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BIRDS OF ONTARIO

BEING A CONCISE ACCOUNT OF EVERY SPECIES OF BIRD

KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN FOUND IN ONTARIO

WITH A

DESCRIPTION OF THEIR NESTS AND EGGS

AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR COLLECTING BIRDS AND PREPARING
AND PRESERVING SKINS, ALSO DIRECTIONS HOW
TO FORM A COLLECTION OF EGGS

BY THOMAS McILWRAITH

MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION

SECOND EDITION—ENLARGED AND REVISED TO DATE

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS

Toronto
WILLIAM BRIGGS, WESLEY BUI

+ tts
MontTreat: C. W. COATES Hairax: 8. FEF. HUESTIS

OE he Rel he! to SB. %

MDCCCXCIV

Division of Birds

Entered, according to the Act of the Parliament of Canada, in the year one thousand
eight hundred and ninety-four, by WiLL1AM Briaes, Toronto, in the Office of the
Minister of Agriculture, at Ottawa. a

a

iV\ ¢

TO

HER EXCELLENCY

The Countess of Aberdeen
IN VIEW OF THE
INTELLIGENT ATTENTION SHE HAS GIVEN
SCIENCE AND LITERATURE IN CANADA
THIS WORK IS RESPECTFULLY

DEDICATED

TO

Oe Ty
Chiba

Py

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CONTENTS.

PREFACE .
INTRODUCTION :
COLLECTING AND PREPARING SnernENs
Nests anp Hees
ORDER Peaoroane—_Diving Birds
Family Podicipidee—Grebes
" Urinatoridze—Loons
1 Alecidee—Auks, Murres and Puftins
OrDER LonGIrpENNES—Long-winged Swimmers .
Family Stercorariidee—Skuas and Jaegers
" Laridze—Gulls and Terns :
ORDER STEGANOPODES—Totipalmate Swimmers .
Family Sulidee—Gannets .

1 Phalacrocoracidee—Cormorants
1 Pelecanidse—Pelicans .
OrDER ANSERES—Lamellirostral Swimmers
Family Anatidee—Ducks, Geese and Swans
OrpDER HerropronEs—Herons, Storks, Ibises, etc.
Family Ibididze—lIbises : ;
1 Ardeidze—Herons, Bitterns, etc. .
OrpDER PaLupicoL“—Cranes, Rails, ete.
Family Gruidze—Cranes .

" Rallidze—Rails, Gallinules ahd Ghats ,

Orver Limtcota—Shore Birds . :
Family Phalaropodidee—Phalaropes

1» Recurvirostridze—A vocets and Stilts
1 Scolopacidze—Snipes, Sandpipers, ete.

" Charadriidze—Plovers .
1 Aphrizidee

OrpER GaALLIn® —Gallinaceous Birds

Family Tetraonidze—Grouse, Partridges, etc. .
"4 Phasianidze—Pheasants, Turkeys, etc.

OrpER CoLumB#—Pigeons
Family Columbidse—Pigeons

Surf Birds and Reece

Val CONTENTS.

ORDER Raprores—Birds of Prey : ;
Family Cathartide—American Vultures .

" Falconidzee— Vultures, Falcons, Hawks, Haples; Lie

1 Strigidee—Barn Owls .
" Bubonidze—Horned Owls, ete.
OrpdER CoccyGEs—Cuckoos, ete.
Family Cuculidze —Cuckoos, ete.
n Alcedinidee— Sea
OrpER Pict— Woodpeckers
Family Picidee— Wooodpeck ous: :
OrpER Macrocurres—Goatsuckers, Swifts, ete.
Family Caprimulgidee—Goatsuckers, etc.
1 Micropodidee—Swifts .
1 Trochilidee—Hummingbirds
OrpER PassERES—Perching Birds :
Family Tyrannidee—Tyrant ilrcatcuens :
nw Alaudidee—Larks ; : ;
1 Corvidee-—Crows, Jays, Magpies, etc. .
" Icteridze—Blackbirds, Orioles, ete.
1 _Fringillidae—Finches, Sparrows, ete.
Tanagers .

un ‘Tanagridee
1 Hirundinidze—Swallows
1» Ampelidse—Waxwings
n _Laniidee—Shrikes
1 Vireonidze—Vireos
1 Mniotiltidae—Wood-War piss s
1" Motacillidee—Wagtails :
1 Troglodytidzee—Wrens, Thrashers, etc.
1, Certhiidze—Creepers ;
1 Paridee—Nuthatches and Tits :
1 Sylviidee— Warblers, Kinglets and Ganteatchens :
1 Turdidze— Thrushes and Bluebirds
ADDENDA
GLOSSARY

PREFACE.

Tue first edition of “THe Birps oF OnTario” had its origin in the
Hamilton Association, a local scientific society of which I am one of
the oldest members.

In the spring of 1885, I read the introductory part of this book as
a paper at one of the ordinary meetings. So few people devote any
time to the study of Ornithology, that the subject was quite new to
the Association, and, at the request of those present, I afterwards
supplemented the paper with a record of the names of all the birds
observed during my excursions near the city. By giving a technical
description of each, I hoped to enable anyone desirous of pursuing
the study to identify those birds likely to be found in the same
district. The whole was subsequently published in book form by
the Association, under the name of “The Birds of Ontario.” Each
member received a copy, and the balance of the issue was placed
in the hands of the booksellers, but the number published was
limited, and the book is now entirely out of the market.

The kind reception of the first edition by the public, and the
numerous inquiries which have recently been made for copies of the
book, have induced me to prepare this second edition, which I hope
may be equally fortunate in meeting with public favor.

In the first edition the accounts of the birds were, to a great
extent, the result of my own observations made in the vicinity of
Hamilton, where I have resided for the past forty years. Nearly all
of our native birds being migratory, the record given of each species
was necessarily incomplete. Some were mentioned as winter visitors,
others as summer residents, and a numerous class as spring and
autumn migrants, visiting southern Ontario on their annual journey
to and from their breeding places farther north.

In the present edition, it has been my object to place on record,
as far as possible, the name of every bird that has been observed in
Ontario ; to show how the different species are distributed through-
out the Province; and, especially, to tell where they spend the
breeding season. To do this, I have had to refer to the notes of

Vili PREFACE.

those who have visited the remote homes of the birds, at points often
far apart and not easy of access, and to use their observations, pub-
lished or otherwise, when they tend to throw light on the history
of the birds observed in Ontario.

Of the. works I have found most useful in this connection, I
have pleasure in mentioning Mr. Ernest E. Thompson’s “ Birds of
Manitoba,” published by the Smithsonian Institute at Washington.
In it the author records his ornithological notes made during a three
years’ residence in Manitoba, as well as the numerous observations
by others of similar tastes in different parts of the Province with
whom he was in correspondence.

Mr. E. W. Nelson, an officer of the United States Signal Service,
has furnished the material for a work on the birds of an entirely
new field, and has greatly extended our knowledge of many species
which are common at different points as migrants. The work is a
history of the collection of birds made by the author in Alaska
during the years 1877 to 1881. It is edited by Mr. W. H. Henshaw,
and handsomely illustrated. Issued by the Signal Service at Wash-
ington, it has been liberally distributed among the lovers of birds.

The ornithological work which has attracted the greatest amount
of attention lately is entitled, “The Hawks and Owls of the United
States in their Relation to Agriculture,” prepared under the direction
of Dr. C. Hart Merriam, Ornithologist, by Dr. A. K. Fisher, Assist-
ant. This is a book of two hundred pages, enriched with colored
illustrations of most of the birds it describes.

I have also found much that is interesting in the “ Life Histories
of North American Birds, with special reference to their Breeding
Habits and Eggs,” by Captain Charles Bendire, United States Army
(retired). This work, which has now reached four hundred pages, is
still in progress, and promises to be the most useful work we have
on the subjects of which it treats.

To Mr. Oliver Davie I am greatly indebted for the privilege of
using the information contained in his “ Nests and Eggs of North
American Birds,” without which my record in that department would
have been incomplete.

With regard to the distribution of the birds, I have found a great
deal of information in a “Catalogue of Canadian Birds,” with notes
on the distribution of species by Montague Chamberlain.

In the Annual Reports of the Ornithological Sub-section of the
Canadian Institute are many interesting notices of rare birds found
near Toronto and elsewhere throughout the country.

PREFACE. ix

I have also had frequent occasion to refer to the writings of Dr.
Coues, Robert Ridgway, J. A. Allen, Dr. Merriam, Dr. Fisher, Wm.
Brewster; Dr. Bell, Prof. Macoun, and Geo. R. White, of Ottawa ;
Dr. Macallum, of Dunnville; J. M. Lemoine, Quebec; Amos W.
Butler, Indiana; Manly Hardy, of Brewer, Maine; W. FP. Peacock,
Marysville, California; Dr. P. L. Hatch, Minnesota; A. J. Cook,
Michigan, to all of whom I now return my best thanks for the privi-
lege of using their writings, as well as to many others who have in
various ways contributed toward the completion of this work. I hope
it may be found useful to those beginning the study of Ornithology.
I wish for their sakes, as well as for the interest of the subject, that
it were better than it is, but it has been written at spare hours
amid the frequently recurring calls of business, and this may account
for some of its imperfections.

The classification and nomenclature used correspond with the
“Check List of North American Birds,” published by the American
Ornithologists’ Union.

THOMAS McILWRAITH.

CAIRNBRAE, HAMILTON, CANADA,
February Ist, 1894.

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INTRODUCTION.

J

To rvery lover of outdoor life the birds are familiar objects, and
their society is a continual source of enjoyment. Not only are their
colors pleasing to the eye and their voices agreeable to the ear,
but their various habits, when observed, excite our admiration of the
unerring instinct which directs them in all their movements.

Upon my younger readers whose tastes may lead them in this
direction, I would strongly urge the necessity for keeping a diary in
which to make a record of everything connected with bird-life seen
during each outing. Various shapes and sizes of books ruled in
various ways have been suggested for this purpose, but for a beginner
I would recommend a plain page on which to enter notes of the birds
seen at such a place on such a date, with any facts relating to their
numbers, occupation or manners which may have been observed.

When this book has been'kept for two or three seasons, even the
writer of it will be astonished at the amount and variety of the
information accumulated, and the reading of it in after years will
recall many of the pleasant experiences of the time when the entries
were made. The book will also be very valuable as a work of
reference while the history of each species is being investigated.
Even the mention of the names of the birds seen, showing that
certain species were noticed at a given place on a given date, becomes
important, taken in connection with their migration, which is perhaps

the most interesting part of their history.

We have become accustomed to speak of certain birds as being
migratory, and we can tell, within a day or two, the time at which
they will arrive from the south in spring to take possession of their
former box or other nesting place near our houses. By referring to

the observations of others made at different points on the continent,
we can tell where certain species spend the winter, and likewise how
far north they go in summer, and the date of their appearance at
the various places where they pause by the way. By following the
observations recently made by Professor Cook, we can also judge
pretty accurately at what rate of speed the birds travel when coming

12 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

up from the south in spring. All this information is the result of
much time and care having been devoted to the subject by a host of
observers, and it is very valuable to those interested in the subject,
but the general questions relating to bird migration still remain
unanswered, and the student may as well begin at the beginning and
try to discover: “Why do birds migrate? How do they know
where to go?”

With regard to those hatched in the north, we can readily under-
stand that the failure of food supply at the time when insect life
is wiped out, and the fields and marshes are buried under deep snow,
makes a change of climate an absolute necessity. Then comes the
second question: “ How do they know where to go?” The answer
to this is, that they are guided by the observations of the older
members of the flock, and to a great extent by the exercise of
inherited memory, that is, the memory inherited of what has been
done by other birds of the same species for countless generations.

Of inherited memory we cannot speak from experience, for it is
not inherent in our nature, but that birds do possess the faculty is
evident from many of their common habits. Take, for instance, that
of nest-building. Different species of birds build very different kinds
of nests, and often in very different situations, but birds of any
given species usually build the same kind of nest, year after year, in
the same kind of situation. That this regularity is not the result of
personal observation is also quite apparent. For example, a pair of
Grassfinches build their nest on the ground under a bunch of weeds
or a little bush. The eggs are therein deposited, and in due time
the birds are hatched. They grow quickly, and soon begin to feel
crowded in the limited space. Presently, along comes a sportsman’s
dog with glaring eyes, and his tongue lolling out of his open mouth.
He stares and snuffs at the tiny objects, and they hurry off in terror
to hide among the brambles, where their wants are attended to
by their parents for a few days until they are able to shift for
themselves, which they soon do without having once seen the nest
in which they were hatched. Yet in spring, when the different
members of this little family start housekeeping on their own
account, each one builds a nest precisely like that from which they
were scared by the dog. .

We can see at once the great value of this gift to the birds
while pursuing their long and hazardous journey, much of which is
performed during the hours of darkness, the daylight being necessary
to enable them to secure the food which they require by the way.

INTRODUCTION. 13

Regarding the services rendered by the more experienced mem-
bers in guiding the flock, the value of these will be seen when we
remember that the bulk of our birds are born in the north, and are
called upon to provide for the coming winter at an age when they are
- without personal experience of any kind. That all birds migrate in
flocks is generally admitted, although it is only the larger species of
water-fowl whose movements on such occasions come within the
range of our observation.

The migrations of the smaller birds are noticed chiefly by their
absence or presence in their usual haunts. For instance, when in
the marsh on an afternoon toward the end of September, we noticed
that the Sora Rails, birds of apparently weak and uncertain flight,
were very abundant. Every few steps we made one would get up, fly
a few yards, and again drop, apparently exhausted, among the reeds.
During the night a sharp frost set in, the first of the season, and on
visiting the same part of the marsh next day, not a single Rail could
be found. All had gone during the night. The migrations of this
species are always perforined at night, when the birds cannot be
seen, but we have occasionally heard the weak, whimpering note
the birds utter when travelling, to prevent the weaklings from
getting lost.

The geese are the most conspicuous of our migratory birds, the
A-shaped flocks and the hoarse, honking cry being familiar to all
Canadians. In the Hudson’s Bay regions, where these birds are
raised, we are told that at the approach of winter there are great
gatherings of old and young along the shores, and great gabbling and
apparent discussions relating to the journey in which they are about
to start. All finally soar aloft and assume the usual A-shape, at
the apex of which is the leader, always an old male, more or less
familiar with the route. It is also said that the senior members of
the flock take this position by turns, and relieve each other of the
responsibility which for a time they assume. So they press on toward
the south, lakes and rivers, which at night all show clearer and
brighter than the land, being never-failing guides throughout the
journey.

Some of the water-fowl seem so reluctant to leave their northern
home that they remain until they are actually frozen out. On the
other hand some of the waders leave their summer haunts long
before we can see any necessity for their doing so. In the latter
part of August, while lying awake with the windows open during
the warm summer night, we can hear the skirling of the Sandpipers

14 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

as they pass overhead on their way southward, leaving a land of
plenty behind them.

In the movements of some of the warblers, too, are seeming
irregularities which we are at a loss to explain. These, like other
migrants which raise their young in the north, retire before the
approach of winter, and we should expect to hear of their resting
when a temperate region was reached ; but many of them follow up
the southern route till they reach the equator, and pass on two or
three hundred miles beyond it.

We have so far taken a cursory view of the sowthern movement of
the birds at the approach of winter. We see the necessity for it and
admire the means they possess to enable them to carry it out.
Eventually, all the species find suitable winter-quarters, where they
quietly remain for a time and soon get to be in excellent condition,
both as regards flesh and plumage, having nothing to engage their
attention but dress and diet.

Soon, however, the time arrives when another change of habitat
must be made, and the migratory feeling again stirs within the
different species. There is a flapping of wings, a stretching of necks,
a reiteration of their peculiar calls, and an occasional flight with no
apparent object save exercise. “To the north, to the north,” is now
the general cry, and to the north they go, often fighting their way
through storms and fogs, but still bent on making the journey. We
should respect their courage and admire their intelligence more highly
if we knew that the change was necessary, but that is the point we
are unable to decide. The birds were living comparatively undis-
turbed with abundant fare and pleasant surroundings, why should
they change? Why do they expose themselves to the vicissitudes and
fatigue of this tedious journey of thousands of miles, to reach a land
where they know that they cannot remain! We have heard “love
of the nesting ground,” and “strong home affection,” mentioned
among the leading causes of the desire to return, and there may be
instances where such feelings, fully developed, have great influence in
this connection. These are usually strongest in the female sex, but
we find that the males always lead the northern movement, and are
often in their former haunts a week or more before the females
arrive. The home affection must, in certain cases, be of short
duration, for we find in the history of some of the ducks, that no
sooner are the eggs deposited than the female assumes the duties of
incubation, and the males, getting together in flocks, keep outside in
the open water, and ignore all further family responsibilities.

INTRODUCTION. II5;

There may be something in the increased temperature in the
south which the birds have found to be unsuitable while raising
their young, and a change has become a matter of necessity, though
the cause may not be to us apparent.

How are we to account for the habit in such birds as the Little
Bittern, very many of which are resident in the south, and raise their
young in tropical America, while those we see in Ontario are regular
migrants, generally distributed, some straggling as far north as Mani-
toba and Hudson’s Bay, but all leaving the country before the first
touch of frost ?

With these facts in view, it is not surprising to find some differ-
ence of opinion among ornithologists regarding the causes of migra-
tion. It seems as if the habit were, to some extent, coincident with
the origin of the species, had extended very gradually through a long
succession of ages, to meet the various climatic and other changes
which have taken place in the surroundings of this part of the animal
kingdom since “the beginning.” Even within our short lifetime we
have seen changes taking place in the distribution of the birds, some
of which we can account for, and for others we have no explanation
to offer ; but the whole subject is one about which we have yet much
to learn.

I commend it to the special consideration of my youthful readers,
who, I feel sure, will find it most interesting, and I hope that they
may yet be able to explain many of the difficulties which at present
surround the subject of bird migration. .

COLLE@ TING AN Di EINE BARING
SPEC NUD INS.

Since it is possible that the perusal of these pages may create
in some of my younger readers the desire to collect and preserve
specimens of the birds whose history they have been considering,
I would advise them, by all means, to cultivate the taste, for I
know of no pastime so conducive to health, nor one that will afford
so much rational enjoyment. An outing in our bracing Canadian air
is enjoyable at any season of the year, and the capture of a rare bird
is an event productive of feelings which only the enthusiastic collector
can understand.

In spring, to watch the daily arrival of migrants from the south,

16 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

clad in their gayest attire and uttering their sweetest notes, is a
constant source of delight. In summer the nests and eggs engage
the attention for a time. In autumn the return of the birds seen
passing north in the spring is again looked for with interest, and
the changes in the dress of many are carefully recorded in the note-
book which should be always at hand. But winter, after all, is. the
season in which we expect to find the rarest of our birds. We say
our birds, for those we look for at that season are Canadian in the
fullest sense of the term, having been born and brought up in the
Dominion, but only on very rare occasions do they come so far south
as our southern boundary. The collector in Southern Ontario who is
fortunate enough to secure such birds as the Gyrfalcon, Ptarmigan,
Three-toed Woodpecker, or Greater Red Poll, will not soon forget his
agreeable sensations on the occasion, but he will gaze on the interest-
ing strangers with regret if he does not know how to preserve their
skins. It was probably some such experience that first suggested the
attainment of this accomplishment, and in order to place it within
the reach of all, I shall here give a brief account of how anyone
may, with alittle practice, become proficient in the art.

Since bird collecting can be successfully practised only by the use
of the gun, let me here, for the guidance of beginners, repeat the
directions so often given to guard against accidents in its use. The
excuse for three-fourths of the mishaps which occur is, ‘ Didn’t know
it was loaded,” but the safe way to avoid this is at all times to handle
the guns if it were known to be loaded, for in the Irishman’s way
of putting it, “It may go off, whether it’s loaded or not.” When in
company with others, never under any circumstances allow the gun
for an instant to be pointed toward anything you do not wish to
shoot. Never for any purpose blow into the muzzle, and do not have
it “on cock ” till the moment you expect to use it.

With regard to the choice of a gun, I am supposed to be speaking
to a reader who has made up his mind to make a collection of the
skins of those birds he finds near his home in Ontario. Water-fow]l
shooting, I may here remark, is a special department by itself. A
12-bore double breech-loader, and cartridges charged with No. 5 shot,
with a few of No. 1 or BB, would be a suitable equipment for ducks,
with the possibility of a chance shot at geese or swans.

The collector going into the country may unexpectedly meet with
some very desirable bird, and should be prepared to take it, whatever
be its size or shape, and to do so with the least possible injury to its
plumage.

INTRODUCTION. 1¥

The birds met with on such excursions range in size from a horned
owl to a humming-bird, the majority being intermediate between the
two. Supposing that only one gun is desirable, the most suitable
weapon is a No. 14 double breech-loader of good make. This will be
‘just right for the majority, and with a little care in loading the
cartridges, it can be made to suit the two extremes. I have found
three sizes of shot to be sufficient for ordinary collecting trips,—
Nos. 5, 8 and 12,—but the size of the charge must be varied to
suit circumstances. For instance, a charge of No. 12 will bring
down a snipe at 30 yards, but to shoot a kinglet, or a warbler, for
preserving, with the same size shot, the charge would have to be very
much lighter. Just how much lighter is a point to be learned by
experience. It depends to some extent on the individual peculiarities
of the gun, equal measure of powder and shot being in all charges
the usual rule. I have often used dust shot for very small birds, but
to be sure of getting them with that, one has to be pretty close to
the birds, and then their feathers are a good deal cut up and broken.
I find that a warbler killed by a single pellet of No. 12, is in better
condition to make into a specimen than one that is killed with a
dozen pellets of dust. No. 5 is big enough for hawks, owls, etc., and
No. 8 is right for plovers, sandpipers, rails, etc., but the nature of the
locality and the size of the birds most likely to be met, are the best
guides in such matters.

To approach birds without alarming them, a mild form of deception
is sometimes practised with advantage. They have keen sight,
sharp hearing, and are at all times on the alert to escape danger, so
that a direct approach is almost sure to make them take wing; but
by walking as if intending to pass and yet gradually slanting nearer,
a better chance may be obtained. Birds are used to the sight of
horses and cows, and do not usually object to their presence near
their haunts. I once knew an aged gunner who was aware of this
fact, and for a time turned it to good account. He lived on the Bay
shore not far from Hamilton, at a part of the beach which was a
favorite resort of curlews, plovers and sandpipers. His old nag used
to graze on the sward close by, and the gunner got into the way of
steering him by the tail till he was within shot of the birds, when he
would step out from behind and blaze away without alarming
“Jerry” in the least. The same flock would rarely be deceived
twice, but fresh arrivals were sure to be taken unawares.

A game bag, such as used by sportsmen, is not suitable for a
collector, for the specimens are injured by the pressure to which they

2

18 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

are often subjected. I have found a fishing basket very suitable for
carrying small birds. It is not heavy to handle, and the birds, when.
once placed therein, are beyond the reach of injury. In this basket,
when leaving home, should be placed some sheets of brown paper
about the size of letter paper, and a little cotton wadding. When a
bird is killed, the shot holes should be plugged with cotton to stop
the bleeding, and a pellet of the same material put into the mouth to
prevent the juices of the stomach oozing out and soiling the feathers.
If the bird is wing-broken or otherwise wounded, it should be killed
at once, and the simplest way of doing this is to catch it firmly across
the small of the back and press hard with the fingers and thumb
under the wings, which will suffocate the bird in a few seconds. The
throat and shot holes can then be filled as described. A paper cone
of suitable size is made next, the bird dropped into it headforemost,
and the outer edges of the paper turned inwards to prevent it shipping
out, and so it is placed in the basket.

Having reached home, the collector divests himself of his muddy
boots, gets a pair of slippers and a change of coat, and sets himself to
work to prepare his specimens. In his too] box should be the things
he needs and nothing more, for the surplus only causes contusion :
a very fine penknife suitable for the smallest birds, and a larger
one for larger specimens ; two or three knitting needles of different
sizes, a pair of cutting pliers, a few needles and some thread, a paper
of pins, a bottle with the preserve, and a bag with some cotton
and a small lot of tow.

The birds being removed from their cones are laid out in order,
and the one most desired for a specimen is selected to be first
operated upon. The cotton is taken from the mouth and a fresh
pellet put in. The wing bones are then broken close to the body
with the pliers, and the bird laid on its back on the table with the
bill towards the operator. The middle finger, slightly moistened,
will separate the feathers from the breast-bone downward, leaving a
bare space exposed. About the end of the breast-bone the point of
the knife is inserted, back downward, under the skin, and a clean
cut of the skin made from this point down to the vent. The skin is
then loosened from the body till the thighs are exposed, which are
here cut through at the joints. The tail is next separated from the
body and the skin turned carefully down, the turn-over being greatly
facilitated by the wings being loose, and they can now be separated
from the body, and the skin turned back to the base of the bill.
This should be done with the finger nails, assisted here and there

INTRODUCTION. 19

with the knife, but it must not be pulled or drawn or it will be
injured by being stretched. The neck is then cut off where it joins
with the skull, and the body laid aside for the present. The brains
and eyes are next scooped out, and all the flesh and muscles removed
‘from the bones of the legs and wings. The skin is now ready for
the preserve, which is simply arsenic procured from the drug store.
If the skin is thick and greasy it may be dusted on dry, giving the
skin as much as will adhere to it; but if it is a thin, dry skin it is
better to mix the arsenic with water to about the thickness of cream
and put it on with a brush. When the preserve is thus applied to
all the parts, a little cotton is wrapped around the bones of the legs
and wings, the eye-sockets are filled with the same, and a piece about
the length and thickness of the neck pressed firmly into the skull.
The wings and legs are then pulled outward till they take their
proper place, and the skin turned backward till it assumes its natural
position, and it is filled with wadding to its former size. The
mandibles are then fastened together by a thread passed through
the nostril and tied under the bill. The legs are crossed and tied
together with a thread just above the feet ; the feathers of the body
are drawn together so as to cover the opening. Just in proportion
to the care and pains bestowed on the specimen at this point, will it
be a good skin or the reverse, for whatever position the feathers
now get, that position they will retain. The body should next be
examined to ascertain the sex of the specimen. This is done by
cutting a hole in the side opposite the small of the back. Attached
to the backbone at this point may be found the testicles of the male,
two round bodies of dirty white, varying in size according to the size. ,
of the bird, but always largest in spring. Those of such birds as the
warblers are no larger than pin heads. If the specimen is a female,
the ovaries will be found in the same position, a mass of flattened
spheres, similar in color, ranging in size according to the size of the
bird, and also with the season. There should be attached to the
legs of the specimen by a thread, a “tag” giving its scientific and
common naime, the sex, date of capture, locality where found, and
name of collector. This is the course followed with birds up to the
size of a Robin, the time required to complete the operation being
twenty minutes. Three in an hour is about my rate of progress, but
I have seen statements made of a much larger number being done
in that time.

The specimen is now put away to dry, and the position in which
it is left will decide its future appearance. I have a setting-board

20 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

which I find very useful at this stage. It may be described as a
series of zinc tubes, varying in size from one inch to six inches in
diameter and two feet long, cut in two lengthwise, and placed side
by side in a pine frame made to receive them. In these grooves the
skins are placed according to size. The semicircular shape of the
bed keeps the back and wings in the natural position, and the
feathers smooth and regular. The front part of the specimen being
uppermost, it is always visible, and if need be the skin can be taken
up while drying and any irregularities adjusted.

Another way of disposing of the skin when made is to form a cosy
bed for it in a soft sheet of cotton. Arrange the feathers and shape
of the skin as desired, lay the specimen gently into the bed prepared
for it, and do not touch it again till it is perfectly dry.

In larger specimens a different mode of treatment has to be
adopted. With ducks, for instance, where the head is large and the
neck small, the skin cannot be turned over as described. The plan
then is to skin as far down the neck as possible, and to cut it off,
leaving the head still inside of the skin. An opening is then made
in the skin from the centre of the crown, a little way over the back
of the head, through which the head is turned out, cleaned and
then preserved. The eye-sockets and other apertures are filled with
cotton, the head put back into its place, the opening carefully sewed
up, and the skin filled out as already described. In birds of this size
it is necessary to sew up the original opening, bringing the feathers
together so that the disturbance may not be observed.

In skinning oily water-fowl, it is sometimes necessary to sew a
strip of cloth around the opening as soon as it is made, to prevent
the feathers being soiled by contact with the grease of the body.
With birds of large size, a hook is sometimes passed through the
bony part of the body just where the tail has been separated. To
this a string is attached, by which the body is suspended while the
skin is being removed. This plan gives more freedom in handling
large birds, the only objection to it being that the skin is apt to be
stretched.

Some birds are so fat that it is always necessary to have an
absorbent of some kind at hand to take up the grease which would
otherwise soil the feathers. Cornmeal is the best thing to use, but
plaster of Paris does very well, except for birds of black plumage
which it leaves slightly shaded with gray. The latter material may
also be used with advantage for removing blood stains and other
impurities which the birds may have contracted from their surround-

INTRODUCTION. Dik

ings. The soiled places are moistened with hot water before the
absorbent is applied, and they are patted with the hand while the
plaster is drying off. This must not be done while the birds are in
the flesh, for the application of hot water will increase the flow of
blood from the openings.

In putting away birds which are too large for the setting-board, a
good way is to make a paper cylinder which will slip easily over the
bird while in the flesh. When skinned and filled out in the usual
way, the slip is again drawn over the specimen and allowed to remain
till it is dry. In making skins of birds with long necks and heavy
heads, it is necessary to put a long wire, or a tough sapling, through
the whole length of the body and neck, because the skin becomes
very brittle when it is dry, and runs the risk of being broken in
handling.

Proficiency in the art of mounting birds can only be acquired by
long practice, and a lot of poorly mounted specimens sitting about a
house are neither useful nor ornamental; but anyone, by following
these instructions, should be able, with a little practice, to inake up
skins fit to appear in any public museum or private collection.

NESS cA ND 2 GGs.

Next in interest to a good collection of mounted birds, or skins, is
a collection of nests and eggs. By this I do not mean simply an
accumulation of nests and eggs, the number of which constitutes the
value of the collection, but a carefully handled nest, and a correctly
identified set of eggs of every bird known to breed within the district
over which the collector extends his observations.

The suggestions following are for the guidance of those who may
wish to include them in their collections:

Nest-building I regard as most interesting and important in the
study of a bird’s history, for it tends to bring out all the intelligence
and taste of a species better than anything else in which we see
it engaged. There are some actions in a bird’s life over which it
has no control, such as the depositing of eggs of a certain size and
color, and the hatching of them in a given time. These things are
fixed already, but the selection of the site for the nest, the material
of which it is to be composed, and the careful finish bestowed on

pad BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

-_

it, are all matters which vary with the different species. Between
individuals of the same species there is also, frequently, a great
difference in the skill exhibited in nest-building.

Among the lowest types of bird-life, we find species which make
no nest of any kind, but deposit their eggs on the rocks, or on the
sand by the seashore. Others make the merest apology for one, and
it consists only of a few straws; while still another species admits
the desirability of a nest, but dislikes the trouble of building it, and
therefore appropriates that of another species. But as we advance
upward in the scale, we find, especially among the nests of the
smaller birds, some beautiful specimens of bird architecture, one of
the finest being the work of our tiniest, the Humming-bird. The
Summer Yellow Bird builds a beautiful nest in the fork of a lilae in
the shrubbery; and while observing a handsome elm tree budding
out in spring, I never think it complete unless it has the pretty,
pensile nest of the Baltimore Oriole swaying at the point of one of its
long, pendulous branches.

The principal objection to a collection of nests is the amount of
room that they require, but the finest nests are those of the smallest
birds, and a great number of these can be kept in a tray subdivided
as required, and they are never-failing objects of interest. Some
nests are found saddled on a limb, and are loosely built of twigs.
This kind should be removed very carefully, and afterwards sewn
together with inconspicuous thread, to keep the fabric as near as
possible in its original shape. Others are in the forks of thick bushes,
and the branches to which they are attached should be cut and the
nests and their connections lifted out. Those of the ground-building
birds require very careful handling, and often the safest way is to
cut out a piece of the sod in which the nest is placed and bring it
along, to keep the domicile from falling to pieces. Occasionally, a
rare nest is found which it is impossible to remove. Of this the
collector should make a careful record in his note-book, giving the
general surroundings, date of occurrence, situation, size of nest,
materials of which it is composed, number of eggs or young, action of
the parents during the examination, and any other item of interest
observed at the time, which will soon be forgotten if not recorded.

The impossibility of making a full collection of nests has been
shown, but there is nothing to prevent anyone making a full collec-
tion of eggs. The most important point in this work is the correct
identification of the eggs, and unless the collector makes up his mind

INTRODUCTION. 23

at the start to be sure of this in every case, he had better leave the
matter alone, for without this, his collection, whatever the extent of
it may be, will be absolutely worthless.

For anyone observant of the habits of the birds in the woods, the
_best guide to their nest is found by watching the actions of the birds,
especially the female, during the breeding season, for she is sure
eventually to betray the whereabouts of her treasures. But birds’
nests are often close together, and their eggs so nearly alike that the
only way to be absolutely certain of the identity of the rarer species
is to secure the parent, either while she is on the nest or when she
is seen fluttering away from it. This seems a cruel act, and the
collector should not repeat it unless he is actually in need of the
species,

On taking a set of eggs, the first thing to do is to remove any
stains which they may have acquired from their surroundings ; but
this must be done with care, for in fresh eggs the colors sometimes
yield to the process and disappear. Eggs for a collection are now
emptied through one hole about the middle of the side. It should
first be pricked with a needle, and then the drill applied and worked
with the finger and thumb till a smooth round hole is made, large
enough to allow the contents to escape. The blowpipe should then
be used, either close to the hole or a little way inside. In the latter
case the blowpipe must be loose in the hole to allow the contents to
escape around it. If the material inside is thick, and does not run
freely, it should be cut up with a piece of fine wire with a sharp
bent point, and removed with the aid of a small syringe.

When thoroughly clean, the egg should be laid aside to dry on
some substance which will absorb the moisture, cornmeal being
recommended because it does not adhere to the shell. Where eggs
are in an advanced stage of incubation, those of small size can rarely
be saved, but the embryos in larger ones may ‘be cut to pieces by
widening the hole a little and introducing a sharp hook. The
contents can then be removed piecemeal, but great care and much
time are necessary to accomplish the task. In some cases it is
considered safer to allow the embryo to remain in the shell till it is
decomposed. To assist the process of decay, a strong solution of
caustic potash is introduced, and this is allowed to remain till the
embryo becomes soft and pulpy, when it will yield to the ordinary
treatment.

The safest mode of carrying eggs from the field, or sending them
away by mail when prepared, is to have each egg wrapped in cotton-

24 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

batting and placed in a box of suitable size subdivided for the pur-
pose. In some collections, the species to which they belong, and
other particulars, are given by marking them on the shell with a
soft pencil, but I dislike this mode, for it destroys the look of the
egg. A better way, I think, is to have a number attached to the
box or nest containing the eggs, and a corresponding number in a
catalogue in which can be given all the necessary particulars in

detail.

fre bMS OF ONTARIO:

OrpER PYGOPODES. Drvine Birps.

SUBORDER PODICIPEDES. GreEpeEs anp Loons.
Famity PODICIPIDA. Grepgs.
Genus COLYMBUS Luiyy.
SuspeENus COLYMBUS.
COLYMBUS HOLBCELLIT (Reryu.).

*1. Holbeell’s Grebe. (2)+

Tarsus about four-fifths the middle toe and claw; bill little shorter than
tarsus; crests and ruff moderately developed. Length, about 18; wings, 7-8;
bill, 12 to nearly 2; tarsus, 3; middle toe and claw, 22. Adw/t:—Front and
sides of neck rich brownish-red; throat and sides of head ashy, whitening
where it joins the dark color of the crown, the feathers slightly ruffed; top of
head with its s/ight occipital crest, upper parts generally, and wings dark
brown, the feathers of the back paler edged; primaries brown; part of inner
quills white; lower parts pale silvery-ash, the sides watered or obscurely
mottled, sometimes obviously speckled with dusky; bill black, more or less
yellow at base. The young may be recognized by these last characteristics,
joined with the peculiar dimensions and proportions.

Has.—North America at large, including Greenland. Also Kastern Siberia,
and southward to Japan. Breeds in high latitudes, migrating south in winter.

Nest, a floating clump of vegetable material fastened to the reeds in shallow
water.

Eggs, two to five, rough-dull white, shaded with greenish.

In Ontario, the Red-necked Grebe is only a transient visitor, its
summer home being far to the north of this province, and its winter-
quarters to the south.

It breeds abundantly along the borders of the Yukon River in
Alaska, and has also been found by Macoun so engaged on the
Waterhen River and south end of Waterhen Lake.

* Current number. + Number in American Ornithologists’ Union ‘‘ Check List.”

26 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Holbeell’s has the habit peculiar to other members of the Grebe
family of covering its eggs with vegetable matter when it has occa-
sion to be away from the nest, so that incubation goes on during the
absence of the mother-bird.

The migrations of the species extend across the Province, for it is
reported as a visitor in spring and fall at Ottawa, Hamilton, London
and the Detroit River. The visits are always short, and the manners
of the birds while here are shy and retiring.

For many years the young of this species was described as the
Crested Grebe, owing to the close resemblance it bears to the British
bird of that name. Dr. Brewer was the first to point out the
error, Which is now corrected in all modern works on American
Ornithology.

SuspGEnus DYTES Kavp.

COLYMBUS AURITUS Linn.

2. Horned Grebe. (3)

Tarsus about equal to the middle toe without its claw; bill much shorter
than the head, little more than half the tarsus, compressed, higher than wide at
the nostrils, rather obtuse; crests and ruffs highly developed. Small, length
about 14; extent, 24; wing, 6 or less; bill, about $; tarsus, 14. Adwlt:—
Above, dark brown, the feathers paler edged; below, silvery-white, the sides
mixed dusky and reddish; most of the secondaries white; fore neck and upper

AMERICAN EARED GREBE. ae

breast brownish-red; head glossy black, including the ruff; a broad band over
the eye, to and including occipital crests, brownish-yellow ; bill black, yellow-
tipped; the eye fiery-red. The young differ as in other species, but always
recognizable by the above measurements and proportions.

Has.—Northern hemisphere. Breeds from the northern United States
- northward.

Nest, a floating mass of vegetable material fastened to the reeds or rushes
in shallow water.

Eggs, two to seven, whitish, shaded with greenish-blue.

Generally distributed, breeding in all suitable places throughout
Ontario, notably at St. Clair Flats. The nest is so completely isolated,
that the young when hatched may be said to tumble out of the shell
into the water. The birds arrive in spring, as soon as the ice begins
to break up, and remain quite late in the fall, individuals being
oecasionally seen on Lake Ontario during the winter.

The Grebes upon land are the most awkward of birds, but in the
water they are surpassed by none in the swiftness and grace of their
movements.

One of the accomplishments possessed by this species is the
ability, when alarmed, to sink under water without leaving so much
as a ripple to mark where it has gone down, the point of the bill
being last to disappear.

It has a wide breeding range, having been found by Dr. Bell at
Fort George, on the east side of James’ Bay, and also at Fort Severn
and York Factory, on the west coast of Hudson’s Bay. Nelson says
of it, in the ‘ Birds of Alaska”: “ Like the preceding, this handsome
species occurs along the eastern shore of the Behring Sea in very
small numbers in the breeding season, but is not rare in autumn.
It is also a common summer resident along the Yukon, and occurs
rarely on the Commander Islands.”

COLYMBUS NIGRICOLLIS CALIFORNICUS (HEErR«m.).

3. American Eared Grebe. (4)

Adult male:—Long ear tufts of rich, yellowish brown; head and neck all
round, black; upper parts, grayish-black ; sides, chestnut ; lower parts, silvery
gray; primaries, dark chestnut; secondaries, white, dusky at the base; length,
13 inches. Young similar, the ear tufts wanting, and the colors generally
duller.

28 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Has.—Northern and western North America, from the Mississippi Valley
westward.

The nest and eggs cannot be distinguished from those of the preceding
species.

I ‘mention this as an Ontario species on the authority of Dr.
Garnier, of Lucknow, Bruce Co., who informs me that a specimen
was sent to him in the flesh from Colpoy’s Bay, as being something
different from those usually seen at that point. It was too far gone
for preservation when received, but the Doctor, who has long been an
ardent collector, assures me that he is quite satisfied of the correctness
of his identification.

This species is a comparatively new acquaintance to American
ornithologists, for although described by Audubon, it was not found
by him. It is now known to breed in Texas, Kansas, Lllinois,
Dakota, and Colorado; and Macoun reports it breeding abundantly in
the prairie pools of the North-West, so that we need not be surprised
if a straggler is now and then wafted a little way out of its ordinary
course,

ak Ao Mae
My pay! |
‘ Aid pee :

PODILYMBUS PODICEPS -(Liyy.).

4. Pied-billed Grebe. (6)

Length, 12 to 14; wing, about 5; bill, 1 or less; tarsus. 14. Adult:—Bill
fo) to) 2)
bluish, dusky on the ridge, encircled with a black bar; throat with a long black
patch; upper parts blackish-brown; primaries ashy-brown; secondaries ashy
and white; lower parts silky white, more or less mottled or obscured with
dusky; the lower neck in front, fore breast and sides, washed with rusty.
Young lacking the throat-patch and peculiar marks of the bill, otherwise not
particularly different; in a very early plumage with the head curiously striped.

Has.— British Provinces southward to Brazil, Buenos Ayres and Chili,
including West Indies and the Bermudas, breeding nearly throughout its range.

Nest, a little floating island of withered reeds and rushes mixed with mud,

f=)

fastened to the aquatic plants, raised two or three inches above water.

Eggs, tive to seven, whitish, clouded with green.

55"> b=

The Dab Chick is not quite so numerous as the Horned Grebe,
neither is it so hardy, being a little later in arriving in spring, and
disappearing in the fall at the first touch of frost. It is generally
distributed, and is the only one of the family which breeds in Hamil-
ton Bay, where it may often be seen in the inlets in summer accom-
panied by its young with their curiously striped necks. From its
small size and confiding manners it is not much disturbed, but if
alarmed it has a convenient habit of sinking quietly under water, not
to reappear till danger is past.

30 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

In summer these Grebes breed commonly throughout the North-
West. Here is what is said about them in Mr. Thompson’s ‘“ Birds of
Manitoba”: “Very abundant summer residents on every lake, slough
or pond large enough to give them suflicient water privilege, arriving
as soon as the ice is gone and departing when their haunts freeze

bb
over,

Famity URINATORIDA. Loowns.
Genus URINATOR 9 Cuvier.
URINATOR IMBER (Guny.).

Dey VOOM G)

Black; below from the breast white, with dark touches on the sides and
vent; back with numerous square white spots; head and neck iridescent with
violet and green, having a patch of sharp white streaks on each side of the neck
and another on the throat; bill black. Young:—Dark gray above, the feathers
with paler edges; below, white from the bill, the sides dusky; bill yellowish-
green and dusky. Length, 25-3 feet; extent, about 4; wing, about 14 inches;
tarsus, 3 or more; longest toe and claw, 4 or more; bill, 3 or less, at base 1
deep and } wide, the culmen, commissure and gonys all gently curved,

Har.—Northern part of northern hemisphere. In North America breeds

from the northern tier of States northward; ranges in winter south to the Gulf

of Mexico.

LOON. 31

Nest, a hollow in the sand near the water’s edge, sometimes lined with
grass, weeds, etc.

Eggs, two or three, olive-brown, spotted and blotched with very dark
brown.

The Loon, on account of his large size, is conspicuous wherever he
appears, and his loud and melancholy cry is often heard at night
during rough weather, when the bird himself is invisible. Many pairs
raise their young by the remote lakes and ponds throughout the
country, but they all retire farther south to spend the winter. As
soon as the ice disappears they return, mostly in pairs, and by the
end of May have chosen their summer residence. The Loon, in
common with some other water-fowl, has a curious habit, when its
curiosity is excited by anything it does not understand, of pointing
its bill straight upwards, and turning its head rapidly round in every
direction, as if trying to solve the mystery under consideration.
Once when in my shooting skiff, behind the rushes, drifting down the
bay before a light wind, I came upon a pair of these birds feeding
about twenty yards apart. They did not take much notice of what
must have seemed to them a clump of floating rushes, and being close
enough to one of them I thought to secure it, but the cap snapped.
The birds hearing the noise, and still seeing nothing living, rushed
together, and got their bills up, as described, for a consultation. So
close did they keep to each other that I shot them both dead at forty
yards with the second barrel.

In his notes on the “Birds of Hudson’s Bay,” Dr. Bell says :
“The Loon, ,or Great Northern Diver, is at home in and around
Hudson’s Bay. In the spring, as soon as the water opens at the
mouths of the rivers, these birds appear in incredible numbers, as if
by a previous understanding, about a common meeting place. At
such a time they may be much more easily approached than usual.
These birds are said to spear the fish with the 67// closed, and to
bring them to the surface so that they may turn them endways for
the purpose of swallowing The gulls, hovering overhead, and seeing
what is going on down in the clear water, watch for the moment the
fish is raised to the surface, when they swoop*down and carry it off.
When many hungry gulls are present, this process is repeated till the
patience of the Loon is quite exhausted.”

In Alaska, Nelson says: ‘Throughout the interior of the territory
this bird is a common summer resident, and was found breeding
abundantly at the western extremity of the Aleutian Islands by
Dall. The skins of the birds arej used by the natives in their bird-
skin clothing, and are specially prized for tool-bags.”

ae BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

URINATOR ARCTICUS: (Lrnn.)-

6. Black-throated Loon. (9)

Back and under parts much as in the last species; upper part of head and
hind neck, bluish-ash or hoary-gray ; fore neck purplish-black, with a patch
of white streaks ; bill, black. The young resemble those of that species, but will
be known by their inferior size. Length, under 23 feet; extent, about 3; wing,
13 inches or less; tarsus, 3; bill, about 25.

Has.—Northern part of the northern hemisphere. In North America
migrating south in winter to the northern United States.

Nest, a hollow in the ground not far from the water’s edge.

Eggs, two, dark olive, marked with black spots towards the larger end.

This is a much more northern bird than the preceding, for it is
seldom met with in the United States, and then mostly in winter
in immature plumage. In its migratory course it no doubt. visits
the waters of Ontario, and should be looked for by those who have
opportunity to do so. A pair of these birds, found in the neighbor-
hood of Toronto, was included in a collection that was sent to the
Paris Exposition in 1866, and I once saw an individual in Hamilton
Bay under circumstances which prevented me from shooting it, though
I was quite close enough, and satisfied of its identity. It was on a
still, dull day in the early part of April, and the ice on the bay was
broken up and floating about in loose flakes. Water-fow] of different
kinds were coming rapidly in and pitching down into the open water.
T was out in my shooting skiff in search of specimens, when the wind
suddenly blew up from the east, and I was caught among the drifting
ice. Everything in the skiff got soaking wet. I broke both paddles
trying to force a passage, and for a time was at the mercy of the
elements. While drifting along in this condition I came close to a
Black-throated Diver in similar trouble, for it was caught among the
ice, unable to rise, and evidently afraid to dive, not knowing where it
might come up We looked sympathizingly at each other, it uttered
a low whining cry, and we drifted apart. I got safe to land, and it
is to be hoped the rare bird reached the open water and got off
in safety. We did not meet again. Not having seen the species
recently, nor heard of its capture by others, I consider it a very rare
visitor to these inland-waters. In Dr. Wheaton’s exhaustive report
on the “Birds of Ohio,” mention is made of an individual having
been shot in Sandusky Bay in the fall of 1880, but the line of its
migratory course is probably along the sea coast.

Dr. Coues, when speaking in his “ Birds of the North-West ” of the

BLACK-THROATED LOON. 33

familiarity of the Pacific Black-throated Diver in the harbor of San
Pedro, in southern California, says: ‘They even came up to the
wharves, and played about as unconcernedly as domestic ducks. They
constantly swam around the vessels lying at anchor in the harbor,
and all their motions both on and under the clear water could be
studied to as much advantage as if the birds had heen placed in
artificial tanks for the purpose. Now, two or three would ride lightly
over the surface, with the neck gracefully curved, propelled with idle
strokes of their broad paddles to this side or to that, one leg after the
other stretched at ease almost horizontally backwards, while their
flashing eyes first directed upwards with curious sidelong glances,
then peering into the depths below, sought for some attractive morsel.
Tn an instant, with the peculiar motion impossible to describe, they
would disappear beneath the surface, leaving a little foam and bub-
bles to mark where they had gone down, and I could follow their
course under water; see them shoot with marvellous swiftness through
the limpid element, as, urged by powerful strokes of the webbed feet
and beats of the half open wings, they flew rather than swam ; see
them dart out the arrow-like bill, transfix an unlucky fish and lightly
rise to the surface again. While under water the bubbles of air car-
ried down with them cling to the feathers, and they seem bespangled
with glittering jewels, borrowed for the time from their native
element, and lightly parted with when they leave it. They arrange
their feathers with a shiver, shaking off the last sparkling drop, and
the feathers look as dry as if the bird had never been under the
water. The fish is swallowed headforemost with a peculiar jerking
motion, and the bird again swims at ease with the same graceful
curve of the neck.”

It is said to be common in Norway and Sweden, and more rarely
has been found breeding near some of the lonely lochs in the north of
Scotland.

In the “ Birds of Alaska,” Mr. Nelson says of this species: ‘ This
Loon is very common all along the American shore of the sea, and
about Kotzebue Sound ; they are also numerous on the large streams
and marshes of the interior. The skins of these birds, as of other
heavily plumaged water-fowl, are much used by the natives from St.
Michaels south for clothing. The natives snare and spear them in
the shallow ponds and lagoons where they breed, and Dall mentions
having seen one dress containing the skins from over one hundred
loons’ throats.”

3

34 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

URINATOR LUMME (Genn.).

7. Red-throated Loon. (11)

Blackish ; below, white; dark along the sides and on the vent and crissum ;
most of the head and fore neck, bluish-gray; the throat with a large chestnat
patch; hind neck, sharply streaked with white on a blackish ground ; bill, black.
Young have not these marks on the head and neck, but a profusion of small,
sharp, circular or oval white spots on the back. Size of the last, or rather less.

Haz.—Northern part of northern hemisphere, migrating southward in
winter nearly across the United States.

Breeds in high latitude. Eggs, two in number, pale green spotted with
brown, deposited in a hollow in the ground close to the water's edge.

Audubon found this species breeding at Labrador, and in the
Fauna Boreali Americana it is spoken of as ‘frequenting the shores
of Hudson’s Bay up to the extremity of Melville Peninsula.”

Large numbers of these birds visit the waters of Southern Ontario
in March and April, about the time of the breaking up of the ice, but
an adult with the red-throat patch is scarcely ever seen. The one
in my collection was procured out on Lake Ontario at midsummer,
having for some reason failed to follow the flocks to the far north.
Tn the fall very few are seen, their route to the south being in some
other direction.

All the birds of this class have a most ungainly gait on land, and
when surprised away from the water are often taken by the hand
before they can get up to fly. On the water or under its surface
their motions are exceedingly graceful.

Dr. Bell found this species on both sides of Hudson’s Bay, but
only in spring and autumn.

Mr. Nelson says regarding it: “Throughout Alaska the present
bird is by far the most abundant species of Loon. At St. Michael’s
and the Yukon Delta they arrive with the first open water, from May
12th to 20th, and by the end of the month are present in large
numbers. Their arrival is at once announced by the hoarse, grating
eries which the birds utter as they fly from place to place or float
upon the water. When the ponds are open in the marshes the Red-
throated Loons take possession, and are extremely noisy all through
the first part of summer. The harsh cry arising everywhere from the
marshes during the entire twenty-four hours, renders this note one
of the most characteristic which greets the ear in spring in those
northern wilds. The Russian name, Gégara, derived from the birds’
notes, is a very appropriate one.

COMMON PUFFIN. West)

“The Red-throated Loon is one of the few birds which raises its
voice in the quiet of the short Arctic night.

‘In spring, with the Cranes, they foretell an approaching storm
by the increased repetition and vehemence of their cries.”

Famity ALCIDA. Avxs,; Murres, anp PUFFINs.
SuBraMity FRATERCULIN A. Purrins.
Genus FRATERCULA Brisson.
FRATERCULA ARCTICA (Liny.).

8. Common Puffin. (13)

Adult male :—Entire upper parts, and a collar passing round the fore neck,
black ; sides of the head and throat, grayish-white ; lower parts, white; a horny
protuberance on the upper eyelid. In the young the white of the plumage
is shaded with dusky, and the curiously shaped bill is less fully developed.
Length, 13 inches.

Has.—Coasts and islands of the North Atlantic, breeding from the Bay of
Fundy northward. South in winter to Long Island and occasionally farther.

Nest, in a burrow underground, or in a hole among the rocks, one egg, dull
white, sometimes veined or spotted with brown.

The Puftin is essentially a bird of the sea coast, which it seldom
leaves except under stress of weather. They breed in immense
numbers in Labrador, Newfoundland, and sparingly in the Bay of
Fundy. In winter they scatter along the sea coast and are found
as far south as Long Island. In the report of The Ottawa Field
Naturalists’ Club for 1882 and 1883, it is stated that “a young bird
of this species was shot on the Ottawa, towards the end of October,
1881. It had probably been blown inland by a severe storm which
took place some days previous.” This is the only Ontario record we
have of its occurrence so far from the sea, or so far west, for this
species does not occur on the Pacific coast.

My first observations of this bird were made during my school
days, but may be worth recording, for they show the habits of the
bird, which is identical with our American species. One of the
principal breeding places, which I frequently visited, was Ailsa Craig,
on the west coast of Scotland. The Craig is an isolated, circular rock
two or three miles off the coast, about as high as it is wide, and
inhabited only by a keeper and many different sorts of sea-fowl.

36 BIRDS OF ONTARIO,

Around the base of the rock at the water’s edge is a belt of loose
rocks which, during ages past, have fallen from above. Higher up
there are patches of soil on which the keeper raises grass enough
to feed two or three goats. Divers, gulls, auks, petrels, loons,
etc., are found there in great abundance, but the most numerous are
the Puftins, which, in local parlance, are called the “ Paties” or
‘“Coulternebs,” from the fancied resemblance the bill of the bird
bears to the cutting part of a plough. The birds are to some extent
migratory, going south during winter, but in February they return
in crowds and at once select their breeding places, no nest being
required. Each pair chooses an opening among the loose rocks at
the base of the cliff, within which is duly deposited their one white
egg. Others dig holes for themselves, like rabbit holes, in the ground
higher up, in which to lodge their treasure, and these they vigorously
defend against all intruders. Pleasure parties often visit the Craig
during the summer, some of whom make a point of taking back
specimens from the island, but woe betide the hand that is thought-
lessly pushed into one of these holes if “ Patie” is at home, for he has
a most powerful beak, and once taking a hold he can hardly be made
to let go.

One of the keepers, who made a business of selling the birds, had
a dog trained to the work of catching them. He was a rough Scotch
terrier, and it was no uncommon sight to see him come out from
among the loose rocks with several of the birds hanging on to his
hair. He did not need to catch them, as they caught him and held
on till taken off by the keeper. The Craig is of limited extent, but
the number of birds which frequented it was almost incredible.

Many of the birds spent the day in fishing out at sea, but all
returned about the same time in the evening, and that was the time
to see the multitudes gathered together. Looking at the rock it
seemed as if there was scarcely room for another bird, so completely
was every available spot covered. It was a custom with the keeper,
when making up a lot to send to the market, to take his place on
some prominent point in the evening, and with a club knock down as
many birds as he needed while they flew past. It is on record that
one of the keepers, a strong, active man, used to the work, undertook
for a wager to kill eighty dozen paties in one day, and he actually
managed to do it, in the manner described.

The young birds are fed on fish brought by the old ones, often
from a great distance. They seldom brought in fewer than five or
six at once, and all were killed by a squeeze on the head, but how

BLACK GUILLEMOT. 37

*«Patie” disposed of No. 1 while he was killing No. 2, and so on, we
could never understand. Guillemots and auks were also common on
the Craig, and cormorants were often there as visitors fishing. At
night they roosted on the shelves of the rocks along the shore at
Mochrum, where their gaunt, grim figures were seen in rows in the
evening, giving a chance to some local Scotch “wut” to christen
them the “ Mochrum Elders,” a name which, in that district, has
clung to them ever since.

Suspramity PHALERIN 2.
Genus CEPPHUS Pattas.
CEPPHUS GRYLLE (Liny.).

9. Black Guillemot. (27)

Adult male :—In full plumage, black, shaded with dull green; a white patch
on the wings. In all other stages, a marbled mixture of black and white.
Length, 13 inches.

Has.—Coasts of northern Europe, south to Denmark and British Islands.
Coast of Maine, south in winter to Philadelphia; Newfoundland (?)

Eggs laid on the rocks near the sea, two in number, sea-green blotched with
brown.

There is an old record of an individual of this and one of the
succeeding species being found in Hamilton Bay in.a state of extreme
exhaustion about twenty-five years ago. I did not see the birds, but
inquired into the circumstances at the time and considered the report
correct. As none of this family has been observed since that time,
these two can only be regarded as waifs carried away against their
wishes by the force of the wind.

This species is very common along the west coast of Scotland,
where I have seen the females with the bare spot on the under parts,
the feathers having, according to custom, been plucked off to allow
the heat of the body to be conveyed more directly to the eggs.

38 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

SuBFaMILyY ALCIN 4h.
Genus URIA Brisson.
URIA LOMVIA (Liny.).

10. Brunnich’s Murre. (31)

Adult male:—Head and neck, brown; upper parts, grayish-brown; second-
aries tipped with white, lower parts white from the throat downwards.
Length, 17 inches.

Has.—Coasts and islands of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans; south
on the Atlantic coast of North America to New Jersey, breeding from the Gulf
of St. Lawrence northward.

Eggs on the cliff near the sea, pale green.

Found on Hamilton Bay, under circumstances similar to the
preceding.

The two species of Guillemot which frequent the North Atlantic
resemble each other closely in appearance, but one is much more
abundant than the other. For many years the one which is com-
paratively rare was supposed to be the one which is abundant, a
mistake which has only recently been corrected. In the ‘“ Birds of
New England,” Dr. Coues says regarding Uria troile (common Guille-
mot): ‘Contrary to the general impression, the “common” Guillemot
appears to be a rare bird in New England, most of the Murres
occurring in winter along our coasts being of the following species :
Uria lomvia (Briinnich’s Murre).” And again, in referring to the
present species, Dr. Coues says: “This is the common winter Guille-
mot of the New England coast, and probably most of the references
made to Uria trove really apply to the present species.”

Mr. Brewster, following in the same strain, says: “At different.
times during the past ten years I have examined specimens from
different points along the shores of Maine, New Hampshire, Massa-
chusetts, and all of the numerous birds which have come under my
notice have proved to be Briinnich’s Guillemot ; indeed, the example
of Uria troile mentioned by Mr. Merrill, is the only New England
one of which I have any knowledge.”

While the foregoing was in the hands. of the printer, we had quite
a number of this species as visitors to Lake Ontario, very few of
which, I fear, were able to return to their favorite seaboard.

The first I saw was inthe hands of a local gunner, who killed it
on Hamilton Bay on the 20th November, and a few days later I
heard from Mr. White that five had been taken at Ottawa. The

RAZOR-BILLED AUK. 39

next report came from Toronto, where about thirty were killed, and
finally, early in December, I obtained three which were found on
Hamilton Bay so much reduced and exhausted for lack of proper
food, that they were taken alive by the hand. I believe that about
fifty were captured altogether. This is the only occasion on which
I have heard of these birds appearing in Ontario, except the one
mentioned at the beginning of this notice.

Genus ALCA Linnzus.
ALCA TORDA (Liny.).

ll. Razor-billed Auk. (32)

Adult, in summer :—Upper parts, black, glossed with green; head and neck,
rownish-black, without gloss; tips of the secondaries and all the lower parts,

white ; a white line from the eye to the base of the culmen; feet, black ; mouth,

yellow; eye, bluish. Length, about 18 inches; wing, about 7.75.

In winter, the white covers the throat and encroaches on the sides of the
head.

Has.—Coasts and islands of north Atlantic. South in winter, along the
coast to New England.

Nest, none.

Eggs, one or two, deposited in caverns or deep fissures of the rocks; creamy-
white, spotted and blotched with black toward the larger end.

The first notice we have of the occurrence of this species in
Ontario is in the published proceedings of the Canadian Institute,
where Mr. Wm. Cross reports the capture of a specimen in Toronto
Bay, on the 10th December, 1889.

A second specimen was shot off the beach at the west end of Lake
Ontario, in November, 1891. This was afterwards mounted, and
is now in possession of Captain Armstrong, who resides near the
Hamilton reservoir.

This species keeps close to the sea coast. It has not been observed
at Ottawa, and is not named among the birds found by Dr. Bell at
Hudson’s Bay.

We can only account for the presence of these isolated individuals
in Lake Ontario by supposing that they have been driven from their
usual habitat by an easterly blow.

40 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

OrpeER LONGIPENNES. lLone-wincep Swimmers.
Famity STERCORARITDA. Sxkuas anv JAEGERs.
Grnus STERCORARIUS Brisson.
STERCORARIUS POMARINUS (TEmm.).

12. Pomarine Jaeger. (36)

Middle tail feathers finally projecting about four inches, broad to the tip.
Length, about 20 inches; wing, 14; bill, 14-12; tarsus, about 2. Adult:—
Back, wings, tail, crissum and lower belly, brownish-black ; below from bill to
belly, and neck all round, pure white, excepting acuminate feathers of sides of
neck, which are pale yellow ; quills, whitish basally, their shafts largely white ;
tarsi
before, but breast with dark spots, sides of the body with dark bars, blackish
of lower belly interrupted; feet, black. Younger:—Whole under parts, with
upper wings and tail coverts, variously marked with white and dark; feet,
blotched with yellow. Young:—Whole plumage transversely barred with dark
brown and rufous; feet, mostly yellow. Dusky stage (coming next after the
barred plumage just given?); fuliginous, unicolor; blackish-brown all over,
quite black on the head, rather sooty-brown on the belly; sides of the neck
slightly shaded with yellow.

above, blue; below, with the toes and webs, black. Not quite adult:—As

Has.—Seas and inland waters of northern portion of the northern hemi-
sphere; chiefly maritime. South in North America to the Great Lakes and
New'Jersey.

Nest composed of grass and moss placed on an elevated spot in a marsh.

Eggs, two or three, grayish-olive, swith brown spots.

The Pomarine Skua is occasionally seen in company with the large
gulls, which spend a short time during the fall around the west end
of Lake Ontario, following the fishing boats and picking up the
loose fish that are shaken out of the nets. It is spoken of by the
fishermen as a bird of a most overbearing, tyrannical disposition, one
which they would gladly punish, but on these trying trips all hands
are occupied with matters of too much importance to think of shoot-
ing gulls.

The home of this species is in the far north. Mr. Nelson says, in
the “ Birds of Alaska”: ‘They are abundant in spring off the mouth
of the Yukon. Along both shores of the Arctic to the north they
are very numerous, and to a great extent replace the other two
species.

“‘ They are especially common along the border of the ice-pack and
about the whaling fleet, where they fare abundantly.

“The peculiar twirl in the long tail feathers of this species renders
it conspicuous and easily identified as far away as it can be seen.”

PARASITIC JAEGER. 41

STERCORARIUS PARASITICUS.

13. Parasitic Jaeger. (37)

- Middle tail feathers finally projecting about four inches, tapering, acumi-
nate smaller; wing, 12-13; tarsus, 1.75 to 1.87; bill, 1.33 to 1.5; tail, 5-6, the
long feathers up to 9. Adult:—Upper parts, including top of head, slight
occipital crest, and crissum blackish-brown, deeper on wings and tail; chin,
throat, sides of head, neck all round, and under parts to the vent, white; sides
of the neck, pale yellow; quills and tail feathers with whitish shafts; feet,
blue and black. Younger:—Clouded with dusky in variable pattern and amount.
Young :—Barred crosswise with rufous and dusky; feet, mostly yellow. There
is a fuliginous stage, same as described in last. species.

Haxs.—Northern part of northern hemisphere, southward in winter, to South
Africa and South America. Breeds in high northern districts, and winters
from the Middle States and California, southward to Brazil and Chili.

Nest, on the ground on the margin of lakes or on islands, a depression in the
ground, lined with grasses, a few withered leaves and feathers.

Eggs, two or three, varying much in markings; olive-drab to green, gray
and brown, marked with several shades of chocolate, brown, and an obscure
shade of stone-gray distributed over the entire egg.

The breeding place of the Arctic Skua is in the far north, but
many go a long way south to spend the winter, and a few call at the
lakes in Ontario by the way. At such places they are occasionally
seen singly, mixing with the gulls and terns which pass to the south
in the fall, but they are very watchful and seldom obtained. On the
16th October, 1886, Dr. Macallum secured a young female, which
was shot on the Grand River, near Dunnville, just after a severe
storm.

In the report of the proceedings of the Ornithological Sub-section
of the Biological Section of the Canadian Institute, Ernest E. Thomp-
son mentions a specimen shot at Ashbridge’s Bay, near Toronto, in
September, 1885, which is now mounted and in possession of Mr.
Loane of that city.

In the same report mention is made of a fine adult specimen which

‘is in the museum of the Toronto University, marked ‘“ Toronto.”

Dr. Bell also reports taking a specimen at Fort George, James’
Bay.

Turning to our usual authority for northern birds, Mr. Nelson
says: ‘This tyrannical bird occurs along the entire coast-line of the
Behring Sea, but is most numerous along the low marshy coast of
Norton Sound, and thence south to Kuskoquim River.

“Tts breeding range covers the entire region from the Aleutian
Islands north to the extreme northern part of the mainland.

42 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

“At all times jaegers are given to wandering, and one is likely to
find them anywhere along the coast. They are frequently seen harry-
ing terns or gulls, to make them disgorge fish just caught. If sue-
cesstul, they dart down and, rising under the falling morsel, catch it
in their capacious mouths. This robbery is often performed by two
birds acting in unison, but whether the birds alternate in disposing
of the spoil has not been observed. They are very greedy, and often
swallow so much that they cannot rise to fly till a portion is dis-
gorged.”

Famity LARIDAL. Guus anp TErRNs.
SupramMity LARINA. GuLtis.
Genus GAVIA Borg.
GAVIA ALBA (Guny.).

145 slvory Gull.) (39)

Adult male :—Pure white all over; quills of the primaries, yellow; feet and
legs, black; bill, dull greenish, yellow at the tip. Young:—Plumage clouded
with dusky. Primaries and tail feathers, spotted with dusky. Length, 20
inches.

Has.—Arctic seas, south in winter on the Atlantic coast of North America
to Labrador and Newfoundland. Not yet found on the coast of the Pacific.

Nest, on some inaccessible cliff. It is made of dry grass lined with moss and
a few feathers.

Eggs, yellowish olive, with small blotches of dark brown clouded with
lilac.

Having received interesting accounts from fishermen of pure white
gulls following their boats out on the lake, I tried in vain for two
seasons to persuade them to take my large single gun, and bring me
a specimen. Finally I got them to attach a long line to the stern of
one of the boats, with a hook at the end, baited with a ciscoe, and in
this way they succeeded in getting me a fine adult male of the Ivory
Gull, the only one I ever obtained.

This species of gull is said to breed farther north than any other.
On the islands and along the coasts of Spitzbergen it occurs sparingly.
In like places on the coast of northern Siberia it is abundant, and in
Greenland it is resident. It is seldom found as far south as Ontario,
but the movements of all such birds are liable to be affected by wind
and weather.

KITTIWAKE—GLAUCOUS GULL. 43

Genus RISSA STEPHENS.

RISSA TRIDACTYLA (Linx.).

15. Kittiwake. (40)

Hind toe appearing only as a minute knob, its claw abortive. Mantle,
rather dark grayish-blue ; first primary, with the whole outer web, and the
entire end for about two inches, black; next one, with the end black about as
far, but outer web elsewhere light, and a white speck at extreme tip; on the
rest of the primaries that have black, this color decreases in extent proportion-
ally to the shortening of the quills, so that the base of the black on all is in the
same line when the wings are closed (a pattern peculiar to the species of Rissa) ;
and these all have white apex. Bill, yellow, usually clouded with olivaceous ;
feet, dusky olivaceous. Rather small; 16-18; wing, 12; bill, 14-14; tarsus,
about the same; middle toe and claw, longer; tail, usually slightly emarginate.
In winter, nape and hind neck shaded with the color of the mantle. Young :—
Bill, black; a black bar on the tail, another across the neck behind; wings and
back variously patched with black; dark spots before and behind the eyes;
quills mostly black.

Has.—Arctic regions, south on the Atlantic coast in winter to the Great
Lakes and the Middle States.

Nest of grass and seaweed, usually placed on cliffs or ledges of rock over-
hanging the water.

Eggs, two or three, greenish-gray, marked irregularly with varying shades
of brown.

The Kittiwake is a species of wide distribution, being common
along the coast of New England, while in the north it is found in
Greenland, and has been reported from nearly all parts of the Arctic
regions and many intermediate points. It breeds throughout its
range, but always returns from the far north at the approach of
winter. At that season it is very common around the west end of
Lake Ontario, and in the summer it is one of those which assemble
on the bird rocks of the St. Lawrence in such numbers as to give the
rocks, when seen from a distance, the appearance of being covered
with snow.

LARUS GELAUCUS (Brvuny.).

16. Glaucous Gull. (42)

Adult:—Plumage, pure white except the mantle, which is grayish-blue.
Bill, gamboge yellow with a carmine patch toward the end of the lower
mandible; feet, flesh color. In the young the upper parts are yellowish-white,

a

44. BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

mottled with pale brown ; breast and lower parts, gray; tail, white, mottled
with brown. Length, 27 inches.

Has.—Arctic regions, south in winter in North America to the Great Lakes
and Long Island. North Pacific.

Nest of seaweed and moss placed on the ground, or rocks, or even on blocks
of ice.

Kggs, two or three, varying in color from grayish-brown to white.

During the winter months the “ Burgomaster,” as this species is
usually named, may be seen roaming around the shores of Lake
Ontario, seeking what it may devour, and it is not very scrupulous
either as regards quantity or quality. In the Fauna Boreali Ameri-
cana, it is described as being “ notoriously greedy and voracious,
preying not only on fish and birds but on carrion of every kind.
One which was killed in Capt. Ross’ expedition disgorged an auk
when it was struck, and on dissection was found to have another in
its stomach.” :

In March, when the days begin to lengthen and the ice begins to
soften, these large gulls rise from Lake Ontario, and soaring around
in wide circles at a great height, pass away towards the north.

In the spring of 1884, a specimen was shot near Toronto by Mr.
George Guest of that city.

On the 25th March, 1889, a fine female specimen which had been
shot on the Island at Toronto, was brought to Mr. Cross, and on the’
8th December, of the same year, he received another which was shot
off the Queen’s Wharf. 4

This is one of the largest and most powerful birds of the family.
It is of circumpolar distribution, and is said to be one of the noisiest
of those which gather together during the breeding season in the far
north.

Regarding it, Mr. Nelson says: “The solitary islands of Behring
Sea and all its dreary coast line are familiar to this great gull. In
summer it occurs from the Aleutian Islands north to the farthest
points reached by the hardy navigators in the Arctic Ocean adjoining.
According to Murdoch, it is numerous at Point Barrow. At St.
Michael’s they appear each year from the 12th to the 30th April,
following the leads in the ice as they open from the south.”

“They are the first of the spring birds to, occur in the north, and
their hoarse cries are welcome sounds to the seal hunter as he wanders
over the ice-fields far out to sea in early spring.

‘They become more and more numerous until they are very com-
mon. They wander restlessly along the coast until the ponds open
on the marshes near the sea, and then, about the last half of May,

GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL. 45

they are found straying singly or in pairs about the marshy ponds
where they seek their future summer homes.”

“During the cruise of the Corwin, in the summer,of 1881, the
writer found this fine bird at every point which he visited along the
‘coast of Behring Sea and the Arctic Ocean.”

They are among the last birds to leave the marshes, which they do
only when the ice shuts them out in October.

Recently, Mr. Ridgway has sought to separate the eastern from
the western forms of this species, owing to a slight difference in size
and some other points of distinction, but it is doubtful if the change
will be generally accepted.

Genus LARUS Linnzus.
LARUS MARINUS (Liyw.).

17. Great Black-backed Gull. (47)

Feet, flesh-colored; bill, yellow with red spot. Mantle, blackish slate-color ;
first primary, with the end white for 2-3 inches; second primary, with a white
sub-apical spot, and like the remaining ones that are crossed with black,
having the tip white (when not quite mature, the first with small white tip
and sub-apical spot, the second with white tip alone). In winter, head and
neck streaked with dusky. Young:—Whitish, variously washed, mottled and
patched with brown or dusky; quills and tail, black, with or without white
tips; bill, black. Very large; length, 30 inches; wing, 18}; bill, above 25.

Has.—Coast of the north Atlantic; south in winter to Long Island.

Nest on the ground, built of grasses, bulky and deeply hollowed.

Eggs, three, bluish-white or olive-gray, irregularly spotted, and blotched
with reddish-brown and lilac.

This species is common to both continents, breeding abundantly in
Norway, as far as North Cape. It is also very common in Scotland,
especially on the indented coasts and islands of the north and west,
and also on the outer Hebrides. There they often have their nests
on the heathery hillsides, and are seen coursing along in search of
wounded grouse, sickly or injured ewes, weakly lambs, eggs or carrion,
nothing in the way of animal food coming amiss.

In Labrador, Mr. Abbot M. Frazer found them breeding on small
islands, usually placing their nests on some elevated spot. During
the breeding season there, they feed largely on the eggs of other birds,
especially on those of the murre, and on young eider ducks.

‘They are seen roaming round the western end of Lake Ontario till
the end of March, when they all disappear for the season.

46 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

LARUS ARGENTATUS SMITHSONIANUS Covess.

18. American Herring Gull. (51)

Feet, flesh color; bill, yellow with red spot; mantle, pale dull blue (darker
than in /eucopterus, but nothing like the deep slate of marinus, much the same
as in all the rest of the species); primaries marked as in marinus (but the great
majority of specimens will be found to have the not quite mature or final
condition); length, 22-27; wings, 15-18; tarsus, 24-22; bill, about 24 long,
about 3-3 deep at base, and about the same at the protuberance. In winter,
head and hind neck streaked with dusky. Young:—At first almost entirely
fuscous or sooty-brown, the feathers of the back white tipped or not; size, at the
minimum above given. As it grows old it gradually lightens; the head, neck
and under parts are usually quite whitish, before the markings of the quills are
apparent, and before the blue begins to show, as it does in patches mixed with
brown; the black on the tail narrows to a bar, at the time the primaries are
assuming their characters, but this bar disappears before the primaries gain
their perfect pattern. At one time the bill is flesh color or yellowish, black-
tipped.

Has.—North America generally, breeding on the Atlantic coast from Maine
northward; in winter, south to Cuba and Lower California.

The original nest was on the ground, not far from water, simply a hollow
lined with grass. In some places, where the birds have been persecuted by the
robbery of their eggs, they have taken to building in trees, fifty or sixty feet
from the ground. There the nests are firmly put together and warmly lined.

The eggs are three, bluish-white, irregularly spotted with brown of different
shades.

This is the most abundant bird of its class on the inland lakes,
and it may be seen at nearly all seasons of the year, either soaring
in wide circles overhead, or passing along in front of the wharves,
always on the alert to examine any offal which may be thrown over-
board from the vessels. It breeds abundantly along the sea coast
and also in suitable paces inland, as shown by the following, which
occurs in the transactions of the Ottawa Field Naturalists’ Club for
1881: “On this excursion, which was held about the 21st of May,
we succeeded in discovering on one of the many small lakes near the
Cave, a nest of the common Gull (Larus argentatus), but we were
unfortunately too late, as not only were the eggs hatched, but the
young had already left the nest; from this fact, it is probable that,
with this species, the period of incubation is very early in the season.
The nest, which was very shallow, was built almost altogether of dried
moss, and was placed on the top of a small rock, which stood about a
foot and a half out of the water towards one end of the lake.”

It breeds commonly in Lake Manitoba, and in suitable places
intermediate as far as Alaska.

RING-BILLED GULL. 47

In Southern Ontario it is seen only during the winter. When
Hamilton Bay becomes frozen over, there is always a patch of open
water where the city sewer empties into the bay, and there for several
years past two or three Herring Gulls have daily resorted, to feed on
the rich morsels which come down from the city. They become com-
paratively tame, and being regarded by the “boys” as belonging to
the place, are not much disturbed. The birds in possession of the
spot agree about the division of the spoil, but should a stranger seek
to share it, he is at once attacked and driven off ere he has time to
taste the dainties.

They arrive here about the end of October, and leave early in

April.

LARUS DELAWARENSIS Orp.

19. Ring-billed Gull. (54)

Adult plumage precisely like that of the Herring Gull, and its changes
substantially the same; bill, greenish-yellow, encircled with a black band near
the end, usually complete, sometimes defective; the tip and most of the cutting
edges of the bill, yellow; in high condition, the angle of the mouth and a small
spot beside the black, red; feet, olivaceous, obscured with dusky or bluish, and
partly yellow; the webs, bright chrome. Notably smaller than argentatus :
length, usually 18-20 inches; extent, about 48; wing, about 15; bill, wnder 2,
and only about 4 deep at the protuberance; tarsus, about 2, obviously longer
than the middle toe.

Has.—North America at large; south in winter to Cuba and Mexico.

Nest, on the ground, a hollow lined with grass; sometimes on cliffs of rocks.

Eggs, three, dark cream color, blotched with purple, umber and black.

This is one of the common gulls which frequent Lake Ontario
during the winter, whose numbers help to make up the vast crowd
which is seen assembled on the edge of the ice at the western
extremity of the lake, or in Hamilton Bay, near the canal.

In all stages of plumage it bears a strong resemblance to the
Herring Gull, but the ring round the bill and its smaller size serve
as distinguishing marks.

This is, perhaps, the most abundant of the gulls. It has been
taken at Toronto and other points in Southern Ontario, but only in
the winter, its breeding ground being rather farther north. It
breeds in the interior and on both shores, and its nesting places are
spoken of as nurseries of very great extent. Mr. Stebbins, who
visited an island of about an acre in extent, in Devil’s Lake, Dakota,

45 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

in the first week in June, found the entire island covered with eggs
of gulls and terns. He says: ‘I don’t suppose you could lay down a
two-feet rule without each end of it touching a nest. The terns and
gulls were here breeding side by side. Most of the gulls’ nests were
in the grass, those of the tern in the sand. I did not find a gull’s
nest with more than three eggs, and very few with two; whereas
several hollows had as many as eighteen terns’ eggs in them, which
had rolled together.”

Mr. Frazer also found the Ring-billed Gulls breeding in Labrador,
and he remarked that the number of eggs did not exceed four.

Macoun reports it breeding in all the lakes of any size in the

North-West.

LARUS- ATRICILLA Tiny.

20. Laughing Gull. (58)

Adult, in summer :—Bill and edges of eyelids, deep carmine; legs and feet,
dusky red; iris, blackish. Hood, deep plumbeous, grayish-black, extending
farther on the throat than on the nape. Eyelids, white, posteriorly. Neck all
round, rump, tail, broad tips of secondaries and tertials, and whole under parts
white, the latter with a rosy tinge which fades after death. Mantle, grayish
plumbeous ; outer six primaries, black, their extreme tips white ; their bases for
a short distance on the first, and only on the inner web, and for a successively
increasing distance on both webs of the others, of the color of the back.

Har.—Tropical and warm temperate America, chiefly along the sea coast,
from Maine to Brazil.

Nest, in a tussock of grass, the cavity nicely lined with fine dry grasses.

Kggs, three to five, bluish white, spotted and blotched with brown, umber

and hlae of various shades.

In the report of the proceedings of the Ornithological Sub-section
of the Canadian Institute for 1890-91, occurs the following :

“On May 23rd, 1890, a gull was brought to my store. It had
been shot on Toronto Island, and, being unlike any of our native
species, I had it thoroughly examined, and it proved to be a male
Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla). This is, [ believe, the first record of
this bird for Ontario.” —WiLL1AM Cross.

The Laughing Gull is a southern bird, whose centre of abundance
is along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. It is also common in the
South Atlantic and Gulf States, and is found breeding as far north
as the coast of New England, but this, so far as I know, is the first
record of its occurrence in Ontario. Speaking of this species, Mr.

FRANKLIN'S GULL. 49

Maynard says: “The notes of gulls are loud and startling, but those
of the Laughing Gull are the most singular of them all, for their cries,
especially when the bird is excited, sound like peals of prolonged and
derisive laughter.”

LARUS FRANKLINII 8w. & Ricu.

21. Franklin’s Gull. (59)

Adult male :—Kyelids, neck, rump, tail and lower parts white, the latter
with the under part of the wings deeply tinged with rich rosy red; hood, black,
descending downwards on the nape and throat; mantle and wings, bluish-gray ;
a band of black crosses the five outer primaries near the end; all the quill
feathers are tipped with white. Young:—Changing with age as in other birds
of this class. Lengthy 15 inches.

Has.—Interior of North America, breeding chiefly north of the United
States; south in winter to South America.

Nest in a marsh, or wooded swamp, built of sedges and grass a little above
the water level.

Eggs, four, greenish-gray with numerous brown markings, heaviest at the
larger end.

When questioning that indefatigable sportsman, John Dynes,
about the rare birds he had seen on his many excursions round
Hamilton, he told me of a gull with a pink breast, which he had
sometimes seen in the fall, and finally in October, 1865, he brought
me one of the birds thus referred to, which proved to be of this
species. Subsequently I shot another in the month of April, about:
the time the ice was breaking up. The latter was in the more
advanced stage of plumage, but neither was mature.

This is not a sea gull in the ordinary use of the term, for it prefers
the interior to the coast, breeding in the inland swamps far from the
sea, and making its annual journey north and south entirely inland.
A short time ago I had a beautiful pair sent to me from Minnesota,
where they breed. I understand that they also breed abundantly in
the marshes of the Red River valley in western Manitoba.

The species has not been observed in the Atlantic States, its line
of route north and south being chiefly west of the Mississippi. The
few seen in Ontario can thus be regarded only as stragglers making
their migratory journey a little farther to the east than usual.

4

50 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

LARUS PHILADELPHIA (Okrp.).

22. Bonaparte’s Gull. (60)

Tarsus about equal to middle toe and claw. Small; 12-14; wing, 95-103;
tarsus, 14; bill, 13-14; very slender, like a Tern’s. Adu/t in summer :—Bill,
black; mantle, pearly blue, much paler than in atrici/a; hood, slaty-plumbeous
with white touches on the eyelids; many wing coverts white; feet, chrome-
yellow, tinged with coral red; webs, vermilion. Primaries finally :—The first
5-6 with the shafts white except at tip; first white, with outer web and
extreme tip black; second white, more broadly crossed with black ; 3rd to 6th-
8th with the black successively decreasing. In winter no hood, but a dark
auricular spot. Young :—Mottled and patched above with brown or gray, and
usually a dusky bar on the wing; the tail with a black bar, the primaries with
more black, the bill dusky,, much of the lower mandible flesh-colored or
yellowish, as are the feet.

Has.—Whole of North America, breeding mostly north of the United
States; south in winter to Mexico and Central America.

The nest is usually placed on an elevation, in a treg, bush, or on a high
stump; it is composed of sticks and grass with a lining of soft vegetable
material.

Eggs, three or four, greenish-gray spotted, and blotched with brown and
lilac of various shades.

About the middle of May this dainty little gull arrives in small
flocks, and for a week or two enlivens the shores of Hamilton Bay
with its airy gambols, but soon passes on farther north to its breeding
grounds. In the fall it returns, subdued in dress and manners,
remains till the weather begins to get cold, and then retires to the
south to spend the winter.

Tt has a wide distribution, being found at some period of the year
at almost every point on the continent. Speaking of this species in
the “ Birds of the North-West,” Dr. Coues says: “This little gull
holds its own, from the Labrador crags, against which the waves of
an angered ocean ceaselessly beat, to the low, sandy shores of the
Gulf, caressed by the soothing billows of a tropical sea.”

Macoun mentions it as breeding on all the lakes of any size
throughout the North-West, and Dr. Bell has found it along the
Nelson River and at York Factory on Hudson’s Bay.

In Lake Erie, a little way out from the mouth of the Grand River,
is Mohawk Island, where Dr. Macallum says this gull used in former
years to breed regularly along with Forster's and the Common Tern.
Tt is still seen there in small numbers during the summer, but of late
the “boys” have got into the habit of visiting the island on Sundays
during the nesting time, bringing away large quantities of eggs, so

CASPIAN TERN. 5 |

that now the place is comparatively deserted. In the spring its
plumage is so perfect, and its flight so light and graceful, that it
attracts notice wherever it appears. In Southern Ontario it is seen
only in small numbers, the migratory route being mostly along the
sea coast.

SUBFAMILY STERNINE Terns.
Genus STERNA Linyzus.
SupcENus THALASSEUS Bote.
STERNA TSCHEGRAVA Lepecu.

23. Caspian Tern. (64)

Adult male :-—Crown, sides of the head, and hind head, black, glossed with
green; back and wings, light bluish-gray ; the outer primaries, dark bluish-gray
on the mner webs; upper tail coverts and tail grayish-white; neck and lower
parts, pure white; bill, rich vermilion; legs and feet, black; tail, slightly
forked. Young :—Mottled and barred with dull brown. Length, 20 inches.

Has.— Nearly cosmopolitan; in North America breeding southward to
Virginia, Lake Michigan, Nevada and California.

Eggs, two or three, laid in a hollow in the sand; pale olive buff, marked/
with spots of dark brown, and lilae of various shades.

52 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

The harsh cry, long pointed wings, and coral red bill of this.
species at once attract the attention of anyone who may happen to:
be close enough for observation. In spring, when the departure of
the ice gives them the privilege of roving about over the inland
waters, they visit Hamilton Bay in small numbers, and are seen
fishing about the mouths of the inlets, or more frequently basking in
the sun on a sandy point which runs out into the bay opposite Dynes”
place. In the fall they pay a similar visit, but at that season they
are less attractive in appearance, the bill having lost much of its
brilliancy, and the plumage being comparatively dull.

This is the largest of the terns, and it has a very wide distribu-
tion, being found breeding at different points, from the Gulf of
Mexico to Alaska, and along the entire Atlantic coast. It is also
said to occur in various portions of the eastern hemisphere, including
Australia. It does not breed in communities like many of the other
terns, being mostly found in retired places in single pairs.

STERNA SANDVICENSIS ACUFLAVIDA (Cazor.).

24. Cabot’s Tern. (67)

Bill, rather longer than the head, slender, black, with the tip yellow; mouth
inside, deep blue; feet, black; wings longer than tail, which is deeply forked ;
upper part of the head and hind neck, bluish-black; sides of the head, neck all
round, and rest of the lower parts, white; the sides and breast tinged with
pink; fore part of the back, scapulars and upper surface of the wings, pale
bluish-gray ; the tips and greater part of the inner web of the scapulars and
quills, white, as are the rump and tail; the four outer quills blackish, but
covered with light gray down on the outer webs, and over a considerable por-
tion of the inner, their shafts white. Length, 15-16; wing, 12-50.

Has.—Tropical America, northward along the Atlantic coast irregularly to:
southern New England.

Kggs, two or three, dropped on the dry sand, rather pointed, yellowish-drab,
spotted with dark and reddish-brown.

In the spring of 1882, Dr. Garnier noticed three terns of this
species coursing around a mill-pond not far from his residence at
Lucknow. The Doctor attended to them at once, and the result was
that one went clear off toward Lake Huron, another wriggled with
difficulty after it, and the third fell dead on the pond. I afterward
saw this specimen mounted, and satisfied myself of its identity. It is
difficult to account for birds wandering away at times beyond their

FORSTER’S TERN. 53

usual limit, but we might with as much truth say that it is difficult
to account for birds so regularly keeping within certain limits. When
those of this class find themselves farther from home than they
intended, it does not cost them much labor to correct the mistake.

This is the only record I have of the species in Ontario, and the
visit can only be considered accidental, as the summer home of the
species is far to the south.

They breed in colonies on the coast of Central America and on
the larger West India Islands.

Suscenus STERNA.
STERNA FORSTERI Nutt.

25. Forster’s Tern. (69)

Like the Common Tern; larger, tail longer than wings. Wing of adult,
‘94-104; tail, 64-8, thus often beyond the extreme of hirundo, and nearly as in
paradisewa ; bill, 14 (15-12), and about 2-5 deep at base (in hirundo rarely if
ever so deep); tarsus seldom down to £; whole foot, about 2. Little or no
plumbeous wash below; znner web of the outer tail feathers darker than outer
web of the same. Young and winter birds may be distinguished from hirundo
at gunshot range; the black cap is almost entirely wanting, and in its place is
a broad black band on each side of the head through the eye; several lateral
tail feathers are largely dusky on the inner web; their outer webs are white.

Has.—North America generally, breeding from Manitoba southward, in the
United States to Virginia, Illinois, Texas and California; in winter, southward
to Brazil.

Eggs, two or three, from greenish-white to drab, blotched and spotted with
brown and lilac of different shades.

This is another of the sea swallows, a name which is indiscrim-
inately applied to all the terns. The species is abundant and widely
distributed. It is one of those found by Dr. Macallum breeding on
Mohawk Island, in Lake Erie. Mr. Saunders reports it breeding on
the St. Clair Flats, and Macoun speaks of it breeding abundantly
in Lake Manitoba, Waterhen River and Lake Winnipegosis. Farther
south, it is known to breed in Virginia, Texas, Illinois and California.

Throughout Ontario generally, it is only a migrant in spring and
fall. It is usually in company with the Common Tern, which it closely
resembles, the points of difference being readily observed when the
birds are placed side by side.

STERNA HIRUNDO Linn.

26. Common Tern. (70)

Bill, red, blackening on the terminal third, the very point usually light ;
feet, coral red ; mantle, pearly grayish-blue; primary shafts white, except at the
end; below white, washed with pale pearly plumbeous blanching on throat and
lower belly; tail mostly white, the outer web of the outer feather darker than
inner web of the same. Length of male, 145 (13-16); extent, 31 (29-32); wing,
103 (92-118); tail, 6 (5-7); tarsus, 3 (3-4); bill, 14-14; whole foot, averaging 13;
female rather less, averaging toward these minima; young birds may show a
little smaller, in length of tail particularly, and so of total length; length, 12 or
more; wing, 9 or more; tail, 4 or more; bill, 14 or more. In winter this
species does not appear to lose the black-cap, contrary to a nearly universal
rule. Young :—Bill mostly dusky, but much of the under mandible yellowish ;
feet simply yellowish; cap more or less defective; back and wings patched and
barred with gray and light brown, the bluish showing imperfectly if at all, but
this color shading much of the tail; usually a blackish bar along the lesser
coverts, and several tail feathers dusky on the outer web; below, pure white, or
with very little plumbeous shade.

Has.—Greater part of northern hemisphere and Africa. In North Americe
chiefly confined to the Eastern Province, breeding from the Arctic coast, some-
what irregularly, to Florida and Texas, and wintering farther south.

Eggs, two or three, deposited in a hollow in the sand, light brown, tinged
with green and blotched with dark brown and lilae of various shades.

ARCTIC TERN. 9)

This species is common to both continents, and has been found
breeding as far north as Greenland and Spitzbergen. It migrates
south in the cold weather, and its return to its summer haunts is
hailed as a sure indication that winter is really gone. For a time
many a quiet bay and inlet is enlivened by its presence.

‘* Swift by the window skims the Tern,
On light and glancing wing,
And every sound which rises up
Gives token of the Spring.”

On Hamilton Bay the terns make their appearance about the 10th
otf May, and in company with the black-headed gulls go careering
around the shores in merry groups, or settle on the sand bars to rest
and plume their feathers in the sun. By the end of the month they
have all gone to the north and west to raise their young, but they
pay us a short visit in the fall on their way south.

The range of this species is very similar to that of Forster’s Tern.
Gull Island in Lake Erie, St. Clair Flats, and especially Waterhen
River and adjoining waters, are named among its breeding places.

D. Gunn, writing in the “ Birds of Manitoba,” on the habits of
these birds in Lake Winnipeg, says :

“When at Lake Winnipeg, in 1862, I noticed that the terns which
occupied sandy or gravelly islands made their nests as those do on
the gravelly islands of Shoal Lake, while those found on the rocky
island on the east side of the lake chose for their nesting places
depressions and clefts in the surface of the rocks. These they care-
fully lined with moss, thus giving a remarkable example of the
instinct which teaches them that their eggs when laid on the sand
or gravel are safe, but when placed on these hard and often cold
materials, a warm lining for the protection of the eggs and young
birds is indispensable.”

STERNA PARADISAi Bruyy.

27. Arctic Tern. (71)

Bill, carmine; feet, vermilion; plumage, like that of hivwndo, but much
darker below, the plumbeous wash so heavy that these parts are scarcely paler
than the mantle; crissum, pure white; throat and sides of the neck, white or
tinged with gray. In winter, cap defective; in young the same, upper parts
patched with gray, brown or rufous; under parts paler or white; a dark bar on

56 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

the wing; outer webs of several tail feathers, dusky ; bill, blackish or dusky red,
with yellow on the under mandible; feet, dull orange, smaller than hirundo,
but tail much longer. Length, 14-17; wing, 10-12; tail, 5-8; bill, 1.20-1.40.

Has.—Northern hemisphere ; in North America breeding from Massa-
chusetts to the Arctic regions, and wintering southward to Virginia and
California.

Eggs, two or three; laid on the bare rock or sand; drab, spotted and dashed
with brown of different shades, indistinguishable from those of the common
tern.

For several reasons the terns which visit Ontario are less known
than birds belonging to other classes. They are not sought after by
sportsmen, and at present the number of collectors is so few that the
sea swallows (as they are here called) are little molested. There are
several species, such as the Common Tern, Forster’s Tern, and the one
we are now considering, which resemble each other so closely that
the difference can only be made out on careful examination by one
who is familiar with their appearance. Compared with the Common
Tern, the present species is a.bird of more slender make, the tail
feathers being usually much longer, and the under parts of a much
darker shade.

In the spring and fall flocks of terns resembling each other in
general appearance are seen frequenting Hamilton Bay and the inlets
along the shores of Lake Ontario. Considering the range of this
species, it is likely that it is here with the others, but among the few
which I have killed I have not found an Arctic.

In the collection of birds brought together under the direction of
the late Prof. Hincks, and sent to the Paris Exposition in 1867, a
pair of Arctic Terns was included which were said to have been
procured near Toronto.

The species is of cireumpolar distribution. Dr. Bell found it on
Hudson’s Bay, and it occurs on the coast of California, but is not
named among the birds of Manitoba, being perhaps strictly maritime
in its haunts.

Around the shores of Great Britain it is the most abundant of its
class, and here, too, it is remarked that it does not occur inland.

Mr. Gray, in his “ Birds of the West of Scotland,” says regarding
it: “ On the western shores of Ross, Inverness and Argyleshire, there
are numerous breeding places for this bird, especially on the rocky
islands in the sea-lochs stretching inland, such as Loch Sunart, Loch
Alsh and Loch Etive. These nurseries are equally numerous off the
coast of Mull, and others of the larger islands forming the Inner

Hebrides.”

LEAST TERN. 57

“Tn the first week in August, 1870, when travelling from North
Uist to Benbecula, and crossing the ford which separates the two
islands, I witnessed a very interesting habit of this tern. I had been
previously told by a friend to look out for the birds which he said I
should find waiting for me on the sands. Upon coming within sight
of the first ford, I observed between twenty and thirty terns sitting
quietly on the banks of the salt water stream, but the moment they
saw us approaching they rose on the wing to meet us, and kept
hovering gracefully over our heads till the pony stepped into the
water. As soon as the wheels of the conveyance were fairly into the
stream, the terns poised their wings for a moment, then precipitated
themselves with a splash exactly above the wheel tracks and at once
arose, each with a sand eel wriggling in its bill. Some had been
caught by the head and were unceremoniously swallowed, but others
which had been seized by the middle were allowed to drop, and were
axain caught properly by the head before they reached the water.

“JT was. told by the residents that it is a habit of the birds to be
continually on the watch for passing vehicles, the wheels of which
bring the sand eels momentarily to the surface, and the quick eyes of
the terns enable the birds to transfix them on the spot.”

SuspGenus STERNULA Bote.
STERNA ANTILLARUM (Lzss.).

28. Least Tern. (74)

Bill, yellow, usually tipped with black; mantle, pale pearly grayish-blue,
unchanged on the rump and tail; a white frontal crescent, separating the cap
from the bill, bounded below by a black loral stripe reaching the bill; shafts of
two or more outer primaries, b/ack on the upper surface, white underneath ;
feet, orange. Young:—Cap, too defective to show the crescent; bill, dark,
much of the under mandible pale; feet, obscured. Very small, only 8-9; wing,
6-63; tail, 2-34; bill, 1-14; tarsus, 3.

HAs.—Northern South America, northward to California and New England,
and casually to Labrador, breeding nearly throughout its range.

Eggs, two or three, variable in color, usually drab, speckled with lilac and
brown; left in a slight depression in the dry beach sand beyond the reach
of water.

This is a refined miniature of the Common Tern, and a very
handsome, active little bird. It is common along the sea coast to
the south of us, but probably does not often come so far north as

Bye) BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Lake Ontario. Dr. Wheaton mentions its irregular occurrence on
Lake Erie, and Dr. Brodie reports it being found near Toronto. In
the month of October, several years ago, I shot an immature specimen
as it rose from a piece of driftwood in Hamilton Bay, during a south-
erly blow of several days’ duration, and that is the only time I haye
ever seen the species here.

In the report of the proceedings of the Canadian Institute for
L889, the following passage occurs: “A Least Tern (sterna antil-
larum) was shot here by Mr. Wm. Loane on September 5th. This,
with Dr. Brodie’s former record for Toronto, and Mr. MclIlwraith’s
tor Hamilton, makes the third for Lake Ontario.”

The Little Striker, as it is called along the sea coast, we may not
expect to see often in Ontario, for its principal breeding ground is on
the Gulf coast, and on the islands of the Atlantic coast of Florida.
The eggs are placed in a slight hollow in the sand and broken shells
of the beach, which they resemble so much that they are often passed
without being observed, and thus escape trouble which might other-

wise befall them.

Grenus HYDROCHELIDON Bote.
HYDROCHELIDON NIGRA SURINAMENSIS (GMEz.).

29. Black Tern. (77)

Adult in breeding plumage:—Head, neck and under parts, uniform jet
black; back, wings and tail, plumbeous; primaries, unstriped; crissum, pure
white; bill, black. In winter and young birds, the black is mostly replaced
by white on the forehead, sides of head and under parts, the crown, occiput
and neck behind, with the sides under the wings, being dusky-gray: a dark
auricular patch and another before the eye; im a very early stage, the upper
parts are varied with dull brown. Small; wing, 8-9, little less than the whole
length of the bird; tail, 34, simply forked; bill, 1-14; tarsus, 3; middle toe
and claw, 1.

Has.—Temperate and tropical America. From Alaska and the fur coun-
tries to Chili, breeding from the middle United States northward.

No nest. Kggs, on the bog, two or three; brownish-olive, splashed and
spotted with brown.

Common to both continents, and extending its migrations far
north. The Black Tern has been found in Iceland, and, according to
Richardson, is known to breed in the fur countries. It enters South-
ern Ontario early in May, visiting the various feeding resorts along
the route, in company with the smaller gulls, and retires to the

GANNET. 59

marshes to raise its young. At the St. Clair Flats it breeds abund-
antly, its eggs being often apparently neglected, but they are said to
be covered by the female at night and in rough weather.

Dr. Macallum reports it as breeding also on Mohawk Island,
though from being frequently disturbed and robbed of its eggs, it is
not so numerous as formerly. In the North-West, according to
Macoun, it ‘breeds in all the marshes from Portage la Prairie west-
ward, in less numbers in the wooded region, but generally distributed.”

At Ottawa, Toronto and Hamilton it occurs as a regular migrant
in spring and fall.

OrpeR STEGANOPODES. Torreatmate SwimMMErs.
Famity SULIDA.. Gannets.

Genus SULA Brisson.
SuspGenus DYSPORUS I Lt.iceEr.
SULA BASSANA (Liny.).

30. Gannet. (117)

Adult male:—White, the head and hind neck tinged with yellowish-brown ;
primaries, black. Young:—Dark brown, spotted with white; lower parts,
grayish-white. Length, 30 inches.

Has.—Coasts of the North Atlantic, south in winter to the Gulf of Mexico:
and Africa; breeds from Maine and the British Islands northward.

Breeds in communities on rocks near the sea. One egg, pale greenish-blue.

We have very few records of the Gannet, or Solan Goose, in
Ontario, because it is a bird of the North Atlantic, where it is found
on the shores on both sides, on the east, perhaps, in greater abund-
ance than on the west.

Many years ago, an individual of this species was found in Hamil-
ton Bay in a state of extreme exhaustion, after a severe ‘“north-
easter.” In the proceedings of the Canadian Institute for 1890, it is
stated, “‘one specimen in immature plumage was shot at Oshawa,
Ontario, in 1862, by Mr. A. Dulmage,” which, so far as I know,
completes the list for the Province.

These birds are in the habit of breeding in colonies on large
isolated rocks, which are called Gannet Rocks, wherever they occur.
One of these is situated off the coast of Maine, southward of Grand

‘60 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Manan Island, at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy. Another lies
to the south-west of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. The great breeding
resorts of the species, however, are the Bird Rocks, in the Gulf of St.
Lawrence, and Bonaventure Island, near Gaspé.

This bird takes its name (Sw/a bassana) from one of its first and
best known breeding places, the Bass Rock, in the Firth of Forth,
where I have seen them in thousands engaged in completing their
domestic arrangements in the early summer. They used to have
many breeding places round the rocky coasts of Scotland, but Mr.
Gray tells us that the number has now been reduced to five. These
are Ailsa Craig, St. Kilda, North Barra, Stack of Suleskerry, and the
Bass Rock, Firth of Forth. The number of birds which frequent
these places is still very great. A moderate calculation of those seen
on the Bass Rock Mr. Gray placed at 20,000, and I feel sure that
the number frequenting Ailsa Craig cannot be much less. Mr. Gray
further states, that on the more remote breeding places very little
change has taken place, but that on the Bass Rock, where in former
years a large colony had possession of the grassy slopes on which they
built their nests, the number of birds is greatly reduced. The intru-
sion of visitors has driven the birds entirely to the rocky ledges on
the west side of the island, where the nests cannot be examined as
they used to be. Before this change took place in their breeding
grounds, the birds were greatly changed in their habits, the old birds
having become dreadfully vociferous, and in some cases showing fight.
Professor Macgillivray well describes their cry in comparing the tor-
rent of sounds to the words, ‘Kirra kirra, cree cree, grog, grog, grog.”
Surrounded by a multitude of open bills, and noticing the guide
apparently absorbed in thought, he inquired, “Is there any risk of
them biting?” “Oh, no, sir,” he rejoined, “IT was only thinking how

> He stated also that these birds sometimes

like they are to owrsel’s.’
lay two eggs, fourteen nests on the grassy slope already referred to
having been found to contain that number. This statement may be
easily believed, when we are told that during the breeding season the
rock is visited daily by excursionists accompanied by guides, and that
the number of eggs in a nest is made to suit the wishes of the visitor.

Notwithstanding the protection now afforded to this bird, in com-
mon with other water-fowl, the numbers have greatly diminished,
and it is very doubtful if the Bass ever again has as many tenants as
it once had.

Long ago the breeding places appear to have been more numerous
than at present, for we find frequent reference to them in the works

CORMORANT. 61

of writers long departed. For instance, Dean Munroe, who visited
nearly the whole of the British islands between 1540 and 1549, has
left a quaint account of what he saw. In describing Eigg Island, he
says: “North from Ellan about foure myles lyes ane iyle called iyle
ef egga, four myle lange and twa myle braid, guid maine land with a
Paroch kirk in it and maney Solane geese.” One cannot exactly see
how the two things should in this curt way be associated.

The Solan Geese live chiefly on herring and other fish which are
very irregular in their movements, and the birds have, therefore,
often to travel a long distance to obtain food for their young. As
soon as the young birds are able to fly, they all leave the rocks, and
follow the shoals of fish, wherever they are to be found, returning
again to their familiar rocks in March or April.

Famity PHALACROCORACID. ' Cormorants.
Genus PHALACROCORAX Brisson.
PHALACROCORAX CARBO (Liny.).

31. Cormorant. (119)

General plumage, black, glossed with blue, a white patch on the throat and
another on the sides of the body; in summer the head is crested with long
narrow feathers, which fall off when the breeding season is over; the white
patches on the throat and sides also disappear about the same time. Length,
36 inches.

Has.—Coasts of the North Atlantic, south in winter on the coast of the
United States, casually to the Carolinas; breeding from the Bay of Fundy to
Greenland.

Nest, on precipitous rocks, built of sticks and sea-weed, kept in a filthy con-
dition from the refuse of the larder, etc.

Eggs, four or five, pale bluish-green.

Although the Cormorants are generally birds of the sea coast,
when not specially engaged at home, they make periodical excursions
to the lakes, where no doubt they find the change of food and scenery
very agreeable. In spring and fall they are occasionally seen in
Hamilton Bay, and at other points in Southern Ontario, following
their usual avocation of fishing. Not long since, with the aid of a
powerful glass, I watched one sitting on a buoy out off the wharves,
and could not but admire the graceful motions of his long, lithe
neck, as he preened his plumage in conscious safety. The inspection

62 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

at that distance was more pleasant than it might have been closer
by, for these birds, though apparently cleanly, carry with them a
most unsavory odor.

This is another North Atlantic species which is found breeding on
the rocky ledges along the shores of both continents. It is gregari-
ous, living in thickly-settled communities, the sanitary condition of
which prevents their being popular with excursionists, so that the
birds when at home are seldom disturbed.

On the rocky shore of Newfoundland it is especially abundant,
and was also. found by Mr. Frazer in Labrador. It has been observed
singly or in pairs, at Ottawa, Hamilton, London and other points,
hut the species seldom leaves the sea coast. Those observed inland
are apparently stragglers which by chance or choice have wandered
for a time away from their usual habitat.

PHALACROCORAX DILOPHUS (Sw. & Ricz.).

32. Double-crested Cormorant. (120)

Tail of twelve feathers, gular sac convex or nearly straight-edged behind ;
vlossy greenish-black; feathers of the back and wings, coppery-gray, black-
shafted, black-edged ; adult with curly black /afera/ crests, and in the breeding
season other filamentous white ones over the eyes and along the sides of the
neck; white flank-patch, not observed in the specimens examined, but probably
occurring; gular sac and lores, orange; eyes, green. Length, 30-33 inches;
wing, 12 or more; tail, 6 or more; bill along gape, 35; tarsus, a little over 2.
Young:—Plain dark brown, paler or grayish (even white on the breast) below,
without head plumes.

Haz.—Kastern coast of North America, breeding from the Bay of Fundy
northward ; southward in the interior to the Great Lakes and Wisconsin.

Eggs, two or three, bluish-green.

This, like the common species, occasionally visits the inland lakes,
and is distinguished by its smaller size and richer plumage. The
specimen in my collection I shot off Huckleberry Point, when it rose
from a partially submerged stump that it had been using for a short
time as a fishing station. All the Cormorants have the reputation of
being voracious feeders, and they certainly have a nimble’ way of
catching and swallowing their prey, but it is not likely that they con-
sume more than other birds of similar size. ;

Though this species breeds along the sea coast on both sides of
the Atlantic, it has also been found breeding in colonies in the

AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN. 63

nterior. It is the one we see most frequently in Southern Ontario,
and Macoun mentions having tound it breeding abundantly in Lake
Winnipegosis.

Dr. Hatch, in the ‘“ Birds of Minnesota,” describes it as a common
summer resident which “local observers from all parts of the State
report from ‘occasional’ to ‘innumerable,’ according to the nearness
of the observer to the breeding places of the birds.” The preparations
for incubation are made about the 10th of May, in large communities
on islands in the lakes and ponds and almost impenetrable marshes,
where there are some large old trees, in which they most frequently
build their coarse but substantial nests. These are usually bulky
from having been added to every year, and consist of weeds, vines
and sticks, piled together carelessly around a deep depression, in
which is deposited the three pale greenish or bluish eggs. It is not
an uncommon sight to see one or more of these nests on the same
tree in which are a number of heron nests, and the owners seem to
live in harmony.

When the young are sufficiently grown, they gather into immense
flocks in unfrequented sections, and remain until the ice-lid has closed
over their supply of food, when they go away, not to return till the
cover is lifted up in the spring.

Famity PELECANIDA.
Suscenus CYRTOPELICANUS ReEIcCHENBACH.
PHLECANUS ERYTHROREAYNCHOS Gwe.

33. American White Pelican. (125)

White; occiput and breast, yellow; primaries, their coverts, bastard quills
and many secondaries, black; bill, sac, lores and feet, yellow. Length, about 4
feet; expanse, 7-9; wing, 2; bill, 1 or more; tail, 5, normally 24-feathered.

Haps.—Temperate North America, north in the interior to about Lat. 61,
south to Central America; now rare or accidental in the north-eastern States:
abundant in the Middle Province and along the Gulf coast; common on the
coast of California and western Mexico.

Nest, on the ground or in a low bush near the water.

Eggs, one to three, dull white.

Early in the month of May, 1864, five of these large, odd-looking
birds were observed on Hamilton Bay, and were accorded the atten-

64 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

tion that is usually bestowed upon visitors of this description. John
Dynes was the first to give them a salute, and he captured two of
their number, one of which came into my possession. The other
three remained for a day or two, but were much disturbed, and
finally got away. On the 13th of March, 1884, a similar visit was
made by a like number, about the time the ice was breaking up. Mr.
Smith, who was in charge of the Ocean House at the time, saw them
~ flying heavily up the lake. They seemed much exhausted, and on
alighting on the ice near the edge of the water, at once squatted fiat,
with their heads resting between their shoulders. When two or
three rifle bullets were landed uncomfortably near them, they got up.
reluctantly, and went off eastward down the lake, hugging the shore
for shelter from the wind, which was blowing fresh at the time.

Dr. Macallum writes that “on the 28th of September, 1889, a
very fine female White Pelican was shot at the mouth of the Grand
River, near Dunnville, which came into my hands. There had not.
been one shot here for twenty-two years. It was in a very emaciated
condition, but in good plumage, and now adorns one of my cases.”

So the stragglers are picked up, but the bulk of the species is
found to the north and west of Ontario. Macoun found them breed-
ing in Old Wives, Gull and Long Lakes in the North-West. It is also
said that several thousands of these birds are permanent residents on
Great Salt Lake, Utah, where they breed on the islands twenty miles,
out in the lake.

Orper ANSERES. LameniinostRaAL SWIMMERS.
Famity ANATIDA. Ducks, GEESE AND Swans.
SuspraAmMILy MERGIN AX. MERGANSERS.

Genus MERGANSER Brisson.
MERGANSER AMERICANUS (Cass.).

34. American Merganser. (129)

Nostrils, nearly median; frontal feathers reaching beyond those on sides of
bill; male with the head scarcely crested, glossy green; back and wings, black
and white, latter crossed by one black bar; under parts, salmon-colored ; length,
about 24; wing, 11, female smaller, occipital crest better developed, but still
flimsy ; head and neck, reddish-brown; black parts of the male, ashy gray ; less,
white on the wing; under parts less tinted with salmon.

RED-BREASTED MERGANSER,. 65

Hazs.—North America generally, breeding south to the northern United
States.

Nest, in a hollow tree. It is composed of weeds and moss, and lined with
down from the breast of the bird.

Kggs, six to eight, buff or dark cream.

This is the largest, and by many considered the handsomest, of

the three saw-bills which visit us. It is never plentiful, being a bird
of the sea coast, but it is usually seen singly, or in pairs, among the
flocks of water-fowl which crowd up from the south as soon as the ice
begins to move in the lakes and rivers in spring.
_ In the fall they are again observed in company with their young,
which at this stage all resemble the female in plumage. The flesh of
the saw-bills being fishy, the gunners often allow them to pass when
a blue-bill or a red-head would not get off so easily.

They are reported from Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton and other
points in Southern Ontario. In the “ Birds of Manitoba,” Macoun
says of them: “Breeds here abundantly on the rivers emptying
into Lake Winnipegosis, and on all the rivers visited by me in
Manitoba. I never observed this bird on still water during the
breeding season. They feed only on fish, and are found only on clear
running streams where fry are abundant.”

They are generally but not equally distributed, being more common
at some points than others. They are among the first to arrive when
the ice breaks up, and indeed Dr. Macallum mentions that so long
as there is open water in the Grand River they will remain all
winter.

MERGANSER SERRATOR (Liyy.).

35. Red-breasted Merganser. (130)

Nostrils, sub-basal; frontal feathers not reaching beyond those on sides of
bill; a long, thin, pointed crest in both sexes. Smaller than the last; wing,
8-9; general coloration, sexual difference the same, but the male with the
jugulum rich reddish-brown, black-streaked, the sides conspicuously finely
waved with black, a white, black-bordered mark in front of the wing, and the
wing crossed by two black bars.

Haxz.—Northern portions of northern hemisphere; south in winter, through-
out the United States.

Nest, among the weeds, built of grass, and warmly lined with down.

Eggs, nine or ten, creamy buff.

5)

66 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Rather more numerous than the preceding, being often seen in
spring and fall in flocks of six or eight, fishing about the mouths of
the inlets in Hamilton Bay.

This species is common to both continents, and breeds on the
rocky islets on many of the inland lochs in the north of Scotland.
All the young birds appear for the first season in the plumage of the
female, but the male can readily be distinguished by a peculiar bony
enlargement in the windpipe, which does not occur in the opposite
Sex.

It is said that in this, and in the preceding species, as soon as the
female has completed her set of eggs, the male has the ungallant
habit of ignoring all family responsibilities, and leaving the entire
care of the youngsters to their mother, who leads them carefully to
the water, and gives them their first lesson at a very early age.

In Manitoba, Macoun says that the species “ breeds on all the
northern streams and ponds, feeds largely on vegetable matter, and
is quite edible.”

In the fall they occur in small flocks along the southern border of
Ontario, but none are observed to remain over the winter.

Mr. Nelson says, regarding this species: ‘‘ During the summer of
1881, I found them breeding upon St. Lawrence Island and along
the Siberian coast from Plover Bay to Cape North through Behring
Strait. On the Alaskan coast they breed everywhere in suitable
places, from Sitka to Tey Cape, and perhaps to Point Barrow.”

Genus LOPHODYTES ReEIcHENBACH.
LOPHODYTES CUCULLATUS (Liyy.).

36. Hooded Merganser. (131)

Nostrils, sub-basal; frontal feathers, reaching beyond those on sides of bill;
a compact, erect, semicircular, laterally compressed crest in the male, smaller
and less rounded in the female. Male:—Black, including two crescents in
front of wing, and bar across speculum; under parts, centre of crest, speculum
and stripes on tertials, white; sides, chestnut, black-barred. Length, 18-19;
wing, 8. Female:—Smaller; head and neck, brown; chin, whitish; back and
sides, dark brown, the feathers with paler edges; white on the wing less; bill,
reddish at base below.

Has.—North America generally, south to Mexico and Cuba, breeding nearly
throughout its range.

Nest, in a hole in a tree or stump, warmly lined with soft grass, feathers
and down.

Eggs, six to eight, buff or dark cream color.

This beautiful little Saw-bill is a regular visitor to Hamilton Bay,
where it spends a short time in the beginning of April, before retiring
to its more remote breeding grounds.

The habit of raising its young in a hole in a tree seems rather a
singular one for a bird of this class, but in this retired position the
female spends the anxious hours of incubation, beyond the reach of
danger to which she might elsewhere be exposed. As soon as the
young are old enough to bear transportation, she takes them one
after another by the nape of the neck and drops them gently into the

68 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

water. Like the other saw-bills, this species feeds on fish, on account
of which its flesh is not considered a delicacy.

Such is the record for Southern Ontario, but a change of residence
and surroundings may bring about other changes. In the “ Birds of
Manitoba,” Macoun says regarding this bird: ‘Found in all the
smaller ponds and lakes, very common in streams around Porcupine
Mountain, feeding on vegetable substances, and quite edible, in this
respect unlike J/. americanus.”

SuspraMity ANATINA. River Ducks.
Genus ANAS Linn2zus.
ANAS BOSCHAS Ltinvn.

37. Mallard. (132)

Male :—With the head and upper neck, glossy green, succeeded by a white
ring; breast, purplish-chestnut; tail feathers, mostly whitish; greater wing
coverts tipped with black and white, the speculum violet; feet, orange red.

Female:—With the wing as in the male; head, neck and under parts, pale
ochrey, speckled and streaked with dusky. Length, about 24; wing, 10-12.

Has.—Northern parts of northern hemisphere; in America, south to Panama
and Cuba, breeding southward to the northern border of the United States.

Nest, on the ground, built of dry grass, lined with feathers.

Kggs, eight to ten, dull drab or olivaceous green.

This, the parent of the domestic duck, is an abundant species and
widely distributed, but it is found in greatest numbers at certain
points, where its food abounds. In Hamilton Bay it occurs sparingly
during the migratory season, but at Rond Eau, at Long Point on
Lake Erie, and on the flats along the River St. Clair it assembles in
vast flocks in the fall to feed on the wild rice. At the flats a few

creater

pairs remain during summer to rear their young, but the g

number pass farther north.

A few years ago Mr. John Bates, whose farm is on the shore of
Hamilton Bay, near the waterworks, noticed a female of the species
late in the fall associating with his tame ducks. It was shy, and
kept away from the house for a time, but as the season advanced and
the water froze over, it came into the sheds and remained permanently
with the others. In the spring it built a nest in an out-of-the-way
place, and in due time came forth followed by a brood of young
ones, which in time grew up and bred with the domestic species.

BLACK DUCK. 69

Mr. Bates pointed out to me some of the stock, which he could
always recognize by their sitting deeper in the water, by their com-
paratively long, slim necks, and by a certain wild look of suspicion
and mistrust which clung to them through several generations. Mr.
Bates thought the individual referred to had been wounded in the
wing, and thus incapacitated for performing the usual journey south.

The Mallard is reported breeding abundantly throughout Michigan
and Minnesota, while in the North-West Macoun says regarding it:
“The most abundant duck of the North-West, breeding in nearly all
the marshes north of the boundary.”

Tt has also been observed at Hudson’s Bay, and rarely in Alaska
and on the Fur Seal Islands.

ANAS OBSCURA GMEL.

38. Black Duck. (133)

Size of the Mallard, and resembling the female of that species, but darker
and without decided white anywhere, except under the wings. Tail, with
16 to 18 feathers.

Has.—Eastern North America, west to Utah and Texas, north to Labrador,
breeding southward to the northern United States.

Nest, on the ground, built of grass, weeds and feathers.

Eggs, eight to ten, yellowish drab or buff, shaded with green.

Although there are several other ducks darker in color than this
species, it is still the “Black Duck” of the gunners all over the
continent, and is excelled by no other in the excellence of its flesh.
It is not so plentiful throughout Ontario as the Mallard, being rather
a bird of the sea coast, frequenting the salt marshes along the coast
of Maine, where it breeds abundantly. A few pairs have also been
found mating in the marsh along the River St. Clair, but such an
occurrence is by no means common.

We are told that long ago the Black Duck was a regular visitor
to the marshy inlets around Hamilton Bay, but now there is so much
to disturb, and so little to attract them, that their visits are few and
far between.

_ In the “Birds of Manitoba,” they are spoken of as being very
rare, only two specimens having been obtained in ten years. At
Hudson’s Bay only rare stragglers have been noticed.

70 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Suscenus CHAULELASMUS Bonaparte.
ANAS STREPERA Luinvy.

39. Gadwall. (135)

Male:—With most of the plumage barred or half-ringed with black and
white or whitish; middle coverts, chestnut; greater coverts, black; speculum,
white. Female:—Known by these wing marks. Length, 19-22; wing, 10-11.

Has.—Nearly cosmopolitan. In North America breeds chiefly within the
United States.

Nest, usually on the ground, sometimes in trees.

Eggs, buff or dull cream color.

The Gadwall is rare throughout Ontario. When a large mixed
lot of ducks is sent down in the fall from any of the shooting stations
in the west, a pair or two of this species may sometimes be picked
out, but that is all.

The pair in my collection were shot in Hamilton Bay many years
ago, but since that time I have not heard of any having been
obtained there. It is common to both continents, but it is nowhere
abundant.

The only place I have seen that adjective applied to it is in Macoun’s
Annual Report of the Department of the Interior for the year ending
December, 1880, page 28, where he says: “ Chaulelasmus streperus,
gray, Gadwall, gray duck, abundant throughout the interior.” In the
‘“‘ Birds of Manitoba,” the same writer says regarding it: ‘ Only one
specimen shot on the Assiniboine, September, 1881.”

It is mentioned by Dr. Bell as occurring at Hudson’s Bay; in what
number is not stated.

The male Gadwall is a very handsome bird, much sought after by
collectors, the price charged in their lists showing its comparative
scarcity.

SuBpGENuS MARECA STEPHENS.
ANAS AMERICANA GwmEL.

40. Baldpate. (137)

Bill and feet, grayish-blue; top of head, white, or nearly so, plain or
speckled ; its sides and the neck, more or less speckled; a broad green patch on *
sides of head; fore breast, light-brownish ; belly, pure white; crissum, abruptly
black ; middle and greater coverts, white, the latter black-tipped; speculum,

GREEN-WINGED TEAL. 11

green, black bordered. Length, 20-22; wing, 11; tail, 5; tarsus, 2; bill, 14-14;
female known by the wing markings.

Has.—North America, from the Arctic Ocean south to Guatemala and
Cuba.

Nest, on the ground in the marsh; it is composed of grass and weeds. It is
neatly formed and lined with feathers and down from the breast of the bird.

Kggs, eight to twelve, pale buff.

Resembles the Gadwall in appearance, but can always be dis-
tinguished by the creamy white crown which has suggested for the
species the familiar name of “ Baldpate.” It is also more abundant
than the Gadwall, being often seen in flocks of fifty to one hundred
during the season of migration. It has a wide breeding range
throughout the United States and British America. At the St. Clair
Flats it has often been seen at midsummer, but so far I have no
record of its nest or eggs having been found there. It seems rather
tender, and is one of the first to retire to the south in the fall.

In the “Birds of Manitoba,” we read regarding this species :
“Abundant summer resident, breeding at Lake Manitoba and in all
the sloughs in this vicinity. This is the last duck to arrive in the
spring and the first to leave in the fall. In 1884, first seen April
16th.” —Nasu.

It has been observed in Alaska but only in limited numbers,
arriving there early in May and leaving early in October.

Suscenus NETTION Kaup.
ANAS CAROLINENSIS Gwe tin.

41. Green-winged Teal. (139)

Head and upper neck, chestnut, with a broad glossy green band on each
side, uniting and blackening on the nape; under parts, white or whitish, the
fore breast with circular black spots; upper parts and flanks closely waved
with blackish and white; a white crescent in front of the wing; crissum, black,
varied with white or creamy; speculum, rich green, bordered in front with
buffy tips of the greater coverts, behind with light tips of secondaries; no blue
on the wing; bill, black; feet, gray. Female differs in the head markings, but
those of the wing are the same. Small; length, 14-15; wing, 74; tail, 34; bill,
14; tarsus, 1}.

Has.—North America, chiefly breeding north of the United States, and
migrating south to Honduras and Cuba.

Nest, on the ground, built of dried grass, and lined with feathers.

Eggs, usually eight, pale dull green or buff.

iz BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

In Southern Ontario this dainty little duck is known only as a
passing migrant in spring and fall. During the latter season it is
much sought after at the shooting stations on account of the delicacy
of its flesh. It breeds abundantly throughout Manitoba and the
great North-West, and is mentioned among the birds found by Dr.
Bell at Hudson’s Bay.

Of the two teals common in Ontario, this seems the hardier, breed-
ing farther north, and remaining later with us in the fall. In the
spring it appears as soon as there is open water in the marshes, and
at this season, being very properly protected by the Game <Act, it
passes on in peace.

Of its occurrence in Alaska, Mr. Nelson says: “It is found widely
spread and rather common over the mainland, and it is resident
throughout the entire length of the Aleutian Chain.

“They are the least suspicious of the ducks, probably because the
Eskimo usually consider them too small to waste a charge of powder

and shot upon.”

SUBGENUS QUERQUEDULA STEPHENS.
ANAS DISCORS Linn.

42. Blue-winged Teal. (140)

Head and neck of the male, blackish plumbeous, darkest on the crown,
usually with purplish iridescence; a white crescent in front of the eye; under
parts thickly dark spotted; wing coverts, sky blue, the greater white-tipped ;
speculum, green, white-tipped; axillars and most under wing coverts, white ;
scapulars striped with tawny and blue, or dark green; fore back, barred ; rump
and tail, dark, plain; crissum, black; bill, black; feet, dusky yellow. Female .—
With head and neck altogether different ; under parts much paler and obscurely
spotted, but known by the wing marks ; size, same as carolinensis.

Has.—North America in general, but chiefly the Eastern Province; north
to Alaska, and south to the West Indies and northern South America; breeds
from the northern United States northward.

Nest, composed of dry grass and weeds, lined with feathers.

Kggs, eight to ten, dull greenish or buff.

At Hamilton very few of this species are seen in spring, but in
the fall they often appear in flocks of considerable size, and during
their short stay afford good sport to the gunners, who wait for them
in the evening near their feeding ground.

At St. Clair I have seen them in June, evidently mated, and have

SHOV ELLER. 73

been told that a few pairs still breed there, though the number of
summer residents is small compared with former years.

Dr. Macallum reports the same particulars regarding the occur-
rence of the species on Mohawk Island. Several couples still nest
‘there, and are seen during the summer with their young, but, com-
pared with former years, the numbers are greatly reduced. Early in
the fall these are joined by flocks which have bred farther north, and
all retire to the south before the Green-winged Teal arrives.

The species is very abundant throughout the North-West, where
Mr. Macoun found it exceedingly plentiful during the fall of 1880.
At Hudson’s Bay it is mentioned as rare by Dr. Bell; and Mr. Nelson
says that during the four years he passed at St. Michael’s he failed to
see a single individual of this species. In his list of Alaskan birds,
Mr. Dall reports it being found sparingly at Fort Yukon and the
Yukon mouth.

Genus SPATULA Bott.
SPATULA CLYPEATA (Liyy.).

43. Shoveller. (142)

Bill, much longer than head or foot, widening rapidly to the end, where it is
twice as wide as at the base, with very numerous and prominent lamin; head
and neck of male, green; fore breast, white ; belly, purplish-chestnut ; wing
coverts, blue; speculum, green, bordered with black and white; some scapulars
blue, others green, all white-striped; bill, blackish; feet, red. Female known
by bill and wings. Length, 17-21; wing, 93; tail, 3; bill, 23.

Has.—Northern hemisphere. In North America, breeding from Alaska to
Texas; not abundant on the Atlantic coast.

Nest, on the ground.

Eggs, eight to ten, greenish-gray.

An adult male Shoveller procured in the month of May makes a
handsome specimen for the cabinet, for there are few of our water-
fowl so gaily attired. The large spoonbill somewhat spoils his beauty
of proportion, but it serves as a distinguishing mark for individuals
of the species, of any age or sex.

Tt is not common in Ontario, but is occasionally found by the gun-
ners steering up some sluggish creek, or sifting the mud along its
shores. Its flesh being held in high estimation for the table, it is
never allowed to get away when it can be stopped.

74 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Dr. Macallum has observed it leading out its young within half a
mile of the town of Dunnville. It is reported occurring at all the
points of observation in Southern Ontario during the migratory
season. In the North-West, Macoun found it breeding abundantly
on the prairie ponds and about Pleasant Hills. It is also mentioned
by Dr. Bell as breeding in large numbers on Lake Winnipeg. One
or two specimens have been found by Turner in Alaska.

This species is said to have the widest distribution of any of the
duck tribe, being more or less common in every portion of Europe
and Asia, except in the extreme north. It occurs in northern and
central Africa, is somewhat rare in England, but more common in
Scotland. They all leave Ontario in the fall, but in spring return

regularly to their old haunts.

Genus DAFILA STEPHENS.
DAFILA ACUTA (Li1nv.).

44. Pintail. (143)

Tail cuneate, when fully developed the central feathers projecting and
nearly equalling the wing; much shorter and not so narrow in the female and
young, four to nine inches long; wing, 11; total length, about 24. Bill, black
and blue; feet, grayish-blue; head and upper neck, dark brown, with green

and purple gloss; sides of neck, with a long white stripe; lower neck and under

PINTAIL. 75

parts, white; dorsal line of neck, black, passing into the gray of the back,
which, like the sides, is vermiculated with black; speculum, greenish-purple
anteriorly bordered by buff tips of the greater coverts, elsewhere by black and
white; tertials and scapulars, black and silvery. Female and young.—With the
whole head and neck speckled or finely streaked with dark ~*brown, and grayish
or yellowish-brown; below, dusky freckled; above blackish, all the feathers
pale-edged; only a trace of the speculum between the white or whitish tips of
the greater coverts and secondaries,

Has.—Northern hemisphere. In North America breeds from the northern
parts of the United States northward, and migrates south to Panama and Cuba.

Nest, on the ground, in a bunch of tall grass near the water.

Eggs, eight to twelve, dull grayish-olive.

This is another very handsome member of the duck family which
is common in Southern Ontario in spring and fall. According to Mr.
Saunders, a few spend the summer and raise their young on St. Clair
Flats.

The Pintail is quite common throughout the North-West. Dr.
Bell mentions it having been found breeding near Norway House,
and Mr. Nelson says: “It is one of the most common, if not the
most common, of the ducks which breed along the Alaskan shore of
Behring Sea. It is about the first of the water-fowl to commence
nesting. The date when the first eggs are laid varies from May 18th
to 25th, according to the season. The nest, which is placed in a
tussock of grass, is lined with grass, stems and feathers, and is pretty
well concealed. The eggs are rather small for the size of the bird,
and are pale olive green when fresh. When the young are hatched
the parents lead them to the adjacent pool, and they keep in the most
secluded parts of the marsh until able to take wing. In the fall the
Pintails feed upon the various berries growing on the hill-side till they
become extremely fat, and a young bird at this season is the most
delicious of the water-fowl found in the north. Toward the end of
August they unite in flocks of from five to fifty, and the end of
September finds but few remaining of the large numbers seen a few
weeks previous.”

Genus AIX Bole.

AIX SPONSA (Liny.).

45. Wood Duck. (144)

Male :—Head crested, metallic green and purple; line above and behind the
eye, white; throat, white; above, coppery black with a gloss of green and
purple; beneath, white; upper part of the breast, chestnut; sides, buffy, very
finely variegated with black; the shoulder bordered also with black ; covert
and quills with more or fewer tips and shades of white and purple. Female :—
Chestnut of the neck detached and dull; sides, not striped; head and neck,
dull; bill, reddish, edges dusky; legs and feet, yellowish; iris, red. Length,
19; extent, 274; wing, 9; tarsus, 14.

Has.—Temperate North America, breeding throughout its range.

Nest, in a hole in a tree.

Eggs, about twelve in number, pale buff slightly tinged with green.

This, the most beautiful of all our water-fowl, is very generally
distributed throughout the country, arriving from the south about
the time the ice disappears from our lakes and rivers, and retiring
early in the fall. Owing to the great beauty of the male, these birds:
are much sought after by all classes of sportsmen, and are now seldom
seen except near the retired ponds and marshes where they breed.
Twenty-five years ago I used to see them leading out their young
from one of the inlets of the Dundas marsh. They were known at
that time to breed near Gage’s inlet also, but of late years they have

WOOD DUCK. TC

been observed only as passing migrants in spring and fall. The
Wood Duck has frequently been domesticated, and adds greatly to
the interest and beauty of an artificial pond in a pleasure ground.

The fact of its nesting in a hole in a tree is one of the interesting
“points in the history of the Wood Duck, although it is not the only
duck with this habit.

The hole selected is a natural cavity, a woodpecker’s or squirrel’s
hole, or the decayed end of a broken branch. The nest is warmly
lined with feathers, and there the female rests in peace during incu-
bation, her lord having for the time deserted her society for that of
his own sex. If the nest is placed over the water, the young soon
after being hatched, scramble up to the edge, spread their little wings
and feet and courageously take their first leap in life toward the
water. If it is a short distance off, the mother takes the tiny
youngsters gently in her bill and drops them carefully on the surface,
where for many days she stays with them, directing all their
movements.

The Wood Duck, though found in all parts of Ontario, except
perhaps in the extreme north, is nowhere abundant throughout the
Province. At St. Clair Flats it used to breed in considerable
numbers, but of late years has not been so often observed.

Throughout the North-West it is mentioned as a rare summer
resident, and among the birds of Alaska it does not appear at all.

In some of the States to the west of us, in the interior, these
ducks are said to be abundant, keeping by themselves in large flocks
in the fall, as the Redheads and Bluebills do. Dr. Hatch, in the
“ Birds of Minnesota,” says of them: ‘ Arriving simultaneously with
the other early species, none other braves the last rigors of the
departing winter in the closing days of a Minnesota March with
greater spirit, and when they come, like the rains in the tropics, they
pour in until every pool in the woodlands has been deluged with
them. This may sound strangely and exaggerated to ears unfamiliar
with the history of bird-life on the borders of civilization, yet such
has heretofore been my personal observation at the very location of
our city” (Minneapolis).

78 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Genus AYTHYA Boi.
AYTHYA AMERICANA (Eyr.).

46. Redhead. (146)

Bill, dull blue with a black belt at end, broad and depressed, shorter than
head (two or less), the nostrils within its basal half; color of head, rich, pure
chestnut, with bronzy or red reflections; in the female, plain brown; body
anteriorly, rump and tail coverts, black; in the female, dark brown; back,
scapulars and sides, plumbeous-white, finely waved with unbroken black
lines, less distinct in the female; speculum, bluish-ash. Length, about 20;
wing, 9-10; tarsus, 13-1{.

Haz.—North America, breeding from California and Maine northward.

Nest, like that of a coot, composed of broken bits of rushes on a clump of
bog, often afloat.

Kggs, seven or eight, dull buff or creamy white.

The Redhead is one of the most abundant species which visits
Lake Ontario, and, judging by the numbers which are sent down
from the shooting stations farther west, it seems to be equally so at
other points. They are strong, hardy birds, and a heavy charge,
skilfully aimed, is necessary to stop them when on the wing. During
the past two seasons a flock of 100 to 150 remained in Lake Ontario
all winter, about half a mile from the shore, opposite the village of
Burlington. The birds spent most of their time at one particular
place, sometimes diving, sometimes sitting at rest on the water, and
always close together, as if for greater warmth. When the weather
moderated in March they shifted about for a few days, and then
went off to the north-west, the direction taken by most water-fowl
when leaving this part of Ontario in spring.

These large flocks of Redheads are somewhat capricious in their
movements. They are seldom found more than one or two seasons
at one place, having perhaps to “shift the pasture.” They are
among the most abundant species at all the shooting stations in
Southern Ontario in the fall, and are said to breed abundantly all
through the North-West, but are not named as being found at Alaska
nor at Hudson’s Bay.

They are greatly prized for the table, and are often sold for
Canvas-backs, which they resemble in taste and color.

CANVAS-BACK—AMERICAN SCAUP DUCK. 79

AYTHYA VALLISNERIA (WIzs.).

47. Canvas-back. (147)

Similar to the preceding, but bill blackish, high at the base and narrow
throughout, not shorter than head (two and a half or more), the nostrils at its
middle; head, much obscured with dusky ; black waved lines of the back sparse
and broken up into dots, the whitish thus predominating.

Haz.—Nearly all of North America, breeding from the north-western States
northward to Alaska. Breeds in the North-West.

Nest, on the ground, of grass and weeds lined with feathers.

Eggs, six to ten, pale greenish-buff.

The Canvas-back occurs with us, occasionally, in limited numbers.
It resembles the Redhead in many respects, but can readily be dis-
tinguished by its low forehead and by the sooty color of the head and
upper part of the neck. Its mode of diving is also peculiar. Before
going under the water it throws itself upward and forward, describing
a curve as if seeking to gain impetus in the descent, just as boys
sometimes do when taking a header off a point not much above the
water level.

Its reputation as a table duck is very high, but the excellence is
attained only when the birds have for some time been feeding on
wild celery, of which they are very fond. When that fare is not
available they are no better for the table than Redheads or Bluebills.

The Canvas-back has been taken at Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton,
St. Clair Flats, and other points in Southern Ontario, but only as a
straggler. It is rare throughout the North-West, but is mentioned
by Mr. Dall as’ breeding abundantly at Fort Yukon, though it had
not been observed at any other point in Alaska. Being generally
distributed throughout the marshes in the interior through the sum-
mer, it gathers in immense flocks along the Atlantic sea coast in
winter, especially on Chesapeake Bay, where the much-prized wild
celery abounds.

Susecenus FULIGULA SrepHens.
AYTHYA MARILA NEARCTICA Stresn.

48. American Scaup Duck. (148)
Male:—With the head, neck and body anteriorly, black, the former with a
green gloss; back and sides, whitish, finely waved in zigzag with black; below,
and speculum of wing, white; bill, dull blue with black nail; legs, plumbeous.

80 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Female:

With the head and anterior parts brown, and other black parts of the
male, rather brown; face, pure white. Length, about 20; wing, 9.

Has.—North America, breeding far north.

Nest, of weeds and dry grass, lined with down, placed on the ground.

Hggs, six to ten, grayish-green.

This and the next species, which are nearly allied, are the ducks
most frequently met in Southern Ontario, where they are known as
Bluebills. In the fall they remain in Hamilton Bay till they are
frozen out, and in spring, even before the bay is open, they appear out-
side on Lake Ontario, and make frequent excursions inward to watch
tor the moving of ice. In spring many remain in the bay till about
the first of May, by which time they seem all to be paired, but I have
no record of their having been found breeding, and think it likely
that nearly all spend the summer in the north of the Province.

This is the larger bird of the two species, and is considered to
be somewhat hardier than its little brother. It breeds commonly
throughout the North-West and in Alaska. Mr. Nelson says regard-
ing it: “Everywhere in suitable locations over all the mainland
portions of Alaska this is a common and frequently an abundant
summer resident. In the north, as in the south, these birds show a
predilection for the larger bodies of water, and at once, after the
young are hatched, they are marshalled off to the largest pond in the
vicinity.”

The big Bluebill is common at all the shooting stations in Southern
Ontario, where its large size makes the game-bag heavy, a fact which

is duly appreciated by the hunters.

AYTHYA AFFINIS (Eyr.).

49. Lesser Scaup Duck. (149)

Similar to the preceding, but smaller, about 16; wing, 8; gloss of head
chiefly purple; flanks and scapulars less closely waved with black (?) It is very
difficult to define this bird specifically, and it may be simply a small southern
form; but it appears to preserve its characteristics though constantly asso-
ciated with the last.

Has.—North America in general, breeding chiefly north of the United
States, migrating south to Guatemala and the West Indies.

Closely resembles the preceding, except in being considerably less

in size. Nesting habits and eggs are the same.
According to Dr. Coues, this is a southerly bird, not breeding so

_ Eee

RING-NECKED DUCK. $1

far north as the American Scaup Duck, and going farther south in
winter.

In Southern Ontario it is about equal in abundance with the
preceding, with which it is often associated, but it does not leave
Hamilton Bay till about the middle of May, which would lead us to
suppose that it does not go so far north to breed as some of the
others.

In Southern Ontario it is the more abundant of the two during
migrations. Mr. Saunders mentions that a few breed on the St.
Clair Flats, and Dr. Macallum states that some still breed in the
marsh near Dunnville. Throughout the North-West it is spoken of
by all the observers as an exceedingly abundant summer resident.
Macoun says: “Breeding more commonly than the preceding.”

In Alaska, Mr. Nelson had heard of it having been obtained at the
mouth of the Yukon, and says regarding it: “This record is ex-
tremely doubtful, since during my visit to the Yukon mouth in the
spring of 1879, and my long residence only sixty miles north of there,
not a single example of this bird was obtained or seen, nor did any of
my collectors in the various parts of the territory observe or secure it.”

It remains in Southern Ontario till the waters are frozen over,
when it moves to the south to spend the winter.

AYTHYA COLLARIS (Donov.).

50. Ring-necked Duck. (150)

Similar to the foregoing, but an orange-brown ring around the neck ; specu-
lum, gray; back, nearly uniform blackish; bill, black, pale at base and near
tip. Hemale:—With head and neck brown, and no collar, but loral space and
chin, whitish, as is a ring around eye; bill, plain dusky. In size, between the
two foregoing.

Hazs.—North America, breeding far north, and migrating south to Guate-
mala and the West Indies.

Nest, on the ground, composed of grass, lined with feathers.

Eggs, eight to ten, varying from grayish to buff.

This handsome little duck is not so common as either of the pre-
ceding. While here it resembles the Teal in its habits, preferring
marsh to open water, on account of which the gunners have given it
the name of Pond Bluebill.

In distribution its range 1s about the same as that of the Blue-

6

82 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

bills. It has not been observed in summer in Southern Ontario, but
breeds commonly throughout the North-West. In Alaska, Turner
mentions having seen the species at St. Michael’s and on the Aleutian
Islands, but in small numbers, and so shy that he was unable to
secure a specimen.

Genus GLAUCIONETTA StTEJNEGER.
GLAUCIONETTA CLANGULA AMERICANA (Bonap.).

51. American Golden-eye. (151)

Male:—With the head and upper neck, glossy green, and a white oval or
rounded loral spot, not touching the base of the bill-throughout; lower neck all
round, lower parts, including sides, most of the scapulars, wing coverts and
secondaries, white; the white of outer surface of wings, continuous; lining of
wings and axillars, dark; most of upper parts, black; no waving on the back
or sides; bill, black with pale or yellow end, with nostrils in anterior half;
feet, orange; webs, dusky; eyes, yellow; head, uniformly puffy. Female :—
With head snuff-brown, and no white patch in front of the eye, and white of
wings not always continuous. Length, 16-19; wing, 8-9.

Has.—North America, breeding from Maine and the British Provinces
northward; in winter, south to Cuba.

Nest, in hollow trees; it is made of grass, leaves and moss, lined with down.

Kggs, eight to ten, ashy-green.

This species is a regular visitor at Hamilton Bay during the
spring and fall migrations. While here they do not keep by them-
selves, but seek the society of whatever species may be at hand.
They are very watchful, and difficult of approach. If any one of my
readers has ever tried to scull up behind the rushes towards a bunch
of Bluebills, among which were one or two Golden-eyes, and suc-
ceeded in getting a shot, he has had much better luck than I have
had. Frequently, before getting within one hundred yards, I would
hear the whistling of the Golden-eyes’ wings, and looking up, see
them going off, with the others following. Like many others which
are known in Southern Ontario only as visitors in spring and fall,
the Golden-eyes breed in suitable places throughout the North-West
Territory.

Dr. Bell mentions their breeding near Norway House, on Hudson’s
Bay, and Mr. Nelson says: ‘In the Aleutian Islands this bird is a
winter resident, as observed by Mr. Dall. The same author also
reports it as being always one of the first arrivals along the Yukon.”
At the shooting stations in Southern Ontario it is not abundant, but

BARROWS GOLDEN-EYE. 83

at certain points, where the favorite mussels are obtained, it is more
common. Dr. Macallum mentions the mouth of the Grand River,
near Dunnville, as one of the resorts where these birds assemble in
great numbers, and remain till frozen out.

GLAUCIONETTA ISLANDICA (Gm.).

52. Barrow’s Golden-eye. (152)

Very similar to the preceding, differing chiefly in being larger in size; gloss
of the head, purple and violet; loral spot, larger; white on the wing divided by
a dark bar; feathers on the hind head lengthened into a crest; bill blotched
with red. Length, 19-22; wing, 9-10. The female can probably not be distin-
guished from the preceding.

Has.—Northern North America, south in winter to New York, Illinois and
Utah; breeding from the Gulf of St. Lawrence northward, and south in the
Rocky Mountains to Colorado.

Nest and eggs, like the preceding.

Dr. Garnier, who resides at Lucknow, a little to the east of Lake
Huron, reports the finding of this species occasionally in winter in
the inlets along the lake shore. The Doctor, who is not entirely in
harmony with the modern school of ornithologists, thinks this a case
of unnecessary subdivision. At all events, he claims to have found
both forms, and he is likely correct, for the present species is found on
Lake Michigan, which is within easy reach of the point to which the
Doctor refers. It was also taken at Toronto, by Mr. C. Pickering,
on the 1&th of April, 1885; and at Hamilton I am aware of three
being obtained, one of which came into my possession. They may,
however, be more common than we are aware, for the hunters do
not trouble the Whistlewings if anything more suitable for the table
is In view.

In the “Birds of the North-West,” Dr. Coues says: ‘“ Barrow’s
Golden-eye, upon which some doubt has been cast by myself among
others, appears, nevertheless, to be a valid species, the differences
pointed out in the Key and in other works being apparently constant
as well as appreciable ; and there being, moreover, certain anatomical
peculiarities in the form of the skull, of which I have only lately
become aware.”

“Originally described in 1788, it was subsequently re-named and
figured in 1831. The species was ignored by Audubon, who mistook
it for the summer plumage of the common Golden-eye. It is the most
northerly species of the genus, having apparently a circumpolar dis-

84 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

tribution, breeding only (?) in high latitudes, and penetrating but a
limited distance south in winter. Its claim to a place in the present
connection rests upon its occurrence in the Rocky Mountains as far
south as Utah, where it was procured by Mr. H. W. Henshaw ; on
the eastern coast it occurs as far south in winter as New York.”

Mr. Edwin Carter was the first to find the nest and eggs of this
species. He met with them in the mountains of Colorado in 1876.

Dr. Bell mentions its occurrence at Hudson’s Bay, and it has been

obtained in Manitoba, but only as a rare straggler,

Genus CHARITONETTA STEJNEGER.
CHARITONETTA ALBEOLA (Linn.).

53. Buffle-headed Duck. (153)

Somewhat similar to the clangula americana in color, but ma/e with the head
particularly putty, of varied rich iridescence, with a large white auricular patch
confluent with its fellow on the nape; small. Length, 14-16; wing, 6-7; bill, T,
with nostrils in its basal half. Female :—Still smaller, an insignificant looking
duck, with head scarcely putty, dark gray, with traces of the white auricular

patch.
Hazs.—North America, south in winter to Cuba and Mexico. Breeds from

Maine northward, through the fur countries and Alaska.

Dr. Coues (Birds N.-W., 575) describes the nest of this duck placed in the
hollow of a dead tree, and composed of feathers.

The eggs, from six to fourteen in number, are described as varying from buff

to a creamy-white or grayish-olive color.

The Bufftle-heads are common at all the shooting stations in South-
ern Ontario in spring and fall, but owing to their small size they are
not much sought after. The male in full spring dress is a very hand-
some little fellow, and, like many other animals of diminutive propor-
tions, seems to feel himself as big as any of those about him. I have
in my collection a young male of this species of a uniform cream
color, which was shot in Hamilton Bay a few years ago.

Mr. Saunders mentions that a few pairs breed at St. Clair Flats.
Throughout the North-West their distribution seems to be somewhat
irregular. Macoun says of them: “Abundant in the ponds in the
autumn, not seen in the prairie regions.” While Thompson, writing
from Carberry, says: ““Common summer resident, breeding also at
west slope of Duck Mountain, Portage la Prairie.”

From Alaska, the reports are similar. Nelson says: ‘ Bischoff
found it at Sitka, and at the Yukon mouth Dall notes them as

—

OLD SQUAW; LONG-TAILED DUCK. 85

abundant, and probably breeding. During my visit to the latter
point, extending through the latter half of May and the first half of
June, not a single individual of this species was seen, nor was it
found by me along the coast farther to the. north.”
~ Dr. Hatch, in his report on the birds of Minnesota, says of the
Buffle-head : “Such has been my confidence that to a limited extent
they breed here, that I have left no opportunity unimproved to
discover the final proof by the finding of a veritable nest. But for
this testimony I must still wait, notwithstanding the oft-repeated
assurances of several persons that they have found them. In one
instance my hopes had been nearly realized, when I found the nest to
be that of the Wood Duck.”

In Southern Ontario they are among the first to arrive in spring
and the last to leave in the fall, being apparently quite hardy and
able to stand the cold.

Genus CLANGULA Leacu.
CLANGULA HYEMALIS (Liyy.).

54. Old Squaw; Long-tailed Duck. (154)

Tail, of fourteen narrow pointed feathers, in the male in summer the central
ones very slender and much elongated, nearly or quite equalling the wing; nail
of bill occupying the whole tip; seasonal changes remarkable. Male, in sum-
mer .—With the back and the long narrowly lanceolate scapulars varied with
reddish-brown, wanting in winter, when this color is exchanged for pearly-gray
or white; general color, blackish or very dark brown; below from the breast
abruptly, white; no white on the wing; sides of head, plumbeous-gray; in

86 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

winter, the head, neck and body anteriorly, white, but the gray cheek patch
persistent, and a large dark patch below this; bill, at all seasons, black, broadly
orange barred. Female:—Without lengthened scapulars or tail feathers; the
bill, dusky greenish, and otherwise different; but recognized by presence of
head and neck patches, and absence of white on the wing. Length, 15-20 or
more, according to tail; wing, 8-9.

Has.—Northern hemisphere, in North America south to the Potomac and
the Ohio; breeds far northward.

Nest, on the ground.

Eggs, six or seven, drab color, shaded with green.

Vast numbers of “‘cowheens” (as these birds are called here) spend
the winter in Lake Ontario, out on the deep water away from the
shore. Even there they are not free from danger, for great numbers
get entangled in the gill nets. Passing along the beach in winter,
strings of drowned, draggled cowheens may be seen dangling from
the clothes lines about the fishermen’s outhouses. I have frequently
heard the fishermen, when trying to force a sale, declare positively,
that if buried in the earth for twenty-four hours before being pre-
pared for the table, these birds are excellent eating. Notwithstand-
ing this assertion, the supply still keeps ahead of the demand, and
numbers are turned over to the pigs, a sorrowful end for the beau-
tiful, lively Clangula hyemalis.

This species frequents the northern shores of both continents,
making its summer home in the Arctic regions, where, among the
tall grass by the margins of retired lakes and ponds, the nests are
found in great numbers. Nelson says, regarding its place among the
birds of Alaska: “The Old Squaw is the first duck to reach high
northern latitudes in spring, and along the Alaskan coast of Behring
Sea is one of the most abundant species during the summer. The
seal hunters find them in open spaces in the ice off St. Michael’s,
from the Ist to the 20th April, but the first open water near the
shore is sure to attract them. In the fall they retreat before the ice,
and by the 15th or 20th October they are either on their way south
or well out to sea.”

‘During the pairing season the males have a rich, musical note,
frequently repeated in deep, reed-like tones. Amid the general
chorus of water-fowl which is heard at this season, the notes of the

Old Squaw are so harmonious that the fur-traders of the upper

Yukon have christened him the Organ Duck, a well-merited name.

I have frequently stopped and listened with deep pleasure to these

harmonious tones while traversing the broad marshes in the dim
twilight at midnight, and while passing a lonely month on the dreary

i

HARLEQUIN DUCK. 87

banks of the Yukon delta I lay in my blankets many hours at night,
and listened to these rhythmical sounds which, with a few exceptions,
were the only ones to break the silence.” This cry is very familiar
to all who have occasion to be near the shores of Hamilton Bay in
“spring. Here the birds assemble in large flocks, before leaving for
the north, and when this ery is started and kept up with spirit by
each member of the flock, the concert is heard a long way off, and is
a subject of wonder to all who hear it for the first time. The note
consists of five syllables often repeated, and is variously translated
in different regions. Along the shores of the north of Scotland,
where large bands of the birds spend the winter, it is said to call for
two articles which are indispensable during the long, dark nights of
this dreary season : ‘‘Coal and can’le licht, coal and can’le licht.”

Genus HISTRIONICUS Lesson.
HISTRIONICUS HISTRIONICUS (Liyvy.).

55. Harlequin Duck. (155)

Bill, very small and short, tapering to the tip, which is wholly occupied by
the nail, and with a membraneous lobe at its base; tertiaries, curly; plumage,
singularly patched with different colors. Male :—Deep bluish lead color,
browner below; sides of the head and of the body posteriorly, chestnut;
coronal stripe and tail, black; a white patch at the base of the bill and another
on the side of the occiput, of breast and of tail, two transverse ones on side of
neck forming a nearly complete ring, and several on the wings; a white jugular
collar; speculum, violet and purple. Female :—Dark brown, paler below, a
white patch on auriculars and before the eye. Length, 15-18 inches; wing, 8 ;
bill, 1.

Haz.—Northern North America, breeding from Newfoundland, the Rocky
Mountains, and the Sierra Nevada northward; south in winter to the Middle
States and California.

Nest, composed of weeds and grass, lined with down from the breast of the
owner; it is sometimes placed in a hollow tree or stump, more frequently on
the ground, not far from the water.

Eggs, six to eight, pale green shaded with buff.

The Harlequin is found on the northern shores of Europe, Asia
and North America. On the last named continent, it breeds spar-
ingly in Maine and in the North-West as far as Alaska. It has also
been found in the northern Rocky Mountains and in the Sierra
Nevada. In winter it descends to the Middle States and California.

With these facts before us, we naturally expect to hear of the

88 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

species having been seen occasionally in Ontario, but of such occur-
ences the records are very few.

William Loane, of Toronto, reports having killed a pair near that
city in the spring of 1865, and in the fall of 1881 he killed another,
a female, which is now in the rooms of the Toronto Gun Club.

One of the residents on the beach, near Hamilton, told me some
years ago that he had seen a pair there in spring. The male in full
plumage was correctly described by my informant, and spoken of
as the most “dapper little drake” he had ever seen. The name
Harlequin is suggested by the peculiar markings on the head of the
male, which are supposed to resemble those often assumed by the
clown in a circus.

In the eighth volume of the bulletin of the Nuttal Club, Dr.
Merriam gives the following summary of the bird’s breeding range :
“In Siberia it is known to breed about Lake Baikal and in the
Bureza Mountains (Radde), in Mantchuria, and at various points in
the great Stanowi Range (von Niddendorf), about the upper Amoor
(von Schreuck) and in Kamtschatka. On the American continent
it has been found breeding along the tributaries of the Yukon in
Alaska (Dall), in the interior of the fur countries and about Hudson’s
Bay (Richardson), on the fresh-water ponds in Labrador (Audubon),
and in the Rocky Mountains within the limits of the United States
(Coues). It also nests in Greenland, Iceland and Newfoundland.”

Tn all these places, and wherever else it appears, it is regarded as

very rare.

Genus SOMATERIA Leacu.
Suspgenus SOMATERIA.
SOMATERIA DRESSERI SHaRpPE.

56. American Eider. (160)

Bill, with long club-shaped frontal processes extending in a line with the
culmen upon the sides of the forehead, divided by a broad feathered interspace.
Male :—In breeding attire, white, creamy-tinted on breast and washed with
green on the head; under parts from the breast, lower back, rump, tail, quills,
and large forked patch on the crown, black. Female :—-With the bill less
developed, general plumage an extremely variable shade of reddish-brown or
ochrey-brown, speckled, mottled and barred with darker; male in certain
stages resembling female. Length, about 2 feet; wing, 11-12 inches.

Hap.—Atlantic coast of North America, from Maine to northern Labrador,
south in winter to the Delaware.

KING EIDER. 89

Nest, on the ground, composed of dry grass, moss and sea weed, lined with
down and feathers.

Eggs, six to ten, drab, tinged with green.

The Eider Duck is essentially a bird of the sea coast, breeding
abundantly along the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador. — Its
visits to our inland waters are made during the season of migration,
when the movements of all migratory birds are considerably affected
by the prevailing winds. On Lake Ontario it is a casual visitor in
winter, but is seldom, if ever, seen there in mature plumage.

The one in my collection is a young male in the garb of the
female. I shot it from the pier of the canal at the entrance to
Hamilton Bay a few years ago. They were seen occasionally all that
winter, but they were known to be “fishy,” and as there is nothing
attractive in their dress they were not much disturbed, although they
allowed a nearer approach than other water-fowl are disposed to do.

On the 7th November, 1889, Mr. George R. White captured a
young male of this species on the river near Ottawa. It was in the
plumage of the female.

Mr. William Cross obtained a specimen which was shot at the
island near Toronto on December 6th, 1890.

Mr. Frazer found the Eider Duck breeding on the small islands
along the coast of Labrador. The nest was built in a hollow among
the soft short grass, or at the foot of a rock where it was sheltered
from the wind. It was composed of grass and lined with slate-
colored down from the breast of the bird.

SOMATERIA SPECTABILIS (Liny.).

57. King Eider. (162)

Adult, male -—Bill, pale yellow; at the base of the upper mandible is a
compressed gibbous substance of a bright orange color, the front covered with
short black feathers, the sides margined with the same color, the feathers
extending back in a point nearly to the eye; head, bluish-gray, darkest behind ;
cheeks, shaded with sea green, a spot of black below the eye; on the throat,
two lines of black forming an inverted V; middle of neck, white; lower neck.
and forepart of the breast, buff; lower plumage, blackish; a large spot of
white on either side of the rump; posteriorly, black; wings and tail, brown, the
former broadly marked with white. When in full plumage the secondaries
curve over the primaries. Length, 25 inches. Young :—Dark: brown, many
feathers on the neck margined with white; gibbous substance on the bill
scarcely perceptible. Female :-—Much like the common Eider, the shape of the

90 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

bill being the principal point of difference. Of circumpolar distribution, breed-
ing abundantly on the shores of the Arctic seas; in winter, south on the west
coast to the Aleutian Islands in great numbers. On the east, south irregularly
as far as New York.

Nest, a depression in the ground lined entirely with down.

Kggs, usually six, grayish-green.

This is a royal visitor from the north whom we are pleased to
welcome, though he rarely comes in his royal robes. Nearly all of
those found in Ontario are in immature plumage. In this garb Eider
Ducks have occasionally been seen near Toronto and Hamilton during
the winter, but they all looked so much alike that it was only after a
close examination that many of them were found to be the young of
the King Eider.

On the 25th November, 1889, Mr. Cross reports having obtained
a fine male in summer plumage which was shot in Toronto Bay.
There must have been something irregular about this specimen, for
Mr. Murdoch and others, who have seen them in the summer, report
that as soon as the breeding season is over the male loses the gay,
light-colored plumage, and assumes a plain brown dress similar to
that of the female, the change in the majority of cases taking place
in September.

The species is reported from Lake Erie by Dr. Wheaton, of
Columbus, and also by Dr. Bergtold, of Buffalo, but neither mentions
in what dress it appeared.

Mr. Murdoch names this as the most abundant bird at Point
Barrow, where it appears in enormous numbers during the season of:
migration. Very few remain there to breed, the great bulk of the
species going along the coast to the eastward of the Point, where they
settle down early in May.

Genus OJIDEMIA FLEMING.
Suspcenus OIDEMIA.
OIDEMIA AMERICANA (Sw. & RicH.).

58. American Scoter. (163)

Plumage of male, entirely black; bill, black; the gibbosity, orange.
Female :—Sooty-brown, paler below; on the belly, grayish-white, speckled with
dusky; waved with dusky on the sides and flanks; throat and sides of the
head, mostly whitish; feet, livid-olive; webs, black. Length, 22 to 24 inches s;-
female, 18 to 20 inches.

AMERICAN SCOTER. 91

Has.—Coasts and larger lakes of northern North America. Breeds in Lab-
rador and the northern interior. South in winter to New Jersey, the Great
Lakes and California.

Nest, in a hollow in the ground near the water. It is lined with coarse
grass, feathers and down.

Eggs, six to eight, pale brownish-buff.

This is one of the sea ducks whose home is in the north, and its.
line of migration being mostly along the sea coast, its visits to the
inland waters are only accidental. The specimen in my collection
was obtained at the west end of Lake Ontario, where the species is
often seen in the fall, in company with others of its class.

Being undesirable either for use or ornament, it is allowed to
spend the time of its visit here in peace.

Mr. White reports it as a regular visitor at Ottawa, where it
appears singly, or in small numbers, in the fall.

Dr. Bergtold also mentions its being found in Lake Erie near
Buffalo.

Mr. E. W. Nelson, speaking of these birds in Alaska, where they
breed in great numbers, says :

‘At St. Michael’s these ducks are never seen in spring until
the ice begins to break off shore and the marshes are dotted with pools
of open water. May 16th is the earliest date of arrival I recorded.
Toward the end of this month they leave the leads in the ice and are
found in abundance among the salt and fresh water ponds in the
great marshes, from the Yukon mouth north and south. The mating
is quickly accomplished, and a nesting site chosen on the border of
some pond. The spot is artfully hidden in the standing grass, and
the eggs, if left by the parent, are carefully covered with grass and
moss. As the set of eggs is completed, the male gradually loses
interest in the female, and soon deserts her to join great flocks of
his kind along the sea shore, usually keeping in the vicinity of a bay,
inlet, or the mouth of some large stream. These flocks are formed
early in June and continue to grow larger until the fall migration
occurs. The numbers gradually decrease until the 10th to the 15th
of October, when all have gone south. Until the young are about
half grown, the female usually keeps them in some large pond near the
nesting place, but as August passes they gradually work their way to
the coast, and are found about the shores and inner bays until able to
fly. They do not at any time ascend rivers, preferring to keep near
the sea shore.”

92 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

SuspGgENus MELANITTA Bote.
OIDEMIA DEGLANDI Bownap.

59. White-winged Scoter. (165)

JMale:—With a large patch of white on the wing and another under the eye;
feet, orange-red, with dusky webs; bill, black, broadly tipped with orange.
Female:—Sooty-brown, grayish below; whitish about the head; speculum,
white. Length, 24 to 26 inches; female, 20 to 22 inches.

Has.—Northern North America; breeding in Labrador and the fur countries;
south in winter to the Middle States, southern Illinois and southern California.

Audubon found this species breeding in Labrador. The nests were built by
the side of small lakes, two or three miles distant from the sea, and usually
placed under low bushes. They were formed of twigs, mosses and various plants
matted together, and were large and almost flat, several inches thick, and lined
with feathers. |

Eggs, usually six, pale buff, clouded with green.

This is the most numerous of the three Scoters which are found in
Ontario, for it seems more partial to the inland waters than either of
the others.

In spring and fall it is common on all the large lakes, and it is
reported at Buffalo, Ottawa, Kingston, Toronto, Hamilton, ete.

They are large, heavy bicds, and their jet-black color makes them
look larger than they really are.

When moving about from one place to another, they fly heavily, at
no great height above the water. They have not the restless habits
of some other species, and if left undisturbed, will remain for days
together feeding near the same spot.

At Hamilton Bay they are regular visitors, appearing toward the
end of April, and remaining for two or three weeks. Very soon after
their arrival, they are affected by some malady which results in many
ot their number being washed up dead on the shore. These birds are
in fine plumage and excellent condition, but that does not save them.
Whether they bring the seeds of disease with them when they come,
or whether the emptying of the city sewage and refuse from the
oil refineries into the bay has anything to do with their trouble, has
not yet been determined.

In the spring of the present year (1893), this disease prevailed to
as great an extent as formerly, so many as six bodies being observed
in a walk of half a mile along the shore.

Mr. Nelson saw very few of this species in Alaska, but they breed
abundantly on the lower Anderson River. They have also been
observed in summer on Lake Winnipeg and other lakes in Manitoba,
where they were supposed to be breeding.

———

SURF SCOTER. 93.

SuBGENUS PELIONETTA Kaup.
OIDEMIA PERSPICILLATA (Liny.).

- 60. Surf Scoter. (166)

Bill, narrowly encroached upon by the frontal feathers, on the culmen,
nearly or quite to the nostril, but not at all upon its sides; about as long as the
head, with nail narrowed anteriorly. The swelling lateral as well as superior,
nostrils beyond its middle. Bill of ma/e, orange-red, whitish on the sides, with
a large circular black base; plumage, black, with a patch of white on the fore-
head, and another on the nape; none on the wing. /emal/e:—Smaller ; bill,
black; feet, dark, tinged with reddish; webs, black; plumage, sooty-brown ;
below, silvery-gray; whitish patches on each side of the head. Length, 22 to
24 inches; female, 20 to 22 inches.

Has.—Coasts and larger inland waters of northern North America. South
in winter to the Carolinas, Ohio River and Lower California.

Audubon observed this species breeding in Labrador. He found a nest in a
fresh-water marsh, among the tall grass and weeds. It was composed entirely
of withered weeds, lined with the down of the birds, and contained five eggs of
a pale yellowish or cream color.

This handsome Scoter visits the waters of Ontario in spring and
fall, where it is observed in limited numbers in company with the
white-winged species, which it resembles in its habits, the clear white
patches in marked contrast to the deep black of the plumage serving,
even at a distance, to mark its presence in a flock. It is never
numerous, though more frequently seen than the black Scoter ; and
has been observed at Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa and along the sea
coast. It breeds in immense numbers in the north, and judging from
the fact of so few being seen elsewhere, it is probable that the bulk of
the species remain there over the winter.

Mr. Nelson, in his ‘“ Birds of Alaska,” says regarding this species:
“During the summer of 1881 I found them common about the head
of Norton Sound, on both shores of Behring Strait, and in Kotzebue
Sound. Although I did not find these birds nesting commonly near
St. Michael’s, yet from about the first of July until autumn, immense
flocks of males frequented the shores of St. Michael’s and the adjoin-
ing Stewart Island. The seaward shores formed the ordinary haunts
of these birds until the approach of a gale forced them to seek the
lee of the islands or the sheltering bays. From the fact that these
flocks are formed exclusively of males, it is evident that the females
assume the duties of incubating the eggs and rearing the young.

“The main breeding ground of this species remains unknown to
me, for, although females and young were not rare in summer, they

94 BIRDS OF ONTARIO,

were never numerous enough to account for the vast numbers of
males to be found.

“On August 23rd, 1878, I visited Stewart Island, about ten miles
to the seaward of St. Michael’s. As I neared the island in my kyak,
I found the water literally black with the males of this species, which
were united in an enormous flock, forming a continuous band around
the outer end of the island for a distance of about ten miles in
length, and from one-half to three-fourths of a mile in width. As the
boat approached them, those nearest began to rise heavily by aid of
wings and feet from the glassy surface of the undulating but calm
water. The first to rise communicated the alarm to those beyond,
until as far as could be seen the water was covered with flapping
wings, and the air filled with a roar like that of a cataract. The
rapid vibration produced in the air by tens of thousands of wings
could be plainly felt.

“Tn all my northern experience among the water-fowl which flock
there in summer, I never saw any approach to the number of large
birds gathered here in one flock, nor shall T soon forget the grand
effect produced by this enormous body of birds as they took wing and
swept out to sea in a great black cloud, and settled again a mile or so
away.”

Genus ERISMATURA Bownap.
ERISMATURA RUBIDA (Wizs.).

61. Ruddy Duck. (167)

Male in full plumage:—Bill, slaty-blue; the nail, black ; neck all round and
the upper parts, bright chestnut; the lower parts, silky white, watered with
dusky ; chin and sides of the head, white; the crown and nape, black. Female :—
Brown above, finely dotted and waved with dusky; paler and duller below,
with sometimes a slight tawny tinge, which also occurs on the side of the head.
Length, 14-17; wing, 5-6; tarsus, 1}.

Has.—Northern North America, generally breeding throughout its range.

Nest, on the bog near the water.

Kggs, five to ten; grayish-white.

Mr. Shields writes from Los Angeles, California, that it breeds there
abundantly, preferring the abandoned nest of a coot to one of its own making.

The Ruddy Duck is very generally distributed throughout Ontario,
but, except near its breeding places, it appears only as a visitor in
spring and fall. At the St. Clair Flats, I have seen it in summer,
and have been told that a few pairs breed there every season, The

GREATER SNOW GOOSE. 95

greatest number I ever saw at one place was in a fisherman’s wagon
in the Hamilton market. It was early in May. A large flock,
composed chiefly of males and numbering about 150, had become
entangled in the gill nets, and been drowned in Lake Ontario, where
they had tarried for rest and refreshment. The fishermen, main-
taining that all is fish which comes into the net, tried to make the
most of their “haul.” But, although the birds attracted a good deal
of notice on account of their being strangers and richly dressed, they
did not meet with a ready sale.

Throughout Ontario they are found at all suitable places, and Dr.
Bell, of the Geological Survey, reports one being shot at York Factory,
where it was considered rare, because their breeding places are
usually farther south.

Dr. Coues found them nesting in Dakota and Montana, and they
have even been known to breed in Cuba, West Indies.

As divers, they have no equal among the ducks; and they also
have the power of suddenly sinking backward, forward, or sideways,
after the manner of the Grebes, without disturbing the surface to any
extent. They can remain a long time under water, and a chase after
a wounded one is a hopeless task.

The eye is placed high in the head, the lower plumage is stiff and
glossy, and the tail is black, short and rounded, the feathers being
very stiff and narrow. When not in use it is carried erect, giving the
bird a very spirited look when seen amongst others which carry their
tails horizontally.

SUBFAMILY ANSERIN A Geese.
Genus CHEN Bot.
CHEN HYPERBOREA NIVALIS (Forsr.).

62. Greater Snow Goose. (169)

Bill, with laminz very prominent, owing to arching of the edges of the bill;
adult plumage, pure white, the head often washed with rusty red; primaries,
broadly tipped with black; bill, lake-red, with white nail; feet, the same;
claws, dark. ‘* Young:—Dull bluish or pale lead color on the head and upper
part of the body.”—Cassry. Length, about 30 inches; wing, 17 to 19; tail,
o¢ to 6; bill, 24; tarsus, 34.

Has.—North America; breeding far north, and migrating south in winter,
chiefly along the Pacific coast, reaching Cuba.

Eggs, five to eight, yellowish-white.

96 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

In Ontario the Snow Goose can only be regarded as a casual
visitor during the season of migration, for its summer home, accord-
ing to Dr. Bell, is “still to the north of the regions known to the
Eskimo,” whence it retires to the south at the approach ot winter.
Tt is seen at different points in this province during spring and fall,
but as there are seldom more than two or three together, they are
regarded as stragglers from the main body, whose line of migration
is along the Mississippi or the Pacific coast. The specimen in my
collection was killed at the Beach, in the month of December, a
few years ago, while making its way toward the open water in Lake
Ontario.

Dr. Macallum, speaking of the occurrence of this species at Dunn-
ville, says: ‘The Greater Snow Goose is often seen here in small flocks
in the fall, when they frequent fall-wheat fields near the lake, often
in company with the Canada Geese. I have three specimens in my
collection taken here, two of which came up to farmers’ barns with
the tame ducks and were domesticated.”

Sir John Richardson, in the Mauna Boreali Americana atter
noting the abundance of these birds, continues: “The eggs, of a
yellowish-white color, and regularly ovate form, are a little larger
than those of an Eider Duck, their length being three inches and their
greatest breadth two. The young fly in August, and by the middle
of September all have departed southward.

‘The Snow Goose feeds on rushes, insects and, in autumn, on
berries, particularly those of the empetrum nigrum. © When well
fed it is a very excellent bird, far superior to the Canada Goose in
juiciness and flavor. It is said that the young do not attain their full
plumage before the fourth year, and until that period they appear to
keep in separate flocks. They are numerous at Albany Fort, in the
southern part of Hudson’s Bay, where the old birds are rarely seen,
and, on the other hand, the old birds in their migrations visit York
Factory in great abundance, but are seldom accompanied by the
young,”

Samples of the eggs in the Smithsonian Institute agree exactly
with the above description, but show the usual variation in size,
some being noticeably less than three inches in length by over two
in breadth.

The occurrence of one specimen of the Lesser Snow Goose (Chen
hyperborea) is reported by Mr. W. E. Saunders.

AMERICAN WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. 97

Genus ANSER Brisson.
ANSER ALBIFRONS GAMBELTI (Harzt1.).

63. American White-fronted Goose. (171)

Tail, normally of sixteen feathers; bill, smooth, the laminze moderately
exposed. Adu/t:—Bill, pink, pale lake or carmine; nails, white; feet, yellow;
claws, white. A white band along base of upper mandible, bordered behind by
blackish ; upper tail coverts, white; under parts, whitish, blotched with black ;
sides of the rump and crissum, white; head and neck, grayish-brown, shading
lighter as it joins the breast; back, dark gray, the feathers tipped with brown;
greater coverts and secondaries, bordered with whitish; primaries and coverts,
edged and tipped with white; shaft of quills, white. Young:—Prevailing color,
brown; no white on the forehead, which is darker than the rest of the head; no
black on under parts. Length, about 27 inches; wing, 16; tail, 5; tarsus, 2.75.

Has.—North America ;-south to Cuba and Mexico.

Nest, a depression in the sand, lined with hay, feathers and down.

Eggs, six or seven, smooth, dull yellowish, with an olive shade, marked in
places with a darker tint.

This, like the preceding species, is only a casual visitor in Ontario,
the vast flocks which annually leave their breeding grounds in the
north at the approach of winter evidently preferring to make their
journey along the western coast rather than by the Atlantic or
through the interior. Stragglers have«been observed at the various
shooting stations, where they are considered rare. The specimen in
my collection was shot at the St. Clair Flats, and is an immature
male.

Speaking of this species in the ‘“ Birds of Alaska,” Nelson says :
‘In early seasons the first White-fronted Goose reaches St. Michael’s
about April 27th, but the usual time is from the 5th to the 8th of
May. From about the 10th of May they are very common, and
remain to breed in considerable numbers all along the Alaskan shore
of Behring Sea and on the Arctic coast of Point Barrow, where they
are plentiful, arriving the latter half of May.”

“During the summer of 1881, a number were found breeding
upon St. Lawrence Island, and they also nest on the Siberian shore
in the vicinity of Behring Strait.

“During the migrations, they occur at various points along the
Aleutian chain, but are not known to breed there. Dall found their
eggs all along the Yukon, from Fort Yukon to the sea, and it is well
known as a widely spread species, breeding all around the Arctic
mainland portions of America.”

7

98 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

g, which have been on the

wing since August, gather in larger flocks, and as the sharp frosts

‘“‘ All through September, old and youn

toward the end of September warn them of approaching winter, com-
mence moving south. The marshes resound with their cries, and
after some days of chattering, flying back and forth, and a general
bustle, they suddenly start off in considerable flocks, and the few
laggards which remain get away by the 7th or 8th of October,” to
return again late in April or early in May, according to the season.

Genus BRANTA Scopott.
BRANTA CANADENSIS (Liny.).

64. Canada Goose; Wild Goose. (172)

Tail, normally, eighteen feathered. Grayish-brown, below paler or whitish-
gray, bleaching on the crissum, all the feathers with lighter edges ; head and
neck, black, with a broad white patch on the throat mounting each side of the
head; tail, black, with white upper coverts. Length, about 36; wing, 18-20;
tail, 63-74; bill, 12-2; tarsus, usually over 3.

Has.—The whole of North America, breeding in the United States, as well
as further north. Accidental‘in Europe.

Nests, usually a hollow in the sand, lined with down, and a few sticks
round the outer edge. In the ‘Birds of the North-West,” Dr. Coues makes
mention of their breeding in trees in the upper Missouri and Yellowstone
regions, carrying their young to the water in their bill.

Kggs, five, pale dull green.

The Canada Goose is the most abundant and best known of its
class in Ontario. Early in April the A-shaped flocks are seen passing
on to their breeding grounds in the North-West, led by an experienced
gander, whose well-known call is weleomed by the Canadian people
as the harbinger of spring. It is associated with the return of
warmer days, and the passing away of the ice which for so many
months has held everything under control.

In former years the flocks used sometimes to settle in Hanilene
Bay, and similar places on their route, for rest and refreshments ; but
now their haunts have been invaded by trolley cars, electric lights,
telegraph wires and other innovations, which cause them to fly high
and to pass on with fewer stoppages.

Their return in the fall is eagerly watched for at the shooting
stations; but so acute is their sense of hearing, and so careful are

CANADA GOOSE; WILD GOOSE. 99

they in the selection of a resting place, that only a very few are
obtained.

Dr. Bell, of the Geological Survey of Canada, who is well ac-
quainted with our native birds, and has furnished much valuable
information regarding their habits in the different regions he has
visited, says of this species: ‘The southern limit of the ordinary
breeding ground of the Canada Goose runs north-westward across the
continent from the Maritime Provinces to the valley of the McKenzie.
I have met with them breeding in considerable numbers in the
interior of Newfoundland, but in the same latitude, between the Great
Lakes and James’ Bay, only chance pairs lag behind in their north-
ward flight to hatch their broods, They also breed on the islands
along the east coast of Hudson’s Bay. To the westward of the bay
they are first met with, raising their young on the lower part of
Churchill River. To the eastward it is said that very few Canada
Geese breed northward of Hudson’s Strait.”

In these remote regions they no doubt enjoy the quiet which is
necessary to the raising of their young. Farther south, while on their
migratory journeys, they are subjected to continual persecution, which
has trained them to be extremely vigilant; and when feeding or
reposing on the water, sentinels are placed on the outskirts of the
flock, who at once spread the alarm on the slightest appearance of
danger. “So acute,” says Audubon, “is their sense of hearing, that
they are able to distinguish the different sounds or footsteps of their
friends or foes with astonishing accuracy. Thus the breaking of a
stick by a deer is distinguished from the same accident occasioned
by a man. If a dozen large turtles drop into the water making a
great noise in their fall, or if the same effect has been produced by an
alligator, the wild goose pays no regard to it; but however faint and
distant may be the sound of an Indian paddle that may by accident
have struck the side of the canoe, it is at once marked. Every
individual raises its head and looks intently towards the place from
which the noise has proceeded, and in silence all watch the move-
ments of the enemy.”

100 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

BRANTA CANADENSIS HUTCHINSII Sw. & Ricu.

65. Hutchin’s Goose. (172c)

Tail, of sixteen feathers; colors, exactly as in the Canada Goose but size less.
Length, about 30 inches; wing, 15-17; tail, 5-6; bill, 14-12.

Has.—North America. Breeds in the Arctic regions, south in winter to
Mexico.

Nest, usually a depression in the sandy beach, lined with leaves, grass,
feathers and down. Inthe Anderson River region, the eggs of this species have
been taken from the deserted nests of crows and hawks.

Kggs, white, four to six, laid in June or July.

This is apparently a small race of the preceding, from which it
differs slightly in plumage, and it has been raised to the rank of a
separate subspecies, in which position it is as easily considered as in
any other. Small geese are occasionally seen in company with the
last groups of the others which pass in spring, but they are fewer in
number and are less frequently obtained.

I once saw a fine pair of these birds in the hands of a local
taxidermist, with whom they had been left to be “stuffed,” and with
such vigor was the operation performed, that when finished it was a
hard matter for anyone to tell to which species the birds originally
belonged.

The differences between Hutchin’s and the Canada Goose seem to
be constant, and most writers are satisfied to treat them as now
placed.

Mr. E. W. Nelson, who was familiar with the appearance of this
species as it occurred at St. Michael’s and the mouth of the Yukon,
says regarding it in the “ Birds of Alaska”: “ From my observations
I should decide the centre of abundance of this species to be along
the lower Yukon and thence south to the Kuskoquim.”

“The main difference between this form and canadensis is the
smaller size of the former. In hutchinsii, the black of the head and
neck tends to assume a glossier black, and the dark color very com-
monly encroaches upon the white cheek patches, frequently separating
them by a broad black throat-band. The main distinction, however,
besides the smaller size, is in the much lighter color of the lower
surface. The white abdominal area extends forward and almost
encloses the thigh in some cases, and almost invariably there is no
definite line of demarcation between the white and brown areas. In
addition, the grayish-brown of the breast is very light, and the

BRANT—WHISTLING SWAN. 101

encroachment of the white upon its posterior border gives a mottled
gray and white surface.”

I have given the above details in full, so that anyone meeting the
species may be able to identify it.

BRANTA BERNICLA (Liny.).

66:, Brant. , (173)

Bill, feet and claws, black; head, neck all round and a little of the forepart
of the body, glossy black; on each side of the neck a small patch of white
streaks, also some touches of white on the eyelids and chin; breast, ashy-gray,
beginning abruptly from the black, fading on the belly and crissum into white ;
tail feathers, wing quills and primary coverts, blackish, the inner quills whitish
toward the base. Length, 24 inches; tail, 4-5.

Haxs.—Northern portions of northern hemisphere, partial to salt water, rare
in the interior. Breeds only within the Arctic circle.

Nest, a hollow on a sandy beach, lined with feathers and down.

Eggs, four to six, grayish or dirty white.

This is another casual visitor to the waters of Ontario, where it is
less frequently seen than any other of the geese. It is by no means
a scarce species, but seems partial to the sea coast. In Mr. Saunders’
“ Tist of Birds of Western Ontario,” it is mentioned as a rather rare
migrant. I have only seen it once, flying past out of range.

The Brant is of almost cosmopolitan distribution, being found on
the sea coast of Europe and eastern North America, breeding only
within the Arctic circle. It is said to breed in immense numbers in
Spitzbergen and on the islands along the coast. On the rocky
shores of Greenland, where it also breeds, the nests are often placed
on the ledges of the rocks.

SuBFAMILY CYGNIN AM. Swans.
Genus OLOR WaGtLe_er.
OLOR COLUMBIANUS (Orp.).

67. Whistling Swan. (180)

Pure white; head often stained with rusty; bill, black, usually with small
yellow spot; iris, dark brown; feet, black. Length, 43 feet; wing, 21-22 inches.

Has.—The whole of North America, breeding far north.

Nest, in a tussock of grass near the water, often surrounded by it so closely
that the bird while sitting on the eggs has her feet submerged.

Eggs, two to five, white, often stained with brown.

102 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

These beautiful birds, never at any point abundant, are seldom
seen in Ontario, because they breed in the far north, and generally
make their migratory journey along the sea coast, east or west, where
they spend the winter.

In the interior they are sometimes seen singly or in pairs at the
shooting stations, where rifle bullets and buck shot at once come into
demand.

I once saw four, in full adult plumage, come up Lake Ontario on
a stormy afternoon toward the end of March. They alighted for a
short time on the open water near the canal, but had a wild, restless
look, evidently feeling themselves off their route, and they soon
wheeled around and went off east again.

On another occasion a family of four visited Hamilton Bay in the
fall. They were not allowed to remain long undisturbed, and one
young bird was so disabled by a pellet of shot in the wing, that it
was prevented from leaving with the others. It could still take care
of itself, however, and remained till the bay was frozen over, when it
walked ashore, and was captured in an exhausted condition by one of
the fishermen.

Writing from Dunnville, in August, 1893, -Dr. Macallum says :
“On the 24th of April last, a fine young female Whistling Swan was
shot here, which had been frequenting the river for about six weeks.
One or more of this species visit us every spring.”

During such visits they sometimes get bewildered by fog, and so
fall into the hands of the enemy.

Dr. Bell tells us: “This species breeds near Churchill, and on
the islands toward the eastern side of Hudson’s Bay. Their skins
constitute an article of trade, but only a small number of them are
collected annually.”

For further particulars of their habits we turn again to Mr. Nelson,
who is one of the few who have been privileged to see the birds in
their northern home.

He says: “The last of June or first of July the young are hatched,
and soon after the parents lead them to the vicinity of some large
lake or stream, arid there the old birds moult their quill feathers, and
are unable to fly. They are pursued by the natives at this season,
and many are speared from canoes and kyaks. Although unable
to fly, it is no easy task, single-handed, to capture them alive. The
young men among the Eskimo consider it a remarkable exhibition
of fleetness and endurance for one of their number to capture a
bird by running it down.

TRUMPETER SWAN. 1038

“ About twenty miles from St. Michael’s, toward the Yukon
mouth, is a small, shallow lake, about one-fourth of a mile in diame-
ter, which is grown up with ‘horse-tails’ (Hquisitwm). This lakelet
forms a general rendezvous for all the swans of that vicinity during
the summer and fall. During the breeding season they gather there
to feed, and the males make it their home. In autumn, as the old
birds regain their wing feathers and the young are able to fly, all
congregate here, so that I have rarely passed this place without
seeing from one hundred to five hundred swans gathered in this
small area.

“JT have frequently sat and listened with the keenest pleasure to
the organ-like swell and fall in their notes, as they were wafted on in
rich, full harmony, then sank to a faint murmur, not unlike that of
running water. A series of low hillocks afforded a cover by which
the lake could be approached, and it was a majestic sight to lie there
on a mossy knoll, and gaze on the unsuspecting groups of these
graceful birds as they swam back and forth, within rifle shot, not
suspecting our presence. Their snowy bodies and beautiful forms, as
I last saw them in that far away spot, will linger long in my mind as
one of the most unique and interesting sights of my experience in
the north. The report of a rifle is sufficient to change the scene into
wild confusion. A chorus of confused cries and the heavy beating of
hundreds of mighty wings is heard. A cloud of white rises, breaks
into numerous fragments, and the birds scatter over the wide flats
on every side.”

“Toward the end of September these birds begin to gather into
flocks, preparatory to migrating, and from the last of this month to
the 6th or 8th of October all leave for the south, the exact date
varying with the season.”

OLOR BUCCINATOR (Ricn.).

68. Trumpeter Swan. (181)

Adult :—Plumage, entirely white; younger, the head and neck washed with
a rusty brown; still younger, gray or ashy; bill and feet, black. Length, 4-5
feet ; tail (normally), of twenty-four feathers; no yellow spots on bill, which is
rather longer than the head, the nostrils fairly in its basal half.

Has.—Chiefly the interior of North America, from the Gulf coast to the
fur countries, breeding from Iowa and Dakota northward, west to the Pacific
coast, but rare or casual on the Atlantic.

104 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Nest, on dry, high ground, near the beach, a mixture of grass, down and
feathers.

Eggs, two to five, dull white, stained with brown, shell rough.

Swans are seen nearly every spring and fall at one or other of the
shooting stations in western Ontario, but the points of specific dis-
tinction are so inconspicuous that unless the birds are secured, it is
difficult to tell to which species they belong. Dr. Garnier reports
having taken one at Mitchell’s Bay. There was one in the collection
sent from Toronto to Paris in 1867, and I have seen two which were
killed at Long Point, in Lake Erie.

The highway of this species from north to south is evidently by
the Mississippi Valley, where it is quite common during the period of
migration, those we see here being merely stragglers off the route.

The history of this swan is not so well known as that of the other.
Nelson mentions one specimen with its eggs having been secured at
Fort Yukon, which renders it an Alaskan species, though there is no
further evidence of its presence in the territory. The lack of obser-
vations may be owing to the fact that the interior of Alaska remains
almost unexplored, so far as its summer birds are concerned. Hearne
speaks of both species breeding on the islands in the lakes to the
north-west of Hudson’s Bay, and Sir John Richardson gives the
Trumpeter a breeding range of from 61° north to well within the
Arctic circle.

OrpER HERODIONES. Herons, Srorxs, Ipisks, Ere.
SUBORDER IBIDES. SpoonsBiLLs AND IBISES.
Famity IBIDIDA. [stseEs.
Genus PLEGADIS Kavp.
PLEGADIS AUTUMNALIS (HasseEtq.).

69. Glossy Ibis. (186)

Plumage, rich dark chestnut, changing to glossy dark green, with purplish
reflections on the head, wings and elsewhere; bill, dark. Young:—Similar,
much duller, or grayish brown, especially on the head and neck, which are
white streaked. Claws, slender, nearly straight; head, bare only about the
eyes and between the forks of the jaw. Length, about 2 feet; wing, 10-11;
tail, 4; bill, 44; tarsus, 34; middle toe and claw, 3.

Has.—Northern Old World, West Indies, and eastern United States. Only
locally abundant, and of irregular distribution in America.

AMERICAN BITTERN. 105

Nest, among the reeds, built of dead and withered reeds, attached to the
living ones, well and firmly built, not far above the water.

The eggs of the Glossy Ibis measure from 1-90 by 1-45 to 2-10 by 1-50,
and are of a dull greenish-blue color, without markings. The number usually

deposited is believed to be three.

About the end of May, 1857, Mr. John Bates, whose farm adjoins
the creek near the Hamilton waterworks, saw two tired-looking birds
which he took to be curlews, circling round with the evident inten-
tion of alighting near the creek. Mr. Bates’ gun was always in
order, and none in the neighborhood at that time knew better than
he how to use it. In a few minutes he picked up a pair of Glossy
Ibises, the only birds of the kind which have been observed in
Ontario. This pair, which subsequently came into my possession,
were male and female in fine adult plumage. They are not common
anywhere on the American continent. Wilson knew nothing of the
species, nor was it known to naturalists till after his death.

This bird is widely distributed and well known in Europe, and
has also been observed in Africa. A few breed in the West Indies,
and also in the more southern parts of the eastern United States,
but the habitat is local, and the numbers small. In the west is a
closely allied species, named the White-faced Glossy Ibis, which is
very common along the coast of California to Oregon.

SUBORDER HERODII. Herons, EGREts, BITTERNS, ETC.
Famity ARDEIDA. Herons, BITTERNs, ETC.
Suspramity BOTAURIN A. Birtrerns.

Genus BOTAURUS Hermann.

Suscenus BOTAURUS.

BOTAURUS LENTIGINOSUS (Montae.).

70. American Bittern. (190)

Plumage of upper part, singularly freckled with brown of various shades,
blackish, tawny and whitish; neck and under parts, ochrey or tawny-white ;
each feather marked with a brown dark-edged stripe; the throat line, white,
with brown streaks; a velvety-black patch on each side of the neck above;
crown, dull brown, with buff superciliary stripe; tail, brown; quills, greenish-
black, with a glaucous shade, brown tipped; bill, black and yellowish; legs,
greenish; soles, yellow. Length, 23-28; wing, 10-13; tail, 45; bill, about 3;
tarsus, about 34.

106 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Has.—Temperate North America, south to Guatemala and the West Indies.

The nest of the Bittern is placed on the ground.

The eggs, three to five in number, are brownish-drab, measuring about 2.00
by 1.50.

The American Bittern is a common summer resident, found in all
suitable places throughout Ontario, where, during the early summer,
may be heard the peculiar clunking sound which has gained for the
species the not inappropriate name of ‘Stake Driver.” It seldom
leaves the marsh, where it makes its home and finds its favorite fare
of fish, frogs and lizards. It drops readily to a ight charge of shot,
but when wounded makes a fierce resistance, raising the feathers of
the head and neck and striking straight at the eye of a dog with its
sharp-pointed bill. It arrives as soon as the flags begin to show
green, about the end of April, and leaves again for the south toward
the end of September, or later, according to the weather.

During the breeding season it has a wide distribution, being quite
common in the Northern States, and Dr. Bell tells us it is found on
both sides of Hudson’s Bay. It does not frequent the clear, running
stream, but the wide, stagnant marsh, where its cry is one of the
characteristic sounds heard the summer through. The cry is very
peculiar, and I do not think it well understood just how it is pro-
duced. Many people believe that it is caused by water being taken
into the throat and quickly thrown out again, but so far as I have
noticed, no water is used in the operation.

Once or twice, while hidden among the reeds watching for ducks,
I have seen a bittern uttering his love notes, and the impression
made upon me was, that however pleasing they might be to the ears
for which they were intended, their production must be painful to
the operator, for he looked as if he had recently taken a violent
emetic, and was suffering the usual results.

There are two distinct calls used by these birds, but whether or
not any one bird can utter both is not at present known. These
calls consist of three syllables each, with the accent strongest on the
first and weakest on the middle syllable. They are heard with about
equal frequency. One is soft and windy, like “‘pumph-ah-gah,” while
the other is harder and more decided, like ‘“ chunk-a-lunk.” Both are
repeated a good many times, and in the still evening, when they are
most frequently observed, they can be heard a long way off. This
call, though loud and deep, is not equal in that respect to the call of
the British Bittern, which is said to resemble the bellowing of a bull,
and is the origin of the term Botawrus, by which the bird is now

AMERICAN BITTERN. 107

known. In the “Old Country,” it is very generally believed that
when the Bittern booms, the whole floating bog on which he is stand-
ing at the time vibrates with the sound.

Burns knew this, and refers to it in his writings. We often wish
‘that he had said more about the birds, for the incidental references
he makes show that he was a close observer, and well acquainted
with their habits.

This will be noticed in the passage in which the Bittern is referred
to. He is calling on the feathered tribes to join him in mourning
the loss of his friend, Capt. Matthew Henderson :

‘© Mourn, ye wee songsters 0’ the wood;
Ye grouse that crap the heather-bud ;
Ye curlews calling thro’ a clud;

Ye whistling plover ;
And mourn, ye whirring paitrick brood ;
He’s gane for ever !

Mourn, sooty coots, and speckled teals,

Ye fisher herons, watching eels;

Ye duck and drake, wi’ airy wheels
Circling the lake ;

Ye bitterns, till the quagmire reels,
Rair for his sake.

** Mourn, clam’ring craiks, at close o’ day,
"Mang fields o’ flow’ring clover gay ;
And when ye wing your annual way

Frae our cauld shore,
Tell thae far warlds, wha lies in clay,
Wham we deplore.

** Ye houlets, frae your ivy bow’r
In some auld tree, or eldritch tow’r,
What time the moon, wi silent glow’r,
Sets up her horn,
Wail thro’ the dreary midnight hour
Till waukrife morn !”

In the spring the plumage of the American Bittern often looks
bleached and faded, but in the fall their shades of brown and yellow
are exceedingly rich. When wishing to escape notice, I have seen
them standing perfectly still among the bulrushes, with the neck
extended and the bill pointing straight upwards. On these occasions,
their colors were in such perfect harmony with the surroundings that
so long as they kept still they were rarely observed.

108 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Suscenus ARDETTA Gray.
BOTAURUS EXILIS (GmMeEt.).

Tl Least Bittern, (192)

No peculiar feathers, but those of the lower neck, long and loose, as in the
Bittern; size, very small; 11-14 inches long; wing, 4-5; tail, 2 or less; bill, 2
or less; tarsus, about 12. Male :—With the slightly crested crown, back and
tail, glossy greenish-black ; neck behind, most of the wing coverts, and outer
edges of inner quills, rich chestnut, other wing coverts, brownish-yellow; front
and sides of neck and under parts, brownish-yellow varied with white along the
throat line, the sides of the breast with a blackish-brown patch; bill and lores
mostly pale yellow, the culmen blackish; eyes and soles, yellow; legs, greenish-
yellow. Female :—With the black of the back entirely, that of the crown
mostly or wholly replaced by rich purplish-chestnut; the edges of the scapulars
forming a brownish-white stripe on either side. Length, 11-14; wing, 4-5; tail,
bill, tarsus, 2 each.

Has.—Temperate North America, from the British Provinces to the West
Indies and Brazil.

Nest, among the rushes.

Eggs, three to five, white with a bluish tinge.

This diminutive Bittern, though seemingly slender and tender, is
not only generally distributed in Southern Ontario, but has been
reported by Professor Macoun ‘‘common throughout the country ”
in the North-West, and Dr. Bell has specimens from Manitoba and
from York Factory. At Hamilton Bay it is a regular summer
resident, raising its young in the most retired parts of the marsh.
The nest is large for the size of the bird, a platform being made for
its support by bending down the flags till they cross each other a
foot or more above the water level. The whole affair is very loose
and readily falls asunder at the close of the season. The Least
Bittern is not supposed to be so plentiful as its big brother, but from
its retiring habits may be more so than we are aware. It is seldom
seen except by those who invade its favorite haunts, and when
disturbed it rises without note or noise of any kind, and with a
wavering, uncertain flight passes off for a short distance, again to
drop among the rushes.

At other times it has been noticed by the hunter to drop at a
point which he marks and goes to as quickly as possible, but can see
nothing of the bird. He may find, however, that these little birds
breed in communities, often associated with the Rails, and that the
portion of the bog which they occupy is interlaced with a series of
covered runs, like rat roads, among the flags, along which the little
birds travel at a rate which neither dog nor man can emulate, and

ee eee

Se

CORY’S BITTERN. 109

they are thus enabled to get quickly out of danger without being
seen.

In Manitoba the Least Bittern is mentioned as an accidental
visitor, only one specimen having been obtained in ten years.

At Hamilton Bay he arrives about the middle of May and leaves
early in September.

BOTAURUS NEOXENUS (Cory).

72.- Cory's Bittern. (191a)

‘Top of the head, back and tail, dark greenish-black, showing a green gloss
when held to the light; sides of the head and throat, rufous chestnut; the
feathers on the back of the neck showing greenish-black tips; breast and under
parts nearly uniform rufous chestnut, shading into dull black on the sides; wing
coverts, dark rufous chestnut; under wing coverts, paler chestnut; all the
remiges entirely slaty plumbeous; under tail coverts uniform, dull black. Total
length, 10.80; wing, 4.30; tarsus, 1.40; culmen, 1.80.

‘* Hap.—Florida, Okeechobee region.

“In the specimen above described, two of the flank feathers on one

side are white, but this may be attributed to albinism. There is no
~ trace of a stripe on the sides of the back as in A. exilis. The bird in
question is claimed to have been shot in south-west Florida, and was
brought to Tampa with a number of other species, including A. exilis,
Anas fulvigula and Ajaja ajaja. It is without doubt perfectly dis-
tinct from any other known species.”

The above is copied ‘from the Auk, Vol. III., page 262, which
is the first published notice of the species. The writer is Mr. Charles
B. Cory.

In the Auk, Vol. VIIT., page 309, is a notice of another specimen
of this bird being secured. There is also given an account of the
nest, which was discovered on the borders of the small lake near
which Mr. Cory’s specimens were found. It was quite similar to the
nest of the Least Bittern which occurs in the same region, the one
being known as the brown, and the other as the black bittern. The
nest contained four young birds about two-thirds grown, the female
allowing herself to be taken in the hand rather than leave the nest.
The male was also within three or four feet during the examination.

I read the first account of this little bittern as given above in the
Auk, for 1886, but thought no more about it till the summer of 1890,
when Mr. Wm. Cross, taxidermist, of Toronto, sent me for identi-

110 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

fication a mounted specimen of a bird which had been shot in the
marsh near Toronto. It corresponded exactly with the description
given of Cory’s Bittern, but to make sure I sent the specimen to Mr.
Ridgway, who at once pronounced it a genuine specimen of neoxenus.
Mr. Cross got the specimen in good condition and mounted it very
nicely. It is now in the collection of the Canadian Institute in To-
ronto. So the record stood for Canada until the summer of the
present year, when notice was received of a second specimen having
been captured at Toronto. On this occasion a female in perfect plu-
mage was shot by a fisherman named Ramsden, in the Ashbridge
marsh, near where the first was found, and within two days of the
same date, the first being taken on the 18th of May, 1890, and the
second on the 20th May, 1893. This makes a total of eight speci-
mens now known to be in collections.

This is evidently a southern bird, and it has not been found any-
where away from Florida, where it was first discovered, except these
two specimens which have been obtained so near the same place at
Toronto. No doubt this species associates with our common little
bitterns, many of which spend the winter in Florida, and it is just
possible that some gallant ea/is has in his own way painted the
beauties of Ashbridge’s marsh in such glowing colors as to induce this
little brown lady to accompany him to the north, when he started on
his annual journey in spring. Pity she did not fare better, as her
report might have induced others to follow the route.

Supramity ARDEIN/®. Herons anv EGReEts.
tENUS ARDEA Lunn.
SuspaEnus ARDEA.
ARDEA HERODIAS Linn.

73. Great Blue Heron. (194)

Back, without peculiar plumes at any season, but scapulars lengthened and
lanceolate; an occipital crest, two feathers of which are long and filamentous ;
long loose feathers on the lower neck. Length, about 4 feet; extent, 6; bill, 53
inches; tarsus, 64; middle toe and claw, 5; wing, 18-20; tail, 7. emale :—
Much smaller than male. Adult of both sexes grayish-blue above, the neck
pale purplish-brown with a white throat line; the head, black, with a white
frontal patch; the under parts mostly black, streaked with white; tibia, edge
of wing and some of the lower neck feathers, orange-brown; bill and eyes,

GREAT BLUE HERON. 1b!

yellow; culmen, dusky ; lores and legs, greenish. The young differ considerably,
but are never white, and cannot be confounded with any of the succeeding.

Has.—North America, from the Arctic regions southward to the West
Indies and northern South America.

Nest, usually in trees, sometimes on rocks.

Eggs, two or three, elliptical light, dull greenish-blue.

As the Great Blue Heron breeds in communities, it is not often
seen during the summer, except in the vicinity of the heronry. In
the fall, when the young birds are able to shift for themselves, they
disperse over the country, their tall, gaunt figures being often seen
standing motionless watching for eels by the shore of some muddy
creek. In the report of the Ornithological Branch of the Ottawa
Field Naturalists’ Club, for 1883, is a most interesting account of a
visit paid by a number of members of the club to a heronry situated
on the bank of the river about twenty-five miles from the city.
Limited space will admit of only a short extract: “The heronry is
located in the centre of a thick swamp which, on the occasion of our
first visit, was so deeply submerged as to bar all ingress. On the
19th of July, however, the water was but knee deep. After proceed-
ing about half a mile into the swamp, our attention was arrested by a
peculiar sound which we at first thought proceeded from some distant
saw-mill or steamer on the river. As we advanced, however, the
sound resolved itself into the most extraordinary noises, some of
which resembled the yelping of dogs or foxes. On penetrating still
deeper into the swamp, we discovered that the noises proceeded from
immense numbers of herons, some perched on branches of trees, some
sitting on the nests, and others flying overhead. The uproar was
almost deafening, and the odor arising from the filth with which the
trees and ground were covered was extremely disagreeable. We
tramped all through the heronry, and calculated that it must extend
about half a mile in each direction. The nests were all of the same
pattern, great cumbersome piles of sticks, about a foot thick, with
but a very shallow cavity and no lining.

“The birds were very tame, making no attempt to fly until we
began to climb the trees on which they were; and even then they
moved lazily off and manifested little or no alarm at our near
approach to their young.”

Usually the adult Heron is an exceedingly wary bird, and is
seldom obtained except when he happens to fly above some hunter
who is concealed among the rushes watching for ducks.

When thus brought down from above with neck, wings and legs
all mixed up, he presents a most ragged appearance, but when seen

a? BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

alive at shooting distance, the graceful movements of the long, lithe
neck, with its pointed plumes, present a sight we all like to look upon.

In Southern Ontario, Herons are seen occasionally wherever their
favorite fish is to be found. Throughout the North-West, they are
not common, though Mr. Thompson tells of being one of a party who
accidentally found a heronry where it was little expected, in the
Poplar Woods, at the head waters of Bird’s-tail Creek.

Suspcenus HERODIAS Boltr.
ARDEA EGRETTA Get.

74. American Egret. (196)

No obviously lengthened feathers on the head at any time; in the breeding
season, back with very long plumes of decomposed feathers drooping far beyond
the tail; neck, closely feathered; plumage, entirely white at all seasons; bill,
lores and eyes, yellow; legs and feet, black. Length, 36-42 inches (not including
the dorsal train); wing, 16-17; bill, nearly 5; tarsus, nearly 6.

Has.— United States, southerly, straggling northward to Nova Scotia.
Massachusetts, Canada West and Minnesota. West Indies, Mexico, Central
and South America.

Nest, in trees or bushes.

Eggs, three or four, pale greenish-blue.

This species has a wide distribution in the south, but Canada
seems to be its northern boundary. It is only an accidental visitor
here, and, strange to say, nearly all of those obtained have been
young birds. There is a record in the Awk, Vol. II., page 110, of a
pair seen at Rockcliffe, on the Ottawa River, in the spring of 1883.
The male was obtained, and is now in the Museum of the Geological
Survey at Ottawa. These were adults, but the specimen in my
collection, which was obtained at Rond Eau, near the west end of
Lake Erie, and others which I have heard of along our southern
border, were all young birds.

Dr. Wheaton gives the same account of those found in Ohio, and
Dr. Coues in his “Birds of the North-west,” page 521, says: “I may
here observe that a certain northward migration of some southerly
birds at this season is nowhere more noticeable than among the
Herons and their allies, the migrants consisting chiefly of birds
hatched that year, which unaccountably stray in what seems to us to
be the wrong direction.”

i. se

Ay A NAN

\

Suspcenus GARZETTA Kaur.
ARDEA CANDIDISSIMA Gwet.

75. Snowy Heron. (197)

Adult:—With a long occipital crest of decomposed feathers and similar dorsal
plumes, latter recurved when perfect; similar, but not recurved plumes on the
lower neck, which is bare behind; lores, eyes and toes, yellow; bill and legs,
black, former yellow at base, latter yellow at lower part behind. Plumage
always entirely white. Length, 24; wing, 11-12; bill, 3; tarsus, 34-4.

Haz.—Temperate and tropical America, from New Jersey, Minnesota and
Oregon, south to Patagonia; casually on the Atlantic coast to Nova Scotia.

Nest, a platform of sticks, usually in top of a tall tree, sometimes in a bush
above the water.

Eggs, three to five, pale bluish-green.

The young of the Snowy Heron inherit the family peculiarity of
making their first journey in the wrong direction, and it is to this
fact that we are indebted for the visits we occasionally receive from
them along our southern frontier during the early fall. I have had
them sent to me from Long Point, on Lake Erie, and have heard of
their being captured at other places, but all were young birds, and I
have no record of the species being found breeding in Ontario.

8

114 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

On the east coast, it is found breeding as far north as Long
Island, and in the interior it occurs in Oregon, but the true home of
these little herons is farther south. In all suitable places through-
out South and Central America, the West Indies and Mexico, they
breed in colonies in immense numbers, though I grieve to say that of
late years they have been almost exterminated by plume hunters.

=}

SuscGEenus BUTORIDES Buyta.
ARDEA VIRESCENS Linn.

76. Green Heron. (201)

Adult:—In the breeding season with the crown, long soft occipital crest,
and lengthened narrow feathers of the back, lustrous dark green, sometimes
with a bronzy iridescence, and on the back often with a glaucous cast; wing
coverts, green, with conspicuous tawny edgings; neck, purplish-chestnut, the
throat-line variegated with dusky or whitish; under parts, mostly dark brown-
ish-ash, belly variegated with white; quills and tail, greenish-dusky, with a
glaucous shade, edge of the wing white; some of the quills, usually white-
tipped; bill, greenish-black, much of the under mandible, yellow; lores and iris,
yellow; legs, greenish-yellow; lower neck, with lengthened feathers in front, a
bare space behind. Young:—With the head less crested, the back without
long plumes, but glossy greenish; neck, merely reddish-brown, and whole under
parts, white, variegated with tawny and dark brown. Length, 16-18; wing,
about, 7; bill, 24; tarsus, 2; middle toe and claw, about the same; tibia, bare,
1 or less.

Has.—Canada and Oregon, southward to northern South America and West
Indies; rare or absent in the Middle Provinces.

Nest, composed of twigs, placed in a bush or low tree in a swamp or by the
bank of a stream.

Eggs, three to six, pale greenish-blue.

This handsome little Heron finds its northern limit along the
southern border of Ontario. According to Dr. Macallum, it breeds
regularly on the banks of the Grand River, near Dunnville, and has
also been observed, occasionally, near Hamilton and at the St. Clair
Flats. Like the others of its class, the Green Heron feeds mostly at
night, and is seldom seen abroad by day, except by those who have
occasion to invade its marshy haunts. On this account it may be
more numerous than it is supposed to be. It arrives about the end
of April, and leaves for the south again in September.

In the North-West it has been taken in the Assiniboine, and is
said to breed in the sloughs around Turtle Mountain, but is nowhere
common.

BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON. Lid

Genus NYCTICORAX STEPHENS.
Suspegenus NYCTICORAX.
NYCTICORAX NYCTICORAX NASVIUS (Bopp.).

77. Black-crowned Night Heron. (202)

No peculiar feathers, excepting two or three very long filamentous. plumes
springing from the occiput, generally imbricated in one bundle; bill, very
stout; tarsi, reticulate below in front. Length, about 2 feet; wing, 12-14
inches; bill, tarsus and middle toe, about 3. Crown, scapulars and inter-
scapulars, very dark glossy green; general plumage, bluish-gray, more or less
tinged with lilac; forehead, throat-line and most under parts, whitish; occipital
plumes, white; bill, black; lores, greenish; eyes, red; feet, yellow. Young :—
Very different; lacking the plumes; grayish-brown, paler below, extensively
speckled with white; quills, chocolate-brown, white-tipped.

Has.—America, from the British possessions southward to the Falkland
Islands, including part of the West Indies. Breeds in communities, returning
to the same place year after year.

Nest, a large loose platform of sticks and twigs, placed well up in a tall tree.

liggs, four to six, pale greenish-blue.

In Ontario the Night Heron, or “Quawk,” as it is commonly
called, is not generally distributed, though stragglers are occasionally
seen at different points throughout the Province. Their breeding
places are by no means common, the vicinity of the sea being
evidently preferred to the interior.

Along the banks of the lower St. Lawrence they breed in immense
numbers, every tree in certain districts having several nests among
its boughs. When viewed from a distance these trees have the
appearance of being heavily coated with dirty whitewash, and the
entire vegetation underneath them is killed by the accumulated
droppings of the birds.

Though somewhat untidy in their surroundings at home, the birds:
themselves when seen in spring plumage are very handsome, the fiery~
red eyes and long, flowing plumes giving them quite an interesting
appearance. :

In the North-West they occur in limited numbers, but are not
regularly distributed. There the nests are made in the marsh, and
fixed to the reeds, eight or ten inches above the water.

Night Herons have been found throughout the greater portion
of South America, and in some sections of the United States they
have large heronries, where thousands breed together. They usually
select a clump of tall trees, not easy of access, and have four

116 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

or five nests in each tree. They all go wandering when the young
are able to fly, but return again to their breeding place with the
return of the season.

Orper PALUDICOLAS. Cranes, Rats, ere.
SUBORDER GRUES. CRANES.
Famity GRUIDA. CRANgEs.
Genus GRUS Pattas.
GRUS AMERICANA (Liny.).

78. Whooping Crane. (204)

Adult:—With the bare part of head extending in a point on the occiput
above, on each side below the eyes, and very hairy; bill, very stout, convex,
ascending, that part of the under mandible as deep as the upper opposite to it.
Adult plumage, pure white, with black primaries, primary coverts and alula;
bill, dusky greenish; legs, black; head, carmine, the hair-like feathers blackish.
Young:—With the head feathered; general plumage, gray (?), varied with
brown. Length, about 50 inches; wing, 24; tail, 9; tarsus, 12; middle toe, 5;
bill, 6.

Has.—Interior of North America, from the fur countries to Florida, Texas
and Mexico, and from Ohio to Colorado. Formerly on the Atlantic coast, at
least casually, to New England.

Nest, on the ground among weeds or rank grass, built of fine, tough grass,
firmly put together and neatly formed.

Eggs, two or three, light brownish-drab, marked with large, irregular spots
of dull chocolate-brown and obscure shell-markings.

Mr. John Ewart, of the village of Yarker, in the county of
Addington, has a mounted specimen of the Whooping Crane in his
collection, which is the only record I have of the species in Ontario.
In the fall of 1871, it was observed frequenting the borders of a
small, shallow lake in the township of Camden, and for a week or
ten days the local gunners were on its track. It was very shy,
but finally fell before the gun of Wesley Potter on the 27th of
September.

Wilson speaks of this species as an occasional visitor in the
marshes at Cape May during its migration, but now it is hardly
known in the East, its line of migration being along the Mississippi
valley. It breeds in Manitoba, and is said to be found also in the
fur countries.

SANDHILL CRANE. ig rg

When wounded, it is a dangerous bird to approach, for it drives
its sharp bill with great force and precision at its antagonist.

For many years the Sandhill Crane was believed to be the young
of this species, but in all stages of plumage they can now be readily
identified.

GRUS MEXICANA (Mi t.).

79. Sandhill Crane. (206)

Adult:—With the bare part of head forking behind to receive a pointed
extension of the occipital feathers, not reaching on the sides below the eyes,
and sparsely hairy; bill, moderately stout, with nearly straight and scarcely
ascending gonys, that part of the under mandible not se deep as the upper at
the same place; adult plumage, plumbeous-gray, never whitening; primaries,
their coverts and alula, blackish. Youwng:—With head feathered, and plumage
varied with rusty brown. Rather smaller than the last.

Hazs.—Southern half of North America; now rare near the Atlantic coast,
except in Georgia and Florida.

Eggs, two, light brownish-drab, marked, except at the greater end, with
blotches of dull chocolate-brown; shell, rough, with numerous warty elevations.

T am indebted to Dr. Garnier, of Lucknow, for the first record I
have had of the occurrence of the Sandhill Crane in Ontario. Writ-
ing, under date December 6th, 1884, he says: ‘“ About twenty-two
years ago a pair of these birds spent the summer in the marshes near
Murphy’s Landing, County Kent. Later in the season they were
seen stalking about, accompanied by two young , and finally all disap-
peared as the weather grew cold.”

“Tn 1881 a pair spent the summer near Mud Creek, in the same
locality, and were often seen by the people residing there. On the
Ist of November, Mr. Joseph Martin, while out shooting in his canoe,
suddenly came upon them at short distance. He killed one, and
the other, being hard hit, dropped on a shaking bog close by. Mr.
Martin brought me the dead one, and next day I went with him in
search of its mate. We saw it lying quite dead on the bog, but,
though my partner and I tried hard to force our way to where it was,
we were compelled to give it up, to my very great regret.”

In the Auk, Vol. V., page 205, is a notice by Mr. W. E. Saunders,
of London, stating that he had received from Mr. M. J. Dodds, of
St. Thomas, a Sandhill Crane, which was killed at Rond Eau in 1869,
by Mr. John Oxford.

These are the only well authenticated instances of the occurrence

118 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

of the Sandhill Crane in Ontario that I know of, but as they are
known to breed in Michigan, we cannot be surprised at their some-
times being found on the east side of the Detroit River. The species
is most abundant in the Mississippi Valley, west to the Pacific coast.
It is irregularly distributed, having been found breeding in suitable
places outside of its ordinary range. It was seen by Dr. Bell near
Norway House, on Hudson’s Bay. In the North-West it is reported
as tolerably common, and is often taken young and domesticated,
making an interesting pet. Mr. Thompson says of it: ‘‘ As a game
bird, I am inclined to place the present species as first on the game
list in Manitoba. An average specimen weighs about ten pounds,
and the quality of the flesh is unsurpassed by any of our ordinary
birds, unless it be the partridge. I should strongly advocate the
protection of this bird by the game law were it not that it is so
thoroughly able to take care of itself that legislation in its favor
seems altogether unnecessary.”

SUBORDER RALLI. RairLs, GALLINULES, Coots, ETC.
Famity RALLIDA. Raits, GaALLinuLes, Coots, Ere.
SUBFAMILY RALLINA. Ratts.
xENUS RALLUS Linnzus.

RALLUS ELEGANS (Avp.).

80. King Rail. (208)

Above, brownish-black, variegated with olive-brown, becoming rich chestnut
on the wing coverts; under parts, rich rufous or cinnamon-brown, usually paler
on the middle of the belly and whitening on the throat; flanks and axillars,
blackish, white-barred. Length, about 16; wing, 5-6; tail, 2-25; bill, 24;
tarsus, 2; middle toe and claw, 24. Memale:—Smaller.

Has.—Fresh-water marshes of the eastern portion of the United States,
from the Middle States, northern Illinois, Wisconsin and Kansas southward.
Casually north to Massachusetts, Maine and Ontario.

Nest, a rude mass of reeds and grass, on marshy ground close to the water.

Eggs, six to twelve, buff or cream color, speckled and blotched with reddish-
brown.

This large and handsome Rail, which, until recently, was considered
to be only a casual visitor to Ontario, is now known to breed plenti-
fully in the marshes all along the River St. Clair. It has also been

. VIRGINIA RAIL. 119

found at other points in Southern Ontario, but the St. Clair Flats
seem to be its favorite breeding place. The extent of the marsh
and the almost stagnant water appear to suit the taste of these birds,
and here they spend the summer and raise their young without
being disturbed.

They are seldom seen on the wing, but become very noisy and
excited before rain, keeping up an incessant cackling, which, better
than anything else, gives an idea of the number that are moving
about under cover of the rushes.

This seems to be the northern boundary of their habitat in
Ontario, for they are not found in the North-West, nor anywhere else
to the north of us. They arrive in May and leave in September.

RALLUS VIRGINIANUS (Linx.).

81. Virginia Rail. (212)

Coloration, exactly as in e/egans, of which it is a perfect miniature. Length,
84-104; wing, about 4; tail, about 14; bill, 14-13; tarsus, 14-15; middle toe,

14-13.

Har.—North America, from British Provinces south to Guatemala and
Cuba.

Nest, in a tuft of reeds or rushes, some of them bent down to assist in form-
ing the structure, which is usually placed close to the water.

Eggs, six to nine, buff or creamy, speckled and blotched with reddish-
brown and obscure lilac.

Although this cannot be said to be a numerous species, it is very
generally distributed, being found in all suitable places throughout
the Province. When not disturbed, it may be seen quietly wading
in the shallow ponds in search of its food, which consists of aquatic
insects, snails, worms, and the seeds of such grasses as grow near its
haunts. If alarmed, it at once takes to the rushes, and passes with
such swiftness along the covered runways which interlace the rush
beds, that it will elude the pursuit of an active dog, and avoid
exposing itself to the aim of the sportsman.

Tt is found in the North-West, but is not abundant.

In Southern Ontario it arrives early in May and leaves late in
September.

120 BIRDS OF ONTARIO. ’

GEenus PORZANA VIEILLOT.
Suspcenus PORZANA.
PORZANA CAROLINA (Liny.).

S24 -oOra. (214)

Above, olive-brown, varied with black, with numerous sharp white streaks
and specks; flanks, axillars and lining of wings, barred with white and blackish ;
belly, whitish; crissum, rufescent. Adu/f:—With the face and central line of
the throat black, the rest of the throat, line over eye, and especially the breast
more or less intensely slate-gray, the sides of the breast usually with some
obsolete whitish barring and speckling. Young .—Without the black, the
throat whitish, the breast brown. Length, 8-9; wing, 4-44; tail, about 2; bill,
2-2; tarsus, 14; middle toe and claw, 12.

Haps.—Temperate North America, but most common in the Eastern Pro-
vince, breeding chiefly northward. South to West Indies and northern South
America.

Builds a rude nest of grass and rushes on the ground near the water.

Eggs, eight to ten, dull drab, marked with reddish-brown,

Here, as elsewhere, the Sora is the most numerous of the Rail
family, and is found breeding in all suitable places throughout the
country. Many also pass up north, and when they return in the
fall, accompanied by their young, they linger in the marshes along the
southern border till they are found swarming everywhere. They are
very sensitive to cold, and a sportsman may have good rail shooting
till late in the evening, but should a sharp frost set in during the
night, he may return in the morning and find that the birds have all
left.

Many spend the summer in the North-West, but they are most
abundant in the Middle Atlantic States, where great numbers are
killed for the table in the fall.

In Southern Ontario they arrive in May, and leave in September
at the first touch of frost.

SuspcENus COTURNICOPS Bonaparte.
PORZANA NOVEBORACENSIS (Gm.).

83. Yellow Rail. (215)

Above, varied with blackish and ochrey-brown, and thickly marked with
narrow white semicircles and transverse bass; below, pale ochrey-brown, fading
on the belly, deepest on the breast where many of the feathers are tipped with

—

;
;
7

BLACK RAIL. Lot

dark brown; flanks, rufous with many white bars; lining of the wing, white;
a brownish-yellow streak over the eye. Length, about 6 inches; wing, 33; tail,
14; bill, 4.

Has.—EHastern North America, from Nova Scotia and Hudson’s Bay west to
Utah and Nevada. No extra-limital record except Cuba and the Bermudas.

Nest, like that of the other rails.

Eggs, six to eight, dark buff color, marked with reddish spots at the greater
end.

We know little of this bird, partly because it belongs to a class
much given to keeping out of sight, but chiefly because it is a rare
species everywhere. During the present year, I saw a fine mounted
specimen in the store of Mr. Cross, taxidermist, Toronto. It was
obtained in the marsh near that city, and I have heard of another
which a few years ago was shot near the same place, and is now in
the public museum at Ottawa. The greater number of specimens of
the Yellow Rail now in existence have been found in New England,
but that may be owing to the greater number of collectors there. It
would be well for our Canadian sportsmen to look out for the species
when visiting its haunts, because from its general resemblance to the
Sora, it may readily be overlooked.

One observer reports it as a tolerably common summer resident
near Winnipeg, and it has also been noticed at Fort George by
Dr. Bell. It has, therefore, a wide distribution, but is nowhere
abundant.

SusGenus CRECISCUS Casonis.
PORZANA JAMAICENSIS (GmMEL.).

84. Black Rail. (216)

Upper parts, blackish, finely speckled and barred with white; the hind neck
and fore neck, dark chestnut; head and under parts, dark slate color, paler or
whitening on the throat; the lower belly, flanks and under wing and tail covert
barred with white; quills and tail feathers with white spots, very small.
Length, about 5.50; wing, 2.75-3.00; tail, 1.35; tarsus, 0.75.

Has.—South and Central America and West Indies.

Nest, in a deep cup-shaped depression resembling that of the Meadow Lark,
only deeper in proportion to its width; the outer portion composed of grass-
stems and blades, the inner portion of soft blades of grass arranged in a circular
manner and loosely interwoven.

Eggs, ten, clear white, thinly sprinkled with reddish-brown dots which
become more numerous toward the greater end. ;

This is one of the rarest of American birds, or, rather, it is one of
those least frequently found. From its small size and the fact that

129 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

its life is spent mostly among the rank vegetation of the marsh,
where it cannot be seen, it may not be so rare as we suppose.

I mention it here on the authority of the late Dr. Cottle, of
Woodstock, who, in an article in the Canadian Journal for Sep-
tember, 1859, claims to have found a bird of this species near Inger-
soll in 1857, which at the time of his writing was in the collection of
Wm. Poole, jun.

I have not seen this specimen, but I knew Dr. Cottle, and feel
sure that no mistake would be made in the identification. There is
no réason why the Black Rail should not be found in Ontario, for it
occurs to the east and west of us, and will yet, I expect, be found
in one or more of the many suitable haunts which occur throughout
the Province.

The Dundas marsh is exactly the sort of place where one might
expect to meet with this species. The marsh extends from the
Hamilton city limits about four miles westward to the town of
Dundas, and has an average width of a mile, with many inlets wind-
ing inland. The banks are generally steep and wooded, and the
water in the summer is covered with aquatic plants and clumps of
floating bog. Malaria reigns there, and there are mosquitoes in
abundance.

About 1873-74, I heard that a young man, named Nash, was
diligently exploring this uninviting locality, to find out what birds
were there during the summer, and that he had been successful in his
researches ; but he left for the North-West about that time, and the
matter was forgotten.

On learning that Mr. Nash had quite recently returned to reside
in Toronto, I wrote to him on the subject, and promptly received the
following reply, which came to me while the first part of this article
was passing through the hands of the printer :

“Toronto, January 12th, 1894.
““THos. McIuwratitru, Esa.

‘“Drar Srr,—My original note as to the capture of the Black Rails is as
follows:

*** August 18th, 1874.—Shot four of these birds this evening at the upper
end of the Dundas marsh. My dogs put them up where the rushes had been
mowed. ‘This is the first time I ever noticed them here.’

“After this date I saw several others about the same place, during this
same year (1874). I also shot a few Yellow Rails, and saw many.

““ Yours, etec.,

CSO, SW o. NASER

.

PURPLE GALLINULE—FLORIDA GALLINULE. 123

SUBFAMILY GALLINULIN As.
Genus JONORNIS ReEIcHENBACH.
IONORNIS MARTINICA (Liyy.).

85. Purple Gallinule. (218)

Head, neck and under parts beautiful purplish-blue, blackening on the belly,
the crissum white; above olivaceous-green, the cervix and wing coverts tinted
with blue; frontal shield blue; bill red, tipped with yellow; legs yellowish.
Young:—With the head, neck and lower back brownish, the under parts mostly
white, mixed with ochrey. Length, 10-12; wing, 64-7; tail, 24-3; bill from
gape, about 14; tarsus, about 24+; middle-toe and claw, about 3.

Has.—South Atlantic and Gulf States, north casually to New England
(Maine, Nova Scotia) and Ontario.

Nest, built among rushes over the water; the taller rushes are bent down and
woven together as a support.

Eggs, eight or nine, cream color, finely dotted with chestnut-brown and
umber.

In April, 1892, I received a letter from Pickering, describing a
bird which had recently been shot by Mr. James Cowan, at the
mouth of the Rouge in that township, and asking me to identify it.
The description was so perfectly correct that I had no difficulty in
deciding it to.be the Purple Gallinule, though I had not before heard
of its occurrence in Ontario, and I replied to that effect.

I have since learned that the specimen is now mounted and located
somewhere in Toronto.

This beautiful Gallinule is a resident of the South Atlantic and
‘Gulf States, but occasionally strays as far north as Ohio, Wisconsin,
Maine and New York.

It is a very handsome bird, whose presence in our marshes would
add to their interest, but we are too far north to expect it, save as a
very rare visitor.

Genus GALLINULA Brisson.
GALLINULA GALEATA (Licur.).

86. Florida Gallinule. (219)

Head, neck and under parts grayish-black, darkest on the former, paler or
whitening on the belly; back, brownish-olive; wings and tail dusky; crissum
edge of wing, and stripes on the flank, white; bill, frontal plate, and ring
around tibiz red, the former tipped with yellow; tarsi and toes, greenish; 12-15
long; wing, 63-74; tail, 3; gape of bill, about 13; tarsus, about 2.

124 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Has.—Temperate and tropical America from Canada to Brazil and Chili.

Nest, a mass of broken, rotten reeds and rushes, with a slight hollow in the
centre: it is seldom much above water level, and often afloat, but is fastened to
the sedges.

Eggs, ten to twelve, brownish-buff, thickly spotted with reddish-brown.

This is a common summer resident, breeding in suitable places
throughout Southern Ontario. Near Hamilton it is quite common, a
few pairs generally spending the summer in the Waterdown creek,
and also in the Dundas marsh. Its retired haunts are seldom
invaded during the summer months, for the mosquitoes form a bar to
the intrusion of visitors, and its flesh not being in demand for the
table, it is not much disturbed.

Southern Ontario seems to be the northern limit of its habitat.
It is not mentioned among the birds of Manitoba, neither have I
heard of it appearing elsewhere in the north.

Like most of its class, it arrives in May and leaves in September.

Supramity KFULICIN A.
Genus FULICA Linnzazus. :
FULICA AMERICANA. GmMsEt.

87. American Coot. (221)

Dark slate, paler or grayish below, blackening on the head and neck, tinged
with olive on the back; crissum, whole edge of wing, and top of the secondaries
white; bill, white or flesh-colored, marked with reddish-black near the end;
feet, dull olivaceous. Young :—Similar, paler and duller. Length, about 14;
wing, 7-8; tail, 2; bill, from the gape, 14-14; tarsus, about 2; middle toe and
claw, about 3.

Has.—North America, from Greenland and Alaska southward to West
Indies and Central America.

Nest, of vegetable rubbish from the marsh, often afloat and fastened to the
rushes like the Grebes, but sometimes on dry ground back from the water.

Eggs, ten to twelve, clear clay color, dotted minutely with dark brown.

This species is very generally distributed in suitable places through-
out Ontario, and also in the North-West. It breeds abundantly at
St. Clair, but at Hamilton is only a migratory visitor in spring and
fall. They are hardy birds, often arriving in spring before the ice is
quite away, and again lingering late in the fall, as if unwilling to
depart. They are sometimes mistaken for ducks by amateur gunners,
and in this way a few lose their lives, but except in such cases they

eee eee

—s

RED PHALAROPE. 125

are not molested, ‘‘Mud-hens” not being generally looked upon as
game.

The Coots are strong of wing, good swimmers, and capable of
enduring both cold and fatigue. They are very abundant throughout
the North-West, their haunts being in the marshes, for which their
lobed feet are admirably adapted. There they spend the summer
and find the enjoyment peculiar to their race. In the fall they
assemble in vast flocks and generally all disappear at once during the
night. In Alaska, only one wanderer of the species is reported.
There is a similar report from Greenland, which is its most northerly
record.

OrperR LIMICOLAS. SHore Birps.
Famity PHALAROPODIDA.
Genus CRYMOPHILUS ViegI.tor.
CRYMOPHILUS FULICARIUS (Lixy.).

88. Red Phalarope. (222)

Adult:—With the under parts, purplish chestnut of variable intensity, white
in the young; above, variegated with blackish and tawny. Length, 7-8 inches;
wing, 5; tail, 2%; bill, 1, yellowish, black-tipped; tarsus, ?, greenish.

Has.—Northern parts of the northern hemisphere, breeding in the Arctic
regions, and migrating south in winter; in the United States south to the
Middle State, Ohio, Illinois and Cape St. Lucas; chiefly maritime.

Nest, a hollow in the ground lined with dry grass.

Eggs, three or four, variable in color, usually brownish-olive, spotted or
blotched with dark chocolate-brown.

Vast numbers of Phalaropes breed in Spitzbergen, and on the
shores of the Polar Sea. At the approach of winter they retire to
the south, but in these migratory journeys they follow the line of
the sea coast, so that the stragglers we see inland are most likely
bewildered by fog, or driven by storm away from their associates
and their regular course.

Dr. Garnier saw a flock of six, one of which he secured, at
Mitchell’s Bay, near St. Clair, in the fall of 1880; and on the 17th
of November, 1882, Mr. Brooks, of Milton, shot a single bird, which
he found swimming alone on Hamilton Bay, a little way out from
Dynes’ place. On the 21st of October, 1886, Mr. White shot one
on the Rideau River, and on the Ist September, 1888, he got a
second specimen on the River Ottawa, which completes the record
for Ontario, so far as I know at present.

126 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Turning to our usual authority for information about northern
species, we find Mr. Nelson saying: “This handsome Phalarope
arrives at the Yukon mouth and adjacent parts of Behring Sea coast
during the last few days of May or first of June, according to the
season. Its preference is for the flat, wet lands bordering the coast
and rivers, where it remains to breed. Very early in June the
females have each paid their court, and won a shy and gentle male to
share their coming cares. The eggs are laid in a slight depression,
generally on the damp flats where the birds are found. There is
rarely any lining to the nest.” The eggs are hatched in July, and as
soon as the young are able to fly, all leave the nesting ground and
are found only at sea.

“They breed all along the Arctic shores of Alaska and Siberia,
wherever suitable flats occur, and even reach those isolated islands,
forever encircled by ice, which le beyond. It is not rare in Spitz-
bergen, where its eggs have been found laid upon the bare ground.

“During the cruise of the Corwin, in the summer of 1881, we
found this and the Northern Phalarope abundant wherever we went
on the Alaskan or Siberian shores of the Arctic, and their pretty
forms, as they flitted here and there over the surface of the smooth
sea, now alighting a moment and gliding quickly to right and left,
pecking at the minute animals in the water, then taking wing for
an instant, appeared in ever-changing groups.” ‘In winter these
birds pass south and occur along the coasts of the Pacific on both
shores, reaching the south coasts of India on the Asiatic side.”

The foregoing are but brief extracts from Mr. Nelson’s interesting
account of the home habits of these little-known birds, my limited —
space having prevented me from making more lengtby quotations.

Genus PHALAROPUS Brisson.
Suspgenus PHALAROPUS.
PHALAROPUS LOBATUS (Liny.).

89. Northern Phalarope. (223)

Adult:—Dark opaque ash or grayish-black, the back variegated with tawny ;
upper tail coverts and under parts, mostly white; side of the head and neck,
with a broad stripe of rich chestnut, generally meeting on the jugulum; breast,
otherwise with ashy-gray. Young:—Lacking the chestnut. Length, about 7
inches; wing, 44; tail, 2; bill, tarsus and middle toe, each under 1, black.

NORTHERN PHALAROPE. 127

Haxs.—Northern portions of northern hemisphere, breeding in Arctic lati-
tudes; south in winter to the tropics.

Nest, a hollow in the ground, lined with dry grass.

Eggs, three or four, similar to those of the Red Phalarope, but smaller.

_ Like the preceding, this is a bird of the sea coast, but, singly or in
pairs, it is sometimes seen inland during the season of migration.
The two in my collection were found in the fall on one of the inlets
of Hamilton Bay.

In the List of the ‘“ Birds of Western Ontario,” mention is made
of three having been taken in Middlesex, and one found dead at
Mitchell’s Bay in 1882.

While this was passing through the press, K. C. McIlwraith shot
a young male of the species, as it rose from one of the inlets which
run from the bay up to the Beach road near Hamilton.

Although a bird of the sea coast, the Northern Phalarope is found
more frequently in the interior than the Red Phalarope. It has been
observed at Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, London, and also at Dunn-
ville, where Dr. Macallum says it may be counted on with tolerable
certainty every season during October.

In Manitoba, most of the observers are mute regarding it, though
Mr. Nash says: ‘Common autumn visitor to Portage la Prairie, and
very abundant at the prairie sloughs near Winnipeg, where I saw
immense flocks of them in August and September, 1886.”

Of Alaska, Mr. Nelson says that the first arrivals reach St.
Michael’s in full plumage about the middle of May, and by the first
of June they are in full force, and ready to begin the business of the
season. The young are hatched during June, and by the 20th of
July are fledged and on the wing. Soon they begin to gather in
parties of from five, to one hundred or more, keeping by the large
ponds and inlets till about the end of September, from which date
they are seen no more for the season.

“They breed on all the islands of Behring Sea, the north coast of
Siberia, and we saw them common about Herald and Wrangel islands
in July and August, 1881. It is plentiful throughout the interior of
Northern Alaska, as well as on the salt marshes of the coast.”

128 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Suscenus STEGANOPUS VieILuor.
PHALAROPUS TRICOLOR (Vrert1.).
90. Wilson’s Phalarope. (224)

Adult:—Ashy; upper tail coverts and under parts, white; a black stripe
from the eye down the side of the neck, spreading into rich purplish-chestnut,
which also variegates the back and shades the throat. Youwng:—Lacking these
last colors. Length, 9-10; wing, 5; tail, 2; bill, tarsus and middle toe, each
over 1, black.

HAs.

ern Illinois and Utah northward to the Saskatchewan region, south in winter to

Temperate North America, chiefly the interior, breeding from north-

Brazil and Patagonia.
Nest, in moist meadows.
Kges, three or four, variable in pattern, usually brownish-drab, marked with

splashes, spots and scratches of chocolate-brown.

This is the largest of the Phalaropes and the handsomest of all our
waders. Unlike the others of its class, it is rare along the sea coast,
but common inland, its line of migration being along the Mississippi
Valley. Another peculiarity of the species is that the female is the
larger and more gaily attired, and, from choice or necessity, the eggs
are incubated by the male. In some other respects their domestic
relations are not in accordance with the recognized rules of propriety.

The first record I had of it as an Ontario species was in Mr. Saun-
ders’ “ List of Birds of Western Ontario,” where mention is made of
one having been taken at Mitchell’s Bay in May, 1882. I did not
hear of it again until I received the report of the Sub-section of the
Canadian Institute, in which it is stated that, at a meeting held June
2nd, 1890, Mr. Wm. Cross reported having received on the 2nd inst.
a female Wilson’s Phalarope in full breeding plumage, which had
been shot in Toronto marsh. At a subsequent meeting held Septem-
ber 23rd, it was stated that, while Mr. Bunker was watching for
ducks off the sand bar at the west end of the Island, a Wilson’s
Phalarope pitched among his decoys and was secured. So the record
of Ontario stands for the present.

It is more common in the interior than along the sea coasts, and
is now known to breed in suitable places throughout the northern
tier of States, and also from the Red River to the Rockies, along the
boundary line.

On July 24th, 1880, Mr. Macoun reports finding it breeding around
the ponds at Moose Mountain.

The prairie ponds seem to be the favorite resort of this beautiful
species, and as these are not common in Ontario, we may not have
the birds except. as visitors.

AMERICAN AVOCET—AMERICAN WOODCOCK. 129

! Famity RECURVIROSTRID A.
Genus RECURVIROSTRA Linnzus-
RECURVIROSTRA AMERICANA Gm.

91. American Avocet. (225)

White; back and wings, with much black; head and neck, cinnamon-brown
in the adult, ashy in the young; bill, black, 3¢ to gape; legs, blue; eyes, red.
Length, 16-18; wing, 7-8; tail, 35; tarsus, 3$.

Has.—Temperate North America, from the Saskatchewan and Great Slave
Lake south, in winter, to Guatemala and the West Indies. Rare in the Eastern
Province.

Eggs, three or four, variable in size and marking, usually brownish-drab,
marked with spots of chocolate-brown.

This is another delicate inland wader, rare on the sea coast, but
abundant in the Mississippi Valley. Stragglers appear occasionally
at far distant points, and are at once identified by their peculiar
markings and awl-shaped bill. I am aware of three individuals
having been taken at different times at Rond Eau, on the north
shore of Lake Erie, but these are all I have heard of in Ontario.
In Manitoba it is spoken of as being exceedingly rare, but it is very
abundant around the saline ponds and lakes in the North-West
(Macoun).

According to Dr. Coues, “It is more abundant than elsewhere in
the interior of the United States along the Mississippi Valley, and
thence westward, in all suitable localities, to the Rocky Mountains.”

Its preference for salt or brackish waters is indicated by its
abundance at Great Salt Lake, in Utah, and about the alkaline
waters of Dakota.

Famity SCOLOPACID AS. Swyrpes, SANDPIPERS, ETC.
Genus PHILOHELA Gray.
PHILOHELA MINOR (GmMeEz.).

92. American Woodcock. (228)

Above, variegated and harmoniously blended black, brown, gray and russet ;
below, pale warm brown of variable shade. Length, male, 10-11; female, 11-12;
extent, 16-18; wing, 44-5; bill, 25-3; tarsus, 14; middle toe and claw, 14;
weight, 5-9 ounces.

Has.—EKastern Province of North America, north to the British Provinces,

9

130 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

west to Dakota, Kansas, etc.; breeding throughout its range. No extralimital
records.

The nest, which is composed of a few dead leaves, is usually placed at the
root of a tree, or in a clump of weeds.

Eggs, three or four, grayish-brown, marked with spots and blotches of lilac
and chocolate.

The Woodcock is a summer resident in Southern Ontario in
uncertain numbers, appearing about the time the snow is going out
of sight. In the fall it is much sought after by sportsmen, with
varying success. Occasionally good bags are made, but in this
respect no two seasons are alike.

The birds seem to be paired on their arrival in spring, and at
once select a site for the nest, which is usually placed in dense woods
or swampy thickets. When the breeding season is over, they change
their places of resort and are often found in corn fields, orchards and
moist places, where they feed mostly during the night. They remain
as long as the ground is soft enough for them to probe, after which
they retire to the south.

Writing from Hamilton, I may say that this species seems to be
better known to the south and east of us than it is to the north and
west. Dr. Bell says: ‘I saw one specimen of the Woodcock in
August last at York Factory. This bird is not uncommon in
Manitoba, though the fact is not generally known.” Other observers
in Manitoba report single birds having been procured at long inter-
vals, so that it must either be very scarce or seldom seen.

Throughout the Eastern States it is more common, but is so highly
prized as a game bird that it is persecuted wherever it is known to
exist.

Genus GALLINAGO Leacu:
GALLINAGO DELICATA (Orp.).

93. Wilson’s Snipe. (230)

Crown, black with a pale middle stripe; back, varied with black, bright bay
and tawny, the latter forming two lengthwise stripes on the scapulars; neck
and breast speckled with brown and dusky; lining of wings, barred with black
and white; tail, usually of sixteen feathers, barred with black, white and
chestnut ; sides, waved with dusky; belly, dull white; quills, blackish, the
outer, white edged. Length, 9-11; wing, 43-54; bill, about 24}; whole naked
portion of leg and foot, about 3.

Has.—North and middle America, breeding from northern United States
northward; south in winter to West Indies and northern South America.

Nest, usually a depression in a grassy meadow.

Eggs, three or four; grayish-olive, heavily marked with umber-brown and
irregular lines of black.

This is the Snipe of America, although the name is often errone-
ously applied to other species. It is sometimes called English Snipe,
owing to the close resemblance it bears to the British bird, but those
who have compared the two species state positively that they are
different in their markings.

In Southern Ontario this species is known only as a migrant in
spring and fall. During the former season they are more protected

11572. BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

by the Game Act, so that the short visit they pay us in April must
really be to them a time of enjoyment. In the fall it is quite differ-
ent, for every nominal sportsman wants to go snipe shooting, and
the birds are so frequently fired at, they are kept continually on
the move from the time of their arrival till they take their final
departure for the season.

In former years, the breeding ground of the Snipe was a matter of
speculation, It is now known to breed along the northern border
of the northern tier of States, and is also common during the summer
season in suitable places throughout Manitoba and the North-West.

Here again, Nelson’s report from Alaska is quite interesting. He
says: “This is a rather uncommon but widely spread species in
Alaska along the mainland shore of Behring Sea. I found it both at
St. Michael’s and on the lower Yukon in small numbers, making its
presence known in spring-time by its peculiar whistling noise as it
flew high overhead. It nests wherever found in the north, and is a
rather common species along the entire course of the Yukon, extend-
ing thence north to within the Arctic Circle, but its limit in this
direction is not definitely known.

“Tt was found at Sitka and Kadiak by the Western Union Tele-
graph explorers, but is not known on any of the Behring Sea
islands nor on the coast of Siberia, but it is to be looked for from

the latter region, at least.”

Gmnus MACRORHAMPHUS Leacu.
MACRORHAMPHUS GRISEUS (GmEt.).

94. Dowitcher. (231)

Tail and its coverts, at all seasons, conspicuously barred with black and
white (or tawny), lining of the wings and axillars the same; quills, dusky; shaft
of first primary, and tips of the secondaries, except long inner ones, white; bill
and feet, greenish-black. In -summer, brownish-black above, variegated with
bay; below, brownish-red, variegated with dusky; a tawny superciliary stripe,
and a dark one from the bill to the eye. In winter, plain gray above, and on
the breast, with few or no traces of black and bay; the belly, line over eye and
under eyelid, white. Length, 10-11; wing, 5-53; tail, 25; bill, about 23;
tarsus, 14; middle toe and claw, 1}.

Has.—Atlantic coast of North America, breeding far north.

Nest, a hollow near the borders of marshy lakes or ponds, lined with a few
leaves and grass.

Eggs, three or four; identical in appearance with those of the common snipe.

STILT SANDPIPER. 133

Although this species is abundant along the sea coast during the
season of migration, it can only be regarded as an accidental traveller
in Ontario. The specimen in my collection is the only one I have
ever found near Hamilton. In the “List of Birds of Western
Ontario” it is spoken of as rare, and Dr. Wheaton, in his exhaustive
“ List of the Birds of Ohio,” says he never saw it in that State, but
has had it reported as a rare spring and fall migrant.

Geo. R. White has found it on one or two occasions at Ottawa,
but it is restricted to the Atlantic coast, and those found inland are
only stragglers from the ranks during the season of migration.

They are gentle, unsuspicious birds, allowing a near approach,
and, as they fly in compact flocks and gather very closely together
when alighting, there is great opportunity for unlimited slaughter
among them by anyone bent on filling the “ bag.”

They are a very abundant species and must breed in great num-
bers somewhere, though exactly where I have not found on record.

Dr. Coues says that it breeds in high latitudes, and Ridgway
describes it as “breeding far northward, Nushagak River, Alaska
(straggler).” It is spoken of by Dr. Richardson as having ‘an
extensive breeding range throughout the fur countries, from the
borders of Lake Superior to the Arctic Ocean.” Which of the two
species he found on the borders of Lake Superior is not apparent.

These birds are seen in greatest numbers along the shores of the
Atlantic States in fall and winter. They are highly esteemed for
the table, and are slaughtered in great numbers for the market.

In the North-West, including Alaska, the class is represented by
the Long-billed Dowitcher, a bird very similar in habit and appear-
ance but of larger size, the bill, especially, being longer than in the
present species.

Genus MICROPALAMA Barrp.
MICROPALAMA HIMANTOPUS (Bonap.).

95. Stilt Sandpiper. (233)

Adult in summer :—Above, blackish, each feather edged and tipped with
white and tawny or bay, which on the scapulars becomes scalloped; auriculars,
chestnut; a dusky line from bill to eye, and a light reddish superciliary line;
upper tail coverts, white with dusky bars; primaries, dusky with blackish tips ;
tail feathers, ashy-gray, their edge and a central field white; under parts
mixed, reddish, black and whitish, in streaks on the jugulum, elsewhere in bars;
bill and feet, greenish-black. Young and adult in winter :—Ashy-gray above,

134 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

with or without traces of black and bay, the feathers usually with white
edging; line over the eye and under parts white; the jugulum and sides
suffused with the color of the back, and streaked with dusky ; legs, usually pale.
Length, 8-9 inches; wing, 5; tail, 24; bill and tarsus, both 14-14; middle toe, 1.

Haps.—Kastern Province of North America, breeding north of the United
States, and migrating in winter to the West Indies, Central and South America.

Nest, a depression in the ground, lined with grass and leaves.

Eggs, three or four, light-drab or grayish-white, with bold spots and
markings of chestnut-brown.

I have some scruples about including this species in my list, for I
have no record of its having been taken within the Province; but,
when we consider that it breeds to the north of us, and winters far
to the south, there can be no reasonable doubt that it passes through
Ontario. Being rather a scarce species, it may have escaped the
notice of sportsmen, or it may have been taken and no record made
of the occurrence. I anticipate that when this list is made public, I
shall learn of birds having been found in Ontario which are not
included here, for the simple redson that I had not heard of them.
There is no convenient way of placing such records before the public,
and they drop out of sight and are forgotten.

It is to be hoped that the writer of the next list of the birds of
Ontario will, for this reason, have many additions to make to the
present one.

While this article is in the hands of the printer, Mr. Cross, taxi-
dermist, of Toronto, sends me a bird for identification, which proves
to be this species. It is one of two which were shot near Toronto
about the 25th of June last, by Mr. Heinrich. Mr. Cross has made
a happy hit in mounting them. They look like a pair of miniature
curlews.

The above was written eight years ago, and since then there has
been but little to add to our acquaintance with this species in
Ontario. That little comes from Toronto, where the birds seem to
have found a place to suit them, but I fear they are not to be
allowed peaceful possession of the same. The first record appears
in the report of the Ornithological Sub-section of the Canadian Insti-
tute for 1889, where it is stated: ““On September 26th, we secured
three of these rare Sandpipers, all shot at Toronto.” At a meeting
of the same sub-section, held on the 23rd September, 1890, it was
stated by Mr. T. Hannar, that on the 28th July he shot a fine Stilt
Sandpiper on Ashbridge’s Bar. The fact of this specimen having
been obtained in July would indicate that the birds are breeding in
that neighborhood, but so far we have no account of their nests.

Genus TRINGA Linnazus.
Suscenus TRINGA.
TRINGA CANUTUS Linn.

96. Knot. (234)

Bill, equalling or rather exceeding the head, comparatively stout. Adult in
summer :—Above, brownish-black, each feather tipped with ashy-white, and
tinged with reddish on scapulars; below, uniform brownish-red, much as in the
robin, fading into white on the flanks and crissum; upper tail coverts white
with dusky bars, tail feathers and secondaries grayish-ash with white edges;
quills, blackish; gray on the inner webs and with white shafts; bill and feet,
blackish. Young:—Above, clear ash, with numerous black and white semi-
circles; below white, more or less tinged with reddish, dusky speckled on
breast, wavy barred on sides. Length, 10-11; wing, 6-64; tail, 24, nearly
square; bill about 14 (very variable).

Has.—Nearly cosmopolitan. Breeds in high northern latitudes, but visits
the southern hemisphere during its migration.

Nest, a depression in the sand.

Eggs, light pea-green.

This is the largest and handsomest of the Sandpipers, and though
common along the sea coast, it is only an occasional visitor inland.
The specimen in my collection I killed many years ago on the muddy

136 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

shore of one of the inlets of the Bay. I did not see the Knot again
till May, 1884, when K. C. McIlwraith killed four very fine speci-
mens in a moist vegetable garden on the beach. Dr. Wheaton met
with it only once in Ohio, and it is not mentioned in the “ List of
the Birds of Western Ontario,” from which it may be inferred that
we are not on the line of its migrations.

Mr. White reports its occurrence at Ottawa but once. He says:
On the 4th June, 1890, E. White obtained eight out of a flock of
about seventy birds. They were all in full adult plumage, but,
strange to say, we have not seen a single specimen since.”

In Manitoba, it occurs occasionally during migrations, but irregu-
larly and not in large numbers. One observer (Hunter) says: “TI
have never seen the Knot along the Red River, but have seen large
flocks west of Brandon.”

In the North-West, Prof. Macoun says that it is frequently found
along the borders of salt marshes.

In Alaska, Mr. Nelson secured a single specimen, which was the
only one seen during his residence there.

Along the shores of New England, during spring and fall, it is
still abundant, though the numbers have during past years been
greatly reduced in comparison with what they once were.

It is observed, occasionally, along the coasts of Scotland, and in
England it is sometimes seen in very large flocks, all of which are
migrants.

On the west coast of the Pacific, it migrates as far south as
Australia and New Zealand to spend the winter, and at that season
has been found in Damara Land, Africa, and also in Brazil.

In the Auk for January, 1893, page 25, Mr. Geo. H. Mackay gives
a most interesting and exhaustive history of the haunts and habits of
this species, from which I should like to quote at length, did my
limits permit. Mr. Mackay says: “This bird, which formerly so-
journed on these shores in great abundance, and occurs now to a
limited extent during its migrations, has been the subject of consider-
able inquiry as to the cause of its appearing .now in such reduced
numbers. As each contribution to the subject may add something in
assisting to correct conclusions, I have to present the following résumé,
especially of the habits and movements of this bird during its short
stay in Massachusetts, while on migration.” Mr. Mackay then speaks
of the clouds of these birds which visited the coast of New England
thirty or forty years ago, and how they were slaughtered wholesale
by a most barbarous practice called ‘‘firelighting.” He continues:

KNOT. 137

“T have it directly from an excellent authority, that he has seen, in
the spring, six barrels of these birds (all of which had been taken in
this manner) at one time on the deck of the Cape Cod packet for
Boston. He had also seen barrels of them, which had spoiled during
‘the voyage, thrown overboard in Boston Harbor on the arrival of
the packet. The price of these birds at that time was ten cents
per dozen; mixed with them would be Turnstones and Black-bellied
Plover. Not one of these birds had been shot, all had been taken
with the aid of a ‘firelight.’

““ Besides those destroyed on Cape Cod in this way, I have reasons
for believing that they have been shot also in large numbers on the

coast of Virginia in the spring, on their way north to their breeding

>?

grounds; one such place shipping to New York city in a single
spring, from April lst to June 3rd, upwards of 6,000 Plover, a large
share of which were Knots.

“Tt is not my intention to convey the impression that the Knots
are nearly exterminated, but they are much reduced in numbers, and
are in great danger of extinction, and comparatively few can now be
seen in Massachusetts, where formerly there were twenty to twenty-
five thousand a year, which I consider a reasonable estimate of its
former abundance.”

For many years the great desiderata among odlogists were the eggs
of the Knot. Even now there are very few in existence, and it is
only a few years since the first authenticated specimen was procured.
The members of every expedition which visited the lands where the
Knot was known to breed had instructions to search for these eggs,
but one after another returned without success. Major N. W.
Fielding, naturalist to the Nares’ Arctic Expedition of 1875-76, says:
“T was not so fortunate as to obtain the eggs of the Knot during our
stay in the polar regions, though it breeds in some numbers along
the shores of Smith Sound and the north coast of Grinnell Land.
During the month of July my companions and I often endeavored
to discover the nest of this bird, but none of us were successful.

“However, on July 30th, 1876, the day before we broke up our
winter-quarters, where we had been frozen in for eleven months,
three of our seamen, walking along the border of a small lake not far
from the ship, came upon an old bird accompanied by three nestlings
which they brought to me. These young ones I have since seen in
the British Museum at South Kensington, where, in company with a
pair of the old birds, they constitute one of the most attractive of the
many natural groups which adorn Mr. Sharpe’s department.”

138 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Finally, Lieut. A. W. Greely, commander of the late expedition to
Lady Franklin Sound, succeeded in obtaining the long sought-for
egg, and with great propriety requested Dr. C. H. Merriam to accept
the honor of being the first to publish the account of it.

The specimens of bird and egg were obtained in the vicinity of
Fort Conger, latitude 81° 44’ N.

In color the egg was light pea-green, closely spotted with brown
in small specks about the size of a pin-head.

Suspgenus ARQUATELLA Barrp.
TRINGA MARITIMA (Brtwy.).

97. Purple Sandpiper. (235)

Bill, little longer than the head, much longer than the tarsus, straight or
nearly so; tibial feathers, long, reaching to the joints; though the legs are
rarely bare a little way above. Adult:—Above, ashy-black, with purplish and
violet reflections, most of the feathers with pale or white edgings; secondaries,
mostly white; line over eye, eyelids and under parts, white; the breast and
jugulum, a pale cast of the color of the back; and sides marked with the same.
In winter, and most immature birds, the colors are similar but much duller;
very young birds have tawny edgings above, and are mottled with ashy and
dusky below. Length, 8-9 inches; wing, 5; tail, 22, rounded; bill, 14; tarsus,
#; middle toe, 1, or a little more.

Has.—Northern portions of the northern hemisphere; in North America,
chiefly the northern portions, breeding in the high morth, migrating in winter
to the Eastern and Middle States, the Great Lakes and the shores of the larger
streams in the Mississippi Valley.

Nest, a mere depression in the ground with a scant lining of grass.

The eggs are said to be four in number, clay color, shaded with olive, and
marked with rich umber-brown.

This, like the preceding species, is common to both continents, and
is of circumpolar distribution. If it has been in the habit of passing
this way, it did so without being observed till the 31st of October,
1885, when one individual was killed at Hamilton Beach, by Dr.
K. C. Mellwraith. This is the only record we have of it in the
Province.

As its name (maritima) implies, it is a bird of the sea coast, but
though a Sandpiper, it is not so fond of the sandy shores as it is of
the rocky ledges covered with sea weeds, where it no doubt finds
something to suit its taste. The name purple might lead a stranger
to expect this to be a bird of showy colors, but in general appearance

i‘

PECTORAL SANDPIPER. 139

it is perhaps the least so of its class, and might be described as about
the size and build of the Black-heart, dull slaty-blue above, belly and
vent white. When in full plumage, the feathers feel soft and silky
for a bird of this class, and in certain rays of light seem slightly

- glossed with purple.

Since the above was written, eight years ago, one or two more
specimens have been found at Hamilton. Mr. White got one at
Ottawa, and Mr. Cross had one brought to him at Toronto. This
tends to show that the bird is a rare straggler so far from the sea.

It does not appear among the “ Birds of Manitoba,” nor those of
Alaska, but breeds abundantly on the shores of Hudson’s Bay and
Melville Peninsula.

Suscenus ACTODROMAS Kaup.
TRIN GAS SEACU eA AY Wim:

98. Pectoral Sandpiper. (239)

Coloration much as in Baird’s Sandpiper, but crown noticeably different from
cervix; chestnut edgings of scapulars, straight-edged ; chin, whitish, definitely
contrasted with the heavily ashy-shaded and sharply dusky-streaked jugulum.
Large. Length, 84-9 inches; wing, 5-54; bill, tarsus and middle toe with claw,
about 145; bill and feet, greenish.

Has.—The whole of North America, the West Indies, and the greater part
of South America. Breeds in the Arctic Regions. Of frequent occurrence in
Europe.

Nest, in a tuft of grass.

Kggs, four, pale grayish-buff, varying to pale olive-green, blotched and
spotted with vandyke-brown.

While on their extended migratory journey in spring and fall,
these birds rest and refresh themselves on the marshes and lake
shores of Ontario, where they are frequently observed by sportsmen,
in flocks of considerable size.

Near Hamilton they are not of regular occurrence, though they
occasionally appear in the fall in goodly numbers, and if the weather
keeps soft, remain till October.

While here they frequent the grassy meadows and muddy inlets
near the Bay, being very seldom noticed on the sand.

Like several others of the same class, this species has a wide
geographical distribution, being found in Iceland, Europe and Asia.

140 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Those who have seen this species only in Ontario can have but
little idea of its appearance during the breeding season, as seen by
Mr. Nelson in Alaska, and I regret that his description is too long
to be copied in full. He was under his tent on a lonely island near
the mouth of the Yukon. He says: “ My eyelids began to droop and
the scene to become indistinct, when suddenly a low, hollow, booming
note struck my ear, and sent my thoughts back to a spring morning
in Northern [linois, and to the loud, vibrating tones of the prairie
chickens. A few seconds passed and again arose the note; a moment
later and, gun in hand, I stood outside the tent. Once again the
note was repeated close by, and a glance revealed its author. Stand-
ing in the thin grass, ten or fifteen yards from me, with its throat
inflated until it was as large as the rest of the bird, was a male
Pectoral Sandpiper.

‘““The succeeding days afforded opportunity to observe the bird as
it uttered its singular notes, under a variety of situations, and at
various hours of the day or during the light Arctic night. Before the
bird utters these notes, it fills its esophagus with air to such an
extent that the breast and throat is inflated to more than twice its
natural size, and the great air sac thus formed gives the peculiar
resonant quality to the note. Whenever the Pectoral pursues his
love-making, his rather low but pervading note swells and dies in
musical cadences, which form a striking part of the great bird chorus
heard at this season in the north.”

TRINGA FUSCICOLLIS Viei1t.

99. White-rumped Sandpiper. (240)

Size, medium; upper tail coverts, white; feet, black; bill, black, light-
colored at base below; coloration otherwise much as in Baird’s Sandpiper. An
ashy wash on the jugulum is hardly perceptible except in young birds, and
then it is slight; the streaks are very numerous, broad and distinct, extending
as specks nearly or quite to the bill, and as shaft lines along the sides.

Has.—Eastern Province of North America, breeding in the high north. In
winter, the West Indies, Central and South America, south to the Falkland
Islands. Occasional in Europe.

Nest, a depression in the ground, lined with grass and a few withered leaves.
Eggs, three or four, light olive-brown, spotted with deep dark chestnut.

Several of our Sandpipers resemble each other so much in general
appearance that by the gunner they are considered as all of one sort

BAIRD'S SANDPIPER. 141

and treated alike—that is, they are tied in bunches by the neck
or legs and handed over to be prepared for the table. With the
collector it is different: every individual is carefully examined as to
species, sex, age and condition, so that nothing may be lost that is
‘worth preserving. In the present species, the white rump is always a
distinguishing mark, most conspicuous while the birds are on the
wing. Inland it is not very common, but a few are usually seen
associating with the others during the season of migration. The
pair in my collection I found on the sandy shore of Lake Ontario
near the Burlington Canal.

It is an eastern species, with a long range north and south. It is
very abundant on the shores of New England during the season of
migration.

Inland it is found in Ontario, Manitoba and the North-West, but
only in small flocks while migrating. It does not appear west of the
Roeky Mountains, and only one or two stragglers have been found in
Alaska. It is said to breed abundantly in the Mackenzie River
region, and it was found by McFarlane breeding on the shores of
the Arctic Sea. As winter approaches it moves south through the
United States to the West Indies, Central and South America and
the Falkland Islands. Stragglers have also been found in Europe.

TRINGA BAIRDII (Covss).

100. Baird’s Sandpiper. (241)

Adult male:—Bill, wholly black, small and slender, slightly shorter than
the head, just as long as the tarsus, or as the middle toe and claw, slightly
expanded or lancet-shaped at the end, the point acute; grooves, long, narrow,
deep; feathers on the side of lower mandible evidently reaching further than
those on upper. Upper parts, brownish-black (deepest on the rump and middle
upper tail coverts, and lightest on the neck behind), each feather bordered and
tipped with pale brownish-yellow, the tipping of the scapulars broadest and
nearly white, their marginings broad and brightest in tint, making several deep
scallops toward the shafts of the feathers; only the outer series black, the others
plain gray, with paler margins; jugulum, tinged with light, dull yellowish-
brown, spotted and streaked with ill-defined blackish markings, as are also the
sides under the wings; throat and other under parts, white, unmarked; feet,
black, like the bill. Length, 7.25; extent, 15.25; wing, 4.90; bill, 0.85; tarsus,
middle toe and claw, the same. The female is entirely similar, but slightly
larger. The young have the upper parts wholly light brownish-ash, darker on
the rump, and all the feathers with a dark field, and pale or whitish edging;

142 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

waves of brownish-black on the scapulars; jugulum and breast, suffused with
dull, light reddish-brown, the spotting small, sparse and very indistinct.
Hazs.—The whole of North and South America, but chiefly the interior of
North and the western portions of South America. Rare along the Atlantic
coast, and not yet recorded from the Pacific coast. Known to breed only in the
Arctic Regions.
Nest, a slight depression, lined with grass, usually shaded by a tuft of grass.
Eggs, three or four, clay color, spotted with rich umber-brown.

Dr. Coues, in his new “ Key to North American Birds,” says that
this is the most abundant small Sandpiper in some parts of the west
during migrations, but it has not been found on the Pacific coast
and is quite rare on the Atlantic. The only record we have of its
occurrence in Ontario is that of a fine specimen now in my collection,
which was shot at Hamilton Beach on the 25th of August, 1885, by
K. C. MclIlwraith. It was singled out among a flock of small sand-
pipers by its peculiar erratic snipe-like flight, and on being secured,
its dainty little body was picked up with feelings which only the
enthusiastic collector can understand.

It is named after 8. F. Baird, of the Smithsonian Institute, and,
so far as known, is peculiar to the American continent.

On the 23rd of August, 1886, while this article was in the
printer’s hands, the locality where the specimen herein referred to
was obtained was again visited, and, strange to say, another indi-
vidual of the species was secured at the same place, under similar
circumstances. On the Ist of September the place was again visited,
and two more were obtained, but on two subsequent visits, made
within a day or two, no more were seen. Those who are observant
of the migratory movements of the birds must often have been
astonished to see with what persistent regularity certain birds appear
at certain places at a given time. In the present instance these
are the only birds of the kind we have ever seen or heard of in
Ontario, but they were all found within a few yards of the same
spot, and within ten days of the same date in different years.

This species seems to prefer travelling inland, as it is rare on
the Atlantic coast, and has not yet been observed on the Pacific.
Mr. Nelson found only one, an immature bird, during his residence
in Alaska; but it is known to breed in the barren lands in the
Arctic Regions.

It was not until 1861, that Dr. Coues disentangled this species
from the general crowd, and gave it the name and rank by which it
has since been called. It is so little known, that we have yet much
to learn of its peculiarities.

——

LEAST SANDPIPER. 143

TRINGA MINUTILLA VIEILL.

101. Least Sandpiper. (242)

Upper parts in summer, with each feather blackish centrally, edged with
bright bay, and tipped with ashy or white; in winter and in the young, simply
ashy; tail feathers, gray, with whitish edges, the central blackish, usually
with reddish edges; crown, not conspicuously different from hind neck; chest-
nut edgings of scapulars usually scalloped; below, white, the jugulum with
dusky streaks and an ashy or brownish suffusion; bill, black; legs, dusky
greenish. Smallest of the sandpipers. Length, 53-6 inches; wing, 34-35; tail,
2 or less; bill, tarsus and middie toe with claw, about 3.

Has.—Whole of North and South America, breeding north of the United
States. Accidental in Europe.

Nest, a depression in the ground, lined with grass and leaves.

Eggs, three or four, light drab, thickly sprinkled with reddish-brown spots.

The appearance of this, the smallest of the Sandpipers, always
excites a feeling of pity as he is seen hurrying along the sand in rear
of his big brothers, uttering his feeble “peep” as if begging them to
leave a little for him.

In Ontario it is a common species, found in all suitable places in
spring and fall, but its breeding ground is far north, and little, if
anything, is known of its nest or eggs. Some might consider that a
matter of no consequence, but here is what Dr. Coues says about it in
his “Birds of the North-West”: ‘“Fogs hang low and heavy over rock-
girdled Labrador. Angry waves, palled with rage, exhaust themselves
to encroach upon the stern shores, and, baffled, sink back howling
into the depths. Winds shriek as they course from crag to crag in
mad career, till the humble mosses that clothe the rocks crouch lower
still in fear. Overhead the Sea Gulls scream as they winnow, and the
Murres, all silent, ply eager oars to escape the blast. What is here to
entice the steps of the delicate birds? Yet they have come, urged
by resistless impulse, and have made a nest on the ground in some
half-sheltered nook. The material was ready at hand, in the mossy
covering of the earth, and little care or thought was needed to
fashion a little bunch into a little home.

“Four eggs are laid (they are buffy-yellow, thickly spotted over
with brown and drab), with the points together, that they may take
up less room and be more warmly covered ; there is need of this, such
large eggs belonging to so small a bird. As we draw near the mother
sees us, and nestles closer still over her treasures, quite hiding them
in the covering of her breast, and watches us with timid eyes, all
anxiety for the safety of what is dearer to her than her own life.

144 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Her mate stands motionless, but not unmoved, hard by, not ventur-
ing even to chirp the note of encouragement and sympathy she loves
to hear.

“‘ Alas! hope fades, and dies out, leaving only fear; there is no
further concealment—we are almost upon the nest—almost trodden
upon, she springs up with a piteous cry and flies a little distance,
re-alighting, almost beside herself with grief; for she knows only too
well what is to be feared at such a time. If there were hope for her
that her nest were undiscovered, she might dissimulate, and try to
entice us away by those touching deceits which maternal love in-
spires. But we are actually bending over her treasures, and deception
would be in vain; her grief is too great to be witnessed unmoved,
still less portrayed ; nor can we, deaf to her beseeching, change it to
despair. We have seen and admired the home—there is no excuse
for making it desolate ; we have not so much as touched one of the
precious eggs, and will leave them to her renewed and patient care.”

It is found as a migrant in Ontario and the North-West as far as
Alaska. In the latter region it is rare, none having been found on
the islands of Behring Sea.

Suspcenus PELIDNA Cuvier.
TRINGA ALPINA PACIFICA (Covss).

102. Red-backed Sandpiper. (243)

Adult in summer :—Ahbove, chestnut, each feather with a central black field,
and most of them whitish-tipped; rump and upper tail coverts, blackish; tail
feathers and wing coverts, ashy-gray; quills, dusky with pale shafts; second-
aries, mostly white; and inner primaries, edged with the same; under parts,
white; belly, with a broad jet black area; breast and jugulum, thickly streaked
with dusky; bill and feet, black. Adult in winter, and young :—Above, plain
ashy-gray, with dark shaft-lines, with or without red or black traces; below,
white; little or no trace of black on the belly; jugulum, with a few dusky
streaks and an ashy suffusion. Length, 8-9 inches; wing, 44-5; tail, 2-24;
bill, 14-12, longer than head, compressed at base, rather depressed at the end;
tibia, bare about 4; tarsus, 1, or rather less.

Has.—North America in general, breeding far north, and straggling to
eastern coast of Asia.

Nest, in the vicinity of lakes and ponds, a hollow in the ground lined with a
few withered leaves. ;

Eggs, three or four, clay color, spotted, stained and blotched with chestnut.

This is the Black-heart Plover of sportsmen. It is a regular

CURLEW SANDPIPER. 145

visitor in Ontario in the season of migration, appearing on the shores
of Lake Ontario with wonderful regularity on the Queen’s birthday
(May 24th), as if to afford sport to our gunners on that Canadian
holiday. It is much in favor with those who are fond of killing a
great number of birds at once, for it usually appears in large, com-
pact flocks and is not very difficult of approach. I once saw seventy-
six killed or wounded with the discharge of two barrels. They had
just arrived on the shore, and, seeming tired after a long flight,
settled on a partially submerged log near the water’s edge, from
which they were unwilling to rise, and allowed the gunner to do as
stated, to his extreme delight. It did not occur to one, looking
at so large a number of dead and wounded birds, that any very com-
mendable feat had been accomplished, but so it was considered at
the time, and so it will be again, I presume, with that class of sports-
men, but the like opportunity may not happen soon again, as the
number of Black-hearts which now visit that locality is very small.

On leaving Southern Ontario in spring they pass on to the North-
West, where they breed abundantly in Alaska and in the Arctic
Regions.

They are again seen in the fall, when they spend a few days before
leaving for winter-quarters in the south.

TRINGA FERRUGINEA Brotyy.

103. Curlew Sandpiper. (244)

Adult :—Crown of the head and entire upper parts, greenish-black, each
feather tipped and indented with yellowish-red; wing coverts, ashy-brown,
each feather with dusky shaft line and reddish edging; upper tail coverts,
white, with broad dusky bars, tinged at their extremities with reddish; tail,
pale gray, with greenish reflection; sides of the neck and entire under parts
uniform, deep brownish-red; under tail coverts, barred with dusky; axillars
and under wing coverts, white; bill and feet, greenish-black. Length, 84;
wing, about 5; bill, 14.

Has.—Old World in general; occasional in eastern North America.

Nest, by the margin of lakes and rivers, a slight hollow lined with leaves
and grass.

Eggs, three or four, pale-greenish buff, spotted and blotched with chestnut-
brown.

So far as at present known, the Curlew Sandpiper is only a

straggler on the American continent, about ten or a dozen being all
the recorded captures. It is quite a common British species, and

10

146 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

like others peculiar to those eastern lands, may occasionally be
wafted westward against its inclinations, but no nest of the species
has yet been found on this side of the Atlantic.

In 1867, the Board of Arts of Western Canada prepared a “ Cata-
logue of Birds Observed in the Country,” in connection with the
collection which, during that year, was sent to the Paris Exposition.
The Curlew Sandpiper is named in the catalogue, but no specimen
was available for the collection. I have mentioned it here, chiefly
with the view of placing the technical description in the hands of
those interested, so that they may be able to identify the species
should they at any time fall in with it.

Genus EREUNETES Ixticer.
EREUNETES PUSILLUS (Linn. ).

104. Semipalmated Sandpiper. (246)

Adult in summer :—Above, variegated with black, bay and ashy or white,
each feather with a black field, reddish edge and whitish tip; rump and upper
tail coverts, except the lateral ones, blackish; tail feathers, ashy-gray, the
central darker; primaries dusky, the shaft of the first white; a dusky line from
the bill to the eye, and a-white superciliary line; below, pure white, usually
rufescent on the breast, and with more or less dusky speckling on the throat,
breast and sides, in young birds usually wanting; in winter the upper parts
mostly plain ashy-gray; but in any plumage or under any variation the species
is known by its small size and semipalmated feet. Length, 54-6} inches;
wing 44-4¢; tarsus and middle toe and claw, about 1; bill, variable from 4 to

3, averaging §.

Haxs.—KHastern Province of North America, breeding north of the United
States; south in winter to the West Indies and South America.

Nest, a depression in the ground, in or near some moist place, lined with
withered grass.

Kggs, three or four, variable in color, usually clay color, blotched or spotted
with umber-brown.

This is a very abundant species during the season of migration,
thronging alike the shores of the Atlantic and those of our inland
lakes and marshes.

They visit the borders of Hamilton Bay in spring and fall in con-
siderable numbers, but are so much disturbed by amateur gunners
that they soon seek for more retired feeding grounds elsewhere.

They are usually found associating with the Least Sandpiper,
which they much resemble in general appearance, but the semipal-

SANDERLING. 147

mated toes of the present species are always a reliable distinguishing
mark.

This is an eastern species, which prefers the shores of the Atlantic
as its line of travel, passing up north in spring. It is tolerably
‘common in Manitoba and the North-West, but is not seen in Alaska.’
Its centre of abundance seems to be the shores of Labrador and
Hudson’s Bay, where it breeds in great numbers. They can raise
only one brood, for they return from the north before August is out,’
and soon pass on south, where they are said to winter from the
Carolinas southward.

Genus CALIDRIS Cuvier.
CALIDRIS ARENARIA (Liny.).

105. Sanderling. (248)

Adult in summer :—Head, neck and upper parts varied with black, ashy and
bright reddish; below, from the breast, pure white; tail, except central feathers,
light-ash, nearly white; primaries, gray with blackish edges and tips, the
shafts of all and bases of most, white; secondaries, white, except a space at the
end, and greater coverts broadly white tipped; bill and feet, black. Adult in
winter and young :—No reddish; speckled with black and white; sometimes
tawny tinged on the jugulum. Length, 74-8; wing, 43-5; tail, 24; bill, about 1;
tarsus, 1, or rather less; middle toe and claw, 3.

Has.—Nearly cosmopolitan, breeding in the Arctic and subarctic regions,
migrating in America, south to Chili and Patagonia.

Nest, a hollow in the ground, lined with grass and dead leaves.

Eggs, two to four, greenish-brown, spotted and blotched with brown of
different shades.

148 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

The Sanderling is a species of very wide geographical distribution,
being found in suitable places nearly all over the world.

It visits the shores of the great lakes in Ontario during the season
of migration, and appears in different dress according to age or the
season of the year. In spring the breast and foreneck are tinged
with pale rufous, but in autumn the whole lower parts are as white as
snow. It is a very active species, and, when feeding along the shore,
shows great celerity in following the receding wave, or keeping clear
of the next one that rolls up on the beach. When wounded in the
wing, it will run with great swiftness, and even take to the water and
swim well. In spring their visits to Hamilton Bay are uncertain
and of short duration, but on the return trip they appear about the
end of August, and are found all through the fall.

The flocks of Sanderlings which come over the boundary into
Southern Ontario in May, soon pass on by easy stages up north, being
noticed at various points on the way. They have been found breed-
ing on the islands along the coast of Greenland, also in Grinnell
Land, and on the shores and islands of Hudson’s Bay. Mr. Nelson
did not see the species at St. Michael’s, but he says that it breeds
along the barren Arctic shore of the north Alaskan coast, east of
Point Barrow, but not in any numbers south of this point.

It is found wintering in low latitudes on both shores of the Pacific,
but is rather rare on the coast of India.

GeNus LIMOSA Brisson.
LIMOSA FEDOA (Liny.).

106. Marbled Godwit. (249)

Tail, barred throughout with black and rufous; rump and upper tail coverts
like the back; no pure white anywhere. General plumage, rufous, or cinnamon-
brown; below, nearly unmarked, and of very variable shade, usually deepest
on the lining of the wing; above, variegated with black and brown or gray;
quills, rufous and black; bill, flesh-colored, largely tipped with black; feet,
dark. Large. Length, 16-22; wing, about 9; tail, about 35; bill, 4-5; tibia
bare, 1-14; tarsus, 24-3}; toes, 14, stout.

Has.—North America, breeding in the interior (Missouri region and north-
ward), migrating in winter southward to Central America and Cuba.

Nest, on the prairie, not far from water.

Eggs, three or four; olive-drab, spotted with various shades of umber-brown.

The Marbled Godwit is occasionally seen singly, or in pairs, on the
lake shores of Ontario during the season of migration; but these can

HUDSONIAN GODWIT. 149

only be regarded as stragglers, for we learn that in spring it passes
up the Mississippi Valley in flocks of considerable size, and has been
found nesting in Iowa, Minnesota and Dakota. It was also found by
Prof. Macoun “feeding in large flocks along the salt marshes at Old
' Wives Lakes and other points” in Manitoba and the North-West.

It is a handsome bird, in general appearance resembling the
Curlews, from which, however, it can readily be distinguished by its
straight bill.

LIMOSA HAMASTICA (Liny.).

107. Hudsonian Godwit. (251)

Tail, black, largely white at base, its coverts mostly white; rump, blackish ;
lining of wings extensively blackish; under parts in the breeding season intense
rufous (chiefly barred) with dusky; head, neck and upper parts brownish-black,
variegated with gray, reddish and usually some whitish speckling; quills,
blackish, more or less white at the base. Young and apparently winter speci-
mens, much paler, tawny-whitish below, more gray above. Considerably
smaller than the foregoing; about 15; wing, 8 or less; bill, 35 or less; tarsus,
25 or less.

Has.—Eastern North America, and the whole of Middle and South America.
Breeds only in the high north.

Nest, a hollow, lined with leaves and grass.

Eggs, four, olive-drab with dark spots.

This species is less abundant than the preceding. It seems to
prefer the line of the Atlantic for its migrations, but is also noticed
inland in smaller numbers. I have seen it in spring at St. Clair
Flats, and also on the shores of Hamilton Bay, where the specimen
in my collection was obtained.

It is not known to breed anywhere within the limits of the United
States, and Prof. Macoun, in recording its presence in the North-
West, speaks of it as “less abundant than the preceding and more to
the north.”

In spring the prevailing color of the plumage is rich chestnut-red,
crossed with wavy lines of black. In the fall, it is less attractive,
being mostly ashy-gray.

Though not abundant, this species is generally distributed east of
the Rocky Mountains. It breeds abundantly on the barren lands of
the Arctic Ocean, and on the lower Anderson River region. It
associates with the Marbled Godwit, and has the same habits and
characteristics.

150 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Genus TOTANUS BeEcHSTEIN.
Suseenus GLOTTIS Kocu.
TOTANUS MELANOLEUCUS (GmMEt1.).

108. Greater Yellow-legs. (254)

Bill, straight or slightly bent upwards, very slender, grooved half its length
or less, black; legs, long and slender, yellow. In summer, ashy-brown; above
varied with black and speckled with whitish; below, white; jugulum, streaked ;,
breast, sides and crissum, speckled or barred with blackish; these latter marks!
fewer or wanting in winter and in the young; upper tail coverts, white, with
dark bars; tail feathers, marbled or barred with ashy or white; quills, blackish.
Large. Length, over 12 inches; wing, over 7; tail, 3 or more; bill, 2 or more;
tarsus, about 24; middle toe and claw, 14; tibia, bare, 15.

Has.—America in general, breeding in the cold, temperate and subarctic
portions of North America, and migrating south to Buenos Ayres.

Nest, a hollow, lined with grass and leaves.

Eggs, three or four, grayish-white, marked with spots of dark brown and
lilac.

In spring, even before the ice is quite gone from the lakes and
rivers of Ontario, the shrill, piercing ery of this bird may be heard
overhead, as it circles round in search of some quiet, marshy inlet as
a temporary resting place. It is a very watchful species, sure to
observe the stealthy approach of the gunner, and give the alarm to
the neighborhood, on account of which it has been dubbed the 7ell-
tale.

But a short stay is made in spring, for it passes quickly on to its.
breeding place in the far north. As early as the end of August the
birds again appear, toned down in dress and manners, accompanied
by their families. Many of them become the victims of misplaced
confidence by exposing themselves within reach of the ever-ready
breech-loader, which at that season of the year seems omnipresent in.
the marshes.

Like others of its kind, this species is an occasional visitor at the:
Beach, near Hamilton, but the visits of all this class of birds at that
point are now of less frequent occurrence, and of shorter duration,
than in former years.

In Manitoba and the North-West, it is observed migrating in
spring and fall, but is not known to breed. Mr. Nelson thinks it
breeds in Alaska, but he has not found the eggs. Audubon found it
breeding in Labrador. Its eggs are still scarce in collections.

YELLOW-LEGS—SOLITARY SANDPIPER. 151

TOTANUS FLAVIPES (Gmez.).
109. Yellow-legs. (255)

A miniature of the last; colors precisely the same; legs comparatively
- longer; bill grooved rather farther. Length, under 12; wing, under 7; tail,
under 3; bill, under, 2; tarsus, about 2; middle toe and claw, and bare tibia,
each 14. :

Haps.—America in general, breeding in the cold, temperate and subarctic
districts, and migrating south in winter to southern South America. Less
common in the Western than in the Eastern Province of North America.

Nest, a slight depression in the ground, lined with dried grass or leaves.

Eggs, three or four, variable in color, usually clay color, blotched or spotted
with umber-brown.

In color, haunts and habits, this species closely resembles the
preceding, but the difference in size serves at all times to distinguish
one from the other. Both are esteemed for the table, and they are
therefore sought for by sportsmen, and often exposed for sale in the
market. When one is wounded in a flock, the others raise a great
outcry, and remain near it so long that their ranks are often still
further thinned before they move off. Alone, or in company with
the preceding, this species pays a passing visit to the shores of
Hamilton Bay in spring and fall.

In some localities it is more numerous than the Greater Yellow-
legs, but both follow the same route.

Coming into Canada from the Northern States in May, they pass

up north through the British possessions, but do not stop to breed
till they reach the far north.
_ The Yellow-legs has been found breeding abundantly in the
Macfarlane and Anderson River regions, where its eggs were found
early in June. It is also known to breed at the mouth of the Porcu-
pine River, which empties into the Yukon in Alaska. In the fall it
is again seen in noisy groups, that become reduced in numbers at the
different points they visit on their way to their winter quarters,
which are said to be in the West Indies and South America.

Supcenus RHYACOPHILUS Kavp.
TOTANUS SOLITARIUS (W11s.).

110. Solitary Sandpiper. (256)

Bill, perfectly straight, very slender, grooved little beyond its middle; dark
lustrous olive-brown, streaked on the head and neck, elsewhere finely speckled
with whitish; jugulum and sides of neck, with brownish suffusion and dusky

152 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

streaks; rump and upper tail coverts, like the back; ‘tail, axillars and lining of
wings, beautifully barred with black and white; quills, entirely blackish; bill
and feet, very dark olive-green. Young:—Duller above, less speckled, jugulum
merely suffused with grayish-brown. Length, 8-9; wing, 5; tail, 25; bill,
tarsus and middle toe, each about 1-14; tibia, bare, 2.

Has.—North America, breeding throughout the temperate portions (more
commonly northward), and migrating southward as far as Brazil and Peru.

Nest, a hollow in the ground, not far from water.

Eggs, clay color with a reddish tinge, thickly marked with reddish and
blackish brown.

As its name implies, this is a solitary bird, nowhere abundant,
yet widely distributed. It is seen during the summer months in
Southern Ontario. Prof. Macoun reports it as “of frequent occur-
rence on the plains” of the North-West, and it has been found in
Alaska.

In the “List of Birds of Western Ontario,” published in the Cana-
dian Sportsman and Naturalist, for November, 1882, it is stated that
“in the summer of 1879 this bird bred very commonly along the
streams in Middlesex, but has since then been quite rare.” Most of
those I have seen near Hamilton have risen unexpectedly from some
pool by the roadside, frequently from places where cattle have been
in the habit of visiting to obtain water. I have not seen more than
two together. In their motions they are quiet and sedate, but have
the habit peculiar to others of this class, of nervously jerking their
hinder parts in a manner apparently satisfactory to themselves,
though what particular purpose is served by it, is not to us apparent.
From having seen this species in all the summer months, I have
placed it on the list as a rare summer resident here.

T have often fancied myself in close proximity to its nest, but
so far I have not found it. I may state, however, that I do not
search for eggs, and, therefore, do little collecting during June and
July.

There is no trouble in deciding the breeding range of a common
species, but the reverse is the case with a rare bird. In the “ Birds
of Manitoba,” several of the observers mention it as probably breed-
ing, but Macoun states positively: “Frequent throughout the Winni-
pegosis region, along the route of 1881, breeding, for young were
observed with some down yet.” It is reported as breeding at several
points in Alaska, but even there it is not abundant, and the eggs are
still rare in collections.

WILLET. 153

Genus SYMPHEMIA RarFinesqQue.
SYMPHEMIA SEMIPALMATA (Gm L.).

111. Willet. (258)

Bill, straight, comparatively stout, grooved little, if any, more than half its
length. In summer, gray above, with numerous black marks; white, below;
the jugulum, streaked; the breast, sides and crissum, barred, or with arrow-
shaped marks of dusky (in winter, and in young birds, all these dark marks few
or wanting, except on jugulum); upper tail coverts, most of the secondaries,
and basal half of primaries, white; ends of primaries, their coverts, lining of
wings and axillars, black; bill, bluish or dark; toes, with two conspicuous
basal webs. Length, 12-16; wing, 7-8; tail, 24-3; bill or tarsus, 2-2?; tibia,
bare, 1 or more; middle toe and claw, 14-2.

Hazs.—Temperate North America, south to the West Indies and Brazil.

Nest, in a tussock of grass in the marsh, just above water level.

Eggs, three or four, usually clay color, splashed or spotted with varying
shades of umber-brown and purple.

Very little is known of this species in Ontario. On two occasions
I have seen it brought in by gunners from the marsh, but have not
met with it alive. That it passes this way in spring and fall is
probable, for it breeds generally throughout the United States as far
north as Dakota, and has also been observed in the North-West by
Prof. Macoun. In general appearance it resembles the Greater Yellow-
shanks, but in the present species the legs are bluish-lead color. The
Willets are very wary birds, and along the sea coast, where they are
more common and much sought after, decoys are used to attract
them within range. In the fall they are said to get extremely fat,
and are much prized for the table.

Although generally distributed throughout Ontario and across the
interior to the Pacific coast, they are nowhere numerous, the centre
‘of abundance being farther to the south. Cobb’s Island, Virginia, is
mentioned as one of the breeding places.

In Davie’s “ Nests and Eggs,” it is stated that there is a tract of
salt grass in Beaufort County, South Carolina, where it breeds in
great numbers. A hundred pairs or more are commonly observed
breeding in this locality at the same time. The eggs are very difficult
to discover, but the crows find them out and feed upon them, the
empty shells being strewed plentifully over the field.

154 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Genus PAVONCELLA Leacu.
PAVONCELLA PUGNAX Linn.

112. Ruff. (260)

Above, varied with black, rufous, and gray; the scapulars and tertials
exhibiting these colors in oblique bands; beneath, white, varied on the juguluny
and throat; primaries, dark brown, with greenish reflection above; the inner
webs finely mottled towards the base; outer three tail feathers plain, the
remainder transversely barred; bill, brown; sides of rump, white; legs, yellow.
Male in spring dress with the feathers of the neck greatly developed into a ruff;
the face covered with reddish papille. Length, about 10 inches; wing, 6.40;
tail, 2.60; bill, 1.25.

Has.—Northern parts of the Old World, straying occasionally to Eastern
North America.

Nest, made by the females, in a dry tussock of grass in a wet swamp.

Kggs, four, grayish-green, blotched and spotted with reddish-brown.

A wanderer from the Old World, which has been occasionally
obtained on Long Island, on the coast of New England and in the

Middle States.
The fact of a specimen having been killed on the island near

Toronto, in the spring of 1882, gives me the privilege of recording

a Ss

this species as a rare visitor to Ontario. This is farther inland than
any of the others occurred, and the probabilities are that it will not
often be found so far from the sea. The specimen referred to is
apparently a young: male in nearly perfect plumage, and is now
mounted, and in the possession of Mr. Young, of Toronto.

Along the eastern shores of England and Scotland, the Ruffs are
migrants in spring and fall. In former years a few pairs used to
remain and raise their young, but now, owing to the clearing of the
land and the birds being more shot at than formerly, nearly all pass
on to Scandinavia, where they breed in great numbers. Ruffs are
polygamous, and the males have a curious habit of assembling on
bare knolls in the spring to fight for the females. There they erect
their long feathers and charge each other with a great deal of fuss:
and flutter, but their differences are usually settled without blood-
shed, and soon afterwards the females retire, select the site, build
the nest, and raise their brood without receiving any further atten-
tion from the other sex.

In autumn they pass south to the Mediterranean, thence down.
both coasts of Africa as far_as Cape Colony.

BARTRAMIAN SANDPIPER. 155

Genus BARTRAMIA Lesson.
BARTRAMIA LONGICAUDA (Becust.).

113. Bartramian Sandpiper. (261)

Above, blackish, with a slight greenish reflection, variegated with tawny
and whitish; below, pale tawny of varying shade, bleaching on throat and
belly; jugulum with streaks, breast and sides with arrowheads and bars of
blackish ; axillars and lining of wings, pure white, black-barred; quills blackish,
with white bars on the inner webs; tail, varied with tawny, black and white,
chiefly in bars; bill and legs, pale, former black-tipped. Length, 11-13 inches;
wing, 6-7; tail, 3-4; bill, 1-14; middle toe and claw about the same; tarsus,
about 2.

Has.—Kastern North America, north to Nova Scotia and Alaska, breeding
throughout its North American range, migrating in winter southward as far
even as southern South America. Occasional in Europe.

Nest, on the ground, a slight depression lined with grass often in an old
pasture field.

Kggs, four, clay color, marked all over with small spots of umber-brown,
most numerous at the larger end.

The Field Plover, as this species is frequently called, is now very
seldom seen in Ontario, though the older sportsmen tell us that in
former times it was often observed in the pasture fields in spring
and fall. The few that I have noticed near Hamilton have always
been in such places, but these can only be regarded as stragglers,
bewildered by fog, or driven by adverse winds away from their
regular habitat. In all the country between the Mississippi and the
Rocky Mountains, this species is said to be exceedingly abundant
during the seasons of migration, many remaining to raise their young
in [linois, lowa, Minnesota and Dakota, while large flocks pass on
for the same purpose, going as far north as the Yukon. According
to Prof. Macoun, they are abundant on the prairies of the North-

_ West, where they will afford good sport and a table delicacy to many

a future settler in that promising country.

The only point in Southern Ontario at which I have heard of
these birds being seen lately is on the Lake Erie shore not far from
Dunnville, where Dr. Macallum is aware of at least two pairs having
raised their broods during the two past summers. They have also
been heard of on the lake shore farther west, but the increased
cultivation of the land, and the increased number of people firing
their guns at them, lead such birds to seek for greater retirement
elsewhere.

156 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Genus TRYNGITES Capsanis.
TRYNGITES SUBRUFICOLLIS (Vieit1.).

114. Buff-breasted Sandpiper. (262)

Quills, largely white on the inner web, and with beautiful black marbling or
mottling, best seen from below; tail, unbarred, gray, the central feathers
darker, all with subterminal black edging and white tips; crown and upper
parts blackish, the feathers with whitish or tawny edging, especially on the
wings; sides of the head, neck all round and under parts, pale rufous or fawn
color, speckled on the neck and breast with dusky; bill, black; feet, greenish-
yellow. Length, 7-8; wing, 5-54; tail, 24; tarsus, 14; middle toe and claw,
and bill, under an inch.

Haxs.—North America, especially in the interior; breeds in the Yukon
district and the interior of British America, northward to the Arctic coast;
South America in winter. Of frequent occurrence in Europe.

Nest, a depression in the ground, lined with dry grass or leaves.

Eggs, four; clay color, blotched or spotted with umber-brown.

In the early fall I have several times met with these interesting
little birds, running among the short grass on the sandy knolls, north
of the canal at the beach, but have not seen them elsewhere.

They are said to. breed in bigh latitudes, a dozen sets of eggs in
the Smithsonian Institute having all been collected by Mr. Macfar-
lane in the Anderson River region, and along the Arctic coast.

With this record before me, I was not a little surprised to receive
from Dr. G. A. Macallum, of Dunnville, a notice of his having
found a nest of the species near his home, a few miles back from the
north shore of Lake Erie. In answer to my request for further
particulars, I received a prompt and full reply, from which the
following is an extract: “About the Buff-breasted Sandpiper—I
find on turning up my notes that it was taken June 10th, 1879, when
two of the eggs were hatched and the other one chipped, but of this,
however, I was able to make a good specimen, and it is now in my
cabinet.

‘““The female was shot, and with the two little fellows, stands in
my collection. The young are fawn-colored, with black spots over the
whole body; the egg measures 1.25 x .95, is pyriforim in shape; color,
ground, buff, thickly covered with dark blotches of two shades of
brown, making the general appearance very dark—almost as dark as
the eggs of Wilson’s Snipe.

“The nest was placed between two tussocks of grass on the ground,
a short distance from the bank of the river, where the ground is

SPOTTED SANDPIPER. 157

tolerably high, and where it is the custom to cut marsh hay. The
nest was of a decided shape, and was composed of the fine moss or
weed which grows between the tussocks of marsh grass. This is the
only case of its breeding here to my knowledge.”

This species not being common anywhere, there is not much
opportunity for obtaining positive information regarding its distri-
bution during the breeding season. It may be that the case referred
to by Dr. Macallum is an isolated one, but it may yet be found, like
its near relative, Bartram’s Sandpiper, breeding occasionally in
suitable places throughout the country. The Buff-breasted has a
wide geographical range, and although many pairs breed in the far
north, a few remain and raise their young in the middle districts.
Those I obtained were got on the 5th of September, 1885, and,
though evidently young birds, were in good plumage at that time.

In the “Birds of Manitoba,” it is mentioned only as a rare
transient visitor.

Genus ACTITIS ILiicer.
ACTITIS MACULARIA (Liyy.).

115. Spotted Sandpiper. (263)

Above, olive (quaker-color, exactly as in the Cuckoo), with a coppery lustre,
finely varied with black; line over eye, and entire under parts pure white, with
numerous sharp circular black spots, larger and more crowded in the jemale
than in the male, entirely wanting in very young birds; secondaries, broadly
white-tipped, and inner primaries with a white spot; most of the tail feathers
like the back, with sub-terminal black bar and white tip; bill, pale yellow,
tipped with black; feet, flesh color. Length, 7-8; wing, about 4; tail, about 2;
bill, tarsus and middle toe, each about 1.

Has.—North and South America, south to Brazil. Breeds throughout
temperate North America. Occasional in Europe.

Nest, on the ground, usually in shelter of high weeds, composed of dried grass.

Eggs, four, clay color, blotched with blackish-brown.

No bird of its class is so well known throughout Ontario as the
“Teeter Snipe.” Merry bands of children, getting out to the woods
to pick flowers in the early summer, listen with delight to its soft
“peet-weet,” as it flits from point to point along the margin of the
stream, and find great amusement in watching the peculiar jerky,
teetering motions which give rise to its common name. It thus
becomes associated in the mind of the rising generation with the
return of summer and its many outdoor enjoyments, and so is always

158 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

welcome. About the middle of April, the Peet-weets cross our
southern boundary, and are soon dispersed in pairs all over the
country, where they are heard and seen by every brook side till
about the end of September, when they move off to spend the winter
in the Southern States. In the fall they become quite numerous, and
many may be seen along the lake shore at one time, but they are not
gregarious, each individual choosing its own time to rise and place to
alight. The female is rather larger and more heavily spotted than
the male.

The species is common throughout the North-West, and has been
found by Dr. Bell in the Hudson’s Bay regions, but it rarely, if ever,
visits Alaska.

Genus NUMENIUS Brisson.
NUMENIUS LONGIROSTRIS Wits.

116. Long-billed Curlew (264)

Bill, of extreme length and curvature, measuring from 5 to 8 or 9 inches;
total length, about 2 feet; wing, | foot or less; tail, about 4; tarsus, 25 to 2%.
Plumage very similar to that of the Godwit, prevailing tone, rufous, of varying
intensity in different birds and in different parts of the same bird, usually more
intense under the wing than elsewhere; below, the jugulum streaked, and the
breast and sides with arrow-heads and bars of dusky; above, variegated with
black, especially on the crown, back and wings; tail, barred throughout with
black and rufous; secondaries, rufous; primaries, blackish and rufous; no pure
white anywhere; bill, black, the under mandible flesh-colored for some dis-
tance; legs, dark.

Has.—Temperate North America, migrating south to Guatemala and the
West Indies. Breeds in the south Atlantic States, and in the interior through
most of its North American range.

Nest, on the ground, a slight hollow lined with grass.

Eggs, three or four, clay color, blotched or spotted with umber-brown.

The Long-billed Curlew is a bird of the prairie rather than the
coast, though it is often met with along the shores of the sea. It is
said to breed in suitable places from Carolina to Minnesota, but is
spoken of by Prof. Macoun as rare in the North-West. In Ontario,
it is occasionally seen along the shores of the lakes, but only as an
irregular visitor, and not in large numbers. Among the veteran
sportsmen near Hamilton, it is spoken of as one of the kinds which
have been scared away by the railroads. Whether or not the snorting
of the locomotive has anything to do with the disappearance of the
birds from their former haunts it is hard to say, but certain it is that

HUDSONIAN CURLEW. 159

the number of waders and swimmers we now see is small compared
with former years.

In the “ Birds of Minnesota,” Dr. Hatch, at the commencement of
his article on the Long-billed Curlew, says: ‘This widely distributed
“species is nowhere better represented than in Minnesota,” but refer-
ring to this statement he says, in a foot-note: ‘The above was true
when written, but the curlews of this species, once so common, have
become less so within the last decade ; and now, having been driven
back from both coasts by the advance of civilization, are found in
great numbers far inland on the dry plains, where they are killed

in scores and hundreds.”
Dr. Bell remarks that it has not been seen near Hudson’s Bay.

It does not migrate so far north as either of the other species with
which we are acquainted. It still breeds abundantly on the south
Atlantic coast, and is resident from the Carolinas south to Mexico.

NUMENIUS HUDSONICUS Larun.

117. Hudsonian Curlew. (265)

Bill, medium, 3 or 4 inches long; length, 16-18; wing, 9; tail, 34; tarsus,
2}-25. Plumage, as in the last species in pattern, but general tone much paler;
quills, barred.

Has.—All of North and South America, including the West Indies; breeds
in the high north, and winters chiefly south of the United States.

Nest, a depression in the ground, lined with grass.

Eggs, ashy yellow, marked with chocolate and umber-brown.

According to Dr. Coues, hudsonicus is less abundant than either
of the other two Curlews, but at Hamilton it is, of the three, most
frequently observed. I was once on the Beach in May, when there
appeared to be a migratory movement of Hudsonian Curlews toward
the north. They flew high, in regular order, like geese, and showed
no inclination to alight till a boy, with a long shot, brought down
one, wing broken, from a passing flock.

Knowing the habits of the birds, he quickly tied it to a stake in a
moist meadow, and concealing himself close by, had good shooting
during the afternoon, for the loud outery made by his prisoner
brought down every passing flock.

Of late years very few have been seen.

This is a truly northern species, for Mr. Nelson reports it as a
migrant in Alaska, only an isolated pair remaining here and there to
pass the summer, the main body going farther north, where they

160 : BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

have been found breeding on the barren land of the Arctic Regions.
They seem to prefer the eastern route during migrations. Mr.
Chamberlain reports them as abundant along the Atlantic, as far
north, at least, as Anticosti. Dr. Bell found them in plenty near
Fort Churchill, but in the “ Birds of Manitoba,” no mention is made
of them. In Southern Ontario they are still rare. Occasionally a
straggling flock of migrants is seen in spring, and Dr. Macallum
reports them as regular visitors at Mohawk Island every June, but
on such occasions they appear only in small numbers.

NUMENIUS BOREALIS (Forst.).

118. Eskimo Curlew. (266)

Bill, small, under 3 inches long; length, 12-15 inches; wing, under 9; tail,
3; tarsus, 2. Plumage, in tone and pattern almost exactly as in the last
species, but averaging more rufous, especially under the wings, and primaries,
not barred.

Has.—Kastern Province of North America, breeding in the Arctic regions,
and migrating south to the southern extremity of South America.

Nest, in open plains, a hollow lined with grass and leaves.

Eggs, olive-drab shading to green gray, or brown marked with dark choco-
late.

The Curlews all resemble each other in plumage, but in size they
vary considerably, this being the smallest of the three. It is very
abundant in the remote regions which it frequents in summer, and
also along its migratory course, from which it does not seem to
deviate much. On the Pacific coast it has not yet been observed,
and on the Atlantic shores it appears only in limited numbers. The
great highway of the species is through the States just east of the
Rocky Mountains, where it is seen in immense flocks in spring and
fall. Dr. Coues says it is extraordinarily abundant in some places
during the migration, as in Labrador, where it fairly swarms in
August. I once found myself, unexpectedly, in close proximity to a
solitary individual on the shore of the beach, near Hamilton, and
secured it, but that is the only record I have of its occurrence in
Ontario.

Dr. Macallum’s experience with this species is similar to mine.
He secured two, which were feeding in an old pasture field along
with some Golden Plovers ; but these are all he has seen in twenty
years.

Famity CHARADRIIDAL PLovers.
Genus CHARADRIUS Linnzvus.
SuBGENUS SQUATAROLA CuvIiER.
CHARADRIUS SQUATAROLA (Liyny.).

119. Black-bellied Plover. (270)

Aduit in breeding season:—Rarely seen in the United States; face and entire
under parts, black; upper parts, variegated with black and white, or ashy;
tail, barred with black and white; quills, dusky with large white patches.
Adults at other times and young :—Below, white, more or less shaded with gray ;
the throat and breast, more or less speckled with dusky; above, blackish,
speckled with white or yellowish; the rump, white, with dark bars; legs, dull
bluish. Old birds changing show every grade, from a few isolated feathers on’
the under parts to numerous large black patches. Length, 11-12; wing, 7 or
more; tail, 3; bill, 1-14; tarsus, 2; middle toe and claw, 14; hind toe, hardly 4.

Has.—Nearly cosmopolitan, but chiefly in the northern hemisphere, breed-
ing far north, and migrating south in winter, in America, to the West Indies,
Brazil and New Grenada.

Nest, a hollow in the ground, slightly lined with grass.

Eggs, four, dark gray color, blotched or spotted with brownish-black.

11

162 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Although of nearly cosmopolitan distribution, this large and hand-
some Plover is nowhere abundant. It has been found breeding on
the Arctic coast east of the Anderson River, where its eggs were
taken by Mr. Macfarlane.

In its migrations, it prefers the sea coast on either side to the
interior, but a few are also observed inland.

At Hamilton, it visits the beach in spring and fall in limited
numbers. I once got two out of three very handsome individuals
which I saw there on the 3rd of June. In the “List of Birds of
Western Ontario,” it is mentioned as a “common migrant” at St.
Clair Flats. It is also seen passing throughout the North-West, and
Mr. White has found it at Ottawa.

Until quite recently, the only breeding place I had heard named
for this species was within the Arctic Circle. In the “ Birds of
Minnesota,” Dr. Hatch says: “In the summer of 1875, a clutch of
four eggs was sent to me with the female, which proved to be a
Black-bellied Plover. It was obtained in the vicinity of upper Lake
Minnetonka. Since then several nests have been reported by persons
competent to determine them, and I accept the conclusion that this
species breeds to a limited extent in some portions of the State.”

A few are said to breed at the mouth of the Yukon in Alaska, but
at St. Michael’s, where Mr. Nelson was stationed, he did not find it

-

in summer.

SusGENus CHARADRIUS Linyzus.
CHARADRIUS DOMINICUS (Mutz.).

120. American Golden Plover. (272)

Plumage, speckled above, and, in the breeding season, black below, as in
the last species, but much of the speckling bright yellow; and the rump and
upper tail coverts, like the back; forehead and a broad line over the eye to the
nape, white; tail feathers, grayish-brown, with imperfect white or ashy bars;
axillars, gray or ashy. At other times, the under parts nearly as in the last
species. Length, 10-11; wing, 7 or less; tail, under 3; bill, 1 or less.

Has.—Arctic America, migrating southward throughout North and South
America to Patagonia.

Nest, composed of dry grass, in a natural hollow in the ground.

Eggs, four, similar to those of the preceding species but not quite so large.

Old sportsmen tell us that Golden Plovers used to follow the line
of the Detroit River in immense flocks, passing quickly to the north

KILLDEER. 163

in the spring, and lingering along the shores and in the pasture fields
on their return in the fall.

According to the “ List of Birds of Western Ontario,” they are
still regular visitors there, but only in small numbers. Near Ham-
ilton they have never been common. Small flocks of immature birds
are seen passing south in the fall occasionally, but not regularly.

The Golden Plover in full breeding plumage is a very handsome
bird, but, like the Snow-bird and some others which breed in high
latitudes, it does not assume the nuptial dress till it reaches its
northern home, and by the time it gets back within the bounds of
civilization it has donned the sober garb of winter.

Mr. White reports the Golden Plover as a regular visitant at
Ottawa during October. It is an abundant migrant in the North-
West, but none remain during the summer. It breeds abundantly
on the coast and islands of the Arctic Sea, and on the barren lands,
and again puts in an appearance at the usual stopping places on its
return trip in the fall.

Genus AXGIALITIS Bore.
Suspcenus OX YECHUS ReEIcHENBACH.
AEGIALITIS VOCIFERA (Liny.).

121. Killdeer. (273)

Above, quaker-brown, with a greenish tinge, sometimes most of the feathers
tipped and edged with orange-brown; rump and upper tail coverts, orange-
brown; most of tail feathers, white at base and tip, sutfused with orange-brown
in part of their length, and with one to three black bars; secondaries, mostly
white; and primaries, with a white space; a black bar across the crown; and
two black bands on the neck and breast ; forehead and entire under parts, except
as stated, white; bill, black; feet, pale; eyelids, scarlet. Length, 9-10 inches;
wing, 6 or more; tail, 35, much rounded; tarsus, about 15.

Has.—Temperate North America, migrating in winter to the West Indies,
Central America and northern South America.

Nest, in the grass or shingle, in the vicinity of water.

Eggs, four, clay color, marked with blackish-brown.

This is a noisy, well-known bird, generally distributed throughout
Ontario, and abundant in the North-West. In April, even before
the snow is quite gone, the shrill cry of the Kuilldeer is heard in the
upper air, as it circles around, surveying its old haunts, and selecting
a bare spot on which to settle.

ils

164 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Its favorite resorts are pasture fields or waste places near water,
where it spends much of its time on the ground, sometimes running
with great speed, or sitting quietly as if aware that it is more likely
to escape observation in that way than by moving. It can scarcely
be called gregarious, yet, in the fall, when the young birds are
getting strong on the wing, they may be seen in companies of ten or
a dozen, visiting the muddy shores of streams and inlets, till about
the end of September, when they all move off south.

It is common during summer in Manitoba and the North-West,
but is not named among the “ Birds of Alaska.”

Suscenus ANGIALITIS Bots.
AEGIALITIS SEMIPALMATA Bonap.

122. Semipalmated Plover. (274)

Above, dark ashy-brown with an olivaceous shade; below, white; very
broad coronal and pectoral black bars in the adult in spring; in fall and in the
young the coronal bar hardly evident; the pectoral, grayish-brown; edges of
eyelids, bright orange; bill, moderately short and stout, orange or yellow, black
tipped ; legs, yellowish; toes, conspicuously semipalmate. Length, about 7
inches; wing, 42; tail, about 2} rounded.

Has.—Arctic and subarctic America, migrating south throughout tropical
America, as far as Brazil and Peru.

Nest, a depression in the ground, lined with dry grass.

Eggs, four, clay color, marked with blackish-brown.

The Semipalmated is a solid, plump little bird of very pleasing
plumage, particularly in spring, when the colors are clear and

decided. In company with other beach birds, it is found along the
shores of the lakes in Ontario from the middle till the end of May.
In the fall it is again seen in increased numbers in similar places till
about the end of September, when it disappears for the season. Dr.
Coues found the Ring-necks breeding abundantly in Labrador, and
mostly remaining there till the beginning of September. The dis-
tance between their summer and winter home is very great, but their
flight is rapid, and as they seem to know the way, the journey is
quickly made.

They have been found breeding in the latter part of June on the
Arctic coast and in the Anderson River regions, as well as on the
islands off the Alaskan coast and at the mouth of the Yukon.

PIPING PLOVER. 165

It is probable that a few stop and raise their brood by the way,
for in Manitoba, where the species is abundant as a migrant, Macoun
says: “ Abundant in company with the Killdeer, and evidently breed-
ing, as I saw young with them at the Salt Springs on Red Deer
~ River, July 22nd, 1881, at Lake Manitoba.”

AGIALITIS MELODA (Orp.).

123. Piping Plover. (277)

Above, very pale ashy-brown; the black bands narrow, often imperfect ;
bill, colored as in the last, but shorter and stumpy; edges of eyelids, colored;
no evident web between inner and middle toes, and only a slight one between
middle and outer. Length, about 7 inches; wing, 43; tail, 2.

Haxz.—Eastern Province of North America, breeding from the coast of New
Jersey (at least formerly) northward; in winter, West Indies.

Eggs, four, deposited among the shingle of the beach, clay color, marked
with spots of brownish-black, not exceeding a pin’s head in size.

The Piping Plover is a more southern bird than the Ring-neck,
and evidently does not penetrate far into Ontario. I have met with
it at Hamilton Beach, but only on two occasions. It has also been
found on the island at Toronto, but is more common along the north
shore of Lake Erie, and Mr. Saunders reports it as breeding at Point
Pelee, at the western end of that lake. When sitting quietly among
the shingle of the beach, the colors of this little bird harmonize so
well with its surroundings that quite a number may be close at
hand without being observed. The birds seem aware of this, and if
suspicious of danger, sit perfectly still till it is time to fly, when they
rise simultaneously and move off with a soft, plaintive, piping note.

In looking over Mr. Thompson’s “ Birds of Manitoba,” I was
surprised to find this species reported as occurring there, Macoun
having “shot it in company with some sanderlings on the shore of
Lake Manitoba on the 12th June, 1881.” Its centre of abundance
during the summer is along the Atlantic coast, from the Carolinas
north to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

166 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

AGIA LITIS®: NIVOSAYCxss!

124. Snowy Plover, (278)

Male in breeding dress:—Ahove, pale ashy-gray, little darker than in meloda;
top of head with a fulvous tinge; a broad black coronal bar from eye to eye; a
narrower black post-ocular stripe, tending to meet its fellow on the nape, and
thus encircle the fulvous area; a broad black patch on each side of the breast;
no sign of its completion above or below; no complete black loral stripe, but
indication of such in a small dark patch on either side of base of upper man-
dible; forehead, continuous with line over the eye, sides of head, excepting the
black post-ocular stripe, and whole under parts, excepting the black lateral
breast patches, snowy white; no white ring complete around back of neck;
primaries, blackish, especially at bases and ends, the intermediate extent
fuscous; shaft of first, white, of others, white for a space; nearly all the
primaries bleaching toward bases of inner webs, but only some of the inner ones
with a white area on outer webs; primary coverts like the primaries, but white-
tipped; greater coverts like the back, but white-tipped; secondaries, dark
brown, bleaching internally and basally in increasing extent from without
inwards, their shafts white along their respective white portions; tertiaries,
like back; several intermediate tail feathers like back, darkening toward ends;
two or three lateral pairs entirely white; all the feathers more pointed than
usual; bill, slender and acute, black; legs, black. Length, 6.50 to 7.00; extent,
13.50 to 14.00; wing, 4.00 to 4.25; tail, 2.00 or less.

Has.—Western Province of North America; in winter, both coasts of
Central America and western South America to Chili.

Eggs, three, placed among the shingle on the beach, pale buff or clay color,
finely marked with blackish-brown spots.

The Snowy Plover is a western bird very seldom seen east of the
Rocky Mountains, and would not have been mentioned here, but for
the following notice of it which appears in the Auk for October,
1885. It is contributed by E. E. Thompson, of Toronto. ‘A speci-
men of this bird was shot here by Mr. J. Forman, May, 1880, and
is now in the rooms of the Toronto Gun Club. It was at the time
in company with some Piping Plovers. This specimen answers in
general to the description in ‘Coues’ Key’ and fully in regard to
the bill; it differs in being much lighter in plumage. I had no
opportunity to make measurements, but in the same case were meloda
and semipalmata, and comparison with these makes me almost certain
that it is nivosa. The bill is noticeably long, black and slender. I
never met the bird before, and have no material to aid me in settling
the point.”

If Mr. Thompson has correctly identified the specimen described,
it can only be regarded as a casual straggler from the far west which
may not be seen here again.

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Famiry APHRIZIDA. Surr Birps anp TURNSTONES.
SupramMity ARENARIIN A. Turnstones.
Genus ARENARIA Brisson.
ARENARIA INTERPRES (Liny.).

125. Turnstone. (283)

Adult, in summer :—Pied above, with black, white, brown and chestnut-red,
the latter color wanting in winter and in young birds; below, from the breast
(which is more or less completely black); throat, most of the secondaries, bases
of the primaries, and bases and tips of the tail feathers, white; bill, black; feet,
orange. Length, 8-9 inches; wing, 54-6; tail, 25; bill, g, almost recurved ;
tarsus, 1; tibiz, bare but a little way.

Has.—Nearly cosmopolitan. In America, from Greenland and Alaska, to
the Straits of Magellan; more or less common in the interior of North America,
on the shores of the Great Lakes and the larger rivers. Breeds in high latitudes.

Nest, a hollow scratched in the earth, lined with bits of grass.

Eggs, two to four; greenish-ash, spotted, blotched and dotted irregularly
with yellowish and umber-brown.

In the “Birds of Ohio,’ Dr. Wheaton says that Mr. Sinnett
observed this species on the coast of Texas in the breeding season,
and he believes that they breed there.

The beautifully marked Turnstone is a bird of nearly cosmopolitan

168 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

distribution. It is found in America on both coasts, and also in the
interior. At Hamilton Beach it is a regular visitor in spring and
fall, but there are seldom more than two or three found together.

They are very sociable in their habits, mixing freely with any
other waders they chance to meet, and are seen here till the end of
the first week in June.

They are observed again, young and old together, early in Sep-
tember, and linger around the shores of the bay till the end of that
month, when they move farther south to spend the winter.

They are migrants throughout Ontario and the North-West, but
breed abundantly on the barren lands of the Arctic coast and the
Anderson River district, and sparingly in Alaska.

OrperR GALLINAY. Ganuinaczous Birps.

SUBORDER PHASIANI. PHEASANTs, GROUSE, PARTRIDGES,
QUAILS, ETC.

Famity TETRAONIDA. Grovuset, PartrinGes, ETC.
SuBFAMILY PERDICINA. Parrripass.
Genus COLINUS Lesson.

COLINUS VIRGINIANUS (Liyy.).

126. Bob-white. (289)

Coronal feathers erectile, but not forming a true crest. Forehead, super-
ciliary line and throat, white, bordered with black; crown, neck all round and
upper part of breast, brownish-red; other under parts, tawny-whitish, all with
more or fewer doubly crescentic black bars; sides, broadly streaked with
brownish-red; upper parts, variegated with chestnut, black, gray and tawny,
the latter edging the inner quills. /ema/e:—Known by having the throat buff
instead of the white, less black about the foreparts, and general colors less
intense, rather smaller than the male. Length, 9-10; wing, 43-5: tail, 25-3.

Haxz.—Kastern United States and southern Canada, from southern Maine to
the South Atlantic and Gulf States, west to Dakota, eastern Kansas and eastern
Texas.

170 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Nest, on the ground in a natural or excavated hollow, lined with grass or
leaves, usually sheltered by tall grass, weeds, bushes or brush.

Eggs, pure white, said to range in numbers from ten to forty, the larger lots
supposed to include contributions from several females; fifteen being considered
the usual set.

Bob-white may be claimed as a permanent resident in Southern
Ontario, which is the northern limit of his range, but he has hard
work to hold his own against the many influences that are continually
operating against him. Birds of prey, crows, jays, weasels, dogs,
cats, mowing machines, and sportsmen of all classes tend to thin the
ranks; but worst of all are the vicissitudes of winter. The spells of
cold weather, during which the mercury gets down below zero, and
the occasional long-continued deep snow, tell so severely against this
little bird, that were it not for his wonderful capacity for increase he
would soon be exterminated.

The Quail follows in the wake of cultivation, and under ordinary
circumstances thrives best near the abode of man. It is a good
friend to the farmer, and is well entitled to his protection in return
for the service it renders, not only in the consumption of large
quantities of the seeds of noxious weeds, but also in the destruction
of many sorts of insects whose ravages among the crops are often very
severe and difficult to prevent. A recent writer mentions having
examined the crop of one which was killed as it rose from a potato
patch, and having found that it contained seventy-five potato bugs.
This is only one of the many instances illustrating the value of this
bird to the farmer.

Were I a farmer, I should hang on the end of my barn the motto,
inscribed in goodly characters, ‘‘Spare the Quail.”

Many interesting articles have from time to time appeared in
sporting magazines concerning the query—Has the Quail the power
to withhold its scent?!

No one acquainted with the habits of the birds can deny that at
times the best of dogs fails to find them where they have been marked
down, but how this happens is a subject regarding which sportsmen
still hold different opinions.

From among many instances given in illustration of the fact, we
select the following by Dr. H. E. Jones, an enthusiastic sportsman
and naturalist: ““A few years ago I was out with a friend, and we
flushed a very large bevy, and marked them down accurately on an
elevated piece of ground in a woodland pasture. The grass was short
and there was not even a weed or briar, but here and there a large

ive

BOB-WHITE. Wil

tree. We moved forward with three dogs, expecting to bring on an
engagement at once. We made the dogs approach cautiously, giving
them warning that game was in the immediate vicinity, but they

arrived at the identical spot where we had seen as many as thirty
- birds alight, without making the least demonstration whatever that
there was anything unusual about the place. We knew better, and
made them go over and over, crossing and recrossing, until it seemed
every foot, every inch of ground had been most thoroughly examined.
We did this until two sportsmen and three dogs gave up the pursuit.
‘Tt was now past noon, and we sat down on the grass, uncorked our
canteens and opened out our lunch. We were eating,jtalking and
laughing, occasionally rewarding the dogs with a cracker, when my
friend, by way of sport, said, ‘Look at old Tom, he is on a point.’
The dog was standing half up, half down, with his nose thrown under
his chest between his front legs. Sure enough he was on a point, for
there was the bird, with its bright black eyes, only partially concealed
by a leaf, almost’ under the dog’s body. My friend put his hat over
it and caught it without moving from the dinner table. At that
instant another dog made a point within six inches of my feet. I
saw the bird at once, and tried to capture it with my hand, but it
made its escape. This was the signal for a general move, and the
whole covey now arose from all around and about us. The concert
of action in the manner of going down, retaining their scent, remain-
ing still under the most trying circumstances, and the mode of leaving
—all indicated an understanding and education by command how to
act in time of danger.”

Some time ago the Government of Ontario passed an Act prohibi-
ting the killing of quail under any circumstances for a period of three
years, and this law, coincident with mild winters, had the effect for
a time of increasing the numbers, but again they are greatly reduced
and in need of the protection which they well deserve.

Ihyex BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

SuspraMILy TETRAONINZE. Grouse.
Genus DENDRAGAPUS EL tior.
Susecenus DENDRAGAPUS.
DENDRAGAPUS OBSCURUS RICHARDSONII (Sas.).

127. Richardson’s Grouse. (2974)

Adult male:—Back and wings, blackish-brown, crossed with wavy lines of
slaty-gray, mixed with yellowish-brown on the scapulars; long feathers of the
sides, tipped with white; under parts, light slate color, mixed with white on
the lower parts; cheeks, black; chin and throat, speckled with black; and
white feathers on the sides of the neck slightly enlarged, covering a rudimen-
tary air sack; tail, brownish-black, veined and marbled with gray, and having
a broad terminal band of the same color. /emale:—Smaller, more varied and
generally lighter in color, but having the under parts and bar at the end of the
tail, slaty-gray, as in the male. Length, 20-22 inches; wing, 9-10; tail, 7.

Hax.—Rocky Mountains, from central Montana northward into British
America.

Nest, on the ground, in shelter of a rock or log; it consists of only a few
pine needles scratched together, on which the eggs are laid.

Kggs, eight to fifteen, creamy-buff, freckled all over with chocolate-brown.

For a notice of the occurrence of this species in Ontario I am
indebted to C. J. Bampton, of Sault Ste. Marie, who has frequently
seen it brought into market at that place.

It bears a strong resemblance to the Dusky Grouse (Dendragapus
obscurus |Say.]), of which it is regarded as the northern form. The
Dusky Grouse is found chiefly on the west coast, as far south as New
Mexico and the White Mountains of Arizona. In the Rocky Moun-
tains, toward the north, it gradually assumes the peculiarities of the
present species, but many intermediate individuals are found which
cannot positively be said to belong more to the one than to the other.

In richardsonii, the tail feathers are longer and broader than in
obscurus ; the slate-colored bar at the end is smaller, or wanting,
and the general colors darker, specially so on the throat.

ee

———

OS a

CANADA GROUSE. _1i3

Supaenus CANACHITES StTEJNEGER.
DENDRAGAPUS CANADENSIS (Lixn.).

128. Canada Grouse. (298)

Adult male:—Tail, of sixteen feathers, rounded, black, with an orange-
brown bar at the end; prevailing color, black, barred and spotted with white
on the lower parts, and above, crossed with wavy lines of tawny and gray.
Female:—Smaller, variegated all] over with black, brown, white and tawny;
tail bar, as in the male, but less decided. Length, 16; wing, 7; tail, 5.50.

Haz.—British America, east of the Rocky Mountains, from Alaska south to
northern Michigan, northern New York and northern New England.

Nest, on the ground in secluded places, well concealed, built of twigs,
leaves, moss and grass.

Eggs, twelve to fourteen, creamy-brown, sometimes dotted or blotched with
a darker shade.

When young birds of different species are cast loose from parental
oversight, and go out into the world on their own account, they are
often very erratic in their movements, are frequently found in places
where they have no business to be, and sometimes thereby come
to grief.

It was from some such cause as this that I once got a specimen of
the Canada Grouse in the Hamilton market. It was in the month
of October that a farmer had seen this small dark-colored bird in
company with some Ruffed Grouse, and, following them up, had
singled it out as something new. They are not known to breed any-
where near Hamilton, but are common in the picturesque district of
Muskoka, between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River, where they
breed and are resident.

They breed also in suitable places throughout the North-West,
and with regard to Alaska, Mr. Nelson says: “This handsome Grouse
is found throughout the wooded portion of Alaska, extending to the
shores of Behring Sea, at the points where the spruce forests reach
the vicinity of tide-water. It is more numerous, however, in the
interior and along the upper portion of the Yukon. It is perma-
nently resident wherever found.”

They are plump, handsome little birds, but for the table are not
equal to the Quail or the Ruffed Grouse.

Vac BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Genus BONASA STEPHENS.
BONASA UMBELLUS (Liny.).

129. Ruffed Grouse. (300)

Sexes nearly alike; variegated reddish or grayish brown; the back, with
numerous oblong, pale, black-edged spots; neck-tufts, glossy-black ; below,
whitish, barred with brown; tail, with a broad subterminal black zone, and
tipped with gray. Length, 16-18; wing, 7-8.

Has.—Kastern United States, south to North Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi
and Arkansas.

Nest, in a hollow in the ground, lined with grass or leaves, often placed by
the side of a log or stump.

Eggs, eight to twelve, cream color, sometimes minutely spotted with choco-
late-brown.

Notwithstanding the continual persecution to which the Ruffed
Grouse is exposed, it is still a common species throughout Ontario,
breeding in all suitable places from the shore of Lake Erie to the
northern boundary of the Province, and even in Alaska.

It is a robust, hardy bird, well able to stand the rigors of our
climate, and being exceedingly strong and active on the wing, gets
away oftener from the sportsman than any other species he pursues.
Occasionally, when the birds are found feeding among bushes of
stunted growth, with a good dog a fair bag may be made, but follow-
ing them through the tangled masses of foliage and fallen trees,
where they are usually found, is attended with great fatigue, and,
usually, very slim results. The birds get up with wonderful sudden-
ness, and disappear as if by magic. They seem always to rise at
the wrong time, from the wrong place, and to go off in the wrong
direction to suit the sportsman.

Much has been written regarding the mode in which this bird

produces the peculiar drumming sound so familiar to all who have ©

had occasion to visit its haunts, but it is now generally believed to
be caused by the rapid vibratory motion of the wings beating the air;
a similar sound being produced in a similar way by the Humming-
bird, and also by the Nighthawk. The Grouse, in the spring time,
produces this music as a call to his lady fair, who, no doubt, delights
to hear it, and responds accordingly. It is also heard, occasionally,
late in the season, when he is possibly working off the exuberance of
his spirits after some happy experience in his sylvan life.

At different points throughout its extensive habitat, this species
is subject to considerable variation in plumage, and on this account

RUFFED GROUSE. 175

the American Ornithologists’ Union Committee has separated from
the original Bonasa wmbellus three sub-species, some of which had
been previously described, but were not generally recognized as
differing from the typical form. The three sub-species are thus

defined by Mr. Ridgway :

*°300a. Bonasa wmbellus togata (Canadian Rufted Grouse). Darker, with
brown markings on lower parts very conspicuous, everywhere exposed, and
bordered by very distinct dusky bars; bars on flanks very dark brown or
brownish-black; upper parts, with more or less of gray, often mostly grayish;
the tail, usually gray (sometimes tinged with ochraceous). Has.— Washington
Territory, east to Moose Factory, Nova Scotia, Maine, etc.

**300b. Bonasa wmbellus wmbelloides (Gray Ruffed Grouse). Upper parts,
mostly or entirely grayish; the tail, always gray. Haps.—Rocky Mountains
and north to Alaska (Yukon Valley), east to Manitoba.

**300c. Bonasa umbellus sabini (Oregon Ruftfed Grouse). Upper parts, dark
rusty, with little, if any, admixture of gray; the tail, usually deep rusty (very
rarely grayish). Has.—North-west coast, from northern California to British
Columbia.”

At present we have no large public collection of specimens in
Ontario to refer to, and the number of private ones is so small that
it is difficult to tell just how these groups are represented among us,
or whether the forms are observed to be distinct.

While in Manitoba, Ernest E. Thompson found both 300@ and
3006, the identification of which was subsequently confirmed by Mr.
Ridgway. We may, therefore, expect to find these two in suitable
places along our northern frontier. In Southern Ontario the species
varies considerably in plumage, some being grayish-white, others red-
dish, and a good many intermediate. A few years ago, some Indians
from the Grand River brought to the Hamilton market specimens of
a race decidedly red, their tails being fox-colored, but these were
seen during one fall only.

From all I have observed, I think that we have in Ontario indi-
viduals of both Lonasa wmbellus and Bonasa wmbellus togata, that
these two intergrade, and produce a mixed race, which is found
throughout Southern Ontario, but cannot properly be classed with
either of the varieties.

176 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Genus LAGOPUS Brisson.
LAGOPUS LAGOPUS (Liyy.).

130. Willow Ptarmigan. (301)

Bill, stout, as high as the distance from the nasal groove to its tip; in
summer, rufous or orange-chestnut on the head and neck; the feathers of the
back, black, barred rather closely with yellowish-brown and chestnut. In
winter, white; the tail, black, tipped with white. Length, 15-17; wing, about
8; tail, 5.50.

Haz. —Arctic America, south to Sitka and Labrador.

Nest, on the ground, a slight depression, lined with grass, leaves and a few
feathers.

Eggs, ten to fifteen, fawn color, spotted with reddish-brown.

Ptarmigans are found both in the Old and New Worlds, as far
north as vegetation extends, and so thoroughly boreal are they in
their habits, that they seldom come within the bounds of civilization.
C. J. Bampton, Registrar of the District of Algoma, who has fur-
nished me with many interesting notes regarding the birds of that
remote district, mentions the Willow Ptarmigan as a rare winter
visitor at Sault Ste. Marie.

Their southern migrations depend, to some extent, on the pecu-
liarities of the season, but usually they are common winter visitors
throughout Manitoba and the North-West, and Dr. Bell reports them
as common every winter near Fort Cumberland, in the Hudson’s Bay
region.

In Alaska, the species is a summer resident, frequenting the
extensive open country, being most abundant along the barren sea
coast region of Behring Sea and the Arctic. The birds assemble
there in immense flocks, and we might suppose that in those forlorn
lands, so seldom visited by their greatest enemy, man, the birds enjoy
a time of peace and security, but it appears from Mr. Nelson’s
account that such is not always the case. He says: ‘Among the
Alaskan natives, both Eskimo and Indian, especially those in the
northern two-thirds of the Territory, this bird is one of the most
important sources of food supply, and through the entire winter it is
snared and shot in great abundance, and many times it is the only
defence the people possess against the ever-recurring periods of
scarcity and famine.”

In some districts the Eskimo have a way of catching the birds
during their migration which is very destructive. Taking a long
fishing net, they fasten poles to it at régular distances apart, and lay

ROCK PTARMIGAN. LAr

it on the ground across some open valley or swale running north and
south, along which the birds are known to travel. Soon after sunset
the poles are set upright, and the net is thus stretched across the
passage. Ere long the men who are on the watch see the Ptarmigan
~ advancing, skimming close to the snow-covered earth in the dim
twilight. A moment later, and the first birds of the flock strike the
obstacle, and the men then throw the net down, so as to cover the
struggling captives, usually to the number of fifty or sixty. While
the men hold the net, the women and children rush from their
hiding, and kill the birds by wringing their necks or biting their
heads. On some evenings this process is repeated several times, and
the party return to their homes heavily laden with the spoils.

In the Old Country this species is common, also in Scandinavia,
Finland, Russia, and in many parts of Siberia; while in the north
of Scotland, they are found breeding near the tops of the highest
heathery hills in that mountainous country.

Their presence there is one of the attractions for strangers, and
many a corpulent southern sportsman has expended much wind, and
reduced his corporeal dimensions, scaling those precipitous hill-sides
in the vain hope of securing a brace of Ptarmigan. In another
connection it is used with more delicacy by a young Highlander,
who, in persuading his Lowland maid to go with him to the “ Braes
aboon Bonaw,” sings :

‘“* We'll hunt the roe, the hart, the doe,
The ptarmigan sae shy, lassie ;
For duck and drake we'll sail the lake,
Nae want shall e’er come nigh, lassie.”

LAGOPUS. RUPESTRIS (GmMeEt.).

131. Rock Ptarmigan, (302)

Bill, slender, distance from the nasal groove to the tip greater than height
at base; in summer the feathers of back black, banded distinctly with yellowish-
brown and tipped with white; in winter white, the tail black, tipped with
white. Male :—With a black bar from the bill through the eye. Length, 14
to 15; wing, 7 to 7.50; tail, 4.50.

Haxs.—Arctie America, from Alaska to Labrador.

Nest, on the ground, a hollow lined with grass and a few feathers.

Kggs, ten to fifteen, reddish-brown, spotted with darker brown.

This is another northern species reported by Mr. Bampton as
being occasionally exposed in the winter time in the market at Sault
12

178 BIRDS OF ONTARIO

Ste. Marie. It resembles the preceding in general appearance, but
is rather less in size, and in winter plumage the black band through
the eye of the male serves at once to decide his identity.

The Ptarmigans have a most interesting history. Their small
feet, covered densely with hair-like feathers, the wonderful change
which their plumage undergoes to match their surroundings, and
their life amid the rigors of an Arctic winter, are matters which
invest the story of the group with peculiar charm.

The Rock is a more northern species than the Willow Ptarmigan.
It is not mentioned among the birds of Manitoba, so we presuine
that it has not been seen there. Dr. Bell has observed it migrating
at Hudson’s Bay, and Mr. Macfarlane found it breeding in the
vicinity of Fort Anderson. Mr. Nelson, speaking of its presence in
Alaska, says: “This beautiful Ptarmigan is a common resident of
the Alaskan mainland, from Behring Straits to the British border
on the east, including the entire north and south extent of the main-
land. Unlike the common White Ptarmigan, it frequents the sum-
mits of the low hills and mountains during the summer season, where
it remains until the severe weather of early winter forces it down to
the lower elevations and under the shelter of the bush-bordered
ravines and furrows marking the slopes. During the entire year these
birds are resident north at least to Behring Straits, as I obtained
specimens from that vicinity on one of my winter expeditions.”

Genus TYMPANUCHUS Gtocer.
TYMPANUCHUS AMERICANUS (RgEtIcz.).

132. Prairie Hen. (305)

Above, variegated with black, brown, tawny or ochrey and white, the latter
especially on the wings; below, pretty regularly barred with dark brown, white
and tawny; throat tawny, a little speckled, or not; vent and crissum, mostly
white; quills, fuscous, with white spots on the outer web; tail, fuscous, with
narrow or imperfect white or tawny bars and tips; sexes, alike in color, but the
female smaller with shorter neck tufts. Length, 16-18; wing, 8-9; tail, about 5.

Hazs.—Prairies of the Mississippi Valley, south to Louisiana, east to Ken-
tucky and Indiana.

Nest, on the ground, in a tuft of grass or small shrub.

Eggs, eight to twelve, pale greenish-gray, sometimes minutely dotted with
brown.

SHARP-TAILED GROUSE. 179

Southern Ontario has no prairie to meet the requirements of the
Prairie Chicken, and therefore the bird is rarely here. From various
sources I have heard of its being still found along the south-western
frontier, but the numbers are on the decrease. In the “ List of
Birds of Western Ontario,” it is stated that a few still breed at St.
Clair. From W. E. Wagstaff, one of the oldest and most respected
settlers in the county of Essex, I have a most interesting letter
regarding the birds he has observed during his long residence there.
Of this species he says: ‘‘I have never seen Prairie Chickens alive,
but have heard of their being seen in bands about Sandwich. When
I first came to Amherstburg, about 1840, I heard the old sports tell
of having killed them in the gardens of the town.”

From the foregoing, it would appear that the days of the Prairie
Chicken in Ontario are numbered. It affords excellent sport to the
gunner, and the facilities for reaching it in its remote haunts are
now so much increased, that year by year, even in the United States,
it is being driven to regions still more remote.

In the first week in May, 1886, some young men were practising
flight shooting at any water-fowl that happened to be passing between
the bay and the lake, near the canal at the Beach. Presently a bird
of different flight and shape came buzzing along, and was brought
down by one of the gunners, who was greatly astonished to find he
had killed a male Prairie Chicken in fine spring plumage. I passed
shortly afterwards and saw the bird just as it had been picked up.
It had been going at a very rapid rate, but whence it came, or
whither bound, was not apparent.

Genus PEDIOCASTES Barrp. N
PEDIOCATES PHASIANELLUS (Linn. ).

133. Sharp-tailed Grouse. (308)

Adult male:—A decurved crest of narrow feathers, a bare space on each
side of the neck, capable of being inflated; tail, short, much graduated, of
sixteen feathers, all of which are more or less concave, excepting the two
middle ones along the inner edge, obliquely and abruptly terminated, the two
middle projecting an inch beyond the rest. Upper parts variegated with light
yellowish-red, brownish-black and white, the latter in terminal triangular or
guttiform spots on the scapulars and wing coverts; quills, grayish-brown,
primaries with white spots on the outer webs; secondaries, tipped and barred

180 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

with white; tail, white, variegated at the base, the two middle feathers like the
back; loral space and a band behind the eye, yellowish-white, a dusky streak
under the eye; throat, reddish-white, with dusky spots; fore parts and sides of
the neck, barred with reddish-white; on the breast the dusky spots become first
curved, then arrow-shaped, and so continue narrowing on the hind part of the
breast and part of the sides of which the upper portion is barred; abdomen,
lower tail coverts and axillars, white; tarsal feathers, light brownish-gray,
faintly barred with whitish. emale:—Smaller, the tints of colors less bright.
Length, 18-20; wing, 8-9; middle feathers of the tail, 4-6; outer feathers, 1}.

Hap.—British America, from the northern shore of Lake Superior and
British Columbia to Hudson’s Bay territory and Alaska.

Nest, in a tuft of grass on the prairie.

Eggs, five to twelve, grayish-olive or drab color, minutely dotted with brown
spots the size of a pin’s head.

Writing from the North-West, Prof. Macoun says of this species:
“This is the Prairie Chicken of our western plains, the true Prairie
Chicken not being observed here.”

Dr. Coues, writing in the same strain, says: ‘This is the Prairie
Chicken of the whole North-West, usually occurring where the
Pinnated Grouse does not, although the habitats of the two species
overlap to some extent.” From the foregoing it appears that while
the present species occupied the North-West, the Prairie Chicken
flourished more in the south-east, but that now both are being driven
farther to the north-west, as the prairies come under cultivation.

The Sharp-tail is abundant near Winnipeg, from which point it
has reached the Hamilton market. It is also reported by Mr.
Bampton as being found at Sault Ste. Marie.

Famity PHASIANIDA. PHEASANTS, ETC.
SuspramMILty MELEAGRIN A. Turkeys.
Genus MELEAGRIS Linnzvs.
MELEAGRIS GALLOPAVO Livy.

134. Wild Turkey. (310)

Naked skin of head and neck, livid blue; general color, copper-bronze with
copper and green reflection, each feather with a narrow black border; all the
quills, brown, closely barred with white; tail, chestnut, barred with black and
a broad subterminal black bar. Tip of tail feathers and upper tail coverts,
lighter chestnut. Length, 3-4 feet.

WILD TURKEY. 181

Hazs.—United States, from southern Canada to the Gulf coast, and west to
the Plains, along the timbered river valleys; formerly along the Atlantic coast
to southern Maine.

Nest, on the ground.

Eggs, ten to fifteen, dark buff or cream color, thickly sprinkled with dark
umber-brown.

Within the recollection of people still living, Wild Turkeys were
comparatively common along our south-western frontier. Mr. Wag-
staff, in his letter already referred to, says: “Wild Turkeys are getting
scarce, They were once numerous in Kent and Essex, going about
in flocks, but the severe winter of 1842 almost exterminated them.
About 1856 they had again become numerous, but are gradually
getting fewer in number, as the settler’s axe clears away the timber.”
In the “List of Birds of Western Ontario,” it is stated that a nest
was found in the county of Middlesex in 1878.

That veteran sportsman and naturalist, Dr. Garnier, of Lucknow,
writing under date of December 11th, 1884, says: “I have killed
several Wild Turkeys in the county of Kent, and saw one there this
season which I did not obtain.

“On the 21st of last October, I had a female of this species in
my hands at Chatham station, which had just been killed near by.
About four years ago, at Leguis farm, near Mitchell’s Bay, I saw
three gobblers, two of which I killed right and left, the third was
shot the same day by a boy, from whom I bought it for a dollar.

“Most of the domestic turkeys in that section are either the wild
species tamed or half-breeds, and are far superior in flavor to the
ordinary stock. In 1856, I killed two out of a large flock within
half a mile of Hagersville, which at that time consisted of a wagon
shop, a toll gate, post-office, and a small shop called a ‘store.’ TI also
got a set of nine eggs, and found the female killed by a fox, lying
close by, still warm but quite dead.”

The Wild Turkey has never advanced into Ontario much beyond
the southern boundary, the climate being evidently too severe, and
the locality from other causes perhaps not very attractive. The few
which still remain are more hunted as they become more rare, and to
all appearances the day is not far distant when this valuable game
bird will be sought for in vain in the Province of Ontario.

A second species is found, which is believed to be the parent of
the domestic stock. It is more of a southern bird, being found
chiefly in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and southward.

182 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

OrperR COLUMBA. Piekons.
Famity COLUMBID. PiceEons.
Genus ECTOPISTES Swarnson.

ECTOPISTES MIGRATORIUS (Liny.).

135. Passenger Pigeon. (315)

Adult male :—Dull blue above with olivaceous tinge on back; below, dull
purplish-red, whitening on vent and crissum; sides of neck, golden and ruby;
some wing coverts, black spotted; quills, blackish, with slaty, whitish and
rufous edging; middle tail feathers, bluish-black; the others, white or ashy;
the inner webs, basally black with chestnut patch; bill, black; feet, coral red.
Female and young :—Duller and more brownish or olivaceous above; below;
dull grayish, with a tawny tinge anteriorly, or quite gray; very young have
the feathers skirted with whitish. Length, 15-17; wing, 7-8; tail, about the
same.

Hap.—Kastern North America, from Hudson’s Bay southward, and west to
the Great Plains; straggling westward to Nevada and Washington Territory.

Nest, on bushes or small trees, loosely built of twigs.

Eggs, one or two, pure white.

As its name implies, this is a migratory species, but it has not,
like many others, a regular migratory course which it instinctively
follows year after year in the same direction. On the contrary, the
movements of the Wild Pigeon are quite irregular, and guided only
by the instinct which directs the birds in their search for food. A
few straggling pairs are still found in the backwoods in Southern
Ontario, where they probably breed, but the rising generation of
sportsmen can have but inadequate conceptions of the vast flocks of
pigeons which used in former years to pass over Hamilton.

They were annually looked for in April. The first who observed
them circulated the news, “The pigeons are flying,” and early in the
morning a regular fusilade would be heard all along the edge of the
“ Mountain,” where at daylight the gunners had taken up their stand
at points where the flocks were likely to pass. These annual migra-
tions seemed to attain their maximum in 1854, “the year of the
cholera.” During that season, from the middle of April till the end
of June, flocks could be seen in every hour of every day passing
to the west. The summer was unusually warm, and as the heat
increased, the birds seemed weak and languid, with scarcely enough
energy left to rise above the houses. Vast numbers were killed, till,
fortunately for the birds, a rumor got abroad that eating too many

PASSENGER PIGEON. 1838

pigeons caused the cholera, and then they were allowed to pass on
their way unmolested.

After that year the flocks rapidly decreased in number, till at
present the annual migrations have entirely ceased.

The food of the species consists chiefly of beech nuts, wild berries,
and seeds of different kinds. These disappear as the country comes
under cultivation, and the pigeons seek the less settled districts in
search of their favorite fare. At present we hear of them being
exceedingly abundant in the valley of the upper Mississippi, and
as they are quite hardy, they probably extend up north into the
“Great Lone Land.”

Those who wish to see such flocks of pigeons as used to pass over
Ontario will have to follow them there, for in all probability they
will never be seen here again.

Such is the record for the species written in 1885, and since that
date there has been little to add to their history in Ontario, for with
the exception of one or two stragglers occasionally met with in the
beech woods, they have left the Province.

I find; however, that two enthusiastic ornithologists have acted
on the closing suggestion of the preceding notice, and have followed
the birds to the far west. They did not succeed in finding any large
roost, but gained much information regarding the habits of the birds,
some of which I shall here repeat, for the questions are often asked,
‘Has the Wild Pigeon become extinct!” ‘Where has it gone!”
It is to Wm. Brewster, Esq., of Cambridge, Mass., that I am indebted
for the information which enables me to reply to these questions.
In the interest of science he followed the birds to their haunts, and
in the Awk for October, 1889, he gives a most interesting account of
the trip. I would fain give the article in full, but I can only make
a few extracts. He says: “In the spring of 1888, my friend Capt.
Bendire wrote me that he had received news from a correspondent
in central Michigan that Wild Pigeons had arrived there in great
numbers and were preparing to nest. Acting on this information, I
started at once in company with Jonathan Dwight, jun., to visit the
expected ‘nesting’ and learn as much as possible about the habits
of the breeding birds, as well as to secure specimens of their skins
and eggs.” On reaching Cardillac, on the 8th of May, they found
that large flocks had passed north late in April, and the professional
pigeon netters expected to hear of their settling not far off, and were
busy getting their nets in order. From them much information
was gained regarding the habits of the birds. ‘Our principal

184 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

informant was Mr. Stevens, of Cardillac, a veteran pigeon-netter of
large experience, and, as we were assured by everyone we asked
concerning him, a man of high reputation for veracity and careful-
ness of statement.”

““¢ Small colonies,’ said Mr. Stevens, ‘still breed throughout Michi-
gan, but the largest roost of late years was near Grand Traverse in
1881.’ It was about eight miles long. The largest nesting place he
ever visited was in 1876 or 1877. It was near Petosky and extended
north-east past Crooked Lake for twenty-eight miles, averaging three
or four miles wide. For the entire distance every tree of any size
had one or more nests in it, and some were full of them, placed
generally not less than fifteen feet from the ground. The usual
number of eggs is two, but many nests have only one. Both birds
incubate and change regularly. The old birds never feed near the
‘nesting,’ leaving all the beech mast, etc., there for their young,
many of them going a hundred miles daily for food.”

Pigeon-netting, as a business, assumed large proportions at Petosky
at the time referred to. At least five hundred men were engaged in
netting pigeons and sending them to market.

Mr. Stevens thought that each man captured 20,000 birds during
the season, for at one time as many as two car loads were shipped
south on the railroad each day, yet he believed that not one bird out
of a thousand of those present was taken.

The first birds sent to the market yield the netter about a dollar
per dozen, but at the height of the season the price sometimes falls
as low as twelve cents per dozen.

“ All the netters with whom we talked believe firmly that there
are just as many pigeons in the west as there ever were. They say
the birds have been driven from Michigan and the adjoining States
partly by persecution and partly by the destruction of the forests,
and have retreated to uninhabited regions, perhaps north of the
Great Lakes in British North America.”

In the Awhk, Vol. VIII., page 310, appear some extracts from a
letter written by Mr. Caleb 8. Cope, of West Chester, Pa., who is
well acquainted with the habits and appearance of the birds, having
trapped them many years ago. During the spring of 1887, Mr. Cope,
in company with his son, travelled extensively through the west,
straggling beyond the plains into California, Oregon, western Wash-
ington and Vancouver Island. Of the last-named place he says: “1
saw and heard more Wild Pigeons (ctopistes) than I remember to
have ever met with in any other place. The locality where most

PASSENGER PIGEON. 185

of the pigeons were observed was on an extensive plain in Pierce
County, Washington, fifteen miles east of Puget Sound, between the
Sound and the Cascade Mountains. This fertile plain was dotted
over with clumps of pine and fir trees, in many instances bent down
by flocks of Wild Pigeons, that feasted on the strawberries which, in
some places, were so abundant as to give the sward a scarlet tinge.
These flocks numbered several hundreds in each, and during the
short time spent there (a few days) plainly showed they were but
‘transitory visitants’ passing northward, and unlikely to breed in
that vicinity.”

In Ontario we still see and hear of single birds or pairs observed
in the woods. In the report of the Ornithological Sub-section of the
Canadian Institute for 1890-91, are two records of specimens being
observed near Toronto, one of which, a young female, was secured.

In Dr. Bergtold’s “ Birds of Buffalo and Vicinity,” the author says
that the Wild Pigeon (ctopistes migratorias) is tolerably common,
and breeds there.

I have similar reports from many points in Ontario, where I have
made inquiry, but on the whole this part of the subject is left much
as it has been so long as I can.remember. The migratory flocks are
now seen no more, and if these vast roosts exist anywhere, it must
be beyond the reach of railroads, or assuredly the birds would be
slaughtered, as already described, and carried to market. If, on the
other hand, they have been greatly reduced in number, the proba-
bility is that they will abandon their gregarious habit, as many pairs
have already done, and breed throughout the country generally, each
pir selecting a nesting place to suit its own ideas, as most other
birds do.

Since writing the above, I have received a letter from Vernon
Bailey, of the Department of Agriculture, Washington, dated October
14th, 1893, in which the following passage occurs: “I stopped at
Elk River, Minn., and while there asked my brothers and several
others about Wild Pigeons. My brother had seen two or three flocks
of about four to six birds during the past summer, and had killed
two pigeons, but had seen no nests, neither had he heard of any of
the birds breeding there.”

186 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Genus ZENAIDURA Bonaparte.
ZENAIDURA MACROURA (Liyy.).

136. Mourning Dove. (316)

Brownish-olive, glossed with blue on the crown and nape; below, purplish-
red, becoming tawny white on the vent and crissum; neck, metallic-golden;
a velvety-black spot on the auriculars and others on the wing coverts and
scapulars; middle tail feathers, like back; the rest, ashy-blue at the base, then
crossed by a black bar, then white or ashy-white; bill, very slender, black;
feet, carmine; the female and young differ as in the wild pigeon. Length,
11-13; wing, 5-6; tail, 6-7.

_~Has.—North America, from southern Maine, southern Canada and Oregon,
south to Panama and the West Indies.

Nest, usually in a tree or bush, sometimes on a log or on the ground, com-
posed mostly of twigs.

Eggs, two, pure white.

The Mourning Dove breeds sparingly throughout Southern Ontario,
but is more common farther south. It feeds in the open fields on
berries, buckwheat and the seeds of certain weeds, but on being
disturbed, seeks shelter in the nearest woods.

It is a gentle, timid species, and as it does not occur with us in
sufficient numbers to make it worth following, it is seldom disturbed,
Tt is one of the most difficult birds the collector undertakes to handle,
the skin being so tender that should the bird be brought down even
from a moderate height the fall is almost sure to burst the skin and
destroy the specimen. For this reason the greatest care is necessary
when preparing the skin for the cabinet.

Ontario is about the northern boundary of this species, and it is,
therefore, not so numerous as it is in many places farther south.
Dr. Coues says that it is “the most widely and equally diffused of its
tribe, abundant in most localities, in some, swarming. ‘ Millions’ in
Arizona, for example. Irregularly migratory, imperfectly gregarious ;
great numbers may be together, but scarcely in compact flocks.”
They leave Southern Ontario about the end of September, and are
not seen again until April. They are recorded as rare summer
resi lents in Manitoba.

OUR DERDS OF PREY.

WE ARE now about to enter on the consideration of the Birds of
Prey, which, as a class, have in all ages borne an evil reputation.
Within the past few years, however, their lives have been subjected
to a most searching scrutiny, which has placed them in a more
favorable light, and I think it very desirable that all lovers of birds
should be made aware of this fact, and give ‘their friends justice.

In Scotland, I can well remember, they were regarded by sports-
men as the thieves and robbers of the bird creation, ready at all
times to swoop down upon the grouse on the moors, the ducks on
the lake or river, or to hang around the farm-house, waiting for a
chance to steal the domestic poultry. Nothing suitable was supposed
to be safe from their attack. Lambs were carried off from the hill-
sides by the eagles, and even the human species was not exempt, for
instances are on record of young children having been carried away
from the cottage door in remote parts of the country.

As the hawks and eagles were believed to live entirely by plunder
during the day, so were the owls supposed to take up and carry on
the work during the hours of darkness, reluctantly giving way to the
other class as daylight appeared.

With such a record, it is not surprising that every man and boy
who carried a gun believed it to be his duty to kill a hawk or an owl
whenever opportunity offered. The keepers who were entrusted
with the care of the game had instructions to this effect, and their
industry in carrying out their orders was testified to by the numbers
of eagles, hawks and owls which were to be seen nailed upon the
outside of their houses.

But even in these old lands an occasional voice was raised in re-
monstrance against the indiscriminate slaughter of the Birds of Prey,
some of which were believed to be totally innocent of the charges
brought, against them; while others, it was stated, if their habits
were properly understood,,might be found to be really beneficial.
For instance, I have heard at least one observant keeper remark, in

188 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

regard to the common Buzzard of Britain, a bird which was believed
to be one of the most destructive among the game, that he took only
the wounded birds, or those of a weak and sickly constitution, which,
if allowed to come to maturity, would evolve offspring of a weak and
degenerate type, little valued by the sportsman. If this hawk, indo-
lent and sluggish in its habits, never heeding the strong-winged,
active birds, was permitted to carry out the work Nature intended it
to do, in picking off the weaklings, the hardy, healthy character of
the birds would be kept up, and there would be fewer instances of
disease among the grouse to report.

It has been noticed, too, that some of the offenders have noble
qualities, which could not but excite the admiration of the sportsman
who might observe them, but still the ery is kept up, “Kill off the
hawks, and save the game and poultry,” and they are still being
killed off to an extent which, to the student of bird-life, is a matter
for deep regret.

In this country the same prejudice, inherited, perhaps, has existed
against the hawks and owls among the people generally, and the
opinion is frequently expressed that they should all be killed off. In
some parts of the country this opinion became general, and in order
that the work might be done more effectually and expeditiously than
it had been in older lands, the governments of different States in the
Union were petitioned to offer a bounty for the heads of all hawks
and owls, on account of the destruction they caused amongst the
game and poultry.

In several States a liberal bounty was offered, the slaughter
began, and for a time was carried on with pleasure and profit by
those who were working for the money. In one county alone, in
the State of Pennsylvania, over five thousand dollars was paid in
one year for the heads of hawks and owls; and in Colorado, with
the best intentions, many thousands of hawks were killed. But this
arrangement, though it satisfied the farmers for a time, was not
satisfactory to the ornithologists, many of whom expressed doubts as
to the correctness of the statements made regarding the extent of the
destruction of poultry. Others felt sure that a// the hawks and owls
were not equally guilty of the charges brought against them, and
some even went so far as to say that some of the species which
were being destroyed were positively beneficial.

In this shape the subject was brought before the Board of the
Department of Agriculture, at Washington, who, after due considera-
tion, placed the matter in the hands of their indefatigable ornitholo-

OUR BIRDS OF PREY. 189

gist, Dr. Merriam, and then began to dawn a brighter day for our
beautiful and interesting Birds of Prey. :

Besides being himself an enthusiastic ornithologist, Dr. Merriam
has a large staff of assistants, both in the field and at Washington,
and he delegated the work of preparing a “ Report on the Hawks
and Owls of the United States in their relation to Agriculture,” to
his first assistant, Dr. A. K. Fisher. The work has now been pub-
lished, and is a credit to all connected with it. It is neatly bound,
has twenty-six beautiful, colored illustrations, and about 200 pages
of reading matter, every line of which is interesting to the lover
of birds, and specially valuable to those interested in any branch of
agriculture. It is seldom that one meets with a report on any sub-
ject which is at once so full and so concise ; nothing seems wanting
which should be there, and nothing is there which could be dispensed
with. It is thoroughly scientific, and yet presented in such a form
that all can read it intelligently. It is a work which should be
spread broadcast over the land, and I feel sure that if the Govern-
ment takes that course with it, the results will be for the good of
generations yet to come.

On taking up the task assigned to him, Dr. Fisher at once found
that nothing short of the examination of stomachs of each of the
species named in the list would enable him to make a correct report
on the nature of their food ; and to meet all the requirements of the
case, these would have to be obtained at far distant points and at
different seasons of the year. This work has engaged much of the
time and attention of Dr. Fisher for several years past, while col-
lectors and occasional contributors have kept on sending in specimens
from all parts of the continent. No fewer than 2,700 stomachs have
been examined, and the results placed on record in the most careful
and impartial manner. Week after week, as the various entries were
made, it became apparent to the operators that the general result
would be a surprise to nearly everyone, for some of the birds for
whose destruction a bounty was being paid on account of the amount
of game and poultry used by them, were found rarely, if ever, to
touch such things at all. They had really been doing a vast amount
of good, in the destruction of the innumerable field mice and other
small mammals which formed the principal part of their food, for
these are the greatest pests with which the farmer has to contend.
Others, it was found, had been making themselves useful by devour-
ing countless locusts and grasshoppers, which are often a serious
scourge in many districts in the west.

190 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

In this way, forty-eight species (with their sub-species) of hawks
and owls have been considered in their relation to agriculture. The
food and habits of each species is given in detail, and, for conve-
nience, the whole have been classified and placed in four different
groups, as follows:

(a) Those wholly beneficial or wholly harmless 2)

(6) Those chiefly beneficial. ; : : , Vinee

(c) Those in which the beneficial and harmful qualities seem

to balance each other . 3 f : : » Fan

(d) Those positively harmful : : pSV aNT ste

For our present purpose it will not be necessary to go over the
above list in detail, as many of the species enumerated are not found
in Ontario; but we have all the bad ones and a good many of the
others, and I shall now give these in detail. The total number is
twenty-eight.

(a) Those wholly beneficial or wholly harmless. In this class

we have only the Rough-legged Buzzard and the Swal-
low-tailed Kite. : :; ; : : ; io tye

(b) Those chiefly beneficial, that is, those which take game

and poultry occasionally, but kill enough field mice
and other vermin to move than pay for it, leaving a
small balance in their favor. In this class we have
the Marsh Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered
Hawk, Swainson’s Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Spar-
row Hawk, Barn Owl, Long-eared Owl, Short-eared
Owl, Great Gray Owl, Barred Owl, Richardson’s Owl,
Saw-whet Owl, Screech Owl, Snowy Owl, Hawk Owl . 16
(c) Of those whose good and bad deeds balance each other,
we have the Great-horned Owl, Golden Eagle, Bald
Eagle, Pigeon Hawk . : ; : ‘ : =)
(d) Of those which are positively injurious, we have the Gyr-
falcon, Goshawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk,
Peregrine Falcon, Fish Hawk . : : ae

It is very gratifying to find the report so favorable to our Birds
of Prey, and even of Class ¢ a few words in favor might be said.
Of course, Dr. Fisher, in the position of judge interpreting the law,
could not but condemn where the evidence was so conclusive; but
from our standpoint in Ontario, we cannot complain very much, for
the two largest and most destructive, the Gyrfalcon and Goshawk,
are peculiar to the far north, the former, especially, rarely coming
within our boundary; and even the Peregrine, though ranked as an

OUR BIRDS OF PRRY. 191

Ontario species, is by no means common. Occasionally, we hear of
him striking down a duck at the shooting stations, but we also know
that his food at such places consists to a great extent of the different
species of waders known as ‘Mud Hens.”

The Fish Hawk has been put upon the black list, because he kills
fish. That he does this cannot be denied, but he is,a magnificent
bird, whose fine presence adds a point of beauty to many a lovely
landscape by lake and river, and surely it would be poor policy to kill
off this interesting feathered fisher because he takes a few suckers,
with now and then a trout or bass by way of a change.

This leaves only two of the six to be considered, and I fear that
not much can be said in their favor. Cooper’s Hawk, the larger of
the two, is not so common throughout Ontario as the Sharp-shinned,
but he is the one who will come back day after day to rob the
roost or the pigeon loft, and who watches to catch the grouse and
quail wherever they appear. This is he, in short, whose misdeeds
have brought disgrace on the whole class, and given occasion for the
bad name which still clings to them all.

The Sharp-shinned is a smaller bird, content with humbler fare,
but his eyes and claws are sharp as needles. He is always on the
alert, and few birds escape which he tries to capture. The record is
bad for these two, and Dr. Fisher says of them: ‘ Unquestionably
both species should be killed wherever and whenever possible.”

I can hardly follow the Doctor to this extent, because we have
been a long time in discovering the true standing of other species,
and it may be that the two now under consideration have some
redeeming points with which we are not yet acquainted. At all
_ events we must give them both credit for reducing the number of
Passer domesticus, which they do to a considerable extent. Every
sparrow they take relieves us of a nuisance, and the greater the
number of sparrows they use the less of anything else will be
required for their support. Let us then be patient with them, give
them another chance, and enjoy the fine exhibitions they give us of
their dexterity while capturing their prey in the near neighborhood
of our dwelling houses.

192 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

OrpER RAPTORES. LBrrps oF Prey.
SUBORDER SARCORHAMPHI. American VULTURES.
Famiry CATHARTIDA. American VULTURES.
Genus CATHARTES ILticer.
SATHARTES AURA (Linvy.).

137. Turkey Vulture. (325)

Blackish-brown; quills, ashy-gray on their under surface; head, red; feet,
flesh-colored ; bill, white; skin of the head corrugated, sparsely beset with
bristle-like feathers; plumage, commencing in a circle on the neck; tail,
rounded. Length, about 24 feet; extent, 6; wing, 2; tail, 1.

Haz.—Temperate North America, from New Jersey, Ohio Valley, Saskat-
chewan region, and Washington Territory southward to Patagonia. Casual
northward on the Atlantic coast to Maine. Breeds generally in communities.

Nest, on the ground, or in a hollow log or stump.

Eggs, usually two, creamy-white, spotted and blotched with different shades

of brown.

So far as I am aware, the Turkey Buzzard has been observed in
Ontario only in the south-western portion of the Province.

Mr. Wagstaff, in the letter already quoted, says: ‘Turkey Buz-
zards are frequently seen in Essex sailing around in search of
carrion.” J once saw it at Baptiste Creek some years ago, but have
not heard of its having been seen farther east. Dr. Coues says:
‘“‘This species has a curious habit of ‘playing possum’ by simulating
death when wounded and captured, the feint being admirably exe-
cuted and often long protracted.”

The Turkey Buzzard is more frequently seen to the west of
Ontario than to the east of it. A nest was found by Mr. Arnott at
Kerwood, Middlesex County, in 1891.

It is reported as being generally distributed throughout Michigan
and Minnesota, and has also been frequently seen in Manitoba.

Dr. Bell says: “I have shot the Turkey Buzzard on the upper
Assiniboine, but have never heard of it near Hudson’s Bay. The
locality referred to is in about latitude 52°. It had not before been
noticed north of Minnesota, while on the eastern part of the con-
tinent it is rarely found north of New York, or about latitude 41°.”

It is a rare visitor to the south-west of Ontario, and to the east
I have not heard of its having been observed.

SWALLOW-TAILED KITE. 193

SuBoRDER FALCONES. Vu.ttrures, FALcOoNs, Hawks,
BuzzARps, EaGLeEs, Kites, HARRIERS, ETC.

Famity FALCONIDA. Votrures, Fatcons, Hawks,

EAGLES, ETC.

Supramity ACCIPITRIN A. Krres, Buzzarps, Hawks,
GosHAWKS, EAGLES, ETC.

Genus ELANOIDES VIEILLor.
ELANOIDES FORFICATUS (Lixy.).

138. Swallow-tailed Kite. (327)

Head, neck and under parts, white; back, wings and tail, lustrous black;
feet, greenish-blue; claws, pale. Length, female, 23-25; wing, 16-174; tail, 14;
male, a little smaller.

Has.—Southern United States, especially in the interior, from Pennsylvania
and Minnesota southward, throughout Central and South America; westward
to the Great Plains. Casual eastward to southern New England. Accidental
in England.

Nest, on a tree, constructed of sticks, hay, moss, etc.

Eggs, two, rarely three, whitish, blotched and spotted with chestnut-
brown.

In the course of its extensive wanderings, this bold, dashing Kite
has been known to visit Ontario. In the “ List of Birds of Western
Ontario,” mention is made of a pair having spent a summer about
eight miles north-west of London, and there is also a record of one
having alighted on the top of a flagstaff at Ottawa, where it was
closely examined through a glass and satisfactorily identified.

The food of this species consists chiefly of snakes, lizards, grass-
hoppers, locusts, etce., and the fact of these not being abundant in
Ontario readily accounts for the absence of the birds. According to
Audubon, the Swallow-tailed Hawk feeds chiefly on the wing, pounces
on his prey upon the ground, rises with it and devours it while
flying. ‘In calm weather,” he further observes, ‘they soar to an
immense height, pursuing the large insects called musquito hawks,
and performing the most singular evolutions that can be conceived,
using their tail with an elegance peculiar to themselves.”

In Dr. Fisher’s report it is classed as harmless in its relation to
agriculture,

13

194 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Genus CIRCUS Lacerepe.
CIRCUS HUDSONIUS (Liny.).

139. Marsh Hawk. (331)

Adult male:—Pale bluish-ash, nearly unvaried, whitening below and on
upper tail coverts; quills, blackish towards the end. Length, 16-18; wing,
14-15; tail, 8-9. Female:—Larger; above, dark brown, streaked with reddish-
brown; below, the reverse of this; tail, banded with these colors. Immature
male is like the female, though redder, but in any plumage the bird is known
by its white upper tail coverts and generic character.

Has.—North America in general, south to Panama.

Nest, on the ground, composed of twigs and dried grass.

Eggs, four or five, pale greenish-white, sometimes spotted faintly with light
brown or lilac.

In Southern Ontario the Marsh Hawk in the red plumage isa well-
known bird, but in the blue phase it is seldom seen. It arrives from
the south in April, as soon as the ice is gone, and from that time till
November it may usually be seen coursing over the marshes and
moist meadows in search of its food, which consists of mice, small
birds, snakes, frogs, worms, etc. It breeds sparingly at the St. Clair
Flats, becoming quite numerous in the fall on the arrival of those
which have bred farther north.

It is one of our most abundant and widely dispersed birds, being
found throughout the whole of North America. In Ontario. it is
found breeding in all suitable places. Dr. Bell mentions its occur-
rence at Hudson’s Bay; it is common among the marshes in the
North-West, and also appears in Alaska. One of the most remark-
able characteristics of this species is its habit of turning somersaults
in the air, which is thus described by Mr. Nelson: “ While I was at
the Yukon mouth, on May 19th, 1879, a pair of hawks was seen
repeatedly crossing the river on different days at a certain point, the
leader always performing, as he went, a succession of curious antics.
He would turn over and over half a dozen times in succession, like a
Tumbler Pigeon, and after descending nearly to the ground he would
mount to his former height and repeat the performance, so that his
progress became a perfect series of these evolutions. The other bird
always flew slowly and smoothly along, as if enjoying the performance
of its companion.” Nearly all of those seen in Southern Ontario
are in the brown plumage, and I have never observed one of them
indulge in the eccentricities above described. It may be that they
are peculiar to the old male in the blue dress.

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. 195

This is one of those birds regarding which the idea prevailed that
they took game and poultry, and should therefore be killed whenever
they came within reach. But the evidence shows that the Marsh
Hawk does so only on very rare occasions. It does so much good
by the destruction of injurious rodents, that I hope in future it will
be allowed to follow its course in peace.

Genus ACCIPITER Brisson.
Supcenus ACCIPITER.

ACCIPITER VELOX (Wizts.).

140. Sharp-shinned Hawk. (332)

Feet, extremely slender; bare portion of tarsus longer than middle toe;
scutellee, frequently fused; tail, square. Above, dark brown (deepest on the
head, the occipital feathers showing white when disturbed), with an ashy or
plumbeous shade, which increases with age till the general cast is quite bluish-
ash; below, white or whitish, variously streaked with dark brown and rusty,
finally changing to brownish-red (palest behind and slightly ashy across the
breast), with the white then only showing in narrow cross-bars; chin, throat
and crissum mostly white with blackish penciling; wings and tail, barred with
ashy and brown or blackish ; the quills, white, barred basally; the tail, whitish
tipped; bill, dark; claws, black; cere and feet, yellow. Male:—10-12; wings,
6-7; tail, 5-6. Female :—12-14; wings, 7-8; whole foot, 34 or less.

Has.—North America in general, south to Panama.

Nest, in trees.

Eggs, four or five, grayish-white, shaded with purple and splashed with
brown, in endless shapes and shades.

This is a rather common summer resident in Southern Ontario,
smaller in size than Cooper’s Hawk, but similar in markings. It
lives chiefly on small birds, and nothing can exceed the impetuosity
with which it dashes down and captures them by sheer power of
flight.

“Many have been the times,” says Audubon, ‘“‘ when watching this
vigilant, active and industrious bird, have I seen it plunge headlong
into a patch of briers, in defiance of all thorny obstacles, and passing
through, emerge on the other side, bearing off with exultation in its
sharp claws a finch or a sparrow which it had surprised at rest.”

This species is much given to variation in size and markings,
making it difficult at times to distinguish between a large Sharp-
shinned and a small Cooper’s Hawk. In the present species, the legs

*

196 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

and feet are relatively longer and more slender than in the other, the
term “sharp-shinned” being no misnomer. They all seem to retire
from Ontario in the fall, for none are observed during winter.

In the spring they appear about the middle of April, and are soon
common throughout the country, making their way north through
British America to Alaska, where, Mr. Nelson says, they are much.
prized by the natives, who use their feathers for shafting their arrows
and for ornamenting their dancing costumes.

This species, Dr. Fisher says, lives entirely on flesh, and is so
destructive to small birds, young grouse and chickens that ‘it should
be killed whenever possible.” If it could only be compelled to confine
its attention to the European House Sparrow, it would soon repay us
for all the other damage it has done.

ACCIPITER COOPERI (Bonap.).

141. Cooper’s Hawk. (333)

Feet, moderately stout; bare portion of tarsus shorter than middle toe;
scutellee, remaining distinct; tail, a little rounded. Colors and their changes as
in A. velox; larger. Male:—16-18; wing, 9-10; tail, 7-8. Female:—18-20;
wing, 10-11; tail, 8-9. Whole foot, 4 or more.

Has.—North America in general, south to southern Mexico.

Nest, in trees, mostly in evergreens. The deserted nest of some other
species is often used.

Eggs, four or five, white, tinged with green; sometimes faintly spotted
with brown.

This is one of the Chicken Hawks, and it well deserves the name
from the havoc it makes among the poultry. It is most common in:
spring and fall, but sometimes appears suddenly in winter, and
shortens the days of Passer domesticus when nothing better is
available.

Cooper’s Hawk breeds sparingly throughout Southern Ontario,
apparently preferring the vicinity of large marshes, where Blackbirds,
Rails, ete., are easily obtained.

Extraordinary migrations of hawks are sometimes seen in the fall,
when for two or three days in succession, along a certain section of
country, individuals of this and the preceding species are continually
in sight. Flocks of this description have often been observed at
Point Pelee, near the western extremity of Lake Erie, where the

d
m

re

COOPER'S HAWK. 197

birds probably gather when working their way round the west end
of the lake, in preference to going across. Although a few remain
during the winter, this species is mostly migratory, arriving in April
and leaving in October.

This, and its near relative, the Sharp-shinned Hawk, are the two
which Dr. Fisher says are so destructive to small birds, and young
grouse and chickens, that they should be destroyed whenever it is
possible.

Cooper’s Hawk is the larger and stronger of the two. It is par-
ticularly fond of pigeons, and, if permitted, will return to the dovecot
day after day till the last pigeon is taken.

It is a most active bird on the wing, the long tail, short rounded
wings, and quick sight enabling it to capture at will anything suitable
it may surprise while skimming over the meadows or through the
open woods.

It is generally distributed throughout Ontario, but is more
common farther south. In Alaska it has not been observed.

. = U \
Suspcenus ASTUR Lacepepe.

ACCIPITER ATRICAPILLUS (Wits.).

142. American Goshawk. (334)

Adult :—Dark bluish-slate blackening on the head, with a white superciliary
stripe; tail, with four broad dark bars; below, closely barred with white and
pale slate, and sharply streaked with blackish. Young:—Dark brown above,
the feathers with pale edges, streaked with tawny-brown on the head and
cervix; below, fulvous white, with oblong brown markings. Jemale:—2 feet
long; wing, 14 inches; tail, 11. MWa/e:—Smaller.

Has.—Northern and eastern North America, breeding mostly north of the
United States, south in winter to the Middle States. Accidental in England.

Nest, in trees, composed of sticks, twigs and weeds, lined with grass and
strips of bark.

Eggs, two or three, soiled white, sometimes faintly blotched with brown.

The Goshawk and the Peregrine Falcon were both much prized in
the olden time when hawking was a princely amusement in Europe,
and the same spirit and courage which was the admiration of lords
and ladies fair in those ancient days still characterize the birds in
their native haunts. They never fail to attract the attention of the
sportsman, as, unencumbered by hood or bell, they carry terror and
dismay among the ranks of the water-fowl.

RED-TAILED HAWK. 199

In Ontario, the Goshawk is an irregular winter visitor, sometimes
appearing in considerable numbers, and again being altogether want-
ing for several years in succession, In the young plumage, it bears
some resemblance to Cooper’s Hawk, but is always much larger in
size, and is more bold and daring in proportion, frequently carrying
off poultry from the very doors of houses in the suburbs of the city.

It is one of the handsomest species of the family. A small-sized
adult male in my collection is the finest I have ever seen, a perfect
model in symmetry, the colors clear and bright, and the whole
plumage smooth and compacts admirably suited for passing rapidly
through the air with the least possible resistance.

In the “ Birds of Alaska,” Mr, Nelson says: ‘This is the hand-
somest, as well as one of the most abundant, of the birds of prey
resident in Northern Alaska. It is present everywhere throughout
all the wooded region, and in spring and autumn, especially during
the latter season, it is a common visitor to the open country bordering
on the shore of Behring Sea and the Arctic coast, and is a character-
istic bird in the fur countries, breeding nearly to the Arctic coast.

“The Goshawk has a bad reputation among the natives, from
its habit of stealing birds from their snares, as well as for hunting
the Ptarmigan, upon which, at certain seasons, the Eskimo depend
largely for a food supply. Although many of these birds remain in
the north during the winter, I believe that a considerable number
of them pass farther to the south.”

This is one of the six injurious species named in Dr. Fisher’s
report, but we see it so seldom it does not annoy us much.

Genus BUTEO Cuvier.
BUTEO BOREALIS (Gmet.).

143. Red-tailed Hawk. (337)

Four outer quills emarginate on inner web. Adult:—Dark brown above,
many feathers with pale or tawny margins, and upper tail coverts showing
much whitish; below, white or reddish-white, with various spots and streaks
of different shades of brown, generally forming an irregular zone on the abdo-
men; tail above, bright chestnut-red, with subterminal black zone and narrow
whitish tip, below pearly-gray; wing coverts, dark. Young:—With the tail
grayish-brown barred with darker, the upper parts with tawny streaking.
A large, stoutly-built hawk. Female:—23; wing, 154; tail, 841. Male:—20;
_ wing, 14; tail, 7.

200 BIRDS’ OF ONTARIO.

Hae.—Eastern North America, west to the Great Plains.

Nest, placed on a high tree, composed of sticks, twigs, grass, moss, etc.

Eggs, two to four, dull white, sometimes blotched with rich brown of
different shades.

This is a large and powerful bird, strong of wing and stout of
limb, but incapable of performing the feats of dexterity common to
the hawks and falcons. It is most frequently seen sitting bolt
upright on a stub in a field, or by the edge of the woods, carefully
scrutinizing the ground below in search of the small quadrupeds on
which it feeds. It is resident in Ontario, having been seen both in
summer and winter, but is most frequently observed during the
period of migration in spring and fall, from which it may be inferred
that many individuals spend the winter farther south. Occasionally,
in spring, this species may be seen singly, or in pairs, soaring to a
vast height, sailing round in wide circles, apparently enjoying the
warm sunshine and the return of life to the landscape below.

The Red-tail breeds in Southern Ontario, is generally distributed
throughout the Province, and is included in the list of birds observed
by Prof. Macoun in the North-West.

It is one of the ‘“‘ hen-hawks” which have generally been supposed
to live on game and poultry, but recent investigations show that it
does not touch either, save when sorely pressed with hunger, and
then it will eat carrion sooner than starve. Its principal food con-
sists of the smaller mammals and reptiles, and this fact entitles it to
the protection of the farmer. It has been placed in Class 4, for the
good it does is supposed.to be in excess of the evil.

BUTEO BOREALIS CALURUS (Cass.).

‘ 144. Western Red-tail. (3375)

The extreme form is chocolate-brown or even darker, quite unicolor, with
rich red tail crossed by several black bars, from which the erythro-melanism
grades insensibly into ordinary borea/is. The usual case is increase over
borealis of dark rufous and dusky shades in bars and spots underneath, particu-
larly on the flanks and crissum, and presence of other than the subterminal
black bar on the tail.

Has.—Western North America, from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific,
south into Mexico, casually to Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan and Canada
West.

Nesting habits and eggs identical with those of the common Red-tail.

RED-SHOULDERED HAWK. 201

For the privilege of including this sub-species among the “ Birds
of Ontario,” I am indebted to the following notice which appears in
the Awk, Vol. V., page 205: ;

“T have obtained from Mr. J. Dodds, of St. Thomas, Ontario, a
fine adult male of the Western Red-tail (Buteo borealis calwrus)
which was killed near that place in the fall of 1885, by John Oxford,
This seems to be the first recorded occurrence of this species in
Ontario.” ——W. E. SaunprErs, London, Ontario.

Dr. Coues, who is always averse to making too many sub-species,
after describing the ordinary Red-tail, says of this subject: “Such
is the ordinary Hen-hawk, so abundant in eastern North America,
where it is subject to comparatively little variation. In the west,
however, where it is equally numerous, it sports almost interminably
in color, and not always conformably with geographical distribution.
Several of these phases have received special names as given beyond.
I am willing to spread them upon my page, but too much of my life
is behind me for me to spend time in such trivial mutabilities.”

As the subject may still be interesting to younger students, I
place the record here for their consideration.

BUTEO LINEATUS (Gmez.).

145. Red-shouldered Hawk. (339)

Four outer primaries emarginate on inner web; general plumage of the adult
of a rich fulvous cast; above, reddish-brown, the feathers with dark brown
centres; below, a lighter shade of the same, with narrow dark streaks and
white bars; quills and tail, blackish, conspicuously banded with pure white;
the bend of the wing,
white with dark streaks; quills and tail, barred with whitish. Nearly as long
as B. borealis, but not nearly so heavy; tarsi, more naked. Female :—22; wing,
14; tail, 9. Male :—19; wing, 18; tail, 8 (average).

Has.—Eastern North America, west to Texas and the Plains, south to the
Gulf coast and Mexico.

orange-brown. Young:—Plain dark brown above; below,

Nest, in trees, composed of sticks and twigs, lined with grass and a few
feathers.

Eggs, two. to four, variable in color, usually dull white, blotched with rich
brown.

In Southern Ontario this species is a Gommon summer resident,
breeding freely in the less settled parts of the country, where it is
more frequently seen than any other of the ‘chicken hawks.”

202 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

In the fall it becomes quite numerous on the return of those which:
have bred farther north, accompanied by their families.

Southern Ontario is probably its centre of abundance in summer,
for though it occurs in Manitoba and has been found by Dr. Bell at
York Factory, it is not common so far north. During the winter it
has not been observed.

Like others of the family, this species varies greatly in plumage
according to circumstances. The young birds do not show any of
the rich reddish-orange of the adult, and were at one time described
as a separate species under the name of Winter Falcon. From
western Texas to California, and south into Mexico, the colors become
much brighter and more decided, which has led to this western form
being described as a sub-species under the name of Buteo lineatus
elegans (Cass.). Occasionally we meet here with an adult in full
plumage which might well be included in this group, but generally
all are much brighter in the west.

This is another of the chicken hawks which has borne the repu-
tation of robbing the poultry yard, but it is pleasant to observe
that the accusation is not verified by the recent examination of
stomachs. Dr. Fisher says: “The diet of the Red-shouldered Hawk
is probably more varied than that of most other birds of prey. For
example, the writer has found in the stomachs of the different indi-
viduals which have come under his notice the remains of mammals,
birds, snakes, frogs, fish, insects, centipedes, spiders, crawfish, earth-
worms and snails, which represent eleven classes of animal life. This
Hawk is very fond of frogs, and, although these batrachians are
mentioned by Audubon and other writers as forming a very con-
siderable portion of their sustenance, yet mice furnish fully sixty-
five per cent. of their food.

“Besides this very injurious group of rodents, other small mam-
mals, such as squirrels, young rabbits, shrews and moles are taken.
Some authors insist that the Red-shouldered Hawk is destructive to
poultry, but the writer in all his field experience has never seen one
attack a fowl, nor has he found the remains of one in the stomachs
of those examined.” | '

With this record, he is fairly entitled to a place in the class whose
good acts are in excess of the evil.

SWAINSON’S HAWK. 203

BUTEO SWAINSONT Bonap.

146. Swainson’s Hawk. (342)

It is hardly possible, within the limited space at my disposal, to give any-
thing like a detailed description of the various phases of plumage which this
interesting Buzzard assumes, according to age, sex, or the season of the year.
Suttce it to say, that individuals differ so much from one another as to have led
to the description of about a dozen different individuals as new species, all of
which are now attributable to Buteo swainsoni.

Jn measurement, this species is about the same as its nearest relative, the
Red-tail, averaging about 20 inches in length by about 50 in extent, but it is
less stoutly built, has the wings longer and more pointed, and has only three of
the primaries emarginate, whereas the Red-tail has four. The entire upper
parts are dark brown, many of the feathers with tawny edgings, those on the
head showing white when disturbed. Tail feathers, ashy-gray, crossed with
numerous dark bars, and tipped with yellowish white; upper tail coverts,
chestnut and white, with blackish bars; under parts, white, more or less shaded
with chestnut. A broad pectoral area of bright chestnut, usually with a
glaucous shade, and displaying sharp black shaft lmes; this area contrasting
strongly with the pure white throat.

In the younger birds, the upper parts are much as already described; the
lower parts, including the lining of the wings, are nearly uniform fawn color,
thickly spotted with blackish-brown. These large dark spots, for the most
part circular or guttiform, crowd across the fore breast, scatter on the middle
belly and tibiz, and are wanting on the throat. In all stages of plumage the
iris of the eye is brown.

Has.—Western North America, from Wisconsin, Illinois, Arkansas and
Texas to the Pacific coast; north to the Arctic Regions, and south to Buenos
Ayres. Casual east to Massachusetts.

Nest, in a tree, at a height varying from ten to forty feet from the ground.

* Eggs, two to four, greenish-white or buffy-white, often stained or blotched
with rusty-brown.

Dr. Coues gives an admirable history of this species in his “ Birds
of the North-West” (page 356), from which I shall here make a few
extracts :

“This large Hawk is very abundant in Northern Dakota, where
it came under my almost daily observation during the summer of
1873.” ‘*Swainson’s Buzzard may be seen anywhere in the region
mentioned—even far out on the prairie, miles away from the timber,
circling overhead, or perched on the bare ground. In alighting, it
generally takes advantage of some little knoll commanding a view
around, though it often has no more prominent place than the heap
of dirt from a badger’s hole, from which to cast about for some
imprudent gopher espied too far from home, or still more ignoble
game.”

204 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

“The quarry of Swainson’s Buzzard is of a very humble nature.
I never saw one swoop upon wild fowl or Grouse, and though they
strike rabbits, like the NRed-tails, their prey is ordinarily nothing
larger than gophers. Though really strong and sufficiently fierce
birds, they lack the ‘snap’ of the Falcons and Asturs ; and I scareely
think they are smart enough to catch birds very often. I saw one
make the attempt on a Lark Bunting. The Hawk poised in the air,
at a height of about twenty yards, for fully a minute, fell heavily,
and missed. The little bird
slipped off, badly scared, no doubt, but unhurt, while the enemy
flapped away sulkily, very likely to prowl PORE a gopher-hole for
his dinner, or take potluck at grasshoppers.”

with an awkward thrust of the talons

From the foregoing it will be seen that the home of Swainson’s
Buzzard is on the prairies of the North-West, while in Ontario it is
only a casual visitor. TI first met with it at an agricultural fair in
Hamilton in 1865, where a young specimen was observed in a collec-
tion which was competing for a prize. Being called upon to name
the species to which it belonged, I turned to the works of reference
then available, and made it out to be Luteo bairdi (Hoy.), which is
now known to be the young of Buteo swainsoni. Since that time, I
have occasionally seen birds in similar plumage flying overhead, but
did not again meet with it close enough for examination till the
present summer (1886), when I saw one in the hands of a local tax-
idermist, where it had been left to be “stuffed.” It, too, was a
young bird, but in fine plumage, with the characteristic markings
fully displayed.

When we have more naturalists among our sportsmen, such a bird
as this will be more frequently brought to light. At present, should
a hawk come along, when there is nothing better in sight, it is killed
in the interest of the game, but is seldom picked up.

In Forest and Stream for December, 1888, Dr. Merriam gives a
most interesting account of a flock of this species which he saw
feeding on grasshoppers in Oregon. I have room only for a short
extract, to show the influence these birds exercise in the interest
of the farmer :

“One hundred and fifty hawks were counted, which did not
quite include all those present. We counted as many as thirteen
in one tree. Two of the three stomachs we examined contained
grasshoppers and nothing else; the third contained, in addition to
grasshoppers, the head of a vibad ee mouse. One contained eighty-
eight grasshoppers, another ninety-six, and the third 106. Assuming

BROAD-WINGED HAWK. 205

that each hawk captured 200 grasshoppers?a day, and that there
were 200 hawks, the daily catch would thus be 40,000 grasshoppers.
At this rate these hawks would destroy 280,000 grasshoppers in a
week, or 1,200,000 in a month.” And yet this is one of the species
for whose destruction a bounty has recently been offered !

BUTEO LATISSIMUS (Wus.).

147. Broad-winged Hawk. (343)

Three outer primaries emarginate ont inner web; above, umber-brown, the
feathers with paler, or even with fulvous or ashy-white edging, those of the
hind head and nape cottony-white at base; quills, blackish, most of the inner
webs white, barred with dusky; tail, with three broad dark zones alternating
with narrow white ones, and white tipped; conspicuous dark maxillary patches ;
under parts, white or tawny, variously streaked, spotted or barred with rusty
or rufous, this color usually predominating in adult birds, when the white
chiefly appears as oval or circular spots on each feather; throat, generally
whiter than elsewhere, narrowly dark-lined. In the young the upper parts are
duller brown, varied with white; the under parts, tawny-whitish, with linear
and oblong dark spots, the tail, grayish-brown, with numerous dark bars.
Female, 18: wing, 11; tail, 7. Made, less.

Has.—Kastern North America, from New Brunswick and the Saskatchewan
region to Texas and Mexico, and thence southward to Central America, northern
South America and the West Indies.

Nest, in a tree, built of sticks and twigs, lined with grass and leaves.

Kggs, two or three, grayish-white, marked with spots and blotches of umber-
brown.

This species was first described by Wilson, who met with two
individuals in the woods near the Schuykill, but does not appear to
have seen it again.

In Southern Ontario the Broad-winged Hawk is often very com-
mon in the spring. Toward the end of April, or early in May, should
the weather be clear, great numbers are seen soaring at a consider-
able height, and moving in circles toward the North-West.

About the same time, singly or in pairs, it may be met with in
the woods, usually sitting quietly on the lower branch of a tree near
some wet place watching for frogs. A few pairs remain during
summer, but the greater number pass on to the North-West, and in
winter none have been observed.

Late in April, or early in May, the Broad-winged Hawk has been
reported at Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton and London. It does not go

206 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

much farther north, for it is rare in Manitoba, and is not found in
Alaska.

Its food consists chiefly of small mammals, insects, reptiles and
frogs, and it is not known ever to have touched poultry, so that on
this account it is placed in Class 6, the good work being in excess
of the evil.

Genus ARCHIBUTEO Breum.
ARCHIBUTEO LAGOPUS SANCTI-JOHANNIS (GmMEL.).

148. American Rough-legged Hawk. (347«)

Below, white, variously dark colored, and often with a broad black abdo-
minal zone, but generally no ferruginous; above, brown, varying from dark
chocolate in the adult to light umber in the young; the back, scapulars and
shorter quills, strongly cinereous; the head above, more or less white, dark
streaked; upper tail coverts and tail at base, white, the former tipped with
blackish; the latter barred near the tip with one, and sometimes with several
bands of black or dark brown. In this plumage the bird has been known
as A. lagopus, the Rough-legged Buzzard, while to a melanotic variety of the
same, found in this country only, the name sancti-johannis has been given.
This variety, is entirely glossy-black, except the occiput, forehead, throat, inner
webs of quills, base of tail and broad tail-bars, white. As it is now generally
conceded that these are varieties of the same species, the original name,
lagopus, is retained, and the American form considered a geographical variety
of the European characterized as variety sanctijohannis. Length, about 2
feet; wing, 16-17; tail, 8-10.

Has.—Whole of North America north to Mexico, breeding chiefly north of
the United States.

Nest, on trees or rocks, composed of sticks, grass, weeds and other material
matted together.

Eggs, two or three, soiled white, blotched with reddish-brown.

Another large and powerful bird which, from some cause, seems
contented with very humble fare, living chiefly on mice, lizards,
frogs, etc, while its appearance would lead us to suppose it capable
of capturing much larger game. It is sometimes found in a melanotic
state, the plumage being nearly black, and in this garb it was
formerly described as a distinct species, but this idea has now been
abandoned.

It can always be recognized by the legs, which are feathered down
to the toes, the latter being short.

In Southern Ontario this is only a visitor during the season of
migration, being most plentiful in the fall, when it is often seen

GOLDEN EAGLE. 207

frequenting the marshy shores of Hamilton Bay. It has not been
observed during the breeding season, neither does it occur in winter.

This species in appearance and habits bears some resemblance to
the owls, its full, soft plumage, feathered legs, large head and flat
face all pointing in that direction. It is also observed to be fond of
hunting in the dim twilight, after all the other hawks have retired
and only the owls are abroad. Its manner is quite respectable. It
is neither given to whining nor to ferocity, but is one of the “hen-
hawks” for whose head a bounty has been offered. We can readily
imagine the dignified look of injured innocence he would assume, if
he could be placed on the perch and made to understand that he was
charged with robbing the hen roost, because the evidence now goes
to show that he never touched a hen in his life.

The Rough-legged Buzzard has the highest record of any of our
birds of prey, for its food consists almost entirely of the small mam-
mals which are the farmers’ worst enemies. It is rather irregularly
distributed, but has been found breeding in Labrador, and north
even within the Arctic circle. On the sea coast and along the Yukon
Riyer it is replaced by the Old World form.

Genus AQUILA Brisson.
AQUILA CHRYSAETOS (Liyy.).

149. Golden Eagle. (349)

Dark brown, with a purplish gloss; lanceolate feathers of head and neck,
golden-brown; quills, blackish. In the young, tail, white, with a broad
terminal piece zone. About 3 feet long; w ing, upwards of 2 feet; tail, a foot
or more.

Has.—North America, south to Mexico. Northern parts of the Old World.

Nest, an accumulation of sticks, usually placed on an inaccessible rocky
crag, more rarely in a tree.

Eggs, two, rarely three, soiled white, marked with brown or chestnut.

This fierce and daring Eagle has its home among the rugged and
inaccessible cliffs of Canada East; but in the fall it is seen following
the flocks of water-fowl, which, at this season, visit the lakes to rest
and recruit themselves as they travel southward. Some years ago |
asked a boy, whose home I considered a favorable point for getting
birds of prey, to shoot any hawks or owls he saw and bri ‘ing them to
me. A few days afterwards I saw him approaching my house with a

208 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

sack over his shoulder, which, judging from the bulk, might contain
a dozen hawks, but great was my surprise when he shook out a fine
large female Golden Eagle, he had shot that morning as it flew over
the place where he happened to be standing.

Shortly afterwards I got a young male which had been caught
near Stony Creek, and I have seen several that were procured near
Toronto. Dark brown Eagles are often observed hovering along the
shores of Lake Ontario during the fall, but at a distance it is impos-
sible to distinguish between this and the young of the Bald Eagle,
which is also uniformly brown throughout. The quickest way of
identifying the species, on close inspection, is by referring to the legs,
which, in the Golden Eagle, are feathered down to the toes, differing
as much in this respect from the Bald Eagle as the Rough-legged
Buzzard does from any of the other hawks.

Except as a wanderer during the season of migration, the Golden
Eagle is seldom seen in Ontario.

In the far North-West it is more common. In the “ Birds of
Alaska,” Mr. Nelson says regarding it: “It nests rather commonly
on the Lower McKenzie and Anderson Rivers, and extends its range
to the Arctic shores of the mainland, and perhaps reaches some
of the adjacent islands north of British America. In spite of the
courageous and even fierce character of this fine bird, it sometimes
descends to feed upon carrion. On one occasion a pair was dis-
turbed by a friend of mine while they were feeding upon the remains
of a hog in Northern Illinois. As my friend approached, the birds
arose and swooped fiercely at him. Both birds were shot almost at
the muzzle of the gun. The first fell dead almost at his feet, but this
apparently served only to increase the rage of the survivor, which
renewed the attack until it, too, was disabled.”

In sections of the country where prairie dogs, rabbits or gophers
are abundant, the Golden Eagle is very beneficial, confining its
attention mainly to these noxious animals; but in places where wild
game is scarce, it is often very destructive to the young of domestic
animals.

From its record, where best known, it has been placed in Class ¢
its good and bad deeds being about equal in quantity.

BALD EAGLE. 209

Genus HALIAZETUS Savieny.
HALIAAETUS LEUCOCEPHALUS (Liyy.).

150. Bald Eagle. (352)

Dark brown; head and tail, white after the third year; before this, these
parts like the rest of the plumage. About the size of the last species. Imma-
ture birds average larger than adults.

Has.—North America at large, south to Mexico.

Nest, of huge dimensions, built of sticks, placed on a tree.

Kggs, two, white, often soiled by their surroundings.

This is more frequently seen than the preceding species, and may
be considered resident, for it is often observed during winter, and
breeds in suitable places throughout the country, usually on or near
the shore of a lake. Ina letter from Dr. McCormick, dated Breeze
Place, Pelee Island, June 12th, 1884, the writer says: ‘“ I chanced
to observe an interesting incident a few days since, showing what
looked very much like reasoning powers in a Bald-headed Eagle.
The wind was blowing quite strong from the west, and the eagle had
caught a large fish. Rising in the air with his dying prey in his
talons, he tried to fly directly to windward, towards his nest, but the
wind was too strong, and after several unsuccessful attempts, he
dropped the fish (now dead) into the water. Then flying off toward
the north for some distance, apparently to try the wind in that direc-
tion, and finding he could progress more easily, he turned round,
went back to the fish, took it up again in his claws, and flying north
with a beam wind, made the shore. Then in shelter of a friendly
grove of trees, he flew away toward the west and his nest, with his
scaly treasure, thus exercising what appeared to be a reasoning:
process of cause and effect.”

A favorite haunt of this species used to be along the Niagara
River below the Falls, where they would sit on the dead trees by the:
river bank and watch for any dead or dying animals that came down
the stream. This habit becoming known to collectors, a constant
watch was kept for the appearance of the birds. Many were picked
off with the rifle, and although a few still visit the old haunts, their
numbers are greatly reduced.

Twenty years ago, I knew a youth who shot one of these birds as
it flew over him while he lay concealed among the rushes on the
shore of Hamilton Bay watching for ducks. On taking it up, he

found an unusual appendage dangling from the nek, which proved,
14

210 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

on examination, to be the bleached skull of a weasel. The teeth had
the “death grip” of the skin of the bird’s throat, and the feathers
near this place were much confused and broken.

The Eagle had probably caught the weasel on the ground, and
rising with his prize, a struggle had ensued in the air, during which
the weasel had caught the bird by the throat and hung there till he
was squeezed and clawed to pieces.

Bald Eagles are, during some winters, common at Hamilton Beseks
where they pick up any dead fish and “‘cowheens” that are shaken
out of the fishermen’s nets. Knowing the habits of the birds, the
fishermen often capture them by placing a poisoned carcase near the
edge of the ice. The bait is sure to be taken by the first Eagle
that comes along, and usually the bird dies before leaving the spot.

They still rear their young in suitable places throughout Ontario,
but as the country becomes more thickly settled, the birds seek for
greater retirement elsewhere. I learn from Dr. Macallum that a
few pairs still breed along the north shore of Lake Erie. “Quite
recently,” he says, “I had a set of eggs taken from a nest which was
placed in an oak 100 feet up. It is known to have been there for
sixteen years, and from annual patching had got to be eight feet
deep and five feet across, and so firm that a sailor named Fox, who
took the eggs, was able to dance on the top, and kneel down on the
edge to lower the eggs to those below. The eggs were placed in the
middle of the platform, which was composed of sticks and clay, they
were three in number, pure white, and were quite fresh when taken,
April 3rd. [I once saw an Eagle swoop down on a Herring Gull,
which it carried off in its claws to a large tree, where it was
devoured. It had done the same thing in the same place the day
before.”

The food of this species consists entirely of fish, where they can
be obtained, and the bird is then harmless, and should be protected,
but where fish are scarce, and the birds begin to interfere with the
domestic animals, they should be kept within proper limits. They
have thus been placed in Class c, along with others whose good
deeds are supposed to balance the evil they do.

They are very abundant in Alaska and throughout the Aleutian
Chain, where they are resident. In summer they feed upon fish and
the numerous wild fowl that breed among these islands. In winter.
they feed on Ptarmigan and the sea-fowl which reside there during
that season. When at Salmon Neck, in Sanborn Harbor, Mr. Dall
saw seventeen eagles all within 100 yards. There, as elsewhere, they

BALD EAGLE. 20

were accused of carrying off young chickens, but no authenticated
instance was known.

Two years ago, I saw one that had been killed at Hamilton
Beach under circumstances which made it appear that his reasoning
powers were not equal to those of the hunter.

It was in January, the bay was firmly frozen over, and a keen,
strong wind was blowing from the west. Half a mile out from the
shore sat a Bald Eagle, tearing at the carcase of a small quadruped,
which was frozen into the ice. There was no cover or chance of
approach, for his view was open all round, and he seemed to enjoy
his feast in safety.

Willie Smith, one of the Beach boys, looked on him with longing
eyes, and his ingenuity was equal to the occasion. Carefully examin-
ing his gun, he set sail with a comrade in his iceboat, and by short
tacks worked his way up in shelter of the shore to a point about a
mile from where the Eagle sat, but directly to windward. Then the
tackling was examined and set, and away went the boat at a rate at
which only iceboats before the wind can go.

The Eagle must have seen the boat, but probably had little idea
of the rate at which it was approaching. When it was still a good
way off he got up to fly, but it is necessary for such birds to rise
against the wind, and in doing this he went directly to meet his
adversary. In vain he tried to sheer off to the right, still flying low.
The boat was on his track at once, and for some seconds it looked as
if they would pass each other about forty yards apart, but there was
a flash, a crack, and the Eagle fell on the ice. The boat went
tearing on, taking a long sweep, and then came round to the spot
where lay the bird, which was picked up and brought off in triumph.

It takes at any time a quick eye and a steady hand to bring down
a bird on the wing, but the peculiarity in this case was that both
the hunter and his game were moving rapidly, and the hunter per-
haps the more quickly of the two.

SuBFAMILY FALCONIN A. Fatcons.

Genus FALCO Linnzws.

Suscenus HIEROFALCO Cuvier.
FALCO ISLANDUS Bruny.

151. White Gyrfalcon. (353)

One of the largest and most powerful of the Falconine. Feet, very stout;
tarsus, rather longer than the middle toe without claw, feathered fully half way
down in front and on sides, with narrow bare strip behind; elsewhere, seticulate..
Wing, pointed by second quill, supported nearly to the end of the third, only
the first decidedly emarginate on inner web. Tail, rounded; sexes, alike.
Young:—Little different. Wing of male, 13.50-14.50; tail, 8.50-9.50. Wing
of female, 15-16; tail, 9-10. Adults:—General plumage of upper parts, barred
with dark brown and pale ash, the former predominating, especially on the
head and neck; tail, closely barred with light and dark in about equal amounts =

WHITE GYRFALCON. 213

lower parts, white, immaculate on throat; elsewhere, streaked and variously
‘spotted with dusky. Young:—Darker than the adults at an early stage, some
of the lighter markings tinged with ochraceous.

Hap.—Arctic Regions, including Arctic America and Greenland.

Nest, placed on a shelf of a cliff.

Eggs, two to four, light brownish-red, faintly speckled with umber-brown.

This is the Gyrfalcon of America, and perhaps also of Europe, for
the difference between the two, if any, is very trifling. There are
now two different species and two sub-species of Gyrfalcon described
as American, and we bow to the decision of the revision committee
who have so decided, but still hold our own opinion, that when this
fever of subdivision has cooled off a little and we become better
acquainted with this group, one species will be sufficient to include
the whole.

At all events I am much pleased at being able to place this one
among the ‘‘ Birds of Ontario,” and for this privilege I am indebted
to Mr. G. R. White, of Ottawa, who secured, on the 23rd December,
1890, a fine adult male that was bestowing unsolicited attention
upon his domestic pigeons.

This is so decidedly a northern bird, that it is rare to find it even
as far south as Ottawa. It is of circumpolar distribution, and has
been found breeding in Greenland. In Alaska this form is rather
rare, though some of the others are quite common. Speaking of
Fatco rusticolus gyrfalco, Mr. Nelson says: ‘Throughout all Alaska,
from the Aleutian Islands north, both along the coast and through
the interior, extending from Behring Straits across the northern
portion of British America, the present falcon is the commonest
resident bird of prey. It frequents the vicinity of cliffs and rocky
points about the sea coast, or the rocky ravines of the interior,
during the breeding season, and the remainder of the year, especially
in the fall, it is found wandering over the country wherever food
can be obtained. In a series of skins of this species from various
parts of its range, there is found an interminable gradation from
the whitest islandus to the darkest gyrfalco and rusticolus.

“Specimens in the National Museum collection from Greenland
show the widest extremes, which are bridged by connecting speci-
mens, so that it is impossible to definitely separate them. Newton’s
separation of gyrfalco from islandus on the assumption that the
head is lighter than the back in one, and uniform with the back in
the other, rests upon a purely individual character, as shown by my
Alaskan series of skins.”

214 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

In the Hudson’s Bay country, Dr. Bell says: ‘This species is
known as the Partridge, or Winter Hawk, although it remains also:
during the summer and breeds in the country.”

This is one of the destructive class (d), which is said to live on
game without compensation, and should therefore be destroyed, but
throughout Ontario it is not likely to be troublesome.

In a letter from Mr. W. E. Brooks, of Mount Forest, dated
January 17th, 1894, the writer says: “A few days ago, a fine Gyr-
falcon passed over our fowls as they were being fed. It was a little
too high to be reached with an ordinary charge, and, as often hap-
pens, there was no gun at hand, so that the chance of securing a rare
specimen, was lost.”

Mr. Brooks is well acquainted with these birds, for he had shot
them during his residence in British Columbia.

These are the only positive records of the species having been
observed in Ontario, but as they are powerful birds on the wing, and
much given to wandering during the winter, I have no doubt that
all of the forms described will yet be found along our northern fron-
tier. To assist in the identification of any that may be secured, I
shall here give Mr. Ridgway’s description of the different varieties :

304. F. RuSsTICOLUS (LINN.). GRAY GYRFALCON.

Adult :—With upper parts banded with dusky and bluish-gray (sometimes
uniform dusky anteriorly); the flanks and thighs, barred, banded or trans-
versely spotted with dusky. Young :—Without transverse bars on upper parts
(except sometimes on tail); and lower parts, with all the markings longitudinal.

Has.—Extreme northern portions of Kurope (except Scandinavia), Asia and
North America (including Iceland and southern Greenland); south in winter to
northern border of United States.

304a. F. RUSTICOLUS GYRFALCO.

Adult :—With anterior upper parts (back, scapulars and wing coverts),
rather indistinctly barred with bluish-gray, often nearly plain dusky; flanks,
‘heavily banded or spotted with dusky; and thighs heavily barred with slaty
(the white ground color tinged with bluish-gray posteriorly).

Has.—Northern Europe and Arctic America, from northern Labrador and
coasts of Hudson’s Bay to Alaska.

354). F. RUSTICOLUS OBSOLETUS. BLACK GYRFALCON.
Lower parts, with dusky prevailing, sometimes entirely dusky, except on
lower tail coverts, which are always spotted with white.
Has.—Coast of Labrador, south in winter to Maine, Canada and New York.

DUCK HAWK. 215

SusBGENuS RHYNCHODON Nirzscu.
FALCO PEREGRINUS ANATUM (Bonap.).

152. Duck Hawk. (356)

Tarsus feathered but little way down in front, elsewhere irregularly reticu-
lated in small pattern, not longer than middle toe; first quill, alone decidedly
emarginate on inner web, not shorter than the third. Above, blackish-ash, with
more or less evident paler waves; below and the forehead, white, more or less
fulvous tinge, and transverse bars of blackish; conspicuous black ear patches.
Young :—With the colors not so intense and tending to brown; the tawny shade
below stronger; the lower parts longitudinally striped. Length, about 18;
wing, 13-14; tail, 7-8.

Has.—North America at large.

Nest, in a tree, or on a rock, or on the ground.

Eggs, three to tive, dull white, blotched with different shades of reddish-
brown.

This is the Bullet Hawk, the terror of the ducks and the admira-
tion of sportsmen at the shooting stations, where he is often seen,
either capturing game on his own account, or appropriating what has
been killed by the gunner before he has time to pick it up. As this
species is known to breed in Massachusetts, on the coast of Labrador,
and in Alaska, it will also be found most likely to do so in suitable
places in Ontario, but at present we have no satisfactory record of
the fact. The steep rocky ledges which overhang the blue waters of
Lake Superior offer inducements which the birds will hardly overlook,
and we expect yet to hear of their being found breeding there.

While here, the Peregrine is no loiterer, but follows the migratory
course of the water-fowl, and fares sumptuously every day. Ducks
are his favorite game, and he need never be at a loss, yet (by way of
a relish perhaps) we see him sometimes scoop up a sandpiper or a mud-
hen and pick its bones on an elevation which commands a clear view
for some distance around. In Southern Ontario, the Peregrine is
seldom seen except in the fall.

The Peregrine was held in great esteem in the olden time when
“hawking” was a princely amusement in Europe, and a very high
price was often paid for a well-trained pair. Here he is under no
restraint, but, handicapped neither by bell nor hood, he follows the
bent of his own wild nature, exceeding even the Gyrfalcon in the
skill and activity he exhibits when capturing his prey. He is placed
in Dr. Fisher’s destructive class (d), but he is so seldom seen in
Ontario that his habits are not often the subject of complaint.

216 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Suscenus AUSALON Kare
FALCO COLUMBARIUS Linn.

153. Pigeon Hawk, (357)

Tarsus, scarcely feathered above, with the plates in front enlarged, appear-
ing like a double row of alternating scutelle (and often with a few true scutellx
at base); first and second quill emarginated on inner web. Adult male :—
Above, ashy-blue, sometimes almost blackish, sometimes much paler; below,
pale fulvous or ochreous, whitish on the throat, the breast and sides with large

oblong dark brown spots with black shaft lines; the tibix, reddish, streaked

with brown; inner webs of primaries with about eight transverse white or
whitish spots; tail, tipped with white, and with the outer feather whitening ;
with a broad subterminal black zone and three to four black bands alternating
with whitish; cere, greenish-yellow. Female:

With the upper parts ashy-
brown: the tail, with four to five indistinct whitish bands. Length, about 13;
wing, 8; tail, 5. Male :—Smaller.

Hap.—The whole of North America, south to the West Indies and northern
South America.

Nest, in a hole in a tree, or on a branch, or on rocks.

——

Hees, four, yellowish-brown, blotched with brown of a darker shade.

This handsome little falcon is a miniature of the Peregrine, and is
quite its equal in courage and spirit, often attacking birds of much
greater weight than itself. It is not a common species anywhere,
and in Southern Ontario can only be regarded as a migratory visitor
in spring and fall. It is at all times a difficult matter to define the
precise breeding range of birds that are rare everywhere, and regard-
ing the summer haunts of the Pigeon Hawk we have yet much to
learn. As it has been known to breed in Maine and in Alaska, it is
quite likely to breed also in Ontario, where there is plenty of room
for it to do so without being observed. In the fall when the black-
birds get together in flocks, they are frequently followed by the
“little corporal,” who takes his tribute without much ceremony. I
once saw him “stoop” on a flock as they hurried toward the marsh
for shelter. How closely they huddled together, as if seeking mutual
protection, but he went right through the flock and came out on the
other side with one in each fist.

This species has a wide distribution, going south in winter as far
as the West Indies and northern South America. In summer it has
been found breeding in Nova Scotia and in several of the New
England States. Mr. Macfarlane found it common in the Anderson
River regions. And Mr. Nelson says: “It is one of the most
numerous and familiar birds of prey throughout the wooded portion

AMERICAN SPARROW HAWK. 217

of Northern Alaska, ranging during migrations to the barren coasts
of Behring Sea and the Arctic.

“On the 6th of October, 1878, I saw one of these birds dart down
and strike its talons into the back of a Burgomaster Gull as the
latter was flying over the sea. After holding on for a moment, the
gull continuing its flight unimpeded, the falcon let go, and rising
almost directly up for thirty or forty yards went clear off, apparently
not desirous of renewing the attack.” Although the Pigeon Hawk
is a true falcon and consumes a great many small birds of different
sorts, Dr. Fisher believes it kills sufficient injurious insects and
mammals to balance the account, and has accordingly placed it in
Class c. In Ontario it is never sufficiently numerous to do serious

injury.

Suseenus TINNUNCULUS VIEILLoT.
FALCO SPARVERIUS Linn.

154. American Sparrow Hawk. (360)

Tarsus and quills, as in co/wmbarius; crown, ashy-blue, with a chestnut
patch, sometimes small or altogether wanting, sometimes occupying nearly all
the crown; conspicuous black maxillary and auricular patches, which, with
three others around the nape, make seven black places in all, but a part of them

218 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

often obscure or wanting; back, cinnamon-brown, in the male, with a few black
spots or none; in the fema/e, with numerous black bars; wing coverts, in the
male, ashy-blue, with or without black spots; in the jfema/e, like the back;
quills, in both sexes, blackish, with numerous pale or white bars on inner webs;
tail, chestnut, in the ma/e, with one broad black subterminal bar, white tip, and
outer feather mostly white, with several black bars; in the female, the whole
tail with numerous imperfect black bars; below, white, variously tinged with
buff or tawny, in the ma/e, with a few small black spots or none; in the jema/e,
with many brown streaks; throat and vent, nearly white and immaculate in
both sexes; bill, dark horn; cere and feet, yellow to bright orange; 10-11;
wing, 7; tail, 5, more or less.

Has.—Whole of North America, south to northern South America.

Eggs, four or tive, deposited in the hollow of a decayed limb, or deserted
woodpecker’s hole. In color, variable, usually yellowish-brown, blotched all
over with brown of a darker shade.

The peculiar and handsome markings of this little falcon serve,
even at a distance, to prevent its being mistaken for any other
species. Though sometimes seen near the farm-house, it does not bear
the stigma of having felonious intentions towards the occupants of the
poultry yards, but is credited with the destruction of large numbers
of mice, and is, therefore, regarded with favor by the farmer. It
also feeds freely on snakes, lizards, grasshoppers, etc., but has the
true falcon etiquette of taking only what is newly killed. It is
generally distributed throughout Ontario, arriving on the southern
frontier about the end of April, and leaving for the south in Sep-
tember.

In the “ Birds of Minnesota,” page 203, is given an account of an
experiment made by M. de Lantrie, to test the value of this species
to the farmer. He says: ‘I took five little Sparrow Hawks and
put them in a cage. The parents immediately brought them food,
and I was not surprised to see that it consisted of twelve mice, four
large lizards, and six mole crickets. A meal of like size was brought
every day for a month. At one time there were fifteen field mice,
two little birds, and a young rabbit. Last year I made the same
experiment, with similar results ; one meal consisting of twelve small
birds, one lark, three moles and one hedgehog. In one month, the
five baby-hawks rid the world, by actual count, of 420 rats and mice,
200 mole crickets, and 158 lizards.” In view of the foregoing record,
this species is well entitled to the place which Dr. Fisher has given
it in Class }, as one of those whose good deeds are in excess of the
evil, and it is, therefore, entitled to the protection of all interested.

AUDUBON’S CARACARA. 219

GreNus POLYBORUS VIEILLort.
POLYBORUS CHERIWAY (Jacg.).

155. Audubon’s Caracara. (362)

General color, blackish; the throat all around, and more or less of the fore
back and breast, whitish, spotted and barred with blackish; upper and lower
tail coverts and most of the tail, white, the latter crossed with numerous bars
of black, of which color is the broad terminal zone; the shaft, white along the
white portion of each feather; basal portion of primaries, also barred with
whitish; iris, brown; feet, yellow; claws, black. Young:—Similar, but rather
brownish, the markings of the body running lengthwise; the tail, barred.
Length, 21-23; wing, 144-163; tail, 8-10.

Has.—Southern border. of the United States (Florida, Texas, Arizona), and
Lower California, south to Ecuador and Guiana.

Nest, on trees, bushes, or cliffs, coarse and bulky, composed of sticks and
twigs, lined with leaves and grass.

Eggs, two or three, beautiful in color, varying from light cinnamon to
umber-brown, with markings of yellowish, umber-brown, chestnut, claret-brown,
or reddish-brown.

A description of this southern bird may seem very much out of
place among the “ Birds of Ontario,” but as the bird is known to
have once paid us a visit, it is only right to place it on record.

The specimen referred to was captured on the north shore of Lake
Superior, near Port Arthur, on the 18th July, 1892, and was so
reported to the Natural History Society of Ontario, by Mr. Geo. E.
Atkinson.

As this species is not a migrant, but considered resident wherever
it is found, it is difficult to account for the occurrence of this individ-
ual so far north of its usual habitat. Whatever the cause may have
been, the journey cost the bird its life
such wanderers.

a penalty very often paid by

The centre of abundance of the Caracara seems to be on both
sides of the southern boundary of the United States. It is also
common in Florida, Texas and Oregon. In its habits it resembles
both the eagles and vultures, catching some of its prey alive, but also
feeding greedily on dead animals. In its flight it is sometimes slow
and sluggish, like a vulture, but again, when occasion requires, it can
be as quick and active as a falcon.

Captain B. F. Goss says regarding this species: “ Brown Pelicans
breed in great numbers off the coast of Texas. When these birds
were returning to their breeding ground with pouches filled with

220 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

fish, the Caracaras would attack them until they disgorged, and then
alight and devour the stolen prey. These attacks were made from
above, by suddenly darting down on the Pelicans with shrill screams,
and striking at them with their talons. I saw this manceuvre
repeated a number of times by a pair of these birds that nested on
the island, and by others that came from the shore. They did not
attack outgoing birds, but invariably waited for the incoming ones,
and as soon as these were over land, so that the contents of the
pouches would not fall in the water, they pounced on them, and kept
it up until their object was attained.”

They are very fond of fish and frogs; they also hunt prairie dogs
and other small mammals, but are not accused of disturbing poultry.

SusBFrAMILY PANDIONIN A. Ospreys.
GENuS PANDION Savieny.
PANDION HALIAETUS CAROLINENSIS (GMEL.).

156. American Osprey. (364)

Plumage lacking after-shafts, compact, imbricated, oily to resist water ;
that of the legs short and close, not forming the flowing tufts seen in most
other genera, that of the head lengthened, acuminate ; primary coverts stiff
and acuminate. Feet, immensely large and strong, the tarsus, entirely naked,
granular-reticulate, the toes all of the same length, unwebbed at base, very
scabrous underneath, the outer versatile ; claws, very large, rounded under-
neath. Hook of the bill, long, nostrils touching edge of cere. Above, dark
brown; most of the head and neck and the under parts, white, latter some-
times with a tawny shade and streaked with brown. Length, 2 feet ; wing,
16-18 inches ; tail, 8-10.

Has.—North America, from Hudson’s Bay and Alaska, south to the West
Indies and northern South America.

Nest, in a tree, composed of sticks, often very bulky, from annual additions.

iggs, two to four, variable in color, usually creamy-brown, blotched with
various darker shades of brown.

The Fish Hawk is generally distributed throughout Ontario,
breeding by the lakes and rivers in the less thickly settled parts of
the country. Along the sea coast it is more abundant, frequently
breeding in communities of several hundreds. In such cases the
nests are placed indifferently on rocks or trees, and sometimes the

eggs have been deposited on the sand. Near these breeding places,

AMERICAN OSPREY. 221

the Bald Eagle has every opportunity of tyrannizing over the Fish
Hawks, and compelling them to drop the fish they have just caught.
On the inland waters of Ontario, the Bald Eagle is of less frequent
occurrence, and the Osprey is allowed to enjoy the results of his
industry in peace.

The Fish Hawks arrive in Ontario as soon as the ice breaks up in
the spring, and are soon distributed throughout the country. Here
and there in Ontario and elsewhere, a pair will settle and remain
for the summer, but many of them do not slack in their northern
flight till they are within the Arctic circle, where they rear their
young on the banks of the clear streams of the interior, and alon

Ps
the Yukon River in Alaska. Only one brood is raised in the
season, and in the fall they again work their way south, calling at
many intermediate stations. In Southern Ontario they are seen
during October, but continue their southern route by easy stages, till
many of them reach the West Indies and northern South America,
where they soon again prepare for the spring trip. Fish are pro-
tected by a law which ordinary fishers are bound to respect, but this
Hawk lives on fish and nothing else, and he takes the sort he can get
without regard to the season of the year. On this account he has
been placed on Dr. Fisher’s black list, in Class d, of which the evil
deeds exceed the good; but in Ontario I feel sure that the vote would
be to let him take all he requires, in consideration of the additional
attraction his splendid presence gives to the scenery of many a lake
and river throughout the Province.

SuporpEr STRIGES. Ow1s.
Famity STRIGIDA. Barn Owts.
Genus STRIX Linnaeus.
STRIX PRATINCOLA Bonap.

157. American Barn Owl. (365)

Tawny or fulvous brown, delicately clouded or marbled with ashy or white,
and speckled with brownish-black ; below, a varying shade from nearly a pure
white to fulvous, with sparse sharp blackish speckling ; face, white to purplish-
brown, darker or black about the eyes; the disk, bordered with dark brown ;
wings and tail barred with brown, and finely mottled like the back ; bill,
whitish ; toes, yellowish. Fema/e :—Length, 17 inches; wing, 13; tail, 54.
Male ;—Rather less.

Has.—Warmer parts of North America, from the Middle States, Ohio
Valley and California, southward through Mexico.

Breeds, in hollow trees, frequently in the tower of a church or other high
buildings.

Eggs, five to eleven ; soiled white.

Although this species, so much like the Barn Owl of Britain, has
fong been known as an American bird, coming as far north as Massa-
chusetts, it is only within the last few years that it has been observed

AMERICAN BARN OWL. 298

in Canada. In May, 1882, a specimen was killed by young Mr.
Reid, gardener, York Street, Hamilton, and in the fall of the same
year another was found in an empty outhouse near the canal leading
to Dundas. On calling the attention of Dr. Garnier, of Lucknow, to
these facts, he mentioned having seen one several years before, near
where he lives, and from Mr. C. J. Bampton comes a report of his
having seen two individuals near Sault Ste. Marie. Compared with
the British Barn Owl, the American species is a little larger, but by
many they are regarded as identical. The British bird is noted for
its partiality to ruinous church towers and other lonely places.
Strange to say, Mr. Reid’s specimen was killed in the cemetery,
while one of those seen by Mr. Bampton was perched on the cross on
the spire of the Catholic church.

The Barn Owl has a sharp, inquisitive visage, and is said to be an
expert mouser. In Ontario it can only be regarded as an accidental
visitor from the south.

No recent instance of the occurrence of this species in Ontario has
come to my knowledge. We are farther to the north than its usual
habitat. In the south, it is quite common across the continent, from
the Atlantic to the Pacific coast, its centre of abundance being, appar-
ently, in southern California. Its food consists almost entirely of
rats, mice, gophers, and other destructive little mammals, which leads
one to expect that it would be placed in Class a, as entirely bene-
ficial, but for some reason, not apparent, it is included in Class ,
among those whose good work is greater than the reverse. This
rank entitles our friend to exemption from the persecution which is
accorded to all our birds of prey, a practice we hope to see entirely
changed in the near future. This is the bird we find so often alluded
to in the superstitions of the old land poets and historians, ancient
and modern, all associating his name with evil.

Shakespeare frequently refers to the Owl as a bird of evil repute.
For instance, in speaking of the omens which preceded the death of
Cesar, Casca says :

‘** And yesterday, the bird of night did sit
Even at noonday upon the market-place,
Hooting and shrieking.”

In Burns’ account of that memorable midnight ride, when Thomas
Graham, of the farm of Shanter, was privileged to get a glimpse of
the proceedings of a social science meeting of the moving spirits of
the time, the farmer’s progress homeward is thus described :

‘* Kirk Allowa was drawin’ nigh,
Whaur ghaists and hoolets nichtly cry.”

224 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

In the rural districts of Scotland, where superstition still lingers,
the ‘‘hoolet” continues to be regarded with aversion, and its visits
to the farm-house are looked upon as the forerunners of disaster to
the family. Its cry, when heard at night, is described as most pene-
trating and depressing, and it is often referred to in this way in the
literature of the country.

In a song by Tannahill, the fellow-townsman and brother poet of
Wilson, the Ornithologist, the hero is entreating admission to the
chamber of his lady-love, and in describing his uncomfortable posi-
tion outside, mentions among other causes, that the “cry o’ hoolets
mak’s me eerie.” Such sounds, when heard unexpectedly at might,
in a lonely place, are not calculated to inspire courage in a breast
already depressed with superstitious fear, but the effect produced
must, to a great extent, depend on the train of thought passing
through the mind of the hearer at the time. Many a stalwart Scot
may have quailed at the cry of the hoolet when heard under certain
conditions, but it is a matter of history that the sons of that romantic
land, when roused to enthusiasm by similar sounds extorted from the
national instrument, have performed deeds of personal valor which
will live in song and story so long as poets and historians seek such
themes.

Famity BUBONIDA. Hornep Owts, ETC.
GeNus ASIO Brisson.

ASIO WILSONIANUS (Less.).

158. American Long-eared Owl. (356)

General plumage above, a variegation of dark brown, fulvous and whitish,
in small pattern; breast, more fulvous; belly, whiter; the former, sharply
striped ; the latter, striped and elaborately barred with blackish ; quills and
tail mottled and closely barred with fulvous and dark brown ; face, pale, with
black touches and eye patches ; bill and claws, blackish. Ear-tufts, of 8 to 12
feathers. Length, 14-15; wing, 11-12; tail, 5-6.

Has.—Temperate North America.

Nest, of sticks, loosely put together, lined with a few feathers, variable as
to situation, frequently in a thick evergreen.

Eggs, four to six, oval, white.

The Long-eared Owl is strictly nocturnal in its habits, and is

seldom seen abroad by day, except when disturbed in its retirement
among the evergreens. So far as I have observed, it is not a com-

SHORT-EARED OWL. 225

mon species in Ontario, but, from its retiring habits, it may be more
so than we are aware. Those observed near Hamilton have been
found in the fall, the season when birds of all kinds wander away
from their summer resort, before retiring south to spend the winter.
Along the sea coast it is more common, and in New England resides
throughout the year. That it breeds in Ontario is vouched for by
Mr. Robert Elliot, who found a nest near his home at Bryanston
during the summer of 1886.

It is reported a tolerably common summer resident in Manitoba,
and is also plentiful in the Saskatchewan and Hudson’s Bay districts.
It is one of the best of the farmers’ feathered friends, consuming
immense numbers of rats, mice, moles, beetles, ete.

We find it placed in Class ), with a balance of good work at its
credit, which entitles it to our protection.

ASIO ACCIPITRINUS (Pau1.).

159. Short-eared Owl. (367)

Fulvous or buffy-brown, paler or whitey-brown below ; breast and upper
parts, broadly and thickly streaked with dark brown ; belly, usually sparsely
streaked with the same, but not barred crosswise ; quills and tail, buff, with
few dark bands and mottling ; facial area, legs, and crissum, pale, unmarked ;
eye-patch, blackish ; ear-tufts, of from 3 to 6 feathers. Size of wilsonianus.

Has.—Throughout North America ; nearly cosmopolitan.

Nest, on the ground, consisting of a few sticks, blades of grass and feathers,
loosely thrown together.

Eggs, four to six, white, nearly round.

This is a much more common species than the preceding, and
probably more northern in its range. I have reports of its occur-
rence at different points throughout Ontario, and it was observed in
the North-West by Prof. Macoun. It is less nocturnal in its habits
than the preceding, and is somewhat gregarious, being occasionally
seen during the day in the fall, in flocks of ten or twelve, hunting
in company. It has not been my fortune to fall in with any of
these migratory groups, but I have observed the species skimming
noiselessly over the inlets and moist meadows along the shores of
Hamilton Bay.

It is a most expert mouser, destroying large numbers of the

farmers’ foes, and is, therefore, entitled to his protection; but. all
15

226 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

birds of prey are regarded as enemies by the sportsman, who allows
none to pass that come within his reach.

A few remain in summer, and raise their young in Southern
Ontario, but the greater number pass on farther north. They are
tolerably common in Manitoba, and are also reported from Hudson’s
Bay and Alaska. The examinations of the stomachs of this species
made by Dr. Fisher, show that its food consists mainly of field-mice
and shrews. It has been placed in Class c, among those whose good
and evil habits are about equal.

GENUS SYRNIUM Savieny. .
SYRNIUM NEBULOSUM (Forsr.).

160. Barred Owl. (368)

Above, cinereous-brown, barred with white, often tinged with fulvous ;
below, similar, paler, the markings in bars on the breast, in streaks elsewhere ;
quills and tail feathers, barred with brown and white, with an ashy or fulvous
tinge. Length, about 18; wing, 13-14; tail, 9.

Hazs.—Eastern United States, west to Minnesota and Texas, north to
Nova Scotia and Quebec.

Nest, in a hollow tree, or in the deserted nest of a hawk or crow.

Eggs, two to four, round, white.

Along the southern boundary of Ontario the Barred Owl is by no
means rare, but farther north I have not heard of it being observed.
It does not occur west of the Rocky Mountains, but is very abundant
along the south Atlantic and Gulf States. It is occasionally seen
abroad by day, but at such times its sight seems to be rather uncer-
tain, so that the capture of the small animals on which it feeds is
accomplished during the hours of darkness.

Regarding its uncertain vision by day, Mr. Giraud, in his ‘“ Birds.
of Long Island,” says: ‘‘ My friend, Mr. J. G. Bell, informs me that
when on a collecting tour in South Carolina, and while looking for
the Blue-winged Yellow Warbler whose note he had a moment before
heard, he was startled by feeling a sudden pressure on his gun.
Judge of his surprise when he perceived perched on the barrels a
Barred Owl, which, at the same moment, discovered its mistake,
but too late to correct the fatal error, as it was shot down by the
astonished gunner.”

Audubon mentions seeing one alight on the back of a cow, which

BARRED OWL. ra A

it left so suddenly, when the cow moved, as to show that it had
‘mistaken the object on which it perched for something else.

In former years, I used to find the Barred Owl regularly every
fall in the ravines along the south shore of the Dundas marsh, but
now many of the pines and hemlocks which formed an inviting
retreat are cut down, and the bird has sought for greater seclusion
elsewhere. Its black eyes are at all times a ready mark to distin-
guish it from any other member of its family.

This is one of the noisiest of the Owls, and his weird, uncanny
eries are often a subject of interest to the lonely wayfarer while
dozing by his camp-fire after dark. Nearly all the earlier writers
give the Barred Owl credit for being one of the most destructive
to poultry and game-birds. Dr. Fisher, after giving a number of
extracts to that effect, says: “To all this testimony, which could be
increased by the addition of many other notes attesting the destruc-
tiveness of the species to poultry and game, the investigations of the
writer are in direct variance. Of the 109 stomachs examined, only
four contained the remains of poultry, and in one, traces of a game-
bird were found.”

One peculiarity of this species, which, we are glad to say, is not
very common among birds, is given by Dr. Fisher, as follows: ‘“ This
Owl seems to be more given to cannibalistic habits than any of the
other species. In seven stomachs examined, the writer found the
remains of smaller owls among the contents, and from two different
sources comes the record of the remains of Screech Owls being found
under similar circumstances. Now and then small birds are killed
by this species, but mammals furnish a large proportion of its food.
The remains of mice, rabbits, squirrels (red, gray and flying), shrews,
moles, and occasionally weasels, have been found in the stomach
contents.”

The species, owing to its large size, is capable of consuming num-
bers of mice at one meal. Dr. Merriam found the remains of at
least a dozen red-backed mice in a single specimen killed near Moose
River, in northern New York. .

Dr. Fisher's evidence, which is indisputable, places this species in
a much more favorable light, as a friend to the farmer, than it has
hitherto occupied, and we hope it will get the benefit and be duly
protected, as it deserves to be. It is placed in Class c, in which the
good done balances the evil.

228 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Genus ULULA Cuvier.
ULULA CINEREA (GMEL.).

161. Great Gray Owl. (370)

Above, cinereous brown, mottled in waves with cinereous white; below,
these colors rather paler, disposed in streaks on the breast, in bars elsewhere ;
quills and tail, with five or six darker and lighter bars ; the great disk similarly
marked in regular concentric rings. An immense owl, one of the largest of all,
much exceeding any other of this country. Length, 24 feet ; wing, 14; tail, a
foot or more.

Haxz.—Arctic America, straggling southward, in winter, to the northern
border of the United States.

Nest, in trees, composed of sticks and twigs, lined with moss and a few
feathers.

Eggs, two or three, not quite round, white.

This beautifully marked and solemn-looking bird is usually de-
scribed as the largest of North American Owls, but it can only be
regarded so by measurement, for in weight, strength and ferocity it
is inferior to both the Snowy and the Great Horned Owl. The
lengthy tail, and the long, loose feathers with which its body is
densely clothed, give it the appearance of a very large bird of prey,
but when closely examined, the legs, claws and bill are smaller and
weaker than those of either of the two species named.

The Great Gray Owl is said to be more northern in its range than
even the Snowy Owl. In Southern Ontario, it is a casual visitor
in the winter only. I have had two individuals brought to me which
were got near Hamilton, and have seen several in the hands of other
parties. During the present winter, I saw one which was sent down
from Muskoka, where it was shot in the woods in the month of
December.

It is truly a bird of the far north, those we see here in winter
being only stragglers from the main body of the species, which is
resident throughout all the wooded parts of Alaska, from Sitka north
to the northern tree limit, and from the vicinity of Behring Straits
east throughout the Territory, extending all over the fur countries.

- Mr. Dall speaks of it being so exceedingly stupid that along the
Yukon it can be caught by the hand in the daytime. Its food
consists mainly of hares, mice, and other species of the smaller
mammals, and also small birds. Mr. Dall took no less than thirteen
skulls and other remains of Red-poll Linnets from the crop of a
single bird.

RICHARDSON’S OWL. 229

It has been placed in Class }, as a friend of the farmer, but
farmers are so rare in the regions it frequents that they are not
likely to be much affected for good or ill.

Genus NYCTALA Breum.
NYCTALA TENGMALMI RICHARDSONI (Bonapr.).

162. Richardson’s Owl. (371)

Upper parts, grayish-brown, tinged with olive ; feathers of the head and
neck, spotted with white ; scapulars, quills and tail also with white spots ;
ruff and lower parts, yellowish-white ; throat, white. Male :—11 inches.
Female :—12 inches.

Has.—Arctic America, south occasionally in winter into the northern
United States.

Nest, in trees.

Eggs, two to four, round, white.

This comparatively small and timid-looking owl is, perhaps, more
hyperborean in its range than any of the others we have had under
consideration, inasmuch as the records of its occurrence do not extend
‘so far south as those of either the Great Gray or the Snowy Owl. It
is warmly clad in a dense coat of soft, silky feathers, which, no
doubt, enables it to withstand the severity of the winter. In the
search for food, it evidently finds a supply, for the species is spoken
of by Sir John Richardson as being abundant in the region of the
Saskatchewan, but only a very few come as far south as Southern
Ontario. The two in my collection were both found during winter in
the neighborhood of Toronto, but besides these I have very few
records of its haying been observed anywhere throughout the country.

Proceeding farther north, this species is more frequently observed.
In Manitoba, it is reported as a tolerably common winter visitor.
In northern Alaska, it is found wherever trees or large bushes occur
to afford it shelter. The Eskimo have a name for it, unpronounceable
in our language, which means “the blind one,” owing to its being
frequently caught alive by hand, on account of its defective sight in
the daylight. They are very gentle little birds, and are frequently
kept as pets by the Eskimo children. They are placed in Class 6,
which entitles them to our hospitality whenever they elect to visit us.

230 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

NYCTALA ACADICA (GmgEt.).

163. Saw-whet Owl. (372)

Size, small; bill, black ; the cere tumid, the circular nostrils presenting
anteriorly ; above, chocolate-brown, spotted with white, the tail with transverse
white bars; facial area and forehead variegated with white, the face and
superciliary line grayish-white ; the lower parts, white, with streaks of the
color of the back. Length, 74-8 ; wing, 53; tail, 23.

Has.—Temperate North America, breeding from the northern States and
southern Canada southward.

Nest, in a hole in a tree.

Hggs, four to six, round, white.

This is the smallest member of the family found east of the Rocky
Mountains. For some reason all the owls are of irregular occurrence
in the settled parts of the country. I have seen as many as six or
eight of this species in one winter, and again for several years have
not seen one. Without being migratory, in the ordinary sense of the
word, I think it is highly probable that during the fall these birds
associate in groups, and move from one section of the country to
another in search of food. In this way a good many may be observed
at one point, while for many miles around they may be altogether
absent.

The Saw-whet is evidently partial to a medium temperature, for
it is most common in the northern States, and does not penetrate
far into British America. In the opposite direction, it has been
found breeding as far south as Mexico, but mostly in the wooded
mountain ranges. In Southern Ontario, these birds are most at home
in the thick shelter of the evergreens in the depths of the woods, but
when deep snow covers the ground, they are often found in the barn,
or other outhouse near the farmer’s dwelling, where they are forced
to seek for food and shelter when their supply outside is cut off.

The food of this species consists almost entirely of mice, which
renders it worthy of our friendship, although the small size of the
bird limits the amount of its usefulness in that direction. It takes
little else when mice can be had, and therefore the number destroyed
in a season is considerable, so that we cordially endorse its position in
Class 6, where it has been placed.

Occasionally, there is a small owl found, the plumage of which is
uniform chocolate-brown, with white eyebrows. For a time this was
deseribed as a distinct species, under the name of White-fronted Owl,
also as Kirtland’s Owl, but of late these names have been dropped

SAW-WHET OWL. 231

from the lists, for it is by many believed to be the young of the Saw-
whet. Ultimately, conclusive evidence that such was the case was
given by Dr. J. W. Velie, of Chicago, who kept a live a/bifrons till it
moulted, and became a fine specimen of Vyctala acadica. The tran-
sition is described in detail in Baird, Brewer and Ridgway’s “ Birds
of North America,” from which the following remarks are abridged :

The bird was placed in a large cage, where it had abundant room
to fly about, and was well supplied with food. Through June and
July there was absolutely no change in its plumage. On the Ist of
August, a few medially spotted feathers were observed pushing their
way through the uniformly brown ones on the fore part of the crown.
Through the next two weeks they gradually increased and developed,
until the full-face aspect of the head was that of an adult Saw-whet.
At this stage there was no indication of any second plumage on the
other parts, but about August 15th a few streaked feathers appeared
along the central line of the breast and abdomen, while a little later
the moulting began over the back and wings, and quickly became
general. Through the last two weeks of the month the plumage
gained daily, and by September Ist the final stage was perfected, and
the bird had become a remarkably beautiful Saw-whet Owl.

From this it appears that the brown plumage is simply that which
succeeds the downy stage, and it is even a little longer than in most
other owls before the autumnal dress is assumed.

I am sorry to lose the little a/bifrons which I first heard described
by the late Dr. Kirtland, but much pleased to see the truth so fully
established regarding it.

Genus MEGASCOPS Kaup.

MEGASCOPS ASIO (Liyy.).

164. Sereech Owl. (373)

One plumage : general aspect gray, paler or whitish below. Above, speckled
with blackish ; below, patched with the same ; wings and tail, dark-barred,
usually a lightish scapular area.

Another: general aspect brownish-red, with sharp black streaks ; below,
rufous white, variegated ; quills and tail with rufous and dark bars. These
plumages shade insensibly into each other, and it has been determined that
they bear no definite relations to age, sex or season. Length, about 10; wing,
7; tail, 3$.

Has.—Temperate eastern North America, south to Georgia, and west to
the Plains. Accidental in England. |

Nest, in a hole in a tree, lined with feathers.

Eggs, four to six, round, white.

This is the most abundant of the owls in this part of the country,
yet, like the others, it is of very irregular occurrence. I have met
with it once or twice in the woods in summer, but it is most fre-
quently seen in winter, when the ground is covered with snow. It is
then forced to approach the dwellings of man in search of food, and

SCREECH OWL. 233.

during some winters there is scarcely a farm in the country which has
not its Sereech Owl in the barn. There it sits on a rafter, snoozing
away the hours of daylight, occasionally opening its round, yellow,
cat-like eyes, and glowering at the farm hands as they move about
like shadows below. After dark it is all alive; not a mouse can stir
without being observed, and so quick and noiseless is the flight of the
bird, that few escape which expose themselves. It thus renders good
service to the farmer, in consideration of which it is protected by the
more intelligent of that class, but it is persecuted almost to extinction
by the “ boys.”

As will be seen by the description of the markings given above,
individuals of this species assume different phases of plumage, and
are spoken of as the “red” and “gray.” For many years great
difference of opinion prevailed on this subject, some believing the red
bird to be the male, and vice versa. It is now fully understood that
the color is entirely independent of age, sex or season. It is one of
those seeming irregularities which we find in nature, and all we can
do is to bear witness to the fact, without being able to tell the reason
for it.

During the long winter of 1883-84, I kept a record of the birds
of this species I heard of, in or near Hamilton, and the total num-
ber reached forty. In 1884-85, they were less common, and during
1885-86, I am not aware of a single individual having been observed.

The Screech Owl seems partial to the south-west of Ontario, for it
is common at Toronto, Hamilton and London, while Mr. White has
not yet observed it at Ottawa, nor is it named among the birds of
Manitoba. Of the two colors, the gray is the more common here, the
red being rarely met with.

During summer it has a very varied bill of fare, but in the severe
winters it lives chiefly on mice, though it sometimes takes small
birds. It has been placed in Class 6, as one of the beneficial class,
worthy of protection.

The genus is widely distributed, chiefly east and west. It contains
eight different species, only one of which occurs in Ontario. They
all resemble each other, but are sufficiently different to warrant
specific distinction.

234 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Genus BUBO Cuvier.
BUBO VIRGINIANUS (GmeEt.).

165. Great Horned Owl. (375)

Distinguished by its large size, in connection with the conspicuous ear-tufts ;
the other species of similar dimensions are tuftless. The plumage varies
interminably, and no concise description will meet all its phases; it is a
variegation of blackish, with dark and light brown, and fulvous. A white
collar is the most constant color mark. Length, about 2 feet ; wing, 14-16
inches ; tail, 9-10.

Has.—Kastern North America, west to the Mississippi Valley, and from
Labrador south to Costa Rica.

Nest, sometimes in a hollow tree, or cleft of a rock, or among the branches
of a high tree in the thickest part of the woods, very often the nest of the
Red-tailed Hawk is appropriated, or that of other species where available.

Eggs, two or three, round, white.

The Great Horned Owl is well known in Ontario, being generally
distributed throughout the Province. During the day it hides away
in the deep impenetrable parts of the woods, but at night sallies forth
in quest of prey, and does not hesitate to rob the hen roost, return-
ing for that purpose night after night, unless stopped by a snap shot
in the dark, or caught in a trap baited for the purpose. Individuals
vary greatly in plumage, so much so that they have been described as
distinct species. Near Hamilton I have found them varying from
light silvery-gray to deep fulvous brown. I once obtained a very
handsome specimen in the latter dress which I was unable to utilize
from its having been recently in contact with a skunk. It is strictly
nocturnal in its habits, but when obliged by the attention of crows,
or other disturbing causes, to move during the day, it makes good use
of its eyes, and gets quickly away to the nearest thicket for shelter.

This is not the most numerous of the owls which occur with us,
but no other member of the family receives so much attention. This
is owing to its large size, its loud call, which is heard at a great
distance on still evenings in the fall, but chiefly to the raids it makes
on the hen roosts. In older countries, where, by many of the
inhabitants, all the owls are supposed to be to some extent in. com-
munication with the supernatural agents of evil, this would be
regarded as a most “unlucky” visitor; but in this new land we have
no birds of evil omen, and the owl receives his proper place in science
and in literature. Longfellow speaks of him as “a grave bird, a monk
who chants midnight mass in the great temple of nature.”

GREAT HORNED OWL. 235

His visits to the farm-house are well understood, and if followed
by disaster, it is usually to the poultry, or to the bird himself, if the
farmer’s boys can so arrange matters. He is of a most savage and
untamable nature, excelling any of the owls in strength and ferocity.
If brought to trial in Ontario, he would undoubtedly be condemned
to be killed off at once, on account of his depredations in the hen
roost and dove cot ; but we are told that in some parts of the west,
where rabbits are so numerous that it is next to impossible to bring
to maturity any large proportion of the crops, the Great Horned Owl
feeds on this destructive rodent, almost to the exclusion of other
food, and thus becomes a most valuable ally to the farmer. On this
account he has been placed in Class c, among those birds whose good
and evil deeds are about equal.

On account of the variation in size and plumage, according to the
region they inhabit, the American Ornithologists’ Union Committee
records three sub-species of the Great Horned Ow] emanating from the
original Bubo virginianus. These Mr. Ridgway describes as follows :

375a. Bubo virgiuianus subarcticus—Western Horned Owl. General aspect
of plumage: above, grayish, with more or less of buffy admixture, dark
markings of lower parts distinct.

Has.—Western United States (except north-west coast), eastward across
great plains, straggling to northern Illinois, Wisconsin and Western Canada,
north to Manitoba, south over table-lands of Mexico.

379). Bubo virginianus arcticus—Arctic Horned Owl. General aspect of
plumage: above, white through fading of the ground color and restriction of
dark markings; beneath, pure white with dark markings, usually much
restricted.

Has.—Arctic America, chiefly in the interior, south in winter to northern
Rocky Mountains and Great Plains, Dakota, Montana, etc.

375¢c. Bubo virginianus saturatus—Dusky Horned Owl. Extremely dark-
colored ; the face, usually sooty brownish, mixed with grayish-white; the
plumage, usually without excess of ochraceous or tawny, sometimes with none.

Has.—North-west ‘coast from Oregon north to Alaska, Labrador.

The common form in Southern Ontario is the original Bubo virgin-
ianus, but I have also had one or two which answer the description
given of the western variety, and several apparently intermediate.
From Manitoba I have one as white as a female Snowy Owl, and from
the dense forests of British Columbia I have several which are very
dark. All of these varieties are smaller than the typical species, the
best developed specimens of which are found farther south. A full
plumaged female of Bubo virginianus is a very handsome bird, rich
in markings, and the strongest and fiercest of all the American owls,
a perfect flying tiger when loose among the game or poultry.

236 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Genus NYCTEA STEPHENS.
NYCTEA NYCTEA (Liny.).

166. Snowy Owl. (376)

Pure white with more or fewer blackish markings. Length, nearly 2 feet ;
wing, 17 inches ; tail, 10.

Has.—Northern portions of the northern hemisphere. In North America
breeding north of the United States, and extending beyond any point yet
reached by navigators; in winter migrating south to the Middle States,
straggling to South Carolina, Texas and the Bermudas.

Nest, on the ground, or on rocks, made up of sticks, grass, and lined with
feathers.

Eggs, five to ten, laid at intervals, so that the nest may contain young birds
and fresh eggs at the same time. (Cowes Key.)

The Snowy Owl is an irregular winter visitor to Ontario, some-
times appearing in considerable numbers, and again entirely absent
for several years in succession. Near Hamilton its favorite resort is
on the beach, or along the shore of the bay, where it may be seen
sitting watchful on the top of a muskrat heap, or pile of driftwood,
frequently turning its head right round to look out for approaching
danger. It hunts by day as well as by night, but is most active in
the morning and evening. I once saw a large female make several
attempts to capture a wounded duck which was swimming in a patch
of open water among the ice on the bay near the canal. The owl
skimmed along close to the ice and tried in passing to grasp the
duck, which quickly went under water and appeared again cautiously
at a different place. The owl passed several times over the pond in
this way, resting alternately on the pier of the canal and on the
shore, till, getting into a favorable position, I shot it on one of the
return trips, and, subsequently, I also shot the duck, on which I had
a first claim.

The number of these birds which occasionally descend from the
north in the early part of the winter must be very great, for their
migrations extend over a wide extent of country, and at Hamilton,
which is only one of the points they pass, I have known as many as
thirty to be captured in a single season. During the winter they are
seen as far south as Texas and the Carolinas. How interesting it
would be to know how many of these individuals which travel so far
south are permitted to return.

The Snowy Owl is not migratory in the ordinary sense of the
term. It is distributed over a very wide extent of country, and

AMERICAN HAWK OWL. 237

those we see in Ontario have merely come from some particular
locality where at certain seasons their food supply has given out,
and they have to seek it elsewhere. The bulk of the species pass
the winter near the northern line of trees.

While at home in the north in summer, its food consists almost
exclusively of lemmings and mice, but in winter, when these can not
be had, it takes readily to fish, hares, rats, ducks, and even offal.
T once killed a large female which was so gorged with tallow that she
could scarcely fly.

It has been classed in 6 as a friend of the farmer, but so little of
its time is spent in the agricultural districts that its influence for
good or ill is very small.

Genus SURNIA Dumenrit.

SURNIA ULULA CAPAROCH (Mix1.),

167. American Hawk Owl. (377a)

Dark brown; above, more or less thickly speckled with white ; below, closely
barred with brown and whitish, the throat alone streaked ; quills and tail, with
numerous white bars; face, ashy, margined with black. Length, about 16
inches ; wing, 9; tail, 7, graduated, the lateral feathers 2 inches shorter than
the central.

238 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Hap.—Arctic America, migrating in winter to the northern border of the
United States. Occasional in England.

Nest, of sticks, grass, moss and feathers, in trees or on rocks.

Kegs, four to seven, soiled white.

In Southern Ontario the Hawk Owl can only be regarded as a
rare winter visitor. Farther north it seems more common, as I have
heard of it being frequently seen in the district of Muskoka. While
here in winter it has no particular haunt, but takes the country as it
comes, like a hawk, and is evidently as sharp in the sight as it is
active on the wing. The two in my collection were obtained in the
neighborhood of Hamilton.

The Hawk Owl, like some other boreal birds of prey, occasionally
comes south in the winter in large numbers, and is welcomed by
collectors wherever it appears. These extensive migrations occur
most frequently in the east. In Quebec, some years ago, in the
month of March, I saw them exposed in the market day after day,
and when coming west I noticed many perched on trees near the
railroad track.

In Manitoba it is reported as an irregular winter visitor, but in
Alaska Mr. Nelson says it is perhaps the most abundant resident
bird of prey throughout the entire wooded region in the north. On
May 5th, 1868, Mr. Dall secured six eggs of this bird from the top
ot an old birch stub about fifteen feet high, in the vicinity of Nulato,
on the lower Yukon. The eggs were laid directly on the wood, and
the male was sitting. When he climbed to the nest the sitting bird
dashed at him and knocked off his cap, showing the fierce and bold
character of the species.

The food of the Hawk Owl varies with the season of the year. In
summer it feeds on the smaller mammals, such as lemmings, mice and
ground squirrels, with a few grasshoppers by way of change, but in
winter, when these are not available, ptarmigan constitute its chief
article of diet. When in search of these birds, it is said to follow
the hunter, often pouncing upon his game and carrying it off ere he
‘an reach it.

It has been placed in Dr. Fisher’s beneficial list, but it lives too
far north to have much influence on agriculture.

OrnpER COCCYGES. Cuckoos, Etc.
SusporpER CUCULI. Cuckuos, ETc.
Famity CUCULIDA®. Cucxoos, Anis, Etc.
Supramity COCCYGIN A. American Cuckoos.
Genus COCCYZUS Viettxor.
COCCYZUS AMERICANUS (Liyy.).
168. Yellow-billed Cuckoo. (387)

3

Above, uniform satiny olive gray or ‘‘ quaker color,’
tions ; below, pure white; wings, extensively cinnamon-rufous on inner webs
of the quills; central tail feathers, like the back; the rest black with large
white tips, the outermost usually edged with white ; bill extensively yellow
below and on the sides. Length, 11-12 inches; wing, 5-53; tail, 6-64; bill,

with bronzy reflec-

under 1 inch.

Hazs.—Temperate North America, from New Brunswick, Canada, Minnesota,
Nevada and Oregon, south to Costa Rica and the West Indies. Less common
from the eastern border of the Plains westward.

Nest, on a bough, or in the fork of a low tree, composed of twigs, leaves and
soft vegetable material.

Eggs, four to eight, pale glaucous green.

It is a well-known fact that the British Cuckoo entirely ignores
family responsibilities by depositing its eggs in the nest of a bird of a
different species, and with a pleasant “cuckoo” bids good-bye to the
whole connection.

The two kinds we have in Canada are not so totally depraved.
They usually build a nest and bring up a family, but even to them
the duty does not seem to be a congenial one, and they are some-

240 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

times known to slip an egg into each other’s nests or into that of a
different species. The nest they build is of the most temporary
description, and the eggs are deposited in such a desultory manner
that it is no uncommon occurrence to find fresh eggs and young birds
therein at the same time.

Of the two Cuckoos we have in Ontario, the Yellow-billed seems
the more southern, apparently finding its northern limit along our
southern border, where it is rather scarce and not generally dis-
tributed.

This species seems partial to orchards and cultivated grounds
along the banks of rivers. It is very common about Niagara Falls,
though not regularly distributed throughout the country. Last
summer a pair had their nest and reared their young within fifty feet
of my residence. They were very quiet and retiring, were seldom
seen near the nest except while sitting on it, and only occasionally
did we hear the emphatic how-kow-kow which reminded us of their
presence.

The nest was a flimsy affair, placed near the outer end of a
horizontal branch of a maple, about eight feet from the ground. As
soon as the young were able to fly, young and old disappeared, and
were not again seen during the season.

Southern Ontario seems to be the northern limit of this species.
It occurs at London, Hamilton, Toronto, but at Ottawa Mr. White
has only found it once. To the north of Ottawa I have not heard of

it being observed.

COCCYZUS ERYTHROPHTHALMUS (Wis).

169. Black-billed Cuckoo. (383)

Above, uniform satiny olive-gray, or ‘‘quaker color,” with bronzy reflec-
tions ; below, pure white, sometimes with a faint tawny tinge on the fore parts ;
wings, with little or no rufous ; lateral feathers not contrasting with the
central, their tips for a short distance blackish, then obscurely white ; bill,
blackish, except occasionally a trace of yellowish below ; eye-lids, red ; bare
circum-ocular space, purplish. Length, 11-12; wing, 5-55; tail, 6-63 ; bill,
under |.

Has.—Eastern North America, from Labrador and Manitoba south to the
West Indies and the valley of the Amazon; west to the Rocky Mountains.
Accidental in the British Islands and Italy.

Nest, loosely constructed of twigs, grass, strips of bark, leaves, ete., placed
in a bush. bog

Eggs, two to five, light greenish-blue.

BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. 241

The Black-billed Cuckoo is a regular summer resident in Ontario,
where it arrives about the end of May, after which its peculiar note
may often be heard, especially before rain, and its lithe, slim form be
seen gliding noiselessly among the evergreens. Though not an
abundant species, it is generally distributed throughout the Province,
and well known to the country people as the ‘“ rain-crow.”

The food of the cuckoos consists chiefly of caterpillars, with an
occasional change to ripe fruit in the season. They also stand
charged with sucking the eggs of other birds. They retire to the
south early in September.

Of the two cuckoos the present species is the more common in
Ontario, being more generally distributed. It also migrates a little
farther north, having been reported as a tolerably common. resident
in Manitoba, where the other has not been observed.

We have heard that the Yellow-billed Cuckoo occasionally shirks
the duties of incubation by leaving its eggs in the nest of another
bird, and now come three separate charges of similar misconduct
against the present species.

In the Report of the Ornithological Sub-section of the Canadian
Institute for 1890, Dr. C. K. Clarke, of Kingston, Ontario, brings
forward three cases of parasitism in the Black-billed Cuckoo, of the
correctness of which there can be no doubt.

The first birds Dr. Clarke observed being imposed upon were a
pair of chipping sparrows, who raised the young cuckoo at the
expense of the family.

Next came a pair of yellow warblers, whose protégé soon crowded
out the legitimate occupants of the nest. They were raised from the
ground and placed within reach, but the big boy required all the
attention of the foster-parents, and the others died. During the
whole period, the old cuckoo was always to be found flitting about in
a restless manner, as if she had some doubt in regard to the ability of
the warblers to take care of her child.

The third case was another pair of chipping sparrows, in whose
nest the cuckoo was observed sitting, and from which she did not
move till the observers almost touched her. The result was the same
as in the other cases. The young cuckoo threw the sparrows out as
soon as he had strength to do so.

16

242 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

SUBORDER ALCYONES. KINGFISHERS.
Famity ALCEDINIDA. KINGFISHERsS.
sENUS CERYLE Bots.

SusGENuS STREPTOCERYLE Bonaparte.
CERYLE ALCYON (Liny.).

170. Belted Kingfisher. (390)

Upper parts, broad pectoral bar, and sides under wings, dull blue with fine
black shaft lines ; lower eye-lid, spot before eye, a cervical collar and under
parts, except as said, pure white ; the fema/e with a chestnut belly band, and
the sides of the same color; quills and tail feathers, black, speckled, blotched
and barred with white on the inner webs; outer webs of the secondaries and
tail feathers, like the back; wing coverts, frequently sprinkled with white ;
bill, black, pale at the base below; feet, dark. Length, 12 or more; wing,
about 6; tail, 34; whole foot, 14; bill, about, 24.

Has.—North America, south to Panama and the West Indies.

Nest, none.

Eggs, six to eight, white, deposited in an enlargement at the end of a
tunnel, four to eight feet deep, dug by the bird into a sand bank or gravel pit.

The Kingfisher is generally distributed throughout Ontario. It
arrives early in April, and soon makes its presence known by its
loud, rattling cry, as it dashes along and perches on a horizontal
bough overhanging the river. On some such point of observation it
usually waits and watches for its scaly prey, but when passing over
open water of greater extent, it is often observed to check its course,
hover hawk-like at some distance above the surface, and then dash
into the water after the manner of a Tern. If a fish be secured, it is
carried in the bill to some convenient perch, on which it is hammered
till dead, and then swallowed head downwards.

The Kingfisher is a strong flier, and is sometimes seen careering at
a considerable height, as if for exercise.

Although many of them breed throughout Ontario, numbers pro-
ceed much farther north. In Manitoba and the North-West they
occur in all suitable places, and in Alaska they are found along the
entire course of the Yukon River, reaching the shores of Behring
Sea. They have also been taken at Sitka, and frequent all the clear
streams of the interior, nesting as they do elsewhere, in a deep
burrow in a bank dug out by themselves.

They are not sensitive to cold, for in open seasons I have seen
them remaining till January, but when the frost forces the fish to
retire to deep water, the Kingfisher’s supply of food is cut off, and
he has to move to the south.

HAIRY WOODPECKER. 243

Orper PICI. Woopprreckers, WRYNECKS, ETC.
Famity PICIDAL. Woopprckers.
Genus DRYOBATES Botr.
DRYOBATES VILLOSUS (Liyy.).

171. Hairy Woodpecker. (393)

Back, black, with a long white stripe; quills and wing coverts, with a
profusion of white spots ; four middle tail feathers, black ; next pair, black and
white ; next two pairs, white; under parts, white; crown and sides of head,
black, with a white stripe over and behind the eye, another from the nasal
feathers running below the eye to spread on the side of the neck, and a scarlet
nuchal band in the ma/e, wanting in the female ; young, with the crown mostly
red or bronzy, or even yellowish. Length, 9-10; wing, nearly 5; tail, 34.”

Has.—Middle portion of the Eastern United States, from the Atlantic
coast to the Great Plains.

Nest, in a hole in a tree.

Eggs, four or five, pure white.

This is a resident, though not very abundant species, noticed
more frequently in winter than in summer. It is generally distrib-
uted through Southern Ontario.

The Hairy Woodpecker is one of the most retiring of the family,
spending much of its time in the solitudes of the woods, and when
these are thinned out or cleared away, moving to regions still more
remote. It is a strong, hardy, active bird, and the noise it makes
while hammering on a tree, when heard in the stillness of the woods,
might well be supposed to be produced by a bird of much greater
size.

This is one of those birds which increase in size as they approach
their northern limit, and decrease in proportion when found in
the south. On this account the American Ornithologists’ Union
Committee has separated from the original Dryobates villosus two
subspecies, the first of which, under the name of Northern Hairy
Woodpecker, is said to be found in North America, south to about
the northern border of the United States. The other has been
named the Southern Hairy Woodpecker, and its habitat is said to
extend over the southern portion of the United States east of the
plains.

These subdivisions have been decided upon after comparing a
large number of specimens from the different regions indicated, but
the rule cannot be always correct, for I have some from British

24.4 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Columbia which are no larger than those found in Southern Ontario.
It is well to know that the species varies in size according to its
habitat, north or south, but I hardly think the subdivision necessary,
for we see among the members of the human family individuals who
differ in size far more than the woodpeckers do, and yet we do not
make subspecies of them. However, if the new arrangement suits
the majority, so let it be.

DRYOBATES PUBESCENS (Liny.).

172. Downy Woodpecker. (394)

Coloration, exactly as in P. villosus, except that the outer tail feathers are
barred with black and white. Length, 6-7 ; wing, under 4; tail, under 3.

Hazs.—Northern and Eastern North America, from British Columbia and
the eastern edge of the Plains northward and eastward.

Nest, a hole in a tree.

Eggs, four or five, pure white.

This is a miniature of the preceding species, which it resembles in
habits as well as in appearance, although it is of a more sociable
disposition, being often found in winter in company with the Chick-
adees and Brown Creepers. It is also an occasional visitor to the
orchard, where it goes over the apple trees carefully, examining all
injured or decayed parts in search of insects.

It is commonly known as the “little sapsucker,” but the name is
incorrectly applied, for any holes drilled by this species are made
while it is in search of insects, those which allow the sap of the tree
to. exude being the work of the Yellow-bellied Woodpecker.

Like its big brother, the Downy Woodpecker is a resident species,
but more plentiful in spring and fall than in summer, the numbers
being increased at those seasons by passing migrants.

They do not, however, migrate in the ordinary sense of the word,
but in the fall often shift about in search of better feeding ground.
They are found in Manitoba, the North-West, and in Alaska, and are
resident throughout their range. They have been taken along the
entire course of the Yukon, as well as at various points on the coast
of Behring Sea, and thence south at Kadiak and Sitka. Those found
in the north do not differ from the southern individuals, except in
being rather larger in size.

ARCTIC THREE-TOED WOODPECKER. 245.

Genus PICOIDES Lacepepe.
Picorpes ARCTICUS (Swains.).

173. Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker. (400)

Crown, with a yellow patch in the male; back, uniform black ; sides of
head, striped ; of body, barred with black and white; under parts, otherwise
white; quills, with white spots; tail feathers unbarred, the outer white, the
central black. Length, 8-9; wing, 43-5; tail, 34-4.

Has.—Northern North America, from the Arctic Regions south to the
northern border of the United States; much farther south in the western
part of the United States (Nevada, California), along the mountain ranges.

Eggs, four to six, white, deposited in a hole in a tree.

This is a northern bird, seldom, even in winter, coming so far
south as the southern border of Ontario. In November, 1859, I
killed one on a pine tree on the south shore of Dundas marsh, which
is the only time I have ever seen it alive. I have heard of one or
two others having been obtained in Southern Ontario, but as the
species is common farther north, these can only be regarded as
wanderers.

In the district of Muskoka it is resident and quite common, fre-
quenting certain tracts of country which the fire has gone through
and left the trees standing dead and decaying. It belongs to a small
group, the members of which have only three toes. Whether this is
a special adaptation of the bird to its life among the pines is not
apparent, but it seems quite as able to shift for itself with three toes
as its near relatives are with four.

Although this species is a northern bird, so far as its not going
south is concerned, it does not bear out the name by going as far
north as its near relative, americanus. In some of these distant
regions it seems almost unknown. Mr. Nelson speaks of it in
Alaska : “ Very little appears to be known concerning the movements
and habitat of this bird, especially in the north. I secured but a
single specimen, which was brought to me by Mr. McQuesten from
Fort Reliance on the upper Yukon, and its rarity as compared with
the other Three-toed Woodpecker appears from the fact that dozens
of the latter were brought to me each winter. No one among the
various naturalists who have visited this region before has secured
it, and arcticus is totally unknown west of the point where my
specimen was found.”

246 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

PICOIDES AMERICANUS Breum.

174. American Three-toed Woodpecker. (401)

Three-toed ; entire upper parts glossy, bluish-black with a few spots of
white on the wing quills; below, white from the bill to the tail; the sides,
flanks and lining of the wings, barred with black ; four middle tail feathers
black, the rest white. Male :—With a square patch of yellow on the crown,
wanting in the fema/e ; bill and feet, dull blue. Length, 9-10 inches.

Has—Northern North America, from the Arctic Regions southward, in
winter, to the Northern States.

Nest, a hole in a tree at no great height above the ground.

Eggs, four or five, creamy white.

This is a more northern species than the preceding, and is nowhere
so abundant. The two are sometimes seen in company, and were
found by Dr. Merriam breeding in the same district in northern New
York, but, strange to say, the present species has not been found
breeding in Muskoka, where the other is common and _ resident.
During the past two years my friend Mr. Tisdall has been much in
the woods in that district, and though he has seen scores of the
Black-backed during that time, he has only once met the other.

Since the above was written, a hunter who was shooting grouse in
a different section of Muskoka from that referred to, promised to
send me any Three-toed Woodpeckers he came across during a day’s
excursion. In due course he sent me sixteen, five of which were of
this species. It was late in October, and he most likely came upon a
group that had just arrived from the north. Both species are quite
rare at Ottawa, Mr. White having obtained only two of each. In
Manitoba the present species is said to be very rare. Richardson
says it is the most common woodpecker north of the Great Slave
Lake. In Alaska the northern form is very common and generally
distributed, but here again the work of subdivision has been going on
with vigor. Up to the time of writing, three species have been made
out of theone, and how many more will be produced time will show,
but we are likely to have only the original americanus in Ontario.

Genus SPHYRAPICUS Batrp,
SPHYRAPICUS VARIUS (Liny.).

175. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. (402)

Crown, crimson, bordered all around with black ; chin, throat and breast,
black, enclosing a large crimson patch on the former in the male ; in the
Jemale, this patch white ; sides of head with a line starting from the nasal
feathers and dividing the black of the throat from a trans-ocular black stripe,
this separated from the black of crown by a white post-ocular stripe ;, all
these stripes frequently yellowish; under parts, dingy yellow, brownish and
with sagittate dusky marks on the sides; back, variegated with black and
yellowish-brown ; wings, black with large oblique white bar on the coverts,
the quills, with numerous paired white spots on the edge of both webs; tail,
black, most of the feathers white-edged, the inner webs of the middle pair
and the upper coverts mostly white. Young birds lack the definite black
areas of the head and breast and the crimson throat patch, these parts being
mottled-gray. About, 84; wing, 44-5; tail, 33.

Has.—North America, north and east of the Great Plains, south to the
West Indies, Mexico and Guatemala.

Eggs, four to six, white, deposited in a hole in a tree.

In Ontario this beautiful species is strictly migratory, not having
been observed during winter, but from the fact of its being seen late
in the fall and again early in spring, we infer that it does not go far
south.

It is decidedly a sapsucker, the rows of holes pierced in the bark
of sound, growing trees being mostly made by this species. It is
not endowed with the long, extensile tongue peculiar to many of

248 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

the woodpeckers, but feeds largely on insects, which it finds on the
outer bark of the trees or catches on the wing. It has been accused
of doing serious injury to growing trees, by girdling them to get at
the inner bark, on which it is said to feed. Dr. King, of River Falls,
in his ‘“‘Economic Relations of our Birds,” exonerates it from this
charge, and says that in the stomachs of thirty specimens which he
examined, he found in only six a small amount of material resembling
the inner bark of trees, and further adds: ‘No instance in which the
bark of trees has been stripped off has come under my observation,
nor do I know of a single case in which their puncturings of the
bark have been fatal, or even appreciably injurious to the tree.” In
Southern Ontario a few remain and raise their young, but the
majority go farther north.

This species occurs in Manitoba, and Dr. Coues says of it: ‘“‘Com-
mon summer resident of wooded sections, plentiful at Pembina, where
it was breeding in June; again seen on the Moose River, not

observed farther north.”

Genus CEOPHL@US Casanis.
CEOPHLGUS PILEATUS (Liyy.).

176. Pileated Woodpecker. (405)

Black ; the head, neck and wings much varied with white or pale yellowish ;
bill, dark. Male :—Scarlet crested, scarlet moustached. Fema/e :—With the
crest half black, half scarlet, and no maxillary patches. Length, 15-19 ; wing,
83-10; tail, 6-7.

Has.—Formerly, whole wooded region of North America ; now rare or
extirpated in the more thickly settled parts of the Kastern States.

Nest, a hole in the trunk or limb of a tall tree.

Eggs, four to six, oval, white.

This is one of the grand old aborigines who retire before the
advance of civilization. It used (so we are told) to be common near
Hamilton, but seclusion among heavy timber is necessary for its
existence, and such must now be sought in regions more remote.

It is not strictly a northern species, being found resident in
suitable localities both north and south, but varies considerably in
size according to latitude, the northern individuals, as usual in such
cases, being the larger. Many spend the winter in the burnt tracts
in Muskoka, and in spring disperse over the country to breed in the
solitude they seem to like.

They are wild, shy birds, difficult of approach, but their loud

250 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

hammering is at all times a guide to those who wish to follow them
in the woods. A nest was taken in the county of Middlesex, in
May, 1885, by Mr. Robt. Elliot.

Dr. Macallum reports that they still breed in suitable places along
the north shore of Lake Erie, near Dunnville. Their distribution
seems to be more influenced by the size of the timber than by the
temperature, as they are common in Manitoba and abundant in
British Columbia, but are not named among the “ Birds of Alaska.”
Though now rare, or absent, in the thickly settled parts of the
Eastern States, they are still common in the timbered swamps and
secluded woods in the south. The nest is usually made ina retired
part of the woods, and at so great a height from the ground that it
is seldom reached by the odlogist. This fact will help to prevent the
species being reduced in numbers.

Genus MELANERPES Swarnson.
Suscenus MELANERPES.
MELANERPES ERYTHROCEPHALUS (Liny.).

177. Red-headed Woodpecker. (406)

Glossy blue-black ; rump, secondaries and under parts from the breast, pure
white ; primaries and tail feathers, black ; whole head, neck and breast crimson
in both sexes, grayish-brown in the young. About 9; wing, 53; tail, 33.

Has.—United States, west to the Rocky Mountains, straggling westward
to Salt Lake Valley ; rare or local east of the Hudson River.

Nest, in a hole in a tree, varying greatly in height.

Eggs, four to six, white.

In Ontario the Red-headed Woodpecker is a summer resident
only, arriving early in May and leaving again in September. It is
quite common and perhaps the best known of any of the wood-
peckers, both on account of its decided markings and from its habit
of visiting the orchard during the season of ripe fruit. It is also an
expert fly-catcher, frequently taking its position on the top of a
dead pine, from which it darts out after the passing insect in. true
fly-catcher style. Though a very showy bird when seen in the
woods, it does not look so well in collections, the red of the head
evidently fading after death.

It is generally distributed throughout Ontario, but becomes rare

RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER. 251

in. Manitoba, north of which I have not heard of its having been
observed.

Besides the ordinary food of woodpeckers, it shows a taste for
grasshoppers and beetles, in search of which it may often be observed
-on the ground. It is also very fond of ripe fruit, and incurs the
serious displeasure of the gardeners by mutilating or carrying off the
finest of the apples, pears, cherries and other fruits.

They are rather noisy and quarrelsome birds, but this trait may
be partly assumed.

They all leave Ontario in October, and during the winter none are
observed.

Suspcenus CENTURUS Swainson.
MELANERPES CAROLINUS (Liyy.).

178. Red-bellied Woodpecker. (409)

Back and wings, except larger quills, closely banded with black and white ;
primaries with large white blotches near the base, and usually a few smaller
spots ; whole crown and nape, scarlet in the male, partly so in the female ;
sides of head and under parts, grayish-white, usually with a yellow shade,
reddening on belly; flanks and crissum, with sagittate-black marks; tail,
black, one or two outer feathers white, barred ; inner web of central feathers
white with black spots ; outer web of same black, with a white space next the
shaft for most of its length ; white predominating on the rump. Length, 9-10;
wing, about 5; tail, about 35.

Has.—Eastern United States, to the Rocky Mountains ; rare or accidental
east of the Hudson River.

Nest, a hole in a tree.

Eggs, four to six, white.

This handsome woodpecker is gradually becoming more common in
Southern Ontario, and like some others, such as the Lark-finch,
Orchard Oriole and Rough-winged Swallow, it evidently makes its
entrance to the Province round the west end of Lake Erie.

It seems to find its northern limit in Southern Ontario, and even
there confines itself chiefly to the south-west portion. Stragglers
have been found near Toronto and Hamilton, while near London it
breeds and is tolerably common, but Mr. White has not yet found it
in Ottawa, and it is not included among the “ Birds of Manitoba.”

In the ‘“ Birds of Ohio,” Dr. Wheaton mentions it as a common
summer resident, but it is not named among the “Birds of Minne-

252 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.
se

sota,” and in the “Birds of New England” it is spoken of as the
rarest of all the woodpeckers. Its centre of abundance is evidently
farther south, where it is resident.

West of the Rocky Mountains it has not been observed. It is
of shy, retiring habits, frequenting the gloomy depths of the forest,
though its dress fits it for appearing in the best society. The
feathers are of a peculiar soft and silky texture, and are so regularly
barred across with black and white that it is known to many as
the Zebra Bird, and is considered the handsomest of all the wood-
peckers.

In Ontario it is migratory, leaving about the end of October.

Genus COLAPTES Swarnson.
COLAPTES AURATUS (Liny.).

179. Flicker. (412)

Back, wing coyerts and innermost quills, olivaceous-brown, thickly barred
with black ; ramp, snowy-white ; quills and tail, golden yellow underneath, and
shafts of this color. A scarlet nuchal crescent and large black pectoral crescent
in both sexes. Male :—With black maxillary patches, wanting in the jemale ;
head and nape, ash; chin, throat and breast, lilac-brown ; under parts, with
numerous round black spots ; sides, tinged with creamy-brown ; belly, with
yellowish. About 10 inches long ; wing, about 6; tail, 45.

Has.—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.

Nest, a hole in a tree.

Kggs, five to seven, white.

Early in April, if the weather is mild, the loud cackling call of the
‘““Higholder” may be heard from his perch at the top of a tall dead
limb, where he watches to welcome his comrades as they hourly
arrive from the south. For a week or two at this season they are
very abundant, but many soon pass on farther north, and the others
are distributed over the country, so that they are less frequently seen.

In habits this species differs considerably from all the other mem-
bers of the family. It is more terrestrial, being often observed on the
ground demolishing ant hills and devouring the inmates, for which
achievement its curved bill and long slimy tongue are admirably
adapted. It is also fond of fruit, and of corn, either green or ripe.

a

FLICKER. 258

It is by no means confined to the forest, but is often seen peeping
from its hole in a stub by the roadside. When alighting upon a
tree, it perches on a bough in the ordinary manner, being seldom seen
clinging to the trunk like other members of the family, except when
“entering its nest. In Southern Ontario it is seen till late in October,
but only on one or two occasions have stragglers been observed
during the winter.

This is at once the most abundant and widely distributed wood-
pecker in Canada. Crossing our southern border, it works its way
up north, leaving representatives in Manitoba, the North-West and
other territories through which it passes, till it finally reaches the
shores of the Arctic Sea. In Alaska, Mr. Nelson says of it: “This
handsome woodpecker breeds from one side of the Territory to the
other, wherever wooded country occurs. It has been sent to the
National Museum from the lower Anderson River, and is. well
known to breed along the entire course of the Yukon, reaching to the
mouth of that river.

“Tt is a regular summer resident at the head of Norton Bay, and
reaches the Arctic on the shore of Kotzebue Sound.”

It is also reported as an accidental visitor in Greenland.

Albinos of this species are of frequent occurrence. Once when
driving north in the township of Beverley, a cream-colored specimen
kept ahead of me for half a mile. How beautiful he looked in the
rich autumnal sunlight, as with long swoops he passed from tree to
tree by the roadside! I could not but admire him, and that was all
I could do, for I was unarmed.

254 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

OrpeEr MACROCHIRES. Goarsuckers, Swirts, ETC.
SUBORDER CAPRIMULGI. GoatTsucKERS, ETC.
Famity CAPRIMULGIDA. GoatTsuckErs, ETC.

Genus ANTROSTOMUS Gov xp.
ANTROSTOMUS VOCIFERUS (Wus.).

180. Whip-poor-will. (417)

General color of the upper parts, dark brownish-gray, streaked and
minutely sprinkled with brownish-black ; quills and coverts, dark brown,
spotted in bars with light brownish-red ; four middle tail feathers like those
of the back, the three lateral white in their terminal half; throat and breast,
similar to the back with a transverse band of white on the foreneck ; rest of
the lower parts, paler than above and mottled. Female :—Similar, but with
the lateral tail feathers reddish-white toward the tip only, and the band across
the forehead pale yellowish-brown. Length, 95; wing, 53; tail, 45.

Hap. —Eastern United States to the Plains, south to Guatemala.

Eggs, two, deposited in a hollow or a rotten log, or on the ground on a dry
bank among leaves. They are elliptical, of moderate polish with a ground color
of white or cream, handsomely marked with spots of yellowish-brown ; deep
shell marks are about as numerous as the surface marks and are of a lilac-gray
or lavender tint.

This well-known bird crosses the southern frontier of Ontario
about the 10th of May, and should the weather be mild its loud
and well-known ery is soon heard at night at many different points
throughout the country. It is seldom seen abroad by day, except
when disturbed at its resting place in some shady part of the woods,
when it glides off noiselessly like a great moth. Disliking the glare
of the light, it avoids the city, but not unfrequently perches on the
roof of a farm-house, startling the inmates with its cry, which they
hear with great distinctness.

This is the only song of the Whip-poor-will, and it is kept up
during the breeding season, after which it is seldom heard. We see
so little of these birds that it is difficult to tell exactly at what time
they leave us, but it is most likely early in September that they
“fold their tents like the Arabs, and as silently steal away.”

It is reported as a common summer resident in Manitoba, and
Dr. Bell records its presence at Norway House, to the north of which
I have not heard of it having been observed.

It is a delicately formed bird, though strong on the wing. Its
legs and feet are very slender, but they are not often called into use,

NIGHTHAWE. 255

and are easily carried from the fact of their being light. On the
middle toe is a curiously pectinated claw, which is supposed to be
useful for ridding the bird of the insects with which it is troubled.
‘When disturbed in the woods, if it alights on a branch it always
- sits lengthways, in which position it is very apt to be mistaken for a
growth, and escape observation.

It is one of the few birds whose call can be intelligibly put into
words. The experiment is often tried with other species, but in very
few instances can they be printed so as to be recognized when heard
out of doors.

Genus CHORDEILES Swarnson.
CHORDEILES VIRGINIANUS (Gmet.).

181. Nighthawk. (420)

Above, mottled with black, brown, gray and tawny, the former in excess ;
below from the breast, transversely barred with blackish and white or pale
fulvous ; throat in the ma/e with a large white, in the female tawny, cross-bar ;
tail, blackish, with distant pale marbled cross-bars and a large white spot
(wanting in the female) on one or both webs of all the feathers toward the end ;
quills, dusky, unmarked except by one large white spot on five outer primaries
about midway between their base and tip ; in the female this area is restricted
or not pure white. Length, about 9; wing, 8; tail, 5.

Has.—Northern and Eastern North America, east of the Great Plains,
south through tropical America to Buenos Ayres.

Eggs, two, deposited on rocks or on the ground, or among the gravel of a
flat-roofed house in the city. They vary from pale olive-buff to buffy and
grayish-white thickly mottled and daubed with varied tints of darker gray
slate, olive or even blackish mixed with a marbling of purplish-gray, both
pattern and tints being very variable.

This is a well-known and abundant summer resident, arriving
from the south early in May. Though a Nighthawk, it is often seen
abroad by day during cloudy weather, and in the evening, just as
the sun is sinking below the horizon, numbers of these birds are
occasionally seen careering around high overhead, uttering their
peculiar cry, so readily recognized, yet so difficult either to imitate
or describe. While thus in the exercise of their most wonderful
powers of flight, and performing many graceful aerial evolutions,
they will suddenly change their course and plunge headlong down-
wards with great rapidity, producing at the same time a singular
booming sound which can be heard for some distance. Again, as

256 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

quickly, with a few bold strokes of their long, pointed wings, they will
rise to the former height, and dash hither and thither as before.
Poets, in all ages, have sung the praises of their favorite birds,
and even to-day, from the unromantic plains of Chatham come the
following lines on the habit of the Nighthawk, just described :
‘* With half closed wings and quivering boom,

Descending through the deepening gloom,
Like plummet falling from the sky,

Where some poor moth may vainly try
A goal to win—

He holds him with his glittering eye
And scoops him in.”

Towards the end of August, when the first frosts begin to cut off
their supply of insect food, large gatherings of Nighthawks may be
seen in the evenings moving toward the south-west, not in regular
order like ducks or pigeons, but skimming, darting and crossing
each other in every imaginable direction, and still with a general
tendency toward the south, till darkness hides them from our view.

SUBORDER CYPSELI Swirvs.
Famiry MICROPODIDA. Swirts.
SuBramMiIty CH AXTURINZ. SPINE-TAILED SwIFts.
Genus CHAXTURA STEPHENS.

CHATURA PELAGICA (Liny,).

182. Chimney Swift. (423)

Sooty brown with faint greenish gloss above ; below, paler, becoming gray
on the throat ; wings, black. Length, about 5; wing; the same ; tail, 2 or less.

Has.—Kastern North America, north to Labrador and the Fur Countries,
west to the Plains, and passing south of the United States in winter.

Nest, a basket of twigs glued together, and to the side of the chimney or
other support by the saliva of the bird.

Eggs, four or five, pure white.

The Swift is a late comer, and while here seems ever anxious to
make up for lost time, being constantly on the wing, darting about
with great rapidity, sometimes high overhead, sometimes skimming
the surface of the pond, often so closely as to be able to sip from the
water as it passes over it, or snap up the insects which hover on the
surface.

RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD. 257

The original nesting place of the Swifts was in a hollow tree,
often of large diameter, and frequented year after year by a great
many of the birds, but now they seem to prefer a city chimney.
There they roost, and fasten their curious basket nests to the wall,
inside the chimney, a few feet down, to be out of reach of the rays of
the sun. A fine exhibition of bird-life it is to watch the Swifts, in
the evening about sunset, circling a few times round the chimney,
raising their wings above their backs and dropping like shuttlecocks
down to their nest, near which they spend the night clinging to the
wall with their claws. The sharp spines at the end of the tail
teathers, pressed against the surface, form their chief support.

They arrive about the 10th of May, and leave for the south early
in September.

SUBORDER TROCHILI. HuMMINeBIRDs.
Famity TROCHILIDA. Huvummrinesirps.
Genus TROCHILUS Linnavs.
SuspegENus TROCHILUS.
TROCHILUS COLUBRIS Livy.

183. Ruby-throated Hummingbird. (428)

Male :—With the tail forked, its feathers all narrow and pointed ; no scales
on crown; metallic gorget reflecting ruby-red, etc.; above, golden green; below,
white; the sides, green; wings and tail, dusky purplish. Female :—Lacking
the gorget ; the throat, white’; the tail, somewhat double-rounded, with black
bars, and the outer feathers white-tipped. Length, 34; wing, 13; bill, 2.

Has.—Eastern North America to the Plains, north to the Fur Countries,
and south, in winter, to Cuba and Veragua.

Nest, a beautiful specimen of bird architecture, usually placed on the
horizontal branch of a tree in the orchard, composed of gray lichens, lined
with the softest plant down.

Eggs, 2, pure white, blushed with pink while fresh.

The Hummingbirds begin to arrive towards the middle of May,
and by the end of the month, when the lilacs are in bloom, they are
quite numerous. About that time many pass on to breed farther
north, while others engage in the same occupation here.

In September they again become common, showing a strong liking
for the impatiens fulva, or wild balsam, which grows abundantly in
moist places, and later they crowd about the bignonia or trumpet-

ey

258 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

.
creeper. This is a late flowering plant, and the tiny birds, as
if loath to leave it, are seen as late as the middle of September rifling
it of its sweets.

There are about sixteen different species of Hummingbirds now
known as North American, but this is the only one found east of the
Mississippi River. Though small, it is very pugnacious, often attack.
ing birds much larger than itself who may venture near its nest. On
such occasions it produces an angry buzzing sound with its wings,
but it has no voice save a weak chirp, like a cricket or grasshopper.

OrperR PASSERES. Perrcuine Brrps.
SUBORDER CLAMATORES. SoNGLEsSS PERCHING BirRDs.
Famiry TYRANNIDA. Tyrant FLYCATCHERS.
Genus MILVULUS Swainson.

MILVULUS FORFICATUS (GmeEz.).

184. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. (443)

First primary alone emarginate; crown patch, orange or scarlet ; general
color, hoary ash, paler or white below, sides at the insertion of the wings scarlet
or blood-red, and other parts of the body tinged with the same, a shade paler;
wings, blackish, generally with whitish edgings; tail, black, several outer
feathers extensively white or rosy. Wing, about 43; tail, over 12 inches long.

Hazs.—Texas and Indian Territory, casually north to Kansas and Missouri ;
south to Central America. Accidental in Virginia, New Jersey, New England,
Manitoba, and at York Factory, Hudson Bay.

Nest, like the Kingbirds’.

Eggs, four or five, white, blotched with reddish and lilac shell-spots.

The home of this beautiful bird is in Texas, but it is evidently
much given to wandering, appearing unexpectedly at points far
distant from its usual habitat.

The first record I have of its occurrence in Ontario is furnished
by Dr. Garnier, of Lucknow, Bruce County, who reports having seen
one near his place some years ago. He had no means of securing
the bird, but saw it by the roadside as he drove past, opening and
closing its tail feathers with the usual scissor-like motion,

Dr. Bell, of the Geological Survey, speaking of birds which he
occasionally found far from their usual habitat, says: “The most
singular discovery in regard to geographical distribution is the finding

KINGBIRD. 259

of the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Milvulus forficatus Sw.) at York
Factory.

“ Hitherto its range has been considered to extend only from
Mexico to Central Texas. Baird, Cassin and Lawrence say with
regard to it: ‘This exquisitely beautiful and graceful bird is quite
abundant on the prairies of Southern Texas, and is everywhere
conspicuous among its kindred species. It is usually known as the
Scissor-tail from its habit of opening and closing the long tail
feathers as if they were the blades of a pair of scissors.’ The specimen
in the Government Museum was shot at York Factory in the summer
of 1880, and I have since learned that these remarkable birds were
commonly seen at the posts of the Hudson’s Bay Company all the
way westward to the valley of the Mackenzie River.”

The Scissor-tails are beautiful birds which we should gladly
welcome to Ontario if they find the attractions sufficient} to induce
them to extend their habitat in this direction, but of these they are
the best judges, and they will no doubt act accordingly.

Genus TYRANNUS Cuvier.
TYRANNUS TYRANNUS (Liny.).

1&5. Kingbird. (444)

Two outer primaries obviously attenuate; above, blackish, darker on the
head ; crown with a flame-colored patch; below, pure white; the breast
shaded with plumbeous; wings, dusky, with much whitish edging ; tail,
black, broadly and rather sharply tipped with white, the outer feathers
sometimes edged with the same; bill and feet, black. Youny -—Without the
patch ; very young birds show rufous edging of the wings and tail. Length,
about 8 inches ; wing, 43; tail, 35; bill, under 1.

Has.—Kastern North America, from the British Provinces south to Central
and South America. Rare west of the Rocky Mountains (Utah, Nevada,
Washington Territory, etc. ).

Nest, large for the size of the bird, placed on the horizontal bough of an
isolated tree, composed of vegetable fibrous materials and sheep’s wool
compactly woven together.

Eggs, three to five, creamy or rosy-white, spotted and blotched with
reddish, brown and lilac shell-spots.

The Kingbird arrives in Ontario from the south about the 10th
of May, and from that time till it leaves again in September, it is
one of the most familiar birds in the rural districts. It is generally

260 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

distributed, each pair taking possession of a certain ‘“ limit,” which

is valiantly defended against all intruders, no bird, however large,,

being permitted to come with impunity near where the Kingbird’s
treasures are deposited. It is partial to pasture fields, a favorite
perch being the top of a dry mullein stalk. Here the male sits like

a sentinel, issuing his sharp note of warning, and occasionally darting

off to secure a passing insect. When the breeding is over and the
young are able to shift for themselves, he gets over his local attach-
ments and quietly takes his insect fare wherever he can find it,
allowing other birds to do the same.

The food of this species consists almost entirely of insects, which
it takes while on the wing. It may be considered a friend of the
farmer, for although it does take a few bees now and then, it more
than compensates for these by the large number of injurious insects
which it destroys.

The contents of the twelve stomachs examined by Dr. King, of
Wisconsin, were as follows:—Four had eaten seventeen beetles ;
four, four dragon flies; one, a bee; one, six crane flies; one, a large
moth ; one, a butterfly; and three, a few raspberries.

It is common throughout Manitoba and the North-West, retiring
south when its supply of food is cut off by the advance of the season.

Genus MYIARCHUS Capanis.
MYTARCHUS CRINITUS (Liyy.).

186. Crested Flycatcher. (452)

Decidedly olivaceous above, a little browner on the head, where the:

feathers have dark centres ; throat and fore-breast, pure dark ash, rest of
under parts, bright yellow, the two colors meeting abruptly ; primaries
margined on both edges with chestnut; secondaries and coverts, edged and
tipped with yellowish-white ; tail, with all the feathers but the central pair,

chestnut on the whole of the inner web, excepting, perhaps, a very narrow .

stripe next the shaft ; outer web of outer feathers, edged with yellowish; the
middle feathers, outer webs of the rest, and wings, except as stated, dusky
brown. Very young birds have rufous skirting of many feathers, in addition
to the chestnut above described, but this soon disappears. Length, 84-94 ;
wing and tail, about 4; bill and tarsus, each 3.

Has.—Kastern United States and Southern Canada, west to the Plains,
south through Eastern Mexico to Costa Rica.

PHBE. 261

Nest, in hollow of trees, sometimes in the deserted hole of a woodpecker,
composed of straw, leaves, rootlets and other vegetable materials, lined with
feathers ; about the edge are always to be found pieces of the cast-off skins of
snakes.

Eggs, four or five, light butfy-brown, streaked lengthwise by lines and
markings of purplish and darker brown.

This species is a regular summer resident along the southern
frontier, where it arrives early in May, and soon makes its presence
known by the loud note of warning which is heard among the tree
tops long before the bird is visible.

Dr. Wheaton, in his “ Birds of Ohio,” states that this species is
very numerous near Columbus, where the country being well cleared
and the usual breeding places difficult to find, the birds have taken
to the use of boxes put up for bluebirds and martins, and have
been observed to dispossess the legitimate owners. It has also
been noticed that the snake skins are left out, when the nests are
in boxes.

This Flycatcher is found sparingly in Manitoba and the North-
West: farther south, it is more common. Its food consists of insects,
while these are obtainable ; but in the fall, before leaving, it readily
takes grapes and other berries.

It is the largest of the flycatchers which visit us, and it shows
to great advantage in the woods in spring, when its clear colors
harmonize with the opening leaves.

Many spend the winter in Mexico.

Genus SAYORNIS Bonaparte.
SAYORNIS PH€BE (Laru.).

187. Phoebe. (456)

Dull olivaceous-brown ; the head much darker fuscous-brown, almost
blackish, usually in marked contrast with the back ; below, soiled whitish, or
palest possible yellow, particularly on the belly ; the sides and the breast,
nearly or quite across shaded with grayish-brown ; wings and tail, dusky ;
the outer tail feather, inner secondaries and usually the wing coverts, edged
with whitish; a whitish ring around the eye; bill and feet, black, varies
greatly in shade. The foregoing is the average spring condition. As the
summer passes, the plumage becomes much duller and darker brown from
wearing of the feathers, and then, after the moult, fall specimens are much
brighter than in spring, the under parts being frequently decidedly yellow,

262 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

at least on the belly. Very young birds have some feathers edged with
rusty, particularly on the edges of the wing and tail feathers. Length, 63-7 ;
wing and tail, 3-34.

Haxs.—Eastern North America, from the British Provinces south to Kastern
Mexico and Cuba, wintering from the South Atlantic and Gulf States south-
ward.

Nest, under bridges or projection about outhouses. When away from
human habitation it is often found among the roots of an upturned tree or
in a hollow tree, composed of vegetable material mixed with mud and frescoed
with moss.

Kggs, four or five, usually pure white, sometimes faintly spotted.

This is one of the earliest harbingers of spring, and its quick,
querulous notes are hailed with joy as a prelude to the grand concert
of bird music which is soon to follow.

Early in April, the male Pee-wee appears in his former haunts,
and is soon joined by his mate. They are partial to the society of
man, and their habits, as shown in their nestings, have been some-
what changed by this taste. The original, typical nest of the Pee-
wee, we are told, was placed on a ledge under a projecting rock,
over which water trickled, the nest itself often being damp with the
spray. We still see one, occasionally, in such a position, but more
frequently it is placed on the beams of a bridge, beneath the eaves
of a deserted house, or under a verandah or the projection of an out-
house. They, raise two broods in the season, and retire to the south
in September.

They are generally distributed throughout Ontario, but are most
common in the south. A few have made their way to Manitoba,
where they have been seen near Winnipeg and elsewhere. They are
strongly attached to a chosen locality, and will return year after
year to repair their old nest, or entirely rebuild it in the same spot
should the old fabric be removed. They are often imposed upon by
the Cow-bird, and accept the situation without remonstrance.

Genus CONTOPUS CaBanis.
CONTOPUS BOREALIS (Swains.).

188. Olive-sided Flycatcher. (459)

Dusky olivaceous-brown, usually darker on the crown, where the feathers
have black centres, and paler on the sides; chin, throat, belly, crissum and
middle line of the breast, white, more or less tinged with yellowish ; wings and
tail, blackish, unmarked, excepting inconspicuous grayish-brown tips of the

OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER. 263

wing coverts, and some whitish edging of the inner quills; feet and upper
mandible, black ; lower mandible, mostly yellowish. The olive-brown below has
a peculiar streaky appearance hardly seen in other species, and extends almost
entirely across the breast ; a peculiar tuft of white fluffy feathers on the flanks.
Young :—Birds have the feathers, especially of the wings and tail, skirted with
rufous. Length, 7-8; wing, 34-44, remarkably pointed ; second quill longest,
supported nearly to the end by the first and third, the fourth abruptly shorter’;
tail, about 3; tarsus, middle toe and claw together, about 14.

Has.—North America, breeding from the northern and the higher
mountainous parts of the United States northward, in winter, south to Central
America and Columbia.

Nest, a shallow structure, composed of weeds, twigs, rootlets, strips of
bark, ete., loosely put together, saddled on a bough or placed in a fork high up
in a tree.

Eggs, three or four, creamy-white, speckled with reddish-brown.

So far as at present known, this species is rare in Ontario, and
not very abundant anywhere. Towards the end of May, 1884, when
driving along the edge of a swamp, north of the village of Millgrove,
I noticed a bird on the blasted top of a tall pine, and stopping the
horse, at once recognized the Olive-sided Flycatcher by the loud
O-whee-o, O-whee-o, so correctly described as the note of this species
by Dr. Merriam in his “ Birds of Connecticut.” I tried to reach it
with a charge of No. 8, and it went down perpendicularly into the
brush, but whether dead, wounded or unhurt I never knew, for I
did not see it again. That is the only time I have ever seen the
species alive.

It has a wide distribution, having been found breeding in New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, and north on the Saskatchewan, near Cum-
berland House. In the west it has been observed in Colorado and
along the Columbia River.

It has occurred as an accidental visitor in Alaska and also in
Greenland, but in all of these places it is reported as rare or
accidental. It is spoken of as common in Maine, New Hampshire
and Vermont, where it seems to have been observed more frequently
than elsewhere. It is a species which is not likely to be overlooked
when present, for its notes and habits readily attract notice.

264 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

CONTOPUS VIRENS (Linn.).

189. Wood Pewee. (461)

Olivaceous-brown, rather darker on the head ; below, with the sides washed
with a paler shade of the same nearly or quite across the breast ; the throat and
belly, whitish, more or less tinged with dull yellowish ; under tail coverts, the
same, usually streaked with dusky; tail and wings, blackish, the former
unmarked, the inner quills edged and the coverts tipped with whitish ; feet and
upper mandible, black ; under mandible, usually yellow, sometimes dusky.
Spring specimens are purer olivaceous. Early fall birds are brighter yellow
below ; in summer, before the now worn feathers are renewed, quite brown and
dingy-whitish. Very young birds have the wing-bars and pale edging of quills
tinged with rusty, the feathers of the upper parts skirted, and the lower
plumage tinged with the same; but in any plumage the species may be known
from all the birds of the following genus by these dimensions. Length, 6-64 ;
wing, 34-34; tail, 24-3; tarsus, about 4, not longer than the b7//.

Has.—Eastern North America to the Plains, and from Southern Canada
southward.

Nest, composed of bark fibre, rootlets and grass, finished with lichens ; on
the outside it is compact and firm round the edge, but flat in form, and rather
loose in the bottom. It is sometimes saddled on a bough, more frequently
placed on the fork of a twig ten or twelve feet or more from the ground.

Eggs, three or four, creamy-white, blotched and variegated at the larger
end with reddish-brown and lilac-gray.

This species resembles the Phasbe in appearance, but is smaller,
and has an erect, hawk-like attitude, when seen perched on a dead
twig on the outer limb of a tree. It is a late comer, being seldom
seen before the middle of May, after which its prolonged, melancholy
notes may be heard alike in the woods and orchards till the end of
August, when the birds move south. To human ears, the notes of the
male appear to be the outpourings of settled sorrow, but to his mate
the impressions conveyed may be very different.

In the breeding season, it is generally distributed throughout
Ontario, and a few are found in Manitoba.

Its visit here is comparatively short, for it does not appear till the
middle of May, and leaves again early in September. Its food
consists chiefly of insects, caught while on the wing.

YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER. 265

Genus EMPIDONAX CaBanis.

EMPIDONAX FLAVIVENTRIS Batrp.

190. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. (463)

Aboye, olive-green, clear continuous and uniform as in acadicus, or even
brighter ; below, not merely ye//owish, as in the succeeding, but emphatically
yellow, bright and pure on the belly, shaded on the sides and anteriorly with
a paler tint of the color of the back ; eye-rings and wing-markings, yellow ;
under mandible, yellow ; feet, black. In respect of color, this species differs
materially from all the rest; none of them, even in their autumnal yellowest,
quite match it. Size of fraz/ii or rather less; feet, proportioned as in
acadicus; bill, nearly as in minimus, but rather larger; first quill, usually equal
to sixth.

Hap.—Eastern North America to the Plains, and from Southern Labrador
south through Eastern Mexico to Panama, breeding from the Northern States
northward,

Nest, in a mossy bank, composed mostly of moss, with a few twigs and
withered leaves, and lined with black wiry rootlets and dry grass.

Eggs, four, creamy-white, spotted and blotched with reddish-brown and a
few black markings chiefly near the larger end.

Several of the small Flycatchers resemble each other so closely
that it is often dithcult for the general observer to identify them
correctly. The clear yellow of the under parts of the present species
serves to distinguish it from the others, but it is everywhere scarce
and little known except to collectors.

Near Hamilton, I have noticed one or two every spring, and some-
times the same number in the fall’ During the summer it has not
been observed.

It is only within the past five years that correct information has
been obtained regarding the nest and eggs of this species, one of the
first and best descriptions being given by Mr. Purdie in the Nuttall
Bulletin for October, 1878. The nest in this case was placed among
the roots of an upturned tree.

All the nests I have seen described have been found in Maine,
but the species will no doubt yet be found breeding in Ontario and
elsewhere in the interior.

In the “ Birds of Manitoba,” Mr. Thompson has the following :
“ Duck Mountain, June 11th, 1884.—Shot a Flycatcher, which was
uttering continually a note like ‘chee blie’ It was all over of a
greenish color, but yellow on the belly. It answers fairly well the

i)

66 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

description of flaviventris, but is very like an Acadian shot yester-
day. Evidently the species is breeding here.”

Mr. Thompson’s identification appears to be correct, for I find that
the bird gave utterance to the same note when found near its nest in

Maine.
®

EMPIDONAX ACADICUS (GMEL.).

191. Acadian Flycatcher. (465)

Above, olive-green, clear, continuous and uniform (though the crown may
show rather darker, owing to dusky centres of the slightly lengthened, erectile
feathers) ; below, whitish, olive-shaded on sides and nearly across breast,
yellow-washed on belly, flanks, crissum and axillars ; wings, dusky ; inner
quills, edged, and coverts tipped with tawny yellow; all the quills whitish-edged
internally ; tail, dusky olive-glossed, unmarked ; a yellowish eye-ring ; feet
and upper mandible, brown; lower mandible, pale; in midsummer, rather
darker; in early fall, brighter and more yellowish below ; when very young,
the wing markings more fulvous, the general plumage slightly buffy-suffused.
Length, 53-64; wing, 24-3 (rarely 34); tail, 24-23; bill, nearly or quite $, about
4 wide at the nostrils; tarsus, #; middle toe and claw, 5; point of wing
reaching nearly an inch beyond the secondaries ; second, third and fourth quills
nearly equal and much (4 inch or more) longer than first and fifth, which about
equal each other.

First plumage: Above, nearly pure olive, with indistinct narrow transverse
bands of darker ; wing bands, pale reddish-brown ; under parts, soiled yellowish
white, with an olivaceous cast on the sides and breast.

Has.—Kastern United States, chiefly southward, west to the Plains, south
to Cuba and Costa Rica.

Nest, composed of catkins, grasses, weed fibres, shreds of bark, rather
slovenly in appearance, from three to twenty feet from the ground, in a
horizontal fork, fastened by the brim, bottom without support.

Eggs, two to four, yellowish-buff, spotted round the larger end with rusty
brown.

T mention this httle bird more as one to be looked for than as one
known to occur here, for I have no positive record of its having been
found in Ontario. TI have always thought it would be discovered on
the north shore of Lake Erie, and the nearest approach I have to it
is in the description of a pair of small Flycatchers which nested in
Dr. Macallum’s orchard near Dunnville. In this case the nest and
eggs were taken, but the birds were allowed to escape, and, unfortu-
nately for identification, the eggs of this species are indistinguishable-
from those of Traill’s Flycatcher.

TRAILL’S FLYCATCHER. 267

The position of the nest of acadicus is given on the opposite page,
and that of Traill’s Flycatcher is said to be always in an upright fork.
Strange to say, the nest found by Dr. Macallum did not correspond
with either, being “placed on the upper surface of a tolerably large
limb.” TI still hope to hear of the’species being found in the district
indicated, and hope the above description may lead to its identi-
fication.

EMPIDONAX PUSILLUS TRAILLIT (Avp.).

192. Traill’s Flycatcher. (466a)

Above, olive-brown, lighter and duller brownish posteriorly, darker
anteriorly, owing to obviously dusky centres of the coronal feathers ; below,
nearly as in acadicus, but darker, the olive-gray shading quite across the
breast ; wing markings, grayish-white, with slight yellowish or tawny shade ;
under mandible, pale; upper mandible and feet, black. Averaging a little
less than acadicus, 53-6; wing, 22-2$, more rounded, its tips only reaching
about % of an inch beyond the secondaries, formed by second, third and fourth
quills as before, but fifth not so much shorter (hardly or not + of an inch), the
first ranging between fifth and sixth ; tail, 24; tarsus, 3 as before, but middle
toe and claw three-fifths, the feet thus differently proportioned owing to length
of the toes.

Has.—Hastern North America, breeding from the Middle States (Southern
Illinois and Missouri) northward, in winter, south to Central America.

Nest, in an upright fork, firmly secured in its place with the stringy fibres
of bark, deeply cupped, composed chiefly of vegetable fibres, lined with dry
grass and thistle down.

Eggs, three or four, variable, usually creamy-white, blotched, chiefly toward
the larger end, with reddish-brown.

Traill’s Flycatcher is not much known in Ontario, the number of
collectors being few. By the ordinary observer the bird may readily
be mistaken for others of its class which it closely resembles. Mr.
Saunders has found it near London, and I have met with it now and
then in the moist, secluded ravines by the shore of the Dundas Marsh,
but it is by no means common.

Mr. White has collected one or two specimens at Ottawa, and
Prof. Macoun got one at Lake Manitoba.

From its being found to the east, west and north it is most likely
distributed throughout the Province, but just how rare or common
it may be is hard to say, for there is nothing attractive in its appear-
ance or manner, and in habits it is so retiring that it may readily be
overlooked.

268 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

The ditticulty in identifying these small Flycatchers is owing to
the close resemblance they bear to one another. In coloring the
present species is almost identical with the Least Flycatcher, but it
measures half an inch longer. It also resembles the Acadian Fly.
catcher, but the present species méasures a quarter of an inch less in
length, and is olive brown, while acadicus is olive green. This slight
difference in the shade of color, or in the size of a specimen, makes it
often difficult to say to which group it belongs.

EMPIDONAX MINIMUS Batrrp.

193. Least Flycatcher. (467)

Colors almost exactly as in frai//ii; usually, however, olive-gray rather
than olive-brown ; the wing markings, eye-ring and loral feathers, plain
grayish-white ; the whole anterior parts often with a slight ashy cast ; under
mandible, ordinarily dusky ; feet. black. It is a smaller bird than traz/i, and
not so stoutly built; the wing-tip projects only about 4 an inch beyond the
secondaries ; the fifth quill is but a little shorter than the fourth, the first apt
to be nearer the sixth than fifth; the feet are differently proportioned, being
much as in acadicus; the bill is obviously under } inch long. Length, 5-5.25 ;
wing, 2.60 or Jess ; tail, about 2.25.

Has.—Eastern North America, south in winter to Central America ; breeds
from the Northern States northward.

Nest, in the fork of a sapling or tree, composed of vegetable fibre and
wilted weeds, with a compact lining of plant down, horse-hair and fine grass.
Eggs, three or four, usually pure white, occasionally a set or part of a set are
found dotted with dusky.

The Least Flycatcher is very common throughout Ontario, and is
mentioned among the birds found by Prot. Macoun in the North-
West Territory. In the “Birds of Manitoba” it is mentioned as a
common summer resident, and many instances given of its capture
at different points. It arrives near Hamilton about the end of the
first week in May, soon after which its short, sharp call, “ Chebec,”
is heard by the outer edge of the woods, and even in the city
orchards it takes its location and raises its family. As soon as the
young ones are able to fly, the birds disperse more generally over the
country, and are in no haste to retire, but linger till the cold weather
cuts off their supply of food.

As the correct identification of the small flycatchers is often a
puzzle to the amateur, and as the build of the nest and the markings

HORNED LARK. 269

of the eggs are often strong points in the evidence, I shall give
Dr. Coues’ instructions, which may be of use in this connection :

“ FB. acadicus—Nest, in the trees, in horizontal forks, thin, saucer-

shaped, open-work ; eggs, creamy-white, boldly spotted.

EL. traillit—Nest, in trees, in upright crotch, deeply cupped, more
or less compact walled ; eggs, creamy-white, boldly spotted.

EL. minimus—Nest, in trees, in upright crotch, deeply cupped,
compact walled ; eggs, immaculate white.

EL. flaviventris—Nest, on the ground or ‘near it, deeply cupped,
thick and bulky ; eggs, white, spotted.”

(=)

SUBORDER OSCINES. Sona Brrps.
Famity ALAUDIDA. Larks.
Genus OTOCORIS Bonaparte.

OTOCORIS ALPESTRIS (Liny.).

194. Horned Lark. (474)

Adult .—Above, brown, tinged with pinkish, brightest on the nape, lesser
wing coverts and tail coverts; other upper parts, gray, the centre of the
feathers, dusky ; below, white, tinged with dusky on the sides, anteriorly
with sulphur-yellow ; a large black area on the breast; sides of the head and
whole. of the throat, sulphury-yellow, with a crescentic mark of black below
each eye, and a black bar across the forehead, and thence along the side of the
crown, prolonged into a tuft or ‘‘ horn.”

270 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Middle tail feathers like the back, the others black, the outer web of the
outer pair whitish; bill, blackish, livid blue at base below ; feet, black. In
winter, at which season it is observed in Southern Ontario, the colors are
paler and much less decided. Length, 7 to 7.50. Female :—Smaller.

Has.—North-eastern North America, Greenland and northern parts of the
Old World, in winter, south in the eastern United States to the Carolinas,
Illinois, ete. ;

Nest, a slight depression in the ground, lined with grass, horse-hair and

feathers.
Eggs, four or five, grayish-white, marked with spots of brownish-purple.

The Shore Lark, when I became acquainted with it twenty-five
years ago, was a rare winter visitor in Ontario, only a few being
observed. They usually are found in company with the snowbirds,
and are thoroughly terrestrial in their habits, seldom alighting any-
where but on the ground. While here they spend most of their
time, during the short days of winter, searching for their daily fare
on bare, gravelly patches, from which the snow has been blown away.
Occasionally, toward the end of March, just before leaving, I have
seen the male settle himself on a hillock and warble out a pleasing
lark-like song, which is probably given with more power and pathos
later in the season near his grassy home, with his mate for an
audience.

This is the north-eastern type of the family, and it is believed to
be identical with the British bird of the same name. In Ontario it
is as rare as formerly, its breeding place being far to the north and
east, and its migratory course generally along the coast of the Atlantic.
Tt breeds abundantly in the region around Hudson Bay, including
Labrador, and has also been found in Greenland. In the south and
west it is represented by several varieties, differing somewhat in size
and markings.

The present species, though rather irregular in its movements, is
often very abundant along the shores of the eastern States. It
breeds in Newfoundland, and some are supposed to spend the summer
in Maine, but the bulk of the species go farther north.

OTOCORIS ALPESTRIS PRATICOLA HeEnsu.

195. Prairie Horned Lark. (474))

Adult male :—In spring, posterior portion of the crown, occiput, nape,
sides of the neck and breast, lesser wing coverts and shorter upper tail coverts,
light vinaceous ; back, scapulars and rump, grayish-brown; the feathers with
darker centres, becoming darker and much more distinct on the rump ; middle

PRAIRIE HORNED LARK. 271

wing coverts, light vinaceous terminally, brownish-gray basally ; wings (except
as described), grayish-brown, the feathers with paler edges, outer primaries
with outer web chiefly white ; middle pair of tail feathers light brown (paler on
edges), the general portion (longitudinally) much darker, approaching dusky ;
remaining tail feathers uniform black, the outer pair with exterior webs
broadly edged with white ; longer upper tail coverts, light brown, edged with
whitish and marked with a broad lanceolate streak of dusky ; forehead (for
about .15 of an inch) yellowish-white, this continued back in a broad super-
ciliary stripe of nearly pure white; fore part of crown (for about .35 of an inch)
deep black, continued laterally back to and including the ear-like tufts ; lores,
suborbital region, and broad patch on cheeks (with convex posterior outline)
deep black, jugular crescent, also deep black, this extending to lower part of
throat ; chin and throat, pale straw yellow, gradually fading into white on
sides of fore-neck ; anterior half of ear coverts white, posterior half drab-gray,
each portion forming a crescent-shaped patch ; lower parts posterior to the
jugulum crescent pure white, the sides of the breast light vinaceous, the sides
similar but brown and indistinctly streaked with darker ; upper mandible,
plumbeous black ; lower, bluish-plumbeous ; iris, deep brown ; legs and feet,
brownish-black. Size, slightly less than the preceding.

Has.—Upper Mississippi Valley and the region of the Great Lakes.

Nest, a hollow in the ground, lined with grass, horse hair and feathers.

Eggs, four or five, dull olive, marked with spots and speckles of drab.

So far as I can remember, this species first appeared in Ontario
about the year 1868. It was noticed at once as different from our
winter visitor, being less in size and its plumage having the washed-
out look peculiar to the prairie birds. Since that time it has
increased annually, until it has become quite established. I think
they do not all leave in the fall, but that a few remain over the
winter. Great numbers appear in February or early in March, and
should the season be late, they swarm in the road tracks and bare
places everywhere, waiting for the disappearing of the snow, and
even before it is quite gone many pairs commence building their
nests. Soon the flocks separate, the birds scatter in pairs over the
country, and are not again seen in such numbers until the following
season. This species is very common in Manitoba, where they raise
their young in suitable places all over the country.

Besides the original a/pestris there are now seven different sub-
species of the Genus Ofocoris, described as being found in North
America. They all have a strong family likeness, but differ suft-
ciently, in the eyes of the Committee, to warrant distinction, though
several of the groups are of very recent formation. They are found
mostly in the west and south-west, only one of the varieties having,
till now, been observed in Ontario.

272 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Famity CORVIDA. Crows, Jays, MaGpiis, ETc.
SuBFAMILY GARRULINA. Maapirs ann Jays.
Genus PICA Brisson.

PICA PICA HUDSONICA. (Sas.)

196. American Magpie. (475)

Bill, black ; head, neck, fore-part of the breast and back, black, glossed
with green and blue; middle of the back, grayish-white ; scapulars, white ;
smaller wing coverts, black, secondary and primary coverts, glossed with green
and blue ; primaries, black, glossed with green, their inner webs white except
at the end ; secondaries bright blue changing to green, the inner webs greenish-
black ; tail, glossed with green, changing to bluish-purple and dark green at
the end ; breast and sides, pure white ; legs, abdomen, lower tail coverts, black.
Length, 18-20 inches.

Has.—Northern and Western North America, casually east and south to
Michigan (accidentally in Northern [linois in winter) and the Plains, and in the
Rocky Mountains to New Mexico and Arizona.

Nest, in a tree, ten or twelve feet or more from the ground, built of coarse
sticks, plastered with mud and lined with hair, feathers and other soft

materials.

Eggs, five or six, greenish, thickly shaded and dashed with purplish-brown.

The gaudy, garrulous Magpie is, on the American continent, pecu-
liar to the north and west, and is mentioned as a bird of Ontario
on the authority of Mr. C. J. Bampton, Registrar of the District of
Algoma, who reports it as a rare winter visitor at Sault Ste. Marie.
It has been seen by surveying parties along the northern tier of
States, and is said to be possessed of all the accomplishments attrib-
uted to the British Magpie, whose history has been so often written.
Mr. Trippe, who found it breeding in Colorado, describes the nest as
being dome shaped, having two apertures, one at each side, so that
when the bird enters by the front it leaves by the one at the back,
and while sitting on the nest the long tail projects outside.

The Magpie is a gay, dashing fellow, whom we always like to see
in his native haunts, and we should welcome him to the woods of
Southern Ontario should his curiosity lead him this way. In Alaska
he is common in certain districts, though not generally distributed.
His long tail, showy colors, and cunning ways always gain him
attention wherever he appears.

In the rural districts of Scotland these birds are regarded with
suspicion, from the belief that they know more than birds ought to

BLUE JAY. 273

know. They are supposed to indicate future joy or sorrow to the
wayfarer, according to the number he sees together, the idea being
thus expressed in popular rhyme :
‘*One, mirth ;
Two, grief ;
Three, a wedding ;
Four, a death.”

GEenus CYANOCITTA SrrickLanp.
CYANOCITTA CRISTATA. (Liny.).

197. Blue Jay. (477)

Purplish-blue ; below, pale gray, whitening on the throat, belly and crissum ;
a black collar across the lower throat and up the sides of the neck and head
behind the crest, and a black frontlet bordered with whitish ; wings and tail,
pure rich blue, with black bars, the greater coverts, secondaries and tail
feathers, except the central, broadly tipped with pure white; tail, much
rounded, the graduation over an inch. Length, 11-12; wing, 54; tail, 53.

Has.—FEastern North America to the Plains, and from the fur countries
south to eastern Texas.

Nest, in trees or bushes, built of sticks, lined with weeds, grasses and other
soft material.

Eggs, four or five, variable in color, usually clay color with brown spots.

18

274 _ BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

This species is common throughout Ontario, and may be consid-
ered resident, for though the greater number migrate in the fall, a
few always remain and are heard squalling among the evergreens any
mild day in the depth of winter.

Notwithstanding his gaudy attire, the Jay is not a favorite, which
is probably owing to his having many traits of character pecular to
the “bad boy,” being always ready for sport or spoil. He frequently
visits the farm-house for purposes of plunder, and when so engaged
works silently and diligently till his object is attained. He then
gets off to the woods as quickly as possible, where he may be heard
chuckling to himself over his success.

There is a swampy spot in a clump of bush in West Flamboro’
where a colony of Blue Jays has spent the winter for several seasons;
and they seem to have lots of fun even in the severest weather. I
have occasionally called in when passing, and have found amusement
listening to their varied notes, issued in quite a colloquial strain.
Sometimes the birds are on the ground, busily gathering nuts with
which to replenish their storehouses, but if a scout arrives with some
interesting intelligence, off goes the whole troop, each individual
apparently knowing the object of the excursion. On the return,
notes are compared, and [I almost fancy I hear them laugh at their
narrow escapes and ludicrous exploits. On such occasions I know I
am often the subject of remark, but if I keep quiet they do not seem
to object much to my presence.

They are somewhat gregarious in their habits, and even in the
breeding season have a.custom of going round in guerilla bands of
four or five, visiting the farm-house in the early morning, seeking
a chance to suck eggs ; and woe betide the unlucky owl whom they
happen to come across on any of these excursions: its peace for that
day is done, for the excitement is often kept up till darkness forces
the Jays to retire.

PERISOREUS CANADENSIS (Liny.).

198. Canada Jay. (484)

Upper parts, dull leaden-gray ; lower, dull yellowish-white ; forehead,
yellowish-white ; hind part of the head and neck, grayish-black ; throat and
band passing round the neck, grayish-white ; secondary quills and tail feathers
narrowly tipped with white. Young :—Dull slate color, paler on the abdomen,
darker on the head, the white tips of the wings and tail duller than in the
adult. Length, 10-11 inches.

CANADA JAY. 275

Has.—Northern New England, Michigan and Canada, northward to Arctic
America.

Nest, on the branch of an evergreen, composed of twigs and grass, lined
with feathers.

Eggs, four or five, variable, usually grayish-white, marked with yellowish-
brown.

The Indian name for this bird is Wis-Ka-7jan, which pronounced
by an English tongue sounds much like ‘‘ Whiskey John.” Through
familiarity this has become “‘ Whiskey Jack,” the name by which the
bird is best known in the districts he frequents. The Canada Jay is
found in high latitudes, from Labrador to the Pacific coast. It is
quite common in the District of Muskoka, where it breeds and is
resident. I have also heard of one individual being taken at Oshawa,
but have no record of its having been seen farther south in Ontario.

In the “ Birds of the North-West,” Dr. Coues, quoting from Mr.
Trippe, says: ‘During the warmer months the Canada Jay frequents
the darkest forests of spruce, occasionally flying a little way above
the trees. It is quite tame, coming about the mining camps to pick
up whatever is thrown out in the way of food, and evincing much of
the curiosity that is characteristic of the family. In winter its °
supply of food is very precarious, and it is often reduced to mere skin
and bones. At such times it will frequently weigh no more than a
plump sparrow or snowbird, and undoubtedly it sometimes starves to
death. During the latter part of the autumn, its hoarse croaking is
almost the only sound to be heard in the cold, sombre forests which
he near the timber line.”

This species is quite common in Manitoba, and has also been
found in Northern Michigan and Minnesota, northward to Hudson
Bay and the Arctic Regions, and also in Alaska. In the west it
is rather less in size, and being slightly different in color also, it has
been created into a subspecies, under the name of fwmifrons.

In the coast region of Labrador is another form, somewhat darker
than the others, which has been separated and named nigricapzllus.
But although their names have been changed, their natures remain
the same. All have the habit of taking eggs and young birds from
the nests of other birds, and devouring them in sight of the agonized
parents. They become very familiar about the camps of lumbermen
and others who have occasion to toil in the woods. This habit is no
doubt to a great extent the result of hunger, which in the winter
time, when deep snow covers the ground, must be the greatest evil
with which the birds have to contend.

276 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

SuBFAMILY CORVIN At. Crows.
Genus CORVUS Linna2us.
CORVUS CORAX SINUATUS (Wact.).

199. American Raven. (486)

Entire lustrous black ; throat feathers acute, lengthened and disconnected.
Length, about 2 feet ; wing, 16-18 inches ; tail, 10.

Has.—Continent of North America, from the Arctic Regions to Guatemala,
but local and not common in the United States east of the Mississippi River.

Nest, on high trees or inaccessible cliffs, built of sticks with a lining of
coarse grass, sea weed and wool.

Eggs, four or five, greenish, dotted, blotched and clouded with purplish and
blackish-brown.

Few birds are so widely distributed over the face of the earth, and
few have obtained so great a share of notoriety as the Raven, that
“orim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt and ominous bird of yore.” In
Southern Ontario it is now seldom seen. The specimen in my
collection was obtained at St. Clair Flats some years ago, where it
was reported as an occasional visitor in the fall. Wilson, speaking of
this species, says: ‘On the lakes, and particularly in the neighbor-
hood of Niagara Falls, they are numerous, and it is a remarkable fact
that where they so abound the common Crow seldom appears. I had
an opportunity of observing this myself in a journey along the shores
of Lakes Erie and Ontario during the months of August and
September. The Ravens were seen every day, but I did not see
or hear a single Crow within several miles of the lakes.” Since the
days of Wilson the case has been reversed, and any one travelling
now round the lakes named will see Crows in plenty, old and young,
but not a single Raven. They are said to be common in the rocky
region of Muskoka, where they probably nest on the cliffs. They are
believed to continue mated for life, and are often heard expressing
their feelings of conjugal attachment in what to human ears sounds
but a dismal croak.

The Raven appears so seldom in Ontario that we have little
opportunity for becoming acquainted with the habits of the bird.
We find, however, that they are tolerably common in Manitoba,
while in Alaska they seem to reach their centre of abundance.
Referring to them, Mr. Nelson says: “‘ Everywhere throughout the
entire territory of Alaska, including the shores of the Arctic Ocean
and Behring Sea, this bird is a well-known resident. Here, as in

AMERICAN CROW, HG 6

some more civilized regions, it bears a rather uncanny character, and
many and strange are the shapes it assumes in the folklore of the
natives of these far-off shores.”

Eskimos and Indians unite in accusing this bird of pecking out
the eyes of new-born reindeer and afterwards killing them. That
they are notoriously mischievous in robbing traps of bait, is well
known throughout the fur countries, though the thief sometimes pays
the penalty by getting a foot in the trap.

Lutke tells us that “the Ravens are the brigands of Sitka. No
poultry can be raised, as the Ravens devour the fledglings as fast as
they appear, making only one mouthful of them. The porkers are
too big to be overcome in the same manner, and the Ravens have to
satisfy their greediness by keeping the pigs’ tails close cropped. This
is why the Sitka pigs have no tails.” In spite of this ancient perse-
cution, Mr. Dall assures us that the Sitka pigs of the present day
have the caudal appendage of the usual length.

CORVUS AMERICANUS Aup.

200. American Crow. (488)

Color, uniform lustrous black, including the bill and feet; nasal bristles
about half as long as the bill; throat feathers, oval and blended; no naked
space on cheeks. Length, 18-20; wing, 13-14; tail, about 8 ; bill, 1.75.

Has.—North America, from the fur countries to Mexico.

Nest, in trees, built of sticks and twigs, lined with moss, strips of bark and
fine grass.

Eggs, four to six, green, spotted and blotched with blackish-brown.

While the Raven prefers to frequent the uncleared parts of the
country, the Crow delights in the cultivated districts, where, in the
opinion of the farmer, his services could well be dispensed with.
Though exposed to continued persecution, he knows the range of the
gun accurately, and is wide awake to the intention of all sorts of
ambuscades planned for his destruction, so that he thrives and
increases in number as the country gets more thickly settled. The
Crows mostly leave Ontario at the approach of cold weather, but
should the carcase of a dead animal be exposed, even in the depth of
winter, it is curious to observe how quickly it will be visited by a few
individuals of this species, which are probably remaining in sheltered
parts of the woods, and have some means of finding out where a feast

278 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

is to be had. Early in April the northern migration begins, and the
birds may be seen daily, singly, in pairs, or in loose straggling flocks,
passing toward the north-west.

Much has been said and written in regard to the Crow and his
relation to the farmer, but so far no very satisfactory conclusion has
been drawn. It is matter for regret that the Crow was not included
in the list of birds handed to Dr. Fisher to report upon, for we
should then have had full details on the subject of his diet. More
than likely he would have appeared among those whose good deeds
balance the evil, for, though he takes eggs, chickens, sprouting corn,
fruits and vegetables, he destroys immense numbers of mice, moles,
grubs, caterpillars and grasshoppers. He is subjected to continued
persecution, but he is well able to take care of himself, and that he
does so is evident by the increase which from year to year takes
place in his numbers.

In regions where he has not been molested, he comes about the
dwellings much after the manner of the Canada Jay, and where the
young are raised as pets they become quite familiar. Perhaps a
limited check is needed to keep the species in its proper position.

Famity ICTERID A. 3LACKBIRDS, ORIOLES, ETC.
Genus DOLICHONYX Swainson.
DOLICHONYX ORYZIVORUS (LINN. ).

201. Bobolink. (494)

Male:—In spring, black ; cervix, buff; scapulars, rump and upper tail
coverts, ashy-white ; interscapulars streaked with black, buff and ashy ; outer
quills, edged with yellowish; bill, blackish-horn; feet, brown. Ma/e in fall,
Jemale and young, entirely different in color ; yellowish-brown above, brownish-
yellow below; crown and back conspicuously, nape, rump and sides less
broadly streaked with black ; crown, with a median and lateral light: stripe ;
wings and tail, blackish, pale edged ; bill, brown. The ma/e changing shows
confused characters of both sexes. Length, 64-74; wing, 34-4; tail, 24-3;
tarsus, about 1 ; middle toe and claw, about 14.

Has.—Kastern North America to the Great Plains, north to Southern
Canada, south in winter to the West Indies and South America. Breeds from
the Middle States northward, and winters south of the United States.

Nest, a cup-shaped hollow in the ground in a hay-field ; lined with withered
grass.

Eggs, four or five, brownish-white, heavily blotched and clouded with
chocolate-brown making the general appearance very dark.

280 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Tn Southern Ontario the merry, rollicking Bobolink is well known
to all who have occasion to pass by the clover fields, or moist
meadows, in summer. He attracts attention then by his fantastic
dress of black and white, as well as by his gay and festive manner,
while he seeks to cheer and charm his modest helpmate, who, in
humble garb of yellowish-brown, spends much of her time concealed
among the grass. Toward the close of the season, the holiday dress
and manners of the male are laid aside, and by the time the birds
are ready to depart, male and female, young and old, are clad
alike in uniform brownish-yellow. The merry, jingling notes are
succeeded by a simple chink which serves to keep the flocks together,
and is often heard overhead at night in the early part of September.
In the south, where they get very fat, they are killed in great
numbers for the table.

Genus MOLOTHRUS Swalrnson.
MOLOTHRUS ATER (Bopp.).

202. Cowbird. (495)

Male :—Iridescent black ; head and neck purplish-brown. /ema/e:—Smaller,
an obseure-looking bird, nearly uniform dusky grayish-brown, but rather paler
below, and appearing somewhat streaky, owing to darker shaft lines on nearly
all the feathers ; bill and feet black in both sexes. Length, 73-8 ; wing, over 4;
tail, over 3.

Hazs.—United States, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, north into Southern
British America, south, in winter, into Mexico.

Nest, none.

Eggs, deposited in the nest of another bird, dull white, thickly dotted,
and sometimes blotched with brown ; number uncertain.

In Southern Ontario nearly all the Cowbirds are migratory, but
on two occasions I have seen them located here in winter. There
were in each instance ten or a dozen birds which stayed by the
farm-house they had selected for their winter residence, and roosted
on the beams above the cattle in the cow-house. Early in April
the migratory flocks arrive from the south, and soon they are seen in
small solitary parties, chiefly in pasture-fields and by the banks of
streams all over the country.

At this interesting season of the year, when all other birds are
mated and are striving to make each other happy in the faithful
discharge of their various domestic duties, the Cowbirds, despising

COWBIRD. 281

all family relations, keep roving about, enjoying themselves after
their own free-love fashion, with no preference for any locality save
that where food is most easily obtained. The deportment of the male
at this season is most ludicrous. With the view of pleasing his
female associate of the hour, he puffs himself out to nearly double
his usual size, and makes the most violent contortions while seeking
to express his feelings in song, but like individuals of the human
species whom we sometimes meet, he is “tongue-tied,” and can only
give utterance to a few spluttering notes.

As the time for laying draws near, the female leaves her asso-
ciates, and, manifesting much uneasiness, seeks diligently for the nest
of another bird to suit her purpose. This is usually that of a bird
smaller than herself, which the owner has just finished and may have
made therein a first deposit. Into such a nest the female Cowbird
drops her egg, and leaving it, with evident feelings of satisfaction,
jos her comrades and thinks no more about the matter. By the
owners of the nest the intrusion is viewed with great dislike, and
should it contain no eggs of their own it is frequently deserted. But
another expedient to rid themselves of the incumbrance is sometimes
resorted to which shows a higher degree of intelligence than we are
accustomed to call ordinary instinct. Finding that their newly-
finished cradle has been invaded, the birds build a floor over the
obnoxious egg, leaving it to rot, while their own are hatched on the
new floor in the usual way.

Should the owners of the nest have one or more eggs deposited
before that of the Cowbird appears, the intrusion causes them much
anxiety for an hour or two, but in thesmajority of cases the situation
is accepted, and the young Cowbird being first hatched, the others
do not come to maturity. The foster-parents are most attentive in
supplying the wants of the youngster till he is fit to shift for himself,
when he leaves them, apparently without thanks, and seeks the
society of his own kindred, though how he recognizes them as such
is something we have yet to learn.

Much speculation is indulged in regarding the cause of this appar-
ent irregularity in the habits of the Cowbird, and different opinions
are still held regarding it, but whatever other purpose it may serve
in the economy of nature, it must cause a very large reduction in
the number of the different species of birds on which it entails the
care of its young. Some idea may be formed of the extent of this
reduction by looking at the vast flocks of Cowbirds swarming in
their favorite haunts in the fall, and considering that for each bird

282 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

in these flocks from three to four of a different species have been
prevented from coming to maturity.

The number of species imposed upon by the Cowbird is large,
including Warblers, Vireos, Sparrows, Thrushes, Bluebirds, ete., but
the one most frequently selected in this locality is the Summer
Yellowbird. On the prairies, where the Cowbirds are numerous, and
the number of foster-parents limited, it is said that in the month of
June nearly every available nest contains an egg of the Cowbird.

In Southern Ontario they disappear during July and August, but
usually return in vast flocks in September, when they frequent the
stubble fields and patches of wild rice by the edge of the marshes.

Genus XANTHOCEPHALUS Bonaparte.
XANTHOCEPHALUS XANTHOCEPHALUS (Bownap.).

203. Yellow-headed Blackbird. (497) °

Male :—Black ; whole head (except lores), neck and upper breast, yellow,
and sometimes yellowish feathers on the belly and legs; a large white patch
on the wing, formed by the primary and a few of the outer secondary coverts.
Female and young :—Brownish-black, with little or no white on the wing, the
yellow restricted or obscured. Female much smaller than the ma/e, about 93.
Length, 10-11; wing, 53; tail, 44.

Has.—Western North America, from Wisconsin, Illinois and Texas to the
Pacific coast. Accidental in the Atlantic States (Massachusetts, South Carolina,
Florida).

Nest, composed of aquatic grassés fastened to the reeds.

Kggs, three to six, grayish-green spotted with reddish-brown.

A wanderer from the west, this handsome Blackbird has appeared
from time to time at different points in the Eastern States. The
only record I have of its occurrence in Ontario is that given by Mr.
E. E. Thompson, in the Awk for October, 1885, as follows: ‘This
species has been taken a number of times in company with the
Red-winged Blackbirds by Mr. Wm. Loane, who describes it as the
Californian Blackbird. The specimen I examined was taken near
Toronto by that gentleman, and it is now in the possession of Mr.
Jacobs, of Centre Street.”

Though the Yellow-headed Blackbird is only a casual visitor, I
think it is quite probable we may yet see it as a summer resident
in the grassy meadows of Ontario. At present it comes east as far as
Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin, while in a northerly diree-

RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. 283

tion it extends its migrations to the interior of the Fur Countries,
reaching the Saskatchewan about the 20th of May.

We should like to see him here, his yellow head making a bright
spot among the sombre-plumaged Cowbirds and Grackles.

Genus AGELAIUS Vite Ixuor.
AGELATUS PHCENICEUS (Liny.).

204. Red-winged Blackbird. (498)

Male -—Uniform lustrous black ; lesser wing coverts, scarlet, broadly
bordered by brownish-yellow or brownish-white, the middle row of coverts
being entirely of this color, and sometimes the greater row likewise are similar,
producing a patch on the wing nearly as large as the red one. Occasionally
there are traces of red on the edge of the wing and below. Fema/e :—Smaller,
under 8; everywhere streaked; above, blackish-brown with pale streaks,
inclining on the head to form median and superciliary stripes ; below, whitish,
with very many sharp dusky streaks; the sides of the head, throat and the
bend of the wing, tinged with reddish or fulvous. The young male at first like
the female, but larger ; apt to have a general buffy or fulvous suffusion, and
bright bay edgings of the feathers of the back, wings and tail, and soon
showing black patches. Length, 8-9; wing, 43-5; tail, 34-4.

Has.—North America in general, from Great Slave Lake south to Costa
Rica.

Nest, large for the side of the bird, composed of rushes and sedges loosely
put together and lined with grass and a few horse-hairs, usually fastened to the
bulrushes, sometimes placed in a bush or tussock of grass near the ground.

Eggs, four or five, pale blue, curiously marked with brown.

This species is generally distributed and breeds in suitable places
throughout the Province. It is very common near Hamilton, breed-
ing abundantly in the Dundas marsh, and in the reedy inlets all
around the shores of Hamilton Bay. As soon as the young broods
are able to fly, old and young congregate in flocks, frequenting the
stubble fields and moist meadows by day, and roosting at night
among the reeds in the marsh. As the season advances the numbers
are increased by others arriving from the north, and during October
very large flocks are observed in the places they frequent. Towards
the end of that month, if the weather gets cold, they all move off to
the south. None have been observed here during the winter.

This species has a wide distribution, being found from Texas and

=)

Florida, as far north as 50° on the Atlantic coast, and 57° in the
west, and breeding throughout its range. It is said also to occur on
the Pacific slope, where several closely allied species are more or less

common.

284 BIRDS. OF ONTARIO.

Genus STURNELLA VItIeILtor.
STURNELLA MAGNA (Liny.).

205. Meadowlark. (501)

Above, the prevailing aspect brown. Each feather of the back blackish,
with a terminal reddish-brown area, and sharp brownish-yellow borders ;
neck similar, the pattern smaller ; crown, streaked with black and brown, and
with a pale median and superciliary stripe; a blackish line behind eye ;
several lateral tail feathers white, the others with the inner quills and wing
coverts barred or scolloped with black and brown or gray ; edge of wing, spot
over eye, and under parts generally, bright yellow; the sides and crissum,
flaxen brown, with numerous sharp blackish streaks ; the breast, with a large
black crescent (obscure in the young); bill, horn color; feet, light brown.
Length, 10-11 ; wing, 5; tail, 33; bill, 14. Female -—Similar, smaller, 93.

Has.—Kastern United States and Southern Canada to the Plains.

Nest, on the ground, at the foot of a tuft of grass or weeds, lined with dry
grass, and sometimes partly arched over.

Eggs, four to six, white, dotted and sprinkled with reddish-brown.

The Meadowlark is found in all suitable districts throughout
Ontario, apparently preferring the south-west. In the southern
portion of the Province, it is generally distributed throughout the
agricultural districts, where its loud, clear, liquid notes are always.
associated in our minds with fields of clover and new-mown hay.
Here it may be considered migratory, the greater number leaving us
in October to return again in April, but it is no uncommon thing to
find one or two remaining during the winter in sheltered situations.
On the 7th of February, 1885, when the cold was intense and snow
covered the ground, I noticed an individual of this species digging
vigorously into a manure heap at Hamilton Beach. When examined
he was found to be in very poor condition, and looked altogether as
if he had been having a hard time. The present species is found
north to Manitoba, where it is replaced by the Western Meadowlark,
which resembles our eastern form so closely that it is doubtful if any
one, judging by appearance only, could separate them with certainty.
The song of the birds is so entirely different that, chiefly on this
account, the western bird has been recorded as a sub-species under
the name of Sturnella magna neglecta, or Western Meadowlark, the
dry central plains forming the boundary between the two habitats.

.

ORCHARD ORIOLE. 285

Genus ICTERUS Brisson.
ICTERUS SPURIUS (Liny.).

206. Orchard Oriole. (506)

Male :—Black ; lower back, rump, lesser wing coverts, and all under parts
from the throat, deep chestnut ; a whitish bar across the tips of greater wing
coverts ; bill and feet, blue-black ; tail, graduated. Length, about 7 ; wing, 34;
tail, 3. Female :—Smaller, plain yellowish-olive above, yellowish below ;
wings, dusky ; tips of the coverts and edges of the inner quills, whitish ; known
from the female of the other species by its smaller size and very slender bill.
Young male :—At first like the fema/e, afterwards showing confused characters
of both sexes ; in a particular stage it has a black mask and throat.

Haxs.—United States, west to the Plains, south, in winter, to Panama.

Nest, pensile, composed of grass and other stringy materials ingeniously
woven together and lined with wool or plant down, rather Jess in size and not
quite so deep in proportion to its width as that of the Baltimore.

Eggs, four to six, bluish-white, spotted and veined with brown.

On the 15th of May, 1865, I shot an immature male of this species
in an orchard at Hamilton Beach, which was the first record for
Ontario. I did not see or hear of it again till the summer of 1883,
when they were observed breeding at different points around the
city of Hamilton, but since that year they have not appeared near
this place.

Mr. Saunders informs me that they breed regularly and in consid-
erable numbers near London and west of that city, from which we
infer that the species enters Ontario around the west end of Lake
Erie, and does not come as far east as Hamilton. Most likely it
does not at present extend its migrations in Ontario very far from
the Lake Erie shore. The notes of the male are loud, clear and
delivered with great energy, as he sits perched on the bough of an
apple tree, or sails from one tree in the orchard to another. This
species would be a desirable acquisition to our garden birds, both on
account of his pleasing plumage of black and brown, and because of
the havoc he makes among the insect pests which frequent our
fruit trees,

T learn from Dr. Macallum that the Orchard Oriole breeds regu-
larly in small numbers along the north shore of Lake Erie, near
Dunnville, but it evidently does not proceed far north of our southern
boundary. One wanderer, but only one, is reported by Dr. Coues as
having appeared at Pembina.

Susgenus YPHANTES VIEILLOoT.
ICTERUS GALBULA (Liny.).

207. Baltimore Oriole. (507)

Male :—With head and neck all round, and the back, black ; rump, upper
tail coyerts, lesser wing coverts, most of the tail feathers, and fall the under
parts from the throat, fiery-orange, but of varying intensity according to age
and season; middle tail feathers, black; the middle and greater coverts and
inner quills, more or less edged and tipped with white, but the white on the
coyerts not forming a continuous patch; bill and feet, blue-black. Length,
74-8; tail, 3. Female :—Smaller, and much paler, the black obscured by olive,
sometimes entirely wanting. Young -—Kntirely without the black on throat
and head, otherwise colored nearly like the female.

Has.—Eastern United States, west nearly to the Rocky Mountains.

Nest, purse shaped, pensile, about six inches deep, composed chiefly of
vegetable fibre, with which is often intertwisted rags, paper, thread, twine

RUSTY BLACKBIRD. 287

and other foreign substances, usually suspended from the outer branches of
a tree, most frequently an elm, at a height of ten to fifty feet from the ground.

Eggs, four to six, white, faintly tinged with blue, when blown, spotted,
scrawled and streaked with lilac and brown mostly toward the larger end.

The gay, dashing, flashing Baltimore Oriole seems to court the
admiration so generally bestowed on him, and is much more fre-
quently seen among the ornamental trees in our parks and pleasure
grounds than in the more retired parts of the country. He arrives
from the south with wonderful regularity about the end of the first
week in May, after which his clear flute-like notes are heard at all
hours of the day till the early part of July, when with his wife
and family he retires, probably to some shady region to avoid the
extreme heat of summer. At all events they are not seen in
Southern Ontario again till the beginning of September, when they
pay us a passing visit while on their way to winter-quarters. The
species seems to be well distributed in Ontario, for in the report of
the “Ottawa Field Naturalists’ Club,” it is said to be common in
that district, arriving about the 10th of May. It is also included
in the list of birds observed at Moose Mountain in the North-West
by Prof. Macoun.

Dr. Bell has a specimen which was taken at York Factory, but
it prefers the west, being abundant throughout Manitoba, and Dr.
Coues found it breeding at Pembina on the boundary south of
Winnipeg.

GeNus SCOLECOPHAGUS Swainson.
SCOLECOPHAGUS CAROLINUS (MULL).

208. Rusty Blackbird. (509)

Male :—In summer, lustrous black, the reflections greenish, and not notice-
ably different on the head; but not ordinarily found in this condition in the
United States; in general glossy black, nearly all the feathers skirted with
warm brown above and brownish-yellow below, frequently continuous on
the fore parts; the ma/e of the first season, like the female, is entirely rusty-
brown above, the inner quills edged with the same ; a pale superciliary stripe ;
below, mixed rusty and grayish-black, the primaries and tail above, black ; bill
and feet, black at all times. Length, male, about 9; wing, 44; tail, 34; bill, 2;
Jemale, smaller.

Has.—Eastern North America, west to Alaska and the Plains. Breeds
from Northern New England northward.

288 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Nest, a coarse structure, resting on a layer of twigs, composed of grass
mixed with mud; well formed inside and lined with fine grass and rootlets,
usually placed in alder or similar bushes overhanging the water.

Kggs, four to six, grayish-white marked with brown.

During the last week in April or the first in May, according to
the weather, the Rusty Grackles are seen in small flocks hurrying on
to their breeding places farther north. Their stay at that time is
very short, and the collectors have but little chance of securing a
male in adult plumage, spring being the only season when such can
be had here, and even then only a few in each flock have acquired
their nuptial dress. They may yet be found breeding in Ontario,
although, owing to the number of observers being small, the fact
(so far as I know) has not yet been recorded. About the end of
August, or early in September, they return in flocks of much greater
dimensions than those which passed up in the spring, and in com-
pany with the Cowbirds and Redwings continue to frequent the
plowed fields, cornfields and wet places till the weather gets cold in
October, when they all move off to the south and are not seen again
till spring.

This species goes farther north than any other of the Blackbirds,
for it is found not only throughout Manitoba and the North-West,
but is common in Alaska, where Mr. Nelson says: ‘“ It arrives in the
British fur country, at Great Bear Lake, latitude 65° north, by the
3rd of May, and breeds throughout the northern extreme of the
continental land, reaching the farthest limit of the wooded region on
the Lower Anderson and Mackenzie Rivers. In Northern Alaska it
reaches latitude 70°. On the Behring Sea and Arctic coast of this
territory, from the mouth of the Kuskoquim River, the bird is
a regular, but not numerous, summer resident wherever trees and
bushes are found reaching the vicinity of the sea coast.” It feeds
largely on insects, but is also said to be fond of corn, though it
leaves us too early in the spring and arrives too late in the fall to do
much damage in Ontario.

In the Awk, Volume II., page 107, Mr. Banks, of St. John, N.B.,
gives an account of a nest of this species, which he found in a
different position from that usually assigned to it.

It was placed in a large spruce, about 28 feet from the ground,
and was a coarse, bulky nest, composed of dried vines of the honey-
suckle, loosely entwined at the sides and fastened together by a solid
mass of mud at the bottom.

There was no attempt at lining of any sort. It contained two

eggs and two young birds.

5

BRONZED GRACKLE. 289

Genus QUISCALUS Vtermntor.
Suscenus QUISCALUS.
QUISCALUS QUISCULA JENEUS (Ripew.).

209. Bronzed Grackle. (5114)

Metallic tints, rich, deep and uniform ; head and neck all round, rich, silky
steel-blue, this strictly confined to these portions, and abruptly defined behind,
varying in shade from an intense Prussian blue to brassy-greenish, the latter
tint always, when present, most apparent on the neck, the head always more
violaceous ; lores, velvety-black ; entire body, above and below, uniform
continuous metallic brassy-olive, varying to burnished golden olivaceous-bronze,
becoming gradually uniform metallic purplish or purplish-violet on wings and
tail, the last more purplish; primaries, violet-black; bill, tarsus and_ toes,
pure black ; iris, sulphur-yellow. Length, 12.50 to 13.50; wing, 6.00; tail, 6.00;
culmen, 1.26; tarsus, 1.32; third and fourth quills, longest and equal; first,
shorter than fifth ; projection of primaries beyond secondaries, 1.28 ; graduation
of the tail, 1.48. (Ridgway.)

Has.—From the Alleghanies and New England north and west to Hudson
Bay and the Rocky Mountains.

Nest, coarse and bulky, composed of twigs and weeds, with a mixture
of mud, often placed in a spruce or hemlock tree, sometimes in a bush over-
hanging the water, and occasionally in a hollow stub or deserted woodpecker’s
hole.

Eggs, four to six, smoky-blue with irregular dark brown blotches, lines and
spots.

The Bronzed Grackle was christened by Mr. Ridgway at the Pro-
ceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, in June,
1869. Prior to that date, Dr. Baird had separated one as peculiar
to Florida, but all the others were supposed to belong to the species
named by Linneus, Quwiscalus quiscula, or Purple Grackle. Mr.
Ridgway, on comparing a large number of specimens from different
points, found the group to contain two well-defined sub-species, and
his decision has now been generally adopted. The original Purple
Grackle is the most southern bird of the three, its habitat being given
as “ Atlantic States from Florida to Long Island,” while our present
form is said to extend from the Alleghanies and New England,
north and west to Hudson Bay and the Rocky Mountains. Since
giving my attention to this subject, I have made a point of examining
all available mounted Crow Blackbirds in barber shops, country
taverns, etc., and find that all belong to the Bronzed division.

It is quite possible that a few of the others may yet be found
along our southern border, but unquestionably the Crow Blackbird

19

290 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

of Ontario is the Bronzed Grackle. They like to be near water,
and are very common in the town of Galt, breeding close to the
houses along the banks of the river. There is a colony established
at East Hamilton, where they breed in the Norway spruce trees near
the residence of Mr. Barnes, who protects them from being molested,
whether wisely or not is open to question, for there rests at their
door the serious charge of robbing the nests of small birds and
destroying the eggs and young, besides that of being very destructive
to the sprouting corn in spring-time.

The Bronzed Grackle is very abundant throughout Manitoba and
the North-West, and has been captured by Dr. Bell at York Factory.:
The males arrive in Southern Ontario a few days before the females,
usually about the middle of April. It is noticed that the first to
arrive are in the richest plumage, the fine purple bronze being fully
developed. They are soon generally distributed over the country, in
suitable places, where they cause much family affliction during the
breeding season by carrying off the young of the smaller birds.
During October they gather in flocks and retire to the south, where
they spend the winter.

Famity FRINGILLIDA. Fincuss, Sparrows, ETC.
GENUS COCCOTHRAUSTES Brisson.
Suseenus HESPERIPHONA Bonaparte.
COCCOTHRAUSTES VESPERTINA (Coop.).

210. Evening Grosbeak. (514)

Dusky olivaceous, brighter behind ; forehead, line over the eye and under
tail coverts, yellow ; crown, wings, tail and tibiz, black ; the secondary quills,
mostly white ; bill, greenish-yellow, of immense size, about ~ of an inch long
and nearly as deep. Length, 74-84; wing, 4-44; tail, 23. The female and
young differ somewhat, but cannot be mistaken.

Has.—Western North America, east to Lake Superior, and casually to Ohio
and Ontario, from the Fur Countries south into Mexico.

Nest, in a small tree or bush, a comparatively slight structure rather flat.
composed of sticks and roots, lined with soft vegetable material.

Eggs, three, greenish ground color, blotched with brown.

This is a western species whose line of travel in the season of

migration seems to be along the Mississippi Valley, casually coming
as far east as Ontario.

EVENING GROSBEAK. 291

I have heard of its being observed during the winter at St. Cloud,
St. Paul and Minneapolis, and last winter I had a pair sent me by
mail in the flesh, from Redwing, Minnesota. The first report of its
appearance in Ontario was made by the late Dr. T. J. Cottle, of
Woodstock, who in the month of May, 1866, observed a flock among
the evergreens near his residence, and obtained one or two of them.

Again, in 1871, they were noticed near London about the same
season, and several were procured, three of them coming into my
possession. I did not hear of the species again till the 17th of
March, 1883. When enjoying a sleigh ride along a road which runs
through a swamp in West Flamboro’, my son and I came unex-
pectedly upon two in the bush by the roadside and secured them both.

I have also heard of a female having been obtained by the Rev.
Mr. Doel in Toronto, on the 25th of December, 1854, which com-
pletes the record for Ontario, so far as I know. The Evening
Grosbeak is much prized by collectors on account of its rarity, its
beauty, and the desire we have to know more of its history.

Dr. Coues speaks of it as “a bird of distinguished appearance,
whose very name suggests the far-away land of the dipping sun, and
the tuneful romance which the wild bird throws around the fading
light of the day. Clothed in striking color contrasts of black, white
and gold, he seems to represent the allegory of diurnal transmutation,
for his sable pinions close around the brightness of his vesture as
night encompasses the golden hues of sunset, while the clear white
space enfolded in these tints foretells the dawn of the morrow.” Thus
the glowing words flow from the pen of an accurate observer and
graceful writer, while to the mass of the people, the beauties of bird-
life are a sealed book. By far the larger number of those who have
the opportunity of observing our wild birds in their native haunts,
belong to that practical class of which the representative is Peter
Bell, of whom it is written :

‘<A primrose by the river’s brim
A yellow primrose was to him,
And it was nothing more.”

,

I once directed the attention of a successful farmer, whose speech
betrayed his nationality, to a fine mounted specimen of the bird I
have been describing. I pointed out the beauty of its markings and
related the interesting parts of its history, but failed to excite any
enthusiasm regarding it. In fact the only remark elicited was that
it was “unca thick i’ the neb.”

299 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

The first account we have of the nest and eggs of this species
appears in the Awk, Vol. V., page 113. It is given by Mr. John
Swinbourne, of Springerville, Arizona. Here is an extract: “On the
Dth of June, 1884, while looking out for anything of ornithological
interest in a thickly wooded cafion some fifteen miles west of the
little town of Springerville, Apache County, Arizona, my attention
was attracted by a bird which I did not know, flying off its nest in
the top of a thick willow bush. Having climbed up to the nest and
ascertained that it contained three eggs, I returned to the ranch.
Next day I visited the cafion with my shotgun, and finding the
number of eggs in the nest had not increased, concealed myself close
by, and after a long wait succeeded in procuring the female as she
Hew from the nest. At that time I knew so little about American
birds or their eggs that I took no eggs except when I could authen-
ticate them by procuring the female bird.

“The nest was a comparatively shght structure, rather flat in
shape, composed of small sticks and roots, lined with finer portions of
the latter. The eggs, three in number, were of a clear greenish
ground color, blotched with pale brown. They were fresh. The
nest was placed about fifteen feet from the ground, in the extreme
top of a thick willow bush. The slight cafion, with a few willow
bushes in its centre bordering a small stream, lies in the midst of
very dense pine timber, at an altitude of about 7,000 feet, as far as I
can judge.”

It will be noticed that. the foregoing took place in 1884, but it
was not published till 1888. In 1887, Mr. W. E. Bryant found a
nest, of which he published an account in the “ Bull. Cal. Acad. Sci.”
for that year. Thus, though Mr. Swinbourne was the first to find
and identify the nest and eggs, Mr. Bryant’s account of the one he
found was first published.

The history of the species in Ontario remained as given above until
December 19th, 1890, when a boy brought me a pair which he said
he had shot from a flock he saw near the shore of Hamilton Bay.
He described where he had found them, and I knew at once that it
was a most likely place for the birds to be—the rough, steep bank of
the bay, grown up with red cedars, close to the Roman Catholic
cemetery, where many of the same trees were cultivated for orna-
ment. In the afternoon K. C. MeIlwraith visited the locality, and
found a small flock feeding on the berries of the red cedar.

Sunday intervened, but on Monday I was there and was delighted
to see a flock of twenty-five or thirty quite at home on the bank,

EVENING GROSBEAK. 293

some feeding and talking quietly to their companions, while others
were down on the sandy shore, pecking gravel or dabbling themselves
in the water. It was a clear, bright day, and they made a picture I
would have travelled many miles to see; but there they were within a
mile of my own residence, and my visit to them was repeated every
day for over a month. I thought at first that the original flock had
remained, but soon found that an easterly migration was going on,
and that as one flock left another arrived, so that some were always
present when the locality was visited, within the period named.

During February, few, if any, were observed here. In March, the
return trip commenced, but was in all respects different from the
easterly one. The birds were then fewer in number, and all seemed
excited and desirous to go west with the least possible delay. Their
food in this locality was pretty well exhausted, and they took any
apples that still remained on the trees, using the seeds only. Small
groups of four or five were seen going west till the middle of April,
1890, but since that time not one has been observed in this neigh-
borhood.

The home of the Evening Grosbeak is in the coniferous forests of
the North-West, though it has been found among the mountain tops
as far south as Mexico. The first record we have of its capture is
that of a specimen taken by Schoolcraft, in 1825, near Sault Ste.
Marie. So much of its time is spent beyond the limits of civilization,
that even now we are but little acquainted with its life history. It
is known to be migratory, its usual route to the south being along
the line of the Mississippi, but it is very irregular, often appearing at
certain points one season where it may not again be seen for several
years. Single birds and small groups have been observed in Canada
for some years past, but never has it been known to make such an
invasion as it did during the winter of 1889-90, already referred to.
It is at all times difficult to account for the seeming irregularities
which occasionally occur in the movements of the birds. The first
flocks which start on the migratory journey take a course that
the others usually follow, and if we knew just where the start was
made, and under what circumstances, we might possibly be able to
explain why the Grosbeaks came so far east of their usual limit as
on the occasion mentioned.

It is quite possible that a strong west wind caused the leaders to
diverge from their usual course till they found themselves east of
Lake Superior, which they would not cross, but kept on along the
eastern shore of Lake Huron till about opposite Detroit, where they

294 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

took a turn due east towards the west end of Lake Ontario. I first
heard of them from near Chatham; then near London, and a few
days later they appeared at Hamilton. Here the flock divided, some
taking the south shore and others keeping close by the north, still
moving eastward. They were observed at all points along the lake
and the St. Lawrence River, to Montreal, a few even going as far
east as Quebec. North of this point they did not seem to wander,
as Mr. Goldie saw none at Guelph, neither did Mr. White observe
them at Ottawa.

On the south side of the lake, Dr. Macallum saw them at Dunn-
ville, and they were also common around Niagara Falls, at Buffalo,
Oswego and other points, till, finally, Mr. Brewster told us in orest
and Stream that they had arrived at Eastern New Hampshire and
Massachusetts.

Soon the return trip commenced, and again they were noticed as
strangers at many different points on their route. They were greatly
admired wherever they appeared, and many a wish was expressed
that they might remain over the summer, but we have not heard of
a single instance in which the wish was gratified. All that were
left of them returned to the North-West.

Genus PINICOLA VIEILLOT.

PINICOLA ENUCLEATOR (Liny.).

211. Pine Grosbeak, (515)

Male :-—Carmine red, paler or whitish on the belly, darker and streaked
with dusky on the back ; wings and tail dusky, much edged with white, the
former with two white bars. Female :—Ashy-gray, paler below, marked with
brownish-yellow on the head and rump. Length, 8-9; wing, 44; tail, 4.

Has.—Northern portions of the northern hemisphere, breeding far north, in
winter, south, in North America, irregularly to the Northern United States.
South in the Rocky Mountains to Colorado, and in the Sierra Nevada to
California.

Nest, in a bush, four feet from the ground, composed entirely of coarse

green moss.
Eggs, four, slate color, tinged with green, spotted and clouded with brown

and purple.

In Southern Ontario the Pine Grosbeak is an irregular winter
visitor, sometimes appearing in large flocks and again being entirely
absent for several years in succession. During the winter of 1882-83,
and also of 1883-84, they were quite common, and were observed
throughout the country, wherever their favorite red cedar or moun-
tain ash berries were to be found, but since that time not one has
been seen. They are fine, robust birds of a most sociable, gentle
disposition. I have often watched them feeding in flocks, sometimes

296 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

in places where food was not over abundant, but never noticed a
quarrel among them, all being willing to share alike.

Very many of the individuals which visit us are females, or young
males, clad in a uniform of smoky-gray, more or less tinged with
greenish-yellow, but in every flock of twenty or. thirty there are two
or three adult males in the showy crimson dress, which, when seen
with a background of the sombre foliage of the Norway spruce, forms.
a most attractive object at this season of the year when the tide of
bird-life is at 1ts lowest ebb.

Our knowledge of the breeding habits of this species is as yet
very imperfect, the description given of the nest and eggs being
that of a swpposed Grosbeak’s nest which was found in Maine by
Mr. Boardman, but the birds to which the nest belonged were not
secured.

Mr. Trippe found them in Colorado in summer, living up near the
timber line, and observed young birds fully feathered and shifting
tor themselves in June, which gives the impression that they must
breed very early. I think it highly probable that they may yet be
found breeding in Northern Ontario, for on the occasions already
referred to they appeared early in January, and remained as late
as April, so that they would not have time to travel far before
engaging in their domestic duties.

They are reported as common winter visitors in Manitoba, while
in Alaska Mr. Nelson says that ‘‘along the entire west and north-
west coast of America, from Vancouver Island north to within the
Arctic circle, these birds occur in greater or less abundance. I have
frequently passed a pleasant half-hour on the wintry banks of the
Yukon while making a mid-day halt and waiting for the natives to
melt the snow for our tea, listening to the chirping and fluttering
of these birds as they came trooping along the snow-laden woods in
small parties. They withstand the severest cold in these forests,
even within the Arctic circle, and appear to be about equally
distributed throughout the wooded region.”

PURPLE FINCH. 297

Grenus CARPODACUS Kaup.
CARPODACUS PURPUREUS (Gmzz.).

212. Purple Finch. (517)

Male:
to white on the belly, mixed with dusky streaks on the back ; wings and tail,
dusky, with reddish edgings, and the wing coverts tipped with the same ;
lores: and feathers all round the base of the bill, hoary. Female and young
with no red ; olivaceous-brown, brighter on the rump, the feathers above all
with paler edges, producing a streaked appearance ; below, white, thickly
spotted and streaked with olive-brown, except on the middle of the belly and
under tail coverts ; obseure whitish superciliary and maxillary lines. Young

Crimson, rosy or purplish-red, most intense on the crown, fading

males show every gradation between these extremes in gradually assuming
the male plumage, and are frequently brownish-yellow or bronzy below.
Length, 53-64; wing, 3-34; tail, 24-24.

Has.—Eastern North America, from the Atlantic coast to the Plains.
Breeds from the Middle States northward.

Nest, usually but not always in an evergreen, composed of weeds, grass,
strips of bark, vegetable fibre, etc., lined with hair.

Eggs, four or five, pale green, scrawled and spotted with dark brown and
lilac, chiefly toward the larger end.

In Southern Ontario the Purple Finch is most abundant during
the month of May. At this season the few which have remained
with us during the winter put on their brightest dress, and being
joined by others which are daily arriving from the south, they make
the orchards for a time quite lively with their sprightly song. Their
presence, however, could well be dispensed with, for they are observed
at this time to be very destructive to the buds and blossoms of fruit
trees. As the season advances, they become generally distributed
over the country and are not so often seen.

The male does not acquire the bright crimson dress till after the
second season. The young male, in the garb of the female, being
observed in full song has led to the belief that both sexes sing alike,
but such is not the case. Crimson Finch would have been a more
appropriate name for this bird than Purple Finch, for the color is
certainly more crimson than purple.

It breeds sparingly in Southern Ontario, but many go farther
north. It is common during summer in Manitoba, beyond which
I have not heard of it having been observed. It remains quite
late in the fall; and, occasionally, I have seen stragglers in the
depth of winter. In Ontario the species can at no time be said to
be abundant.

298 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

In the proceedings of the Ornithological Sub-section of the Cana-
dian Institute is an account of an interesting hybrid in which this
species is concerned.

Mr. Wm. Cross says regarding it: ‘On January 22nd, 1890, a
small-sized Finch, which was taken from a flock of Pine Grosbeaks,
was brought into my store. As the bird was new to me, I had it
submitted to J. A. Allen, who said: ‘It is clearly a hybrid between
the common Purple Finch and the Pine Grosbeak. It is certainly a
most interesting capture, combining about equally the characteristics
of both. It is just half-way between them in size and very nearly
so in all other features.’ ”

Genus LOXIA Linnzus.
LOXIA CURVIROSTRA MINOR (Breum).

213. American Crossbill. (521)

Male :—Bricky-red ; wings, blackish, unmarked. Female :—Brownish-olive,
streaked and speckled with dusky, the rump saffron. Immature males mottled
with greenish and greenish-yellow. Length, about 6 ; wing, 33 ; tail, 24.

Hazs.—Northern North America, resident sparingly south in the Hastern
United States to Maryland and Tennessee, and in the Alleghanies, irregularly
abundant in winter ; resident south in the Rocky Mountains to Colorado.

Nest, among the twigs of a spruce, composed of twigs, rootlets, lichens,
etc., lined with hair and feathers.

Eggs, three or four, pale green, spotted toward the larger end with brown-
purple and lilac or brown.

Throughout Ontario the Crossbills are very erratic in their move-
ments, sometimes appearing unexpectedly in considerable numbers

z,

WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL. 299

in sections of the country where, for several preceding years, they
have been entirely absent. Their time of nesting is also unusual,
the duties of incubation being performed while the ground is still
covered with snow. Hence the young, being soon set at liberty, are
often seen in flocks quite early in summer, and sometimes in the fall
we hear their rattling call, and see them descend from the upper air
to visit a patch of sunflowers, on the seeds of which they feast with
evident relish. Early in spring, when food is less abundant, I have
seen them alight on the ground and dig the seeds from a squash
which had been left out during the winter.

Their favorite resorts, however, are the spruce and hemlock trees,
whose dark green foliage forms a fine back-ground for the rich red
color of the male as he swings about in every possible position,
searching for food among the cones at the end of the slender
branches.

They are chiefly found east of the Plains, but north and south
they are widely distributed, there being records of their nesting at
various points from Northern Georgia to Alaska. Jn Southern
Ontario they occur chiefly as winter visitants.

LOXIA LEUCOPTERA Gmet.

214. White-winged Crossbill. (522)

Wings in both sexes, with two conspicuous white bars. MWa/e -—Rosy-red.
Female :—Brownish-olive, streaked and speckled with dusky, the rump saffron,
Length, about 6; wing, 33; tail, 24.

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

Nest, similar to the preceding species.

Eggs, three or four, pale blue, dotted toward the larger end with lilac and
purple.

This species resembles the preceding in its habits, but does not
appear in such large numbers. They visit the same localities, some-
times in company, sometimes in separate flocks. Both are quite
unsuspicious, and when eagerly searching’ for food among the pine
cones, they admit of a very near approach without taking alarm.
They vary much in plumage with age and sex, but the present species

-can at all times be identified by the white wing-bars.

It seems to be more northern in its habitat than the Red Crossbill.

300 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

In the “Birds of Alaska,” Mr. Nelson says: “ Although the Red
Crossbill in the northern portion of the territory occurs only as an
exceedingly rare visitant, the present species is found in the greatest
abundance wherever there are trees enough to afford it shelter. It is
in even greater numbers than the Pine Grosbeak, sharing its range
with that species.” It has also been found occasionally in Greenland,
and is often taken on board of ships in the North Atlantic, far
from land.

ACANTHIS HORNEMANNITI.

215. Greenland Redpoll. (527)

Bill, regularly conic, only moderately compressed and acute, as high as
long at the base; color, black or yellow according to the season ; frontlet,
black, overlaid with hoary, a recognizable light superciliary stripe reaching to
the bill ; crimson cap over nearly all the crown; upper parts, streaked with
brownish-black and white, the latter edging and tipping the feathers, this
white nearly pure, only slightly flaxen on the sides of the head and neck ;
wings and tail, as in the other species; rump and entire under parts, from the
sooty throat, white, free from spots; the rump and breast, rosy. Length, 6;
wing, 3.30; tail, 2.80.

Has.—Greenland and North-eastern North America, south irregularly in
winter to New England, New York and Northern Illinois.

About the year 1863, a friend who used to join me in some of my
local collecting trips was in the town of Galt, and seeing a small
flock of large light-colored Redpolls, secured two of the lot and sent
them to me in the flesh. I have neither before nor since met with
any so large and hoary. One of them which I still have, mounted,
seems to answer to the above description, but the country from
which the Redpolls come is large enough to produce varying forms
from different latitudes, and I think it is open to question whether or
not it is wise to divide them into so many species.

Genus ACANTHIS Becusrern.

ACANTHIS HORNEMANNIT EXILIPES (Covss).

216. Hoary Redpoll. (527)

Colors pale, the flaxen of /inavia bleaching to whitish ; rump, white or
rosy, entirely unstreaked in the adults; breast, pale rosy, and streaks on the
sides small and sparse ; bill, very small with heavy plumules ; feet, small, the
middle toe and claw hardly equal to the tarsus. Length, 5.50; extent, 9;
wing, 3; tail, 2.50.

Has.—Arctic America and North-eastern Asia.

Nest, somewhat bulky for the size of the bird, built of small twigs and grass,
lined with fine grass and feathers. ,

Eggs, two to five, pale bluish-green, speckled toward the larger end with
reddish-brown.

So few Redpolls are taken from the vast flocks which in some
winters visit us from the north, that it is unsafe to say how rare or
common any particular species may be. I have, however, observed a
good many in different winters during the last thirty years, and
have only seen one of this species. It was killed by K. C. McIlwraith
at Hamilton Beach, on the 6th of April, 1885, and on being picked
up at once elicited the exclamations which follow the capture of a
rare bird. It was a male in fine plumage, the feathers being full
and soft, and beautifully tinted with the rosy color peculiar to the
race,

This species is said to inhabit the whole of boreal America, but

302 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

has seldom been found as far south as even the northern tier of
States. ;

Regarding this species, Mr. Nelson says in the ‘“‘ Birds of Alaska ”:
“This is the prevailing species of the genus throughout Northern
Alaska, where it occurs in great numbers. Its habits and range are
shared by the Common Redpoll, and the two are almost indistinguish-
able, excepting for the differences in coloration. Their notes, nesting
sites, nests and eggs are indistinguishable.

“Both forms are summer and winter residents, making a partial
migration into the interior during the severe weather of winter. The
series obtained by me contains both forms from various points along
the Yukon from the sea to the British boundary line. They are
usually found in parties of varying size comprising both forms,
although owing to the greater abundance of exilipes, parties com-
posed wholly of it are found at times.

“Tt is common on the Commander Islands in limited numbers
during the winter.”

ACANTHIS LINARIA (Liny.).

217. Redpoll. (528)

Upper parts, streaked with dusky and flaxen in about equal amounts ; rump,
white or rosy, streaked with dusky ; below, streaked on the sides ; belly, dull
white ; bill, mostly yellow; feet, blackish. Length, 53-53; wing, 22-3; tail,
21.91
24-91. .

Haxs.—Northern portions of northern hemisphere, south irregularly in
winter, in North America, to the Middle United States (Washington, D.C.,
Kansas, South-eastern Oregon).

Nest, in a low tree or bush, composed of grass and moss, lined with plant
down or feathers.

Kggs, four or five, pale bluish-white, speckled with reddish-brown,

. HOLB@LL’S REDPOLL. 303.

Like on other winter birds, the Redpolls are somewhat irregular
in their visits, but are more frequently seen than either the Gros-
beaks or Crossbills. Sometimes they appear in October and remain
till late in March, while in other seasons only an occasional roving
flock is seen during the winter, and again they are entirely absent.
They are hardy, active little birds, and must consume a large quantity
of seeds, which can well be spared from the weedy places the birds
frequent.

Before leaving in ‘spring, the breast of the male assumes a soft
rosy tint, which adds greatly to his beauty when seen among the
snow.

This is another of our winter visitors whose home is in the far
north. Mr. Nelson says regarding it: ‘“‘This species is found in
Alaska in smaller numbers than the preceding. On the south-eastern
coast of the territory, including the Kadiak and Sitkan region, the
present bird is found to the exclusion of the other, as also to the
south along the coast to Washington Territory and British Columbia,
where Mr. Lord found it resident.”

ACANTHIS LINARIA HOLBCELLIT (Brexm).

218. Holbeell’s Redpoll. ((528q)

Like linaria. Length, 6; wing, 3.25; tail, 2.75; bill, longer.
Has.—Northern portions of Fortier enor near the sea coast.

I have occasionally found among the cominon Redpolls, individ-
uals of large size which answer to the description given of this
species. As they are never numerous, and have not been observed
in flocks by themselves, those we see may be stragglers from the
main body of their race, which is said to keep well up to the north
and east.

304 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Genus SPINUS Kocn. *
SPINUS TRISTIS (Lryy.).

219. American Goldfinch. (529)

Male :—In summer, rich yellow, changing to whitish on the tail coverts ; a
black patch on the crown; wings, black, more or less edged and barred with
white; lesser wing coverts, yellow; tail, black, every feather with a white
spot ; bill and feet, flesh-colored. In September the black cap disappears and
the general plumage changes to a pale flaxen-brown above and whitey-brown
below, with traces of the yellow, especially about the head ; this continues till
the following April or May. Female -—Olivaceous, including the crown ;
below, soiled yellowish ; wings and tail, dusky, whitish-edged ; young like the
Jemale. Length, about 4%; wing, 2?; tail, 2.

Haps.—Temperate North America generally, breeding southward to the
middle districts of the United States (to about the Potomac and Ohio Rivers,
Kansas and California), and wintering mostly south of the northern boundary
of the United States.

Nest, a neat, strong structure, resembling that of the Summer Yellow-bird,
composed of miscellanéous soft materials firmly felted together and lined with
plant down, usually placed in the upright fork of a tree or bush, from six to
twenty feet from the ground.

Kges, four to six, pale bluish-white, unmarked.

In Southern Ontario the Goldfinch may be considered a resident
species, for it nests throughout the country generally, and even in
the depth of winter, is often met with unexpectedly in some favored
locality where it finds food and shelter. In the severe winter of
1885-86, I came upon a colony of this kind in West Flamboro’, where
several hundreds of the birds were frequenting a grove of hemlock ;
and, judging by the amount of débris on the snow underneath, they
must have been there all winter. They were very lively, keeping
up a continual chattering as they swayed to and fro on the slender
branches, extracting the seeds from the cones. Occasionally, when
cheered by the mild rays of the wintry sun, some of the males would
come to the sunny side of the tree and warble out a few of their
varied summer notes, but they spent most of the short wintry day
in feeding and in dressing their plumage, retiring early to the thick
shelter of the evergreens.

At other seasons of the year, they frequent the cultivated fields,
orchards and gardens; and in the fall, when they are seen in greatest
numbers, they do good service in consuming the seeds of the thistle
and other noxious weeds. They are not in any great haste to begin
the duties of housekeeping, and are seen in flocks till towards the

HOUSE SPARROW. 3805

end of May. About that time they pair off, and are actively engaged
in their domestic duties till some time in August, when the males
throw off their gaudy summer dress and join with the females and
young in making up the flocks we see roving about the country in
their own wild way.

Genus PASSER (Brisson).
PASSER DOMESTICUS (Linn.).

220. House Sparrow.

Form, stout and stumpy; bill, stout, conical, bulging, longer than deep ;
upper mandible longer than the lower. Adult male :—Lores, black, a narrow ~
streak of white over each eye ; crown, nape and lower back, ash-gray ; region
of the ear coverts, chestnut-brown, streaked with black ; wings, brown, with a
bar of white on the middle coverts ; tail, dull brown; throat and breast, black,
sometimes suffused with bright chestnut checks, and sides of the neck white ;
belly, dull white ; bill, bluish-black ; legs, pale brown. Length, 6 inches ;
wing, 3 inches. In winter the colors are duller and the bill yellowish-brown.
In the /emale the upper parts are striated dusky brown; there is no black on
the throat or gray on the pate, and the under parts are brownish-white.

Has.—From the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi and from New Orleans to
Saulte Ste. Marie ; many isolated colonies elsewhere throughout the country,
some of which have originated by the birds being brought from a distance
through being accidentally closed in empty grain cars.

Nest, about houses, under projecting cornices or in crevices in outhouses,
also in trees ; large and clumsy outside, but deep and warmly lined with hair,
feathers and other soft material.

Eggs, varying in number from six to nine, soiled white, speckled with
brown. ‘

The name English Sparrow is a misnomer as applied to this bird,
for it is no more English than it is Scotch, Irish, French, or German.
House Sparrow is the name it has gone by in Europe, whence it
came, and it was no doubt bestowed on account of its persistent habit
of nesting about dwelling-houses wherever it occurs.

Throughout Europe, in former years, when very many of the
houses were covered with thatch, the constant habit of the sparrows
was to pull out as much of the thatch as made a hole big enough
for them to build their nest in. This, of course, led to leaky roofs;
and the result was a constant warfare between the outer and inner
tenants, in which the former usually gained their object. Sometimes

there would only be one ladder in a large district, and it could not
20

306 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

always be borrowed conveniently to stop the sparrow holes. In
other cases, when a building bore a financial burden and repairs of
any kind received but little attention, I have seen as many as twenty
pairs of sparrows with their nests among the thatch of one roof.

In America the bird was unknown till 1850, when the Directors
of the Brooklyn Institute imported eight pairs into Brooklyn, N.Y.

This lot did not thrive, and in 1852, a much larger consignment
was brought from England by the same parties. These were kept
in confinement over the winter, and in the spring of 1853 they were
all let loose in the grounds of Greenwood Cemetery, where they
did well and multiplied rapidly. There seems to have been a wild
craze on this subject just then, for many other shipments were made
by individuals in different parts of the country, all of which have
no doubt helped to swell the grand army which is now looked upon
as a scourge to the agriculturists, and one which is entirely beyond
control.

It was, I think, in 1875 that the first sparrows were observed on
the streets in Hamilton. The fact was made known to the City
Council, who, being always ready to encourage desirable settlers, at
once provided a handsome, commodious house for them in the Gore
Park, and arrangements were made to have them regularly fed and
made as comfortable as possible. But the sparrows, unused to so
much kindness, seemed afraid that there was some trap about the
house, or poison in the food, and betook themselves to the roadtracks
for food, and found nesting-places of their own choice. They
increased so rapidly in numbers that the house was taken down, and
the birds were allowed to shift for themselves.

My own experience with these birds was similar to that of others,
but may here be repeated as illustrating their introduction to the
country. It was in the summer of 1874 that I first noticed a pair of
these birds about the out-houses, and in a few days they became
quite familiar, having evidently made up their minds to stay with us.
IT made them welcome for old acquaintance’ sake, and thinking they
would make good settlers, was about to put up a house for them ;
but before my well-meant intentions were carried out, it became
apparent that they were providing for themselves in a manner quite
characteristic.

On a peak of the stable was a box occupied by a pair of swallows,
who were at that time engaged in rearing their young, and of this
box the sparrows seemed determined to get possession. The swallows
resisted their attacks with great spirit, and their outcries bringing a

7

HOUSE SPARROW. 307

host of friends to their assistance, the intruders were for a time
driven off, but only to return again with renewed energy and perse-
verance. The swallows were now sorely beset, for one had to remain
on guard while the other went in search of supplies. Still they
managed to hold the fort till the enemy, watching his opportunity,
made a, strategic movement from the rear and darted into the box
more quickly than I can tell it. He emerged with a callow swallow
hanging by the nape of the neck in his bill, and dropped it on the
ground below. Another soon followed, amid the distressing cries of
the swallows, who, seeing their hopes so completely blighted, sat
mute and mournful on the ridge of the house for a short time, and
then went away from the place, leaving the sparrows in undisputed
possession of the box. There they remained and raised some young
ones during the summer.

In the spring of the following year the numbers had increased,
and they began to roost under the veranda around the house, which
brought frequent complaints from the sanitary department, and a
protest was made against their being allowed to remain there at all.
Still, in view of the prospective riddance of insect pests from the
garden, matters were arranged with the least possible disturbance to
the birds, and we even stood by and saw them dislodge a pair of
house wrens who had for years been in possession of a box fixed for
them in an apple tree in the garden. So the second year wore on,
no further notice being taken of the sparrows except that they were
getting more numerous.

T had missed the sprightly song and lively manners of the wrens,
and in the spring when they came round again seeking admission to
their old home, I killed the sparrows, which were in possession, in
order to give the wrens a chance, and they at once took advantage
of it and commenced to carry up sticks in their usual industrious
manner. They had enjoyed possession only for two days, however,
when they were again dislodged. Again the intruders were killed
off, and domestic felicity reigned for three days, when a third pair
of sparrows came along bent on the same object, and, if possible,
more overbearing and determined than their predecessors. This
time I thought of a different mode of accomplishing the object in
view, and, taking down the box at night, nailed a shingle over the
end and worked it flush around the edges. With a centre-bit I then
pierced a hole just large enough to admit the wrens, but too small
for the sparrows, and put the box back into its place. Early in the
morning the assault was renewed, but the wrens found at once that

308 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

they were masters of the situation, and never were two birds more
delighted. From his perch aloft, the male poured forth torrents of
scorn and ridicule, while the female inside the box fairly danced
with delight, and I almost fancied was making faces at their enemy,
as he struggled ineffectually to gain admission, or sullenly, but fruit-
lessly, tried to widen the aperture.

Shortly after this dispute was settled, I noticed ten or twelve
sparrows quietly at work at the grape vines, and feeling pleased at
the havoc they were apparently making among the insects, passed
on, speculating mentally on the probable increase of fruit I should
have. In the afternoon they had moved to another trellis, and I
thought, ‘“ Well, they are doing the work systematically, and no
doubt effectually.” But shortly afterwards, while passing the trellis
where they commenced, I observed a slight débris of greenery alone
under the vines. This led to an examination which showed, to my
intense mortification, that the heart had been eaten out of every
fruit bud where the birds had been, and nothing left but the outside
leaves. The report of firearms was heard several times in the garden
that afternoon ; many dead and wounded sparrows were left to the
care of the cats, and every crevice where the birds were known to
breed was at once closed up.

Since then the wrens have kept possession of their box, and with
a little attention I can keep the sparrows out of the garden, for they
find plenty of provender round the stables ; but they are still on the
increase, and if this continues in the future, as in the past, the time
is not far distant when the streets and stable-yards will not furnish
food enough for the increased numbers, and there is no doubt that
then they will betake themselves to the fields and gardens and take
whatever suits them. This is the serious view of the subject which
has called for legislation in other countries, and may do so here
unless some unexpected check arises to prevent the necessity for it.

In the meantime it is well that all parties who have the oppor-
tunity should take notes of the movements and increase of the birds
for future consideration.

Since the above was written, more accounts have been published
about this Sparrow than there ever have been about any American
bird. Articles without number have appeared in the different maga-
zines, pointing out the folly of our having imported a bird whose
character as a plague and a pest was established in the countries
whence he was brought. Sparrow Clubs have been organized for their
extinction, bounties have been offered and paid in ‘different States

PINE SISKIN. 309

for their heads, traps have been advertised warranted to catch them
by the hundred, poison has been recommended and used for their
destruction, and at all agricultural meetings it has been voted that
the sparrow “must go.” But he has not gone yet, except in small
colonies to occupy new territory, and he is on the increase wherever
established.

The Department of Agriculture at Washington has issued a most
exhaustive report of over 400 pages, giving the most ample and
circumstantial details of the history and habits of the bird in this
and other countries, all tending to show the injury it causes to agri-
culture in all its branches, and how much would be saved by our
being rid of it; but, taking my eyes from the report and looking at
the birds outside my window, there is something in their manner
which tells me they are here to stay, and we may as well make up
our minds to it. We have recently had occasion to change our ideas
regarding our relation to the hawks and owls, who, from being
looked upon as enemies, are now, with one or two exceptions»
believed to be our best friends.

Some such change may yet take place in our feelings toward the
Sparrow, but at present I see no indications of it.

SPINUS PINUS (WILs.).

221. Pine Siskin. (533)

Bill, extremely acute ; continuously streaked above with dusky and
olivaceous-brown or flaxen ; below, with dusky and whitish, the whole plumage
in the breeding season more or less suffused with yellowish, particularly
bright on the rump; the bases of the quills and tail feathers extensively
sulphury-yellow, and all these feathers more or less edged externally with
yellowish. Length, 43; wing, 2? ; tail, 13.

Haxs.—North America generally, breeding mostly north of the United States
and in the Rocky Mountain region, in winter, south to the Gulf States and
Mexico.

Nest, placed high in an evergreen. It is composed of dry grass and pine
needles with a lining of feathers.

Eggs, pale greenish-blue, speckled with brown.

The Siskin, or Pine Linnet, is a more northern bird than the
Goldfinch, and as a winter visitor in Southern Ontario is sometimes
present and sometimes absent. Occasionally they appear in October
in large flocks, swarming on the rank weeds in waste places, and

310 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

hanging on the alder bushes by the banks of creeks and gullies.
They are extremely restless, and in certain districts the twittering
sound of their voices fills the air for days together, till they rise
and pass away like a cloud of smoke, perhaps to be seen no more
for the season. They are said to have been found nesting in New
York State, and also in Massachusetts, but at present I have no
record of their being found so engaged in Ontario. As the country
becomes more explored, we shall have many such items to add to
our present stock of knowledge of the birds.

\
Genus PLECTROPHENAX STEJNEGER.
PLECTROPHENAX NIVALIS (Linv.).

222. Snowflake. (534)

Bill, small, truly conic, ruffed at base ; hind claw, decidedly curved. In
breeding plumage pure white, the back, wings and tail variegated with black ;
bill and feet, black. As generally seen in Ontario, the white is clouded with
warm, clear brown, and the bill is brownish. Length, about 7; wing, 43 ;
tail, 22.

Has.—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 Hlinois and Kansas.

Nest, on the ground, composed of grass and moss, lined with feathers,
concealed by a tuft of grass or projecting ledge of rock, cavity deep, sides warm
and thick.

Eggs, four, pale greenish-white, scrawled and spotted with brown and lilac.

The Snowbirds are our most regular visitors from the north, and
they come in greater numbers than any of the other species which
descend from high latitudes to avoid the rigors of winter. As early
as the 20th of October, their tinkling, icy notes may be heard, but
more frequently the birds are first observed later in the season,
driving with wild eccentric flight before the earliest flurry of snow,
By the shores of the lakes, on bare sandy spots, thinly grown over
with the Andropogon scoparius, on the seeds of which they freely
feed, they may be found with tolerable certainty any time between
the end of October and the first of April. Elsewhere throughout
the country, they are frequently seen by the roadsides, examining the
tall weeds which appear in waste places above the snow, or running
in the road tracks searching hurriedly for their scanty fare. They

SNOWFLAKE. Slik

are exceedingly restless, never remaining long in one place, and even
when feeding, the flock will often arise without apparent cause of
alarm and go off as if never to return, but not unfrequently they
come swirling back and alight on the spot from which they have just
' arisen. There are one or two instances on record of their nestg
and eggs having been found among the highest mountain peaks in
Massachusetts, but their breeding ground is within the Arctic
circle, from which they descend over the northern portions of both
continents, enlivening many a dreary region with their sprightly
presence during the dull days of winter, till reminded by the
lengthening days and rising temperature to return again to their
northern home.

All our Canadian boys and girls are familiar with the Snowbird,
which is frequently the only one they see when out for the first
sleigh ride of the season, and often have I been interrogated as to
where the birds go when they leave us in spring and where they
have their nests. With the view of satisfying my juvenile readers
on these points, I shall here make a short extract from Mr. Nelson’s
most interesting work on the ‘ Birds of Alaska,” which tells how he
found them in that distant and dreary country :

“The Snowflake is a well-known summer bird in all the cireum-
polar regions, and none of the various Arctic expeditions have
extended their explorations beyond the points where this handsome
species is found. About Plover Bay, on the high mountains rising
abruptly from the water, I found it common and breeding the
last of June, 1881, and on June 24th, the same season, it was also
found in fine breeding plumage at the south-west cape of St. Law-
rence Island, where we landed from the ‘‘Corwin.” At the base of
this bluff were the ruined huts of the famine-stricken Eskimo, and
the steep hill-side was studded with the glistening skulls of the
victims. Every large depression held a heavy snow-bank, and the
tops of the hills were gray with masses of lichen-colored rocks or a
stunted vegetation.

“On the summit overlooking the desolate scene were two walrus-
hide huts, sheltering a few survivors of a village which contained
nearly 200 inhabitants a little over a year before. As we made our
way up to these huts, we were greeted by the hard, rattling chirr of
several Snow Buntings as they flew from place to place before us.

“Their note was different from any I ever heard them utter
during their winter visit to the south, and was one of protest or
alarm, as shown by the uneasiness of the birds as they flitted over-

312 BIRDS OF ONTARIO,

head. We suspected they were nesting from their movements, and
asked three or four native children, who ran to meet us, if they
knew where the birds had their eggs. In an instant a broad smile
illuminated each grimy countenance, and away they scampered, each
eager to be the first to reach the spot and gain the prize.

“ Just back of the huts, about 100 yards distant on the hill-side,
and sheltered by a slight tussock, was placed a warm closely-made
structure of fine grass stems, interwoven throughout with feathers
and the cottony seed-tops of plants. The central depression was
built’ uniformly like the rest of the nest, and the entire structure
measured 21 inches high by 4} inches across the top, and 2} inches
across the central depression, which latter was 1} inches deep and
contained one fresh egg.

““The nest was taken and the female shot as she hovered restlessly
about, uttering her sharp chirring note.

“As we returned slowly to the shore, the male flew about us
continually, uttering a loud plaintive call note, the entire time of
our stay in the neighborhood. It exhibited the greatest distress,
and appeared to be perfectly aware that we had the female in our
possession, for the vicinity of the rifled nest was deserted, and it
followed us over 100 yards, circling about and keeping close by,
perfectly regardless of any danger to itself.”

GreNus CALCARIUS BecusrTe..

CALCARIUS LAPPONICUS (linn.).

223. Lapland Longspur. (536)

Bill, moderate, unrufted, but with a little tuft of feathers at the base of
the rictus ; hind claw, straightish, with its digit longer than the middle toe
and claw. Adu/t male:—Whole head and throat, jet black, bordered with
buffy or whitish, which forms a postocular line, separating the black of the
crown from that of the sides of the head; a broad chestnut cervical collar ;
upper parts in general, blackish, streaked with buffy or whitish that edges all
the feathers; below, whitish, the breast and sides black streaked ; wings,
dusky, the greater coverts and inner secondaries edged with dull bay ; tail,
dusky, with an oblique white area on the outer feathers ; bill, yellowish,
tipped with black ; legs and feet, black. Winter males show less black on the
head, and the cervical chestnut duller; the female and young have no continuous
black on the head, and the crown is streaked like the back, and there are traces
of the cervical collar. Length, 6-63; wing, 34-34; tail, 24-23.

Haz.—Northern portions of the northern hemisphere, ie eeding far north ;
in North America south, in winter, to the Northern United States, irregularly
to the Middle States, accidentally to South Carolina, and abundantly in the
interior to Kansas and Colorado.

314 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Nest, under a tussock of grass, built of moss and fine dried grass, lined with
a few feathers.

Eggs, four or five, greenish-gray, which color is nearly obscured by a heavy
mottling of chocolate-brown.

Like the Snowflake, the present species is common to both con-
tinents. They come and go together and keep company while here ;
but at all times the Snowflakes far exceed the others in numbers.

The male Longspur, in full breeding plumage, is a very handsome
bird. It is seldom found in Ontario in this dress, but some years
ago, two young men who were collecting at Mitchell’s Bay, met with
quite a large flick in the month of May, and got some very fine
specimens, several of which came into my possession. All those I
have met with have been in winter dress, in which state the colors
are obscured by the black feathers of the head and breast being
tipped with yellowish-gray.

Here again we have pleasure in taking a summer chapter from
the life of this interesting bird as observed in Alaska. ‘‘ Like the
preceding species, the Lapland Longspur is a widely-spread cireum-
polar bird, whose presence is recorded from nearly every point visited
by the explorers along the shores of the Arctic coast. It is found
breeding in Iceland, Greenland, and on nearly all those islands lying
in the icy sea just north of the continental mainlands. In the
territory covered by the present paper, it is an extremely abundant
and familiar bird, found, perhaps, more numerously upon the main-
land, but also known from the various islands of Behring Sea.
Regarding its presence on the Seal Islands, Elliott tells us: ‘This
bird is the vocalist par excellence of the Pribilov group, singing all
through the month of June in the most exquisite manner, rising
high in the air and hovering on fluttering wings above its sitting

fo)

mate. The song is so sweet that it is always too short.’ ”

GENUS POOCASTES Batrrp.
’ POOCATES GRAMINEUS (GMEL.).

224. Vesper Sparrow. (540)

Thickly streaked everywhere above, on sides and across breast ; o yellow
anywhere ; lesser wing coverts, chestnut, and one to three outer pairs of tail
feathers partly or wholly white; above, grayish-brown, the streaking dusky and
brown with grayish-white ; below, white, usually buffy-tinged, the streaks very

SAVANNA SPARROW. 315.

numerous on the fore part and sides; wing coverts and inner quills much
edged and tipped with bay ; crown, like back, without median stripe ; line over
and ring round eye, whitish; feet, pale. Length, 53-6}; wing, 27-31; tail,
24-28.

Hapz.—Eastern North America to the Plains, from Nova Scotia and Ontario
southward, breeds from Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri northward.

Nest, a deep cup-shaped hollow in the ground, lined with grass and hair.

Eggs, four, grayish-white, heavily clouded with chocolate-brown.

This is one of the “Gray Birds,” and the most abundant in
Ontario of the several species to which this name is applied.

Its song is very sweet and plaintive, and being most frequently
uttered in the evening about sundown, it has gained for the bird the
appropriate name of Vesper Sparrow.

It is a summer resident, arriving in Southern Ontario toward the
end of April, and soon becoming common all over the country. It
does not penetrate far north in the Province, and in Manitoba it is
replaced by the Western Vesper Sparrow, a pale gray form peculiar
to the prairies.

The favorite perch of the male is the top of a fence post, and his
nesting place among the grass close by. In the fall the birds get to
be abundant before leaving, but from their habit of skulking among
the rank weeds, they are not so conspicuous as the blackbirds and
other species which keep in flocks on the wing. They move to the
south in October, none having been observed during the winter.

Genus AMMODRAMUS Swaltrnson.
Suspcenus PASSERCULUS Bonaparte.
AMMODRAMUS SANDWICHENSIS SAVANNA (Wits).

225. Savanna Sparrow. (542)

Above, brownish-gray, streaked with blackish, whitish-gray and _ pale
bay, the streaks largest on the inner scapulars, smallest on the cervix, the
crown divided by an obscure whitish line ; superciliary line and edge of wing,
yellowish ; sometimes an obscure yellowish suffusion about the head ; below,
white, pure or with faint buffy shade, thickly streaked with dusky, the
individual spots edged with brown, mostly arrow-shaped, running in chains
along the sides, and often aggregated in an obscure blotch on the breast ;
wings and tail, dusky, the wing coverts and inner secondaries black edged and
tipped with bay. Length, 54-52, wing, 25-23; tail, 2-24.

316 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Has.—Eastern Province of North America, breeding from the Northern
United States to Labrador and Hudson’s Bay Territory.

Nest, composed of fine withered grass placed in a deep cup-shaped hole
in the ground.

Eggs, four to six, ground color grayish, heavily clouded with chocolate-
brown.

These quiet, unobtrusive little sparrows may be seen and heard
in the moist meadows in spring and summer, but they are not very
plentiful anywhere.

Towards the end of August they become abundant along the
marshy shores of Hamilton Bay, where they evidently find food to
suit their taste, and they continue to enjoy it until reminded by
the cool nights in September that it is time to be off to the south.
The specimens secured at this season are evidently northern-bred
birds, being more fully developed in size and markings than those
which breed with us. Often when picking one up, I faney I have
got the Ipswich Sparrow, but so far have not succeeded in doing so.
T still think the latter species will be found near Hamilton, for there
are several suitable resorts for it which will in future be carefully
watched at the proper season. |

The Savanna is chiefly an eastern species, going as far north as
Labrador and Hudson Bay. In the North-West, it is replaced by
the Western Savanna Sparrow, which differs from the present species
in having the pale gray colors peculiar to the birds of the prairies.

Suscenus COTURNICULUS Bonaparte.
AMMODRAMUS SAVANNARUM PASSERINUS (Wizts.).

226. Grasshopper Sparrow, (546)

Edge of wing, conspicuously yellow ; lesser wing coverts and short line over
the eye, yellowish ; below, not or not evidently streaked, but fore parts and
sides buff, fading to dull white on the belly ; above, singularly variegated with
black, gray, yellowish-brown, and a peculiar purplish bay in short streaks and
specks, the crown being nearly black, with a sharp median brownish-yellow
line, the middle of the back chiefly black, with bay and brownish-yellow
edgings of the feathers, the cervical region and rump chiefly gray, mixed with
bay; wing coverts and inner quills, variegated like the back; feet, pale.
Young :—Similar, not so buffy below, and with pectoral and maxillary dusky
spots. Length, 4£-54+; wing, 24; tail, 2 or less, the outstretched feet reaching
to or beyond its end.

LARK SPARROW. ol7

Has.—EKastern United States and Southern Canada to the Plains, south
to Florida, Cuba, Porto Rico and coast of Central America.
_ Nest, a cup-shaped hole in the earth, lined with dry grass.
Kggs, four or tive, crystal-white, speckled with reddish-brown.

So far as at present known, the Grasshopper Sparrow is of very
rare occurrence in Ontario, the southern border seeming to be the
northern limit of its distribution.

Many years ago I killed a male, who was squeezing out his
wheezy notes from the top of a mullein stalk. Mr. Saunders men-
tions having taken one near London, but these two cases complete
the record for Ontario.

It is named among the birds found in the North-West by Prof.
Macoun, but is not found in Mr. Thompson’s list of the “ Birds of
Western Manitoba.” It is much given to concealing itself among the
rank herbage, and may in some localities be a rare summer resident
in Southern Ontario, but I do not expect to see it here, except as
a casual visitor.

Genus CHONDESTES Swainson.
CHONDESTES GRAMMACUS (Say.).

227. Lark Sparrow. (552)

Head, curiously variegated with chestnut, black and white; crown, chestnut,
blackening on the forehead, divided by a median stripe and bounded by two
lateral stripes of white; a black line through and another below the eye,
enclosing a white streak under the eye and the chestnut auriculars ; next, a
sharp black maxillary stripe, not quite reaching the bill, cutting off a white
stripe from the white chin and throat; a black blotch on middle of breast ;
under parts, white, faintly shaded with grayish-brown ; upper parts, grayish-
brown; the middle of the back with fine black streaks ; central tail feathers,
like the back, the rest jet black, broadly tipped with pure white in diminish-
ing amount from the lateral pair inward, and the outer web of outer pair
entirely white. Length, 64-7; wing, 34; tail, 3.

Has.—Mississippi Valley region, from Ohio, Illinois and Michigan to:
the Plains, south to Eastern Texas. Accidental near the Atlantic coast
(Massachusetts, Long Island, New Jersey and Washington, D.C.).

Nest, on the ground, composed of dry grass.

Eggs, three to five, white, irregularly veined with dark.

In May, 1862, a pair of these birds was observed near Hamilton,
and the male was obtained and shown to me shortly afterwards.
I did not hear of the species again till the publication of the

B18 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

«<< List of Birds of Western Ontario,” in 1882, in which it is men-
tioned as “breeding, but rare.” More recently, Mr. Saunders informs
me that it breeds regularly near London. In the spring of 1885, I
saw several on the Beach near Hamilton, and it is also reported by
Mr. Thompson as having been observed near Toronto.

It is evidently, like some others, making its way into Ontario
around the west end of Lake Erie, and all lovers of birds will do
well to encourage its progress, for it is a sweet songster and a hand-
some little bird of confiding, pleasing manners.

Grnus ZONOTRICHIA Swainson.
ZONOTRICHIA LEUCOPHRYS (Forsr.).

228. White-crowned Sparrow. (554)

Adults :—Of both sexés with the crown pure white, enclosing on either side
a broad black stripe that meets its fellow on the forehead and descends the
lores to the level of the eyes, and bounded by another black stripe that starts
behind the eye and curves around the side of the hind head, nearly meeting its
fellow on the nape ; edge of under eyelid, white. Or, we may say, crown
black, enclosing a median white stripe and two lateral white stripes, all
confluent on the hind head. General color, a fine dark ash, paler below,
whitening insensibly on the chin and belly, more brownish on the rump,
changing to dull brownish on the flanks and crissum, the middle of the back
streaked with dark purplish-bay and ashy-white. No bright bay like that of
albicollis anywhere, except some edging on the wing covert and inner second-
aries; middle and greater coverts, tipped with white, forming two bars ; no
yellow anywhere ; bill and feet, reddish. Young -—Birds have the black of the
head replaced by a very rich warm brown, the white of the head by pale
brownish, and the general ash has a brownish suffusion and the back is more
like albicollis. Length, 6.25-7 ; extent, 9.20-10.20; tail, 2.90-3.20.

Has.—North America at large, breeding chiefly in the Rocky Mountain
region (including Sierra Nevada) and north-east to Labrador.

Nest, on the ground among the bushes, composed of grass and weeds,
intermixed with moss and lined with fine, hair-like grass and rootlets.

Eggs, four or five, ground color, greenish-blue, heavily clouded with choco-
late-brown. Very variable in pattern.

The White-crowned Sparrow is a more northern bird than’ its
white-throated relative, but it does not arrive so early in spring,
seldom appearing along our southern border before the first week in
May. During the two succeeding weeks, it is very common among
the brambles and thorn bushes by the wayside.

WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. 319

They travel in small companies of ten or twelve, the individuals
keeping each other in view, as they skulk from one brush pile to
another to avoid being observed. By the 25th of May they have
all gone north, apparently far north, for I have no record of their
having been found breeding in Ontario.

In the fall they are again seen on the return trip, but not in
such great numbers as in the spring, and none have been observed
to winter within our limits.

ZONOTRICHIA ALBICOLLIS (Gms z.).

229. White-throated Sparrow. (558)

Adult male:—With the crown black, divided by a median white stripe,
bounded by a white superciliary line and yellow spot from the nostril to the
eye ; below this a black stripe through the eye; below this a maxillary black
stripe bounding the indefinitely pure white throat, sharply contrasted with
the dark ash of the breast and sides of the neck and head ; edge of wing,
yellow ; back, continuously streaked with black, chestnut and fulvous-white ;
rump, ashy, unmarked ; wings, much edged with bay, the white tips of the
median and greater coverts forming two conspicuous bars; quills and _ tail
feathers, dusky, with pale edges; below, white, shaded with ashy-brown
on sides, the ash deeper and purer on the breast; bill, dark ; feet, pale.
Female :—And immature birds with the black of head replaced by brown, the
white of throat less conspicuously contrasted with the duller ash of surrounding
parts, and frequently with obscure dusky streaks on the breast and sides.
Length, 63-74 ; wings and tail, each about 3.

Haps.—Kastern North America, west to the Plains, north to Labrador and
the Fur Countries. Breeds in Northern Michigan, Northern New York and
Northern New England, and winters from the Middle States southward.

Nest, among the bushes, on or near the ground, composed of weeds, grass
and moss, lined with fibre and thread-like rootlets.

Eggs, four to six, variable in color and pattern, usually greenish-blue,
clouded and blotched with chocolate-brown.

These beautiful Sparrows make their appearance in Southern
Ontario about the 20th of April, and till the middle of May are seen
among the shrubbery and underbush, working their way in small
flocks towards their summer residence to the north of us. Great
numbers are said to go right on to the Fur Countries, but many
no doubt find suitable nesting places in the intermediate districts.
I first found them breeding near a retired pond surrounded by
tamaracks, in the township of Dumfries, about thirty miles north-

320 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

west of Hamilton. It was towards the close of a warm day in the
early part of July, and the last rays of the sun were brightening
the tops of the tamaracks, while, underneath, the still waters of the
pond, enclosed in a deep natural basin, were shrouded in gloom,
There was little to break the silence, till a bird, mounting to the
topmost twig of one of the trees, his bill pointing upward, his tail
hanging limp and motionless, and his whole attitude indicating lan-
guor and weariness, drawled out the plaintive, familiar ‘Old Tom
Peabody, Peabody.” This song harmonized so perfectly with the
surroundings that I felt at once he was at home. The hour, the
attitude, and above all the feeling of weariness expressed in the
plaintive notes of the bird, reminded me strongly at the time of the
Yellow-hammer of Britain.

Allan Brooks has also found this species breeding at Milton, a
few miles north of the west end of Lake Ontario, but such cases are
by no means common in this district. In the fall they are again
seen in limited numbers, but at that season the plumage of the male
has lost much of its brightness, and young and old, male and female,
resemble each other in appearance.

Their food, which consists chiefly of seeds, is obtained on or
near the ground. During October they are seen travelling from
one brush pile to another, and by the end of that month they are
gone for the season.

Genus SPIZELLA Bonaparte.
SPIZELLA MONTICOLA (GMEL.).

230. Tree Sparrow. (559)

Bill, black above, yellow below ; legs, brown; toes, black ; no black on
forehead ; crown, chestnut (in winter specimens the feathers usually skirted
with gray) bordered by a grayish-white superciliary and loral line, and some
vague chestnut marks on sides of head; below, impurely whitish, tinged
with ashy anteriorly, washed with pale brownish posteriorly ; the middle of
the breast with an obscure dusky blotch; middle of back boldly streaked
with black, bay and flaxen; middle and lesser wing coverts, black, edged
with bay and tipped with white, forming two conspicuous cross bars ; inner
secondaries similarly variegated ; other quills and tail feathers, dusky, with
pale edges. Length, 6; wing and tail, nearly 3.

Hazs.—Kastern North America, westward to the Plains, and from the

CHIPPING SPARROW. 321

Arctic Ocean south, in winter, to the Carolinas, Kentucky and Eastern Kansas.
Breeds north of the United States, east of the Rocky Mountains.

Nest, indifferently on the ground or in a tree or bush, composed of grass,
rootlets, mud, fine grass and hair.

Eggs, bluish-green, speckled and blotched with reddish-brown.

In Southern Ontario the Tree Sparrow is a regular winter visitor,
arriving from the north during the month of October, and remaining
over the winter in sheltered hollows or among the brush and weeds
by the banks of streams. In appearance it does not look lke a
hardy bird, but while here it is exceedingly lively and cheerful, its
silvery, tinkling notes being frequently heard during the coldest
snaps in winter. At the approach of spring all the Tree Sparrows
move off to the north, and none are observed during summer.

SPIZELLA SOCIALIS (Wits.).

231. Chipping Sparrow. (560)

Adult :—Bill, black ; feet, pale ; crown, chestnut, extreme forehead black, a
grayish-white superciliary line, below this a blackish stripe through eye and
over auriculars; below, a variable shade of pale ash, nearly uniform and
entirely unmarked ; back, streaked with black, dull bay and grayish-brown ;
inner secondaries and wing coverts, similarly variegated, the tips of the
greater and lesser coverts forming whitish bars; rump, ashy, with slight
blackish streaks ; primaries and tail dusky, the bill pale brown, and the head
lacking definite black. Length, 5-54; wing, about 22 ; tail, rather less.

Has.—EHastern North America, west to the Rocky Mountains, north to
Great Slave Lake, and south to Eastern Mexico.

Nest, in a bush or among the vines, composed of rootlets and fine grass,
lined with horse-hair.

Eggs, three or four, pale bluish-green, dotted, speckled or scrawled with
dark brown.

Prior to the advent of the House Sparrow, the Chipper was the
most familiar and best known bird around our dwellings, and though
now in the minority, it still builds its nest in the garden, and comes
familiarly near the door to pick up crumbs for the support of its
family.

It is very generally distributed over Ontario, being found near
the dwellings of rich and poor alike; in shade trees in the city as
well as in weedy corners and thorn bushes in the pasture-field.

It arrives from the south about the end of April, and at once

21

322 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

begins building its nest. It is most diligent in the discharge of its
varied domestic duties during the summer, and when the young are
able to shift for themselves, old and young get together in flocks,
and about the end of October all move off to the south.

SPIZELLA PUSILLA -(Wits.).

232. Field Sparrow. (563),

Bill, pale reddish ; feet, very pale; crown, dull chestnut : no decided
black or whitish about head ; below, white, unmarked, but much washed
with pale brown on breast and sides; sides of head and neck, with some
ague brown markings; all the ashy parts of socialis replaced by pale
brownish ; back, bright bay, with black streaks and some pale flaxen edgings ;
inner secondaries, similarly variegated ; tips of median and greater coverts
forming decided whitish cross-bars. Size of socialis, but more nearly the colors
of monticola. Young :—For a short time, streaked below as in socialis.

Hazs.—Eastern United States and Southern Canada, west to the Plains.

Nest, on the ground, or near it, in a low bush, composed of grass and.
rootlets, lined with fine grass and hair.

Kggs, four or five, greenish-white, variously marked with reddish-brown.

The Field Sparrow is sparingly distributed in surtable places im
Southern Ontario, which probably forms its northern limit. It
arrives from the south during the first week in May, and soon makes
its presence known by its pleasing ditty, which proceeds from the
top of a low tree or bush in the pasture field. It resembles the
Chipper in size, but is more like the Tree Sparrow in coloring. The
cinnamon-tinted bill is always a ready mark by which to distinguish
it from any other of the small sparrows.

It raises two broods in the season and retires to the south in
September.

uo

Genus JUNCO Wacter.
JUNCO HYEMALIS (Liyy.).

233. Slate-colored Junco. (567)

Blackish-ash ; below, abruptly pure white from the breast ; two to three
outer tail feathers, white ; bill, flesh colored. In the female, and in fact in
most fall and winter specimens, the upper parts have a more grayish, or even
a decidedly brownish cast, and the inner quills are edged with pale bay.
Length, 6-63 ; wing and tail, about 3.

SONG SPARROW. 323

Has.—North America at large, but chiefly east of the Rocky Mountains,
breeding from the higher parts of the Alleghanies and Northern New York
and northern New England northward ; south in winter to the Gulf States.

Nest, on the ground, rarely in a bush above it, composed of strips of bark,
grass and rootlets, lined with moss and hair.

Eggs, four or five, greenish-white, spotted and blotched with reddish-brown.

In Southern Ontario the “White Bill,” as this species is familiarly
called, may fairly be considered resident, for although it is most
numerous in April and October, it breeds commonly throughout the
country, and a few are always observed remaining during the winter.

It is a very familiar species, showing a marked partiality for
rocky ravines, quarries and stone heaps. It is also common by the
roadsides and in gullies and other uncultivated places, but in the
dense bush we seldom see it, until we come to a spot where men and
horses have been at work felling and hauling timber. In such a
place at all seasons, its white tail feathers are almost sure to be
noticed flirting about among the brush. The ordinary note of this
species is a simple ‘‘chip,” like the sound produced by striking two
pebbles together, but in the spring the male has a rather pleasing
little song, with which he cheers his mate while they are fitting
up their home.

This species extends its migrations a long way to the north,
where Mr. Nelson says: ‘This is one of the rarest sparrows visiting
the coast of the Behring Sea. It is, however, much more numerous
in the interior, and is found more or less common along the entire
course of the Yukon, at the mouth of which it breeds.”

Genus MELOSPIZA Batrp.
MELOSPIZA FASCIATA (GmMEL.).

234. Song Sparrow, (581)

_ Below, white, slightly shaded with brownish on the flanks and crissum,
breast and sides with numerous dusky streaks, with brown edges, coalescing
to form a pectoral blotch, and maxillary stripes bounding the throat ; crown
dull bay, with fine black streaks, divided and bounded on either side by
ashy-whitish lines ; vague brown or dusky and whitish markings on the
sides of the head ; the interscapular streaks black, with bay and ashy-white
edgings ; rump and cervix, grayish-brown, with merely a few bay marks ;
wings with dull bay edgings, the coverts and inner quills marked like the
interscapulars ; tail, obviously longer than the wings, pale brown, with darker

324 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

shaft lines on the middle feathers at least, and often with obsolete wavy
markings. Length, 6-63 ; wing, about 23; tail, about 3.

Has.—Eastern United States to the Plains, breeding from Virginia and the
northern portion of the Lake States northward.

Nest, on the ground, more.rarely on a low tree or bush, composed of rootlets
and leaves, lined with fine grass and occasionally some horse-hair.

Eggs, four or five, very variable in marking, usually grayish or greenish-
white, blotched or spotted with brown, the shades of which differ greatly in
different specimens.

This is an abundant summer resident, and one which seeks the
society of man, being found wherever human habitations have been
raised within its range. Large numbers pass on to the north in
April, returning again in October on their way south, but they do
not all leave us. While getting on or off the ice on Hamilton Bay in
the depth of winter, I have several times been surprised by seeing a
Song Sparrow rise from among the flags, which at that season have
a roof of snow, and no doubt afford a comfortable shelter to the
little birds. In the same locality, on a comparatively mild day in
the middle of winter, I have seen a male of this species mount to the
top of a bulrush and warble forth his pleasing, familiar notes, perhaps
in appreciation of the rising temperature.

In the “Birds of Ohio,” Dr. Wheaton mentions the following
singular instance of the strong attachment which this species has for
its nest. Some laborers, who were cutting grass on a railroad track
near Columbus, found a nest of a Song Sparrow on the embank-
ment, and though rather a delicate piece of work for this class of
men to undertake, they moved it from its original site among the
grass and placed it gently, but loosely, on the fork of a horizontal
limb of a maple sapling, three feet from the trunk. Instead of
deserting the nest, as many birds would have done, or attempting
to secure it to the limb on which it was placed, the sparrows brought
long stems of timothy grass, and twisted them together and around
a limb extending over the nest at a distance of one and a half
feet. The lower ends of these stems were firmly fastened into
the rim of the nest, and other stems were woven in transversely,
forming a complete basket. The whole structure resembled an
inverted balloon, and in this remarkable construction the eggs were
hatched and the young safely raised. After the nest was deserted,
the guy ropes were found to be sufficiently strong to bear up the
nest, after the limb on which it was placed had been removed.

The Song Sparrow is generally distributed throughout Ontario,

LINCOLN’S SPARROW. 325

and extends its summer visit to the Fur Countries. It is not at any
season gregarious, each individual coming and going as suits itself.
It is so common everywhere, that should those frequenting any given
district all take wing at one time, the flock would be very large.

MELOSPIZA LINCOLNI (Avp.).

235. Lincoln’s Sparrow. (583)

Below, white ; breast banded and sides often shaded with yellowish ; every-
where, except on the belly, thickly and sharply streaked with dusky ; above,
grayish-brown, crown and back with blackish, brownish and paler streaks ;
tail, grayish-brown, the feathers usually showing blackish shaft lines ; wings,
the same, the coverts and inner quills blackish, with bay and whitish edgings ;
no yellow on wings or head. Length, 54 ; wing and tail, about 24.

Has.—North America at large, breeding chiefly north of the United States
and in the higher parts of the Rocky Mountains, south in winter to Guatemala.

Nest, on the ground, composed of grass throughout, the finest used for
lining inside.

Eggs, four to six, greenish-white, clouded with brown.

Nest and eggs scarcely distinguishable from those of the Song Sparrow.

This quiet little Sparrow is almost unknown in the east, although
it has been found at a number of different points, and from its
retiring habits may be more common than we think it is.

Audubon found it first in Labrador, the young being able to fly
on 4th of July. It has occasionally been captured during the season
of migration, chiefly in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and there is
in the Bulletin of the Nuttal Club, 1878, an account of a nest being
found by Mr. Bagg in Hamilton County, N.Y.

Ontario was without a record of this species till the 23rd of May,
1885, when K. C. McIlwraith got into a bird wave which had been
stopped at Hamilton Beach by a head wind during the previous
night, and from a crowd, composed of different classes in large
numbers, picked out two Lincoln’s Sparrows, and on the 25th he got
two more at the same place. Since that time Mr. George R. White
reports having taken one at Ottawa, and Mr. Saunders has also
secured one at London.

In the west the history of the species is entirely different. Mr.
Trippe, writing from 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

326 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

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 willows
and junipers. Reappearing in the valleys in October, it lingers by
the streams for a few weeks and then disappears.”

It is also said to be abundant in spring and fall in Iowa, and
Mr. Ridgway reports it as wintering in great numbers in Southern
Illinois.

It has been found breeding at Fort Yukon in Alaska, and also
throughout the northern portions of British America to the Arctic
Ocean.

MELOSPIZA GEORGIANA (LarTs.).

236. Gwamp Sparrow. (584)

Crown, bright bay or chestnut, blackening on the forehead, often with an
obscure median ashy line and usually streaked with black ; cervix, sides of
head and neck and the breast, strongly ashy, with vague dark auricular and
maxillary markings, the latter bounding the whitish chin, the ashy of the
breast obsoletely streaky ; belly, whitish ; sides, flanks and crissum, strongly
shaded with brown and faintly streaked ; back and rump, brown, rather
darker than the sides, boldly streaked with black and pale brown or grayish ;
wings so strongly edged with bright bay as to appear almost uniformly of this
color when viewed closed, but inner secondaries showing black with whitish
edging ; tail, likewise strongly edged with bay and usually showing black shaft
lines. Further distinguished from its allies by the emphasis of the black, bay
and ash. Length, 54-6; wing and tail, 24-23.

Has.—Eastern North America to the Plains, accidentally to Utah, north to
the British Provinces, including Newfoundland and Labrador. Breeds from
the Northern States northward, and winters in the Middle States and south-
ward.

Nest, on the ground in a moist place, sometimes in a tussock of grass or
low bush, composed of weeds, grass and rootlets, lined with fine fibrous
substances.

Eggs, four to six, grayish-white, speckled with reddish-brown.

This is, perhaps, the least known of any of our common Sparrows,
for it seldom comes within reach of the ordinary observer, and even
by the collector it is apt to be overlooked, unless he knows its haunts
and goes on purpose to seek it. It is very common by the shores of
Hamilton Bay, where it may be seen skulking along the line where
land and water meet, and if disturbed at once hides itself among the

FOX SPARROW. S27

rank herbage of the marsh. Occasionally, during the excitement of
the mating season, a male will mount a bulrush and warble out his
not unpleasant song, but most of their time is spent in places which
are difficult of access either by land or water, and therefore they are
seldom seen.

This species is common during the breeding season throughout
Ontario and Manitoba. It was found in Labrador by Audubon, and
Richardson records its occurrence at Fort Simpson.

They arrive from the south early in May and leave again in
October, none being observed during winter.

Genus PASSERELLA Swarnson.

PASSERELLA ILIACA (Merr.).

237. Fox Sparrow. (585)

General color, ferruginous or rusty-red, purest and brightest on the rump,
tail and wings; on the other upper parts appearing as streaks laid on an ashy
‘ground ; below, white, variously but thickly marked, except on the belly and
crissum, with rusty red; the markings anteriorly in the form of diffuse confluent
blotches, on the breast and sides consisting chiefly of sharp sagittate spots and
pointed streaks; tips of middle and greater coverts forming two whitish
wing bars ; under mandible, dark ; lower, mostly yellow ; feet, pale. Length,
62-74 ; wing and tail, each 3 or more.

328 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Has.—Eastern North America, west to the Plains and Alaska (Valley of
the Yukon to the Pacific), and from the Arctic Coast south to the Gulf States.
Breeds north of the United States, winters chiefly south of the Potomac and
Ohio Rivers.

Nest, indifferently on the ground or in a tree, composed of grass, moss and
fibrous roots, lined with hair and feathers.

Eggs, four to six, greenish-white, thickly spotted with rusty-brown.

This large and handsome Sparrow breeds in the north and winters
in the south, but by what particular route it passes between the two
points I am at a loss to determine, for in this part of Ontario it is
seldom seen.

Tn the London list it is mentioned as “rare during migration, four
or five specimens taken.” In all my rambles I have only met with
it a few times, and but once have I heard it utter its rich, musical
notes, which are the admiration of all who hear them. Speaking
of this species, Dr. Coues, in his “ Birds of the North-West,” says :
“During the sunny days which precede their departure, the males
are fond of perching on the top of a small tree or bush to warble a
few exquisitely sweet notes, the overture of the joyous music which,
later in the year, enlivens the northern solitudes whither the birds
resort to breed.” The nest has not been found within the limits of
the United States or Ontario, so far as I am aware, but in the list
of “Birds. of Western Manitoba,” Mr. Thompson mentions it as
breeding on Duck Mountain.

Audubon found it breeding in Labrador in July; it is known to
spend the summer in Newfoundland. Kennicott and Macfarlane
found it breeding in the Arctic Regions.

Of Alaska, Mr. Nelson says: ‘ Along the coast of Norton Sound,
this bird is an abundant summer resident, sharing with the Tree
Sparrows the bushy shelter of the alder thickets on the hill-sides
and sheltered ravines. Wherever, along the northern coast, a fair-
sized alder patch occurs, this hardy species may confidently be looked
LOR aie eet. On pleasant frosty mornings at this season, the males take
their stand upon the roof of the highest building, or the cross upon
the Greek church, just back of the dwellings, whence they pour
forth their clear thrush-like whistle.”

T have noticed it once or twice passing south in October, but none
have been observed during the winter.

TOWHEE. 329

Genus PIPILO VIeILLor.
PIPILO ERYTHROPHTHALMUS (Liyy.).

238. Towhee. (587)

Adult male :—Black ; belly, white sides, chestnut; crissum, fulvous-brown ;
primaries and inner secondaries with white touches on the outer webs ; outer
tail feathers with the outer web and nearly the terminal half of the inner web
white, the next two or three with white spots, decreasing in size; bill, blackish ;
feet, pale brown ; iris, red in the adult, white or creamy in the young, and
generally in winter specimens. Female :—Rich warm brown where the male
is black ; otherwise similar. Very young birds are streaked brown and dusky
above ; below, whitish, tinged with brown and streaked with dusky. Length,
male, 83; wing, 34; tail, 4; female rather less.

Has.—Kastern United States and Southern Canada, west to the Plains.

Nest, on the ground, more rarely in a bush or sapling, a rude structure,
composed of grape-vine bark, weed stalks, leaves and grass, lined with fine
vegetable fibre.

Eggs, three or four, variable, usually white, thickly freckled with reddish-
brown.

This species has a more northern range than we have been in the
habit of attributing to it, for it was found by Prof. Macoun in the
North-West Territory, and Mr. Thompson reports it as common in
Southern Manitoba. In Southern Ontario it arrives from the south
about the Ist of May, the males coming on a few days ahead of the
females. Much of their time is spent on the ground, scratching and
rustling about among the withered leaves in search of seeds and
insects. During the pairing time, the male will frequently rise from
the scrub bush to the lower branch of a tree, and sing his original
song in his best style, accompanying the performance with many a
jerk and flirt of his long handsome tail, which shows to advantage
on these occasions. If we sit down to watch his motions for a little,
we may be favored with a glimpse of the female stealing through
the underbrush, but except under such circumstances she is rarely
seen.

This is one of the species which apparently enters Ontario from
the south-west, for on looking at the dates of its arrival at London
and Chatham, we find it is always there before it reaches Hamilton,
while at Ottawa Mr. White has not met with it at all.

During the heat of summer, the loud, ringing Zowhee, which
has given the birds their common name, is discontinued, and they:

330 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

spend their time quietly in the shade. In September it is again
heard, perhaps as a bugle note to call the flocks together before
starting for the south. We have no record of any being observed
during winter.

Genus CARDINALIS Bonaparte.
CARDINALIS CARDINALIS (Liyy.).

239. Cardinal. (593)

Male :—Rich vermilion or rosy-red, obscured with ashy on the back ; face,
black ; bill, reddish; feet, brown. Female :—Ashy-brown, paler below, with
evident traces of the red on the crest, wings, tail and under parts. Length,
8-9; wing, about 32 ; tail, 4.

Has.—Kastern United States, north to New Jersey and the Ohio Valley
(casually farther), west to the Plains.

Nest, in a bush or low tree near the ground, usually not far from water,
composed of bark, leaves, grass and rootlets rather loosely put together.

Eggs, three or four, greenish-white, thickly spotted with dark reddish-
brown often wreathed round the larger end.

The Cardinal can only be regarded as a casual visitor along our
south-western border. It is quite common in Ohio, and, as might be
expected, a few occasionally cross the lake. Mr. Norval reports one
or two being found at Port Rowan, and Dr. Macallum mentions that
a few are seen every summer along the lake shore south of Dunnville,
where they are supposed to breed among the evergreens. They make
showy, interesting cage birds, on account of which great numbers are
caught in trap cages and sold in the southern markets.

Dr. Coues describes the Cardinal as ‘‘a bird of striking appear-
ance and brilliant vocal powers, resident and abundant from the
Middle States southward ; inhabits thickets, tangle and undergrowth
of all kinds, whence issue its rich, rolling notes, while the performer,
brilliantly clad as he is, often eludes observation by his shyness,

- vigilance and activity.”

Genus HABIA REICHENBACH.
HABIA LUDOVICIANA (Liny.).

240. Rose-breasted Grosbeak. (595)

Adult male :—With head and neck all round and most of the upper parts,
black ; the rump, upper tail coverts and under parts, white ; the breast and
under wing coverts, exquisite carmine or rose-red; wings and tail, black,
variegated with white ; bill, pale ; feet, dark. Female ‘—Above, streaked with
blackish and olive or flaxen brown with median white coronal and superciliary
line ; below, white, more or less tinged with fulvous and streaked with dusky ;
under wing coverts, saflron-yellow ; upper coverts and inner quills with a white
spot at end; bill, brown. Young males :—At tirst resemble the female. Length,
74-83 ; wing, about 4; tail, about 3}.

Has.—Eastern United States and Southern Canada, west to the eastern
border of the Plains, south in winter to Cuba, Central America and Northern
South America.

Nest, in a low tree, composed of twigs, vegetable fibre and grass, rather
loosely put together.

Eggs, three or four, greenish-blue, thickly spotted with reddish-brown.

This robust and gaily attired songster arrives from the south
about the 10th of May, and soon its rich, rolling song is heard in the
trees and thickets where it spends the summer. It breeds regularly
along the southern border of Ontario, and has also been found in
Labrador and in the Red River Valley. Its favorite haunts are
along the wooded banks of streams, where, even at noonday, when
most other birds are silent, the male, in the shade of the luxuriant
foliage, cheers his mate during the tedious hours of incubation with
the song she loves to hear. The food of the species consists of seeds,
buds and berries, but it also takes a variety of insects, and is one of
the few birds which visit the potato patch and snap up the potato

332 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

bugs. On this account alone, it is entitled to our protection, but it
is also one of the most attractive birds which visit the shrubbery,
and should be most welcome if it could be taught to consider itself
protected and come nearer to our dwellings.

Before retiring in the fall, the males lose the greater portion of
their black, but retain the carmine on the breast and under wing
coverts.

xENUS PASSERINA VrerLxor.
PASSERINA CYANEA (Liny.).

241. Indigo Bunting. (598)

Adult male :—Blue, tinged with ultra-marine on the head and throat,
elsewhere with verdigris-green ; wings and tail, blackish, glossed with green ;
feathers around base of bill, black ; bill, dark above, rather paler below, with a
curious black stripe along the gonys. Female -—Above, plain warm brown ;
below, whitey-brown, obsoletely streaky on the breast and sides; wing coverts
and inner quills, pale edged, but not whitish ; upper mandible, blackish, lower
pale, with the black stripe just mentioned. Young male :—Is like the female,
but soon shows blue traces, and afterwards is blue, with white variegation
below. Length, 53; wing, 22; tail, 24.

Has.—Kastern United States, south in winter to Veragua.

Nest, in a bush, composed of leaves, grass and weed stalks, lined with finer
material of the same kind.

Eggs, four or five, white, tinged with blue; sometimes speckled with
reddish-brown.

About the 15th of May, the Indigo arrives from the south, and at.

once commences to deliver his musical message, such as it is, with
considerable animation. While so engaged, he is usually perched
on the upper twig of a dead limb, within hearing of the female, who
is of retiring habits and seeks to elude observation among the briars
and underbrush.

It is rather a tender species, and probably does not penetrate far
north into Ontario. It is not mentioned either by Prof. Macoun
or by Mr. Thompson as having been seen in the North-West,
and by the middle of September it has disappeared from Southern
Ontario. The rich plumage and lively manners of the male make
him quite conspicuous while here. Individuals vary considerably in
the regularity of their coloring and in the intensity of the blue, but a
male in rich spring plumage is a very handsome little bird.

A favorite resort of the species near Hamilton is about the
railroad track, near the waterworks reservoir.

DICKCISSEL. 333

Genus SPIZA Bonaparte.
SPIZA AMERICANA (GMEL.).

242. Dickcissel. (604)

Male :—Above, grayish-brown; the middle of the back, streaked with
black ; the hind neck, ashy, becoming on the crown yellowish-olive, with black
touches ; a yellow superciliary line and maxillary touch of the same ; eyelid,
white ; ear coverts, ashy ; chin, white; throat, with a large jet black patch ;
under parts in general, white, shaded on the sides, extensively tinged with
yellow on the breast and belly ; edge of wing, yellow; lesser and middle
coverts, rich chestnut, the other coverts and inner secondaries edged with
paler ; bill, dark horn blue; feet, brown. Female :—Smaller ; above, like the
male, but head and neck plainer; below, less tinged with yellow, the black
throat patch wanting and replaced by sparse sharp maxillary and pectoral
streaks. Length, 63-7; wing, 24; tail, 2.

Haxz.—Kastern United States to the Rocky Mountains, north to Massa-
chusetts, New York, Wisconsin and Minnesota, and south in winter through
Central America to Northern South America.

Nest, on the ground or in a low bush, built of leaves and fine grass.

Eggs, four or five, greenish-white, sometimes speckled with reddish-brown.

The only record we have at present of the Black-throated Bunting
as a bird of Ontario is that furnished by Mr. Saunders, in the Awh,
for July, 1885, page 307. The writer describes finding the species
in June, 1884, at Point Pelee, at the west end of Lake Erie. The
birds were tolerably common and evidently breeding, one or two
pairs being in every field within a limited district, but it was only
after considerable waiting and watching that the party succeeded in
discovering a nest with five fresh eggs.

<t is just possible that “ Dickcissel,” like some others, having
reached the north shore of Lake Erie, may come along as far as
Lake Ontario, but it is rather a weakly, tender species, and we
hardly expect to see it much north of the present limit, although
there are several records of its capture in Massachusetts and Con-
necticut.

334 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Famity TANAGRIDZE. TaAnacGers.
Genus PIRANGA ’ VIEILLor.
PIRANGA ERYTHROMELAS (VIEILL.).

243. Scarlet Tanager. (608)

Male :—Scarlet, with black wings and tail; bill and feet, dark. Fema/e :—
Clear olive green ; below, clear greenish-yellow ; wings and tail, dusky, edged
with olive. Youny male :—At first like the female, afterwards variegated with |
red, green and black. Length, 7-75; wing, 4; tail, 3.

Has.—Eastern United States, west to the Plains and north to Southern
Canada; in winter, the West Indies, Central America and Northern South
America.

Nest, on the horizontal limb of a low tree on the outskirts of the bush, a
shallow, saucer-shaped structure, composed of vine-bark, rootlets and leaves,
lined with vegetable fibre.

s, three to five, dull greenish-blue, spotted with reddish-brown and

Egg

lilac.

The Scarlet Tanager is one of our most brilliantly colored birds,
but his rich plumage is all he has to commend him to popular
favor, for he is neither handsome in form nor eloquent in tongue.
Still he sings his song as well as he can, and it probably pleases
the female for whose gratification it is intended, so we let him pass.
In Ontario the species is peculiar to the south and makes but a
short stay, arriving about the 10th of May and leaving again about
the middle of September.

In the fall the bright scarlet of the male’s plumage is replaced by
green, but he retains the black on wings and tail.

The food of the species consists chiefly of insects, in the capture
of which considerable dexterity is exhibited. In the fall, when the
wild berries are ripe, the Tanagers take to them with evident relish,
and though they usually keep to the retired parts of the woods,
sometimes at this season they visit the farmer’s raspberry patch in
such numbers that they leave but little fruit for household use.

In Southern Ontario they are generally distributed but nowhere
abundant.

In Manitoba they occur only as stragglers during summer. In
the history of American birds, it is stated that at least three years is
required before the male assumes the perfect plumage. In the first
year the young male is like the female, but has the black wings and
tail, while in the following year the red predominates in patches.

SUMMER TANAGER. 33D

PIRANGA RUBRA (Liny.).

244. Summer Tanager. (610)

Male :—Rich rose-red or vermilion, including wings and tail ; the wings,
however, dusky on the inner webs; bill, rather pale; feet, darker. Female :-—
Dull brownish-olive ; below, dull brownish-yellow. Young male :—Like the
female ; the male changing plumage, shows red and green confused in irregular
patches, but no black. The female, with general resemblance to female erythro-
melas is distinguished by the dull brownish, ochre or buffy tinge, the greenish
and yellowish of erythromelas being much purer; the bill and feet also are
generally much paler in rubra. Size of erythromelas or rather larger.

Has.— Eastern United States to the Plains, north to Southern New Jersey
and Southern Illinois, casually north to Connecticut and Ontario, and accident-
ally to Nova Scotia ; in winter, Cuba, Central America and Northern South
America.

Nest, on the horizontal bough of a tree, composed of strips of bark, rootlets
and grass, lined with fine grass and fibre.

Kggs, three to five, light green, spotted with reddish-brown and lilac.

We sometimes meet in the humbler walks of life people with little
education, who, from a natural love of the subject, are wonderfully
correct in their observation of the birds.

A man of this class, who, at the time of which I speak, lived near
a clump of bush on the “mountain,” above the reservoir, three miles
east of Hamilton, told me that one summer while he lived there a
number of red birds, which had not black wings and tail like the
common kind, bred near his house. I felt sure he was describing the:
Summer Red Bird, and looked through that bush with interest every
subsequent spring, but it was not till May, 1885, that I found the
first and only individual of the species I ever saw in Canada. It was
a female in fine adult plumage, and was among a group of Scarlet
Tanagers, which apparently had just arrived from the south, and
were enjoying the last rays of the setting sun that gilded the
topmost twigs of a dead tree in the bush already referred to.
Individuals have been found straggling as far north as Massa-
chusetts and Connecticut, but the home of the species is farther
south, and the above is the only record for Ontario.

Mr. Ridgway says that the male requires several years to attain
the full plumage, immature individuals showing a mixture of red
and yellow in relative proportions, according to the age.

336 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Famity HIRUNDINIDA. Swattows.
Genus PROGNE Bote.
PROGNE SUBIS (Liyy.).

245. Purple Martin. (611)

Lustrous blue-black ; the female and young are much duller above, and
more or less white below, streaked with gray. Length, 7 or more; wing,
nearly 6; tail, 35, simply forked.

Has. —Temperate North America, south to Mexico.

Nest, of hay, straw, bits of twine and paper, lined with feathers.

Eggs, four or five, pure white, glossy, oblong, pointed at one end.

The Purple Martin arrives in Southern Ontario about the 10th
of May, and though generally distributed is nowhere abundant. Its
original nesting place was in a knot-hole or other hollow in a tree,
but now, seeking the society of men, it raises its young in boxes put
up for its accommodation, or in the interstices of the Gothic archi-
tecture of our city buildings.

Its flight is rapid and its aerial evolutions often extremely grace-
ful, while at other times it may be seen sailing, hawk-like, with very
little action of the wings.

The Martins are general favorites in town and country, and are
made welcome everywhere. Before leaving in the fall they have a
grand gathering, which is thus described by Dr. Wheaton in the
‘Birds of Ohio”:

“After the breeding season is over, these birds congregate towards
night in large flocks, and having selected a suitable cornice on
some high building, make preparations for spending the night. The
retiring ceremony is very complicated and formal, to judge from the
number of times they alight and rise again, all the while keeping up
a noisy chatter. It is not until twilight deepens into evening that
all are huddled together in silence and slumber, and their slumbers
are often disturbed by some youngster who falls out of bed, amid the
derisive laughter of his neighbors, which is changed to petulant
scolding as he clambers over them to his perch, tumbling others
down. All at once the scene of last night’s disturbance is quiet
and deserted, for the birds have flown to unknown southern lands,
where they find less crowded beds and shorter, warmer nights.”

It occurs in Manitoba as a rare summer resident, and that seems
to be the northern limit of the species.

CLIFF SWALLOW. aa

Genus PETROCHELIDON Casanlis.
PETROCHELIDON LUNIFRONS (Say.).

246. Cliff Swallow. (612)

Lustrous steel-blue; forehead, whitish or brown; rump, rufous ; chin,
throat and sides of head, chestnut; a steel-blue spot on the throat; breast,
sides and generally a cervical collar, rusty-gray, whitening on the belly.
Young :—Sutticiently similar. Length, 5; wing, 44; tail, 24.

Has.—North America at large, and south to Brazil and Paraguay.

Nest, a flask-shaped building of mud, lined with wool, feathers and bits
of straw.

Eggs, four or five, white, spotted with reddish-brown.

Early in May, the Cliff Swallow crosses the southern border of
Ontario, and gradually works its way up to the far north, breeding
in colonies in suitable places all over the country. In towns and
villages, the nests are placed under the eaves of outhouses; in the
country, they are fastened under projecting ledges of rock and hard
embankments. The birds are of an amiable, sociable disposition, as
many as fifty families being sometimes observed in a colony without
the slightest sign of quarrelling. Two broods are raised in the
season, and by the end of August they begin to move off and are
seen no more till spring. They are somewhat fastidious in their
choice of a nesting place, and on this account are not equally
abundant at all points, but still they are very numerous throughout
the Prowince, passing along to the North-West, where Mr. Thompson
reports them as breeding abundantly in Manitoba. On the boun-
dary, at Pembina, Dr. Coues noticed them as the most abundant of
the family, and he traced them all along the line westward to the
Rockies.

In Alaska, Mr. Dall states that he found the species nesting at
Nullato, ‘‘about the trading stations, and was told by the natives
that it nested on the faces of the sandstone cliffs along the Yukon,
before the advent of the white man placed at its disposal the con-
venient shelter of the trading-post. The birds were quick to take
advantage of the hospitality offered them, and to change from their
primitive nesting sites to civilized domiciles.”

Lo
Lo

338 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Genus CHELIDON Forster.
CHELIDON ERYTHROGASTER (Bopp.).

247. Barn Swallow. (613)

Lustrous steel-blue ; below, rufous or pale chestnut of varying shade ;
forehead, chin and throat, deep chestnut ; breast, with an imperfect steel-blue
collar ; tail, with white spots on the inner web of all the feathers, except the
inner pair. Sexes alike, young, less lustrous, much paler below ; tail, simply
forked. Wing, 45-42; tail, 24-5.

Has.—North America in general, from the Fur Countries southward to
the West Indies, Central America and South America.

Nest, in a barn or other outbuilding, composed of pellets of mud and bits
of straw, and lined with feathers.

Kggs, four or five, white, spotted with reddish-brown.

While the Cliff Swallow chooses to fix its nest owtside the building
under the eaves, the present species prefers the inside, where its
dwelling is seen attached to the beams and rafters.

They, too, are to some extent gregarious, as many as twenty or
thirty pairs being often found nesting together in the same outhouse.

The Swallows, as a class, from their great rapidity of flight and
graceful aerial evolutions, are the most easily recognized of all our
birds, and this species is perhaps the most accomplished of the group.
It is seen skimming over the fields and meadows at a rate which
leaves the “lightning express” far behind, and suddenly checking its
course it will dart, with surprising rapidity, to right or left in pursuit
of some passing insect. It likes to be near a still, sheltered pond,
where it can drink and bathe while on the wing. Beautiful it is, on
a still summer evening, to see these birds take their plunge bath,
and, almost without checking their speed, rise gracefully from the
surface of the water, shake sparkling drops from their burnished
backs, and continue their airy gambols till the fading light calls
them to their humble home. They arrive in Ontario early in May,
and are generally distributed over the country during summer, but
about the end of August they begin to move toward the south, and
soon all have disappeared.

During the summer this species seems to be somewhat irregularly
distributed, for in Manitoba Mr. Thompson speaks of it as a rare
spring visitant, and Dr. Coues says it is a very rare summer resident
at Moose River and various other points along the boundary line,
while in Alaska Mr. Nelson says that it is the most common and
widely distributed of all the swallows throughout the north,

TREE SWALLOW. 339

In Alaska it is found along the south-eastern coast, extending
thence over nearly the entire Aleutian chain, and north along the
coast of the mainland to Kotzebue Sound, and thence throughout the
territory wherever suitable situations occur.

Grenus TACHYCINETA Capanis.
TACHYCINETA BICOLOR (VteiIzt.).

248. Tree Swallow. (614)

Lustrous green ; below, pure white. Young :—Similar, not so glossy.
Length, 6-65; wing, 5; tail, 24.

Has.—North America at large, from the Fur Countries southward, in
winter to the West Indies and Central America.

Nest, of leaves and grass, lined with down and feathers.

Eggs, four to seven, white, unspotted.

A common summer resident, arriving early in May and leaving
about the middle of September.

The White-bellied Swallows must at times have considerable
trouble in finding suitable places for their summer abode, but it
may be that, like people who move often, they have come to enjoy
the occupation of house-hunting. The original nesting place was a
hole in a tree or stub near water, but as the birds are incapable
of making such an excavation themselves, they had to search for
a natural aperture, or the deserted hole of a woodpecker to suit
their purpose, the finding of which must have been to some extent
accidental. As the country became settled, and the swallow trees
were cleared away, the birds betook themselves to breeding in boxes,
which in the east were put up in great numbers for their accommo-
dation. On the advent of the English Sparrow, many pairs of
swallows were summarily ejected from their boxes, and were obliged
to retire to the remote parts of the country, and resume their
primitive habit of nesting in trees. On this account they are not so
common in towns and villages as they were some years ago, but are
more generally distributed throughout the country. In Southern
Ontario they are seen in greatest numbers during the season of
migration.

This species is reported as common in Manitoba and the North-
West, and reaches its northern limit in Alaska, where its distribution

340 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

is limited to those portions where proper accommodation is found for
its nesting.
Ls,
It still retains its ancient habit of occupying holes in trees or
banks, and where these are absent the birds are unknown.
In the fall, it is the first of the swallows to leave for winter-
quarters.

Genus CLIVICOLA Forster.
CLIVICOLA RIPARIA (Liny.).

249. Bank Swallow. (616)

Lustreless gray, with a pectoral band of the same; other under parts,
white. Sexes exactly alike. Young :—Similar, the feathers often skirted with
rusty or whitish. Length, 44-43; wing, 33-4; tail, 2.

Has.—Northern hemisphere, in America, south to the West Indies, Central

America and Northern South America.

Nest, a few bits of straw and some feathers placed at the end of a tunnel,
two to four feet deep, dug by the birds in a sand bank.

Kggs, four to six, pure white.

A common summer resident is the Bank Swallow, breeding abun-
dantly in suitable places all over the country. It arrives about the
end of April and leaves in September, both dates being dependent,
to some extent, on the weather.

Near Hamilton this species is very abundant, a favorite nesting
place being in the gravel bank which is cut through to form the
canal to Dundas. There are also many sand banks around the Bay
shore, perforated to an extent which shows that flocks of young ones
are raised there every summer.

Dr. Wheaton, in the “ Birds of Ohio,” mentions that this species,
from being a common summer resident in the immediate vicinity of
Columbus, has become only a passing migrant in spring and fall.
This he attributes partly to the frequent disturbance of the nesting
places by freshets, and partly to the advent of the Rough-winged
Swallow, which, though comparatively a new species at Columbus,
is rapidly increasing in numbers. The Bank Swallows are sprightly
little birds, greatly attached to their homes, and we hope that
nothing will happen here to cause them to change their residence.

This is another species which is common to Ontario and_ the
North-West, and is also found in Alaska. In the latter territory it

ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW. 341

is rare along the sea coast, but on the river courses in the interior it
is one of the most abundant species of Swallow. There, as elsewhere,
it raises its brood in holes dug in a sand bank. It arrives at the
_mouth of the Yukon from the 20th to the 25th of May, and leaves
for the south about the end of August.

Genus STELGIDOPTERYX Barrp.
STELGIDOPTERYX SERRIPENNIS (Avp.).

250. Rough-winged Swallow. (617)

Lustreless brownish-gray, paler below, whitening on the belly ; rather
larger than the last. Hooklets on outer web of outer primary wanting, or
much weaker in the female.

Has.—United States at large (in the Eastern States north to Connecticut),
south to Guatemala.

Nest, in holes dug by the birds in the sandy banks of creeks and rivers,
a few straws and feathers at the end of the excavation representing the nest.

Eggs, five or six, pure white.

This species seems to be gradually advancing from the west to the
east, for we hear every now and then of it being observed at points
in the Eastern States where it has not before been noticed. I have
no record of it from any part of Ontario except from London, where
Mr. Saunders has found it breeding for the last year or two. It is
not so decidedly attached to the sand or gravel bank for a breeding
place as the Bank Swallow, the nests having been found in crevices
of rocks, on beams under bridges, and even in a hole in a brick wall.

It bears a very close resemblance to the Bank Swallow, and as
there are not many of them killed, it is possible the Rough-winged
species may be more common than we imagine. When closely
examined, the curious little hooklets on the outer web of the first
primary, which are most fully TE a in the male, are always
sufficient to identify the species.

342 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Famity AMPELIDA®. Waxwingcs, ETc.
SuBrAMILY AMPELIN AX. Waxwines.
Genus AMPELIS Linnzus.
AMPELIS GARRULUS (Lrxy.).

251. Bohemian Waxwing. (618)

General color, brownish-ash, shading insensibly from the clear ash of the
tail and its upper coverts and rump into a reddish-tinged ash anteriorly, this
peculiar tint heightening on the head, especially on the forehead and sides of
the head, into orange-brown. <A narrow frontal line, and broader bar through
the eye, with the chin and throat sooty-black, not sharply bordered with
white ; no yellowish on belly ; under tail coverts, orange-brown or chestnut ;
tail, ash, deepening to blackish-ash towards the end, broadly tipped with rich
yellow ; wings, ashy-blackish ; primaries tipped (chiefly on the outer webs)
with sharp spaces of yellow or white, or both ; secondaries with white spaces
at the ends of the outer webs, the shafts usually ending with enlarged, horny,
red appendages ; primary coverts, tipped with white ; bill, blackish-plumbeous,
often paler at base below ; feet, black; sexes alike. Length, 7 or 8 inches ;
wing, about 44; tail, 23.

Has.—Northern parts of the northern hemisphere ; in North America,
south, in winter, irregularly, to the Northern United States.

Nest and eggs, similar to those of the cedar bird.

This handsome, eccentric, garrulous wanderer is common to the
high latitudes of both continents, often appearing unexpectedly in
very large flocks, and disappearing quite as mysteriously, not to be
seen again for many years in succession.

The Ontario records are mostly of small flocks which occasionally
visit us during the winter, and feed on the berries of the red cedar
or the mountain ash. Sometimes they move by themselves, some-
times in company with the Pine Grosbeaks ; the Waxwings taking
the pulpy part of the berries and the Grosbeaks preferring the hard
seeds. The nest of this species was found by Mr Kennicott on the
Yukon, and by Mr. Macfarlane on the Anderson River, but when
we read the accounts of the vast flocks which have been seen by
travellers, we have to admit that it is little we know of their summer
haunts and homes.

I have always had a*great admiration for these northern strangers,
as they appear from time to time during the winter, but those I
had captured became insignificant when compared with a few adult
specimens sent to me by Mr. Allan Brooks from British Columbia,

CEDAR WAXWING. 343

in which all the points of beauty peculiar to the species were most
fully developed.
The nest and eggs of this species are still a deszderata in American
collections, the only specimens we have for reference being those
taken by Kennicott at Fort Yukon, July 4th, 1861. The nest was
placed on the side of a branch of a small spruce growing on the edge
of a clump on low ground. It was large, the base being made of dry
spruce twigs, and the nest itself composed of fine grass and moose
hair, lined with large feathers. The female was shot as she left the
nest. The one egg obtained had a stone-colored ground, spotted with
dark brown of a violet shade.

AMPELIS CEDRORUM (VIEILL.).

252. Cedar Waxwing. (619)

General color as in garrulus; under tail coverts, whitish; little or no orange-
brown about head; no white on wings; chin, black, shading gradually into
the color of the throat; a black frontal, loral and transocular stripe as in
garrulus, but this bordered on the forehead with whitish ; a white touch on
lower eyelid ; feathers on side of lower jaw, white ; abdomen, soiled yellowish ;
tail, tipped with yellow. Length, 7-74; wing, about 3%.

Has.—North America at large, from the Fur Countries southward. In
winter, south to Guatemala and the West Indies.

Nest, large, built in the orchard or in a low tree in the bush ; composed
of twigs, bark, leaves, rootlets, etc., led with fine grass, hair or wool.

{ggs, three to five, slaty blue or stone color, spotted and blotched with
brownish-black.

The Cedar Bird is generally distributed throughout Ontario. It
is a resident species, being here both in summer and winter, but it
is so uncertain’ in its movements that its presence at a particular
point at a given time cannot be counted upon with any degree of
certainty. The birds do not begin housekeeping until quite late in
the season, and may be seen visiting the orchard in flocks up to the
end of May. At this season their food consists chiefly of insects,
some kinds of which they cleverly capture on the wing. They are
also accredited with the destruction of large numbers’ of canker-
worms and other noxious insects. As the season advances, they
show a great liking for fruit, especially cherries, with which they
often cram themselves till they can hardly maintain their balance
on the branches. In the fall and winter the berries of the poke

344 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

weed, red cedar and mountain ash afford them a bountiful supply of
food. Their voice is heard only in a weak call note, easily recognized
but difficult to describe.

In many individuals the secondaries finish with a hard horny
appendage, having the appearance of red sealing-wax. This is not
indicative of age or sex, but is most frequently found in the adult
male. In some instances the tail feathers are similarly tipped. The
use of these appendages is unknown to us.

Famity LANIIDA. SHRIKES.
Genus LANIUS Linnzus.

LANIUS BOREALIS (VIEILL.).

253. Northern Shrike. (621)

Clear bluish-ash, blanching on the rump and scapulars ; below, white,
always vermiculated with fine wavy blackish lines ; a black bar along side of
the head, not meeting its fellow across forehead, interrupted by a white cres-
cent on under eyelid, and bordered above by hoary white that also occupies
the extreme forehead ; wings and tail, black, the former with a large spot near
base of primaries ; and the tips of most of the quills, white, the latter with
nearly all the feathers broadly tipped with white, and with concealed white
bars; bill and feet, black. Length, 9-10; wing, 45; tail, rather more. The
young are similar, but none of the colors are so fine or so intense; the entire
plumage has a brownish suffusion, and the bill is flesh-colored at base.

Hazs.—Northern North America, south, in winter, to the middle portions of

LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE. 345

the United States (Washington, D.C., Kentucky, Kansas, Colorado, Arizona,
Northern California).

Nest, rested on a platform of sticks and twigs in a low tree or bush ;
composed of weeds, rootlets, bark strips, moss, fine grass and feathers.

Eggs, four to six. The ground color is greenish-gray, but this is almost
hidden by the profuse markings of purple and reddish-brown.

In Southern Ontario a few individuals of this species are seen
every winter. They arrive from the north in October, and remain
with us if the weather be mild, but if it becomes severe about the
end of the yéar, they disappear and are not observed again until
March. They like the open country, usually taking their position,
sentinel-like, on the topmost twig of a low tree or bush, from which
they notice all that moves within a certain radius.

I once saw a pair of these birds unite to hunt down an unfor-
tunate Junco. It took shelter in a patch of scrubby brush, and the
Shrikes, not being able to clutch it as a hawk would have done,
sought to wear it out by fright and fatigue. As there were two of
them taking the work by turns, they would probably have succeeded
had I not stopped the proceedings by collecting the two Shrikes,
and so saving the life of the Junco. They, no doubt, breed in the
northern portion of the Province, but in the south I have not heard
of their being found so engaged.

They are common in Manitoba and the North-West, also through-
out the interior of Alaska, and Dr. Bell mentions having seen them
on the western side of Hudson’s Bay. From these distant regions
they advance through Ontario in the fall, finding an abundant
supply of game awaiting them in passer domesticus, whose ranks are
thus thinned without apparent reduction in their numbers.

LANIUS LUDOVICIANUS (Lixy.).

254. Loggerhead Shrike. (622)

Slate-colored, slightly whitish on the rump and scapulars ; below, white,
with a few obscure wavy black lines, or none; black bar on one side of the
head, meeting its fellow across the forehead, not interrupted by white on under
eyelid, and scarcely or not bordered above by hoary white; otherwise like
borealis in color, but smaller ; 8-84 ; wing, about 4 ; tail, rather more.

Haxs.—Kastern United States, north to Maine, west to the Prairies of the
Upper Mississippi Valley.

346 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Nest, in a tree or bush not often more than fifteen feet from the ground, the
middle of a thorn being often selected.
The eggs cannot with certainty be distinguished from those of the White-

rumped Shrike.

This and the next species resemble each other so closely that a
doubt is raised in the minds of many whether or not they should
ever have been separated. Dr. Coues, in his “New Key,” says on
this subject : ‘Extreme examples of excubitorides look very different
from /udovicianus proper, but the two are observed to melt into
each other when many specimens are compared, so that no specific
characters can be assigned.” All those I have found near Hamilton
agree best with the description given of eacubitorides, but there are
other observers who think we have both kinds, and some believe we
have Judovicianus only. As a guide to a proper understanding of
the matter, I have given the technical descriptions of both, but hold
my own opinion that of the two, only eacubitorides has been found in

Ontario.

LANIUS LUDOVICIANUS EXCUBITORIDES (Swarns.).

255. White-rumped Shrike. (622a)

With the size and essential characters of head stripe of var. /udovicianus,
and the under parts, as in that species, not or not obviously waved, but with
the clear light ashy upper parts and hoary whitish superciliary line, scapulars
and rump of borealis.

Has.—Western United States, east to the Middle and New Hngland,
breeding as far north as Northern New York and Northern New England and
Ontario. Rare or local east of the Alleghanies.

Nest, in a tree or bush, seldom more than ten feet from the ground,
exteriorly built of prickly twigs, interwoven with strips of bark, rags, twine
and rootlets, lined with fine grass and pieces of cotton waste picked up on the

railroad track.

Eggs, four to six, light grayish color, spotted with yellowish-brown.

Besides the great northern Butcher Bird (Lanius borealis), there
are two Shrikes, smaller in size, described as North American. One
is the Loggerhead Shrike of the south-east, and the other the White-
rumped Shrike, which was originally described as a western species,
but has of late years been extending its territory to the eastward,
north of the Loggerhead’s range. Taking examples from the south-
east to compare with those from the north-west, the difference is
seen at once, but as they approach each other in habitat, they also

WHITE-RUMPED SHRIKE. 347

approach each other so closely in appearance that we are almost
brought to the conclusion that they are simply different races of the
same bird which should not have been separated. Those found in
Ontario are of the western race. They were first observed about
1860, and have since become quite common, extending north to the
banks of the Saskatchewan, where they were observed by Prof.
Macoun. The species is also included in Mr. Thompson’s list of the
<<‘ Birds of Western Manitoba,” and is said to be ‘‘abundant all over”
from May till September.

Tn Southern Ontario the little Shrike is not found in the city nor
in the dense bush, its favorite haunts being along the roadsides in
the open country, where it may often be seen on a fence-post or
on the telegraph wire by the railway track. My first acquaintance
with this bird at its home was made on one of my Saturday after-
noon excursions, shortly after its first appearance in this part of the
country. While driving along a back road east of the city, my
attention was attracted by an ancient negro, who, with a table fork
fastened to the end of a fishing pole, was poking vigorously into the
centre of a very large, dense thorn-bush near his shanty. Getting
over the fence to find out what he was doing, I was informed that a
little Chicken Hawk had its nest in there, and that it had killed two
of his young chickens. Looking along the pole, I saw in the heart of
the dense bush a Shrike’s nest with some young ones, which one of
the old birds was valiantly defending, biting at the end of the fork
when it came too near the youngsters. Taking the pole from the
man’s hand I worked it into the bush, but it broke before I got it
out, and this put an end to hostilities for the time. TI tried to con-
vince my colored friend that he was mistaken about the bird having
killed his chickens, that this kind lived only on grasshoppers and
crickets, but he insisted that it was a Chicken Hawk, giving em-
phasis to the name by the use of several profane adjectives, and
vowing he would have him out before night, even if he should have
to burn him out. The appearance of the bush the next time I
passed that way indicated that he had-carried out his threat.

My opinion regarding the food of this species, which I gave in
good faith at the time, I have since had occasion to change, and to
believe that after all Sambo was probably right on the subject.
For twenty-five years no one could have gone a few miles into the
country in any direction near Hamilton, during June, July or
August, without seeing one or more pairs of these birds in suitable
places, until the year 1886, during which not one was observed.

348 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Trusting that the exodus was only local and temporary, we watched
for the return of the birds with interest.

The species evidently overlooked its Hamilton connection in 1886,
but it has since then been as common as formerly, watching silently
near the roadside for its favorite fare of beetles, mice, or small birds.
It is very common in the west, going as far north as Manitoba, In
the east it seems more rare, Mr. White not having yet observed
it at Ottawa, though he has looked for it during several seasons.

Famity VIREONID A VireEos.
Genus VIREO VIEeILLor.
Suscenus VIREOSYLVA Bonaparte.
VIREO OLIVACEUS (Liny.).

256. Red-eyed Vireo. (624)

_ Above, olive-green ; crown, ash, edged on each side with a blackish line,
below this a white superciliary line, below this again a dusky stripe through
the eye; under parts, white, faintly shaded with olive along sides, and tinged
with olive on under wing and tail coverts ; wings and tail, dusky, edged with
olive outside, with whitish inside ; bill, dusky, pale below ; feet, leaden olive ;
eyes, red; no spurious quill. Length, 53-6}; wing, 34-33; tail, 24-24 ; bill,
about 2; tarsus, 3.

Has.—Kastern North America, to the Rocky Mountains, north to the
Arctic Regions.

Nest, pensile, fastened by the rim to a horizontal fork, ten to twenty-five
feet from the ground; a thin light structure, composed of bark strips, pime
needles, wasp’s nest, paper and fine grass, felted and apparently pasted

together.

Eggs, three to five, pure white, marked with fine dark reddish-brown spots

toward the larger end.

A very common summer resident is the Red-eyed Vireo, and his
loud, clear notes are heard in the outskirts of the woods at all hours
of the day. Even during the sultry month of July, when most other
songsters sing only in the morning or evening, the Red-eye keeps on
all day with tireless energy. In Ontario it is the most numerous
species of the family, arriving early in May and leaving in September.
In the early part of the season its food consists entirely of insects,
which it is at all times ready to capture, either on the wing or
otherwise. In the fall it partakes of raspberries, and the berries of
the poke weed and of other wild plants, with the juice of which its.

PHILADELPHIA VIREO. 349

plumage is often found to be stained. It is frequently imposed upon
by the Cowbird, whose young ones it rears as tenderly as if they
were its own.

In the east it is said to travel as far north as Anticosti. Rich-
ardson found it at Fort Simpson, and according to Mr. Fannin, it is a
summer resident along the southern border of British Columbia. A
great many spend the winter in the Gulf States, and go even farther
south,

VIREO PHILADELPHICUS (Cass.).

257. Philadelphia Vireo. (626)

Above, dull olive-green, brightening on the rump, fading insensibly into
ashy on the crown, which is not bordered with blackish ; a dull white super-
ciliary line; below, palest possible yellowish, whitening on throat and belly,
slightly olive-shaded on sides ; sometimes a slight creamy or buffy shade
throughout the under parts ; no obvious wing bars ; no spurious quill. Length,
44-54; wing, about 22; tail, about 24; bill, hardly or about 4; tarsus 2.

3
Has.—Kastern North America, north to Hudson’s Bay, south, in winter,
to Costa Rica.

The only record of the nest and eggs of this species I have ever
seen is published by Mr. Ernest E. Thompson in the Auk, for July,
1885. He says: “On the 9th of June, 1884, while camped near
Duck Mountain, I found a nest of this species. It hung from a
forked twig, about eight feet from the ground, in a willow which
was the reverse of dense, as it grew in the shade of a poplar grove.
The nest was pensile, as is usual with the genus; formed of fine grass
and birch bark. The eggs were four in number, and presented no
obvious difference from those of the Red-eyed Vireo, but unfortun-
ately they were destroyed by an accident before they were measured.”

The owners were not secured.

Very many of the more recent additions to the list of our Ameri-
can birds have been made by the discovery that within certain
well-known groups were individuals differing in some respects from
the others. If these differences were found to be uncertain and
irregular they received only a passing notice, but if they were found to
be constant they were made the basis on which to build a new species.

Thus, although the American Vireos had passed in review before
many distinguished ornithologists, it was not until 1842 that John
Cassin found one closely resembling several of the others, but differ-
ing in some respects from all of them.

In 1851, he published a description of the bird he had found,

350 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

pointed out its peculiarities, claimed for it specific distinction, and
named it after the city near which he first observed it.. For many
succeeding years it was again lost sight of, most likely because no one
was looking for it, but as the number of collectors increased and rare
birds were sought after, the species was again observed, and at far
distant points, giving it an extensive range from north to south, and
west to the middle of the continent. How relatively rare it is it
would be unsafe to say, for it is difficult to identify it without
close inspection, to accomplish which might require the slaughter of
Warbling Vireos enough to excite the ire of the Audubon Club.

Some time in the early part of 1883, I took up casually the
Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club, and read therein a
charming article by Wm. Brewster on the distribution of this Vireo
in the Eastern States. It showed the little bird to be more common
and more widely distributed than was first supposed, and left on my
mind the impression that it must pass through Ontario.

In May, when the Vireos began to arrive, I scrutinized them
closely, and the first I shot on suspicion proved to be of this species,
and was, I believe, the first record for Ontario. When seen in the
woods it iooked rather smaller than the Warbling Vireo, was more
solid and compact in the plumage, and was noticeably tinged under-
neath with yellow. From these features in its general appearance,
I have since recognized it both in spring and fall. I have also heard
of its being taken at other points in Ontario, but have no record of
its having been found breeding within the Province.

Since the above was written, it has been found by Mr. White at
Ottawa, by Mr. Chamberlain at Edmonton, N.B., by Mr. Boardman
at St. Stephens, N.B., and by Mr. Drexler at Moose Factory, H.B.T.
These records show that it is widely distributed, but how abundant
it may be, relatively, is still an uncertain point in its history.

VIREO GILVUS (VieizL.)

258. Warbling Vireo. (627)

Primaries, ten, the exposed portion of the first of which is one-third or less
of the second, no obvious wing bars, no blackish stripe along the side of the
crown, and no abrupt contrast between color of back and crown ; upper parts,
greenish, with an ashy shade, rather brighter on the rump and edgings of the
wings and tail, anteriorly shading insensibly into ashy on the crown. Ash of
crown bordered immediately by a whitish superciliary and loral line ; region
immediately before and behind the eye, dusky ash ; below, sordid white with
faint yellowish (sometimes creamy or buffy) tinge, more obviously shaded

YELLOW-THROATED VIREO. 351

along the sides with a dilution of the color of the back ; quills and tail feathers,
fuscous, with narrow external edgings as above said, and broader whitish
edging of the inner webs; the wing coverts without obvious whitish tipping ;
bill, dark horn color above, paler below; feet, plumbeous; iris, brown. Length,
5 inches, or rather more ; wing, 2.80; tail, 2.25; bill, .40; tarsus, .67.

Has.—North America in general, from the Fur Countries to Mexico.

Nest and eggs, closely resembling those of the Red-eye, but usually placed
at a greater distance from,the ground.

This amiable little songster is very common in Southern’ Ontario,
from the end of the first week in May till the beginning of September.
Although less abundant than the Red-eye, it is probably known to
a greater number of people, owing to the preference it shows for
isolated ornamental trees in parks and gardens and the shade trees
in cities. Its song is soft, subdued and flowing, like the murmuring
of ‘‘a hidden brook in the leafy month of June.”

It has little excitement in its nature, and keeps its usual compo-
sure under circumstances which would drive most other birds off in
alarm. I once saw one warbling forth its pleasing ditty in a shade
tree, quite close to which a large fire was in progress. Firemen,
engines, and crowds of people were all around, but the bird was
to windward of the blaze and seemed to be commenting on the
unnecessary excitement which prevailed.

Suscenus LANIVIREO Batrp.
VIREO FLAVIFRONS (Vie1tz.).

259. Yellow-throated Vireo. (628)

Above, rich olive-green ; crown, the same or even brighter; rump, insensibly
shading into bluish-ash ; below, bright yellow; belly and crissum, abruptly
white; sides, anteriorly shaded with olive, posteriorly with plumbeous; extreme
forehead, superciliary line and ring around eye, yellow ; lores, dusky ; wings,
dusky, with the inner secondaries broadly white-edged, and two broad white
bars across tips of greater and median coyerts; tail, dusky, nearly all the
feathers completely encircled with white edging; bill and feet, dark leaden
blue ; no spurious quill. Length, 59-6 ; wing, about 3; tail, only about 2}.

Hazs.—FEastern United States, south, in winter, to Costa Rica.

The position and frame-work of the nest of this species is similar to that of
the Red-eye, but its appearance and comfort are greatly increased by an artistic
outside coating of gray moss, intertwisted with the silk of caterpillars.

The eggs are not with certainty distinguishable from those of the Red-eye.

This is a summer resident in Southern Ontario, but it is by no
means common. It seems partial to the beech woods, and being

BS hy BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

more retiring than the preceding and less noisy than the Red-eye, it
is not much observed. It is by some considered the handsomest of
all our Vireos, and a male in full spring plumage is pleasing to look
at, but I prefer the succeeding species. The Yellow-throated Vireo,
though not abundant, seems to be generally distributed throughout
Ontario. It has been found at Ottawa by Mr. White; at London
Mr. Saunders reports it as a common summer resident; and it is
also included in Mr. Thompson’s “ List of Birds of Manitoba,” where,
however, it is mentioned as being rare or accidental. The female
differs but little in plumage from the male, the colors being less,
decided.

VIREO SOLITARIUS (Wits.).

260. Blue-headed Vireo. (629)

Above, olive-green ; crown and sides of head, bluish-ash in marked contrast ;
a broad white line from nostrils to and around eye and a dusky loral line ;
below, white ; flanks washed with olivaceous, and auxiliaries and crissum, pale
yellow ; wings and tail, dusky, most of the feathers edged with white or
whitish, and two conspicuous bars of the same across tips of middle and great

coverts ; bill and feet, blackish horn color. Length, 54-53; wing, 23-3; tail,
21-91; spurious quill, $-3, about } as long as second.

Hazs.—Eastern United States to the Plains. In winter, south to Mexico
and Guatemala.

Nest and eggs, similar to those of the other Vireos, resembling those of the

Yellow-throat more than either of the others.

This is a stout, hardy-looking bird, apparently better adapted to
live in the north than any other member of the family. It arrives
from the south with the earliest of the Warblers, and in some years
is quite common during the first half of May, after which it is not
seen again till the fall. While here it is much among the evergreens,
leisurely seeking its food, and is usually silent, but when at home it
is said to have a very pleasant song.

Some of the specimens procured in spring are beautiful birds ; the
plumage is soft and silky, and the different shades of color delicate,
but in others it is worn and ragged, as if they had been roughing it
during the winter. Quite a number of these birds cross our southern
border in spring and fall, but I have no record of their nesting in the
Province. It is more of an eastern species, being rare in Michigan
and Manitoba, but, according to Mr. Ridgway, “its known range
during the breeding season extends from Eastern Massachusetts and
the region along the northern border of the Great Lakes northward
nearly to the limit of the tree growth.”

Famity MNIOTILTIDA. Woop-WaRBLERS.
Genus MNIOTILTA VIeEILtLov.
MNIOTILTA VARIA (Liywn.).

261. Black and White Warbler. (636)

Entirely white and black, in streaks except on the belly; tail, white,
spotted ; wings, white barred, Length, about 5; wing, 23; tail, 24.

Haxs.—Kastern United States to the Plains, north to Fort Simpson, south,
in winter, to Central America and the West Indies.

Nest, on the ground, built of bark fibre, grass and leaves, lined with plant
down or hair.

Eggs, four to six, creamy white, spotted and sprinkled with reddish-brown.

This dainty little bird, formerly known as the Black and White
Creeper, has now been named the Black and White Warbler, but as
it is much more given to creeping than to warbling, it is likely that
with the ordinary observer it will retain its former name as long as it
retains its creeping habit. It arrives in Southern Ontario during
the last days of April, and even before the leaves are expanded, its
neat, decided attire of black and white is observed in striking con-
trast to the dull colored bark of the trees, around which it goes
creeping with wonderful celerity in search of its favorite insect food.
It becomes very common during the first half of May, after which
the numbers again decrease, many having passed farther north, and
only a few remain to spend the summer and raise their young in
Southern Ontario. The note of the male is sharp and penetrating,
resembling the sound made in sharpening a fine saw.

The Black and White Warbler is a typical representative of the
family of Wood-Warblers, which is remarkable tor the number of its

23

B54 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

members, as well as for the richness and variety of their dress.
There is, perhaps, no group of small birds which so much interests
the collector, or furnishes so many attractive specimens to his
cabinet, as that we are now about to consider.

Some of the members of this family are so rare that the capture
of one is the event of a lifetime. To get any of them in perfect
plumage they must be collected during the spring migration, and
that season is so short and uncertain that if a chance is missed in
May, another may not occur for a year.

Game birds are followed by sportsmen with much enthusiasm
and varying success, though Ruffed Grouse, Woodcock and Quail are
now so scarce in the more settled parts of the country that it is
hardly worth while searching for them.

Our inland lakes and rivers are, at certain seasons, visited by
crowds of water-fowl, and the hunter, hidden behind his screen of
rushes in the marsh, delights to hear the hoarse honking of an old
gander as he leads on his A-shaped flock of geese, or to see the flocks
of ducks wheeling around and pitching down into the open water
beside his decoys. At Long Point and other shooting places where
the ducks have been protected, the number killed in a day is often
very large. Dull, windy weather with lght showers of rain is
preferred. If the hunter is fortunate in choosing a good point at
which to screen his boat among the rushes, he may remain there
all day, and if the ducks are moving about he needs only to load as
quickly as he is able and kill as many as he can, the proof of his
success being the number he brings home at night.

Not so with the field ornithologist, whose pursuits I have always
felt to be more refined and elevating than those of the ordinary
sportsman. As soon as the winter of our northern clime relaxes its
grasp, and the season of flowers and brighter skies returns, he enters
the woods as if by appointment, and hears among the expanding
buds the familiar voice of many a feathered friend just returned from
winter-quarters. The meeting is pleasant and the birds pass on.
The walk is enjoyable, the bush is fragrant and freckled with early
spring flowers. The loud warning note of the Great Crested Fly-
catcher is heard in the tree-tops ; Tanagers, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks,
ete., are there in brilliant plumage and full of life, but a note is heard
or a glimpse is seen of something rare, and that is the time for the
collector to exercise his skill. He must not fire when the bird is too
close or he will destroy it. He must not let it get out of reach or he
may lose it. He must not be flurried or he may miss it, and if he

PROTHONOTARY WARBLER. 355

brings it down he must notice particularly the spot where it fell and
get there as quickly as he can, for if the bird is only wounded it may
flutter away and hide itself, and even if it falls dead it may be
covered with a leaf and not seen again, unless the spot where it fell
is carefully marked.

All seasons have their attractions, but the month of May above
all others is enjoyed by the collector, and bright and rare are the
feathered geins he then brings from the woods to enrich his cabinet.

Genus PROTONOTARIA Batrp.
PROTONOTARIA CITREA (Bopp.) Bp.

262. Prothonotary Warbler. (637)

Golden yellow, paler on the belly, changing to olivaceous on the back,
thence to bluish ashy on the rump, wings and tail ; most of the tail feathers
largely white on the inner webs ; bill, black. Length, 54; wing, 24-3; tail, 24.

Has.—South Atlantic and Gulf States, north to Ohio, Illinois, Missouri and
Kansas. Accidental in Maine and New Brunswick.

Nest, in a hole in a tree or stump, lined with moss, leaves and grass. If the
hole is too deep at first, it is filled to within four or five inches of the top.
Kggs, five or six, creamy-white or buff, spotted with rich chestnut-red.

The only record I have of this species in Ontario is that of a
female taken by K. C. Mel] wraith, which was reported at the time
in the Awk as follows: ‘“ While collecting Warblers near Hamilton,
on the morning of the 23rd of May, 1888, I met a group which had
evidently just arrived from-some favored point in the South, their
plumage being particularly fresh and bright, and such rare species as
the Mourning and Connecticut Warblers and the Green Black-cap
being conspicuous. Presently I noticed, on a willow overhanging
the water, one which seemed to be a compromise between the Sum-
mer Yellow Bird and the Yellow-throated Vireo. On picking it up,
I was greatly pleased to find I had got a specimen of the Protho-

notary Warbler—a female in the ordinary plumage of the season.
“Tt is the first record of the species for Ontario, and the second

for Canada, the first being that of a specimen which was found at

St. Stephens, New Brunswick, by Mr. Boardman, in October, 1862.”
Along the Atlantic coast it is rare or accidental, throughout the

Gulf States it is common, but its centre of abundance in the breeding

356 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

season is probably reached in the States lying about the junction of
the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. So it has been reported by Mr.
Brewster, who spent several weeks in that region in the spring of
1878, and as one result of the trip, has given us in the Nutt. Bull.,
Vol. 3, page 153, by far the best account we have of the life habits
of this species. We have not again seen or heard of its being taken
in Ontario, or anywhere near the boundary, so that the instance
recorded above must have been only accidental.

Genus HELMINTHOPHILA Ruipeway.
HELMINTHOPHILA CHRYSOPTERA (Liny.).

265. Golden-winged Warbler. (642)

Male:—In spring, slaty-blue, paler or whitish below where frequently tinged
with yellowish ; crown and two wing bars, rich yellow ; broad stripe on side of
head through eye, and large patch on the throat, black ; both these bordered
with white ; several tail feathers, white blotched ; bill, black; back and wings,
frequently glossed with yellowish-olive in young birds in which the black
markings are somewhat obscure. Length, 4.75; extent, 7.50; wing, 2.40;
tail, 2.00.

Has.—Kastern United States, Central America in winter.

Nest, on the ground, built of dry leaves and grape-vine bark, lined with
fine grass and horse-hair.

Kiggs, four to six, pure white, spotted with reddish-brown or lilac.

A trim and beautifully marked species, very seldom seen in
Ontario and not abundant anywhere. The Golden-winged is spoken
of as one of the rarer Warblers in the Eastern States. Westward
it is said to be common in one district in Indiana. Mr. Saunders
meets with it regularly near London, from which I infer that it is
one of those birds which enter Ontario at the south-west corner, and
having crossed the boundary do not care to penetrate farther into
the Dominion. I have met with it on two occasions near Hamilton;
have also heard of its being noticed at Port Rowan. Dr. Macallum
sees it every spring and summer near his home at Dunnville. It is
an exceedingly active, restless species, and is most frequently found
among the low shrubbery on the moist ground near some creek or
marshy inlet, where under a broad leaf or tuft of grass the nest is
usually found.

NASHVILLE WARBLER—ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER. 357

HELMINTHOPHILA RUFICAPILLA (Wis.).

264. Nashville Warbler. (645)

Above, olive-green, brighter on the rump, changing to pure ash on the
head ; below, bright yellow, paler on the belly, olive-shaded on the sides ;
crown, with a more or less concealed chestnut patch ; lores and ring round the
eye, pale; no superciliary line. /ema/e :—And autumnal specimens have the
head glossed with olive, and the crown patch may be wanting. Length, 44-43;
wing, 24-24; tail, 13-2.

Has.—KEastern North America to the Plains, north to the Fur Countries,
breeding from the Northern United States northward; Mexico in winter.

Nest, on the ground, composed of withered leaves and strips of bark, lined
with fine grass, pine needles or hair.

Eggs, four or five, white, speckled with lilac or reddish-brown.

The Nashville Warbler, although an abundant species, is not very
regular in his visits to this part of Ontario, being sometimes with us
in considerable numbers during the season of migration, and again
being almost or altogether absent. When they pass this way in the
spring, a few pairs usually remain over the summer with us, but the
greater number go on farther north. In the fall they are again seen
in limited numbers, working their way southward in company with
their young, which are distinguished by the absence of the crown
patch. In this part of Ontario, we never see so great a number of
Warblers in the fall as we do in spring. Either they are less con-
spicuous on account of the time of their migration extending over a
longer period, or they have some other return route by which the

majority find their way south.

HELMINTHOPHILA CELATA (Say.).

265. Orange-crowned Warbler. (646)

Above, olive-green, rather brighter on the rump, never ashy on the head ;
below, greenish-yellow, washed with olive on the sides ; crown, with a more or
less concealed orange-brown patch (sometimes wanting) ; eye ring and obscure
superciliary line wanting. Length, 4.80-5.20; extent, 7.40-7.75; wing, 2.30-2.50,

Has.—KEastern North America (rare, however, in the North-eastern United
States), breeding as far northward as the Yukon and Mackenzie River districts
and southward through the Rocky Mountains, wintering in the South Atlantic
and Gulf States and Mexico.

Nest, on the ground, composed of leaves, bark fibre and fine grass.

Eggs, four to six, white, marked with spots and blotches of reddish-brown.

358 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

The range of this species is chiefly along the west coast or
middle district of the continent. In the east it occurs rarely. As a
straggler, I have met with it only on two occasions, the latter being
on the 11th of May, 1886, when a specimen was taken at the Beach
by K. C. Mellwraith. Mr. Saunders mentions having obtained two
near London, and Mr. Allan Brooks got one at Milton.

It is a very plainly attired species, and may readily be overlooked,
for there is nothing in its dress or manner to attract attention, but
on close examination the color of the crown patch is a distinguishing
mark not likely to be mistaken. The sexes closely resemble each
other, and the young are like them, except that they do not always
have the brown crown patch till after the first year.

They are by no means conspicuous birds, but they have their own
route to follow, and keep by it regularly every season.

Province, county, township, territory are passed quietly over till
they reach the far distant land of Alaska, where Mr. Nelson says
they have been observed throughout the wooded region of the north
from the British boundary line, west to the shores of Behring Sea,
and north within the Arctic circle as far as the tree limit. They
breed throughout the interior, and Kennicott secured a set of eggs
on the 10th of June and another on the 15th of the same month.

HELMINTHOPHILA PEREGRINA (Wus.).

266. Tennessee Warbler. (647)

Olive-green, brighter behind, but never quite yellow on the tail coverts,
more or less ashy towards and on the head; no crown patch; below, white,
often glossed with yellowish, but never quite yellow; a ring round the eye
and superciliary line, whitish, frequently an obscure whitish spot on outer
tail feathers; lores, dusky; in the female and young, the olivaceous glosses the
whole upper parts. Length, 443-48; wing, about 2%; tail, 2 or less.

This comparative length of wing and tail, with other characters, probably
always distinguishes this species from the foregoing.

Has.—Eastern North America, breeding from Northern New York and
Northern New England northward to Hudson’s Bay Territory ; Central
America in winter.

Nest, on or near the ground, built of grasses, mosses and bark strips, lined
with fine grass and hair.

Eggs, four, white, with markings of reddish-brown about the larger end.

PARULA WARBLER. 359

The Tennessee Warbler breeds in the Hudson’s Bay Territory,
where it is by no means rare, but the line of its migration seems to
be along the Mississippi Valley, so that in the east it is seldom seen.
I have only met with it twice, once in spring and once in fall. It is
probable that a few visit us with the migratory birds every season,
but like one or two other species, it may owe its safety to its plain
attire, being allowed to pass where one of more gaudy plumage
would be stopped.

Genus COMPSOTHLYPIS Casanis.
‘ COMPSOTHLYPIS AMERICANA (Liyy.).

267. Parula Warbler. (648)

Male in spring:—Ahbove, blue, back with a golden-brown patch, throat and
breast yellow, with a rich brown or blackish patch, the former sometimes
extending along the sides; belly, eyelids, two wing bars and several tail
spots, white; lores, black; upper mandible, black; lower, flesh-colored.
Female in spring:—With the blue less bright, back and throat patches not
so well defined. Young:—With these patches obscure or wanting, but always
recognizable by the other marks and very small size. Length, 43-42; wing,
22; tail, 12.

Haxs.—Kastern United States, west to the Plains, north to Canada, and
south, in winter, to the West Indies and Central America.

Nest, globular, with a hole in the side, suspended from the end of a bough,
often twenty feet or more from the ground, composed of hanging mosses, so as
often to look like an excavation made in the side of a bunch of moss.

Eggs, four or five, creamy-white, with spots of lilac and brown.

This small and neatly dressed species is very common during the
spring migration, when it may be seen in the tops of the tallest trees,
often hanging back downward like a Titmouse, searching for insects
among the opening leaves. In winter it withdraws entirely from
Canada, and even from the United States, great numbers being at
that season observed in the West Indies.

On the return trip in spring a few pairs stop by the way, but the
majority pass on still farther north to breed. I have not heard of
the nest being found in Ontario, but I have the impression that this
and many others of the same family will yet be found breeding in
the picturesque District of Muskoka, between Georgian Bay and the
Ottawa River.

360 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Genus DENDROICA Gray.
Suscenus PERISSOGLOSSA Batrp.
DENDROICA TIGRINA (GmEz.).

268. Cape May Warbler. (650)

Male in spring:—Back, yellowish-olive with dark spots; crown, blackish,
more or less interrupted with brownish ; ear patch, orange-brown ; chin, throat
and posterior portion of a yellowish superciliary line, tinged with the same ;
a black loral line, rump and under parts rich yellow, paler on belly and crissum,
the breast and sides streaked with black ; wing bars, fused into a large whitish
patch ; tail blotches large, on three pairs of retrices ; bill and feet, black.
Female in spring:—Somewhat similar, but lacks the distinctive head markings ;
the under parts are paler and less streaked; the tail spots small or obscure; the
white on the wing less. Young :—An insignificant-looking bird, resembling
an overgrown Ruby-crowned Kinglet without its crest ; obscure greenish-olive
above; rump, olive-yellow; under parts, yellowish-white ; breast and sides with
the streaks obscure or obsolete ; little or no white on wings, which are edged
with yellowish; tail spots very small. Length, 5-54; wing, 22; tail, 24.

Has.—Hastern North America, north to Hudson’s Bay Territory, west
to the Plains. Breeds from Northern New England northward and also in
Jamaica; winters in the West Indies.

Nest, fastened to the outermost twigs of a cedar bough about three feet
from the ground, composed of minute twigs of dried spruce, grasses and
strawberry vines woven together with spider webs. The rim is neatly formed
and the lining is entirely of horse-hair.

Eggs, three to five, creamy-white, marked with lilac and reddish-brown.

This rare and beautiful Warbler is peculiar to the east, not yet
having been found west of the Mississippi. In the Eastern States it
is occasionally obtained, but is so rare that it is always regarded as a
prize, and the collector who recognizes in the woods the orange
ear-coverts and striped breast of this species is not likely soon to
forget the tingling sensation which passes up to his finger ends at
the time.

I have altogether found six in Ontario, but the occasions of their
capture extended over a good many years. The above description of
the nest and eggs is condensed from an account given by Montague
Chamberlain in the Awk for January, 1885, of the finding of a nest
on the northern boundary of New Brunswick in the summer of 1882.

YELLOW WARBLER. 361

SuspcgEnus DENDROICA Gray.
DENDROICA ASTIVA (GMEL.).
269. Yellow Warbler. (652)

Golden-yellow ; back, olive-yellow, frequently with obsolete brownish
streaks ; breast and sides, streaked with orange-brown, which sometimes
tinges the crown; wings and tail, dusky, the latter marked with yellow
blotches; bill, dark blue. Female and young, paler; less or not streaked
below. Length, 54; wing, 22; tail, 24.

Has.—North America at large, south, in winter, to Central America and
Northern South America.

Nest, placed in the crotch of a small tree or bush, composed of a variety of
soft, elastic materials, including wool, hair, moss, bark fibre and plant down,
closely felted together.

Eggs, four or five, greenish-white, spotted and blotched with different shades
of reddish-brown.

This is, perhaps, the best known of all the Warbler family, its
nest being more frequently found in a lilac bush in the garden than
in any more retired situation. About the 10th of May it arrives
from the south, and soon makes its presence known by its sprightly
notes, the males being in full song at the time of their arrival.

Tt spends much of its time picking small caterpillars off the foliage
ot the willows, and is a general favorite on account of its sociable
disposition and confiding manners. Unfortunately for its domestic
comfort, it is often reluctantly compelled to become the foster-parent
of a young Cowbird, but it does not always accept the situation.
After the obnoxious egg has been deposited, it has been known to
raise the sides of the nest an inch higher, build a second bottom over
the top of the egg, and raise its own brood above, leaving the Cow-
bird egg to rot in the basement.

This ambitious little bird, not satisfied with the United States
and Canada as a breeding ground, has extended the area to Alaska,
where Mr. Nelson says it is perhaps the most abundant Warbler
throughout the territory. It is found everywhere in the wooded
interior, on the bushy borders of the watercourses, or among the
clumps of stunted alders on the shores of Behring Sea, and the coast
of the Arctic about Kotzebue Sound on the south-east coast of the
territory. Richardson reports its arrival at Fort Franklin in latitude
60°, on the 15th of May.

This species and the Green Black-capped Flycatcher are the only
two of this class which breed in the alder thickets in the vicinity of
St. Michael’s.

.

362 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

DENDROICA CATRULESCENS (GMEL.).

270. Black-throated Blue Warbler. (654)

Male in spring:—Aboyve, uniform slaty-blue, the perfect continuity of
which is only interrupted, in very high plumages, by a few black dorsal
streaks ; below, pure white; the sides of the head to above the eyes, the
chin, throat and whole sides of the body continuously jet black ; wing bars
wanting (the coverts being black, edged with blue), but a large white spot at
the base of the primaries ; quill feathers, blackish, outwardly edged with bluish,
the inner ones mostly white on their inner webs; tail, with the ordinary white
blotches, the central feathers edged with bluish; bill, black ; feet, dark. Youny
male: —Similar, but the blue glossed with olivaceous, and the black interrupted
and restricted. Female :

Entirely different; dull olive-greenish with faint
bluish shade, below pale, soiled yellowish, recognizable by the white spot at
the base of the primaries, which, though it may be reduced to a mere speck, is
always evident, at least on pushing aside the primary coverts; tail blotches,
small or obscure; feet, rather pale. Length, about 5; wing, 23; tail, 24.

Has.—Kastern North America to the Plains, breeding from Northern New
England and Northern New. York northward, and in the Alleghanies to
Northern Georgia; West Indies in winter.

Nest, placed in the fork of a bush near the ground, composed of grape-vine
bark and rootlets, lined with vegetable fibre and horse-hair.

Eggs, three to five, creamy-white, with a few spots of reddish-brown toward
the larger end.

During the spring migration this species is always fairly repre-
sented, and some seasons it exceeds in numbers any other group of
the family to which it belongs. It arrives about the 10th of May:
and continues common till the 25th, by which time those bound for
the north have disappeared. I have heard of individuals being seen
in the woods in summer, and think it quite likely that a few pairs
breed in suitable places in the southern part of the Province, but the
majority unquestionably go farther north. While here the favorite
haunt of the species is in the open woods, but it also visits the
orchard, and is often seen among the lilac bushes in search of its
insect food. In the fall it is in the woods during the greater part
of September, after which it disappears and is seen no more till the
following spring.

Since the above was written I find the following notice in Davie’s
‘Nests and Eggs of American Birds”: ‘Mr. Wm. L. Kells found the
Black-throated Blue Warbler breeding in the thick underbrush of
the high timbered land near Listowel, Ontario, in June, and on the
Dth of that month, 1886, discovered a compactly built nest of this
species in a small maple. On the 9th it contained three eggs of the
Warbler and one of the Cowbird.”

MYRTLE WARBLER. 363:

DENDROICA CORONATA (Linn.).

271. Myrtle Warbler. (655)

Male:—In spring, slaty-blue streaked with black; breast and sides, mostly
black; throat and belly, pure white, immaculate; rump, central crown patch
and sides of breast, sharply yellow, there being thus four definite yellow
places; sides of head, black ; eyelids and superciliary line, white; ordinary
white wing bars and tail blotches; bill and feet, black ; ma/e in winter
and female in summer similar, but slate color less pure or quite brownish.
Young :— Quite brown above, obscurely streaked below. Length, 53-57;
wing, 3; tail, 23.

Has.—Eastern North America chiefly, straggling more or less commonly
westward to the Pacific ; breeds from the Northern United States northward,
and winters from the Middle States and the Ohio Valley southward to the
West Indies and Central America.

Nest, in a low tree or bush, composed chiefly of hemlock twigs and soft
vegetable fibres, lined with feathers.

Eggs, three to five, creamy-white, marked with brownish-purple.

The familiar Yellow-rump is the first of the family to arrive in
spring, often appearing early in April, and for a time it is the one
most frequently met with in the woods, where it is observed passing
in loose flocks among the upper branches of the trees.

By the middle of May, they have mostly disappeared, and are not
again seen in Southern Ontario till the end of September. No doubt
many of the warblers spend the summer in the thinly settled, uncul-
tivated tracts of Ontario, but their haunts are so seldom visited by
anyone interested in the birds, that it is only occasionally we hear
of them.

Quite recently Mr. W. L. Kells found this species breeding near
Listowel. The locality in which the nest was found was a clump of
black ash, intermingled with cedars and balsams.

Macfarlane found this species nesting on the Anderson River.
There its nest was often placed on the ground, but that might be
a necessity, for trees or bushes are not always available in that
northern region.

They linger late in the fall, as if unwilling to leave, and many
probably do not go much beyond our southern boundary, though
none have been known to remain here over the winter. On the
Pacific coast, this species has been replaced by Dendroica auduboni
(Audubon’s Warbler). These two species resemble each other very
closely, the principal difference being that in the western species the

364 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

throat is yellow, while in ours it is white. Our eastern species has
frequently been found on the Pacific coast, but in the east the
western one has only once been observed, the record being of a
specimen taken near Cambridge, Mass., on the 15th November, 1876.

DENDROICA MACULOSA (GMEL.).

272. Magnolia Warbler. (657)

Male in spring:—Back, black, the feathers more or less skirted with olive,
rump, yellow ; crown, clear ash, bordered by black in front to the eyes, behind
the eyes by a white stripe ; forehead and sides of the head, black, continuous
with that of the back, enclosing the white under eyelid ; entire under parts
{except white under tail coverts), rich yellow, thickly streaked across the
breast and along the sides with black, the pectoral streaks crowded and cutting
off the definitely bounded immaculate yellow throat from the yellow of the
other under parts; wing bars, white, generally fused into one patch ; tail spots
small, rectangular, at the middle of the tail and on all the feathers except
the central pair; bill, black ; feet, brown. Female in spring:—Quite similar ;
black of back reduced to spots in the grayish-olive ; ash of head washed with
olive ; other head markings obseure ; black streaks below smaller and fewer.
Young :—Quite different ; upper parts, ashy-olive ; no head markings whatever,
and streaks below wanting or confined to a few small ones along the sides, but
always known by the yellow rump in connection with extensively or completely
yellow under parts (except white under tail coverts) and small tail spots near
the middle of all the feathers except the central. Small, 5 inches or less ; wing,
24; tail, 2.

Has.—Kastern North America to the base of the Rocky Mountains,
breeding from Northern New England, Northern New York and Northern
Michigan to Hudson’s Bay Territory. In winter, Bahamas, Cuba and Central
America.

Nest, usually placed in a low spruce or hemlock, a few feet above the
ground, sometimes ten to fifteen feet up in a young hemlock, composed of
twigs, rootlets and grass, and lined with horse-hair.

Eggs, four or five, dull white, marked with lilac and brown.

This by many is considered the most gaily dressed of the Warbler
family. In Southern Ontario it is a migrant in spring and fall, and
usually quite numerous. From its remaining near Hamilton till late
in May, and appearing again about the end of August, we may infer
that some of the numbers which pass in spring breed at-no great
distance. Mr. C. J. Young, of the Collegiate Institute, Perth, men-
tions having found a nest of this species in his neighborhood on the
Ist July, 1885. The description of the nest, its position and the
four eggs it contained, correspond exactly with that given by others

CERULEAN WARBLER. 365

who have seen them elsewhere. So far as I have observed, this is
not one of the high fliers, being seldom seen among the tree tops, but
mostly in young woods, particularly evergreens, where its colors show
to advantage against the back-ground of dark foliage.

When seen in spring, flitting from bush to bush, one is apt to
suppose that it will not travel much farther before settling for the
summer, but Macoun reports finding it at Lake Mistasini on the
25th May, 1885, and Richardson met with it on the banks of the
Saskatchewan on the 26th May, 1827.

DENDROICA CAHIRULEA (Wus.).
273. Cerulean Warbler. (658)

Male in spring :—Azure-blue, with black streaks; below, pure white; breast
and sides with blue or blue-black streaks ; two white wing bars; tail blotches
small, but occupying every feather, except, perhaps, the central pair ; bill,
black; feet, dark. Female and young with the blue strongly glossed with
greenish, and the white soiled with yellowish; a yellowish eye ring and
superciliary line. Length, 4-43.

Has.—Kastern United States and Southern Canada to the Plains. Rare
or casual east of Central New York and the Alleghanies. Cuba (rare) and
Central America in winter.

Nest, in the outer fork of a branch, twenty to fifty feet from the ground,
composed of bark strips, grass and rootlets, and lined with fine grass and fibre ;
outside are many pieces of gray moss fastened with spider silk.

Kggs, four, greenish-white, blotched with brown and lilac at the larger end.

The Cerulean Warbler is, I think, a regular summer resident in
Southern Ontario, but is somewhat local in its distribution. One
spring I searched for it carefully near Hamilton without seeing a
single individual, while across the Bay, four miles off, Mr. Dickson
reported it as quite common, and breeding in the woods near the
Waterdown station of the Grand Trunk railway. Its home and
haunts are among the upper branches of the trees, and, except on a
blustering, rainy day, it is seldom seen among the lower branches.
Its song is almost identical with that of the Parula Warbler, but in
the latter species it rises to a slightly higher key at the close, while
the Cerulean’s ditty is uniform throughout. The colors of the bird
are very pleasing when it is seen in a good light, fluttering among
the topmost twigs of a beech or maple, the azure-blue and silvery-
white seeming like a shred wafted from the drapery of the sky. Dr.
Wheaton mentions the species as abundant in Ohio, but generally it
is considered rare.

366 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

DENDROICA PENSYLVANICA (Liyy.)

274. Chestnut-sided Warbler. (659)

Male in spring :—Back, streaked with black and pale yellow (sometimes
ashy or whitish), whole crown pure yellow, immediately bordered with white,
then enclosed in black ; sides of head and neck and whole under parts, pure
white, the former with an irregular black crescent before the eye, one horn
extending backward over the eye to border the yellow crown and be dissipated
on the sides of the nape, the other reaching downward and backward to con-
nect with a chain of pure chestnut streaks that run the whole length of the
body, the under eyelid and auriculars being left white ; wing bands, generally
fused into one large patch, and like the edging of the inner secondaries, much
tinged with yellow; tail spots white as usual; bill, blackish ; feet, brown.
Female in spring :—Quite similar; colors less pure; black loral crescent obscure
or wanting ; chestnut streaks thinner. Young :—Above, including the crown,
clear yellowish-green, perfectly uniform or back with slight dusky touches ;
no distinct head markings; below, entirely white from bill to tail, or else
showing a trace of chestnut streaks on the sides ; wing bands, clear yellow,
as in the adult ; this is a diagnostic feature, shared by no other species, taken
in connection with the continuously white under parts; bill, light colored
below. Length, 5-54; wing, 23; tail, 2.

Has.—Kastern United States and Southern Canada, west to the Plains,
breeding southward to Central Hlinois and in the Appalachian Highlands,
probably to Northern Georgia. Visits the Bahamas and Central America in
winter.

Nest, in the fork of a bush or sapling, three to eight feet from the ground,
composed of bark strips and grass, and lined with plant down and hair.

Kegs, four or five creamy-white with reddish-brown marking.

The Chestnut-sided is a common summer resident, breeding in
suitable places near the city and throughout the country, and raising
two broods in the season. It is very partial to briar patches, but
sometimes goes gleaning for insects among the trees, when the
blending of its varied plumage with the fresh spring foliage produces
a very pleasing effect. It arrives from the south about the 10th of
May, and departs early in September.

Although it seems quite at home in Southern Ontario, many
individuals must take a wider range, for Dr. Coues reports it as
a common summer resident in the woodlands near Pembina, and
Kennicott found it at the Lake of the Woods on the 25th of May.
The song, when heard in its haunts in the early spring, is pleasing,
and delivered with much spirit. Any of these birds whose notes I
have once or twice heard I readily recognize again, and trust to the
var more than to the eye to tell what birds are about me in the bush,

BAY-BREASTED WARBLER. 367

but only in a few exceptional cases could I convey to my readers in
words or letters any idea of the songs of birds, and I must admit
that I make but poor progress in trying to follow others who think
they have succeeded in doing so.

DENDROICA CASTANEA (WILzs.).

275. Bay-breasted Warbler. (660)

Male in spring:—Back, thickly streaked with black and grayish-olive;
forehead and sides of head, black, enclosing a large deep chestnut patch; a
duller chestnut (exactly like a Bluebird’s breast) occupies the whole chin and
throat, and extends, more or less interrupted, along the entire sides of the
body; rest of under parts, ochrey or buffy whitish, a similar buffy area
behind the ears; wing bars and tail spots, ordinary; bill and feet, blackish.
Female in spring:—Is more olivaceous than the male, with the markings less
pronounced, but always shows evident chestnut coloration, and probably traces
of it persist in all adu/t birds in the fall. The young, however, so closely
resemble young sfriata that it is sometimes impossible to distinguish them
with certainty. Castanea is, however, tinged with buffy or ochrey below,
instead of the clear pale yellowish of striata; moreover, castanea is usually
not streaked on the sides at all. Size of striata.

Has.—Eastern North America, north to Hudson’s Bay. Breeds from
Northern New England and Northern Michigan northward; winters in Central
America.

Nest, in a hemlock tree, fifteen or twenty feet from the ground, composed
of larch twigs and moss, woven together with spider silk, and lined with
fibrous roots.

Eggs, four, bluish-green, thickly spotted with lilac and brown at the larger
end,

My observations of this species agree with what has been pub-
lished regarding it by those who have observed it in the Eastern
States. I have found it abundant in spring some years, and in
others rare, or entirely wanting, while in the fall it is always scarce,
if it is seen at all. This has led to the belief that the species does
not always follow the same line of migration in spring, and that in
the fall the return trip is made along a line to the west of us, the
few we see being only stragglers from the main body. It is a
late comer, being seldom seen till after the middle of May, and it
is less active in its movements than other members of the family.
It is seldom seen on the ground or near it, usually keeping among
the upper branches of the trees.

The only time I ever saw more than three or four together was in

368 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

the spring of 1885, when I observed a flock of fifty or more feeding
in a clump of willows overhanging an inlet of the Hamilton Bay.

Listowel seems a favorite locality with the Warblers, and Mr.
Kells evidently gives them some attention, for this is another species
which he found breeding in a low, swampy, mixed bush not far from
his home. Mr. Kells found a nest placed between a slender limb
and the trunk of a small cedar about five feet up. Another was
found in a hemlock at an elevation of fourteen feet. The nests were
built as deseribed above, of rather small size, the interior being only
about two inches in diameter by one in depth.

DENDROIFCA STRIATA (Forsr.).

276. Black-poll Warbler. (661)

Male in spring:—Upper parts thickly streaked with black and olivaceous-
ash; whole crown, pure black; head below the level of the eyes and whole
under parts, white, the sides thickly marked with black streaks crowding
forward on the sides of the neck to form two stripes that converge to meet at
base of the bill, cutting off the white of the cheeks from that of the throat;
wing bars and tail blotches, white; inner secondaries, white-edged ; primaries
usually edged externally with olive; feet and under mandible, flesh color or
pale yellowish; upper mandible, black. Female in spring :—Upper parts,
including the crown, greenish-olive, both thickly and rather sharply black
streaked; white of under parts soiled anteriorly with very pale olivaceous-
yellow, the streaks smaller and not so crowded as in the male. Young :-—
Closely resembling the adult female, but a brighter and more greenish-olive
above with fewer streaks, often obsolete on the crown; below, more or less
tinged with pale greenish-yellow, the streaks very obscure, sometimes alto-
gether wanting; under tail coverts, usually pure white ; a yellowish superciliary
line; wing bars, tinged with the ‘same color. Length, 55-53; wing, 24-3; tail,
2-24.

Has.—Eastern North America to the Rocky Mountains, north to Green-
land, the Barren Grounds ‘and Alaska, breeding from Northern New England
northward; south, in winter, to Northern South America.

Nest, in an evergreen, eight or ten feet from the ground, built of larch twigs
woven together with moss and grass, and lined with fine grass.

Eggs, four or five, variable, usually white, spotted with purple and reddish-

brown.

The Black-poll is a regular visitor in Southern Ontario in spring
and fall. Tt is the last of the family to arrive from the south, being
seldom seen before the 20th of May. Its stay at that time is of
short duration, and when it goes the collector considers the Warbler

BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER. 369

season is over. In the fall these birds are again seen in increased
numbers, many being in the young plumage, and not in such haste to
depart, although none remain over the winter.

The musical powers, if they have any, are not exercised in this
latitude, the birds while here being mostly silent. They feed largely
on winged insects, which are never plentiful till the end of May, and
this may account for the Black-polls being late in arriving in spring.

Viewed from the ordinary traveller’s standpoint, one would expect
that the birds which go farthest north would be the first to start on
the journey, but such is not the case. This species, which is the very
latest to arrive from the south, keeps moving on the northern route,
passing many which left the winter rendezvous before them, and
though some may drop off by the way, large numbers keep on till
they reach Alaska, and they are found even in Greenland.

Macfarlane noticed this species breeding on the Anderson River,
and its eggs were taken at Fort Yukon on the 8th and 10th of June.

DENDROICA BLACKBURNIA. (GmMeEz.).

277. Blackburnian Warbler. (662)

Male in spring:—Back, black, more or less interrupted with yellowish ;
crown, black, with a central orange spot; a broad black stripe through the eye,
enclosing the orange under eyelid; rest: of head, with whole throat, most
brilliant orange or flame color; other under parts, whitish, more or less tinged
with yellow, and sides streaked with black; wing bars, fused into a large white
patch; tail blotches, white, occupying nearly all the outer feathers; bill and
feet, dark. Female and young male:—Upper parts, olive and black, streaked ;
superciliary line and throat, clear yellow, fading insensibly on the breast;
lower eyelid, yellow, confined in the dusky ear-patch; wing patch, resolved
into two bars; tail blotches, nearly as extensive as in the adult male, the outer
feathers showing white on the outer webs at base. Length, 5}; wing, 2%;.
tail, 24.

Hazs.—Eastern North America to the Plains, breeding from the northern:
and more elevated parts of the Eastern United States northward; in winter,
south to the Bahamas, Central America and Northern South America.

Nest, in an evergreen, twenty feet from the ground; built of twigs, grass
and moss, and lined with fine fibre, hair and feathers.

Eggs, three or four, bluish-green, speckled toward the larger end with
reddish-brown and lilac.

This “ flying gem,” clad in black, and orange of the richest shade,

is by many regarded as the most gaily attired of all the Warblers.
24

370 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

It is a regular visitor in spring and fall, and though not abundant is
very generally distributed.

A few have been observed in Manitoba, and it has also been
reported as a straggler in Labrador, but from its lingering late in
the spring in Southern Ontario, and appearing again early in Sep-
tember, the bulk of the species probably does not go much farther
north to spend the summer. In the Awk, Vol. I1., page 103, Dr.
Merriam gives an account of a nest of this species which he found
in Lewis County, N.Y., on the 2nd of June, 1879. It was saddled
on a limb of a large pine, eighty-four feet from the ground, and
contained four fresh eggs of the owners of the nest and one of the
Cowbird.

One of the few errors made by Wilson was his description of
the young of this bird as a separate species, which he named the
Hemlock Warbler. In this he was for a time followed by other
writers, till further observations brought out the truth.

Like most of its class, this species crosses the southern frontier in
May, and is again seen passing south in September. .

DENDROICA VIRENS (GmMEz.).

278. Black-throated Green Warbler. (667)

Male in spring:—Back and crown, clear yellow-olive; forehead, superciliary
line, sides of head, rich yellow (in very high plumage, middle of back with
dusky marks, and dusky or dark olive lines through eyes, auriculars, and even
bordering the crown); chin, throat and breast, jet black, prolonged behind in
streaks on the sides; other under parts, white, usually yellow-tinged; wings
and tail, dusky, the former with two white bars and much white edging, the
latter with outer feathers nearly all white; bill and feet, blackish; ma/e in the
fall and female in the spring similar, but black restricted, interrupted or veiled
with yellow. Youny:—Similar to the female, but the black more restricted or
wanting altogether, except a few streaks along the sides. Length, about 5;
wing, 24; tail, 24.

Has.—Kastern North America to the Plains, north to Hudson’s Bay Terri-
ritory, breeding from the Northern. United States northward. In winter, south
to Cuba and Panama. Accidental in Greenland and Europe.

Nest, small, neat, compact, placed in a fork of a pine tree, near the end of a
branch, often twenty to fifty feet from the ground; composed of twigs, strips of
vine bark and dried grass, and lined with vegetable fibre and horse hair.

Eggs, three or four, creamy-white, marked with reddish-brown and lilac,
mostly toward the larger end.

PINE WARBLER. aii

The Black-throated Green Warbler is a regular visitor in spring
and fall. It appears a few days earlier in spring than some others of
its class, and soon announces its arrival by the frequent utterance of
its characteristic notes, which are readily recognized when heard in
the woods, but are ditfticult to translate into our language. When
the Warblers are on their migratory journey, they use trees of all
kinds as resting places, but while seeking food this species evidently
prefers the pines, and is most frequently seen among the higher
branches. In the fall they are as active as ever in their movements,
but are mostly silent, except in the utterance of a simple chirp to
advise each other of their whereabouts.

DENDROICA VIGORSIT (Avp.).

279. Pine Warbler, (671)

Uniform yellowish-olive above, yellow below, paler or white on belly and
under tail coverts, shaded and sometimes obsoletely streaked with darker on
the sides; superciliary line, yellow; wing bars, white; tail blotches confined to
two outer pairs of feathers, large, oblique. Female and young :-—Similar,
duller; sometimes merely olive-gray above and sordid-whitish below. The
variations in precise shade are interminable, but the species may always be
known by the lack of any special sharp markings whatever, except the super-
ciliary line, and by the combination of white wing bars with large oblique tail
spots confined to the two outer pairs of feathers. Length, 53 to nearly 6 inches.

Has.—Hastern United States to the Plains, north to Ontario and New
Brunswick, wintering in the South Atlantic and Gulf States, and the Bahamas.

Nest, in a pine tree, well up from the ground, built of strips of bark,
rootlets and grass, and lined with plant down, hair and feathers.

Eggs, usually four, white, tinged with pink and spotted with reddish-brown

and lilac toward the larger end.

The Pine-creeping Warbler is remarkable neither for the gaiety
of dress nor the activity of movement which distinguish most of
the others of its class. It is a large, quiet Warbler, yellowish-green
above, and greenish-yellow below, and is most frequently observed
creeping on the trunks or branches of the pine trees, searching for
insects among the crevices of the bark. It does not seem to be
generally distributed, for Dr. Wheaton speaks of it as being rare in
Ohio, and Mr. Saunders has not met with it near London, while at
Hamilton it is rather a common species, and raises its young near the

city every season.

372 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

It arrives from the south quite early in spring, and for a time is
quiet, but as the weather gets warmer the male indulges in a rather
pleasant little song, resembling that of the Chipping Sparrow. In
the fall they disappear about the middle of September.

DENDROICA PALMARUM (GMEz.).

280. Palm Warbler. (672)

Adult male :—In spring, beneath, yellowish-white, tinged with yellow, the
throat and crissum deepening into gamboge; sides of the neck, sides and
entire breast streaked with umber-brown, tinged with rusty, the shafts of the
feathers darker; a distinct superciliary stripe of clear yellow; pileum, uniform
rich chestnut, darker next the bill, when divided medially by a short and
indistinct streak of yellow; upper parts in general, olive-gray, deepening into

yellowish olive-green on the upper tail coverts; tail feathers, dusky, edged
externally with pale olive-yellowish, the two outer pairs with their inner webs.
broadly tipped with white; wings, dusky, the remiges edged like the tail
feathers with yellowish olive-green, both rows of coverts tipped with pale
grayish-buff, forming rather distinct indications of two bands. Wing, 2.55;
tail, 2.30. '

Hazs.—Northern interior to Great Slave Lake; in winter and in migrations,
Mississippi Valley and Gulf States, including Western and Southern Florida
and the West Indies. Castal in the Atlantic States.

Nest, on the ground under a, bush or tussock of grass, composed of grass,
lined with rootlets, hair, caterpillar silk and moss.

HKggs, three, rosy white, spotted with brown and reddish at the larger end.

From the way .in which western birds creep up into Ontario
around the west end of Lake Erie, I think it highly probable that
this species will be found here. I have noticed some individuals
less bright in the yellow than others, but at present the number
of specimens available for comparison is so small that I cannot say
positively that we have both species of Palm Warbler, and have
some doubts as to whether or not the recognized authorities have
acted wisely in making the separation.

DENDROICA PALMARUM.: HYPOCHRYSEA (Ripew.).-

281. Yellow Palm Warbler. (672q)

Adult male :—In spring, entire lower parts and a conspicuous superciliary
stripe bright yellow, entirely continuous and uniform beneath ; entire sides
marked with broad streaks of deep chestnut, these most distinct on the sides

YELLOW PALM WARBLER. 31a

ef the breast; auricular mixed olive and chestnut (the latter prevailing),
somewhat darker immediately behind the eye; lore, with an indistinct dusky
streak; entire pileum, rich chestnut, becoming darker next the bill when
divided medially by a short and rather indistinct yellow streak; rest of the
upper parts, olive, tinged with brown on the back and brightening into
yellowish olive-green on the rump and upper tail coverts, the latter having
shaft streaks of reddish-chestnut; tail feathers, dusky, edged externally with
yellowish-olive, the inner webs of the two outer feathers broadly tipped with
white; wings, dusky, all the feathers edged with pale brownish-olive, this
edging rather widest on the ends of the middle and greater coverts, where,
however, they do not form any indication of bands. Wing, 2.65; balls Qo:

Has.—Atlantic States north to Hudson’s Bay. Breeds from New Bruns-
wick and Nova Scotia northward ; winters in the South Atlantic and Gulf
States. *

Nest, on the ground, built of bark fibre, grass and moss, and lined with
hair and feathers.

Eggs, four, creamy-white, blotched with reddish-brown and lilac at the
larger end.

As this interesting bird is said to be abundant in the Eastern
States as far west as the Plains, we should expect to find it also
plentiful in Ontario, but I have not so observed it near Hamilton.
Occasionally, late in the fall or early in spring, it is seen running
about on the ground, by the roadsides or in bare weedy fields, but
it is not at any time abundant, and sometimes is altogether absent.
It is very different, in many respects, from the other members of
the group in which it has been placed; the building of its nest on
the ground and the jerky motions of its tail suggesting relationship
with the Tit Lark.

Some ten years ago, while examining a large series of specimens
of this species in the National Museum, Mr. Ridgway observed a
wide difference in the intensity of the coloring of different individuals
in the group. An examination, as to the localities from which they
had been obtained, showed that the highly colored individuals were
from the east of the Alleghanies, while those in plainer attire were
all from farther west. A comparison of specimens in the possession
of different collectors in these districts, showed that the differences
referred to were constant, and this has led to the variety we are
now considering being described as a sub-species, under the name of
Dendroica palmarum hypochrysea ; the original Dendroica palmarum
of Gmelin being supposed to be the plain colored form observed in
the west. I have described both, so that collectors may satisfy
themselves as to whether we have here the eastern form, or the
western, or both.

374 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Genus SEIURUS Swaryson.

SEIURUS AUROCAPILLUS (Liyy.).

282. Oven Bird. (674)

Crown, orange-brown, bordered with two black stripes, no superciliary
line; above, bright olive-green; below, pure white, thickly spotted with dusky
on breast and sides; a narrow maxillary line of blackish; under wing coverts,
tinged with yellow; a white eye ring; legs, flesh color. Sexes alike. Young :—
Similar. Length, 53-65; wing, 3; tail, 23.

Has.—Eastern North America, north to Hudson’s Bay Territory and
Alaska, breeding from Kansas, the Ohio Valley and Virginia northward. In
winter, Southern Florida, the West Indies and Central America.

Nest, on the ground, usually on a sloping bank, frequently roofed over

with an entrance at the side; composed of twigs, leaves and moss, and lined
with fine grass and hair.

Eggs, four or five, creamy-white, spotted with reddish-brown and lilac-gray.

The Oven Bird, so called from its habit of building its nest some-
what in the form of an oven, is a summer resident in Ontario, and is
very generally distributed, being found in suitable places all over the
country, from the early part of May till the beginning of September.
To see it walking gingerly on the ground, jerking its tail after the
manner of the Tit Lark, conveys the impression that it is a quiet,
retiring little bird, with clear, handsome markings; but should it
mount to one of the middle branches of a tree, it is astonishing
to observe with what emphasis and energy it: delivers its notes.
With a little help from the imagination, its song resembles the word
teacher, frequently repeated with increasing emphasis. This loud,
clear call may often be heard in the moist woods during the month
of May, but the bird is said to have also another song, more soft and
musical, which must be reserved for special occasions, for I have not
met with anyone who has heard it.

In Alaska it is known to breed from Fort Yukon some distance
down the river, where the natives call it the Grandfather of the
Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

SEIURUS NOVEBORACENSIS (Gwet.).

283. Water-thrush. (675)

Intire upper parts, deep olivaceous-brown; conspicuous superciliary line,
yellowish ; below, white, more or less tinged with pale yellowish, thickly and
sharply spotted with the color of the back, except on lower belly and crissum ;
feet, dark. Length, 54-6; wing, 2%; tail, 24; bill, about 5.

a

LOUISIANA WATER-THRUSH. 375

Has.—Kastern United States to [linois, and northward to Arctic America,
breeding from the Northern United States northward; south, in winter, to the
West Indies and Northern South America.

Nest, on the ground, often under the exposed roots of a tree, built of leaves,
moss and grasses, and lined with fine grass and rootlets.

Eggs, four to six, of crystalline whiteness, marked with reddish-brown or
lilac.

This inhabitant of the moist woods and swampy thickets is found
in all suitable places throughout the country, but it has not the loud
decided notes of the Oven Bird, and is therefore less known, though
quite as abundant. It is terrestrial in its habits, being often seen
walking with careful steps by the edge of the pools, or along wet
logs, nervously jerking its tail, after the manner of the Teeter Snipe.

In appearance it closely resembles the next species, with which it
has often been confounded, but the distinction, once clearly under-
stood, is afterwards readily recognized. In the present species the
throat and breast are streaked from the bill downwards, while in the
Louisiana the throat is always unstreaked.

This species also reaches Alaska, where Mr. Nelson says of it,
after quoting the observations of others: ‘‘My own experience at
the Yukon mouth proves the bird to be one of the commonest species
breeding at that place. Its favorite haunts, in the midst of dense
thickets, shelter it from the observation of one not accustomed to its
song, which, however, is one of the most striking that reaches the
ear of the traveller in that region ; but the songster, perched on some
low branch, is quick to take alarm, and skulks away beyond the sight
of one penetrating its haunts.”

SEIURUS MOTACILLA (VIsIz1.).

284. Louisiana Water-thrush. (676)

Very similar to the last; rather larger, averaging about 6, with the wing 3;
bill, especially longer and stouter, over 4, and tarsus nearly 1; under parts,
white, only faintly tinged, and chiefly on the flanks and crissum, with buffy-
yellow; the streaks sparse, pale and not very sharp; throat, as well as belly
and crissum, unmarked ; legs, pale.

Has.—Kastern United States, north to Southern New England and Michi-
gan, west to the Plains. In winter, West Indies, Southern Mexico and Central
America.

376 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Nest, on the ground, composed of twigs, moss and leaves, and lined with
fine grass and the fur of some quadruped.

Eggs, four or five, white, tinged with rose color and lightly marked with
reddish-brown, chestnut or lilac gray.

Southern Ontario is perhaps the northern limit of this species,
and even here it is not generally distributed. My first acquaintance
with it was made early on a bright May morning, a good many
years ago. I had gone out under the mountain, west of Hamilton,
and was crossing a deep ravine, which there cut through the escarp-
ment, when I heard farther up the glen the clear, rich, liquid notes
of a bird that was then entirely new to me. Following with
some difficulty the course of the stream, which was heard trickling
beneath the moss-grown rocks at the bottom of the ravine, I came,
at length, in sight of the musician. He was on the prostrate trunk
of a tree, which, years before, had fallen and bridged over the chasm,
and was then moss-grown and going to decay. On this carpeted plat-
form the bird moved about with mincing steps, often turning around
with a jerk of the tail, and uttering his characteristic notes with
such energy that, for a time, the whole ravine seemed filled with the
sound. I have seen the species many times since then, but the
recollection of our first meeting has lingered long in my memory, and
this particular bird still occupies a prominent place in my collection.

The Large-billed, or Louisiana Water-thrush, as it is now called,
is by no means so common a bird in Ontario as the preceding species,
but along the southern border of the Province, wherever there is a
rocky ravine, its loud, clear notes are almost sure to be heard in the
spring, mingling with the sound of the falling water. It arrives
from the south early in May and leaves in September.

Grenus GEOTHLYPIS CasBanlis.
SuBGENUS OPORORNIS Bartrp.
GHOTH LY PiS AGILES (WrEss):

285. Connecticut Warbler. (678)

Above, olive-green, becoming ashy on the head ; below, from the breast,
yellow, olive-shaded on the sides; chin, throat and breast, grayish-ash; a
whitish ring round eye; wings and tail, unmarked, glossed with olive; under
mandible and feet, pale; no decided markings anywhere. Length, 53; wing,
92; tail, 2.

MOURNING WARBLER. Sit

Has.—Hastern North America, breeding north of the United States.
Nest, sunk in the ground level with the surface, composed entirely of

dry grass.

Eggs, four, creamy-white, a few spots of llac-brown and black, inclining to
form a ring round the larger end.

The Connecticut Warbler was discovered by Wilson, and named
by liim after the State in which he found it. It is a widely dis-
tributed species, but is nowhere abundant, though it seems to be
more common in the west than in the eastern portion of its habitat.
It is of shy, retiring habits, frequenting low, swampy places and
keeping near the ground.

On one or two occasions I have met with the adults in spring,
and have seen them again in the fall, accompanied by their young.
In their haunts and habits they closely resemble the Mourning
Warbler, and in certain stages of plumage they are also like the
latter in appearance, but the present species can always be recog-
nized by its wings, which are longer and more pointed.

This species undoubtedly breeds in Ontario, and as the nest and
eggs are still unknown to naturalists, they are a prize which our
Canadian boys should try to secure. I found the young in August,
and they certainly looked as if they had not travelled far.

Since the above was written, the nest of this species has been
found at Duck Mountain, in Manitoba, by Mr. Ernest E. Thompson,
who in the Awk, for April, 1884, gives an interesting account of the
occurrence which happened on June 21st, 1883. The life history of
this graceful species has so long continued in obscurity, that it was
with exceptional pleasure Mr. Thompson found himself enabled to
cast light upon several of the most important of its habits. He
had the good fortune to find the nest, the first of its kind known to
science, and it was subsequently sent to the Smithsonian Institute,
where the identification was confirmed, and the nest finally deposited.

GEOTHLYPIS PHILADELPHIA (Wizs.).

286. Mourning Warbler. (679)

Bright olive; below, clear yellow; on the head, the olive passes insensibly
into ash; in high plumage, the throat and breast are black, but are generally
ash, showing black traces, the feathers being black, skirted with ash, producing
a peculiar appearance, suggestive of the birds wearing crape; wings and tail,
unmarked, glossed with olive; under mandible and feet, flesh color; no white

378 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

about eyes. Young birds have little or no ashy on the head and no black on
the throat, thus nearly resembling the Oporornis agilis. Length, 54-55; wing
and tail, each about 24.

Has.—Kastern North America to the Plains, breeding from the mountain-
ous portions of Pennsylvania, New England and New York, and Northern
Michigan northward. Central America and northern South America in winter.

Nest, on or near the ground, built of leaves and weed stalks, and lined with

fine black rootlets.
Hees, three; ‘light flesh color, uniformly speckled with fine brown specks.”

55”

Very little is yet known of the nest and eggs of the Mourning
Warbler. The above description is given by John Burroughs of a
nest found by hin in New York State, which is farther south than
these birds usually spend the summer.

Some years ago, while waiting for the train at a way station on
the Kincardine branch of the Grand Trunk Railway, I strolled into
the neighboring woods to pass the time. Sitting on a prostrate log
on the sunny side of a ravine, birds of many kinds fluttered about,
and a pair of Mourning Warblers soon attracted my attention by
the displeasure and anxiety they manifested at being disturbed. I
changed my position, and the female moved cautiously towards the
place I had left. A few minutes more and I certainly should have
seen the nest, but the engine whistle sounded, and being some
distance from the station I had to leave. Next day, as the train
slowly passed the place, the male was again observed singing on his
former perch.

Any one who has given attention to the movements of the birds
for a number of years, must have been surprised at the persistent
regularity with which certain species appear at particular places at
a given time, especially in spring.

For many years after I commenced collecting birds, | considered
the Mourning Warbler only a straggler in this part of Ontario,
having met with it on but two occasions. More recently, I have
carefully studied the topographical aspect of the neighborhood with
special reference to the habits of the birds, and have calculated
where certain species should be found at certain dates. One result
of this was, that on two visits made to a particular place in May,
1885, K. C. McIlwraith obtained nine Mourning Warblers in a very
short time. In the spring of 1886 they were again observed at the
same place, but were not molested. The name Mourning does not
refer to the manners of the bird, for it sings with much spirit and
is quite lively in its movements, but was suggested by the ashy tips

MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT. 379

to the black feathers of the throat, resembling the effect produced
by wearing crape.

Mr. Thompson found this species quite common in Manitoba, but
difficult to collect, owing to its habit of keeping back in the under-
brush.

GEOTHLYPIS TRICHAS (Liny.).

287. Maryland Yellow-throat. (681)

Male in spring:—Olive green, rather grayer anteriorly; forehead and a
broad band through the eye to the neck, pure black, bordered above with hoary
ash; chin, throat, breast, under tail coverts and edge of wing, rich yellow,
fading into whitish on the belly; wings and tail, unmarked, glossed with olive ;
bill, black; feet, flesh colored. Female in spring:—Without the definite black
and ash of the head; the crown, generally brownish, the yellow pale and
restricted. The young in general resemble the female, at any rate lacking the
head markings of the male, but are sometimes buffy-brownish below, sometimes
almost entirely clear yellow. Length, 4¢-5; wing and tail, 13-23.

Has.—Eastern United States, mainly east of the Alleghanies, north to
Ontario and Nova Scotia, breeding from Georgia northward. In winter, South
Atlantic and Gulf States, and the West Indies.

Nest, on the ground, composed of leaves and grass, and lined with fine
withered grass, sometimes partly roofed over.

Eggs, four to six, white, thickly sprinkled with reddish-brown, chiefly at
the larger end.

The Maryland Yellow-throat is widely but somewhat irregularly
distributed. I have heard its familiar notes on the banks of the
St. Lawrence, near Quebec; by the marshy ponds between Galt
and Paris I have found it breeding abundantly; but near Hamilton,
where there are places which to us appear equally suitable for its
summer residence, it is only observed as a casual migrant in spring
and fall. It is a very lively little bird, and makes its summer
haunts ring with its loud, clear whzt-ti-tee, often repeated, which
once heard is not soon forgotten by any one who has an ear for
bird music. It arrives during the first week in May, and disappears
about the end of August.

It is very common in Manitoba, but beyond that to the north, |
have not heard of its having being observed.

380 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Genus ICTERIA VIBEILLOT.
ICTERIA VIRENS (Linvy.).

288. Yellow-breasted Chat. (683)

Bright olive-green; below, golden-yellow ; belly, abruptly white; lore,
black, isolating the white under eyelid from a white superciliary line above and
a short maxillary line below; wings and tail, unmarked, glossed with olive; bill
and feet, blue-black. Female and young:—NSimilar, colors less bright. Length,
7-74; wing, about 3; tail, about 3+.

Hap.—KEastern United States to the Plains, north to Ontario and Southern
New England, south in winter to Eastern Mexico and Guatemala.

Nest, in a thicket, in the upright fork of a sapling, three to six feet from
the ground; composed of leaves, strips of grape vine bark and grass, lined with
fine withered grass and fibre.

Eggs, three or four, very smooth, white, spotted and blotched with several
shades of reddish-brown, heaviest toward the larger end.

Bird collecting is attended with all the excitement of other
speculations. The very uncertainty, as to the amount of success
attainable, tends to increase the feeling.

Laying aside accidents by gun, boat or buggy, much time and
labor are sometimes expended with very slim results, while on the
other hand the prizes are often obtained quite unexpectedly. On
the 16th of May, 1884, I went for a short excursion to the woods,
impressed with the idea that I had lately spent too much time
collecting common species which I already had, and that, by a more
careful inspection of the birds I came across, I should have a better
chance of finding something new. I observed quite a number that
afternoon, but came back without a specimen of any kind, and, as it
began to rain, I got home thoroughly damped, and unhitched my
horse, firm in the belief that the subject was unworthy the attention
I was giving to it. Just then I noticed an olive-backed bird lying
dead on the ground close by, and on picking it up found it to be the
decaying body of a Yellow-breasted Chat, that had probably been
killed by flying against the telegraph wire which crossed above the
spot where it was found. It had evidently been there for two or
three days, and I must have passed close to it several times daily.
It was too far gone for preservation, so I had to console myself with
its being the first record of the species in Canada. A week or so
afterwards, when visiting Mr. Dickson, who is station-master on
the G. T. R. at Waterdown, he pointed out to me an old, unused
mill-race, grown up with briars and brambles, where the day before

HOODED WARBLER. 381

he had seen a pair of Chats mated. Mr. Dickson was collecting at
the time, and was greatly surprised at their sudden appearance
within ten feet of where he was standing, but on his moving back-
ward, with a view of getting to a safer shooting distance, they
‘disappeared in the thicket and did not again become visible, though
they kept up their scolding as long as he remained near the place.

A pair of this species was also found by Mr. Saunders breeding on
the north shore of Lake Erie, near Point Pelee, which completes the
record for Ontario, so far as I have heard.

Genus SYLVANIA Nurfratt.
SYLVANIA MITRATA (GMEL.).

289. Hooded Warbler. (684)

Clear yellow-olive; below, rich yellow shaded along the sides; whole head
and neck, pure black, enclosing a broad golden mask across forehead and
through eyes: wings, unmarked, glossed with olive; tail, with large white
blotches on the two outer pairs of feathers; bill, black; feet, flesh color.
Female :-—With no black on the head; that of the crown replaced by olive, that
of the throat by yellow. Young male :—With the black much restricted and
interrupted, if not wholly wanting, as in the female. Length, 5-54; wing,
about 2%; tail, about 24.

Has.—FEastern United States, west to the Plains, north and east to
Michigan, Southern New York and Southern New England. In winter,
West Indies, Eastern Mexico and Central America.

Nest, in a low bush or tree, a few feet from the ground; built of leaves and
coarse grasses, and lined with fine grass and horse-hair.

Eggs, four, white, tinged with flesh color and marked with reddish-brown.

The Hooded Warbler is a southern species which rarely crosses
our southern border. Mr. Norval reports finding it, occasionally, at
Port Rowan, on the north shore of Lake Erie, and I once found a
young male near Hamilton. It was toward the end of May, when
there had been a big bird-wave during the previous night, and this
one had apparently got carried away in the crowd. It is a most
expert fly-catcher, very active on the wing, and has the habit of
flirting its tail after the manner of the Redstart. IJts favorite haunts
are in thick, briary patches and among underbrush, where it finds
food and shelter for itself and family.

There has been considerable discussion regarding the plumage of

382 . BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

the female of this species, which has apparently subsided into the
belief that in mature adult birds the sexes are nearly alike, but that
the female is longer in acquiring the black of the head and throat,
and is sometimes found with it imperfectly developed or entirely
wanting.

SYLVANIA PUSILLA (Wizs.).

290. Wilson’s Warbler. (685)

Clear yellow-olive; crown, glossy blue-black; forehead, sides of head and
entire under parts, clear yellow; wings and tail, plain, glossed with olive ;
upper mandible, dark; under, pale; feet, brown. Female and young :—Similar ;
colors not so bright, the black cap obscure. Small, 49-5; wing, about 24;
tail, about 2.

Haxz.—Eastern North America, west to and including the Rocky Mountains,
north to Hudson’s Bay Territory and Alaska. Breeds chiefly north of the
United States, migrating south to Eastern Mexico and Central America.

Nest, a hollow in the ground, lined with fine grass and horse-hair.

Eggs, five, dull white, freckled with rusty-brown and lilac.

Wilson’s Fly-catcher passes through Southern Ontario on its way
to the north, in company with the Mourning Warblers and other
late migrants. Like some of the others, it has certain resting places,
where it appears regularly in limited numbers every spring, but
strangers, unacquainted with its haunts, might ransack the country
for miles without seeing a single specimen. The greatest number go
far north to spend the summer, but it is probable that a few remain
in intermediate districts, for Mr. Geo. R. White found a pair nesting
in his garden in Ottawa. This is the only record of the kind I have
for Ontario.

In “ New England Bird Life,” Part I., page 172, is an account of
a nest found by Mr. D. H. Minot on Pike’s Peak, 11,000 feet up,
near the timber line. The nest and eggs were as described above.

Of its occurrence in Alaska, Mr. Nelson says: ‘On the Upper
Yukon its nests and eggs have been taken by the 20th of May,
and by the middle of that month its presence is noted on the coast
of Behring Sea, where it is a summer resident, occupying the same
alder thickets as the Yellow Warbler.”

CANADIAN WARBLER. 383

SYLVANIA CANADENSIS (Liyy.).

291. Canadian Warbler. (686)

Bluish-ash; crown, speckled with lanceolate black marks, crowded and
generally continuous on the forehead; the latter divided lengthwise by a
slight yellow line; short superciliary line and edges of eyelids, yellow; lores
black, continuous with black under the eye, and this passing as a chain of
black streaks down the side of the neck, and prettily encircling the throat
like a necklace; excepting these streaks and the white under tail coverts the
entire under parts are clear yellow; wings and tail, unmarked; feet, flesh
color; in the female and young the black is obscure or much restricted, and
the back may be slightly glossed with olive. Length, about 54; wing, 23;
tail, 24.

Hazs.—Eastern North America, westward to the Plains and north to
Newfoundland, Southern Labrador and Lake Winnipeg, south, in winter, to
Central America and Northern South America.

Nest, on the ground in a tussock of grass or weeds, composed of fibre,
rootlets, leaves and pine needles.

Eggs. five, white, ‘‘beautifully marked with dots and small blotches of
blended brown, purple and violet, varying in shades and tints and grouped in
a wreath around the larger end.”

From the 15th to the 25th of May, this species is very common in
all suitable places in Southern Ontario. After the latter date the
numbers are much reduced, but a few remain to spend the summer,
while the bulk of the species goes farther north. When here their
manners resemble those of the Green Black-cap, with whom they
are often found in company, and they prefer briary thickets, through
which they pass nimbly, picking up their insect fare as they go. In
the fall they are less frequently seen, returning south, perhaps, by
some other route. They are first seen about the middle of May, and
disappear toward the end of August.

_ Mr. Kells found this species breeding in the low, damp woodlands
near Listowel. The nests were built in the cavities of upturned
roots of trees, and in the depressions in banks near pools of water.

384 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

GeNuS SETOPHAGA Swatnson.
SETOPHAGA RUTICILLA (Liyy.).

292. American Redstart. (687)

Male :—-Lustrous blue-black; belly and crissum, white; sides of the breast,
large spot at bases of the remiges, and basal half of the tail feathers (except the
middle pair), fiery orange, belly often tinged with the same. Fema/e:—Oliva-
ceous, ashier on the head, entirely white below; wings and tail, blackish, with
the flame color of the male represented by yellow. Young male:—Like the
female, but browner, the yellow of an orange hue. From the circumstance that
many spring males are shot in the general plumage of the female, but showing
irregular isolated black patches, it is probable that the species requires at least
two years to gain its perfect plumage. Length, 54; wing and tail, about 24.

Has.—North America, north to Fort Simpson, west regularly to the Great
Basin, casually to the Pacific coast, breeding from the middle portion of the
United States northward. In winter, the West Indies, and from Southern
Mexico through Central America to Northern South America.

Nest, in the fork of a sapling, six to twenty feet from the ground, composed
of grape vine bark, grasses and weeds, and lined with fine grass, horse-hair or

plant down.
Eggs, four or five, greenish or grayish-white, dotted with brown, lavender

and purple.

The Redstart is one of the most active and restless little birds
found in the bush, where its glowing garb of black and orange shines
to great advantage among the fresh green leaves. It is generally
distributed throughout Ontario, and from its manners and markings
is well known to all who give any attention to the birds. In spring,
it arrives from the 10th to the 15th of May, the first to appear
being the adult male in full costume, after which come the females
and young males in plumage nearly alike. While here, they are
not high-fliers, but like to disport themselves among the middle and
lower branches of deciduous trees, from which they dart off in pursuit
of passing insects, making the clicking of the bill distinctly heard.

The male is so decided in his markings, that he is not likely to be
mistaken for any other species. The female is plainer, but has the
habit of opening and closing the tail feathers, which serves, even at
a distance, to indicate the species to which she belongs.

After the end of August they are seldom seen.

AMERICAN PIPIT. 385

Famity MOTACILLIDAS. Waeraits.
Genus ANTHUS Becuster.
Suseenus ANTHUS.
ANTHUS PENSILVANICUS (Latz.)

293. American Pipit. (697)

Points of wings formed by the four outer primaries, the fifth being abruptly
shorter. Hind claw, nearly straight, nearly or quite equal to its digit. Above,
dark brown, with a slight olive shade, most of the feathers with dusky centres;
eyelids, superciliary line and under parts, pale buffy or ochrey-brown, variable
in shade; breast and sides of neck and body, thickly streaked with dusky:
wings and tail, blackish; inner secondaries, pale-edged; one or more outer tail
feathers, wholly or partly white. Length, about 64; wing, 34; tail, 23-3.

Has.—North America at large, breeding in the higher parts of the Rocky
Mountains and subarctic districts, and wintering in the Gulf States, Mexico
and Central America. Accidental in Europe.

Nest, a cavity in the ground, lined thickly with coarse, dry grass.

Eggs, four or five, dark chocolate, with spots and streaks of grayish-brown.

In spring and fall, loose straggling flocks of Pipits are seen on the
commons, either searching for food on the ground, or in short stages
working their way to their breeding grounds in the far north, though
how they ever get there is a wonder to any one who notices their
weak and vacillating flight.

In the spring they pass along very quickly, but in the fall they
are seen in flocks by the shores of muddy ponds or creeks, or in
moist meadows in the open country, nervously jerking their tails
after the manner of the Water-thrushes. Their only note while here
is a weak, timid cheep, uttered while on the wing.

On the 20th of July, 1871, Mr. Allen found young birds of this
species, scarcely able to fly, on Mount Lincoln, Park County, Col-
orado, among the snow fields above timber line.

Dr. Coues found them breeding abundantly on the coast of
Labrador, and noticed their habit of resorting to the sea shore at
low tide, there to ramble about in company with the Sandpipers
in search of food. :

Mr. Nelson says that they arrive at Fort Reliance on the upper
Yukon about the Ist of May, and leave about the 5th of October.
Kumlien reports that near his quarters, at the Cumberland Gulf,
they nested in crevices among the rocks, but in Greenland he found
them nesting in tussocks of grass like Sparrows. He tells us that

25

386 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

the Eskimo regard this bird as an enemy, and accuse it of telling
the reindeer when a man is in pursuit. It is also said to tell the
deer whether or not the man is a good shot. Kumlien adds that he
has seen an Eskimo waste his last charge in trying to kill one of
these birds, when a herd'of deer was close by.

Famity TROGLODYTIDA. Wrens, THRASHERS, ETC.
Susramity MIMIN A. Turasuers.
Genus MIMUS Botr.
MIMUS POLYGLOTTOS (Liny.).

294. Mockingbird. (703)

Wings considerably shorter than tail; above, ashy-gray; below, whitish;
wings and tail, blackish, the former with two white wing-bars and large white
spot at base of primaries, latter with one to three outer feathers more or less
white. Length, 9-10; wing, about 4; tail, about 5.

Has.—United States, south into Mexico. Rare from New Jersey, the
valley of the Ohio, Colorado and California northward.

Nest, in bushes and low trees, composed of twigs, leaves, grass, etc., put
together in a slovenly manner.

Kggs, four to six, bluish-green, heavily marked with several shades of
brown.

Among birds, as among men, individuals differ greatly in natural -
ability, some being much more highly endowed than others, and
their gifts are also varied. Some, representing the architects of the
community, excel in building their homes, which have not only all
the necessary requirements for the comfort and safety of the inmates,
but exhibit a skill and taste in their construction, and in the selec-
tion and arrangement of the materials, which never fail to excite our
admiration. One of the most complete nests which has come under
my observation is that built by the Summer Yellow-bird. It is
often placed in the fork of a lilac bush near a house, and is not only
luxuriously comfortable, but so well put together that it stands the
blasts of winter. It is in good shape in the following spring, but the
birds do not use it a second season, and are seen tugging pieces out
of the old to help to build the new. Another interesting specimen
of bird architecture is the curious, pensile, purse-like nest of the
Baltimore Oriole, which is quite a familiar object, swaying at the
end of a slender twig of a drooping elm, while in the solitudes of a

MOCKINGBIRD. 387

cedar swamp the Winter Wren provides a wonderfully cosy home
for her numerous family in the centre of a ball of green moss. :

Others may be regarded as the poets, the musicians of the feath-
ered tribe, and it would be a curious study for us to try to find out
whether those who cannot sing enjoy the singing of those who can.
In human ears the melody of many of the birds is as pleasing
perhaps as it is to their own species, and in this respect there is
none more fascinating than the Mockingbird, whose rapturous music
excites admiration wherever it is heard.

One of America’s most gifted poets, who evidently knew and
appreciated the musical powers of the bird, thus describes it in words
well worthy of the subject. The scene is on the lower Mississippi,
a band of exiles is descending the river on a still evening in the
early summer.

‘*Softly the evening came. The sun from the western horizon
Like a magician extended his golden wand o’er the landscape ;
Then from a neighboring thicket, the Mockingbird, wildest of singers,
Swinging aloft on a willow spray that hung o’er the water,
Shook from his little throat such floods of delirious music,
That the whole air and the woods and the waves seemed silent to listen.
Plaintive at first were the tones and sad; then soaring to madness
Seemed they to follow or guide the revel of frenzied Bacchantes.
Single notes were then heard, in sorrowful, low lamentation ;
Till, having gathered them all, he flung them abroad in derision,
As when, after a storm, a gust of wind through the tree tops
Shakes down the rattling rain in a crystal shower on the branches.”

In the Southern States the Mockingbird is a constant resident.
Occasionally a pair come farther north to spend the summer, but as
soon as the young are able for the journey, they again retire to the
south. In the “Birds of Long Island,” Mr. Giraud mentions it as
an occasional summer resident there, and speaks of a pair having
spent a summer near the beach at Egg Harbor. “The male,” he
says, ‘became the pet of the residents, to whom it also seemed much
attached, and, as if in return for the attention they paid to his
wants, he poured forth his charming melody, which on calm, bright
nights, blending with the subdued voice of the ocean, rendered the
time enchanting beyond the powers of description.”

In Ontario, the Mockingbird is best known as a cage bird,
numbers being occasionally brought from the south in captivity,
and when exposed for sale are readily bought up by those who are
fond of feathered pets. Even in confinement it seems to retain all

388 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

its natural power and energy as a songster, and being of a sociable,
familiar disposition, soon gets attached to those who are in the habit
of attending to its wants. Among American birds it has been justly
styled the ‘‘ Prince of Musicians,” and indeed, with the exception of
the British Sky-lark, whose grand, soaring flight adds greatly to the
effect of its music, | know of no bird in any country possessed of
such a wonderful compass of voice. Often while exercising its
powers of mimicry, it will give so correct an imitation of the notes of
other birds, that the most retiring species will come from their
haunts, expecting to meet their mates, when suddenly they will be
driven in fear to the thicket by as correct an imitation of the harsh
scream of the hawk.

The following incident gives me the privilege of claiming the
species for Ontario, a pair having spent the summer of 1883 near
Hamilton.

Had any one, acquainted with this neighborhood and with the
habits of the bird, been asked to suggest where it was most likely
to be found, he would certainly have said East Hamilton, and it was
there that Mr. Eastwood first observed the male, early in the season,
in one of the leafy lanes between his residence and the mountain.
Mr. Eastwood was in the habit of taking exercise on horseback in
the early morning, and seldom passed the place where the bird was
first recognized without again seeing him on the dead branch of a
low tree which he had chosen for his perch. As the season advanced
these frequent visits grew into something like personal friendship, for
the bird evidently recognized his visitor, and, if absent at first, would
readily respond to a call, and, mounting his usual perch, would
answer in his own eloquent style. He also caught up many of the
local sounds of the neighborhood: the crowing of the rooster, the
cackling of the fowls, and the notes of other birds were imitated with
wonderful correctness, but sweetest of all were his own rich, full
tones, which gave a new charm to that favored locality. Only once
during the season was a glimpse obtained of the female, who was
evidently engaged in domestic duties, though, with the view of
making the pair feel as much at home as possible, the nest was not
sought for.

It was hoped that this pair or some of their family would return
the following ‘season to visit their old friends in. Ontario, but, if they
did so, they have not been observed.

In the “Birds of Western Ontario,” mention is made of one
specimen being taken by Mr. Sandys at Chatham in 1860, which is
all we know of the Mockingbird in Ontario at present.

CATBIRD. 389

Genus GALEOSCOPTES Casanis.
GALEOSCOPTES CAROLINENSIS (Liny.).

295. Catbird. (704)

Wings, but little shorter than tail; dark slate color, somewhat lighter
below; crown of head and tail, black; under tail coverts, dark chestnut.
Length, 8-9; wing, 3%; tail, 4.

Haze.—Kastern United States and British Provinces, west to and including
the Rocky Mountains, occasional on the Pacific coast. Winters in the Southern
States, Cuba and Middle America to Panama. Accidental in Europe.

Nest, in a shrubbery or thicket, a few feet above the ground, composed of
twigs, leaves, bark, rootlets, bits of twine or rags.

Eggs, four or five, dark bluish-green.

A very common summer resident in Southern Ontario is the
Catbird ; and in the North-West it is said by Prof. Macoun to be
common wherever there are bushes. This is a bird well entitled to
our protection ; but, unfortunately, it is the subject of an ignorant
prejudice, which leads to its being persecuted, especially by boys,
who would throw a-stone at a Catbird with much the same feeling
that they would at a cat. Perhaps one of his most familiar notes
may have originated the prejudice, but outside of this, it should be
remembered that he ranks high as a songster, coming next in that
respect to the Mockingbird. He is one of the first to begin in the
morning, and delivers his message with so much sprightliness and
vivacity that we are always pleased to hear him.

In the garden he is one of our best friends, destroying an innu-
merable number of injurious insects, but we seldom think, when
enjoying our luxuriant crop of cherries or raspberries, that we are
largely indebted for such results to the much despised Catbird.

This species is common throughout Manitoba and the North-West,
and was noticed by Dr. Coues as a summer resident in the Red
River region and west along the boundary to Turtle Mountain.

It is a most unfortunate thing for the Catbird that he ever
acquired the habit of imitating the cat-call, for it is that alone
which bas cast a shade over all his accomplishments, and brought
upon him the derision and contempt with which he is so often
regarded.

That it is an acquired habit I can well believe, for it is noticed
at once to be entirely out of place in his song; but he belongs to
the family of Mockers, and more than likely in ages past some mis-

390 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

chievous ancestor, while teasing a cat, picked up the cry, and trans-
mitted it till it has now become hereditary. But for this, the bird
might have been known by some respectable name, giving him the
first place in the list of Canadian songsters, to which I believe he
is well entitled. The only rival he has in the woods is the Brown
Thrasher, which we admit is also a grand performer. He is a larger
bird, and his notes can be heard a long way off, but, having listened
to both attentively, I find that for variety and richness of notes,
as well as for sweetness and execution, I can cordially award the
palm to the Catbird. In the color of his plumage there is nothing
attractive, but he is handsome in form, and of a most sociable and
kindly disposition. He is not partial to the solitude of the woods.
His great delight seems to be to nestle near a log-house in the edge
of a clearing, where his rapturous notes are the first sounds heard
in the morning by the squatters’ children, and again in the evening
they are soothed to slumber by his plaintive strains. By all means
let us give the Catbird the encouragement and protection that may
be in our power, and we shall be well rewarded both by good music
and by good work in the garden.

Genus HARPORHYNCHUS Casanis.
Suscenus METHRIOPTERUS ReiIcHENBACH.
HARPORHYNCHUS RUFUS (Liny.).

296. Brown Thrasher. (705)

Above, reddish-brown; below, white, with more or less tawny tinge; breast
and sides, spotted with dark brown; throat and belly, unspotted; bill, black
above, yellow below; feet, pale; iris, yellow. Length, 11; wing, 4; tail, 5-6.

Haz.—Kastern United States, west to the Rocky Mountains, north to
Southern Maine, Ontario and Manitoba, south to the Gulf States, including
Eastern Texas. Accidental in Europe.

Nest, most frequently placed in the fork of a small tree in a thicket, three
to six feet from the ground, sometimes higher, occasionally on the ground;
composed of twigs, grass, leaves and rootlets, lined with bark fibre, horse-hair
and a few feathers.

Eggs, four or five, greenish-white, thickly spotted with light reddish-brown.

The Brown Thrasher is not so abundant as the Catbird, neither
is it so confiding or familiar in its habits, seldom coming near our
dwellings. It delights in the tangled, briary thicket, in the depths
of which it disappears as soon as it is aware of being observed. Near
Hamilton it is a common summer resident, appearing regularly about
the 10th of May. At first the birds are seen stealing quietly through
the underbrush, or scratching among the withered leaves like the
Towhees, but once arrived at their breeding place, the male is heard
from the topmost twig of an isolated tree, pouring forth, morning

392 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

and evening, his unrivalled strains of music, which are heard long
ere the performer can be seen.

So far as I have observed, the Thrasher is somewhat local in its
distribution, there being certain sections of country of considerable
extent where, without apparent cause, it is entirely wanting.

It occurs throughout Ontario and crosses the boundary to Mani-
toba and the North-West.

During September it retires from Ontario.

Genus THRYOTHORUS Vieror.
Susgenus THRYOTHORUS.
THRYOTHORUS LUDOVICIANUS (Lartz.).

297. Carolina Wren. (718)

Adult male :—Upper parts, brownish-red, a broad streak of yellowish-white
commencing at the nostril and passing over the eye along the side of the head,
a band of reddish behind the eye; under the eye, a spot of dusky gray; throat,
dull white; lower parts and sides of the neck, pale reddish-buff; wings and
tail, barred with blackish-brown, the outer webs of the lateral tail feathers
more distinctly barred; secondary and first row of small coverts tipped with
dull white; lower tail coverts of the same color barred with black. Length,
6 inches; extent, nearly 7 inches; tail, 2.25.

Has.—Kastern United States (rare towards the northern border), west to
the Plains. Rare in Southern New England.

Nest, a large coarse structure, composed of grass, hay, leaves, etc., lined
with horse-hair and feathers. Found in holes in trees, wood piles, low bushes,
sometimes arched over.

Eggs, four to six, creamy-white or buff, thickly sprinkled with brownish-
pink.

I have now the pleasure of introducing a species I have long
expected to meet in Ontario. It is our near neighbor and a strong,
active bird, well able to make the journey from its usual summer
resorts to Canada, but it is evidently a shy visitor and not decidedly
migratory, many of the species remaining over the winter near the
nesting place. It is abundant in the south, common in the middle
Eastern States, and is also found, though less frequently, in New
York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Ohio.

With this record before us, we might reasonably expect a casual
visitor, but it was not until very recently that I learned through

CAROLINA WREN. 393

Mr. Saunders that a specimen of the Carolina Wren had been taken
in Ontario.

This individual was shot in the town of Mount Forest in Feb-
ruary, 1891, by Montague Smith, who had observed it singing daily
near a favorite haunt for a month before it was captured. It is a
true Wren, having the habit of erecting its tail and appearing and
disappearing among a pile of logs, or similar cover, as nimbly as a rat
or weasel. It has all the nervous irritability of the other members
of the family, one evidence of this being the fact of its keeping up its
song during the winter, when most of the other birds are silent. It
is a special favorite with the colored people in the South, who like to
hear its notes in the woods in winter, and have given it the name of
“Jubilee Bird.” The Carolina Wren is a very prolific species, the
female turning over to the male the care of the first brood before
they are able to shift for themselves, while she proceeds to deposit a
second set of eggs in another nest, which the male has prepared for
their reception. Family number two is turned over to the male in due
course, and in this way three broods are raised during the season in a
very short time. It is the largest of the Wrens, and not likely to be
mistaken for any other species. Its voice is strong, sharp and clear,
and can be heard at as great a distance as those of the Brown
Thrasher and Catbird. It has some of the habits of the Creeper,
being occasionally seen going spirally up the trunk of a perpendicuiar
tree, examining the crevices of the bark for insects. It also resem-
bles the House Wren in its breeding habits, the nest being often
built in an outhouse or under the verandah of a dwelling, but it
seems most at home in the woods, where its favorite haunts are
among piles of logs or heaps of brush, on the banks of streams or
ravines, where it can inspect the surroundings one instant and be
entirely concealed the next. Individuals are observed to differ some-
what in color, some being rusty brown, while others are compara-
tively gray.

TROGLODYTES AEDON (Viet1.).

298. House Wren. (721)

Above, brown, brighter behind; below, rusty-brown or grayish-brown, or
even grayish-white, everywhere waved with a darker shade, very plainly on
wings, tail, flanks and under tail coverts; breast, apt to be darker than either.
throat or belly. Length, 42; wings and tail, about 2.

Haps.—Kastern United States and Southern Canada, west to Indiana and
Louisiana.

Nest, in a hole or crevice, the neighborhood of a dwelling preferred,
composed of twigs, leaves, hair, feathers, ete.

Eggs, seven to nine, white, very thickly spotted with reddish-brown.

In the thinly settled parts of the country where this Wren has
been observed, it breeds in any convenient hole or crevice in a tree
or fence-post by the roadside, and on account of this habit, and an
imaginary superiority in point of size, those found in such places
were described as a separate species, and named by Audubon the
Wood Wren. The individuals procured in town and country being
subsequently found to be identical, this name has for some years been
allowed to drop. The birds, having taken kindly to the society of
man, are nearly all furnished with houses, or, finding other suitable
nesting places near our dwellings, are living almost domesticated.
They are sprightly, active little birds, and do good service by the
destruction of insects, which they find on the trees in the orchard, or
about the outhouses. Being possessed of all the scolding propensities
peculiar to the family, they resent with great spirit any intrusion in

WINTER WREN. 395

the neighborhood of their dwelling. Their greatest enemy in this
respect at present is the House Sparrow, who does not hesitate to
eject the Wrens, when their premises appear to suit his purpose.
This habit may in time drive the Wrens back to their original mode
~ of life in the woods.

We should be very sorry if this should ever come to pass, for the
Wrens are industrious insect hunters, prying into many out-of-the-
way corners which no other bird would stop to examine.

In Manitoba and the North-West, this is replaced by a closely
allied species, named Parkman’s Wren, which is common on the
Pacific coast and east to the Mississippi Valley.

Suscenus ANORTHURA ReEnnIE.
TROGLODYTES HIEMALIS (VIertt.).

299. Winter Wren. (722)

Deep brown above, darkest on the head, brightest on the rump and tail,
obscurely waved with dusky and sometimes with whitish also; tail like rump;
wings, dusky, edged with color of back, and dark barred; several outer prim-
aries also whitish barred; a superciliary line and obscure streaks on sides of
head and neck whitish; below, pale brown; belly, flanks and under tail coverts,
strongly barred with dusky. Length, about 4; wing, 2 or less; tail, 14 or less.

Haxs.—Kastern North America generally, breeding from the northern parts
parts of the United States northward, and wintering from about its southern
breeding limit southward.

Nest, in moist places among fallen trees or upturned roots, usually a ball of
green moss, warmly lined with feathers, entrance by a hole at one side.
Kggs, five to six, clear white, spotted with reddish-brown.

In Southern Ontario, the Winter Wren is most frequently seen
during the periods of migration, but a few remain and raise their
young in suitable places throughout the country. There is a cedar
swamp in West Flamboro’, made impenetrable by fallen timber,
moss-grown and going to decay. In the stillness and gloom of that
uninviting region, I have listened to the song of the Winter Wren in
the month of June, and thought it one of the most pleasing specimens
of bird music I have been privileged to hear. Tinged with melan-
choly it may be, but there is still a hopeful sprightliness about it that
seems to rise above the gloomy surroundings and point to a brighter
world outside. I have not heard of the species having been observed

396 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

in winter, but it arrives from the south early in April, and lingers
quite late in the fall. During the latter season, they are frequently
seen in the city gardens, appearing and disappearing like mice among
the roots of the bushes.

In my boyish days I was familiar with the haunts and homes of
the common Wren of Britain, Troglodytes vulgaris, along the “ Banks
and Braes o’ Bonnie Doon,” and in song, size and color I believe it is
identical with the present species.

In Manitoba this species is said to be common during the sum-
mer. Farther to the North-West it is replaced by a closely allied
sub-species, named Western Winter Wren, which is the form found
along the Pacific coast and in California.

Genus CISTOTHORUS Casanis.
Suscenus CISTOTHORUS.
CISTOTHORUS STELLARIS (Licur.)

300. Short-billed Marsh Wren. (724)

Dark brown above, crown and middle of the back, blackish, nearly
everywhere conspicuously streaked with white; below, buffy-white, shading
into pale brown on the sides and behind; wings and tail, barred with blackish
and light brown; flanks, barred with dusky; throat and middle of belly,
whitish. Length, 44; wing and tail, about 17; bill, not } long and very
slender; tarsus, middle toe and claw, together 1}.

Hazs.—Kastern United States and Southern British Provinces, west to the
Plains. Winters in the Gulf States and southward.

Nest, similar to that of the Long-billed species, but sometimes placed near
the ground; no mud used in the structure, which is very compact and warmly
lined with down.

Eggs, six to eight, pure white, unspotted.

Never having happened to meet with the Short-billed Marsh
Wren in any of my excursions, I consider it to be either locally
distributed or less abundant than the Long-billed species, which is
common in all the marshes in Southern Ontario.

Throughout Northern New England, the Short-billed species is a
common. summer resident, and Mr. Thompson speaks of it as being
“abundant all over” in Western Manitoba. It is probable, there-
fore, that it is a summer resident in Ontario, but so few people follow
these little birds into their marshy haunts that, at present, their

LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN. 397

history here is somewhat concealed. Mr. Saunders says it is found
in the marshes along the River St. Clair, and he has a set of eggs
which were taken in a marsh near Toronto.

It is found at certain places in Michigan, also in Minnesota, and
‘is abundant in the Red River Valley. At Pembina, Dr. Coues
found it to be “erratic in distribution.” It is observed in Mani-
toba, but Mr. White has not seen it near Ottawa, and I have not yet
found it in Southern Ontario, from which it would appear that it is
a western species, and irregular in distribution. f

Susgenus TELMATODYTES Casanis.
CISTOTHORUS PALUSTRIS (Wits.).

301. Long-billed Marsh Wren. (725)

Above, clear brown, unbarred; back, with a black patch, containing distinct
white streaks; crown, brownish-black ; superciliary line to nape, white; wings,
not noticeably barred, but webs of inner secondaries, blackish; tail, brown,
dusky barred. Below, dull white, often quite pure, the sides alone brownish
washed, and under tail coverts somewhat varied. Length, 4$-53; wing, about
2; tail, less; tarsus, 3-2; bill, $ or more.

Hazs.—Southern British America and the United States, south in winter to
Guatemala.

Nest, a large globular mass of coarse grass and rushes loosely laced together,
sometimes plastered with mud and fastened to the reeds, warmly lined with
fine, soft grass; entrance by a hole in one side.

Eggs, six to ten, variable in shade, but usually so thickly spotted with
chocolate-brown as to appear uniformly of that color.

The Long-billed Marsh Wren is a common summer resident, found
in suitable places throughout Ontario. Near Hamilton it breeds in
all the inlets around the Bay, and is seen from the beginning of May
till the end of August, climbing, hopping, and swaying to and fro
among the reeds in every conceivable posture. In the spring it
appears to be constantly under great nervous excitement, which it
works off in nest-building, often constructing two or three when
only one is required. So large a number of nests, when observed,
gives the impression that the birds breed in colonies, but I have not
noticed this to be the case. All the nests I have seen have been so
placed that they could only be reached by wading or in a boat,
and sometimes they were among the reeds on a quaking bog where
approach was impossible.

398 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

The mode of migration of these birds is a mystery. We are
accustomed to say that they retire to the south early in September,
but how do they travel? Do they rise in flocks like Swallows and go
off during the night, or do they make the long journey from the
Saskatchewan, where they were seen by Richardson, south to Guate-
mala, flitting singly, or in pairs, from bush to bush? In either case
it is strange that they are seldom, if ever, seen except in the marshy
tracts where they spend the summer.

Mr. White has found this species breeding near Ottawa, and it is
said to be common at many points in Manitoba, which seems to be
its northern limit.

Famity CERTHIIDA. CreEEpErs.
Genus CERTHIA Linnzvs.
CERTHIA FAMILIARIS AMERICANA (Bonap.).

302. Brown Creeper. (726)

Plumage above, singularly barred with dusky, whitish, tawny or fulvous-
brown and bright brown, latter chiefly on the rump; below, white, either pure
or soiled, and generally brownish washed behind; wings, dusky, oddly varied
with tawny or whitish bars and spots; tail, plain, about 54; wing and tail,
about 2%.

Has.—North America in general, breeding from the northern and more
elevated parts of the United States north as far as Red River settlement,
migrating south in winter.

Nest, nearly always in a crevice where the bark is partially separated from
the trunk of a tree. In the crevice is placed a basis of twigs, on which the nest
is built, of strips of bark and moss, lined with spiders’ cocoons and down.

Eggs, five to eight, dull white, spotted with reddish-brown or hazel.

This singular little bird is seen in Southern Ontario at nearly all
seasons, but it is most abundant during the period of migration.
About the end of April and beginning of May, it becomes quite
common in the woods, and is seen flitting like a great moth from tree
to tree, or winding its spiral way upward on a trunk, uttering its
simple note so descriptive of the motion, creep, creep, creep. In
summer a pair may be seen, occasionally, in more favored spots,
evidently nesting, but at that season they are quite rare. Early in
September they again become numerous, in company with other
migrants who are travelling southward, and in the depth of winter I

WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH. 399

have occasionally seen them mixed up with a small band composed of
Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Nuthatches and Golden-crowned
Kinglets. These birds seem to find pleasure in each other’s society,
when they are spending the short, sharp days of winter in some
sheltered patch of evergreens.

Famity PARIDA. NutsatcHes anp Tits.
Supramity SITTIN A. NuvuvrHarcuHes.
Genus SITTA Linnzus.
SITTA CAROLINENSIS (Larts.).

303. White-breasted Nuthatch. (727)

Back, rump and middle tail feathers, ashy-blue; crown and nape, glossy
black, restricted or wanting in the young and many females; tail, except as
above, black, spotted with white; beneath and sides of head, white; flanks and
under tail coverts, rusty-brown; wings varied, black, blue and white. Length,
6; wing, 33; tail, 2.

Has.—Southern British Provinces and Eastern United States to the Rocky
Mountains.

Nest, a hole in a tree, sometimes a natural cavity, or again dug by the birds
with great labor, lined with hair and feathers.

Eggs, six to eight, white, spotted thickly with reddish-brown.

This is one of the few birds which remain with us summer and
winter. It is quite a common species, well known to all who have
occasion to be in the woods in spring, when it is seen climbing
nimbly about, or hanging head downwards on the bark of a tree.
In the winter time the country lads who are chopping in the bush
listen with pleasure to its familiar guank, guank, which is often the
only evidence of animal life observed. As a climber, it has few
equals, its long hind-claw enabling it to travel head downwards, a
feat which even the Woodpeckers do not attempt. Its food consists
chiefly of insects, which it finds lurking in the crevices of the bark.
It is also said to hide away nuts and acorns in the holes of trees, a
habit which may have suggested its name.

It is rather more southern in its habitat than its Red-breasted
relative. Mr. White reports it as resident at Ottawa, and we find
it so along our southern border, but it is not named among the
birds of Manitoba, from which we infer that it is not found in
that Province.

400 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

SITTA CANADENSIS (Liyy.).

304. Red-breasted Nuthatch. (728)

Above, dark ashy-blue; tail, as in carolinensis; below, rusty-brown; wings,
plain; crown and nape, glossy black, bordered by white superciliary line; a
black line from bill through and widening beyond the eye.

Has.—North as far as Lake Winnipeg, breeding mostly north of the United
States, migrating south in winter.

Nest, in a hole in a stub, about eight inches deep, warmly lined with down
and feathers.

Eggs, white, speckled and spotted with reddish-brown.

Compared with the White-bellied Nuthatch, this is the more
migratory in its habits, being seen in Southern Ontario only in
spring and fall, and it is not at any time numerous. I have been
accustomed to think that those we get in the fall with the red
breast were in full plumage, but recent observers state that, when
in mature dress, the lower parts are dirty-white, slightly shaded
with brown on the sides, and that only young birds have the lower
parts uniform rusty-brown. While here they are very active, show-
ing a decided partiality for the upper parts of pine trees, where they
no doubt find something to suit their taste. The note resembles
that of the White-bellied species, but is softer, weaker, and more
frequently repeated. It arrives during the first week of May, and is
soon lost sight of again till September, when it is seen passing south.

Ontario is probably its northern limit, for although it has been
found in Manitoba, it is said to be exceedingly rare.

SuBFAMILY PARIN A. Tirmice.
Genus PARUS Liny2vus.
Suspcenus PARUS Linnzus.
PARUS ATRICAPILLUS (Liyvy.).

305. Chickadee. (735)

Above, brownish-ash; crown and nape, chin and throat, black; beneath,
white, brownish on sides; wing and tail feathers, more or less whitish edged.
Length, 5; wing and tail, 25.

Has.—Kastern North America, north of the Potomac and Ohio Valleys.

HUDSONIAN CHICKADEE, 40]

Nest, a hole appropriated or dug by the birds in a dead tree or stump, not
usually very high up, lined with hair, grass, moss, wool, feathers, ete.

Kggs, six to eight, white, speckled and spotted with reddish-brown, chiefly
toward the larger end.

In Southern Ontario the Chickadee is one of our most familiar
resident birds. During the breeding season it retires to the woods,
but at other times it is seen in little troops visiting the shade trees
and orchards of the city, searching the crevices for insects, and utter-
ing its familiar chickadee, dee, dee, so well known to all the boys.
It has also another note, or rather two notes, one quite high which
drops suddenly to one much lower, soft and prolonged, and probably
both convey a meaning to the ears for which they are intended.
During the severity of winter, they are most frequently seen in
tamarack swamps, where they no doubt find both food and shelter.

The Chickadee breeds and is generally distributed throughout
Ontario, in the northern part of which it meets with hudsonicus on
the east and septentrionalis on the west, but whether or not it breeds
with the latter form, I am not aware. In the “ Birds of Manitoba,”
page 631, it is said “the Manitoba bird is not strictly septentrionalis,
’ Thus it sometimes
happens on the boundary between the region inhabited by a species
and swb-species that individuals are found, of which it is difficult to
say positively to what group they belong.

The Chickadee is a general favorite and well deserves to be so.
Noisy, restless, familiar and cheerful, he is welcome wherever he
appears. He does good work for the farmer and fruit-grower in the
destruction of noxious insects, and, unlike many others in this class
of workers, he keeps at it summer and winter. It has been cal-
culated that a single pair of these little birds will kill daily five
hundred insect pests.

but is nearer to that form than to atricapillus.’

PARUS HUDSONICUS (Forst.).

306. Hudsonian Chickadee. (740)

Crown, nape and upper parts, generally clear hair-brown or ashy-brown,
with a slight shade of olive, the coloration quite the same on back and crown,
and continuous, not being separated by any whitish nuchal interval; throat,
quite black, in restricted area, not extending backward on sides of neck, sep-
arated from the brown crown by silky white on side of the head, this white
not reaching back of the auriculars to the sides of the nape; sides, flanks and

26

402 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

under tail coverts, washed with dull chestnut or rusty-brown; other under
parts, whitish; quills and tail feathers, lead color, as in other Titmice, scarcely
or slightly edged with whitish; little or no concealed white on the rump; bill,
black; feet, dark. Size of P. atricapillus or rather less.

Has.—Northern North America, from the more elevated parts of the
Northern United States (Northern New England, Northern New York,
Northern Michigan, etc.) northward.

Nest, in a hole in a tree or stump, lined with fur of animals, felted firmly
together.

Eggs, five or six, creamy-white, speckled with hazel.

The home of the Hudsonian Tit, as its name implies, is in the
Hudson’s Bay country. It is also common in Labrador, and I have
seen it on the banks of the Lower St. Lawrence, travelling in little
troops from tree to tree, much after the manner of our familiar
Chickadee. It is truly a northern species, but as it has been found
in Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire, I think it will yet be
found in the districts of Parry Sound and Muskoka. At Ottawa,
and also near Toronto, it has been found as a rare straggler. In
Manitoba, Mr. Thompson says it occurs only in the coniferous forests
of the north and east. It has been found throughout the wooded
portions of Alaska, from its southern coast line at Fort Kenai,
north throughout the Kuskoquim and Yukon River regions, to the
northern tree limit, well within the Arctic circle.

It is a diligent insect hunter, but lives too far north to benefit
agriculture, and for the same reason it is exempt from the perse-
cution to which all little birds are subject in more thickly peopled
districts.

Famity SYLVIIDA. Warsters, ‘KINGLETS, GNATCATCHERS.
SuspraMILyY REGULIN A. KINGLeETs.
Genus REGULUS Covirr.
REGULUS: SATRAPA (rem):

307. Golden-crowned Kinglet. (748)

General color as in calendula; crown, bordered in front and on sides by
black, inclosing a yellow and flame-colored patch (in the male; in the female the
scarlet is wanting); extreme forehead and line over the eye whitish. Young :—
If ever without traces of black on the head, may be told from the next species
by smaller size and the presence of a tiny bristly feather overlying the nostril ;
this wanting in calendula. Size of calendula.

RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET. 403

Has.—North America generally, breeding in the northern and elevated
parts of the United States and northward, migrating south, in winter, to
Guatemala.

Nest, in appearance resembling a ball of moss; it is opened at the top, the
cavity warmly lined with feathers, plant down and wool, fastened to the outer
twig of a branch, six to eight feet from the ground.

Eggs, ten, ground color creamy-white, with numerous shell marks of
purplish-slate and a few superficial markings of deep buff, making the whole
appear of a cream color.

This is an abundant winter resident, appearing in November and
remaining till April. During the severe weather in February and
March, when the mercury is near zero, it is really surprising to see
these tiny, feathered creatures, full of animation, flitting about among
the evergreens, uttering their cheerful notes of encouragement to
their companions, and digging out their insect food from the crevices
of the bark. On these occasions they are usually accompanied by
Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers and White-bellied Nuthatches,
making a merry company, nowise discouraged by the severity of
the weather. :

The Gold-crest is known to breed in Northern New England, a
nest containing young having been found by Mr. H. D. Minot in a
forest of evergreens and birches on the White Mountains of New
Hampshire, on the 16th of July, 1876. I once met with a pair,
evidently mated, who were located in a swamp in West Flamboro’
about the end of June. I did not persevere in seeking the nest,
though I felt sure it was close at hand. That is the only time I have
seen the species here in summer.

It is generally distributed throughout Ontario, but is rare in
Manitoba, and in Alaska is replaced by the western form (Regulus
satrapa olivaceus). Mr. Brewster found it breeding in Worcester
County, Mass., where he secured three nests with eggs, a detailed
account of which is given in the Awk, Vol. V., pages 337-344.

REGULUS CALENDULA (Liny.).

308. Ruby-crowned Kinglet. (749)

Above, greenish-olive; below, whitish; wings and tail, dusky, edged with
greenish or yellowish; wing coverts, whitish tipped; crown, with a rich scarlet
patch in both sexes (but wanting in both the first year), no black about head ;
bill and feet, black. Length, 4-44; wing, 24-24 ; tail, 14-14.

404 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Has.—North America, south to Guatemala, north to the Arctic coast,
breeding mostly north of the United States.

Nest, large for the size of the bird, a mass of matted hair, grass, moss and
feathers, placed on the bough of a tree.

Eggs, tive to nine, whitish or pale buff faintly speckled with light fot at
the larger end.

In Southern Ontario, the Ruby-crown is a regular migrant in
spring and fall, but in summer or winter it has not been observed.

During the latter part of August and beginning of September,
these little birds are exceedingly abundant, although from their small
size and the weak, lisping note they utter at this season, their num-
bers can be estimated only by close observation. I was once caught
in the rain in the woods in the month of April, and took shelter in a
clump of evergreens, which I found was in possession of a flock of
Ruby-crowns. When the clouds passed away and a light breeze
shook the sparkling drops from the foliage, I was delighted to hear
some of the Kinglets indulge in a song of considerable compass and
duration. It was more full, soft and musical than anything I ever
heard from so small a bird. At that season their stay is short ;
sometimes they are seen only during two or three days, but in the
fall they travel more leisurely. Their breeding ground is far north,
and for many years their nests were sought for in vain. Now their
discovery is reported from many and far distant points. Colorado,
Montana and Oregon are named as supplying the little domicile, and
Mr. Chamberlain tells us of one which was taken at Lennoxville,
Quebec, May 15th, 1882. This was pensile, and was attached to the
branch of a small tree. It contained nine eggs, one of which was a
Cowbird’s.

Suspramity POLIOPTILIN A. GwnarcatTcHErRs.
Genus POLIOPTILA Sctiarer.
POLIOPTILA CA®RULEA (Liny.).

309. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. (751)

Above, ashy-blue, bluer on the head, lighter on the rump; forehead and
line over eye, black, wanting in the female; ring around the eye and under
parts, whitish; outer tail feather, except at base, two-thirds the second and
tip of third, white, rest of tail, black. Length, 45; wing, 2; tail, 2

Has.—Middle and southern portions of the United States, from the Atlantic
to the Pacific, south in winter to Guatemala, Cuba and the Bahamas; rare

WOOD THRUSH. 405

north toward the Great Lakes, Southern New York and Southern New
England, straggling north to Massachusetts and Maine.

Nest, a model of bird architecture, compact-walled and contracted at the
brim, elegantly stuccoed with lichens fixed to slender twigs at a height varying
from ten to fifty or sixty feet from the ground.

Eggs, four or five, greenish-white, speckled with reddish, umber-brown and
lilac.

The Gnatcatcher is, I believe, a regular summer resident in South-
ern Ontario, though apparently locally distributed and not very
abundant. There is one particular patch of bush where I usually see
this species every spring, but elsewhere I have not observed it. Mr.
Dickson finds it regularly at Waterdown, and Mr. Saunders reports
it as not very rare near London. It keeps mostly to the tops of tall
trees, and might readily be overlooked by ao not acquainted
with its habits.

In the breeding season it is said to have a pleasing song, and it
shows considerable spirit in driving off intruders from the neighbor-
hood of its nest.

In Ontario this species is apparently limited to the south-west
border, north of which I have not heard of its having been observed.
Mr. White has not met with it at Ottawa, neither is it mentioned in
any of the local lists north of those named.

Famity TURDID. TurvsHeEs, SoLirarres, STONECHATS,
BLUEBIRDS, ETC.

Supramity TURDIN A. TurusueEs.
Genus TURDUS Linyavs.
Suscenus HYLOCICHLA Bairp.
TURDUS MUSTELINUS (GmEt.)

310. Wood Thrush. (755)

Above, bright tawny, shading into olive on rump and tail; beneath, white,
everywhere except throat and belly, with large distinct spots of dusky; bill,
dusky above, yellowish below; legs, flesh-colored. Length, 74 inches; wing,
4; tail, 3.

Has.—Eastern United States to the Plains, north to Southern Michigan,
Ontario and Massachusetts, south, in winter, to Guatemala and Cuba.

406 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

Nest, in a sapling or low tree, seldom more than twenty feet from the
ground, composed of twigs, leaves, grass, rootlets and moss, cemented together
with clay.

Eggs, three or four, deep greenish-blue.

The Wood Thrush is a shy, retiring songster, little known except.
to those who are fond of rambling in the woods in spring-time. The
favorite resort of the species is in moist beech woods, where the clear,
flute-like notes of the male may be heard in the early morning, and
also toward sunset, during the months of May and June. Were the
song of the Wood Thrush continuous, the bird would take the highest
rank among the songsters of the grove. Its tones are loud and full
of liquid tenderness, but they suddenly break off short, which to us
is a matter of regret.

Early in May they arrive from the south, and are soon generally
distributed over Southern Ontario, but they are somewhat fastidious
in their choice of a summer residence, and are absent from many
clumps of bush in which we expect to find them. They avoid the
dwellings of man, and seem most at home in the retirement of the
woods, where they raise their young. During September they all
move off to the south.

In the east Mr. White has found this species at Ottawa, but in
the west I have no record of it at any distance to the north of our
southern boundary. Even in its usual habitat, it is so retiring that
its full, liquid notes are seldom heard save by the few who are out in
search of some of the beautiful souvenirs which Nature scatters so
profusely throughout the woods in our lovely Canadian spring-time.
When will some divinely gifted Canadian appear to sing the praises
of our native birds, as men of other lands have done for theirs 4

Hogg and Shelley have eulogized the Sky Lark in strains so
musical that they rival those of the birds they have sought to honor.

TURDUS FUSCESCENS (StTEpu.).

311. Wilson’s Thrush. (756)

Above, uniform tawny; below, white, olive-shaded on sides and strong
fulvous tint on breast; breast and sides of neck, with small dusky spots.
Length, about 7; wing, 4; tail, 3.

GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH. 407

Haxs.—Eastern United States to the Plains, north to Manitoba, Ontario,
Anticosti and Newfoundland.

Nest, on or near the ground, composed of grass, leaves and rootlets, rather
loosely put together.

Eggs, four or five, greenish-blue, unspotted.

With the exception of the Robin, the Veery is the most numerous
of the Thrushes which visit Southern Ontario. It arrives here
during the first week in May, and for a few days is quite common in
the woods everywhere. Many soon pass on farther north to breed,
but some remain and locate themselves among the undergrowth in
moist, uncleared places, where they spend the summer. On their
first arrival, they remain for a few days quietly in the woods, but, as
soon as nesting begins, the clear, loud veery is heard at all hours of
the day. The song has a sharp metallic ring, and at first is pleasant
to listen to, but when heard in some favored locality, where several
males are answering each other, it becomes monotonous through
frequent repetition. It is rather a tender bird, and is one of the first
to move off in the fall. The young are able to shift for themselves in
August, and by the end of September all are gone.

Dr. Coues found this species breeding abundantly in the vicinity
of Pembina in June, and Mr. Thompson also reports it as common
throughout Manitoba, but farther north I have not heard of its
having been observed.

TURDUS ALICIL@ (Barrp.).

312. Gray-cheeked Thrush. (757)

Similar to the Olive-backed Thrush, but without any buffy tint about
head, or yellowish ring around eye; averaging a trifle larger, with longer,
slenderer bill.

Haz.—KHastern North America, west to the Plains and Alaska, north to
the Arctic coast, south, in winter, to Costa Rica. Breeds chiefly north of the
United States. :

Nest, in a low tree or bush, compactly built of fine sedges, leaves, stems
and dry grass, interwoven and lined with fine grass. Sometimes mud is used
as in the Robin’s nest.

Kggs, three or four, greenish-blue, marked with spots of reddish-brown.

Tt is still a question with many ornithologists whether or not this
should be separated from the Olive-backed, or regarded as only a
variety of that species. The Committee of the American Ornitho-

408 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

logical Union decided to separate it as above, and I quite agree with
the decision, for the few I have found could be identified at once by
the description. When seen in the woods, however, it resembles the
Olive-backed so closely that, till well acquainted with its appearance,
it is difficult to tell the one from the other. On this account, we
cannot with certainty say which is the more numerous, but so far
as I can judge, the proportion of the Gray-cheeked species which
passes this way is not more than one to two of the other. Dr. Coues
regards it as the northern form of the Olive-backed, and suggests
that this difference in the breeding range produces the change in
size and color, which are regarded as specific distinctions. Like all
the other Thrushes, it is most likely musical at home, but here it
comes and goes in silence.

The home of this species is in the far north, and while in Ontario
it is only a migrant in spring and fall. In the “ Natural History of
Alaska,” Mr. Nelson says: ‘This species is common throughout all
the northern portion of Alaska, wherever willow and alder thickets
afford it shelter. Its western range extends to Behring Straits and
beyond, and it has been recorded from Kamschatka. Along the
entire Yukon and other streams bordered by trees or bushes in this
region, it is present in great abundance during the breeding season.”
They are usually very shy, but ‘as soon as the breeding season is
over, they become less retiring and frequent the vicinity of villages
and more open spots, where many are killed by the native boys,
armed with their bows and arrows. Their skins are removed and
are hung in rows or bunches to dry in the smoky huts, and are pre-
served as trophies of the young hunters’ prowess. In the winter
festivals, when the older hunters bring out the trophies of their skill,
the boys proudly display the skins of these Thrushes and hang them
alongside.”

TURDUS USTULATUS SWAINSONII (Cas).

313. Olive-backed Thrush. (758a)

Above, uniform greenish-olive; below, white, olive-shaded on sides; sides
of head, throat, neck and breast, strongly tinged with buff; breast and
throat, thickly marked with large dusky-olive spots. Length, about 7; wing,
32; tail, 3.

Has.—KEastern North America and westward to the Upper Columbia

OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH. 409

River and East Humboldt Mountains, straggling to the Pacitic coast. Breeds
mostly north of the United States.

Nest, in a tree or bush, six or eight feet from the ground, composed of
rootlets, leaves and moss.

Eggs, three or four, greenish-blue, freckled with brown.

In Southern Ontario, the Olive-backed Thrush is 4 regular visitor
during the season of migration, appearing in small companies about
the 10th of May, and remaining till about the 25th of the same
month, after which none are seen till they return in the fall. While
here they frequent low, moist woods, and spend much of their time
on the ground, where their food is evidently obtained. When at
home, near their nest, the male is said to have a very pleasing song,
which he takes delight in repeating, but while here they have only
a low, soft call-note, easily recognized in the woods, but difficult to
describe.

The return trip begins toward the end:+of September, and con-
tinues for about three weeks. At this time the birds move leisurely,
and as they fare sumptuously on different sorts of wild berries, they
get to be in excellent condition, both as regards flesh and plumage.
We occasionally fall in with individuals of this species much below
the average size, and with the lower parts more deeply suffused with
buff. Dr. Wheaton has also observed these little fellows, and sug-
gests that they may be a local southern-bred race. In Southern
Ontario, none have been observed except in spring and fall.

They are said to breed in Manitoba, and Prof. Macoun reports
them as summer residents in the North-West Territory. Of Alaska,
Mr. Nelson says: “From the observations and collections made on
the upper Yukon, the Olive-backed Thrush appears to be a common
summer resident there, and thus extends its breeding range within
the Arctic circle. It appears to be influenced to a great extent in
its range by the presence or absence of woods, and its northern limit
may be marked as coinciding with the tree limit. The Gray-cheeked
Thrush, on the contrary, extends beyond this, wherever a bunch of
dwarf willows will give it shelter, to the very shores of the Arctic
and Behring Seas.”

410 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

TURDUS AONALASCHK A PALLASIT (Cas.).

314. Hermit Thrush. (759d)

Above, olive, shading into rufous on rump and tail; below, white, olive-
shaded on sides; Sides of head, eyelids, neck and breast, strongly tinged with
buff; throat and breast, marked with large dusky-olive spots. Length, about:
74+; wing, 34; tail, 3.

Haxs.—Eastern North America, breeding from the Northern United States
northward, and wintering from the Northern States southward.

Nest, on the ground, sometimes slightly above it, composed of weeds,
leaves, rootlets and grass.

Kggs, three or four, greenish-blue, without spots.

The Hermit Thrush is a regular visitor in spring and fall, arriving
a few days before the Olive-backed, and making but a short stay,
although it probably does not go so far north to breed as the latter
species. Referring to the Hermit, the following occurs in the “ List
of Birds of Western Ontario”: ‘ Found common in full song in a large
swamp, June 22nd, 1882. No nest found, although it was undoubtedly
breeding. None observed in summer in any other locality.”

At home, the habits of the Hermit are in keeping with its name.
Among the dense shrubbery in some retired spot, it builds its nest
and raises its young. There, too, it pours forth its sweet song on
the “desert air,” where very few have been privileged to hear it.
During the seasons of migration the birds come more into the open
country, but they are at all times shy and fond of concealment. On
these occasions they have only a simple call-note, apparently used to
tell their companions where they are.

This species is found on the Island of Anticosti during summer.
Mr. Thompson reports it as a summer resident in Manitoba, and
Prof. Macoun found it breeding at Lake Mistassini.

In the Rocky Mountain region it is replaced by Audubon’s
Hermit, and on the Pacific coast by the Dwarf Hermit, both closely
allied but still differing slightly from the present species.

Genus MERULA Leacn.
MERULA MIGRATORIA (Liny.).

315. American Robin. (761)

Above, dark olive-gray, blackish on head and tail; below, reddish-brown ;
throat, vent and under tail coverts, white, throat with black streaks; outer
pair of tail feathers, white-tipped; bill, dusky above, yellow below; feet, dark ;

AMERICAN ROBIN. — 411

very young birds spotted above and below. Length, 94 inches; wing, 54;
tail, 44.

Has.—Kastern North America to the Rocky Mountains, including Eastern
Mexico and Alaska. Breeds from near the southern border of the United
States northward to the Arctic coast; winters from Southern Canada and the
Northern States (irregularly) southward.

Nest, in a tree, frequently an apple tree in an orchard; large and rough
looking, composed of twigs, grass and weeds cemented together with mud,
lined with fine grass.

Eggs, four or five, plain greenish-blue, without spots.

The Robin is well known and widely distributed throughout
Ontario. In the south it is most abundant during the period of
migration, but great numbers breed all over the Province, and along
the southern border it is no uncommon thing to meet with indi-
viduals spending the winter in sheltered hollows, from which they
are ready to start out and hail the first indications of returning
spring. As the season advances, northern-bound individuals of this
species arrive from the south and pass on with little delay, but
those which are satisfied to remain at once become engaged in the
great business of the season, that of raising their young. The males
are the first to arrive, and are occasionally heard rehearsing their
summer song, evidently somewhat out of practice. In a few days_
the females make their appearance and receive every attention.

The site for the nest is soon selected, and both birds work dili-
gently till the structure is completed. The first set of eggs is laid
in April, and during the tedious days of incubation the male often
mounts his perch to cheer his faithful mate with what to her may
seem delightful strains of music. To human ears the song does not
rank as a brilliant performance, but it is given with great earnest-
ness and liberality, and is welcomed as the prelude to the grand
concert of bird music which is soon to be heard in the woods and
fields all over the country. At this season the food of the Robin
consists chiefly of worms and various insects. It is a fine exhibition
of bird-life to see him, early in the dewy morning, hop daintily over
the newly cut grass to where an earth worm is exposing himself near
the surface. With his head on one side, the bird watches every
wriggle of the worm with intense interest. If it is well out of the
ground, it is seized, and with a jerk thrown clear of its hole, but if
only a part of the worm is exposed, the course is different. It is
then caught quickly and held firmly while it struggles hard to get
into its hole. Robin knows that now a sudden jerk will part the
animal and give him only a portion, but he knows how much strain

412 BIRDS OF ONTARIO.

the material will bear, and he holds on ‘till the exhausted worm
relaxes its hold, is tossed out and pounded till fit for use.

As the season advances a second and even a third brood of young
may be raised. The birds acquire a fondness for fruit, and now come
the charges against them of robbing the cherry-tree. No doubt they
do take a few for themselves and families, but after all they are
entitled to some consideration on account of the numbers of noxious
insects which they destroy in the garden, and for my own part I
would sacrifice a good many cherries rather than have the Robins
banished from around the house.

Those which travel to the far north have a different experience.
Dr. Richardson tells us that “the male is one of the loudest and
most assiduous songsters which frequent the Fur Countries, beginning
his chant immediately on his arrival. Within the Arctic circle the
woods are silent during the bright light of noonday, but towards
midnight when the sun travels near the horizon, and the shades of
the forest are lengthened, the concert commences, and continues till
6 or 7 in the morning. Nests have been found as high as the 54th
parallel of latitude about the beginning of June. The snow even
then partially covers the ground, but there are in these high lati-
tudes abundance of berries of vacciniwm ugliginosum and vites idea,
arbutus alpina, empetsum nigrum, and of some other plants, which,
after having been frozen up all winter, are exposed by the first
melting of the snow, full of juice and in high flavor. Thus is formed
a natural cache for the supply of the birds on their arrival, and soon
afterwards their insect food becomes abundant.”

In Southern Ontario large numbers are seen congregating together,
feeding on the berries of the mountain ash, poke weed, red cedar,
etc. If the weather is mild, they remain till November, but usually
we have a cold blast from the north in October, which hurries the
bulk of them off to their winter-quarters in the south.

Genus SIALIA Swainson.
SIALIA SIALIS (Liny.).

316. Bluebird. (766)

Male:—Unitorm sky-blue above, reddish-brown below ; belly, white.
Female:—Duller. Young :—Spotted.

Has.—Kastern 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. Bermudas, resident.

BLUEBIRD. 413

Nest, in natural or artificial holes in trees, stubs or posts, or in bird-boxes,
composed of miscellaneous material, loosely put together.
Eggs, four to six, pale blue, unmarked.

In former years the Bluebirds were among our most abundant and
familiar birds, raising their young near our dwellings, and returning
year after year to occupy the boxes put up for their accommodation,
Since the advent of the English Sparrow, they have been gradually
decreasing in numbers, and are now seldom seen near their old
haunts, from which they have been driven by that pugnacious tramp,
Passer domesticus. ‘They are still common throughout the country,
where they are everywhere welcomed as early harbingers of spring,
and in the fall they linger til] late in October, as if loath to depart.
This species was a special favorite with Wilson, on account of which
it is often spoken of as Wilson’s Bluebird, to distinguish it from the
Indigo bird, and one or two other species to which the name is
sometimes applied.

That enthusiastic lover of birds has made it the subject of one of
his pleasing poetical effusions, in which he faithfully describes many
of its habits, amongst others its early arrival in spring and reluctant
departure in the fall. With a short extract from this production, I
shall say good-bye, for the present, to the “ Birds of Ontario”:

‘When winter’s cold tempests and snows are no more,
Green meadows and brown furrow’d fields reappearing,
The fishermen hauling their shad to the shore,
And cloud-cleaving Geese to the lakes are a-steering ;
When first the lone butterfly flits on the wing,
When red glow the maples, so fresh and so pleasing,
O then comes the Bluebird, the herald of spring,
And hails with his warblings the charms of the season.

‘* When all the gay scenes of the summer are o’er,
And autumn slow enters, so silent and sallow,
And millions of warblers, that charmed us before,

Have fled in the train of the sun-seeking Swallow,
The Bluebird forsaken, yet true to his home,

Still lingers and looks for a milder to-morrow,
Till, forced by the horrors of winter to roam,

He sings his adieu in a lone note of sorrow.”

ADDENDA.

GSTRELATA HASITATA (Kvuut).

317. Black-capped Petrel. (8)

Top of head, and upper parts generally, except upper tail coverts, uniform
dusky, the back and scapulars paler, with perceptibly still paler terminal
margins to the feathers; upper tail coverts, basal half (approximately) of tail,
head and neck, except top of the former (and sometimes the hind neck also),
together with lower parts, including axillars and under wing coverts, pure
white; the sides of the chest sometimes with a brownish-gray wash. Length,
14-16 inches; wing, 11.40-11.75; tail, 4.80-5.30.

Has.—Middle Atlantic, straggling to coasts of North America and Europe.

On the 30th of October, 1893, the dead body of a Black-capped
Petrel was picked up on the shore of the Island, at Toronto, and
brought to Mr. Spanner’s shop, where it was seen by Mr. K. C.
MelIlwraith and others, and correctly identified.

This is a bird which rears its young on the lonely islands of the
sea, and, except in such places, is rarely seen on land anywhere. The
individual now referred to was, from some unknown cause, entirely
out of its reckoning, and most likely died for lack of suitable nour-
ishment.

GLOSSARY

OF TECHNICAL TERMS USED IN THE PRECEDING
DESCRIPTIONS.

MEASUREMENTS.

LENGTH. Distance between the tip of the bill and the end of the longest tail
feather.

EXTENT. Distance between the tips of the outspread wings.

LENGTH OF WING. Distance from the angle formed at the (carpus) bend
of the wing to the end of the longest primary.

LENGTH OF TAIL. Distance from the roots of the tail feathers to the end
of the longest one.

LENGTH OF BILL. From the tip of the upper mandible to the point where
it meets the feathers of the forehead.

LENGTH OF TARSUS. Distance from the point where the tarsus joins the
leg above, to the point where it joins the middle toe below.

LENGTH OF TOES. Distance from the point where the leg joins the foot
along the top to the root of the claw.

LENGTH OF CLAWS. Distance in a straight line from the root to the tip
of the claw.

A

ABERRANT. Deviating from ordinary character.

ACUMINATE. Tapering gradually to a point.

ALBINISM. State of whiteness, complete or partial, arising from deficiency
or entire lack of pigment in the skin and its appendages.

ALULA. Literally, little wing. The bastard wing, composed of the feathers
which are set on the so-called thumb.

ATTENUATE. Slender and tapering toward a sharp point.

AXILLARS. Elongated feathers on the sides of the body under the wings.

B

BAND OR BAR. Any color mark transverse to the long axis of the body.
BEND OF WING. Angle formed at carpus in the folded wing.

Sc
CALCAREOUS. Chalky.
CANTHUS. Corner of eye where the lids meet.
CAROTID. The principal blood-vessel of the neck.
CARPAL ANGLE. Prominence at the wrist joint when wing is closed. From
this point to the end of the longest quill constitutes the ‘‘length of wing.”
CERE. Fleshy covering of the base of the bill.

416 GLOSSARY.

CERVICAL. Pertaining to the hind neck.

CHIN. Space between the forks of the lower jaws.

CLAVICLE. Collar bone.

COMMISSURE. Line where the two mandibles meet.

CRISSUM. Under tail coverts.

CULMEN. Ridge of upper mandible.

CUNEATE. Wedge-shaped. A cuneate tail has the middle feathers longest.

D
DECIDUOUS. ‘Temporary; falling early.
DECOMPOSED. Separate; standing apart.
DENTIROSTRAL. Having the bill toothed or notched.
DIAGNOSTIC. | Distinctively characteristic.
DORSAL. Pertaining to the back.

E

EMARGINATE. Notched at the end; slightly forked.
ERYTHRISM. A peculiar reddish state of plumage.

F
FALCATE. Sickle-shaped.
FEMORAL. Pertaining to the thigh.
FERRUGINOUS. Rusty red.
FISSIROSTRAL. Having the bill cleft far beyond the base of its horny part.
FORFICATE. Deeply forked.
FULIGINOUS. Sooty-brown.
FULVOUS. Of a brownish-yellow color.
FURCATE. Forked.
FUSCOUS. Of a dark grayish-brown color.

G
GIBBOUS. Swollen; protuberant.
GONYS. Keel or outline of the bill so far as united.
GRADUATED. Changing length at regular intervals.
GULAR. Pertaining to the upper fore neck.
GUTTATE. Having drop-shaped spots.

H
HALLUX. The hind toe.

I
IMBRICATED. Fixed shingle-wise ; overlapping.
INTERSCAPULAR. Between the shoulders.

J

E
LAMELLA. A thin plate or scale, such as are seen inside a duck’s bill.
LANCEOLATE. Shaped like the head of a lance. ‘
LARYNX. Adam’s apple; a hollow cartilaginous organ; a modification of
the windpipe.

JUGULUM. Lower throat.

GLOSSARY. 417

LOBE. Membraneous flap, chiefly on the toes.
LORE. Space between the eye and the bill.

M

MAXILLAR. Pertaining to the upper jaw.

MELANISM. State of coloration arising from excess of dark pigment; a
frequent condition of Hawks.

MEMBRANE. Soft skinny covering of the bill of some birds.

N

NUCHA. The upper part of the hind neck next the hind head.
O

OSCINES. A group of singing birds.

OCCIPUT. The hind head.
P

PALMATE. Web-footed.

PARASITIC. MHabitually making use of other birds’ nests.

PECTINATE. Having tooth-like projections, like those of a comb.

PECTORAL. Pertaining to the breast.

PLUMBEOUS. Lead color.

PRIMARIES. The large stiff quills growing on the first bone of the wing;
usually nine or ten, sometimes eleven, in number.

R
REMIGES. Quills of the wing.
RETRICES. Quills of the tail.
RICTUS. Gape of the mouth.

Ss

SAGGITATE. Shaped like an arrow head.

SCAPULARS. Long feathers rising from the shoulders and covering the sides
of the back.

SECONDARIES. Quills which grow on the second bone of the wing.

SECONDARY COVERTS. The wing feathers which cover the bases of the
secondary quills.

SEMIPALMATE. Having the feet half webbed.

SERRATE. Toothed like a saw.

SPECULUM. A brightly colored spot of the secondaries, especially of ducks.

SPURIOUS QUILL. The first primary when very short.

SUPERCILIARY. Pertaining to the eye-brows.

a
TAIL COVERTS. The small feathers underlying or overlying the base of
the tail.
TARSI. The shanks of the legs.
TERTIALS. Feathers which grow from the second bone of the wing at the
elbow joint. :
TIBIA. Principal and inner bone of leg between knee and heel,

27

INDEX.

A
Acanthis hornemanii
hornemanii exilipes
linaria .
linaria holbeelli
Accipiter atricapillus .
cooperi .
velox
Actitis macularia
Aigialitis meloda
nivosa .
semipalmata .
vocifera
Agelaius phceniceus
Aix sponsa .
Alca torda .

Ammodramus Ray euetiad Sa-

vanna
savannarum passerinus .
Ampelis cedrorum
garrulus
Anas americana .
boschas
carolinensis .
discors .
obscura
strepera
Anser albifrons pane
Anthus pensilvanicus .
Antrostomus vociferus
Aquila chrysaétos

Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johan-

nis. :
Ardea candidissima
egretta .
herodias
virescens
Arenaria interpres
Asio accipitrinus .

Asio wilsonianus .

215 | Auk, Razor-billed
216 | Avocet, American
217 | Aythya affinis
218 americana
142 collaris .
141 marila nearctica
140 vallisneria
115
123
124 5
122 | Baldpate ;
12] | Bartramia longicauda .
204 | Bittern, American

45 Least

11 Cory’s . ;

Blackbird, Red- singed

225 Rusty
296 Yellow-headed
252 | Black-capped Petrel
251 | Bluebird

40 | Bobolink

37 | Bob-white

41 | Bonasa umbellus .

42 | Botaurus exilis

38 lentiginosus .

39 neoxenus

63 | Brant .
293 | Branta bernicla
180 canadensis
149 canadensis hutchinsii

Bubo virginianus .

148 | Bufflehead

75 | Bunting, Indigo .

74 | Buteo borealis

73 borealis calurus

76 latissimus
125 |, lineatus
159 swainsoni

158
1)
9]
49
46
50
48
47

40
113
70
71
We
204
208
203
317
316
201
126
129
71
70
72
66
66
64
65
165
53
241
143
144
147
145

146

420

(e

Calearius lapponicus
Calidris arenaria .
Canvas-back
Caracara, Audubon’s
Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
Carpodacus purpureus
Catbird
Cathartes aura
Ceophleeus pileatus
Cepphus grylle
Certhia familiaris americana
Ceryle aleyon
Cheetura pelagica
Charadrius dominicus .

squatarola
Charitonetta albeola
Chat, Yellow-breasted
Chelidon erythrogaster
Chen hyperborea nivalis
Chickadee, Black-capped

Hudsonian
Chondestes grammacus
Chordeiles virginianus .
Circus hudsonius .
Cistothorus palustris

stellaris
Clangula hyemalis
Clivicola riparia .
Coccothraustes vespertina
Coccyzus americanus

erythrophthalnus
Colaptes auratus .
Colinus virginianus
Colymbus auritus

holbeellii

nigricollis californicus .
Compsothlypis americana
Contopus borealis

virens
Coot, American
Cormorant

Double-crested
Corvus americanus

corax sinuatus
Cowbird

INDEX.

29%
105
47
155
239
239

| Crane, Sandhill
Whooping
Creeper, Brown
Crossbill, American
White-winged
Crow, American .
Crymophilus fulicarius
Cuckoo, Black-billed
Yellow-billed
Curlew, Eskimo .
Hudsonian
Long-billed
Cyanocitta cristata

D
Dafila acuta
Dendragapus canadensis
obscurus richardsonii
Dendroica zstiva.

blackburniz .
cerulea
cerulescens
castanea
coronata
maculosa
palmarum

palmarum hypochrysea

pensylvanica
striata .
tigrina .
vigorsi .
virens
Dickcissel
Dolichonyx oryzivorus
Dove, Mourning .
Dowitcher
Dryobates pubescens
villosus :
Duck, American Scaup
Black
Bufile-headed
Harlequin
Lesser Scaup
Long-tailed .
Ring-necked .
Ruddy .
Wood

x
Or

bo tS bt bo
Oye

Wo Wo Ww W bw
“ID 1-1 © ©
aunnr = ©

Eagle, Bald .

Golden .
EKcetopistes migratorius
Egret, American .
Eider, American .

King .
Elanoides forficatus
Empidonax acadicus

flaviventris

minimus

pusillus trailli
Erismatura rubida
EKreunetes pusillus

F
Falco columbarius
islandus
peregrinus anatum
sparverlus
Finch, Purple
Flicker 5
Flycatcher, Crested
Acadian
Least
Olive-sided
Scissor-tailed
Brawls:
Yellow-bellied
Fratercula arctica
Fulica americana.

G
Gadwall :
Galeoscoptes carolinensis
Gallinago delicata
Gallinula galeata.
Gallinule, Florida
Purple .
Gannet
Gavia alba .
Geothlypis agilis .
philadelphia .
trichas .

Glaucionetta Eaavalats americana.

islandica ‘
Gnatcatcher, Blue-gray
Godwit, Hudsonian
Marbled

INDEX.

150
149
135
74
56
57
138
191
190
193
192
61
104

153
151
152
154
212
179
186
19]
193
188
184
192
190
8
87

39
295
93
86
86
85
30
14
285
286
287
51
52
309
107
106

Golden-eye, American .
Barrow’s
Goldfinch, American

Goose, American White-fronted .

Canada .
Greater Snow
Hutchins’

Goshawk, American

Grackle, Bronzed

Grebe, American Eared
Holbeell’s
Horned
Pied-billed

Grosbeak, Evening
Pine
Rose-breasted

Grouse, Canada
Richardson’s
Ruffed .
Sharp-tailed .

Grus americana
mexicana

Guillemot, Black,

Gull, American Herring
Bonaparte’s .
Franklin’s
Glaucous
Great Black- Packed
Ivory
Kittiwake
Laughing
Ring-billed

Gyrfalcon, White

H

Habia ludoviciana
Halixetus leucocephalus
Harporhynchus rufus .
Hawk, American Rough- ieoeente:
American Sparrow
Broad-winged
Cooper’s
Duck
Marsh .
Pigeon .
Red-shouldered
Red-tailed
Sharp-shinned

422

Hawk, Swainson’s

Western Red-tailed
Helminthophila celata

chrysoptera .

peregrina

ruficapilla
Hen, Prairie
Heron, Black-crow tre Night

Great Blue

Green

Snowy . :
Histrionicus histrionicus
House Sparrow
Hummingbird, Ruby- uhraateu
Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis

I
Ibis, Glossy
Icteria virens
Icterus galbula
spurius .
Tonornis martinica

J
Jaeger parasitic .
pomarine
Jay, Blue
Canada.
Junco hyemalis
Junco, Slate-colored

K

Killdeer
Kingbird
Kingfisher, Belted
Kinglet, Golden-crowned

Ruby-crowned
Kite, Swallow-tailed
Kittiwake
Knot

Ie

Lagopus lagopus .

rupestris
Lanius borealis

ludovicianus .

ludovicianus eubitorties
Lark, Horned

Prairie Horned

INDEX.
146 | Larus argentatus smithsonianus .
144 atricilla
265 delawarensis .
263 franklinii
266 glaucus.
264 marinus
132 philadelphia .
77 | Limosa fedoa
73 hemastica
76 | Longspur, Lapland
75 | Loon
55 Black-thr pated
220 Red-throated
183 | Lophodytes cucullatus

130
131
253
254
255
194
195

Loxia curvirostra minor
leucoptera

M

Macrorhamphus griseus
Magpie, American
Mallard
Martin, Purple
Meadowlark
Megascops asio
Melanerpes carolinus .
erythrocephalus
Meleagris gallopavo
Melospiza fasciata
georgiana
lincolni .
Merganser americanus
serrator
Merganser, American .
Hooded
Red-breasted
Merula migratoria
Micropalama himantopus
Milvulus forficatus
Mimus polyglottos
Mniotilta varia
Mockingbird
Molothrus ater
Murre, Briinnich’s
Myiarchus crinitus

N

Nighthawk .
Numenius borealis

18
20
19

315

184
294
261
294.
202

10
186

181
118

Numenius hudsonicus .
longirostris

Nuthatch, Red-breasted
White-breasted

Nyctala acadica .
tengmalmi richardsoni .

Nyctea nyctea

Nycticorax nycticorax neevius

O

strelata hasitata

Oidemia americana
deglandi
perspicillata .

Old Squaw .

Olor buccinator
columbianus .

Oriole, Baltimore
Orchard

Osprey, American

Otocoris alpestris
alpestris praticola

Oven-bird

Owl, American Barn
American Hawk .
American Long-eared .
Barred .
Great Gray .
Great Horned
Richardson’s
Saw-whet
Sereech
Short-eared .

Snowy .
FP

Pandion haliaétus carolinensis
Parus atricapillus
hudsonicus
Passerella iliaca .
Passerina cyanea .
Passer domesticus
Pavoncella pugnax
Pediocetes phasianellus
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos .
Pelican, American White
Perisoreus canadensis .
Petrel, Black-capped .

INDEX.
117 { Petrochelidon lunifrons
116 | Pewee, Wood
304 | Phalacrocorax carbo
303 dilophus
163 | Phalarope, Northern
162 Red
166 Wilson’s
77 | Phalaropus lobatus
tricolor .
Philohela minor .
317 | Phebe.
58 | Pica pica hudsonica
59 | Picoides americanus
60 arcticus
54 | Pigeon, Passenger
68 | Pinicola enucleator
67 | Pintail : :
207 | Pipilo erythrophthalmus
206 | Pipit, American .
156 | Piranga erythromelas .
194 rubra ,
195 | Plectrophenax nivalis .
282 | Plegadis autumnalis
157 | Plover, American Golden
167 Black-bellied
158 Piping .
160 Semipalmated
161 Snowy . :
165 | Podilymbus podiceps .
162 | Polioptila cerulea
163 | Polyborus cheriway
164 | Poocetes gramineus
159 | Porzana carolina .
166 jamaicensis
noveboracensis
Progne subis
156 | Protonotaria citrea
305 | Ptarmigan, Rock
306 Willow
237 | Puffin, Common .
i)
200 Q
~~ | Quiscalus quiscula eneus
112 :
Quail .
133
33 R
33 | Rail, Black .
198 King
317 Sora

425

246
189

32

424

Rail, Virginia
Yellow .
Rallus elegans
virginianus
Raven, American
Recurvirostra americana
Redhead
Redpoll
Greenland
Hoary .
Holbeell’s
Redstart, American
Regulus calendula
- Satrapa .
Rissa tridactyla .
Robin, American

Ruff

S)

Sanderling
Sandpiper, Baird’s

Bartramian .

Buft-breasted

Curlew .

Least

Pectoral

Purple .

Red-backed .

Semipalmated

Solitary

Spotted

Stilt

White-rumped
Sapsucker, Yellow pellied
Sayornis phcebe
Scolecophagus carolinus
Scoter, American

Surf

W hite-winged
Seiurus aurocapillus

motacilla

noveboracensis
Setophaga ruticilla
Shoveller
Shrike, Loggerhead

Northern

White-rumped
Sialia sialis .

INDEX.
81 | Siskin, Pine
83 | Sitta canadensis .
80 carolinensis .
81 | Snipe, Wilson’s
199 | Snowflake
91 | Somateria dresseri
46 spectabilis
217 | Sparrow, Chipping
215 Field
216 Fox ; tl
218 Grasshopper .
292 House .
308 Lark
307 Lincoln’s
15 Savanna
315 Song
112 Swamp .
Tree
Vesper .
105 White-crowned
100 White-throated
113 | Spatula clypeata .
114 | Sphyrapicus varius
103 | Spinus pinus-
101 tristis
98 | Spiza americana .
97 | Spizella monticola
102 pusilla .
104 socialis .
110 | Stelgidopteryx serripennis .
115 | Stercorarius pomarinus
95 parasiticus
99 | Sterna antillarum
175 forsteri .
187 hirundo
208 paradiszea ;
58 sandvicensis aeauntin,
60 tschegrava
59 | Strix pratincola
2892 | Sturnella magna .
284 | Sula bassana ;
283 | Surnia ulula caparoch .
292 | Swallow. Bank
43 Barn
254 Cliff
953 Rough-winged
25}5} Tree
316 | Swan, Trumpeter

Swan, Whistling .
Swift, Chimney
Sylvania canadensis
mitrata.
pusilla . ;
‘Symphemia semipalmata
Syrnium nebulosum

aly

Tachycineta bicolor
Tanager, Scarlet .
Summer
Teal, Blue-winged
Green-winged
Tern, Arctic
Black
Cabot’s .
Caspian
Common
Forster’s
Least
Thrasher, Brown.
Thrush, Gray-cheeked
Hermit.
Olive-backed
Wilson’s
Wood .
Thryothorus ludovicianus
Totanus flavipes .
melanoleucus
solitarius
Towhee p
Tringa alpina pacifica .
bairdii .
canutus
ferruginea
fuscicollis
maculata
maritima
minutilla
Trochilus colubris
Troglodytes aédon
hiemalis :
Tryngites subruficollis.
Turdus aliciz
aonalaschkz pallasii
fuscescens
mustelinus

28

5)

INDEX.

67
182
291
289
290
lil
160

248
243
244
42
4]
27
29
24
23
26
25
28
296
312
314
313
311
310
297
109
108
110
238
102
100
96
103
99
98
97
101
183
298
299
114
312
314
311
310

Turdus ustulatus swainsonii

Turkey, Wild

Turnstone :
Tympanuchus americanus
Tyrannus tyrannus

U
Ulula cinerea
Uria lomvia
Urinator arcticus
imber
lumme .

V
Vireo flavifrons
gilvus
olivaceus
philadelphicus
solitarius
Vireo, Blue-headed
Philadelphia .
Red-eyed
Warbling
Yellow-throated
Vulture, Turkey .

Ww

Warbler, Bay-breasted
Black and White .
Blackburnian
Black-poll
Black-throated Blue

Black-throated Green .

Canadian
Cape May
Cerulean
Chestnut-sided
Connecticut .
Golden-winged
Hooded
Magnolia
Mourning
Myrtle .
Nashville
Orange-crowned
Palm

Parula .
Pine. :
Prothonotary

426

Warbler, Tennessee
Wilson’s
Yellow .
Yellow Palm
W ater-thrush
Louisiana :
Waxwing, Bohemian .
Cedar
W hip-poor-will
Willet . : :
Woodcock, American .
Woodpecker, American
Arctic Three-toed.
Downy .
Golden-winged
Hairy
Pileated
Red-bellied .

Three-
toed , ‘ : /

INDEX.
266 | Woodpecker. Red-headed
290 | Wren, Carolina
269 House . ;
281 Long-billed Marsh
283 Short-billed Marsh
284 Winter .
251
252 x

180 | Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus .
111

92 s

Yellow-legs, Greater

174 Lesser . ‘
173 | Yellow-throat, Maryland
172

179 ee

17] | Zenaidura macroura

176 | Zonotrichia albicollis .

leucophrys

177
297
298
301
300
299

203

108
109

287

136
229
228

iin