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Vol. II. u 'I i »'" \' t^"^ t I * J :! \ T I'/'iX c t)R\ r: i N ij jGv ; '•J ' >1 Alls AX!) CAXAOA. Hv ^^■)\^Al.(;K Cn.> MiM;kimo Iludsonian Loitg-l)illed DoVK, CIround . . Mourning . Zenaida . . Dovckic .... Dowitchcr . . Duck, ISlack . . . Canvas-I)ack Harlequin . Labrador Lesser Scaup King-necked 278 414 410 106 .3" 'J9 102 101 23 379 293 347 197 3' '9 3-' ') /- 76 77 73 122 120 118 '3 1 1 10 403 169 3' 5 35- 302 345 346 Duck. Ruddy . Scaup Wood I'll : KIT .... Reddish . I'iider .... (Ireeiiiand King . . Fl.AMINC.O . . I'uhnar . . . Lesser . (Jadwai.i, . . (jallinule, Florida l'ur|)le Gainiet . . . Ciodwit, Iludsonian Marl)led Ciolden-cye . . . Harrow's Goose, IMue ... Canada . . Clreater Snow Iluti'hins's W hile-frontcd Grebe, Ilolbceirs . I lorned . . riedhilled . Grouse, Canada RutTed . . Sharp-tailed Gnillcmot, Hlack . Gull, IJonapartc's . Franklin's . . 334 343 3'7 84 88 324 329 329 104 2()y 271 307 203 201 375 168 166 349 35' 283 2'^5 281 290 284 3'^4 386 41 30 39 .395 238 238 VI CONTKNTS. Pa(.k Gull, Glaucous ^aH (jif.it iJlack iKickcd . . 252 "eninj^ 246 Iceland 250 Ivory 244 Kumlicii's 2;i ''■•'•Kliin;^ 236 .Uiii};-i)illctl 245 Koss'.s 23(1 isabiiic's 254 IIkn, Heath ^y, I'laiiie -^c Ilcroii; l.lackcrowiicd Night . (ji (ireut I Hue . . . . 7S Gnat White . . . . S2 (jiteii o-> Little lilue .... 94 l.niiisiana ()(y •"^iiowy Sf) Ward's 82 Yellow -Lrowiied Night 90 Ims, (Ildssy 1,4 Scarlet 112 While 112 Wood 110 jAt'X'.r K, I.nng-failcd .... 2^9 I'.ira.sitic 2i;S I'oniariiie 257 Kii.i.nivKu K It I i wake. Knot . . 62 241 140 LiMI'KI.N 102 liOor. -.f^S JUack-throatcd . . . .391 Ked-throated 391 M.At.I.AKI) ■503 M.in-ot'war Ih'rd 375 Mcrgaii.ser t-^; I f ooded Red-breasted M u rrc liriimiicl 1 s 3C\] 360 401 Noddy Ol.D-Si.HJAW J'uffiii Willow QuAii.-iiovK. l!l,ie-hca;icd . Kev W est . Pack 355 Oyster-catcher c. I'K'.ICAN, lirowii . . . White . . . i'etrel, I.each's .... Slorinv ... Wil^tin's . . I'iialarope, Ncithern . . . . 21 Red .... Wilson's . Pheasant, I'^nglish ... I'igeon, Passenger. . . . Winte-crowned . . I'intail Plover, I Hack-bellied . . . Golden I'iping Jr i'larniigan, Roek ,^- Welch's ..." 4S 3f^S 3''4 2^-3 267 264 07 205 21 1 I 7 309 6S 57 59 43 40(') '4 9 I\Air,, I'lack i(.f, Glappcr is- King iSS Virginia iSo ^'ellow 191 Redhead Knff 340 '50 Sandi'.ri.ixc, . . . . Sandpiijcr, liaird's . . I'artraniian . litiff-hreasted Curlew . . Least . . . Pectoral . . Purple . . 49 142 164 '.V '-5 '3f' '34 CONTENTS. VII i Sandpiper, Rcd-ljacked . Scnii-palmatcd S(jlitaiy . Spotted . . Still . . . \Vliite-runiped Scoter, American . . . Surf White-winged Slicarwa'icr, Audubon's , Cory's . Greater . S(joty Slioveiler Skiniiner, lilack . . . Skua Snipe, \Vils(jn'.s . . . Sola Spnonliill, Roseate . . Still, illack-necked . , Swan, 'I'runiDetir . . . Whistling . . , J'A(;i. 126 '4.3 '57 160 '45 333 33' 334 -75 V4 272 ^75 300 260 -55 172 I S.J loS 52 -W 2(j6 TiAi., Hlue-winged (neen-wmged Tern, Arctic . lilack . Cabot's C'aspian Conunon I'' 3^3 i4f> 176 '54 '52 passex(;er pic;eon. WII.I) IMGKON. EcToi'is'i i:s MicR.AroRius. Cmau. Above, .^ravish Muc, deeper .-„ hencl and ,„mp, hack tinned V,. brown; prm.anes l,lackish wi.h border nf pale bine; n.id.lle ,a a hers dusky, the remainder shading ,I,ro„oh bb'e to wime ; neek w h n etallu: refleet.ons nt .golden purple and wine enlnr; under part, brown ■ sii red with a purple tint shading thrnn.Lrh purpb.h pink to while A<'.rA In tree. — a frail platf.irni ,.f twigs. ^tt'-J. I or -; dull white; 1.45 y ,.05/ The Wild Pigeon of America, so wonderful for its greparioiis habits, is met with more or less according to circumstances vol.. II, — , i T 2 riGEON TKI15E. from Mexico to Hudson Day, in which iiih(;spitable region it is seen even in December, weatlieriiig the severity of the climate with indil'ference, and sui)[)orting itself upon the meagre buds of the juniper when the ground is hidden by mundating snows. I'o the west it is found to the base of liie Northern Andes, or K(K;ky Mountains, but does not api)ear to be known beyond this natural barrier to its devious wanderings. .\s might be supposed from its extraortlinary history, it is formed with peculiar strength of wing, moving through the air with extreme rapidity, urging its tlight also by (juick and very muscular strt)kes. During the season of amorous address it often tlies out in numerous hovering cir- cles ; and while thus engageil, the tips of the great wing- feathers are heard to strike against each other so as to proilu( e a very audible sound. The almost incredible and unparalleled associations which the species form with each (jther appear to have no relation with the usual motives to migration among other birds. A general and mutual attachment seems to occasion this congre- giiting ])ropensity. Nearly the whole si)ecies, which at any one time inhabit the continent, are found together in the same l)lace ; they do not tly from climate, as they pre cajjable of enduring its severity and extremes. They are even found to breed in the latitude of 51 degrees, round Hudson Bay and the interior of New Hami)shire, as well as in the 33d degree in the dense forests of the great valley of the Mississippi. 'I'he accidental situation of their food alone directs all their move- ments; while this continues to be supplied they sometimes remain sedentary in a i)articular district, as in the dense forests of Kentucky, where the great body remained for years in suc- cession, and were scarcely elsewhere to be found ; and here, at length, when the mast ha]ipened to fail, they disappeared for several years. The rapidity of flight, so necessary in their vast domestic movements, is sufficiently remarkable. The Pigeons killed near the city of New York have been found with their crops full of rice collected in the plantations of (leorgia or Carolina ; I f I'ASSKNCJEU IMGEON. Icstic tilled rops lina ; and a< t'Ms kind of fooil is diijcj^tcil by tht-ni entirely in twelve lioir.s, tliev inii>.t have travelled probably three or lour huiulreil miles in about the half of that lime, i.-r have sped .it the rate of a mile in a minute. \\ ith a velocity like this, our I'i^'eon might visit the shores of Europe in less than three day> ; aiul, in fact, acconling to I'lenuning. a straj,'L;ler was actually shot in Scot- land in the wmter of 1S25. A^^ocialed with this rapidity of llight mu>t also be the extent and acuteness of its vision, or otherwise the object of its motions would be nugatory ; so th;it while thus darting over the country almost with the \el(j(it\' of thought, it still keei)s up a strict survey for its fare, and in passing over a sterile region sails high in the air with a widely extended front, but instantly drops its llight at the i)rospect of footl, llying low till it alights near an ample supply. I'he associated numbers of Wild Pigeons, the numerous tlocks which compose the general swarm, are without any other parallel in the history of the feathered race ; they can indeed alone be compared to the finny shoals of herrings, which, descending from the Arctic regions, discolor and fill the ocean to the extent of mighty kingdoms. Of their amaz- ing ntmibers and the circumstances attendant on this fact, the reader will do well to consult the indefatigable Wilson and the celebrated Audubon. Our limits and more bounded personal information will not allow us to enlarge on this curious and extraordinary subject. To talk of hundreds of millions of individuals of the same s])ecies habitually associated in feed- ing, roosting, and breeding, without any regard to climate or season as an operating cause in these gregarious movements, would at first ajjpear to be wholly uicredible if not borne out by the numerous testimony of all the inhabitants of the neigh- boring districts. The a])pr();ich of tlu' mighty feathered army with a loud rushing roar and a stirring biee/e, attended by a sudden darkness, might be mistaken for a fearfiil tornado about to overwhelm tlu- !";;< e of Nature. l'"or several hours together the vast host, exteniling some miles in breadth, still continues to pass in flocks without tliminution. 'I'he whole air is filled I'IGKON TRIHK. with birds ; their muting resembles a shower of sleet, and they shut out the light as if it were an eclipse. At the apjjroach of the Hawk their sul)linie and beautiful aerial evolutions are disturl)ed like the niflling scpiall extending over the placid ocean ; as a thundering torrent they nish together in a concen- trating mass, and heaving in undulating and glittering sweeps towards the earth, at length again ])roceed in lofty meandiTS like the rushing of a mighty aniniMted river. IJut the Hawk is not their only enemy : tens of thousands are killed in various ways by all the inhabitants far and near. The evolutions of the feeding Pigeons as they circle round are both beautiful and amusing. Alighting, they industriously search through the withered leaves for their favorite mast; those behind are continually rising and passing forward in front, in such rapid succession that the whole llock, still cir- cling over the ground, seem yet on the wing. As the sun begins to decline, they ilepart in a body for the i^cneral roost, which is often himdreds of miles distant, and is generally chosen in the tallt.-.t and thickest forests, almost divested of underwood. Nothing can exceed the waste and desolation of these nocturnal resorts ; the vegetation becomes buried by their excrements to the dejith of several inches. The tall trees {ox thousands of acres are c()mi)letcly killed, and the ground strewed with massy branches torn down by the clustering weight of the birds which have rested ujion them. The whole region for several years jiresents a continued scene of devastati(^n, as if swept by the resistless blast of a whirlwind. The Honorable T. H. IVrkins informs me that he has seen one of these desolated roosting-grounds on the borders of Lake C'ham])lain in New York, ann'cdini:;-placcs, as might naturally be expected, differ from the roosts in their greater extent. In iSoy, according to Wilson, one of these immense nurseries, near Shelbyville in Kentucky, was several miles in breadth and extended through the woods for upwards of forty miles. After occupving this situation for a succession of seasons they at length abandoned I \.\ I'ASSKNGKR I'KJKON. 5 X X \ liffer lig to le in nigh this )ned it, and removed sixty or eighty miles off to the hanls, or young Pigeons, of which three or iowx broods are jiroduced in the season, are cxtrenKly fit and palatable, and as well as the old birds killetl at the roosts are often, with tl! 6 I'KiKOX TKIiiE. a wanton prodigality and i)rodij;i()ns slaughter, strewed on the ground as raltiiiiiig J'ooit for the Ii0i:,s. At the roosts the destruction is no less extensive ; gtnis, clubs, long poles, puts of burning sulphur, and every other (.-ngine of destruction which wantt)n avarice can bring forward, are all eni])loved against the swarming host. Indeed for a time, in many l)laces, nothing scarcely is seen, talked of. or eaten, but I'igeons. in the Atlantic States, where the llocks are less abundant, the gun, decoy, and net are put in operation against the devoted throng. Twenty or even thirty dozen have been caught at a single swei'p of the net. Wagon-loads of them are poured into market, where they are sometimes sold for no more than a c ent apiece. Their combined niovemeiUs are also sometimes sufficiently extensive. The Honorable '1'. II. IVrkins remarks that about the year i 79S, while he was ])ass- ing through N\w Jersey, near Newark, the llocks continued to pass for at least two hours without cessation; ancl he learnt from the neighboring inhabitants that in descending upon a large ])ond tcj drink, those in the rear, alighting on the backs of the first that arrived (in the usual order of their movements on land to feecl). pressed them beneath the surface, so that tens of thousands were thus drowned. They were likewise killed in great munbers at the roosts with clubs. I )owu to twcntv vears a^o iiiinu'iiso Hocks of i'igeons were si'c'ii yearly in every State of Ni \v IJigiand, and tliey nested ui coniiiuinitics that were reckoned by thousands. Now, in i)laee of tlie nivriads that gathered lierc, only a few can be found, and these arc scattered (hiring tlie breeding-season, - each pair selecting an isolated site lor tlie nest. Tweiitv vears ago tlie Wild I'igeon was exceedingly abundant in the M.uitinie I'roviines of Canada; now it is rare. Mellwraitli sends a similar report from Ontario. Wheaton, in Ohio, finds it ''irregular and iincomnion." and writes of the " tiu-ongs "' tliat formerlv nested there. Ridgeway savs notiung of its occurrence in Illinois to-dav, luit rei)eats tlie story of the older observers, to whom it was familiar. Warren says it apjjcars in I'ennsylvania in the fall, but no longer in tiie abundance of former years. To- day we nuist go to the upper regions of the Mississippi valley and I % \vihte-ck()\vm:i> i'K'.kon. I to the iR.ivily tiinhi'ivcl ilistiicts ol" Michinan to liiul l.irm' tlock.s of rigcoiis, and rvcii tlicrc wc can tinil hut a ifmiianl ol tiic liosts tliat assL'ml)lecl in tlioso regions a few years ago. Tlu' most important of recent contril)nlion.s to tlie biograjjliy of tiii.s species is Mr. William Hrewster's aitiile in "The Auk" for October, 18.S9. lie tells there ol a "nesting" in .Michigan in I.S77 that covered .m area twenty-eight miles long and three to four miles wide, and says : " For the entire dislam e of twenty-ei.^ht miles every free of any size had more or less nests, and many trees were filled with them." iJrewster visited .Michigan in icSSS, and heard that a larj^e flock had passed over the northern section of the .southern i)enninsula, but it had gone farther north before westing. — he could not find it. lie thinks the flock was sufficiently large fo stock the Western States again, were tiiese birds protected for a few years from the terrific slaughter that riow imju'riis their existence: for it is simply this slaughter that has diminished tiie numbers of the birds, 'i'lu're is no mystery about tlieir disappearance, as many writers liave tried to represent. Doubtless this s])ecies has been irregular in appear- ing in any given localitv at all times, the movements of the flocks being intUienced by the food supply. Hut the Pigeons have been exterminated in the Mast just as they are being exterminated in tlie West, — by •■netting." One old nctter told Mr. Urewster that during 18S1 as many as five hundred men \vere engaged in nettuig I'igeons in .Michigan, and, said he, "They ca])tured on the average twenty thousand apiece during the season.'' At this rate the I'igeon will soon join the buffalo on that list so disgraceful to humanitv. "the extinct species," a list that will be filled rajjidlv if a check is not put on nien"s avarice and the law's shameful negligence. of WHjri:-(T<()w\i:i) imc.i'.on. Coi.UMf.A I.I.HOCI.IMIAI.A. CllAK. Cicncral cohiv dark slate blue, darker (ni winqs and fail, paler bi'low ; upper part of head whili.' : cape on hind neck of 1 i. Ii iiianioii, and liclow it a band of metallic preen, cicii ieatlier l)or(lere(! with scale-like p.uciics of black. Length ahont 1 v'.; incites. Xis/. In low tree or bush, made of twigs and roots, lined with j;rass £xxs. 2; white; i..|0 X 1.05. This species, well known as an inhabitint of Mexico and the West Indies, is also gregarious, an)\v imiJcnding over the water; externally it is comjiosed of small twigs, and lined with grass and fibrous roots. The eggs are two, white, rather roundish, and as large as those of the domestic Pigeon. This bird has apparently several broods in the season. His cooing mav be heard to a considerable dis- lance ; after a kind of crowing ]irelude he re])eats his k<>(> koo koo. When suddenly a])])roache(l, he utters a hollow guttural si)und, like the Common I'igeon. White-crowned Pigeons are easily domesticaled, and breed in that state freely. About the beginning of ()ctol)er tliey are very nimierous, and then return to pass the winter in the West India islands. n (1 of s m (lis- koo ttural are the .'turn I "3 I*, ''ft 4 KKV \Vi:sr QUAII, DOVK. I'AKTKIIXiK FKilloN. (iKOlkVlioN MAkriNU A. Chau. Above, reddish purijlo, tlic iil'( k and licad with metallic letlic- tions c)| green; lielow, pale viiiaceous, fading to wliite on ciiin, and to buff on under tail-eoverts; while of cliin extends l)elow the eyes. Length about 1 1 inches. iWst. In low branches, sometimes on the ground; made of li;.;lit twigs. Egi::s. 2; white; 1.40 X i.oo. This beautiftil species, originally discovered in Jamaica, was found by Audubon to be a stuiinier resident on the island of Key West, near the extremity of Mast I'lorida ; it retires in winter to the island of Cuba. Its flight is low, swift, and protracted, keeping in loose flocks or fimilies of from five or six to a dozen. 'I'hese dwell chiefiy in the tangled thickets, but go out at times to the shore to feed and dust themselves. This bird contracts and sjireads out its neck in the usual manner of Pigeons. Its cooing is not so soft or prolonged as that of the Common Dove; the sound resembles uiJioc lohoe- oh-oh-oh-oh. When surpriseil, it gives a guttural, gasping sound, somewhat like that of the Common Pigeon in the same circumstances. Quail Doves keep usually near shady secluded ponds in the thickest places, and perch on the low branches of the trees. The nest is formed of light dry twigs, sometimes mmmm wm 10 ridicox ruiiu:. on ilu' ^Toiind. t)n tlu' hirj^i' hnm* lies of tri-cs, or i-vi'ii on slcndrr t\vi},'s. On the jotli of .M;iy it will contiiiii two whiti- I'g^'s. almost traiisliicfiu. In July thcsf pi^'cons ( omk- out of tlu' thicki'ts in llo( k^ of all aj^M-s, and frniucnting tlu' roMd^ to dust thcmst'lvi's, arc then easily procured and considered good food. 'I'hey (ccA chielly on berries and si'eds, and ])irti( ularly tlu- sea-gra])e. Tlu-y depart for Cuba or the other West India islands about the middle of October. This specie.s is now rarely seen on Key West; an adult male, shot in iyt^<>fi vioiitaiiii) was captiu'i'd on Key West in Dk ember, iSSS, the tir^t lakt'u within thi' Ixmlers of North America. ZK.NAIDA DOV'I:. /r:\.\iii.\ /i.wiii.A. C'UAK. Above, (ilivc ^ray with a red tinge; top of Iicad and under parts puri)lish red; ncik witli nietallie nlkctions ; a lilack patili on wing-covcits ; t.iil witli luminal l)an(l of black tipped witli wliitc. I,cn,i;tli about 10 inclas. .Wst. In low l)u>li ; a sliglit atfair of fine twigs. The nests aii' some- times plaicd on the sand and concealed by tufts of grass, and these giound-ncsts are compactly built of leaves and grass. Ei::^s. i\ white; i.:o X 0.95. This beautiful little specii-s itihabits the Keys of Tlorid;!. but is rart'. Itidividuals have been found in the tieighboritig island of Cuba. 'I'hey ki'i'j) much on the ground, where thev dust themselves and swallow gravel to assist digestion, ^^'hen rising on the wing, the same whistling noise is hi'ard from the motion of their wings, as is the case of thi' common Carolina Turtle Dove. smiie- tlicsc n. hut island V (lust rising lotion tirtle iMolKMNt; DOVK. CAKDi.iNA i)(>\i:. irKii.!'. i)(>\i:. /l.N.\n)l k.\ MAtRol |<\. ('llAlv. AliDvc, ^lavisli l)lii(.', iliipiT (111 till' 1r;i(1, llif li.uU \v,i>1k(1 with lir()\viii>li iilivr ; >i(lts nt' licail and luck and uiidi i 11,111-. iiiiii'li>li red, fiuliiii; lo ImiIV nil anal iti;ii)ii ; .sides of iri k wilii nuiallii lelkctinns ; wing-c'ivtiis spiitlid willi l)la('k ; tail witii bar nf black, outer tVatliers broadlv tipi)C(l with wliile. l.eiiglli about u -4 iiielies. A',s/. In a tiee or l)u>li 01 on t'eme lail or loik, — a mere jilatloriu rudely made ol twins. ^X''.i,''-'- -~\ (usuallv J) ; white; 1.15 K 0S5. This al.iiost familiar PiLjcon in tlir conrse of the' spring Icisiin-ly migrates through the interior as far ns to Canada, though in the I'lastern States it is rarely met with to the north of Connerticut. Many ai>])ear sedentary in tin- warmer States, where they l)reed as far south as Louisiana, They ,u-e also said to inhabit the Antilles, and we saw them not uncom- mon in the Territory of ( )regon. In the warimr parts of the I'nion they commence laying early in .Xpril. and in South Carolina I heard their ])laintive (Vv on the j(;tli of January ; but at the extremity of their range they scarcely begin to breed before the middle of May. 1 luy lay. as usual, two eggs. ol a pure white, and make their nest in the horizontal branclu's of a tree. It is formed of a mere layer of twigs so looselv and slovenly put together ns to appear scarcely sutiticient to pre- vent the young from falling out. 12 PIGEON TRIBE. if h *ii l>y the first fine days of the early Southern spring we hear from the budding trees of the forest, or the already blooming thicket, the mournful call of the Carolina Turtle Dove, com mencing as it were with a low and plaintive sigh, a'gh coo coo coo, repeated at impressive inter\'als of half a minute, and heard distinctly to a considerable distance through the still and balmy air of the reviving season. Ihis satl but pleasing note is also more distinguished at this time, as it seeks the noon-day warmth in which to utter its complaint, and where it is now heartl without a rival. The flight of this species is rapid and protracted, and, as usual in the genus, accompanied by a very audible whistling noise ; the birds fly out often in wide circles, but seldom rise above the trees, and keep out near the skirt of the forest or round the fences and fields, which they visit with considerable familiarity, gleaning after the crop has been removed, and sel- dom molesting the farmer except by now and then raising up a few grains in sowing time, which may happen to be exposed too temptingly to view. The usual food of this species is various kinds of grain and small acorns, as well as the berries of the holly, dogwood, poke, whortle, and i)artridge berries, with other kinds according to the season. In the nuptial period the wide circling flight of the male is often repeated around his mate, towards whom he glides with wings and tail exjianded, and gracefully alights on the same or some adjoining tree, where she receives his attentions or fosters her eggs and infant brood. On alighting, they sjjread out their flowing train in a graceful altitude, accompanying the motion by a clucking and balancing t)f the neck and iioad evincing the lively emotion and mutual affection they cherish. When the tcmale now con- fines herself to her eggs, her constant mate is seen feeding her with a delicate and assiduous attention. The roosting places preferred by the Carolina Turtle Doves are among the long and unshorn grass of neglected fields, in the slight shelter of corn-stalks, or the borders of meadows ; they also occasionally seek harbor among the rustling and fall ing leaves, and amidst the thick branches of various ever- GROUND DOVE. 13 greens. But in every situation, even though in darkness, they are so vigilant as to fly at the instant of approa '-. They do not huddle together, but take up their rest in solitude, though a whole flock may be in the same field ; they also frec^uently resort to the same roosting places, if not materially molested. It is a hardy species, enduring considerable cold, and indi- viduals remain even in the Middle as well as the Southern States throughout the year. These birds are far less gregarious and migratory than is the common Wild Pigeon. When their food becomes scanty in the fields in the course of the winter, they approach the farm, feeding among the poultry with the Blackbirds, Sparrows, and other guests of the same accidental bounty, and if allowed without reprisal, appear as gentle as Domestic Doves. Raised from the nest, they arc easily tamed, and instances are known of their breeding in confinement. Their flesh is also much esteemed, and by some considered as scarcely inferior to that of the Snipe or Woodcock. The Mourning Dove is a common summer resident of New Enj^land, and I liave seen a few examples in New Brunswick. Mr. iMcIIwraith reports it breeding sparingly in southern Ontario, while Dr. Coues estimates its numbers in Arizona by "millions."' )oves ds, in (lows ; fall ever- GROUND DOVE. COLUMBIGALLINA I'ASSKRIXA. Char. Back and rump grayish olive, licad and neck inirplish red glossed with blue, the feathers edged with grayish olive ; wings like hack, but tinged with purjjje and sputled with steel blue ; central tail-fcatiiers like back, outer feathers blackish with paler tips ; lower parts purplish red, the feathers of the breast streaked with grayish olive; bill yellnw, tipped with '-"lack ; feet yellow. Fctnalc and young ))aler. graver, and without the purple tints. Length 6>2 inches. A'l-st. On a tree, usually on a low branch, but sometimes 15 to 20 feet from the ground ; little more than a platform of twigs. £},^gs. 2 ; dull white or creamy ; 0.S5 X 0.65. The (Iround Dove is an inhabitant of all the States of the Union south of Virginia, and is met with also in the West Indies. It is common in the =ca islands of the Southern ^m 14 PIGEON TRIBE. States, particularly in Soutli Carolina and Georgia, where it is seen in small flocks of from fifteen to twenty. These birds are found usually upon the ground, and prefer the open fields and cultivated tracts to the woods; their flight is seldom i)ro- tracted, as they fly out commonly only to short distances, though on the approach of winter they retire to the islands and milder parts of the continent, arriving again at their northern resorts early in April. Like some other species, they have a frequent jetting motion with the tail, and the usual tender cooing and gesticulations of the tribe. They feed on various seeds and berries, particularly on those of the tooth- ache tree, near which they are frccjuently seen in the season. They likewise feed on rice and other small grain, and become easily tamed and reconciled to the cage ; in this way they are also occasionally fattened for the table, and are particularly esteemed by the French planters. The Ci round Dove is still a common l)ird in the Soutii, and wanders orrasionally as far north as the District of Columbia. BLUE-HEADED Ql'AlL-DOVE. SrAKM i:xAS c^'A^ocl■.l'n \i,A. Cmak. Above, olive hiowii ; crown rich blue, bordered by black; a wide stri|)e of white from chin to back of neck ; below, russet, the breast tinged with piiri)le ; throat black, edged with white. Length 11 inches. AV.v/. (Jn a tree or lul)terniinal band of black; upper tail-covcrts and tips of tail-feathers chestnut ; winj^s dusky, banded by didl white. Male with a consi)icuous tuft of bristles dejiendinj; from the breast. Female similar, but paler and duller Length ab(nit 4S inches. A'rsf. I'ndcr a bush or amid thick undergrowth or tall weeds, or beneath brush heap ; a depression in the ground — natural or scratched out — lined with leaves, grass, or feathers. AVVJ 10-15 (nsuallv 12); rich cream color or [lalc buff, spotted with bright brown ; size variabh.-, averaging about j.50 X l.So. 'I'hc Wild Turkey, once prevalent throughout the whole continent of North America, from Mexico and the Antilles to the forests of Lower Canada, is now, by the progress and iK'n- sity of population, chiefly confined to the thickly wooded and uncultivated tracts of the Western States, being particularly al)undant in the unsettled jiarts of Ohio, Kentucky. Illinois, Indiana, and throughout the vast forests of the great valleys of the Mississippi ami Missouri. On the banks of the latter ■ mj. mm i6 TURKEYS AND PHEASANTS. *i r river, however, where the woods disappear beyond the conflu- ence of the Platte, the Turkey no longer appears ; and the feathers of the wings, for the purpose of pluming arrows, form an article of small commerce between the other natives and their Western countrymen. For a thousand miles up the Arkansas and Red River, in the wooded alluvial lands, they are not uncommon. They are met with in small numbers in Tennessee, Alabama, and West Florida, and are also abundant in Texas ; but none have been found in the Rocky Mountains or to the westward of them. From the Atlantic States gener- ally they are now nearly extirpated. According to Audubon, a few of these valuable birds are yet found in the States of New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maine. The Wild Turkey is neither gregarious nor migratory, but from the necessity of wandering after food ; it is otherwise resident throughout the whole of the vast region it inhabits, including the greatest diversity of climate, and it is prolific in proportion to its natural resources ; so that while in the United States and Canada it only breeds once in the year, in Jamaica and the other West India islands it is said to raise two or three broods in the same period. In quest of mast, these birds therefore spread themselves through the country and insensibly assemble in considerable numbers to the district where their food abounds. These movements are observed to take place early in October. The males, or gobblers, as they are often called, from their note, are now seen apart from the other sex in companies varying from ten to a hun- dred. The females move singly, or accompanied by their almost independent brood, who all at first assiduously shun the persecuting society of the selfish male. Yet after a while, when their food proves abundant, scjiarate mixed flocks of all ages and sexes often promiscuously join in the bounteous repast. Their migration — very unlike that of the rapid Pigeons — is made almost entirely on foot until their progress is perhaps arrested by a river. Their speed, however, is very consider- able, and when surprised they more commonly trust to their legs than their wings, running nearly with the velocity of a WILD TLRKKV. 17 he conflu- ; and the rows, form atives and ;s up the ands, they lumbers in ) abundant Mountains ites gener- Uidubon, a tes of New ;ratory, but otherwise it inhabits, , prohfic in the United in Jamaica ise two or mast, these (untry and he district observed 'ohblcrs, as |seen apart to a hun- by their |y shun the r a while, ocks of all bounteous id Pigeons is perhaps consider- to their city of a hound. On meeting with an impediment of this kind, after considerable delay they ascend to the tojjs of the tall trees, and at the cluck of the leader they laimch into the air for the op])osite shore. 'I'he transit is a matter of little difficulty, though considerable labor, fur the older birds ; but the younger and less robust sometimes fall short of the bank, and ;;re either drowned or attain the land by swimming. After crossing, it is remarked that they often become an easy prey to the hunter, as they seem bewildered by the new country in which they have arrived, or mure probably are fatigued by the novelty and extent of their excursion. After long journeys and ])rivations, particularly in frosty weather or while the ground is covered with snow, thev are sometimes reduced to the necessitv of making their api)earance near farm-houses, where they now and then even associate with the poultry and enter the stables and cribs after grain. In this desultory and foraging manner they si)end the autumn and winter. According to the latitude and the advancement of the sea- son, though always very early in the s])ring, they begin to be actuated by the instinct of pro|iagation. The males commence their gobbling and court the stjciety of their retiring mates. The sexes roost apart, but in the same vicinity, and at the yelp of the female the gobbling becomes reiterated and extravagant. If heard from the ground, a general rush ensues to the spot ; and whether the hen ajipears or not, the males, thus acciden- tally brought together, spread out their train, cpiiver and depress their rigid wings, and strutting and puffing with a pompous gait, often make battle, and directing their blows at the head, occasionally flestroy each other in a fit of jealousv. .As with our domestic fowls, s(,'verai hens usually follow a fivor- ite cock, roosting in his immediate neighborhood until they begin to lay. when they withdraw from his resort to save their eggs, which he would destroy if discovered. The females are therefore seen in his company only for a tew hours in tlie dav. Soon after this period, however, the male loses his ardor, and the advances of affection now become reversed, the hen seek- ing out the society of her reluctant mate. In moonlight nights vol,. II. — 2 mmmmm i8 TUKKEVS AND PHEASANTS. ?i the gobbling of the male is henrd at intervals of a few minutes for hours together, and affords often a gratifying means of their discovery to the wakeful hunter. After this period the males become lean and emaciated so as to be even unable to fly, and seek to hide themselves from their mates in the closest thick- ets, where they are seldom seen. They now also jirobably undergo their moult, and are so dry, lean, and lousy, until the ripening of the mast and berries, as to be almost wholly indi- gestible and destitute of nutriment as food. So constant is this impoverished state that the Indians have a proverb, "As lean as a Turkey in summer." About the middle of April, in Kentucky, the hens begin to provide for the reception of their eggs and secure their pros- pects of incubation. The nest, merely a slight hollow scratched in the ground and lined with withered leaves, is made by the side of a fallen log or beneath the shelter of a thicket in a dry place. The eggs, from lo to 15, are whitish, covered with red dots and measuring two and seven eighths inches in length by two in breadth, and rather pointed. While laying, the female, like the domestic bird, always approaches the nest with great caution, varying the course at almost every visit and often concealing iier eggs entirely by cohering them with leaves. Trusting to the similarity of her homely garb with the withered foliage around her, the hen, as with several other birds, on being carefully approached sits close without mov- ing. She seldom indeed abandons her nest, and her attach- ment increases with the growing life of her charge. The domestic bird has been known, not unfrequently, to sit stead- fastly on her eggs until she died of hunger. As soon as the young have emerged from the shell and begun to run about, the parent by her cluck calls them around her and watches with redoubled suspicion the approach of their enemies, which she can perceive at an almost inconceivable distance. To avoid moisture, which might i)n)ve fiital to them, they now keep on the higher sheltered knolls ; and in about a fortnight, instead of roosting on the ground, they begin to fly at night to some wide and low branch, where they still continue to nestle WILD TL'KKEV. 19 V minutes IS of their the males to fly, and iest thick- probably , until the holly indi- onstant is •verb, " As is begin to their i)ros- scralchecl ade by the hicket in a )vered with s in length laying, the e nest with visit and lem with rb with the eral other lOut mov- ler attach- rge. The o sit stead- Don as the run about, nd watches nies, which tance. To they now I fortnight, at night to le to nestle I -if under the extended wings of their protecting parent. At length they resort during the day to more open tracts or prairies, in (jiiest of berries of various kinds, as well as grass- hoppers and other uisects. 'I'he old birds are very partial to pecan nuts, winter grapes, and other kinds of fruits. They also cat buds, herbs, grain, and large insects ; but their most gen- eral and important fare is acorns, after which they make exten- sive migrations. I>y the month of August the young are nearly independent of their parent, and become enabled to attain a safe roost in the higher branches of the trees, i'lie young cocks now show the tuft of hair upon the breast and begin to strut and gobble, and the young hens already purr and leap. ( )ne of the most crafty enemies which the W ild Turkey has to encounter is the lynx, or wild-cat, who frequently seizes his prey by advancing round and waiting its api)roach in ambush. Like most other ( iallinaceous birds, these Turkeys are fond of wallowing on the ground and dusting themselves. When approached by moonlight, they are readily shot from their roosting-tree, one after another, without any api*rehension of their danger, though tiiey would dodge or lly instantly at the sight of the Owl. The (lobblers, during the season of their amorous excitement, have been known even to strut over their dead companions while on the ground, instead of seek- ing their own safety by tlight. In the spring the male Turkeys are called by a whistle made of the second joint-bone of tiie wing of the bird, which ])ro- duces a sound somewhat similar to the voice of the female ; and on coming up to this call they are conse(|uently shot. 'I'hey are likewise commonly caught in (piadrangular |)ens made of logs crossing each other, from which is cut a slanting covereil i)assage sufficient to allow the entrance of the Turkev. C'orn is then scattered in a train to this cage for some distance as well as within; and the neighboring birds in the surround- ing woods having discovered the grain, call on each other by a clucking, and entering one at a time, they become secured in the pen, as, for the purpose of escape, they constantly direct their view upwards instead of stooping to go out by the path which they had entered. ■■M I, I >■ f 20 TURKEYS AND I'HKASANTS. The male ^^'il(l Turkey weighs commonly from 15 to 18 pounds, is not unfrequentiy as much as 25, and sometimes, according to Audubon, even 36. The hen commonly wciglis about 9 pounds, and the usual price for a Turkey from the Indians is 25 cents. The domestic bird, when irritated by the sight of any remarkal)le object, struts out with exjjanded tail, and drooping his stiffened wings, swells out his wattles, which become red and turgid, and advancing with a grave and haughty air, utters a humming sound, now and then accompa- nied by a harsh and dissonant n//:, orook, orook, repeating it at every whistle or unusual sound that strikes his ear. The exhibition of a red rag is also sure to excite his wrath and induce him to rush with stupid temerity at the disagreeable object which he exerts himself to injure or destroy. A whole flock sometimes will unite in chasing a common cock from the l)oultry yard in consecjuence merely of some whimsical antip- athy. From these singular dislikes, this cowardice and folly, the Turkey bears in France the same proverbal imputation of stupidity which in Kngland is bestowed on the (loose. The feathers of the wild bird, attached to strips of bass, were anciently employed by the aborigines for tipj^ets and cloaks, and were so arranged that the brilliant surface formed the outside of the dress ; and in later times similar dresses have also been made by the t'herokees. The Turkey was first sent from Mexico to Spain in the six- teenth century, and in the reign of Henry VIII., in the year 1524, it was introduced into England, and soon after into France and other portions of Europe. Since Nuttall wrote, this famous bird has become extinct in the New England States, as well as in Canada. \'ory early m colonial days it had disappeared from the Province of Quebec, for at the height of its abundance this bird was found only within a limited area along the valley of the Ottawa, in the vicinity ot the Chaudiere Falls. — if I correctly interpret the words of I'ierre Bouehe, who was governor of the Province in 1663. Hy some chance several small flocks survived to a much later date in Ontario. Mcllwraith reports that it was numerous along the southern border as late as 1856, and he thinks a few still remain. WILD TLRKliV. 21 15 to 18 )nietimes, ly weighs from the efl by the nded tail, les, which ;rave and acconipa- :pealing it ear. The wrath and isagreeable A wliole k from the lical antip- and folly, putation of 30se. The bass, were md cloaks, brmed the •esses have in the six- in the year after into \-tinct in the n colonial for at the in a limited Chaudiore Jouche, who ance several Mcllwraith er as late as -m In New England, as in (Quebec, the early solders made havoc witli the Hocks, and flrove into tlie wilderness tiiose they did not destro). John Josseiyii. writing in 1O72, states tiuit the bird was becoming rare, wliile tiiirty years before it had been abundant ; but probably Turkeys were plentiful during part, at least, of tiie last century, thougii frequenting less accessible localities. They were, however, i)eing gradually reduced in numbers by the combined attacks of the whites and Indians, and the lessened flocks contin- ued retiring farther and farther from the settlements. In Connecticut the year 1813 is given as that in which the last example was seen, wiiile a few remained hidden among the hills of souliiern X'ermont until 1S42; and the last Wild Turkey that is known to have been seen in .Massachusetts was shot on Mount Tom in 1847. At the |)resent day some small flocks are to be found in a few of the heavily timberefl and thinly poi^ulated districts of .Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, and in the wild moun- tainous regions of the Southern States. A few may be hidden also in isolated forests in Louisiana and Mississippi; but in all of these States the number of l)irds must l)e small, and is bein^ rapidly reduced. Probablv nowhere east of the .Mississippi Ki\er are Turkeys at all numerous, excepting in Florida, and in that .State they may continue numerous long after tiiey have been externu- nated elsewhere, owing to the almost inaccessible nature of the country to which the remaining flocks have retreated, lieyond the .Mississippi these birds are still common, especially along the lower Kio (Irande and (probably) in Iiuliaii Territory and southern Missouri, though Colonel Goss reports them diminishing rapidly in Kansas. Farther west. Wild Turkeys are plentiful ; but the major portion of these are of the .Mexican form, which differs from the tyjje prin- cipally in having the up])er tail-coverts and the tips of tiie tail- feathers whitish instead of chestnut. t • I' TURKEYS AND I'llEASAMS. KN(;LISH I'HMXSANT. J'HASIAM'S ( ( )l.t-HICUS. Char. Male : plumage cxqiiisittly hciuitiful, l)iit too variegated t(i l)e minutely described in a short paragraph, 'i'he princijial colors are l)ro\\n of several shades, orange-red, yellow, and black ; and these are ilistribiited in handsome markings and pencillings. Head and neck steel blue, with metallic relleclions ni green and purple ; breast golden red, each leather i:i\i<,L<\ with velvet black ; tail-feathers very long, the two middle feathers sometimes measuring two feet, — yeliowisli brown, with narrow liars of bhick. Female : duller ; yellowish brown, with markings of darker brown and some black. Ixngth of male, inclutling tail-feathers, about 3 feet; of female about :: feet. A'lS/. In thicket or dense hedge, a slight hollow scratched out by female, partially lined with looselv arranged leaves and grass. Occa- sion,dly a deserted nest in a tree has been used. /ix,'>^'- ^-'4 (usually about 12, sometimes 16 or 20), olive brown, some- times bluish green ; 1.S5X 1.45. I Iiave called tliis tiic •' I'Jig;lish " I'lieasant to (listiii,i;uisli it from otiicr species that have been introduced into this country. In Knfrland it is known as •' IMieasant." or '* Coninion I'lieasant."' It i.s not indigenous to (Ircat Hritain, tlioiitili when it was intro- duced there is not known, some writers assertinjj; that it was carried by the Romans, while others consider the Norman Con- quest responsible for its introduction. The true lionie of the bird is tlie valleys of the Caucasus and tiio eastern siiores of the Cas- pian .Sea. but it has been introduced into almost everv countrv of Kurojie. In (Ireat Britain very few thorouy^h-bred specimens are to be found, most of the birds dis])laying a collar of wiiitc, — whicii proves their relationship to the Rinsj-necked Pheasants broui^ht from China. Other species, as well, have been introduced and suc- cessfnllv bred witli both true colihiciis and liybrids. Within a few years the present species has been introduced into this country by Mr. C. !>. Cory — wiio loosed several i)airs on ( Ireat Island, off the southern shore of Cape Cod — and by a club of sportsmen who have stocked Jekyl Island, on the (ieor<;ian coast. Both colonies have become naturalized and are increasins:;. Several other species have been inii)orted from China and Japan, and liberated in Oregon and British Columbia, where they are increasing rapidly. J ;atc(l to be arc l)rn\vii [lisiriliiited bliiL, with ich feather lie fcallars nv bars of rker l)ro\vn I 3 feet; of led out by iss. Occa- o\vn, some- sb it from iiiitry. In I'beasant." was intro- lat it was man Con- f tlic bird f tlic Cas- country of imens are :;, — wbicb s l)rou,!j;bt d and siic- duced into i)airs on 1)V a ilub (leortiian ncroasing. ind Japan. tbey are St -■'i it 1 ison-wiirrK. QUAIL. PAKTKinr.F.. ("olINTS VIKi-.IMANlS. CliAR. Above, rcddisli l)rown, mottled with gray, black, wliitc, and buff ; stripe over eves and patch on throat wiiile or buffy wliite, dark- est in females : lower jiarts buffv white with brown and black markings. Lengtli about lo inches. Xis/. In pasture or field, liid amid thick growlh or under a bush or tuft of long grass ; inadi' of grass, weerls, and leaves loosely arranged. /•y;'.r. S-20 (usuallv I 5 to tS, aud a set of JS has been recorded): white; i..:o X 1. 00. 'Ihe I'aftridije of .\mcrira, oxcoedingly i)r()lific, has extended its colonies from the inclement coasts of W'w i;n£j;land and the western plains of Missouri to the niihl latitudes of Mexico and Honduras. In Jamaica, where it has long been introduced and naturalized, the inhabitants distingtiish it as the Partridi^r. — an appellation sufficiently prevalent in variotis parts of the United States. At the north, these birils are rarely seen to the % 24 (IRUUSi: lAMll.N. cxtrcniity of New Hampshire, and ilii» limit, no doubt, is ditci- miiiLii by the k-ngth and severity of the winters wliich prevail in this rigorous ( hmate. Tliey seldom migrate, except to short distances in (|uesl of food, and (c)nse(|Uenlly oftin perinh beneath deej) drifu of snow, so that their exisleiK e i> rendered impo^^^^ible in tiie Arctic winters of our high latitudes. Indeed, sometimes they ha\e bei-n so thinned in this part of the coun- try that sporl.-rnen ac(|uainled with their local attachments liavi' been known to introdu( e tiu'm into places for brnding and to pre\enl tlu'ir ihreateiieil extermination. So sedentary are thi' habits of this mteresting l)ird that until tiie llock is wholly r(juted by the unfeeling huntei they continue faithfully attached to the neighborhood of the s\m{ where they have been raised and supported. John^ton, W'illoughby, and Ray distinguished the Mexican bird by the ([uaint title of the "(^)uairs Image." The first settler^ of New England aUo thought the\- saw in this familiar bird the (^)uail of the country they had relin(|uished. The two birds are, however, too different to recpiire any critical comparison. Our^ is even jusll)- considered b)' Muropean ornithologists as the ty])e of a i)eculiar .American geiuis, to which has been gi\en the name of Okivx by Stevens, — the original api)ellation of the (Juail, or J(7v//.\ ictiirnix, as kn(jwn to the ancient (Ireeks. The name of C'oi.is, contracted l)y liuflbn from the barbarous appellation of some Mexican spe- cies, has been adopted by C'uvier, Temniinck, and Vicillot. .\lthough there is some general resemblance between the Quail of the old and new continent in their external api)earance, their habits and instincts are exceedingly different. The true (^)uail is a noted bird of passage, with a favorable wind leaving luirope for the warmer parts of Asia at the a])])roach of winter ; and with an ausjiicious gale again returning in the spring, in such amazing numbers that some of the islands of the .Archi- pelago derived their name from their abundant visits. On the west coast of Naples, within the small space of four or five miles as many as a hundred thousand have been taken in a day by nets. Our Partridge, though occupying so wide an extent of the f i .A f i! i I Huij-wnni:. s (Kii'i- pri'vail t') short Iiidc'Ctl. le coiin- ( hincnts brt'idiii}^ ,froa( h linvards the enemy who thus alluri's him. ( )n these oicasions, when the rival candidates happen to meet, they exhibit, the only time in their lives, a (jiiarrelsome disposition, fighting with obstinacy, until the con- tenti'd victor at last gains the fiekl with his submissive mate. '1 he conjugal selection being now cc^nchided, they tire nut exceeded by any of the fiMthered race in their mutual attach- ment and ( ommon affection for tluir brood. In the vagrant (Juail. the want of reciproi ,il and durable attachment gives rise U) a wholly dilfrreiu character in instinctive morality, a com- mon (oncnbinage jjrevailing among them, as with our Cow 'i"roo])ials. Instead of the mild sociability so prevalent with our I'urtridge, they are pugnacious to a pnn-erb : ".As (luariel- sonie as Quails in a cage." was an ancient re])r()of to striving children, 'i'heir selfishness forbids all mutual alliance, and thev only find safety from each other in roaming s(jlitude. Partridges are not partial to the depths of the forest, though they sometimes seek the shelter of trees, and perch on the low branches or hide among-,! the brush and underwood. Their favorite food, however, commonly conducts them to the open fields, where they glean uj) various Vinds of gr.iin, and are i)articularly fond of rye and buckwheat, as well as Indian corn ; and when not too nuu h disturbed by the s])orts- man, will often, particularly in the autumn and winter, fearh'ssly assemble ahjng the most public roads, or around the barn and stable, in search of a scanty pittance among the domes- tic fowls ; like them, also, very industriously scratching up t 26 GROUSE FAMILY. r ' * ' straw, and probably the ground, in (juest of grain and insects which, with seeds and various kinds of buds and berries, as well as broken acorns, according to the season, often consti- tute a considerable part of their native diet. Remaining with us commonly the whole year, the little social band often suffer from the inclemency of the seasons. At this time they perch together on some rising ground beneath the shelter of brush or briers, and formmg a close circle, with their heads outward to discern any approach of danger, they thus ';;reatly aid each other by their mutual warmth to resist the chilling effects of frost. It is probable, however, they have no great fear of snow when together, as they may often be seen patiently encountering the storm, as its white wreaths invade them, and frecjuently on the arrival of a thaw, unfortunate coveys, suspecting no danger, are found buried beneath the inundating waste, huddled together in their accustomed man- ner. They are observed even, on the approach of dinger, to rush into the snow for shelter; and it is only when the drift becomes so consolidated by a frozen glazing of sleet as to resist all their efforts to move that it proves their grave, rather than their retreat. As they happen to afford a favorite and delicate article of food, every means which gun and trap can effect are ])ut in operation against the innocent race. Their very sociability often affords means for their destruction ; for while crowded together in a ring, a dozen or more have been killed at a shot ; and the small remains of the unfortunate covey, feeling their weakness and solitude, are said to join some neighboring brood, for whom they soon form the same friendly atta; hnient they had for the fraternity they have lost. From the latter end of August to the month of Marc h. the markets of all our principal cities are often stocked with this favorite game. Some time in the month of May the (^)uail, at the bottom of a sheltering tuft of grass, scratches out a cavity for her nest, which is usually lined substantially with such withered leaves and dry grass as hajipen to be convenient. 'Ihough generally M BOB-WHITE. 27 I, the ilh this ttom of ■r nest, loaves ■nerally open, it is sometimes partially covered by art and accident ; but no studious concealment is ever practised by this artless bird. The eggs are from 15 to 20; and imlike the spotted charge of the true (^uail, are white, and rather suddenly nar- rowed at the smaller end. 'I'he periotl of incubation is about four weeks. They have generally two broods in a season, as young birds scarcely fledged may be observed here as late as the beginning of October. When this happens, it is not uncommon to find both coveys still associating with their ))ar- ents. I, ike most other (lallinaceous birds, the young run about as soon as they are freed from the shell, and gain the com])lete use of their wings in about a fortnight from hatching. They are now attentively conducted by the mother, and occasionally by either i)arent, in ([uest of their appropriate food, and called together in a voice resembling the low twittering of chit kens. .-\t times they shelter beneath the wings of the mother: but if the little busy flock are startled by danger, artifice rather thaw courage is the instinctive means of safety em])loyed by all the party. The parents flutter in the path in real as well as simulated distress : and the young, instantly aware of their criti- cal situati( ', make no useless attempts to fly, but vanish singly, and closelv niiling among the withered grass, which thev almost resemble in color, are thus fortun'ately rendered nearly alto- gether invisible. The alarm at length dissipated, the tender, cautious call of the parents again reassembles the little grateful family. 'I'he eggs of the (^)uail have been often hatchcfl bv the domestic hen ; but the vagrant disposition of the diu'iuutive brood, the difficulty of jirocuring their proper food, and the superior attention they require over chickens, prevent the possi- bility of their domestication : and even when they have survived the winter in this state, thr return of spring leads them to wantler off in compliance with th.it powerful instinct which inspires them to a mutual separation. So familiar are these little birds that occasionally, as de- scribed by Wilson, they have been known to lay thi ir eggs in the nest of the dom^^stic hen, when situated at any considerable a,-Ta.>.f>*>>p^t^>T»f^.WT<-*,g».y^ff 28 GROUSi: I'AMILV. distance from the habitation. From two eggs thus deposited were raised a pair of young (Quails whieii, when abandoned by tile lien, showed their social attachment by accompanying the cows. These they followed night and morning from the pas- ture, and when the cattle were housed for the winter our little i'artridges took up their luunble abode in the stable, iiut even these, so docile, and separated from all their race, on the return of spring obeyed the instinct of nature, and wandered away to their tiongenial woods ami thickets. It is probable at times, as asserted by observers, that our (Quails, like some other birds, lay their eggs in the nests of each other, — a fact which would only be in accordance with their usual friendship and mutual fimiliarity. The American (^uail, according to \\'ils(jn, has likewise, in turn, been employed to hatch the eggs of tlie domestic hen, which she brought out, definded, and i'cd as her own off.p'ing. She even succeeded in imparting to them a portion of her own instinct to such a degree that when alarmed they hid in the grass and ran timidly from sight like so many young Par- tridges, exiiibitingall the wildness of unreclaimed birds. .\ flock of these (Quails, however attentively fed, and confined, always exhibit a great degree of fear and shyness ; their attachments remaining tndy natural, they apjK'ar only to recogni/e tlic ( om- pany of each other. But a solitary mdividual becomes friendly and familiar to the hand that feeds it, and for want of more congenial riocaety forms a similar attachment to its kee])er. In the month of September, the little l)rood, now nearly full grown, assemble in famihes ; and at this period, as well as i;. the spring and early part of summer, the clear, whistling call (jf the male is often heard. This well-known note is very similar to the pronunciation of the words />(>/> i<et, )noiy lorf, continues uninterruptedly, at short intervals, for more than half an hour at a time. 1 )u I'ratz says these birds are known IJOIi-WIIITE. 29 to the aborigines by tlie name of lio-oux {lw-70cc), which is also imitative of the call they sometimes utter, as I have heard, early in the morning, from a partly domesticated covey. When assembled in a corner and about to take wing, the same low, rhieken-like twittering, as is employed by the mother towanls her more tender brood, is repeated; but when dispersed, by necessary occupation, or alarm, they are reassembled by a loud and oft-repeated call of anxious and social mquiry. This note, 'ho-ioce, is, however, so strongly instmctive as to be commonly uttered without occasion, by the male even in a cage, surrounde.l by his kindred brood'; so that this expression, at stated times, is only one of gen- eral sympathy and satisfacti,;n, like that of a singing bird utteretl when solitary and confined to a cage. In conseciuence of the shortness and concavi'ty of its wings in common with mo.t other birds of the same f.mily the Ameri- can (^uail usually makes a loud whining noise in its (bght which IS seldom long continued, always laborious, an.l generally so steady as to afford no .lifticult mark for the expert sports- man. According to the observations of .\udubon. the llight of our Partridge an.l Crouse, when not hurrie.l bv alarm is attended with very little more noise than that of other binls \\hatever may be the fict. when our little Partridges alight on the ground, they often run out to verv considerable distames when not directly Hushed, and c.ideavor to gain the shelter of briers and low bushes, or instinctively s.puat among the fallen lca\es 01 the woods, from which, with their brown livery it i. •I'fficult to distinguish them. No great destructi.Mi is' made among them while on the wing, as thev do not take a gencTil alarm on being ai)proached, but rise at intervals only by two or three at a time. Hoh-White has been so long and so persistentlv called bv this ck,K.,ne that even the exalted and pedantic .XnuTican Orni.hol- fi 1 T?^ ''" ^"^trained to approve n| i,, and has di^ni- mon nit ■■'■ ^■■^"^•■•""'. -»''•"- -'^' - the win.ls for one hHcf n omcnt the" • canon of pnonty." and adoptin.,- .Seeboinn-.s favorite anctomm tlurwwrum. The bird is also known as - (^uail " in I' **■ mn fif rmi numatm^m 30 GROUSE FAMILY, New England, and as "Partridge" tartlicr south. Bob-White is still a common bird in southern New England, though of some- what local distribution. It is rarely found nortli of Massachusetts, but a few scattered flocks are occasionally met with along the southern borders of the three northern .States. in Canada it occurs only in the southern peninsula of Ontario nortii to (iravenhurst, and though quite common near London and Hamilton, is reported "rare "about Toronto and Lucknow. ,. i! NoTK. — The Florida Boii-VViiitk {Colinus viri^inianus Jloti- danus) is a smaller race with darker colors and broader black mark- ings. It is found in the northern and middle regions of Florida. The Ci'iiAX Boii-WmT!: {C. 7iii\s;i)i/(Viiis ciihaiiensis) differs chiefly from the type in the markings of the plumage. It is restricted in the United States to the southwestern or tropical region of Florida. The iMr.ssiNA Qr.Mi. {Coturnix co/iiriiix) has been imported from Europe by hundreds during the last lifteen years and let loose in various jjarts of the country : but though a few young and old birds appeared in the neigIil)orhood for a year or two following their release, the effort to naturalize the species is considered a failure. In 187.S a nunil)er were released near St. Stephen, New Brunswick, and durinu tiie next three \ears I heard occasioiiallv of small bevies being seen near the Bay of Fundy sliore between St. Stephen and St. John, as well as in the Kenneliecasis valley as far east as Sussex; but either the climate or the food was unsuited to them. RUFFEl) r.ROl'SK. PHEASANT. PARTRIDC.n. BIRCH PARTRIDGE. l!()N.\s.\ r.Mi'.Ki.i.rs. Char. Upper parts mottled brown and gray, witli markini;s of black and (lull while ; head witli crest ; a " ruff" of lonii; black featiiers on sides (it neck; tail witli hroad suh-tcrniinal l)aiKl of black; under part.s pale tawiiv, throat unmarked, breast and l)cllv liarred with brown ; legs com l)letclv covered witi> feathers. Length 16 to iS inclus. A('.t7. .Amid a thicket or under cover of a bush, — iisuallv on border ol heavy timber; a mere cushion of leaves, j>rass, moss, etc /;V;'-.f. 6-20 (usually 10 or 12); color varies from pale cream to dark buff, often marked with faint spots of brown ; 1.60 X 1.15. RUFFi:i) GROUSK. M This brautifiil species of (irou^e, known by the name of Pluiisdiit in tiie Middle and Western States, and by that of J'iirfii(/i^i- in New ICngland, is found to inhabit the ronlinent from Hudson Bay and the parallel of 56° to (leorgia, but are most abundant in the Xcjrtiiern and Middle States, where they often prefer the most elevated and wooded districts ; and at the South tliey affect the m(juntainous ranges and valleys which border \\\)on or lie within the chains (jf the Alleghanies. They are also prevalent in the Western Slates as far as the line of the Territory of Mississii)pi ; and though not found on the great Western plains, they reappear in the forests of the Rocky Mountains and follow the (.'olumbia nearly to the i'acific. Although, ])roperly speaking, sedentary, yet at the approach of autumn, according to Audubon, they make, in common with the following species, partial migrations by single families in cjuest of a supply of food, and sometimes even cross the Ohio in the <-ourse of their ])ercgrinations. In the northern parts of New I'higland the\- ap[)ear also to be i)artially migratory at the approacii of winter, and leave the hills for lower and more sheltered situations. So prompt, indeed, at times are their movements that in November, iSji, in travelling nearlv to the extremity of New Hami)shire, not a single bird of the species was now to be seen, as they had no doubt migrated southward with the first threatening and untimely snow which hail fallen, being indeed so unusually abundant previously to that period as to sell in the market of IJoston as low as twelve and a half, cents ajjiece. Although elevated countries and rocky situations thickly overgrown with bushes and dense ever- greens by rivers and brooks are their chosen situations, yet at times they frequent the lowlands and more open pine-forests in the vicinity of our Northern tt)wns and cities, and are even occasionally content to seek a retreat far from their favorite hills in the depth of a Kentucky cane-brake or the barrens of New Jersey. They are somewhat abundant in the shrubby oak-barrens of Kentucky and Tennessee, in whi( Ii tht'ir food abounds. This consists commonly in the spring and fill of I 32 GROUSE I'AMILV 1^ k' the buds of trees, tlie catkins of the hnzel and alder, even fern-buds, acorns, and seeds of various kinds, among which I have met with the capsules, including the seeds of the com- mon small Canadian CMstus {J/c//tr////ie/////m). At times I have seen the crop almost entirely filled with the buds of the ap])le-tree, each connected with a portion of the twig, the wood of which appears to remain a good while undigested ; cin()uefoil and strawberry-leaves, buds of the Azaleas and of the broad-leaved Kalmia, with the favorite i)artridge-l)erries {(iaiilthcria pn)ciiiitl>iii>), ivy-berries (C'/ss//s luJcracea), and gravel pel)l)les are also some of the many articles which form the winter fare of our bird. In summer it seems often to prefer berries of various kinds, particularly dewberries, straw- berries, grapes, and whortleberries. In the month of April the Ruffed (Irouse begins to be recog- nized by his peculiar i/niiiiiiiiiii:;, heard soon after dawn and towards the close of evening. At length, as the season of pair- ing approaches, it is heard louder and more frecpient till a later hour of the day, and commences again towards the close of the afternoon. This sonorous, crepitating sound, strongly resembling a low peal of distant thunder, is produced by the male, who as a preliminary to the operation stands u]iright on a prostrate log, parading with erected tail and ruff and with droojiing wings in the manner of the 'i'urkey. After swelling out his feathers and strutting forth for a few moments, at a sudden impulse, like the motions of a crowing Cock, he draws down his elevated plumes, and stretching himself forward, loudly beats his sides with his wings with such an accelerating motion, after the first few strokes, as to cause the tremor described, which may be heard reverberating in a still morning to the distance of from a (piarter to that of half a mile. This curicas signal is re])eated at intervals of about six or eight minutes. The same sound is also heard in autumn as well as s|)ring, and given by the caged bird as well as the free, being, at times, merely an instinctive expression of hilarity and vigor. To this i)arading ground, regularly resorted to by the male for the season, if undisturbed, the female flies with alacrity; but. KUK1'L:D (IROUSE. 33 [s, at a draws brward, orating tremor iiorning This eight well as , being, I vigor, male for but. :)r as with other species of the genus, no lasting individual attach- ment is formed, and they live in a state of limited concubi- nage. 'I'he drumming parade of the male is likewise often the >ignal for a ([uarrel ; and when they hapi)en to meet ea( h other in the viy this system of indiscriminate extirpation they are now greatly thinned throughout the more populous parts of the Union, and sell in Philadelphia and New York from seventy- five cents to a dollar apiece. The common price of these birds (decidedly, as I think with Audubon, sui)erior in flavor to the Pinnated (Irouse) is in the market of Boston from 40 to 50 cents the pair, showing how much more abundant the species is in the rocky regions of New F^ngland than in any other part of America. Deleterious effects have sometimes occurred from eating this game, supposed to arise from their feeding on the buds of the broad-leaved Kalmia ; yet most persons eat them with safety at all seasons of the year, even when these kind of buds have been found almost filling the stomach. The systematists have recently separated the Ruffed Grouse dis- tributed over the Northern and Middle States from those found along the northern border of New England and in Canada, making the latter a sub-species and giving to it the name of Canadian RUFFICD Grouse (/?. timbcllus tori:;ata). The Canadian race is in general darker colored, and lacks a reddish tinge on tlie back; also the markings of the under parts are more conspicuous. •' Birch Partridges,'' as they are commonly called by the gunners of northern Maine and the Maritime Provinces, are still fairlv abundant, tliougli the markets have been generously supplied with them every year. i.^ ; sanif , while roosts, e now of the evenly- if these II flavor from 40 ant the 1 in any inetimes jm their ret most ;ar, even lling the rouse dis- )se found \, making ANAUIAN i lacks a iider parts e gunners still fairly iliod with PRAIRIE HEN. PRAIUIK ChJCKEN. I'lNNATKI) GROUSE. TVMPANUCHUS AMKRICANUS. Char. Above, brownish ochraceous, tinged with gray; back l)arred with black ; below, white, barred with dusky brown ; tliroat buftish ; head with slight crest; erectile tufts of 7 to 10 long stiff feather^ on sides of m- neck, and below these, patches of bare and elastic skin. Length about 18 inches. A'.-s/. On the open prairie amid tufts of long grass or at the foot of a bush ; a slight hollow scratched out and thinly lined with grass and feathers. /•w.f. 8-16 (usually about 12); dull buff or greenish yellow, some- times with a reddish tinge, and occasionally spotted slightly with brown ; 1.70 X 1.25. Choosing particular districts for residence, the Groz/sc, or Prairie Hen. is consecjuently by far less common than the pre- ceding species. Confined to dry, barren, and bushy tracts of small extent, these birds are in several places now wholly or nearly e.xterminated. Along the .Atlantic coast they are still met with on the Grouse plains of New Jersey, on the brushy plains of Long Island, in similar shrubby barrens in Westford, Connecticut, in the island of Martha's Vineyard on the south side of Massachusetts Bay, and formerly, as probably in many other tracts, according to the information which I have re- ceived from Lieut. -(iovernor W'inthrop, they were so common on the ancient bushy site of the city of Hoston that laboring people or servants stii)ulate(l with their em])loyers not to have the Heath Hen brought to table oftener than a few times in the I ' 3^3 CKOUSE FAMILY. ,IH; week. According to Wilson, they are also still met with among the scnib-oak and pine-hills of I'ocono, in iNorthani|)ton county, Pennsylvania, 'i'hey are also rather common through- out the barrens of Kentucky and on the prairies of Indiana, and as far south as Nashville in Tennessee, but I believe no- where more abundant than on the plains of Missouri, whence they continue to the Rocky Mountains. Dislike of moisture, as with the Turkey, but princii)ally the nature of their food, apjiears to influence them in the choice of their resort. The small acorns of the dwarf-oaks, and various kinds of '-ild fruits, as strawberries, whortleberries, and ])artridge-berries, with oc- casional insects abounding in these wooded thickets, appear to be the principal inducement to their residence ; from which they rarely wander at any season, unless compelled by a failure of their usual food, and so become, notwithstanding the almost inaccessible nature of the ground, a sure prey to the greedy and exterminating hunter. In the Western States, where they appear as an abundant species, they are at times observed to traverse the ])lains and even cross extensive rivers in (]uest of the means of subsistence. In winter they likewise feed on buds as well as mast, sometimes swallowing leaves, and occa- sionally the buds of the pine. At times, if convenient, they have been known to visit the buckwheat field for their fare, or even devour the leaves of clover. In wintry storms they seek shelter by perching in the evergreens ; but in spring and summer they often roost on the ground in company. They feed mostly in the morning and evening ; and when they can stir abroad without material molestation, they often visit arable lands in the vicinity of their retreats. In the inclemency of winter, like the Quail, they a])proach the barn, basking and perching on the fences, occasionally venturing to mix with the ]ioultry in their repast, and are then often taken in traps. The season for pairing is early in the spring, in March or April. At this time the behavior of the male becomes remark- able. Early in the morning he comes forth from his bushy roost and struts about with a curving neck, raising his ruff, ex- panding his tail like a fan, and seeming to mimic the ostenta- i 1 if 1 il * i L A ' I'KAIRIE 111:N. 37 iiong liana, e no- hcnce isture, food, The fruits, ith oc- a\)pear \ which failure ahiiost greedy •re they rved to (lucst of eed on d oica- nt. they Icir fare, ms they ing and They hey can It arable lency of ing and with the |\ps. larch or remark- is bushy ruff, ex- ostenta- ti(jn of the Turkey. He now seeks out or meets his rival, and several jjairs at a time, as soon as they become visible through the dusky dawn, are seen preparing for combat. Previously to this rencontre, tlie male, swelling out his tiiroat, utters wiiat is called a tootin\;, — a ventrilotjuial, humming call on liie female, three times repeated; ami though uttered in so low a key, it may yi't be heard three or four miles in a still morning. About the close of March m the i)lains of Missouri we heard tliis species of (Irouse tooting or humming in all directions, so that at a distance the sound might l)e taken almost for the grunting of tlie bison or the loud croak of the bull-frog. While utter- ing his vehement call, the male expands his neck-|)ouches to such a magnitude as almost to conceal his head, and blowing, utters a low druuuning bellow like the sound of ' k' -toin-hoo, ' k'-foiii-boo, once or twice rei)eated, after which is heard a sort of guttural scjueaking crow or koak, koak, koak. In the inter- vals of feeding we sometimes hear the male also cackling, or as it were crowing like '/v ko ko ko, kooh kooh, \\ hile en- gaged in fighting with each other, the males are heard to utter a rapid, petulant cackle, something in sound like excessive laughter. The tooting is heard from beft)re daybreak till. eight or nine o'clock in the morning. As they freipiently as- semble at these scratchiii\::;-phxct's, as they are called, ambus- cades of bushes are formed round them, and many are shot from these coverts. The female carefully conceals her nest in some grassy tus- sock on the ground, and is but seldom discovered. The eggs are from ten to twelve, and of a i)lain brownish color. The young are protected and attended by the female only, who broods them under her wings in the manner of the common fowl, and leads them to places suitable for their food, some- times venturing with her tent'er charge to glean along the ])ublic paths. When thus surprised, the young dart into the neigh l)()ring bushes, and there skulk for safety, while the wily parent beguiles the spectator with her art fill pretences of Imieness. The affectionate jxirent and her brood thus keep together throughout the whole season. 13y the aid of a dog i I" "fj: 3« (JROUSIi lAMII.V tlu'y are easily htmted out, and are readily set, as they are not usually inclini-d to take wiui,'. In tiie prairies, however, they not unfre(iuently rise to tiie low boughs of trees, and tlun, staring about without much alarm, they become an easy pny to the marksman. The ordinary weight of a full-grown bird is about th pounds, and they now sell, when they are to be had, in N\ York and IJoston, from three to five dollars the ])air. They have been raised under the common hen, but [jrove so vagrant as to hold out no prospect of domestication. This spL'cics is common now only in the prairie region of Indi- ana and Illinois and westward : a low scattered (locks occur in isolated localities in Kentucky .uui southwestern Ontario, it is sui)i)ose(l that the IMiuiated (iiouse, wluch occurred in the Atlantic States in Xnttall's day. should be referred to the Heatii Hen. — a distinct race, a renuuuit of which is still found on .Mar- tha's Vineyard. HFATH HKN. TVMPANUC'III'S CUPIDO. Cmar. Similar to the Prairie FIcn. 1)iit icdrlish hiown above, and l)i'iir:Uli nistv wtiitc, Imrred witli dark reddish hrnun ; neck tufts comjxjsed of four or five acutely lancc-pointcd feathers. .W.tA In woodJacul of scrul)-oak or pine ; a slight hollow, thinly lined with leaves and feathers. /•;;;■*. ^'-'*^; yellowish preen and unspotted ; 1.70X1.25. This interesting bird was discovered in 1885 by Mr. William Hrewster; or rather to be more e.\act, at that date the discovery was made that the birds of Martha's X'ineyard were distinct from the Western Prairie Hen. — distinct in coloration as well as in habits, — the one being a bird of the open ])rairie, the other haunt- ing groves of scriil)-o;ik or low pines, and feeding largely on acorns. Mr. Brewster tells us ("Auk," January, 18S5) that the bird is conunon on .Martha's X'ineyard. and is so well protected as not likely to become e.xtinct. SlIARI'-lAILKl) (iKOrSK. FKAIRIE ClllCKKN. l*i:r)i()c.Kii;s I'liAsi.wii.i.rs. Char. Above, l)liick and Ijrowii irregular stripes; wings and wing- coverts spotted witli wliite ; head witli siiglit crest, a nai Gkousi-: (/'. M,,/^. ur//us ca»rf>cstns). It differs from the type in displaying more of he gray shades, with tints of buff and drab, and less of the red t.nge in the upper parts. Also the dark tints are much paler in ca,upcstns, so that the white spots on the wings do not tand in districts ot I hnois and Wisconsin, and is reported by .Mr. Thomn- .son as abundant in Manitoba. ' -^ '"^""P gi-a} CANADA GROUSI::. SPOTTED GROU.SE. SI'RUCK PARTRIDGE. DeNDRACJAI'US CA\AiJi:.\SlS. Chak. Male: prevailing color black, varied al.„vc inL..ularlv with ,/avand tauny; ])cl,nv, spotted with white; a co.nl. of reddN o.l e JKikcd sk,„ over the eyes; tail with tenninal hand ot orange ,wn^ U.thced to the toes Female : prevailing color brown, v:^ied w blS and gray. Ixngth about 16 inches. ' "'ui uiacK .Wft. In deep forest, hidden by :: low hanging I,ranch ; a mere de- E™. ;;l,^:, r^; =:''-'—•«"»-"'' ^^-f »«- ..f^'ff' 'V'4 J'''^"^^']>' ^''^""^ 10); 8i""iul co.or varies from d.dl white o buff and reddish brown, marked irregularly with several slu d . reddish and orange brown and innber ; 1.70 y ,.,0. This dark species of (Jrouse inhabits the col.l regions of Hudson B:ty up to the 67th parallel, throughout th.e whole year, where it frequents the bushy plains, 'lb the south of tais country it appears to seek out the alpine eleyations 42 GROUSE FAMILY. being met within the White Motintains of New Hampshire anil throughout a great portion of the Northern Andes, towards the sources of the Missouri and Oregon. In winter it visits Canada, the interior of Maine, Michigan, sometimes the State of New York ; and it even breeds round Halifax in Nova Scotia, as well as in the State of Maine. In Canada it is known by the name of the Wood Partridge ; by others it is called the Cedar, or Spruce, Partridge. Sometimes the birds are sent in a frozen state from Nova Scotia and New Bruns- wick to Boston. The favorite resort of this species is in pine and spruce woods and cedar swamps, which they frequent in the winter for the purpose of feeding on the buds, oily seeds, and ever- green foliage, to which they also add juniper-berries. Their flesh, though palatable at all times, is considered best in sum- mer, when they feed much on berries, as the buds of the res- inous evergreens communicate an unpleasant flavor to the game. As usual, they nest on the ground with little art, in the slight shelter of fallen leaves and bushes, and are said by Audubon to lay 8 to 14 eggs of a deep fawn color, irregularly splashed with different tints of brown. They are readily ap- proached, and sometimes are said to be so unsuspicious as, like the Ptarmigan, to allow of being knocked down with a stick ; and round Hudson Bay are commonly caught by the aborigines in a simple noose fastened to a stake. W^hen much disturbed, however, they betake themselves to trees, where they are readily approached and shot down. In the month of May, where they breed, in the State of Maine, the male struts before his mate, and beating his wings briskly against his body, produces a drumming noise, clearer than that of the Ruffed Crouse, which can be heard to a con- siilerable distance. The males leave their mates as soon as incubation has commenced, and do not join them again until late in autumn. The " Spruce Partridge," as the bird is called Dy the gunners " down East.' is a fairly common resident of the timber districts in northern New England and the Provinces; it occurs also in the VVILLUW I'TARMIGAX. 43 forest rc'jLjions of Quebec, Ontario, and Michigan, and Turner found it abundant in Xortbcrn Labrador. The retiring disposition of the bird has caused its habits to be little known, and the nest is generally so well concealed that few collectors have succeeded in procuring specimens of the eggs. Several pairs of these birds have been successfully domesticated by Mr. Watson Bishop, of Kenlville, Nova Scotia, and an article from his pen, publislied in the " Ornithologist and Oologist " for January, 1889, contains much that is new concerning their habits. The birds were easily tamed, and soon became so fearless as to hop on Mr. Bishop's knee and take food from his hand. When strutting before the hen, the male poses and puffs after the manner of a Cobbler. The feathers on his breast and collar are raised on end ; the combs over the eyes, which can be enlarged at will, almost meet above the crown ; and the erect and expanded tail is kept swaying from side to side with a silk like rustling. The females during the nesting season are very quarrelsome, so that only a few can be kept in one pen ; but this unfriendliness disap- pears after the broods scatter. The lien will occasionally cover the first egg with grass, but not often, tliough after several eggs have been deposited, she usually tlings behind her, with her claws, any leaves, grass, or similar ma- terial that may chance to lie near the nest. But she hl-vlt turns to arrange this covering; though when on the nest she will sometimes pick up witii her bill any straws that may be within reach, and tiiesc she tucks under her. The first egg 01 a Mutch has the least amount of marking, and the number of spots increases with each successive egg. The%ots are entirely on the surface, and are easily rubbed off.""* WILLOW PTARMKIAN. WHITE GROUSE. .Laooits lacopus. Char. Hill black ; legs and feet tliicklv feathered to the cl.nws. Win- ter plumage pure white ; tail-feather.-; black, tipped with wjiite, Male in summer: head and neck chestiuU; bodv oiange hinwn, iiKne tawnv on back and runii), barred with black; wings mostlv white. Female : simi- lar, but more heavily hai red with black. Length about 16 inches. A't'sf. A meic deinession, with a slight lining of leaves and grass,— sometimes a few feathers. .ffi.X'-f- 8-16 (usually about 10); buff or reddish brown, marked with darker brown ; r.So X 125. I'" T"^- 44 (IROLSE FA.MIIA. II '! White Grouse, or PMr/ii/.:;(tii. The Ptarmigan is one among the very few animated beings which, by choice and instinct, constantly reside in the coldest Arctic deserts, and in the lofty mountains of central Europe, where, as the snow begins to melt away, it seeks out its frozen bed by ascending to the limits of eternal ice. Like so many other animals of this inclement boreal region, this bird is com- mon to both the old and new continent. It is met with in Siberia, Kamtschatka, (Ireenland, most parts of northern Vax- rope, the Highlands of Scotland, and even as far s:nith as the romantic scenes of the lakes of Cumberland, a few being still seen in the lofty hills which surround the vale of Keswick, as well as in Wales. This species has scarcely been met with on the American continent, except on ^lelville Island and Churchill River. The Ptarmigan feeds on many sorts of berries, particularly the crow-berry (^Enipctriim nigrufii) and cow-berry {Vaici- niiim vitis ithcd), as well as the tops of the same plant ; it also collects catkins, buds, and the young shoots of the pine, heath, rosehips, and sometimes the different kinds of lichens, which it searches out in the extensive Inirrows it makes beneath the snow, 'i'o all this bill of frugal fare, it also sometimes adds a few insects. These birds search out their food chielly in the morning and evening, and in the middle of the day are observed sometimes to bask in the sun. Like the I'^sciuimaux of the human family, whose lot is cast in the same cokl and dreary region, they seek protection from tl'.e extreme severity of the climate by ilwelling in the snow ; it is here that they commonly roost and work out subterraneous paths. In ihe morning, as soon as they leave their fro/en dens, they fly out vigorously into the air in an upwanl direction, shaking the snow from their warm and white clothing. While thus feeding they socially call on one another at intervals in a loml tone, and sometimes utter a sort of cackling cry, almost like a coarse and mocking laugh. The nest, about the middle of June, is made in open places I- WILLOW I'J'VKMIGAX. 45 uliere moss abounds, or in the shelter of tl, . i i-hes, foxing ,he „„,, .o,,,,, ji";:;;;: 't^^Z'z sten e res ons 'Vht^ ntr... / naked .uid fro the .r • of H " '"'"" ?"' '"'^ ^^°^^"' -^'' -'--■,! irom ti e care of the.r parents, they and the olike them, they become gregarious at the setting in of winter, roaming after their food in flocks of as many as two hundred, living then and at most seasons on the tops, buds, and even seeds of the dwarf-willow, and hence called Willow Partridges. They also subsist on most kinds of north- ern berries, and many other kinds of buds and leaves, with the tops of the heath and the seeds of the birch. As food, this species is preferred to the smaller Ptarmigan. Nuttall followed Audubon in thus separating this species and recognizing as a distinct form the White Ptarmigan, — the ameri- M ' I I ROCK PTARMIGAN. 47 canus of Audubon, - but liaircl doubted its validity, and it Ikis been entirely omitted from recent works. I liave given above the two biograpi.ies as they appeared in Nuttall's booi<, for to-other they tell about all that is known of the present species. The Willow Ptarmigan ranges through boreal America from Labrador to Alaska, and in winter is quite abundant on the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. During some seasons a number have wandered sufficiently near to Quebec and Montreal to get into the markets. There are only two instances recorded of the occurrence of this bird south of the St. Lawrence, — one secured by Mr. C. B. Cory on the Magdelen Islands, and the second shot by Dr. C. Hart Merriam in Lewis County, northern New York. Note. — A variety of this species — Ali !iN's Ptakmigan (Z. lagopus alleni) was described by Dr. Stejneger in 1884. It differs from true hv^opus in having the wing-feathers mottled with black, and black shafts. This race is restricted to Newfoundland I % Jor ROCK PTARMKIAN. J.AGf)PUS RUI'KSTRLS. Char. Similar to the Willow I'tarmigan, but smaller (length about 14 mches), and m summer displays more black and less of the rufous tint Also distmguished by a line of black running through the eyes Nest. A mere depression, with a slight covering of grass and moss. Eg^^rs S-16 (usually lo) ; buflf or pale reddish brown, marked with darker brown; 1.70 X r.20. This species is nearly allied to the Common Ptarmigan, but 15 smaller, has more of the brownish yellow in its summer dress, broader bars of black, and none of the cinereous tint which prevails in the livery of the Ptarmigan. In winter it IS only distinguishable by its size. This species is, according to Hutchins, numerous at the two extremities of Hudson ]}ay, but does not appear at the middle settlements (York and Severn factories) except in very severe seasons, when the Willow Grouse are scarce. It abounds in Melville Island in the dreary latitude of 74 and 75 degrees in the short summers k 48 CiROUSE FAMILY. of that frigid and chcerlL'ss region. It is also found on Mel- ville IVninsula and the Barren Grounds, and indeed seldom proceeds farther south in winter than the 63d parallel in the interior, but descends along the coasts of Hudson Hay to lati- tude 5.S ilegrees, and in severe seasons still farther to the south. It is met with in the range of the Rocky Mountains as far to the south as the latitude of 55 degrees. In its habits and moile of living it resembles the Willow (irouse, but does not retire so far into the woody country in winter. It fre- quents the ojjcn woods on the borders of lakes at the same season, particularly in the 65th parallel, though the bulk of the species remains on the skirts of the Barren Grounds. It hatches in June. Tlie usual habitat of this species is the barren ground region of the ^\retics, though one example was shot on Anticosti by .Mr. William Brewster. NoTi:. — In Kkinhardt's Ptakmigan (/,. rupcstris reinltardti) the male in summer plumage is more mottled, al)ove, than true nipcslris, aiul tlie female is black, aI)ove, varied with grayish buff. This race is found in (jreenland and on the western shore of Cumberland Bay and the northern extremity of Labrador. WELCH'S PTARMIGAN. LacOI'US WKI.CHl. Chak. In winter similar to rti/^cstris. Male in summer: above, dark brownish giav blended with whitish gray and reddi>h gray ; head and neck lighter ; wings white ; breast and sides like back ; throat, belly, and legs white; tail duskv grav; bill and claws black. Female: similar, but of lighter color, and tlie back and breast tinged with yellow. Length about 15 inches. Xc'st and ExX-'''- Unknown, but probably similar to rupcstris. This species, which is closely related to the Rock Ptarmigan, is restricted to Newfoundland, where it ranges over the rocky hills and barrens of the interior. It was first described l)y Brewster, in 1S85, from .specimens taken by George O. Welch, of Lynn. SANDKRI.IXC;. RUDDV I'l.OVF.K. I5KACII-BIRD. ("ami IRIS arf:\aria. t'HAR. Xo hind toe; bill soincwliat similar to n Plovrr. In ^nmmer : above, mottled rnfons and blacki>h Ijrown, most of the feathers ti]')]Kd with grayish white; head and neck pale chestnut spnttcrl with brown; wing-coverts tip]icd with white; outer tail-feathers white: lower ]iarts white. In winter the rufous tints are replaced by jiearl gray, and the spring ]>luniage displays a mixture of the two. In yonnt; birds the head, neck, and back arc tinged with buff. Length about S inches. A't'sL Under a bush ar amid a tuft of weeds; a depression lined with dry grass. F.^^,i;s. 2-4; greenish buff or browni.sh olive, spotted chiellv around the larger end with brown ; 1.40 X 0.95. Tlie Sanderlings, in accumulating flocks, arrive on the shores of Massachusetts from their remote northern breeding-jilaces towards the close of August. They are seen also about the same time on the coast of New Jersey and still farther to the South, where they remain tliroughout the greater i)art of the winter, gleaning their subsistence exclusively along the immediate borders of the ocean, and are partictilarly attached to sandy flats and low, sterile, solitary coasts divested of vege- VOL. I. — 4 50 WADING BIRDS. tation and j)C'rpc'tually bleached by the arrcss of tides and storms ; in such situations they are often seen in numerous flocks runninjf along the strand, busily employed in front (,f the moving waves, gleaning with agility the shrimps, minute shell-fish, marine insects, and small moluscous animals which ever-recurring accident throws in their way. The numerous flocks keep a low circling course along the strand, at times uttering a slender and rather plaintive whistle nearly like that of the smaller Sandpipers. (Jn alighting, the little active troop, waiting the opportunity, scatter themselves about in the rear of the retiring surge. The succeeding wave then again urges the busy gleaners before it, when they appear like a little pigmy army passing through their military evolutions ; and at this time the wily sportsman, seizing his oj^iportunity, spreads destruction among their timid ranks; and so little are they aware of the nature of the attack that after making a few aerial meanders the survivors pursue their busy avocations with as little apparent concern as at the first. The breeding-place of the Sanderlings, in common with many other wading and aquatic birds, is in the remote and desolate regions of the North, since they appear to be obliged to quit those countries in America a little after the middle of August. .According to Mr. Hutchins, they breed on the coast of Hudson P>ay as low as the 55th i)arallel ; and he remarks that they construct, in the marshes, a rude nest of grass, laying four dusky eggs, spotted with black, on which thev begin to sit about the middle of June. IHemming supposes that those seen in (Ireat Britain breed no farther off than in the bleak Highlands of Scotland, and Mr. Simmonds observed them at the Mull of Cantyre as late as the second of June. They are found in the course of the season throughout the whole Arctic circle, extending their migrations also into moderate climates in the winter. They do not, however, in F''urope proceed as far south as the capital of Italy, as we learn from the careful and assiduous observa- tions of the Prince of Musignano. .According to Latham the Sanderling is known to be an inhabitant even of the remote SAXDEKMXG. coast of Australia, and in Siberia. In the muiuii of .\| 51 i-^ loun,! on the shores of I.akc IJa.kal recovered from the nuMilt of nortii, but are seldom in '}■, or as soon as tiie\- h, ^i"i'% tiiey leave us fo when, with their brooils, th good order for the table until ive r tht fat ', tney arrive remarkably p|, autumn. ^U, and are then justly e teemed . i 7 l""""'' ^"^'' Arctic ,csia,„, .,„, „,„,; ,° ^''^ ^ '','""'"' " H'^f" "' "'«" Onli and ,.„,„go„ia : a„,l i„ .l.ci;^r„-r;;,.;;;;'^; «""'«, '" walcHvays of ,1,. in.c.rior as well as iIk- a!"^.Z: ' "'" animal life. ' ' ^''' '-'^'■"■'"^' ""'■t''^ni limit of Flemmino's opiiiion that somo of fU...„ i • i '-S not been confirmed V"Z^ ^^ J^^ r^^"' ''^ ^->^''-cl Islands the Sandcrlin-^ or. ■„•. n ^"•^'-■^^■'■v Kvcn on the Faroe been taken in Ic^!^ ""'''" "^ '"^ '"'^'"^"^^ ->'>= '-'t nests have fi-i into. t..^-em„;n:;;, "L^^^ -^x;tr ^^"^■" ^' 'r - a.vom,d.,,,i.a.i,Unve into the ;;..^;^ also the buds of plants. '"■^'^^"^"'°"^' ^"^^ '^as been known to e.U I :'■ 5a \VAI)IN(; niKDS. \\l ijlac;k-m:(Ki;i) srii;i'. HlMANlOI'IS .\ii:xi( \\t s. (llAU. I.c.ns liii.nht i)ink and cxrccclinglv liinj^; I)ill black, blender, ami !(iii_u;Lr than lliu licatl; crown, hack of nci k. l)ack, anil wings \)\.uk ; forclKail, patcli oscr tlic lycs, tliioal, and under i)arts wliilc Length aliont 1 5 iiuliis A'l^'f. < >n marshy ni.irgin of stream or pond; a sliglii depression in the turf, Mned with dry grass. Sometimes — if the gruunil is very wet — a high i)latfi)rm is built, of weed-stems and twigs. /'W,i\ 3-.J ; pale olivi' or greenisii bulf, spotted with bmwnisli black ; size exceedingly variable, average about 1.75 X 1.20. 'I'lic lila('k-iu'( kcd Stilt is comiiioii to many parts of South as will as .North AiiK-rica ; it is known at any rate to inhabit the coast of Cayenne, Jamaica, and Mexico. In the I'nited States it is seldom seen htit as a straggler as far to the nortli as the latitude of 41 '. .\b(jiit the 25th of April, according to U'ilson, the Stilts arrive on the coast of New Jersey in small llocks of twenty or thirty together. These again sub- divide into smaller ])arties, but they still remain gregarious through the breeding-season. Their favorite residence is in the higher and more inland parts of the greater salt-marshes, which are interspersed and broken up with shallow pools, not usually overflowed by the tides during summer. In these places they are often seen wading up to the breast in water, in (piest of the larvK, spawn, llies, and insects which constitute their food. In the vicinity of these bare plaices, among thick tufts of grass, small associations of six or eight pair take up their residence for the breeding-season. They arc. however, bnt sparingly dispersed over the marshes, selecting their fr spots, while in large intermediate tracts few or nonu .if seen. Ivirly in .May they begin to make their .s, ■,, are at first slightly formed of a mere layer of o, grass, 1 .st sufficient to keep the eggs from the moisture of the marsl : in the course of incubation, however, either to guard against the rise of the tides, or for some other purpose, the nest is in- i;i.ack-nl:cki:i) siii.i'. 53 of ist in I he |in- crt-ased in height with thi' ilry twin's of sail maiNli ^linil)>, root> of grass, si'a-\vi'c'(l, and any oiIkt coarse materials which may hi' conM'nii'nl, nntil llu' whole may now weigh two or three pnnnils. 'The eggs, fonr in ninnlHT. art.' of a dark yt'llowish (Iral). thickly marked with large blotches o[' l)r.)\vnish black. These nests are often ^liiuated within fifteen or twenty yards of each other, the res|ieclive jjroprietors living in nnitiiai friendship. While the females are sitting, their mates are I'ither wading in the adjoining ponds, or lra\ersing the marshes in tiie vicinity ; but (in the appnxich of any intrmler in tluir peace- able community, the whole troop assemble in the air, and llying steadily with their long k'gs extended behind them, keep up a continual yelping note of (■//(•/•, i//i/.-, click. Alighting on ilie marsh, they are often seen to droj) liieir wingr,, and standing with their legs half bent, and trembling, they seem to sustain their bodies 'vith difficulty. In this singular posture they will s(jmetimes remain for several minutes, uttering a (urring sound, and ([uivering their wings and long shanks as if in the act (jf laboricKisly bal.mcing themselves on the gnjimd. \ great deal of this motion is, however, probably in man(x;uvre, to draw the spectators' attention from their nests. Although so sedentary in the breeding-season, at times tliey extend their visits to the shores, wading about in the water and mud in quest of their food, which they scooj) up with great dexterity. On being wounded, while in the water, they sometimes attem])t to escape by diving, — at which, however, they are by no means ex])ert. In autumn their flesh is tender and well flavored. 'I'hey dejiart for the South early in Se])- tember, and proceed probal)ly to pass the winter in tropical America. The Stilt is a rare bird in this Kastorn fauiial province, excep- ting in Florida. It is occasionallv seen along tlie sandy beaches of MassacluisL'tts, and a few examples have been taken in .Maine and New Brunswick and in Michitran. AiMKRlC \x\ UVS IE R-CATC H KR. H.KAIATdPUS I'.M.I.IATL'S. Chau. T'ill red, long, stout, stiaij^ht, ;uul comiULsscd towards the jioint ; feet reel, no hind toe, outer and niiddje toes united by a nicmhiane as far as the middle joint. Head and neek black, changing to blackish brown on back and wings ; runip, wing-band, tail, and belly white. Length iS inches. A^:'.'/. Hn tlie border of a salt-marsh or upper edge of a sea-beach ; a mere depression scratched in the sand. /'-XX''-'- -~3 ! bluish wliite or pale buff marked witli several shades of brown ; 2.20 X 1.55. The Oyster-catcher is common to the north of both conti- nents, brf^cding in (Ireat IJritain, France, Norway, and along the borders of the Caspian : it is even seen as far south as Senegal in Africa, lint though common in New Jersey and the Southern States as far as the Bahamas, where these birds likewise pass the ])eriod of reproduction, they are but rarely seen to visit the coast of Massachusetts. In ICurojie they are said to retire somewhat inlanil at the approach of winter ; in the Tnited States they are seen at this season along the coasts which lie ^otuh of (\a]ie Hatteras, on the borders of AMERICAN OVSTER-CATCIIER. 55 the Atlantic. Th ey return to New Jersey by the close of April, and frequenting the sandv sea-beach are in - . . — .,^„^.., ,„^ now se sniall parties of two or three jnurs together. They are gene- rally w.1,1 ami ,liffH-„lt to approach, except in the breedin- season^ and at tunes mvy be seen walking erectlv and watch- fully along the shore, now and then probing the s'and m .p.est of marine worms, mollusca, aud minute shell-fish. Their larger prey is sometimes the .small burrowing crabs called fiddlers as well as mussels, solens, and oys/crs, their reputed prey in Rurope. '1 hey seldom, however, molest the larger shell- fish in the United States, preferring smaller and less precarious game. Catesby, at the same time, asserts that he found oysters in the stomach, and W'illoughby adds that thev some- times swallowed entire limpets. According to Iklon, the organ of digestion IS indeed spacious and muscular, and the flesh of the bird is black, hard, and rank flavored. Yet in the opinion of some, the young, when fat, are considered as agree- able food. The nests of the Oyster-catchers are said often to be ma.le in the herbage of the salt-marshes, but on the \t- lant.c coast these birds commonly drop their eggs in slight hollows scratched in the coarse sand and drift, ^in situations just sufficiently elevated above the reach of the summer tides Ihe eggs are laid from the first to the third week in May and from the ,5th to the .5th the young are hatched, and run about nunbly almost as soon as they escape from the shell. At irst they are covered with a ,Iown nearh" the color of the sand, but marked with a line of brownish blark on ihc' b irk rump, and ne, peep, often reiterated, as well at rest as while on the wing. While migrating, they keep together in lines like a mar- shalled troop, and however disturbed by the sportsman, they still continue to maintain their ranks. At a later jteriod the flock will often rise, descend, and wheel about with great regulanl\-, at the same time bringing the brilliant white (jf their wings into con^^picuous display. When woundetl, and at other times, according to ]5aillon, they betake themselves to the water, on which they re]Jose, and swim and dive with celerity, 'i'hey have sometimes also been brought up and tameil so as to associate familiarly with ducks and other poultr\-. This bin! is still rare in Xew England, though plentiful along the shores of the .Middle States. Two examples have been taken on the ISay of Fund v. .Mr. Walter Ho.vie. in tlie ''Ornithologist and Oolo^ist " for August. 1.SS7. gave an iiUercsting aecomU of a pair of tlu'se birds niovini; their eu;,i:;s when the nest was discovered. While .Mr. Ho.xie was watching the parents thev carried the eggs about one hundred yards from tln' old nest, and deposited them safely in a nest which \w .saw the birds prepare. NoTi:. — Tlie I'.uropean Ovsti:i<-(\i (.iii-.k {Ifccnmliipus osfni- fej^its) oceiu's occasionally in (Greenland. AMEkFCAX GOLDEX PLOVER 57 A.Ml'RiCAX GOLDEX PLOVER. COMMON PLOVER. U .Ms i r.,x,; p,,„vkk. PALE-BELLV i-kj:i:.\ i'i.over. CHAIUDKILS DO.MIXRUS. io»x-,- „.,„;,. „,„„;-„, i;;!;!;;.';;:;;,! '■;:*, ''■^'■'»i< ;" "- sixjttcd with dusky. -'"''"""'-' t''^' tlinwt and Ijixast islets S;!i;-rl^!!;,:;! tr ;,;:"'•"' ''-"'r ■'''"''•^ ^ ''-^ ^ The Common Hover i., a,-™rd,„« ,o ,l,e season of the ye-,r me > ,th n, almost e^■e^, ,.,„ of ,l,e worM, par.ie, ,, i/ ,' -uM.urope, from Kamtsel.uka ,o Cluna, as well . „ , i bonth .ea slands; and on the present cominetn ,Vo, , r, Amenca where i. bree.ls, to the l^alWan.i Islands: ti ,u *cn ,n the tn.erior at least as far as .Missottri. It br K ," I i^Jtice or Italy, where it „ also co.nmon. At siieh times i, selects the „i,,h and se.lnded ntonntains, sheltere.i l.v the he.:, wiiere, without much attenii.t ;it a nest thr r..nv,i . i „^ ^ r J > 1. u IH.ML, IIH Icma C (k'I)OSItS tZ^. r ^"'""■'"^■■^ «"■■ ^'^-S^ "< ^> I»'-""ve eolor, tnark Hitii blackish spots. JlT Plovers arrive on the coast of the Mitldle an.l X„rth- rn States ,n spnngand earlyantnmn. XeaM., Xantasket and ( elsea ieach they are seen on ,|„.ir return fro,,, their in.lem- em natal regions in the north l,v ,l,e dose of Aiitinst. and the young remain in the vicinitv till the middle of , vtoher o teer, accord,,,, to the state of the weather. Thev live pri,',,!- H y upon ,a,,,, insects, or the l.,,.v:e and worms thev' met ilh ,n the sahne marshes. an,l appear ve,v loud of grasshop. Pers. Ahont the time of their .leparture thev are. eady i, I e morn,ng, seen sometimes asscnbled by thousands ; but they all I 58 WADING 13IRDS. begin to disperse as the sun rises, and at length disappear high in the air for the season. 'I'hey usually associate, however, in small llocks and families, and when alarmed, while on the wing, or giving their (all to those who are feeding around them, they have a wild, shrill, and whistling note, and are at most vimes timid, watchful, and difficult to ajjproach. Though they con- tinue associated in numbers for common safety during the day, they disperse in the evening, and repose a[)art from each other. At day-l>reak, however, the feeling of solitude again returns, and the early sentinel no sooner gives the shrill and well-known ^^- -^ - This species is a common inhabitant of our sea-coast arriv |ng n. the ^riddle States Iron, its Southern hiberna 'e"; towards the close of April. It does not, houx-ver, procee of to the nortl, but resides and breeds in the L'nit d^;:' I^ the shores o New Jersey to Nova Scotia. Alon.ahe lo"; X -d sohtary borders of the sea, in sn.all scattering Hock ^ ^ PilMng Plovers are therefore seen throughout the summ 'r p- dly coursu^g over the strand, either in quest of their foc^d or to dude the search of the intruding spectator. After gh i " su.itly along for a little distance, they often stopfer a si n 2-^^' to u-at<.h any approach or pick np some inslct, o<:ca ^ attitude; when st.ll. the.r pale luery so nearly resembles the color of the sand that for the instant they are rendered near! invisible On approaching their nests, which are n.ere shallow hollows in the sand and gravel, they usuallv exhibit consider^ able emotion, running along with outspread wings and tail andnutteringasiflame,to attract attention from their e-.' and young. They will sometimes j.ractise th,s artifice ar^ considerable distance from their brood, and often follow the spectator for a mile or two, making their shrill, mournful monotonous call, frequently alighting and running, with a vieu' o deception, near any place which happens to be examined; and by these reiterated feints ami fears it becomes often nearly impossible to discover their breedingdiaunts. About m 6o WADING BIRDS. the 2otli of May, or later, as they proceei(-,^ and /<((•/>, kccb then falling off into a more feeble kcc- boo, with occasionally a call of kih. At times, in the same sad and wild accent with the vociferous Lapwing, we hear a cry of ktC-iL'ic, and even the same pai-ici'c', pci'-i'oo, and /di-i'oo. When in hurry and consternatitjn, the cry resembled '///, '//V, '//A ■//. Sometimes, in apparent artifice, for the defence of their tender brood, besides practising alarming gestures, they even M|ueak like young birds in distress. The food of this species is (|uite similar with that of the Semi-i)almated Ring Plover ; indeed, the birds are scarcely to be distinguished but by the i)aleness of the i)lumage in the present species, and the shortness of the web between the exterior toes. 'I'hey are usually fat, except in the breeding- season, and much esteemed as game. The Piping Plover is a common summer resident of Xcw Kng- land and the Maritime Provinces, though rare in some localities on the Bay of Pundy. Mr. C. B. Cory found it abundant on the Magdalen Islands. Mr. Tlioni])son thinks it a migrant near Toronto: but .Mr. .Saunders found it lircedimr at Point I'elee. on Lake laie. XoTic. — The Br.i.TEi) Pii'i.vc. Pi.()\-i;k (./-". iiuloda ci)\!nii- ihii/a) is a Western variety, restricted chiefly to the Missouri River region, though it has jjeen occasionally seen on tlie Atlantic coast. It differs from true uicloda in havini,r"the ])]ack patches on the sides of the chest more or less comi)leteIy coalesced " instead of separated. • The first syll.ible uttered with .n giittiual lisp. WILSON'S PLOVER. 6i WILSON'S i'lovi:r. -1'-' MALI] IS WII.SOXIA. n.;;;::" ,.^:;:^;:;;;-;'^:;ii;;;'^-'.- bro.„. .„,ed on U,e nape wi,„ "'ive ; I.ill black, Ion,. a„ i , 't / I! ", "" '"■'"^' '''^^'-''^ ' ''"' 'l-"l^ bill. "%iiLLkc(l I'lovcr by Its laroc black in tlie intcTior. ]l „„, ■■ „^, [.,' """ '"P"""' liiwIinK it Gir.iH,|-.s ■■ have hccn ca,lit«l ,o \Jw h„ I •\""^"™- A l.>v f.xan.pl.s o..;;.i., i.s.aa.,.a..i:.,t::,,;;;r;^T'„,;';'.',-',t'"''"^ '" flit.iiv,' .o and f,,; uirrk, V ™|' ' i '"T """"'''y "'"'"'• cries of alarm and dismu n , 1 f' ■■""' ™"li""'-' ''^'"'^ ''^^^^ "f which is'verv simlla,- HllJ'^^'^""" ""^ ^^^'^^"'"^ «" the sand. waves^theyconti.n;^,;r;;i.;r^^.^X;:^so^^ described them as of n'sorinhl. . '" ^Icar, soft (ones. Giraud Their food is small sholl f,.u . , ^'' '"'^^"^ solitary. mingle 6„e pa;,id', oj safd ' ™''''"' ""' """">• »"" "'-" '"O 62 WADING BIRDS. killi)ki:r. yluJiAi.rns vocii tra. CllAU. AI)ovc, grayish brown; band on forehead above and behind eyes white l)ordL'rcd with l)i;ici< ; two l)ands across ciiest Ijhick ; runij) and ha>c of tail rufous ; tail with subterniinai band of biaciv and tipped wilii wiiitc; patch of white on wing; under jiarts white. Length lo inches. A't'st. Un tlic edge of a sandy l)cach or margin of a niarsiiy meadow; a mere depression in the sand or turf, sometimes slightly lined with dry grass. J'-.K'k's, Usually 4; buff, sometimes drabish, marked with fine spots of dark brown ; 155 X i.io. 'I'hc well-known, restless, and noisy Killdecr is a coniinon inhabitant throughout the United States, in nearly all parts of whieh it is known to breed, wintering, however, generally to the south of Massachusetts, In the interior it also i)enetrates to the sources of the Mississipi)i, the remote i)lains of the Saskatchewan, and Vieillot met with it even in St. Domingo. On the return of spring it wanders from the coast, to which it had been confined in winter, and its reiterated and shrill cry is again heard as it passes through the air, or as it courses the shore of the river, or the low meadows in the vicinity of the sea. About the beginning of May it resorts to the fields or level pastures which ha])pen to be diversified with pools of water, and in such situations, or the barren sandy downs in the iminediate vicinity of the sea, it fixes upon a ])lace for its nest which is indeed a mere slight hollow lined with such straw and dry weeds as come most convenient. In one instance Wilson saw a nest of the Killdeer curiously ]xived and bordered with fragments of clam and oyster shells ; at other times no vestige of an artificial nest was visible. The eggs, usually four, large and ]")()inted at the smaller end, are of a yellowish cream color thickly marketl with blackish blotches. .At all times noisy and querulous to a proverb, in the breed- ing-season nothing can exceed the Killdeer's anxiety and alarm ; and the incessant cry of kiidccr, kildeer, or ie te de dit, and te dii, as they waft themselves about over head or descend KII.LDEER. ^, and ny around you, is almost deafening \t the. vn„ . car.. „,u ,1,. a,„.a™„.c ,.,•„..... „t . „!,'::',:„;';;;;;• ;,' fh.. Kr. 1- ,' ''^*'^^'''"<>P^'rsun can mm- approach I... IK-T hab.ts are i„ .„,„. degree no, ,„rnal : 1„„ ,|,ev ^ " M argely on gn.«h„ppe., crieke.s, carnhi. a,„, „ , ^k; ' winch fre(iiient grassy (iel,is by ,lay The llight of these binis is remarkablv vigoro,,, an.l ,he>- onret.mes proceed at a great height i„ th^- air Tl e , fond of wasiring themselves and wadin.^ in the , , 1 l they fre.,„e„t for inse. ts ; titeir gait is ,rfely erect tl.'k n' nke"',:.r":f rr "•" "-' -'-''' "'"--'-■ nesn, i,kc that of the J.apu.ng. is musky, and not .a-ncnllv estecnK.d; „. the M, however, uhen fi they are h n co^^Klered as well flavore.l. Towards autumn fi!milies Is^ ^ to the sea-shore, where their behavior now becomes m ' circumspect and silent. ^^^"iits moit At one time the Kiilclecr was not uncommon in New ].n..l-„ul :"Ss'nLh-rsat;fh::;:;^— »• -"— "• co„.n,„,.ed a paper „„ ,„e s„bjcct l^'^Z i'.r' "jl'.lr'.^s*' 9ih^[zr^jtni::'i:::™jzr,:'r-'-r no tl „„ tie eastern edge of the storn, and linallv to the I , f i 64 WADING lilKDS. II si:Mi-i'.\i.MA'rKi) im,()Vi:k. .Im.iai.his si:mii'.\i..\i.\i.\. Char Aliuvf, l)ri)\vnisli ;ish ; rorclicad wliitc, l)iii(lcrc'cl witli Mack; Icmil on l).icU of tiu' lie. id anil collar on the brcisl black; liill orange, tiiipcd with lilack l.cii>;lli alxnit 7 inches. A'lj/. < 'n the Mi.iigin of a siill-niai>h or a swanijiy inkl of the sea ; a sli,s;lit hollow jiartially lined with .ni.iss or woods. Av.s'*' -~4 (iisii.illv .|1, t;ieenish Inilf or olive dr.d), in.ukeil with sev- eral shades c 1 brown; >i/e v;iri.djle, .ivorage 1.30 X 0.95. This small species, so nearly related to the King I'lover of Knrope. arrives t'lHjin the South alcjng our sea-coasts and those of the Middle States towards tb.e close of Ai)ril, where it is seen feeding and busily collecting its insect fare initil the close of .\I;iy. 'I'hese birds then disa])pear on their way farther north to brt'cd. and in the siininier are even observed as far as the icy shores of (Ireenland. According to Richardson they aboinid in Arctic America during the summer, and breed in similar situaticjns with the (Itilden I'lover. ISfr, Ilutchins adds, its eggs, generally four, are dark colored and s])otted with black. The aborigines s;iy that on the ajiproach of stormy weather this species utters ;i chirping noise and daps its wings, as it intliienced by some instinctive excitement. 'I"he same, or a very simihir species, is also met with in the larger West India islands and in Wnv/.W according to the rude figtu'e and imi)erft'ct description of Piso. The early commencement of inclement weather in the cold regions selected for their breeding haunts induces the Ring Plovirs to migrate to the South as soon as their only brood have acquired strength for their indispensable journey. Mocks of the old and yoimg are thus seen in the vicinity of Roston by the close of the first week in August, and they have been observed on the shores of the Cumberland, in Tennessee, by the ninth of September. The Semi-palmated Ring Plover, though so well suited for an almost aquatic life, feeds on land as well as marine insects, collecting weavels and other kinds, and very assiduously cours- SE.MI-l'ALMATED I'LoVKK ing the stnind at I hiiiUc'i o\v UalLT, In cncTal, when not too I, tlu'y arc but little suspicious, and IML't rly approached by the k)U' may readily be whisitlin Icr, as well as detained sonu-ti K in nuitation (jC tluMr (|uailing lall. o nies by sions, and when llushed, tl in: I! Mi(j',t occa- !, and wild note, wry nmch y utter a reiterated, sharp, twitter- echoes of the breaki m unison with the cea ng surge and the lasi near which they almost perpetually iiing with great agility before the ret nn< )f tl com-se glidini seless le wa\es, and nni- 'I'heir llesh is coi autumn they are not Xcw \ork. nmonly (at and well ll iring or advancing water uncoi mnon in the markets of r„,st ivoretl, and in e.irly on and These pretty and iiiteresti L' lilted Stat Hi 'inis are abundant throughout the i)Ut tes (luniig lu.il, the spring and the aut s "'"' I'lH- auiumn migrations • excepting an ueeasioual pair that are h.uiul in Maine, none 1,.. I " 1 ,• , ' ""■ ""- 'I'lum 111 .Maine, none b ee, south of t e Canadian boundary. ,)r. Lo„i.s 15. ni.s,,o -ted numbers Ijree.hng on the Ahagdalen Islands, in .,S,S,S, and the birds are abundant .luring ,!,. smnmer on the coast of I ,1 ra- in winter they range into Soul], America, many goi,,.- as far ilor. as Ura/il aiu 'cru. vol.. II. - vm *>'-'^ . ii w RINGIOI) PLOVKR. ALcw r .Ills H lAi icu i..\ . Char. Alwve, rich brown ; forehead and stripe behind the eyes wliite; crown, chcclxs, and collar black, — tlic collar widt"^". on the breast; patch on wings white; central tail-tVathcrs brown, tijipcd with white; outer feathers mostly white ; beneath, white ; bill yellow, tipped with black. Length 7 '4 inches. .Vi-s/. A cavity among the jiebblcs of a sea-washed beach, sometimes slightly lined with weeds, — occ ionally the lining is of small stones about the size of jicas. /■■^X^. Usually 4; dull buff, marked with brownish black; 1.40 X 1. 00. This European bird, known to many of the old country gunners as the Rin,ia ti> Herinn's Straits. It is met witii tln-()ii,i;lH)ut the entire year in linuland, hieedinii as far soiilli as Kent and Sussex, and raiiLjes north to lat. bo' 45', and south (in winter) to the shores of Africa. Seehohm thinks that the l)ir(l found nesfini; in the Uritish Islands is a lari,Hr and lighter-eolored race, layini; a lander ei^y ; and he projio-ses to make it a sub-species and name it liiatiiula major. Like others of the family, tiie KinL;ed I'lover feeds on small thin- siielled eiustaceans, such as shrimps, etc., and sea-worms, as will as on insects, which it catches with much adrcjilness; and with its food it minifies small iiehhles and particles of sand to aid di;.;estion. The usual note of this bird is a melodious whistle; but the call- note is liarsh, while the cry of alarm, though noisy, is rather plain- tive. This last note has been written pcw-y-ct and ti>o-it. 'i'he male, however, uses a distinct call-note duriiisj; the niating-season. It is the same note as the usual call, but repeated so rapiiUy it iorms a trill, and it is also delivered in more li(|uid tones. This I'lover is de.scribed by Seebohm as a wild, wary bird when feeding in its winter-cpiarters, but cpiite the opposite when on its breeding-grounds in tlie Far \orth. It there becomes an unobtru- sive little creature, neither shy nor wary, and rarely displaying more than a shade of anxiety in its actions, — rumiingbut a little distance from an intruder, or living to an adjacent knoll to watcli his move- ments ; sometimes scpiatting close to the sand until almost under one's feet. It runs with great swiftness, pausing now ami then, and darting away again. Keeping close to the edge of the water, it follows the receding waves picking up what food may have been stranded, and hastening shoreward as the waves return. cs lit Noi'K. — A few examples of the Moi'niain I'r.oVKR {/Ej^id/itis inoiitaiui) have been taken in Florida. The usual habitat of this species is from the Great Plains westward. .■l.^^.--l" lUACK-r.KM.ll.I) im,()vi:r. DEETLL-IIF.AI). liUI.I.-HEAI). SWISS TLOVEK. ClIARADRirS S(^)r.\'l AKOI A. CiiAK. Sunniicr plumage . nhove, s])otte(l hlnck and wliitc or ashv , liencatli, black W'inur iiluma^c . above, >iiiitlcoil, lined with a few leaves and bits ol' gras-;. /','(,',;'■''■ 4. bullish olive or greenish drab thickly marked with brown- ish black ; J. 00 >, 1.40 The likick-bcllicd or large Whistling Field Plover is met with in most ]inrts of the northern hemisphere, and in America is known to breed Trom the open gronnds of Pennsylvania to the verv extremity of tlie Arctic regions. It is common arcjiind i r.LACK-llKLl.IKD I'l.OVKR. 69 Hudson liay. How far this bird extends ils niii,M\i lions to tiic soulhward is not satistactoril) ..x (.'named, ihoii.nh liiere is little doubt but that it ranges to the coiitlnes of Mi'xu o, and it has been seen in considerable number^ in I.ouiMiana ai;d the C'ar- olinis dtirinti the winter. .\(cordniLr to Wilkin ii generally arrives in the inland parts (jf l'enns\l\ani i in the lilier pcUl of April ; and less timid than the (ioldeu I'lover, it ofun >elei ts the plouLjhed field for the >ite of its nest, where the ordinary fare of earth-worms, larviXi, beetles, and wiiiLjed insects now aboumls. 'I'he nest, as in most of the birds of this class, is wry sh/all\- and ([uickly made of a few blades of stubble or withered Ljrass, in which are gein'rally de]io:^ited four et,',L;s, largo for the si/.e of the bird (being scarcely a line short of two inches in length), of a cream coUjr slightly inclining to oli\e, and s]jeckled nearly all over with small sjiots and blotciies of lightish brown, and others of a subdued tint, bordering on laxender purple; the s])e it flies high and circling in the ;iir. and is x^ olten noisy, parlic- ularlv in the breeiling-season, as to have acquired among many .1 .5 ;o WADING BIRDS. of the gunners along the coast the name of the IJlack-belHed Kilkleer. From a supposed similarity, jirobably in the note, it is remarkable that the inhabitants of the Faroe Islands de- nominate the Oyster-catcher kiehkr, and in Iceland the male is named tilldtir, and the female tilldra. Indeed, the conii)ass of voice in a great portion of this tribe of birds, more or less related to the Plovers, is remarkable for its similarity. The ]>etel-headed Plovers usually linger round the sea-coast in the Middle States till the commencement of November, when, the frosts l)eginning sensibly to diminish their ])r(js]>ect of sub- sistence, they instinctively move off towards the South. j)roceed- ing probably, at this time, under the shade of twihght, as moving flocks arc nowhere, as far as I can learn, seen by day. About the middle of September in the marshes of Chelsea (Mass.), contiguous to the beach, they sometimes assemble at day-break in flocks of more than a thousand individuals together, and soon after disperse themselves in com])anies to {q:zk\, on the shores, upon small shell- fish and marine insects. This crowding instinct takes place a short time previous to their general migration southward. Wilson originated tlie error tliat tliis species breeds in the mountains of Pennsylvania, and Audubon, Ricliarclson. Xuttall, and others have hcl])L'd to perpetuate it. Tliere is no good evidence obtainal)le that the l)ird iias nested south of the Hudson Bav dis- trict, but numerous observers have met witli it in summer on the Barren (Iround region and along the shores of the Aretic Ocean. It has been found in winter in the West Indies and Soutli .Amer- ica On iis spring migration it t^joes north hv various routes. — across tlie interior as well as r.lonij the const-line. — but on tlie Atlantic shores it is more abundant in autumn than in spring I did not meet witli any examples during;; spring on the I)a\ of Fundy or tlie New Brunswick sliores of the Ciulf of .St. Lawrence, but Mr. I'oardman hiforms me that the species occurs sparingly at the mouth of the .St. Croi.v River. Stearns reported it common in southern Labrador, but Turner did not lind it at L'nuava. Note. — Occasionally an example of the Latwixc; {Winellwi '(incllus) - a European species — visits Greenland. -••.v.>. 7^^^, >^ ,,/■, TURNSTONE. CHICKEN PLOVER. BKAX T BIRD. RED-LEGCED PEOVEK. Arf.naria INTERPRES. Char Head, neck, breast, and shoulders variegated black and white; back streaked chestnut and black; wings with hand of ,vhite; rump white; tail-coverts and most of tail feathers dark l)riiwn; beneath, wlnte. Legs and feet orange red; hind toe turning iimuud. \\\\\ black, si >ut. and acute. Length 9 inches. A'est L'uder shelter of bushes or among herbage near the sea-shore; a slight depression, lined with a few leaves and blades of grass or weed- stems. E!:>gs. 2-4 fu>nallv 4) ; greenish gray, si)otted and streaked with brown and bluish ash; i Cio < i.io. These singular niarinL' birds are not only common to the whole northern hemisphere, but extend tln'ir colonies even to Senegal and the Cape of dood Hojie, in the southern half of the globe. 'I'heir favorite breeding-resorts are, however, (on- fined to the inclement regions of the North, to which they are in no haste to return, hut linger ,i!ong the coast in the tem- perate climates for sevei;il months before they att.iin to the remote and desolate shores of their nativity. Their soutliern 72 WADING IJIRDS. y progress in America is in all probability continued as far as the tropics, since their race even extentls itself into the other hemi- sphere. Ijiiffon. in fiict, figures a specimen of the young bird from Cayenne. In New Jersey, according to Wilson, these birds arrive in the month of April, and there linger until June, very soon after which they are seen at their breeding-cjuarters on the shores of Hudson Bay and along the desolate strand of the Arctic Sea, where they have been met with by the northern navigators as far as the 75th ])araljel. They already begin to depart from these remote boreal regions in August, in which month, and even towards the close of July, 1 have seen young birds for sale in the market of Boston. They visit the shores of (Ircat Britain also about the same time, arriving thence probably from the Arctic shores of Siberia. Five or six weeks later they are observed to visit the borders of the Delaware, and proceed onward to the South as the weather increases in coldness. The most southern summer residence of these birds known, i." Mr. Flemming be correct, is the Scottish isles of Zet- land. I'hey are also said to inhabit the isles of the Baltic during summer. In a mere depression of the sand or gravel, along the sea-coast, they are said to drop their eggs, which are four in number, and according to Mr. Hutchins are of an olive green spotted with blackish brown. This bird is naturally of a wild anil solitary disi)osition, coursing along the shore by pairs or in small families which have been bred together. In the months of May and June, in New Jersey, they almost wholly feed n\xm th^ s])awn of the king-crab, or horse-foot {Monociilus polyphcmus, Li\.), which affords them wwA other animals an abundant and almost inex- haustible supi)ly- Tiie Turnstone, while flying, ot'ten utters a loud twittering note, and runs at times with its wings lowered, but is less swift in its movements than most of the Sandpipers, ami more j)atient and intent in obtaining its fare. Like the Wood- peckers, it is content to search over the same ]ilace for a con- siderable length of time ; the mechanism of its bill seems well I)r()vided for this jiurpc^e, and it is often seen in this way I! i \ v. WHOOPING CKAXE. 73 turning over stones and pebbles from side to side in .search of various marine worms antl insects. 'J'he young feed also upon shrimps and different kinds of small shell-fish, particu- larly minute nnissels which are occasionally cast up by the tides. According to C'atesby, this habit, of turning over stones in cpiest of insects is retained by the species even when subjected to domestication. The Turnstone is a common spring and autumn migrant throu-di- out this Eastern region, but near the Atlantic is found onlv on tlie sea-sliore. It makes its nest in the Arctic regions, from Hudson Bay northward, and during the winter ranges throughout S.xith America to the Straits of Magellan. The food of these lairds is the usual shore-bird diet: but they have been kn-.vn to thrive upon boiled rice and bread soaked in milk. I hey make interesting pets, as thev are gentle and confid- uig, and are readily reconciled to confinement. WHOOPINC; CR.WF.. GREAT WHITE CKAXE. CIkls a.mi:kilax.\. Ch.ar. General plumage white; outer wiug-fcathcrs. or primaries, black ; crown and cheeks nearly naked and colored orange red the spar..c ha,r-l,ke feather.s black; tail covered with long am' gr k^i Ms/. On a dry mound in a marsh or on margin of a swamp ; made of heavy marsh grass and placed on high platform of secL^es £^^s. 2-y, rough and coarse, bluish -.h sometimes fnged with brown; marked with pale brown; 3.80 X 2.60. 1 his stately Crane, the largest of all the feathered tribes in the Lnited States, like the rest of its family dwelling amidst marshes and dark and desolate swamps, according to the season is met with in almost everv j.art of North America from the islands of the West In, lies, to which it retires to i)ass the winter, to the utmost habita])le regions and fur countries of the North. A few of these birds hibernate in the warmer parts of the Union, an pecu- liar appellation. Other s])ecies of the genus posses^ also the same sonorous cry. When wounded they attack those who approach them with considerable vigor, so much so as to have been known to dart their sharp and dagger-like bill through the incautious hand held out for their capture. Indeed, according to Dr. Richardson, they have sometimes driven the fowler fairly out of the field. In the winter season, dispersed from their native haunts in fjuest of subsistence, they are often seen prowling in the low gromids and rice-fields of the Southern States in quest of insects, grain, and reptiles ; they swallow also mice, moles, rats, and frogs with great avidity, and may therefore be looked upon at least as very useful scavengers. They are also at times killed as game, their flesh being well flavored, as they do not subsist so much upon fish as many other birds of this family. It is with difficailty, however, that they can be approached or shot, as they are so remarkably shy and vigilant. They build their nests on the ground, after the manner of the common Crane of Europe, selecting a tussock of long grass in some secluded and solitary swamp, raising its sides to suit their convenience so as to sit u])>n it with extended legs. 'I'he I . '. WIIOUriNG CRANE, 75 eggs are two in number, as large as those of the swan, and of a bhiish-white color blotchcil with brown. Whooping Cranes-rise with difficulty from the ground, flying low for a time, and thus afford an easy mark for the sportsman. At other times they fly around in wide circles as if reconnoi- tring the surrounding country for fresh feeding ground ; occasionally they rise spirally into the air to a great height, mingling their screaming voices together, which are still so loud, when they are almost out of sigiil, as to resemble a ))aik of hounds m full cry. Marly in February \\'ilsi)n met with several of these Cranes in South Carolina ; at the same season and in the early part of the following month I heard their clamorous cries nearly every morning around the enswamped ponds (jf West Florida and throughout (leorgia, so that many individuals jirobably pass either the winter or the whole year in the southern es.tremity of the Union. It is impossible to describe the clamor of one of these roost- ing flocks, which they begin usually to utter about sunrise. Like the howling-monkeys, or pn-K hers, of South .America (as they are called), a single indivi7 On the niarshv !)ank of a river or pond; a hollow in tlie turf lined with dry grass. £i:X'i'- Usuailv 2 ; olive drab or ashy \cIlow or sea-green, marked with brown ; 3/)5 X -.,iO- For the distribution of this species, see t!ic account of the Sand- hill Crane. ! I ( I SANDHILL CRANE, -in SAM)HII,L CRAXE. liKOWX CKANK. CIrl's MKXKANA. ^ Char. Si.nila.- tc the Little llnnvn Cnuu.. hut larger. Length about AV.y and /:;-x Sunilar to the .mailer race. The cl-s hii X 2.45. 0° ^LT ; 4,00 Ihis species, scarcely inferior to the anwricana in magni- tude, visits all parts of the fur countries in summer up to'the shores of the Arctic Sea, and is indeed, a<:conlinK to the season, spread more or less throughout North America. lia\in.r been observe.! in Mexico, Louisiana, and Florida. It also probably breeds in the interior of the continent, as Major Long sau- it in the Illinois country on the 15th of July As early as the 7th of February Kalm observed flocks passing over New Jersey and Pennsylvania on their way either to the North or West; but as the Atlantic coast has become more settled and populous, these shy birds have, for the most part altered their route, and now proceed more within the wilder interior of the continent. Li ^ray they are seen about Hudson Lay; and like the Whooping Crane, which they resemble in manners, they nest on the ground, laying two eggs, of an oil green, irregularly and rather thickly spotted with yellowish brown and umber, the spots confluent and dark on the greater end. The flesh is accounted good food, resembling that\,f the Swan {Cys^nus biicciuator) in flavor. It is not surprising that the older writers should have treated canadcms and mcxicana as one species, for in appearance and in Seneral distribution tliey are very similar, though the larger of the two may ne termed a .Southern race, as it breeds south to Florida, vhde the .smaller race breeds north to the Arctic regions; but both forms are found on the Western plains. Along the valley of the Mi.ssi.ssippi these birds are very abun- dant; but excepting an occasional wanderer, thev are .seen to the eas ward of that river in Georgia and Florida only. One example of the Little Brown Crane was shot in Rhode Island durin-^ October, 1S89. (I 78 WADING BIRDS. I GREAT ni.lIE HERON iJLUK cram:. AkDKA IIKKODIAS. Til AR. General cnlor asliy l)lue, darker on tlie wings ; tlii.nlis and ctljic ot win;;.s tlitslnut ; cre>.t wliiu-, boidficil by blai.U, tioni wliicli ex- tiiid two lon)^, slciukr black leathers ; spots of diiskv and chestnut on front of the neck; iniilcr parts dusky, broadlv striped with white ; loni; and slender plumes of p. lie [learls i;ray hani; from the breast and fall gracefully over the wings (these plumes arc wanting in the autumn) ; bill longer than the iiead, stout, and acute, of yellow color ; legs and feet black. Length about 42 t(j 50 inches. A'est. Usually with a community situated in a sycamore or cypress swamp, or (at the North) in a grove of deciduous trees; '>laced on the upper branches of tall trees, — sometimes on bare rocks; Uiade ot" small dry twigs, and lined each year with fresh green twigs. KkX^- 3-5 (usually 4) ; greenish blue; 2.50 X 1.50. 'Hie (ireat Heron of America, nowhere numerous, may be considered as a constant inhabitant of the Atlantic States, from New York to East Elorida, in the storms of winter seeking out open springs, muddy marshes subjected to the overflow of tides, or the sheltered recesses of the cedar and cypress swamps contiguous to the sea-coast. As a rare or accidental visitor, it has been found even as fiir north as Hudson Ikiy, and com- monly passes the breeding-season in small mnnbers along the coasts of all the New I'Jigland States and the adjoining parts of iJritish America. Mr. Say also observed this species at Pembino, in the 49th parallel. Ancient natural heronries of this species occur in the deep maritime swamjjs of North and South Carolina : similar associations for breeding exist also in the lower i^arts of New Jersey. Its favorite and long-fre- quented resorts are usually dark and enswamped solitudes or boggy lakes, grown \\\t with tall cedars, and entangled with an under-growth of bushes and Kalmia laurels. These recesses defy the reclaiming hand of cultivation, and present the same gloomy and haggard landscape they did to the aborigines of the forest, who, if they existed, might still pursue through the tangled mazes of these dismal swamps the retreating bear and ( GREAT HLUE HERON. 79 timorous deer. From the l)osom of these rhoketl likes, and arisin.i,' out of tlie dark and i)il(hy bog, may b;- six-n largo (dumps of the tall cypress {Cupirssiis i/is/u/ni), like tlu' in- numerable connecting c(duums of the shady mangnno, for sixty or more feet rising without a branch and their spreading tops, blending together, form a canopy so dense as almost to exclude the light from beneath their branches. In the U)\)^ of the tallest of these tree the wary Herons, associated to the number of ten or fifteen pair, ccmstruct their nests, each one in the top of a single tree ; these are large, formeil of coarse sticks, and merely lined with smaller twigs. 'Ihe eggs, gene- rally four, are somewhat larger than those of the hen, of a light-greenish blue, and destitute of spots. 'I'he young are seen abroad about the middle (jf May, and become extremely fat ami full grown before they make any effective attempts to lly. They raise but a single brood; antl when dihturbed at their eyries, fly over the spot, sometimes honking almost like a goose, and at others uttering a loud, hollow, and guttural grunt. Fish is the principal food of the (Ireat Herons, and for this purpose, like an experienced angler, they often wait for that condition of the tide which best suits their exjierience and instinct. At such times they are seen slowly sailing out from their inland breeding-haunts during the most silent and cool period of the summer's day, selecting usually such shallow inlets as the ebbing tide leaves bare or accessible to their watchful and patient mode of prowling ; here, wading to the knees, they stand motionless amidst the timorous fry till S(jme victim coming within the compass of their wily range is as instantly seized by the powerful bill of the Heron as if it were the balanced poniard of the assassin or the unerring pounce of the Osprey. If large, the fish is beaten to death, and com- monly swallowed with the head descending, as if to avoid any obstacle arising from the reversion of the fins or any hard external processes. On land the Herons have also their fare, as they are no less successful anglers than mousers. and ren- der an important service to the farmer in the destruction they make among most of the reptiles antl meadow shrews. >.fis//(r7c>" (the former name for a Heron) was an old adage which arose when the diversion of Heron-hawking was in high fashion ; and it has since been corrupted into the ab- surd vulgar i)rovcrb, " not to know a hawk from a handsaw " 1 As the Rooks are very tenacious of their eyries, and piratical to all their feathered neighbors, it might be expected that they would at times prove bad and encroaching neighbors to the quiet Herons ; and I have been credibly informed by a friehd u GREAT IHX'E HERON. 8i that at Mr. Wilson's, at Dalhini 'I'owcr, near Milthorp in West- moreland, a battle took place betwixt the Rooks ami Herons for the possession of certain trees and old nests \vhi( h was continued for five days in succession, with varying success and loss of life on both sides, when, I believe, they at length came to the sage conclusion that their better^ had at times acceded to after an etpially fruitless contest ; namely, to leave things /'// statu quo antr helium. 'i"he Kurojjean Heron appears to give a preference to fresh- water fish, and for the purpose of taking its prey, gently wades into the water where they abound, and standmg on one leg up to the knee, with its head drawn in, reclined upon its breast, it quietly watches the approach of its prey. It has been re- marked by many that the fish generally swarm around the Herons, so as to afford an am])le supi)iy without muc h exer- tion ; and Bechstein remarks, after repeated observations, that the source of this attraction to the Heron is merely the excre- ment of the bird, whic*^ t' <■ fi^l\ according to exj)eriment, devour with avidity. Its tin. fishing, like that of our own si)ecies, is usually before or after sunset. Though there is no ground for believing that the Heron acquires a mac iient con- stitution by privation, it is certain that in I'.urope, from a scar- city of food, it becomes extremely lean. It is known fretiuently to feed by moonlight, at which time it becomes tolerably fat, being then unmolested ; and it is observed that the fish at this time come into the shoaler waters. The Great Blue Heron is not an abundant bird, but it is found more or less i Miimonly throughout this Eastern region uortli to about the 48th parallel. There are two heronries of this species within a few miles iA St. John, N. H., where one hundred to two hundred pairs l)ree(I aiuui- ally. They are in groves of white I)irch about a mile back from the river. I have found this bird also in the heart of the wilderness districts fishing in the smaller streams and along the margins of the rivers. Note. — A few examples of the IJi.rr. HrcuoN' (Ardca cinerca) — the "Common Heron" of Kuropean books — have been taken in .southern Greenland. vol,. 11. — 6 82 WADING BIRDS. BIS! WARD'S HERON. Ardea vvardi. Char. Similar to the Great Blue Heron, but larger and of paler tint ; under parts white, narrowly streaked with black ; plumes silvery gray; legs and feet olive. Length 48 to 54 inches. jVi'st. With a community in a swampy grove ; placed on a high branch of a tall mangrove; made of twigs and lined with fresh green twigs. ^Sg^- 3~4> bluish green; 2.65 X 1.85. This species was first described by Mr. Ridgway, from specimens taken by .Mr. Charles W. Ward in 1881. There has been considerable discussion concerning the status of these large Herons, some authorities expressing the opinion that both Ward's Heron and the Great White Heron are but geogra- phical races of the Great Blue Heron ; but the weight of opinion is in favor of considering the three as distinct species. Ward's Heron is said to be dichromatic, — having a dark and light phase of plumage; the light-colored birds being indistinguish- able from occidental is. In habits the present species does not differ from the Great Blue Heron ; but Ward's Heron has been found in Florida only. GREAT WHITE HERON. 1 11 \\-- florida heron. wurdeman's heron. Ardiia occidentams. Char. White f^hnse. Plumage white ; crest with two long narrow plumes, and plumes droop over the breast and wings also; bill yellow ; legs yellow and olive, feet brown. Blue f^liasc. Similar to Iwrodias, but larger and lighter in color, — the head and crest white, and the under parts with less black ; legs and feet yellowish olive. Length 45 to 54 inches. A't-st. With a community ; placed usually on a low branch of a man- grove, sometimes on a high branch ; a jjlatform of dry twigs. Eggs. 3-4 ; bluish green; size variable, average about 2.60 X r.85. This is doubtless the " (ireat White Crane" mentioned by Nuttall as found by Audubon in Florida. The description was not published until 1835, after Nuttall's work had been issued. In 1859 Spencer Baird described the blue-colored bird as a dis- GREAT WHITE HERDN. 83 tinct species, which he nameo //. wHrdcmanni ; and in the " Key," issued in 1872, Coues also gave 7t'«/v/47«tf//«/ specific rank. In the " History of North American IJirds," issued in 1884, for wiiich work liaird and Ridgway contributed the technical matter, wurdcmaiih ' was relegated to the synonymy of occidcntalis ; and to the opinion thus emphasized, that the blue color merely represents a dichroma- tic phase of the White Heron, Coues added the weight of his au- thority in the 1887 edition of the "Key." Ridgway, however, in his "Manual," also published in 1887, returned to Baird's first decision, and gave ixjurdeiuanni specific rank ; but the A. O. U. still retain it on their "hypothetical list," adding in a note that it is believed to be the colored phase of occidentalis or an abnormal specimen of uardi. This last suggestion has been made by sev- eral writers as a possible solution of the problem which tiiese birds offer, while others have contended that both blue and white specimens, as well as those referred to wardi, are but variations of the Great Blue Heron. I have treated the blue bird as a phase of the present species partly because this seemed the most conve- nient pigeon-hole in which to place the fact of its existence, but more especially because I think this is where it will finally rest. The difficulty in reaching a decisive solution of this problem lies chiefly in the fact that very little reliable evidence has been ob- tained. The birds are found only in an out-of-the-way corner of southwestern Florida and in Jamaica, and even in these localities are not common, — indeed, blue-colored specimens are quite rare. And the problem is likely to remain unsolved for many a year to come, if not forever; for the plume-hunters have discovered the haunts of the White Herons, and are gathering them in, — shooting the birds, cutting off their plumes, and throwing the carcases to the \'ultures, — in an effort to meet the demands of fashion. In habits the White Heron does not differ materially from its more common congeners. It is a little less inclined for companion- ship, and is somewhat fiercer. Examples of this species have been taken in Indiana and Illinois, but these were probably accidental wanderers. 84 WADING BIRDS. AMERICAN EGRET. Akuka K(;i AMERICAN' LGRET. 85 This K^n-et does not occur re-uhirly near the Athmtic coast north of New Jersey, but it is a rather common visitor to Ohio and a small number of the birds are seen everv vear in the southern portions of Ontario and Illinois. Strag-Iers are found occasionally in New I'.n.-land, and a few have been met with on the JJay of b undy and the (iulf of St. Lawrence. The food of this bird consists chiefly of small fish, fro-s. lizards and such; but it refuses nothin;,^ eatable that comes within its reach' and IS expert at catching mice and insects. Although shy when in a wild state, It is easily reconciled to captivitv, savs Dr. Brewer • and Its elegant plumage and graceful carriage combine to make it an attractive ornament to courtvard or garden. Unfortunately, and to man'.s or woman's, discredit, very few of he.se birds are now to be .seen, - they have been slaughtered for heir plumes. Mr. W. K. D. Scott, who is familiar with the heronries of Florida, tells us of one of these breeding-grounds, where "thousands" were nesting six years before, but he found It entirely deserted in 1HS7. He saw onlv two or three fright- ened birds; the "thousands" had been 'exterminated by "the plume-hunters. •' i!!» li ii SNOWY hi: RON. LITTLE WHITE ECRET. SMALI WHITE HERON. ArI )F'..\ C.WniDISSI.MA. Thar. Plumac;e jMirc \vliitc ; crest long, with ininierous elongated hair-like plumes extciuiing (hnvii the back of the neck ; jihimes on the breast and back loni; and hair-like, those of the back reaching to the end of the tail or beyond, and recurved at the tips. (These jilumcs are worn only during the nesting season, and arc not seen on young birds ) liill black, yellow at the base ; legs black, feet yellow. I.engtii 20 to 27 inches. Ars/. With a cotnmunitv ; placed usually on a low cedar or willow, — a mere jilatforni of div twigs. ^^^(.'.f. 2-5 (nsu.illv 4) ; greenish blue : 1.85 X 1.25. This elegant Heron, so nearly related to the little Egret of Europe, inhabits the marshes and swamps of the sea-coast nearly from the isthmus of Darien to the estuary of the St. Lawrence, generally omitting, however, the maritime range of : I \\ SXOWV HERON. 87 I ! the central parts of New Mnglantl. It arrives in the I'nited States from the Ssxith early in April, ami passing inland, at length i)rocee(ls up the valley of the Mississi|)pi, antl even ascends t'ae borders of the Arkansas, thus jiursuing an extensive inland route to the final destination in the wilds of Canada. It departs from the Middle States, towards its hibernal desti- nation in the South, in the course of the month of October. Like most of the summer visitors of this family, the Snowy Heron confines its residence to the salt-marshes, where its bril- liant whiteness renders it a conspicuous object at a distance. Its food, as usual, consists of small crabs, worms, snails, frogs, and lizards, to which fare it also adds at times the seeds of the pond- lilies and other acpiatic plants. About the middle of May nest- building commences ; and Wilson describes one of these heron- ries situated in a se(|uestered clump of red cedars, at Summer's IJeach, on the coast of Cape May. The s])ot chosen, with the usual sagacity of the tribe, was separated on the land side by a fresh-water pond, and sheltered from the view of the .Atlantic by ranges of sand-hills. The cedars, though low, were so densely crowded together as scarcely to jiermit a passage through them. Some of the trees contained three or four nests in each, constructed wholly of sticks. The eggs, about three in number, were of a pale greenish-blue color, and measured one inch and three quarters in length. On approaching the premises, the birds silently rose in great numbers ; anil alighting on the tops of the neighboring trees, they ai)peared to watch the result of the intruding visit in silent anxiety. Assembled with them were numbers of the Night Herons, and two or three of the purple-headed species. (Ireat (luantities of egg-shells lay scattered under the trees, occasioned by the de]>redati()ns of the Crows who were hovering in the vic'uity. ^^■herever the Snowy Herons hapi)en to wander through the marshes, or along the borders of the rivers and inlets, they regularly return in the evening to their favorite roost in the cedars of the beach. The yoimg, of both this and the ])rece(ling si)ecies, are generally fat, and esteemed by some as palatable food. 8S WAUING IHRDS. Tlic Snowy Heron occurs rcj^ularly, in summer, from the Gulf States to Lonj; Island. It is occasionally seen also alonu; the Atlantic coast as far as Nova Scotia, and in the interior has been taken in Ohio and Ontario. One writer has calleil tiiis species a scraper, or raker, because it uses its le^^s and claws to start Ironi their hidinj^-places the animals it desires to secure for food. In this movement it is said to sur- l)ass all other species in adroitness and rapidity, usini; the feet so rapidly as to cause the whole body to ([uiver. The scrapinj,' is done .sometimes in water .so deep that it reaches to the bird's belly. Our bird wears the most beautiful i)lumes of all the Herons, and in conse(|uence has been nearly exterminated by the plume-hunters. Instead of the tliou.sands that ^Mthered at their heronries a few years ago, only a few scattered birds can now be found. w RKDDISH Kdur/r. I'K.ALF.'.S KCKKT. .\ki)i..\ uri A. CiiAU. Colored /'/idst (kiieral pluni.ige grayisli bine, darker on the hack, ii.der helow; head and neck with long, narrow feathers, — longest on the hwck of the neck and the lower part of the breast, — of rich reut these white specimens have aiwavs been lom- paratively rare, in a tlock of thirty birds not more than four or live will wear white plumes, - and the plume-hunters may exterminate them i)efore any naturalist can have any i)pportuuily to make further study of liieir origin. Indeed, as 1 write, tlie remnant may be yielding their plumes to the insatiable crew, for the heronries of the South have been almost wijied out (lurinjf the last few years. Nuttall makes no mention of the Reddish Kyret, though he docs give a sliort note telling of the discovery of /t'rf/<7, — the white pii.ise Our bird is not well known even at this day, few oI)srrvers having met with it. It occurs regularly within the L'nited .States only in I'lorida and along the dulf loast, though examples occa- sionally wander up the .Mississippi valley as far as Illinois These birds are said to begin breeding in .March, and eggs have been taken through A])ril. The young are nearly naked when hatched, wearing nothing but a few patches of down : but it is a dis])uted point whether all the young are white, or a part of them are blue, .\udubon says that they are fed by regurgitation, grow fast, and soon become noisy. They leave the nest when about seven weeks old, fullv tledged and able to tlv. The favorite feeding-ground of the.se Egrets is a mud flat over which the outgoing tide leaves but about six to ten inch,s of water. In this they stand, and silently and motionless watch for their jney, or using their feet among the water-i)lants, drive the tish — their principal food — from under cover. If they miss the object at their first dart, they give chase; and though appearing so clumsy and awkward as to present a ridiculous figure while in pursuit of a scudding fish, are much more expert at this chasing than are any others of their kin. The red-and-blue specimens and the white always gather in one flock, and it has been remarked that tiiev quarrel with each other persistently, — white against white, as well as white against red : but neither white nor red birds have been observed to attack any otlicr species. The flight of this si)ecies is strong and graceful, and when two males combat in mid-air their evolutions are performed with rare skill. Like many other birds. - aye, like most birds, — this I-^gret is less shy during the breeding-season than at other times. Some observers deny them all credit for shyness, butadmit that they seem 90 WADING HIKUS. extrc'tnt'Iy fearless when mate and young (Icmand tlicir protection. Said Audubon, writing of the fearlessness of the Fferons during this period, •' As the strenjjlh of their attachment toward their mates or progeny increases through the process of time, as is the case with the better part of our own s|)ecies. lovers and parents perform acts of lieroism which individuals iiaving no such attach- ment to each other would never dare to contemplate" He was of the opinion that under the intiuence of affection the thoui^hts of birds change ; tliey become careless of themselves, and thus appear fearless and indifferent to danger. i\(» one can study birds in the tield without becoming convinced that these creatures have tlioughts, and that they are capable of heroic devotion. Few men will tight more valiantly for home and young than will many of these timid and gentle birds. yell()\v-(:r()wn1':d night hi:ron. N\ t'lia )RAX VK )1,ACKUS. Char. General ])luni.if;c ashy blue, darker on wings and tail, i)aler bcniatli ; fcati»crs of upper parts with medial stripe of black ; dorsal plmiK's narrow and extremely long, reaching beyond the tail ; crown, patch on side of head, and long narrow plumes creamy yellow; bill stout and black, sometimes tinged in patches with greenish yellow; legs yellow- ish green. Voung grayish brown, feathers of upper parts with medial stripe of pale buff. Length 22 to 28 inches. Xest. In a conununity usually near a stream ; placed on a lower branch of a tree, — a mere iilalform of dry twigs. J'\KK^- 3-6 (usually 4) ; pale and dull blue, slightly tinged with green; 2.00 X 1.45. This species has been frequently named the White-crowned Night Heron by authors because the yellow color of the head and plumes fades very soon after death, and finally the feathers be- come entirely white. It is found in the warmer portions of this Eastern I'rovince, breeding in the Carolinas and the Ohio valley, and south to the Gulf States. It is found also in South America. Occasionallv examples are met with to the northward of the usual habitat, two having been captured in Massachusetts. In habits, as in appearance, this bird differs littl? from its North- ern congener, though it is less tamable and not so easily domesti- cated ; rebelling to the end against captivity, and yearning ever for a return to the freedom of a wild life. Sometimes these birds search for food during the daytime, but in general they are strictly nocturnal, and feed as well as migrate at night. Their diet consists chieHy of small reptiles and young birds. BLACK-CROWN KD NIC.HT HKRON. SQUAWK. QUA lURD. NyCIICOKAX N\C riCORAX N.KVIUS. Char. Top of heid and back greenish black ; foiehcad, sides of head, and throat white ; wings and sides of neck bluish gray ; no pinnies except- ing two long narrow wliite feathers at back of head ; lower parts white tinged with pale creamy yellow. Young: above, grayish brown ; beneath, dull white, streaked with brownish. Hody stout; bill thick and black; legs short and yellow. Length 2-', to 26 inches. A'est. Tn a community situated near the bank of a stream ; placed on an upper branch of a tall tree. — sometimes placed on the ground in a swamp ; a simple platform of dry twigs. Exgs. 4-6; pale green tinged with blue ; 2.00 X 150. The Great Night Heron of America extends its migrations probably to the northern and eastern extremities of the United i T 92 WADING BIRDS. P States, but is wholly unknown in the high boreal regions of the continent. In the winter it proceeds as tar south as the tropics, having been seen in the marshes (jf Cayenne, and their breeding stations are known to extend from New (Jrleans U) Massachusetts. It arrives in I'ennsylvania early in the month of April, and soon takes possession of its ancient nurseries, which are usually (in the Middle and Southerii States) the most solitary and deeply shaded part of a cetlar-swamj), or some inundated and almost inaccessible grove of swamp-oaks. In these places, or some contiguous part of the forest, near a pond or stream, the timorous and watchful flock pass away the day until the commencement of twilight, when the calls of hunger and the coolness of evening arouse the dozing throng into life and activity. At this time, high in the air, the parent birds are seen sallying forth towards the neighboring marshes and strand of the sea in quest of food for themselves and their young ; as they thus proceed in a marshalled rank at intervals they utter a sort of recognition call, like the guttural sound of the syllable Vviv///, uttered in so hollow and sepulchral a tone as almost to resemble the retchings of a vomiting person. These venerable eyries of the Kwah liirds have been occupied from the remotest period of time by about eighty to a hundred pai's. \Vhen their ancient trees were levelled by the axe, they have been known to remove merely to some other quarter of the same swamp ; and it is only when they have been long teased and plundered that they are ever known to abandon their ancient stations. Their greatest natural enemy is the Crow ; and according to the relation of Wilson, one > a ich of a tree or bush ; made of twigs loosely laid. E,i:i:;s. 2-5; bluish green : si/c vari.ible, averaging about 1.75 X 1.30. LllTLE BLUE HERON. 95 The Blue Heron may be considereil almost a restricted native of the warmer climates of the United States, from whence it migrates at the approach of winter into the tropical parts of the continent, being found in Cayenne, Me.v" o, and the island of Jamaica. 'I'he muddy shores of the Mississippi from Natchez downward are its favorite resort. In the course of the spring, however, a few migrate to New Kngland, restricting their visits, like many other of the tender species, to the confines of the ocean and its adjoining marshes, where their proper food of reptiles, worms, and insect larvae abound. They also often visit the fresh-water bogs in the vicinity of their eyries, and move about actively, sometimes making a run at their \ncy. Like the Snowy Herons, with which they sometimes associate, they are also, when the occa- sion reijuircj, very silent, intent, and watchful. These noc- turnal anil indolent birds appear tacitly to associate and breed often in the same swamps, leading towards each other, no doubt, a very harmless and independent life. I'atient and timorous, though voracious in their appetites, their defence consists in seclusion, and with an appropriate instinct they seek out the wildest and most insulated retreats in nature. The undrainable morass grown up with a gigantic and gloomy forest, imjierviously filled with tangled shrubs and rank herb- age, abounding with disgusting reptiles, sheltering wild beasts, and denying a foot-hold to the hunter, are among the chosen resorts of the sagacious Herons, whose uncouth manners, harsh voice, rank flesh, and gluttonous appetite allow them to pass quietly through the world as objects at once contemptible and useless ; yet the part which they perform in the scale of existence, in the destruction they make amongst reptiles and insects, affords no inconsiderable benefit to man. A few of the Blue Herons, for common safety, breed among the Night Herons, the Snowy species, and the (Ireen Bittern, among the cedars (or Virginian junipers) on the sea-beach of Cape May. The Blue Egret nests regularly, though in small numbers, as far north as New Jersey anil Illinois. An occasional straggler has T ■■lilii 96 WADING BIRDS. S ?l been taken in New England, and in 18S4 one* was shot near Halifax, N. S. Some naturalists place this among the dichromatic species, while others consider that the white phase, so called, is seen only in young birds, — that all the young are white or pied. I LOUISIANA HKRON. ArUKA tricolor RUriL'OLLIS. Char. Above, ashy blue, darker on head and neck ; crest reddish purple, excei)tini; the long narrow plume-fcatliers, whicli are white; l)lumes of the breast mixed, maroon and blue; train of straiglit hair-like Illumes from the back extending beyond the tail, of light drab color, lighter towards the tips ; imder parts white. Length 24 to 27 inches. ^Vfs/. Usually in a community ; placed on a low tree or bush ; made of small twigs. £^X^. 2-6; blue with a slight tinge of green ; 1.75 X 1.35. This richly apparelled bird, .sometimes called the " Lady of the Waters," occurs in numbers in the Carolinas and southward to the (iulf, and is very abundant in Central America. An occasional straggler has been found as far north as New Jersey and Indiana, Those who are familiar with the bird's habits say that it is extremely sociable, and is usually found in company with other species, — the White Egret, Ulue Heron, Night Heron, etc. In its movements are combined rare grace and dignity. Even when hunting for prey it di.splays less impetuosity than any other of the group. The usual feeding-place is a sand-bar or shallow pond, and there it saunters with stately tread, or stands calmly waiting and watching. If a coveted leech or water-bug halts beyond reaching distance, the Heron stalks upon it in a crouched and cat-like atti- tude, and then strikes quick and straight. Tiie flight is rather irregular, but is swifter than that of any other Heron. If one of a flock is woimded, its companions hover about it with cries of sympathetic interest. 1 I li GKEEN HERON. 97 (iRKLN HKRON. Ardka virescens. ( iiAK. The smallest of the Heron family, excepting the Least Bittern. Toj) of head and crest dark metallic green ; rest of licad and neck rich chestnut, sometimes with a tint of nuiroon ; throat with aline of white with dark spots ; back dark ash, mor,' or less tinged with green; wings and tail dark green ; under i)arts brownish ash. Length 16 to 20 inches. A'(-sf. On the border of a swamp or near the margin of a stream, placed on a branch of tree or Inish ; mailc of small twigs loosely laid. ExX-''- 3-(^>- bright blue of a rather pale shade, strongly tinged with green ; 1.50 X 1.15- 'Ihe (Ireen l>ittern, known in many parts much better by a contemptible and disgusting name, is the most common and famiHar species of the genus in the L'nited States. Marly in A])ril, or as soon as the marshes are so far thawed as to afford these birds the means of subsistence, they arrive in Pennsyl- vania, and soon after are seen in New England, but are unknown in the remote and colder parts of Canada. Many winter in the swamps of the Southern States, though others retire in all probability to the warmer regions of the continent, as they arc observed at that season in the large islands of Hayti and Jamaica. In common with other species, whose habits are principally nocturnal, the (Irecn Hittern seeks out the gloomy retreat of the woody swamp, the undrainable bog, and the sedgy marsh. It is also a common hermit on the inundated, dark willow and alder shaded banks of sluggish streams and brushy ponds, where it not only often associates with the kindred Kwa Uirds and Great Herons, but frequently with the more petulant herd of chattering IMackbirds. When surprised or alarmed, it rises in a hurried manner, uttering a hollow guttural scream and a 'k'7C', 'k'7C', '^'Vi', but does not tly far, being very sedentary ; and soon alighting on some stumji or tree, looks romid with an outstretched neck, and balancing itself for further retreat, frequently jets its tail. It sometimes flies high, with neck reclining and legs extended, flapping its wings and proceed- voL. n. — 7 98 NVADjNc; BIRUS. M ^ ing with considerable expedition. It is also the least shy of all our si)ecies, as well as the must numerous and widely dis- persetl. being seen far inland, even on the banks of the Mis- souri, nearly to the River I'latte, and frecjuent near all the maritime marshes, and near ponds and streams in general. It is also [)articularly attracted by artificial pontls for fish, not refrain- ing even to visit gardens and domestic premises which any prospect of fare may offer. It is at the same time perhaps as much in (piest of the natural enemy of the fish, the frog, as of the legitimate tenants of the pond. These bold anil intrusive \'isits are commonly matle early in the uK^rning or towards twiligiit, and it not unfreiiuently, when pressed by hunger, or after ill-success, turns out to hunt its fare by day, as well as dusk ; and at such times collects various larvic, particularly those of the dragon-fiy, with grasshoppers and different kinds of insects. At otlier times it preys upon small fish, crabs, and frogs, for which it often lies patiently in wait till they reapi)ear from their hiding-places in the water or mud, and on being transfixed and caught, — an operation which is effected with great dexterity, — they are commonly beaten to death, if large, and afterwards swallowed at leisure. 'i"he Small Uittern in the Midille States usually begins to build alwit the T5th of A])ril, sometimes in solitary pairs, in dark anfl swampy woods, at other times in comjianies, and as already lemarked, by similarity of taste and habit frequently joins the heronries of the larger species as its sort of humble dependant and watchful defender of the general eyry. The young, as usual, slowly acquire the full use of their limbs, and remain patiently in the nest until able to fly. The ("ireon Heron is a common summer resident of New Eng- land, and though usually rather rare as far north as the MaritimH Provinces, is sometimes quite common there. It is common also in Ontario and abundant in Ohio, and occurs westward to the Mississipj)!. In winter the major portion of those birds retire to the West Indies and northern South America, though a few remain in the Gulf States. A.MFKICW lilTTLRX. (K 99 ami: RICA \ mrriiRx. .STAKE DKIVEK. HoTAlKlS I,I;MI(;iN()su.S. ra.iKT s,„«, „„„, l:;, of^j '::,'" 1'"' ,r'''!T' """ '"•"™ ^ >»" ^j,,..u,::;.;:::^i;nr;i:',;:,,;;:;; Ml ..>vl„ic,„ other parts ,t is ix-rn.an.ntlv rc-si,ic„.. I, i, - I ... rovH,. Sovorn Kiver, at H,„iH„„ |,av,al,o„t tin- Ik! , n...g of „„e, nesting i„ tl,o swam|,s amon^ the se.L .ree,ls also ,„ several parts of Massaclu.se.ts, yo t: Ui j '" »■ -:.....,■ of iloston al«„t the tniddle of s^nnTr ' n..r.n<. the day the Night Hen, as it is here called' remain, h.dden ,n the ree.l., an,l sedge, nn,l rarely comes o it tihth ai.proaeh of night. When disturhed i„ L ret eat m. r obtained by lying i„ „,, f„ the,,: a' IV^'sa h".::"' 'u:: cvenmg towanis the salt-n,arshes, in a particnl r ,• .n quest of foo.l. PartKular direction. In the breeding-season and thronghont a .rre.t n,r, r., Slimmer we often hear the l,„„l l, " ' " "' '''"-' -marshes of .ver,::;:j:irr::^;------^ Ml lOO WADING BIRDS. h 11 ^ii I M r times even during the day. Instead of the /v/w/, or hoomp, however of the true IJittern, the call is something like the uncouth syllables of 'piimp-aii-gah, but uttered in the same low, bellowing tone. The cry of the luiropean Bittern, so similar to that of our own species, is thus elegantly described by (loldsmith in his " Animated Nature." " Those who have walked in a summer's evening by the sedgy sides of unfre(]uented rivers must remember a variety of notes from different water-fowl, — the loud scream of the Wild (loose, the croaking of the Mallard, the whining of the ]-ai)wing, and the tremulous neighing of the Jack- snipe ; but of all these sounds there is none so dismally hol- low as the booming of the Bittern. It is impossible for words to give those who have not heard this evening call an adetpiate idea of its solemnity. It is like the interrupted bellowing of a bull, but hollower and louder, and is heard at a mile's dis- tance, as if issuing from some formidable being that rosideil at the bottom of the waters. This is the Bittern, whose wind- pipe is fitted to produce the sound for which it is remarkable ; the lower part of it, dividing iuto the lungs, being supplied with a thin loose membrane that can be filled with a large body of air and exploded at pleasure. These bellowings are chiefly heard from the beginning of spring to the end of autumn, and are the usual calls during the pairing season." The American bird, no less than the true Bittern, is con- sidered by many as excellent food. The Bittern is still a familiar bird throughout temperate North America, breecling from the Middle States nortlnvard ; but, like many another bird whose form is familiar, the Bittern's habits are known only to the few, and many erroneous opinions of its charac- teristics have l)een current. The "booming of the Bittern " has been a favorite topic of con- troversy : ])ut i^-obalily that matter has been finally settled by an account of the performance contributed to " The Auk " for Janu- ary, 1SS9. by Mr. Bradford Torrey. Mr. Torrey described the performer as first filling its cro]5 with air, opening the bill and shutting it with a click, repeating this several times. Then, while the bill is kept tightly closed, the air J LKAST lUriKKX. lOI from the crop is forced tl)rouj;h tlic tliioat. proiliu iiii; a deep hol- low sound in three distinct syllables. The (piality of the notes sii;;.u;ests their beinj; eniitteil under water; and this has given rise to the theory, so strongly urged by many writers, that the performer held its bill under water. The emission of the sound is accom- panied by convulsive movements, as if the bird was vomiting. The liittern's fondness for retirement has been exaggerated , for though it does dwell in the wilderness, — on the marshy margins of streams and lakes, and in the depth:; of swamps, — I have fre(|uently found the nest close to a bustling village; one within sound of children's voices phiying around a sciiool-house. » I of con- by an |»r Janu- joj} with |ng this the air LEAST HII'IKRN. l>()i.\rKis I xii.is. Char. Adult male, ciowii, i);ick, and tail black, glo.ssed with green; narrow stripe i)f buff on each side oi back ; back of neck chestnut ; wings bulf and rufous ; under parts pale buff. Keniaie ; >iuiilar to male, but black of head and back mostly replaced by brown. Length about i ;, inches. ..WiV. Usually amid the rank grass and rushes on the marshy margin of a pond ; placed on the ground and made of coarse grass or dead rushes. ^'•aX^- 3~5 i 'hill white with a i)ale tinge of blue or green ; 1.20 X 0.95. The Least Bittern has not .so extended a distribution as its larger congener, but it is found regularly as far north as Ma.ssacluisett.s, and stragglers have been captured in Maine and New Brunswick. It is common in the southern peninsula of Ontario, and in Illinois and Wisconsin, and breeds south to Texas and Florida. Though a shy bird, courting retirement and rarelv a])pearing outside the shelter of its reedy haunts, it seems to be indifferent to ;idjacent noises. For years some pairs have spent the summer in a marshy tract close to the busiest district of the town of Brookline, within a stone's throw of a street-car track and a j^kayground : and Fresh I*ond marsh, near Cambridge, h;is long been a favorite resort. The food of this Bittern consists chiefly of small fish, lizard.s, and young frogs : but it will not refuse a chanc e to vary this diet with a mouse or shrew. It utters several notes: but that most com- monly heard is a hoarse croak, though during the nesting-season a (-oiling note is heard that is low and soft and sweet. When 102 WADING HIKDS. startled it jjivcs a cry rcsL'ml)liii^' the iiiia of the Night Heron, and dis])hiys a Rail-like disposition to hiiU amid the grass rather than tiy from danger. Some ol)servers think its tiiglit is feeble and cannot l)e sustained, while others affirm that tlie bird is capable of prolonged flight. \ CORY'S M:.\s'r liirri'.RN. UolAlKlS MOXINA. CliAR. Similar to li.txilh, \t\\\. smaller, and la( kiiij; the stripes of buff on the sides ol tlie back ; lower tail-coverts black ; wing-covcrts cliesliuit. Length al)i)ut 1 1 inches. iWst and AvV*'- Unknown. 'I'liis species was descriljcd by Mr, Charles 15. Cory in i(SS6 from the type which was taken in Florida l)y .Mr. R. '1". Stuart. A second specimen, taken in Florida during July, 18S9, was reported by Mr. W. E. D Scott. The habits of the bird are sui)i)osed to be similar to those of exilis. Mr. Scott's example was discovered while walking on the leaves of pond-lilies, and when startled it retreated to the tall grass on the margin of the pond. li LIMPKIN. COl'RI-.\N. .Arami's (;i(;ANri,rs. Char Prevailing color dark brown jjlosscd with purple ; head, neck, and back striped with white ; throat white, (icncral a])pearancc rather Iferon-likc. Length about 26 inches. iVt'st. Amid rushes or upon a low bush, on the margin of a pond or stream ; made of vinc-Icaves and grass. Ei^r^s. 4-8; huffy white or grayish white spotted with brown and gray ; variable in size, average about 2.40 X i-70- This singular bird principally inhaliits Cayenne. Rrazil, and Paraguay, where it is rather common ; it is numerous in the LIMl'KIN. '03 ishind of Cuba aiid other warm i)arts of Anu'rira. In the Tnitcd States, I'lori.hi appears to l)e its most natural residence, -ind a few instances have occurred of its visitin- the Middle- States. ']'he Cuurlan leads a solitary hfe, or only associates by iK'irs. By night as well as day it is heard crying out in a loud and sonorous yoice carau .' an.l is well entitled to the name of the suppose.l " ,rying-bird " of iJartram. Mollusca, frogs, an.l other aquatic animals are its ordinary food. It is very shy carefully hiding itself; but when aware of being discovered it starts rapidly to a great elevation, and its tlight is long con- tinued. It also walks with great agility, but never willingly wades into the water. It alights on the summits of trees, an.l builds in the grass, near stagnant water, concealing the nest with much art. The young are covered with blackish down when hatched, and soon follow their parents. Like the Rail this bird runs swiftly through the grass, compressing its narroJ body so as to pass through a small hole, and is very difficult t.. catch when wounded. This species has been named Limpkin by naturalists, because tl a IS the name by which it is known in Florida, -the only State of the Union m which the bini is found. The name is said to have been suggestc.l by the walk of the bird, its movements resembling tlie motions of a lame person. ^ In Jamaica it is called the "Clucking Hen," from its habits of sauntering along and deliberately clucking like a fowl Un Bryant reported finding a nest containing tilteen eggs: but ';:::: ;::^:' •-- ^'- --^ --^er of t.. sets take^uring T :ii FLAMINGO. PHfF.NICOITr.Rl'S RUnF.R. Char. General color bright pink, clee|)cst on breast and wings ; ))ri- mnry and secon(l;iry feathers of wings black ; base of bill yellow, terminal half black. legs red. Tiie young are paler, the jiink tints deepening with age Length about 4 feet. Stature nearly 5 feet. AW/. Usually in a colony, situated on the shore of a shallow lagoon or pond, or iting Ura/il. I'eru, C'hih, and iJuenos Ayres, on the shores of I, a Plata. It is also seen in Cayenne (where it is known by the name of Tococo, from the usual sound of its call) and in vari- ous islands of the West Indies. It breeds in Cuba and the IJahamas, is not infrequent at certain seasons on the const of riorida, and sometimes solitary individuals are obst-rsed even in the Middle States; but in the Union generally the species may be ( onsidered as rare. When seen at a distance, such is the brilliancy of their dress and the elevation at whic h the birds stand that they appear like a troop of soldiers being arranged alongside of each other in lines, while on the borders of rivers and estuaries near the sea they asseml)le in search of their tbod, which consists chielly of small fish, spawn, and a(|uatic msects. They collect their prey by plunging in the bill and part of the head, and from time to time trample with their feet to disturb the water and raise it from the bottom. While the rest are thus employed in seeking their sul)sistence, one of them stands sentinel, anil on the first note of alarm, a kind of trumpet-call, he takes to wing, and the whole flock immediately follow. The flesh of the American Flamingo is accoimted pretty good food, and that of ihe young is thought by s(Miie e(|ual to the Partridge. Davies, in his " History of IJarbadoes," says it is commonly fat and accounted delicate ; while of the transatlantic species Dillon remarks that the inhabitants of Provence always throw away the flesh, as it tastes fishy, and make use only of the feathers as ornaments. P.ut of this kind, celebrated in history, the ancients esteemed the tongiie as an exquisite dainty, and Philostratus reckoned it among the deli- cacies of entertainments. The claim of the Flamingo to recognition liere rests ujion its appearance every year on tlie Keys off the most southern coast of Florida; though at an earlier day nests were found on tiie main- land, and Hocks of the birds were met with along the western shores i 1 06 WADING BIRDS. of tliat State, and Audubon credits it with occurring along the Atlantic coast to Cliarlcston, S. C, as late as 1830. The old notion that when silting on the eggs the bird's legs dangle awkwardly on each side of a high cone-shaped nest has been iliscarded, recent observers affirming that the feet are drawn up under the sides of the body, tiie nest being close to the ground, or no higher than is necessary to protect the eggs from the water with which they may be surrounded. When on the nest the neck is gracefully curved and the head neatly tucked away among the feathers of the back, like a Swan's; but when flying, the Flamingo does not curve its neck, as a Heron will, but carries both neck and legs outstretched and rigid. '', AMERICAN AVOCiyr. Rl CL"RVIR( )SrRA AMKklCANA. Char. Back and most of wings bl.nck, vcm;iindcr of plumage white, excci)ting iicad and iKck, which are pale brown in sununcr and pale gray in winter ; feet webbed ; legs blue ; bill black, long, and recurved. Length about 17 inches. Nest. A bulky affair of dry grass or seaweed lined with fine grass ; pl.aced .amid tall herbage on the marshy margin of a i)ond. /s;;o-. 3-4 ; buff or reddish drab, sometimes with an olive tint, cov- ered with spots of brown of several shades; size variable, average about 2.00 X I 35. 'I'he American Avocet, supposed to winter in tropical Amer- ica, arrives on the coast of Cape May, in New Jersey, late in .\l)ril, where it rears its young, and retires to the South early in the month of October. In the sjiring it was observed by Mr. Say in the lower part of Missouri. It is also known to visit Nova Scotia, though scarcely ever seen in the State of Massachusetts. 1 )r. Richardson also found it abundant in the Saskatchewan plains as far as the 53d parallel, where it frei^uents shallow lakes, feeding on insects and fresh-water Crustacea. In New Jersey it seems tv; have a predilection for the shallow pools of the salt-marshes, wading about often in search of prey, which consists of marine worms, small paludi- nas. turbos, etc., to which, like the I-nropean species, it some- times adds small Fi/ci or marine vegetables. I: I AMERICAN AVOCET. 107 licad The Avocets near their breeding-places are verv noisy, quailing, and clamorous, flying around in circles near their invaders, and in a sharp but ])laintive tone uttering V//X', \iik, 'c/ik. in the manner of the Stilts or Long Legs ^/limantopiis), with which at times they familiarly associate in siuall numbers to pass the important period of reproduction. J. ike them also they alight on the marsh or in the water indifferently, fluttering their loose wings and shaking their tottering and bending legs as if ready to fall, keeping up at the same time a continual yelping. The nest, in the same marsh with the Stilts, was hidden in a thick tuft of grass or sedge at a small distance from one of their favorite pools. It was composed of small twigs of some marine shrub, withered grass, sea-weeds, and other similar materials, the whole raised to the height of several inches. Buffon. theorizing on the singular structure of the bill of the Avocet, supi)oses it to be " one of those errors or essays of Nature which, if carried a little further, would destroy itself; for (/the curvature of the bill were a degree increased, the bird could n ' procure any sort of ftjod, and the organ destined for the support of life would infallibly occasion its destruction." As it happens, however, and not as iiii^:;ht he imax'iiit-d, the Avocet, no less than the Crossbill, contiiuies not only to live, but to vary its fare and obtain it with facility. J':ven the sloth, that triumph on the occasional imbecility of Nature, so wretched and lost upon the plain ground, for which the motions of its peculiar and unequal limbs arc not calculated, climbs up a tree with facility, and, like the tribe of monkeys, is perfectly at ease in its accustomed arboreal retreat. Let us then more wisely content ourselves to observe Nature in all her ingenious paths, without daring, in our ignorance, to imagine the pos- sible failure of her conservative laws. The Avocet is a rather nncomnidii bird near the Atlantic const, and north of New Jorsev is merely a straggler, a few e.\ain])lLs having been taken in Connecticut. .Massachusetts, .Maine, and New Brunswick. On the alkali plains of tlic West it is quite abundant. and ranges as far north as (ireat Slave Lake. m ft ( f l^ ROSEATE SPOON lU EL. AjAJA AJAJA. Char. Head hare, skin qreen, orange, and black; bill long, broad, flat, and widened towards the end; neck, breast, and back white; short plumes of breast, wings, and tail rich carmine; tail and patch on neck biitf ; under jjarts deep rose color. Length about 30 inches. .\W/. In a colony, placed amid the tall grass of a salt marsh near the mouth of a river or on a marshy sea island; made of twigs loosely ar- ranged,— a mere platform, raised several inches from the ground. /•-XX'f' 5~7 ; ^lu" white or pale buff, spotted with brown ; 2.60 X 1. 75. The Red or American Spoonbill chiefly dwells within the tropical regions of the continent, being common in Jamaica and other of the West India islands, as well as in Mexico, ROSEATE SPOONJ51LL. 109 road, short iicck I (luiana, and IJrazil. In the southern hemisphere it is said to exist in Peru and as far down the coast of South America as I'atagonia. North of the e(iuator it migrates in suiiimer into Florida, and is met with to the confines of the Altamaha, in (Georgia. Wilson's specimen was obtained up the Mississippi at the town of Natchez (about the latitude of 32°). Some' are also occasionally met with on the river shores of the Ala- bama, and in other parts of that State. A straggler has been known to wander as far as the banks of the Delaware. According to the relation of Captain Henderson, in his account of Honduras, this species is more maritime in its habits than that of Juirope, as it wades about in cpiest of shell- fish, marine insects, fry, and small crabs ; and in pursuit of these, according to him, it occasionally swims and dives I he Kuropean, or white, species appears to resi.le in much cooler dimes than the American, being abundant in Hollaml, and even at times visiting the shores of the South and Wet of England in whole flocks. It is there, however, a bird of passage, and in migrations accompanies the flocks of Swans. At the present day Spoonbills are found rcgularlv no farther no.th than he mantime districts of the Gulf States though an o ni.onal bird wanders up the valley of the Mississippi, raging at times as far as southern Illinois. ' They were abundant in Florida not manv years a-o, hut the plume-hunters have almost e.xterminated them there. ir the Iv ar- •75- the laica cico. m [i I I ' WOOD IBIS. wood stork. Tantalus i.oculator. Char. Ciencral color wliitc ; tail and part of wings black, with metal- lic rttlcctions ; licad and upper half of neck bare, the skin hard, rough, and of a dusky color, l.en^tli about 40 inches. A'lS/. In a colony situated aniitl a dense cypress-swamp, placed on an ujiper branch of a tall tree; a loosely arranged structure of twigs, lined with moss, — the si/e increasing by yearly .ulditions. E,i,';i,^s. 2-3 : wliite, spotted with brown ; the surface rough ; 2.75 X 1.75. This is another tribe of singukir wading birds, which emi- grate in the stnnnier to a certain distance on either side of the equator ; being foinid occasionally as far north as Virginia, and as far south, in the other hemisjjhere, as the savannahs of ± I tal- ail icd 111- of ia, of WOOD IBIS. II I Cayenne and Brazil, and in other parts of South America. In the compass of the United States their principal residence is in the inundaletl wilds of the peninsula of l'!ast ]''loritla, and they are not uncommon in Mississippi, Alabama, Carolina, and (ieorgia, withdrawing from the north, however, at the commencement of cold weather or about the month of November. .According to Bartram, who had many opjxjrtunities of ob- serving them in Florida, they are solitary and indolent birds, seldom associating in flocks, and usually frecjuent the banks of the principal rivers, marshes, and savannahs, especially such as are inundated, as well as the larger deserted rice-i)lanta- tions contiguous to the sea-coast. Here, alone, the feathered hermit stand:s listless, on the topuKxst limb of some tall and decayed cypress, with his neck drawn in u})on his shoulders, and his enormous bill resting like a scythe upon his breast. Thus pensive and lonely, he has a grave and melancholy as- pect, as if ruminating in the deepest thought ; anil in this sad posture of gluttonous inactivity these birds probably, like Merons, pass the greatest part of their time, till, awakened by the calls of hunger, they become active in ([uest of their prey of snakes, young alligators, fish, frogs, and other re])tiles. They are easily approached and shot, when abandoned to repose, and are by many of the inhabitants accounted as excellent food. This Ibis is found in all the .Southern .States, though at present it is not a common bird anywhere witiiin our borders. Stragglers have been met witii north to New \'oik. Ohio. Indiana, and Wisconsin. Bartram's account of the hermit-like habits of the bird, cpioted by Nuttall, was criticised by Aubudon, who rarely met witii a soli- tary e-xample, — the birds were always in llocks : but Dr. Heiirv Bryant states that he never saw w Jimk of Wood Ibises e.xcepting at their breeding-jjlace. The principal food of this species is small fish, wiiieli are caught in tlie shallow waters, the Ibis scratching or "raking" tlie bottom to startle its prey: but a meal of frog, turtle, bird, or snake is never neglected, and a young alligator is not sate within reach of the bird's long and powerful i)ill. 'ii\ -4 112 WADING BIRDS. '■ SCARLET IBIS. (ilARA RL'HRA. CiiAK. Kntire plumage deep scarlet, excepting the tips of the longest wing-feathers, which are black I.tngth about 30 inches. A'fsf. In a colony, amid a thicket of small trees and vines; placed on a low tree or bush, — a mere platform of loosely arranged twigs and leaves. /i>VJ- --3; thill white or pale gray, spotted with brown ; 2.10 X •45 Nuttall followed Wij.son in creditin^ii the Scarlet Ilji.s to the Southern States; but its appearance within our borders during recent years lias been merely casual, and it has not been seen else- where than in Florida and Louisiana. \\-{ \\. wHiri-: IBIS. GUAR.\ AI.IiA. Char. Entire plumage pure white, excepting the tips of the longest wing-feathers, which are black. In freshly killed specimens the white is tinged with a delicate shade of pink. Length about 24 inches. .\ WHITE in IS. 113 t in its ropical iribbee beyond at the f Lake ine ; he 'lorida. ich they — col- a little previous to the ]icrio(l of their migration l)ack again to the Houih, which takes place on thi' return of cool weather. 'I'heir food and haunts are altogether similar willi tho>.i' of the |)re- ceding species, and, like them, they seldom remove to any great distance from the sea. Mr. IJartram remarks that '* they fly in large tlocks or scjuatlrons, evening and mcjrning, to and from their feeding-places or roosts, and are usually called Spanish Curlews. They subsist principally on cray-fish, whose cells they probe, and with their strong j)inching bills drag them out." They also feed on fry and iupiatic insects, and their flesh is sometimes eaten, but not much esteemed. IJirds of this species may frecjuently be seen standing on the dead branches of trees and on the shore, resting on one leg, with the body in an almost perpendicular j)osition, and the head and bill resting on the breast. — which, indeed, appears to be their common mode of re])osing, in consequence of which, and as a proof of the habitual indolence of the species, the plumage, as in the Wood Ibis, on the ridge of the neck and upper part of the back, is exidently worn by the constancy of this habit. Sometimes, according to IJartram, during the j^revalence of high winds and in thunder-storms, they may be seen collected into numerous flocks, driving to and fro, or turning and tack- ing about high in the air, during which e\olutions with the contending currents of the wind their silvery plumage gleams and sparkles with unusual brilliance as it reflects the flashing light from amidst the dark and hovering clouds. The Wliitc Ibis has been until quite recently a common bird in .some localities in the Southern .States. It occurs rcguhuly on tlie Atlantic shore to North Carolina (occasional stragglers have l)een seen in New Jersey), and along tlie valley of tlie Mississippi ranges farther north, — to Indiana and southern Illinois. VOL. II. — S 1 1 I r f? f f GLOSSY riHS. PlEGADIS AUTUMNAI.IS. Chau. Back, wings, and tail dark purple with metallic reflections of ureen and bronze ; head, neck, wing-coverts, and under parts rich chest- nut, tinged with purple; bill brown ; legs greenish brown Length about 24 inches. AVj/. In a colony, situated in a marsh or swam]) 011 the bank of a river, lake, or shallow lagoon; a compact structure more neatly built than the nest of any of the Herons, composed of dead reeds or twigs and grass; fastened to upright reeds or jilaced on a platfdrm of bent reeds, sometimes in a bush or tree growing in the water, and occasionally the platform hearing the nest floats upon the water. /''j^'^iy's. 3-4 ; light blue, or dark blue with a green tinge ; 2.00 X I.45. The Glossy Ibis appears to be within the temperate and warmer regions ahnost a general inhabitant of the world. On the borders of rivers and lakes it is seen, for example, abundant as a bird of ])assage in Poland, Hungary, Turkey, and the Grecian .Vrchipelago ; it visits the borders of the f GLOSSY inis. 115 ^ ^■^ lection? of iich chest- Igth al)unl |)ank of 'i Ibuilt than twigs and lent iceds, lonally the •;ite and world, .'xamplo, Turkey, Is of the Danube, and is seen sDinitinic^ m Swii/erland and Italy, thoui^h rarely in MnL^land and llijlland; antl is tor seven nionliis a periodical xisitor in l-,uyi't, wliere. in comnion with tile Sacred Ibis, it was revered and enibahned in the vast cata- ( ()inl)S of Saccara and Menipiiis. It arrives in that country in October, and lea\es it in the month of .March. It is known to breed up tlie rivers oi tiie Caspian and P.iack Seas, and i(j spread into ls.us.->ia. Siberia, I'artary, 1 )eniuark. oci asionally into Sweden, and perhaps I,ai)land, for the same purpose ; remainiuL; m tiiose countries till driven to mii;rate by the mcleniency of ai)proachinn wmter, at which period it appears to arrive in .Vtrica and Asia. It is a still more rare and ac( 1 dental \i>itor in the I'nited States than in I'lni^'land. .\ spe- cimen has occasionally been exposi-d tor sale in the markets of jjoston. and individuals are, at distant intervals, shot off Long Island and on the shores of New Jersey. At very irregular ]»eriods in the spring season, small iKh ks are thus seen on tlie coasts of the Middle States and as far south as Maryland and \'irginia. \'ieillot also asserts their occasional a])pearance even in Cayenne, Icelani)u/-pif.<, as they are still called, are scattered over the plains of Saccara, and are filled with the numerous remains of this and the ICgyjiitian s]jecies. So highly was it honored that the Ibis became the characteristic hieroglyi)h of the country, repeated upon all the monuments, obelisks, and national statues. The abun- dance of their remains in the catacombs proves, indeed, the familiarity which the species had contracted with the indulgent inhabitants of its favorite country ; and, like the Stork of luirope, venerated for its supposed piety, it gained credit, in the prejudices of the ignorant, for benefits which it never con- ferred. Diodorus Siculus, however, only adds, what appears l)y no means imi)robable, that, impelled by hunger on their first arrival, night and day the Ibis, walking by the verge of the water, watches rejitiles, st'd/r /////<; Jor their eggs, and I GLOSSY IRIS. 11 ction ihcy liinks parts s and \s the .•a(Ung Europe I, they lion, in r shell- • nearly I'VIKU), serpents icture of noxious e Kgyp- h; large d, were s in the they are and arc V:gyptian ame the upon all e abun- Iced, the ndiilgent Stork of credit, in lever con- ai)pears on their he verge rcirs, and destroying all the beetles and grasshoppers which it finds. 'I'hus accustomed to favor and iuununily (like our own Vulture scav- engers), in I'-gypt these birds advancetl without fear into the midst of the cities. Strabo relates that they filled the streets and lanes of .Alexandria to such a degree as to become Iroii- blesome and importunate; and I lasseliiiiist remarks that in Lower Mgvi)t as soon as the Nile beiomes freed from its inun- dations, they arrive in such numbers as to be seen morning and evening fre(iuenting the gardens and covering whole ])alin-trees witii their tlocks. 'I'he I';gy|)tian Ibis is likewise said to construct its nest familiarly in the clustering fronds of the date-palm, where it lays four eggs, and sits, according to the fanciful caliulation of .Mlian, as many days as the star Isis takes to perforin the revolution of its phases. To enumerate the various fictions and falsehoods with which the ancients have chosen to eml)ellish the history of the Ibis would lie as vain and useless to the naturalist as to the sober historian. I^ven Josephus has the credulity to relate that when Moses made war on the Kthiopians, he carried, in cages of papyrus, a great number of the Ibis, to oppose them to the seri)ents ! Fables of this kind are now no longer capable of being substituted for facts, and the naturalist contents him- self with the humbler, but more useful, employment of sim])ly describing and delineating nature as it issued from the hands of its omnipotent Creator. This superstition has also had its day, and the Ibises, no longer venerated even in Kgypt, are in the autumn commonly shot and ensnared by the .Arabs for food ; and the markets of the sea-coast are now abundantly su])plied with them as game, together with the white species, both of which are ignominiously exi)osed for sale deprived of their heads, — a si)ectacle from which the ancient llgyptians would have recoiled with horror. So fickle and capricitnis, because unreasonable, is the dominion of superstition : The (llossy Ibis is a rare bird in tliis faunal iiroviiici'. but it occurs as an occasional visitor nortli to Massac luisitts and OiUario, and in 1.S7S was seen on I'rincc lulward's Islam!. Thu ncsl has not l)oen found north of Klorida. 118 WADING LIKIJS. LONG-15IMJ;i) ( TRI.IAV. SICKI.K-lilLL NUMI'.MLS l,( )Nt;iK( )SrKIS. CiiAK. l'|)|'^'' l';""'^ mottled giiiy, l)lack, and pale lufoiis, — nifons l)eiii^ tlic' i)ie\ ailing tnit ; inukr parts pale eiiinaninn, tlie neikand Imast with (lii>ky stieaks ; seioiidaiy (|iiiils rufi)Us, primaries Iirownisii black; 1)111 black ; legs brownish black Length about 25 inches. .\'(S/. On the grinnid, sometimes in wet meadows ; a slight depression, lined, sparingly, with gra>s ^''.kX-'- 3-4 (very variable in si/i', color, and markings) ; nlive drab to pale bnff, thickly speckled and blotched with brown, sometimes spotted with lilac also; average si/c about J. 60 X l.8o. Tlu' I,ong-billed ("iirlcw is scon in the marshes of Xe^v Jer- sey about the middle of May on its way farther north, and in September or the latter end of .\iit,'ust on its return from its breeding-places. How far south it retires in the course of the winter, has not been ascertained ; but a few, no doul)t, winter in the marshes of South Carolina, as I have observed s])ecimens on the muddy shores of the Santee, near Charleston, in the month of January. Its southern migration in all proba- bility is bounded by the shores of the Mexican (lulf. Like most species of the genus, it retires into the desolate regions of the North to breed. Dr. Richardson believes that it fre- quents the i)lains of the Saskatchewan and the Columbia at this season, and it is known to visit the neighborhood of Mudson IJay. In Major Long's expedition it apjx'ars that some of these birds were observed as far inland as the Illinois, latitude 42°, on the 15th of Jiuie, — which might be supposed about the time of breeding. Acconbng to Wilson, a few in- stances have been known of one or two i)airs remaining in the salt-marshes of Cape May the whole summer ; and they were l)elieved to nest there on the gromid, laying four eggs in size and color much resembling those of the Clapper Rail. In- deed, it will pro])ably be found that many birds now supposed to pass the period of rei^roduction in the remote regions of I I.ONOIMI.LKI) CI Kl.KW. 119 rufous 1)1,kU ; rcssion, (1r.\l) to , spotted CSV jer- th, ami rn from ; course ,0 (lonV)t, )V)scrvc(l arlt-'ston, 1 proba- f. 1 -il^e regions lit it fre- iinbia at [hootl of •ars that I' Illinois, supposed few in- ng in the hL-y were Its in size .ail. Tn- Isupposed legions of the North only separate into solitary pairs, and disperse them- selves through the va?,t wilds of the interior of North Anierica. The l.ong-billed Curlews Hy high and rapidly, geiuTilly throwing themselves, when in company, into an angular wedgi'. alter the manner of \\'ild (leese. uttering, as they lly, and whiii at all ala.nied, a loud, short, whistling, and almost barking note, sometimes, as in other species of the family, strongly re- sembling the sibilation of the word /v/z/ti', and whenci- they derive their characteristic name, which has been adopted into so many of the lOtiropean languages. l»y a dexterous imitation of this note a whole llix k may sometimes be enticed within gim- shot ; and the cries of the woumled continue the sympathetic enticement, while the fowler, re])eating his shots, carries havoc among the t|uailing throng. Their food consists i)rincipally of insects, worms, and small crabs. 'The yotmg and old also, on their arrival from the North, where they feed on various kinds of berries, still continue their fondness for this kind of food, and now fre(itient the tiplands and i)astures in (Hii'st of the fruit of the bramble, particularly dewberries, on which they get so remarkably fat at times as to btirst the skin in falling to the ground, and are then stiperior in flavor to almost any other game-bird of the season. In the market of IJoston they are seen as early as the 8th of August, having already raised their brood and i)rocceded thus far towards their winter-quarters. The .Sickle-l)ill is an abundant bird from the Tacific to the Mis- sissippi; hut eastward of that river it is common only ui the South- cm .States and around the (ireat Lakes; while in New ICngland it is (piite rare, and occurs chicHy during the autumn mii^nation. In the West it ranges to tiie Saskatchewan valley, about latitude 55''; hut on the Atlantic it has not been taken north of baie de Ch ileur, on the (iiilf of St. Lawrence. (.^ur Eastern birds proliably raise their broods in the region ly- ing immediately south of Hudson P>ay, and then journe\- eastward through the valleys of the St. Lawrence and its tributaries until reaching the sea. along which tlie birds ])roceed to their winter quarters in the West Indies. Mr. George A. Boardman heard a report several vears ago that this species had been discovered breeding on i'riiice ICd ward's Island; but this has not been confirmed by recent ol)servations. r ' I , %■ ' HUDSON IAN CURLEW. JACK CURLEW. NUMENIUS HUDSOMCUS. Char. Upper parts blackish brown mottled with buflf, the latter pre- vailing on the wing-coverts; wings dusky; crown dusky brown, with median -itripe of buff; stripe of brosvn on side of head ■, rest of head, neck, and under parts light buff ; breast spotted with brown. Length about 17 inches. A'c'sf. Usually near the margin of a lake or stream : a slight depression, lined with grass or leaves. -^vV^- 3~4 ■> drab with a tint of green or buff, marked with several shades of brown , 2.25 X 1.60 The Short- Billed Curlew, after passing the winter south of the United States, arrives in large flocks on the coast of New Jersey early in May, frequenting the salt-niarshes, muddy ponds, shoals, and inlets, feeding at this time on small worms, land and marine insects, fry, minute shell-fish, and some- times the seeds of aquatic vegetables, which it usually col- lects at the recess of the tide in company with various other HUDSONIAN CURLEW. 121 waders, and at high water retires into the marshes, and some- times to the dry ridges and pastures, particularly at a later period, in June, where, accompanied by the Long-Billed spe- cies, it feeds much on dewberries, becoming very fat and well flavored. In the northern regions and the fur countries, to which these birds retire to breed, they also collect crowber- ries {Empetrum nij^non) for food. In June they take their departure to the North ; collecting together from the marshes in one general flock, they rise to a considerable elevation about an hour before sunset, and forming a long angular phalanx, keep up a constant whistling on their march, as if conversing with each other, in order to forget or lessen the toil and hazard of their adventurous journey. Their flight is steady, like that of the Woodcock, and in consequence of their sympathy for each other, they readily come within gunshot of those who can imitate their call. While thus beating the air m company, the transient glittering of their speckled wings, as they glide along in ease and elegance, presents an interesting spectacle no less beautiful than amusing. Arriving, at length, in their natal regions in the wilds of the North, they soon obey the instinct of their spe» es, and making a nest on the ground, lay about four eggs, which, according to Mr. Hutchins, are of a light bluish-gray color, marked with black (or dark-brown) spots. From the middle of August to the beginning of Sep- tember they arrive in the vicinity of Massachusetts Bay and other parts of New F^ngland, frequenting the pastures as well as marshes, and fatten upon grasshoppers and berries till the time of their departure, about the close of September ; and they wholly disappear from New Jersey on their way to the South, early in the month of November. Previous to their departure they again assemble in large flocks near the sea- beach, being constantly gregarious in all their journeys. In an island of the Piscataqua, near Plymouth (New Hampshire), a friend informs me that they had, in the autumn, been seen to- gether in a dense flock of many thousands, thickly covering several acres of ground with their numbers. W'hen much hunted, they become extremely shy and diffi- " r •,i K f •■ 122 WADING BIRDS. cult to approach ; yet the same bird, shot at three or four different times, and recovering when about to be picked up, still, notwithstanding this persecution, continued to feed again in the same spot. These birds, though so exquisite in flavor, in the autumn, when as abundant as usual, are sold in Boston market for about twenty to twenty- five cents each. As early as the 1 8th of July I have met with individuals of this species, one of which on dissection proved to be an old and barren male who in all probability had remained behind the flock in the same vicinitj' where he had arrived in the spring, having no incentive to .migration. Whether other specimens, killeil at this season before the return of the general flock, are influ enced by the same cause to hnger behind or wander from the rest, I am unable to say. The Jack Curlew is well known to gunners along the Atlantic coast, wiiere it occurs during both migrations. The flocks do not cross the Gulf of St. Lawrence, but follow the southern shore till well inland, when they fly nortli to Hudson Bay and the Barren Lands, near the Arctic Ocean, wlicre they breed. A few stragglers from the main flocks have been taken in Lab- rador and Greenland, and a few wander inland through Ohio and the Eastern States. ESKIMO CURT.EW. SHORT-BILLED CURLEW, DOUGIIBIRD. NUMF.NILS liOREALIS. (ir AR Upper parf^ hlackisb brown, spotted with buff; crown streaked, but without di.stinct ,,:cdian line; under parts liylit buff ; neck, breast, and sides strealxed c)r sjxxted with chisky. Length about 14 inches. Much like // W.w//V//.f, bn t e.isily distinguished, l>ore,ilis being of •^mailer size, with a shorter bill, and lacking the light-colored streak across the crown. Nesl. Amid the rocks of dry ridges, .adjacent to lakes and ponds; a slight dei)resands within the Arctic circle, feeding usually on aqua- tic insects, their larvoe, and when ripe, the fruit of the crow- berry {Empctnnn nigrum). On the 13th of June, 1822, Dr. Richardson discovered one of these Curlews sitting on three eggs on the shore of Point Lake. When approached, she ran a short distance from the nest, crouching near to the ground, and then stopped to watch the motions of her encroaching visitor. About the close of August or beginning of September these Curlews, accompanied by birds of the preceding species, arrive on the shores of Massachusetts Bay ; and frequenting the marshes and adjoining pastures, feed at tliis time much upon grasshoppers, coleoptera, and earth-worms, which they collect principally towards evening or early in the morning. On their way to the South they also \isit Nova Scotia and Newfound- land, where they remain till the approach of winter ; and in New Jersey these birds linger on till the month of November, when they apparently, without further delay, pass on to the south of the United States, for in other parts of the Union they appear to be wholly unknown. Like the other species, they are remarkably gregarious, each company seeming to follow some temporary leader ; and on starting to wing, a sort of watch-cry is heard, resembling the whistling ])rontmciation of the word bcc-hec. On their arrival from the North they are very fat, plump, and well flavored, and included, like both the preceding species and the ^^arble(l (lodwit, under the general name of Docbinis, they are sought out by ei)icures and en- hance the value of a tabl- entertainment. Pennant remarks, on the authority of Hutchins, that one year, from the 9th of 124 WAUING BIRDS. ' I August to the 6th of September, they were seen in flocks innu- merable on the hills about Clhatteux Bay, on the coast of Lab- rador, soon after which they all departed for the South ; at this time they kept chiefly on the open grounds, and feeding on crowberries, were very fat and well flavored. A few of these birds migrate northward along the Atlantic coast, and some wander Ijy the way of the (jreat Lakes ; Ijut the route taken by the majority is up the valley of the Mississippi and across the plains, where they have been met with in "immense Hocks" during May. They spend the summer on the Barren Lands within the Arctic circle, and after raising their broods, start on the migra- tion southward, crossing to Labrador, where several naturalists have found them in great abundance. But though so abundant m that region, comparatively few pass southward through the Maritime Provinces, and they are reported as uncommon all along the Atlantic shore of the United States ; so it is supposed that the larger number fly direct from Labrador to South America, over which country they roam during the winter, ranging to its south- ernmost point. Dr. Coues, who met with large numbers of these birds in Labra- dor, states that their principal food was crowberry, or " curlew- berry," as the natives call it ; but they also fed extensively on a small snail which adhered to the rocks on the sea-shore and were left uncovered at low tide. ■; CURLEW SANDPIPER. Tringa ferruginea. Char. Bill long, slender, and decurved. Adult in summer upper parts mottled Ijlack, gray, and rufous; wings and tail ashy gray; tail- covcrts pale buflf Ixured with black; under parts rich chestnut. Adult in winter: u])per parts grayish brown; tail-coverts white; under |)arts white ; chest with a few indistinct streaks of gray. Young : like adult in winter, but feathers of upper parts margined with buff; neck streaked with brown. Length about S^ inches. /\V.f/. On the margin of a lake or stream; a slight depression, lined with dry grass. Ac^f- — ?» " P'llc grayish or greenish buffy, spotted with deeji brown, etc.; 1.50 X \.0^" (Nidi^'ivay). Of this species very little is known. It is found on the sea- coast and by the borders of lakes, and is sometimes seen in the interior of the countries it frequents. Eike most species of the genus, it is migratory in the spring and autiunn, and at such times proceeds in flocks along the coast or on the borders of large rivers. The food of this bird is usually small insects and worms, as well as the herbage of some of the sea weeds {Fiici). So wide are the devious wanderings of this cos- mopolite pigmy that Temminck obtained a specimen from 126 WADING lilRDS. ■' I P Senegal, another from the Cape of (lood Hope (as is also indicated by Latham's name of the Cape Curlew), and a third from North America. The Curlew Sandpiper is not an uncommon bird in Europe; but, exceptinij in (]recnland and Alaska, very few examples have been met with in America, and those few were seen along the Atlantic coast tluring the migrations. It is supposed to breed throughout the entire Arctic regions, but of its nesting habits very little is known. Though an exceedingly active bird, when feeding, it proceeds cpiite leisurely with its migrations, and wliile on these journeys frt'iiuents the salt-marshes and the tide-washed sandbar.-) near the mouths of rivers. In many habits and in flight it resembles the Dunlin, for which it is often mistaken. Thi.s mistake is lial)le to be made in winter, when the plumage of the two are very similar. In summer dress our bird appears somewhat like a small edition of the Knot. ;!■ i DUNLIN. RED-BACKED SANDPIPER. BLACK-BKE.AST. ISL.ACK-BELLIED SANDPIPER. BLACK-HEART. WINTER SNIPE. Tringa .M.PINA RACIFIC.A. Ch.\u. Adult in .-summer: upper parts chestnut, streaked with black ; win,u;s and tail asliy gray ; throat and breast grayish white with dark streaks; lower breast black ; belly white. Adult in winter: upper parts brownish gray or ashy gray ; under parts white, neck and chest streaked sparingly with gray. In young birds the feathers on the upper parts are bordered with rufous or buff, the to]-) of the head is light ehestnut and black, and the under parts are white, spotted with black. Length S to 8'^ inches. At'j/. Amid long grass on a salt-marsh or beneath a bunch of heather on a moor or hillside, — a slight depression, lined with grass, leaves, or moss. /i,i^:i[s. 4; dull buff tinged with brown or olive, marked with chestnut; 1,45 X I. GO. The Dunlin, or Red-backed Sandpiper, of the United States, according to the season of the year, is met with throughout the northern hemisphere, penetrating, in .America, during the stmimer season, to the utmost habitable verge of the Arctic RED -BACKED SANDl'U'ER. 127 lates, Ihout the Irctic Circle, and even breeding in that remotest of lands, the ever- wintry shores of Melville IVninsula. 1 1 likewise inhabits (Ireenland, Icelantl, Scandinavia, the Alps of Siberia, and the coasts of the Caspian. In the southern hemisphere it some times even wanders as far as the Cape of (lood Hope, and is found in Jamaica, other of the West India islamis, and Cayenne. In the autumn it is seen around Vera Cruz, and, with other Sandpipers probably, is exposed for sale in the markets of Mex ICO. .\t the same time many, as the I'urres, in their winter dress, remain through the greatest part of the wint»'r within the milder limits of the Union, fre(iuenting at times in great num- bers the coasts of both Carolinas during the month of Feb- ruary, flitting ])robably to and fro with every vacillating change of temperature, being naturally vagabond and nowhere fixed for any considerable time until their arrival at the Ultima I'hule of the continent, where they barely stay long enough to rear a single brood, destined, as soon as they are able, to wander with the rest and swell the aerial host, whose sole delight, like the untiring Petrels of the storm or the ambitious .Albatross, is to be in per])etual action, and are thus, by their associated numbers, obliged ])erpetually to rove in quest of their transient, periodical, and varying ])rey In the Middle States the Dunlins arrive on their way to the North in .April and May, and in September and October they are again seen pursuing the route to their hibernal retreat in the South. At these times they often mingle with the flocks of other strand birds, from which they are distinguishable by the rufous color of their upper plumage. They frequent the muddy flats and shores of the salt-marshes at the recess of the tide, feeding on the worms, insects, and minute shell-fish which such places generally afford. They are also very nimble on the strand, frequenting the sandy beaches which bound the ocean, running, and gleaning up their prey with great activity on the reflux of the waves. These birds when in their hibernal dress are seen, in con junction with several species, sometimes collecting together in such flocks as to seem at a distance like a moving cloud, vary- 128 WADLNCi niRDS. I i ing in form and appearance every instant while they perform tiieir circuitous, waving, and whirling evolutions along the shores with great rapidity ; alternately bringing their dark and white plumage into view, they form a very grand and imposing spectacle of the sublime instinct and power of Nature. At such times, however, the keen gunner, without losing mucli time in empty contemplation, makes prodigious slaughter in the timid ranks of the Purres ; while as the showers of their companions faW, the whole body often alight or descend to the surface with them, until the greedy sportsman becomes satiated with destruction. The Dunlins breed plentifully on the Arctic coasts of Amer- ica, nesting on the ground in the herbage, laying three or four very large eggs of an oil-green, marked with irregular spots of liver-brown of different sizes and shades, confluent at the larger end. Mr. Pennant also received the eggs of this kind from Denmark, so that the range in which they breed, no less than that in which they migrate, is very extensive. This species, still abundant throughout the continent, and breed- ing in the Far North, is called "Winter Snipe" by the gunners of New Jersey and southward ; but that name is given by the New Englanders to the Purple Sandpiper, which is not seen farther south. The names Ox-bird and Purre, given to the present spe- cies by Nuttall, were the names by which the summer and winter phases of the Dunlin were designated formerly by English writers. I l[r. Note. — The European Dunlin ( 7>/;/^rt alpina) is smaller than the American race, and of a duller tint. It occurs in Green- land and breeds tliere, and an occasional example wanders to tlie shores of Hudson Bay. WHITE-RUMPED SANDI'II'EU. 129 VVHITE-RUMPKI) SANDPIPER. BONAPARTE'S tJANDPlPEK. Tringa fuscicollis. Char. Upper parts brownish gray, striped with black and tinged with rufous J wings ashy brown ; rump brownish ash , upper tail-coverts while ; tail grayish brown, the two middle feathers darker ; under parts white, the breast washed with gray. In winter the ujjper parts are entirely brownish gray, liili short and blackish brown, paler at the base ; legs brownish olive. Length about 7^2 inches. Neil. On a low lying sea-shore or near the muddy margin of a lake or stream close by the sea, — a slight depression, lined with dead leaves. Z;'<,x^. 4 ; olive or olive brown or grayish buff, marked with chestnut and dark brown ; sometimes marked also with pale brown and purplish gray ; i 35 X o 95. This species, so nearly related to the preceding, is also com- mon to both continents, penetrating inland in America to the western plains of the Mississippi, and inhabiting the shores of the small lakes which skirt the plains of the Saskatchewan, and probably the remoter wilds of the Arctic circle. Accord- ing to Bonaparte these birds are rather common on the coast of New Jersey m autumn, and Mr. Oakes met with several in the vicinity of Ipswich, in Massachusetts. They are either seen in flocks by themselves or accompanying other Sand])ipcrs, which they entirely resemble in their habits and focxl, fre- quenting marshy shores and the borders of lakes and brackish waters. They associate in the breeding-season, and are then by no means shy ; but during autumn, accompanying different birds, they become wild and restless. Their voice resembles that of the Dunlin, but is more feeble ; and they nest near their usual haunts, by lakes and marshes. This is the Scliinz's Sandpiper of Nuttall and Bonaparte. It is a common bird in eastern North America, migrating northward along the .Mississippi valley as well as by the Atlantic coast, and breeding in the Arctic regions, — from Lal)rador to the Polar Sea. During the migrations numbers of these birds appear along the New England shores in company with several of their smaller allies, from which they are readily distinguished by their con.spic VOL. II. — 9 'f J 3 130 WADING BIRDS. uous white tail-coverts. Their note, also, is peculiar, — a low soft •weet In habits they differ little from other Sandpipers, — a little more confiding and heedless perhaps, and more frecpiently found on the mud-Hats and among the sea-weed than on the sand. PECTORAL SANI )I'IFI:R. JACK SNII'E. GRASS SNll'i:. KRIEKER. TklNdA MACULAIA. Chau. Upper !)arts dusky brown, the feathers margined with biitf and rufous; rump and tail-coverts dusky; cheeks antl tliroat dull white .stre.darrow were fortunate enough to secure several nests with eggs. In the mating season, which occurs after they have reached the vicinity of their nesting ground, the males become intensely excited in their efforts to gain the attention of the females and to keep near to one chosen for a mate. They run along Uie sand with wings exten- ded, or take short flights close to the ground, passing to and fro in front of the amo'ita, or whirling in graceful curves in the air above her, a!! the while uttering a deep and hollow booming, which resembles hoo, Iioo, hoo, hoo, or too-u, too-n, too-u, rapidly repeated in licpiid musical tones. "Whenever he pursues his love-making," says Mr. Nelson, "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." During these per- formances the throat and breast are filled with air and puffed out to twice their natural extent, — whence the name Pectoral. When not thus inflated, the air-sac hangs an inch or more below the gen- eral contour of the neck. While with us these I)irds do not display this inflated breast, and the onlv note we hear from them is a low soft tweet. If !^i ^lii^^l/,; . BUFF-BRP:ASrED SANDPIPIIR. TrYNGITKS SUHRUFICOI.LIS. Char. Uiiper parts yellowish hrnwn mottled with black , central tail- feathers {greenish jjlack, others paler and barred towards the tips j under parts bulfish with a rufous tinge, the linings of the wings paler and beau- tifully marbled with black; breast with a few dark spots. Length about 8 inches. jVest. On a knoll in a grassy plain or near a river bank, — a slight depression lined with a little moss or grass, or a few leaves. Ex^^i,^!- 4 ; pale reddish buff sometimes tinged with olive, profusely marked with lavender and rich reddish brown of several shades; 1.45 X 1.00. This elegant species, some seasons, is not uncommon in the market of Boston in the month of August and September, being met with near the capes of Massachusetts Bay. My friend Mr. Cooper has also obtained specimens from the vicinity of New York ; and it was first discovered by Veil- lot in the then Territory of Louisiana, so that, coursing along the shores of the Mississippi, and thus penetrating inland, it probably proceeds, as well as in the vicinity of the sea-coast, to its northern destination to breed, and is often here associ- ated with the Pectoral Sandpiper, which it resembles very much in size and bill, though perfectly distinct in plumage. As ( I ; If HUll-UULASTLD SANDril'KK. i^i itral tail- s; under nd beau- th about slight Uofusely lies; 145 a proof how wide it wanders, this species has also been rarely obtained even in France and lOngland, and a specimen figured in the J,inna;an Transactions of London is there given as a new addition to the fauna of (Ireat llritain. It was shot in September, 1826, in the parisii of Melbourne, Cambridgeshire, in company with the Siberian Plover, or (Juignard {C/ianu/rius morincllii's') . Its food while here consists principally of land and marine insects, particularly grasshoppers, which, abounding in tiie autumn, become the favorite prey of a variety of birds ; even the Turnstone at this season, laying asiile his arduous employ- ment, is now content to feed u[)on these swarming and easily acquired insects. This Sandpipur is distril)ute(l tluougliout North America, breed- ing in Arctic and Sub-arctic: rej^ions. It is a ratiier rare visitor to this northeastern section, lliouj^Ii more frequently seen in the autunui tlian (hiring tlie spring migrations, the bulk of the flocks going north by the western inland routes, and nesting on the dry plains in the Uarren (Iround region, adjacent to tiic Mackenzie and Anderson Rivers. These birds must migrate \ ' ry rapidly and make but few halts; for while they are quite a' undant on their nesting-ground, they are rarely seen while migrating. They range in winter through the West Indies and southward as far as Brazil and Peru. The lUiff-breasted Sandpiper is a bird of the dry upland rather than of the marsh or the sandy beach. Its principal food consists of insects, — beetles, grasshoppers, and such; but it varies its diet with small marine forms, and does not object to an occasional meal of small fruit and berries. The birds are very tame, and are usually met with in small flocks of ten or fifteen. The note, which is generally heard as the bird rises from the ground, is a low iweet, repeated several times. s^ I -A ■? I i ^ s I i'if*!^" f ■ i I I I! I It' i; I PURPLK SANDPII'KR. WINTER SNIPE ROCK SNII'E. Tkixcja m.\riii.\i\. CllAK. Distinguished frniii oiIilt Sandpipers by its sliort legs, short thiclv ljod\', and darl< color. Adult in summer : upi)Lr parts brownish grav, darker on tlie back, which is spotted with rufous and Ijut'tisli white ; rum]) and ccntial tail-feather-i dull brown, outer tail-t'eatliers asliv grav ; wings grayish brown , under parts gray, paler on the belly ; throat and breast tliicklv spotted with dark brown. In winter the uj^per parts arc jiurplish ash, and the lireast ashy brown or mouse gray ; the belly white. Length variable, averaging about S^^ mches. Ar.f/. Usually amid a tuft of grass near a rocky sea-sliore, but often on high jiills ; generally a little hollow scraped in the soil and lined with some moss or leaves ; but nests have been found composed of dried grass and sunk quite deep in the ground. j'v;'.;''^- 4; P'llc olive, green or dull buff, marked with lilac and brown ; 1.45 X 1. 00. The I'urple Sandpiper is another of those wandering species common to the cold regions of both continents, confining its visits ])rinci]ially to the rocky and shelving sea-coasts, where it obtains in more abundance the minute Crustacea, moUusca, and the fry of shell-fish which adhere commonly to the sea- weeds or J^//(i in snch situations ; and so peculiar is this iiabit that in Holland, where it is now common, it has only appeared with the existence and advancement of the artificial moles which have been built. In Norway along the rocky rURPLE SANDPirER. 135 shores of the Baltic, and on similar coasts of the Mediter- ranean, in the West of England, and around Hudson Bay, these birds are common. In Russia, Siberia, and Iceland they are also found, but less frequently. In the warmer parts of America they are rare. Leaving the inclement coasts of their nativity, they proceed probably by (Greenland, and mi- grate directly to the rocky coasts of Norway, and in the course of the winter visit for a while the colder parts of Europe. According to Dr. Richardson, they breed abundantly on the shores of Hudson Bay, as well as in that coldest and most desolate of boreal climates, Melville Peninsula, laying the usual number of eggs, which are of a i)yriform figure sixteen and a half lines long, and an inch across at the larger end. They are yellowish gray, interspersed with small irregular spots of pale hair-brown, more abundant at the larger end, and rare at the other. This bird is seldom seen inland or on the borders of rivers, where its appearance is accidental ; its piping note is very similar to that of other species ; is not shy, often caught in snares, and the flesh accounted palatable. The Purple Saiidjjipcr is an abundant bird aloni,^ tlic sliorcs of New Brunswick and Xova Scotia during tlic winter niontlis. ap- pearing in large ilocks, and feeding on the rocks and the stony beaches. So large are tlie tiocks. and so compactly do the birds rise when Hushed, that I have known sixty-five to be killed at one shot. In Massachuseits this l)ird is rather uncommon, and is seen only in small groups of three or four, and similar groups are occasion- ally seen on the shores of tlie Great Lakes. Mr. Hagerup reports tliat a few individuals remain in Greenland during the winter montlis. I 136 WADING BIRDS. LEAST SANDPIPER. PEEl'. Tkinga minutilla. Char. Upper parts mottled black, rufous, and dull white, darker on the rump; a light stripe over the eyes; under parts white, spotted with dusky ; breast and sides washed with ashy brown ; toes without web. The smallest of the Sandpipers. Length 5>2 to 6 inches. A'(sf. Usually on a dry hill bordering a lake or pond, but sometimes amid moss close by the sea-shore, — a slight depression, scantily lined with grass and leaves. ^-A'^f- 4; buff or drab thickly marked with brown and lilac; 1.15 X 0.S5. This small and nearly resident species may be considered as the most common and abundant in America, inhabiting the shores and marshes of the whole continent both to the north and south of the equator, retiring probably with the incle- mency of the season, indifferently, from either frigid circle towards the warmer and more' hospitable regions within the tropics. These birds are consequently seen, spring and autumn, in all the markets of the Union as well as in those of the West Indies, Vera Cruz, and in the interior as far as Mexico. Captain Cook also found them on the opposite side of the continent, frequenting the shores of Nootka Sound. The great mass of their pigmy host retire to breed within the desolate lands of the Arctic circle, where, about the 20th of May, or as soon as the snow begins to melt and the rigors of the long and nocturnal winter relax, they are again seen to return to the shores and the swampy borders of their native lakes in the inclement parallel of 66 degrees. Though shy and quailing on their first arrival, with many other aerial passen- gers of like habits, they contribute to give an air of life and activity to these most dreary, otherwise desolate and inhospi- table regions of the earth. Fjidowed with different wants and predilections from the i)recetling hosts, whose general livery they wear, they never seemingly diverge in their passage sc (iiT to the eastward as to visit (Ireenland and the contiguous LEAST SANDPIPER. ^7 extremity of northern Europe, being unknown in the other continent ; and migrating ahvays towards the south, they have thickly peopled almost every part of the country that gave them birth. The Peeps, as they are here called, are seen in the salt- marshes around Boston as early as the 8th of July, — indeed, so seldom are they absent from us in the summer season that they might be taken for denizens of the State or the neighbor- ing countries, did we not know that they repair at an early period of the spring to their breeding-resorts in the distant north, and that as yet, numerous and familiar as they are, the nest and history of their incubation are wholly unknown. When they arrive, now and then accompanied by the Semi- palmated species, the air is sometimes, as it were, clouded with their flocks. Companies led from place to place in quest of food are seen whirling suddenly in circles with a desultory flight, at a distance resembling a swarm of hiving bees seeking out some object on which to settle. At this time, deceiving them by an imitation of their sharp and querulous whistle, the fowler approaches, and adds destruction to the confusion of their timorous and restless flight. Flocking together for com- mon security, the fall of their companions and their plaintive cry excites so much sympathy among the harmless Peeps that, forgetting their own safety, or not well perceiving the cause of the fatality which the gun spreads among them, they fall some- times into such a state of confusion as to be routed with but little effort, until the greedy sportsman is glutted with his timo- rous and infatuated game. When much disturbed they, how- ever, separate into small and wandering parties, where they are now seen gleaning their f;ire of larvae, worms, minute shell- fish, and insects in the salt-marshes or on the muddy and sedgy shores of tide-rivers and ponds. At such times they may be very nearly approached, betraying rather a heedless fiimiliarity than a timorous mistrust of their most wily enemy ; and even when rudely startled they will often return to the same place in the next instant to pursue their lowly occupation of scooping in the mud, — and hence probably originated the 1)1 ■ 'i ■, i 'I \ W il I 138 WADING BIRDS. contemptible appellation of humility, by which they and some other small birds of similar habits have been distinguished. I'or the discover ' of their food their flexible and sensitive awl- like bills are prooed into the mire, marshy soil, or wet sand, in the manner of the Snipe and \Voodcock, and in this way they discover and rout from their hidden retreats the larvae and soft worms which form a i)rincipal part of their fare. At other times they also give chase to insects, and pursue their calling with amusing alacrity. When at length startled or about to join the company they have left, a sharp, short, and monoto- nous whistle like the word pect or peep is uttered, and they instantly take to wing and course along with their com- rades. On seeing the larger marsh-binls feeding, as the Yellow-Shanks and others, a whirling flock of the Peeps will descend amongst them, being generally allowed to feetl in quiet ; and on the approach of the sportsman these little timo- rous rovers are ready to give the alarm. At first a slender peep is heard, which is then followed by two or three others, and presently /^r/ '///> 'pip 'p''p murmurs in a lisping whistle through the quailing ranks as they rise swarming on the wing, and inevitably entice with them their larger but less watchful associates. Towards evening, in fine weather, the marshes almost re-echo with the shrill but rather murmuring or lisping, subdued, and querulous call of peef, and then a repetition of pe-dec, pc-dee, dee tlee, which seems to be the collecting cry of the old birds calling together their brood ; for when assembled, the note changes into a confused murmur oi pect, peet, attended by a short and suppressed whistle. At most times, exce])t in the spring, they are fat and well flavored, though less esteemed than many of the other species from their smallness and an occasional sedgy taste which dete- riorates them. From the oily and deliquescent nature of the fat which loads the cellular membrane in this hyperboreal natal family of birds, we may, perhaps, perceive a constitu- tional reason why most of them thrive better and have such a predilection for those cool and temperate climates in which they renew their exhausted vigor and acquire the requisite LEAST SANDPIl'ER. '39 I Strength and energy necessary for the period of reproduction. It is indeed certain that those stragglers which, from age or disability, remain, as it were hermits, secluded from the rest of the wandering host, do neither propagate nor fatten while thus detained through summer in the warmer climates. Of this fact we have already mentioned instances, in the case of straggling Curlews killed in this vicinity by the i8th of July, — a period when the main mass of the species are engagetl in feeding or just hatching their tender young. This little Sandpiper, which we have named in honor of Wil- son (certainly not being the species first intended as Tfini:;a pusilhx), leaves us by the close of September, and departs from the Middle States towards its remote hibernal retreats in the course of the month of October. The present species and some others appear occasionally to feed partially on vegetable substances as well as on animals, as I have found in their stomachs pieces apparently of zostera roots and flowers of the marsh i)lantain. The I'ccps still throng our sliores each spring and autumn, and are the same active and confiding creatures tliat Xuttall found them. Their general breeding-area is from Labrador to the Arctic Ocean, but a few nests have been discovered south of tlie St. Lawrence : for the nesting iiabits of these birds are no longer unknown. * S'l 111 "A well 'cies Hete- the keal titu- :h a lich lisite n ■ if-fi' I- ! i i";i' ■'^_, .-"n'^^ KNOT. RED-BREASTED SNIPE. ROBIN SNIPE. Tringa canutus. Char Adult in summer ; above, mottled black and gray, tinged with dull rufous; rump ashy white, with dark bars ; tail gray, edged with dull white ; under parts and line over the eyes rich chestnut ; paler on the belly. Adult in winter : above, ashy gray ; below, white, the neck streaked with dusky. Young: much like the adult in winter plumage, but the feathers of the u])per parts are bordered with lines of pale buff and brown, and the breast is tinged with buff. Length about lo^ inches. i\W/. Usually on the margin of a lake or stream, — a slight depres- sion, lined with leaves and grass. i^W.f. 4-9 ; " light pea green, closely spotted with brown in small specks about the size of a pin-head " (Grcrly), or " dun-color, fully marked with reddish" (I/iitc/iiits); i.io X i.oo. This large and variable species, described under such a variety of names, is again a denizen of both continents, pass- ing the summer, or reproductive season, in the utmost habitable KNOT. 141 le limits of the Arctic Circle. Captain Parry's adventurous party found it breeding on Melville Peninsula and in other parts of those hyperboreal regions, as on Seal Islands, probably, near Chatteux Bay, as well as ni the vicinity of Hudson Bay down to the 55 th parallel. It is also supposed to breed in Denmark and in the Orkney Islands. It is likewise met with in Iceland, on the shores of the Caspian, and on the banks of the Don and Choper in Russia ; and continuing eastward towards the American continent, in that direction, is again found in Siberia, and on the other side of the boreal circle at Nootka Sound. About the middle of August, flocks of the Knot, still clad in their nuptial and summer plumage, appear on the shores and in the marshes at the eastern extremity of Massachusetts Bay, particularly around Chatham and the Vineyard. In many, however, the moult of autumn has already commenced ; but in the nearer vicinity of Boston, flocks of the young only are seen ilisguised in the elegantly marked and sober gray of winter. When not harassed, they are by no means shy, allowing of a pretty near approach while busily and sedately employed in gleaning their food along the strand, chiefly at the recess of the tide, where, in friendly company with the small Peep and other kindred species, the busy flocks are seen gleaning up the rejectamenta of the ocean, or cjuickly and intently probing the moist sand for worms and minute shell-fish, running nimbly before the invading surge, and profiting by what it leaves be- hind. They seem like a diminutive army, marshalled in rank, and spreading their animated lines, while perpetually engaged in an advance or retreat before the break of the resounding and ceaseless waves. Bred in solitudes remote from the haunts of men, the young, in particular, seem unconscious of danger from the fowler, and a flock may sometimes be succes- sively thinned by the gun, till the whole are nearly destroyed ; when wounded, however, they take to the water and swim with ease. On the coast of New Jersey and other parts of the Middle States they arrive in October, and are seen along the strand t