence, and the few thus

fouml, rompiir.-.! to t!,-- thousands observed on th.- plains -t;, t. !,mg from the interior tide
of the mount :, in-, pnn.-s that they have, as it were, overstepped their natural bound:,

"It- lan-. i- .xt.li.l.il ox. -i th.- w h.ili- <>f the M.uth.-rii |-,ltlo||of Aiislnilla, an.l hahig

stri.-ti\ a ii,i_-i:,t..r\ Lii.l, it makes a simultaneous moM-m.-nt -..mir.xai.i to \\ithin on.- hundred
miles of the coast in September, arriving in the York <li-ni. t near Swan River, in Western
Australia, precisely at the same time that it appears in the Liverpool plains in the eastern por-

omavr or r.

tion of the country. After breeding and faring a numerous progeny, the whole again retire
northwards in February and March, but to what degree of latitude towards th>- tropics they
«• ii I tht-ir way I have not been able satisfactorily to ascertain. I have never received it from
Port Kssington or any other port in the same latitude, which, however, is no proof that it
does not visit that part of the comim-nt. -in«-«- it i-* im-m-ly the country near the coast that
has yet been traversed. In all pmlKthility it will be found at a little distance in the interior
wherever there are situations suitable to its habits, but doubtless at approximate period*
to those in which it <><•. -m^ in New South \\ales.

"It would appear to be more num. T.. us in the eastern division* of Australia than in th«
western. During one summer it was breeding in all the apple-tree (Angapkora) flats on the
Upper Hunter, as well as in similar districts on the Pe»>l and other riven which flow northward.

" After the breeding season is over, it congregate* in numerous flocks before taking its
departure. I have seen the ground quite covered by them while engaged in procuring food ;

376 THE ROSE-HILL PARRAKEET.

and it was not an unusual circumstance to see hundreds together in the dead branches of the
gum-trees in the neighborhood of water, a plentiful supply of which would appear to be essen-
tial to its existence ; hence we may reasonably suppose that the interior of the country is not
so sterile and inhospitable as is ordinarily imagined, and that it yet may be made available for
the uses of man. The Harlequin Bronze-wing and the Warbling Grass Parrakeet are also
denizens of that part of the country, and equally unable to exist without water."

THE genus Platycercus, or Wide-tailed Parrakeets, to which the YELLOW-BELLIED PAR-
RAKEET belongs, is a very extensive one, and numbers among its members some of the loveliest
of the Parrot tribe. They all glow with the purest azure, gold, carmine, and green, and are
almost immediately recognizable by the bold lancet-shaped feathers of the back, and the man-
ner in which each feather is defined by its light edging and dark centre.

The Yellow-bellied Parrakeet inhabits the whole of Van Diemen's Land and the islands
of Bass Straits, where it is very plentiful, and often so completely familiar as to cause extreme
wonder in the mind of an Englishman who for the first time traverses the roads of this strange
land, and finds the Parrakeets taking the place of the sparrows of his native country, quite aa
familiar and almost as pert, perching on the trees or fences, and regarding him with great
indifference. But the novelty soon wears off, and before long his only emotions at the sight
of a Parrot are hatred at its thieving propensities, and a great longing to eat it. As to this
particular species, its flesh is cultivated for its delicacy and peculiar flavor, and Mr. Gould is
so appreciative of its merits, that he waxes quite eloquent when speaking of Parrakeet pie.

These birds are gregarious, assembling in little companies, probably composed of the
parents and their young, and haunting almost every kind of locality ; trees, rocks, grass,
fields, or gully, being equally in favor. They are excellent runners, getting over the ground
with surprising ease and celerity ; and there are few prettier sights than to behold a flock of
these gorgeous birds, decked in all the varied beauty of their feathery garments, scudding
over the ground in search of food, their whole movements instinct with vivacity, and assuming
those graceful attitudes which are best suited for displaying the beauty of the coloring.

The food of these birds consists mostly of grass seeds, but they also feed upon the flowers
of the gum-trees, upon grubs and different insects. Whenever there is a scarcity of food, the
Yellow-bellied Parrakeets betake themselves to human habitations, and crowd around the
farm -doors with as much confidence as if they formed part of the regular establishment. There
is, however, not very much need for this intrusion into the farm-yard, as its natural food is
simple and varied, and the powers of wing are sufficiently great to carry the bird over a large
extent of country. The flight of this species is powerful, and is achieved by means of a series
of very wide undulations. Yet on some occasions the mendicant Parrakeets may be counted
by hundreds, as they press around the barn-door, disputing every chance grain of corn with
the poultry, and behaving with perfect self-reliance.

In captivity, the Yellow-bellied Parrakeet is a hardy bird, and is well adapted for a
caged, life.

The nest of this bird is made in the bark of a gum-tree, and the eggs are in color a pure
white, and in number average from six to eight. The season for nest-building is from September
to January. When the young are hatched, they are covered with a coating of soft white
cottony down.

The coloring of this species is very magnificent. The forehead is rich crimson, and the back
is a peculiar mottled green, each feather being of a deep black -green, edged with the same hue,
but of a much lighter character. The throat and the middle of the wings are blue, the breast
and abdomen are bright golden-yellow, and the under tail-coverts are marked with a few
red dashes. The two middle feathers of the tail are green, and the remainder are blue, dark
at the base, but becoming lighter towards the tip. The female is similarly colored, but not so
brilliantly.

ANOTHER most beautiful example of this genus is found in the ROSE-HILL PARRAKEET,
TM,pularlv known to dealers by the name of Rosella Parrot.

Til K tiHn r\i, IKKST.

:

This most lovi-ly l-inl is f,,m,,l iu Now South Wales and Van Diemen's Land, and although
j pl.-titiful in places which it frvqiirnts, it ia a rery local l.inl. haunting one s]>
hun.liv,is. an.l then becoming in\i-il.|.- for a range of many miles. >• open country it

lives in littl'-oomimnie«Ukethei)ivwUiJg8pecle^aiidUeT«nniorefaniili:irJ>eingexeeedi
i!i.luiMtiv«,Mfe the nature of all t In* Parrot tribe. Plentiful UN it K U.-reare few l..i<N u
an- likely to suffer more from the gun, a* its plumage ia so magnificent and its form ao elegant
that it is in great request among the -leal. T>, »h.. are always sure of a sale when the beautiful
skin is properly stuffed and put into a glass cane.

The wings of the Kos.- hill Parniki-t-t an- nut vi-ry ixiw.-rful, and do not seem capable of
••nduringa journey of very great extent, for the bird always taken ..].|..,inmiti<» of settling aa
ofti-n as it can do so, and then after running along the ground for awhile, starta afresh. The
(light ia composed of a succession of mxlulationa. The voice of this species ia not ao harsh aa

BMUtHILL FAXXAKKKT.

that of many Parrots, being a pleasing and not very loud whistle, which is often uttered. As
the bird is a hardy one, and can bear confinement well, it is coming much into fashion aa an
inhabitant of the aviary, and will probably be brought away in great numbers. The natural
food of the Rose-hill Parrakeet consists of seeds, a diet which it varies by eating many
kinds of insects, a food which every Australian bird can have in the greatest variety, and
without the slightest fear of stint

ALTHOUGH not endowed with the glowing hues of the preceding species, the GROUXD
PARRAKEET is a remarkably pretty and interesting bin!.

This species derives its name from its ground-loving habite. Mr. Gould says that it never
perches on trees; but ih- author of ••Hush Wanderings in Australia" remarks that he
has seen it perching upon the tea-tree scrub. From its peculiarly pheasant-like shape and
habits, it is sometimes called the pheasant by the colonist*. It ia a very common bird, and ia
found spread over the whole of Southern Australia and Van IMemen's Land.

It is remarkable that this bird, which has much of the outline of the pheasant, should

878

THE RINGED PARRAKEET.

have many of the habits of our game birds, and a very strong game odor. It runs very
rapidly on the ground, and is especially excellent at getting through grass-stems, among
which it winds its way with such wonderful celerity, that it can baffle almost any dog. Flight
seems to be its last resource ; and even when it does take to wing, it remains in the air but a
very short time, and then pitches and takes to its feet.

The flight is very low, very quick, as bewilderingly irregular as that of the snipe, but
is not maintained for more than a hundred yards. When the dogs come near the place where
it is concealed, it crouches closely to the ground, hoping thereby to escape detection ; but

\\\ " v;v~ S'.w-v5 '• /
^ ^oM/*^

GROUND PARRAKEET.— Pezaponu formomu.

if this stratagem should prove of no avail, it leaps suddenly into the air, dashes forward for
a few yards, and then settles again. This bird makes no nest, and does not even make it»
home in the hollow of a tree, but lays its white eggs upon the bare ground.

The flesh of the Ground Parrakeet bears some resemblance to that of some game birds,
and is said to be somewhat of the same character as that of the snipe or the quail.

The general color of this pretty bird is dark green above, mottled with yellow and varie-
gated with a multitude of black semilunar markings. The under surface is yellow, changing
to a greener tint upon the throat, and also mottled with a darker hue. The tail is long and
slender, the two central feathers are green barred with yellow, and the rest are marked in just
the reverse fashion, being yellow barred with dark green.

THE genus Palseornis, of which the RINGED PARRAKEET is an excellent example, is a very
extensive one, and has representatives in almost every hot portion of the world, even including
Australia.

The Ringed Parrakeet is found both in Africa and Asia, the only difference perceptible
between the individuals brought from the two continents being that the Asiatic species is
rather larger than its African relative. It has long been the favorite of man as a caged bird,
and is one of the species to which such frequent reference is made by the ancient writers, the
other species being the Alexandrine Ringed Parrakeet (Palceornis alexancbri).

rni: ni.\tit:i>

Iff

The individual from whi.-i, the illustration IB taken, IB a very great favorite in the houa»
he belong*. i--iu_- u.ked upon n,.,t,. in the iijit of a human being *^«n a bint Her
birthday is *,TMpu!o,,sU K. ,,i, an,i on that auspicious morning she IB always presented with a

-I"1-' ' -':-' ••••'• •'•'-••'. llil> •:•' • ••>..,.-. 1 j ,,...., |, u, , : •,.• •., I,, - .. .;< .,i

ini. -mi K she is a most affectionate little creature, and cannot bear that any of her espedal
fri.-n.ls s|1(,uld leave the room without bidding farewell; and I once saw her let up such a
screech because h.-r mistress happened to go away without speaking to her, that she had to be
taken out of her cage and comforted before she would settle qui.

Her owner has kindly pre-
seiit.-d I- me tin : • kjffl i:._,
account of the bird : —

" You ask me to tell you
something about my little
1'olly. Perhups the simplest
plan will be to give a sketch
of her history, premising that
although I believe my littl-
pet to be a male, still, as I
love her so tenderly, I alwa\s
use the feminine pronoun in
speaking of and to her.

"Polly's birth-place was
Trincomalee, and she was
brought over to America by
one of my wife's sons, an
officer in the navy, being ac-
companied hither by a vast
retinue of Parrakeets, almost
all of which fell victims to the
rough, cold weather which
they had to encounter, to-
gether with the change of
climate. The poor birds liter-
ally laid them down and died,
the deck being strewn with
their elegant forms. Polly, I
am thankful to say, was
blessed with an excellent con-

stitution, and her nurse, a kind-hearted, weather-beaten sailor, lov.-d h.-i, and she lay in
his bosom and was so kept wann and comfortable through the cold.

"On Polly's arrival at Portsmouth, her nurse, being obliged to attend to other matters,
left her to her own resources in an old cage in which she usually slept, when her horizon was
suddenly darkened by a cloud of bum-boat women from the shore, one of whom, seeing her
defenceless situation, seized upon her, like Glumdalrlitch u]M>n Gulliver, and conveyed the
delirate little creature to her coarse bosom. Fortunately for Polly, she uttered a little sound,
which was heard by her nurse, who, seizing the woman by the shoulders, rescued Polly from
the vile embrace.

"After this contretemp*, Polly was put into A rickety old cage, with two buns for her
nourishment, and sent all by herself in th«- train to Washington. On her arrival there
she was forwarded to a person who had formerly been confidential servant to my wife. One
morning, this good person, hearing a great chattering down-stairs, looked in at her back-
parlor door, and th-p-. to her infinite surprise, she saw Polly anted upon the catfs back.
chartering away at no allowance, while pussy was majestically marching round the room.

BL1OKD

380 EYELID OF THE RINGED PARRAKEET,

" Soon after this we came to Washington, and then saw for the first time our little pet,
which soon began to know and love me. Her favorite place is on my shoulder, where at
lunch-time she delights to sit and digest after having pecked from my plate whatever she
most fancies. If the weather be cold and her feet chilly, she pulls herself up by my whiskers,
placing herself on the top of my head, which being partially bald is warm to her little pattes.
Her favorite resort is generally on my shoulder, and whilst sitting there, her manner of attract-
ing attention is by giving my ear a little peck.

" Whenever I come home, and wherever Polly may be, no sooner do I put my key in the
lock, or sometimes before I have quite reached the door, than Polly gives a peculiar shrill
call, and then it is known for certain that I am in the house. Even when I go to bed, though
it maybe at one or two in the morning, on my entering the room, however gently, Polly knows
I am there, and although apparently asleep and with two thick shawls wrapped round her cage,
excluding all light, she immediately utters one little note of welcome.

" She has a peculiar way of contracting her eye when preparing to do or actually doing
anything mischievous : when so contracted, the pupil of the eye appears as it were a mere
speck of jet. I believe that her fondness for and her sympathetic attachment to me were some-
thing more than mere instinct, for if I think strangely of her at any time, even in the middle of
the night, she is sure to answer me with her own little note, her eyes remaining shut and her
head tucked in her shoulder as though she were fast asleep."

I have noticed the peculiar movement of the eye referred to in this narrative, and must
add that the entire eyelid partakes of this curious contraction, the bird possessing the power
of circularly contracting the lid, at first quite smoothly, but afterwards with a multitude
of tiny radiating wrinkles or puckers, until at last the aperture is reduced to the size of
a small pin-hole. It looks, to use a familiar illustration, as if the eyelid were made of India-
rubber, and could be contracted or relaxed at will.

Perhaps this power of reducing the aperture of vision may be given to the bird for the pur-
pose of enabling it to see the better, and may have some connection with the united micro-
scopic and telescopic vision which all birds possess in a greater less or degree.

This species of Parrakeet is not very good at talking, though it can learn to repeat a few
words and is very apt at communicating its own ideas by a language of gesture and informa-
tion especially its own. It is, however, very docile, and will soon learn any lesson that may
be imposed, even that most difficult task to a Parrot — remaining silent while any one is
speaking. One of my pupils had one of these birds, of which he was exceedingly fond ; and
finding that, although his body was in the school-room below, his mind was with his Polly
in the room above, I allowed her to stay in the room on condition that the lesson should
be properly learned. At first, however, Polly used to screech so continually that all lessons
were stopped for the time, and I was fearful that Polly must be banished. However, I soon
overcame the difficulty, for every time that Polly screamed I used to put her into a dark
cupboard and not release her for some time. She soon found out my meaning, and it was very
amusing to see her push out her head ready for a scream, and then check herself suddenly.

She was a very nice Polly, and became a great favorite. Her great treat was a half walnut,
which she held tightly in one claw while she delicately prized out the kernel with her hooked
bill and horny tongue. The end of the poor bird was very tragic ; she got out of window,
flew to a tree, and was there shot by a stupid farmer. The history of this bird is given more
at length in "My Feathered Friends."

The general color of this species is grass-green, variegated in the adult male as follows :
The feathers of the forehead are light green, which take a bluish tinge as they approach the
crown and nape of the neck, where they are of a lovely purple blue. Just below the purple
runs a narrow band of rose color, and immediately below the rosy line is a streak of black,
which is narrow towards the back of the neck, but soon becomes broader and envelops the
cheek and chin. It does not go quite round the neck, as there is an interval of nearly half an
inch on the back of the neck. The quill-feathers of both wings and tail are darkish green ;
the wings are black beneath, and the tail yellowish. The two central feathers of the tail are

rut: \\.\ni. GRASS PA inn A KKT.

•.

y.* nun -li l-r.^-r than th- ..therm, sometimes projecting nmrh r..m mrhm. The female k
A holly gram, and may t hereby be distinguiMlM-d fr..m h.-r mate, t < :.ible develop-

in-lit "f tl' • .-entral feathers of the tail. th- length .,f thi* hinl m accurately given, but

Mi:iy be aet down from sixteen to eighteen Inches. The upper mandible is coral-red, and th-
|.ns,-i- is Nurkish ; the feet are flesh -colored.

ONK of the very prettiest and moeit interestim: <>f tin- Parrot tribe in the GRAM, or ZKBRA
PARKAKKET; deriving its names from ita habits and th- marking* ..f it-. plumage.

It is a native of Australia, nnd may I*- fmm.i in almost all the c. t rUonsof thai

bind, whence it has been imported in such great iiimilwn aa an inhabitant ..f <mr aviaries,
This graceful little creature derives ita name of Grass Parrakeet from it.* fondnewi for the
grass lands, where it may be seen in great number*, runnim; amid th«« thirk gnu* blades,
••I i Hiring to their stems, or feeding on
th-ir seeds. It is always an inland
bird, being very seldom seen between
the mountain ranges and the coasts.

Of the habits of thin bird Mr.
Gould writes as follows : " I found
myself surrounded by numbers, breed-
ing in all the hollow spouts of the large
Eucalypti bordering the Mokai ; and on
crossini: the plains between that river
and the Peel, in the direction of the
Tim mountains, I saw them in flocks of
many hundreds, feeding upon the grass
seeds that are there abundant. So
numerous were they, that I determined
to encamp upon the spot, in order to
observe their habits and to procure
specimens. The nature of their food
and the excessive heat of these plains
compel them frequently to seek the
water ; hence my camp, which was
pitched near some small fords, was
constantly surrounded by large num-
bers, arriving in flocks varying from
twenty to a hundred or more.

"The hours at which they were
most numerous were early in the morn-
ing, and some time before dork in the
evening. Before going down to drink,
they alight on the neighboring trees,

nettling together in clusters, sometimes on the dead branches, and at others on the drooping
boughs of the Eucalypti. Their flight is remarkably straight and rapid, and is generally
accompanied by a screeching noise. During the heat of the day, when sitting motionless
among the leaves of the gum-trees, they so closely assimilate in color, particularly on the
breast, that they are with difficulty detected."

The voice of this bird is quite unlike the rough screeching sounds in which Parrots seem
to delight, and is a gentle, soft, warbling kind of song, which seems to be contained within the
body, and is not poured out with that decision which is usually found in birds that can sing,
however small their efforts may be. This song, if it may be so called, belongs only to the
male bird, who seems to have an idea that his voice must be very agreeable to his mate, for in
light warm weather he will warble nearly all day long, and often poshes hi* hrak almost into
the ear of his mate, so as to give her the full benefit of his song. The lady, however, does not

WAKBUXO OBAM FAWUEEBT-

382 THE WARBLING GRASS PARRAKEET.

seem to appreciate his condescension as he wishes, and sometimes pecks him sharply in return
Dr. Bennett observes that the bird has some ventriloquial powers, as he has noticed a Grass
Parrakeet engaged in the amusement of imitating two birds, one warbling and the other chirping.

The food of this Parrakeet consists almost chiefly of seeds, those of the grass plant being
their constant food in their native country. In captivity they take well to canary seed, and it
is somewhat remarkable that they do not pick up food with their feet, but always with their
beaks. It is a great mistake to confine these lively little birds in a small cage, as their wild
habits are peculiarly lively and active, and require much space. The difference between a
Grass Parrakeet when in a little cage and after it has been removed into a large house, where
it has plenty of space to move about, is really wonderful.

This species has frequently bred in captivity, and nest-making is of very common occur-
rence, though it often happens that the female deserts her eggs before they are hatched. A
correspondent of a sport newspaper writes as follows: "Having been very successful in
breeding most of the common birds in cages, I was induced to try the Australian Parrakeet,
commonly known as the Grass Warbling Parrakeet, and I now have the pleasure of making
known to you what I consider my most extraordinary success. Between the 24th of December
last and the present month, I have reared eleven from one pair, and having watched their
habits very carefully, I venture to make a few remarks upon them.

"They do not build a nest as most birds do, but must have a piece of wood with a rough
hole in the middle, and this they will finish to their liking. Let it be kept private, and let
them pass through a hole to the nesting-place. When the hen has laid, take the egg out,
putting a false one in its place till four have been laid. This should be attended to, as she
only lays on alternate days, and the young would be so far apart in hatching. By so doing 1
have ascertained the exact time of incubation, and have found it to be seventeen days. I
mention this, as persons might otherwise be led astray. These birds feed their young in the
same manner as pigeons; the young never gape, but the old ones take the beak in their
mouths, and by a peculiar process disgorge the food, which the young take at the same
moment. They begin to breed in December, that being their summer. The young are so
tame that they will fly after me anywhere."

In another instance, mentioned in the same journal, the birds laid their eggs upon some
sawdust and there hatched two young, the number of eggs having been three. This Parrakeet
will breed more than once in the season. The young birds get on very fast after hatching,
provided that the room be kept warm and the parent well supplied with food. At thirty days
of age the young Parrakeet has been observed to feed itself from the seed-drawer of its cage.
Groundsel seems to be a favorite diet with them, but it seems that lettuce does not agree with
their constitution. With this exception, the Grass Parrakeet may be fed precisely in the
same manner as the canary.

In its native land it is a migratory bird, assembling after the breeding season in enormous
flocks, as a preparation for their intended journey. The general number of the eggs is three or
four, and they are merely laid in the holes of the gum-tree without requiring a nest.

The general color of this pretty bird is dark mottled green, variegated with other colors.
The forehead is yellow, and the head, the nape of the neck, the upper part of the back, the
scapularies and the wing-coverts are light yellowish-green, each feather being marked with a
crescent-shaped spot of brown near the tip, so as to produce the peculiar mottling so character-
istic of the species. These markings are very small on the head, and increase in size on the
back, and from their shape the bird is sometimes called the Shell or Scallop Parrot. On each
cheek there is a patch of deep blue, below which are three circular spots of the same rich
hue. The wings are brown, having their outer webs deep green, roped with a yellower tint.
The throat is yellow, and the abdomen and whole under surface light grass-green. The two
central tail-feathers are blue, and the remainder green, each with an oblique band of yellow in
the middle.

The young birds have the scallopings all over the head, and the females are colored almost
exactly like their mate, who may be distinguished by the cere of the upper part of the beak
being of a deep purple.

TUB M I/.) .' - / .o /;/.•/ A /AT. :•-.:

A VKKV u-aiitiful specie* of Purrakeet, and closely all i- 1 t.. the preoediag Mid, Is the
Hi. i i -BAM)] I- (titAfS I'M:i:vkKt.T, also a native . ilia,

This pi.-tt\ iittl.- Parmkeet la a pleasing and interesting cnwim. . i,..t at all uncommon In
its fav..tit.- localities.

It is a Mnimi.-r visit-.r to Van l>i<-iiien's Land, where it remain* from September to February
or Mai.-li. Thirkh woodi<d places are its usual haunts, an it feeds almost wholly on
:ni'l grnnsos, ami it is generally M-.-H on tin- ground mil. - it lias been alarmed. It
in Hock-, ami appears to li.n- Imt littl.- f««or of danger, and but MTV confused notions of placing
itsvlf in saf.-i \ ; for aa soon an a flock in alarmetl, they all rise •creaming feebly, and after ll\ \i\x
for a hundred yards or so, again alight. During tin si,.,it tiim- that they are on the wing,
tli.-ir iti_'hi is ri|>i<l ami very irregular. r.-iiiin.lin- ili<- Kiiropean Bportaman of th«- Miipe, and
being not unlike that of the Ground I'arruk.ft ahvady im-MtiuiH-d.

It is a very quick runner, and displays great addrew in threading ita way among the gram
stems. Sometimes when frightened it will fly t-- w>nu* in-i^liltoring tree and there perch for
awhile ; but it soon leaves the uncongenial brunches and returns to the grotim!
at all shy, a can-ful observer can easily approach tin- llorks within a short distance by mm m_-
very slowly and quietly, and can ins|>ect tin-in .[nit.- at his ease through a jK«-k.-t t. -I. -s< ,,}•,-,
that invaluable aid to practical ornithologists. AS it is a Manly binl and bean confinement
well, it is rapidly coming into favor as a cage l-inl. ami will probably earn great popularity, aa
it is very easily tamed and of a very affectionate imtntv.

The eggs of this species are six or seven in number, and are generally l.ii-l in a convenient
hole of a gum-tree, although the bird sometimes prefers tin* hollow trunk of a prostrate tree
for the purpose.

The color of this bird is green with a slight brown wash ; the wings, the tail, and a band
over the forehead are beautiful azure, and around the eyes and on the centre of the abdomen
the color is yellow.

41

MALT

THE pretty bird to which so extravagantly lontr a name has been given is also a native of
Australia, and is found only in New South Wal«- though j.l.-ntiful, very local.

The SCALY-BREASTED LORRIKKBT is a good example of a very large genus ; and as the

384 THE RED AND BLUE MACAW.

habits of all the species are very similar, more than a single example is not necessary. The
name Trichoglossus signifies "hairy tongue," and is given to these birds in consequence of the
structure of that member, which is furnished with bristly hairs like the tongue of the honey-
eaters, and is employed for the same purpose. This species may generally be found in those
bush ranges which are interspersed with lofty gum-trees, from the blossoms of which it
extracts the sweet juices on which it feeds. While employed in feeding, it clings so tightly to
the blossoms, that if shot dead its feet still retain their hold. The amount of honey consumed
by these birds is really surprising, a teaspoonful of honey having been taken from the crop of
a single bird. Whenever the natives kill one of these birds, they always put its head in their
mouths and suck the honey out of its crop. Young birds are always very well supplied with
this sweet food, and are consequently in great favor with the native epicures.

When captured it is readily tamed, and is sufficiently hardy to live in a cage, provided
that it be well supplied with sugar as well as seeds.

It assembles in large flocks of a thousand or more in number ; and when one of the vast
assemblies is seen perched on a tree, the effect is most magnificent. They are so heartily
intent on their food, that they cannot be induced to leave the tree even by the report of a gun
or the rattling of a shot among them, and at the best will only scream and go to another
branch. This species will associate with others very harmoniously, and Mr. Gould has shot
at a single discharge four species of Lorrikeet, all feeding in the most friendly manner upon
the same tree.

The Lorrikeets are very conversational birds, and discourse in loud and excited tones, so
that the noise of a large flock is quite deafening. When the whole flock rises simultaneously,
as is generally the case, and moves to another tree, the effect of all the wings beating the air
together is extraordinary, and is said to resemble a thunder-storm mixed with wind.

The color of this species is as follows : The upper surface is rich grass-green, and the
under surface, together with a few feathers on the back of the neck, is light yellow with green
«dges. The under side of the shoulders and the base of the wings are deep scarlet, and the
rest of the under surface of the wings is jetty black.

THE MACAWS.

THE MACAWS are mostly inhabitants of Southern America, in which country so many
magnificent birds find their home.

They are all very splendid birds, and are remarkable for their great size, their very long
tails, and the splendid hues of their plumage. The beak is also very large and powerful, and
in some species the ring round the eyes and part of the face are devoid of covering. Three
species are well known in our menageries ; but as their habits are all very similar, only one
example has been figured. This is the great ELITE AND YELLOW MACAW, a bird which is
mostly found in Demerara. It is a wood -loving bird, particularly haunting those places where
the ground is wet and swampy, and where grows a certain palm on the fruit of which it chiefly
feeds.

The wings of this species are strong, and the long tail is so firmly set that considerable
powers of flight are manifested. The Macaws often fly at a very high elevation, in large flocks,
and are fond of executing sundry aerial evolutions before they alight. With one or two
exceptions they care little for the ground, and are generally seen on the summit of the highest
trefe.

Waterton writes as follows of the RED AND BLUE MACAW : —

" Superior in size and beauty to any Parrot of South America, the Ara will force you to
take your eyes from the rest of animated nature and gaze at him ; his commanding strength,
the flaming scarlet of his body, the lovely variety of red, yellow, blue, and green in his wings,
the extraordinary length of his scarlet and blue tail, seem all to join and demand from him the
title of emperor of all the parrots. He is scarce in Demerara until you reach the confines of
the Macoushi country ; there he is in vast abundance ; he mostly feeds on trees of the palm
species.

../ I." , • \ I.' : : ..

.

"W to-lithe ,-oiirouritotreBalum.ii|..- fiuii(,n them, they are covered with this magnificent
Parrot II. -i- notshyorwun ; %,,u rosy take your M. .*|.i|. loiaonedarrowa,

and k.ll mor.. tlum you are able to carry lack to yonr hut. They are rery vociferous, and
likrthr.-.HMinomPiMJBB^jtoe up tabodle* toward. WMH :m.i th t wo and two to thalr place*

st. It i* a grand night in ..rnit!,. • . „„. tho,,*uHls of Aras flying orer your head, low
enough to let you have u full view ,,f their (laming mantle. The Indiana find the flesh rery
gootl, and the feathers Nerve for ornament* in their tonid-dnwN-

Th- Hlue and Yellow Maon« ^ .„ n.llv k- , ; though, like the other neeta, It

will sometimes aasemMe in flocks of conHiderable riae. When thus congregated, the Macawa
beoom0 very converHational, and their united cries are most d.-af.-ning, and can be heard at a
great distance, a* any one can understand who lias visited a Parn .t I,, ,mw. In common with

BLUE A20> YELLOW MACAW. Ar» ,

the other Macaws, this species is easily tamed, and possesses some powers of imitation, being
able to learn and repeat several words, or even phrn.«»es. It is not. however, >nfted with the
extraordinary powers of speech \\hi.-h are so wonderfully developed in the true Parrots, and
on account of its deafening «-riv< is not an agreeable inhabitant of a house.

The Macaws lay their eggs in the hollows of decaying trees, and are said to alter the stae
and form of the hole to th.-ir taste by means of their powerful beaks, a feat which they cer-
tainly have the ability to jM-rform. The eggs are never more than two, and there are generally
two broods in the season. Both parents assist in the duties of incubation.

The GREAT <ii:i i N M \« AW. a v.-ry xpN-ndid species, with green body, scarlet and I 'In-
head, blue-tipped wings, and red and blue tail, is not so exclusively an inhabitant »f th- forest
v«. u.-m.

386 THE CAROLINA PARROT.

nor so wary as the preceding species. Taking advantage of the labors of mankind, it makes
raids on the maize and corn fields, and does very great damage in a very short time, for its
appetite is voracious, and its beak powerful. Like most birds of similar character, it never
ventures upon one of these predatory excursions without placing a sentinel on some elevated
post where he can see the whole of the surrounding country, and give the alarm to his com-
rades whenever he fears the approach of danger. So great is the destruction wrought by these
birds, that the agriculturists are forced to protect their property by keeping a watch day and
night over their corn-fields, from the time when the grain begins to ripen to the day when it is
cut and carried.

During the rainy season these Macaws leave the country, and do not return until January
or February.

The plumage of the Blue and Yellow Macaw is rather roughly set on the body, and is
thus colored : The forehead is green, and the whole of the upper surface ; the wings and tail
are bright, rich blue of a verditer cast. The cheeks are white and nearly naked, and below the
eye are three delicate semilunar streaks of black. Below the chin is a broad, black band,
which sweeps round towards the ears, and runs round nearly the whole of the white space.
The throat, head, and abdomen are rich, golden yellow, and the under surfaces of the wings
and tail are also yellow, but of a more ochreous cast. The bill is deep black, the eye yellowish-
white, and the legs and feet blackish-gray.

The entire length of this bird is about forty inches, of which the tail alone occupies nearly
two feet. It is not, however, the largest species of Macaw, as the Red and Blue Macaw equals
it in size.

ANOTHER species of Macaw is found in the more northern portions of America, though
it is popularly called a Parrot, and not a Macaw. This is the well-known CAROLINA
PARROT, of which so much has been written by Wilson, Audubon, and other American orni-
thologists.

This bird is much more hardy than the generality of the Parrot tribe, and has been noticed
by Wilson in the month of February flying along the banks of the Ohio in the midst of a snow
storm, and in full cry. It inhabits, according to Wilson, "the interior of Louisiana, and the
shores of Mississippi and Ohio and their tributary waters, even beyond the Illinois river, to
the neighborhood of Lake Michigan in latitude 42° N., and contrary to the generally received
opinion, is chiefly resident in all these places. Eastward, however, of the great range of the
Alleghany, it is seldom seen farther north than the State of Maryland ; though straggling
parties have been occasionally observed among the valleys of the Juniata, and according to
some, even twenty-five miles to the northwest of Albany, in the State of New York." These
accidental visits are, however, rightly regarded by our author as of little value.

The Carolina Parrot is chiefly found in those parts of the country which abound most in
rich alluvial soils, on which grow the cockle-burs, so dear to the Parrot and so hated by the
farmer. In the destruction of this plant the Carolina Parrot does good service to the sheep-
owner, for the prickly fruit is apt to come off upon the wool of the sheep, and in some places
so abundantly as to cover it with one dense mass of burs, through which the wool is hardly
perceptible. The prickly hooks of the burs also break away from the fruit, and intermingle
themselves so thoroughly with the fleece that it is often rendered worthless, the trouble of
cleansing it costing more than the value of the wool.

Besides the cockle-burs, the beech-nut and the seeds of the cypress and other trees are
favorite food of the Carolina Parrot, which is said to eat apples, but probably only bites
them off their stems for wantonness, as it drops them to the ground and there lets them lie
undisturbed.

An idea was and may be still prevalent in its native country, that the brains and intestines
of the Carolina Parrot were fatal to cats ; and Wilson, after some trouble, succeeded in getting
a cat and her kittens to feed upon this supposed poisonous diet. The three ate everything
excepting the hard bill, and were none the worse for their meal. As, however, the Parrot was in
this case a tame one, and had been fed upon Indian corn, he conjectured that the wild Parrot

l/.'"//\ i I'M; HOT.

which had liv.-don cockle. l.ui-smL'ht U- injurious to the cat, although i|1:,i «|,j,-h had ,-at.-n th,.
Mi|.aram.-l> harml.-ss ,!i,.( mi-ht ,|., no injury. Th,- n,-t ,,f ti,,s I, ml is made in hollow trees.
t »ii.- - >f these Parrots was tamed by Wilson, who ga . 1. .wing animated description

of his favorite und her actions : —

•• Anxious I,, try the effects of education on one of those which I procured at the Big Bone
Lick, ;IM<! which \\:i> l.in sii-htly wound.-*! in the wing, I lix.-«l up a plan* for it in the stem
of my IxKit, and presented it with some cock I e- 1. ur*, which it fni-ly f.-d on. in less than an hour

aft.-r it had been on board. The intermediate ti U-tween eating and sleeping was occupied

in gnawing the sticks that formed its place of confinement, in order to make a practicable
1'ivach. \\hich it repeatedly effected.

"\Vh,>n I abandoned the river and travelled by land, I wrapped it up closely in a silk
handkerchief, tying it tightly around, and carried it in my pocket. When I stopped f'.r
refreshm.-nt I unlxmnd my prisoner and gave it its allowance, which it generally despatched
with great dext. -rity, unhusking the seeds from the bur in a twinkling; in doing which it
always employed its l.-ft foot to hold the bur, as did several others that I kept for N.m.- time.
I began to think that this might be peculiar to the whole tribe, and that they all were, if
I may us*- 1 lit- expression, left-footed ; but by shooting a number afterwards while engaged in
eating mulberries, I found sometimes the left and sometimes the right foot stained with
the fruit, the other always clean ; from which, und the constant practice of those I kept,
it appears that, like the human species in the use of their hands, they do not prefer one or the
other indiscriminately, but are either left or right-footed.

•• But to return to my prisoner. In recommitting it to 'durance vile* we generally had a
quarrel, during which it frequently paid me in kind for the wound I had inflicted and for
depriving it of liberty, by cutting and almost disabling several of my fingers with its sharp and
powerful bill.

"The path between Nashville and Natchez is in some places bad beyond description.
There are dangerous creeks to swim, miles of morass to struggle through, rendered almost as
gloomy as night by a prodigious growth of tiinlx-r, and an underwood of ames, and other ever-
greens, while the descent into these sluggish streams is often ten or fifteen feet perpendicular
into a bed of deep clay. In some of the worst of these places, where I had, as it wen-, to tight
my way through, the Paroquet frequently escaped from my pocket, obliging me to dismount
and pursue it through the worst of the morass before I could regain it. On these occasions I
was several times tempted to abandon it, hut I persisted in bringing it along. When
at night I encamped in the woods, I placed it on the baggage beside nn-. when- it usually sat
with great composure, dozing and gazing at tin- fire till morning. In this manner I carried it
upwards of a thousand miles in my pocket, where it was exposed all day to the jolting of the
horse, but regularly liberated at meal times and in the evening, at which it al .
great satisfaction.

" In passing through the Chickasawand Choctaw nations, th<- Indians, whenever I stopped
to feed, collected around me — men, women, and children— laughing, and seemingly wonderfully
amused with the novelty of my companion. The Chickasaws called it in their language
' Kelinky,' but when they heard me call it Poll, they soon repeated the name ; and whenever
I chanced to stop amongst these people, we soon become familiar with each other through the
medium of Poll.

" On arriving at Mr. Dunbar's, below Natchez, I procured a cage, and placed it under the
piazza, where, by its call, it soon attracted the passing flocks, such is the attachment they have
for each other. Numerous parties frequently alighted on the trees imniediat.-ly above, keep-
ing up a constant conversation with t he j ,t isoner. One of these I wounded slightly in the wing,
and the pleasure Poll expressed on meeting with this new companion was really amusing.

crept close up to it, as it hung on the side of the cage, chattering to it in a low tone
of voice as if sympathizing in its misfortune, scratched alxmt its head and neck with her bill.
and both at night nestled as close as possible to each other, sometimes Poll's head being
thrust among the plumage of the other.

388

THE CAROLINA PARROT.

" On the death of this companion she appeared restless and inconsolable for several days.
On reaching New Orleans I placed a looking-glass beside the place where she usually sat, and
the instant she perceived her image, all her former fondness seemed to return, so that she
could scarcely absent herself from it a moment. It was evident she was completely deceived.
Always when evening drew on, and often during the day, she laid her head close to that of the
image in the glass, and began to doze with great composure and satisfaction.

"In this short space she had learned to know her name, to answer when called on, to
climb up my clothes, sit on my shoulder, and eat from my mouth. I took her with me to
sea, determined to persevere in her education, but, destined to another fate, poor Poll having

CAROLINA PARKOT.— Oonurut carotiiuruii.

one morning about daybreak wrought her way through the cage while I was asleep, instantly
flew overboard and perished in the Gulf of Mexico."

The result of this and other experiments was, that Wilson delivered his verdict in favor of
the Carolina Parrot, saying that it is a docile and sociable bird, soon becomes perfectly familiar,
and is probably capable of imitating the accents of man. Towards its own kind it displays the
strongest affection, and if its companions be in danger, it hovers about the spot in loving sym-
pathy. It is very fond of salt, and will frequent the saline marshes in great numbers, covering
the whole ground and neighboring trees to such an extent, that nothing is visible but their
bright and glossy plumage.

While thus assembled together Wilson shot a great number of the birds, and was much
struck with their affectionate conduct. " Having shot down a number, some of which were
only wounded, the whole flock swept repeatedly round their prostrate companions, and again
settled on a low tree within twenty yards of the spot where I stood. At each successive
<lix liaise, though showers of them fell, yet the affection of the survivors seemed rather to

/'//A' /M/'/ I \ IOMI

'"' •'••«• :ift.T:i f.w cirn.it, mimd the place they again alighted near me, looking down OB

their shu-ht-.-d o.mpanio,,, win, ,,,rl, i,,anif-M M ,„,,!„„„ ,,f Hvnpatiiy and concern as
entirely disarm-d m.-."

II.. MM irr.i.-efui writ-r n^eds to observe, with that accuracy of detail for wl

his vrorka are aovaloable, I . ..ui.i n,,t i..u take notice of the remarkable contrast between

-l.xam in:niii.-r,.f flight. ,,n,| n.-ir b,,,,.. ,-m« ling gait, among the branches. Theyfly
v nraeh hk- th,. wild pi*,,,,, i,, ,.!,«,.. ,,„„,,„., 1>odies, „,, wi,,, ||M|kI|/

l""d and outmgeoua acraamiiu:. M..I unlike that of the rvd headed woo.
flh:1" is's ....... "mes in a din,'. lin,-, hut most usually circuit,,,,,. maUmg a great varfet

-l-ipmt and easy serpentine m-and-r* an if for pleasure.

particularh ate. -h-d t,, t|,,. |:ili;,. •.u,, mores. in the hollows of tin- tmnluand

' ' ' ' ••••••...-..;•..... :... i B ......

aame hole. Here they <-lin- ,-|,,s,. t,. the aides of HIM tnv. huMinK faM In A, :,.,,| ,,l*4»

l.y ill,, hill. Th,-y :,[,,»,„- t,, t... fond of sleep, uu.l ..ft,.ri retire t«. their h'..l.-, .lurin- th» day,
l.n.l.:.l.l> to take a regular .sj,~,ta. They are exin-m.-ly MM-iahl.< with an.l f,.n,| ,,f , .„ I, other]
often srnitrl.inn.-u.lH.th.-r-s h.-a.|s :m.l n.vks. !in,| always at ni>jht n.-.iiiuff asrloseas poaBil>l.<
to each otli.-r. pn-f.-iiim; at that tim,> a i».r]H-n,li.-iilar ]H,Mti,,u. MiiiiKirt.Nl hv th.-ir hill and
elawa."

Th- ^.•M.-ral color of this hinl is K,,-,-n. «:is|l(.,l uitl, hi,,,.. Hll,| ,livernifi«l with <.tl..-r tints
as follows: The forehead an. 1 < h--ks are rwliiish-omnge, the same tint is seen on th«- .sluxi liters
and hwid and wini^. and th- n«-k and hark of the head an- pun- p.ld-n-y-llow. Th- uppar
parts of th- Ixnly .,i,. .,,fi m— n. and th- iind-r jH)rti..n> an- of th- sam- hn-. hut with a
\-llowNh OMt Th- ^rn-at-r winu .r«i\,-rta are y.-llow. tin^-d with Kn^ii. th- primary f-ath-n.
of th- wiiii:ar-.l--p purj.lish hlark. and th- h,nw wedge-sha{M-<l tail has th- r-ntrll fmtben
streaked with hlu- ahmu th-ir c-ntnil lin-. Th- f-mal- isrolor-.! aft-r th- s.-,m- fasi.ion, but
not >o hiii^htly. and th- y.)iin« of l>oth sexes are green on th- n<-«-k in«t-a<l of y-llow. The

I I- •!!_'! h <>f this species is about twenty-one inches.

Th- Carolina Parrot (Conttru* carol in> /M/.VI was once a v-ry ••onnnon sj^^iiw in th- Tinted
BaUBB east ol thf Kork) M • .: • ::i,v i.. i, i,!,. ..;;., , ,,_: t)u< Mississippi \ .,];, x !,, 0M <-i.-.-it
Lakes. They are now quite restricted. Like too many oth-r instances, this hinl has a specific
name of no sujfiiifican.--. Th- hinl is. arconlin^ to Dr. Ck>ues, "scan--ly entitled to a place in
the fauna of South Carolina."

As this Parrot is mnfined to such cin-ums. -rihed areas, none. N-in« found wmth of the
I'nit.vl States, and in view of the already decreased numbers, it would seem almost inevitable
that the species will become at no distant day extinct.

The habits of this bird are singular as compared with others of its race. We are accus-
tomed to seeing all' of this race of birds confined within tropical limits. Here we have a
Parrot living the year through, west of the Alleghanies, in a cold diinat- ; and Barton writes
that a v-ry large flock of them was seen northwest of Albany. N. Y., in the year 1790.
Wilson saw a flock, in the month of February, on the banks of th- Ohio, in a snow-storm, flying
about and uttering their peculiar cry. Wilson states that these birds breed in hollow trees.

THE LORIES.

IN the Lories the bill is weaker than in the preceding species, and of smaller sixe, and the
plumage is very beautiful, scarlet beiui: th- pn-dotmnating tint.

The PAIM-AX Loitr is, as its name denotes, a native of Papua and other parts of New
(iiiin.-.i. and has always attracted great attention on account of its beautiful form and
coloring. In its general shape it is not unlik- the ring Parrakeet, the contour of the body
being very similar and th- tail holdly graduated, with the two central feathers projecting far
id tli- rest. This elongated form of th- tail feathers is so unusual in the Lories, which
mostly have rather short and stumpy tails, that it has induced systematic naturalists to place
the bird in a genus distinct from th- other Lories. Many specimens of this lovely bird have

390

THE PURPLE-CAPPED LORY.

been sent to other countries, but, like the birds of paradise, they are often destitute of legs,
and in some cases even the long tail-feathers have been abstracted, thus entirely altering
the appearance of the bird.

The colors with which this species is decorated are remarkably rich and intense The
general color is deep scarlet, relieved by patches of azure, golden-yellow and grass-green.
The head, neck, the uppej: part of the back, and all the lower parts of the body are brilliant
scarlet, with the exception of two patches of azure-blue across the top of the head, edged
with deep purple. There are also some patches of yellow on the sides of the breast and the
thighs. The lower parts of the back, the upper tail-coverts, and the lower part of the legs are
deep azure, and the wings are green. The two long feathers of the tail are light grass-green
for the greater part of their length, and are tipped with golden-yellow. The remaining
feathers of the tail have their basal halves deep green, and the remainder golden-yellow. The

FUKPLB-CAPPED \M&\.-Dm,A(xlla atricapUla.

total length of the Papuan Lory is about seventeen inches, of which measurement the two long
tail-feathers occupy no less than eleven inches. The bill is orange-red, and the upper mandible
is much longer than the lower, but is not very sharply curved. .

ANOTHER beautiful example of these birds is given in the PUBPLE-CAPPED LORY, a native
of the Moluccas and other islands.

The reader will not fail to observe the great difference in form between this and the pre-
ceding species, caused chiefly by the shortness and shape of the tail. It is often used as a
cage-bird, and as it is readily tamed, is of an affectionate nature, and can be taught to speak
very creditably, is somewhat of a favorite among bird-fanciers. It is a lively and active creat-
ure, ever in motion, and is very fond of attracting the notice of strangers and receiving the
caresses of those whom it likes.

Like the Papuan Lory, the principal tint of the plumage is rich scarlet, which is in even
greater abundance than in that bird. The top of its head is very deep purple, being nearly
black on the forehead, and passing into violet on the hinder part of the head. Upon the

) I'M;KOT.

B91

..|.|-r ,,art ,,f the bra* there i. a collar of yellow, and . ,,1, thb, exception, the whole

a-, ,,,,-k. >,ack. „,,„. .,„, auio,n,,n an. ri(,, Mw)et Tht. wh^BVS

10 v "'", " 'h l*««a «» <>'" "nder wing-cow* The f eather. of tiMtail are rich ,
at .h...r I**, and eud, f,,,.,,, is baaded near Itoeitwnity with Wack '
b* Phe feather, ,,f t he thigh are a«ure. The hill b y,,fnw. « m, a
rat ,,- narrow towards the tip. In .pite of it. .h,,rt tail. .|,U |,in| ,n«.umi abt «
"i.-l.,« m length, «o that it IB very much hu^vr than the praonli..*; -*|«cie».

1 *rroto constitute a group which are «urily reoognbed by their abort «,»ami

UN. . abeence of any crBBt upon the head, an.l tl,,- t.-tl.ededge- ,,f ,|,,. u,,,^ n.Hn.liM,..

belong to thia group, of which we shall find three examples in th, f,,lh,wing

r "~* >-

THK GRAT PARROT has long been celebrated for it* wonderful power* ..f in.itation an.l it.s

•BOelh-ni ni'-m. ii \

It is a native of Western Africa, and is one of the common.*! inlmhitiiniM ..f ,,lir aviaries,
being brought over in great
numbers by sailors, and always
tin. ling a ready sale as soon as
ill.- \.-x-,..! arrives in |.,,rt. 1 ,,
fortunately the nautical vocal Hi-
lary is none of the most refin.-.!.
and the sailors have a malicious
pleasure in teaching the birds t<>
repeat some of the most st;irt
ling of their phrases. The wor»t
uf the matter is, that the Par-
nit's memory is wonderfully t.
nacious, and even after the lapse
•f years, and in spite of the most
moral training, the bird is apt
to break out suddenly with a
string of very reprehensible ob-
servations affecting the eyes,
limbs, and general persons of his
hearers.

There is no doubt that the
Parrot learnn in course of time
to attach some amount of mean-
ing to the words which it repeats,
for the instances of its apposite
answers are too numerous and
convincing not to prove that the
bird knows the general sense of
the phrase, if not the exact force
of each word.

I am unwilling to reproduce narratives which I have already published, and therefore
restrict myself to one or two original anecdotes.

There was a Parrot belonging to a friend of our family, a Portuguese gentleman. This
Parrot was a great favorite in the house, and being accustomed equally to the company of its
owner and the rest of the household, was familiar with Portuguese M well M English words
aii-1 phrases. The bird evidently had the power of appreciating the distinction between the
two language-. f»r if it w, -re addressed, its reply would always be in the language employed.

"I'll.- l-iri I. -arn, -.1 .-, Portuguese song about itself and its manifold perfections, the words
of which I cannot renieml>er. Hut it would not sing HUH song if nskr.l -•• in the

OBATFARBOT.

392 THE GRAY PARROT.

English language. Saluted in Portuguese, it would answer in the same language, but was
never known to confuse the two tongues together. Towards dinner-time it always became
very excited, and used to call to the servant whenever she was late, "Sarah, lay the cloth,
—want my dinner!" which sentence it would repeat with great volubility, and at the top
of its voice.

But as soon as its master's step was heard outside the house, its tone changed, for the
loud voice was disagreeable to its owner, who used to punish it for screaming by nipping
its beak. So Polly would get off the perch, very humbly sit on the bottom of the cage, put its
head to the floor, and instead of shouting for its dinner in the former imperious tone, would
whisper in the lowest of voices, ' ' Want my dinner ! Sarah, make haste, want my dinner ! ' '

In the well-known autobiography of Lord Dundonald, there is an amusing anecdote of
a Parrot which had picked up some nautical phrases, and had learned to use them to good
effect.

Some ladies were paying a visit to the vessel, and were hoisted on deck as usual by means
of a " whip," i. e., a rope passing through a block on the yard-arm, and attached to the chair
on which the lady sits. Two or three had been safely brought on deck, and the chair had just
been hoisted out of the boat with its fair freight, when an unlucky Parrot on board suddenly
shouted out, "Let go!" The sailors who were hauling up the rope instantly obeyed the
supposed order of the boatswain, and away went the poor lady, chair and all, into the sea.

Its power of imitating all kinds of sounds is really astonishing. I have heard the same
Parrot imitate, or rather reproduce, in rapid succession the most dissimilar of sounds, with-
out the least effort and with the most astonishing truthfulness. He could whistle lazily like a
street idler, cry prawns and shrimps as well as any costermonger, creak like an ungreased
"sheave " in the pulley that is set in the blocks through which ropes run for sundry nautical
purposes, or keep up a quiet and gentle monologue about his own accomplishments with a
simplicity of attitude that was most absurd.

Even in the imitation of louder noises he was equally expert, and could sound the danger
whistle or blow off steam with astonishing accuracy. Until I came to understand the bird, I
used to wonder why some invisible person was always turning an imperceptible capstan in my
close vicinity, for the Parrot had also learned to imitate the grinding of the capstan bars and
the metallic clink of the catch as it falls rapidly upon the cogs.

As for the ordinary accomplishments of Parrots, he possessed them in perfection, but in
my mind his most perfect performance was the imitation of a dog having his foot run over by
a cart-wheel. First there came the sudden half -frightened bark, as the beast found itself in
unexpected danger, and then the loud shriek of pain, followed by the series of howls that is
popularly termed "pen and ink." Lastly, the howls grew fainter, as the dog was supposed
to be limping away, and you really seemed to hear him turn the corner and retreat into the
distance. The memory of the bird must have been most tenacious, and its powers of observa-
tion far beyond the common order ; for he could not have been witness to such canine accidents
more than once. ,

The food of this, as well as the green Parrot, consists chiefly of seeds of various kinds,
and in captivity may be varied to some extent. Hemp-seed, grain, canary-seed, and the cones
of fir-trees are very favorite articles of diet wi^h this bird. Of the cones it is especially fond,
nibbling them to pieces when they are young and tender ; but when they are old and ripe,
breaking away the hard scales and scooping out the seeds with its very useful tongue. Haw-
thorne berries are very good for the Parrot, as are several vegetables. These, however, should
be given with great caution, 'as several, such as parsley and chickweed, are very hurtful to
the bird.

There are few things which a Parrot likes better than nuts and the stones of various
fruits. I once succeeded in obtaining the affections of a Parisian Parrot, solely through the
medium of peach-stones, which I always used to save for the bird, and for which he regularly
began to gabble as soon as he saw me coming along the street. When taken freshly from the
peach the stones are very acceptable to the Parrot, who turns them over and over, chuckling
all the while to show his satisfaction, and picking all the soft parts from the deep indentations

K)OD 0/1 /•///. iii;n I -MiHnr. :•:

in tin- MOIIC. As a irreat f.r. . .1 I sometimes i,s.-,| i,, crack t tinstone before giving it t.. liim. and his
iit then ku. .' i,.. ! ids. \\ .lin'ii . u h. n ,|uiti> i I|M- .,]• HI great favor with Parrots; und it

i- \.-r\ . minus to nee bow well tin- l>inl sets to •. -ik at picking out th.ir contents, h»

inn tinnly with ii- !".»,:. and hooking out its kernel wit Ii tlu- ! ill uud tougue. A -|>iu »..lnut

will :,'i\e a Parrot employment f..r more titan an lionr.

NV !v lil.re is generally U-ii.-licial t.. ih.-s,. birds, who often try t.. gratify their natural

MC for this substance by pulling th.-ir perches t<> pieces. The Parr- will find the

h.-ill!i of his ]*•! iui|. P. \.-.| and its happiness pi. I.-.I I,-, giving it, every now and then, »

-in:, II log <>r I'l-.nu h. on which iii.- mows ami lichens are Mill growing. Some ^wrsons are In
t Mal.it of giving th.-ir IV - •<•«•* of meat, li-h. and oili.-r similar articles of <li.-t, l.ut

generally \\ilh e\il .-fleets, 'rii.-.li.-t is too .stimulating, ami k.-eps up a continual irritation in
the system, which induces tin- bird to IH> always ])ecking out its feathers. Many P.m-.i- ha\e
aliii<»t -tij|,|H-,i themselves of their ploOMgi i-y -taut mstlessnesa, and I knew of an

in li\ i'lual that ha<l <-..utii> •-.! to |ilu<-k liiius«-lf roiiijilt-tfly km- in .-vt-ry ]u»rt <if the Ixxlv u liii h
his 'hill could i-.-a.-h, x> that In- i>r»-s.-ntc«l tin- ludii-rou* si^ht of a bate body and a full plum

;,_..; . . • - . . •'. -i •. ••-•:•.- :•• .1. --.. !<M,

li.-atin^a «li.-t, and tli.-ir lut-atl should only \»- st.-«-|M-<l in w.r

Tli«- 1'airot has tin- tn:»- troj.iral lov.- for hot condim.-nts. ami is \.-ry fond of cayenne
jH-p|»-r or th«> capsicum \**l from which it is siip|Mis>- 1 to 1..- mad.-. If th<- lu'rd !»• ailing, a
capsicum will oft.-n s»-t it rijjht upiin. It is nith«-r curious that my cat has a similar tarte,
ha\iiiLT. I pi.-siiiu.-. cauu'ht it from lu-r mast.-r. Sinn- niiiiiilis ago, a careless cook made a
"curry " \\ilh a d.-vs.-rt-s|KX)iiful of cay. ntir |»-ji ]--r i list. -ad of curry |«>wd«-r. to I
d. -trim, lit of tin- throats <.f the int.-ndi-l coiisuim-rM. " I'n-t," a- usual. pii«h(<d ln-r nom- ngninnt
my h.in<i to ask for homi- of my dinm-r. so in jok«- I piv«« lu-r a very red piece of the meat. Tr>
my profound a<toiiishm.-nt, >h<- at.- th«- Imniin^ nmi-s,-! with great zw«t, and became 90 clamor-
ous for moiv that I could hardly .satisfy h.-r fa.st enough.

The Parrot should U- able to change its position, a.s it d«K«s not like to sit i»Tj>««tually on
a round i»-rch, and is much relieved by a little walking • If possible, it .should havn

S..MI • arrangement to enable it to climb ; a matter easily accomplish**! by innan.4 of a little wire
cord and a small modicum of ingenuity. There should always U- MUM*- sj>ot when- tin- Parrot
can find a warm perch; as all these birds are singularly plagued with cold f*«.-t. and often
catch sundry disorders in coiis*-qucm-c. If it is kept in a cage, the Parrot should never be
confined in a brass ],ii-.,n ; for the bird is always climing al>oiit the wires by means of ita
beak, and is likely to receive some hurt from the poisonous v.-rdL'ris that is sure to make ita
appearance sooner or later on bra-ss win-. An occasional l>ath is very l»-nenYinl to the Parrot'»
health ; and if the bird refuses to bathe, tepid water may be thrown over him with Tery
good effect.

When proper precautions are taken, the Parrot is one of our h.irdi.-sf ngfrbMft, and will
live to a great age even in captivity. Some of these birds have U-»-n known to att.iin an age
of sixty or seventy years, and one which was w-en by I>e Vaillant ha 1 attain**! th*- |«itri:i
age of ninety-three. At .sixty its memory began to fail ; and at sixty-in*- the moult became
very irregular, and the tail changed to yellow. At ninety it was a very dern-pid creature,
almost blind and quit- silent. ha\ ing forgotten its former abundant sKn-k of words.

A Gray 1'arrot 1-lon-in- t<> one of my friend* wa-s, during the former i«art of its life,
remarkable only for its large vocabulary of highly discredi table language, which it would
in-ist upon using exactly when it ought to have been silent, but suddenly -hanged its nature
an 1 subsided into a tender and gentle foster-mother.

In the garden <>f its owner there were a number of standard rose-trees, around all of *
was a circular \\ ire f, .-n d w ith convolvuluses and honeysuckle. Within on.- of then

fences a pair of goldfinches had mad.- th.-ir nest, and were constantly fed by the inhabitants of
the house, who all had a gn-.it love for beasts and binK and took a delight in helping the
little creatures under their .-harp-: and. ind.-ed. «erw deeply interested in animated nature
Mierally. Polly soon remarked the constant visits to the rose-tree, and the donations of
crumbs an.l .seeds that were regularly given, and must follow so good an example. So she set

394 THE FESTIVE GREEN PARROT.

off to the spot ; and after looking at the birds for a little while, went to her cage, brought a
beakf ul of her sopped bread, and put it into the nest.

At last the young birds were hatched, much to Polly's delight; but she became so
energetic in her demonstrations of attachment that she pushed herself fairly through the wire
mashes, and terrified the parents so much that they flew away. Polly, seeing them deserted,
took on herself the task of foster-mother, and was so attentive to her little charge that she
refused to go back to her cage, but remained with the little birds by night as well as by day,
feeding them carefully, and forcing them to open their beaks if they refused her attentions.
When they were able to hop about they were very fond of getting on her back, where four of
them would gravely sit, while the fifth, which was the youngest, or at aU events the smallest,
always preferred to perch on Polly's head.

With all these little ones on her back, Polly would very deliberately walk up and down the
lawn, as if to give them exercise ; and would sometimes vary her perf ormance by rising into
the air, thus setting the ten little wings in violent motion, and giving the birds a hard task to
remain on her back. By degrees they became less fearful, and when she rose from the ground,
they would leave her back and fly down. They were but ungrateful little creatures after
all ; for when they were fully fledged they flew away, and never came back again to their
foster-mother.

Poor Polly was for some time in great trouble about the desertion of her foster-children,
but soon consoled herself by taking care of another little brood. These belonged to a pair of
hedge-sparrows, whose home had been broken up by the descent of some large bird, which was
supposed to have been a hawk by the effects produced. Polly found the little birds in dire
distress ; and contrived in some ingenious manner to get them, one by one, on her back, and
to fly with them to her cage. Here she established the little family ; never entering the cage
except for the purpose of attending to her young charge.

The oddest part of the matter was, that one of the parents survived, and Polly was seen to
talk to her in the most absurd manner ; mixing up her acquired vocabulary with that universal
bird-language that seems to be common to all the feathered tribes, and plentifully interlarding
her discourse with sundry profane expressions. At last the instinctive language conquered the
human, and the two birds seemed to understand each other perfectly well. At that time Polly
was supposed to be about eight or nine years old.

There is a rather general belief that only the male Parrot can talk, but this is merely a
popular error. The female Parrot has often been known to be an excellent talker, and at the
same time has proved her sex by the deposition of a solitary egg. As might be supposed, such
•eggs produce no young ; but there are accredited instances where the Gray Parrot has bred in
Europe. In Buffon's well-known work may be seen a notice of a pair of Parrots that bred
regularly for five or six years, and brought up their young successfully. The place chosen
for their incubation was a tub, partially filled with sawdust, and was probably selected because
it bore some resemblance to the hollow trunk of a tree, which is the usual nesting-place of the
Parrots.

The general color of this bird is a very pure ashen-gray, except the tail, which is deep
scarlet.

Two species of Green Parrot are tolerably common, the one being the FESTIVE GREEN
PARROT, and the other the Amazon Green Parrot.

The former bird is a much larger and altogether finer species than the latter, often measur-
ing sixteen inches in length. It is found in various parts of South America, such as Guiana,
Cayenne, and the Brazils, and is very plentiful along the banks of the Amazon. It is a forest-
loving bird, frequenting the depths of the vast wooded tracts which cover that country with
their wonderful luxuriance, and being seldom seen beyond their outskirts. Being of an
affectionate nature and easily tamed, it is in great favor as a cage-bird, and can readily be
taught to pronounce words or even sentences.

The general color of this Parrot is bright green. On the top of the head and behind the
eyes the feathers are rather pale cobalt-blue, and a deeper tint of blue is also seen on the outer

TIIK .\MAX».\ QRKB.\ f I A

,,f tli- primal \ :nid *.-.-.. n. lary feather* of tin- wiuo. tli-ir ii
(BMnish- black I ' *. :;.••..:•!.. I.. ,. K ,i, ! -I,- .i; ]- • •,;:..,•.-•!!..,!. .|. . )• • t mi-, i, i.-l

an.) tli-- -h"M. -|u:ii- tail is green. -\i--j.t tli- outermost feather*, which are edged with blu-
On all th- tail f-at hers, except the central, there b a spot of pale red near the IBM. The bill
is large and flesh-color- . I

I'u K A M AZON ORKKX PARROT la the specie* most commonly
and is even a better conversationalist than th- last iitii.in-.| -|--.-i.-

It is ahandi

• hint.

it is n native of Southern America, un-l .-.)-•. i:ill\ fr-.|n-nt> th- bunks of »hn Amamn. It i-
however, BO retiring in

habits as that bird, and will
often lea\- the woods for th-
sake of preying UJMHI th-oi;;
plantations, among which it

work- L'I'-at ka\ ix l'~ llesl i-

made in the decayed trunks of
trees.

\- , j-neral fai f, it in nol
so apt at learning and repeat-
ing i >h rases aa the Gray Pan . <t .
but I have known more than
one instance where its powers
of speech could hardly be
exceeded, and very seldom
rivalled. One of these birds
which used to live in a little
garden into which my window
looked, was, on our first en-
trance into the house, the cause
of much perplexity to ourselves
and the sen-ants. The nursery-
maid's name was Sarah, ami the
unfortunate girl was continu-
ally running up and down stairs,
fancying herself called by one
of the children in distress. The
voice of the Parrot was just
that of a child, and it would
call Sarah in every imaginable
tone, varying from a mere enunciation of the name, as if in conversation, to angry remon-
strances, jietulant j-e-vMmesa, or sudden terror.

Kv-n after we had been well accustomed to the bird, we were often Htartled by th- sharp
cry of "Sarah! Sa-rah, Sa . . . rah ! " Presently it would cry, "Sarah, lay the dot h ;" and
after a while. "Sarah, why <tonV you lay the cloth I" always contriving to get the name of
that domestic into its sentences.

Th- end of the poor bird was rather tragic. It was the proi-erty of a very irritable master,
from whom th- an-iy cri-- for Sarah wen- probably learned. He was ven fond of his Parrot,
but on- day. in j-lavinir with her, he teased her so far beyond h-r i-ati.-nc.-. th it his

finger ; w DflNOpon, ia a tit of passion, he seized her by the neck and dashed her on the ground
so hard, that she died on the SJM.I.

.in the K-stiv- Parrot it may easily 1- distinguished, not only for im toner rf», il
barelv twelve inches in length, but by the different arrangement of th- coloring. The whol- of
th- ci.-k^. chin, and the angles at the base of the bill an- yellow, th- fon-head is deep 1
purple, and th- feathers of the back of the head and uaj-- of the neck are green, edged

AMATOJC ORKKK PAEWJT

396 THE GOLIATH ARATOO.

black. When the bird is angry, it raises these feathers like a crest. The plumage of the body
both above and below is rich green. The tail-feathers are beautifully marked with green,
yellow, and red, and the primary feathers of the wings are tinged with green of various quali-
ties, azure, deep brownish red and black.

LOVE-BIRDS AND COCKATOOS.

THE Love-birds derive their name from the great fondness which they display for others
of their own species, and the manner in which they always sit close to each other while
perched, each trying to snuggle as closely as possible among the soft feathers of its neighbor.
They are all little birds, and among the smallest of these is the SWINDERN'S LOVE-BIED,
which measures barely six inches in length.

It is a rather scarce bird, but deserves notice on account of its very small dimensions, and
its beautiful plumage. Like others of its kind, it is very fond of society, and unless furnished
with a companion is very apt to droop, refuse nourishment, and die. Its habits in a wild
state are not precisely known, as it is a bird of rare occurrence, and not easily to be watched.

The head of this species is light grass-green ; round the back of the neck runs a black
collar, and the chest, together with a band round the neck, just below the black collar, is
yellow with a greenish cast. The general color of the body is the same grass-green as that of
the head, except the upper tail-coverts, which are deep, rich azure. The short and rounded
tail is beautifully and richly colored, the two central feathers being green, and the others
bright scarlet for the first half of their length, then banded with a warm bar of black, and the
tips green. The bill is black, and of a stronger make than is usually the case with the Love-
hirds. The legs and feet are grayish-black.

THE Cockatoos are very familiar birds, as several species are common inhabitants of our
aviaries, where they create much amusement by their grotesque movements, their exceeding
love of approbation, and their repeated mention of their own name. Wherever two or three
of these birds are found in the same apartment, however silent they may be when left alone,
the presence of a visitor excites them to immediate conversation, and the air resounds with
"Cockatoo!" "Pretty Cocky!" in all directions, diversified with an occasional yell, if the
utterer be not immediately noticed.

They are confined to the Eastern Archipelago and Australia, in which latter country a
considerable number of large and splendid species are found. The nesting-place of the Cocka-
toos is always in the holes of decaying trees, and by means of their very powerful beaks, they
tear away the wood until they have angered the hollow to their liking. Their food consists
almost wholly of fruit and seeds, and they are often very great pests to the agriculturist,
settling in large flocks upon the fields of maize and corn, and devouring the ripened ears or
disinterring the newly sown seeds with hearty good-will. The wrath of the farmer is naturally
aroused by these frequent raids, and the Cockatoos perish annually in great numbers from the
constant persecution to which they are subjected, their nests being destroyed, and themselves
shot and trapped.

To those, however, who own no land, and are anxious about no crops, a flock of Cockatoos
is a most beautiful and welcome sight, as they flit among the heavy-leaved trees of the Aus-
tralian forest, their pinky-white plumage relieved against the dark masses of umbrageous
shade, as they appear and vanish among the branches like the bright visions of a dream.

THE first of the Cockatoos which will be noticed in these pages is the GOLIATH ARATOO, a
striking and very remarkable bird.

The generic name, "microglossum," which is given to this creature, is of Greek origin,
and signifies "little-tongue," that member being very curiously formed. In the generality of
the Parrot tribe the tongue is thick and fleshy, but in the Aratoo it is Jong, tubular, and
extensile. The powerful bill is also of a rather unusual form, the upper mandible being very

/•///: /////./ i /•// AI: A TOO.

large, sharply curved, and having its cuttii . -toothed, while the lower mandible is

corni>arativeh small, and onlj furnished nidi I -m.-!-- tooth

It is a name ,.f \, u tiuin-a and the neighboring islands, and U not a very common bint.
although s|)ecimens may U« found in several museums. The peculiar formation of the tongue
and beak would lead the ob-
sen.-r h>anp|>ose iliat its habits
must be difT.-rvnt fn.m those of
. >n I i nary Cockatoos; but as lit-
tle or nothing is known of its
mode of lift- in a wild state,
the precise use of these organs
is rather problematical.

In size, this bird is one of
the largest of the Parrot tribe,
being equal to and in some
oases exceeding that of the
great macaws, although tip-

absence .if the lolii; lai n !, lers

it a less conspicuous bird. Tip-
general color of this species is
deep black, with a greenish
gloss, caused chiefly by the

_'« amount of whitish powder
which is secreted in c.Ttain
im]>erfect quills, and thence
scattered among the feathers,

ing them a kind of " bloom,"
like, that of the plum orgraji*-.
This substance is found
very largely in most of the Par.
rot tribe,' and I well n-np-mU-r
getting myco.it powdered like
that of a miller from playing
with a great white Cockatoo.
Many other birds, such as the
vultures, possess this curious

powdery substance, whose office is rather doubtful. The powd.-r is produced fn.m the forma-
tive substance of the quill, which, instead of being developed into shaft and web, as in the
case of the perfect quills, dries up and is then thrown off in a dusty form. The im|--rf.-< t
quill-feathers can generally be seen intermixed with the rest of the plumage when tip- Cockatoo
U-nds down its head or plumes itself, and the white substance may I-- seen in the ..j«-n ends
of the ini|M>rfect quills, or lyinir thickly aUmt them. In the case «.f the vultures it is thought
to be given for the puqiose of keeping their skin and plumage undented by the putrid animal
substances on which those HIP lean and useful birds feed, but as it is found in .-.pial plenty on
the Cockatoos, than whom no cleaner feeding or more fastidious birds exist, it is evident that
it must serve some purpose that is common to these two dissimilar species. Very little
structure is found in this dust when placed under the microscope, but with the aid of the
polarizer I have made out several well-marked hexagonal ••••IK

The green-black hue extends over the whole of the plumage, bat around the eye is a huge
naked space of skin, red in color, and covered with wrinkles. The head is ornamented with a
large and curiously formed crest, which is composed of a number of single feathers, each being
long, narrow, and the web rather scanty. The color of the crest is rather grayer than 1 1P-
remainder of the plumage, probably on account of its less massive construction, and its free-
dom from the white powdery dust which has just been described. In general the crest lies

UULUTU AKATOO-JM

398

THE GREAT WHITE COCKATOO.

along the top of the head, and merely exhibits the tips of its feathers projecting over the
neck ; but when the bird is excited by anger or pleasure, it can erect the crest as well as the
common Cockatoo. Some naturalists think that there are two species of Aratoo, the larger
being distinguished by the title of M. Goliath, and the smaller called by the name of M.
aterrimum, but the general opinion leans in favor of a single species and two varieties.

Two species of Cockatoo differ from each other in the color of their crests.

The first of these is the GREAT WHITE COCKATOO, a remarkably ^handsome bird, espe-
cially when excited. In size it is rather a large bird, equalling a common fowl in dimensions,
and assuming a much larger form when it ruffles up its feathers when under the influence of
anger. Many of these birds are admirable talkers, and their voice is peculiarly full and loud.

;• ., '. •>.-•> .-

GREAT WHITE COCKATOO.— Ptictolop/tui tnoluaxntia.

A Great White Cockatoo which I lately saw, was rather celebrated for his powers of con-
versation ; but as he was moulting, his vocabulary was silenced for the time, and he sat in a
very disconsolate manner on his perch, looking as if he had fallen into a puddle and not
had time to arrange his plumage. All the breast and fore parts of the body were quite bare
of feathers, and even the beautiful crest liad a sodden and woe-begone look. By dint,
however, of talking to the bird, and rubbing his lif:id, I induced him to favor us with a few
words, which were given in a voice as full and rounded as that of a strong-voiced man accus-
tomed to talk to deaf people.

Presently we were startled with a deafening laugh, not unlike that of the hyena, but
even louder and more weird-like. On turning round, I saw the Cockatoo suddenly transformed
into a totally different bird, his whole frame literally blazing with excitement, his crest flung

Tin: .XT/./-/// /> COCKATOO.

forward t.. the fullest extent. :m.| r-^-ai^lh -pmtd and closed li fan of an angry

>|,:mi-li lad\, even f.-ather standing <>" ''"'I :«nd hi* eyes sparkling with fii: <> be

\..||.-\.-.| I'.. i ili tin* -onti'l- which ha. I xi start l.-d us. The cauae of thi* excitement was to be
f.niii'l in ill- i"-i-'ii- ..f two children. \\lio had ...in.- t.i liMik at the bird, and who by some

.111- h:i<l .-\cit.-d 1,1- ir. He always objected to children. probabU « it h good reason.

u-m_- natural!} ini'.iM. from the effect of moulting, his temper was aroused by the ,
<>f the ol.j.i-ts of his dislike.

The plumage of this species is white with a very slight roseate tinge, and the crest
in whit*-.

TIIK species of Cockatoo whirh i- nniion it tin- Si inn . . , , iM, ( , ..KATOO. It

may readily U- .li-tin-m-li.-.! fnun the preceding bird by the bright yellow color of its Brest
:ui<l iis more pointed form.

This bird is an inhaliitaiit of dim-rent parts of .\n-tnilia, and is especially common in
l>i.-iii.-n's Lni'l. \\here it ma\ IM- foiiiul in Hocks of a thousand in nutnlM-r. Owing to
the ease witli which it is obtain.-d. it is frequently brought to England, and is In-ld in much
estimation a.s a ]--i

A Cockatoo which I hare lately seen, a young bird, displays admirably many peculiarities
of th*- Cockatoo natun-.

As yet it is not a \>T\ :i.-.-..m|.li-li.-.i linguist, although it can repeat many words with
iini.-h tidt-lity. It o-rtainly has SOUK- notion of th*- meaning attached to certain words, as it
can distinguish ln-tw*-*-n tli*- \ariou* nn-rnU-i-x of the family, and wh*-n th*-y «-nter the n«n» will
frequently ntt«-r th*-ir name. Soni« t will art in the name manner when they leave

the room. It can laugh merrily, but in rather too loud a tone for sensitive earn, and promises
well for further a«-<-oinjili.Hliin»-nt>. Like others of the parrot triU-. it rejoice* greatly in
exercising ito sharp beak, and Ls very fond of biting to pieces every I -it of wood that may
come in its way.

Kmpty cotton-reels are favorite toys, and it watched the gradual diminution of the thread
with iri'-at interest, knowing that it is sure to have the wooden reel after the thread haa been
II-.- 1 \Vli.-n tin- i-*-f| is jilaced on the outside of the cage the bird descends from ita perch,
pushes one of ita feet through the wires and with extended toes feels in every direction for
its toy. Wht-n tlit- jtositioti of the coveted article is found, the bird grasp- it with it* feet,
draws it through the wires, and bites it to pieces. Many times it has U-«-n known t«> split a
reel with a sinirl*- l-ite. Sometimes its owners give it one of those flat wooden discs on whi< h
silk -riblMin has been wound, and iu such cases it always takes care to tuni th- disc edgeways
before attempting to bring it through the wires.

So powerful is its beak that it can break up the shell of a periwinkle, or even a whelk,
and with its curved beak peck out the inhabitant. In a similar manner it will crack nuts to
pieces, and extract the kernel : but seems to do so merely for the pleasure of exercising its

U-ak. as i- general)} allows th.- kernel to fall "M :!:•• i! Bsi MBsVtl it- If vtt bMtt|| '!'••

shell into many little pieces.

When I saw it, the plumage was in very tin- order, and th*> crest with its double fan

of bright yellow f.-atJu-rs had a remarkably fine effect an the bin! ruffled up its plumage,

1 the crest, and began bowing and crying " Pretty Cocky ! " in a very excited state of

mind.

Although its beak is so powerful, it can climb up the hands or face of any one whom it
knows without doing any damage, whereas another Cockatoo of my acquaintance once inflicted

Hiiuittini: but painful dama-e --n my tinp-r. as it lowered itself from my hand to its J--P '
supj>os». that the bird found the substance of the finger \ieldingunder the pressure <
In-ak. and f,-arful lest it should fall, gripped the fingt-r in hoj- of xiving it^-lf. th.-n.bN intli.-t

I rather severe wound, and brni-ini: the siirroun-ling i«rt.- t«. -u<-h an extent that the
whole fm-.T swelled greatly, and for nearly a week could not be used.

T! itoo seems to court notice even more than the parrot, and will .-mpl..\ various.

manoeuvres in order t.. attract attention to its perfections. They are mostly

400 THE PHILIP ISLAND PARROT.

tempered birds, seldom trying to bite unless they have been teased, and even in that case they
generally give fair notice of their belligerent intentions by yelling loudly with anger, and
spreading their yellow crests in defiance of their enemy.

The Cockatoo evidently possesses some sense of humor, particularly of that kind which is
popularly known as practical joking. A lady had once shown some timidity in approaching
a tame Cockatoo, and was evidently afraid of its beak. The bird thought that it was a great
joke to frighten any one so much bigger than itself, and whenever the lady came near its perch
it would set up its feathers, yell, and make believe to attack her, merely for the pleasure of
hearing her scream and seeing her run away.

In its own country the Cockatoo is anything but a favorite, on account of its devastation
among the crops. In treating of this bird, Mr. Gould writes as follows : "As may be readily
imagined, this bird is not upon favorable terms with the agriculturist, upon whose fields of
newly sown grain and ripening maize it commits the greatest devastation. It is consequently
hunted and shot down wherever it is found, a circumstance which tends much to lessen its
numbers. It is still, however, very abundant, moving about in flocks varying from a hundred
to a thousand in number, and evinces a decided preference for the open plains and cleared
lands, rather than for the dense bushes near the coast.

"Except when feeding or reposing on the trees after a repast, the presence of a flock, if not
seen, is sure to be indicated by their horrid, screaming notes, the discordance of which may be
slightly conceived by those who have heard the peculiarly loud, piercing, and grating scream
of the bird in captivity ; always remembering the immense increase of the din occasioned by
the large number of the birds uttering their disagreeable notes at the same moment."

The color of this Cockatoo is white, with the exception of the crest, which is of a bright
sulphur- yellow, and the under surface of the wings and the basal portions of the inner webs of
the tail-feathers, which are of the same color, but much paler in hue. The total length of
this species is about eighteen inches.

THE remarkably handsome bird which is represented on page 401 is a native of Australia.
It is called by several names, such as the TRICOLOR CKESTED COCKATOO, and the PINK COCKA-
TOO, by which latter name it is known to the colonists. The title of LEADBEATER'S COCKATOO
was given to the bird in honor of the well-known naturalist, who possessed the first specimen
brought to Europe.

It is not so noisy as the common species, and may possibly prove a favorite inhabitant of
our aviaries, its soft, blush-white plumage and splendid crest well meriting the attention of bird-
fanciers. The crest is remarkable for its great development, and for the manner in which the
bird can raise it like a fan over its head, or depress it upon the back of its neck at will. In
either case it has a very fine effect, and especially so when it is elevated, and the bird is excited
with anger or pleasure.

The general color of this bird is white, with a slight pinkish flush. Round the base of
the beak runs a very narrow crimson line, and the feathers of the crest are long and pointed,
each feather being crimson at the base, then broadly barred with golden yellow, then with
crimson, and the remainder is white. The neck, breast, flanks, and under tail-coverts are
deeply stained with crimson, and the under surface of the wing is deep crimson-red. The beak
•is pale grayish-white, the eyes brown, and the feet and legs dark gray, each scale being edged
with a lighter tint. In size it is rather superior to the common white Cockatoo.

A VERY singular form of Cockatoo is that which is known as the PHILIP ISLAND, or the
LONG-BILLED PARROT.

This bird is only found on the little island from which it derives its name. It may probably
become extinct at no distant period, as its singularly shaped beak renders it an object of attrac-
tion to those who get their living by supplying the dealers with skins, and various objects of
natural history ; and its disposition is so gentle and docile, that it readily accommodates itself to
captivity. Philip's Island is only five miles in extent ; and it is a very remarkable fact, that
this Long-billed Parrot is never found even in Norfolk Island, though hardly four miles distant.

Tilt, rilll.ll' /.N7..I.W r.lRROT.

Its f:tt,,rit.- roaorte are among rocky groun.l im.-raperwd «itl. mil trv.-*, and it* food coo-
> m,.Ml\ ,.f long and Mi,viii,.nt ^ «eUble subutancw*. The hloMoma of the white HibiaruH
:iir..nl it a |.i.-iitifui M.PJ.IN ,,f f.H^i. ;,„,[ in , .„!, ., to ^^ it to obtoOn th< iweet jaioeBof

the flowers, the tongue is furnished with a long, narrow, horny scoop at the under aide of the
extremity, not very unlike the human nail. Aa earth has often been found upon the long

upper mandiM'-. the bird is lH-li.-v.il t.. --.-k -.in.- |«>rtion of i tn food in the ground, and to dig
up with its pick -axe of a bill the ground nuts and other subterraneous Tegetati* »n This opinion

Tot. Q.-CL

402

THE PHILIP ISLAND PARROT.

is strengthened by the fact that another species of Parrot belonging to the same country is
known to seek its food by digging.

LONG BILLED PARKOT- Netlor products; and BLACK COCKA1

llllllkl-l.

The hard and strong fruits which are so favored by other Parrots, are rejected by this
species, whose long bill does not possess the great power needed for cracking the shells. In
captivity it has been known to feed upon various soft leaves, such as lettuce and cabbage, and
displays a decided predilection for ripe fruits, cream, and butter.

NESTOR-PARROTS.

mi: HI

While on the Around its mode ..f progression is not the nngainh «;pl.|l.- p-m-rull..
e-nployeil by the Pa i rot tribe, but is accomplish, -d |.\ ht.pping SOtnettli

of the rooks, the wines ai.lin.; in each hop. One species ..f this genun has been known to
imitate the human \oi«--- with much ace*. 1'liis is th.- >.Miih.in N the Kiika of

the natives i.V. .>/../• h;ti»>i*'Jin»'\. Th -f the l>m- hilli-d Parrot is harsh, loud, and rety

disagreeable, ai.d i. said to resemble the continual barkim: of a husirse-voiivd, ill '• :

cur. While raiunn:: amon,' th- trees, these birds fill the woods with theirdi** nanl. <pi.i« Uiiu

s. The eggs of this species are white, and, as is generally the rase w ith the
laid in the hollow of a decaying tree.

Tin- birds which I >el<mg to the genus Nestor may at once be known by their extrumlinaflfly
|OQg upj« ; man li • -. . li curve far over thi • • ad remind the observel n| tin OW
>rrown tooth so common in the rat, rabbit, and other rodent animals. This remaikabl.- MMH-
tur.- is \.-ry probably for the purpose of enabling the bird to scoop roots and other vegetable
H out ..f the earth. The length, curve, and shajM- of the npjM-r mandible differ in the
various sjHM-ies. Another peculiarity is that the tips of the tail-feathers nn- partially denuded
of their webs, leaving the sliaft to project ^li^htly U-yoiid the feathenxl jxirtioii. Sim.- | emons
suppose the Long-billed Parrot** to form a link U-tw.i-n the Parr-.ts and the Cockat4K»s.

.N. ither of thes.- birds are remarkable for brilliancy of plumage, the prevailing tints lieing
brown and gray, with a little red and \.JIow here and there. The Philip's Ldaai.l Parrot in
dark brown on the upper sur-
face of the body, but takes a /-^
grayish hue on the head ami
back of the neck. Each feather
of the upper surface is edged
wit ha deeper tinp-, so that the
otherwise uniform gray and
brown is agreeably mot t lei I.
The cheeks, throat, andbreasfc
are yellow, warming into
orange on the face. The inner
.surface of the shoulders is
olive-yellow, and the abdomen
and both tail-coverts are deep
orange-red. The tail is mod-
erately long, and squared at
the extremity. The feathers , ,
are crossed at their base by J
bands of orange-yellow and
brown, and the under surfaces
of the inner webs are brown,
mingled with dusky red. The
feet are dark blackish brown,
and the long bill is uniformly
of a brownish tint. The total •*•
length of the adult bird is
about fifteen inches.

THE HELKET COCKATOO
is a good representative of a
very curious genus of Cocka-
toos resident in Australia.

The plumage of these birds, instead of l*>ing white or roseate as in the two previous
Cockatoos, is always of a dark color, and frequently dyed with the richest hues. About six
species belong to this genus, and they all seem to be wild and fierce birds, capable of using

COCKATOO.

404 MODE OF HUNTING COCKATOOS.

their tremendously powerful beaks with great effect. Their crests are not formed like those of
the common Cockatoo, and the tails are larger and more rounded.

The Helmet Cockatoo is only found in New South Wales, inhabiting the vast brush district
of that land. Its food is mostly of a vegetable nature, consisting chiefly of the seeds of the
Banksia ; but the bird will also eat the large and fat grubs of different insects, mostly of a
coleopterous nature, which it digs out of the trunks of trees with its strong bill.

It is not seen in such large flocks as the white Cockatoo, being generally in pairs,
although little companies of six or eight in number are occasionally met in the bushes!
Being a particularly wild and cautious bird, it is not easily approached by a stranger,
except when feeding, at which time it is so occupied that a cautious sportsman may creep
within gunshot. The native, however, unencumbered with raiment, and caring nothing for
his time, can glide through the bushes noiselessly, and bring down the bird with a well-aimed
stick.

The flight of this handsome bird is rather heavy, the wings flapping laboriously, and the
progress being rather slow. It seldom mounts to any great height, and as a general fact only
flies from the top of one tree to another. The eggs are generally two and sometimes three in
number, and are laid in the hollow " spout" of a green tree, without any particular nest.

The chin of the adult male is deep rich black with a green gloss. A broad vermilion band
crosses the whole of the tail, with the exception of the two central feathers, and the external
webs of the outside feathers. The female is also greenish black, but her plumage is variegated
with numerous spots and bars of pale yellow.

THERE are many other species of Australian Cockatoos, which cannot be mentioned in
these pages. The native mode of hunting Cockatoos is so curious, and displays so well the
character of the birds, that it must be given in the words of the writer, Captain Grey : —

"Perhaps as fine a sight as can be seen in the whole circle of native sports, is the killing
Cockatoos with the kiley, or boomerang. A native perceives a large flight of Cockatoos in a
forest which encircles a lagoon ; the expanse of water affords an open, clear space above it,
unencumbered with trees, but which raise their gigantic forms all around, more vigorous in
their growth from the damp soil in which they flourish. In their leafy summits sit a countless
number of Cockatoos, screaming and flying from tree to tree, as they make their arrangement*
for a night's sound sleep.

" The native throws aside his cloak, so that he may not have even this slight covering to
impede his motions, draws his kiley from his belt, and with a noiseless, elastic step, approaches
the lagoon, creeping from tree to tree, and from bush to bush, and disturbing the birds as
little as possible. Their sentinels, however, take the alarm, the Cockatoos farthest from the
water fly to the trees near its edge, and thus they keep concentrating their force as the native
advances ; they are aware that danger is at hand, but are ignorant of its nature. At length
the pursuer almost reaches the edge of the water, and the scared Cockatoos, with wild cries,
spring into the air ; at the same instant the native raises his right hand high over his shoulder,
and, bounding forward with his utmost speed, to give impetus to his blow, the kiley quits his
hand as if it would strike the water ; but when it has almost touched the unruffled surface of
the lake, it spins upwards with inconceivable velocity, and with the strangest contortions.

"In vain the terrified Cockatoos strive to avoid it; it sweeps wildly and uncertainly
through the air — and so eccentric are its motions, that it requires but a slight stretch of
the imagination to fancy it endowed with life — and with fell swoops in rapid pursuit of
the devoted birds, some of which are almost certain to be brought screaming to the earth.
But the wily savage has not yet done with them. He avails himself of the extraordinary
attachment which these birds have for one another, and fastening a wounded one to a tree,
so that its cries may induce its companions to return, he watches his opportunity, by throwing
his kiley or spear, to add another bird or two to the booty he has already obtained."

rut:

/•.«/;/.

one, a* th-

THE name given to the i-uri-.us t.ird now ,, j, * very

. -real me seems to iwrtake equalh of the natures of the Owl and

l-.vn in its habits it has much ,,f t),,. (>M| nature, U«iiic as sin.-i|\ niM-tiirnal ai» any of
those birds. 1 Mirin;; the davtime it roiiceals it^-lf in |,,,les, under the stumps, ,f trees, and

similar localities, and seldom being seen except after sunset. The nathes ,,f N«w Zealand,
where it is f.,und. s:,\ i),at during the winter months the OWL PARBOTS aawmble together in
great numU-is. ,-olle.-tini: themselves into certain large caverns, and that while arranging for
their \\ inter <[ uarters, and be-
fore dispersing for the sum- /— '
im-r. the\ I >ecome very noisy,
and raise a deafening clamor.

The Owl Parrot is weak
of wing and seldom trusts
itself to the air, taking but a
very short flight whenever it
rises from the ground. Neither
is it seen much in trees, pre-
ferring to inhabit the ground.
and making regular paths to
and from its nest, by means
of which its habitation may
be discovered by one who
knows the habits of the bird.
These tracks are about a foot
in width, and so closely re-
semble the paths worn by the
f,M.tsi,.ps .pf hiim:in l»-in_'s
that they have been mistaken
for such by travellers.

The food of this bird
is mostly obtained on the
ground, and consists of ten-
der twits, leaves, and roots,
which it digs up with its
curved bill, covering that
useful organ with earth and
mud. The eggs of the Owl
Parrot are merely laid upon
some decaying wood in the same hollows wherein the bird sleeps during the day. Their
niimlx-r is two. although three are sometimes found. The breeding season commences in
February. The natives distinguish this bird by the name of Kakapo.

It is a very large bird, nearly equalling the eagle ,.w 1 in dimensions ; and, like that bird.
standing very upright on its legs. The general color of the plumage i* darkish green profusely
mottle 1 with black, and sparingly dashed with yellow. I'nder the ,.\,. In a patch of yellow
green. The beak is long and curved, very like that of an owl, ami it is nearly concealed
by the stiff bristles with which it is surrounded, and many of which cross earh other at the
tips over the bill. The abdomen is green of a yellower hue than the upper parts of the body,
crossed with a few very faint bars of a darker hue. The tail is also green, but marked with
brown.

ACCORDING to some authors, the Are too. already described on a previous page, is closely
connected with the very remarkable bird calli-d /'rttyurf* flatyptilu*.

As in the case of the previous species we find an example of a Parrot following the owl
in its form and many of its habits, we have here an instance of am«

OWL

406 THE HAIRY-BREASTED BAREST.

close resemblance to the diurnal predaceous birds. Indeed, from examining the Parrots
and their habits, it is impossible not to perceive the analogy that exists between themselves
and the birds of prey, many of which are far less formidably armed than the vegetable-
feeding Parrots. Perhaps we may call the Parrots vegetarian raptores.

The rather long generic name of Dasyptilus which has been given to this bird is of Greek
origin, signifying "Hairy-plumage," and is appropriated to the bird on account of the bristle-
like feathers, which cover the head and neck, and the generally bristly character of the
plumage. The beak is long, straight for a considerable portion of its length, and then curved
suddenly downwards at the tip, just after the manner of the eagles. Indeed, if the head were
removed from the body, nine persons out of ten would attribute it to one of the eagles. The
lower mandible is, however, more like that of the Parrots, short, thick, and keeled. Around
the eye there is a large patch of bare skin, and the bristly feathers of the head and neck very
scantily protect those portions. The nostrils are round, and situated in the "cere" at the
base of the beak..

The coloring of this bird is very simple. The general tint of the whole upper surface
is black-green, like that of the Aratoo, excepting the greater wing-coverts, and the upper tail-
coverts, which are of a rich crimson. The abdomen and thighs are also crimson, but with a
perceptible vermilion tint. The upper part of the breast and the neck are black, and a very
slight white edging appears on some of the feathers. The tail is moderately long, rounded,
and very firmly made. The total length of this bird is about twenty inches.

THE WOODPECKERS.

WE now take our leave of the Parrots, and come to a very interesting family of scansorial
birds, known popularly as Woodpeckers, and scientifically as Picidae.

There are many members of this large family, differing exceedingly in size, color, and
form, but yet possessing a kind of family resemblance not easy to be described, but readily
recognizable. For convenience of description modem zoologists have grouped the Wood-
peckers into several sub-families, all of which will be represented in the following pages, and
which are termed the Capitoninse or Barbets, the Picumninse or Piculets, the Picinse or true
Woodpeckers, the Gecinse or Green Woodpeckers, the Melanerpinse or Black Woodpeckers,
and the Colaptinse or Ground Woodpeckers.

OUR example of the first sub-family is the HAIR-BREASTED BARBET.

This is, perhaps, the most curious of all the Barbets, on account of the peculiarity from
which it derives its name. The feathers of the breast are much stiffer than the others, and
more sharply pointed, and the shafts of the lower breast-feathers are devoid of web, and pro-
ject to the distance of nearly an inch from the rest of the plumage, looking as if a number
of long curved bristles had been inserted among the plumage. All the Barbets possess strong
and conical beaks, surrounded with bristles at the base, and their stiff tail-feathers enable
them to support their bodies while they are perched upon the upright trunk of the tree
on which they are seeking their insect food. They are all found in tropical climates, and the
greater number, among which the present species may be included, are natives of Western
Africa. In their habits they are said to be rather slow and sluggish birds, not possessed of the
fiery vivacity which distinguishes the true Woodpeckers, and their food is not so wholly of an
insect nature. The wings and tail are short, and all the species are of small dimensions.

The general color of this bird is brown on the upper parts of the body, spotted with
sulphur-yellow, a round mark of that tint being found on the end of each feather. The head,
chin, and part of the throat are black, and there is one white stripe behind the eye, and

WOODPECKERS.

7V/. ") /'A1/'/

another rnnnirn,' from the angle of the mouth ,|,m,, the neck. The quill- feat hem of the wing»
arede«-|. l.rown edged with sulphur-yellow. Tin- uhole of th.- ,, ,-face la yellow with a

tinp-, ami i- i.r-.fiivh >(H,tt,-,i with bhu-k. The total 1- : : this speciw rather

^ •,, \, a m ;.. ,

THE Pieulets seem to bear the some proj«/rtimi t< tli. \\ '.KK I) Makers aa the merlin to th*
eagle, being about the size of Mpurrowu an. I m-.i.- ^1. ml, rly framed. Their hills an ahorter in
j.r..j,i,iiiMii thun those of the true Wood) .m.lan- rath.-i .I,-,-|HT ili;,n «i,|e at the baae.

Tli.-ir wings are short and rounded, niul th.-ir iail> an- :.!-. -)i,ltt

The PIGMY Picrusr is a very |.n-tiy ,-xanii.l.- ..f this littl,. Mil.-family. It b a native of
Southern America, and is generally fmiinl in tin- \asi (un-m* of that fi-rril.- hind. It is a lively
little creature, running quickly up the trunks of trees after the manner of the

aw

^ :

P101IT IMCl I KT /

creeper, but seldom appearing to use its tail in aid of its progress, or to nek its food on the
tree-trunks in the usual Woodpecker fashion. In general it is seen among the branches,
where it sits across the boughs when at rest, and hops quickly from one branch to another
while searching after its food.

It is not a gregarious bird, being generally found either singly or in pain. The neat of
this species is made in hollow trees, and its eggs are only two in number.

This species is a remarkably jin-tty one. Hepant in shape and delicately colored. The
general color of the back and U|>|MT portions of the body is a very soft hair-brown, and the
wings are also brown, but of a deeper hue. Ov.-r tl»* back are scattered a few oval «i«>t,s of a
much lighter brown, each having a nearly black spot towards one end, and contrasting in a
very pleasing manner with th<* >l<-licate brown of the back. The tail is of the sam«< dark
brown as the wings, with the <-\ci-|>ti<>n <>f the two central feathers, which are of a light fawn.
The most striking portion of this bird N tin- top of tin- h«-a<l. which is decorated with a bright
scarlet crest-like crown, covered with velvety-black <lots. Thf MM <>f the head and the back
of the n.-ck are jetty black, interspersed with white dot*. The under surface of the bo-i\ if
pale brown variegated with the same curious spots aa those of the back. In sue thLi bird
hardly exceeds a wren.

408 THE GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER.

WE now arrive at the true Woodpeckers, several species of which bird are familiar from
their frequent occurrence in this country.

As is well known, the name of Woodpecker is given to these birds from their habit of
pecking among the decaying wood of trees in order to feed upon the insects that are found
within. They also chip away the wood for the purpose of making the holes or tunnels
wherein their eggs are deposited. In order to enable them to perform these duties, the
structure of the Woodpecker is very curiously modified. The feet are made extremely
powerful, and the ciaws are strong and sharply hooked, so that the bird can retain a firm
hold of the tree to which it is clinging while it works away at the bark or wood with its bill.
The tail, too, is furnished with very stiff and pointed feathers, which are pressed against the
bark, and form a kind of support on which the bird can rest a large proportion of its weight.
The breast-bone is not so prominent as in the generality of flying birds, in order to enable the
Woodpecker to press its breast closely to the tree, and the beak is long, strong and sharp.

These modifications aid the bird in cutting away the wood, but there is yet a provision
needful to render the Woodpecker capable of seizing the little insects on which it feeds, and

which lurk in small holes and
crannies into which the beak
of the Woodpecker could not
penetrate. This structure is
shown by the accompanying
sketch of a Woodpecker's
head dissected. The tongue-
bones or "hyoid" bones are
greatly lengthened, and pass

HEAD OP WOODPECKER. over the top of the head,

being fastened in the skull

just above the right nostril. These long tendinous-looking bones are accompanied by a
narrow strip of muscle by which they are moved.

The tongue is furnished at the tip with a long horny appendage covered with barbs and
sharply pointed at the extremity, so that the bird is enabled to project this instrument to a
considerable distance from the bill, transfix an insect, and draw it into the mouth. Those
insects that are too small to be thus treated are captured by means of a glutinous liquid
poured upon the tongue from certain glands within the mouth, and wnich cause the little
insects to adhere to the weapon suddenly projected among them. This whole arrangement is
clearly analagous to the tongue of the ant-eater, described in the volume on Mammalia. Some
authors deny the transfixion.

THE GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER is also known by the names of Frenchpie and
Woodpie.

like the other Woodpeckers, it must be sought in the forests and woods rather than in
orchards and gardens. Like other shy birds, however, it soon finds out where it may take
up its abode unmolested, and will occasionally make its nest in some cultivated ground, where
it has the instinctive assurance of safety, rather than entrust itself to the uncertain security
of the forest.

In the woods frequented by these birds, which are often more plentiful than is generally
known, the careful observer may watch their movements without difficulty, by taking a few
preliminary precautions.

The rapid series of strokes on the bark, something like the sound of a watchman's rattle,
will indicate the direction in which the bird is working ; and when the intruding o-bserver has
drawn near the tree on which he suspects the Woodpecker to have settled, he should quietly
sit or lie down, without moving. At first the bird will not be visible, for the Woodpeckers,
like the squirrels, have a natural tact for keeping the tree-trunk or branch between themselves
and the supposed enemy, and will not show themselves until they think that the danger has
passed away.

Tin -irr.it »<>ni>i-KCfgR.

>.>ti

th-

is4,ii

Piwmly tli.- W.M-i ,i:.y be seen coming very cautiously round th* tree,

MM.) ih. -I-.-, i it.s«.lf that tli.- coast is clear, and UtttD, after a fi-« |,r.-liii.iimry tapa,

will s.-t xi-un.iisly to work. So mpidh ,1,, the blown follow . -... h ..d,. ,. that th.- li.-ad'
bird wftiis to IH- \ limiting <>n a ^.iti'-. ati<l tin- sound ••an .nily U . ,| |,\ ||,,. ,-,,in

aliva.U nuwl«>, nanu»ly, a watrlmuin'M i-ntl.- rhij.H :m,| |,:ltk tl\ in .-MTV .linvtion. IIIK!
th.- tree be an ..1.1 ,,n»», whole ht-aps of bark will be discovered at the foot. 1U ..f u

-.mall t.-l.->4-.,j».. th,- t.muu.- can be seen tlni-fetl out occaaionullv. l.ut th.- i.i.-\,-in.-nt la m
quirk, that unless the attention of the obnnrver be eapwuJly .lirvrted towanls it, )„. will fail
t<> noli.-.- it.

The Woodpecker haa several modes of tapping the trees, which can be readily distin-
guished by a practised ear. Kirxl tli.-rv i .-liminary tap ami tin- ni|.i.l «hirring strokes

already described, when the bird i» engaged in seeking its food. Then there is a nmoas
kind of sound made 1>\ ]>u>-liing its beak into a < ra.-k, and rattling it in such a manner against
the wood, that the insects think th.-ir house is falling, and run out to escape th«- irni--n<linK
danger, just as worms come to the surface wlii-n tin- irmund is agitated by a spade or fork.
Li-il\. then- is a kind of drumming Hound mad.- l«y strikinj: the bill against some hollow
tree, and used together with th«- j»«H-uliar <-rv f«r tin- imriH.s.- ,,f .-ailing its mate.

Although tli.- Woodpeckers were fonm-rly murh pcrsecut.-d. und»-r th«» id«* th:it they
kill.-<l the trees by j»>rkini: h..l.>s in tin-in, th.-y an- most useful IJrds, rutting aw:,
ing wood, as a surgeon n-mov*-* a gangrened spot, and eating the hosts of insects whirh
encamp in dead or dying wood, and would soon Liiiu th,- wliole tree to the ground. Th. > do
not ...ntine themselves to trees, but seek th,-ir food wherever they can find it, searching old

Vol. 0.-S1

410 THE DOWNY WOODPECKER.

posts and rails, and especially delighting in those trees that are much infested with the green
fly, or aphis, as the wood-ants swarm in such trees for the purpose of obtaining the ' ' honey-
dew," as it distils from the aphides, and then the Woodpeckers eat the ants. Those destruc-
tive creatures generally called wood-lice, and known to boys as "monkey-peas," are a favorite
article of diet with the Woodpeckers, to whom our best thanks are therefore due.

But the Woodpeckers, although living mostly on insects, do not confine themselves wholly
to that diet, bat are very fond of fruits, always choosing the ripest. In some countries
the forest-land forms so small a portion of the area, that the Woodpeckers are comparatively
few, and can do little appreciable mischief to the gardens ; but in other lands, such as many
parts of America, they do very great damage, stripping the trees of their fruit, and the fields
of their crops, to such an extent that they are annually shot by hundreds.

As is the case with all its congeners, the Great Spotted Woodpecker lays its eggs in the
hollow of a tree.

The locality chosen for this purpose is carefully selected, and is a tunnel excavated, or at
all events altered, by the bird for the special purpose of nidirication. Before commencing the
operation, the Woodpeckers always find out whether the tree is sound or rotten, and they can
ascertain the latter fact, even through several layers of sound wood. When they have fixed
upon a site for their domicile, they set determinately to work, and speedily cut out a circular
tunnel just large enough to admit their bodies, but no larger. Sometimes this tunnel is tolera-
bly straight, bat it generally turns off in another direction.

At the bottom of the hole the female bird collects the little chips of decayed wood that
have been cut off during the boring process, and deposits her eggs upon them without any
attempt at nest-making. The eggs are generally five in number, but six have been taken from
the nest of this species. The young are able to run about the tree some time before they can
fly, and traverse the bark quite fearlessly, retiring to the hole and calling their parents when-
ever they want food.

Generally the nests of birds are kept scrupulously clean ; but that of the Woodpecker is
a sad exception to the rule, the amount of filth and potency of stench being quite beyond
human endurance. The color of the eggs is white, and their surface glossy, and they are
remarkable, when fresh, for some very faint and very narrow lines, which run longitudinally
down the shell towards the small end.

The general color of this species is black and white, curiously disposed, with the exception
of the back of the head, which is light scarlet, and contrasts strongly with the sober hues of
the body. Taking the black to be the ground color, the white is thus arranged : The fore-
head and ear-coverts, a patch on each side of the neck, the scapularies, and part of the wing-
coverts, several little squared spots on the wings, and large patches on the tail are pure white.
The throat and the whole of the under surface are also white, but with a grayish cast, and
the under tail-coverts are red. The total length of the adult male is rather more than nine
inches. The female has no red on the head, and the young birds of the first year are remark-
able for having the back of the head black and the top of the head red, often mixed with a
few little black feathers.

THE DOWNY WOODPECKER derives its name from the strip of loose downy feathers which
passes along its back. It is a native of America, and very plentiful in various parts of that
country. Its habits are so well described by Wilson, that his own words will be the best com-
ment on this pretty little bird:—

" About the middle of May the male and female look out for a suitable place for the recep-
tion of their eggs and young. An apple, pear, or cherry tree, often in the near neighborhood
of the farm-house, is generally pitched upon for this purpose. The tree is minutely recon-
noitered for several days previous to the operation, and the work is first begun by the male,
who cuts out a hole in the solid wood as circular as if described with a pair of compasses. He
is occasionally relieved by the female, both parties working with the most indefatigable dili-
gence. The direction of the hole, if made in the body of the tree, is generally downwards by an
angle of thirty or forty degrees for the distance of six or eight inches, and then straight down

THE IVOi; YIUl.l. KD WOODPBOffR. Ill

for ten or twehe more; within n>onn >-. and a* smooth an if polished by the cabinet

maker; but tin- entrance i-. judiciously l.-ft just so large M to admit the bodies of the owners.
•• Unnng this lalK>r thc\ r.-nlarly carry out the chips. «.ft,-n sin-w ing them at a distance
t<> piv\ent MI-! i, -i. .11. Tin- ni-eration sometimes occupies the chief part of a week. Before
she logins to la\ ill- f.-m:ii,- oft.-n \ i-n> the place, passes in and oat, examines every part of

the exterior and iatarfqi '."..•• ' ittentiOB •-••.•:>;•: i !• -r :.-•, >•.• ••' i '.,•• A II.MI- ...... i • ;..

do, and at length takes complete possession. Tho eggs are generally -i\. pure « I . laid

in the smooth bottom of th<> cavity. The mule occasionally supplies the female with food
while -.!„• is sitting, ami aUnit the but week in June the young are perceived making their
way up the tree, climliini; with considerable dexterity."

Tho same writer then proceeds to remark that tin- pnx-ess of nest-making is not always
]xTiiiitted to go on without hindrance, for the impertinent little house-wren, who likes to Imil.l
her nest in hollows, but who is not strong or large enough to scoop u habitation for herwlf,
will often allow the Woodpeckers to make, a nice deep hoi.-, just tit for a wren's nest, and then
drives ili. -in otT ami tak.-s possession of the deserted domicile. One pair of Woodworkers met
with very liurd treatment, U-im: twice turne<l out of their lions*- in one season, and the second
time they were even forced to abandon one egg that had IH-.-M lai<l.

The holes mode by this Woodpecker in trees are very numerous, and have often led more
observant orchard -owners to think the bird an enemy to th.-ir trees, and to kill it accordingly.
Wilson has, however, completely exonerated the bird from tin- charge, and proved it to be a
useful ally to man instead of a noxious foe. "Of all our Woodpeckers, none rid the appl.-
trees of so many vermin as this ; digging off the mum which the negligence of tin- proprietor
had suffered to accumulate, and probing every crevice. In fact, the orchard is his favorite
resort in all seasons ; and his industry is unequalled and almost incessant, which is more than
can be said of any other species we have.

" In fall he is particularly fond of boring the apple-trees for insects, digging a circular hole
through the bark, just sufficient to admit his bill; after that a second, third, et<-., in pn-tty
regular horizontal circles round the body of the tree. These parallel circles of holes are often
not more than an inch or an inch and a half apart, and sometimes so close together, that I
have covered eight or ten of them at once with a dollar. From nearly the surfac»> of the
ground up to the first fork, and sometimes far beyond it, the whole bark of many apple-trees
is perforated in this manner, so as to appear as if made by successive discharges of buckshot ;
and our little Woodpecker, the subject of the present account, is the principal perpetrator of
this supposed mischief. I say supposed, for, so far from these perforations of the bark being
ruinous, they are not only harmless, but, I have good reason to believe, really Iteneficiol to the
health and fertility of the tree.

" In more than fifty orchards which I have myself carefully examined, those trees which
were marked by the Woodpecker (for some trees they never touch, perhaps because not pene-
trated by insects) were uniformly the most thriving, and seemingly the most productive.
Many of them were upwards of sixty years old, their trunks completely covered with holes,
while the branches were broad, luxuriant, and loaded with fruit. Of decayed trees, more
than three-fourths were untouched by the Woodpecker."

Although a little bird— less than seven inches in length— it is a truly handsome one. The
crown of the head is velvety black, its back deep scarlet, and there is a white streak over the
eye. The back is black, but is divided by a lateral stripe of puffy or downy w hit- f.-athew.
The wings are block, spotted with white, and the tail is also variegat.-d with the same tint*.
From the base of the beak a block streak runs down the neck. The sides of the 71.-. k. th.>
throat, and the whole of the under parts of the body are white. The nostrils an- thi.-klv
covered with small, bristly feathers, probably to protect them from the .hijwof wood HI
off by the beak. The female is known by the grayish-wink- of the abdomen, and the absence
of red upon its head.

ALTHOUGH not the largest of the Woodpecker triU-. tin- I\ «v.\ -mi i.v.n Woooraozn, at
North America, is perhaps the handsomest and most striking in appearance.

412 THE IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER.

This splendid bird is armed with a tremendous beak, long, powerful, sharp, and white as
ivory, which can be used equally as an instrument for obtaining its food, or as a weapon for
repelling the attacks of its enemies, and, in the latter point of view, is a truly formidable arm,
as terrible to its enemies as the bayonet, to which it bears no little resemblance in general
shape.

Few birds are more useful than the Ivory -billed Woodpecker, which wages continual war
upon the myriad insects which undermine the bark of forest-trees, and saves the forest giants
from falling a prey to their diminutive adversaries. In one season several thousand acres of
huge pine-trees, from two to three feet in diameter, and many of them measuring one hundred
and fifty feet in height, were destroyed by the larvae of a little insect not bigger than a grain
of rice. Besides this creature, there are large grubs and caterpillars that bore their way into
the interior of trees, and are the pioneers of the destruction that afterwards follows.

When the Ivory-billed Woodpecker has been hard at work upon a tree, he leaves ample
traces of his progress in the heaps of bark and wood chips which surround the tree, and which
look, according to Wilson, as if a dozen axe-men had been working at the trunk. Strips of
bark seven or eight inches in length are often struck off by a single blow, and the body of the
tree is covered with great excavations that seem more like the work of steel tools than of a
bird's beak. Yet these apparent damages are really useful to the tree, as the sound wood is
allowed to remain in its place, performing its proper functions, while the decaying substances
are scooped out in order that the bird may get at the grubs and beetles that make their home
therein.

As in the case of all Woodpeckers, the beak is also employed in excavating the holes
in which the eggs are laid. The following account of the nesting of this bird is given by
Audubon :—

" The Ivory -billed Woodpecker nestles earlier in spring than any other species of its tribe,
I have observed it boring a hole for that purpose in the beginning of March. The hole is,
I believe, always made in the trunk of a live tree, generally of an ash or a hagberry, and is at
a great height.

" The birds pay great regard to the particular situation of the tree, and the inclination of
its trunk, first because they prefer retirement, and again, because they are anxious to secure
the aperture against the access of water during beating rains. To prevent such a calamity, the
hole is generally dug immediately under the juncture of a large branch with the trunk. It is
first bored horizontally for a few inches, then directly downwards, and not in a spiral manner,
as some people have imagined. According to circumstances, this cavity is more or less deep,
being sometimes not more than ten inches, whilst at other times it reaches nearly three feet
downwards into the core of the tree. I have been led to think these differences result from the
more or less necessity under which the female may be of depositing her eggs, and again have
thought that the older the Woodpecker is, the deeper does it make its hole. The average
diameter of the different nests which I have examined was about seven inches within, although
the entrance, which is perfectly round, is only just large enough to admit the bird.

"Both birds work most assiduously at this excavation, one waiting outside to encourage
the other whilst it is engaged in digging, and when the latter is fatigued, taking its place.
I have approached trees whilst these Woodpeckers were thus busily employed in forming
their nest, and by resting my head against the bark could easily distinguish every blow given
by the bird. I observed that in two instances, when the Wooodpeckers saw me thus at the
foot of the tree in which they were digging their nest, they abandoned it forever. For
the first brood there are generally six eggs. They are deposited in a few chips at the bottom
of the whole, and are of a pure white color. The young are seen creeping out of the hole
about a fortnight before they venture to fly to any other tree. The second brood makes its
appearance about the 15th of August."

The courage and determination of the Ivory -billed Woodpecker is very great, and it will
fight with its opponent in a most desperate manner. When wounded, it endeavors to reach
the nearest tree, and to run up its trunk, and if intercepted will peck as fiercely at the hand
of its pursuer as at the wood and bark, and is able to inflict severe injury with its sharp

Till: IVni;} ./ill././:/, \\,,t,; i; j j ;]

1-oNUTful hill. On account of this Uld and li.T\ di*|,,~iii,,i,. ih. \.I,.,I,:IM Indians pay in u>li
li..n.-i- t.. ill- hinl. and :uv in tin* hahit of mm in- it> h.-ad ami I. ill ain-.n- th.. mm,,
charm-, or " in.-dicint*" in whirl. thr\ d.-litfht. ami uhi.-h H* MppOMd t.. transmit t.. tin-
w.-arvr th«- pxxl qiialiti.-s i.f tin- .slain c|.

Th.- \oic.-of this \V,,.H||N..-K,.|- is ...Mom utt.-r.-<l whil.- th.- hinl in on the win*, hut in fre-
qu.-ntly heani aa soon as the hinl luwalight.-.! It is a rath.-r shrill :m<l \.-r\ |..n,i tone, and
can be heard at a groat distance.

IVOHT BILULD

The cry of the wounded bird is, according to Wilson, jnat like that of a hurt child. " The
first place I observed this hinl at, when on my way to the south, was about twelve miles north
of Wilmington, in North Carolina. Having wounded it slightly in the wing, on being caught,
it uttered a loudly n-it^rated and most piteous note, exactly resembling the viol.-nt crying of a
young child, which terrified my horse so as nearly to have cost me my lif.-.

" It was distressing to hear it. I carri.-d it with m«« in the chair, nnd.-r C..V.T. to Wil-
mington. In passing through the streets, its affecting cries surprised every one within hearing,
particularly the females, who hurried to the doors and windows with looks of alarm and
anxiety. I drove on, and on arriving at the piazza of the hotel where I intended to put up, th.-
landlonl came forward, and a number of other persons who happened to be there, all ••• jii.,1' \
alarmed at what they heard ; this was greatly increased by my asking wh.-th.-r h«- could fur-
nish me with accommodations for myself and my baby. The man looked blank and fooli*h.

414 THE IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER.

while the others stared with still greater astonishment. After diverting myself for a minute
or two at their expense, I drew my Woodpecker from under the cover, and a general laugh
took place. I took him upstairs, and locked him up in my room, while I went to see my
horse taken care of.

"In less than an hour I returned, and on opening the door, he set up the same distressing
shout, which now appeared to proceed from grief that he had been discovered in his efforts at
escape. He had mounted along the side of the window, nearly as high as the ceiling, a little
below which he had begun to break through. The bed was covered with large pieces of plaster ;
the lath was exposed for at least fifteen inches square, and a hole large enough to admit the fist,
open to the weather boards ; so that in less than another hour he would certainly have
succeeded in making his way through. I now tied a string round his leg, and fastening it to the
table, again left Mm. I wished to preserve his life, and had gone off in search of suitable food
for him. As I reascended the stairs, I heard him again hard at work, and on entering had the
mortification to perceive that he had almost entirely ruined the mahogany table to which
he was fastened, and on which he had wreaked his whole vengeance. While engaged in taking
a drawing, he cut me severely in several places, and on the whole displayed such a noble and
unconquerable spirit, that I was frequently tempted to restore him to his native woods.
He lived with me nearly three days, but refused all sustenance, and I witnessed his death
with regret."

The general color of this bird is black, glossed with green. The fore part of the head is
black, and the remainder is covered with a beautiful scarlet crest, each feather being spotted
towards the bottom with white, and taking a grayish ashen hue at the base. Of course these
colors can only be seen when the crest is erected. From below the eye a white streak runs
down the neck, and along the back, nearly to the insertion of the tail, and the secondaries,
together with their coverts and the tips of some of the primaries, are also white, so that when
the bird shuts its wings, its back appears wholly white. The tapering tail is black above,
yellowish-white below, and each feather is singularly concave. The wings are also lined with
yellowish-white. The bill is white as ivory, strong, fluted along its length, and nearly an
inch broad at the base. The female is plumaged like the male, with the exception of the
head, which is wholly black, without the beautiful scarlet crest. The total length of the
Ivory-billed Woodpecker is about twenty inches.

Wilson says : "Nature seems to have designed for the Ivory -bill a distinguished charac-
teristic in the superb carmine crest and bill of polished ivory with which she has ornamented
him. His eye is brilliant and daring ; and his whole frame so admirably adapted for his mode
of life and method of procuring subsistence, as to impress on the mind of the examiner the
most reverential ideas of the Creator. His manners also have a dignity in them superior to
the common herd of Woodpeckers. Trees, shrubbery, fences, old bags, are alike interesting
to these in their humble, indefatigable search for prey ; but the royal hunter now before us
scorns the humility of such situations, and seeks the most towering trees of the forest, seem-
ing particularly attached to those prodigious cypress swamps whose crowded giant sons
stretch their bare and blasted arms midway to the skies. In these almost inaccessible recesses,
amid ruinous piles of impending timber, his trumpet-like notes and loud strokes resound
through the solitary savage wilds, of which he seems the sole lord and inhabitant. Wherever
he frequents he leaves numerous monuments of his industry behind him. We there see
enormous pine-trees with cart-loads of bark lying around their roots, and chips of the trunk
itself, in such quantities as to suggest the idea that half a dozen axe-men had been at work
there the whole morning. The body of the tree is also disfigured with so numerous and such
large excavations that one can hardly conceive it possible for the whole to be the work of one
Woodpecker. With such strength, and an apparatus so powerful, what havoc might he not
commit if numerous, on our most useful forest trees. And yet, with all these appearances,
and much vulgar prejudice against him, it may fairly be questioned whether he is at all
injurious ; or, at least, whether his exertions do not contribute most powerfully to the pro-
tection of our timber. Examine closely the tree where he has been at work, and you will
soon perceive that it is neither from motives of mischief nor amusement that he slices off the

t;i;t:t:.\ \\<>m>i

bark ... dL-s his way into tii.- trunk, for the .sound and healthy tree is the least object of hi*
all. -mi. Hi. 'I'll.- diseased, hastening (.. putrefaction, infest. -d \\itli insects, are his favorites.
i. .ram-.- :ni'l prejudice stul. Ud-iily persist in din-ctinir their indignation against tli.- )>iid now
l»«-fore us, (I,. . .,t aiid iinii-(;d ."I. -ins i.f those very M-niiin "

Tliis l.ird is .seldom seen ;il«. principal hnbitttt being in the Gulf State*.

It is Hut muiatoi \ .

In tli.- South it is call.-d I^cock, and tin- I'il.-ated Wootlj--. k.-r in confounded with, or
they are called respecti\>-l\. (uvat.-r and l>-s^-r l/.i^-.H-k.

In-. Hrewer says: "When wounded this i.ird iinni.-diat.-ly mak.-s f,.r the nearest tree
and ascends it \\iihgreatnipiditv. until it reaches ill.- r,,|, I. ranches, when it squat.s and hides,
generally with ^reat effect. Whilst ascending it niox.-s spirally an.uml th,- tn.-. utters Us
loud pail, patty at almost every hop, hut lH-.-nm.-s silent the inonient it reach.-* a place where
it conceives itself secure. Th.-y sometimes climj to the bark with their claws so firmly as to
remain crumped to the spot several hours after death. Th.-\ .strike with great violence, and
intli.-t .severe wounds with both bill and claw."

Tin I'M i \ i KI» Wooni'KrKKi: {Ift/lotnmiis />if,.i/>fx) is nearly as larRe as the Ivory-billed.
II- is ill,- ••^r.-at nnrth.-rn <-hi«-f of his tribe," though his range ext.-mls fr..in Canada to the
Gulf of Mexico. In the high timber lands of Northern New York h«- is abundant. In Penn-
sylvania he is called the Black Woodcock ; in the Soutln-rn States the Logcock.

Like t he preced i ii „• s|(.-.-i.-s, he is eminently M-mct-aM.- in removing noxious insects from
the forest trees. He is not migratory, but braves tli>- <-\t rentes of the colder regions und the
tropics. It is rare to see more than two or three together.

The general color of his plumage is a dusky brownish-black ; the head is ornamented with
a conical cap of scarlet, and the scarlet moustaches proceed from the sides of the lower man-
dible. The eye is a bright golden color.

THE BANDED THREE-TOED WOODPECKER (Picoidc* tridactylu*) is an extremely rare bird
in the United States, and little is known of its habit*. Its range is through the Arctic regions
of America, and southwards in winter as far as Massachusetts. Mr. Welch, of Lynn, Massa-
chusetts, took some specimens in the hitter place. This is the most southern limit known for
the species.

A variety is known as rather common in the Rocky Mountains.

THE commonest of the Woodpeckers is that which is generally known by the name of the
GREEK WOODPECKER. It has, however, many popular titles, such as Rain-bird, Wood-spite,
Hew-hole, and Wood-wall. This bird is a representative of the Gecinac, or Green Woodpeckers.

Although the Green Woodpecker is a haunter of woods and forests, it will sometimes
leave those favored localities, and visit the nci^hl>orhood of man. The grounds near houses
are rather favorite resorts of this pretty bird, and I once j»erfnrm«-d something of a cruel feat
by flinging a brickbat at a Green Woodpecker, without the least idea of hitting it, and crush-
ing its legs with the edge of the brick. I do not think I ever threw a stone at a bird after-
wards, and though the event happened some yean ago, I have never forgiven myself for it.

The name of Rain-bird has been given to this species because it becomes very vociferous
at the approach of wet weather, and is, as Mr. Yarrell well observes, " a living barometer to
good observers." Most birds, however, will answer the same purpose to those \\ho know how
and where to look for them. The other titles are equally appropriate, Wood-spite being
clearly a corruption of the (J.-nnan term ••sjM-.-ht." Hew-hole speaks for itself; and Wood-
wall is an ancient name for the bird, occurring in the old English poets.

This species, although mostly found on trees, is a frequent visitor to the ground, where it
finds an abundance of food. Ants' nests are said to form a great attraction to the Green
Woodpecker, which feasts merrily at the expense of the insect community. During the
autumn, it also lives on vegetable food, being especially fond of nuts, whirh it can crack with-
out any difficulty by repeated strokes from its bill. The nest of this Woodpecker is, like that

416

THE YELLOW-BELLIED WOODPECKER.

of the other species, a mere heap of soft, decaying wood at the bottom of a tunnel dug by the
birds, or adapted to their use from an already existing cavity.

The coloring of this species is very pretty. The top of the head is bright scarlet, and
from the base of the beak starts a kind of moustache, black, with a scarlet centre. The whole
of the upper surface is dark green, mixed with yellow, changing to sulphur-yellow on the
upper tail-coverts. The primaries are grayish-black spotted with white, and the secondaries
and tertials are green on their outer webs, and gray-black spotted with white on the inner.
The stiff tail-feathers are grayish-black, variegated with some bars of a lighter hue ; and the
throat, chest, and all the under surface are ashen-green. The color of the beak is dark, horny
black. The female may be known from her mate by the wholly black moustache, and the

m»\fv

(JBKEN WOODPECKER.— ftcia virtdtt.

smaller ornament of scarlet on the head. In the young birds of both sexes, the scarlet of the
head is mottled with black and yellow, the green feathers of the back are yellow at their tips,
and the under surface is dull brownish-white, with streaks and bars of grayish-black. The
total length of this bird rather exceeds one foot. The other species are the Great Black
Woodpecker (Dryocopus mdrtius), the Northern Three-toed Woodpecker (Picaides triddc-
tylus\ and the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Pious minor).

THE RED-HEADED WOODPECKER is a most striking and attractive bird. In the Eastern
States, individuals are found during moderate winters, as well as in New York and Pennsyl-
vania. They make their appearance about the first of May, and leave about the middle of
October. Their range is from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.

THB YELLOW-BELLIED WOODPECKER (Sphyrapieus Darius) is one of our resident birds, and
a beautiful one it is. It visits the orchards in considerable numbers in October, and is occa-
sionally seen during winter. When rearing its young, it seeks the depths of the forests, and
is therefore not so often seen in the warmer season.

mi: /:/:/< /;/:/. um> UOODT.

Dr. Brewer says: "This bird wa> m-i \\iili in ill.- <>\<Tl:ni<l expedition in flocks, <>u tlj,-
hunks of the Saskatchewan, in " l:-, manners at the |»-ii«>d of the year were strikingly
contrasted with those i>f tin- resident \\'.M«1|..., k.-i-. f.-i instead of tlittiiuc i" a solitary way
from tree to tree, and a.s-jduou*l\ INU-MII.' f..r in--ct>, it Hew aU>ut in cmuded il<>ck-< in a rest-
leas manner, and kept up a continual < liait.-riug."

Tin: II A IKY WOODPECKER (Picus rilloxus) is another of oar resident birds, and is also an
orchard visitor. In May In- ivtiivs to l>nt-d, and is not MITI until tin- autumn month*.
tim««, however, he reniuins and l>rc«ils in tin- or.-har-l. Kxreptimis (»f tins kind *>i-u\ t<> O,-,MII
«ith other sjxjcies. Tliis species is common at Hud-on'^ Ikiy, and southwardH to Georgia. Ito
voice is a shrill cry, strong and tremulous. It also has a sin-1.- noti- <>r <-/nn-k, which it <.fi. n
repeats in an eager manner, as it hops about and performs its usual work of dicing ''"'" the
bark of trees. Its plumage is soft, loose, and un webbed ; hence the name. A great mass of
hairs surround the nostrils, which suggest their use as a protecting barrier when the head is
protruded into the decayed wood it so frequently digs into for ins«Tt food.

LEWIS' WOODPECKER (Melanrrpe* torqua/us) is a singularly marked and elegant bird.
Its size is considerably more than tin- pit-redim;, and it has a mor>- compact and pleasing

TBK THKKE-TOKD • • -— --~- ^-- ^

plumage. It was named l>y Wilson in honor of the memory of Captain Lewis, who with
General Clark made the first notable excursion into the then unexplored countries of the
Yellowstone region. This bird is one of several that have the habit of hiding acorns in tin-
holes purposely pecked for them in decayed trees.

THE RED-BELLIED WOODI-K K> i: (Cenlunt* carolinu*), says Wilson, has all the restless
and noisy habits so cham<-t«Ti-tic of i:^ tribe. It is more shy and li-ss dom.-stic than the Red-
headed or any of the spotted Woodpeckers. It is also more solitary. It prefers the largest
high timbered woods, and tallest decayed trees of the forest seldom app«-arin^ near the ground.

on the fences, or in orchards. Its voice is hoarser than any of the others, and its usual note,
voi. a-n.

418

THE RED-HEADED WOODPECKER.

chorr, has often reminded me of the bark of a lap-dog. It is a most expert climber, possessing
extraordiarny strength in the muscles of its feet and claws, and moves about the body and limbs
of trees with great facility. It rattles likes the others of its tribe on dead limbs, and with such
violence as to be heard in clear weather more than a half mile off. Like others, it digs out for
itself a nesting-place in the limb of a tree, producing two broods in a season.

This species inhabits a large range of country ; in all portions it seems to be resident, or
nearly so. The benefits derived from such busy workers after pest insects, that lie lurking
beneath the barks of trees in our forests, must be incalculable.

THE RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER (Pious querulus). Wilson first discovered this bird,
in the woods of North Carolina. The singularity of its voice, which quite resembles that of
young nestlings, and the red streak on the side of its head, suggested the specific name he
gave it. He found it also in South Carolina and Georgia. It is thought to be an intermediate
form between the Red-bellied and Hairy Woodpecker. The distinguishing character is the
fine line of vermilion on each side of the head.

THE CALIFORNIA WOODPECKER (Melanerpes formicivorus) is especially a Pacific coast
bird, extending to Northern Mexico. Dr. Heerman describes this as one of the noisiest as well
as the most abundant species in California. It catches insects on the wing, after the manner
of the Fly-catchers. This bird is noted for its habit of storing acorns in dead trees, by pecking
holes for each nut, and forcing them into them.

AMERICA possesses many species, among which the RED-HEADED WOODPECKER deserves
a short notice, as being a good representative of the Black Woodpeckers.

It is one of the commonest of American birds, bold, fearless of man, and even venturing
within the precincts of tpwns. The habits of this bird are well told by Audubon and Wilson.

The former author re-
marks of this bird :
"When alighted on
a fence stake by the
road, or in a field, and
one approaches them,
they gradually move
sideways out of sight,
peeping now and then
to discover your inten-
tion, and when you are
quite close and oppo-
site, lie still until you
have passed, when
they hop to the top of
the stake, and rattle
upon it with their bill,
as if to congratulate
themselves on the suc-
cess of their cunning.

OB^^ws-r"" ' * mil1! ' \ IIS Should you approach

within arm's length,
which may frequently
be done, the Wood-
pecker flies to the first stake or the second from you, bends his head to peep, and rattles
again, as if to provoke you to continuance of what seems to him excellent sport. He alights
on the roof of the house, hops along it, beats the shingles, utters a cry, and dives into your
garden to pick the finest strawberries he can discover."

RKD-HKADKD WOODPECKER.— fiats eryUmxxohalu*.

Tin: <i»i.i>- ii I\(;KI> ii '/'//'/•/.< A /•:/,•.

Kxery en.' who ho* hu<l ]>ru-iii-:il ex]M-rience of this l>ird agrees that il i> vi\ iuU<-hi«-\<>iis
in a .ir.iiil.-ii ; and • •N'-II \Vi!-«in. whose kind heart W"uM hardly jwrniil liim to «TO thut any
f.-aihen-d creatntv roul'l IN- Imiifiil to man, is forced t» admit tint it.s rol>l>erie8 am very
,-\!.-MM\... I .lit , .'i.:L ::..'. OOMI II i H > • :.'".•...; "..i i. .. ' . .>.• -- i • ::.• • I •: i • I :' ••! -M' i ;i_- -. in my
urut'v ••NVhervverthereisatreeortreesofthe wild cli.-n\." \\rites\Vilson, "covered with

ripe fr.iit. th«-n- >'>a see them busy a ni; 'hi- branches. an«l in passing orchards \ou may

MBily know where t<i liiul the earliest an. I -\\.fti-st appl.-s, by ol.~.|\ iu^ those trees <m or near
which the Red-headed Woodpecker i> skulking. .For he is soexcell-nt a connoisseur in fruit,
that wherever an apple or pear tree i-* found broached hy him. it i-* sim- to U- amoiu; the rijH-st
am) i--' flavored ; when ahtfOMd, bl HtMBfta^italoajabg itrikin^ in- -i-u I >iil .1. . p into it.
and U-ars it oil to the woods.

•• \\'h.ii the Indian corn is in ita rich, -nc.-ul.-ni. milky state, he attacks it with great
eagerness, opening a passage through the numerous folds of the husks, and feeding on it with
vonnity. The girdled or deadened timber, so common unions rorn-lirlds in the hack settle-
in, -nts, ure his favorite n-tn-ats, whence he sallies out to muke -his depredations. He is fond
of the ripe berries of the sour gum, and pays pn-tty regular visits to tin- ••hi-rry-trees when
load.-d with fruit. Towards fall he oft«-n approach.-* th.- ham or farm-house, and raps on the
shingles and weather-t>oards. He is of a gay and frolirMim.- di«{>osition, and half a dozen of
thi- fraternity are frequently seen diving and vociferating around the high dead limbs of some
large tree, pursuing and playing with each other, and amusing the passenger with their gambols.

"Their note or cry is shrill and lively, and so much resembles that of a species of tree-
frog which inhabits the. same tree that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the one from the
other."

On account of the garden-robbing propensities of this bird, it is held in much odium, and
trapped whenever occasion offers itself. In some places the feeling against it was so strong,
that a reward was offered for it* destruction. It is probable, however, that the servi«vs which
it renders by the destruction of noxious insects may more than compensate for its autumnal
ravages in the fields and orchards.

Unlike the previous species, which is a ]>ermanent inhabitant, the Red-headed Woodpecker
is a bird of passage, appearing in Pennsylvania about the beginning of May, and leaving that
country towards the end of OtoU-r. The eggs of this bird are pure white, speckled with
reddish -brown, mostly towards the larger end, and generally six in number.

The adult male is a really beautiful bird, its plumage glowing with steely-block, snowy-
white, an 1 brilliant scarli-t. disj>o8ed as follows: The head and neck are deep scarlet, and the
upper parts of the body are black, with a sN-el-blne gloss. The upper tail-coverts, the second-
aries, the breast and alHlom.-n. an- pun- white. The beak is IL'ht Line, deepening into black
towards the tip ; the legs and feet ore blue-green, the claws blue, and round the eye there is a
patch of bare skin of a dusky color. The female is colored like her mate, except that her
tints are not so brilliant. The young of the first year have the head and neck blackish gray,
and the white on the wings is variegated with black. The total length of the bird is between
nin>- and ten inches.

THE Ground Woodpeckers are represented by the OOLD-WIKOKD WOODPECKEB of
Am.-rica.

This bird may lay claim to th«- title of the feathered ant-eater, for it feeds very largely on
those insects, and has its beak shaped in a somewhat pickaxe-like form, in order to enable it
to dig up their nests from the ground and the decaying stumps of trees. In the stomach of
one of the-*- birds Wilson found a mass of ante nearly as large as a plum. It also feeds much
on woodlice, those destructive creatures which eat the bitterest and the toughest substances
with the U-st of appetites, and have been known to render a boat unsafe for sea, in spite of the
strong flavor of salt water, pitch, and tar, with which seafaring boats are so liberally imbued.

It is a brisk, lively, and playful creature, skipping about the trunks of trees with great
activity, and "hopping not only upwards and downwards, but spirally, pursuing and playing
with its fellow in this manner round the body of the tree." I may here mention that I never

420

THE GOLD -WINGED WOODPECKER.

yet saw a Woodpecker hop down the tree's trunk. Like others of its race, it is fond of vary-
ing its insect diet with a little vegetable food, eating various fruits, the Indian corn, the wild
cherries, and the sour gum and cedar berries.

The Gold-winged Woodpecker seems to be readily tamed, as may be seen from the follow-
ing account by Wilson :—

"In rambling through the woods one day, I happened to shoot one of these birds and
wounded him slightly in the wing. Finding him in full feather, and seemingly but little hurt,
I took him home and put him into a large cage made of willows, intending to keep him in my
own room, that we might become better acquainted.

"As soon as he found himself inclosed on all sides, he lost no time in idle fluttering, but
throwing himself against the bars of the cage, began instantly to demolish the willows, batter-
ing them with great vehe-
mence, and uttering a loud
piteous kind of cackling,
similar to that of a hen when
she is alarmed and takes to
wing. Poor Baron Trenck
never labored with more
eager diligence at the walls
of his prison than this son of
the forest in his exertions
for liberty ; and he exercised
his powerful bill with such
force, digging into the
sticks, seizing and shaking
them from side to side, that
he soon opened for himself
a passage, and though I
repeatedly repaired the
breach, and barricaded every
opening in the best manner
I could, yet, on my return
into the room, I always-
found him at large, climb-
ing up the chairs, or running
about the floor, where, from
the dexterity of his motions,
moving backwards, for-
wards, and sideways with
the same facility, it became
difficult to get hold of him
again.

" Having placed him in a strong wire cage, he seemed to give up all hopes of making his
escape, and soon became very tame ; fed on young ears of Indian corn, refused apples, but ate
the berries of the sour gum greedily, small winter grapes, and several other kinds of berries,
exercised himself frequently in climbing, or rather hopping perpendicularly along the sides of
the cage, and as evening drew on fixed himself in a high hanging or perpendicular position,
and slept with his head in his wing.

"As soon as dawn appeared, even before it was light enough to perceive him distinctly
across the room, he descended to the bottom of the cage and began his attack on the ears
of Indian corn, rapping so loud as to be heard from every room in the house. After this
he would sometimes resume his former position and take another nap. He was beginning to-
become very amusing and even sociable, when, after a lapse of several weeks, he became
drooping and died, as I conceived, from the effects of his wound."

.,

GOLD-WINQED WOODPECKER.— Coiaptet auratui.

\u;y.\Mf. if]

The coloring of the Gola-wiuged Woodpecker Is very complicated. The top of the head is

gray, tin- dieek> an- < innamon, and the back and wings are uniU-r. marked with transverse
bars of Ma.k. (>n tin* back of the head is a semilunar spot of blood-red, the two horns pointing
towards the e\es, ami a streak of black puses from the base of the beak down tin- throat. Th.-
sides <>f tin- neck are gray. The breast, throat, and chin are cinnamon, ami a l.road cresoentic
patch of black crosses the chest. The abdomen is yellowish- white, profusely spotted with
black. Tlit- U^IHT tail-coverts are white, serrated with Mack. The inner sides of the wings and
tail, and the shafts of nearly all the feathers, are of a beautiful golden-yellow; "the upper
sides of the tail and the tip below are black, edged with light loose filaments of a cream ool
the two exterior feathers serrated with whitish." The bill is dusky brown color and slightly
bent. The female is colored, but does not possess the black feathers on each side of the throat
The total length of this Mid is aUnit one foot.

The Golden-winged Woodpecker represents a group of three distinct species. Two varieties
of the j.n -nt species are also known. These birds have quite a different general appearance
from the Woodpeckers proper, so called. They are much larger, and have a very compact and
handsomely decorated plumage. The terms Flicker, Highhold, and Yellow Hammer are applied
to them in various localities. Audubon says of this bird : " They propel themselves by numer-
ous beats of the wings, with short intervals of sailing, during which they scarcely drop from
the horizontal. When j Missing from one tree to another, they also fly in a straight line, until
within a few yards of the spot on which they intend to alight, when they suddenly raise
themselves a few feet, and fasten themselves to the bark of the tree by their claws and tail.
Their migrations, although partial, as many remain in the middle districts during the severest
winters, are performed in the night, as is known by their note and the whistling of their wings,
which are heard from the ground."

The tongue of this bird is round and wiry, flattened towards the tip, pointed and fur-
nished with minute barbs ; it is also long, and can be instantaneously protruded to on uncommon
distance. The h void bone (in the tongue), like those of its tribe, is a substance, for strength
and elasticity, resembling whalebone, divided into two branches, each the thickness of a
knitting-needle, that pass one on each side of the neck to the bird's head, where they unite and
run up along the skull in a groove, covered with a thin membrane or sheath, descend into the
upper mandible by the right side of the right nostril, and reach to within a half an inch of tip-
point of the bill, to which they are attached by another extremely elastic membrane that
yields when the tongue is thrown out, and contracts as it is retracted.

The tongue of this bird is supplied with a viscid fluid, secreted by two glands tliat lie
under the ear on each side, and are at least five times larger in this species than any other
of its size. With this the tongue is continually moistened, so that every small insect it
touches instantly adheres to it. The tail, with its pointed ends, and the feet and claws, all
show adaptation to easy climbing, notwithstanding the heavy body.

The range of this bird is from the Arctic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, and from the
Atlantic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains. To some extent it is a constant resident in New
England, as well as in the Southern States. A variety of Flicker has the shafts of the feath-
ers red. It is found in the region bounded by the Black Hills and the Pacific. Dr. Coues says
it is abundant in Arizona, where it is known as the Yellow Hammer. It is a wonderful power
of bill this bird has. He very readily pecks a hole in the weather-board of a house simply for
the purpose of lodging ; its board or subsistence being, as we have seen, obtained in a similar
manner in trunks of trees. Mr. Ridgway says it is more shy than the other variety (of the
lost), but attributes the circumstance to the fact that the Indians hunt them for their
feathers.

A Hybrid Flicker, having the characters of two varieties, and another species, called Cape
Flicker, are found in the southwest.

THE curious bird, known under the popular and appropriate name of the WRY JTECK, is by
some authors considered to be closely allied to the woodpeckers.

The Wryneck is a summer visitant to northern countries, appearing just before the cuckoo.

422

THE WRYNECK.

and therefore known as the cuckoo's footman. There is another name for this bird, signifying
"Cuckoo's knave," " Grwas-y-gog," the pronunciation of which I must leave to Welsh throats.
The tongue of this bird is long, slender and capable of being projected to the distance
of an inch or so from the extremity of the beak, and its construction is almost exactly the
same as that of the woodpecker. As might be supposed, it is employed for the same purpose,
being used in capturing little insects, of which ants form its favorite diet. So fond, indeed, is
the Wryneck of these insects, that in some countries it is popularly known by the name of
Emmet-hunter. In pursuit of ants it trips nimbly about the trunks and branches of trees,
picking them off neatly with its tongue as they run their untiring course. It also frequents
ant-hills, especially when the insects are bringing out their pupae to lie in the sun, and swal-
lows ants and pupae at a great pace. When, as in damp or cold weather, the ants remain
within their fortress,, the Wryneck pecks briskly at the hillock until it breaks its way through
the fragile walls of the nest, and as the warlike insects come rushing out to attack the intruder

WKTtrECK.—Jynx lunjviOa.

of their home and to repair damages, it makes an excellent meal of them in spite of their anger
and their stings.

When ants are scarce and scantily spread over the ground, the Wryneck runs after them
in a very agile fashion ; but when it comes upon a well-stocked spot, it stands motionless,
with the exception of the head, which is darted rapidly in every direction, the neck and
central line of the back twisting in a manner that reminds the observer of a snake. When
captured or wounded, it will lie on its back, ruffle up its feathers, erect its neck, and hiss
so like an angry serpent that it is in some places known by the name of the snake-bird. It is
a bird of retiring habits, keeping itself mostly to the wooded parts of the country, and
especially favoring fir-woods where the ants most congregate, the dead leaves of the fir-trees
forming excellent material for their nests without the trouble of cutting them to a proper length.

As the food of this bird is so dependent on the ants, it only comes north when the
weather is warm enough to induce the ants to leave their winter quarters ; and as soon as they
begin to retire into their hiding-places, it takes its departure for warmer lands. During the
early part of the season they are rather sociable, and may be captured by a good imitation of
their call-note.

run I;I;I:\T HUM:) <;r//)&

Mr. Yarre)l. ho\\e\.-r. -.-. ms t<> In. Id rather an opposite opinion, :,,i.| says that "tin- Wry-
neck is rather military in it- hal>its, IM-UII: very seldom seen -iiii; with, nr - \.'ii near, any
other I'inl than its o\\n single partner, and that loo Inn for a N.-IV limited jMirtinii of the

In captivity tin- \Vi\.i,-, k i- to|,-niH\ docile; and \\li.-.i taken \ouiig can be perfectly
Mined, in soul.- countries it is the la>lii«>n to tie a Mrim; to the leg of a fcune \Vr\in -<-k unel
take it out for daily exercise for food, l.-ttinir it run up tin- trees or »n tin- m-ound in -MI, h of
insert*. Tin- little Itird soon Incomes accustomed to this kind of life, and when tin- string ia
pulled returns to it.s owner, ami runs about his clothes until he gives it ]M>nui.ssion to take
another excursion.

The nest of the Wryneck is hardly deserving of that name, In-in^ merely composed of
chips of «l«va\imr wood. The eggs are laid in the hollow of a tree, not wholly excavated by
the bird, as is the case of the woodpeckers, its beak not being sufficiently strong for such a
task, but adapted to the purpose from some already existing hole.

From a letter of a correspondent to Mr. Varn-ll. it seems that although the Wryneck
makes no nest, it does not hesitate in appropriating the deserted home of any other bird which
it may lind in the hollow which it selects for nidilication. The l>ird had chosen a hole In
an old apple-tree for that purpose, and the eggs were laid upon a mass of hair, moss, and
tilirous roots, evidently a deserted nest of a redstart. The pertinacity with which the Wry-
neck adhered to the tree was really extraordinary, for she suffered her nest to l>e dist url>e 1 and
replaced five times, and to be robbed four times of her eggs before she would finally leave the
sj>ot. The number of eggs laid by the Wryneck is rather great, as many as ten having often
been found in a single nest. In the instance just mentioned, no less than twenty-two eggs
were taken at the four intervals. Their color is beautiful white with a pinky tinge, not unlike
those of the kingfisher; and as this pink color is produced by the yolk showing itself through
the delicate shell, it is, of course, lost when the egg is emptied of its contents. The plumage
of this little bird, although devoid of brilliant hues, and decked only with brown, black, and
gray, is really handsome from the manner in which those apparently sombre tints are dis-
]tosed. In Yarrell's lxx>k on birds the markings of the Wryneck are given so concisely that
they cannot be altered without damage. "The top of the head grayish-brown, barred across
with streaks of darker brown and white ; neck, back, rump, and upper tail -coverts gray,
speckled with brown. From the occiput (i.e. back of the head) down the middle line of the back
of the neck and between the scapularies, is a streak of dark brown mixed with black ; the wings
brown, speckled with lighter yellow-brown, and a few white spots ; the primary quill-feathers
barred alternately with pale yellow, brown, and black ; the tertials on the upj>er surface
marked \\ iih a descending line of black ; upper surface of the tail -feathers mottled with gray
and brown, and marked with four irregularly transverse bars of black; chin, throat, ear-
co\erts. and neck, in front, pale y.-ll-.w ln-ou n with narrow transverse Hack lin--s : In-east. ),,-lI\,
sides, and under tail -co verts, dull white tinged with yellow-brown, and spotted with black ;
under surface of tail-feathers pale grayish-brown, speckled and barred with black ; legs, toes,
and claws brown." The total length of the adult male bird is about seven inches, and the
female is a little smaller than her mate.

CUCKOOS.

THE Cuckoos constitute a large family, containing several smaller groups, and many
species. Representatives of the groups will be found in the following pages. All these birds
have a rather long, slender, and somewhat curved beak, which in some species takes a curve
BO decided, that it gives quite a predaceons air to its owner. Examples of the Cuckoo tribe
are to be found in almost every portion of the globe, and are most plentiful about the tropics.

The first group is that of which the celebrated GRKAT HONKV GUIDE is our typical
example. The Honey Guides derive their name from the fact that they are extremely fond of
wild bees and their honey, and by thrir eager cries attract keen-eared and sharp-eyed hunters

424

THE GREAT HONEY GUIDE.

to the spoil. It has been said that the birds intentionally ask the aid of mankind to dig out
the nests when the combs are placed in too secure a spot, and that they utter their peculiar
cry of "Cherr! cherrl" to call attention, and then precede their human assistants to the
nest, fluttering their wings, and keeping a few yards in advance. .That they do lead travellers
to the bees' nests is true enough, but that they should seek out human beings, and inten-
tionally bring them to the sweet stores, seems doubtful, though it has been affirmed by many
travellers.

At all events, even up to the present time, whenever the Honey Guide does succeed in
leading the Hottentot to a store of honey, the men are grateful to it for the service, and do not
eat the whole of the honey, leaving some for their confederate. Neither will they kill the

GREAT HONEY GUIDE.— Indicator major.

bird, and they are offended if they see any one else do so. Sparrman remarks that the present
species is seldom seen near Cape Town, as it cannot find a supply of its food so near the habi-
tations of man, and that he never saw any except on the farm of a single colonist, who had
succeeded in hiving some wild swarms by fixing convenient boxes on his grounds.

One thing is certain, that the Honey Guide is by no means a safe conductor, as it will
sometimes lead its follower to the couching-place of a lion or tiger, or the retreat of a poisonous
snake. Gordon Gumming, as well as other travellers, testifies to this curious mode of conduct.

The feathers of the Honey Guide are thick, and the skin is tougher than is usually the
case with birds, so that if the irritated bees should attack them, little harm is done unless a
sting should penetrate the eye or the bare skin around it.

Honey Guides are found in various parts of Africa, India, and Borneo, and in all cases
their habits seem to be very similar. Two species are very common in Southern Africa,
namely, the bird figured in the engraving, and a smaller species (Indicator minor). The
nesting of both these birds is very similar, their homes being pendent from the branches
of trees, and beautifully woven into a bottle-like form, the entrance being downward. The
material of which they are composed is bark torn into filaments. The eggs are from three
to four in number, and their color is a brownish white. Both parents assist in the duties
of incubation.

TV/ A' lilinfM' > I < A' 00.

The**? birds are very «oberly rla.l. tin- (ii.-at H..M.-\ .-;,(. -r l» in- I.I..NVU above, .lark.-r »u
tin- wings and tail. :iinl irr.i\ i-h \s hit-- i.n tin- iin<|.-i -m l'a<-«- uf thr |KM!\ .

\\"K now arri\.' at nul Cin-kiniH. ull ..f » liirh :irv inhabitant- ..f i nipical Ameri .

imd the neighlH>rinc i-lan.l-, :m,l :,i,- i-,-|,i,.^-m,.,l l,\ tin- l{.M\-IUi:n.

This rurimis Cuckoo, whirli is jH.|.ul:nly known in Jamaica by tin- nan f Hain-Itinl,

Itt tolcnil>l\ (•(iniiiion in tin* \Vi>st Imlian l>l:nnl-.

Ac, -unlini: «" Mr. Ctosv. \\lio \\.t^ -ivt-n a \.-r\ inlcn-stin^ account of this SfUtttM ill his
"Rinlsof .lainaica." llu- liain- Kixl i- MI in<|iiiNitiM- a! tin- si^ht ,if any u«>w object, ai>
HOUMi of dunpT while irnitifx iin: it- ruri<»Mt\. tliai it is ufi.-n <-allf<l by the name of Ton»
Kool. Iniltttl, tin- tii>t Kain Hinl wliirh h«- S;I\N I.I-.T ii^ lif.- liy a st.nu-, \vliil»« sitting «'ii a
bush only a few f»t«t distant, HO occupied with tin- t\\«i fi-atli.-il.--- Li^ilM tliut were approach-
ing, tliat it -ntr.-n><l its«>lf to be struck from its ]>eivli l>y a iin--ili- tlutt might have been
avoided with the least precaution.

OBOCKD OOOEOO.—

The wings of this bird are rather short and weak, so that it does not fly to any great
distance when alarmed, but merely Hits to a branch a few yards in advance, and then turn-*
round and contemplates the inn ii'l.-r. It has a curious habit of sitting across a branch with
its head lower than its f.-.-t. and balanced by the long tail, which hangs nearly perpendicularly.
The voice is a harsh <-arkl--. soin.-thini: lik.- tin- words "ticky-ticky," pronounced with very
great rapidity. It feeds on animal substances, pref<*rriim imacti and spiders to any <ith<>r
kind of food, but not disdaining to prey upon the smaller reptiles and mammalia. The not
seems to be made in the fork of u branch. The color of this bird is soft brown-gray UJKHI the

VauH.-M.

426

THE PHEASANT CUCKOO.

back, dullish yellow on the under parts of the body, and rusty red upon the wings. The long
tail is beautifully barred with black and white.

A KIND of Ground Cuckoo (Geococcyx californianus\ is found inhabiting the South-
west, and Mexico. It is the Chaparral Cock, Paisano, or Road-runner. The latter term
explains its habit of frequenting the highways, always on the ground, where it will outrun
the fleetest horses. The native population hunt this bird on horses, and regard it sport
to run it down in this manner. Even hounds find it difficult to reach them after consid-
erable running. It has a singularly broad and long tail, which is borne erect when run-
ning, and no doubt assists materially in steadying the bird in its long and rapid course. In
evidence of its wonderful swiftness of foot, Col. McCaul states that when, on one occasion,
approaching Olympia Creek, in Texas, with a small party, he discovered a Chaparral Cock in
the open road, about a hundred yards in advance, for his amusement he put spurs and dashed
after the bird with one of his men. It was thus pursued for full four hundred yards along a
smooth and level road, over which, with straightened neck and slightly extended wings, it

swiftly glided, without
seeming to touch the

s •• .^EFiriiK*"^ ground. When at last

it sought shelter in a
thicket, they had not
gained upon it more
than fifty yards. This

PHEASANT CUCKOO.- Centrvpiu phaAanut.

with the rattlesnake,
which it always is
ready to fight. Its only
voice is a weak scream,
which it seldom utters.
It is unsocial, never
going in flocks. It be-
comes quite familiar
when near human
habitations, and fre-
quently seems to pre-
fer the proximity of
farm-houses. It even
ventures near enough
to hunt for mice,
which it destroys with
much dexterity.

OF the Coccyginse, or Lark-heeled Cuckoos, so called
from their long hind toe, we shall select two examples ; the
one being an Australasian bird, and the other an inhabitant
of America.

The PHEASANT CUCKOO derives its popular appropriate
name from the great length of its tail, which gives to the bird
an outline bearing some resemblance to that of the pheasant,
a similitude which is further carried out by the bold markings of its plumage. This handsome
bird is a native of New South Wales, where it is not uncommon, although rather a local bird,
seldom wandering to any great distance from the spot which it loves. It frequents low-lying
and swampy lands ; living almost entirely among the rank herbage of such localities, and
keeping itself concealed among the bushes. When alarmed it flies to the nearest tree, alights

777 /. >///" ii /;///. /;/, j M KUWAIT CUCKOO.

A97

uri the lowest (tranche-, rapidly tuaki« its way through tin- l-.u-li- i" the Tery summit, and
then takes t4> win-.

Tin- nest »f ihi- l.iid is placed mi the ground. >li:n|.-.l l,\ a c.,n\enient tuft <if urum. It is

a larire and rather clmii-il \ rmisti tided editice ; haxini: two ajiei ,_:li <«f which

tin- hen. while sjniiiL:. thrusts her head. :m<l thrmi^h tin- <iiln-r H)I.- pokes her tail. Tin-
mgen«'i I' \ from thn-< to livi in • uuher, lid R BQCl -;'.•::• :c! i: .m i- . • !.• i.illv tfia
unions liinl". Tlu-ir r-«|or is urn\ i-h-\\liit<-, >oiiu-tiiiii'> l>l«>t<-ln'<l with limwn, and Uiey are
remarkable f»r tin- i.'ii_'lin. ^ ,,f their s|i,-|]s.

The colors of this l.jpl ;ue n<,i lirilliaiit, 1'iit an- rich :ui<l \varni in their tone and disj>o«*ed
SO as to f. .mi \et\ i.i.ld markings. The II|>|MT surface of the body is Hack devoid of gloss,
with the exception of the shafts of th«' feathers; which are highly polinhed and ^lilt.
The \ t'rta are brown mottled rii-hly with Mack. The wings are ruddy « he.stnut barred

with l>la<'k. ami the tail is dark brown gloHw-d with gnn-n. freckletl with t-rown, Imrred with
white and tii>i>«>d with the sjime color. The young birds are much lighter in color than their
parent.-, arv more liberally streaked, and hav»» moiv white about them.

^.I.l...^ Hll.i.K,. CUCKOO

WILSOIT says : " The singular, I will not say unnatural, conduct of the European Cuckoo
(Cuculus canorut), which never constructs a nest for itself, but drops its eggs in those of oilier
birds, and abandons them to their mercy and management, is so universally known, and so
proverl>ial. that the whole tribe of Cuckoos have, by some inconsiderate people, been stigma-
tized as destitute of all parental care and afTe<ti..n. Without attempting to account for this
remarkable habit of the Kuropean ppecies, far less to consider as an error what the wisdom of
Heaven has imposed as a duty upon the species, I will only remark that the YELLOW-BIU i i>
AMKI:I< \N CUCKOO builds its own nest, hatches its own eggs, and rears its own youmr ;
and, in conjugal and parental affection, seems nowise behind any of its neighbors of the
grove.

428 THE ANI, OR SAVANNAH BLACKBIRD.

"Early in May they begin to pair, when obstinate battles take place among the males.
About the tenth of that month they commence building. The nest is usually fixed among the
horizontal branches of an apple-tree ; sometimes in a solitary thorn, crab, or cedar, in some
retired part of the woods; It is constructed, with little art, and scarcely any concavity, of
small sticks and twigs, intermixed with green weeds and blossoms of the common maple. On
this almost flat bed, the eggs, usually three or four in number, are placed ; these are of a
uniform greenish-blue color, and of a size proportionable to that of the bird. While the
female is sitting, the male is generally not far distant, and gives the alarm, by his notes, when
any person is approaching. The female sits so close, that you may almost reach her with your
hand, and then precipitates herself to the ground, feigning lameness, to draw you away from
the spot, fluttering, trailing her wings, and tumbling over, in the manner of the partridge,
woodcock, and many other species. Both parents unite in providing food for the young.
This consists, for the most part, of caterpillars, particularly such as infest apple-trees. The
same insects constitute the chief part of their own sustenance.

"They are accused, and with some justice, of sucking the eggs of other birds, like the
crow, the blue jay, and other pillagers. They also occasionally eat various kinds of berries.
But, from the circumstance of destroying such numbers of very noxious larvae, they prove
themselves the friends of the farmer, and are highly deserving of his protection."

THE YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO (Coccygus americanus) is distributed throughout North
America from Canada to Florida, and from the Atlantic coast to California. It also is met
with in the West India Islands, and breeds in nearly all these localities.

THE MANGROVE CUCKOO (Coccygus minor) is a regular summer visitor in Key West and
the other Florida Keys. It is especially West Indian.

THE BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO (Coccygus erythropthalmus} differs from the Yellow-billed in
the black of the bill, and the absence of black on the tail-feathers ; some minor differences also
occur. In other respects it is closely allied to the latter, and is also distributed in nearly the
same localities, but is less numerous. Wilson says this bird retires into the woods to breed,
being less familiar than the former species, and choosing an evergreen sapling as a site for the
nest, which is made of twigs pretty well put together, but still little more than a concave floor-
ing, and lined with moss and withered catkins of the hickory. The female is less timorous
than the Yellow-bill, and sits composedly until the intruder has approached very closely,
without showing evidence of alarm. The nest, without being at all remarkable for its finish,
or the nicety of its arrangements, is much more artistic and elaborate than that of the Yellow-
billed.

THE ANI, or SAVANNAH BLACKBIRD (Orotophaga am). This is scarcely more than a
straggler in the United States, its habitat being in the West Indies, and in South America.
It is about the size of the preceding bird, and has some resemblance to the parrots. In the
West Indies it is called the Black Witch. Its familiar habits and grotesque appearance make
it quite universally known. The little chickaree fly-catcher makes it a subject of torment,
and chases him with vigorous thrusts of his little bill, until the larger bird retreats in disgust.
It moves with a peculiar gliding flight. In feeding it is omnivorous. It catches insects on the
ground by very active jumps ; pursues them on the wing, and with its sharp, thin bill, digs
them out of the earth. It hops about and over the cattle, and when grazing, on the cattle's
tails will be seen to be one or more clinging to the hairs, and pecking out insects that may be
there. They are what is called downward climbers, not upward climbers. They enter a tree
by alighting on the extremity of a branch, and reach the centre by creeping along the stem.

Another species, called the Groove-billed Ani, has lately been found to be entitled to a
place in the North American fauna.

The Anis are all inhabitants of tropical climates, and are found chiefly in forest-lands,
being most common in the dense woods of South America. They are by no means large birds.

Tin: >.i i .i.\.\.i

/ • n;i>.

I:".-

seldom e\c.-edini: the diim-n-ioiis ..f the common Hluckhird. Th.'~- l.ii.N are known liy il.
(oiii|.i'-s.-d ;ni.| ;urli,-<l U-ak*. ami tin- decidfd k,-,-! or ridtfe ii|»>n the II|.|NT iiianclil.li-.

Tin- S:i\a:ni:ili Blackbird is arUii..u I. •.!_•, -,[ t,, U- ii,,- Apical species of these birds, an i i
exhibits tin- peculiar form of lie- U-ak in ;i MT\ mark.il maiiiii-r. A* il i> rather a coiis|,ii-n.
bird, it is knoNMi i.\ -.-M-ial other luinifs, iin>..n_: \\hich ..i lulled JMa.-kl.ii.l ami (in*t'

Blurkliiiil. In SOIIH- I'lar.--, it i> rall.-<i tli«- l'.i...-K I'.n r.ik.-d, an.l in M ; iv title in

Cacalotoil.

Tin- f«Mxl of llu- Sjivaiuiah IMarkliinl i> mostly of an aniiiial n.iiiii'-. ami ron>ix|s i'lii.-lly cf
u'ra^hoplMTs, iiH-iists, aiul Miniiar in><-<-ts. although tli,. liji-,1 js \,-ry fnml (»f lizunis ami ol!
small \.TI- -i-rai. \ \\lii.-li it> jn-mliar U-uk IH well ailrulai«tl to secure. Seeds are alwo

sjiid to IM- ral.'ii l>y tlii> l»inl.

In .-I'm.- ca--s i! ••i-i-l.iviiii,' natiin- is (lir-»i-t«-«l in a inanm-r MTV us.-fiil to tin- cattl.-

owners. In tlios.- n-i;ic,n-. the CO\HS angTMtlj tmulilf<l \\itli ticks ami otln-r jtanuiitio

• .

\\

1AVA1THAB BLACK BIRD.- rVo<c^«o(M vA.

which fasten npon th»-ir hacks where the poor beasts cannot reach them. The Anis are for-
tunately very fond of these noxious iii-,.-cts. ami ]»T»'hin^ upon th«- <-ow's bark, soon rid th«-ni
of their unpleasant companions. The cows are so well aware of the services rendered to thrin
by these binK that when tln-y liml tln-niM-lvcs much annoy*"! by ticks. tln-y Me down in order
to permit tin- Anis to jnir<ii.- tli.-ir avocation without ili^turhaiu-e. Sometimes, according to
Brown, in his History of Jamaica. th«- Anis remind the cows of tlieir reciprocal duties, and if
the great quadruped forpeis to lie down for their mutual Ix-m-tit. they hop about Justin front
of its nose as it praxes, and irive it no j>eace until it complies with their n^uest.

I' is jfreparious in it> hahits. associatiai; i" larne tl<«'ks. and is a \>-ry fearless crea tun-,
csiriiiL' little for the report or the ••ffe--fs ,,f a jrim. \Vh.-th.-r this ins«-nsihj|ity to damrer !>«• due
to lc,\,- of its comrades ami to real coura:.-.-. «r only to that Hjmrions bravery which f--ars
nothinir I»ecan8e it knows nothing, i- ii"t c,-rtain : but it is well known that if a flock of Anis
be fired at. and laany killed by the discharge, the survivor* .vill only rise and fly to a short
distance, and there settle as comjtos^iiy as if no danger were at hand.

The Anis are very m.i-.y. MS i^ often the case with irn-irarioi; and the combr

of a large flock of Anis is almost deafening. They do not seem to use their

430

THE CHANNEL-BILL.

to any great extent, their flight being low and short. They are easily tamed, soon become
amusing inhabitants of the house, and can be taught to utter several words. Fortunately for
itself, the flesh of the Savannah Blackbird is thought to be very disagreeable, so that it is not
killed for the table.

The nesting of this bird is rather peculiar. It haunts bushes, the skirts of woods, and
similar localities, and builds its nest on the branches of trees. The nest is extremely large,
and ia said to be in common to several pairs of birds, which live amicably under the same roof
like the sociable weaver birds of Africa.

In size the Savannah Blackbird rather exceeds the generality of its kind, equalling a
pigeon in dimensions, the long tail adding to the apparent length. Its color is black, glossed
with green.

THE very remarkable bird known by the name of CHANNEL-BILL inhabits part of Aus-

tralia and some of the Eastern
Islands. Its large and curi-
ously formed beak gives it so
singular an aspect, that on a
hasty glance it might almost

OT Cv &I/vrCrlt3o OJ. LOU"

• .

most common in .New
South Wales, and is migratory
in its habits, arriving in Octo-
ber and departing in June. It
is a gregarious bird, being
seen in little flocks or com-
panies varying in number from
three to eight, and sometimes
living in pairs. The voice of
the Channel-Bill is by no
S^;3§S means pleasing, and is exer-

cised at the approach of rainy
weather or the presence of a
hawk. In either instance, the
bird utters a series of vigorous
yells, which are well under-
stood by those who have
studied its habits.

Although one of the mi-
grators, it is slow and heavy
of wing. Apparently, it is not
easily tamed, for Mr. Gould
mentions an instance where
one of these birds was wounded
and kept alive for two days, during the whole of which time it refused to be reconciled to
captivity, screaming and pecking fiercely at its cage and captor. Its food consists of the seeds
of the red gum and peppermint, and it also feeds upon beetles, phasmidse, and other large
insects of the land which it frequents.

It is a very handsome and elegantly colored bird. The head and breast are gray, and the
spaces around the eyes and nostrils are scarlet. The back is a deep grayish-green, each feather
being tipped with black, so as to give that portion of the bird a boldly mottled aspect. The
under parts are white tinged with buff, and faintly barred with grayish-brown. The long tail
has the two central feathers black to the very tip, and the others are barred with black and
tipped with white. Both sexes are alike in their coloring ; the chief difference being that the

CHANNEL-BILL.— SeytAropi Jfma-HoOandlcf.

THE CUCKOO.

4:J1

female ia smaller than her mate. In dimension* tin- < 'li.-mii.-l Hill is about equal to the com-
mon crow, but owing to tin- Ion- an<l bn«i«l tail, \\hi.-li causes the bird to measure more than
two feet in total length, it ap]>ears much larger than is really the case.

THERE are few birds which are more widely known by good and evil report than the com-
mon Cues-'

As tin- harbinger of spring, it is always welcome to the ears of thorn who have just passed
through tli >-s of w inter ; :uul as a In-artless mother, an abandonee of its offspring, and

an (M-.-iipi.-r of other homes it has been subjected to general reprobation. As is usual in sin h
.-a--.--. l>iith opinions :in- too -.weepin- ; f,,r the coniinual rr\ of M Cm-k .MI : i-u.-k >«> '." however
:iirre.-able it may IM- on the lir-t hearm-. soon be.-, .me-, MX >n< it. >n. MI^ ;in,l fati-uin- to tln-.-ar.

and the mother Cuckoo is not HO far lost to all feelings of maternity as to take no thought for

CUCKUO.-tfec.AM

her young, but ever remains near the place where it has deposited her egg and seems to keep
watch over the foster-parents.

It is well known that the female Cuckoo does not make any nest, but places her egg in
the nest of some small bird, and leaves it to the care of its unwitting foster-parents. Various
birds are burdened with this charge, such as the hedge-warbler, the pied wagtail, the meadow-
pipit, the red-backed shrike, the blackbird, and various finches. Generally, however, the
three first are those preferred. Considering the size of the mother-bird, the egg of the Cuckoo
i-i remarkably small, being about the same size as that of the skylark, although the latter bird
has barely one fourth the dimensions of the former. The little birds, therefore, which are
always careless about the color or form of an egg, provided that it be nearly the size of their
own productions, and will !*• perfectly contented with an egg-shaped pebble or a scraped
marble, do not detect the imposition, and hatch the interloper together with their own young.

The general color of the Cuckoo's egg is mottled reddish-gray, but the tint is very variable
in different individual^, as I run testify from personal experience. It has also been noted that
the color of the egg varies with the species in whose nest it is to be placed, so that the egg

432 . THE CUCKOO.

which is intended to be hatched by the hedge-warbler is not precisely of the same color as that
which is destined for the nest of the pipit.

Several experienced naturalists now lean to the opinion that the female Cuckoo really feels
a mother's anxiety about her young ; and this theory — a somewhat recent one — is corroborated
by an account kindly sent to me by a lady, at that time unknown to me. A young Cuckoo
had been hatched in the nest of some small bird, and after it was able to leave the nest for a
short time, was taken under the protection of a female Cuckoo, who had been hovering about
the place, and which at once assumed a mother's authority over the young bird, feeding it and
calling it just like any other bird.

On inquiring whether the old Cuckoo ever helped the young one back into the nest, noth-
ing could be ascertained. The children of the family, who were naturally interested in the
affair, used sometimes to pick up the young bird, and put it back into the nest, but it was
often found in its warm home without human intervention, and as it was too helpless and
timid to perform such a feat unaided, the natural assumption was that the old bird had given
her assistance.

The mode by which the Cuckoo contrives to deposit her eggs in the nest of sundry birds
was extremely dubious, until a key was found to the problem by a chance discovery made by
Le Vaillant. He had shot a female Cuckoo, and on opening its mouth in order to stuff it with
tow, he found an egg lodged very snugly within the throat.

When hatched, the proceedings of the young Cuckoo are very strange. As in process of
time it would be a comparatively large bird, the nest would soon be far too small to contain
the whole family ; so the young bird, almost as soon as it can scramble about the nest, sets
deliberately to work to turn out all the other eggs or nestlings. This it accomplishes by
getting its tail under each egg or young bird in succession, wriggling them on to its back, and
then cleverly pitching them over the side of the nest. It is rather curious that in its earlier
days it only throws the eggs over, its more murderous propensities not being developed until
a more advanced age.

There seems to be some peculiarity in the nature of the Cuckoo which forces other birds
to cater for its benefit, as even in the case of a tame and wing-clipped Cuckoo, which was
allowed to wander about a lawn, the little birds used to assemble about it with food in their
mouths, and feed it as long as it chose to demand their aid.

Sometimes two Cuckoo's eggs have been laid in the same nest; when they are hatched
there is a mutual struggle for the sole possession of the nest. Dr. Jenner, in his well-known
and most valuable paper on this bird, gives the following account of such a strife : —

"Two Cuckoos and a hedge-sparrow were hatched in the same nest this morning; one
hedge-sparrow's egg remained unhatched. In a few hours after, a combat began between the
Cuckoos for the possession of the nest, which continued undetermined until the next afternoon,
when one of them, which was somewhat superior in size, turned out the other, together with
the young hedge-sparrow and the unhatched egg. This contest was very remarkable. The
combatants alternately appeared to have the advantage, as each carried the other several
times nearly to the top of the nest, and then sank down again oppressed by the weight of its
burden, till, at length, after various efforts, the strongest prevailed, and was afterwards brought
tip by the hedge-sparrows."

In order to enable the young Cuckoo to perform this curious feat, its back is very different
in shape from that of ordinary birds, being very broad from the shoulder downwards, leaving
a well-marked depression in the middle, on which the egg or young bird rests while it is being
carried to the edge of the nest. In about a fortnight this cavity is filled up, and the young
bird has nothing extraordinary in its appearance.

From its peculiar mode of foisting off its young upon other birds, its character would seem
to be of a solitary nature. Such, however, is not the case, for at some periods of the year
these birds may be seen in considerable numbers, playing with each other or feeding in close
proximity. Upwards of twenty have been observed in a single field, feeding on the caterpillars
of the burnet moth, and several communications have been addressed to sport journals in
which the subject of natural history is discussed, relating similar occurrences. One of these

VOICE AMI POOD Of TV/ A' Cl.'CKOO. I :.i

<x>rreap<>iiileTit- i. •.•,.). is a large assembly of Cuckoos seen by henelf in tV month of August,
and :iii<>tlnT relates a curious anerd.it.- . .f a number of Cuckoos, which he saw on tin- \\inu.
inu :-'M -i and near a large gray stone. It seems that these birds are very partial to promi-
nl«ject>. such as lushes, tre?-Mu in]*, large stones, etc., ainl that they an- fund df con-
gregutin- in their \irinity.

Tin- |>eculiar note «>f tin- ( 'm-koo is so \\<-]\ known as to nee<l no ]iartirular description, but
ili.-l.uiilii-i-.ii.it ijuite so fumiliiir with tin- fact that tin- not,- changes aooonling to the time of
year. When tin- l>inl first IH--III- to sing, the notes are full ami i-li-ar ; luit towards tin- end of
tin- x-ason. they become ln--itatini:. hoarse, an<l broken, like the breaking voice of a young lad.
Thi- i* . -uliarity was n<itir.-<| ]i.m: airo by ob-*-i \aiit j..-r-<in-, and many are the country rhymes
^ Inch Ix-ar allusion to the voice and the sojourn of tin- t'nckoo. For example : —

"In April
Come h. win.
In M.y

He (ing* an day.
ID June

He »lt«-n« hli tone.
In July

He pn-para* to fly.
In Angiut
Qo he most •

This rhyme is often slightly varied, as : —

" In April Cuckoo Ring* her Ur ;
In Mar (he sing* both night and day;
In Jane ahv I MM her tweet mtrmin ;
In Jaly ihe I* off again."

An old writer, John Haywood, who "flourished," according to Hangnail, about 1580, has tin-
following quaint and very graphic rhyme upon tin- voice of the Cuckoo at different periods of
the year : —

" In April the Coocoo can ling her long by rote.
In Jane oft time she cannot *ing a note.
At flrat, koo, koo ; koo, koo ; BingB till can ahe do.
At lait. kooke, kooke, kooke ; ilz kooke* to one koo."

The voic.- of the female bird is quite distinct from that of the male, and has been compared
to the sound made by pouring water out of a narrow-necked bottle, and to the quacking
clutter of the dabchick.

Sometimes the Cuckoo has been known to sing at night, having been seen to perch in a
tree and th.-n to commence its song. Many such instances are recorded, as also of the Cuckoo's
song heard very early in the season ; but in all such instances where the bird was not actually
seen, great caution must be used in accepting evidence. For the note of the Cuckoo is BO
peculiar, and so easily imitated, that boys are often in the habit of hiding in the copses and
J»hind hedges for the purpose of deluding people into the idea that the Cuckoo has arrived.
There have even been instances where such delinquents have confessed their bad practices
when they attained to mature years, and wrote on natural history themselves.

When tin- stomach of the Cuckoo is opened, it is found to be lined with brown hairs,
which on i n vest iirit i<>n with the microscope have been found to be those of the long-haired
caterpillars, such as the " woolly-bear, C •. the ln\a of the tiger moth (Arctia oy'a), on
which the Cuckoo loves to feed.

In captivity it feeds on many substances, always preferring caterpillars and raw beef
chopped fine. It also likes worms, hard-boiled eggs, flies, wasp-grubs, and similar food.
According to some persons, the young Cuckoo is a very easy bird to rear; while according
to others it gives the greatest trouble. One u riter goes so far as to say that he would sooner
rear a baby single-handed than a Cuckoo. However this may be, the first winter is always a
trying season to the young bird, and there are very few which get well through it.

434

THE CUCKOO.

In general appearance the Cuckoo bears some resemblance to a bird of prey, but it has.
little of the predaceous nature. It is rather curious that small birds have a tendency to treat
the Cuckoo much as they treat the hawks and owls, following it wherever it flies in the open
country, and attending it through the air.

The color of the plumage is bluish gray above, with the exception of the wings and tail,
which are black, and barred with white on the exterior feathers. The chin, neck, and breast
are ashen-gray, and the abdomen and under wing-coverts are white, barred with slaty -gray.

Sometimes the color varies from these tints, and a white specimen may occasionally be
found. Yearling birds of both sexes are hair-brown above, barred profusely with brownish-
red : the quill-feathers of the wing are reddish-brown, barred with white, while those of the
tail are of the same dark tinge, but without the white bars, and spotted with white along the
centre of the feathers. The whole of the under portions of the body are gray- white, barred
with brown, and the short tail is tipped with white. A little white also appears on the tips
of some of the feathers on the upper surface of the body. The total length of the adult bird
is about fourteen inches. The female is rather smaller than her mate, and may be distin-
guished from the opposite sex by the brown bars upon her neck, and the brown tinge upon
the back and wings.

COLUMBUS

DOVES AND PIGEONS.

UK large order of COLUMB.I . <>r the Pigeon tril»-. comes now under our notice.
It contains very many beautiful und interesting bird* ; but as it« memlH'rsureeo
extremely numerous, only a few typical examples can be mentioned in these
pagflfc

All the Pigeons may be distinguished from tin- jxmltry, and the gallinaceous
S' birds in general, by the form of the bill, which is arched towards the tip, and
* has a convex swelling at the base, caused by a gristly kind of plate which covers
the nasal cavities, and which in some species is very curiously developed. In order to enable
the parent birds to feed th«-ir y.-uni:. tin- irullet swells into a double crop, furnished with
certain large glands during the breeding season, which mingle their secretions with the food,
and soften it, BO that wh.-n the bird throws up the food after its fashion, to feed ite young,
the whole mass lias acquired a soft and pulpy consistence, suitable to the delicate digestive
powers of the tender young. Other peculiarities of form will be found in the Appendix to
this volume.

In thi-ir habits, the Pigeons greatly resemble each other, mostly haunting trees, but
sometimes preferring the soil as a hunting-ground. Generally, the family likeness between •
the Pigeons is sufficiently strong to enable even a novice to know a Pigeon when he sees it ;
but there are one or two remarkable exceptions to this rule, such as the Dodo and the Tooth-
billed Pigeons, birds which need careful examination to be recognized as belonging to the
present order.

The powers of wing are generally very great, the Pigeons being proverbially swift and
enduring; but even this rule has its exceptions. They are found in almost all parte of the
globe, being most plentiful in the wanner regions. In this country the colors of the Pigeons,
although soft and pleasing, and in some portions of the bin!, such as the neck, glowing with
a changeful beauty, are not particularly striking for depth or brilliancy. Hut in the hotter
regions of the world, especially towards the tropics, the Pigeons are among the most magnifi-
cent of the feathered tribes, their plumage being imbued with the richest colors, and often
assuming very elegant forms.

OUR first example of this order is the OCEANIC Fitrrr PIOEOH.

The whole of the birds belonging to the genus Carpophaga are notable for the curious knob
that is found upon the base of the upper mandible, and which only makes its appearance
during the breeding season. During the rest of the year, the base of the beak is more
flattened than is generally the case with the Pigeons ; but as soon as the breeding season
approaches, a little swelling is observable in this part, which rapidly grows larger, until it
assumes the appearance of a knob. Towards the end of the breeding season, the knob
becomes smaller, and is gradually absorbed, leaving the bill in its former flattened condi
tion.

This species is found in the !Vl.-\v and iieii:hb<.rini: islands, and is a forest-loving bird,
taking up ite residence in the woods, where it finds abundance of food. The diet which thi*
bird most favors is the soft covering of the nut meg. jiopularly known as "mace," and the
flavor which this aromatic food imparts to the t|,.*h is so peculiarly delicate, that the Oceanic

436

THE PASSENGER PIGEON.

Fruit Pigeon is in great request for the table, and is shot by hundreds. During the nutmeg
season, these Pigeons find such an abundance of food that they become inordinately fat, and
are sometimes so extremely plump, that when they are shot, and fall to the ground, they
burst asunder.

Setting aside the gastronomical properties of this bird, it is a most useful creature, being
the means of disseminating far and wide the remarkable nutmeg-tree. The Pigeon being a
bird of large appetite, swallows the nutmeg together with the mace, but only the latter sub-
stance is subject to digestion, the nutmeg itself passing through the system with its repro-
ductive powers not only uninjured, but even improved. The sojourn within the body of the

bird seems to be almost necessary in
order to induce the nutmeg to grow ;
and when planted by human hands,
it must be chemically treated with
some preparation before it will strike
root.

The color of this species is as
follows: The forehead, cheeks, and
throat are grayish-white, and the
rest of the head and the back of the
neck are gray with a slaty blue wash.
The back and upper portions of the
body are light metallic green. The
lower part of the throat and the
breast are rusty gray, and the thighs

"x\-V ^V-V^^ SSSF\' and abdomen are deep brownish-red.

The under surface of the tail is also
green, but with a reddish gloss. The
total length of the bird is about
fourteen or fifteen inches.

AMONG the most extraordinary
of birds, the PASSENGER PIGEON may
take very high rank, not on account
of its size or beauty, but on account
of the extraordinary multitudes in
which it sometimes migrates from
one place to another. The scenes
which take place during these migra-
tions are so strange, so wonderful,
the Atlantic, that they could not
which they are corroborated. To

PASSENGER PJQEOS.-Ectopltta mlgratoriut.

and so entirely unlike any events on this side of
be believed, but for the trustworthy testimony by

abridge or to condense the spirited narrations of AVilson and Audubon would be impossible,
without losing, at the same time, the word-painting which makes their descriptions so
exceedingly valuable ; and, accordingly, these well-known naturalists shall speak for them-
selves.

After professing his belief that the chief object of the migration is the search after food,
and that the birds having devoured all the nutriment in one part of the country take wing in
order to feed on the beech-mast of another region, Wilson proceeds to describe a breeding-
place seen by himself in Kentucky, which was several miles in breadth, was said to be nearly
forty miles in length, and in which every tree was absolutely loaded with nests. All the
smaller branches were destroyed by the birds, many of the large limbs were broken off and
thrown on the ground, while no few of the grand forest-trees themselves were killed as surely
as if the axe had been employed for their destruction. The Pigeons had arrived about the
tenth of April, and left it by the end of May.

«r rut: I'ASSENOBR PIGEON. 187

"As soon as tin- ymiiiir were fully crown, ami U-fm-.- lli.-\ left tin- nests, numerous parties
of tin- inhabitant-, from all jwirt.s of tin- adjacent countn, came with wagons, oxen, beds,
cooking utensils, many ..f them accompanied l>y the greater part of llifir families, and
. -in •ani]H>«l for -e\eral da\s at this immense nm-i\ >. -\.-nil of them informed me that the
noise in tin- wood- .•. . • .iv [,, terrifx their horses, and that it was ditlicult for one

person to hear another >|--ak \\ithoiit bawling in his ear.

"Tin- ground u:ls strewed with broken limbs (,f trees, eggs, and young squab pigeons
which had Ixi-n precipitated from al.o\e. :m<l on which herds of hogs were fattening. Hawks,
buzzards, and eagles were sailing alx.ut in great numlicrs. and seizing the squab- from thi-ir
nests :it plea-ure ; while from twenty feet upwards to the top of tin- trees, the view through the

woods presented a ].,.. j,. •:•.;,: ta • at evowdtai md BvttariBf mfttadai <rf pigi-ous, tii.-ir

\sings roaring like thunder, mingli**! with the fn*i|uent cni.sh of fulling timlxT. For now tin-
ax. • ni' M w»«re at work cutting do«u those trees w hirh stt-med to U- most no«ded with ne-t.s,
and contriving to fell them in such a manner that in their dt-M-ent they might bring down
HTOnl Othent j > " I'i. h m<-.ins th< : illin^ ••!' DIM huge life sometimes ]•!... In, -.-d (wo hundr.-d
s<iu:il>s, little inferim- in >i/.e t«> the old ones, and almost one mass of fat.

"On some single trees upwards of one hundred neste were found, each containing on«
young only, a cirrumstance in the hi-tcry of this bin! not generally known to naturalists. It
was dangerous to walk under these Hying and fluttering millions, from the frequent fall of
large brunches, broken down by the weight of the multitudes al>o\e, and which, in their
des,-,.|ii. c.ft.-'i <|.-M..\. >: n ,ni!.. :- .•:' HM I'iid- I ii.-m^'h •-.

" I had left the public road to visit the remains of the breeding-place, near 8helbyville,
and was traversing the woods with my gun, on my way to Frankfort, when, ubout one o'clock,
the pigeons which I had observed flying the greater part of the morning northerly, began to
return in such immense numbers as I never l>efore had witnessed. Coming to an opening by
the side of a creek called the Ilenson. I was astonished at their ap|>earance.

"They were flying with great steadiness and rapidity, at a height lieyond gunshot, in
several strata deep, and so close together that could shot have reached them, one discharge
would not have failed of bringing down several individuals. From right to left, as far as
the eye could reach, the breadth of this vast procession extended, seeming everywhere equally
crowded.

" Curious to determine how long this appearance would continue. I took out my watch to
note the time, and sat down to observe them. It was then half-past one. I sat for more than
an hour, 1-ut instead of a diminution of this prodigious procession, it seemed rather to increase
both in numbers and rapidity ; and anxious to reach Frankfort before night, I rose and went
on. About four o'clock in the afternoon. I crossed the Kentucky river, at the town of Frank-
fort, at which time the living torrent above my head seemed as numerous and as extenshe
as ever. The great breadth of front which this mighty multitude preserved would seem to
intimate a corresponding breadth of their breeding-place, which by several gentlemen who had
lately juissed through part of it, was stated to me at several miles."

A few observations on the mode of flight of these birds must not !*• omitted.

" The appearance of large detached bodies of them in the air. and the various evolution;-
they display, are strikingly picturesque and interesting. In descending the Ohio l.y myself in
the month of February. I often rested on my oars to contemplate their aerial manoeuvres.

"A column, eight or ten miles in length, would appear from Kentucky, high in air. s>.
ing over to Indiana. The leaders of this great lx>dy would sometimes gradually vary their
course, until it formed a large bend of more than a mile in diameter, those behind tracing the
exact route of their predecessors. This would continue sometimes long after Imth extreme
were beyond the reach of sight ; so that the whole, with its ^littering undulations, mai-k^l a
space on the face of the heavens resembling the windings of a \\ost and majestic rh'-r. When
this bend became very irreat. the birds, as if sensible of the unnecessarily circuitous course
they w.-re takiiiir. suddenly changed their direction, so that what was in column liefore became
an immense front, straightening all its indentures until it swept the heavens in one vast and
infinitely extended line.

438 ^ PIGEON ROOST.

" Other lesser bodies united with each other as they happened to approach, with such ease
and elegance of evolutions, forming new figures, and varying them as they united or separated,
that I was never tired of contemplating them. Sometimes a hawk would make a sweep on a
particular part of the column, when, almost as quick as lightning, that part shot downwards
out of the common track ; but soon rising again, continued advancing at the same rate as
before. This reflection was continued by those behind, who on arriving at this point dived
down almost perpendicularly to a great depth, and rising, followed the exact path of those
before them."

Let us now see what Audubon has to say on this subject. The reader will remark the
brilliant account given by Wilson, of the effects produced by the attack of a hawk on a flock.
Audubon has also remarked the same circumstance, and says : " But I cannot describe to you
the extreme beauty of their aerial evolutions when a hawk chanced to press upon the rear of a
flock. At once, like a torrent, and with a noise like thunder, they rushed into a compact mass,
pressing upon each other towards the centre. In these almost solid masses, they darted for-
ward in undiilating and angular lines, descended and swept close over the earth with incon-
ceivable 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."

Writing of the breeding -places of these birds, the same author proceeds as follows : —

"One of these curious roosting-places on the banks of the Green River, in Kentucky, I
repeatedly visited. It was, as is always the case, a portion of the forest where the trees are of
great magnitude, and where there was little underwood. I rode through it upwards of forty
miles, and found its average breadth to be rather more than three miles. My first view of it
was about a fortnight subsequent to the period when they had made choice of it, and I arrived
there nearly two hours before sunset.

"Few pigeons were then to be seen, but a great number of persons with horses and
wagons, guns and ammunition, had already established encampments on the borders. Two
farmers from the vicinity of Russelsville, distant more than a hundred miles, had driven
upwards of three hundred hogs to be fattened on the pigeons that were to be slaughtered.
Here and there the people employed in plucking and salting what had already been procured
were seen sitting in the midst of large piles of these birds. Many trees two feet in diameter 1
observed were broken off at no great distance from the ground ; and the branches of many of
the largest and tallest had given way, as if the forest had been swept by a tornado. Every-
thing proved to me that the number of birds resorting to this part of the forest must be
immense beyond conception. As the period of their arrival approached, their foes anxiously
prepared to receive them ; some were furnished with iron pots containing sulphur — others with
torches of pine-knots, — many with poles, and the rest with guns. The sun was lost to our view,
yet not a pigeon had arrived. Everything was ready, and all eyes were gazing on the clear
sky which appeared in glimpses amidst the tall trees.

"Suddenly there burst forth a general cry of 'Here they come.' The noise which they
made, though yet distant, reminded me of a hard gale at sea, passing through the rigging of a
close-reefed vessel. As the birds arrived and passed over me, I felt a current of air that
surprised me. Thousands were soon knocked down by the pole-men ; the birds continued to
pour in ; the fires were lighted, and a most magnificent as well as wonderful and almost ter-
rifying sight presented itself. The pigeons arriving by thousands alighted everywhere, one
above another, until solid masses as large as hogsheads were formed on the branches all round.
Here and there the perches gave way with a crash, and falling on the ground destroyed hun-
dreds of the birds beneath, forcing down the dense groups with which every stick was loaded.

" It was a scene of uproar and confusion ; no one dared venture within the line of devasta-
tion ; the hogs had been penned up in due time, the picking up of the dead and wounded being
left for next morning's employment. The pigeons were constantly coming, and it was past
midnight before I perceived a decrease in the number of those that arrived. Towards the
approach of day the noise in some measure subsided ; long before objects were distinguishable

OF THE y.i.N>/:.V'//./; rnn:oN. i.:;t

tin- pigeons liegan to move off in u direction quite different from that in which they had
arrived thf evening In-fore, ami at sunrise all that wen- able to fly had disappeared. Tin- lm\\|.
ings of il"1 «ol\es m>w reached our ears, uii'l the foxes. l\n\.--. CMU-ars. Uiirs, racoons, and
..p, is-iinis \\ere -,.,11 sneaking otT. \\tiiUt eagles n nil hawks of different species, accompanied by

11 crowd of vultures, came to supplant th.-iu. and t-njoy their share of (lie spoil."

The chief food of the Passenger Pigeon is beech-mast, but the bird feeds on numerous
other grains ami fruit*. such as amrns. buckwheat, hempseed, maiz**, holly-l>errics. huckle-
berries, and chestnuts. Rice is also a favorite article of food, ami pigeons have been killed
with rice still undigested in their stomachs, though the nearest rice plantation was distant.
several hundred miles. The amount of food consumed by these liinls is almost incredible.
Wilson calculates that, taking the breadth of the givat column of piip'otis inentione<l aliove to
be onlv om- mil*-, its length to be two hundred and forty miles, and to contain only ihree
Pigeons in each square y.n-l taking no account of the several strata of birds, one above the
other >. and that each bird consumes half a pint of food daily — all which assiiMiptions are In-low
the actual amount —the quantity of food consumed in each d.iy would be seventeen million
bii-liels. Auduboti makes a similar calculation, allowing only two liinls to the square yard.

Although these birds are found in such multitudes, there is <,nly a single young one each
time of hatching, though there are probably two or even three broods in a season. The young
birds are extremely fat. and their flesh is very delicious, only, as during their stay every one

eats pj_'e.,ns ;ill daj :ili.l •*«] day. they -...,11 pal] ii|..>n lh- taste. S, , plump are these l.jrds.

that it is often the custom to melt them down for the sake of their fat alone.

When they begin to shift for themselves they pass through the forest in search of their
food, hunting among the leaves for mast, and appear like a prodigious torrent rolling along
through the woods, every one striving to be in the front. "Vast numbers of them are shot
while in this situation. A person told me that he once rode furiously into one of these rolling
multitudes and picked up thirteen pigeons, which had been trampled to death by his horse's
feet. In a few minutes they will beat the whole nuts from a tree with their wings, while all is
a scramble, both above and below, for the same." The young, the males and females, have
a curious habit of dividing into separate flocks.

One or two specimens of this bird have been taken in Europe, and one individual was shot
in 1825. This species has bred in aviaries, and it is rather remarkable that the female made the
nest while her mate performed the duties of hodman by bringing materials. The nest is very
slight, being only composed of a few twigs rudely woven into a platform, and so loosely made
that the eggs and young can be seen from below. In this instance the nest was begun and
finished in the same day. The younjr bird was hatched after sixteen days.

The color of the Passenger Pigeon is as follows : The head, part of the neck and the chin
are shite-blue, and the lower part and sides of the neck are also deep slate, "shot" with gold,
green, and purplish-crimson, changing at every movement of the bird. The throat, breast,
and ribs are reddish-hazel ; the back and upper tail coverts dark slaty-blue, slightly spotted
with black upon the shoulders. The primary and secondary quill-feathers of the wings are
black, the primary U-ing edged and tipped with dirty white. The lower part of the breast is
a pale purplish-red, and the altdomen is white. The long and pointed tail has the two central
feathers deep Mack, and the rest white, taking a bluish tint near their liases, and being marl
with one black sitot and another of nis« \-n-l on the inner w el «. The l>eak is black, the eye
fiery orange, and a naked space around it is purplish-red. The female is known by her smaller
size, her oaken-brown breast and ashen neck, and the slaty hue of the space round the eyes.
The total length of the adult male is about sixteen inches.

The extraordinary powers of flight pooBMnd by the Passenger Pigeons enables them to
pass over a wonderful extent of country in a very short time. Pigeons have been killed in the
neighborhood of New York, with their crops full of rice, which they must have eaten in the
rice-lields of Georgia or Carolina; these districts In-inirtlie nearest in which they could possibly
have gathered such food. It is estimated that these birds might easily cross to Europe in
three days.

440 THE ZEN AID A DOVE.

The Wild Pigeons inhabit a wide and extensive region of North America, on this side of
the Rocky Mountains. They abound in Hudson's Bay, where they remain as late as December,
and extend their range as far south as the Gulf of Mexico.

THE BAND-TAILED PIGEON (Columba fasciata) is a handsome species, inhabiting the
Pacific side of the Rocky Mountains. Dr. Newberry met with this bird in numbers, and
in many places, during his survey, and speaks of it as an attractive bird, about the size and
with many of the habits of the domestic Pigeon. Its colors are ash above, inclining to
olivaceous on the back, and a fine bluish cast on the rump. A narrow half -collar of white is
across the upper part of the neck. Its length is about fifteen inches ; its wings eight inches,
and tail six.

THE WHITE-HEADED PIGEON (Columba leucocephala) is found in no other locality within
the United States but Key West, Florida. It is common in the West Indies. It is exceed-
ingly shy, affecting secluded places. It is a few inches shorter than the preceding. Its
general color is a dark slate-blue ; the primaries and tail darker ; upper part of the head,
from the bill to the nape, pure white ; a triangular patch of dark maroon-purple on the
occiput, and below it a semicircular cape, covering the nape, of metallic brassy -green, each
feather distinctly bordered externally with velvety -black, producing a scaly appearance. The
bill is a dark purple ; the end light blue ; iris, white ; legs, deep lake-red.

There are two kinds of this Pigeon, known as the Baldpate in Jamaica, distinguished as
the MOUNTAIN and the MANGROVE BALDPATE. They resort to the low mangrove swamps
along the coast. Large numbers of squabs are taken for the market. The old birds are easily
domesticated, but have a fondness for emancipation when opportunity offers.

This is an abundant species in Jamaica and in the small islands on the coast of Honduras,
but has never been taken on the main land. They arrive in the southern Keys of Florida about
the 20th of April. As they approach the land, they skim along the surface of the water,
flying with great rapidity, in the same manner as the House Pigeon. When near land they
rise about a hundred yards, flying in circles, as if to survey the country.

THE RED-BILLED DOVE (Columba erythrina) is a Southwestern species, inhabiting the
Rio Grande country, and Mexico, where it is very abundant, but secluded. Its flight is said to
be exceedingly rapid. It is one of the handsomest of the race. The head and neck all around,
breast, and a large patch on the middle and lesser wing-coverts, light chocolate-red, the latter
deeper and more opake-red ; the middle of the back, scapulars, and tertials, olive ; the rest of
the body, wings, and tail, very dark slaty-blue ; bill and legs, purple ; eyes, purple. Its length
is fourteen inches ; wing, eight inches ; tail, five and a half.

THE WHITE-WINGED Dove (Melopelia leucoptera) is one species, only, of the genus,
inhabiting Arizona and Lower California. Its general color is a fine ashy, with an olivaceous
cast on the upper surface, the middle tail-feathers being decidedly brownish ; occiput has a
purplish tinge ; a spot of black with, steel-blue reflections below the ears ; a large patch of
white on the wings. The male has faint purplish-golden reflections on the sides of the neck.
In Jamaica this is a very common species, living in the low country. It is not unfrequently
kept as a pet, and proves quite easily domesticated.

THE ZENAIDA DOVE (Zenaida amdbilis). This Dove is a West Indian species, visiting
Key West and the other Florida Keys. Audubon found it in considerable numbers at Indian
Key, where he says it arrives about the middle of April, and remains until October, when it
returns to the West Indies. In habits this Dove is much like the Ground Doves. It is
extremely gentle, and so tame as to be approached without exhibiting fear. Its notes are
much like those of the Carolina Dove, but softer and more tender. It has been propagated in
England successfully, and as a cage bird becomes quite tame. It is a reddish-olive in color
generally, variously glossed with gray. Its length is about ten inches.

/•///: ni.i i: ni: i i>i:i> /•//.-.•

1 11

CAROLINA I»"\i. Ziimid >///«•/<*<* >. called als.. the Common Dove. <.r Mourning

Dove; in l>oui-.iana named Ortolan. This is the most familiar of all our native Pigeons. It
inhabit.-* from tin- Atlantic to the Pacific. It i> mL'i-.it..i\ in the Northern States, n
N.-u Kngland about ill,- firM of April. In some |>arts of the cotintn n •~.-.-m> to l«come par-
tially domesticated. It i> rapid in Highl. ami produces a |M-culiar whistlin- sound liy its
wings when Ihinu. Its len-th i-. twehe indie-, ami a fraction.

Tin. Sc AM l>,,\ i x, ,;/,/,,/;//„ I'/,,-,,, inlial.it-, the Ki.» (inimle valley, Arizona, and Guate-
mala. Thi-iv an- only two specieM of this gem,, kn<.\\n. One inlnil.it-. South Am.-ii.-a. It
hr»-«-<l> at ( '.-!]«• St. Lucas, \\ln-iv it-, n.-si^ ait- fmiiul in lo\* trees or shrubs.

I'm: I.K.TND DOVE (Chamapelia patserina) is common on the South Atlantic and <iulf
coast ; raivly found as far north as \Va-hini:ion. It is found also in I>.un- California, and in
tin- \\V>t lndit->. U-ing confined to the sea-coast in every in.st;, \iidiilKin d.-x-rilM-s this

bird as having a low, easy flight. a<voini»ani'-d with a whistling sound similar to that of th«-
other species. It naturally associates in groups of four or liv.-. and shows an es|Hvial fondness
for alighting on fences; \.'t it d.H-s not exhibit a dislikf to visiting trees or low shrnblx-i \
The ground is its natural resort — almost as naturally so as for the grouse. In the vicinity of
Charleston, 8. C., it is seen during the whole year. Its length is nix and a quarter inches.
Its iris is a beautiful orange-red, and its bill yellow.

BLL'K-UKAUKl) I'lUKO.X.-Sf.

THE KEY WEST PIOEOX (Geolri/ffonmarlinica.) This bird was first observed by Audu-
bon, who then con-idered Key West its only locality in the United States. It is common in
the West Indi.-s. and mi-rat. -s to Key West, as a little farther towards cooler climate, in the
spring or early summ.-r. The habits of this bird an- the same as of the Carolina Dove. It pn-f.-rs
shady dark recesses of the forest, particularly in tin- vicinity of jHimls overhung by shrubbery.
.The length is al>out eleven inches ; its win-. -i\

Another species, called tin- M<-i M UN is found in s>uth America, which, with the

latt.-r. comprise the

I'.t.i j in M.II. ri..i..\ ^nrruena* eyanoceplolm is an«.th.-r of the West Indian
species, which \isits K.-y \Vest, as the nearest point northward. Audubon found a few

VOL.

442 THE RING-DOVE.

specimens, but owing to their extremely shy disposition he did not obtain any. It exhibits a
marked contrast to others we have noticed, in this particular. This one species comprises the
entire genus. It is curiously like the quails in external appearance, and in some of its habits.
It has a blue bill, with the fleshy parts at the base, carmine. The scales of the feet are car-
mine in color. Its length is about eleven inches.

THE STOCK-DOVE derives its name from its habit of building its nest in the stocks or
stumps of trees. It is one of the European Pigeons, and is tolerably common in many parts of
the other hemisphere.

It is seldom found far northward, and even when it does visit such localities, it is only as
a summer resident, making its nest in warmer districts. As has already been mentioned, the
nest of this species is made in the stocks or stumps of trees, the birds finding out some conven-
ient hollow, and placing their eggs within. Other localities are, however, selected for the
purpose of incubation, among which a deserted rabbit-burrow is among the most common.
The nest is hardly worthy of the name, being a mere collection of dry fibrous roots, laid about
three or four feet within the entrance, just thick enough to keep the eggs from the ground,
but not sufficiently woven to constitute a true nest. In some places when the keepers discover
a brood they make a network of sticks at the mouth of the hole, so that the young cannot
escape, although they can be fed by the parents from without, and when they are sufficiently
large and plump they are taken for the table.

Now and then the Stock-Dove takes up its residence under thick furze-bushes, especially
those which have grown close to the ground, and into which little openings have been made by
the rabbits. The voice of the Stock-Dove is rather curious, being a hollow rumbling or grunt-
ing kind of note, quite unlike the well-known cooing of the Ring-Dove.

The head, neck, and back and wing-coverts are bluish-gray, the primary quill-feathers of
the wing taking a deeper hue, the secondaries being pearl-gray deepening at the tips, and the
tertials being blue-gray with two or three spots. The chin is blue-gray, the sides of the neck
slaty -gray glossed with green, and the breast purplish-red. The specific name of "renas," or
wine-colored, is given to the bird on account of the peculiar hue of the throat. The whole of
the under surface is gray, and the tail-feathers are colored with gray of several tones, the out-
side feathers having the basal portion of the outer web white. The beak is deep orange, the
eyes scarlet, and the legs and toes red. The total length is about fourteen inches, the female
being a little smaller.

THE bird which now comes before our notice is familiar to all residents in the country
under the titles of RING-DOVE, WOOD-PIGEON, WOOD-GUEST, and CUSHAT.

This pretty Dove is one of the commonest of the European birds, breeding in almost
every little copse or tuft of trees, and inhabiting the forest grounds in great abundance.
Towards and during the breeding season, its soft complacent cooing — coo-goo-roo-o-o-o ! coo
goo-roo-o-o-o— is heard in every direction, and with a very slight search its nest may be found.
It is a strange nest, and hardly deserving that name, being nothing more than a mere platform
of sticks resting upon the fork of a bough, and placed so loosely across each other, that when
the maternal bird is away, the light may sometimes be seen through the interstices of the nest,
and the outline of the eggs made out. Generally the Ring-Dove chooses a rather lofty branch
for its resting-place, but it occasionally builds at a very low elevation. I have found the nest
of this bird in a hedge only a few feet from the ground, so low, indeed, that I could look down
upon the eggs while standing by the hedge, and more like the work of the turtle-dove than of
the Ring-Dove.

The eggs are never more than two in number, and perfectly white, looking something like
hen' s eggs on a small scale, save that the ends are more equally rounded. The young are
plentifully fed from the crops of their parents, and soon become very fat. Just before they
are able to fly they are held in great estimation for the table, and in some places ingenious
boys are in the habit of going round to the Ring-Dove's nest while the young are still in their
infantile plumage, tying a piece of string to their legs, passing it through the interstices of the

TIIK R1SO-DOVB.

\ I.I

and fastening it to the branch. The young birds are tli<

•ping,

and are sure to !»• at han<l \\ h--n wanted. F.w-u when adult the King- Dove is a favorite article
of f<Hxl, and is .shot l>y hundn-ds \\li.-n they flock together in tin- cold weather. They aim
exhibit a derided partiality for c,-i tain n-ost ing-place.s. and can be shot by waiting under the
trees to which they have taken a liking.

The food of this Dove ronsi.sU) of grain and needs of various kinds, together with the
green blades of newly .sprung corn, and the leaves of turnips, clover, and other vegetables.
Quiet and harmless as it may look, the King- Dove is a wonderful gormandizer, and can con-
sume great quantities of food. The crop is capacious to suit the appetite, and can contain
i -Jugular amount of solid food, as indeed seems to be the case with most of the Pigeon tribe,
so that when the birds assemble together in the autumn, the nocks will do great damage to the
farmer.

'

. ^

' '/ " ' 7Z5r^

Vir 1

< t

UNO DOVB «od HTOCX DOVE.-C

The Ring-Dove may be easily known by the peculiarity from which it derives its name,
the feathers upon tli. side of the neck being tipped with white so as to form portions of rings
set obliquely on the neck. The head, chin and part of the neck are blue-gray ; the remainder
of tin- ni-ck and the. breast are purple-red, and the bare skin about the base of the beak is
nearly white. The upper parts of the body are also blue-gray, but of a more slaty hue than
the head and neck. The wings are also of the same dark hue. the primary quill-feathers
having black shafts and a narrow band of white extending along the edges of their mit.-r \\ ••!>*.
The wing-ooverts are mostly hlui'-irray, but some of the feathers are more or less white, so that
when the bird spreads its wings th.-y form a \--ry bold white patch, but wh»-n the wings an
closed the white feathers of the coverta only form a line along the top of the wing. The tail

444

THE ROCK-DOVE.

is marked with several shades of gray, and the abdomen is soft pearly-gray ; the beak is warm
orange, and the eyes topaz-yellow. It is a larger bird than the preceding species, being about
seventeen inches in length.

THE many varieties of size, form, and color afford an excellent example of the wonderful
variations of which animals are susceptible under certain circumstances. Different as are the
DOMESTIC PIGEONS, they all are modifications of the common BLUE ROCK-PIGEON, and if per-
mitted to mix freely with each other, display an inveterate tendency to return to the original
form, with its simple plumage of black bars across the wing, just as the finest breeds of lop-
eared rabbits will now and then produce upright-eared young.

BLUE HOCK-PIGEON.- Colvmba livia.

The Rock-Dove derives its popular name from its habit of frequenting rocks rather than
trees, an idiosyncracy which is so inherent in its progeny, that even the domestic Pigeons,
which have not seen anything except their wooden cotes for a long series of generations, will,
if they escape, take to rocks or buildings, and never trouble themselves about trees, though
they should be at hand. Some years ago, one of my friends lost all his Pigeons, by their
gradual desertion of the loft in which they and their progenitors had been born, in favor of a
tower, where they finally took up their residence in amiable proximity to multidinous jack-
daws, and several owls, and may be seen hovering about the towers, but always remaining
near its summit.

This species seems to have a very considerable geographical range, for it is common over
most parts of Europe, Northern Africa, the coasts of the Mediterranean, and has even been
found in Japan.

As a general rule, any one who wants Pigeons about his house, and is not particular about
the breed, can obtain them without the least trouble, by getting a good cote put up on his
premises, and painting it white. The Pigeons are sure to be attracted by the glittering object,
and will take possession of it spontaneously. I think that in many cases the cotes are deserted
by the birds because they are left so long uncleansed, and are made on too small a scale.
Among rocks or ruins, cleanliness is no such great matter, because there is plenty of air, and

Tit/. HOCK-DOVE. I \;

birds «-:in chautre ih.-ir places freely ; Inn in the cn.se of the wooden cotes, the sj>are in very
limited, :iinl I In- \t-iitil:itiiiit almost i.duc.-d to a millin. \erinin. I<M., s \\arm in such places,
and the birds sho\\ (hate good MOW in getting away from so unli--altli\ a -.iiii.iiii.n. Tin- rotes,
should always U> well cleaned at intenaK ami the ownei \\ill In- repaid b\ the health and
rapidly increasing numU>r of his birds.

In a domesticated state, although it is better t<» feed them at home and so keep them from
8tr.iv in:;, tln-y \\ill always forage f<ir themselve> ami vomit: without any assistance, a Hi-lit <»f
ten miles or so being a mere not him; to tin-.- MI-MIH: wiuired birds. Indeed, tin- Pi-eons that
inhabit tin- lla-ue an- known to cross the sea aa far as the coast of Norfolk for the sake of
feeding on the vetches.

The color of the Uock-I>ove is as follows: The head is gray, and tin- neck of the same
color, but "shot" with purple and gn-en. The chin is blue-gray, and the throat . chautreable
gre«-u and purple. The up|«-r Mlfsoe of the body is also gray, but of a different tone; the
greater coverts are barred with black at their tip, formiu.tr a decided band across the wing;
the tertials are also tipj>ed with black, and another black Iwind crosses the wing a little below
the lirst -mentioiu-d bar. These conspicuous black bars are difficult to enulicate from tin-
domestic breeds, and are always apt to make their appearance most unexpectedly, and annoy
the fancier irn-atly. The lower jwirt of the back is pure white, the upper tail-coverte are pearl-
gray, and the breast and abdomen of the same hue. The total length of this bird is not quite
a foot.

From this stock, the varieties that have been reared by careful management are almost
innumerable, and are so different in appearance that if they were seen for the first time,
almost any systematic naturalist would set them down as belonging not only to different
species, but to different genera. Such, for example, as the pouter, the jacobin, the trumjieter,
and the fa mail, the last-mentioned bird having a greater number of feathers in its tail than any
of the others.

As this work is not intended to be of a sporting or "fancy" diameter, a description of
the various fancy Pigeons cannot be given. But the "homing" faculty of this bird, and tin-
list1 to which it has been put, is too important to be passed over without a notice.

It has long been known that Pigeons have a wonderful power of finding their home, even
if taken to great distances, and the mode by wliich the birds are enabled to reach their
domiciles has long been the object of discussion, one party arguing that it is an instinctive
operation, and the other, that it is entirely by sight. In my opinion the latter party have
the better of the argument, though perhaps the element of instinct ouirht not wholly to-
be omitted. I have been told by those who have hunted on vast plains, where no object

MTWasa iruide. that tl :i!\ \\:i> to L.-.-I -a!".-l\ back i> to s.-t nil" <>n tin- liom--\\aid track

without thinking about it, for that when a man begins to exercise his reason, his in-tiiK t
faiN him iu proportion, and unless he should be furnished with a compass, he will probably
be lost.

Still, that the sense of sight is the principal element cannot, 1 think, be denied. For in
training a bird, the instructors always take it by degrees to various distances, begiiiniii.tr with
half a mile or so, and ending with sixty or seventy miles in the case of really good birds,
which will travel from London to Manchester in four hours and a half. In foggy w. -ather the
birds are often lost, even though they have to pass over short distances, and when a heavy
fall of snow has obliterated their landmarks and iriven the country an uniform \\liit.- coating,
they are sadly troubled in finding their way home. The fancy Carrier Pigeon, with the large
wattles on the ! -aid to l>e no very pxxl mes^-mrer. the t miners preferring tin- !'• lirian

bird, with its short l>eak, round head, and broad sh-nild-

It is a curious, but a well ascertained fact, that the accuracy of Pip-on flight dejiends
much on the ]M.ints of the comjwiss. although each individual bird may have a different
idiosyncracy in this n-j - bin Is. for example, always fly best in a line nearly north

and south, while otln-rs prefer east and west as their line of flisrht. This remarkable pro-
•MS to indicate that tin- birds an- much intlin-no-d by the .-li-ctric or matriietic currents
i-otitiuually traversing the earth. \Vli--n starting from a distance to reach their home, these

446 THE TURTLE-DOVE.

Pigeons rise to a great height, generally hover about for a while in an undecided manner, and
then, as if they had got their line, dart off with an arrowy flight. Missives written on very
thin paper and rolled up tightly, are secured to the bird in such a way that they will not be
shaken off by the flapping of the wings, or encumber the bird in its flight ; and before the
introduction of the electric telegraph, this mode of correspondence was greatly in use, mostly
in political or sporting circles.

THE splendid TOP-KNOT PIGEON is one of the handsomest of the tribe, and in any collec-
tion of birds would be one of the most conspicuous species.

It is a native of Southern and Eastern Australia, and, according to Mr. Gould, is most
plentifully found in the bushes of the Illawarra and Hunter rivers. The powerful feet and
general structure point it out as an arboreal bird, and it is so exclusively found in the trees
that it will not even perch among the underwood, but must needs take its place on the
branches of lofty trees. When perched it sits boldly and uprightly, having an almost hawk-
like air about it.

It is a gregarious bird, assembling in large flocks, and being very fond of constant
proximity to its neighbors, whether it be swiftly flying through the air, or quietly perched
upon a branch. When a flock of Top-knot Pigeons directs its flight towards a tree,
the rushing sound of wings can be heard at a considerable distance, and when the
birds perch simultaneously upon the boughs, bending them down with their weight, or
fluttering their wings and displaying their beautiful crests, they present a very animated
scene. Their wings are proportionately powerful to their feet, and they have a custom
of ascending high into the air and taking very long flights, packed so closely together
that the spectator involuntarily wonders how they can move their wings without striking
their companions.

The food of this bird consists mostly of fruits, and it is very fond of the wild fig and
the berries of the cabbage palm. Its throat is wonderfully capacious, and Mr. Gould says it
could swallow a walnut without inconvenience. Fortunately for itself, it is not good eating,
the flesh being dry and coarse.

The crest of the forehead and top of the head, together with the hackle-like feathers of
the throat and breast, are silver-gray, showing the darker hues on the breast. On the back of
the head the crest is of a ruddy rust color. From the eye to the back of the head runs a
dark streak shaded by the crest. The upper surface of the body is dark slaty-gray, and the
primaries and secondaries, together with the edge of the wing, are black. The tail is gray
of two shades, having a broad band of black across the centre, and the extremity deeply
tipped with the same dark hue. The under surface is silver-gray like the breast. The eye
is fiery orange, surrounded with a narrow crimson line ; the base of the bill is blue and
the remainder red, and the feet are purplish-red. The length of this tine bird is about
seventeen inches.

THE world-famed TURTLE-DOVE is, although a regular visitor of northern countries, better
known by fame and tradition than by actual observation. This bird has, from classic time until
the present day, been conventionally accepted as the type of matrimonial perfection, loving but
its mate, and caring for no other until death steps in to part the wedded couple. Yet it is by
no means the only instance of such conjugal affection among the feathered tribes, for there
are hundreds of birds which can lay claim to the same excellent qualities, the fierce eagle and
the ill-omened raven being among their number.

The Turtle-Dove seems to divide its attention pretty equally between Africa and England,
pausing for some little time in southern Italy as a kind of half-way house. It arrives in Eng-
land about the beginning of May, or perhaps a little earlier, in case the weather be warm, and
after resting for a little while, sets about making its very simple nest and laying its white
eggs. The nest of this bird is built lower than is generally the case with the Wood-Pigeon,
and is usually placed on a forked branch of some convenient tree, about ten feet or so from
the ground. Both parents aid in the duties of incubation, as they ought to do, and both

nit:

•/»/ 1 /:.

1 17

are equally industrious in tin- maintenance of th«-ir small family. The eggs are laid rather
late in tin- sca.son, -,, that there i- seldom more thun a Mingle brood of two young in the course
of tin- y.-:ir.

The Turilf l>o\.- i^ f:ir more <-(,iiun<>n in the southern than in tin- northern countries, and I
have reason to believe that in Derbyshire, where I was greatly fond of I >inl- nesting for some
yenr>. it i> not of very frequent occurrence, at least ius fur as jK-rsonal exjxTienre goes, which.
how.-\.T. is only of a negative character in thi* in-lain.-. The white eggs are rather m<
sharply pointe<l than those of the Wood-Pigeon, but all tin- KiiLrlish Pigeons' eggs are, much
alike and < an with ditliciilty 1>«- distinguNi'-d fnun eai-h other.

,

The food of the Turtle-Dove mostly consists of seeds, such as corn, peas, rape, and similar
seeds.

It is a bird of strong flight, and on its migrating journeys prefers to travel in company,
associating in little flocks of ten or twelve. The end of August and September ore the periods
most in favor for the annual emigration.

The Turtle-Dove may be readily known by the four rows of black feathers tipped with
white, which are found on the sides of the neck. The top of the head is ashen-slate, deepen-
ing into a browner hue on the back of the neck. The chin and neck are pale brown, tinged
with purple upon the breast The upper surface of the body is pale brown mottled with a
darker hue, and the wing-coverts are another shade of brown edged with warm, mddy chest-
nut. The quill-feathers of the wing are brown, and the upper tail-coverts are also brown with
a slight ruddy tinge. The two central tail-feathers are of the same color, and the remainini;
feathers are dark brown tipped with white. Both edges of the tail are also white. The

448

THE CRESTED PIGEON.

abdomen and iinder tail-coverts are white. The eye is chestnut, and under it there is a little
patch of bare pink skin ; the legs and toes are brownish-yellow, and the beak is brown. The
young birds of the year are differently shaded with brown ; the head is wholly of that color,
the wing-coverts are tipped with yellowish-white, and the quill-feathers of the wing are edged
with a rusty hue. The tail, too, is without the white that distinguishes the adult bird. The
total length of this species is rather more than eleven inches.

THE little CRESTED PIGEON, although not so conspicuous as some of its relations, is one
of the most elegant in form and pleasing in color among this tribe.

It is a native of central Australia, and, according to Mr. Gould, is fond of haunting the
marshy ground by the side of rivers and lagoons, and there assembling in large flocks. The

CRESTED PIGEON and BRONZE-WING PIGEON.— Phape topAotosnd ctialcojitem.

gregarious propensities of this bird are indulged to an extent that seems almost ridiculous, for
a large flock of Crested Pigeons will fly to the same tree, sit closely packed upon the same
branch, and at the same moment descend in a mass to drink, returning in a similar manner to
their perch. The flight of this bird is strong, and rather curiously managed. When it starts
from the tree on which it is sitting, it gives a few quick strokes with its wings, and then darts
off on steady pinion with an arrowy flight. When it settles, it flings up its head, erects its
crest, and jerks its tail over its back, so that the crest and tail nearly touch each other. Its
Best is, like that of most Pigeons, made of little twigs, and placed on the low forking branch
of some convenient tree. While sitting on the nest, or perching quietly on the bough, the
crest lies almost upon the back, and from below is hardly distinguishable from the rest of
'• • the plumage.

The head, face, and most of the under portions are pearl-gray, the long slender crest being
jetty black, and the sides of the neck tinged slightly with pink. The back of the neck, the
back, flanks, and both tail-coverts are light brown ; the feathers at the insertion of the wing
,art- Imir. crossed with black nearer their tips, and the great coverts a» sUnlBg bronze-green
'edged with white. The primiiry fVntlirrs of the wing are brown, some p:ir1i;illy edited with
brownish-white, and the rest with pure white. The secondaries are brown in their inner webs,

rut: HI;O*/.I:.\\IM;

and their outer webs are bmn/\ -pnrpl.- at the base, tip|>ed \\itli I. r. m n. and edged with white.
'I'M.' two central feather- <if tli.- t:iil an- brown, ill.- n-t are blackish-brown, with a green «low
on their outer webs aii<i tip|>ed with white. Tli.- 1-ill is ..liv.--l.lai-k. deepening at tin- tip, the
feet are pink, and the eye orange set in a pink orbit.

TIIK HI:OS/I WINU PIOEOX is also an Australian l>ir<l, and with the, exception of the
\V. .:;_-:i \\ onga Pigeon, hereafter to be described, is the most celebrated for the delicacy of its
flesh.

li is a plump, and readily fatt.-nin^ bird, weighing alxnit a pound when in good condition.
I'll.- brea-t is particularly large, as may lie supposed from the great force of its wings, and
when tin- l>ird is fat, is the most esteemed jMirtion. To th<- Australian tniveller the Hmnze-
wing is invaluable, as it is a great water-drinker, and its flight will direct th<- thirsty wanderer
to the stream or spring. Mr. Gould, who has had long exjierience of this as well as of many
oth.T bird-, i.'i\.-s thf following interesting account of its habits:—

" Its amazing jiowere of flight enable it to pass in an incredibly short space of time over a
peat expanse of country, and jmt bolON mMd i' BMJ be obwrred swift h winging its wmj
over the plains or down the gullies to its drinking place.

" During the long drought of 1839-40, when I was encamjied at the northern extremity of
the Brezi range, I had daily opportunities of observing the arrival of this bird to drink ; the
only water for miles, as I was assured by the natives, being that in the immediate vicinity of
my tent, and that was merely the scanty supply left in a few natural basins in the rocks,
which had been filled by the rains of many months before. Tin- ]M-culiar situation afforded
me an excellent opjiortunity for observing not only the Bronze-win::, but many other birds
inhabiting the neighborhood. Few, if any, of the true insectivorous or IK- in ••-trial birds came
to the water holes, bur, on the other hand, those species tlmt live upon grain and seeds, par-
ticularly the parrots and honey-eaters (Trichoglottsi and Mt •///>//<///. • ontinually rushing
down to the edges of the pools, utterly regardless of my presence, their thirst for water quite
overcoming their sense of danger; seldom, if ever, however, did the Bron/e-winir make its
appearance during the heat of tin day ; but at sundown, on the contrary, it arrived with arrow-
like swiftness, either singly or in pair-.

" It did not descend at once to the edge of the pool, but dashed down to the ground at
about ten yards' distance, remained quiet fora short time, then walked leisurely to the water,
and after taking libations deep and frequent, whigi-d its way to its roosting-place for the
night. With a knowledge, therefore, of the habits of this bird, the weary tniveller may
always perceive when he is in the vicinity of water ; and however arid the appearance of the
country may be, if he observes the Bronze-wing wending its way from all quarters to a given
point, he maybe certain to procure a supply of food and water. When rain has fallen in
abundance, and the rivers and lagoons are filled not only to the brim, but the water has spread
over the surface of the surrounding country, the case is materially altered ; then the Bronze-
wing and many other birls are not so easily procured, the abundant supply of the element so
requisite to their existence, rendering it no longer necessary that they should brave every
danger in procuring it."

This Pigeon does not assemble in flocks, but in many parts of the country is so plentiful
and is so attached to certain localities that forty or fifty may be killed in a day after the
breeding season, when it i- in IM--I condition. It f«-eds almost invariably on the ground,
it- diet cnn-i-tinir chiefly of leguminous weds. The nest is a frail structure of twitrs.
rather more hollowed than i- n-uaHy the ca--\\itli the houses of Pigeons, and is placed on
the low forking branch of a gum-tree near water. The bird is presumed to undergo a partial
migration.

In color, the forehead is buff, tin- head i- dark In-own changing to deep plum color at the
sides, the -ide- <,f the n.-ck are gray, and there is a white waved line under the eye, and nin-
ning jKirtly down the chin. The up|M-r surface of the l>ody is dark brown. The covert s are
marked with bron.- nd tin- tertian.-- have a larp- oblong Chilling ^n-en q

edged with buff. The two central feathers of the tail an- brown, and the rest gray, banded with
VOUU.-B.

450

THE NICOBAR PIGEON.

black near the tip. The breast is purple-brown, fading into gray on the abdomen. The eyes
are reddish-brown, and the legs and feet crimson.

OF all this group of birds, the WONGA-WONGA PIGEON is the most celebrated for the
whiteness, plumpness, and delicacy of its flesh, which, when eaten with bread sauce, is of such
remarkable excellence, that the remembrance always excites the liveliest reminiscences in
those who have partaken of so great a dainty.

The Wonga-Wonga Pigeon is a native of Australia, but is not spread generally over the
country, being found mostly, if not wholly, among the bushes along the coast of New South
Wales, or the sides of the hills of the interior. According to Mr. Gould, it inhabits the same
district as the bush turkey, the satin bower-bird, and the lyre-bird. It lives mostly on the
ground, feeding upon the stones and seeds of fallen fruit. When disturbed, it suddenly rises
from the ground with a loud wliirring rush like that of the pheasant, and, like that bird, rather
startles the novice with the noise. It does not maintain a long flight ; but either directs its
course to a neighboring tree, or again settles upon the earth.

In color it is a very conspicuous bird. The forehead and chin are white, and a jetty-black
line passes from the eye to the base of the bill. The sides of the head are gray, the back and
upper surface are slate-gray, and the chest is deep blackish-gray, with a very broad white
band crossing the chest and running up the sides of the neck. The abdomen is white, the
under coverts dark brown tipped with buff, and the flanks are also white, but agreeably
diversified with a bold black spot near the ti^> of each feather. The beak is red tipped with
black, the eyes are dark brown with pink orbits, and the legs are bright pink.

NICOBAR PIGEON.— CaOantu nicobarica.

THE NICOBAK PIGEON may fairly be reckoned among the more magnificent species belong-
ing to the Pigeon tribe ; the long-pointed feathers of the neck and shoulders glowing with
resplendent green, bronze, and steely-blue, and having a peculiarly attractive effect as they
droop towards the ground, their loose points waving in the wind, and their hues changing with
every movement. Like others of the sub-family to which it belongs, it is mostly a terrestrial
bird. As its name imports, it is most commonly found in Nicobar ; but it also inhabits Java,
Sumatra, and many neighboring islands.

The head of this Pigeon is slaty -blue, \cith a purplish cast, which is more conspicuous in

////; CROWNED PKlEOff.

IM

certain lights. Th«- Ivaiitiful loim-|>oint«l feathers of the neck are great ly like the liackles of

tli,- .ir.inir , ,M-k. ,-\,-,.|,t (hut they hung lower mi tin- nock. Tli.-ir .-olm- is n- li, r.-fulk"-ni w<-\\,
deepening in to a wurni n>pp«T \\li.-n tin- li^'lit falls obli,jii«-l\ H|MHI th.-m, ami th-- win- -ro\,-rt.s
are of tin- same hii.-, and iH.int.-d aft.-r a similar fashion. Hie bock and whole of the upper
surface is glowing green. \sith linni»« and st«-.-| I, In,- ivhWtioiis. aii«l tli«- nn.l«T surfar«- j«r-
taki-s of tin- NUM.- colnrin-, hut \\iihoiit its j«Tii!iar n^]>]«-nd««noe. The short, square tail ia
|.un- whit.-. It i> null. -i i-.-markal>li- that in tin- brveding season a nnindf.1. fleshy knob makes
ipIKiurance upon tin- \\\>\»-\- urnidil.!.-, similar to that whir h luw already been noticed in
the Fruit Pigeon. The total length of this l.inl is aUmt fmn-t.-. -n inches.

TIIK .s].|t-iidid Ci:n\v\n> rn;r«'\ is indisputably tln> most conspicuous of all
great size and >pl.-n<lid i-n-st n-iidfiingitamost strikinirnl.j,.,-!. .-\.-n at a

tribe ; ita

CKUWNKO PlUKUM.-CWMMta eonmalm.

So large and so un-pigeon-like is this bird, that few on first seeing it would be likely to
determine its real relations to the rest of the feathered race, and would be more likely to class
it among the poultry than the pigeons. If, however, the reader will lay a card upon the crest
so as to expose only the head, he will see that the general outline of the head and beak is
clearly that of a Pigeon. It is a native of Java, New Guinea, and the Moluccas.

The manners of this splendid bird are very curious and interesting. Their walk is quite
of a royal charart.-r. .-tat. ly and majestic, and well according with the beautiful feathered
crown whir h th.-y bear upon their heads. The crest seems to be always held expanded. They
have a quaint habit of sunning themselves upon the hot pavement of their prison by lying
on one side, laying the head flat on the ground, tucking the lower wing under them, and

452

THE TOOTH-BILLED PIGEON.

spreading the other over their bodies so as to form a very shallow tent, each quill-feather being
separated from its neighbor, and radiating around the body. Sometimes the bird varies this
attitude by stretching the other wing to its full length, and holding it from the ground, at an
angle of twenty degrees or so, as if to take advantage of every sunbeam and every waft of air.

While lying in this unique attitude, it might easily pass at a little distance for a moss-
covered stone, a heap of withered leaves, or a rugged tree-stump, with one broken branch pro-
jecting to the side. No one would think of taking it for a bird. Unfortunately, it is a diffi-
cult matter to take a sketch of the bird while thus reposing, for there are so few salient points
that a very careful outline is needed, and its companions are sure to come and peck it up
before the sketch can be concluded.

The cry of this bird is loud and sonorous, and not very easy of description. Some authors
compare it to the gobbling of a turkey-cock, but I can perceive no resemblance to that sound.
It is more of a loud, hollow boom, than anything else, a kind of mixture between a trombone
and a drum, and every time that the bird utters this note, it bows its head so low that the
crest sweeps the ground.

The nest of the Crowned Pigeon is said to be made in trees, the eggs being two in number,
as is generally the case with this group of birds. Its flesh is spoken highly of by those who
have eaten it. The general color of this bird is a deep and nearly uniform slate-blue ; the
quill-feathers of the wing and tail being very blackish ash, and a patch of pure white and
warm maroon being found on the wing.

TOOTH-BILLED PIGEON.— Didunculut Urigirottrit.

IN the Samoan islands of the Pacific is found a bird of extreme rarity of form, which is,
as far as is known, unique :i inoiig the feathered tribes that now inhabit the earth. I say now
inhabit, because in former days, when the Dodo was still in existence, that remarkable and
ungainly bird presented a form and structure greatly similar to those of the TOOTH-BILLED
PIGEON.

On account of its close relationship with the Dodo, it has received from some systematic
zoologists the gem TIC n;iim> of Didnnculiis, or Lilt If Dodo, while others have given it the title
of Unathodon, or Tooth-jaw, in allusion to the st i-uct UK- of its beak. The food of this bird

THE DODO. t . :

largely of tli.- soft bullions root.- of M-x.-ral plant.-. Tin- whole . ..ntour ..f ,i|,

hill is ivmarkable. and d.-cid.-dU ,,i,;iiiit ; ii- loiind.-d |MN|\ -.-.-ming hardly ii. ,11.-. • with

tli.- lanrr U-ak. which i> nearly a- Ion- a- tin- head, ami ia great I;. ai.-|,.-d ..n th.- u|.|--i man
dible. 'I'd.- lower mandible i- deep|\ di-ft into three di-tinct l.-eth near ita tip.

In <-olor it is rather a l.rilliant l.inl. The head, n.-. k. Inva.-t. ami aMoinen are gloasj
irreenish black, and up<>n the shoulders and tin- upi-er [.art of th.- back tli.- feathers are
\.-lx.-ty black. «-a.-h lia\ ing a crescent-shaped mark of shining green near it* extn-mity. The
n-st of tli.- l-a.-k. ill.- \xinir-. tail, ami uml.-r tail-covert- an- deep chestnut. Tin- priman and
stvondary >|iiill-feathen of tin- wing aiv gra\i-h-hlack, and the large arched bill is orange.
The total length of this bird is about fourteen inches.

THE DODO.

Tint position held by the celebrated DODO among birds was long doubtful, nnd was only

«ettl.-d ill .•omparatix.-ly lat.- years I \ can-fill ••viminat i. >n Q| ih.- !'.-» nttoi »lii< Ii aft "'n -"!,.
and -ranty recorda of this very remarkable bird.

For many years the accounts given by the early voyagers of the Dodar, or Walffh Vogel,
found in tin- Mauritius and other islands, were thought to be mervly fabulous narratives, a
mental reunion having set in from the too comprehend •• credulity of the previous times; and
the various portraits of the !><M!O to be found in the books of travel were set down as
examples, not of the Dodo, but of the inventive faculties possessed by the authors. Truth,
hi.-.' <KX! its own ground, as it always will do, and steadily withstood the batteries of

negative reasonings that were brought to bear on the subject. An entire bird \va.s quietly
lodged in a museum at Oxford ; portions of other sj.ecim.-ns made their way to Kuro|»e among
the curiosities \\hich sailors are so fond of bringing home, and there is every reason to U-M.-ve
that a living example of this bird was exhibited in Holland.

It i-* curious that, but for a code of far-seeing regulations, providing that when the Muffed
skin of a bird was so far decayed as to be useless as a s|ni-itnen, the head and feet should be
preserved, our U-M and most i>erfect relics of the Dodo would have been burned as u-ele-s
rubbish. The specimen at Oxford was suffered to fall into decay, no one seeming to be aware
of its priceless value, and when the skin was destmyi-d. the head and feet \\.-p- laid aside and
put away with oth.-r objects, among which they wen- afterwards discover.il to the jrn-at joy of
the finder. These were sufficiently iM-rf.-.-t to pro\e the real existence of the bird, and the
correctness with which it had been depicted by many draughtsmen ; some ]x>rtrait.s !>cing of
the rudest description, while others were the work of eminent artists, and most valuable for
their high finish and accuracy of detail. The position of the bird among the feathered tribes
was long doubtful, and it was provisionally placed U-tween the ostriches and bustards,
until, after a careful examination of the relics, it was found to belonir to the pigeon tribe.
This decision received a valuable continuation in the discovery »f the tooth-billed pigeon, just
descril>ed.

For further information respecting the anatomical and scientific details of this bird,
the reader is referred to Strickland and Melville's instructive and interesting work on the
subj-

Many of the earlier travellers have sj>oken of the I>odo — a nam.-. by the way. corrupted
from the Dutch term Dod-aers — and their accounts an- as quaint as the bird which they
descril* i example. Ikmtius writes as follows: "The l>r<.nt.-. or I »od-aer-. is for bigness
of Hi-Mil -i»» between an ostrich and a turkey, from which it jwirtly differs in shai«- and partly
agrees with them. <-sj»-cial]y with the African o-tiich.-*. if you consider the rump, quills, and
feathers ; so that it was like a pigmy among them if you n-ganl the shortness of its legs.

•'It has a great ill-favored head. . ..\.-r.-d with a kind of membrane, resembling a hood;
great black eyes; a bending, prominent, fat neck: an extraordinary 1. •• m:. blui-h-

.\hite bill, only the ends of each mandible are a diftVn-nt color, that of the upper black, that

. :

POULTRY.

& ™-.
jT)

- F

CURASSOWS AND GUAMS.

456 THE TEXAN OUAN.

The Crested Curassow inhabits the thickly- wooded districts of Guiana, Mexico, and Brazil,
and is very plentifully found in those countries. It is a really handsome bird, nearly as large
as the turkey, and more imposing in form and color. It is gregarious in its habits, and
assembles together in large troops, mostly perched on the branches of trees. It is susceptible
of domestication, and, to all appearances, may be acclimatized in England as well as the
turkey or the pheasant.

There is special reason that the Curassows should be added to oar list of domesticated
poultry, for their flesh is peculiarly white and well flavored, surpassing even that of the
turkey, and they are of a pleasant temper, and readily tamed by kindness. A dry soil is
absolutely necessary for their well-being, as they suffer greatly from damp, which produces a
disease of the foot and toes, often causing the toes to mortify and fall off. Trees are also
needful as these birds are fond of perching at some height from the ground, and the situation
must be sheltered from wind or rain.

In their native country the Curassows build among the trees, making a large and rather
clumsy-looking nest of sticks, grass-stems, leaves, and grass-blades. There are generally six
or seven eggs, not unlike those of the fowl, but larger and thicker shelled. The voice of the
Crested Curassow is a short croak, but the various species differ slightly in this respect. The
male Globose Curassow, for example, has a voice that sounds like a short, hoarse cough, and
every time that it utters the cry it jerks up its tail and partially spreads the feathers. The
voice of the female is unlike that of her mate, being a gentle whining sound. While per-
ambulating the ground or traversing the branches, the Curassow continually raises and
depresses its crest, giving itself a very animated aspect.

The color of the Crested Ciirassow is very dark violet, with a purplish-green gloss above
and on the breast, and the abdomen is the purest snowy white, contrasting beautifully with
the dark velvety plumage of the upper parts. The bright golden-yellow of the crest adds in-
no small degree to the beauty of the bird.

THE GUAXS also belong to the same family as the Curassows. They are also inhabitants
of the forests of tropical America ; and are easily to be recognized by the naked and dilatable
skin of the throat. They are not gregarious, like the curassow, but are mostly solitary in
their habits, feeding chiefly on fruits and remaining on the branches. They are not so sus-
ceptible of domestication as the curassow, nor are they so large, being of a more delicate and
slender shape. The flesh of these birds is very excellent. •

OF the family Cracidce, the genus Ortalida has eighteen species, inhabiting South
America, called in English, Curassows.

THE TEXAN GUAN (Ortalis vetula). This is the only species of the genus known to North
America. Its local name is Chacalacca. Numerous species of the family are native in Mexico
and Central America.. All of them appear to be susceptible of domestication. The present
species has been especially amenable to domestic treatment. They are quite gentle, and have
even been crossed with common fowl. In the morning and evening, they ntter a loud noise
that resembles the above local name quickly spoken. These birds are very numerous near
Brownsville and Matamoras, where they are exposed for sale in considerable numbers. The
Mexicans esteem them for their fighting qualities.

Hybrids from the common fowl are used for gaming purposes. Its habits are pleasantly
related by Mr. Cassin : " When I assure you that its voice in compass is equal to that of
the Guinea fowl, and in harshness but little inferior, you may form some idea of the chorus
with which the forests are made to ring at the hour of sunrise. At that hour in the month
of April, I have observed a stately fellow descend from the tree on which it had roosted,
and, mounting upon a log or stump, commence his clear, shrill cry. This was soon responded
to in a lower tone by the female, the latter always taking up the strain as soon as the impor-
tunate call of her mate had ceased. Thus alternating, one pair after another would join
in the matutinal chorus, and, before the rising sun had lighted up their close retreat, the

•/•///: AUSTRALIA!) .IIMUI: WWL.

woods would ring with the din of a hundred voices, as the happy couples m.-t after the
{teriod of serration and repose." Tin- i-yr <if this liinl exhibits tin- xr ••••«• <i»n .,f tire

iind :iniin:itioii seen in the game-cock.

Tlie general apjiearaiiee of this binl is that of a loii- tuil.-d pigeon of rather superior site.
Its colors are plain greenish-olive.

Si \ i KM, v.-ry singukt birds are found in Australia and New Guinea, called by the
of Megapodinie, or Great-footed birds, on account of the very large size of their feet ; a pro-
vision of nature which is necessary for their very peculiar mode of laying their eggs and
hatching their young.

The first of these birds is the AUSTRALIAN JUNGLE FOWL, which is found in several j»art«
»f Australia, but especially about Port Essington. In that country, great numU-rs of high
and large mounds of earth exist, which were formerly thought to be the tombs of departed
natives, and, indeed, have been more than onoe figured as such. The natives, however, di-
claimed the sepulchral character, saying that they were origins of life rather than emNems
of death ; for that they were the artificial ovens in which the eggs of the Jungle Fowl were
laid, and \\hi-h. l>y the heat that is always disengaged from decaying vegetable substance**,
preserved sufficient warmth to hatch the eggs.

The size of these tumuli is sometimes quite marvellous ; in one instance, where measure-
ments were taken, it was fifteen feet in ]>erpendicular height, and sixty feet in circumference
at its base. The whole of this enormous mound was made l>\ the industrious Jungle Fowl, by
gathering up the earth, fallen leaves, and grasses with its feet, and throwing them backwards
while it stands on the other leg. If the hand be inserted into the heap, the interior will always
be found to be quite hot. In almost every case the mound is placed under the shelter of
densely-leaved trees, so as to prevent the sun from shining u]x>n any part of it. This pre-
caution is probably taken in order to prevent the rays of the sun from e\a|M>rating the moisture.
The aspect of the heap depends much on the surrounding objects ; and in one instance it was
placed close to the sea, just above high-water mark, and was composed of sand, shells, and
black mould. It was situated in the midst of a large yellow-blossomed hibiscus, by which it
was enveloped.

The bird seems to deposit its eggs by digging holes from the top of the mound, lay ing
the egg at the bottom, and then making its way out again, throwing hock the earth that
it had scooped away. The direction, however, of the holes is by no means uniform, some
running towards the centre and others radiating towards the sides. They do not seem to be
dug quite perpendicularly ; so that, although the holes in which the eggs are found may be
some six or seven feet in depth, the eggs themselves may be only two or three feet from the
surface.

A further detailed account of these tumuli and the manner in which the bird lays its eggs
is given by Mr. Gilbert, whose researches are quoted in Gould's Birds of Australia : —

"The birds are said to lay but a single egg in each hole, and after the egg is deposited,
the earth is immediately thrown down lightly until the hole is filled up ; the upper part of the
mound is then smoothed and rounded over. It is easily known where a Jungle Fowl has been
recently excavating, from the distinct impression of its feet on the top and sides of the mound ;
and the earth being so lightly thrown over, that with a slender stick the direction of the hole
is readily detected, the ease or difficulty of thrusting the stick down indicating the length of
time that may have elapsed since the bird's operations.

"Thus far it is easy enough, but to reach the eggs requires no little exertion and per-
severance. The natives dig them up with their hands alone, and only make suUi- i.-nt room to
admit their bodies and to throw out the earth between their legs. By grubbing with theii
fingers alone, they are enabled to feel the direction of the hole with greater certainty, which
will sometimes, at a depth of several feet, turn off abruptly at right angles, its direct course
being obstructed by a clump of wood or some other impediment.

"Their patience is, however, often put to severe trials. In tin- present in The

native dug down six times to a depth of at least six or seven feet, without finding an egg,

i

458 THE NATIVE PHEASANT.

and at the last attempt came up in such a state of exhaustion that he refused to try again.
But my interest was now too much excited to relinquish the opportunity of verifying the
native's statement, and by the offer of an additional reward I induced him to try again. This
seventh trial proved successful, and my gratification was complete when the native, wTith equal
pride and satisfaction, held up an egg, and after two or three more attempts, produced a
second ; thus proving how cautious we should be in disregarding the narratives of these poor
children of nature, because they happen to sound extraordinary, or different from anything
with which we were previously acquainted."

On one occasion, Mr. Gilbert caught a young Jungle Fowl in a hole, about two feet in
depth, and the little creature, which appeared to be only a few days old, was lying upon some
dry leaves. It was a wild and intractable bird despite its tender age, and though it was
treated well and ate largely of the food with which it was supplied, it continued to be restless
and uneasy, and in two or three days contrived to escape. Even at that age, it possessed
the earth-heaping propensities of its kind, and used to be continually flinging about the
sand which filled the box in which it was placed. Although so small a bird, not larger
than young quail, it could grasp a quantity of sand, and throw it from one end of the box
to the other, without apparently exerting itself, and was so constantly engaged in that
occupation that it deprived its owner of sleep during the few nights that it remained in his
possession.

The same patient and acute observer gives the following account of the general habits of
this species : —

"The Jungle Fowl is almost exclusively confined to the dense thickets immediately
adjacent to the sea-beach ; it appears never to go far inland except along the banks of creeks.
It is always met with in pairs or quite solitary, and feeds on the ground ; its food consisting
of roots, which its powerful claws enable it to scratch up with the utmost facility, and also ol
seeds, berries, and insects, particularly the larger kind of coleoptera.

" It is at all times a very difficult bird to procure ; for although the rustling noise pro
duced by its stiff pinions when flying away be frequently heard, the bird itself is seldom to
be seen. Its flight is heavy and unsustained in the extreme. When first disturbed, it
invariably flies to a tree, and on alighting, stretches out its head and neck in a straight line
with its body, remaining in this position as stationary and motionless as the branch
upon which it is perched ; if, however, it becomes fairly alarmed, it takes a horizontal
but laborious flight for about a hundred yards, with its legs hanging down as if broken.
I did not myself detect any note or cry, but from the natives' description and imitation
of it, it much resembles the clucking of the domestic fowl, ending with a scream like that
of the peacock.

" I observed that the birds continued to lay from the latter part of August to March, when
I left that part of the country ; and, according to the testimony of the natives, there is only
an interval of about four or five months, the driest and the hottest part of the year, between
their season of incubation."

The coloring of this bird is simple, but the tints are soft and pleasing. The head is rich
ruddy brown, the back of the neck blackish-gray, and the back and wings brownish-cinnamon,
deepening into dark chestnut on the tail-coverts. The whole of the under surface is blackish-
gray. The legs are orange, and the bill rusty-brown.

PHEASANT, TURKEY, AND PEACOCK.

THE LEIPOA, or NATIVE PHEASANT of the colonists, so called on account of the pheasant-
like aspect of its head and neck, and the general outline of the body, is also an Aus-
tralian bird, inhabiting the northwestern parts of that country, and the sandy plains of the
interior.

Like the preceding species, it lays its eggs in a mound of earth and leaves, but the mound
is not nearly so large, seldom exceeding three feet in height and eight or nine in diameter, so

nn: unrsn TI-HKBY. 469

that it U>ars some resemblance to a lai-.- ant li.-ap. a situilitn.l.- wlii.-h is gn-utly strengthened
l>\ lln- large numlier of ants which are always fi>mi<l in tin- mound*, and l>y tin- indurated
-ui'-tanc.' <>f it.s l,.u. r |>ortion. which is sometimes ao lianl that the eggs cannot be got at
without tin- aid of a chisel. Tli. -• ii.-sta are generally well hidden awuy from observe t ion.
U'ing plac.-d in tin- driest and sandi-M sj>ots. in which a thick dense boah grows no plentifully
that a human being can hardly for.-,. hLj way through them, though tin- bird is able to tra\- T--
their intricacies with great celerity.

The mound is composed of sand and soil, containing a mass of leaves and irri— . in the
mi l-t <>f \\ hicli the eggs are laid, each egg being carefully placed separately from the others.
There are many eggs, often more than a dozen, and one of these mounds is quite a little
property to the person who is fortunate enough to find it, as the l>ird will suffer her nest to be
robbed repeatedly, and will lay over and over again, thus affording a bountiful supply of eggs
to the discoverer. The color of the eggs is white with a very slight tinge of red.

The Leipoa is an active bird, rhielly depending on ito legs, like the pheasant, and never
seeking to escape by flight unless absolutely driven to such a course. When startled, it.s
usual plan is to take to its legs, and run off at full speed, threading the bushes with great
rapidity and being very likely to escape if the bush be thick. But if it tie surprised when the,
ground is tolerably open, it may be run down and captured without much difficulty, as it
possesses a stupid habit which was formerly attributed to the ostrich. Looking naturally
upon the bushes as its home, it makes at once for the nearest bush, dashes into it, and there
remains until the pursuer comes up and drags it from its fancied refuge.

The head of the Leipoa is decorated with a well-defined crest, which, like the remainder
of the head, is blackish-brown. The neck and shoulders are dark ashen-gray, and the front
of the neck and the upper part of the breast are covered with long black pointed feathers,
each having a white stripe along its centre. The primary feathers of the wings are dark
brown, having some sharply-toothed lines near the tip, and the feathers of the buck and
remainder of the wings are marked near their extremities with three bands of grayish-white,
brown, and black, forming a series of "eyes" upon the feathers. The under surface is
buff, the Hanks being barred with black. The tail is deep blackish-brown with a broad buff
tip, the bill is black, and the legs blackish-brown. In size the Leipoa is about equal to a very
small turkey.

ANOTHER very remarkable bird possesses many of the same habits as the two preceding
species. This is the BRUSH TURKEY, sometimes called the WATTLED TALLKOALLA or the
NEW HOLLAND VULTURE, the latter extraordinary title having been given to it on account of
its head and neck, which in some parts are devoid of feathers, in others are covered only w it h
short hair, and in others are decorated w ith naked fleshy wattles. The native name is Weelah.

This bird is far from uncommon in many parts of New South Wales, and inhabits the
d-'!is.-sT l-u-h'-> of l!i;tt ',,iintr\. i.ik.- HM l.-ii'M. !)• n P'lt-tifl it • •!;<!. -a\ < »r- t" ••iT«-,-t JK

escape by running through the tangled brush, a feat which it can perform very adroitly, but it
is not so silly as to allow itself to be taken by hand as in the case of the preceding species.
When very closely pursued, and unable to escape by speed, it jumps into the lowest branch of
some tree, leaps from bough to bough until it has reached the top, and either perches there or
flies off to another part of the bru>h.

The Brush Turkey is a gregarious l.ird. living in small companies, and, like the true
turkey, is very wary and suspicious. The great enemy of this bird is the dingo or native dog,
w hii-h persecutes the flocks sadly, and often hunts them down. From this foe they are safe
by tlying into a tree; but this elevated position only makes them the more subject to the
colonist's gun, and as the birds seem stunned or bewildered by the report, they will suffer
several rounds to be fired before they will fly away. Moreover, they have a habit of resort ing
to the trees at midday, and sheltering themselves from the sun under the spreading foliage, so
that any one who has a knowledge of the customs of this bird may be sure of good sport and a
heavy bag.

The food of the Bnish Turkey mostly consists of seeds and vegetable substances, thougn

460

THE BRUSH TURKEY.

insects of various kinds have been found in its stomach, which is exceedingly muscular. Like
other gallinaceous birds, it is fond of dusting itself, and as it loves to resort to the same spot,
it scrapes considerable depressions in the earth, which lead the practised hunter to its resi-
dence. The voice of the Brush Turkey is a rather loud clucking sound. Its flesh is particu-
larly excellent, and there are hopes that this fine bird may also be in time added to the list of
domesticated poultry.

The egg mound — for it cannot rightly be called a nest — of this bird is extremely large.

BRUSH TURKEY.— Taleyailiu latluuni.

containing, according to Mr. Gould, several cartloads of materials, and being formed into a
conical or somewhat pyramidal shape. It is not made by a single pair of birds, but is the result
of united labor, and is used from year to year, fresh materials being supplied each season in
order to make up the deficiency caused by the decomposition of the vegetable matter below.
Mr. Gould, to whom we are indebted for the greatest part of our knowledge respecting these
curious birds, gives the following account of the nidification of the Brush Turkey : —

" The mode in which the materials composing these mounds are accumulated is very singu-
lar, the bird never using its bill, but always grasping a quantity in its foot, throwing it back-
wards to one common centre, and thus clearing the surface of the ground for a considerable
distance so completely that scarcely a leaf or a blade of grass is left. The heap being accumu-
lated, and time allowed for a sufficient heat to be engendered, the eggs are deposited, not side
by side as is usually the case, but planted at the distance of nine or twelve inches from each
other, and buried at nearly an arm's depth, perfectly upright, with the large end upwards ; they
are covered up as they are laid, and allowed to remain until hatched. I have been credibly

TUB BRUSH TURKEY.

itifonntxl, both by natives and settler* living near their haunt-, that it is not an unusual
. -\.-nt to obtain in -arly a bushel of eggs at one time from a single heap ; and an they are deli-
rion> ••atiiiLT, they an- eagi-rly sought after.

••Some of the natives state that the females are i-..ii-t.mtl\ in the n--i-lii».rli<><-l <.f (li>-
heap atxHit tin- time the young are likely to be hatched, and frequently uncover and cm- r
them up again, apparently for the purpose of assisting those that may have appeared ; while
others have informed me that the eggs are merely debited an 1 the young allowed to force
their way unassisted. In all probability, as Nature has adopted this mode of reproduction, she
lias ul.so funii.she<l tin- t.-nd.-r birds with the po\\«-r of sustaining themselves from the earliest
|«-riod ; and the great si/..- of the egg wc.nl. 1 equally lead to this conclusion, -iin ••• in -o laiv i
apace it La reasonable to suppose that the bird would be mnch more developed than is usually
found in eggs of smaller dimensions. In further confirmation of this point, I may add that in
searching for eggs in one of the mounds, I discovered the remains of a young bird, apparently
just excluded from the shell, and which was clothed with feathers, not with down, as is
usually the case."

Mr. P. L. Sclater has given the following most valuable account of the habits of this bird
in a state of captivity : —

•• The singular phenomenon of tin- mound-raising faculty of the Tallegullu, which had been
well ascertained in Australia by Mr. Gould, has been annually displayed in the bird's state of
captivity.

"On being removed into an inclosure, with an abundance of vegetable material within
reach, the male In-gins to throw it up into a heap behind him, by a scratching kind of motion
of his powerful feet, which project each footful as he grasps it for a considerable distance in
the rear. As he always begins to work at the outer margin of the inclosure, the material
is thrown inwards in concentric circles, until sufficiently near the spot selected for the mound
to be jerked upon it As soon as the mound is risen to a height of about four feet both birds
work in reducing it to an even surface, and then l»egin to excavate a depression in the centre.
In this, in due time, the eggs are deposited as they are laid, and arranged in a circle, about
fifteen inches below the summit of the mound, at regular intervals, with the smaller end of the
egg pointing downwards. The male bird watches the temperature of the mound very carefully ;
the eggs are generally covered, a cylindrical opening being always maintained in the centre of
the circle for the purpose of giving air to them, and probably to prevent tin- dangvr of a sudden
increase of heat from the action of the sun or accelerated fermentation in the mound itself. In
hot days the eggs are nearly uncovered two or three times between morning and evening.

"On the young bird chipping out of the egg, it remains in the mnnn<l for at least twelve
hours without making any effort to emerge from it. b.-ing at that time almost as deeply covered
up by the male as the rest of the eggs.

" On the second day it comes out, with each of its wing-feathers well developed In a
sheath which soon bursts, but apparently without inclination to use them, its powerful feet
giving it ample means of locomotion at once. Early in the afternoon, the young bird retires
to the mound again, and is partially covered up for the night by the assiduous father, but nt
a diminished depth as compared with the circle of eggs from which it emerged in the morning.
On the third day, the nestling is capable of strong flight and on one occasion one of them,
being accidentally alarmed, actually forced itself, while on the wing, through the strong
n-'tting which covered the inclosure. The accounts of the habits of the Tallegalla, given by
Mr. Gould in his Birds of Australia, in 1842, strange as it appeared at the time, are thus
perfectly verified in every respect"

The general color of the adult male Tallegalla is blackish-brown above, and the same on the
under surface with a silver gray gloss produced by the gray tips of the back feathers. The
cheeks are naked, the head and neck covered with short hair-like feathers of a dark blackish
hue, and the front of the neck is furnished with a large naked fleshy wattle, something like
that of a turkey, and being of a bright yellow warming into orange-red at its junction with flit-
neck. The bill is black ; the eyes brown chestnut, and the legs and feet dark brown. The
male bird is about the size of an ordinary turkey, and the female is about one-fourth leas.

462 THE PEACOCK.

Her plumage is like that of the male, from which she may be readily distinguished by the
smaller size of the wattle.

THE large family of the Peacocks, or Pavoninse, now claims our attention. For con-
venience of description, these birds have been separated into several sub-families, which are
defined with tolerable certainty. Of the Pavoninse, we shall lind two examples in the follow-
ing pages.

The PEACOCK may safely be termed one of the most magnificent of the feathered tribe,
and may even lay a well-founded claim to the chief rank among birds in splendor of plumage
and effulgence of coloring. We are so familiar with the Peacock that we think little of its
real splendor ; but if one of these birds had been brought to Europe for the first time, it would
create a greater sensation than even the hippopotamus or the gorilla.

The Peacock is an Asiatic bird, the ordinary species being found chiefly in India, and the
Javanese Peacock in the country from which it derives its name. In some parts of India the
Peacock is extremely common, flocking together in bands of thirty or forty in number, cover-
ing the trees with their splendid plumage, and filling the air with their horridly dissonant
voices. Captain Williamson, in his "Oriental Field Sports," mentions that he has seen at
least twelve or fifteen hundred Peacocks within sight of the spot where he stood.

These birds are great objects of sport, and are mostly killed by the gun, though a good
rider may sometimes run them down by fair chase. The Peacock takes some little preparation
to get on the wing, and if hard pressed is not able to rise into the air. The horseman then
strikes at the bird with his long lashed whip, so as to get the lash round its neck, and soon
masters the beautiful quarry. " When upon the wing," says Captain Williamson, "they fly
very heavy and strong, generally within an easy shot. It may reasonably be supposed that
they fall very heavy, but if only winged they soon recover, and if not closely pursued will,
nine times in ten, disappear. When the peepul berries, or figs, are in season, their flesh is
rather bitter ; but when they have fed a while among the corn-fields, they become remarkably
sweet and juicy. This is to be understood of the young birds, which make excellent roasters.
The older birds are sometimes put to the spit, but are by no means so good as when the
breasts are made into cutlets, and the residue boiled down into a rich soup. I have always
thought such Peacocks as frequented the mustard-fields after the pods were formed to be very
superior.

"They abound chiefly in close wooded forests, particularly where there is an extent of long
grass for them to range in. They are very thirsty birds, and will only remain where they can
have access to water. Rhur plantations are their favorite shelter, being close above so as to
keep off the solar rays, and open at the bottom sufficiently to admit a free passage for the air.
If there be trees near such spots, the Peacocks may be seen mounting into them every evening
towards dark to roost ; and in which they generally continue till the sun rises, when they
descend to feed, and pass the midday in the heavy coverts.

"They are very jealous of all quadrupeds, especially of dogs ; no doubt from finding the
jackal, and probably the tiger, to be such inveterate enemies. When Peacocks are discovered
in a tree, situated on a plain, if a dog be loose and hunt near it, the bird will rarely move
from it, though it will probably show extreme uneasiness.

"But the most certain mode of killing one or two birds is by stealing under the trees at
night : if there be a clear moon, so much the better. In this way, by looking up among the
foliage, the Peacocks may be readily distinguished. When they are very numerous, and only
one bird is wanted, as certain a mode as any is to lie in wait behind a bush near their feeding
haunts ; but without the most perfect silence this will not succeed.

" Though Pea-fowls invariably roost in trees, yet they make their nests on the ground,
and ordinarily on a bank raised above the common level, where in some sufficient bush they
collect leaves, small sticks, etc., and sit very close. I have on several occasions seen them in
their nests, but as I refrained from disturbing them, they did not offer to move, though they
could not fail to know that they were discovered. They usually sit on about a dozen or fifteen
eggs. They are generally hatched about the beginning of November ; and from January to

11 M; ITS of TllK PKACOCh'.

th.-.-nd ..f Mai.-h. \Oi.-n ill.- rom i- -1:111. liiu. ;n. ivinarkablj uii. \ Md t--n I. i \Vli.-n ill.
dry season come-, on, ih.-\ feed on the * -Is ami inserts. :m>l lli.-ir tlesh U-com.-s dry

Olid lllUscill

Peacock -1 loot i n -. although an exciting -i>"i t. i- a dangerous ,,i\<-. tin- ii^.-i feeling him-
-•lf stiji.-d l>\ ili>- ihur and i.ilin- xeiretation in \\hidi 1 1n* Peacock delights, so that on inex-
liericnced siM.rtsmaii m:i\ suddenly find himself fa.-.- i<> far.- \\ith a tiger, and run a strong

rh.ilir.. of U'illg himself I!:.- ol.j.-Cl l)f pursuit, OU Blinters, however, wild kll-.u l!|.- |ml)if«

of the IVacock, liml iliat l>ml <-\tremely useful in denoting tin presence of tigers. When the
Peacock finds itself in ••I"-- proximity to a tiger, or even a wild cat. it raise* the sound «.f
alarm, which is a loud hoarse cr\. answered by those within hearing. The l>ird then utti-nia

series of -halp .|>ii. U -i:ilin_ IP. I--, .ili.l _. !- !n_!i.-l Hi'., !i|. • M-.-.- BO as to l»- ..tit ,,! i. .,. ii ..!

the tiger'> > -la« s.

The Peaco«-k i> ••\>-r\ «li- •!•»• very common, and forms a magnitin-nt adjunct to the lawn,
the park, the garden, ami tli«- farm-yard. Tli»- .-\id.-nt adniinition and .self-oonariousneai* witli
which a Peacock regards himself are truly aiuusinir, tlu> bird always looking out for spectator**
before it spreads its train, and turning itself round and round HO aa to display its beauties
to the best advantage. At night it always roosts in some elevated spot ; uad invariably
sits \sith its li.-ad farini; the wind. Several Peacocks, which I used to see daily, always
roosted upon the thatch of a corn-rick, their long trains lying along the thatch so closely
that towards dark they could hardly be seen. In character, the Peacock is as variable as
other creatures, some individuals being mild and good-tempered, while others are morose and
jealous to the extreme.

One of these birds, living in the north of Ireland, was a curious mixture of cruelty and
fun. He had four wives, but he killed them all successively by ]x-<-king them to death, for
what cause no one could find out. Even its own children shared the same fate, until its ownn
I >ut the Pea-fowl eggs under a sitting hen, and forced her to hatch the eggs and tend the
young far out of his sight.

Hi- -r.-:it aiiiu-M-ni.-nt \va- to fri-ht- n tli.- ddflfaM, T!I.-I.- MM tWO ir-.n trough- in \\lii.-h
the food for the chickens was placed daily, and to which they always resorted as soon as their
food was poured into their troughs. No sooner had they all assembled than the Peacock
would erect his train, rattle his quills together with that peculiar rustling sound that is so
characteristic of these birds, and march slowly towards tin- chickens. The poor little birds
would slowly back away from the trough as the Peacock advanced, not liking to Jose sight
of their food, and not daring to remain in defiance of their jtersecutor. By degrees he got
them all into a corner, crouching together and trembling, when he would overshadow them
with his train, place the ends of the feathers against the wall so as to cover them completely,
rattle the quills heartily so as to frighten th> m • \tr.-m.-l\. and then would walk off, looking
quite exultant at the trick he had just played. He did not care for eating their food, but left
the trough untouched.

The train of the male Peacock, although popularly called its tail, is in reality composed
of the upper tail-coverts, which are enormously lengthened, and finished at their extremities
with broad rounded webs, or with spear-shaped ends. The shafts of these feathers are almost
bare of web for some fourteen or fifteen inches of t heir length, and then throw out a number
<>f long loose vanes of a light coppery -green. These are very brittle and apt to snap off at
different lengths. In the central feathers the extremity is modified into a wide fattened
battledore-shaped form, each barbule being colored with refulgent emerald-green, deep violet-
purple, greenish bronze, gold and blue, in such a manner as to form a distinct "eye," the
centre l>eing violet of two shades, surrounded with emerald, and the other tints being arranged
concentrically around it. In the feathers that edge the train there is no "eye," the feathers
coming to a point at the extremity, and having rather wide but loose emerald-green barbuleH
on its outer web, and a few scattered copper}' barbules in the place of the inner web. The
tail-feathers are only seven or eiirht inches in length, are of a grayish-brown color, and can be
seen when the train is erected, that being their appointed task.

On the head Is a tuft or aigrette of twenty four upright feathers, blackish upon their

464 THE ARGUS PHEASANT.

almost naked shafts, and rich golden-green, shot with blue, on their expanded tips. The top of
the head, the throat and neck, are the most refulgent blue, changing in different lights to gold
and green. On the back the feathers are golden-green, edged with velvety black, giving a
peculiar richness of effect. The wings are darker than the rest of the plumage, the quill-
feathers being marked with black, and having some red about them. The abdomen is blackish,
with a green gloss, and the feathers of the thighs are fawn. The female is much smaller than
her mate, and not nearly so beautiful, the train being almost wanting, and the color ashy-
brown with the exception of the throat and neck, which are green. A white or albino
variety of this bird is not at all uncommon, and in this case the characteristic "eyes" are
faintly indicated in neutral tint.

THE generic term Polyplectron signifies "many-spurred," and is given to a genus of gal-
linaceous birds because they have two or sometimes three spurs on each leg. There are several
species, all very handsome birds, and one of the most conspicuous is the CRESTED PEACOCK
PHEASANT. As is the case with all the species, the tail is greatly enlarged, so as to be spread
into a flat, wide, fan-like form, with two ranges of feathers placed one above each other, and
decorated with a double row of large lightly-colored spots. It probably inhabits Soudan and
the Moluccas, but there is little known of its habits.

The beautiful crest which adorns the head is very deep shining violet-blue, and the head,
neck, and breast, are of the same color. Over the eye runs a white streak, and a white patch
is placed just below and behind the eye, contrasting very boldly with the deep violet of the
surrounding plumage. The back is brown, covered with irregular wavy lines of a paler hue,
and the wing-coverts and secondaries are bright azure tipped with velvety -black. The tail is
brown, covered with innumerable little spots of yellowish-white, and each feather is marked
near the tip with a large oval spot of shining metallic green, surrounded first with a waved
line of black and then with a broader line of pale brown. Close to the tip each feather is
bordered with black, and the extremity is pale fawn. The abdomen is dull black. In total
length, this bird measures about twenty inches.

THE Pheasants comes next in order, and the grandest and most imposing of this group,
although there are many others that surpass its brilliant coloring, is the ARGUS PHEASANT,
so called in remembrance of the ill-fated Argus of mythology, whose hundred eyes never slept
simultaneously until charmed by the magic lyre of Mercury.

This magnificent bird is remarkable for the very great length of its tail-feathers and the
extraordinary development of the secondary feathers of the wings. While walking on the
ground, or sitting on a bough, the singular length of the feathers is not very striking, but when
the bird spreads its wings, showing the full expanse of the secondaries, they come out in
all their beauty. As might be supposed from the general arrangement of the plumage, the
bird is by no means a good fiier, and when it takes to the air, only flies for a short distance.
In running its wings are said to be efficient aids.

Although the Argus is hardly larger than an ordinary fowl, the plumage is so greatly
developed that its total length measures more than five feet. The head and back of the neck
are covered with short brown feathers, and the neck and upper part of the breast are warm
chestnut-brown covered with spots of yellow and black, and similar tints are formed on the
back. The tail is deep chestnut covered with white spots, each spot being surrounded with a
black ring. When the bird chooses, it can raise the tail, so that it stands boldly in the air
between the wings and is partially spread. The secondaries of the wings are most wonderful
examples of plumage, and would require many pages to describe them fully. Suffice it to Bay
that the gradations of jetty-black, deep rich brown, orange, fawn, olive and white are so justly
and boldly arranged as to form admirable studies for the artist, and totally to baffle description.

In one feather now before me there are seventeen large "eyes" on the outer web, each
being surrounded with a ring of jetty-black, then with a dash of chocolate within the ring,
then olive with the least possible tinge of purple, and lastly with a spot of pure white near
the tip, fading imperceptibly into the olive on one side and the chocolate on the other.

////• /7/AM.s.l.V/:

Between these "eyes" some leopard I ik.- mottling* diversify the ij.-i, fawn of the ground

col.,1. ;m.| i.uiM.le th. -in four wav\ Lands of .lark brown niti along the feather towards the
.-.L.-. l.|.-akm_- u|. mi.. s|N.ts about .in in.-li l«-fon- tli--\ macll tin- ••!_•. Tli.' inn.-r web i- p.il.-
fawn ...\.-i.-d with black HJN.IS. surrounded with luilT. and tin- lip of tin- w I iole feather is deep
brown, spott.-d profusely with white. The shaft is black at ita base, and yellow towards it*
termination.

In aiiolhi-r feather lx»th webs an- marked just like a leopard, with dark spot* on a fawn
ground, only the spots are arranged in diagonal rows. Hut along the shaft runs a hand, about
three-quarters of an inch wide, of rich chocolate. pi.>fu^-ly s|>eckled with the tiniest white
sj.ots, also ainui-.-d in rows. Thi- Land d--- n-.i .piit.- extend t» ih.- .-nd >>f lli.- f.-alli.-r.
which at it* tip is pale fawn very sparingly studded with deep brown rosettes, surround. -d
with ch.-tnnt. These are but two feathers, and I might take twenty as wonderful. In the
female the secondary feathers, instead of measuring nearly a yard in length, are little more
titan a foot, and the eyes are much more obscure. The Argus Pheasant inhabit* Sumatra and
n> • it;h boring localities.

THE well-known PHEASANT affords a triumphant instance of the success wHh which a
bird of a strange country may be acclimatized to another with some little assistance from
its owner.

Originally the Pheasant was an inhabitant of Asia Minor, and ha* been by degrees intro-
duced into many European countries, where its beauty of form and plumage and the delicacy
of its flesh made it a welcome visitor. In northern countries, it is probably dependent to a
great extent on "preserves" for its existence, as. .-\>-n putting aside the marauding attacks of
poachers, whether biped or quadruped, the bird requires much shelter and plenty of food.
Kven with the precautions that are taken by the owners of preserves, the breed is to some
decree artificially k--pt up Ly tli.- liatchiin: of Pli.-a-aiit' •> • •_•_> u!id.-r doiip-Mi.- h.-n-.. and f.-«-d
ing them in the coop like ordinary chickens, until they are old and strong enough to get their
own living.

The food of this bird is extremely varied. When young it is generally fed on ants' eggs,
maggots, grits, and similar food, but when it is fully grown it is possessed of an accommodating
appetite, and will eat many kinds of seeds, roots, and leaves. The tubers of the common
buttercup form a .-oiiMderable item in its diet, and the bird will also eat beans, peas, acorns,
berries of various kinds, and lias even lieen known to eat the ivy leaf as well as the l>erry.

The Pheasant is a ground-loving bird, running with great speed, and always preferring to
trust to its legs rather than its wings. It is a crafty creature, and when alarmed, instead of
rising on the wing, it slips quietly out of sight behind a bush or through a hedge, and then
runs away with astonishing rapidity, always remaining under cover until it reaches some spot
where it deems itself to be safe. The male Pheasant is not in the least given to the domestic
affections, passing a kind of independent existence during part of the year, and associating
with others of its own sex during the rest of the season. It is a very combative bird, and can
maintain a stout fight even with a barn-door cock. When the two fight, an event of no very
i in frequent occurrence, the Pheasant often gets the better of the combat by his irregular mode
of proceeding. After tnaking two or three strokes, up goes the Pheasant into a tree to breathe
awhile, leaving the cock looking about for his antagonist. Presently, while his opponent is
still bewildered, down comes the Pheasant again, makes another stroke and retires to his
branch. The cock gets so puzzled at this mode of fightim; that he often yields tin- iK>int.

It is rather curious that the Pheasant should display so great a tendency to mate with
birds of other species. Hybrids between the Pheasant and common hen are by no means
uncommon, and the peculiar form and color of the plumage, together with the wild and sus-
picious mien, are handed down through several generations. The grouse is also apt to mate
with the Pheasant, and even the turkey and the guinea fowl are mentioned among the mem-
u-rs of these curious alliances.

As these pages are not intended for sporting purposes, the art and mystery of Pheasant
shooting will be left unnoticed. The ingenious mode employed by Mr. Waterton for the

466

THE NEST OF THE PHEASANT.

deception of poachers, is, however, too amusing to be omitted. Those nocturnal marauders
were accustomed to haunt the fir plantations at night, and by looking upwards could easily see
the Pheasants as they sat asleep across the branches, and bring them down with the gun.

or even a noose oil

V^Efe^^ a long rod. So,

•"^^ L I^ZJE^' thinking that pre-

vention was better
than prosecution,
he first planted a
number of thick
holly clumps, dark
as night in the in-
terior, and quite
impervious to hu-
man beings unless
cased in plate ar-
mor. The Pheas-
ants soon resorted
to these fortresses,
but their places
were filled with a
few hundred rough
wooden Pheasants,
which were nailed
upon the fir
branches, and :it
night looked so

exactly like the birds that the most practised eye could
not discover the difference. After these precautions had
been taken, the astute inventor was able to rest quietly
at home and chuckle to himself at the nocturnal reports
in the direction of the fir-wood.

The nest of the Pheasant is a very rude attempt at
building, being merely a heap of leaves and grasses col-
Jected together upon the ground, and with a very slight
depression, caused apparently quite as much by the
weight of the eggs as by the art of the bird. The eggs
are numerous, generally about eleven or twelve, and their
color is an uniform olive-brown. Their surface is very
smooth. When I was a boy I well remember finding a
Pheasant's nest in a copse, taking the whole clutch and
blowing them on the spot with perfect openness, being
happily ignorant of the penalties attached to such a pro-
ceeding, and not in the least acquainted with the risk
until I exhibited my prize to some friends, and saw their
horrified looks.

The adult male Pheasant is a truly beautiful bird.
The head and neck are deep steely-blue, "shot" with
greenish-purple and brown ; and the sparkling hazel eye
is surrounded with a pateh of bare scarlet skin, speckled profusely with blue-black. Over the
ears there is a patch of brown. The upper part of the back is beautifully adorned with light
golden-red feathers, each being tipped with deep black ; and the remainder of the back is of the
same golden-red, but marked with brown and a lighter tint of yellow without any admixture of
red. The quill-feathers of the wing are brown of several shades, and the long quills of the tail

/•///• i> i \ / Ml

are oaken -brown changim: t" I'urpl- on the «-<lg»« of tli.- <>ui. md barred with j.-tty black

mi tin- oiitei \M -i« :ni<l brown on tin- inner. The breast ami front of tin- abdomen are golden red
with purple rell.N-tioiiN. and diM-r-ifn-d l.\ the Mark edge uf earh feaihei ; the rest of the
aMomen ami under tail coverts are blackish brown. In total length the full-grown male
Pheasant is almnt three feet. Tin- female i^ much nnm- soU-r in her colon* and Ions in sin
than her mate, her Unly l>eing of a pale \ t-llow blow n. .m.| her length only some t«o f.-et.

TUB gorgeous bird whirh is now known by the name of REEVES' PHEASANT, but whi< -h
has undergone so man \ clum^es of title. N a Mttve of Simnagur and Northern China.

It is a truly remarkable liinl, for although its 1 tody does not surpass th«* ordinary Pheattant
in «iz«, th«- total It-nut h of u full-^n>wn male will ofti-n e\i-e.il .-ii:lit ft^-t, owing to the very great
development of the two central tail-feathers, which alone will ini-asure .six ami seven feet in
length, and are MTV « i'l«- at the l>asi-. Thi- species has !>een bniught alive to foreign countries
ami |>lace«l in the Zoological Gardens and aviaries, when- it throM- tolerably «e|| ; ami was
sntlici,-ntl\ hanly to warrant a hope that it might l>e acclimatized to moderate climates. Its habits
in a wild state are little known, but those sjM-cinirns which have been kept in captivity liehuved
much like the ordinary Pheasant. Although so splendid and highly colored a bin!, it inhabits
MTV cold regions, the mountains of Surinagur being covered with snow. In that country it is
known by the appropriate name of l>ooni<lumur or Long-tail.

No amount of artificial coloring could give the full effect of the gorgeous and ever-
changing lieaiity which adorns the plumage of this magnificent bird ; while the simple black
and white of an engraving gives but a M-IV faint notion of its real magnificence. The
absence of colors must, therefore, be faintly supplied with a brief descri] it ion in words.

The head is white, except a patch of light scarlet naked skin around the eyes, edged by a
band of black which runs over the forehead, under the chin, and is rather broader over the
ear-coverts. The neck is also broadly collared with white. The back of the neck, and the
back itself are covered with shining scale-like feathers, each being a light golden-yellow and
edged at the extremity by a band of deep velvety-black, thus producing an extremely rich
appearance. The feathers of the breast and abdomen are snowy-white, I winded and tipped
with the same velvety-black a-* those of the upjter i>art.s with the exception of the middle of
the breast and abdomen, which are deep black, and the under tail-coverte, which are also black
covered with golden -yellow spots. The two cent nil feathers of the tail are delicate gray,
covered with numerous transverse and rather curved bands of rich dark brown, edged with a
lighter tint of the same color. In one of these feathers, only four feet in length, Mr. Tem-
minck counted forty-seven bands. The remaining feathers of the tail are grayish-white, also
profusely barred with deep brown, and passing into chestnut at their edges. They can be
folded over each other, and they appear very narrow.

Two very lovely birds are shown in the next illustrations, one glowing like the sun in the
full radiance of gold and crimson, and the other shining like the moon with a soft silvery
lustre, not so splendid, but even more pleasing.

The GOLDEN PHEA~ \N i i- a native of China, where it is a great favorite, not only for its
splendid plumage and elegant form, but for the excellence of its flesh, which is said to surpass
in delicacy even that of the common Pheasant.

I-'. >r the purposes of the table, however, it is hardly likely to come into general use, as then-
are great difficulties in the way of breeding it in sulficient number, and one feels a natural
sensation of repugnance to the killing of so l>eautiful a bird merely for the sake of eating it.
As it is a tolerably hanly bird, bearing confinement well, and breeding fn-ely, it has Iwen
turned out into preserves with the common Pheasant, but as yet without sufficient success to
warrant the continuation of the experiments.

This bird, together with another which will be briefly mentioned, is remarkable for the
large ruff of broad squared feathers whi«-h folds round its neck, as well as for the finely de\. -I
oped crest. This crest is of rich gold.-n-yellow with a timre of carmine. The feathers of the
ru (Tare squared, and di.siH>s«-d in a scale-like fashion : their color is rich orange edged with

468

THE SILVER PHEASANT.

velvety-black. The whole ruff can be raised or depressed at will. Fly-fishers hold the crest
and ruff of this bird in great value, as many of their best artificial baits owe their chief beauty
to the Golden Pheasant. Just below the ruff comes a patch of scale-like rounded feathers oJ
dark glossy -green, over which the ends of the ruff feathers play as the bird moves its head,
and below them the
back is wholly of a
bright golden -yel-
low, enriched on the
upper tail - coverts
by a crimson edg-
ing. The primary
and the second-
ary feathers of the
wings are a rich
brown barred with
chestnut, and their
bases are deep blue.
The breast and ab-
domen are brightest
scarlet, and the tail
is rich chestnut
mottled with black.
The eye is bright,
glancing, and of a
whitish yellow.

These magnifi-
cent colors only be-

/"i^»T r\i* v i>u u> * o A vii^ '/*».„,,„.,,*,.,. ,j*t,. '; .' , i ^»j""i

v''l 4 ii \\

long to the male
bird, the female be-
ing reddish-brown spotted and marked with a darker hue,
and the tail is short.

GOLDEN PHEASANT.- ThaunuUea /,lcta.

THE second ruffed Pheasant is that which is known by
the name of AMHERST'S PHEASANT (Thaumalea amhers-
UCB), also a native of China. This magnificent bird has
a wonderfully long and broad tail, quite as remarkable as
that of Reeves' Pheasant. The crest of this beautiful bird
is scarlet, the tippet is snowy-white, each feather being tipped with
velvety-black, the shoulders are rich shining green, the abdomen
pure white, and the tail is white, barred with dark green, and strik-
ingly varied with the scarlet tips of the upper tail-coverts, which are
much elongated.

THE SILVER PHEASANT is another inhabitant of China, and is found
chiefly in the northern portions of that country.

It is one of the largest and most powerful of the tribe to which it
belongs, and is said to be a match for a game-cock in fair combat. It is
a hardy bird, and, like the Golden Pheasant, has been turned loose into preserves,
but with even less success. The weight of the bird is generally too great in
proportion to its strength of wing, so that it does not readily raise itself from the
ground, and thereby runs a risk of being devoured by the carnivorous quadrupeds that
infest every preserve. Moreover, it is so large, so strong, and so combative, that it fights
the common Pheasants, and drives them out of the coverts, so that at present we have to
content ourselves with rearing it under the safe protection of brick and wire.

/•///: ///;/:/;

;•///. i.vi \ /

i ••,'.»

The crest on tin- top .if tin- head is d.-ep j.urjil.- -black. :m,l tli.- n:iki-<l skin round tlif >-\> •-.
which forms a kind of wattle over the nostrils aiul In-low the chin, is u bright scarlet. The
up|*-r surface of tin- Uxly is pun- -il\.T \\ lilt.-, delicately ]ieiicilUxl with wavy black lines.
The tail is also whit.-. ]M-ncillf<l iH.ldly \\ith |.la<-k. .-xwpt the two central feathers, which are
wholly whit<*. 1"H^'. aii-1 nirvixl. The Im-ast aiul alHlonicii an- of the sjinif d«<.-p purple-Mark
as the «-iv«t. The rolots of the female are quite dissimilar, so that the bird would hardly !»•

• • .,

PBKAltANT.-TTU

recognized aa belonging to the same species. She is much smaller in size, has a smaller crest,
and a shorter tail, of a brown color, streaked on the outer feathers with black and white.
Instead of .the silvery-white of the male, her back is grayish-brown, irregularly marked and
waved with narrow black bars. The breast and abdomen are grayish-white, marked with
brown and barred with black. (For illustration, see page 470.)

THE very handsome FIREBACK is an Asiatic bird, inhabiting Sumatra, and in all prol>a
bility several other neighboring localiti--^.

The popular name of Fireback is very appropriate, being given to the bird on account of
the fiery red feathers which decorate a considerable portion of the back. It is remarkable for
the great size of the naked skin about the eyes, which nearly covers the whole head, running
over the ears and forehead, and descending well In-low the chin. The color is of a bluish
purple during the life of the bird, but after its death the color darkens into dark brown, as i*
generally the case with bare skin both in beasts and birds, and in the stuffed species it shrinks,
like wetted leather, and entirely loses its former fulness and shape.

470

SONNERAT'S JUNGLE FOWL.

The head is decorated with an elegant crest of upright feathers, their shafts being nearly
devoid of web, and expanding at the extremities into a number of delicate barbs. The genera]

color of the bird
is rich deep sat-
iny-violet , ap-
pearing black
except in certain
lights, and the
.^_ feathers of the

^t?S<i

orange - red, the
depth of hue be-
ing changeable,
according to the
light. The tail
is smaller than
that of the do-
mestic cock, and
the central feath-
ers are snowy-
\vhite, the others
i eing deep green
glossed with pur-
ple. The total
length of the
adult male is

about two feet. The female is smaller, and her plumage is
warm cinnamon-brown above and grayish-white below.

SILVER PHEASANT.— Euplocomui nyct/unurut.

BARN-DOOR POULTRY.

WE now arrive at the typical genus of the Gallinse, to which the ordinary barn-door
poultry, with all its multitudinous varieties, belongs. Our first example of this genus is the
beautiful SONNERAT'S JUNGLE FOWL.

This fine bird is a native of India, and is found chiefly in the wooded districts. Although
smaller than the common domestic fowl, it is a wonderfully powerful bird in proportion to its
size, and so fierce and determined a combatant that the native sportsmen, who set great store
upon fighting cocks, always prefer a Jungle Cock as their champion. As in general appear-
ance it is something like the domestic fowl, some persons have supposed that it is the stock
from which our poultry were derived. The Bankiva Fowl, however, is thought with more
reason to be the original progenitor of these useful birds. The very peculiar formation of the
hackles affords a good reason for believing that the domestic fowl is not the offspring of
Sonnerat's Jungle Fowl. The webs of the hackles and upper tail-coverts are dark gray, but
their shafts are bright orange, dilating in the centre and at the tip into flat, shining horny
plates of a brilliant orange hue, which give a peculiar splendor to the plumage, and are
discernible at a considerable distance, their tips being rounded instead of lancet-shape.

The voice of this bird is rather startling, for at first sight it looks so like a game-cock, that
its crow strikes the ear in a very absurd manner. Every one knows the ludicrous attempts
made by a young cock to crow like his elders ; how he breaks down just when he thinks
he is doing best, like a young lad with a cracked voice, trying to talk with a manly intona-
tion, and going unexpectedly from hoarse bass to sharpest treble. Give the young cock a sharp

/•///: »; i MI: r<n\-L&. 471

:iii;irk of M In » .pin:: com:h. :nnl tli:it "ill atT-.rd :i tolerably good notion of the crowing .if this
.1 iin^lf r'owl.

Tin- head of this l.inl i- ;id.>in.-d with \\.-ll developed wattles, deeply n-.t.-hed :it the tip.
The lieautiful hackles have alreadj l»-«'ii <l.---i iU-d. with their llatten.-d .-nd- -hilling like the
g«>Id ri> in* ^li-aiuiiii; <>n the dark in •>•«-. i.f < Minnal iM-niii'-v Tin- kirk and lower |Kirt ions of
the body are deep gray. and «!"• t-'il i- l<">~. arched, and lieautifully colonel with changing
Inn- of purple, green, and gold. The female is a smalli-i and very sober-looking bird, without
comb or wattle.*, and devoid of tin- curious horny hackles that decorate her mate.

I'M K BANKIVA JUNOLB FOWL is now supposed to be the original stock of the domesticated
poult r\ .

It 1^ a native of Java, and the male very closely resembles the game-cock. It i« a splendid
creature, with its light scarlet comb and wattles, its drooping hackles, its long arched tail, and
its Hashing eye. The comb and wattles are of the brightest scarlet, the long hackles of the
neck and lower part of the back are fine orange-red, the upper part of the back is deep blue-
black, and the shoulders are ruddy chestnut. The secondaries and greater coverts are deep
steely-blue, and the quill-feathers of the wing are blackish-brown edged with rusty yellow.
The lone, arrhed and drooping tail is blue-black glossed with green, and the breast and under
parts black, so that in general aspect it is very like the black -breasted red game-cock.

The domesticated bird is of all the feathered tribe the most directly useful to man, and is
the subject of so many valuable treatises that the reader is referred to them for the best mode
of breeding, rearing, and general management of poultry. Of the most useful or remarkable
of the varieties of this bird we mention the following :—

One of the most famous birds of this class is the Cochin Fowl. It is of enormous size and
ungainly apj»earance. Nothing was talked of but Cochin China Fowls, and the sums given
in Europe for these birds, some few years ago, almost rose to the fabulous. A first-rate
hunter, or three or four valuable cows, or a tolerable flock of sheep might have been purchased
for the money that was freely given for a single Cochin China Fowl.

The Game Fowls, certainly the finest of all the varieties, we describe in the following
lines. The time has now almost passed away, when these splendid birds were openly trained
for combat, and cock-fights were held in every village and town. The law has rightly pro-
hibited this savage amusement, and cock-fighting, like dog-fighting, is now confined to a small
and continually decreasing knot of sporting men. For this purpose, the birds are trained in
the most regular and scientific manner, a* jjreat pains U-iiij; taken alxmt them as aUmt a race-
horse on the eve of the Derby. In order to deprive the antagonist of the advantage which it
would gain by pecking the comb, which is very tender and bleeds freely, the comb was cut oft*
and the horny spurs were replaced by steel weapons, long, sharp-edged, and jxrinted. These
precautions were, after all, not so barbarous as they seem on a first view, for the comb was
"dubbed" at so early an age that its growth was prevented rather than its substance mangled,
and the substitution of metal for horny spurs served to set the combatants on more equal
terms, just as a sword sets a small man on an equality with a large one. Irrespective of these
advantages, the Game-cock is an hereditary gladiator, delighting in combat, and instinctively
practising the art of defence as well as that of assault So superior is it to the ordinary breeds
in these respects, that I have seen a little, old, one-eyed Game-cock cut down, as if with a
sword, a great, swaggering barn-door cock that looked as if it could have killed its puny
antagonist with a blow and eaten him afterwards.

There seems to be no limits to the courage of the Game-cock, which will attack not only
his own kind, but any other creature that may offend it. One of these birds has been known
to fly at a fox that was carrying off one of his wives, and to drive his spur deep into the
offender's eyes. There are instances innumerable of similar rescues from cats, rats, and other
marauders. Sometimes, however, the Game-cock takes upon himself to defend certain locali-
ties, and then often becomes dangerous. One such bird, of whose ferocity I have often had
personal proof, was accustomed to parade, with the air of an emperor, the yard in which he
was necessarily confined, and would fly at every living being that came within the prohibited

472

DOMESTIC FOWLS.

precinct. A besom was kept by the door and always used by every one who passed through
the yard, for the purpose of repelling the attacks of this savage bird. Many a time have I
tried to tire him out, knocking him over with the broom, or pushing him back against the
wall, but I was always tired first, and had to vacate the premises, leaving him to get on a
water-butt and crow forth his triumph. Sometimes he would slip past the broom, and then
the stroke of his spur was no trifle, feeling like the blow of a stone thrown by a strong arm,
and leaving a black-and-blue mark for days afterwards.

The flesh of the Game breed is very excellent, but they are troublesome birds to keep, the
males always fighting among each other, and having to be separated before they are fully
grown. Crosses with the Game breed are common.

An odd-looking creature is the Polish Fowl. Its head is so covered with a monstrous
plume of drooping feathers that its features are not more discernible than those of a Skye-

HORNED TBAGOPAN. - Certorni* latynt.

terrier under his thick hair. This wealth of cranial plumage seems, however, to impoverish
the brain, for the large-crested Polish Fowls are generally stupid birds, and apt to meet with
accidents which might easily be avoided.

The Spanish Fowl, a very fine variety, is glossy black, with a very large comb, and notable
for the white, naked skin below the ear. It is a very large breed, coming next in size to the
Cochin China, and very far surpasses that large but uncouth bird in the symmetry of its form.
The flesh of this breed is excellent, and as the hens are regular layers, these birds are deservedly
favorites among poultry owners.

A bird whose many excellencies have rendered a town famous is the Dorking Fowl. It is
short-legged, round-bodied, plump-fleshed, and remarkable for having at least one, and some-
times two supplementary toes. The Dorking Fowls are excellent for the table, their flesh
being peculiarly plump and white, and the hens are remarkably prolific layers.

Lastly comes the odd, quaint, opinionated little Bantam, with its feathered legs, full
breast, and bold, fearless carriage. This minikin member of the poultry tribe is, despite hi&
email dimensions, as bold as any of them, and if he thinks himself aggrieved will attack a
great Cochin China or Spanish cock with such spirited audacity that he will not unfrequently

Tin: \\/I./> TURKEY. 478

come off victor in the contest. The Hantam i- of litil.- us.- to tin- |Miultry -kee|«er. ami may l»
classed aiimni: tin- fancy fowls, of which thep- are so many ami e\«-i var\ ing breeds.

The common Harn-door Fowl is of no (articular l>r.-«-d. no pain- U-ing taken to prevent
crossing, but is a kin. I of compound of all tli.- p. -ceding, except. jM-rhaps. the I HI n tarn, which
outfit to 1*> kept away from them as tending to diminish the si»- of the birds and their eggs.
The regular egg trade i» a \.-ry complicat.-d and curious affair, giving a livelihood to thousands,
and possessing a national imi>ortanc<> of which few would dream whose only notion of eggs is
comiect.-d with the break fast- table or the saJad-bowL

A MO- i -Jugular group of birds now comes before our notice, of which the HORNED TRA-
OOPAN affords an example. The males are remarkable for the loose, pendant skin which hangs
from the base of the lower mandibles, and can In- inllat.-d at tin- pleasure of the bird, and for
fee two lengthened protiil>erann-s behind the eyes which generally hang listlessly down the
cheeks, but can be erected at will, and then look as shown in the illustration. In all these
birds the plumage is ample and the tail short. As far as is at present known they are found
in the higher and more mountainous districts of Asia, having l**en taken in Thibet, Nepal,
and the Himalayas.

They are all beautifully colored, and the present example may challenge competition with
any of the species, if not for absolute brilliance of plumage, yet for delicacy of tint, and
pleasing marking of its feathers. The bare skin around the eyes, together with the wattles
and horns are bluish-purple, and the feathers of the crest, together with the dun and back
of the neck, are deep black. The upper part of the breast, the neck, and shoulders, are light
cinnamon with a dash of carmine and purple, and variegated by the white eye-like tips of
the feathers. The wings and part of the back are rich amber mottled with brown, and also
decorated with white spots. The spots are largest and most conspicuous upon the flanks.
The tail-coverts are also amber-brown, spotted with white, and extend to such a length as
nearly to conceal their short rounded tail. In size, the Tragopan about equals a common
Spanish fowl.

THE Turkey family, Meleagrix, is an American one exclusively. Three species comprise
the entire group. The Honduras Turkey is a very rare species, having much of the brilliancy
of plumage seen in the ph.-a-.mt~.

The common Wn.n TI-KKKY (Meleagris yalloparo) inhabits the region from North Caro-
lina northward, and from the Atlantic to Texas and Arkansas. In New England, where it
was once abundant, it is extinct. In the unsettled portions of the Southwest and Western
States, watered by the Mississippi and Missouri, it is abundant ; though its final extinction
in all quarters is thought to be in the near future. It still occurs along the line of the
Alleghanies.

The Wild Turkey is sometimes domesticated, but soon manifests a disposition to seek its
liberty.

Late in October it assembles in flocks in the rich bottom lands of the Western rivers,
the males keeping apart, and associating in groups of a hundred or less. The females move
at the same time, and towards the same point, leading their brood of the season. It is said
they avoid the old males, who have a disposition to fight the young birds. They move in
these migrations on foot, excepting when a stream is to be crossed. An amusing delay is
seen at this point ; they don't attempt the crossing for a day or more. Meantime the old
males strut about and marshal the forces, as if to make ready for a simultaneous rising. The
females and young partake in these demonstrations, emitting a purring noise while strutting
up and down the river banks. When all is ready, they mount to the tops of high trees, and
at a signal, take flight for the opposite shore.

Wild Turkeys are hunted in a variety of ways. In the spring they are attracted by
drawing the air in a peculiar manner through one of the second joint bones of a wing. The
sound thus produced resembles the voice of a female, on hearing which the male quickly
appears, and is an easy game for the hunter. The cry of the barred owl is imitated, which

VOL. 0. «B

474 HABITS OF THE TURKEY.

alarms the Turkeys, and thus betrays their presence in the darkness of night. A most com-
mon method for capturing the Turkeys is by means of a trap, constructed as follows : A
covered inclosure is made of trees, about four feet high, closed excepting at one end, where a
small opening is left, through which a small trench is dug, sloping very gradually at both
ends, into and from the pen. The portion nearest the inclosure is covered. This passage-
way, the interior of the pen, and the vicinity of the opening, to some distance into the forest,
are strewn with corn. The Turkeys, attracted by the corn, follow into the pen, and when
they wish to leave endeavor to get out at the sides, but have not intelligence to escape by the
opening through which they entered. In this way they are sometimes entrapped in great
numbers.

In unsettled parts of the country the Wild Turkeys are seen to associate with tame ones,
and to fight them. Wild Turkeys have been known to rear broods in confinement, though rarely.

THE now well-known Turkey is another example of the success with which foreign birds
can be acclimatized in European countries, and is one of the creatures that affords great
encouragement to the members of the Acclimatization Society to persevere in their valuable
efforts. Indeed, if so wild a bird as the Turkey, and one so delicate in its youth, can be thus
transferred from America to Europe, there seems every reason that the numerous birds and
beasts mentioned by Mr. Buckland in his well-known lecture on this subject, may find a
suitable home somewhere abroad.

As to its qualities as a poultry bird, there is little to be said, as every reader will have had
practical experience thereof, and the mode of breeding and rearing it belongs to the regular
treatises on poultry, and does not come within the province of this work.

Admirable descriptions of the Turkey when wild are given by Audubon and other
writers, and their narratives must be condensed very briefly in consequence of our rapidly
decreasing space.

The Turkey is spread over many parts of America, such as the wooded parts of Arkansas,
Louisiana, Alabama, Indiana, etc., but does not seem to extend beyond the Rocky Mountains.
It begins to mate about the middle of February, and the males then acquire those ludicrous
gobbling sounds which have caused the bird to be called Gobbler, or Bubbling Jock, by the
whites, and Oocoocoo by the Cherokees. In Persia, a pair of these birds, which had wandered
there in some strange manner, were thought to speak very good Arabic, though the particular
dialect was beyond the comprehension of the hearers.

The female makes her nest in some secluded spot, and is very guarded in her approaches,
seldom employing the same path twice in succession ; and if discovered, using various wiles
by which to draw the intruder from the spot. As soon as the young are hatched, she takes
them under her charge, and the whole family go wandering about to great distances, at first
returning to the nest for the night, but afterwards crouching in any suitable spot. Marshy
places are avoided by the Turkey, as wet is fatal to the young birds until they have attained
their second suit of clothes, and wear feathers instead of down. When they are about a fort-
night old they are able to get up into trees, and roost in the branches, safe from most of the
numerovis enemies which beset their path through life.

The great horned owl is, however, still able and willing to snatch them from the branches,
and would succeed oftener in its attempts were it not baffled by the instinctive movements of
the Turkey. Even the slight rustling of the owl's wings sets the watchful Turkeys on the
alert, and with anxious eyes they note his movements as he sails dark and lethal over them
in the moonbeams, his large lambent eyeballs glowing with opalescent light ; a feathered
Azrael impending over them, and with fearful deliberation selecting his victim. Suddenly tin-
stoop is made, but the intended victim is ready for the assault ; ducks down its head, flattens
its tail over its back, and the owl, striking upon this improvised shield, finds no hold for his
claws, and slides off his prey like water from a duck's back. The whole flock drop from the
boughs, and are safely hidden among the dark underwood before their enemy has recovered
himself and renewed the attack.

The lynx is a terrible foe to the Turkeys, bounding suddenly among them, and as they

//.I ///7> i if Till: /TA'A/ •}

hastily ris<- into th. k the shelter of the branches, the lynx leaps upward* and sink.,

them down with his ready IKIW. justM a cat kn.M-ks ,|,,\\n sparrows ,,n i In- wing. Various
other animals and birds persecute tlu» iin.iT.-n-i\ .• I'uik. \ throughout ita existence, but ita
worst eiiem\ is t lie featberleM btpad. Snares of wonderful construction, inijw, and "pens,"

lire constantly employed fnl llit- captille cif this \aluable bird; (In- "jM-n" lifting «o MJmj.la

and withal - . in-eniou-. that it merits a short description.

\ little square hut is made of logs, without window ..r d(K>r. A trench is rut in tin-
ground, some ten <•: twelve feet in l.-iu-th. {Nisaing under the wall of the hut and terminatim;
in its centre. A kind of bridue of flattened logs or sticks is then laid across the trench in the
interim- of the hut. close to the wall. The roof is then laid, :ind the pen is complete Its
mode t.f artion is as follows: A quantity of corn is strewn in the j>en and along the tn-in-h,
and is sparingly scattered at intervals so as to lead the Turkeys to the tn-n.-h When they
see the (c.in they follow it up. feeding aa they go, and lindin- that the tivnrh is so well Hiip-
|ilif«l. they tr.iv.-rs*- its 1,-n-th and [KISS into the JM-H. There is no trap-door to prevent them
from t -..•aping, neither is there neM of it. AH is the custom of trap|x-<l birds in general, they
walk round the walls of their prison, trying to find a hole at which to escajie, and jM-<-riii>c
anxiously through the interstices lx»twcen the logs. When they com.- to the trench, they
n--\.-r think of going out l>y the way that they .'iitered. but keeping close against the wall,
they walk over the little bridge and recommence their tour. In this way great numbers of
Tin keys are taken annually.

The Turkey is a \.-r\ migratory bird, passim; over great distances, and retaining the habit
in its tarn. : :i\ iin; im small amount of trouble to the poultry owner. In describing one

of these migration-,. Audnl>on speaks as follows: —

"About the beginning of October, when scarcely any of the seeds and fruits have fallen
from the trees, these birds assemble in flocks, and gradually move towards the rich bottom-
kinds of the Ohio and Mississippi. The males, or, as they are more commonly called, the
gobblers, associate in parties from ten to a hundred, and search for food apart from the females,
while the latter are seen either advancing singly, each with its brood of young, then about
two-thirds grown, or in union with other families, forming juirties oft.-n amounting to seventy
or eighty individuals, all intent on shunning the old cocks, who, when the young birds have
attained this -.;/.-. \\ill tijn with and often destroy them by repeated blows on the head.
Old and young, however, all move in the same course, and on foot, unless their progress be
intercepts! by a river, or the hunter's dog force them to take wing.

••When they come uj>on a river, they In-take themselves to the highest eminences, and
there often remain a whole day, and sometimes two. as if for the purpose of consultation.
1 »iirii!L,r this time the males are heard gobbling, calling, and making much ado, and are seen
strutting about as if to raise their courage to the pitch l*>fitting the emergency. Even the
females and yoinii: assume something of the same pompous demeanor, spread out their tails,
and run round each other, purring loudly and performing extravagant leaps.

"At length, when the weather appears settled, and all around is <|iiiet, the whole party
mount to the tops of the hiirh«-st fives, wh.-ncf, at a signal, consisting of a single duck given
by a leadi-r. the flock takes flight for the opposite shore. The old and fat birds get easily
;. even should the river be a mile in bn-adth. but the younger and less robust frequently
fall into the water, not to be drowned, however, as might be imagined ; they bring their wings
close to their Ixnlv. spread out their tail as a sMp]M.rt. and striking out their le^s with ureat
vigor, proceed rapidly towards the shore ; on approaching which, should they find it too steep
for landini:, th.-y <-,-ase their ex.-ni..iis f,,r a few moments, float down the stream until th
come to an accessible part, and by a violent effort generally extricate themselves from the
water. It is remarkable that immediately aft.-r crossimr a large stream, they ramble about for
some time as if bewildered. In this state the\ fall an easy prey to the hunt-

The coloring of the wild male Turkey is briefly as follows : The small head and half of the
neck are covered with a warty, naked, bluish skin. hani:inir in wattles from the base of the bill

476

THE HONDURAS TURKEY

and forming a long, fleshy protuberance, hanging from the base of the bill and having a tuft
of hairs at its tip. This excrescence is capable of elongation under excitement. There is also
a long tuft of strong black hairs hanging from the junction of the neck and breast. The general
color of the plumage is very beautiful, gleaming with golden bronze, banded with black, and
" shot" with violet, green, and blue. In total length this bird measures about four feet.

THE splendid HONDURAS TURKEY is even a more magnificent bird than the preceding
species. It is found, as its name imports, in the wooded districts of Honduras and Yucatan.

Two specimens of this splendid bird, a male and female, were brought to aviaries ; and
I am indebted to the kindness of Mr. T. W. Wood for the following short account of its
habits while in a state of captivity, I being at the time unable, through ill health, to visit the

HONDURAS TURKEY.— Meleagrb oeeUuM.

aviaries: "In the spring, the male became highly excited and stalked about with his tail
spread, wings drooping, and all his feathers puffed up, looking as if he would burst with
pride. At such a time his head was thrown back so far and his breast-feathers projecting so
far that he could not observe the ground beneath him, and consequently he often stepped into
the water, much to his annoyance and the visitor's amusement."

The coloring of this bird is peculiarly fine. The naked skin of the head and neck is
delicate violet-blue, covered with a number of round, pea-like knobs, arranged in a cluster
upon the crown and of a pale buff-orange, a row over the eye, and others scattered about the
neck without any particular arrangement. The wattle hanging from the base of the neck is
light orange at its tip. The skin round the eyes and the knobs on the neck are carmine. The
hairy tuft on the breast is not seen in this species. The feathers are finely webbed, rounded,
and scale-like, and their colors are truly splendid. On the lower part of the neck and upper

TIIK GUINEA FOWL,

l»rt of the back they are bronze-green bonded with block and p-ld . and towards tin- tail the
•en assumes :i llashim: emerald Inn-, ami tin- gold band lui-miif. \vid.-r and darker « ilh li.'i >
!. like tin- throat of tin- ruby -thioated humming-bird. Tin- tail -co verts are furnished witli
l«>ld ' : their tips, and the IOXMT parts of the body are also l<ronze-green and black.

but without tin- bistre of tin- up|>er parts. Tin- primary f. | tin- xxings are black edged

xiith xxhite. and tin- secondaries have the outer webs wholly white. The greater coverts are
rich chestnut, ami the legs and feet are lake. In size this bird is rather .smaller than the
common Tuikex .

The M. \ic in or Honduras Turkey is a variety of the Western Wild Turkey, differing in
the coloration and .strength of metallic gloss. In this liird the black, sub-terminal nine of the
tail has a more or less distinct metallic bronzing. The tips of the upper tail-coverts have a
pale ochraceoiis. instead of pure white.

Thi- x-irietx is the one from which our domestic Turkey originated, and not the one found
in t lie eastern parts of the I'nited State-.

Professor Raird says of the history of this bird as a dotnestic one: "So involved in
obscurity is tin- early history of the Turkey, and so ignorant do the writers of the sixteenth
century apju-ar to have lieen alMiut it, that they have regarded it as a bird known to the ancients
by the name mflriiifris uvally the (iuinea Fowl, or Pintado), a mistake which was not cleared
up till the middle of tl ..... k'hteenth century. The appellation of Turkey which this bird bears
in Kngland arose from the sup|>osition that the bird came originally from the country of that
name, an idea entirely erroiieou-. as it oxves its origin to the New Worlil. Mexico was first
discovered by ft rigalva in 1518. Oveido speaks of the Turkey as a kind of Peacock abounding
in New Spain, which had already, in I.V_>t5. U-en trans|H>rted in a domestic state to the West
India Klands and the Spani-li Main, where it was kept by the Christian colonists. It is re|M>rt«-d
t<» have |.een introduced into England in 1541. In 157H it had In-come the Christmas fare of
the farmer."

It is stated that zoological gardens wen- kept in Mexico at the time of the Conquest, and
that then wild Turk -\ - \\.-iv led out to the animals, so abundant were they. It is thought
that these birds were then domesticated, and had been, perhaps, a long time previously, and
that they were introduced into Kurope about the fii-st of the sixteenth century.

TIIK prettily sotted GUINEA FOWL, or PINTADO, is. although now domesticated in foreign
countries, a native of Africa, and \xith some exceptions, has much of the habits and projten
>ities (,f the turkex. \\hich bird it ex idmtly represent^.

l.ik.- the turkey, it i-a.-onlin ..... 1 xxandeivr. tnn -elling continually during the day, and pen-h
ing on the brunches to roost at night. Itdiffers from the turkey, however, in its choice of local-
ity, for whereas the turkey always keeps itself to the driest spots, shunning the low-lying lands
as fatal to its young, the Guinea Fowl has a special liking for the marshes, and may generally
be found anioni; the most humid spots or upon the banks of rivers. It is a gregarious bird.
assetnMing in large bands, which traverse the country in company. The flight of the Pintado
is seldom extended to any great distance, as the body is heavy in proportion to the power of
wing, and the bird is forced to take short and hasty flights, with much flapping of the win
and to trust mostly to its l,-^ f(1r locomotion. On the ground the Guinea Fowl is a very swift
bird, as is well knoxvn to those who have tried to catch it in an open field.

Both in the xxild and the captive state the Guinea Fowl is wary and suspicious. :md par-
ticularly careful not to betray the jn>sition of its nest, thus often giving great trouble to the
farmer. Sometimes x\ hen the bn^^l ing season approaches, the female Pintado will hide her-
self and nest so effectually that the only indication of her proceedings is her subsequent
apjiearance with a brood of young around her. The number of eggs is rather large, bein;:
seldom Iteloxx ten. and often double that numU-r. Their color is yellowish-red, covered with
Terr little dark spots, and their -\/>- U less than that of the common fowl. Their shells are
extremely hard and thick, and xxheii 1 toiled for the table require -«, me little exertion to open

Kvery one knows the curious, almost articulate cry of the Guinea Fowl, its "Come-back !

4T8

THE IMPEYAN PHEASANT.

come-back !" being continually littered wherever the bird is kept, and often affording a clue to
its presence. This bird has been imported into America and several of the West Indian islands,
where it has entirely acclimatized itself, and has increased so much in numbers as to be reck-
oned among the game birds and shot accordingly. In the poultry-yard it is not always a
desirable inmate, partly on account of its wandering habits, sometimes extending over a mile
or two of the surrounding country, and partly because it is so pugnacious, quarrelling with
the fowls and pecking them sharply with its hard beak. Still, as its flesh when young is very
good, and the cost of its keep very trifling, it is a profitable bird if well watched.

The forehead of the Guinea Fowl is surmounted with a horny casque, and the naked skin
round the eyes falls in wattles below the throat. In the male the wattles are purplish-red,

GUINEA FOWL.-AWtiito uuclteicud and crutata.

and in the female they are red without any mixture of blue, and are of smaller size. The legs
are without spurs. The pretty spotted plumage of this bird is too well known to need descrip-
tion. Another species of the same genus, the CRESTED GUINEA FOWL, is remarkable for a
large crest of arched feathers upon its head, taking the place of the casque of the common
species. The color of the Crested Guinea Fowl is blue-black, each feather having from four to
six grayish spots. The primary feathers of the wings are oaken-brown, and the edges of the
secondaries snowy -white, forming a bold contrast with the extremely dark plumage of the body.

ALTHOUGH less in size than the peacock, and without the wonderful train of that bird, the
IMPEYAN PHEASANT, or MONAL, is nearly as splendid a creature, and but for the absence of
the train, would even surpass it in the glory of its hues.

On looking at a living or well-stuffed male Monal it strongly reminds the observer of the

Till-: r.\i;Ti:ii><;i-:. 479

hiimmini: birds and looks a.s if one of thOM (Uttering little twines had been suddenly ma^ni-
ti.-d to a thousand times its sia- Tin- plumage of the lmpe\an Pheasant lias the ap|*»nujoe
of having Iteen cut out of lliin Makes of nacre m mother ..I \»-.\.\ I. th.-ir shining ]M.lMi,-,| sin
fa.-.-, their deep chain:iiii; hu.-s of a/.ui-i'. m.-lalli.- -n-en. amethx Mine purple, and li.-iy-O«nge,
U-iiiiT just lik.- the elT.-ct produced by tin- lin.-st n:ic-r.- \\hen rightly cut.

Although possessed «>f such Hashim: hues, which ;nv most I \ tin- ..tT-piin^ of a tropical MIII,
the Ini|wyaii Pheasmt inhabits the cold, sji.my unions of tin- Himalayas. This woinliMii-.lv
inainiificent l>inl l>n>eds without difficulty, ud endures severe frosts with iinpiuiity. As far
a-, is known, it remain^ entirely in tin- higher regions of its nati\.- laii.l. and never descends to
th.- plains. The food of this t.ird consists mostly of bulbous roots, which it dij^s out of the
ground with its peculiarly . m v«l and sharp beak. Even in captivity tin- ImjH-yan IMi<-usant
will oft. ii indulge in many quaint ami grotesque actions, especially towards the puirii
\\ h.-ii all hinls lik«- to show th.'ins.'lvas off t« the best advantage.

Ttu« coloring of this gorgeous bird maybe bri.-lly .l.-scribwl as follows: The head and
throat are of a m.-tallic golden-green, ami th.- feathers of the crest are bare shafted for the
greater part of th.-ir length, and spread at their tips into flattened spatula-shaped ends. The
lower part of the neck and top of the liack an- rich shining purple with green and red reflec-
tion-., and the feathers are all lancet-shaped. Across the lower part of the back there is a
broad band of pure snowy-white, and the fciil is reddish -brown, barred irregularly with a
darker hue. The n->t of the plumage is deep steely blue. The legs are spurred, and the gen-
eral form is strong and robust The female is a very sober-pi umaged bird, without the lofty
crest or gorgeous colors of her mate. Her feathers are mostly dull brown, mottled with gray
and ochry-yellow, and there is a broad white patch under the chin and throat. She is also
smaller than her mate.

PARTRIDGES.

OF the many members of the Perdicine group, we shall take only five examples, the first •
of which is the well-known PARTRIDGE.

This bird, so dear to sportsmen, is found spread over the greater part of Europe and North
America, always being found most plentifully near cultivated ground. It feeds upon various
substances, such as grain and seeds in the autumn, and green leaves and insects in the spring
and early summer. In all probability this bird, although it may do some damage to the corn-
fields, may still be very useful to the farmer by its unceasing war upon the smaller " vermin,"
that devastate the fields and injure the crops. Small sings are a favorite diet with the Par-
tridge, which has a special faculty for discovering them in the recesses where they hide them-
selves during the day, and can even hunt successfully after the eggs of these destructive
creatures. Caterpillars are also eaten by this bird, and the terrible black grub of the turnip is
consumed in great numbers by the Partridges. Even the white cabbage butterfly, whose
numeroti- offspring are so hurtful in the kitchen garden, falls a victim to the quick-eyed Par-
tridge, which leaps into the air and seizes it in its beak as the white- winged pest comes flutter-
ing unsuspectingly over the bird's head.

The I'artiMire IM-CMIS to lay about the end of April, gathering together a bundle of dried
grasses into some shallow depression in the ground, and depositing therein a clutch of eggs,
generally from twelve to twenty in number. Sometimes a still greater number have been
found. l>nt in these cases it is tolerably evident from many observations that several birds ha\.-
laid in the -aine nest Now and then a number of pheasants' eggs are found in the nest of a
Partridge, and rice t>er«d, the pheasant seeming, however, to be the usurper in most instances.
The Part rid IP- is singularly can-less of the jtosition of her ne>t. placing it in th<> most exposed
situations, and >itting upon the egps with |MTf.-.-i contentment, although within a van! or two
of a footpath. Ind>i-d. I have found the nest of this bird, with six or seven eggs, so close to a
frequented pathway running through a little copse, that a can-less step to one side might have
broken the eggs. In color the eggs an- not unlike those of the pheasant, being of a smooth
olive-brown.

480 THE PARTRIDGE.

The mother-bird sits very closely, and is not easily frightened from her charge ; and during
the last day or two of incubation she is so fearless that she will not suffer herself to be dis-
turbed, and will allow the scythe of the mower to kill her on her nest rather than desert her
home. Sitting Partridges have sometimes allowed themselves to be taken by hand. When
imminent danger threatens the nest, the mother-bird has been known to carry off the eggs and
convey them to a place of safety, executing the task in a wonderfully short space of time. Mr.
Jesse mentions one such instance, where there were twenty-one eggs, the whole of which were
removed to a distance of forty yards in about twenty minutes. It is probable that the cock
bird assisted his mate in her labors.

When the young are hatched they are strong on their legs at once, running about with
ease, and mostly leaving the nest on the same day. The mother takes her little new-born
brood to their feeding-places, generally ant-hills or caterpillar-haunted spots, and aids them in
their search after food by scratching away the soil with her feet. The nests of the wood-ant,
which are mostly found in fir plantations or hilly ground, being very full of inhabitants, very
easily torn to pieces, and the ants and their larvae and pupae being very large, are favorite
feeding-places of the Partridge, which in such localities is said to acquire a better flavor than
among the lower pasture lands.

The young brood, technically called a "covey," associate together, and have a very strong
local tendency, adhering with great pertinacity to the same field or patch of land. When
together they are mostly rather wild, and dart off at the least alarm with their well-known
whirring flight, just topping a hedge or wall and settling on the other side till again put up ;
but when the members of the covey are separated they seem to dread the air, and crouch
closely to the ground, so that it is the object of the sportsman to scatter the covey and to pick
them up singly. They are always alarmed at a soaring bird, whether of prey or not, and squat
closely to the ground. When they are very wild and shy, the sportsmen take advantage of
this propensity, and fly a kite shaped like a hawk over them, thus inducing them to lie
frightened on the ground until the dog can point them in the proper fashion. Even a common,
long- tailed, round-shouldered boy's kite will answer the purpose well enough. Some punctil-
ious sportsmen, however, denounce the kite as a trick only worthy of a poacher, and would
rather walk after the birds all day without getting a shot than secure a full bag by the use of
such a device.

About the middle or end of February, according to the mildness or inclemency of the
season, the Partridge begins to pair ; and as the male birds are very numerous, they fight
desperate battles for the object of their love. While engaged in combat, they are so deeply
absorbed in battle, that they may be approached quite closely, as they whirl round and round,
grasping each other by the beak, and have even been taken by hand. So strong, however, is
the warlike instinct, that, when released, the furious birds recommenced the quarrel.

The females take no part in these battles ; waiting quietly, like the strong-minded heroines
of romance, to abide the issue of the combat, and to reward the victors with their love. Not
that they are devoid of courage, but they reserve its display for a better purpose, namely, the
defence of their young. Should a hen Partridge be disturbed while in charge of her little
brood, she will endeavor to put them out of danger, and to draw the intruder aside by the
exertion of many a crafty while. But should the enemy come upon them too suddenly to
be deceived by cunning, she will boldly dash at the foe, and, with self-sacrificing courage,
attack with beak, foot, and wing, until the enemy has left the ground, or herself is killed,
knowing that her young charge are taking advantage of the time to place themselves in
safety. Small though the bird may be, it can strike with considerable force, and has been
known to inflict some painful wounds on the faces of human beings who have suddenly dis-
turbed a brood of young.

Though strong and rapid of flight for a short distance, the Partridge loves not to trust
itself over much to the air, and cannot fly to any great distance without alighting. When
these birds are forced to pass over wide rivers or arms of the sea, they are often so wearied
that they fall into the water, and these are mostly drowned, having but little idea of swim-
ming, beyond the idea that they are to sit still and trust to their fortune. A bird thus fallen

ULMAM HIM, PUBUtHM. N Y

PARTRIDGE.

Tilt: KKfrLBOOBH I \i; Til I DOB.

info tin- --a will s«,tii.-tim.-s 1*> washed t.. shore, should the ti.l.- Ui favorable, hut in freah water

it is -ener-illy dioMued. or MI:I|,|«.,| up by a hawk from al«.\e. or | r, .|,,,,.M

such fresli-wat.-l sdaiks f.i-d in th:tt locality.

I'll.- plumap- of th.- Parti-id^- is br..un ,,f several shades above, mingled with gray. The
breast is gray, with a h.,r>.-li,»- like jiatrh of ri«-li . h.-stnut ..n its lower |«.rtion, and the
Nidesandllanksarelwrredwithch.-stii.it. The l,.ial l.-n-th of tli,- nial.- IMI
thuu a f.H.i ; th,. f,-i! Miiall.-r than li.-r ni:it«-, und th.- rh.-stMin l,ar> <>n th<- flunks

broad«T than tho*- of th.'

Tin R> D-LSOOKD PAKTUIDOK is a larger and stronger hinl than the common species, fn.m
it may at once be distinguished hy tin- l.lai-k )<ar o\, ( th<- foi>-h«ad, behind the eye and

„*•»

.

PAKTaiDUt-

round the breast, as well as by the black streaks that pass from the neck towards the tail,
and the conspicuous gray, fawn, and black bars on the flanks.

This bird is common in England, Prance, and Italy, and thrives so well that, like the Nor-
wegian rat, it has in some places fairly driven away the original breed, and usurped their
territory. It is much stronger <>n the wing than the common Partridge, and yet is so swift and
active of foot that it cannot easily he induced to rise, but runs away from the dogs with such
speed that it often baffles their l*-st efforts t» -tart it within shot ran ire. Acconlinu to Yarrvll,
they are difficult of capture even when wounded, as they have M habit of running into rabbit-
holes or similar sanctuaries, whence th.-y cannot l«- di-lodired without costing too much of the
sj>ortsmau's time. These birds seem to prefer heaths and commons to the turnip and corn-
fields as frequented by the common Partridge.

The eggs of this species are very numerous, averaging sixteen or seventeen in each
nest; and their color is unlike those of the oplinary - iM-imr yellowish-white, with

a dash of yellow, and covered with spots qf reddish-brown. The food i- the same as that of
the oplinary breed.

The ]. lu ma ire of this bird is altogether smoother than that of the last -mentioned species.
The upper parts of the Ixxiy an- soft brown. Hefon- and behind the eye there is a lii
white, and a Uild -tripe of black runs over the forehead to the eye, then starts from In-hind

You II.-4L

482 THE QUAIL.

the eye and runs along the sides of the neck over the breast, wheae it is very broad. A num-
ber of black dotted streaks extend from the black stripe so as to form an interrupted band of
black over the shoulders. The breast is gray, the abdomen is fawn, and the feathers of the
flanks and sides are marked with curved bands of gray, white, black, and fawn. The legs and
beak are red. The total length of this bird is between thirteen and fourteen inches. The
female is like the male, but smaller and not quite so brightly colored.

THE SANGUINE PRANCOLIN may fairly be reckoned as the finest of its group.

This splendid bird inhabits the great Himalayan range, and is thought to be peculiar to
that region. Very little is known of its habits, the fullest account being that given by Dr.
Hooker, and quoted by Mr. Gould in his "Birds of Asia."

"This, the boldest of the Alpine birds of its kind, frequents the mountain ranges of
Eastern Nepal and Sikkim, at an elevation varying from 10,000 to 14,000 feet, and is very
abundant in many of the valleys among the forests of pine (Abies Webbiana) and juniper. It
seldom or never crows, but emits a weak cackling noise. When put up, it takes a very short
flight, and then runs to shelter. During winter it appears to burrow under the hills among
the snow, for I have snared it in January, in regions thickly covered with snow, at an altitude
of 12,000 feet. I have seen the young in May.

"The principal food of this bird consisting of the tops of the pine and juniper in spring,
and the berries of the latter in autumn and winter, its flesh has always a very strong flavor,
and is, moreover, uncommonly tough ; it was, however, the only bird I obtained at these great
elevations in tolerable abundance for food, and that not very frequently.

" The Bhoteas say that it acquires a distinct spur every year ; certain it is, that they are
m9re numerous than in any other bird, and that they are not alike on both legs. I could
not discover the cause of this difference, neither could I learn if they were produced at differ-
ent times. I believe that five on one leg and four on the other is the greatest number I have
observed."

The coloring and arrangement of their plumage are very complete, and entirely different
in the two sexes. In the male, the forehead and a line round the eyes are black, and the crest
is gray with buff streaks. The chin and throat are deep blood-red, and the upper part of the
breast is white streaked with black. The feathers of the back and whole of the upper surface
are slaty-gray, each having a streak of white crossed with black down the centre ; and the
breast and upper part of the abdomen are light green, streaked with blood-red and white.
The lower part of the abdomen is brown-gray. The upper tail-coverts are blood-red, with
a long narrow streak of yellow down the centre of each feather ; and the tail is white at the
tip, and each feather is broadly crossed with blood-red at the base. The bill is black at the
tip and red at the base, and the legs and feet are deep pinky-red. The female is a bird of very
sober plumage, being reddish-brown, lighter on the head and neck, and freckled with black
on the back. The under surface is rather redder than the upper. In size, the Sanguine Fran-
colin about equals an ordinary fowl.

THE odd, short-legged, round-bodied, quick-footed QUAIL is closely allied to the partridge
in form and many of its habits. Of these birds there are many species ; but as all are much
alike, there is no need of many examples.

The common Quail is found spread over the greater part of Europe, and portions of Asia
and Africa, coming in the summer, though not in very great numbers. In Italy and some of
the warmer lands which the Quails traverse during their periodical migrations, the inhabitants
look forward to the arrival of the Quail with the greatest anxiety. In those countries they are
shot, snared, and netted by thousands ; and it is chiefly from the foreign markets that our game
shops are supplied with these birds. When fat, the flesh of the Quail is very delicious ; and
the most approved way of cooking the bird is to envelop it in a very thin slice of bacon, tie it
up in a large vine-leaf, and then roast it.

In their migrations the Quails fly by night, a peculiarity which has been noted in the
Scriptural record of the Exodus, where it is mentioned, that "at even the Quails came up and

nn \ -r OF THE QUA 1 1.

•coverwl the camp." Mr. Y:uivll suggest*, that the ul.j,-.-t ,,f thi-. n.x-turnal journeying UUi
to save tin- defenceless birds fn.tn the attacks of tin- numerous birds .if pn-\ . which \\
probably assail them «••!•• they t.. tra\.-i dmim: ill.- da\ n- • I hen- an-, however, larger and
more jMi\\erful birds, which n.i-d im such safeguard. ;in,| \.-i an- in (h.- h.il'it of tniM-llingby
nikrht, as well a^ id.- i^iiail.

I' i> mill. -i . iirimis, that tin- ni;il«-> IID^-.-.!.- tin- ft-inal-- \>\ >.-\«-nil <lay^. arid tin- COIIM-
qucntly ni<in- |- r^-< ni.--l \<\ tin- j.nifi-xsic.'

Tin- inal<- i-ii. I •!.»•> not pair lik<- th.- partridge, but takes to himwlf a plurality of wiTea,
.UK!, aaia g«ui*-ralh th>- .-a-v \\ith such polygamiata, haa to fight many desperate battles with

3 ":

«|UAIU— (Mmte <

others of its own sex. Although ill j>n)vi.l.-<l with weapons of offence, the Quail is a* fiery
and courageous a bird as ih-- i:.iim-.-(.<-k : and in Ivi»t«-ni roiintri«-s is largely kept and trained
fur tin- purpose of tiirhtiiii: ])ri/>--l>attl.-. .m the n-^ult of which the owners stake large sum*.
Th>> note of the male is a kind of shrill whi-tl.-. which is only heard during the breeding
season.

Tlw nest of the Quail is of M<> U-ti-r .-..nstruction than that of the partridge, being merely
^ bita of hay and dricxl herbage gathered into som«* little depression in the ban ground,
and ir--ii. -rally entrusted und.-r the protection of oorn-stalks, clover, or a tuft of rank grass.
Tli-- number of eggs is generally about fourt.-.-n ..r fifteen, and their color is bufTv whit* , marked
with patches or speckles of brown. Th«- \oiing are abl«- t«> run alxmt almost inunitliately after
tlu-y h-avetbe eggs, and an 1--I t-\ th.-ii ],.n.-nt to tii.-ir f.«,j Efawwrer wild ii,.-\ ma\ I--.
many of these birds are kill.-«l by a v.-ry simjil,- d«-\ ice. The si»ort>man h:i\ in- rnarked down
a corey of Quails, walks round th«-m in rin-lfs sn(fici<-iitiy large not to alarm them, and as he
rvtimi-; towards the .sjtot \\h.-nc.- h.- ->tart.-.l. h.- strikes off for anotln-r <-in-l.- of Ices diameter.
Rv <l.-s<-ribing a gradually l«»ss»-nini: spiral. In- driv.^ all the <^nails together in tin- middle.
wh.-rv they ji;ick <-lo--ly and surT.-r theni^-lves to be kille.1 in tmmlieim.

Tlie coloring of the Quail i.s sjmp],.. but pleasing. The head is dark brown, except a

484 THE VIRGINIAN QUAIL.

streak of pale brown over the eyes, and another on the top of the head passing towards the
nape of the neck. The whole upper surface is brown streaked with yellow-brown, and the
feathers with lighter shafts. The chin and throat are white, and around the throat run two
semicircular bands of dark brown, their points reaching as high as the ear-coverts and having
a black patch in front. The breast is rather pale but warm brown, variegated by the polished
straw-color of the shafts, and the remainder of the under surface is ochry -white deepening
into chestnut on the flanks. The female may be known by the absence of the two dark semi-
circles on the throat, which even in the male are not acquired until the second year, and
the little dark spots on the feathers of the breast. The total length of the Quail is about seven
inches.

•

AN allied species is found in many parts of North America, and is known by the name of
the VIRGINIAN QUAIL. In popular parlance, however, it is generally called the Partridge,
greatly to the confusion of young ornithologists. On account of its peculiar cry, it is also
called " Bob- White," its clear call-note bearing considerable resemblance to those words.

The Virginian Quail generally keeps itself to the open ground, preferring those spots
where grain is plentiful. Sometimes, however, it shelters itself among the trees or brush-
wood, but even then seems to pass but little of its time in such retreats. During the winter
it gains courage by hunger, approaching human habitations in search of food, and boldly
fighting with the poultry for the grain thrown to them. Oftentimes the eggs are placed under
the domestic hen, and in that case the young birds are very tame, provided that the foster-
mother is of a quiet stay-at-home temper, and not given to roam. Wilson informs us that
two young Quails, which had been hatched by a hen, attached themselves to the cows, accom-
panying them regularly to the field ; standing by them when they were milked, retiring with
them in the evening, and roosting in the stable. These interesting little birds unfortunately
disappeared in the spring.

As the flesh of the Quail is particularly excellent, it is greatly persecuted in the winter
time, when it is easily attracted by baits. Ten or fifteen at a time are often caught in a con-
trivance that much resembles the common sieve-trap, saving that a kind of coop supplies the
place of the sieve.

In the wild state the Quail makes its rude nest under the shelter of corn or grass-tufts,
and then lays from fifteen to twenty -four pure white eggs. As is the case with the European
Quail, the young are able to run about as soon as they are fairly free of the shell, and are
guided by their mother to the best feeding-places. The old bird is peculiarly watchful of her
charge, and if she should be suddenly surprised, she endeavors to draw off the attention of
the intruder by feigning lameness, flapping along the ground as if with a broken wing, in
order to gain time for the helpless young to conceal themselves. At night the Quails prefer to
roost on some elevated spot in the middle of a field, and it appears that they sit in a circle
with their heads radiating outwards and their tails almost touching each other.

The top of the head and the upper part of the breast are warm reddish-brown, the chin i&
pure white, and a streak of white runs from behind the eye along the neck. The sides of the
neck are also reddish-brown spotted with black and white. The 'upper surface of the body is
reddish-brown sprinkled with ashy-gray and black. The wings are gray-brown, and the
tertials edged with yellowish-white. The abdomen and lower parts of the breast are yellowish-
white, marked with spear-head dashes of black. The female is known by the yellowish brown
of the chin and sides of the head. It is a larger bird than the European Quail, being about
nine inches long.

THE genus ORTTX embraces numerous species more or less resembling the well-known
Bob- White of North America. Most of them are found in Mexico, Central America, ;md the
West Indies. North America and the West India islands contain but one species, which is
extremely variable in plumage.

The Virginian Quail, so called, but more properly Bob- White, is, perhaps, one of the
most familiar of American birds. Its well-known call is adopted by American naturalists a»

S Vf'ML 485

»gooddesiK»:iti(.n. :uiil \\e hereby unit.- \\ith tin-in iii a di-sin- to drop the name Quail, which
is niily appropriately ap|ili>-<l to tin- Kuii>|.eau migrating bird <>{ lh:ii naim-. Though 80 COID-
iiioii in Nt-w Kn^hiinl. ii is not found in Maim- and tin- uorthi-rn portion* of ViTinoiit and New
Hampshire. In most W.-st.-in States, including New ^ ork. it is M8D farther north, and it HUM
>-\ ••!! !•••• ii - I'll neai llaiiiilt' m, m SonShaoH taada

This bird is i,.,i mi.nratory. ran-ly leaving ita breeding-places. In severe winters it suffers
frnm hunger. lai^e nuniU-i-s oft.-n succumbing when tin- si,ow ha* bmi.-d ,,ut of reach the
sparsel\ ili-.tl i;'V. ••; .h i. ••! !'• Ilit.H ill tlu< fon-st.

In country towns, where tin- I tnl i Whites are not mo|,-si,-d. i|,.-\ Ixtoome quite tame, and
resort to the l>arn-\aids to ,-:ii -.attcn-d >frnin with tin- |x.iiltr\. Th.-\ .n.- mm-h t--.!.-.'!!!!-*!
:is :ni :irtii-l.- of f.H«i ,.f _:,..,i ,|, I:,-;,, \ .

I>r. Brewi-r thinks that th.- lari^- nunilH-r of .-i;^ is nwiny to ««-\. ml f.-inal^s laying in the
xiiiu- n.-st. II.- thinks that th«> numlwrof OM I'inl i> M.-V.-I • more than i-i^ht. Thry ha\i- two
bruods in a season; theaertniil <>ni- rnim-s out in August, uh.-n tin- males are engag**! in l«ui-
in_ tin- tiiM I)] ..... I. ut which li«- tuki»M • M..I_.- when tln«j na MOt inoi-.- ili.m half -M.U n

I>r. It:irhinan. <>f Charl.^ton. S. ('.. ni:i<l.- MT\ •.iir.-.-Wul fxiH'rinn*nt.s in
this liinl, hatchini; tln-ir i-^c* ntvltr a tamtam ht-n.

An »-xi»«'rinii'iit was inMitut.-<l in (in-at Salt I^iki- Valli-y of intnxliiciiiK n nunilM-r of
hinls. ami pnived very satisfactory. A varii-ty found in TVxas diffi-rs in cnlnr of plumage; it
is there called Common Partridge. Other varieties an- not !(•••. I ; tin***- found in Florida consti-

THE MOUNTAIN QUAIL (Oreorh/.r /</»///*! is a iNinitiful species; not abundant in any
locality, bat occurs s|mrin^ly in Oregon and California. It is essentially a mountain bird.
Its habit of frequeiitiiur the chajKirnil renders it safe from intrusion, and. seemingly knowing
this, it M-ldoni takes (light. Its call not*-, when the (lock is watt.-n-d. is almost like that of
the hen-turkey, or pro|Mirt {finally weaker. The male has a plea^mt rrowing note. The
settlers in Nevada say that these hinls were not known then* until after the settli-m.-nt by the
whites, and reganl their pn*seiire now as the remilt of numbers following the baggage wagons
of the travellers to pick up grain left by the rattle.

C\IIIOI:MV <^i MI. t IJ»I>}HH h/.r rnl!f,,riiit'n i. This is rather sii|terior. in point of beauty
of form and gracefulness of ramai;-'. to the other sjieeies. The ix>ni|Miii-like tuft on its head
U .-.]»-.-ia ll\ stylish, so lo s|M*ak. 1'- l----al n. nn. • i- \ all.-\ c^uail. L- • I i-t i iiL'u i-li i' from ih.-
jm-i-eding. It inhabits the prairies and grain-fields of the cultivated districts, ami frequent*
the thifketM tliat lx»nler the streams, usually in coveys of from a dozen to a hundn-d indi-
viduals, except during the breeding seasons, when it is found only in jKiirs.

It has the same habit of mounting a log or fence, and uttering its peculiar note, but,
inMead of the pleasant notes of the Hob- White, its utterance is harsh, and resembles the
syllables Av/r/.-. /,-///•£, ki'i<-k-kti, the HIM thi>-<- not«-^ U-ing rapidly repeated, the last prolonged
with a falling inflection.

This, as is the case with other s|>ecies, is not esteemed for eating as is the Eastern or
Virginia Quail, Bob-White. It is easily domesticated, and forms a beautiful addition to the
poultry-yard or j>ark.

A numlxT of these birds were introduced into Iximr Nland, and promised to thrive, but
the numerous gunners soon exterminated them.

GAXBKL'S QUAIL (LopJiorlyx gambtli). This species is confined to a narrow belt of
country between the 31st and th>- ::ith pai-all.-l of latitude, from the Pecos River, in Texas,
to tin- Sj.-rra Nevada ami the contiguous desert in Califfirnia. It ha« not IH-«MI found on the
western side of thus.- mountains. It is abundant anmnd the sources of the (Jila I! her. and
aUi common aloiii: tin- Colf.radfi. as far as the mouth of the (Jila. It is regarded as less wild
than the pn-cedinir. Tin- voice of the male is very pleasant; it is like kaa-vxde, kaa-waU,
slowly utt-i.-l in u low tone, yet the voice is heard at a great distance. This is heard at

486

MASSENA PARTRIDGE.

evening during short intervals, for about an hour. When the brood is grown and dispersed,
the call is said to be qita-el, qua-el. Like the other species, it feeds on insects and berries. It
is so tame that it fearlessly resorts to the Mexican villages to feed with the poultry around
the ranches, and readily becomes partly domesticated. When pursued, it rarely Hies, but
trusts to its feet as the safest aid to escape. It raises two and, sometimes, three broods in a
season. A single brood sometimes has twenty young. It is said to have three distinct notes:
the common cry, a single mellow clear clink, with a metallic resonance, then a clear loud
energetic whistle, resembling the syllables Tcillirik, Tcillink, heard mostly in the pairing season,
and is analogous to the Bob- White of the common Quail. The third is the love song, which,
Dr. Cones says, is most unmusical. It is uttered by the male while the mate is incubating.

^

*» '?.

t'*— V

\1 ' ll S^ " V^-, ? 5 "* •**

CALIFORNIA QUAIL.— Lophorlyx cai(fvrHiat.

This song is ponred forth at sunrise and at sunset, from the topmost twig near the spot where
his mate is sitting, while with outstretched neck and drooping wings, and plume negligently
dangling, he gives utterance to his odd, guttural notes.

The flight of this Quail is remarkably rapid, even, and direct.

SCALED or BLUE PARTRIDGE (Callipepla squamata). This species inhabits the entire
valley of the Rio Grande, which embraces every variety of climate. It is always resident
where found. It is wild and watchful, and exceedingly swift of foot, rivalling all other
species in this respect, and seldom or never resorting to flight for escape. Its quality as an
edible is superior. Quite unlike other species, it seems to be intractable, resisting all attempts
at domestication, though in Mexico it is said to be in the habit of visiting the ranches to pick
np grains.

MASSENA PARTRIDGE (Cyrt&nyx massena) has somewhat the same range of habitat as
the preceding, along the valley of the Rio Grande. It is said to be much more retiring than
other species, living far from the habitations of man, and preferring thickly-wooded places.
Its habits are quite different from all others. Its peculiar form is owing to a habit of carrying

77/ K QAPM&QA1LLUL

1-7

it.- head resting on it- -h..uiderv It has the reputation of being exceedingly gentle and
amiaHe. :m<l i- mure tame and motv disj.o-.-d to IN* domestic than any other, even p»-i uniting
one to take it up by the hand. It- ino\i-iin-nt.s are habitually alow and deliberate.

Tin < \iii:< AH i 11. al-. known by tin- names Cork of the Wood*, Mountain Cock,
Auerhahn, ainl Cajw-n -ail/if, i- n..\\ mostly frequently foinul in the nortliiTii pail- of Kuni|ie,
V 'i .\ .: \ ..:. : - •:••:••! I- ::._•.. • \ favorit< IMMMI

I'll.- ( ;i|..T<-ailli.- is <-.•!. 'l.t-ii.-.!. not only for its great size and the excellence of its flesh,
hut for it.s singular habit.s just j i. -\iou.s to and during the breeding aeason. Mr. l,lo\d has
i:iv: • II. -nt an account of these curious proceedings, that they must be told in his own

words:—

< \i

" At this period, and often when the ground is still d^-ply rov.-n^l with snow, tin* rock
stations himself on a pine and commences his love song, or pin;/, a- it i> t. -\ m.-<l in Swcd.-n. to
attract the hens about him. This is usually from the first dawn of day to sunrise, or from a
little after -unset until it is quite dark. The time, however, more or lev- de|*-nd- njton the
mildness of the weather and the advanced state of the season.

"During his 'play,' the neck of the ('apercaillie is -tret<-he<l out. his tail is raised and
spread like a fan, his wings droop, his feathers are ruffled up. and. in short, he min-h resembles
an angry turkey -cock. He begins his play with a call something resembling Peller / peUer I

488 THE CAPERCAILLIE.

petter ! These sounds he repeats at first at some little intervals; but as he proceeds, they
increase in rapidity, until at last, and after perhaps the lapse of a minute or so, lie makes a
sort of gulp in his throat and finishes with sucking in, as it were, his breath.

"•.During the continuance of this latter process, which only lasts a few seconds, the head
of the Capercaillie is thrown up, his eyes are partially closed, and his whole appearance would
denote that he is worked up into an agony of passion. At this time his faculties are much
absorbed, and it is not difficult to approach him. . . . The play of the Capercaillie is not
loud, and should there be any wind stirring in the trees at the time, it cannot be heard at any
considerable distance. Indeed, during the calmest and most favorable weather, it is not
audible at more than two or three hundred paces.

" On hearing the call of the cock, the hens, whose cry in some degree resembles the croak
of the raven, or rather perhaps the sounds, Oock! OocTc! Gock ! assemble from all parts of
the surrounding forest. The male bird now descends from the eminence on which he was
perched, to the ground, where he and his female friends join company.

" The Capercaillie does not play indiscriminately over the forest, but he has his certain
stations (Tjader-lek, which may perhaps be rendered, his playing-grounds). These, however,
are often of some little extent. Here, unless very much persecuted, the song of these birds
may be heard in the spring for years together. The Capercaillie does not, during his play,
confine himself to any particular tree, for, on the contrary, it is seldom he is to be met with
exactly on the same spot for two days in succession.

" On these lek, several Capercaillie may occasionally be heard playing at the same time ;
Mr. Grieff, in his quaint way, observes, ' It then goes gloriously.' So long, however, as the
old male birds are alive, they will not, it is said, permit the young ones, or those of the
preceding season, to play. Should the old birds, however, be killed, the young ones, in the
course of a day or two, usually open their pipes. Combats, as it may be supposed, not
unfrequently take place on these occasions ; though I do not recollect having heard of more
than two of these birds being engaged at the same time.

"Though altogether contrary to law, it is now that the greatest slaughter is committed
among the Capercaillie ; for any lump of a fellow who has strength to draw a trigger may, with
a little instruction, manage to knock them down. As the plan, however, of shooting these
noble birds during their play is something curious, I shall do my best to describe it.

" It being first ascertained where the lek is situated, the sportsman proceeds to the spot and
listens in profound silence until he hears the call of the cock. So long, however, as the bird
only repeats his commencing sound, he must, if he be at all near to him, remain stationary ;
but. the instant the Capercaille comes to the wind-up, the gulp, etc., during which, as I have
just now said, its faculties of both seeing and hearing are in a degree absorbed, then he may
advance a little. This note, however, lasts so short a time, that the sportsman is seldom able
to take more than three or four steps before it ceases ; for the instant that is the case, he must
again halt, and if in an exposed situation remain fixed like a statue. This is absolutely neces-
sary ; for during his play, excepting during the gulp, etc., the Capercaillie is exceedingly
watchful, and easily takes the alarm. If all remain quiet, however, the bird usually goes on
again immediately with his first strain, and when he once more comes to the final note, the
sportsman advances as before.

" To become a proficient at this sport requires a good deal of practice. In the first place, a
person must know how to take advantage of the ground when advancing upon the Capercaillie ;
for if in full daylight, this is hardly practicable in exposed situations ; and in the next, that
he may not move forward excepting upon the note which is so fatal to that bird. This is likely
enough to happen if it be an old cock that has been previously exposed to shots, for he often
runs on with PeUer, peller, pel?~er, until one supposes that he is just coming to the gulp, when
he suddenly makes a stop. If, therefore, a person were then incautiously to advance, he
would, in all probability, instantly take to flight."

The nest of the Capercaillie is inade upon the ground, ;m<l contains eight to ten eggs :
when hatched, the young are fed upon insects, more especially ants and their pnpje. The

Tin:

adult I'inls f,-,-d mo-ih <>ii Ne^etaMe sulwtMMJeH, snch as jmiip. i, , i.inl- ir\ , ami l'illN-rrie»,»lld
III.' lea\es and I tin Is of sex era I !!•

'I'll.- color itf the adult niali- l>ml is chestnut In-own coven-d with :i numU-i of Hack lines
irregularly dis|--is.-d. tin- breast is LI n-k with a .ylnxs of green. ami the al-doim-n is simply
I -lack, as an- tin- lengthened fea I h'-i s , .f tin- I lima I ami lln- tail. Tin- female is .-a-il\ known by
tin- bars of n-d ami Mark which II-IM-I-S.- the head ami neck, and tin- reddish yellow Iturred
with Mack uf th'1 under -nifa<.-. In si/j'. tin- Capeivaillie is nearly equal to a turkey.

TllK Co. K oi i in. I'I.MS- isc|.,sel\ allied to tli.- pn-c.-dini; s|«-cies.

It is an American l-ird, U-iii-j founil in the dry plains in tin- ini.-ii»i uf Southern California.
Like the cock of the w.M>ds. this bird !• MOMtOOMd during the hn-edingMMOII todis|N.rt him
self after :i jH-culiar an I i;i-ol<-s<jnc inanm-r, tlr»M)j)iiiK his^iiii;^. *.\,}, adin^ his (ail like a fan,
(.titling out his cmp until tin- Nan- \.-llo\vskin Mamls pnniiiin-nlly for\\anl. s,,iii.-\\ hat aft<T
tli.' fashi,.n of tli.- |M,III.'I piip-oii. ami .-ii-<-tiiu' th«« lonjj MJIk«-n plunn-s <if tin- m-<-k. Thus
accoutre!. In- i«inic|.-s ih.- iriomnl \\ith iniii-h dignity, tiiriiinir himself alx.nt s.> as to ilispla>
his sh 1)1 to " . I- •• ...| •, ml . . . .. - inin . •, .n i. -r \ ol i.iih. i ludicroiiH altitudes, a IP I HII.-MIU
a loud iMMiiniiur cry that Li roiu|,.nvd to tin- .sound inad<> l>y l>lii>\in^ .stnui-ly into a
hollow n^xl.

Thf m-st of this l.inl is ma.h- of dri.-d ^rass«-s and .small t«ip<, and is plural <m (hc^
nmlrr tin- shi-ltcr of l.iish.-s or rank ln-rlui«f. It is i-atln-r can-fully madf. and p-m-mlly «-on-
tains from thirti-fii to s.-\,-nt«i-n l>n>wn «'W* l'lotrln-<l with flKx-olat.- mi tin- larp- end. Tlic
('... k of tht- Plains is a i;rc^iri<Mis l.inl. a->.-nil'lin_: in littlr troops in tin- summer and autumn,
and in Ian:'1 tlo<-ks of s,'\.-ral humli-'-d in numl»T during the winter and spring. Tlie Ile>h of
Ihis liird is eatal'l--, Imt dark in color and not of a very pnul llavor.

The male is a \ery handsome hinl, l»ro\vn on the up|»-r surface and mottled with very
dark In-own and \ellowish-white. Tim skin of the crop is dci-p orally-yellow, and on each side
of it is a tuft of long and very slender feathers, having the .shafts nearly liaki-d. and dotli-tl at
the tip with a ]»-ncil of Mark l«nds. The throat and head an- white profusely variegated with
Mark, and the white feathers of the sides an- linn, rounded, and of a .scale-like form. The
shafts of the lireasl feathers an- Mark and stiff. In total length this l.iid measures aUmt
twenty two iiich.-s. The i.-male is |. -s-, in >!/>•, i> without the feather-tufts mi the n««k and tin-
aoale-like plumage of the -'n|. -.

TIIK S.VI.K «'o, K (''>/!/ 1 iH;-rrnJt iiroji/Kixi'i/iiixi, or <'oek of the Plains, is the largfst of all
the family, li x-eins «>nlined to the sterile regions fmm the Hlack Hills to California and
Oregon, ami fmm Hritish Coliimltia niqtrly to Arizona— hut only on those plains when- the
wil.l sa-e iartemesi;i|grow»— hence, the trivial name of tlie Mnl. It is natunilly t«nn«, und
clunisy, I. ut when ivalh alaniie<I Hi.-s with gn-sit nipidity. ami at coiisid.-nil.le distance. HM
notes strongly P-seiiiMe those of the <• ..... mmi ln-n. It s*-ems to l»- juirtial to OJM-II plains. un<I
liM-alities away from the wii-roaM .

Its haliits an- similar to iliosi- of the turkey. In winter it Hocks in great numlxTs : in the
sjiring it g«>es in jtairs, ami in the fall in small family groups. It is aliundant on the plains ,,f
Califoniia. and also on the north liram-h of the Platte.

Fnnn fe«-<liiig so much on the wild sage, its lle^h Iwoomea Inipivguat*-*! with a latter
(jnality. which ruins it for foo<l. The weight of an onlinary-si»-d Sap- (irons., is al-out six
|M>unds. Tlie large orange-colonel. l>all-shai>ed mi-k ornaments, and the long uriiininate tail
an- char.u-t--rs tliat an- quite distinctive. add.-<l to its gn-at si/.,.. A \.-ry curious anatomical
jHi-uliarity is WN-II in this s|»-<-ies. They have no gi/yjml. havin- instead a soft inemlii-iiiewuH
siomach. which is not < apal-L- of dip-stin^ hanl fiM*!. It is not known to eat grain, but neenw
to fe<-«l wholly on veiretal.le matter, ami that almost .-\cluMvely of the wild sage. Po««iMy
the graashopiKTs and other soft insecta may be eaten.

TIIK well-known BLACK GBOUSE, or BLACK COCK, in a native of the more southern coun-
tries of Euroi*-. es]«-<ially those localities where the pine woods and heaths afford it shelter,
and it is not dislodged by the presence of human habitations.
VOL it-m.

490

THE BLACK GROUSE, OR BLACK COCK.

Like the two preceding species, the male bird resorts at the beginning of the breeding
season to some open spot where he utters his love-calls, and displays his new clothes to the
greatest advantage, for the purpose of attracting to his harem as many wives as possible. The

BLACK GROUSE.— Tetrao tetrix.

note of the Black Cock when thus engaged is loud and resonant, and can be heard at a consid-
erable distance. This crowing sound is accompanied by a harsh, grating, stridulous kind of
cry, which has been likened to the noise produced by whetting a scythe. The Black Cock
does not pair, but leaves his numerous mates to the duties of maturity and incubation, and
follows his own desires while they prepare their nests, lay tlieir eggs, hatch them, and bring
up the young. The. mother-bird is a fond and watchful parent, and when she has been alarmed

/'//A /7\.\.f//.V> G/IOU8M.

by man or Iwnsta of prey, has been known to remox.- the eggs to some other locality, where
.she think^ t!ii-\ will not be discovered.

Tti.- ii. -st i«a careless* kin 'I «.f stm. mie, .,f -ras.s,-sand stout li.-ihige, and is placed on tin-
L.-1'.-m.l MII.I.T tin- shelter of graxs or bushes. The f.-mal.- lays :iU.ut six or ten eggs of a
\e||owish -r:i\ dixer-itied with s|.<,ts nf liirhl l.r«-\Mi Th.- \<>inm are fe<llii-t upon in
their lana-, and aftn \vards oil berries, grain, tin- buds ami joung shoots of trees.

It is a wild and \\aix binl. ni|tiii iim ninrli can- on tin- part <>f t In- -|Mirtsni;in to gpt within
fair i:iiii-ln>t. Tin- <-ld malt- wliii-h lia^ MII\ i\«-d a x-a-^.n <>r two is particularly sh\ and <rifty,
iii^t rust iiii: l»«ili man and il<>^. and i unnin^ a\\.i\ a> f:i-i :i- lii.s legacaii carry him as soon as he
is mad-- a\\arv of th»- :ippnKichini; danger.

In tin- aiituinn lh<- \niini: mali-> S4'|«init«- tln'iiiwlrf>s from lh.- mli.-r H»-X, and form a
nuiutNT of lilt].- bachelor estiibliHhnicnt.s of tli<>iroun. living l.i-fihi-r in harmony until the
ii.-\t l'i-.-.-.lin_ x>a>4i!i. wh»'ii Mi. \ :ill l-_r, tO Ul in low*; 'li-- a|.p|.- ol dis,-vi.| is I)IHAMI
aiiKtni; them l>\ tin- charms uf thr liitlu-rto n-pudiat««<l »ex, ami their rivalries l«-.ul tin-in into
d'-trrminril and continual l-attlrs. \\hich do not OMS.- until tin* <>nd of tin- HeuMon restores them
[.. |..M>-. -and s, .1,1 j.-t \ . .in I •),. •, >,. . ' • ,i no r<M-s s;tvr the iMMtond Midi Of pnj| and their
worst enemy, the autumnal Eumjieun

PINXATKD GROC8B.-

colorof the adult male binl is black glossed with blm- and purple, except a
white band across each wing. The under tail coverts an- white. Tin- remarkable form of the
tail is caused by the jieculiar development of tin- ext.-rior feathers, three, four, or even five of
which an- laterally curved, tin- outermost IM-MII: tin- longest and having tin- most d.-cided curve.
Their ends are somewhat squared. Tin- coloring of the female is quite different. Her general
color is brown, with a tinge of orange, barred with black and s^-ckled with tin- same hue, the
gjjota and liars lieing larger on the breast, back, and wings, and the feathers on tin- breast more
or l.-ssed^-d with while. Tin- under tail -co verts are grayish-xx hit.-. Tin- total lenirth of the
adult male is about tw.-nty-txvo inches, and that of the female from s4-x.-nt.i-n to eighteen
inches. She also weighs nearly one-third less than her mate, and is popularly termed the
Heath Hen.

ANOTHER fine species of this gronp is the PIXNATED QROI st of North America.

This bird is found almost wholly in open dry plains on which are a few trees or tufta

492 THE PINNATED 0 ROUSE.

of brushwood, pines and shrub-oaks being the most favored shelter. Like the greater part of
the group, the males "play" at the breeding season, ruffling their feathers, erecting their
neck-tufts, swelling out their wattles, and uttering their strange love-cries. At this time the
Pinnated Grouse is particularly remarkable for the large size and bright orange color of the
naked sacculated appendages which hang at each side of the neck, and which can be filled
with air until they are nearly of the same size and color as a Seville orange, or can be per-
mitted to hang loosely along the neck. The males are great fighters on these occasions, and
dash fiercely against each other, though to all appearance these combats are more notable for
display than for effect, little or no damage seeming to be done or suffered by either party.
Mr. Webber gives the following interesting account of some of the habits of this species :—

" The most extraordinary phenomenon produced by the necessities of the climate, and as
a protection against the terrible winds which sweep over that apparently illimitable beach at
the approach of winter, consists in the assembling of these birds, from a distance of many
miles around, to roost upon the same spot, something after the manner of the wild pigeon.
This fact seems also to have escaped M. Audubon' s notice.

"At the opening of winter, a spot is selected on the open prairies, in the upper part of
the Missouri country, which is more sheltered than the surrounding regions, by the character
of the ground, from the biting force of the northeast winds. Here the prairie-hens begin to
assemble early in the evening ; and by the time dusk comes, an immense number are collected.
They approach the scene in small flocks, in a leisurely manner, by short flights. They approach
the place of gathering silently, with nothing of that whirr of wings for which they are noted
when they are suddenly put up, but they make ample amends when they arrive ; as in the
pigeon-roost, there is a continued roar, caused by the restless shifting of the birds and sounds
of impatient struggle emitted by them, which can be heard distinctly for several miles. The
numbers collected are incalculably immense, since the space covered sometimes extends for
over a mile in length, with a breadth determined by the chai-acter of the ground.

"This is a most astonishing scene when approached in the early part of the night on
horseback ; the hubbub is strangely discordant and overwhelmingly deafening. They will
permit themselves to be killed in great numbers, with sticks or any convenient weapon, without
the necessity of using guns. They, however, when frequently disturbed in the first of the
season, wTill easily change their roosting-place ; and when the heavy snows have fallen, by
melting which by the heat of their.bodies, and by trampling it down, they have formed a sort
of sheltered yard, the outside walls of which defend them against the winds, they are not
easily driven away by any degree of persecution. Indeed, at this time they become so emaciated
as to afford but little inducement to any human persecutors,, by whom they are seldom troubled,
indeed, on account of the remoteness of these locations ; from foxes, wolves, hawks, and owls,
etc., their natural enemies, they have, of course, to expect no mercy at any time.

" The noise of their restless duckings, flutterings, and shiftings, begins to subside a few
hours after dark. The birds have now arranged themselves for the night, nestled as close as
they can be wedged, every bird with his breast turned to the quarter in which the wind may
be prevailing. This scene is one of the most curious that can be imagined, especially when
they have the moonlight on the snow to contrast with their dark backs. At this time they
may be killed by cart-loads, as only those in the immediate neighborhood of the aggressors are
disturbed apparently. They rise to the height of a few feet with a stupefied and aimless flut-
tering, and plunge into the snow within a short distance, where they are easily taken by the
hand. In these helpless conditions such immense numl>ers are destroyed, that the family would
be in danger of rapid extermination but that the fecundity of the survivors nearly keeps pace
with the many fatalities to which they are liable.

" These birds are distributed over an immense northern territory; and though they are
everywhere in the more sheltered regions found to exhibit the propensity to collect in numbers
greater or smaller, during the extreme cold weather, in low spots where they will have some
shelter from the accidental peculiarities of the locality, yet nowhere else except just upon
these wide plains are they to be found in such astonishing congregations as we have here

y///: in ft i:i> tinnrsH. 493

Tin- unhrrsal habit i.f all this family of <..illinacew in raid- r l«. HIM :ui<l MM.-I in

littlr squads i,r Mocks. Whriicr this .lilf.Mvni ••• in ih-- habn^of (lie MUM binl, who knows I
Ah! wli-ncr ill.- ditTm-m . • 'I'liat is ili,. , pi, ->ti. in "

'I'M.- m-st nf ill.- I'iMM.it.-l '.K.'i- i- .1 in. I. • struct lire of grasses and bare*, un«l placed

uiidn- ill.- shadow <>f a bus), ..r a lufl of thick i^niss. Tin- rggs an- brownish white, an<l aU.nt
lift.-.'ii in iiiiiiil"-!

Til.- c,.l,,r .if ill.- I'iiin.-ii.-'l fiion-M- U imiitl>-d with lilark, \\liii.-, ami ch.-stnut brown,
the inali- haiing t\\.. wini: lik.- api»-iidages on the neck. rom]M»sed of rightrrn f,-aihrrs, live
loni; ami black, ami thirt«-«-n slinii.-r, -i ivak.-<l with black ami brown. Tin- male In also
known by tin- slight civst on tin- head. a semicircular roml. <>f oraiu^- cnloivd skin o\«-r
each ryr, ami tin- nakc<l a|.|H-ii(lage8 to the nwk ulninl\ ili-i-i-ilH««l. H«- is also larp-r
than lii-^ niato. Tin- iiinl«-r i«irt.s an- )>rown, inarkt^i with wliit*- in l>rokfii tmnsvcrw*
and the throat la whit.- with mottlinp* of nsMish-bniwn ami Mark. Tin- l.-n^ih i>
niii.-ii-.-ii ini-hf«..

Thi- I'r.tiri.- Chi«-k.-n. a> this binl i-^ also ••all«-<l, a iii<i->l familiar ami valualilc N|«d0^ i»
.•(.Mtiii.-<l to tin- valli-y of tin- Mis>i->ip|.i. ami .-astwanl to I'.M-OIIO Mountains, in IN-nnsylvania.
It wa> f..iin.-rl\ r..iiiinoii in New England, and some have lieen seen lat«-ly in Martha's \ 'in.-
yanl. In tli.- .-arli«-st days of s].rin- th.- I'rairif Chirk.-ns s..jcinil«' into small imrtie.s, an«l
\\h..n tli.- 11 ii I-OIIIIIII-IK-.-S thfir iMM-uliar inovfincnts an- commenced. A space is

s.'|,N't,-,|, \\li.-r,- ili.- mal-s n ..... t ami enpige in furious l.attle*. At this season they are espe-
cially IHHII|M»US. Wiilioutspresul tails, ami uplifted heads, and tli.-ir..i-an^.- <-o|..n-«| m-<-k-l>iillts
.-\t.-ii'l.-<l to th.-ir utmost, tln-y nil.-r th.-ir chanu-t«-ristic booming Hound. Th.-ir wings are
<!••. -liii.-.l. lik«- thns.' (.f tli.- turkey, in such dfinonstr.it ions*. They rise in the air and utrike at
enrli oih.T as tin- iniiiif-riM-k <lo«'s in combat. On the ap|H«nin(v of a female in answer to
tht-ir calls, they at once engage in t'-rritic c,.ml>at. Tlie iKMiinin^ sound is heard liefore day-
break, and also In-fore sunset.

The eggs are said to be from right to twelve in nuinU-r. This (Jinii^.- is i-asily tamed, and
is domesticated to a certain rxtmt. Mr. AudulNin kept, a large niiinl)er, and had sevenil
broods of \.iiin- from th.-m. Tin- old on.-s fmiyht thr turkeys, and rvrn tin- dung-hill c<x-k
.-xhiltiting great couragi'. The (light of thrsr l.inls i- -tron- and swift, though Irss so than is
id.' ca.se « ith tli.- rutT'-d <.i»u--.

Tlie tl'-sli. jus an ediM.-. is mimey, but is esteemed as excellent. The New York mark.- 1 is
now constantly supplied with it in the season. The name Prairie Grouse was probably given
it from the fact that it habitually s«fks thr ,,j»-n lirld. even when hunted.

A variety found in Texas differs somrwhat in color of plumage.

TIIK RfKKKD GROUSE (Boiuvta unfaUnjt), call.-d Pariridt:.' in New England, Bin-h Par-
tridge in the British provinces, and Pheasant in the Middle States, is found in all parts of thr
wo. ion of rastrrn North America, from Georgia to Nova Scotia, and from the Atlantic

to the Rocky Mountains.

In the spring, this bird fr«-ds on buds ,,f srv.-ral kinds of trees, thr birch U-ing a favorite,
which gives a peculiar and ngreeaiblr tlavor («• thr im-at. Thr (light of this (Jrouse is low,
straightforward, and eontinurs for a frw hundn-«l \anls. at th.- tim- iM^uin- his wings. It
HS.-S uiih a l..i|,l. uliinin- n.iis.. ul,.-u .li-iiiil..-,l. I nlik- tli- pi-iirir chick, -n. it .s,-,-ks th>-
wo<Hls whrn tlnshfd. 1-jirly in May tin- drumming of the males commences. They stand on
a log or elevated spot in a ivtin-d part ,.f th>- W.H>.|S, l.-w.-r the wings, exjmnd the tail, ami.
inflating the whole body, uith n,-<-k thn.«n back, strut aln.ut iHunjMHisly. Tliey then begin
tostrikr thr wings a^iin-t th- \><*\y with a sl,,,ii. mpid motion, prodm-in-a sound rrs.-mbliiiLp
the Ic-ating t<»grthrr of tw,. <]istrnded bhuldn-s. 'I'll- nijiiility is increased to such an «-xt«-nt
th«- ^,.uml appears to be continuous. These sounds may be heard at all hours, but more gen-
erally early in th- morning. The broad fan-tail of this Grouse is especially beaut if id. and is
exhii>ited in full when it is parading before the female at the commencement of the breeding

494

THE SHARP-TAILED GROUSE.

It is a constant resident where it has been bred, and is not, as a rule, migratory. Audu-
bon, however, says, it sometimes, when gathered in considerable numbers in one locality,
moves away in the autumn, probably in search of food.

A variety called the Mountain Partridge occurs among the Rocky Mountains. It is one-
third smaller than the Eastern bird ; its plumage is grayer, and the ruffle shorter. It is known
there as the Pine Hen.

Another variety is called Oregon Grouse, and found on the Pacific coast. The same pale,
gray plumage is seen in it. The nest, usually placed under a log, and lined with dried grasses,
bits of moss, and feathers, has from ten to fourteen eggs. The chickens leave the nest at once,
and follow the mother, who clucks and otherwise acts like the domestic hen. The mother
exhibits various schemes to lure an intruder away, always giving time for the chicks to hide,
when she flies or runs off quickly.

WILLOW GKOL'SK.— Lagoput atom. (Summer Plumage.)

THE SHARP-TAILED GROUSE (Pediocetes pJtasianellus) is a species resembling very closely
the common prairie chicken. It inhabits the British provinces, and westward to Alaska. It
prefers the open lowlands and thickets near lakes and rivers. At all seasons, it seems to be
found in small Hocks of a dozen or more. In winter it perches on trees, probably in the same
manner as the other species, in a partially hybernating state.

It is said to have its own peculiar method of parading in the breeding season. It selects
a clear space, and in numbers, a small covey, run around in a circle of about twenty feet in
diameter. This is kept up so persistently a bare space is worn in the grass.

If disturbed, the birds squat closely. Some run to the right and others to the left, when
not disturbed, meeting and crossing each other. These dances continue several weeks, or until
incubation commences.

In winter, the Sharp-tail penetrates the soft snow, and is able to gather food among the

/•///. ii //./.' MI >,i;»i UK

|..m. - thai lie on th« groin . md on th< huds of the willow md Ian-he I I.--
neM iiimiU'r twelx ..... tliiri.t-n usually.

'I'll.- Columbian >haip tail i- found iii-'iv t<. the southward. The plains and prairie* of
\\isi-oiisinaiid Illinois alNiiiiul with thfin. This bird is foiiii'l inndi farther west than the
prairie rhick.-n, tin- latter lieing conl'med \,, I lie region east of the Mississippi valley. A slrik
im: |itiMiliarii\ is J^MI in tin- Iwo mid. II.- tail ffath«-i> Ix-inir two inrlu-s lonyr than tin- ot

Tin \Vni"» (Juorsi l."/-ini* albtt*), or \Vinn I'l \I:MH. \s, x> rall.-<l. inhadits id.-
fur rountrit-s as far north a> tin- s4-v.-ntii'tli |«irall«-l. lt<-t\\.-«'ii that t«» the fiftieth it i* |Mirtially
mignitory. It is known to biwd 111110111; tht> UiM-ky Mountains <>i\ tin* Uirn-n ^nnimls, and
tin- Aivtic coasts. It asHemhlm in vast flot-kH during tin- winti-r. on the shores of

WI1.I.UW OROU8

A ! . • )

Hudson's Bay. Many thousands of tlies«- birds an- rjijitnr»>d at S»-v»>rn Rivpr. They seek the
willows in winter, fi-wlin^ on tin- buds. At niirht. th.-y jN-ni-tnit.- tin- snow and lit- concealed,
and do the same when pursued by birds of jui-y. working ih.-ir way into a mam of snow with
considembli' facility.

This sjKvi.'s is an int«-r«-stint; example of the adaptation of pliimap' to surroundings a« a
protective means. The w inter jiluma^e is i»ur»- white, thus IM-JHK as well protected aa is possible
to any object exposed in ojien j-lains r<iven-<l with snow. As the spring «-omes, and the bare
rocks begin toappc-.ir. th.- plumage changes gradually. lH>th by the fading of some coloration
and by the moultinir of feath.-i-s. until tin- red pluma-.- is fully assumed, closely agreeing with
the reddish and gra\ .-.,!,, i> of the r.H-ks. The males an- sjtid to assume this darker plumage
-•oner than the females. The former mount some rooky eminences, and call upon their mates,
who are yet buried in the snow, and have not yet changed their colors. These birds are
fond of the twilight, and are more frequently seen at such times. An unusual attachment is
said to be exhibited by the male of this species for its mate, especially during the breeding
time.

496 THE COMMON

THE ROCK PTARMIGAN (Lagopus rvpestris) is identical with the same-named form in
Europe. It is found in the colder portions of North America, especially about Melville
peninsula.

THE WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN (Lagopus leueurus). This species is confined entirely to
the region of the Rocky Mountains, inhabiting the highest points. It is common on the snowy
range of the Colorado Mountains. It is regarded as an essentially Arctic species, not beiiii,'
met with below the region of snow. But little reliable information is had concerning this bird.

THE RED GROUSE seems to be exclusively confined to the British Islands, and is found in
the north of England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland, and some of the Channel Islands. The
birds of this genus are separated from the remainder of the group in consequence of the
feathered toes, which are thickly clothed with short plumage, earning thereby the name of
Lagopus, or Hare-footed.

It inhabits the moors, where heather is in abundance, as it feeds chiefly on the tender
leaves of that plant, together with whortleberries, grain, and similar substances. The biixl
paii-s early in the spring, and makes its nest of grass and ling stems, occasionally interspersed
with feathers, and places it on the ground under the shelter of a heather-tuft. As soon as
hatched, the young are able to run about, and are led to feed by both parents. These
birds are greatly persecuted by sj>ortsmen ; but, in spite of their annual losses, they increase
rather than diminish in number, except in seasons when they are suffering greatly from
internal parasites.

The color of the Red Grouse is extremely variable, differing according to the locality or
the season of year; and cream-colored and speckled varieties are most uncommon. The
ordinary plumage is as follows : In winter the adult male is chestnut-brown upon the upper
surface, barred and speckled with black, and diversified by a few feathers of light yellowish-
brown. The head and neck are also chestnut-brown, but of a warmer tint than the back.
Over the eye is a crescent-shaped patch of light scarlet bare skin, slightly fringed above.
The tail is brown, with a tinge of red on the central feathers. The breast is brown, and
the remainder of the under surface and flanks is of the same hue, each feather being
tipped with white. The short plumage of the legs and toes is grayish-white. In summer
the red is lighter, and the body is sprinkled with yellow. The female is smaller and
lighter than her mate, with more yellow and less red. In total measurement the male
bird is about sixteen inches in length. This bird is also culled the Red Ptarmigan and the
Brown Ptarmigan.

TIIK COMMON PTARMIGAN (Ldyopv-s vuJgdris) belongs to the same genus. This is the
smallest of the European Grouse, and is found in northern and mountainous Europe, espe-
cially in Norway and Sweden, and is also an inhabitant of North America.

This bird 1ms a habit of resorting to stones and broken ground covered with lichens,
which so exactly harmonize with the colors of its plumage that it is hardly distinguishable
from the ground on which it is sitting, and under such circumstances it squats very closely.
A person may walk through a flock without seeing a single bird. Mr. McGillivray says:
• \Vhen squatted, they utter no sound, their object being to conceal themselves; and if you
discover the one from which a cry has proceeded, you generally find him on the top of a stone,
ready to spring off the moment you show an indication of hostility. If you throw a stone at
him, he rises, utters his call, and is immediately joined by all the individuals around, which
to your surprise, if it l)e your first rencontre, you see spring up one by one from the bare
ground." A flock of these birds Hitting along the sides of a mountain has a very curious
effect, their speckled bodies being hardly visible as they sweep along, and when they alight
they vanish from view as if by magic. In the winter, too, when the snow lies thickly on the
ground, the Ptarmigan assumes a white coat, hardly distinguishable from the snow. When
perceived by a hawk, the Ptarmigan has been seen to dash boldly into the deep snow, and to
find a refuge under the white covering until its enemy had left the spot.

Tin: i -I ^A

In th- \\inf-r. th- jilumay*- of the mat- 1 IH.-.I wholly while, ih-

small patch l.-liind tli- • •>-. ill- shafts of th- pi imaries, anil the buses of the fourteen
-xt-rior tail f-.ith-rx, which at- l-l.i. i also a patch of nil, Iwn> skin round the eye.

In tin- Mimm-r. tli- M.M k r. -tains ii- |-.-iii.,n. hut the white in mottle«l and Larn-.! with l>la< k

gniy. The length of ih- adult in ;li-r moi>- than lift«i-n

FTABJUUAN. -

OF tin' T'fraonidtr, or Gmuw family, th«-iv an- nim- .s|»-«-i-s in \.,nh Am-ri. -a. — \«-nil of
lli-ni having vari»-ti«-s in \vi«l-ly >.-].ai-.it«-<l jxirtioiis of the country.

SPRUCE PAKTI{||M;K. or ('\\M>\ «ii:«'i -i •i'.<nm-i i-i/mit/mxix), «-all>-«l al*> \Vood Pur-
tridge, Bhick, or Spotted Grous.-. is f,.nn<l in th- northern I'nit^l Static and an far north
•a forests are known to extern!. It alxmnds in all the jrn-at northern spruce woodi* and
Bwamps. Its migrations an- not -\t-nd-«l. as it- me .\-m-nts <l-ji.-nd nion- on the presence or
:I|IS.MI<>- of FOCM! than teopamtan kadiboi Ecmnd • bnedim ta May, in Kn«tiK)rt, M.-im-
among the spnice and larches. Its hahits an- Mun-iliiiii: liki- thos.- of the turkey, and other
species of Grouse; strutting before the females, and oi-i-aximially rising in th- air in a spiral
manner, and Ix-jitiim their wingH a^r.iin>t ih- Unly to produce the-drumrninj: sound HO charac-
teristic of the HutT-d <;n»u— . I'nlike the <piails. the male deserts the female after incubation
commences, and remains in .small (locks.

This bird is curiously averse t«. U-in^ disturbed or driven away. When driven to a tree
it i-erMstently remains, though threatened in every |-ossj|il- manner even allowing itself to be
taken by net or noose. It is easily reared in rontin-ment, and soon becomes domestiCutetL
S-veral varieties of the Sprue*' Partridge are rpcognizi-*!. Franklin's (inxise is a notable one.
It inhabits the valleys of the Rocky Mninit.iin-.. Trom the sources of the Missouri Hiver to
ttios.- i if the Macken7.il-. and i* s. mi-times seen on the elevated plateaux of Mount HIMM! and
otli-r high snowy peaks, it is said to U- confined to the region of the llovky Mountains and
the country U-tweeii them and the Pacific.

DITBKY GBOusE(Cbn/M»o6*euru*). Tliis i> only m-xf lo«-r in size than the great Sage
(inms.-. »»-in- ••onsjderahly larp-r than th- <•• •!••*. I»r. Newbeny IBganls it as the

handsomest .,f all th- Americun birdu of this family, though we must give the palm U) our

Vol. 1L-4K

498

THE .SAND 0 ROUSE.

familiar house species, the Ruffed Grouse, or "Partridge" of the New England country-side.
Mr. Say, the accomplished naturalist, first discovered this bird in 1820. In the spring, the
male sits on a branch and utters its peculiar booming call, which is so ventriloquial in effect
that one is sure to be deceived and misled by it. Dr. Cooper, of California, testifies that it
may be directly overhead, and yet its voice so deceive you as to appear to be at a distance.

The Dusky Grouse inhabits the mountains about Sante Fe, in New Mexico, and in the
Sierra Nevada. It has been seen in considerable numbers around Salt Lake City. It has been
seen in Oregon in considerable numbers. The Black Hills of Nebraska is the most eastern
limit of its range. The love-notes are said to be deep, soft, plaintive, but unmusical — in our
view of it — for, no doubt, the gentle creature that sits near by on her nest has different appre-
ciation of their nature. These notes are likened to the sound produced by rapidly and by
jerks swinging a ratan.

SAND GitOUSE.— Pterodea

A most remarkable habit in winter is noticed : These birds retire to the tops of the loftiest
fir-trees and pass the season in nearly a complete state of hybernation. The flesh of this
Grouse is said to surpass in flavor and delicacy that of the famous Ruffed Grouse.

A variety called the Oregon Dusky Grouse is found inhabiting the country along the
coast from the Columbia River to Alaska, where it is known as the Blue Grouse, and in some
quarters, Pine Grouse. The orange-colored featherless sacks that are seen on the sides of the
neck in this bird are known to produce their peculiar notes by alternately contracting and
expanding. The sombre color of its plumage is effective in ite efforts at concealment, as
when it is pursued it flies directly to the top of some tall fir-tree, and hugs closely the limb
on which sits ; which limb is very much like the plumage in color.

Another variety is called Richardson's Dusky Grouse, named after the celebrated trav-
eller and naturalist, Sir John Richardson. It is the form that inhabits the interior of British
North America. It is met with in the pine woods on the slopes of the Rocky Mountains.

THE SAND GROUSE are mostly found in the sandy deserts of Africa and Asia, though
one or two species are inhabitants of Europe. The wings of all these birds are long and

Tin: /://', i \ / r/.\ I.I/K/-. 499

lN.int.-d, taottag considerable |x,w-rs ,,f tli^ln. :m.l in mans sjHH-i««« th- t\\.-
of tin- tail an- iiuirli .-l.itii:at.-l ami project h«-\oml ih.- nili.

Th.—- birds aiv niosth -i-.-icarir.il>. MMMbUagfal fagB flocks, l.iil still retaining a di\ i-ion
i n I o pairs. (In.- s|M.,-i,-^. tli- 1'in tail.-.! Saii.l ' is found in such sa.st multitudes that

lh-\ an- killed l.y l«.\s, win, arm tli-m— Is-s with sticks :nnl Ilinic th— • rude missiles at the
winir'-d armies. It has U-.-M sii--,-,!-.! by S,,IM- writers that this liinl i- tli- quail of Scripture.
Tli.- Saii-I4ir.ni-. mi,., with i-niisiilcnilili' rapidity ; an-l a- lli- l-jrs ar- \--rs short, aii.l the,

\x*[\ • consequent) \ calli-<l . 'Id-- tilth.' -.'round. llie-hVct |I|IH|I|.-...| \-l\ nillrli n-s-inl ,|-s tile

tos ini.-i' which aiv wound up like watches, ami run aUnii ih- ||,«,r. \Vh-n ••.lining <lii.. il\
towar-ls i h«« obaenvr. th- liinl has a \-r\ .•••iniral as|».i-t, tli-- f.-.-l U-in^ hunllx visilil.- l-.-n.-aih
tin- lini:iii |HM!\. ami ih- sti-ps lieinK v.-r\ sh.-rl, quirk, ami tripping.

Th.- f-inal- Saml <ir.,u-- maki-s im m-st, Imt lays IHT ••yir-v ^-n-i-ally aUmt two ur thn-*- in
niiinUT. tm ih- km- ^roiiml. Th- yoiinj; liinls an- v.-iy sin-iiyof f.M.t. and as soon a> th.-ir
jilninai:- has .Irjiil. aft-r th.-ir .-\it fn.in ih- sht-ll. lh-y run aUmt with th-ir niothi-r, and <iui
aftiM \vanls |-ad a \airnint lift'.

Th- nial- 1-inl has its ii-i-h-a-l whitish, thi-n a lilark juit*1)! and th«'ii wliil«-. Tin- np|«T
part "f tin- plunia^- is dusky brown, nmtthil \\ith ImlT ; and its tail is Imtr, liarnnl pnifnsely
\sith l-lai-kish I-K.XMI. th- tip Itein^ ImfT, and the last liar \i-ry broad and black. Tin- breast
is |ialc l>u)f. ami b».t\\i-.-n tin- I»n-Ji.st and alHloini'ii runs a x-inibinar \vhil«- band, n-arhinu
Up t» th- should. -i-s. .lust U'low the white there is an i-(|ii:illy roiispiriuniH blark Imnd,
aN. nmniiii: up uml-r th- \\inir< to the Hhoillders. Th- :iUh.iu--ii and Hanks are pal- Imlf,
inottl-<l tniiisv-rs-ly with black-brown. In the female the plumai:- is of a imuv y.'llow cast,
the bhtck paU*h on the foii'h-ad nnd bliu-k band nmnd tin- ch-st ar- \\aiitini:. and the white
lian-1 ha- a iritis lin_'-.

ANOTIIKR curious /?roup of binls is known by th« title of Sheath bills. on account of the
r-niarkable sheath of In. ins •.iibstance, whirh is situat-d on tin- ba.se of the bill, and under
which lie the nostrils. The use of this apiiendage is rather obscure. The whole of th- bill is
short and stout, and it is considerably arched towards the tip.

One of the commonest s|M-ci-s of this ^roup is the WIIITK SIIKATII itn.i.. a native of Aus-
tralia, New Zealand, and neiirhborini,' islands.

This bird is alim-st <• \du-ively found II|KIM tin- coasts, finding its finnl annnii: the mi>l-
liisks. small crustacea. and ltestninde<l tish and other similar substances. IVrluii>s, under
MM Circumstances, it mas subsist on carrion, and thereby i-ive an evil flavor to its ttewh. aa
there are very contradictory reports as to its value for the table, som- s|)ecimeiis having In-en
of so vile an cnlor that even the sailors, with their proverbial ap|>-tit-s for fresh m-at. - ould
not touch the ill-savore<l tl-sh. while in other ca.ses the binl is rejKirtiil to U- of excellent
quality, and equal to duck in tenderness and flavor. The le^s of the She:itli-bill are rather
long in proportion to the size of the body : and as it always fi--.pi.-nts the sea-side, running
in ami out of the wai-r in search of its food, and pxMaOflOOH many of the habits of the waders,
it ha.s lieen class.-*! by some naturalists amou^ thes.- binls.

The White Sheath-bill is a pretty bird, its whole plumage lieiiur pure white, and the legs
reddish -black. The fjenerical name. Chionis. is derived from a (Jreek won!, signifying snow,
and is ^iven to this bin! in allusion to its pur- snow-white plumage. In total length the adult
male measures about h'ft.-en inches.

Tin Hi II.SNI TINAMOU is one of the handsomest, though not the largest, of the family
to which it belongs.

The Tinamous are only found in South America, where they are tolerably common. The
word Tinamou is the native name for these birds ; and as they bear some resemblance to bus-
tards, the generic title of Tinamotis. although rather a barbarous combination of languages, is
sufficiently appropriate.

The Tinamous are found in the open fields, preferring those which lie on the borders of
woods. They are very seldom known to perch ou branches, and are not very willing to use

500 THE ELEGANT TINAMOU.

their wings, trusting rather to the swiftness of their legs. Of one species of Tinamou, Mr.
Darwin writes as follows: "These birds do not go in coveys, nor do they conceal themselves
like the English kind. It appears a very silly bird. A man on horseback, by riding round
and round in a circle, or rather in a spire, so as to approach closer each time, may knock on
the head as many as he pleases. The more common method is to catch them with a running
noose or little lasso, made of the stem of an ostrich's feather, fastened to the end by a long
stick. A boy on a quiet old horse will frequently thus catch thirty or forty in a day."

The food of the Tinamous consists mostly of grain ; and after the fields of corn and maize
are sown, these birds do considerable damage by running over the ground, and picking out all
the seeds which have not been entirely covered by the soil. The eggs of these birds are about
seven or eight in number, and are laid in the centre of some convenient tuft of herbage.

The Elegant Tinamou is a native of Chili, and is rather larger than the generality of its
kind, as it slightly exceeds a grouse in dimensions, and has a much longer neck. The head
and neck are light grayish buff with short delicate longitudinal streaks, and upon the head
there is a long curved crest, each feather being brown with a dark streak along its centre. The
back is spotted and barred with buff and blackish-brown, and on the breast and general under-
surface the feathers are irregularly barred with the same hue, the bars being wider and darker
on the flanks.

CURSORES, OR RUNNING BIRDS.

ITH tin- «>-ii:i- it commune** a most im|*>rtant group <»f birds, containing the
largest and most jx.w.-rfiil niernlters cif the feathered triU-, and termed Curaorea,
or Running-BinK mi nrcomit of their gmit sjM^d of foot and total impotence of
wing. All tin- birds Mongini: to tliis order have the l«-gs dfvc]o]if«l to an extra-
ordinary degree, tin- IxdH-s l»-ing long, stout, ami m-arly :us solid as thoae of a
hors<', and almost devoid of the air-<vlls which givi* such lightnews to the
hones of most Kirds. By the aid of the microscope, the |*-<-uliar character of tin-
hone is clearly shown, though the IMW of an Ostrich or Cassowary is very different from the
same bone in a fowl or a piireon. The wings are almost wanting externally, their hopes,
although retaining the same numU-r and form as in ordinary birds. Iteing very small, as if sud-
denly checked in their growth. The huge wing muscles which give such prominence to the
breast of flying birds, are therefore not required, and the breast-bone is consequently devoid of
the projecting keel, and is quite smooth and rounded.

502 EGGS OF THE OSTRICH..

The common Ostrich is so well known that little need be said of its habits, its use to man-
kind, and the mode of hunting it, a very brief description being all that is necessary.

This magnificent creature, the largest of all existing birds, inhabits the hot sandy deserts
of Africa, for which mode of life it is wonderfully fitted. In height it measures from six to
eight feet, the males being larger than their mates, and of a blacker tint. The food of the
Ostrich consists mostly of the wild melons which are so beneficently scattered over the sandy
wastes, absorbing and retaining every drop of moisture condensed in the comparatively cool
temperature of night, or fallen in the brief but severe rain-storms which serve to give new vigor
to the scanty desert vegetation and to replenish the rare water springs.

Besides these melons, which the Ostrich, in common with the lion and other inhabitants
of the desert, eats as much for drink as for food, the bird feeds on grasses and hard grain,
which it is able to crush in its powerful gizzard, the action of which internal mill is aided by
stones and other hard substances, which the Ostrich picks up and swallows just as ordinary
grain-eating birds swallow sand and small pebbles. In captivity the Ostrich will swallow
almost anything that comes in its way, such as brickbats, knives, old shoes, scraps of wood,
feathers, and tenpenny nails, in addition to the legitimate stones. It has even been seen to
swallow in succession a brood of ducklings ; but whether in that case the bird was impelled by
normal hunger, whether it was afflicted by a morbid appetite, or whether it was merely eating
the young birds for sheer mischief, are questions open for consideration.

The Ostrich is a gregarious bird, associating in flocks, and being frequently found mixed
up with the vast herds of quaggas, zebras, giraffes, and antelopes which inhabit the same
desert plains. It is also polygamous, each male bird having from two to seven wives. The
nest of the Ostrich is a mere shallow hole scooped in the sand, in which are placed a large
numl>er of eggs, all set upright, and with a number of supplementary eggs laid round the
margin.

The eggs are hatched mostly by the heat of the sun ; but, contrary to the popular belief,
the parent birds are very watchful over their nest, and aid in hatching the eggs by sitting
upon them during the night. Both parents give their assistance in this task. The eggs which
are laid around the margin of the nest are not sat upon, and consequently are not hatched, so
that when the eggs within the nest are quite hard, and the young bird is nearly developed,
those around are quite fit for food. Their object is supposed to be to give nourishment to the
young birds before they are strong enough to follow their parents and forage for themselves.

Each egg will weigh on the average about three pounds, being equal to two dozen ordinary
fowl's eggs. Yet one of them is not thought too much for a single man to eat at a meal, and
in one instance two men finished five in the course of an afternoon. The approved method of
dressing Ostrich eggs is to set the egg upright on the fire, break a round hole at the top,
squeeze a forked stick into the aperture, leaving the stem protruding, and then to twist the
stick rapidly between the hands so as to beat up the contents of the egg while it is being
cooked. Within each egg there are generally some little smooth bean-shaped stones, which
are composed of the same substance that forms the shell.

These eggs are put to various useful purposes. Not only are they eaten, but the shell is
carefully preserved and chipped into spoons and ladles, or the entire shell employed as a
water vessel, the aperture at the top being stuffed with grass. The mode of filling these shells
from sandy pools is ingenious and simple. The business of procuring water is entrusted to
the women, each of whom is furnished with a hollow reed, a bunch of grass, and her egg-
shells. She makes a hole in the bed of the water-pool as deep as her arms will reach, ties the
bunch of grass at the end of the reed, pushes it to the bottom of the hole, and rams the wet
«and tightly round it. After waiting a little for the water to accumulate, she applies her
mouth to the upi>er end of the reed, drawing the water through the tuft of grass at the bottom
and so filtering it. Having filled her mouth with water, she puts another reed into the egg-
shell, and pours the water from her mouth into the shell. In this manner a whole village is
supplied with water, the shells being carefully buried to prevent evaporation.

The Bushmen make terrible use of these water shells. When they have determined on a
raid, they send successive parties on the line, loaded with Ostrich egg-shells full of water,

SI'KKH "/' /'///• USTKH'H. 503

•which they bury in spots known l<» them--. -\\, ••, :il..n.-. Tin- liny Inil resolute little warriors
Mart o!T on their ex|ieditioii. p-l annni^ tin- dwelling of their foes, carry off a- m.m\ .-aide a-
they ran manage, S!I«K.I the r--si with poisoned arrows, ami then retiring over lli«- burning

.l.-.-lt ..:•• i • •• •• - -T -,-' II I Hill iheil « ..in •• -al- -d u.il.i -I,, I'-. \\ lill-- ill- II i-li-'liii- • ai<- I-italU
unable to follow tin-in.

After ivmo\ ini: the egir-t from tin- nest, the appro\ed m<-ili»d of -auxin:: them is to tak«
off t li«- "crackers" or leather II.MI-I>. ti.- up the ankles (irmly, lill the garment \\ith >-UK*.
an. I - r il astride tin shoulders if I In- captoi !•• .1 |.. ••\---n i.in »i m lic.nl • .1 ' li.- -add !• — In HI Id

he be on horw>lNu-k. Thu .sln-IN an- so strong that they are u)>l<- to u-ar tliis mthi-r cnrioiw
iii.-l.- of ronv. \ano- without ihunage, provided that no extreim- jolting tak*- pliuv. A frisky
IIOI-N.- will, houi-vi-r, soiiiftiiiii-^ Miiasli tli«- \\lioU- ciiiyo, with ilixolron- ron^.-i|iifn«'..-- t.. him
wlf an.l th«» veaaelin \\hi.-h they were carried.

\iii-! i- ill-' l-'«-llaiali>, :in Ostrich ugg "ii id.- i..|. of a | ...!.• li \---\ \<> ili«- f of il,.- l,m i>

th<- fiiil)lfiii of ro\alt \ . The Copte t^all it ih«- i-inlili-in of \\atclifnlnww, and carry out th«« idea
by making the empty Hhi-1 1 ili-ffinl tln-ir chim-li bim^s fnun th.- mt-. which crawl down the
conh l.y which tin- lamp* an- -u>|»*«iid««d, and drink the oil. Their plan is to run the cord
through un Ostrich shell, which is plac.-l ;ii soiiu* littl*- distanc** alnivc th<* lain]), and, by its
smooth polished surface, form* an impa^al'l-- Iwrrier even to nit>.

The feathers are too well known t.. n.-.-d i|i-.cripti<ni. On an avenip-. each featluT in
w.irth al"nii a shilling. The U-st time for obtaining them is in the months of March and
April. The greater nuinU'r are furnished by m.-an^ of the jioisoiied arrow, the native hunter
scraping a hole in the. sand near the neM, and lying concealed then- until the bin Is come to
their eggs, when a few rapid discharges will kill a.s many birds. Sometimes the hunter
envelops him.self in the skin of an Ostrich, his natural legs doing duty for those of the bird,
and his arm mana^im: the head and neck in such a way as to simulate the movements of
the bird when feeding -an imitation so admirably managed that at a short distance it is
imjMissible to distinguish the sham bird from the true. The eiiterprisiiu; little hunter is
thus enabled to get among a Hock of Ostriches, and to shoot one after the other with great
MBe, the birds ii"i l»-iiu able to iin.l--iMaiid i h- r.-a-,,n u h \ their comnides should .suddenlj
run away and then lie down, and jieniiiMiiu; their enemy to follow them up until they share
the same fate.

In some triU-s each Ostrich feather worn on the head is an emblem of an ejiemy slain
in battle.

The flesh of the Ostrich is tolerably good, and is said to resemble that of the zebra. It
is, however, only the young OMrich that furnishes a good entertainment, for the flesh of the
old bird is rank and tough. The fat is highly valued, and when melted is of a bright orange
color. It is mostly eaten with millet flour, and is also stirred into the eggs while roasting, so
as to make a rude but well-flavored omelet.

Those who are fond of hunting, employ a morn sportsman-like though less profitable mode
of procuring this bird. Mount.nl on swifi horses, they give fair chase to the nimble-footed
bird, and generally manage to secure it by sending one of their number to head it on its
course, and shooting it as it da>hes by. The s|>eed of the Ostrich is very great, though hardly
BO considerable a.s has UN-H supjMwed. Some writers set it down as running sixty mil-- |- i
hour, while others only give it half that rate. Wh-u going at full speed, its legs move so
rapidly that they hardly s.-.-m to touch the ground; and as the pace of a running adult
Ostrich is from ten to fourteen f.-et in length, its .-vc^-dini: swiftness may be imagined.

For a short distance, the sin^-d of the Ostrich is jH-rhaps quite as great as the higher of
the above statements; but it seldom k.-eps up that astonishing rate of going for more than
half a mile, and then settles down into a more steady rate of progress. Being a long-
winded bird, it would tire out most horses, did not it always run in curves, so that the
horseman by taking a direct course saves much ground, and is able to get a shot as the huge
bird comes dashing by him. The reader "ill !*• better enabled to understand tl
powers of the bird and the curious modifications of its structure better by referring to a
skeleton of the bird, than by many pages of deacription. The long and powerful legs, with

504 THE EMEU.

their two toes at their extremity, are firmly yet flexibly jointed into their sockets, and their
form is wonderfully adapted for the attachment of the stalwart muscles which move them.
Not only are the legs employed for progression, but they can be used with tremendous effect
as offensive weapons, knocking over a hyena with a stroke, and deterring even the agile
leopard from coming within their reach. The Ostrich always kicks forward, and when hunted
with dogs it is sure to inflict severe injuries on young and inexperienced hounds before it is
pulled down. The strong sharp claw with which its toe is armed gives dreadful effect to the
blow, and, like the claw of the kangaroo, has been known to rip up an antagonist at a stroke.
When driven to bay, it will turn and fight desperately even with man, and, unless due precau-
tions are taken, will strike him down and trample upon him. In captivity, the bird has been
frequently known thus to assault intruders or strangers, and to be very formidable to them,
although to its keeper it soon becomes affectionate.

The voice of the Ostrich is a deep, hollow, rumbling sound, so like the roar of the lion
that even practised ears have been deceived by it, and taken the harmless Ostrich for a prowl-
ing lion. In its wild state the Ostrich is thought to live from twenty to thirty years.

In the male bird, the lower part of the neck and the body are deep glossy black, with a
few white feathers, which are barely visible except when the plumage is ruffled. The plumes
of the wings and tail are white. The female is ashen-brown, sprinkled with white, and her
tail and wing-plumes are white, like those of the male. The weight of a fine adult male seems
to be between two and three hundred pounds.

THE EMEU inhabits the plains and open forest country of Central Australia, where it was
in former days very common, but now seems to be decreasing so rapidly in numbers that Dr.
Bennett, who has had much personal experience of this fine bird, fears that it will, ere many
years, be numbered with the Dodo and other extinct birds.

The Emeu is not unlike the ostrich, which it resembles in many of its habits as well as in
its form and general aspect. It is very swift of foot, but can be run down by horses and dogs
without much difficulty. The dogs are trained to reserve the attack until the bird is thor-
oughly tired out, and then spring upon the throat in such a manner as to escape the violent
kicks which the Emeu deals fiercely around, and which are sufficiently powerful to disable an
assailant. The Emeu does not kick forwards like the ostrich, but delivers the blow sideways
and backwards like a cow.

The flesh of the Emeu is thought to be very good, especially if the bird be young. The
legs are always the coarsest and worst-flavored portions, the flesh of the back being thought
equal to fowl. The natives will not permit women or boys to eat the flesh of the Emeu,
reserving that diet for warriors and counsellors. A rather valuable oil is obtained from this
bird, as much as six or seven quarts being secured from a fine specimen. It cliiefly resides in
the skin, but also collects in great quantities about the rump, and between the scapularies and
the sternum. It is obtained easily enough by plucking the feathers, cutting the skin into
pieces, and boiling them in a common cooking-pot. A still simpler plan, though not so pro-
ductive, is to toast the skin before the fire, and catch the oil in a vessel as it drips from the
heated skin. This oil is of a light yellow color, and is considered very valuable, being
largely used as an embrocation to bruises or strains, either by itself or mixed with turpen-
tine. As it does not readily congeal, or become glutinous, it is useful for oiling the locks of
fire-arms. The natives prefer to roast the Emeu with the skin still upon it, thinking that the
oil makes the flesh more luscious. When quite fresh, it is almost free from taste or smell,
and is quite transparent.

The food of the Emeu consists of grass and various fruits. Its voice is a curious, hollow,
booming, or drumming kind of note, produced by the peculiar construction of the windpipe.
The legs of this bird are shorter and stouter in proportion than those of the ostrich, and the
wings are very short, and so small that when they lie closely against the body they can hardly
be distinguished from the general plumage.

The nest of the Emeu is made by scooping a shallow hole in the ground in some scrubby
spot, and in this depression a variable number of eggs are laid. Dr. Bennett remarks that

/•///. i;n i i 500

'•then- i- always an «wld number. some m-sts having U-en discovered with nine, others with
eleven, and others, again, with thirteen." Th- >f the eggs is, while fn-sh, a rich green,

of varyim,',pialit\. but after the shell- an- emptied and exposed to the light, the beautiful
green hue fades int.. an unwholesome greenish-brown. The parent birds sit U|M>II tln-ii eggs,

:•••* I" '- I •••••: i n-lated of I he ostrich The Kmeii is not |M»lygamoiis, one m.il.' U-itiK a pp. -it i •<!

i.' .1 -in. !-• female

In capth it\. the Kmeii -.HIM ai .. -in modates itself to .-in iim-iaiuvs, and breeds freely, and
seems as much at ease as if it wen- in the state of freedom. It is a mo-t in.pii-ith,- bird.
in-|Mi ' \ noi.-lty with gn-at attention. "I on,.-." write- IM. Iteunett. "saw a fine

Ituir of full-grown s]M-cimeii>. in a paddock MI>-\ . Stoppim; to observe one which was

at a short distance fntm the fence, lie immediately cairn- down to ha\>- a look at me.
The second binl was some distance off, but, with their usual keenness of vision, on JUT-
i-eiving me viewing his i---rii|.:ini-in. h-- ,-am-- -la! kin..- d-uMi rapidly . and they Ix.lh -laml al
in-' in. .-i attentively, *tret< liin_ ,-ni 'h-n n.-. k- !"•-! thfl -il-.' ••(' making a n.-an-i ai-.| iiaiiitaii,-.-.
when, finding no n-sult fn»m our int«-r\ i>-w, and their curio-it\ Ix-in- s;iti-!i,-«l, they quietly
-talk-'d awa\ .

"In the Domain, near the Government Mouse, some tame Kmeiis may be seen walking
about, and often, near the Grand House, man-hint; with measured |Mi4-e, as if keeping guard
with the soldiers on duty. Out-day, during the levee, when the Domain wius cmwded with
people to see the arrivals and listen to the band, the Kmeiis minghnl with the <-n)wd, appar-
ently enjoying the gay scene around them, when some strangers, who wen- afraid of these
birds, ran away. On seeing this, the Kmeus, enjoying a chase, pursued, ami overtaking one
of the gentlemen, took off his hat. t<> his great surprise. The aliove circumstance demonstrates
their fearless nature, and how readily these noble birds mii;ht be domesticated."

The color of the adult bird is lightish-brown and gray, but when it is young, its plumage
is decorated with four broad, black, longitudinal stri|H-s down the l«ick, and four on each side,
and four more down the mvk and breast. These strij>es run in i»uirs. the two streaks of each
pair being divided by a narrow line of white. Towanls the head, the stripes an- broken into
spots and dashes. The feathers are very loose, and hairy in their ap]tearance, and, us is the
case with all the Striithiones, will rejiay u close examination, on account of the great develop-
ment of the accessory plumes, springing fnmi the -hafts <>f th<- feathers. The height of u fine
male Kmeii is from -i\ to seven feet.

Another sjM-cies In-longing to the same genus, the SI-OITKK KMKI* (Drwiuiinx irrordlujt),
is found in the s:im<- country, and can be distinguished !>y it- black head and neck, and the
i of brownish-black and gray U]xm it-

AMKIMCA is not without n-pn-x-ntatives of this tin,- group of birds.

The KIIKA is a native of South America, and is i--|M-.-ially plentiful along the River Plata.
It is generally seen in juiirs, though it sometimes a-s.x-iates together in flocks of twenty or
thirty in nuimVr. Like all the memlM-rs of this group, it is a swift -fi>ot.il and wary binl, but
possesses so litti,- pr. -.-n, .• of mind that it becomes confused when threatened with danger,
runs aimlessly first in one direction, and then in another, thus giving time for the hunter to
come up and sluxit it, or bring it to the Around with his "lM»la.s" a terrible wea|H>n, consist-
ing of a cord with a heavy ball at each end. which is flung at the binl, and winds its coils
round its neck and legs, so as to entangle it, and l>rin>; it t<» the ground.

The food of the Hhea consists mainly of grosses, nx.ts, and other vegetable siibstancea, but
it will occasionally eat animal fix d, U-ing known to come down to the mud banks of the river
for the piirjKjae of mting the little tish that have N-en stranded in the shallows.

Our knowledge of the IMi.-a and it.s habits is almost wholly derived from Mr. Darwin's
writings, and, as an original narrative is mostly superior to a second-hand description, iwrt of
his account will be given in his own words. The reader must remember that the Rhea is
popularly called the o-trich in South Am- lira

" This bird is well known to abound on the plain- of La Plata. To the north it is found,
according to Azara, in Paraguay, where, however, it is not common ; to the south, its limit

000

THE RHEA.

appears to have been from 42° to 43°. It has not crossed the Cordilleras, but I have seen it
within the first range of mountains in the Uspallata plain, elevated between six and seven
thousand feet. They generally prefer running against the wind, yet, at the instant, they
expand their wings, and, 'like a vessel, make all sail. On one fine hot day I saw several
Ostriches enter a bed of tall rocks, where they squatted concealed till nearly approached.

" It is not generally known that Ostriches readily take to the water. Mr. King informs
me that at Patagonia, in the Bay of St. Bias, and at Port Valdez, he saw these birds swim-
ming several times from island to island. They ran into the water both when driven down to
a point, and likewise of their own accord, when not frightened. The distance crossed was

-——., =- 1 m ~i ^

-
.

g-_

RHEA.— «*•

about two hundred yards. When swimming, very little of their bodies appears above water
and their necks are stretched a little forward ; their progress is slow. On two occasions I saw
some Ostriches swimming across the Santa Cruz River, where it was about four hundred
yards wide, and the stream rapid.

" The inhabitants who live in the country readily distinguish, even at a distance, the male
bird from the female. The former is larger and darker colored, and has a larger head. The
( Mrich, I believe the cock, emits a singular deep-toned hissing note. When first I heard it,
while standing in the midst of some sand hillocks, I thought it was made by some wild beast,
for it is such a sound that one cannot tell from whence it comes, or from how far distant.

" When we were at Bahia Blanca, in the months of September and October, the eggs were

////: i/:) 507

in cxtraoi-dinai -\ mimiN-i- all o\.-r tl ounir\ Th.-\ .-itli.-i lie scattered singly, in

which IM-.- iln-y an- never li:i t< li.-« I. an<l are called by tin- S|«n,

roll. -.-I. -I to-.-iher int.. :i hollow excuvat i< .ii. which forms the nest. <»m of the four ne-t.-
which I NUW. three coiitain.-d tw.-m\ twoeggs each, ami tli.- fourth twenty-seven. In inn* day's
huntm- on hor>«-ba.-k -ixt\ four eggs wen- found; forty four <>f these were in two nesta, and
the remaining twenty, scatter**! hiiaciios. Tin- (Jam -ho- unanimoii-l\ allinn. and there is no
reason in d<>ul>t tln-ir -tai.-m.-n!. licit ill- in. ili- bird alum- hatches the eggs, and that he, fur

>omc time aftei »ard- u| U • • • • m i • • whil< in tii< nest, lie* verj alow; 1

!. r. • iii) -:"." -• ; ; ..-..- : crt< Ihul I such linn ill- \ ;nv ... BMfaad|j

ti — . ami . .•-,-: n. • •...-. . • : I . • • • . • . . • • • • known to attack u man on li..i-.-l.a.-k. tr\
in:: t<> ki'-k an<l l>-a|>i>n liim. M\ inr»rmaiii |x>int>i| out to me an old man whom he hud seen
nim-'ii tiTi-ilii-.! l«y <m.- <if tlu>>«- liinls rlia-iii^' him."

In raptivity it i- rath«>r an amu-im: liinl. and i-asily doiiM-Mic-atcd. Suni-tinu-s it .H.-..IH-, to
IN- taki-n \\ithatit.and runs ii|i aii<l down it- iin-lo-nn- a- if it wt-ii- U-in^ rhiLstil. hnldiiiK it.s
uiii^'- from tin* !NN|\ and ap]M*arin^ in tli.-mo-t dr-p.-rati- -tat.- of alarm. Tliis is only a j^liam
aft«-r all. a m.-i-i- iiutlmrst of frolic, for tin- l»ird immediately Mil>Md»-s int<» i]iii«-tiidi'. and
rt'Minu's it.s leisim-1; iDtMti •' • I ; • • . I :-•.;:: ;• •:•••. \, \>- 1. it utt.-i- a ki nd

of crunt a> a warnini:. and if tin- otT.-ni .- !»• r.'|H-at«-«l, hi.HHeH nharj>ly, di-aw- liark it> h.-ad. and
^•••m> poi-in_' it-.-l! foi I -"."•.• i '.- - : .• ' ifl .1 hollow sound, -.iii'-ihin_- lik.- ih.- m.i-- pro
dn.-.-d l>y .striking a tin ran with a \VIMM|I-U mallet, and every time that it is produced the
thrmt swells and >ink> <-oii\ ul-ivel\ . Tin- yoiinir are pn-tty little liinis, |>ert, ln-j-k. an<l
lively, and are colored rather prettily, their pwral hue U-in^ ^rray. -tri]»-«l with hlack, each
i»e having a cream -colored line alon-4 its ri-ntiv.

Tin- Hhea is ilarkish-gmy, takimra Mackish hue aliove, and ln-ing rather lighter ticlow.
The ]ilnmes of the wings are white, and a Hack kind runs round the neck, and pas-. - into a
semilunar jcitch on th>- hn-a-t Tin- n.-ck i- comjiletely feathered. The average height of the
Khea is alNint live fei't.

Thn-e -]h-<-iesof Khea an-, however, all inhabitants of S<mth America, namely, the common
Rhea just deacriU-d, D.MIWIN'- Um \ i/////// ilnnriiiiit. and the J^\i:<,i uiiiiu UIIKA
(Khea maerorhyncha).

TIIK well-known C \--o\\ \i;>. long thought to IN- the only example of the gi-nns, is found
in the Malaccas.

This tine bird is notable for the gins- \ l>lack hair-like plnrnage. the helmet-like protuber-
ance upon the head, and the light azure, purple and -carlet of the npjx-r jiart of the neck.
The "helmet" is a truly remarkable api>aratus, IMMIH: compos*-.! of a honey-combed cellular
bony substance, made on a principle that much resembles the structure of theelepliant's skull,
mention. -.1 in the previous volume of this work treating of the Mammalia. It yields readily
to a sharp knife or a tin*- -a«. and may IH- cut through by a steady hand without leaving
ragged edges. Tliis helmet is barely ]>«-n-eptible in the young binl when newly hatched, and
increases in pro] K>rt inn with its growth, not reaching its full development until the bird ha-
uttained adult age. A similar phenomenon may be observed in the common (riiinea fowl.
The beak is hiirh in pn>]iortioii to its width, and i- therefore unlike the flattened and com-
IKirutirely weak bills of the < Ntrich.

The plumage of the iMxlv i- \.-r\ hair like. lM-ing composed of long and almost naked
shafts, two -prin^im: from the same tuU-. and one always U-ijig longer than the other. At the
pMits of the shaft- there i- a -mall tuft of delicate down, sufficiently thick to supply a warm
and soft inn.-r garment, but yet so small as to IH- hidden by the long hair-like plumage Kx.-n
the tail is furni-hed with the same curioii- c»\erinir. and th>- wings are clothed after a similar
maniiei. with the exception of five black, stiff, strong, pointed qnilK very like the large quills
of the porcupine, and In-ini: of different lenirths. the larip-M not exceeding one foot, and gen-
erally being much batten-*! aU>nt the jH.int. When stripjH-d of its feath.-r-. the whole wing
only extends some three inches in lenirth. and i- .-\ idently a mere indication of the limb.

Tin* eye of the Cassowary is fierce and resolute, and it.s expression is carried oat by the

508 THE MOORUK.

character of the bird, which is tetchy of disposition, and apt to take offence without apparent
provocation. Like the bull, it is excited to unreasoning ire at the sight of a scarlet cloth, and,
like the dog or the cat, has a great antipathy towards ragged or unclean persons, attacking
such individuals with some acerbity merely because their garments or general aspect do not
please its refined taste. It is a determined and rather formidable antagonist, turning rapidly
about and launching a shower of kicks which can do no small damage, their effect being con-
siderably heightened by the sharp claws with which the toes are armed. In the countries
which it inhabits, the native warriors are accustomed to use the innermost claw of the Casso-
wary's foot as the head of their spears.

The food of this bird in a wild state consists of herbage and various fruits, and in captivity
it is fed on bran, apples, carrots, and similar substances, and is said to drink nearly half a
gallon of water per diem. The eggs are somewhat like those of the rhea, save that their sur-
face is more tubercular, and the shades of green more varied. The color of the plumage is
black, glossy above, as if made of shining black horsehair, and rather duller below. At the
lower part of the neck there are two wattles, and the upper part of the neck is colored with
beautiful blue, purple, and scarlet. The legs are feathered. An adult male is about five feet
in height.

THE other species of Cassowary was discovered by Captain Devlin, and, having been taken
to Sydney, was there purchased and then brought to Europe by Dr. Bennett, after whom it
has been very appropriately named. Its native title is MOOKUK, and its home is in the island
of New Britain.

Dr. Bennett's description of the Mooruk is as follows: "The height of the bird is three
feet to the top of the back, and five feet when standing erect. Its color is rufous, mixed with
black on the back and hinder portions of the body, and raven-black about the neck and breast ;
the loose, wavy skin of the neck is beautifully colored with iridescent tints of bluish-purple,
pink, and an occasional shade of green, quite different from the red and purple caruncles of
the Cassowary ; the feet and legs, which are very large and strong, are of a pale ash color, and
exhibit a remarkable peculiarity in the extreme length of the claw of the inner toe of each
foot, it being nearly three times the length which it attains in the claws of the other toes.
This bird also differs from the Cassowary in having a horny plate instead of a helmet-like pro-
tuberance on the top of the head, which callous plate resembles mother-of-pearl darkened with
black lead."

The voice of the Mooruk is a kind of whistling chirp. It is a very cleanly bird, keeping
its plumage free from stain, and being very fond of washing, lying down to have repeated
bucketfuls of water poured over its body, and squatting on the ground in heavy rain. Their
proceedings when in captivity are most amusingly told by Dr. Bennett, in his valuable " Gather-
ings of a Naturalist in Australasia," and although too long to be entirely inserted, are so
interesting and so indicative of the Mooruk' s character, that a portion must find a place in
these pages: —

"I succeeded in purchasing the birds. When placed in the yard, they walked about as
tame as turkeys. They approached any one who came in, as if desirous of being fed, and
were very docile. They began pecking at a bone they found lying about (probably not having
tasted any meat for some time), and would not, while engaged upon it, touch some boiled
potatoes which were thrown to them ; indeed, it was found afterwards that they fed better out
of a dish than from the ground, having no doubt been early accustomed to be fed in that
manner. They seemed also fond of scraping about the dunghill, and appeared to pick up food
from it, probably insects or grubs. They were as familiar as if born and bred among us for
years, and did not require time to reconcile them to their new situation, but were sociable and
quite at home at once.

"We found them on the following day rather too tame, or, like spoilt pets, too often in
the way. One or both of them would walk into the kitchen, and while one was dodging
under the tables and chairs, the other would leap up on the table, keeping the cook in a state

//!////> /;/ /7//: MOOKUK. 500

of excitement ; or th.-y Mould b.- heard in tin- hall or in tin- library, in search of food or
information ; or the\ Mould walk upsiaii-. :ui.| then qnickh : • M : -aiii. making lli.-ir
jH-culiai .Imping, whistling noiM»; not ;i d- H.I could U- left O|H-II. but in they walked. Tln-\

kept the servant- consumU .,n tin- alert : if went |o o|>. n tin- d.M.r, on turning round she

found a M«Miruk In-hind ln-r ; for they seldom MI-HI together, -eiienilh wandering aj«M from
• •arh other.

•• If an\ atl«-rn|it was madi- to turn th.-m out l.\ fon-i-. they would dart rapidly about the
mom, dodging about under the tables, chairs, and sofas, and thru «-nd liy squatting down
under a sofa or in a corner ; indeed, it was inq.ossib|e to remove the bird, except b\ ,-.\i\ \ing
it .away. On attempting this, the long muscular leg* would liegin kicking and strugi;lii
when it would leleased, and jNilitely walk out of ii- <>\MI accord. 1 found lh«- Iwst

mi'thcHl Mas to.-nii.,- tln-iu out as if \oii had >o!iu-tliiiiic '-atalilf in \oiir haml, M|H-H th««y
would follow tin- din-4-tioii in Mhich you wi>h.-<l t«« lead lln-m. On the housemaid attempting
to turn the l>iii| out of one of tin- room*, it kicked her and ton- her dress. They walk into I he
staMes amoiitf the hurst's, |K>kin^ Jheii hillfl int.. Mi-' m.in-.-i-. \\' hfii \\ i itiu- in m\ -iiii|\.;i
i-hirpini;. whi>tlim: noi>«- i> heard; the door, which is a jar, is pushed <'|H-n. and in walk the
Mooruks. wh«» quietly pace round the rtnnii insiHM-tin« everything, and then as jxweahly go
out again.

•• K\en in the very tame utate of these birds, I have Been sufficient of them to know that,
if they wen* loose in a wood, it would l>e imi>ossil>le to catch them, and almost an difficult to
-IMK.I them. One <la\. \\ h<-p. apparently frightened at something that occurred, I saw one of
them Hrour round the \ard at a swift pace, and diMappear under the archway HO rapidly that
the eye could hardly follow it, upsetting all the Dmitry in its progress, aa they could not get
out of the way. The lower half of the stable diMir, alNiut four fe«-t lii^h. was kepi .-hut. to
prevent them going in : but this proved no obstacle, as it was easily lea | M>d over by these birds.

''They never a pj Haired to take any notice of or In- frightened at the jabiru, or gigantic
crane, which wa.s in the same yard, although thai .-date, stately bird w:us not pleased at their
intrusion. One day I observed the jabiru spreading his longwin^. and clattering his l*-ak,
opposite one of the Moornks, as if in ridicule of their wingless condition. The Mooruk, on
the other hand, wa.s preening its feathers, and spread im: out its funny little apology for wings,
as if proud of display in:, the Miff, horny shafts with which they \M-H- adorned. The Mooruks
often throw up all their feathers, ruffling them, and then tlwy suddenly fall flat as before.
Their wings aid them in running, but are never used for defence. Captain Devlin says, that
the nath--^ cmiMder them to a certain degree sacred, and rear them as jtets. Me does not know
whether they are used as food, but if so, not generally; inde»-d. their shy dis|M>sition. and
power of rapid running, darting through brake and bush, would almo-t pn-clude their capture.

"The natives cany them in their anus. ;in<l entertain a great affection for them, which
will account for their domesticated state with us. The noise of these, birds, when in the yard,
resembled that of tin- female turkey: at other times, the j>eculiar chirping noise was accom-
panied by a whistling sound, which often reminded me of the chirp of the (tuinea fowl. The
contrast of the-- birds with the jabiru. or gigantic crane (. I//// •////»/ mixfmlix), was very great.
The M.MHuk> were sometimes s.-.-n mo\ing aUmt like the female turkey, but wen- more often
in a state of rapid motion or excitement; when walking quietly, they wen- \.-i\ inquisitive,
poking their Ix-aks into everything, and familiar with every person. The jabiru, on the other
hand, was a perfect picture of sedate quietness, looking upon all play as injurious to his con-
stitution or derogatory to his dignity, remaining stiff in his gait and serious in hi- demeanor.
The Mooruks, by their activity and iiois.-. Mould l.-t , -\.-iv one kno\v they Men- in the yard,
M hereas no one would be aware of the presence of the jabiru except by sight ; and when he
mores away, it is with a quiet sedate gait.

••'I'll.- Mooruk has, when seen in full face, a fine eagle like expression of countenance,
having the same vivid, piercing eye and curved beak. The instant the Mooruk saw an egg
laid by a hen. he darted npon it, and breaking the shell, devoured it immediately, as if he
had been accustomed to eggs all his life. A servant was opening a cask of ale; as soon as
the birds heard the hammering, they both ran down to it, and remained there while it was

510 TAME MOORUES.

unpacked, squatting down on each side, most intently watching the process, and occasionally
pecking at the straw and contents.

"When the carpenter was in the yard, making some alteration in the cage of these birds,
it was very amusing to see them squat down upon their tarsi, like dogs, watching the man,
with the greatest apparent interest in all his actions, enjoying the hammering noise, and occa-
sionally picking up a nail, which was not in this instance swallowed, but again dropped ; one
one of them swallowed his 'oilstone,' which so alarmed the man that he considered the bird
had committed suicide, and hurried to inform me of the circumstance, when, to his surprise, 1
told him if he did not take care they would swallow his hammer, nails, and chisel. The birds
kept close to the man until he left for dinner, when they went about the yard as usual, resum-
ing their position near him as soon as he returned to his work, and not leaving until he had
finished.

" These birds invariably retire to roost at dusk, and nothing more is seen or heard of them
until daylight, as they never leave their usual roosting-place after retiring ; indeed, their usual
time of roosting is as soon as the sun is on the verge of setting, even before the poultry depart ;
and on looking at them about this time in their retirement, they utter their usual greeting
chirps, and one may be observed reposing upon the breast, the other upon the tarsi. The
door may be safely left open during the night, as they will not move, nor leave their sleeping-
place, until the dawn of day. If, during any hour of the night, I approached their resting-
place, they immediately greeted me with their peculiar chirping noise, being evidently, like
geese, very watchful, or, according to the common saying, ' sleeping with one eye open ; '
when gazed at, they not only chirped, but, if I continued too long, I was saluted by a loud
growl.

" One morning the male Mooruk was missing, and was found in the bedroom upstairs,
drinking water out of the water-jug. There were some silkworms in the room at the time, but
they were fortunately covered ; otherwise1, I have no doubt, he would have made a meal of
them. The same bird swallowed a bung-cork which meastired one and a half inch in diameter ;
indeed they both seem to swallow anything from butter and eggs to iron, in the form of small
bolts or nails and stones. The bird did not appear well ; he was sulky and heavy all day ; and
when, in this sickly state, any one approached him, instead of being greeted with a cheerful
chirping, he uttered a loud sulky growl ; we were afraid he was dying. On the following day
he was as lively as ever, having passed the cork in a perfectly undigested state.

"To show how dangerous it was to leave any object capable of being swallowed, I will
relate the following occurrence : The servant was starching some muslin cuffs, and having com-
pleted one and hung it up to dry, she was about to finish the other, when, hearing the bell
ring, she squeezed up the cuff, threw it into the starch, and attended to the summons. On her
return the cuff was gone, and she could not imagine who had taken it during her brief absence,
when she discovered that the Mooruk was the thief, its beak and head being covered with
starch ; he had without doubt swallowed it. This occurred at eleven A. M., and at half -past
five P. M. the cuff was passed, quite undigested and uninjured, and with a little washing was
as good as ever.

"They could not digest unboiled potato. Maize, or any unboiled grain, was likewise
indigestible. When a piece of bread was offered them at a height beyond their reach, they
would first stretch up the body and neck as much as possible, and* then, finding they could not
get it, they would jump up for it like a dog. They were frequently seen running and tumbling
about the yard together in high spirits. It is well to warn persons, inclined to keep these
birds as pets, of their insatiable propensities. When about the house, they displayed extraordi-
nary delight in a variety of diet ; for, as I have previously related, one day they satisfied their
appetites with bones, whetstones, corks, nails, and raw potatoes, most of which passed per-
fectly undigested ; one dived into thick starch and devoured a muslin cuff, whilst the other
evinced a great partiality for nails and pebbles ; then they stole the jabiru's meat from the
water. If eggs and butter were left upon the kitchen-table, they were soon devoured by these
marauders ; and when the servants were at their dinner in the kitchen, they had to be very
watchful, for the long necks of the birds appeared between their arms, devouring everything

/•///: i /•/•/.•/,•) -\ MI

<>IT tin- phi. > : "i. if tli>- dinm-i i.iMe was left for a moment, they would mount \i\»,n it an 1

rl.-ui :il! I- -f. -I- I !;• in

" At other tillles the\ -I.HH| ;,t I lie table, Waiting fnf f'MHl III I* -i\.'ll |i. till-Ill. although

tli.-\ <li<l nut hesitate to ivino\e :in\ tiling within their n-ach. I have often seen them stand :it
tin- window nf mil -ilininir room, with keen ••>••. watchini; fni aii\ morsel <,f food that might IM-
thrown to tin-in. Thedav pn-vious to the departure of tin- pair for their new home, tin- male
I'inl ualkul inl" tin- ilinin_- n~.ni. :m<l ii-in:iiinil b\ m\ side during tin- «l«->-..-rt. I regaled liini
with ]>iin-:i|>|>li> and other fruits, mid he beha\e.| \.-n d.vomuslv ami with great forbearance.
ll:i\in- had these birds for a considerable time in my ]M>sses>ioii, I hud ample o]i|x>rtiinity of
h'-aiin- all th-- notes Uttered l-> llf in I llcvcl li.-ard them utter a sound like • MiM.ruk.' I
am inclined to rounder tin- naim- signifies, in tin- natixi- lan^ua^i-, 'swift' — resembling closely
tin- Mala\ I.TIII ' a nim-U.' Of ma. I • an-.-i "

III tin- 8sim«» work is miich IIH.IV mi-inns an. I valnal.lf infi.rinatinn ivsjMTtinK this bird, and

ti. its ].a_-i-s t!i.- ivaili-i i- ivfi-rr.il foi fiirtli«M inf.. i -'iiati-'ii .. >n.-. •niin_- lln- an.| many • >th'-r
,f naluial lii-l..| \

The Mooruk is not di-vnid nf ntT<-nsi\i> wcjiixms, for it can kick very sharply, delivering
tin- stmki- fnrwanl liki- tin- n-ui.-li, and d«Tivin^ much aid from th<> long-pointed claw which
has ali.'a.l\ I •• . n mentioned EttBttftudl '•>'• nnn-li i ....... \aiic. n^. ali.l its f, ,rm m..|.- ll.-xil.li-.

than would In- siii)jK»s.il l>\ ]~-:-smis whn have not m-n tin- l»inl in a living state. Soim-timcs
il s, 1 1 ia Is . l..',s n " nli ilr i' - - iMBl Mii.l- i i:. -Mi.l n sjix n|.| j_.|,i lik,; a .!>._' that has U-.-n taiiu'hl
to "beg;" Bomedmes it lii-s nn its sid... stretching the legs straight Ix-hindit; some times it
flattens itaelf ug-.iinst tin- ground, its legs tucked under it.s txxly, and it» head and in-rk
.stn-t<-h*-<l at full Im^th <>n the ground. This latter ]K>siti<>n is a favorite one. Like the emeu.
it i> often taken with an ebullition (.f joyousn.-x.s, and then dashes aliout its inclosure a« if half
mad. jumps against a tree (>r jxist, trying to kick it at a great height from the ground, and
tumlilini; Hat on its Lark when it misses its nim. Then it will suddenly cease ite vagaries,
and «alk about very composedly, but j»antini,r for breath with OJH-II l>ill.

This binl may be distinguished fn>m the cas.so\\ai \ by t h« four (instead of five) spines of
the wings, and the sliai>e of the helmet.

PERHAPS the very strinp-st and most weird-like of all living birds is the APTEKVX, or
Kiwi Kiwi.

This singular binl is a native of New Zealand, when; it was once very common, but, like
the dinornis, bin a fair way of becoming ex tim-t. a fate from which it has probably been hitherto
preserved by ite nocturnal and retiring habits.

Not many years ago the Apteryx was thought to l>e a fabulous bird, its veritable existence
being denied by scientific men as energetically as that of the giraffe in yet older days, or the
duck-bill in more modern times. A skin brought from New Zealand was given to a taxidi-r
mist to "set up," and the man. taking it for one of the penguias on account of ite very short
wings and the total absence of a tail, stuffed it in a sitting jiosture, such as is assumed by the
penguin tril>e. and arranged the head and neck after the same model.

In this binl then- is scarcely the slightest trace of wings, a peculiarity which has gained
for it the title of Apteryx, or wingless. The plumage is romiM.sed of rather curiously sha|*il
flat feathers, each being wide ami furnish.-.! with a soft, shining, silken down for the basal
thinl of it.s length, and then nan-owing rapidly towards the extremity, which is a single shaft
with haii like webs at eai h side. The quill ] >ort ion of the feathers is remarkably small and
short, N-in^ .-\. -n overlap] MM! by the down when the feather is removed from the binl.

The skin is very tough and y.-t tl.-xible. and the chiefs set. great value upon it for the
manufactun* of their state mantles. |H-nnitting no inferior person to wear them, and being
extremely unwilling to part with them I-M-H for a valuable consideration. The bird lives
mostly among the fern ; and as it always remains concealed during the day in deep recesses of
nx-ks. gnmnd, or tn-e-n»ots, and is remarkably fleet of fiK»t. diving among the heavy fern-leaves
with singular adroitness, it j^ not very easy of capture. It feeds ui"m insects of various kinds,

512

THE APTERYX.

more especially on worms, which it is said to attract to the surface by jumping and striking
on the ground with its powerful feet. The natives always hunt the Kiwi-kiwi at night, taking

AITKUYX, OK KIWI-KIWI. -Ajtteryx

with them torches and spears. The speed of this bird is very considerable, and when running
it sets its head rather back, raises its neck, and plies its legs with a vigor little inferior to that
of the ostrich.

THE Al'TERYZ.

•

The fine 8]MTimen kej.t in <-a].ii\it\ pi..,.-l ., \.-ry valuable I «ii'l, as she has laid several
eggs, th.-i.-l>\ «--iting at rest some di-1'iit.-.l .pi. -Minn-, ,,11 the subject, ami «.-ll illustnting the
natural hal'it.s of the spedes. iMini,^ ill.- <la\ -li. i. m:iin> hidden behind the straw, which is
uj> in u mi-tier <.f li.-r l«>x, :iii<t .l«i-lin.-s to ,-<,in.- forth unless removed by force. When
to tin- li-ht, -h«- l<K)k.H sadly puzzled for a short time, and when placed on the groun I
she i urns her Iwck — not her tail, a* >h.- ha* n.. >urh a|>|M-uda^i*— and runs off to her box in the
most absurd style, Ix.kiii^ us if she were going to topple over every moment. 1 n<.tir.-.| that
she always goes routnl h<-r tax and slipM in between the box and the wall, imtinuating henelf
U-hiii'l tli.- >tr.»w without ••v.-u >ho\viiii; a f.atli.T. IV-foiv hiding hers»-lf, she lingered a few
moments to eat some worms from her keeper's hand, taking them daintily with the end of the
Mil. ami disposing of them at a rapid nit.-.

Upon her lx>x is placed, under a gloss shade, the shell of one of her eggs. These eggs are
indeed wonderful, for the bird weighs just a little more than four pounds, and each egg weighs
between fourteen and fifteen ounces, its length U-ing four inches and three-quarters, and its
width rather more than t«.. inches, thus being very nearly one-fourth of the weight of the
parent bird. There have been six eggs laid between the time when it was captured and nine
years later, when I hurt saw the bird, and each egg has varied betw.-«-n thirteen and fourteen
and u half ounces in weight

The long curved beak of the Apteryx has the nostrils very narrow, very small, and set on
at each side of the tip, so that the bird is enabled to pry out the worms and other nocturnal
creatures on which it feeds, without trusting only to the eyes. The general color of the
Apteryx is chestnut-brown, each feather being tipped with a darker hue, and the under parts
are lighter than the upper. The height is about two feet.

Three species of Apteryx are known — namely, the one already described, OWEN'H
APTERYX (Apteryx owcnii), remarkable for the puffy downiness of its plumage, and MAN-
TELL' 8 APTERYX (Apteryx marUcttii), and it is very probable that there are still other species
at .present unknown.

GREAT BUSTAKD.— Otii larda.

THE ORALLY

BUSTARDS, PLOVERS, CRANES, HERONS, ETC.

I/THOUGH the progress of civilization has conferred many benefits on Europe, it
has deprived it of many of its aboriginal inhabitants, whether furred or feathered,
the GREAT BUSTARD being in the latter category.

This splendid bird, although in former days quite a usual tenant of plains and
commons, and having been an ordinary object of chase on Newmarket Heath, is
now so very rare, that only an occasional specimen makes its appearance at very
rare intervals, and is then generally found — and shot — on Salisbury Plain. In
the countries which it still inhabits, It is a most wary bird, and very difficult of approach,
being generally shot with rifles after a careful and lengthened chase that rivals deer-stalking
in the watchfulness and perseverance that are requisite before the sportsmen can get within
shot. They are carried in carts, covered with ordinary farm produce, and having an aperture
through which they can aim ; they put on various disguises ; they enact the part of agricul-

Tin: LITTLE in -STAR I).

tural laborers, plying tln-ir work, and gradually dipping towards the wury l>irds; they walk
U-hind <•<•«•>. :in.|. in Hi,,., pin into j.m. lii.- ,-V.TV drvio- which their ingenuity. sharpened by
• •.\|*Ti'-M. .-. , .,;, SQfp >i

Tlie Great Bustard is u..i fund <>( il\ n. having but a alow and deliberate move-

ment; but on foot it is very swift, and testa the speed of dog and horse before it can be
captured.

The nest — if a hole in the ground may be called a nest — of this bird is generally made
among corn, rye, etc., although it is *>mi>tiiiii>s Miuat««d in rather unexpected localities. Tin-
HP tn tVO <N Mil'- :M •umlMT. ami dl an olive-brown color, splashed with lidit bflOWB, fa
which a green tinge ia perceptible. The food of the bird in almost wholly of a vegetable nature,

LITTU BCVTAKD.— Ortt

though it is said to feed occasionally upon mice, lizards, and other small vertebrates. The
flesh of the Bustard is very excellent, but the extreme rarity of these birds prevents it from
being often seen upon the tables. When caught young, the Bustard can be readily tann !.
and soon becomes quite familiar with those who treat it kindly.

The head and upper part of the neck are grayish-white, and upon the side of the neck
there is a small patch of slaty-blue bare skin, almost concealed by the curious feather tuft
which hangs over it. The upper part of the body is pale chestnut, barred with black, and
the tail is of similar tints with a white tip, and a very broad black hand next to the white
extremity. The wing-coverts, together with the tertials, are whit.-, and the primaries bluck.
The under surface of the body is white. The total length of an adult male is about forty-five
inches.

THE LITTLE BUSTARD is an occasional visitor to the northern parts of Europe, and when>
ever it does make its appearance, it almost invariably chooses the winter time.

516 THE CO RAN.

It is by no means uncommon in several parts of Europe, and in Russia assembles in little
flocks. Towards the shores of the Caspian Sea it is found in greater numbers, the flocks being
of considerable size, and all appearing (in the mouth of December) to consist of birds which
have not put on, or which have already put off, their nuptial plumage. This bird feeds upon
insects, herbs, grasses, and seeds, and its flesh is very good, having been compared to that of a
young pheasant. The eggs are placed on the ground among a tuft of rank herbage in which
the bird can lie concealed ; their number is about four, and their color olive-brown.

The male, when in full plumage, is a decidedly handsome bird. The top of the head is
fawn and black, and the sides of the face and neck are slaty -gray. Around the neck runs a
broad gorget of black, cut by two white bands, one narrow and forming a ring round the neck,
and the other broader and of semilunar shape, just across the top of the breast. The upper
parts of the body are fawn, mottled profusely with black, and the wings are beautifully
marked with black and white. The under surface of the body is white. The female is with-
out the beautiful black and white stripes on the neck and chest, and her breast, sides, and
flanks are barred with black. Except during the breeding season, the male has the same
plumage. The total length of this bird is about seventeen inches.

THERE are many other Bustards scattered over the world, some being well known in India
under the title of Florikans, and others being distributed over Africa. The HOUBARA, or
RUFFLED BUSTARD, is well known on account of its curious-plumed ruffles and the sport which
it affords to Algerian falconers. There are also two South African species, the Pauw and the
Goran, which are often casually mentioned in the works of African travellers. Both these
birds belong to the genus Eupodotis, and of them Captain Drayson has kindly given me the
following account : —

"THE PAUW bird is more sought for by the pot-hunter than any other in South Africa.
Its size is about that of a turkey, and its flesh delicious. On the breast of this bird there are
two colored meats. First, there is a dark brown, similar to that of the grouse ; but beneath
this there is white meat, which is similar in appearance to chicken's flesh.

" The Pauw is usually found on the plains, which it prefers to bushy country ; for as it is
a very crafty bird, it does not like to give the sportsman an opportunity to stalk it. When
the long grass of the plains has been burnt, and the young grass began to shoot up, then would
numbers of Pauws assemble on the ground, and search for the worms and slugs which became
visible. There was little chance, however, of approaching within two hundred yards of the
bird at these times, as the whole flock would take flight immediately they believed them-
selves in danger, and they had formed a very fair estimate of the distance at which a smooth-
bore would be dangerous. The flight of the Pauw was something like the heron's, except
that when it purposed settling, it would skim for a considerable distance with its wings quite
rigid.

"The bird being rather heavy, with the appearance of a full habit of body, it could not
take flight very readily. When it was possessed of a good feeding locality it seemed disin-
clined to fly away, although its sense of danger was apparent. The sportsman might then
probably reach to within one hundred yards of the bird, particularly if there happened to be
only one near him, and if he did not look attentively in the direction of the Pauw. It was
still necessary, however, to ride round the circumference of a circle of which the Pauw was
the centre, and, by decreasing the radius, to approach nearer and nearer. If the Pauw
crouched, then it usually depended upon the accuracy of the shooting whether or not the bird
was killed ; for the sportsman might then gradually narrow the radius of his circle, until he
was within seventy or eighty yards, when he might dismount, if on horseback, and run in
towards the bird, discharging the dose of buck-shot just as the Pauw opened wide his wings.
These birds are not confined to any particular locality, but seem to range over any country
within a radius of a hundred miles or so.

"THE CORAN is much smaller than the pauw, is longer, in proportion, in the leg, and is
rarely seen in flocks. It is quite as much esteemed for the table as the larger bustard, and

tin- tu i meat*. I I. m:.\ lie expected where the gnus is long,

near m.-i- «r ponds. :unl \\ii.-n- there are sonn- | "iii»iw uf marshy ground : l>ut it avoids

show in:: itx-lf niiirli ill tin- iijn-11. Tin- IMH-I has \.-iy appropriately di-si^natcd this l>iid
• li>tl--s t '..niii.' fni -its lli^'lii N >|o\\ and short, and, if j-ossilil.-, will be avoid**! altogvtli

••In c..n-.-,pi.-iio- of threw rhurari- -hi- l.ii.l. if <>nce seen, is al ii to be

'bagged.' It will allow tli.- .s]M>rt.sinan to almost ii.|. o\.-r it before it will ris,- ; th<-n a .slow,
la/\ . owl-lik.- tli^'lit of aU.nt t\vo Innulntl junls will satisfy its organ of camion. I'jion being
PIII-II.--!, it will aipiiu li«- rl.is... ami has to !»• aliuo>t kickixl l*-foiv it will I.-UM- tin- cr-mml ;
aft<-r wlii.-h it.s slow Ili^lit a (Ton Is even an iiiclilf.-i.-nt shot an excellent chance of killing, for
th« Goran can carry off very little shot"

$:•>

.-,

;

— -•->..,

QWUT I-UM KK OR TUIC-K KXKB.-C

THE Wading Birds are well farnished with legs and feet formed for walking, and in
many species the legs are greatly rlongated, so as to enable them to walk in the water w hi]..
they pick their food out of the waves.

The Plovers head the list of Waders, of which our first example is the GRKAT PLOVER,
or THICK-KNKE.

It is found in various parts of Europe, when- it is known nnd.-r tin- names of STONK Ct i:
I.MV and NORFOLK PLOVER. As it comes from the south, it is more common in the southern
than in the northern countries. It moves about chiefly in the dark, its large full eyes enabling
it to.take advantage of the waning liirht. and to pounce upon tin- slugs, worms, and insects
that come forth by night. The bird is also thought to kill and devour lizards, frogs, and
mil-.- ; and tli-- remains of the large hard-shelled beetles have been found within its stomach.

The note of this lMov«-r is almost human in its intonation, sounding like that strange
whistle produced by putting the ringers in the mouth and Mowing shrilly through tin-in. The
Thick-knw frequents open country and plains, di-likinir in«'Iosures, and being very fond of
downs where sheep are fed in large flocks. It is a cautious and very shy bird, so that the
sportsman cannot, without great trouble, come within shot range. Moreover, it is singularly
tenacious of life, and will carry away a large charge of shot without seeming much the worse
at the time.

618

THE PRATINCOLE.

The eggs of this bird are laid upon the bare ground, and are two in number. Their color
is rather light dingy-brown, covered with splashes and streaks of slaty-blue and dark brown.
The male bird is supposed to aid in the duties of incubation. When hatched, the young birds
are covered with a soft spotty down, so like the stones and soil in which they repose, that they
can hardly be discovered even within a yard or two. For the same reason, the eggs are very
safe from unpractised eyes. About October, the birds take their departure, assembling
together in flocks before they start on their travels.

The general color of the Thick-knee is mottled brown and black. The head is brown
streaked with black ; there is a light-colored stripe from the forehead to the ear-coverts, and
the chin and throat are white. The back is brown streaked with black, and the quill-feathers
of the wing are nearly black, with a few patches of white. The neck and breast are extremely
pale brown, streaked with a darker hue, and the abdomen is nearly white, with a few long and
very narrow longitudinal streaks. In total length the bird measures about seventeen inches.

ilk -t

vW-^l

^Vi^^SwS^^Yr/-^/ HM.V? I-fl^t "

\l ' JJ^fcpfe^F^' / ^/..^ l i'!/fe^5%

PHATUJCOLB.— Oianota pratincola.

THE close compact plumage of the PRATINCOLE, its long pointed wings, its deeply forked
tail, and swallow-like form, point it out as a bird of swift wing and enduring flight.

The Pratincole is a usual resident of the east of Europe and Central Asia. Like the swal-
lows, to which it is so similar in form and habits that even modern zoologists have doubted
whether it ought not to find a place among those birds rather than with the Waders, the
Pratincole feeds much upon the wing, snapping up the insects as they come across its path,
and especially delighting in picking the aquatic insects out of their native element without
even staying its aerial course. Its endurance is equal to its speed, and a flight of two or three
hundred miles is but an easy journey to this bird, which can thus pass over a very great
extent of country in a few days.

The nest of the Pratincole is made among thick aquatic herbage, and the eggs are gener-
ally about five or six in number. The general color of the Pratincole is shining yellowish-
brown above. The chin is whitish, and the front of the throat reddish-white. A narrow black
rtreak runs from the eyes over the ear-coverts, and round the throat, forming the "collar," by

Tin:

r/: t:\ur.

which the bird in so readily known. The l>reast i.s light Imiwn, and the iil.(l..in.-n :ui well a*
the ujijM-i- tail c.. \eris. is white. Tin- quill-feathers <>f tin- wines aiv dark blackish-brown, and
the deeply forked tail is whit* a! its basal half, and dark blacki-h brown io tin- tip.

TIIK \ei\ ran- binl which, .-u a.-. •••unt of jt> >|K-ed of foot and flu- color of it.s plumage, I*
termed the CREAM-COLORED COITRHKK, is found even lees frequently than the preceding
tptcies.

It seems to live chiefly in Barbary or Abyssinia, though specimens have been obtained from
almost every country in Kurojte. One of these birds, shot in Kent, was remarkablr for it«

OBB41I-OOLOBSO OOUR8KR-My<u

boldness. When the gun that was aimed at it missed fire, the bird only flew away for a short
•distance, and then alighted within a hundred yards of the gunner. It ran with great velocity,
picking up objects from the ground in its course, and it was with difficulty raised from the
ground so as to afford a fair shot. The note of this species is very peculiar, and is uttered
on the wing.

The crown of the head is fawn, fading into gray behind, and the chin is white. From the
eye over the ear-coverts is a black curv.-d -Ht-ak. and imrtifdiately above it is a similar white
streak. The whole upper parts of the body are pale reddish-brown, (ho primary feathers of
the wing are jetty -black, ami tht-rv i- a curious I. hick spot near tin- end of each* tail-feather.
The whole under surface is cream- white. U'comini: white on the under tall-coverts. Both sexes
are similarly colored, and the total length i^ rath.-r morv than ten inches.

THE well-known LAPWING, or PEEWIT, is celebrated for many reasons. Ite wheeling,
flapping flight is so peculiar as to attract tin- not Jr.- of .-v.-ry one who ha- \ i-it.-d th«- localities
in which it r»-sid.-s. and ita strange, almost articulate, cry is equally familiar. When it fears
danger, it rises from the nest, or rather from tin- ••::;>. into the air, and continually wheels
-around the intruder, its black and white plumage flashing out as it inclines itself in its flight,
-and its mournful cry almost fatiiruinir the ear with its piercing frequency. "Wee-whit I
whit ! " fills the air, as the birds endeavor to draw away attention from their home; and

520

THE LAPWING, OR PEEWIT.

the look and cry are so weird-like that the observer ceases to wonder at the superstitious
dread in which these birds were formerly held. The French call the Lapwing " Dix-huit,"
from its cry.

It is the male bird which thus soars above and around the intruder, the female sitting
closely on her eggs until disturbed, when she runs away, tumbling and flapping about as if
she had broken her wing, in hopes that the foe may give chase and so miss her eggs. It is
certainly very tempting, for she imitates the movements of a wounded bird with marvellous
fidelity.

The eggs of the Lapwing are laid in a little depression in the earth, in which a few grass
stalks are loosely pressed. The full number of eggs is four, very large at one end and very
sharply pointed at the other, and the bird always arranges them with their small end inwards,

LAPWING. — VaneUu* cristatus.

so that they present a somewhat cross-like shape as they lie in the nest. Their color is olive,
blotched and spotted irregularly with dark blackish-brown, and they harmonize so well with
the ground on which they are laid that they can hardly be discerned from the surrounding
earth at a few yards' distance. Under the title of "Plover's eggs" they are in great request
for the table, and are sought by persons who make a trade of them, and who attain a won-
derful expertness at the business. The eggs are generally laid in marshy grounds, heaths, and
commons, where they are sometimes found by dogs trained for the purpose. They are, how-
ever, often placed in cultivated grounds, and I have found numbers in ploughed fields in the
months of April and May. At first, the novice may pass over the ground three or four times
without finding an egg, and may have the mortification of seeing a more experienced egg-
hunter go over the very same ground arid fill his bag. After a while, however, the eye becomes
accustomed to the business,'and the speckled eggs stand out boldly enough against theground.
Even the protruding ends of the bents and grass stems on which they are laid take the eye,
and there are very few eggs that can escape.

/•// A- aoun:.\

191

The food of tin- Lipwing con-isis almost wholly «-f -i ill.-.. -|IIL'-. ""fins, and iiis,-<'ts. It
is ,-usily tamed, and is ofta • ; ' ' rdeiiH for tin ptirjtose of riddin ' • • '« ••'• ' i >••-•• <!• -'' "•
tive creatures. In tin- garden IH-M our own u Lapwing was kept, and li\.-d f< i some years,
tripping feath over the grass and tlinmimlily :ii li»mr.

In its coloring tin- Lipwin^' i-> mth«>r a haiulsoim* binl. Tli-- t.ip «.f tin- ln-.i«l i-> l.l:n-k. u-
i^ ili.- |.iiu'-p«iint<-<l i-n-si. \\liidi i;in !>•• i-.iis.sl nr il'-pn-ss.^! at will. The aides of the fac*- iiiui
k an- whit.-. >|»-<-kl.-.l \\ith Mark : tlu- rliin, thnuit, and Im-a-st ar«> j.-tty-lihick, ami fnnii the
cliin ;i Mack >tif:ik run- mi'l>-i Tin- npin-r ]»;irt nf tin- Ixxly i» >liining c«pi»ery-gpeen,

d.i/.--il witli pin-pi--, ami ill.- primary IVallicrs <>( \\i<- \vini: an- Mack, with soim- p-.iyi>li «liit«-
at llii-ir tip>. Tin- up|»-r tail-c<i\.-rta are chestnut, and tin- tail is half \\hil.- and half Mack,
the ••xtrrior f.-ath.-r «'ii i-ai-h "id,. In-iaj; almost wholly white. Tin- nnd.-r |«irt8 are whit.-,
chanjfing to fawn on tin- nndt-r tail -c.i\.-rts In \\inl.-r tin- chin and throat an- whit*-. Tin-
yearling Mnls an- nu.nl.'d «itli lm!T on tin- l»ack. The toUU length of tin- liird rath.-r exceeds
on.- foot.

The Lapwing Is now enimn-rat«-d with North Aim-ricaii birds, on the strength of tin- fact
that i' is occasional 1\ -,-, -n ;is ;i straggler hen-. S-v.-r.il otln-r instances an« known of similar
rharart«-r. I'siLillv. in these cases of exceptional migration, there is seldom more than one
individual noticed. Occasionally, perhaps, a pair is observed.

.

THE two Plovers represented in the engraving are common throughout Europe.

The GOLDEN PLOVBB, sometimes called the YJ.I.I.OW Pi "\ 1 1: from its prettily colored
pl i image, is very common in many parts of Europe, being found mostly in the more northern dis-
tricts, moving south wanl in the autumn. The spots which it selects for its breeding- places are
generally situated on open moors, where the vegetation is but scanty, and water is at hand.

V .: .. II

522 HABITS OF THE GOLDEN PLOVER.

although well below the level of the nest, rather high ridges, with a dell slope, being its most
favored spots. It makes its simple preparations in the beginning of April or the end of
March, according to the season, choosing some little depression in the soil, scratching it toler-
ably level, and laying in it a few bents and grass stems. The eggs are usually four in number,
and their color is yellowish-olive, blotched with dusky brown. Like the eggs of the lapwing,
they are arranged with their small ends inwards. The Golden Plover also puts in practice
sundry devices to draw an intruder away from the nest, rising into the air when it has suc-
ceeded indts object, and uttering an exultant, whistling cry as it wheels off in safety. The
female is very careful about her eggs. While sitting, she crouches so low upon them that her
speckled plumage can hardly be distinguished from the earth ; and when she leaves her nest,
she runs to some little distance along the ground before she rises into the air, and returns after
the same cautious fashion.

The young birds are active on foot, and are able to follow their parent within a very short
time after their escape from the egg-shell. They are pretty little creatures, covered with thick
dusky mottled down, and not easily to be discovered.

The plumage of the Golden Plover varies generally according to age and the season of the
year. In the summer, the top of the head and whole of the upper surface are grayish-black,
mottled with triangular spots of golden-yellow. The face, chin, throat, and under surface of
the body are jetty-black, a white streak passing over the eyes and forehead, and separating
the mottlings of the head from the black of the face. The primaries are nearly black, and the
tail is barred with whitish-gray and blackish-brown. Below the wing there is a band of white,
and the under tail-coverts are white. In the winter the chin is white, and the breast also
dusky-white, spotted with yellow ; and in late autumn and early spring the changing plumage
is curiously mottled with black, yellow, and white. The yearling birds are more gray on the
breast and lower parts than when they have attained their second year's plumage. In total
length this bird measures not quite one foot.

The Golden Plover was for a long time regarded as identical with the American bird of
that name. Wilson says: "This beautiful bird visits the sea-coasts of New York and New
Jersey in spring and autumn, but does not, as far as I can discover, breed in any part of the
United States. They are most frequently met with in the months of September and October,
soon after which they disappear. The young birds of the great Black-bellied Plover are some-
times mistaken for this species. Hence the reason why Mr. Pennant remarks his having seen
a variety of the Golden Plover, with black breasts, which he supposed to be the young. They
usually fly in small flocks, and have a shrill, whistling note. They are very frequent in
Siberia, where they likewise breed, and extend into Kamtschatka, and as far south as the
Sand wich Islands. ' In the latter place,' says Mr. Pennant, 'they are very small.' '

This account shows the belief then existing that the European bird was identical with the
American. Wilson's account of the breeding localities is just opposite to that of the above
text. The latter is, probably, the correct one.

THE AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER (Charadrius dominicus) is distinguished by the ashen-
gray of the inner surface of the wings, the latter being white. The C. fulvus of Asia is nearer.
The Golden Plover is seen on all parts of our coast, but is never abundant, and is never met
with in the interior. Dr. Coues saw it in considerable numbers on the Pacific coast. They
were seen in company with the Tattlers and Esquimaux Curlews, and were quite tame, running
rapidly and lightly in search of food ; flew, with a mellow, whistling note, and settled again,
with a momentary, graceful pose of the upturned wing. Audnbon gives the following descrip
tion of the bird :—

" The Golden Plover spends the autumn, winter, and part of the spring in various portions
of the United States, appearing in considerable numbers both along the coast and in the
interior, and not unfrequently on our highest grounds. A much greater number, however,
proceed in severe winters beyond the limits of our Southern States, and the partial migrations
of this species are much influenced by the state of the weather. They are more abundant along

Tin: /;/.. i TA-- ///:/././/.•/> ri.nvvi;. .».-.•:

rli«« sea-shores of the middle and eastern district > ft.,m the middle of A]>ril to the \-
M.i\ . \\heivas in :iiitii!ini the\ range over the i- and more especially the Western

prairies. In tin- early part <>f \ia\. t hey congregate in immense flocks, and commence their
journey T..uat<l more northern regions, where they are said to breed.

I'his I'inl moves on the ground with sprightlines... When observed, it often runs with
nible r.i]iidity to some distance, -u.l.i.-nU M..J.> short, nods once or twice, vibrating its
at tin- •vinii- time, mid if it should imagine itself unnoticed, it often lie* down and remairui
crouched until the danger i At tin- time of their dejwirtuiv from tin- north, and while

on the sands of mud bar. <>n the sea-shore, they often raise their whip, as if to air them for u
few moments. While searching for food, they move in a direct manner, often look sideways
towanl thf proiind. ami pick up the object of their search by a peculiar bending movement of
the body. They are frequently observed to ]>at the moist earth with their feet, to force worms
from their burrows. In autumn they betake themselves to the higher grounds, where berrieM
as well as insects are to be met with, and where they find abundance of grasshoppers.

•• \V li.-n travelling to a considerable distance, the Golden Plover flies at the height of from
thirty to sixty feet, in a regular manner, with considerable velocity, the flock, when large,
forming an extended front, and moving with regular flappings, an individual now and then
uttering a mellow note. Before alighting they often perform various evolutions, now descend-
ing and Hying swiftly over the ground, then curving upwards or sidew ise. riming and extending
their ranks, until the sportsman is often tired of watching them, and after all, the flock, just
when he expects it to alight, may suddenly shoot off and fly to a distance. When they alight
without shooting distance, the moment their feet touch the ground is the critical one, for they
are generally in a compact body, and almost immediately afterwards they disperse. I have
often observed them, while flying from one place to another, suddenly check their course for a
moment or two, as if to look at the objects below, in the manner of Curlews.

• • While at New Orleans, I was invited by some French gunners to accompany them to the
neighborhood of Lake St. John, to witness the passage of thousands of these birds, which were
coming from the northeast and continuini; their course. At the first appearance of the birds
early in the morning, the gunners had assembled in parties of from twenty to fifty at different
places, where they knew from experience the Plovers would j>ass. There, stationed at nearly
equal distances from each other, they were sitting on the ground. When a flock approached,
every individual whistled in imitation of the Plover's call-note, on which the birds descended,
wheeled, and passing within forty or fifty yards, ran the gauntlet, as it were. Every gun
went off in succession, and with such effect that 1 »-\«-ral times saw a flock of a hundred
or more reduced to a miserable remnant of five or six individuals. The game was brought up
after each \olley by the dogs, while their masters were charging their pieces anew. This sport
was continued all day, and at sunset, when I left one of thes.- lines of gunners, they seemed as
intent on killing more as they were when I arrived. A man near the place when- I was seated
had killed sixty-three dozens. I calculated the number in the field at two hundred, and sup-
posing each to have shot twenty dozens, forty-eight thousand Golden Plovers would have
fallen t hat day.

"On inquiring if these passages were of frequent occurn n< • . I was told that six years
before, such another had occurred immediately after two or three day* of very warm weath
when they came up with a breeze from the northeast. Only some of the birds were fat, tin-
greater number of those which I examined l«-ini; very lean ; scarcely any had food in their
rtomuch, :iM-i !!.•• . _•_> in the ovaries . .f the females were undevelo] • •! The n--\t in..inin_- the
markets were amply supplied with Plovers at a very low price."

According to Wilson, this bird is ten inches and a half long, and twenty-one inches in
extent of wing. The sexes differ but little in color.

TIIK BI.ACK-BKI.I in» IM J-VKB (Squatarola hdvetius) is an American bird. In 8epteml»-r
it is abundant on Long Island, feeding on the great plains. It is known among the gunners
here as Hlack-bellied Killdeer. It is especially fond of ploughed fields, when- it •••.nstructs its
nest, — a few coarse materials, slightly put together. The female frequently has two broods in

524 THE KILLDEER PLOVER.

one season, laying four large eggs, of a light olive, dashed with black. It is extremely shy
and watchful, though noisy enough during the season of breeding.

According to Wilson, this bird is known in some parts of the country by the name of the
large Whistling Field Plover, and the Bostonian naturalist, Charles B. Cory, places it among
the "birds of the Bahama Islands." He writes:

" The Black-bellied Plover is a regular winter visitant to the Bahama Islands, although it
cannot be considered as common. A single specimen was taken on Andros Island in January,
and I observed several small flocks during the latter part of the month. They frequent the
salt marshes and beaches."

Full information of this bird is given in Audubon's admirable work on the "Birds of
America."

" This beautiful bird makes its appearance on our Southern coasts in the beginning of
April, as I had many opportunities of observing in the course of my journey along the shores
of the Gulf of Mexico. Instead of being congregated in large flocks, as is the case during
their southward migration in autumn, they are seen coming in small numbers, but at short
intervals, so as almost to form a continuous line. They travel chiefly by night, and rest for a
great part of the day along the margins of the sea, either reposing on the sands in the sun-
shine, or searching the beaches for food. After dusk, their well-known cries give note of their
passage, but by day they remain silent, even when forced to betake themselves to flight. On
such occasions, they generally wheel over the waters, and not unfrequently return to the spot
which they had at first selected. I have traced this species along the whole of our eastern
coast, and beyond it to the rugged shores of Labrador, where my party procured a few on the
moss-covered rocks, although we did not then find any nests, and where some young birds
were obtained in the beginning of August.

"Individuals of this species spend the summer months in the mountainous parts of Mary-
land, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut, where they breed. I found their nests near the waters
of the Delaware and the Perkioming creek, when I resided in the first of these States.

" Unless during the breeding seasons, they are exceedingly shy ; but their anxiety for
their young renders them forgetful of the danger which they incur in approaching man. The
young, when two or three weeks old, run with great celerity, and squat in perfect silence when
apprehensive of danger. When they are able to fly, several families unite and betake them-
selves to the sea-shore, where other flocks gradually arrive, until at length, on the approach
of cold weather, almost all of them begin to move southward. Although the great body of
these Plovers pass beyond the limits of the United States, some remain on the shores of the
Floridas during winter. In their habits they are more maritime than the Golden Plovers,
which, when migrating, generally advance over the land.

" The flight of this bird is swift, strong, and well sustained. When roaming over large
sand-bars, they move in compact bodies, whirling round, and suddenly veering, so as alternately
to exhibit their upper and lower parts. At this time old and young are intermixed, and many
of the former have lost the black, so conspicuous on the neck and breast in summer. During
winter, or as long as they frequent the sea-shore, they feed on marine insects, worms, and
small shell-fish ; and when they are in the interior, on grasshoppers and other insects, as well
as berries of various kinds, on which they fatten so as to become tolerably good eating.

" As its habits agree with those of the Plovers generally, and as its form is similar to that
of the Golden Plover and other species, the only difference being the presence of a rudimentary
hind-toe, it was scarcely necessary to distinguish it generically from Charadrius, as many
recent authors have done."

This bird resembles the Golden Plover, though it is considerably larger. The presence of
the small hind-toe readily distinguishes it — no other Plover has it.

THE KILLDEER PLOVER (Oxyechus vociferus). This is one of the most familiar of the
wading birds, known to gunners and visitors of the lowlands as a noisy, but exceptionally
handsome bird. Its peculiar note, killdeer, killdeer, is uttered as it swiftly courses overhead.
Its cries are heard after dark, and on moonlight nights. It is one of the few birds of this

TllK RING PLOVER.

group that breeds in all parteof tin- I nit. -d States. Though so fu mi liar in nil j.:ni>. it migrates

hMx«-i\ , even so lax as S«ut!i \n.. rica.

Tliis l.ii.i H-uall\ nesis iii a •.. r\ -iui|.|.- inaiiiuT. but Wilson saw one of its nestii lined
with bit> ..f , lam-NhelN. and Minounded by :i mound or Lord- r of tin* same placed very neatly.
In some ca-«- tli.-r. i> in. \e>tip- whatever of a nest The eggs UP four. <•: a n< h cream. »r
\ello\tixh-clay color, thickly in:irk«-«l with blotches of lilack. They are. large for the dice of
tin- liini, In-iii;: mop- than an inch uml u lialf in length. an<l a full inch in width, ta]>ering to a
•point at on.- «-n,l.

Concerning DM teMdil MMOO, aad Ife* fldM d •'•• UDdsei Plover, Wilson si*-aks in
the following words: —

"Nothing can exceed the alarm and anxiety of them* birds during the breeding season.
Their cries of Kilhlter, killderr, as they winnow the air overhead, dive and course around you,
or run along the ground counterfeiting lameness, are shrill and incessant. Th«* moment they
see a person approach, they fly or run to attack him with their harassing clamor, continuing
it over so wide an extent of ground, that they puzzle the, pursuer as to tin* particular spot
where the nest or young are concealed, very much resembling, in this res]>ect, the lapwing of
Kiirope. During the evening, and long after dusk, particularly in moonlight, their < n.-> an-
frequently heard with equal violence, both in the spring and full. From this circumstance, and
their flying about, both after dusk and before dawn, it appears probable that they see better
at such times than most of their tribe. They ore known to feed much on worms, and many
of these rise to the surface during the night. The prowling of owls may also alarm their fears
for their young at those hours ; but whatever may be the cause, the facto are so."

In the months of February and March, these birds are abundant about the rice-fields of
South Carolina. Their flesh is not esteemed like that of other species.

The flight of the Killdeer is something like that of the Terns, but more vigorous, some-
times extending to great heights. It runs with great swiftness, and in walking has a pecu-
liarly stiff and horizontal aspect of the body. During extreme droughts, in summer, it visits
pools and rivulets, but after the cooler season commences it returns to the sea-shore in small
flocks, when it is more silent, and difficult to approach. It is ten inches in length, and twenty
inches in extent of wing.

THE RING PLOVER {Xgiolite* hioticnlo), also called Semipalmated Plover, is closely like
the European species of that name. Wilson was aware of this relationship, and was somewhat
puzzled to reconcile it.

Andnbon gives the following account of this bird : u I have had great pleasure in observ-
ing the migrations of this species, particularly in early spring, when great numbers enter the
southern portions of the United States, on their way northward, where it is well known to
breed. At that period, wi attempts you may make to prevent their progress, they

always endeavor to advance eastward ; whereas in early autumn, they will rove in any direc-
tion, as if perfectly aware that the task imposed upon them by Nature having Iwen accom-
plish.- 1. they may enjoy their !• i>ure. Those which pass the winter within the limits of the
Union are mostly found aloni; the shores of South Carolina, Georgia, the Florida.*, and as far
south as the mouths of the Mississippi ; then* Ix-ing no doubt that many remain on the coasts
of the Gulf of Mexico, as I have found some there early in the spring, before observing those
which I knew by their manners to be recently arrived. In the course of my late visit to Texas,
I found t IK-MI on Galveston Bay, where I observed some arriving from the westward.

" I>urin^r th«-ir jml.ir miirrafion. they proceed rather swiftly, for, although they appear to
touch at every place likely to afford them food and repose, they seldom tarry long. Thus,
many individuals which may have been in Texas early in April, not iinfn-«|u«-ntly reach
Labrador by the middle of May, although some are a month later in reaching the ultimate
point of their journey, which, according to Dr. Richardson, sometimes extends a.s far as the
Arctic regions.

•• While with us in spring, they confine thems-hes to the sandy beaches of our sea -coasts,
whether <m the mainland or on islands, but when they arrive at their breeding stations, they

{326 MOUNTAIN PLOVER.

abandon their maritime life, and resort to mountainous, mossy lands, as is also the custom?
with several other species. On my way to Labrador, I saw some of them in almost every place
at which we landed ; and when I reached Nartasguan Bay, they were breeding in all the spots
that were adapted for that purpose. Their manners formed an agreeable subject of observa-
tion to all the members of my party. As soon as one of us was noticed by a Ring Plover, it
would at once stand still and become silent. If we did the same, it continued, and seldom
failed to wear out our patience. If we advanced, it would lower itself and squat on the moss, or
bare rock, until approached, when it would suddenly rise on its feet, droop its wings, depress
its head, and run with great speed to a considerable distance, uttering all the while a low, roll-
ing, and querulous cry, very pleasing to the ear. On being surprised, when in charge of their
young, they would open their wings to the full extent, and beat the ground with their extrem-
ities, as if unable to rise. If pursued, they allowed us to come within a few feet, then took
flight, and attempted to decoy us away from their young, which lay so close that we very
seldom discovered them, but which, on being traced, ran swiftly off, uttering a plaintive peep,
often repeated, but never failing to bring their parents to their aid. At Labrador, the Ring
Plover begins to breed in the beginning of June. On the 2d of July I procured several young
birds, apparently about a week old ; they ran briskly to avoid us, and concealed themselves
so closely by squatting, that it was very difficult to discover them even when only a few feet
distant.

"This species, like the Piping Plover (JEgialites melodus, Ord.\ forms no nest; and
whilst the latter scoops a place in the sand for its eggs, the Ring Plover forms a similar cavity
in the moss, in a place sheltered from the north winds, and exposed to the full rays of the
sun, usually near the margins of small ponds formed by the melting of the snow, and sur-
rounded by short grass. Some of these pools are found on the tops of the highest rocks of
that country. The eggs, like those of all the family, are four, and placed with the small ends
together. They are broad at the larger end, rather sharp at the other, measure 1J inches in>
length, 7J inches in their greatest breadth, are of a dull yellowish color, irregularly blotched,
and spotted all over with dark brown of different tints. The young are at first of a yellowish-
gray color, prettily marked with darker spots on the shoulders and rump. As soon as their
parents dismissed them, they were observed searching for food among the drying cod-fish, and
along the beaches.

"By the 12th of August, all the individuals which had bred in Labrador and Newfound-
land, had taken their departure, migrating southward in company with the Phalaropes and
Sandpipers. Many of these birds proceed by our great lakes and rivers, they being sometimes'
seen in September along the shores of the Ohio and Mississippi. At this period they are now
and then observed on ploughed lands, where they appear to procure different species of seeds-
and insects. Along the whole extent of our Atlantic shores they are numerous at this season,
and great numbers are killed, the flesh of the young birds especially being juicy and tender.

"The flight of this species is swift and sustained. They are fond of associating with other
birds of similar habits, and are generally unsuspicious, so that they are easily approached.
When on wing, their notes are sharp, sonorous, and frequently repeated. The young members
of my party were often much amused by witnessing our pointer chasing the old birds, whilst
the latter, as if perfectly aware of the superiority in speed, would seem to coax him on, and
never failed to exhaust him by flying along the declivities of the rocks up to their summits,
and afterwards plunging downwards to the base, thus forming great circuits over a limited
range. Their food consists of small Crustacea, mollusca, and the eggs of various marine animals.
The old males are very pugnacious in their breeding season, and engage in obstinate conflicts,
drooping their wings, and having their tail fully spread out in the manner of some species of
Grouse on similar occasions."

THE MOUNTAIN PLOVER (Podasocys montanus). This is remarkably circumscribed in
its Jidbitat, being confined to the region bounded by the northern line of the United States, the
centre of Kansas, Nebraska, South-western Dakota, Mexico, and the Pacific Coast. Mr. Cassin
surmised that it penetrated to South America in winter. It is known to breed in the northern.

I" l.i i \ :

|M>rtioiisnf its range. Th<» name Mountain I'loM-r i- -.-aiv.-l\ appropriate. Thf l>inl inhabit*
high plains, hut n<.i. in an\ x-n-e. mountain-. l^uitf unlikf otht-r 1'lov.T-. it do.'- i\»\ fivqiu-nt
1 1 ,,. -..,-. !«..;...,:..; is in BO dqpWM aquatic din!, ''"' ! '••''•• ' • •'•'•' -'•••• plain- ; arroni|inii)
ing Short- Uirks, Titlarks, and tin- BoftOWtegOwL It somftinifs inhabit- -and \ plain-. wln-ii-
the pri'-kly ]>ear and wild sage grow abundantly. It i- -<•« -n in N.-w M. -\ii-.i. lM-t\\.-,-n tin-
ami tin- lia-«- of the mountains, in great abundant-.-. :i--...-iat,-d \\ith I»ng billed
I>r. Coin-- tfll- 11- tli:it thf \ . on iN-ing di-tmU-d. •• |o\\.-r tin- hrad. ami run rapidly
a ft-w .-tfp- in a light, easy \\a\. and then stop abruptly, drawing themsehf- up to their full
li.-ight, and looking around with timid yet unsuspidous glances. Their notes are nitln-r JHTII
liar, as rom | >a red with those of our other Plovers, and vary a good deal, a. voiding to diruin
stances. When thf birds are feeding at their lfi-mv, and no way appre hensive of danger, tin- \
utt<-r a low and ritln-r pleasing whistle, though in a S..MI.-U hat drawling, or nitlit-r lisping,
loin-; but the note changes to a louder and higher one, sometimes sounding harshly. When
forced to fly by persistent annoyance, they rise rapidly, with quirk wing-beate, and then pro-
<•-•., 1. wit ha!t<-rnat<- sailing nd i::i|'i'in_. 'I'M in_ DM GotlMi MttOB ii-Miii- HMWi^pdMOTid
They generally tly low over the ground, and soon re-alight, taking a few mincing steps as they
touch the ground. They tlu-n either squat low, in hopes of hiding, or stand on tip-toe, as it
were, for a better view of what alarmed them."

The food of this Plover consists of insects mostly, especially the grasshoppers, when great
numbers are present. It is then this bird is excellent eating, becoming very fat from the
superabundance of food.

PLOVEB (Ochthodromut vriltoniv-s). This bird is almost as circumscribed in
habitat as the preceding, but on precisely opposite sides of the hemisphere ; it- range being con-
fined to the eastern and southern portions of the United States, and the same in South America.
Its long, stout bill renders it easily known ; its short tail also is a characteristic feature.

When Wilson wrote about the birds of America, this bird was regarded as new to him.
It was subsequently named in his honor, by Mr. Ord. Referring to this bird, he wrote :—

•• ( if this neat and prettily marked species, I can find no account, and have concluded that
it has hitherto escaped the eye of the naturalist. The bird was shot on the shore at Cape
Island, New Jersey, by my ever-regretted friend, and I have honored it with his name. It was
a male, and was accompanied by another of the same sex, and a female, all of which were
fortunately obtained." Its favorite resort is the sandy Hats near the sea-shore.

The ever-enthusiastic Audubon praises the bird in the highest terms : —

"Reader, imagine yourself standing motionless on some of the sandy shores between
South Carolina and the extremity of Florida, waiting with impatience for the return of day ;
or, if you dislike the idea, imagine me there. The air is warm and pleasant, the smooth sea
reflects the feeble glimmerings of the fading stars, the sound of living thing is not heard.
Nature, universal Nature is at rest, and here am I, inhaling the grateful sea-air, with eyes
intent of the dim distance. See the bright blaze that issues from the verge of the waters ! and
now the sun himself appears, and all is life, or seems to be ; for, as the influence of the
Divinity is to the universe, so is that of the sun to the things of this world. Far away,
beyond that treacherous reef, floats a gallant bark, that seems slumbering on the bonqrn of
the waters like a silvery sea-bird. Gentle breezes now creep over the ocean, and ruffle ito
surface into tiny wavelets. The ship glides along, the fishes leap with joy, and on my ear
comes the well-known note of the bird which bears the name of one whom every ornithologist
must honor. Long have I known the bird myself, and yet, desirous of knowing it better, f
have returned to this beach many successive seasons for the purpose of observing its ways,
examining its nest, marking the care with which it rears its young, and the attachment w hi. h
it manifests to its mate. Well, let the scene vanish !

"Wilson's Plover 1 I love the bird and its name, because of the respect I bear towards
him to whose memory the bird has been dedicated. How pleasing, I have thought, it would
have been to me, to have met with him on such an excursion, and, after having procured a f»-«
of his own birds, to have listened to him as he would speak of a thousand interesting facts

528 THE KENTISH PLOVER.

connected with his favorite science, and my ever-pleasing pursuits ! How delightful to have
talked, among other things, of the probable use of the double claws which I have found
attached to the toes of the species which goes by his name, and which are also seen in other
groups of shore and sea birds ! Perhaps he might have informed me why the claws of some birds
are pectinated on one toe and not on the rest, and why that one itself is so cut. But, alas !
Wilson was with me only a few times, and then nothing worthy of his attention was procured."

It resembles the Ring Plover, except in the length and color of the bill, its size, and in
wanting the yellow eyelids. The sexes differ somewhat, but the male and female of Ring
Plovers are alike. At Cape May, the Wilson Plovers were quite abundant at this time, going
in flocks of considerable numbers, yet it was regarded as a rare bird.

The voice is an agreeable piping note. Its length is seven inches and three quarters, and
extent of wing fifteen and a half inches.

THE DOTTEREL, which is represented in the illustration on page 521, has long been held
as the type of stupidity, and to call a man a Dotterel is considered as great an insult as to
term him a goose or a donkey.

Certainly, the Dotterel is not a very wise bird in some things, having but little of the
general wary habits of the Plovers, and allowing itself to be approached without displaying
much uneasiness. It was once thought to be so veiy inquisitive and so foolish as to imitate
all the actions of the fowler, holding out a wing if he held out an arm, lying flat if he did the
same, and so permitting the net to be thrown over it before it was aware of any danger. It is
not now so plentiful as it used to be, its numbers having been much thinned by guns and nets.
Its flesh is thought very good, and the bird finds a ready sale in the poulterer's shop. The spe-
cific title Morinellus, signifies a little fool. The cry of the Dotterel is a kind of piping whistle.

The breeding-places are selected on high grounds, and the eggs, mostly three in number,
are placed on a few grass stems laid carelessly in a depression in the soil, sheltered in
most cases by a large stone or fragment of rock. The color of the eggs is like that of the
Golden Plover.

The top of the head and back of the neck are dark brown ; above the eye a rather broad
white streak runs towards the nape of the neck, and the chin and sides of the face are
white, speckled with darker tints. The back is ashen-brown, and the scapularies and wing-
coverts are edged with buff. The primaries are ashen-gray mixed with white. The throat is
ashen-gray, and the breast is rich dark fawn, crossed by a bold white streak, extending com-
pletely across the breast and terminating at the shoulders. The abdomen is black, and the
under tail-coverts buffy white. In the summer the breast is buffy white. The total length of
this bird is not quite ten inches.

THE pretty little KENTISH PLOVER may be seen on some of our shores, running along the
edge of the waves with surprising celerity, pecking here and there as the waves retreat, and
uttering its happy whistling little notes as it runs.

It bears a considerable resemblance to the ringed Plover (CJiaradrius Maticula), but may
be distinguished from that bird by the smaller size and the broken black collar on the neck,
which does not extend completely across the breast. The best mode of observing this bird,
or, indeed, the many species that haunt the shores, is to get on the cliffs, lie down among the
high grass and herbage, and make use 'of a good double field-glass. With an ordinary
telescope the birds get out of the field too rapidly, and they are liable to be alarmed by the
movements of the tube.

The eggs of this bird are laid in a hollow scraped in the sand or the fine shelly shingle.
There is no nest excepting the sand. The color of the eggs is yellowish-olive with streaks and
spots of black.

The top of the head is rich chestnut, the forehead white, with a black patch immediately
above the white, and a slight streak of white passes near the eye. The ear-coverts are black,
and the edge of the neck is grayish-white. The chin, sides of the throat, breast, and under
parts are white, except a black collar which very nearly crosses the breast, but leaves a white

'/•///: <>: CATCHER.

BS9

in front. Tin- back uiul upjier part* an- a-i. n, ami tin- primaries dull black.

length <>f tin- adult i>ir<l i> not quite seven inches.

1'iu handsome OTOTEi; < 'A i. m.i: is anotli.-r of our coast birds, and is tolerably plentiful
upon ili-- .-hop-. From the. black an-1 white IML- of its plumage, it is sometimes called the
Sea-l'i-.

It cen.T.illy keeps to tin- haunting xm<ly bays, interspersed with jmrtinlly sub-

mersed nx-ks. and picking up its subsistence with ^n-at animation. It feeds mostly on
niolliisks. !iiuN-4'l> and limi-'ts In-in^ oniinury articles of it« food. It is able to detach the
lirmly-cliuging limpet from the rock by striking a sluirp blow with its wedge-like beak,

'

.

UTHTKB-CATCHEB.-.

and detaching the mollnsk before it has had time to take the alarm and draw itself firmly
against its support. It is swift of foot, and a good swimmer, frequently taking to the
water in search of food, and being able to dive when alarmed. Diving, however, does not
seem to be a favorite accomplishment, and is seldom resorted to unless under peculiar
circumstances.

In some parts of Europe, the Oyster-Catcher makes short inland migrations during the
summer, but even in such cases it displays its aquatic propensities by keeping near the river
banks, and feeding on the worms, slugs, and similar creatures.

The nest of the Oyster-Catcher is merely a hole scraped in the ground, wherein lie three
or four eggs of a yellowish-olive, spotted with gray and brown. They are generally placed on
the beach, wellaU>ve hurh-wat«T mark, but the bird sometime makes its home at some distance
from the sea. The flat sandy coasts seem to be the localities most favored by the Oyster-
Catcher. The young are covered with soft down of a ^niyish-hrown color.

The head, neck, upper part of the )>r»>a-t. si-apulari.-s, .juill-feathers, and latter half of the
tail-feathers are deep shinintr olark. an-1 the rest of the pluma-."- i* pure white. The curious
beak is three inches in length, very much «•« impressed — {. r., flatt.-ii-<l -i'leways— and towards

the point i* thinned oft* into a kin.l of w.-dgi- or chisel Huuped termination. The rich ruddy
vot. n.-ct.

530 THE AMERICAN OYSTER-CATCHER.

color is deepest at the base. During some of the winter months there is no white collar round
the throat, and in the yearling bird the back and wings are mottled with brown. The total
length of the Oyster-Catcher is about sixteen inches.

This European Oyster-Catcher is occasionally found in America.

THE AMERICAN OYSTER-CATCHER (Hcematopus palliatus). This interesting bird fre-
quents the sandy shores of the United States. It is extremely shy, seldom permitting any one
to approach it within gunshot. It walks with a stately, watchful manner ; now and again
probing for shellfish. Its great love for oysters has given the species its name. The thick
shells naturally present a complete barrier to their bills, stout as they are, but the bird is said
to watch quietly until the shells are wide open, when the bill is suddenly thrust in and the
meat abstracted. It flies with great vigor and velocity, uttering a deep, shrill whistling,
wheep-wheep-wheo. A flock will rise as one body, wheel, and sweep the air with great uni-
formity, reminding one of a squad of drilled soldiers ; the white of their wings now and then
conspicuously showing.

The Oyster-Catcher can dive and swim well, and takes to the water when wounded.

The only means of studying the habits of the shy bird Audubon found to be the use of a
telescope, with which he could trace its motions when at the distance of a quarter of a mile.
According to his statements, the bird forms no regular nest, " but is contented with scratching
the dry sand above high-water mark, as to form a slight hollow, in which it deposits its eggs.
On the coast of Labrador, and in the Bay of Fundy, it lays its eggs on the bare rock. When
the eggs are on sand, it seldom sits on them during the heat of the sun ; but in Labrador,
it was found sitting as closely as any other bird. Here, then, is another instance of the
extraordinary difference of habit in the same bird under different circumstances. It struck
me so much, that had I not procured a specimen in Labrador, and another in our Middle
Districts, during the breeding season, and found them on the closest examination to be the
same, I should perhaps have thought the birds different. Everywhere, however, I observed
that this bird is fond of places covered with broken shells and drifted sea- weeds or grasses, as
a place of security for its eggs, and where, in fact, it is no very easy matter to discover them.
The eggs are two or three, measure two inches and one-eighth in length, by an inch and a half
in breadth, and are of the form of those of a common hen. They are of a pale cream-color,
spotted with irregular marks of brownish-black, and others of a paler tint, pretty equally dis-
persed all over. The birds, even when not sitting on them, are so very anxious about them,
that on the least appearance of an enemy, they scream out loudly, and if you approach the
nest, fly over and around you, although always at a considerable distance. When you meet with
the young, which run as soon as they are hatched, the old birds manifest the greatest anxiety.
They run before you, or fly around you with great swiftness, and emit peculiar notes, which at
once induce their little ones to squat among the sand and broken shells, where, on account of
their dull grayish color, it is very difficult to see them unless you pass within a foot or two of
them, when they run off, emitting a plaintive note, which renders the parents doubly angry.
Their shape is now almost round, and the streaks of their back and rump, as well as the
curved points of their bills, might induce you to believe them to be anything but the young of
an Oyster-Catcher. I have caught some, which I thought were more than a month old, and
yet were unable to fly, although full feathered. They appeared weakened by their fatness,
and were overtaken by running after them on the sands. There were no parent-birds near or
in sight of them ; yet I must doubt if they procured their own food at this period, and have
more reason to believe that, like some other species of birds, they were visited and supplied
with food at particular hours of the day or of the night, as is the case with Herons and Ibises,
for the Oyster-Catcher is scarcely nocturnal.

" By the beginning of October these birds return to the south. I saw them at Labrador
until the llth of August.

"The flight of the American Oyster-Catcher is powerful, swift, elegant at times, and
greatly protracted. While they are on the wing, their beauties are as effectually displayed as
those of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker of our woods, the colors of which are somewhat similar.

rut: TII;S STONE.

The transparent whit.- of their wing* contrast* with th.-ir jt-tty tip-. :m<l U .-in i. h.-l b\ tin*
ul hue of tin- bill, while the Iwautiful white <.f th.-ir lower parta has a \.-r\ pleasing

TIIK Hi. \. K <n i« in i:

n^wr) IN anot In -r Am.-rican

Tin handx'in.-ly pliim.-l TruxvmxK is, though :i little bird, s,, U.l.lly deoorat««d with
blurk. white. ami rudd\ nniiii.'!'. that it is inoit- rnn>|iii-ii<iu.s II|KIM tin- cua.st than hinl.s <if
<i<»ilile its size.

Th«> niinif is (Wivi-d fmm its m.. \.-im-ni- \\ li. n f<-«Hling, at which tiniw* it runs along tin-

b«M-h. pifkiiiLr up sumlliM|iiiTs. mariiic worms, and other creatures, and turning over tin-

i.- in iis ,-,.iirs,. f,,r (In- ]nir|>oae of g»'ttin>t at tin- small crtutaoea that are generally found

TUBN8TOMK.

in snch situations. This bird is spread over a considerable portion of the world, and is fonnd
even in Northi-rn America, where it retains the same habits which <listin>fiiish it in Europe.
According to Wilson, it feeds almost wholly, during May and June, on the spawn of the king-
crab, and is known by the name of the Horse-foot Snipe, the king-crab being popularly called
the horse-foot crab. It runs with some spe^l, l>ut not the rapidity that characterizes many
shore-loving birds, and spends some time in examining any spot of ground to which it has t.-ik- n
a fancy, tossing the pebbles from side to side, and picking np the unfortunate being that may
have lain nndi-r tlu-ir sht-lti-r.

The neat of this binl is situated upon the coast, and the l>ir«l is very valiant in ite attacks
upon the L'ulN which approach too near its horn*-. A nest found by Mr. Hewitaon "was placed
against a ledge of rock, a IK 1 consist«-.| of nothing more than the drooping leaves of the junior-
I'li-h. under a creeping branch, by which the i-inr*. four in ninnt>«-i. \M-n- snuirly concealed,
and admirably shi-lt«-r«-<l from tin- many st,,rm8 by which these bleak and exposed rocks are
visited, allowing just sumcient room for the bird to cover them. The several n>--t> that we
examined were placed in the sami- situation as the one described, with the exception of two.
• •in- of which was under a slanting stom-. tin- other «»n the bare rock; all the nests contained

532 THE GOLDEN-BREASTED TRUMPETER.

four eggs each. Their time of breeding is about the middle of June. The eggs measure one
inch seven lines in length, by one inch two lines in breadth, of an olive-green color spotted
and streaked with ash-blue and two shades of reddish brown." These nests were found on
the coast of Norway.

A peculiar characteristic is seen in this bird ; the plumage is scarcely alike in any two
specimens ; the coloration varies extremely, but, for example, the coloring of one specimen
may be described :—

The top of the head is white streaked with black, and a black band crosses the forehead
and passes over the eyes. The chin, face, and sides of the neck are white, and the breast is
jetty black, throwing out black branches shaped like the gnarled boughs of the oak, which
run to the base of the bill, the lower eyelid, the back of the neck, and .the shoulders. The
upper part of the back is also black, with a band of bright rust-red, and the lower part white,
with a broad band of black just above the tail-coverts. The under parts are pure white, and
the legs and toes are scarlet orange. The length of the bird is rather more than nine inches.

The Turnstone is rather solitary in habit, seldom mingling with other birds in flocks —
either coursing the sands alone or in company with a few of their own species. The bill is
turned upwards a trifle, seemingly so designed to aid it in turning up stones. It is abundant
in Hudson Bay and Greenland, and in the Arctic flats of Siberia, where it breeds, wandering
southerly in autumn. It flies with a loud twittering note, and runs with its wings lowered,
but not with the rapidity of others of the tribe. It has a habit of examining the same spot
for a long time, tossing up pebbles with its bill, and searching with great persistence for
worms and small mollusks. The length of body is eight inches, extent of wing seventeen
inches. The sexes are much alike.

Sea Dotterel is an old name for this bird. It extends its Jidbitat to Cape Good Hope and
Senegal. It is naturally wild in disposition and solitary, coursing in pairs, or small families
which have been bred in families.

THE BLACK TURNSTONE (Strepsilas melanocephala) is another species, rather common
on the Atlantic coast.

THE bird represented on the following engraving is a native of Tropical America.

The GOLDEN -BREASTED TRUMPETER is a handsome bird, remarkable for the short velvety
feathers of the head and neck, and their beautiful golden-green lustre on the breast. The
body of this bird is hardly larger than that of a fowl, but its legs and neck are so long as to
give it the aspect of being much larger than it really is. Like most birds of similar structure,
it trusts more to its legs than its wings, and is able to run with great speed and activity. It
is generally found in the forests.

As it is very easily tamed, it is a favorite inmate of the house, where it soon constitutes
iteelf the self -chosen guardian, watching the premises as jealously as any dog, and permitting
no other bird or beast to share its owner's favors at the same time. Dogs and cats it dislikes,
and turns them out of the room when meal-times approach. The dog sometimes fights for its
privileges, but mostly in vain, for the Trumpeter has a way of rising into the air, coming
down on the dog's back and striking him with bill and feet, that effectually puzzles the four-
footed foe and forces him to vacate the field of battle. It is said to learn to drive sheep, and
to perform this arduous duty as well as any dog.

The name of Trumpeter is derived from the strange hollow cry which it utters without
seeming to open the beak. This cry is evidently produced by means of the curiously formed
windpipe, which is furnished with two membranous expansions, and, during the utterance of
the cry, puffs out the neck very forcibly, just as the rhea does when grunting. The nest of
the Trumpeter is said to be a hole scratched in the ground at the foot of a tree, and to contain
about ten or twelve light green eggs. The head and neck are velvety black, and on the breast
the feathers become large, rounded, and more scale-like, and their edges are beautifully
bedecked with rich -shining green with a purplish gloss in some lights and a lustrous golden
hue in others. The back is gray, the feathers being long and silken and hanging over the

7V/ A1 (' I/.1/ MM

OOLDK.N-BUKA4TEU TBCMPmat-Ai>>n trtftltm.

wings. The wings, under surface, and tail are black, and the feathers of the tail are soft
and short.

THE QARIAMA is rather larger than the trumpeter, and has many of the same habits. It
is chiefly remarkable for the feathery crest on the crown and forehead. Ite picture is given on
the next page.

The Qariama is an admirable runner, getting over the ground with astonishing speed, and
turning and twisting with such adroit rapidity that even the admirable horsemen of its native
land find it put their skill to the sharpest test. Not until it is quite wearied out, and crouches
under a bush or other shelter, does the hunter endeavor to use either rifle or lasso, the two
deadly weapons of his land. The walk of this l>inl is peculiarly bold and easy, ito paces are
long, its lithe neck moves with every step as it continually turns ita little sharp-looking head
from side to side, and its full intelligent eyes gleam through their heavy lashes as they survey
every object within their ken. The eyea are truly beautiful, large, round, and translucent, of a
clear pearly-gray, with many little dark changing spots, much like the eye of a living dragon-fly.

It is easily tamed, and soon becomes so attached to its new hom«- that it is :i<viist,,in.-<l to
roam about at will, and t-> n-tnrn to ita owner like the common fowl. The nest of this bird is
placed upon >the branches of a rather low tree, Is made of sticks, and generally contains two
white eggs.

The general color of the (,'nriama is pale brown, with numerous irregular splashes of dark
brown. The crest is always held erect, and the feathers of tin- forehead project slightly ov.-r
the beak. The wing is blacker brown than the n-st of the body, and is covered with narrow
white streaks, dotted with !>la«-k. The un-l.-r part* an- irrax i-h-white, the bill is red, and th.-
legs orange. In total length it measures aUmt thirty-two in<'h>-.

ALTHOUGH in former days tolerably common all <>v.-r Kurope, the CRANE has now, with
the bustard, almost disappeared from the northern ...untries of the Eastern hemisphere. A

534

THE CRANE.

single specimen may be seen there at very long and increasing intervals. In some countries
the popular name of the heron is the Crane, so that the occasional reports published here
respecting the Crane, which sometimes find admission into newspapers, have often reference,
not to that bird, but to the heron.

The Crane is found in various parts of the continent of Europe, migrating from place to
place, and flying in large flocks at a great elevation in the air. They continue their aerial
journeys for great distances, and seldom descend but for the purpose of feeding. When they
alight, it is generally on marshy ground, the banks of rivers, or the coasts of the sea, where
they can find a bountiful supply of marine and aquatic animals ; and sometimes they are
attracted by a field of newly-sown corn, among which they make sad havoc, stocking up the
seed with their long bills, or eating the newly-sprouted blades. The food of the Crane is

m MIP^

.JiiliSi

<; AKIAMA —Dichotophuf crulatu*.

various, mostly consisting of worms, slugs, frogs, lizards, newts, and similar creatures ; but
the bird will often feed upon grain and the leaves of different plants.

The voice of the Crane is loud, resonant, and trumpet-like, and has a singular effect, when
heard from the great elevation at which the bird prefers to fly. The peculiar resonance of the
note is caused by a remarkable structure of the windpipe, which is elongated, and instead of
running straight down the neck, passes into the breast-bone, lodges between the two plates of
bone which form the keel, and, after making some contortions which vary according to the age
of the bird, leaves the breast-bone and proceeds as usual to the lungs.

The Crane makes its nest mostly on marshy ground, placing it among osiers, reeds, or the
heavy vegetation which generally flourishes in such localities. Sometimes, however, it prefers
more elevated situations, and will make its nest on the summit of an old deserted ruin. The
eggs are two in number, and their color is light olive, covered with dashes of a deeper hue and
brown. The well-known plumes of the Crane are the elongated tertials, with their long droop-
ing loose webs, which, when on the wings of the bird, reach beyond the primaries.

TV//: /</: i/»/.v

The forehead, top of the head, and neck are rather dark -laty-ash, and a patch of grayish-
white extends from liehind the eyes, partially down the n--« k on each side. The gein-ial *nr
face of the U>dy i.s.soft ashen-gray, and the primaries are black. The loin; plumy tcrtiaN form
two cre.st -like ornament*, wlii.-h can be raised or depressed at will. The eyes are red, aad the
IN ak i- \.-llow. with a gn-eii tinge. Th.- total length of the adult ('nine i* alnmt four feet, but
it is rather variable in [>oint ,,i •.]/,-. and the males are rather larger than the females.

THE two follow in- I'inl.s are remarkalile, not only for th.-ir beauty of form and |.liunuge.
Inn fm tin- i-xtraordiiiary autirs in which they occasionally indulge.

I'he DEXOISELLK, or NCMIM \ \ ( i: \ N K, is common in many ]uirt« of Africa, and haa been
.-teen in >oin.- ]Hniiun> of Asia, and occa.sionally in Hi.steni Kun)|¥'. The movriiifiit.s of this

lit* wt tm vi 1 1

i OKANB.-J

beantiful bird are generally slow and grac«'fiil. with a certain air of delicate daintiness about
them which has earned f..r it th«- titl.- of I>.-niois<.]|,.. Rut on occasions it is seized with a fit
of eccentricity, and puts it^-lf throiiirh a series of most absurd gambols, dancing about on the
tips uf its toes, flapping its wings, and bowing its h«ul in the most grotesque fashion. It may
sometimes be seen performing these antics in the Zoological Oard>-ns. Imt it is very capricious in
its habits, and. like the parrot, will seldom jwrfonu its tri«-ks when it is most desired to do so.
It is a very pretty bird, the soft texture of the tlowinir plumage, and the delicate grays of
the feathers, harmoni/inir with each other in a v.-ry agreeable manii'-r. Tin- up(itienil tint of the
plumage is blue-gray, taking a more leaden t..n.-on the head and n-'<-k. and ofT.-i ing a beauti-
ful contrast to the snowy-white ear tuft*. i-.-uinir fr-ini v.-lvrtyhlark. which decorate the head.
Then1 is also a tuft of long flowing plumes of a deep black gray, hanging from the breast. Its

536 THE WHOOPING CRANE.

secondaries are much elongated, and hang over the primaries and tail-feathers. In height the
Demoiselle Crane is about three feet six inches

THE CROWNED CRANE is even more striking than the demoiselle, its coronet of golden
plumes and the scarlet cheeks making it a very conspicuous bird.

This species is a native of Northern and Western Africa, where it is usually found in
swampy and marshy localities, which it frequents for the purpose of feeding on the insects,
mollusks, reptiles, and fishes which are to be caught abundantly in such places. Like the
demoiselle, the Crowned Crane occasionally indulges in fantastic gambols, and on account of
the conspicuous crest and general aspect of the bird, they have an effect even more ludicrous.

In captivity the Crowned Crane thrives well, and its habits can be readily watched. At
the Zoological Gardens there are some fine specimens of these birds, and an hour may be
pleasantly spent in watching their proceedings. Sometimes they rest still and stately, one
leg tucked under them quite out of sight, and the body balanced on the other. Sometimes
they like to sit on their bent legs, their feet projecting far in front of them, and their knees, or
rather their ankles, sustaining the weight of the body. At another time they will walk
majestically about their inclosure, or begin their absurd dances, while a very favorite amuse-
ment is to run races at opposite sides of the wire fence, and then come to a halt, each bird
trying which can yell the loudest. The voice is very loud, and has something of a trumpet in
its hollow ringing resonance.

The forehead is black, the feathers being short and velvety. From the top of the head
rises a tuft of long straight filamentary plumes, of a golden hue, fringed with very delicate
black barbules. The skin of the cheek is bare, and the greater part of it is bright scarlet, the
upper part being white, and running into a small wattle on the throat. The general color of
the plumage is slaty-gray, and the primaries and quill-feathers of the tail are black, the long
secondaries are brown and the wing-coverts snowy- white. The height of this species is about
four feet.

THE WHOOPING CRANE (Orus americana). The habitat of this bird is the restricted
region of the middle of North America. It ranges up the Mississippi valley, spreading through
fur countries. It is also found in Texas and Florida, and occasionally up the coast to the
Middle States. Dr. Turnbull states that in Wilson's time it bred in New Jersey. It is thought
to breed from Dakota and Minnesota northward. This is the largest and most stately bird in
this country. It is not equalled, perhaps, unless the largest wild turkey may be about the
size. The long neck and long legs are features that render the Crane much the more imposing.
Dr. Coues says of it : "I have only seen it on the broad prairies, or soaring on motionless pinions
in spiral curves high overhead. Its immense stature is sometimes singularly exaggerated by
that quality of the prairie air which magnifies distant objects on the horizon, transforming
sometimes a bird into a man, or making a wild turkey excite suspicion of a buffalo."

This Crane is extremely shy and vigilant, so that it is very difficult to approach. It some-
times rises to a great height, its voice being heard when it is even out of sight. On such occa-
sions several fly around in large circles, as if reconnoitering the country to a vast extent for a.
fresh quarter to feed in. Their flesh is said to be well tasted.

" Cranes are distinguished from all other families of birds by the comparative baldness of
their heads, the broad flag of plumage projecting over the tail, and in general by their superior
size. They also differ in internal organization. The length of this bird is four feet six inches,
from the point of the bill to the end of the tail, and when standing erect, it measures nearly
five feet. The bill is six inches long, straight, and extremely sharp ; the forehead, whole crown
and cheeks are covered with a warty skin, thinly interspersed with black hairs ; head is of an
ash color ; the rest of the plumage, pure white, the primaries excepted, which are black. From
the root of each wing arises numerous large, flowing feathers, projecting over the tail and tips
of the wings ; the uppermost of them are broad, drooping, and pointed at the extremities ;
some of them are also loosely webbed, their silky fibres curling inward, like those of an ostrich ;
they seem to occupy the place of the tertials." — WILSON.

Tin: AM niu< i v MU ;,.;:

A very remarkable anatom il . h:,i.i. t. r i^ n..ti,-,-.| in ihi- species, very similar to that
in the Trumpeter Swan. These birds are noted for th.-ir .•xtn-mely loud and di.scordatit volOM.
Tin- presence of tin- |«vuliar development max U- said !.. have some relation to the latt- i

Th«- keel of the breast-bon. is u>-ially quite narrow and even in thickness. In tin- \\'|I.H.|.
ini; Crane this IHUH- is enlarged to admit the windpi|ie. which it doe* by entering the fr«.nt
edge, pressing tin- two rides apart : continuini; on :m<l ,-oil,-d within the M distance of t)ie breast-
l>. .ii.-. it emerges in front a_~.iin and passes into tin- lungs. All this makes the trachea or
xvindpi]-- tifty-eitfht inches in length, twenty-eight inches of it being inside the keel of the
breast-bone.

THE SAKD-HILL CRANE (Orut canaderuU) inhabits the I nn.-.i states from Florida, through

Mi— i--ippi valley, n.-nh tO ill-- Yuk..n and Kitlin'- Ki\. It i- abo f..un.| in Cul-a. Ii
nearlx throughou) thin nuip*. Effl MOOldod its ap]H>:inin<-f in lln< I...-!. -in Stat.-s in
known. ..i ,-ast (.f tin- Mississippi ami its tiil>ntari«-s, art-ording to Dr. Coues, excepting in
Flori'la. \\lu-re it is abundant. Ir. .\<.nln-iii Itakota it breeds abundantly. To those not.
familiar \\ ith the great numbers of wild birds, and numbers of s|>ecie}s the account* by authors
would scf-in to IN- almost fal.iilous. Dr. Com-s is always at tin- front in his pleasing and wholarly
deaeripti'.ns ; his account nf this Cnin>- in an follows: "Often, as we lay together, encamped
on thf Mouse Rivt-r. th«' stillness of midnight would l¥'lm)kfii l>y tin- hoars*-, rattling croaks
of (Vanes coniini; ovcrlit-ad, th«- iiois,. finally dying in the distance, to be succeeded by the
shrill pipe of numberless waders, the honking of geese, and the whistle of the pinions of
myriads of wild fowl that shot past, sounding to sleepy ears like the rushing of a far-away
locom<>ti\.-."

"In the fall, the Sand-hill Cranes an- found on all the prairies near Fort Steiku-oom.
but are not indifferent to a choice of certain spots. These are generally old 'stubble fields/
or spots of ground that have been ploughed. They rise heavily and slowly from the ground
on being disturbed, and, flying in circles, at length find the desired elevation. When proceed-
ing from one feeding point to another, or when migrating, the flight is high, and not unfre-
ipi.-ntiy thrir approach is In-raided before they are in sight by their incessant whooping clamor.
While feeding they are generally silent." — DR. SUCKLEY.

Dr. Newberry says they are common in the markets of California, where they are esteemed
as food. He adds that they " were abundant about Klamuth Lake, and early in September, in
the Cascade Mountains, in Oregon, the Cranes were a constant feature in the scenery of the
lonely mountain meadows in which we encamped. We found them always exceedingly shy,
and diffident of approach, but not unfrequenUy the flies of their tall forms stretching above
the prairie grass, or their discordant and far-sounding screams, suggested the presence of tin*
human habitations of the region, whose territory was now invaded for the first time by the
white man."

A smaller species, or rather one standing lower than the preceding, is found In New
Mexico, called. Little Crane (Grut fralerculu*).

THE bird represented by the accompany inc illustration affords an examj.l»« of the Egrets.

The AMERICAN EGRET (Herodia* alba egretta) is a native of several parts of America,
having its principal residence in the southern )H.rtic.iis of that continent, and visiting the
inon- northern districts during several months of the year, arriving generally about February
or March. As it finds its food amoiii: inundated and swampy grounds, it is generally seen
haunting the rice-fields, the marshy river-shores, and similar localities, and seldom if ever
vi-jis the high inclosed regions. Tin- food of the Egret consists of the smaller mammalia,
little fish, frogs, lizards, snakes and insects. It is a handsome and elegant bird, and is con-
spicuous among the low marshy grounds which it frequent-, on account of its large size,
l»-ing about three feet in length.

The beautiful loose feathers of the train, which fall from the -houlders orer the back.

not fully developed until the third year. The term Egret is applied to certain of the

538

THE EGRET.

herons, from the fact that these flowing feathers are suggestive of plume the French of
which is aigrette. The train-feathers are also employed in the decoration of head-dresses.
The Egret breeds chiefly in extensive cedar-swamps, placing its nest on the branches of trees,
and laying three or four large pale blue eggs. The young are usually hatched about the end
of June ; and when they are strong enough to walk about, they associate in little flocks of
twenty or thirty in number.

The color of the Egret is pure snowy-white, with the exception of the train, which has a

AMERICAN KGHET.-MjrWicw alba

creamy-yellow tinge. The feathers of the train are so long that when they are fully developed
they hang over the tail and quite conceal it. The long sharp bill is nearly six inches in length,
and its color is rich golden-orange, darkening into black at the tip. The long legs are black
and the eye is rather pale orange. In total length the adult bird is about four feet, if the
measurement be taken to the end of the train. Both sexes have the same plumage.

The White Egret is rather delicate, preferring warm weather, and consequently restricted
in geographical distribution. In New England it is only a rare visitor, and is not known to
breed. Massachusetts is the northernmost limit. On the Pacific coast it is not known north
of California. Wilson says it breeds in the cedar swamps of New Jersey. Like other Herons,
it builds on the tops of high trees, in societies.

Tin: M W of Tin: nn:«\ Mi

TID: w.-11-known I U RON was <»>«• one of the commonest European l-'ml-. l-ut on •Mount of
the draining »f swamps :nnl their • on \.-rsion inl«> fertilized and hal>ila)>lc ground, is BOW seldom
to be »•» ; i in certain localities which still retain tin- conditions tie.

tal.le (<. this liinl. Tin i ML- places \\li.-n- Hen .n- m \. : plentiful, Mpaoially thos,-

- \iheie ill,- owner "f the land hM established or protected the nests, or where a wide
-.-.if wild iinculihaied -loimd alfords ih>-iu a retreat. Only a few day- .inn- sud-

denly on three <>f these U-autiful I'inN lUliin^: onietly in a cn-«-k, uinl i-Tininim: my approach
within a few yards In-fur.- they .spread tln-ir wide wings for flight.

The food of the Il.-n>n consists mostly of lish and reptile-., t-ut it will i-at small nutninia
•Mich as mice, or «-v»-n water rats. In th<- .stomach of on.- of these birds wen- found seven small
tnuit, a moiis.. ainl a tliru-.li 1 .. U also are a favorite food of ti u. but on account «>f

tli' ii lithe bodies and active wrigglings are not eo easy to despatch as ordinary fish, ami are
!in_'ly taken on short" and banged against the ground until disabled Dr. N.-ill, quoted
l'\ ^ anvil, nit-ntions a • -urioiis instau. ••• <>f th«- H.-ron fnnling on young water-hens. "A large
old willow -mi- had fallen down int.. tin- jnnid. and at th«- «-xtrt-mity. which is jBirtly sunk in
ili>- -I'M. niinn.- t<> vegetate, water-hens breed. The old cock Heron swims out to the

nest and takes the youn- if he can. H»- has t<» swim t«-n or twelve feet, where the water is

• •en two and three feet d«-«-p. His motion through the water is slow, but his carriage
I have seen him fell a rat at one blow on the back of the head, when the rat was
at his dish of fish."

Like many other birds, the Heron is able to disgorge the food which it lias swallowed,
and resorts to this measure wh.-n it is chased by birds of pn-y while going home after a day's
fishing.

While engaged in its search for food, the Heron stands on the water's edge, mostly with
its feet or foot immersed, and th.-n- remains still, as if carved out of wood, with its neck
retracted, and its head resting between the shoulders. In this attitude its sober plumage and
total stillness render it very inconspicuous, and as it mostly prefers to stand under the shadow
of a tree, bush, or bank, it cannot be seen except by a practised eye, in spite of its huge size.
The back view of the l-ird uhilc thus standing partakes largely of the ludicrous, and reminds
the observer of a large jargonelle pear with a long stalk stuck in the ground. Sometimes it
HkflS to squid on its U-nt kgft, tb Iwl MQfpvM •"" in front, and the kii.--s. ,,r r.th.-r
ankles, bent under it-, l.ody. It generally suns itself in this ]KMiitioii, jwrtially spreading the
wings and slightly shaking them. Usually it sits with the head resting on the shoulders ; but
if alarmed at any unexpected sound, it shuts its wings, stn -t. -h. -s its neck to its utmost extent,
and then presents a most singular aspect.

The Iliuht of the Heron is grand and stately, for the wings are long and wide, and in spite
of the long neck and countertwlancing legs, the bird moves through the air with a noble and
rapid flight. It is curious to see a Heron pass directly overhead. The head, body, and legs
an- held in a line, stiff and immovable, and the gently waving wings carry the bird through
the air with a rapidity that --ems the effect of mairic.

The long beak of the Heron is \.-ry sharp and dagger-like, and can be used with terrible
force as an offensive weapon. The bin! instinctively aims its blow at the eye of its adversary,
and if incautiously handled is sure to deliver a stroke quick as lightning at the captor's eye.
There seems to be some attraction in the eye, for a gentleman who turned a tame Heron into
an aviary where five owls were kept, found next day that the Heron had totally blinded four
owls and only left the tifth with a single eye. Even the game-cork can make nothing of the
Hum, as has been seen in a short battle that raged between those birds. The cock made
his first fly very boldly. l»nt not U-lng used to such long-legged foes, missed his stroke.
Returning to the attack, he was met by a Mow from tin- Heron which astonished him to
sit'-h a degree that he declined furth.-r <-umbat and ever afterwards avoided so unpleasant
an antagonist. The beak of a species of Heron set upon a stink is used by some savage ti il--
as a spear.

The nest of the Heron is almost invariably built upon some elevated spot, mostly the top

540 THE GREAT WHITE HERON.

of a large tree, but sometimes on rocks near the coast. It is a large and rather clumsy -looking
edifice, made of sticks and lined with wool. The eggs are from four to five in number, and
their color is pale green.

The general color of the Heron is delicate gray on the upper surface of the body, with
the exception of the primaries, which are black, and the tail, which is deep slaty -gray. The
head is very light gray, and the beautiful long plume is dark slaty-blue. The throat and
neck are white, covered along the front with dashes of dark blue-gray, and at the junction of
the neck with the breast the white feathers are much elongated, forming a pendent tuft.
The breast and abdomen are grayish-white, covered with black streaks. The total length of
the bird is about three feet. On the inside of the middle claw of each foot the horny sub-
stance is developed into a sort of shallow-toothed comb, the use of which is very problematical.
This peculiarity runs through the genus, and several objects have been assigned to it, combing
the plumage being the favorite theory, but clearly untenable on account of the shortness of
the teeth.

THE GREAT WHITE HERON (Ardea occidentalis), called also WURDEMAN'S HERON.
About this species there has long been a dispute among ornithologists, who differed in regard
to its proper classification. But at last every doubt vanished, and the accounts given by
Wilson and Audubon were considered as correct. The latter describes the bird "as the largest
species of the Heron tribe hitherto found in the United States," and continues: —

" The Great White Heron is indeed remarkable, not only for its great size, but also for
the pure white of its plumage at every period of its life. Writers who have subdivided the
family, and stated that none of the true Herons are white, will doubtless be startled when
they read this report.

"Immediately after my arrival at Indian Key, in Florida, I formed an acquaintance with
Mr. Egan. He it was who first gave me notice of the species which forms the subject of this
article. The next day after that of my arrival, he came in with two young birds alive, and
another lying dead in a nest which he had cut off from a mangrove. You may imagine how
delighted I was, when, at the very first glance, I felt assured that they were different from
any that I had previously seen. The two living birds were of a beautiful white, slightly
fringed with cream-color, remarkably fat and strong for their age, which the worthy pilot said
could not be more than three weeks. The dead bird was quite putrid and much smaller. It
looked as if it had accidentally been trampled to death by the parent birds ten or twelve days
before, the body being almost flat and covered with filth. The nest, with the two live birds,
was placed in the yard. The young Herons seemed quite unconcerned when a person
approached them, although, on displaying one's hand to them, they at once endeavored to
strike it with their bill. My Newfoundland dog, a well-trained and most sagacious animal,
•was whistled for and came up ; on which the birds rose partially on their legs, ruffled all their
feathers, spread their wings, opened their bills, and clicked their mandibles in great anger,
but without attempting to leave the nest. I ordered the dog to go near them, but not to hurt
them. They waited until he went within striking distance, when the largest suddenly hit him
with its bill, and hung to his nose. Plato, however, took it all in good part, and merely
brought the bird towards me, when I seized it by the wings, which made it let go its hold. It
walked off as proudly as any of its tribe, and I was delighted to find it possessed of so much
courage. These birds were left under the charge of Mrs. Egan, until I returned from my
various excursions to the different islands along the coast.

"On the 26th of April I visited with my companions in a barge some Keys on
which the Florida Cormorants were breeding in great numbers. As we were on the way, we
observed two tall White Herons standing on their nests ; but although I was anxious to pro-
cure them alive, an unfortunate shot from one of the party brought them to the water. They
were, I was told, able to fly, but probably had never seen a man before. While searching
that day for nests of the Zenaida Dove, we observed a young Heron of this species stalking.

run ORK.\r »////•/: ///:/:••

arnom: ili.' 111:1111:1.. \es that iNirdered tin- K«-\ «TI which we \\.-n-. .in<l iiMiii.-diai.-l\ pursued it.
Had \ou U-eii looking on. good reader. \ »u niiu'ht lia \ • • .-nj< 1\ .-d :i heart} lauuh, although f.-»

i>f n- .-..iii. i h.i\.- j..in.-d \uii. Sei.-n ..... L'hi | tenon* were engaged in the pm-Miit of this -in-i.-
Mid. which. \\i\\\ extended n. -i k. wings, and legs, mad- •>!' the tangled tnv at Meha

rate. thai, anxious 118 I wa« to obtain it ali\e, I several times thought of shootim: it. At length.
how>-\.-r. it wa.s caught, its l.ill was soriirely tied, ifct legs «••''• drawn up. :m<l fasi.-n.-d by u
••"ill, :ui(l the jxKir thing was thus conveyed to Indian K.-\.and pla.-.-d aloiiir with its
kin-.fi. Ik. On seeing it. the latter immcdiateh ran inwards ii with I.JH-II l.ills, and grcet«-d it
with a most friendly welcome. pas^in^ th.-ir li.-ads ,,\.'r and nnd.-i iis ,,\\ii in tin- im.M nirioiis
and, iml«ii|. ludicrous maiin.-r. A l>ui-k.-fful «f tisli \\as tlm.wn to tlit-in. \\ liirli t)i<-\ s\\allo\\.-d
in a f.-w niinni.-s. Aft.-r a fr\v days, they also ut«- jiii-o-s of |mrk-rind. rlif»<tie, and otln-r

•• \Vliil-' sjiilin^ aloiitf tin- niinii-r«us i-laiids thai <nvur lN-t\\i-«Mi Indian K<-y and Ki-\ \V.-i.
I S.-IM 1 1 1. 1 ii v I'll. 1- . .f I hi- -]»s-iea, HBM in pain, —MI. -in_l.-. and . .1 h.-i - ill ll.«-k- ; I MI I on H,,
did I -•!< .-.-.. 1 in getting • ttfall did olOBe \li . h^pin ...n-, ,i. ,| n,,- l,\ saving thai h.-
plar.-s lt.-yc.nd K.-y \V.-M \\ln-ri- I ..-riainly should obtain st-vt-rd, \\.-ii- ««• to sjM-nd
a day and a nii;lil tli.-r.- for tin- j.ur|H.s«-. I>r. liciijainin StroU-1 aft«-r\sapls pivo me a similar
as.siir.iiu-.-. In t|u> course of a wc«'k aft«-r n-adiini: K«-y \\'.-si, I, in fact. piiM-un-d more than a
I|O/.-M l.irds of dilTi-n-nt air«-s, as w.-ll as n.-sts and I'^ir*. and fh.-ir hal.il- \\viv .-an-fully ••xain-
in.-d by seven 1 1 of my party.

\t thr»H- o'.-liM-k. <>n.- niorniiii;. you miirlu ha\.--.-.n Mr. Firm and mys»-lf. alKiut ci^ht
mil.-s from ..ur harl.or. paddling as silently as pos«iblf o\.-r s,,in.- narrow an<l tortuous inli-i-.
formt-d l.y tin- tid.-s through a laiv«- flat and partially siil.m.-i-'-d K»-\ . Tht-r.- \M- cxitccti-d to
tind many \Vhit.- H.-mn-: Imt our lalnir wa« for a lony time almost ho|«'l«>SM, for, although
otli.-r l>inls .x-rurn-d. we had <lei«Tmin.-d to shoot nothing Imt the (Jrt-at \Vhit.- Il.-ron. and
none of that >|»-<-i.-s came tn-ar u-. At length, aft.-r six or seven hours of haul la 1 tor, a Heron
flew right over our heads, and. to make sure of it. \ve l>otli tired at once. The l>ird came down
dead. It proved to IK- a female, which had either U-en sitting on her eggs, or had lately
hatch"! her young, her U-lly Ix-ing liare. and her j.luma^e .-..usideniMy worn. \Ve now n-ste«I
awhile, and breakfasted on some biscuit so;ike<I in molasses and water, revising under the
shade of the mangroves, where the mos<iuitoes had a good op|x>rtunity of breaking their fast
also. \\"e w.-nt about from one Key to another, saw a great number of White Ib-roiis. unil at
l.-iiu'tli. towanls night. n-.iche<l the Murimi, nither exhaiist«-d. and having a «olitary bird. Mr.
Egan and I had l>cen most of the time devising s.-h.-m.-s for jinK-uring others with less trouble,

a ta-k v. liidi ini_'ht easil\ I- ive !•..•!] a«-coiM| ii-l;.-i | n:..iilh !•.•!'.,!.. when, US In- -aid. I!L- biid-

wei>- -sitting hard.' He asked if I would return that night at twelve o'clock to the last K
which we had \isit«-d. I meniioned the proposal to our worthy ('aptain, who, ever willing to
doall in his power to oblige me, when the service did not require constant attendance on board,
said that if I would go, he would acconijuny us in the gig. Our guns w.-re soon cleaned. |
\ i-i-.tis and ammunition placed in the boata, and after supping we talked and lauirhed until

the a].|N.inte.l time.

'"Eight Bells' made us bound on our feet, and «(T w«- pushed for the islands. The
moon shone bright in the dear sky: but as the breeze had dieil away, we iK'took ourselves
to our oars. The state of the tide was against us. and we had to drag our !>oat> several
miles over the soapy shallows; but at last we found ourselves in a deep channel )H-neath the
hanirinir mangroves of a la rm- Key, where we had obser\.-d the Ilei,,n- retiring to roo-t the
previous evening. Then- we lay quietly until daybreak. Hut the m..s,|uit<»-s and sand (lies!
II.-ad'-i. if yon li:i\.- ti"t IM-.-H iii -urh M | ,|.i,-.-. \ . ,u BMBOl BMfl] conceive th.- torments we
eiidun-*! for a whole hour, when it was absolutely necessary for us to remain j»-rf.-.-tly motion-

\t leiiirth day dawned, and the Ix.ats jKirted. <o meet on the other -ide ,,f the K-
Slowly and silently .-jidi advanc.-<|. A Heron -pruni: from its p-rdi almost dir.-ctly ,,\ ,.r our
li.-ads. Three Iwrn-ls w.-n- discharged. in \ain: the binl tl.-w on unscathe*! ; the pilot and I
had probably been too anxious. As the bird sj»«-d away, it croaked loudly, and the noise,

542 THE GREAT WHITE HERON.

together with the reports of our guns, roused some hundreds of these Herons, which flew from
the mangroves, and in the gray light appeared to sail over and around us like so many spectrea
I almost despaired of procuring any more. The tide was now rising, and when we met with
the other boat we were told that if we had waited until we could have shot at them while
perched, we might have killed several ; hut that now we must remain until full tide, for the
birds had gone to their feeding grounds.

"The boats parted again, and it was now arranged that whenever a Heron was killed,
another shot should be fired exactly one minute after, by which each party would be made
aware of the success of the other. Mr. Egan, pointing to a nest on which stood two small
young birds, desired to be landed near it. I proceeded into a narrow bayou, where we
remained quiet for about half an hour, when a Heron flew over us and was shot. It was a very
fine old male. Before firing my signal shot, I heard a report from afar, and a little after mine
was discharged I heard another shot, so I felt assured that two birds had been killed. When
I reached the Captain's boat I found that he had in fact obtained two; but Mr. Egan had
waited two hours in vain near the nest, for none of the old birds came up. We took him from
his hiding-place, and brought the Herons along with us. It was now nearly high water.
About a mile from us, more than a hundred Herons stood on a mud-bar up to their bellies.
The pilot said that now was our best chance, as the tide would soon force them to fly, when
they would come to rest on the trees. So we divided, each choosing his own place, and I went
to the lowest end of the Key, where it was separated from another by a channel. I soon had
the pleasure of observing all the Herons take to wing, one after another, in quick succession.
I then heard my companions' guns, but no signal of success. Obtaining a good chance, as I
thought, I fired at a remarkably large bird, and distinctly heard the shot strike it. The Heron
merely croaked, and pursued its course. Not another bird came near enough to be shot at,
although many had alighted on the neighboring Key, and stood perched like so many newly
finished statues of the purest alabaster, forming a fine contrast to the deep blue sky. The
boats joined us. Mr. Egan had one bird, the Captain another, and both looked at me witli
surprise. We now started for the next Key, where we expected to see more. When we had
advanced several hundred yards along its low banks, we found the bird at which I had shot,
lying with extended wings in the agonies of death. I was satisfied with the fruits of this day's
excursion. On other occasions I procured fifteen more birds, and judging that number
sufficient, I left the Herons to their occupations.

"This species is extremely shy. Sometimes they would rise when at the distance of half
a mile from us, and fly quite out of sight. If pursued, they would return to the very Keys,
or mud-flats, from which they had risen, and it was almost impossible to approach one while
perched or standing in the water. Indeed, I have no doubt that half a dozen specimens of
Ardea herodias could be procured for one of the present, in the same time and under similar
circumstances.

"The Great White Heron is a constant resident on the Florida Keys, where it is found
more abundant during the breeding season than anywhere else. They rarely go as far east-
ward as Cape Florida, and are not seen on the Tortugas, probably because these islands are
destitute of mangroves. They begin to pair early in March, but many do not lay their eggs
until the middle of April. Their courtships were represented to me as similar to those of the
Great Blue Heron. Their nests are at times met with at considerable distances from each
other, and although many are found on the same Keys, they are placed farther apart than
those of the species just mentioned. They are seldom more than a few feet above high water-
mark, which in the Floridas is so low, that they look as if only a yard or two above the roots
of the trees. From twenty to thirty nests which I examined were thus placed. They were
large, about three feet in diameter, formed of sticks of different sizes, but without any appear-
ance of lining, and quite flat, being several inches thick. The eggs are always three, measure
two inches and three-quarters in length, one inch and eight-twelfths in breadth, and have
a rather thick shell, of a uniform plain light bluish-green color. Mr. Egan told me that
incubation continues about thirty days, that both birds sit (the female, however, being most

i,/;/:. IT \\niTh: m:i;<>\. M ;

u»i'linni-'. and with their legs stretched out l»-foie iln-m in the *u\\\<- ni.iini. r a- tin- \onng
when two or three weeks <>1«1. Tin- I.III.T. of which 1 saw -M-\.T.I| from ten days to a mouth
ol«l. were pure white, slightly tinp-d with civaiu color, ;m<l had no indication^ of a crust
Tim*' which I cairried to Churl--st.ni. ami which \\.-iv kept for more than a year, exhibited
nothing of the kind. I am unable to sa\ how long it N U-f..n- tln-\ attain lli.-ir full plumage.
- H'-ionsare sedate, quirt, ami jierhaps even less animated than the .1. /icrodiat.
They walk majestically, with firmness and great elegance. 1'nlik. tl» ~j,.,|,- tirst named,
they lltM-k at their ft-. : >inids. sometimes a hundred »r more I M -j ng s«en together ; and

w hut is .still more remarkable i-. thai th.-\ U-iaU.- th.-m~-Ues to the mud-flats or sand-lmrn at a
distance from the Keys, on which the\ r.M,st and luv^l. They seem, in so far aa I oould jn.:.
t<> )»• dinniul, an opinion corrohor:it<'<l l>\ tli.- i.-tiiimny of Mr. Egan, a person of great judg-
ment, sagacity, and integrity, \\liil-- <>n ill.-.,- hanks they stand motionless, rarely moving
tiiward- th.-ir pn-y, but \\aitini; until it .•(»tm-s n.-ar, when they strike it and Mwallow it ali\>-.
or when large, beot it on the water, or shake it vin!.-utly, lilting it wv.-ivly all the while. Tliey
never leave their feeding-grounds until -hi \.-n »ft by the tide, remaining until the wat.-r reaches
their body. So wurs :n.- tln-y tliut, ulthou^h they may return to roost on the same Kr\s.
they rarely alight on trees to whi.-h th.-y have resorted before, and if re] M".it4Ml I y disturbed
th«-\ d» not return, for many weeks at least. When roost inc. they generally stand on one
foot, the other Ix-in^ drawn up, and, unlike the ll»is«-s, are never seen lying flat on trees, where,
lmw\.-r. ili.-\ .in -A iii the! I l-iu lieckfl, lad plHN tii.'ii h.-:i.U und'-i- tli.-ir uin^-.

"I was often surprised to see that while a flock was resting by day in the position just
dt-sri-ilo-d, one or more stood with outstretched necks, keenly eyeing all around, now and then
suddenly starting at tli<- -i^lit of a porpoise or shark in diuse of some fish. The appearance
of a man or a Ixiat Mi-ined to distract tin-in ; and yet I was told that nobody ever goes in pur-
suit <>f them. If surprised, they leave their jM-n-h with a rough rrouking sound, and fly
directly to a great distance, but never inland.

"The flight of the <;nsit White Heron is firm, regular, and greatly protracted. They
propel themselves by regular, slow flaps, the head being drawn in after they have proceeded a
few yards, and their lejjs extended behind, as is the case with all the other Herons. They also,
now and then, rise hiirh in the air, where they sail in wide circles, and they never alight with-
out performing this circling flight, unless when going to feeding-grounds on which other
individuals have already settled. It is truly surprising that a bird of so powerful a flight
never visits Georgia or the Carolina*, nor goes to the mainland. When yon see them a I tout
the middle of the day on their feeding-grounds, they 'loom' to about double their size, and
present a singular appearance. It is difficult to kill them unless with buck-shot, which we
found ourselves obliged to use.

" When I left Key West, on our return towards Charleston, I took with me two young
birds that had been consign"! to the care of my friend, Dr. B. Strobel, who assured me that
t hey devoured more than their weight of food per day. I hud also two young birds of the
Ardea herodia* alive. After bringing them on board, I placed them all together in a very
large coop ; but was soon obliged to separate the two species, for the white birds would not
be reconciled to the blue, which they would have killed. While the former had the privilege
of the deck fora few minutes, they struck at the smaller s]»-<-i,".. such as the young of Ar<i»i
rufetcen* and A. ludomcianfi, some of which they instantly killed and swallowed entire,
although they were abundantly fed on the flesh of green turtles. None of the sailors suc-
ceeded in making friends with them.

"On reaching Indian Key, I found those which had been left with Mrs. Egan in excellent
health, and much increased in size ; but, to my surprise, observed that their bills were much
broken, which she assured me had Iteen caused by the great force with which they struck at
the fishes thrown to them on the rocks of their inclosnre, — a statement which I found con-
firmed by my own observation in the course of the day. It wat* almost as difficult to catch
them in the yard as if they had never seen a man before, and we were obliged to tie their bills
fast, to avoid being wounded by them while carrying them on board. They thrived well, and

544 THE GREAT BLUE HERON.

never manifested the least animosity towards each other. One of them which accidentally
walked before the coops in which the Blue Herons were, thrust its bill between the bars, and
transfixed the head of one of these birds, so that it was instantaneously killed.

"When we arrived at Charleston, four of them were still alive. They were taken to my
friend, John Bachman, who was glad to see them. He kept a pair, and offered the other to
our mutual friend, Dr. Samuel Wilson, who accepted them, but soon afterwards gave them to
Dr. Gibbes, of Columbia College, merely because they had killed a number of ducks. My
friend Bachman kept two of these birds for many months ; but it was difficult for him to pro-
cure fish enough for them, as they s'wallowed a bucketful of mullets in a few minutes, each
devouring about a gallon of these fishes. They betook themselves to roosting in a beautiful
arbor in his garden, where at night they looked, with their pure white plumage, like beings
of another world. It is a curious fact, that the points of their bills, of which an inch at least
had been broken, grew again, and were as regularly shaped at the end of six months as if
nothing had happened to them. In the evening, or early in the morning, they would fre-
quently set, like pointer dogs, at moths which hovered over the flowers, and with a well-directed
stroke of their bill seize the fluttering insect and instantly swallow it. On many occasions, they
also struck at chickens, grown fowls, and ducks, which they would tear up and devour. Once,
a cat which was asleep in the sunshine, on the wooden steps of the veranda, was pinned through
the body to the boards, and killed by one of them. At last, they began to pursue the younger
children of my worthy friend, who therefore ordered them to be killed. One of them was
beautifully mounted by my assistant, Mr. Henry Ward, and is now in the museum of
Charleston. Dr. Gibbes was obliged to treat his in the same manner, and I afterwards saw
one of them in his collection.

"Mr. Egan kept for abont a year one of these birds, which he raised from the nest, and
which, when well grown, was allowed to ramble along the shores of Indian Key in quest of
food. One of the wings had been cut, and the bird was known to all the resident inhabitants,
but was at last shot by some Indian hunter, who had gone there to dispose of a collection of
sea-shells.

" Some of the Herons feed on the berries of certain trees during the latter part of autumn
and the beginning of winter. Dr. B. Strobel observed the Night Heron eating those of the
'Gobolimbo,' late in September, at Key West."

THE GREAT BLUE HERON (Ardea herodias) is a very familiar bird in the eastern United
States. It is common to the whole continent, south to Guatemala and the West Indies.

It breeds in all these regions, and winters in the South. It is only equalled in its wide
distribution on this continent by the Bittern. This is one of the handsomest, most striking,
majestic-looking birds in America. In the high inland portions of the country, this Heron is
not often seen, but is a constant inhabitant of the Atlantic coast. In the lower parts of New
Jersey it breeds in considerable numbers. The breeding-places are usually gloomy cedar
swamps, where, upon the tallest trees, the nests are constructed. The Herons generally breed
many years in succession in the same places.

The principal food of this Heron is fish, for which he watches with great patience. His
long, lance-shaped bill quickly transfixes his game when opportunity offers. Wilson says of
him: "In our vast fens and meadows this stately bird roams at pleasure, feasting on the
never-failing magazines of frogs, fishes, insects, etc., with which they abound, and of which
he, probably, considers himself the sole lord and proprietor. I have several times seen the
bald eagle attack him, and tease him, but whether for sport or to make him disgorge, I do not
know.

"The common Heron of Europe very much resembles this bird, which might, as usual,
have probably been ranked as the original stock, of which the present was a mere degen-
erated species, were it not that the American is greatly superior in size and weight to the
European, the former measuring four feet four inches, and weight of upwards of seven pounds ;
the latter, three feet three inches, and weighing rarely more than four pounds. Yet, with the

THi: HlTTKtiN. 54fi

exception of sj/>.. and tin- rn-t ...loi,-d thiirhs "f tin- present, they are extremely alike. The

enmm.'li Heron of KIII..|M i> n(,t, |IO\M-M-I. an ililial'it.ml i.f tin- I nil.-<| Stales." Since
flu- tiays of Wilson. ii lias IX-.-M as.-. -i taim-d dial th>- Kuro|n-an ll.-ion i. \nhn rimitin
is o.vasi.>nall\ a M ri^-liT in this coiintn, and. consequently, i.s .-num. rat. -d with birds
of North Am. Ti«-a. Tin- lii.-at ll.-nm >\>»- i,,,i assume the full plumage during the first
season, imr until tin- summer of the >, . , i ! When in complete plumage, tin- sexes an-
exact I \ alik.

The length of this IliTi.n i- f-.ur f«<et four inches. from Mil to tail, and to I...HOMI of the
ftvt, fiv«- f.-i-t four ini-lii-s. The extent of wini:-. -i\ f<-.-t. Tin- l.ill is ci^lit indii-H Icing.

Tin SNO\VV Ih i;o\ [fhnttt* »"iflitU**1ma) i.s in -..iu«' reHj^-te more attractive than tin-
It is mui-li Miiall.-r, 1-ui i to graceful attitud«-. and d«-li.-ati\ flowing plumett n-udi-r
it exceedingly beautiful, its plumage being wholly whit.-. It is |.ro|»-rly a southcni binl,
peculiar to America, yet, aa other species, a straggler now and again finds it.s way north wanl,
rvi-ii as fa i -a- M:uv<aflblUWtti I' inhabit* Nft'XIfo, \\'.-i llldii-s, an. I C.-nii-il and S.niili
America. It reaemblee tin- " Littl.- Egret" of Europe. The plumes and larger size of tin-
American binl distinguish it. Liki- most of itw tribe, this Heron pn-fers the s;iH marshes, near
it« breeding-places, when-, also, it ran quickly reach ita accustomed feeding-grounds. For this
reason, it seldom goes far inland.

The length of this >|H-I j.^ i^ t\\<> feet one inch; ext«-nt of wings, three feet two inches.
The sexes are alike in size and plumage.

PEALK'S EUKKT (/>//•///>//«« na*xa r»</Vi), called also H«-«ldisli Kgret, is another species,
having in the breeding sesi.son u jmn- white plumage, and at others a re<I-4X)lored one.

GRKEN HKBON (Bwktrulf* mretcetu). This H.-I..H is found throughout the I'nited Stat«-s
generally, breetling throughout and wintering in the South. It mnges fnmi Canada West to
\ i-ne/.uela and the West Indies. It i.s only noticed in the \V.-si in tin- southern and eastern
l-'itioiw of the Missouri n-^ion.

This binl is a common one in tin- l-li-ii-rn States, but is not frequently s»-en, as it frequents
tin- ni'.-t Heiaded swamps, ]••»,:-. mautte*, irksn it- nott hvottte r.»-i i- i.. i«- fmind.

When akirmed, the Green Heron rises with a hollow, guttural s(-ri>am ; does not fly far,
but usually alights on some old stump, tree, or fi-n<-.-. and looks alx.ut \\ith extended neck,
though sometimes this is drawn in so that his head si-ems to n-st uj-.n his bn-a.st. As he walks
alom; the fence, or stands ^-.i/.ing at you with outstretched neck, he has the habit of jerking
his tail. He sometimes tlies hijrh. with doubled neck and legs exti-iided In-hind, flapping the
wings smartly, and travelling with great expedition. During the whole summer, until late in
autumn, these birds are si-en in our marshes, but never in winter. 1'nlike many of the Herons,
this s|M-cii>s is found in the interior, wherever there is water. It is eighteen inches long, and
twenty-five in extent of wing. The prevailing color is green. Few gnmjw of birds have such
varied coloration as the Herons. The sexes are alike in marking and -i/<-.

TIIK BITTERN is now seldom seen in this country, ] tartly because it IM n rare bird and
becoming scarcer almost yearly, and partly because its habit* are nocturnal, and it sits all day
in the thickest reeds or other aquatic vegetation. The marshy grounds of Essex seem to be
the spots most favored by this bird at the present day, although specimens are annually killed
in various parts of tin- country.

In habits and food, the Bittern r.-.-inl.l.-s the heron, except that it feeds by night instead
of by day. Like that bird, it uses its long sharp beak as a weapon of offence, and chooses

lh.-i-\.-of il^ ad\.-r«ar\ a- th. |^iinr al \\hi--li t..aim. Tie- f>->-t and ]••::- Hi a]-.. ].o\\.-rfiil

weapons, and when disabled from flight, the Bittern will fling itself on its back, and fight
desperately with foot and bill.

The nest of the Bittern is placed on the ground near water, and concealed among the rank
VM.O.-W.

546

THE AMERICAN BITTERN.

vegetation that is found in such localities. It is made of sticks and reeds, and generally con-
tains about four or five pale-brown eggs. The voice of the Bittern varies with the season of
year. Usually it is a sharp harsh cry uttered on rising, but in the breeding season the bird
utters a loud booming cry that can be heard at a great distance.

The general color of this fine bird is rich brownish buff, covered with irregular streaks and
mottlings of black, dark brown, gray, and chestnut. The top of the head is black with a gloss
of bronze ; the cheeks are buff, and the chin white tinged with buff. Down the front of the
neck the feathers are marked with bold longitudinal dashes of blackish and reddish-brown,
and the feathers of the breast are dark brown broadly edged with buff. The under surface of
the body is buff streaked with brown, the beak is greenish-yellow, and the feet and legs are

BITTERN.— ArOta tteltaris.

green. In total length the Bittern measures about thirty inches. Several species of herons
have been seen in Europe, nine being mentioned by Yarrell, including one species of Egret,
two Bitterns, and a Night Heron.

THE AMERICAN BITTERN (Botaurus lentiginosus) inhabits the entire temperate North
America, Cuba, and southward to Guatemala. It breeds chiefly in the middle districts north-
ward, wintering southward. It is regularly migratory ; and accidental in Europe. Dr. Coues
notices an extraordinary variation in size of this species. Individuals measured from 23 to
34 inches, and 32 to 43 in extent of wing. The Bittern is somewhat familiar, but its habits are
not well known. It is peculiar in not assembling in communities like the Herons, and its nest
is usually placed on the ground. Samuels says: "It breeds in communities, sometimes as
many as a dozen pairs nesting within the area of a few rods. The nests are placed on low
bushes, or tufts of grass." It seems evident that this bird's history has heretofore been little
known, as in several other respects recent accounts are diametrically opposite to those of
Audubon and other contemporary authors and observers. For example, the nesting-places are
said by Samuels to be continuously inhabited for many years, while Audubon states the
opposite.

THE BLAOf-OMOWmD \ /'.///• ////.v>JV. M7

The "Itooming" «'f tin- liittern i> n uylh. N«. such sound a* can !*• under-

stood :i> similar is ull.-i.-d t.y it. It IIILS :i hollow croak. « li- n alanm-l. AinlulMiti lik.-ns ji to
a '-hoarse croaking. a.s if tin- throat were filled with Nutiall more successfully

lik.-ns it in j-iu/iji -iii ,/n/,. Mi Samm-ls render- it a- follows: "In tin- maim- - ason, ami
during tli- lii-t part of the |«-ii,«i of incubation, the malu has a peculiar note, that almost
ly i-.--M-mdl.-N til.- stroke of a mallet on a stake ; .something like the syllables chunk n -In nk
chunk, ijiKtiik <•//// nk-n -liink-i-h nnk. I have often, when in tli.- forests of North. -rn Maine,
I--.-II .1. •.-,•!'... | |,\ this not.- into l--h'-Mn_- that some wondiiiaaflr nttler wa> in m> n.-i-hl-.i
h<Hxl, ami discovered m\ mistake after toiling a mile Of so through swamps." l'..-sjd.-- tln>
l»M-uliar not.-, tin- l.inl ha.s anoili.-r, its ordinary cry. This is a dingle, abrupt. e\p|osi\e
s\ Haiti.-, something like <jn<trk. or hnuk, delivered with a rough, guttural intonation. Ordina
rily tin- Hilt. -in i> a -il.-nl liinl. It is mi^mtoiv. ami, i-\n-|itiiii; the Him- H.-nm, no hinl i.s
moi-f .-\t.-n>iv.-l\ -li-iHTNM. It i- wil.l. shy, ami sorm-^liat M.litar\. \N'h.-n (listurlNil, h>-
_'i\.-s a \ ]_-, ,i,,i|, >|.i-m_-. ni.aU- ai ill.' moment in a manner hijlilv .-\|.i.-^>i\.- «f .IN-u-i. :.ml
tli.'- oif a- fa>i a.s he i m, though in rathei .1 I... .-•. hnii!..-iin^ ua\ . !•'. -i -, ,in.- ,|i>ian<-.- h,- llap-
li--av ily with .Ian-ling legs and outotretehed neck.

LKA-I I In i i I:N Ar&tt*mRU I nh. it. it- th-- I nil. -I States ami Hriti-li ].n.vin.-es Culu.
.lamai.-a. Central, ami [-.— il'l> S.,mli Am-iira. It Li'.-.- i- itn-.u-houi ii> ran-.- in th-- Stal.^.
ami winters in the South. It is not anywhere almndant, though very generally <li.stril>ut<-<|.
It inhabits n-edy 8wami>s, and is regularly migratory, |.a.ssing northward in April, and n-tnni
ing in S«'pt4»tnlMT. It is rather more numerous in the Gulf States than elsewhere. I'nlike the
oth.-i s|»H-ies of Herons, it does not gather in communities to lm*e«l, hut i.s oftoner found in
single pairs, or, at most, thr»^> or four. It is the smallest known si»-ries of th" whole tril>e. It
rarely visits salt meadows. Wilson say« it is an uncommon bird to the sea-coa-st jNfiples of
New Jersey, hut a few breed m-ar Philadelphia, in the fresh meadows of the Schuylkill River.
When ularmed, it seldom tli.-s far. but takes shelter among the reeds, seldom being seen, as it
f.i-ds at night. Its length i.s twelve inches, and sixteen inches in extent of wing. The eyes
are bright yellow, which gives the bird a bright look. The sexes are nearly alike in color.
A m 1 ubon says : "The nest is sometimes placed upon the ground, amid the rankest grasses,
but more frequently it is attached to the stems, .several inches alxive it. It is Hat, comjxjswl
of dried or rotten weeds. In two instances. I found the m-sts of the I>-a.st Bittern about three,
feet from the ground, in a thick cluster of smilax and other briary plants. In the first, two
nests were placed in the same bush, within a few yards of each other. In the other instance,
there was only one nest of this bird, but several of the Boat-tailed (trakle, and one of the
Green Heron, the occupant** of all of which seemed to be on friendly terms. When startled
from the nest, the old birds emit a few notes, resembling the syllable '/""• aJight a few yards
off, and watch all your movements. If you go towards them you may sometimes take the
female in your hand, but rarely the male, who generally flies off, or makes his way through
the woods. Like the other Herons, its food is small reptiles, fishes, insects, etc. Often shrews
and field mice are found in their stomachs. The eggs art tlm-e to five in numlter, resembling
pigeons' eggs."

THE BLACK-CROWNED Nioirr HERON (Nycttardta grixca navia) inhabits the British
provinces, breeds abundantly in New England, winters in the South and beyond. It is also
found in the West Indies and Mexico. The Night Herons derive their name from their noc-
turnal habits. Lake other species, this bird prefers the solitary swamps for breeding and

f lin_- pla.-e-. wh.-r-- num!»-r- ..f ih.-m build in pr«'\imit\ At .lu-k. the Night Ib-inn-. rall.-d

also Qua, Birds, from their peculiar cry, make wing for the marshes, or beaches, where they
stand motionless in watch for their game — small reptiles ,,r tis|i,.s. These they capture by
darting forth their sharp, long bills, which transfix the luckless toads or fishes. Wilson says :
"At this hour, also, all the nurseries of the swamp are emptied of their inhabitants, who
disperse about the marshes and along th>- ditches and river shore in quest of food. Some of
these breeding-places have been occupied, every spring and summer, from time immemorial,

548

THE BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON.

by from eighty to one hundred pairs of Qua Birds. In places where the cedars have been cut
down for sale, the birds have merely removed to another quarter of the swamp, but when
personally attacked, long teased, and plundered, they have been known to remove from an

tC.

DAY AND NIGHT HERONS.— A rdea nycOcorax.

ancient breeding-place in a body, no one knew where. Such was the case with one on the
Delaware, which, having been repeatedly attacked and plundered by a body of crows, after
several severe rencontres, they suddenly disappeared, and abandoned the place. On the

Tllg NANKgBN Hits II T HURON. Ufl

• -.-dais 1 1. «r Cape May are several «.f these hi. I \\iiii those ..f tin- I. ml.'

: •. Ureeii Hilt. 'in. :m«l Hlue Heron. The nests are luiili entirely "f sticks, in ronsideral.!.-
quantities. with frequently -three nr four II--M- mi th.--.iin.-ii.-.- ( >n .-uteri- -waiup in

ill.' lieighliorhotid <if one of these hreedilli: places. ill.- noise iif lit. -ii). I .Hi. I til.- \oulltf would

almost induce on.- to sup|N>se that two or three hundred Indiai linking or throttling

each olluT. 'I'll-- instant :in iulni'liT i- .I:-.. .MI. .1. tin- \\ ln.l.- n- in ili«- air in -ilence, and
" ili-- lops ,,f iln- trees, in aiiotlnT |>;irt of ili«- wood. while jiarlies <tf from eight to

make occasional circuits ..\.-i ih.- -|~.i t<> -.-.- what is going <>n.

riiongh it is prohahlc lliat those birds do not see well •luring the day. y.-t their faculty of
hearing must U- exquisite, as it is alino-t iin|>o— il«l<-, with all tin- pn0MtiniiM oii<> run n^.-, to
|H'iifi!-it<- n.-ar ili.-ii r.--iil.-n«-.- \\itliont U-inj; di-.-. .\. n-<l. S-v.-ial s|H-ri.->, of liawk- IM.V.T
aronml. m.ikiiu an iN-.-.-i-ioiial *«••«•[) amontf the voiin^, and tin- liald .-aul'1 liiniM-lf has IH-.-II
.S.-.-H riN-oiiiioit.-rin^ n.-ai • tin • -|»>i. |.i-»l>alil\ with tlie mine dutdgn." Iht Mas an* HO alike in
<-<>li>r of |ilnm:m<- tli>-y <-an Boaroely )»• >li-iin^ni-h.-.|

Th«- length of tin- Niu'ht ll.-n.n. asthisl.ini is call«><l in tin- North. -in Stal.-s. i-- l\\o f.-«-i
four inch.--. ; tin- .-\i.-nt of \\iin; i- four f.t-t ; hill, four and a qnaitn in<-li.-s. Tin- iri« ia a
l.rilliant l>lood-n-<l. The eye la large, and gives a striking. Ix-aiitiful uinx-aninr.- t<> the liird.
'I'hi- I'ird bnnxls in jfit-at nuiiilM-r, in tin- \ii-inity of New Oil. -an-.

TIIK WIIITB-OBOWNKD Nn.ni HMH.S (Nycthfnulinx rinlweiu) is a Southern .H|NTJ«>S.
.(nit.- roiiunoii in tin- (Julf Stat«-s. Init not S»-«MI north of r.-nn-v Ivania. It is alxml tin-
of the preceding, and ha* inn.-li plaim-r

THE NANKEEN Ni«.m HKI:O\ i- a nativ.- of Australia, and is thus dtwrilNMl l.y Mi
Gould:

"This Iwantifiil -|M-< i«-s is univ«>rs:ill\ disiM-rMfd over the continent of Australia, hut is far-
less ahundaiit ov.-r the western than over the eastern coast. In the summer latitudes it is only
a slimmer \isitant, arriving in N.-xs Smth Wales and South Austnilia in August and S«-pt«-m
IH-I, and retiring apiin in Fehruary. As its name implies, it is nocturnal in it.s hahits,
and from its fivqueiiting swiimps. inlets of the sea, the s»-d^y hanks of rivers, and other
secluded situations, it is s,-ld«>m se,-n. On th.- approach of morning it n-tinf* to tin- fonfrtn,
and |M'ii-hes amoii^ tlie brandies of larg»« trees, where, shnmded fnmi the heat of the .sun. it
sl.-eps the whole day, and when once discover**! is ejisily taken, ;LS it s.-ldom moves mil.— - shot
at, or driven from its jM-ri-h hy some oilier means, and when fon^-d to quit its jn-n-h. it merely
tli.-s a short distance and again alights. It.s Hight is slow and Happing, and during ite panage
throuirli the air the head is drawn hick l>etween the shoulders and the Jegs are stretch.-d out
Iwckwanls after the manner of true Herons. When ix-rdied II|H.H the trees or resting on the
ground, it exhibits none of the gniw and elegance of those birds, ite short neck resting on the
should. -i-

••When imjK'lled hy hunger to wtirch for a supply of food it naturally becomes more
animated, and its actions more active and prying: the varied nature of its food, in fact, demands
some degree of activity -fishes, water-Hands, crabs, frogs, leeches, and insects IM-JHK all
taken of with equal avidity It hn-e«N in the months of No\'-ml»-r and Decenilx-r. and
enilly in comj«ini.-s like the true Herons; the favorite localities U-in^ the nei^hhoiho<Ml of
swampy district.-, \\li.-r.- an ahnndant supply of food is to be procured ; the branches of larp-
tn-es. points of shelving r»x-ks. and cav.-n. pially chosen a.s a sit«- for the nest, which is

rather lartre and Hat. and generally composed of crooked sti.-ks Im^-ly interwoven.

The eggs, which an- usually three in numU-r. an- of a jiale-irn-en color, and average two
inches and fire-eighths in length hy on.- inch and a half in hn-adth. So little .litTt-renoe exists
in the coloring of tin- sexes, that ii niely difficult to distinguish the male from the

female, and never with certainty, unless dissection he resorted to; both have the three beauti-
ful elongated occipital plumes, the use of which except for ornament is not easily imagined.
The young, on the contrary, differ so greatly from the adult, that they might readily be
regarded as a distinct species."

550

THE BOAT-BILL HERON.

The general color of the adult bird is a rich cinnamon-brown, the top of the head and nap-
of the neck are black, and the head-plumes, cheeks, a stripe over the eye, and whole of the
lower surface are pure white, melting softly into cinnamon-brown on the sides of the neck.
The bare skin round the eye is greenish-yellow, and the eyes orange. The bill is black, with
a little yellow at the tip or on the lower mandible, and the legs and feet are rich yellow. As
is frequently the case among the feathered tribes, the plumage of the young bird, instead of
being adorned with broad uniform tints, is richly mottled and streaked, the upper surface
being buff streaked with deep brown, and the under surface ochry white diversified with a
dark stripe down the centre of each feather. The primaries of the wings and quill-feathers of
the tail are very dark chestnut at their base, deepening into black near their extremities, which
are buff -white.

h

BOAT-BILL.— Cancnma cuc/itearea. '

THE very remarkable BOAT-BILL HERON inhabits Southern America, and is tolerably
plentiful in Guiana and Brazil.

It derives its popular name from the singular form of its beak, which, although it really
preserves the characteristics of the Heron's bill, is modified after a rather strange fashion,
probably for the purpose of aiding it in its search after food. Generally the beak is straight,
slender, and sharp; but in this case, although it retains the same amount of substance, its
shape is materially altered. Both mandibles are much shortened, rather flattened, and greatly
hollowed, so as to assume the aspect of a pair of boats laid upon each other gunwale to gun-
wale, the keel being well represented by the corresponding portion of the upper mandible.

This bird is generally found near water, haunting the rivers, marshes, and swamps, where
it finds ample supplies of food. Sometimes it traverses the sea-coast, picking up the various

/•///: >/•"« N /;//./..

551

Crustacea that an- t«- U- fi.mi.l at li.w wat.-r. I'Ui it- ii-ual pla.-es ,,f n— >rt are rivere and inland
swamp* It.- •<:,.-:. of .m_lm_: is not unliki- that of -I,, kingfisher, M MM r>--ai I"H 1- " I"-
U]M.II -...in.- iM-an.-li that i. \i-rliaii-- tin- wal.-r. and lli.-n<-.- | .ounces ii|>oii tin- pn-y below. It i-
tint a Ian:.- l-iid. tin- |HN|\ U-ini: liardK Linger than that «.f a .•..iimmii duck, anil tin- legtt are
nith.-r -hurt in ].n>|x.rti<>ii t<> tin- -i»- "f tin- !M«|\.

'I'll.- ailnlt inal.- l-inl ha- th.- t..j, ,,f th«« \uw\ .lf.-nnit.-l with a l.um an.l full plunif of jHi>

l.la.-k f.-ath.-r-. jHiint.-.! and .Ir.M.pini: ..\.-r th«- Imrk. In tin- f.-inal.- tl l..nipit'-«l f.-ath.-i

\\antinir. 'I'll'1 '"f' '"' I'1" "f ll"' '"><'k :""' ll|v:l>1 is irni\i-h \vhit.-. The fwithen* of the

Jiark an- flmi-n.-d. and th.-ir .-..lor i- u'nix with .M-.-a.-ionallx a \va-h ..f ru-ty n-.| ; th.-iv i.- also
a pat.-h "f tli.- -am.- hiif. 1'iit «.f a .|.-.-|H-I tmi.-. ii|x.n ill.- iniildlf «'f tin- iimltT surfar.-. Tin- tail
i- vshit.- and tli.- -id.-- I. la.-k. 'I'll.- l-ill i- l-la.-ki-h brown, and th.« l«-p* nearly of tin- .sum-
r,,|,,r. t.iit not .iiiit.- -"dark Sp.-.-im,.iis of thi- Lird have l>.-«'n kept ill captivity, uud welt?
ftnl 1'i-iiK -ipally \i\wn fish.

-

MiMi.NBIIJ —

TIIK well-known SPOOMHI i. a!T..nl- an..th.-r instance of th.- .-ndlem variety of formn
assumed by the same ..ririn nnd.-r diffen-nl .-omlitioii.- : iM.th the beak and the \vindpii*» being
modified in a very n-markahle manner.

The Spoonbill ha- a \.-r\ wide range of .-..untry. la-ing spmid "v.-r th- m-at.-r part of
Europe and Aaia, and inhabiting a jM,rti..n «.f Afri.-a. Like the binl to whi.-h it i- clos.-ly
allieil. tlii- -]..-.-i.-s is one of the \va.l. -r>. freipifiitiiig th- . and obtaining a subsistence

from the fisn, reptiles, and smaller aquatic inhabitants, which it captures in the broad, spoon-

552 THE STORK.

like extremity of its beak. It is also fond of frequenting the sea-shore, where it finds a boun
tiful supply of food along the edge of the waves and in the little pools that are left by the
retiring waters, where shrimps, crabs, sand-hoppers, and similar animals are crowded closely
together as the water sinks throtigh the sand. The bird also eats some vegetable substances,
such as the roots of aquatic herbage, and when in confinement will feed upon almost any kind
of animal or vegetable matter, providing it be soft and moist. The beak of an adult Spoonbill
is about eight inches in length, very much flattened, and is channelled and grooved at the
base. In some countries the beak is taken from the bird, scraped very thin, and polished,
and is then used as a spoon, and is thought a valuable article, being sometimes set in silver.

It has often been found in northern countries, but is now there very scarce, owing to the
increasing drainage of marshy soil. The breeding-places of the Spoonbill are usually open
trees, the banks of rivers, or in little islands and tufts of aquatic herbage. In the latter cases
the nest is rather large, and is made of reeds piled loosely together, and set on a foundation
of water-weeds heaped sufficiently high to keep the eggs from the wet. There is no lining to
the nest. The eggs are generally four in number, and their color is grayish-white, spotted
with rather pale rusty brown.

The Spoonbill seems to have no power of modulating its voice, a peculiarity which is
explained by the structure of the windpipe. Upon dissecting one of these birds, the windpipe
is seen to be bent into a kind of 8-like shape, the coils not crossing, but just applied to each
other, and held in their place by a thin membrane. At the junction of the windpipe with the
bronchial tubes that communicate with the lungs, there is none of the bony structure nor the
muscular development by which the modulations of the voice are effected, and which are found
so strongly developed in the singing and talking birds. This curious formation does not exist
in the very young bird, and only assumes its perfect form when the Spoonbill has arrived at
full age.

The color of the adult bird is pure white, with the slightest imaginable tinge of soft pink.
At the junction of the neck with the breast there is a band of buffy yellow. The naked skin on
the throat is yellow, the eyes are red, the legs and feet black, and the bill yellow at the
expanded portion, and black for the remainder of its length. The total length of the male
bird is about thirty-two inches, but the female is not quite so large, and her crest is smaller
than that of the other sex. There are six or seven known species of these curious birds.

ROSEATE SPOONBILL (Ajaja rosed). This beautiful and singular bird inhabits from
Georgia and the Gulf States to South America. It is also seen up the Mississippi occasionally.
Mr. Wilson's specimen came from Natchez. It measures two feet six inches in length, and
nearly four feet in extent of wings. The bill is six inches and a half in length, and is flat
horizontally, resembling the body of a violin. The delicate rose-colored and pink shadings of
the plumage are very beautiful.

THE STORKS.

THE STORK is another of the birds which now seldom make their appearance in such
inhospitable regions, where food is scarce and guns are many.

It is sufficiently common in many parts of Europe, whither it migrates yearly from its
winter quarters in Africa, makes its nest and rears its young. In most countries it is rigidly
protected by common consent ; partly on account of the service which it renders in the destruc-
tion of noisome reptiles and unpleasant offal, and partly because it is surrounded with a kind
of halo of romantic traditions handed down from time immemorial to successive generations.

The Stork is not slow in taking advantage of its position, and attaches itself to man and
his habitations, building its huge nest on the top of his house, and walking about in his streets
as familiarly as if it had made them. It especially parades about the fish-markets, where it
finds no lack of subsistence in the offal ; and in Holland, where it is very common, it does
good service by destroying the frogs and other reptiles, which would be likely to become a
public nuisance unless kept down by the powerful aid of this bird,

THE AMrr\ \ /'. "/; (/.•,, f/ i :,:, :

The habits ,,f the St.,rk are well told l.y C..I..M. -I Montague in his account of a Black Stork
' '•• . • i/rn donu «ti< .i1. .1 lij liim

•• Like the while Stork, it fn-quently rests iij^.n one leg, and if alarm. -I. .-|--. ially by the
:i|.|.|-..:i<-h .if a dog. it makes :i ••> -iiM<lfi-.il-l.- n.-is.- l-\ fit. mi. -I snapping df t hi- liill. similar i..

that s|».,-ies. It .s4M.ii Ui-ai ItM-ilf. :ui.| would follow its feeder for its f;i\.irit.- mor-el, an eeL

When \t-ry hungry, it crouch.-, i.-stim; the \vhol.- l.-imth of tin- l.^s u|..-n ih.- Around. :nnl
sii]ipli:iiitly seeiUS to solicit ftHHl l.\ n,«|,lin- tli.- Ii,-:i.|. flapping it.s nm\|.-M\ pinion*. :in<|
fon-ilily I -lowing the air from tin- lungs with audible expirations. \Vln-ii.'\.-r it isapproach.il,
tin- expulsion of air, acc«>mi>anied l-\ n-|H-at.-d nodding of tin- head, is provoked.

i'lu- l>iit| is of a iiiiM ami jieaceftil dis|>osition, v.-ry nnlikf many of iis congener*, for it
never makes us.' of its formidable l>ill offeiisiv. l\ .1.. iin-i :ui\ . .f ih.- . -. .iiip.ini..ii> ..f it- pi i». ,n.
and even submits psJMBlblj to U> taken u] A-ithool RNMll Straggle Kroui the niannei in wliicli
it is observed to search tin- gra.ss with its (.ill. th.-n- ran \»- no doul.t that ivptil.-s f,,rm part of
its natunil f«MMl ; evi-n mil-.-. \M-HIIS, and th.- l.irtf-r iiMeota pmluihly add to its usual r.-^wt.
\Vhen seiipchin^ in thick j;ni.H.s or in th.- mud for it.s pn-y, tin- hill i.s k.-pt juirtly <>]»-n ; l>\ this

nn-aii.s I ha' lis»-rve<l it tak< • • ; in n [Kind irltfj |TWl dVxteritj : no s|M-ai in i-ommmi u>.-

for takini; thut fish ttui nion- i-fTetrtuolly s«cur»- it U-twiH-n ita fanu's than the gnwpof th.-
Stork's niaiidilih-s. A small .-.-I has no chain-.- of .-scaping wh.-n nm ••• M,IIS,M| from it.s lurking-
place.

"But the Stork tloea not gorge its prvy instantly, like the cormorant : on tin- contrary, It
retires to the margin of the jxind, and th«-r»- disjihlcs its prey l>\ shaking and U-atin^ it with
its bill before it ventures to •Wallow it. I n.-v.-r ol.s»-rv.-d this I. in! att.-mpt to swim, dut it will
wade up to the belly and occasionally thrust the whole head and neck under water after itn
prey. It prefers an elevated sjx>t on which to repose; an old, ivy-lnmnd w<i-ping-willo\\ that
lies prostrate over the pond is usually resorted to for that purpose, b this quiestvnt state
the n.-i-k is much shortened by resting the hinder part of the head on the hack, and the hill

It-sts , ,n lli.- fnle j art of I ! . !.. •• k, " ' ! ' 'si' 1 1 ttM !'•!'!,. ft tl-.-A ptftl) -" ILH 1 IK .-:.! it, Mi:.k

ing a very singular api>earance."

The Stork is fond of making ita nest upon some i-lt-vat.-d *]>ot. such as the top of a house,
a chimney, or a church spire; and in the ruined cities of the Kast, almost .-very solitary pillar
hiut its Stork's nest ui»on the summit. The in-si is little more than a heterop-n.-ous Imndle of
sticks, reeds, and similar -ul-iances hea])ed together, and with a slight depression for the eggs.
These are usually three or four in number, and their color is white with a tinge of l»u(T. The
young are puffy, big-l>eaked, long-necked, ungainly little things, and remain in their lofty
cradle until they are well tl.-dired and able to achieve the downward flight. The mother-bird
w exceedingly devoted to her young, and there are many well-known tales of this parental
affection. On account, probably, of this tmit of character, the Stork is looked ujxjn with a
feeling of reverence in many countries, and is encouraged to build its nest on the houses, the
inhabitant thinking that the 1-inl will )>ring him good fortune.

The flight of the Stork is extremely high, and the birds fly in large flocks, in Home instances
numbering many thousand individuals. So great an aerial assembly of such large birds neces-
sarily causes a loud and peculiar rushing sound of huge wings ; but except an occasional sharp
clattering of beaks, the Mix-ks make no noise. Like many of the long- legged birds, the Stork,
when resting, stands on one leg, its neck doubled hack, and its head resting on its should. -r.

The color of the adult Stork is pure white, with the exception of the quill-feathers of the
« ings, the scapularies and greater wing-coverts, which are black. The skin round the eye is
black, the eyes are brown, and the (teak, legs, and toes red. The length of the full-grown
bird is about three feet six inches, and when .-rect. its head is about four feet from the ground.

SOME remarkable members of this group now com.- before our notice. The first In the
well-known ADJUTANT, or AROALA of India, the former name being deriv.il from its habit of
frequenting the parade-grounds.

This fine bird is notable fur tl normoii* size of the U-sik. which is capable of seizing and

swallowing objects of considerable size, a full-grown cat, a fowl, or a leg of mutton being

Vol. U.-JO.

554

THE ADJUTANT, OR AROALA.

engulfed without any apparent difficulty. The Adjutant is a most useful bird in the countries
which it inhabits, and is protected with the utmost care, as it thoroughly cleans the streets
and public places of the various offal which is flung carelessly in the way, and would be left
to putrefy but for the constant services of the Adjutant and creatures of similar habits. The
vulture is valuable in devouring dead animals of a large size, as its beak is capable of tearing
the hide and flesh from the bones, which are in their turn the prey of the hyena ; but the
Adjutant is chiefly important in swallowing the refuse of slaughtered animals, and killing
snakes and other unpleasant reptiles. It is remarkable that the bird, though very far removed
from the vulture, should have a decidedly vulturine aspect ; its nearly naked head and neck
adding greatly to the semblance.

ADJUTANT.— LeptoptUtu crummier.

The attitudes assumed by the Adjutant are varied, and generally partake of the grotesque.
It has a curious habit of airing itself on a hot day, by standing still with the huge beak droop-
ing towards the ground and nearly touching the earth, and its wings stuck out straight from
the body. In this odd attitude it will remain for a considerable time immovable, as if carved
in stone, and has about as grotesque an appearance as can well be imagined. Sometimes it
squats on the ground with its legs tucked under its body, and sits looking about it with a
superb air of dignity as of an enthroned monarch. Sometimes it stalks menacingly along, its
neck stretched to the utmost, its head thrust forward, and its huge bill open, looking a most
formidable creature.

It is, however, a cowardly kind of bird, and its assumption of valor is of the most flimsy
description, for it will run away from a child if boldly faced, and would as soon face a bantam

THE A UST/: I A / I N I UUR V,

cork ns a tiip-r. Some em-mies. however, from whi«-h man would llee, are attacked and killed

by the Adjutant, which thus redeem* himself from a wli,.|l\ pu-illanimou- character. Serpent*
full an ea-\ pre\ to this bird. which has :i fashion of knocking lh«Mii o\.-r U-fore th.-\ ran
strike. ami after kitlering them to death -wallow- them whole. burini: tin- inundation- the
Adjutants are imaluablc. a> the\ follow tin- .-..tux.- <.f tin- rising waters, and make prey of the
reptiles that an- dri\<-n fnnn their hole- l>y tin- llood-

The rajuu-ity of the Adjutant'- -tontacli -eem- to !»• almo-t unlimited, ami its digestion 10
-» rapid that it .-an con-mm- a vi> lar_-.' amount of food ilaily. It will swallow a whole joint
of meat, or c\.-n so impracticable a svb}afl| as a t»i t.ii-.-, it- -loiuarh U-inic ''mlownd with tin-
[Ntw.T nf .li»ol\ in^' all tli.' -oft aii'l ilL'i-Mil.lf pail-, ami ••j.'c-tinif Hie iiiiHp'M iltlf, MH'li a-. th«-
-h.-ll ami 1" mas.

It i> <-a-il\ tai ..... 1. ami *oon attach.-* it.s»-If t<» a kind owner; w>in«>tinn*s, in«lc«Ml, l»-<-oininj
y troiil)IfS4inu> in it- faiiiiliaiit\ . Mr. Sin.-athinan m.-ntioiis an instaiu-i* when- on*' of

- l.ipl- was ilonifsti<-at.-<l, and MM l0eDBtoinc«l '•• -i.in-l l»'liiifl it- iiutftet'l • iiair at .linii.-r-
tinu-, ami tak.- it- >h:in- «if tin- im-al. It \\a.s. how.-v.-r, an incorri^ilil.- thi.-f. ami wjw ulwaytt
looking for some oi >i tort unity <>f -t.-silini; tin- pnivisinns. «MI that tin- servants «.••.••• forr.-<| to
keep watch with .sti<-ks ovei the table. In spite of their vigilance it wa* often t.«. .piii-k fc.i-
them ; an<l om-e it -natcheil a lM>ile<l fo-.vl oil the <lish ami -wallowe<l it on the s|Kit.

The .-x.piisitely line ami (lowing jilnni.---. t.-ini.-«l •• ManiUni f.-atln-is.11 an- ulitaiiied from
the Adjutant and a kindred sp»-<-i.--. the MaraUm of Africa (LtfllpMM tiuimlnnn.

The u'enei-il color of the Adjutant is delicate a-h.-n^ray above and while U-n.-ath. Tlje
gpw»t h.-ad ami projM.rtioiiately lar^e ne<-k are almost lure of co\.-iiiiLT. ha\ inir only u Hranty
supply of down instead of feathers. From the lower part of the m-ck han^s a kind of dewlap,
which can be inflated nt the will of the bird, but generally lianas loo-«- and tlabby.

TIIK .I.viiiui - nink anionv the gianta of the feathered nice. They are \,-iy -imilar in
eral form to the nianilxuis, hut may In- distin^uishiMl fn>m them l.y the fonn of bill, which
sliirhtly turns \\\\ toward- tli-- ••\ii'-inity. The ln-ad and jtart of the m-<-k are also nearly dewti-
tute of feathers. Then- an- M-IV few species known, and they all seem to have similar hahite;
haunting the borders of lakes, marshy grounds, and the banks of rivers, where they find
abundance of the fish and aquatic reptiles on which they feed, of one species, the AUSTRA-
ii ^s .1 \ m 1:1, I»r. Hennett has treat«-d so fully and with such graphic JM.W.TS of narration, that
a condensation of his interesting account must l»e transferred to these pages. The whole nar-
rative may be found in his "Gathering of a Naturalist in Australia." One of these birds was
taken at Port Macquarie and brought safely to Dr. Bennett's home :

"The first evening it was at my house, it walked into the hall, gazed at the gas-lamps
which had just been lighted, and then proceeded to walk upstairs seeking for a roosting-place ;
but not liking the ascent came quickly down again, returned into the yard, and afterwards
went to roost in the coach-house lietween the carriages, to which place it now retires regularly

• •\er\ .-\eiiini: -<HIII after dark. I' nia\ alua\- U- f..iind in that part ..f th.- \ard wln-n- the
sun is shining, and with its face invariably directed towards it. When hungry it seeks for
the cook, who usually feeds it ; and if she has neglected its f<x>d, looks into the kitchen as if
to remind her of her negl.-rt, and waits quietly, but with a searching eye, during the time the
meat is cutting up, until it is fed.

•• It is amusing to observe this bird catch flies ; it remains very quiet as if asleep, and on a
fly passing, it is snapped up in an instant. The only time I observed any manifestation of
anger in it, was when the moornks were introduced into the yard where it was parading about
These rapid, fussy, noisy birds, running aNmt its range, excited its indignation ; for on their
coming near, it sliirhtly .-I. -\at.-d the brilliant feathers of the head, its eyes became very bright,
it ru tll-d its feathers, and chattered it- mandibles, as if about to try their sword-like edge upon
the intruding mooruks, but the anger subsided without further demonstration than an occa-
sional Happing of its powerful wings. One day, however. <-n one of the mooruks appi-oachimr
too near him. he seized it by the neck with his mandibles, on which the mooruk ran away and
did not appear in any way injured.

656 HABITS OF THE AUSTRALIAN JABIRU.

" When he was first placed in the yard where some poultry were kept, he stared at the
fowls, and they ran away on his approach, although he did not make the least attempt to
molest them ; and when striding round the yard, all the poultry fled before him, although it
did not appear to be an intentional chase on his part.

" There happened to be a pugnacious fussy little bantam-cock in the yard, who would not
permit the intrusion of any stranger, and on seeing the Jabiru, he strutted up with expanded
and fluttering wings and ruffled feathers in a violent state of excitement, cackling and scream-
ing most vehemently, and making efforts as energetic as so diminutive a bird was capable of,
to frighten and drive him out of the yard. The Jabiru with his keen bright eyes regarded the
little fluttering object with cool contempt, and walked about as before ; the bantam followed.
At last the Jabiru turned and strode after the consequential little urchin as if to crush him under
his feet ; when the bantam, seeing matters take this serious turn, made off as fast as possible,
like all little btillies, and did not again venture to attack so formidable an opponent. In a few
days the Jabiru became quite domesticated among the poultry, and they evinced no fear ; even
the little bantam tolerated his presence, but whether from fear or affection I know not.

"This bird is as tame as my Native Companion when in captivity, but it will not follow
any one about as that bird will, nor has it uttered any sound ; it seems to be voiceless.

"The bird appears timid when any one is looking at him from a short distance, and he
then watches acutely all the actions of the intruder ; but when startled by any one coming
suddenly upon him, he appears frightened, and spreads his wings as if preparing for flight ; it
is then possible, by a little activity, to capture him by his long bill and wings. When the
mooruks came too close to him, he looked at them with flashing eyes, and flapped his wings as
if to express his contempt towards them on account of their wingless condition, and at the
same time the mooruks spread their rudimentary wings, as if to show that they have some
stumps resembling wings, and appeared proud of their appendages also.

"When the Jabiru was sunning himself as usual, and any of the mooruks came between
him and the sun, he manifested great indignation at their intrusion by clattering his beak,
ruffling his feathers, and flapping his wings at them ; if these hints were disregarded, he gave
them a blow with his beak, which soon made them walk away.

"The Jabiru was occasionally observed lying upon its breast, with its legs doubled up
underneath so as to resemble a large goose with a most disproportionate size of bill. I have
noticed him watch the ground very attentively under the trees, and then dart his bill into the
ground and bring up larvae, which I found to be those of the locusts (Tettigonice, or Tree-
hoppers). When the bird observed a slight motion of the soil, he darted his beak down and
devoured the insect as it was emerging from the soil. On any of these insects falling from the
trees upon the ground, he would rapidly pick them up and devour them. On giving him one,
he first crunched it between his mandibles, and throwing it up caught and devoured it. He
appeared to relish these insects very much, and was eager to procure them.

" He became latterly so familiar and domesticated that he would permit the person who
was in the habit of feeding him to touch and examine his plumage and wings. When called
to be fed, he ran from any part of the yard, and so regular was he in his habits, that when not
called at the usual hour, he would stand at the place where he was accustomed to be fed, until
his meat was given to him. When the person who fed him called him, he clapped his mandi-
bles and ran up. He seemed to delight in standing in the rain, and did not appear in the least
uncomfortable when his feathers were dripping wet. He frequently slept in the open air all
night, preferring it to the shelter of the coach-house. He strutted about the yard a long time
after dark. When caught by the wings or otherwise annoyed, he displayed his anger by no
other sound than a loud and violent clattering of the mandibles, nor did he attempt any act of
aggression upon his captors with his powerful beak. He would often run about the yard>
spreading and fluttering his wings, merely for exercise."

The Australian Jabiru appears to be a very rare bird ; and as it is extremely wary, and
haunts wide expanses where but little cover can lie found, it can witli difficulty be approached.
The natives, with their eagle eyes, their snake-like movements, and the exhaustless patience of

TV//; M //.i /./:///: i /</:/< >/-H/;A'. 7

to whom tiin.- is of IK i value, IIKII nt>|, within range of their weaj-'ii- ; i-m <-\i-n

to tin-in tin- ta.sk is a dihVult mi.-. :,n.| to Km,.|.. MI- almost iui|.t:i.-i icjible. (tee good N|>orts-
iii:in. « 1 1.> succeeded at last in killing a .lal.iru, followed it several da\ - U-fore he could get
within Inn- i-an-e of tin- suspicious l.inl.

Tin- fi>od c,f this speries inostU , ,,nsi..ts of lisli. aii'l .-.-Is seem to U- their faiorite diet.
Ordinary ti-li it swallows at on,-,-. |,ut eels and car tish an- hath-red aU.iit until dead lie fore the
l-ird attempt^ t.. devour them. Nearly two |->UIH|S of eels and small Huh liave been found in
tin- stomach of a shot .laliiru.

In it- coloi-iii:: tin- Australian .laliiru is a \.-ry hands., me l.inl. arid its movements are quiet.
nia and graceful. The large head and m--k an- rich shining green, clian-mir to

rainlNiw tints ..f \i.,l,-t and purple u|«>n tin- liack of tin- head. tin- feathers -learning i" '>"• s'"i
with a li-lit nn-tallii- radianc.-. ••Tin- irn-:it«T wiiiff < M-apularii-s, lower part of tin-

I'a-'k and I. ill an- 'I. ilk In-own miv-d v\ith M, i, I.Iuisll .:i.-. -n. wilt ': . !I.MI^. - iii Id, ;,<i]iit IQ
a ri.-li :_'lc,sss Lrrit-n tiii^-«l with a pilili-n liistiv. Tin- sinalli r w in- <•,. \.TI-,. |.,w.-r part of the
n.-i-k and Lack, and U].|M-I- jMirt «)f the breast are wliid- .sp.-ckl.-d with a.sliv-lirown, hut l»er<jme
pun- whit«- in tin- adult ; low.-r part of tin- hnii.st, tliiKlis. and inn«-r jcirt of tin- winir*. whit.-.
I-.M-S lu-illiant and har»-l in color. Tin- Ifjjs an- hlackish w ith a dark tinp* of n-«l. iHi-oinitiir of
a bright red rolor in th«- adult ; and \\ln-n tin- hinl flics with tin- l«-i:- sti-i-tcln-<l out. liMikiim
like a lon.u nnl tail ..... My sixH-inn-ii ni«-:i-un-s tlnit- ff»-t ten inches to the top of tin-
h*>ad, and is not yet full irrown ; they an- said to attain four or live feet in hriirht." The
s]M-<-iinen iH'loii^inj: to I>r. IVmictt die«l after a <ii]itivity of alxiiit M-ven iiioiiths. n«»jirly four
of which w.-re iiaaaed in I>r. Ifa-tuu-tt's i.-sidenc«.. The cauae of his death was not known —
pn>tml)ly the diet iniKMt have l»-en injurious.

THE singular WIIAI.K in \m i> STOUK is the most strikinir of its triU-.

This bird lives in Northern Africa, M-ar the Nile, hut is seldom seen on the hanks of that
river, preferring the swampy districts to the running water. Mr. IVthcrick found it in the
Rhol district, ahout latitude A° to 8°, in a large tract of country al»mt a hundred and fifty miles
in extent, where the ground is continually swelled l>\ niins. and has l.\ de^n-es miHlilied into
a huge morass, some parts tliHxled with wat«-r, othn-s hloominir with vegetation, and the whole
rounded hy thick hush. "This s|M>t." writ«-s Mr. I'etherick in his M K^ypt. the Soudan,
and Central Africa," "is the favorite home of the Ilaljmicepv

"Thesi- hinls an- s»fii in clust«-rs of fnmi ajwiir toperiiaps one hundn her. mostly

wading in the water : and when disturUtl. will fly low oier its surfac*- and settle at no jjreat
distance. I'.iit if fi iirlii--n--d and lii.-.l at. th.-\ ii-- in !l.~-U- hi_li in tli.- .MI. and .ill. i h..\, nn_-
and wheeling around nettle on the highest trees, and as long as their disturhers an- near, will
not return to the water. Their roosting-place at ni^ht is. tothebettof my belief, on the ground.

"Their food is princijKilly tish and water snakes, which they have l»-en s.-en hy my men to
kill and devour. They will also fe»-d on the intestine* ,,f de:id animals, the carcases of which
they easily rip open with the strong hook of their up|>er hill.

"Their breeding time U in the rainy .s.-:.son, durini: the months of .July and August, and
the spot chosen i> in the reeds or light grass imm.-diately on the walei's ,-,\^- or on some small
elevated and dry spot entirely surrounded hy water. The hinl U-fore laying scra|>es a hole in
the earth, in which, without any lining of grass or feathers, the female dejiosits her eggs.
NumU-i's of tlie^.. nests have l»een rohlKil hy my men. Inith of eggs and young, hut the \oung
hinls so taken have invariahly died. After rejieatcd unsuccessful att»-mpts to rear them, con-
tinued for two years, the eggs were eventually hatched under hens, which wen* procured at a
considerable distance from the |{aik n> •_'!,-•>

"As soon as the hens began to lay. and in due time to -it. a |«rt of their eggs were replaced
with half the niimlierof those of the llahmiceps. as fresh as possible from the nest, the locality
of which was previously known, and several hinls were successfully hatched. Theae you in:
I'irds ran alxmt the pn-mises of the camp. and. to the gn-at discomfort of the hens, would |- i
sist in |terformiii!.r all s,,rts of nnchickcnahlc mamiMivn-*. with their large beaks and extended
wings, in a small artificial pool constantly supplied with water by several negresaea retained

558

THE WHALE-HEADED STORK.

for their especial benefit. Negro boys were also employed to supply their little pond with live
fish, upon which, and occasionally the intestines of animals killed for our use, chopped into
small pieces, they were reared."

• \-f — •rtr~\1*-

WHALE-HEADED STORK.—.

The chief point in this fine bird is the huge bill, which from its resemblance in size and
shape to a shoe, has gained for its owner a second title, namely, Shoe-bird. It is enormously
expanded at each side of the beak, the edges of the upper mandible overhangs those of the
lower, and its tip is furnished with a large hook curved and sharp as that of an eagle, and

' i nis.

509

snit.-d for t,-.,rin- to pieces the substances <.n which th.- l.inl f.<.-d*. It« color i* brown,
m..ttl.il profusely with a d.-ep mahoirmy tin---. Hie general color ..f the plumage in
••daty-grey above, each feather being edged with a narrow kind of grayish whit,- The feath-r*
of ill.- front ..f tii,. neck are pointed, very dark in Uie centra, and broadly edged with gray.
The under .-u i face is gray.

IBIS.

'I'll' s\' i:n' hiii N one .,f a rathei curious group of l>iid-. \Vitl, ,„ \,-.-|,ii,,n th--\ ar.-

BOtpoaeeMwl ««f lirilliant rol,,riii-. tli- f.-atli.i^ U in- m,,Ml\ \\liit.- and «i>*'p piirj.li.sh blade.
The Scarl.-t Il>i-. liou. :l most inaKnili< ••nt. tlnMi^li not very huge bird, it.s pluinap- '

of a glowing Boarl.'t. n-1 invert by a f«-« pat.-li.--. <.f Mark.

Th.> Sacred Ibis IB 00 called because it figures hugely in an evidently sacred character on
the hieroglyphs of ancient Kgypt It is a migratory bird, arriving in Egypt as soon an the

SACBVD una. -/MI

•waters of the Nile Ix-idn to rise, and remaining in that land until the wat«*n« have rnibnided,
and therefor* dnprm-d it <>f its daily siij,|,li,-s (,f fixxl. Tlu- bird i>r»K-il>ly OWHH its sacred
character to tin- fart that its a|i|»-arano- .l.-r.ott-. th.' rininj; <if fh.- Nil«-. an annual p)i<-ii<>ni>-iii>ii
on which depends the pro«perity of tin- \vlnil.- rmintry.

ini.-s th»- Il>i< stalks in M.litary state al..ng the banknof th«- ri\.-r. or tin- many wat«T-
that int«-rs.-<-t tin- low country, but .son i> -times associates in liltl.- flockx of fight or fe»n
in nunilH-r. Its food ronsists mostly of inolbisks, iK.th t.-rn-strial and aquatic, but it will nat
wonii-. inserts, and j.n.bal.ly th.- sinall.-r n-ptil.-i. 'Hi.- II. is was at one time thought to kill
and .sit snakes, and this i.l'-.i iiirtlien.-d by th»' fact that Cnvi.-r d.-t»M-ti-<l tin- M-al.>* ami

bon.-s of snaki-s within a mummied corpse of an Ibi* which was found in tin- t»mtM of Egj'pt,
and wliidi is known to l»- i.l.-nti. ,,| with the present species. Recent specimens, however,
seldom contain anything but ni«llnsks and insects.

'Ph.- walk of the Ibis is quiet and d.'liU-nite, though it can get <>V<T tin- irnmnd with con-
edderable *\*v<\ whenever it cliLM.s, s. Iu» flight is lofty and strong, and th<- l.inl hao a habit

560 THE STRAW-NECKED IBIS.

of uttering a loud and peculiar cry as it passes through the air. By the natives of Egypt it is
called the Abou Hannes, /. e., Father John, or Abou Menzel, i. e., Father Sickle Bill, the former
name being in use in Upper and the other in Lower Egypt.

The color of the adult bird is mostly pure silvery white, the feathers being glossy and
closely set, with the exception of some of the secondaries, which are elongated and hang grace-
fully over the wings and tail. These, together with the tips of the primaries, are deep glossy
black, and the head and neck are also black, but being devoid of feathers, have a slight
brownish tinge, like that of an ill-blacked boot, or an old, crumpled black kid glove. While
young, the head and neck are clothed with a blackish down, but when the bird reaches
maturity, even this slender covering is shed, and the whole skin is left bare. The body is
little larger than that of a common fowl.

ANOTHER species, the GLOSSY IBIS, is also an inhabitant of Northern Africa, but is some-
times found in Europe, where the fishermen know it by the name of Black Curlew. It is prob-
ably the Black Ibis mentioned by Herodotus.

The Glossy Ibis is sometimes found in different parts of America, rarely in the northern
States, but of more frequent occurrence in the centre or south. Audut>on remarks that he has
seen great numbers of these birds in Mexico, where it is a summer resident only. The habits and
food of the Glossy Ibis are much the same as those of the last-mentioned species, and, like that
bird, it was invested while living with sacerdotal honors by the ancient Egyptians, embalmed and
honored after death with a consecrated tomb, in common with the bull, the cat, and the sacred Ibis.

The plumage of the Glossy Ibis varies somewhat according to the age of the bird ; so that,
according to Yarrell, the same species has been termed the Glossy Ibis, the Green Ibis, and the
Bay Ibis by various authors, the difference of color being due to the more or less advanced age
of the individual. Both sexes have similar plumage, but the female is smaller than her mate.

In the full-grown bird, the head, neck, and part of the back between the shoulders are
dark chocolate, and the wing-coverts and tertials are a still darker brown, glossed with purple
and green. The quill-feathers of the wings are dark blackish-brown glossed with green, and
the tail is of a similar hue, but glossed with purple. The breast and under surface of the body
are chocolate-brown, changing to a duller hue under the wings and upon the under tail-coverts.
The beak is dark brown with a tinge of purple, the naked skin round the eyes is grayish-
green, the eyes are hazel, and the legs and toes green. In total length this species measures
not quite two feet. The young bird is more mottled than the adult, and has little of the bright
glossiness of the plumage. The head and neck are dull brown streaked with gray, the whole
of the upper surface, together with the wings and tail, are dark reddish-brown, and there are
a few irregular patches of white upon the breast.

THE AMERICAN GLOSSY IBIS. At the time of Wilson, this bird had not been recognized as
an American species. In 1817, a specimen was taken by Mr. Ord, in New Jersey, and after-
wards the species was named in his honor. It has since been found at times along the Atlan-
tic coast, a few times as far north as Massachusetts. Its home seems to be, however, where
the egrets and herons are so numerous, in Florida and other Gulf States. The eggs of Ibises
are very different from those of herons. The shell is rougher, heavier, and more granular, the
difference in texture being very perceptible. They are ovoid, and not ellipsoidal. The female
is similar to the male, but somewhat less.

THE SCARLET IBIS (Eudocemus ruber). Audubon says : "I have not met with more than
three specimens in a state of liberty in the whole range of the United States. These birds
occurred at Bayou Sara, in Louisiana, in 1821. They were travelling in a line, in the manner
of the white Ibis, above the tree-tops. Although I had only a glimpse of them, I saw them suf-
ficiently well to be assured of their belonging to the present species, and therefore I have thought
it pi-oper to introduce them into our fauna." This is the authority, not since corroborated.

THE STRAW-NKCKED IBIS derives its name from the tuft of stiff, naked feather-shafts
which hang from the front of the neck and breast, and greatly resemble small, yellow straws.

TJ/K WOOD IBIS,

Th.-s.. curious f.-atli-r-. with theii light ;...li>),. ••!. .,.!!,•, -•,,!.„ , . rfbld I patty OOMBMl ||
ili.- i:l<»sygiMn.Murk "f 'I'1' ' l|<>st :""1 winjr*. ••""! ill" pun- white of the neck a n< I a) x lonien.
The follow in- <l> — ription of tin- l>inl and its habits is written l-\ ild. in th«- " Minis of

Austnli:i '•

1'his beautiful Ibis lias n.\,r \.-t been discovered oat of Australia, over the whole of
which immense count r\ it is probably distribute!, as it is mon< abundant in certain localities
at ..ii.- -. -a son than at another : it> pivs, -t\, •, -. in fact. ap|ienrs tode|N<nd UJHUI rrln tlirrthn nnaaon
!>.• or In- not fa\onilili> to tin- increase of tin- lower animals u|*>ii which th-- vast hordes of this
hinl feed. After the sewn- drought of 1830, it wan in such abundance mi the Liverpool plain*.
that to compute tin- iiiMiiU-r in a single (lock was imi>ossiblc. It was also x.-i v numerous on
id.- -.-a-id'- ..f i !L- _!.• .! I. i'.. •] ]..-..! range, inhabiting the oj>en downs and i!.>;>. p.-n t'n -uhii 1\ -uc-li
as were 8tu<l<l>-d with shallow lagoons, through which it would wade kin-*- -high in Nearch of
shfllfd inollu.sks, frogs, newts, and inHertit ; indcjx'ndfntly of the food I have mentioned, it
I'.-.'(N "ii urnisshopp»-t> Hid !';-'• '- gi '.• : il ;. Hit' n itivi - infomntl in. thai somattMl m:ni>
HMons claps**! without tht I'ii'i bdvg M n \V!,. i. . (haD, do - i' L'O : 'I'., u I Kit .-..initi \
il pa.s,s ! !>...> 0MN Hoi exist ;i . .i-r OMlfl II the rent n- of Australia, tO iHdl '- 'I,. Ln.l
when it is not found in the located parts of the country ! We may reasonably suppose such
to be the case.

" The Stniw-nei'ked ll>is walks over the surface of the ground in a very stately manner ; it

[letvhes !•••:!• I il\ OB '!•<-. : iri Mi '''-. !.' 1- bott -:' - . '• ' I ttd -' I ikilu. ].:il li. n'..n \\ \\ li. n l.u_-.-

IliH-ks :in- |.;i--in_- ov. -i the | lains, ;i1 one motiienl sliowing their white l>ri-a.st.s. :.n-l MI tli-- m-\t.
by a change in their ]msition, exhiliiting their dark -colored Iwu-ks and snow-white tails. I hiring
the large semicircular >\\e.-ps th. v take over the plains, and when ]M-rfonniiig a long flight,
th'-s ris.- to!.-iali|\ lii-li in the air ; I!P- « li"l'- tl.»-k ih< ti arrangf ih'-m-.-h .- in th<- form of a
figure or letter similar to that so frequently ol>s»-rve<l in (lights of gi-«~«« ami ducks.

"The note is a loud, hoaix-. croaking sound, which may U- heard at a considerable dis-
tance. When feeding in (locks they an* closely packi-d. and from the constant movement
of their bills and tails, the whole mass S...-IMS to !*• in ]»er|M-tual motion. In dis|M.sition this
bird is rather shy than otherw ise ; .still, with a very little care, numerous successful shots may
be made with an ordinary fowling-piece.

"The sexes, when fully adult, exhibit the same )>eautiful metallic coloring of the plumage.
The female is, however, smaller, and has the straw-like appendages on the neck less prolonged
and less stout than in the mule. Ma tun- binls only have the whole of the head and back of
the neck quite bare of feathers."

The coloring of the Straw-necked Ibis is very conspicuous, and the lines of demarcation
U-tween the different tints an- sharply drawn. The ln-ad and jtart of the neck an* deep
sooty-black, which suddenly changes into a beautiful white downy plumage, clothing the
remainder of the neck. From the fore part of the neck and throat hang a numU-r of delimte
fringe-like feathers. The whole of the upjHT surface is colored of a deep and glistening green-
black, "shot" with purple, and changing its tints at every variation of light. Irregular bars
of the same color as the head are drawn across the back, and the entire under surface is pun*
w h i te. During the life of this bird the thighs are slightly colored with crimson, but this tint ing
soon vanishes after death.

WOOD IBIS (Tantalu* loculalor). This is a bird of considerable size for an Ibis. It
inhabits the South Atlantic and Gulf States; ranging north to Ohio, Illinois, and the Carolines;
southward, it reaches Cuba and South America. It in a remarkable and interesting bird. It
resembles a crane, being nearly four feet in length ; standing higher than that when erect.
It is pure white, with the tips of wings and the tail black. The adult bird has an entirely
bald head, and an enormously thick, heavy bill, t:i]M-ring and a little declined.

In Florida it is absurdly called the (ran net, a term properly applied to a sea-bird. In
Colorado it is named Water Turkey. In Florida, on the Upper St. John's, it is quite common.
A large breeding-place is known on the l>orders of Luke .\-hley. in Florida. It is estimated

that a thousand pairs breed there. Dr. Bryant, who visited this place, says: "I almost
voi. a -n.

562 THE CURLEW.

invariably saw flocks both at their breeding-places, and on their feeding-grounds, and flying,
they varied in numbers from a dozen to a hundred." Dr. Coues says: "While I would
not advise the reader to visit Fort Yuma, from any great distance, merely to study the habits
of this bird, yet, if he should by any unfortunate chance find himself in this uncomfortable
place, he will have an excellent opportunity of doing so, for the Water Turkeys are very com-
mon there. Meanwhile let my experience answer the purpose.

"We will walk abroad, in imagination, this fine September morning; we leave camp
as soon as it- is light enough to see, for when the sun is two or three hours high, we shall
be glad enough to return to the shelter of the verandah. Just now it is pleasant and compara-
tively cool, for since midnight the thermometer has fallen below 90° ; it was 115° in the shade
yesterday afternoon, and will mark a hundred perhaps to-day at breakfast-time, when we
return with an Ibis or two.

" The Colorado makes a bend around a bluff we stand upon. . . . The Ibises will very
likely be found in the swampy covert, into which we descend by a steep, well-worn path, and
are at once lost in the bushes. . . . Coveys of plumed quail are trooping along half-covered
ways, clinking in merry concert. Abert's finches rustle in every tangle ; in the green willow
clumps, orange-crowned warblers are disporting, and sipping dew from leafy, scroll -like cups."

After procuring a few specimens, the heat drove the Doctor in, and he settles himself for a
shady rest, when, "A long line of white, dimly seen at first in the distance, issues out of the
gray -green woods. It is a troop of Wood Ibises, leaving their heated covert for what seems
the still less endurable glare of day, yet recognizable, for they have before enjoyed the cooler
current of the upper air. They come nearer, rising higher as they come, till they are directly
overhead in the bright blue sky, flapping heavily until they have cleared all obstacles.
Then mounting faster with strong regular beats of their broad wings ; now they sail in circles,
with widespread, motionless pinions, supported as if by magic. A score or more cross each
other's paths in interminable spirals, their snowy bodies tipped at the wing-points with jetty
black, clear cut against the sky ; they become specks in the air, and finally pass from view.
They are often joined by turkey buzzards in numbers." Audubon describes the feeding of
the Wood Ibis thus: " It feeds entirely on fish and aquatic reptiles, of which it destroys an
enormous quantity— in fact, more than it eats ; for, if they have been killing fish for half an
hour, and gorged themselves, they suffer the rest to lie on the water untouched, to become
food for alligators, etc.

"To procure its food, the Wood Ibis walks through shallow, muddy lakes or bayous in
numbers. As soon as they have discovered a place abounding in fish, they dance, as it were,
all through it, until the water becomes thick with the mud stirred from the bottom. The
fishes on rising to the surface are instantly struck by the beak, and on being deprived of life,
turn over and remain so. In the course of ten or fifteen minutes hundreds of fishes, frogs,
water-snakes, etc., cover the surface, and the birds greedily swallow them, until they are com-
pletely gorged, after which they walk to the nearest margins, place themselves in long rows,
with their breasts all turned towards the sun, in the manner of pelicans and vultures."

VARI ETI ES.

THE two birds which have been chosen to represent the large genus Numenius are the
Curlew, or Whaup, and the Whimbrel.

The CURLEW is mostly found upon the sea-shore and open moorlands, and partly on
account of its wild, shy habits, and partly because its flesh is very delicate and well flavored,
is greatly pursued by sportsmen. These birds are most .annoying to a gunner who does not
understand their ways, having a fashion of keeping just out of gun-range, rising from the
ground with a wild mournful cry which has the effect of alarming every other bird within
liciiring, and flying off to a distance, where they alight only to play the same trick again.
Moreover, they are strong on the wing and well feathered, so that they require a sharp blow
to bring them down, and necessitate the use of large shot. When thus alarmed they generally

Tin:

568

skim aloii.: at :i low elevation, averaging alnmt fmn feet from the ground.

se,ineMtl\ afford little mark.

Sir \V. .laidine wiites as follows concerning the liadit.s of tin* Curlew : "They retired

regularly inland after their favorite feeding p 1. ices were covered. A long and narrow 1. >!,••• ..f

iix-ks MIIIS into I In- sea, behind w Inch we i.- concealed for the purpose of getting shots

:it various s.-a fowl n-t iiniiiii; at «-l>l>. None were BO regular as i h. ( 'ml. \\ Tin- mon-aiinalii-

tn-ar tin- s.«a ami <-iiiild |*M«.-i\f the gradual i.-llux; tin- Curl«ws were far inland, l>ol :i*

aawennild jH-rcHiv.- tlu- top of a sliarj) rcM'k standiiiic above water. \\,- were BiU'i- to

petcei\e tip- lir^t tl.K-ks lea\e the laml. thus keeping j>a»-« regularly with the change of tides.

Tlie\ tl\ in a dir«-»-t lim- to their f«eding-Kroiiihls. and often in a wedgu Hlia|M5; «»n alarm

a simiiltan i- .-i\ i- nti.-r.-.|, and the n.-\t coming ll(M-k turns from it- • •»\ir»-. uiiering in

ie|»-tition (lie same al:iiiii-not«'. In a few duyH they l>ecomu so wary :us not. totlyo\.r the
.-..ii, .•:,!. -.1 station."

Tho breed inff-grounda of tho Curlew are more inland, the locality varying according to the
character of the distrirt. wild lu-ath and high hilly grounds being <-hos«'n in S4»me plactw, while
marshy and boggy soils are favoiv.1 in other,. The ni-st of this binl is very slight. In-iug only
a -mall heap of dry leaves or grasses Bcruped together under the shelter of a tuft of heather
or a biim-h of rank grass. There an- usually four eu'irs. placed, a.s i- Customary with such
birds, with their small ends together, anil U-inir much larger at one end than at the other.
Their color is brownish-green with some blotches ami splashes of dark brown ami a darker
en-en. The voutiirare curious little birds. 1. .11- legged, short-billed, covered with puffy down,
and with very little indications of either winirs or tail.

The general coloring of the Curlew is brown, lighter u|xm the head and neck, and darker
ujMin the back, each feather N-iu^ darker in th> than on the edges. The njtjM-r tail

coverts an- white streaked with brown, the smaller win- coverts are .-d^.-d with grayish white,
and the tail is gray-white barred with brown. The wings are black, and some of the ipiills
have white shafts. The chin is white, and tin- under i«irts ore also white, but with a tinge of

564 THE HUDSONIAN CURLEW,

gray and streaked with short marks of dark brown. The under tail-coverts are white. Both
sexes are colored alike, and the average length is rather more than twenty inches.

THE LONG-BILLED CUKLEW (Numenius longirostris) inhabits the United States generally,
and the British provinces, breeding nearly throughout its range. It reaches south into
Mexico. It is regarded as rather uncommon in New England. Great numbers breed about
Great Salt Lake, and in Texas. It is quite as often seen in the interior as on the coast, visit
ing often the great dry plains, where it feeds on mollusca, insects, etc., and even berries. Dr.
Newberry found them associating in great numbers with geese and other water-birds, which
were congregated in countless numbers on the low lands bordering the Columbia River, in
October. This bird was, for a time, thought to be identical with che European, but is now
known to be distinct. It breeds in Labrador, and the neighborhood of Hudson's Bay. This
species is twenty-five inches in length, and thirty-nine inches in alar extent. The bill is eight
inches in length. The bill continues to grow in length until the second season. In the front,
under the skin, there are two thick callosities, which border the upper side of the eye, lying
close to the skull. These are common to most of this group of birds, and are designed, prob-
ably, to protect the eye from injury as it thrusts the bill into the soil. The sexes are alike in
plumage. This Curlew flies high and rapidly, generally throwing itself with others, when in
company, into an angular wedge, after the manner of wild geese ; uttering, as they fly and
when all alarmed, a loud, sharp, whistling, and almost barking note, sometimes, as in other
species of the family, strongly resembling the sibilation of the word ku.rlew, and from whence
they derive their characteristic name, adopted in many languages. By a dexterous imitation
of this note, the sportsman very successfully arrests its flight. "In the Boston market," says
Nuttall, "they are seen as early as 8th of August, having already raised their brood, and pro-
ceeded thus far towards their winter quarters."

THE HUDSONIAN CURLEW (Numenius hudsonius). This much less common species is
native to North America, Greenland, Central and South America. It breeds in high latitudes.
In Labrador it is seen in small numbers with the countless thousands of the Esquimaux Cur-
lew that throng the shores in August and September. It is rare in New England, but is seen
on the Jersey coast.

Audubon writes : " I have found this species abundant on the shores of New Jersey in the
month of May, and there they remain a few weeks. I once saw a large flock of them near
Charleston, in the month of December, and I have found them in the Boston market in Sep-
tember. None were ever seen by me in any part of the interior, where, indeed, it is probable
they very seldom make their appearance. Having compared specimens of the present species with
the Whimbrel of Europe (Numenius pliKopus), I am satisfied that they are perfectly distinct."

As Audubon has nothing of any importance to add, we may present a few extracts from
Wilson and Nuttall, both of whom have had opportunities of observing this species.

"The Short-billed Curlew," says the former, "arrives in large flocks on the sea-coast of
New Jersey early in May, from the south, frequents the salt-marshes, muddy shores, and
inlets, feeding on small worms and minute shellfish. They are most commonly seen on mud-
flats at low water, in company with various other waders, and, at high water, roam along the
marshes. They fly high, and with great rapidity. A few are seen in June, and as late as the
beginning of July, when they generally move off toward the north. Their appearance on
these occasions is very interesting. They collect together from the marshes as if by pre-
meditated design, rise to a great height in the air, usually an hour before sunset, and, forming
in one vast line, keep up a constant whistling on their way to the north, as if conversing with
one another to render the journey more agreeable. Their flight is then more slow and regular,
that the feeblest may keep up with the line of march ; while the glittering of their beautifully
speckled wings, sparkling in the sun, produces altogether a very pleasing spectacle.

" In the month of June, while the dewberries are ripe, these birds sometimes frequent the
fields, in company with the Long-billed Curlews, where brambles abound, soon get very fat,
and are at that time excellent eating."

OOD\M /

.Nuttall says : " Fn>m the middle of August !•• the iN'-inning of 8epleiul»er. lh.-\
the viciniiy of Ma->.i.-|iii^.u- H.,\. :ui<| ..ili.-r pan- «\ V u Knirland. fn-ijm -1111111: tin- pa>tun-s
»a* well as marshes, and fatt.-n «n gras-hop|N-rs and l-Tries, till the linn- of their dejiartuiv.
about the close of September. and they wholly dis.ipp.-ar fn.in New .l.-ise\. mi their wu\ t->
tin- Smth. early in tli.- month of V. \.-mlN-r."

TIIK KsqiiiMAirx CI-RLKW (Numtniu* bareaUl). 'I'liis sj>ecie8 inhabit* the middle and

north. TII (Nirtionsof America. Sup]Nisi-d nut In IN- found north of tin- Uocky Mountain- It
bn-eds within the ArcUc Circle, and is niigrat'. i \ through tin- I nit.-d state-. when- it seldom
\vint.-i-. and never bn-ed-. It migrates in immense inuiilterH through the Missouri region, in
M.i\. Flocks <>f iv.. in fifty to several hundreds are seen at such ti ..... s mi th. |.niri.->.
l'i Ooaes' deli^litful <l.-x-ri|.ti..ii \v,. will (juote:—
I'll.- Cui-l.-ws :ixN,N-iat.- in ll(«k> of ••V.TV .sia-, but tlu-y p-m-mlly fly in «> loose and

-n:i-jlilU' a liialin.-l-. llial il I- l-il.- I., kill n i.. I'.- than lial f a .I.-/..-H :il a -In. I. \\ IK-II 1 1|.-\ » li.-.-l.
however, in an\ ..f tln-ir many U-autiful evolution*. I hey <-lo*v tn^.-th.-r in a more .-..in|,a.-i
l«Kly. Tlieir HJKht i^ linn. <lini-l. v.-ry swift, when ne<-esHiu-y much iirotnu-Unl, and is \» i
with regular, rapid IteaLt. They never sail, except when aln.ut to alight, when tin-
are inm-h incurved downward, in the inunner of most waders. As their feet touch the
around, their long. |Miint«*d wingsan> niis«-<l over the back until the tips almost touch, and
then delilierately folded, much in the manner of the solitary sand pi INT. Their not« in an
often n'lN-uN-d, soft, mellow, though clear, whistle, which may be easily imitated. . . . When in
Mve tl(N-ks. they have a note which, when uttered by the who!*: number. I can com-
pare to nothing but the chattering of a lot of blackbird-. When wounded and taken in hand.
tln-\ emit a very loud, harsh scream, like that of a common hen under such circumstances.
Curlews are must excellent eating, and an- favorite game. This bird Is called by the gunners
of the seacoast, Short-billed Curlew. It wa- <>nct> thought to IN- the same a.- the English
\Vhinibrel. Wilson says that the Esquimaux Curlew arrives in large flock* on the wacoast
of New Jersey, early in May. They are commonly seen mi the mud-flats, in company with
other waders, and at high water roam along the marshes. They fly high, and with great
rapidity. A few are s«-en in .lime and a.s late as the lN-ginning of July, when they generally
move off to the South. Their apjN-arance on tho-e <H-ca-imis i- very mien-sting. They collect
together fnnn the marshes, a.s if by premeditated design, rise to a great height in the air.
ii-ually about an hour Itefore sunset, and forming one vast line, keep up a constant whistling
on their way to the North, as if conversing with one another. Their flight is then mon-
regular, presenting a beautiful spectacle. This bird is eighteen inches in length, and thirty-
i\\c. inches in extent of wing. The bill is four inches and a half long."

A species, called the l?i:i-u.i I>-IIIII;IIKD CURLEW (Numeiiiux lahatiensi*), is found a- a
straggler in Alaska. The ffnmeniu* pkctoptis is casual, according to several records, in
Eastern North America.

AT first sight the WIIIMHKKI. looks something like a diminutive curlew, save that the bill
is not so long, so thick, nor so sharply curved as in the preceding species. On account of this
resemblance it is in some places known by the name «>f Half Curlew, and in others it is called
the Jack Curlew, or by the popular name of Tang-Whaap.

Two species of Godwite are known in Europe, the Common, or Bar- tailed, and the
Black-tailed GodwiL These birds maybe known from each other by the jH-culiaiity fnnn
which they derive their name, the one species Mug distinguished by the uniform black hue
of the hitter two-thirds of the tail, and the other by the brown and gray bars which cross the

tail feathers.

THE MARBLED OODWIT (Limo»af<tda) is found in all parta of the sea-coast of temperate
North America, Central and South America, and the West Indies. Dr. Couee says : " The

566 THE SOLITARY SANDPIPER.

centre of its abundance in summer, and its main breeding-grounds are, apparently, the Northern
Mississippi and Eastern Missouri regions, and thence to Saskatchewan ; for, unlike its relative,
the Hudsonian Godwit, it does not proceed very far north to breed. It breeds in Iowa, and
Minnesota, and Eastern Dakota. I found it on the plains, feeding with long-billed curlews,
and great numbers of Bartram's sandpipers. In its habits at this season it more nearly resem-
bles the curlews. On intrusion near the nest, the birds mount in the air with loud, piercing
cries, hovering slowly around with labored flight in evident distress, and approaching some-
times within a few feet of the observer.

Gunners call this bird Strait-billed Curlew, and often Red Curlew. It is shy and cautious,
yet strongly attached to each other. When one is wounded, the whole flock is arrested in
flight, and they hover over the unfortunate bird. Like the curlew, this bird can be called by
imitating its voice. A slight difference in marking distinguishes the sexes. The male bird
is nineteen inches long, and thirty -four in extent of wing. The bill is nearly six inches in
length ; unlike that of the curlew, it is nearly straight.

A species is found on the western, or Pacific coast, called the Limosa lapponica.

THE HUDSONIAN GODWIT (Limosa Ticemasticd) inhabits eastern North America, the West
Indies, and South America. It is rare along the Atlantic coast. This bird is called Black-tail
Godwit in some quarters, though the following is now regarded as the true one of that name
— Limosa cegocepTiala.

THE GREATER YELLOW SHANKS, or TELL-TALE (Totanus melanoleucus\ called also
Tattler, is an exclusively American bird, found in all parts of this continent. It is abundant
in winter and during the migrating season. Breeds mostly in high latitudes. Wherever
there is water in the Missouri region these birds abound. In some places they are the most
numerous of all the waders.

The term Tell-tale was applied to this bird from the fact that it is so noisy. Its whistle,
which consists of four notes rapidly repeated, is so loud, shrill, and alarming, as instantly to
arouse every duck within its hearing, and thus disappoint the eager expectations of the marks-
man. The bird arrives on our coast in April, breeds in the marshes, and continues until
November, about the middle of which month it generally moves off to the South.

The Tell-tale seldom flies in large flocks, at least during the summer. On the least appear-
ance, it utters its shrill whistle and mounts on wing, generally accompanied by all the feath-
ered tribe within hearing. It sometimes rises to a great height in the air, and can be distinctly
heard when it cannot be seen.

The Tell-tale is fourteen inches in length, and twenty-five inches in extent of wing.

YELLOW-LEGS, or LESSER YELLOW SHANKS (Totanus flampes). The habitat of this
species is the whole of the Western hemisphere. Its breeding-places are from the northern
States, northward. Many winter in the Southern States. It is found in Europe as a straggler.
The Yellow-legs associates with the preceding in equal abundance. East of the Rocky Moun-
tains it is abundant, and generally distributed, but on the western slope very sparingly.
Great numbers are brought into the markets of our large towns, particularly in autumn. Its
flesh is in great favor. Its voice is a sharp whistle of three or four notes, when about to t;ikc
\vi 111; and when flying. The length of this bird is ten inches; extent of wing twenty. The
bill is slender and straight, about an inch and a half long. The female is closely like the male.

THE SOLITARY SANDPIPER (RliyacopTiilus solitarius), called also Wood Tattler. This is
an American species, confined to the Western hemisphere. It is accidental in Europe. It
breeds in the northern part of the United States and northward. It is abundant, and migra-
tory, wintering quite within the tropics.

Dr. Coues says : " About Washington, D. C., it is very common indeed at certain seasons.
It arrives late in April, and for two weeks or so is to be found in all suitable situations ; then
none are to be seen, except a few straggling young, just at the end of summer, until late in

i »/> ri.nvi

I'temlN-r. when. after an itju;ill\ l.ii-- -iijiMini. th> Lii.l-- pass on They dinVi fnun most of
their flames in their chain of fcediBg^pOUdC, "i "f places when- thc\ ..li-inalh alight to
n-st whil,- im-ratin- ; a difference accom|..ini. -I. 1 -ii|t|»«>«-. i-\ taoBMpondiiiK modification of
• lift. Theii fax.'ii s are the mar-ins of small, stagnant I""'!-'. f'in-.-d with nuik Kn'"~

ami weeds, tin- miry tide-water ditches dial ini.-i----.-t marshes, ami the soft. .H,/\ d.-pn-ss i«i\-

ill low meadows ami \\at.-ry savanna*. They frf^m-nt. also. the interim uf w..ods, I,,, I I,.,
thick, and collect tli.-r>- alHitit the rain puddles. They cannot U- said w it h entire piopn.i \ i«.
l»e solitary. thou-h tin- naiii.- is well . M.ni-ti to imliratf li-ss ,s«M-ial pni|M-iisiii.-> than iu..>t nf
tin- wail, i- "s»em. I p-m-nill\ f.n-ml fnun ..m- <>r t«n l» a half <|O»MI of tln-s«'

This l>inl aeemsto be i -..-IM-M.- ; ilifTcrin^ ipiiit- .li^tim-il\ in this II-S|MT| fn>m imuiy

otli.-r waden. It has th.- ruii.,ii- lial.it «.f •• Udiliin^" up ami ilnwn.

This liinl risen easily mi win^'. Jl \inic «.|i»\\l\. with l.--s <lan^liiiK ami m-<-k mitsiivi. h,-<|,
then alighting and gMdng annuul ILstlcxsly. As tin- fit-t touch tin- ^rmiml. tin- lon^. |«>int«-<l
uiiiirs an- lil'ti-il until tli.-ii tips n»irly nn-«-l. ami an- tln-n <lrliU-i-it.-l\ f.il.l.il, in theae
motions n-st-iiiltliinr th.- lialiits ,.f tin- Ks.piiinaiix curli-w . \Vln-n »m|i|rn|y alaniMxl. the Tattlcnt
utt«-r a low and pli-asimj wlii-.il.- as th>-\ tly olT. Tln-y an- thought to l«- t-xln-incly t«'ii«liT,
..n I .M-I|\ kill.-il a . !,:n_'.- of tin.- shot, that woiilil not lirinir duwn a warlilrr, killing tin-
Tattl.-r i-v.'ii at loiitf range.

••Tlif Silitjiry SandpijHT," says Wilson, ••inhaldis th«- watery solitudes of our
mountains during sumim-i. from K.-nturky to N«-« York. l«ut is m.\\h«-i>- iiuim-n.iis,
nioii- than om- or two U-ini: »i'n toirrtht-r. At th.- approach of cold wcatln-r. it descends U>
tin- muddy shon-s of our rivi-ix uln-n- it is occasionally im-t with singly, on its way sonth-
wrunl. Th«-y n-irularly l>n-»-<l in I'.-niisylvaiiia, on th»- I'IM-OHO Mountains. It is usually sili-nt.
••pting when it is Hushed, when it utters a sharp whistle. It is ei^ht im-ln-s in l.-nirth. and
tift«-»-n inches in ext4-nt of wini:. The sexes an- alike in <-ol«.r."

\Vilson says that this sjMH-ips IH-JII-S considerable n-scnil>laiice to the (ini-n Sandpi|M-r of
K u rope. This latter l>inl is enumerated with North American mi account of its <xva-

visits to this country.

TIIK WILLKT (X//////<//< -iiiin xi//iijm//H<i/<D. This tine l»inl is an Aim-rican -|».( i..>. found
as a 8traggl«-r in Kun)|M*. It htv^^Is in most jnirtions of the I'niN-d Stat^-s. On the North
Carolina coast it l.|.-.-ds in jrn-at numlH-rs. I'snally. Willets an- m>is\ . n-M less, and wary.
Both parents tak<- turns at inculiatioii. The half writhing of the to»-.s reiidei-s it al>l<- to swim,
though it d<M-s not n-sort to swimming unless |iiisln-.l to it.

Wilson calls this liinl the S-nii|Kilmat«-<I Snii»-. It is also call.-.! Su>nt> Sni|n>. and S-rui
j.alinate<l Tattler. It is oi ..... f the most noisy Lirds that inhal>it our salt marshes. It-, not<- is
I'ill-irill-irilh-f- hence the name. This is heanl at a loiij: distune*-. utt<'n-<| inccssiintly. The

of this l.inl is excellent .-atin^, and the px>d six»- make- it a d.-siralde ^pinie l>inl. The pin-
is chanir»Hl for the two seasons, varyinir to such an extent as to ap|«-ar lik>- that of two
distinct •»!»•,•!. •-. Its letiirth is tifti^-n inches: extent of win»r thirty inches. It stands high,
like the curlews. The female is larp-r than the male.

Tn . ;' "-keles puyncur) is no fn-qiiently a stni^uler into this country, that it has been

entered on the list of North American LinN. Th.- Wandering Tatt I. -r . I Merotcdet incaniu)
also has the same standing as an American I. ml.

BARTRAM'S PLOVKU (/?/////"////" A./////VV/;/^///I. or Sandpii>er. also railed I'pland Plover.
This species has a wide dispersion in the Western hemisphere, and is an occasional visitor in
KurojH-. It is not known w.-st of tin- Hocky Mountains; Nova Scotia seems to be its n.pithern
limit. It lireeds in the middle of summer.

It winters in Mexico and the West Indies, ami sonthwanl to Smth Am.ri.a. It occurs
in slimmer as far north as the Yukon, though cn-at numliers breed within the I'nited States.
Plover is another name applied to it in the Eastern States, while in the region between

568 THE GREEN SANDPIPER.

the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains it is called Prairie Pigeon, where it is very
abundant during migration.

Dr. Coues says : "Their ordinary note is a long-drawn, soft, and melancholy whistle, of a
peculiarly clear, resonant quality ; but besides this, they have a note peculiar, I believe, to
this period of their lives. This is a very loud, prolonged cry, sounding more like the whistling
of the wind than a bird's voice. The wild sound, which is strangely mournful, is generally
uttered when the bird, just alighted, holds its wings for an instant perpendicularly, before
adjusting them over the back. It is frequently heard in the night. There is another note
that this Tattler has, chiefly when disturbed breeding ; this is a harsh scream, quickly and
often repeated, much like that given by other waders under the same circumstances. It is
esteemed as a delicacy. There is no difference in the plumage at different seasons, and the
sexes are alike in size and coloration. Its length of body is about twelve inches, and
extent of wing twenty-three inches. This bird was named after Bartram by Wilson. It
runs with great rapidity, spreading the tail and dropping the wings. When it alights it
stands very erect, and has a few sharp, whistling notes as it mounts to fly. Its flesh is
regarded as superior in point of delicacy, tenderness, and flavor to any other of its tribe.
The sexes are nearly alike.

THE BUFF-BREASTED PLOVER ( Tryngites riifescens) inhabits the whole of North America.
It is migratory in the United States, but is not often seen on the Eastern coast. It breeds in
the fur countries, in the interior, and extends its habitat to South America. Its habits are
similar to Bartrain's Plover. A few of these birds are observed every season on Long Island.

Nuttall says: "This elegant species, some seasons, is not uncommon in the market of
Boston, being met with near the capes of Massachusetts Bay."

Wilson does not mention it. Its length is eight inches, and extent of wing about fourteen.

•

SPOTTED SANDPIPER (Tringoides macularius). Native to North America, and breeds
nearly throughout its extent of country, wintering in the Southern States and beyond. It is
also found in South America, and is a straggler in Europe. Although it reaches the high
latitudes, it breeds equally well in every part of America, and is one of the best known and
most abundant of its tribe. It nests in a field or orchard, generally near water, visiting equally
the interior and sea-coast.

Wilson says that this species is as remarkable for perpetually wagging the tail as others for
nodding the head ; even the young just out of the shell run about, constantly wagging the tail.

On the approach of an intruder in the breeding-season, the parents exhibit great distress,
limping and otherwise counterfeiting lameness, and fluttering along the ground. Its flight is
usually low, skimming along the 'surface of the water, its long wings making a considerable
angle downward from the body, while it utters a rapid cry of weet-weet-weet as it flutters
along, seldom steering in a direct line up or down the river, but making a long, circuitous
sweep. It rarely associates with other Plovers.

The length of the Spotted Sandpiper is seven and a half inches, with an extent of wing
of thirteen inches. The sexes are much alike.

TJIE two birds, the Green Sandpiper and the Avocet, belong to the species of the
Totaninse.

The GREEN SANDPIPER is, like the whole of its tribe, a frequenter of wet and marshy
lands, and seems not to be so fond of the sea-shore as many allied species. Salt-water marshes
are, however, favorite spots with these birds, and whenever the brackish water spreads from
the sea-coast over the adjoining country, there the Green Sandpiper may generally be found.
It is a quick and active bird, running about with much agility, and flirting its short tail up and
down as it moves along. It is rather noisy, its cry being a shrill whistle remarkably loud in
proportion to the size of the bird, and very constantly repeated. When flushed it begins to
scream, and flies rapidly away at a low elevation, keeping as much as possible over the
water.

Tin: .1

TllK COMMON - VSLHI-U:, "i -TMMI i: » N ti'K, is a wll-knnwn visitor to northern Europe,
and ha.s d.-riv.-d its n;iui.- <.f Siinnn. i -ai]-- from its )i:il>it «>f remaining there only < luring the
summer month*, arming alxmt April i.r ' . l.-a\ in^- h. •:

Tin: SMI i SVM.I-II i i; »/„ mftalma himantoptu) l» a native American bird. It i* n«.t
ohs,.rv.-d \\.-st (1f tli.' U,M-k\ Mountains, and \a nitli.-r run- in tin- I to*. In th.- U'.-st

Indi.-s ( .-iiir.il Am.Tica, and the most of South Am.-Hca it occurs. It hreeds in liiK'h l:ititu.|«a,
iiiidiswcasioiially tak.-n in ,-lan.l .liirimr th«- iniirnitin^ S»-.IM.II.

C.Mi.'s s;,ys of it : -Th: i-.-ni:irk:ilili- San<l|ii|»-i . . •« nin. •••tint; tliis ^mnp with

the true snii>ea by m.-ans ,,f .}facrorhamphwt, with which its ivlatiniships . Us

patt.-rn of .-oloration and changes of plumage are much an in M. Th.- hill is M1iit.-

anil*- lik.-, though short- 1 : th.- legs are very long, relatively exceeding those of M<i'-iuif,,im-

p/tu*, and there ure two basal

M.-li.stoth.-t.M-s.;

'

I 1

I

THK Avoctrr is one of the
most n Mi:uknhl« iiiiioiiL,' Kuro-
])«in hinls, and is.-a.sily nn-ojfniz-
able by its long, rurioiiHly-rnr\«-«l
beak, and its boldly pied plum
age.

The Avocet is not a common
hinl in northern countries of
Kiiro|»-. :in.l in now but seldom
seen, though in former days it
used to lw tolerahly pl.-ntiful on
the sea-coasts and in marshy
Innds. The. long and «l«llj -
cun-ed beiil^ is v«'iy slender :md
pointed, and from its peculiar
shape has earned for its owner
the name of Cobbler's Awl Bird.
While obtaining its food the
Avocet scoops the mud with it*
beak, leaving sundry unmistak-
able marks behind ; and i.s culled
in some countries the Scooper.
The food of the Avocet consists
almost wholly of worms, insects,
and littl«> crustaceans; and while
the bird is engaged in the search
after these creatures it paddles
over the oozy mud with ita

webbed feet and traverses the soft surface with mnch ease and some celerity. The cry of the
ocet is a sharp, shrill kind of yelp, and is uttered whenever the bird is alarmed. The

flight is strong and rapid.

The nest of the Avocet is placed on the ground in some convenient hollow, and the eggs

are yellowish -hrown with hlack marks. The mother will feign lameness when observed, like

the preceding species.

The greater part of the plumage of this hird is pure white, but the top of the head, the

hack <>f th" m-ck. thn scapularies, leaser wing-coverts, and the primaries are j'-tty hlack. It is

a rath.-r larp* hird, measuring about .-iirht.-.-n inches in total lenirth. The beak is extremely

thin, and has been well compared by Yan.-ll t<> " twu thin pieces of whalebone coming to a

point and curving upwards."
v«. o-n.

AV

570 THE STILT PLOVER.

AMERICAN AVOCET (Recurmrostra americana). This long-legged bird inhabits the United
States and the British Provinces, north to the Great Slave Lake. It is rare in New England,
and breeds in all parts of its range. From its excessive clamoring it is called by the Jersey
gnnners Lawyer. This bird associates in numbers on the beaches, uttering click, click, click,
incessantly. The male is eighteen inches and a half long, and two feet and a half in extent of
wing. The female is a few inches smaller, and differs somewhat in coloration. It is, unlike
many of the wading birds, more abundant in the interior than on the sea-coast, the Mississippi
Valley being a favorite region.

Dr. Coues says: "They were quite gentle and familiar and not at all disturbed by my
approach, displaying a characteristic of theirs during the breeding-season — at least in regions
where they are not often molested — and have, therefore, not learned a wholesome dread of
man. They walk leisurely about, up to their bellies in water, with graceful, deliberate steps,
^ach of which was accompanied by a swaying of the head and neck, as usual with birds of similar
form. When approached too closely, they rose lightly from the water, uttering their peculiar
cries, flapped leisurely to a short distance, and again alighted to pursue their peaceful search
for food, forgetting, or at least not heeding, their recent alarm. As they rose from the water,
their singularly long legs were suffered to dangle a few moments, but were afterwards
stretched stiffly backward, as a counterpoise to their long necks ; and, thus balanced, their
lithe bodies were supported with greatest ease by their ample wings. When about to re-alight,
they sailed without flapping for a little distance, just clearing the water, their legs again hang-
ing loosely. As they touched the ground, their long wings were held almost upright for an
instant, then deliberately folded, and settled in place with a few slight motions."

Avocets and Stilts correspond in habits as closely as they do in form. One of the most
marked characteristics is seen in the feet. Avocets have a hind toe, which the Stilts have not,
and their feet are almost completely webbed. They are, therefore, the best swimmers of the
long-legged waders.

THE BLACK-NECKED STILT (Himantopus mexicanus). This bird inhabits the United
States generally, Cuba, Mexico, Central and South America. Besides having singularly long
and slender legs, this bird has long pointed wings, but of ample width ; its flight in con-
sequence is firm, vigorous, and swift. When folded they reach beyond the tail, and as the
tinder-coverts reach to the end, the bird tapers off behind to a fine point. On the ground,
whether walking or wading, it moves gracefully, with measured steps ; the long legs are much
bent at each step — only at the joint, however — and planted firmly, perfectly straight.

THE STILT PLOVEB is nearly as conspicuous for its long legs as the Avocet for its
curved bill.

This bird, which really looks as if the legs were intended for a body at least twice its size, is
sometimes, but very rarely, found in northern districts of Europe, and whenever it is found
there, generally prefers the swampy or marshy ground. Owing to the great scarcity of this
species, and its speedy fate from powder and shot, very little is known of its habits; but if we
may judge by the Black-necked Stilt of America, it employs its long legs in wading through
the water in search of food, and picks up the various aquatic inhabitants which come in its
path.

Wilson remarks of the Black-necked species, that when these birds alight on the ground
"they drop their wings, stand with their legs half bent and trembling as if unable to support
the weight of their bodies. In this ridiculous position they will sometimes stand for several
minutes, uttering a curring sound, while from the corresponding quiverings of their wings and
long legs they seem to balance themselves with great difficulty. This singular manoauvre is
no doubt intended to induce a belief that they may easily be caught, and so turn the attention
of the person from the pursuit of their eggs and young to themselves."

The Stilt is able to swim, but generally contents itself with wading up to its belly in
water. The flight of this bird is strong, and the long legs are trailed far behind the tail, look-
ing at a little distance as if it had carried off a piece of string fastened to its toes. Five or six

Till-:

571

species of Stilt are known to science. The eggs of the Stilt are of a bluish hue, covered with
tttn-aks ami blotches of dusky green and dark brown

The greater part of the plumage of this bird is w hite. but the back and wings are of a deep
black with a gloss of green. In th<- female the black takes a brownish tone. The beak is
black, the eggs red, and the legs and toes pink. The total length of this bin I is about thirteen
inches.

I, IKK ninny other birds, the Hi > > d> |» nds for ita existence upon marshy and uncultivated
grounds.

It in one of the migratory species, arriving in this country in April and leaving by the end
of Septemlx-r. Formerly it was -.., common in the fenny district* that six dozen have been
taken by one binl-catcher in H single day. The flesh of these birds is remarkably excellent,
and they fatten fast, HO that the trade of catching and fattening Ruffs was at one time a very

MlKf. J

lucrative occupation, though it now hardly repays the trouble, time, and expense. So readily
i these birds be fattened, that a Huff weighing only six ounces when first placed in the cage*
will weigh ten when removed for the table. (Jem-rally the young birds of the first year are
chosen for slaughter, a- they are more tender and Ix-ar captivity better than the older bird*.
As soon as raptured the RufTs will begin to eat, and if a basin of food be placed among a
number of these birds they will tiirht so eagerly for it that each bird would starve nit her than
allow any but itself to partake of the provisions. The feeders, then-fore, humor their selfish
disposition by placing several dishes of food in the cages end filling them all.

i

TIIK KNOT, so railed in h--nor of King Knnt. or Canute as the name is generally spelled, is
one of the members of the interesting gen us Tringa.

This pretty bird is found in varying numbers, at one season flying and settling on the
shore in flocks of a thousand or more in number, and at another being so scarce that hanlly
one bird can l>e seen where a hundred had formerly made their apju-arance. Mr. Thompson
mentions that In- has seen them in such profu-ion. that upwards of one hundred and seventy

e killed at a single discharge from a swivel-gun. Sometimes they an- silent while on th-

f>72 THE PECTORAL SANDPIPER.

ground, but at others they utter a peculiar chucking kind of note, which seems to indicate
their position to the expectant female.

The Knot loves to feed on the large expanses of sea-grass (Zostera marina) which are left
bare by the receding tide, and is often found with a mixed assembly of godwits, dunlins, and
redshanks.

The Knot is also called Robin Snipe ( Tringa canutus), and Red-breasted Sandpiper, and
Ash-colored Sandpiper. It is found in the northern portion of botli hemispheres — Australia,
New Zealand, and South America. During winter it is abundant along the Atlantic coast, but
is rare in the interior, and westward. Its breeding places are far north, in the utmost habit-
able limits of the Arctic Circle. The eggs are five in number, and are merely laid on a tuft of
grass.

The regularly disposed concentric semicircles of white and dark brown that mark the
upper parts of the plumage of this species, distinguish it from all others. When attired in its-
full summer plumage the male Knot is a really handsome bird. The sides of the head are
bright chestnut with a few dark spots, and the top of the head is a deeper chestnut with dark
brown streaks. The upper part of the back is richly mottled, the centre of each feather being
black, and the edges warm chestnut and white. The greater wing-coverts are ashen-gray, the
primaries black with white shafts, the secondaries edged with white, and the upper tail-
coverts rusty- white, edged with white and barred with black. The tail is dark ash edged with
white, and the under surface is warm ruddy chestnut fading into white on the under tail-
coverts. After the breeding season all the rich warm tints are lost, and the bird assumes a
sober dress of ashen-gray above, black wings, and the under surface white streaked with gray.
The length of the Knot is about ten inches.

In activity, it is superior to the preceding ; and traces the flowing and recession of the
waves along the sandy beach with great nimbleness ; wading among the loose particles for ite
favorite food, which is a small, thin, oval bivalve shell-fish, not larger than the seed of
an apple. These usually lie at a short depth below the surface. They constitute the food of
this bird, and render it very fat. It is a pleasing spectacle to watch groups of these birds
follow adroitly the line of breaking surf, busily engaged in picking up their choice morsels as
they are separated from the sand and are rolled inward on the tide. The length of this bird is
ten inches ; the extent of wing, twenty inches.

PURPLE SANDPIPER (Arquatella maratima). This species inhabits the whole of North
America, particularly on the sea-coast. It is migratory, and winters within the United States,
breeding in high northern localities only. It is also found in Europe and Asia. Though its
name would indicate its maritime habits, yet it is often seen on the margin of the Great Lakes.
It is said to be very common on the shores of Lake Michigan. In New England it is rather
abundant ; frequenting the rocky shores where the sea- weed grows, rather than the sandy
beaches.

ANOTHER species, of late determination, is called the ALEUTIAN SANDPIPER (Arquatella
covtsi), found on the northwestern coast.

Another from the same region is named PRTBILOV SANDPIPER (Arquatella ptilcenensis).

THE SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER (Actodromas acuminata) is a late addition to the American
bird fauna.

THE PECTORAL SANDPIPER (Actodromas maculata) is a familiar species, and common to
the whole continent. It is also found in Europe. It is called variously Grass Snipe, Jack
Snipe, and Meadow Snipe. Its game-like habits render it a favorite with the sportsmen. In
summer it is abundant in Labrador, where it frequents low, muddy flats. When it arise*
from the grass to alight again at a little distance, it flies in silence, and utters a single tweet;
the wings being deeply incurved ; but when suddenly startled, and much alarmed, it springs
quickly, with loud repeated cries, and makes off m a zig-zag, much like the common Snipe.

TV/A' I'HiMY criH.KW, OR CUJlLJf W SA SDPIP ER.

ue times gaining a considerable elevation, it circle* f«>r several minutes in silence overhead,
living with tri-i-at \.-lo,-it\. |*-i pit.-h do\\n again nearly j*eriN-ndiculaily to the Mine

.S|M.I it MarN-d from.

The migration -oitthwanl occurs in August, and at uliuut the first of April it leave* for tin-
north. A form of this -•• n on Ixing Island occasionally has btvu called Cooper's Sand pi |« i
I nlik>- mo-t >andpi|«T-. it <[>«•- not tlock to an\ .-\ti-iu ; l»-iiig oftenest seen singly 01
|,m - Iii tin- I in s it is mostly a bird of pannage, though a few winter in the South

• •rn Mates.

HOSM MU'ii-KK (. Trinffa fu»cicoUi*\ called alao the White-rumped Sand-

j.ijH-i. inhabit* tin- eastern portion of North America, or east of the Rocky Mountains,
breeding in tlu> far north. It is migrators through the Kastem I'nited States, wintering
in tin- Smth. It is also found in Greenland, West Indie*, r.-ntral and South America. It
i> \ . i y abi.ndant along the entire Atlantic coast, and readily distinguished by its white upper
tail -coverts.

BAIKD'S SANDPIPKR (Tringa bairdf). This bird has only lately been introduced into our
fauna. Specimens were found in Alaska and Arctic America, where they breed. It is found
in tin- interior east of tin- Korky Mountains, and has been regarded as a stranger to the
Atlantic coast, though one specimen has lately been found tii«-r>-. Dr. Cones met with it in
Dakota, during August, associated with the Red-breast^! Sni|»- ami Wilson's Phalarope.

LEAST SANKI-IPI i: ^A<-t<*lronuu minutilla). This little bird is found in every part of th»-
Anifiiciin contiin-nt. ami is sometimes noticed in Europe. It resides chiefly among the sen-
marshes, and feeds on th«- mud-tbits at low water. It is not altogether confined to the neigh-
borhood of the s«-a. It N abundant in the Missouri region during migration.

The popular name Tf<l or l'<ep is applied to it in every portion of the globe where it
is found llesidcx U-ing gregarious among themselves, the Peeps are sociable with other shore
birds ; and there is not often seen a group of beach-birds that has not more or less numbers of
this bird.

Dr. Cones pleasantly says of them : "Gadabouts they may be, but no scandal-mongers :
ubiquitous, turning up everywhere when least expected, but never looked ill upon ; bustling
little biisy-bo<li»*. but minding their own business strictly. Besides environing a continent on
three sides at least — and perhaps on the Arctic shores as well — not a river or hike, not a creek
or pond, the banks of which are not populated at one season or another ; the track of their
tiny feet, imprinted on the sand of the sea-shore, and the soil of the inland water, shows
when* they have been. Their numbers swell hi no small degree the great tide of birds, that
ceaselessly ebbs and flows once a year, in the direction of the polar star ; they taken away, a
feature of the land would be lost. Altogether, they become imposing, though singly insig-
nificant. If we do not know just what part is given out to them in the grand play of Nature,
at least we may be assured they have a part that Ls faithfully and well performed."

Wilson says : "This is the least of its tribe in this part of the world, and in its mode of
flight resembles the snipe more than the Sandpiper. It springs with a zig-zag, irregular flight,
and feeble twit. It is not entirely confined to the neighborhood of the sea. Its length is five
inehes and a half, and extent of wing eleven inches. The sexes are very closely alike.

THK PIGMY CURLEW, or CURLEW SANDPIPER (Pdidna fubarguala), is so called on
account of the form of its beak, which )>ears some resemblance to that of the Curlew, although
it is much smaller and not so sharply curved.

Mr. Thompson remarks that "as it appears on the shore it is a graceful, pretty bird, and
particularly interesting from presenting so pleasing a miniature of the great Curlew. I have
often known the Pigmy Curlew to U- killed in company with dunlins, occasionally with them
and ring dottrells, once with those two species and god wits, in a single instance with red-
shanks and knots." In some years these birds are more plentiful, and may be seen in lr

574

THE DUNLIN.

flocks of thirty or forty in number. Sixty were once killed at a single shot in a harbor in the
month of October.

The Curlew Sandpiper is regarded as very rare in America ; indeed, it is scarcely more
than a straggler along the Atlantic coast. It is found in most parts of the Old World.

SEMI-PALMATED SANDPIPER (Ereunetes pusillus}. The habitat of this species is the
whole northern and a portion of the southern continent. It is abundant and well known
on the Atlantic coast. It is one of the smallest of its tribe ; the length being six inches, and
extent of wing twelve. The males and females are alike in coloration. Though properly
a sea-shore bird, it is occasionally seen on the shores of inland lakes. It is seen in the Mis-
souri region during migration. Its half -webbed feet, which gives it a specific name, readily
distinguish it. The birds vary greatly in size. In general appearance they resemble the
stints or peeps.

A variety, called the Western Sandpiper, is found in the Western States.

o

BAMDMKUJiU.— C/WWHl aieaaiia.

THE SANDEKLING (Calidris arenaria), called also Ruddy Plover. This bird has an
extended habitat, covering the coasts of all countries. It visits New England during the
latter weeks of summer, after the breeding season in the far north. While feeding on the
beaches it utters a plaintive whistle. It is abundant on the coast generally. The length of body
is eight inches, and extent of wing fifteen inches.

TEMMINCK'S STINT is remarkable for being the smallest of the European Sandpipers, the
average length being about five inches and a half.

This little bird is rarely found on the far northern coasts, preferring inland rivers and
sheets of water, where it feeds upon worms and aquatic insects. It is said by Nilsson to breed
on the shores of the seas of northern Europe.

THE DUNLIN is known under a variety of names, such as the Stint, the Ox-bird, the Sea-
snipe, and the Purre, the last of which is the most common.

»// 675

This I. in! is tin- commonest <>f tin- --a loving Sandpipers, and com.- i« the shores in large
flocks, keeping <•!..-.• in t IK- edge of the waves, runnim: along the sands und pecking e*>:>
tin- imillii-U->. w.'im-. ami -null,.! crustacea, which ore ao plentiful on the margin <>f the

retiriiiic wax. -. Tlt.-\ an- niinl-1.- liml»-d birds, nl way* on tin- ve, and are sure to be either

enir.ige.1 in running aU.ut after food or thin- !'i..m one feeding-place to another. \Vhile
llviii- they present nit her a curi.. seem to change from white to black

alternately, according to tin- j>oint of \i.-\v in whirh they are seen ; their dark backs ami

white mi.|.-r sur faces contrast im; i--'i,n\ with each other.

Tin- hunlin is occasionally found in America, and a variety is resident, .-all.-.! Itla.-k
lwlli.il. ami also Red-hacked Sandpi|N>r. It is found al..n_' tin- whole Atlantic coast. It
-. \\interini; in tin- States, an.l breeds fur north. It IKI.S IH-.-II fomnl as far west as
l>-a\.-nworth. Wilson Bays the name is Gray-hack with .sport>m<-n. ami that it is a particular
fa\»rit<- with tin-in. It associates in small flocks, alighting in close bodies together on the
flat-, where it limls small moll usca to feed upon. It is less timid than other s|>ecies, standing
iin«>m-.-ii»-<lly for a tiin.- on tlu* approach of the sportsman. In November it migrates for the
ith. Th.- l.'iiLrih <>f Ixxiy is ten inches, extent of wing tw.-nt \ in.-h.-. The sexes are alike
in general api>earunce.

Tin. < ' 1:1 A i SMI-K may even on the wing be distinguished from the common species, by
the jw.-uliar. fan-like shape of the tail. \Vhil. • (lying it hardly looks larger than the common
Sni|»' It is m>t readily roused from the ground, hut will |»-nnit itself to be almost trodden
on U-foiv it will ii-'-. trusting t<> its brown mottled plumap-. which harmonizes so well with
tli.- ground that the bird is not readily perceived. When flushed, it only flies to a little dis-
tance, ami th.-n vttlt-s among heather or rank grass. The flesh of this species is very good,
as tin- I'inl becomes exceedingly fat \\ h.-n it finds a good feeding-place, so much so, indeed,
that it can hardly fly, and, according to Mr. Grieff, is in autumn so fat that it almost bursts
its skin.

f

THE COMMON SNIPE is too well known to need much description. Its habits, however,
are interesting, and deserve some notice.

This t>inl may be seen all over Europe, wherever damp and swampy places are found.
When first flushed, it shoots off in a straight line for a few yards and th«-n begins to twist and
turn in a strangely zigzag fashion, and at hist darts away, thereby puzzling juvenile sportsmen
greatly, and often escaping before its enemy has got his aim.

The nest of the Snipe is a simple heap of leaves placed under the shelter of a tuft of furze,
heath, or grass, and the eggs are four in number of an olive-white, spotted and dashed with
brown «.f different tones towards and upon the large end. The mother-bird has been known
to carry away her young when threatened by danger.

Til.- coloring of the Common Snipe is briefly as follows : The top of the head is dark
brown ; :i light brown streak runs along the centre; the cheeks are pale brown with a dark streak
from th.- hill to the eye, and over the dark streak is another of a paler hue. The back is
beautifully mottled with two shades of brown, and four bold lines of warm l»u<T run aloni: the
upper surface of the body. The wings are black, some of the feathers ln-inu tipped with
whit.-. The chin is very pale brown, the neck Is also light brown. Imt -pott«-d with a darker
hm- : th.- breast and abdomen are white, and the flanks gray-whit.- with dull black bars. The
under tail-coverts are cream-colored with a brown tinge and barred with gray-black. The
average lenirth of the Snipe is between ten and eleven inches.

The English Snipe is the name this bird bears in A im-Hca, as it is an occasional visitor here.

WILSON'S SNIPE (ZalUnago wihonf) is now regarded as a variety of the preceding. Its
range is throughout the whole of North America, and southward to South America, Mexico,
and the West Indies. It breeds from northern New Knirlaml northward. It is a migrant
through the region of the Missouri, though it is thouirht that some winter in the southern
portions.

576 THE JACK SNIPE.

The nest of this Snipe is a mere depression in the grass, or moss of a meadow.

Wilson says of this bird, which was named in his honor: "It arrives in Pennsylvania
about the 10th of March, and remains in the low grounds for several weeks ; the greater part
then move off to the north, and to the higher inland districts, to breed in our low marshes
during the summer. Great numbers of these birds winter in the rice grounds of the Southern
States, where, in the month of February, they appear to be much tamer than they are here in
the north. On the 20th March I found them extremely numerous about the borders of ponds
of Louisville, Kentucky. They have the same soaring, irregular flight in the air in gloomy
weather as the English Snipe ; the same bleating note and occasional rapid descent ; spring
from the marshes with the same feeble squeak ; and in every respect resemble the latter bird,
except in being about an inch leas, and in having sixteen feathers in its tail instead of
fourteen.

This Snipe is eleven inches long, and seventeen in extent of wing. The sexes are much
alike, save that the colors of the female are somewhat more obscure and less denned than in
the male.

THE RED-BREASTED SNIPE (Macrorhamphus griseus), called also Brown-back, Gray
Snipe, and Dowitcher, inhabits the whole of North America, Greenland, and Mexico, West
Indies, Central America, and much of South America. It is occasionally seen in Europe.
Distinguished from the former, it has longer legs, and a web between outer and middle toes,
twelve instead of sixteen tail-feathers, and some other less important characters.

In migrating, this Snipe moves in vast numbers northward in April, where they breed,
returning in August.

Dr. Coues met with the Gray-backs in considerable numbers in Dakota. He found it
unsuspicious and gentle, sociable in company with other waders and with various sea-fowl that
•congregate on the borders of the great lakes and rivers of the West, where they congregate,
probing here and there the mud-flats for food, sticking their bills perpendicularly into the soil
the full length with a quick, dexterous movement, and sometimes even submerging the whole
head for a moment. All the while they chat with each other in a low, pleasing tone. When
fired at, notwithstanding some of their companions may lie dead, or in the agonies of death,
the flock returns to the same spot. They are singular for their flying so compactly in groups,
and for massing closely on alighting. Being partly web-footed, they are good swimmers for
short distances. When feeding undisturbed they are extremely pleasing in appearance, and
their movements are very graceful. Wilson describes their movements as follows : "They fly
very rapidly, sometimes coursing, wheeling, and doubling along the surface of the marshes ;
then shooting high in air, then separating and forming in various bodies, uttering a kind of
quivering whistle."

This Snipe is ten inches and a half long, and eighteen inches in extent of wing. The
female is paler on the back than its mate. The breeding occurs not far north of the United
States. Of all our seaside Snipes it is the most numerous, and is highly prized as a delicacy.

Another form of this species, regarded as a variety, is called the GREATER GRAY-BACK
and RED-BELLIED SNIPE (M. griseus scolopaceus).

THE little JACK SNIPE is seldom seen in northern countries except in the winter, and is
remarkable for its tenacity in clinging to the ground even on the near approach of an enemy.
Terror seems to have some part in this propensity, for Mr. Yarrell remarks that a Jack Snipe
has allowed itself to be picked up by hand before the nose of a pointer. It has also a strong
attachment to localities, adhering closely to one spot, and always returning to the same place
after a while. It is not an easy bird to shoot unless taken at the rise, when there is danger
that so diminutive a bird may be blown to pieces by the first discharge, for it dodges about
and skims just over the heather, in a vastly perplexing manner. There is a story told of a
gentleman not remarkable for his skill in shooting, who was found lamenting over the corpse
of a Jack Snipe which he had succeeded in killing, and whose death had deprived him of the
amusement which he had enjoyed for many weeks, as the bird could always be found in

Till: ll///,7'.|\ \\<ntln'tn'K.
tin- same place every morning, ami IN- hunted up ami down idl day without going out ,,f the

Tin- plumage <>f tin- .lark Sni|*' is very like that of the common species. but ma\
•in-.- distinguished by the absence of tin- i«le brown streak over tin- t«>p «.f the head.

Tiu:i i in. -ii|H. m-,. known iu Europe, bat are very scarce. One is the

SA IIINK-> SNIPI. dinllin&go fa' "table fi.r the tuial absence of white ii|«.ii it.s plumage;

Hi.' sec,,n.| i- tli.- Bi:ou N. ..i Ki I.-KKEASTKD SNIPK (Gallinago (frisea), pr«>]«-il\ :m Am. rican
hinl. ami .li-tiiijiiMiabl.- by (In- ruddy breast and tin- streak <>f white from tli,- Mil to the eye;
ami tin- thin! is rather a dubious sjK-cies, known by the name of UKKIIM'S SNIPK ((iallindffo

Tin: WOOJH o< K is nearly as well known, though not so plentiful as the siii|>e, to which
liinl it ttean a considerable resemblance in form, plumage, and many habits.

i.'iierally, it is onh a "inter visitor to northern countries, aiming about Octoln-r, and
leaving in March or April. Sometimes, howev.-r. it will breed in northern regions. :md there
remain throughout the .summer. Ouring their migration the Woodcsicks fly at a great alti-
tude. an I descend almost j»-r]>cndicularly upon the sjH>t whi-n- they intend to rest. They fly
in companies of \ar\iiii; numbers, and prefer ha/y and calm weather for their journey.

The ireiier.il color of the Woodcock \s brown of several shades, pale wiNMl-lni>\Mi ujton the
. -h.-eks. rich djirk brown upon the hack, mottled with a lighter hue ; thrtKit. Im-ast, and ulxlo-
in.-n. w.NHl-brown Iwrrwl with dark brown. The tail Is blm-k aliovc. tipiM-<l with gniy. The
average length is about fourt4«««n inches. l>ut the weight i> extremely variable. An ordinarily
«1 bird weighs about thirteen ounces, l,ut a very fine specimen \\ ill weigh fourteen or fifteen
ounces, and there are examples of Woodcocks weighing twenty-six and twenty-seven ounces.

Tin: AMKKK AN \Y K (Philohrla minor) is not only distinct as a species from the

F.iiropean, but is properly generically distinct. The European bird is occasionally shot by our
market gunners. It is readily distinguished by its larger si/»- and lighter-colored plumage.
!»• -ays of the American Woodcock : " The restriction of the range of the Woodc<x-k

is a singular circumstance in tlie history of a family of birds not««d for their dis|>eivion and
extensive migrations. It is only known to inhabit the United States and immediately
adjoining portions of the British possessions, while in the West its extension is equally
limited."

The fact that this bird's nest and eggs are so seldom seen is a singular one, considering
the thousands of acute observers and sportamen who habitually handle the bird, and see it
in its native haunts : \,-t the bird breeds in greater or less abundance over nearly all its range,
ami esja-cially in the Middle and Eastern States.

The Woodcock is an early layer, beginning in March, and in the South in February.

"At the breeding season," says Audubon, k its curious, spiral gyrations, while ascending
or descending along a space of fifty or more yards of height, when it utters a note somewhat
resembling the word kuxinA; are performed every evening and morning for nearly a fortnight.
When on the ground at this season, as well as in autumn, the male not (infrequently repeats
this sound, as if he were calling to others in his neighUirhood, and on hearing it answered be
immediately flies to meet the other bird, which in the same manner advances toward him. On
observing the Woodcock in the act of emitting tln-se notes, you would imagine he exerted
himself to the utmost to produce them, the head and bill being inclined toward the ground.
and a strong forward movement of the body taking place at the moment the kwank reaches
your ear. This over, the bird jerks its half-spread tail, then erects itself, and stands as if
listening for a moment, when, if the cry is not answered, it repeats it." Audubon thought
this was the cry to attract the female, yet he noticed it sometimes brought forth a rival male.

Though the Woodcock is generally regarded as an inhabitant of boggy swamps, yet it

jiients corn-fields, ami other cultivated ]M»rti«ns of country. If the season is not very

severe, a few birds linger during the winter, but usually they are ready to migrate south-

Vot. 11. 7S.

5T8 THE COMMON J AC ANA.

ward by the coming of frost. March and October are the months during which they generally
migrate. Some continue residing in the South.

THE GRAY PHALAEOPE (Phaldropus fulicarius) is one of the rare birds, belonging rightly
to the limits of the Arctic circle, and coming southward in the autumn.

It is a light and active bird, flying and swimming with great address, and braving the
raging sea with easy courage. The body of this bird is singularly buoyant, so that the Phala-
rope rides on the waters like a cork, bidding defiance to the waves, and circling about the
surface with an ease and rapidity that reminds the observer of the whirligig beetles that urge
their ceaseless wheels on the surface of our shady streams. It is a bold bird, caring little for
the presence of human beings, and suffering itself to be approached without displaying fear.
Moreover, when made prisoner it becomes familiar with its captor in a very short time, and in
a few hours will eat out of his hand. The general food of the Gray Phalarope consists of
marine creatures, such as mollusks and little crustaceans, but when it comes to the shore the
bird will feed on larvae and various insects. While swimming it has a habit of nodding its
head at each stroke. The flight is said to resemble that of the terns.

The plumage differs greatly according to the season of year. In the winter, the head,
back of the neck, and back are dark blackish-brown, and these feathers are surrounded by an
orange border. There is a white band on the wing, and the front of the neck and lower parts
of the body are dull red. In the winter, the upper parts of the body are pearly-ash, the
centres of the feathers being darker than their edges. The white band on the wing is
retained, and the breast and lower parts are pure white. The bill is brown at the point,
and orange-red at the base. The Gray Phalarope is but a small bird, its length being
about eight inches. The Red-necked Phalarope (Phaldropus hypob&reus) is also an inhabit-
ant of Europe.

THE RED PHALAROPE (Phaldropus fulicarius). The range of habitat of this bird is
essentially the same as that of the northern. It is particularly a maritime bird, and seldom is
seen in the interior. It is known as Red Phalarope in America. It is, however, mentioned
by Ridgway as seen in Illinois and Ohio. Its length is about nine inches, and extent of wing
fifteen. Authors speak of the other species of Phalarope turning to look at the intruder.
Wilson says of this species: "I was particularly struck with its peculiar manners. It was
sitting on the water and dipping its bill in as if feeding, and turning frequently around."

THE MEXICAN JACANA (Parra gymnosi^ ma) is an occasional visitor in the southwestern
portions of the United States. The Jacanas are remarkable for the extraordinary development
of their toes, which are so long and so slender that they seem to have been drawn out like wire,
and to impede the progress of their owner. These elongated toes are, however, of the greatest
use, as they enable the bird to walk upon the floating leaves which overspread the surface of
many rivers, and to pick its food from and between the leaves on which it walks. As the bird
marches upon the leaves, the long toes dividing the pressure upon several leaves at each step,
they are slightly sunk below the surface by the weight, so that the bird appears to be really
walking upon the water.

THE COMMON JACANA is a native of Southern America, and there other species scattered
over Africa, Asia, and Australia. Mr. Gould tells us that the Australian species is a good
diver, but a bad flyer. "Their powers of diving and of remaining under water are equnl 1o
those of any bird I have ever met with ; on the other hand, the powers of flight are very weak.
They will, however, mount up fifteen or twenty yards and fly from one end of the lake to the
other, a distance of half or three-quarters of a mile ; but generally they merely rise above the
surface of the water and fly off for about a hundred yards. During flight their long legs are
thrown out horizontally to their full length. While feeding, they utter a slowly-repeated
'cluck, cluck.' The stomach is extremely muscular, and the food consists of aquatic insects
and some kind of vegetable matter."

THK (V//N i' i \ I

The general color of the Common Jacana i- black, with a -litrht greenish gloss, taking

•A rusty p-d tinting on th- The primary qiiill-f.vr the wing are

tfreeii. and the wings are furni-h.-d at tin- U-ml with lon^ an<l sharp .-law-. In the Al
-l--.-i.-s i hex,- spm- a iv hardh i-envptibl. At the the U-ak is a curi..u- feathery

api-eiida:,-.-. ri-inc UJM.H the f..rehead above and depending toward- th.- «-hin below. The
daws are all \--:\ l"Ug,
idly that of the
hind to.-, which i- nearly
Mraitfht, and longer than
th.- toe fnim which it
proceeds.

THK pn-tty CIIIVBBB

.1 V. \N V well de-.TV.-S the

title <>f ll\ drophasianos,

or Wat. T Ph.-axant. a

name which has been
given to it on account of
the two long tail-feat hers
which droop gracefully in
a gentle curve. The quill-
feathers of the wings are
also remarkable for cer-
tain little apj>«-ndatfes. like

hairy plumes, which pro-
ceed from the tip of each
shaft.

The Chinese Jacana,
•or Mi i w A, is not confined
to the country from which
it deri ves its popular name,
hut is found in various
parts of Asia, and has been
obtained from the Hima-
layas and the Philippines.

It is a very active bird on foot, or in the water, swimming with easy grace, and traversing-
the floating herbage in search of its food, which resembles that of most aquatic birds. A
tamed s]M-cimen fed n-adily on shrimps. It i-not very fond of using its wings, but when flying,
extends the lei:- backwards after the same fashion as the h.-nm. The flesh of the Chinese-
Jacana is very excellent, and has been likened to that of the snipe, so that the bird is in some
request among sportsmen. Shooting it is, however, no very easy task, as a wounded bird is
seldom if ever recovered, diving at once and remaining submerged umil the foe has left the
spot, or death has released it from its suffering

The nest of the Chinese Jacana is made <.f reeds and grasses, is flat in form, and is
supjM>rted u]*>n the woven stems of aquatic plants. The eggs are about six or seven in
numU-r. and their color is olive-brown. These binls breed during the rains, and choose those
spots when- the lotus is plentiful. The voice resembles the mewing of a distressed kitten, to
which fact i- owini; it- native name of Meewa.

The colors of the male bird a re bold and striking. The bark and under parts are d.-'p
chocolate-brown, the elongated tail i- a still darker brown . and the wings, top of the head,
throat, and pan <>f the neck are white. The kick of the neck is orange, and a narrow black
line, separates it from the whit.- of the throat. Th -••*, and beak are grass-green At

the end of the primary feathers are certain filamentou- and somewhat lanr»it-sha]M<d apj»-nd-
ages, which, according to some writers, hinder th»- bin! in its flir.ht. The female is quite
sober in her plumage. The upper part of the body and head is pale brown, warming to red on

JACANA — ftrrm

THE HORNED SCREAMER, OR K A MIC HI.

the forehead. From the bill a dark streak passes through the eye and down the side of the
neck, and above that is another streak of buffy orange. The throat and under parts are white,
and a broad collar of dark brown encircles the junction of the neck and breast.

THE sub-family of the Screamers is here represented by two very curious birds, both of
them being large birds, having their wings armed with formidable claws capable of being used
with much effect as weapons of offence.

The HORNED SCREAMER, or KAMICHI, is a native of Central America, and is found in the
vast swamps and morasses of that hot and moist country, where the vegetation springs up in

HORNED SCREAMER.— Palamedea comuta.

gigantic luxuriance and the miasmatic morasses give birth to reptiles and creeping things
innumerable. The large spurs on the wings are valuable to the bird in repelling the attacks of
the numerous snakes, and guarding itself and young from their rapacity. In size the Horned
Screamer nearly equals a common turkey, so that a blow from its armed wing can be struck
with considerable force. The bird is not, however, fond of using its weapons, and unless
attacked, is quiet and harmless.

The food of the Horned Screamer consists chiefly of vegetable substances, such as the
leaves and seeds of aquatic plants, in search of which it wades through the reptile-haunted
morasses. Its flight is strong and easy, its walk is erect and bold, and its mien lofty like that
of the eagle. Upon the head of the present species is a curious horn-like appendage, from
three to four inches in length, and about as large as a goose-quill. The use of this horn is
quite unknown. The voice of the Horned Screamer is loud and shrill, and is uttered suddenly
and with such vehemence that it has a very startling effect.

/7/A U I //A' AM//..

The general color of this l.ird is l.hckish l>n,\Mi al*>\,-; ti,,. head and \i\>\»-r part of the
are covered with downy feather* of blackish -l.r..«n sprinkled with whit,-.

\N"IHKI: w.-11-known .-vimple. tli,- Ci:i -i M. >• 1:1 VMI i:. ,-r Cn V.IA, isa finer looking bird
thun 1 h<- preceding species, though its head i> without lli.- singular apjM-ndage lliat gives the

Horned Screamer so tiui.j I'd.- n.n f Chaja is given lo this l.ird <.n :t, ,-,,11111 ,,f

ilia! of (In- in:il>- l-inl in-ill- •-, tiaja" an. I of the female " i-liajah

It is u native of Brazil and Paraguay, and is generally foun.l n,-ar tin- banks of rivers. Ii
i- a shy and geii.-mlh s,,litar\ bird. Ix-inc mostly seen singly, sometimes in jmirh, and now and
tli. -n in small flicks. Like the horned Screamer, the Chaja is armed with two spurs on

and c.m employ th.-ni j,, such pur].os,-. that it ran drive away .\ .-n a \ulture. I nlesw
attacked. liowt-M-r. tli,- i.ini is quiet, and as it is easily tamed, it may be often seen dc.in.-ti-
cated in tin- houses.

Tin- walk of this bird is bold and dignified; the body U held father horizontal and the
bead and -ct. The flight is strong and sweeping, and tlu* Lint ri.se.s on circling wings

somewhat after the manner of tin- eagle, after obtaining so great an elevation us to bo hurdlv
discernible against tl, The fo<xl of the Chaja ron-i-i-. mostly of aipiati,- plants, whirh it

obtains by wading. The nest of this bird is a rather large edifice of sticks and l.-aves, and is

plac •••! !!• ;H uat.-i. 1:... numU i ,,- . _.•- > • .<..,. :,i,,| [|,,- \,,iin- ai>- al-L- t.i f,.]i,,u • il,.-ir pai.-nt-

almost as soon as hatched.

Tiie general hue of the Chaja is a leaden-blue color, diversified with Mack. The bend of
the wing is white, and there is a large spot of the same hue at the base of the primaries.
Hound the neck is a black collar, the small head is furnished with a crest, the upper part of
the u. .k i> clothed with down, and the space round the eye is naked and blood-red in color.

\\'K now come to the large family of the Kails, a curious group of birds, formed for rapid
movement either on the ground or through the water, but not particularly adapted for long
flights. Many species inhabit Europe.

Tho WATER KAIL, one of the examples of this family, is but seldom seen, partly because
it really i> not very plentiful, and partly on account of its shy and retiring habita, and its
powers of concealment. It frequents ponds, lakes, and similar localities, haunting those
places where luxuriant reed-beds afford it shelter and covert. On the least alarm it sets off
for the place of refuge, diving to a considerable distance and always pressing towards the
reeds, through which it glides with wonderful address, and is immediately out of danger.
KM-II a trained dog can hardly flush a Water Kail when once it has reached its reedy refuge,
as the bird can thread the reeds faster than the doir can l>i> -ak its way through them, and has
always some deep hole or other convenii-nt liiding-phn-e where a dog cannot reach it.

The food of the Water Kail consists mostly of insects, worms, leeches, molliisks, and
similar creatures, all of which can be found either n\>on the aquatic herlwige or in the muddy
banks. Mr. Thompson mentions a curious instance of the readily domesticative and insect-
hunting pro]* -nsiii, > ,.f this bird. "Some time ago I saw in a gunsmith's shop, one of these
bin U. which had been taken alive a day or two before. It was very expert in catching flies in
the shop window, running a tilt at them quite regardless of the presence of the stumbling-
blocks which J>.-s.-t its j«ith in the form of pistols, turn-screws, etc. When approached, thin
bird struck wickedly with its bill and feet, but never w ith its spurred wings." In the stoma.-h
of these birds the same writer found the remains of aquatic mollusks. worms, and a few seeds,
and portions of leaves. In captivity it will thrive on raw meat chopped small.

While walkiug, the bird has a habit of tlirting up its odd little tail, so as to show tl..-
whit.- under tail coverts. The nest of the Wat.-r Hail is sh.-lt.-red l,y tli.- thickest herbage of
the covert, and is made of coarse grass. There are about seven or cL'ht eggs, and their color
is buffy-whit.- s|H)tt.-<l with brown. The young are odd little creatures, round, and BOX
with soft thick down. Almost imm.-<liat.-ly aft«-r their emancipation from the .-gir-sJi..]!. these
little puffy balls of down tumble into the water, and swim about as merrily as if th. •> had
been accustomed to the exercise for years.

682 THE CLAPPER BAIL.

The general color of the Water Rail is buffy-brown above, richly mottled with velvety-
black. The throat is gray ; the sides of the neck, the breast, and abdomen are slaty-gray,
changing on the flanks into grayish-black barred with white and buff, and to cream- white on
the under tail-coverts. The bill is brown at the tip, and light orange at the base. The length
of the Water Bail is about one foot.

OF the VIRGINIAN RAIL, Wilson writes : " It is frequently seen along the borders of our
salt-marshes, and also breeds there, as well as among the meadows that border on large rivers.
It spreads over the interior as far west as the Ohio, having myself shot it in the barrens of
Kentucky early in May. The people there observe them in wet places, in the groves, only in
spring. It feeds less on vegetable and more on animal food than the common Rail. During
the months of September and October, when the reeds and wild oats swarm with the latter
species, feeding on their nutritious seeds, a few of the present kind are occasionally found,
but not one for five hundred of the others.

"The food of the present species consists of small snail-shells, worms, and the larvae of
insects, which it extracts from the mud : hence the cause of its greater length of bill, to enable
it the more readily to reach its food. On this account, also, its flesh is much inferior to that
of the others. In most of its habits, its thin, compressed form of body, its aversion to take
wing, and the dexterity with which it runs or conceals itself among the grass and sedge, are
exactly similar to those of the common Rail."

In some parts of America it is known under the name of the Fresh- water Mud-hen, because
it frequents those parts of the marshes where fresh- water springs rise through the morass. " In
these places it generally constructs its nest, one of which we had the good fortune to discover.
It was built in the bottom of a tuft of grass in the midst of an almost impenetrable quagmire,
and was composed altogether of old wet grass and rushes. The eggs had been flooded out of the
nest by the extraordinary rise of the tide in a violent northeast storm, and lay scattered about the
drift-weed. The usual number of eggs is from six to ten. They are of a dirty white or pale cream
color, sprinkled with specks of reddish and pale purple, most numerous near the great end."

The top of the head and the upper surface of the body are black streaked with brown ;
the cheeks and a streak over the eye are ashen-gray ; and by the lower eyelid there is a white
mark. The wing-coverts are a light chestnut, the quills are dusky black ; there is a white
streak on the bend of the wings ; the chin is white, and the whole lower surface is orange-
brown. The female may be distinguished from the male by the pale breast and the greater
amount of white on the chin and throat. The average length of the adult male is ten inches,
the female being about half an inch shorter.

The Virginian Rail inhabits the United States and British provinces. It breeds commonly
in New England, and winters in the Southern States and beyond.

Wilson says: "This species very much resembles the European Water Rail (Rallus
aquatlcus), but is smaller. It is migratory, never wintering in the Northern or Middle States.
It makes its appearance in May, and leaves for the South on the first frosts. It is not only
shy, but contrives to be seldom within sight. It flies with the legs dangling, generally but a
short distance, but the moment it alights runs off with great speed.

THE RED-BREASTED RAIL (Rallus eleyans). This bird inhabits the United States, but more
particularly the southern portions. It reaches on the Atlantic side as far as the Middle States,
occasionally to Connecticut. In the interior it reaches Kansas and Missouri ; on the Pacific
side, to Oregon. It is also found in Cuba and Mexico. It winters in the Southern States.
It is chiefly confined to salt marshes on the coast. At Great Salt Lake it is not uncommon.

THE CALIFORNIAN CLAPPER RAIL (Rallus obsoletus) is a species known to the Pacific
coast. It was formerly regarded as a variety of the preceding.

THE CLAPPER RAIL (Rallus longirostris crepitans) is a closely allied form to the preceding.
Wilson says of it: "This is a very numerous and well-known species, inhabiting our whole

Tin: I-M;OII\\ I;MI. Ml

Atlantic rd.-i.st from New Kndand i.. I-Morida. It is designated by various names, as Mud li.-n.
Meadow Kail, Big Rail. etc. Thou-h IN -casjonally found along the mudd\ shores ;,nd ti I-
wafer- »f "in laii:e riier», its |>rinri|>al residence is in the salt mar-hes It is a liinl of pSBMgn,
urrii in:: on the coast of N- u .'• i-cy aUmt the t\M-nti.-tli of April. :m<l retiring again about the
last i>f S-ptember."

The shore* <>f New .leraey seem to be a favorite breeding-place for this species, where they
are regarded aa being nearly double in numl>er to any ..th.-r marsh fowl. It announces its
arriial l>y a har-h ami inoeaaant cackling, which resembles thai of a guinea fowl. Thin noi«e
is always greatest during the niirht, and loudest before a Htorm. The general aspect of this
biid when alive is a remarkable thtnnnsn of body. This condition serves them well, as when
alarmed it in enabled to rush through the thickly-standing reeds with great facility; when a
fatter, or, rather, a MOUNT l>ird, would meet some resistance. In smooth water it swim? well,
but not f:-st ; sitting high in the, water, with neck mvt. and striking with great ni|>i<lity.
When on shore, it runs with neck extended, the tail erect, and frequently tlirted up. On fair
ground, it runs almost a- f:i»t as a man. In a long stn-trh. it tlit-s with great velocity, much
in the manner of a duck, with ext«-nil.-<l m-rk. The flesh of this bird is dry, and is not
esteemed. It measures fourteen inrhes in l.-ngth, and eighteen in alar extent. The bill is two
and a quarter inches long. The sexes are closely similar.

THE CAROLINA RAIL (Parzana Carolina), called also Sora, and Ortolan. It inhabits the entire
t«-mjK>rate North American continent, and is especially abundant, along tin- A tlantic coast during
tin- migrations. It breeds from the Middle Districts north ward. Winters in the Southern States,
and !«•> mid. Reaches Venezuela, several \\Yst India islands, and north ward, Greenland. It is
accidental in Kurope. In the Mississippi region it is not noticeably abundant. About Great
Salt I-ike it is rather common.

Of all our land or water fowl, this l>ird affords the sportsman more occupation than any
other. The Sora, as it is called in the reed swamps of Virginia and Carolina, is esteemed very
highly as a tnl>le delicacy. For four or five weeks, these birds, during the migrating season,

otfel excellent Sport.

In haliit. this bird is timid, and fond of concealment during the day. It frequents low,
iy grounds, and runs swiftly. It runs with the body near the ground, and makes a turn
with astoiiNiiiiL: celerity. Its time for exertion is at niulit, when it comes forth to feed, or in
the early morning, interim: the inharmonious cry that characterizes all of the sjx-cies. Thin
cry i- i- inarkable for its seeming veiitril<Npiial character, appearing to be about four yards off,
and again in an opposite direction.

Early in August, when the reeds along the shore of the Delaware have gotten full growth,
the Rails resort to them in great numbers, to feed on the seeds of this plant. They may be
heard amoiii: the reeds, their voices, in great numU-rs, resembling the squealing of \omm
puppies. If a stone be thrown ainoni: them, there is a general outcry of knk kuk-knk, resem-
bling, somewhat, the \oiceofaguinea fowl. Though then- maybe hundreds of individuals
in the reeds near you, there will be none seen, so completely do they conceal themselves.
lnd.-.-d. a sort of protective resemblance is noticeable in their plumage, a kind of amber-green,
closely resembling the stalks of the reeds. In the fall, when the redds have ripened, the Hails
are very fat from feeding on the seed-.

This Kail is nine indies ]oii_', and fourteen in extent of wing. The males are distinguished
by their ashy-blue breasts, and black throats.

Some singular habits m-e noticed in most of the species of Rails, that resemble the hys-
terical, or epileptic condition. Mr. Ord relates a circumstance: He saw, projecting from a
spout in his yard, the 1, .^s of a Kail. It was taken indoors, and found to be in perfect health.
While it lay quietly. Mr. <>rd Dinted at it. when it suddenly sprang forward, apion-titly
much irritated, fell to the floor, and. stn-tchinir out its legs, and bending its ned. until the
head nearly touched the back, became t.. all appearances lifeless. Thinking it had injured
itself, he took it up. and it was a considerable Mi-th of time before it recovered itoelf. On th«
following day, he repeated the experiment, when it suddenly retreated, ruffled ito feathers.

584 THE PURPLE GALL1NULE.

and fell forward into the same kind of fit. This was again repeated, with like results. The
editor of this edition has seen the Florida gallinule perform similar actions, which are probably
akin to the feigning death among other birds, and insects.

THE LITTLE YELLOW RAIL (Porzana noveboracensis) is found in all parts of eastern
North America, and north to Hudson's Bay. It is nowhere abundant. Winters in the
Southern States.

THE LITTLE BLACK RAIL (Porzana jamaicensis) is found from Central America to New
Jersey, although exceedingly rare out of the tropics. It is quite small, being about the size
of a full -sized hen's chicken at hatching. The editor of this edition captured several at the
Dry Tortugas, where they evidently came during migration, as great numbers of other species
of birds did also.

Another variety, called Farallone Rail, is placed on the list of North American birds,
probably from the fact of stragglers being seen.

PURPLE GALLINULE (lonornis martinica). This elegant bird is native of the more tropical
parts of America. In Florida it is common. Its length is about fourteen inches.

Audubon writes: "The Purple Gallinule is a constant resident in the United States,
although peculiar to our Southern Districts, where I have met with it at all seasons. It is in.
the Floridas, the lower parts of Alabama, and among the broad marshes bordering on the Gulf
of Mexico, in lower Louisiana, that I have observed its habits. Beyond the Carolinas, east-
ward, it is only met with as an accidental straggler. It never, I believe, ascends the Missis-
sippi beyond Memphis, where, indeed, it is but rarely seen ; but between Natchez and the
mouths of the great river, it is abundant on all the retired bayous and small lakes. The
southern portions of Georgia are also furnished with it, but in South Carolina it is rare.
Proceeding northwestward along the Gulf of Mexico, I have found it as far as Texas, where
it breeds, as well as in Louisiana, where I observed it coming from the South, in May.

" Having studied the habits of this bird under every advantage in Louisiana, and especially
in the neighborhood of New Orleans and the mouths of the Mississippi, I will now describe
the results of my observation. In the summer months, the Purple Gallinules remove with
their broods to the prairies, or large savannas bordering the bayous or lakes on which they
have bred, and remain in those places, which are generally covered with thick and tall grass,
until the beginning of September, when the vegetation having been dried up by the intense
heat and drought, neither food nor sufficient concealment can be obtained. The young birds-
usually abandon these plains first, and while the color of their plumage is still green, instead of
purplish-blue, which tint, however, is assumed before the return of spring. During all this
while, its notes are as frequently heard as during their breeding season. They resemble the
delicate, whistling sounds of the blue-winged teal during its residence with us. At this season,
also, its flesh is best, although it never equals that of the Fresh-water Marsh-hen (Jialluf
elegans), or of the Sora Rail (Rallus carolinus).

" On the approach of winter, all the Purple Gallinules leave the savannas, and betake
themselves to the immediate vicinity of ponds, bayous, or rivers, where, through experience,
they become shy, vigilant, and cunning. They seldom remove from one place to another, or
travel at all unless by night, although in sequestered parts they feed both on land and on the
water by day.

"The Purple Gallinule breeds at a remarkably early period of the year. I have found
young birds in their jetty -down clothing in February, and they have been observed in the
same month by the keepers of the light-house at the northwest pass of the Mississippi, at Key
"West, and in other places. The parent birds are sometimes so very intent on saving their
young, as to suffer themselves to be caught. At this period, their calls are almost incessantly
heard during the whole night, and are elicited during the day by any musical or remarkable
noise. The nest is generally placed among a kind of rushes that are green at all seasons,
round, very pithy, rarely more than five feet high, and grow more along the margins of ponds.

, nli l.\M>l!MI.

than in flu- wat.-r its.-lf. The l-iids -atli.i man\ of them, and fasten them at the height «(
t\\i. i>i thn-e feet, and there flu- nest i- placed. It is composed of the most delicate rushes,
whether _ieen or ui iher.-d. mid is quite as Mil>Maiili:il as llial of the .-, million (iallinnle, tlatli*h,
having an inl»-rnal diameter of i-i-lii or ten inches, while the nil in- Imtulth is about fif-
teen Tin' eggs, which are fn>ni tiv«> i.. seven, rareh MHHV. are very similar to thorn of
tin- .•(.IIIIII.MI (iallinule. lieing "fa Ikht i:ra\ i«.h-yelltiw. sjiotted with blackish-brown. The
voting are at iii>t quit*- )>lai-k. ami with down. They are fully fledged l>\ tin-

lii >t <>f .luiu-. when, as I have said, they ami their ]wi rents remove to the wet savannas in
i In- neighborhood.

••'I'll.- jerkin:: inotinns of tin- tail of this l>inl, win-never it is disturbed, or attn><-t4-<l by
any p-mai-kaMi- oi.j.i-t, are very quii-k. and HO often repeated aa to liuve a curious appearance.
It tun- uith great speed, and dives with equal address, often moving off under \\:ii.-r with
nofliiiii: Imt tin- liill alxjve. Tin- li^hfnos ami «-a.v with which it walks on the floating plants
are ••iirprising, for in proceeding they scarcely produce any |..-tv,.|,til.|.- diMnrliance of the
wut<i. \\' lien swimming in full s«-<-niiiy, thi-y mov.- litio\aiitly and gracefully, tlirowing the
hi-ail f"i \\ard at every pro]x'lliiiir motion of the ft-»-t. The flight of this s|MTi»-s is h-sv -uilt
than that of the common (tallinnle. or of the KaiU. unless \\hi-n it is ti-.m-lling far, when it
tli.-s hitrh. and advances in a cliiv<-t coiiix- by continued Ilai>pitig8; but when it is in its Im-ed-
in^' or feeding grounds, its tlL'ln is slow and short, seldom exceeding thirty or forty yards,
and with the legs lian^in^ <loun. and it alights among the herbage with its wings spread
npuanK in the manner of the Hails. It often alights on the low branches of trees and bushes
i:rox\iiii: o\(-r th. iiid walks lightly and gracefully over them.

''It is seldom that more than one Purple (iallinnle is shot at a time, unless in the begin-
ning of the love-season, \\li.-n the male and female are apt to swim or walk close together.
The male at this period is said to be able to inflate the frontal plate while strutting, but I have
never been fortunate enough to observe this.

"The Purple (iallinnle not nnfrequently alights on ships at sea. While at the Island of
d.iU.ston, I was oir.-ri-d s,-M-i;ii live individuals, by the officers of the Boston frigate, which
they h:ul caught on board. My friend, John Bachman, once received three specimens that
had been caught three hundred miles from land, one of them having come through the cabin
u i iii low. He also obtained from the Hon. Mr. Poinset a fine specimen caught on board, on the
Santee Hiv.-r. in South Carolina, in May. It is easily kept alive, if fed with bread soaked in
milk ; and on this food I have known several that remained in good health for years. In
Louisiana, where it is called Rale Bleu, its flesh is not held in much estimation, but is used
by the negroes for making gombo.

• • \l \ f ri'-nd Baeh man considers this species as rather scarce in South Carolina and Georgia,
but states that it breeds there, as he has occasionally observed pairs on the head- waters or pre-
serves of rice plantations during summer, but never met with any in winter. The extreme
limit of its range eastward is the neighborhood of Boston, where a few individuals have been
procured."

Tin: FLORIDA GALLINCLE (Gollinula galfoia) is a more sober-colored bird, inhabiting
aixint the same regions as the preceding.

TIIK COI:N( I:\KK (Crex praietuiti) is occasionally seen in America, and is therefore
enumerated in the list of North American birds.

TIIK well-known CORNCRAKE, or LANDRAIL, is common in almost every part of Europe,
its rough, grating call being heard wherever the hay-grass is long enough to hide the utterer.

The bird runs with \\onderful s|M-«-d through the tall grass, and its cry may be heard now
••lose at hand, now in the distance, now right, and now left, without any other indication of
the bird's whereabouts ; for so deftly does it thread the grass-stems that not a shaken blade
indicates its presence, and it is so wan- that it ki-eps it-,. if u.-ll hidden among the thick
herbage. The cry of the Corncrake may be exactly imitated by drawing a quill or a piece of

Vol. H.-74.

586 THE HYACINTHINE GALLINULE.

stick smartly over the large teeth of a comb, or by rubbing together two jagged strips of bone.
In either case the bird may be decoyed within sight by this simple procedure.

The Corncrake is not fond of its wings, and very seldom takes to the air, even preferring
to be caught by the dog than to escape by flight. When captured it has a habit of simulating
death, and often contrives to escape when the eye of its captor is otherwise engaged. One of
these birds, which had been picked up by a pointer, allowed itself to be placed in the game-
bag, carried home, and laid on the table without exhibiting any indications of life. When it
thought itself unwatched, it sprung up and dashed at the window, which, being closed, frus-
trated this poor bird in its bold attempt.

The Corncrake can be readily tamed, as will be seen by the following account by Mr.
Thompson : "It became quite tame and partook of food very various in kind, such as groats
(few, however, of these), raw meat, bread and milk, stirabout and milk, yolk of boiled eggs
and butter, which last was especially relished. It also ate worms, snails, slugs, etc., and has
been seen to take small sticklebacks that happened to be in the water. This bird was very
cleanly, and washed every morning in a basin of water set apart for the purpose. It was
accustomed to be taken upstairs at night and brought down in the morning, and of its own
accord went habitually out of the cage into a basket containing moss, where the night was
passed, and in the morning likewise left the basket and entered the cage, in which it was car-
ried downstairs.

" When allowed to go about the house, the persons to whom it was attached were sought
for and followed everywhere. On becoming unwell, the poor bird took possession of the lap
of a member of the family, and looked up to her apparently for relief ; though when in health
it resisted all attempts at being handled, flying up at the intruder and snapping its mandibles
together. Every spring it called with the usual crake, beginning very early in the morning ;
this was usually commenced in March, but on one occasion was uttered as early as the third
of February. As was remarked of the bird after this period, 'it would crake quite impu-
dently in the parlor when brought there to be shown off.'

"Moulting took place in the month of August, but no symptoms of uneasiness appeared
then or at any particular season. At pairing time this bird was very comical, coming up with
its wings spread and neck stretched out after the manner of a turkey-cock, and uttering a
peculiar croaking note. It would then make a sort of nest in the cage, croaking all the while,
and carry a worm or piece of meat about in its bill. So great a favorite was this Corncrake,
that its death was duly chronicled, after having been kept for above six years."

The nest of the Corncrake is placed on the ground, and is made of dried grass arranged in
a suitable depression. It generally contains from eight to twelve eggs, of a buffy-white cov-
ered with rusty-brown spots. The shell is rather thick, and the size of the egg large in pro-
portion to the dimensions of the bird. The position of the nest and the lateness of the hatching
season expose both mother and young to great danger, as the nest is often laid lower and the
mother killed by a sweep of the mower's scythe. The parent is very fearless when engaged in
incubation ; and on one occasion when a female Corncrake had been severely wounded by a
scythe and taken into the farm-house for two hours, she returned to her nest in spite of
its shelterless condition and her own wounded state, and was rewarded by the successful
rearing of the brood.

The flesh of the Corncrake is very delicate and well-flavored.

The upper parts of the body are elegantly mottled with dark blackish -brown, ashen and
warm chestnut ; the first tint occupying the centre of each feather, the second the edges, and
the third the tips. The wing-coverts are rusty-red. The throat and abdomen are white,
and the breast is greenish-ash, warming into reddish rust striped with white on the sides.
In total length the Corncrake is not quite ten inches.

THE IITACINTHINK (i ALUM i>E is a rather curious example of the next sub-family of the
Crakes, being remarkable for the large size of its beak and the length of its toes. All the
species belonging to the genus Porphyrio are fond of the water, although they are oftener seen
on land than is the case with the water-hens. They feed upon seeds and other hard

Tin: WATKK HEN.

587

substances, wlii.-h they crack easily with their ]>oweiful bill-. Their very long toes enable them
to walk ii|N,n the floating herbage nearly as well a* the Jacanas, and \i\»<\\ land they ate \>-ry
quick of foot. They us.- their long toes for carrying food t.. their beak, a habit which has
often Ix-en observed in the common coot.

The Hyacinthine (iallinule is spread over a huge ex tent of range, being found in many |iart«
of Africa, Asia, and Kum|«e. It is graceful and quick in its movements. |,ut is said to !»•
ntther a stupid bird. I'.-rhaps future observers ma\ dve a better account of its int«-lle<-t.
The newt of this sj.vies i.s made in the sedgy partaof the morasses which ii frequent.*, and con-
tains a rather small numU-r of nearly white eggs.

.'T^fc* ''Vv '3^&

^ k-

fvc ^ ,

— b

HVACI.MUI.NE

The color of the Hyacinthine Uallinule is rich blue, taking a dark indigo tone upon the
kirk, aii'l :i»umiiiii a Ix-aiitiful tiinjnoise hue upon the head. neck, throat, and breast. The
mi'l'-r tail-coverts are white, tlie hill is light red, and the legs and feet are pinky-red. The
length of this l>ird is about eighteen inches.

OUR most familiar example of the Oallinules is tin- \V \ 1 1 i: MK\. .sometimea called the
Moou II

This hinl may be seen in plenty in every river in Europe, and mostly on ,-\ery pond
or sheet of water where th.- reedy or rushy banks offer it a refuge. It is a hold hinl. though
siitliciently wary mi <H-casic,n> : ami while it will slij> quickly out of sight of a dog or a
man with a irun. will swim alxmt with j»-rfe«-t -if possession in a pon<l l-y the side of a
railway, quite undisturbed by the Bound and siuht of the rushing tnin. When Martled it
fli'-s nipidly across the water with quick Ix-atintr winir> and dandling legs, leaving a Ion- iri<k
U-hind it, which will remain for some little time, like the wake of a ship. As it Dean it*

588 THE WATER HEN.

reedy refuge, it sinks nearer the surface of the water, so that at the last yard or two of
its progress it drives the water before it, and seems equally to run or to fly.

When startled it often dives on the instant, and emerging under floating weeds or rubbish,
just pokes its bill above the surface, so that the nostrils are uncovered by the water, and
remains submerged until the danger is past, holding itself in the proper position by the grasp
of its strong toes upon the weeds. If wounded, it will often escape by diving, so that unless
the sportsman kills his birds on the spot he may lose bird after bird unless he has a good dog
with him. Sometimes it pretends to be wounded, and drops into the shelter of reeds or
bushes in so death-like a manner that the gunner is deluded into the idea that he has killed
his bird very neatly, and while he is reloading away goes the Water Hen to some secure retreat.

I once took a snap-shot from a boat at a fine male specimen, in a little pond at the end of
an inlet, and to my astonishment, after backing to the mouth of the little stream, saw him
swimming and nodding his head as coolly as if nothing had happened. I was going to give
him the second barrel, but, being short of ammunition, determined to paddle quietly up the
inlet in which the bird was swimming, and to knock it over with an oar. The bird took not
the least notice of the boat, so I pushed the blade of the oar under it, lifted it out of the
water, and brought it into the boat. On examination I found that it had been struck through
the head with a shot ; I believe that in such cases the powers of volition are suddenly extin-
guished, and that the bird continues to act according to the last impression upon the brain.
Many birds, as every sportsman knows, will tower when shot, and I have found that in such
instances they exhibit a singular tenacity of animal life.

When free from persecution, the Water Hen soon becomes familiar with man, and will'
mix familiarly with domestic poultry, traversing the garden or farm-yard with easy confidence.
It is apt, however, to be rather mischievous, eating fruit and vegetables of various kinds. The
Reverend Mr. Atkinson writes : "The Moor Hens having been much encouraged, were very
numerous, both about the moat and in two or three flaggy ponds in the adjoining pastures. I
have seen as many as fourteen or fifteen at once upon one bed of cabbage plants. They picked
the peas, the strawberries, the currants, the gooseberries, all in early stages of their growth,
and they stripped the leaves of the newly -planted young cabbages and greens, until nothing
was left but ragged fragments of the midrib and stalks."

The nesting of this bird is very peculiar. The Water Hen builds a large edifice of sedges,
sticks, and leaves, either on the bank close to the water's edge, upon little reedy islands, or-
on low banks overhanging the water, and generally very conspicuous. The mother-bird has a
habit of scraping leaves and rushes over her eggs when she leaves the nest, not, as some persons
fancy, to keep the eggs warm, but to hide them from the prying eyes of crqws and magpies,
jays, and other egg-devouring birds.

The Moor Hen is by no means niggardly in her labor, but will build one or more extra
nests, or rather rafts, for the accommodation of her young brood ; and in some cases will,
without apparent reason, discard the nest in which the eggs have been hatched, build a new
one, and transfer to it her little family. When thoroughly pleased with a locality the Moor
Hen evinces a strong attachment to it, and returns to the same spot through several successive
seasons.

Should the water rise beyond its ordinary level, this bird is equal to the emergency, and
rapidly elevates the nest by adding sticks and inserting them into the fabric. One bird
generally remains by the nest and acts as builder, while the other searches for materials and
brings them to its mate. Mr. Selby mentions an instance where the bird removed the eggs
during the process of elevation, and replaced them after the completion of its labors.

The young are able to swim almost as soon as hatched, and for some time remain close to
their parents. I once, to my great regret, shot by mistake several young Moor Hens, still in their
first suit of black puffy down, and paddling about among the water lilies and other aquatic
herbage where I could not see them. Pike are rather apt to carry off the little creatures
by coming quickly under the weeds and jerking them under water before they take the alarm.

The male bird is dark olive-green above ; the head, neck, and under parts are blackish-
gray. The under tail-coverts and edges of the wings are white. The bill is green towards

•////• i i.Mr •

tip IIIK! r,-d at tin- ba.s»', tin- latter Inn- \»-\ng brightest :il tin- breeding season. The legs

and toes are gr> in. :nni the naked jiart of the thk-h is red. Tin- female baa not- BO much of

the oli\.- as lit-r mate.

TMK COMMON COOT. ..r MAIL ('.... i, as it is -..m.-tiiu.- <-:ill,-.l, is another i.f the water
birds, being seen chietly in lakes, laiiri- IN. ml-. ami tin- quirt banks of wide rivers.

Tin- hat- its of the Coot much if^-iiiKI.- those of tip. \\ater lu-n, ami il feeds after a mm i la r
fashion II|HIII molliisks. , nsectB, and similar i-r.-atni -s. which it linds cither ill the water
ni-oii land. It is an admirable suimm.T. suift a in I stroii:;. ami ran ^r.isp the blanches (irmly
\v hen i-eivhim:. owing to the rout net i..ii of tin- foot, which is furnish, -,1 with a wide flattened
ine'iibram- on the edges of . a.-h t<»-. thus presenting a broad Mirfa--,- t<> ih,- uat<-r. ami, at tlu>
•nx* time, permitting tkl • • • b .-•..•:_:; -i .:.. I ;,.••...• m ^. !.. —.-.•'.> . i:!,. • •. ^ in. .
min^ or trav»-i>iiix' tin- lloatimc ««-«-,ls in -M-an-h of fen*!, or \\ainlfi inic O\,T tin- li.-Uis with ciuii-k
but ratlin- ••ocentrir gjiit. ]H-<-kini,' h.-n- ami tlu-iv at th.- in-rlNige, and devouring a great quuii-
tit\ of il.-strnctive insects, .snails, and Hlugs. When a very seven- winter ha,s frozen the JHUI.IS
and lukt-s, the Coot \\ill make off to the nearest coast, ami along its unlocked Hhorra obtain a
living until the warm 1 >reezes of spring have loosened the icy body of its mom congenial haunts.

The nest of the Coot is a huge edifice ^f reeds and rank-water herbage, sometimes plan d
at the edge of t!ie \vat«-r. and Munetimi-s on littl.- islands at some dLsUtnoe from shon*. I have
often l>een obligexl to wade for thirty or forty \aids to these nests, which have IH-.-H found.il
upon the tops of little hillocks almost covered with water. The whole nest is strongly though
rud.-ly mad-- ; ami if th • water should suddenly ri.se and net the nest floating, the Coot is very
little troubled at the change, but sits quietly on her eggs waiting for the nest to be stranded.
Several instances are known where the nest and bird have l>een swept into a rapid current, and
carried to a considerable distance. The eggs are generally about eight or ten in number, and
their color is olive-white sprinkled profusely with brown. The sln-11 is rather thick in propor-
tion to the size of the egg, so tliat Coots' eggs can be carried away in a handkerchief without
much danger of lieing broken.

The head and neck of the Coot are grayish-black, the upper parts are deep blue-black, and
the under parts are blackish-gray with a tinge of blue. The bill is rather pale orange-red, and
the horny plate on the forehead is rosy-red in the breeding season, fading into white at other
times of the year, from which circumstance the Coot derives its sobriquet of "bald." The
legs are yellow-green, the naked part of the thigh orange-red, and the eye bright red. The
length of the Coot is about seventeen or eighteen inches.

THE AMERICAN COOT (Fulica amfrirana) is more particularly a southern bird. It is
quite unique, having lobed feet, like the grebes, yet in other respects resembling the hen, or
gallinaceous family. It is yet more singular in being the only species known in America.

THE LIMPKI N (Aramus Piclut). This is quite as singular and unique as the preceding,
and is probably more unfamiliar than any other known American bird. It stands quite by
itself in classification. At first sight it might be taken for a curlew, particularly as its
plumage is like the yearlings of that group. The long bill and legs, and long neck quite recall
the curlews. It is, however, allied to the rails. The editor of this edition has seen this
I >ird on the Florida Reef, where it is called Water Turkey. It is esteemed as a table delicacy
in that region. Though ungainly in aspect and movements, it alights preferably on trees.

FLAMINGO.— Plutnicopterua roseus.

ANSERES.

THE GOOSE, SWAN, DUCK, ETC.

HE well-known FLAMINGO brings us to the large and important order of Anseres,
§ of the goose tribe.

The common Flamingo is plentiful in many parts of the Old World, and
may be seen in great numbers on the sea-shore, or the banks of large and
pestilential marshes, the evil atmosphere of which has no effect on these birds,
though to many animals it is most injurious, and to man a certain death. When
feeding the Flamingo bends its neck, and placing the upper mandible of the
curiously-bent beak on the ground or under the water, separates the nutritive portions with
a kind of spattering sound, like that of a duck when feeding. The tongue of the Flamingo
is very thick, and of a soft, oily consistence, covered with curved spines pointing backwards,
and not muscular.

/•///: /v. i »//

. '!

\ tlockof i!..-- birds feedingalong the sea-shore have a curious ap]»araii'.-. U-nding th« ir
long ' -'il'n -uoceeaton tut the waves du>h II|MIII the shore, ami mining tin-in a- tin-

ripple pastes away a loll- tin- strand. At each uin_ i- aluav- plac.-.| .1 --iitin.1 l.inl whi.-h

makes 111 1 it tempi ••• :•••:.:•.• i.n.,.:,- vtth nwk • ;• • • ami head luniiiu; constant h :ii t

i.. >ii-t«vt tli*' •••:•-' iii<licatii>ii of .i.iM_. : \Vli.-n a tliM-k uf Flainingoa is pawdnK overhead,
tln-y lia\-' a \M.II.|.-I fulls tiiH- I'tTi-ct, tlii-ir |>luinap- chunking from pun- \\hiii- tu daubing rose
an they wavi- tin-in bnuul winp*.

\Vli.-u at n-t ami him: on tin- ^rouinl, with the legs dmililiil iim|(-r th»« body, the
is Mill ^r.u-.-ful. U-nilinj: it- n.-.-k into Miakv <oiN. ami pn^-nin^ CMTV jwrt of it«

DPI K WI.NOKD OOO8B.-/bc*«pUrM

plnmage with an ease almost incredible. Its long and apparently clumsy legs are equally
mi'l.-r command, for the bird can scratch its cheeks with its toes as easily as a sparrow or
a canary.

\Vli.-ri flyini: tin- F1amingt> still associat*^ its».]f with ito comnuloH, and the flock form
themselves into regular shapes, each band ••viili-ntly acting iiml^r the command of a lea<ler.
The nest of tin- Klaminp> is rath'-r curious, and consist** of mud and earth scraped together so
as to form a tall hillock with a cavity at tin- summit. In this cavity the eggs are laid, ami
tin- bird -its ra-ily U]M>II thnn, its limbs hanirini: down at each side of tin- m-st liki- a long-
legged man -ittim: on a milestone. The eggs are white, thrir number is two or three, and the
young birds are all abli- to run at an ««arly ag»-. Like many other long-leggi-d birds, the
Flamingo has a habit of standing on one leg. tin- other being drawn up and hidden among
tin- plumage.

Tin- curious beak of this Lin] is orange-yellow at the base and black at the extremity, and
tin- C.TV is flesh -colon-d. \Vln-n in full jdumairi- the color is brilliant -<'aili't. with th«-exc
tion of tin- «|iiill fi-atht-i-s. which ar»- j.-tty-black. A full-grown birrl will measure from five to
six ft-vt iu height.

592

THE SPUR-WINGED GOOSE.

THE AMERICAN FLAMINGO (PhoRiiicopterus rubef). This is one of the most notable and
showy birds of the entire list of North American forms, and it is probably rather familiar to
most people. It has been said that these birds sit "astraddle " their nests. A late examination
of a breeding-place in the West Indies, shows a great number of more or less tall pot-like nests,
some of them between three and four feet high, made of mud. The birds sit with legs bent
under them as other birds do, the nest being too wide to admit their sitting with their legs
hanging down, as it was supposed they did.

The surprising dimensions of this bird are given as follows by Wilson : " The length from
the end of the bill to tnat of the tail, is four feet two inches, but to the end of the claws
measures more than six feet. The bill is four inches and a quarter long. In full plumage this
bird is almost wholly of a rich scarlet, except the quills, which are black. It does not gain its
full plumage before the third year.

CAPE BARRON GOOSE —Ctreoixti nova hoUandlcc. (See page 693.)

THE curious bird, represented in the engraving on page 591, brings us nearer to the true
Geese.

The SPUR-WINGED GOOSE inhabits Gambia and Senegal, and is remarkable for the
l>eculiarity from which it derives its name. The reader will remember that several birds, such
as the jacana and the screamers, are armed with horny claws or spurs upon the bend of
the wing; and it is rather remarkable that the same formation is found in one genus of
the Goose tribe, the wings of the Spur-winged Goose being supplied with two of these
appendages. The head, too, is notable for a bold, elevated crest, which starts from the base of
the bill, and which during the life of the bird is of a light red color. This protuberance
is really part of the skull, and has a very curious aspect when the skeleton is prepared.

The coloring of this species is bold and simple. The general tint of the plumage is deep

rut: anAY-i..\<i

999

black glossed with purple. Lin tin- throat, fn.ut <.f (he breast, and abdomen are whit.-.
it rath. -i e \ceeds the domestic (>ooae.

In

\V i iic ,u ;n i i ve at the true Geese, our tint representative being the CAPE BARRON GOOAR,
or CEREOPSIS, so called fn.ni tin- cciv whirh covers a large jx.iti. .n of the beak. This tin,- l.inl
is a native of New Holland, and is found, us it.s num.- implies, at Cape Barron IS|;,M.|, in
Bass' H M raits. !i is of large size, fattens easily, its flesh is good, ami it breeds without
ditliculty when in confinement, so that it possesses many of tin- qualification* for domestica-
tion. It has, 1 one drawback, f<«r it is very quarrelsome, and its jiowerful lw.uk and

lar-eiiimensioiis make it ;i dreaded foe in the ]x>iiltry-yanl. It feeds on frrass like thec. inninn
Goose, and requires l.nt litil.- .-an- on the part of the owner. ami if ii couM only \»- induced to
la\ a.side its quarrelsome habits would U- quite an acquisition to our limited list of domestic

I '. >r some time after its first discovery it was so fearless of man that it would suffer itself
to IH« approached and knocked down with sticks, but it has now learned caution lhn.u-h
bitter experience, and ul the sigh) of n human Ix-huj seekl ttbt] bl i!u!. Aiih-.u-li . .ne .,f
the true (Jeese. it cares little for the water, and in this respect, as well as in others, resembles
the wadim: biids. The eggs of the Cereopsis are cream -col ore* 1, and the voice of tiie bird is
loud, hoarse, and has a decided trum]*-! tike tone that can be heard at a considemble
distance.

The general color of this bird is brownish-gray, mottled on the bark with a lighter hue,
and sjMittcd with black on the wing-coverts and scapularies. On the head the gray fades
nearly into white. The bill i- short, sharp, and hard, an 1 can l>e used with great force as an
offensive ueapon. Its color is black, and it is covered with a very large greenish-yellow cere.
The legs ore pinkish and the eyes bright red.

Tin <; I:\Y-LAO GOOSE is found in many parts of the world, and in a wild state make* occa-
sional visits to northern Europe, and it is probable that the Domestic (Jeese may derive somn
of their blood from the
other s|»-cie8 of the
same gen us. The white
color of the adult Do-

seems
to be the result of care-

ful breed ini:. prohaMy
because white feathers
sell at a higher p;
than the dark and gray
pi 'irnes. In a state
of domestication the
Goose lives to a great

«*«*<

kindly l>ecomes strong-
ly attached to its
fri.-i.'is. and assumes
quite an eccentric
chanicter. Of the
breeding and manage-
ment of the Goose
nothing ran ba said in
these pages, the reader

being referred to the numerous extant works on domestic poultry. When wild ita flavor is
not so delicate as after it has been domesticated and properly fed, and when a wild Goose is
shot in the northern climates the sportsman always buries it in the earth some hours before
VOL. a-n.

GHAT LAO G006E.-J

594

THE BERNJCLE GOOSE.

cooking it, a process which removes the rank savor of the flesh. Even the fishy-flavored sea-
birds can be rendered eatable by this curious process.

The Gray-Lag Goose may be known from its congeners by the pinky bill, with its white
horny nail at the tip of the mandible. The head, nape, and upper part of the back are ashen-
brown, and the lower part of the back bluish-gray. The quill-feathers are leaden-gray ; the
chin, neck, and breast are gray ; and the abdomen white. The average length of the adult
male is not quite three feet.

THE BEAN GOOSE has its chief residence in the Arctic circle and high northern latitudes,
and coming southward about October.

Mr. Selby mentions that the Bean Goose breeds annually upon several of the Sutherland
lakes, and in some places it becomes nearly as tame as the common species, but refuses to
associate with them. These birds fly in flocks, varying in form according to their size, a little
band always flying in Indian file, while a large flock assumes a V-like form, the sharp angle
being always forward. These flocks alight on fields and cultivated grounds, and often commit
sad ravages before they again take to wing. On account of this habit the bird is called the
Harvest Goose in France.

The beak of this species is rather slender and pointed, and its color is black with an
orange centre. The head and upper parts are brownish-gray, the primaries are of a darker
hue, both tail-coverts are white, the throat and breast are grayish-white, and the abdomen is-
pure white. The length of the bird is about thirty -four inches.

THE BERNICLE GOOSE seems to prefer the western to the eastern coasts of Europe.
The name of Bernicle Goose is given to this bird because the olden voyagers thought that
It was produced from the common barnacle shell, and this notion had taken so strong a hold
of their minds that they published several engravings representing the bird in various stages
of its transformation. The positive manner in which they put forth their declaration is very
amusing. " What our eyes have seen, and hands have touched," writes Gerard in his
"Herbalist," "we shall declare. There is a small island in Lancashire, called the Pile of
Foulders, wherein are found the broken pieces of old and bruised ships, some whereof have

been cast thither by ship-
wracke, and also the
trunks and bodies with
the branches of old and
rotten trees, cast up there
likewise ; wherein is found
a certain spume or froth,
that in time breedeth into-
certain shels, in shape like
those of the muskle, but
sharper pointed and of a
whitish color, wherein is
contained a thing, in form

like a lace of silk finely

ls*W_ — >~ m&&aT' ~£^*i£Z^^ woven as it were together,

of a whitish color ; one
end whereof is fastened
into the inside of the shel,
even as the fish of oisters
and muskles are ; the

BERNICLE ooo8E.-B.mWa itucop*,. other end is made fast

unto the belly of a rude

masse or lumpe, which in time commeth to the shape and form of a bird ; when it is perfectly
formed, the shel gapeth open, and the first thing that appeareth is the foresaid lace or string ;.

/•///; WHirS-FRONTBD GOOSE.

598

next com.- tin- legs of the bird h:ui-iiikr out, and iu« it growetb great- i it <>]><-ti<-th tin- -li.-l

by degrees, till at l.-n-th it is all • :tli and hang-el h only by tin- Kill . in

after it commt-th to full matiiritir, and fall.-th into the sea, where it pit heivth f> >nd

groweth to a fowle, bigp > than a mallard ami less thun a gooae For th-' truth

hen-of, if any doubt, may it please tliem tn re|«iire unto me, ami I shall satisiir tliem l>y the
testuiioiii.- of good witnesses."

The I •..•rni.-le Gooae generally assembles in large Hocks and haunts large nit marshes :
the coast, and feeds on grasses and various algte. It is a very wary bird and not easih
:. | Broached. The eggs of this species are large and white. The flesh is considered good. The
bill of tin- IWnicie Goose is black, with u reddish streak on each side. The cheeks and throat
are white, a black streak runs from the beak to the eye, the upjH-r jturts are boldly marked
with black an<l white, and the lower parts are white. It is rather a small bird, the total length
barely exceeding two feet

There are many other species of Geese which visit even the far northern countries of

BOTPT1AN OOOM.-C

Europe in more or less abundance, among which may be mentioned the EGYPTIAN GOOSK
(Chenalopex <egyptiaoa\ the Brent Qonse(Bernida, brentd), the K<-<1 breasted Goose (Bcrnida
ruflcotti*\ the Canada Goose (Bernida canaden*is\ the Pink-footed Goose (Arucr brarlnj
rhynchu*), remarkable for its pinky feet and -hort an 1 narrow beak, the White-fronted Gooae
(Ansfr erythropu*\ and the Chinese Goose (Anser rygnaidtt\

THK Wimr n:o\m> GOOSE (Anser aJbift' nbeli), inhabits the North

American continent ^enornlly. )in-.-<linur fir north : wintering in the 1'nif. - an-l Cuba.

Durini: the winter many thotisiri'l^nf ihi- ^j,..(.ie8 are seen in California, and also al<>m: tin-
whole Pacific coast. Tln-y an- call.-l S]»v-kle<l-lM-l]ies there, where they are associat. : usually
with the Snow and Ilntchen's Goose, ha vinir tli.- - ;-Tal habits. Tli«-ir tl'-'i i- e.pially

good with the other species. According to Hic»ianl-o!i. it bn^nls far t<. tli.- n.-rth. in \\oody
districts beyond the 07th i«irallel. Dall found it \--\\ <•, .uimon on the Yukon Hi\-i. arriving

690 THE BLACK BRANT.

there about first of May, and breeding all along the river to the sea. On the Atlantic coast it
is rare. Audubon found them arriving just before the Canada Goose in considerable numbers
in Kentucky, betaking themselves to the grassy ponds. Of the different species in this country
this is the least shy. The flocks seldom reach above thirty to fifty individuals.

The male is twenty-seven and one-quarter inches long, and sixty inches in extent of wing.
The sexes are nearly alike in plumage ; the female being a little less in size. The bill is con-
spicuous as carmine red.

The European White-fronted Goose is seen on this side the Atlantic at rare intervals as a
straggler.

THE CANADA GOOSE (Bernicla canadensis), or common "Wild Goose" of the Eastern
States, inhabits the whole of North America, breeding in the United States as well as farther
north. It is accidental in Europe. Dr. Hayden states that it breeds on the Yellowstone, and
Coues found it breeding in North Carolina. In the former region it was seen breeding in trees.

Dr. Coues says: "This fact of arboreal nidification is probably little known, and might
even be doubted by some ; but, although I have not myself seen the nests in the trees, I am
perfectly satisfied of the reliability of the accounts furnished me by several persons, among
whom I need only mention Mr. J. Stevenson, of Dr. Hayden' s party. While I was in Montana,
I found the circumstance to be a matter of common information among residents, who
expressed surprise that it was not generally known. The birds are stated to build in the
heavy timber along the large streams, and to transport the young in their bills to the water.
This corresponds to the habit in the wood duck, while it "13 paralleled to the example of the
herring gull, which, according to Audubon, has been seen breeding in communities in trees,
though ordinarily it breeds on the ground." The Noddy Tern is another example. The
editor of this edition has seen considerable numbers of this tern breeding among the low
bushes of the islands of Florida Reef.

A variety of this species is called Hutchen's Goose. Dall found it very abundant in
Alaska. This variety is peculiar to the Western States and Territories.

Another variety is called the White-cheeked Goose.

THE LARGER WHITE-CHEEKED GOOSE {Bernicla canadensis occidentalis.) Most people
have heard the honk honk of the Wild Geese, and have seen the triangular or V-shaped group
as they pass overhead ; sometimes in heavy weather being within gunshot of the earth.

The Canada Goose does not, though gregarious, seem to be fond of the company of other
species, as is the case with some. During its migrations it is always unaccompanied by any
excepting its own kind. Its flight is strong, rapid, and extremely steady. The flock when
migrating flies at about a mile in height. ' A variety of this Goose is now recognized as
the White-cheeked Goose.

BLACK BRANT (Bernicla nigricans). This bird is common to North America and Europe,
but rare on the Pacific coast. This form — the nigricans — is rare on the Atlantic side, where
the common Brant is more familiar. At Egg Harbor the Brant is expected about the first of
October, or a trifle earlier. The first flocks remain but a few days, and then pass on to the
south. On recommencing their journey, they collect in one large body, and making an
extensive spiral course, some miles in diameter, rise to a great height, and then steer for
the sea, over which they uniformly travel, often making wide circuits to avoid passing over
a small projecting point of land. Flocks continue to arrive, many remaining until December.
The Brant never dives, but feeds at low water on the flats. The voice is harsh and " honking."
About the fifteenth of May they are seen coming north, but do not stop long, going on to their
breeding-places far north. The weight of this bird is about four pounds, and its length two
feet ; the extent of wing three feet and six inches. The sexes are almost alike in color —
indeed, they cannot be distinguished.

With the lovers of water-fowl the Brant is highly esteemed. " May Brant" is a term well
appreciated by them.

The Common Brant (B. brenta) is regarded as a distinct species.

Till: T\ i//. <>/; MI TS SWA If. 597

'I'm Hi cMcije Goo8K(/ltrftfcfofai0qp*fe)b occasionally f,,nn.l on our coast Aspect-

men in tin- Ani.-ii. an MIISI-IUII of Natural llistoi \ . in t .-nir.il 1'ark. des, -nlx-.l |i\ \h Liwrenre,
came from tin- North ( 'an .lina OOast

Tin KMM i:..i: ., l't< ilacU canayica). This species is a haadsome one, and inhabits

tli>- northwest coast of Ni>nli \IH.-II.M

Tin. Hi.\.k niiiiKD TRKK DUCK (Dendroeygna antumnalit). This unfamiliar form
inhabits Central and South America, and Southwestern United States. It is a slender (.odied
l-ii.l. and seems t<> U- ai lioin i tn-e* as well ILS els.

Another s]»-cies is Fulvous Tree Duck (/>./M/NI), which inhabits Central and South
Atni-rii-a. and readies north as far HM Arizona mill California.

TIIK U-autifal Swans now rome before our noti.-.-. There are nine or ten species of

tin-- 1-it.ls. which are well represented in Km-o|»-

Our most familiar species IB the TAMI --i Mi n: S\v.\\. so called from its silent habits.
This elegant and graceful bird lias long \**-\i partialh domesticated throughout Kun>|>e, «uid
• •n joys legJil jnot.-. lion to a great ••xti-nt ; ln-a\\ iMMuilti.-s In-in^ |.riM-lainn-i| a-ain-i any
on.- who kills a Swun without a li-pil ri^'lit. Tin- S»an is |in-suni.-d to IH- a n>\al bird, i.e. the
projH'rty of tin- Ci-o\\ii. and only to be pOMMBe<l l>\ a xchj.H-t undi-r a sjxn-ial ^nint. To t-jich
li. •.•!!-.• Tii'i> _IMH:.- ! was attai-hf«| a "swan mark," which was i-ul on thr n|.|-.-i- m.mdil.l.-
of tin- 1-inls, in onlt-r to show th«- ri^ht of the OWIUT. Swans of a certain ap\ not inarU.-d.
become Crown ]>roi*'rt\. i-M'-pt in som.- in-tan..- \\licn» arrant conveys the ri^lit to »•!/>• and
ke»'p any ailnlt Swan which has not Ix-en inaike<l. The ••marks" are of endlo-, variety,
jwrtly henililic. and <ontri\e<l so as to ].ain the hinl as little as jxwsihle. The jin-s^-nt nival
mark consists of live diamond^, with nninde*! an^li-. I\M> cut longitudinally at th«« IKIX- of tin-
U-ak, and the other three traic-vei-selv towards the tip. The mark jjrant«-d to the I'niversitv
of Oxford is a cross v\ith equal arms. i*n«-h arm Ix-ini: aipiin cros^il nesir it.s extremity, and
that of Cambridge is three Imckles. one large in the middle of the l»-ak, with the point towanls
the head, and the other two smaller at the tip, with their tongues jMiintiiig in ditfen-nt
directions.

The marking of the Swans i> t.-rmed Swan-lipping, a name which has lM-en corrupt^] into
Swan-hopping, and is conducted with much r-eremony. The te«-hni<-al term of the Swan-murk
is cigninota. Swaii-uppinir. an old custom at Kuro]»-aii Court.s, takes place in the month
of August, the first Monday in the month !>eing s«-t a-ide for the purjx>se, when the markers
of the Crown take count of all Swans in the river, and mark the clear Killed liirds which have
rvached maturity. The fishermen who protect the Kirds and aid them in nesting an-
entitli-d to a fee for each young binl. The general mark is n notch on the one side of the beak.

The food of the Swan consists im»tly of vegetaMe sulistaures, and the hinl can !*• readily
fattened on l»arley, like ordinary jMniltry. The young l.inls. rjille<l cygnets, ought not to be
killed after NovemlN-r, as they then lose their fat, and the flesh becomes dark and tough.
Sometimes the Swan will feed upon animal food, and has IH..-H ^,-,-\\ to cat«-h and swallow
small fish, such as bleak and roach. In the spawning season the Swan is a terriMe enemy
to the tish. haunting all the spawning-grounds, and swallowing the egg* till it ran eat no
longer. The Swan will find out the spawn as it hanirs mi the submerged l-nincln-s. and strip
them of their valuable load. They will follow the carp to their breeding-grounds, and swallow
their eggs by the quart, ami in many rases they have almost entirely de-troy«-d the tish which
inhabit.il the jx>n<l or stream in which they live.

A good idea of the damage done to anglers by the Swan may tie formed from a forcible
though unrefined description given by one of the piscatorial fraternity : "There never was no
manner of doubt about the dn-ad fill mischief the Swans do. They eate up the sjmwn of every
kind of tish till they have filled out their liaux. and then on to shore t hey goes, to sleep off
th.-ir tuck out. and then at it a^iin." At such times the birds ai>- so irreedy after their feast
that they ran hardly be diiv.-n away, and will often show tight rather than leave the spot

598

BEWICK'S SWAN.

The nest of the Swan is a very large mass of reeds, rushes, and grasses set upon the bank,
close to the water, in some sheltered spot. Generally the bird prefers the shore of a little
island as a resting-place for its nest. Like other water-birds, the Swan will raise the nest by
adding fresh material before the rising of the water near which it is placed. There are
generally six or seven eggs ; large, and of a dull greenish-white. The young are of a light
bluish-gray color, and do not assume the beautiful white plumage until maturity. The mother
is very watchful over her nest and young, and in company with her mate assaults any intruder
upon the premises. During the first period of their life the young Swans mount on their
mother's back, and are thus carried from one place to another. If in the water, the Swan is
able to sink herself so low that the young can scramble upon her back out of the water, and if
on land she helps them up by means of one leg.

THE HOOPER, ELK SWAN, or WHISTLING SWAN, may at once be distinguished from the
preceding species by the shape and color of the beak, which is slender, without the black
tubercle, and is black at the tip and yellow at the base, the latter color stretching as far as
the eye.

The name of Hooper is given to this bird because its cry resembles the word "hoop" very
loudly uttered, and repeated many times successively. The bird arrives in Europe in the
winter, mostly in little bands. At the northern islands a few Hoopers remain throughout the

year, and large
flocks make their
appearance about
October, departing
for the north in
April. On the wing
these birds generally
fly in the form of
a wedge, and cry
loudly as they go.
The curious sound
is produced by
means of the forma-
tion of the wind-
pipe, which is very
long, doubled upon
itself, and traverses
nearly the entire
length of the breast-
bone, which is hol-
lowed to receive it.
The length of wind-
pipe depends on sex
WHISTLING SWAN.-OMTBW mtaicw. and age, the adult

males exhibiting this

curious structure in the greatest perfection. In the Mute Swan the windpipe is short, and
does not enter the breastbone at all.

The nest of the Hooper is like that of the Mute Swan, and the eggs are pale brownish-
white. The length of the Hooper is about the same as that of the mute species, i. e.,
five feet.

BEWICK'S SWAN, another European species, resembles the hooper in many respects, but
may be distinguished from that bird by its smaller size, the large patch of orange at the base
of the beak, and the structure of the windpipe and breastbone' which are found in the same
place as those of the hooper, but with considerable mollification. This is not nearly so graceful

Till: BLACK SWAX.

a I'ird as, -idier of fln> pr-Tedm:: srwvies, sittiniron tho wnfo»rmnr«- like a goose than a Swim,
and h»rlng been frequent I \ mi-taken f.-rth.- wildgooee, especially when on the wing. \\li.-n
llyinir. tli.-y -.-n.-nilly p. in a line. The length of this l>inl is only four f.-.-t.

i IIKI: -peri**, the POI.I-II. ..i 1 M i S\\ \\. derives its name of immutable from

ill.- fact that tli- \otini: :ir»- \\liit- lik.- th.-ir jMirent.s, and do not JMUJH thnm^li t lie gray stage
of plumage. It may U- n»n<lily <listinniii-*h«-d liy t he orange color, which coven almost tin-
wholi- of tin- 1-ak, :ui«l tlu- sha|>»« and position of the nostrils, which are entirely surrounded
l«y the orange hue. Tlu-r- i- a slight tubercle at the base of tin- l»-ak.

II- -\\i\ii: .•inl.I.-niati.al of ornitliological fiction a BLACK SWAN iniKht have l>een in
ancient times, it is now a 1 must as familiar to everybody as any of the white species.

BLACK 8WAW.-

This fine bird comes from Australia, where it was first discovered in 1 098. It is a striking
and handsome binl. tin- blood-mi bill and the white primaries contrasting beautifully with
thedeep black of the plumage. It is not so elegant in its movements as tli«- white Swan, and
holds its n.-«-k -tilth , without the easy serpentine grace to which people are so well accustomed
in othi-r Swans. The young are not unlike those of the white Swan, and are covered with a
I'la.-ki-h-gray down. Dr. li.-im.-tt mentions that in the Australian Museum is preserved a
\\hite or albino >i»-<-im.-n witli pink .-yes.

It isav.-ry j.rolitic binl, producing two and w»7ii.-tinicH three broods in a season, com-
m.-n<-iiii: t<> br»^<l altout ( K-toln-r, and ceasingat the middle of .lannary. The ne«t in like that.
of the S\\:ui. ami the eggs are from five to eight iu unrulier, of a pale green, washed with
brown. These birds are found in the southern district of Australia and Jamaica, and are

600 THE WHISTLING SWAN.

sometimes so abundant that Dr. Bennett recollects " a drove of Black Swans being driven up
George Street (Sydney) like a flock of geese."

TBTTMPETER SWAN (Olor buccinator}. This beautiful bird inhabits from the Mississippi
River Valley northward, to the Pacific, Hudson's Bay, Canada, and casually on the Atlantic
coast. It breeds from Iowa and Dakota northward ; in winter, south, to the Gulf. The vocal
apparatus is singularly powerful. The same elongation of the windpipe is seen as that in the
great whooping crane. Dr. Coues says : " I have observed this Swan on but few occasions, in
Dakota only, late in September and during the first half of October, when the birds were
migrating southward, with great numbers of Canada and snow geese, and various wild ducks.
Before leaving the Columbia River, early in November, the Swans had begun to arrive from
the North ; and frequently, when at Port Vancouver, their trumpeting drew our attention to
the long, converging lines of these magnificent birds, so large and so snowy-white, as they came
from their northern nesting-places, and screaming their delight at the appearance of the broad
expanse of water, perhaps their winter home, descended into the Columbia."

Audubon says : "The Trumpeter Swans make their appearance on the lower portions of
the waters of the Ohio about the end of October. ... No sooner did the gloom of night
become discernible through the gray twilight, than the loud, sounding notes of hundreds of
Trumpeters would burst on the ear ; and as I gazed on the ice-bound river, nocks after flocks
would be seen coming from afar and in various directions, and alighting about the middle of
the stream opposite our encampment. Not a single individual did I ever observe to act as
sentinel, and I have since doubted whether their acute sense of hearing is not sufficient to
enable them to detect the approach of their enemies. If the morning proved fair, the flocks
would rise on their feet, trim their plumage, and, as they started with wings extended, as if
racing in rivalry, the pattering of their feet would come on the ear like the sound of great
muffled drums, accompanied by the loud and clear sounds of their voices. On running fifty
yards or so to windward, they would all be on wing. If the weather proved thick, drizzly, or
cold, they would remain on the ice, walking, or standing, or lying.

"To form a perfect conception of the beauty and elegance of these Swans, you must
observe them when they are not aware of your proximity, and as they glide over the waters of
some secluded inland pond. On such occasions the neck, which at other times is held stiffly
upright, moves in graceful curves, now bent forward, now inclined backward over the body.
Now, with an extended, scooping movement, the head becomes immersed for a moment, and
with a sudden effort a flood of water is thrown over the back and wings, when it is seen rolling
off in sparkling globules, like large pearls. The bird then shakes its wings, and glides forward
with surprising agility and grace. When swimming unmolested, the Swan shows the body
buoyed up, but when apprehensive of danger, it sinks considerably lower.

THE WHISTLING SWAN (Olor americanus). Inhabits the continent of North America,
breeding only in the far north, wintering in the United States. It seems to be unknown in
the Gulf States, but is not uncommon in Chesapeake Bay in November, when many are
obtained for the market. The flesh is not much esteemed. The species referred to as Hooper,
or Whistling Swan, is distinct from this.

Audubon refers to the account of Dr. Sharpless, who says : " About the first of September,
these Swans leave the Polar seas. . . . When making either their semi-annual migrations,
or on shorter excursions, an occasional scream issues from the leader, which is almost always
replied to from some posterior swan in the line, with an 'all's well' vociferation. When the
leader of the party becomes fatigued with his extra duty of cutting the air, he falls in
the rear, a,nd his neighbor takes his place. When mounted, as they sometimes are, several
thousand feet above the earth, with their diminished and delicate outline hardly perceptible
against the clear blue of heaven, this harsh sound, softened and modulated by distance, and
iasuing from the immense void above, assumes a supernatural character of tone and expression
that excites, the first time heard, a singularly peculiar feeling.

" In flying, these birds make a strange appearance ; their long necks protrude, and present

/•///: ii

:il :i distance mere lines \\ilh black |M,inis. and ..cciip\ more than c,n.. half lli.-ir whole length ;
tli.-ir hea\\ In-lies. and triangular wing>. s^-ming I'Ul ..... n- appendage* to ll..- pio|,,ni:.-d Ixxly

in front "

'I'li.- Swan. when migratim:. with a m« .derate wind in fa\«.r. probably travels at the rate of
an hundred miles an hour.

When f.t-ding, an<| dn->sin- their feathers, Swans muke a great outcry. and ran !»• heard
se\ era 1 mil.- Theii notes an- extremely varied: some closely resembling ft deep bass of a
common tin horn, whll OlhttEl m 'I ..... '-1' ' MtfillilBl Of ttle I''" -M< L |M>IH Ii is said that
these birds require ti\e or six years for maturity. Kewick's Swaii is sometimes found in thi»

Colth'

TUB EUROPKAN SWAN (fHar cygnvt) is also a straggler here.

TUB beautiful MAM>M:I\ DUCK in worthy of heading the lru«- Hm-ks. for a more magnifl-

r.-iitl> .-li.tli.-.l l-ird . an hardly l» found when tin- nutlu IH in health, and in lii.s full nuptial
liliunage.

Th.-v t'inl> an- natives <>f China, and are held in such esteem that they can hardly IN*
obtained at any price, the natives having a singular dislike to sevini; their l>irils jia.ss into the
ion of Kiii..|~-ana. "A gentleman." writes l»r 15«-nneit. "M-ry recently wrote from
'.. Chin L, n ijui stiny some oi ttWH bMfl 10 bf HBi '" liim- 'I''"- i ••!'!> was, that fi..m
the [ n-s< ill disturlx i stat< • • < hin . it •••>• . , : ;- auki to Hid liim ••> paii • •!' maii'lai in- than
a jiair of Mandarin Ducks." This bird has the -mwer of jx-n-hing, and it is a curious sight to
watch them lurched <>n the branches of tre»-s overhanging the jKHid in which they live, the
male and female U-iiii: always dose together, the one gorgeous in purple, green, white, and
chestnut, and the other .soU-rlv appan-lled in brown and gray.

This handsome plumage of the male U lost during four months of the year, i.e., from
May to August, when the bird throws off his fine m-st, his wing-fans, all his brilliant colors,
and assumes a sober tinted dress rvsemhling that of his mate. The Summer Duck of America
(Aix sponsd) bears a dose resemblance to the Mandarin Duck, both in plumage and manners;
and at curtain times of the year is hardly to !»• distinguished from that bird. The Mandarin
Duck has l>een successfully reared in the Zoological Hardens, some being hatched under the
parent bird, and others under a domestic hen. the latter hatching the eggs two days in advance
of the former. The eggs are of a creamy-brown color.

The crest of this beautiful Duck is varied green and purple upon the top of the head, the
long crest-like feathers In-ing chestnut and green. From the eye to the beak, the color is
warm fawn, ami a strij** from the eye to the back of the neck is soft en-am. The sides of the
neck are clothed with long, jM.int.-d feathers of bright russet, and the front of the neck and
breast are rich, shining purple. The curious wing-fans, that stand erect like the wings of a
butterfly, an- chestnut, edged with the de»*j»-st green, and the shoulders are banded with four
stiijH-. iw,. black aii'i t»" \\liite. 'I'li.- nii'l- i -uif.i.-.- i~ \\hite. The female is simply niotili-d
brown, and the young are pretty littlv birds, covered with downy plumage of a soft brown
mottled with gray, and creamy-white below.

Tin Sim I.IIKAKKS. of which there are two European species, namely, the common
Shieldrake (Jbdorna r»t/miixir) and the Ruddy Shieldrake (Ouarka rulila), are handsome
birds, and remarkable for the singular construction of the \\indpi]M>, which is expanded just
at the junction of the two bronchial tulx-s into two very thin horny globes, one being nearly
twice the size of the other. They are sometimes called Burrow I >ucks. !>ecause they lay their
eggs in rabbit -burrows made in sandy soil, and are often discovered by the impression of their
feet at the entrance of the holes. The nest* are made of grass, lined with down (.lucked from
the breast of the parent, and the eggs are generally from ten to twelve in number.

THE well-known WIIM;KOX is very- plentiful in Europe, arriving about the end of September
or the beginning of October, and assembling in large flocks.

Tot. D.-*

602 THE PINTAIL DUCK.

These birds, although wary on some occasions, are little afraid of the proximity of man
and his habitations, feeding boldly by day, instead of postponing their feeding- time to the
night, as is often the case with water-fowl. The length of the Widgeon is about eighteen
inches.

WIDGEON, or BALDPATE (Mareca americana). This species inhabits the whole of North
America, and south as far as Guatemala. It breeds in the United States generally. It is a
straggler in Europe. In Dakota and Montana it breeds in abundance. Ball found it nesting
along the Yukon, with the Pintail. The length is twenty -one inches. The female is smaller,
with duller plumage.

This is one of the finest species. Its plumage, without being extremely showy, is very
pleasing. It is common along the more southern portions of our Atlantic coast, being seldom
seen north of Long Island. The Widgeon, like some other ducks we have noticed, never
dives ; it therefore contrives to "hang around" the vicinity of the canvas-back, and when he
has brought up a goodly mouthful of the coveted wild celery, the Widgeon snatches a portion
away, thus, unwittingly, perhaps, contributing to its own improvement as an edible bird. The
"celery" being regarded as a cause of the prized flavor of the canvas-back, the Widgeon's
flesh, possibly, becomes somewhat improved by this diet. In New Orleans it is called
"Zuizin." In the Eastern and Western States it is Baldpate. Their flight is rapid, well-
sustained, and accompanied by the whistling sound of the wings. They move in flocks of
moderate size, and with little regularity as to their ranks. When first startled, they fly directly
up to a considerable height, and in a hurried and irregular manner. They walk prettily and
with ease.

The ENGLISH WIDGEON (M. penelope) is occasionally found on the coast. An excellent
figure is here given.

THE PINTAIL DUCK (Dafila acuta}, so called on account of its long and sharply-pointed
tail, is a winter visitor of moderate climates, arriving in October and departing in the spring.
The male is a very handsome bird, its head and neck being rich dark brown, its back beauti-
fully pencilled with black on a gray ground, and the throat, breast, and abdomen snowy -white,
and a line of the same hue running up the sides of the neck as far as the head. The length of
a male bird is about twenty-six inches ; the female is shorter, because her tail-feathers are not
so well developed.

This species is native both to North America and Europe, breeding in high latitudes, and
migrating south to Panama and Cuba. "The Pintail is a 'river duck,' " says Dr. Coues,
"being far more abundant on the pools and streams of the interior than along either coast. It
is one of the earliest arrivals in the United States, passing our northern boundary early in
September, with the Teal, and becoming generally distributed during the following month. It
is one of the most elegant and graceful of our ducks, either on the land or on the water,
walking or swimming with the long, pointed tail elevated, and the thin, sinuous neck swaying
in all directions. It is shy and vigilant, but owing to its habit of clustering close in groups
about the margin of pools, where the reeds or brush-wood favor approach, it is sometimes
slaughtered in numbers with ease.

" Few ducks exceed the Pintail in extent and regularity of migration. In the spring it
withdraws altogether from most parts of the United States to high latitudes to breed, and in
winter pushes its migrations to Panama." Mr. Dall says it is extremely common in the
Yukon district and on the marshes near the sea-coast. Hybrids of this species, with the
Mallard, are quite common, and have, it is said, proved fertile.

Audubon says few birds exhibit more graceful motions than the Pintail on the water. Its
delicately slender neck, the beautiful form of its body, -and its pointed tail, which it always
carries highly raised, distinguish it from other species. It is found in company with
widgeons, teal, and mallard, usually on ponds. In the Middle States the Pintails are highly
prized for the table.

ttLMUt HCM. "UBL'SMf

MALLARD DUCK.

rnn -.•:.' / \ » I\HI n r/ i/. 609

TllK common M M.I.M:I>. nr \V UK lii • K, now conies 1.,-foiv ,,,n n.,ii, .•

This N l>\ ii" in> -aiis din- uf the lea.st handsome <if its nil*-. tin- rich glossy green of the
and !!••• k. tin- -n.iw\ u liile collar. :ni<l tllf \.-l\H N.i.k of the odd little curly feathers ol
(In- lail. iri\ iitt; il :i |N.|.| :m<l -n ikiii:,' api*-arance. wliicli. Inn f. n its familial it \ . would receive
_i. • . •• i admiration thai " • •' | n-x-ul obtains h is the -t.n-k fr--m u ln,-h d.--«-. n.|.-.| ,,ui u, II
k HUM n d<.meMir Du.-k. 14. \\liii-h we are no much indebted for iis llesh and its eggs.

Tin. MM. i \i:n (Ana* botchas). This familiar l>ird is nearly co«mo|M>litan, and nearly

everywhere dome*! icati i I' i- '.N ii-l !' i"U.Ji Hi-- -A li"l.- "! V.ilh \lii.-l i< ... 1. 1 .-.-, I in- -|.:i I in-l>

thniii^liixit the United States, aa well UM farther mirth. It is very run- in New England In
id- Mi--.. mi ragtoii ;' is vcr\ ;il)Ulidanl |)III!|IL; I|M- fall iniiri-iiiini. Mallard^ an-\.T\ ••••u
f-|. icin. us ainoiiu' <>tlu-r I'inls. Tin- f.-inal.- is iii*tiiu.ruNn-d l>\ iM-int: smalli-r than tin- niali-. and
in having the several ornaniontal ]Mirtions less hrilliair In .N.-ith Curuliiia this species is
alnmdaiit, and in the lial-it <>f \i-iiiu^ the rioe fielda to feed.

BLACK MALLARD (Ana* obtrura). This is known alon^ tin- coaHt a.s Rlnrk Dnck, and
<>l»-\vti«re M Dusky, from its uniformly darker plumage. Ii is the most nmntTous and most
ooniinoii of its triU-, on our coast. It U only partial!} mi.i:nit«>ry. Many remain during the
siiuimei and l>n • -i in -• ••iii. -•• i. i |>la< •- in marshes, (M N lit- M i-l:md l-.-a<-li.-~. VaM mini-
ben, however, migrate in>nli\\anl on the approach of spring. Like the Mallanl, it rarely <li\>-s
for fool, f^tling on the tlat.s. l»ut it swim-- and tli.-s with great velocity. This Duck is two
feet in length, and thn-«- fi-«-t t»o inches in extent of wing. There is little difference between
the sexes; the male is rather larger, and the plumage somewhat brighter.

A species, called Fi" Kin \ l"-k* I>i IK, is found in the (hilf States.

TIIK pretty little TK.M. is the smallest and one of the most valuable of the European
I'IP k-. it.s tl -', !•• in_ p.-. uliarlj dfllteli and it- numU-i- pli-ntifnl

It arrives on the northern shores about SeptemU-r. >-oming over in large flocks, and
remains there until the commencement of its breeding season. Some few birds, ho»se\. i.
remain in northern countries throughout the year. Lake other Ducks, it is found on lakes,
l»onds, and in marshy places, choosing the last-mentioned localities for its home. The nest of
the Teal is made of a large heap of leaves, grasses, and sedges, lined with do\vn and feathers.
The number of eggs is about .-i_-lii or ten. and their color is buffy-white. The Teal is caught
in decoys together with the mallard and other Ducks.

BLITK-WIXOED TEAL (Qutrqutdvla dltcort). This beautiful little Duck inhabits North
America, chiefly east of the Rocky Mountains, and the Pan tic coast in Alaska; and in the
West Indies, Mexico, ami Central and South America to Equador. It is a straggler in Europe.
In the Missouri region it is almndant during the migrations, and probably breeds there. It is
the first of its triU- that returns to us in the autumn from its lireeding-places in the north. In
S-ptembcr it is abundant along the shores of Delaware, where it sits on the mud -flats, in num
>»-rs so great, that the gunners often kill many at a shot It flies rapidly, and when it
alights, drops down suddenly like the snipe or woodcock. Its flesh is esteemed highly, Ix-ing
greatly improved after feeding some time among the reeds, when it becomes very fat. It
measures fourteen inches in length, and twenty-two in extent of wing.

CINNAMON TEAL (Querquedula cyanaptera). This Teal inhabits South America, and
in North America from the Rocky Mountains to the Pariiic. northward to the Columbia
River. It is also found in Louisiana. It is called Red-breasted Teal in some quarters, and
differs little from the other species in habits.

THE GREEN-WINGED TEAL (Nettion carolinenti*) inhabits the whole of North America,
Mexico and Cuba, and breeds from the northern Imnlerof the. United States north ward. It
appears in the Missouri regionjn August, in vast numbers, covering the pools and water-courses.

604

THE WOOD DUCK

THE EUROPEAN TEAL (N. cracca) is an occasional straggler in America. It is very abun-
dant in the season in the rice plantations of the South. Its length is fifteen inches, and
extent of wings twenty-four inches.

THE WOOD DUCK (Aix sponsa) is, perhaps, the most beautiful bird in North America. It
inhabits all of the northern continent, especially the United States, breeding in all parts ;
wintering in the South. Audubon says of it :—

"The Wood Duck, or Summer Duck, as it is called in some quarters, breeds in the
Middle States in April, in Massachusetts a month later, and in Nova Scotia not much before
June. It appears to prefer for breeding the hollow of a tree. I have frequently been surprised
to see it go in and out of a hole, when their bodies while on the wing seem to be more than
twice as large as the aperture where it had deposited its eggs. Once only I found a nest,

C ;

WOOD BVCK.-Aix sponsa.

in the fissure of a rock. On coming to a nest with eggs when the bird was absent in search
of food, I have always found the eggs covered over with feathers and down, although quite
out of sight, in the depth of a woodpecker's or squirrel's hole. On the contrary, when the
nest was placed on a broken branch of a tree, it could easily be observed from the ground,
on account of the feathers and sticks and withered grass about it. If the nest is placed immedi-
ately over the water, the young, the moment they are hatched, scramble to the mouth of
the hole, launch into the air, with their little wings and feet spread out, and drop into
their favorite element ; but whenever their birth-place is some distance from it the mother
carries them to it, one by one, in her bill. On several occasions I observed, however, when
the hole was thirty, forty or more yards from a bayou or other piece of water, the mother
suffered the young to drop on the grasses and dried leaves beneath the tree, and afterwards
led them directly to the nearest edge of the next pool. At this early age the young answer to
tin- pin-cut's c;i]lwith a mellow pee, pee, pee-e, often and rapidly repeated. The call of the
mother at such times is low, soft, and prolonged."

/•///: >/ I/MI i/./.. 600

The \VCHN! Diu-k rarely visits the N . its fa\orite haunt-. U-im: the solitary deep and

muddy creeks and ponds of il,,- interior \\'il^>n saw a n<-t in Tuckahoe, New Jersey, win, h
wa> in a li'-e within tw.-nt\ \aids of a dwelling. 'I'll-- female was observed to carry down
thirteen \o"Ui-' in l.-ss than ten minutes, one b\ nm-. Sin- took them in ln-r bill by the back of
tin- neck or tin- \\ini:. and landed them safely at tin- fiM>t «.f tin- Hi-.-, when she led them to the
Mated

Tin- Mimm.-r Duck IH-MT III---, in Hocks .if more than three or four indi\ iduaN tuget!
and most commonly in pairs --i -ini:l\. It is (.ft.-;i bred in <-onlin<-ment, ami proves quite
lame, and n im«t tainbl< |-et, as it* beaiit\ ;- i|>erli II.H leu tli in ninHivii inch. -.s, and
i-xtiMil of \\ini; tui-nty-fiKlit inches. Tin- f«-mali- i^ hainl*omr, but \\ant> tin- ridn-r j
i MI I In1 u ini:-..

Tin S. \i i- HICK (Fulij- m<i/it/<i> inhaliits tin- wlml,- of North America, Ktimjte, and
Asia, li i" called Greater Scaup a.-* ilistin^ni.slH-*! from tin- Littli- S-aiip or I>-H.S«T Hlack
h.-ad. Blue-bill, Brojwl-l.ill. and Shnftl.-r. Tin- t«-rtn Ithif-hill is. hay* \\ il-M.n. tin- mon-
familiar nami- in the Middl-- Stat«-s. It is oft.-n abundant on tin- l>i-lawan\ «h«-n- wmall niuiils
are found growing in quantities. It is not. on this account, ••M<t>mc<l for it.s llc.sh. lt« length is
about nineteen inches, and i-xt«-nt of \\int: t \\i-nty nine.

Tin l.i --i i: >< M i1 • I'uHx affinif: 01 I.IITI.K Bi.\« K HI \n. is do-M-ly alli»-d to the pre-
ceding, but is considerably small. -r. It is known to gunners a.s tin- "CinN-k Broud-bill," fn»m
it.s habit of fr»tin.-ntin^ small -.tn-ams. It is ;i \.-ry abundant s|M-ci.->. It.s range \s alxmt thu
sameas that of th.- i-n-c.-iliim. ••Authoi>." sa\ ^ |»r. Coin->. "ari- \i-r\ much at variance al>oiit
the n-latioiiship of tln-s.- two sjM-<'i.-.. and tin- ijm-stion i^ not \i-t Nitisfactorily wtth'd, though
at present they are regurdexl a.s two -*\» •, ],•*."

TIIK KIN., in 1. 1 ii> I5i.\i K IIK.M> (Fitlix collaru) inhabits the whole of North America,
breeding far north, wintering in the I'nitiil States ami l>»-yoinl. It r.-a« li.-s south t«. <iiiatemul^
Cuba, and Jamaica, and is accidental in Kurope. It in mlled by our gunners "BaXard
Broad hill." It n-semblea the two preceding species. It is not abundant on the sea-coast. A
few are observed on Ixnir Island and New Jersey shop spring and autumn. On the

streams of the interior it is .jiiite common during winter. In the Middle States it is known
as the Til fN- 1 I 'ii'-k. ..... |. i u lii. 1 1 nan i.- Wilson desi-rilx-S it.

TIIK curious Sno\ n.i.i i: l»i < K (X/mfithi <•////*<•/////) may !»• at «mce known by tin- form of
the beali, which is much widen«-»l on each side n.-ar the tip, and U«ars some n-si-mblance to
the beak of the Spoonbill.

The head and upper part of the neck of the adult male are rich green, and the lower jNirt
of the neck white, this tint extending to the scapularies, and some of the tertials. The buck is
bn.wn. the tip of the wing, the le-^-r win- <-o\,-rts, ami part of the tertials are jiale blue, the
primaries being blackish -brown. The upjM-r tail «-o\, -its and tail an- black, and the breast and
abdomen an- chestnut brown. The female is brown of various tom« above, and pale brown
below. The total length of the bird is almut twenty inches.

The Shoveller, also called Spoon-bill Duck, inhabits North America, Kuro]»-. A-ia. and
Australia. It breeds from Texas to Alaska. In South America it is replaced by a nearly
allied species. This Duck in abundant in all parts of the western country of the United States.

Few I Micks are more elegantly marked than this. The bill is large, and rather curiously
formed. Though it occasionally visits the sea-coast, it prefers the inland lakes and streams,
where it feeds on the worms and small creatures that inhabit the muddy shores. The great,
s{ioon-sha]>ed bill has a set of teeth like strainers on its edges, whereby the soft animal matter
is retained and the water is >t rained through.

The Creoles of Louisiana call this bird •• Mi.--.ine,"— the meaning being obscure.

THE GAUWALL (ChauManmu* ttreprru* -i inhabit- N--rth A ,-enerally, Europe, Asia,

Africa, and ia generally distribute! in tin- I nited States. Few birds are so cosmopolitan in

606

THE AMERICAN RED-HEAD.

habitat. It breeds in various parts of the United States, and does not appear to go to the
extreme north, as most species do. The female is two inches shorter than her mate, and about
four inches less in extent of wing. It is one of the most active of its tribe, flying swiftly, and
diving with great power. At Egg Harbor it is seen in small numbers, where it is called Welsh
Drake, or German Duck. Audubon met with it all along the shore, from Eastport to Texas.
It is, however, more abundant in the interior, and particularly on the tributaries of the great
rivers. The Gad wall is not especially familiar, but is widely distributed. The Creoles of
Louisiana call it violon, on account of the whistling sound produced by the wings. It gener-
ally accompanies the widgeon and red-head. It assembles in small flocks, and feeds on small
fish, insects, and aquatic weeds. The Gadwall is esteemed as nearly or quite equal to the red-
head as food. Unlike some others, it walks with ease on land, often making incursions land-

MIUVKI.LKK UUCH.- Spatula dypeata.

ward, where it finds succulent grasses and weeds to feed on. Like the mallard, it often alights
in grain-fields and picks up the fallen grain. The male is twenty-one and three -quarter inches
long, and thirty-five inches in extent of wing; the female, nineteen and a quarter inches long,
and thirty -one inches in extent of wing.

WE now arrive at another sub-family of Ducks, termed Fuligulinse.

The POCHARD DUN-BIRD, or RED-HEADED POKER, is one of the winter visitors of northern
European countries, appearing, as is usual with such birds, in October, and departing in the
spring. It is a wary and timid bird, and being an excellent diver, is often able to escape from
the decoys by submerging itself at the first alarm, and making its way under water to the
mouth of the tunnel. It is, however, possessed of little presence of mind, and, according to
Montagu, can be taken plentifully by a very rude kind of process.

THE AMERICAN RED-HEAD (JBthyia americana\ called also the American Pochard,
inliabits the whole of North America, particularly the eastern portion. It is a common asso-
ciate of the canvas-back, and much resembles it ; indeed, the likeness is so close, it is no doubt
sold very often for the latter bird. It is nearly or quite equal as an edible. It is twenty
inches in length, and two feet six in extent of wings. The Red-head is more often seen in the
Southern States than the canvas-back, though both are recorded as wintering far south. The

/•///: c.i vi i--/.' i ''A' IHTK.

editor of thb edition shot one at l-Wi .letTerson. Tortuir.is; iieiii;,' ill.- only example WMI f hen-
d ii riii;: se\eral \ear-

Tm r\N\ v~ i \. K (AHhyia naUifruri-n inhabits ti,,. \\h,,].- ,,( North America. Breeds
fn.m tin- Northern Slates. n<>i iliNvanl, and winters from tin- Middle States, southward. to
(Juatemala. Tlii- i;n-ai!\ an< I justly esteemed edible Duck is found on the Cheaupauke Bay
alMiut the iiiidillt- nf <>. •!..!.. i. It fiequcnts in great numlM-rs all tin- i>rinri|ial streams in the
Mid<! . and winter-, tli.-ie. feedim: on tin- delicate water-plant called wild celery (vaUit-

w/TiVi), which is said to give tin- ll.-li its delicate tla\..r. ( >n tin- 1'oiomac River it is <-all.il
While lacks.

So valuable are Canvas-backs. the -|K.ri-in.-ii ..,ntri\.- various ways to procure them. A
fa\<. i it.- on.- is i«. ••loll" ill. .irds H|IOIV, near when* the gunner i* hidden lieliiiid an

ambush. A dog is taught to swim leisurely <>n the wafers where the l.irds an- abundant.
The latter are no shy. it is inijiossible t<> p-t within gunshot while excised to their view.
The Ducks an- curious alioul any mov« in.-ni-. tin- dog makes, and gradually swim near the
masked battery, when more or less I. inls are secured la-fore they an- aware of the stratap-m.
During the day they are dispersed ai>out ; l.nt towanls i-\.-nin^ they collect in largo ll.x-ks and
pi into (he creeks, wh.-ie they ride as at anchor, with their heads under their win^, a.sleep.
there In-iiiir always s<-ntinebi awaike, ready to niise an alarm mi the hiiHt ap]M^ininra of danger.
K\.'ii when fe«-<linic and diving in small [wirtios, some are always left to jfiiartl the Hock.

1 Miring the s.-v.-resi winters, the Cam:,- l.a« k- -"iiffer consideral.lv fn.m their favorite
fe«-<ling-places U-ing fro/en up. They tly up and down stn-am in gniit numbers, crowding
around the holes in the ice, or where the more OJM-II bay affords diving-places. AudulNni
i.-^:nd- ill-- r.inp- • f the ( anva-s I nick at fi'-m ill-- ...... nli- "f iln- Mi-^i>-i]'|'i Ki\.-i t.. ilie

Hudson River. It breeds in all ]«irt> of the fur countries. ]>r. Khurplrati sayH : "The Chesa-
peake Bay has, with its tributary streams, been long known as the greatest resort for water
fowl in the I nited States. This has di-]iended on tin- profusion of their favorite food, which
is accessible on the immense flats m -d. aN that are found near the mouth of the Susqueluinna
River, and on the «hores of the Lay and connecting stn-jims, as far south an York and the
James Rivers. Though great numbers yet resort then-, not more than one half an- noticed in
late years. Nearly a dozen other s].ecies of Dn.ks accompany them in these waters. The
most singular faot of the bursting of the bodies of the Cam as back in often noticed; the
abundance of food pnnnptin^ them to fis-d until they an- enormously fat.

AudiilMMi says: "To a stranger visiting thes.- waters, the innumerable Dtirks feeding in
beds of thousands, or tilling the air w ith their career!!!::, with the irn-at numbers of the beauti-
ful white swans resting near the short*, like banks of driven snow, might induce him to suppose
the facilities for their destruction wen- equal to their profusion, and that with so large an
object in view a sportsman could scarcely miss his aim. But the gn-at thickness ..f their
co\ .-ring, the velocity of their tliglit, the rapidity and duration of their diving, offer obstacles
of great moment."

AiidulMin d.-scriU's at mon- detail the sjnLr'ilar habit.s of this I»uck. which n-nder it easily
" fooled," and therefore more retidily captun-d by the s{>ortsman. ''Most ]«-rsons <.n these
waters have a race of small white or liver-colored dogs, which they familiarly call 'toler'
breed, but which appear to be the ordinary ]x>odle. These are extn-inely j.layful, and are
taught to run up and down the shore, in sL'ht of the I>u«-ks. either by the motion of the hand
or by throwing chips from side to side. They soon become j>erfectly acquainted with their
business, and as they discover the I»n. -ks approaching them, make their jumps less high, till
they almost crawl on the gn.und. to prevent the birds discovering what the object maybe.
This disposition to examine rarities has been taken advantage of by using red or black hand-
kerchiefs by day, and a white one by night, by 'toling,' or even by gently plashing the water
on the shore. The nearest Ducks soon take notice, at the strange np|<earance. raise their
heads, gaze intently for a few minutes, and then push for the shore, followed by the rest On
many occasions. I have seen thousands swimming in a solid mass direct to the object; and by
removing the dog farther in the grass, they have been brought within fifteen feet of the bonk."

608 THE HARLEQUIN DUCK.

When near enough, and when turning, so that their sides are exposed, the gunners often kill
great numbers before the mass of them have retreated.

The sexes of this bird are quite varied, and the female is a trifle the smallest.

THE GOLDEN-EYE (Clangula glaucium americana), called also Whistle-wing, and Garrot, is
found throughout ail North America, Cuba, and Europe. The vigorous whistling of its wings
readily distinguishes it. It swims and dives well, and is said to build nests in trees ; though,
like the more maritime Ducks, it does not walk easily on land. The sexes are different in
plumage. In size, the female is lesser ; the entire length of the male is nineteen inches, that of
the female seventeen.

The Golden-eye is especially abundant in South Carolina during the winter, where it
resorts to the rice plantations. It also frequents the water-courses of Florida at the same
season. It is shy and wary, preferring open bodies of water, as the wider open streams — the
Ohio, and other great rivers. Audubon says, the whistling of the wings may be heard nearly
a half a mile distant. He found a nest of this species in an old tree, and removed several eggs.
Authors testify to this species inhabiting the fur countries, the Rocky Mountains, and along
the northwest coast. The flesh is too fishy to be eatable.

Few species of native Ducks are equal to this in a certain beauty. The buffle head of the
male, with its rich, greenish-black plumage, and the golden irides, render the bird strikingly
beautiful.

The female is much plainer in plumage, and a trifle smaller. It has the same general
coloration, but duller, and lacks the white cheek-spot. Great differences are seen among the
species of Ducks as relate to the coloration of the sexes. In some there is a uniform plain,
mottled plumage in the female, while the male is totally different, with rich, special colora-
tion. In others, as in the present case, the coloration in the female is not far removed from
that of the male ; in fact, being much like that of the young of the first year.

The Golden-eye is not numerous on the coast, but is more common in the interior, on the
large streams. Its flesh, as an edible, must depend greatly on the feeding, for some authors
claim it is as good as the scaup Duck. In the fall, after feeding on "small stuff," it is fat,
and quite desirable.

BARROW'S GOLDEN-EYE (Clangula islandica) inhabits North America, south, as far as
New York and Utah ; in Europe, occasionally. It probably breeds in the Rocky Mountains.
Audubon took this species for the summer-pi umaged Golden-eye, and other authors have
doubted its validity as a species. There is now no doubt of its being distinct from the Ameri-
can Golden-eye.

The present species is called in the West, Rocky Mountain Garrot. It is a thoroughly
northern bird, reaching south no farther than New York, and in the interior as far as Utah.
Specimens have been taken in Massachusetts.

THE BUTTER-BALL (Clangula albeola) is like a miniature golden-eye, though the plumage
differs in color. It inhabits North America, Cuba, and Mexico, and is accidental in Europe.
It nests in Northern Dakota, and elsewhere in the United States. It is known as Spirit Duck
in the Middle States, and Bu file-head, where, in the secluded creeks, it is abundant in the
season, the autumn and winter. It is also called Butter Box, Marionette, Dipper, and Die
Dipper. The flesh is not esteemed as a table delicacy. It is one of the smallest of Ducks,
being only fourteen and a half inches in length, and twenty -three in extent of wing; the
IViii.-ile is a little less. About the same degree of difference is noticed between the sexes as in
the golden-eye, the female having the general coloration, but some degrees less brilliant, and
the white cheek-spots much less in size.

This Duck is an excellent diver, its extreme celerity suggesting the title, Spirit Duck. It
flies, also, with extraordinary velocity. The note is a short quack.

THE HARLEQUIN DUCK (Histrionicus minuius) is now a rare bird in this country. In
some parts of New England it is called Lord, or the pair, Lord and Lady, probably from the

Tin: i.Mtit.ntoR Df< A-.

extraordinary Ix-nuty and elegant U-ariii:: ..f tli.- s|-e<-ies. Its range In throughout North
America ^eiieralh. rhielly northeih and coastwise. It reaches on tin- \i lantic DOOM in winter
as fur a.s the Middle State*, nd «'ii tin- We.st.-rn a.s far as California. It breeds on tip- Rocky
Mountains. Il is limn- «{ a maritime -|»-,-i,-s than otherv.

At Hudson's \\i\\ it is called I'aint.-d Duck, and after the term Harlequin this is a mosi
• \|.n-M\,. name, ll.ii li«|iiin. IIMXM-MT. it is. ••--•!iti;i]l\ . for its markings suggest it to all, we
slnmld presume. It is dilli.-nlt t<p sa\ ulii.-h is the more l«-aiitiful, this orthewo.*! Murk.
I'erhap- the term U-autiful will appl\ appropriately t" tin- latter, while handsome <»r extremely
singular will naturally apply to tin- I I.H l>-i|iiin I>u<-k. It h:i-. muli-r tin- names of Lord ami
L»dy, be.-u rarely -•••n <>IT tin- New England coo-st, a few beim; t.ik--n <-\<T\ winter. It is now
iiiiirli le-s, common, and is thought !<• be quite near ••xtiuctiuii. It is small, thmiKli lur^r
than thf liutt.-r hall. It- Im^'th is st-x.-m.-,-!! inrli.-s. and cxt''!!! <>f winn twfiity-«-iurht inrlit-s.
Tin' f.-inal'- i> a litllf l«->s, and is vi-ry m-arly lik«- tin- inali-, tin- ln-ad and luvk In-in^ alin-.-t
Id.-ntiral in <•«.!. .r.iti.iii. It l»rwl in AndiilMin's tiim-, at (Jntnd Manan, in Novu Scotia, and

TIIK OLD SQUAW dlm.hln ,///f,-/W/.vi. This bird inhabits tin- northern hemisphere |
ally. It is chiefly maritime, though it resorts to the (Jreat Likes. The t«-rm l»ng taiN-d
Duck is given it in some quarters, on account of the very exceptional ornament fora Duck,
the long central tail-feather*. It is also called South Southerly, and Old Wife. We h::v«-
seen tliis DII, k in l.n_'- looks, :i:m_ 0M M j'i-1 ,.lF the -|,,,r,.. ,,f |.\mi and Naliant. in
Massachusetts, when- they xji,-nt the colder season. They wen- always near enough to hear
their Old Wife cackling, and proved alwa\s a i-heerful accom|ianiment to the rolling winter
s.-as that 1-eat ujMin the old, nmttinM towtt of l.> mi Other sjieries were occasionall) notii-ed.
as the velvet Duck and scoter, but the Old Wives wen- the regular occupants of the bay. Its
flesh is not desirable as an edible. An lulion Kays: "The range of this noisy, lively, and
U-autiful Duck extends along our coa.st to Texas, and is also found at the mouth of the
Columbia River, but is never found on any fresh watercourses. They are what our gunners
call sea-ducks. Although, like all sea-ducks, the Old Wife swims deeply, it moves with a
grace and celerity which, if not su|»-rior to any of its tril>e. an- at least equal." Like others
of its tribe, it likes to swim against the wind or tide, as it is then easy for it to rise on wing.
It breeds from Labrador, north wan Is to the Arctic regions. The female has no long tail
feathers, nor the white wing-feathers, and is quite plain in color. The male's summer plumage
is like that of winter in form, but in color the whole upj»er jarts are reddish-brown, the head
being capped with black, and broad, white cheek-spots encin-le the eyes. The breast and under
I >arts are alike in both seasons.

The length of the male is twenty-two inches, that of the female alxmt the same ; extent of
wing is thirty inches. It is thought to be the swiftest of its tril»e. and is certainly the most
difficult bird to approach and shoot. While sitting on the water it is rarely shot, as it dives
at the flash of a gun.

LABRADOR DUCK (Camplofamiu labradoritu), or Pied Dock, so called in some quarters.
This binl is now practically extinct. None have been found during the last fifteen years, at least.

Wilson spoke of it as "rather a rare Duck on our coasts, and it is never met with on our
fresh-water lakes and rivers." It is called by some Sand shoal Duck. On Long Island it is
known as Skunk Duck, on account of its pied markings. Its flesh is dry and fishy. Wil-.n
says : " It is only seen hen- during winter, when a few are observed in our market. Of their
particular manners, place, or mode of breeding, nothing more is known." It seems, then, that
the bird has for a long time been scarce, though my friend, Mr. Lawrence, the eminent orni-
thologist of New York, tells me he has frequently seen them in the markets of the city. This
was twenty yean since.

Four tine examples of this binl, two males in full plumage, a young male, and a female,
an- in the Museum of Natural History, Central Park, New York. They are now regarded as

valuable as the great auk.
Vot. it-n.

610

THE COMMON EIDER.

STELLER'S DUCK (Polysticta stelleri) is a very rare bird at present, and is, seemingly,
gradually coming to the same fate as the preceding species. It is a striking bird in its mark-
ings, nearly as much so as the harlequin. It inhabits the Arctic and high northern coasts of
both hemispheres.

Audubon describes this as Western Duck, and says : " This beautiful Duck, which was dis-
covered by Steller, on the northwestern coast of America, has never been known to inhabit our
Atlantic shores. So very rare, indeed, is it, that all my exertions to get a specimen have failed. "

As it is found in England occasionally, Audubon made his figure from a specimen in the
Norwich, England, Museum.

It is a small Duck, being only sixteen inches in length.

K1DKU DUCK.— Somateria ntoUittima.

THE EIDER DUCK is only a winter visitant to the more northern portions of Europe.

This bird is widely celebrated on account of the exquisitely soft and bright down which
the parent plucks from its breast and lays over the eggs during the process of incubation.
T:iking these nests ia with some a regular business, not devoid of risks on account of the
precipitous localities in which the Eider Duck often breeds.

THE COMMON EIDER (Somateria moUissima) inhabits both hemispheres. With us its
breeding-range reaches south from the Arctics to Maine, where it is called Squam Duck.

Wilson says : " The quantity of down found in one nest more than filled the crown of a hat,
yet weighed no more than three-quarters of an ounce ; and it is asserted that two pounds of

Tin nrcK. 61 1

this <lo\vn m:iy U- .-rowd.-d into a hill n«» larger than one's fist, yet In afterwards so dilatable

a> t.. till :i Tiilt i.f th.- f.-ei square. This l>u,-k reaches tin- farthest limits of tin- north
known." Tin- most southern limit is said to huve been the nx-ks about I'ortlund liurlN.r.
Maim-.

Tin- Kill. -r is ;i lariT'- bird f"i :i l»u.-k. U-in.: stout, -r than some p«et«e. It* length is two feet
three in< 'ln's, ami extent of win^s thn-e f.-«-t. Its weight is from .six to seven ]N.unds. It«
flesh is n.. i es|,.,.ined. ;is it is;ilwa\s tis|i\ in flavor.

As lati- two F.i.l. -is were shot in Ixui^ Island Sound

In Wilson's time ill.- Ki.l. -is l>n-d fn.ni H..st,,ii to Hay of Kundy. "In the latter part of
th.- fall of isiKt they were seen in considerable numl>ers in Hoston Bay." — Ari»rii<>N. Tin- latter
author vouches for the fact that the young Eiders are sometimes taken by the bill of the old
on** and transported to the sea, some little distance from the nest.

Tin KIM. Kinii: (Somateria spcctabilis) inhabit* tin- northern j .oil ions of America and
Kuni|»e. i-hii-tly < nastwin. It reaches New Jersey southward, ami in tin- interior to Lake
Krif. Ii> hiu'h ami richly oninp'-colored U])]MT bill ^iv»-s this binl a stmni:, ilistim-tiv*- mark.
Tin- ft-malf is plain .-ntin-ly, lik.- the fi-iii:il«- of th«- pns-«Nlinir. lint smalh-r. Alx»nt th.- lii>t of
this (-.'111111 \ this liird was abntiilant in Massaohus,-tts Hay. ami l.n-<l alony tin* New Kn^land
coast. Thf Kinj; Dm-k, as ihis is i-jilLnl. is rfpirditl iuse<iimlly valnaltlc for its down, (tcniud,
in his •• Hi ii Is of I/.iiir Island." stat.-s that tin- youii^ of this binl, during winter, are occasion-
ally .seen at Kjg: Harbor, as w.-ll a.s on tin- shon-s of I>.in; Island, and that an adult male wa«
shot in l/onir Island Sound in 1«».

This rare bird is al>out th«- -\/>- »( the <-oinmoii Kid.-r, and is m.tal.lt; for its black and
\vhit« Ixnly, and the li^lit-n-d l»-ak and legs.

PACIFIC EIDER (Smnattria v. nitjra) in murh like the latt«-r, but lias the V-shaped mark

in black under the chin.

Si'H i \< i.i i> Kinii: /.•' ,'. ,."..',•,,/,,,, This !• kaown only on the northwest coast.
It has ;i I. r»ad. white spare around the eye, ivs«>iiiblim; in t<-xturecut vt-h.-t ; this is surrounded
by a ring of Mack, which oida in giving an aspect of t»eing s{)ectucled. This is a very inter-
esting species, and quite rare.

AMI 1:1. \\ SCOTEK >tK/'//,i'i <m,< rii-iinn}, or VKI.VCT DITK. It inhabits l>oth the Atlantic
and 1'aci tic coasts, and the jjrwit inland waters. It is a very Ixiiutiful bird; is jet-black in
plunia^.-. \.-lv.-ty in ap|)eanin<-e. and has a rich onin^e jiatch on the uji|»-r inamliMe of the bill.
Tin- female is quite plain brown. In Audubon'H day they wen- extremely abundant alxxit
Boston, New York, and on the Jersey coast — less so southward.

TIIE AMERICAW VELVET SCOTER (M<I<in,fl<t r,lr,(in<t \ inhabits Europe and America. It is
mostly maritime, but visits the great lakes. This beautiful duck apfiears on the Chesapeake
with other species, and in considerable numU-rs in Atidubon's day. We have seen a few
during the winter months on the coast around Massachusetts Bay, bnt it is now quite rare. It
is of a jet velvety black, with a large patch of white on its secondary feathers, and a patch of
white around the eyes. The bill has an orange and a lemon-colored portion. The female is
marked somewhat similarly, but in umber instead of black.

This bird is called by the sportsmen of New England. White-winged Whistler, or White-
uinged Coot. Its flesh is not esteemed, l>eing like that of many other maritime birds, fishy
and coarse. Gerand says it is "extremely abundant on the Long Island Sound during the
winter, arriving about the first of October." Kidgway, in the "Smithsonian Catalogue,"
•Motions two species — the present, and M.futca.

TIIK SrKF DUCK (Pdionetta pertpiciUata). This is also called Coot. It inhabits North
America coastwise, and Jamaica. A variety is s.-eu in California. Its plumage is block and

612

THE SMEW.

velvety, like the other "Coots," but it has no white, excepting a square patch on the nape,
and on the crown. The bill is beautifully variegated with vermilion, orange shading to lemon,
and a delicate blue with a spot of black in its midst. Fresh specimens of these birds, as well
as the Scoters, are delightful objects. The female is a uniform plain umber-brown; bill the
same. Sexes are about alike in si/e. It is a common winter resident in the Middle States,
arriving late in Septemlxtr. A few are said to remain all summer around Falkner's Island,
Connecticut coast.

RUDDY DUCK (Griamatura riiMtla). It inhabits North America at large, southward to
Guatemala, where it breeds. It also inhabits Cuba in the season. In the Missouri region it
occurs during the migrating season, and breeds in the same limits. During Audubon's day
this Duck was abundant on the New England coast, and as far south as Florida. It accom-
panies several other birds in its migrations. It is a small bird, measuring fourteen and three-
quarter inches in length. The female is about the same in size, and is very plain in color,
differing greatly in this respect from the male. Giraud says it is rare in the vicinity of Long
Island, though in Massachusetts Bay and Chesapeake Bay it is common, where it is called
Salt-water Teal.

A Duck, named BI.ATK-MASKKD DTTCK (Nomoni/.r (/<>m//i,if//x), is enumerated as a North
American species by Ridgway.

THE RACKIIOUSK, or STKAMKU DUCK (Miwopterus brachypterus), is a very remarkable
species, having very short wings, so that it cannot fly, and legs so formed that it scuds over
and drives through the water with amazing speed. While passing over the surface it sends
the water flying behind it like a paddle-steamer, and has thereby earned its name. It is a

very large species,

,vi _^^^ forty inches in

^•ilht ^-^ *

length, and its color

is leaden-gray above,
and white below. It
is found in the Falk-
land Islands and
Patagonia.

WANT of space
compels us to omit
the SCOTER DUCKS
(Oidemia), and to
pass at once to the
next sub - family,
represented by two
species.

The GOOSANDKU
is one of the winter
visitors of the north,
making its appear-
ance about Novem-
ber, and departing

in March. Some few birds, however, remain throughout the year. It is generally to be found
on the northern coasts, where it may be observed diving after fish with great address, and
hringing them to the surface in its long, slender, deeply-notched beak, which is so plentifully
provided with so-called teeth, that the bird in some places goes by the name of Jacksaw.

Tin: pretty little SMKW is another of Ih.- winter visitors of the temperate climates of
EurojM-, :ind is a very common bird, being found not only upon the sea-shore, but frequenting
inland lakes and ponds.

^:~~-

GCXXJANDER.— iferyut meryantar.

Till: HI. \rK-Tlinn.\TKIt l'l\

It i> niih. r ,-i shy binl. ami not very easily approached, especially as it in a swift ami
:i.-»i\-e ilivi-r. v.-iiii-liinj I- !..« th.- surface at the least alarm, and «m«*^iig at some distance.
It Hi.-?, well. I. in. lik. 11, ..^ .livin- birds*. walks ba<il\ Tl,.- f..«l ..f the Hmew consists of fish.
-mall rnisiai-.-aiis. moiiiisks, and insects, w|,i,|, ii <>l>Uiimi under tl>< surface as easily as above
it. The eggs ..f this species are warm buff in color, and they are generally eight or tan in
numlicr.

liu AMM:I. \H SuKLDRAKK (Mrrffii* nurffniufr onMrfamw) inhabits North America

ami Kuro|»- ami Asia It is raii-d (foomnder. Aii'lul>oii say* : "This species may be wi>l t<.
I- :i .-onstunt res.M. nt with us, a* man\ individuals bre,-.! in tlu- int. n..i of th.- Stales .,(
V-rk. ronn.i-ti.-ut. Massachusetts, and Main.." Lik-- the Qrebw*, it has tli.> |M>wer i.. sink

I. ,. k'A:i!' I -. .,!, i '•.,.•-• \|- : ' . •• -i. .•. • . I tillli -...', M .,•,•,:. ~ : n, .,.. I -. : It HWiOUl «O

deeply when ulurnwd, and diveaao quickly :it ili>- tl:ish of th<- u'un. ii i- .MH-IIM-IV iliffimlt to
sli<M.t it on the water. It |IM-««|.H from Muivwhuaetta northward, aui< I :ii t Ijikea.

The female Li smaller than her mate. The male in twenty-seven inc-hea in l.-n^tli This liinl in

in i/.ii_- Und BOM i. n i KMBI un.t. i

UKD-BBEAMU- SHKI \>\:\*K(McTffiu terrator), ulwM-all>-l Ki-hin- Duck. It inhabit* the
northern hemisphere. It b» callwl t.your north.-rn (runneni I»i«-«l Sh.-|.lnikf. It is n<.t *• com
mon a* the preceding. In the Long Island s.nn.l it b ooBOMa)— -wintering there. Ainlii>Hiii
•ays it in by choi.-,- nn»>tly «l«-]»-n.|.-iit on fn->h wat«-r for it^ su»fn:inr.-. )>ut when winters are
severe it is obliged to resort to the open bay» ami rh<-r mouths. It l.i.i-.|> in many of th.-
Middle and Eastern States.

TMK HooDED Sun IH:\KK l/j»ji/mt/;//'x /-///-.-////r///.* , inhabits th.- whole of North Arm-rica,
and rjiroj"-. In th«- Mis.s«iiiri n-gion, m»; >iu-s. tliis i- tin- mop- common of tin- thni-

mergansers — M. tcrraUtr being the rarest. It bn^l- in I'akota. and in tin- l°p]ier Mi.tNonri
Kivi-i It is i-all.-i in New England \VaN-r I'h'-axint an<l Hairy Ibiul, u<*conling to (tiniud.
It b more abundant in South Canilina. and common on tin- Ohio and Missouri riven*. It
is a winter n-sicl>-nt in l>.n_r Island Soun-I. It is ruiidi .smalU-r than tin- |>i>-< «-<ling npede«,
only ••iuht«-»-n inches in length, ami two f«-«-t in ••xt«-nt of wings.

\\'K now come to the family of <'olyml>i<I;r. or Divers.

Tht-(ii:K\i NOI:IHM:S DIVKK is common on northern ocMuita of Kuro|ie. wh.-n- it may be
pursuing its arrowy counte thnmgh an. I OV«T the water, occasionally danhin^ through tin-
air on strong pinions, but \«-ry S..|,|OMI taking to the shore, where it u quite at a disad-
vantage.

I'ertiaiw there w no bird which excels the Northern Diver in it* subaqueous powers, although
the penguins and cormorant** are equally notable in that resj»ert. It* broad webbed feet am set
so very far lock that the bin! cannot walk pn>|»-rly. but tumbles an<l wrambles along much
after the fashion of a seal. ] •self w ith its fet-t, and Hcraping its breast on the ground.

THK LOOK (fkHyminutoT<i - a well-known bin!, yet it is not often *e«-n. It is large

and striking in appearance, and the plumage in the male i* very Iwaiitiful. The Great North
ern Diver is another quite common name for it. It measures nearly three f.-.-t in length, with
an extent of wings of four feet. A variety called Adaiiui is known, distinguished by its bill
I • • i ng yellowish- white.

THE BLACK-THROATED DIVER (C. arcttctui) is a fine species, but considerably less in stes
than the preceding. It in notable for the bold alternate- bars of black and white which dec-

,,rdt( •: . .-.-.•• - \ • • •:/'•• - .-•.-- .....-;.,.,;, ^-t..

It is abundant on the J'a.-itir coast. The Red-throated is distributed over the whole of the
northern parts of both continents. A huge chestnut-red patch on the throat distinguishes it,
as well as its smaller i

614

THE EARED GREBE.

THE sub-family of the Grebes is represented in Europe by several well-known species. All
these birds may be readily distinguished by the peculiar form of the foot, in which each toe is
furnished with a flattened web, the whole foot looking something like a horse-chestnut leaf
with three lobes.

THE GREAT CRESTED GREBE is the largest of these birds, and is found throughout the
year in several parts of Europe, preferring the lakes and the fenny districts. Like the divers,
the Grebes are very bad walkers, but wonderfully active in the water, and tolerably good flyers.

OKEAT CHESTED OBSBE.-fodicept crbtalus.

THE EARED GREBE is the rarest of the European species, and derives its name from a
tuft of rich golden feathers which arise behind the eye of the adult bird.

THE EARED GREBE (Dytvs nigricollis californicus) is found on the Pacific coast. Another
called Western Grebe, one of the largest, is also confined to the Pacific coast. Its length
is about thirty inches, and extent of wing thirty-four inches. The Crested Grebe is common
throughout North America. Its length is about thirty-four inches. The Red-necked is one of
the handsomest of the tribe ; it§ beautiful muffled head, and rich umber coloring, render it
very striking. Clarke's Grebe is much like the Western in size and coloration. The Horned,
St. Domingo, and Thick -billed Grebes are well-known American species. The latter are much
smaller than the others, varying from nine to fourteen inches in length.

TIIK URKAT \l K

616

ANOIMII: v.-ry fine Kiin-i-Mii -|-i-i«« la the 8ci..\\ ..si \. ..r ||..i:sn. ,,..., /•
eornu/ttf), remarkaM*- f..r ii> >|.l.-inli.| mil «.f .lark In-own feathers. Tlii.s liinl lias been aeon to
carry it> \«>iiim n\*>n its J«ck, an<l to <liv,- with ili.-m when alan ..... I.

'I'm; well-known l»\n. in. K. ..i LITTLE OKKBK, is the smallest an. I commonest of the
Kiiropean sped***, U'intf found in most ri \.-rs, hike**, <ir lar^w ]>on<b«, wh«re the weeds and

iu-li.- alTonl it a oonceultiK'iit, :uul a Cumulation f»i H-

A MON.. the several representatives of the sab-family of the Alcinto, or Auks, theGuuT
AUK is the rarest.

.

This bird, forrn.-rly to be found in neverul j«irt« of Northern Europe, and in Ijibnidnr. ha«
not been observed for many y««rH, and i> thought to l»e OM rompli-tfly .-xtinrt :LS th<- I)<«lo.
Almost thf last living N]Nfiiin-ii-< known were w^-n in tin- ()rkni-y>. and wviv ijnit«« familiar
to the inhabitants nn.l>-r tin- name of the King and Queen of the Anks. 80 agile in (or was)
this bird in the water, that Mr. Hnllo<-k chased the mal>- for several hours \\ithout lM-intr alil<*
to get within guntthot, althoiitrh h<- was in a boat manm-d l>y six rowers. After lib departure
the bird was shot. Tlie female had l>e«'n killed just In-forr his arrival.

The egg of this bird is laid close to the water's edge, and is a very large one, marked af t.-i
a rather curious fa.sh.ion.

The upper surface of this hird is Mack, except a patch of pure whit»- round and in front of
the eye, and the ends of the secondaries, which are white. The whole of the nn<l>-r *iirf:n >• i>
whit*-, and in winter the chin and throat are also white. The young are mottled with black
and white.

616 THE COMMON PUFFIN.

No living specimens have been obtained during the last forty years. In 1869 the last sale
of one, stuffed, was made in London, when one was purchased for the American Museum
of Natural History by Robert L. Stuart. The price paid was $625. The length of the Great
Auk is about three feet. Its wings are only four inches long. It inhabited the highest
latitudes, and but few years since was abundant in the Arctic regions. The shell-heaps along
the coast as far south as Massachusetts contain numerous examples of the bones of this bird.
Nuttall, in 1834, records that this bird was then breeding in numbers in Iceland and Greenland.
A competent cause for their early extinction is seen in the fact that they lay but one egg in a
season, a circumstance that seems most remarkable. It is supposed that the last of these birds
seen alive were off the Funks, on the shores of Newfoundland, in 1844. In 1870 a specimen
was found dead in Labrador ; though in poor condition, it was sold for $200. There are five
specimens known to our American collections.

ANOTHER species of the same genus, the RAZOR-BILL (Alca fordo), is tolerably common
in the Arctic seas, and is occasionally found in Northern Europe. The eggs of this species are
singularly variable. Mr. Champley informs me that he possesses five hundred distinct speci-
mens.

This is one of the prettiest species ; its bill is very peculiar, but is handsomely colored.
It is abundant along the rocky shores of the Atlantic.

THE SEA DOVE (Atte nifjricans). This little bird is very familiar to those who live near
the sea-shore of the Eastern States. It is a northern bird, but during the heavy storms of
winter it is sometimes blown ashore, and is then picked up with ease, as it is quite exhausted.
Its length is but eight inches.

THE LEAST AUK (Oiceronia pusilla) is yet smaller than the Sea Dove, measuring less than
seven inches in length. It is exclusively a North Pacific bird. Cassin's Auk is another of the
Northwestern species — a little larger. The Parrot Auk, Crested Auk, Whiskered Auk are
also native to the northwest coast of America. They are all quite small. The Least Auk
changes its plumage so considerably in point of color, that two species have been created out
of the summer and winter plumage. The pretty, richly-colored projections on the upper
mandibles are shed in winter, and renewed on the coming of the breeding-season.

THE odd little PUFFIN is remarkable for the singular shape, enormous size, and light colors
of its beak, which really looks as if it had been originally made for some much larger bird.
Owing to the dimensions of the beak it is often called the SEA PARROT, or the COULTERNER.

The Puffin can fly rapidly and walk tolerably, but it dives and swims supremely well,
chasing fish in the water, and often bringing out a whole row of sprats at a time, ranged along
the side of its bill, all the heads being within the mouth and all the tails dangling outside. It
breeds upon the rocks and in the rabbit-warrens near the sea, finding the ready-made burrows
of the rabbit very convenient for the reception of its eggs, and fighting with the owner for pos-
session of the burrow. Where rabbits do not exist, the Puffin digs its own burrow, and works
hard at its labor. The egg is generally placed several feet within the holes, and the parents
defend it vigorously. Even the raven makes little of an attack, for the Puffin gripes his foe as
he best can, and tries to tumble into the sea, where the raven is soon drowned, and the little
champion returns home in triumph. The egg is white, but soon becomes stained by the earth.
The food of this bird consists of fish, crustaceans, and insects.

The top of the head, the back, and a ring round the neck are black, and the cheeks and
under surfaces are white. The beak is curiously striped with orange upon bluish-gray, and
the legs and toes are orange. The length of this bird is about one foot.

THE COMMON PUFFIN (Fratericula arctica} is a singular looking bird, its bill being very
thin and compressed, while it is very deep. It is abundant along the north Atlantic coast. A
variety glacialls is larger. The Horn Puffin, Tufted, and Horn-billed Puffin are confined to
the Pacific coast.

'/•///•;

Tin I'.-Miruins f.irin n vi-ry n-iiirn kaM.- sul. family, all ii- iii»iiil»-r> liavinn th-ir win::-
iiioditi<-a int" i-a.Ull.-. uswlww fur lli^lit. 1-ut rapal-l.- uf b.-iii- i-ni|.l«>.M:.l a> fun- -l.-^-s in t.-rna-

KINO

trial progression when the bird is in a hurry, and prolmbly as oars or paddles in the wnt-r.
frii»-re are many species of Penguins, luit a-* tli^y an- v.-ry >i in ilar in general habits, we must be
content \vith a sin-le exampK*.

The K i M . 1' i -• i IN is a native of high aoutht* rn hit it udes, and is very plentiful in the spots

VOL. IL-H.

618

THE STORMY PETREL.

which it frequents. It swims and dives wonderfully well, and feeds largely on cuttle-fish. Dr.
Bennett has given an admirable description of this bird and its habits, as it appeared on Mac-
quarrie's Island, in the South Pacific Ocean.

THE common GUILLEMOT is an example of the next sub-family.

This bird is found plentifully on our coasts throughout the year, and may be seen swim-
ming and diving with a skill little inferior to that of the divers. It can, however, use its legs
and wings tolerably well, and is said to convey its young from the rocks on which it is hatched,
by taking it on the back and flying down to the water.

\ v^

„ *

GUILLEMOT.— Uria trolle.

There are several other species belonging to this sub-family, among which may be
mentioned the BLACK GUILLEMOT (Uria grylle), known by its smaller size and its black
plumage with a large white patch on the wing. The LITTLE AUK, or ROTCHE (Alle nigricans),
so well known in northern seas, also belongs to the same group.

The Black Guillemot ( Uria grylle) is a common inhabitant along our Atlantic coast in
winter, where it is called Sea Pigeon.

THE MURRE (Lomma trotte) is a common visitor on the Atlantic coast in winter, and also
on the North Pacific. It reaches as far south as New Jersey and California. Thirteen other
species of Guillemot are known to the American Avi fauna — all inhabiting the North Pacific
coast.

THE PETRELS.

THE curious family of the Petrels now comes before us. A well-known example is the
STORMY PETREL (Procellaria pelagica), known to sailors as the MOTHER CABBY'S CHICKEN,
and hated by them after a most illogical manner because it foretells an approaching storm, and

TIII: n i. MM; /•/:/;/

th«Tvfon- l«y :i curious pntc«-ss of iva-sonim: i-- tak.-n fm- ii.s cause. A Bailor OOOe told nn«
M-r\ frankly, after I li:ul held a short aru'iiim-nt with liirn. llial "lln-v mostly lakes thing*
wrong side forrards," ami t*t it i- \viili tin- Stormy IVtn-l, tin- j-ilot lish, and niuuy other

cn-atun-.s.

A VKUY much larjypr spwios is th.- FrLMAR PETRKI,.

This l'.-ln-l N MTV |>|.-ntifnl in tin- i^lainl of St. Kil-la. ami an .-xc.-!!.-!!! arroiint of the
!'ii'l an<l it> ini|...iiaii--.- to the inhabitants has been given by Mr. McUillivruy, who visited

th<- inland in 1800. "This l>ird existM bore in almost inm-diMi- niiMiU-rs. . . It forms
om- of tin- ].rim-i|,:il iii.-aii> of snpiM.it to tli,- inhabitant-, who daily rink th««ir lives in it«
jmrsuit. Th»- Fulmar l»nH-«ls on tli«- fare of tin- highest precipices, and only on such a« are
furnishM with small, grassy shelves, every spot on which, above a few inches in extent,
is occupied with on.- or im.rv of its m-sts. The nest is formed of herbage, seldom bulky,
gi'iiiT.illy a im-rv shallow excavation in tin- turf and the withered tufts of the sea-pink, in
which the bird deposits a single egg of a pun- whin- color when cl«»n, which is seldom the
case."

Leach's. Hulw.Ts. Black-caj.^*!. I*-ast IMn-]. Wil-.rfs, Hlark r.-tn-l. Ashy. Fork-tail«-«l,
Honit>y's. and \Vhit.--U-lli.-d 1',-ti. | :,i. .,11 N,,rth Am.-iican binls — some of th«-m confined
to the California ooa«t and north wanl on the Pacific.

620

THE WANDERING ALBATROSS.

FULMAB PETKEL.-I'roceUarta gladalu.

THE GIANT FULMAR (Ossifraga gigantea) is the largest of the Petrels ; nearly as large as
the albatross. It is common off the Pacific coast. The Fulmars are gull-like in aspect, while

the Petrels are much smaller, and are
thus contrasted strikingly with the
albatrosses.

The Fulmar Petrel is common
to the North Atlantic, visiting the
United States in winter. The Slender-
bill is equally a Pacific coast bird.

THE BLACK - TAILED SHEAR-
WATER (Priofinits melanurus) is an
accidental visitor on the coast of
California. Several other species are
found on the Pacific coast, and others
inhabit the Atlantic coast. The
Dusky Shearwater is a more south-
ern bird, reaching north only as far
as the Middle States. The Greater
Shearwater is abundant along the
entire Atlantic coast, while the Sooty
is confined to that portion above the
Carolinas. Altogether there are ten
species of this genus.

\^< -— 1

THE well-known WANDERING
ALBATROS is an excellent example of
the next sub-family, being the largest
and finest of all the species.
This fine bird is possessed of wondrous powers of wing, sailing along for days together
without requiring rest, and hardly ever flapping its wings, merely swaying itself easily from

GIANT FULMAK.— Oatfraga yigantea.

ALBATROS.

TIII: >AV i <;r 1. 1.

si.le \» -ide with exU'in led pinion
ently mei-eh fi.r tin- purpose ,,f ,
is found in tin- S..utli.-in

n. -times the l.inl does U-nd the l;i>( joint, Inil appar-
it.-, progress, liUe :i ship ' II.T topsails. Ii

Tin: Ilt.M K ..... tin At r.\\\:»~- (IHotiutHa niffHpes) is abundant mi tin- I'nriJir coast.

The Slmrt tailed is :il^<. culllllloll <>M that c-o;t.st. |t^ i-|i:irirliTi»tir feat llli- ' n-HH'lv -liort

tail, i-i.nti-a.st in- sii,,M-]y \%itli t),,- pn-oeding, JUH th.- latl.-r has ;i |,,ni: tail. Its li-n^tli is alniut
tin'-'- f'''-'. with an I'xU'iil ul ^':-\. HfP8B f--«-i. Tli-- BooQ VlluitnMN (/>/om<Y/la / - ..... . «.l

AiuliiU.ii. i>:ilx..it tli.- -.mi.- in tlinn a.siuua. The \ • llo\\ -uoeed AUwtrotss i- . num. r.iUxl ua uji
Aint-rican

J> *

OBOOP or OULLB.

THE GULL&

'1'itK large family <>f tin- Nulls \v». will disriiHH here.

The SKUA is a large, fierce, and powerful I'inl. tyninni/.ini; in a sh.iinefnl mann.T over its
•weaker relations, and rol>l>iiii; them \\ith«>ut merry. It feeds mostly on lish, Imt prefers taking
advantage of the labors of others to working honestly for its own living. AS the leaser (Julls
are busily fishing, the Skuas hover alx.ut the s]tot. and as soon as a poor Gall has caught u
fish, and is going off to his family, down comes the Skua upon him with threatening beak and
nx-kiiii: wind's, and when the victim drops his burden, to escape with great, r facility, the Skua
darts after the falling fish, and snaps it up In-fore it readies the water. It also eate eggs und
the smaller birds, a proi»-n-ity which u shared by other Gulls than the Skua.

622

THE DAPTION, OR CAPE PETREL.

THE SKUA QVLL.-Meyaleetrit Ocua.

THE SKUA GULL (Megalestris sTntd) inhabits the seas and coasts of North America, chiefly
in the Arctic regions. It is a large, plain-colored bird.

DAPTION, OB CAPE PETEKI^-l>o/)«on capensli.

THE DAPTION, or CAPE PETREL (Daption capensis). This bird is also called Sea-Pigeon.
It is especially maritime in its habits, being seen on the ocean, in the semi-tropical and tem-
perate latitudes. It is a plump, pigeon-like bird, allied to the gulls and petrels.

rni: ri/.//»/;.\/.i <;i i.i.

Till I'"M \I:ISK .I.KiiM. ix iH>innt<irhiiiii * inhabits ( he MM and OOMta <-f l''.un.|»-.

Asia. ami America. ami i> also found in the inl.-ii..i ..f .N,.i(li America. It b named (in II
hunter in some place*.

'I'm I'AI: v-i 1 1'- .1 .1 i.i i: is fi mml in inurli tin- same localities as the preceding. It has the
reputation of U-iii:: a terna t«i the «JulN. Though much lil\>- tin- (Mills, it IIUM more of u look
of predacious l>inls. ati'l proUibly lia.s son ..... f the latl.-i-' ili-po-ition. Tin- (iiills an- usually
rather stupid. It L'et- ii- living like the hawks. l.\ f.uv.n- th.- (iiills to disgorge. KulT»n's
JlDger. call>-d als<i I, ii. tail.-. I .1 ifgM*, is smaller, with two middle tail-feathers, longer than the
oth.-r- It- ran-.- is the same as th.- pn-cedini:. Kicliaid-i.n's .hi^t-r i> aiiutli.T Aim-i I.-MII
>l»-,i.->. It i M ih.-r.-a-t IM-I.IW .Massachusetts. Tin- lli-ht uf th.- .l.-i-pTs in extreim-ly

i:ipi'l. ami th.'y -•-•m :ul:i|.i.-.| to a prodaceoiis II,.-I|HH| of pursiiiiiL' tln-ir prey.

'I'lin coiiiinnii (Ji i.i. is too familiar to n.-«-<l much ilrs,-ii|>ti<>u. as it is well known to all who
have visited tin - • . &OK, 01 ' • ..... Uth d ••] Of OU !..i. • i i r. • i - It i- a l« .I'l l>ii.l. .-ai iiu
littli- fur man, ami rvi-n fnl lowing a sUiiiii- i -•• «-los.-ly that the ^li-ani of ita eyes can be plainly
S.-.-M. It i-an i-asily IH- taiiK'il, ami is a ratln-r useful liinl in a pinlen, destroying vermin of
xarimis kimls, ami o«-i-a.sionall\ killing and eatin^anv small l>inl that may incautiously vrntun-
within n-arlt of th«- stmnir I'ill. l'h«-«'s.- -. •••ins to U- an acknow h-d^-d dainty with th.-s<- hinls,
whirli have oft.-n U-.-n known tocontrurt so frni't an atTii-tion for the pla«-eof their captivity as
a- i" i. turn to it voluntarily, ami even t.» intn>>luee a mate to the well-remembered hoHpitulitieM.

TIIK (iKKM Hi M K n\( KM. (it i.i. (Lam* inti r i u itt) is a very fine bird, not very plentiful
on northern coasts, but spread over tin- irn-ater part of the shores of northern Kurope.

This l.ird jm-fers low-lyini; and marshy lands, ami is {xipiilarly known under the name of
tin- Cob. It is very plentiful on the shores of Sweden and Norway, and on some of the islands of
Shetland and Orkney it breeds in abundance, the egps being highly valued on account of their
rich flavor and their large size. It is the custom in those localities to lay in a stock of these
eggs, and to take two sets in succession, leaving the third for the bird to hatch. Mr. Ilewitaon
mentions that upon an island of barely half an acre in extent. -i\i\ dozen eggs were secured.

TIIK pretty KIITIW \KK (trt.i. breeds ujMdi the rocky jiortions of northern coasts. Owing
to the diversity of ite plumage according to the age, the Kittiwake has been railed by several
names; "Tarrock" lieing the U'st known ami U-loiiLcing to the bird while young. The name
of Kittiwake is given in allusion to its cry, which bears some resemblance to that word rather
slowly pronounced.

THERE are many other species of Gulls, too numerous to be described. Among these we
may notice the LITTLK Gru, (L<inix iniiiuinx), remarkable for it.s jetty-black head and neck
ami its small size, its l.-n^th l^in- little more than ten inches; the HII:I:IV., or SILVIA
(Jri. i. Isirux "i'i'ii(<itns\. a line -|~-. -i.-. about two feet in length, with a pure white head and
m-ck. and a soft -gray back, and jetty-Mack primaries, with a spot or two of white at tin- tip-;
ami the IVORY GULL (Paij»i>liiln ,/////////;. s,,, ailed onaccountof the pure white of itssumimr
plumage. This is a most beautiful northern >i»-cies. ,,,,t often seen as far south as New
Kngland. I>-nirth. fourt«-en inches.

The Kittiwake inhabits Imth hemispheres in the northern n-Lrions, reaching New England
in winter. length, eighteen inches. A 1'ucitic Kittiwake is .•numerated, and a Ked-legged
Kittiwake. which inhabits tin- North Pacific.

The (ilaiicous (Jull, or Burgomaster, i- ciicum|M.lar in Jmhifut, but reaches Long Island in
winter. It is the largest of its tribe. The \Vliite-winged Gull has the same range as the
preceding. It is a complete counterpart of it. excepting in si/..-. \* -n-th. twenty-four inches.

The Glaucous-wingiiH nill is an inhabitant of the I'a.-i tic coast. Ijenirth. twenty-seven inches.

This great Gull inhabits the Atlantic coast as far south as Long Island in winter, and,
according to Audub..n. to Florida. Th.- \\'.-tern (Jull. SiU-rian (tiill. Herring Gull, and two
other species of Herring Gull are mentioned as North' American sjK«cies.

The California Gull is found on the Pacific coast. The Ring-billed Gull and Short-billed

624

THE ROSEATE TERN.

are rather new species, not familiar to the general reader, as, indeed, is the case with several
others, all of which we indicate, as it is thought desirable to keep a general view of all the
American species, though we may not find it desirable to add any considerable details. Other
species inhabiting North America are the Mew, Heerman's Gull, Laughing Gull, Franklin's
Gull, Bonaparte's, Ross's, Sabine's, and Swallow-tail.

The Laughing Gull is very common on our South Atlantic and Gulf shores, where it has
a habit of chasing the pelicans and causing them to share food with them.

x.

BOSS'S GULL.— RliodottetMa roeea.

THE name of SOISSOR-BILL (Rhynchops nigra\ is very appropriately given to this species.

This remarkable Gull has a long and much -compressed teak, the lower mandible being
much longer than the upper, rather flatter, and shutting into the upper like a knife-blade into
the handle. The Scissor-bill is found along the coast of America and part of Africa. This
is also called the Black Skimmer, or Cut-water, from its remarkable shears-like bill. It is
seen off the Jersey coast and southward. The singular bill is the only unusual feature. From
its habit of scooping its bill along the surface of the sea for its food, it is called Skimmer.

INDEX.

1

Blackbird. Ke.l an.l
Buff

Carpudacua. S44. Croaa Bllla, 801 .
i aMrka. 0ul.

Elder. 010

Murk, ri.l.inn, 018

CaMowary, 007.

Murk, I..TIM«II IK "

Uniira. 500.

Ceulrucarcua, 489.

:nl. Ke.1 Will*

Yellow Illllnl

Illiirk Hilled.

Murk. lwil.in.i..i. 0>tf.
l.lled.O ».

. -

Mn. k. Mnn.Urin.OUl.

' " ' '

Blackbml.

Blackbird, Savannah,

CeriornU, 47*.

t

Cluu-alacra. 4.VI. i '... I.,-.1. •

1 III. k , 1'llllAll, 009.

•M.M

Blackbird, Swam p. 880.

Cliafflncb, 841.

Aiauda,8Ba.

AH«tr..«. mack-Foot-

Black
01.

Chama-pell..

Iround, 490.

CurkiM*, Ij»rk Heeled,

,ldy. nli.
... Sraup. 100.

ed, 091.
Albatruaa, Short Tail-

,-aa. Sooty. 091.
Alhairoea, Wandering,

Black Head, heiaer.

Black Head. King BUI

. : •
Black Witch. 498.

Channel-BUI, 4ao.
Charad rlu*. 591. OtBVBBB.
( 'liaudela*mii*. QUO.

' 'hennlopeT. 5U5.

Cbewlnk,

Curiilu*. 4.'.
Cupldoiila. 41U.
Curaaaow. <
Curlew. SIU.

~l,.nrll.-r. 000.
Murk. Spirit. '"•
-l--.il Hill. 000.

Murk, SleHlncr. 019.
Murk. Slrllrr'.

Alhatroea, Yellow-

Blur Bill. 000.

H.MII Hill. 5M>.

Chicken. Mother
•Carey 'a. 018.

Curlew. BUck, 500.
Curlew. HrUtled-

Murk. Summer, of
America. 001.

\ .".''.
AlclDir. 015.

Boat-Tail. Great. 891.
Tailed Birda, 891.
• Unkuro, 881.

Chloiil*. 41W.
I 'irrmnla. 010.

Thlgbed. 005.
Curlew, l-JM|ulmaux,

Diirk. Surf, Ml.
Mu. k. Tr~., Hlark-Brl-

ii.-.r. 5*7.

Alle. 010,018.
r. Yellow, 848.

HolM.link. 80,881.

.
Clangula, 008.

Curlew. Half. 505.
Curlew, Hudaonlan,

Murk, Tree, Fulvoua,
8117.

\ .
\
Anl. T98.
.roore-BHUd,4flB.

ftdBtt mt**

Honaaa.493.

Hrant. Black, 380.

Krnni. I '..nun. >ii, 090.

UK Blrda. 371,
kin.. 4'/7. 498.

-
Curlew, Jack, 505.
Curlew, IX.IIK Hlllrd,

Murk.Tiifleil, rr-5.
M.i. k. V.-lvel.llll.
Murk, W,»M|, i»4.
I'n.k. Wild. 008.

Anaer, BBBJMk
Aaierea, OJO.
Anthropoidea, f35.
Aplenodytea.017.
Aptrry*.0II.BI*.5l3
A pc«r) x, MantrU'i.513.

llritnl. May. MM.

Broad- Bill. 005.

Broad Hill, IH.tard.
005.
Itr.w.1 Hill. Creek. 000.
Brown- Hack. 570.

Black, 489.

C.«k. Chaparral, 496.
Cock. Mountain. 487.
.r the Plain*. 4MB.
' •- koftheW.Mida,487.
Sage. 489.

Curlew. Hed, MO.
Cortew.aaadpipar.Bil,

Hilled.

-

Curlew, Stun.-. 517.

Mu.k-
MII. k», Iturmw, M)l.
Murk-. S<..trr •
Mini Hinl 1'.. li,.nl,0B0.
Dunlin, 574.
Dunlin, Illn.-k Helllrd.

Apler\x, Owen'*, 518.

Hru-li Turkey. 409.

(<>k aloo.U real White,

Curlew. StraltrBUled,

Ara, 385.
Aramua, 089.
Aratoo. Goliath. 890.
Arde*. 540, 543, 544. 545,

Bucero*. 308, 309.

Hum.

BullBncb. 808.

HuntliiK, Hlark-

-
Cockatoo, Hrlmet. 40H
Cockatoo. Lead-
beater'*. 44".

••
Curaorra. 501.
Cu*bal
Cut Water. 094.

Dy tea, 014
E.

•
Ardetta, 547.

V run lit Vvl

Thr.mt.-d. 351.
Huntlnic. Cheatnut

Cockatoo, Parrakret.

Cyrtonyx.480.

Aineri. •«>
Rgrrt. I'.-nl.- -

Aniualrlla. 571
\-- .
Auerhahn. 487.
Auk Caa*lu'». 010.

I '..llared. 858.
Hunting Common, 880.
Banting, Garden, "S".
Hunting, MeCowan'a,

,ton. I>lnk. 400.
Cockatoo, Sulphur-
Crentrd, 89B.
Cockatoo. Trlcolor-

D.
Dabchlck. 010.
Daflla, Out
' i..n. 099.

K^trrt, Hr.l,li.!i
• \\l»lr.588
Killer, ('..iiimon. i'.|°.
Ki.ler. KII.K. ''.1 1

Auk. Created. 010.
Auk. (irrat.015.
Auk. l«a«t. 010.

Auk. i.itt;.
Auk. Parrot. 010.
Auk. Whlakered,010.

353.
Hunl inn. Herd. 331.
Hunt in*. Id'-. Ml.
Hunting. Smith'*, 868.
Hunting. Snow, 899.
Hiintinif, Yellow, 348.
I in ii f i inFii *UM

CtK-katocw. 398.

Colaptr*. 4».
Colapnn.i-. 400.
-.304

Daayptiliu, Treaqurt'*,
Dendrocyicna, 597.

. >mana*Mi. 040.
Mi.l iinculu*. 409.

Kl.ler. I'm-llir. till.
.irl.-.l. till.

KiiiU-ri/j.
••III! Spotted. 500.

Krelinete-

Auk*. 015.
Auk*. KinK and Queen

\ •, - . • 4 . '

•-..•> :

I ill 1 1 1 Ml U1*, >*4o,

Hiiphaua.
HtiplmKiiiii
HiirKoniHMer. 098.
HiiRtant. ('..ran, 510.
BOHtard, Crest, :.I4.
Hii.tiinl. Mule, 515.

Colin*. 804.
Coly. IX>»K Tailed. 804.
Coly! Senrital. 304.
ubldir 018.
Colymbu*. 013.
Cohimba. 440, 443, 444.
451.

MiomiKlia. 031.

Dipper! Die, 008.
Diver. Black Throated,
018.
Dlvrr, Great Northern,

Kuplionin :i«0.
Kupl.M-omu*. 470.
Kupoilotl*. 510.

F.

a

Husinnl. Kumed.510.
Hutlrr Mir.l -tU

Columb*>. 435.

p
Diver*. BIX

Finch, fiouldlan. H41.

H, M .;.- BJ

BaloaricaTnB,

i . ,-......
Baldpate, Mangrore,

Butoridr*

Hutter Ball. 008.
Hutter Box. 008.
C.

Connrua, 3M8, 389.
Coot, 011.
i . .• koewtai M
Coot. Bald. 569.
Coot, Common. 889.

Dodar. 408.

..
Dodo. Little. 409.
Molirhmiyx. .Til.
IW.mirella, 390.

Ftnrh. Purple. 344.
Finch, K'wy. 808.
trp Tailed.
i-
Flnrhe*. 881

Baldpate, Mountain,

Cacatua, 401.

Coot, White- Winged,

M-.Merel, 0».

Kinrhe*. Tror, 341.

440

CacoabU,4M

011.

Dove, Carolina, 441.

KlreLack. 400

lUnklva Fowl, 471.

Calldria, 574.

Coran, 510.

Dove, < .Minion. 441.

FUminto. 50n.

ll.nlain, 47*.
Barbel. Hairy-Breaat-

Calllpepla. 4M.
CaUoMM

Cornkrakr. BBS.
c..rn Thief, 880.

Dorr, (in.nuil. 441.
Dorr. Mountain, 441.

Flamingo. American.

ed.400.

Calvptorrbyurhua, 4OJ, C«lurnlx.4M.

Dorr. Mourning. 441.

Flicker. 491.

Bar beta. 400.

.

1 oiiltrrnrr, OIO.

Dorr. l!«l Hilled. 440.

Flicker. Cape. 4?1.

Hartmniia, 507.

Camrjrphilu*. 413.

Courner. (.ream-Color-

Dove. Kink-

Flicker. Hvl.r,.!. Vi\.

Hee( Kairr. African,

Caniptolirmua, 009.

ed. 519

Dove, Kock-,444.

Florlka> *, 510.

,

Beef Eaten, 818.

Canacr. 407.
Canary Bird. 345.

Cow Bird, 89B.
Cracldir. 400.

Sea. 010.
441.

K..wl. MorkliiR. 479.
Fowl. Cilliirn

H7.

try. Wild. 840.

Crakea.5N0.

Dove. St.M-k-, 449.

Fowl, Guinea, Created,

Bernlola, S94, 088, 890,

( itntT'tniHe AQUL

. • ,. .

Dove, Turtle , 440.

507.
Bernicle Gooaa, 897.

•Tt.
v a*- Back. 007.

Crane, Crowned. 886.
Crane. Demot*elle, 085.

Don, White-Winged.

Fowl, Jungle. Auatra-
llan. 457.

-n. 545.

Capercalllle. 487.

Crane. Mttle. 587.

Dove, Zrnalda, 440.

Fowl, Jungle. Banklva,

Hit tern. American, 540.

Capercailzie. 487.

Crane. NumMlan, 588.

Dowltchrr. 570.

471

Riitem. Leaat. 547.
Blackbird, Brewer'.,

Blackbird. Crow, 891.

CapltoolniP. 400.
C'apoolr. La, 834.
Cardinal. Saint Lncaa,

"

Crane. Sin.) Hill. 887.
Crane. Whooping, 088,
Crax, 456.

Drnk '-M.

i ,. .

- 410.
Duck, Black-Maaked.

Fowl. Jungle, Sonner-
at'i

Fowl. Spaniah. 471

'• - - , . : .

Black bird. Great Crow.

Cardinal, Texan, 888.

Oraw

Cardinal!*, 887.

Cmaa-BIII. White-

Duck. Duaky. Florida,

•TII la. 010.

Blackbird. Marah, 880.

Carlama,BB8.

•

Frrnchnte, 408.

vouiv.-x.r A

Fruit-Pigeon, Oceanic,

435.

Fulica, 589.
Fuligulinae, 606.
Fulix, 605.
Fulmar, Giant, 630.

G.

Gadwall, 605.
Gallime, 455
Gallinago, 577.
GallinuTa, 585.
Gallinule, Florida, 585.
Gallinule, Hyacinthine

586.

Gallinule, Purple, 584.
Ganuet, 561.
Garrot, 608.
Garrot, Hocky Moun-
tain, 608
Garzetta, 545.
Gecinse, 406, 415.
Geese, Domestic, 593.
Geese, True, 593.
Geococcyx, 425.
Geotrygon, 441.
Glareola,518
Gnathodon, 452.
God wit, BHr-Tniled.565
Godwit, Black-Tailed,

565.

Godwit, Common, 565.
Godwit, Hudsonian,

566.

Godwit, Marbled, 565.
Golden-Eye, 608.
Golden Eye, Barrow's

608.

Goldfinch, 341, 343.
Goldfinch, American,

842

Goosander, 612, 613.
Goose, Bean, 594.
Goose, Bernicle, 594,

597.

Goose, Brent, 595.
Goose, Canada, 595, 596.
Goose, Cape Barron,

593

Goose, Chinese, 595.
Goose, Egyptian, 595.
Goose, Emperor, 597.
Goose, Gray-Lag, 593.
Goose, Hutchens', 596.
Goose, Pink - Footed,

595.
G >ose, Red-Breasted,

595.
Goose, Spur- Winged,

592.

Goose Tribe, 590.
Goose, White-Cheeked,

598.
Goose, White-Cheeked,

Larger, 5!«J.
Goose, White-Fronted,

595.

Graculinio, 317.
Grakle, Boat - Tailed,

321
Grakle, Boat -Tailed,

Mexican, 321.
Grakle, Hronzeil, 323.
Grakle, Crowned, 317.
Grakle, F orida, 333.
Grakle, Purple, 331.
Graklen, 317.
Grallse, 514.
Gray - jtiack, Greater,

576.

Grebe, Clarke's. 614.
Grebe, Eared, 1114.
Grebe, Great Crested,

614.

Grebe, Horned, B14,«15.
Grebe, Little, 615.
Grebe, Red - Necked,

614.

Grebe, Sclavonla, 615.
Grebe, St. Domingo,

614.
Grebe, Thicked-Billed,

614.

Greenfinch, 343.
Grismatura, 612.
Grosbeak, 338.
Grosbeak, Black Head-
ed, 338.

VOL. IV.-N. E.

Grosbeak, Black and
Yellow, 339.

Grosbeak, Cardinal, 336

Grosbeak, Evening, 338

Grosbeak, Pine, 338.

Grosbeak, Rose-Breast-
ed, 338.

Grosbeak, Scarlet, 336.

Grosbeaks. 336.

Grouse, Black, 489, 497.

Grouse, Blue, 498.

Grouse, Canada. 407.

Grouse, Dusky, 497.

Grouse, Dusky, Ore
KOU, 498

Grouse, Dusky, Rich-
ardson's, 498.

Grouse Family, 497.

Grouse, Franklin's,497.

Grouse, Oregon, 494.

Grouse, Pine, 498.

Grouse, Pinnated. 491.

Grouse, Prairie, 493.

Grouse, Red, 496.

Grouse, Raffed 493.

Grouse, Sand, 498.

Grouse, Sand, Pin-Tail-
ed, 499.

Grouse, Sharp-Tailed,
494

Grouse, Spotted, 497.

Grouse, Willow, 495.

Grus, 536, 537.

Guan, Texan, 456.

i i 'i IMS, 456

Guide, Great Honey,
423.

Guillemot, 618.

Guillemot, Black, 618.

Gull, Bonaparte's, 624.

Gull, California, 623.

Gull, Common, 623.

Gull, Franklin's. 634.

Gull Glaucous, 633.

Gull, Glaucous- Wing-
ed, 623.

Gull, Great Black-
Backed, 623.

Gull, Heermann's, 624

Gull, Herring. 623.

Gull, Ivory, 633.

Gull, Kittiwake, 623.

Gull, Laughing, 624.

Gull, Little, 623.

Gull, Ring-Billed, 623.

Gull, Ross's, 624.

Gull, Sabine's 624.

Gull, Short-Billed, 623.

Gull, Siberian, 623.

Gull, Silvery, 6*3.

Gull, Skua, 622.

Gull, Swallow-Tall, 624

Gull, Western, 633.

Gull, White- Winged,
623.

Gullhunter, 623.

Gulls, 631.

Gwas-y-g6g, 432.

H.

Hiematopus, 529, 530,
531.

Hammer, Yellow, 131.

Hang-Nest Birds, 322.

llarelda, 609.

Hawfinch, 338.

Hawfinches, 336.

Hen, Heath, 491.

Hen, Moor, 587.

Hen, Water. 587.

Herodias, 537, 538.

Heron, 549.

Heron, Boat-Bill, 550.

Heron, Great Blue. Ml.

Heron, Great White,
540.

Heron, Green, 545.

Heron, Night, Black-
Crowned, fHT.

Heron, Night.Nankeen,
510.

Heron, Night, White-
Crowned, 549.

Heron, Snowy, 545,

Heron, Wurdeman's
540.

Herons, Night, 547.

Heterosceles, 567.

Lories, 389.

Hew-Hole, 415.

Lorrikeet, Scaly-

Highhold, 431.

Breasted, 383.

Hirnautopus, 570.

Lory. Papuan, 389.

Histrionicus, 608.

Lory, Purple-Capped,

Hoatzin, 367.

390.

Honey Eater, Great

Love-Bird, Swindern's

Guide, 433.

398.

Hornbill, Concave, 369.

Love-Birds, 396.

Hornbill, Crested, 368.

Loxia, 363.

Hornbill, Crested,

White, 368, 369.

M.

Hornbill, Red-Breast-

ed, 370.

Macaws 384. 385.

Horubill, Rhinoceros,

Machetes, 571.

368.
Hornbill, Two-Horned,

Macrorhamphus, 569,
576.

368.

Mallards 603.

Hornbill, Woodpecker,

Marabou of Africa, 555.

368.

Mareca 602.

Hornbills, 367.

Marionette, 608.

Houbara, 516.

Meewa, 579.

Hyas, 519.

Megalestris, fi22.

Hylotomus, 415.
Hyphantornis, 334.

Melanerpes 417 418.
Melanerpina) 406.

Melanetta, 6'1.

I.

Meleagris, 473, 476.

Ibis, 559. «
Ibis, Black, 560.

Melopelia. 441.
Melopsittacus, 381.

Ibis, Glossy, 560.
Ibis, Glossy, American,
560.

Mencho 317.
Mergus 612, 613.
Mew, t>24.

Ibis, Sacred 559
Ibis, Scarlet, 559, 560.
Ibis Straw-Necked,560.
Ibis Wood, 561.
IcteridiB 332.

Micoine, 605.
Microglossus, 397,
Micropalma, 509.
viicropterus 612.
Mino Bird 3 7.

Icterinae, 322.

Molobrus, 327.

Icterus, 334

Molothrus, 326.

Indicator, 424.

Monal, 4T8.

lonornis 584.

Moor-Hen 587.

\iooruk. 508

Mouse-Birds, 364.

.

Murre 618.

Jabiru, Australian, 555

Musophaga, 366.

Jabirus, 555.

Jacana, Common. 578.

N.

Jacana, Chinese, 579.

Jacana Mexican, 578.

Nestors, 402. 403.

Jffiger, Parasitic, 623.

Nettion. 603 604.

Jajger, Pomarine, 633.

Nightingale, Virginian,

Junco, 344.

336.

Jungle Fowl, Austra-

Nomonyx, 612.

lian, 457.

NumeniUB, 563, 563, 564,

Jungle Fowl, Bankiva,

565.

471.

Numida, 478,

Jungle Fowl, Sonner-

Nyctherodias, 549.

at's, 4TO.

Nyctiardea, 547.

Jynx, 422.

K.

O.

Kaka, 403.

Ochthodromus, 527.

Kakapo 405.
Karnichi, 580.

(Edemia, 611, 612.
(Edicnemus 517.

Killdeer, Black-Bellied

533

Old Wife, ti09.
Olor, 600, 601.

King Knut, 571.
Kiwi-Kiwi, 511.

Oreotyx, 485.
Oriole, Audubon's, 324.

Knot, 571.

Oriole, Baltimore, 324.

Korw£, 370.

Oriole. Bullock's, 324.

Oriole, Crested, 325.

T

Oriole, Hooded 334.

Uf

Oriole, Orchard. 322.

Lagopus,494,49.\496,497.
Lampronetta, 611.

Oriole, Scott's, 334.
Oriole. Troopial, 824.

Landrail, 585.

Oriole Wagler's, 324.

Lapwing, 519.

Ortalida 456.

Lark, Meadow 328.

Ortalis 456.

Lark, Pencilled, 356.

Ortolan, 350, 441.

Lark, Shore-. 357.

Ortyx. 484.

Lark, Sky-. 85*.

Ossifraga, 620.

Lark, Wood-, 356.

Ostinops, 326.

Larks, 354.

Ostrich, 501.

Larks, Eared, 356.

Otis, 514, 515.

L'lrns, tl','3.

Otocoris, 356.

Leipoa, 458.

Owl, Parrot, 405.

Leptoptilus, 554, 555.

Ox- Bird, 574.

Limosa, 5«5. 566.

Ox-Peckers, 318.

Limpkin.589.

Oyster-Catcher, R29.

Liniii'is, :ii:!. 363

Oyster-Catcher, Ameri-

Logcocks. 415.

can, r>:t().

Lorn via, 618.

Oyster-Catcher, Black,

Longspu r.Lapland ,353.

531.

Loon, 613.
Loon, Adams', 613.

Oxyechus, 524.

Ixjphodytes iii:i.

P,

Lophortvx, 485, 486.
Lord and Lady, 608.

Pagophila, 623.

Paisano, 42fi.

Paleeoruis, 378, 379.

Palamedea. fisii.

Parra, 578, 57'.i.

Parrakeet, Cockatoo,
37*.

Parrakeet, Grass, 381.

Parrakeet, Grass, Blue-
Banded, 383.

Parrakeet, Grass, War-
bling 370. 381.

Parrakeet, Ground,377.

Parrakeet, Harlequin,
Bronze- Wing, 37(i.

Parrakeet, Ringed. 378.

Parrakeet, R i n « e d ,
Alexandrine, 378.

Parrakeet, Rose Hill,
376.

Parrakeet, Wide-Tail-
ed, 376.

Parrakeet, Yellow- Bel-
lied, 376.

Parrakeet, Zebra, asi.

Parrakeets, Ground, 374

Parrot, 386.

Parrot, Carolina, 38«.

Parrot.Greeu, Amazon,
395.

Parrot, Green, Festive,
394.

Parrot, Gray, 39'.

Parrot Long-Billed,4CO

Parrot Owl, 405

Parrot, Philip Island,
400.

Parrot, Rosella, 376.

Parrot, Sea, 616.

Parrots, 374.

Partridge, 4!)3.

Partridge, Birch, 493.

Partriilge, Blue, 4sO.

Partridge, Common,485

Partridge, Massena 486.

Partridge, Mountain,
494.

Partridge.Red-Legged,
481.

Partridge, Scaled, 486.

Partridge, Spruce, 497.

Partridge, Wood, 497.

Partridges, 479.

Passer, 346.

Pastor, 319.

Pauw, 516.

Pavoninaj, 462.

Peacock, Pheasant,
Crested, 464.

Peacocks, 462.

Pediocetes, 494.

Peewit, 519.

Pelidna, 578.

Pelionetta, 611.

Penguins, 617.

Petrel, Ashy, 619.

Petrel, Black, 619.

Petrel, Black-Capped,
619.

Petrel, Bulwer's, 619.

Petrel, Cape, 622.

Petrel,Fork-Tailed,019.

Petrel, Fulmar 6 9 620.

Petrel. Hornby's. 619.

Petrel. Leach's 619.

Petrel, Least, 619.

Petrel, Stormy, 618.

Petrel, White-Bellied,
619.

Petrel, Wilson's. 619.

Petrels, 618

Pezoporus, 378.

Phaps, 448.

Phalarope, Gray, 578.

Phalarope, Red, 578.

Phalarope, Red-Neck-
ed. 578.

Plialaropus, 578.

Phasianus W,.

Pheasant, 465, 493.

Pheasant, Amherst'g,
468.

Pheasant, Argus, 464.

Pheasant, Golden, 467.

Pheasant, lmpeyan.478.

Pheasant, Native, 458.

Pheasant, Peacock,
Crested, 4U4.

Pheaeant. Reeves', 407.

.,....-

Peophla, 5Bt,

PtarnaiKitii.Hn.wa.4M.

I'll

:••,• ... • .

Ptarmigan, Red. 496.

1

I'larmih-in. Kock. 4M.

llarn

Ptarmigan. White-

TaUodTon.

:. -' . . .

I'niti 11,010.

. < • - , - ,

ivultn. r.'Uimoa.OlO.

.'ltil'l'ed.616.

.7, 4IH.

fled. 610.

i' . -. ,

•

Plgson. hand-Tailed.

Pyranga, 341.

Pigeon, Blue-Headed,

W-

PIlfeon.Btue R.v
Pigeon, Bronx

Pigeon, Cre.ted.44a

Una Birds, 547.
C, uall. 488.
(, uall, California, 486.
(, uall, GUI
Quail, MoiiutAi!
Ouatl. Virginian, 4*4.
C ueit|iir«liiii» ttuo.

Pigeon. Nicoliar, 410.

Pigeon, Oceanic Fruit.

,

.Unit.. 881
C uiscovlus. mil.

Pigeon, Paaeenger. 430.

i . . , • . • •

• :. -.., -

Plamm, Tooth-Billed

Kail. Carolina. 868.
IUII, Clapper, 568.
IUII. Clapper, Caltfor-

.

Pigeon. Top Knot 446.
Pigeon, Wblte-Headed.

UIM4I. UOeS.

IUII. Farallone. 5S4.
IUII. I..-U,.:
Kail, I.lttle Black 5M

Pigeon, Wonga-Won-
i ' - wood • •-'

! .. - ,

Pbreona. Wild, 440.

«r.»«4.

Kail, Ked Braa.i.
IUII, Virginian, 5W.
Kail, v.
Kail*

Pine Hen. 404.

Rain-Bird. 415, 48K,

Kale Bleu. 505.

r .
Plant-Cotter, Chilian.

•

Hal Ins, SKI.
lUmphastus, 871.
Kaaores.455.
Rasur-Blll. 016.

Plant-rutter*. 868.
Plantain - Kater, Blue

Kecurvtrostra, 560, 576.
Ked Bird. 886.

Plantain-Eater Violet

Krd Bird, Created. 886.

|{.M| filf*l •««...,.....• -HI

-
Plantaln-Kater*, 865.
Platalea,

nen oiru,9ummer, .HI .
Ked 8 neb. Greater. 843.
Red Head, American,

...

Platyoercu*. 876, 877.

i . • . .

Red Poll, Mealy, 868.
Heed Bird .'131

Pleetrophaoea, 801.

Khea, 50ft, 500, 507.

PtoMnptoraa.591.

!' ' ,,; •, .- .>

Plover, Bertram's. 567
Plorer. Black Bellied,

Khea, Darwin's, 507.
Khra.lArge-Bilied.507.
Hhodostethla,0a4.
HhyacophlluK, 566.

Plover, Buff-Breasted,

Kliynchopa 684.
Rice BinTssi.

•
Plover, Golden, 591.
Plorer, Golden, Amer-

Rice Tnmplal, 331.
Road-Roaaer, 486.

ican, 804

Huff. .VT7, :.71.

Plorer, Grass. 587.
Plorer, Great, 517.

Running Bird*. 501.

Plover, Kentish, 588.

a

Plorer. Ktll.lnr

Saaderllng. 574.

Mountain, 588.

> tri-l j.ijwr. 507.

Plover. Nor folk. 517.

San.lpiper, Aleutian

Plover, Ring. Si'.
Plover, stilt, 570

Sandpiper, A » h -
Colored, 678.

Plover. I'nland. 567.
Plover, Wilson'*. 587.
Plorer. Yellow, 581.

Sandpiper. lUlrd'a. 573.
Sandpiper, Bona-
parte's, 678.

Plorer*, 517.
Pochard, American,

San.lpiper, Common,

.. .

... . -,.,
Podleeps. 014. fll.V

<an.l piper. Curlew, 573.
Sandpiper, Green
•Sandpiper, lx*<ut

Poker, Red-Headed,

Boadpipor, I'ectoral,

Polrplertron. 464.
Polystlcta. 610.

578.
'Sandpiper, Prybllor,

Porpbyrio. SMB. 867.

i'-,,-

*<andplper. Purpl.-
Saadplpor, Red Hack- :

Poultry. 45&.

ed. 1

Poultry, Bam-Door,
470.

Sandpiper, Red-Breast- :
ed. 57*.

1'r.itloeole. 518.

Sandpiper, Semi Pal r

i- • • .- • .
Procellarta. 618, 680.
Pstuacoa. 801.

San.lpiper, Sharp-Tail- i
ed.678.

/.V/'

;:••• .

sandpiper. White

S-anlafella. 441.

Scaup. UtUe.605.
Sciaeor-BluTaM.

Sooleoophagua, 888.

•. American, All.

. .-,... , ..
611

S. rvmuer, Craatt-
Screnn

Screamers. 58U.
4A

. . ••
-••mum, 345.
Shank..' Greater

low. 560.
Shanks. Leaser Yellow.

••
Sharp-Tall, C o I u m -

• . .
Shear-Water. Black

Tailed. 680.

Shear Water, Dusky.
•

• •
•

.'. .

SI,.- ,tl, Hill. Whlte.490.
Shrnth Hill-
Xirl.lrake, American,

AI3

Sheldrake, Ho.ided.AI3.
Xirl.lrske. l'lrd.013.
Xirl.lrske.lUd-Breast-

ed.018.
Shirldrake, Common,

Shleldrake Knddy.OH.
Snirldrakee. 001.
XL.- Bin). 558.
Shoveller. ««.
Shuffler. 006,
Siskin, 848.
Sklmmrr. Black, 684.
Skua, 021
Skylark. 354.
Smew, Aia.
Snipe, Brehm's, 577.
Snipe, Brown, 577.
Snipe, Common. 675.
Snipe, Graw
Snipe, Gray. 576,
Snipe, Great, 575
Snipe, Jack. 57S. 578.
Snipe, Meadow. 57V'
Snipe, Red-Bellied, 676
Snipe. Red-Breaated,

576, 577

Snipe, Kobln.578.
Snipe, Sablne's, 577.
Snipe. Sea
Snipe, Semlpalmated,

Snipe, Summer. 580.
Sni|ir. Stone. 5B7.
Stii|», Wilson's, 575.
Sno T Bird, 844.
Snow Bird. Black, 344.
Snow Bird, Gaude-

loiipe. 345.

Snow Bird, Mexican.
;

Snow Fleck. 852.
Somateria.tlln.ail.
South Southerly, 609.
Sparrow, 840.
Sparrow, ('hlpplnn.854.
Siiarrow, Flel-l. 3M.
.w, Song 354.
Sparrow, Tree. 840. 354.
Sparrow, White-

Throate>l
Spat ubvlSre, 608.
Snerht. 41V
Speckled-Belllea, 805.
Sphyrsplcn*. 416,
Spluells
Spoonbill. Ul.

Vou IV.-S. K.

k 8pooabill.RoaMte.558.

V

'islaruls. &«.

,1 Starling, 88a

\ .Mellua. MO.
Vulture, New Holland,

- ' denTlf '•».

Burling, Ked - Wing.

.* .

Wading Bird.. 617.

WaJ,

-

\V ntrr II. '

>Urllng*, True. 819.
Slarmi-uas, 441.

Weavrr. < 'n|.n...rr. U4

Storoorarlu 688.

Wearer. Hnf..n,

. sit:-

• ' I

• , Hlack Necknl,

Wearer Bird, Mahall.

.

Weaver Bird, Red- Blll-

Stint, Temmlnek'*, 674.

.

M..r..

Weaver Bird, Sociable.

Stork, IllM.k, 553.

Mork. Whaie-Headed.

W.-«vrr Blnls, 388.

567.

Weelah, 4.'«.

Storks, ffae^

Whsii|*,M8.

• :«ilas, 581, 588.

U In.Uh 1.

Stringops.405.

.-tnrn.-lla.8a8.

Wlilinlirr)
\\histler, White-Wing-
-.11.

• Siumlnm, :t|y.

•lr Wit.K.OOB.

-turn us, 880.

Widgeon, 001.

Swan. IWwIck's, 586.
Swan, Black. SOU.

Widgeon. 1
Widow Birds, 286.

Swan, Klk. 598.

Wlllet. 56f

Swan, Kuropean.iWl.
Swan, H.-.per, 698.

Wonga Wonga, 450.

Swan, Imniuulile, 699.

WoHicock, Ameticaa,

Swan, Mute. 597.

..

Swan. P..II.II, :**».

U ,..lc.»-k. Black. 415.

Swan, Tame, 6V7.

Swan, Trumpeter, 600.

Wood-Larl

, Swan, Whistling, MM.

\ViHxl jirrker, Califor-

,..
Symphemla, 667.

nia. 4I»

Wooopaekar, iK.wny.

4IH.

T.

Woodpecker. <Jold-

Tadorna, 601.
Talryal Ins, 460.
. Tallegalla, Wattled,

WinKe.l. 419.
\\ ... .IJITH k.-r, (ireat
HUck, 410.
\\'.K«l|»<-krr. Great

Tansgers, Various, 3H9,

"" I * >t t INI , 400

Woodpookor, (ireeo,

4IS

Tanagrine Bird*. 810.
Tang- Whasp, 505.
Tantalus, 501.
Tattlers, Various. 566,

Woodpookor, Hairy,

W.N>lpeeker, Irory-
Hilled, 411.

'• , •
Teals. Various, 606, 604.

Woodpaokor, l>e«*rr
>|Hitted.41fl.

Teeong, 817.

Tell-Taie.AAfl.

W.HKlpecker, Ix-wi.',

Tetrao, 4h7, 4W>.
Tetraonlflif, 4«7.

W.HMlpecker. I'lleate.1,

Trx
Thalaasldroma, 619.
Tliaunitlea. 40H. 400.
Thick KII.-.
Tinimou. Klegant. 4W.
'1 ookaa, 870.
Toco Toucan, 871.
Toothed Jaw, 458.
Totauus. 500.
Toucan, 871.
I'oucans, 371.
To nuns. Various, 878.
Touracos, 866, 867.
Towhees.
Traaneaa, Horne<l,473.

W.H»lpecker, Red -IW-
Iled,4l7.
Woodpecker. Hr.1
Cooka)dad.418.

Woodpecker. Itr.l
Headed, 410, 4
W oodnerker. Three-
Toeil. B.in.le<l. 4i:>.
Woodpecker, fbree-
Taoi, Northern. 410.
W.wdpecker, Yellow
IW-lliKl. 410.
Wood peckers, 408

Wnodpeckers,True,406,

, ^

Tricbogloeaus. 8H8.
Tringa, 57

W,x>dple, 40M.

\V(n» | | *| fcff*oii 443.

Trlnitolde*. 5fl«.
Trooplal.Cow, 8fB.
Trooplal. Rice. 331.
Trumpeter, Golden-

Wood Spite 41 V~
Wood Wall. 415.
Wryneck, 4X1.

Breasted. 533.

Tryngitea. 566.
Turkey, i

•

Xantbonphalua, 881.

Turkey, Brash. 480.

Turkey. Family, 478.

* -

Turkey. Honduras, 478,

Yellow. Blnl. 348.

470

Yellow Legs, 666.

Turkey, Water. 501.

Turkey, Wild.

1

Turnwooe.
Turnstone. Black, 688.
Turtle-Dove. 446.
Turtur, 447.

Zalllnagn. '

/ ,

/..•:..! ! i . .

ZoaaMnra, 441

Zoootrichla. 847.

•

Zoster..

fria, 618.

Zulztn, 80S,

14 DAY USE

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