•

LIBRARY

•I

IRViNI

THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY

OF CALIFORNIA

IRVINE

GIFT OF

MRS. MARION SCHLESINGER
JOHN

The Birds of Ohio

THE BIRDS OF OHIO

A COMPLETE, SCIENTIFIC AND

POPULAR DESCRIPTION OF THE 320 SPECIES OF BIRDS
FOUND IN THE STATE

WILLIAM LEON DAWSON, A.M., B. D.

WITH INTRODUCTION AND ANALYTICAL KEYS BY

LYNDS JONES, M. Sc.

INSTRUCTOR IN ZOOLOGY IN OBERLIN COLLEGE.

ILLUSTRATED BY So PLATES IN COLOR-PHOTOGRAPHY, AND MORE THAN 2OO
ORIGINAL HALF-TONES, SHOWING THE FAVORITE HAUNTS OF THE
BIRDS, FLOCKING, FEEDING, NESTING, ETC., FROM PHOTO-
GRAPHS TAKEN BY THE AUTHOR AND OTIIKUS.

SOLD ONLY BY SUBSCRIPTION-

COLUMBUS

THE WHEATON PUBLISHING CO.
1903

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

v. I

COPYRIGHT 1902

BY
THE WHEATON PUBLISHING Co.

Half -tone work by The Bucher Engraving Co.

Composition and 1'resswork by Tbe New Franklin Printing Co.

Binding l.y The Ruggles-Gale Co.

To my first-born son,

mill Cfarrlin

who is already approving himself in a fond father'* eyes as

A YOUNG ORNITHOLOGIST

This book is affectionately dedicated.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

PACK.

INTRODUCTION BY LYNDS JONES >i

PREFACE : xiii

LIST OF COLORED PLATES xvii

TOPOGRAPHY OF A BIRD xxii

ANALYTICAL KEYS xxiii

TABLE OF COMPARISONS xlvii

DESCRIPTIONS OF THE 320 SPECIES OF BIRDS KNOWN TO OCCUR IN OHIO. i

APPENDIX A, HYPOTHETICAL LIST 641

APPENDIX B, CONJECTURAL LIST 645

APPENDIX C, CHECK-LIST AND MIGRATION TABLES 647

INDEX . .661

INTRODUCTION.

General appreciation of the birds, their beauty, the charm uf their songs,
their joyous lives, and their usefulness, is one of the most significant signs
of the times. It indicates that as a people we are coming into our own. We
are living a life beyond the merely commercial. We are looking out upon a
larger w:orld lifted to a higher plane. Americans have always excelled in
strength and push and general initiative where material things are concerned,
but we have been too busy developing ourselves to see about us the beautiful
and pleasing in nature. The grand, indeed, has always appealed to us. Now
we begin to have leisure for the graceful and the subtle. We are broadening
our lives by closer touch with that which appeals to the higher instincts
which have been allowed to remain dormant. It is natural and fitting that
birds should appeal most strongly to an American, because they possess that
vigor and tireless energy which he recognizes in himself. The birds live at
-white heat and are never idle. They typify American energy.

The study of birds necessarily takes one out of doors. Our medical ad-
visers are always prescribing more outdoor exercise; but without any other
object than getting into the fresh air exercise is pretty stupid. Give one the
zest of finding new things which must be searched for, something which re-
quires going after, and the necessity for exercise is forgotten in the interest
aroused by the ever receding bird. Enlist a child in bird study and the problem
of most serious importance to the parent, how to properly guard the developing
life and keep it away from evil influences, becomes greatly simplified. A boy
cannot be very bad, nor stay bad, if he has a genuine interest in birds. They
keep his mind occupied and direct his energies into healthful channels. Life
never falls to a dead level to him who knows and loves the birds. Old age,
as we are wont to regard it, will never touch him, for he will not wish to live in
the past, but continue his interest in the present which will always be fresh and
filled with new things to learn.

The study of birds does not require any unusual leisure. Many business
men whose business demands practically their whole time and attention are
ardent lovers of the birds, and find the few moments of bird study each day
valuable to them in their hours of business. They are able to plan their few
short vacations so they will count for the most. There is no haphazard effort

xi.

to get the most rest in the shortest time, requiring more effort to execute the
plan than the rest is worth, but the calm assurance that they are certainly to find
what they wish for. Xo one, no matter how busy, need think that for him
bird stud}' is impossible, because some birds may be seen from any window.
Attention is the only requisite. Most present day bird students began their
study during their period of least leisure.

This book is offered as a help in enlisting and developing your interest
in our native birds. The author has always loved birds, and has spent many
years in Ohio with the birds at all seasons and in many places. By education
and training he is fitted to express here that intense love and 'appreciation
which has been characteristic of his study during all of the ten years of our
fellowship as bird lovers. The many happy days and weeks of our association
in field work have served only to deepen my conviction that there are few per-
sons whose sympathetic appreciation and careful training could better fit them
for the task of revealing the birds to those who wish to know them. Study
in Ohio for a considerable term of years, supplemented by study of the same
and other birds in many places outside of the State has given to the author of
this book unusual knowledge and equipment for the task. College and Theo-
logical training also count much for accuracy of knowledge and facility of
expression.

The State of Presidents is also the State of varied bird life. With Lake
Erie at one end and the Ohio River, a main tributary of the great Mississippi,
at the other, midway between the extreme east and the middle west, Ohio is
favorably situated for varied bird life, and for comparative ease in the study of
fhat life. The once almost continuous forests are rapidly disappearing, and
with them some of our birds, but there is a compensation in the appearance
of many others which do not live in the forests. We are now passing through
a transition period from the original conditions before the advent of the domi-
nant race to the modified conditions which he has made necessary. The rising
generation will see more changes in the birds of our state than we have or will
see. The birds will not disappear so long as there is the keen interest shown
in them which we see dawning to-day. Their friendship and trust are worthy
of any effort which we may put forth.

LYNDS JONES.

Obcrlin. Ohio.

PREFACE.

If any doubt existed in the mind of the author at the inception of his
task, that the people of Ohio would welcome a book on the birds of the state,
that doubt has quite vanished before the words o-f encouragement and appro-
bation which have already come in, not only from nature-students but from
prominent educators and men of affairs. The love of out-of-doors is a grow-
ing passion in the hearts of our people, and the willingness on the part of all
classes to sit at Nature's feet is a most hopeful sign of the times. Nature
in all her aspects is richly vocal to her true disciples, but at no time does she
speak more clearly and sweetly, and in language which may be "understanded
of the people," than in the voices of the birds. It is with a sense of privi-
lege, therefore, that the author has recorded his observations and impressions
of bird-life in this state, and has set forth in orderly fashion a brief sum-
mary of our knowledge of our feathered friends. To quicken interest in the
birds, to facilitate recognition of their features and observation of their
•habits and to raise for them, if possible, an army of well-wishers — on the
theory that all who really know must love them — has been the author's
purpose. Of its accomplishment the future must judge.

A fully illustrated took on the birds of a single state is in a measure
a new departure, but the perfection of modern methods, especially that of
the three-color process, fortunately makes it possible. With four excep-
tions, the half-tone cuts in this book are from photographs taken in Ohio,
chiefly during the season of 1903. While the aim has been to secure in the
pictures both the educational and the artistic interest, the latter has of necessity
been occasionally sacrificed.

The treatment of each bird includes both a technical description, of
plumage, etc., and a popular account of its habits in Ohio. In the limits
prescribed it has at no time been possible to accord any bird the dignity of
a genuine life-history, and the sketches as written are by no means exhaus-
tive. In the scientific treatment also it was deemed best not to attempt the
elaboration of points in structural ornithology, such as may be found in any
standard manual, but to utilize the space thus saved for a more careful analysis
of plumage, in so far as local material was available. The plumage descrip-
tions and measurements are based almost entirely upon a first-hand study
of the Ohio State University collections, and these are nearly complete as

xiii.

to Ohio species. Where specimens or data were lacking, I have been under
obligation to Ridgway's Manual1, Cones' Key-, Chapman's Handbook3, and
other treatises.

The scope of this book, it is almost needless to say, is strictly Ohioan.
The birds as described "are as any one in Ohio might see them. Something-
may, indeed, be said from time to time as to the bird's behavior in its distant
summer or winter home, but our interest centers upon the bird as it appears
in this state. The proportionate treatment, therefore, which each one re-
ceives, is prescribed by its relative familiarity or importance within our limits.
Common birds are not dismissed with a word because they are common, nor
rare ones dilated upon at great length because they are rare, but the effort
has been rather to give each bird the place which it actually holds in the
average scheme of interest.

The order of treatment is substantially the opposite of the one now
followed by the American Ornithologists' Union, and is justifiable princi-
pal!}- en the ground that it follows a certain order of interest and convenience.
Beginning, as it does, with the supposedly highest forms of bird-life, it brings
to the fore the most familiar birds, and avoids that rude juxtaposition of
the lowest form of one group and the highest of the one above it, which is
the confessed weakness of the A. O. U. code.

The summaries under the caption ''General Range'' are chiefly those
furnished by the Second Edition of the A. O. U. Check-list, modified by such
mere recent information as has come to hand.

While the author's point of view has been that of a bird-lover, some
things here recorded may seem inconsistent with the claim of that title. The
fact is that none of us are quite consistent in our attitude toward the bird-
world. The interests of sport ami the interests of science must sometimes
come into conflict with those of sentiment; and if one confesses allegiance
to all three at once he will inevitably appear to the partisans of either in a
bad light. However, a real principal of unity is found when we come to
regard the bird's value to society. The question then becomes, not, Is this
bird worth more to me in my collection or upon my plate than as a living
actor in the drama of life? but. In what capacity can this bird best serve the
interests of mankind? There can be no doubt that the answer to the latter
question is usually and increasingly, As a living bird. We have stuffed speci-
mens enough, nearly ; only a limited few of us are fitted to enjoy the pleasures
of the chase, and the objects of our passion are about gone anyway; but
never while the hearts of men are set on peace, and the minds of men are
alert to receive the impression of the Infinite, will there be too many birds
to speak to eye and ear, and to minister to the hidden things of the spirit.

1 A Manual of North American Birds, by Robert Kidgway. Fourth Edition. Philadelphia: T. B.
Lippmcott Company.

2 Key to North American Birds, by Elliott Coues, A.M., M.D., Ph.D. Fourth Edition. Boston: Estes
and Lauriat.

3 Handbook of Birds of Eastern North America, by Frank M. Chapman. Sixth Edition. New York:
I). Appleton and Company.

The birds belong to the people, not to a clique or a coterie, but to all the
people as heirs and stewards of the good things of God.

As to the manner of treatment I need not speak further, save to say
that the recent publication of Jones' catalogue of the Birds of Ohio1, excuses
me from the necessity of making a precise or complete enumeration of the
records of any bird's occurrence — altho as matter of interest I have done
so in a few cases. The reader is referred also to Mr. Jones' excellent list
for a more particular account of the distribution of each species throughout
the state, and for information as to food habits, not extensively given in this
volume.

To mention all the books which have been of service in the preparation
of this one would be to give a catalogue of the author's library, supplemented
by those of friends — evidently an uncalled-for task. A few of the principal
works, however, require to be mentioned. The published results of Dr. J.
M. Wheaton's work2 have been largely assumed in this book, or used as a
basis of comparison and point of departure. Without his painstaking fidelity
many state records would have been lost to sight, and we are all under the
deepest obligation to him for a wealth of accumulated material well arranged.
Dr. Howard Jones generously placed the contents of his monumental work
on the Nests and Eggs of Ohio Birds3 at our disposal, and we only regret
that the limits of this volume forbade our drawing more largely upon its
treasures. Mr. Oliver Davie's "Nests and Eggs of North American Birds"
(Fifth Edition) has been consulted, and its pages furnish several records
for Ohio. Besides these, Ohio pamphlets and local lists too numerous to
mention have contributed their share to the result.

Of the catalogues and lists published in adjacent states that of Prof.
Amos W. Butler on the "Birds of Indiana" has proved most valuable, both
because of the similarity which exists between Ohio and her sister on the
west, and for the unusually abundant data which Prof. Butler's enthusiastic
labors have provided. Others which deserve mention are Mcllwraith's
"Birds of Ontario" ; Ridgway and Forbes' Ornithology of Illinois" ; A. J.
Cook's "Birds of Michigan" and Warren's "Birds of Pennsylvania."

Of general works the compendious volumes of Baird, Brewer, and Ridg-
way, entitled "The Birds of North America", have been most frequently
consulted. The first two volumes of Robert Ridgway 's "Birds of North
and Middle America" have been at hand, and these easily surpass all other
purely technical works in importance. Chapman's "Handbook of the Birds

1 Ohio State Academy of Science, Special Papers No. 6. The Birds of Ohio, A Revised Catalogue, by
Lynds Jones, M. Sc. Oct. 15, 1903, pp 241.

2 As embodied in his "Report on the Birds of Ohio", appearing in Vol. IV of the State Geological
Survey, pp 187-628. A limited number of the Author's separates still exist, and may be had of the Wheaton
Publishing Company.

3 "Illustrations of the Nests and Eggs of the Birds of Ohio." Published at Circleville in 24 parts:
Elephant folio: Hand-colored plates: Tuly,i88o-Dec. 1886. Text by Howard E. Jones. Art work by
Genevieve E. Jones, Eliza J. Schulze, Mrs. N. H. Jones, and others. A magnificent work, second only
to Audubon. Edition limited to 68 hand-colored copies, of which four still remain unsold, and may be
had of the Wheaton Publishing Company.

of Eastern North America" is a model of its class, and its lines — all too

j)rjef have proved a fertile source of inspiration. On the more popular

side grateful mention may he made of Langille's "Our birds in their Haunts",
and Nehrling's "Our Native Birds of Song and Beauty."

To my friend and ornithological brother, Professor Lynds Jones, I am
under the deepest obligations for assistance in the prosecution of this work.
Altho having a more accurate knowledge of bird-ways than I, he generously-
consented to set aside certain plans of his own, and has not spared to give
me valued counsel and aid of every sort. To the list of signed sketches
which bear his name, should be added the article on the Bob-white, whose
signature was inadvertently omitted.

I gratefully acknowledge indebtedness to the State University authori-
ties, and especially to Professors Osborn and Hine, for the use of museum
material and for many kindnesses beside; to Mr. C. B. Galbreath of the
State Library, and to Mrs. Lida Wheaton for the loan of valuable books ;
to Rev. Leander S. Keyser, D.D., Dr. Joshua Lindahl, Dr. F. W. Langdon,
Dr. Howard Jones, Messrs. C. H. Morris, E. J. Arrick, Win. Hubbell Fisher,
and others, for gracious hospitality; to Rev. W. F. Henninger, Professor
Wm. S. Mills, Robert J. Sim, R. L. Baird, Walter C. Metz, R. F. Griggs,
and others, for signed sketches, pictures, and data; and to a host of corre-
spondents and friends beside, for hearty cooperation which has made this
work a pleasant task and one in a measure representative of the whole state.

To my wife is due a. large measure of credit for her painstaking and
unselfish work upon the manuscript and in proof-reading. Without her aid
the work must have been delayed several months.

1 cannot conclude without making grateful acknowledgment also of the
sustained interest of my friend and coadjutor, Mr. L. H. Bulkley, and of
the service of all those who in good conscience have wrought upon this book,
to give it a comely appearance, a body better, I fear, than the expression of
its animating spirit, but not higher, I venture to believe, than its aim.

W. LEON DAWSON.
Columbus, Dec. 15, 1903.

LIST OF COLORED PLATES.

1. AMERICAN CROW (Corvus americanus) to face page 3

2. BOBOLINK (Dolichonyx oryzivorus} 1 1

3. BRONZED GRACKLE (Quiscalus quiscula anens) 33

4. AMERICAN CROSSBILL (Loxia curvirostra) 43

5. AMERICAN GOLDFINCH (Astragalinus tristis) 47

6. SNOWFLAKE (Passerina nivalis} 50

7. WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW (Zonotrichia Icucophrys} 66

8. CARDINAL (Cardinalis cardinalis) 97

9. SCARLET TANAGER (Piranga erythromelas} 107

10. PROTHONOTARY WARBLER (Protonotaria citrea) 115

11. GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER (Helminthophila chrysoptera) 125

12. YELLOW WARBLER (Dendroica astiva} 135

13. BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER (Dendroica c&rulesccns) 139

14. MAGNOLIA WARBLER (Dendroica maculosa] 143

15. CERULEAN WARBLER (Dendroica rara} 145

1 6. BAY-BREASTED WARBLER (Dendroica castanca} 150

17. BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER (Dendroica vircns) 160

1 8. HOODED WARBLER (Wilsonia mitrata) 189

PAGE

19. AMERICAN REDSTART (Setophaga ruticilla) 195

20. HORNED LARK (Otocoris alpestris) ... 199

21. OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH (Hylocichla ustulata swainsonii) ... .217

22. BLUEBIRD (Sialia sialis) 227

23. GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET (Regulus satrapa} 232

24. BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER (Polioptila ccsrulea) 235

25. TUETED TITMOUSE (Bceolophus bicolor} 242

26. CAROLINA CHICKADEE (Parus carolinensis) 247

27. BROWN CREEPER (Certhia familiari-s americanus) 251

28. BROWN THRASHER (Toxostoma rufum} 257

29. CAROLINA WREN (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 259

30. LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN (Telmatodytes palustris} 269

31. BARN SWALLOW (Hirundo erythogaster} 276

32. BOHEMIAN WAX WING (Ampelis garrulus} 284

33. LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE (Lanius ludovicianus} 289

34. BLUE-HEADED VIREO (Vireo solitarius} 302

35. PHOEBE (Sayornis phccbe) 314

36. RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD (Trochilus colnbris} 334

37. CHIMNEY SWIFT (Chcetura pelagica) 336

38. DOWNY WOODPECKER (Dryobates pubescens medianus) 345

39. RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER (Centurus carolinus) 357

40. NORTHERN FLICKER (Colaptes auratus luteus} 359

41. YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO (Coccysus americanus} 365

42. AMERICAN BARN OWL (Strix pratincola) 371

43. SAW-WHET OWL (Nyctala acadica} 381

44. GREAT HORNED OWL (Bubo virginianus) 384

45. AMERICAN SPARROW HAWK (Falco spari-erins) 391

46. RED-TAILED HAWK (Buteo borealis) 103

47. AMERICAN ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (Archibuteo lagopus stincti-

johannis) 410

48. TURKEY VULTURE (Cathartes aura) 419

49. PASSENGER PIGEON (Ectopistes migratorius) 425

50. WILD TURKEY (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) 431

51. RUFFED GROUSE (Bonasa umbellus) . 433

52. PRAIRIE HEN (Tympanuchus americanus) 435

53. BOB-WHITE (Colinus virginianus) 437

54. SORA (Porzana Carolina) 449

55. PURPLE GALLINULE (lonornis martinica) 452

56. AMERICAN COOT (Fulica americana) 457

57. AMERICAN BITTERN (Botaurus lentiginosus) 463

58. SNOWY HERON (Egretta candidissima) 472

59. AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER (Charadrius dominicus) 483

60. AMERICAN WOODCOCK (Philohela minor} 495

61. PECTORAL SANDPIPER (Actodromas maculata) 507

62. SANDERLING (Calidris arenaria) 515

63. BARTRAMIAN SANDPIPER (Bartramia longicauda) 527

64. NORTHERN PHALAROPE (Phalaropus lobatus) 540

65. HERRING GULL (Larus argentatus) 549

66. RING-BILLED GULL (Larus delawarensis) 551

67. BONAPARTE GULL (Larus Philadelphia) 552

68. COMMON TERN (Sterna hirundo) 558

69. BLACK TERN (Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis) 569

ANALYTICAL KEYS

BY

LYNDS JONES, M. Sc.

HOW TO USE THE KEYS.

While these keys are made for the purpose of identifying any bird in the
hand, they are not intended to give more than the barest information about
the bird. You should at once turn to the description of the bird whose name
you have found by means of the keys, and read what may be found there be-
fore remaining content. Often an unsatisfactory identification by the keys will
give you the clue so that you can turn to the body of the book and there make
sure of your bird. The keys, then, are but a means to an end. They are merely
for rapid determination, not for any other particular information.

There are three separate keys. First of all, a Key to the Orders ; next a
Key to the Families under each order ; and lastly a Key to the Species under
each family. You should always begin with the Key to the Orders to get
your bird in the right group. Having found the order to which it belongs
turn to the Key to the Families, find the order there by the number which pre-
cedes it in the Key to the Orders, and determine to what family it belongs. In
like manner turn to the Key to the Species given under each family and there
determine the species. The families are numbered in I, 2, 3, order under each
order, but the species are given the number which they bear in the body of
the book. While the orders are not serially arranged in the Key to the Orders,
they are arranged in i, 2, 3, order in the Key to the Families. Likewise, while
the species are not serially arranged in the Key to the Species they are so ar-
ranged in the body of the book.

It is important that you should know how to use the keys unless you are
already familiar with most of the birds described in this book. At first sight
they may seem confused, but after a little practice in the use of them they will
prove very simple. Let us suppose that you now have a bird in hand which
you wish to identify. Suppose it is a Green Heron. In the Key to the Orders.
"!.'' calls for a bird with webbed or lobed feet; your bird has neither webs
nor lobes, so you must turn to the contrasting character which will be under
"II," which so far describes your bird. Next is "A. Legs and Neck long and
slender." That is true of your bird. Then the next is "i. Lores (region be-
tween the eye and bill bare." Your bird has bare lores, so it must be one of
the Herodiones, Order 6. Turn now to Order 6 in the Key to the Families.
Here the first is "I. Bill straight and sharp." That is right for your bird.
Your bird belongs to Family i, Ardeidae. Turn now to the Key to the Species
and find Order 6, and Family i under it. The first here is also "I. Wing
less than 6.00." Your bird's wing measures more than 6 inches, so try "II.
Wing about 7.25." You find that it is nearer that length than the others given.
so conclude that your bird is a Green Heron, number 213 in the book. Turn
to that number and prove it by the minute description given there. Any other
(ase would work out on the same principle.

xxiii.

KEY TO THE ORDERS.

PYGOPODES.
STEGANOPODES.

TUBINARES.

ODONTOGLOSS^E.
ANSERES.

LONGIPENNES.
LIMICOL^E.

PYGOPODES.

PALUDICOL^:.

I. Feet with webs or lobes.

A. Feet with webs.

1. Webs extending to the base of the toe-nails.

a Legs far back near the tail ; tail short or wanting. 16.
b. Legs near the middle of the body ; tail well developed,
(i). Hind toe connected to the front one by a web. 14.
(2). Hind toe, when present, free and opposed to

the front ones.

(a). Nostrils opening through tubes. 15.

(b). Nostrils not opening through tubes.

(a1). Bill with tooth-like protections along its

sides.

(a2). End half of bill bent abruptly down;
legs and neck very long and slender.
(Not found in Ohio.)
(b2). Only tip of bill bent down; legs not very

long. 13-

(b1). Bill without tooth-like projections; wing;

long. 12.

2. W bs not extending to the base of the toe-nails. n.

B. Feet with lobes on the sides of the toes.

1. Legs far back; tail wanting. (Grebes). 16.

2. Legs near the middle of the body ; tail well developed.

a. Forehead with a bare shield. (Coot, white) (Galli-

nule, red). 9.

b. Forehead without a bare shield : bill long and slender, n.

II. Feet with neither webs nor lobes.

A. Legs and neck long and slender.

1. Lores bare. 10.

2. Lores not bare.

a. Toes four. (Cranes.) 9.

b. Toes three. (Plovers, etc.) n.

B. Legs and neck not decidedly long and slender.

*ery '
Feet and toes moderate.

a. Lower part of tibia bare.

b. Lower part of tibia feathered.

(i). Hind toe short, elevated above the front ones.
(2). Hind toe, when present, on the same level as the

front toes.

(a). Nostrils opening beneath a soft, fleshy mem-
brane.

(b). Bill without a soft, fleshy membrane.
(a1). Bill with a tough cere at its base.
(a2). 3 toes in front, one behind.
(b2) 2 toes in front, 2 behind,
(bl). Bill without a cere.

(a2). 2 toes in front and 2 behind, or 2 in front

and i behind.

(a3) Tail feathers stiff and pointed.
(b3). Tail feathers not stiff.
(b2). 3 toes in front, one behind.

(a3). Middle and outer toes joined for half

their length. 4. COCCYGES.

(b3). Middle and outer toes not joined.
(a4). Feet and bill very small" and weak,

mouth large. 2. MACROCHIRES.

(b4). Bill long and very slender. (Hum-
mingbirds). 2. MACROCHTRES.
(c4). Characters various, but not combined

as above. i. PASSERES.

HERODIONES.
PALUDICOL^:.

PALUDICOL^:.

LIMICOL-jE.

GALLING.

RAPTORES.
PSITTACI.

PICI.

COCCYGES.

XXV.

KEY TO THE FAMILIES.

ORDER i. PASSERES. Perching Birds.

About three-fourths of all our Ohio birds belong to this order, in size they range from the
Crow and Raven to the Kinglets, which are scarcely more than four inches long. They combine
most of the habits met in the other orders and introduce some new ones. All colors of the spec-
trum are theirs. In song they excel all other birds, but some members of the Oscines, even, have
no song. It is impossible to characterize the group, yet it is a group the members of which are
readily distinguished from all others. One soon instinctively recognizes any passerine bird on first
acquaintance.

I. Back of tarsus rounded like the front.

A. Bill flattened, hooked at tip. 17. TYRANNIDAE. FLYCATCHERS.

B. Bill rounded, not hooked. 6. ALAUDIDAE. LARKS.

II. Back of tarsus sharp.

A. Bill hooked at the tin.

1. Large, over 8.50 inches long. 1-5. LANIIDAE. SHRIKES.

2. Small, under 6.50 inches long. 16. VIREONIDAE. VIKEOS.

3. With a distinct crest; tail tipped with yellow. 14. AMPELIDAE. WAXWINGS.

B. Bill not hooked at tip.

1. With only 9 primaries.

a. Bill very short, wings long and pointed. 13. HIRUNDINIDAE. SWALLOWS.

b. Wings moderate, bill moderate,
(i). Bill straight, cone-shaped.

(a). Bill not notched, its base parting the feathers

of the forehead. 2. ICTERIDAE. BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES, ETC.

(b). Bill notched, not parting feathers of forehead.

(a1). Nostrils concealed by feathers. 3. FRINGILLIDAE. SPARROWS, ETC.

(b1). Nostrils exposed. 4. TANAGRIDAE. TANAGERS.

(2). Bill slender, not cone-shaped.

(a). Hind claw long and straightened. 7. MOTACILLIDAE. PIPITS.

(b). Hind claw not lengthened. 5. MNIOTILTIDAE. WOOD WARBLERS.

2. With 10 primaries.

a. Upper part of tarsus not divided into scales.

(i). Wing more than 3.50. 8. TURDIDAE. THRUSHES, ETC.

(2). Wing less than 2.50. 9. SYLVIIDAE. KINGLETS, GNATCATCHER.

b. Whole tarsus divided into scales.

• (i). Tail feathers stiff, pointed at tip. 11. CERTHIIDAE. CREEPERS.

(2). Tail feathers normal.

(a). Nostrils covered by stiff bristly feathers. i. CORVIDAE. CROWS, JAYS.

(b). Nostrils without bristly tufts.
(a1). First primary about half as long as the

longest one. 12. TROGLODYTIDAE. WRENS, THRASHERS.

('b1). First primary about a third as long as the ETC.

longest one. 10. PARIDAE. TITMICE, NUTHATCHES.

ORDER 2. MACROCHIRES. Goatsuckers, Swifts, Hummingbirds.
At a glance this is also a diverse group, but the Swifts, Nighthawks and Whippoorwills are much
alike in external appearances and in food habits. They have long and pointed wings, weak feet
and bill, and a large mouth. The Hummingbirds differ in having a long and extremely slender
bill and small mouth.

I. Wing ever 6.50. 3. CAPRIMULGIDAE. WHIPPOORWILL,

NlGHTHAWK.

II. Wing about 5.00. 2. MICROPODIDAE. SWIFTS.

III. Wing under 2.00. i. TROCHILIDAE. HUMMINGBIRDS.

ORDER 3. PICI. Woodpeckers.

The Woodpeckers all belong to one family, PICIDAE. Their chisel-like bills and stiff, pointed
tail feathers, and their habit of clinging in an upright position to tree trunks are characteristic. They
feed upon insects, ripe fruit and the sap of trees, and sometimes acorns and nuts.

ORDER f COCCYGES. Cuckoos, Kingfisher.

The two suborders comprising this group have few external characters in common. The Cuck-
oos eat caterpillars and other insects, the Kingfisher eats fish and probably other aquatic animals.
The Cuckoos are woods birds, the Kingfisher is found in the vicinity of water. The Cuckoos are
soberly colored, the Kingfisher is distinctly bluish and crested.

I. Toes 2 in front and 2 behind. 2. CUCULIUAE. CUCKOOS.

II. 3 toes in front and one behind. i. ALCEDINIDAE. KINGFISHERS.

ORDER 5. PSITTACI. Parrots.

The Carolina Paroquet has been extinct in the state for more than twenty years.

161. Carolina Paroquet.

ORDER 6. RAPTURES. Vultures. Hawks, Eagles, Owls, etc.

To this order belong the birds which eat flesh. Their feet and bills are adapted for catching
and holding the prey, and tearing it into morsels. The vultures have bare heads because they feed
upon carrion. The whole group is of so great importance as a balancer of the forces of nature in
the animal realm that about half of them are night prowlers; thus, both the diurnal and the noc-
turnal disturbers of fields and gardens are held in check by the flesh-eaters. Only four of the
species wnich are found in Ohio are harmful to poultry interests.

I.. Eyes looking straight forward, set in a striking disk of

feathers.

A. Feathers on back of tarsus growing up. i. STRIGIDAE. BARN OWL.

B Feathers on back of tarsus growing down. 2. BUBONIDAE. HORNED AND HOOT

OWLS.

II. Eyes not looking forward, no facial disk.

A. Head bare. 4. CATHARTIDAE. VULTURES.

B. Head feathered. 3. FALCONIDAE. HAWKS, EAGLES, FAL-

CONS, ETC.

ORDER /. COLUMBUS. Doves and Pigeons.

To this order belongs the single family COLUMBAE. The Mourning Dove is the only repre-
sentative of the order now regularly found in the state.

ORDER 8. GALLING. Turkeys, Grouse, Bob- white.

The best representatives of this group are the barn-yard fowls and domestic turkey. They are
heavy bodied, short winged birds, which are able to get up from the ground suddenly and fly short
distances with great velocity. Their food consists of both vegetable and animal matter in about
the proportions of the domestic members of the group.

I. Size very large — about 4 feet long. r. MELEAGRINAE. TURKEYS.

II. Size -mailer — less than 2 feet long. 2. TETRAONIDAE. GROUSE, BOB-WHITE.

ORDER y. PALUDICOL,£. Cranes, Rails, Coots, Gallinules.

To this diverse group belong the smaller swamp-haunting birds. Only the cranes can be called
true waders, living in the more open water, or even in fields away from water; the others are
rather sedge haunters, running over the swamp vegetation rather than wading. They feed largely

upon swamp animal life.

I. Tarsus over six inches. 2. GRUIDAE. CRANES.

II. Tarsus under 3.00 inches. i. RALLIDAE. RAILS, COOTS, GALLINULK.

OKDKK 10. HER( )!)!( )NES. Herons, Egrets. Bitterns, etc.

The members of this group are preeminently waders, their long legs and long neck enabling
them to fish standing in the water. They eat almost any animals which may be found in the swamps
and shallow water. They arc awkward-appearing birds, but fly well, usually stretching the long legs
straight out behind like a rudder when flying.

I. Bill straight and sharp. r. ARDEIDAE. BITTERNS, HERONS, EGRETS.

II. Bill curved downward, blunt.

. "Wing over 16.00 inches. 2. CICONIIDAE. WOOD IBIS.

B. Wing under 13.00 inches. 3. IBIDIDAE. IBISES.

ORDER 11. LIMICOL.E. Shore Birds.

\\hile the birds comprising this group have been called waders they are not so much so as the
Herodiones. Many species live more on the uplands than in or near the water, but some are true
waders in shallow water. Some probe in the soft mud, some glean from the surface of the ground.
;ome glean at the water's edge, some search under stones and drift for their food. While none
can be called singers in the proper sense, yet some have calls which are certainly more musical than
the cries of the Crow or Grackles. which belong to the Oscines. All are nimble of foot and wing.
.Many Hock while migrating, the whole flock moving and turning as one bird.

I. Sides of the toes with lobate webs. 5. PHALAROPODIDAE. PHALAROPES.

II. Sides of toes without lobes.

A. Tarsus over 3.50. 4. RECURVIROSTRIDAE. STILTS, AVOCETS.

B. Tarsus under 3.50.

1. Colors patchy black, white, rufous. 2. APHRIZIDAE. TURNSTONES.

2. Colors not patchy.

a. Toes 3 (except Black-bellied Plover). r. CHARADRIIDAE. PLOVERS.

b. Toes 4 (except Sanderling). 3. SCOLOPACIDAE. SNIPES, SANDPIPERS.

ORDER 12. LONGIPENNES. Gulls, Terns, Jaegers.

Mlembers of this order agree in having a well developed tail, long and pointed wings and there-
fore great powers of flight. They live over the water instead of in it, gleaning from the surface
or diving into it for their food. Their great powers of flight enable them to visit any of the bodies
of water inland, where they may be found at some time of year.

I. Middle tail feathers longest. i. STERCORARIIDAE. JAEGERS.

II. Tail square. 2. LARINAE. GULLS.
HI. Outer tail feathers longest. 3. STERNINAE. TERNS.

ORDER 13. ANSERES. Ducks, Geese, Swans.

The members of this group are too well known in general to be carefully treated here. They
are all excellent swimmers, and all agree in having tooth-like projections or serrations on the sides
of the bill to act as strainers for the mud and water taken into the mouth with the food. They walk
fairly well, and all fly well, some with almost incredible swiftness. They are 'Game' birds, and suffer
much at the hands of sportsmen. None but geese are ever harmful, and they but seldom.

I. Bill long and slender, cylindrical. r. MERGINAE. MERGANSERS.

II. Bill flattened, duck-like.

A. Lores bare. 5. CVGNINAK. SWANS.

B. Lores not bare.

i1. Scales on front of tarsus rounded. 4. ANSERINAE. GEESE.
2. Scales on front of tarsus square.

a. Hind toe with a flap or lobe. 3. FULIGULINAE. SEA AND BAY DUCKS.

b. Hind toe without a flap or lobe. 2. ANATINAE. RIVER AND POND DUCKS.

ORDER 14. STEGANOPODES. Pelicans, Cormorants, etc.

Any member of this order may be known at once by the foot, which has all four toes connected
together by three webs. They are strong fliers, and all have a larger or smaller gular sac at the base
of the bill. In the pelicans this sac is enormous and is used as a dip-net or scoop for catching
small fry in the water.

I. Lores feathered. i. FREGATIDAE. MAN-O'-WAR BIRDS.

II. Lores bare.

A. An enormous pouch below the loner bill. 2. PELECANIDAE. PELICANS.

R. With a small pouch and moderate bill. 3- PHALACROCORACIDAE. CORMORANTS.

ORDER 15. TUBINARES. Albatrosses, Shearwaters, Petrels.

One member of this order has accidentally reached the state. The order must be considered as
belonging to the oceans, some members of which may sometimes be blown inland by severe storms.

313. Black=capped Petrel.

ORDER 16. PYGOPODES. Diving Birds.

Members of this order occurring in Ohio are duck-like birds, with the legs situated far back on
the "body, making an upright posture on land necessary. They walk with great difficulty, using the
bill and wings to aid them in hobbling or shuffling along. The wings and tail are short, scarcely
reaching the posterior end of the body when folded. The Grebes have no tail. All members of this
order are expert divers.

I. With 3 toes. 3. ALCIDAE. AUKS. MURRES. PUFFINS.

II. With 4 toes.

A. Toes with lobate webs. r. PODICIPIDAE. GREBKS.

B. Toes with webs. 2. GAVIIDAE. LOONS.

KEY TO THE SPECIES.

ORDER i. PASSERES. Perching Birds.
Family i. CORVIDAE. Crows, Jays, Ravens.
The members of this group are too well known to call for comment.

I. Entirely black. ^ Northern Raven>
£ WiS about '3S. - American Crow.

II. With much blue in the plumage, crested. 3- Blue Jay.

Family 2. ICTERIDAE. Blackbirds, Orioles, etc.

acs, Bobolinks, and Crackles flock together in spring and fall, but the Orioles and
Meadowlarks are seldom seen in large numbers together.
I. Entire under parts black, with or without metallic re-

flections.
A. Tail distinctly rounded. 13- Bronzed Qrackle.

3 Head, neck and throat seal -brown. 5-

4. Nape buffy. back with much white. 4- Bobolink.

II. Under parts black and white, or black with buffy tips to

feathers.

A. Under parts streaked black and white. 7- Red-winged Blackbird.

B. Under parts black, nape buffy, back with white. 4- Bobolink.

C. Whole body tipped with rusty. 12. Rusty Blackbird.

III. Under parts slate-color, chestnut or buffy.

A. Under parts slate-color.

1. Wing over 4.25. 12. Rusty Blackbird.

2. Wing less than 4.00. 5- Cowbird.

B. Under parts buffy or chestnut.

1. Under parts chestnut. 10. Orchard Oriole.

2. Under parts buffy. 4- Bobolink.

IV. Under parts with yellow or orange.

A. Throat black.

1. Back black. n. Baltimore Oriole.

2. Back greenish. 10. Orchard Oriole.

B. Breast with a black crescent. 9- Meadowlark.

C. Head, neck, throat and breast yellow or orange. 6. Yellow=headed Blackbird.

D. Under parts entirely yellow or orange.

1. Rump and tail orange. 10. Orchard Oriole.

2. Upper parts greenish. n. Baltimore Oriole.

3. Upper parts brownish, streaked. 4. Bobolink.

Family 3. FRINGILLIDAE. Sparrows, Finches, Buntings, etc.

This is the largest and most varied family of North American Birds. In it are found some of
the plainest as well as some of the most brilliantly colored of our birds. Here are grouped those
with sweet and varied songs as well as those whose voices can scarcely be distinguished from the
shrilling of insects. Some are lowly in habits, nesting on the ground or even scooping out a hollow
in which to nest, while some lash their cradles to the topmost twigs of tall trees. All members of
the family eat seeds or grains, but all of them also eat some insects. In early spring many species
eat the tender buds of trees. Several species eat more insects than vegetable matter. None (except
the English Sparrow) seem to be injurious, while all do great service to agriculture in destroying
vast quantities of weed seeds.
I. With conspicuous red in the plumage.
A. Mandibles crossed.

1. With conspicuous white wing-bars. 19. White=winged Crossbill.

2. Without white wing-bars. 18. American Crossbill.

B. Mandibles not crossed.

1. Head crested.

2. Head not crested.

a. No red on upper parts.

b. Upper parts with red.

(i). With white wing-bars.

(a). Wing more than 4.00.

(b). Wing less than 3.00.
(2). Without white wing-bars.

(a). Head blue.

(b). Head red.

II. Under parts without streaks.

A. With distinct yellow in the plumage.

1. Mandibles crossed.

a. With white wing-bars.

b. Without white wing-bars.

2. Mandibles not crossed.

a. Body bright yellow, wings, tail, crown black.

b. Lores yellow, a white throat blotch.

c. Lores and bend of wing yellow.

d. Black throat-patch, yellow above and below it.

e. A broad white wing-patch, bill enormous.

B. With distinct blue in the plumage.

1. Wing over 3.25.

2. Wing under 3.00.

a. Under parts red.

b. Under parts blue.

C. Head and neck black.

1. Sides with rufous.

2. Sides without rufous.

D. Crown plain rufous.

1. A dusky spot in middle of br ast.

2. Breast without a dusky spot.

a. Bend of wing yellow.

b. Bend of wing not yellow,
(i). Bill reddish.

(2). Bill dark brown to black,
(a). Wing less than 3.00.
(b). Bill more than 3.00.

E. Head more or less streaked.

1. 3 white, 4 black streaks on crown.

2. Three gray, 4 brown streaks on crown.

3. Ear-coverts rufous, a black spot on breast.

4. Bend of wing yellow.

F. Crown unstreaked, not plain rufous.

1. Crown black.

2. Plumage mostly white.

3. Plumage mostly brown or slate gray.

a. Forehead black, under parts gray.

b. Throat black.

c. Crown, rumo. breast washed with olive yellowish.

4. Plumage brownish with yellowish wash.

III. Under parts streaked.

A. Bend of wing yellow.

1. Center of crown occasionally with an ashy-blue line.

2. Center of crown with a buffy stripe (sometimes

whitish).

a. Under parts heavily streaked.

b. Under parts lightly streaked.

3. Crown plain, or with narrow whitish line.

B. Bend of wing not yellow.

1. Wing under 3.00.

a. A cream-buff band across breast.

b. No cream-buff band across breast,
(r). Base of tail yellow.

(2"). No yellow on tail.

2. Wing over 3.00.

44. Cardinal.

45. Rose=breasted Grosbeak.

15. Pine Grosbeak.
20. Redpoll.

(Hypothetical) Painted Bunting.

1 6. Purple Finch.

19. White=winged Crossbill.
1 8. American Crossbill.

21. American Goldfinch.

33. White=throated Sparrow.
27. Grasshopper Sparrow.
47. Dickcissel.

14. Evening Grosbeak.

(Hypothetical) Blue Grosbeak.

(Hypothetical) Painted Bunting.
46. Indigo Bunting.

43. Towhee.

37. Junco.

34. Tree Sparrow.

38. Bachman Sparrow.
36. Field Sparrow.

35; Chipping Sparrow.
43. Towhee.

32. White=crowned Sparrow.
32. White=crowned Sparrow.

30. Lark Sparrow.
29. Nelson Sparrow.

31. Harris Sparrow.
23. Snowflake.

41. Swamp Sparrow.
17. English Sparrow.

15. Pine Grosbeak.

21. American Goldfinch.

29. Nelson Sparrow.

26. Savanna Sparrow.
28. Henslow Sparrow.
38. Bachman Soarrow.

40. Lincoln Sparrow.

22. Pine Siskin.
39. Song Sparrow.

Outer tail feathers white.
Outer tail feathers not white,
(i). Wing over 4.00.
(2). Wing under 4.00.

(a). Tail plain bright reddish-brown,
(b). Tail grayish-brown.

(a1). Hind claw straightened and lengthened.
(b1)'. Hind claw normal.

25. Vesper Sparrow.

45. Rose=breasted Grosbeak.

42. Fox Sparrow.

24. Lapland Longspur.
16. Purple Finch.

Family 4. TANAGRIDAE. Tanagers.

These brilliantly colored birds are strictly woods birds, but the Scarlet Tanager is often found
in parks and shade trees. They are fair singers, but their bright colors are the most notable charac-
teristic. They eat buds, seeds and insects. The females are yellowish green birds, harmonizing well
with the woods-colors and shades.
I. Plumage largely red.

\ Wings and tail black. 48. Scarlet Tanager.

B. Wings and tail like the body. 49- Summer Tanager.

[I. Without red.

A. Under parts buffy-yellow. 48. Scarlet Tanager.

B. Under parts greenish. 49- Summer Tanager.

Family 5. MNioTii/riDAE. Wood Warblers.

One of the reasons why we are so fascinated by this group of little birds may be because it is
wholly American ! Certainly one reason is because so few of its members are to be found more
than a few weeks, at most, during the entire year, in Ohio. They come and go like fairies,
now adding color to the May foliage and making merry in the woods, now as silently and myste-
riously stealing away as they came. A few species tarry with us all summer long, but they are so
small and so unobtrusive that none but the eager student finds them.

They are called Wood Warblers because they live mostly in the woods, or more exactly speaking,
most of them live in the woods when at home. In their passage northward and southward they
may be found wherever there are trees, gleaning among1 the foliage for the insect larvae or eggs,
or for the pupa securely rolled in its cocoon amid the autumn foliage. They are great conserva-
tors of our forests and orchards. Some glean like iSluthatches or Woodpeckers, some flutter before
a leaf or glean from its under surface, some sally forth like true Flycatchers after flying insects.

It is not possible to give distinctive characters for the whole group in few words. All colors are
i heirs, all patterns of dress, and many sizes of wing and body. For the most nart their dress pattern
is patchy, but some are streaked all over, while some are nearly uniform in color. In song they vary
greatly, from the insect lisp to the full-voiced, whistled song. There is a quality, however, which
is distinctly warblerine to the initiated. When you have been ushered into the mysteries of the group
of Wood Warblers your delights in bird study begin.

KEY TO THE SPRING

I. Throat red, orange or chestnut.

A. Throat chestnut.

B. Throat orange or flame-color.

II. Throat black or dark slate-color.

A. Belly white.

1. Back deep blue, a white spot in wing.

2. Back green, cheeks yellow.

3. Back grayish, a large yellow wing-patch.

4. Back black, whole head black.

B. Belly yellow.

1. Throat slate-color.

a. No white eye-ring, breast with traces of black.

b. Eye-ring white, breast without black.

2. Throat black, forehead and cheeks yellow.

III. Throat yellow, white or whitish, under parts without

streaks.

A. Large, length over 7.00.

B. Length less than 6.00.
i. Throat yellow.

a. Whole head, neck and breast bright yellow.

b. Forehead and cheeks black, line over eye yellow.

c. A broad, rounded black patch on cheeks.

d. Head and back olive-green.

MALES.

67. Bay=breasted Warbler.
69. Blackburnian Warbler.

62. BIack=throated Blue Warbler.
71. Black-throated Green Warbler.
54. Golden=winged Warbler.
88. American Redstart.

82. Mourning Warbler.
81. Connecticut Warbler.
85. Hooded Warbler.

84. Yellow=breasted Chat.

51. Prothonotary Warbler.
80. Kentucky Warbler.
83. Northern Yellow=throat.
73- Pine Warbler.

e. Head bluish-gray, whole under parts bright yellow,

f. Forehead yellow, wings bluish.

g. Head yellow, crown black.

h. Head bluish, middle of back with a yellow patch,
(i). Larger.
(2). Smaller.

2. Throat white or whitish.

a. Crown with two black stripes.

b. Crown bluish-ash, back olive-green.

c. Crown with a partially concealed patch of rufous-

brown.

d. Front of crown bright yellow, wing bars yellow.

I V. Throat white or whitish, under parts streaked or spotted.

A. Crown, rump, sides of breast yellow.

B. No yellow on crown, rump or breast.

1. With conspicuous wing-bars.

a. Back bright bluish.

b. Back grayish, crown black.

c. Back greenish-yellow, sides chestnut.

2. Without wing-bars. Walking Warblers.

a. Middle of crown with a rufous streak.

b. Crown plain, line over eye buff,
(i). Smaller.

(2). Larger.

c. Crown plain, line over eye white.

3. Everywhere streaked black and white.

V. Throat yellow, under parts streaked or spotted.
A. Belly white.

R. Belly yellow.

1. Under parts streaked with rufous-brown.

a. Crown yellow.

b. Crown chestnut.

(i). Under parts bright yellow.
(2). Under parts soiled yellowish.

2. Under parts streaked or spotted with black.

a. Back plain grayish, breast with a necklace of black

streaks.

b. Back streaked with black, crown bluish.

c. Back streaked with black, crown black, ear-coverts

rufous.

d. Back with a patch of rufous-brown spots.

e. Back black, tail with a white band across the middle.

XXXI.

55- Nashville Warbler.
53- Blue-winged Warbler.
86. Wilson Warbler.

58. Northern Parula Warbler.

59. Western Parula Warbler, and

(Hypothetical) Parula Warb-
ler.

52. Worm-eating Warbler.
57. Tennessee Warbler.

56. Orange-crowned Warbler.
etical) Brewster '
(But see page 123.)

63. Myrtle Warbler.

(Hypothetical) Brewster Warb-
ler. (But A

65. Cerulean Warbler.
68. Black-poll Warbler.

66. Chestnut-sided Warbler.

77. Oven-bird.

78. Water-Thrush.
(Hypothetical) Grinnell \vater-

Thrush.

79- Louisiana Water- 1 hrush.
50. Black and White Warbler.

70. Sycamore Warbler.

61. Yellow Warbler.

75- Yellow Palm Warbler.
74- Palm Warbler.

87. Canadian Warbler.
72. Kirtland Warbler.

60. Cape May Warbler.
76. Prairie Warbler.
64. Magnolia Warbler.

KEY TO THE FALL MALES, AND FEMALES.

Under parts yellow or yellowish, unstreaked.

A. Tail with white spots.

1. Wings with white bars.

a. Entire under parts pure yellow.

b. Throat yellow, belly white.
( i ) . Larger.

(2). Smaller.

c. Under parts pale yellowish.

(i). Back bluish, without streaks.
(2). Back olive-green, without streaks.
(3). Back olive-green, streaked.

(a). Under parts pale yellowish-white.

(b). Under parts pale cream-buff.

2. Wings without white bars.

a. A white spot in the wing.

b. No white spot in the wing.

B. Tail without white spots.

i. Entire under parts bright yellow.

a. Upper parts bright olive-green.

b. Upper parts bright greenish-yellow.

c. Upper parts ashy-gray-greenish.

65. Magnolia Warbler.

58. Northern Parula Warbler.

59. Western Parula Warbler.

65. Cerulean Warbler.
73. Pine Warbler.

68. Black-poll Warbler.
67. Bay=breasted Warbler.

62. Black-throated Blue Warbler.
85. Hooded Warbler.

86. Wilson Warbler.
61. Yellow Warbler.
55. Nashville Warbler.

83. Northern Yellow=throat.

55- Nashville Warbler.

56. Orange=crowned Warbler.
55. Nashville Warbler.

61. Yellow Warbler.

62. Black=throated Blue Warbler.
83. Northern Yellow=throat.

57. Tennessee Warbler.

74-

75-

Palm Warbler.
Yellow Palm Warbler.

2. Only throat and breast yellow.

a. Legs flesh-co.or.

b. Legs blackish.

3. Under parts uniform yellowish.

a. Back ashy-greenish.

b. Back brownish-olive-green.

c. Back greenish-yellow.

d. Back bright olive-green.

(i). A white spot in the wing.
(2). Under tail-coverts yellow.
(3). Under tail-coverts white.

II. Under parts yellow or yellowish, streaked or spotted

A. Under parts streaked with rufous brown.

1. Under parts yellowish-white.

2. Under parts yellow.

B. Under parts with black streaks or spots,
r. Only the sides streaked.

2. Whole breast more or less streaked.

a. Cheeks bright yellow.

b. Cheeks gray.

(i). Rump and line over eye yellowish.
(2). Rump dull gray.

(a). Head and neck olive-green.

(b). Head and neck brownish-gray.

III. Under parts white or whitish, streaked or spotted.

A. Back streaked with black.

r. Sides streaked with chestnut.
2. Under parts with biack streaks.

a. Crown black.

b. Crown olive-green.

B. Back unstreaked.

1. Cheeks yellowish, back greenish.

2. Cheeks and back grayish.

3. Back brownish.

4. Base of tail, sides of breast and band in wing yellow. 88. American Redstart.

IV. L'nder parts white or buffy, unstreaked.
A. Tail with white or yellow spots.

1. Wing-bars white or gray.

a. Under parts white.

(" i ) . Back greenish-yellow.

(2). Back streaked with black and white.

(3). Back brownish, or grayish-green.

b. Under parts tinged with buffy.

2. Wing-bars yellowish, greenish or absent.
a. Back gray or grayish.

76. Prairie Warbler.

76. Black=throated Green Warbler.

60. Cape May Warbler.

68. Black=poll Warbler.
72. Kirtland Warbler.

67. Bay=breasted Warbler.

50. Black and White Warbler.

68. BIack=polI Warbler.

71. Black=throated Green Warbler.
60. Cape May Warbler.
74. Palm Warbler.

66. Chestnut=sided Warbler.
50. Black and White Warbler.
73- Pine Warbler.

67. Bay=breasted Warbler.

(Hypothetical) Brewster Warb=

ler. (Page 123.)
88. American Redstart.

66. Chestnut=sided Warbler.
61. Yellow Warbler.

b. Back brownish.

c. Back greenish-yellow.

(i). Under parts pure white.

(2). Under parts yellowish.

B. Tail without white or yellow spots.

1. A white spot 'in the wing. 62. Black=throated Blue Warbler.

2. No white spot in the wing. 83. Northern YeIIow=throat.

Family 6. ALAUDIDAE. Larks.

These are the true Larks, singing as they soar upward, and wholly terrestrial in habits. They
rarely perch upon anything but a flat or flattened surface. They eat both seeds and insects, and
are useful to the agriculturist.

I. Eyebrow yellow. 89. Horned Lark.

II. Eyebrow not yellow.

A. Larger and lighter. oo. Hoyt Horned Lark.

91. Prairie Horned Lark.
Family 7. MOTACILUDAE. Pipits.

One member of this family is found in Ohio. It resembles the Horned Larks in size and general
coloration and it walks. However, it wags its tail and shows the white outer tail feathers. There
is no black patch on the breast, nor any yellow on the throat.

92. American Pipit.

XXX111.

Family 8. TURDIDAE. Thrushes, Robin, Bluebird.

It can hardly be disputed that the Thrushes are the most gifted of our birds in song. There is
even reasonable doubt if the famed Nightingale of Europe can approach them in real musical ren-
dition. The songs of the Thrushes are capable of being reproduced by musical instruments, and their
phrases reduced to musical notation. The true Thrushes are birds of the woods, the deeper woods,
but the Robin and Bluebird have become nearly civilized; and their songs are less musical.

I. Back with evident blue.

II. Back blackish, underparts largely rufous.

III. Back brown or olive, under parts more or less spotted.

A. Upper parts olive brown, tail rufous.

B. Upper parts cinnamon-brown.

1. Under parts heavily spotted with black.

2. Under parts pale buffy, lightly marked.

C. Upper parts olive.
i. Th

roat, breast, cheeks, deep cream-buff.
2. Throat, breast, cheeks, almost white.

99. Bluebird.

98. American Robin.

97. Hermit Thrush.

93. Wood Thrush.
9«. Wilson Thrush.

96. Olive-backed Thrush.
95. Gray-checked Thrush.

Family 9. SYLVIIDAE. Old World Warblers.

Only three representatives of this Old World group are found in Ohio, and only one of these
remains to nest. Next to the Hummingbirds they are the smallest of our birds, and are therefore
easily overlooked amid the foliage. While so small their voices are strong and carry far; particu-
larly the Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

I. With red or yellow on the crown.

A. Crown with yellow or orange bordered by black.

B. Crown with a concealed ruby patch, without black.

II. Without red or yellow on crown.

A. Back ashy blue, tail long.

B. Back olive-green.

100. Golden-crowned Kinglet.

1 01. Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

102. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.
101. Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

Family 10. PARIDAE. Nuthatches, Titmice.

These are birds of the entire year. Without them in winter our woods would be dreary indeed
and well nigh birdless. They are not timid, but on the contrary are more curious than the proverb-
ial woman. They are perfectly at home in any position on any kind of a. surface, whether horizontal,
inclined or perpendicular, but the Nuthatches prefer to cling head down. They will eat anything
in winter, and can readily be drawn to the windowsill with crumbs, nuts or suet. They soon lose
any fear of man which they may have had, and perch on the outstretched hand for food.

I. Throat black, crown black.

A. Tail over 2.30. 107. Chickadee.

B. Tail under 2.20. 108. Carolina Chickadee.

[. Throat not black, crown various.

A. Head crested.

B. Head not crested.

1. Whole top of head brown.

2. Top of head black.

a. Wing over 3.25.

b. Wing under 3.00.

1 06. Tufted Titmouse.

105. Brown-headed Nuthatch.

103. White-breasted Nuthatch.

104. Red=breasted Nuthatch.

Family n. CERTHIIDAE. Creepers.

Our Brown Creeper may be at once known by its habit of climbing up a tree trunk or branch
spirally. It looks a little like a very small Woodpecker, but the bill is slender and curved, and there
are three toes in front and one behind instead of two in front and two behind.

109. Brown Creeper.

Family 12. TROGLODYTIDAE. Mockers, Thrashers, and Wrens.

A snap-shot judgment would separate this family into two distinct families, or return the Mock-
ers to the Turdidse, but more careful comparison and study reveals the logic of the present arrange-
ment. In song and story this group is perhaps better known than any other whole group of birds.
Certainly it deserves the distinction, for the Mockingbird alone might well serve to bring the group
into prominence. The Wrens are too nearly household birds to escape popular attention, even amid
the rabble of English Sparrows. The Wrens, especially, are brimming over with energy, which is
fittingly illustrated by the forward pointing tail. They are true Americans.

I. Wing over 3.50.

A. Slate-color, under tail-coverts rufous. ...

B. Back grayish, outer tail-feathers white. no. Mockingbird.

C. Back rufous, under parts spotted. 112. Brown Thrasher.

II. Wing less than 3.00.

A. Wings not barred. ™4- Bewick Wren.

B. Vvmgs barred.

r' a B\^hiSteresatreaksWconf^edeto center of back. 118. Long-billed Marsh Wren.

<b. Wings and whole back white streaked. 117. Short=billed Marsh Wren.

2. Back not streaked with white.

a. A long white streak over the eye. H3- Carolina Wren.

b. No white line over the eye.

(l) Belly, sides, and breast barred. 116. Winter Wren.

(2). Sides only faintly barred. 115. House Wren.

Family 13. HIRUNDINIDAE. Swallows, Martins.

The Swallow form and carriage are too well known to call for ^comment. They are strong,
graceful flyers, feeding upon flying insects for the most part, but sometimes gleaning from the grass-
tops as they fly over the pastures or meadow. Three or four of the species nest about the habita-
tions of man, one of them, Purple Martin, exclusively. After the breeding season, when the young
have become able to fly well, the Swallows gather in large companies preparatory _to their southward
journey. Telegraph wires along the lake front are then often covered with the birds. None of the
Swallows are in any way injurious, but all are useful birds.
T. Upper parts with metallic reflections.

A. Under parts steel-blue. 119- Purple Martin.

B. Throat chestnut, rufous or brownish.

r. Tail deeply forked. 121. Barn Swallow.

2. Upper tail coverts rufous or buffy. 120. Cliff Swallow.

C. Throat gray or white.

1. Entire under parts white. 122. Tree Swallow.

2. Throat and breast brownish-gray. 119. Purple Martin.

IT. Upper parts without metallic reflections. -

A. Throat and breast brownish-gray. 124. Rough=winged Swallow.

B. A brownish band across the white breast. 123. Bank Swallow.

Family 14. AMPELIDAE. Waxwings.

The Waxwings are beautiful but inconstant birds. They are here at one time and gone the
next. Their tufted head and silky-brownish plumage are always good field marks. They have no
true song, but chatter faintly. The Cedarbird is fond of ripe cherries, but always prefers ripe mul-
berries to anything else. Depredations upon the cherry crop may be prevented by the proximity of
a mulberry tree.

I Wing over 4.50. 125. Bohemian Waxwing.

TT. Wing- under 4.00. 126. Cedar Waxwing.

Family 15. LANIIDAE. Shrikes.

The Shrikes are the birds of prey among the Passeres. Their feet and bill are adapted for a
predatory life. Mice, snakes, birds and insects are captured and eaten, or impaled on thorns for future
use as the occasion demands.

T. Wing over 4.00. 127. Northern Shrike.

TI. Wing less than 4.00. 128. Migrant Shrike.

Family 16. VIREONIDAE. Vireos.

These small birds bear some resemblance to the Shrikes in general structure, but differ widely
in habits. They are all woods-hunters, while the Shrikes prefer the open fields. They glean from
the surface of leaves or from the bark, and sometimes dart out after a flying insect. Their food is
almost wholly insect. They are less brisk of movement than the Warblers, but bear a fairly close
resemblance to them in a general way. A novice might easily become confused between the two
groups. All of the Vireos are good singers, and the White-eyed is a good mimic. All build pensile
nests, sometimes of beautiful pattern and careful workmanship.

I. With distinct wing-bars.

A. Wing under 2.75. 134. White-eyed Vireo.

B. Wing over 2.75.

1. Throat and breast bright yellow. 132. Yellow-throated Vireo.

2. Throat and breast white. 133. Blue-headed Vireo.
II. Without wing-bars.

A. Wing over 3.00. 129. Red-eyed Vireo.

B. Wing under 3.00.

1. Under parts yellowish. 130. Philadelphia Vireo.

2. Under parts white. 131. Warbling Vireo.

Family 17. TYRANNIDAI-:. Flycatchers.

The Flycatchers are so named from their habit of darting; out from a perch to catch some flying
insect, returning to the same perch for a loohout. The Kingbird sometimes eats quantities of honey-
bees, but with this exception the group is a y-ery beneficial one.

I. Tail deeply forked. 135. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.

II. Tail not 'forked.

A. Wing over 3.00.

1. Tail tipped with white. 136. Kingbird.

2. 1'ail with rufous on inner vanes of feathers. 137. Crested Flycatcher.

3. Tail fuscous.

a. Wing 4.00 or more. 139. Olive-sided Flycatcher.

b. Wing under 3.50.

(i). Bill black. 138. Phoebe.

(2). Lower mandible pale brownish. 140. Wood Pewee.

B. WTing under 3.00.

r. Upper parts with an evident brownish tinge.

a. Wing over 2.60. 143. Traill Flycatcher, and (hypo-

thetical) Alder Flycatcher.

b. Wing under 2.60. 144. Least Flycatcher.
2. Upper parts without brown.

a. Under parts sulphur yellow. 141. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.

1). tinder parts only faintly yellowish. 142. Green=crested Flycatcher.

OUDKR 2. MACROCHIRES. Goatsuckers. Swifts, Hummingbirds.

Family i. TROCHILIDAE. Hummingbirds.

Our Ruby-throated Hummingbird is the smallest of our birds. It is a familiar object about
flower gardens, where it may sometimes be mistaken for a large hawk moth; but Hummingbirds
seldom feed during twilight, while the moths seldom feed during the day. Hummingbirds eat both
nectar and insects. 145. Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

Family 2. MiCRoroDiDAE. Swifts.

Our Chimney Swift is a familiar object to all. It is in no sense a Swallow. It nests and roost >
in chimneys, and is almost never seen sitting still except while incubating or protecting the young.
It is a tireless flier, and a very useful bird. 146. Chimney Swift.

Family 3. CAPRIMULGIDAE. Whippoorwill, Nighthawk.

The two species comprising tnis family are the largest birds found in Ohio belonging to this
order. Nighthawk is only partially nocturnal, but Whippoorwill is wholly so. Nighthawk frequently
nests on the top of flat-roofed city buildings, but Whippoorwill always nests in the woods. They
are famous insect destroyers, and are distinctly beneficial in all respects.

I. A white spot in the wing. 149. Nighthawk.

IT. No white spot in the wing. M7- Whippoorwill.

ORDER 3. PICI. Woodpeckers.

Family. PICIDAE. Woodpeckers.
The characters already given for the order are sufficient.
I. Whole top of head red.

A. Throat red.

1. Body colors in bands: red. black, white, black. 155- Red=headed Woodpecker.

2. Colors not in bands, a black crescent on breast. 153. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

B. Throat white.

r. A black crescent on breast. 153- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

2. Breast and belly black. 154- Northern Pileated Woodpecker.

T,. Under parts reddish, unmarked. 156. Red-bellied Woodpecker.

II. Red on head confined to a band across nape.
A Under parts black, unspotted.

1. Bill blackish.

2. Bill white.

B Under parts spotted or sneaked.

1. Rump white; a black crescent on breast.

2. Head black, red in 2 spots on nape.
C. Under parts white or whitish.

1. Crown gray.

2. Crown black.

a. Bill over i.oo.

b. Bill under i.oo.

III. Head without red.

A. Bill white.

B. Bill not white.

1. Under parts unmarked.

a. Bill over i.oo.

b. Bill under i.oo.

2. Under parts spotted or barred or streaked.

a. Back wholly black.

b. Back black and white.

(i). Breast with a black patch.
(2). Breast without a black p_atch.

(a). Wing over 5.00.

(b). Wing under 5.00.

154. Northern Pileated Woodpecker.

(Hypothetical) Ivory=billed
Woodpecker.

157. Northern Flicker.

151. Red=cockaded Woodpecker.

156. Red=bellied Woodpecker.

149. Hairy Woodpecker.

150. Downy Woodpecker.

(Hypothetical) Ivory=billed
Woodpecker.

149. Hairy Woodpecker.

150. Downy Woodpecker.

152. Arctic Three=toed Woodpecker.

153. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

155. Red=headed Woodpecker.

151. Red=cockaded Woodpecker.

ORDER 4. COCCYGES. Cuckoos, Kingfisher.
1'amily 2. CUCULIDAE. Cuckoos.

The Cuckoos are shy birds, making their way among the tree branches and in the foliage with-
out. sound or commotion. Their slender bodies and long tail give them the appearance of snake-like
proportions and movement. The popular belief that their peculiar calls indicate the approach of a
storm is not well founded, as any one may learn by a little careful study of these birds. Their
great value to agriculture and especially to the horticulturalist, lies in their habit of eating quan-
tities of the tent caterpillar and other hairy and spiny caterpillars and larvae which other birds will
not touch. They should be encouraged to nest near the orchard.

I. Lower mandible yellow, wings with rufous.

II. Whole bill black, wings without rufous.

159. Yellow=billed Cuckoo.

1 60. Blackballed Cuckoo.

family i. ALCEDINIDAE. Kingfishers.

The single member of this family inhabiting Onio may be found about streams and ponds and
lakes looking for fish and tadpoles. He is not particularly useful nor particularly harmful. He is a
desirable part of a landscape because he is picturesque and interesting. There is no good reason why
he should be harmed. 158. Belted Kingfisher.

ORDER 5. PSITTACI. Parrots.

The single species representing this order has long since become extinct in Ohio.

161. Carolina Paroquet.

Birds of Prey.

ORDER 6. RAPTORES.

Family i. STRJGIDAE. Barn Owl.

The single species comprising this family is sufficiently treated in the discussion of that species
in the body of this book. !62. Barn Owl.

Family 2. BUIIONIDAE. Horned Owls, Hoot Owls, etc.

Most owls are nocturnal in habits, but most of them are also able to fly well by day Some are
seldom seen during daylight except in dark weather, or when startled from their retreats, and some
prefer the day to hunt in. Their cries are weird and startling. They nest either in hollow trees or
in open nests, but seldom if ever make a whole new nest for themselves. Their food varies with
the species but mammals, insects and birds form the greater part of their diet. Only ,
the Great Horned Owl, is distinctly and always injurious. Some are among the mos
animals and should be carefully protected.

one species.
t useful of

I. With conspicuous ear-tufts.

A. 'Wing less than 8.00.

B. Wing more than 8.00.

1. A large white throat-patch.

2. No white throat-patch.

II. With very short or no ear-tufts.

A. Wing more than 10.00.

1. Plumage largely w'hite.

2. Plumage brownish.

a. Wing more than 1*5.00.

b. Wing less than 15.00 but more than 10.00.
(i). Plumage conspicuously barred.

(2). Plumage not barred.

B. Wing less than 10.00.

1. Wing less than 6.00.

2. Wing more than 6.00.

168. Screech Owl.

169. Great Horned Owl.

163. American Long-eared Owl.

170. Snowy Owl.

1 66. Great Gray Owl.

165. Barred Owl.
164. Short-eared Owl.

167. Saw-whet Owl.

171. American Hawk Owl..

Family 3. FALCONIDAE. Kites, Hawks, Eagles, Falcons, etc.

After a most thorough and careful investigation of the food of all of our birds of prey by our
national Agricultural Department, Dr. A. K. Fisher shows that but four of the 28 species which
have been found in Ohio are more injurious than useful, and but three memibers of this family, the
Sharp-shinned and the Cooper Hawks, and the American Goshawk, are more harmful than benefi-
cial. Hawks eat the mice and insects which injure grain and fruit. We need to discriminate care-
fully before killing in cold blood. One may be wholly justified in killing when his poultry or other
property is being destroyed, whether the kind doing the killing belongs to a species that is harmful
or not.

There is no sure mark by which a hawk may be known from all other birds, but their sharp,
curved talons and sharply hooked beaks are good indications of what they eat and how they live.
In. practical study one soon comes to know a member of this group at sight.

Wing over 20 inches long.

A. Tarsus entirely feathered.

B. Lower half of tarsus bare.

[. Wing under 19 inches long.

A. Under parts streaked or spotted, without bars.

1. Outer primary conspicuously barred,
a. Wing under 10.00.

(i). Back bright reddish-brown, plain or barred.
(2). Back fuscous or slaty,
(a). Wing under 7.00.
(b). Wing over 7.50.

(a1). Tail over 7.00, rounded.
(b1). Tail under 6.00, square.
1). Wing over 10.00.
(i). Rump white.
(2). Rump not white.
(a). Tail over 10.00.
(b). Tail under 8.00.

2. Outer primary not, or not conspicuously barred.

a. Wing under 12.00.

b. Wing over 12.00, under 14.00.

c. Wing over 15.00.

B. Under parts streaked or spotted, with bars.

1. Front of tarsus with distinct rounded scales.

2. Front of tarsus with distinct square scales.

a. Bluish-slate color above.

b. Pattern various, but in general brownish above.
(i). Tail rufous, wholly or mostly.

(2). Tail barred with brown and light gray,
(a). Wing more than 12.00.
(b). Wing less than I2.0O.

3. Front of tarsus with indistinct scales or smooth.

a. Upper tail-coverts white.

b. Upper tail-coverts not white.
(i). Wing over 9.00, tail rounded.
(2). Wing under 9.00, tail square.

185. Golden Eagle.

1 86. Bald Eagle.

174. American Sparrow Hawk.

177. Sharp shinned Hawk.

178. Cooper Hawk.
i?3- Pigeon Hawk.

176. Marsh Hawk.

179. American Goshawk.
172. Duck Hawk.

183. Broad- winged Hawk.
182. Red=shouldered Hawk.

1 80. Red-tailed Hawk.

172. Duck Hawk.

179. American Goshawk.

180 & 181. Red-tailed Hawk
Western Red-tail.

182. Red=shouldered Hawk.

183. Broad- winged Hawk.

176. Marsh Hawk.

178.
177-

Cooper Hawk.
Sharp-shinned Hawk.

XXXV111.

4. Tarsus entirely feathered. 184- American Rough=legged Hawk.

C Under parts neither barred nor streaked.

i Under parts not white. 184. American Rough=le?$red Hawk.
2. Under parts white.

a Tail square. 1*7- American Osprey.

h. Tail deeply forked. 175- Swallow=tailed Kite.

. CATHARTIDAE. Vultures.
The two Vultures found in Ohio are scavengers of great service where they are at all numerous.
They feed upon all kinds of carrion and offal, even coming into the streets of towns to gather any
garbage which may be carelessly left by those who have contempt for modern sanitary conditions in
renters of population. In Ohio they are not so bold nor so numerous as to be very important
factors in carrion destruction. On _the wing they are stately birds, going straight forward as well
as ascending with little or no flapping of the wings. They have mastered the art of utilizing cur-
rents of air for propulsion.

I. Wing about 22 inches long. 188. Turkey Vulture.

II. Wing about 17 inches long. 189. Black Vulture.

ORDER 7. COLUMB/E. Wild Pigeon., Mourning Dove.
family. COLUMBAE. Pigeons and Doves.

The two members of this group are too well known to call for extended comment here. They
arc largely grain eaters and weed seed eaters, and are arboreal in contrast to the grouse forms. The
-mall head and pointed tail form unmistakable field mark?.

I. Wing about 8 inches long. 190. Passenger Pigeon.

II. Wing about 6 inches long. 191. Mourning Dove.

ORDKR 8. GALLIN/E. Grouse, Turkeys, Bob-white.
Family 2. TETRAONIDAE. Grouse, Bob=white.

it is, perhaps, needless to say that the members of this 'group are pretty strictly terrestrial. They
u-t-d upon grains and nuts, but also eat some insects. They are prime game birds.

I. Length about 10 inches. 196. Bob=white.
•il. Length over 15 inches.

. Lower half of tarsus bare. 194- Ruffed Grouse.

Whole tarsus feathered. 195- Prairie Hen.

Family i. PHASIANIDAE. Pheasants and Turkeys.

Of the two species of this group found in Ohio one, the Wild Turkey, is becoming extinct, and
•lie other, the Mongolian Pheasant, is just being introduced. The Wild Turkey is the noblest of
i lie game birds.

I. Middle tail feathers much lengthened. 192. Mongolian Pheasant.

II. Middle tail feathers not much lengthened. 193. Wild Turkey.

ORDKR 9. PALUDICOUE. Cranes, Rails, Coots, Gallinules.

Family i. RALLIDA^. Rails, Coot, Gallinules.

i o this group belong the swamp skulkers. The Coot sometimes takes to open water, often seem-

mfj l£ ?v i t0i feed therc> but it: nests in the swamP vegetation. It is difficult to make the Rails

1 Oallmules leave their reedy retreats. They are sure of safety among the reeds and sedges and

are loth to trust the open air. They glean for food from lily pads and the surface of the water, as

i the mud and water. They eat insects and tadpoles, and probably some vegetation.
Wing over 6 inches.

A. General plumage brown. i97. King Rail.

B. Genera plumage purplish-blue. 202. Purple Qallinule.
General plumage slaty-black.

i. Toes with lobes; shield on forehead white. 204. American Coot.

:s without lobes; shield on forehead red. 203. Florida Gallinule.
JI. Wing under 5.50.
A. Wing under 3.50.

i. Back blackish, barred with white. 200. Yellow Rail.

back blackish, spotted with white. 201. black «.ail.

B. Wing over 3.50.

i. Bill over i inch. 198. Virginia Rail.

y Bill under i inch. 199. Sora.

Family 2. GRUIDAE. Cranes.

The Cranes so closely resemble the Herons in general appearance that one is surprised to note
that they are really different. In habits they resemble the Herons in many particulars, but are more
often found away from water in the uplands. They nest on the ground instead of in trees, as most
of the Herons do. They can eat anything.

I. Wing less than 19 inches. 206. Little Brown Crane.

II. Wing over 21 inches.

A. Primaries black, rest of plumage white. 205. Whooping Crane.

B. Plumage brownish gray. 207. Sandhill Crane.

ORDER 10. HERODIONES. Bitterns, Herons, etc.

Family i. ARDEIDAE. Bitterns, Herons, Egrets.

All members of this family have long, sharply pointed bills, long legs and neck, and feed stand-
ing 'knee' deep in the water. The sharp bill is a formidable weapon of defense as well as offense,
while the long neck enables them to dart that weapon out with a lightning stroke. They feed upon
frogs and insects, and occasionally fish which find their way into the shallow water.

I. Wing less than 6.00.

A. Under parts buffy. 209. Least Bittern.

B. Under parts rufous-chestnut. (Hypothetical) Cory L-^ast Bit-

tern.

II. Wing about 7.25. 214. Green Heron.

III. Wing 9 to II inches.

A. General plumage tawny or umber-brown, everywhere

streaked with darker. 208. American Bittern.

B. General plumage slaty-blue. 213. Little Blue Heron.

C. General plumage white.

1. Tips of primaries blue. 213. Little Blue Heron (t«i.)

2. Tips of primaries not blue. 212. Snowy Heron.

IV. Wing over n inches.
-A. Wing about 12 inches.

r. Crown black, not streaked. 215. Black-crowned Night Heron.

2. Crown streaked. 215- Black-crowned Night Heron.

(tm.)
B. Wing over 13 inches.

1. Pure white. 211. American Egret.

2. Upper parts bluish. 210. Great Blue Heron.

Family 2. CICONIIDAE. Wood Ibis.

The Wood Ibis, the only member of this group found in Ohio, is of more southern distribution,
but sometime? wanders to the state. It resembles the Herons in habits.

216. Wood Ibis.

Family 3. IBIDIDAE. Ibises.

The Glossy Ibis is accidental in Ohio, its home being well south. In its wanderings it rarely
enters regions of our latitude.

217. Glossy Ibis.

ORDER TI. LIMICOL^. Snipes, Sandpipers, Plovers, etc.
Family i. CHARADRIIDAE. Plovers.

The Plovers are short-billed shore birds, and therefore get their food bv gleaning from the sur-
face of the ground on the uplands or along shore. They have whistled calls which are somewhat
musical.
I. Toes 4. 218. Black-bellied Plover.

IT. Toes 3-

A. Back streaked or spotted. 219. American Golden Plover.

B. Back neither streaked nor spotted.

1. Rump rufous. 220. Killdeer.

2. Rump not rufous.

a. Toes webbed at the base. 221. Semipalmated Plover.

b. Toes not webbed at the base.

(i). A continuous black breast band. 223. Belted Pipmjr Plover.

(2). Black band interrupted on center of breast. 222. Piping Plover.

Family 2. APHRIZIDAE. Turnstone.

The single species found in Ohio is found along the shore of Lake Erie during the migrations.
There it is found gleaning like the Killdeer at the water's edge or among the higher drift.

224. Turnstone.

Family 3. SCOLOPACIDAE. Snipes, Sandpipers, Curlews, etc.

The birds comprising this group are for the most part inhabiters of wet places, probing in the
soft mud for worms and insects. Some species can move the tip of the bill independently of the rest
of the bill, and so are enabled to grasp the morsel of food under ground, or form a hook to draw
it out. Some are found on the uplands gleaning from the surface much like the Plovers. During
the nesting season many have what might be called songs if these birds belonged to the singers.
Many also have whistled calls during the migrations. All nest on the ground.

I. Bill over 2 inches long.

A. Bill over 5 inches long.

B. Bill under 4.50.

1. Bill curved downward.

a. Bill about 3.75.

b. Bill about 2.40.

2. Bill straight or curved upward.

a. Bill over 3.00.

(i). Upper tail-coverts white.
(2). Upper tail-coverts not white.

b. Bill under 3.00.

(i). Bill widened and pitted at the tip.
(a). Wing about 5.75.
(b). Wing about 6.00.
(2). Bill not widened at the tip.
(a). Wing over 7.50.
(a1). Axillars barred.
(b1). Axillars not barred.
(b). Wing under 6.co.

249. Long=billed Curlew.

250. Hudsonian Curlew.

251. Eskimo Curlew.

240. Hudsonian Qodwit.
239. Marbled Godwit.

227. Dowitcher.

228. Long-billed Dowitcher.

241. Greater Yellow=legs.
244. Willet.

fai).

Axillars barred.
Axillars not barred.

T. Bill under 2.00.

A. Toes 3.

B. Toes 4.

1. Tail barred.

a. Wing under 4.50.

b. Wing over 5.00.
(i). Wing over 6.00.

(a). Tail feathers showing much white.
(b). Tail feathers without white.
(2). Wing under 5.50.

(a). Upper parts spotted with white.
(b). Upper parts not spotted with white.

2. Tail not barred.
a. Bill over i.io.

(i). Wing over 6.50.
(2). Wing about 6.00.
(3). Wing under 5.75.
(a). Tarsus over 1.50.
(b). Tarsus under 1.50.

(a1). With white in the wing.
(b1). Without white in the wing.
Cc1). Without white in wing, belly with black.
n. Hill under i.oo.
d). Wing over 4.50.
Ca). Upper tail-covert.-;
(b). Upper tail-covert
(2). Wing under 4.00.
Ca). Toes partly webbed.
(b). Toes not webbed.

white.
fuscous.

226. Wilson Snipe.

225. American Woodcock.

238. Sanderling.

248. Spotted Sandpiper.

242. Yellow=legs.

246. Bartramian Sandpiper.

243. Solitary Sandpiper.

247. Buff=breasted Sandpiper.

230. Knot.
245. Ruff.

229. Stilt Sandpioer.

231. Purple Sandpiper.

232. Pectoral Sandpiper.

236. Red=backed Sandpiper.

233- White=rumped Sandpiper.

234- Baird Sandpiper.

237. Semipalmated Sandpiper.
235. Least Sandpiper.

xli.

Family 4. RECURVIROSTRIDAE. Avocets and Stilts.

These Ion"- slender billed birds, with the bill turning upward, are striking in appearance. Their
long legs make true waders of them, while the long bill enables them to read the bottom of the shal-
low water without the necessity of immersing the whole head and neck.

I. Bill over 3.25. 252. American Avocet.

II. Bill under 2.50. 253. Black-necked Stilt.

Family 5. PHALAROPODIDAE. Phalaropes.

The Phalaropes are essentially sea birds, but they pass to and fro across the country, sometimes
resting on the smaller waters. They swim readily. The female is the larger and brighter colored,
contrary to the general rule among birds.

I. Bill over i inch long. 256. Wilson Phalarope.

II. Bill under I inch long.

A Wing under 5.00. 255. Northern Phalarope.

B. Wing over 5.00. 254. Red Phalarope.

ORDER 12. LOXGIPENNES. Gulls, Terns, Jaegers.

Family i. STERCORARIIDAE. Jaegers.

The Jaegers are the hawks among the Longipennes. They combine great powers of flight with
the nature of a bully, stealing the fiish from Gulls and Terns in preference to catching it them-
selves. They reach Ohio only during the migrations or as wanderers from other localities.

I. Length over 20 inches, middle tail feathers not pointed. 257. Pomarine Jeager.

II. Length under 18 inches, middle tail feathers pointed. 258. Parasitic Jaeger.

Family 2. LARIDAE. Gulls and Terns.

The members of this family agree in having long, pointed wings, and a 'bill without a hook
at its tip. The subfamilies differ enough in form and habits to deserve separate treatment.

Subfamily i. LARINAE. Gulls.

The Gulls comprise the larger members of the family Laridae. They differ from the Terns
in having a square tail, a bill slightly bent down, and the head either wholly black or without
black on the crown. They fly with the bill pointing forward in a line with the body. They snatch
fish or refuse from the surface of the water, often alighting upon the water, but do not dive for
fish, as the Terns do.

I. Length over 23 inches.

A. Back dark slaty. 261. Great Blackjacked Gull.

B. Back pearl-gray.

r. Black on outer primaries. 262. Herring Gull.

2. No black on the primaries. 260. Iceland Gull.

C. Back usually grayish or brownish, usually marked with

darker,
i. Tail dark.

a. Wing over 18 inches. 261. Great Black-backed Gull.

b. Wing under 18 inches. 262. Herring Gull.
2 Tail light. 260. Iceland Gull.

II. Length under 20 inches.

A. Tail pure white.

1. Head and neck slaty-black.

a. Outer primary mostly black. 265. Sabine Gull.

b. Outer primajy mostly white. 264. Bonaparte Gull.

2. Head and neck white, or washed with pearl gray. 259. Kittiwake.

3. Bill crossed by a dark band. 263. Ring-billed Gull.

B. Tail marked with black.

1. Hind toe without a nail. 259. Kittiwake.

2. Hind toe with a nail. 264. Bonaparte Gull.

Subfamily 2. STERNINAE. Terns.

All of the Terns found in Ohio have deeply forked tails. They fly with the bill pointing
downward instead of forward, and dive from over the water for fish which may be seen under
the surface. The bill is almost straight and sharply pointed. Most of our species have me top
of the head and neck jet black in full plumage. Thev usually nest in colonies on the sand and
gravel of the beach, or in the mar-hes upon floating decaying vegetation.

I. Length over 20 inches. 267. Caspian Tern.

!1. Length under 16 inches.

A. Length over 13 inches.

1. Whrle top of head black.

a. Bill wholly or mostly black.

(i) Outer tail feathers pure white. 270. Roseate Tern.

(->) Inner web of outer tail feather gray. 268. Forster Tern.

(3).' Tail forked for less than 2 inches. 266. GulNbilled Tern.

1). Bill not black.

(i). Under parts pure white. 268. Forster Tern.

(2), Under parts grayish. 269. Common Tern.

2. Forehead or crown white or gray.

a. Whole outer tail feather white. 270. Roseate Tern.

1). Inner web of outer tail feather not white. 268. Forster Tern.

c. Outer web of outer tail feathers darker than inner269. Common Tern.
web.

B. Length under 11 inches.

1. Under parts white. 271. Least Tern.

2. Under parts black. 272. Black Tern.

ORDER 13. ANSERES. Ducks, Geese, Swans.
Subfamily i. MERGINAE. Mergansers.

To this group belong the "fish ducks" par excellence. They feed largely upon fish which they
are enabled to catch with their toothed, hawk- like bills. They dive readily and for considerable
distances, pursuing the fish under water. They are found about streams and considerable bodies of
\vater, some individuals of tne larger species remaining in the state during the winter where open
\vaters afford good feeding places.

I. Length under 18 inches. A conspicuous hood. 309. Hooded Merganser.

I 1. Length over 21 inches.

A. Head and throat black.

1. Under parts white, tinged with salmon. 307. American Merganser.

2. Breast brownish, heavily streaked with black. 308. Red=breasted Merganser.

B. Head and sides of neck rufous-brown. 307. American Merganser.

C. Head and sides of neck grayish-brown, washed with

rufous. 308. Red=breasted Merganser.

Subfamily 2. ANATINAK. River and Pond Ducks.

The members of this group may be known at once by the absence of a flap or lobe on the

hind toe. They feed in shallow water, immersing only part of the body, and hence are called Tio-

iips'. A feeding flock with heads down and tails in the air looks like the scoring end of a bowl-
ing alley. They take wing readily from the water.

I. Length under 17.00 inches.

A. Under parts chestnut-rufous. 289. Cinnamon Teal.

B. Under parts not chestnut-rufous.

1. Lesser wing-coverts blue. 288. Blue=winged Teal.
Lesser wing-coverts gray. 287. Green=winged Teal.

II. Length over 18.00 inches.

A. Belly not conspicuously streaked or spotted.
r. Head shining dark green. 281. Mallard.

2. Center of head white or whitish. 286. Baldpate.

3- Crown greenish, throat white. 292. Wood Duck.

4. Crown huffy, throat blackish. 285. Widgeon.

5. Crown dark olive-brown. 291. Pintail.
<>. Crown finely streaked with black.

a. Wing-coverts with chestnut. 284. Gadwall.

b. Wing coverts without chestnut.

d). Sides barred with black. 291. Pintail.

(2). Sides plain brown. 286. Baldpate.

(3). Sides spotted with black. 284. Gadwall.

l>. Belly conspicuously marked, or chestnut,
i. Wing-coverts with white.

a. Lesser wing-coverts bluish. 290. Shoveller.

b. Lesser wing-coverts brownish-gray.

(i). Speculum purple. 281. Mallard.

(2). Speculum gray or white. 284. Gadwall.

2. Wing-coverts without white.

a. Legs yellowish, smaller. 282. Black Duck.

1). Legs reddish, larger. 283. Red-legged Black Duck.

3. Under parts chestnut. 284. Gadwall.

Subfamily 3. FUUGUUNAE. Sea and Bay Ducks.

This group of ducks inhabits the deeper waters. They dive to a considerable depth, often, for
fish. Some are almost as expert divers as the famed grebes and loons. They feed upon almost any
aquatic animals or vegetables. Some are considered a table delicacy, while others are of a decidedly-
fishy flavor.

I. Whole head and neck black.

A. Plumage entirely black. 304. American Scoter.

B. Plumage not entirely black.

1. Bill with a bluish band near its tip. 297- Ring-necked Duck.

2. Bill plain bluish.

a. Back of head with purplish reflections. 296. Lesser Scaup Duck.

b. Back of head with greenish reflections. 295. American Scaup Duck.

II. Head and neck rufous or rufous-brown.

A. Head and neck rufous.

1. Bill under 2.00. 293. Redhead.

2. Bill over 2.00. 294. Canvasback.

B. Head and neck rufous-brown.

1. Wing with a white patch.

a. Region at base of bill not white. 298 & 299. American and Barrows

Golden-eyes.
1). Region at base of bill white.

(i). Wing over 8.25. 295. American Scaup Duck.

(2). Wing under 8.25. 296. Lesser Scaup Duck.

2. Xo white in wing.

a. Bill over 2.00. 294- Canvasback.

b. Bill under 2.00.

d). Wing over 8.00. 293. Redhead.

(2). Wing under 8.00. 297. Ring-necked Duck.

c. Middle tail feathers long and slender. 301. Old=squaw.

III. Head and throat steel blue or steel green.

A. Steel green. 298. American Golden eye.

B. Steel blue. 299. Barrows Golden=eye.

I V. Head and neck otherwise.

A. Wing over 10.00.

1. Bill over 2.00. 302. American Eider.

2. Bill under 2.00.

a. Speculum white. 305. White-winged Scoter.

b. Speculum not white. 303. King Eider.

B. Wing under 7.00.

1. Tail feathers normal. 300. Bufflehead.

2. Tail feathers stiff and slender. 306. Ruddy Duck.

Subfamily 4. ANSERINAE. Geese.

Like the river and pond ducks, the geese feed in the water by tipping instead of diving, for
which their large bodies are not adapted. They are vegetarians, and forage, a great deal in fields,
picking up scattered grain. Rarely large flocks may damage newly sown or newly sprouting fields
of grain. Thev like the tender shoots of gras- and grains.

I. Head black, throat white.

A. Length 35 or more. 279. Canada Goose.

B. Length 34 or less. 280. Hutchins Goose.

II. Head black, throat black.

A. With less white below. (Hypothetical) Brant.

B. With more white below. (Hypothetical} White-bellied Brant.

1IT. Whole head or forehead white.
A. Forehead white. 278. American White-fronted Goose.

B. Whole head and neck white, grayish or rusty.

ri™al ' ore than \7 oo 276. Greater Snow Goose,

b. Win| 17.00 or less." 275. Lesser Snow Goose.
2. Back grayish brown. nnnc^

a. Wings without conspicuous white. 277. Blue uoose.
"b. Wings with conspicuous white.

(i) Wing more than 17.00. 276. Greater Snow Goose.

(2). Wing 17.00 or less. 275. Lesser Snow Goose.

IV Head and neck brown, bill yellow.

A. Rump fuscous. 278. American White=fronted Goose.

B. Rump gray. 277- Blue Goose. <„„.)

Subfamily 5. CYGXIXAE. Swans.

The general form of the swans is too well known to call for comment here. The long neck
enables them to feed upon the 'bottom of shallow pools without tipping up in the undignified man-
ner of the geese. They migrate in flocks much after the manner of the 'geese, and seem to feed
on both vegetable matter and aquatic insects.

273. Whistling Swan.

274. Trumpeter Swan.

ORDER 14. STEGAXOPODES. Pelicans, Cormorants, etc.
Family i. FREGATIDAE. Man=o'=War Birds.

The single member of this family which has been found in Ohio must be regarded as an acci-
dental visitor, not likely to be found again. 312. Man=o'=War Bird.

Family 2. PELECAXIDAE. Pelicans.

The American White Pelican is the only representative of this family in Ohio. It may be
known at once by its great size, white plumage and enormous pouch hanging from the lower side
of the bill. It is found only about considerable bodies of water, or the vicinity of them, where
it must feed. 311. American White Pelican.

Family 3. PHALACROCORACIDAE. Cormorants.

There appears to be but a single species of this family in the Ohio list of birds. Examination
of the only specimen of Cormorant taken in the state, and supposed to be the Florida form, fails
to verify the supposition that the birds found breeding at the St. Mary's Reservoir many years ago
were form floridanus. The Cormorants look like geese while flying, but may be distinguished from
them by the hoarse croak. The Ohio form is P halacrocorax dilophus.

310. Double=crested Cormorant.

ORDER 16. PYGOPODES. Diving Birds.
Family i. PODICIPIDAE. Grebes.

The Grebes will seldom be seen anywhere except in the water, where they are perfectly at home.
They may be readily distinguished from all other swimming birds by the absence of a tail. When
suspicious of danger they swim with most or all of the body beneath the water, and if hard pressed
will protrude only the bill far enough to breathe. Witch-like escapes may often be attributed to
this power.

I. Large, over 18 inches long. 314. rlolboell Grebe.

II. Smaller, less than 16 inches long.

. Bill slender, less than a third as deep at base as long.3is. Horned Grebe.
Bill about half as deep as base as long. 316. Pied-billed Grebe.

Family 2. GAVIIDAE. Loons.

All of the Loons which visit Ohio are large birds, seldom visiting small bodies of water in
their migrations. They resemble the Grebes in habits, eating much the same aquatic life. Their
like the laughter of a maniac, have given them their name. Their quickness in div-
ing enabled them to escape the shot from an old flint-lock or percussion cap gun, but modern
smokeless powder often proves their undoing.

xlv.

I. Throat gray, neck chestnut-brown.

II. Throat black.

A. Head black, a white throat-band.

B. Head ashy.

III. Throat whitish.

A. Back spotted with white.

B. Back margined with grayish,
r. Wing over 13 inches long.
2. Wing under 13 inches long.

319. Red-throated Loon.

317. Loon.

318. Black-throated Loon.

319. Red-throated Loon.

317. Loon.

318. Black throated Loon.

Family 3. ALCIDAE. Murres, Auks, Puffins.

One member of this family has been found on Lake Erie after a severe northeast storm. It
is not likely that others will be found there again under normal conditions. Birds comprising this
family are ocean birds, and being short winged, do not wander inland voluntarily.

320. Brunnich Murre.

TABLE OF COMPARISONS.

INCHES.

Pygmy size up to 5.00

Warbler size . 5.00- 6.00

Sparrow size 6.00- 7.50

Chewink size 7.50- 9.00

Robin size 9.00-12.00

( Kingfisher size 12.00-14.00)

Little Hawk size 12.00-16.00

Crow size 16.00-22.00

Brant size 22.00-30.00

Ragle size 30.00 and upwards

Besides these, numerous comparisons have been made, Killdeer size,
Mallard size, etc., which if not immediately explainable by the context may
be determined by reference to the descriptions of these birds.

Measurements are given in inches and hundredths and in millimeters,
the latter enclosed in parenthesis.

THE BIRDS OF OHIO.

No. i.

NORTHERN RAVEN.

A. O. U. No. 4863. Corvus corax principalis Ridgw.

Description. — Color, uniform lustrous black; plumage, especially on breast,
scapulars and back, showing steel-blue or purplish iridescence; feathers of the
throat long, narrow and pointed. Length about two feet, averaging over rath-
er than under; wing 17.00-18.00 (431.8-457.2) ; tail 10.00 (254.) ; bill 3.00 (76.2),
depth of bill at nostril i.oo (25.4).

Recognition Marks. — Large size, — about twice as large as a Crow ; uniform
black coloration ; harsh croaking notes.

Nest, a large but compact mass of sticks, lined with grass, wool, etc.,
placed high in trees or upon inaccessible cliffs. Eggs, 2-8, usually 5, pale blu-
ish green or olive, spotted, blotched and dashed with greenish brown and ob-
scure lilac or purplish. Av. size, 1.80-2.07 x 1.30-1.40 (45.7-52.6 x 33. -35.6).

General Range. — Northern North America, south to British Columbia,
northern Michigan, New Brunswick, Maine, New Jersey, North Carolina, etc.

Range in Ohio. — Abundant in Wilson's time along the Lake Erie shore.
Now found only in Fulton County (Jones).

ALTHO so little known to most of us, it seems altogether proper to begin
our consideration of the birds of Ohio with one which Professor Alfred New-
ton calls "the largest of the Birds of the Order Passeres, and probably the most
highly developed of all Birds." The Raven, too, has been until lately, and
from time immemorial, one of the most familiar objects within the ken of man.
The Aryan herdsman complained to his fellow of the bird's depredations, while
the Dorian fishermen of a later day regaled each other with stories of his sa-
gacity already centuries old. Korax, the Greek called him, in imitation of his
hoarse cry, Craack, Craack, while the Sanscrit name Karava reveals the ancient
root from which have sprung both Crow and Raven.

THE NORTHERN RAVEN.

Quick-sighted, cunning and audacious, this bird of sinister appearance
has been invested by peoples of all ages with a mysterious and semi-sacred
character. His ominous croakings were thought to have prophetic import,
while his preternatural shrewdness has made him with many a symbol of
divine knowledge. A less reverent age has doomed this ancient marauder to
an over-hasty destruction. While it is true that he has robbed birds' nests,
fallen upon wounded sheep, and taken toll of the tender lambs since the world
began, his services as scavenger, insect-eater, and mole-destroyer have been
infinitely greater, and for sentimental reasons, if for no other, the world could
ill afford to part with the bird whose sable thread has followed all the windings
of human history.

The Raven has more dignity, and as a species, less flexibility than the
Crow. As a result, altho it is exceedingly wary, the relentless warfare of
the pioneers has thrust it almost entirely out of bounds, so far as the Eastern
United States is concerned. While Wilson reported it as common in the
northern part of this state at the beginning of the last century, only stragglers
from the far north are noted nowadays, — unless, indeed, it should prove to
be found breeding in Fulton County, as has been recently asserted. In this
case the bird should receive rigid protection.

With the Raven's habits we cannot largely concern ourselves here.
According to Captain Bendire (who observed a closely allied form in the
West) "their ordinary call note is a loud Craack, craack, varied sometimes
by a deep grunting koerr, koerr, and again by a clucking, a sort of self-satisfied
sound, difficult to reproduce on paper, in fact they utter a variety of notes when
at ease and undisturbed, among others a metallic sounding kliink, which seems
to cost them considerable effort." The Ravens do not associate very intimately
with others of their kind, but a pair of them are mated for life. Each spring
the birds indulge in amorous antics which are decidedly infra dig., turning
somersaults in the air, trying to fly on their backs, etc. Unlike the Crows,
these birds repair the same nest year after year, and their local attachments
are very strong. In these circumstances, no doubt., is to be found one element
of the racial weakness in the presence of oncoming civilization. On the other
hand, Ravens attain a great age, specimens having been kept in captivity
upwards of a hundred vears.

THE AMERICAN CROW.

No. 2.

AMERICAN CROW.

A. O. U. No. 488. Corvus americanus Aud.

Description. — Entire plumage glossy black, for the most part with green-
ish-blue, steel-blue and purplish reflections ; feathers of the neck normal, rounded.
Length 17.00-21.00 (431.8-533.4) ; wing 12.00-14.00 (304.8-355.6) ; tail 7.00-
8.00 (177.8-203.2); bill 1.80-2.05 (45.7-52.1), depth at base 72-.84 (18.3-21.3).
Female averages smaller than male.

Nest, a neat hemisphere of sticks lined carefully with- bark, roots and
trash, and placed 10-90 feet high in trees. Eggs, 4-7, usually 5, same coloring as
Raven's. Occasionally fine markings produce a uniform olive-green effect. Av.
size, 1.60x1.20 (40.6 x 30.5).

General Range. — North America at large, except Arctic regions and Florida.
In the latter region replaced by C. a. pascuus. Of local distribution in the West.

Range in Ohio. — Of general occurrence. Retires irregularly from the
northern portion of the state in winter.

Photo by the Author
GATHERING STORM AT THE CROW WOODS.

CHESTER HEIGHTS (NEAR COLUMBUS)

THE Crow's year properly begins with the disbanding of the winter
roost in late February or early March. When the first south wind bursts
into the chilly atelier of spring, siezes a brush and paints the eastern sky with
somber blues and piled up grays, his picture is incomplete until there is
stretched across the canvas a long black line of the hurrying birds. Crows

THE AMERICAN CROW.

are the busybodies of early springtime. Once arrived in their familiar haunts,
they peer into last year's birds' nests, inspect fence-rows, discuss the changes
wrought by the wood chopper, hold noisy caucuses in the beech woods, or
gather fagots for the early nesting, and their clamor becomes an integral part
of the season's impress.

The dusky bird is a notorious mischief-maker, but he is not quite so
black as he has been painted. More than any other bird he has successfully
matched his wits against those of man, and his frequent easy victories and
consequent boastings are responsible in large measure for the unsavory repu-
tation in which he is held. It is a familiar adage in ebony circles that the
proper study of Crow-kind is man, and so well has he pursued this study that
he may fairly be said to hold his own in spite of fierce and ingenious persecu-
tion. He rejoices in the name of outlaw, and ages of ill treatment have only
served to sharpen his wits and intensify his cunning.

That the warfare waged against him is largely unnecessary and partly
unjust has been pretty clearly proven of late by the scientists who have investi-
gated the Crow's food habits. It is true that he destroys large numbers of
eggs and nestlings, and that, if allowed to, he will occasionally invade the
poultry yard, — and for such conduct there can be no apology. It is true also
that some damage is inflicted upon corn in the roasting-ear stage, and that
corn left out through the winter constitutes a staple article of Crow diet. But
it must be remembered that birds and eggs form only about one-half of one
per cent of their fare through the year, and that in the case of corn, they per-
form conspicuous services in raising the crop. Professor A. W. Butler, of
Indiana, who has given the matter special attention, says: "Most persons
are disposed to note losses oftener and remember them longer than benefits.
It (the Crow) is found to eat many insects. May beetles, June bugs, and
noxious beetles, and quantities of them, are fed to their young. Grasshoppers
are eaten all summer, but form the bulk of their food in August. Besides

these, many bugs, caterpillars, cut- worms, spiders, etc., are eaten

It is thought in the more thickly settled portions of the country that the Crow
does more good than harm, and if precautions are taken to protect the nests
and young poultry and corn, its damage would not be of any considerable
consequence."

There is no reasonable question that the Crow is the smartest bird within
our borders. He is such a delightful rascal that he makes an interesting pet,
as every wide-awake farmer's boy can testify. If taken from the nest and
well treated, a young Crow can be given such a large measure of freedom as
to fully justify the experiment from a humanitarian standpoint. Altho scat-
tered anecdotes of Crow ways fill the pages of popular literature, it is matter
of regret that a complete treatise on the psychology of the Crow has never
been produced. Such a work would not only afford entertaining reading, but

THE AMERICAN CROW.

would contribute to a sympathetic understanding of the black brother who is
only less intelligent than we.

Every one knows that Crows talk. Their cry is usually represented by a
single syllable, caw, but it is capable of many and important modifications.
For instance, keraw, keraw, comes from some irritated and apprehensive female
who is trying to smuggle a stick into the grove. Kawk-kawk-kawk, proclaims
sudden danger, and puts the flock into instant commotion; while caw-aw,
caw-aw, ca^v-a^v, reassures them again. Once, in winter, when the bird-man
was screech-owling for sport, a company of Crows settled in the tops of neigh-
boring trees, and earnestly discussed the probable nature of the object half-
concealed under a camera cloth. Finally they gave it up and withdrew, as I
supposed. It seems that one old fellow was not satisfied, for as I ventured at
last to shift ever so little
from my strained posi-
tion, he set up a derisive
c(Ca-a-a-w" from a branch
over my head — as who
should say, "Aw, ye can't
fool me. Y're just a
ma-a-a-n" — and flapped
away in tlisgust.

The final Crow philol-
ogy also is still unwritten.
The Corvine tongue would
be worthy the attention of
Professor Garner were it
not for the fact that exple-
tives preponderate.

Space fails to describe
the elaborate structure of
Crow society, to tell of the
military and pedagogical
systems which they en-
force, of the courts of justice and penal institutions which they maintain,
of the vigilantes who visit vengeance upon evil-minded owls and other offend-
ers, or even of the games which they play, — tag, hide-and-seek, blind-man's
buff and pull-away, — but a word must be spared for that most serious busi-
ness of life, nesting.

A typical Crow's nest is a very substantial affair, as our illustration
shows. Upon a basis of coarse sticks a mat of dried leaves, grasses, bark-
strips and dirt, or mud, is impressed. The deep, rounded bowl thus formed
is carefully lined with strips of grape-vine bark, twine, horse-hair, wool and

Columbus. Photo by the Author.

CROW'S NEST IN BEECH TREE.

THE AMERICAN CROW.

the like. When completed, the nest is about seven inches across and three
deep inside. The expression "crow's nest," as used to indicate disarray,
really arises from the consideration of old nests. Since the birds resort to
the same locality year after year, but never use an old nest, the neighboring
structures of successive years come to represent every stage of dilapidation.
Normally Crows nest at middle heights in convenient trees in small
woodlands, but under the stress of persecution they rise to greater heights and
choose inaccessible trees, such as shell-bark hickories or giant elms. I once
located a nest in the northern part of the state at a height of a hundred and
ten feet in an elm tree five feet in diameter. Since the nest did not belong
to a Swallow-tailed Kite, the eggs were not disturbed. On the other hand,
the birds sometimes throw themselves on our mercy and build within fifteen
or twenty feet of the ground, and in very climbable trees.

The eggs vary interminably in coloration, but the type is strongly marked.
-> In a recent monograph1 it was deemed

advisable to give a particular descrip-
tion of fifty sets in order to cover the
range of variation. Perhaps the most
remarkable set that has come to light,
at least in Ohio, was one found in the
spring of 1892 near Oberlin. *The four
eggs which comprise the set are en-
tirely unmarked, of a pale blue color,
not unlike that of Cooper Hawk's eggs.
They were taken by myself at two dif-
ferent times, under circumstances which
would seem to preclude the possibility
of mistake in identity. A friend from
Ontario, Rev. Giles G. Brown, who
saw the eggs, assured me that all which
he had ever seen near his native home
were of the same description.

April is the usual month for nesting,
but birds are sometimes seen gathering
nest materials during the first week in
March, and incubation is often under
way before the end of the month. Only
one brood is provided for in a season
unless some accident befalls the first, in
which case another nest is more hastily
prepared at some distance from the
scene of former disaster. Deposition of

1 The American Crow, by Frank L. Burns, Bulletin No. 5 of the Wilson Ornithological Chapter.

Photo by Criggs & Tyler.
CROW NESTING.

THE AMERICAN CROW.

eggs may occur on successive or alternate days and the period of incubation
is variously estimated at from fourteen to eighteen days.

It has been supposed that the Crow retires from our state except in very
mild winters. My impression is that this is not usually the case, but that
the birds congregate in vast winter companies or "roosts" of local restriction,
and chiefly within our borders. Ten such roosts have been reported by Pro-
fessor Butler from the neighboring state of Indiana, and it is improbable
that the habit of our birds materially differs. I have information of five
such roosts (including one across the Ohio River in West Virginia, opposite
Gallia County, and which is largely patronized by Ohio bird's), noted at dif-
ferent times, but have no definite assurance of their permanency. A com-
plete record of the winter distribution of the Crow in our state is very much
to be desired.

Concerning the relative abundance of Crows, as compared with former
times, little can be positively determined. The continued denudation of our
timber throws many species of birds into false prominence, which may be alto-
gether misleading. Dr. \Vheaton reported a notable decrease in the vicinity
of Columbus twenty years ago. They are abundant now. The species is sub-
ject to an epidemic called "roup," which assails the birds in their winter quar-
ters and materially reduces their numbers. This disease affects the eyes as
well as the pharynx and nasal passages, and has given rise to the belief that
the birds freeze their eyes at night in cold weather, — an absurd supposition,
since the head is securely tucked under the wing during the hours of slumber.

Pliot o by J. B. far her.

THE BLUE JAY.

No. 3.

BLUE JAY.

A. O. U. No. 477. Cyanocitta cristata (Linn.).

Description. — Above, grayish-blue with a purple cast; below, smoky or
sordid gray; a black collar continues up the sides of the neck and underlies the
conspicuous blue-gray crest; frontlet and lores black; throat and sides of head
gray with a delicate purplish suffusion ; wings and tail brighter blue, finely banded
with black ; greater coverts and secondaries of wing, and tail feathers, except mid-
dle pair, broadly tipped with white; bill and feet black. Length 11.00-12.50
(279.4-317.5) ; wing 5.00-6.00 (I27.-I52.4) ; tail 5.00-6.00 (I27.-I52.4) ; bill i.oo-
1.25 (25.4-31.8) ; tarsus i.oo-i.io (25.4-27.9). A typical male in the O. S. U.
collection measures: wing 5.25 (133.3); tail 5.40 (137.2); bill 1.03 (26.2);
tarsus 1.09 (27.7). The female averages smaller than the male and is not so
brightly colored.

Recognition Marks. — Jay size ; bright blue coloring. This is one of four
or five species which everybody knows.

Nest, a compact structure of sticks and roots, lined, almost invariably, with
fine brown rootlets, and placed in a crotch or branch of a tree, usually near the
trunk, ten to thirty feet up. Eggs, 3-6, bluish-green, olive-green, ashy-brown,
or bistre, dotted and blotched with olive and cinnamon-brown. Av. size, i.io x
.85 (27.9 x 21.6).

General Range. — Eastern North America to the Plains, and from the Fur
Countries south to Florida and Eastern Texas.

Range in Ohio. — Of universal distribution. Resident; common in middle
and northern portions, but less frequent southerly.

"BEAUTY and the Beast" find joint representation in this most familial-
inhabitant of village and woodland. Beautiful he undoubtedly is in his panoply
of blue and white, and we are moved to an admiration which is never quite dis-
pelled ; but the heart of him is deceitful and cruel beyond belief. The Blue Jay
is the outlaw among birds, no romantic Musolino, beloved by the masses and
hated by the few, but a plain bad bird, whose only virtues are such as to merit
slight appreciation in the bird world proper. Cunning, mischievous, thieving,
cruel, noisy, boastful, quarrelsome, treacherous, wanton — one is tempted to
empty the vials of opprobrious epithets upon his devoted head — but the vision
of his saucy beauty and the memory of his ringing delary, delary, stays, as it
always will, the hand of justice.

The trouble with Blue Jay is that we all fall in love with him in the winter
when he is being good, but lose sight of him in the spring and summer when
he is practicing his villainies. In the winter time the flashing blue of the lay's
plumage, most resplendent then, is a welcome sight among the barren hedge-
rows or about the chilly outbuildings, which he explores for stray bits of honest
food ; or a roistering company of them sweep through the grove and set it ring-

THE BLUE JAY.

ing with shrill laughter, mocking the frost and bidding defiance to the north
wind, until the heart leaps in answer. In early spring, too, the Blue Jays are in
highest spirits. They gather about some mock-modest raconteur in the tree-
tops, and whisper and snicker in subdued fashion until the point of the story is
reached, when they explode with sudden mirth and fall out of the tree shrieking
with laughter. If you appear on the scene just then, they proclaim your ad-
vance to all creation by shrill cries of Jay, Jay, and with an arrogance of

virtue which makes you ques-
tion your own motives.

But early in April the
Blue Jay becomes strangely
silent. The nesting season is
on, and the bird has good
reason to keep the matter
quiet. In orchard trees or
front-yard evergreens, but
oftener in the depth of the
forest, the wily birds steal
their nests. Not a sound is
made while the sticks are laid
and the rootlets gathered. No
whistle or call betrays the
secret of the spotted eggs,
and people begin to wonder
what has become of the Blue
Jays. Meanwhile the Jays
are beginning to feast on
strange sweets. Many a
nunctured egg of Sparrow.
Vireo, or Robin bears witness
to the stealthy visit or open
brigandage of these maraud-
ers.

When their young are

hatched, the

>s -A* • n

n^i •;$

t - ^ jfi*

Photo by the Autlu

BUJE JAY OX NEST.

nage increases fourfold. Every discoverable nest, not successfully defended
by its owner, is laid under tribute to provide eggs or tender young for the baby
monsters at home. Altho so bloodthirsty, the treacherous blue-coat is not es-
pecially brave, and when set upon by the outraged parents, he (or she) usually
beats a hasty retreat, screaming at a fearful rate. Even the Robin must guard
her treasures with the greatest diligence or this crafty pilferer will desolate her
home. The Blue Jays are not over careful either, and the appearance of one in

10

THE BLUE JAY.

the Robin tree is the signal for a fight, which is but one of millions in the
process of a feud already centuries old.

In view of Blue Jay's sins, it affords a legitimate satisfaction to recall a
sight which met my gaze early one morning in May,— a Crow robbing a Blue
Jay's nest. Four eggs — one, two, three, four — were extracted by the relentless
claw of fate, while the agonized, if unrepentant, parents plead for mercy. The
Crow is no saint, but he does not cloak his villainies under a garb of blue and

white.

For sheer naughtiness, too, com-
mend us to the pleasant habit which
the Blue Jay has of secreting himself
in some thicket and imitating the
notes of hawks or other birds or
beasts of prey. The ke-ah note of
the Red-shouldered Hawk is a favo-
rite instrument of terror, and the
killy-killy note of the Sparrow
Hawk is no less cleverly handled.
Once, in winter, having just heard
and seen an authentic Butcher-bird,
I hastened over to a copse upon hear-
ing a repetition of the cry. Here I
found a Blue Jay holding a company

of Tree Sparrows nearly paralyzed with fright while he produced the well-
known clinking and buzzing notes of the Northern Shrike. Is it too much to
believe that he chuckled with fiendish glee after this performance?

The notes and cries of this bird are always of interest, and by a little atten-
tion one may soon learn to tell from them what kind of mischief is afoot. Pure
jay, jay is used when alighting or greeting comrades, or in assembling the
clan. Dayick, dayick is the raucous note of mischief or mere clamor.
Delary, delary is the sound pressed out during those extraordinary springing
motions which the bird describes through the whole arc of his physical reach.
It seems to be used both to announce a discovery, to summon or warn friends,
or as a preparatory flight call. This delary is often preceded by a mellow
toob, toob, of puzzling origin, and the flight itself is often accompanied by a
rich ringing Chc-klung-oo-i. Besides these, there are, of course, various
soliloquizing and conversational notes, and these on occasion may reach the
doubtful dignity of song.

If we can say little that is good of the Blue Jay, all must agree that he is
an interesting character; and our moral duty toward him and those upon
whom he preys will probably be best observed, not by a policy of ruthless ex-
termination, but by keeping the species within bounds.

Taken near Buckeye Lake. Photo by the Auth
NEST AND EGGS OF BLUE JAY

FIFTEEN FEET HIGH IN SWAMP WILLOW.

$& I'l

4- ^ V,-*

THE BOBOLINK. u

No. 4.

BOBOLINK.

A. O. U. No. 494. Dolichonyx oryzivorus (Linn.).

Synonyms. — SKUNK BLACKBIRD; REED-BIRD; RICE-BIRD; MEADOW-WINK.

Description. — Adult male, breeding plumage : Head and below, rich glossy
black, — the feathers having at first a buft'y edging which wears off as the season
advances; a broad nuchal patch of strong buff or cream; scapulars, lower back,
rump, and upper tail-coverts pale white ; middle back gray ; upper back, wings
and tail glossy to dead black with various buffy edging; tail-feathers sharply
pointed ; bill dull black ; feet brown. Adult female : Ground color of plumage
olive-buff, — clearest below, and in median crown, superciliary, and inter-scapular
stripes; the remainder black and brownish-fuscous. Adults in fall, and young:
Like female in spring, but buffier and with less black throughout. Length 7.00-
7.50 (177.8-190.5); wing 3.00-4.00 (76.2-101.6); tail 2.75-3.00 (69.8-76.2); bill
.55 (14.) ; tarsus .90-1.00 (22.9-25.4). Female averages a half-inch shorter, with
similar proportions.

Recognition Marks. — Chewink size; black, white, and buff plumage of
breeding male. The breeding female is a shy and obscurely colored bird, to be
recognized by the amateur mainly through the attentions of the male. At other
seasons both sexes and all ages may be known by the frequently uttered dink
cry. In the hand the acute tail-feathers are quite distinctive.

Nest, on the ground in meadows or deserted fields, a slight, grass-lined
depression concealed with some art, but not definitely overarched. Eggs, 4-7,
yellowish clay or stone-gray, heavily spotted and blotched with umber, drab,
and even lavender. Av. size, .87 x .63 (22.1 x 16.).

General Range. — "Eastern North America, west to edge of Great Plains,
breeding in Northern United States and more southern British Provinces ; in
winter south to West Indies and South America" (Ridgw.).

Range in Ohio. — "Abundant summer resident in northern, very common
spring and fall migrant, less common summer resident and breeding in middle,
and migrant only in southern Ohio" (Wheaton).

NEXT after Bluebird, the coming of Bobolink marks the broadest step in
that golden stair of springtime, by which we yearly attain the height of orni-
thological joy. His coming heralds that tidal wave of migration which begins
somewhere during the last week in April, and sweeps over us till the middle of
May. Without waiting for their more modest mates, the males press north-
ward, hot-winged, to riot for a while over the dank meadows in bachelor com-
panies, and to perfect that marvel of tumultuous song. Oh how they sing!
those Bacchanals of springtime. From fence-post or tree-top, or quivering
in mid-air, they pour forth such an ecstacy of liquid 'gurgling notes as must
thrill the very clods. Such exuberance of spirit, such reckless abandon of
mirth-compelling joy would cure a sick preacher on blue Monday. As the
bird sings he bows and scrapes and pirouettes till, as Wheaton says, "he re-

THE BOBOLINK.

by tne
Author

sembles a French dancing master in uniform,
singing, fiddling, dancing, and calling off at
the same time."

But when some fine morning about a
week later, a shy, plainly attired, brown lady
drops from the sky with a soft dink, then
it is that the passionate soul of the singer is
fairly consumed by the inner fires of melody
and desire. He dashes like mad after his
lady love and pursues her at breakneck speed
through the thickets of weeds and about
fence-rows until he loses her in the grass.
Then he hovers, or rather dances, in the air,
over the spot where she vanished, or else
retires to a fence-post, hard by, to make
frantic protestations of his devotion. Oh,
geezeler, geezeler, gilpity, onkeler, oozeler,
oo, comes from that perfect throat; and

somewhere between two blades of grass the lady is watching him — the sly
minx — and chuckling softly to herself.

Once I heard a chorus of bachelors — or was it a musical contest ? — where
seven birds in the top of a little willow were singing with might and main.
The effect of that wild melody of tinkling, palpitating and flute-like notes with
its changeful syncopations and melodious discord will not soon be forgotten.
It was an all star team of the world's most accomplished mirth makers.

All the world loves a lover, and such ardor as "Robert of Lincoln"
displays is not in vain. With a heart completely won the female scrapes a
little hollow in the ground amongst the tall grass of a meadow or deserted field.
Here upon a slight lining of dried grass, she deposits five or six eggs, clay-
colored with umber blotches, wonderfully like the ground. The owner is mis-
tress of the art of concealment, and usually escapes detection even from the
most inquisitive. In my experience, the female flushes at long distances, but
even when she permits a close approach to the nest she herself skulks a long
way before rising. If you care to spend an hour or so hunting for the treas-
ures, the safest way is to mark the spot where the bird rose, and then hunt
toward your original position along the line of approach.

During the incubation the male is the same rollicksome fellow that he was
during courtship; but he sings faithfully to his sitting mate, and he re-
ligiously drives intruders from the critical portion of the field. If several pairs
occupy one meadow, as is frequently the case, the males spend a good deal of
time trying to compel each other to respect imaginary boundaries.

The moulting of the Bobolink is one of the most interesting phases of

THE BOBOLINK.

familiar bird
life. When
the male ar-
rives in the
spring he is
apt to have
some buffy or
ashy skirting
on his black
feathers, but
these soon
disappear and
he stands
forth in a per-
fect livery of
black, white
and buff. Un-

Photo by the Author.

WHERE BOBOLINKS NEST.

der the neCCS- Taken near Columbus.

sity of having
to provide for

a growing brood, all his gaiety leaves him. He becomes anxious, silent,
and careworn. Barely are the youngsters able to shift for themselves,
when the father doffs the wedding garments, and puts on a severely plain
suit like that of the female. A month or so is spent by both old and young
in recruiting strength — a season which is passed for the most part in loose
flocks — and then the leisurely journey southward is begun, about the twentieth
of August. The sole and characteristic note from this on is a metallic
dink or chink. There is little concert about their southward movement,
and the air in our latitude may resound with dink cries at any time of
night, and often in the daytime,, for a month. The birds gather in immense
numbers in the reeds of the Chesapeake region, and are slaughtered by thous-
ands for the market, where they are known as "Reed-birds." Later in their
retreat they infest the rice-swamps of the Carolinas and Georgia, where
they are also killed in great numbers, with perhaps some little show of justice.
But surely if our Southern neighbors could realize of how much delicious music
they deprive us another year, they would not be so cruel. It is a great pity that
the burden of the musician's support does not fall more heavily upon us, for
how cheerfully would we bear it !

I4 THE COWBIRD.

No. 5.

COWBIRD.

A. O. U. Xo. 495. Molothrus ater (Bodd.j.

Synonyms. — Cow BLACKBIRD; CUCKOLD.

Description. — Adult male: Head and neck wood-, seal-, or coffee-brown
(variable) ; remaining plumage black with metallic greenish or bluish irides-
cence. Female : Dark grayish brown, showing slight greenish reflections, dark-
est on wings and tail, lightening on breast and throat. Young in first plumage :
Like female but lighter below and more or less streaky ; above somewhat mottled
by buffy edgings of feathers. The young males present a striking appearance
when they are assuming the adult black, on the installment plan, by chunks and
blotches. Length 7.50-8.00 (190.5-203.2); wing 4.40 (in.8); tail 3.00-3.40
(76.2-86.4); bill .65 (16.5); tarsus .95-1.10 (24.1-27.9). Female, length, wing,
and tail one-half inch less.

Recognition Marks. — Chewink size; brown head and black body of male;
brown of female.

Nesting.— The Cowbird invariably deposits her eggs in the nests of other
birds. Eggs, i or 2, rarely 3 or 4, with a single hostess, white, often faintly
tinged with bluish or greenish, evenly speckled with cinnamon, brown or umber
Av. size, .85 x .65 (21.6 x 16.5), but quite variable.

General Range.— United States from the Atlantic to the Pacific, north into
southern British America, south in winter, into Mexico.

Range in Ohio. — Common throughout the state, but less so in heavilv tim-
bered regions.

IF it were given us to revise the economy of nature we should certainly

place this fellow upon the proscribed list. Judged by every sentiment of justice,

human and avian, he is an outlaw, and all other birds at least would thank us

if we set a price upon his head. To show how thoroughly accepted the opinion

is among ornithologists, I cannot do better than quote Mr. Frank M. Chapman :

"As an outcast he makes the best of things and gathers about him a band of

cmdred spirits who know no law. There is an air about the group which

the critical observer that their deeds are evil. No joyous song swells the

throat of the male. His chief contribution to the chorus of springtime is a

Jttural bubbling produced with apparently nauseous effort. In small flocks

hey visit both pasture and woodland, and are given to following cattle clus-

nng about the feet of the herd, presumably to feed on the insects found

They build no nest, and the females, lacking every moral instinct, leave

ir companions only long enough to deposit their eggs in the nests of other

smaller birds. I can imagine no sight more strongly suggestive of a

oughly despicable nature than a female Cowbird sneaking through the trees

THE COWBIRD. 15

and bushes in search of a victim upon whom to shift the duties of motherhood."
The egg thus surreptitiously placed in another bird's nest usually hatches two
or three days before those of the foster mother, and thus the infant Cowbird
gets a start which he is not slow to improve. Its loud clamoring for food often
drives the old birds to abandon the task of incubation ; or if the other eggs
are allowed to remain until hatched, the uncouth stranger manages to usurp
attention and food supplies, and not infrequently to override or stifle the other
occupants of the nest, so that their dead bodies are removed to make room for
his hogship. It is asserted by some that in the absence of the foster parents
the young thug forcibly ejects the rightful heirs from the nests, after the
fashion of the Old World Cuckoos. This is emphatically denied by others. I
never caught the rascal in the act myself, but I once found a nest which con-
tained only a lusty Cowbird, while three proper fledglings clung to the shrub-
bery below and one lay dead on the ground. The appearances were certainly
against Molothrus ater.

When the misplaced tenderness of foster parents has done its utmost
for the young upstart, he joins himself to some precious crew of his own blood,
and the cycle of a changeling is complete.

It would be easy, not to say picturesque, to record a large number of
unpleasant epithets which would justly apply to this bird. Sneak, cuckold,
ingrate, are only a few examples. If any comfort at all is to be found from
his presence in the bird world, it must be similar to that supplied by the
presence of evil in the moral world. And some such value we do see through
the expedients to which unwilling victims are driven in their efforts to rid
themselves of the despised eggs. Perhaps some are able to remove the foreign
egg from their nests, altho this is uncertain. Others promptly desert upon the
first glimpse of the interloper. But others, more ingenious, are driven to build
a second story to their nests and lay another set of eggs on the new floor. In-
stances are on record where a bird has thus constructed three stories, having-
been a second time defeated in the effort to avoid unpleasant responsibilities.

While it is true that the smaller birds, notably the Vireos, the Yellow
Warbler, and the Field Sparrow, are most frequently imposed upon, such is
not always the case. I have found eggs with the Red-winged Blackbird and
the Cardinal. In the latter case the close resemblance of the eggs probably
accomplished the deception of the owner herself.

The Cowbird's egg is of a peculiarly generalized form and pattern. While
there is no evidence that it is varied for adaptation to particular hosts, it is sur-
prising how closely it resembles the speckled eggs of many species, which are
among themselves distinctive. Thus it often requires a second glance to dis-
tinguish it among the eggs of the Ovenbird, the Towhee, the Yellow-breasted
Chat, the Field. Grasshopper, and Song Sparrows, and even the Yellow
Warbler.

THE COWBIRD.

Much was formerly made, especially in New England, of the mysterious
disappearance of the Cowbirds during the months of July and August. At
this season they gather in large flocks, but are not much noticed because of their
almost unbroken silence. Late in summer they are moulting and keep pretty
closely to out-of-the-way woods during this trying time. In northern Ohio I
have repeatedly watched companies of from five hundred to two thousand
during August, as they passed silently about the tree-tops, or as they settled to
their accustomed roosts in a grove. On the other hand I once spent ten clays
at the same season, along the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, without seeing a
single Cowbird. Yet I have no reason to doubt that there were as many birds
in the latter region as in the former.

Specimens shot in August contained, besides small quantities of wheat
gleaned from the ground, large numbers of grasshoppers. If one were ever
disposed to be lenient toward this repulsive bird, it might well be during the
grasshopper season.

THE BIRDS' MIRROR.

Photo by F. D. Siiydcr.

THE YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD. 17

No. 6.

YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD.

A. O. U. No. 497. Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus (Bonap.j.

Description. — Adult male: Head, neck all around, and breast orange yel-
low ; lores and feathers skirting eyes and bill, black ; a double white patch on
folded wing formed by greater and lesser coverts, but interrupted by black of
bastard wing; usually 'a little yellow about vent and on tibiae; the remaining
plumage black, dull or subdued, and turning brown on wing-tips and tail. Female :
Dark brown ; line over eye, throat, and upper breast dull yellow. Length 10.00-
n.oo (254.-2794J ; wing 5.30-5.60 (134.6-142.2); tail 4.00-4.50 (101.6-114.3);
bill .90 (22.) ; tarsus 1.25 (31.8). Female smaller, length 8.00-9.50 (203.2-
241-3)-

Recognition Marks. — Robin size; yellow head and breast.

"Nest, a light but large, thick-brimmed fabric of dried reeds and grasses slung
to growing ones, 5-6 inches in diameter and about as deep. Eggs, 3-6, 1.00-1.15
(25.4-29.2) long by 0.75 (19.1) broad; grayish-green, spotted as in Scolecophagns,
with reddish-brown, not scrawled as in Agelaius" (Coues).

General Range. — Western North America from Wisconsin, Illinois and
Texas to the Pacific Coast, and from British Columbia and the Saskatchewan
River southward to the Valley of Mexico. Accidental in Middle and Atlantic
States.

Range in Ohio. — Of rare and casual occurrence only.

THIS Blackbird is essentially a bird of the Prairies, and it is eminently fit-
ted for obtaining its living on the ground, since its legs and feet are strongly de-
veloped as if by and for scratching. Large numbers spend the winter sociably
in the tule swamps of Texas and California, breaking up into smaller companies
after the migration has been accomplished, and distributing themselves among
the inland marshes of the Great Plains, and locally throughout the West, where
they breed much after the fashion of Redwings. The species is of a rather
roving disposition, one specimen having been taken in Greenland in 1820.
Small bunches have several times been recognized on the wing by competent
observers here in Ohio, and Wheaton cites the instance of a pair being seen in
a low meadow near Groveport, in Franklin County, where it was thought to
have bred, in the summer of 1873.

iS

THE RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD.

No. 7.

RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD.

A. O. U. No. 498. Agelaius phoeniceus (Linn.).

Synonyms. — MARSH BLACKBIRD; SWAMP BLACKBIRD; REDWING; RED-
SHOULDERED BLACKBIRD.

Description. — Adult male: Glossy black; "shoulder patches" (lesser wing
coverts) of bright scarlet, partially concealed in repose by black scapulars and
bound by a broad buff border posteriorly ; bill and feet horn black. Female :
Brownish gray, mottled and streaked, sharply below, less distinctly above; feath-

Photo by E.

A TYPICAL NESTING SWAMP.

ers of back edged by buff or bay, shoulders subdued red; throat, chin, cheeks, and
superciliary stripe faintly ruddy. Young, similar to female, but darker. Young
males exhibit every intermediate phase of plumage. Males in fall have their
uniform black interrupted by whitish, buffy, and tawny edgings of the feathers.
The epaulets at this season are a sickly orange-red. Males, length 900 (2286) ;
wing 4.84 (122.9); tail 3.82 (97.); bill .85 (21.6); depth of bill at base .50
(12.7). Female, length about 8.00 (203.2) ; wing 4.06 (103.1) ; tail 3.23 (82.) ;
bill .76 (19.3) ; depth at base .43 (10.9).

THE RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD.

Recognition Marks.— Chewink to Robin size; bright red epaulets of male;
general streakiness of female.

Nest, a neatly woven but rather bulky basket of grasses and cat-tail leaves,
swung usually from upright stalks of the cat-tail ; lining of fine grass of uniform
size. Eggs 4-7. usually 5, light blue, scrawled, blotched or clouded with dark
purple or black, and chiefly about the larger end. Av. size, 1.04 x .72 (264 x
18.3).

General Range. — "Eastern United States and more southern British Prov-
inces, except Florida and Gulf Coast ; west to eastern base of Rocky Mountains ;
north to Nova Scotia, Province of Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, etc." (Ridgway).1

Range in Ohio. — rCommon summer resident throughout the state wherever
cat-tail swamps or their equivalent are to be found. Markedly decreasing in
numbers because of the drainage of the swamps.

Photo by E. B. Williamson.
THE REDWING'S NEST.

IN speaking of Blackbirds three pictures almost invariably present them-
selves to the mind's eye. One is of a wet day in early March. The untidy land is
surfeited with waters, partly from the tardy-melting snows, partly from the
iterative dashes of rain which wreak their sullen spite alike on ghostly grove
and sodden meadow. But the bird-man has seen a great company of Blackbirds
trooping overhead, and settling in the first tree-top to northward ; so he hastens
after, matiger shower and slop. The birds are swarming in the upper branches,
and giving rise to a perfect babel of noises. Clicks, clacks, whistles, squeaks,
and ringing challenges make up the boisterous medley of those most sociable
and garrulous of birds. It is a mixed company, for Grackles, "Rustics," and

I "The Birds of North and Middle America." by Robert Ridgway, Part II, p. 332.

THE RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD.

Cowbirds make common cause with Redwings in the northern migrations;
but the last named preponderate, and it is they who are most vivacious, most
resplendent, and most nearly musical. The Redwing's mellow kongqueree
or occasional tipsy whoop-er-way-up is the life of the party.

Almost before we know it, our friends, to the number of a dozen pairs or
more, have taken up their residence in a cat-tail swamp — nowhere else, if you
please, unless driven to it — and here in early May a dozen baskets of matchless
weave are swung or lodged midway of the growing plants. Your distant
approach is commented upon from the tops of bordering willows by keyrings
and other notes. At close range the lordly male, he of the brilliant epaulets and
proper military swagger, shakes out his fine clothes and says Kongqueree,
in a voice in which anxiety is quite outweighed by vanity and proffered good
fellowship withal. But if you push roughly through the outlying sedges,
anxiety obtains the mastery. The alarm is sounded. There is a hubbub in the
marsh. Bustling, frowsy females appear, and scold you roundly. The lazy
gallants are all fathers now, and they join direful threats to courteous expostu-
lations, as they nutter wildly around the intruder's head. To the mischevious
boy the chance frequently to call out these frantic attentions is irresistible,
even when no harm is intended.

The third picture is of a cloud of Blackbirds — plain Blackbirds now, male,
female, or young, it matters not — bearing down relentlessly upon a field of
ripening corn. The terror of the black scourge belonged chiefly to a former
day. Besides we will not dilate upon the weaknesses of our friends.

I have said that the Redwing prefers cat-tails for nesting; but in the
vicinity of the larger swamps, or wherever there is danger of high water, they
take readily to bushes or even small trees. Second broods, too, are more apt to
be reared in elevated situations.

The local attachment of Redwings is quite marked, and indeed sometimes
almost pathetic. I once visited the region of a famous swamp, the "Goose
Pond/' in Pickawray County, only to find that the misdirected energies of the
local Hans had drained off the water some two years before, leaving the
''ancient bottom of unfathomable ooze" as dry as tinder. Of course the drain-
age of the swamp had involved the total destruction of its charasteristic
vegetation. Nevertheless a few pairs of Redwings lingered about the scene of
their former happiness — their birthplace, no doubt, but now a dessicated waste
— quite unable to grasp the meaning of the changed conditions.

THE THICK-BILLED REDWING. 21

No. 8.

TF1ICK-BILLED REDWING.

A. O. U. No. 498d. Agelaius phoeniceus fortis Ridgw.

Synonym. — NORTHERN REDWING.

Description. — "Similar to A. p. phoeniceus (preceding species), but de-
cidedly larger and with the bill usually relatively much shorter and thicker"
(Ridgw.). Adult female averaging paler than A. phoeniceus. Adult male,
length, av. 8.79 (223.1) ; wing 4.96 (126.) ; tail 3.86 (98.) ; culmen .92 (23.3) ;
depth of bill at base .53 (13.5). Adult female, av. length 7.33 (186.2); wing
4.15 (105.5); tail 3.08 (78.1); culmen .75 (19.1); depth of bill at base .46
(n.8).

Nest and Eggs. — Not distinguishable from those of A. phoeniceus. Does
not breed in Ohio.

General Range. — "Central North America, breeding northward; in migra-
tions from Manitoba south to Illinois, Indian Territory, and Western Texas,
westward to and including the Rocky Mountains, and south to Arizona and
Chihuahua" (A. O. U.). Also east at least to Ohio, Kentucky (Mason county),
etc.

Range in Ohio. — Probably not uncommon during migrations in early spring
and late fall. Sparingly resident in winter in south-middle and southern portions
of state.

A singularly large and handsome male seen a few miles west of Columbus,
while in company with Professor Lynds Jones, on December First last, aroused
me to the probable presence of winter stragglers of Mr. Ridgway's newly
elaborated subspecies, A. p. fortis. A careful examination of several of the
large collections affords material which supports the conclusion indifferently
well ; but fuller study is necessary to prove that the larger-billed variety is hab-
itually present in winter, or to determine whether all the winter specimens of
Redwing belong to this form. It seemed to me also last spring that certain
differences of voice and note obtain between the local and migrant birds. — the
kongkerce call of the latter being hoarser and less finished, and their clack
note of scolding both stronger and more husky. But one cannot afford to be
dogmatic on such points just at present.

22

THE MEADOWLARK.

No. 9.
MEADOWLARK.

A. O. U. No. 501. Sturnella magna (Linn.).

Synonyms. — FIELD LARK; MEDLARK; MUDLARK (corruption) ; MEDLAR (po-
etical).

Description. — Male : General color of upper parts brownish black modified
by tawny and bufnsh gray edgings of the feathers, the latter heaviest on second-
aries and upper tail-feathers, where it takes the form of partial bands; cheeks,
median, and superciliary lines sordid white; a large crescent on upper breast
black ; chin, upper throat, breast, middle belly, and line over eye bright yellow ;
sides and crissum black-streaked on a white or flaxen ground; bill singularly
variegated, tawny, black, and white. Female : Like male but smaller and paler.
The plumage of both sexes is duller in fall and winter, the normal colors being
restrained by a profuse buffy overlay. Adult male, length 10.00-11.00 (254.-
279.4); av. of four Columbus males, wing 4.66 (118.4); tail 3.10 (78.7); bill
1.26 (32.).

Recognition Marks. — Robin size; yellow with black or blackish collar, be-
low; general streaky appearance above.

Nest, a thin bed of dried grasses on the ground, usually covered or over-
arched by growing grass. Eggs, 4-6, white, speckled and spotted with cin-
namon-brown or purplish. Av. size, 1.12 x .80 (28.5 x 20.3).

General Range. — Eastern United States and southern Canada to the Plains.
Breeds from the Gulf of Mexico northward.

Range in Ohio. — Wheaton's words, penned twenty-five years ago, are still
apt : "Abundant. Summer resident in northern, in part resident in middle, and
resident, but less numerous in winter, in southern Ohio."

Taken at McC

\ PART OF MEADOWLARK'S DOMAIN.

Photo by the Author.

THE MEADOWLARK. 23

LAND is, by courtesy, said to belong to this person or that because he
happens to hold a parchment whereupon are inscribed certain characters, a deed
in legal phrase ; but if the earth belongs to those who use it, and if he is a ben-
efactor who causes two blades of grass to grow where was only one before,
then, surely, the Meadow Lark has clear title of eminent domain. Fortunately,
however, the claims of the farmer and the Lark do not conflict. The Lark asks
but shelter, and if the man wants crops, lo ! here is his most faithful servitor.

It is difficult to overestimate the economic value of the Meadow Lark. The
bird is by choice almost exclusively insectivorous. If, however, when hard
pressed, he takes toll of the fallen wheat or clover seed, he is as easily justifiable
as is the hired man who consumes the farmer's biscuits that he may have the
strength to wield the hoe against the farmer's weeds. Being provided with a
long and sensitive bill, the Meadow Lark not only gleans its insect prey from
the surface of the ground, but works among the grass roots, and actually probes
the earth in its search for wire- and cut-worms, those most dreaded pests. Be-
sides devouring injurious grubs and insects of many kinds, the Lark has a great
fondness for grasshoppers, subsisting almost entirely upon these in the season
of their greatest abundance. In the matter of grasshopper consumption alone
Meadow Larks of average distribution, are estimated by no less an authority
than Professor Beal, to be worth about twenty-four dollars per month, per
township, in saving the hay crop. To the individual farmer this may seem a
small matter, but in the aggregate the saving to the nation amounts to some
hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

Even in winter, when a few individuals or occasional companies of Larks
are still to be found, a large proportion of their food consists of hardy beetles
and other insects, while weed-seed and scattering grain is laid under tribute,
as it were, reluctantly. While not strictly resident to a large extent, the
Meadow Lark is likely to occur almost anywhere in winter, and it arrives so
early in February and March as to cause frequent confusion with the strict
winter residents. Numbers of them also pass through our borders into Ontario.
A certain raw day in early spring — March 18, 1889, it was — appeared re-
markable for the number of Meadow Larks that were piled up on the Lake
Erie shore; not dead, nor literally heaped up, indeed, but gathered thickly in
the bordering meadows and bluff pasture lands because of the aspect of the
Lake, which was so forbidding that the birds feared to cross it. In a walk
of four or five miles, not tens nor hundreds, but thousands were seen, and
they made a mighty and incessant chorus throughout the distance. Every
now and then a bunch of forty or fifty birds would charge out over the lake,
but always reconsidered the motion and beat back hastily to shore; and we
saw none actually setting out upon the final passage.

THE MEADOWLARK.

Photo by Rev. W. F. Henninger.
XEST AND EGGS OF MEADOWEARK.

The Meadow
Lark's nest is the
treasure trove of
every farm boy.
Eggs may be
looked for the first
week in May, or
earlier as one pro-
ceeds south. The
female is a close
sitter, sometimes
allowing approach
within a foot or
two before flush-
ing. Oftener, how-
ever, she leaves
the nest at the ap-
proach of danger
and sneaks away

with consummate skill, until she chooses to discover herself at a distance suffi-
cient to mislead. The nests are well hidden in the deeper grass of meadows
and pastures, and are frequently overarched with dried grasses, not so much
for the purpose of protection against the weather, as has been suggested, but
as a further aid to concealment.

According to Dr. Jones, a favorite way to locate the Meadow Lark's nest
is to pass right by the anxious male as he stands on some post twitching his tail
nervously and snouting signal calls to his sitting mate. When he thinks the
danger past he will, as likely as not, fly straight to the hidden nest, chuckling
with self-approbation and eager to tell Mrs. Magna all about it.

Besides the familiar whistling song of three or four notes, Meadow Lark
occasionally indulges a perfect whirlwind of bubbling notes, interspersed with
whistled "whews/'delivered while sailing down on stiffened wing, or fluttering
about in an excited circle, always, we may be sure, for the benefit of his enam-
orata. He is also much given to a sort of rubbing, rattling cry, very expressive,
but very hard to reproduce or describe. This is the language of ordinary Stur-
nelline intercourse. With it he sputters his indignation at an intruding
stranger, or congratulates himself upon having sucessfully outwitted a passing
hawk. In this dialect too he pours forth a flood of blarney and sweet talk
during a tete-a-tete with some gracious female.

Meadow Lark has an impressive note of apprehension and strong emotion,
sweet, delivered in a half-crouching posture. Again he boasts another, even
more startling, a note of alarm and eminent distrust, turk, or turk, turk,

THE ORCHARD ORIOLE. 25

delivered while the bird is walking about uneasily, and craning his neck to the
utmost to command a view of the fancied danger, accompanying the sound by
an emphatic flirt of wings and jerk of tail.

On a sultry July day as I sit by the open window overlooking a large, half-
kept city park, I hear the shrill clarion call of a Meadow Lark. It comes to me
softened by distance and refined by the gentle filtration of intervening leaves,
but I know it for the same sound which thrilled my heart one early day last
March. The sun had just leaped above the horizon, and his first rays were
caught upon the glowing breast-plate of this high priest of morning, as he
mounted a commanding post and blew a golden trumpet, piercing sweet.
"He-ar cheer", he said, and those who listened felt constrained to heed the
summons, moving on with quickened step and clearing brow to face the duties
of the coming day.

To me there is something little short of sacred in the message of this lowly
bird. No fitter symbol can we find of soul triumphant over matter. He lives
in the mud, indeed, but he does not grovel there. Sordid cares cannot bind the
winged spirit. He quits the ground. He lifts his voice, and lo! he claims a
kinship with the Sun, the Morning and the Heart of all. And shall not all the
sons of cheer confess the claim ?

No. 10.

ORCHARD ORIOLE.

A. O. U. No. 506. Icterus spurius (Linn.).

Description. — Adult male: Black and chestnut; head and neck all around,
throat, upper back and scapulars glossy black; lesser wing coverts, lower back,
and remaining under parts rich chestnut; wings and tail dull black, the feathers
of the former edged, and of the latter sometimes tipped, with whitish; bill,
slender, slightly curved, black. Adult female : Above, dull olive-green, brighter
and more yellow on head, rump, and tail, dullest on back ; below sordid yellow ;
wings fuscous, the greater and middle coverts with whitish edging. Young
males : First year, like females but larger ; second year, like females save for
a black throat-patch. Older birds show irregular traces of chestnut, and the
full plumage is assumed the third season. Length about 7.00 (177.8); wing
3.16 (80.3); tail 3.06 (77.7); bill .63 (16.). Females smaller.

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size; black and chestnut coloring of adult
male ; black throat-patch on olive-yellow ground of young male of second year ;
female and young obscure.

Nest, semi-pensile, or supported more or less from below, not so deep as
Baltimore's; a marvelous tissue of interwoven grasses placed in an upright fork
ten or fifteen feet upland usually in an orchard tree or willow. Eggs, 3-5, bluish
white with specks, spots, and scrawls of brown or sepia, and deep-seated shell
marks of a purplish cast. Av. size, .80 x .57 (20.5 x 14.5).

THE ORCHARD ORIOLE.

General Range. — Eastern United States north to about Lat. 440 and west
to Great Plains ; south in winter to Panama. Breeds throughout its range.
Range in Ohio. — Summer resident, generally but sparingly distributed.

CHESTNUT and black make a rich and tasty costume for a bird, altho
they render the owner somewhat less conspicuous than is the brilliant Bird of
Baltimore. The Orchard Oriole is a familiar resident of orchards, shaded
fence-rows, and the wooded banks of streams. His familiarity is delightful,
since he improves upon acquaintance ; and it is gratifying to note everywhere
an increase in numbers, especially southerly.

As a summer boarder none could
be more welcome, for in addition to his
sprightly ways and pleasing song,
his industry in the pursuit of insect
pests is indefatigable, and his pres-
ence in orchard and garden
above reproach. In common
with his golden cousin this
bird feasts upon the noxious
click beetles which scarcely any
other bird will touch ; and none
render more valiant service
than he in holding the noto-
rious tent caterpillars and their
ilk in check.

The song of the Orchard
Oriole is rapid, tumultuous,
exultant, the irrepressible out-
burst of an energetic nature.
It lacks the mellow richness of
Baltimore's, but has instead a
delicious piquancy, a subtle,
keen-edged tang like that of
Catawba grapes. Interspersed
?MO with the music come phrases
Author, of vivacious chatter, from
which the speaker leaps again
to song.

Even males of the second
year, who have to content
themselves with black neck-ties
and suits of modest green, are

BUT THE HEADS OF YOUNG MHOS.

THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE. 27

not a whit behind adults in musical attainments. Indeed, I have sometimes
fancied that the handicap of juvenile garb serves only to provoke superlative
efforts in song on the part of the youthful aspirant. Certain it is that the
two-year-old birds are often happily mated, and their music-loving wives are
not always won from the ranks of those whom we should think "ower young
to marry yet."

The nest of the Orchard Oriole is a beautiful and ingenious creation.
Green grass blades of the tougher sorts are twisted and wrapped and inter-
woven with the skill of a lace-maker, until a pouch some three inches wide
by four inches deep is formed. This is made fast by the brim to the spread-
ing forks near the tip of some horizontal apple-limb, somewhat after the
fashion of the Vireo's; or else, and more commonly, it is slung between two
or three spreading, upright forks. In the latter case it is tightly lashed, for its
entire depth, to two or more of the ascending branches, thus more closely as-
similating certain types of Redwings' nests. Wilson states that when the
descending branches of the weeping willow are chosen, the nest is made
deeper and less rigid so as to allow for greater freedom of movement in the
wind. The same observer once examined a grass-strand taken from the
Orchard's nest, and found that in its thirteen inches of length it had been
hooked through and returned some thirty-four times.

When first constructed, of bright green grass, this Oriole's nest is at the
acme of invisibility, but as the season advances the color bleaches out, so that
the young find themselves in a straw-colored cradle, which not infrequently
invites rather than forbids attention. In our latitudes soft materials such as
wool, plant-down, feathers, or even horse-hair, are used for lining ; but further
south the nest is said to be usually quite unlined.

No. ii.

BALTIMORE ORIOLE.

A. O. U. No. 507. Icterus galbula (Linn.).

Synonyms. — FIREBIRD; HANGBIRD; HANGNEST; GOLDEN ROBIN.

Description. — Adult male: Black and orange; head and neck all around,
a "tongue" on, the lower throat, upper back, and scapulars, wings (except lesser
and greater coverts), and greater part of tail above, black. — warm and glossy ante-
riorly, duller on wings and tail ; tips of greater wing-coverts, and edging of
quills and secondaries white ; the remaining plumage orange. The orange varies
in intensity from the paler plumage of the young males to the rich orange-red
of the oldest birds. Female: General color orange-olive, clearest below and

2g THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE.

on rump ; on head, throat, and back indistinctly spotted or streaked and clouded
with black ; wings fuscous ; two dingy white wing-bars formed by middle coverts
and ends of greater coverts. Young: Like female, the males gradually acquir-
ing the adult orange. Length 7.50-8.00 (190.5-203.2); av. of five Columbus
males: wing 3.70 (94.) ; tail 2.94 (74.7) ; bill .71 (18.).

Recognition Marks. — Chewink size; orange and black coloration. The
females, though obscure, is enough like male to be readily distinguished.

Nest, purse-shaped and pensile, being oftenest swung from the very tips
of drooping branches; a closely-woven fabric of grass, plant fibers, string, etc.
The lining proper is of the softest materials, — cotton, etc. Eggs, 3-6, rather
elongated, white (greenish or dull), elaborately scrawled and streaked with dark
browns or purple. Subdued shell-marking in spots or blotches is also usually
present. Av. size, .95 x .63 (24.1 x 16.).

General Range. — Eastern United States, north to Ontario and Manitoba,
west nearly to Rocky Mountains ; south in winter through Mexico to Colombia.

Range in Ohio. — Common summer resident.

THE warm breath of spring has soothed the violet's last fears, and the
orchard trees are crowded with blossoms. Then comes one day warmer than
all the rest, when the spice-laden air pulsates with heat, and the heart with ex-
pectancy. Suddenly from off some blushing snow-bank of apple-blossoms
comes a jubilant whistle.

"Hush! 'tis he!

My Oriole, my glance of summer fire,
Is come at last."

A gorgeous male — one of the largest and the oldest, and therefore with colors
the most intense you will see that season — is helping himself eagerly to the
swarming tidbits which infest the flowers, but he stops every moment or so to
flute his excited greetings to the joyous villagers in the dear home town. The
news spreads rapidly, "The Orioles have come." That beautiful fleet which
silently stole away from our shores last autumn, and went we knew not
whither, laden with its precious freight of song and memory, that winged,
fiery fleet, has come to port again, and brought our own with usury of flame,
and song, and nnpent joy. Now spring is spring again !

The Baltimore Oriole is rather partial to the haunts of men, being most
frequently found along shady village streets, or in front-yard elms and
orchards of country seats, but in many portions of the state they are so abun-
dant as to be forced to hold to the edges of forests and the varied umbrage of
river bottoms. The males arrive in spring a week or ten days earlier than the
females, and during this period are restless and active. Their song too at this
time, as Dr. Brewer notes, is loud and shrill as well as fragmentary. Upon the
arrival of the females, the tender passion mellows the voices and improves the
manners of the expectant suitors. During the mating season the rich full notes

THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE. 29

of the Oriole are among the most entrancing sounds which haunt our childhood
and maintain the freshness of advancing years. The female, too, is something
of a singer, and she whistles and chatters or answers her lord with cheerful
contentment as she moves about her task.

The task which the Oriole sets herself in building her nest is one of the
most exacting in nature, and its fulfilment the most wonderful. Before the
advent of civilization she had to rely entirely upon vegetable fibers, especially
the inner bark of hemp, but now her preference is for string, silk, rags, and
ravelings. It is her preference, by the way, for she does the work, while her
chosen lord attends her flight, sings snatches of song, or offers gratuitous and
unheeded advice. So the poet is slightly in error when he says,

"My Oriole

Is come at last, and, ever on the watch,
Twitches the pack-thread I had lightly wound
Around the bough to help his house keeping, —
Twitches and scouts by turns, blessing his luck,
Yet fearing me, who laid it in his way."

But Lowell's lines are so expressive that we readily excuse the oversight and
eagerly call for more.

"Heave ho! Heave ho! he whistles as the twine
Slackens its hold. Once more now ! and a flash
Lightens across the sunlight to the elm
Where his mate dangles at her cup of felt."

From the slender tips of some branch, be it drooping, as of elm or willow,
or ascending, as of maple or apple, she suspends a closely-woven pouch, which
yields to every impulse of the wind, but wins by yielding. By seven inches or
more her eggs are removed from alien beak and talon.

Tired of the confinement of the nest, the ambitious fledglings clamber up
the sides and perch upon the brim. From this less secure position they are not
infrequently dislodged before they are quite ready to face the world. The
following incident, which came under my notice some years ago, concerns a
young Bullock's Oriole, a closely allied species. A friend of mine secured a
fledgling Oriole, by rescuing it from the water where it had evidently just
fallen from an overhanging nest. When taken home it proved a ready pet, and
was given the freedom of the place. Some two weeks later my friend secured
another nestling Oriole from a different brood and put it in the cage with the
older bird. The newcomer had not yet learned to feed himself, but only opened
li is mouth and called with childish insistence. Judge of the owner's delight,
and mine as a witness, when the older bird, himself but a fledgling, began to
feed the orphan, with all the tender solicitude of a parent. It \vas irresistibly

30 THE RUSTY BLACKBIRD.

cunning and heartsome too, for the bird to select with thoughtful brotherly
kindness, a morsel of food, and hop over toward the clamoring stranger and
drop it in his mouth ; after this to stand back as if to say, "There, baby ! how
did you like that?" This trait was not shown by a chance exhibition alone but
became a regular habit, which was still followed when the older bird had at-
tained to fly-catching. It upset all one's notions about instinct, and made one
think of a Golden Rule for birds.

No. 12.

RUSTY BLACKBIRD.

A. O. U. No. 509. Scolecophagus carolinus (Mull.).

Synonyms. — RUSTY CRACKLE; THRUSH BLACKBIRD.

Description. — Adult male in breeding plumage : Uniform glossy black,
•with bluish green reflections ; iris pale straw. At other seasons the plumage
bears rufous or "rusty" tips above, especially anteriorly, and rufescent or buffy
tips below, in varying proportions ; a light line also over the eye. The full nuptial
dress is seldom seen in Ohio, but may be found by narrowly observing the latest
migrants in spring. Adult female in breeding plumage : Blackish slate, lustrous
above, duller below. At other seasons the general cast of plumage is lighter,
and the overlay of rusty or buffy is similar to that of the male. Adult male,
length 9.00-9.60 (228.6-243.8) ; wing 4.49 (114.) ; tail 3.68 (93.5) ; bill .76 (19.3).
Female smaller.

Recognition Marks. — Robin size; plumage usually rusty-tinged during mi-
grations in Ohio. If in full plumage they are the only pure black birds of the
size. In the common flocks of "blackbirds" in early spring, the high whistling
notes belong to the Rustics.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. Nest, of sticks and coarse grasses held
together with mud, lined with fine grasses and rootlets, placed in bushes or high
in coniferous trees. Eggs, 4-7, grayish or pale green, speckled and mottled
with purples or reddish browns, and without streaks or lines. Av. size, i.oo x .76
(25.4 x 19.3).

General Range. — Eastern and northern North America, west to Alaska and
the Plains. Breeds from northern United States northward. Winters from Ken-
tucky and Tennessee southward.

Range in Ohio. — Abundant spring and fall migrant. Winters sparingly in
southern portion.

THE great roving hordes of "Blackbirds" in early spring are likely to con-
tain at least a sprinkling of "Rustics," but usually they are not so eager to press
on as are the impulsive Redwings, and so they fall out of the ranks by dozens
and scores. Succeeding platoons composed of these birds alone keep arriving

THE RUSTY BLACKBIRD. 31

from the south during the last weeks in March and the first in April, while
many do not depart for their summer home in the far north till the first or even
second week in May.

Rusty Blackbirds are to be found chiefly in damp woods and along
streams. While with us they are rather retiring, partly because they are pil-
grims— and it behooves all such to be modest — and partly because they undergo
the spring moult en route. The last trace of rusty edging must be removed
from the feathers before the breeding ground is reached, tho such as have at-
tained the full dignity of dress suits may declare their hearts to the ladies
before they quit Ohio.

In some tiny glade in the heart of the budding forest it is that one comes
upon a company of these sojourners, feeding perhaps upon the ground. They
walk about with easy grace or shift by little flights, males and females flocking
together, and all engaged in a subued but voluble chatter. An instant hush
follows the signal of alarm and the flock rises silently to the neighboring tree-
tops or passes to a distant spot, where their conversation is gradually resumed.
As the alarm decreases the birds come gradually dropping down, one by one,
until confidence is completely restored again.

The notes of the Rusty Blackbird consist of a bubbling medley of 1's and
r's through which clear, high-pitched whistles or squeaks are interspersed at
will. Gorzvhillier conveys some idea of the liquid quality of the former, and ex-
presses also in part the effort which is required to produce them. The effect
of a full chorus is really quite pleasing. If not "music" it is at least among the
less disagreeable of noises.

32 THE BRONZED CRACKLE:

No. 13.
BRONZED CRACKLE.

A. O. U. No. 5 nb. Quiscaius quiscula aeneus (Ridgw.).

Synonyms. — CROW BLACKBIRD.

Description. — Adult male : Lustrous black, exhibiting strongly three sorts
of iridescence ; on the head, hind-neck and breast purple, peacock blue, or greenish ;
on the remaining under parts and back brassy; on the wings and tail a curious
combination of the two resulting in a shimmering violet- or purplish-black.
L<cniale, somewhat similar, but a warm brown rather than black; subdued irides-
cence shown chiefly on head and breast. Length 12.00-13.50 (304.8-342.9) ; av.
of five Columbus males: wing 5.62 (142.8); tail 5.48 (139.2); bill 1.15 (29.2).
Female smaller.

Recognition Marks. — Little Hawk size ; glossy black or brown plumage ;
tail long and rounded.

Nest, a bulky but compact structure of sticks and stalks, plastered inside
with mud, and lined with fine grasses ; placed fifteen to thirty feet high in ever-
green trees or in the orchard. Eggs, 4-6, sometimes 7, light blue or greenish
blue, irregularly spotted, blotched, or "pen-marked" in zigzags and flourishes
with purple or sepia. Av. size, 1.20 x .82 (30.5 x 20.8).

General Range. — Eastern United States from the Allegheny Mountains west
to the Rocky Mountains, north from southern New England to Newfoundland
and Great Slave Lake. In migrations it invades the southeastern states, except
Florida and the Atlantic sea coast south of Virginia.

Range in Ohio. — A commonly distributed summer resident. Stragglers and
occasional small companies winter in the state.

AESOP tells of a Crow which, appropriating some cast-off feathers of a
Peacock, succeeded in cutting quite a swath among his plain-hued friends,
until a clever rival disclosed the sham and brought him into deserved contempt.
The Cro'w Blackbird has improved upon the trick. Without trying to parade
feathers manifestly too big for him, he has borrowed the Peacock's sheen, and
lie struts about, in a manner accommodated to his surroundings, with all the
Peacock's pride. He is a handsome fellow. See him as in the full sunlight
he submits a wing to the critical gaze of his coveted Juliet ! Burnished brass,
brass over steel, resplendent as a coat of mail ! She approves, altho she will
not say so. But, La ! how insolent he is ! She likes that too and snickers softly
as he shouts down to you, "Jup, jup — What are you doing here in my or-
chard?" If one is taken unawares he is apt to stammer out, "Why-why, I
thought it was my orchard until you spoke.''

For all he is so vain, no one ever accused the Crackle of being graceful.
He is capable of bold, vigorous flight, but in the spring he chooses to exhibit
the dimensions of his rudder-like tail, and sometimes he lets it swing him
around in a small circle as though it were a veisftt from which he was Strug-

I.

, I

THE BRONZED CRACKLE.

Photo by the Author.
AN EARLY NEST.
RE PLACED WITHOUT MUCH REGARD TO

CONCEALMENT, AT FIRST.

gling to get free ! His love-making antics, too, are all the more ridiculous for
being earnest. Perched upon the tip-top of an evergreen tree he thrusts his
wings out, spreads his tail, ruffles all his feathers, and then throws his head
forward like a person about to obtain relief from seasickness. The outcome of
all this effort is a sound by no means ravishing, flee-e-k-starr, or simply
fu'e-e-e-t. When the female has been sufficiently impressed by the accom-
plishments of this vocal contortionist the pair converse in jups of much modi-
fied insolence, and in a series of pro-
longed squeaks of unquestionable
affection.

The tops of evergreen trees have
long been favorite nesting places for
the Bronzed Crackles, but, in the
comparative scarcity of these, apple
trees are second choice. While not
strictly gregarious during nesting
season, the birds often occupy neigh-
boring trees, and a good sized or-
chard may contain twenty or thirty
nests. They are placed without much
regard to concealment, at first, since
the nesting is often under way by the
2Oth of April, but the advancing season is more lavish of its foliage. The
nest is quite a bulky affair of dried-weed stalks and grasses, with a deep cup-
shaped matrix of mud and a bountiful lining of grasses and horsehair. As to
manner of attachment it combines all known characters, being saddled and
settled, as well as anchored by the edges or half swung. The eggs are quaintly
spotted and stained or scrawled with
umber and purplish black on a dull
green or vitreous blue
ground.

During the nesting sea-
son the Crow Blackbird be-
trays its affinity with the
Crows and Jays by helping
itself occasionally to the
eggs and young

Photo
by the
Author.

FOLLOWING THE PLOW.

BRONZED CRACKLES ARE FEEDING UPON

THE GRUBS UPTURNED WITH THE

LAST FURROW.

34

THE BRONZED CRACKLE,

of other birds. Altho the fault is a grave one, a special investigator1 does not
find that such food bears any sensible proportion to the total amount and con-
cludes that the offense is too infrequent to require discipline at our hands. More
serious from an economic standpoint is the charge that these birds consume
quantities of grain, especially corn. Altho the mischief is offset by the con-
sumption of an equal amount of insects, and those largely of injurious sorts,
it becomes at times unquestionably necessary for the farmer to discourage the
depredations of this bird when the corn is in the milk.

Before the breeding season is over the males begin to gather in some
favorite "roost" to spend the night, and these companies form the nucleus of
large flocks, which are augmented by the arrival of females and young as
rapidly as the latter are sufficiently matured. One of these "roosts" comes to
include the Crackle population for miles around, and often numbers thousands.
If quarters are taken up in a village grove or city park, as is not infrequently
the case, the noisy congregation affords occasion for comment and conjecture
on the part of hundreds of citizens. Lynds Jones2 has prepared a very interest-
ing account of such a roost which has for years occupied a position on the
college campus at Oberlin. Similar roosts have become recognized institutions
at Elyria, Granville, McConnelsville, and a score of other places already re-
ported. Indeed it seems probable that nearly every county will be found to
contain in late summer and early fall several divisions, with corresponding
camps, of this great Crackle army.

1 M. F. E. L. Seal. "The Crow Blackbirds and their Food." Year Book United States Department
of Agriculture, 1894.

2 "The Oberlin Crackle Roost." Bulletin No. 15 of the Wilson Ornithological Chapter, July 30, 1897.

THE EVENING GROSBEAK. 35

No. 14.

EVENING GROSBEAK.

A. O. U. No. 514. Hesperiphona vespertina (Coop.).

Description. — Adult male : Forehead clear yellow ; crown black ; remaining
fore-parts sooty-olive, shading insensibly through the dull yellow of lower back
and belly into clear yellow ot under tail-coverts; wings and tail black; a large
white blotch formed by ends of inner secondaries and their coverts. Adult female :
"with prevailing color ashy or only slightly brownish-gray" (Ridgw.). A small,
clear white patch at base of inner primaries ; white blotches on tips of upper tail-
coverts and inner webs of tail-feathers, in varying proportions. Bill, in both
sexes, massive, yellow. Length about 8.00 (203.2); wing 4.40 (in.8); tail
3.42 (86.9) ; bill along culmen .75 (19.1) ; depth of bill -56-.65 (14.2-16.5). No
appreciable difference in size between the sexes.

Recognition Marks. — Chewink size; large, conical bill; olive-brown colora-
tion with black and white in masses.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. Nest principally composed of fine root-
lets with some Usnea moss and a few sticks, settled upon horizontal branch of pine
or fir, near tip, and at considerable heights. Eggs, 4, "in color, size, form, texture
and markings indistinguishable from those of the Red-winged Blackbird" (Birt-
well).

General Range. — "Interior of British America, southward1 in winter to the
upper Mississippi Valley and basin of the Great Lakes" (Ridgway). Of sporadic
occurrence in New England.

Range in Ohio. — Of rare and casual occurrence in winter only.

FEW birds have so thoroughly piqued the curiosity of the man of science
or have so long resisted his insistent inquisitiveness as has this big-billed, un-
canny bird of the mountains. His comings and goings know little law and his
geographical route is not yet clearly defined. A screaming company of them
may graciously pitch camp in John Smith's orchard in, say, Wisconsin, and
they may spend the winter there if Mr. Smith lets them ; but the diary of many
an ambitious explorer in the north and west fails to contain the coveted record
of his appearance.

It remained for Mr. Francis J. Birtwell, in the summer of 1901, to dis-
cover the nests of this long-sought bird. This singularly gifted and promising
young ornithologist was spending a honeymoon with his bride, in the moun-
tains of New Mexico. He was scarcely over the first elation of success at dis-
covering a colony of breeding Grosbeaks when he lost his life in an attempt to
reach a nest placed sixty-five feet high in a giant pine.

The Evening Grosbeak is seen only in winter or early spring at the lower
latitudes and altitudes. The birds are strictly gregarious at this season and
spend their time closely and rather stupidly feeding upon fallen maple and ash

36 THE PINE GROSBEAK.

seeds, or, later in the season, upon the swelling buds of the trees themselves. A
flock 'which I observed one winter in Seattle, Washington, spent two months
strictly within the confines of the university campus. In feeding they would
drop to the ground one by one, somewhat after the fashion of English Spar-
rows, but they permitted a rather close approach and seemed quite unacquainted
with the treacherous ways of men. During the meal the cracking of refractory
maple keys was varied by frequent shrill whistles, or short shrieks, of startling
intensity. In the breeding season the male is said to have a clear whistling
song not unlike a Robin's, but he stops suddenly midway, as though he were
out of breath. It is certain also that the song is not delivered exclusively or
even preferably in the evening, as was at first supposed. Hence it appears that
the name "Evening" has no appropriateness whatever ; but it will doubtless be
preserved, if only to point a moral.

This bird is admitted to our avifauna solely on the evidence of Dr. Kirtland
who met with it at Cleveland during March, 1860. A great wave of them
swept over the farther East in the winter of '89-90, but so far as I am aware
none were recorded from Ohio at that time.

No. 15.

PINE GROSBEAK.

A. O. U. Xo. 515. Pinicola enucleator leucura (Muller).

Description. — Adult male : Slaty gray, with an overlay of carmine or dull
rosy, except on belly, wings, and tail; the rosy color is clearest on head and
adjacent parts and on the rump; wings and tail fuscous with faint rosy or whitish
edgings ; indistinct wing-bars are formed by the white or rosy tips of middle
and greater coverts and by the edgings of inner secondaries. Adult female:
Ground color like male ; crown, nape, and upper tail-coverts saffron or\ olive-
yellow ; this color also tinges the cheeks, back, fore-breast and rump in varying
proportions, and everywhere supplants the rosy of the male save in the oldest ( ?)
birds. Adult male, length 8.25-9.00 (209.6-228.6) ; wing 4.60 (116.8) ; tail 3.63
(92.2); bill along oilmen .53 (13.5); depth of bill .48 (12.2). Female some-
what smaller.

Recognition Marks. — Chewink size (only as long as Chewink but stockier;
nearer Robin size) ; stout bill; rosy, or saffron, and gray coloring.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. "Nest, composed of a basement of twigs
and rootlets, within which is a more compact fabric of finer materials. Eggs,
usually 4, pale greenish blue, spotted and blotched with dark brown surface mark-
ings and lilac shell-spots." Av. size, 1.05 x .74 (26.7 x 18.8).

THE PINE GROSBEAK. 37

General Range. — Northeastern and central-northern North America, breed-
ing from northern New England northward nearly to the limit of trees; south
in winter irregularly into the upper tier of the eastern states, — New England,
Wisconsin, etc.

Range in Ohio. — A rare winter visitor.

ANOTHER of our rarer winter birds, whose occasional visits serve only
to stimulate a desire on our part for a closer acquaintance, is the Pine Grosbeak,
It is almost exclusively a bird of the deep pine forests, so it is not to be wondered
at that it so seldom ventures into our state. While found more commonly in
Pennsylvania and regularly in New England, it breeds only from the northern
portions of the latter region northward. Like many another woodland recluse
the Pine Grosbeak often appears dazed when it encounters civilization and
may not infrequently be taken with butterfly nets or even with the hand. It is
on record that the markets of Boston were abundantly supplied one winter with
these birds. It was, of course, in the early days (1835), when the Puritan
stomach was less influenced by sentimental considerations. Or it was perhaps
before a higher use had been found for them, namely, to decorate ladies'
bonnets.

Altho such a timid recluse, with little of the savoir faire of the world, the
Pine Grosbeak is a born poet and dispenses sweetest music to his neighbors in
the Laurentian wilds. The song is described as "clear, sweet and flowing, like
that of the Purple Finch," but stronger, of course, as becomes the larger size.

The food habits of this species are as yet imperfectly known. They are
known at least to eat small fruit of all sorts with avidity, and specimens obtained
in the far Northwest were found to have fared exclusively upon poplar buds.
When with us mountain ash trees are sure to be visited, and cedar berries, when
obtainable, are very welcome.

It is noteworthy also that the southward moving flocks of winter are com-
posed almost exclusively of young males and sombre-colored females, while the
older males remain for the most part in their northern homes.

38

THE PURPLE FINCH.

No. 16.

PURPLE FINCH.

A. O. U. No. 517. Carpodacus purpureus (Gmel).

Description. — Adult male : Dull crimson, or deep rosy red, with a slight
purplish tinge, brightest on front, breast, and rump, whitening below ; wings and
tail fuscous with rosy edgings. Area of rosy suffusion reduced in fall and win-
ter specimens. Female quite different; ground color, gray or flaxen, everywhere
spotted and streaked with olive-brown (the color-bearing feathers are really
dusky and heavily edged with olive), in sharply defined streaks and arrow-head
marks below, above minutely streaked or nearly uniform; a space in lower throat
and belly nearly clear; wings fuscous, edged with olive, not rosy. Young like
female, but males pass through a bronzy stage. Length 6.00-6.25 (152.4-158.8) ;
wing 3.21 (81.5) ; tail 2.23 (56.6) ; bill along culmen .45 (11.4) ; depth at base
.34 (8:6). Females slightly smaller.

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size; rosy coloration of male, olive streaki-
ness of female. The female bears a superficial resemblance to the Pine Siskin,
but the latter is a smaller and yellower bird, with a very much smaller bill.

Nest, composed of weed stalks, grasses, rootlets, etc., lined with soft sub-
stances and hair; placed at moderate heights in trees, preferably evergreens, and
oftenest on horizontal boughs. Eggs, 4 or 5, dull green, spotted and speckled and
streaked (or not) with dark brown, chiefly near larger end. Av. size, .85 x .65
(21.6 x 16.5).

General Range. — Eastern North America, from the Atlantic Coast to the
Plains. Breeds from Middle States northward.

Range in Ohio. — Spring and fall migrant; of casual occurrence in winter.
Formerly a few remained to breed in the northern portion.

HERE comes another band of jolly rovers who have seen sights in the
Laurentian highlands, no doubt, or possibly in dismal Labrador, but who are
quite content for the nonce to while away the time among the unrifled cones of
the evergreen windbreak, or in making an early raid upon the ungarnered
crop of rag-weed seed. The migrating instinct urges them southward with only
indifferent success. They may be gone tomorrow or they may conclude to
spend the winter with you. At any rate they are here now and that is reason
enough for pleasant chatter and fragments of remembered song.

One observer would give "its very characteristic utterance" as "a short,
rather dull-sounding note, scarcely metallic — the metal pressed the instant the
bell is struck" ; while another, more generous, or perhaps more enthusiastic,
would give it credit for "a musical metallic chink, chink."

Those birds which have not wintered with us straggle back through March
and April, and linger sometimes into May. At this season they are oftener
found in the heart of the woods along streams, feeding upon the buds of the
slippery elm. A company of them may seem at a time verv much devoted to the

THE PURPLE FINCH. 39

task, but before long some restless young gallant will burst out with uncon-
trollable song — a carol delicate and sweet and free, and the whole flock will
forget its sordid pursuits and fall to love-making. This has become the all-
absorbing pastime by the time the birds quit us for the North, and we may
suppose that all troths are plighted under our pleasant roof-tree.

Dr. T. M. Brewer has this to say more fully of the Finch's song : "The
song of the Purple Finch resembles that of the Canary, and though less varied
and powerful, is softer, sweeter and more touching and pleasing. The notes of
this species may be heard from the last of May until late in December (in New
England) and in the long summer evenings are often continued until after it is
quite dark. Their song has all the beauty and pathos of the warbling Vireo and
greatly resembles it, but is more powerful and full in tone. It is a very inter-
esting sight to watch one of these little performers in the midst of his song. He
appears perfectly absorbed in his work, his form dilates, his crest is erect, his
throat expands and he seems to be utterly unconscious of all around him. But
let an intruder of his own race appear within a few feet of the singer and the
song instantly ceases, and in a violent fit of indignation he chases him away."

Concerning the reputed nesting of this species in the northeastern counties
of the state I have no exact information. The birds prefer evergreen trees for
nesting sites, but will put up with orchard trees on occasion. The nests are
flatter than is usual with tree nesting sparrows, and are usually well con-
cealed by the foliage. Dr. Howard Jones, who was familiar with the Purple
Finch in New York State, writes : "A nest before me, a fair representative of
the species, is composed of a foundation and superstructure of brown roots, the
coarsest being in the foundation ; many of these are one-sixteenth of an inch in
diameter by six or eight inches in length. They are arranged circularly and
form a ragged looking exterior, about five inches in diameter outside of the
loosest rootlets. Within the superstructure is a beautifully wrought lining, with
walls about three-eights of an inch thick, of the very finest light brown rootlets.
These are so curly and curved, and interlaced and twisted together at the rim,
that the inner nest suggests a piece of silver filigree work. The diameter of the
cavity is about two inches ; the depth, one inch."

40 THE ENGLISH SPARROW.

No. 17.

ENGLISH SPARROW.

INTRODUCED. Passer domesticus (Linn.).

Synonyms. — HOUSE SPARROW; DOMESTIC SPARROW; HOODLUM.

Description. — Adult male : Above ashy gray ; middle of back and scapulars
heavily streaked with black and bay; tail dusky; a chestnut patch behind eye
spreading on shoulders ; lesser wing-coverts chestnut ; middle coverts bordered
with white, forming a conspicuous white bar during flight; remainder of wing
dusky with bay edging ; below ashy gray or dirty white ; a black throat-patch
continuous with lores and fore-breast; bill and feet horn color. Adult female:
Brownish rather than gray above ; bay edging lighter ; no chestnut, unmarked
below. Length 5.50-6.25 (139.7-158.8); wing 3.00 (76.2); tail 2.20 (55.9);
bill .50 (12.7). Sexes of about equal size.

Recognition Marks. — "Sparrow size"; black throat and breast of male;
female obscure brownish and gray.

Nest, a globular mass of grass, weeds and trash, heavily lined with feathers,
placed in tree and with entrance in side ; or else heavily lined cavity anywhere.
Holes in apple trees and crannies in shale banks are favorite places. Eggs, 4-7,
whitish, heavily dotted and speckled with olive-brown or dull black. The mark-
ings often gather about the larger end ; sometimes they entirely obscure the
ground color. Av. size, .86 x .62 (21.8 x 15.8).

General Range. — "Nearly the whole of Europe, but replaced in Italy by P.
italiae, extending eastward to Persia and Central Asia, India, and Ceylon"
(Sharpe). "Introduced and naturalized in America, Australia, New Zealand,
etc." (Chapman).

Range in Ohio. — "The first importation of this pest into the state directly
from Europe was into Cleveland in 1869, twenty pairs. During the same year
thirty-three pairs were taken from New York to Cincinnati and Warren. Then
followed importations into Marietta, 1870; Coshocton and Portsmouth, 1874;
Steubenville about 1880 or 1881 ; Wapakoneta about 1882, which seems to have
been the last importation. Since that time it has spread well over the state,
in the more settled districts even invading the country places and farm buildings,
until the tendency to nest in the woods grows strong" (Jones).

WITHOUT question the most deplorable event in the history of American
ornithology was the introduction of the English Sparrow. The extinction of
the Great Auk, the passing of the Wild Pigeon and the Turkey, — sad as these
are, they are trifles compared to the wholesale reduction of our smaller birds,
which is due to the invasion of that wretched foreigner, the English Sparrow.
To be sure he was invited to come, but the offense is all the more rank because
it was partly human. His introduction was effected in part by people who
ought to have known better, and would, doubtless, if the science of ornithology
had reached its present status as long ago as the early fifties. The maintenance
and prodigious increase of the pest is still due in a measure to the imbecile

THE ENGLISH SPARROW.

sentimentality of people who build bird-houses and throw out crumbs for "the
dear little birdies", and then care nothing whether honest birds or scala\vags get
them. Such people belong to the same class as those who drop kittens on their
neighbors' door-steps because they wouldn't have the heart to kill them them-
selves, vou know.

NOTHING IS TOO GOOD FOR THEM.

Photo by the Author.

"QUARRY HOLE" FORMERLY OCCUPIED BY ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS BUT NOW ENTIRELY GIVEN

OVER TO THE NOISY FOREIGNERS.

The increase of this bird in the United States is, to a lover of birds, simply
frightful. Their fecundity is amazing and their adaptability apparently limit-
less. Mr. Barrows, in a special report prepared under the direction of the Gov-
ernment, estimates that the increase of a single pair, if unhindered, would
amount in ten years to 275,716,983,698 birds.

As to its range, we note that the subjugation of the East has long since
been accomplished and that the conquest of the West is succeeding rapidly.
It is only a question of a few7 years until it becomes omnipresent in our land.

It requires no testimony to show that the presence of this bird is absolutely
undesirable. It is a scourge to the agriculturist, a plague to the architect and
the avowed and determined enemv of all other birds. It is, in short, in the

42 THE ENGLISH SPARROW.

words of Dr. Coues, "a nuisance without a redeeming; quality." Altho we
assent to this most heartily, we must confess on the part of our race to a certain
amount of sneaking admiration for the Sparrow. And why, forsooth? Be-
cause he fights. We are forced to admire, at times, his bull-dog courage and
tenacity of purpose, as we do the cunning of the weasel or the nimbleness of the
flea. He is vermin and must be treated as such, but — give the Devil his
due, of course. What are we going to do about it ? Wage unceasing warfare
as we do against mice and snakes. There is no ultimate issue to regard. The
House Sparrow is no longer exterminable, but he can be kept within limits. No
doubt there will be English Sparrows in cities as long as there are brick-bats,
but the English Sparrow in the country is an abatable nuisance. He can be
shot, and he ought to be. There are no English Sparrows about my present
home, in a suburb of Columbus. A sensible and determined neighbor has plied
the shotgun for several years and as a result Bluebirds, Chipping and Field
Sparrows, Woodpeckers of all kinds, Warblers, Robins, Blue Jays, etc. are
plentiful hereabouts. I prefer Bluebirds myself.

The Sparrow exhibits a most cosmopolitan taste in the matter of nesting
sites. The normal half-bushel ball of trash in the tree-top is still adhered to by
some builders, but the cavity left by a missing brick, a Woodpecker's hole —
deserted upon compulsion — or a throne upon the scale-pan of Justice — done in
stone upon the County court-house, and mercifully blind — will do as well. Of
late the choicest rural sites have been appropriated, and the cliffs once sacred to
the gentle Swallow, now resound with the vulgar bletherings and maudlin
mirth of this avian blot on nature.

AMERICAN CROSSBILL

I*o,ci(i curvirostrci

3/s Life-size

THE AMERICAN CROSSBILL. 43

No. 18.

AMERICAN CROSSBILL.

A. O. U. No. 521. Loxia curvirostra minor (Brehm.).

Synonym. — RED CROSSBILL.

Description. — Adult male: Tips of mandibles crossed either way; plumage
red, brightest on rump ; feathers of back with brownish centers ; wings and tail
fuscous. Shade of red very variable, — orange, cinnabar, even vermilion, some-
times toned down by a saffron suffusion. Immature males sometimes present a
curiously mottled appearance with chrome-green and red intermingled. Female
and young : Dull olive-green, brighter and more yellow on head and rump ;
below gray overcast by dingy yellow. Adult male, length 5.50-6.25 (139.7-
158.8) ; wing 3.40 (86.4) ; tail 2.05 (52.1) ; bill .70 (17.8) or under.

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size ; crossed mandibles ; male red and female
olive-green ; both without white wing-bars.

"Nest, in forks or among twigs of a tree, founded on a mass of twigs and
bark-strips, the inside felted of finer materials, including small twigs, rootlets,
grasses, hair, feathers, etc: Eggs, 3-4, 0.75 x 0.57, pale greenish, spotted and
dotted about larger end with dark purplish brown, with lavender shell-markings"
(Coues). Av. size, .85 x .53 "(21.6 x 13.5) (Brewer).

General Range. — Northern North America, resident sparingly south in the
eastern United States to Maryland and Tennessee, and in the Alleghanies ; irregu-
larly abundant in winter.

Range in Ohio. — Nowhere of regular occurrence ; occasional migrant or
winter resident and rare breeder.

THERE are several species of northern birds which behave as if they had
been moon-struck on some chilly Arctic night and whose most ardent friends
as a consequence cannot deny that they are a little "queer ;" the Red Crossbills,
for example, — dear unsophisticated mortals who are still following the Julian
calendar, and that only spasmodically. Normally confined to the coniferous
timber of the Canadian highlands, they nevertheless drift south in straggling
flocks and in very unmethodical fashion, and occasionally come upon us in
great hordes which even the park policemen notice.

Then in spring, either because they dread to face renewed privations or
because they vary their plain fare with the lotus buds of forgetfulness in the
balmy Southland, some linger to nest and spend a careless summer. Especially
is this the case in the Alleghanies and in the mountain regions of New York and
New England. The nesting takes place according to no known law, eggs
having been taken in mid-winter where the snow lay deep upon the ground, and
again in July. And altho conifers are the sites usually chosen, the birds are
not particular in this matter either — a leafless maple will do as well.

The Crossbill owes its peculiar mandibles to an age-long hankering for

44 THE AMERICAN CROSSBILL.

pine-seeds — a desire fully satisfied according to the fashion of that Providence
which works so variously through nature, and whose method we are pleased to
call evolution. The bill of the bird was not meant for an organ of the finest
precision, and Buffon, the Deist, once won a cheap applause by railing at the
Almighty for a supposed oversight in this direction; but as a matter of fact
its wonderful crossed mandibles enable the Crossbill to do what no other bird
can, viz., pry open the scales of a pine cone and extract the tiny seed with its
tongue. Besides this the bird is not so awkward in the use of its bill as \vas for-
merly supposed, since it frequently alights on the ground and picks up the fallen
seeds, together with other food. Apples, left hanging, and mellowed by the
frosts, are favorite winter tidbits, and the birds have been accused of doing
some trifling damage to grain in the field.

Crossbills give out an intermittent rattling cry or excited titter, ten1, tew,
tew, while feeding. The flight note is a short, clear whistle, and a flock com-
posed of separately undulating individuals affords a pleasing sensation to both
eye and ear as it rapidly passes. The male is said to have a sprightly whistling
song of a most agreeable character, and he sometimes opens the season as early
as February.

Specimens kept in captivity exhibit some of the traits of Parrots. Thus,
they grasp the wires of the cage with their bill as well as with their feet and
move about by its aid. They hang head downward with indifference and they
convey food to the mouth by holding it in one foot. It is not surprising that the
birds are easily domesticated, even when full grown, since they are so unsus-
picious as to admit of capture by the hand. I once caught an adult female in
mid-air as a flock fluttered up confusedly from the ground. According to Dr.
Brewer, a nest with eggs of this species was once secured early in March by Mr.
Charles S. Paine, in East Randolph, Vt. "The nest was built in an upper
branch of an elm — which, of course, was leafless — the ground was covered with
snow, and the weather severe. The birds were very tame and fearless, refusing
to leave their eggs, and had to be several times taken off by the hand. After its
nest had been taken, and as Mr. Paine \vas descending with it in his hand, the
female again resumed her place upon it, to protect her eggs from the biting
frost."

THE WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL. 45

No. 19.

WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL.

A. O. U. No. 522. Loxia leucoptera (Gmel.).

Description. — Male : Rosy-red or carmine all over, save for grayish of
nape and black of scapulars, wings, and tail. The black of scapulars sometimes
meets on lower back. Two conspicuous white wing-bars are formed by the tips
of the middle and greater coverts. Bill slenderer and weaker than in preceding
species. Female and young: Light olive-yellow, ochraceous, or even pale
orange over gray, clearer on rump, duller on throat and belly; most of the feathers
with dusky centers, finer on crown and throat, broader on back and breast ; wings
and tail as in male, but fuscous rather than black ; feather-edgings olivaceous.
Very variable. Length 6.00-6.50 (152.4-165.1); wing 3.50 (88.9); tail 2.25
(57.2); bill .67 (17.).

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size ; crossed bill ; conspicuous white wing-
bars of both sexes.

Nesting. — Not known to breed in Ohio. "Nest, of twigs and strips of birch-
bark, covered exteriorly with moss ( Usnea) and lined with soft moss and hair,
on the fork of an evergreen, in deep forests. Eggs, 3( ?), pale blue, spotted and
streaked near larger end with reddish brown and lilac, .80 x .55 (20.3 x 14.)"
(Chamberlain).

General Range. — Northern parts of North America, south into the United
States in winter. Breeds from northern New England northward.

Range in Ohio. — Of casual occurrence during migrations and in winter.

THE habits of this lesser known species appear to be substantially the
same as those of L. c. minor. Its summer range lies for the most part further
north, altho it also breeds in the mountains of the West. It is much less frequent
in winter than the preceding species, altho it occasionally appears in great
numbers.

"In the spring of 1869, Mr. Jillson, of Hudson, Mass., sent me a pair of
these birds which he had captured the preceding autumn. They were very
tame, and exceedingly interesting little pets. Their movements in the cage were
like those of caged Parrots in every respect, except that they were far more
easy and rapid. They clung to the sides and upper wires of the cage with their
feet, hung down from them and seemed to enjoy the practice of walking with
their heads downward. They were in full song- and both the male and the
female were quite good singers. Their songs were irregular and varied, but
sweet and musical. They ate almost every kind of food, but were especially
eager for slices of raw apples. An occasional larch cone was also a great treat
to them. Altho while they lived they were continually bickering over their
food, yet when the female was accidentally choked by a bit of eggshell, her mate
was inconsolable, ceased to sing, refused his food, -and died of grief in a very
few davs" (Brewer).

THE REDPOLL.

No. 20.

REDPOLL.

A. O. U. No. 528. Acanthis linaria (Linn.).

Synonyms. — COMMON RED-POU,; LINNET;

Description. — Adult male: Crown crimson; breast and shoulders crimson
in varying proportions according to season ; frontlet, lores, and throat-patch sooty
black; remaining lower parts white, flanks and crissum streaked with dusky;
above, variegated dusky, flaxen-brown and whitish, the feathers having
dusky centers and flaxen edgings; rump dusky and white in streaks, tinged
with rosy ; wings and tail dusky with flaxen or whitish edgings ; two inconspicu-
ous wing-bars formed by white tips of middle and greater coverts. Female :
Similar but without red on rump and breast, the latter suffused with buffy instead ;
sides heavily streaked with dusky. Immature : Like female but without crimson
crown. Length 5.50 (139.7) or less; wing 2.80 (71.1) ; tail 2.30 (58.4) ; bill .34
(8.6) ; depth at base .23 (5.8).

Recognition Marks. — Warbler to Sparrow size; crimson crown-patch in
adults ; no dusky spot on breast.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. Nest, a bulky affair of twigs and grasses,
lined with feathers and placed in trees and bushes. Eggs, 4-6, pale blue, dotted
and speckled with reddish brown or umber. Av. size, .65 x .50 (16.5 x 12.7).

General Range. — Northern portions of northern hemisphere, south irregu-
larly in winter, in North America to the Middle States.

Range in Ohio. — Of very irregular occurrence. Many winters will pass
without any ; at other times swarms are to be seen in the northern part of the
state. Casual anywhere.

THESE rather rare hyperborean visitants are often allowed to pass for
winter Goldfinches when they do occur. Indeed, the resemblance is most
striking, both as to form and habits and notes as well. When the eyes have
been opened by a near revelation of convincing red, then the ears remember also
a slight foreign accent in the "sweetie" call and in the rattling flight notes.

Failure in the food supply in the Hudson Bay regions seems to afford the
only excuse for the occasional southern flights of this species, since the birds are
absolutely impervious to cold. When they do come they appear to materialize
in great numbers out of the leaden sky along with the snowflakes; but they
settle to a breakfast of weed-seeds or alder catkins as tho to the manor born,
and have no apparent dread of dispossessing the Juncoes and Field Sparrows
who already occupy the land. They are fond of pine trees, and if occasion
offers, contentedly pick up the crumbs which fall from Master Crossbill's pine-
cone table. Redpoll's manner is very confiding. He has had nothing to fear in
his Greenland home, and he assumes that you will mind your business and let
him mind his.

AMERICAN GOLDFINCH

Astragalinus tristis

~/A Life-size

THE AMERICAN GOLDFINCH. 47

We are rewarded for our occasional hospitality by the sight of Redpoll
at his best. During the actual breeding season, we are told by a competent
observer in Greenland, Holboell, the male not only becomes exceeding shy but
loses his rosy coloring. It is hardly to be supposed that this loss of color is a
protective measure, but rather that it is a result of the exhaustive labors incident
to the season. Nature, in that forbidding clime, cannot afford to dress a busy
workman in fine clothes. It is noteworthy in this connection that caged Red-
polls also lose their rosy tints, never to regain them.

No. 21.

AMERICAN GOLDFINCH.

A. O. U. Xo. 529. Astragalinus tristis (Linn.).

Synonyms. — WILD CANARY; YELLOW-BIRD (wrongly so called); THISTLE-
BIRD.

Description. — Adult male in breeding plumage: Back and below bright
yellow, whitening on upper tail-coverts; crown-patch black; wings black with
white-tipped coverts and secondaries; tail black, each feather with white spot on
inner web. Adult female: Above grayish brown or olivaceous; wings and tail
dusky rather than black ; below whitish with buffy or yellow suffusion, brightest
on throat. Male in zvinter: Like female except that wings and tail are black;
the plumage tends also to more positive whites. Length 5.00 (127.); wing
about 2.75 (69.9) ; tail 2.00 (50.8) ; bill .40 (10.2).

Recognition Marks. — Warbler size ; black and yellow contrasting ; undu-
lating flight ; Canary-like notes.

Nest, a beautiful, compact structure of vegetable fiber, "hemp," grasses, etc.,
.lined with vegetable cottons or thistle-down, and placed at different heights in
trees or bushes, usually in upright crotches. Eggs, 3-6, pale bluish white, un-
spotted. Av. size, .65 x .52 (16.5 x 13.2).

General Range. — Temperate North America; winters mainly within the
United States ; breeds from middle regions north.

Range in Ohio. — Of universal distribution, — perhaps less plentiful in south-
ern part of state.

"HANDSOME is that handsome does," we are told, but the Goldfinch
fulfills both conditions in the proper sense, and does not require the doubtful
apology of the proverb, which was evidently devised for plain folk. One is at
a loss to decide whether nature awarded the Goldfinch his suit of fine clothes
in recognition of his dauntless cheer or whether he is only happy because of his
panoply of jet and gold. At any rate he is the bird of sunshine the year around,
happy, careless, free. Rollicking companies of them rove the country side,

THE AMERICAN GOLDFINCH.

now searching the heads of the last year's mullein stalks and enlivening- their
quest with much pleasant chatter, now scattering in obedience to some whim-
sical command and sowing the air with their laughter. "Perchic-opec" or
"pcrchic-ichic-opee" says every bird as it glides down each successive billow of
its undulating flight. So enamoured are the Goldfinches of their gypsy life
that it is only when the summer begins to wane that they are willing to make
particular choice of mates and nesting spots. As late as the middle of July one
may see roving bands of forty or fifty individuals, but by the first of August
they are usually settled to the task of rearing young. The nesting also appears
to be dependent in some measure upon the thistle crop. When the \veeds are
common and the season forward, nesting may begin in June ; but when thistle
down is scarce or wanting the birds seem loth to begin without an abundant
supply of their favorite nest lining.

Nests are placed in the upright forks of various kinds of saplings or even
of growing plants, in which latter case the thistle, again, proves first choice.
The materials used are the choicest obtainable. Normally the inner bark of
hemp is employed for warp, and thistle-down for woof and lining, so that the
whole structure bleaches to a characteristic silver-gray. In the absence, or
scarcity of these, grasses, weeds, bits of leaves, etc. are bound together with
cobwebs and the whole felted with other soft plant-dowrns or even horse-hair.
The whole is made fast throughout its depth to the supporting branches and
forms one of the most durable of summer's trophies.

From four to six, but commonly five, eggs are laid, and these of a delicate
greenish blue. Fourteen days are required for hatching and from the time of
leaving the nest the youngsters drone babee! babce! with weary iteration, all
through the stifling summer day.

During the nesting season the birds subsist largely upon insects of
various kinds, especially plant lice, flies, and the smaller grasshoppers, but at
other times they feed almost exclusively upon seeds. They are very fond of
sunflower seeds, returning as they do to a favorite head day after day until the
crop is harvested. Seeds of the lettuce, turnips, and other garden plants are
levied upon freely where occasion offers, but thistle-seed is a staple article, and
that is varied by a hundred seeds besides, which none could grudge them.

Throughout the winter the Goldfinches are much less in evidence, partly
because of their subdued colors, the yellow having given place to ding}- white ;
and partly, it would appear, from the fact that considerable numbers retire
more or less regularly to the South at that season. But wherever found the
Goldfinch has the same merry notes and sprightly \vays, so that he is endeared
to the hearts of all.

THE PINE SISKIN. 49

NO. 22.

PINE SISKIN.

A. O. U. No. 533. Spinus pi mis (Wils.J.

Synonyms. — AMERICAN SISKIN; PINE FINCH; PINE LINNET.

Description. — Adult male and female: Above brownish buffy ; below
creamy-buff and whitish; everywhere streaked with dusky or dark olive-brown;
the streakings are finer on the head and fore-parts, coarser on back and breast ;
wings fuscous, the flight-feathers sulphur-yellow at the base, and the primaries
edged with the same color; tail fuscous, all but the middle feathers sulphur-
yellow at base. Bill comparatively slender, acute. Length 4.75-5.00 (120.6-127.) ;
wing 2.75 (69.9); tail 1.80 (457); bill 43 (io-9)«

Recognition Marks. — Warbler size ; conspicuous general streakiness, sul-
phur-yellow markings of wings and tail, most noticeable in flight.

Nest, of grasses, twigs and vegetable fibers, lined with hair, plant-down or
feathers, and placed, usually, high in coniferous trees. Eggs, 4, greenish or bluish
white, spotted with reddish brown. Av. size, .68 x .47 (17.3 x 11.9).

General Range. — North America at large, breeding in higher latitudes and
in mountains of the West ; also, sparingly, in northeastern United States.

Range in Ohio. — Common but irregular in winter and during migrations
in the north ; less common southerly. Possibly breeds sparingly in northern
portion.

- THE Pine Siskin is one of those happy-go-lucky mortals (he is mortal,
is he not ?) whose habits are the despair of all guide-books. We know him for
a northern bird, and by all analogies he ought to quit our hospitable woods not
later than the middle of May ; but with the most reckless unconcern he lingers
through May and into June,, until we are disposed to chide him for neglect
of the primal instinct, or else to wonder whether the rollicking, roving bands
may not have nests to \vatch that we know not of. Siskins have been found
in Northern Ohio during every month of the year, but whether they nest or
not is still undetermined.

Their actions were still more puzzling at my home in Eastern Washing-
ton. There we lived not above twenty miles from the timber-clad mountains
where they might have been supposed to breed, and yet r.oistering troops of
them made free with the shade trees of our front yard, as the whim seized
them, throughout every month of the year, save winter. Either these com-
panies were composed of young bachelors too frivolous to love, or else they
were made up of communists whose lives were too happy in general to permit
them to think of particularizing in their affections. A recent writer1 asserts
that they do nest in small colonies, three or four pairs in a tree, and that it is
difficult to determine which particular bird is most interested in a given nest.

1 C. W. P.owles in "The Condor," January. 1903, p. 15.

50 THE SNOWFLAKE.

In many respects the Siskins resemble their more familiar cousins, the
Goldfinches ; they cultivate a graceful, undulatory, or looping flight, chirrup-
ing as they go; and like them they have "a habit of singing in a lively,
rambling sort of way for an hour or more at a time." On the other hand their
love of pine trees and the seeds of pine cones links them closely to the Cross-
bills and their rattling cry is quite suggestive of the common notes of these
birds. They have one note, however, which is entirely distinctive. It is a
labored but singularly penetrating production with a peculiar vowel quality
(like a German umlauted u), zuem or seem. At the same time the bird often
displays his wing with its sulphur-colored watermark, and speedy recognition
follows.

No. 23.

SNOWFLAKE.

A. O. U. No. 534. Passerina nivalis (Linn.).

Synonym. — SNOW BUNTING.

Description. — Adult male in summer: Pure white save for bill, feet, middle
of back, scapulars, bastard wing, the end half of primaries and inner secondaries,
and the middle tail-feathers, which are black. Female in summer: Similar, but
upper parts streaked all over with black, and the black of wings largely replaced
by fuscous. Adults in tinnier: Entire upper parts overcast with browns — rusty
or seal brown — clear on crown, grayish and mottled with dusky centers of
feathers on back, scapulars, etc. ; also rusty ear-patches, and a rusty collar, with
faint rusty wash on sides. The black of wing and tail-feathers is less pure
( fuscous in the female) and edged with white or tawny. Length 6.50-7.00
(165.1-177.8) ; wing 4.12 (104.6) ; tail 2.54 (64.5) ; bill .40 (10.2).

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size ; conspicuously and uniquely white, with
blacks and browns above.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. "Nest, on the ground in the sphagnum
and tussocks of Arctic regions, of a great quantity of grass and moss, lined pro-
fusely with feathers. Eggs, 4-6, very variable in size and color, about .90 x .65
(22.9 x 16.5), white or whitish, speckled, veined, blotched, and marbled with
deep browns and neutral tints" (Coues.).

General Range. — "Northern parts of the northern hemisphere, breeding in
the Arctic regions; in North America south in winter into the northern United
States, irregularly to Georgia, southern Illinois, Kansas and Oregon."

Range in Ohio. — Occurs irregularly in winter, — more commonly northerly.

THE guests of winter form a distinct category in the bird-man's reckon-
ing. There are loyal hearts which no adversity of winter elements (short of
sheer freezing, which is brutal) can drive from our midst — Song Sparrows,
Titmice, Nuthatches — and to these we pay appropriate honors. But, after all,

-

THE SNOWFLAKE.

these simple-hearted creatures, who refuse to budge from their native heaths
and tree-boles, lack not only the culture of travel in foreign parts, but the dash
and wild romance of those who hazard their fortune to the north wind. What
treasures of choice spirits are poured out upon us when the winds blow raw
and the streams hide their faces ! Hardy Norsemen they, — the Redpolls, the
Longspurs, the Horned Larks, and the Snowflakes. They burst upon us in the
wake of the first storm, and set up in our back pastures a wintry Valhalla,
where good cheer of a very sturdy sort reigns supreme.

In spite of striking differences of form and color a strange similarity exists
among these northern visitors, so that one may easily construct a mental genre
picture — or, at most, two such — which will fairly represent them all. Thus the
Snowflakes, the Longspurs, the Horned Larks, — and through them even the
daft Pipits — have a common fashion of giving themselves to the air to be blown
about at hazard ; or, when the season advances, of setting their faces also with
equal steadfastness against the gainsaying of the blast. Their notes, too, (ex-
cepting this time the inane yipping of the Pipit) have a wierd wind-born quality
which is inseparable in thought from the shrill piping of the storm. To carry
the matter further, the Siskins, the Crossbills, the Purple Flinches and the
Redpolls have each a mellow rattle, which lends itself with equal facility to that
generic conception of the ice-berg children. The dialect may differ, but in all
of them the accent is
Hyperborean.

I well remember
my first meeting
with that prince of
storm waifs, the
Snowflake. It was
in eastern Washing-
ton, where the cli-
mate is not less hos-
pitable than that of
much lower latitudes
farther east. A dis-
tant-faring, feath-
ered stranger had
tempted me far IN SNOWFLAKE PARK.

afield, when, all at once, a fluttering snowdrift, contrary to nature's wont, rose
from earth toward heaven. I held my breath while I listened to the mild Babel
of tut-ut-ut-tews with which the Snow Buntings greeted me. The birds
were loath to leave the place, and hovered indecisively while the bird-man
drank them in. As they moved slowly off each bird seemed alternately to fall
and struggle upward through an arc of five or six feet, independently of his

" THE LAPLAXD LOXGSPUR.

fellows, so that the flock as a whole produced quite the effect of a troubled
snowstorm.

Snowflakes occur singly or associated in flocks of from a dozen to
several hundred individuals. Their thrilling, vibrant call note, tew or
te-en.', may be heard during the falling of the real flakes, when the passing
bird is invisible. Careful scrutiny of loosely flocking Horned Larks may
occasionally discover a stray Snowflake, as also a few Lapland Longspurs.

Probably no winter passes in which a few of the birds do not reach our
northern borders. But they rarely extend below the middle of the state, and
only during the most severe winters are they found anywhere in large numbers.
While with us they move from field to field in open places, seeking out the
weed-seed which forms their almost exclusive diet. A few individuals may
linger long enough in the spring to display the deeper browns and blacks of
the breeding plumage.

No. 24.

LAPLAND LONGSPUR.

A. O. L". Xo. 536. Calcarius lapponicus (Linn.).

Description. — Adult male in summer: Head, throat, and fore-breast black;
a buffy line behind eye and sometimes over eye ; a broad nuchal patch, or collar,
of chestnut ; remaining upper parts brownish black streaked with rufous, buffy.
or whitish edges of feathers ; below white, heavily streaked with black on sides
and flanks ; tail fuscous with oblique white patches on three outer feathers ; bill
yellow with black tip. Female in summer: Similar, but no continuous black or
chestnut anywhere ; the black of head mostly confined to centers of feathers, —
these edged with buffy ; the chestnut of cervical collar faintly indicated as edging
of feathers with sharply outlined dusky centers : black of throat and breast pretty
thoroughly obscured by grayish edging, but the general pattern retained ; sides
and flanks with a .few sharp dusky streaks. Adult male in winter: Lighter
above ; the black of head, and chestnut of cervical collar partially overlaid with
buffy or whitish edging; the black of throat and breast more or less obscured
by whitish edging. Length 6.50 (165.1) or less; wing 3.70 (94.); tail 2.53
(64.3) ; bill .40 ( 10.2) ; hind claw .45 (11.4) ; hind toe and claw .75 (19.1).

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size : terrestrial habits ; black head and breast
of male. The species may be readily distinguished from the Horned Lark, with
which it sometimes associates, by die greater extent of its black areas, and by
the chirruping or rattling cry which it makes when rising.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. "Nest, of grasses and moss, lined with
grasses, on the ground. Eggs. 4-6, bluish white, almost obscured by uniform
grayish brown. .82 x .60 (20.8 x 15.2)" (Chapman).

THE LAPLAND LONGSPUR. 53

General Range. — Northern portions of the northern hemisphere, breeding
far north ; in America south in winter to the northern United States, abundantly
in the interior, to Kansas and Colorado, irregularly to the Middle States.

Range in Ohio. — A frequent but irregular winter visitor, more common in
northern portion of state ; casual south.

ONLY now and then does one come upon a company of these hardy Lap-
landers, for their principal winter range is further west. They are to be found
industriously gleaning fallen weed-seed from the ground, pastures, stubble
fields, and waste places, or moving about in rather compact flocks through the
air. Not infrequently small numbers of them join a winter band of Horned
Larks at table in some choice feeding lot for cattle. At such times they move
about freely among the other birds, but are readily distinguished from them
by their black heads.

If one would get the full effect of Longspur's diagnostic mark, he should
creep on hands and knees over a rolling stubble-field on a chilly April day. It
will heighten the effect, not of the bird's color, but of the observer's boreal
sensations, if a sullen sky be added, and little pellets of sleet be dropped here
and there over the field. With eyes agog and glasses in readiness, you advance
cautiously. There is nothing but clods and stubble in sight. You feel sure
that there are birds all about you, for you saw them settle right there. At
length, a long way off, a single anxious black head is descried as it is thrust up
into view ; but before you level on it, one, two, three, a dozen birds, are up and
off, who were within a rod of you. But by and by (it may be only after days)
rhe clods are differentiated, and some kindly resolve themselves into birds'
heads, at close range. Even the stubble is gracious, and gradually discloses
skulking females of obscure coloration, and who had only been known to you
before as voices and things in the air. The chirruping rattle of this bird has,
somehow, the power of calling out all the wild instinct of a man, the primitive,
wind-forged, and untamable Norse core, which lies ill at ease beneath this thin
veneer of spoon-fed civilization. It is like a rune from the elder Edda, chal-
lenging the unspoiled spirit to arise and do battle with the fiery flying drake.

According to Mr. E. W. Nelson,1 who found this species breeding abun-
dantly on the grassy flats near St. Michaels, Alaska, the birds arrive there
early in May, while the ground is still largely covered with snow, and by the
middle of that month they are common. "The males, as if conscious of their
handsome plumage, choose the tops of the only breaks in the monotonous level,
which are small, rounded knolls and tussocks. The male utters its song as it
flies upward from one of these knolls, and when it reaches the height of ten or
fifteen yards, it extends the points of its wings upwards, forming a large
V-shaped figure, and floats gently to the ground, uttering as it slowly sinks,
its liquid tones which fall in twinkling succession upon the ear, and are,

1 Quoted by Prof. Butler. "Birds of Indiana," p. 031.

54 THE VESPER SPARROW.

perhaps, the sweetest notes that one hears during the entire springtime of these
regions. It is an exquisite jingling melody, having much less power than that
of the Bobolink, but with the same general character, and, though shorter,
it has even more melody than the song of that well-known bird. The nests are
placed on the drier portions of the flats ; a hummock or tuft of grass is chosen,
or perhaps a projecting bunch of dwarf willow stems, and, as one comes
directly upon it, the female usually flutters off under one's feet."

No. 25.

VESPER SPARROW.

A. O. U. No. 540. Pqcecetes gramineus (Gmel.).

Synonyms. — GRASS FINCH ; BAY-WINGED BUNTING.

Description. — Adults: General tone of upper parts slaty or grayish brown
on the edges of the feathers, modified by the dusky centers, and warmed by deli-
cate traces of rufous ; bend of wing bay, concealing dusky centers ; wings and
tail fuscous with pale tawny or whitish edging, — outer tail-feathers principally
or entirely white, the next two pairs white, or not, in varying amount ; below
sordid white, sharply streaked on breast, flanks, and sides with dusky brown ;
the chin and throat with small arrow marks of the same color and bounded by
chains of streaks ; auriculars clear hair-brown, with buffy or lighter center ;
usually a buffy suffusion on streaked area of breast and sides. Length 5.75-
6.25 (146.1-158.8); wing 3.16 (80.3); tail 2.35 (59.7); bill .42 (10.7); — av. of
five Columbus specimens.

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size; general streaked appearance; dusky-
streaked breast on sordid ground (in the Song Sparrow, with which alone it could
be confused in this particular, the streaking is more rufous and the ground color
clearer white) ; white lateral tail-feathers conspicuous in flight.

Nest, on ground, neatly lined with grasses, rootlets and horse-hair. Eggs,
4 or 5, pinkish-, grayish-, or bluish-white, speckled, spotted and occasionally
scrawled with reddish brown. Av. size, .82 x .60 (20.8 x 15.2).

General Range. — Eastern North America to the Plains, from Nova Scotia
and Ontario southward ; breeds from Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri northward.

Range in Ohio. — Abundant summer resident; of general occurrence.

A sober garb cannot conceal the quality of the wearer, even tho Quaker
gray be made to cover alike saint and sinner. Plainness of dress, therefore,
is a fault to be readily forgiven, even in a bird, if it be accompanied by a voice
of sweet sincerity and a manner of self-forgetfulness. In a family where a
modest appearance is no reproach, but a warrant to health and long life, the
Vesper Sparrow is pre-eminent for modesty. You are not aware of his

THE VESPER SPARROW.

55

presence until he disengages himself from the engulfing grays of the stalk-
strewn ground or dusty roadside and mounts a fence-rail to rhyme the coming
or the parting day.

The arrival of Vesper Sparrow in middle early spring may mark the
supreme effort of that particular warm wave, but you are quite content to
await the further travail of the season while you get acquainted with this
amiable newcomer. Under the compulsion of sun and rain the sodden fields
have been trying to muster a decent green to hide the ugliness of winter's
devastation. But wherefore ! The air is lonely and the fence rows untenanted.
The Meadow Larks, to be sure, have been romping about for several weeks

NEST AND EGGS OF VESPER SPARROW.

and getting bolder every day, but they are boistrous fellows, drunk with air
and mad with sunshine; the winter-sharpened ears wait hungrily for the
poet of common day. The morning he comes a low, sweet murmur of praise
is heard on every side. You know it will ascend unceasingly thenceforth, and
spring is different.

Vesper Sparrow is the typical ground bird. He eats, runs, sleeps, and
rears his family upon the ground; but to sing — Ah! that is different! —

THE VESPER SPARROW.

nothing less than the top rail of the fence will do for that ; a telegraph pole or
wire is better, and a lone tree in the pasture is not to be despised. The males
gather in spring in such places to engage in decorous concerts of rivalry. The
song consists of a variety of simple pleasing notes, each uttered two or three
times, and all strung together to the number of four or five. The character-
istic introduction is a mellow whistled hc-ho a little softer in tone than the
succeeding notes. The scolding note, a thrasher-like kissing sound, tsook, will
sometimes interrupt his song if a strange listener gets too close. Early morn-
ing and late evening are the regular song periods, but the conscientious and
indefatigable singer is more apt to interrupt the noon stillness than not.

Since the Vesper Sparrow is a bird of open country and uplands, it cares
little for the vicinity of water, but it loves the dust of country roads as dearly
as an old hen, and the daily dust bath is a familiar sight to every traveler.
While seeking the food of weed-seeds and insects it runs industriously about
upon the ground, skulking rather than flitting for safety. Altho not especially
timorous, it appears to take a sort of professional pride in being able to slip
about among the weed-stems unseen.

It is, of course, at nesting time that the sneak-ability of the bird is most
severely tested. The nest, a simple affair of coiled grasses, is usually sunk
so that the brim comes flush with the ground. For the rest the bird seeks no
other protection than that of "luck" and its own ability to elude observation
when obliged to quit the nest. The ruse of lameness is frequently employed
where danger is imminent. At other times the sitting bird is shrewd enough
to rise at a considerable distance.

Two and sometimes three broods are raised in a season, the first in late
April, the second in late June or early July. Upland pastures and weedy fields
are the favorite spots for the rearing of young, but plowed ground is sometimes
usurped if left too long, and roadsides are second choice.

There is reason to believe that this species has invaded the state within
the historic period, since Audubon expressly states that he did not meet it in
Ohio. At any rate it is gradually increasing in numbers and its range
extending as the forests dwindle.

THE SAVANNA SPARROW. 57

No. 26.

SAVANNA SPARROW.

A. O. U. Xo. 5423. Passerculus sandwichensis savanna (Wils.).

Description. — Adults in spring : Superciliary line and edge of wing near
alula pale yellow (at a distance otten not distinguishable from white) ; a buffy
or whitish median crown line separating two broad, blackish stripes; blackish (but
poorly defined) maxillary, rictal, and post-ocular stripes, — the last two usually
meeting behind and enclosing the buffy auriculars ; above, in general, brownish
black, the feathers having black centers, bordered first by rufous or ochraceous
buff, then by ashy ; below, white or sordid, the belly and crissum unmarked ; the
chin and throat with tiny, and the breast with large, wedge-shaped spots of
brownish-black (sometimes coalescing to form central blotch); sides and flanks
heavily streaked with the same. At other seasons and in young birds, the yellow
is more pronounced and the general pattern is somewhat obscured by a buffy
or ochraceous suffusion. Adult male, length 5.30-5.60 (134.6-142.2) ; wing 2.75
(69.9) ; tail 2.10 (53.3) ; bill .40 (10.2). Female averages a little smaller.

Recognition Marks. — Warbler size (but much more robust in appearance
than a warbler); general streaky appearance; the striation of the head, viewed
from before, radiates in twelve alternating black and white (or yellowish) areas.

Nest, on the ground, sunken flush with surface, lined indifferently with
grasses. Eggs, 4-6, greenish- or bluish-white, heavily spotted, mottled, or washed
with reddish brown or lilac. Av. size, .78 x .56 (19.8 x 14.2).

General Range. — Eastern North America, breeding from the northern
United States to Labrador and Hudson Bay territory.

Range in Ohio. — Spring and fall migrant; not very common, and of local
distribution. A few remain to breed.

DR. WHEATON'S statement: "Very common spring and fall
migrant in southern and eastern, and probably summer resident in northern
Ohio", is somewhat puzzling and perhaps a little irritating to one who, having
spent at least parts of eleven seasons in the field, has encountered only three
isolated examples of the species in the state. The Doctor probably depended
greatly upon some favored haunt near Columbus not now known. I find upon
inquiry that most available notebooks of the present day contain only scattering
and meager references to this rather rare and irregular migrant. Mr. H. C.
Oberholser, in his "Birds of Wayne County" says of it : "A transient visitor ;
apparently rare,- though in proper localities usually to be found in spring. Not
observed in the fall. It arrived about the middle of April, the sixteenth of
this month being the earliest date recorded." Rev. \V. F. Henninger in "Birds
of Middle Southern Ohio".1 says, "A common transient, but not so common
as a summer resident. Arrival April 28. 1898, April 5, 1899; departure
Oct. 17. 1894, Oct. 29. 1897, Nov. 25, 1898." It has no place among the
recent records of the Wheaton Club in Columbus.

1 The Wilson Bulletin, Xo. ^o, Sept., 1902, p. 87.

58

THE GRASSHOPPER SPARROW.

My two Columbus dates are April 24, 1902, and March 19, 1903, the
latter being the earliest of which I have information, a typical example of that
wonderful warm wave which amazed the oldest ornithological inhabitants.
Prof. A. W. Butler, in his "Birds of Indiana", records it as a rare resident in
the lower Wabash Valley and gives a few instances of its breeding in that state.
The instance recorded by Dr. Wheaton on the anthority of Mr. H. C. Benson
of Gambier is the only positive breeding record of this state of which I am
aware.

The Savanna Sparrow is found during migrations along the bushy banks
of streams, in weedy fields and bottom-land meadows, together with their
interrupting fence-rows and hedges. In habits and appearance it most nearly
resembles the Vesper Sparrow, but may be instantly distinguished by the con-
spicuous way in which it "parts its hair". Like the other bird, it pitches
suddenly off its perch when disturbed and flies rapidly above the surface of the
ground, following every inequality with bewildering precision. Its song is
described as a "curious, squeaky affair", as inconspicuous as the bird.

No. 27.

GRASSHOPPER SPARROW.

A. O. U. No. 546. Coturniculus savannarum passerinus (Wils.).

Description. — Adults in spring : Crown blackish brown, parted by a me-
dian stripe of buffy gray; nape gray, spotted with chestnut; remaining upper
parts black and fuscous, feathers edged with gray and tipped with rufous in
varying proportions (a single feather, as from the greater wing-coverts, will
exhibit the four colors) ; below, buffy gray, brightest on the breast; the sides
and flanks washed with rufous ; an elongated spot over the eye, bend of the wing,
and edge of wing near alula, yellow ; bill horn-color above, yellow below ; feet
yellow. In winter: Brighter colored, with less of black and more of chestnut.
Length 4.85-5.20 (123.2-132.1) ; av. of five Columbus specimens: wing 2.48 (63.) ;
tail 174.6 (44.2) ; bill .43 (10.9). Female slightly smaller.

Recognition Marks. — Warbler size; unmarked below; bright yellow edge
of wing ; grasshopper notes ; an obscure, close-hiding, terrestrial species. Young
birds of this species are streaked below, while those of the Henslow Sparrow
are unmarked below (Jones).

Nest, on the ground', well concealed by grass tussock ; made of grasses, and
sometimes lined with hair. Eggs, 4-6, clear white, speckled and spotted with
reddish brown, chiefly about larger end. Av. size, .73 x .55 (18.5 x 14.).

General Range. — Eastern United States and southern Canada, west to the
Plains; south in winter to Florida, Cuba, etc.

Range in Ohio. — Common summer resident. Of local occurrence.

THE GRASSHOPPER SPARROW.

59

THOSE bird lovers who disclaim all interest in entomology will be slow
in discovering the humble species, for its song is nearer like the chirring of
some insect than the voice of a bird. There always comes a day in late April
when the half-grown meadows and fields are suddenly found to contain from
one to six pairs each of these buzzing Sparrows. But with the possible excep-
tion of certain warblers, there is no other bird of anything like the abundance
of this one, whose very outline is so nearly unknown to all but the experienced
bird-watcher. Its coloration is the plainest possible, its station lowly, and
its habits secretive. Perched upon some weed-top, or standing on a fence-rail,
the male sends out at regular intervals a weak hissing trill which occupies
a fraction over a second in delivery .The sound is not exactly like that of any
known insect, but is comparable to the clicking of a locust — or better to the
shrilling of the corydalis. Again, the opening and closing of a loud-ticking
watch, especially if it be opened with a clatter and shut with a snap, is sug-
gestive of the strange performance. Later in the season a longer effort is
sometimes heard. First comes the full "chirr", then slow notes, three or four
in number, as tho the progress of the "wheels" were somewhat impeded;
after which the burr proceeds with the original or accelerated rapidity — the
whole occupying three seconds. The song will carry a hundred yards for a
sharp ear, or further if the ear be laid to the ground ; but a fresh cold in the
head will spoil the concert at thirty feet.a

Only once did I see a Grass-
hopper Sparrow holding forth from
the top of a tall sapling in a fence-
row. Surely he must have atoned
for his boldness by skulking among
the grass roots for two days there-
after. The birds require to be nearly
stepped upon — technically "kicked
out" — before they will take wing.
Some will move off in a flurried zig-
zag, but others with a direct buzzing
flight like a bee, — in both cases to
plump down into the weeds at no
great distance.

The nest, a rather careless af-
fair of curled grasses, is placed at
the foot of a clover plant or grass
tussock, and its discovery is usually
due entirely to accident since the
female is a close sitter. One might
find a needle in a haystack by remov- FOREGROUND BUT PRECISELY WHERE

THE HENSLOW SPARROW.

ing his shoes and trampling vigorously. Some such method would doubtless
discover Grasshopper Sparrows' nests, but it is not recomended. The eggs
are quite unlike any others found in similar situations, but are likely to be
foredoomed by the presence of one or more of those of the wily Cowbird.
Two broods are usually raised in a season.

The Grasshopper Sparrow is somewhat irregular in distribution, being
abundant in some localities and unaccountably absent in others apparently no
less favorable. There is reason to believe that it is extending its range, es-
pecially northward and eastward. Thus, it made its first appearance in Lorain
County in the spring of 1894, and has never been missing since.

No. 28.

HENSLOW SPARROW.

A. O. U. Xo. 547. Ammodramus henslowii (Aud.).

Description. — Adult : Head above, nape, and sides of neck bright olive-
burf ; crown glossy black separated by median buffy line, gradually mingling with
the olive behind and passing out on the nape in a series of black spots ; the feathers
of the back and scapulars black, broadly margined with chestnut, and narrowly
edged with whitish ; wings chestnut, but bend and edge pale yellow, and flight-
feathers fuscous ; rump tawny saffron with black streaks ; middle rectrices and
upper coverts rufous, with black shafts ; below warm buff, paler and unmarked
on chin, with heavy sagittate spots on breast and sides ; middle of belly white ;
crissum tawny; lores and cheeks buff; maxillary and post-ocular stripes and
rictal stripes enclosing auriculars, black ; bill reddish brown ; feet yellow. Young
\irds lack much of the olive-buff above, and are white rather than buffy below.
Length 4.61 ( 117.1) : wing 2.07 (52.6) ; tail 1.93 (49.) : bill .42 (10.7). Females
slightly smaller.

Recognition Marks. — Warbler size : olive-buff of head and neck above con-
trasting with chestnut and black of back ; warm buff with black markings of
breast and sides.

Nest, similar to that of preceding species. Egg-s, 4 or 5, pale greenish- or
grayish-white, heavily dotted and blotched with reddish brown and lilac. Av.
size, .75 x .57 (19.1 x 14.9).

General Range. — Eastern United States west to the Plains, north to southern
Xew England and Ontario.

Range in Ohio. — Very rare or casual summer resident. Found in Lorain
county, and during the season of 1894, only.

THE HENSLOW SPARROW. 61

DR. WHEATON admits this Sparrow to a place on the Ohio List upon
the sole ground of a statement by Audubon, that it was accidental in Ohio.
This statement, so far as I am aware, has received positive confirmation only
once, but the bird is known to breed regularly in northern Indiana, and eggs
have been taken in southern Michigan.

On the evening of June 4th, 1894, near Oberlin, while returning in a
buggy with my friend, Lynds Jones, from a collecting trip along the Lake Erie
shore, we heard a strange bird-note in a neighboring wheat-field. It was the
same season in which the Grasshopper Sparrow first made its appearance at
Oberlin and we were prepared for novelties. Mr. Jones, who was familiar
with this species in Iowa, had previously described the note to me so perfectly
that we both exclaimed "Henslow's!" and sprang from the buggy. The ven-
triloquial voice with its lisping notes, "itsc-tsc-tsif>" led us a merry chase in the
gathering dusk, and our devious wanderings through the growing grain
brought out a vigorous protest from the owner of the field. But we muttered
something about "state record" just as Jones pressed the trigger, and the
fanner nobly forgave us in the name of Science. Fumbling in the dark for the
little body which, unfortunately, meant more to us dead than alive — Science
is so skeptical — we hurried home with the treasure. Mr. Jones saw other
birds in the vicinity of Oberlin later that season, and they undoubtedly bred
there, but no other occurrences have been reported in the state.

The Henslow Sparrow is a shy recluse of old fields and lowland meadows.
It is a persistent 'songster', but shuns doubtful applause and scurries through
the grass like a wood mouse, when alarmed. When it thinks it is being pur-
sued it is apt to thrust its head under leaves or grass and pause motionless in
fancied security, leaving the unhidden portion to shift for itself.

62 THE NELSON SPARROW.

No. 29.

NELSON SPARROW.

A. O. U. No. 549.1. Ammodramus nelsoni (Allen).

Description. — Adult: Crown rich dark brown, without distinct median
stripe; feathers of back, and especially scapulars, umber brown with conspicuous
white,' or pale buffy, edgings ; breast, sides, and flanks deep buff or ochraceous,
the breast marked, if at all, with a few narrow dusky streaks, the sides more
heavily and broadly marked in chains ; the buffy sides of the head include slaty
auriculars and a dark brown post-ocular stripe, which turns up at the posterior
extremity; throat and belly clear white. "Length 5.50 (1397) ; wing 2.25 (57.2) ;
tail 1.90 (48.3); bill .43 (10.3)" (Dwight).

Recognition Marks. — Warbler size; heavy buffy coloration on breast and
sides, obscurely streaked; shy, secretive habits.

Nesting not well known ; described as similar to that of the Leconte Sparrow.
Xcst, of grasses, carefully concealed in tussock or on ground. Eggs, 4 or 5,
greenish-, or grayish-white, thickly speckled or spotted, chiefly about larger end,
with browns and blacks.

General Range. — Fresh marshes of the interior, from northern Illinois north-
ward to North Dakota and Manitoba; south in winter to Texas; in migrations
visits the Atlantic Coast, New England, and lower Hudson Valley to Charleston,
South Carolina. Accidental in California.

Range in Ohio. — One record, Ashtabula, Jefferson county, by Robert J. Sim,
1902.

IF in moments of insight we are sometimes tempted to bless our obscurity,
we have good example for it in this shy little Sparrow. The probabilities are
that the bird trespasses upon our borders yearly, yet, so far, only one sharp eye
has caught him poaching. Certain it is that he is abundant in the interior,
and certain it is that he is not uncommon on the Atlantic coast in winter. Ergo
— he must pass over Ohio, at least occasionally ; and what more natural than
that he should pause for breakfast somewhere in the hospitable swamps which
line the southern shores of Lake Erie? It gives ornithologists a properly
chastened sense to realize that here is one bird at least which is still too clever
for him. But on second thought we pocket our chagrin good naturedly; for
here is one bird, too, whose humble, stealthy ways deliver him from the seat
of scorn upon mi-lady's bonnet and whose eggs are not found in every small
boy's sawdust box.

The Nelson Sparrow was first described from the Calumet marshes near
Chicago in 1877. Since then it has been found numerously in the prairie
marshes of the West, but as yet comparatively little is known of its life history.
Col. Goss (Birds of Kansas, 1891, 449) speaks of the song as "a short, weak,
unmusical twittering warble." Certain parties1 are said to have found it

1 Mr. Walter Raine and Mr. G. F. Dippie. See Davie, "Nests and Eggs of N. A. Birds," p. 374.

THE LARK SPARROW. 63

breeding in Manitobia. It is a skulker of the deeper swamps, and as such is
consistently opposed to any course of action calculated to bring it before the
public eye.

With reference to the single occurrence in Ohio, Mr. Sim says: "My
specimen of the Nelson Sparrow was taken near the mouth of Cowles Creek,
Geneva, Ohio. The bird was first seen at 7 P. M. (May 17,1902) skulking
among the weeds of a barren tree-fringed knoll several acres in extent. It
finally ascended to the lower branches of a stunted thorn-tree overhanging the
beach of the lake. It regard to the color and markings this was the most ex-
quisite little Sparrow that I have seen. The upper parts were striped as evenly
as the back of a chipmunk and the stripes of the head were beautiful in their
contrast and arrangement. But the large feet, small wings, and short tail
gave the bird an odd look — almost railish."

No. 30.

LARK SPARROW.

A. O. U. No. 552. Chondestes grammacus (Say).

Synonym. — QUAIL-HEAD.

Description. — Adult: Head variegated black, white, and chestnut; lateral
head-stripes black in front, chestnut behind ; auriculars chestnut, bounded by rictal
and post-orbital black stripes; narrow loral, and broader submalar black stripes;
malar, superciliary, and median stripes white, the two latter becoming buffy
behind; upper parts buffish gray-brown, clearest on sides of neck, streaked by
blackish brown centers of feathers on middle back and scapulars, persisting as
edging on the fuscous wings and tail; tail-feathers, except middle pair, broadly
tipped with white; below white, purest on throat and belly, washed with grayish
buff on sides and crissum, also obscurely across fore-breast, in which is situated
a central black spot. Length 6.25 (158.8) ; wing 3.39 (86.1) ; tail 2.62 (66.6) ;
bill .46 (11.7).

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size ; head variegated black, white, and chest-
nut; fan-shaped tail broadly tipped with white and conspicuous in flight (thus
easily distinguished from the Vesper Sparrow with square tail and lateral white
feathers).

Nest, of grasses, lined with finer grass, rootlets and occasionally horse-hair,
on the ground or, rarely, in low bushes or trees. Eggs, 3-5, white, pinkish or
bluish white, spotted and scrawled in zigzags and scrolls with dark browns or
purplish blacks, chiefly at the larger end. Av. size, .82 x .65 (20.8 x 16.5).

General Range. — Southern Ontario, and Mississippi Valley region, from
Ohio, Illinois and Michigan to the Plains, south to southern Texas and north-
western Alabama. Accidental near Atlantic Coast.

Range in Ohio. — Not common summer resident in central and southern,
rare in northern Ohio. Of local distribution, but probably on the increase.

THE LARK SPARROW.

DUSTY roadsides, sunny pastures and areas of broken ground harbor
this plainly colored bird from the time of its late arrival in spring until the
young are ready to fly. As the heat of summer increases the birds retire to the
seclusion of sparsely wooded pastures or fence-row thickets.

The males sing upon arrival, selecting for this purpose a station upon the
summit of some outlying tree. The song is best described in the words of
Mr. Ridgway who had ample opportunity to study it in Illinois and the ex-
treme AYest, and who has done more than anyone else to bring the bird into

well-deserved prominence. He says1 : "This song is composed of a series of
chants, each syllable rich, loud and clear, interrupted with emotional trills.
At the beginning the song reminds one somewhat of that of the Indigo Bird
( Passcrina cyanca) but the notes are louder and more metallic, and their deliv-
ery more vigorous. Though seemingly hurried, it is one continuous gush of
sprightly music ; now gay, now melodious, and then tender beyond description,
—the very expression of emotion. At intervals the singer 'falters, as if ex-
hausted^ by exertion, and his voice becomes scarcely audible : but suddenly

1 "Birds of Illinois," Vol I, p. 262.

THE HARRIS SPARROW. 65

reviving1 in his joy, it is resumed in all its vigor, until he appears to be really
overcome by the effort."

This bird more frequently than others is found singing in the middle of
the very hottest days in summer. At such times his tremulous song comes to
the ear like the gurgling of sweet waters. Next after the Bachman I would
accord him the highest place in song among all sparrows.

The accompanying illustration tells the story of nest and eggs perhaps
better than words. It is worth while to note that the picture was taken at
McConnelsville, in Morgan County, which must be quite near the limit of the
bird's present range. Dr. Wheaton first recorded the Lark Sparrow as an
Ohio bird in 1861. Since that time it has steadily increased in numbers, altho
it is nowhere a common bird.

No. 31.

HARRIS SPARROW.

A. O. U. No. 553. Zonotrichia querula (Nutt.).

Synonym. — HOODED CROWN SPARROW.

Description — Adult male: Crown, face, and throat jet black; sides of head
ashy white; breast and below white; sides, flanks, and crissum with a tawny wash
and obscurely streaked; above, brown of various shades, inclining to bay on the
nape, decidedly olivaceous on rump and upper tail-coverts ; feathers of upper back,
scapulars, and wing-coverts black centrally ; wings and tail fuscous ; bill coral-
red. Female: Similar but with black of head and throat restricted. In "winter
the plumage of both sexes is toned down by ochraceous wash of upper parts and
sides, and the feathers of the crown are bordered narrowly with ashy or buff.
Length 6.75-775 (i/1^-^6^) ', wing 3-2°-3-6o (81.3-91.4) ; tail 3-3Q-3-75 (83-8-
95.3) (Ridgway).

Recognition Marks. — Chewink size; black hood (especially throat) of adults.

Nesting. — Known only from Bendire's description of a set not certainly
identified. Eggs, similar in appearance to those of a Cardinal, but smaller.

General Range. — Middle United States from Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa
west to middle Kansas and the Dakotas, and from Texas north to Manitoba.
Accidental on Vancouver Island and in British Columbia and Oregon.

Range in Ohio. — Accidental ; one record, Columbus, Ohio, April 28, 1889, by
Mr. J. E. Gould — reported by Mr. Oliver Davie.

FOUR or five of these birds were observed by Mr. Gould as they fed in
a thicket in company with White Throated Sparrows (Z. albicollis), some
two miles north of Columbus. One specimen was secured and presented to
Mr. Oliver Davie. It is now in the O. S. U. collection.

66 THE WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW.

The Harris Sparrow appears casually in Illinois and Wisconsin during
migrations, but no other instance of its occurrence has been reported from
any point further east.

No. 32.

WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW.

A. O. U. Xo. 554. Zonotrichia leucophrys (Forst).

Description. — Adult: Crown pure white, becoming gray behind; lateral
crown-stripes meeting in front, and post-ocular stripes, jet black, separated by
white stripe beginning at anterior angle of eye ; remainder of head, neck all around,
and entire under parts slaty gray, darkest on nape, whitening on chin and belly,
with a tawny wash on flanks and crissum; back and scapulars brown (burnt
umber) edged with gray; rump and upper tail-coverts tawny olivaceous; wings
and tail fuscous, the tertials dark-centered with edgings of bay and white; middle
and greater coverts tipped with white, forming two inconspicuous wing-bars ;
rectrices with brown shafts and tawny edgings ; bill reddish brown with tip of
maxilla black. Young of the year have the black of head replaced by deep chest-
nut, and the white by ochraceo-fuscous or gray ; in general darker and browner
above than adult. Length 6.50-7.00 (165.1-177.8) ; av. of seven Columbus speci-
mens: wing 3.14 (79.8); tail 2.90 (73.7); bill .43 (10.9).

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size; broad white crown and jet black lateral
stripes strongly contrasting ; throat not definitely nor abruptly white.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. Nest, on the ground or in bushes, of
weeds and grasses lined with fine grass. Eggs, 4 or 5, pale bluish green, speckled
and spotted with reddish brown, chiefly at the larger end. Av. size, .91 x .61
(23.1 x 15.5).

General Range. — North America at large, breeding chiefly in the Rocky
Mountains, the Sierra Nevada, and northeast to Labrador. South in winter to
the Valley of Mexico.

Range in Ohio. — A regular spring and fall migrant, sometimes lingering
into summer ; not so common as the next species.

THIS handsome and courtly gentleman, with his no less polished wife,
is far more modest than his talents would warrant. Already this season we
have leveled the glasses on a hundred heads, only to drop them again and
exclaim "White-throat," in a tone of mild disgust. But here at last on the
tenth of May, \ve have come upon a company of the better birds holding court
in a long, dense rose-briar thicket, which lines a sheltered fence. Our atten-
tion was attracted by a soft, varied whistle of gentle melancholy, a perform-
ance which seemed to report correctly the sentiments of the whole party, for
it was caught up and repeated at courteous intervals bv half a dozen throats.

WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW

Zuii<jtrichia leucophryt

Life-size

THE WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. 67

Now there is not a bird to be seen, but an occasional sharp dzink is heard in
the brush, or a suppressed titter of excitement as two birds jostle in their
effort to keep out of sight. We are being scrutinized, however, by a dozen
pairs of sharp eyes, and if we are quiet and well-behaved one bird and then
another will hop up to a taller branch to see and be seen.

What distinguished looking foreigners they are, indeed, with their white
crowns slightly raised and sharply offset by the black stripes which flank
them ! The bird has an aristocratic air which is unmistakable, and appears
to expect deference as his due; so perhaps we ought not to wonder at the
royal reserve which shrinks from the contemplated profanation of the vulgar
eye.

These birds are thought by Burroughs to bear the proportion of about
one to twenty of their White-throated kin during the migrations. They are
slow travelers, but not above two or three flocks are to be seen in a season,
and there is no suspicion of their tarrying within our borders to breed.

No. 33.

WHITE-THROATED SPARROW.

A. O. U. No. 558. Zonotrichia albicollis (Gmel.).

Synonym. — PEABODY-BIRD.

Description. — Adult male : Crown black, divided by a pale white median
line ; an elongated spot in front of the eye above, yellow ; remainder of super-
ciliary line white ; throat white squarely cut off below ; obscure blackish rictal
and post-orbital lines ; below gray, sordid or slaty on fore-breast, extending up
and mingling with brown on cheeks, washed with brownish on sides and flanks ;
above warm brown inclining to bay, feathers with blackish centers most con-
spicuous on scapulars and ends of tertiaries ; rump tawny-olivaceous or bister ;
wings and tail fuscous-edged and tinged with bay or tawny ; edge of wing yellow.
Adult female : Similar to and not always distinguishable from male, but usually
duller ; black of head with admixture of brown ; loral spot paler ; white of throat
restricted and sordid, or flecked with dusky. Young : Still duller and browner ;
the throat sometimes scarcely distinguishable from the sordid under parts. Length
6.75 (171.5) ; wing 2.90 (73.7) ; tail 2.70-3.00 (68.6-76.2) ; bill .43 (10.9).

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size; yellow above lores and on edge of
wing ; white throat-patch ; narrow median crown stripe, as distinguished from
Z. lencophrys.

Nesting. — Not known to breed in Ohio. "Nest, of coarse grasses, rootlets,
moss, strips of bark, etc., lined with finer grasses, on the ground or in bushes.
Eggs, 4 or 5, bluish white, finely and evenly speckled, or heavily and irregularly
blotched with pale rufous .brown. Av. size, .82 x .60 (20.8 x 15.2)" (Chapman).

68

THE WHITE-THROATED SPARROW.

General Range. — Eastern North America, west to the Plains, north to Lab-
rador and the Fur countries. Breeds from the northern tier of states northward,
and winters from Massachusetts southward.

Range in Ohio. — An abundant spring and fall migrant. Winters in large
numbers in the extreme southern part of the state.

BOTH in spring and fall immense numbers of these Sparrows pursue a
leisurely course through our state, while the southern quarter of it conven-
iently marks the northern limit of their winter distribution.

Brush-piles, the tops of fallen trees, and the thickets of second-growth
clearings furnish rendezvous for little companies of from twenty to a hundred
of these birds. Here they scratch among the fallen leaves, kicking absurdly
with both feet, after the fashion of Towhee, or else cull clammy sweets of
slug and bug from rotting logs.

The greater part of the day is spent in seclusion, resting and recuperating
for or from the long journey, but like all birds, except Owls, they are quite
active in the early morning. In common with the Owls, however, they enjoy
the evening hours. As the sun begins to sink in the west, the White-throats
gather from scattered pastures to indulge a game of tag, chasing each other
about with merry calls and cries, or stopping now and then to snatch a last
morsel of food. As the shades of twilight deepen they bestow themselves for
the night in some chosen thicket, not without much jostling and sniggering,
quite like healthy children after a romp.

Being a sociable bird White-throat makes frequent use of a penetrating
tsccp, by which to trail his companions through the brushy mazes. They have
also a metallic chink, still sibilant — if such a combination may be conceived —
to express alarm and protest. In springtime the song proper is perfected, as
we suppose, before the birds leave for the higher latitudes. It consists nor-
mally of six drawling, mournful, whistled notes, of which the last three or four
have a slightly tremulous quality. The initiatory note is either much lower
or a little higher than the others, which are given on one key or else descend
by fractional tones. The whole may be represented as, Oh dear, dear, de-e-ear,
de-e-ear, de-ear, or, Hoo, he-ew, he-ezv, he-e-e-ew, he-e-ew, he-e-ew. Most
western writers, when consulted upon this point, dutifully repeat the tradition,
said to have originated in Xew England, that the bird says "Peabody, peabody,
peabody," and hence is properly called the Peabody Bird. One cannot pre-
dict what may happen further north or east, but I lift the voice of one crying
in the wilderness that the bird does not utter anything remotely resembling
the word Peabodv while in Ohio.

THE TREE SPARROW. 69

No. 34.

TREE SPARROW.

A. O. U. No. 559. Spizella monticola (Gmel.).

Description. — Adult : Crown bright chestnut, bordered by broad gray su-
perciliary line ; obscure chestnut streaking on side of head on gray ground ; above,
feathers of back black with rufous and flaxen edgings ; scapulars, greater coverts,
and outer webs of secondaries broadly edged with rufous; middle and greater
coverts tipped with white, forming two fairly conspicuous wing-bars; remainder
of wing and tail blackish, edged with whitish ; below gray, slaty, or sordid white ;
a partially concealed dark spot in center of breast; a chestnut patch on side of
the breast ; sides and flanks tawny in varying proportions ; bill blackish above,
yellow below, with dark tip. In winter specimens, the chestnut of crown is
slightly veiled centrally by ashy, and the chestnut on the sides of the breast va-
riously distributed or almost dispelled. Av. of six Columbus specimens : Length
6.00 (152.4) J wing 2.96 (75.2) ; tail 2.57 (65.3) ; bill .37 (9.4).

Recognition Marks. — Warbler size, but stockier ; chestnut crown and rufous
tone of upper parts ; white wing-bars ; partially concealed dusky spot on breast ;
gregarious habits, in winter.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. "Nest, in low bushes or on the ground,
loosely constructed of bark strips, weeds and grasses, warmly lined with feathers.
Eggs, 4-6, or even 7, pale green, minutely and regularly sprinkled with reddish
brown spots" (Coues.). Av. size, .75 x .60 (19.1 x 15.2).

General Range. — Eastern North America, west to the Plains, and from the
Arctic Ocean south in winter, to the Carolinas, Kentucky, and eastern Kansas.
Breeds north of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains.

Range in Ohio. — Abundant in winter, especially northerly.

THE sight of the first Tree Sparrow in the fall serves perfectly to call
up a vision of impending winter. Here are the hurrying blasts, the leaden
skies, the piling snow-drifts, all ready to make the beholder shiver. But here,
too, in some unburied weed-patch or thicket of rose-briars, is a company of
Tree Sparrows, stout-hearted and cold-defying, setting up a merry tinkling
chorus, as eloquent of good cheer as a crackling Yule-log. How many times
has the bird-man hastened out after some cruel cold snap, thinking, "Surely
this will settle for my birds," only to have his fears rebuked by a troupe of
these hardy Norsemen reveling in some back pasture as if they had found
their Valhalla on this side the icy gates. Ho ! brothers ! here is food in these,
dainty capsules of mustard or mallow; here is wine distilled from the rose-
hips ; here is shelter in the weedy mazes, or under the soft blanket of the snow.
What ho! Lift the light song! Pass round the cup again! Let mighty
cheer prevail !

The Tree Sparrow is easily the most abundant bird in the state during
winter. A half day's ramble in the northern part will discover from three

?0 THE TREE SPARROW.

to a dozen flocks of them, varying in numbers from a dozen to three or four
hundred each. In the nature of the case their food is found near the ground,
consisting as it does of weed-seed and dried berries; and so, for the season,
the name Tree Sparrow seems inconsistent. When persistently annoyed,
however, the flock will rise to the tree-tops in straggling fashion, and either
await the disappearance of the enemy or make off through the trees at a good
height. The warm days of early spring, too, bring out their true character.
Some of the males mount the trees at various heights to tune up for the spring
concert season, while the more frivolous play at tag among the branches,
dashing about with a recklessness which causes one to open his eyes in aston-
ishment, if he has known the birds before only as babbling and slow-flitting
seed-gatherers.

The song of the Tree Sparrow is unusually sweet and tuneful, affording
a pleasing contrast to the monotonous ditty of the Chipping Sparrow. Snatches
of song may be heard, indeed, on almost any mild day in winter, but the spring
awrakening assures a more pretentious effort. A common form reminds 'one
somewhat of Towhee's Sunday-go-to-meeting best, but the notes are much
finer and of most flattering tenderness, $wee-ho, sweet, sweet, sweet. There
is in it also just a touch of Goldfinch's rollick.

By the middle of April all but a few stragglers of the "Winter Sparrow"
host have left for their homes in the distant north. Dr. Wheaton, however,
quotes Mr. M. C. Read as saying, "A few remain and spend the entire year
with us ; have raised them from the nest." The statement is explicit and
comes from one of the trusted authorities of the early days. There is nothing
left for us but to whistle softly and exclaim, "How very unusual !" Certain
it is that Tree Sparrow has not repeated the indiscretion during the fifty years
or more since Mr. Read's time.

THE CHIPPING SPARROW.

No. 35-

CHIPPING SPARROW.

A. O. U. No. 560. Spizella socialis (Wils.).

Synonyms. — CHIPPY; HAIR-BIRD.

Description. — Adults: Forehead black divided by short gray line; crown
chestnut flecked with black behind ; a gray line over eye, and a black line through
it ; entire under parts ashy-gray, unmarked ; back separated from head by gray
of nape, strongly streaked by black, pale rufous, and ochraceous ; wings and tail
fuscous, edged with whitish; bill black; feet pale. Immature birds have bill
yellow below ; the chestnut of crown mixed with black ; and a buffy suffusion
of breast and sides in varying proportions. Very young birds are streaked be-
low. Length 5.00-5.50 (I27.-I397) ; wing 2.75 (69.9); tail 2.37 (60.2); bill
.36 (9.1).

Photo by J. B. Parker.
WHO GETS THE WORM?— A CHIPPING SPARROW FAMILY.

Recognition Marks. — \Yarbler size ; blackish forehead and chestnut crown ;
song a monotonous trill.

Nest, a compact' structure of fine twigs, grasses, and (most commonly and
often exclusively) rootlets, heavily lined with horse-hair; placed anywhere in
bushes or small trees, but preferably on horizontal branches of apple-trees or
evergreens. Eggs, 4 or 5, greenish blue, speckled freely or narrowly about the
larger end with reddish brown or black. Av. size, .71 x .51 (18. x 13.).

THE CHIPPING SPARROW.

General Range. — Eastern North America, west to the Rocky Mountains,
north to Great Slave Lake, and south to eastern Mexico, breeding from the Gulf
States northward.

Range in Ohio. — A common, and universally distributed summer resident.
Sparingly resident in winter in southern portion.

WHO has not seen this little pensioner of doorstep and lawn? Wilson
was quite correct in naming him socialis, sociable; the more so if the word be
not construed in its ordinary sense of gregarious, but made to witness to the
bird's preference for human society. The Chipping Sparrow hops fearlessly
about our yards in search of food, or flutters up with a load of nesting material,
from our very feet, not with brazen impudence like the English Sparro\v, but
with the quiet confidence of a trusted friend. No bird is more likely than he to
accept the proffered hospitality of honeysuckle vine or trellis, and instances are
beyond number where the gentle "Chippy" has been coaxed to eat from the
hand.

Of all homely sounds the monotonous trill of the Chipping Sparrow is the

most homely — and the most
easily forgivable. As music
it scarcely ranks above the
rattle of castanets, but the
little singer pours out his
soul full earnestly, and his
ardor leads him to sustained
effort throughout the sultry
hours when more brilliant
vocalists are sulking in the
shade ; and for this we come
to prize this homely ditty
like the sound of plashing
waters. It is the Chipping
Sparrow too that may usu-
ally be depended upon to
open the morning chorus at
about 3 115, and that were ser-
vice enough to endear him to
the heart of the ornithologist.
Chippy's nest is a frail af-
fair at best, but often most
elaborately constructed of
rootlets and fine grasses and

Photo by the Author. plentifull Hned w
CHIPPING SPARROW'S NEST IN APPI* TREE. hair> Jn many

THE CHIPPING SPARROW.

73

last named material is exclusively employed, and Dr. Wheaton mentions two
nests composed entirely of white hair. A horizontal branch of an apple tree
is a common situation, but nests are placed in evergreens and other shade
trees, or in hedge-rows and the like. They are often so loosely related to
their immediate surroundings as to give the impression of having been con-
structed elsewhere and then moved bodily to their present site. Some are
set as lightly as feathers upon the tips of evergreen branches, and a heavy
storm in season is sure to bring down a shower of Chippies' nests.

Dr. Brewer in his monumental work1 states emphatically that
in no instance has he known of the Chipping Sparrow's nest on the

ground. Yet Dr. Wheaton mentions
such an in-
stance, and in
the spring of
1903 I came
upon a nest
with one egg,
in the very
shadow of an
apple-tree, in-
deed, but thor-
oughly settled
upon the
ground under
the protection
of a grass-tus-
sock.

Chipping
Sparrows are
devoted p a r -
ents, and raise
at least twc

broods each season. Their fidelity to their young and their confidence in man
make them frequent subjects of the photographer's skill, and their por-
traits are among the most pleasing in collections.

The Cowbird finds these gentle creatures among her easiest victims.
After the dusky changeling has stifled or ejected the rightful heirs, he usurps
the full attention of his foster parents, and one of the saddest sights to see
in the bird-world is that of a mother Chippy, slender and care-worn, standing on
tiptoes to cram food into the mouth of some squawking, pot-bellied, cuckolci
squab of twice her size.

Photo by J. B. Parker.

PLEASE, FATHER, I WANT SOME GRUB.

ONE YOUNGSTER IS HUNGRY AS WELL AS HOT.

1 North Ar

Birds, Baird, Brewer & Ridgway; Land Birds, Vol. II., p.

74

THE FIELD SPARROW.

No. 36.

FIELD SPARROW.

A. O. U. Xo. 563. Spizella pusilla (Wils.).

Description. — ^-hinlts: Crown dull chestnut with a slight admixture of
ashy gray; auriculars bordered with chestnut; nape gray; feathers of back rufous
with black central streaks and buffy edgings; wings dusky, the primaries edged
with whitish and the rest with rufous, the middle and greater coverts tipped
with white, forming two inconspicuous bars ; tail fuscous ; below ashy gray, un-
marked save for slight brownish suffusion of breast and flanks ; bill pale reddish ;
feet pale. Length 5.25-5.75 (133.3-1/16.1) ; wing 2.57 (65.3) ; tail 2.05 (67.3) ;
bill .36 (9.1).

FIELD SPARROW'S XEST IN GRASS CLUMP.

Recognition Marks. — Warbler size; crown not bright chestnut; bill uniform
pale reddish ; unmarked belowr. This bird has few positive marks, and is oftenest
''sensed," or determined by elimination.

Nest, in low bushes or on the ground, a neat but simple structure of dried
grasses, sometimes, but rarely, lined with horse-hairs. Eggs, 3-5, white, bluish-
or pinkish-white, with numerous small spots of reddish brown, generally dis-
tributed or gathered loosely about larger end. Av. size, .70 x .51 (17.8 x 13.).

General Range. — Eastern United States and southern Canada, west to the

THE FIELD SPARROW.

75

Plains, south to the Gulf States and Texas. Breeds from South Carolina, south-
ern Illinois, and Kansas northward.

Range in Ohio. — Common summer resident.

OF plainer appearance even than the Chipping Sparrow, this humble
wayside bird excels in song. Its trill is generically related to that of the other
bird, but its notes are purest music. Tew, tew, tew, — the first three or four
notes come full and clear, but then comes a rapid accelerando through which
they swiftly pass into a delicious trill, and so fade out. The tones are tender
and sweet, and possess a subtle spiritual quality which lifts them out of the
realm of common things. One never quite gets over wondering at the excess-
ive plainness of the singer in contrast with the exalted sentiment he utters.
It is as tho a clod took voice and a soul escaped in song.

Within certain pretty clearly defined limits the Field Sparrow's song is
capable of great individual variation. Thus it becomes comparatively easy to
distinguish a half dozen birds in a field by their songs alone. In some the
opening notes are prolonged, as, Heew, he-ezv, he-ew, he-ew, hew, hew, hew,
hcheceeee. In others they are distinctly doubled and have the accent trans-
ferred to the second syllable, Tu-eet' , tu-eet', tu-eet', tu-eet ', weet, iveet, weet,
TR. One individual heard in August differed from all others in the neighbor-
hood in having such a double note, Cher-ie, cher-ie, cher-ie, tew, tew, etc. The .
following spring the singer returned to the same station, and two others about
a hundred yards away developed the same peculiarity. It is fair to suppose
that these last were children of the first.

THE NEST SHOW

fhoto by the Author.
A NESTING SITE.

N THE PRECEDING ILLUSTRATION OCCUPIES A
., POSITION IN THE MAIN TUSSOCK.

?6 THE SLATE-COLORED JUNCO.

A bushy pasture or undergrowth flanking the woods affords a suitable ref-
uge for the Field Sparrow, or else it finds lodgment along over-grown fences and
in the ephemeral sprouts which line the road. The bird is rather shy and retiring,
neither seekingthe haunts of men nor courting observation in its bushland haunts.

According to Dr. Howard Jones, "The nests seem to be about equally
divided between the ground and the bushes. When in the former position a
little depression is chosen and the structure is neatly fitted into it with the rim
about level with the surrounding earth. When in the latter position it is
placed in any arrangement of twigs that will support it ; it is not built about and
cabled to them as is the nest of the Summer Warbler, but it is simply loosely
arranged upon the stems or wedged in among them so that it will not topple
over, and nearly always it can be lifted out without tearing it in the least. It
is seldom if ever over five feet from the ground, and commonly is within two
or three." Occasionally a nest is taken from the growing grass, which is so
complete in itself and so little adjusted to its surroundings that it looks as if it
might have been dropped there by a careless hand.

In construction the nest is simple, but loose or compact according to the
skill of the owner. The illustration shows one of the best quality,, compactly
built and plentifully supplied with horse-hair lining. Another taken the same
season from a clump of "suckers" seven feet high on the trunk of an apple tree,
'was as flimsy as a Grosbeak's, a mere wisp of twisted grasses which held up
four eggs to easy inspection from below.

No. 37.

SLATE-COLORED JUNCO.

A. O. U. No. 567. Junco hyemalis (Linn.).

Synonyms. — SNOW-BIRD; EASTERN SNOW-BIRD.

Description.— Adult male in summer: Upper parts, throat and breast slaty
black, the bluish tinge lacking on wings and tail; below, abruptly white from
the breast, the flanks ashy slate ; the two outer pairs of tail-feathers entirely, and
the third pair principally white ; bill flesh-color, usually tipped with black. Adult
female : Similar to male ; throat and breast paler ; \ brownish wash over the
upper parts, deepest on nape and upper back ; wings brownish fuscous rather
than black, and sides tawny-washed. Adult male in winter, becoming like female,
but still distinguishable. Length 6.00-6.50 (152.4-165.1) ; wing 3.07 (78.) ; tail
2.80 (71.1) ; bill .49 (12.5). Female averages slightly smaller than male.

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size ; slaty or brownish black and white con-
trasting; white lateral tail-feathers.

Nest, on the ground, usually under cover of a protecting root, log or the
like, composed of grasses, roots and trash, lined with fine grass or hair. Eggs,

THE SLATE-COLORED JUNCO. 77

4 or 5, white or greenish white, speckled freely with reddish and dark brown.
Av. size, .77 x .58 (19.6 x 14.7).

General Range. — North America, chiefly east of the Rockies, breeding in the
hilly portions of the Northern States northward. South in winter to the Gulf
States.

Range in Ohio. — Abundant winter resident. Possibly breeds sparingly
(formerly "in great numbers." — Kirtland) in northeastern part of state.

A summer in Laurentia is certainly good for the health, for when Junco
returns in the fall he is chock-full of animal spirits and good cheer. He is a
very energetic body at any time of year, but his high spirits are especially
grateful to the beholder when the numbing cold of winter has silenced all
feathered kind but the invincible Tree Sparrows and Snow-birds. The plum-
age of the Junco exactly matches his winter surroundings — "Leaden skies
above; snow below," Mr. Parkhurst says — and he proceeds to make himself
thoroughly at home. Not content to mope about within the limits of a single
brush-patch, like Tree Sparrows, large companies of Snow-birds rove rest-
lessly through tree-tops and weedy dingles as well, and cover considerable
areas in a day.

On such occasions, and commonly, they employ a peculiar twitter of
mingled greeting and alarm, — a double note which escapes them whenever any
movement of wing is made or contemplated. I have called this the "banner"
note, partly because it is uttered when the bird, in rising from the ground
or fluttering from twig to twig, displays the black and white banner of its
tail, and partly because it sounds like the double clank-clank of a railroad
switch when the heavy trucks pass over it. The connection between a banner
and a railroad switch may not be perfectly obvious at first, but anyone who is
not color-blind is hereby respectfully challenged to forget if possible the lurid
colors which decorate the average assemblage of militant switch-posts.

Junco, while a very reckless fellow to appearance, is not indifferent to
the comfort of well-appointed lodgings. His nights are spent in the thickest
cover of cedar hedges, under logs or sheltered banks, along streams, or else
buried in the recesses of corn-shocks. One crisp November evening a year
or two ago, with my ornithological chum, Mr. Lynds Jones, I watched
a company of Juncoes to bed. The birds would steal along from shock to
shock with titters of inquiry until they found an empty bed or one to their
taste, and then would settle well down into the top, not without considerable
rustling of dry leaves. When the company was quiet, we started out, boy-
like, to undo the work. We saluted the shocks in turn with distantly flung
clods which shivered to powder as they struck the stalks and made a noise
like the Day of Judgment. Out dashed the Juncoes by twos and threes from
every shock thus rudely assaulted, and many were the pertinent remarks made
in most emphatic Junkese when the mischief-makers were discovered. Oh,

THE SLATE-COLORED JUNCO.

us. Photo by the Author.

WHERE JUNCO SLEEPS.

well, they really wer'n't scared quite out of their wits, and they had plenty of
time to get hack into hed after we were gone. Besides, variety is the spice of life
— even of a Snowbird's. But the boys ! Say, Jones, how old are you, anyway?

\Yhen the first warm days of March bring up the Bluebirds and the
Robins, the Juncoes get the spring fever. But they do not rush off to till
premature graves in the still snowy north. The company musters instead
in the tree-tops on the quiet side of the woods, and indulges in a grand eistedd-
fod. I am sure that the birds are a little Welch and that this term is strictly
correct. All sing at once a sweet little tinkling trill, not very pretentious,
but tender and winsome. Interspersed with this is a variety of sipping and
suckling notes whose uses are hard to discern. Now and then also a kissing
note, of repulsion instead of attraction, is heard, such as is employed during
the breeding season to frighten enemies. During the progress of the concert
some dashing young fellow, unable fully to express his emotion in song, runs
amuck and goes charging about through the woodsy mazes in a fine frenzy,
without, however, quite spilling his brains. Others catch the infection, and
I have seen a score at once in a mad whirl of this harmless excitement.

Juncoes linger surprisingly late sometimes, well on into April or even

THE BACHMAN SPARROW.

79

May. Perhaps this is because they are so near the southern limit of their
breeding range that they cannot be sure they care to move. The birds are
said to breed still in the wilder portions in the northeastern part of the state,
but of this I have no certain knowledge.

No. 38.

BACHMAN SPARROW.

A. O. U. No. 575a. Peucaea aestivalis bachmanii (Aud.J.

Description. — Adults : Above bluish gray streaked with dark chestnut or
bay ; back, usually, with a few black streaks centrally ; wings and tail fuscous
with various edgings of gray, rufous or white ; loral area and line over eye buff y,
becoming gray behind ; a narrow ashy or whitish median line more or less distinct
or obsolete (according to season?) ; below gray, washed with brownish or dingy
buff, the overcast being heaviest on breast and sides ; edge of wing yellow ; bill
horn-color, darkest above; feet light brown. Young in first plumage are streaked
on breast. Length 5.50-6.25 (139.7-158.8); wing 2.45 (62.2); tail 2.60 (66.);
bill .56 (14.2).

Recognition Marks. — \Yarbler to sparrow size; mixed bay and gray of
upper parts. To be carefully distinguished from the Field Sparrow by its larger
bill, and more distinct buffv suffusion of breast, etc.

Photo by
the Author.

Taken in Cincinnati.

IT is

A HAUNT OF THE BACHMAN SPAKKOU.

So

THE BACHMAN SPARROW.

Nest, usually described as a domed cylinder of dried grasses, on the ground
(but see fuller account below). Eggs, 3-4, pure white. Av. size, .75 x .60 (19.1
x 15.2).

General Range. — The Carolinas and Gulf States north to southern Illlinois,
Indiana and Ohio. Florida in winter.

Range in Ohio. — Rare, but probably on the increase southerly; only recently
noted : Columbus, by C. M. Weed ; Portsmouth, by W. F. Henninger, April 23,
and May 6, 1897; Cincinnati, by Miss Laura Gano, April 25, 1901 ; etc.

IT is very gratifying to be able to report the recent invasion of the state
by this delightful vocalist from the south. To Rev. W. F. Henninger, then
of Scioto County, belongs the honor of first discovery. A specimen was
secured by him near South Webster, April 23, 1897, but it was, unfortu-
nately, not preserved. On April 23, 1903, the author in company with Miss
Laura Gano and a party of scientists, took a singing male on Rose Hill, Cin-

^ . « - — -^ cinnati, and the specimen is

preserved in the Cincinnati
Museum of Natural History.
On the following day three
others in full song were
found upon another of those
beautiful wooded hills for
which the Queen City is
justly famous. These last, I
rejoice to say, were not sacri-
ficed even in the name of
science. Miss Gano first
noted the species at Cincin-
nati, April 25, 1901, and
had seen it on at least two
occasions since.

Later in the same seas-
on, June loth and nth, I
came upon the Bachman
Sparrow upon one of the
hills near Sugar Grove, in
Fairfield County. A nest
was found in a clover field,
which, altho deserted at the
time, belonged upon the
Photo by the Author. strongest presumptive evi-

TUMBLE-DOWN FENCES ARE ALSO FAVORITE , , • 1 • ,

RESORTS. dence to this bird. One of

THE BACHMAN SPARROW.

81

the young birds was easily caught and its picture taken both in the hand and
in the nest, as shown in the accompanying illustrations. A few days later
Ralph and Will Bumgardner took a set of four eggs from the ground in
the same meadow. The eggs were pure white and could hardly have be-
longed to any other than this species.

The song of the Bachman Sparrow is a thing of surpassing beauty.
In delivering it the bird chooses a prominent station at the top of weed-stalk,
fence-post, or sapling, or stands well out on a bare limb of a tree. Here he
throws his head back and draws, as it appears, a full breath, in a note of
ravishing sweetness; then sends it forth again in a tinkling trill of uniform
or varied notes. Nothing can
excel the fine poetic rapture
of the inspirated note. It
sets the veins a-tingle and
makes one wish to put his
shoes from off his feet. The
characteristic opening note is
given with constantly vary-
ing pitch and intensity.
Sometimes it sounds like a
dream voice floating gently
from the summer land of
youth, and again it vibrates
with startling distinctness
like a present call to duty.
Occasionally a dainty trill is
substituted for this inspired
and inspiring opening, while
the remainder of the song
may consist of a half dozen
notes precisely alike, or of a
succession of groups three or
four in number. There is a
soulful quality, an ethereal
purity, and a caressing sweet-
ness about the whole per-
formance which makes one
sure the door is opened into

Photo by the
Author.

the third
music.

heaven of bird

THE NEST MAY

A NEST SITE.

E MADE OUT WHERE THE PKI
THE FOREGROUND CONVERGE

82

THE BACHMAN SPARROW.

Once as I sat entranced before this new found Orpheus a Lark Spar-
row broke into song at half the distance. In pained astonishment and wrath
I turned upon him — him even ! "Oh, please not now ! Mon enfant ! Please
not now!"

Photo by the Author.

Sugar

A YOUNG BACHMAN SPARROW.

THE SONG SPARROW.

No. 39.

SONG SPARROW.

A. O. U. No. 581. Melospiza cinerea melodia (Wilson).

Synonym. — SILVER-TONGUE.

Description. — Adult: Crown dull bay with black streaks, divided by dull
gray line; superciliary stripe of lighter gray; rufous-brown post-ocular and
rictal stripes, enclosing grayish brown auriculars ; remaining upper parts red-
dish brown, varied on scapulars, inter-scapulars, and inner quills by blackish
centers and grayish edgings ; wing-quills fuscous, broadly edged with rufous ;
tail rufous with dusky shafts and often obscure transverse barring of dusky;
below, white or sordid, heavily streaked on sides of throat, breast and sides
by black and rufous; markings wedge-shaped, confluent on sides of throat as
maxillary stripes, and often on breast as indistinct blotch, elongated on sides
and flanks ; bill horn-color above, lighter below ; feet pale brown. The streak-
ing both above and below is sharper and heavier in summer and fall than in
spring, due to the wearing away of the white or rufous edgings. Individual
variations are quite marked, but always conform to the general pattern. Length
about 6.30 (160.) ; av. of five Columbus
specimens: wing 2.59 (65.8); tail 2.61
(66.3) ; bill .47 (H-9)-

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow
size ; the heavy streaking of breast and
back is distinctive.

Nest, a bulky mass of dead leaves,
twigs, grasses, etc., lined with fine grass,
rootlets, and sometimes horse-hair ;
placed indifferently in bushes or on the
ground. Eggs, 4-6, greenish-, grayish-,
or bluish-white, heavily spotted and
blotched with reddish browns which often
conceal the background. Av. size, .80 x
.59 (20.3X 15.).

General Range. — Eastern United
States to the Plains, breeding from Vir-
ginia and the southern portion of the
Lake States to the Fur Countries.

Range in Ohio. — Of universal dis-
tribution ; abundant during breeding
season save in southern portion. Resi-
dent in middle and southern, and spar-
ingly resident in northern Ohio.

Photo by J. B. P
SILVER-TONGUE.

THE SOXG SPARROW.

THERE are those who do not know the Song Sparrow by sight or by
name, but surely there are none, even tho dwellers in ''sky-scrapers," who have
not at some time in their lives heard the sweet strain of this modest bird. Scat-
tered as it is throughout the length and breadth of our land, along the fence-
rows and in the lowland thickets, but especially in the backyard shrubbery,
unfortunate indeed must be the boy or girl who has not been cheered and
made better, if only subconsciously, by this tender minstrel of common life.
Perched upon some post or bush, he greets his childish listeners with ''Peace,
peace, peace be unto you, my children.'3 And that is his message to all the
world, "Peace and good will."

Silver-tongue's melody is like sunshine, bountiful and free and ever grate-
ful. Even in winter the brave-hearted bird avails himself of the slightest pre-
text,— an hour of sun-
light or a rise of tem-
perature— to mount a
bush and rehearse his
cheerful lay. The song
is not continuous, but it
is frequently repeated
through periods of sev-
eral minutes, and at in-
tervals of nine or ten
seconds. But there !
Who could hope to sum
up all the commonplace
poetry and fond enspir-
iting of Silver-tongue's
music by an estimate of
intervals and seconds !
It is of the soul and one
of the most sincere
things in nature.

But no matter how-
gentle a bird's disposi-
tion may be, there is ample use, alack ! for the note of warning and distrust.
Song Sparrow's scolding note, a single chip or chirp, is more musical than
some, but still very earnest. In winter the resident birds deny themselves
even this characteristic cry, and except for the occasional outbursts of full
song, they are limited to a high nasal tss, quite indistinguishable from that
of the Tree Sparrow, with which they are more or less associated through
similarity of haunts. Song Sparrows are not really gregarious birds, but a
wayside swamp which attracts one pair is as likely to support a dozen, while

Photo by
Rev. W. F.
Hcnningcr.

A GROUND NEST OF THE SONG SPARROW.

THE SONG SPARROW.

the northward moving host spreads over the northern part of the state about
the middle of March in such numbers as to leave each bird well within cry
of a score of his fellows.

Silver-tongue is a bird of the ground and contiguous levels. When hiding
he does not seek the depths of the foliage in trees, but skulks among the dead
leaves on the ground, or threads his way through brush piles. If driven from
one covert the bird dashes to another with an odd jerking flight, working its
tail like a pump-handle, as tho to assist progress. Ordinarily the bird is not
fearful, altho retiring
in disposition. Occa-
sionally, however, one
sneaks so persistently
or flies so wildly as to
attract undesirable no-
tice, and unconsciously
to set a price upon his
own. head. If Red-eyed
Vireos and Song Spar-
rows would remember
always to look natural,
their sorrowing friends
would not need to be-
wail the day of impul-
sive collectors.

The question of
food supply is least,
troublesome to a bird
of this type. If an oft-
repeated adage is cor-
rect, the Sparrow's diet
must be reckoned very
spicy. Seeds of many
sorts, — but no large
proportion of grain, —

beetles, bugs, slugs and worms form the bulk of its food. I have even seen
the bird catch minnows at the edge of a stream, while water insects of several
sorts contribute their share of unquestionable spice.

In a season of all around nesting, about one-fifth of the nests found will
be those of the Song Sparrow. This is because the bird nests everywhere at
lower levels, and because it raises two or three, or sometimes four, broods in a
season. The period of incubation is twelve days, and the young are ready to
leave the nest in as many more. They do not require much care after they are

o by
J. B. Parker.

GENTLE MINISTRATIONS.

IT IS A WARM DAY AND THE FEMALE SONG SPARROW IS BROODING HER YOUNG

TO PROTECT THEM FROM THE BURNING SUN; WHILE THE MALE

FROM TIME TO TIME BRINGS FOOD FOR MOTHER

AND CHILDREN.

86

THE SOXG SPARROW.

full grown, altho the parent birds, especially the father, may exercise some
slight supervision over them, even while busy with a second nest.

Taken in Columbus. Photo by O. E. Jennings.

SONG SPARROW'S NEST IN FERN.

At this rate we should be overrun with Song Sparrows if there were
not so many agencies to hold the species in check. A young Song Sparrow

THE SOXG SPARROW.

is the choice morsel of everything that
preys, — cats, skunks, weasels, red squir-
rels, hawks, crows, jays, shrikes, blacl-
snakes, and garter snakes. How would
this motley company fare, were it not for
the annual crop of Song Sparrows ? And
the wonder of it is that the brave heart
holds out, and sings its song of trust and
love with the wrecks of three nests behind
it, and the harvest not yet past.

The nest of this species is usually
carefully constructed of weed-stalks,
vegetable fibers, and grasses, with
dead leaves and trash in endless va-
riety. It is deeply cup-shaped, with
a rim neatly turned, lined with fine
grasses, grass-stems or horse-hair, j
Probably more than half are upon
the ground, sunk flush with the sur-
face or bedded in trash, commonly
under the protection of root, stick,
or grass tussock. Half as many
more occupy grass tussocks at some
distance from the ground ; while the
remainder are placed in briar tan-
gles, fence-corners, declining limbs of trees, forks of trees, etc. On two occa-
sions I have found nests occupying little caves in the punk of decayed stumps.
Others appear in tussocks of saw grass, entirely surrounded by water. Cat-
tails are a favorite place. One female in a ground nest regularly required
about three seconds in which to extricate herself from the tangle of her own
ingenuity. Another chose a retreat underneath a chance limb which a wind
had blown down upon a perfectly smooth woodland lawn. The nest shown
in the illustration on the preceding page was found placed in the center of a
spreading fern in a green-house on the Ohio State University grounds, and
the young wrere successfully raised. In short, there is no place out of doors.
or nearly so, where a man with his feet planted on the soil may not expect
to find a Song Sparrow's nest.

Taken near Licking Reservoir. fuoto by t'.ie Author.
AN UNUSUAL, NESTING SITE-

A NEST CONTAINING FOUR EGGS OCCUPIES THE UPPER-
MOST NICHE IN THE STUMP.

THE LINCOLN SPARROW.

No. 40.

LINCOLN SPARROW.

A. O. U. No. 583. Melospiza lincolnii (Aud.).

Synonym. — LINCOLN'S SONG SPARROW.

Description. — Adults: Above, like preceding species, but crown brighter
rufous, and with more decided black markings ; back browner and more broadly
and smartly streaked with black ; the gray of back sometimes with a bluish and
sometimes with an olivaceous tinge; below, throat and belly white, the former
never immaculate, but with small arrow-shaped black marks; sides of head and
neck and remaining under parts creamy buff, everywhere marked by elongated
and sharply denned black streaks ; bill blackish above, lighter below ; feet brown-
ish. Length about 5.75 (146.1); av. of six Columbus specimens; wing 2.48
(63.) ; tail 2.1 1 (53.6) ; bill .40 (10.2).

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size ; bears general resemblance to Song
Sparrow, from which it is clearly distinguished by buffy band, and narrow, sharp
streaks of breast.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. "Nesting like that of the Song Spar-
row, and eggs not distinguishable with certainty" (Coues).

General Range. — North America at large, breeding chiefly north of the
United States (as far north as Fort Yukon) and in the higher parts of the Rocky
Mountains and Sierra Nevada ; south in winter to Panama.

Range in Ohio. — Not uncommon spring and fall migrant, but seldom observed
because of extreme shyness.

MODESTY is a beautiful trait and I suppose if we had always to choose
between the brazen arrogance of the English Sparrow and the shy timorous-
ness of this bird-afraid-of-his-shadow, we should feel obliged to accept the
latter. But why should a bird of inconspicuous color steal silently through
our woods and slink along our streams with bated breath as if in mortal
dread of human eye ? Are we such hobgoblins ?

The first and only day in Ohio that I ever saw this bird, two of us
followed a twinkling suspicion along a shady woodland stream for upwards
of a hundred yards. Finally we neared the edge of the woods. There was
light ! exposure ! recognition ! With an inward groan the flitting shape quitted
the last brush-pile and rose twenty feet to a tree-limb. Just an instant — but
enough for our purpose — and he had whisked over our heads and was hot-
wing over the dusky back trail. That same day we came again upon a little
company of them, halted by the sight of the great north water, and tarrying
for the day in the dense thickets which skirted a sluggish stream emptying
into Lake Erie. Here they were skulking like moles, in spite of the bright
sunshine and fragrant air. Finally by working along one on each side of
the creek, we succeeded in "cutting out" a single bird. First Mr. Jones forced
him to the water's edge (always along the ground) and from across the stream

THE SWAMP SPARROW. 89

I noted eagerly his head-stripes, similar to those of a Swamp Sparrow, hia
pale streaked breast, and his very demure airs. Then I retired while Mr.
Jones put him across the creek, where I held him for my companion to study.
During this whole manoeuver the bird favored us now and then with a few
delicate snatches of a sweet but very weak song. Is it any wonder that the
Lincoln Sparrow is so little known to fame?

Further west the case is somewhat different. Mr. Trippe in writing of
the birds of Colorado, says, "Lincoln's Finch is abundant and migratory. It
breeds from about 9,500 or 10,000 feet up to the timber line. It arrives at
Idaho Springs early in May, and soon becomes very common, haunting the
thickets and brush-heaps by the brooks, and behaving very much like the Song
Sparrow. During the breeding season it is most abundant among the bushes
near and above timber line, nesting as high as it can find the shelter of wil-
lows and junipers. Reappearing in the valleys in October, it lingers by the
streams for a few weeks and then disappears."

No. 41.

SWAMP SPARROW.

A. O. U. No. 584. Melospiza georgiana (Lath.).

Description. — Adult : Forehead black ; crown and occiput rich chestnut,
bordered posteriorly with blackish streaks ; superciliary line, and sides of head
and neck all around ashy gray; indistinct blackish markings on side (rictal and
post-ocular stripes) outlined against the gray; scapulars and interscapulars broadly
and strikingly streaked with black margined with rufous and buffy ; rump clearer
ochraceous ; tail-coverts again streaked with black on rufous ground ; tail rufous
with brighter edgings and dusky shafts, and sometimes indistinct fine cross-bars
(as in M. melodic.); wings plain rufous, coverts and inner quills with black cen-
ters ; edge of wing white ; below, gray or sordid white, with strong tawny wash
on sides, flanks and crissum, the flanks faintly streaked with black; bill black
above, lighter below. The purity of chestnut on head varies considerably accord-
ing to age and season, having a large admixture of black in younger birds, and
in adults in winter. In the fall also the pileum is divided by an indistinct gray
line, and the breast is tinged with brown. Length, about 5.75 (146.1); wing
2.40 (61.) ; tail 2.35 (59.7) ; bill .46 (11.7).

Recognition Marks. — Warbler size but stockier; very like a Song Sparrow,
but forehead black, and crown uniform chestnut ; breast not streaked.

Nest, and eggs not clearly distinguishable from those of the Song Sparrow.
Eggs average perhaps a little smaller, say, .75 x .56 (19.1 x 14.2).

General Range. — Eastern North America to the Plains, north through the
British Provinces, including Newfoundland and Labrador. Breeds from the

THE SWAMP SPARROW.

Northern States northward, and winters from Massachusetts south to the Gulf
States.

Range in Ohio. — Common migrant along streams and in low places. Breeds

only casually.

THE Swamp Sparrow is well named, but its designation must be un-
derstood in the broadest sense. Xot only is it to be found in the sedgy fast-
nesses of the more pretentious swamps, but in the wayside bog, and along the
tangled edges of woodland watercourses as well. In many respects it de-
serves to be classed with the inhabitants of that under-world of muck and
sedge where the Rails and Gallinules live and move and have their being.
Shy and secretive to a degree, the Swamp Sparrow will often worm through
the intricacies of a half-submerged brush-heap and splash its way afoot to
another rather than take wing. Again, if the observer is quiet, the bird will
hop about carefully through the reeds and survey him from all sides with
the curiosity of a Wren. Several times in spring I have seen them feeding
along the shallows of the Olentangy River in company with Water Thrushes,
wading about and dabbling in the water with almost the freedom of a Sand-
piper, but upon the first hint of alarm the Sparrows would scuttle off to the
shelter of the brush.

One is slow to suspect such a demure bird of having a sprightly song.
On several occasions, however, while wading about knee deep in some shaded
pool, I have been startled by a sudden trill of unusual energy and distinct-
ness. which undoubtedly proceeded from this bird. On some occasions the
song is almost as peremptory as that of the Water Thrush, while at others
it seems more like the vivacious ditty of the Palm Warbler rendered fortissimo.
It has frequently been likened to that of the Field or Chipping Sparrows.
but in my opinion, comparison with any other Sparrow song will not be
found helpful.

Only one instance is known as yet of the bird's breeding within the
state. Late in May, 1881, Dr. Howard Jones of Circleville secured a nest
of five eggs, together with the parent bird. Dr. Jones had been walking
slowly along a small ditch which drained a field of wet grassland, and was
about to step across it when the mother bird flew from under his feet. After
some search he found the nest hidden under a bunch of long grass. "It is
made principally of coarse grasses and frayed weed-stems— a few rootlets
are to be seen in the foundation, and the lining is composed of grasses. The
diameter of the cavity is two inches, its depth one and one-half inches. When
in position, the rim of the nest was on a level with the surrounding sod, and
a long tuft of grass concealed it from above and protected it from the weather."

Dr. Jones says further : "This is the only nest of the species I have found,
altho I have frequently searched for it. The kind of country inhabited bv

THE FOX SPARROW. 91

this Sparrow, its retiring habits, and general inconspicuousness, all combine
to make its home hard to find and its habits hard to study. Even in sections
where it is common it is but infrequently seen, and it might breed and remain
throughout the year in many localities in the state and escape observation by
any one able to distinguish it from other Sparrows."

The Swamp Sparrow is known to breed sparingly in Pennsylvania
throughout the state, having been studied there by Wilson and others. Pro-
fessor A, W. Butler reports its breeding commonly in northern Indiana.
Mr. E. W. Nelson regards it as more abundant than the Song Sparrow in
Cook County, Illinois, during the breeding season, while Mr. Ridgway finds
it wintering in immense numbers in the southern parts of that state.

No. 42.

FOX SPARROW.

A. O. U. Xo. 585. Passerella iliaca (Merr.).

Description. — Adult: Upper parts rusty red in spots and streaks, on an
ashy or olive-gray ground, smaller and sharper on the crown, broader and deep
on interscapulars ; all wing feathers more or less margined with rufous, and with
dusky inner webs ; middle and greater coverts tipped with whitish ; edge of wing
white; upper tail-coverts clear bright rufous; tail rufous with (mainly) dusky
inner webs ; below white, heavily spotted and blotched on sides of head and throat
and on breast with rusty red; on sides and flanks with elongated or sagittate
streaks of deeper ferruginous, and on lower breast with open arrow-shaped mark-
ings of brownish black ; bill dark above, yellow below ; feet pale. Length 6.50-
7.50 (165.1-190.5); av. of five Columbus specimens: wing 3.44 (87.4); tail
2.77 (70.4) ; bill .45 (11.4).

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size, but appearing at times almost as large
as Chewink ; rusty red coloring and heavily spotted breast ; bright rufous of
upper tail-coverts and tail.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. Nest, in low bushes or on the ground,
of coarse grasses, moss, and vegetable fibers, lined with fine grass and feathers.
Eggs, 4-5- Pale bluish, speckled and blotched with reddish brown or chocolate.
Av. size, .80 x .63 (20.3 x 16.).

General Range. — Eastern North America west to the Plains and Alaska,
and from the Arctic Coast south to the Gulf States. Breeds north of the United
States ; winters chiefly south of the Ohio and Potomac Rivers.

Range in Ohio. — Common spring and fall migrant.

IT may be set down as a maxim for the encouragement of the faithful
that all birds which should sing at all do sing sometimes during migrations.
There is the Fox Sparrow, a bird of most engaging appearance, nearly as

92 THE FOX SPARROW.

large as a Thrush and quite as fine. We feel sure that he is concealing a rare
gift of song under that rusty cloak of reserve. As for him his one ambition
seems to be to slip away unobserved, unless indeed it be to steal a sly glance
at you from behind some tree-bole. His only note as he speeds with strong
wing into cover is a thrasher-like chuck of alarm. Year after year, it may
be, one comes upon shy companies of these handsome fellows in brush-strewn
woods or in the undergrowth of river bottoms, but never a song do they
vouchsafe. Dr. Wheaton died without having heard the song of the Fox
Sparrow.

Finally on some favored day — there is not a breath to tell you of the
good fortune in store — a clear, strong, exultant song bursts upon your ears
from some half-distant copse, Chee-hoo, ker-weeoo, zveoo, wecoo, weoo. The
Fox Sparrow7 has found his voice.

There is a sweetness and vivacity about the song which wins our ad-
miration at once. It speaks so eloquently of anticipated joy, that we must
envy the bird his summer glade in wild Keewatin. Our Vesper Sparrow7
whistles a somewhat similar tune, but he is all contentment, realization nowr,
and at half the cost. Professor T. C. Smith, who has been exceptionally
favored at Columbus, says in this connection1 : "The voice of the Fox Spar-
row in its full power is clear, sustained, and rendered rich by overtones. It
has not, of course, the metallic, vibrant ring of the Thrushes or the Bobolink,
it is rather the Sparrow or Finch voice at its best, a whistle full of sweetness
with continual accompanying changes of timbre.

"Unlike most of the Sparrows the Fox Sparrow displays an ability to
let his notes drop into one another by a quick flexible slide, usually accom^
panied by a slight change in timbre, which is the characteristic of the war-
bling birds such as the Vireos — in this respect he surpasses all of his race that
I have ever heard except the Rose-breasted Grosbeak and the Cardinal."

More frequently the Fox Sparrows are heard singing — sometimes in
chorus — in a subdued tone or half-voice. The effect at such a time is very
pleasing, but one does not get any adequate impression of the bird's powers
of modulation or sweetness.

April, 1903

excdlent artide by Professor Smith on the "Song cf the Fox Sparrow" in the Ohio Naturalist,

THE TOWHEE.

No. 43-

TOWHEE.

A. O. U. No. 587. Pipilo erythrophthalmus (Linn.).

Synonyms. — CHEWINK; GROUND ROBIN; RED-EYED TOWHEE.

Description. — Adult male: Glossy black; belly abruptly white; sides chest-
nut to yellowish brown ; flanks and crissum tawny ; whitish marks on inner quills ;
outer primaries edged with white at base on outer web, and at an interval along
margin increasing inwards, forming a white spot with a "tail" ; three outer pairs
of tail-feathers broadly tipped with white, the outermost pair for half its length ;
black feathers of throat with concealed white bases; bill black; feet pale brown.
Adult female : Like the male except black replaced by warm brown, brightest
on breast, darkening behind; somewhat smaller. Adult male, length, 7.50-9.00
(190.5-228.6); av. of five Columbus males: wing 3.44 (87.4); tail 3.66 (93.);
bill .52 ( 13.2).

)WHEE HIDES.

Recognition Marks. — Chewink size; black, white, and chestnut in masses;
"Cheivink" cry; semi-skulking, terrestrial habits.

Nest, on the ground, of dead leaves, strips of bark, etc., lined with fine
grasses. Eggs, 4 or 5, white, thickly and evenly speckled with reddish brown.
Av. size, .95 x .71 (24.1 x 18.)-

94 THE TOWHEE.

General Range. — Eastern United States and southern Canada, west to the
Plains, breeding from the lower Mississippi Valley and Georgia northward ; in
winter from the middle districts southward.

Range in Ohio. — Common and universally distributed. Winters sparingly
in central, and (at least the males) commonly in southern Ohio.

THE impulse to name birds according to what their songs and calls
seem to indicate in human language surely had a large part in the final adop-
tion of Towhee for this bird's name. T civile e for the song that he gives to
all the world from the topmost twig of some tree growing amid his tangled
retreat, Chewink for the call of warning when his rights are threatened, and
Jl' ink-wink when he is nearly frantic at the danger to his family of eggs or
young. The song is seldom simply double syllabled, but the two prominent,
notes are all that many persons seem to hear. The loud song may be Tow-
hcc-c-e, O, tow-hcc-c-c-c, or even Chip, ah, tow-hee-e-e. Its beginning is
subject to many changes, but its close is almost invariably a trill of greater
or less length on "<?," and always high pitched. I never could make the song
spell "Clinch, bun; pilla-will-a-will" But different ears hear the same song
differently. The alarm call may be shortened to "swink," or "wink." The
birds even shorten their vocal expression to "Chuck, chuck," when the nest is
in great danger. Before the arrival of the female from the south the male
sometimes gives a rarely beautiful performance as a sort of soliloquy as he
sedately walks about among the leaves under a thick bush. It is totally
unlike his ordinary song, and baffles any attempt at a description. It is soft
and does not carry beyond twenty feet. The tree-top rendition is clearly
his altruistic song, while this other one is as truly his egotistic song.

Towhee has been called Ground Robin, probably because his sides are
strongly washed with rufous and because he builds his nest on the ground.
In general habits he is wholly unlike the Robin. One must look in the brushy
woods, or brush tangles, not in the open woods for this bird. He is a nervous
fellow, emphasizing his disturbance at your intrusion with a nervous Huff,
fluff of the short wings, and a jerk and quick spreading of the long, rounded
tail, as if he hoped the flash of white at its end would startle the intruder away.

Occasionally hardy males may be found all winter even as far north as
Oberlin, but the true migration begins late in March, and the most of the
birds have gone south by the first of November. Numbers spend the winter
in the southern half of the state.

Nesting begins about the first of May, earlier south, and earlier in early
springs. While the nest is usually placed on the ground, often even in a
slight depression, it may sometimes be placed in a bush several feet from the
ground. It is made largely of leaves, with some plant stems, bark and grass.
with a lining of rootlets. The birds do not search far for material but are

THE TOWHEE.

95

satisfied with that which is near at hand. Sometimes the nest is arched
over after the fashion of the Oven-bird. The nest site is usually some dis-
tance from a roadway or path, often in moderately deep woods where there
is little underbrush, but oftener in brushy thickets, or shrubbery fringing
woods. The accompanying illustration of a nest and eggs was taken from
a nest placed in a pasture in an open field, some fifty rods from a woods, and
ten feet from any brush. Here at Oberlin I have found more nests in the
second growth near swampy places than elsewhere.

While Towhee
does not seem to
be a stupid bird, it
is a wonder to me
that he will permit
the parasitic Cow-
bird to fill his nest,
sometimes to the
complete exclusion
of his own eggs,
and serenely hatch
and care for the
foster young.
T w ice I have
found a Towhee's
nest containing 4
eggs of Cowbird
and none of the
rightful owner, on
which the female
Towhee was sit-
ting as content-
edly as though the eggs belonged to her. Most nests contain one or more
eggs of Cowbird. Possibly the explanation lies in the fact that the Towhee
and Cowbird eggs are much alike in appearance. However, the Cowbird
eggs are marked with grayish-brown, while the Towhee eggs are marked
with reddish-brown, and average larger.

Because Towhee seems able to adapt himself to changing conditions
of the landscape, which is inevitable with fuller settlement of the land, we
may hope that he will be a permanent member of sylvan society. A woods
without a Towhee to herald the morning would lose half its glory.

LYNDS JONES.

Taken near Oberlin.

Photo by Lynds Jones.

NEST AND EGGS OF THE TOWHEE.

96 THE CARDINAL.

No. 44-

CARDINAL.

A. O. U. No. 593. Cardinalis cardinalis (Linn.).

Synonyms. — RED-BIRD; CARDINAL, RED-BIRD; CARDINAL GROSBEAK.

Description. — Adult male in spring: Region about base of bill (the capis-
trum) and throat black; rest of plumage vermilion, — brightest on crest, sides of
head, and below, darker and with a rosy tinge above ; feathers of back and rump
with grayish skirting ; inner webs of wing-feathers fuscous ; bill light red ; feet
brown. Adult female: Capistrum grayish black; wings, tail, longer feathers of
crest, and a spot above the eye dull red; occasionally faint tinges of red on the
cheeks, lower throat, and tibiae; remainder of plumage ashy brown, duller above,
brighter and more ochraceous on breast, paler below. Males vary considerably
in the amount of gray on upper parts. Young birds, like adult female, save that
the bill is dark, and males are tinged below with vermilion in varying propor-
tions. Very variable as to size. Adult male, length, 7:50-9.00 (190.5-228.6);
av. of ten Columbus specimens: wing 3.67 (93.2); tail 3.82 (97.); bill, length
along culmen .63 (16.) ; depth at base .62 (15.8).

Recognition Marks. — Chewink size ; cardinal-red at least on wings, tail, and
crest ; black or blackish face mask ; large, thick bill.

Nest, usually of rather careless construction, of twigs, coarse grass and trash,
lined with fine grass and rootlets, and placed in thickets or low in trees. Eggs,
3 or 4, sometimes 5, white, or with bluish, greenish or grayish tint, spotted regu-
larly, or irregularly blotched and dotted with reddish browns, grays, or lavender.
Av. size, i.oo x .71 (25.4 x 18.).

General Range. — Eastern United States, north to the lower Hudson Valley
and the Great Lakes, casually further north, and west to the Plains. Resident
in Bermuda.

Range in Ohio. — Abundant resident. Less common but increasing northerly.

PROBABLY four persons out of five — at least in the southern half of
the state — if asked to name their favorite songster, would reply promptly,
the Red-bird. For who is there to the manor born, whose heart does not
flood with pleasant memories as he listens to our poet, Naylor's words?
"Along the dust-white river road
The saucy red-bird chirps and trills ;
His liquid notes resound and rise
Until they meet the cloudless skies

And echo o'er the distant hills."

Not merely for the splendor of his plumage, but for the gentle boldness
of his comradeship and the daily heartening of his stirring song, the Cardinal
is beloved of all who know him.

Some years ago the Cardinal had good reason to complain of our fond-
ness, but now that wise legislation has forbidden his imprisonment he sings

CARDINAL
Cardinulis cardinalis
J» Life-size

THE CARDINAL. 97

unfettered at many a door where he was formerly unknown. Always abun-
dant in the south the species has of late increased rapidly in the north as well ;
and the time is not far distant when our Canadian neighbors can no longer
say of it, "Casual only in southwestern Ontario."

\Yherever known the birds are resident or nearly so. In winter they may
gather in loose companies to enjoy the shelter of some favorite copse or low-
land thorn-brake. At such a time it is a rare treat for two or three observers
to "drive" the birds from cover. They will slip along unnoticed in unsus-
pected numbers until the last bush is reached; whence they will break for
distant cover in twos and threes not without much remonstrance of sharp
chips, and manifest reluctance to draw the gaze of a world in white. Thus
I have seen them, a whole college of Cardinals, rudely disturbed in secret
session, but have always sought and found prompt shrift.

Both males and females sing, the latter perhaps with less force and
frequency. A warm day in winter is welcomed as an excuse for song, but
the male is most indefatigable during the nesting season. Fearless now he
seeks some outlying branch or mounts the tip of the tallest tree and chal-
lenges attention. The whistled notes of the Redbird, assertive, interrogatory,
staccato and accelerando, are too well known to require characterization. The
following syllabizations may serve to recall a few of the leading forms :

1. Chc-pcic. che-pcw, -i^c-oo, icc-oo, u'e-0o. •

2. IVhc-tcic, ^'he-tew, whe-oo, whe-oo.

3. We-oo, ive-oo, we-oo, we-oo, ive-oo.

4. Chitikew, chitikew, he-iveet, he-weet.

5. Tshew, tshew, tshew, tshew, tshew.

6. Who-y? who-yf who-y? who-yf

/. Bird'-ic, bird'-ic, bird'-ie, tshew, tshew, tshew.

8. Bird'-ie, bird'-ie, bird'-ie, bird'-ie.

By the merest good luck I found out one day how the Cardinal got his
red beak. Secreting myself in a log pile I imitated the notes of the Screech
()wl — a favorite method of securing a muster of the local bird population.
True to life a Cardinal came charging up in great haste. Between his man-
dibles was a half-eaten wahoo berry from which the rich red juice was flow-
ing, staining the bird's bill completely and running down upon his breast.
The suggestion might lead further, but I do not press it.

The Cardinal is first of all granivorous; but this term must be under-
stood to cover the consumption of weed-seeds of many sorts, including some
hard-coated specimens which few other birds are able to crack open. Insects
are also eaten freely, and berries "in season." If encouraged the bird will
glean about our premises in winter, haunting the grape-trellis and garden,
and roosting, it may be, in the arbor vitac. The young are fed for the first

THE CARDINAL.

week by regurgitation, but after that the parents supply them grain and
insects directly or assist them in cracking seeds.

After the Robin the Cardinal's nest is the easiest to find, and perhaps
the most common in middle and southern Ohio. Nesting begins early in
the season, and two, sometimes three, broods are raised. April i5th, 1901,
before a green leaf had shown itself in Columbus, I found a full set of eggs

THE CARDINAL'S NEST

Photo by the Author.

in a rude nest placed in a bunch of drift material which had caught from a
recent flood. Others have reported eggs as late as August 28th.

Nests are usually placed low in bushes,, or at moderate heights in thickets
and saplings. Grape-vine tangles and porch trellises are favorite places, and
occasionally nests are saddled upon horizontal limbs of trees. Miss Gertrude
F. Harvey of Bond Hill (Cincinnati) kept a most interesting diary of a
pair which nested in her conservatory. The nest was placed in a Marechal
Neil rose-bush, to which the birds found access first through a roof venti-
lator and then through the open window.

In construction the nest varies from tidy to disreputable, according to
skill and season. A typical one is composed externally of long stiff weeds
and leaf-stems, and measures roughly seven inches across, with an extreme

THE ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. 99_

of thirteen inches. Next comes a mat of dead leaves, mostly beech. Insidd
this in turn is a tough basket-work of grape-vine bark and a lining of fine
fresh grass cured in the nest. It measures, inside, three and a quarter inches
in width and two and a half in depth.

The eggs are quite variable; even those in the same nest are hard to
reconcile, both as to shape and markings. Because of the similarity in ap-
pearance, Cowbirds' eggs are easily imposed upon the Cardinal. Professor
Jones and I once found a nest with the bird on, whose three eggs were to
the best of our judgment the combined product of as many Cowbirds.

The young hatch out in about fourteen days, and are ready to leave
the nest in ten days more. The father is especially devoted to his offspring,
and often cares for them while the female is busy with another nest.

Rev. W. F. Henninger informs me that a German farmer of his acquaint-
ance near Tiffin kept a Cardinal in captivity for almost exactly thirty years.
The bird was not taken from the nest by its long-time owner and its age
at the time it came into his possession was not known. The captive song-
ster became a great favorite and was for years regarded almost as a member
of the family. Its death in December, 1902, followed within a day or so
that of the farmer's wife.

No. 45.

ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK.

A. (J. U. Xo. 5^,5. Zamelodia ludoviciana (Linn.).

Description. — Adult male: Head and neck all around and upper parts
glossy black ; below white ; a rich carmine or rose-red crescentic or shield-shaped
patch on the breast bordering the black of the throat, and produced irregularly
down the middle of the lower breast ; lining of wings rose ; middle coverts and
a large spot at base of primaries white; rump white; much concealed white on
cervix and back, and a slight fuscous edging of feathers ; white blotches near
extremity of tail-feathers on three outer pairs; flanks sometimes tawny, with
dusky streaking ; bill light or white ; culmen much curved ; feet dark brown.
Adult female: Quite different; above dusky brown in streaks, with obscure
whitish median, and conspicuous white superciliary lines ; feathers of crown and
back heavily edged with flaxen or buffy ; coverts and inner quills merely tipped
with whitish ; wings and tail fuscous, lining of wing saffron-yellow, — no black
anywhere ; below white with slight buffy or tawny suffusion on sides, breast and
flanks ; sharply and finely streaked with dusky on sides of throat, breast and sides ;
auriculars hair-brown ; bill light brown ; feet dusky. Young : Like female, the
males gradually acquiring adult characters and first known by rosy lining of
wings. Adult male, length, 7.75-8.50 (196.9-215.9) ; av. of six Columbus males:

THE ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK.

wing 3.95 (100.3) J tail 2-84 (72-1) > bill, length, .66 (16.8) ; bill, depth, .51 (13.).
Female somewhat smaller.

Recognition Marks. — Chewink size ; male easily known by the black, car-
mine, and white of fore-front; female by large bill with white eye-brow, sharply
streaked breast, and general streaky appearance above.

Nest, oftenest a careless bunch of grass-stems or weed-stalks, but sometimes
carefully constructed, in bushes of thickets or in low trees. Eggs, 3 or 4, dull
greenish, spotted and blotched with reddish browns. Av. size, i.oo x .73 (25.4 x
18.5).

General Range. — Eastern United States and southern Canada, west to Mani-
toba and the eastern border of the Plains, breeding from Kansas and the moun-
tains of the Carolinas northward ; south in winter to Cuba, Central America, and
northern South America.

Range in Ohio. — A regular, but not very common summer resident; less
common or wanting in southern part of state.

WE are none of us likely to forget our first meeting with this distin-
guished bird. It was probably on a perfect morning early in May, when
we were poking about in a brushy patch near the river, all on the qui vive
with the spring expectancy. Thkimp! What was that? Thkimp! again
the nasal explosive, half inquiring, half disturbed. Ah, there he is, quitting
cover for a bunch of leafless weed-stalks that he may for a moment see and
be seen. "What a beauty!" we exclaim, "and to come so far north!" For
we feel instinctively that we are beholding a scion of tropical stock. And
such indeed he is, altho he has long since become naturalized in the middle
north and Canada.

Yet for all he is a northern pioneer, he is no mere adventurer. His
every movement betrays the culture of good breeding and conscious quality.
His dress, too, is faultless, as becomes a perfect gentleman. A black suit
with white cuffs, — or maybe several pairs, no matter — an immaculate white
vest, and an ample red cravat, all complete. His wife will not be along foil
a few days yet; that is, not until the head of the expected family has done
the rough work of pioneering; and when she does come you will not know
her for the mate of such a brilliant lord, until you catch them one day ex-
changing confidences, sotto voce.

During migrations this Grosbeak often keeps to the highest tree-tops
where his bright colors almost escape notice amidst the newly bursting ver-
dure; but he is most at home in second-growth thickets and swampy tangles.
In either case he sings freely, a rich, rolling, continuous warble, which is
among the finest of woodland notes. The song is most nearly comparable
to that of the Scarlet Tanager, but it is to be distinguished by its rounder
quality and the entire absence of phrasing. When singing to his mate the
bird sometimes stands on tiptoe with excitement, and makes the thickets
vibrate with long-drawn melody. Sometimes, especially if you are known

THE ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK.

101

to be watching near, the music is interrupted by the harsh nasal thkimp, or
kimp of distrust and warning.

The nest is usually a flimsy affair of twigs, weed-stalks, and rootlets,
placed at moderate heights in thorn bushes, swamp willows, orchard trees,
and the like. One nest that I found in Black Swamp in Lorain County,
was composed entirely of fine grass-stems; and the two eggs which it con-
tained were perfectly visible from below. Another, to which the male bird

Taken in Ely Park,

Etyria.

Photo by the Author.

A FAVORITE HAUNT OF THE GROSBEAK.

was kind enough to call my attention, by singing as he sat, was made of dried
sedge leaves. This carelessness of nest construction is considered evidence
of the fact that the bird was formerly accustomed to a warmer climate, to
a tropical range in fact, where warmth of bedding would .be no object. The
male bird shares faithfully the duties of .incubation; and is sedulously devoted
to the care of his little flock. In this case at least, fine feathers have made
a fine bird.

The food of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak consists largely of seeds and
wild fruits; but insects, especially grubs and beetles, furnish a portion of
its fare. In seme localities it has won the ill-sounding but certainly meri-
torious name of "potato-bug bird."

102 THE INDIGO BUNTING.

No. 46.

INDIGO BUNTING.

A. O. U. No. 598. Cyanospiza cyanea (Linn.).

Synonym. — INDIGO-BIRD.

Description. — Adult male : Indigo-blue, clear and intense upon head and
throat, passing insensibly into greenish or ccerulean blue elsewhere ; lores black ;
wings and tail blackish with some greenish blue edging; bill black above, lighter
below, with narrow black stripe along gonys. Adult female : Quite different ;
warm gray-brown, most intense on back and crown, paler below and with ob-
scure smoky streakings on breast and sides — the lesser wing coverts with the
edges of primaries and rectrices exhibit a greenish tint. Young male : Like fe-
male but browner, soon showing traces of blue. Adult male in winter: Like
female but darker; blue only partially suppressed. Length 5.50-5.75 (139.7-
146.1); av. of eight Columbus males: wing 2.66 (67.7); tail 1.98 (50.3); bill
.41 (10.4). Females smaller.

Recognition Marks. — Warbler size; male indigo-blue; female warm brown,
unstreaked above.

Nest, a compactly built cup of weeds, grasses, vegetable fibers, dead leaves,
etc., neatly lined with rootlets, grasses, and horse-hair; usually placed in crotch
of bush not far from ground. Eggs, 4, bluish or greenish white, unmarked ;
sometimes pure white. Av. size, .72 x .54 (18.3 x 13.7).

General Range. — Eastern United States, west to Plains, north to about
latitude 47°. South in winter to Central America.

Range in Ohio. — Common summer resident ; breeds throughout the state.

TO a casual observer the male and female Indigo-birds appear to live
in separate spheres and to have very little in common. This is partly
because the female is such a plain-looking "brown bird" that it requires the
closest scrutiny to discover upon her shoulders faint traces of the royal
blue which marks her lord. Then, again, she is a most prosaic creature,
skulking about through thickets and briar patches or fussing with the chil-
dren, while her handsome mate spends his time in the tree-tops singing with
his little might and main. As a result, the Indigo-bird proper is one of the
most familiar features of wood's edge and wayside, while the Indigo-bird,
by courtesy — or shall we say by marriage? — is one of the least known of
Sparrows.

The singing bird makes no attempt at concealment, but seeks the most
prominent position possible on telegraph wire or tree-top, and repeats at
frequent intervals a piercing but not very melodious warble, which rises and
falls in sharp cadences, and finishes with a hasty jumble of unfinished notes.

THE INDIGO BUNTING.

103

as tho the singer were out of breath. This song is kept up through the
greater part of the day, and the singer is at his very best during the warm
months of July and August. At this time his is often the only voice which
relieves the monotony of a sultry day, and his efforts have won warm admi-
ration on this account. Now and then the bird dives down to earth to attend
to some domestic duty, but he is back again presently "climbing a golden

Columbus. Plwtc

A WOODSIDE MUCH FREQUENTED BY INDIGO BUNTINGS.

FOREGROUND CONTAINS A NEST, WHILE
A COMMANDING VIEW SUCH AS
DIGO DE\RLY LOVES.

by the Auti

THE BLACKBERRY PATCH IN

THE TREES ABOVE A

THE MA

staircase of song" as he flits from branch to branch, until he has gained his
topmost perch again. Here he sings for a time with such vigor that we are
sure he is glad to be quit of his vexatious cares.

If one looks in the bushes or crowded, rank weeds for the Indigo's nest,
he will soon be joined in the search by a \vild-eyed female, who dogs his every
step and expostulates with him by vigorous chips for every movement of the
foliage. The maternal Indigo is the soul of suspicion, and her protests are so

104

THE INDIGO BUNTING.

emphatic that the inquisitor believes himself "hot" when he may be a dozen
yards away. As a result the nest is rather hard to find ; and the number found

in a season's nesting will be
out of all proportion to the
abundance of the birds.

The nests, while usually
bulky, are models of neatness
and strength. Dead leaves
and grasses make up its
mass, and there is a copious
lining of fine grasses with
an admixture of horse-hair.
Often two, and sometimes
three, broods are raised in a
season.

The eggs are of a beauti-
ful pale blue, warmed, while
fresh, by the color of the
contents. Of their occasion-
al variation Dr. Coues says :

k W J^IE^H I M "The e"S is variously de-

scribed as pure white, plain

•L /• f ]ByP blue, or bluish speckled with

Bk Bfc reddish. The fact appears to

•k. ^m^J be' not that tliese statements

are conflicting or any of
them erroneous, but that dif-
ferent eggs vary accord-
ingly. It seems to be the general rule with normally bluish eggs that they range
in shade from quite blue to white, and are occasionally speckled.''

Taken near Obcrlin. p\loto by Lynds Joncs_

XEST AND EGGS OF THE INDIGO-BIRD.

THE DICKCISSEL. 105

No. 47.

DICKCISSEL.

A. O. U. No. 604. Spiza americana (Gmel.).

Synonym. — BLACK-THROATED BUNTING.

Description. — Adult male: Head and neck above and on sides dark gray,
tinged with yellow on crown ; a yellow superciliary stripe, and a yellow maxillary
spot; chin and sides of throat white, nearly enclosing an apron-shaped patch of
black ; breast lemon-yellow ; sides and flanks smoky gray fading into dingy white
of belly; remaining upper parts light brown, modified by dusky stripes of "middle
back, and fuscous of wings and tail ; lesser and middle wing-coverts bright bay ;
edge of wing yellow : Adult female: Similar but without black patch on throat,
and with less yellow; scattering maxillary and pectoral black streaks; bay of
wings merely indicated by rufous edgings. The plumage of the adults is brighter
in the fall. Length 6.00-7.00 (152.4-177.8) ; wing 3.28 (83.3) ; tail 2.31 (58.7) ;
bill .54 (13.7). Female smaller.

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size ; black throat and yellow breast of male
(somewhat like the Meadowlark's) ; female obscure, but showing traces of same
coloration.

Nest, a bulky but well made structure of weed-stalks, grasses and leaves,
lined with finer grasses, rootlets, etc. ; placed low in trees or bushes, or on the
ground. Eggs, 4 or 5, pale blue, glossy. Av. size, .80 x .63 (20.3 x 16.).

General Range. — Eastern United States, west to Rocky Mountains, north to
Ontario and the Dakotas ; rare easterly. South in winter through Central America
to northern South America; southwest in migrations to Arizona.

Range in Ohio. — Xot uncommon in western and central portions, but locally
restricted ; rare or wanting in the northern and eastern portion.

NATURE is a harmonious whole and her language is in a sense above
criticism. But her various voices must be heard each in its appropriate set-
ting. The scream of the eagle befits the crag alone, and the lisping of the wood
warbler must be accompanied by the tender rustle of unfolding green. Similarly
the song of Dickcissel, that dear droning midsummer sound, requires the setting
of ample meadow or boundless prairie to be rightly understood. Nothing could
be more absurd or more monotonous to the point of madness than the iterative
clatter of a Dickcissel pent within four walls. But sprinkle about a dozen of
him over the bending daisies of a forty acre field, set a light breeze blowing, turn
on the music, and nothing could be more eloquent of the delights of haying time
and harvest than the earnest tautophony of this same bird. It is the sub-dom-
inant note of out-of-doors, blending alike with the clink-clank of the smitten
scythe, the clattering din of the twine-binder, or the chorus of the reapers' song.

The bird usually selects the highest point available, — a commanding tree-
top, a passing telegraph wire, or a stout clover-stem if nothing better offers.
Here with head erect or nodding with the rvthm, he pours forth by the hour

THE DICKCISSEL.

those clinking syllables, which because of their very simplicity have been so
variously interpreted : Sheep, sheep, shear, shear, sheep; or See, see, see me
here, sec; or better still, Dick, dick, dickcissel. The three sentences just given
fairly represent the range of variety in accent as well as in tempo.

The female is a shy bird and her movements are known only to her at-
tentive spouse. Once the nest is built she relies upon her mate's diplomacy in

conducting visitors out of
bounds, while she sticks
to her knitting. Some-
times if danger is quite
imminent she will
slip off the nest, but
so quietly as to af-
ford no clue for the

Taken near Columbus.
Photo by the Author.

A DICKCISSEL MEADOW.

search. Once off she manifests a singular indifference to all that is transpiring,
and as likely as not refuses to appear upon the witness stand at all. The male
sings only somewhat more energetically when the nest is being robbed, as if
quite unable to comprehend the meaning of such a heartless proceeding.

The nest is commonly placed upon the ground, flush with the surface or
slightly elevated. In either case it is apt to be a slovenly affair incapable of
transportation. Sometimes, however, the nest is a close-knit structure placed
from two to six feet high in wayside weed-clumps, bushes, or trees. Two
broods are commonly raised each season, after which the birds become quite
silent and prepare for an early departure in September.

This prairie-loving species is an invader from the south-west. Audubon

THE SCARLET TANAGER. 107

reported it as rare in Ohio, while to Kirtland it was unknown. Dr. Wheaton
considered it very common from 1860 on. It is somewhat irregular in its ap-
pearance, and while certain sections may swarm with them one year, it may be
unknown in the next county and may disappear entirely the following season. It
is doubtful whether its numbers have increased with us during the past quarter
of a centurv.

No. 48.

SCARLET TANAGER.

A. O. U. Xo. 608. Piranga erythromelas Yieill.

Description. — Adult male : Scarlet vermilion ; wings and tail black ; lining
of wing white ; bill and feet blackish. Adult female : Entirely different ; above
olive-green ; below greenish yellow ; wings and tail dusky with greenish edging ;
bill and feet brown. Young male and adult male in winter: Similar to female
but brighter; wings, tail and bill black. During moults and irregularly at other
times the males show anomalous variegation of black, olive-green, scarlet, and
dusky in patches. Length 6.50-7.50 (165.1-190.5) ; av. of eight Columbus speci-
mens: wing, 3.81 (96.8) ; tail, 2.61 (66.3) ; bill, length along culmen .61 (15.5) ;
breadth at nostril, .34 (8.6). Sexes equal sized.

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size, but appearing larger because of bright
colors; scarlet and black of male; olive-green and dusky of female.

Nest, rather loosely constructed of twigs, weed-stalks and bark-strips, lined
with rootlets, blossom-stems, etc. ; shallow and flat ; placed from ten to fifty feet
high on horizontal limb in orchard or grove. Eggs, 3-4, greenish blue, with spots
and blotches of reddish brown, tending to run together in patches. Av. size, .95 x
.64 (24.1x16.3).

General Range. — Eastern United States, west to Plains, north to Manitoba,
Ontario, etc. In winter south to West Indies, Mexico, Central America and
northern South America.

Range in Ohio. — Of general distribution, but less common southerly. Sum-
mer resident.

THOSE who haunt the woods in maying time are almost sure to see a
vision of scarlet and black revealing itself for a moment in the higher tree-
tops, but swallowed up again all too soon by the consuming green. If, how-
ever, the leaves are not yet fully sprung the Tanager will move about quietly
or sit rather stupidly in the middle branches, as tho bored by the lack of green
and at a loss what to do with his brightness. At this time his chic burr, or
chip-bird cry is readily traced to its source and soon becomes one of the more
familiar sounds of the woodland. The female is more modestly attired in
a habit which blends perfectly with the foliage; but altho so different in color
from her mate she is not hard to recognize, for she has much the same build

io8

THE SCARLET TAXAGER.

and carriage, and is oftenest seen in close company with him. Both birds are
rather sedate in movement and have the habit of inclining the head to peer down
at the observer with dignified interest.

in Ely Park
Elyric.

Photo by the
Author.

Terr-que-c-e-ry, zc-crve, pees-erou, be-zoor.

The males arrive a few days in advance of their mates and at such
times only may be found in close proximity to each other. Never shall I for-
get the day, when in treading an overgrown path by the riverside I came
suddenly upon four males on a single limb not twenty feet away. The vis-
ion smote me like a blinding flash. The two oldest of the group were cer-
tainly among the most magnificent birds ever seen in Northern latitudes.
Their coats were re-dyed to the point of scarlet saturation, and as they
moved off slowly the memory of the bird-man received an indelible image
of the Most Beautiful Four.

Sheltered woodlands, especially in broken country, shady hillsides, and
the banks of streams, are favorite places for this bird; while second-growth
clearings, open groves, and the trees which overlook unfrequented roads,
also furnish acceptable nesting sites. In such places the Tanager's song
may be heard throughout the morning hours. It is remotely comparable to
that of the Robin, but it is more stereotyped in form, briefer, and uttered at

THE SCARLET TANAGER.

109

intervals rather than continuously sustained. The notes are sharp-edged and
rich in r's, while the movement of the whole, tho deliberate, is varied, and the
tone cheerful. Terr-que-e-e-ry, zc-crve, pees-croo, bc-zocr , may give a hint
of the quality and tempo. The Tanager's note requires to be carefully dis-
tinguished from
that of the
Rose - breasted
Grosbeak,
w h i c h is
smoother a n d
more rolling in
character.

The nest of
tliis bird is not
often so sub-
stantial as that
shown in the il-
lustration. It
is usually placed
on a horizontal
branch of a tree,
either saddled
loosely upon it,
settled among
dive r g i n g
twigs, or sup-
ported by forks.
"From five to
fifteen feet up,"
is g i v e n by
some authors,
but I have seen
several nests at
heights of for-
ty or fifty feet,
and do not be-

Takcn near McConnclsrilh: Photo by the Autht

heve that they NEgT AND EGGS OF THE SCARI ET TANAGER.

are exceptional. THE NEST WAS CUT DOWN FROM THE TOPMOST BRANCH OP A YOUNG ELM

IIO THE SUMMER TANAGER.

No. 49.

SUMMER TANAGER.

A. O. U. 610. Piranga rubra (Linn.).

Synonym. — SUMMER RED-BIRD.

Description. — Adult male: Rosy vermilion, darker above (madder brown),
lighter below ; wings dusky on exposed ends and unexposed inner webs ; bill pale ;
feet darker. Adult female : Above orange, olive-green or olive-brown ; lighter
with large admixture of yellow below (often ochrey or saffron) ; wings dusky as
in male ; bill and feet pale. Young male : Like adult female, but brighter. The
red of the maturing bird comes in patches, but without black anywhere. Length
7.50 (190.5) ; wing 3.70 (94.) ; tail 2.70 (68.6) ; bill, length .71 (18.), breadth at
nostril .38 (9.7).

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow to Chewink size ; uniform red of male ; olive
and saffron of female; bill light, larger than P. erythromelas.

Nest, usually a shallow and frail structure of bark-strips, leaves, and vege-
table fibres, placed near extremity of horizontal limb, ten to thirty feet up. Eggs,
3-4, light green or bluish white, dotted, spotted, and blotched with reddish or olive-
browns. Av. size, .95 x .66 (24.1 x 16.8).

General Range. — Eastern United States west to Plains, north to about lati-
tude 40°, casually to Massachusetts and Ontario. South in winter to middle and
northern South America.

Range in Ohio. — Common summer resident in southern and southeastern,
rare in middle, and casual in northern Ohio.

ALTHO occasional at Columbus and casual anywhere, this Tanager
is nearly confined to the southern third of the state. Here it is much more
common than its black-winged relative and much more familiar, not hesi-
tating to establish itself in orchard or shade trees, and frequently visiting city
parks. Dr. Jones reports it as abundant near Circleville where it is nearly
confined to woods of oak and hickory. It seems to find an especially con-
genial home in the wooded, broken hills which line the Ohio River and the
major streams which flow into it.

The scolding note of the summer Red-bird is such only in name, for no
one could take offence at the mellow, mildly inquisitive pittuc or pitit-it-ituc
with which the bird greets strangers. Its song, too, is not so sharp-edged
as that of the Scarlet Tangier, altho the generic resemblance is quite marked,
Consisting as it does of a succession of disconnected rolling phrases, it re-
minds one also not a little of the song of the Red-eyed Vireo.

The birds are very deliberate in movement, and give one the impression
that they are taking a leisurely summer vacation and have plenty of time
at their disposal. They are adroit, however, in catching insects on the wing,
and do not shun the irksome duty of berry-picking.

THE SUMMER TANAGER.

in

According to Dr. Jones : "The nest is generally placed upon two or three
small horizontal branches, and is supported at two or three points on its cir-
cumference by small upright twigs. The position selected is usually near the
end of a limb, from five to twenty feet from the ground, ten or twelve feet
being the usual height. Dead grass of various kinds is the chief material of
construction. It is sometimes well selected and of a light straw-color; at
others it is poor in quality and dirty-brown in color. The foundation and
superstructure are ordinarily inseparable. * * Within the dingy and loosely-in-
terwoven walls of the nest is commonly a bright and clean lining, composed

Taken in Morgan County.
Photo by the Author.

AT THE MOUTH OF DOUDA RUN.

FAVORITE HAUNT OF THE SUMMMER TANAGER.

of slender blades of nicely bleached grass, and split and round grasses ar-
ranged in orderly fashion, and forming a smooth and elastic covering to the
walls of the cavity. There is. but little art displayed in the structure, being so
poorly made that the early fall winds blow it from its supports."

THE BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER.

No. 50.

BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER.

A. O. U. Xo. 636. Mniotilta varia (Linn.).

Synonym. — BLACK-AND-WHITE CREEPER.

Description. — Adult male : Black and white in streaks and stripes ; two
lustrous black stripes separated by broad median white stripe on head, and pro-
duced to cervix ; superciliary stripe and under eyelid white ; extreme chin and
malar stripes white; ear-coverts and throat black; exposed tips of primaries and
tertiaries and primary coverts dusky rather than black ; tips of median and greater
coverts broadly white ; tail blackish with white or bluish white edgings ; two
outer pairs of feathers blotched with white on the inner webs near tip; upper
tail-coverts black ; belly white ; remaining plumage black and white in streaks,
broadest on breast and sides, finest on sides of neck ; bill and feet black. Adult
female : Similar to male, but throat white, and remaining under parts with
fewer streaks, and sides washed with brownish. f Immature : Similar to female,
but with more streaks on under parts. Length 4.50-5.50 (114.3-139.7) ; wing
2.75 (69.6) ; tail 1.90 (48.3) ; bill .45 (11.4).

Recognition Marks. — Medium Warbler size ; black and white in streaks and
stripes.

Nest, on the ground, usually sheltered by stump, log, or projecting stone;
of leaves, bark-strips, and grasses, with a lining of fine rootlets and hairs. Eggs,
4 or 5. white or creamy white, speckled and spotted with chestnut or umber, chiefly
in a wreath about the larger end. Av. size, .67 x .55 (17. x 14.).

General Range. — Eastern United States to the Plains, north to Fort Simp-
son ; south in winter through Central America and West Indies to Venezuela and
Colombia. Breeds from Virginia to southern Kansas northward, and winters
from Florida and the Gulf States southward.

Range in Ohio. — Common during migrations. Breeds sparingly throughout
the state in wilder portions.

ALTHO placed at the head of the family of Wood Warblers, this mod-
est bird comes more naturally into comparison with Creepers and Nuthatches.
"Claws were made before wings," he grumbles to himself, and while his more
gaily dressed kinsmen are flitting restlessly in and out among- the tree-tops
he clings and creeps, or rather hops, along the bark of the trunk and the
larger branches. He lacks much, it is true, of being the methodical plodder
that the Brown Creeper is; he covers a great deal more surface in a given
time and is content, it must be confessed, with a rather superficial examin-
ation of any given territory. Then again he secures variety, not merely
by tracing out the smaller limbs, but by moving in any direction, — up or
down or siclewise — or even by darting into the air now and then to capture
an insect which he has startled. Not infrequently he may be seen gleaning
from the bark of bushes and saplings near the ground, or again in the tops

THE BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER.

of the very tallest elms. Apple trees are cherished hunting grounds, and it is
here that one may cultivate a really intimate acquaintance.

The Black-and- White is among the earlier migrant warblers, coming
as it does during the last week in April and before the leaves are well
out. At this time it is quite a conspicuous bird, in spite of the fact that
its striped coat roughly approximates to the lights and shadows in the bark
of a tree; but it is usually silent. When it does speak, a few days later,
its voice is not altogether such as to command attention. Indeed its wiry
squeaking song is likely to be lost to ear altogether amid the full chorus of

Taken near Siienr Grove.

A BIT OF BLACK AXD WHITE'S DOMAIN.

Photo by the Antlic

warbler week ; but when the rush is over, the singer, now indefatigable,
will come to light again. At best the song is a tiny sibilation of no great
carrying power : Squcech, wcech, iveech, ^veech, wcech, is one rendering, while
another carefully studied near Sugar Grove, lisped out, Pss, TVSS, wjiss,
zvuss wuss wuss ™uss> Tt'^ ivss, in two keys, as indicated.

While common as a migrant, the Black-and- White Warbler is compara-
tively scarce as a breeding bird, being found sparingly only in the more
densely wooded and broken regions of the state and about the larger reservoirs.
Wheaton speaks of it indeed, as a common breeding bird, but I am not aware

II4 THE PROTHONOTARY WARBLER.

of a nest's having been definitely reported within the state. During the
second week in Tune birds were seen feeding full grown young in the ravines
opening into the valley of the Hock-hocking near Sugar Grove. The scene
represented in the accompanying illustration was persistently haunted by two
anxious parents, but the particular objects of solicitude were not discovered.
The tree which appears in the middle distance provided a favorite line of de-
scent to the male bird on his frequent errands of mercy ; and, standing as it
does in contrasting sun and shadow, it affords a curious reminiscence of the

bird itself.

The nest of this Warbler is invariably placed upon the ground, a bulky
collection of bark-strips, leaves and trash, carefully lined with fine grasses,
rootlets and hair. It often courts the protection of some over-shadowing
bush-clump, stump, or log, and not in vain, as our still empty collections testify.

No. 51.

PROTHONOTARY WARBLER.

A. O. U. Xo. 637. Protonotaria citrea (Bodd.)

Description. — Adult male, in highest plumage : Head and neck all around
and uncler-parts down to crissum, golden yellow (Indian yellow), paler below,
an orange tint sometimes perceptible on crown and throat ; back, and hind-neck
on sides, olive; rump bluish ash; wings dusky, overlaid with bluish ash on sec-
ondaries and narrowly on outer webs of primaries, and touched with olive on
the coverts ; tail-feathers bluish ash with dusky centers and tips, the outer pairs
broadly and decreasingly blotched with white on the inner webs ; crissum white ;
bill black; feet dark brown. Except in the highest plumage the olive of the
back encroaches more or less upon the crown and the sides of the neck. Adult
female : Similar, but paler yellow, and with white on belly ; crown always over-
laid with olive; bluish ash of wings and tail duller. Length 5.50 (139.7);
wings 2.77 (70.4) ; tail 1.87 (47.5) ; bill .55 (14.).

Recognition Marks. — Medium warbler size; head and under-parts, golden
yellow ; back olive ; wing and tail bluish ash ; bill black ; wings without white
(thus distinguished, as well as by superior size, from Helminthophila pimts}.

Nest, in cavities, deserted woodpecker holes and the like, in small trees
standing in or near the water, one to eight feet up, and heavily lined with moss.
Eggs> 3~7' white or creamy-white, heavily spotted with rich chestnut,
sometimes nearly concealing ground color. Av. size, .68 x .55 (17.3 x 14.).

General Range. — Eastern United States, west to Nebraska and Kansas,
north to Virginia, southern Michigan and Iowa, casually to New England, On-
tario and Minnesota; in winter, Cuba and northern South America. Breeds
throughout its United States range.

PROTHONOTARY WARBLER

Protonotaria citrea
About Life-size

THE PROTHONOTARY WARBLER.

Range in Ohio. — Rare during migration. Summer resident in restricted
localities, such as the Grand and Licking Reservoirs, and the major streams
draining into the Ohio. Casual elsewhere.

PRE-EMINENT in a galaxy of beauties is this truly "golden" Warbler
of the swamps. He does not come over hill and dale with a rush and flutter
of wings and a nervous anxiety to get on, such as characterizes most of the
northern migrants, but proceeds rather in leisurely fashion along the valleys
of the larger streams. Sedate in movement and fearless, but not bold, in bear-
ing, this rare bird appears to bring with him something of the languorous air
of the South-land from
which he hails. His
chosen haunts, too,
flooded lowland woods,
are even more strongly
suggestive of those wa-
tery fastnesses of the
south, where the spe-
cies is found in greatest
abundance.

Indeed, it is within
comparatively recent
times that the Prothon-
otary Warbler has be-
come known as a bird
of Ohio. Dr. Wheat-
cm first reported it in
1862 on hearsay evi-
dence. It was after-
wards found breeding at
the St. Mary's reser-
voir by Mr. Charles
Dury, of Cincinnati. In
the spring of 1902, Mr.
Irving A. Fieldof Gran-
ville found it breeding

at several places about the Licking Reservoir, where I also had the pleasure
of studying it. both at that time and during the season of 1903. On the
28th of April, 1902, I observed a male on the banks of the Olentangy near
Columbus, and again two days later.

As one walks along that portion of the containing levee of Licking Reser-
voir shown in our first illustration, a glance to the right discovers only the
lapping waves and the rough rubble of the levee, but at the left the gaze falls

Photo by t
Auth

\ PROTHOXOTARY WARBLER'S FRONT YARD.

WATER S EDGH

LICKING RESE

THE PROTHOXOTARY WARBLER.

Photo by the Author.
WHERE THE PROTHONOTARY NESTS.

A NESTING HOLE APPEARS IN THE FOREGROUND IN THE CENTRAL PANEL.

upon a veritable fairy dell of woods and water, which even a Prothonotary
Warbler will go far to see. The seepage through the levee furnishes the
surrounding area with about two feet of standing water, at a level substan-
tially twenty feet below that of the main reservoir. Here the essential char-
acteristics of a southern swamp are reproduced, — tiny islands, verdant at the
water's edge, but bristling with willow stubs and weighted with decaying
tree trunks; dark, oozy channels and uncertain depths between; and a high
wall of half open forest all about. Here above the ringing chorus of a bright
May morning one hears the high droning of the monarch, swick, wick, wick,
wick, wick. Downy Woodpeckers have prepared the way, so generously, in
fact, that one peers into a half dozen likely-looking holes before coming upon
one. three or four feet above the water, which contains a heavy cushion of
moss and grass and horse-hair, upon which rest five or six large heavily-
colored eggs. Or else a natural cavity is found in some hollow limb, in
which case an immense amount of material is required to fill up the space to
within a moderate distance of the top.

THE PROTHONOTARY WARBLER.

117

The Prothonotary Warbler is, so far as known, the only one of the family
to build regularly in holes in trees. We infer that it has drifted into this cus-
tom within zoologically recent years, since its eggs are unusually dark colored,
while those of all strictly hole-nesting birds are pure white. The eggs of this
Warbler exhibit two types of coloration, with, of course, every variety of inter-
mediate form. Those of the first type are heavily and rather evenly spotted
and dotted with dull brown, and show pale lavender shell-marks. The other
sort are boldly blotched with reddish brown, so heavily at times that the ground
color is nearly obscured.

According to Professor Butler, the females construct the nests and per-
form all the duties of incubation. A few days are allowed to elapse after the
completion of the nest before laying begins. An egg is laid each day until the
set is complete, and twro broods are often reared each season, especially
southerly.

During the mating season the males are exceedingly irascible. One
hapless wight I saw, who, choosing the wrong platform for his song, was set
upon vigorously by a jealous rival. At the first onslaught the pair fell fighting
to the ground. They picked themselves up hastily, and one, probably the
original assailant, chased the other about for as much as three minutes. In
and out they wound, now coming straight toward one like golden bullets,
now threading the mazes of a tree-top like flashes of fire. But the fugitive
was plucky, too, after a fashion, and altho he thought of nothing but flight,
it was always within the bounds of the disputed territory. Finally the chase
languished somewhat, and I left the contestants, faint yet pursuing.

flioto by C. H. M,

ii8 THE WORM-EATING WARBLER.

No. 52.

WORM-EATING WARBLER.

A. O. U. No. 639. Helmitheros vermivorus (Gmel.).

Description. — Adults: Head striped above; a narrow black stripe from
either nostril, broadening behind ; and a stripe of the same color through either
eye ; alternating stripes, and sides of head dingy buff ; remaining upper parts
dull olive ; below dingy buffy, brighter on breast ; bill dusky above, pale below ;
feet pale. Length 5.50 (139.7); wing 2.86 (72.6); tail 1.91 (48.5); bill .58

(147)-

Recognition Marks. — Medium warbler size ; black and buff stripes on head ;
dingy coloration.

Nest, on the ground, often sheltered by bush clumps, roots, projecting stones
and the like; of leaves, bark, and trash, lined with grass, moss, or hair. Eggs,
4-6, of variable shape, white, lightly or heavily spotted and blotched with lavender
and chestnut. Av. size, .68 x .54 (17.3 x 13.7).

General Range. — Eastern United States, north to southern New York, and
southern New England, west to eastern Kansas and Texas ; south in winter to
Cuba and northern South America. Breeds throughout its United States range.

Range in Ohio. — Not uncommon summer resident in southern and south-
eastern Ohio. "Ranges northward in eastern portion to and including Cuyahoga
and Ashtabula Counties" (Jones).

DAMP woods, shady hillsides, and heavy undergrowth are required to
attract this modest Warbler even in the southern part of our state, where
alone it is common. Here the bird glides about over fallen logs, scuttles
under brush-heaps or projecting stones, scratches vigorously among the fallen
leaves, or clambers about the bushes, pursuing- always a relentless search for
the spiders, grubs, and worms, which form its almost exclusive diet. It is
mainly a silent bird, and apart from nesting considerations regards your
intrusion into its dusky haunts with little concern. Given, however, a sitting-
mate, or babies in the vicinity, and the bird's expostulations are most em-
phatic. Chip—chip—chip, it says with an energy which shakes the little frame ;
and presently every bird on the hillside joins "in berating you.

There is little danger, however, for the bird. The nest is lodged some-
where upon the hillside, half buried by festoons of running vines and mosses.
or else tucked away under the shadow of a log amidst a riot of dead leaves.
Mere search is useless. The bird will guide you to her nest— perhaps. If
not. why try again next year.

If caught upon the nest the bird sits close and braves the threatening
hand, or else flutters out and tumbles down the hill with every symptom of
acute and most inviting distress. Of course the distress is only mental, and
the invitation is withdrawn in the nick of time.

THE WORM-EATING WARBLER.

119

The nest consists of a copious swathing of bark-strips and dead leaves,
open at the top or side, according to the nature of the ground, and carefully
lined with fine grass, hair, or moss.

Upon one occasion only does the Worm-eating Warbler avail himself
freely of the more elevated perches which his forest home affords. In
singing the bird
mounts a limb
twenty or thirty
feet high and
pours forth a
torrent of notes
not unlike those
of the Chipping
Sparro\v. So
close is the re-
semblance that
one is almost
sure to be de-
ceived by them
the first time ;
but closer at-
t e n t i o n dis-
closes their
more rapid ut-
t e r a n c e and
somewhat finer
quality. One in-
dividual heard
near Sugar
Grove wound
up his trill with
an odd musical
quirk quite out

0 f character,
and which he
had borrowed,

1 fancy, from a
Hooded War-
bler nesting

near. Taken in Morgan county. Photo by the Author.

THE HAUNT OF THE WORM-EATING WARBLER.

120

THE BLUE-WINGED WARBLER.

No. 53-

BLUE-WINGED WARBLER.

A. O. U. No. 641. Helminthophila pinus (Linn.).

Synonym. — BLUE-WINGED YELLOW WARBLER.

Description. — Adult male : Forehead and fore-crown bright yellow with
a tinge of orange (Indian yellow) ; sides of head and entire under parts, except
crissum, rich lemon yellow ; a black line through eye ; wings and tail bluish ash
over dusky; tips of middle and greater coverts white, the former with yellowish
tinge ; three outer pairs of tail-feathers blotched with white on inner webs ; re-
maining upper parts bright olive-green, clearest and with most yellow on rump ;
crissum white. Adult female : Similar but \vith yellow of head restricted to
forehead ; under parts paler yellow ; bill blackish ; feet dark brown. Length
about 4.75 (120.6) ; wing 2.37 (60.2) ; tail 1.72 (43.7) ; bill .41 (10.4).

THE BLUE-WINGED WARBLER'S DOMAIN.

Photo by the Autht

Recognition Marks.— Smaller ; yellow on forehead and below; bright olive-
green above; black line through eye; white wing-bars and smaller size as dis-
tinguished from the Prothonotary Warbler.

Nest, on the ground, at edge of thicket or black-berry patch, of leaves, grape-

THE BLUE-WINGED WARBLER.

121

vine bark, etc., lined with fine grass. Eggs, 4 or 5, white, faintly and thinly
speckled with cinnamon-brown or umber. Av. size, .63 x .51 (16. x 13.).

General Range. — Eastern United States from southern New York, southern
New England and southern Minnesota southward, west to Texas and Nebraska.
In winter south to Guatemala and Nicaragua.

Range in Ohio. — Of general distribution in summer throughout the state.

ALTHO appearing in our latitudes as early as May first, the Blue-
winged Yellow Warbler seems to bring summer with it. This is partly be-
cause its bright plumage suggests the fullest measure of sunshine, but more
because its drowsy, droning song better befits the midsummer hush than it
does the strife of tongues which marks the May migrations. Sive-e-e-zze-e-e-
e-e- the bird says, and it is as if the Cicada had spoken. The last syllable
especially has a vibrant clicking quality like the beating of insect wings.

Like most warblers this bird makes nice discriminations in the choice
of its summer home. If one knows exactly what sort of cover to look for
it is not difficult

to locate a Bine-
wing, but one
might ransack
a township at
haphazard and
find never a
one. L o w.
moist clearings
which have
been allowed to
fill up again
w i t h spice-
bush, witch-ha-
zel , and sap-
lings are favor-
ite places, es-
pecially if here
and there a larg-
er tree has
been spared,
from which the
singing War-
bler may ob-
tain at will a
commanding

Taken near Oberlin.

Photo by Lynds Jones.
NEST A\D EGGS OF BLUE-WINGED WARBLER.

I22 THE BLUE-WINGED WARBLER.

view. When suited to a "t" the bird will buzz into the late hours of the
morning, when other songsters are silent.

Active and sprightly in habit, in spite of its tranquilizing song, the
Blue-wing is seen to best advantage when nest-hunting or nest-building.
Selecting a promising spot the bird will approach it by degrees, first dropping
down some sapling ladder, rung by rung, until the lowest branch is reached ;
thence flitting to the top of a bush-clump, and descending in like manner to
the ground. Here diligent inspection is made about the roots of the bush,
the leaf supply, drainage, and cover being duly considered. If the outlook
is promising the mate is summoned and the situation reconsidered.

The nest is placed upon the ground or upon the trash which covers it,
and is usually so surrounded by descending stems as to be well hidden and
quite secure. It is made out of rather coarse materials, — principally grape-
vine bark and dead leaves, — bulky and deep, with ragged or indefinite edges,
and often boasting nothing better than finely shredded bark for a lining.
The female is a close sitter and may not infrequently be taken by the hand.

In June, 1902, I found a typical Chat's nest placed four feet high in
blackberry vines, but which contained three tiny eggs of uniform size, quite
like those of the Blue-winged Yellow Warbler. In response to my "screep''
of inquiry a Blue-wing promptly appeared, not once only but twice, and
scolded me roundly; while a Chat joined in at twice the distance. I was
thoroughly puzzled, baffled; it was impossible to tell from the appearances
which bird owned the eggs. Moreover my time was short. "When in doubt
take the nest." The set is now in the Oberlin College collection, but we
shall never know whether to label it "Chat" or "Blue-wing."

THE BREWSTER WARBLER.

123

No. 53. H.

BREWSTER WARBLER.

A. O. U. No. H. 21. Helminthophila leucobronchialis (Brewst).

Description. — Adult male: More or less like H. pinus (i. e. forehead and
forecrown pure yellow, a black line through eye, etc.), but upper parts bluish
gray (instead of olive-green); the wing-bars yellow; under parts pure white,
tinged on breast only with yellow and on sides with ashy gray. In the fall more
heavily washed with yellow below, and margined with olive-green above. Adult
female : Like the male, but yellow of crown not so bright ; .wing-bars usually
white.

Taken near Obcrl

A HAUNT OF THE BREWSTER WARBLER.

The status of this bird is not yet fully determined. It may be a color phase
of H. pinus or a hybrid between H, pinus and H. chrysoptera or possibly a nascent
species. Certain it is that its affinities are strongly with H. pinus. Upon this
point Ridgway's note is at least suggestive and perhaps solvent, "This puzzling
bird apparently bears the same relation to H. pinus that H. lazvrencei does to
H. chrysoptera. In a large series of specimens every possible intermediate con-
dition of plumage between typical H. pinus and H. leucobronchialis is seen, just
as is the case with H. chrysoptera and H. laicrencci. If we assume therefore that
these four forms represent merely two dichroic species, in one of which (H. pinus)

1 24 THE GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER.

the xanthochroic (yellow) phase and in the other (H. chrysoptera) the leucochroic
(white) phase represents the normal plumage, — and admitting that these two
species in their various conditions, hybridize (which seems to be an incontro-
vertible fact), — we have an easy and altogether plausible explanation of the
origin of the almost interminably variable series of specimens which have found
their way into the waste-basket labelled H. Icucobronchialis."

IX the spring of 1903 four individuals of this puzzling form, all singing
males, were observed near Oberlin. The first one seen haunted the same
spot — a little opening in a thicket of tall saplings — in which we had closely
studied a Golden-winged Warbler the previous season. His song too re-
minded us strongly of the other bird, except that he usually sang three notes,
Swee-zee-zee, where the other had always given four, Zwee, zee, zee, sect.
Another Brewster in a wood three miles removed exhibited the same pecu-
liarity; while a third seen in the "Old South" woods with the first, rendered
a typical Blue-wing song of two drawling syllables. Here on another occa-
sion a Blue-wing and a Brewster were seen chasing each other about through
the smaller trees, and their excited songs hinted strongly of rivalry in love.

The case of the Brewster Warbler is very perplexing — delightfully so —
but there is no reason whv it should not find its solution here in Ohio.

No. 54-

GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER.

A. O. U. Xo. 642. Helminthophila chrysoptera (Linn.).

Description. — Adult male : Above and on sides bluish gray ; a crown-patch,

including forehead, and a large patch on the wing, formed by tips of median

coverts, and outer webs of greater coverts, bright yellow ; a black patch through

eye, including lore and ear-coverts, separated from crown by a narrow, and from

throat by a wide, white stripe ; throat black, broadening below ; remaining under

s white, tinged more or less with blue-gray; rest of wing and tail dusky,

with narrow blue-gray edgings; three outer pairs of tail-feathers with white

blotches on the inner web ; bill slender, acute, blackish ; feet dark brown. Female :

the male, but crown duller, and black of cheeks and throat partially ob-

ed; touched with bright olive above, especially on margins of inner quills.

rTrr,7,\k\fTale\LeTh^-5'25 (I2/~-'33-3); wing 2.54 (64.5);
1.87 (47.5); bill .44 (n.2). This bird crosses freely with the preceding

SendTx' \ ' ! deSCnpti°n of Preceding form, also H. lanrencei in Ap-

GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER
tielminthophila chwoptera

Life-size

THE GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER.

125

Recognition Marks. — Medium size; bright yellow crown and wing-patches,
and black throat.

Nest, much like that of the commoner H. pinus, on the ground or just above
it, in tussock or weed clump, of leaves, grass, etc., lined with fine grasses. Eggs,
4-6, white, spotted and dotted, chiefly about larger end, with chestnut, umber and
lilac-gray. Av. size, .62 x .49 (15.8 x 12.5).

General Range. — Eastern United States north to southern New England,
southwestern Ontario, and southern Minnesota, breeding from northern New
Jersey and1 Northern Ohio northward, and southward along the Alleghanies to
South Carolina, Central America and northern South America in winter.

Range in Ohio. — Rare summer resident, in northern, locally common in
southern portions of state.

Photo by the
Author.

AT THE MOUTH OF DOUDA RUN— "MORGAN COUNTY'S BEST."

THE first glimpse of a new Warbler is always memorable, but an in-
troduction to this dashing young fellow is especially so. You may have
looked for years in vain, when suddenly one May morning you come upon
him in the swampy woods, restless, full of life, and in the highest spirits.
The young hickories are just about to open their reluctant palms ; the gallant
mounts a high bud, throws back his head, and sputters out Zee, see, see, see,
at double time in comparison with his drowsier relative, the Blue-wing.
Without waiting for applause he charges after a vagrant fly, snaps him up, and
takes to a sweet-smelling spice-bush for another round of music. A passing

126

THE GOLDEN- WINGED WARBLER.

Vireo, who by the way was born thereabouts, is fiercely assailed by the swag-
gering stranger, and retires in confusion. What impudence! you exclaim
with rising resentment. But not so fast ! A coy female, smartly dressed,

if not so bright-
ly as her mate,
hops up out of
a brush pile.
T h e adoring
lover darts to
her side, but
she avoids him
through a hazel
thicket, and he
sets off in hot
pursuit. Ho,
ho! you chuck-
le; so that's the
secret. Happy
fellow !

After a
merry chase the
birds suddenly
bethink theni-
selves what
effect your pres-
ence may have
upon their fu-
ture plans and
join in berating
you by ener-
getic swits. If
you are incon-
siderate enough
to intrude a
few days later,
you will find
the nest where
you have found
the B 1 u e-
wing's, at the

Morgan County. photo by c

GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER AT NEST.

base of a bush clump, and its five eggs reposing in a rude half-sphere of
leaves, bark-strips and grasses.

THE NASHVILLE WARBLER. 127

The Golden-winged Warbler is quite irregular in distribution, and varies
unaccountably from year to year. While it is always rare in most localities,
certain are reported where it is always to be found. The nest shown in the
illustration occupied a central position in the copse beyond the fence in
"Morgan County's Best"; and Messrs. Morris and Arrick feel that they
are sure of finding the species there each season.

No. 55-

NASHVILLE WARBLER.

A. O. U. No. 645. Helminthophila rubricapilla (Wils.).

Description. — Adult male : Head above and on sides bluish ash, with a
partially concealed bright chestnut crown patch; a whitish eye-ring; remaining
upper parts bright olive-green ; wings and tail dusky without distinct white, but
with whitish edgings on inner, and olive-green edgings on outer webs ; below,
bright yellow, including crissum, whitening on belly ; bill small, short, acute,
blackish above, brownish below ; feet brown. Female : Like male but some-
what duller below ; ashy of head less pure, glossed with olivaceous ; chestnut
crown-patch less conspicuous or wanting. Immature : Olive-green without ashy
above ; below dull olive-yellow, clearing on belly and crissum. Length 4.25-5.00
(io8.-i27.); wing 2.34 (59.4); tail 1.66 (42.2); bill .38 (9.7).

Recognition Marks. — Smaller; yellow under parts usually clearer and
brighter than in H. celata, and more extensive than in any other species unmarked
below. Head contrasting more or less with back, as further distinguished irom
succeeding species.

Nesting. — Not known to breed in Ohio. Nest, on the ground in second
growth thickets and brushy pastures, of bark-strips, leaves, moss, etc., lined with
fine grasses and rootlets. Eggs, 4 or 5, white or creamy-white, thickly speckled,
chiefly about larger end, with rufous-brown or lilac. Av. size, .64 x .46 (16.3 x
11.7)".

General Range. — Eastern United States to the Plains, north to the Fur
Countries, breeding from the northern United States northward. Mexico and
Guatemala in winter.

Range in Ohio. — Common migrant throughout the state.

ALTHO rightly accounted common during the migrations, this trim
little Warbler is by no means obtrusive and may easily pass unnoticed except
by the closest observers. It is a rather leisurely traveler, spending with us
about two weeks in spring and requiring twice as much time to pass in fall.
In spring it shows preference for young, second-growth timber and moist
brush-lots, but is not uncommon in the tree-tops, especially on the border
of the woods. On the autumn passage they are lured by the abundance of

128 THE ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER.

rank weeds into more open situations. The birds appear to know instinc-
tively how well their colors harmonize at that season with the massing
golden-rod and the sere leaves of the wayside willow.

During the vernal movement the males are in full song, and the quality
of their notes has given rise to much learned discussion. The aggregate
of testimony goes to show that the song appears in two phases, and that
the two are frequently combined in various proportions in one utterance. The
second phase, or phrase, as the case may be, closely resembles the trill of the
Chipping Sparrow, while the first is likened to the song of the Yellow or
Chestnut-sided Warbler or — more appropriately, I think — to that of the
Black-and- White. Mr. Minot, having in mind the Warbler type, hears,
wcc-sec, we-see, wit-a-wit-a-wit. Rev. J. H. Langille combines both as
kc-tsc, kc-tsc, ke-tse; chip-ee-chip-ee-chip-ee-chip. While Professor Jones
represents ''the more Chippy-ward song" by "k-chip; k-chip; k-chip; k-chip;
chc-chc-chc-che." Of course the use of comparisons at all implies that the
notes are among the lesser known and less distinctive woodland sounds.

No. 56.

ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER.

A. O. U. No. 646. Helminthophila celata (Say).

Description. — Adult : Above ashy olive-green, clearing and brighter on the
rump; crown with patch almost concealed, of orange-red (Saturn red) feathers;
wings and tail fuscous with some olive edging; below greenish-yellow, dingy or
vaguely streaked with olive on breast and sides. Immature: Without orange
of crown ; more ashy above ; duller below ; eye-ring whitish. Length about 5.00
(127.) ; wing 2.40 (61.) ; tail 1.95 (49.5) ; bill .42 (10.7).

Recognition Marks. — Small warbler size ; orange crown-patch is distinctive,
but seldom seen in life ; under parts duller and greener than last, not so white
as next species ; no contrast between general color of head and back.

Nesting.— Does not breed in Ohio. Nest, on the ground among clumps of
bushes, of coarse strips of bark, grasses, and plant-stems, lined with fur and hair.
kggs, 4-6, white or creamy-white, finely speckled with reddish brown, and with

sr markings of purplish slate (Kennicott). Av. size, .64 x .46 (16.3 x 11.7).

General Range.— Eastern North America, breeding as far north as the
Yukon and Mackenzie Rivers and southward through the Rocky Mountains;
wintering jn the South Atlantic and Gulf States and Mexico. Rare east of the
Alleghanies. north of Virginia.

Range in Ohio. — Rare spring and fall migrant.

THE TENNESSEE WARBLER. 129

H. celata is one of the rarer migrant Warblers, of which comparatively
little seems to be known. In its breeding haunts, which extend up to well
within the Arctic Circle, it is found to be a bird of the undergrowth and open
thickets; but during its migrations it is at least as likely to be seen in the
tree-tops along with the stricter denizens of the woods. A few of us report
seeing the species every year or so, and a conscientious shot every fourth
year confirms the record.

Dr. Wheaton once came upon a male in full song. He describes the
notes as loud, emphatic, and rather monotonous, consisting of the syllables,
chicky-tick, tick, tick, tick. Professor Lynds Jones renders the song, chee,
chec, dice, chic, chia, and says that the first three syllables are rapidly uttered
and the last two more slowly.

No. 57-

TENNESSEE WARBLER.

A. O. U. No. 647. Helminthophila peregrina (Wils.).

Description. — Adult male : Crown and sides of head bluish ash fading into
whitish of throat ; above bright olive-green ; wings and tail dusky with faint
edgings of olive-green ; outer tail-feathers sometimes show obscure whitish spot
near tips ; upper eyelid, or faint superciliary line, whitish ; below dull white,
often washed more or less on throat, breast and sides (especially the last) with
sordid yellowish. Adult female : Similar ; ashy of head veiled by olive-green
skirtings ; more yellow below. Immature : Crown and back clear olive-green ;
under parts washed with yellow, except on under tail-coverts. Length 4.50-5.00
(114.3-127.); wing 2.53 (64.3); tail 1.65 (41-9); bill .40 (10.2).

Recognition Marks. — Small warbler size. Another nondescript, — sordid
white or pa.c vellowish below ; white of belly usually unmistakable.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. Nest, in low bushes near ground, of
vegetable fibers, grasses, etc., lined with hair. Eggs, pearly white with wreath
about larger end of brown and purplish spots. Av. size, .60 x .56 (15.2 x 14.2).

General Range. — Eastern North America, breeding from northern New
York and northern New England northward to Hudson Bay Territory ; in winter
south through eastern Mexico to Costa Rica and California.

Range in Ohio. — Common during spring and fall migrations.

1 3o THE TENNESSEE WARBLER.

LIKE the Nashville Warbler, this bird of the far north owes its name
to an accident of discovery. Wilson first found it on the banks of the Cum-
berland in Tennessee, and promptly named it after their common hostess.
Both Wilson and Audubon regarded the bird as extremely rare, the former
having seen but two specimens and the latter three. It is known now as one
of our common migrants in the middle West, but its first positive recognition
in the case of any individual observer is usually effected by the aid of a gun.
Altho bright olive-green might be reckoned on first thought a conspicuous
color, it is precisely the opposite when viewed among the tender greens of
May, or amidst the changing foliage of autumn.

The Tennessee Warbler is a rather late and leisurely migrant. It does
not appear in spring until the leaves are at least half way out, usually about
the end of the first week in May; and at that season it keeps to the densest
cover in woodland or orchard trees. But once learn its song and the rest
is easy. Its voice can readily be distinguished in a May-day chorus, but
it is not averse to musical effort on dull days, and then is your best chance.
A dull canopy of cloud, it may be, covers the sky. It is not raining, but the
face of nature is bathed in an atmosphere heavy with warm moisture, and
the apple trees gratefully suck up the nourishment and throw out their foliage
and blossoms visibly before your eyes. Suddenly from the midst of some bower
of blossom not so far removed but glowing softly down the orchard isle of
tenuous vapor, there bursts a fine note of inquiry, the prelude of a series
which rises rapidly to a peremptory challenge, Pichick' ', pichick', pichick', chick,
chick, chip, chip, chip. The song is delivered in a rapid crescendo up to the
last note, but with this the bird suddenly checks himself. If you advance,
the bird quits his bower for some other flower-hold as difficult, and the
chances are against your catching anything but a dull yellowish glimpse.
You cannot see him, but you have heard and that is enough.

In the fall, strange to say, the birds not only seem much more plentiful,
but they quit the woods and resort almost exclusively to wayside thickets,
second-growth clearings, and the like. At this season too they are much
more approachable. Either they are less suspicious now that the love-
sickness is over, or else they trust more implicitly to the protection of the
sere leaf.

THE NORTHERN PARULA WARBLER. 131

No. 58.

NORTHERN PARULA WARBLER.

A. O. U. No. 6483. Compsothlypis americana usneie Brevvster.

Synonym. — BLUE YELLOW-BACKED WARBLER.

Description. — Adult male : Above and on sides of head and neck grayish
blue; a large greenish golden patch on back; wings and tail dusky with obscure
bluish bordering; tips of middle and greater coverts white, forming two con-
spicuous bars ; two outer pairs of tail-feathers with white blotches on the inner
webs ; lores broadly bluish black ; a white spot on lower eyelid ; chin and breast
yellow, — connection almost cut off by encroaching blue of sides; a blackish or
blue-black dab on lower throat; below this, in turn, a rich orange-brown patch,
each feather with a yellow tip, producing a shingled effect ; below sordid white.
Adult female : Similar but the orange-brown and black of throat often absent ;
paler everywhere. Young of the year: Upper parts tinged with olive-green,
thus giving a peculiar blue-green effect, especially on head ; yellow of lower parts
paler. Length of males about 4.75 (120.6) ; wing 2.38 (60.6) ; tail 1.67 (42.5) ;
bill .38 (9-7)1.

Recognition Marks. — Smallest of American Warblers (usneae is however
the largest of the three allied forms) ; golden patch on back; the orange-brown
on the breast of high plumage male is distinctive.

Nest, a pouch, formed oftenest of a bunch of pensile moss (Usnea), or high
water debris, gathered together at the bottom, felted, and carefully lined, and with
entrance at side. Eggs, 4 or 5, sometimes 6 or 7, glossy white or creamy white,
speckled with cinnamon-red, chestnut, and gray, usually in a wreath about larger
end. Av. size, .66 x .47 (16.8 x 11.9). The breeding bird is perhaps the next
form, C. a. ramalinae.

General Range. — New England, New York and westward at least to Long.
82°, and north into the Maritime Provinces and Ontario, migrating southward
beyond the United States in winter.

Range in Ohio. — Rather rare during migrations.

A recent overhauling of this genus by one of the masters has left us
in temporary uncertainty regarding the Ohio forms, but it seems altogether
probable that the larger bird is strictly migrant. Dr. Wheaton, relying
upon the observations of Messrs. Read and Kirtland, gives the Parula War-
bler as a summer resident in northern Ohio. More recently Thomas Mc-
Ihvraith in his "Birds of Ontario," states that he has not heard of a nest's
being found in that province, since the majority of the birds pass still farther
north to breed. More lately still they have been found breeding by Fleming
in the districts adjoining Georgian Bay. No recent records of breeding are
at hand from the northern part of this state, and it would appear at least
possible that the more robust form has pushed its way further northward

1 Measurements of all but length are from Ridgway. See "The Birds of North and Middle America,"
part II, p. 484,,

I32 THE WESTERN PARULA WARBLER.

since Kirtland's time, leaving a hiatus between the two subspecies, which at
present consists of northern Ohio and southern Ontario. If closer atten-
tion discovers breeding birds in the northern part of the state, they will
probably prove to be avail t couriers of the southwestern bird, C. a. ramalinae.

No. 59-

WESTERN PARULA WARBLER.

A. O. U. Xo. 648a, part. Compsothlypis americana ramalinae Ridgway.

Description. — Similar in coloration to C. a. nsncac, but averaging somewhat
smaller. Length of male 4.40 (111.7) ; wing 2.26 (57.5) ; tail 1.61 (40.9) ; bill
•39 (9-9)- Recently elaborated by Ridgway but status and distribution not yet
clearly defined.

General Range. — Locally distributed throughout the Mississippi Valley and
its tributaries, west to the Plains, north to Canada, and east to western Ohio and
Michigan.

Range in Ohio. — Believed to be the breeding bird ; nowhere common but
generally distributed.

DURING the spring migrations the Parula Warbler is the most restless
midget of all that motley host which throngs the tree-tops. One tries in vain
to catch him at rest, if but for the fraction of a second, that he may feast his
eyes upon those rare beauties. But no; the little body is swayed by a thousand
passions, and each movement must do duty for an hour. It is both moving-
time and mating-time, and to see him bustling about in such a mighty flurry
one guesses that Chaucer's lines must be true of him :

"So hote he lovede that by nightertale
He sleep namore than doth the nightingale."

Arrived, however, upon the summer camping ground and secure in his
mistress's affections, our hot lover becomes much more sedate. One observed
closely at McConnelsville in May, 1903^ moved about with great deliberation,
stopping for several minutes at a time upon a given twig, where he sang at
frequent intervals. The song consisted of distinctly syllabized s notes, wind-
ing up with a squeak of an entirely different character, Zn zu zu zu zuce isip.
The whole was of a hair-like fineness, and had no great carrying power.

During the same season in the wooded hills about Sugar Grove I saw
parents leading about full-grown young on the loth of June. In the overflow

THE WESTERN PARULA WARBLER.

133

of the Crystal Spring, so well known to Columbus picnickers, we saw a Parula
taking a noonday bath. The bird permitted a close approach during his icy
ablutions. After this, upon a couch of tangled vines, he took a sun-bath in
leisurely fashion, preening, and shaking himself now and then until he looked
like a little blue and yellow pincushion. Then he whisked into a tree-top and
was lost in a trice.

Taken near Sugar Crorc.

Photo by the Author.

VIEW LOOKING WEST ACROSS THE HOCKING RIVER.

PARULAS NEST IN THESE WOODED HILLS.

In nesting, the Parula makes artful use of bunches of moss, or even
drift material left by a receding freshet. The moss is caught up and woven
into a pendulous subspherical mass, or if bulky enough already, the bird may
simply pull and pry and excavate a convenient hollow. Again the nest may
be entirely constructed of materials laboriously gathered. A writer in Penn-
sylvania, Mrs. T. D. Dershimer. reports two such nests in hemlock trees.

I34 THE CAPE MAY WARBLER.

No. 60.

CAPE MAY WARBLER.

A. O. U. Xo. 650. Dendroica tigrina (Gmel.).

Description. — Adult male : Crown in high plumage black, usually olive-
skirted ; back olive-green streaked obscurely with black ; rump yellow ; wings and
tail dusky with olive-green edging; a large white patch with olive skirtings on
wing, formed by lesser and middle coverts ; two or three outer pairs of tail-feathers
broadly blotched on the inner web ; ear-coverts and space below eye orange-brown
contrasting with clear yellow of hind neck and sides of throat ; a yellow7 supercil-
iary line often tinged with orange-brown ; a line through eye black ; below yellow
heavily streaked with black except on chin, sides of throat, and lower tail-coverts ;
lower belly and crissum whitish ; bill blackish, acute, slightly curved ; feet dark
brown. Adult female : Duller ; without distinctive head markings ; white wing-
patch much restricted ; dull yellow7 or dingy white below, streaked with black,
more narrowly and less extensively than in male. Adults in fall : Entire plumage
more or less obscured by olive-gray suffusion. Immature male like spring female
but with more white on wing. Immature female like adult but whitish instead
of yellow below. Length 5.00-5.25 (i2/.-i^.^) ; wing 2.62 (66.6); tail 1.80
(45.7 j ; bill .40 (10.2).

Recognition Marks. — Medium size; ear-patches orange-brown; bright yel-
low on sides of neck; yellow with black stripes below7 (something as in D. macu-
losa, but the contrast between the colors not so sharp ; the streaks more numerous
and not so clearly confluent in stripes).

Nesting. — Xot known to breed in Ohio. Nest, semi-pensile, of small twigs
and grass interwoven with spider-webs, and carefully lined with horse-hair. Eggs,
3 or 4. dull white, speckled and spotted with dark brown and lilac-gray, chiefly
gathered in wreath about larger end. Av. size, .69 x .49 (17.5 x 12.5).'

General Range. — Eastern North America north to Lake Winnipeg and
Hudson Bay Territory, west to the Plains. Breeds from northern New England
northward; winters in the West Indies.

Range in Ohio.— Comparatively rare,— during migrations only.

THERE are two particularly interesting things about the Cape May
\\arbler, and that which excites our interest is that it is one of the rarer
warblers. One may study the warbler host for several years without meeting
this bright-colored little fellow, and then be rewarded with an unexpected
meeting with several of them in fullest plumage. I have found them in
orchards more than elsewhere, helping the owner prepare for a rich harvest
of fruit because the insect eggs are found and destroyed. A troop of warblers
is worth barrels of emulsion. Ely Wood, Elyria, has also proved a good
place for the Cape May. Six were found in one company last year, in the
shade trees along the street.

YELLOW WARBLER

Dendroica aestiva

3 a Life-size

THE YELLOW WARBLER. 135

The other thing of peculiar interest is that this warbler has a cleft and
fringed tongue, and has been called Perissoglossa. Just what the function
of this pattern of tongue may be is a puzzle, but that it is in some way useful
to the birds can hardly be doubted. It is certainly not an aid to singing, for
this warbler is one of the weaker voiced ones, with a high pitched, wiry song,
spelled "a-wit, a-icit, a-^'it," by Mr. Butler. The song is given while the bird
is feeding, and is a sort of accompaniment to the real business of life during
the northward journey. In my experience this warbler is unwary and per-
mits a close approach. I have never seen it at a greater height than twenty
feet in the trees and bushes.

The migrations have not been well worked out yet, but what we know
about the movements across Ohio would indicate a northward movement dur-
ing the first half of May, and a southward return during August and early
September. The persistent student of the migrations is sure to find Cape
May sometime under favorable conditions for study.

The nest is built in a low bush in a wooded pasture or open woodland,
and is said to be partially pensile. The nest and eggs are not readily distin-
guishable from other members of this genus. The males sing frequently
from their perch on the topmost twig of a spruce tree, and so mislead one as
to the whereabouts of the nest. In the United States nests will be found only
in northern New England and northern Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota,
except in the mountains. LYNDS JONES.

No. 61.

YELLOW WARBLER.

A. O. U. Xo. 652. Dendroica aestiva (Gmel.).

Synonyms. — SUMMER YELLOW-BIRD; SUMMER WARBLER.

Description. — Adult male : Forehead and fore-crown bright yellow with
an orange tinge ; back bright olive-green ; rump greenish yellow ; wings and tail
blackish with greenish yellow edgings, the wing quills edged on both webs, the
tail-feathers — except middle pair — almost entirely yellow on inner webs ; sides
of head and entire under parts golden yellow, the breast and sides heavily streaked
with chestnut ; bill black ; feet pale. Adult female : Like male but duller ; olive-
green on back, not brighter on forehead ; paler yellow below7, obscurely or not at
all streaked with chestnut. Young males resemble the adult female. Young
female still duller; dusky yellow below. Length 4.75-5.25 (120.6-133.3); av.
of five Columbus specimens: wing 2.51 (63.8) ; tail 1.68 (42.7) ; bill .40 (10.2).

Recognition Marks. — Medium size ; golden yellow coloration ; chestnut
streaks on breast of male ; the commonest of the resident warblers.

[36

THE YELLOW WARBLER.

Nest, a compact cup of woven "hemp" and fine grasses, lined heavily with
plant-down, grasses, and, occasionally, horse-hair, fastened to upright branch in
rose-thickets and the like. Eggs, 4 or 5, white, bluish-, creamy-, or grayish-white,
speckled and marked with largish spots of reddish brown, burnt umber, etc., often
wreathed about the larger end. Av. size, .70 x .50 (17.8 x 12.7).

General Range. — North America at large, except southwestern part, giving
place to D. ae. rubiginosa in extreme northwest. South in winter to Central
America and northern South America. Breeds nearly throughout its North
American range.

Range in Ohio. — Of universal distribution ; the most abundant Warbler.
Not conspicuous as a passing migrant.

FEMALE

[XG YOUNG.

Photo by R.

THE Summer Warbler's gold is about as common as that of the Dande-
lion, but its trim little form has not achieved any such distinctness in the public
mind. Most people, if they take note at all of anything so tiny, dub the birds
"Wild Canaries," and are clone. The name as applied to the Goldfinch may
be barely tolerated, but in the case of the Warbler it is quite inappropriate,
since the bird has nothing in common with a Canary except littleness and yel-
lowness. Its bill is longer and slimmer, for it feeds exclusively on insects
instead of seeds, and its pure yellow plumage knows no admixture, save for

THE YELLOW WARBLER.

137

the tasty but inconspicuous chestnut stripes on the breast of the adult male.
These stripes are lacking in males of the second year, whence Audubon was
once led to elaborate a supposed new species, which he called the "Children's
Warbler." The name is not ill-fitting even tho we know it applies only to
the Warbler children.

The Yellow Warbler is peculiarly a bird of sunshine, and is to be found
anywhere in open situations. It swarms through the orchards and gardens,
frequents the wayside thickets, and in town takes possession of the shrubbery
in lawn or park. It is abundant in swampy places, and through the willows
which line the banks of streams.

Taken near Waverly.

Photo by Rev. W. F. Hcn>

XEST AND EGGS OF THE YELLOW WARBLER.

The song is sunny too, and while not elaborate, makes substantial con-
tribution to the good cheer of spring. The notes are almost piercing and
sound better perhaps from across the river than they do in the same tree.
Individual variation in song is considerable, but the high pitch and vigor
of delivery are distinctive. Certain common types may be syllabized as
follows: Sweet, sweet, siveet, sweetie; tscc; tsee, tsit-a-wee, tsee; ivee-
chee, dice, chec wec-i-u. The bird is found singing from its arrival the last
week in April until near the close of its second nesting late in July.

The nest of the Yellow Warbler is one of the commonest, both because
of the bird's abundance and because no special pains is taken at concealment.

138

THE YELLOW WARBLER.

Nests may be placed at any height in orchard trees or willows, but without
doubt the most acceptable nesting site is afforded by the dense swamp thickets
of the Carolina rose. In a day's nesting in the Oak Point swamps of Lorain
County, forty-two occupied nests of eight species were examined by myself
and a companion, and of these eleven were Yellow Warbler's.

The cradle of this bird is an exquisite fabrication. The tough inner bark
of certain weeds — called indiscriminately hemp — together with grasses and
other fibrous materials in various proportions, is woven into a compact cup
about, or settled into, some stout horizontal or ascending fork of bush or tree.

As a result the
bushes are full oi
Warblers' nests two
or more seasons old.
A fleecy lining or
mat of plant-down is
a more or less con-
spicuous feature of
every nest. Upon
this as a background
a scanty horse-hair
lining may exhibit
every strand; or, ag
I once saw in Wash-
ington, the eggs
themselves may be
thrown into high re-
lief by a coiled black
mattress.

The Yellow War-
bler displays particu-
lar ingenuity in ban-
ishing the Cowbird's
unwelcome egg. In-
stead of deserting
the spot the birds
place a false bottom
across the nest and
raise the sides to
correspond, - - twTc

Taken at Oak Point Photo by the Author. Stories, with the

AN UNUSUALLY DEEP NEST

^ ground floor to let.

Ihree- and even four-story nests of this sort have been found.

BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER

Dendroica caerulescen*

Life-size

THE BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER. 139

No. 62.

BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER.

A. O. U. No. 654. Dendroica caerulescens (Gmel.).

Description. — Adult male : Above, dark dull blue, occasionally spotted with
black on the back; extreme forehead, sides of head, chin, throat, sides of breast,
and sides, intense black ; remaining lower parts pure white ; wings and tail black-
ish, edged on exposed portions with blue or whitish; a large white spot at base
of primaries on both webs; secondaries and lower tertials broadly edged with
white; three outer pairs of tail-feathers broadly but decreasingly blotched with
white on inner webs ; bill black ; feet brown. Adult female in spring : Above
dull greenish blue ; no pure black anywhere ; sides of head dusky ; below white,
sordid, or with a bluish buffy suffusion ; white spot at base of primaries reduced
but still prominent. Adult female in autumn : Similar but with more yellow
everywhere; therefore dull olive-green above, dingy yellow below; brownish
washed on sides. Immature male: Like adult male, but upper parts greenish;
less black below. Immature female: Like adult female in autumn. Adult male
in winter : Above touched with olivaceous ; below black somewhat restricted ;
flanks touched with brownish. Length 4.75-5.50 (120.6-139.7); av. of five Co-
lumbus specimens: wing 2.53 (64.3); tail 1.86 (47.2); bill .39 (9.9).

Recognition Marks. — Medium size; black, dull blue, and white in masses
of male ; white spot at base of primaries in female.

Nesting. — Not found breeding in Ohio. Nest, of bark-strips, twigs, and

f rasses, lined with fine rootlets and horse-hair ; placed in low bushes near ground.
ggs, 4 or 5, dull white, with spots and dots of olive-brown, chiefly wreathed
about larger end. Av. size, .68 x .51 (17.3 x 13.).

General Range. — Eastern North America to the Plains, breeding from north-
ern New England and northern New York northward to Labrador, etc. West
Indies and Guatemala in winter.

Range in Ohio. — Common spring and fall migrant.

THE Warblers are a world unto themselves. \Vhen the semi-annual
flood-tide of migration is at its height, nearly all available space is occupied
by them as completely as tho no other sorts of birds existed. The spatial
exceptions are the open fields where Sparrows reign supreme, and open water
where none but web-footers and the Swallow kind may go. The portion
which falls to the Black.-throated Blue in the grand allotment consists of the
lower levels in the deeper forests, together with an added gratuity of outlying
evergreens wherever these may occur. Not but that the bird may appear as
a visitor in the tree-tops, or even as an inquisitive tourist in swampy recesses,
but these are not his home.

The clear-cut, modest color-masses of the male bird are enough to awaken
enthusiasm in any beholder ; but the totally different pattern of the female with
her shifting olive-greens and dingy yellow, is apt to be confusing. The white

I4o THE MYRTLE WARBLER.

spot on the edge of the wing is not very conspicuous in the female, but once
found it settles all dispute, however much imagination may rebel.

The Black-throated Blue Warbler is rather deliberate in movement, quiet
and genteel. It is not very difficult to approach it, and a prudent observer
may sometimes attain inspection at arm's length. In such cases, however,
it is the bird that makes the advances. The surest opportunity comes when
the bird has been seen in a front yard evergreen. Then the observer may
approach quietly, while the bird, trusting to the density of the foliage, pursues
intently his entomological researches, or even publishes his prosy song. Dzwee,
dzivee, dziueedt comes in a matter of fact voice, or with a curious upward turn,
from the depths of the foliage. The sounds are consonantal, hard, and deep,
but not out of keeping with the bird's demure ways. On rarer occasions a
sprightly and much more musical ditty is heard, Cheiv, we-o, we-o, we-o,
we-o, wich, i-wich, wvich.

This Warbler is common in spring but is even more noticeable in autumn,
since it is one of the few species which do not don plainer garments. Its fall
movement is leisurely and it finds a congenial companion in the dropping leaf.

No. 63.

MYRTLE WARBLER.

A. O. U. No. 655. Dendroica coronata (Linn.).

Synonym. — YELLOW-RUM FED WARBLER.

Description. — Adult male in spring: Above slaty blue with black streaks,
smaller on sides of crown and nape, broader on back ; below white, with black on
upper breast, sides of middle breast, and sides in endless variety of patterns ; a
large patch on each side of breast, a partially concealed patch in center of crown,
and rump, bright yellow (lemon or canary) ; superciliary line white; a deep black
patch on side of head; wings fuscous; tail darker; middle and greater coverts
narrowly tipped with white, forming two rather conspicuous bars; three outer
pairs of tail-feathers with white blotches on inner webs, decreasing centrally ; bill
black ; feet dark. Female in spring, and both sexes in fall : Duller ; the blue of
tipper parts overlaid with brownish ; a brownish wash on sides of breast and flanks ;
black of breast obscure,— restricted to centers of feathers ; yellow of breast-spots
pale or wanting-. Immature: Brownish above; whitish below with a few ob-
scure dusky streaks. Length 5.25-5.75 (133.3-146.1); av. of five Columbus
males: wing 2.98 (75.7) : tail 2.22 (56.4) ; bill .38 (9.7).

THE MYRTLE WARBLER.

141

Recognition Marks. — Larger; the yellow rump together with size and sea-
son of appearance is distinctive; white throat, as distinguished from D. andnboni.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. Nest, of stalks, twigs, vegetable fibers,
and grasses, lined with fine grasses or feathers, and placed five or ten feet up on
horizontal branches of coniferous trees. Eggs, 4 or 5, dull or creamy white,
speckled and spotted or blotched, chiefly about larger end, with reddish- or olive-
browns. Av. size, .67 x .52 (17. x 13.2).

General Range. — Eastern North America chiefly, straggling more or less
commonly to the Pacific ; breeds from the northern United States northward, and
winters from southern New England and the Ohio Valley southward to the West
Indies, and through Mexico to Panama.

Range in Ohio. — Common in spring and abundant during fall migrations.
Indies, and through Mexico to Panama.

Taken near Columbus. Photo by the Author.

"THE RISING SUN is GREETED WITH A BURST OF VOCAL SPLENDOR."

WHEN the vanguard of the Warbler host arrives in later April, the
bird-man knows it is time to overhaul the daily schedule, to decline with
thanks all evening engagements, and to hie him forth in the gray of the morn-
ing to welcome his winged friends. The wind is still asleep, the dew is full-
bodied and lusty, and sounds of traffic have not yet begun to burden the air.
It is at such a time the birds confess their inmost secrets of love and longing,
and sing purest praises to the great All-Father. As the signals of dawn are
hoisted the chorus swells and the rising sun is greeted with a burst of vocal

142

THE MYRTLE WARBLER.

splendor. Upon
his appearance
the winged voy-
ageurs of the
night descend,
and mingle
their lispings
and trillings
with the full
tide of song.

The Myrtles
are usually the
first of the
Warblers to ar-
r i v e in the
spring, as they
are the last to
depart in the
fall. For a week
they are abun-
dant, and their
sturdy chip be-
comes easily the
most familiar
of Warbler
notes. Other en-
terprising War-
blers not a few
a c c e pt their
promise of safe
conduct, but
one scrutinizes
a dozen of the

Myrtles to find one of another species. During the first ten days of May
the order of abundance is reversed, and the last dilatory matron'has disap-
peared or every lazy Black-poll comes.

Myrtle is a handsome fellow, but he is too sensible to put on airs. Trees,
bushes or fence-rails are alike to him, and he is not above alighting on the.
ground to secure a fat grub. Now and then a pleasant song is heard, a dainty,
silvery warble, rather light, and, one suspects, since the singer is so far from
home, not full-voiced vet.

Photo by the Author.

A FAVORITE WOODS-EDGE.

THE TREES ARE ONLY HALF DRESSED WHEN MYRTLE COMES.

14

MAGNOLIA WARBLER

Dendroica maculona

Life-size

THE MAGNOLIA WARBLER. 143

The autumnal movement is less hurried than that of spring. At this
season the birds often gather in flocks of forty or more, and linger for weeks
in sunny, half-wooded pastures, or about the orchards. Here they spend
much time in the tall weeds, after the fashion of Goldfinches, hunting
for insects, indeed, but in lieu of them often accepting seed. Thus they will
occasionally tarry late into November, and do not fear the exposure resulting
from the falling leaves, since a yellow rump-spot is all that is left them of the
garish beauties of spring.

Yellow-rumped Warblers are reported as wintering commonly in
southern Indiana, but Rev. W. F. Henninger did not find them in the lower
Scioto valley. Dr. Langdon of Cincinnati has records for March 4 and
November 29, and it is not improbable that they winter sparingly in the more
sheltered spots of the Ohio River counties. They are reported as abundant at
that season in Florida, where they subsist on the berries of the myrtle (Myrica
cerifera}, whence the name.

No. 64.

MAGNOLIA WARBLER.

A. O. U. No. 657. Dendroica maculosa (Gmel.).

Synonym. — BLACK-AND- YELLOW WARBLER.

Description. — Adult male in spring : Crown and nape slaty blue ; back
deep black; black bands on the sides of the head meeting in front and connecting
with black of back; superciliary line, cut off by black in front of eye, white; a
white spot on under eyelid; rump bright yellow shading into back by yellow or
olive-green skirtings ; upper tail-coverts abruptly black ; wings and tail black
with narrow edgings of bluish gray; a large white blotch on wing, formed by
tips of middle, with tips and outer edges of greater, coverts ; tall- feathers, ex-
cept middle pair, with square white blotches on central third of inner web, below
rich lemon yellow, clear on throat and middle belly, heavily streaked with black
on jugulum, sides of breast, and sides, the streaks tending to become confluent in
two or three large stripes on sides of breast, and to form a black patch on lower
throat; crissum white; bill black; feet dark brown. Adult female in spring:
Like male but duller ; more olive-green on back ; wing-patch separated into two
bars by broader black centers of greater coverts ; less heavily streaked below.
Both sexes in autumn : Above olive-green ; grayish on head ; pale gray on throat ;
less heavily, or not at all, streaked below. Young : Ashy above with heavy olive
skirtings on back and nearly concealed black spots ; paler yellow below with less

I44 THE MAGNOLIA WARBLER.

streaking; rump and tail as in adult. Length 4.50-5.25 (114.3-133.3); wing

2-36 (59.9) ; tail 1.91 (48.5) ; bill .36 (9.1).

Recognition Marks. — Smaller ; below, rich yellow heavily streaked with
black in spring; square white spots on central third of tail feathers distinctive in
any plumage.

Nest, of twigs, grasses and weed-stalks, carefully lined with fine rootlets,
in coniferous trees, usually three to ten feet high on horizontal branches. Eggs,
3-5, white, spotted and blotched with hazel, reddish brown and cinnamon. Av.
size, .65 x .48 (16.5 x 12.2).

General Range. — Eastern North America west to the base of the Rocky
Mountains and casually to British Columbia ; breeding from northern New Eng-
land, New York, and Michigan, to Hudson Bay Territory, and southward in the
Alleghanies to Pennsylvania. In winter, Bahamas, Cuba and south through
eastern Mexico to Panama.

Range in Ohio. — Common spring and fall migrant. Perhaps rare summer
resident in northeastern Ohio.

IT is always with a sense of privilege that one gazes upon a bird so
beautiful, so exquisite as this. It is passing strange that one of such bril-
liant hue should desert the tropics and proceed not only to Ohio — that were
not so strange — but to gloomy Labrador. Surely he must be a vision glo-
rious in that land of fogs and pines and mosses gray! The bird brings
with him something of the languid air of the South, a breath as of magnolia
blossoms, and a southern name. For this bird like two other Warblers,
the Palm and the Myrtle, receives its name from the favorite tree of its
winter home.

While passing through our borders the Magnolia Warbler is oftenest
found moving quietly through the bushes which line the banks of streams
or lean over swampy pools in the depth of the forest. If in the latter situa-
tion its brilliance seems fairly to dispel the gloom, and if one finds His
Magnificence fluttering before an insect-laden leaf, his cup of joy is full.
But the bird is no recluse and numbers of them join that bright array which
consecrates our tree-tops year by year.

The song of the Magnolia is not often heard, but when vouchsafed
is clear and musical and fairly distinctive. It may bear a superficial re-
semblance to that of the Hooded Warbler, but careful comparison will
show that it is shorter, weaker, and more varied. It is only the penulti-
mate syllable, into which the bird throws a peculiar quality and turn, that
is confusing, nick, flick, flick, fleetip, or che-weech, che-iveech, che-o. Beside
this common form there are many variations whose consideration would
scarcely prove helpful.

Many years ago it was supposed that this bird could be found breeding

15

CERULEAN WARBLER

Dendraica rnra

% Life-size

THE CERULEAN WARBLER. 145

in the northern part of the state, and Dr. Wheaton cites the appearance of one
individual near Columbus as corroborative. Since that time no decisive rec-
ords have come in and it is probable that the "northward trend" has effaced
this species from the list of breeding birds.

No. 65.

CERULEAN WARBLER.

A. O. U. No. 658. Dendroica rara (Wils.).

Description. — Adult male : Above and on sides of head, neck, and breast
bright grayish blue (china-blue, scarcely "cerulean"), clearest on nape and rump;
streaked with black on crown, back, and sides ; lores black ; below white, a narrow
blackish band across chest (sometimes interrupted) ; sides of breast streaked with
black, partially concealed and with bluish edgings ; two narrow white wing-bars
formed in the usual way ; white blotches near end of all but central pair of tail-
feathers, on inner web ; bill and feet bluish black. Adult female : Above, bluish
olive-green ; below, pale greenish buffy or greenish yellow, clearing on throat and
belly, and obscurely striped with back-color on sides ; line over and behind eye
greenish yellow or wanting; wing-bars and tail-spots like male. Young: Like
adult female, but males bluer above and whiter below. Autumnal plumage of
adults not different. Length 4.00-5.00 (101.6-127.) ; wing 2.67 (67.8) ; tail 1.73
(43.9); bill .40 (10.2).

Recognition Marks. — Smaller; azure-blue and white coloration of male;
bluish-greenish-grayish olive of female. The latter may be distinguished from
the female of D. caerulescens, the only one with which it is likely to be confused,
by the two wing-bars and the tail-spots.

Nest, a compact structure of fine grasses held together by spiders' silk, and
decorated externally with lichens ; lined with strips of bark and fine grasses ;
placed from twenty to seventy feet high in deciduous trees, at some distance from
trunk. Eggs, 4, creamy white, speckled and blotched, chiefly near the larger end,
with chestnut and lilac. Av. size, .67 x .50 (17. x 12.7).

General Range. — Eastern United States and southern Ontario west to the
Plains. Rare or casual east of central New York and the Alleghanies. In winter
south to Cuba, southeastern Mexico, Central America, and western South America.
Breeds from about latitude 35° north to Minnesota.

Range in Ohio. — Rather common summer resident throughout the state;
more common as migrant.

THE first five days of May are pretty sure to be warbler days in northern
Ohio. For seven years the Cerulean Warbler has appeared at Oberlin dur-
ing these first five days, usually near the first, and he is always singing when
he first appears. He nests in some numbers in Lorain county and elsewhere

146

THE CERULEAN WARBLER.

in the woods over pretty nearly the entire state. His song ceases about the
end of the first week in July, but he tarries well into September.

near Sugar Grove. Photo by thg Authoff

THE SUMMER HOME OF THE CERULEAN.

Any quest for the Cerulean Warbler takes one into the deeper woods,
where the growth has been crowded and rapid. High up among the interlac-
ing branches, hidden by the dense foliage, he flits all the day long, gleaning

THE CERULEAN WARBLER.

147

from the new leaves or sallying out into the open for some passing insect,
singing in the intervals. The woods which he chooses must be damp under-
neath, and the trees tall. Undergrowth is no hindrance, but he seems to pre-
fer as little of it as possible.

His song seems to echo the purpose of his life. Beginning, as it were,
clown among the lowly, it gradually but persistently rises, pointing the way
upward, disappearing while yet rising toward the heights. He lives where
he can reach down and uplift by his presence and a sunny, joyous nature.
The song is not pretentious, calling for applause, but rather the expression
of an earnest purpose. You will not hear it without close attention. It has
been rendered "tse, tse, tse, tse, te-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e," with a strongly rising in-
flection throughout. The bird sings while sitting, the head thrown back and

Taken near Obcrlin.

Photo by Lynds Jones.

NEST AND EGGS OF CERULEAN WARBLER.

PLACED ON HORIZONTAL BRANCH AT HEIGHT OF FORTY FE6T.

I48 THE CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER.

the breast pulsing with the earnestness of expression. It is not easy to recog-
nize amid the May medley of song.

The nest is lashed upon a horizontal branch, or bound into a horizontal
fork, well out from the tree, and always well up from the ground. Two nests
which I have found in the famous South Woods were in a beech and rock
maple tree respectively, one thirty, the other sixty feet from the ground. These
nests resemble the nest of Redstart more than the nest of any other bird, both
in composition and construction, but they were stuccoed with cobwebs out-
wardly. The material was mostly shreds of bark and horse-hair, with a little
milkweed bark. The birds are very solicitous for their nest and young, utter-
ing the sharp chip of alarm and distress, and venturing; within a few feet of
the intruder, but they do not show a disposition to fight. I have found nests
only near small streams in the woods, or depressions where temporary
streams form after severe rains or in spring.

The eggs are hardly distinguishable from other warblers' eggs. The
markings incline to darker, or to less reddish in the browns. Four is the usual
number for a complete set. It appears that this warbler builds too high for
the Cowbird, or else the nest is too small to accommodate the sneaking
creature. LYNDS JONES.

No. 66.

CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER.

A. O. U. No. 659. Dendroica pensylvanica (Linn.).

Description. — Adult male: Extreme forehead ashy white; crown bright
yellow (gamboge); hind neck streaked black and ashy white; back and rump
bright olive-green, with partially concealed black stripes ; upper tail-coverts black,
edged with ashy and olive; wings and tail black, primaries and rectrices edged
with ashy; secondaries and tertials edged with yellowish green; two irregular
wing-bars light yellow; three outer pairs of tail-feathers extensively white on
inner webs; a black patch on the side of the head including eye; an irregular
white patch behind this ; below white ; sides of breast and sides with large chest-
nut patches, irregular or interrupted; bill black; feet dark. Adult female: Like
male but duller; chestnut of sides much restricted; black face blotch divided by
ashy, etc. No autumnal change in either sex. Immature: Quite different';
above bright olive-green ; below ashy or sordid white ; wing-bars and tail-blotches
as in adult; rectrices in unworn plumage quite acute; bill light below. Length
4-75~5-25 (I2°-6-i33.3) ; av. of six Columbus speciments : wing- 2.^6 (=;QQ) • tail
1.91 (48.5); bill .36 (9.1).

Recognition Marks.— Smaller ; white under parts and chestnut sides of
adult; light yellow wing-bars of young.

THE CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER.

149

Nest, made of bark-strips, grasses and plant-down, and lined with hair;
placed two to ten feet high in bush or sapling. Eggs, 4 or 5, white or creamy
white, speckled with rufous or chestnut, chiefly near larger end. Av. size, .68 x .50
(17.3 x 12.7).

General Range. — Eastern United States and southern Ontario, west to Mani-
toba and the Plains, breeding southward to central Illinois, and northern New
Jersey, and in the Appalachian highlands probably to southern Georgia. Visits
the Bahamas, eastern Mexico, Central America and Panama in winter.

Range in Ohio. — Regular and common spring and fall migrant. Rare sum-
mer resident in northern portion of state.

IT is not easy for me to tell why the Chestnut-sided Warbler impresses
me as an exquisite. Perhaps it is on account of his small size and close-knit
form, or his willingness to have me approach within speaking distance. His
colors are not so bright, nor their pattern in either the contrast or harmony

Columbus.

AN OFT FREQUENTED GROVE.

that may be found with other warblers, but there seems to be something about
the bird which makes the day brighter, the wearing field-work easier, and the
hours of fasting forgotten when he flits into view. I have sometimes half
suspected that he was conscious of my admiration from the manner in which
he displayed his pretty color and trim form. The slightly opened wings,
spread tail, and quick movements give a pleasing appearance. The females
and fall birds lack the distinct contrasts of color found in the spring males,
but they usually have some trace of the chestnut on the sides.

In village and city parks this little warbler may be found well up
among the tree-tops, gleaning from the new leaves the insect eggs and larvae,
but in the woods he prefers a lower range. I have found him among the

THE BAY-BREASTED WARBLER.

spice bushes and lower branches, but not on the ground. He seems rather
partial to damp woods, possibly because insects are more abundant there.

Feeding and singing are sandwiched together for the better part of the
day, as though some expression of gratitude were necessary after each morsel
was received. It is often a less spirited song than many warblers give, seem-
ing to be a sort of soliloquy upon life and its compensations, but it is none
the less pleasing. There is a pretty close resemblance to some phrases of
the song of Yellow Warbler, but a little attention and discrimination will
bring out the differences in quality as well as quantity. The song is more
often heard on the Oberlin College campus than in the woods about Oberlin,
and there it is somewhat different than the woods song. "Wce-chee, zvee-
chee, wee-chee-e-e-e," with the accent on the first syllable of each phrase, is
the campus song. In the woods he sings this way: "Te te te te ivee chu"
and occasionally, "To ivee, to wee, tee e-e-e." In the woods the song seems
to be more spirited than on the campus. The difference may possibly be due
to the fact that the first migrants are those which visit the campus, while
the later ones remain in the woods.

In the vicinity of Oberlin Chestnut-side arrives about the fifth of May
and the last travelers leave for the north shore of lake Erie during the last
week of May. It is possible that some stay with us all summer, but if so
we have not found them.

The nest resembles the nest of Yellow Warbler, both in situation and
composition. It is usually placed in the fork of a bush or shrub from two
to eight or nine feet from the ground. I suspect that the nest is more often
built in the woods than one would expect with Yellow Warbler. It is well
made, suiting the daintiness of the bird.

During August and the most of September one may find this warbler in
the shrubbery and second growth in the plainer autumn plumage. He is not
singing then during the heat of the day, but may be recognized by the trim
form and small size. LYNDS JONES.

No. 67.

BAY-BREASTED WARBLER.

A. O. U. No. 660. Dendroica castanea (Wils.).

Description. — Adult male: Forehead, extreme chin, and sides of head
broadly (including eye) black; crown and nape deep chestnut; sides of neck
and narrow cervical band rich creamy buff; remaining upper parts olive-ashy,
streaked with black; wings and tail dusky; two cream-white bars on wings,
separated by considerable dusky space ; three outer pairs of tail-feathers with large

BAY -BREASTED WARBLER
Dendroica castanea
Life-size

THE BAY-BREASTED WARBLER. 151

subterminal blotches of white on inner webs ; throat and sides of breast chestnut,
produced irregularly on sides ; middle of breast and remaining under parts buffy.
Adult female : Similar to male but duller ; black of head overlaid with olive-
ashy ; chestnut of under parts very faint. Immature : Bright olive-green above,
streaked' with black ; below whitish, tinged with buffy or yellow on breast, and
with buffy (female) or rusty on flanks. Length 5.00-6.00 (I27.-I52.4) ; av. of
four Columbus specimens: wing 2.45 (62.2) ; tail 2.12 (53.9) ; bill .40 (10.2).

Recognition Marks. — One of the largest of the genus ; chestnut throat-
patch distinctive in adult. For young see under following species.

Nesting. — Not known to breed in Ohio. Nest, described as a compact, cup-
shaped structure of grass, bark-strips, twigs, etc., lined with plant-down and hair,
and placed five to twenty feet high in coniferous trees. Eggs, 4 or 5, white with
a greenish or bluish tinge, speckled in usual warbler fashion, chiefly near larger
end, with reddish- or olive-brown. Av. size, .71 x .51 (18. x 13.).

General Range. — Eastern North America north to Hudson Bay. Breeds
from northern New England and northern Michigan northward ; in winter south
through eastern Mexico (rare) and Guatemala to Colombia.

Range in Ohio. — Not common, but fairly regular spring and fall migrant.

ONCE in a while we almost miss this gentle Warbler during the spring
migrations. This is not so much because the bird is really rare as because
it comes late in the season, say about the loth or I5th of May, when the foliage
is well out, and stays for the most part well up in the trees. It is moreover
a rather quiet bird, having nothing of the nervousness and dash peculiar to
those who have braved the later frosts. So far as ready identification goes
the bird is further unfortunate in that its somewhat rare song bears a close
resemblance to that of the swarming Black-polls who are soon to bring up
the rear of the great procession. But in spite of these obstacles, or because of
them, the "one good view" which satisfies the working ornithologist each
season is eagerly sought after. It is particularly disappointing that a bird
of such substantial quality, and of such elegant appearance withal, should
not deign to tarry with us through the summer; but this is in part atoned
for by the swarms of lusty children which sweep down upon us in the fall
from the teeming North. Then there is the perennial problem of identifica-
tion in immature plumage. How dull a study ornithology would be without
some of these bracing posers !

The song of the Bay-breast does not seem to have been particularly well
studied. It is perhaps the highest and squeakiest of them all. Sometimes it
is merely a high hissing tswis, tswis, tswis, but oftener a succession of shrill
sibilations in the form of a swell, wiss wiss wiss wiss wiss wiss wiss.

I52 THE BLACK-POLL WARBLER.

No. 68.

BLACK-POLL WARBLER.

A. O. U. Xo. 661. Dendroica striata (Forst.).

Description. — Adult male : Top of head uniform lustrous black ; cheeks,
hind neck, and cervical collar white, minutely streaked with black; remaining
upper parts olive-gray streaked with black ; wings and tail dusky with narrow
olive-gray edging on exposed webs ; two loose white wing-bars formed by tips of
coverts ; two outer pairs of tail-feathers with subterminal white blotches ; traces
of white on remaining pairs, except central ; under parts white, extensively
streaked with black on sides, the streaks usually confluent on sides of throat;
bill dark above, light below ; feet pale. Adult female : Above, including crown,
grayish olive-green ; everywhere streaked with black ; below whitish, tinged with
greenish yellow on breast and sides, and with dusky lateral streaks. Adult male
in autumn and zvinter: Very different from the summer plumage. Above dull
olive-green, passing gradually into dull gray on upper tail-coverts ; back and
scapulars narrowly streaked with black; white wing bands usually tinged with
yellow ; a narrow and indistinct superciliary streak of pale olive yellowish ; auricu-
lar region and sides of neck like upper parts ; under parts pale olive-yellow or
straw-yellow, whitening posteriorly ; sides and flanks indistinctly streaked with
dusky; under tail-coverts white (Ridgway). Immature: Similar to adult female
but brighter ; less streaked on the back and scarcely, or not at all, below. Length
about 5.50 (139.7) 5 av- °f six Columbus specimens: wing 2.95 (74.9) ; tail 1.96
(49.8) ; bill .39 (9.9).

Recognition Marks. — One of the larger species. Black "poll," white under
parts, and lateral black streaks of male ; grayish olive-green and robust size of
female and young. "This species in winter plumage closely resembles immature
specimens of D. castanea, but may be at once distinguished by the pure white,
instead of buff, under tail-coverts, and pale yellowish brown, instead of dusky,
feet, independent of other differences" (Ridgway). Young Black-polls are
scarcely distinguishable from the young of D. castanea. Above they are pre-
cisely like the Bay-breasts, but below they are somewhat less strongly shaded
with yellowish or buffy.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. "Nest, of twigs, moss, rootlets, etc.,
lined with fine grasses and tendrils, generally in spruce trees, about six feet up.
Eggfj 4~5 > white, more or less speckled and spotted, and generally heavily blotched
at the larger end with cinnamon-, olive-, or rufous-brown" (Chapman). Av.
size, .70 x .54 (17.8 x 13.7).

General Range. — Eastern North America west to the Rocky Mountains,
north to Greenland, the Barren Grounds, and Alaska, breeding from northern
New England and the Catskills northward. South in winter to northern South
America, but not recorded from Mexico or Central America.

Range in Ohio. — Abundant spring and fall migrants, — the latest comers in
spring, among the first to return in late summer.

BLACK-POLLS bring up the rear of the great Warbler host. And
when one has seen them the reason of their tardiness becomes apparent.

THE BLACK-POLL WARBLER. 153

Whereas most Warblers are restless, impatient, fussy, Black-polls are delib-
erate, decorous, self-contained. They are in no hurry; they have no trains
to catch or previously appointed trysts to keep. There is added reason, too.
for their leisurely passage, in that their summer camps are pitched far north
where spring is tardy also.

In spring the birds seldom arrive before the I5th of May and oftenei
it is nearer the 2Oth. The males greatly exceed the females in number, so
that one really wonders when the females pass. It is possible that they do
not light largely until Lake Erie is traversed, since the species is reckoned
rare in the southern part of the state, and only tolerably common in the vicinity
of Columbus. For all the birds appear so slow the northern movement is
rather rapid, and only an occasional straggler is found after the 25th of May.

It is always with a feeling of sadness that the bird-man views the arrival
of these birds which mark practically the close of Warbler season. It has
been too short, that period of bursting buds and twinkling wings; but now
the leaves are all unfolded, the fairy visitants have stolen away one by one —
and here comes Black-poll. To be sure his presence befits the season; the
bustle of awakening life over, his monotonous droning chimes in accurately
with the murmur of bees' wings, and lies softly upon the pulsing tribute of
heated air by which the sounds are alike borne heavenward ; but somehow we
still rebel — youth was all too short!

The Warblers are lost to view now if they remain in the tree-tops, but
z foggy morning, or some reason less apparent, will sometimes bring them
down to feed in the shrubbery. At such times they are quite approachable
and one may see how — or at least when — they produce that fairy creaking
which they call a song. This consists of a series of exactly similar notes
uttered rapidly, but in a beautiful musical swell. Many syllables will satisfy
the ear, but Mr. Langille has perhaps hit it off the best when he says, "tree,
tree, tree, tree, tree, tree, tree, tree."

The Black-polls swarm through our state during the fall migrations
when they may be observed from the last week in August well into October.
It is not probable, however, that any given individual passes so long a time
with us, but only that the species occupies such a diverse breeding range that
the impelling causes of evacuation are correspondingly diverse in form, and
asvnchronous in action.

I54 THE BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER.

No. 69.

BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER.

A. O. U. No. 662. Dendroica blackburniae (Gmel).

Synonyms. — PROMETHEAN WARBLER; PROMETHEUS.

Description. — Adult male : Chin, throat, and fore-breast flaming orange
(Cadmium yellow) ; on the rest of head and neck paler cadmium, showing through
the black in spots, viz. a small patch on crown, a narrow median line on forehead,
a superciliary line broadening on lores and behind, an infra-orbital spot, and a
patch on side of neck; remaining upper parts black variegated with white or
creamy white; wings and tail dusky; large white wing-patches formed by tips
of middle, and outer webs and tips of greater coverts, but indented by dusky
webs of outermost feathers ; white blotches on inner webs . of tail-feathers, ex-
tensive on two outer pairs, narrow on remainder except central pair; remaining
under parts sordid white or yellowish, with black streaks on sides of breast and
sides. Adult female : Similar to male but paler ; dull olive-gray streaked with
dusky on back ; throat Indian yellow ; remaining yellow faded to maize color.
Immature: Like female but browner; narrow white wing-bars and dusky-
striped interscapular region diagnostic; yellow paler, almost wanting on breast.
Length about 5.25 (133.3) ; av. of four Columbus specimens: wing 2.60 (66.) ;
tail 1.71 (43-4); bill .38 (9.7).

Recognition Marks. — Medium size ; orange-yellow of throat is distinctive
even when faded.

Nesting. — Not known to breed in Ohio. Nest, a compact mass of bark-
strips, spruce-twigs, grasses and plant-down, lined with hair, fur, or feathers;
placed well up in coniferous trees. Eggs, 4, greenish- or bluish-white, speckled
and spotted in usual warbler fashion. Av. size, .69 x .49 (17.5 x 12.5).

General Range. — Eastern North America west to eastern Kansas and Mani-
toba, breeding from the southern Alleghanies, Massachusetts and Michigan north
to Labrador. In winter south to the Bahamas, eastern Mexico, Central America
and western South America.

Range in Ohio. — Abundant spring and fall migrant.

IT is not difficult to follow the injunction of the birds : Love me, love
my woods. One simply cannot help it if they are as charming, and varied,
and productive as is the group of adjoining tracts near Oberlin, known col-
lectively as the South Woods, and now called affectionately by the nature-
lovers the "Old" South Woods. Nor is the reverent adjective misplaced,
for the three kingly oaks which mark the bend of Warbler corner (appearing on
Page 155 and again on page 156) are full four hundred years old, as measured
by the rings of a brother hard by, recently slain in the full vigor of sap. No
guns are allowed in the forest ; — would that as much could be said of axes !
Berrying is forbidden upon pain of expulsion, and save for a few wandering

THE BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER.

155

botanists (simple, harmless folk who occasionally rise to an appreciation of
birds, and are therefore to be encouraged) there is none to molest the bird-
man nor to disturb his treasures. Dense shade, open clearing, crowded
saplings, scattering bush-clumps, dry land and swampy — all are to be found
within the limits of
that precious hun-
dred acres, and all
make separate con-
tribution of interest
to the eyes and ears
of the ornithologist.
It would seem that
the force of some
venerable tradition
impels each avian
wanderer, each rarer
bird of passage, tc
pause and rest, or
worship, in this an-
cient shrine. To
speak of warblers
alone, it was here
that we first saw
Golden - winged,
Brewster, Hooded,
and a score of lesser
lights. Here Strong
sawr the Connecticut,
and Jones the Prai-
r i e and Kirtland.
Here only last sea-
son a Kentucky
turned up a hundred
miles beyond his cus-
tomary range. In
short all but five of
the forty species of
Warblers credited to
Ohio have reported
in these allied bits of woodland.

But of all the spots in this avian paradise the choicest is "Warbler cor-
ner," and of all the birds which crowd to the edge of the wood to mark

ear Oberlit\

Photo by the Author.

'THREE KINGLY OAKS."

I56 THE BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER.

the rising sun the brightest is Prometheus, the torch-bearer. Like a beacon
light his glowing breast sends a quick answering flash to the first greeting
of the eastern majesty, and drunk with joy, the tiny spark moves off to
set the woods on fire. When his back is turned you lose him in the upper
green, but once around and flash ! flash ! come swift messages of beauty from
this divinely fashioned heliograph.

It is enough ! You know him now. For the rest the Blackburnian
\Varbler hops about, and flits, and snatches bugs like other birds. Like

Taken near ObcrUn. plwto by thc Aut,wr_

THE OLD SOUTH WOODS-WARBLER CORNER.

many others he too, alas ! passes far north to breed, quenching his flame for
the season in the bosom of some gloomy hemlock. During the spring mi-
grations the brightest males are among the middle early comers, but the
paler females, and the youths with breasts unfired, abound from the middle
to the twentieth of May, and linger in rare instances until the end of that
month. The fall movement begins about the twentieth of August and lasts
through September. The summer nesting of this species is unusually suc-
cessful, to judge from the augmented numbers which appear during the fall
migrations.

THE SYCAMORE WARBLER. 157

The song of the Blackburnian Warbler is of the squeaky order and
the notes, altho penetrating enough and undertaken with considerable energy,
lack volume and fade out to a fairy whisper before the song is done.
"Ssu-zuitts, ssu-witts, ssu-witts, ssu-witts, ssu-ivitts, ssu-witts, ssu-zvitts,
ssn-witts" is one attempt to express this duodecimo songster.

No. 70.

SYCAMORE WARBLER.

A. O. U. Xo. 6633. Dendroica dominica albilora Ridgw.

Synonyms. — WHITE-BROWED WARBLER; WHITE-BROWED YELLOW-THROATED
WARBLER.

Description. — Adults : Above bluish-gray ; on forehead interspersed with
black; a short median frontal line, a superciliary stripe reaching to nostril, and
the lower eyelid, white ; throat bright yellow, bordered on side by extensive black
cheek-patch, which includes lores and is produced behind on lower neck ; behind
this on neck a white area continuous with superciliary stripe; remaining under
parts white, heavily streaked with black on sides ; black streaks gathered on each
side into a loose chain connecting with black of cheeks; wings and tail dusky,
with bluish or ashy edgings, the former with two broad white bars formed in the
usual fashion ; subterminal white blotches on two outer pairs of rectrices ; bill and
feet dark. Immature : Similar to adult, but much tinged with brown above and
below ; black of head subdued, and yellow of throat paler. Length 4.50-5.50
(114.3-139.7) ; av. of six Columbus specimens: wing 2.47 (62.7) ; tail 1.83 (46.5) ;
bill .44 (i i. 2).

Recognition Marks. — Medium size ; lemon-yellow throat bordered by black-
on sides, and abruptly by white below; white superciliary line.

Nest, usually placed at a considerable height in sycamore or other trees, near
water; of weed-stalks, twigs, and grasses, lined with plant-down, etc. Eggs, 4
or 5, white or grayish white, speckled and spotted distinctly or obscurely with
reddish- or olive-brown, sometimes gathered in wreath about larger end. Av.
size, .69 x .53 (17.5 x 13.5).

General Range. — Mississippi and Ohio Valleys west to the Plains, north to
Lake Erie and southern Michigan, east to western North Carolina; in winter
south to southern Mexico and Central America.

Range in Ohio. — Formerly abundant, now less common ; along wooded
streams, principally in southern, south-central, and western portions, but locally
wherever sycamore trees abound. Breeds.

IN view of the recent changes in the status of this species, it is well
to recall Dr. Wheaton's words penned in Columbus some twenty-five years
ago: "Not rare summer resident; common during the spring migration.

158

THE SYCAMORE WARBLER.

This is the first of the family to arrive in spring. It is always to be seen
before the Yellow-rumped and Yellow Warblers make their appearance, some-
times before the last snow and ice. I have seen them in considerable num-
bers on the 1 3th of April, and have kno\vn of its occurrence as early as April
9th. When on their migrations they confine themselves almost exclusively
to the trees which skirt the streams, and move northward by day with con-
siderable rapidity. During the whole day their characteristic song, tswee-a,
tsi\.'ee-a, tswce-a, tsivec, tswee, tsivec, tn-u'cc, may be heard, sometimes at a

distance of a quarter of a
mile, as the birds feed in the
sycamore and elm trees. *
* * They are seldom seen
in woodland, though they
not infrequently visit the
shade trees and gardens of
the city. They are much
more abundant during the
spring migrations than at
any other time. In this lo-
cality it is not uncommon to
see a dozen in a morning's
w^alk, about one-third of
which may be captured."

In marked contrast with
the preceding is the fact that
there are no records of the
bird's appearance in the re-
cent annals of the Wheaton
Club of this city. I have
met with only one specimen
in the state, a singing male,
in a secluded hollow near
Cincinnati, where it is still
regarded as not uncommon
The bird was seen on April

25th, 1903, before the foliage was fully out, and during the three hours it
was under examination it divided its "time about evenly between a singk
ash tree on the brink of the glen and the central sycamores shown in the illus-
tration. The bird seemed to be gleaning insects from the swelling buds of
the ash, but he paused frequently to throw his head up and sing. The song
was rather deliberate, high-pitched, emphatic, of a singularly penetrating
quality, and unvaried in character, tszvee, tsivee, tsivee, tswee, the last note

Taken in
Franklin
County

AN IDEM, SPOT FOR SYCAMORE WARBLERS.

THE SYCAMORE WARBLER.

159

with a piercing quality like that of the Yellow Warbler. Rev. W. F. Hen-
ninger, 1902, gives the bird as a "rare transient * * * observed in
Scioto County only;" while Raymond W. Smith (1891) reported it as a
common migrant in April in Warren County.

It is more than probable that the decrease in numbers in the case of this
species is due solely to the continued destruction of the sycamore trees. Here,
at least, is a bird rightly named, for the Warbler has cultivated this grim
and grizzled old man-of-the-rivers — whom all the other birds, save perhaps
the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and the King-bird, seem to shun — until its de-
pendence upon it is almost absolute. That the bird was formerly not un-
common northerly is
abundantly attested,
and it may be that it
can still be found in
favored spots. Mr.
Jerome Trombley
knew it as a rare
summer resident
along the River
Raisin, in Monroe
County, Mich., and
in 1880 succeeded in
locating a nest. It
was placed 60 or 70
feet high in a syca-
more tree and at the
end of a branch,
some 20 feet from
the trunk. Inasmuch
as the tree was seven
feet through at the
base and the sup-
porting limb did not
promise to support
above a fifty pound
weight, the discov-
erer deemed thr
treasure unattain-
able. In 1897 the
same observer noted
only one bird. Un-
less definite steps are

Photo by the Authc

STILL-HOUSE HOLLOW.

160 THE BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER.

taken to reserve large areas of the picturesque sycamores, the present gen-
eration must witness the passing of the Sycamore Warbler from its northern
haunts.

No. 71.

BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER.

A. O. U. Xo. 667. Dendroica virens (Gmel.).

Description. — Adult male: Throat and breast above and on sides glossy
black; sides of head and neck bright yellow; a line through eye, expanding be-
hind, olive-green ; above bright olive-green, clearing to yellow in front and on
sides of crown ; spotted or streaked with black on middle back, and sometimes,
minutely, on crown ; upper tail-coverts ashy- or olivaceous-edged ; wings and
tail dusky with ashy edgings on external webs ; two broad white wing-bars ;
outer pair of tail-feathers almost entirely, and succeeding pairs decreasingly white
on inner webs ; middle of breast, belly, and crissum pale yellowish white ; bill
black; feet dark brown. Adult female: Similar, but with less black streaking
on back, and with black of throat and sides extensively veiled by yellowish skirt-
ings of feathers. Immature : Like female, but with more yellow below, and
with black of throat still more thoroughly concealed by yellow tips. Length
4.50-5.40 (114.3-137.2); av. of ten Columbus specimens: wing 2.49 (63.2); tail
1.91 (48.5) ; bill .38 (9.7).

Recognition Marks. — Medium size ; bright yellow of cheeks and forehead
contrasting, or not, with black of throat.

Nest, of twigs, bark-strips, grass, moss, and feathers, placed ten to fifty
feet high in coniferous trees. Eggs, 4, white with creamy or buffy tints, speckled
and spotted with lilac-gray and rufous-brown, usually gathered in loose wreath
about larger end. Av. size, .63 x .49 (16. x 12.5).

General Range. — Eastern North America to the Plains, north to Hudson
Bay Territory, breeding from Connecticut and northern Illinois northward, and
south along the Alleghanies to South Carolina. In winter south to Cuba and
Panama. Accidental in Greenland and Europe.

Range in Ohio. — Very common spring and fall migrant. A few pairs remain
to breed in the rare patches of coniferous timber in the northern portion of the
state.

IF we are sometimes disposed to envy the ornithological pioneers, Wil-
son, Audubon, and the rest, because of their unique opportunities for observ-
ing birds now rare or extinct, we may comfortably reflect upon the fact
that that most fascinating and distinctively American family, the Mnioiiltidae ,
is yearly marshalled before our eyes in a way that was denied the fathers.

BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER

]>' nilroiea virent

Life-size

THE BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER. 161

The chief reason for this is one which we deplore otherwise, viz., the con-
tinued denudation of the forests. It is probably safe to say that in Wilson's
day, that is during the opening decade of the last century, eighty-five per
cent of the area of our state was covered with timber. In such a forest
even of the great Warbler army, whole regiments might pass year by year
unnoticed, and many species be held rare which were really abundant. But
as early as 1885 the forest acreage was estimated at only seventeen per cent
of the whole. These are the latest statistics available, but the percentage,
without doubt, has steadily decreased since then. In this respect, then,
we are favored; for if the birds would forage at all, they must needs avail
themselves of our restricted wood-lots and swarm through our fenced or-
chards. We are unmasking hidden beauties, and compelling reluctant fays
to show themselves.

The Black-throated Green Warbler, as an individual, is little troubled
over our ingenious compulsion, for it is not at all unwilling to show itself,
and has never learned a wholesome fear of man's presence. It is one of the
commonest warblers both in spring and fall, and seems in no hurry to get
on, but there is no recent evidence that it ever fails to make the passage of
Lake Erie. Confined for the most part to the tops of trees, it not infre-
quently ventures down to inspect you, hopping daintily from branch to branch,
and leaning forward to peer at you inquiringly as the distance decreases.

The song is an odd little affair of lisping squeaky notes, but as innocent
as the upturned face of a questioning child. Its delicacy defies vocalization,
but Mr. Burroughs has proposed a graphic representation which is quite un-
forgetable, "— — \f ".

Family groups of six or seven individuals may be seen early in the fall
hunting close together, but as the season advances the weakening bonds of
kinship are lost in the sense of clanship, and this in turn is blended with the
sense of racial consanguinity, which more or less affects all warblers. Rev.
W. F. Henninger reports a remarkable occurrence which took place near
South Webster in Scioto County. He says, in substance : On September 28,
1899, I ran into a company of Warblers which I would place conservatively
at two thousand individuals. It was like a regular army as it moved up a
long sloping hillside, and with wonderful rajpidity. The wind was blowing
almost a gale from the north, and the birds allowed themselves to be urged
before it in the direction of their ultimate retreat, like half-stubborn autumn
leaves. Lisping, chipping, whirling, driving, they hurried on and I after
at full speed, panting, and wishing devoutly for a better chance to identify
the fleeing forms. Arrived at the top of the hill the army suddenly halted
and when I arrived breathless I had time to note the arrangement by species,
not rigid indeed, but sufficiently striking to command attention. In the center
were seen Hooded Warblers and a sprinkling of Chestnut-sides. On either

l62 THE KIRTLAND WARBLER.

side of these in turn were Black-throated Greens and Sycamores, about two
hundred of each ; while the wings proper were held by Bay-breasts and Black-
polls in enormous numbers. The order, as I say, was not strictly maintained
but the specific grouping within the general ranks was at least remarkable.
As the birds deployed to feed the specific lines were not quite obliterated.

No. 72.

KIRTLAND WARBLER.

A. O. U. No. 670. Dendroica kirtlandi (Baird).

Description. — Adult male in spring : Above slaty blue, streaked finely on
crown and broadly on back with black, the back with a brownish gray cast; lores
and frontlet black; a \vhite spot on either eyelid; sides of head and neck slaty
blue ; wings and tail black, edged with gray ; the middle and greater coverts
whitish-edged, but not forming distinct bars ; outer tail-feathers white-blotched
on inner web ; under parts clear light yellow, whitening on crissum and chin,
the breast with a few small spots, and the sides with short streaks of black.
Adult female: Similar but duller above and paler below; lores grayish; sides
washed with brownish. Adult male in autumn : Under parts rich yellow, con-
tinuous,— no spotting on breast but sides heavily streaked writh black; upper
parts, except wing and tail, olivaceous, lightening anteriorly ; head without con-
spicuous markings, but with dull yellowish superciliary stripes and cheeks. Im-
mature : Like adult female, but browner gray above ; more brownish on sides ;
breast more distinctly (?) spotted. Length 5.50-6.00 (139.7-152.4); wing 2.75
(69.9) ; tail 2.35 (59.7) ; bill .47 (11.9).

Recognition Marks. — Larger ; slaty blue back with black stripes ; clear yel-
low below with scattering streaks on side (only comparable in this respect to the
Prairie Warbler, which is much smaller and an entirely different bird).

Nesting not known to science.

General Range. — Central northern United States during spring migrations ;
Atlantic Coast, Virginia, and South Carolina during spring( ?) and fall migra-
tions ; breeding haunts unknown, — probably Hudson Bay Territory and north
of Great Lakes. Winters in the Bahamas.

Range in Ohio. — Nine of the twenty or more specimens recorded in the
United States were taken in this state. One fall record, Lawrence County,
August 28, 1902.

THE Kirtland Warbler has for many years been the rara avis of Ameri-
can ornithology. There are other species of which fewer specimens exist in
museums, and others still which are now verging upon extinction, — to sax-
nothing of those strange enigmas, the "Carbonated," "Blue Mountain," and
"Small-headed" Warblers, known from the works of Audnbon and Wilson
and now lost to science, if ever they did in fact exist as independent species.

THE KIRTLAND WARBLER. 163

But in the case of the Kirtland Warbler the lapse of time has brought in-
creased knowledge, and the ornithological appetite has been more keenly
whetted by each succeeding announcement of the bird's occurrence.

The type specimen, an adult male, was collected by Mr. Charles Pease,
May 13, 1851, near Cleveland, and by him presented to Dr. Jared P. Kirt-
land. Dr. Kirtland forwarded the bird in the flesh to Professor Baird for
identification, and it was very properly named by the latter Kirtland's War-
bler, in recognition of the fact that to Dr. Kirtland we are "indebted for a
knowledge of the Natural History of the Mississippi Valley." Five other
specimens have since been secured in the vicinity of Cleveland, the last by
H. E. Chubb on May 12, 1880. In may, 1872, Mr. Charles Dury shot a
male bird near Cincinnati; and the last Ohio specimen reported was taken
by Lynds Jones at Oberlin, May 9, 1900.

At this writing (July I, 1903) some twenty-five specimens have been
captured in the United States and Canada, while more than fifty have beer,
taken in the winter haunts of the species in the Bahama Islands. Of the
United States specimens the westernmost was obtained by H. M. Guilford
at Minneapolis, Minn., and the northernmost was picked up dead below the
light house on Spectacle Reef, in the Straits of Mackinac, Michigan.1 All
specimens seen in the interior (until the summer of 1902) have been spring
birds, but two fall specimens were shot on the coasts of Virginia and South
Carolina respectively. After Cleveland, Ann Arbor, Michigan, has been a
leading place for the capture of this rare warbler, and it seems probable that
that locality is especially favored during the northern migrations. The spe-
cies will doubtless be found breeding in northern Minnesota, Wisconsin,
Michigan, Ontario, and in the region south of Hudson Bay.

The pursuit of this woodland beauty, whose only offense is rarity, has
been so keen that most observers have shot first and questioned afterward.
Authorities agree, however, that it is a rather quiet, sedate bird, having no
especial fear of man, but frequenting the lower levels of bushes and trees,
and allowing a somewhat near approach for inspection. It has been compared
by some to the Palm Warbler, and it certainly resembles this bird in its habit
of bobbing, or jetting the tail.

Rev. Leander S. Keyser closely observed a specimen near Springfield,
Ohio, and heard its song. He gives it as "a blithe, liquid melody" and says
"the tones were full, clear and bubbling."2 On May /th, and 9th, 1900, Pro-
fessor Lynds Jones heard two, and perhaps three, of these Warblers near
Oberlin. "The song was loud and clear, given with all the vigor of a Wren
or Kinglet; the body being straightened to almost a perpendicular direction,
and the beak pointing straight up. It was no by-talk or incidental song, but
manifestly an earnest purposeful call song. The song is a doubly phrased
one, the first part slightly longer and a little less rapidly uttered, the second

1 For many of these details I am indebted to Mr. Frank M. Chapman's resume in The Auk, October, 1903.

2 "Bird-dom," by Leander S. Keyser, p. 63.

1 64 THE PINE WARBLER.

part quickly and more vigorously uttered. I have written it thus: ter ter
tcrtcc ; tswce te chit."1

On the 28th of August, 1903, Professor Jones and the writer encoun-
tered two of these birds in the extreme southern part of Lawrence County,
at a point opposite Ashland, Kentucky. The first bird seen loitered for as
much as ten minutes in the top of a little willow tree, and appeared in nowise
disturbed by our scrutiny. He was deliberate, not to say indolent, in move-
ment, and delivered from time to time a very light and pleasing rollick, with
something of the quality but nothing of the strength of the Myrtle's song.
After being observed for about twenty minutes the bird darted
down into a thicket where he was joined by another precisely similar, and
after a minute or two the pair retired into the depths. So far as reported
this was the first appearance of the Kirtland Warbler in the interior during
the fall migration.

As this book is going to press word comes from Michigan that Mr.
Xorman A. Wood of Ann Arbor has just discovered the nesting haunts of
the Kirtland Warbler in Oscoda County. According to the last issue of
the Bulletin of the Michigan Ornithological Club, Vol. IV., No. 2, June,
1903 (really issued about July loth), "Just after this issue has gone tc
press Mr. Wood returned home from his trip north in quest of the Kirtland's
Warbler with very gratifying success, having obtained a fine series of skins,
male, female, nestlings, full-fledged young, nest, and eggs." Bravo ! and
alas ! The last shrine of ornithological mystery has been penetrated. There
are no more worlds to conquer.

No. 73-

PINE WARBLER.

A. O. U. No. 671. Dendroica vigorsii (And.).

Synonym. — PINE-CREEPING WARBLER.

Description. — Adult males: Above and on sides of head and neck bright
olive-green; wings and tail dusky, edged with brownish gray or whitish; two
broad whitish or grayish white wing bars ; two outer pairs of rectrices extensively
white on inner webs ; streak over lores, eyelids, chin, throat, and breast well down,
bright greenish yellow; streaked indistinctly on sides of breast and sides with
olive; belly and crissum dull white; buffy wash on flanks; bill and feet dark
brown. Adult female : Above olive-gray, or vinaceous gray with an olive tinge ;
wing-bars narrower and more decidedly gray than in male; below dingy or
grayish with pale yellow or yellowish tinge on breast ; traces of olive striping on
sides. In winter both sexes are browner above; the male brighter yellow and

1 The Wilson Bulletin, No. 32, July, IQCO.

THE PINE WARBLER.

165

the female huffier below. Immature: Dull brownish above; below brownish
gray or dingy. Length 5.00-5.60 (127. -142.2) ; wing 2.80 (71.1) ; tail 2.18 (55.4) ;
bill .44 (11.2).

Recognition Marks. — Medium size; gamboge-yellow with olive shading
below, and grayish wing-bars ; singularly devoid of positive characters. Usually
keeps to coniferous trees and is a creeper in habits.

1 66 THE PINE WARBLER.

Nesting. — Breeding not yet reported for Ohio. Nest, placed high in
pine or cedar trees; composed of bark-strips, leaves, fine grasses, etc., lined
with plant-down, hair and feathers. Eggs, 4 or 5. "The ground color is a bluish
white. Scattered over this are subdued tintings of fine delicate shades of purple,
and upon this are distributed dots and blotches of a dark purplish brown,
mingled with a few lines almost black" (Brewer). Av. size, .70 x .52 (17.8 x
13-2).

General Range. — Eastern United States west to the Plains, north to Man-
itoba, Ontario, and New Brunswack, wintering in the South Atlantic and Gulf
States, and the Bahamas.

Range in Ohio. — Rare or casual during migrations. Probably more common
in eastern portion. Thought to breed in the southern part and should be found
nesting anywhere in the state in evergreen timber.

OHIO must seem like a desert to this pine-loving bird, but he is found
once in a while either in some tiny oasis like that shown in the cut (which
we should call a pine "barren") or else among the orchard and shade trees
of a chance resting place. The bird is not certainly known to breed in the
state, but Rev. W. F. Henninger, then of Waverly, Ohio, took a young male
August 5th, 1898, under circumstances which made it appear probable that
the bird had been reared in the immediate vicinity.

The Pine Warbler has some of the near-sighted ways of the Brown
Creeper, and like that most prosaic mortal gleans a living from the trunks
and larger limbs of trees. In crossing from tree to tree it has a pretty, un-
dulating flight. In winter in the southern pjneries, where it abounds, it is
occasionally found associated in loose flocks which feed upon the ground.

''Its song," says Chapman, "is a clear sweet trill. Southern birds, in
my experience, have more musical voices, and their notes suggest those oi
the Field Sparrow, while the song of northern birds has more the quality of
the Chipping Sparrow's."

THE PALM WARBLER. 167

No. 74.

PALM WARBLER.

A. O. U. No. 672. Dendroica palmarum (Gmel.).

Synonyms. — RED- POLL WARBLER; YELLOW RED-POLL WARBLER (name
now restricted to subspecies D. p. hypochrysea) ; WAGTAIL WARBLEK.

Description. — Adults : Crown chestnut ; superciliary line yellow ; extreme
forehead dusky, divided by short yellow line ; lores dusky ; cheeks grayish, tinged
or streaked with chestnut ; upper tail-coverts yellow ; remaining upper parts gray-
ish brown, slightly tinged with olive ; wings and tail dusky, with obscure grayish
or greenish yellow edgings, the former without bars ; subterminal white spots,
usual to the genus, on two outer pairs of rectrices ; chin, throat and crissum clear
yellow ; remaining under parts yellowish or dingy, more or less streaked, especially
on sides, with dusky or pale rufous ; a loose necklace of small dusky spots. Adult
in winter and immature : Crown-patch much obscured by brownish ; supercil-
iary line whitish or buffy; below, dingy white or buffy with faint yellowish tinge;
breast and sides obscurely streaked with dusky, and sides washed with bro\vnish ;
crissum clear yellow ; upper tail-coverts yellowish olive-brown. Length 4.50-5.50
(114.3-139.7) ; av. of four Columbus specimens : wing 2.60 (66.) ; tail 1.98 (50.3) ;
bill .40 (10.2).

Recognition Marks. — Medium size; chestnut crown distinctive in high
plumage ; yellow crissum in any plumage. Keeps to fence-rows, hedges and way-
side bushes ; "bobs" nervously and wags tail.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. Nest, on the ground in tuft of grass,
compactly built of grasses, bark and moss. Eggs, 4, creamy white, spotted and
blotched with purple, lilac and reddish brown. Av. size, .70 x .52 (17.8 x 13.2)
(Davie).

General Range. — Northern interior to Great Slave Lake ; in winter South
Atlantic and Gulf States, the West Indies and Mexico. Of rare but regular
occurence in the Atlantic States in migrations.

Range in Ohio. — Regular and common spring and fall migrant. Has been
taken in winter near Cincinnati.

IN the careful husbandry of nature this bird alone of the Wood-
Warbler kind has been assigned to a station unmistakably humble. The
Prairie Warbler, indeed, regularly frequents low bushes, but only the "Red-
poll" takes freely to the ground as well. It was there that he learned from
the Water Thrushes that quaint habit of tilting the body and shaking or
"jetting" the tail, as tho protective harmony of coloration must be atoned
for by some conspicuous and incessant motion, lest the bird be stepped on
unawares. Altho it feeds much, upon the ground, especially in its winter
home in the southern states, where its hops about after the fashion of a
Titlark or even patters along the dusty roadside, its favorite resorts during
migrations are wayside coppices, neglected fence-rows, and the undergrowth
of damp woods. In such places it is to be found in April, flitting from bush

1 68 THE YELLOW PALM WARBLER.

to bush or searching quietly among the weeds. It usually lingers well into
May and appears again, but less frequently, rather late in the fall. The
bird is somewhat variable in appearance and often quite puzzling at some dis-
tance. Xow a casual glance notes it for a sparrow, and again it challenges at-
tention as some mysterious unknown. If only one catches the nervous flirt
of the tail the case is out of Chancery.

Several writers on birds pour contempt on the Palm Warbler's song and
many profess ignorance of it altogether. It is not a very elaborate affair but
I have heard it delivered with a sprightliness and energy which called me
half way across a pasture. One bird in particular lured me to the edge of
a wood lot with a spirited rollicking chatter which made me suspect Junco in
an ecstacy. Its ordinary song consists of a succession of twinned notes in
a swell. On this point Lynds Jones says, "Each syllable should be given
a half double utterance except at the middle of the swell, where the greater
effort seems to coalesce the half double quality into one distinct syllable."
At other times I have noticed a mere sustained sibilation, wissa, wissa} zuissa,
wissa, wissa, without inflectional change. Besides this he has the inevitable
Dendroican chip, but it is scarcely distinctive enough to be recognizable when
a dozen other species are flying\ .

No. 75.

YELLOW PALM WARBLER.

Dendroica palmarum hypochrysea Ridgw.
Synonyms. — YELLOW-BELLIED RED-POLL WARBLER; YELLOW RED-POLL
WARBLER.

Description. — Similar to preceding species, but "larger and much more
brightly colored, with entire lower parts bright yellow in all stages (excepting
nestling plumage) ; upper parts richer, or less grayish olive than in true
palmarum" (Ridgway).

Recognition Marks. — Like D. palmarum ; brighter yellow below.

Nest and eggs not peculiar. Not known to breed in Ohio.

General Range.— Atlantic States north to Hudson Bay. Breeds from eastern
Maine, New Brunswick and Xova Scotia northward ; winters in the South Atlantic
and Gulf States.

Range in Ohio. — Casual during migrations.

THE Atlantic coastal wave of migrating Yellow Reel-polls occasionally
spills over into our state. Xot every yellow Palm Warbler is to be suspected,
for there is great individual variation among the species, and we are near the

THE PRAIRIE WARBLER. 169

eastern boundary where we should expect intergrades. I once followed a bird
near Columbus whose yellow had the convincing glow of gold below
(hypochrysea, gold below) ; and a specimen exists in the Oberlin College
Museum which is undoubtedly referable to this subspecies.

No. 76.

PRAIRIE WARBLER.

A. O. U. No. 673. Dendroica discolor (Vieill).

Description. — Adult male : Above olive-green, brightening on crown, with
a triangular area of chestnut-rufous spots or confluent streaks on back ; below
and on sides of head bright yellow, most intense on superciliary, cheek, and throat ;
with heavy black streaks or stripes on sides of breast and flanks ; a blackish line
through eye and a broad, black malar stripe ; crissum pale, yellowish white ; wings
and tail dusky with greenish gray edgings on external webs ; middle coverts yel-
lowish white on tips ; greater coverts edged terminally with gray on outer web,
the two forming indistinct bars ; two outer pairs of tail-feathers broadly white on
inner webs, third pair with central spot ; bill blackish ; feet dark brown. Adult
female : Similar to male but duller, and with chestnut-rufous of back much re-
duced or wanting. Immature: Like female but ashy on head (ear-coverts), ashy
olive-green above; paler yellow below, etc. Length 4.25-5.00 (io8.-i27.); av.
of four Columbus specimens; wing 2.19 (55.6) ; tail 1.74 (44.2) ; bill .37 (9.4).

Recognition Marks. — Smallest of the genus ; chestnut-rufous of back distinc-
tive; bears some resemblance to D. maculosa below, but smaller and otherwise
quite different.

Nest, in bushes or saplings, deeply cup-shaped, composed of fine grasses,
plant-fiber, and down, lined with hair. Eggs, 4 or 5, white or greenish white,
marked with reddish brown and olive-brown, chiefly in a wreath about the larger
end. Av. size, .65 x .49 (16.5 x 12.5).

General Range. — Eastern United States to the Plains, breeding from Florida
north to Michigan and southern New England. Winters in Southern Florida
and the West Indies.

Range in Ohio. — Rare. Probably breeds, but no authentic record.

AFTER D. kirtlandi the Prairie Warbler is with us the rarest of the
genus. Its normal range lies much farther south, and those which pene-
trate our state are to be regarded only as pioneers or as adventurers without
fixed habits. Professor Jones has seen single males at Oberlin on two dif-
ferent occasions, but there are no records for Ontario ; and it seems prob-
able that those birds which reach the Lake Erie shore in spring turn south-
ward again before settling for the summer.

On the nth of June, 1903, I came across a singing male on a hill-top
near Sugar Grove, at the point shown in the illustration. The bird moved
restlessly from place to place, singing indifferently from the depths of black-

THE PRAIRIE WARBLER.

berry thickets, from the tips of oak saplings, or from the foliage of surrounding
forest trees. His time was about equally divided between singing and bug-
catching, and altho he might remain in a single clump for five minutes at
a time, the bird did not keep the same position for two consecutive sec-
onds. Even dur-
ing song he would
twist and writhe
like an Italian
prima donna, pro-
ducing quite as
much motion as
music.

The song of the
Prairie Warbler is
a little the most
remarkable pro-
duction in the
Mniotiltan reper-
toire. It is a suc-
cession of mel-
1 o w whistling
creaks, each note
pitched higher
than the preced-
ing, and each
gaining somewhat
in intensity until
the next to the last
one is reached
The bird runs a
weird chromatic
scale upon a fairy
oboe, with an effect
which Dr. Coues
describes as "like
a mouse complain-
ing of a tooth-
ache."

The bird seen at Sugar Grove was entirely destitute of the "brick-red
spots upon the middle of the back," usually recommended as a recognition
mark, and certain other marks were less distinct than normally in the adult
male. It was probably a male of the second summer which had not yet at-
tained adult plumage.

Photo
by the
Author.

A HILLTOP PASTURE.

WHERE THE PRAIRIE WARBLER MAY NEST.

THE OVEN-BIRD. 171

No. 77.

OVEN-BIRD.

A. O. (J. No. 674. Seiurus aurocapillus (Linn.).

Synonyms. — GOLDEN-CROWNED ACCENTOR; GOLDEN-CROWNED THRUSH.

Description. — Adult : Above brownish olive-green ; top of head with two
blackish lateral stripes, enclosing a space of orange-brown — golden only by cour-
tesy— more or less veiled by olive-brown tips of feathers ; cheeks washed with
color of back ; lores and ring about eye whitish ; below white, heavily spotted
across breast and on sides by blackish ; a narrow blackish malar stripe ; bill and
feet flesh-colored. Quite variable in size, but little change in plumage with sex
•or season. Length 5.50-6.50 (139.7-165.1); av. of four Columbus specimens:
wing 2.91 (73.9) ; tail 2.05 (52.1) ; bill .44 (11.2)).

Recognition Marks. — Small Sparrow size ; "golden" crown, and head striped
above ; general thrush-like appearance.

Nest, on the ground, a slight depression lined and completely overarched
with leaves, grasses, bark-strips and trash, and with entrance at side. Jiggs, 4
or 5, white or creamy white, glossy, speckled and spotted freely with reddish
brown and sometimes dull lilac. As usual with this family the markings are
frequently wreathed about the larger end. Av. size, .80 x .60 (20.3 x 15.2).

General Range. — Eastern North America north to Hudson Bay Territory
and Alaska, breeding from Kansas, the Ohio Valley and Virginia northward. In
winter Florida, the West Indies, southern Mexico and Central America to Panama.

Range in Ohio. — Abundant summer resident, — the invariable accompaniment
of lowland woods.

BEFORE those extinguishers of ornithological enthusiasm, the mos-
quitoes, have mustered in full force, it is a pleasure to walk in some dim
sequestered wood and watch the antics of the Oven-bird. Not that he is a
conscious clown like the Chat ; on the contrary he is often as prim and pre-
cise as a Puritan dame. And therein lies the fun ; for it is always amusing to
see a birdikin take himself o'er seriously, and go mincing or strutting about
with grand airs. It is amusing too — is it not? — to a person of benevolent
intent, when a bird, whose nest has been discovered, goes buzzing about in
a mighty huff as tho you were a pirate fleet just landed on his shores.
If you have happened upon a ball of grass and leaves like that shown in the
illustration, and if the mistress of the "Dutch oven" is at home, you will see
such an exhibition of distress, of broken wings and disabled legs, of a shriek-
ing and altogether helpless anatomy, as will make your heprt ache, — unless
yon are wise and laugh. And while the distraught mother is playing lame,
the father is adding to the panic by literally falling all over himself in the
middle distance — of such strenuous stuff is bird-life made.

THE OVEN-BIRD.

The life of the Oven-bird is spent for the most part on the ground. Here
it walks sedately or minces daintily, searching the moist humus for grubs
and worms, or stirring the dead leaves for hidden treasures. Knowing itself
obscure the bird often permits a close approach, and it goes scuttling over the
ground oftener than it flies for shelter. But the Oven-bird is no man-with-the-
muck-rake. When he would sing it is from the middle branches of a tree, or
better. Cautious now, suspecting the very tree-toads, the bird mounts a bare
limb, casts searching glances to left and right, walks toward the end of the

THE OVEN.

branch, then suddenly surrendering all caution he breaks into utterance. Be-
ginning easily he gains confidence at every step, until the last phrases pierce
the woodland and fairly bring the listener to his feet. The crescendo pro-
ceeds by a series of little explosions with the ictus on the second syllable of
each pair: pcchee, pechee, pechee } PECHEE, PECHEE, PECHEH. John
Burroughs, writing from the eastern part of New York State, has immor-
talized this song under the words, "teacher, teacher, teacher;' etc., 'but in-
asmuch as he expressly states that the accent is placed on the first syllable,
the description evidently does not apply to Ohio birds.

THE WATER-THRUSH. 173

Besides the familiar woodland chant, there is a rarer ecstacy song given
at twilight. Of this Professor Lynds Jones says, "I have seen the Oven-bird
suddenly vault into the air, mounting to the tree-tops on quivering wings,
then dart back and forth in a zigzag course as swift as an arrow, and finally
burst into song as he floated gently down. The song seems to swing once
round a great circle with incredible swiftness but perfect ease, ending in a
bubbling diminuendo as the performer lightly touches the perch or ground
with half rigid wings held high."

No. 78.

WATER THRUSH.

A. O. U. No. 675. Seiurus noveboracensis (Gmel.).

Description.— Adult : Above dark olive-brown ; below white, tinged more
or less with sulphur-yellow, everywhere, except on middle belly, spotted and
streaked with the color of the back, finely upon the throat and cheeks,
broadly upon the breast ; a dark line through eye ; a prominent yellowish, or buffy
(fulvous) superciliary stripe; cheeks and extreme chin more or less tinged with
fulvous; bill brown; feet lighter. Length about 5.50-6.00 (139.7-152.4); wing
2.94 (74.7) ; tail 2.14 (54.4) ; exposed culmen .45 (11.4) ; tarsus .82 (20.8).

Recognition Marks. — Large Warbler size, but most suggestive of small
sparrow ; superciliary line yellow-tinged, never pure white ; sulphur-yellow below
(never buffy) ; throat spotted.

Nesting. — Not known to breed in Ohio. Nest, on the ground or in the roots
of upturned tree ; of moss and leaves, lined with fine rootlets and tendrils. Eggs,
4 or 5, white or creamy white, speckled and spotted or wreathed in the usual
fashion with reddish browns. Av. size, .77 x .59 (19.6 x 15.)-

General Range. — Eastern United States to Illinois, and northward to Arctic
America, breeding from the northern United States northward. South in winter
to the West Indies, Central America, and northern South America.

Range in Ohio. — Common spring, less common, or less noticeable, fall
migrant.

THE Water Thrush is a common migrant during the last week in April
and the first two weeks in May, and requires at this season careful dis-
tinction from its less common relative, the Louisiana Water Thrush. It is
found along streams and at the edges of woodland swamps. The more thor-

1 74 THE WATER-THRUSH.

oughly the swamp is choked by down timber the better, for it is the Thrush's
delight to walk along a fallen log, especially if one end of it passes gradually
beneath the black waters. The bird is less wary than the resident form,
and will often merely walk to one side when approached; but if driven to
take wing it utters a sharp chink of farewell, and flies off in great, graceful
bounds, which, amid the network of interlacing branches, command admiration
both for speed and accuracy.

During the fall migrations, which begin in the latter part of August,
the Water Thrushes sometimes fairly swarm, not only in the vicinity of
pools and \vater courses, now less abundant, but under the shade trees and in
upland woods. The birds have developed a proper autumnal taste, and to see
one working over a patch of fallen leaves is a treat. The industrious little
hen siezes in her beak a leaf three times her size, and by a quick jerk tosses
it far aside; after which she snaps up the lurking insect prey and passes
quickly on to move other \vorlds.

The song of the northern Water Thrush is not so loud or rich as that of
the southern, but it is still sprightly and captivating. "Sweet, &veet, sweet,
chu-chu-wee-chu," Professor Jones renders it, — "The first three syllables
strongly accented and staccato, the last four short and run together into one
phrase, the next to the last a third or more higher. Occasionally one sang
to to che-we che-we che, the first two indistinct, the third, fifth, and last strongly
accented and a sixth higher, the fourth and sixth a little lower. Both songs
are high-pitched, clear, liquid whistles that carry far." According1 to the
same authority many are to be found singing vigorously during the fall mi-
grations.

There is some slight possibility that the Water Thrush may be found
breeding in the northeastern part of the state. It is found regularly in the
central northern counties of Pennsylvania, and has also been reported by
Mr. Sennett from Crawford Countv, which adjoins our Ashtabula.

THE LOUISIANA WATER-THRUSH. 175

No. 79.

LOUISIANA WATER-THRUSH.

A. O. U. No. 676. Seiurus motacilla (Vieill).

Description. — Adult : Above, dark olive-brown, deeper on crown, more
clearly olive on upper tail-coverts ; below white with a distinct buffy suffusion
on lower belly, flanks, and crissum ; spotted and streaked with color of back on
breast and sides; throat unspotted; a malar stripe of confluent spots, scattering
behind; a dusky line through eye; superciliary stripe and allied areas of head
definitely white. Length 5.75-6.40 (146.1-162.6); wing 3.26 (82.8); tail 2.08
(52.8) ; bill .53 (13.5) ; tarsus .89 (22.6).

Recognition Marks. — Larger; small Sparrow size; thrush-like appearance,
semi-terrestrial habits ; throat unspotted and superciliary line definitely white, as
distinguished from preceding species.

Nest, in mossy bank or among roots of upturned tree; of sodden leaves and
twigs, lined with grass and rootlets and sometimes hair. Eggs, 4 or 5, sometimes
6, white or creamy white, speckled and spotted evenly or in wreaths with cinnamon-
brown and lilac-gray. Av. size, .76 x .62 (19.3 x 15.8).

General Range. — Eastern United States north to southern New England
and southern Michigan, casually north to Lake George, northeastern New York,
west to the Plains. In winter West Indies, southern Mexico, and Central America
to Panama.

Range in Ohio. — Common summer resident, but of irregular distribution,—
along streams and in wilder portion of state, especially the non-glaciated area.

AMIDST our more modest surroundings the Louisiana Water Thrush oc-
cupies much the same position relatively that the Water Ouzel does in the
mountainous regions of the West. Both birds possess themselves of the
wildest in nature which is to be had, and both are the animating spirits
of their chosen haunts. Altho no one suspects any structural affinities between
the two, a half dozen other close points of resemblance might be noted, not
least among which would be poetic temperament and the talent in song.

Only the most picturesque and unfrequented glens are tenanted by this
poet-bird from the South. Where cool waters trickle down from mossy
ledges and pause in shallow pools to mirror the foliage of many trees, here,
and here alone, you will find the Water Thrush at home. The bird will discover
himself to you by an imperious chink of question and alarm, after which he
will pause at the water's edge impatiently, as tho awaiting your withdrawal.
The bird stands with the body horizontal or with the hinder parts elevated,
jetting the tail vertically from time to time without moving the head, or
else bowing with profound but unconvincing gravity. If you are discreet
enough to withdraw, or to pretend to, the bird will proceed with the business
of getting breakfast, either by wading about in the shallow water, or by

THE LOUISIANA WATER-THRUSH.

searching noisily among the dead leaves hard by. Xor does he forget to
give vent to unallayed suspicions by an energetic chink. Or by and by he
tries hiding, and disappears mysteriously behind a bunch of ferns. One
minute, two, three, are allowed to elapse. "Ah, that means a nest," says
the shrewd observer; and he moves forward with becoming caution. But
the bird is up and off in a trice, and flies clown the glen without an apparent
pang. A search is made, half-heartedly, with the old result, — "nothing but
leaves."

\Yherever the nest is to be
found (there be those who
claim to know, but the author
is not one of them), one thing
is sure, the bird regards himself
as trustee of the whole glen,
and his watchful fidelity is im-
partially bestowed upon all
parts of it. If you become es-
pecially interested in any one
spot — for reasons best known
to yourself — why of course he
and his wife can go elsewhere :
and they move off, sniffing loft-
ily. Every half hour or so the
male bird ranges the length of
the glen. Xow he dashes like
a swallow across some open
glade. Xow he pauses on a log
or stone : alternately moving
and inspecting until his voice is
lost in the distance. You may
be near his nest, but he doe's
not deign to notice you, further
than to give vent to a disdainful "humph" in passing.

The song of the resident Water Thrush is one of our choice things The

found the Pierian spring, tucked away somewhere among our hills—

:i Morgan County, I think-and has tasted to good advantage. Its notes are

and ringing clear, but sweet also as honey which the wild bees have

iere is a tumultuous passage in it too, which may occupy only the mid-

le portion or may engulf the whole. At times the singer's main force seems

expended m the opening peals, so that it almost instantly falls back into
ilder cadence or bubbling twitter, in which its warbler affinities are quicklv
recognized.

Morgan County.

Photo by the Author.

WHERE COOL WATERS TRICKLE.

THE KENTUCKY WARBLER. 177

As to its platform the musician is not so particular. Usually a free
branch from ten to twenty feet high is selected, but I have seen the bird sing
his best song while standing knee deep in water. There is said to be also
an ecstacy song which lifts the bird quite clear of earth. Audubon de-
clared the Water Thrush's song equal to that of the English Nightingale,
but a somewhat less extravagant claim will leave us with a keener apprecia-
tion of the bird's real merit.

No. 80.

KENTUCKY WARBLER.

A. O. U. No. 677. Qeothlypis formosa (Wils.).

Description. — Adult male : Crown lustrous black, more or less tipped even
in highest plumage, at least behind, by obscure olive or grayish slate; a bright
yellow line over eye and curling around it behind ; a black patch on side of head,
including, lores, produced downward on side of neck as though forming incipent
collar ; remaining upper parts uniform olive-green ; below gamboge yellow, pure
and continuous ; olive-shaded on sides ; bill slightly curved, dark above, light
below ; feet very pale. Adult female : Similar but with perceptibly less black on
head, because of more extensive grayish skirtings. Both sexes in zvinter: The
black of the crown is further veiled and with brownish tips, while the black on
sides of head is partially obscured in the same manner. Immature birds lack
the black on head or have it concealed in inverse ratio to age. Length 5.25-5.75
(133.3-146.1) ; wing 2.69 (68.3) ; tail 1.96 (49-8) ; bill .44 (11.2).

Recognition Marks. — Medium Warbler size. Pattern of black and yellow on
head distinctive, save as regards the "Maryland" Yellow-throat. It is larger and
more deliberate in its movements than the latter bird, and differs furtner in having
continuous yellow on the lower parts.

Nest, a bulky affair of dead leaves and grasses, lined with rootlets, and some-
times hair ; usually on the ground, concealed or not by overgrowth. Eggs, 4 or 5,
sometimes 6, white or grayish white, speckled, spotted or blotched with umber,
cinnamon and lilac-gray, chiefly about larger end. Av. size, .73 x .58 (18.5 x 14.7).

General Range. — Eastern United States west to the plains, breeding from
the Gulf States north to southern New England and southern Michigan. In
winter, West Indies, eastern Mexico, and Central America to Panama.

Range in Ohio. — Tolerably common summer resident in the southeastern
and southwestern portions of the state. Rare or casual elsewhere.

i78

THE KENTUCKY WARBLER.

THE local preferences of the Kentucky Warbler lie about midway be-
tween those of the Oven-bird and the Louisiana Water Thrush; and there
is much in the bird's appearance and manner to remind one of its near rela-
tionship to the Seiuri. But the bird is no mere echo of another more illus-
trious ; its ways are its own, and its personality most marked. Damp hill-
sides, heavily wooded and with dense undergrowth, are the chosen haunts
of this distinguished Warbler, especially if at the bottom of the hill there

Taken in Douda Run

A BIT FROM KENTUCKY'S RANGE.

is a half-open glade set about with bush-clumps and a tiny stream of water
trickling through it. Here the Warbler seeks its food upon the ground,
walking instead of hopping over its surface, stooping to peer under a projecting
stone, turning over a suspected leaf, and nimbly gathering in the scurrying
harvest. Now the bird flits up to a fallen log and measures its length, now
dives into a cranny behind it, and now emerges again in time to leap into the
air for a passing insect. Through long association with mother earth the

THE CONNECTICUT WARBLER. 179

Kentucky Warbler, has also acquired, tho in a lesser degree, that strange
bobbing motion of the tail peculiar to many ground-haunting species.

Interest in this bird is heightened by the fact that it is exceedingly
shy, not only keeping to the wilder glens and out-of-the-way places, but
carefully avoiding exposure of its golden plumage when found. More than
once the bird-man has crept on hands and knees through a thicket to obtain
a glimpse of this demure beauty, thus rendering an homage which a less modest
bird could not have compelled. Like most birds, however, the male Kentucky
lays aside inconvenient scruples during the season of song, and his voice
is one of the boldest as well as sweetest in the woods. At this time he mounts
a low branch, and, standing lengthwise, pours out at frequent intervals a
clear, rich, ringing strain of three or four similar notes. "Pee-u-dle, pee-u-dle,
pce-u-dle," he seems to Mr. E. J. Arrick of McConnellsville to say; while
other birds less commonly accent the last syllable of each phrase, tit-oo-reet,
tit-oo-reet, tit-oo-reet. So intent does the bird become upon his music that if
frightened from one perch he will immediately resume his song upon another.

As in the case of all ground-nesting warblers, the nest is rather difficult
to find, since it is committed to the protection of some obscure weed-clump
or sapling. The surest method of discovery is to spy upon the female while
the nest is d-makiii**. According to Messrs. Morris and Arrick, who have had
great success in finding the nest of this Warbler, they are to be sought upon
the bottoms of the glades rather than upon the hillsides, where the birds other-
wise spend the greater portion of their time.

No. 81.

CONNECTICUT WARBLER.

A. O. U. No. 678. Qeothlypis agilis (Wils.).

Description. — Adult male: Whole head and neck and fore breast grayish
slate, deepest on fore breast and crown; a white orbital ring; remaining upper parts,
including wings and tail, olive-green unmarked ; below from breast, pale yellow,
the sides tinged with olive; bill dark above, light below; feet light brown. In
highest plumage the fore breast is almost, but never quite, black. In autumn the
ash of nape is obscured by olive-green skirtings. Adult female and immature:
Similar to male, but brownish olive-gray instead of slaty on head and neck; the
olive of upper parts browner, not contrasting with crown, and thence shading on
sides of neck into the browner gray of throat; below dingier yellow, and more
heavily shaded by brownish olive on sides. Length 5.20-6.00 (132.1-152.4) ; wing
2.80 (71.1) ; tail 1.91 (48.5) ; bill .43 (10.9).

i8o THE CONNECTICUT WARBLER.

Recognition Marks. — Larger ; grayish slate of male, without black, and con-
trasting with pale yellow below; female and young obscure brownish olive and
yellowish birds, without definite contrasts.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. Nests described from Manitoba and
Ontario, of dry grass, or of grass, leaves and trash, lined with hair, on the
iground. Eggs, 4, white with a few spots of lilac, purple, brown, and black
about the larger end. Av. size, .75 x .60 (19.1 x 15.2) (Thompson).

General Range. — Eastern North America, breeding north of the United
States. Northern South America in winter.

Range in Ohio. — Quite rare, during migrations.

OF the forty species of Warblers now accredited to Ohio, this is the one
bird which has successfully eluded the author's search afield, so that he may
perhaps be pardoned some little emotion in setting it down as "quite rare".
Others have been more fortunate: Dr. Kirtland in 1838 took one specimen;
Dr. Langdon reports one taken near Cincinnati by Mr. Dury in the spring of
1876; Dr. Wheat on saw two during his twenty years' residence in Columbus;
Professor Jones reports recently two birds seen near Oberlin ; and Rev. W. F.
Henninger a pair taken at Waverly, August 10, I899-1

Mr. Ernest E. Thompson, who was the first to find the nest of the Con-
necticut Warbler, says of it : "This species has somewhat the manners of the
Vireos, but it is much more active and sprightly in its movements. During
the migrations it is generally found on or near the ground in the undergrowth
of low damp woods, and also in bordering weedy fields, where it sometimes
announces its presence by a sharp peek. In the cold boggy tamarack swamps
of Manitoba, where I found it breeding, it was the only one of the family and
almost the only bird, \vhose voice broke the silence of those gray wastes. Its
loud song was much like the teacher, teacher chant of the Oven-bird, but it also
uttered another, which I can recall to mind by the aid of the syllables, 'free-
chappie, free-chappie, free-chappie, whoit.3 "

Mr. M. C. Read, writing in "The Family Visitor" in 1853, says, "This
species is described as very rare, but for the two summers past I have noticed
it as very abundant in a field of dense brambles, in Andover, Ashtabula County.
In its habits it resembles the preceding (Trichas marylandica} [now Geothly-
pis trichas brachidactyla] or rather the peculiar habits of the genus are strik-
ingly exhibited in this species. * * * They undoubtedly nest with us in
considerable numbers." Whether Mr. Read was correct in his surmise we
cannot now determine. If true, it is quite probable that the northward trend
of species has long since removed the Connecticut Warbler from the list of our
breeding birds.

THE MOURNING WARBLER.

181

No. 82.

MOURNING WARBLER.

A. O. U. No. 679. Qeothlypis Philadelphia (Wils.).

Description. — Adult male : Whole head and neck and fore breast slaty gray,
intermixed below with black, which emerges clear on the fore breast ; lores and or-
bital ring black ; remaining plumage bright olive-green above, shading into bright
yellow below ; bill dark above, pale below ; feet very light brown. Adult female
and immature : Similar, but slate of head more or less overcast by olive-green ;
throat dull white or brownish white, — even yellowish ; fore breast dull ashy or
grayish brown, shading imperceptibly on sides of neck, etc. Length 5.00-5.75
(I27.-H6.I) ; wing 2.43 (61.7) ; tail 2.11 (53.6) ; bill .43 (10.9).

Taken near Obcrli

WARBLER CORNER AGAIN.

THE TrIICKETS IN THE FOREGROUND AFFORD SHELTER TO MOURNING, WILSON AND NASHVILLE WARBLERS,
AND NORTHERN YELLOW-THROATS.

Recognition Marks. — Smaller ; black conspicuous in slaty gray of breast, —
abruptly contrasting with yellow below. Female and young obscure, but affording
suggestion of contrast on breast when closely scrutinized.

Nesting. — Not known to breed in Ohio. Nest, on or near the ground, of
bark-strips, vegetable fibers and trash, lined with grasses and rootlets and some-
times horsehair. Eggs, 4, white, dotted with cinnamon-red near larger end.
Av. size, .72 x .52 (18.3 x 13.2).

1 82 THE MOURNING WARBLER.

General Range. — Eastern North America to the Plains, breeding from the
mountainous portions of Pennsylvania, New England, New York and northern
Michigan northward. Central America and northern South America in winter.
Accidental in Greenland.

Range in Ohio. — Rather rare spring and fall migrant.

ALTHO deeply veiled in crape as to its head this rare Warbler is a
thing of beauty. Its beauty is, however, still further veiled — from human
eyes — for it is one of the most persistent of skulkers. During its migrations
it passes from copse to copse by night, and remains in hiding by day with
almost as much care as that exercised by escaping slaves in the days of the
Underground Railroad. One sees just enough of them now and then to know
that they are sprightly birds, graceful of movement and keen of eye. Occa-
sionally one may be found in an unguarded moment exploring the tree-tops,
but more frequently the coveted glimpse is obtained only by trampling on
brush piles or beating outlying thickets.

It is not impossible that the Mourning Warbler may be found breed-
ing in our state, since it is common in New York and New England, and has
been reported breeding in Illinois "even south of latitude 39 degrees.1"

The bird is sometimes found singing during the northern movement,
especially in the Lake Erie counties. Professor Jones gives it "tee, te-o, tc-o,
te-o, ice-se, the last couplet accented and much higher pitched." Rev. J. H.
Langille states that the breeding song varies considerably, but "may generally
be denoted by the syllables, free, free, free, fruh, fruh, — the first three being
loud and clear and the last two in a lower tone, and so much softer and shorter
that a moderate distance, or a slight breeze in the opposite direction, may
prevent one from hearing them."

1 Prof. W. W. Cooke, Bull. Xo. 2, Div. of Economic Ornithology, U. S. Dept. Agr., p. 258.

THE NORTHERN YELLOW -THRO AT. 183

No. 83.

NORTHERN YELLOW-THROAT.

A. O. U. 68id. Geothlypis trichas brachidactyla (Swains.)-

Synonym. — Formerly included under MARYLAND YEXLO \\-TIIROAT.

Description. — Adult male : A black band or mask on forehead and cheeks,
bordered on superior margin by a narrow band of ashy white ; remaining upper
parts dull olive-green, brightening on rump, with a brownish cast on crown and
sometimes on wings and tail ; chin, throat, fore breast and crissum bright gamboge
yellow ; lower breast and belly paler : sides washed with brownish ; bill black above,
light below ; feet pale. Adult female : Similar, but without black mask, — grayish
brown instead ; forehead touched with brownish red ; much paler yellow below ;
sides of breast and sides more heavily brownish. Male in autumn : Browner above
and on sides ; black mask tipped with grayish ; more yellow on belly. Immature
male : Similar to adult, but browner, and showing only traces of black mask ;
throat paler yellow ; chin and breast less pure, inclining to saffron. Under tail-
coverts yellow at all ages and in all seasons. Length 4.75-5.75 (120.6-146.1) ;
av. of four Columbus males: wing 2.40 (61.) ; tail 2.00 (50.8) ; exposed portion
of culmen .43 (10.9).

Recognition Marks. — Smaller ; black facial mask bordered by ashy ; yellow-
on throat and breast, changing to yellowish on belly, and brownish on sides, — in
contrast with the uniform yellow of the under parts in G. formosa.

Nest, sunken in grass tussock or bush clump on or near ground, a bulky but
neat structure of weed-stalks, bark-strips, leaves of Typha latifolia, grasses, etc.,
carefully lined with grass or hair. Eggs, 4, or 5, white or creamy white, speckled,
spotted, and sometimes obscurely scrawled, chiefly about larger end, or not, with
umber or black. Av. size, .70 x .52 (17.8 x 13.2).

General Range. — Northeastern United States and southeastern British Prov-
inces, from northern New Jersey, Tennessee and east-central Texas northward;
south in winter to West Indies and through Mexico to Central America.

Range in Ohio. — Common summer resident, of universal distribution
throughout the state, in swamps and lowland thickets.

ACCORDING to a recent decision of our ornithological Sanhedrin, the
A. O. U. "Committee", we are obliged to forego the use of the title "Mary-
land", endeared by long usage, but absurdly inappropriate, as are a dozen other
bird names which merely perpetuate accidents of discovery. We might also
easily improve upon the name "Yellow-throat" as a distinctive cognomen, for
there are at least sixteen other birds belonging to the same family and found
within the borders of our state which have throats more or less yellow. But
who that has once seen the bird, can forget the broad black facial mask, sur-
mounted by its narrow white band, or fillet, which really serves to distinguish
this Warbler from all others? Better far call it the Masked Warbler, the
Masquerader, or Domino.

Indeed, one never gets over the impression that this pert little Warbler

1 84

THE NORTHERN YELLOW -THRO AT.

is concealing an amused smile behind that inscrutable black mask, and that
he is poking fun at you for awkwardness and stupidity, of which you know
you are guilty, as you stumble about through the thicket in the wake of the

retre a ting
mocker.
There is no
reason able
doubt that
the bird de-
lights in a
game of hide-
and-seek and
that he shows
himself from
time to time
just far
enough
ahead to
keep up the
tantalizing
play. But if
you are wise
enough to
give it up the
bird will
pr e s en tly
hop out
squarely into
the open to
look at you.
Thus life's
truest pleas-
ures come
unsought.

The Yel-
low-throats
arrive from
the south
sometime
during the
last week in
April, and thenceforth wherever there are willow-thickets bordering streams,

Franklin County. p,wto by fhe Authof

WHERE YELLOW THROATS PLAY HIDE-AND-SEEK.

THE YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT. 185

or marshy weed-lots, or over-grown fences running through lowland meadows,
there are they. The male spends much time singing, seeking for the purpose
the summit of a weed-stalk or a flowering shrub, or occasionally mounting a
sapling twenty or thirty feet high. Witchity, wichity, wichity, or "I beseech
you, I beseech you, I beseech you" , sounds forth at intervals in sharp anatriptic
notes which pierce the morning chorus for a hundred yards.

Meanwhile the plainly attired but dainty female is weaving a bulky nest
in some weed-clump or grass-tussock hard by. Sometimes it is sunk in the
center of a tussock almost to the level of the ground. At others it is lodged
in the spreading branches of a bush, or else the crowded heads of certain
plants are brought together and made both to support and shelter the tightly-
woven structure. The nest is a model of strength, and notwithstanding its
usual bulkiness, is well moulded and neatly lined within. According to Dr.
Jones the male bird assists somewrhat in the construction of the nest, and
both birds watch over it with jealous care. Two broods are commonly
reared during the season, one in May and another in July. When the nest
is threatened, or indeedlat any time when intruders are about, the birds give
frequent voice to a most peculiar and distinctive note, a sort of Polish conso-
nantal explosion, wzschthub — a sound not unlike that made by a guitar string
when it is struck above the stop.

No. 84.

YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT.

A. O. U. No. 683. Icteria virens (Linn.).

Description. — Adult male: Above dull olive-green; fuscous on exposed
inner webs of wings and tail ; a prominent line above lores and eye, a short malar
stripe, and eye-ring, white ; enclosed space black on lores, less pure behind ; throat,
breast, lining of wings, and upper sides rich gamboge yellow ; lower belly and
crissum abruptly white ; sides washed with brownish ; bill black ; feet plumbeous.
Adult male: Very similar; bill lighter; lores and cheek-patch dusky rather
than black ; black appreciably lighter. Young : Dull olive above ; head markings
of adult faintly indicated; below grayish white, darker on breast, buffier behind.
Length 6.75-7.50 (171.5-190.5) ; wing 3.01 (76.5) ; tail 3.01 (76.5) ; bill .53 (13.5).

Recognition Marks. — Strictly "Sparrow" size, but because of bright color
having nearer the size value of Chewink ; — the largest of the Warblers. Bright
yellow breast with contrasting white below, with size, distinctive.

Nest, placed in thickets, preferably briar, three to five feet from ground, com-
posed outwardly of dried grass-stems and weed-stalks, centrally of layers of dried

i86

THE YELLOW -BREASTED CHAT

leaves, carefully wrapped, and within of fine grasses and horse-hair. Eggs, 3-
5, white, rather openly spotted or minutely speckled with reddish brown. Av. size,
.90 x .70 (22.9X 17.8).

General Range. — Eastern United States to the Plains, breeding north to
Ontario and southern New England ; south in winter to eastern Mexico, Guatemala,
Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.

Range in Ohio. — Abundant in south and central Ohio, decreasing northerly.
In some northern localities rare.

by the Author.

THE HAUXT OF THE CHAT.

IF there is a feathered oddity in America, it is the Yellow-breasted Chat;
and when you listen to his quaint medley of calls, caws, squawks, pipings and
objurgations, you almost feel that the scientists must be as queer as himself
for having placed him among the Warblers. Structurally he does belong to
this family, but his vocal performances are about as far from warbling as
midnight is from midday.

His home is in the thickets along the border of the woods or in the un-
dergrowth of partial clearings. As you approach his haunt, you will hear
a low, querulous "Cook-cook-cook;' suggesting a world of apprehension, as

THE YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT.

187

if he were saying, "There comes a brigand! Now our nests will all be
robbed!" You draw nearer, and presently you are greeted with a loud "Caiv!"
and you look around for a crow. If you persist in going into his home, you
will receive a "tongue-lashing" that will make your ears tingle, and it does
not require a far stretch of the imagination to make you feel that he is
quoting profane history at you. He has an extended vocabulary, especially
of epithets. Unless you are acquainted with his ways, you will think a half
dozen birds are berating you instead of only one.

Taken near Waverly.

THE CHAT'S XHST.

Photo by Rev. W. F. Henninger.

It may be a good while before you see the author of all this jargon,
and you are almost ready to quote Wordsworth's famous lines to a Cuckoo, —

"Shall I call thee bird,
Or but a wandering Voice?"

But presently he creeps slyly to the top of a bush, and you catch the gleam
of his rich yello\v breast, and note his black mask, while he continues his vitu-
perations, his throat bulging out like that of a croaking frog. The first time

1 88

THE HOODED WARBLER.

you hear him you decide that Nature, in a fit of humor, intended him for
a feathered clown ; but when you see him, and observe his serious air, his
intent gaze, and his nervous movements, you conclude that, after all, he is

not in fun, but that with him
'life is real, life is earnest."
He is either whistling to keep
his courage up, or else his agi-
tation is so great that he must
give expression to it.

One of his quaintest per-
formances is to dart out into
the air with a loud cry, hold his
flapping wings far above him,
and let his body and legs dan-
gle loosely while he swings
down again into the tangle-
wood. The nests of the Chats
are bulky affairs, and are built
in the bushes. A few strands
of grapevine were woven into
almost every nest I have ever
found, and I have discovered
scores of them not only in
Ohio, but also in many other
States.

S. KEYSER.

Photo by
Rev. W. P. Henninger.

Pike County.

NOT WORTH SCOLDING ABOUT.

No. 85.

HOODED WARBLER.

A. O. U. No. 684. Wilsonia mitrata (Gmel).

Description.— Adult male : A golden mask, including forehead and cheeks,
superimposed on a black hood, which covers the head and neck all around and
reaches the fore-breast ; back, etc. bright olive-green ; wings and tail fuscous with
olive-green edgings ; the two outer pairs of tail feathers white on the inner webs
tor exposed length; remaining under parts, including lining of wing, bright
yellow, abruptly contrasting with the black of hood; bill and rictal bristles black;
feet pale. Adult female : Black hood much less distinct or wanting.— showing
inly traces of black on nape, etc. ; outlines of golden mask sometimes indistinguish-
able below, partially veiled by olive-green skirtings above; under parts impure
yellow. Immature male : Like adult male, but the black feathers of hood with

18

HOODED WARBLER

Wilxonia mitrata

Life-size

THE HOODED WARBLER.

189

yellow tips. Length 5.00-5.75 (i27.-i46-i) ; wing 2.60 (67.6) ; tail 2.30 (59.9) ;
bill .40 (10.2).

Recognition Marks. — Warbler size; black hood and golden mask of male
yellow forehead and black rictal-bristles of specimens lacking the hood.

Taken near Oberlin. Photo by the Author.

"HERE THE BIRDS SPEND THEIR TIME FLY-CATCHING ALONG THE MIDDLE LEVELS.

190

THE HOODED WARBLER.

Nest, in bushes or saplings from one to five feet up, of bark-strips, leaves,
grass, and trash, more or less interwoven with spiders' silk, and lined with hair or
fiber. Eggs, 4 or 5, white or creamy white, dotted and spotted with reddish
brown or umber, chiefly in wreath about larger end. Av. size, .71 x .51 (18. x 13.).

General Range. — Eastern United States west to the Plains, north and east
to southern Michigan, southern Ontario, western and southeastern New York and
southern New England. Breeds from the Gulf of Mexico northward. In winter
West Indies, eastern Mexico and Central America to Panama.

Range in Ohio. — Rare summer resident, locally restricted.

TAKE a lump
of molten gold
fashioned like a
bird, impress upon
it a hood of steel,
oxidized, as black
as jet, overlay this
in turn with a
half-mask of the
gold, tool out
each shining scale
and shaft and fila-
ment with exqui-
site care, and you
may have the
equal of one of
those ten thou-
sand dollar vases
of encrusted steel
and gold, which
the Spanish are
so clever at mak-
ing, an heirloom
to be handed
down from father
to son. But let
Nature breathe
upon it ; let the
Author of Life
give it motion and
song ; and you
will have a Hood-

Photo by Robt. J. Sim. j -iy 11 ,

A HOODED WARBLER'S NEST. less beautiful that

THE HOODED WARBLER.

you cannot handle it, but infinitely more so in that its beauty takes a thousand
forms, a fresh one for every turn of fancy that may stir an avian breast.

The further charm of comparative rarity is added to this exquisite crea-
tion, so that not a few of us count upon our fingers the occasions upon which
we have been granted a sight of it. To me the bird first came as a voice,
a sweet and pure but altogether puzzling sound, tossed down from a tree-
top on a foggy morning, an hour before dawn. The bird was at an unheard-
of distance from his chosen range, so when the sun dissolved the mist and
disclosed the
singer, sitting
quietly, and
piping in ac-
cents uncon-
strained, it
seemed to us as
tho we had
caught a fairy
overstaying his
time limit.

The Hooded
"Warbler shows
a decided pref-
erence for
clamp woods
where there is
plenty of un-
de r gr o wtlh.
Beech woods
are favorite
places if the
other condi-
tions are suit-
able. Here the
birds spend
their time fly-
catching along
the middle lev-
els, or descend
to search the
brush. The
tail is some-
times carried

Sugar Grorc.

Photo by the Author.

SLEEPING BEAUTIES.

I92

THE HOODED WARBLER.

half -open after
Redstart's well-
known fashion ;
but otherwise
the birds are
much less fussy
than their sal-
m o n - spotted
neighbors.

Like most
Warblers the
Hooded has a
chip note of
alarm which is
distinctive to
practiced ears,
while the male
has a song
which is quite
marked, isu-e,
tsu-e, isu-e, tsu-
wee-tsu. The
notes are ring-
ing and music-
al, but the last
two contain a
sort of vocal
somersault, as
tho the bird
were attacked
by a sudden in-
clination to
sneeze. These
last notes,
therefore,

closely resemble the dainty cachination of the Acadian Flycatcher, and would
undoubtedly be mistaken for those of the latter bird if heard alone. This
is the common song, but some, probably many, variant forms occur. One
bird, which haunted the beech-woods shown in the first illustration, rendered
the typical song, but had also a fashion of bringing in the sneeze early, and
finishing strong in spite of the interruption.

The nests in the illustrations speak for themselves, and it is only neces-

Taken near Sugar Grove. Photo by the Author

WHERE THE "BEAUTIES". TOOK THEIR FIRST LESSON IN NATURE STUDY.

THE WILSON WARBLER. 193

sary to add that they were placed, the one in an oak and the other in an alder
sapling, at a height of about two feet from the ground. In feeding the young
in the Sugar Grove nest the parents would invariably appear upon a certain
bare twig some fifty feet above; here, if observed, the bird would chirp ap-
prehensively for a minute or two, and then without further precaution launch
straight for the nest.

The Hooded Warbler is possibly on the increase. I have seen it twice
at Columbus and twice at Oberlin within three years, but have not suspected
it of nesting at either place. Mr. Robert J. Sim reports it as a regular,
breeder in Ashtabula County, while Rev. W. F. Henninger reports it as rare
in Scioto Conntv in summer.

No. 86.

WILSON WARBLER.

A. O. U. No. 685. Wilsonia pusilla (Wils.).

Synonym. — BLACK-CAPPED WARBLER.

Description. — Adult male : Above bright olive-green ; forehead, sides of
head, and under parts bright greenish yellow, usually tinged or vaguely clouded
with olive ; crown or "cap" lustrous black ; wings and tail fuscous and olive-edged,
without peculiar marks ; bill dark above, light below ; feet light brown. Adult
female : Similar, but the black cap usually wanting, or if present, less distinct.
Immature: Like female, without cap. Length 4.25-5.10 (io8.-i29.5) ; av. of ten
Columbus males : wing 2.20 (55.9) ; tail 1.90 (48.3) ; bill .32 (8.1).

Recognition Marks. — Least, pygmy size ; black cap of male ; recognizable in
any plumage by small size and greenish yellow coloration. Keeps well down in
bushes, weed-patches, and thickets.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. Nest, of grass, leaves and trash, lined
with fine grass or hair, on the ground, often partially concealed by grass or weeds.
Eggs, 4 or 5, white or pinkish white, minutely speckled with reddish brown, some-
times in wreath about larger end. Av. size, .60 x .49 ( 15.2 x 12.6).

General Range. — Eastern North America west to and including the Rocky
Mountains, north to Labrador, Hudson Bay Territory and Alaska. Breeds chiefly
north of the United States, migrating south to eastern Mexico and Central: America.

Range in Ohio. — Fairly common spring and fall migrant. Ranges low in
brush patches or weed thickets.

AMONG the least of Warblers, the pretty little Black-cap is known
throughout the state as a not uncommon but somewhat irregular migrant.

I94 THE CANADIAN WARBLER.

In spring it may be entirely missing, but in the fall it is pretty sure to be found
among the willows or in weed-thickets, keeping company with Nashville
and Tennessee Warblers. At all times it is somewhat confined to under-
growth or rank vegetation, especially that which grows along; the banks of
streams. No bush or briar tangle, however intricate or strange, appears to
present any obstacle to this masterful bush-ranger. A bird dives into a bush
near at hand, and you are ready to take oath as to its near whereabouts, when
lo, it reappears rods away and at the other side of the patch.

Only now and then is a migrant bird found singing, and we cannot be
quite sure that we ever hear the proper song, since the birds go so far north
to breed. One heard repeatedly from the center of a bush clump about three
feet high said, "Chi, chipitititity, chi, chi." "Its song is compared by Minot
to that of the Redstart or Yellow Warbler; while Nuttall writes it 'tsh-tsh-
tshjshea,' and to Goss it sounds like 'zee-see-see-see-e.' " These are all quite
unlike the breeding song of the allied form W. p. chryseola, to which I have
listened repeatedly in Western Washington ; this is a rapidly uttered and eni-
phatescent chip, chip! chip!! chip!!! chip!!!!

No. 87.

CANADIAN WARBLER.

A. O. U. No. 686. Wilsonia canadensis (Linn.).

Synonym. — CANADIAN FLY-CATCHING WARBLER.

Description. — Adult male in spring: Above bluish ash; wings and tail un-
marked ; crown marked with lanceolate black centers of feathers, the ashy
skirtings becoming obsolete on extreme forehead ; loral spot, cut off in front,
connecting with broad cheek-patch, black ; supraloral spot connecting with under
parts, yellow; under parts, except crissum, yellow, with a greenish cast; a broad
loose necklace of black spots on fore breast, and connecting with black of cheeks ;
lower tail-coverts white ; bill black above, light below ; feet light. Adult female
and immature : Like male, but with black subdued ; necklace faintly indicated
by dusky spots ; occasionally an olivaceous tinge on back. Male in autumn :
Richer yellow below ; yellow sometimes tipping spots of necklace. Length 5.00-
5.75 (127. -146.1) ; av. of six Columbus males: wing 2.56 (65.) ; tail 2.09 (53.1) ;
bill .39 (9.9).

Recognition Marks. — Medium Warbler size ; bluish ash of upper parts ;
yellow of under parts ; necklace of black spots across breast ; rictal-bristles.

Nesting. — Not known to breed in Ohio. Nest, of leaves, grass, moss, and
bark-strips, lined with fine rootlets, and placed on ground inside of bank, or under
protection of log, root, or bush-clump. Eggs, 4 or 5, white, spotted and clotted with
rufous brown, chiefly about larger end. Av. size .67 x .51 ( 17. x 13.).

19

AMERICAN REDSTART

Setophaga ruticilla

Life-size

THE AMERICAN REDSTART. 195

General Range. — Eastern North America west to the Plains, and north to
Newfoundland, southern Labrador and Lake Winnipeg. South in winter to
Central America and northern South America. Breeds from the higher parts of
the Alleghanies and the more elevated portions of southern New York and
southern New England northward.

Range in Ohio. — Common spring and early fall migrant.

AMONG the later migrants may usually be seen each season a few of
these exquisite fly-catching Warblers. In their breeding haunts, which lie
far to the north of us, they range low in the bushes and often descend to the
ground, but when traveling they seem to find better company in the tree-tops,
and appear very much at home there. There is something so chaste in the
clear yellow of the throat and chest, spanned tho it is by a dainty necklace of
jet, and something so modest and winsome withal in the bird itself, that some
of us go into reverent ecstacies whenever we see one of them.

The song is only occasionally rendered during the migrations, but seems
to increase in frequency, as we should expect, as the bird proceeds north-
ward. Some have likened it to that of the Yellow Warbler ; but to my ears
it bears a strong generic resemblance to that of the Hooded Warbler. At
any rate it is clear, sprightly and vigorous. Chut, tutooi't, tutooeet is one
rendering, probably less characteristic and complete than Mr. Thompson's
classical interpretation " Rup-it-chee , rup-it-chee, rup-it-chit-it-lit."

The Canadian is among the earliest of the returning \Varblers, having
been seen in the southern part of the state as early as August 24th. At this
season the species is somewhat puzzling, by reason of the frequent absence,
or half suppression, of the characteristic necklace. On the return journey.
also, the birds are much more apt to be found in thickets, or low in well watered
glens.

No. 88.

AMERICAN REDSTART.

A. O. U. No. 687. Setophaga ruticilla (Linn.)

Description. — Adult male: Head and neck all around and breast shining
black ; remaining upper parts dull black with glossy patches, changing to brownish
black or fuscous on wings ; a large salmon-colored patch at base of secondaries ; a
smaller, nearly concealed patch of same color at base of primaries ; the outer
web of the outer primary salmon nearly throughout its length ; the tail
feathers, except the two middle pairs, salmon-colored on both webs for the basal
two-thirds; two large patches of reddish salmon on the sides of the breast; the

I96 THE AMERICAN REDSTART.

lining of the wings and the sides extensively tinged with the same color, occasion-
ally a few touches across the chest below the black; lower breast, belly, and
crissum, white ; bill black ; feet dark brown ; black in variable amounts on sides of
breast between the orange-red spots ; lower tail-coverts sometimes broadly tipped
with blackish. Adult female : Above, brownish ash with an ochraceous or olive
tinge on back; salmon parts of male replaced by yellow (Naples yellow), and the
reddish salmon of sides by chrome yellow ; remaining under parts dull whitish,
sometimes buffy across chest. Immature male : Similar to adult female, but
duller the first year; the second year mottled with black; does not attain full
plumage until third season. Length 5.00-5.75 (i27.-i46.i) ; av. of five Columbus
males: wing 2.59 (65.8) ; tail 2.17 (55.1) ; bill .36 (9.1).

Recognition Marks. — Medium Warbler size ; black with salmon-red and
salmon patches of male; similar pattern and duller colors of female and young;
tail usually half open and prominently displayed, whether in sport or in or-
dinary flight.

Nest, in the fork of a sapling from five to fifteen feet up, of hemp and other
vegetable fibers, fine bark, and grasses, lined with fine grasses, plant-down and
horse-hair. Eggs, 4 or 5, greenish, bluish, or grayish-white, dotted and spotted,
chiefly about larger end, with cinnamon-rufous or olive-brown. Av. size, .68 x .51
(i7-3"x 13-)-

General Range. — North America north to Fort Simpson, west regularly to
the Great Basin and casually to the Pacific Coast States, breeding from the middle
portion of the United States northward. In winter, the West Indies, southern
Mexico, Central America, and northern South America.

Range in Ohio. — Abundant summer resident throughout the state, more
common during migrations.

THE "start" of Redstart is from the old Anglo-Saxon steort, a tail;
hence, Redstart means Redtail; but the name would hardly have been ap-
plied to the American bird had it not been for a chance resemblance which it
bears to the structurally different Redstart of Europe, Ruticilla phoenicurus.
In our bird the red of the tail is not so noticeable as is the tail itself, which
is handled very much as a coquette handles a fan, being opened or shut, or
shaken haughtily, to express the owner's varied emotions.

The Redstart is the presiding genius of woodland and grove. He is a
bit of a tyrant among the birds, and among his own kind is exceedingly sen-
sitive upon the subject of metes and bounds. As for the insect world he
rules it with a rod of iron. See him as he moves about through a file of
slender poplars. He flits restlessly from branch to branch, now peering up
at the under surface of a leaf, now darting into the air to secure a heedless
midge, and closing upon it with an emphatic snap, now spreading the tail
in pardonable vanity or from sheer exuberance of spirits ; but ever and anon
pausing just long enough to squeeze out a half-scolding song. The paler-
colored female, contrary to the usual wont, is not less active nor less notice-
able than the male, except as she is restrained for a season by the duties of

THE AMERICAN REDSTART.

197

incubation. She is even believed to sing a little on her own account, not
because her mate does not sing enough for two, but because she — well, for
the same reason that a woman whistles, — and good luck to her!

During the mating season great rivalries spring up, and males will chase
each other about in most bewildering mazes, like a pair of great fire-flies,
and with no better weapons — fighting fire with fire. When the nesting site
is chosen the male is very jealous of intruders, and bustles up in a threatening
fashion, which quite overawes most birds of guileless intent.

Redstart's song is sometimes little better than an emphatescent squeak.
At other times his emotion fades after the utterance of two or three notes,

f>

Taken near
Danville

Photo by

J. B. Parker.

A FAIRY BONBON.

and the last one dies out. A more pretentious effort is represented by Mr.
Chapman as "ching, ching, chee; ser-wee, swee, swee-e-e-e." Because of the
bird's abundance many variations are noted, and, indeed, the Redstart's song
is often quite puzzling, especially if it proceeds from a colorless young strip-
ling of one summer.

One knows exactly where to look for the Redstart's nest, but for all that
it is not easy to see a "knot" in the fork of a young sapling, matched to a
nicety with the surrounding bark, and oftenest hidden by a leaf or two— not
many, but just enough. The fabric is a model of daintiness and close weav-
ing. Strips of the inner bark of common milkweed or shredded grape-vine

IQ8

THE HORNED LARK.

bark form the bulk of the nest. The structure does not often embrace the
sustaining brances, but the ends of its component strips are made fast to the
rough bark of the sapling; besides this, frequent guy ropes and stays of gos-
samer are thrown out. A snug lining of roller grass and horse-hair completes
the home, which measures commonly one and seven-eighths inches across
and one and a half deep, inside. Two broods are sometimes raised in a
season.

No. 89.

HORNED LARK.

\

A. O. U. No. 474. Otocoris alpestris (Linn.).

Synonym. — SHORE: LARK. (This name is perpetuated solely through an
accident of discovery, the type specimen having been described by Catesby
from "the Seashore of Carolina.").

Description. — Adult male in breeding plumage : Upper parts warm brown
or fuscous, clearest on wings and tail, feathers everywhere heavily edged with
rufous ; middle of crown, occiput, nape, sides of neck, bend of wing, and upper
tail-coverts, pinkish cinnamon ; fore-crown, cheeks and jugular crescentic patch
black ; forehead, superciliary stripe, auriculars and throat primrose yellow ;
belly and crissum white ; sides and flanks brownish. Adult female : Similar to
male, but duller and paler, the black especially being obscured by brownish or
buffy tips. Winter plumage of both sexes distinguished by somewhat heavier
and more uniform coloring, save on black areas, which are overcast by buffy
tips; fore breast dusky or obscurely spotted. Length about 7.75 (196.9) ; av. of
four Columbus males: wing 4.26 (108.2) ; tail 2.87 (72.9) ; bill .48 (12.2) ; tarsus
.84 (21.3).

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow to Chewink size ; black throat and head
patches ; feather tufts or "horns" directed backward. To be distinguished from
O. a. praticola by its larger size, and from O. a hoyti by the fact that both throat
and superciliary line are yellow.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. Nest, a cup-shaped depression in the
surface of the ground, plentifully lined with fine grasses, moss, grouse feathers,
etc. Eggs, 3 or 4, greenish- or grayish-white, profusely and minutely dotted
with olive-buff, greenish brown and lavender. A typical set from Labrador, as
described by Major Benclire, measures .96 x .66 (24.9 x 16.8) ; .95 x .68 (24.1
x 17.3) ; .87 x .64 (22.1 x 16.3).

General Range. — Northeastern British America west to Hudson Bay and
south to Newfoundland, Labrador, etc. ; accidental in Greenland ; in winter west
to Manitoba and south to Illinois, Ohio, the Carolinas, etc.

Range in Ohio. — Common winter resident, especially in the northern part.
Moves about in flocks in conjunction with O. a. hoyti and 0. a. praticola.

r

HORNED LARK

Otocuris alpestris

4 s Life-size

THE HORNED LARK.

199

THE Horned Lark bears the reputation of being the most plastic of
American species — the Song Sparrow (Melospiza cinerea) alone competing
with it in this respect. A recent monograph by Mr. Harry C. Oberholser1
enumerates twenty-two forms, of which sixteen are described as North
American, and five Mexican, beside one from Colombia and another (O. a.
flava) from Eurasia. Of this number the majority occur west of the Miss-
issippi River, where climatic conditions are more sharply differentiated, and
where, especially in the southwest, the situation admits of that permanent
residence which is almost essential to the marked development of subspecific
forms. Doubtless other forms will be elaborated, and perhaps some of the
distinctions here pointed out will prove inconstant, and the names proposed

Taken in Colorado.

Photo by E. R. Warren

HORNED LARK— MALE*

untenable; but the fact remains that Mr. Oberholser has done a splendid
piece of work, and one which serves to renew the fascination of the old prob-
lem of the influence of environment upon the origin of species.

There is much to be done in Ohio in accurately determining the mutual
relations and the distribution of the three forms which occur here in winter.
The problem is complicated by the large number of intermediate forms which
are to be found. Indeed it is scarcely too much to say that no two Horned
Larks look exactly alike. Typical specimens of each subspecies may be found
during any season, but the majority of all birds taken will prove to be puz-
zling intergrades. The reason for this I conjecture to be as follows: Oto-
coris alpestris (or more properly, O. alpestris alpestris) attains its maximum

1 A Review of the Larks of the Genus Otocoris (Proceedings of U. S. Nat'l Museum, Vol XXIV.

2 This series of pictures taken by Mr. Warren in midwinter at Colorado Springs and represents
O. a. leucolaema (Coues) or, possibly, O. a. hoyti Bishop. In either case the differences between them
and our local species are too slight to be noticeable in a black and white reproduction.

THE HORNED LARK.

development in the region east of Hudson Bay ; O. a. hoyti in the region west ;
while 0. a. praticola, normally centering in the northern prairie states border-
ing the Mississippi River, is rapidly extending its range to include the region
north of the Great Lakes (as well as pushing east to the Atlantic Coast).
It is evident, therefore, that the area south of Hudson Bay and north of Ohio

HORNED LARK-FEMALE.

Photo by B. R. W<

affords a meeting ground for the three forms. It is the summer population
of this extensive debatable ground which invades Ohio in winter, and floods
us with intergrades. It is noteworthy in this connection that the Ohio breed-
ing birds, typical O. a. praticola, so far as known, are largely lost to sight
during the winter inundation from the north ; and the question arises whether
they do not retire southward as a whole or in part during the winter season.

THE HOYT HORNED LARK.

201

No. 90.

HOYT HORNED LARK.

A. O. U. No. 474k. Otocoris alpestris hoyti Bishop.

Description. — Similar to O. alpestris, but the yellow of throat paler or re-
stricted to central stripe ; the eyebrow white or, rarely, slightly yellowish. Seasonal
and sexual changes like preceding.

This seems to be a well marked subspecies. I have examined specimens from
Columbus, Wauseon, Oberlin, etc., all clearly referable to this type.

This is the bird of the northern interior of British America. Its winter range
overlaps that of O. alpestris, tho lying mostly to the westward. Large winter
flocks often contain both forms in about equal proportions.

Average measurements of 15 males: wing 4.37 (ni.i); tail 2.77 (70.5);
exposed culmen .45 (11.4) ; tarsus .88 (22.3) ; middle toe .49 (12.5) (Oberholser).

Taken in Colorado.

Photo by B. R. Warren.

SIZING UP THE CAMERA.

202

THE PRAIRIE HORNED LARK.

No. 91.
PRAIRIE HORNED LARK.

A. O. U. No. 474b. Otocoris alpestris praticola Hensh.

Description. — Similar to preceding forms, but smaller and not so brightly
colored; the forehead and line over eye dull white, the yellow of throat pale or
wanting. Adult male, length about 7.25 (184.2) ; "wing 4.13 (104.9) ; tail 2.99
(75.9)." Adult female, "length 6.75-6.85 (171.5-174.); wing, average, 3.84
(97.5) ; tail 2.73 (71.9)" (Ridgway).

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size ; terrestrial ; conspicuous black or black-
ish markings about head. Black crown patch produced into feather-tufts or
"horns" pointing backward. Forehead and line over eye whitish, never yellow.

Nest, on the ground, a deep, cup-shaped depression plentifully lined with
grass. Depth, 1.85 ; width, 2.12. Eggs, 3 or 4, pale greenish or bluish white to dull
olive, heavy and evenly speckled with grayish or greenish brown. Av. size
.82 x .62 (20.8 x 15.8).

General Range. — Upper Mississippi Valley and the region of the Great Lakes
to New England, breeding eastward to western Massachusetts and even Maine ;
south in winter to Carolina, Texas, etc.

Range in Ohio. — Common in northern portion at all seasons; breeds sparingly
southward at least as far as Columbus. Evidently increasing in numbers and
distribution.

BEFORE the eyes have been opened to his singular beauties and charms
the Prairie Horned Lark is apt to rank among the unthinking along with
the "brown birds'' of roadside and field. He is a modest bird in some re-
spects, it is true. \Yatch him as he indulges in a dust bath in a warm country
road, or as he is surprised from his gleaning in late autumn. He will run
ahead with a plaintive cry as tho begging not to be disturbed or driven
from his treat. If your business is urgent and you must follow the road,
he finally leaves you with a louder cry of protest, either to fly to pastures
new, or, as is more likely, to circle around and fall in behind you at the old
spot. He is emphatically a bird of the open. He scorns trees and will not
trust himself to anything whose connection with the ground is less obvious
than that of a fence-post or, perchance, a fence rail. When he is on the
ground he walks or scampers, but does not hop like the Sparrow.

Two phases of this bird's life stand out most prominently to view, the
winter flocking, and the early nesting. As winter approaches, these birds
renounce allegiance to local ties and form roving bands, which flit from field
to field or county to county, or else catch the fever of their more impetuous
cousins from the North and join forces with them for a brief southern flight.

THE PRAIRIE HORNED LARK.

203

Perhaps the birds from northern Ohio are reinforced from Ontario and be-
yond. Those in central Ohio are augmented very considerably by northern
visitors of both species.

A "feeding lot," or field where fodder is daily dealt out to the stock,
is a typical resort for a winter troop of Horned Larks. Here they gather
by dozens and scores, and sometimes to the number of two or three hundred,
and feed upon the weed seed which the cattle have threshed out with their
hooves, or upon the undigested matter of droppings. If the observer moves
toward a flock in the open field the birds may skulk and steal away in every
direction, or else, having taken plaintive counsel, take suddenly to wing and
fly off in a great straggling company.

Taken in Colorado.

Photo by E. R. Warren.

A WINTER TROOP OF HORNED LARKS.

Once, during the winter of 1901-02, by the aid of a friendly rail fence
and a convenient tree, I crept upon and studied closely a flock of two hun-
dred Horned Larks (alpestris, a. hoyti and a. praticola). They were glean-
ing industriously near the edge of a large feeding lot a mile or so west of
town. The mercury stood at zero, and the birds had need of industry to
keep up the inner fires. Twice during my watch the entire flock was seized
with a sense of instant danger and rose as one bird. After circling about
once or twice they settled again, apparently reassured. I could not believe
that I was the cause of offense, since they had already become somewhat ac-

2O4

THE PRAIRIE HORNED LARK.

customed to my presence, and I showed myself freely both before and after
without causing alarm. Indeed, when I retired from the scene I passed right
through their ranks and the birds simply melted away before me and quietly
resumed their feeding at one side without any general disturbance. How
then account for this sudden flight impulse? Some would suggest an un-
heard command from a sentinel. Such officials possibly exist, but their
services are irregular and inconspicuous. On the whole I am inclined to
give considerable weight to the suggestion of Dr. Thomson Jay Hudson that
animals and birds in flock are moved by telepathic influences, emanating,
as may chance, from one or another of their number. In this case, certainly,

'DEVOTES HIMSELF

TO SOME MAKE-BELIEVE-RELUCTANT LADY.'

the psychical explanation of the well known phenomenon appears plausible
and attractive. The unreasoning apprehensiveness of a single individual-
it might have been frightened at the shape of a cornstalk, or anything as
trivial — was instantly communicated to the whole flock, and put them into
sudden panic.

With the first signs of returning spring the Prairie Horned Lark ab-
jures the madding crowd and devotes himself to the task of proving his
superior merits and attractions to some make-believe-reluctant ladv. The

THE PRAIRIE HORNED LARK.

205

Labrador birds, it may be, are still flocking; Bluebird has not brought the
official tidings of spring from the Southland; but only let the February sun
shine a little while and "Prairie's" brave courting song is heard from on high.
When the frost is out of the ground, altho there may still be ample
danger of snows, the sturdy pair sink a deep, cup-shaped depression in the
moist earth and line it plentifully with dried grasses, last year's thistle down,
and such. In this latitude the eggs are laid in March or early April, three
or four in number, heavily and oftenest minutely, dotted with dull olive or
greenish brown, but sometimes bearing spots as large as those of Shrikes'
eggs. The favorite way to locate Horned Larks' nests in season is to post
one's self at the edge of a field and watch the female skulk to her nest. I

Photo by the Author.
"AT THE SACRED HOUR OF SUNSET."

have followed a bird with my glasses half way across a forty acre field until
she was so far away that I could judge of her whereabouts only by the fact
that movement had apparently ceased. As I walked straight toward the nest
the bird would flush at forty or fifty yards.

A first brood is raised in April and a second in June or July. Accord-
ing to Prof. Lynds Jones three broods are raised in Iowa, one early in April,
another early in June, and a third in late July, or August.

But the chief interest of nesting time centers in the song flight of the
male. The song itself is perhaps nothing remarkable, a little ditty or suc-
cession of sprightly syllables which have no considerable resonance or mod-
ulation, altho they quite defy vocalization; yet such are the circumstances
attending its delivery that it is set down by every one as "pleasing," while

206 THE PRAIRIE HORNED LARK.

for the initiated is possesses a charm which is quite unique. Tividgc-widge,
widgity, widgy-widge, conveys no idea of the tone-quality, indeed, but may
serve to indicate the proportion and tempo of the common song ; while Twidge,
ividgity, eelooy, eelooy, idgity, eelooy, eeiv, may serve the same purpose for
the rare ecstasy song. The bird sometimes sings from a fence post, or even
from a hummock on the ground, but usually the impulse of song takes him
up into the free air. Here at almost any hour of the day he may be seen
poising at various heights, like a miniature hawk, and sending down tender
words of greeting and cheer to the little wife who broods below.

It is, however, at the sacred hour of sunset that the soul of the heavenly
singer takes wing for its ethereal abode. The sun is just sinking; the faithful
spouse has settled herself to her gentle task for the night ; and the bird-man
has lain down in the shadow of the fence to gaze at the sky. The bird gives
himself to the buoyant influences of the trembling air and mounts aloft by
easy gradations. As he rises he swings round in a wide, loose circle, singing
softly the while. At the end of every little height he pauses and hovers and
sends down the full voiced song. Up and up he goes, the song becoming
tenderer, sweeter, more refined and subtly suggestive of all a bird may seek in
the lofty blue. As he fades from the unaided sight I train my glasses on
him and still witness the heavenward spirals. I lower the glasses. Ah! I
have lost him now! Still there float down to us, the enraptured wife and
me, those most ethereal strains, sublimated past all taint of earth, beatific,
elysian. Ah! surely, we have lost him! He has gone to join the angels.
"Chirriquita, on the nest, we have lost him." "Never fear," she answers;
''Hark !" Stronger grows the dainty music once again. Stronger ! Stronger !
Dropping out of the boundless darkening blue, still by easy flights, a song for
every step of Jacob's ladder, our messenger is coming down. But the ladder
does not rest on earth. When about two hundred feet high the singer sud-
denly folds his wings and drops like a plummet to the ground. Within the
last dozen feet he checks himself and lights gracefully near his nest. The bird-
man steals softly away to dream of love and God, and to waken on the mor-
row of earth, refreshed.

It is most gratifying to note that the Horned Larks of our state are in-
creasing. Perhaps some of the apparent increase is due to the fact of better
acquaintance and closer methods of observation ; but more is doubtless due to
the continued denudation of timber and the consequent restoration of land to
the prairie conditions suitable for this plains-loving bird. It is suggestive, in
view of this suspected increase, that Nuttall, writing in 1832, said of this
whole group (O. alpestris and subspecies not yet elaborated), "As yet the
nest of this wandering species is unknown, and must probably be sought for

THE AMERICAN PIPIT. 207

only in the coldest and most desolate of regions." Wheaton, writing from
Columbus as late as 1882, knows nothing of the breeding of this bird in Ohio.
He says, merely, "The Shore Lark breeds from New York and Wisconsin
northward * * During the breeding season the male is said to have a
short but pleasing song."

No. 92.

AMERICAN PIPIT.

A. O. U. No. 697. Anthus pensilvanicus (Lath.).

Synonyms. — AMERICAN TITLARK; BROWN LARK.

Description. — Adult in spring: Above soft and dark grayish brown witl<
an olive shade; feathers of crown and back with darker centers; wings and tail
dusky with paler edging, the pale tips of coverts forming two indistinct bars ;
outer pair of tail-feathers extensively white ; next pair white-tipped ; superciliary
line, eye-ring and under parts light grayish brown or buffy, the latter streaked
with dusky except on middle of throat and lower belly, — heavily on sides of
throat and across breast, narrowly on lower breast and sides. Winter plumage :
Above, browner ; below, duller buffy ; more broadly streaked on breast. Length
6.00-7.00 (152.4-177.8); wing 3.37 (85.6); tail 2.53 (64.3); bill .46 (11.7).

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size ; brown above ; buffy or brownish with
dusky spots below ; best known by tlip-yip notes repeated when rising from ground
or flying overhead.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. Nest, on the ground, loosely constructed
of grasses and moss. Eggs, 4-6, so heavily speckled and spotted with reddish
or dark brown as almost entirely to obscure the whitish ground color. Often,
except upon close examination, the effect is of a uniform chocolate-colored egg.
Av. size, .77 x .57 (19.6 x 14.5).

General Range. — North America at large, breeding in the higher parts of
the Rocky and Cascade Mountains and in sub-Arctic regions; wintering in the
Gulf States, Mexico, and Central America. Accidental in Europe.

Range in Ohio. — Common during migrations. The spring movement is
more rapid, and so less frequently observed than that of the fall.

THE American Pipit does not sustain the habitual dignity of the boreal
breed. He is no clown, indeed, like our Titmouse, nor does he quite belong

20g THE AMERICAN PIPIT.

to the awkward squad with young Cowbirds. A trim form and a natty suit
often save him from well merited derision, but all close observers will agree
that there is a screw loose in his make-up somewhere. The whole Pipit race
seems to be struggling under a strange inhibitory spell, cast upon some an-
cestor, perhaps, by one knows not what art of nodding heather bells or po-
tency of subtly distilled Arctic moonshine. As the flock comes straggling
down from the northland they utter unceasing yips of mild astonishment and
self-reproach at their apparent inability to decide \vhat to do next. Their in-
decision is especially exasperating as one rides along a trail which is closely
flanked by a primitive rail fence, as I have often done in northern Washing-
ton. One starts up ahead of you and thinks he will settle on the top rail and
watch you go by. As his feet near the rail he decides he won't, after all, but
that he will go a few feet farther before alighting. If he actually does alight
he instantly tumbles off with a startled yip, as tho the rail were hot and he
had burnt his toes. Then he tries a post with no better success, until you get
disgusted with such silly vacillation and inane yipping, and clap spurs to your
horse, resolved to escape the annoyance of having to follo\v such dubious
fortunes.

In social flight the Pipits straggle out far apart, so as to allow plenty of
room for their chronic St. Vitus's dance to jerk them hither or thither or up
or down, without clashing with their fellows. Only a small percentage of
those which annually traverse our state fly low enough to be readilv seen ;
but when they do they are jolting along over the landscape and complaining
at every other step. The note is best rendered tlip-yip, less accurately pip-it
(whence of course the name) ; and a showier of these petulant sounds comes
spattering down out of the sky when the birds themselves are nearly or quite
invisible.

The birds rarely appear singly, but move commonly in loose companies
of from ten to a hundred individuals. The fall movement is quite leisurely,
and not infrequently snow flies before the last stragglers are safely past. At
this time of year they are to be found, if at all, in close-cropped pastures, fal-
low fields, or upon the gravelly shores of rivers and ponds. In spring the
return movement is much more definite and concentrated. The main body
of migrants passes through about the second week in May, altho stragglers
in winter plumage occur casually in March and April. The bird is reported
by Ridgway as an occasional winter resident in southern Illinois, and it could
probably be found at that season in the southern part of this state.

Spring flocks may be looked for in freshly plowed fields, where they feed
attentively and often silently, moving about with "graceful gliding walk,
tilting the body and wagging the tail at each step, much in the manner of a
Sciiirns."

THE WOOD THRUSH.

209

No. 93.

WOOD THRUSH.

A. O. U. No. 755. Hylocichla mustelina (Gmel.).

Description. — Adult: Above, bright cinnamon-brown, brightest on head
and nape, shading insensibly into light olive-brown on rump, wings, and tail;
wing-quills fuscous on inner webs ; below, white, a buffy tinge on breast meeting
bright cinnamon on sides of neck, — marked, except on upper throat, belly, and
crissum, with large, roundish, or wedge-shaped, blackish spots; lores and eye-
ring whitish, not clearly defined; auriculars sharply streaked with white and

Taken nea
Circleville.

by
the Author.

•THE BROODING FEMALE is UNUSUALLY DEVOTED TO HER EGGS."

dark broxvn ; bill dark at base, lightening toward tip en culmen ; lower mandible
and feet yellowish brown. Length 7.50-8.50 (190.5-215.9) ; wing 4.30 (109.2) ;
tail 3.10 (78.7) : bill .66 (16.8).

210

THE WOOD THRUSH.

Recognition Marks. — Chewink size ; the largest of the genus ; above cin-
namon-brown in front, olive-brown behind ; below heavily spotted.

Nest, of twigs, weed-stalks, leaves, and trash, with a matrix, or inner wall,
of mud, carefully lined with rootlets ; usually saddled upon semi-horizontal branch
of sapling, five to fifteen feet up. Eggs, 3-5, uniform greenish blue, about

Circlerille phofl

IHE DEPTHS OF THE FOREST CLAIM HIM."

THE WOOD THRUSH.

211

the color of Robin's, or perhaps averaging a shade lighter. Av. size, 1.04 x .76
(26.4 x 19.3).

General Range.— Eastern United States to the Plains, north to southern
Michigan, Ontario, and Massachusetts; south in winter to Guatemala and Cuba.
Breeds from Virginia, Kentucky and Kansas northward.

Range in Ohio. — Common summer resident.

/,>.
"*•- ' //

\ ,;v08

>;?- '
- ;• ;

•''>''

ss

t^.:im'?l<

L»^^

Photo by E. B. Williamson.

NEST AND EGGS OF THE WOOD THRUSH.

ALTHO all of our Thrushes are retiring in disposition, the Wood
Thrush, perhaps because of his larger size, is the least so. The depths of the
forest, indeed, claim him, but so too do the shaded lawns of village streets
and city parks. In his woodland home this Thrush does not flee as tho a price

212

THE WOOD THRUSH.

had been set upon his head, but often comes forward — not too close — with a
pit of inquiry and greeting.

The Wood Thrush spends considerable time on the ground looking for
beetles and worms, but he is ready at a moment's notice to flutter up on a
log or low branch, and stand there surveying
you, flirting, or twinkling, the wings occa-
sionally to indicate his perfect readiness for
further retreat, or else ruffling and shaking
his feathers as tho to shake off the memory
of the mold. A false step now and he may
disappear irrevocably down some forest isle :
a quiet glance of admiration serves to reas-
sure him, and he may resume his feeding.

There is an air of gentleness and good
breeding about the bird, which goes a long
way to disarm a wanton enemy, and one stu-
diously hostile there could not be. Brighter
than the other Thrushes in color, and marked
unmistakably with heavy spots upon breast
and sides, the Wood Thrush is further dis-
tinguished in a gifted family by its wonder-
ful voice. The chanting of the Wood Thrush
is one of the choice things in bird music. In
the freshness of the undried morning: the Takei

Photo by the Author.

bird mounts a low limb and takes up a part ONE TYPE OF NEST.

in the grand anthem of nature, whose com-- THIS NEST APPEARS NEAR THE CENTER CF
Hementary voices may be lost to any ear less

fine than his. The bird listens to the retreating foot-steps of the morning stars,
and sings, "Far away — far away." Zephyr stirs the unfolding leaves with
his boyish alto and our matchless tenor responds, "Come to me — Here in glee
—bide a wee." in cadences of surpassing sweetness. Altho the singer's voice
is rich and strong, so that he may be heard at times for half a mile, there are
at the same time grace notes and finer passages which only a near-by listener
can catch. The notes, I am told by musical critics, are, of all bird notes, the
most nearly reducible to ordinary musical notation ; but the peculiar timbre of
the bird's voice, the rich vibrant quality of the tones, is of course inimitable.
Their utterance at morning and evening is something more than a clexer musi-
cal performance ; it is worship.

THE WOOD THRUSH.

213

The typical situation for a nest
is upon an overarching sapling, as
shown in the nearest illustration.
To secure a romantic site stability
is sometimes sacrificed, and the nest,
loosely saddled upon a narrow
branch, may be toppled over by the
wind or by a careless hand. At other
times the nest is securely lodged
upon the forks of a horizontal limb
or upright sapling, and may prove
very durable.

Upon a foundation of dry
leaves are laid grass, fibres, and
weed-stems; these are held in place
by a matrix of mud or rotton wood,
and the nest lined with rootlets or
dead leaves. The mud-working
must be disagreeable business for
such dainty birds. I once came
upon a mother mason at her task.
Her bill and breast were all be-
daubed with mud, and she cut such
a sorry figure that she fled precipi-
tately upon my approach and would
not come back again.

According to Dr. Jones the same nest is occupied during successive sea-
sons, especially if securely placed. Repairs are made each year, and consist
either of a new matrix and lining or of the latter alone. He has one in his
collection which shows four distinct yearly additions.

The brooding female is unusually devoted to her eggs, and altho in mani-
fest terror of the "infernal machine" thrust up close to her nest, bravely returns
to her charge again and again.

Taken near Circle-dlle. Photo by the Author.

A TYPICAL NESTING SITE.

2I4 THE WILSON THRUSH.

No. 94.
WILSON THRUSH.

A. O. U. No. 756. Hylocichla fuscescens (Steph.).

Synonym. — VEERY.

Description. — Adult: Above, light cinnamon-brown or bister, uniform;
wing-quills shading to brownish fuscous on inner webs ; below white, the throat,
except in the upper middle, and the breast, tinged with cream-buff, and spotted
narrowly and sparingly with wedge-shaped marks of the color of the back ; sides
and flanks more or less tinged with brownish gray; sides of head buffy-tinged,
with mixed brown, save on whitish lores ; bill dark above, light below ; feet light
brown. Adult male, length 7.25-7.75 (184.2-196.9); wing 4.00 (101.6); tail
2.87 (72.9) ; bill .53 (13.5). Female averaging smaller.

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow to Chewink size ; light cinnamon brown
above; breast buffy, lightly spotted.

Nest, of leaves, bark-strips, weed-stems, and trash, lined with rootlets ; on
or near the ground. Bggs, 3-5, plain greenish blue, not unlike the Robin's.
Av. size, .88 x .64 (22.4 x 16.3).

General Range. — Eastern United States to the Plains, north to Manitoba,
Ontario, and Newfoundland. Breeds from northern New Jersey and the north-
ern part of the Lake States northward ; winters sparingly in Florida, but chiefly
south of the United States.

Range in Ohio. — Common migrant. Not uncommon summer resident in
northern Ohio ; less common and locally restricted throughout the state.

THOSE of this species which pass farther north to breed, and which
constitute by far the greater majority, may sometimes be seen in village
orchards and in rather open situations, but the chosen home is in deep, dank
forests and in low-lying, swampy tangles. Here the enthusiastic bird stu-
dent may catch a sufficient glimpse of a flitting shade to believe that the tail
seen does not contrast in color with the back, and that the bird must there-
fore be, by elimination, the Wilson rather than the Hermit Thrush. For the
rest the bird is known only as a voice, an elusive voice, a weird and wonder-
ful voice. The name "Veery,'' by which the bird is known in New Eng-
land, is evidently an imitation of one of its rolling notes. Its scolding or
iriterrogatory cry consists of a single one of these notes, Ve-ery or ve-er-u,
but its song consists of a series of six or seven of these syllables rolled out
with a rich and inimitable brogue. The notes vibrate and resound, and fill the
air so full of music that one is led to suspect the multiple character of each.
The bird is really striking chords, and the sounding strings still vibrate
when the next is struck. There is, moreover, in the whole performance a
musical crescendo coupled with a successive lowering of pitch, which is sim-
ply ravishing in its sense of mystery and power.

THE GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH. 215

Altho reported commonly in the northern portion in summer, I have
no positive information of a nest's having been found in Ohio. In fact this
species is one of the inexcusably neglected birds of the state.

No. 95.

GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH.

A. O. U. No. 757. Hylocichla aliciae (Baird).

Synonym. — AucE's THRUSH.

Description. — Adult : Above, uniform dull olive-brown ; below, white, on
the breast and sides of throat tinged with pinkish buff, and further marked by
broad, sector-shaped spots of blackish ; the sides and sometimes lower breast
washed with dusky gray ; lores and region about angle of commissure distinctly
gray ; remaining space on side of head gray, mingled with olive-brown. Bill
dark brown, somewhat lighter below; feet brown. Length 7.00-8.00 (177.8-
203.2) ; av. of six Columbus specimens; wing 4.05 (102.9) '•> tail 2.56 (65.) ; bill
.50 (12.7).

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow to Chewink size ; pallid cheeks afford only
positive diagnostic mark; darker above and more heavily marked on breast than
H. fuscesccns.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. Nest, of bark-strips, leaves, grasses,
etc., lined with fine grasses; on branches of low trees or on bushes, two to eight
feet from ground. Eggs, 4, greenish blue, faintly spotted with reddish or yel-
lowish brown. Av. size, .91 x .70 (23.1 x 17.8).

General Range. — Eastern North America west to the Plains, Alaska and
northern Siberia ; north to the Arctic Coast ; south in winter to Costa Rica. Breeds
chiefly north of the United States.

Range in Ohio. — Not very common spring and fall migrant.

ALL Thrushes look alike to the layman, and it is not perhaps to be
wondered at that this species, altho by no means rare, is not known to above
a dozen observers in the state. Alice's Thrush has the same modest ways
and semi-terrestrial habits which characterize the other members of the
genus, and while with us does little to distinguish itself from them. Like
the others it has a fashion of slipping along quietly through the under-
growth, and may not be observed until driven, all unconsciously perhaps,
to its last ditch, whereupon it flutters up into view on a post of the boundary
fence, or hurtles back wildly over the observer's head. It is, perhaps, a little
more deliberate in movement than the Olive-backed Thrush, with which it
is most likelv to be confounded.

2l6 THE OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH.

During the migrations the bird is seldom heard to utter a sound. Its
scolding note is described as being midway between the interrogatory whistle
of the Olive-backed and the ill-mannered snarl of the Wilson. Its song, too,
requires careful distinction from the former, and hence from both.

The breeding habits of the Alice Thrush are as yet imperfectly known,
especially in its British American range. Mr. Bradford Torrey first sus-
pected its presence in New England during the breeding season, on the strength
of a song heard in the White Mountains, and shortly afterward Mr. William
Brewster confirmed the record by securing nests in the same locality.

No. 96.

OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH.

A. O. U. No. 758a. Hylocichla ustulata swainsonii (Cab.).

Description. — Adult: Above, olive, or olive-brown, substantially uniform, —
a little brighter than in preceding species; below, white; throat (only slightly in
center), breast, and sides of head strongly suffused with creamy or ochraceous-
buff, unmistakable on lores and eye-ring; cheeks and throat spotted narrowly
and breast broadly with dusky olivaceous ; sides and flanks lightly washed with
brownish gray, sometimes appearing in broad, sector-shaped marks on sides and
across breast below the buffy area. Bill brown, lighter at base of lower man-
dible; feet light brown. Length 6.50-7.50 (165.1-190.5) ; wing 3.81 (96.8) ; tail
2.49 (63.2) ; bill .50 (12.7).

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size; uniform olive-brown above; heavy
spotting and buffy wash on breast; sides of head and eye-ring buffy.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. Nest, of bark-strips and grasses with a
heavy inner mat of leaves, sometimes largely composed of, or covered externally
with, moss, lined with rootlets and fine grasses ; placed at moderate heights in
bushes or saplings of thickets. Eggs, 3-5, pale greenish olive, with not very
distinct spots and blotches of reddish and yellowish brown. Av. size, .91 x .65
(23.1 x 16.5).

General Range. — Eastern United States westward to the Upper Columbia
River, and casually to the north Pacific Coast. Southward in winter to Cuba,
Central America, and western South America ; casual in Bermuda. Breeds in
the mountainous regions of the Eastern States northerly, and generally north
of the United States.

Range in Ohio. — A common but very unobtrusive migrant.

ALTHO not less habitually a bird of the undergrowth and thicket?
than its congeners, when at home in its northern haunts, the Olive-backed
Thrush has a curious custom during migrations of remaining aloft in the

OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH

llulocichla ustulata swainsonii

% Life-size

THE HERMIT THRUSH. 217

tree-tops and spending the days in company with the Warblers. Some-
times in searching the top of an elm tree with my glasses for possible Paru-
las and certain Black-throated Greens, I have noted a half dozen of these
Thrushes, moving about quietly at that height and evidently finding an
abundance of insect food about the new-flung tassels of clustering flowers.
Here too are to be heard subdued songs, which, because of their very moder-
ation, serve to transport the fortunate hearer into regions of utter rest.

When it does resort to the ground, the Olive-backed Thrush can be pro-
vokingly elusive; and no one of the servants of this wayside inn, Ohio, may
claim really to know this fleeting guest. The full-voiced song is often ren-
dered in dense thickets and swampy woods, especially in the northern part
of the state. It bears a superficial resemblance to that of the Wilson Thrush
and has something of the same rolling, vibrant quality. It is, however, less
prolonged and less vehement. It lacks the liquid r's and 1's which the Veery
rolls under his tongue like sweet morsels; and the pitch of the whole rises
slightly, while the volume of sound diminishes toward the end of the series,
We-e-o zve-e-o zve-o we-o weee. The scolding note is a soft liquid quit,
which may be perfectly imitated by whistling; but this sound I have never
heard during the migrations. There is, besides, a high-pitched, musical call-
note, which may be recognized as the birds pass overhead at night.

No. 97.

HERMIT THRUSH.

A. O. U. No. 759b. Hylocichla guttata pallasii (Cab.).

Description. — Adult: Above, light olive- or dull cinnamon-brown, chang-
ing on rump to bright cinnamon of lower tail-coverts and tail, in marked contrast
to back ; below, white, clear only on belly, — throat and breast with a faint buffy
tinge ; sides and breast washed with pale brownish ; throat, in confluent chains
on sides, and breast, broadly marked with dusky olivaceous spots, paling or
obscure on lower breast and sides; sides of head not peculiar; bill dark brown,
with lighter base on lower manaible; feet light brown, Length 6.50-7.50 (165.1-
190.5) ; wing 3.60 (91.4) ; tail 2.60 (66.) ; bill .51 (13.)-

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size ; cinnamon tail contrasting with back,
distinctive.

Nesting. — Not positively known to breed in Ohio. "Nest, of moss, coarse
grasses, and leaves, lined with rootlets and pine-needles, on the ground. Eggs,
3 or 4, greenish blue, of a slightly lighter tint than those of the Wood Thrush,
.88 x .69 (22.4 x 17.5)" (Chapman).

2i8 THE HERMIT THRUSH.

General Range. — Eastern North America, breeding from the northern Alle-
ghanies, the mountainous parts of southern New England, southern Xew York,
northern Michigan, etc., northward, and wintering from the Northern States
southward.

Range in Ohio. — Abundant migrant. One breeding record, Cincinnati, by
Chas. Dury.

AS one passes through the woods in middle April, while the trees
are still leafless and the forest floor brown with last fall's harvest, a moving
shape, a little browner still but scarcely outlined in the uncertain light, starts
up from the ground with a low chuck, and pauses for a moment on a tiny
stump. Before you have fairly made out definite characters the bird flits
to a branch a little higher up and more removed, to stand motionless for a
minute or so, or else to chuckle softly with each twinkle of the ready wings.
By following quietly one may put the bird to a dozen short flights without
once driving it out of range ; and he may find that the tail is abruptly rufous in
contrast with the olive-brown of the back, and that the breast is boldly
spotted, but not so heavily as in the case of the Wood Thrush.

The Hermit Thrush is very common, almost abundant, along wooded
streams and low-lying copses, from the middle of April to the fifth of May.
The remarkable weather in the spring of 1903 brought one bird to Columbus
on the nineteenth of March, and held the species at Oberlin until the eighth
of May. Altho rather retiring and quite clever at escaping observation when
desiring to, the birds are frequently seen in the back yard shrubbery, and
share with Towhee and Cardinal the spoils hidden beneath the carpet of
fallen raspberry leaves. In the fall they are not less abundant and linger as
late as November 25th.

Now and then a fortunate observer, lurking about in some secluded
glen, catches a song — some foregleam of the glory which is one day to light up
the hills of Laurentia. I have never heard it myself except in the mountains
of Washington. For me the vicinity of a certain emerald stream, which
passes, half pool, half spray, through the solemn woods which clothe
Wright's Peak, is forever sacred, because there, with a dear companion, I
first heard the vesper hymn of the Hermit Thrush. We did not see the
singer — that were sacrilege — but from some dim height there floated down
to us a voice no longer tainted by the earth struggle, but heavenly pure,
serene, exalted. It was the voice of an angel, such as haunt the groves of
Paradise. To recall but for an instant those ravishing notes is to call up the
first promise of love, the mother's prayers, and all the precious contents of that
inner casket of the heart, which may not be opened until we present ourselves
at Heaven's gate, and feel therein for the golden key.

THE AMERICAN ROBIN. 219

No. 98.

AMERICAN ROBIN.

A. O. U. No. 761. Merula migratoria (Linn.).

Description. — Adult male: Head black, interrupted by white of chin and
white with black stripes of throat ; eyelids and a supraloral spot white ; tail
blackish with white terminal spots on inner webs of outer pair of rectrices ; wings
dusky except on external edges ; remaining upper parts grayish slate ; below, —
breast, sides, upper belly and lining of wings cinnamon-rufous ; lower belly and
crissum white, touched irregularly with slate; bill yellow with blackish tip'; feet
blackish with yellowish soles. Adult female: Similar to male, but duller; black
of head veiled by brownish. Adults in winter: Upper parts tinged with brown,
the rufous feathers, especially on belly, with white skirtings. Immature : Simi-
lar to adult, but head about the color of back; rufous of under parts paler or
more ochraceous. Very young birds are black spotted, above and below. Length
about 10.00 (254.) ; wing 5.08 (129.) ; tail 3.75 (95.3) ; bill .78 (19.8).

Recognition Marks. — "Robin" size; cinnamon-rufous breast; everybody
knows the Robin.

Nest, a thick-walled but shapely bowl of mud, set about with twigs, leaves,
string, and trash, and lined with fine grass-stems ; placed anywhere in trees or
variously, but usually at moderate heights. Eggs, 4 or 5, sometimes 6, greenish
blue, unmarked. Av. size, 1.15 x .79 (29.2 x 20.1).

General Range. — Eastern United States to the Rocky Mountains, including
Mexico and Alaska. Breeds from Virginia and Kansas northward to the Arctic
Coast. Winters from southern Canada and the Northern States (irregularly)
southward. Casual in Bermuda. Accidental in Europe.

Range in Ohio. — Abundant summer resident. Casual during winter
throughout the state.

MANY birds bear the epithet American to distinguish them from simi-
lar old world species, but none bear it more worthily nor more proudly than
the American Robin. Having only a superficial resemblance to the English
Redbreast or "Robin Redbreast" (Erithacus rubectila), from which it was
originally named, our sturdy bird is an unmistakable "bird o' freedom," and
as such is beloved from Boston Bay to the Golden Gate, and from the Gulf
to the Forty-ninth parallel — and beyond. With Bluebird alone does Robin
divide the honors of early spring, and it is nip and tuck between these friendly
rivals which shall first proclaim the glad tidings of winter's downfall.

Sometime in February the first migrant Robins usually pass our southern
border, and press on with squeeches and pipings of delight to reclaim posses-
sion of the old haunts. It is not quite clear whether the first migrants are those
which pass furthest north, or whether the birds move up by successive waves,
each wave outstripping its predecessor and sweeping over the heads of the

THE AMERICAN ROBIN.

birds already located ; but the latter is, I believe, usually the case. Or again
we may conceive that the thirsty land drinks up each succeeding wave until
its force is dissipated, or until the saturation point is reached, after which
those which follow may pass on without loss, save of the lame and the lazy.
Certain it is that the local population is everywhere augmented during
March, and that great straggling fleets, composed of several hundred indi-
viduals, pass over our heads as late as the first week in April.

During the uncertain days of early spring

the Robins gather in ^^^flS^^^^^ loose companies and

keep to the seclusion ^4^1 B^U. °^ ^e wo°ds, fol-

lowing the sun from j^"\ Rhk eas^ ^° s°uth and

west, ransacking the / |& roots of trees

and the edges of i 8k standing water

for food, and. / \ above all,

GOOD MORNING!

Photo by the Author.
HAVE YOU ANY WORMS FOR ME?

sketching in the matrimonial plans of the season. When Robins have become
common about the streets and yards of village and town, partners have usually
been selected, but there still remain for many of the cocks hard-contested
battles before peaceful possession is assured. These are not sham fights either ;
a Robin will fight a hated rival, beak and claw, till he is either thoroughly
winded or killed outright.

After the first brood is raised the males assemble nightly with the full-
grown young in chosen roosts, while the females are undertaking the duties
of a second brood. These roosts are selected either in village shade trees
or in thickets and rank vegetation of low-lying swampy land. Curiously
enough they often share a bit of grove with the Bronzed Crackles, or else
mix in freely with the Redwings in the cat-tail swamps. During July and
August few birds are to be seen in their breeding haunts, but except 'for a

THE AMERICAN ROBIN.

221

Taken in Cc.nr.l Lorcr

DINNER TIME.

Photo by the Author.

few belated couples, unfortunate with the early nesting or busy with a third
brood, they gather in little companies and feed largely upon wild fruits, on
wooded hillsides or in quiet out-of-the-way places. At this season, too, the
birds are undergoing the moult, and are indisposed for any considerable
activity.

The Robin's song in its common form is too well known to require par-
ticular description, and too truly music to lend itself well to syllabic imita-
tion. It is a common thing, indeed, like the upturned mold and the air
which fans it, but out of these come the varied greens which beautify the
world ; and the homely piping of the Robin has given birth to many a heaven-
directed aspiration and purged many a soul of guilty intent. Robin con-
ceives many passages which are too high for him, and these he hums inaudi-
bly or follows in silent thought, like a tenor with a cold ; when the theme
reaches his compass again he resumes, not where he left off, but at the end
of the unheard passage. When the Robin is much given to half-whispered
notes and strains unusually tender, one may suspect the near presence of his
fiancee. If you are willing to waive the proprieties for a few moments you
will hear low murmurs of affection and soft blandishments, which it would
tax the art of a Crockett to reproduce. And again, nothing can exceed the

THE AMERICAN ROBIN.

sadness of a Robin's lament over a lost mate. All the virtues of the deceased
are set forth in a coronach of surpassing woe, and the widower declares him-
self forever comfortless. It is not well, of course, to inquire too particu-
larly as to the duration of this bereaved state — we are all human.

As Dr. Wheaton has already pointed out, the Robin occasionally de-
velops surprising powers of mimicry. I once found one in early spring who

ALL FED.

called his mate "Phoebe" with such a convincing accent that I spent a half
hour searching for the flycatcher. Another which sang back of Orton Hall
on the O. S. U. campus had incorporated the familiar ringing vesper notes
of the Wood Thrush into its own song. He gave the borrowed notes in
three keys or qualities, all of which were essentially characteristic of the
other bird.

In nesting the Robin displays little caution, and its homely mud-walled

THE AMERICAN ROBIN.

223

cup is not withdrawn from most familiar observation. Building preferably
in the major crotches of orchard or shade trees, the bird ordinarily selects
a site from five to fifteen feet up, but nests are sometimes found at fifty feet,
and again, on the ground. Window sills and beams of porches, barns, and out-
buildings are favorite places, and especially if the season is backward. Two
of the most unusual sites came under my observation during the season of
1903. One shown in the illustration was placed on the sleeper of a railroad

Lorain County.

Photo by the Author.

AN UNUSUAL NESTING SITE.

bridge over which trains passed three times an hour. Another was made fast
among the drooping branches of a weeping willow near their tips, and at a
point where none of them were above a quarter of an inch in diameter. How
the bird contrived to lodge the foundation, and mould her characteristic mud-
cup in such a difficult situation, I cannot comprehend.

Nothing could be more common than Robins' nests. In walking out
from Canal Dover, along the tow-path which Garfield s footprints have
made sacred, the writer, in company with Dr. Leander S. Keyser, counted

224

THE AMERICAN ROBIN.

seventeen occupied nests of the
Robin in the trees which were
within reach of the path, and in
a distance of a mile and a half.
The stretch would deserve to
be called Robin Row if there
were not so many other places
likewise distinguished.

On this same trip Dr. Key-
ser conducted me to a Robin's
nest which he had located some
clays before in an osage-orange
hedge, and which he thought
might be convenient to photo-
graph. The mother bird was at
the nest, but alas ! how helpless ! During some excitement or sudden
the bird had become impaled on one of the thorns of an overarching
and had struggled in vain, until death — all too tardy, I fear — had

Taken near Canal Dover. Photo by the /.

THE TOW-PATH.

fright
branch
put an

THE AMERICAN ROBIN. 225

end to her misery. The cruel spike was thrust through the skin and under-
lying connective tissue of the throat in a horizontally ascending direction,
and the bird was hanged with her feet dangling in her own nest. One egg,
entire but stained with ordure, and a sodden mass of broken eggs besides,
bore witness with sad eloquence to the tragedy.

In spite of the law-makers, who knew exactly what they were doing in
declaring the Robin worthy of protection, thousands of these birds are an-
nually slaughtered by unthinking people because of their fondness for cher-
ries and other small fruits. And yet we are assured by competent authorities
that cultivated fruit' forms only four per cent of the Robin's food through-
out the year, \vhile injurious insects constitute more than one-third.1 Robins
are provoking in the cherry trees, especially when they bring the whole family
and camp out ; but there is one way to limit their depredations without destroy-
ing these most distinguished helpers : plant a row of mulberry trees, preferably
the Russian Mulberry, along the orchard fence, and the birds will seek no fur-
ther. I have seen a mulberry tree s\varming with Robins, while neighboring
fruit trees \vere almost untouched. The plan is simple, humane, and effica-
cious.

I Butler: Birds of Indiana, p. 1160.

226 THE BLUEBIRD.

No. 99.

BLUEBIRD.

A. O. U. No. 766. Sialia sialis (Linn.).

Synonyms. — EASTERN BLUEBIRD; WILSON'S BLUEBIRD.

Description. — Adult male, in spring : Above rich azure-blue ; below, throat,
breast, and sides chestnut. Occasionally the azure area reaches around to include
the chin. In autumn the blue of the upper parts is obscured by the reddish-brown
edgings of the feathers; the white of the lower parts is more extended and the
chestnut paler and more restricted. Adult female : Above, blue mixed and obscured
with dull chestnut, except on wings, tail and rump, which are pure; below, paler.
Immature : Brownish, with blue gradually increasing ; back marked with whitish
shaft lines ; breast and under parts closely dotted with brown and white. Length
5.70-7.00 (144.8-177.8); wing 3.75-4-15 (95-3-I054) 5 tail, 2.60-3.00 (66. -76. 2.} ;
bill .45 (11.4). Female averages smaller than male.

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size; azure-blue and chestnut coloring.

Nest, in cavities, artificial or natural, hollow trees, stumps, posts, bird boxes,
etc. ; lined with grass and weed-stalks, with occasionally string, feathers, and the
like. Eggs, 4-6, uniform pale blue, sometimes very light bluish white, and rarely
pure white. Average size, .84 x .63. (21.3 x 16.).

General Range. — Eastern United States to the eastern base of the Rocky
Mountains, north to Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia, south in winter from
the Middle States to the Gulf States and Cuba. Bermuda, resident.

Range in Ohio. — Of universal distribution in the State, but most abundant
in northern and central portions. In winter it remains regularly only in the ex-
treme south, but stragglers may be found anywhere.

HOW the waiting country-side thrills with joy when Bluebird brings us
the first word of returning spring. The snow may still linger in patches and
the hoar-frost be only just making out of sight that rare day when the herald
presses northward and scatters the tidings far and wide. Spring is in the air
and spring, thenceforth, is in our hearts. The cruel north wind may sweep
down again and all the ugly signs of winter return, but Bluebird has kindled in
our hearts the fires of an inextinguishable confidence, and we know that the
master word of exorcism has been spoken. Surely there is nothing in nature
more heartening than the resolute courage and sublime good cheer of this
dauntless bird. Reflecting heaven from his back and the ground from his breast,
he floats between sky and earth like the winged voice of Hope. Or else, "shift-
ing his light load of song from post to post along the cheerless fence," he pours
out sincerest gratitude for even the meager goods of life, and counts it joy
enough to live.

Truth to tell, Bluebird does make sad mistakes sometimes. He trusts too

BLUEBIRD

Siulia sialis

Life-size

THE BLUEBIRD.

227

well some tricky Zephyr of
the South, who whispers
not of what he knows, but
what he hopes, and is cru-
elly deceived. But Spring
does come, and if her most
impetuous herald dies in the
performance of his duty, we
love and honor him most
because his task was hard-
est.

The year 1895 marked
a sad chapter in Bluebird's
experience, and proved to
be a turning point in the his-
tory of his race. That spring
an unusually severe cold wave
of long duration swept over
the Middle and Gulf States.
The cold wrought fearful
havoc to all bird life, but the
blow seemed to fall most
heavily upon the Bluebirds.
Their ranks were not merely
decimated : they were al-
most exterminated. Observ-
ers in Ohio saw only single birds where before they had seen scores and hun-
dreds. Thus, at Oberlin, I saw only five birds up to May I, 1895. It is very
gratifying, however, to note that their numbers are materially increasing of late.
In some localities they appear to have almost regained their former status.

It goes without saying that from that dreadful winter only the fittest sur-
vived. Evidence is not lacking to show that the Bluebird of today is hardier
than the Bluebird of ten years ago. In Lorain County for instance, there
were no authentic records of Bluebirds wintering until the season of '98-'99.
Then and every season since a few have been seen. If this be a correct infer-
ence, then the massacre of '95 will not have been without its influence for good
in preparing the species against similar and more severe attacks in the future.

The Bluebird is pre-eminently domestic in his tastes, and he lacks none of
the qualities essential to the model husband and father. If not already mated
upon arrival in early spring, the business is not long delayed. The birds take
a leisurely honeymoon, and the first nesting is not undertaken before the last
week in April or the first in May. Nothing can exceed the gallantry, or per-
haps I would better say the courtesy of Bluebirds en fauiillc. They almost

Taken in Knox County. Photo by J. B. Barker

FEMALE BLUEBIRD ABOUT TO ENTER NEST.

NOTE THE WOODPECKER-LIKE ATTITUDE AND ESPECIALLY THE USE

228

THE BLUEBIRD.

invariably address each other as dear or dearie, and they have a host of un-
translatable tones of endearment beside.

These gentle spirits are, however, best not aroused by an outsider. In
securing his personal rights or in defending his home, Bluebird is always brave
and sometimes pugnacious to a degree. Indeed it is to be feared that when
it comes to a question of property rights, he is not always kind. The annals
of bird-lore are full of accounts of spirited encounters between luckless Wrens,
Martins, Woodpeckers, etc., and Bluebird. Here is one of them by Dr. How-
ard Jones, of Circleville : "Some years ago I placed a bird box upon the
house-top, which for a few seasons was occupied by a pair of Bluebirds. One
spring they failed to appear at the usual time and the box was taken by a pair
of Martins. The old nest was carried out and the newcomers were thor-
oughly settled in
their quarters,
when the Blue-
birds returned
(probably the
same pair that had
formerly occupied
the box), and at
once commenced
tearing out the in-
truders' nest. But
they were soon
discovered and a
pitched battle en-
sued, the Blue-
birds retiring as if
defeated. T h i s
procedure was re-
peated several
mornings and at
intervals during
the davs. When,

THE LOWER SET WAS LAID PREMATURELY OR El SP CHIT T Vn KV A rrrr n SKIP

early one morn-
ing, being awak-
ened by the incessant screams of the Martins, 1 hastened to the yard to see
what I supposed was the final encounter; but the affray was over before I
arrived. My father, however, was there holding a female Martin in his hand,
he having witnessed the whole affair. After much scolding and sparring
one of the Bluebirds clinched with the Martin, and both birds rolled together
from the house-top to the pavement below, where, in deadly embrace, they
were captured ; but the Bluebird, still strong and active, slipped away. In

-^Photo by Rev. W. P. Henni
A DOUBLE NEST OF THE BLUEBIRD.

THE BLUEBIRD.

229

all these engagements the male Martin seemed content to encourage his mate
by his vociferous screams, while both Bluebirds fought with equal vigor."

In a fair encounter the Bluebird is
more than a match for the always execra-
ble English Sparrow ; but no bird can en-
dure the mobbing which the hoodlums re-
sort to; and as a result the Bluebirds have,
to surrender the choicest places to the in-
terlopers.

The home of the Bluebird consists
ordinarily of a deserted Woodpecker hole
in tree or stub, or else of a decayed cavity
in post, stump, or apple tree. The hole is
plentifully lined with grass, weed-stalks,
and unclassifiable trash ; altho birds of
more cultivated tastes are beginning to
employ feathers. The birds distinctly fa-
vor the haunts of men, and so, when occa-
sion offers, will occupy bird-boxes or
suitable crannies. I once found a brood
in a half open mail-box, attached to the
front door of a village dwelling tempo-
rarily vacant. Mr. Oliver Davie reports
finding a nest in Columbus in the interior
of a car-wheel rendered idle by a railroad
strike; and another in Morrow County,
in a deserted Have Swallow's nest.

A farm near North Amherst in
Lorain County contains, besides sev-
eral fields and pastures and an ideal
bit of woodland, two young orchards
and a small vineyard. Throughout
these last, Mr. Will Smithkons,
the son of the owner, has dis-
tributed upwards of fifty Blue-
bird boxes, each composed of a
section of a hollow limb, closed
with a board at top and bottom,
and provided with a neat au-
gur-hole in the side. The boxes
are made fast to the trees or
lodged at considerable intervals
along the intersecting fences

Taken

BLUEBIRDS AT M-ST.

Photo
by the
Author.

230

THE BLUEBIRD.

Mr. Smithkons finds that more than half of the boxes are occupied each season ;
and he counts the birds of inestimable advantage in helping to save the grapes
and apples from the ravages of worms. In two instances Robins accepted the
partial shelter afforded by the boxes and nested in the crotch of the tree imme-
diately under the Bluebirds.

The eggs, from four to six in number, are a uniform pale blue, with a

surface somewhat
polished. Owing to
the delicacy of the
pigment, cabinet
specimens fade read-
ily. Pure white sets
are on record, and
faded blues are not
unusual. Two or
three broods are
raised in a season.

Doubtless Blue-
bird's song owes
somewhat of the
high estimation in
which it is held to
the fact that it
sounds forth at a
time when there are
few rivals, and the
aspect of nature con-
trasts somewhat
sternly with its good
cheer. Be that as it
may, his soulful
warbling notes will
always be regarded
as something half
sacred by those who
understand. Cheery-
cheery - cheery,

near North Amherst. Photo bv the Author.

ONE OF MR. SMITHKON'S BLUEBIRD BOXES.

A ROBIN'S NEST APPEARS IN THE CROTCH BELOW.

flight-Call.

THE GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET. 231

Chew-ee-i-tew, wheeoo-he-ite, chew-eew-tuiti, may serve to recall the familiar
spring-time warbler.

In autumn Bluebird lingers late, hawking at insects in some sunny cor-
ner, or sampling the winter fruits which others are to gather. A favorite
tidbit of this season is the berry of the common ivy, which the bird procures
by fluttering before the purple clusters. When the season advances the birds
retire with evident reluctance. Passing slowly overhead in little pilgrim
companies they call down to you as they fly, cheery — cheery, dearie, hail
mournfully indeed, but still with tender promise of another meeting at a fairer
time.

No. 100.

GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET.

A. O. U. No. 748. Regulus satrapa (Licht.).

Description. — Adult male: Crown-patch (partially concealed) bright
orange or flame-color (cadmium orange) ; a border of plain yellow feathers over-
lying the orange on the sides ; these in turn bordered by black in front and on
sides ; extreme forehead white, connecting with white superciliary stripe ; a dark
line through eye; above bright olive-green, becoming olive-gray on nape and
side of head and neck ; wing-quills and tail-feathers much edged with light green-
ish yellow, the former in such fashion as to throw into relief a dusky spot on
middle of secondaries ; greater coverts tipped with whitish ; under parts sordid
white, sometimes dusky-washed, or touched on sides with olivaceous. Adult
female : Similar, but with crown-patch plain yellow instead of orange. Imma-
ture : Without crown-patch or bordering black, gradually acquiring these
through gradation of color. Length about 4.00 (101.6) ; wing 2.26 (57.4) ; tail
1.71 (43.4); bill from nostril .21 (5.3).

Recognition Marks. — Pygmy size ; orange, or yellow, and black of crown
distinctive.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. Nest, pensile, but receiving auxiliary-
support from sides; of moss, lined with fine inner-bark strips, black rootlets,
and feathers ; in coniferous trees, usually at considerable heights. Eggs, 8-10,
in tivo layers, creamy white or sordid cream-color, dotted, spotted, and blotched
with pale wood-brown, and sometimes obscurely with lavender. Av. size, .54 x

.40 (13.7 X 10.2).

232 THE GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET.

General Range. — North America generally, except Pacific Coast, breeding
in the northern and elevated parts of the United States, and northward ; migrating
southward in winter to Guatemala.

Range in Ohio. — Usually common winter resident and migrant throughout
the state ; sometimes locally absent.

OUR artist has done well to picture the royal midgets among the autumn
leaves. It is when the crimson and gold are being lavished on every hillside
and the year is sinking in sumptuous splendor that these little whisperers steal
in upon us almost unnoticed. But when the transient glory of the trees has
turned to sodden mold, the cheerful company of Kinglets is still to be found —
ungarnered leaves too full of sap for October's vintage, staunch potentates
unshaken by the winter winds.

It is passing strange that bits of birdanity no bigger than Hop-o'-my-
Thumb should prefer to spend the winter with us, but so it is, and we are
mightily cheered by their presence. Zero weather has no terrors for them
and the good fellowship of winter seems in no wise marred by storms.

Kinglets go in troops which keep a little to themselves, but which are
still enrolled in the membership of some larger bird-troop of winter. Brown
Creepers, especially, affect their company with a persistence which must some-
times be a little vexing to the more vivacious birds ; but there is no complaint
or hauteur on the part of the latter, only royal tolerance. Evergreen trees are
most frequented by Kinglets, and here they are almost invariably to be found
during the severest weather. With tireless energy they search both bark and
twigs for insects' eggs and larvae scarce visible to the human eye. They flut-
ter about at random, hang head downward if need be, dart and start and twist
and squirm, until one frequently despairs of catching fair sight of the crown
for the necessary fraction of a second. Of course it's a Golden-crown ; but
then, we want to see it.

And all the time Cntikins is carrying on an amiable conversation w7ith his
neighbor, interrupted and fragmentary to be sure, but he has all day to it —
tss-tss-tsip-chip-tscek. If you draw too near, chip can be made to express
vigorous disapproval. Only now and then does one hear snatches of the
northern song. It has something of the quality and phrasing of the better-
known Ruby-crown's, but lacks distinctness, and is perhaps not so loud. One
May morning a large company of Golden-crowned Kinglets held a concert in
the trees of the Oherlin College campus. The fresh-leaved maples fairly re-
sounded to their spirited music for a space of fifteen minutes; then all was
silent. The Kings recollected themselves.

GOLDEN -CROWNED KINGLET

Rfgulu* »ulrnpn

Life-size

THE RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET. 233

No. 101.

RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET.

A. O. U. No. 749. Regulus calendula (Linn.).

Description. — Adult male: Above olive-green, duller before, brightening
to greenish yellow on edgings of quills and tail-feathers ; a partly concealed crest
of scarlet (flame-scarlet to scarlet-vermilion) ; two narrow, whitish wing-bars
formed by tips of middle and greater coverts ; some whitish edging on tertials ;
a dusky interval separating greenish yellow edges on outer webs of secondaries ;
a whitish eye-ring and whitish skirtings around base of bill; under parts soiled
white, heavily tinged with buffy and olivaceous-buff. Adult female and immature :
Similar but without crown-patch. Length 4.00-4.50 (101.6-114.3); winR 2-33
(59.2) ; tail 1.72 (43.7) ; bill from nostril .25 (6.4).

Recognition Marks. — Pygmy size; scarlet crest distinctive. Note wing-
bars and whitish eye-ring of female and young.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. Nest, semi-pensile ; of moss, fine bark-
strips, etc., neatly interwoven, lined with feathers ; in coniferous trees at mod-
erate heights. Eggs, 5-9, dull white or pale buffy, faintly speckled or spotted
with light brown, chiefly at the larger end. Av. size, .55 x .43 (14. x 10.9)
(Davie).

General Range. — North America at large, south to Guatemala, north to the
Arctic Coast, breeding chiefly north of the United States and in the higher ranges
of the West.

Range in Ohio. — Common spring and fall migrant.

"Where's your kingdom, little king?
. Where's the land you call your own?

Where's your palace and your throne?

Fluttering lightly on the wing

Through the blossom world of May;

Whither lies your royal way?

Where's the realm that owns your sway,
Little King?"

Dr. Henry Van Dyke is the questioner, and the little bird has a ready
answer for him. It is "Labrador" in May, and

"Where the express' vivid green
And the dark magnolia's sheen
Weave a shelter round mv home"

234 THE RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET.

jn October. But under the incitement of the poet's playful banter the Kinglet
enlarges his claim :

"Never king by right divine
Ruled a richer realm than mine !
What are lands and golden crowns,
Armies, fortresses and towns,
Jewels, scepters, robes and rings,
What are these to song and wings ?
Everywhere that I can fly
There I own the earth and sky ;
Everywhere that I can sing
There I'm happy as a king."

And surely there is no one who can meet this dainty monarch in one of
his happy moods without paying instant homage. His imperium is that of
the spirit, and those who boast a soul above the clod must swear fealty to this
most delicate expression of the creative Infinite, this thought of God made
luminous and vocal, and own him king by right divine.

It was only yesterday I saw him, Easter day. The significant dawn was
struggling with great masses of heaped-up clouds, the incredulities and fears
of the world's night ; but now and again the invincible sun found some tiny
rift and poured a flood of tender gold upon a favored spot where stood some
solitary tree or expectant sylvan company. Along the river bank all was
still. There were no signs of spring save for the modest springing violet and
the pious buckeye, shaking its late-prisoned fronds to the morning air, and
tidily setting in order its manifold array of Easter candles. The oak trees
were gray and hushed, and the swamp elms held their peace until the fortunes
of the morning should be decided. Suddenly from down the river path there
came a tiny burst of angel music, the peerless song of the Ruby-crown. Pure,
ethereal, without hint of earthly dross or sadness, came those limpid, welling
notes, the sweetest and the gladdest ever sung — at least by those who have
not suffered. It was not, indeed, the greeting of earth to the risen Lord,
but rather the annunciation of the glorious fact by heaven's own appointed
herald.

The Ruby-crowned Kinglet has something of the nervousness and viva-
city of the typical Wren. It moves restlessly from twig to twig, flirting its
wings with a motion too quick for the eye to follow, and frequently uttering
a titter of alarm, chit-tit or chit-it-it. During migrations the birds swarm
through the tree-tops like Warblers, but are oftener found singly or in small
companies in thickets or open clusters of saplings. In such situations they

BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER

Polioptila caerulea

-A Life-size

THE BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER.

exhibit more or less curiosity, and if one keeps reasonably still he is almost
sure to be inspected from a distance not exceeding four or five feet. It is here
too that the males are found singing in spring. The bird often begins sotto
voce with two or three high squeaks, as though trying to get the pitch down to
the range of mortal ears before he gives his full voice. The core of the song
is something like "tew, te^v, tew, tew, sweet to eat, sweet-oo eat," the last
phrases being given with a rising inflection, and with an accent of ravishing
sweetness. The tones are so pure that they may readily be whistled by the hu-
man listener, and a musical contest provoked in which one is glad to come out
second best.

I once saw a Kinglet in a royal mood. A young Ruby-crown was car-
olling, and quite prettily, in the lower branches of an old oak tree hard by. I
was watching him closely to see if I might catch a glint of red, when up darted
an older rival and flashed a jewel so dazzling as to fairly smite the eye.
The youngling felt the rebuke keenly, and retired in great confusion. It
seems that when the bird is angry it has the power of erecting its crest and so
unveiling the full glory of the ruby crown.

No. 102.

BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER.

A. O. U. No. 751. Polioptila caerulea (Linn.).

Description. — Adult Male : Above, grayish blue, brighter and bluer on head,
hoary on rump; front of head, on forehead and sides, narrowly bordered with
black ; wings fuscous, with narrow edgings of blue-gray ; tail black centrally, the
outer pair of feathers white, the next pair mostly white, and the two succeeding
pairs blackish touched with white, or not; under parts white, with a bluish or
plumbeous tinge, changing on sides of head ; eye-lids white ; bill black, hooked ;
feet dark. Adult female and immature: Similar but duller; without black on
head, and with bill lightening below. Length, 4.25-5.50 (io8.-i397) ; wing 2.02
(51.3) ; tail 1.92 (48.8) ; bill .38 (9.7).

Recognition Marks. — Pygmy to Warbler size; a slim, tidy bird with a long
tail ; blue-gray coloring, and black and white pattern of tail unmistakable.

Nest, a delicately modelled cup, of fine bark-strips and grasses, interwoven and
bound together with cob-webs, lined with plant-down, fine grasses and horse-hair,
and decorated externally with lichens ; saddled upon horizontal limb, or settled into
crotch. Eggs, 4 or 5, bluish white, speckled and spotted with reddish browns and
umber. Average size, _56x.44 (14.2x11.2).

236

THE BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER.

General Range. — Middle and southern portions of the eastern United States,
rare north of latitude 42°. South in winter to Guatemala, Cuba, and the Bahamas.
Breeds throughout United States range, and winters from the South Atlantic and
Gulf States southward.

Range in Ohio. — Abundant summer resident ; less common northerly.

THERE are birds in whose presence you cannot help exclaiming, God
bless you ! and this is one of them. Why you should do it you cannot tell
any more than you can tell why the same expression rises to your lips at sight
of a blue-eyed babe in its mother's arms, kicking and cooing by turns and look-
ing out upon the great round world with great round eyes of wonder. The
innocence and frailty of the bird, as of the babe, touches some hidden chord of

sympathy, and we
cry out in mingled
big-brotherly pity
and astonishment.
One's first intro-
duction to this
minikin of the
woods must
almost of ne-
cessity be

'k^JfiS^^M VI bi'dl™

to the lower
bushes, or
heaped - up

oto by the Author.

A NEST OF THE BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER.

THE BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER. 237

piles of brush, to search for insects or cobwebs. The little blue bundle gf busi-
ness passes unmindful within a dozen feet of you, or if recalled to conscious-
ness by some stirring apprehension, pauses to wag its long tail through an arc of
a hundred and eighty degrees, or else to shake it up and down through almost
as great a compass. "Bis, bis, biz," the midget cries, and if you can only
mark the note well before the bird is lost again in the dense foliage of the tree-
tops, to which it soon returns, you have grasped a thread of recognition which
is always bound tightly to this little brother of the air.

Sometimes the note is doubled so that the bird seems to say, Bawbee,
bawbee, but in any case there is a sort of buzzing resonance about it which is
distinctive. The pearly fay has also a dainty rambling song full of ethereal
phrases and delicate suggestiveness. In one passage it bears a marked resem-
blance to the "Sweet-to-eat" note of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet. One must,
however, get very near to the singer in order to catch anything worth while,
for the bird sings in the tiniest of voices.

The nest of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is, after the Hummingbird's, the
daintiest in the woods. It is placed at any height from a dozen or fifteen feet
to the limit of the trees. That seen in the illustration was taken from an elm
tree at a height of sixty feet, and it is typical as to position, in showing the
protecting branch above. It would be very difficult to find nests at these
heights were it not for the fact that the birds fly freely and directly to the
chosen spot, and occasionally betray their presence by buzzing while the nest
is a-making. Both birds work with unflagging industry, and prolong their
labors into the heated hours of each day. It is a rebuke to a sluggard to see
one dashing up to a tree and whirling around in the nest that is to be, and lay-
ing off the cobwebs at such a furious rate. The walls of the nest are built up
so high that only the tail of the sitting bird protrudes, looking curiously like a
handle to this lichen-covered cup.

As soon as the young Gnatcatchers are able to make their wants known
they repeat incessantly the biz biz notes of the parents, and thus the strenuous
life of these most earnest little birds is begun at an early age.

238 THE WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH.

No. 103.
WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH.

A. O. U. No. 727. Sitta carolinensis Lath.

Description. — Adult male: Top of head, nape, and front of back shining
black, with a slight greenish reflection ; remaining upper parts ashy-blue ; outer
wing-quills fuscous, the second and three or four succeeding primaries narrowly
touched with white on outer web in retreating order ; inner quills and coverts with
much black centering; tail-feathers, except upper pair, black, the outer pairs
squarely blotched with white in subterminal to terminal order ; sides of head, and
neck well up, and under parts white with a faint bluish tinge ; distinctly marked,
or washed more or less, on flanks and crissum with rusty brown ; bill stout, sub-
ulate, the under mandible slightly recurved, — blackish plumbeous above, lighter
at base of lower mandible ; feet dark brown ; iris brown. Adult female : Similar
to male, but black of head and back more or less veiled by color of back. Length
5.50-6.10 (139.7-154.9) ; average of six Columbus specimens: wing 3.60 (91.4) ;
tail 1.91 (48.5) ; bill .68 (17.3).

Recognition Marks. — Warbler to Sparrow size ; tree-creeping habits ; black
and ashy-blue above ; white below.

Nest, a deserted Woodpecker hole, or newly-made cavity in stump or tree,
usually at a considerable distance from the ground, and lined with leaves, feathers,
or hair. Eggs, 5-8, sometimes 9 or even 10, white, thickly speckled and spotted
with reddish brown and lavender. Average size, .76 x .56 (19.3 x 14.2).

General Range. — Eastern United States from Georgia north to the southern
British Provinces, and west to the rocky Mountains. Non-migratory.

Range in Ohio. — Of universal distribution.

IV ho-civ'-o°-o'-o'-o°-o° -o-o-o-o goes the Screech Owl in broad daylight.
There is an instant hush in the dull gray woods — a hush followed by an ex-
cited murmur of inquiry among" the scattered members of a winter bird troop.
If you happen to be the Screech Owl, seated motionless at the base of some
large tree and half recessed in its spreading roots, perhaps the first intimation
you will have that the search party is on your trail will be the click, click, click
of tiny claws on the tree-bole above your head, followed by a quank of interro-
gation, almost comical for its mixture of baffled anxiety and dawning suspi-
cion of the truth. He is an inquisitive fellow, this Nuthatch, for, you see, pry-
ing is his business ; but he is brave as well. The chances are that he will ven-
ture down within a foot or two of your face before he flutters off with a loud
outcry of alarm. When excited, as when regarding a suspicions object, he has
an odd fashion of rapidly right-and-left facing on a horizontal bough, as tho
to try both eyes on you and lose no time in between.

Nuthatch is the acknowledged acrobat of the woods — not that he acts for
display; it is all business with him. A tree is a complete gymnasium in itself,

THE WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH.

239

and this bird is master of it all. Top side, bottom side, inside, outside — this
bird is there, fearless, confident ; in fact, he rather prefers traveling head down-
ward, especially on the main trunk route. He pries under bark-scales and
lichens, peers into crevices and explores cavities in his search for tiny insects,
larvae and insects' eggs — especially the latter. The value of the service which
this bird and his close associates perform for the horticulturist is simply incal-
culable. There should be as heavy a penalty imposed upon one who wantonly
killed a Nuthatch or a Chickadee, as upon one who entered an enclosure and
cut down an orchard or a shade tree.

Taken at McC

elsville. Photo by C. H. Morris.

PATRONIZING THE FREE-LUNCH COUNTER.

The Nuthatch has a variety of notes, all distinguished by a peculiar nasal
quality. When hunting with the troop, he gives an occasional softly resonant
tut or tuttut, as if to remind his fellows that all's well. The halloo note is more
decided, tin, pronounced a la Francais. By means of this note and by
using it in combination, they seem to be able to carry on quite an animated con-
versation, calling across from tree to tree. During the mating season and
often at other times they have an even more decided and distinctive note,
quonk, qitonk, quonk, or ho-onk, ho-onk, in moderate pitch and with deliber-
ation. Their song, if such they may be said to have, consists of a rapid succes-

240

THE RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH.

sion of simple sylables, tew, tew, tew, tew, tew, which are musical, vibrant, and
far-sounding, a sort of trumpeting, out of all proportion to the size of the bird.

The nest of the Nuthatch is placed in a cavity carefully chiselled out and
usually at a great height in an elm tree or perhaps an oak. Both sexes share
the labor of excavation, and when the cavity is somewhat deepened one bird
removes the chips while the other delves. Like all the hole-nesting species
of this family, but unlike the Woodpeckers, the Nuthatches provide for their
home an abundant lining of moss, fur, feathers, and the like. This precau-
tion is justified from the fact that they are early nesters — complete sets of eggs
being found no later than the second week in April.

The male is a devoted husband and father, feeding the female incessantly
during incubation, and with her sharing in the care of the large family long
after many birds have forgotten their young. The young birds early learn to
creep up to the mouth of the nesting hole to receive food when their turn
comes ; and they are said to crawl about the parental tree for some days before
they attempt flight.

No. 104.

RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH.

A. O. U. No. 728. Sitta canadensis Linn.

Synonyms. — RED-BELLIED NUTHATCH ; CANADIAN NUTHATCH.

Description. — Adult male : Crown and nape shining black ; white sup-
erciliary lines meeting on extreme forehead ; a black band through eye ; remaining
upper parts grayish blue; wings fuscous, unmarked; tail-feathers, 'except upper
pair, black ; the outer pairs subterminally blotched with white in retreating- order ;
chin, and sides of head, and neck below the black, pure white; remaining under
parts rusty or ochraceous-brown ; bill short, subulate, plumbeous-black ; feet dark
brown. Adult female : Similar, but crown like the back, with only traces of black
beneath: lateral head-stripe blackish; usually paler rusty below. Immature:
Like adult female. Length, 4.25-4.75 ( io8.-i2O.6) ; average of seven Columbus
specimens: wings 2.61 (66.3) ; tail 1.43 (36.3) ; bill .50 (12.7).

Recognition Marks. — Pygmy size ; black and grayish blue above ; rusty be-
low ; tree-creeping habits.

Nesting. — Not known to breed in Ohio. Nest, of grasses, feathers, etc., in a
hole of tree or stub, usually at lower levels. Eggs, 4 to 6, white or creamy-white,
speckled with reddish brown and lavender. Average size, .59 x .47 (15. x 11.9).

General Range.— North America at large, breeding from northern New
England, northern New York, and northern Michigan northward, and southward

THE BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH. 241

in the Alleghanies, Rocky Mountains, and Sierra Nevada ; in winter south to about
the southern border of the United States.

Range in Ohio. — Not uncommon, but irregular, spring and fall migrant.
Sparingly resident in winter in central and southern Ohio, casually north, — regu-
larly wherever pine or hemlock timber occurs.

THIS migratory species is more brightly colored as well as somewhat
smaller than its resident cousin, the White-breasted. It is frequently found
associated with the latter in winter, perhaps regularly from the Fortieth Par-
allel southward, altho it is never as numerous as the resident bird. Its com-
mon note somewhat resembles the quonk of the local species, but it is higher
pitched — at least an octave higher, Dr. Brewer says — and very nasal, qitank,
quank, quank, or nya-a, nya-a.

During migrations the Canadian Nuthatch is frequently associated with
the Warblers, and moves freely about the smaller limbs of orchard and shade
trees, especially conifers. At such times its unexpected behavior is a little puz-
zling, but if observed closely it will usually be seen to include in its travels a
tour of the tree-trunk in characteristic Nuthatch fashion.

Its nesting is entirely extralimital, but possesses interest because of its
well-established custom of plastering the space immediately surrounding the
entrance to its nesting hole with pitch or fir balsam for a distance of several
inches. Whether this is done to insure a safe footing for itself, or as a guard
against enemies is undetermined as yet.

No. 105.

BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH.

A. O. U. No. 729. Sitta pusilla Lath.

Description. — Adult: Above grayish blue; top of head well down, includ-
ing eye and nape, grayish brown, darker on borders ; a central white spot on nape ;
wings fuscous ; bend of wing whitish ; traces of white on central edges of outer
primaries beginning with the second, and in retreating order ; tail-feathers, except
central pair, black, tipped with grayish, the outer pairs with transverse white spot
retreating and fading centrally ; chin and sides of head below, white ; remaining un-
der parts sordid or dingy whitish ; bluish ashy on flanks ; bill stout, subulate, black-
ish above, lighter near base of lower mandible. Immature : Brown of head ob-
scured by color of back; darker and more tawny below, length, 3.85-4.50 (97.8-
114.3); wing 2.57 (65.3); tail 1.29 (32.8); bill .51 (13.).

Recognition Marks. — Pygmy size; grayish brown cap and tree-creeping
habits Distinctive.

242 THE TUFTED TITMOUSE.

Nesting. — Not known to breed in Ohio. "Nest of feathers, grasses, etc., gen-
erally near the ground, in a tree or stump. Eggs, 5 or 6, white or creamy white,
heavily spotted or blotched with cinnamon- or olive-brown, .56 x .46 (14.2 x
11.7)" (Chapman).

General Range. — South Atlantic and Gulf States, north to southern Maryland
and (casually?) Ohio, Missouri, etc.

Range in Ohio. — Accidental in northern Ohio. Reported by Kirtland.

THE sole claim which the Brown-headed Nuthatch has to notice in this
work is that established many years ago by Dr. Kirtland, who said : "I once
killed a specimen in the northern part of Ohio. Only one other instance1 is
on record of its wandering so far north, so that the occurrence must be deemed
very unusual. The species is generally confined to the Gulf and South At-
lantic coast states, where its favorite range is in the pine barrens of Georgia
and the Carolinas. It is more sociable than the Ohio Nuthatches, moving
about, except during the breeding season, in considerable companies, which
keep up a sibilant chatter during meal time. The nesting is similar to that of
the better known species, save that it is apt to be at lesser heights, and the
warm lining is less in evidence.

No. 106.

TUFTED TITMOUSE.

A. O. U. No. 731. Baeolophus bicolor (Linn.).

Description. — Adult: Above ashy gray, deepest on top of head; forehead
sooty black; a conspicuous crest; sides" of head and below ashy white, strongly
washed with rusty on sides and flanks ; bill plumbeous-black ; feet plumbeous. In
winter : The back and, usually, edgings of wing and tail more or less tinged with
olive; the lower parts tinged with brownish, especially on breast. Immature:
Less distinctly black on forehead; not so rusty on sides; bill light, except along
oilmen. Length, 5.75-6.50 (146.1-165.1); wing 3.13 (79.5); tail 2.67 (67.8);
bill .43 (10.9).

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size; black forehead and ashy blue crest;
plain coloration in ash, whitish, and rusty.

Nest, in a hole in stump, beech-stub, or tree, of leaves, bark, corn-pith and
trash, lined with hair or feathers. Eggs, 5-8, white or creamy-white, evenly spotted
and speckled with reddish brown. Average size, .71 x .55 (18. x 14.).

General Range.— Eastern United States to the Plains, north to northern
JNew Jersey and southern Iowa; casual in southern New England. Resident
throughout its breeding range.

Range in Ohio. — of general distribution throughout the state.

1 In Michigan: See Wheaton ad loc.

TUFTED TITMOUSE
Pnnu bicolor
»"ii Life-size

THE TUFTED TITMOUSE. 243

"I don't know for the life of me what the fuss is all about, but I know
there is the greatest commotion going on right under my nose. On a single
branch of a scraggly hillside tree — said branch being horizontal, twelve feet
long, and fifteen feet above the ground — there were gathered at practically
one and the same time the following birds : Tufted Tits, three to six, Black-
capped Chickadees, three or four, Carolina Wrens, three, Downy Woodpeck-
ers, three, Wood Pewees, two or three, one Red-eyed Vireo, one Yellow War-
bler, one Phoebe, an Indigo Bunting, a Redstart, one very small Crested Fly-
catcher and several English Sparrows — some twenty or more birds of at least
twelve species — each vociferating, scolding, denouncing or at least anxiously
inquiring, and many, for the lack of better employment, righting withal. It
only lasted half a minute after I arrived, but it was a stirring time while it
was on, and I am all a-tremble with excitement myself. What does it all
mean, anyway ? The Tufted Titmice, I think, started the hubbub ; but whether
one of their youngsters was choking on a June bug, or had up and slapped its
mother, I cannot tell." So runs the writer's note-book under date of June 17,
1902, in recording one of the most intense little episodes of bird life ever wit-
nessed. It was just like those Titmice, anyway — inquisitive, irascible, hyster-
ical, always kicking up a shindy among the birds. In some of their antics
they are like spoiled children, but their very sauciness is their salvation.

The Titmouse is the major domo of the winter bird troop. His military
crest marks him out for such an office, and his restless way of fussing up and
down the line gives him a show of authority over the Nuthatches, Creepers,
Woodpeckers, Chickadees, and Cardinals, which compose that motley com-
pany. He is, indeed, a most important personage, in his own eyes ; but no one
else takes him over seriously, and his pretentious are slyly encouraged by the
knowing ones, as affording a prospective diversion amidst the tedium of winter.

The Tufted Tits come of hardy stock; altho somewhat less common in
the northern portion of the state, there is no other evidence that they mind the
severity of winter. The average Titmouse family, too, approaches near the
proportions that our grandfathers believed in. With six or eight youngsters
in a brood and two broods in a season, it is a wonder that they do not overrun
the land.

Xests consist of well-lined cavities like those of the Chickadee, but the
excavations more frequently follow natural lines ; and for the sake of getting
an easy start through an inconspicuous knot-hole, the birds will range up to
thirty or forty feet in height. Less frequently deserted Woodpeckers' nests
are used, and fresh holes are dug in green or rotten wood.

The checv\, chccvy call of the Titmouse is one of the most familiar sounds
of the woods and village groves. More loud and clear is the Peter, Peter, or
pcto, peto note of springtime. As a distinct modification of the first named
note there is a rare musical choo-y, ch'd'6-y, which has in it much of the flute-

244

THE TUFTED TITMOUSE.

like character of the \Yren's song. The latter bird is very apt to answer this
cry with his "Richelieu" note, as tho he were challenged to utterance. If one
is accustomed only to these clear whistled calls, it comes as a great surprise

when the Titmouse bursts
out with a Chick-a-dee,
Chick-a-dee-dee, almost pre-
cisely like that of his black-
capped cousin.

Under date of March 3ist
I find : "The neighboring-
woods are haunted, and have
been for a week or more past,
by a love-lorn Titmouse who
repeats Peto, peto, peto, peto
with rapid enunciation and
wearisome iteration. The
bird utters this cry in groups,
as above, on an average of
about thirteen times a min-
ute, and keeps it up all day
long. During these days he
ranges high in the trees, but
stops only ten or fifteen sec-
onds in a place, — about long
enough to repeat his burden
four or five times. Then
conies a hiatus of a few sec-
onds, during which time he

{s fl{ttjng to another perch.

as tho Mary Ann had retired

to the depths of some unknown knot-hole to escape this silly chap, and we
heartily wish that we might follow suit."

THE CHICKADEE. 245

No. 107.

CHICKADEE.

A. O. U. No. 735. Parus atricapillus Linn.

Synonyms. — BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE; BLACK-CAPPED TITMOUSE.

Description. — Adult: Top of head and nape shining black; throat dead
black with whitish skirting- posteriorly; a white band on side of head and neck,
increasing in width behind; back and scapulars gray with an olivaceous cast and
more or less admixture of buft'y at the edges and as skirting; wings and tail dusky,
more or less edged, especially on greater coverts and tertials, with ashy or whitish ;
breast and belly white ; sides, flanks and crissum washed with buffy or light rusty
(nearly whitish in summer) ; bill and feet dark. Rather variable in size; one adult
specimen in the O. S. U. collections measures: wing 2.27 (57.7) ; tail 2.10 (53.3) ;
bill .34 (8.6). Another: wing 2.70 (68.6); tail 2.57 (65.3); bill .38 (9.7).
Length, 4.75-5.75 (120.6-146.1); average of eight Columbus specimens of
medium size : wing 2.60 (66.) ; tail 2.44 (62.) ; bill .36 (9.1).

Recognition Marks. — Warbler size ; black of head and throat, and general
gray tone of remaining plumage. Not certainly distinguishable by plumage alone,
except in the hand, from the next species ; larger.

Nest, a heavy mat of moss, grasses, and plant-down, lined with feathers, hair
or fur, in made hole or natural cavity of stump or tree, usually at lower levels.
Eggs, 5-8, white, marked sparingly with reddish brown, in small spots, tending to
gather about larger end. Average size, .58 x .47 (14.7 x 11.9).

General Range. — Eastern North America north of the Potomac and Ohio
Valleys. Not strictly migratory, but roving irregularly south along southern
boundary of range.

Range in Ohio. — Common in northern and sub-northern Ohio. Southern
extension not yet clearly defined. "Abundant resident in northern and probably
eastern Ohio. Not common winter visitor in central and southern Ohio"
(Wheaton).

BY a subtle instinct every one connects the Chickadee with winter.
Springtime gaity is a cheap thing and is rated accordingly. Who could help
being cheerful when the forests are heaving with blossom, and a thousand
sweet odors are filling the nostrils ? But here is a bird that loves to hear the
north wind go IVoo-oo-oo, and whose good cheer is brought to its fullest per-
fection only by the teasing of the frost. If you have wandered out into the
leafless woods to mourn for the departed joys of summer or to sigh for the
return of spring, this little fellow hastens down from the tree-tops to com-
fort you, and to cry Chick-a-dec, Chick-a-dee-dce-dee. The beady little eyes
sparkle all the while with merriment, and there is no such thing as sadness
possible after a visit from the Titmouse troupe.

246

THE CHICKADEE.

Chickadee's good cheer is partly explained by the fact that he has a
very warm coat — he looks like a little muff himself — and by the fact that
the sort of food he likes is reasonably plentiful in winter. The bird eats
insects at all times of year, but his staple diet is formed by the eggs and larvae
of insects. These are found tucked away in the crevices of bark, or grouped
on the under surface of the smaller limbs and persistent leaves. On this ac-
count the Black-cap must frequently hang head downward, and this he does
very gracefully, using his tail to balance himself with, much as a boy does his

Taken near Columbus. Photo by thc Author.

"A CLINGING SNOW COMES AND BURIES THE NORTHERN HALF OF HIS HUNTING-GROUND."

legs in hanging from a "turning pole," swinging to and fro as if he thor-
oughly enjoyed it. Once in a while a clinging snow comes and buries the
northern half of his hunting-ground. Then is the time to hang out a lump
of suet, or to scatter bits of meat — unless your bounties are always claimed
by the English sparrow.

Besides the frequent repetition of its name, Chickadee, the bird has a
brusque tse-day, tse-day of uncertain meaning, and a day, day, day, day of
discomposure and indignation. The birds of a flock intent on feeding keep

CAROLINA CHICKADEE

Parus carolinenxls

Life-size

THE CAROLINA CHICKADEE. 247

track of each other by the utterance of a faint tsip; and this note serves as
well for the guidance of friendly Creepers and other members of the
winter troop. In contrast with these more prosaic sounds comes the
mating" call, Swee-tee or Swee-tee-tee, high-pitched, clear and sweet as
a voice of home. The notes ring true
and may be readily imitated by thin lips.
This song, if such it may be called, also
serves a variety of purposes bordering on those of courtship, and its use by
an observer often serves to call up a motley company of birds where before
the woods were silent.

Contrary to the wont of most hole-nesting birds, the Chickadee believes in
warm blankets. Into the chosen cavity, whether natural or artificial, the
birds lug immense quantities of moss, wool, hair, or rabbits' fur, until
the place is half filled ; and the sitting bird, during the chilly days of April,
is snug and warm.

Ordinarily a hole is dug by the birds in a rotten stub at a height of
two or three feet. Sometimes a deserted nest of the Downy Woodpecker
is used, but on the other hand, excavations are sometimes made in green
wood. Several nests I have seen in willow and poplar saplings, and at
a height of fifteen or twenty feet.

Young Chickadees are such cunning little creatures that the tempta-
tion to fondle them is often irresistible. The parents may have very de-
cided views as to the propriety of such action, or they may regard you as
some benevolent giant whose ways are above suspicion. Not infrequent-
ly the parent birds will venture upon the hand or shoulder to pursue their
necessary offices, if their young are kindly entreated.

No. 108.

CAROLINA CHICKADEE.

A. O. U. No. 736. Parus carolinensis Aud.

Synonym. — SOUTHERN CHICKADEE.

Description. — Adult : Similar to preceding species, but averaging smaller ;
black of throat a little more extensive and sharply defined below, shining like that
of crown ; greater coverts tvithout whitish edging, the edging of wing-quills and
lateral tail-feathers less extensive, not whitish, but dull bluish ash ; back, etc.
uniform brownish ash ; second primary appreciably longer than secondaries.
Length, 4.25-4.65 (io8.-ii8.i) ; wing 2.47 (62.7); tail 2.10-2.50 (53.3-63.5);
average 2.19 (55.6) ; bill .32 (8.1).

248

THE CAROLINA CHICKADEE.

Recognition Marks. — Pygmy size ; similar to preceding species, but usually
decidedly smaller ; plumage not positively distinguishable except in the hand ; has
different notes.

Nesting. — Substantially like that of preceding species. Eggs, not different.
Average size, .60 x .50 (i5.2x 12.7).

Taken in Morgan County. plwto by the Autho

A HAUNT OF THE CAROLINA CHICKADEE.

A NESTING HOLE MAY BE SEEN NEAR THE TOP OF THE CENTRA!, STUB.

THE CAROLINA CHICKADEE. 249

General Range. — Southeastern states, north to New Jersey and Illinois, west
to Missouri.

Range in Ohio. — Common in southern, especially southeastern, Ohio. Regu-
lar but not so common in central and central-northern Ohio.

THIS bird bears so close a resemblance to the preceding species that
great confusion has existed in regard to them both. In the main their habits
are very similar, and the differential points sought to be established be-
tween them on this ground seem a little fanciful.

Dr. Wheaton reported the Carolina Chickadee common in the vicinity
of Columbus, and considered it the only breeding species. He says, "Ar-
rives about the middle of April ; apparently departs for the south soon after
the breeding season." I have never positively identified it here, and the
eight local specimens in the O. S. U. collections all belong to the northern
form. All recently seen in winter were certainly P. atricapillus, and I am
inclined to think that the few local breeding birds are of the same species.
On the other hand the two forms were found last winter, near the Lick-
ing Reservoir, mingling freely in a large winter troop, while P. carolinensis
alone was found breeding there the following season. The latter bird is
found exclusively in the southern part of the state, and in the Ohio River
counties is one of the commonest of all birds.

The most satisfactory distinction between the two forms is that of song.
The notes of the southern form are more varied, and once understood need never
be confused with those of the Black-cap. The mating call usually consists of t\vo
doubled notes, kusivee, kiisu'ee, and the first of each pair is lower than the other :
But in Lawrence County we heard a song of three syl-
lables, of which the first was faintest and highest, and
the remaining two showed an interval greater than the
Black-cap. Sometimes the first note \vas raised to full rank, and we had
a descending scale of three notes. We were repeatedly tricked by this Chick-
adee's note into looking for Cowbirds; but on second thought it was seen
really to resemble more closely (and then only occasionally) that of the Rusty
Grackle. In company the lesser Chickadee is given to the use of a peculiar
sneezing note, Kechezaivick, kechezazvick, by which it is possible to recog-
nize him instantly. Sometimes the bird's entire repertoire is drawn upon
at once, and there issues forth a wild medley of day, day's, sneezes and
whistled calls, which together make up a sort of ecstatic love song.

250 THE BROWN CREEPER.

No. 109.

BROWN CREEPER.

A. O. U. No. 726. Certhia familiaris americanus (Bonap.).

Description. — Adults: Above, dark brown, broadly and loosely streaked
with ashy white ; more finely and narrowly streaked on crown ; rump bright cinna-
mon ; wing-quills crossed by two whitish bars, one on both webs near base, the
other on outer webs alone; greater coverts, secondaries, and tertials tipped with
white; tail fuscous, — slightly decurved, open W-shaped at end, of elastic, acumi-
nate feathers ; below, soiled white, sometimes tinged with tawny on flanks and
crissum; bill slender, decurved. Length, 5.00-5.75 (i27.-i46.i) ; average of five
Columbus specimens: wing 2.54 (64.5) ; tail 2.22 (56.4) ; bill .56 (14.2). Female
averages a little smaller than male.

Recognition Marks. — Warbler size; singularly variegated in modest colors
above; the only brown creeper.

Nesting. — Not known to breed in Ohio. Nest, of twigs, bark-strips, moss,
etc., crowded behind a warping scale of bark. Eggs, 5-8, white or creamy- white,
speckled and spotted with cinnamon-brown or hazel, chiefly in wreath about larger
end. Average size, .61x47 (15.5x11.9).

General Range. — Eastern North America, breeding from the northern and
more elevated parts of the United States northward, and casually further south ;
migrating southward in winter.

Range in Ohio. — Common fall and spring migrant. Winter resident in cen-
ancl southern portions; found less commonly, or casually, in northern Ohio in
winter.

DEAR, patient, plodding mortal! How we wish it were in our power
to relieve him, if but for an hour, of the endless monotony of tree-climb-
ing! But, no; he has scarcely reached the main branches of one tree-trunk
when he lets go "like a bit of loosened bark," and brings up punctually at
the base of another. With now and then a plaintive chip which is little bet-
ter than a sigh, he hitches along the bark, winding spirally up the tree,
and pausing at the end of every jerk to inspect the crevices for insects and
their larvae. Little attention is paid to man's presence and, indeed, the
bird seems scarcely to indulge a thought above his task. Work, work, work,
— while Titmouse is plotting mischief, and Chickadee is turning somersaults,
this unimaginative clerk is adding up his endless columns and telling off the
digits in a wiry, piping voice.

The Creeper knows that he is a near-sighted fellow, but he is sharp enough
to depend on the wits of others. When the winter troop is ranging freely
he follows close and pipes shrilly, "Wait for me, wait for me," if he thinks
the bigger children are trying to give him the slip. I have watched a pair
of them tagging a Nuthatch about from tree to tree as faithfully as a brace
of poodles.

Cert I,

Life-size

THE MOCKINGBIRD. 251

Yet he too has his little pleasures. One bug is not quite like another in
bugginess, so that any bark rift may render up some entomological curiosity
rare of form and gustable of juice. And when the lush days of springtime
come, even this understrapper gets giddy and rushes out into space, jerking
hither and thither in an aerial frenzy and cutting the most absurd figures ;
after which he comes back to his bark, beaming and panting, and expecting
the plaudits of an admiring world. This spirited performance proves highly
satisfactory to at least one witness, and prepares the way for that domestic joy
in the Northland, which is not denied the humblest, and which lifts all mortals
to an equal plane.

While with us the Creeper rarely sings, and its ordinary notes, chip and
tscep, tseep, or "creep, creep, cree, crcc," require careful distinction from
those of the Golden-crowned Kinglet ; but in its breeding haunts it is said to
have a delicate and pleasing song.

No. no.

MOCKINGBIRD.

A. O. U. No. 703. Mimus polyglottos (Linn.).

Description. — Adults : Upper parts ashy gray, sometimes with a brownish
tinge ; wings and tail dusky on exposed portions, with faint, grayish edging ; pri-
maries, except outer one, and secondaries broadly white at base, — the former nearly,
and the latter entirely, concealed by the greater coverts, which are white with
narrow blackish tips ; also some edging on middle coverts and tertials ; the outer
pair of tail-feathers almost entirely, the next largely (on inner web), the next
pair or pairs touched with, white ; under parts soiled white, sometimes dingy or
brownish, especially behind ; bill black ; feet dark. Young : Similar to adult, but
browner above; speckled with dusky below. Length 9.00-11.00 (228.6-279.4);
wing 4.45 (113.); tail 4.80 (121.9); bUl -7° C1/-^)- Quite variable in all its
dimensions. Female averages a little smaller.

Recognition Marks. — Robin size; a gray bird with a long tail, and exhibit-
ing much white on wing in flight ; unmistakable.

Nest, of twigs, weed-stalks, and trash, lined with rootlets, plant-down, hair,
etc., placed at lower levels in thickets, orchard trees, etc. Eggs, 4-6, bluish white,
greenish blue, or, rarely, buffy, spotted or blotched, chiefly near the larger end,
with yellowish brown, cinnamon-brown or chestnut. Variable in size. Average
.98x72 (24.9X 18.3).

General Range. — United States south into Mexico. Rare or irregular north
of about latitude 38°. Bahamas.

252 THE MOCKINGBIRD.

Range in Ohio. — Found frequently but not regularly during breeding season,
southern portion ; breeds occasionally in southeast portion. Rare or accidental
elsewhere. Formerly reported breeding near Cleveland. Casual in winter (two
records).

in

THE Mockingbird is the acknowledged chief of American songsters,
and is declared by many connoisseurs both at home and abroad to be the best
in the world. Its claim to supremacy is stoutly contested by the friends of
the Nightingale, and the endless discussion of their comparative merits
still goes on. Instead of presuming to decide between the rival claimants, one
may be permitted to point out the futility of comparisons. Enjoyment of
bird music is so largely a matter of training, temperament and association,
and the music itself so diverse in conception and execution, that compari-
sons are meaningless. As well try to decide the relative merits of the keys
of E flat and C sharp, or of the violet and the blue rays of the solar spectrum.
Things which belong to the same order may still be incomparable.

Certainly, however, as a mimic the Mockingbird has no peer. Nothing
in bird song seems beyond him. His memory is prodigious and his artistic
feeling admirable. Great individual differences exist among the performers.
Other things being equal advancing age confers increasing skill. All malebirds,
except the very youngest, may be able to imitate accurately, but some impart an
artistic interpretative quality, which enables them easily to surpass their models.
Thus a caged Mocker belonging to a Dr. Golz of Berlin captivated the heart
of cultured Europe, and the hall of avian fame is still ringing with his praises.

A captive specimen I once observed in Oberlin proclaimed unconscious-
ly the history of his early life. He reproduced not merely the bird songs of
the village, but those of the wildwood as well, where he must have been reared.
Besides these the various songs and noises to be heard in the average bird-
store were faithfully presented. Some of his mimicry was irresistibly fetch-
ing, and I stood rooted to the pavement as the bird sang from a suspended cage
at some distance. "What puzzled me most, however, about his performance
was that he always stood silent whenever a bantam rooster, some two blocks
or so away, crowed. When his mistress assured me that it was the Mocking-
bird that crowed, I could scarcely believe my ears. Having always heard the
rooster at a distance the Mocker reproduced the sound in exactly the same
way, with the ventriloquistic effort manifestly resulting. The crowing of the
bantam was a favorite trick of his, and J noticed that he usually followed it by
the scream of a Hawk. The challenge of the cock followed by the cry of his
enemy was certainly as clever a piece of stage-work as ever a glee club did
in a melange. In the course of a quarter of an hour songs and cries of the
following birds were recognized : Robin, Cuckoo, Flicker, Red-headed Wood-
pecker, Red-eyed Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Yellow-breasted Chat, Purple Martin,
Red-shouldered Hawk, Flycatchers (probably Green-crested) fighting, Barn-

THE MOCKINGBIRD. 253

Swallow, White-breasted Nuthatch, Wood Pewee, Baltimore Oriole, Parrot,
Canary, and Rooster; besides these, numerous "baby calls" not quite clear.
Among his many bird-store reminiscences I made sure at one time that the
monkeys were quarreling in their cage. His torrent of borrowed songs was
continually changing, like a kaleidoscope. I timed him once, and the tune was
changed eighty-seven times in seven minutes. Of these I was able to recognize
only fifty-eight as they flew — that of the Robin appearing twenty-two times.

The bird not only sings for hours at a time during the day, but often well
into the night, or, in the mating season, practically all night. According to Nehr-
ling, the daylight hours are largely occupied with imitations and renditions of
other masters, while during the night the song is almost entirely original,
exhibiting the full compass of a poet's emotions, but oftenest tender and sub-
lime. Maurice Thompson has given us unrivalled descriptions of what he is
pleased to call the "dropping song," an ecstacy of the nuptial season, during
which the male descends step by step an aerial staircase, measured off by the
periods of his own passion during a perfect tempest of song.

Mockingbirds are very domestic in their tastes, in the double sense of
being both fond of their own home and of the haunts of men. With slight
encouragement they will nest in nearby shrubbery, or even in clinging vines or
upon the porch rails of a house. Their presence is a benediction to a farm-
yard, both for the excellent music they discourse, and for the spirited defense
which the male makes against Hawks and other intruders.

The occurrence of the Mockingbird in Ohio is quite irregular. It has
been recorded as a transient in the northern part of the state, but its appearance
anywhere in the northern two-thirds is matter of surprise. Rev. W. F. Hen-
ninger reports it as very rare in the region of the lower Scioto. Messrs. Arrick
and Morris of McConnelsville reported a little colony of them breeding near
that place in the summer of 1896. During January of this year the same gen-
tlemen sent me a specimen which had been taken on the 25th of that month
from a federated troop of winter birds of the usual sorts. There was two
inches of snow upon the ground at the time, but the Mocker was in excellent
condition.

254

THE CATBIRD.

No. in.

CATBIRD.

A. O. U. Xo. 704. Galeoscoptes carolinensis (Linn.).

Description. — Adult: Slate-color, lightening almost imperceptibly below;
black on top of head and on tail ; under tail-coverts chestnut, sometimes spotted
with slaty ; bill and feet black. Length 8.00-9.35 (203.2-237.5) ; wing 3.59 (91.2) ;
tail 3.65 (92.7); bill .62 (15.8).

Recognition Marks. — Chewink size ; almost uniform slaty coloration dis-
tinctive.

Nest, of twigs, weed-stalks, vegetable fibers, and trash, carefully lined with
fine rootlets, placed at indifferent heights in bushes or thickets. Eggs, 4-5, deep
emerald-green, glossy. Average size, .95 x .69 (24.1 x 17.5).

General Range. — Eastern United States and British Provinces, west regu-
larly to and including the Rocky [Mountains, irregularly to the Pacific Coast from
British Columbia to central California. Breeds from the Gulf States northward to
the Saskatchewan. Winters in the southern states, Cuba, and middle America
to Panama. Bermuda, resident. Accidental in Europe.

Range in Ohio. — Of general distribution in summer ; abundant.

Photo by the Authc

A GOOD PLACE FOR CATBIRDS.

THE CATBIRD. 255

THOSE who hold either a good or a bad opinion of the Catbird are one-
sided in their judgment. Two, and not less than two, opinions are possible
of one and the same bird. He is both imp and angel, a "feathered Mephis-
topheles" and "a heavenly singer." But this is far from saying that the bird
lives a double life in the sense ordinarily understood, for in the same minute
he is grave, gay, pensive and clownish. Nature made him both a wag and a
poet, and it is no winder if the the roguishness and high philosophy become
inextricably entangled. One moment he steps forth before you as sleek as Beau
Brummel, graceful, polished, equal-eyed; then he cocks his head to one
side and squints at you like a thief; next he hangs his head, droops wings
and tail, and looks like a dog being lectured for killing sheep ; — Presto, change !
the bird pulls himself up to an extravagant height and with exaggerated gruff-
ness, croaks out, "Who are you?" Then without waiting for an answer to
his impudent question, the rascal sneaks off through the bushes, hugging every
feather close to the body, delivering a running fire of cat-calls, squawks and ex-
pressions of contempt. There is no accounting for him ; he is an irrepressible —
and a genius.

The Catbird is at home anywhere in bushes and shrubbery. River banks
are lined with them, and swampy tangles are thronged with them, but they also
exhibit a decided preference for the vicinage of man and, if allowed to, will
frequent the plum trees and raspberry bushes. They help themselves pretty
freely to the fruit of the latter, but their services in insect-eating compensate
for their keep a hundred-fold. Nests are placed almost anywhere at moderate
heights, but thickety places are preferred, and the Carolina rosebush is
acknowledged to be the ideal spot. The birds exhibit the greatest distress
when their nest is disturbed, and the entire neighborhood is aroused to expres-
sions of sympathy by their pitiful cries.

Comparing the scolding and call notes of a Catbird with the mewing of a
cat has perhaps been a little overdone, but the likeness is strong enough to
lodge in the mind and to fasten the bird's "trivial name" upon it forever. Be-
sides a mellow phut, phut in the bush, the bird has an aggravating mec-a-a,
and a petulant call note which is nothing less than Ma-a-ry. Cautious to a
degree and timid, the bird is oftener heard in the depths of the thicket than
elsewhere, but he sometimes mounts the tree-top, and the opening "Phut, phut,
coquillicot" — as Mrs. Blanchan hears it — is the promise of a treat.

Generalizations are apt to be inadequate when applied to singers of such
brilliant and varied gifts as the Catbird's. It would be impertinent to say:
Homo sapiens has a cultivated voice and produces music of the highest order.
Some of us do and some of us do not. Similarly some Catbirds are "self-
conscious and affected." "pause after each phrase to mark its effect upon the
audience," etc. Some lack originality, feeling, are incapable of sustained
effort, cannot imitate other birds, etc. But some Catbirds are among the most

256

THE CATBIRD.

talented singers known. One such I remember, which, overcome by the charms
of a May day sunset, mounted the tip of a pasture elm, and poured forth a
hymn of praise in which every voice of woodland and field was laid .under con-
tribution. Yet all were suffused by the singer's own emotion. Oh, how that
voice rang out upon the still evening air ! The bird sang with true feeling,
an artist in every sense, and the delicacy and accuracy of his phrasing must
have silenced a much more captious critic than I. Never at a loss for a note,
never pausing to ask himself what he should sing next, he went steadily on,
now with a phrase from Robin's song, now with the shrill cry of the Red-
headed Woodpecker, each softened and refined as his own infallible musical

taste dictat-
ed ; now and
again he in-
t e r spersed
these with
bits of his
own none less
b e a utiful.
The carol of
the Vireo,the
tender ditties
of the Song
and Vesper
Spa rrows,
and the more
pretent ious
efforts of the
G r o s beaks,
had all im-
pressed
them selves
upon this

musician's ear, and he repeated them, not slavishly, but with discernment and
deep appreciation. As the sun sank lower in the west I left him there, a dull
gray bird, with form scarcely outlined against the evening sky, but my soul
had taken flight with his — up into that blest abode where all Nature's voices
are blended into one, and all music is praise.

l»

Taken near Waverly.

Photo by Rev.
AN EARI/Y NEST.

THE BROWN THRASHER. 257

No. 112.

BROWN THRASHER.

A. O. U. No. 705. Toxostoma rufum (Linn.).

Description. — Adult : Upper parts, including tail, warm cinnamon-brown, or
tawny-cinnamon ; paler, brownish gray, on forehead ; sides of head gray, obscurely
dotted or mottled with brown ; wings dusky on concealed webs only ; coverts tipped
with dusky and white; outer tail-feathers sometimes faintly tipped with whitish,
often much worn and frayed ; under parts white or brownish white, silky, heavily
spotted on sides of throat, breast and sides, with dark brown. The spots are
brown-centered and dusky-edged, or solid dusky, tear-shaped, or wedge-shaped,
and sharply defined on the silky background. Bill dark brown above; lower
mandible yellow at base, but dusky at end ; culmen curved near tip ; feet brown.
Length 10.50-12.00 (266.7-304.8); average of four Columbus specimens: wing
4.07 (103.4) ; tail 4.90 (124.5) J bill .98 (24.9).

Recognition Marks. — Robin size ; cinnamon-brown above ; whitish and heav-
ily spotted below ; long tail and rather long bill.

Nest, of sticks, twigs, bark-strips and trash, lined with rootlets, horse-hair, or
feathers, placed at medium heights in hedge-rows, orchard trees, or thorn thickets.
Eggs, 4-5, sometimes 6, bluish or greenish white, sometimes buffy, thickly sprinkled
all over with cinnamon, but usually most thickly near larger end. Average size,
i. 07 x. 80 (27.2x20.3).

General Range. — Eastern United States west to the Rocky Mountains ; north
to southern Maine, Ontario and Manitoba. Breeds from the Gulf States north-
ward. Accidental in Europe.

Range in Ohio. — Regular but not abundant summer resident throughout the
state.

THE last of this splendid trio of mocking singers is even more secretive
than the others in its ordinary habits, and bolder yet in song. Early in spring
the Thrashers steal northward up the river valleys, skulking along fence-rows
or hiding in brush-heaps and tangles, and rarely discovering themselves to
human eyes until the breeding ground is reached. Here, too, if the weather is
unpropitious, they will mope and lurk silently; but as soon as the south wind
repeats the promise of spring the Thrasher mounts a tree-top and clears his
throat for action.

Choosing usually a spot a little way removed from the road, the singer
sends his voice careering over field and meadow, lane and wood-lot, till all may
hear him for a hundred rods around. What a magnificent aria he sings!
Precise, no doubt, and conscious, but it is full-voiced and powerful. Now and
then he lapses into mimicry, but for the most part his notes are his own —
piquant, incisive, peremptory, stirring1. There is in them the gladness of the

258

THE BROWN THRASHER.

open air, the jubilant boasting of a soul untamed. Each phrase is repeated
twice.

"That's the wise thrush ; he sings each song twice over,

Lest you think he never could recapture

The first fine careless rapture."

He opens his bill wide, his body vibrates with emotion, and each note is
graced by a compensating movement of the drooping tail.

Altho the Brown Thrasher does not make such hopeless confusion of jest
and earnest as does the Catbird, there is still something of the buffoon about
him, and his ways in the bush are not altogether above criticism. Possibly

Photo by B. B. Williamson.

NEST OF THE BROWN THRASHER.

with the best of motives, but still in a very annoying fashion the bird sneaks
about through the brush and insists upon knowing your business. From time
to time it utters a sharp repulsive tsook, and occasionally a suggestive yon-uh,
which makes one feel conspicuous and uncomfortable. The bird's eye too,
with its orange iris, while it must be admitted to harmonize perfectly with the
warm russet of the plumage, has a sinister cast which might prejudice the
unthinking.

CAROLINA WREN

Thrj/othoru-8 ludovicianux

About Life-size

THE CAROLINA WREN. 259

In defense if its home the Thrasher is almost fearless, often placing itself
within reach of the observer's hand, and calling down upon him all the while
the most dreadful woes. The female is a close sitter, and portraits in nido are
not difficult to obtain.

Nesting sites are various, but the bird shows a decided preference for
those which are naturally defended by thorns. Nearly every full sized Cra-
tegus (thorn apple) has at one time harbored a nest. Hedges of osage-orange
are well patronized — almost exclusively so in the prairie states further west —
and the honey-locust tree is not forgotten. Next after these come wild plum
thickets, grape-vine tangles, brush heaps, fence corners, and last of all, the
ground.

No. 113.

CAROLINA WREN.

A. O. U. No. 718. Thryothorus ludovicianus (Lath.).

Synonyms. — GREAT CAROLINA WREN; MOCKING WREN.

Description. — Adult: Above rufous-brown or rusty (quite variable as to
shade), duller or darker on head, brighter on rump, with concealed downy white
spots ; wings and tail like back, but finely and rather indistinctly barred with dusky ;
a conspicuous, white superciliary line, bordered indistinctly behind with blackish ;
a broad, rusty stripe behind eye ; under parts white, much washed with tawny or
pale rusty across the breast and on the flanks and lower belly ; sometimes the rusty
is so pronounced that only the chin remains whitish; lower tail-coverts heavily
barred with dusky; bill and feet brown, the former decurved. Length 5.50-6.00
(139.7-152.4) ; average of ten Columbus specimens: wing 2.32 (58.9) ; tail 1.90
(48.3) ; bill along exposed culmen .67 (17.).

Recognition Marks. — W^arbler to Sparrow size; largest of the Ohio Wrens.

Nest, a bulky mass of grasses, hay, leaves, and trash, lined with fine grasses,
feathers, etc., placed in some cavity or cranny of stump, log, brush-pile or the like.
Eggs, 4-6, white, cream-white or light buff, thickly speckled with cinnamon-
brown and lavender, well distributed or wreathed about larger end. Average
size, .73 x .59 (18.5 x 15.).

General Range. — Eastern United States north to southern New York, south-
ern Michigan and southern Nebraska; west to the Plains. Rare or 'casual in
southern New York and southern Ontario. Resident nearly throughout its

range.

Range in Ohio. — "Abundant in southern, common and resident in middle,
rare in northern Ohio." Wheaton's statement still applies.

WHEN the bird man settles down into a shady nook and begins screep-
ing, that is, making a sharp kissing sound on the back of the hand, to attract

26o THE CAROLINA WREN.

the birds, the very first fellow to come is always the Carolina Wren. He had
been catching spiders about the root of a fallen tree, but like the true Athenian,
he will hear the new thing at whatever cost. Bustling, tittering, and talking
excitedly to himself he hurries up. At the first sight of the stranger he jumps
as if shot, but he has presence of mind enough to dodge behind a log and take
chattering counsel of his fears. Then, more cautiously, he emerges and begins
a systematic search. Now scampering along a log with tail in air like a chip-
munk, now squatting in sudden alarm, or craning and bubbling apprehen-
sively, the little feathered ferret turns up first on this side of you, then on that,
until his curiosity is thoroughly satisfied ; — it is only a man.

This little brown pixie is the most energetic and tireless creature of the
woods. He not only manages to mind his o\vn business but everybody else's
as well, and if one only knew how to approach him, he would doubtless be
found a perfect encyclopedia of wood-lore. He chatters with the squirrels,
explores crannies with mice, climbs trees with the Creepers, and sings with
the best of them. Altho quite devoted to the brush-heaps and dells of the
deeper woods, he is also thoroughly at home in the vicinity of man, and often
patronizes our porches and outbuildings with the freedom of a House Wren.

It is, however, as a songster that the Great Carolina Wren has endeared1
himself to the hearts of all. Those \vho are accustomed only to the sputtering
of the House Wren are taken completely by surprise when they hear the clear,
rich bugle notes of this maestro. Indeed, for clear enunciation, vivacity, and
carrying power, they yield the palm to none. No two individuals are ever
quite alike in their major notes or song, but the following are characteristic
scngs: Cle-er-he-hew, cle-er-he-hew, cle-er-he-hevj , cle-ezv; Richelieu,
Richelieu, Richelieu. One merry wight on the banks of the Muskingum, in-
quired of the passing canoeists, D'y'ever tee-ter? Je-ver tee-ter? Je-ver tee-
ter? We confessed that we sometimes did, but felt obliged to decline teeter-
ing with him upon a nodding sunflower. A Cincinnati bird as gay, shouted,
Sugar to eat, sugar to eat, sugar to eat, sugar, in a most convincing way ; but
this invitation also was declined.

On all occasions this nervous little creature appears to be full of a sort
of compressed air, which escapes from time to time in a series of mild ex-
plosions, like the lid of a tea-kettle being jarred up and down by steam. When
the valve is opened a little wider there follows an accelerando rattling call,
which seems to be modeled after the chirr of the red squirrel ; and when the
throttle is held wide open the rattling notes are telescoped together into an
emphatic "kurr'r'st," which brings one up standing.

Carolina Wrens are given great credit for secretiveness. Their nests,
when placed in brush piles or under logs are not always easy to locate, and
even when they select a cranny in an outbuilding, the visiting parents will
sometimes exhibit all the caution of spies in approaching their nest. But of-

THE CAROLINA WREN. 261

tener they leave a trail of sound, at least, behind them. The first nest the
writer ever found was exhibited gratuitously by a proud father. The bird
signalled the stranger and then hopped along in plain sight, only stopping now
and then to be sure that he was being followed, until he came to a sycamore
stump. Here he thrust his head into a cranny and buzzed excitedly. The
bird-man drew near and noted a single egg, while the Wren capered about
with every appearance of delight at the admiring glances cast upon the bird-
to-be.

This particular nest completely filled the cavity it occupied, and even the

Taken in McConnelsville. Photo by the Author.

BE IT EVER SO MUSSY THERE'S NO*PLACE LIKE HOME.

entrance was "boarded up" until it represented the precise dimensions of the
occupant. One of the latest pieces of furnishing consisted of a half-length
of sloughed-off snake skin, which rolled easily into the center of the nest
when disturbed. The nest shown in the accompanying cut is a typical accu-
mulation of trash such as the Carolina Wren delights in. The mass to the
left, poorly defined in the dim light of the tool-house, represents the "cock's
nest/' an incomplete structure where the male bird spends his nights.

Carolina Wrens are very prolific. Not only are seven or eight eggs some-
times laid for a sitting, but three broods are raised in a season, and these so

262 THE BEWICK WREN.

rapidly that the male bird often has the care of two broods while his mate is
occupied with the third. The breeding season is quite variable. Many first
broods are raised in March; some in February. Professor Butler records an
instance in which fresh eggs were found on the first day of December, at
Brookville, Indiana.

The species is on the increase, notably in the northern part of the state.
It first made its appearance in Lorain County in 1899, and has been found
there regularly since. In the summer of 1901 the bird was found by Professor
Jones and myself on Isle St. George and on East Sister Island, the latter in
Canadian territory. The geographical movement of this species is a typical
example of that "northward trend," to which Professor Jones has so ably
called attention in his recent Catalog of the Birds of Ohio.

No. 114.
BEWICK WREN.

A. O. U. No. 719. Thryomanes bewickii (Aud.).

Description. — Adults : Above, dark olive-brown, or rufous-brown with an
olive tinge ; the rump with downy, concealed, white spots ; wings showing at least
traces of dusky barring, — sometimes complete on tertials; tail blackish on con-
cealed portions, distinctly and finely barred with blackish on exposed portions ;
the outer pairs of feathers white-tipped and showing white barring, incipient or
complete on terminal third ; a narrow white superciliary stripe, and an indistinct
dark stripe through eye; under parts grayish white, dark tinged on sides and
flanks ; under tail-coverts heavily barred with dusky ; bill dark brown above,
lighter below; culmen slightly decurved. Length 5.00-5.50 (I27.-I39-7) ; wing
2.08 (52.8) ; tail 2.01 (51.1) ; bill .53 (13.5).

Recognition Marks. — Warbler size ; known from House Wren by supercil-
iary stripe, and whiter under parts, mostly unbarred ; more deliberate in its move-
ments.

Nest, anywhere in holes or Grannies about buildings, posts, brush-heaps, etc. ;
of twigs, lined with grasses and miscellaneous soft materials ; not distinguishable
from those of T. aedon. Eggs, 4-6, sometimes 7, white, speckled — usually not so
heavily as in T. aedon — with cinnamon- or rufous-brown, and purplish, uniform-
ly, or chiefly in wreath near larger end. Average size, .66 x .48 ( 16.8 x 12.2) .

General Range. — Eastern United States, west to the eastern border of the
Plains and eastern Texas; rare east of the Alleghanies north of Maryland and
Delaware; north irregularly in the Mississippi Valley to southern Minnesota.
Migratory only along the northern border of its range.

Range in Ohio. — Formerly unknown in the state, it has recently made its
appearance, and is on the increase in some parts of southern and central Ohio, —
notably in the Valley of the Scioto.

THE BEWICK WREN.

263

BARELY known as an Ohio bird at Wheaton's time (its nest having been
found once in Circleville) the Bewick Wren today is the Wren of Southern
Ohio. Since his arrival the House Wren has "left the country" and has been
entirely replaced by this better songster and thriftier species. When the chill-
ing blasts of February, 1899, howled over the Scioto Valley bottoms and crept
into every ravine of the hills, the thermometer standing at 30° below zero,
when Goldfinches and Spar-
rows dropped out of the
exhausted and frozen, the
cheerful voice of the Be-
wick Wren was
loudly ringing from
some favorite perch.
How I had to
envy him!
While man and

sky

Taken near
Wa-cerly.

A NEST IN THE WOOD-PILE.

Photo by
Rev. W. F.
Henninger.

beast were seeking shelter from this cold, and the earth wras groaning under
its burden of snow, he, undaunted, gay and light-hearted, was singing in
anticipation of the joyous springtime. And again when trees and flowers
bloom, or when midsummer's sun is blazing down in unabated fury, his song
greets us at our home. Not a voluble merry chatter, like the House Wren's,
but clear, strong and cheery, easily heard for a quarter of a mile, — such is
the song of Bewick's Wren. Easily distinguished from the former he has
the same teasing days about him, — now peeping into some corner, now ex-
amining the woodpile, now crawling into a knot-hole of the smoke-house,
creeping forth like a mouse at the next moment, whisking his erectly-carried
tail, watching you carefully though fearlessly, he all of a sudden mounts
some fenc^-post, pours forth his proud metallic notes, drops down into the
chicken yard, disappears in the pig pen, mockingly scolds at you, sings again, and
is willing to keep this game up all day. We do not know which to admire more.

264

THE BEWICK WREN.

his beautiful
song or his
confidence in
man.

The height
of these ac-
t i o n s is
reached at
the mating
season, for
he is the bird
that makes
life sweet
about the old
log cabins,
deserted
w o odpiles
and half-de-
stroyed or-
chards. Al-
m o s t any
place in the
n e i ghbor-
hood of man
is chosen for
a nesting

site. The arm-pit of an old coat, old tin and coffee cups, log cabin nooks and
corners, often contain his nest. This is rather bulky, composed of sticks,
grass, wool, horse and cow hairs, quail and chicken feathers, snake skins and
other rubbish. From four to eleven eggs are found in it in April and again in
June. They are white with various spots of lilac-gray and brown, and my
observations lead me to the belief that the eggs of the older birds are more
heavily spotted than those of the younger ones, and the spots are also better
distributed over the entire surface of the eggs, while those of younger birds
show more minute spots, and these generally in a wreath around the blunt end
of the egg. In about two weeks the eggs are hatched and a jolly crowd of
youngsters soon joins the parents in their insect-hunt, and the next year we
have the pleasure of hearing still oftener this bold, bright songster in his na-
tive haunts. May the Bewick Wren live and thrive forever in the f-igged
hills of southern Ohio, to bring joy and cheerfulness to the hearts of men!

W. F. HENNINGHR.

Takei

Wai-erly. Photo by Rev. W. F.

BEWICK WREN'S NEST IN OLD TIN CUP.

H»

inger.

THE HOUSE WREN. 265

The advance of this sturdy species has progressed at least as far as Co-
lumbus, and there is every reason to suppose that it will ere long possess the
state. In North Columbus, where the author has observed them for three
years past, the following song-forms have been noted: Sweee-terrr, willy,
willy, willy; Sweeter-wee-lie, dong-kerwillits ; Swee-tcrr-link-i-tinki-tinkits;
Sivee-ivee, chow, chee-weely. The rendition of any of the above forms occu-
pies about two and a half seconds, and the clear ringing notes are quite unlike
any other bird song.

No. 115.

HOUSE WREN.

A. O. U. Xo. 721. Troglodytes aedon Vieill.

Description. — Adult : Above, grayish rufous-brown, duller and lighter on
fore parts ; brighter and more rufous on rump, which has concealed downy white
spots ; back indistinctly barred with dusky ; wings on exposed webs and tail all over
distinctly and finely dusky-barred ; sides of head speckled grayish brown, without
definite pattern ; below, light grayish brown, Indistinctly speckled or banded with
darker brownish on fore parts ; heavily speckled and banded with dusky and whit-
ish on flanks and crissum ; bill black above, lighter below ; oilmen slightly
curved; feet brownish. Length 4.50-5.25 (114.3-133.3); wing 2.08 (52.8); tail
1.67 (42.4); bill .47 (11.9).

Recognition Marks. — Warbler size ; brown above, lighter below ; everywhere
more or less speckled and banded with dusky, brownish, or white.

Nest, of sticks and trash, lined with fine grasses or chicken-feathers, placed
in bird-boxes, holes in orchard trees, crannies of out-buildings, etc. Eggs, 4-8,
white, heavily speckled, and usually more or less tinged with pinkish brown or
vinaceous, with a wreath of a heavier shade about the larger end. Average size,
.64 x .51 (16.3 x 13.).

General Range. — Eastern United States and southern Ontario, west to
Indiana and Louisiana. Resident from the middle districts southward.

Range in Ohio. — Common throughout the state in towns and villages, and
about farm-houses. It is being replaced in some localities of southern and central
Ohio by the preceding species.

MANY years ago this cunning little bird gave up its woodland retreats
and adopted the white man. The unconscious lure which led to this result
was doubtless the abundance of toothsome worms, which had already adopted
man's Apples and currants and cabbages. Since that time the discerning have
always put out boxes and gourds or cans to encourage the residence of this
sprightly and valuable friend. The mutual benefit association thus formed
worked admirably, until the advent of the English Sparrow, but since that

266 THE HOUSE WREN.

evil day the Wren has fought a losing battle. If one could believe in the sur-
vival of the "sassiest" the odds would still be in his favor, but the Wren alas !
has not learned the value of cooperation, and his tiny beak, however valiant,
is no match for the concerted action of the aliens. The American Wren
must go.

For some reason, too, the near presence of its cousins, the Carolina and
Bewick Wrens, does not seem to be congenial to this bird, and it has retired
before the latter species, apparently without dispute, from the southern third
of the state ; and one finds it commonly only where neither of the others is to
be found.

Arriving about the middle of April, the House Wren — or Jenny Wren,
as it is fondly called — proceeds immediately to renovate last year's quarters,
and to season the task with frequent bursts of song. In singing his joyous
trill the bird reminds one of a piece of fireworks called a cascade, for he fills
the air with a brilliant bouquet of song, and is himself, one would think, nearly
consumed by the violence of the effort. But the next moment the singer is
carrying out last year's feather-bed by great beakfuls, or lugging into some
cranny sticks ridiculously large for him.

During the nesting season both birds are perfect little spitfires, assaulting
mischievous prowlers with a fearlessness which knows no caution, and scold-
ing in a voice which expresses utmost contempt. The rasping notes produced
on such an occasion remind one of the energetic use of a nutmeg-grater by
a determined housewife.

In providing a nest the birds usually seek to fill up the chosen cavity,
whatever it be — an old coffee pot, a peck measure, a sleeve or pocket of an
old coat, or a mere knot-hole — with sticks and trash. Within this mass, or
preferably on the top of it, a heavily-walled cup of chicken feathers is placed,
and these are held in shape by a few horse-hairs. I once found a set of
Wren's eggs in the deserted nest of a Barn Swallow. Even here the second
tenants had relined the nest, until there was barely room to insert the fingers
between the edge of the nest and the roof of the building.

Not infrequently, whether because of the incessant persecutions of the'
Sparrows, or from a recurrence of ancestral tastes, nests are found far from
any human habitation, in a crevice of a worm fence or in a decayed stump at
the edge of the swamp.

Eggs are deposited at the rate of one each day, and incubation lasts four-
teen days. Two and often three broods are raised in a season, the eggs of
each succeeding set usually being less in number.

THE WINTER WREN. 267

No. 116.

WINTER WREN.

A. O. U. No. 722. Olbiorchilus hiemalis (Vieill.).

Description. — Adult: Above, warm dark brown (burnt umber), duller be-
fore, brighter on rump, obscurely waved or barred with dusky on back, wings, and
tail ; edges of four or five outer primaries spotted with white at regular intervals ;
concealed white spots on rump scarce, or almost wanting ; a pale superciliary line ;
sides of head speckled, brownish and white ; under parts everywhere finely mot-
tled, speckled, or barred, — on the throat and breast mingled brownish (Isabella-
color) and white, below dusky and white, dusky predominating over brown on
flanks and crissum ; bill comparatively short, straight, blackish above, lighter below ;
feet light brown. Length about 4.00 (101.6); average of five Columbus speci-
mens: wing 1.86 (47.2) ; tail 1.26 (32.) ; bill .40 (10.2).

Recognition Marks. — Pygmy size ; dark brown above, lighter below ; more
or less speckled and barred all over ; tail shorter than in preceding species.

Nesting. — Not known to breed in Ohio. Nest, of moss and a few small
twigs, lined heavily with feathers, placed among roots of upturned tree, or in cran-
nies of decayed stumps, brush-heaps, etc., Eggs, 5-7, white or creamy-white, dotted
finely but sparingly with reddish brown ; occasionally blotched with the same ;
sometimes almost unmarked. Average size, .69 x .50 (17.5 x 12.7).

General Range. — Eastern North America, breeding from the northern parts
of the United States northward, and in the Alleghanies south to North Carolina.
Winters from about its southern breeding limits southward.

Range in Ohio. — Regular during migrations, wintering southerly. Found
in winter sparingly in the central portions, casual northerly. A few linger in
northern Ohio into late May and are suspected of breeding.

WHEN the woods are bare and the leaves are huddled into corners to
escape the teasing of a November wind, a little brown shadow flashes up for an
instant at the edge of a brush heap, chitters apprehensively once or twice, and
is gone again, just as you have made up your mind that the Winter Wren has
come. A cautious foot resting on the heap and stirring gently will bring him
out again to estimate the danger. How deliciously absurd it is! this tiny
creature with its sparkling eyes and dumpy form. Its tail, too, is turned
up until it leans the other way, and it gives one the impression that the bird
will tumble forward and nothing to prevent it.

When driven from one cover the Winter Wren instantly seeks another,
and spends little time a-wing, except as it flits from branch to branch. It is
to be found principally along river bottoms and in ravines, under overhanging
banks, and about upturned roots of trees. Some occasionally venture into the

268 THE SHORT-BILLED MARSH WREN.

barns and outbuildings of country places, or may spend the winter about the
wood-pile.

The only note heard commonly is the chit it or chirr of alarm but the full
song is sometimes heard in May in at least the northern tier of counties ; and
there is just a suspicion that it occasionally breeds. Its song is n surprising
effort for a bird so tiny and obscure, — a cataract of tinkling, splashing, gurg-
ling sounds, and wanton trills, lasting for seven or eight seconds.

No. 117.

SHORT-BILLED MARSH WREN.

A. O. U. Xo. 724. Cistothorus stellaris (Licht).

Description. — Adult: Above everywhere streaked or barred with blackish,
ochraceous, and white ; a little clearer ochraceous on hind neck ; wings and tail
heavily barred, the former only on exposed webs, a very faint, pale, superciliary
line ; below white, clear on throat and belly, washed with ochraceous-buffy on sides
of neck, across breast, and on sides ; flanks and crissum darker ochraceous or
tawny ; bill short, dark brown above, pale below ; culmen slightly decurved ; feet
light brown. Length 3.75-4.50 (95.3-114.3) ; wing 1.92 (48.8) ; tail 1.55 (39.4) I
bill .40 (10.2) ; bill from nostril .30 (7.6).

Recognition Marks. — Pygmy size ; heavy dorsal and coronal streaking in
three shades distinctive ; unbarred below as compared with preceding species ; bill
much shorter than that of the next species.

Nest, near the ground, in a tussock of grass, — a globe formed by bringing
the live grass-blades together, and interweaving with vegetable fibers and dried
grasses ; lined with plant-down ; entrance in side. Eggs, 6-8, pure white, un-
marked,— unique in this respect in the family. Av. size, .64 x .49 (16.3 x 12.5).

General Range. — Eastern United States, north to southern New Hampshire,
southern Ontario, southern Michigan, and southern Manitoba, and west to the
Plains. Winters in the South Atlantic and Gulf States.

Range in Ohio. — Rare, or casual in suitable localities, — the Reservoirs, Lake
Erie swamps, etc. Has been known to breed near Cleveland.

IT has never been the author's good fortune to meet with this Wren but
once, and then during migrations, when close study was impossible. It is at
best a rare visitor with us, and nothing has recently come to light regarding
its nesting in the state.

Mr. Ernest E. Thompson says, "This is less a species of the deep water
marshes than is the long-billed member of the genus, and often it will be found

\\

LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN
CistotJinrun pnluxtris

Life-size

THE LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN. 269

in places that are little more than damp meadows. It is remarkably mouse-
like in habits and movements, and can be flushed only with extreme difficulty."

Mr. B. T. Gault, of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, found this bird not uncommon in
the grassy marshes near Sheffield, Indiana, and describes the song as alto-
gether different from that of T. palnstris. "In the manner of delivery it for-
cibly reminds one of the song of the Dickcissel (Spiza americana) altho, of
course, it was not near as loud. They were quite shy but would allow one
to approach within forty or fifty feet of them, when they would dart down
into the thick grass, from which it was almost impossible to dislodge them.
The specimens that I secured were shot from small bushes on the edge of the
marsh, these being the favorite stands occupied by the male in song."

According to Dr. Brewer, the nests of this species are constructed in the
midst of tussocks of coarse, high grass, the tops of the blades being bent down
and interwoven into a stout spherical ball, closed on every side save for one
small aperture. The strong wiry grass of the tussock is also shot through
and interlaced with finer materials brought in by the bird. The whole struc-
ture is almost impervious to rain ; and the inner nest is composed of grasses
and fine sedges, lined with vegetable downs.

No. 118.

LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN.

A. O. U. No. 725. Telmatodytes palustris (Wils.).

Description. — Adult : Crown blackish ; forehead light brown centrally, —
color sometimes spreading superficially over entire crown; hind neck and scapu-
lars light brown (raw umber, nearly) ; rump warm russet; a triangular patch on
back blackish, with prominent white stripes and some admixture of russet ; wings
and tail fuscous or blackish on inner webs, brown with black bars on exposed
surfaces ; sides of head whitish before, plain brown or punctate behind ; a 'white
superciliary line; under parts white, tinged with ochraceous-buff across breast,
and on sides, flanks, and crissum; bill and feet as usual. Length 4.50-5.50 (114.3-
139.7); av- of seven Columbus specimens: wing 1.84 (46.7); tail 1.58 (40.1);
bill along culmen .53 (13.5) ; from nostril .43 (10.9).

Recognition Marks. — Warbler size; brown and black pattern of back with
white stripes distinctive; white superciliary stripe and long bill as distinguished
from preceding species. Strictly confined to cat-tails and long grass of marshes.

Nest, a ball of reeds and grasses, chinked and lined with cat-tail down, with
entrance in side, and suspended in growing cat-tails (Typha latifolia) or bushes.
Eggs, 5-9, so heavily speckled with olive-brown or sepia as to appear almost uni-
form brown. Av. size, .66 x .48 (16.8 x 12.2).

270

THE LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN.

Taken at the Licking Reservoir. Photo by the Author.

NEST OF THE LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN.

THE LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN. 271

General Range. — Eastern United States, north to Massachusetts, Ontario
and southern Manitoba; wintering from the Gulf States south to eastern Mexico,
and locally as far north as southern New England. Breeds throughout its United
States and British American range.

Range in Ohio. — Regular summer resident in suitable localities, — the Reser-
voirs, Lake Erie shore, etc. Found elsewhere, but not commonly, during migra-
tions.

TO the Coots and Rails belong the ooze-infesting morsels of the swamp,
but all the little crawling things which venture into the upper story of the wav-
ing cat-tail forest belong to the Long-billed Marsh Wren. Somewhat less cau-
tious that the water-fowl, he is the presiding genius of flowing acres, which
often have no other interest for the ornithologist. There are only two occa-
sions when the Marsh Wren voluntarily leaves the shelter of the cat-tails or
of the closely related marshables. One of these is when he is driven south
by the migrating instinct. Then he may be seen skulking about the borders
of streams, sheltering in the weeds or clambering about the drift. The other
time is 'in the spring, when the male shoots up into the air a few feet above
the reeds, like a ball from a Roman candle, and sputters all the way, only to
drop back, extinguished, into the reeds again. This is a part of the tactics of
his courting season, when, if ever, a body may be allowed a little liberty. For
the rest he clings sidewise to the cat-tail stems or sprawls in midair, reaching,
rather than flying from one stem to another. His tail is cocked up and his
head is thrown back, so that, on those few occasions when he is seen, he does
not get credit for being as large as he really is.

The Wren is very free with his metallic clattering notes. As in the case
of the Carolina Wren, the bird gives one the impression of being chock-full,
and of needing only to turn a convenient spigot to let out a flood of sounds.
There is a mixture of clicking, lisping, purring, and sweet sputtering about
them all which is not at all unpleasant to the ear.

In nesting this Wren weaves a compact ball of dead reeds and grasses
a little deeper than wide, and slung midway of the growing reeds, as in the
illustration. The interstices of the structure are tightly packed with vege-
table cotton, cat-tail down, or moss, — never mud,1 in my experience. Entrance
is effected through a hole in the side, often difficult to discover, and the in-
terior is snugly lined with down or purloined feathers. While the female is
incubating, the male has a curious habit of constructing other nests in the
neighboring reeds. These cocks' nests vary from three to twenty in number,
and spread out through an area of a square rod or two. Some are never

1 Dr. Wheaton says, "It is composed of coarse grasses and mud", but he is evidently misled by Dr.
Brewer's statement, which, however accurate it may be for New England, centainly does not apply to nest.<=
in this region.

2;2 THE PURPLE MARTIN.

finished, but others are quite as carefully built as the one actually occupied.
The purpose of this strange habit is unknown, except as it is probable that the
male spends the night in one of them.

No. 119.

PURPLE MARTIN.

A. O. U. No. 611. Progne subis (Linn.).

Description. — Adult male : Rich, purplish black, glossy and metallic ; wings
and tail dead black. Adult female: Similar to male, but blue-black of upper
parts restricted and duller; forehead, hind-neck, and lower parts sooty gray,
paler on belly and crissum. Bill black, stout, and broad at the base, decurved
near tip; nostrils exposed, circular, opening upward; feet moderately stout.
Young males: resemble adult female but are somewhat darker, the steely blue
appearing at first in patches. Length 7.25-8.50 (184.2-215.9) ; av. of eight Co-
iumbus specimens: wing 5.75 (146.1); tail 2.72 (69.1); bill, breadth at base
.73 (18.5) ; length from nostril .33 (8.4).

Recognition Marks. — Chewink size ; the largest of the Swallows ; blue-
black, or blue-black and sooty-gray coloration.

Nest, of leaves, grass, and trash, in some cavity, usually artificial, — bird-
boxes, gourds, etc. Eggs, 4-5, rarely 6, pure, glossy white. Av. size, .98 x .73
(24.9 x 18.5).

General Range.— Temperate North America, north to Ontario and the Sas-
katchewan, south to the higher parts of Mexico, wintering in South America.

Range in Ohio. — A common resident of cities and villages; seldom abund-
ant, but locally restricted and variable.

FROM time immemorial the garrulous Martin has enjoyed the hospi-
tality of man. Before the advent of the Whites the Indian is said to have
prepared for the yearly return of the Martin by trimming the boughs from
some saplings hard by the wigwam, and "leaving the prongs a foot or two in
length, on each of which he hung a gourd or calabash properly hollowed out"
for the birds' accommodation. The white men were quick to follow the ex-
ample set, and for many years Martin-houses, some of them quite ornate, have
teen a familiar feature of village and country places. These artificial quar-
ters are exclusively used in the prairie states, but here, where timber has been
so abundant, a considerable proportion have either never abandoned the ances-
tral fashion of nesting in hollow trees or old Woodpecker holes, or else have
been driven back to it by the English Sparrows. The Martins have suffered

THE PURPLE MARTIN.

273

much at the hands of these notorious pests, and their great reduction in num-
bers throughout the state is doubtless due largely to this cause.

Arriving about the middle of March, in the southern part of the state, and
from the first to the middle of April in the northern tier of counties, the Mar-
tins are apt to wait quietly about their houses until the weather settles. Cold
days are spent altogether within doors, and a cold snap at this season is sure
to decimate the species, for the
bird feeds exclusively upon in-
sects. Their food is not con-
fined to the smaller insects, as
in the case of the other Swal-
lows, but bees, wasps, dragon-
flies, and some of the larger
predatory beetles are consumed.

The birds mate soon after
arrival. Old nests are reno-
vated and new materials are
brought in, — straw, string, and
trash for the bulk of the nest,
and abundant feathers for lin-
ing. They are very sociable
birds, and a voluble flow of
small talk is kept up by them
during the nesting season. The
song, if such it may be called, is
a succession of pleasant war-
blings and gurglings, inter-
spersed with harsh rubbing and
creaking notes. A particularly
mellow coo, coo, coo recurs
from time to time, and any of
the notes seem to require con-
siderable effort on the part of
the performer.

Purple Martins are not only brave in defense of their young, but often
go a little out of the way to pick a quarrel with strangers. Hawks are set
upon fearlessly and driven out of bounds, and the birds' presence in the barn-
yard is appreciated on this account. There is besides a running fight to be
kept up with Wrens, Bluebirds, and English Sparrows, for possession of the
home box. So far as I have been able to observe, however, the birds are
not molested by the sturdier Tree Swallows, as is said to be the case in New-
England. In Northern Illinois the nesting houses are habitually shared

Photo b.

fhoto t>y
the Author.

THE MARTIN-HOUSE.

274 THE CLIFF SWALLOW.

with the last named species, and the birds seem to have reached a modus
vivendi on peaceable grounds.

At the end of the breeding season the Martins are no longer confined
to the nesting site, but range freely by day, and gather in large companies
to roost at night. Sometimes the ridge or cornice of a building is used for
this purpose, but oftener the birds resort to some unfrequented woodland or
out-of-the-way place. In the summer of 1901 we saw upwards of a thou-
sand cf them roosting in the hackberry trees of North Harbor Island, and
had reason to believe that the company represented not only the entire popu-
lation of the Lake Erie Islands, but a considerable number from the Cana-
dian and Ohio mainland as well.

No. 120.

CLIFF SWALLOW.

A. O. U. No. 612. Petrochelidon lunifrons (Say).

Synonyms. — EAVE SWALLOW; REPUBLICAN SWALLOW.

Description. — Adult: A prominent whitish crescent on forehead; crown,
back, and an obscure patch on breast steel-blue; throat, sides of head, and nape
deep chestnut ; breast, sides, and a cervical collar brown-gray ; belly white or
whitish; wings and tail blackish; rump pale rufous,— the color reaching around
on flanks; under tail-coverts dusky. In young birds the frontlet is obscure or
wanting; the plumage dull brown above, and the throat blackish with white specks.
11 and feet weak, the former suddenly compressed at tip. Length 5.00-6.00
<i27.-i52.4) ; wing 4.35 (110.5) ; tail 2.00 (50.8) ; bill from nostril .22 (5.6).

Recognition Marks.— "Warbler size," but comparison inappropriate,— bet-
r say Swallow size" ; white forehead and rufous rump. Found in colonies.

THE CLIFF SWALLOW. 275

Nest, an inverted stack-shaped, or declined retort-shaped structure of mud,
scantily or well lined with grass, and depending from the walls of cliffs, sides of
barns under the eaves, and the like. Eggs, 4-5, white, spotted, sometimes scantily,
with cinnamon- and rufous-brown. Av. size, .82 x .55 (20.8 x 14.).

General Range. — North America, north to the limit of trees, breeding south-
ward to the Valley of the Potomac and the Ohio, southern Texas, southern Ari-
zona, and California ; Central and South America in winter. Not found in Florida.

Range in Ohio. — Not common summer resident. Locally abundant.

NOTHING so charms the vision of the small boy of egg-collecting pro-
clivities as the sight of a long double row of mud bottles under the eaves of a
huge hay-barn. Here at last are nests as he has dreamed of them, not the
solitary baskets close hidden under a cover of protecting green, but nests out
in the open, nests by the dozen — "nests to burn" as he excitedly tells himself,
while he runs to besiege the farmer host for a ladder. If he climbs toward
the coveted nests, anxious heads, wearing a white frown, are first thrust out
at the mouths of the bottles, and then the air becomes filled with flying Swal-
lows, charging about the head of the intruder in bewildering mazes, and fill-
ing the air with strange frangible cries, as tho a thousand sets of toy dishes
were being broken. The neck of the mud flask must first be broken off
before the hand can be inserted, and then the lad will find four or five speckled
eggs, reposing upon the scantiest lining of straw or upon the bare mud bottom.

In building, the Swallows repair to some river bank or mud hole, and
secure a pellet of mud, kneading it in the beak until the required consistency is
reached, and then pressing it firmly against the chosen wall. The little
mason uses its beak for both hod and trowel, and it frequently experiences no
little difficulty in laying the foundations of its nest on a smoothed or painted
surface. Formerly, of course, the Cliff Swallows built only against the faces
of cliffs or clay banks, as they do in the West to-day in immense numbers. Now,
however, they are found only on the outside of buildings, easterly, and are
quite at the mercy of man's reception.

The history of this species in Ohio cannot certainly be written. It was
once supposed that all "Republican" Swallows were invaders from the West,
but evidence of their aboriginal occupancy of New York and some of the New
England states has more recently come to light ; and it is not improbable that
colonies were to be found in Ohio before the advent of the white man. Audu-
bon noted a colony at Newport, Kentucky, in 1819. Dr. Kirtland in 1838,
speaks of them as having recently extended their settlements to several build-
ings in the western part of Cincinnati, and noted a company that same season
building their nests on a barn in the northern part of Columbiana County.
Dr. Wheaton in 1880 regarded the Cliff Swallow as a "very common summer
resident." Today it is not at all common through any considerable section,
and I have found it nesting but twice, both times in Lorain County. Its recent

276

THE BARN SWALLOW.

defection is unquestionably clue to the presence of the English Sparrows ; and
the unlucky farmer now has to support a gibbering swarm of grain-eating
birds, where before he enjoyed the gratuitous services of a graceful host of
insect-destroyers.

No. 121.

BARN SWALLOW.

A. O. U. No. 613. Hirundo erythrogaster Bodd.

Description.— A dult : Above lustrous steel-blue; in front an imperfect col-
lar of the same hue ; forehead chestnut ; lores black ; throat and breast rufous ;
the remaining under parts, including lining of wings, more or less tinged with
the same, according to age and season; wings and tail blackish, with purplish
or greenish reflections ; tail deeply forked, the outer pair of feathers being from
one to two inches longer, and the rest graduated ; white blotches on inner webs
(except on middle pair) follow the bifurcation. Immature: Forehead and
throat paler ; duller or brownish above ; lateral tail-feathers not so long. Length
about 7.00 (177.8); wing 4.75 (120.6); tail 3.00-4.50 (76.2-114.3); bill from
nostril .24 (6.1).

Recognition Marks. — Aerial habit ; rufous of throat and under parts ; forked
tail ; nest inside the barn.

Nest, a neat bracket or half-bowl of mud, luxuriously lined with grass and
feathers, and cemented to a beam of barn or bridge. Eggs, 3-6, of variable shape,
— oval or elongated ; white or pinkish white and spotted with cinnamon or umber.
Av. size, .76 x .55 (19.3 x 14.).

General Range. — North America at large. Perhaps the most widely and
generally distributed of any American bird. Winters in Central and South
America.

Range in Ohio. — Of universal distribution. Not so plentiful as formerly.

IT takes six sorts of Swallows to make an Ohio summer, but we call that
day spring when the pleasant twitterings of the Barn Swallows are to be heard
in the land. The airy voyageurs have come many a league this morning, but
they have time to peep into the old nests, and to make the empty rafters ring-
once or twice with their merry tisic, tisic, before they are out again to skim
the meadows for an early breakfast. The very poetry of motion is theirs as
they ply up and down above the clover tops, or rise at a thought to take an
insect high in the air. See them, too, above the village horse-pond, skurrying
after the nimble flies, now dipping into the water and just parting its surface,
and now steeple lengths aloft, floating and fleeing in "higher plane curves" of
flight. Surely all Swallows are graceful, but he of the forked tail is unsur-
passed.

THE BARN SWALLOW.

277

We may take it as an especial mark of the confiding nature of this bird
that its nest is placed inside the barn, and we shall not be far astray so far
as the bird's disposition is concerned. But under primitive conditions it is a
cave dweller, and like Phcebe, has simply done the easiest thing upon the ad-
vent of civilization. At the head of a romantic lake in the West I once came
upon a little grotto, which could be entered only from the water — or the air.
In a space the size of a small room were half a dozen nests of this Swallow
lodged
against the
granite
walls. Bui;
so thorough-
ly familiar
did the birds
appear, that
save for the
cool lapping
of the waves
upon the
rocks I could
have imag-
ined myself
at home in
father's barn.
Swallows
are very so-
ciable crea-
tures, and

after the families- — one or two each season, as the case may be — have been
successfully brought out, the birds join themselves in great roving companies
which embrace their own and other kinds. This broad democracy of taste is
never more clearly illustrated than when four or five sorts are seen lined up
together on a telegraph wire.

Delaware County.

A BARN SWALLOW'S NEST.

Photo by the Author.

278 THE TREE SWALLOW.

NO. 122.

TREE SWALLOW.

A. O. U. Xo. 614. Iridoprocne bicolor (Vieill.).

Synonym. — WHITE-BELLIED SWALLOW.

Description. — Adult male : Above, lustrous steel-blue or steel-green ; below,
pure white ; lores black ; wings and tail black, showing some bluish or greenish
luster; tail slightly forked. Female: Similar to male, but duller. Immature:
Upper parts mouse-gray instead of metallic; below whitish. Length about 6.00
(152.4) ; wing 4.57 (116.1) ; tail 2.19 (55.6) ; bill from nostril .25 (6.4).

Recognition Marks. — Aerial habits ; steel-blue or greenish above ; pure white
below.

Nest, in holes in trees or, rarely, in bird houses, plentifully lined with soft
materials, especially feathers. Eggs, 4-6, pure white, — pinkish \vhite before re-
moval of contents. Av. size, .75 x .54 (19.1 x 13.7).

General Range. — North America at large, breeding from the Fur Countries
south to Xew Jersey, the Ohio Valley, Kansas, Colorado, etc. ; wintering from
South Carolina and the Gulf States southward to the West Indies and Guatemala.

Range in Ohio. — Common spring and fall migrant. Not common summer
resident, except in a few favored localities.

ONE Swallow does not make a summer, but a little twittering company
of them faring northward makes the heart glad, and fills it with a sense of
exultation as it responds to the call of these care-free children of the air.
This remark applies to Swallows in general, but particularly to Tree Swal-
lows, for in their immaculate garb of dark blue and white, they seem like
crystallizations of sky and templed cloud, grown animate with the all-com-
pelling breath of spring. They have about them the marks of high-born
quality, which we cannot but admire as they spurn with a wing-stroke the
lower strata, and rise to accept we know not what dainties of the upper air.

The Tree Swallow is a lover of the water, and in our latitude he is de-
tained for the summer only by the larger bodies, especially the reservoirs.
In the summer of 1902 they were found to be very common at the Lewiston
Reservoir, where they nested in the numerous stubs, — the water-killed rem-
nants of previous forests. The birds are not themselves able to make exca-
vations in the wood, but they have no difficulty in possessing themselves of
others birds' labors. Old holes will do if not too old, but I once knew a pair
of these Swallows to drive away a pair of Flickers from a brand new nesting-
hole, and to occupy it themselves.

Among the writer's earliest oological recollections are those of a little
stub sticking out of the muck and saw-grass of an Illinois swamp. A neat-

THE BANK SWALLOW. 279

looking hole about eight feet up prompted instant attack. A hand was about
to enter the coveted approach, when crack! went the stump, and down went
the small boy with the stub on top of him. But the mud was as soft as a
feather-bed and my first thought was for the eggs. There they were, four
delicate pink beauties, spilled out upon the black mud, but unbroken. The
nest cavity was filled within three or four inches of the entrance with chicken
feathers, and the sides were lined with them to the very edge of the hole.
Taking the leas,t possible toll, one egg, I carefully replaced the others, then
dragged the stub several rods to an old fence, where I bound it fast with
wire to an upright post. The parent birds accepted the proffered amends ;
the set was completed, and a handsome brood raised.

In many localities Tree Swallows are prompt tenants of- bird houses.
This does not seem to be largely their habit in Ohio ; doubtless because suit-
able nesting sites in trees are still abundant. A pair once built their nest in
a sort of tower attic, just inside of a hole which a Flicker had pierced in the
ceiling of an open belfry of a country church. When in service the mouth
of the swinging bell came within two feet of the brooding bird. One would
think that the Swallows would have been crazed with fright to find them-
selves in the midst of such a tumult of sound ; but their enterprise fared suc-
cussfully, as I can testify, for at the proper time I saw the youngsters ranged
in a happy, twittering row along the upper rim of the bell- wheel.

No. 123.

BANK SWALLOW.

A. O. U. No. 616. Riparia riparia (Linn.).

Synonym. — SAND MARTIN.

Description. — Adult : Upper parts plain, brownish gray ; wings fuscous ;
throat and belly white ; a brownish gray band across the breast ; a tiny tuft of
feathers above the hind toe. There is some variation in the extent of the pectoral
band; it is sometimes produced indistinctly backward, and sometimes even in-
terrupted. Length 5.00-5.25 (I27.-I33.3) ; wing 3.95 (100.3); tail 1.97 (50.);
bill from nostril .20 (5.1).

Recognition Marks. — Smallest of the Swallows; throat white; brownish
gray pectoral band on white ground.

Nest, at end of tunnels in banks, two or three feet in ; a frail mat of straws
and grasses and occasionally feathers. Breeds usually in colonies. Eggs, 4-6,
sometimes 7. pure white. Av. size, .70 x .49 (17.8 x 12.5).

280

THE BANK SWALLOW.

General Range. — Northern Hemisphere ; in America south to West Indies,
Central America, and northern South America; breeding from the middle dis-
tricts of the United States northward to about the limit of trees.

Range in Ohio. — Abundant summer resident in localities providing suitable
nesting sites. More common northerly.

THE life of a Swallow is so largely spent a-wing that our interest in it
centers, even more than in the case of other birds, upon that time when it is
bound to earth by family ties. We are scarcely conscious of the presence of
the Bank Swallows until one day we see a great company of them fluttering
about a sand bank, which overlooks the river, and busily engaged in digging
the tunnels which are to shelter their young for that season. These birds
are regularly gregarious, and their nesting colonies frequently number hun-
dreds of pairs.

The birds usually select a spot well up, within a foot or two of the top
of a nearly perpendicular bank of clay or sand, and dig a straight, round tun-
nel three or four feet long. If, however, the soil contains stones, a greater
length and many turns may be required to reach a safe spot for the slight

enlarge-
ment where
the nest
proper is
placed. The
bird appears
to loosen the
earth with its
closed beak,
s w a y i n g
from side to
side the
while, and, of
course, fallen
dirt or sand
is carried out
in the mouth.
S ometimes

the little miner finds a lens-shaped tunnel more convenient, and I have seen
them as much as seven inches in width by only two in height. While the
colony, especially if small, usually occupies a straggling horizontal line of
holes, their burrows are not infrequently to be seen in loose tiers, in which
case the bank presents a honeycombed appearance.

Lorain County

THE BANK.

usualh

Communal life seems a pleasant thing to these Swallows, and there is
My a considerable stir of activity around the quarters, and a good deal of

THE ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW. 281

social twittering and gyrating. The wonder is that the rapidly moving parts
of this aerial kaleidoscope never collide, and that the cases of turning up at
the wrong number are either so few or so amicably adjusted. The nesting
season is, however, beset with dangers. Weasels and their ilk sometimes
find entrance to their burrows ; and they are also an easy prey to untaught
small boys; while the undermining of the river or the lapping waves some-
times precipitate an entire colony — at least its real and personal property —
to destruction. As an instance of the last, I remember once coming upon a
large colony on the Lake Erie shore. Recent rains, added to the basal en-
croachment of the waves, had dislodged an extensive layer from the face of
the nesting bluff, to a depth of two or three feet. The catastrophe had evi-
dently taken place only a day or two before, and egg-shells and nesting ma-
terials were freely mingled through the fallen clay; yet the foolish birds had
gone right to work again upon the same treacherous site, and in the colony
of, say, five hundred birds, a hundred nests were already under way.

Bank Swallows are perhaps the least musical of their kind — unless we
except the Rough-winged species, which is naturally associated with them.
They have, however, a characteristic twitter, an unmelodious sound, like the
rubbing together of two pebbles. An odd effect is produced when the excited
birds are describing remonstrant parabolas at an intruder's head. The height-
ened pitch in the notes of the rapidly approaching bird followed instantly by
the lower tone of full retreat, is enough to startle a slumbering conscience in
one who meditates mischief against a Swallow's home.

No. 124.

ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW.

A. O. U. No. 617. Stelgidopteryx serripennis (And.).

Description. — Adult: Warm brownish gray or snuff-brown, including
throat and breast; thence passing insensibly below to white of under tail-coverts;
wings fuscous. Young birds exhibit some rusty edging of the feathers above,
especially on the wings, and lack the peculiar, recurved hooks on the edge of the
outer primary. Size a little larger than the last. Length 5.00-5.75 (I27.-I46.I) ;
wing 4.30 (109.2) ; tail 1.85 (47.) ; bill from nostril .21 (5.3).

Recognition Marks. — Medium Swallow size; throat not white; warmish
brown coloration, and brownish suffusion below fading to white on belly. It is
easy to distinguish 'between this and the preceding species if a little care is taken
to note the general pattern of under parts.

2g2 THE ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW.

Nest, in crevices of cliffs and shale banks, at end of tunnels in sand banks,
or in crannies of bridges,, etc. ; made of leaves, grasses, feathers, and the like —
bulky or compact according to situation. Eggs, 4-8, white. Av. size, 74 x .51
(18.8 x 13.).

General Range. — United States at large, north to Connecticut, southern On-
tario, southern Minnesota, British Columbia, etc., south through Mexico to Costa
Rica. Breeds throughout United States range and south into Mexico.

Range in Ohio. — Commonly distributed along streams; less common north-
erly.

SCIENCE has long denied to this bird the right to shine in its own light,
and has always used the preceding species as a foil, or background of compari-
son, in describing this one. Nor is it easy to break with the precedent now
hoary with age. The Rough-winged Swallow is very like the Bank Swallow,
but it differs thus and so and so. In the first place it has those curious little
booklets on the edge of the wing (specifically on the outer web of the first
primary) — nobody knows what they are for. They surely cannot be of assist-
ance in enabling the bird to cling to perpendicular surfaces, unless, indeed, it
be head downward — a habit which, so far as I am aware, has never been
observed. It is easy to see how the bird might brace its roughened wings
against the sides of its burrow to prevent forcible abduction, but it is not so
easy to see who would want to coerce the gentle creature in any such way.

Again the Rough-winged Sw^allow has a steadier, rather more labored
flight than that of his foil. Its aerial course is more dignified, leisurely, less
impulsive and erratic. In nesting, altho it may include the range of the Sand
Martin, or even nest side by side with it, it has a wider latitude for choice and
is not hampered by local traditions. If it burrows in a bank it is quite as likely
to build near the bottom as the top. Crevices in shale walls or stone quarries,
crannies and abutments of bridges, or even holes in trees are utilized. Dr.
Wheaton sites many instances of birds nesting about brick buildings, some of
which were in the busiest parts of Columbus. One guileless bird I knew ex-
cavated a nest in a little bank of an ungraded lot only three feet above the side-
walk of a prominent street in Seattle.

Unlike the Bank Swallows the Rough-wings do not colonize to any extent,
but are rather solitary. A single pair may choose a site in some sheltered
spot of a steep shalebank far from kith or kin, or again several pairs may be
attracted to the same gravel pit by its easy conditions.

Further than this the species under consideration resembles the other bird
quite closely in notes, in habits, and in general appearance, being distinguish-
able only by a sharp eye in accordance with the suggestions given above. It
seems certain that the habits of the species are undergoing a considerable and

THE ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW.

rapid change. The birds are adjusting themselves readily to the new condi-
tions brought in by civilization, and are steadily increasing in numbers. In
many localities in the middle and southern portions of the state they may be
reckoned, after the Barns, our commonest Swallows.

Taken near Sugar Grove. P'-iot3 by fie Autho,

ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS HAVE AN EYE TO BEAUTY

A PAIR OF THE BIRDS ARE NESTING IN ONE OF THE CRANNIES JUST ABOVE THE CENTER.

2g4 THE BOHEMIAN WAXWING.

No. 125.

BOHEMIAN WAXWING.

A. O. U. No. 618. Ampelis garrulus Linn.

Description. — Adults: A conspicuous crest; body plumage soft, grayish-
brown or fawn-color, shading by insensible degrees between the several parts,
back darker, passing into bright cinnamon-rufous on forehead and crown, and
through dark ash of rump and upper tail-coverts into black of tail; tips of tail
feathers abruptly yellow (gamboge) ; breast with a vinaceous cast, passing into
cinnamon-rufous of cheeks ; a narrow frontal line passing through eye, and a short
throat-patch velvety black; under tail-coverts deep cinnamon; wings blackish-
ash, the tips of the primary coverts and the tips of the secondaries on outer webs,
white; tips of primaries on outer webs bright yellow, whitening outwardly; the
shafts of the rectrices produced into peculiar flattened red "sealing-wax" tips;
bill and feet black. Length about 8.00 (203.2); wing 4.61 (117.1); tail 2.56
(65.) ; bill .47 (11.9).

Recognition Marks. — Chewink size; grayish-brown coloration. As dis-
tinguished from the much more common Cedar-bird: belly not yellow; white
wing-bars ; under tail-coverts cinnamon.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. Like that of next species. Eggs, larger.
Av. size, .98 x .69 (24.9 x 17.5).

General Range. — Northern portions of northern hemisphere. In North
America, south in winter irregularly to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Kansas, south-
ern Colorado, and northern California. Breeds north of United States ; also, pos-
sibly, in the mountains of the West.

Range in Ohio. — Irregular and rare in northern portion in winter.

PERHAPS we shall never know just why these gentle Hyperboreans
spend their winters now in New England, now in Wisconsin, now in Wash-
ington, or throughout the northern tier of states at once. Their southward
movement is doubtless dictated by hunger, and the particular direction may be
determined in part at least by the prevailing winds. Years have passed since
any have been seen in Ohio, but they are likely to reappear any winter. Usu-
ally they appear in flocks of several hundred individuals, and it is asserted on
what seems to be good authority1 ; that millions were once seen on the Powder
River in Wyoming in flocks rivalling in extent those of the Wild Pigeons.

The Northern Waxwing is a bird of unrivalled beauty, even surpassing
that of the Cedarbird, which it closely resembles in appearance and habits.
When with us it feeds by preference upon the berries of the mountain ash and
the red cedar, and more rarely upon persimmons. Its life history is as yet im-
perfectly known, altho it has been found breeding near the Yukon and Ander-
son Rivers. It has even been surmised to breed irregularly in the mountains
of the United States.

1 See Coues' "Birds of the Northwest," p. 02.

BOHEMIAN WAXWING-
Ampelif garrulus
Life-size

THE CEDAR WAXWING. 285

*

No. 126.

CEDAR WAXWING.

A. O. U. Xo. 619. Ampelis cedrorum (Vieill.).

Synonyms. — CEQAR-BIRD ; CHERRY-BIRD ; CAROLINA WAXWING.

Description. — Adults: A conspicuous crest; extreme forehead, lores, and
line through eye velvety-black; chin blackish, fading rapidly into the rich gray-
ish-brown of remaining fore-parts and head ; a narrow whitish line bordering the
black on the forehead and the blackish of the chin ; back darker, shading through
ash of rump to blackish-ash of tail ; tail-feathers abruptly tipped with gamboge
yellow ; belly sordid yellow ; under tail-coverts white ; wings slaty-gray, pri-
maries narrowly edged with whitish ; secondaries and inner quills without white
markings, but bearing tips of red "sealing-wax" ; the tail-feathers are occasion-
ally found with the same curious, horny appendages ; bill black ; feet plumbeous.
Sexes alike, but considerable individual variation in number and size of waxen
tips. Young, streaked everywhere with whitish, and usually without red tips.
Length 6.50-7.50 (165.1-190.5) ; wing 3.70 (94.) ; tail 2.31 (58.7) ; bill .40 (10.2).

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size ; soft grayish-brown plumage ; crest ;
red sealing-wax tips on secondaries ; belly yellow ; wings without white bars
or spots, as distinguished from preceding species.

Nest, a bulky affair of leaves, grasses, bark-strips and trash, well lined with
rootlets and soft materials; placed in crotch or horizontally saddled on limb of
orchard or evergreen tree. Eggs, 3-6, dull grayish blue or putty-color, marked
sparingly with deep-set, rounded spots of umber or black. Av. size, .86 x .61
(21.8 x 15.5).

General Range.— North America at large, from the Fur Countries south-
ward. In winter from the northern border of the United States south to the West
Indies and Costa Rica. Breeds from Virginia, Kentucky, Kansas, etc., northward.

Range in Ohio.— Of regular occurrence in the State, but irregular or var-
iable locally. Resident, but less common in winter.

ONE does not care to commit himself in precise language upon the range
of 'the Cedar-bird, or to predict that it will be found at any given spot in a
given season. The fact is Cedar-birds are gypsies of the feathered kind. There
are always some of them about somewhere, but their comings and goings are
not according to any fixed law. A company of Cedar-birds may throng the
barren maples in your front yard some bleak day in December ; they may nest
in your orchard the following July; and you may not see them on your
premises again for years — unless you keep cherry trees. It must be confessed
(since the shade of the cherry tree is ever sacred to Truth) that the Cedar-
bird, or "Cherry-bird," has a single passion, a consuming desire for cherries.
But don't kill him for that. You like cherries yourself. All the more reason
then why you should be charitable toward a brother's weakness. Besides he
is so handsome, handsomer himself than a luscious cherry even. Feast your

286

THE CEDAR WAXWING.

eves upon him — those marvelous melting browns, those shifting saffrons and
Quaker drabs, those red sealing-wax tips on the wing-quills (he is canning
Hherries. you see. and co %1 mes provided). M Feast your eyes, I say,

you, and a few less cher-
enough for I you both, draw a decent
netting o v e

cherries, you
and carry the vision to
ries. Or if there are
breadth of mosquito-

tree,

and absolve
your soul
of murder-
ous intent.
Remember,
too, if you
require self-
jus t ifi ca-
tion, that
earlier in the season he
devoured an enormous
quantity of canker
worms and other simi-
lar pests, so that he has
a clear right to a share
in the fruit of his labors.
The Cedar .-'bird being
so singularly endowed
with the gift of beauty, is
denied the gift of song. He
is the most nearly voiceless
of any of the American
Oscines, his sole note be-
ing a high-pitched, sibilant

squeak. Indeed, so high-pitched is this extraordinary note, that I find several
of my friends cannot hear it at all, even when the Waxwings are squeaking all
about them. It is an almost uncanny spectacle, that of a company of Waxwings
sitting aloft in some leafless tree early in spring, erect, immovable, like soldiers
on dress parade, but complaining to each other in that faint, penetrating mono-
tone. It is as tho you had come upon a company of the Immortals, high-re-
moved, conversing of matters too recondite for human ken, and who survey you
the while with Olympian disdain. You steal away from the foot of the tree
with a chastened sense of having encountered something not quite under-
standable.

The dilatory habits of these birds are well shown in their nesting, which
they put off until late June or July for no apparent reason. They build a thick-
walled, well-set structure of weed-stalks, roots, grass, etc., oftenest in orchard

Photo
by the
Author.

A PARTNERSHIP AFFAIR.

MR. C. H. MORE

THE NORTHERN SHRIKE. 287

trees, especially apple. In their nesting they are usually half gregarious, so
that a small orchard may contain a dozen nests, while another as good, a

Photo by J. B. Parker.
CANNING SEASON.

THE FEMALE CEDAR-BIRD IS FEEDING THE YOUNG RIPE CURRANTS.

little way removed, has none. During the breeding season the birds are un-
usually silent, but when discovered stick closely to their nests even to the point
of being taken by the hand. It is on this account, as well as for their sleek-
ness, that they are favorite birds with the photographer.

No. 127.

NORTHERN SHRIKE.

A. O. U. No. 621. Lanius borealis Vieill.

Synonyms. — GREAT NORTHERN SHRIKE; BUTCHER-BIRD.

Description. — Adult : Upper parts clear, bluish gray, lightest — almost
white — on upper tail-coverts; extreme forehead whitish; wings and tail black,
the former with a conspicuous white spot at base of primaries, the latter with

288 THE NORTHERN SHRIKE.

large, white terminal blotches on outer feathers, decreasing in size inwardly; a
black' band through eye, including auriculars ; below grayish white, the feathers
of the breast and sides narrowly tipped with dusky, producing a uniform, fine
vermiculation which is always present; bill blackish, lightening at base of lower
mandible; feet black. Young birds are barred or washed with grayish brown.
The plumage of adult is sometimes overcast above with a faint olivaceous tinge.
Length 9.25-10.75 (235.-273-I) : wing 4.50 (114.3); tail 4.19 (106.4); bill .72

(18.3)-

Recognition Marks. — Robin size; gray and black coloring; sharply hooked
bill ; breast vermiculated with dusky, as distinguished from next species.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. Nest, a well constructed bowl of sticks,
thorn-twigs, grasses, and trash, heavily lined with plant-down and feathers ; in
bushes or low trees. Hggs, 3-7, dull white or greenish gray, thickly dotted and
spotted with olive-green, brown, or lavender. Av. size, 1.07 x .78 (27.2 x 19.8).

General Range. — Northern North America ; south in winter to the middle
portions of the United States. Breeds north of the United States except spar-
ingly in northern New England.

Range in Ohio. — Not uncommon spring and fall migrant ; occasional winter
resident.

FLITTING like a gray ghost in the wake of the cheerful hosts of Juncoes
and Redpolls, comes this butcher of the North in search of his accustomed prey.
If it is his first visit south he posts himself suddenly upon the tip of a neigh-
boring tree and rasps out an inquiry of the man with the gun. Those that sur-
vive these indiscretions are thereafter faintly descried in the distance either in
the act of diving from some anxious summit, or else winging swiftly over
the inequalities of the ground.

All times are killing time for this bloodthirsty fellow, and even in winter
he "jerks" the meat not necessary for present consumption — be it chilly-footed
mouse or palpitating Sparrow — upon some convenient thorn. In spring the
north-bound bird is somewhat more amiable, being better fed, and he pauses
from time to time during the retreat to sing a strange medley, which has won
for him the name "Great Electric Buzz.'' This is meant for a love song, and
is doubtless so understood by the proper authorities, but its rendition some-
times produces about the same effect upon a troop of Finches which a cata-
mount's serenade has upon the cowering deer.

It is quite the fashion nowadays to discover, after much scrutiny of rudely
arrested meals, that various bird-devils are not really so black as they have been
painted. This is welcome news to those of us who have become so thoroughly
identified with the bird-world as to desire easy shrift for its sins ; but one won-
ders in the case of the Butcher-bird at least, whether the laity will receive it.
It is high doctrine for one who has really seen the cruel beak dyed red with

THE MIGRANT SHRIKE. 289

some winter songster's gore. I, for one, am willing to accept with becoming
humility the verdict of the leading stomachologists with reference to most
birds, but when one of them extols the moderation of the Northern Shrike, I
reserve the right to do a little incredulous grumbling. It is true that the bird
sometimes allows his fond glance to fall upon the English Sparrow — and in
so far he is above reproach — but it is not recorded that the creature exercises
proper discrimination between the beggar in fustian and our gentle guests of
woodland and weed-lot. No doubt, too, our northern brigand would eat mice
or grasshoppers by preference, and does when opportunity offers, but it is no
fault of ours that we cannot set such viands before his butchership in winter,
so that he must needs fall to eating our Juncoes and Goldfinches. The slaugh-
ter of Horned Larks and the terrorizing of an innocent band of Tree Sparrows
are offences not easily forgiven. Have at thee, Sirrah ! My gun is loaded t

No. 128.

MIGRANT SHRIKE.

A. LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE.

A. O. U. No. 622. Lanius ludovicianus Linn.

Description. — Adult: Dark bluish ' gray above; rump just perceptibly
lighter; lower scapulars tipped with black; wings black, a small white spot at
base of primaries ; the inner quills narrowly tipped with white ; tail black, the
outer pair of feathers broadly tipped with white, and the succeeding pairs less so or
not at all; below grayish white, sordid on breast, but everywhere strongly con-
trasting with upper parts ; narrow frontal line, including nasal tufts, lores and
ear-coverts, black, — continuous, and passing mostly below eye ; bill and feet black.
Immature: Colors of adult less strongly contrasted; lower parts washed with
brownish; loral bar obscure; more or less vermiculated with dusky all over (in
younger birds'), or upon the under parts alone; ends of wing-quills, coverts, and
tail-feathers often with ochraceous or rusty markings. Length 9.00 (228.6) ;
wing 3.78 (96.); tail 3.70 (94.); bill .61 (15.5). The description is from a
typical South Carolina bird in the O. S. U. collection. Ohio birds, even when
clearly referable to this form, average much lighter and somewhat larger.

Recognition Marks. — Chewink to Robin size; dark gray above; whitish
below; black patch on head; white spot on wing; breast of adult unmarked, as
distinguished from L. borealis; dark gray or ashy on rump, as distinguished from
L. /. ex cubit or ides.

Nest, a bulky, but well put together mass of sticks, thorn-twigs, weed-stalks
and the like, carefully lined with plant-down, wool or feathers, placed five to

290 THE MIGRANT SHRIKE.

fifteen feet high in orchard trees, thorn hedges, etc. Eggs, 3-6, sometimes 7,
dull grayish, or greenish white, thickly speckled and spotted with olive- or red-
dish-brown. Av. size, .97 x .73 (24.6 x 18.5).

General Range. — Eastern United States, west to the Plains; north to the
Great Lakes, northern New England, etc. Breeds throughout its range.

Range in Ohio. — Of casual occurrence throughout the state. This form
seems to have entered the state by encroachment from the south, and is perhaps
more distinct southerly.

For convenience this form and the next (whatever their relationships) are
treated together under the common name Migrant Shrike.

B. WHITE-RUM FED SHRIKE.

A. O. U. No. 622a. Lanius ludovicianus excubitorides (Swains.).

Synonyms. — BUTCHER-BIRD ; MOUSE-BIRD.

Description. — Adult : Similar to preceding species but paler ; the upper
tail-coverts more or less distinctly whitish, the white of scapulars more exten-
sive. Dimensions a little larger, save of bill, which is about the same. Length
8.00-10.00 (203.2-254.). A typical Columbus male measures: wing 3.96 (100.6) ;
tail 3.98 (101.1); bill .61 (15.5). Average of six Columbus specimens of the
combined forms: wing 3.93 (99.8); tail 3.81 (96.8); bill .62 (15.8).

Recognition Marks. — Same size as preceding; paler; "rump" whitish.

Nesting. — Same as preceding species.

General Range. — "Western North America, from the Plains to the Pacific,
except Coast of California ; and from Manitoba and the Plains of the Saskatche-
wan south over the tablelands of Mexico." Its range extends eastward around
the Great Lakes, and southerly, where it intergrades with the preceding species.

Range in Ohio. — Of general distribution, thinning out southerly. There is
no fixed line geographically or zoologically between this and the preceding form.
Either may be found anywhere in the state, and may bear any family relation
to the other apparent subspecies.

The "Shrike question" is still unsettled. The relation of the two subspecies
in this state puzzles the professional as well as the amateur. Whether indeed
Ohio represents intermediate ground where we should expect every degree of
intergradation (since by definition, subspecies are forms known to intergrade),
or whether it is comparatively new territory entered by two diverse elements,
which, because of their previous affiliation, tend to coalesce ; or whether, finally,
the Ohio bird should be subspecifically distinguished from the L. ludovicianus
of the South, and recognition made of a constant infusion from the West, — all
these are points not yet decided, and perhaps indeterminable. An attempt has
been made to separate the Shrike of the middle North under the name L. I mi-
grans. Altho the characters shown, especially that of larger size, are fairly con-
stant, they have been deemed too trifling for recognition, and the A. O. IL com-
mittee reported unfavorably upon the proposed subspecies. Perhaps the easiest

THE MIGRANT SHRIKE.

291

way to account for the considerable diversity which we find in specimens, is
simply to recognize this state as a meeting ground of two forms which have
attained their maximum differentiation elsewhere, — Ittdovicianus in the South,

Taken near Columbus.

THE TREE IS A HONEV

Photo by the Author.

THE SHRIKE'S FORTRESS.

X>CUST, AND A NEST OF THE SHRIKE APPEARS ON THE RIGHT.

and e.vcubitorides in the West — and without attempting to assign subspecific
value to the various phases as they appear. Hence, however we may regard, from

292

THE MIGRANT SHRIKE.

the scientific point of view, the attempt to lump Ohio varieties together under
the proposed name L. I. migrans, I think there can be no doubt whatever of the
propriety of adopting for common use the term MIGRANT SHRIKE to cover all
differences.

Those whose delight it is to weigh carefully the shades of difference be-
tween tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee may seek the doubful illumination of the
preceding fine print, but plain folk who desire to know something of the local
Butcher-bird will prefer to begin HERE.

In all but southern localities, where the species is partially resident, the
Shrike arrives about the middle of March. His patchy plumage harmonizes
more or less with the snow-checkered landscape, but he is nowise concerned
with problems of protective coloration. Seeking out some prominent perch,
usually at this time of year a fence-post, he divides his time between spying'
upon the early-creeping field mice and entertaining his lady love with out-
landish music. Those who have not heard our resident Shrike sing have
missed a treat. He begins with a series of rasping sounds, which are probably

intended to produce the
same receptive condition on
his audience which Ole Bull
secured by awkwardly break-
ing one string af-
ter another on his violin
until only one was left.
There the resemblance
ceases, however, for
where the virtuoso
could extract a melody
of marvelous range and
sweetness from his sin-
gle string, the bird pro-
duces the sole note of
a struck anvil. This
pours forth, however,
in successive three-syl-
labled phrases like the
metallic and reiterative
clink of a free-falling*
hammer. The chief dif-
ference which appears
between this love song
and the ordinary call of

ben near Columbus

A CLOSER
1LLUSTBATI01

MIGRANT SHRIKE AT NEST.

IEW OF THE

EST SHOWN IN THE PRECEDING

THE MIGRANT SHRIKE.

293

warning or excitement is that in the latter case the less tender passions have
weighted the clanging anvil with scrap iron and destroyed its resonance.

The Shrike is a bird of prey, but he is no restless prowler wearing out
his wings by incessant flight, — not he. Choosing rather a commanding posi-
tion on a telegraph wire or exposed tree-top, he searches the ground with his
eye until he detects some suspicious movement of insect, mouse, or bird. Then
he dives down into the grass, and returns to his post to devour at leisure. I
once saw a Shrike rise perpendicularly some fifty feet from a telegraph wire
by a labored but rapid flight to seize an insect to me invisible, and repair with
it to a stone wall. Here he dealt his catch a severe blow, and when satisfied
that it was dead, ate it contentedly.

Like most guilty birds, and some innocent ones, the Shrike usually selects
a thorn tree for a home. Honey-locusts and the various species of Crataegi

are favorite places, but osage-
irresistible attractions. It is
mature ten-rod stretch of these
try which has not harbored
Not only do thorns
enemies, but they afford
preservation of game,
garter - snakes
butcher does not
is impaled on a
as a ghastly
sides that which

orange hedges also present
safe to say that there is not a
delectable thorns in open coun-
one or more nests of this bird,
protect the Shrikes from their
them convenient hooks for the
Mice, grass-hoppers, sparrows,
anything which the over-fed
care for at the time of capture,
thorn for future reference, or
warning to the unwary. Be-
is laid up, the bird, in the case of larger
game, invariably seeks the assistance of
a thorn or splinter to enable it to rend
its catch for immediate consumption.

The nest — admirably shown in our
illustration — is usually a bulky affair out-
side, but exceedingly tight and warm
within. Since the bird nests early, it
counts nothing on the protection of foli-
age, but cunningly screens its eggs by
overarching chicken feathers worked into
the rim of the nest. First sets are com-
monly found by the middle of April, but the birds usually nest again in June.
They are singularly indifferent, as a rule, to the welfare of the nest, but when
it is disturbed sit clinking in the distance, or absent themselves entirely. Occa-
sionally, however, especially if the young are well grow^n, they make a spirited
and deafening defense. Eggs are deposited on successive or alternate days,
and incubation is accomplished in about two weeks.

Photo by the Author.
THE SHRIKE'S PREY.

THE RED-EYED VIREO.

The Loggerhead, or Migrant Shrike, has increased somewhat within
lecent years, except in those localities where it has been subjected to a thought-
less persecution. It is perhaps a thankless task to speak a good word for this
rapacious renegade "song-bird," who flaunts his butcheries in our very faces,
but we must always defer to the sum of the facts, not to those alone which are
apparent. Birds are found to constitute only eight per cent of the Shrike's
food throughout the year, and those mainly of seed-eating varieties. Sylvester
D. Judd, Ph. D., in an elaborate report upon the subject of the Shrike's food,
concludes, "The Loggerhead's beneficial qualities outweigh 4 to I its injurious
ones. Instead of being persecuted, it should receive protection."

No. 129.

RED-EYED VIREO.

A. O. U. No. 624. Vireo olivaceus (Linn.).

Description. — Adult : Crown grayish slate, bordered on either side by
blackish ; a white line above the eye, and a dusky line through the eye ; remain-
ing upper parts light olive-green ; wings and tail dusky with narrow olive-green
edgings ; below dull white, with a slight greenish-yellow tinge on lining of wings,
sides, flanks, and crissum; first and fourth, and second and third primaries about
equal, the latter pair forming the tip of wing ; bill blackish at base above, thence
dusky or horn-color, pale below; feet leaden blue; iris red. Little difference
with age, sex, or season, save that young and fall birds are brighter colored.
Length 5.50-6.50 (139.7-165.1); av. of three Columbus specimens: wing 3.03
(77) : tail 1.99 (50.5) ; bill from nostril .36 (9.1) ; — a little below average in size.

Recognition Marks. — Warbler size ; largest ; white superciliary line con-
trasting with blackish and slate of crown ; red eye.

Nest, a semi-pensile basket or pouch, of bark-strips, "hemp," and vegetable
fibers, lined with plant-down, and fastened by the edges to forking twigs near
end of horizontal branch, five to twenty-five feet up. Eggs, 3 or 4, white, with
black or umber specks and spots, few in number, and chiefly near larger end.
Av. size, .85 x .56 (21.6 x 14.2).

General Range. — Eastern North America, west to Colorado, Utah and
British Columbia; north to the Arctic regions; south in winter from Florida to
northern South America. Breeds nearly throughout its North American range.

Range in Ohio. — Abundant summer resident, universally distributed.

ONE cannot be sure whether it was the bird's color, or good cheer, or
characteristic note, which led Vieillot in 1807 to select for this group the name
Vireo, a Latin word meaning, I am green, or flourishing. The plumage of
this modest "Greenlet" boasts only enough green to enable its owner to lose

THE RED-EYED VIREO.

295

itself easily in
the foliage of
the upper
branches ; but
the voice of
good cheer,
Vireo - viree -
vireoo, fre-
quently repeat-
ed, is enough,
not only to res-
cue the bird
from oblivion,
but to immor-
talize it.

The Red-eye
does occasion-
ally make itself
heard in isolat-
ed pasture elms
and among
the shade-trees
of the city, but
its normal
range is in the
deeper woods
and groves.
Here it moves
in a leisurely
manner from
b o u g h to
bough, examin-
ing critically
each leaf and

Taken near BIyria.

Photo by the Author.

'DO YOU HEAR ME? DO YOU BELIEVE IT?r>

bud, or making little sallies after insect prey. Its soliloquizing notes are often
uttered — always in single phrases of from two to four syllables each — while
the bird is busily hunting, and serve to mark an overflow of good spirits rather
than a studied attempt at song. There is about them also an interrogative
character which Wilson Flagg has paraphrased, "You see it — you know it —
do you hear me? — do you believe it?" "The Preacher" not infrequently en-
forces his homilies by hopping down slowly from the tree-tops and bringing
the truth home to his hearers. The bird's inquisitiveness is often his salva-

296

THE RED-EYED VIREO.

lion, for those which linger at greater heights are often indistinguishable from
Warblers of unknown rarity, and their occasional diffidence is much deplored
by those who shoot in haste and repent at leisure.

The Red-eyed Vireo is an indefatigable singer, and when he really gives
attention to it, as when the mate is sitting, he produces a quantity of sound
little less than astonishing. One bird to which I once listened at midday had
chosen for his station the topmost bare twig of a beech tree a hundred feet
from the ground, and from this elevated station, he poured out his soul at the
rate of some fifty phrases per minute, and without intermission during the half
hour in which v he was under observation. One

could recom- mend to such a zealous devotee the

Taken in Tou-a

Photo by Lynds Jones.

x ^ ^m

A DOUBLE NEST OF THE RED-EYED VIREO. '

BOTH THE MALE AND THE FEMALE WERE SITTING WHEN FOUND.

Chinese fashion of writing prayers (or songs) upon the rim of a wheel, and
attaching it to water-power. There would be some time left then for bug-
hunting. The bird sings more or less during the entire period of its residence
in the north. I heard one two years ago at Columbus singing with undimin-
ished vigor on the seventh day of October, at high noon. The Red-eye's notes
are sweet and smooth and clear, higher-pitched and a little more rapid than
those of the Yellow-throated Vireo, from which, however, it requires to be
carefully distinguished. It has also a comparatively infrequent scolding or

1 By courtesy of The Wilson Bulletin this picture appears in .advance of its publication by that journal

THE PHILADELPHIA VIRK< >. 297

alarm note, zve-an or yc-an, with the French nasal "n." This is delivered
about twenty-five times a minute, while the bird holds to one perch without
moving, save to sway from side to side or to twist its head rythmically — a sort
of nervous relief whose exact function is in doubt.

The nest of this Vireo is a model of neatness, being swung by the brim
from the forked tips of horizontal or declining; limbs, as in the case of the two
species illustrated. The materials used are strips of thin bark, hemp, dead
leaves bleached to the color of oxidized silver, and various vegetable downs.
The exterior is frequently ornamented with lichens and shreds of cocoons or
wasps' nests. Bits of newspaper are always acceptable, and some nests are
largely composed of this interesting by-product of civilization.

No. 130.

PHILADELPHIA VIREO.

A. O. U. No. 626. Vireo philadelphicus (Cass.).

Description. — Adult : Above, dull olive-green over gray, ashy on head ;
narrow frontal line and area around eye whitish, save for short, dusky line through
eye; wings and tail fuscous, edged narrowly with olive-green; no apparent spu-
rious quill ; no white wing-bars ; first primary shorter than fourth ; tip of wing
formed by second and third ; below everywhere, except on chin, pale sulphur-
yellow ; sides sometimes buffy or olivaceous ; bill blackish above, paler below ;
feet plumbeous. Length 4.75-5.00 (120.6-127.); wing 1.60 (40.6); tail about
2.00 (50.8) ; bill from nostril .27 (6.9).

Recognition Marks. — Warbler size ; an almost exact counterpart of V. gilvns,
and known from it positively only by the apparent absence of spurious quill (it
having been nearly aborted) ; it may usually be distinguished, however, by its
slightly smaller size, and yellower coloration below, as well as by its more marked
olive above.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. Nest, pensile, of grass and birch bark,
suspended from fork of horizontal branch eight feet up. Eggs, 4, like those of
V. olivaceus (E. E. Thompson).

General Range. — As yet imperfectly known ; eastern North America north
to Hudson Bay ; south in winter to Costa Rica arid Panama. Breeds from Maine,
New Hampshire and Manitoba northward.

Range in Ohio. — Probably not uncommon, but little observed, spring and
fall migrant.

"NOT very common but regular spring and fall migrant, in May and
September. The Philadelphia Vireo is one of the most interesting of the

298 THE WARBLING VIREO.

family, because of its comparatively recent discovery and general rarity. It
frequents woodlands and the wooded borders of streams. I have seen a
single individual in my garden. In the spring they are found single or in
pairs, sometimes in high ash trees, but usually in the branches of undergrowth
m beech woodland. In the fall I have found them in flocks, in company with
Red-eyed Vireos and Bay-breasted Warblers. Fall specimens are decidedly
yellow below. A little acquaintance will enable an observer to determine
the species at sight as readily as the family to which it belongs. Its smaller
size and olive-green, without marked ashiness of the upper parts, readily
separate it from the Warbling Vireo, while the absence of wing-bars as read-
ily distinguishes it from the White-eyed Vireo. So far as I can ascertain they
are mute when on their migrations."

Thus Dr. Wheaton writes twenty-five years ago. The birds must be
not uncommon, since they are known to breed to the north of us through a
wide range of country. They are, however, exceedingly inconspicuous, and
the only recent appearance which has been noted in Ohio, is that of two birds
seen by myself at Columbus, April 22, 1902, on the grounds of the State
Universitv.

No. 131.

WARBLING VIREO.

A. O. U. No. 627. Vireo gilvus (Vieill.).

Description. — Adult: Above, dull ashy, almost fuscous, with the palest
possible tinge of olive-green, the latter color brightest on interscapulars, rump,
and edgings of secondaries and rectrices ; wings and tail fuscous, the primaries
with faint whitish edgings; no wing-bars; first primary spurious, — only about a
third as long- as the others; point of wing formed by third, fourth, and fifth
primaries; second shorter than sixth; below white with slight tinges on sides,—
buffy on sides of head and neck, olive-fuscous on sides of breast, sulphur-yellow
on sides of belly and flanks, and sometimes vaguely on breast ; lores and" space
about eye whitish, enclosing obscure, dusky line through eye; bill dusky above,
lighter below; feet blackish. Length 5.00-6.00 (i2^.-i^2.^} ; wing 2.91 (73.9);
tail 1.94 (49.3); bill' from nostril .30 (7.6).

Recognition Marks. — Warbler size ; general absence of positive characteris-
tics,—altogether the plainest-colored bird of the American avifauna.

Nest, a pensile pouch of bark-strips, grasses, vegetable fibers, and trash, care-
fully lined with plant-down ; hung usually from fork of small limb, at any height.
3 or 4, white, sparingly and distinctly dotted or spotted, or, rarely, blotched

THE WARBLING VIREO. 299

with black, umber, or reddish brown, chiefly at the larger end. Av. size, .75 x .55
(19. x 13.9).

General Range. — Xorth America, in general, from the Fur Countries to
Oaxaca, Mexico. Breeds throughout the greater part of its range.

Range in Ohio. — Of general distribution in summer. Perhaps less common
southerly.

BOLDLY quitting the woodland retreats, so dear to all the other Vireos,
this little warbler makes his home in the long rows of maples and elms which
line the streets of village and town, or lead the way to country residences.

Taken near McConnclsville. Photo by the Author.

NEST AND EGGS OF "THE WARBLING VIREO.

THE NEST WAS BROUGHT DOWN FROM A HEIGHT OF TWENTY FEET TO
AND PROMPTLY REPLACED.

Because he is clad in Quaker gray there is little need for the singer to show
himself, so he remains for the most part concealed in the dense foliage, but
he opens here for the passer-by a cool fountain of song, which is doubly re-
freshing for its contrast with the dusty turmoil of the street below. Unlike

3oo THE YELLOW-THROATED VIREO.

the disconnected fragments which the Red-eye furnishes, the song of the
Warbling Yireo is gushing and continuous, a rapid excursion over pleasant
hills and valleys. The notes are flute-like, tender, and melodious, having,
as Chapman says, "a singular alto undertone." All hours of the day are
recognized as appropriate to melody, and the song-period lasts from the time
of the bird's arrival late in April until its departure in September, with only
a brief hiatus in July.

In sharp contrast with the beautiful canzonettes which this bird showers
down from the tree-tops, come the harsh, \Vren-like scolding notes, which
it often delivers while searching through the bushes, and especially if it comes
across a lurking tabby-cat.

The Warbling Vireo's cradle is swung where its after life is spent — in
the depths of a shade tree. The structure is a little the neatest of them all,
being closely woven of grasses and fine bark-strips, and felted more or less
compactly with vegetable downs. The female is a close sitter, sticking to
her post even tho nearly paralyzed with fear. The male is usually in close
attendance and knows no way of discouraging the inquisitive bird-man save
by singing with redoubled energy. He takes his turn at the eggs when the
wife needs a bit of an airing, and even, it is said, carries his song with him
to the nest.

The Yireos are frequent victims of the Cowbird. The birds seem to
realize the imposition that is being practiced upon them, but are not able to
eject the foreign egg. Sometimes a false bottom is constructed to hide the
bastard product, and sometimes the tainted nest is deserted outright. One
such I found which contained only a single Cowbird's eggs, and that punc-
tured bv the outraged Yireo.

No. 132.

YELLOW-THROATED VIREO.

A. O. U. Xo. 628. Vireo flavifrons Vieill.

Description. — Adult: Above and on sides bright olive-green, giving way
posteriorly to bluish ash; wings and tail blackish; conspicuous white edgings
all around on the inner quills and outer rectrices ; edging of primaries narrow,
whitish, or olivaceous; that of inner tail-feathers whitish or bluish white; two
•nspicuous white wing-bars formed by tips of middle and greater coverts; no
apparent spurious quill ; first primary longer than fourth ; tip of wing formed by

THE YELLOW-THROATED VIREO. 301

second and third; chin, throat, and breast bright yellow (canary) ; a ring around
the eye and a supraloral line of the same color ; a dusky spot in front of the eye ;
belly and remaining under parts pure white or sordid ; bill and feet black. Length
5.50-6.00 (139.7-152.4); wing 3.00 (76.2); tail 1.93 (49.) ; bill from nostril
.32 (8.1).

Recognition Marks. — Warbler size; yellow breast; white belly.

Nest, pensile, of interwoven strips of bark, plant-fibers, etc., lined with fine
grasses, and usually covered with lichens; depending from forked branch ten to
forty feet up. Eggs, 3 or 4, white, with a roseate tinge, marked with dots and
spots of umber, black or reddish brown, chiefly about larger end. Av. size, .83 x
.61 (21. i x 15.5).

General Range. — Eastern United States north to Ontario and Manitoba;
south in winter to Colombia. Breeds from Florida and the Gulf States northward.

Range in Ohio. — Common during migrations; locally common or rare dur-
ing breeding season.

THIS species is evidently the least known of our four resident Vireos.
It is a bird of handsome and striking appearance, but while it is occasionally
seen in orchard or shade trees about town, it is nearly confined to the woods,
and those, too, in rather out-of-the-way places. It is decidedly a bird of the
upper levels and seldom ventures down as do its kinsmen to inspect the
passer-by.

The song of the Yellow-throated Vireo, because of its varied character,
is almost hopelessly confusing. Usually it differs from that of the Red-eyed
chiefly in having rough-edged notes, in briefer phrases, and in being less hur-
ried in delivery, altho uttered with great asperity. Rev. J. H. Langille says :
"It keeps well up in the tops of trees, diligently gleaning as it sings, vireo,
virce-ee, ivee-ree, etc., in tones rather shrill for a Vireo, and not nearly so
finely modulated and fluent as those of its relative the Red-eye, but greatly
resembling them." Chapman says: "If the Red-eyed Vireo is a soprano
the Yellow-throat is a contralto," but the note of the latter has a shrill quality
which serves to disguise the somewhat lower pitch. I have heard a song —
and seen the singer too — which was continuously sustained for long stretches,
and which differed from that of the Warbling Vireo only in its greater va-
riety and strength.

If the song is somewhat puzzling there need be no uncertainty with
reference to the bird's scolding note, or choleric tirade, zee, izu tzu tzu tzu
tzu tzu tzu, becoming rapid at first and then slowing down ; or else plain tzu
tzu tzu tzu tzu tzu tzu with exceeding rapidity at the start and a rallendo finish.
It is a nutmeg-grater cry like the House Wren's, but on a larger scale.

The nest of this Vireo is similar in construction and position to those
of the other species. It is perhaps a little bulkier than most, and is often

302

THE BLUE-HEADED VIREO.

highly ornamented, almost concealed, by mosses and lichens. Some authori-
ties place it at a height of from five to twenty or thirty feet, but I am inclined
to the opinion that many nests may be found at a much greater height. The
males assist regularly in the duties of incubation, and they have a suicidal
habit of singing on the nest.

No. 133-

BLUE-HEADED VIREO.

A. O. U. No. 629. Vireo solitarius (Wils.).

Synonym. — SOLITARY VIREO.

Description. — Adult : Crown and sides of head clear, bluish ash ; eye-ring
and supra-loral line white ; remaining upper parts olive-green ; wings and tail
blackish, with whitish or olive-green edgings ; tips of middle and greater coverts
white, forming two conspicuous bars ; spurious quill about one-fourth as long
as others ; second quill shorter than fifth ; point of wing formed by third and
fourth ; below white, purest on chin and throat ; the sides heavily washed with
greenish yellow or olive-green, the color reaching sometimes nearly across the
breast; bill and feet black or blackish. Length 5.00-6.00 (I27.-I52.) ; wing 2.95
(74.9) ; tail 2.18 (55.4) ; bill from nostril .29 (7.4).

Recognition Marks. — Warbler size ; a large, clearly-marked species, best
known by its blue cap enclosing white eye-ring, and its white throat.

Nesting. — Not yet positively reported from Ohio. Nest, a pendulous basket
of usual Vireo construction, but sometimes decorated externally with moss and
lichens, placed in forks of horizontal branch, five to fifteen feet up. Eggs, 4 or 5,
white with scattering dots and spots of red or reddish brown. Av. size, .81 x .62
(20.6 x 15.8).

General Range. — Eastern United States to the Plains, north to Hudson Bay
and Fort Simpson. South in winter to Guatemala. Breeds from southern New
England and the northern parts of the Lake States northward.

Range in Ohio. — A common spring and fall migrant. Suspected, but not
known to breed in northern part of state.

IT is a thankless task to compare the several beauties of birds so modest
as the Vireos, but certainly when it comes to plumage nothing could be more
chaste, more decorous, and pleasing withal, than the dainty blues and whites
of V . solitarius. It is principally by his costume that we know him, for he
is usually silent during migrations, and sings only in the northern tier of
counties, or, in a moment of forgetfulness, by the wayside. Blue-headed

BLUE -HEADED VIREO

Vireo nolitariux

3 5 Life-size

THE WHITE-EYED VIREO. • 303

Vireos are abundant during Warbler time and are generally to be found high
in the trees, keeping company with the equally silent Olive-backed Thrushes,
or pausing to admire the tiny manceuvers of their Warbler friends. This is
not their habitual range, however, and those which venture down into the
lower branches or move about among the shrubbery appear to be much more
at home. While with us the bird is deliberate in its movements and gives
no sign of the vivacity which characterizes the resident species.

The only song I have heard during the migrations was comparable to
that of the Red-eye, but the component phrases had only one or two syllables
each, and were slower, softer, and weaker in character. This performance
evidently does not truly represent the bird's vocal powers, for Bradford Tor-
rey says of it: "The Solitary's song is matchless for the tenderness of its
cadence, while in peculiarly happy moments the bird indulges in a continuous
warble that is really enchanting. It has, too, in common with the Yellow-
throat, a musical chatter — suggestive of the Baltimore Oriole's — and a pretty
trilled whistle."

No. 134-

WHITE-EYED VIREO.

A. O. U. No. 631. Vireo noveboracensis (Gmel.).

Description. — Adult : Above bright olive-green, duller on cervix ; brighter
on forehead and rump ; wings and tail dusky, with bright edgings of olive-green ;
two yellowish white bars formed by tips of middle and greater coverts ; spurious
quill nearly half as long as second primary ; second shorter than sixth ; point of
wing formed by third, fourth and fifth ; below white or sordid ; sides and flanks
washed with bright yellow ; lores and a ring around eye bright yellow ; bill and
feet dark ; iris white, — hazel in young. Specimens differ chiefly in the yellowness
or sordidness of under parts. Length 4.50-5.25 (114.3-133.3) ; wing 2.45 (62.2) ;
tail 1.92 (48.8) ; bill from nostril .28 (7.1).

Recognition Marks. — Warbler size; yellow lores and eye-rings and yellow
sides; yellowish white wing-bars, as distinct from V. gilvus, which it nearest re-
sembles in point of size; white irises.

Nest, of usual Vireo construction, suspended from forked twigs, three or
four feet high in underbrush or thickets. Eggs, 3 or 4, white, dotted sparingly
with reddish brown or dark purple. Av. size, .76 x .56 (19.3 x 14.2).

General Range. — Eastern United States west to the Rocky Mountains.

THE WHITE-EYED VIREO.

north to southern New England and Minnesota ; south in winter from Florida to
Guatemala and Honduras. Breeds from Florida and the Gulf States northward.
Range in Ohio. — Common in southern, rare in central Ohio. Reported regu-
larly from northeastern part of state (Cuyahoga and Ashtabula Counties).

THE manners of this "well-connected" bird have evidently suffered
through close association with that "prince of mountebanks," the Yellow-
breasted Chat. Like the larger mime the Vireo frequents brushy ravines and
thickets at the edge of the woods, where he prowls and pries and practices
all the tricks of the lightning change artist, and is ready at any time to join
his voice in a volley of abuse levelled at the chance intruder. If you are not
apprised of his presence by a sharp click heard in the depths of the thicket,
the feathered farceur will mount a nodding wand and throw the succession
of vocal somersaults which he calls his song. Tup to wee-o, chipiti burtnck,
comes with surprising energy and distinctness from so small a throat and you
are ready to follow at once upon the chase to which the wary bird invites you.
Mimicry is the White-eye's specialty. He follows it not only from a
desire to be tuneful but from sheer love of mischief. Once, in Lawrence

County, we
heard a re-
markable suc-
cession of
sounds com-
ing we knew
not whence.
The ravine
was full of
birds and we
surmised
Chat and
Catbird and
Mockingbird,
until we came
at last upon
the center of
attraction. A
White-eyed
Vireo was
hopping to

and fro upon a willow branch and singing vociferously while birds of half
a dozen other species were ranged about him giving rapt attention, — among
them a jealous Catbird, who listened with bill agape and drooping wings.

Morgan C

Photo by the Author.

"THE WHITE-EYED VIREO BUILDS LOW.'

THE WHITE-EYED VIREO.

305

The punchinello paused from
combinations while the audi
would break out with a new pro
four phrases from different ar
over and over with slight mod
or five seconds. The Chat
ite preface, but we recognized
Song Sparrow, Catbird, Caro

time to time to think up new
ence shifted uneasily. Then he
duct ion, a jumble of three or
tists, and this he would repeat
ifications at intervals of four
note, a nasal aoun, was a favor-
also Towhee, Summer Tanager,
lina Wren, English Sparrow,

Tak
Morgan County.

NEST AND EGGS OF THE WHITE-EYED VIREO.

Wood Thrush, and Warbling Vireo, in the order named.

But while the bird is a good deal of a wag and something of a scold,
we are always ready to applaud his humor, and we may as readily condone
his "nippy" tongue when we remember that it is wielded in a good cause.
The White-eyed Vireo builds low, seldom above seven or eight feet from
the ground, and it is naturally anxious for the safety of its eggs or little
ones. It is only when the welfare of these is threatened that the bird becomes
disagreeable and personal, and not always then.

3o6

THE WHITE-EYED VIREO.

The nest shown in the near-by illus-
tration was pointed out to me by a friend,
Mr. C. H. Morris of McConnelsville.
The bird was on but she occupied the
center of a little bower which was
guarded by a wall of droop-
ing vines and bristling black-
berry stems. With fear and
trembling I cut an entrance
way, removing the stems one
by one, and glancing appre-
hensively at the sitting bird,
but she sat on, unmoved.
Next, the camera was
brought in and advanced by
slow stages toward the
watchful bird. Many twigs
required to be cut away, and

there was much flapping of

^^H BJL f camera-cloths, gesticulating

^ of unmanageable "legs," and

clicking of shutters, but the
white-eyed beauty sat nicely
for her portrait, — once,
twice, thrice, until the strain
became too great for her.
Next the nest and eggs were
photographed, and after re-
moving the Cowbird's egg
(which appears in the pic-
ture just above the nearer
rim) the rest were left to be
gathered later in the day.

Returning some five
hours later, the bird-man pressed eagerly into the copse, intending to collect
the set of eggs for a well-known museum. The bird was on and happy now
in a new-found confidence. Nearer — nearer — came the collector. The bird
sat on. Finally moved by some strange impulse the man brought his face
down close to hers, not above a foot away, and gazed wistfully, searchingly,
into those trustful eyes. Then that old hard heart of mine melted within me
and I turned and fled.

Photo
by the
Author.

"SAT NICELY FOR HER PORTRAIT.'

THE SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER. 307

No. 135.

SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER.

A. O. U. No. 443. Muscivora forficata (Gmel.)-

Synonyms. — SWALLOW-TAILED FLYCATCHER; SCISSOR-TAIL.

Description. — Adults: General color hoary-ash, lighter below, white on
throat, darkening on nape, mingling with ochraceous or rusty on back ; a con-
cealed scarlet or orange crown-patch; wings fuscous to blackish, with hoary and
buffy-gray edgings; first primary deeply emarginate and attenuate; tail deeply
forked, the outer pairs greatly produced, — three or four times the length of
shortest feathers — the ordinary feathers black, and the longer ones black-tipped,
but white or faint salmon-colored for four-fifths their length; a scarlet tuft on
the side of the breast; lining of wings, sides of belly, and flanks bright salmon,
fading on crisstim ; bill and feet black. Immature : Similar ; tail undeveloped ;
no crown-patch; first primary not emarginate. Length to fork of tail 7.50-8.50
(190.5-215.9); wing about 5.00 (127.); tail 5.00-10.00 (I27.-254,); bill .65
(16.5). Females somewhat smaller, and with less developed tails.

Recognition Marks. — Chewink size (comparing body sizes, exclusive of
tail); hoary-ash, scarlet and salmon coloration; tail greatly produced, deeply
bifurcated.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. "Nest, of sticks, etc., lined with feathers
and other soft materials built in trees. Eggs, 3-5, .89 x .67 (22.6 x 17.), pure
white or creamy white, boldly but sparingly spotted with rich madder-brown and
lilac-gray."

General Range. — Texas, Oklahoma, Indian Territory, southern Kansas,
southwestern Missouri, south through eastern Mexico to Costa Rica. Accidental
in southern Florida (Key West), New Jersey, New England, York Factory
(Hudson Bay Territory), etc.

Range in Ohio. — Accidental. One record, by Mr. Frank H. Welder, near
Marietta, May 20, 1894.

THIS exceedingly graceful Flycatcher is known to be a great wanderer,
but its normal range is confined to Texas, with adjacent territory on the north
and south. The species is admitted to our state list on the authority of
Mr. Oliver Davie, who reports a single example said to have been taken near
Marietta.

The Scissor-tail is so named from a habit it has of opening and closing its
elongated tail-feathers like the blades of a pair of scissors. These remarkable
appendages may possibly serve the bird as balancers, or brakes, in flight, but a
more natural explanation would seem to be that they were provided to enable the
owner to work off his surplus energies, and to grace his bold sallies after

3o8 THE KINGBIRD.

insect prey. The birds are rather quarrelsome, especially among themselves.
A fight between four or five males such as one observer reports, must be a
spectacular affair — equal to one of those other occasions celebrated in the song
of their native land, "When dey's razors a'flyin' troo de air."

No. 136.

KINGBIRD.

A. O. LJ. No. 444. Tyrannus tyrannus (Linn.).

Description. — Adult: Above ashy black changing to pure black on head,
and fuscous on wings; crown with a concealed orange-red (cadmium orange)
patch or "crest," the orange feathers black-tipped and overlying others broadly
white at base ; wings with whitish and brownish ash edgings ; tail black, all the
feathers broadly white-tipped, and the outermost pair often white-edged; below
white, washed with grayish on breast; bill and feet black. Immature birds lack
the crown-patch, and are more or less tinged with fulvous or buffy on the parts
which are light-colored in the adult. Length 8.00-9.00 (20^-228.6) ; av. of four
Columbus specimens: wing 4.60 (116.8) ; tail 3.31 (84.1) ; bill from nostril .52
(13-2).

Recognition Marks. — Chewink size ; blackish ash above ; white below ; black-
tail conspicuously tipped with white; noisy and quarrelsome.

Nest, of weed-stalks, plant-fibres and trash, with a felted mat of plant-down
or wool, and an inner lining of fine grasses, feathers, rootlets, etc. Eggs, 3 or 4
sometimes 5, white or cream- white, distinctly but sparingly spotted with dark
umber and occasional chestnut. Av. size, .98 x .73 (24.9 x 18.5).

General Range. — North America from the British Provinces south ; in win-
ter through eastern Mexico, Central and South America. Less common west of
the Rocky Mountains. Not recorded from northern Mexico and Arizona.

Range in Ohio. — Common summer resident throughout the state.

STERN republicans that we all are, we nevertheless delight in the tales
of ancient tyranny, if only to shudder at them. And surely the fascinating
complex of modern international politics would lose full half its charm if there
were not half a dozen autocrats to deal with, to flatter, to cajole, to outwit,
and secretly to admire. And surely, too, no sane bird-lover would willingly
dispense with the presence in our midst of the Kingbird, that arch-tyrant of
the winged world. He is King by divine right, if there be such a thing, for
he is crowned when he comes of age without any intervention of man. He fairly
bursts with self-importance at all times, and the conscientious effort of his ma-

THE KINGBIRD. 309

turer years is to enforce his imperium over some chosen domain of bush and field.
If he does lord it over the underlings and villeins of his realm it is only that they
may humbly ac- ^^^^^^^^ knowledge his sway

and applaud him, ^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^ the self-appointed
champion of _^^^^^^^^m Bfc^ the defense-

less, as he ^S^^ ^ ^^B \ ^^. protects

j^r ' m<_» i ^^ ™

Photo by R. F. Griggs

A YOUNG TYRANT— THE LAST OF THE BROOD.

them from the attacks of all infidel Hawks, Crows, and Jays. Who has not
seen him as he quits his high perch in the elm sapling and hurries forward,
choking with vengeful utterance, to meet and chastise some murderous Hawk,
who before any other foe is brave? Down comes the avenger! The Hawk
shies with a guttural cry of rage and terror, while a little puff of feathers
scatters on the air to tell of the tyrant's success. Again and again the quick
punishment falls, until the tiny scourge desists and returns, shaking with shrill
laughter, to give his mate a highly-colored account of his adventure.

When the "King of Rome" was born Napoleon caused a hundred guns to
sound. When the twenty-second cannon boomed and the people knew it was
a boy, hats flew up and the streets of the gay French capital rang with ap-

3IO THE KINGBIRD.

plause. This feathered Napoleon has no such spectacular way of announcing
the realization of his paternal hopes, but the bird world nevertheless soon
g-uesses the secret. If the tyrant was critical before, he is choleric now; for
the whips of discipline he substitutes scorpions. He has the dignity of a
whole royal family to maintain. On that glad day he thrashes two Sparrow
Hawks and puts a flock of Crows to flight in sheer exuberance of
spirits.

It is easily possible, however, to exaggerate the pugnacity of the King-
bird, or to infer from extreme examples that all are quarrelsome. It is not
unusual for Kingbirds to be on the best of terms with their immediate neigh-
bors, thieves always excepted. I once found in one small poplar tree the
nests of three birds, each containing eggs, viz., a Robin, an Oriole, and a
Kingbird. The two latter were within five feet of each other. Dr. Brewer
also records an exactly similar case. Kingbird's courage, which is unques-
tionable, is often tempered by prudence, altho at other times it quite over-
balances his better judgment. The Burrowing Owl of the West will tolerate
none of his nonsense, and I have seen the birds make sad mistakes in molesting
these virtuous mousers. The sight of a Shrike will make a Kingbird shrink
into the smallest possible compass. Catbirds, too, are said to be, for valid
reasons, quite exempt from their tyranny.

The food of the Kingbird consists entirely of insects, caught on the wing
for the most part, by sallies from some favorite perch. His eyesight must be
very good, as he not infrequently spies his prey at distances of from twenty
to fifty yards. Honey bees form an occasional but inconsiderable article of
diet. Both in the taking of food and in the discharge of police duties the
Kingbird exhibits great strength and swiftness as well as grace in flight. Once
when passing in a canoe through a quiet weed-bound channel near the Mus-
kingum river, I was quite deceived for a time by the sight of distant, white-
breasted birds, dashing down to take insects near the surface of the water,
and even occasionally dipping under it. They had all the ease and grace of
White-bellied Swallows, but proved to be Kingbirds practicing in a new role.

This fondness for the water is often exhibited in the bird's choice of a
nesting site. Ordinarily orchard or shade trees, or the more prominent mem-
bers of neglected hedge-rows are preferred, but on several occasions I have
found nests on low-swinging horizontal branches overhanging the water, and
thrice, at least, in tiny willow clumps entirely surrounded by it. The nest
of the Kingbird sometimes presents that studied disarray, which is considered
by some the height of art. Now and then a nest has such a dishevelled appear-

THE KINGBIRD.

ance as to
quite dis-
courage in-
v e s t i g a -
tion, unless
the owner's
presence
gives the se-
cret of its oc-
c u p a n c y
away. It is
placed usu-
ally in an up-
right or hor-
izontal fork
of a tree at a
height of
from three
to forty feet.
Twigs,
weed - stalks
and trash of
any kind en-
ter into the
basal con-
st r u c tion.
The charac-
teristic fea-
ture of the
nest, how-
ever, is the
mould, or
mat, of vege-
table plaster,
ground
wood, and

the like, or else compacted wool and cow-hair, which is forced into the inter-
stices of the outer structure and left smooth and rounded inside, giving shape
to the nest. This in turn is lined with fine grasses, horse-hair, or variously.
Occasionally nests are found composed almost entirely of wool. In others
string is the principal ingredient.

Eggs are laid at the rate of one each day. Incubation begins when the

Taken on the Licking Reservoir. Photo by the Author.

NEST AND EGGS OF THE KINGBIRD.

THE NEST IS PLACED ABOUT TWO FEET UP IN A WILLOW GROWING IN SEVERAL
FEET OF WATER.

3I2 THE CRESTED FLYCATCHER.

nest complement is full, or, more rarely, when the first egg is laid ; and is com-
pleted, normally in fourteen days. The last week in May or the first in June
is the usual time for the first set, and two broods are not infrequently raised
in a season.

Although the Kingbird never sings, it has a characteristic and not unmusi-
cal cry, tizic, tide (spell it phthisic if you prefer) or tsee tsee tsee tsee, in
numerous combinations of syllables which are capable of expressing various
degrees of excitement and emotion.

No. 137.

CRESTED FLYCATCHER.

A. O. U. No. 452. Myiarchus crinitus (Linn.).

Description. — Adult : Above, grayish brown washed with olive-green ; a
short crest not different in color ; wings brownish fuscous variegated by edgings, —
cinnamon-rufous on primaries, gray or fulvous on coverts and secondaries, green-
ish yellow, and sometimes broadly white on tertials ; tail cinnamon-rufous on
the inner webs of all except middle pair of feathers ; these and outer webs brownish
fuscous; sides of head, throat, and chest ashy gray; the remaining under parts
clear, sulphur-yellow; bill dark brown, lighter at bast below; feet blackish.
Length 8.50-9.10 (215.9-231.1); av. of five Columbus specimens: wing 4.18
(106.2) ; tail 3.68 (93.5) ; bill from nostril .64 (16.3).

Recognition Marks. — -Chewink size ; ashy, sulphur-yellow, and cinnamon-
rufous below ; crested.

Nest, in holes in trees or posts ; a heavy matting of grasses and trash, and
invariably including in its composition a cast-off snake-skin ; usually at moderate
heights. Eggs, 3-6, peculiar, creamy brown or buff, with heavy markings and
pen-scratching, chiefly longitudinal, of chocolate or purplish brown. Av. size,
.90 x .68 (22.9 x 17.3).

General Range. — Eastern United States and southern Canada, west to Mani-
toba and the Plains; south through eastern Mexico to Costa Rica, Panama and
Colombia. Breeds from Florida northward.

Range in Ohio. — Common summer resident throughout the state.

AN outburst of sinister laughter from some distant tree-top in the woods
on the 28th or 29th day of April is notice that the Great Crested Flycatcher
has come. He is shy at first, but you may catch a glimpse of his warm brown
wings as he crosses some skyey space, or of his sulphur breast as he peers down
at you from some high limb and reports your progress in excited tones to a
still more timid mate. "Queep, queep, qucep — Look out now, he's coming —
Wheeoo" and away they scurry to laugh in high discordant notes at their

THE CRESTED FLYCATCHER. 313

thrilling adventure. The Crested Flycatcher is the monitor and cynic of the
woods. His harsh outcry greets you as you enter the portals of his chosen
temple, and he rails at worshipper and priest alike in hollow mocking tones
which grate upon the nerves of the would-be devotee. Quarrelsome if not
courageous, meddlesome and impudent, the wood-folk are glad when increas-
ing family cares enjoin upon this fretful tyrant a more prudent silence.

Quite unlike other Flycatchers this bird of the cinnamon garb nests in
holes in trees. A hollow limb at a moderate height is preferred, but old Wood-
pecker holes do not come amiss, or new ones either for the matter of that.
Orchard trees are often chosen and a convenient knot-hole admitting to the
decaying interior will be most eligible. Artificial sites, — bird-houses and the
like, have also been used of late years. The hollow, if capacious, is half-filled
with trash of every conceivable description, — string, fur, feathers, grass, leaves,
and what not. There is only one sine qua non : — a cast-off snake skin the bird
must and will have, if possible. This, be it noted, is a harsh rustling affair,
and is placed almost invariably near the top of the heap, or thrown clear around
the rim.

Various conjectures have been advanced to account for this strange taste.
Since their nests are often ill-smelling affairs, it has been suggested that the
birds really have a weakness for the aroma of the snake, and so provide a
convenient smelling bottle to sustain the sitting bird at her weary task. It is
well known that a garter snake in spring exhales an odor like wild crab-
apple blossoms, but the comparison is not likely to recommend the serpent as a
fashionable bouquet. A nest found in Oberlin throws a clearer light upon
the problem. A cavity in an apple tree from which a grandmotherly
old Flicker had been evicted, was filled half way to the top with tufts
of cow-hair and bunches of chicken-feathers, but it contained no snake-skin.
Its place was supplied by a crumpled piece of tough tissue paper, which rustled
ominously when the hand was inserted. The secret was out. It is the rustle
of the snake-skin which either delights the bird, or to which it trusts for giving
warning of an enemy's approach during the owrner's absence — a sort of burglar
alarm, as it were.

Apropos of this curious penchant for snake-skins, Mrs. Blanchan offers a
clever conceit to account for the bird's crest. It is from the early fright the
youngsters get at discovering a snake in the nest. No snakey ; no pompadour !

The eggs are not the least remarkable objects connected with these strange
birds. Not only are they more heavily marked than those of any other hole-
nesting species, but the color is distributed in longitudinal streaks and pen-
scratchings, purplish brown and umber on a creamy buff ground. Among
these are interspersed spots and blotches and hair-lines of every degree of deli-

3I4 THE PHCEBE.

cacy and clearness. It is supposed that the eggs of all hole-nesting species
revert to the uncolored form, viz., white, after the lapse of necessary ages, —
there being no longer an economic value in color which is to remain unseen.
If this be true, then we must conclude that the Crested Flycatcher has only
recently hit upon the present method of departure from the family trait of open
air nesting. And this is more remarkable because the eggs of the genus
Myiarchus are more heavily colored than those of any other of the Tyrannidae.
The nesting of this species usually takes place in June. From three to
six eggs are laid, and incubation is completed in fourteen days. The young
are ready to leave the nest at the end of as many days more, and they remain
more or less closely associated with the parents at least until the time of the
southern journey, 'which is undertaken during the second or third week in
September.

No. 138.

PHCEBE.

A. O. U. Xo. 456. Sayornis phoebe (Lath.).

Synonyms. — PEWIT ; PEWIT FLYCATCHER; PEWEE ; BRIDGE PEWEE.

Description. — Adults: Above, brownish-gray with an olivaceous cast, chang-
ing into brownish-dusky on top of head; wings and tail dusky, the former with
indistinct bars of brownish-gray and with some lighter olivaceous gray edgings
on the secondaries; below, pale sulphur-yellow, or whitish, sordid, and tinged
heavily on sides of breast with color of back ; bill and feet black. Immature
birds are rather brighter in coloration than adults, and have more prominent wing-
bars. Length 6.75-7.25 (171.5-184.2); wing 3.44 (87.4); tail 2.78 (70.6);
bill from nostril .40 (10.2).

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size ; dull olivaceous above, becoming dusky
on head ; black bill ; "phcebe" note. To be distinguished from Contopus virens
by its larger size, less prominent wing-bars, and different bill — the last being
longer, narrower, and darker than in the other bird.

Nest, a thick-walled cup or bracket of moss and mud, lined with plant-down,
fine grasses and horse-hair; placed upon a beam or projecting corner of out-build-
ing, bridge, shale-bank, etc. Eggs, 4-6, white, unmarked, or, rarely, sparsely dot-
ted with reddish-brown. Av. size, .80 x .55 (20.3 x 14.).

General Range. — Eastern North America west to eastern Colorado and
western Texas, and from the British Provinces south to eastern Mexico and Cuba,
wintering from the South Atlantic and Gulf States southward. Breeds from
South Carolina northward.

Range in Ohio. — Common summer resident.

THE chilly winds of March may have handed in their resignations, but
they have not yet been accepted by the Weather Bureau when Phcebe ventures
north. He was feasting on flies in Florida, and would have done well to wait

THE PHCEBE. 315

another month, but that homesickness for old Ohio which her sons and daugh-
ters know so well, mastered him, and he could not stay away. Arrived in the
old haunts, the pussy-willows nod pleasantly at the venturesome bird, but
unfamiliar pools frown icily, and he is obliged to court the shelter of some
protecting bank until the purposes of spring are a little stronger grown. Here
he utters from time to time a plaintive tsip of discontent, or shivers miserably
as a fresh blast of Boreas discovers his retreat. Doubtless he recalls on such
occasions the bitter irony of the old rhyme, which must have originated in a
sunnier land :

Photo by Rev. W. F. Hcnninger.
PHCEBE'S NEST IN LOG CABIN.

THE NEST CONTAINS ONE EGG OF THE COWBIRD.

"On March the Twenty-first 'tis spring,
When little birds begin to sing;
To build their nests ; to raise their brood ;
With tender care provide them food."

"Here it is the Twenty-first of March, but where is their spring? Tsip!
Nothing but gray skies and a cold wind. Ugh ! — and bleary patches of snow !
Tsip ! It is really too bad ! Tsip ! Tsip !" But a day or so later the sun
shines out and Mrs. Phoebe, more prudent but scarcely less eager, arrives from
the south, and the pair set bravely to work nest-building.

THE PHCEBE.

Nesting is, of course, the absorbing business of all migrant birds during
their summer residence, but in few of them is devotion to the rearing of young,
and attachment to a chosen locality carried to a higher degree than in the case
of Phoebe. Two or three broods are often raised by these birds in a season,
and the same pair will return to a favorite culvert or outbuilding year after
year. A recent writer tells of a pair which built nests along the lintel of a
door for six successive years, until the place was crowded full of nests in
various degrees of preservation.

I'HCEBE'S NEST IN COFFEE POT.

Photo by Rev. W. F. Henninger.

Formerly Phoebes nested entirely along streams, placing their nest on a
convenient ledge of rock jutting out from some moss-covered bank, which was
kept damp by the spray of falling water ; or else attaching them to the sides
of small caves. This habit still persists in many parts of our state, and nests
are to be commonly found along shale-cliffs and in sand-stone grottoes or old
quarry-holes. But Phoebes have also adopted the ways of civilization, and

THE PHCEBE.

the porch, or carriage house, or "lumber shed," boasts no more welcome occu-
pant than this gentle fly-catcher. Bridges, and especially stone culverts, offer
a mediate ground between nature and ultra civilization, and of these the birds
eagerly avail themselves. One expects at the crossing of every stream, in
spring, to see a de-
mure, dusky bird,
perched upon the
fence-wire where it
spans the water, and
to hear him say in
plaintive but tender
accents, "Pcivit,
phocbc - phccbe - pe-
wit, phcebe." Phoe-
be herself is brood-
ing patiently below,
under the cool stone
arch, in spite of
the thunder of your
horse's hoofs.

It would seem as
if these birds become
perfectly inured to
danger of every sort,
and especially to
noises. The blasting
of rock in a quarry-
hole is nothing, if
only the nest is not
dislodged. In sev-
eral instances I have
found occupied nests
in railroad culverts ;
once in an open-
topped culvert, and
within four feet of
passing trains. Less
prudent was a bird
found sitting in a
stone conduit only
eighteen inches high, THIS LITTLE CROTTO IS THE ONE REFERRI

through which a six-inch stream of water flowed. The illustration on the pre-
ceding page shows a nest found in an old coffee-pot, which had been left hang-

fnoto by the
Author.

PHOEBE'S CAVE.

THE PHCEBE.

ing on a nail in a deserted cabin. Mr. Henninger was obliged to take the pot
down in order to secure a good photograph.

As may be guessed from the catholicity of Phoebe's tastes, many un-
toward accidents befall during nesting time. Some nests are drowned out; a
crumbling ledge or weakening mud-cement causes the downfall of others;
while the Phoebe suffers more than most from misplaced confidence in man —
or boy. Saddest of all, perhaps, is the annual destruction by parasites.
Phoebe's fondness for chicken feathers frequently involves the introduction
of chicken-lice into the nest, and these and other vermin make the poor bird's
life a burden. Finding cold eggs or desiccated young, one unacquainted with
the cause of Phoebe's hardships, is inclined to chide the parent birds for neg-
ligence, especially if they be seen at some distance uttering only a feeble plaint ;
but a careful investigation will exonerate the birds, and let the observer into
the secret of their tragic sorrow.

In this connection a word of advice to those who are the favored hosts of
Phcebe, may not be amiss. When you are giving the chickens
their spring bath of sulphur, remember Phoebe's nest. If you
find evidence of vermin, remove the eggs carefully while you
sprinkle the nest thoroughly with the powder, but do not get

WHERE PHCEBE CAPTURES THE EARLY FLY.

too much on the inside. Phoebe may not like it at first, but she will lead off
lusty youngsters at the end of the season, and that will be thanks enough.
>r m return, you may figure out how many house-flies a pair of Phoebes will
ch m a day, working at the rate of two a minute.

An exhaustive list of Phoebe's enemies is not possible or necessary, but

ttle drama which I once witnessed in the romantic park at Elyria,' is at

*st fruitful m suggestion. While hunting along the side of the steep river

k with two companions, our attention was arrested by the excited "chit-

THE OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER. 319

tering" of a Phoebe, which hovered over a brush pile. A little brown streak
flashed out of this pile and into another, and the Phoebe closed in hot pursuit.
Round and round a half-raised log they flew — a Winter Wren in terror for
his life, and the flycatcher breathing direst vengeance. After a spirited chase,
the Wren reached unassailable depths in a large brush heap, and his pursuer
made off snapping his beak and panting with rage. Ten rods away we found
the Phoebe's eggs in a mossy bracket on the wall of a sand-stone grotto.
Would a dear little Winter Wren be mean enough to harm them, or were
Phoebe's suspicions unfounded ?

No. 139.

OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER.

A. O. U. No. 459. Nuttallornis borealis (Swains.).

Description. — Adult : Upper parts brownish slate with a just perceptible
tinge of olivaceous on back ; top of head a deeper shade, and without olivaceous ;
wings and tail dusky-blackish, the former with some brownish gray edging only
on tertials ; flank-tufts of fluffy, yellowish or white feathers, sometimes spreading
across rump and in marked contrast to it, but usually concealed by wings ; throat,
belly and crissum. and sometimes middle line of breast, white or yellowish white ;
heavily shaded on sides and sometimes across breast with brownish gray or olive-
brown, — the feathers with darker shafts-streaks ; bill black above, pale yellow be-
low ;feet black. Immature : Similar to adult, but coloration a little brighter ;
wing-coverts fulvous or buffy. Length 7.00-8.00 (177.8-203.2) ; wing 4.16
(105.7) I tail 2.64 (67.1) ; bill from nostril .53 (13.5).

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow to Chewink size ; heavy shaded sides ; bill yel-
low below ; tew-tew note ; keeps high in trees during migrations.

Nesting. — Not known to breed in Ohio. Nest, a shallow cup of twigs, bark-
strips, etc., lined with grass and moss ; saddled upon horizontal limb of coniferous
trees, often at great heights. Eggs, 3-5, creamy- white or pale buff, spotted dis-
tinctly with chestnut and rufous, and obscurely with purplish and lavender, chiefly
in ring about larger end. Average size, .85 x .63 (21.6 x 16.).

General Range. — North America, breeding from the northern and the higher
mountainous parts of the United States northward to British Columbia, and the
Saskatchewan River. Accidental on the Lower Yukon and in Greenland. In
winter south to Central America, Columbia and northern Peru.

Range, in Ohio. — A rare migrant. Only a dozen or so records known.

A familiar resident in the mountains of the West and not uncommon in
New England, this large Flycatcher is known to us only as a rare migrant pass-
ing to and from its home in the Laurentian highlands. It is not a sociable
bird, but migrates in solitary fashion, and roosts high in some scantily clad
or dead tree, wherever night may chance to overtake it. At such times it

THE WOOD PEWEE.

expresses its distrust of the bird-man, craning his neck from below, by occa-
sional alarm notes of singular resonance and penetrating quality, tew-tew,
tew-tew, tew, tew, tew. Beside this he has a loud call, swee-chew, which is
one of the characteristic notes of the dense evergreen forests in which the bird
spends its summer. "Three Cheers," he seems to say — as a gold-miner in the
Cascade Mountains of Washington once put it. And, truly, for one who has
been delving all day in the bowels of the silent earth, the greeting which this
bird shouts down from the topmost twig of some giant fir is most welcome and
enspiriting.

No. 140.

WOOD PEWEE.

A. O. U. No. 461. Contopus virens (Linn.).

Description. — Adult : Upper parts dusky, with a brownish, olivaceous,
olive-green, or even grayish cast, — brighter in any case on sides of neck and on
back; wings and tail darker; middle and greater coverts tipped with brownish
gray, forming two rather noticeable bars ; under parts sordid white or yellowish,
tinged more or less on sides and sometimes across breast with olive-brown or
gray; bill black above, light yellow below, sometimes dark-tipped; feet black.
Varies considerably in the matter of olivaceous and yellow coloring, being brighter
colored after each moult, viz., in spring and fall. Immature birds have some
rusty tinging of the feather tips, especially on the wing-coverts. Length 6.00-
6.60 (152.4-167.6) ; av. of five Columbus specimens: wing 3.37 (85.6) ; tail 2.55
(64.8) ; bill from nostril .39 (9.9).

Recognition Marks. — Small Sparrow size ; obscure coloration ; broad bill,
yellow below ; gray wing-bars ; pe-a-we note.

Nest, a shallow cup of compacted moss, grass, rootlets, etc., lined indiffer-
ently well with grasses, but handsomely decorated externally with lichens ; sad-
dled midway or in fork of horizontal limb, at middle heights. Eggs, usually 3,
sometimes 4, creamy-white, marked by largish spots of distinct and obscure rufous-
brown or umber, in open wreath about larger end. Av. size, .71 x .55 (18. x 14.).

General Range. — Eastern North America, west to the Plains, and from
southern Canada southward, migrating through eastern Mexico and Honduras to
Colombia and Ecuador. Breeds from Florida to Newfoundland.

Range in Ohio. — Abundant summer resident.

WHEN the tide of spring migrations is at its height, and the early morn-
ing woods are bursting with melody, a pensive stranger, clad in soberest olive,
takes his place on some well shaded limb and remarks, pe-a-wee, in a plaintive
voice and with a curious rising inflection at the end. Unlike his cousin, the Phoe-
be, who came too early in March, and who felt aggrieved at the lingering frosts.
the Wood Pewee has nothing that he may rightly complain of. The trees are

THE WOOD PEWEE. 321

wreathed in their tenderest greens ; the fresh blossoms, opening to the wooing
breeze, are exhaling their choicest odors ; the air hums with teeming insect life.
But the Wood Pewee takes only a languid interest in all these matters. His
memory is haunted by an unforgotten sorrow, some tragedy of the ancestral
youth, and he sits alone, apart, saying ever and anon as his heart is freshly
stirred, pe-a-wee, pe-a-wee.

As the season advances, however, the drawling minor notes contrast less
strangely with the surroundings. Bobolink's note tinkles distantly from the
meadows or is hushed under the weight of increasing family cares. Oriole
still flutes, but only spasmodically, and soon we know he too will be silent.
When the days reach their full length and the trees can hold not another leaf,
then the heart of the olive stranger grows warm. He feels that he has come
to his own, and from some ashen limb on the border of a woodsy aisle, his oft-
repeated notes blend perfectly with the languorous air. When other birds are
silent through the heat of the day, this soothful singer interprets rather than
breaks the delicious stillness of the sunlit shades by his gentle inquiry,
pe-a-weef pe-a-ivee? And then from time to time, lest his quaint interroga-
tion should seem yet too obtrusive, he answers himself with a quainter note
of perfect comprehension and content, ah-pea-wee.

Altho fond of the deeper woods the Wood Pewee is by no means confined
to them. He is even a little partial to the haunts of men if they include orchard
and ample shade trees. His whistled notes present an irresistible temptation
to imitation, but when he hears his name called by unfamiliar lips he exhibits
only mild surprise without resentment.

The nest of the Wood Pewee is one of the most sightly and romantic struc-
tures which an ingenious Nature has evolved. Who would not, after the Hang-
bird's nest perhaps, choose a home which looked as if it grew upon the very
limb which supported it? A rather shallow cup — not a saucer — made of. split
grass, weed-fibers, delicate strips of grapevine bark, and abundant moss, is
settled into the crotch of a lichen-covered horizontal limb, or perhaps it is
saddled upon the middle of the limb, even tho it be not over an inch in thick-
ness. In place of cement or vulgar mud, the builders use spiders' silk, the
toughest of substances for its size, and delightfully sticky. When the walls are
laid, a fairy network of this substance is spread over the outside ; and lichens,
carefully selected to correspond with those already appearing on the limb, are
plentifully used to decorate and conceal the surface. The resulting creation
appears like a moss-covered knot where knots are common, and that is all.

But of what use is all this cunning art of decorative concealment, if the
proud architects have to go and give the secret away after all ? One has only
to determine the general vicinity of a Pewee's nest, and then wait quietly at
some little distance until the bird flies straight to it. Even when standing
beneath the exact spot, the bird, in utter guilelessness or confidence, will settle

322 THE YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER.

upon her eggs with a soft titter of content. But why not ? Who could wish to
harm so gentle a creature ?

In no way do birds exhibit greater diversity of character than in their
treatment of intruders. Some will nutter about you savagely when the nest
is being examined, and snap their mandibles as tho wishing .you were only the
size of a horse-fly ; others sit at a distance and utter a mournful plaint ; while
others still disappear from view entirely.

That the Wood Pewee is a bird of spirit the red squirrel can testify. I
once saw one of those arch-destroyers trying to make his way along a walnut
limb which was evidently forbidden territory. A Pewee had him under fire,
and every time his head came round above the limb she set upon him fiercely.
If the viciously clicking mandibles did not succeed in finding one of those evil
eyes, the flashing fire from the bird's eye must certainly have singed his
whiskers. No telling what would have happened had there not been one who
intervened.

No. 141.

YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER.

A. O. U. No. 463. Empidonax flaviventris Baird.

Description. — Adult : Above dull olive-green, shading on sides and breast
into greenish yellow of under parts, the latter shade purest (sulphur-yellow)
on belly ; wings and tail fuscous ; the middle and greater coverts tipped, and the
inner quills edged with light greenish yellow or whitish ; secondaries abruptly
yellow-edged on terminal half of outer webs ; tip of wing formed by second, third
and fourth primaries ; the first shorter than the fifth ; a yellow eye-ring ; bill dark
above, pale below ; feet blackish. Immature : Similar, but duller above ; brighter
yellow below; the wing-bands buffy or ochraceous. Length 5.00-5.75 (127.-
146.1) ; av. of ten Columbus specimens: wing 2.67 (67.8) ; tail 2.02 (51.2) ; bill
from nostril .32 (8.1) ; width at base .31 (7.9).

Recognition Marks. — Warbler size ; general yellowness, — the constancy and
strength of the yellow is distinctive.

Nesting. — Not known to breed in Ohio. Nest, chiefly of moss, placed on
or near ground, in upturned roots, under fallen logs, or in moss-bank. Eggs,
4, creamy-white, spotted and speckled, chiefly about larger end, with cinnamon-
brown. Av. size, .67 x .52 (17. x 13.2).

General Range. — Eastern North America, west to the Plains, and from
southern Labrador south through eastern Mexico to Panama, breeding from the
northern States northward. Casual in Greenland.

Range in Ohio. — Probably not uncommon during migrations. Owing to its
retiring habits few observers have reported it.

THE ACADIAN FLYCATCHER. 323

THE Enipidonaces , or Gnat-kings, (as the Greek name signifies), as a
group, offer peculiar difficulties to the student of birds. Altho separated into
many species, the distinctions are so fine and the birds in the hand really look
so much alike, that their identification is for a long time, in the experience of
every one, involved in doubt and confusion. In the West, indeed, where the
habitats of these birds are not yet clearly defined, and where the commonest
species has earned the name difficilis (difficult), the effort to keep up with the
little Flycatchers is almost maddening.

The keys to an acquaintance with the four species1 which occur in our
state, are to be found in the notes, or characteristic cries, which each bird utters,
and in the character of the haunts which each affects. The species under con-
sideration is the least known of the four. It is found only during migrations,
when it is very quiet and very secretive. I have never positively identified it
within the state and it appears to be known to only two or three observers.
Dr. Wheaton, who was perhaps better acquainted than any one else with the
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, says of its range : "It is seldom found perched near
the extremity of limbs watching for or capturing flying insects, but it is gener-
ally seen in the midst of a low thicket or fence row, and at the first intimation
that it is an object of observation, seeks further concealment by hiding near the
ground and remaining motionless. None of the family are such adepts at con-
cealment, its habits in this respect resembling those of the Connecticut and
Mourning Warblers."

The ordinary note of this bird is described as "an abrupt pse-ek, almost in
one explosive syllable," in which case it cannot be so unlike the familiar cle-otip
note of the Acadian Flycatcher. It has, however, a more distinctive call —
"a soft, mournful whistle consisting of two notes, the second higher pitched
and prolonged, with rising inflection, resembling in a measure chu-e-c-p" (J.
Dwight, Jr.). Dr. Wheaton records having heard this longer note on two
occasions, but it is rarely heard during the migrations.

No. 142.

ACADIAN FLYCATCHER.

A. O. U. No. 465. Empidonax virescens (Vieill.).

Synonym. — GREEN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER.

Description. — Adult: Upper parts, olive-green, olive, or olive-gray; wings
and tail fuscous; the wing-barring and edging according to the pattern of the
preceding species, but not so yellow — rather inclining to buffy or gray ; tip of wing

1 For practical purposes the northern refinement E. traillii alnorum may be disregarded.

324

THE ACADIAN FLYCATCHER.

formed by second and third primaries; first longer than fifth; eye-ring, white,
or palest possible yellow below ; below white, shaded with olive or olive-gray on
sides and across breast, tinged with sulphur-yellow on belly (except the mid-
dle), flanks, and lining of wings; bill broad, blackish above, pale beneath; feet
dark. Immature: Like adult, but with ochraceous wing-bars and edgings, and
brighter green above, with paler tips of feathers — thus lightening the general
effect. Length, 5.50-6.10 (139.7-154-9) J wing, 2.87 (72.9); tail, 2.27 (57.7);
bill from nostril .37 (9.4) ; width at base .30 (7.6).

Recognition Marks. — Larger Warbler size; distinctly olive (of some shade)
above ; throat whitish ; yellow-tinged on belly and flanks ; clcotip note ; an in-
habitant of woodland, especially beech.

Nest, a frail and shallow saucer of leaf-stems, dried blossoms, or twigs, and
rarely, grasses ; placed in forklet near tip of declining beech-branch, at a height
of from seven to fifteen feet. Eggs, 2 or 3 and sometimes 4, creamy-white,
sparingly spotted about larger end with rusty-brown. Av. size, .73 x .54
(18.5 x 13.7).

General Range. — Eastern United States, north to southern New York and
southern Michigan, west to the Plains, south to Cuba and Costa Rica. Rare or
casual in southern New England.

Range in Ohio. — Abundant summer resident. One of the most charac-
teristic birds of our numerous beech woodlands.

"THE groves were God's first temples," and in none of them is worship
fitter than in a wood of ancient beeches. The floor of the temple is ribbed
with their roots, gnarled and wide - spreading.

Plinth and archi- trave are wanting, but the sturdy

beech columns need no ex-
save their own
rugged grace and
their aureoles of
living green.
Their unfluted
sides are frescoed,
perhaps, in lichen
hues of ashy-

cuse

Taken near
Danville.

ACADIAN FLYCATCHER-FEMALE BROODING YOUNG.

THE ACADIAN FLYCATCHER.

325

green and ochrey brown, or else becheckered by the soft sunlight as it comes
sifting down through unstained windows. Here a group of tapering pillars,
a closer brotherhood, incline in reverence to the whispering breeze, and cast
an ample shade for the inner shrine ; and here a fallen tree, grown old in ser-
vice but useful still, invites the worshipper to pause and rest.

In such a sacred spot as this the Acadian Flycatcher has chosen to spend
its brief summer. Within the shadow of a single wood it finds its mate, rears
young, and gathers strength for the return across the unknown wastes to
Florida.

The first notice which we have of the bird's arrival, sometime during the
last week in April, is a
fairy sneeze heard in the
depths of the wood.
"Cleotip" it says,
but with the
time and em-
phasis of a
"Kachew."This
note comes not
from the tip of
some dead limb
in full view, as
would be the
case with other
Flycatch-
ers, but from a
clear space on
some lower
limb or middle
height. The
bird delivers his
salutation with

a good deal of apparent effort, as tho he were clearing an obstruction .from his
beak, and he jerks his tail at the same time by way of emphasis. His repertory
of song contains no other notes save a low humming titter of adulation, common
to the little Flycatchers, and a sharp scolding note, smew, or more rarely weet,
with a sort of explosiveness at the finish. Altho these are the only notes which I
have observed in a somewhat extended acquaintance, one cannot afford to be
dogmatic on this subject. As matter of curiosity the following list of interpreta-
tions is presented, as culled from seven authors : Queae, queae, tchoae, tchetvee,
weet, weet, weet, will; chirr (Audubon) ; quequeal (Allen); spee or pcet;
pce-c-yuk (Chapman) ; e-chee-ah (Nehrling) ; unck-up or hick-up; queep-

Photo by J. B. Parker.

THE TRIUMPH OF MOTHER-LOVE.

ALTHO IN TERROR OF THE CAMERA, THIS MOTHER FLYCATCHER VENTURES TO
FEED HER FAMISHING BROOD WHILE HOVERING OVER THEM ON THE WING.

326

THE ACADIAN FLYCATCHER.

queep or chier-queer; whoty, whoty (Bendire) ; Whai-d'ye-see (Wheaton) ;
tshee-kee, tshee-kee (Blanchan). Seven other authorities consulted wisely re-
frained from the attempt.

It is not altogether unusual to find the Acadian Flycatcher frequenting
second growth clearings, and the woodsy borders which face damp brush lots,
but he is more commonly found along the umbrageous vista of some unfre-
quented wood-road, or in the gloomy heart of the forest. Here he waits im-
patiently for mosquitoes and midges, darting at them suddenly from his perch,
making a quick turn at the goal, and bringing his mandibles together sharply
with a click which for one poor insect is the veritable crack of doom. Here,
too, in some dim aisle of the forest, from the feathery tip of a horizontal or

Photo by J. B. Parker.

ACADIAN FLYCATCHER AND YOUNG.

THE NEST IS THE SAME AS SHOWN IN THE PREVIOUS ILLUSTRATION. GROWN BOLDER THE MOTHER BIRD
ALIGHTS ON THE LIMB PREPARATORY TO DIVIDING A MOTH AMONG HER BROOD.

descending branch, a frail cradle is swung. It is a shallow saucer of fine
twigs, leaf-stems, or the stalks of some slender vine made fast by the edges
to forking twigs or half supported by them. Usually the materials are loosely
interwoven and bound together by cobwebs, but the latter are often absent.
Catkins and dried blossoms also generally enter into the construction. Occa-
sionally the whole affair is so careless that it merits Dr. Wheaton's comparison,
"a tuft of hay caught by the limb from a load driven under it." Beech trees
are not the only hosts of this little gnat-king. Dr. Jones says, "I have taken
nests from the maple, dogwood, oak, hickory, black-haw, thorn, Indian-arrow,
beech, elm, papaw, willow, hazel, and wild grape-vine." To this list must be
added the hemlock, a favorite tree wherever it is to be found.

THE ACADIAN FLYCATCHER.

327

Into the frail saucer three eggs are commonly put. They are of a rich
creamy or buffy hue, flesh-tinted as well, when fresh, and boldly but sparingly
spotted about the larger end with light brown or umber; — never "white," and
seldom unmarked. Many eggs must be lost each season, for any considerable
wind would upset them. In fear and trembling I once hooked down a nest at
the end of a horizontal oak branch full twenty feet high. The single youngster
which it contained appeared, however, to enjoy the ride immensely. If there
had been eggs, they could have been counted from below, as in most cases.

The Acadian Flycatcher lays its first eggs before the end of May, and
is ready for a second family early in July. It is believed that some thrifty
birds raise three broods in a season, but this must be rare.

Considerable fault has been found with the name Acadian. It is a mis-
nomer in so far as it is under-
stood to refer to a certain local-
ity in Nova Scotia. The
"Green-c rested Fly-
catcher" of the A. O. U.
committee is worse yet.
It is a revival of the
"Small Green-crested
Flycatcher" of Audu-
bon and others, but it is
inapt. It reminds one
strongly of Cuvier and
the French Academy.
Cuvier once asked the
French savants to define
a crab. "A crab", said
these wiseacres, "is a
small, red fish which
back w a r d."
good, Gentle-
replied Cuvier,
good ; only a

CLEANING THE NEST.

CLOSE OF EACH vi

crawls
"Very
men,"
"very

crab is not a fish ; it is
not red ; and it does not crawl backward." If the discontent with "Acadian"
cannot be subdued, I would propose a revival of the term Sylvan, once em-
ployed for several Flycatchers indiscriminately but now fallen into disuse.
Sylvan Flycatcher would accurately and appropriately distinguish Empi-
dona.v I'ircscens in Ohio.

328

THE TRAILL FLYCATCHER.

No. 143.

TRAILL FLYCATCHER.

A. O. U. Xo. 466. Empidonax traillii (Aud.).

Description. — Adult : Above olive, dark olive-green, or olive-brown, brown
of head darker and unmistakable; wings and tail fuscous ; wing-coverts tipped
and inner quills margined with grayish (pale buffy or fulvous) ; pattern of
edging on secondaries similar to that of preceding species but less distinct, —
yellow not so abrupt, paler, etc. ; wing-tip formed by second, third, and fourth
primaries ; first usually shorter than fifth ; below sordid white, tinged on breast
and sides with brownish gray, and with a faint wash of sulphur-yellow behind ;
bill dark above, light brown below. Immature: Browner above, more yellow
below; wing-bands deep buffy or ochraceous. Length 5.75-6.25 (146.1-158.8);
wing 2.84 (72.1) ; tail 2.22(56.4) ; bill from nostril .36 (9.1) ; width at base .30
(7.6). Female not so long, but other dimensions substantially the same.

Photo by the Authc

A VIEW OF THE OAK POINT SWAMPS-A FAVORITE HAUNT OF THE TRAILL FLYCATCHER.

Recognition Marks.— Warbler to small Sparrow size; as compared with
the preceding species, a general note of brownness observable ; other diagnostic
differences not easy, nor individually constant; habits quite different; a dweller
m swamps and lowland thickets.

Nest, a rather bulky but neatly-turned cup of plant-fibres, bark-strips, grass,
lc.. carefully lined with fine grasses: placed three to ten feet up, in crotch of

THE TRAILL FLYCATCHER.

329

bush or sapling of lowland thicket or swamp. Eggs, 3 or 4, not certainly dis-
tinguishable from those of preceding species. Av. size, .70 x .54 (17.8 x 13.7).

General Range. — Western North America from the Mississippi Valley
(Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan) to the Pacific and from the Fur Countries south
into Mexico.

Range in Ohio. — Locally common summer resident. Found in willows and
alders of swamps.

EARLY in June your morning walk along the river bank is likely to be
interrupted by an imperative sivee-chee, issuing from the top of a hackberry
sapling hard by. This bird sits uneasily upon her perch and appears anxious,
worried. Only dire extremity, you may be sure, could induce her to ven-
ture so near this unknown monster, man. Sivee-chee, she challenges again,
and then amazed at her
own temerity, vanishes
into the thicket to be
seen no more.
There is a nest
near, but the
owner has done
her duty in pro-
claiming the
fact, and she
will not lead
further in the
search. At
about the level
of your head in
some willow or
alder clump, or
mayhap in a
hackberry like
the one upon
which she sat,
you will' find a
neat, substan-
tial cup of hemp
and grasses,
bound tightly to
an upright fork.
The nest might
have been a

330

THE TRAILL FLYCATCHER.

Yellow Warbler's, except that it is a trifle bulkier and not so well concealed.
It lacks, too, the cotton lining which is indispensible to the Warbler home. The
eggs might have been those of anAcadianFlycatcher,butthesituationofthenest
is entirely different, and its architecture as far removed as Gothic from Maori.
Or again the nests of the two species may be happily related by the compari-
son of cup and saucer. The cup of the Traill Flycatcher is normally two inches

across by one and a half deep, inside.

On June nth, 1901, while walking
through a dense clump of swamp
elms on the Olentangy levee, I spied
a nest of this bird at a height of
about ten feet. It was in a deli-
cate situation, but by resting
what seemed about one-half of
my avoirdupois on an elm sap-
ling, and entrusting the other
half to the air, I managed to
secure a glimpse into the nest. I
saw that it was good. The nest
itself was somewhat awry. It
had doubtless been planned
right in the first place, but the
last wind, or the rapid growth
of engaging twigs had lifted
one side higher than the other.
It contained four eggs, three
normal and fresh ; the other off
in every way, except as to size
and shape. The egg in ques-
tion was absolutely unmarked,
and bore every evidence of hav-
ing been exposed to the weath-
er for a great length of time.
It was porous with age and the
contents perfectly hard. How
it might have come into a nest
of recent construction along
with three fresh eggs I am
quite unprepared to say.

Traill's Flycatcher is found
only in localities conforming to
rather exact requirements. The

Photo
by the
Author

VERY CONFIDING.

ULE M THER FLYCATCHER APPEARS AGAIN
THE CENTER OF THE NEXT ILLUSTRATION.

THE TRAILL FLYCATCHER.

bird loves brushy swamps and lowland thickets. In a suitable swamp of a few
acres it may abound, so that one writer has stated, rather extravagantly, that
it nests in colonies. On the other hand it may be entirely wanting for miles

Taken at the Licking Reservoir.

A HOME IN THE ELDERBERRIES.

A FEMALE TRAILL FLYCATCHER IS SEEN SITTING ON HER NI

Photo by the Author

THE CENTER OF THE PICTURE.

332 THE LEAST FLYCATCHER.

around. Altho nests of this species have been frequently found of late, com-
paratively little systematic work has been done upon its life history. The bird
reaches Ohio about the second week in May (Columbus, May 5th, is an early
record, possibly of E. t. alnorum), raises one brood and disappears early in
September. Authorities differ, as usual, in the interpretation of the notes:
"Whit-te-ar", and later in the season "Hoyt-te-ar" were what Dr. Wheaton
heard. An energetic swee-chee or swee-chu suits most. An early migrant at
Columbus once startled me with a most emphatic enunciation, Zwee-bew and
once again swee-bezv, sweet. This bird was evidently not E. hammondi, but
he had acquired the precise accent of the western species.

No. 144.

LEAST FLYCATCHER.

A. O. U. No. 467. Empidonax minimus Baird.

Synonym. — CHEBEC.

Description. — Adult: Above, olive, olive-green, or rarely, olive-brown; a
little darker on the head ; wings and tail fuscous ; tip of wing formed by third
and fourth primaries ; second equal to the fifth ; first shorter than the sixth ; wing-
bars ashy white or brownish gray; pattern of secondaries about as in viresccns,
but edging ashy white instead of yellowish ; below, dull white, shaded on sides
by brownish gray, and behind faintly with sulphur yellow ; eye-ring whitish ;
bill dark above, horn-color below, — not so light as in the other species. Imma-
ture: Similar, but rather more yellow below. Length 5.00-5.50 (I27.-I39-7) ;
wing 2.46 (62.5); tail 2.03 (51.6); bill from nostril .31 (7.9); width at base
.29 (7.4).

Recognition Marks. — Least, Warbler size; chebec or seivick note, smartly
rendered. Size and note distinctive.

Nest, a neat structure of interwoven grasses, bark-strips, and felted vege-
table-down, lined with hair, or occasionally, feathers ; placed in upright or hori-
zontal fork of sapling five to fifteen feet up. Eggs, 3-5, white, unmarked, or
rarely, speckled. Av. size, .63 x .50 (16. x 12.7).

General Range. — Chiefly eastern North America, west to eastern Colorado
and central Montana; south in winter to Central America. Breeds from the
northern States northward.

Range in Ohio. — Common spring and late summer migrant. Locally and
sparingly resident in summer.

IN comparison with other Empidonaces a good many superlatives are
applicable to this bird in addition to that of least. In the first place he is the
earliest of the spring migrants, reaching central Ohio some time during the
last week of April or even earlier. Then he is the most prominent, for he

THE LEAST FLYCATCHER. 333

almost invariably selects a conning tower on some naked or dead limb which
commands a wide sweep of mosquito territory. He is the least timid, or per-
haps we would better say he is the most confiding of his race. Conscious of
right motives himself, he is slow to think evil of others, and does not hesitate
to occupy a convenient station from which he may observe your business with
pleased interest, while not forgetting his own. Then if you are not ready to
admit that he is the dearest bird, it must be conceded that he is a little the
noisiest member of a group in which this distinction is easy and not unflattering.
Sewick — sewick, or as some prefer to hear it, che-bec, sounds frequently in a
very business-like tone of voice from the tip of the dead branch which serves
the bird as a base of operations.

The drooping wings and a general air of dejection which distinguish this
little Flycatcher at rest, are promptly contradicted both by the energy of the
bird's utterance, and by the spirited sorties which are made after passing
insects. Sometimes a whole host of midges is encountered and then the little
mandibles go snip, snip, snip, like barbers' shears in skillful hands.

There is also an ecstatic flight cry, which occurs either as the result of
the excitement of rivalry or the chase, or as a tender passage in courtship, and
which almost lays claim to being considered song. During its delivery the
bird rises from its perch, flutters its wings rapidly and turns around slowly in
the air, while it utters an incoherent series of screaming gasps : Sezvick, tooral,
sewick tooral, sewick, tooral-ooral.

The Least Flycatcher is to be found almost anywhere during the spring
migrations, but orchards, second-growth clearings, and brushy hillsides are
favorite places. The up-trip is made in rather leisurely fashion, and the birds
sometimes linger long enough to encourage the idea that they are going to
nest. Mr. I. A. Field saw two of these birds at the Licking Reservoir on
May 3Oth, and Professor Johnson of Granville believes that a pair of them have
nested for several years past in front of his house.

If the nest is discovered in the state, as it is altogether likely to be, it will
be found in an upright fork of some bush or sapling, a very neat structure built
somewhat after the manner of a Redstart's ; and the pure white eggs will make
identification easy and certain.

The return journey takes place early in September or late in August. It
is, however, an open question whether birds seen August 24th. 1902, in Meigs
County, were early migrants or summer residents.

334 THE RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD.

No. 145-

RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD.

A. O. U. No. 428. Trochilus colubris Linn.

Description. — Adult male : Above shining bronzy green, — rear aspect
golden -green ; wing-quills fuscous with faint purplish reflections; tail (two
thirds concealed by green coverts), dark, metallic violet or purplish, forked, and
with emarginate feathers ; gorget shining metallic crimson ; chin dull, velvety
black ; throat, below gorget, whitish ; remaining lower parts heavily tinged with
dusky and overlaid with metallic green, save on flanks, which are cottony-whitish ;
bill slender, straight, and uniformly rounded. Adult female : Similar but with-
out gorget ; throat white, specked with dusky ; tail double rounded, feathers rapidly
tapering near tip. Immature male : Like adult female, but tail forked. Imma-
ture female : Like adult, but throat not specked with dusky. Adult male, length
3.25-3.60 (82.6-91.4) ; wing 1.53 (38.9) ; tail 1.08 (27.4) ; bill .63 (16.). Female
a little larger.

Recognition Marks. — Size least among Ohio birds.

Nest, of plant-down, bound together by vegetable-fibers, and decorated ex-
ternally with lichens ; a tiny cup saddled upon a horizontal or descending limb,
usually at considerable heights. Eggs, 2, pure white. Av. size, .51 x .34
(13. x 8.6).

General Range. — Eastern North America to the Plains, north to the Fur
Countries, breeding from Florida to Labrador; and south in winter to Cuba,
Mexico and Veragua.

Range in Ohio. — Common summer resident.

THOSE of us, who as children were taught to call lady-bugs "lady-birds,"
might have been pardoned some uncertainty as to the whereabouts of the divid-
ing line between insects and birds, especially if, to the vision of the "Hum-
bird's" wings shimmering by day above the flower bed, was added the twilight
visits of the hawk-moths not a whit smaller. The Hummer is painted like a
butterfly ; its flight is direct and buzzing like a bee's ; it seeks its food at the
flower's brim by poising on rapidly vibrating wing like the hawk-moth; but
there the resemblances cease. For the rest it is a bird, migrating, mating, and
nesting quite like grown folks.

It is a matter of no little wonder that of the five hundred species of Hum-
mingbirds known to science and confined to the New World, only one should
have penetrated the region east of the Mississippi River, there to enjoy a
range almost twice larger than that of any other species. How^ we came to
be so nearly overlooked we may never know ; but let us be thankful for one.

Contrary to the popular belief the Hummer does not feed largely upon
nectar, but inserts its needle-bill into the depths of flowers mainly for the pur-
pose of capturing insects. This explains the otherwise puzzling habit the
bird has of revisiting the same flower beds at frequent intervals. It is not to

RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD

Trochilus colubri*

Life-size

THE RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD. 335

gather new-flowing sweets but to see what flies the sweets themselves have gath-
ered. If the bird extracted honey to any great extent — it does some — it would
be rifling the bait from its own traps. Again the bird is not footless, as some
suppose, but it spends a good deal of time perching on exposed limbs, from
which it may dart, Flycatcher fashion, after passing insects.

i am almost inclined to deny the report also that this tiny creature is song-
less. For in addition to the squeaks of excitement or anger, which all have
heard, have we not seen an impetuous gallant dashing through the air in great
rainbow mazes, before his lady love, demurely seated ; and have we not heard
him giving cry to a perfect ecstacy of chippering and suckling notes of such
exquisite fineness that the human ear could only catch the crests of sound?
Song is a relative term, to be sure ; but to accuse the Hummingbird of being
voiceless, is a bit of injustice. Ask the lady.

Hop-o'-my-Thumb has, I am sorry to say, a flashing temper to match his
throat. Rivals charge at each other with an impetuosity which makes us
fearful that they will be spitted on each other's beaks. Other birds a hundred
times the size must sometimes suffer from the little tyrant's spleen, but to see
a Hawk cross the sky by jerks and plunges in a vain effort to avoid this tiny
persecutor is not a wholly unedifying sight.

The Hummingbird is full of curiosity and not, perhaps, without some
sense of humor. Else why should one of them down in Washington County
have hovered for full twenty seconds in mock uncertainty within eighteen
inches of the author's nose? It was only honest sunburn, and I resent the
bird's insinuation.

The fairy's nest is commonly saddled to an obliquely descending branch of
an orchard or forest tree. It is a tiny tuft of vegetable down bound together
and lashed to its support by a wealth of spider webbing and covered externally
with lichens. When finished it is nothing more than an elfin bump on a log,
but the unwary visits of the mother discover a secret otherwise profound. She
sits upon two eggs like homeopathic pills — so dainty, indeed, that she herself
must needs dart off the nest every now and then and hover at some distance to
admire them. Both parents are valiant in defense of the nest, but the practical
support of the little family seems to fall chiefly upon the mother. The young
are fed by regurgitation — "a frightful looking act," as Bradford Torrey says.

336 THE CHIMNEY SWIFT.

No. 146.

CHIMNEY SWIFT.

A. O. U. No. 423. Chaztura pelagica (Linn.).

Synonym. — CHIMNEY SWALLOW (incorrect).

Description. — Adult: Entire plumage sooty brown or sooty gray, darker,
almost black, on wings, much lighter on throat; feathers of upper parts with
faintest possible greenish iridescence; lores black; the shafts of the tail-feathers
extending beyond the vanes, forming black spines one-quarter to one-third of an
inch in length ; point of wing formed by first and second primaries ; the remain-
ing wing-quills strongly and uniformly graduated in length ; bill very small ; feet
weak. Length 4.75-5.50 (120.6-139.7) ; wing 5.00 (127.) ; tail 1.90 (48.3) ; bill
from nostril .16 (4.1) ; gape i.oo (25.4).

Recognition Marks. — Apparently "Swallow" size; abbreviated tail; semi-
lunar appearance of wings in flight; general black aspect. Never seen at rest
save in chimneys or hollow trees.

Nest, a shallow half-saucer of short twigs, glued together with the bird's
saliva and similarly cemented to the inside wall of a chimney, or placed in a
hollow tree. Eggs, 4-6, pure white. Av. size, .80 x .51 (20.3 x 13.).

General Range. — Eastern North America north to Labrador and the Fur
Countries, west to the Plains, and passing south of the United States in winter,
at least to Jalapa, Mexico, and Cozumel.

Range in Ohio. — Abundant summer resident.

THE w^ay of any bird in the air commands interest, but the way of the
Swift provokes both admiration and astonishment. With volitatorial powers
which are unequaled by any other land bird, this avian missile goes hurtling
across the sky without injury, or else minces along slowly with pretended diffi-
culty. Now it waddles to and fro in strange zigzags, picking up a gnat at
every angle, and again it "lights out" with sudden access of energy and alter-
nate wing strokes, intent on hawking in heaven's upper story. At favorite
seasons the birds cross and recross each other's paths in lawless mazes and fill
the air with their strident creakings, while here and there couples and even
trios sail about in great stiff curves with wings held aloft. It is the only oppor-
tunity afforded for personal attentions, and it is probable that the sexes have no
further acquaintance except as they pass and repass in ministering to the young.

The most interesting hour in the life of this bird is bed-time. All the
birds in a given locality resort nightly to some high chimney or ventilator shaft,
— the larger the better. Even during the breeding season the males congregate
regularly in these places and thither the young- are hurried as soon as they have
attained adolescence. After sunset, then, the company gathers for a social whirl
in the air above their long black bunk. Under leadership which seems haphazard,
they gyrate furiously, now appearing like specks borne about resistlessly in
some vast whirlpool, now following through some intricate evolution in figure-

CHIMNEY SWIFT

C'liiK-iin-ii i>elngica

% Life-size

THE CHIMNEY SWIFT. 337

of-eight or rosette pattern, all without collision or accident. No bird is more
loth to go to bed, but as the evil hour draws near and conscience pricks the
tender-hearted, a few approach the chimney top with quivering wing. But
at sight of the yawning hole they recoil in terror, and rejoin the mad whirl
above, circling seven times faster for the fright they have had. But some-
thing really must be done ; the music languishes ; one and another and another
braves the depths, and returns no more. Soon there is a general movement and
whole squads go down. The young bloods spur up the dance with renewed
fury, but the light is fading and the end is near. When the waltz is over a
few late comers dive into the hole without loss of time. All is still, at last,
and darkness broods over the scene. Thus has the bird-man seen them a
thousand strong.

Getting up in the morning is more prosaic. At about 4:30 A. M. (on a
morning late in August) some unquiet spirits who have slept outside, enter the
chimney and arouse the sleepers. A general exodus soon occurs, but there is
no repetition of last night's gaities. In leaving the chimney the birds do not
hurl themselves upward, as one might expect, but flutter quietly to the top,
and upon reaching the brim fly straight away or else downward. When
many are leaving at once this action curiously resembles that of smoke on a
windy day.

In nesting the Chimney "Sweeps" seek out the smaller chimneys of
dwelling houses, and usually only one pair occupies a single shaft. Short
twigs are seized and snapped off by the bird's beak in midflight, and these,
after being rolled about in the copious saliva, are made fast to the bricks, a
neat and homogeneous bracket being thus formed. This will be sufficient to
support the half dozen crystal white eggs and the hissing squabs which follow,
unless a premature fire or a long-continued rain dissolves the glue and tum-
bles the fabric into the grate.

Sitting birds, when discovered, oftenest drop below the nest and hide,
clinging easily with the tiny feet supported by the spiny tail. The male bird
seldom pays any attention unless there are young, in which case he even
brushes past the intruder and enters the nest in his eagerness to share the
hour of danger. The young are rather slow in development and it requires,
according to Mr. Otto Widmann, two months to rear a family of them.
Usually only one brood is raised, but a second nesting is undertaken even as
late as August if the first has proven unsuccessful.

Of course the Swift did not always place the nest in chimneys. Dr.
Howard Jones says : "Sometimes it is built in a hollow trunk of a tree, under
the eaves of a house, or upon a rafter in a barn, but the last two locations are
very exceptional. Before the days of chimneys the nests were placed almost
exclusively in hollow trees, and even today there are some birds which cling
to this ancestral habit. About two miles east of Circleville on Darby Creek,

338

THE WHIP-POOR-WILL.

is a gigantic sycamore, which, a century or so ago, was topped by the wind.
In the trunk of this tree, which is hollow to the roots, Chimney Swifts have
built for years. There are other hollow trees in the neighborhood, into which
I have also seen birds carrying sticks; and if all such trees in the state could
be counted, they would probably foot up 'hundreds, or, perhaps even thou-
sands."

No. 147.

WHIP-POOR-WILL.

A. O. U. No. 417. Antrostomus vociferus (Wils.).

Synonym. — NIGHT-JAR.

Description. — Adult male: Mottled, — black, gray and ochraceous of sev-
eral shades — in intricate patterns and soft blendings; a narrow collar and the
terminal third of three outer pairs of rectrices white, the former margined, and
the latter tipped with ochraceous-buff ; crown and nape finely mixed gray, with
narrow lateral, and broad medial black streaks ; the wings much mixed with
ochraceous-buff, which is nearly pure in spots on outer webs of dusky primaries ;
four median tail-feathers gray and dusky, indistinctly barred, and with ochraceous
mottling ; the lateral feathers chiefly blackish, and with large white terminal bands ;
below nearly black on throat above collar, and across breast ; lighter on belly
and sides, obscurely barred with dusky in wavy outlines on pinkish buff, fulvous,
or ochraceous ground ; bill with enormous gape and protected by stout, undivided
rictal bristles, an inch or so in length, and seven or eight in number on a side.
The bristle idea is carried out by numerous hair-like tips of the feathers which
border the throat on the sides and meet the bristles above. Feet a little stouter
than in preceding species. Adult female : Similar, but with narrow ochraceous-
buff, instead of broad, white terminal bands on outer tail-feathers ; collar more
extensively tinged with buffy. Immature: Pattern of upper parts somewhat
different; plainer below. Length 9.50-10.00 (241.3-254.); wing 6.16 (156.5);
tail 473 (120.1) ; gape 1.28 (32.5) ; bill from nostril .30 (7.6).

Recognition Marks. — Robin size ; general mottled and brindled appearance ;
crescentic white collar ; prominent rictal bristles ; no u'hite iving-spot.

Eggs, 2, laid on the ground or among dead leaves, in damp woods or thicket ;
elliptical, dull white or creamy, with spots and dots or sometimes blotches of
yellowish brown, and with obscure lilac shell markings. Av. size, 1.16 x .86
(29.5 x 21.8).

General Range. — Eastern North America to the Plains, and from latitude
50° south to Guatemala.

Range in Ohio. — Not uncommon summer resident, but locally restricted.

AS one is picking his way late in April through a low damp wood,
choked with underbrush, a dark figure suddenly rises from the dead leaves at
his feet, uttering a low disconcerted chuck, but moving off with wings of

THE WHIP-POOR-WILL.

339

ghostly noiselessness, only to drop down into the brush again a rod or so
away. It is almost idle to search for it with the eyes alone, so perfectly do
the softly blended colors of the Whippoorwill's plumage assimilate to those
of the leaf-strewn mold. On other occasions the bird may be seen resting
on some low limb or fence-post, and twice during migrations I have seen it
high in trees in broad daylight, squatting lengthwise of a dun-colored limb.

Whippoor-
\vills are crep-
uscular and
nocturnal in
habit, and se-
cure their in-
sect prey by fly-
ing to and fro
across bushy
pastures and
swampy mead-
ows. The bird's
enormous gape,
seconded by the
lengthy bristles
on either side
of the beak,
makes the pur-
suit about as
artless as that
of the entomol-
o g i s t , who
sweeps the tops
of the weeds '
with a mos-
quito - netting
bag, "catching
as catch can."

These noc-
turnal fly-catch-
ers are rather
irregular in
their distribu-
tion about the P^to by R. F.
state. They are THE WHIPPOORWILI/S NEST.
likely to appear almost anywhere during migrations; but for a breeding haunt

340 THE WHIP-POOR-WILL.

prefer broken country where wooded ravines and damp brushy hillsides abound.
I have seen half a dozen of them near Columbus and presume they breed
in some of the "runs." Chance Creek, a deep ravine in Lorain County, once
pine-clad, was the only spot where we could be sure of finding them for miles
around.

It was here that I once listened to a concert which stands out in memory
like the singing of Patti. A small party of us, reunited classmates, were
crossing, at dusk, the high tongue of land between Chance Creek and Ver-
million River, when we heard the sweet notes of a Whippoorwill, whip-poor-
will, whip-poor-will, wafted up from the glen below. Soon the bird was
joined by another whose presence seemed to provoke the first to redou-
bled effort. The mellow notes were produced in a continuous series by each
performer, and a third chimed in, as we stood and listened to the intoxicating
music, in that tender fresh hour after sunset. After a time the bird-man
ventured to imitate their cries by whistling, and soon obtained a hearing.
The birds answered eagerly at frequent intervals. Then came a long hush,
followed by a sudden sense of the birds' presence, as they glided silently by,
almost brushing my wife's garments with their quiet wings. They took
up a station near and poured forth such a flood of liquid notes as made the
air quiver and vibrate with the gushing melody, and bathed our world-worn
spirits in a grateful stream of limpid absolution. Awed and hushed the bird-
man could not emulate those glori.ous strains, and the trio retired in gentle
confusion.

The periods of greatest activity in song are the hours just after sunset
and those preceding dawn, but the cries may be heard at all hours of the
night as the bird pauses from time to time to rest.

The eggs, which are not quite white, as one might suppose them to be
from the photograph, are laid upon the fallen leaves or bare rock, without
any attempt at nest construction. The parent bird sits close as long as possi-
ble, or feigns lameness in the event of danger; and she has also a hissing
note meant to repel attack. The eggs or young must be studied, if at all,
the hour they are discovered, for in the absence of the observer, the bird will
remove them — by the mouth it is said — to a place of safety.

THE NIGHTHAWK. 341

No. 148.

NIGHTHAWK.

A. O. U. No. 420. Chordeiles virginianus (Gmel).

Synonym. — BULL-BAT.

Description. — Adult male: Mottled, black, gray and ochraceous, and with
white in patches; above black predominates, especially on forehead and back,
mottling falling into indistinct bars on upper tail-coverts and tail ; anterior edge
of wing white; the wing-quills dusky; a large, white, transverse patch about
midway on the first five primaries, save on the outer web of the first ; a large
V-shaped throat-patch white; remaining under parts distinctly and finely barred,
dusky and whitish with some faint ochraceous,— the latter found especially on
the parts adjacent to the white throat-patch; the crissum sometimes pure white,
usually barred, at greater intervals than on breast; a white band crossing tail
near tip, except on central feathers. Bill without evident bristles, the horny part
very small, but length of gape about an inch. Tarsus very short; the middle
claw enlarged, and with a curious, horny, comb-like process on the inner edge.
Adult female : Similar, but without white band on tail, and with white spots
on primaries often much reduced ; throat-patch tinged with ochraceous, and suffu-
sion of under parts by this color more pronounced. Immature : More finely and
heavily mottled than adults, and with upper parts more heavily marked, or even
suffused with ochraceous-buff. Length 9.00-10.00 (228.6-254.) ; wing 4.85
(123.2) ; tail 4.32 (109.7) ; bill from nostril .21 (5.3).

Recognition Marks. — To appearance "Little Hawk" size — really smaller;
central white spot in long wing distinctive.

Eggs, 2, deposited on the bare ground, often among rocks, sometimes upon
a flat rock, or on the gravel roof of- a tall building ; grayish white, or dull olive-
buff marbled, mottled, or clouded and speckled with various shades of olive,
and brownish- or purplish-gray. Av. size, 1.18 x .86 (30. x 21.8).

General Range. — Northern and eastern North America west to the Great
Plains and central British Columbia, and from Labrador south through tropical
America to the Argentine Republic.

Range in Ohio. — Not very common summer resident. Abundant during
migrations, especially in August. Breeds sparingly throughout the state but is
subject to great local variation.

CURIOSITY is certainly a large element in the make-up of most birds.
Scarcely had I set my foot outside my door this August morning, when I
caught sight of a young Nighthawk which had alighted for the day on a
prominent bare limb of an oak, at a height of not less than sixty feet. But
I was not the first discoverer. Half a dozen Bluebirds were hovering about
the stranger and talking excitedly. Red-headed Woodpeckers cackled and
scolded and exclaimed "Queer ! Queer !" diving viciously by way of emphasis,
at the unoffending night-bird. Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Baltimore Orioles,
and Flickers joined the mob, wagging their heads and chattering as they

342

THE NIGHTHAWK.

passed up surmises to their motley companions. They all agreed it was a
What-is-it? and I did too; for the bird was so brown, or tawny, and showed
so little of the distinctive white spot on the wings, that it took all the morn-
ing to determine that it was really a young Nighthawk and not a Whip-
poor will.

Both of these birds suffer somewhat from an unreasoning prejudice on
the part of both birds and men, occasioned perhaps by their long wings. I
have seen Robins pounce upon an unoffending Whippoorwill, and drive the
poor bird nearly distracted ; while everybody knows that the very name

Photo by E. L. Scott.

NIGHTHAWK'S EGGS, IN SITU.

"hawk," however unreasonably applied, is enough to explode the cap on any
self-sufficient old musket.

These Nighthawks are perfectly harmless except to moths, midges and
their ilk; and their uplifted wings half careened by the evening breeze, furnish
one of the most pleasing adornments of meadow and pasture. The birds
"quarter the air" in a bat-like flight of irregular zigzags, often pouting as
they go, Mizard—mizard. They are not so strictly nocturnal as the Whip-
poorwills, but put a liberal construction on "twilight," being careful to avail
hemselves of all dark days, and in fact, moving about at will whenever the
sun slants fairly. During the mating season the males take great parabolic

THE HAIRY WOODPECKER. 343

headers in the air, returning sharply and producing a loud booming daiv-w,
— whether by the rushing of the air through the wings or across the open
mouth will perhaps never be determined.

While the Nighthawk prefers open situations, and is not found much
in heavily timbered regions, it takes readily to the life of the city, because o£
the abundance of insects there afforded. In Columbus it is a familiar feature,
hawking fearlessly above High Street, and nesting, as in many other cities,
upon the tarred and gravelled roofs of flat-topped buildings. During migra-
tions scores of these birds are sometimes seen moving aloft in loose array,
and customarily, at this season, silent. Locally they never appear to be so
abundant as in the West, where I have seen . several hundred gathered to
gyrate in social fashion \vithin the limits of a single pasture.

The eggs of the Nighthawk are more heavily colored than those of the
\Vhippoorwill, as becomes their more exposed situation. The young birds
place great reliance upon their protective coloration, and even permit the
fondling of the hand rather than confess the defect of their fancied security.

No. 149.

HAIRY WOODPECKER.

A. O. U. No. 393. Dryobates villosus (Linn.).

Description. — Adult male: Above, in general, black, — glossy, at least on
crown and cervix, dull on tail, fuscous on wings ; a narrow, scarlet band on the
nape; white superciliary and rictal stripes, separated by a black band through
eye, continuous with nape ; a black malar stripe, broadening behind ; white nasal
tufts ; a lengthened white patch on middle of back ; wing-coverts spotted with
white, — a round blotch on the tip of each ; wing-quills and primary coverts white-
spotted on each web, the blotches on the outer webs confluent in bars on the closed
wing; tail black centrally, the two outer pairs of feathers white on exposed por-
tions, the third pair white-tipped and tinged with rusty ; entire under parts soiled
white ; bill and feet light plumbeous. Adult female : Similar, but without scarlet
band ton hind neck. "Young with the crown mostly red or bronzy or even yellow-
ish" (Coues). Length 8.50-9.50 (215.9-241.3); wing 4.63 (117.6); tail 3.31
(84.1) : bill 1.13 (28.7).

Recognition Marks. — Chewink size; black and white above (male with red
band on hind neck), and soiled white below; rattling call notes.

Nest, in a hole excavated in tree, usually in dead portion, unlined. Eggs,
4-6, white. Av. size, .94 x .73 (23.9 x 18.5).

General Range. — Northern and middle portions of the United States from
the Atlantic Coast to the Great Plains.

Range in Ohio. — Common throughout the State. Resident.

344 THE HAIRY WOODPECKER.

WE naturally associate our resident Woodpeckers with winter weather,
partly because the removal of the foliage causes them to stand out in bold
relief, and partly because the unfailing character of their food-supply makes
them in a measure free from the depression of spirits usually incident to the
season. The Hairy Woodpecker, especially, is often in high spirits when the
air is frosty. He has spent the night deep in the heart of some forest tree,
at the end of his winter tunnel, and now he crosses a half-wooded pasture
with great bounds of flight, shouting, plick, plick, from time to time ; and he
gives a loud rolling call — a dozen of these notes in swift succession — as he
pulls up in the top of a dead tree to begin the day's work.

In the search for hidden worms and burrowing larvae, it seems not
improbable that the Woodpecker depends largely upon the sense of hearing
— that he practices auscultation, in fact. A meditative tap, tap, is followed
by a pause, during which the bird apparently marks the effect of his strokes,
noting the rustle of apprehension or attempted escape on the part of the hid-
den morsel. It is not unusual for the bird to spend a half hour in tunneling
for a single taste, and even then the wary game may withdraw along some
tunnel of its own even beyond the reach of the bird's extensible tongue. But
beside that which must be secured from the bowels of the wood, there is much
1o be gleaned from the surface and in the crannies of the bark. The winter
fare is supplemented also by cornel berries and the fruit of certain hardy
vines.

The Hairy Woodpecker visits the winter troupes only in a patronizing
sort of way. He is far too restless and independent to be counted a constant
member of any little gossip club, and, except briefly during the mating season,
and in the family circle, he is rarely to be seen in the company of his own kind.

The nests of this bird are usually situated well up in the forest trees.
Beech trees are likely to be dead at the top, even when they interpose a
thrifty screen of foliage below, and afford, therefore, an ideal situation. The
bird, however, sometimes ventures into town and takes up quarters in a shade
tree, or in the orchard, or even in a fence-post. Incubation is attended to in
May and but one brood is raised in a season. These Woodpeckers are ex-
ceptionally valiant in defense of their young, the male in particular becoming
almost beside himself with rage at the appearance of an enemy near the home
nest.

DOWNY WOODPECKER
tfH pubescens meditinun
Life-size

THE DOWNY WOODPECKER. 345

No. 150.

DOWNY WOODPECKER.

A. O. U. No. 3940. Dryobates pubescens median us (Swains.).

Description. — Adult : A miniature of the preceding, and with the same
distinction between the sexes. In the present species the white of the nasal tufts
encroaches upon the forehead, and is continuous with the superciliary line; the
wing coverts are more numerously white-spotted ; and the outer tail-feathers are
barred with black; the under parts sometimes exhibit a faint buffy suffusion.
Length 6.25-7.00 (158.8-177.8); av. of five Columbus specimens: wing 3.75
(95.3) ; tail 2.57 (65.3) ; bill .66 (16.8).

Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size ; like preceding species but much smaller,
bill only a little more than half as long; pink or pimp note.

Nest, in holes of rotten stubs or decayed limbs, unlined, usually at moderate
heights. Eggs, 4-6, white. Av. size, .75 x .59 (19.1 x 15.).

General Range. — Middle and northern portions of eastern United States and
northward.

Range in Ohio. — Common, — about three to one of the preceding species.
Resident.

DOWNY is one of the most familiar and confiding of birds. Almost
without suspicion, he is still full of curiosity, and is one of the first birds to
come up when the call of the Screech Owl is sounded by the bird-man. One
place is about as good as another for His trade, so when the Cardinals and
Juncoes have retired in disgust, having thoroughly exposed the shameless
trick, Downy still lingers, tapping industriously along the smaller branches
of some near-by tree, or studying the intruder through a maze of dreamy
content. This little Woodpecker is one of the most frequent visitors in
orchard and garden. He will begin at the bottom of an apple tree and work
around it, ascending spirally, and then follow out one branch after another,
until it would seem that he had exhausted about every possibility of insect-egg
or hidden worm in connection with that tree. The holes which he digs are
either prospect shafts or mining tunnels, whose sole object is the golden
worm. The little miner, therefore, does no injury to the live wood, and con-
fers incalculable benefits upon the orchard by the destruction of its real
enemies.

Downy is one of the most devoted members of the winter troupe. His
loyalty to this organization is at times almost pathetic. When the bird-man
comes up, the Juncoes move away in a huffy manner; Major Titmouse
admonishes the younger members of the family to be on their guard; and
there is a general edging away that is not flattering to the visitor. The
Downy Woodpecker is the last to leave, and does so apologetically, as tho he
were chagrinned at the unexpected rudeness of his friends. Again, when the
Juncoes and the Goldfinches insist upon pushing out into the open, Downy

346

THE DOWNY WOODPECKER.

follows and flits along the fence from post to post as long as he can keep
his friends in sight, or else he takes to the mullein stalks himself.

In moving from place to place Downy gives a characteristic pink, and
less frequently a rattling call, which is an exact imitation of that of the Hairy
Woodpecker/ It is at times difficult to distinguish either the single notes
or the longer calls, but while the notes of the smaller bird are usually much
less in volume and strength, they have a rather more nasal quality. All
Woodpeckers have also a sort of signal system, or Morse code, consisting
of sundry tattoos on resonant wood. These calls are used principally, or

WHEN DOWNY FREEZES HIS TOES.

Photo by the Ant!

exclusively, during the mating season, and consist in the case of the Downy
of six or seven taps in regular and moderate succession.

Nesting is at inconsiderable heights, and both sexes assist in excavation
«nd incubation. Partially decayed wood is selected, and an opening made
about an inch and a quarter in diameter. After driving straight in an inch
or two, the passage turns down and widens two or three diameters. At the
depth of a foot or so the crystal white eggs are deposited on a neat bed of
fine chips. Incubation lasts twelve days, and the young are hatched about
the first of June. According to Dr. Jones a second brood is sometimes
brought off in Trlv.

THE RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER. 347

No. 151.

RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER.

A. O. U. No. 395. Dryobates borealis (Vieill.).

Description. — Adult male : Crown and hind neck glossy black, continuous
across lores with malar stripe which is produced behind, breaking up on sides of
breast into heavy black spots ; auriculars broadly silky white, bordered above nar-
rowly and posteriorly with bright scarlet "cockades" ; touches of white on nostrils,
at base of lower mandible on sides, and over and behind eye; remaining upper
parts brownish dusky, heavily spotted and cross-banded with white ; tail blackening,
the outer feathers irregularly barred with white; under parts white, immaculate
on chin and throat, elsewhere sordid ; heavily spotted with black or dusky on sides
of breast, sides, flanks, and crissum ; bill bluish black, small for size of bird.
Adult female: Similar but without scarlet cockades. Length 8.00-8.50 (203.2-
215.9); measurements of the Columbus specimen: wing 4.80 (122.); tail 3.23
(82.) ; bill .86 (21.8).

Recognition Marks. — Chewink size; intermediate between Hairy and
Downy; narrow scarlet stripes (1-3 of an inch long by i-io broad) on sides of
hind head distinctive.

Nesting.— -Does not breed in Ohio. Nest, in hole of pine tree at considerable
heights. Eggs, 4-6, white. Av. size, .93 x .69 (23.6 x 17.5).

General Range. — The south-eastern United States, west to eastern Texas
and Indian Territory, north regularly to Virginia and Tennessee, casually to Penn-
sylvania (Coues) and Ohio.

Range in Ohio. — One record, Columbus.

A specimen, found by Professor Hine, in the O. S. U. collection, bears
the following label, in the well-known hand-writing of Dr. Jasper : Obverse
— "Picus borealis. Red Cockated (sic) Woodpecker. March 15. 1872.
Loc. Columbus, O." ; Reverse. — "It was in company with another of its own
kind and 2 or 3 Sapsuckers, Nuthatches, etc., and shot from a high tree
between Canal and Scioto Rivers."

The appearance recorded above marks the northernmost extension of the
species. The bird was evidently trying to do something to justify the name
borealis, so unwisely bestowed upon it by Vieillot in 1807.

"This species is a common inhabitant of the 'piny woods.' It prefers
the higher branches of the trees, and frequently hangs head downward while
feeding on a cone at the extremity of a branch. Its call note suggests the
yank, yank, of the White-bellied Nuthatch, but is louder, hoarser, and not
so distinctly enunciated" (Chapman).

348 THE ARCTIC THREE-TOED WOODPECKER.

No. 152.

ARCTIC THREE-TOED WOODPECKER.

A. O. U. No. 400. Picoides arcticus (Swains.).

Synonym. — BLACK-BACKED THREE-TOED WOODPECKER.

Description. — Adult male : Above black, lustrous on head, crest, back and
scapulars, fading to fuscous on wing-quills, which are narrowly white-spotted on
the outer webs of the primaries and on the inner webs of the secondaries ; an
orange-yellow patch on the center of the crown ; of the tail only the central feathers
wholly black, the remainder graduated, and white on exposed portions, the inter-
mediate pairs rusty-tipped; a white stripe on side of head meeting its fellow on
forehead; below this a black malar stripe; under parts pure white, save as heavily
barred with black on sides and flanks ; bill and feet light plumbeous. Adult
female: Similar, but without orange-yellow crown-patch. Length 9.25-10.00 (235.-
254.); wing 5.00 (127.); tail 3.54 (89.9); bill 1.38 (35.1); breadth at nostril
•43 (10.9).

Recognition Marks.— Robin size ; lustrous black without white on back ;
white with black-barred sides below ; the orange-yellow crown-patch of male serves
to distinguish from all resident species.

Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. Nest, in holes in trees, at moderate
heights. Eggs, 4-6, white. Av. size, i.oo x .75 (25.4 x 19.1).

General Range. — Northern North America, from- the Arctic regions south
to northern United States (New England, New York, Michigan, Minnesota and
Idaho), and in the Sierra Nevada to Lake Tahoe.

Range in Ohio. — Rare or casual. Two positive records.

SINCE this species is migratory, we may regard the two or three birds
which have been found in Ohio as migrants which have overflown their
customary southern limit, somewhere in Ontario.

"It is a restless, active bird, spending its time generally on the topmost
branches of the tallest trees, without however confining itself to pines. Its
movements resemble those of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, but it is still
more petulant than that bird. Like it, it will alight, climb along a branch,
seek for insects there, and in a very few moments remove to another part
of the same tree, or to another tree at more or less distance, thus spending
the day in rambling over a large extent of ground. Its cries also somewhat
resemble those of the species just mentioned, but are louder and more shrill,
like those of some quadruped suffering great pain In the after-
noon of long days, it very frequently makes sorties after flying insects, which
it seems to secure in the air with as much ease as the Red-headed Wood-
pecker. Besides insects it also feeds on berries and other small fruits.

"Its flight is rapid, gliding, and deeply undulated. Now and then it
will fly from a detached tree of a' field to a considerable distance before it
alights, emitting at every glide a loud shrill note

THE YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER. 349

"The nest of this species is generally bored in the body of a sound tree,
near its first large branches. I observed no particular choice as to timber,
having seen it in oaks, pines, etc. The nest, like that of other allied species,
is worked out by both sexes and takes fully a week before it is completed, its
usual depth being from twenty to twenty-four inches. It is smooth and
broad at the bottom, altho so narrow at its entrance as to appear scarcely

sufficient to enable one of the birds' to enter it Only one brood

is raised in the season. The young follow their parents until autumn, "when
they separate and shift for themselves." . . (Audubon).

A recent writer, Mr. James H. Fleming,1 says also : "This Woodpecker
has a habit of sometimes nesting in colonies. I saw the nests of such a
colony near Sand Lake in 1896; there were six or seven nests, each cut into
the trunk of a living cedar, just below the first branch, and usually eight or
ten feet from the ground. The cedars were in a dense forest, overlooking a
small stream that empties into Sand Lake. Four eggs seem to be the full
set. The young are hatched by the first of June."

No. 153.

YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER.

A. O. U. No. 402. Sphyrapicus varius. (Linn.).

Description. — Adult male : Forehead and crown crimson-red, bordered nar-
rowly on both sides and broadly behind with glossy black ; chin and throat crimson,
bordered with black on both sides, continuous with a broad, glossy black pectoral-
patch; a black band beginning at eye and running obliquely downward to join
black of scapulars, separating two white stripes, one starting from the eye and
meeting its fellow on the nape, the other starting from nostril and joining lower
breast; remaining upper parts black and white in longitudinal patches, and black-
and-white cross-barred ; a central dorsal and scapular patch glossy black, another
dead black, formed by primary coverts, and continued obliquely backward by basal
black of primaries ; lesser, middle, and greater coverts white on exposed webs,
forming continuous lengthwise patch ; remaining portions of back and wings
black-and-white-barred or, in case of wing-quills, white-spotted in such a way as to
form continuous white bars on closed wing; tail-feathers black except on inner
webs of central pair, which are black-and-white-barred ; the outer pair, and even
second, sometimes exhibit marginal or terminal white in spots ; remaining lower
parts sulphury-yellow, clear and intense on area adjoining black of breast, clear
but paler on middle line of breast and belly ; the sides and flanks sordid, heavily
streaked or with subterminal V-shaped markings of dusky. Bill and feet dark
plumbeous. Adult female: Similar, but with chin and throat white instead of
red; and red of crown sometimes wanting. Immature: Black, white, and red

1 Birds of Parry Sound and Muskoka, Ontario. The Auk, Vol. XVIII, p. 39.

35o THE YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER.

of head and breast entirely wanting, or the pattern faintly indicated by changes in
the mottled brownish gray of these parts. Length 8.00-8.75 (203.2-222.3) ; av. of
nine Columbus specimens: wing 4.94 (125.5); tail 3.30 (83.8); bill .87 (22.1).

Recognition Marks. — Chewink size;, black breast-patch; red or enclosed
white of throat; sulphur-yellow tinge of under parts distinctive.

Nesting. — Xot positively known to breed in Ohio. Nest, in a hole excavated
in tree about forty feet up. ' Eggs, $-7, pure white, not conspicuously polished.
Av. size, .87 x .67' (22. i x 17.).

General Range. — Eastern North America north to about latitude 63°
50' (north of Fort Simpson), breeding from Massachusetts northward; south in
winter to the West Indies, Mexico and Costa Rica.

Range in Ohio. — Common, sometimes abundant during migrations.

BEFORE the maple sap has ceased running, our woods are invaded from
the south by a small army of hungry Sapsuckers. The birds are rather
unsuspicious, quiet, and sluggish in their movements. Their common note
i:; a drawling and petulant kee-a, like that of a distant Hawk; but they use
it rather to vent their feelings than to call their fellows, for altho there may
be twenty in a given grove, they are only chance associates and have no deal-
ings one with another. Starting near the bottom of a tree, one goes hitching
his way up the trunk, turns a lazy back-somersault to reinspect some neglected
crevice, or leaps out into the air to capture a passing insect. The bulk of this
bird's food, however, at least during the migration, is secured at the expense
of the tree itself. The rough exterior bark-layer, or cortex of, say, a maple,
is stripped off. and then the bird drills a transverse series of oval or roughly
rectangular holes through which the sap is soon flowing. The inner bark
it eaten as removed and the sap is eagerly drunk. It is said also that in some
cases the bird relies upon this sugar-bush to attract insects which it likes,
and thus makes its little wells do triple service. According to Professor
Butler, an observer in Indiana. Mrs. J. L. Hine, once watched a Sapsucker
in early spring for seven hours at a stretch, and during this time the bird did
not move above a yard from a certain maple tap from which it drank at
intervals.

Pine trees also afford a favorite sustenance for this greedy Sapsucker.
A certain group of exotic pines, on the State University campus, has suffered
from the attacks of this species, possibly of the same individual, for several
successive years. Each season the bird, keeping pace with the growth of the
tree, attacks a higher section, and reopens the wounds of the previous year. Of
course this sort of thing is not be encouraged in orchards or ornamental trees,
but the amount of damage done the country over is not serious, and the bird
is also a large consumer of insects.

It is difficult to believe that this handsome little Woodpecker, which
appears so abundantly the second week in April, and even lingers into May.

THE NORTHERN PILEATED WOODPECKER. 351

does not remain anywhere to nest with us. The species is unique among our
Woodpeckers, in that it is strictly migratory, while the Red-head, our only
other migratory species, frequently breaks the rules and stays the year around.
The Sapsucker may breed northerly, since it is known to do so in Indiana, but
no authentic reports have come in for Ohio. It winters casually in the south-
ern part of this state, and has appeared at that season as far north as McCon-
nelsville.

No. 154.

NORTHERN PILEATED WOODPECKER.

A. O. U. No. 405 a. Ceophloeus pileatus abieticola Bangs.

Synonym. — LOGCOCK.

Description. — Adult male: General plumage sooty black, lusterless save
on wings and back ; whole top of head and lengthened crest bright red ; red malar
stripes changing to black behind, and separating white spaces ; chin and upper
throat white ; also a white stripe extending from nostrils and below eye to nape,
and produced downward and backward to shoulder ; a narrow white stripe over
and behind eye; lining and edge of wing, and a large spot (nearly concealed) at
base of primaries, white ; black feathers of sides sparingly white-tipped ; bill dark
plumbeous above, lighter below, save at tip; feet black. Adult female: Similar,
but black on forehead, and black instead of red malar stripes. Length 15.50-19.00
(393.7-482.6); wing 8.50-10.00 (215.9-254.); tail 5.85-7.40 (148.6-188.); head
4.50-5-50 (114-3-^9-7) ; bill 1.75-2-65 (44.5-67.3).

Recognition Marks. — Largest size ; black, white and red on head in stripes ;
body mainly black.

Nest, high in trees. Eggs, 4-6, white. Av. size, 1.29 x .94 (32.8 x 23.9).

General Range. — Formerly the heavily wooded regions of North America
south of about latitude 63°, except in the southern Rocky Mountains. Now-
rare or extirpated in the more settled parts of the Eastern States.

Range in Ohio. — Rare and locally restricted. Reported recently from Ash-
tabula County, Morgan County, lower Scioto, and Little Miami Rivers, etc.

IF the ''curse of beauty" be added to that of large size, the destruction
of a bird is foredoomed in this age of automatic shot-guns and unappointed
game wardens. This magnificent black Woodpecker, once common through-
out the heavily timbered areas of our own and adjacent states, has almost
disappeared before the industrious axe and the all-conquering gun. The bird
has been recently reported only by Robert J. Sim, of Jefferson, and in "Middle
Southern Ohio," by Rev. W. F. Henninger. In an interesting communi-
cation, to which I am indebted for an account of the bird's habits, Mr. Sim

352 ' THE NORTHERN PILEATED WOODPECKER.

states that the Pileated Woodpecker is almost always to be found in the vicin-
ity of Jefferson. An extensive area of primeval forest, near at hand, has
afforded it asylum for many years past, but the tract is even now being
reduced by lumbering interests; and the day of the passing of the Logcock
is not far distant.

In the spring of 1902, according to Mr. Sim, a pair of these birds nested
within a mile of town. The nesting cavity was dug in a beech tree, at a
height of about thirty feet, and within two feet of the broken-off top, and the
work was completed by the middle of April. Chips were strewn liberally
over the ground below, and many showed the characteristic chisel marks
of the bird's powerful bill. During the nesting season the parent birds re-
mained pretty closely in the neighborhood of the home tree, drumming, call-
ing, and searching for food.

"The drumming song is a series of about twelve tap's, increasing in
rapidity and growing less in strength to the end. It may be heard for a long
distance. I have heard this Woodpecker give three vocal songs or calls.
One is an exultant, ringing laugh given in high clear soprano. The first note and
the last are lower and less loud than the rest. At a distance this call sounds
metallic; but when at close range it is sent echoing through the forest, it is
full and clear, and is the most untamably wild sound that I know among bird-
notes. Another call might be suggested by the syllables cow-cozv-coiv
repeated indefinitely, but some times intermittently. When two. birds
approach each other they often carry on a wheedling conversation which is
not unpleasant to hear. It seems to be analogous to the zvichew note of the
Flicker, but is given more slowly and has a peculiar quality which would lead
one to believe that the birds have their bills closed while making the sound."

In its search for food the Logcock strikes deliberately but with force,
often giving the head a powerful twist to wrench off a piece of wood. Some-
times quite a large fragment is thrown back by a toss of the head. Much
time is also spent about fallen tree-trunks, where in addition to grubs and
other insect larvse, it subsists largely upon ants.

THE RED-HEADED WOODPECKER. 353

No. 155.

RED-HEADED WOODPECKER.

A. O. U. No. 406. Melanerpes erythrocephalus (Linn.)

Synonym. — TRICOLORED WOODPECKER.

Description. — Adult : Head and neck all around and fore breast rich crim-
son ; back, scapulars, and wing-coverts glossy blue-black, and sometimes a narrow,
pectoral band of the same color below the red (found only in worn plumages) ;
terminal portion of secondaries (save outer webs of first and second, which are
black or black-banded), rump, and upper tail-coverts white; edge of wing, pri-
maries and tail black, the latter variously white-tipped on outer feathers below ;
remaining under parts, including under wing-coverts, pure white, — sometimes with
faint crimson tinge on center of belly; bill dark plumbeous, lightening at base.
Immature : Quite different ; without red, or with only traces of it appearing on
auriculars, breast and nape ; head, neck, and fore-breast brownish gray, mixed with
dusky in fine streaks, or almost uniform fuscous ; back and scapulars bluish-black,
with ashy edgings, or broadly mottled and indistinctly barred with whitish; ex-
posed portions of secondaries with two or three irregular black bars ; below sordid
whitish, sometimes streaked with dusky on breast and sides. Length 9.25-9.75
(23S.-247.6) ; av. of eight Columbus specimens: wing 5.40 (137.2); tail 3.22
(81.8); bill 1.05 (26.7).

Recognition Marks. — Robin size ; head all around deep crimson ; red, black,
and white in broad patches.

Nest, a hole excavated in tree,, often living, at considerable heights ; unlined,
Eggs. 4-6, glossy white. Av. size, 1.02 x .76 (25.9 x 19.3).

General Range. — United States west to the Rocky Mountains, and north
from Florida to about 50°, straggling westward to Salt Lake Valley and Arizona;
rare or local east of the Hudson River.

Range in Ohio. — Common throughout the State; abundant in central por-
tion. Winters irregularly everywhere.

OF all our Woodpeckers the Red-headed is the fittest (or at least the most
likely) to survive. As if to compensate the bird for its fatal conspicuousness,
Nature has made it hardy, thrifty, versatile and pugnacious. The primeval
forests were, no doubt, more to the bird's taste, but with their gradual disap-
pearance the wily Woodpecker has thoroughly accommodated itself to the
changed conditions, so that it is now almost as much a bird of the open as of
the woodland. Telegraph poles and fence-posts offer acceptable nesting sites,
so that it may exist in countries almost destitute of timber.

Ability to meet changed conditions depends upon many factors, but chiefly
upon food supply. The Red-headed Woodpecker burrows and probes for
worms and ants like his congeners, but to this limited fare is added grasshoppers,
crickets, and beetles secured upon the ground; flies, wasps, and all sorts of
insects taken in mid air, with all the skill, if not quite the grace, of the Fly-

354

THE RED-HEADED WOODPECKER.

catchers; besides fruits and berries of many sorts, including cherries, apples,
and pears, and in fall and winter beech nuts and acorns. This varied fare is
not resorted to upon mere compulsion, but it is sought with avidity ; so that
it is no wonder that the bird thrives in any situation. \Yhether or not the
Woodpeckers will remain through the winter in any given section, seems to
depend entirely upon the local crop of beech nuts, or "mast." Xo mast, no
Red-heads, is the clearly proven rule. In case the bird decides to "lie over",
nuts and acorns are gathered and stored in crevices and holes against the com-
ing season; and we may suppose that it is a matter of indifference to the bird
whether it gets the nut kernels originally deposited, or a transmuted product
of weevils and grubs.

Those birds which have not wintered hereabouts, consti-

Ta ken

Columbus.

WOODPECKER ROW.

Photo b\ ,:ic A iiHi.

tilting- as they do the great majority, return north from the middle of April to
the first of May. Then the woods and groves soon resound with their loud
calls. Quec-o—quee-o — queer. These queer cries are not unpleasant, but the
)irds are a noisy lot at best. When one of them flies into a tree where others are
gathered, all set up an outcry of yarrow, yarrow, yarrow, which does not sub-
side until the newcomer has had time to shake hands all around at least twice.
Besides these more familiar sounds the Red-heads boast an unfathomed reper-
ory of chirping, cackling, and raucous noises. The youngsters, especially —
awkward, saucy fellows that most of them are— sometimes get together 'and
raise a fearful racket until some of the older ones, out-stentored interpose

THE RED-HEADED WOODPECKER. 355

In selecting a nesting site the birds usually keep to the dead tops of forest
trees, such as those shown in the illustration, but from this rule there is almost
every conceivable departure. Large dead branches are sometimes chosen, in
which case the entrance is made on the under side of the limb. Holes are some-
times dug in living trees, at the cost, of course, of prodigious labor. Telegraph
and telephone poles are coming more and more into favor. Dr. Howard
Jones once called my attention to a rather small telephone pole standing on his
grounds in Circleville, which contained eleven nesting holes, of which three
had been used that season, being occupied by Red-headed Woodpeckers,
Flickers, and Bluebirds.

Eggs to the number of five or six are deposited late in May, and the
young are hatched about the middle of June. In occasional instances two
broods are raised. These \Voodpeckers are very devoted to their offspring,
but according to Dr. Jones, they do not observe the care in feeding the young .
(hat is usual with most birds. "In every brood there is one bird older and
stronger than the rest, and this one is sure to be on top and get his head to
the hole first, when the old ones come with food. Being stronger at the start
than his brothers and sisters, and each day getting more food, he gains more
strength; and, gaining more strength he gets each day more food. While
this double-acting system progresses, the reverse is happening to his mates,
until in extreme cases they actually die of starvation, and are not even carried
out of the nest by the parents."

THE WOODPECKER.

He's the sassiest critter that ever I see!

An' he sets there a-peekin' an' bobbin' at me,

While he's carvin' a notch in the wind-shaky crotch

O' that moss-covered hickory tree.

Dinged if ever I see such a tormentin' bird !

W'hen'I woke up this mornin', the first thing I heard

Was his "rubby-dub-dub" on an ol' holler stub —

'Fore the other fowls twittered 'r stirred.

See 'im set there a-peckin' that worm-eaten limb,

An' a-winkin' at me as I'm talkin' o' him ;

While his hard bullet head shinin' glossy an' red

Drives a bill like a thorn, black an' stim.

Seems in teasin' a feller he takes a delight ;

An' he'd rather be killed in a one-sided fight.

Than to give up the grub he has found in that stub —

'R to show the white feather, in flight.

356 THE RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER.

He's the beatenest bird — an' he don't care a straw !
W'y, he takes what he wants, without license 'r law,
An' he chatters with fun at the crack of a gun —
While he's fillin' his famishin' craw.
I'll be hanged if I don't kind o' fancy 'im though —
He's so blamed independent an' keerless, you know ;
An' I'd feel sort o' bad — an' consider'ble sad,
If he'd mind by complainin' an' go.
Malta, 0. James Ball Nayloi

No. 156.

RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER.

A. O. U. No. 409. Centurus carolinus (Linn.).

Description. — Adult male: Top of head, including nasal tufts, and hind-
neck bright scarlet ; back, scapulars, wing-coverts, and exposed portion of second-
aries regularly and strikingly black-and-white-barred ; primaries black terminally
but with touches of white on both webs toward base ; upper tail-coverts white, or
slightly barred ; tail black, — the two outer pairs of feathers terminally, and the cen-
tral pair on the inner web, black-and-white-barred; concealed base of central pair
white along shaft of outer web ; under parts ashy or sordid white, usually with a
buffy tinge on breast and belly, red-tinged on circum-ocular region and on center of
belly, rarely also on breast; flanks and crissum black-and- white-ban ed; bill and
feet dark plumbeous. Adult female : Similar, but crown broadly ash; separating
red areas on forehead and nape. Immature : Similar to adults, but duller colored ;
buff instead of red-tinged on belly. Length 9.00-10.00 (228.6-254.) ; av. of eleven
Columbus specimens: wing 5.27 (133.9) ; tail 3-^ (80.8) ; bill 1.15 (29.2).

Recognition Marks. — Robin size ; bright red on head and neck above ; "lad-
der back" black and white ; "cho^cv-choiu" cry.

Nest, in holes in trees at considerable heights, unlined. Eggs, 4-6, pure white.
Av. size, .99 x .73 (25.2 x 18.5).

General Range.— Eastern and Southern United States, north casually to
Massachusetts, New York, Ontario, southern Michigan, and central Iowa ; west to
eastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, Indian Territory, and Texas.

Range in Ohio. — Rather common resident; less common in northern part of
state. Non-migratory.

FOR the coincidence I shall not try to account, but it is a fact that when-
ever the bird-man clears the snow from a log where the wood-choppers have
been at work, and sits down after a long morning's work with the birds, to a

RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER

Melanerpes carolinus

% Life-size

THE NORTHERN FLICKER. 357

shivering midwinter lunch, the Red-bellied Woodpecker, till then silent, bestirs
himself and begins to pout, "chow — chow-chow." Careful attention discovers
the pouting hermit taking his brief nooning in the middle heights of a twinned
tree trunk, or else darkly silhouetted against the wintry sky. Here he hitches
and grumbles by turns, and is ready for bed again long before the diner-out
has brushed the crumbs from his chilly board.

To me there is something uncanny about this ascetic bird, who whiles
away his winter hour in the seclusion of a narrow cell ; and in spring, scarcely
less unsocial, retires to the least frequented depths of the forest to breed. Far
from the haunts of men, and secure in the protection of abundant leafage, the
birds do unbend somewhat from that austere dignity, and probably have pretty
gay times among themselves. At this season they have a chirruping cry,
which only the experts can distinguish from the noisiest of the Red-head's
notes ; and another, a very startling expression of mingled incredulity and re-
proach, "Clark." This is evidently analogous to the Red-head's Queer, but is
rendered with quite the style of the English "Walker!"

The bird is nearly a vegetarian, as becomes an anchorite, and lays up
frugal stores of mast and corn. The nesting is not different from that of
other Woodpeckers, except that the birds are less frequently found in exposed
situations, and there are very few sets of eggs from Ohio in collections.

No. 157.

NORTHERN FLICKER.

A. O. U. No. 412 a. Colaptes auratus luteus Bangs.

Synonyms. — FLICKER; YELLOW-SHAFTED FLICKER; GOLDEN-WINGED WOOD-
PECKER; YELLOW-HAMMER; HIGH-HOLE; HIGH-HOLDER; PIGEON WOODPECKER;
WAKE-UP. (These are the leading types. Mr. Frank L. Burns in his excellent
monograph1 lists one hundred and twenty-six designations of this bird).

Description. — Adult male : Top of head and cervix ashy gray, with a vina-
ceous tinge on forehead ; a bright scarlet band on the back of the neck ; back, scapu-
lars, and wings vinaceous gray with conspicuous black bars, brace-shaped, cres-
centic or various ; primaries plain dusky on exposed webs ; lining of the wing and
shafts of the wing-quills yellow ; rump broadly white ; upper tail-coverts white,
black-barred in broad, "herring-bone" pattern ; tail double-pointed, black, and
with black shafts on exposed upper surface; feathers sharply acuminate; tail
below, golden-yellow and with yellow shafts, save on black tips; chin, sides of
head, and throat vinaceous, enclosing two broad, black, malar stripes, or mous-
taches ; a broad, black, pectoral crescent ; remaining under parts white with heavy
vinaceous shading on breast and sides, everywhere marked with sharply defined
and handsome round, or cordate, spots of black. Bill and feet dark plumbeous.
Adult female : Similar, but without black moustache. Sexes about equal in size.

1 The Wilson Bulletin, No. 31. A Monograph of the Flicker (Colnptes auratus). By Frank L. Burns.
Oberlin, Ohio, April, 1900.

358 THE NORTHERN FLICKER.

Length 12.00-12.75 (304.8-323.9); av. of thirteen Columbus specimens: wing
6.13 (1557); tail 4.34 (II0.2); bill 1.34 (34-)-

Recognition Marks. — Size not comparable to that of any better known bird ;
white rump; yellow "flickerings" in Might; pectoral crescent; black-spotted
breast, etc.

Nest, an excavation in a tree or stump, usually made by the bird, at moderate
heights : unlined, save by chips. Eggs, 4,-iQ, usually 7 or 8, glossy v/hite. Av. size,
1.09 x .85 (27.7 x 21.6).

General Range. — Northern and eastern North America, west to the eastern
slope of the Rocky Mountains and Alaska. Occasional on the Pacific slope from
California northward. Accidental in Europe.

Range in Ohio. — Abundant. Sparingly and irregularly resident throughout
the state, increasingly southward.

FEW birds are better known in town or country than this noisy, energetic
and usually confiding Flicker. He is perhaps better known hereabouts under
the name Yellow-Hammer, but this title has long been preempted by an Old
World Bimt'mg,Emberiza citrinclla.and its use in the present connection should
be discontinued. All the greater pains should be taken to employ an American
name for this bird, because he is a true son of the soil, widely distributed, char-
acteristic, familiar, and if unhindered, well able to adapt himself to the rapidly
changing conditions of American life.

It is perhaps as a musician that the Flicker is best known. The word
musician is used in an accommodated sense, for the bird is no professional
singer, or instrumental maestro; but so long as the great orchestra of Nature
is rendering the oratorio of life, there will be place for the drummer, the
screamer, and the utterer of strange sounds, as well as for the human obligato.
The Flicker is first, like all other Woodpeckers, a drummer. The long rolling
tattoo of early springtime is elicited from some dry limb or board where the
greatest resonance may be secured, and it is intended both as a musical per-
formance and as a call of inquiry. Once, as a student, the writer roomed
in a large building, whose unused chimneys were covered with sheet-iron. A
Flicker had learned the acoustic value of these elevated drums, and the sound
of this bird's reveille at 4:00 A. M. was a regular feature of life at "Council
Hall;"

The most characteristic of the bird's vocal efforts is a piercing call delivered
from an elevated situation, dope or kly-ak. and cheer or kce-ycr. The scythe-
whetting song is used for greeting, coaxing or argumentation, and runs from
a low wcc-co, wcc-co — through wake-up, wake-up, wake-up — to an emphatic
wy-kle, wy-klc, wy-klc, or, in another mood sounds like flicker, flicker, nicker,

Altho the bird is resident more or less throughout the state, it is not able
to withstand the most severe weather, and its numbers are greatly augmented
by the returning migrants in spring. In the early days of April courtship

THE NORTHERN FLICKER.

359

is in progress, and the love-making of the Flicker is both the most curious
and the most conspicuous of anything in that order. An infatuated Flicker
is a very soft and foolish-looking bird,
but it must be admitted that he thor-
oughly understands the feminine heart
and succeeds in love beyond the luck
of most. A bevy of suitors will lay
seige to the affections of a fair,
lady, say in the top of a syca-
more tree. Altho the rivalry
is fierce, one gallant at a time
will be allowed to display his
charms. This he does by ad-
vancing toward the female
along a horizontal limb, bow-
ing, scraping, pirouetting,
and swaying his head from
side to side with a rythmical
motion. Now and then the
swain pretends to lose his
balance, being quite blinded,
you see, by the luster of
milady's eyes, but in reality
he does it that he may have
an excuse to throw up his
wings and display the daz-
zling cloth of gold which
lines them. The lady is dis-
posed to be critical at
first, and backs away
in apparent indifference
or flies off to another
limb in the same tree.
This is only a
fair test of gal-
lantry and pro-
vokes pursuit,
as was expect-
ed. Hour after
hour, and it

may be day after day, the suit is pressed by one and another until the maiden
indicates her preference, and begins to respond in kind by nodding and bowing

Photo by
the Author

Taken near Columbus.

A LOWLY NEST.

36o THE NORTHERN FLICKER.

and swaying before the object of her choice, and to pour out an answering
flood of softly whispered adulation. The best of it is, however, that these
affectionate demonstrations are kept up during the nesting season, so that
even when one bird relieves its mate upon the eggs it must needs pause for
a while outside the nest to bow and sway and swap compliments.

In nesting the Flicker usually chisels out a hole at a moderate height
in orchard tree, fence-post, stub, or telegraph pole, but sometimes resorts to
the dead tops of forest trees. In the West, • in places where timber is less
abundant, it sometimes drills holes through the roofs or sheathing of houses,
and nests in the crannies within. Seven or eight highly polished, white eggs are
laid upon the chips, which usually line the nest, and incubation begins custom-
arily when the last egg is laid. The female is a close sitter, and instances
are on record where pebbles dropped in upon her have failed to dislodge her,
or where once being lifted off she brushed past the disturber to re-enter the
nest. Altho provided with a bill which might prove a formidable weapon,
the Flicker is of too gentle a nature to wield it in combat, and seldom offers
any resistance whatever to the intruder.

After fourteen days young birds are hatched, blind, ugly, helpless. In a
few days more, however, they are able to cling to the sides of the nesting
hollow7, and are ready to set up a clamor upon the appearance of food. This
noise has been compared to the hissing of a nest of snakes, but as the fledg-
lings grow it becomes an uproar equal to the best efforts of a telephone pole
when the \vires are singing.

The young are fed entirely by regurgitation, not an attractive process,
but one admirably suited to the necessities of long foraging expeditions and
varying fare. When able to leave the nest the fledglings usually clamber
about the parental roof-tree for a day or two before taking flight. Their
first efforts at obtaining food for themselves are usually made upon the ground,
where ants are abundant. These with grasshoppers and other ground-
haunting insects make up a large percentage of the food/both of the young and
adults.

In many parts of the state the Flicker has suffered much from ignorant
and thoughtless persecution. Indeed, it has been regarded in some quarters
as a game bird. To those who have any sense of economic or sentimental
values, it must seem a shame to sacrifice such a beautiful honest, and useful
bird for his paltry mouthful of meat. As well shoot Cupid and roast him on a
spit.

'_ THE BELTED KINGFISHER. 361

No. 158.

BELTED KINGFISHER.

A. O. U. No. 390. Ceryle alcyon (Linn.).

Synonym. — Commonly called plain KINGFISHER.

Description. — Adult male : Above, bright bluish gray, feathers with blackish
shafts or shaft-lines ; loosely crested ; edge of wing white ; primaries dusky, white-
spotted on outer web, narrowly white-tipped, broadly white on inner web ; coverts
often delicately tipped or touched with white ; tail bluish gray above, the central
feathers with herring-bone pattern of dusky ; remaining feathers only blue-edged,
dusky, finely and incompletely barred with white ; lower eyelid white, and a white
spot in front of eye ; throat and sides of neck, nearly meeting behind, pure white ;
a broad band of bluish gray across the breast ; remaining under parts white, sides
under wing, and flanks, heavily shaded with blue-gray ; bill black, pale at base below ;
feet dark : Adult female : Similar, but with a chestnut band across lower breast,
and with heavy shading of the same color on sides. Immature : Like adults,
except that the plumbeous band of breast is heavily mixed with rusty (suggesting
chestnut of female). Length 12.00-14.00 (304.8-355.6) ; wing 6.21 (157.7) '> tail
3.84 (97.5) ; bill from nostril 1.69 (42.9).

Recognition Marks. — "Kingfisher" size; blue-gray and white coloration;
piscatorial habits ; rattling cry.

Nest, at end of tunnel in bank, four to six feet in, unlined. Eggs, 6-8, pure
white. Av. size, 1.31 x 1.04 (33.3 x 26.4).

General Range. — North America from the Arctic Ocean south to Panama
and the West Indies. Breeds from the southern border of the United States north-
ward.

Range in Ohio. — Common along streams and reservoirs ; resident southerly.
Found casually in winter throughout the state wherever streams are open.

WHEN we were small boys and had successfully teased our fathers or
big brothers to let us go fishing with them, we were repeatedly admonished
not to "holler" for fear of scaring the fish. This gratuitous and frequently
emphatic advice would have been discredited if the example of the Kingfisher
had been followed. Either because noise doesn't matter to fish, or because
he is moved by the same generous impulse which prompts the cougar to give
fair and frightful warning of his .presence at the begining of an intended
foray, the bird makes a dreadful racket as he moves up stream and settles
upon his favorite perch, a bare branch overlooking a quiet pool. Here, altho
he waits long and patiently, he not infrequently varies the monotony of inces-
sant scrutiny by breaking out with his wierd rattle — like a watchman's call,
some have said ; but there is nothing metallic about it, only wooden. Again,
when game is sighted, he rattles with excitement before he makes a plunge;
and when he bursts out of the water with a wriggling minnow in his beak,

362

THE BELTED KINGFISHER.

he clatters in high glee. If. as rarely happens, the bird misses the stroke, the

sputtering notes which follow speak plainly of disgust, and we are glad for the

moment that King-fisher talk is not exactly translatable.

It is not quite clear whether the bird usually seizes or spears its prey,

altho it is certain that it sometimes does the latter. The story is told of a

Kingfisher
which, spy-
i n g some
minnows in a
wooden tub
nearly filled
with water,
struck so eag-
erly that its
bill penetrat-
ed the bottom
of the tub,
and so thor-
oughly that
the bird was
unable to ex-
tricate itself;
and so died —
a death al-
most as igno-
minious as
that of the
k i n g . w h o
was drowned
in a butt of
M a 1 m s e

Photo by the Author

"OVERLOOKING A QUIET POOL."

When a
fish is taken
the bird first
thrashes it
against its
perch t o
make sure it
is dead, and
then swal-
lows it head

THE BELTED KINGFISHER. 363

foremost. If the fish is a large one its would-be host often finds it necessary to
go through the most ridiculous contortions, gaspings, writhings, chokings,
regurgitations, and renewed attempts, in order to encompass its safe delivery
within.

Kingfishers have the reputation of being very unsocial birds. Apart^
from their family life, which is idyllic, this reputation is well sustained. Good
fishing is so scarce that the birds deem it best to portion off the territory with
others of their own kind, and they are very punctilious about the observance
of boundaries and allotments. For the rest, why should they hunt up avian
companions, whose tastes are not educated to an appreciation of exposed,
water-soaked stubs, and a commanding view of river scenery? However,
I once did see a Kingfisher affably hobnobbing with a Kingbird, on a barren
branch which overlooked a crystal stream in Idaho. I wonder if they recog-
nized a mutual kingliness, this humble fisherman and this petulant hawk-
driver ?

Kingfisher courtship is a very noisy and spirited affair. One does not
know just how many miles up and down stream it is considered proper for
the gallant to pursue his enamorata before she yields a coy acceptance; and
it is difficult to perceive how the tender passion can survive the din of the
actual proposal, where both vociferate in wooden concert to a distracted world.
But la ! love is mighty and cloth mightily prevail.

The nesting tunnel is driven laterally into the face of a steep bank, pre-
ferably of sand or loam, usually directly over the water, but occasionally at
a considerable distance from it. Dr. Brewer reports one in a gravel pit at
least a mile from the water. The birds are not so particular as are the Bank
Swallows about digging near the top of the bank, but, especially if the bank
is small, usually select a point about midway. The tunnel goes straight in or
turns sharply to suit an occasional whim, until a convenient depth, say five
or six feet, is reached, when a considerable enlargement is made for the nest
chamber. Here, early in May, six or seven white eggs are laid, usually upon
the bare earth, but sometimes upon a lining of grass, straw and trash. From
time to time the birds eject pellets containing fish scales, the broken testa? of
Crawfish and other indigestible substances, and these are a'dded to the accumu-
lating nest material. Sanitary regulations are not very strict in Kingfisher's
home, and by the time the young are ready to fly we could not blame them
for being glad to get away. The female is a proverbially close sitter, often
permitting herself to be taken with the hand, but not until after she has
made a vigorous defense with her sharp beak. If a stick be introduced into
the nest she will sometimes seize it so tightly that she can be lifted from the
eggs, turtle fashion.

The parents are very busy birds after the young have broken shell, and it
takes many a quintal of fish to prepare six, or maybe seven, lusty fisher princes

364 THE YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO.

for the battle of life. At this season the birds hunt and wait upon their young
principally at night, in order not to attract hostile attention to them by day-
light visits. Only one brood is raised in a season, and since fishing is unques-
tionably a fine art, the youngsters require constant supervision and instruction
for several months. A troop of six or eight birds seen in August or early
in September does not mean that Kingfisher is indulging in mid-summer gaities
with his fellows, but only that the family group of that season has not yet been
broken up.

No. 159.

YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO.

A. O. U. No. 387. Coccyzus americanus (Linn.).

Synonym. — RAIN-CROW.

Description. — Adult : Above nearly uniform, satiny, brownish gray, with
something of a bronzy-green sheen ; the inner webs of the primaries cinnamon-
rufous, the outer webs and sometimes the wing coverts tinged with the same ;
central pair of tail-feathers like the back and completely covering the others during
repose; remaining pairs sharply graduated, — blackish with broad terminal white
spaces, the outer pair white-edged ; a bare space around the eye yellow ; under parts
uniform silky white or sordid; bill curved, upper mandible black, except touched
with yellow on sides; lower mandible yellow, with black tip. Immature: Similar
to adult, but plumage of back with slight admixture of cinnamon-rufous or vina-
ceous ; tail-feathers narrower, — the contrast between their black and white areas
less abrupt. Length 11.20-12.60 (284.5-320.); wing 5.60 (142.2); tail 6.00
(1.52.4) ; bill 1.00^(25.4).

Recognition Marks. — Robin to Kingfisher size; slim form and lithe appear-
ance; brown above, white below. Distinguishable- from the next species by definite
yellow lower mandible, more or less extensive cinnamon-rufous of wing, and
sharply-graduated, broadly white-tipped tail feathers.

Nest, a careless structure of twigs, bark-strips, and catkins, placed in trees
or bushes, usually at moderate heights. Eggs, 4, sometimes 5, 6, or even 8, pale
greenish blue, becoming lighter on continued exposure. Av. size, 1.27 x .91
(32.3x23.1).

General Range. — Eastern temperate North America, breeding from Florida
north to New Brunswick, Canada and Minnesota, west to the eastern border of the
plains, and south in winter to Costa Rica and the West Indies.

Range, in Ohio. — Abundant summer resident. Less common northerly.

MOST birds prefer to face the enemy, so to keep his every movement
well in eye, but Cuckoo presents his back, a cold gray affair, from behind
which he peers now and then, turning his neck and giving you one eye in a
lofty, well-bred way. I recall no other bird whose gaze is so calm, so direct,

THE YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. 365

so fearless, yet withal, so decorous. But nothing escapes him. He is not
so vulgarly devoted to curiosity that he forgets business. Mercy, no! You
may be within ten feet of him, but he plucks and swallows a caterpillar with
as little ado and apology as tho you were in the next county. But make a
false motion and the bird glides away into the deeper foliage with an ease
and grace born of long practice. Silken, silent, sinuous, are adjectives which
you instinctively apply to this sober, sly bird as he steals through the upper
branches, scarcely seen, but not unseeing, to emerge at length from the oppo-
site side of the tree and to dart away like a lithe brown arrow into some distant-
copse.

The association of birds and seasons has nowhere a more striking exem-
plification than in the case of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo and the month of
August, — at least here in central Ohio. The month belongs to the bird.
While other birds are hiding in the underbrush or sulking somewhere in the
shade, the Cuckoo is in the best of humor. It is then that he showrs himself
most freely as he reaps his staple harvest of tent caterpillars. Nesting has
been purposely deferred to late June, or even early August, in order that the
young might growr during this time of greatest plenty. The bird's conduct
at this season is quite in contrast with his behavior in spring. Then he prob-
ably remained undiscovered until the end of the first week or the middle of
the second week in May, but it is almost certain that he had been in the coun-
try for a week or so. He had only been waiting for the novelty of the strange
land to wear off before he should venture to proclaim himself. This he does
by a series of explosive pouting notes, Cook, cook, cook, cook, cook, cook,
cook, cook, cook, delivered rather slowly, rallentando et diminuendo.

The female Cuckoo is a rather slovenly nest builder, and nowise regular
in her habits. Nesting may be undertaken as early as the last week in May,
but I once found a nest with fresh eggs at this latitude on the i6th of August
— the latter perhaps a second set. In construction the nest is usually little
more than a careless platform of small sticks lined with catkins, chiefly of
the oak. Occasionally twigs bearing green leaves are worked in to aid in
concealment. The location may be a thorn bush, black haw tree, or wild
plum thicket, or even an exposed horizontal branch well up in a forest tree.
The eggs are sometimes laid at intervals of three or four days, and incuba-
tion may commence with the deposition of the first egg. A nest may thus
contain at the same time growing young and fresh eggs, altho the latter are
likely to suffer from neglect or final ejectment. In keeping with this general
carelessness is an ancestral habit, not yet quite overcome, of occasionally im-
posing eggs upon foster parents. Thus, Dr. Jones of Circleville tells of
finding an egg of this bird in a Cardinal's nest, and another, which he thought
belonged to this species, among the eggs of a Catbird.

That the Cuckoos are thoroughly useful birds the following quotation

366 . THE BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO.

from Butler's "Birds of Indiana," will go to prove: "Few birds are of so
much service to the farmer. Especially are the fruit growers and nursery-
men its debtors. In early spring they love the orchard. I have known
them to destroy every tent caterpillar (Clisiocanipa aniencana) in a badly
infested orchard and to tear up all the nests in half a day. While they may
have eaten some caterpillars, out of the most of them the juices were squeezed
and the hairy skin dropped to the ground. Almost every watchful fruit
grower has had a similar experience. Prof. F. H. King found upon exami-
nation, that one had eaten nine larvre of a species that destroys the foliage
of black walnut trees. They also eat many canker worms. . . . While
they occasionally eat some of the smaller fruit, their work all summer long
is to protect the fruit tree from its enemies. Altho it has been accused of
robbing the nests of other birds and eating their eggs, I do not believe the
charge has been sustained.''

No. 160.

BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO.

A. (). U. Xo. 388. Coccyzus erythrophthalmus (Wils.).

Synonym — RAIX CROW ; RAIX DOVE.

Description. — Adult : Color of upper parts like that of preceding species ; no*
rufous on wing; outer pairs of tail-feathers like back, but paler; narrowly and
indistinctly dusky-ancl-white-tippecl ; tail averaging longer than in C. aincricanus;
circum-ocular bare space livid yellow ; the edges of the eyelid bright red ; under
parts white, — the throat, sides of neck, and sometimes flanks and crissum washed
with pale buffy, or butty ash; bill normally black all over, sometimes obscurely
touched with yellow on lower mandible. Immature : Like adult, but without
dusky subterminal bar on tail-feathers ; wings with rusty edgings ; eyelids pale
yellow. Length 11.00-12.50 ( 279.4-317.5) :"wing 5.30-5.85 (134.6-148.6); tail
6.60 (167.6) ; bill .87 (22.1).

Recognition Marks. — Robin size; slender form and lithe appearance; sober
colors; bill black; no rufous on wing; tail-feathers narroii'ly tipped with white.

Nest, similar to preceding, but more carefully constructed, and somewhat
deeper; at moderate heights, often in brushy swamps. Eggs, 3-5. rarely 6, green-
ish blue, deeper in shade than those of the foregoing species. Av. size, i.io x .83
(27.9 x 21.1).

General Range. — Eastern Xorth America west to the Rocky Mountains,
breeding north to Labrador. Manitoba, and eastern Assiniboia; south in winter
to the West Indies and the Valley of the Amazon. Accidental in the British
Islands and Italy.

Range in Ohio. — Common migrant. Rather common summer resident in
northern Ohio ; less common southerly. Everywhere less common than preceding
species.

THE BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. 367

IT is difficult at best to dissociate this bird in one's mind from the
other species, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Very similar they are both in
habits and in general appearance, altho there are infallible rules for distinc-
tion in the latter respect, if a fair view is afforded. Both the absence of
rufous in the- wing, and smaller, less pure, terminal white spots in the tail-
feathers, serve to mark this bird during flight; but it is more satisfactory
to ogle the bird in the bush until the "red eye" and black bill show up. Indeed
it must be confessed that the chief interest of the Cuckoos to an ornithologist
lies in the constant practice in identification which they afford.

The note of this species is phrased, rapidly uttered, and more musical
than that of C. amcricanus, — Cookookook, cookookook, cookookook. At
some distance the sound is not unlike that made by a farmer mending his
fence, as he pounds a resonant board into position by two or three smart
strokes of the hammer. The bird is fond of wet weather, and es]>ecially
appreciates that sultry mugginess which often precedes a rain. It is at this
time that his notes are most likely to be heard, this habit having won for
him in connection with the Yellow-billed species, the title of Rain-Crow
or Rain-Dove..

In view of recent evidence it seems probable that the Cuckoos, at least
the birds of this species, are largely nocturnal in their habits. Mr. Gerald
H. Thayer in a recent article in Bird Lore1 reports a remarkable series of
observations taken near Mt. Monadnock in southwestern New Hampshire.
He finds that these Cuckoos are habitually abroad during the pleasant
nights of mid-summer and that they travel about at great heights, appar-
ently going on long journeys in search of food, and that their presence is
indicated by frequent gurgling notes by which their aerial course may be
traced and their altitude inferred. These "mid-summer, mid-night, mid-sky
gyrations" certainly put the bird before us in a new light, and it is to be
hoped that observers here in Ohio may discover whether such habits prevail
locally.

At the nesting season the Black-billed Cuckoo is to be found chiefly
in low damp woods or bottomland thickets. The nest is placed at moderate
heights and is usually well concealed in thorn bushes or clustering vines.
In construction it is a little more substantial than that of the other species,
being deeper, with sticks and thorn twigs interwoven. It is provided with
a greater abundance of catkins and is often lined with grass. The top, how-
ever, is only slightly concave, so that accidents not infrequently befall, espe-
cially if the first-hatched finds it convenient to roll out some belated brother.
The eggs are four or five in number, somewhat smaller, less elliptical, and
noticably darker-tinted than those of the previously described bird.

The parent birds often manifest a curious indifference to molestation,
and appear to take downright robbing little to heart. The male, in particular,

1 Bird Lore (published by the Macmillan Company, Harrisburg, Pa.) Vol. V., September-October, 1903,

P- I43-I45-

368

THE BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO.

is commonly accused of hard-heartedness. On the contrary, Dr. Brewer
relates an instance which came under his own observation, wrhere the female
having been thoughtlessly killed by a small boy, the male bird took up the
incompleted task of incubation, and successfully reared a brood of five birds.

Photo by R. F. Griggs.

YOUNG BLACK-BILLED CUCKOOS.

The American Cuckoos deserve great credit for endeavoring to forsake
the ways of Old World species, which are inveterate cuckolds, like our own
Cowbirds. There are, however, marked instances of a lapse from virtue.
I once caught a Black-billed Cuckoo in a Catbird's nest, sitting closely, and
doubtless in the act of oviposition. Their eggs have been found besides
in the nests of Wood Thrushes and Robins, to whose eggs their own bear
a close resemblance.

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