IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

/y

V

^

^

w

1//

z

^ .s^i^.

f^ JSS

f/.

^

1.0

I.I

Uit2» |2J

|50 "^ li^K

^ lis III 2£

L25 i 1.4

1.8

1.6

V

V]

:>/ ^?

^ .apiilC

SdKices
Corporation

iP

iV

N>

^^

<^

c^

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(716) 872-4503

■^

'i},^

CIHM/ICMH

Microfiche

Series.

CIHIVI/ICIVIH
Collection de
microfiches.

Canadian Institute for Historicai iMicroraproductions inatitut Canadian da microraproductions hiatoriquaa

1980

i

Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibiiographiques

The Institute has attempted to obtain the best
original copy available for filming. Features of this
copy which may be bibliographically unique,
which may alter any of the images in the
reproduction, or which may significantly change
the usual method of filming, are checked below.

D

D

D

0

D

D

Coloured covers/
Couverture de couleur

I I Covers damaged/

Couverture endommagde

Covars restored and/or laminated/
Couverture restaur^e et/ou peilicuide

□ Cover title missing/
Le titre de couverture manque

I I Coloured maps/

Cartes g6ographiques en couleur

Coloured inl< (i.e. other than blue or black)/
Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire)

I I Coloured plates and/or illustrations/

Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur

Bound with other malarial/
Relid avec d'autres documents

Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion
along interior margin/

La reliure serr^e peut causer de I'ombre ou de la
distortion le long de la marge int^rieure

Blank leaves added during restoration may
appear within the text. Whenever possible, these
have been omitted from filming/
II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajout6es
lors d'una restauration apparaissent dans le texte,
mais, lorsque cela 6tait possible, cas pages n'ont
pas 6X6 filmdes.

Additional comments:/
Commentaires suppidmentaires;

Th
to

L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire
qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Les details
de cet exemplaire qui sont pc^ut-dtre uniques du
point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier
une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une
modification dans la methods normale de filmage
sont indiqu6s ci-dessous.

□ Coloured pages/
Pages de couleur

□ Pages damaged/
Pages endommag^es

I I Pages restored and/or laminated/

D

This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/

Ce document est film^ au taux de reduction indiqu6 ci-dessous.

Pages restauries et/ou pelliculdes

Pages discoloured, stained or foxe(
Pages dicoiories, tachet^es ou piqudes

Pages detached/
Pages ditachdes

Showthrough/
Transparence

Quality of prir

Qualiti in^gaie de I'impression

Includes supplementary materii
Comprend du materiel suppldmentaire

Only edition available/
Seule Edition disponible

I I Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/

I I Pages detached/

I I Showthrough/

I I Quality of print varies/

I I Includes supplementary material/

I I Only edition available/

Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata
slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to
ensure the best possible image/
Les pages totaiement ou partiellement
obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure,
etc., ont 6t6 filmdes 6 nouveau de fagon 6
obtenir la meilleure image possible.

Th
PC
of
fill

Oi
bfl
th
si<
ot
fir
sit
or

Jt
sh
Tl
wl

di
er
be

rij
re
m

10X

14X

18X

22X

26X

30X

y

12X 16X 20X 24X ZiX 32X

The copy filmed here hes been reproduced thenke
to the generosity of:

Library,

Gaological Survey of Canada

L'exempleire f ilmA f ut reproduit grice A la
ginArositA de:

Bibliothiqua,

Commiition Gfologique du Canada

The images appearing here are the best quality
possible considering the condition and legibility
of the original copy and in Iteeping with the
filming contract specifications.

Las images suivantes ont M6 reproduites avec le
plus grand soin. compte tenu de la condition et
de la nettetA de rexempiaire film*, et en
conformity avec les conditions du contrat de
filmage.

Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed
beginning with the front cover and ending on
the last page with a printed or Illustrated impres-
sion, or the bacic cover when appropriate. All
other original copies are filmed beginning on the
first page with a printed or illustrated impres-
sion, and ending on the last page with a printed
or illustrated impression.

Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en
papier est imprimte sont filmte en commenpant
par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la
derniAre page qui comporte une emoreinte
d'impression ou d'lllustration, soit par le second
plat, salon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires
originaux sont fllmte en commenpant par la
premiere page qui comporte une empreinte
d'impression ou d'lllustration et en terminant par
la dernidre page qui comporte une telle
empreinte.

The last recorded frame on each microfiche
shall contain ti^e symbol ^»> (meaning "CON-
TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"),
whichever auplies.

Un des symboles suivants apparattra sur la
darnlAre image de cheque microfiche, sslon le
cas: le symbols — ► signifie "A SUIVRE", le
symbols y signifie "FIN".

hutty. .\ p:c:tes, charts, etc.. may be filmed at
dill ^ent reduction ratios. Those too large to be
entirely included in one exposure are filmed
beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to
right and top to bottom, as many frames as
required. The following diagrams illustrate the
method:

Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre
filmAs d des taux de reduction diff6rents.
Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre
reproduit en un seul clichA, 11 est fiim6 A partir
de I'angle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche A droite,
et de haut en has, en prenant le nombre
d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammos suivants
illustrent la mithode.

1

2

3

1

2

3

4

5

6

SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO KNOWLEDGE.
— 5)85

LIFK IIISTOIMKS

NOETII AMERICAN BIRDS,

FUOM THK I'AKUOTS TO THE CRACKLES,

WITH HI-KI'IAI. IIKKBItKNI'K To

THKIII BRKEDINC HABITS AND EGCS,

BT

CHABLK8 KKNDIRK, CAi'TAix AND BttKVET Majou, V. S. A. (Kotiiml),

Honorary Inrntm- of I In- Ihimrlmriit of (Klogii, U. S. XiiUdiiiiI .)/Na«N>u,
Member 0/ Ihe American OrHillioloijiiitf' f'Hiuii.

WITH

SKVKN UTHOGRAI'HIC I'LATMS.

CITY OF WASniNCiTON:

IMTKLISIIKl) BY Tin; SMITllsONIAN INSTITIITION.

1895.

COMMISSION TO WHOM THIS MKMOIU HAS HKKN UKFKHKKD.

VVlLMAM HitKWSTKH.
ClIAKI.KH V. ItATniKl.DKR.

C. Haut Mkkuiam.

ADVERTISEMENT.

TIk* fiillowiiifj iiicmoir, l)y Afjijor Cliarlcs Hciidiiv, ot' tlie rnitcil Statos
v\niiy, liavinfr hwn pultlislitMl at tlio joint expense of tlie Sinitli.soniaii fund and of
the |)rintin<; ai)i)r(>|»mtion of tlie United States National Musi-nm, two separate
editions are issued, one fonniii;; a portion of tlie series of Hinitlisonian Contri-
hutions to Knowle<lf,'e, and tlie other appuariiiff as a special bnlletin of the
I'liited States National Mnseniii.

In aeeordan«-e with the riilc! adopted hy the Smithsonian Institution, the
work has been subinitted for examination to a eommission in this instance
fonsistinjjof Mr. William Brewster, Doctor C.Hart Merriam, and .Mr.Charles K.
Mateheliler, and h;ivinjr been recommended for |»ublication by these ffentlemen,
it is herewith presented as a work of orif-'insd research, illustratinfr more particu-
larly the life histories of North Aineric-an Birds, from the Parrots to the
Grackk's, with special reference to their breeding habits and eggs.

S. P. Langley,

Sccntan/.
Smithsonian Institution,

W'ufiliiniftoii, (htuhcr, hS'J't.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

I'SiriArK.nIs IIIRDS.

ruiiiily INiiTAiiUK. I'liiriilH, riiriH|iii't», I'ti'.

1. CiiiiuriiH I'liriiliMi-iiiiiH, l.iiiiiii'iiH Cnriiliiiti l'iiriH|iitit (I'l.l, KiK-D-

I'ICAUIAN IIIUIW,

Kaiiiily Cl'i'i l.ll> K. Tin- CiirkiMiH, AiiIh, cfr.

1'. CrnlnplmKn nni, I.iiiiiifiiH Tim Aiii (I'l. I, KiK-t'l

;i. Ci'iiliipliuKii Hiili'iriMli'lH, StviiiiiHcin (ironvi'illiilli'il Aiii i I'l. I, V'lu.l)

4. (iciMMii ryx I'lilMiirniiiliiiM, I.iwhiiii Itiiiiil KiiniHT i I'l. I, I'ijj. 1!)

T). (' v/.iiH ii!iiinr,'(ii.icliii Muntsrovuriickno

t). I'cii'cyziifi iiiiiior inii.vimnli, l>'iil){»»v Miiyimiir» CiickiKi

7. <' 'y/iw iiiiinrlriiiiiis, l.iiiiiK^iiH Yi'lldwliilli'il Ciirkiiii (I'l. V. Tin- ')-

X, ('iii'ty/iiM iiiiiiTiriiiiiiH ncriili'iilMlis, Uiil^wiiy . . ('iilirnnilii l'iirki»> I I'l. V, Vig. '.')

',1. Curry xiis«i'ytlii'ii]ilitliiiliiiiiH, WilHiiii Illiii'k-liilli'il Ciirkoo (I'l. V, KIhh, 'i iind 4)

111. ('iieiiliiH ruiKiruN ti'lepliuiiiiH, llciiii' Silii'iidii t'lirkiio

PuKK.

tr
jt
i»

17

111
III

ar.
•J'

32

roniily riiiii.ii.Mii.K. Tri>K"'ii"-

II. Triigoii ninliigniiH, (iddid Onpiicry-tiiiliMl Tniu"" 'i-

I'aiiiily Ai.iKinMii K. KiiiullHliiTs.

12. IVryln iilryon, I.iniiirna Iti'ltfil KiiiKliHlirr (I'l. I, Ki({. H*

IH. tvryli' uiiiiTiriiiiii Kcpli'iitriiiiiiilis, .''liiirp 'IVxiin Kiii);liHli<'i' (I'l. I, I'm. i)

14. Ci'iyin li>i'i|ii(it.ii. l.iiiiKi'iiH liiiitfixl KiiiKlixlK'i'

I'ICINK ItlKDS.
Fiiiiilly l'irii> K, WooilprckiTs.

Ciiinpi'plillim prIiiripnIlH, I.iiiiiii'iis

DryoliiitcH villoHiiN, l.iiinM'iiK

|lr\ iiliatrM ^-illoN(lH trii('i)itH'liiN, ItiHliljci't

llryobiitt'H vilhmiiH aiiilithnitii, >*waiiiMiiii

IM'yoI'alcs x-iIIoniis liarrisii, .\ii<lii>H>n

Hryoliati'H viIIokiis liyliimnpiiH, Caliaiiis

hryolialrN ]tn)trH('iMiK. l.miia'iiN

Drynliati'H piili<-Hi>ciiH ^ainliifi'ii, Aiidiilinii

l>ryiiI»ati'M pdlicHrciiM iMt'it'cdf*. Italcliolilrr

MiyoliatrH licnralU, Vicillnl

Hryiiliatf'H Hcalaiis l>airili. Srlatcr

Itryoltrttt'!* HcalariH liicaHaiiiiM. XaiitiiH

Hryiiliati'H iiiillallii. (lanilii'l

IHyiiliateH ai'i;?<>iia', llar^itl

Xi'iiopiiMis alliiiliirvatiiN, ( 'asMin

I'irtiiili-H art^tiriiH, Swaiiisoii

I'iroiilcH aiiii'ricaiiiiH, liicliiii

I'ivdidrH ainericaiiiiH nlaHi-i'iiHis, N'rlstni

l*i4'oi<li'H aiiioriranuM ilortaliK, Itainl

Spliyrapiciis variiiH, I.iiiiiiriiH

Spbyrapivim variim iiiichuliH, llaliil.t

Ivory-liillril Wiioilppikrr

Hairy WiiiMlpcckt-r

Norllinni Hairy Womlpi'ckiir

Sniilliorii Hairy Wduilpt'i'kor

llarrisH WiiiKlpci'krr

raliaiiiN'.M \V(Hiil])i>ckrr

Downy \\ii(MlpiMkiT(l'l. I, l-'i^. 211.

liairdin'r's WiMnlpcckfr

natcld'lilrr'H W'lHHlpm'krr

Ki'd-cockiKlnl W(MMlp<M-k«r

Iliiird'HWnddi kiT

St. Liiras Wdodporkf'r

Null all's \ViM>dp<Mkdr

Arixoiia WiMidprcki'r

Wliiti'-hi'adi'd Woiidpnki'r

Arclir Tlir Idt'd \V lpe«'k<'r

Aiiicrii'an 'riiri'c-liii'd WKodpcckcr.
Ala.Hkan Tliri'c tiicd Wiindpi'ckiT..
Alpine Tlirrc-tiM'd Wooilppcknr.. . .

Y«(llo«-liolli(Ml SajmnckiT

licd-naped Supsncker

:u

40

4L'

4t;

r><)

51

m
lii
fa
ft".

li'i
liX
7(t
74
77
W)
HO
H2
88

VI

TAIlIii: Ol' (;()NTKNT8.

fHflK

IK!

KU
107

3fl. Spliyrnpii'iiN riilicr, (Imcliii lii'il-lirniuitri) SniiHiirkfr

117. Splivrupii'iiH lli\riiiil»iiH, CiiHitiii WilliiiiiiHoii'H Sii|>niii'ki'r :

SIM. Criiplilii'iiH pili'iiliiH, l.iniiii'iin I'iliMtd'il \ViHi<lpri'ki<i' (I'l. I< I''Ik-*>)

!IW. MolaiiiTpi'it I'i'vtIirix'i'pliiiliiH, I.Iiiiiii'Iih liiil liimili'il WixiilpockiT

4(1. .Mrliinrrpc'K fiii'iiiiclviiriiH Imirili, Kiil^wiiv ('iililoriiiaii Wimilpei'kiT ,

41. .Mrltiiirrpi'M riirniic'ivoriiM iiiiKiiHtifrniiH, llaiiil .. Niirriiw-i'rniiti'il WiiiHlpnrki)!' 117

4.'. Mcliiiiiirpi'M liiii|iiatiin, WIImoii l.i'wiH'n \Vniiil| krr 117

4^1. .Mi'liiiii'rpi'H c'iii'i>liiiiin, l.iiiiiii'ii.< Iiii(|.|ii'llii'il WiHiilpiM'ktT lUI

41. .MoliiiHirpos uiirit'riiim, \Vii){l<ir tiiilili'ii-l'ronti^il WiHiilprikiT 1U4

4.">. M«laii«rpi'K iinipyuiiili", Hainl tlila Wooilpocki^r 127

4<>. Oiilaplt's aural iiH, l.iiiiiaiiH I'lii-ktir I'-lt

47. Ciilapti'H cafi'i-, (iiiii'liii I{(»|.Hlial'li>(l Klicknr 1!H

4k. Ciilapti'H cafm Hatiiialinr, ltiil|;wa.v Niprtli\v:«l«rii Kliikcr i:t7

•III. Cnlapli'H ■'lii'VHiiiili'H, .Mallmrliu (iililril I'lirker l;W

OU. Uiilitptu* riillpiloiis, Uiil^way (tiiailnliipu Kliukur 140

ni.
6a.

r.i.

55.

m.

57.
5X.
5!t.

tso.

Ul.

MACKt>C'IIII<iNK ItlKDS.

Kniiiil.v ('.\i'iiiMi LiiiD.K. (iontHiirkm, flt^-.

AntriMtnmiii I'nrolintMiHiH, (iiiioliii Clinrk-wiU'H-wiilnw (I'l. I. Pigft. A, 9) t(3

Auli'oHtiiiiiiiH viiviluriiH, WIIhoii Wlilp-piiiii-will (I'l. I. I'i^h. Hi, II) I Mi

.\iitniHtoiiniH viirili'i'iiH iiiari'iiiiivHtax, Wauli'i". ■ .'*ti'pliiMi»'H Wliippimrwill 151

I'liiila'MiipliliiH iiiittalli. Aiiiliiliiiii I 'nor- will (I'l. I, Vig. 'J'A) 15:1

I'liulaiKiplllilH iiiiltalli iiiliiliiH, llrrWHtur I'riMtril riiiir-wlll 157

I'lialu'iiiiptiliis nut tall I caliriiriiiiiiH, Itiilftway. . Uimky I'nor-will 15S

HiO
lt»
lt>7
170
172

N'yirtiilrimiim alliiiolliH iiii'irllli. Sniiii'tl MiMiiU'n raraiii|iii' (IM. II, h'ign. 1.2)

Cliiirili-ilrH virciiiiaiiiiK, (liiiiiliii NJKlitliawk (I'l. Ill, KiifN. 1,2, :i)

Cliiinli'lli'M vlr;;iiilaiiiiH limirvi, Cas.sin WchIi'im N'luliiliawk ( I'l. Ill, I'in. I)

CIiiiiiIimIi'* \ ii'Kiliiaiiils iliapinani. .Scnnelt Kliiiiila Ni);liHia«k (I'l. Ill, Vin*. .">,•!)

(iiiirili'ili'H at'iitipi^iniiM te.\uii)iiH, Lawrviico Toxuii Nii^lil hawk (I'l. Ill, Kics, 7, t<, U, 10)...

I'aiiiily Miriini'iiniiiK. .SwIltH.

(12. ('ypuplcidcR iilKi-r, (;iiii'liii

tkl. Cliatiira pri.iKira, l.iiinaUH

•M. Cliatiira vaiisii, Tiiw ii-n'iiil

(15. Ai'rniiuiitrH iiii'laii'ili'iiriiH, llaiiil .

... Illaik .Swift 175

... ('Iiiiiiiicy Swift (I'l. 1, Ki^. 25) 177

... Vaiix'H Swift (I'l. I, l'i(J.2(!) IKt

. .. Wliili'-tliriiatiil .Swift 1K>

Family 'riiiiniii.in K. lliiniiiiiiiKl'irilii,

fid. KiiKi'tirN fit l);)>ii.s, SwniiiHnii Kivoli lliiiniiiiiiuliinl IKX

07. t'lilini'iin ili'iiiiiiria', I.i'hsiiii Kliii'-llniiati'il lliiliiiiiiii!;!iirii 1!H)

tW. 'ri'ii'liilii.i I'liliiliriH, l.iiiiiaiDi liiiliv -lliiiiati'il liiiiiiiiiiii);liiril (I'l. 1, l-'i^. 27) 1!)2

(!!). 'ri'iii'liiluHali'xaiiilri, lliiiirricr anil Miilwint Illaik-iliiiinril lliinnninKliiril lOS

70. TriirliilnH viola jii);nlnni,.li>l1iii'H Viuliit tlirnali'il lliniiniinul'ii'il 2lil

71. ('alyptii I'osta', Itniirrii'i' CiiHta'N lliiiiiiiiiii;,'liiiil 202

72. Talyptr anna, I.i'mmihi \nna'M lliiinniiu;!lHMl 20*1

711. .Si'laBpliiiiiiN lliiri'.sii, (iniilil Klini'Mi's llniinniiiKliiril 200

74. .St'laHpliiiMiH )ilatyri>r(-ns, SwaiuHon Itrnail-taiifil iluniuiin^liii'il 210

75. Si'laNplittniH i-iit'itH, (inirliii IfnfoiiH llnniniin);)iiril 2 1 It

7t>. .Si'laHpliiii'iiH alli'iii, lli'nHlniw .Mlrn'.i llnniniinfiliinl 2 Hi

77. .Strllnia ralliopr, tinulil < 'allinpr llnnnnin<;liiril 210

7X. Caliitlioiax IniifiT, SwainMiin I.nrifi'r lliiniiiiinuliinl 222

70. A ma/ ilia fiiNrii'anilata. KiiiHrr liii'lVi'i'x llniiiininuliiiil 223

XO .\ina/.ilia iitrviiiivrntiiii, (inulil llnlV liulliiil llniiiniiiiKliii'il 225

XI. llaHiliniia xanlnHi, I ,a wri'in'c XaiitnH'H iliiiinninf'liiril 22li

82. llaHilinna li'iirnlis, X'ii'illiit Wliiti' I'ari'il llnnniiinuliii'il 227

83. laebu lalirustriB, tSwaiuBou ilrnail-liilleil lluuiiuiuKliiril 228

TASSKKINK IlIKDS.
FMiiiily t'liiiM.iii K. OiitinKaH.
84. I'lutypiiai'iH alliiveiiti'iii, l.awrenre XantnsH lleiaril .

230

■ I'
;■ ,t*

'

TAULK OK roNTKNTS.

VII

Knnilly Tvii.»nmii k. Tyriiiit KlyniWhi'in.

85.

Ml.
H7.
W.

m.

•M).

III.
If.'.

1)3.
IM.

11,1.

INI.

117.

W.

!«».
UK).
101.
IIL'.

u);i.
■III.

10.-..
lINi.

III?.

IIIX.
111!).

nil.
111.

ii;{.
111.

ll.V
nil.
117.
UK
1 1ll.
U'll.
ILM.
IL'L'.

11!4.

I I'll.
U'7.
VM.
VM.
VM>.

i:ii.
i;iL'.
i:i:i.
i;ii.
i;m.
I mi.

i;i7.

I3X.

i;i!i.
no.
III.
II;.'.
ii:i.

MllviiliK lyriiniiiiii, l.liinii'iiH

Milt llltlH I'iM'liriltllN, lillll'lill

i',\ iMtiiiri« I Mini nils, l.iiiiiiiiin

'I'yi'iiiiiiiiN •liiiniiili'riinin, liiiinlin

'r,\riiiiiMH iiiiiliiiirliiiliniHi'iiiioliil, IliiinI

ryriiniiiiM vi rtliiiliH, Say

'ryriiiiiiiiN viiiiri'iiiiis, S\(MiiiHiiii

rilaniliiHili'rIiiiiMiiM. Kiiii|i

.Myicizi'li'ti'N li'M'iiHiH, (iiniiiil

Myiixl.N iiiiNtin Inti'ivciiiiis, Si'liitvr

Mvliiri'liiis rrliiitiiH, Liii:i;i'iiH

My lurch MH iiii-\iriiiiim, Kiiii|i

Myiiii'i'IniK iMi'xIruiiiiH iimuiHliT, l{iil)(wiiy . .

MyinirliiiH rini'iiiHri'iiH, l.iiwriMiiu

.MyiiiirliiiH riniii'iiHi'i'im iiiitllnt;!, ItlilKWiiy. .

MyiiirrliiiH liivMi'iiri'li, liiiiiinl

Myiiirrliim lawi'i'iirci olixiihruiiH, Iviilj^way.

Siiyoi'iiJH iiliii'lii', l.alhaiii

SiiMirniH Kiiyii, lliiiia|iiirt<'

.Siyiiriiis iiiKriraiiH, SwaiiiHini

('uiil<>|iiiK liiircaliH, .SsvaiiiHUli

('iiiitii|iii!i |iertiiiu\. CaliaiilN

('iiiitniiiiH \ iri'iiH, l.liiiiii'iiH

('iiiiti>|iiiK rii'lianlmiiili, SwaiiiNiiii

Kinpiilotiax li;ivivi'iiti'iH, llalril

Kiiiliiiloiiax illMli'ili.:, Ilaird

Kinpiiloiiax liiiiTlliiiH, Itiinvntitr

KiiipitliMiiix arailiciii*. (iiiiiOiii

Kiii|>iili>na\ iniHillun, Swainsoii

I''.iii|iiiliiiiax inmilliis Irulllil, Aiiiliilioii

I''.iii|ilili>iiiix inliiiiiiiiH, llalril

Kiiiv><l<>iiax liaiiiiiiiinili, XaiiliiH

Kiiipitliiiiax \vrl);litii, llalril

KiiipiiliMiax ^riHuiiH, llri-wHtrr

Kinpiiliiiiax riilvilVoiiH, lijraiKl

Kiiipiiliiniix riilvifi'iiiiB pyKiniiiiH, (iimih . ..
i'vriM-MplialiiH riiliiiiiMiH iiittxiraiiiiN, .Srlatri'.

< triiitliiiiii iiiilirrlir, Si'laU^r

Di'uitUiuii imliurbu riilgwuyi, llruwHtor

Kiirk-lailiMl Klycatrhi-r

Si'inMii'luili'il I'lyi'atrlii-r ll'l. I, KIk*. lii, IM)

Kiii)rl>>i<t il'i. I. I"i«". II. l"i)

lirii,\ KiiikI'IkI (I'I. n, I'iuH. Il, I)

(' liH KliiKl>ir<l ll'l. II, I'U". •'••Ill

.\rkaii»a8 KiiiKliiiil i I'I. I, I-'Ikh. Ill, 17)

CaHMiiiH Kiiiiflilnl (I'I. I. I'Ikn. IM, III)

iMI.y riyral. Iiir (I'I. I. IIk". 11). I'I )

lilraiiil'H l<'lyi'ati'lii<r ll'l. I, Fi^. L'J)

Hiilpliiir l.illii'il riycalilinr (I'I. II. I'lg.7)

Cri'sli'il Klyrati'lixr ll'l. II, KIkh.H, i)|

Mrxiiaii Crriiti'il Klyi'iitrlii r (I'I. II. Vina. 10, 111

.\ri/iiiia CrmliMl riyi'tttclicr (I'I. II, I'Ik. 12)

AHlitliniiitoil Kly. iitclirr (I'I. II, I'ltf. i:i|

NiitliiiK'H Klynilelii r ll'l. II. I'ijj. II)

I.uwniirr's Klyiatclmr

< 'livin'eoiiH riycatcliur

I'linliod'l. I, FiK. L'X)

Hiiys I'liiili., ll'l. I, KiK. Ill)

Illuik I'liiilic ll'l. I. KiK. ;it))

Olivi' itliliil Klycatilifr d'l. II, KIkh. I"., Itl)

Coiuih'h I'lyfutrlirr (I'I. II, I-'Ib. 17)

Wiioil rc\vi'«(l'l. II, KIkh. IK. I!))

Wi'iil.rii WimmI I'ewci' (I'I. II, KIkb. ao, L'l,!'.')

, Velli.wl.cllicil Klycatcli.T (I'I. II, I'iif. L'H)

. WoBtcrii Flyiatch.r d'l. II, I'Ik. I'I, !'.">

. St. l.ni'aK Klyiatrlicr

. Ai'mliaii Klycatclim- d'l. II, I'ihh. Itl, 27)

, LittU' Klyiat.'hcr d'l. II, n«H. 2K, 111)

. Tralll'H KlyiMlihir d'l. II, l'i){. 30 »

. I.enHt Klyiatclii'r d'l. 11, I'ii.'. Itl)

. llaiiiiiioiiirN Klyi'iili'licr d'l. II, riK.112)

. Wri^lit'-i l-lyiatrliiT d'l. II, I'I),'. :t:t)

. (irB\ I'lyratclmr

. KiilviiiiN F'lycati'liiT

. Iliill'liriiaslcil Klycatelior

. VcnniliDH I'lynilclifr ( I'I. II, I'ijfH. ;tl,!iri)

. llrarilli'MM I'lyrati'liitr

. Kiiluwav'H riyratrlior

2:11
2:1:1
2:1*1
211
213
24,1
2111
2,'il
251
2flll
2,MI
2)i:i
2tll
2IMI
21111
270
270
272
270
2K0
2X2
2Mt
2KM
2lt|
21)|-|
2!)H

:ioi
:io2
:tori

310
312
315

31H

;i20
:t2!
:i2i
:i22

32,-)

raiiiilv Ai.vuiiii) I,. l.arkH.

.Manila iirvpiixlH, l.iniia'iiH .

lltoriiriH alpi'Nlris, Miiiiaiis

UtiM-oriH iilprr^ti'iH li'iivnlMMiia. CiiiifN

utiiriiris alpi'xlriH praliiiila, llriisliaw

OtiH'iiriH alpcNlrlH ari'iiirula, ili'imlian

< tturnris alpi-HtriH ;;ii-aiiili, HiMiNliaw

utof'orls alpiiNtris rlir\Nulii-iiii), W'a^lur

I )tO('nrlN alprstriM nilii'it, llrnsliaw

Dldi'iit'iii alpi'stris Htri^ala. Ili'iisliaw

OtiiriiriH alpitHlrU ailiota, lini^lit

oiociiriM iilprKtriH iiioM'illi, |l\vi;;lit

llliiciiriH alpiHlrlN palliilu, TowiimiiiiI

Dtiii'uria alprstris iiiiiiilariH, Toniisciiil

.•*kylark (I'I. V. Kig.23) :I2/

llonii'il l.ark :i:iO

Pallid llnninl Lark d'l. V, Ki^'.-'ll :i:i2

I'lairii' llnrniMl l.ark d'l. V, Ki^. 2.1) 3:U

lle.surl lliirii.il l.ark 1 I'I. \ . l'i){. 2)i) :t:ix

Tiixaii lliiriiril l.ark d'l. V, Kin. 27) 310

Muxiian lliiriiitil l.ark d'l. V, I'Ik. 2«) :ill

Kiiilily lliiriif.l l.ark d'l. V, I'I),'. 2'J) 343

.Slrrakril llor I l.ark :H4

Siiiiclii'il llnriinl l.ark 1 I'I. V. KitJ. :il ) :Ur>

llii.sky ll.irmil l.ark d'l. V, I'Mk. :tO) :II(I

>><iiiiiiraii Iliiriiril l.ark :I47

liiHiilar lluriiril l.ark 317

raiiiily ('oliviii.i:. Crows, .lays, .MuKpiiii, I'to.

I'ira pirn liiiilHoiiii'ii, •'^aliilir

I'ira iiiittulli, .Viiiliilinii

Cyaiinritta iriHtata, l.iiiiia'iiH

Cyaiiiii'lila crintata lloriiiiiila, Coiios

ryaiiiM'ltta Hti'Ilcri, (•nu'lin

ryaiiiM'itta Hti-llcri IVinitalis. K'iil^way . . .
I'yaiiut'itia Bit'llcri iiiiicrnliiplia, llairil. ...

Amcrlraii Magpie ll'l. Ill, KigH. n, 12, 13)

Villow-I.illcd .■.lairpi,, d'l. Ill, l'i({. II)

llliic ,liiy d'l. V, KigK. .I, li)

I'lorida lllii.^ .lay d'l. V, IMkh. 7, «)

Sicllrr's.luy (I'I. V, Viu.'.l)

Illiin-I'roiitrd .lay d'l. V, I'i),'. 10)

l.oiiK-rrcHtfd .lay d'l. V, l'i(;.s. 11, 12)

31!)

:i.-M
:i.->o

Ml
•MV2
■M'iS
■Ml

VIII

TAIJKK OF ("OXTKNTS.

I'll'

Ml.

I ir>.
lilt.

117.
MM.

III).
I,-I«».
ir>i.
ir.a.
I.'".:!.

I.M.

iw>.
i.v,.

l.'-.T.
IW.
l.MI.
ItU).

nil.

UVJ.

itii.

II'm.

itw.

1117.

C.vni itin HtiOlt'i'i aiintx'tKiia, lluiril

Aplii'liHiiiiiit lliiriiliiiiii, lliiiii'ittii

A|ilii'liM'iiiim wiiiiilliiiiiai'i, llitlnl

,\|itiiiliM>fiiiiii i-iiJiriM'iiii'ii, ViK<>ri*

.\|ilinlii('iiiiiu >'uliri>riili'ii liy|iiiliiiir>, |{|iIk"i».v
A|ilii'1iii'iMiin riilir<ii iili'it iilinoiitii, Anlliiiiiv ...

A|ili<iliir<iiiiii iiiniiliirl:), lli'tinliiiw

A|ili«li nut niiilii'iii ari/.iiiiii', |{iil)(Wtt}'

A|ilii'liM'iiiiiJi I'ViinoliH, KIiIkwii.v

Xiiiitlioiirii liixMiiHii, l.i'Hniiii

I'l'i'lHiiri'iiN rMiiaiit'tiniN, l.iiiiiii'iiit

ri'l'iHOI'ltim (JtlllKlltllNiH CJIIlillllin, llllilll

IS-riNiireiiH cjiniMh'iiNiH t'liiiiil'mnN, Kitl)(\Miy. ...
ruriniipiillH I'llllJlili'llHin lliKI'><'l>|illlllH, ItiilKHUv

IN-riHuri'iiH iiliNniniH, Hiil^wiiy

rm- viiH i-iii'ii\ hill mil iiH, \Vu^li>r

I'lirMiH riii'iix |ii'iiii'i|iitliH, IliilKwity

rnrviiH rr> ptnUMit-iiH, roiirli

CiirviiH iiiiii'ririiMiiM, AiiiIiiImiii

t'lirviin iiniorli'iiiiiiN tliiriilaiiiiH, Iliiiiil

Ciirviin I'liiiriiiiin, lliiinl

I'lirviiH i>HHit'ni){iiH. WIIhuii

NiK'ilraisii niliiinliiiiiia, WIIhiiii

('.TaiiucviiliuliiH i'yaiiiii:i<|ilialiin, Wli'il

Illui'k-liniiiii'il .lay

Kliiriila .lu\ (I'l. V, Kiu. IM)

\Voil(lllllHH<'» .liij (i'l. V, I'lg. II)

Calil'orhla.lay (IM. V. Kiuii. in.lll, 17, IN)

Xaiihin'n.lay

IlKliliiiu'n ,liiy

Saiila ^'\■n/ .l»y

Arl/i.iia .lay (I'l. V, KIkii. I!», lit)

Iliiii' raii'il .lay

I if lay (I'l. Ill, KitfH. I."i, 111, 17)

(Jaiiailu ,iay d'l. Ill, ll«i.. IK, 111)

Kinky Mull II tain .lay

Alaalfaii ,lay

I.uliraclnr.lay (I'l. Ill, I'Ik. at)

iiri'ifiiii .lay (I'l. III. Ki^. L'l)

AiiiiMiran Kavi'ii d'l. IV, I'Ikm. 1,1')

Norlliuiii Kavi'ii ( I'l. t\, I'ik.;!)

Wliili' iKx'ki'il Itavni il'l. i\ , KIuh. I,. Ml, 7)

Aiiii'rii'aii ( niw (I'l IV, riK>i.K,|l, III, II, 11'; I'l. V,
I'iCH.l'M'l'l.

Kli.i ilia tii.w (I'l. IV, KiKx. Kt, 11)

Niirtliwi'Ht Crinv (I'l. IV, KIk. I,"iI

rihli Criiw (I'l. IV. ri){M. Hi. I7i

( •|aiki''M \ iitirackiT ( I'l. 1 1 1, 1'iKK. '£i, S.')

I'lfiim,liiy (I'l. III,I'I«",1'I,1'5)

:uiii
:i7it

IW. .stiiniiiH viilKariH. I.iniii

Kuiiiily SiriiMiii^. .SlariiiiKH.
Starling

Taiiiily IriKiill'i. lllaikliinlH, i iriiilita. i-t<'.

Hill. Iiolii'liiiiiyx iiiy/.iviirnH, LI iih Iliiliiilink (I'l. VI, l''i>;H. 1,2)

I'll. Miiliillii'iiH alir. Iliiililiril Ciiwlilril d'l. VI, l'i|{M. ;t, 1,5,(1)

171. MiiliitliriiH al<<r iilimiiiiiN, (iini'liii HwarrCnw liinl (I'l. VI, l-'i^H. 7, Hi

171'. ralliitliriiN I'oliiiHtiiH, CalianlH Kcil-ryi'il Cnwliiiil (I'l. VI, V'ifi. Ill

17)1. .\aiitli<ii'<'|iliuliiH .xaiitliori'iilialiiH, lliiiiu|iai't<'. . . Vt'llnu-lii'aili'il lllai'kliii<l ( I'l. VI, I'Ik". I<>, H, H')

171. AKi'laiim plKi'iiii'i'iiH, l.iniia'iix Ki'il-wiiiKi'il lllackliinl ( I'l. VI, FI);h. I:I, II, l,'>)...

17''>. AKi'laiiiH pliii'iiii'iHiH mmorii'niilH, l<iilK"ay .Siiioraii KrilwiiiK

I7li. .\KuliiiiiM phii'iiii'iMiH Illy ant i, Kiiluwiiy Ilaliaiiian Koilwiii);

177. AK«laiiiB Kiiboriiatiir,\VaKl<!r Hiiolnrcil lllai-kliinl i I'l. VI, l"ij;». Hi, 17)

MX. AKi'liiiiiH tiiroliir, Niiltiill 'I'riioloriil lllaikliiril d'l. VI. I'i|{ii. IK, lit)

1711. .'^tiiriiulla iiiaKiia, l.liiniriiH Moailnwlark d'l. VI, I'Ikh. I'd, I'l i

IMI. Slnriii'lla iimuiia iiii>\irniia, Srlatvr Mi'viraii Mcailunlaik d'l. VI, Ki);. Jl')

IKl. .'^Iiinirlla iiiacna iiiuliMta, AiiiIiiImiii WchIitii MiiiKliiwIark (I'l. VI, Kigii. l'!!, I'l)

IKl'. IrliiriiH ii'tiMiH, l.iiiiia'iiH 'rrinipial

IK;|. Irtiii'iiN );iilai'is, Watjicr Iliilar • Iriiilii

IKl. IrtcniH aniliitiiiiiii, liiraiiil AiKliilimrH itrinlii d'l. VI. I'Ikh. :!.\ I'ti, 1*7)

lK."i. litriiiH piiiiHiiniiii, lloiiapartii .ScoK'h iliiulo d'l. \'l. l''i)jH. I'K, ill)

IHil. Ii'ti'i'iiN riiriillaliis, SwaiiiNiiii IIiiiiiUkI (Iriolu (I'l. VI. I'Ikk. :iii. Itl.Ill')

IK7. li'li'i'iiN rill iillatiiH iiulwiiii, lii<l);way Ai'i/iiiia lliiiiili'il (liiiili. (I'l. VII, \'inn. 1,2)

IKK. Ii'tiTiiK NpiiriiiN, Liiina'iiH (Ircliaril Oriolii (I'l. VII. FiK". 'X l."i)

IK!t. Ii-UTiiM (riilliiiia, I, in u» Dalliiiiori' (Jrinln (I'l. VII, I'inM. 6. 7. K. !l)

IIKI. IcttTiiH liiill(ii'ki,.Swainin>n IliiUiirk h Oiiiili) d'l. VII, I'iKii. 111. II. 11'. Kl)

l!ll. Si'iiliMiipliaRiisrariiliniiii, Miiller Ku.sty lllairktiiril (I'l. VII. Kikh. ll,l."i,lli>

liH'. Si'ul<M'iiphit),'iiH I'yaiitM'KplialiiK, Wiittlor Ilri'wei's BIttckliiiil d'l. VII, I'iuH. 17, IK, 111, I'll)..

I'.lll. (^iiiHcaliiH i|iiiariila, l.liina'iiH I'lirplii linicklii d'l. VII, Kikh. I'l. I'l', '2',\)

I!H. t^nidcaliin i|iiim'iila aKln'im, Itairil Kliiiiilalinicklr d'l. VII, Ki;;H. l'l,l'."i)

l!t,"i. (^iiiMcalim i|iiiHi'iila :riii'ii», Iiiil);way Ilmiizi'il (irauklr ( I'l. VII, Fi)^. lli, 27)

HHi. QiiiHi'aliiH nmrroiiriiN, Swainaiiu (iroat-tailuil liniL'klu (I'l. VII, KiftH. 2K, 211)

1!)7. Quiuculuii uii^or, Vieillot lloat-tailea Uruckle (1*1. VII, FigH. 30,111)

:t7l
;t7K
:i7ii
:i70

:tM(t
;iKi'
:tKt
;iK^
:iKK

.IWI

:titi'
liiti
:i!iii

4011
lO'i

Htr>

4 III

III

415
4IH
424

427

4211

i;ii

411
44;i
4 Hi
4111

4.-.:i

I.Vl
4.V.

im
4.-1K

Hil
4112
4li*i
4116

Itiil
471
471
47ti

I7!l
4K2

IWi

I Kit

4ii:i

4!I7

.'■.1 10
.Mil
.->04
50U

I N T R C) D U C r I O N

Tliis voliinu* nil tli«; Life IliHtorics nf Nurtli Aiin'iiciin HinlH, likt- flic one
prccffliiin', \f. ItiiHt'd on tlit> cullcftionH in tlir linitfil StiitcM Nntinnal Mnscuni,
and rdiitcs unly Ut land hirds. The ilaHHiticafinn ;>'ivt'n in tin- Cudr an<l ( 'lit-ck
LiHt of tlu' Aini'ri«wi ( )niitliuluyists' Uninn lian aj^ain Immmi liillowfil, and the
HjHM'ics an! siilmpecit'H liavtt ItecMi troat«'d in a niainiiM' niinilar to tliat adoptt'd
in tlu' earlier volnnii'.

Sint'ct tlu ])nl>lit'ution of tlie initial volume the oiilo^ieal colleetion han
been very materially iiu-reased. |)r. William L. l»al|ili, of I'tica, New York,
linH, with eonunendahhf liberality, presente«l liiH entire eolleetion, mindierin<(
over seven thousand speeinuMis, to the Smithsiaiian Institution. This eontains
lieautifuily jirepared st-ts of the eff^i's ot" many of the rarer species, (piite a
nund)<'r of whicli have heretofore been unrepresented. 'I'o this (dIle<'tion our
{funerous friend is eoiistantly addinjj, rej^jardless of expense.

iMy thanks are espeeiully duo to Dr. Italph and to my numerous corre-
spondents whose names ujtpear in the body of this vohmu'; by the kind
eo(»peration of these {gentlemen I have been {greatly aided in th.' preparation of
this work. I am also indebted to tlm I'nited States Department of Ayri( ulture
for the many courtesies extended throujih Dr. ('. Ilart Merriaui, wiio has j;iveu
uie acj'ess to the collections and furnished me with the results of the investi};;a-
tiouH miide by this Department.

The ori}>inal water-coh»r drawiiiffs from which the jdates have Immmi repro-
duced, like those of the former volume, are the work of Mr. .lolm L. I{iilj>wav,
of VVashin;:fton, District of Columbia, and of the same standard of excellence.
The chromo-litlio;»'raphic reproductions are by the Ketterlinus Printiu};' C'om-
])any, of I'hiladelphia, Pennsylvania, and I am pleased to be able to say that
they come up fully to my expectations. The illustrations are all natural size.

The Althok.

LIFE HISTOWES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

By Ciiaiilks IIknihiir, Cniifnin iiwrf llrn'el Major, V. S. Army (retired).

psrrrAOEous btkds.

Family PSITTACIDJi I'akkots, Pakoquets, ktc.
I. Conurus carolinensis (I^inn.kus).

CAROLINA I'AKOQUET.

PsitlacKii caroUtwiisu LiNNvKt'S, Bysteiiiii Xiituni', ml. 10, I, 1758, 1(7.
Conunin ruroliiieitgis Lesson, Traitc (I'Oniitliolojfic, ISJJl, liil.

(]{ (!5, C ;5ir>. It 3!t2, 0 4(iO, U 'M-J.)

Gkoouai'IIICAI. uange: Floi'.ida Mini tlic iiidiau Territory, siioradiciilly only; casually
aloiifr the Ciulf coast aud the Lowlt Mississippi Valley, north to southwestern .Missouri.

The riin<,'o of the Ciiroliiia Paro(|U('t, tlic only reprcsentativei in tlio I'nited
Statos of tliis nuincrons family, is yearly lK'comiiii>- moro and mon^ rcstricti'd,
and is now mainly confini'd to some of tlio loss acct'ssihio portions of soutlu-ni
Florida, and to very limited areas in tin; sparsely settled sections of the Indian
Territory, where it is only a ([uestion of a few years i)efore its total extermination
will lie accomplished. Formerly this species had (piite an extensive distribution
in the United States, ran<iin<r from Florida, the (Julf, and the South Atlantic
States ;:fenerally, north to Maryland, I'enn.sylvania, Oiiio, Indiana, Illinois and
Nebraska, and casually even to Micliifran and New Y(U'k, while west it reached
to Texas and eastern Cohu-ath). It was csijeciallv conunon tiien tiu'ou"-hout
the entire Mississippi Valley and the heavily timbered bottom lands of the larjrer
tributaries of this stream.

With th(! more jreneral settlement of the reffions inhabite(l i)y these l)irds,
their numl)ers have firathially but steadily diminishe(i, and even as earlv as iS.'J'i
Audubon speaks of their not beinjy nearly as common as formerly. As late,
however, as l.SdO tluiy were .still comparatively numerous throuj^hout the CJuIf
States and the ^Mississippi, Arkan.sas, and White Kiver valleys; and I well
remend)er seeiiiff lar<ie flocks of the.se birds throufrliout that year in the vicinity
of Fort Smitli, Arkansas, and near several of the military iiosts in the Indian
lerritorx'.

KiS'.Hi— No. ;) 1 J

LIFE UISTOIUES OF NOllTU AMEIUOAN UlliDS.

m

At present it is vory doubtful if the C'arolina I'iiroquct can be cousidcrcHl
a R'<>ulai' ivsident anywhere exfeptuifjf the hx-ahties ah-cadyiiieiitioiUMl, and it
Ih rapidly disappeariufi^ from these, especially the Indian Territory. ()e(ra-
sionally a jiair are still seen in southern Louisiana, anil as late as the fall of
181>1 Mr. Thurnian S. Powell saw a couple at the liinehpin Canipiu''' (Jrounds,
Stone County, Missouri. Althouf^h rather re.stless l)irds at all tinu-s, tliey can
ji'enerally be considered as residents wherever found, rovinjf altout from place
to jdace in sean-h of suitable* feedinjf grounds, and usually returninj;' to tlio
sauu- roostini;' place, some large hollow tree, to winch they retire at night,
hooking or suspending themselves by* their jMiwerful beaks and claws to the
inner rougli wall of the cavity.

IVevious to the more extensive settlement of the coinitry, tlieir food consis:ed
of the seeds of the cocklebm-(X««^/w'«w. .slnimtiriiiiii), tlu- round sc^ed balls of
the sycamore, those of the cypress, pecan and beech luits, tiu; fruit of the
papaw, {Asiiiiiiiii trilohafti), nudl)eri'ies, wild grapes, and various other wild berries.
According to Jlr. J. F. Menge, they also feed, on the seeds extracted from ])ine
cones and those of the burgrass, or sand bur {Cciirhnis triliidoiilr.s), one of the
most noxious weeds known. They are also rather fond of cultivated fruit, and
in Florida they have actpiired a taste for both oranges and bananas, 'i'liey are
also partial to diflerent kinds of grains while in the milk. V.v. Frank ]\I. ( "hapman
states that while cidlecting on the Sebastian. River, Fhu'ida, In ]\[arch, 1H!)(), he
found tiiem feeding on the milky seeds of a sj)ecies of tlii.stle {Cir.siiiiii Iccoiifi'i),
which, as far as he could learn, constituted their entire food at tiiat season. He
says: "Not a patch of thistles did we lind whicii iiad not l)een visited by them,
the headless stalks siiowing clearly where the thistles had been neatlj' si'vered
by the .sharp, chisel-like bill, while the ground beneath favorite trees wi>uld be
strewn with the scattered down.'"

According to the observations of ^Ir. Augu.st Koch, publislicd in "Forest
and Stream," Sejttember 24, IHDl, they also feed on tiie red blossoms of a species
of maple {Acer nthriim). In the vicinity of F(U"t Smith, Arkansas, during tim
fall and winter of 18(!0-61, I frequently .saw tlocks of the.se birds in usage orange
trees, whicli attain a lai-ge size here, biting off tiie fruit and feeding on the
tenck'r buds; liei'e they were also accused of doing considerable injury to Indian
corn wiiile still in the milk, and many were shot for this reason, and there is no
doubt that they do more or less damage to both fruit and grain.

Although clumsy -looking l)irds on the ground, it is astonishing how readily
they move al)out on the slenderest limbs in tree^, freipu-ntly hanging head down,
like Crossbills and Hedpcdls, nipj)ing off the seed bidbs of the sycamores, etc.,
and swinging themselves, with the assistance of their powerful beaks, from the
extremity of one branch to another.

Their Hight, whii'h is more or less undulating, reseml)l('s both that of the
l*as.senger I'igi'on and again that of the Falcons; it is extremely swift and
graceful, (•nal)ling them, even when tiying in rather compact flocks, to dart in

' I'roccodiiigH of the Liiinauu Socict.v, Now Vnrk, I'lir tUr year eiiiliiiK .Maieli 7, IH'M.

THE CAROLINA PAKOQUKT.

and out of tlio tlonsost tiinlmr witli pt^Hi'ct ease. 'I'lu'ir call udtt-s an; slirill and
tlisa}rruoal)lo, a kind of <>;ratinj,s nu'tallic shriok, an<l tlioy ari» I'spocially uoisy
wliilo on till! win<>'. Anionjf tlm calls is one rcscnililinj;' tlic sln-ill cry of a jroose,
wliicli is frtMiucntly uttered for minutes at a time. Formerly tliey moved about
in ;i(tod-sized and compact Hocks, often nninlu'rinj;; hundreds, wliilo now it is a
rare occurreneo to see more than twenty to^i'ther, more often small companies
of from six to twelve. When at rest in the middle of the day on some favorite
tree they sometimes utter low notes, as if talkiuf;- to each other, liiit more often
thev remain entirely silent, and are then extnMuely difhcult to discover as their
jdumajie harmonizes and blends thoroughly with the surrounding- foliaj^-e.

They are most active in the early morninj,'' and aj^ain in tiie evenin}', while
the hotter parts of the day are spent in thick-foliaji'ed and shady trees. They
are partial to heavily timbered bottom lands borderinji' the larj^er streams and
the extensive cypress swamps which are such a connnon feature of many of our
Southern States. Social birds as they are, they are rarely seen alone, and if
one is accidentally wounded, the others liover around the injured one until
sometimes tho whole flock is exterminated. This devotion to one another has
cost them <learly, and many thou.sands have been destroyed in this way.

Mr. K. A. ^Icllheimy has kindly furnished me with tlie followinj^- notes on
their habits as ob.served by him in southern Louisiana, wheiv tlm species vvan
still comparatively abuiKhnit a few years a^^o, hut lias now nearly disap|)eared:

"The ('arolina PanKjuet niay bo looked for in this section al»out Ajiril 'IF),
or when the black imdberries l)e<fin to ripen. This fruit seemed to be their
favorite food, and in the moniin<i-, from sunrise to about 7 o'clock, and in the
eveniufi', from 5 o'clock to siULset, at which hours they feed, they were to be
found in the nudberry {jfroves. They spent tins rest of the day and roosted at
ni^dit in the live-oak tind)er. In tin* morninji', just befortt suin-ise, they mounted
the tallest trets, conyreffatinfj; in small ))ands, all the while talkinji' at a fjreat
rate. As the sun rises they take tlij-ht for the nearest mnliierry <^rove, where
they pai'take of their morninjj meal amidst a f^reat amount of noise. After
they have eaten their iill th"y <;enerally j>(> to tlus nearest stream, where they
drink and bathe; they then j;o to some dense oak timl)er, wh(;re they ])ass the
heat of the (hiy. After they <fet in the oaks they rarely utter a .sound. In the
afternoon they f^o throu<fh the same performance, with the (exception of {jfoinjy
to tho water.

"'i'he th<4lit t)f the ('arolina Parocpiet, once seen, is never to l)e for;;otten;
it is undulatinj^-, somewhat like tho wo(»dpecker's, Itut very swift. While on
the winj;- they chatter and cry continually; this cry sounds lik(t 'cjui,' with the
risinif inflection on the i; this is repeated .s«'veral times, tho last one bc'inji- ijrawn
out like '([ui-i-i-i.' These l)irds are rarely met with in the summer, and 1 do
not think they nest here. They are most plentiful in May and Septend)er. In
the fidl they feed on the fruit of the honey locust, and are then more often seen
on the ;i-round."

The total extermination of the Carolina I'anxpujt is onlv a (piestion of a
few more years, and the end of the present century will i)roljal)ly mark tiieir

wrr

4 IJFK HISTORIES OF NOBTII AMKIMCAN HIKDS.

(lisfippcavaiipo. (Mvillzatioii docH not aj^rco with tlicsc* liirds, and an tlioy
ccM'taiiily do some daiiia<^o to fruit in sectioiiH whcro tlu^y ntill exist, notIiiu<r elso
tlian ('oiu])l»'te aiiniliilatioii can bo looked for. Like tlie Bison ami tiio Passenger
Pifreon, tlieir days are numhere*!.

Considcriiif,'' liow common tliis l)ird was oidy a fow decades aj^o, it is
astonisliing how little is really known }\l)out its nestinj;' lialiits, and it is not
likely that we will l»e able to learn nuich more about tliem. The fjeneral
su])|)osition is that they breed in hollow trees, such as cypress, oak, and sycamore,
and that they nest rather early in the season, while* others tliink tlie\' nest rather
late. There are two e<;<js in the United States National Museum collection, No.
1770!!, in rather poor condition, which aro entered as having- Ikcu taken in
St. Mary's Parish, Louisiana, March, 1878. I have endeavored to obtain
s(»me further j)articulars about them, but have been misucce.ssful. One e;i<r laid
in captivity by a bird in the possession of Mr. K. Kidjiway was dejxisited in
Auffust, 1877, and another in July, 1878, and one in September, 1883. There
are also a couple of e<r<js in tiie collection of the American Museum of Natural
History, New York City, collected by the late Dr. S. W. Wilson, of (ieor}>ia,
which I believo are {genuine; these aro said to have been taken on Ai)ril 2(>,
18.5.'), from a hollow tree, the e<^gs being' deposited on a few chips in the cavity ;
the exact locality where they were obtained is not <,''i\i"n, but tiie collection
was chiefly made on St. Simon Island and in Wayne and Mclnto.sh counties,
Georgia.

Mr. William lirewster, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, (n-er alert to obtain
new information about the habits of our birds, while on a visit to Florida elicited
the following, published by him in "The Auk" (Vol. VI, 1H81», pp. SiUi, 337),
which is well worth inserting here. Ho says: " Whih; in Florida, din-ing Febru-
ary and March, 188!), 1 (piestioned evervbody whom I met regarding the nesting
of tlie Parrakeet. Only three peiwtns professed any knowledge on this sul>ject.
The tirst two were both uneducated men, })rofessional hiuiters of alligators
and plume birds. Each of them claimed to have seen Parrakeets' nests, which
they described as Himsy structures built of twigs and placed on the brauclms of
cypress trees. One of them .said he found a nest only the previous sunnner
(1888), while iishing. liy means of his pole he tip})ed the nest over and secured
two voung birds which it contained. This account was so widely at variance
witii what has been i)reviously recorded regarding the manner of nesting of tliis
species that I considered it at the time as a men; fal)rication, but afterwards
it was unexpectedly and most strongly corroborated \>y Judge U. h. Long, of
Tallahassee. Tiie latter gentleman, who, by the way, has a very good general
knowledge of the birds of our Northern States, assured me that he had examined
many nests of the Parrakeet built jn-ecisely as above desciilx'd. Formerly, when
tlie birds were altundant in the surnmnding region, he used to lind them breed-
ing in large coltinies in the cypress swamps. Sevc^ral of these* colonies contained
at least a thousand birds each. They nested invarial)ly in small cypress trees,
tho favorite position being on a fork near the end of a slender horizontal branch.

THE OAUOLTNA rAROQUET.

"Kvorv siicli fitik woiiM be occupied, and lie lias soon iis many as forty
or fifty nests in one small tree. Tlioir nests (rlosely reseniMcd those of the
Carolina Dove, l)ein<;- similarly composed of cypress twif^s put toyctlier so loosely
that the e^j^s were often visible from the {ground beneath. The twij^s of the
cypresH seemed to be preferred to those of any other kinil of tree. The iiei;,dit
at which the nests were jilaced varied from 5 or 6 feet to 20 or 30 feet. Mi'.
lion;;- (h'scribed tin; ei^iz's as bein<>: of a <freeni.sh-white coh>r, unspotted, lie diil
not remember the maxinnnn nun\ber which he had tbund in one set, but thou;iht
it was at least four or \\\i^. lie had often taken younj,'' birds from the nests to
rear or to ^ive to his frientla. He knew of a small colony of Parrakeets breed-
in;;- in Waukulla Swani]», about 20 miles from Tallaha.ssee, in the sunnner of
iSSfi, and believes that they still occur there in moderate numbers.

"It .seems dilVicuU to reconcile such te.stimony with the statements of Audu-
bon, Wilson, and otliers that the Carolina I'arrakeet lays its e<f<;s in hollow tree.s.
It mav l>e, however, that, like the Crow Blackbird, and some of the Owls, this
Parrot ne.sts both in holes and on branches, accordiuj^ to circumstances; at all
evi'uts the above account has seemed to mo to rest on evidence sufHciently {"ood
to warrant its publication."

It is (|uite possible that the Carolina Paroquet, from its exceediufjlj- social
nature, was comijelled where very numerous to resort to open nestinj;- sites from
neces.sitv, as siiital)le cavities are rarely found in surticient (piantities dose to each
other to accommodate any considerable mnnber of ))airs. We find this to l)e the
cfxse with I{<illi()rhi/)irhus moiiticliits ]{oddiirt, tha Green Parotpiet of Paraj^uay,
Uruj^iiav, and tlui Arjjentine Republic, which suspends its nests from tlu; extremi-
ties of branches, to which they iire firmly woven. Mr. Gibson descrilx's their
nests as follows: "New nests ccmsist of only two clunnbers, the porch and the
nest pro|)er, and an^ inhabitetl by a single pair of birds. Successive nests are
added until some of them come to wei;;h a (piarterof a ton, and contain material
enouj;li to fill a lar;i'e cart. 'IMiorny twi<>s firndy interwoven form the <iidy mate-
rial, and there is no lining- in the breedin<if chand)er even in the breedinjf season.
Some old forest trees have seven or ei<;'ht of these hufi'e structures suspended
from the branches, while the }>round underneath is covered with twiji's and
remains of fallen rocks.'"

Another species the Pata^onian Parrot, Coiiurus pntaffOHUn (Vieillot), found
in the Ar<fentine Kepuldic, and in Patajronia, excavates its nest in perpendicular
banks, like i>ur Kinji'tisher; while the Gnmnd I'arrakeet, J'r^oporits /ormosit.s
Latham), of Australia nests in tall "(rass.

Although nearly all the species of this nximerous family nest in hollow trees,
as stated above, theni are exceiitions tr. this rule, and it is (piite probable that
some of (un* Carolina Parocpiets nested at times in Fh»rida as ,Iu(l}>e R. L. Loufi'
described, and a<>ain both in conununities in large hollow tree.s and singly, as
Alexaniler Wilsou states, all of these difi'erent assertions bein;^ prol»ably correct.
We have no ])ositive information about the number of e<><«s laid by this
species in a wild state.

> Arcoutiiio Oruitliulud;}, Vul. II, 1889, pp. 43-40.

w

iClL;

I

11

6

LIFK IIISTOUIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Dr. Karl Iluss, ot" Hcrliii, (Jcrnmiiy, in liis iiitcrostiiifif iirt'u'lc on tl'iis spocics
in his work on "Die Fninidliindisclion 8tnl»i'nv((<rol, Dio l*!ipnji«'i('n" (Vol. Ill,
1H7!), pp. 22l-*23(J), nKsntions sovc'iil in.stun<'(',s of the Carolina Parocpiets bniotl-
inj; in captivity in (Hcrinany, wluiro tlie i'<^{js were deposited in .June and .Inly,
two beinj;: tlie nnnii)er laid; l>ut in his "Ilandhncli fiir Vil^^-elliebhaber," lie f>ives
the nnniber from tl'ice to live, and he describes these as pnre wiiite, fine }>rained,
very ronnd, and qnite ;^lossy, like Woodpeckers' oj^jis, iueasuriu<!' 38 by 3<)
millimetres, or ai)ont l..">0 )»y 1.4"J inches.

^Ir. Robert l{id<i\vay's l)irds would not use the ne.stinj>- boxes provided for
them, and l)oth females deposited their e}r;;s on the floor of the caj^e; they were
laid in .luly, Aufiust, and September, respectively. None of these ej!f<is can be
called rountl; they vary from ovate to short ovate, and are rather i»ointed. They
are white, with the faintest yellowish tint, ivory-like and cpiite <;lossy, the shell
is rather thick, close fjfrained, and deeply i)itted, not ludike the effjjfs of the
African Ostrich (Stnitliio cdmclits), but of course not as noticeable, lloldiufj- the
eg<f in a strong light, the inside appears to be i)ale yellow.

These eggs measure 36.32 by 2(;.!»2, 34.r)4 by 27.18, an<l 33.27 by 20.92
millimetres, or 1.43 by LOG, i.3« by 1.07, and 1.31 by 1.0(5 inches.

The deep pitting is noticeable in e\ery specimen, and there can be no
possilde (h)ul)t about the identity of these eggs. Tiie other eggs in the collection
about whose prctper identification I um not so certain, and whose measurement.'^
I therefore do not give, have a nmcli thinner shell, and do not show the peculiar
pitting already referred to. Hiere is no diflicnlty whatever in distinguishing
thes(^ eggs from those of the llurrowing Uwl or the Ivingfisher, both of which
are occasionally 'iil)stitnted for them.

The ty]»e s])ecimen, No. 20784 (PI. 1, Fig. 1), was laid in confinement on
July 1!), 1<S78, and is the smallest of the tin-ee eggs whose measurements are
given above.

Family CUCULID.lv The Cuckoos, Anis, ktc.
2. Crotophaga ani LixXiKUs.

niK AM.

Crotophaga atii Linnaeus, Systcma Naturn". oil. 10, I, 175.S, Ki.'i. Type ('. idh Linnauis.
(0 iitiXu, C USH, R 389, C 425, V (:\S:i).)

(rEOORArnicAi. liANOK: W'osit India I.slaiuls and iiortlicrii Soutli Aiiiprioa, east of
tlie Andes; soutli to nortliorn Argentina; (ULsually nortli tu tlic soulliern (°nitc<l 8tatcs,
Florida and Louisiiiiui.

The Ani, also called Black Ani, Black Witch, lUacklard, Savaiuia lUackbird,
and Tickbird, can only be considered as a straggler within the borders of the
southern Unite<l States. It is a conunon resident species in the West India
Islands and in northern So.ith America east of the Andes ]\lountains, and
reaches the southern limits of its range in northern Argentina. There are two

THE ANI.

s|i('ciiiuiis in tlic rnih'd States Natiuiuil Musouiii collection, taken within the
limits (if the I'nited States — one tVctni the Dry Tortiif^as by Mr. .F. Wiinlenian,
on .lune 24, IHoT; the other l»y Mr. (r. A. lioanlnian, tVoin Cliarlotte Harbor,
Florida.

A small tlock of five of these birds was seen in July, 1H!»3, at IHaniond,
Louisiana, opposite Point la Hache, and one of these was shot. 'I'his is now iu
the possession of Mr. (iieor<^'e K. Heyer, who considers the Ani a rej^ular sunnner
resident in that locality.

The Ani is most commonly found at altitudes below 1,000 feet and rarely
above ;{,0()0. One of its i)rin(ipal call notes, according' to Mr. John S. Northrop,
who o)(serve(l tiiis species on Andros Island, one of the IJahamas, is "wee-eep,"
tlie second s\ llal)le uttered in a nnu-h hi<;her key than the first; aiiothercomnutn
call sounds likes "(pie-yu." Wlu^n perched on trees tliey are said to sit very
ido.se toj^ether in rows, and being goud-natured .sociial birds, they are rarely
seen alone.

The most complete account of the general habits of the Ani is that of Mr.
Charles H.Taylor, Kae Town, Kingston, Jamaica, iu "The Auk" (\'ol. IX, 18!I2,
pj). .'5(;'.l-;571).

"The Ani ai)]iears to be ulmndant in all parts of the island. It is one of
the commonest liirds near Kingston, and in most open or sparsely wooded lauds
or ill the vicinity of cultivated clearings little groups or companies may nearly
always he seen. Hlackbirds are invariably present wherever cattle are pastured.
I can not recollect an instance in which I have noted a herd of cows at jiasture
without a Hock of these birds a|)pearing in company with them or in their
immediate vicinity. Tiiis association is, doubtless, chiefly foi- the j)urpose of
feeding on the ticks and tither parasites on the animals, a good work largely
shared liy the (Jrackles (^(JitisialKs cnis.sirosfris). It is most interesting to watch
a comjiany of Hlackl)irds when thus engaged. Many are jierchi'd on the backs
of the cattle (two or three .sometimes on one cow); others are on the ground,
hopping about fearksssly among the grazing herd, .searching for insects at the
roots of the herl)age, <ir capturing those <listurbed by the feet of the cattle. At
this time one or more Iu<livid'.ials are stationed on some tree close b\', from
which ihey now and again call t<i those in the oj)eu with that remarkable ci-y,
variously syllalticated by some, but which 1 have at times thought strangely
like tile wailing of a young cat. Insects of all orders and their larvic, ticks,
grnlis, etc., form their chief food. Occasionally, perhaps, a few small lizards
are taken, and, I believe, the eggs of other birds, as I once fomid in the stomach
of a female portions of an egg, apparently that tif some siiiiill bird, (iosscs
records having sih-u these birds eating the rijie berries of the fiddles wood, l)ut I
haM- not noticed tiieiu at any time eating vegetable food.

"The Hlackbirds at their be.st have a very lean and shabby appearaiu'c, and
are slow and awkward in their niovenusiits. I haves watched an individual makes
se-ve-ral iiiefVe'e-tiial atte-mpts to alight on the fronel of a coe-oanut palm; lint e-ve'ii
among tiw Itranclies of other tre-e's tlu'ir actie)ns appear awkwarel. Their flight

LIFK IIISTOKIKH ()P NORTH AMKKK'AN llUtDS.

in slow and {flidinji'i somewhat liilMtrwl, juul of littlr iliinition, tlio l)inls ofton
iippcariii^r to fall short of the point ori<iiiially aimed at. Yet they will chase tho
lar^fe vi'liow Imtterliies, and I was shown a hir^e ;;reen locnst that one of tlieso
hirds was seen to rajitiM'e in lli^lit and ath-rwards dropt in the jirof^ross of a
tloek from place to plac(! they do not nsnally tiy all to<iether, Imt move away in
stra<ff>lin^ "Troiips or couples. One or more individnals (irst start off with their
wailinji' call, tollowed soon after by two or three; after a little delay, then two
mortf fro; another jtanse, then one, tlion three, and so on. If a tree lias very
dense foliaj^'e, they ali;;ht (with nnich awkward scrandilinff) on the tojjs or
extremities of the hijihest Itranches, where they may j^ain a clear and iniintei'-
rni>t«'d view, ami this is usually the case when they are traversinj;- very open
country.

"Their nestinji' hal)its are ((xceedinj-ly curious and intercstinj;. Many indi-
viduals (possild)- mendx'rs of oiu* tlock) work to}>ether in the construction of a
lar}|;e nest, in which all the females of the company lay their eg<rs. Tlu^ mnnlier
of ojfifs deposited in dilferent nests varies <>reatly, hut is of course dejtendent on
the nund)er of hirds in a company. Six and ei/^ht cff^s an* couunoidy found.
I once took eleven, and in Au;;'ust, last year, I saw a (dutch of twenty-one that
liad been taken from a sin<jle nest. It is probable that normally not more than
two ejjj^s are deposited by each bird, but nothin;;' detinite can be said on this
point. 'I'he nest, which is usually placetl hi^h up in a tall tree, very frerjuently
in a clump of mistletoe on a 'liastard cedar,' is a larfye, loosely constructed mass
of twi;^s, entircdy lined with dried leaves. Hut the most remarkable circum-
stance in connection with the nesting of these birds is the deposition of the e<(<fs
in re<yular layers, with leaves between. This custom 1 had lon<r heard of before
an opportunity offered for jiersonal observation. In the first nest I examined
the e<i;i-s were in two distinct layers, sojjarated by a <leep bed of dry leaves; the
bottom layer consisted of four e<jfg's, and these, stran<^(! to say, were all infertile.
I believe this sinjjular habit is practiced in all cases where a larf^e nundier of
birds I'esort to tiie same nest. The e<j^<;s are a deep bluish green, but when
freshly laid are covered with a white, chalky coat, which soon becomes nnich
scratched and erased on all. Now, what seems very singular is that (;ompara-
tively little of this chalky covering gets rubbed off the sides, where, from the
turning over of the eggs in the nest, we should expect to see the greatest extent
of <lenudation, whereas one or both ends are nearly always wholly demided.
That this circnmstatice is not merely accidental I feel sure, as in a large series of
clutches that I have examined mori* than two-thirds of the niu»d)er of eggs show
this peculiarity. So «leanly antl evenly is it done, and to such an extent, that 1
feel confident that it is the work of the birds themselves, their beaks alone being-
able to accomplish it. At the same time it is easy to see that the marks and
scratches at the sides are the result of friction with the twigs and leaves of the
nest. Average measurements of the eggs are 1.33 by l.'IO hwhcA. I have found
eggs and }'<>ung in February and tlu'oughout the succeeding months to August,
twi» < >r three 1 a< lods probabl.)' being reared. I have also seen young, fully fledged,

TRE ANl.

9

but uniihln to fly, lio|)])iii}; nbout tlu* hrimclios of tlio iicstinj,' tree; iiiid on anotluT
<)cciiHion, Honio, more lulvaiicod, soiirchiii},'' for insects in the <;rn8H iit the rootn of
u hn'j,'o H'uanfjfo tree, in company with many ohi l)ir(ls."

'I'ho effffs of tlio Ani art* j,Hancoii«-l»hie in coha-, and this is overlaid and
liidden hy a thin, chalky, white deposit; as incnhation arlvancos the eff^fs hecome
more or less scratched and the hlne nnderneatli is then plaiidy visilile in places,
jrivinjf them a very jiecnliar appearance. In shape they vary from oval to
elliptical oval; the shell is fine j^rained, rather stron;;-, and witliont Inster.

The average measin-ement of forty e;jifs in the Tniti-d States National
Mnsenni collection, mostly from the West Indies, is ;54.G(! l»y '2i> millimetres, or
aliont IM by 1.02 inches. The lar;re.-<t v<i:>i <»f t^'o series nieasnres li\).(i'2 by
2(;.67 millimetres, or IM by 1.05 indies; the smallest, 2l).21 by 2;{.;{7 millimetres,
or l.lf) by 0.JI2 inches.

The type s])echnen. No, (J048 (I'l. I, Fifj;. 6), from a nest containin<( seven
efrjifs, was tukeu bv Mr. W. T. March, near Spanish Town, Jamaica, on .July 30.
1862.

3. Crotophaga sulcirostris Swaixson.

UUOOVK-UILLKl) ANl.
Crotophaga milcirogtrin SWAINSON, Tliilosopliiciil MaRnzinc, I, ISL'7, 1 10.

(15 _, (J _, u ;«»(), V. iL'ti, r ;{,S4.)

(tEoobapiiical ifAN(iK: Along tlu* wi'steni slopes of tliti Aii(lc.'», in South America,
to the racilic coast; from I'enuiortli throa};li Cunlriil Aiiiprica on both coasts, ani) fliroagli
Mexico to tlio lowei IJio Gniiidc Valley in Texas, anrl soutliern l^owcr <'alifornia. (Casual
in tlic United iStates in southern Florida, suuthein Louisiana, southern Aii/caia, and
California.

The breedinpf ran<?e of the Groove-billed Ani or .Tewbird within th(> United
States is a very limited one and appears tob(! conlined to the Lower Ivio CJrande
Valley in Texas, where it was first discovered near l^omitu by Mr. Georj^e 15.
Sennett, on May If), 1878, and added by him to our fauna. Sinc(i then it has
been found breeding? in snudl numbers in chapaiTal in the vicinity of Hrowns-
ville, and its nest and three seta of egfys were taken there and are now in the
Ralph collection in the United States National Museum.

It straji'f'les ficcasionally alonj"- tlie Gulf coast to soutlu'ni Ijonisiana. Mr.
p]. A. ]\lcllhenny shot one of these )»irds on Avery's Island on Aujiust 2.'5, 18!)1,
which is now in his collection, and it has also been taken in Florida. It is a
conmion resident in suitable localities throuj^hout the jrreatcr i)art of Mexico,
the southern parts of Lower California, the whole of Central Anu'riea, alonjy
both coasts, and those portions of South America situated on the western sloj)es
of the Andes south to Peru. It is a bird of the lowlanils, bein<>' rarely met with
at altitudes over 700 feet, and it is f^eiu'rally resident wherever found.

Prof. A. L. Ilerrara, of the Natidiial Museum of the (Jity of Mexico, has
kindly fimiished mo with the followiny notes:

m

10

LI IK IlKSTOIflKS OK NOKTII AMEUICAN UIKDS.

^'('rntophdfia snkirostris is known Id the inhal)itantH lion^ iis the I'ljoii iind
(hirropittini. It is a social Itird, bci'i^' usually t'oiiiid in small »oiii|iaiiics of fVnm
six to lil'tfcii individuals, ahsoliitcly nmnojianious, scdt iiiarv, aiul of st'iiiiiloincs-
ticatcMl liahits, tiviiiicntiufi- tlic liacicndaH and tlic iii'Ids and imHtuics in their
vicinity, and as it is considered vei \ nsel'nl liecause of its lial)it of destroying;'
larji'e nnnd)ei's of parasites infestin;;- the cattle, it is not molested \>\ the inhabi-
tants, and becomes very tame. It extracts the l.niiirs and other Araridaiis with
remarkable skill, withont cansinff ulcerations which nii<i;ht result fnan the pro-
l)oscis or sucker remainin^f in the lii)ers of the skin, and it must be rej;arded as
one of tlu^ most useful itirds oi' Mt-xico, esjiecially of the warm re;;ions, so
aboundin;>- in parasites of all kinds. It is noteworthy that all the ('iofoi>fi(iff(C I
have collected were remarkably lean, which the natives assert is their normal
condition; and without exception the Ciandpalctu is found in all the warmer
parts of Mexico where there are cattle."

Mr. ]•]. Kirby Smith, of dataplan, Vera Crnz, Mexico, writes me that the
rJroove-billed Ani is locally known there as the ('hiciii/a, usually iidiabitiiifjf
the thick chaparral and utterinji', almost constantly, a peculiar crackinj^' .sound
Ho has found their nests in l>rusli thickets, usually not more than (I feet from
the ;j;round — rather loose structures, resenddiu},'' the nests of the (.ardinal
(CariliiKtlis (■(inliiHilis'), but lar<;'er, and has observed as man}' as tifteen e;;';i-s
in a nest.

Mr. Charles W. Hichmond has kindly furnished me with the followin<j
notes on tlu; general habits of this species as observed by him in the vicinity of
Hluelields, Nicaraj;iia:

"A very abundai.t resident. It .appears to l)reed at varions times during
the year, as 1 have found fre^h e<>gs July (!, 18!)2, and younj;' birds, recently from
the nest, November 21), the breeding- season spreading over seven months of the
year at least, as it begins nesting earlier than the date of taking my first egg.-t.
Ne.sts are frecpiently built in the heart of a thick, thoi-ny orang(* or lemon tree,
and this appears to b(^ a favtn'ite situation. In this case the nest is from 4 to 7
feet from the ground, and, besMes being difhcult to get at, is sonu'what protected
from invasion by tlu^ wasps which almost invariably take up their abode in the
same tree. In going through a small lemon grove I found an old nest of this
s])ecies. In the cavity there were no eggs, but on ))(»king the nest to pieces six
badly decayed (*ggs rolled out.

"One nest containing three eggs in the proper place and two others at the
bottom, nnder the lining of green leaves, was located in a bamboo al)out 12 feet
from the ground. The eggs were fresh, an<l more would probably have been
deposited; tin* leaves forming the lining were .still green. TIk^ parent birds
w»!re away at tint time. iVnoth'.T nest was sitnated in .some vines which hail
overrun an old tree stub, and was about lo I'eet from the ground.

"It may be that where numerous eggs are deposited in one ne.st only those
eggs that are deposited in the jnoper place and directly iuHuenced l)y the
incul)ating bird are hatche(l, while those placed among the sticks forming the

TIIR (HIOOVK lUMiHI) ANI,

11

hiilky oxtcrior iin» left iiiiliatciind. It woiiM In- iiitcM'cHtiiif,' to wiitcli tlif pro}ji"<'xs
of ii Iiir;,'c iit'stt'iil of i'ii<xx hikI nottt results. 'I'lic iicstn fouml 'ty iim* were all
(•oiiii»os('(l ol' ticad lilack twi^rs, rather loosely put together, very bulky ami
(touspicuous structures, lined with ^ireeii leaves, or, if old nests, with leaves that
hail tho appearance of haviu},'' hecn pieked j;Teeii. < »n one occasion 1 saw a
bird, with nestinj'' material in its liill, takin;^- short tliji'lits from one hamlioo to
another, followed l»y sevc^ral other oir<ls co:nposin>;' the (ompany, l>nt none of
tlu'se latter had nestinj; material with tlmm.

"At Mr. Havmond's plantation, on the Kscondido IJiver, altove IMuefields,
this s|)ecies was unusually plentiful, owin^f, no doubt, to a lar;;(t innnher of cattlo
kept there. Tim birds follow thoso animals as they meander ovt r tho jtastures,
hoppinj; alon;^ on each side of an aninuU, catchin<.>- ;,'rassli(>pperrt and other insects
which the cow <listurl)s as it movos iilon;,'. frequently tho cow moves too
rapidly and the birds lii<f behind, when they inakt* short Hij;hts to the front
iinfaiti, passint^ ovor ono another after tho niauuer of th(» (rrackles when fcedinfj^
in a fii'ld. Only half a dozen birds or ho follow ii »ri \v usually, and not many
c( injjrof^ate in ono flock, oxcc^pt when roostiu;,''. On this plantation, wherci tho
sp«H■i(^s is more abundant than usual, tlii> birds appear to roost iu numl)er.s. An
oranyo tree near tho Ikuiso was a favorite plact^ where thirty or forty birds camo
to jiass the nif^lit, tlyin<f in from the surroimdiiiji' pasture about dusk, and after
afew short tlij;hts from onetreo to another, passed into the roost outf or two at a
time, hojipiii}'' about na if seekinf;' a favorable perch, utterinj;' their ])et;uliar nolo
meanwhile. ( )ut of this roost I shot seventeen bii'ds one evening', and the males
greatly j)redominated; there wen* only live females in tho lot. 'I'he note of
this spcH'ies rominils ono soinewhat of tlu* Flicker, dnlitjilrs iiitnitiis, but may
bo bettor roi)r(fsouted by tho combination 'plee-co,' rapidly repeated, with tho
accent usually on tho first syllable, but sometimes on the last. I ha\i' treipionth'
found ono of tho small Hocks restinjf on a bush or bamboo alon;;' the water's
odf^o, ])orfoctly silent, imtil my near approach started them oil", ono or two at a
time, scoldin<f as tlu!y wont. Thoir flij^ht is i ven, slow, as .short as possibh-, and
consists of a few flaps of the win<fs, followe(l by a short sail, then a few more
lla]>s, etc.

"The food of thoso exan\inod by jne on bauiuia ])lantatioiis consisted almost
entirely of small ^grasshoppers, the stomachs beinj;' much distended with thes(>
insects. From the fresh earth found on flu* bill and feet of thoso birds, I should
judye they also feed on the ground, 'i'ho Crotojihdf/d is jirefrariinis all the \-oar
roinid."

'['lie followinji' observations on tho nestinjj habits of this species, based on
manuscript notes of Mr. Anastasio Alfaro, director of tlut N.itional Museum of
(!osta IJica, at San Jose, and recently ])nblislie(l bv ]^Ir. Ooorgo K. Cherrie, are
especially intc'rosting.

"Tho Zopilofillo (.so-peo-lo-teo-yo), also known as 'Tijo-tijo' (ti-e-ho), in
imitation of its peculiar notes, which seem to repeat the \vord fijn i)\i-v and over
again, is very abundant in tlio fields near Tambor (a littlo town about 20 luiles

I

Mil

12

LIKIC lI18T(mii:8 OF NOIJTII AMKItlCAN ItlKDH.

nurtlnvcst of Sim .FDst'), wluTc, aloii;;; tlic lu'<l;r,.r(nvs nut] in tlio Hcni)»ltv tiiiihor,
iiHwcll iiH III tlir Mkiti of till- Ditflc, tlii'V fiiiil tlioso iiiHofts wliirli I'oiiHtitittt' tlittir
fond. 'I'lio wooiltickH, or ;>!irro|mtos, from tlic Icj^h iiiiil iilioiit flic luiiil iiiul in'ck
of tlui ciittlo iiro «'sUa'Mio<l iiliovc nil clsr n fiiv«)rito morsel, in tlii.s loctilifv
I Imvo colli'ctrd flircd iicsts (luriii;r llic month of .Mny, the lirst with iiino
*'Hii>*, tln) Mt'coiiil with ficvcii, iiiul tlif liist with thirtcdii. Some yi-ars iiy;o I
remember Heein;;' ii nest, situated in the hriiiiches of a maii;^<» tree, that
contained fourteen v<^i<;>*.

"The nests that I have collected a;fre(* with the ohservations made liy
Zeledoii. 'I'he structure is \ohiminoiis, comiMtscfl chieliy of coarse dead twi^s,
but presents one |tecnliarity not observed in any other bird, namely, the nost
bein;; lined with fresh <,'reen leaves. My throo specimens were all placed in
low trees, and neither was found at. a ^^reater liei;4ht than .'{ metres. One hail
boon built above an old nest of one of the larjfer Tjirainiiihi:

"It. will not be without interest, I think, to insert my obsorvations relativo
to ono of these nests. On the 2()tli of May I iioticecl a Xo/tiliitillo with a flry
stick in his bill, which was immediately carried to a point in the licd<;erow, where
it waH deposited with thret^ others. After assuriiiff myself that tint bird was
buildin;,'' its nest there, I retired, with the intention of returning,' at a more oppor-
tum^ moment. And when, one week later, 1 returned totlai .same spot, what was
my surjirise to see not only the nest completed and containin;;' six ej^j^s, but
inoro than this — in the thorns and loaves about it were scattered sevtMi more
e^fj^s! iVs a conse(pience, if that collection was not the work of the Zdiiilofillos
collectively, the poor owner would have had to deposit thret? t'^i^H <laily. In
the iindin^' of some of the e<f<;s scattered in the loaves was revealed one of tho
architect's jieculiarities A hole had been left in the center of tho nest and only
recentlv tilled with htaves, whose fresh ^iiven color testilied tliat they had lieen
cut and placed there later than tlit; others forminj^' the carpetin;^ to the bottom

of tl

us common men

bat

or.

"The e;;-;;s were all fresh, the six occu])yin^' the nest liavinj,'' the character-
istic ron^h, white, calcareous surface, perfectly clean, and without the slightest
variation in coha-. Not so with the e^";i's found about tho outside of tho lufst.
'I'hose found in contact with the leaves had taken on a dirt\' yellowish tinjire.
Thost^ held suspended ainou^' the leaves and thorns sliowed various spots and
lines of the lustrous blue color formin;;' the base for the chalky external coat.
Tho scratches had been caused by a too clos(! contact with the thorns."'

'{'here can no lonj;-er bo any doubt that the ^^ciieral nestiiifi' hal)its of this
sj)ocies ai'(! similar to those of the .\ni, and that frecpu'utly nion^ than one female

'•}

th

iivs 111 the sai

.me lu^st, altlioiiiih this habit ina\" not bo so luiiversal as wi

th tho

pn

'ocedmir species

The tiiree sets of oj>'<rs from the Ralph collection, taken near Hrownsville,
Texas, contained, resjiectively, lour, iive, and liv(* ejiji's; in two of these tho
ojf<^s were fresh, and in tho other incubation had jii.st c(»nunencod when taken,

I The Auk, Vol. IX, 18U2, pp. ;tl'5, ii'M.

THK (inoOVK UlLLIil) ANI.

18

(III Miiv 2M, 1S!)2. TIh'wc H«<tM appriir to liiiv«' hocii Iniil liy one liini, ll jf;;H

ill ciicli wrt rcsciiililiiiu' I'lifli dtlicr very cluHcly. 'I'licy were iilincd in lisiisiiclii'
litcH {Aauia J'tnuisiiiiia), fruiii I! to lo t'cct tVoiii tin* jjroiiinl, in ratlnT opi'ii
wootis,

A nest now lict'on' inc, taken l»y Mr. ('Iiailcs W. Uirliiiioiid, nt-nr tlic
KKcoiiiriilo Uivcr, Nicimi^niii, on .Inly (!, 1H!I2, containiiifi' tlircc tVcsli {><i\ix wlicn
I'oninl, ix ('oniiioHcil of small twifjs of a vine, iiiixcil witli a few lilmlcs of i fine
leaves, anil tlie center is lilleil with ii layer of leaves of difVereiit s|ie(ies. It is
II nitiier loose strnetnre, aliont !(> inches in ilianieter anil ( inches in height.
Pile inner cup nieasnres 4 inches in ilianieter liy 2.^ iiu'hes in depth. N'othiii;;
iletinile is known alioiit tho time of incniiation, nor whether the male assists in
this diitv; from three to fne eji'fi's seem to lie laid liv I'licli female, and two or
three iiroods are prolitilil\' raised in a season.

The e;if's are mostly oval in shape, lint occasionally <iiie is found that may
lie culled elliptical ovate. 'I'hey resemlile those of the Ani very closely and the
same description will answer for lioth, with the exception that the chalky matter
coveriiiff the {ilancous-liliUf <;roinid color appears to lie heavier in the present
species, (fivin^ them a more nniform milky blue appearance, and that they ari^
also cotisideralily smaller.

'i'lii! iiverajie measurement of forty i'\:^\r,A in tli«« United States National
Museum collection is ;{l.i;{ liy 2.'{.!l.'{ millimetres, or about 1.23 by (t.!l4 inches.
The larji'est ejij;' of the series measures .'J.'J.'i.S by 25.1.') milliiiietres, or \.\\'l by O.'.dl
inches; tlu; smallest, 27.(;h liy 21.H4 millimetres, or l.(t!» liy (S.Sd inches.

The type .specimen, No. lS.^i(i,''i (I'l. 1, Ki;;'. 7), from a set of live e;:jfs, was
taken liy Mr. L. Heldiii}?, near San .Jose del Carbo, Lower (!alifornia, on April
2l», 1SS2, and reiiresents an unscratched specimen.

4. Geococcyx californianus (Lkshon).

UOAU-KIINNKK.

SdMriithrn ciili/oniiiiiia liKssoN, ('oiii|>l('iin'iit ilcs (ICavrcs ilc I'.iifl'oii \'l, I.SL'!t('), 120.
liiucovcij.r vuli/orniiiuHH ilAilMi, liirdi) of Niirlli jViiu'iicii, l.S."if>, 7.'{.

(11 0.S, (J L'8», It 385, C 127, I' .185.)

(iKOdUAl'lliCAi, llANiii;: Ceiitiiil and iiortliciii .Mexico anil ailjoiiiiii^ iioitioiis of tlio
United States; oust tliroii};li tin- western lialf of Texiis, and cxtieiiie weHteni liidiiin
Territory; north to soiitliweslern Kansas, soiitliern CoUaadu, .soiillierii Uliili. .soiitliei'ii
Nevada, and soutli western Oregon ( t); ]jo\vcr California.

The lload-runner, ocpially well known as the "Cluiparral Cock," and occa-
sionally called "Snake-killer," "Ground 'luckoo," "Lizard Hird," and liy the
Spanish-speakiii};' popidation of our southern b<irder '' I'disaiio" and "■('anr-
camiiKt," is f>ouorally a resident and lireeds wherever found, exceptinj,^ jierhaps in
the extremis northern portions of its ran^c. This it reai-hes in Shasta ('ounty,
("aliforiiia, mi the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada, in about latitude 40° N.,
while on the east side of these mountains it has as yet not been tibserved north

14

LIFK IIISTOltlES OF NOllTH AMEUICAIs BIRDS.

of Inyo Ctmiity, Calif'i)niin, al)imt latitudo iJ(!° N. In southwcstorn Kiuisas it is
uiulimlitiMlly quite niro and can only Iks considorod as a strufffflcr.'

Its jreiiLTal lia])its nvi' far more terrestrial than arl)oroal, spendinjf most of
its time on tiio <j;idund in search of food, and fre(iuontinj>' the drier desert tracts
adjacent to river valleys, and tiie lower foothills, covered by cactus, yuccas, and
thorny under<fro\vth. It rarely ventures into the hi<iher mountain ran<res among
the conifers, but breeds occ-asionally among the oaks bordering the pine belt. It
is most abundant at altitudes ranging from ■2,000 to i{,,")('Of<et, and is seldom seen
witiiin the United States al)ove 5,000 feet; but in the San Pedro Martir range, in
Lower California, Mr. A. W. Antiiony has met with the Uoad-runner at an altitude
of 7,000 feet above .sea level, and at Glorietta, New Mexico, it has recently been
reported as breeding at a height of S,00() feet.

Tiie( 'hajtarraK'ock is rather unsocial in its habits, audit is rare to see more
than a couple together excepting after the breeding season, when the yoimg still
follow one of tht! parents. Its food consists almost entirely of animal matter,
suclias gra.sshoppers,beetle.s, lizards, small snakes, land snails, the smaller rodents,
and not unfrecjueutly of young binls. On the whole, these birtls do far more
good than harm. When the fig-like fruit of the giant cactus is ripe they also
feed on this; in fact, man'v mannnals and birds seem to be very partial to it. It
is astonisliing how large an animal can be swallowed by one t>f these birds. I
have found a species of garter snake fully 20 inches htng in the crop of oue
shot in Arizona.

Mr. Anthony writ»!S me on this subject as follows: "A half-grown bird
wliich I shot at San (Juentin, liower California, presented an uiuisually bunchy
ajjpearance about the throat and neck, a fullness which was ac(!ounted for upon
dissection by the discovery of an innnense lizard which had been swallowe<l
entire but a few moments before the bird was shot. I know of several in.stances
of Uoad-ruiuiers making a meal of a nest of young Ilou.se-finches, Carpodacus
lucjckdiiiis frontalis, and other small birds."

I am aware that there is a pretty general belief in localities where the Koad-
runner is connnon, and where the rattlesnake is nsuall}' more so, that these birds
are more than a match for even tiie largest of these reptiles, and attack an<l kill
them wherever found, an as.sertion I Acry nmch ([uestion. It is said when one of
these l)irds, while rambling about, meets a rattlesnake, coiled up and asleep after
a good meal, it (juietl}' hedges the reptile in with a ring or fence of the joints of
thv. Cliolla iwfits, tmi] after having done so,dropsa similar jt)int from above on the
sleei)ing reptile, which, being i'nrage<l thereby, thrashes around and soon becomes
covered with the sharp spines, ami then falls an easy vi«!tim to the bird, after
lu'coming exhausted in vain attempts to free itself. The bird is said to first pick
its eyes out and so render it entirely helpless. This is a very plausible story,
and while 1 am only too well aware of the sliarj)ness of the si»ines of the Cliolla

'III a litter roci-ivod I'lniii Jh. A. W. Aiitlimiy, writtiMi on AugiiBt 5, 1SS8, ami over! joUcmI by me wlii'ii
tliis iirlicld was wrilteii. Im iiiriiiins iiic lliat a Knail riimuT, lu'ciiiiipanii'il liy tliicii yoiiiiK, was Hern liy a
tra\ din;; i'<iin|iant<iii of his wlio kiii^w tliosi' birds well, on tlio lino of railroail liittwcon .\ninny and Anliland,
Ui'oKon, aliunt 30 luiliss MuiitU uf Albuuy, sumu time iu Aiignat, 18tj7. This uxtuuds itH ruiige vuuHiderably
iiurthwatd.

THE KOAD-KUIfNEK.

15

cactus, T know tliat siidi a lit'(l<ro proves no Imrriur to tliene snak* •<. antl tliiit thoy
do not mind sucli obstructions in the least, i)as8in<>- over witlioiit toucliinj-- tiieni. I
consi<ler tliis story on a par with the f^enerally aceopted belief of hunters and fron-
tiersmen in the West, that rattlesnakes will not cross over horseliair ropes, when
laid around one's bed while camping out. I admit liavinj,' heard this freipiently
from j)ersons 1 had no reason to doubt, that I was a tirm believer in the state-
ment, and nuido use of this snake protector for a innnber of years; but at last
my faith was rudely shattered by seeiii<>' a mediinn-sized rattlesnake deliber-
ately crawlinj;; over such a rope which 1 had stretched around my tent. 'I'lie
snake paid no attention to the hair roj>e, but sli<>htly curved its body where
about to come in contact with it, jflidinff over without touclnuf'' it, and, tindin<,f a
sunny spot at the side of the tent, coiled up to take a rest, part of its body lyin<>-
direct!} on the rope. Since witnessin<^ this performaiu-e I have naturally lost
faith in this belief, and have wished many times since that it had not been so
rudely shaken, especially when in .sections of the country where these reptiles
are al)undant and where one is liable to find his blankets occupied by one or
more rattlers.

Road-runners are ordinarily rather shy and suspicious birds, and not as
often seen as oni; would think, even wlu-re comparatively conniion. Within the
Uniti'd tStates they are most abundant alonjf the southern borders of Te.xas and
Arizona, and in southern ('alifornia. 1 found them <[uite conunon in the vicinity
of my camp on Killito Creek, near Tucson, Arizona, and also near Analieim,
Oraufre C!ounty, California, and I have examined a))out twenty of tlieir nests.
Notwithstandinir their natural .shyness, they are in(piisitive birds, and where they
are not constantly cha.sed and molested will .soon become used to man. One of
these binls paid Impient vi.sits to my camp, often perchinj;- on a mesipiite stump
for half an hour at a time, within 20 yards of my tent. While so perched it
would usuall}- keej) uj) a continuous coohi<jf, not ludike that of the iMournin<;-
Dove, varied now and then by a cackle reseml)ling that of a <lomestic hen when
callinji' her brood's attention to some choice morsel of food. Tiiis call sounded
like "(lack, (lack, dack," a mnnber of times repeated. Another peculiar sound
was .sonuitimes jM-oduced by snappin}^' its mandibles rajjidl} together. While
uttering tliese notes its long tail was almost constantly in motion and ])artly
expanded, and its short wings slightly drooped. In walking about at ease, the
tail is somewhat raised and the neck partly contracted. When suddenly
alarmed the feathers of the body are compressed and it trusts almost entirely
to its legs for escape, running surprisingly fast. While running it can readily
keej) out of the way of a horse on a fair galloji on comparatively open ground,
and should the pursuer gain too much on the bird, it su(hleidy (huibles on its
course and takes advantago of any thickets or broken ground in tlu; vicinity,
and is soon lost to .sight. Its flight is ajtparently easy and, considering its short
wings, is rather swift.

In .southern Arizona the breeding sea.son begins sometimes as early as tli(!
middle of March, but the majority of tlit^ birds there, as well sis throughout
the balance uf their range, do not connneuce nesting before April, and nidifi-

\"l '■

16

LIFK IIISTORII':S OP NORTH AMEBIC AX BIRDS.

cation lasts throu^fli tlm suiiKner montlis, two and occiwionally tlireo Ijrootls being
raiswl in a season. WHiilo tlio first sot of eggs lai<l by such si)ocies as rear more
than one brood in a season is usually larger in number than sub8e([uent ones,
it seems to me tliiitwith the Koail-runner tlie reverse is tluj case.

During tlu; month ot" April, 1872, I found several nests, none of which
contained more than three eggs, all well incubated when found; similar small
sets were found during the first half of A[ay, while in June and July the sets
numbered from four to six eggs, the latter the largest sets observetl by me in
Arizona. The following explanatii-n may account for this:

In southern Arizona, during the sj»rinj-' months, insects and reptiles, which
form the bulk of the food of these birds, are rather svMhh^, while in .Tune, as
soon as the rains connnence, and later through the summer, suitable food is far
more abundant and a larger f unily can be much more readily cared for, and I
am of the opinion that these birds know this and act accordingly. Occasionally
a larger number of eggs is found, however, and Lieut. II. C. Uenson, Fourth
Cavalry, United States Army, writes me that lus saw a nest of this species, near
F(»rt Iluachuca, containing six young birds, all of difl'ereHt sizes, and two eggs;
the largest of the young was about ready to leave the uest, and the smallest
only a. day ( >r two old.

Their nt^sting sites are (juite variable. In southern Arizona the majority
of nests founil by me were placed in low mest[uito trees or thick bushes, and in
different sptfcicss of cacti, such as tlie prickly pear, ch(»lla, and others. Occasion-
ally one of their nests is placed on top of a mes([uite stump, surrounded by
green sprouts, or in a hackbeny or barberry bush. I f(jund one nest in a jjalo
verde tree, and anotluM- in a willow thicket; in the latter case the birds did not
build their own nest, but appropriated one of the Crissal Thrasher, Itarporlii^n-
cliHs cri.s.safis. Mr. F. 11. Fowler writes me from Fort Bowie that he saw a nest
near there, jjlaced in the hollow of a dead stump.

In Texas the Uoadrumier sometimes nests in ebony bushes, and in Cali-
fornia it has been known to use the nest t)f the California Jay, Aphdoroma
ailifonika, in oak trees, sometimes fully K! feet from the ground. Usually the
nests are placed from 3 to 8 feet from the ground, and only in rare instances
higher. Sometimes they are found in cpiite open situations, but generally they
are well concealed from view.

A typical nest of tlie lload-runner may be described as a rather flat an*!
shallow but coin]iactly Ijuilt structure, about 12 inches in diameter and varying
in tliii'kness from -4 to (i incites, witii l)ut litth^ depression interiorly. The
ground work consists of stii^ks from 5 to 10 inches long, HiumI more or less
regularly with finer material of the same kind and finished off with dry grasses.
Occasionally Itits of dry cow or horse dung, a few feathers, \\\v inner bark of
the Cottonwood, ilry mes(piite s(H'd pods, hits of snake skin, and small grass
roots are used, and now and then no lining is found, the eggs lying on a simple
])latform of twigs.

The num))er of eggs to a s(!t \aries in diU'erent localities fr<»m two to nine,
and occasionally as many as twelve have been found in a uest, possibly the

THE ROAD-BUNNER.

17

product of two birds. Sets ranging from four to six eggs are the rule. In
large sets several sterile eggs are nearly always found, and I believe that
rarely more than five young are hatched at one time. Incubation begins
sometimes with the first two eggs laid, especially when the set is to be a large
one, and again I have taken apparently full sets of four eggs in which there
was no perceptible difference in the size of the embryos. Occasionally an egg
is deposited daily, usually only (fvery other day, and sometimes the intervals
are still greater. Incubation lasts about eighteen days, and both sexes assist in
this labor.

The parents are devoted to their young, and when incubation is well
advanced the bird will sometimes allow itself to be caught on the nest rather
than abandon its eggs. The nestlings, when disturbed, make a clicking noise
with their bills. When taken young, they are readily tamed, soon becoming
attached to tlieir captor, showing a great deal of sagacit}', and making amusing
and interesting pets.

Tlie eggs of the Road-runner are white in color and unspotted, mostly
ovate and short ovate, and rarely elliptical ovate in shape. The shell consists of
two layers, the lower one close and fine grained, always pure white, without
gloss; the upper, a mere film similar to that covering the ground color of the
Anis, but more firm and not so easily scratched or rubbed off. This overlaying
film gives these eggs sometimes a very pale yellow tint and a moderately
glossy appearance.

The average measurement of one hundred and one eggs in the United
States National Museum collection is 3!). 12 by 29.97 millimetres, or 1.54 by 1.18
inclies. The largest egg of the series measures 44.45 by 29.97 millimetres, or
1.75 by 1.18 inches; the smallest, 36.07 by 28.19 millimetres, or 1.42 by 1.11
inches.

The type specimen. No. 204C4 (PI. 1, Fig. 2), from a set of four eggs,
Bendire collection, was taken by the writer near Tucson, Arizona, on June 18,
1872, and represents an averaged-sized egg of this species.

5. Coccyzus minor (Gmelin).

MANGROVE CUCKOO.

Gttouliis minor Gmelin, Systema Natiini', 1, i, 1788, 411.
Coccyzus minor Cauanis, Juiii'Dat fur OniitUolofjie, 18r)(!, 104.

(B 71, 0 29L>, H 380, C 429, IT 38«J.)

Oeooraphicai, ranoe: TIu' Wost India Lslands, exceptinR the lialiainas; the coast
regions of iiortliern Soutii America from (liiiitiia to Colombia, thence north throu({h Central
AmiTiia on both coasts; on tlie Pacifu^, t » tlie Isthmus of TuUuantei)ec; on tlie Gulf cott.st
to Tiimi)i('o, Mexico, aud probably still farther north; in the United States to the coast of
Loui.-siana, aud in southern Florida, on the west side mainly, north to iibout latitutle 27°30'.

The breeding range of the Mangrove, also known as the "Black-eared"
Cuckoo, and on the Island of Jamaica as the "Young Old-man Bird," is, in
the United States, as far as known, a very restricted one, being mainly confined

168!m— No. :i 2

f

18

LIFE niSTOBIES OP NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

to the Keys, and the west coast of southern Florida, north to about latitude 27°,
and to the Gulf coast of Louisiana. In Florida it appears to be rather rare,
while in southern Louisiana it is reported as somewhat more common.

Audubon firat met with this species on Key West and states that its habits
are nmch tlio same as those of the better known Yellow and lilack-billed
Cuckoos. It seems to be found only in the immediate vicinity of the coast,
among the mangroves, live oaks, and dense shrubbery usually found growing
in such localities. Mr. E. A. Mcllhenny writes me: "The Mangrove Cuckoo
is not an unconunon summer visitor on the coast of southern Louisiana, where
it usually amves about JLnrch 15 and leaves in September. Here it frei|iient8
the live-oak timber near streams or swamps, and usually nests on horizontal
branches of wax myrtle, from 4 to 12 feet from the ground.

"The earliest date on which I have taken a nest was on April 17, 1891;
this contained three eggs. On July 27, 1892, I took a set of four eggs, and I
believe that two broods are raised in a season. Both of these nests were placed
in wax myrtles, and were almost flat and rather poorly constructed platforms,
composed of dry twigs of the wax myrtle, no lining, and with barelj' any depres-
sion in the center. I am inclined to believe that the Mangrove Cuckoo is niore
connnon now than formerly, and also less shy. It does not begin to incubate
until the full set of eggs has been deposited. When disturbed on the nest the
female almost always shows fight; that is, she will raise her feathers, spread her
tail, and fly at you very much as a hen would when guarding her young, and
at the same time slie utters a clucking sound which resembles that of a domestic
hen Aery closely. Its food consists of locusts, grasshoppers, etc."

Audubon states that it is fond of sucking the eggs of all kinds of birds in
the absence of their owners, and that it also feed? on fruits and various kinds of
insects.

There are no fully identified eggs of this species in the United States National
Museum taken within our borders, but a number collected by Mr. W. S. March,
near Spanish Town, Jamaica, in May, 1862, are unquestionably referable to tliis
Cuckoo. They are pale glaucous green in (•oU)r, and vary in shape from blunt
ovate to nearly a perfect oval. The shell is close grained, rather thin, and
without gloss. The egg resembles that of the better known Yellow-billed
Cuckoo very closely, but averages a trifle larger.

The average n)ea8urenient of twelve eggs from Jamaica is 30.88 by 23.45
millimetres, or about 1.21 by 0.92 inches. The largest egg measures 32.51 by
24.(i4 miir.nietres, or 1.28 by 0.97 inches; the smallest, 29.72 by 21.59 milli-
metres, or 1 17 by 0.85 inches.

The type si)ecimeii, No. 6052 (not figured), from a set of six eggs, was
taken by Mr. W. S. March, referred to above, near Spanish Town, Jamaica, in
Mav, 1862.

.(■ »

f*^' '

'■\i

** •

L

MAYNABD'S CUCKOO.

19

6. Coccyzus minor maynardi Ridqway.

MAYNABD'S CUCKOO.

Coccyzus maynardi Uidqway, Manual North American Birds, 1887, 274.
CoccyziiH minor maynardi Allen, Ms.

(B 71 part, C 292 part, R 386 part, 0 420 part, U 380fl.)

Geooraphical bange: Bahama Islands and southern Florida; Cubat.

Within the United States the range of Maynard's Cuckoo, a somewhat
smaller and paler race than the preceding, and from whicli it has been separated
within the last decade, is a still more restricted one, and it has so far only been
found at Key West, where it is rather rare, but it is thought to breed there in
limited numbers. It is likely to occur also in suitable localities at points along
the east coast of Florida, north to about latitude 27° and possibly still farther.
It is evidently only a summer visitor to our shores, retiring south again in winter.
It is said to be common throughout the Bahamas, and Mr. J. S. Northrop, on a
recent visit to Andros Island, in the spring of 1890, obtained several specimens
of this Cuckoo there and saw others. Their notes were frequently heard by liim
in the mangroves or near by. The stomachs contained the remains of small
insects and grasshoppers.

Their general habits, mode of nidification, and eggs doubtless resemble
those of the Yellow and lilack-billed Cuckoos very closely. There are no
positively identified eggs of Maynard's Cuckoo in the United States National
Museum collection, but they are not likely to differ any in color or much in
size from those of the preceding species.

7. Coccyzus americanus (Linn^us).

ykllow-billed cuckoo.

CuchIhx (imericanun Linnaeus, Systema Naturns, ed. 10, 1, 1758, III.

CoccyztiH amcrivaiiuK Honai'AETe, Journal Academy Natural Sciences, Phila., Ill, ii,

1824. 307.

(B 69, 0 291, K 387, C 429, U 387.)

OEorrBAPHiCAL RANGE: Eastern North 4merica; north in the Dominion of Canada
to Nova Scotia, southern New Brunswick, southern Quebec, and Ontario to about latitude
4.')0 30'. In the United States, through southern Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, southern
Minnesota, and South Dakota; west to Nebraska, Kansas, the Indian Territory, and Texas;
soiitli to Florida, the Gulf coast, and the West India Islands; in winter to eastern Mexico,
and Costa Hira, Central Anieriita. Casual to eastern Colorado, Wyoming, and North
Dakota. Accidental in Greenland, Great Britain, and Belgium.

The breeding range of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, also known as "Rain
Crow" or "Rain Dove," "Kow-Kow," "Wood Pigeon," "Indian Hen," and
in some of the West India Islands as "May Bird," is coextensive with its geo-
graphical distribution in the United States and the southern portions of the

m

20

LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTU AMERICAN IJIBDS.

Dominion of Canada; and it alao breeds on u number of the West India Islands,
but in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and in the extreme western parts of Texas
it is replaced by the California Cuckoo during this time. It is a moderately
connnon bird in suitable localities throughout the greater part of its range in the
United States, excepting along our northern border, but on account of its shy
and retiring ways it is much more fre(piently heard than seen; it is only a
summer visitor throughout the greater portions of its range in the United States,
excepting Florida and parts of the Gulf coast, where some of these birds are
known to winter, but by far the greater number retire still farther south to the
West India Islands, and others through eastern Mexico, as far as Costa Hica.
The Yellow-billed Cuckoo usually an-ives in the Northern States about the
commencement of May, and remains there until the end of September or the
early part of October. It is decidedly arboreal in its habits, and is rr.rely seen
on the ground, where, on account of its short and weak feet, its movements are
rather awkward; but on the wing it is exceedingly graceful; its flight is noiseless
and swift, and it moves or rather glides through the densest foliage with the
gi-eatest ease, now flying sidewise, and again twisting and doubling at right
angles through the thickest .shrubbery almost as easily as if passing through
unobstructed space, its long tail assisting it very materially in all its complicated
movements. Few of our birds show to better advantage on the wing than the
Yellow-billed Cuckoo. It rarely indulges in protracted flights on its breeding
grounds, but keeps mostly in the shadiest trees, in den.se thickets along water
courses, or on small islands, shrubbery bordering country roads, tlie outskirts
of forests, and were it not for its peculiar call notes, which draw attention to its
whereabouts at once, it would be much less frequently seen than it usually is,
even where fairly connnon; on the whole, it must be considered as a rather shy,
retiring, and suspicious bird.

Its call notes are much more varied than is generally supposed, but it is
impossible to positively distinguish them from those of its somewhat smaller
relative, the Black-billed Cuckoo, which is likewise found througliout a consider-
able portion of its range, and it is extremely ditticult to indicate these notes on
paper. On tiio whole, I consider those of tiie Yellow-billed Cuckoo to be the
louder of the two, but this is only a 'natter of opinion, and it is rather ditticult
to state just what difference exists between them. One of their conmionest notes
is a low "noo-coo-coo-coo;" another sounds more like "cow-cow-cow" or "kow-
kow-kow," several times repeated; others resemble tiie syllables of "ough, ough,
ougli," slowly and softly uttered; some remind mo of the "klof>])-kloop" of the
Bittern; occasionally a note .something like the "kiuh-kiuli-kiuh" of the Flicker
is also uttered; a low, sharp "tou-wity-whit" and "hweet hwee" is also heard
during the nesting season. Though ordinarily not wliat might be called a
social bird, I have sometimes during the mating .season seen as many as eigiit
in the same tree, and on .such occasions tiiey indulge in (piite a number of calls,
and if the listener can only keep still long enough lu* lias an excellent oppor-
tunity to hear a regular Cuckoo concert.

TUE YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO.

ai

From an economic jjoint of view there are few birds which do more good
than the YeHow-billed Cuckoos, as they Hvo almost entirely on caterpillars, and
even the hairy and sharij-spined ones are eaten by them in large numbers.
Among tlie most important on( s ho destroyed are the cankerworm, the tent
caterpillar (Clisiommpu mticrinoia), and that of Vanensa antiopa, as well as of
numerous other butterflies, }>rasHhop|)ers, beetles, cicadas, small snails, etc., and
dift'erent kinds of fruit, as berries, nudberries, grapes, and others. Mr. J. L.
Davi.son, of Lockport, New York, has also observed it catching winged ants,
like a Flycatclier. I am awan^ that this species has been accu.sed of destroying
the eggs and even of eating the young of smaller birds, but 1 am strongly inclined
to beUeve tliat this accusation is unjust, and in my opinion recjuires more sub-
stantial confirmation. I have never yet had anj- reason to susjtect their robbing
smaller birds' nests, and the very fact that they live in ajjparent harmony with
such neighbors, who do not j)rotest against their jiresonce, as they are in the habit
of doing should a Hlue Jay, Grackle, or Crow come too close to their nests,
seems to ccmfirm this view. I am upheld in this opinion by a lunnber of careful
observers whom I have questioned on this im|)ortant subject. Only two of my
c )rrespondents seem to be inclined to believe this charge to be well founded.
iMr. William Hrewster, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, writing me on this subject,
says: "While I have never seen either of our Cuckoos destroy the eggs of other
birds, nevertheless I think they do it occasionally. One of my reasons for this
beli<;f is that many of our smaller birds, Warlders, SpaiTows, etc., show great
anxiety whenever the Cuckoos ajiproach their nests, and they inu'sue and peck
at them when they take wing, behaving toward them, intact, exactly as they do
toward the Crows, Jays, and (Jrackles, which we know eat eggs when(!ver they
can get a chance. My other reason is that one of my friends once shot a Cuckoo
(('. aniericaiiiis, I think it was) whose bill was smeared all over with the fresh
yolk of an egg." Mr. II. P. Attwater, of San Antonio, Texas, although he has
not observed it personally either, informs me that in his neighborhood this bird
is locally known to the bo}'^ collectors as the Egg-sucker, and that some claim
to have observed it in the act of stealing eggs.

Should an occasional pair of these birds, however, l)e guilty of .such
reprehensible conduct, which I am not yet prejiared to admit, it by no means
follows that it is a conmion jjractice. All of our Cuckoos deserve the utmost
protection; it is simply astonishing how (juickly a pair of these birds will
exterminate the thousands of caterpillars infesting orchard and other trees in
certain seasons; it makes no difference how hairy and spiny these roay ])e, none
are rt^ected by them, although no other birds will touch them, and the walls
of their stomachs are sometimes comj)letely i)ierced by the sharp, stiletto-like
hairs, without injury, .and apparently not incommoding these birds in the least.
Their benefit to the horticulturist is inunense, and he has certainly no better
friends among our birds.

Although the Yellow-billed Cuckoo generally arrives in our Northern States
about the middle of May, and occasionally a week or so earlier, it usually nests

22

LIFE H18TOKIE8 OF NORTU AMERICAN BIRDS.

rather late, and oftener, I believe, in the firHt week in .Inly tlian in .Tnne. Like
nioHt birds, they are more noisy durinj^ mating time than at other seasons, and
they are most often heard during damp, eloudy weather or before a storm, and
on this aeconnt they are often railed "Rain Crows," their eontinuous calls beiny
Hupposed to jiresaf^e wet weather.

As a rule they are shy and silent, unobtrusive birds, their plain, {^"ayish-
brown upper j)arts, with a faint la-onze luster, harmoniziujjf so j)eH'ectly witli their
surroundiuf^s that they are readily overlooked in tins dense folia}>e and tanfj;h'il
luidergrowth which they usually frecjuent, and it is no easy matter to study
them closely, though occasionally a pair will select its nesting site close to
human habitations and even in cities, when they lose their natural shyness to
ttome extent.

Mr. Mark L. C. Wilde, of Camden, Now Jersey, writes me: "On June 22,
1893, while passing the corner of Sixth and Market streets, I was surprised to
see a Yellow-billed Cuckoo fly off her nest, which was built on the limb of a
maple tree that hung over Market street, on which the electric cars run every
ten or fifteen minutes. The nest contained two fn^sh eggs. Then^ are no
woods nor open fields within a mile or so of the tree in which the nest was built,
although there are a number of shade trees around the city and plenty of
caterpillars for them to feed upon."

In the southern j)ortions of their range, including Florida and tiie Gulf
States, niflification begins occasionally early in April, and fresh eggs may be
found sometimes in the last two weeks of this month; but the majority of these
l)irds rarely commence laying here before the second week in May. In the
District of Colundna a few jjairs nest in the latter part of this month, but the
greater portion do not before June, and occasionally not before July, wliile
instances of fresh egg.s, j)ossibly second layings, have been foiuid in the latter
part of August and even in the beginning of September. In tim northern por-
tions of its range the breeding sea.son is at its height during tiie latter part of
June and the first week of Jul)', and here one brood only is raised, while in the
south they sometimes raise two.

Mr. O. Widmann, of Old Orchard, Missouri, has kindly .sent me tiie following
notes on this sj)ecies: "The Yellow-billed Cuckoos begin to lay here May 15.
If the eggs are taken and none left in the nest, the birds aliandon it and build
another; but I do not think that two Imxids are raised in a seas(»n. This species
begins to arrive here in the last days of April, but to get tlu^ earliest dates one
must be up at 2 a. ni., when their call is heard from time to time. After daybreak
they are seldom heard before the first days of May, regularly only after the .'»th.
I found them very numerous in tiie St. Francis region the second week in May,
where they were among the most conspicuous birds. At that time they seemed
to live mostly on a large kind of May or willow fly (^l'Jj)liriiicni), which tiie male
l)ird caught and brought to his mate, who kejjt ijuieth' jjerclied and apjiarently
awaiting iiis attenticms. He alighted gi-acefully on her back and ju'esented
complaisantly the choice morsel, which was received with half-tumed head and

i^'.

THE YELLOVV.BILLJiD CUCKOO.

28

(>])('ii l»ill — the wliolf ii picturo of lovo and devotion pleasant to witnesH, and
not iiiiim-d l)y any unoHtlu-tic act or motion. One of tlie favorite foods of tiie
Cnckoo in September is tlu* eideriierry, and tlie last week of this month may be
set down as tlio time for its final de|iarture."

The Yellow-billed Cnckoo is one of the ))oorest neat builders known to me,
and tnidonbteoly the slovenly manner in whicii it constructs its nest causes the
contents of many to be accidentally destroyed, and this probably accounts to
some extent for the many apparent irrejrularities in their nestiuff habits. The
nests are shallow, frail jtlafforms, composed of small rootlets, sticks, or twi^js, few
of these beiufr over 4 or f) inches in lenjith, and amon<r them a few dry leaves
and l)its of mosses; raffs, etc., are occasionally mixed in, and the surface is lined
witii drv blossoms of the horse-chestnut and other flowerinf^- jdants, the male
aments or catkins of oaks, willows, etc., tufts of ifrasses, pine and spruce needles,
and mosses of ditt'erent kinds. These materials are loosely placed on the top of
the little jdatform, which is frequently so small that the extremities of the bird
project on l»oth sides, and there is scarcely any de])ression to keej) the ejrgs from
rolling out even in only a moderate windstorm, unless one of the parents sits on
the nest, and it is therefore not a rare occiUTence to find broken ejygs lyinjj^
under the trees or busluis in which the nests are placed. Some of these are so
slifjhtly built that the ejffjfs can be readily seen thnmgh the bottom. An average
nest measures about 5 inches in outer diameter by IJ inches in depth. They
are rarely placed over 20 feet from the gnumd, generally from 4 to H feet
upon horizontal lind)s of oak, beech, gum, dogwood, hawthorn, mulberry, pine,
cedar, fir, apple, orange, fig, and other trees. Thick bu.shes j)articularly such as
are overrun with wild grape and other vines, as well as hedgerows, especially
those of osage orange, are also frecjuently selected for nesting sites. The nests
are ordinarily well concealed by the overhanging and surrounding foliage, and
while usually shy and timid at other times, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo is gen-
erally coiu'ageous and bold in the defense of its chosen home; the bird on the
nest not unfrequently will raise its feathers at right angles from the body and
occasionally even fly at the intnider.

The lunnber of eggs in a set varies from two to five; sets of three are
most common, while those of four are not at all rare. Now aiul then as many
as six and seven have been found in one nest, but it is always more or less
questionable if such large sets are the product of the same fenuxle. Usually an
egg is dejjosited daily, and as a rule incubation does not commence until the set
is comjjleted; but there are also exceptions, and the bird may conmience
incubation when the first egg is laid, and at the same time continue laying at
iiTcgular intervals, varying from two to eight days, so that one will occasionally
find birds of different ages and eggs in various stages of incubation in the nest.
I nuist confess that no such instances have come inuler my own observation, but
this fact has been so well established that there can be no question of it. It is
also well known that this species will occasionally deposit an egg or two in the
nests of the Black-billed Cuckoo, and the latter returns the compliment, and

w

; ij'l

84

LIFK UISTOItlKS OF NORTH AMKUIUAN BlUDS.

now and then ono of tliuir e^gH Iiiih been t'ouiul in tlio nestH of otliur specioH,
such 118 tlie Wood-tlirusli, Robin, Catbird, Ci'diir-bird, Hlack-tliroati'd S|>arro\v,
Cardinal, and Mournin^r Dovu. Such instancoH a|)|)t'ar to be much rarer, liow-
uver, tluui thoso in wliich thoy intorhiy with each otiutr, and the inajority of thcHc
may well be due to accident, their own uent having possibly been capsized, and
necessity coinj)elled the bird to dejxjsit its ej,'); elsewhere. Such iustaiices do
occur at times with species that can not possibly bo (diar^^ed with parasitic
tendencies.

There is a set of four ep^gs of the Mcuvdow Lark (Ralph collection) before
me now, taken on May (I, 181)2, in Volusia Ciuuity, Florida, wliich in addition
contained an egg of the Florida (juail; another set of four eggs of the Gray-
tailed Cardinal, taken by Mr. II. P. Attwater, near Rockport, Texas, on Aj)ril 28,
1893, and presented to the collection here, contains also an egg of the Scissor-
tailed Flycatcher, and I might cite other instances if I deemed it necessarj.

It is indisputable, however, that some latent iraoes of parasitism exist in our
Cuckoos, but these are not very frecpient and seem to be princijmlly contined
among themselves, and are ap])arently more ])revalent among the Black-billed
species than the present one. Mr. Robert Ridgway tells me that he found
both species nesting in an aj)ple orchard, near Mount Carmel, Illinois, in June,
1864, in adjoining trees, the two nests being not over 10 feet aj)art.

Incubation, 1 think, la.sts about fourteen days, and I believe the female
performs the greater portion of this duty. The young when first hatched are
repulsive, blf.ck, and greasy-looking creatures, nearly naked, and the sprouting
quills only add to their general ugliness. If the eggs are handled the bird
freciuently forsakes the nest, either throwing them out or abandoning them.
The eggs are elliptical oval in shape, about equally obtuse at either end ; the
shell is close grained, rather thin, and without gloss. The gi'ound color varies
from a uniform Nile blue to pale gi'eeni.sh blue when fresh, fading out in time to
a pale greenish yellow. They are unsjjottcd, but occasionally one or two eggs
in a set present a sort of mottled appearance, the ground varying somewhat on
different parts of the shell. Their color is one of those subtle tints which it is
difficult to describe accui-ately. Many of the eggs resemble in tint some of the
lighter-colored Heron's eggs.

The average nu'asurement of sixty-six specimens in the United States
National Museum collection is 30.28 by 22.94 millimetres, or about l.li) by 0.90
inches. The largest egg in the series measures 33.03 l)y 2."). 40 millimetres, or
1.32 by 1.00 niches; the smallest, 27.94 by 21.34 millimetres, or 1.10 by 0.84
inches.

The type specimen. No. 20977 (PI. f), P^ig. 1), from a set of three eggs,
was taken by Mr. I). H. Burrows, near Lacon, Marshall County, Illinois, on July
5, 1893, and presents the mottled appearance previously referred to.

THE CALIFORNIA CUCKOO.

25

8. Coccyzus americanus occidentalis Hidowav.

CALIKORMA CUCKOO.

C'occyzwi americatitis occiilenfalU Uiuuway, Manual North Amoricun lUrdH, 1887. -'T.'l.
(H _, C — , It ;W7 part, C 421t part, IT tiSla.)

(iKooiiAiMiiCAr, KANOE: WeHteni Nortli Amfrlca; north to this Mouthern portionsol
Hritish Cohinibia; tMiHt to the Kocky MoiintuinH and southeru Texas; south over the table-
hiudH of Alexiuo; northern Lower California.

Till) bri'tMliiiff raiiffp of tlio California Cuckoo, for which the naiiio "Westoni
Yelldw-hilU'd Cuckoo" weeum to bo nioro appropriate, Ih coextensive with its
distribution in the United States. As far as yet known it reaches the northern
limits iif its breeding range about latitude .00'^ 4.0', near Kandooj)8, in British
Columbia, and its southern and eastern limits in the lower Rio Grande V'alle}',
in southern Texas. The eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains ajjpear to form
the eastern limits of its range in this direction. Although nowhere connnon, it
seems to be generally distributed over the Pacific Coast States and Territories.

Mr. F. Stephens writes me: "I consider the California Cuckoo n rare sum-
mer resident of the valleys of southern California. The only instance of its
breeding here, that I know of, was in the San Rernardino V^dley; I saw the
l)arent fly from the nest, which was in a slender willow growing in a thicket in
a moist location. The little tree leaned, but was too strong to admit of my
pulling the nest within reach; I therefore attempted to climb to the nest and
succeeded in spilling the eggs, which broke on striking the ground. The
fragments were i)ale green. The eggs were fresh and aj)peared to be two in
nund)er. I think the date was the latter jiart of May, 1882."

Mr. Charles A. Allen, of Nicasio, has found this subspecies breeding in the
willow thickets along the Sacramento River, California, where it ajipears to be
not uncommon in suitalile localities. Dr. Clinton T. Cooke considers it moder-
ately common in the vicinity of Salem, Oregon, and Mr. R 11. Lawrence nut
with it occasionally in the ColumV)ia River Vallev, in Clarke Cimntv, Wasliinirton.
It appears to reach the center of its abundance, the lower Rio Grande Valley,
in Texas, about the beginning of April, and sometimes nests there in the latter
part of this mouth, l)ut ordinarily not before May, while in southern Arizona it
appears to amve considerably later. I noticed it first on June 10, 1872, among
the willows in the Rillito Creek l)ottom, and again on the liith, l)ut failed to
find a nest before July 17, but after this date I found several others; two of
these as late as August 22. Its general habits, call notes, and food are very
similar to those of its somewhat smaller eastern relative, and excepting this
difference and its stouter and larger beak, it Is otherwise Indistinguishable. On
the whole, it appears to be more connnon west of the SieiTa Nevada and the
Cascade Mountains than in the interior, where I only met with it on a single
occasion, near Old Fort lioise, at Keeneys FeiTy, on the Oregon side of Snake
River, and here 1 found a nest of this subspecies on August 2, 1876, contuiuiug

i

86

LIFE ilKSTUUlES (»F NOUTH AMKIilCAN ItlltlKS.

tlirpo half-f^own yuuiiff. 'I'lm lumt wiik |i1iu'(m1 in u clmiiii of willows, wifliin a
t'l'W f'nct of wlitd'd I wiiH caiiiiKMl, ami my alfciitioii was first iittnictcd to it l>y
tlio uiifaHy iiiaiiiu'i' in wliicli tltu parents iiHivt-d tiiroiinli tlai willows, constantly
tlittiufr hark an<l forth, ami always with a larj^e hlack cricket (Aiidhus simpltj-
or purinttvtiis) in their liiils, on which tlu'V seenietl to feed their yonn^f entirely.
'I'hey picked most of these rupnlsive-lookin^f creatnres from jjriiss stalks and
low shrubs on which they were feeding;, and althonj^h there were nnmhers of
them to Ite found all around, as well as in camp, they f,'enerally went off some
little distance to ^et them. The nestlin^js, only two or three days old, were
Ufjly-lookinj,' creatures, and their bodies were almost naked. The parents M»m
hmt their fear caused by my proximity, and (lew back and forth at Hhort inter-
vals durin<i; tht^ three hours of daylij^ht in which I had aiioppoi "uitv toobservu
them, '['he younj,' uttered occasionally a low, wheezy note, like "U},^!, tiffh,"
but on the whole both parents and youn;; were rather tilent. This sid)species
has also iieeii nu't with in Utah, and Mr. A. \V. Anthony observed a ( "uckoo wlii«'h
is un(piestionably referable to this subspecies near Kiisenada, Lower (.'alifornia.
If the (lalifornia Cuckoo showed the same parasitic habit <if occasionally
dejiositing one or more of its egfjfs in tlm nests of other birds, as its eastern
relatives are now and then known t() do, I believe that I should have oltserved
the fact in southern Arizona. Hen? I found ei;;ht of their nests with cf^Mis, and
fully livi^ Inuidnid nests of smaller birds, which nested in similar localities amonj^
th(( willow thickets and mes(|uite bushes, overrun with vines, in the creek
bottoms, but not a siuf^le instance! of parasitism came under my ol)servation.
Tlu! California Cuckoo ))uilt its own nest in every case, and wliih^ it {generally
was a loo.se, slovenly affair, without any jtretence to architectural beauty, I think
(Ui the whole it comj)ar(!d favorably with the nests of om* two Itetter-knowu
eastern species; some at least wen^ fairly well lined with dry jjrasses and the
Idossoms of a speciies of Evax, and there was irenerally a slij;ht depre.ssif)n in
the center of the no.st for the ogj^s to rest in. 1 took my first set, containing two
fresh egg.s, on July 17, 1H72; on the 25th of this month I found another set of
four eggs in which incubaticm had .slightly and nniforndy begun. On duly 27
I seciu'ed two more setsy one of four, the other of three eggs, })oth fresh; and
I did not find any more in'.L'.' .vugust 21, when I took a .set of three, <nie of
which contained a largo endnyo, another one somewhat less advanced, and the
remaining egg was addled. Next day 1 found two more nests, one containing a
set of three, in which incul)ation had connnenced evenly, the other held two
fresh eggs, and on August 24 I found the last nest, which contained a single
fresh egg, to which no others were achled. 'l\vo of these nests contained
incomplete sets when foinid, and an i"^ir was added in each case on succeeding
days. As a rule, incubation does not begin imtil tla^ set is complettul, and an
e^^ is deposited daily, lioth sexes assist in incubation and in the care of the
young. I believe only one brood is raised in southern Arizona in a season.
The nests here were placed in willow or mescpiite thickets, from 10 to 15 feet
from the ground, and they were usually fairly well concealed by the suiTound-
ing foliage.

THE CAMFOIINIA CUCKOO.

27

Tlie (>>?)rH of tlio Cnliforniii (Juckoo ai«« iiwimlly tlin><» or four in niiinlH r.
Tlii'V aro lij^lit frrcfiiiMli hliio in rolor, uiiMiHittcd, anil in tinn' tliin niistiil)lt' tint
fadcH to a unit'orni palo ycllowiHli j^roen. 'I'lu^y an- mostly il!i|itinil oval in
Hiia|»(»; a tow may Iw railed tdliptical ovjito, onti «'nd licinjr nlinlitly niDic pniiitcd
tlian tlu' otliur, 'i'lu> mIioII in tino (frainiMl, rather thin, and without ^-loss. 'I'lic
I'triTA avt-rafft' a tritlf larjft-r than thomt of thi) Ycllow-ltiilcd Cuckoo.

Tlio averajrc mcaMurcnu'iit »)f forty-thrcn spccinii'iiH in the I'liirtMl States
National Mnscinn collection is .'30.85 hy -».'{. K! millimetre.s, or ahoiit l.lM liy O.'.H
inohc'H. The larjrost of those e«,'i,'H measnres lV.\I}:i hy 2I.:J8 millimei'. or l..'J2
liy (>.!!() inches; the Hmallest, 27.4a l)y21.(>H millimetres, or l.OH hy 0.k;{ inciies.

The typo specimen, No. 20470 (PI. ;'), Fi>,'. 2), lUindiro collection, from a set
of fonr e;,'}rs, was taken by tlio writer on Itillito Creek, near Tncson, Arizona, on
.July 27, 1872. This is one of the largeHt vgga in the serit'b, and is sliphtly
faded, fresh eggs looking somewhat brighter.

9. Coccyzus erythrophthalmus (Wu.son).

IlLACK-IIII.I.Kn ( i'UKOO.

(UichIuh rrythrophthalmuH WiLSON, Anu'rieivn Ornithology, IV, 1811, 1«, PI. L'S.
Ciwri/zKH vijitliniphlhalinu* BoNArAKTK, .loarnal Auiuleiny Natural Uc.iuuves, I'liiiit., ill, ii,
1«L'4, ;j«7.

(H 7(>, C 2W}, It 388, (' \'2H, U ;WH.)

ORoORAi'iiinAi.. RANOK: Eastern North A MiciiL'n; north in tla; Dominion of Canada
to Nova Hi'otia, New lti'aMs\vii'k,southvra(jucl)oc,uial Ontario, to aliout hititudu 17 ,iiiul in
the provinces of Manitoba and eastern Assiniboia to about lutitn(lc.'"»l ; wust in liic I'nitc'l
.States to the ea.'^tern foothills of the liocky Moantains, Montana, Wyoininji, Colorado, and
Texas; south, in winter, to the West India Islands, Central America, ami northern South
Amei'icii. Accidental in (ireat Britain and Italy.

The IJlaek-billt'd Cuckoo, u slightly smaller bird tlian the Yellow-billod, is
likewise known by the dift'erent local names of the latter, and is (d'ten mistaken
for it. It apjtears to bo somewhat hardier, extendinjj its mioratioMs several
degrees farther north, and it breeds throughout its range from about latitude 'A^t''
nortinvard. Occasionally it luis been reported as breeding still farther soutii,
but below th(f latitude named it must be considered as an irregular and rare sum-
mer resident. In ea.stern North America it reaches the northern limits of its
raiig(^ in about latitude 47°, while in the interior, in the provinces of .Maiiitolia
and eastern Assiniboia, it has been found as far north as latitude .'')1", and it
ranges |)robably still farther in this direction. The ea.stern slopes of tint liocky
Mountains appear to form the western limits of its habitat. Here it lias been
<tbtainod at Pryor's Fork of tiie Yellowstone, Mtmtana, and I found it breeding
on the Little Horn River, neai Fort Custer, on June 2.5, inH."). Mr. W. (!. Smith
has observed it in Larimer County, Colorado, where lie believes it brei'ds, but it
is rare. It is a fairly common species in suitable localities throughout the greati-r
part of its range, and in the more noithem portions it outnumbers the Yellow-

,'i

«<

28

LIFK HISTORIES OF NOKTll AMKHICAN iJIRDS.

ii'.

i

r,-

!• .

1 k^

billed Cuckoo considerably. In winter it occurs to some extent in Florida and
jdong the (Julf coast, but by iar the {greater number pass i)evond our borders to
tln' West India Islands, and even throu<^li Mexico and CJentral America to northern
S(mth America. It usually reenters the I'nited States from its winter haunts in
the South durin<>' tlm lirst half of April, arriviuf;- on its more northern bn'edin;r
{^rounds {renerally about a week earlier than the VeUow-billi'd Cuckoo. The
return miyrati«m in the fall ordinarily be;>ins in the latter j)art of Sej)temb('r,
while a few of these birds linurr sometinu's well in October and occasionally
even until early Novend)er.

Its {general habits, ]iluma}j:e, manner of llif^ht, food, an<l many of its call
notes are very similar ti) those* of tht! Vellow-billed species, and it is rather
dilKcult to distin;;uish one from tim other unless very clo.sci to them, lake tlu)
species referred to, it is eminently Itcnclicial, and deserxcs the fidlest protection,
'riiey freijuent the same kind of localities, and are especially partial to tho
slirulibery alon;;' water courses, lakes, ponds, hillsiih'S iiordeiinj;' wet meadow.s,
overjiTown here and there with clum])s of bushes, iind the outer ed;j(s of low-
lyin;;' forests, while they are far le.ss often ob.served in hi;ili and drv situations
any distance away from water. On the wiiole, its call notes appear not to be
(piite so loud as the Yellow-billed Cuckoo's, and rather mon* pleasinj;' to the eai-.
Their i>rdinary note is a soft "coo-coo," a numlu'r of times re|)eate(l. Mrs. Olive
Tliorno Miller, well known as an enthusiasti)' and painstaking'' observer, <h-scribes
their alarm note as "cuck-a-nuk," and ^ives a very full and interestin^i- account
of the actions of a ]iair of these birds in her charmingly-written "Little ihotli-
ers of the Air." From personal observations, I am inclined to iielieve that tin-
Hlack-billed Cuckoo is more irrej,ndar in its nestin<>- habits than the Yellow-billed,
and that cases of parasitism are of more freipient occinrence. I also think their
ejiys are nuich oftener found in dilVerent stayi-s of incubation than appears to be
tho case with the Yellow-l)illed spe<'ies,

Mr. J. li. Davi.son, of Lockport, New York, well k""^vn as a careful an<l
reliable ornitholoffist, in his list of liirds of Niapira Comity, New ^'ork, orij;i-
nallv published in "Forest and Stream," September, ISSit, makes the foliowiiifiC
remarks about this Cu<'koo:

"1 have ofti'U found the ('jij^s of this s](ecies in the nest ol' C fN/^r/vV^MM.v,
but oidv once have I found it in the nest of any other binl, .lune IT, 1H82, I
found a lihu'k-billed Cuckoo and a Mourninf;- I )o\ »■ sittiuf^' on a IJobin's nest
toiredier. The Cuckoo was the lirst to leave* the nest. ( )n securiu"- this I found
it contained twoejif^'s of the Cuckoo, two of tin* Mournin}>- Hove, and one Kobin's
cfifj. The i{<)biu had not quite iinished the nest when the Cuckoo took posses-
sion of it and tilled it nearly full of rootlets; but tlu> Kobin ^nt in and laid one
e<i'^'. Incubation had commenced in the l{ol)in and Cuckoo ej^j^s, but not ;:> tho
Mourniu}^ Dove's efjfjs. I ha\ e the nest and e}i|;s in my collection. * * *

"I am alsixpiite certain that I have seen the Ulack-billed and Yellow-billed
Cuckoo feediuff youn<f in the same nest, an account of which was published in
' Forest and Stream ' Since then I have found a number of nests containing

^■i^
J

M

■i

THE BLACK BILLED CUCKOO.

29

the o<r{js of l)otli species, and have como to the conchision that I was not mis-
taken ill tliat oliservatidii. On Septoniher 10, 18H;5, I found a nest of tlie IMaek-
bilU'd Cuekoo containiii'i' two yoiiiiff liirds not more thiin one day out of the
shell; the two pnnioiis nij-lits we had severe frosts that destroyed vef?(^tablea."

While instances of the IMack-biiled Cuckoo laying; in the ne.sts of the
Yellow-hilled me not especially rare, cases where it lays its e^'^s in those of
other species, esjiecially smaller ones than itself, are decidedly uncommon. 1
have never si'cn a case of this kind, hut, nevertheless, several well-authenticated
instances liave liceii recorded which leave no room for douht; of these I will
oiilyipiote one, puidished liy Dr. V. K. Clarke, of Kiii}>ston, Ontario, ('anada,
who says: "In an orchard we discovered a Black-billed Cuckoo sittinj; in a
Chipping' Sparrow's nest, and the bird did not attempt to move till we almost
touched it. it now seemed very evident that the case aj^ainst the I)ird was a
stroiif'- one, and when a (hickoti's eii}i- was found in the nest the chain of evi-
dence was completer. The ejfj? was hatched and produced a tyrannical youuff
Cuckoo, who turned his companions out of the ne.st and made himself as com-
fortalile as j)ossible as \on<x as was necessary, 'i'wo of lis saw the oUl (hickoo
actually sittiii"' in the nest, and there was no (hmiit alxmt the matter. We have
been informed tliat the erratic nestin}>- of the Cuckoo has been rejieated in the
same orchard since the occasion referred to, l)iit of this wo have no accurate
information."'

It; -"x^s have been found in tlu* nests of the Wood Pewee, Yellow Warbler,
Catbird, tnd others. Nidilication commences rather late, rarely before the
middle of May; full sets of e;'<;s are sometimes found abimt the end of this
month, but much more freipieiitly durinjif .liine and duly Oecaalonally a .set is
met with in the latter part of .Viifiiist, probiiidy a second clutch. The earliest
nestiiij,"- record I know is one of May 7, I87H, whert^ Mr. Uoliert Kidj^way found
a set of these e<"-;is nciir Mount Carmel, Illinois; these iire now in the United
States National Museum collection, (hdinarily an e<T{f is dejiosited daily until
the set is completeil, but not imfriMpieiitly they are laid jit considerably loii};-er
intervals, and it is well known that yoiinj;' of ditferent af^cs, as well as effj^s in
various stages of incubation, are sometimes found in the same nest.

The nests of the IJlack-liilled Cuckoo appear to be slijjhtly bi'tter built
than those of the V('llow-l)ille(l species; the plattonn is usually constructed of
finer twiji's, the soft inner Imrk of cedar, fine rootlets, weed stems, etc., and there
is ji^enerally more lininj>'. This consists of the ametits of oak, white and black
iish, and.mjiple, willow catkins, ioid the (lowers of tlu* cudweed or everlastin<>;
{(iHiijilKiliKm), dried leaves, and similar materials. The majority of the nests are
placed in nitlier low situations, mostly not over (i feet from the i>;round, on
iiorizontid lindis of bushy (n-erj;reens, pines, cedars, and hemha'ks, or in decid-
uous tri'cs tnid shrubs, such as tlii^ box elder, chestnut, thorn apple, and beech
trees; also in lied<j;es, briar and kalmiji pate lies, oecasionalK' on old lo;>s, and
now and then even on the >iToiind. Dr. I'. L. Match reports such in.stances in

> Truiifmcticiim ol° tin' taiwidiaii liiKtilntc, Oct., 1890, Vol, I, Part I, pii. IS-Oil.

30

LIFE HISTORIES OF NOETH AMERICAN BIRDS.

his "Birds of Minnesota," 1892 (p. 222). There is but little difference in the
size of their nests from those of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and the same meas-
urements will answer for both.

The IJlai'k-billed Cuckoo is apt to desert its nest if it knows it has been
discovered. Judge J. N. Clark, of Saybrook, Connecticut, writes me: "Of all
the Cuckoos' nests which 1 have found, before the set was complete, if the bird
was at the nest, and one generally is, the next visit would always find the nest
deserted and one or more of the eggs gone; at least such has been my fretjuent
experience." On the data sheet of a set of three eggs of this species in the
Ealph collection, taken on May 29, 1879, by Mr. W. W. Worthington, on
Shelter Island, Suffolk County, New York, I find the following entiy in the
collector's handwriting: "On visiting this nest firet it contained two eggs; the
following day it was empty. I then left it one day, and on the /I'.xt visit it
contained three eggs. I have carefully examined these eggs, and they certainly
look as if they had all been laid by the same bird." I had a somewhat similar
experience with the only nest of this species I found near Fort C.!ster,
Montana, on June 22, 1885. This was placed in a bull or buffalo beiry bush
{Slicphmlia aificnteii) close to the banks of the Little Honi River, alx)ut 4 feet
from the groimd. I noticed the bird slipping off as I approached, and on
looking into the bush and separating the branches I found the nest and saw
that it contained only a single egg, which appeared to be very peculiarly
marked. I did not tcmcli this, and left the vicinity at once. On revisiting the
place again on the 24th, I found the nest empty and no trace of the e^g on the
ground below the nest. I was much provoked at not having taken the egg
when I first found the nest, as it was a very deeply colored one, and after
making a thorough search through the thickets on that side of the river, I gave
it up for that day, but retm'ned again on the 25th and examined a patch of
wild rose bushes about 100 yards from the old site and on the opposite Ijank.
Almost as soon as I entered this thicket I saw a Cuckoo flying up into a willow
sapling and acting in a very excited manner; a few minutes later I found
a nest, containing, to the best of my belief, the identical egg I had seen in the
first one. The second nest was evidently built in a luuTy, and consisted simply
of a vcr)' slight platform of dry twigs, with scarcely any lining whatever. It
was j)laced 8 feet from the ground, in a dense clump of wild rose bushes, and
was well concealed froni view. To make siu'e, this time I took the single egg,
which is the most peculiarly colored one I have yet seen of this species, and is
reproduced on PI. 5, Fig. 3.

Although not whnt might be called a very social bird at any time,
occasionally in some particularly suitable place a number of pairs may bn found
nesting close together. Mr. II. W. Flint, of New Haven, Connecticut, writes
me: "I know of one spot in this vicinity where the Black-billed Cuckoo miglit
almost be said to breed in colonies — a sloping hillside near a traveled road.
Here I have found seven nests of this species within an hoiu', none of tliem
placed over 3 feet from the ground. I have also frequently fomid their nest on

m
•I

■ 'I'

'?8

THE BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO.

31

a fallen limb, the top of which was resting upon underbmsh. As an exception
to their low nostiiif;-, I once found a nest containiufr two well-feathered younj?
and two fresh egf^s over 1 8 feet from the ground, placed in the to[) of a cedar
tree, in a dense thicket of other cedars."

Both sexes assist in incubation as well as in the care of the young; they
appear to bo devoted parents, and the fact that they are occasionally willing to
ai)andon their young to the mercy of foster parents apj)ears rather unaccount-
able, to say the least, especially when it is positively known that they occasionally
remove their eggs, as well as the young, from one nest to another in order to
better protect them from possible harm. In my opinion, tlie real causes for the
so utterly inconsistent behavior on the part of some of these birds are not yet
fully understood.

The munber of eggs laid to a set varies from two to seven; sets of three or
four are most common, and those of over five are rare. Dr. Louis 15. Bishop found
a set of seven eggs of this species near New Haven, Connecticut, on June 7,
18!)3, in which three eggs were fresh, in two incubation had just begun, in
anotlier it was somewhat more advanced, and in one egg the embryo was well
formed. Tliere is frecpiently considerable difference in size among the eggs
found in the same set, although apj)arently laid by the same bird. In a set of
three eggs, for instance. No. 2G()19, United States National Museum collection,
taken by Mr. Thad. Surbe., near White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, on
June 3,"l8!l3, the mea.surements are as follows: 2G.'J2 by 20.07, 24.85) l)y 1!».81,
and 22.35 by 18.rj4 millimetres, or LOG by 0 79, 0.98 by 0.78, and 0.88 by
0.73 inclies; the ditterence is, of course, not always so great, but is often quite
perceptible. The eggs of the Jilack-bilied Cuckoo are more nearly oval than
elliptical oval, and sliorter and rounder than those of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo,
and nuu'h more dee))ly colored. Like these, they are unspotted; the shell is thin
and fine grained, with litth^ or no gloss. Their color is difficult to describe
exactly, varying from nile blue to pale beryl green, and occasionally the shell
shows a decidedly marbled ajjpearance, caused by different shades running into
each other, an illustration of which is shown in PI. 5, Fig. 3. Aside from their
dee))er color, they are also readily distinguished from the eggs of the Yellow-
billed Cuckoo by their smaller size.

The average measurement of foi-ty-two specimens in the United States
National Museum collection is 27.23 by 20.53 millimetres, or about 1.07 by 0.81
inches. The largest egg of the series measures 29.97 by 22.86 millimetres, or
L18 l)y 0 90 inches; the smallest, 22.35 by 18.54 millimetres, or 0.88 by 0.73
inch.

The type sjjecimen, No. 22444 (PI. 5, Fig. 3), a single q^^, Bendire collec-
tion, was taken by the writer near Fort Custer, Montana, on June 25, 1885, and
is a very peculiarly colored specimen, while No. 2()019 (PI. 5, Fig. 4), from a
set of three eggs, and taken by Mr. Thad. Surber, on June 3, 1893, near White
Sulphiu" Springs, West Virginia, represents about an average egg of this species.

WW

82

lilFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

10. Cuculus canorus telephonus (Heine).

8IBEKIAN CUCKOO.

Cuculus tehphonu» HEINE, Journal fiir Oriiitliologie, 18»!3, 352.

CuculuH canorus telephonus >Stejnegeb, Biilletiu 29, U. S. National Museum, 1885, p. 224.

(B— , R— , C— , U [388.1.])

Geogbaphical bange : Eastern Asia, casually to the Pribilof Islands, Alaska.

The Siberiiin Cuckoo claims a jjlace in oiir fauna on the strength of a HinjOfle
specimen having' been taken by Mr. William Palmer at Northeast Point, St.
Paul's Island, Ala.ska, on July 4, 1890, which is now in the United States
National Museum collection. Mr. Palmer states " when collected it was busily
engaged capturing some large flies whidi are abundant on these islands, and
with which its stomach was literally packed. It had been seen by the natives in
the same place for more than two weeks, and was probably the same individual
seen by myself on June 13, when becalmed in a fog off the eastern side of the
same island, on which occasion it circled overhead like a gull for some time,
while calmly inspecting the boat, and then moved off northward.'"

As far as I can learn, nothing definite has as yet been ascertained regarding
its nesting habits and eggs. The}' inidoubtedl}' coirespond closely to those of
its well-known western relative, the conmum Eiu'opean Cuckoo, Cuculus canorus,
and Dr. Stejneger tells me that in its general habits and call notes he could not
detect the slightest difference from those of the latter. At his suggestion, I hfive
sub.stituted the name of "Siberian" for "Kamschatkan" Cuckoo, which is more
applicable to the bird described by him as Cuculus pemnsulce, from Kamschatka.

Family TROGONID^. Trogons.

II. Trogon ambiguus Gould.

copperv-tailed trogon.

Trogon ambiguus Gould, Proceedings Zoological Society, 18.35, 30.

(B (!5, C 284, R 384, C 422, U 389.)

GEOGBAPnirAL RANGE: Southern Mexico from Oaxaca and Guerrero, north to the
valley of the lower Kio Grande, in Texas, and the mountains of southwestern New Mexico,
and southern Ari/.ona.

The Coppery-tailed Trogon, the only representative of this magnificently
plumaged family in the United States, nmst be considered as a ratlier rare
summer resident within our borders, and very little is yet known about its
general habits. There is no loMger any doubt, however, that it breeds in some
of the mountain ranges of southern Arizona, and probably also in the San Luis
Mountains, in the extreme southwestern comer of New Mexico. First Lieut.

' The Auk, Vol. XI, 18U1, p. 325.

THE COPPEBY-TAILEI) TltOdON.

33

IT. (!. Hciisoii, Fourth (Cavalry, United States Army, secured a youn^f male in its
first i)luina}fe in the lltiaelnica Mountains, Arizona, on An;>ust 24, 18H5, and an
a(hilt female was sliot in the same vicinity by Mr. F. H. Fowler in tlii^ first part
of'Au^fUst, 181)2. Another adult female, which evidently had a nest close hy,
was obtained bv Or. Edgar A. Moarns, United States Army, on June 23, 1892, on
the east side of" the San Luis Mountains, close to the Mexican boundary line.
Tlie lou}^ tail feathers in this sj)eeimen are much worn and abraded, and look as
if the l)ird had passed consideral)le time in very limited quarters. Its mate was
also .seen, but not secured. 'udgiujjf from tlie character of the country this
species inhabits in southern Arizona, that is pine forest regions, it is probaldy
only a straggler iu the lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas, and does not breed
there.

l)r. A. K. Fisher has kindly furnished me with the foUowing notes on this
s])ocies: " Soon after arriving at Fort Huachucia, Arizona, I learned that the
"^I'rogon was not luicoinmou among the pines in the neighboring mountains. A
reliabl(( young man informed me that ho had killed three during tlu; previous
season (1<S!)1), and a rancher who raises fruit in Ramsay (Janyon stated that the
species visited tlm gardcjns in considerable lunnbers, especially during tlie period
when cherries were ripe. He had noti('ed the first arrival on May 1 7.

"On Jmvi 9, in company with Capt. J. L. Fowler and liis son Frederick,
I mad(! a trip toward the head of Tanner or Garden Canyon, as it is more com-
monly designated in the vicinity. While riding up the shady trail among the
])ines a beautiful male Trogon Hew across the })atli and alighteil among the
trees on the opposite side of the narrow canyon. It was impossible to follow it
and to pass through the thick underbrush and hjose rocks without making con-
siderabhi noise, whicli startled ihe bird, and it was finally lost among the tliick
foliage. Tliglier up in the mountains w*; heard its j)eculiar note, which was
uttered at regular intervals, and closely resend)led that of a hen 'l\u'key.
Later in the afternoon, f)n the way down, another was heard, and by carefullv
approaching along the hillside a male was discovered sitting on the lower limb
of a j»ine. It sat straiglit upright, with the tail lianging pei'pendicular to the
body, and while uttering its n(jte the head was thrown backward and the bill
extended nearly upward. After watcliing the bird for a few moments it was
secured. The testes were well developed. The stomach eontainetl a few smooth
caterpillars."

The general habits of the Coppery-tiiilv,.! Trogon probably do not differ

nnuli from tlios of other members of this family ab(mt wliich a little more

is known. According to Gould, who published a magnificent monograph of this

family, "Trogons are usually found singl) or in pairs, and keej) mostly in the

shade of forest trees, perching on the lower ]ind)s of these. 1 )uring the breeding

season they are continually calling to each other, and arc^ called ' 17w/rt.s'

(Widow.s) by tlie Mexicans; tliey are easily located on this account and are not

])!irticularly sliy. Their food consists of fruit, grasshoppers, and other insects,

and in tlieir actions while catching tlu; latter they are said to resemlde a Flv-

catcher, starting and returning from a porch like these birds, and often sitting
1U8UG-N0. 3 — 3

34

Lll'H 1IISTOKIKS OK NOIiTII AMKIilCAN WWIDH.

lor liours in tlic saiiio pliico. Tliey are (ittuu iiit;t aiiiuiij^- flocks ot" other birds,
such as Flycatciiors, 'raua<ft'rs, Creepers, and VV^oodpeckers." '

All of the Troffons, whose mode of niditication is known, resort, to natural
cuvities in trees or to some of the larj^er woodpecker holes, the I'^i'^s Ijuinj;' depos-
ited in the liottoni of the hole, on the rubbish or chips wliidi may l>o found in it.
Tiiese are said ti> vary from two to four, more likely the former numl)er. As
far as known, they are unspotted; tiie eji}^ of the handsome (^nezal (l'li(tniinrrus
nioriiiiio) is descril»ed as of a pale l)luisli-^reen color; that of tiie .Mexican Tro;idU
(^Troi/on mcxiriiiiiis) is said to be very i)ale greenisli, wliile the eggs of Troijuu
siintiiiit from Paraguay are said to be pure white.

I have seen eggs ])ur|)orting to belong to this species; but tlieir large size,
as well as tlie source from which they came, do not warrant uw in giving
measurements or a description of these specimens, and as far as 1 know genuine
eggs of the Coppery-tailed Trogou still remain to be; described.

%

;3

'■■:<■

Family AI.C^KDINID.K. Kinokisiikks.
12. Ceryle alcyon (liiNN.KUs).

BELTKl) KINCiFISUKK.

Alcvdo alvyoii LinN/EUH, Syst.onia Nattuw, ed., 10, I, 17."i8, ll.'i.
Ceryle •dcyon Bonai'AKTK, Proceedings Zoological Society, 18.57, 108.

(H 117, C 286, It 382, V 423, IJ 390.)

GEooKArnioAL UANOE: North America generally; south to I'iuiaiiia and the West
Indies.

The '.{cited Kingfisher, ordinarily simply called "Kingtishor,"' is one of our
best-known birds, and it is mMierallv distributed in suital)le localities thi-ou<!liout

the North American Continent, thouuli seldom verv (

onnnon anvwhere.

Its

breeding rangi' extends from Florida and 'I'exas north to the shores of Labrador,
Hudson Jiay, the Arctic Ocean, and Bering Sea. In the more noi'thern parts of
its range it is onlv a sunnner resident, but not a few wintin* in some of the Nc
Kuiiland and other Xortliern States, a

s w(

11

in Or

('"•on and

WasI

w

nnn'ton, on

the Pacific, coast. These birds which brave the severe Avintcr climate along our
northern border are probably migrants from tlu^ far North, and better adapted
to withstand the cold, the only re(|uisite being sutHcient o]»en water to enable
them to obtain their necessary supply of food. In the mountain regions of
Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana they range to an altitude of !»,()00 feet in
suminer, and perhaps .still higher, while in the southern Sierra Nevada thev
reach nearly the same elevations.

In its general appearance the Kingfisher is a striking but rntlicr top-lieav}'
looking bird; its satin-like plumage feels dense and smooth to the touch, ns if it
was oiled, while its soft, weak feet look out of all proimrtion to its rather large

m

' Mc)n()gi'U|ih uf the Trogouiilii', 2il oil., 1875, I'l. VllI, not pa^ed.

THE BELTED KINGFISHER.

35

head fuul body. Thoy seem almost inadequate to support its weij^lit, and cer-
tainly do not apiK'ur to be much adapted to walking, an exercise which I have
never seen one indulge in.

In its disiMKsition it nuist be classed among the unsocial and qnarrelsome
birds, and, excepting during the mating and breeding season, it is rare to see two
together. As in everything else, liowever, there appear to be exce])tions to this
rule, as Mr. W. E. Loucks, of I'eoria, Illinois, writes me: "Along the Cedar
liiver, in Iowa, I fimnd tiicse birds in great lunnbers. A large clay bank along
the river re.sembled a honeycomb, so numerous wvvv the holes made by these
birds. This is the only case that I know of where Kingfishers have been found
bre(.'ding in close i)roximity."

As ii rule eacli pair of birds seem to claim a certain range on some suitable
stream, lake, or mill pond, and should others intrude on this they are (piickly
driven off. Cleiu- .streams t)r ponds, bordered with per|)endicular banks and
low, l)rusli-covered shores, are their favorite resorts, and along such places one
will not have to g(j far before hearing the characteri.stic rattle of the Kingfisher,
or perhaps seeing one jjerched on a partly submerged snag or rock, on a pile of
driftwood near tiie .shore, or on some small branch directly overhanging the
water. Every bird seems to have several favorite jjerches along its range, each
perlia))S ipiite a distance away from tlie next, to which it Hies from time to time,
generally uttering its well-known shrill rattle in doing so. It is a .sedentary
bird, but ever watchful and rather shy, sitting freriuently for an hour at a time
in the sanu^ ])osition, occasionally moving its head back and forward, watching
for its |)rey as a cat does for a nu)use. In such a postiu'e the Kingfisher is one
of the most charming featurt s of brook and |)ool. Should an unfortunate fish
come within sight at such times, our lone fisher is at once alert enough,
craning its neck and looking into tin; water, intil tla; proper moment airives for
it to plunge downward, head first, (completely disap])earing out of sight, and
usually emerging with a wriggUng captive tinnly grasped in its bill, for it rarely
misses its victim. It generally rises some feet into the air before dashing
perpendicularly into the water.

While different kinds of small fi.sh undoid)tedly constitute a large j)art of
the Kingfisher's food where readily procurable, various species of Crustacea, as
well as insects, such as coleoptera, grassho])j)ers, and tluf large l)lack crickets found
in many of our Western States, are also eaten to a greater or less extent, accord-
ing to circumstances; frogs and lizards an; also accejitable l)rey. In southern
Arizona, for instance, where running streams are few, 1 have found Kingfishers
breeding in localities where fish nmst have fonned but a verj- small percentage
of their daily fare; there they lived i)rinci})ally on lizards, i)eetles, and large
grasshoppers. I have more than once seen one of these l)irds perched on some
twig overhanging a dry, sandy river bed, wher,' no watci- was to be found within
several miles, on the watch for the kind of food procin-al)le in such localities.

Mr. W. iv Loucks writes me that he has found nests of these birds in the
banks of dried-uj) streams, miles from any water containhig fish, and says that

• • » ••*

» ia «

I • *

WW

36

IJFK llISTOItlES OF NOUTH AMMHKLVN MIUUS.

lio (loos Dot know upon wliiit tlm piirents tod their jouiiu-. In fact, oven in
places wlu'i'o tlioy can readily llvo on fish, they do not apjx'ar to confnio tlioni-
HolvoH to such an exclusive diet. While stationed at Fort KlaniatJi, Oro^^on, I
placed a. small steel trap on top of a post standiuff some 10 yards from tho
banks of Fort ( 'reek, a clear mountain stream al»oundin<r in tisli, for tho purpose
of catchin;^' a Screech Owl I often heard callinj;' in th(^ vicinity and was anxious
to obtain, but was not able to see to shoot on account of the ih-nse iir trees it
fre(|nented. I finally concluded to tr}' trappinj;' it. 'J\vicc I baited the trap
witli mice, and onctnvitha small bird, and on the next mornin;^' I foun<l a Kinofisiier
caujjht by the neck; it had evidently plunji('(l down on the liait to carry it ott".
'I'he post in (piestion had, as far as I know, never been used as a jjc'rcli or lookout
by the Kin;ifishers, as it was too far from the creek. .Fudjiin<>' from these occur-
rences, 1 l)elievo that not a few mice, and possil)ly small bii-ds also, are cauji'ht
by then) durinir their nocturnal rambles, and they are certainly fully as active
throughout the nijiht as in the daytime.

In fax'orite spots where fish are plenty, and whore thert? is no suitabU^ place
foi' a ])ercli, they sometimes remain jioised over such localities for a minute or
more, hoverin<^in the air sonm (1 feet or mon^ over the water, as does tlu! Spa now
Hawk when .searchinjif for {i'ra.sshoppers ar.il mice in a nu-adow. When a fish is
cau<;lit it is at once carried in the bill to the nearest percli or rock, aji'ainst
which it is beaten until dead, and is then swallowo<l head first, 'i'lie indi<j;e.stiblo
parts, such as bones and scales, are afterwards ej(>cteil in olilonji' pellets, which
can be seen lyiu}^ around in their burrows or about their favorite perciies.

Hy far the lar<rer number of fish caufilit by tlu^ Kin^^fisher consist of .species
not considered worth nuu'li as food fishes, and tliey rarely averaffo over 3 inches
in lenj;th. Occasionally, however, a larmier one is mastered by oii<' of these birds.
Mr. Manly Hardy, of Brewer, Maine, writes me: " I shot a Kinyfi.sher last sj)rin}r
which had swallowed a pickerel consideral)ly loiiffcr than the bird from the end
of the bill to tlu* tip of tlu^ tail, the tail of tho fisli prntrudinji' from the throat,
whihi tho head was j)artly doubleil back, causinji' a larj^o protuberance \\m\v tho
vent."

In stoi'my weather, when tho water becomes rough or nmddy, these birds
suffer fiToatly an<l sometimes almost perish from want of food, and then occa-
sionally res(a't to oatinjf ve<fotablo matter to sustain life. Dr. Elliott Cones has
])ublished tho followiiiff observations on this subject, conmnniicated by Mrs. Mary
Treat, (Jroon (Jove Spriufr, Florida: "A Kinj^tisher whose feeding- ground is
just in front f)f my windows fi.-ihos from a private wharf, where lu^ is si'ldom
disturbed, and has become so tame that ho pursues his avocaiions without con-
corn, though I may be standing' within a few foot of him. * * * When th(f
water is so rough that it is difficult for him to procure fisli, insteail of seeking-
some seciuestered |)ool ho remains at his usual |)ost, occasionally making- an
inefl'ectual effort to secure his customary prey, until, nearly starved, he resorts
to a sour-f^um tree {Ni/sso (tqxatica L.) in the vicinity, and greedily devours tho
berries. Keturning- to his post, he soon (fjects a i)ellet of the largo seeds and

I:;

: S;-

TMR BELTRT) KINOFISHKH.

:Vi

skins III' tlic I'riiit. I luuu siivcd sonic of tlicst* polli'ts as wi-ll ns tlidsf (•(tinposcd
of lisll IhHII'S jni<l scfilcs."'

'I'lic tirst nii;;T!nits to rctnni from their winter (|niirtt'rs iijipear in the .Middle
States ficneraiiv ahont the second week in March, and sometimes a week or so
hiler. accordinji' to tlie season, and in hif^her latitndes consideraltiy later and not
until after the ice connnences to break u|>. In our Southern States niililication
connnences nsiially in Ajiril; in the Northern ones, rarely Ix-fore the lirst week in
Miiy, and in arctic North America and northern Alaska, seldom earlier than the
latter half of dune. Mr. ('harles If. 'rownseml. of the United States Fish Com-
mission, in 1X8") found tltesc liirds conmion and hrec-din^^' on the slwtres of the
Kowack IJiver, near Kotzei)ue Soinid, Alaska, and within tlu' Arctic Circle, the
most northern breedinj;' record known to mo. Tho return mi;>ration from their
Itreedinji' f^rounds in our Northern States sometimes hefjins ahont the latter
part of Septend)er, anil in mild falls not l)efor(! the middle of ( )ctol»er, and occa-
sionally .still later, they ronminin<r until tho streams become <-overe(l with ice.

'i'lie favorite nestinjj: sites of the Kin<,''li.sher are perju'iidicular clay or rea-
sonably comj)act sand l)anks, occasionally mixe<l more or less with {i'ravel; also
railroad cuts. These banks or bluffs usually abut directly on water. A nearly
circular burrow or tnimel is du};' into these, )ivera<!fin<,'' about 4 inches in diameter.
They are excavated l)y the birds; tlu^ entrance hole is usually from 2 to 3 feet
below the top of the bank, but sometimes fidly 2(t feet from the top. 'i'he bur-
rows var\' in lenji'th from 4 to 1") feet, accordin;;' to the nature of the soil, and
sometimes run in perfectly straight for the entire distance; a<iain they diver}>e
at ditferent an<rlcs, at \arious distances troni the entrance. The nestinj'- cham-
ber is dome-shai)e(l, usually from S to 10 inches in diameter, and always at a
slightly hi<>hor level than tlii' entrance hole. 'J1ie tinu* reipiired to di<"' out a
biu-row de])ends lar<i'ely on the natui'e of the soil to lu* remoxed, taking- .sf)me-
tinies two or three weeks, but {generally much less. 1 have personally seen an
iu.stanc(* where a i)air of these l)irds excavated a now burrow in a rather friable
clay bank near Fort Lapwai, bhdio, to a depth of 5 feet (estimated measure-
ment) in a little (ner three days, liow they manaj^e to dij;- so rapidly, consid-
erin^i' their short and weak-lookin;*' feet, with which they nmst remove the greater
part of the material, has always been u mystery to me, and I would not beli<'ve
them capaltle of accomplishing;' such nii amount of work had I not seen it done.
AVhen not disturbed tlu^ saint; nestiii}^ site is retorted to from year to year. Some-
times the male burrows an aihlitional hide near tho occui)ied nesting' sit«% usually
not over 3 feet deep, to which it retires to feed an<l tt> jiass the nijiht.

])r. William L. Halpli informs me that he has found them occujiyin^- the ohl
burrows of Kouj;h-win<ied Swallows, StclffidDjitrri/.c .srrripoinis.

Dr. A. K. Fisher has kindly furnished me the followiufr notes on the nestiuff
habits of this species as observed by him: ''On June G, ISS'i, the writer found
two nests of the Kingfisher in the side of a railroad cut near Croton Lake,
Westchester (bounty, New York. The burrows were placed in a bank not over

' liiilletin NiittuU Oriiitbulogical Clab, Vol. Ill, 1878, p. !I2.

38

LIKK IIISTORIK8 OP N'OlfTII AMKUICAX 1HRI»8.

7 fe«^t iil)()\(' tlic iihuIIm'iI ami witliiii 18 inclicH of tli(' top. 'I'lmt nt' tli« first one
ran in alioiif 7 tret niul tiinifil to tlic rifjlit as it entered tlie nestin^f clianiher.
Tlie seven t'resli v^ixx wei'e placed in a nest of eoarse <irass, wliicli, altliou^ili
rather seanty, covered the Hour of the cavity (»n all sides. The i)inro\v of the
second one extended in altout IS feet, and, like* tlu^ other previously nientioiiod,
tamed toward the ri;;ht as the ex])anded nestiuff cavity was reached. The nest,
which was quite (dal)orate, was composed whtdly of iish scales and hones, airan^icd
in a compact, saucer-shaped mass. 'IMie writer made a tunned from the top of
the hank so as to intercept the iturrow as it entered the nestin;,' cavity. \'i<'W(il
through this hole, the nest was a heautiful affair, 'i'he scales, which looked as if
mad( of frosted silver, formed a dedicate settinfif for tlu* six pure-white <'{j}fs
lyinif in tlu) center, an.l l)y the projected liffht mado a moat effective picture.
On two occasions, near Sin^r i^i'iH', New York, the writer found the lvin<;fislier
and K<uij^h-win;i'ed Swallow usinjf huirows haviuj^ a conunon entrance. It is
])rol»al)le in each case that the swallow had connnenced its divergiii<f burrow
after the lar^-cr l)ird coni]deted its work."

The uund)er of e^fj>s varies usually from five to eifjht, and sets of six or
seven arc mo.st often found. Instances, however, have been recorded wlicn^ as
many as fourteen ejrji's have been fiuuid at one time, and Mr. (!harles A. ntrawn,
of Cerro CJordo, Arkansas, informed >Mr. H(d)ert Hid<,'way, under date of Maridi
22, IHiK), that lu' iiad taken eleven younjf Kinj^fishers out of a biu-row on \)»<^
Hiver, I )ou;(las ( 'ounty, Cxeorf,na. flow the fenuile manaj^ed to cover this innuber
<»f efijis and hatch them all is certaiidy surprisiuji-. Tf the fir.st set of efi'ffs is
taken, the birds abandon the burrow and excavate* a second one near by, and
freipiently within a few feet of the first one, and lay a second set, consistin;^'
rarely of more than six e}jf<^s. Oidy a sinjjle l)rood is raisi^l in a season. In a
newly excavated nest the Of^'ji's are usually laiil on the bare "jround, while in such
as have been occupied in previous seasons the e<.><.;'s are frequently found dcspositerl
on (piite a thick layer of fish bones, scales, erawfish shells, and win}>' covers of
beetles remaining- from former years, but which can not l)e considered as part <if
the nest. The mah* does not assist in incul)ation, but sup|)lies its mate with fond
while so eni^iif^ed, and she rarely leaves the nest after the first e<if>' has lieen laid;
at any rate I have invariably found the l)ird at home if there were any e<><;s in
the nest. Incubation lasts al)out sixteen days. The yonnf>- when first hatched
are blind, perfectly naked, heli)less, and, in a word, very unprepossessiuo-. "^riu^y
scarcely look like })irds while crawlinf^ about in the nest, where they remain
several weeks, their f^rowth bein}^' ve'ry slow. The excrement of the yonn}>- is
promptly n'uioveel and the burrow is kept rather (dean. They utter a low,
puffinjif sound when disturbed, and freepieutly vary cousideral)ly in size, as if
iu(!ubation, in some instances at least, liefjan with the first OfXiX laid. The youiifr,
even after they hav»i left the ne.st for souu> time, re([uire the attendance of their
parents before they are able to secure subsistence for themselves.

The e{rf>a of the Kinjifisher are pure white in color; the shell is stronjr, fine
grained, smooth, and rather glossy, esi)ecially so in fresh eggs ; in strongly incu-

!••: ■

ti

f- ■

'

ky.

THR DELTED KIXOFianER.

30

bntod OIK'S tills fildss is li'ss noticeable. Tlioy are jfeiu'i-ally slimt ovate and
soinetinies rounded ovato in Hlia|)e.

Tlie averajie nu asurenient of oi},dity-sovon ofrfrs in tlie I'liifefl States
Nnti(»nal Mtiseimi collection is ;M.(t4 l»y 2(1.(17 millimetres, or l.iU by l.<>.'>
Inches. The larffest ejr>,' of th(» Hories measures 37.08 l)y 27.!t4 millimetres, or
1.4(1 by 1.10 inches; the smallest, 3(».7« by 26.42 millimetres, <ir 1.21 by 1.04
inches.

The typo spoeimoii, No. 204fi7 (PI. 1, Fij;. 3), from n set of six e;,'';>'s, Hen-
dire collection, was taken by tlu( writer near Fort I.apwai, Idaho, on May 11,
1S7(», and represents about an averuyo-sized (><,'},'.

13. Ceryle americana septentrionalis Shaupk.

TKXAN KIXdFIHllKK.

Alccilo vahiinki TscntiDi, Fauna Peruana, Ornitliologii', 1844, 25.'J.

CVcy/c americana mptentrionaJix SiiARl'E, Ciitiiloffac of Birds, Itritisli Mnscaia, \'V[I,
1893, 1.14.

(B 118, 0 i;87, 11 ;W3, C 424, IJ .HH.)

(rKOORATiitOAL iiANOE: Fpom tlio Istliiaus of Panama north tlnouKlii "(Mitral -Vnicru^a,
to northern Mexico, Oliihuahna, and southwestern Texas.

The Texan Kiiifjfishor, the smallest n-presentative of the Alrriliiiiihp found
in the I'nited States, is not nearly as well known as the Jk'lted Kinj^fisher, and
its brcedin};' ranjjo is oonfmod to a comparatively small p(U'tion of western 'i'exas,
while even hero it appeals to be of rather irregular occurrence. It is i-eported
as fairly abundant alonj;' a number of the tributaries of the (luadalupe iJiver,
in Comal CJounty, also on some of the streams in Hexar and Edwards counties,
and thence westward along- the various tributaries to the Rio (trande, like Devils
River, etc. Dr. Edgar A. Mearns, I'nited States Army, met with it in Kenney
County, at Fort Clark, at Strickland's Springs, and Las Moras Creek, and it
seems to be present on nearly every creek or stream whose waters are sulH-
ciently dear to enable it to make a living. It is not found regularly along tins
shores of mudily streams, siicji as the lower Rio Grande and Xueces rivers and
others in southwestern Texas, and its jiresence seems to depend almost entirelv
on the clearness of the water. It reaches the northern Hmits of its range in
Texas, as far as known, in about latitude 30°, but in northern Mexico it ranges
at least a degree farther north. Dr. Edgar A. .Mearns, I'nited States Army,
while on duty with the International Boundary Survey, obtained a specimen at
Pajon lionito, CJhihuahua, Septend>er 8, 1893, 10 miles southeast of monument
G(), close to the Arizona line, which is the most northern record known to me.
It appears to be a constant resident in southwestern Texas, and breeds wherever
found.

Its general habits, food, and breeding habits are similar to those of the
Belted Kinglisher. Mr. W. Brewster described the first authentic eggs of this
species taken witlnn (mr border.s, in the "Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological
Club" (V(d. 4, 187i), pp. 79, 80). He says: "This beautiful little Kingfisher was

IF

l:

40

MI'K IIISTOKIEH OP NOKTIf AMKUIOAV niRDa.

found by I^fr. W. If. Werner In conipiinitiv** iilMindnnce iit Me\eriil jioIntH In Ooiniil
(-(lunty, notnltly iilinnt Hunie of tlio «|)rin;f,s timt empty info the (inmliilupe River.
A Het of nix ej>ys tiiken in April, 1S78, wuh iintlieiiticateil I»y tlie enptnre of Iioth
pnrent liirds, the female Ixiinir ciinjflit on tlie nest. • * • 'I'lie nestin;,' eavity
wart in u wand hank near the water's otlf^e; tlu^ cffjrs were laid on tint har»t
no fish hones or otiier extraneous material i»ein;r near. The entrance wa i
(|uito If inelies in ilianietur, and tliu liolo extenderl inward from the face of tho
bank al»ont :\\ feet." • * •

The nests of many of these little Kinfffishers are ^■early destroye<l l)y hiffli
water flooding;' their Ituri'nws, causeil l»y heavy rains and <'l(iud-l»ursts, whicdi aro
nioro or less prevalent in southern and western Texas. It is not uncouinioii on
both tint Medina and San .\ntttnio rivers, and a nestini; site on the last-mentioned
stream found liy Mr. ( !. II. Kearny, in flu* sprinj>' of 1K!»2, containinjr six fresh
e}rf(a, is described by him as beiiiff located in a liank about 1 ft feet lii},di and
about r> feet above tlut water level. T\\v iie.stini,' chand>er, which was slif'htly
larger than the tinniel leadiiiff to it, was i)laced about 2 feet fnan the mouth of
the hole. 'I'lient was no nest pro|ier, l)iit a few lish Immu-s and scales were scat-
tered about the i'<i;ii>*. In tlm .sauui bank a number of Mank Swallows (i'lii'iiola
ripnr'ui) had taken up tcMiiporarv homes, and one of their holes was locatcMl within
a foot of that of the Kinylishers. Tiu'V ai'e devoted parents, and these ' i
•will usually allow themstdves to be caujiht rather than forsakt^ their e;;}fs.
jjenerally are live or six in iunid)er,and, like the egji's of nil Kin<r|isher8,tlie^ ■
pure white in color and unspotted. The shell is clo.se jrrained, but rather thin,
and while some sets are (pii

ite ji'l

ossv, otiiers sliow

■ litti

e or no

histe:

ley are

usually rounded elliptical oval in shajH', and not short ovate,liko the nuijority of
the ejiii's of tile Melted Kini>fislier.

'I'he avcraj^-e measurement of fourte<'n <'ff}^s is 24. 3K by 18. .')i} millimetres, or
O.On by ().7;{ inch. The laryest ejfjj nu^asures 2"). 40 by 1 !).••"• millimetres, or 1 by
O.Tf) inch; the smallest, 23.(i2 by 18.2!) millimetres, or ().!I3 liy 0.72 inch.

The type specimen. No. 2(»4(iH (I'l. 1, Fi<,^ 4), from a set of five e<,'';,''s, Hen-
dire collection, was taken near New Braunfels, To.xas, on March 4, 1X79, and
represents an averajfo eyg of this species.

14. Ceryle torquata (Linn/F.us).

RINGED KINOFISIIKK.

AhrAn tofiiiwtn TilNN/Kt'S, Systoina Natarie, vd. 12, I, 1700, 180,
Ciri/k torqitatii BoiK, Isis, 1828, 31(i.

(B _, c — , K — , 0 — IT [3!M>.1].)

GKooRAriiiCAi, UAN(tK: From southern Argentina iiortli tliroafjb South and Contr.il
Americii to northeastern Mexico (Nuovo Leon), and casuaiij to the lower Uio (irande
Valley in Texas.

This handsome Rufous-breasted Kingfisher, tho largest found on the Ameri-
can continent, has a wide distribution, occurring in suitable localities thi'oughout
the greater part of South America, the wlioK' of Central America, and most of

THE niNiJKI) KINC.PIHIIKIl.

41

Moxico. It has only rt'Cfiitly Im'cii ndilcd t<> niir rniiiiii, iiiul it in (lunhtful it' it
ItrcciJH witliiii our liordi tm. An mlult Irniiilc wiissliot liy Mr. (J<'oi;;i' IV UniiicrH,
..i' I'liiliidflpliia. I't'iiimylvaiiin, on .lunr "J, IHHS, nlxiiit ii mile In-low liiiit'do,
'I'cxiis, on tin' I'nitcil States side of \\w Uio (Jnnidc He Miiys: "It was sittin;?
on sonic old roots wliicli liail lifcn \vaslu'(l up into a lirap hy tlic cnncnt of tlio
river, and was sliot iinnwiiiately, so 1 did not see it tly or hear its call." This
Mliecinien is now in posseHsion of the Aeadeniy of Natural Seienees of I'liiladel-
phiu, Pennsylvania.'

Althoiijih moderately eonunon, and distrihuted over extensive areas, very
little has as yet heen pulili.sheil ahout the life history of this ;iiant aniou<i-
Kin;>'iishers. Dr. llernian Minnieister, in his "'I'hiere Hrasilieus," 1s.^)(; (\'ol. 1,
p. 416), Hays: "This is the lar^icst of the Ainerienn Kiu;ilishers, and it is pretty
ffcnerallv distrihuted over the wanner portions of South America, alon;;- the
whores of wooded streams, whore it sits on Tnnhs overlian;;in;;- water, watchinj,'
for lish, which eonstituto its princ'i])al food. It nests in perpendicular hankn,
occasionally (piite a distance from water, in hm-rows from A to (! feet deep, and
lays two white ejif^s."

Mr. ( iharles W. l{ichmond, in IiIh interostiuff paper on " Hirds from Niearan'ua
and Costa Hica," makes the followinji' remarks nhout the spe(ies: "N'ery com-
mon. 'Iliis species has a note similai' to that of ('. iilci/oii, liiit somewhat stron^^ci'.
One mornin;;' a pair of thcM hinls went throu^ih a ver}' curious performance.
Attention was first called to tin 'i Ity their loud, rattlinj'' cry, which was kept up
almost constantly as they circl I and ji'yrated about over the \\ater, occasionally
dropping;', uot divinji', into the waf i :ind siukinji' below the surface for a moment.
This nianeuveriuj;' lasted some miuutos, after which both birds tiew upstream,
utterin}; their ordinary note.

"'i'wo or thi't'O individuals wore in the habit of jjassini^' the nijiht at some
jioint ou th(» «'reek back of th(! 'h. I'.' plantation, and cauK; over just alxait
dusk every evening. I noticed them for several months, and was struck with
the regularity of their coming and the course taken by each on its way to tho
roost. The birds <'oidd be hearil a considerable distaiu-e away just bi^fore dusk,
uttering their loud, singh^ 'chuck' at every few beats of the wings. They
appeared to come from their feeding gnamils, often passing over the plantation
o])posite, probably to cut oil' a, benil in tlu^ river. One; of tla^ birds invariably
passed clos(! to tin- corner of the laborers' (piarters, though at a considerable
height, and tho other near a trumpet tree some distiuice away. Tlas third bird
was only a casual visitor. At times the birds canu^ together, but usually there
was an interval of .several numitea. Their naites met at a turn of the creek a
few rods back of tho hou.se, where they usually sounded their rattling notes and
dropped down close to the water, which they followed to the roost. This was
in a huge spreading tree, covered with parasitic plants and nmnerous vine.s,
which hung in loops and festoons from the limbs. On one occnsion I shot at
one of the birds as it came clucking overhead, and caused it to droji .several

'Tho Aiik, Vol. XI, 1894, p. 177.

42

LIKK UISTOHIKH OI" NOHTII AMKI.'KUN UIUDS.

small iisli. A female nearly ready to depftsit Offjis was shot October '.>. The
birds made their ajjijearaiice rather late in the morning', usually after S o'clock,
and at times spent several hours of the day up there. Althouj;h the birds
appeared to h-wii tiieir home at this place, 1 did not, on any of my numerous
trips up the creek, discover the site.'"'

From Mr. Ivichmond's observations it would appear as if C. torijitnttt nested
at all times of the yciu-.

Tlu! most noi-thern Mexican record for this species is, I believe, the one
from Hio de las Ramos, State of Nuevo Leon, in about latitude 25^ iW. This
specimen was obtained '.y ^[r. W. Lloyd, on February "JS, 18!)1, and is now in
the collection of the ''.lifed States Department of A^^ricidtiu'e.

1 have been imal)le to find a more accurate description of the e<f<;s of this
species than the one above f;iven, but, judj;in<>' from the size of the bird, they
should bo considerably larger than those of C. ukyon.

Famih' PICID.E. Woonri'.cKERs.

15. Campephilus principalis (Linn.iu.s)

ivoi;v-iiiMii:n wooni'ECKER.

ricii.1 priiirliifilis LiNN.iU'.s, Systoiiia Natiu'ic. cd. 10, I. 17.">8, IKJ.
Ciiiiipt'iihiliis i)riiiciititli.s (iK.vv, List (tciicra of liirds, 1810, 51.

(15

OL'!i:!, U. !.-.!•, rt;!l. r .lOl.'.)

(iKoriRAiMii(!Ai- KANOi; : SoiUli Atliiiiti<' and (lull' .States; iiortli to tlio sontliorii
ixirtioiis of . South <'aioliiiii, (icor;;iii, Aliibaiiiii. Mississippi, and Arkansas; west to .sontli-
eastern Texas, I'onncrly nortii to North (Carolina, Tennessee, Kcntiu'ky, soutliern Imliana,
Illinois, sotitlicrn ^Missouri, and the soiitlierii i)arts of the Indian Territory.

The lvory-l)illed Woodpecker, also called "White-billed Woodjioeker,"
"White-billed IiO<^cock" and "Woodcock," is the laro-est re[)resentative of this

famiK- fouml in tlui I'uited States, beiuy a resident of the maiidand

and

th

numerous islands aloiiii' the south Atlantic and (!ulf coasts and breedinj>' wiierever
foiivl. Infoi'mer \ cars its ranii'e was mucli more extende<l than it is at present;

then it i)enetrate(l well into the intei'ioi', alono' the si

am

1 its Ian

1>_

lores of the .Mississippi Ivix'er

trii)Uti

u-ie:

nnui"'

been reported froui White ( 'ounty, Illi

nois;

IS well as at other

Franklin County, Indiana, and Franklin County, 'i'enness

points inland. At present it ap])eai's to l»e fairly abiuiilant in Florida, in portion

of southern Mississippi alono' the Vazoo l\i\-er, and in the extensive swamps in
southern Louisiana. In tlu; lirst-mentioned State ^Ir. Arthiu'T. Wayne obtained
not less than thirteen specimens in tlu' monlh of April, 1S!);{, and about ten more
were .seen, ili' says, "A youiifi' female taken April l."» was about two weeks
I'rom the nest. 1 ne\-er observed it sinjily, it beinj;' always seen in company with
two or three othi'rs of this species. I was told by old hunters that they breed
early in Februiu'w 'i'lie localit\- wiu're this l)ir<l is to be found at all times is in

I I'lC

■ilinj,"* 111' llii' l". .S. \iiti'

:ll Mil

nil, Vi)I. XVI, |>|' .".I(1.,">11.

It -

TIIK IVOKA-BILLKI) WOOD IMX!Ki:i{.

43

wlint tlio ])coj)lo call '])iirn-(>'its.' Tlifsc jirc liir;;t' tnicts of iK-avv ti'iibcr which
the forest fiirs lifive (h'strovcd; and the lU'ad trees liarhur beetles, ete. A nest
whieh I examined was (hi;>' in a. live cypress about 50 teet Inji'h."'

i\[r. Fi. A. Mdlhenny has kindly furni.lied nie with tiie following notes on
this interesting species: "In the cyjiress swanijjs adjacent to Avery's Island,
Louisiana, these nobh- ))irds are still (juite conmion, and here, iii their favorite
haunts, I have watched them for years. I Ixdieve they remain mated for life,
for I have observed several pairs of tliem year in and year out. and can always
find them near the sjxit when; they have their nes! or winter home, from
which place they are hard to drive away, thereby showing;' a fondness for
h)calitv sehhan seen in birils of this family. 'I'he nest is generally pl.aceil
in a cvjjress or tnj^elo <;'uni tree, one that is pai'tly dead beinj;' preferred,
and the cavity is excavated in the dead part of the tree. I have never
foimd a nest in wood in wliich there was sap, or in rotten wood. The site
for the nest l)eing chosen, the female beji'ins the excavation duriufi' the last week
in March or the beji'inniny of April, and from ei};ht to fourteen daxs are s])ent
in tinishinj'' it, the female (hiinji- all the work, whih; the male sits around and
chi))s the bark from the nei<;hboring trei-s. The eji^s are de]iosited as early as
Aj)ril It, on which date 1 tofik a set of thri'c fresh eji'iis in ISlfJ, ami on Mav l!t
I took from the same pair, in th(> same tree, but in a 1ow(M- excavalion, a set of
four e<j;'ij;'s in which incubation was considerabl\' advanced. l)Ut one brood is
reared in a season, and tlu^ youn}^' remain with the parents until the matinj;-
sea.son in the followin<>' year.

"A tyi)ical nest of this l)ird is one I found on May 2, 1X02. It was
■situated in a partly dead cypress, 41 feet up. The entr

mice was o\al

and

measin-es 4i!, by .O;} inches. The (!xca\ati()n \\as 21.\ inches deep, and was
nnu'h larger at the l)ottom than at the to]). It contained three eggs, deposited
ine chilis. The ciiiis measured 1.40 b\- l.Ol, 1.3.S bv 1.02,

th.'

on about an inch of i

an(

I l.'M by 1.02 inches; they are very glossy and <piite pointed. Wh

young are hatched, both parents feed them, often going (juite a distance into the
open country in search of food. As soon as they leave the woods thev mount

to a considerable height, their tliglit l)eing verv stn

ind, like that of

"Woodpeckers, uncbdating. The; only note I have heard tlie.sc liin

nade while on the wing; it is mm'v shrill,

resend)]es somew

hat ti

le cal

the I'ilcated Woodpecker, but is (piite l)eyond l)eing put on paper: the
the female does not perceptibly dill'er from that of the male. They
birds at all times, and dm-ing the breeding season I have i
They have, however, another moile of calling each oth

iU'c \cr\- sdent

ie\'er near(

.1 tl

leu' cr\ .

one l)iril will alight on
that it

oIKl

il dry limb of some tree and raj) on it with its l)iil so fast and 1
sounds like the roll of a snare ilrum: this it continues to do at short intervals
initil its mate comes. When in search of food this iiird evinces great cleverness.
It will alight on a dead limb, and after tapping it a few times with its Iieak it
puts its ear to the wood and listens for the movements of any grub that may be

'The Auk, Vol. .\, 1S!0, \i. ;««.

Rm

I ■*. : I

!:ff!

44

LIFK IIISTOPlliS OF NORTH AMEUIOAN BIllDS.

iit. \v(irk tliorc, and nfter it lociitcs ono, tlio ('iu'r<fy it displays in fiettinji' at it is
rcniarkaldo. It ln-acos itself with tlu' stilt" fVatliiTs of its tail, ar.d in striking;' a
blow uses the Ixidy from tlie li'<;'s up to <>;ive force to it. 'I'lie blow it delivers

wli

iil(( in this iiosition is ver\' hard, and soinids as if son

le one was s

itrikin^

"•on a

tree with a liannner. Its fox! consists of jirnl)s and insects that inhal)it decayed
wood. In the fall and winter it feeds to some extent on the mast of the live oak,
and stores acorns in holes for its winter supi)ly. 1 have seen them destroy the
nests of the ^^ray scpiirrels to obtain tlu? acorns and nuts tlu;y h.id put by for
the winter. They woidd sit on the top of tlu* nest and with a few strokes of
their bill scatter it in every direction."

In a recent interview with ^Ir. Mcllheuny he told me that he found another
uest of this sp(H'i( s in tiie early ]iart of May, 1X1)4, containini;" five youn<i' aI)out

re still clo.sed. The nestinif sitt* was in a dead

tl

n"e(! (lav

>ld,

whose e^•es \\i

•fray oak, in the main trunk, about (50 feet from the j^round, and tint (tavity was
about i\ feet deej); the female was in the hole, and flew out when the tree was
struck; the male was not seen.

According' to Audubon, this l>ird feeds on fjrapes, blackberries, and jwrsim-
Tiiompson states that it eats ants, and he pnl)lislied a very

UK

.lis. Mv. M;

lurice

interestinji' article on this species under the title of "A lied-headed I'luiiily
which may be found in tlie '". hdogist" (Vol. VI, February, IS.SK, pp. 22-2!>),
and is well north readinj;'.

if the I \'or\-billeil Woodpecker are still (piite rare in collections.

Tl

le (■"•"'s o

The Pul)lic .Mnseiii

Mib

AV

isconsin, contains a st

■tof tl

iree

nted

l.v th

te ('apt. U. F. (i

Wllo Wlo

te to me that thev were taken in th

Xeclies Hixcr bottom, in Jas])('r County, Texas, on ^lay .'i, iSSf). The cavity
was about 2 feet deep, situated 40 feet from the j;roiind, and the entrance was
large enougU to admit the collector's arm. The xkmerican Museum of Natural
History, in New ^'ork, contains a set of four eggs taken fin Ajiril lo, in the

Alatamaha S

\\'amii II

I (Jeorma, liv the late Dr. S. W. Wilson. Tl

lese measure

i:m;

bv(».:i."i,

a l)vO.!i.s, 1.2."t bv 0.11."), and l.l'll l)v 0.!)X inches. The United

States National Musetin

1 ha^

tl

N. Oih

rer.iaini

.f Wil

lese eggs

I'wo were receivecl from

.Ml

mington. North ( 'arolina, but no date or locality

iig thr<'e are a si-t from tlu* Ual])h collection, taken in Lafayette C'ounty,
Florida, on April 111, ISli;}. One of these eggs coiitaiiu'd a large I'inbryo; the
other two were addled. The nesting sit(( was excavated in a dead bay tree, .'50
feet from the "round, and the ca\it\- was 2 feet deei). The female was shot

when tli(! e<>"s were taken.

Mr. W. K. 1) Scott iiiMkes the Ibllowiii'-' statement: "To-dav, M

ircli

1<S87, I found a nest of the Ivory-hilleil Woodpecker, aii<l obtained iioth par«'iit
birds and the single young bird which was the occupant of the nest. Tin*
cavity was dug in a large cypi-ess tree in the midst of a dense swamp, and was

U feet from

th

roiinil

he onemiiij' was (

•\al, beiiiy 3A inches wide and l.\

inches higli. The same ca\ity had a|»pari'ntly been used before i'or a nesting
place; it was cylindrical ii! shape and a little more than 11 inches deep, 'i'ho

l!'

THE IVOKY-IilLLED WOODPECKER.

45

youufif bird in the nest was n female, and, thougli oiie-tliinl f>r(t\vii, had not /id
(ipciird its ('ijrs. The leatlicr.s of the first pluiiiaiuo wore njipareut, h('j>'iimiii<f to
cover the down, and were the same in coloration as those; of the adult female
bird.'"

Kecent observations all tend to show that the Ivory-billed Woodpecker is
an exceedinji'ly wild and sns}.>icious bird, and as the conntry becomes more
settled it retires from the advance of civilization to the more inaccessible swam})s,
where it is not so liable to l)e molested. In such localities it apjjcars to bo still
reasonaljly common, as well as on .some of the; islands off the south Atlantic
and (iulf coasts. Tiie ])resent restriction of its ran^^e is pntbably due more
to its wild and siisi)icious nature than to actual decrease in numl)ers, as it has
but few enemies exceptin<r man, and is well able to protect itself against the
others. One of the most notable difl'erences in the nestinj^' habits of this hand-
some Woodpecker appears to be the fact that instead of makinj'' a round entrance
hole, JI.S do the smaller members of this family found in the United States, it
])refers one which is oval in shape.

Tin; ('"i'li's of the Ivory-liilled Woodpecker ar.; pure ciiina white in color,
ch)se grained, and exceedingly glossy, as if enameled. 'I'liey vary in shape from
an elongate ovate to a cylindrical ovate, and are more pointed than the eggs
of most of oiu' Woodpeckers. Tiiey ajipcar to me to bt; readih- distinguislied
from those of the IMleated Woodj)ecker, some of which are fullv as large. From
three to live eggs are laid to a set, and oidy one l)roo<l is raised in a season. As
both .sexes among all the better-known .species of Woodj)eckers assist in iiu-ulia-
tiou, it is pro1)able that the same holds good with this .species as well, and this
Lists ])robaljly from sixteen to eighteen days.

The average; mea.surement of thirteen eggs is .'Jf.ST hv 2.").-_'-_' millimetres,
or about \.'M by ().!)!) inches. The largest egg measin-es .'id.s;} ))\- 2(i.!l2 milli-
metres, or about 1.4') by l.Od inches; the smallest, 34.r)4 ))y 2;?. (12 millimetres,
or about \.'M] by().!)3 inches.

The type, specimen. No. 2t!3G5 (not figured), from a set of throe eggs,
Halph collection, was taken in Lafayiitte County, Florida, A])ril ID, IS!))?.

As all Woodpeckers' eggs are pure white, and as many differ oulv very
slightly in size and siiape, but considerably in the (h'gree of glossine.s.s, whicli
could not be accurately shown in tin; illustrations, 1 have onlv fi<>ure(l the ei'-<>s
of two Mell-known species, selecting those of the I'ileated and Downy Wood-
peckers, which .show fairly well the extremes in size."

I The Auk, Vol. V, 1888, p. 18fi.

■I Iiiul hoped to I)() !il)Ii' ti) mill thii lar{,'(( rm)iciicil Woodprckor, '',,m;pp;)/n7i(.v imiin-ialh, to our list
lirfoii! this voliiniii wi'iit to piiws. Livnt. Ilariy <'. Ili'iisou, Koiirtli Cavalry, V. S. Army, rouml it to l»< com-

'" tho |iiiii' f ircsis of the Si.Tia Mudic in northern Soiiora, .Mrxiuo, in 1X87, anil sliot ii spiTinicn witliin

."ill mill's of Iho lioiiinlary linr; hnt np to ilatr it has not hrcn ol)s..rvril liy I'illnM- Dr. A. K. I'lshrr or Mr. W.
W. Prici'. who hoth collected in tlio Chiricahua Monntuins iliiriiifi; the snininer ol' ISM, whole it is most
likely tu hu fuuiid.

!'• i^M-k

46

LIFE mSTOltlES OF NOltTU AMEltlCAN DIUDS.

i6. Dryobates villosus (Linn.kus).

HAIKV W001>PECKER.

ricKs ri7/«s«.v LiNN.Kis, Systeina Xatm-ir, cd. 12, I, 1706, ITri.
D[ryohateii\ *'i7/o»m» Cahams, .Museiiiii llciiiGiiiiuni, IV, June 15, 1863,60.
(B 74, i)art; C 2!»8, part; U 300; 0 438, part; U 393.)

(lEooRAi'UK'AL iiANOE: Kastcni North Ainorica; north in the southern provinces of
the Diiiniiilou of ('iuiiula to Xovii Scotia, New I'.runswiek, southern (ijuebcc, Ontario, and
soutlicrn Manitoba; south throujfh tlie United States, exceptiiifj tlio Soutli Atlantic and
(rult States; west to eastein Montana anil Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, the Indian Terri-
tory, and eastern Texas. Accidental in England.'

Till' broediiif'' r;m<?o of the Hairy Woddpockor, also knoAvn as "Bip^ Sap-
snckcr" iiiid " Mij>' Ciuinca Woodpecker," is coextcnsivo with its fjrcoffraphical
ran^c, ami it is o-ciicrally a constant resident wherever found. It is fairly
common thronji'li tlie wooded re},nons of our Northern and Middle States, iuul
in winter is occasionally found in some of the Southern States — Louisiana, for
instance, it is a resident in the mountainous ])ortions of North (^arolina, while
in the Inwlands it is ri'placed liy the smaller southern race, lhi/(ili<ift:s lullosiis
(ntduhdiii. It is a hardy hird, and intense cold does not appear to affect it nnich.
As a rule it is I'ather unsocial, and, iniless followed hy their youn^', more than
a ])air are rarely seen together. It does not live in harmony with smaller
species of its own kind, and drives them awaj', when they encroiich on its
feeilin;;- jiTounds, beinjjf exceedinj^ly greedy in disjuisition and always hunjjrry.
It is ])artial lo tind)ered river bottoms, the outskirts of forests, and occasionally
it makes its home in old orchards and in rather open, cultivated country, inter-
s])ersed here and there with isolated clumjts of trees; it is also found in the
midst of extended forest rej>-ions.

The 1 lairy Woodpecker, like; most of its relatives, is an exrecdinp-ly henehcial
and usefid bird, which rids our orchards and forests of innumerable iujui'ious
larva>, like those of the l{orin<r Beetles, HKprc-sfiila; which burrow in the wood
and between the l)ai-k and trunk of trees. It never attacks a sound tree.
Althou<!'h conunonly known as Sapsucker, this name is very inapj)ropriate; it is
not in searcli of sap, i)Ut of such yrubs as are found only in decayinj^- wood;
nevertheless it is exceedingly ditiicnlt to make the averap'(f farnu'r believe this,
and in winter, when these birds are more often seen about the vicinity of dwell-
inji's and the nei.L!iiboi-in;n' orchards than at other seasons of the year, many are
shot under the erroueons l)elief Mnit they injure the very trees they are doin<>-
their i)est to jn'ofect. In central New ^'ork, and undoubtedly in other sections
as well, where a few decades a.L;'i> one could see some of the tinest ai)ple orchards
to be found anywhere, you may look in vain foi' tliem now. Nearly every tree

■Mr. I). W. N'olsiiii, in liix ii'|iiii't iipnii iIk^ N.itiiinl nistciry Ciilli'ctioiix iimdu in AioHka in tlio yi'iira
1S77-1SS1, |i. 115. riciiiils this spi( li's ;is (icMiirriii^ in llritisli Cohiniliia .inil tlu'nrc ninth along tint Rontli-
riiHtiiii ciKist (iT Alitsltii. I ji:i\ c nut licrn iililc In litid iiny .siiucinieUH t'ollectod by him in th« U. S. Nutiuual
Museiiiii cuHrctiunM ;in<l simply nicntiun this recunl.

I:.:

THE HAIRY WOODrECKEK.

47

of any size now shows abundant and unmistakaLlo si;;iis of decay, caused l)y
the increase of tlie insects whicii live in them anil tlie ik-crease of siicii l)irds as
(U'stroy tliese j)ests. In Onei(hi and Jlerkinier c()unties, New York, tlie top
<»f nearlv every black ash tree is doa<l and the trees are slowly decayinj'-,
tniddubtedlv due to some species of boring- beetle; there are not enoufi^h Wond-
])eckers left to check the increase of tliese pests, and not alone the orchards but
(piantities of valnal)le timber are beinj;- slowly but surely destroyed by them.

The food of the Hairy Woodpecker, besides larvic, consists of various species
of small beetles, spiders, tlies, ants, and i;i winter, when such food is scarce,
to some extent of seeds and f^Tain, and less oft(Mi of nuts and acorns. I have
seen it clin<f to fre.sh hides hun<f up to dry, pickinj^- otf small jiarticles of fat
and meat, and in sunnner it occasionally eats a few berries of different kind.s.
In the fall of tlu! }'ear it can often be seen inspectinj;' oKl fence |)osts and
telej;rai)h jxiles, proliablv on the lookout for cocoons, s|)ider e^i'fi's, etc. AFr. \'.
A. Al(hM-.son, of Marathon County, Wisconsin, publishes the followinff iiiterestin;'-
statement in the "< hilu^iist" (Vol. VII, July, ISiM), p. 147): "Last sunnner jxitato
bu}>s covered every ])atch of ]);)tatoes in Marathon County (beiu;^' my home
county), Wisconsin, (hie of my friends here found his patch an excei»tion, and
therefore took pains to iind out the reason, and observed a Hairy Wood|)ecker
niakiuf;' fre(pient visits to the potato tiehl and fi'oinjf from there to a lar;i'(^ jiine
stub a little distance away. After observiuf^' this for about six weeks, he made
a visit to the pnie stulj, and found, <m ins])ection, a larj^'e hole in its si(h', about
If) feet up. Tie took his ax and cut down the stub, split it open, anil found
inside over 2 Im.shels of bugs. All had their heads off and bodies intact. Now,
why did the Woodpecker cany the bugs whole to the tree and only bite off
and eat the heads, whicli could have been (h)iie in the potato field.'"

Like all Wood])ecker.s, it is an expert clind)er, and moves rapidly up and
around trees in short hojis; it is e({ually easy for it to go l)ackward or sidewise,
and it is astoni.shing how readily it can nlo^(' in any direction. The .strong feet
and sharp claws enable it to hold firmly to the bark, and the stiff, spiney tail
feathers also come in play while it is at work, acting as a support for the body
whicli is well thrown back when a blow is delivered with its jioweiful chisel-
like bill. Although usually rather ,shy, when liusy in search of food ono will
occasionally allow itself to l)e very closely appr(>ache(l. I have seen one alight
on the trunk of a crab-ap|)le tree within .'i feet of me and (lclil)erately coimiieiice
searching for larvie, apparently perfectly imconcerned al)out my presence, and
when I moved up a little (doser, he simply hoi>ped around on the opposite side
of tlu^ tree and continued his .search; eveiy once in a while, however, his head
would appear from behind the tree to see if 1 was .still watching him. He
remained fully thirty minutes on the same tree, where ho evidently found an
abundance of food, and then flew off uttering several loud notes like "liuip,
liuip." Its ordinary call sounds like "trriii. trriii," a shrill, rattling note.

The tongue of the majority of our Woodjieckers is especially adapteil for
extracting larva', etc., from the wood in which they live. The tongue proper is

48

LlFi: UISTOUIES OF NOKTll AMERICAN BIRDS.

,, n -I

'0

■^

i

T
i

1

dii.^j

M

ratluT small, flat, uiid tcniiiiiati's in a sharj), lioriu' jxilnt, which is armed
at the sides with a scries of hristlc-liki! barhiMJ hooks; the worm-like neck, or
the hyoid process to which it is attached, is <^'en(;rally rather loii{^ and curves
around the back of the skull in a sheath, and this can readily he thrown
forward for '2 or .'5 inches. A sticky saliva is also secreted, with which the
tonf>ue is covered to facilitate the extraction of the food they are in search of.
Their sense of hearing;' must he exceedinjrly acute, as they appear to readily
detect tlu^ slij^hti'st movement of any insect imder the bark or in the solid
wood, and they make no mistakes in properly locatinnr it. Their flight is rapid,
uuilulatin^jf, usually not very protracted, and they rarely ilesceud to the {ground
in search of food, where their movements are rather awkward and clumsy.
Notwithstanding- the amount of labor required for the Hairy and other Wood-
pcikers to obtain the necessary amount of nourishment, they are usually iu
yood condition, and in winter not unfrequently excessively fat.

Our Hairy Woodi)ecker is one of the i-arliest of this family to breed. The
mating season Itegins in the latter part of March, and the speci(ss is at this time
one of the noisiest mi'inbers of this family. The male, when not iu search of
food, now seems t(» ocreupy himself almost excdusively with drunnning- on a
lesonant dead limb, generally situated near the top of some tidl tree. The louder
the nois(( produced, the more satisfactory it ap[»ears to be to the performer; it
seems to \)i' a sort of love notit aufl call t(» the female, and, as far as I have been
a!)le to observe, is oid\' indulged in by the male. In Hying from one tree to
another a shrill, sharp "hiiip, huip" is ofti'U uttered, and during' the mating^ season
both sexes an; very demonstrative! and utter ([uite a number of different notes.
1 believe this species remains paired through life. Nidilication begins usually
early in April, and it requires about a week to ])rei)are the uesthig site. Both
sexes take i)art in this labor, and it is really wonderful how neat and smooth an
excavati(jn these birds can make with their chisel-sha])ed bills in a comj)aratively
.short time. The entrance hole is as round as if made with an auger, about 2
inches in diameter, and just large enough to admit the body of the bird; the
edges are nicely beveled, the inside is cMpially smooth, and the cavity is gradually
enlarged toward tlu; bottom. The entrance hole, which is not unfrecjuently
j)laced under a limb for protection from the weather, generally runs in straight
throug'h the solid wood for about 3 inches, and then downward from 10 to 18
inches, and some of the finer chips are allowed to remain on the bottom of the
cavity in which the eggs are (h^posited. IJoth dead and living trees are selected
for nesting sites, generally the former. When living- trees are chosen, the inner
core or heart of the tree is usually more or less decayiid. These nesting sites
are nearly always scdected with sncli good judgment that .such obstacles as hard
knots are rarely encountered; should this occur, the site is abandoncMl and afresh
one selected. After this is com|)leted the male frequently excavates another
hole, or even several, in the same tree or in another close by, in which to pass
the night or to seek shelter, and to be close to the nest while the female is
incubating; these holes are not so deei) as the others. A fresh nesting site is

THE HAIRY WOODPECKKK.

49

crcnornllv wloctod oacli smison, but where stiitable trees itre scarce tl\e same on«
may lie used ti>r several years in succession, and in sucli a case it is usually
tluiroujililv cleaned out and tlie oltl chips in the l)ottoui removed and replaced
1)V fresli ones. Heech, ash, ])op]ar, birch, oak, sycauiore, haw, and apple trees
are mostly usetl tor nesting,' sites.

Ur. i). M. Munows writes me: "In Marshall County, Illinois, the river bot-
toms are suliject to overflow din-in<;- the sprinjj, and hij^h water lasts freipu'utly
for two or three months, causiu<? the willows and soft niajdes to die in <,'reat
ninnbers, sometimes leaving- belts of dead trees of considerable extent. Anioii<jf
these the Hairy Woodpecker is always to lie found. The ne.stinj^- .season eoni-
niences earlier than that of any of the Woodpe(;kers found in this locality, and
seems to bt; (|uite re<,''ular. From my notes I find the time to secure fresh e<f}j^s
to be from the 2()th to the 24th of April. Here they nest mostly in dead willows,
though maple trees from which the bark has fallen off, leaving- a smooth trunk,
are also frecpiently used."

In Maine they nest sometimes in dead spruce and fir trees, but deciduous
trees seem to be preferred throuijihout their ran<ie. In the New Euffland States
and northern New York fresh eg-gs are usually found during the first week in
May, and ordinarily only one brood is rai.sed in a season. In the Adirondacks
their holes are often found from 40 to aO feet from the g-round. The <luties of
incubation are <livided between the sexes and last about two weeks. Tlui young
when first hatched are repulsive-htoking creatin-es, blind and naked, with enor-
mouslv large heads, and ugly protubei'ances at the base of the liill, resembling a
rej)tilc^ more than a bird, 'l^liey an; totally helpless for some days, and can n< t
stand; but tlu*y soon learn to climb. They are fed by the parents l)y regurgita-
tion of their food, which is the usual way in which the young of most Wood-
peckers are fed when first hatched. Later, however, a few species, like the
Hed-headed Woodpecker and other mendiers of this gemis, feed their young in
the ordinary manner, carrying the food in their bills. The young remain in the
nest about thrtM' weeks. When disturbed they utter alow, piu'riug noises, which
reminds me somewhat of that made by bees when swarming, and when a little
older they utter a soft "puirr, puirr." Even after leaving the nest they are
assiduously cared for })y !)otli ])arents for several weeks, until able to ju'ovide
for themstdves. Should the first set of eggs be tak<'n, a second, and sometimes
even a third, is laid at intervals of from ten to fourteen (hiys; and if the nesting
site has not been destroyed or the entrance lud(^ enlarged (which can readily be
avoided by sawing (Uit a sufficiently large piece below the hole, enabling the
collector to insert his hand, and replacing this again carefully after taking the
eggs) they will frequently use it a second time.

The ninnber of eggs laid to a set varies fW'm three to live, usually fotn*.
I iiave been infonned that sets of six and seven have been taken, but I doubt
this. They are mo.stly oval in .shajie, sometimes elliptical oval, and occa.sionally
rounded ovate. The shell is very finely gramdated, glossv, and .semitrausluceut
when fresh, the yolk being plainly visible then; but as incubation advances it

16BLKJ— No. 3 i

rnTrr

60

LIFK DlSTOllIES OF NORTH AMEUIOAN IJIKDS.

1)oconi(>s more opiuiuc. Like all Woodpeckers' eyj^s, they iiro puro wliito and
uiiMpottod.

'I'lie nverajjc inciisurement of twenty-nine Hpecinicns in the United StnteH
Niitionid .Museum eolkrtion is 23. (if) l»y 17.94 millimetres, or iiltont 0.i)3 I»y0.7l
inch. 'I'lie larj^est efiy of the series measures 'if) 01 Ity 18. HO millimetres, or 1.02
by 0.74 inches; tiie smallest, 20.A7 Ity l(;.2(i millimetres, or 0.81 l)y 0.(14 ineh.

The ty|)e specimen. No, 24721 (not iij^ured), from a .set of five e<;f>:s, was
taken by Dr. William L. Halpli near IloUund I'atent, Uneida County, New York,
on Ma\ 5, iMiJl.

; ** ■

ii ■'

17. Dryobates villosus leucomelas (liooDyiiKT).

NORTHERN HAIRY WOODrECKKR

ricus Ifucomelan 15oDT)yT:RT, Table rtoa Plniirlios EiilniiiiiK os dTIistoirc Natnrollo, 17.S3, '_'!.

Dnjobalfn villosus IcHvomrUiH RimiWXY, I'rocecdiiiRS T. S. National Museum, V1II,18<S5, .'$55.

(I! 71, part; C L'Jt.S, iiart; 11 3«0«,- (J 43S, part; IJ l"S.i(i.)

<li;o(ii!ATnicAL RANGK: Nortlioru North Amcri<^a; from about latitmlo 1!P in tlio,
castrrii i)arts of the Dominion of Canada north to about hititude litr . and probiibly still
farther in the interior; west to eastern Alaska; south, in winter only ( f), to the northern
border of the United States.

The breodinp: range of the Northern Hairy Woodpecker, also known as the
"Great White-backed Sapsucker" and "I'hilliits's Woodjtecker," a somewhat
larj^er race, and nsually with a f>reater amount of white ii\ its jdumao'c than the
preeedinji', is probably coextensi\e with its o-eoirraphical distribution; it also
aj)pears to be resident wherever foinid. Mr. Ii. H. l\oss, of the Ilud.-^on Hay
C"om])an\', took a male near Fort Simjtson, on the Jraekenzie River, in latitude
(')-2^ N.,on l)ecend)er2!l, 1 8(;0, and I\[r. ]\Ie(,^uesten ol)tained a female at Fort Reli-
ance, on the upper Yukon, in xVlaska, in about latitude Gti" N., on Septi'iuber lo,
1S78; both of these ■.specimens are now in the United States National Museum.
North of latitude Ali" it is reported to be rare, and it is not often met with lu'ar
the coast in Ala.ska. Prof Winfrid A. Stearns reports takinj;' a specimen of
I)ri/()h(ilrs rilli>sii>i in Labrador on October 2S, 1SS2, exact lucalit}" not stilted,
which is un((Ue.stionably refendde to this race; but .Mr. L. iM. Turner, diirin<>- his
sojourn (if sevi'ral years in Unj>ava, failed to meet with it, and it is probably rare
throughout this region. It is reported as a common resident of British Colum-
bia, east of tlu^ (Cascades, and in the IJocky Mountain sections, by Mr. .John
Fannin.

Whih' stationed at Fort Ouster, ^lontana, T took several .s])ecimens during
the winter of ISS4-sr), wliich I referred to Dn/olxitr.s rillosits; one of thc-^e skins, a
fine male, taken on .\pril 111, 188,"), is now in the United States National Museum
collection, ;uid this is a perfectly typical exami)le of the northern race. It is
therefore jtossibh- tiiat it ])reeds in limited numbers along our northern border,
but it may only have been a late .straggler. I shot it in a cottonwood grove
on the Big Horn Kiver.

THE NORTHERN HAIRY WOODPKCKKR.

61

ItH {Tonoral Imlits, food, mode of incuhatlon, etc., arc prohaljly the name m
those of Pif/olidfrs riHosus. There are no positively identified cfiji's of tliis race
in the niiit'ction; l)nt t\u-y undoubtedly resemble those of the precedin}^ species,

averaging prol)ably a trifle larger.

i8. Dryobates villosus audubonii (Swainson).

801ITHKKN HAIRY WOODrKCKEK.

Piem niiduhoiiii SwAiNSON and RicnABnsoN, Fiiuna Horeali Americana, II, 18.'n, .'?Ofl.
Dryobaten rilloHHn aiiduhonii ItiDOWAY, Proceedings U. 8. Xiitional Mnscuni, VIII, 1885, 365.
(B 74, part; 0 298, part; R 300, part; (J 138, part; U 3»3i.)

tii;ooRApniCAi, UANOE: South Atlanti(^ and Gull" Htat«a; north to North Carolina,
sontiierii Tennessee, etc.; west to Louisiana and southeastern Texas. ( f) Casual in the
Bahamas.

The l)roodin<» ranj^o of the Southern Hairy Woodpecker, a somewhat
smaller ra^' lian Dri/ohatrs nillosiifi, is likewise coextensivt* with its <reo<Traphi(!al
distribution, it <>*>nerally being resident wherever found. It reaches tlu^ northern
limits of its range in North Carolina. The Hrindey IJrotliors write me that it
occurs in tiie vicinity of Raleigh, where it is ratlier rare, and nests (piite early,
as young birds were found nearly fully fledged on May 2"), 1H!)1. j\[r. William
Brewster also met with it in the lowlands in Franklin County, North Carolina,
and m* to an elevation of 4,000 feet at Highlands, in ^facon County, whih^ 1 )r. W.
JI. Fox rej)orts seeing a few each year in Roane County, Tennessee ; specimens
sent b}' him have l)een identified at the United States Natioiud Museum as
referable to this subspecies. The late Mr. C. W. Beckham nuitwitli it at Bayou
Sara, i^ouisiana, and ^fr. E. A. Mcllhenny found it nesting on May 12, 1H!)2, in a
cavity of a pin oak, 21 feet from the ground, in New Iberia Parish, Louisiana.
Here it fre(iuent8 the oak timber on higli land, and is said to be rare. Although
not yet reported from southeastern I'exas, its range ]irol)al)ly extends into this
State also. The late Ur. W. (!. Avery found it breeding in Alabama, where it is
not uncommon, and Dr. William L. Raljili has taken three sets of eggs in Put-
nam (bounty, Florida, which are now in the collection of the United States
National Museum. Nidification connnenced early in April, and several sets of
eggs found by him during the last week in this month were well advanced
in incubation. The cavities were in all cases excavated in cypress trees grow-
ing on the edge of swamps, and located from 2S to 4.") feet from the ground.
The nund)er of eggs to a set were three or four, the first number being the
more connnon.

The general habits, food, etc., of the Soutlieni Hairy Woodpecker are sim-
ilar to those of Dri/(il)atcs dUIoshs, but this subspecies seems to be mon^ fond of
fruit and l)erries, and the young are fed largely on figs. The eggs are scarcely
distinguishai)lefrom those of the Hairy, excepting that they are a trifle narrower,
and all are elliptical ovate in shape.

52

Lll'K illSTOUlHS or NOUTIl AMKIMCAN |;1IM>.S.

The iivcrafrc inciiHiirciiiciit of iiiiir s|)cciiii('iis tnnn tlic Kiil|ili collrctittii is

2i]A)i} by 17. to iiiilliiiictn-s, or iilxnit O.lt.'J l»y (),<is incli. 'I'lic lari>o.st cy;-'

immHiins -J-l.H!) \ty 17.r»3 iMillinu'trcs, or ().!»H Ijy O.li'J liu-li; the .siiiullcst, 22.H(;
l)y IT.O'i inilliinctrfs, or U.!M) hy O.JIT iiirli.

The type spci'iiiicii, \o. 'JtlH'J (\\(ti lijinrcil), iVoni a set of tlircc cji'fis, was
takt'ii l)y Dr. William L. Haljtii near Saii .Mateo, I'litiiaiii County, Florida, on
April -Jl", IHDl.

'■}•

19. Dryobates villosus harrisii (.\i ui iio.s).

IIAUKIS'S WOOKI'I'.CKKK.

I'iviis harrisii Ai'DUiioN. • trnitliolofjiciil Hiofiniiiliy, V. ls;!!t, l!il.

DnjobutcH riUdHUx harrisii ItininVAY, rH(Cf('(lili;;s I'.S. Niitiouiil Muscain, VIII, I SS,';, ,'{."»">.
(li 7.'>. (' -".»S((. |{ ;t<i(»/(. (' 1,111, (■ ;!<(.(,•.)

iiEiKiUAPllK'Ai, UANOK: I'licMic ( 'oast n'fjioii.s; IVoMi iKirtlKMiM'aiil'cnniii (llaiabohlt
Itay) aortii (noar tlii^ coast only) tliioaKli Oick'oii, Wasiiiaulon, aial liiitisli Coluaibiii to
siatliera Alaska (Sitka).

sU)i)os <

Until within tlic last few years all tlie Hairy Woodperkers tVoni tli<^ easten

n considered a

it' the l{(a'k\' .Mountains to tlu- I'acitic coast ha\c Itec

jjolonjiin;;- to this sultspecies, but recently Mr. William ih'ewster separatecl and
e\v form in "The .\uk" (N'ol. \', .Inly, ISS.S, ji. -iA'J), which restricts

deseriheil a n

tl

w, ran"!' o

he lil'esel

It smI

)S|)ecies

inider consideration \er\' materialh'.

he lireedmi:' raim'e o

f tl

ns race, as no\v considereil, is a \'er\' hnn

ted

one,

and is proi)al»l\' coextensive with its <>'eoyraphicai distrilitition. It is appai'cnth'
coniined to the immediate vicinit\' of the coast, and is not found at anv <>reat

distance miani

I. .V

niou"'

tl

U! s|tecnnens collected

1)\ me at i''ort Klamath,

(h'e<;iai (naistly winter birds), there are two which mij^ht lie called internu'di-
ates between this and tiie more I'ecently separated Dr/lolxifcs rillnsiis Iii/Io.scdjihs,
but the majoritx' are clearly referalile to the latter. In the ty|iical Harris's

\V<

tl

I'ts are nuich dai'Uer, a smok\ brown, in fact; it is also

oodpecker the under pai
somewhat larjivr and is very readily distinj^uishable from the nuicli li;i|iter-
colored and somewhat smaller Cabanis's Woodpecker. It has been taken as far
north as Sitka, .Maska, ami seems to \h' a fairly common resident near I'ui^-et.
from which locality 1 recently rc'ceived a ])erfectly typical

■xiund

W

islnutiton,

skin taken b\- Mr. S. V. Uathl

am on

Fel

jruar

\- 14, lS!l-_», here it breeds in

the })in(^ and iir forests. Its ^^eneral habits, food, mode of nestini;', etc., are

sum

lar to those of the jirecedinj;' subspec

Its

i-jis are |

)ro

babh

a intit

ttl.

larger than those of Cabani.s's AVoodj)Ocker, but as there are no absolutely
identified specimens in the United States National .Museum collection as yet, I

can not i>ive actual measurements.

I" '
III-

OAIIANIH'H W(K)l)l'K(iKKU.

68

20. Dryobates villosus hyloscopus (Caiianih).

CAHAXIS'H WOODI'KCKl'.K.

Driinliolin hiilnovopiiH (lAiUMS iiiul lii'.iNi:. Miisriim llciiu'iimim, IN', ii, ISO.!, (ill.
(Druiitidlin riUimiiH) IiiiIuxcoihih r.iiicw.-^TKU, Auk, V, .Inly, I s.s.S, I'.'iL* (in text).
( I! T."M.!Ut ; (' -'US,!, part; I! .Kilt//, \mrt; C l.'lit, pivrt ; I' AKiil.)

(iKOClRAl'iiicAi, KANiiK: VV<!sUmii Noitli Aiiicrlua; iioilli I" .Mdiiliiiiii, liliilio, iiiid
WashiiiKl"!!, <"^<'''1'''"K "i'' •'"""<' irKimi**; I'M^t to the caslciii sloipcs ol' tlie Kocky Moiin-
taiiiH anil ndjiicciit lances; scmtli tliiouuli «'iiiir(Hiiia. .Vn/mia, ami New Mcxiro to iiortliiTii
Mexico ami Lower (Jalilornia.

(Jiiljiiiii.s's WcMiilju'ck

iciicrall}' iiitcrmcdiiitc! in shv lictwcfii hri/ohiiti's

rill(i.sii.-< iind l)iji(ili<tli:s rilldsiis liiiiiniirliis, and is distinoiiislial)l(' iVuni the Inriiicr
1)V its plain lilack ur nnidi less sputtcd wino' cuvcrts and tcrtials, and t'nmi I)r;/<>-
hatcn rlllnsit>: lidirisi'i 1)\- its liojitcc-cdldrcd nndci- parts and suincwliat smaller
.'^ize. r Iia\(' rcfcnlK' liad an nppnrtiuiity to examine sexcral skins ut' tiiis snl)-

speeics,

taken in tke vicinil\ ut' Fort .Slierman, lilalio, liv 1 M'. .lames ( '. Merril

Unitefl States Armv, wliieli are alniust as jaro-c as Driiohutin villosus Irnnniirlds aiul
t'nlh as lai'^i'e as Dri/nlxitis ril/osiis /,iinisii. It is pi-aetieally a resident wliercNcr
found, and its hreedinj;' raiifre is cdcxtcnsixc witli its ^•eojiraplucal distriltntion.

In winter it is dt'teii met with

th

le \alle\s adiacciit to moinitani ranocs, to

wliicli it retires in snnnner to hreed; lini these vertical iiiio'rations, it' they may
be called so, are never \cry extended.

('al)ani.s"s Woodpecker does not appear to lie t'onnd north of oin' horder,
and lias not as yet lieeii reported from any point in the Dominion of ( 'anada.

«f the Uockv

nor docs it reach any <^'reat distanc(^ heyond the eastern slopes o

Mountains and adjacent ranjics. I)r. (J. S. Aji'ershor;^' f^'ives it as a common

resident of sontheastern South Dakota, Itiit I doubt if perfectly tyjiical speci-

f tl

mens ot tliis race ai'e found east of tlio Mlack Hills in this State. It inhabits all
the mountain rej;ions of the interior np to altitudes of lO.OOO t'eet, and occurs

n southern Arizona it does not

nth of

our

bonl

er m nortnerii

M

levs, but 1 havt; shot several near 'Tucson in

a])pear to breeil iu tlie lower

winter, and it mereh' retires to the neifi'iiborino' mountains hei'e, where it tinds a

suitable snuunei' (dimatiMlin-ino' the seasou of reproduction. .Mr. .\. AV. Anthony

observed it in the San Pedro .Martir .Mounti

uns,

Lower California, at altitudes

from 7,000 to 10,000 feet. Mr. Denis (Jale found it laveilinj;' in Moidder County,
(Colorado, on i\Iay I'K, ISSi;, ju a live aspen tree, at an idtitudc of about XJ)iH)
feet. The lU'st contained live e""s, in which incubation \va< somewhat ad\ anced.

Mr. William ii. Smith al
tl

so reports it as ci

mmon in Colorado, cominir down into

i(! valle\sm w

inter. He says it is the earliest of the Woodpeckers to breed, that
it conmieiices nestinji' in the latter part of April, and usually excavates its holes
in old dead pines, freipiently at ji considerable ilistanco from the ^^round, and
that he has seen fidl-^^rowu yonny by .Fune 1.

In California Cabanis' Woodpecker is connnon in the mountain

but

m

the lowlands in the scnithern parts of this State Mr. F. Stephens considers it a

\rw

i'

64

MFK IHHTOHIKa OF NOIITII AMKltlCAN HIUHH.

Jl

riitlu'i' run' Hitiiuiior rcHidcnt. Il»> fnimd it l>rctMliii}r in u cnftnnwiMHl free, nciir
Sun llcrmiriliiio, on Miiri'li 'J!t, IHH"). Mr. liymiin ilcldinj;' tuok hcvciiiI \\ch\h uf
tliirt Hiil)s|i(M'i('H ill ( 'aliivcnis ('(iiiiity, in tliu SiiTi-ii NitviiiliiH; in oni', found im
iJiuut I), IK7II, wliicli liad Ixm'Ii cxnivatctl in a dead |iin*< HtiiiMp, 1'J t'ci't tVoni the
jjround, the <'H'f,'''<i tlirct! in niiinbor, won* <»n tim ]Miint i»t' liatcliiiiff. In liin notcH
lu" says: " I scared tlu* fVnialc fVdni it and iircvcntcd licr rctinii l>y inserting a
Htick, flu' t'lid (if wliicli protrudtMl for Hcvond fet't. Wlii-n slic found slic coulil
not enter slie ;;n\(* several cries, which hroujrht tho nude, wiio hopped n\) and
»h»\vn tile sticlv a few times, strikin;; it witli his l»ill and screaininj^ anf;i'ily, pans-
in<r occasionally, and apparently delilieratin;;' on the hest nu^thoil of extracting
it." Another nest, fountl hy him on .fuly 10, IHHO, was located only ',\ feet from
tho j,Toinid, and loiitaineil yoinij>- which were Htill in the nest on the "Jdth. Mr.
('harles A. Allen informs me that ahin;,'- the Sacramento |{i\-er, in ( 'alifoinia, it
hretnls in sycanua-es and willows, l»nt that it is ni>t common there.

1 have mot with ( 'ahanis's Woodpecker in most of our Ncu'thwestoni States,
bnt found it nowhens very common. I took my lirst mst near ( 'am|) ITarnev,
Ore^i'on, on May '_*!>, \Xlf), in a canyon on the southern slopes of the Mine Moun-
tains, at an altituile of about 5, 000 feet. The cavity was excavated in the main
trunk of a nearly dead aspon, ahout 12 teet from tho {ground. The entranco
liolo was ahont 1"{ inches in diametor, antl tho cavity aliout !l inches dee]i. It
contained four much inculiated ofiji's. Tho female was in the hole, and stayed
then* lookiuff out until 1 had struck tho troo several tinu'S with a hatchet, when
she flew off ami ali<^ht('d on one of tho limits of the tree, nttiiinj;- cries of dis-
tress, which lirou^i'ht tlici male, who was still nutro demonstrative, hoppin;;' from
limb to lind), s(inoalin}r and scoldiu}^ at nio and pockinj; at the lindts on which
ho jterchod. At Fort Klamath, Oroj^on, it was somewhat more connnon, and
hent I took sincral of its nests. It appears to Ixs especially abinidant in tracts
in which tho tiiidter has lioeii killed hy fire, and where many of the slowly
rotting trunks still remain standinj^. Snch burnings are freqnontly met with in
the mmnitains, and seem to attract several species of Woodpe<'kers, jiresumably
on account of tho abundance of suitabU* food to lu* found. Full sets of oirjrs
may bo looked for in ordinary seasons during the iirst ten days in IMay, and
occasionally even earlier, as 1 tbund a nest with fonr young, several days old,
on May 21, IHH.'J. Inasnnich as this AVoodpeckor nests rather early, i*
siblo that two broods arc raised in a season. Dead or badly de( ., "d
preforroil to live ones for nesting purposes, and ileciduous s;

it also nests occasionally in firs and madrono trees.

Like tho Hairy WoodjK'cker, Cabanis's is very noisy, espei dy iii the iirly
spring. It likewise is a groat drunnner, and utters a variety of notes, -'>mo of
which sound like "kick-kick, whitoo,wlnt()o, whit-whit, wi-wi-wi-wi," and 'iMar.>-o
guttoral one, somewhat like "kheak-kheak" or "khack-khack." It is one of on*
most active Woodpeckers, always busy searching for food, which consists princi-
pally of injurious larvaj and eggs of insects, varied occasionally with a diet of
small berries and seeds, and in winter s< imetimes of pinou uuts, pine seeds, aud

(!AIIANIS'S \V(K)IH'K<'lvi;H. Tji)

iiroriH. At fliis sftisnii I liiivu ofti'ii Mc'tiii tli'm KjaM-'u-H aroumi MlaiijflitiT Ihhihi-w,
pirkiii); up .stni\ liits ut' iiunt or fat, anil liavc also hi-cii it |HTkin;r at liaiiM(li<-s
<it' vt'iiisdii liiiii;; up ill tile optn air. It is a. riitluT iiiiMtM'inl liinl nt nil times,
auil it is rare to sco iiion' tlinii ii pair tdp-tlu-r, cxcciitiii^i wiii'ii still ciiriii;; tor
tlit'ir yoiiii};' to wliicli tlioy appoiir to i)o very tlevotod tor soiiio time alter these
have left their nests. •

Its iiestiuf,'' hfiliits are ontiroly siniiliir to tiiose nf Ihnalinlis rillo.siis ; hntli
sexes sliiire tiie worlx in t'Xeavatiii};' tiic iiestiii;f site, as well as tlie iliity of iiicii-
Itatioii, which lasts about fifteen diiyH. Their holos are usually located from IJ
to IH feet from the ^rinnul, ami occasionally as low as .'{ feet, or a^iiiin in the dead
top of a tall pine, fully •")(• feet up, and it laeeds earlier than any other Wdoil-
pecker found in the same localities. The number of v^xs laid to a set varies
Irom three to six; those of four are by far the most common; sets of five are
oiilv occasionally met with, while sets of six are very unusual. .Mr. Denis Oale

has taken a set of si.x, and I also found on

111. viriys lie un

rlu. I

ine clinic

lett in the bottom of the cavity, and are occasionally well packed into tlie.-e,
so ihiit only aiiout one-half of the ejrj;' is visible. They resemble the e^gs
of IhijiilHilis rillo.'^ii.'^ in color, l)Ut tIio.se of an elliptical ovate shape are more
coinnion than the oval ami »llii)tical ovals, averajrin;;', therefore, more in length,
while there is proportionably less difference in their short diameter.

'I'lie averajic measurements of forty-four specimens in the I'liited State.s
National .Museum collection is 24.1(5 by lS.411 millimetres, or about O.D.S iiy (I.73
inch, 'i'lu^ larji'est e<ifr of the series measures 2(i.l(! by 18. HO millimetres, (ir
1.(13 liy 0.74 inches; tla^ smallest, 23.;J7 by i7.7H milliiiietres,or (!.!»■_' by 0.70 inch.

The type speciuieu, No. 19422 (not lifiured), from a set of three v<Xiis,
Heudire collection, was taken by the writer in the lUue Mountains, near Camp
Iliirney, Ureyua, ou May 2i», 1875.

21. Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus).

DOWNY WOODPKCKKK.

Pinis piihi'Kcnm IiiNN.i:u8, Systi-mii Xatuiic, ed. VJ, I, 17(!<i, 175.
h[ry(ili(ikK\ I ithcm 111 CAiiAtilii, iMnscuiii Ilciiit'iuiam, IV, Jane l.'), ISii.'!, liu".

(15 7(i, C 2!l!l, It 301, C 4 10, U .HM.)

(iKOORAPiiiCAL liANOK: Eastern niul northern North Anu'ri<ii; I'loiii Florida and the
<liiir Stiitcs north thronyh the Dominion of Canuda, in sontlicrii l.alirador, tc>ali(ial latitude

Tm^N.; the in a northweslcrly direction throiifjli the NoithcasI Tcnitoiy, Kecwatin,

and the Xoitliwest Tcnitoiy to northern Alaska, to about latitude (i(PN.; west to Mani-
toba, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, the rndian Territory, and eastern Texas.
Iriejiiilarly to Montana, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and ^'aliioriiia. Acci-
dental in England.

The Downy Woodpecker, also known as the "T>ittle 8apsiicker" and "Tattle
(Juinea Woodpecker," is the smallest of our I'lcida; clo.selv i('seml)liii<i' a llairv
Woodpecker in cohtration, but much smaller. Like it, it is an extremel)' hardy

'TF

56

lilFK msTOIMES OF NOUTJI AMERICAN IJUiD.S.

bird, and is ('(juiilly at homo in tlie boreal reji^ioiis or in si'initro])i('al Florida.
Its bri'i'diiij^- riiiijic is an extensive one anil corresponds with its goograidiical
distribution. Altlioii^li ot" a more (>r less rovinj;' disposition in winter, in certain
htcalities tlirouj-liont its ranf^e, caused probably by abundance or lack of food,
it cannot be considered as a strictly niifiratorv bird, as it apjjcars to l)e a resident
even in winter in northern Alaska, a fact that is well attested from the mimerous
specimens taken there at that season and now in the United States Jsatioiial
Museum collection.

I notice tiiat tlie under parts of all the Alaskan specimens and others from
the far north are imicli lij;hter colored than l)irds from the southei-u parts of
its ran<ie, tiiey also <i-enerally averajio somewhat larffer, and if Dri/ohafrs rillosiis
Iciiroiiirld.s is consi(h'red a ;>dod race, oui- nortliern Downy Woodpecker would
a])])ear to me to l)e eijualiy well entitled to sul)s])ecific rank. I took a sinjfle

spec

mien

of tl

lis northern form, a male, near Fort Custer, Montana,

on Januarv

28, 188."), which is identical with the birds found in Alaska, probably a stra<i<iler
from the far north. 1 have also seen a. |)erfectly tv])ical s|»ecimen of this
species, a female, taken by Mr. S. F. liathbuu, near Seattle, Washington, on
February •_'(!, lsy2.

The Downy Woodjtecker is more ;*.,,ciable and conlidinji' in man than the
Hairy AVoodpecker; it likes to take up its home in the vicinity of human habi-
tation.s, and [ believe throui;hout the eastern Fnited States it is more abundant

tl

lan its larjicr rcdative. Unfortunatelv, it is also considered a Saiisucker, and

many of these exceedini;Iy useful little Woodpecker

are

killed \earlv throu'ih

lamentable ignorance, under the supposition that they injure the fruit trees
by boring in the liark, while in fact they render the horticulturist inestimable

servici! ])\ ridding his orchanl of ii

numerable injurious inse(

ts, tl

leir ejiji's aiu

1

larvic, and few of our native birds deserve our good will more than the little
Downv Woodpecker, "^riio most stringent jirotection is none too good for it. It

one of tin

st industricms of bird.'^

is a

IwaA s at work huntinsr for food, and

the number of injurious beetles and tlu'ir larviv, cateri)illar.-<. etc., destroyed by

a smir

lei

)ll'(l M!

tl

le course of a .season must be enormous. Aside from such a

diet, it feeds jilso on ants and their larva', spiders and theireggs, and more rarely
on small grr.ins, berries, and nuts. It does not object to raw meat, and if a jtiece
is hung u
1.

p in v.inter where it can readih' get at it, it will pa\' it reaular visits as

It!

ong as it lasts. It is partial to rather open and cuif.vateil country, mtersju'i-sed
here and there with small woods and orchards; and to the scattering trees and
shrubb<'r\- of rixi-r and creek liottoms, tlie shade tri'cs alonj"- couiitrv roads, and

iloni'-

tl

le e(|ii-es o

11 or(

f cl

eaniigs

hards

an(

aiK
lal

1 it

is even at lioiiR- ill \illai'es.

It

esiieciallv

so 111

dders and Avhite birch trees. It begi

lis

loves to feed i

near the roots and carefully scans every cranny as it hojis along

on oim side and tiien on the other, and iiolurkinj'' insect seems to escai)e its sliarii

lookii

ig now

eye.

It

IS less

often iiK

t with

1 in the more extensive forests, excepting aloi

watercourses, and it does not seem to cire much for burnt tracts, which hav(

imu

h attraction for the Hairy and other Woodpecke

Alth

ougli not |)articii-

larly socialile to its own kind, it lo\es to be incom[)aiiy with other sjiialler in.s'jct-

Tllli DOWNY WODDI'KCKICU.

57

ivoroiiH birds, siicli as (Jliickadeos, NutliatcliOH. iuul others, especially in winter.
Jt is not as noisy a bird as the majority of Woodpeckers, and utters but few
notes, exceptinj;' durin<f the niatinjf season when two or three males arc in |)ur-
suit of ii female. While searehin;^- for food it utters occasionally a, low "p.shir,
()m> of its connnon call notes sounds like "(iwit, l»wit," terminatinf,f

)shir.

with "tehee, tehee, tehee," rajiidly repeated. Another note, nttenid when a jiair

)tl

:iro cliasm<;-one anotUer, rennnds me somewhat of the "kick-kick" of the Flicker,
but is not uttered (piite as loudly. In the early sjjrinji' the mah; frequently
amuses himself by persistently drunnninji' on some resonant dry lind), often for
fifteen minutes at a time, to attract the attention of his mate, or as a challeufre
to some rival. l»ut later in the season this is less freipu-ntly heard. It is excee'.l-
ylv f>Tacetul in all its movements on a tree trunk, m(.viu;>' u]) or down as w<

m

IS sKlewisc

;i

with ('([ual facility, and 1 have seen it hanj^in^- ])erfectly motioiiless
for jninutes at a tim(^ in the same jMtsition, appai'ently as if in (h'ep thoui^-ht.
While at Holland Patent, New York, durin;;' the sunnner of IS'.t,'}, 1 had excel-
lent oppoi'tnnities to watch these interestinji- birds; a. })air had raised ii brood in
a dead limb of a maph^ tri'c in the public s(|iiareof the \illa<i(', and one or nuu'e
could b(^ seen aliout at almost an\' hoiu' of tiie da\', and I have more than once

wa

Ikt'd U]) to within .'5 feet of one. As they had never ht-en molested, they wen*
tame, and allowed themselves to be closely approached. The yoini^- of the
year were, apjiarently, nnich mon; susj)icious than the old birds.

In tlu* more southern portions of its ran

as in Florida, niditicnti<

nsuallv bi'tiins a

>n
ur

d)out the middle of April; in New iMiji'land and alon^- o
iiortliei'U border, from four to live wi'cks later, and in Alaska rai'ch' l)efore
dune 1. .Vpiile, jiear, cherry, oak, maple, poplar, alder, American linden or
basswood, ash, willow, and niaynolia trees appear to furnish its favorite
nesting;- sites, and it jtrefers to ilifr out a home in sonu" dead lind), or in the dead
to]t of tlie trunk, but it iilso nests in live trees, usually sclectin;.

tl

lose m w

tl
'i'l

le core snows smns o

f d.

'lorid:

I slender (

le;.d

saiilmij'

are

wi

Inch
preferred,
just !;bnut lar;^-e eiiouj^li to admit the liodv of the l)ird
t!i somewhat of an etfort, perfectly circular, measuring' about 1,', inches in

le entrance

hoi.

(lianieter.

U IS

Tl

le inner cavit\- is iiradiiallv eiilaru'ed toward the liott

oiii, wiiere

alioiit ,5 iiicl

es Willi

til

.tl

iiiootli: the

hoh

usually IVoui G to II inches in depth, and the bottom is covereii witli a laver of
fine chips on which the e^<;s are deposited. l5oth sexes jissist in this work, and
it takes "bout a week to complete a siiitalile excavation. .After it is linished the
male fre(|iieiitly di;^s out a somewhat shallower one tbr himself in the .same
tree, or in ;motlier ch
\ i( iiiit\ of the old on

liev.- site IS nsiialh' selected

each season in

>id

occasioiia

for

and used
certain ram

<e\-eri

vears 111 succe;

itriid

lly this is cleaned out, rleepened ji littl(>,
■iioii. Kach pair of birds lav (daim to u

mil mtrnilers on this are driven away.

The Downy Woodpecker, althouoji small in size, does not lack for (

.Mr., I. W. Preston writes me: "( »n May 1,"), ISIU, u female iK
Iniiii iier nest in .-i {|eca\iiiH- braiicii of a weeiiii

ouraire.

o\ni\' -was attracted

\'>: wniou' near our house

Ked-lu.ided Woodpecker, which was tajipinj:;- on the tree trunk. Jt at

iiy a
once

I'.l!:'

58

LIFE IILSTOUIES OF NOUTU AMERICAN BIKDS.

attiickod the liirfjcr intrutler foarlessly, and soveral tinios slio darted at its head
witlioiit i'riyhteiiiiifr it away, and at last the (h-teiise l)ecaiiie so spirited tliat the
lied-liead seized the little one by the wing, teariug' a secondary therefrom, aiitl
flew ort' witli its trophy."

The nnniber ot" e<;gs laid to a set varies from three to six, sets of four or
five heiufi" most counnoidy found; one e}iy is deposited daily, in the north,
as a rule, only a sinj^le brood is raised in a season; in the more southern parts
of its ran<;-e it prol)ably raises two. If the first set of ej^fi's are taken, and
the entrance hole has not been enlar<ied, it will often lay a second set in the
same cavity, and occasionally a third set. Incubation lasts about twelve days,
and the male performs his full share of this <luty. The y(>un<«' are dili<reutly
cared for, for .some tinu^ after leavin<j the nest, and when able to provide for
themselves each }:>oes its own way. In the winter they dif;' shallower excava-
tions in dead trees, old stumps, or fence posts in some sheltered situation, in
which they spend the* nif-hts, and to which they retire during stormy weather.
In Florida full sots of fresh eggs may be looked for during the last week in
April, and in our Northern States alxtut a month later. The nesthig sites vary
from 5 up to oO feet. There is considerable \'ariation in tlu^ size of the eggs of
this species; like those of all Woodpeckers, they are glossy white in ct)lor, and
mostly ovate and rounded ovate in shape.

The average measurement of sixty specimens in the United tStates National
Jfnseum collection is II). 40 by l.').()S millimetres, or about O.'ii', l)y O.;")!) inch.
The laVgest i"^<^ of the scries measures 22. .'3') by l(!.2(i millimetres, or ().S8 l)y
0.G4 inch: tlu! smallest, 17.78 by i;{.4(; millimetres, or 0.70 by O.fKi inch. The
.set to wiiich th(^ smallest v>x<::; belongs was taken by Dr. William L. l{ali)h, in
Putnam (-onnty, Florida, and one of the five eggs it contahied is figured. Tiie
cavity was excavated in the <lead top of a magnolia tree standing in an open
field near wooils, 48 feet from the ground.

Tiie ty]te specimen, No. 2r)r)!)4 (I'l. 1, Fig. 24), from a set of five eggs,
Raljth collection, was taken as si ited above, on April '60, 1892, and represents

one o

f tl

le snii

lUest

eggs

of tl

le series.

188.-).3."".."..

22. Dryobates pubescens gairdnerii (Audubon).

(i.\Ii;i)Ni;US WOODl'ECKKK.

Pictis gairdnerii AununoN, ()niitliolo};i<'al HioRraiiliy, V, IS.IO, .'517.
Dryobates pi(henciiis <jiiir<iiierii I{ii)(i way, I'rocccdiiif; I '. S. Xatiiaial A[usi'uin, A'l II,

(I! 77. (J L'iHtrt, U .'5(il«, C 411. r 39l((.)

(lEOOBAPniOAL itANfiic: Wpsloiii Xortli Aincricii; IVom soutlieni ("aliibriiia north
tliron;;li Orcfioii and \Va>iliinj;lon into Hrilisli Colnnibia, to abont latitudf ~>'i \ and (xissiblv
t'artlici' north; cast to the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevaihi ami Cascade ran;;es and
.suaiewliat beyond.

(rairdner's Wooilpecker, the western representative of the l>ownv, is jirin-
cipally distinguishaltle from it b\' Inning tlie midille and greater wing covei'ts
plain lilaik, or only slightly spotted with white. Its range is api)arently rather

Cr AIUDXKR'S WOi )1)I'ECKER.

59

rostricted, and seema to lie mainly confined to tliat i)art of ( "alifornia west of tlio
Sierra Nevadas. IVfr. E. AY. Nelson reports it as rai-e in the pinon helt of the
I'anainint and Grapevine mountains duriiifi: Dr. ('. Hart Merriam's expha-ations
in the Death Valley region, in the soiitheastern parts of this State, in 1S!(1, In
Oregon and Washington it probably <loes not reach very far beyond the eastern
slopes of the Cascades, while in central Hritish (!olnmbia it is known to occur
as far north as Lake Maluno, in about latitude f)")''. Among a collection of birds
and eggs sent by Air. K. MacFarlane from Fort St. James was a single skin of
this subs])ecies taken in .June, 188!).

(iairdner's VVood[)ecker is more or less a resident and i)rol)ably breeds
wherever found. It is said to be ratiu-r •oimnon in pai-ts of northern California
and in Oregon, but 1 found it somewhat rare everywhere in the west. It occurs
in small nund)ers about Fort Klamath, Oregon, where I took a set of four
sligiitly incubated eggs, near the Indian .\gency, in a dead aspen sapling, on
Jime !), 1888. The cavity was about 8 inches dee[) and situated If) f(jet from
the ground. All of the Klamath birds are typical, and fully as dark imderneath
as any from tlu^ coast. I also nu-t with this or the lately descril)e<l Uatchelder's
Wood{)ecker near Fort Walla Walla, Washington, and on the .John Day IJiver,
Oregon, but it was of ran; occuiTence in both localities, and seemed to bo con-
fined to tlie willows near streams. Mv. Uollo II. Heck, of Merryessa, California,
writes nu^ that it is a fairly c(Mnmon resident there, and is ])rincipally foimd along
the water courses of the foothills, and only occasionally along tlu^ creeks and
streams in the valleys, Mr. Charles A. Allen inf( .ins me that it l)reeds in the
oaks and willows along the Sacramento Kiver. California, but tiiat it is not
conunon. Its breeiling sites seem to be confined to deciduous trees, preferably
dead ones, or old stumps, and besides these already mentioned, sycamore and
cottonwoods are occasionally used. 'I'heir nesting sites are rarely found at any
great distance from the gr<.>und, usually ranging from 4 to 20 feet up and rarely
higher.

Its general habits, food, call notes, mode of nidification, etc., are similar to
those of th(! Downy Woodpecker, and the same description will answer for both.
As (California is a great fruit-growing State, (Jairdner's Woodpecker shoidd be
especially i)rotected for the good work it does l)y ridding tlu^ orchards df noxious
insects and their larva-. In southern California nidification begins sometimes as
early as the middle of iVpril, while farther north it is several weeks later; four
or <iv(i eggs are usually laid to a set, ami one is deposited dailv. ( )rdinarilv but
one brood is raiseil in a season. 'V\h- eggs of (iairdnei-'s Woodpecker resend)le
those of the Downy in every respect, but average a trifle smaller.

The average measurenu'nt of thirty-four .sj>ecimens in the United States
National Museum collection is 18.80 by 14.22 millimetres, or 0.74 bv (t.f)!! inch.
The largest egg of the series measures 20..'52 by 1(J millimetres, or (I.SO bv O.fliJ
inch; the smallest, 17."),5 by 13.21 millimetres, or O.CO bv (I..'t2 inch.

'i'lu^ type specimen, Xo. liU.'i;} (not figured), from a set of four eggs, liendire
collection, was taken by the writer near Fort Klamath, Oregon, on .lune 9, 1883.

a)

LIFK IIISTOIUES Ol' NOh'Tll AMHUICAN BlUDS.

iji

23. Dryobates pubescens orecECUs Hatciieldkr.

I1AT( IIKLDKKS W( )01)PKCKKR.

Driiobatrs pubescens orircus Batchklder, Aiik, VI, July, 1889, 253,

(I! 77, lart; O UO'Jrt, piirt; 11 Mia, \mt; C 441, part; U 3916.)

rrKOfiUAriiicAi, uANRio: Rocky Mountains ami adjacent niountaiii regions from
Arizona and N'cw Mexico nortli tliron;;)! ('olonulo, Wyoming, and Montana, probably to
tiie sontbcrii parts of eastern liritisli Cnbimbia and western Alborta, in tlie Dominion of
(!anada; west tlirongh I'tah and sontiieastern IdaUo to Nevada. Casually to sontliern
California.

Batchol<lor's W(>odp(»ckor, recently separated from Gairdncr's l)y Mr. C. F.
Batclu'ldcr, whose tiaiiu' it Ix'ar.s, is (listiiijiiiislial)k' t'roin the ju'eeediiio- subspecies
hy liaviiiji' the under |)arfs pure wliite iusteail of smoky brown; tlie white areas
are jicnerally more extcndi'd. mid the iiniU'r tail coverts are immaculate instead
of l)ein<f spotted oi- barred witii l)lack. It is also somewhat lar'ifer. Like the
former, it is distinu'iiishablc from IhiinlHitcs jiiihv.srciis l)y the abseiice or scarcity of
the white markinys on the win;.f coxcrts. The jieo^rrajjliical and breedinjj' ran<;'<*
of Hatchelder's Wooilpecker is as yet but very inilefinitely ascertaine<l. Dr.
Kd^iir A. Mearns, United States Army, reports it as lu'eedinf^- spariiiji'ly throu<,di
the I'iinix jKiiiilcrdsd ix-lt, ascendinn' into the Spruce zone, on the San Francisco
cone, and considers it the rarest of the Woodpeckers found in Arizona. Mr.
Denis ( rale took a nest and efiys of tiiis subs[»ecies in Boulder County, ('(dorado,
on JiMUi 12, ISSi). Tlie excavation was foiuid in a half-dead as[)en, 3l> feet
froii. the fi'roinid, and presumably well up in the mountains, as Mr. William C».
Smith informs me that it is oidy a winter visitor in the lower valleys, and is
never seen there din'in^' warm weather. I found it rare near Fort Custer,
Montana, and oidy olttained a sinjile male specimen, on Novi-mber 2;5, 1S,S4,
amonj;- the willows mid cottonwoods on tiii' iiittle Horn Kiver. Dr. dames C.
Merrill, Fnited States .\rmy, met with it breeding- at Kort Shaw, Montana,
early in dune, ISTil, and tells mi' that live or six eji'ji's are ji'eiieraily laid to a
set, and that the nestinji' habits are just like those of the Downy Woodpecker.
Amoii^' some skins recently sent me for examination by the Doctor, from Kort
Sherman, Idaiio. taken diiriujii' the winter of 18114 and 18'.I5, are four specimens
which certaiid\ can not l)e rei'erred to either Batchelder's or (Sairdner's Wood-
[)e(dvers; neifiiercan they be calle<l typical " Dri/ohafis jhiIkscciis" but two of the
specimens come much nearer the la'^'^er than to the other two sul)species, the
under tail co\crts in all of them beii:^ listinctly spotted. 1 am at a loss where

to,
pro|

ilaci'

lem,

tl

statii.-

ind It wi

re(|iin'e a

hirji'

'er scries o

f sk

ins to determine tlieir

Dr. ('. Hart M

erriam saw

a small Woodpecki'r anion^- soi

burnt timl)er in the iijiper p.irt of Wood River Valh^y, Idaho, wliich

m

irol)

.diilitN', was rel'erabie to tl

lis siii)si)ecies.

Tlie riiite(l Stah's National .Museum

collection also contiiiiis s])ecimeiis from the Mitter Root \'alley, .Montana; the

uiii)er

11

ninho

R

Idt V

ille\'. m

\e\ada: from the head waters of the ( 'hexeiine

u\er, and t"om liarmme, Wyoiiunii-; ami it ajipears to bv more common on the

to Ik

th

I! ,JJ!1|;

BATOnKLDEB'S WOODPECKER.

61

eastorn slopes of tlu; Rorky Moimtiiii\s tluiii on tlio western and llirt)n<>;li the
Great Uasin rejfions. It undoubtedly is also tonnd in the lloeky Mountain
regions of southern Ikitish ("olunibia and the I'rovince of AUx-rta. Its <;en-
eral habits, food, ete., resend)le those of the two preci'dinji' sui)si)e»'ies in every
way. Tiie egj^s are also similar.

The averan^e measurement of eleven speeiinens is ID.Oa by ir>.l'4 milliuiotres,
or 0.7') by 0.(iO inch. 'Vhti largest egg measures ID. .Si by l'):2-i millimetres, or
0.78 by ().()0 inch; the smallest, 17.53 by 14.9!) millimetres, or O.GD by 0.51) inch.

The tvi)e speeimen. No. '21!t45 (not figured), from a set of four eggs, was
taken bv Dr. James C. Merrill, United States Army, near Fort Shaw, Montana,
on June 12, 187'J.

24. Dryobates borealis (Vieillot).

KED-COCKAUKD WOODPECKKK.

ricii.1 bunalin \'ikili,ot, Oiseaux Aineriiiue Sei)toatrioiiiile, 11, 1S(»7, titi.
Dnjohatex borailis UiDUWAV, Pnici'edings U. S. Xatioiml Muscuiii, VIII, 1.S.S5, ;555.

(li 80, 0 29(>, U 302, C 4.!;!, U 3!!.").)

(tEOGRAi'ilUiAL RANGE: Soutlicasterii Uuitod states; iiortli to Xortli Oarolina,
Teiniesseo, Arkansas, and the Indian Territory; west to eastern Texa.s. Casually to New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky.

The Ued-coekaded \Voodpeek(<r, 11 cununon resident of nur South Atlantic
and CJulf States, is jiartieidarly aliiuidant in th<' pine forests of Soiitli Carolina,
Georgia, and Florida. In the northern Indf of Ndrtli Carnlina it is ratlier rare,
but it prol)al)ly lireeds in tiu^ vicinity of IJaleigh, as Mr. II. 11. Hriiidey shot a
female there in ])ine woods on .Vpril 22, iSltl. Tiien- are also several specimens
in the United States Nati(Hial Museum collection from Roane ( "oinit\ . Tennessee;
it has likewise been reported from Newport, in northeastern .Vi'Uansas, and from
the Indian Territory; these points j)robal>ly mark tiie nortliern limits of its
breeding range. i\Ir. Henry Nehrling found it not unconunon in the Hat, sandy
pine woods in .southeastern Texas, which marks the wotern limits ni' its known
range.

The majority t»f ol)servers state that it is sti'ictly a Inrd of tiic pines, and
that it breeds only in trees of that kind, wiiile Mr. Nehrling says tliat it usually
excavates its nesting sites in deciduous trees, and .Mr. 1'',. .\. M<dliieun\- writes
nit^ that in southern Louisiana it generally nests in willow and china trees.
The Red-cockaded Woodpecker is reporteil to be ime of tiic ni>isi( q iiiend)ers
of this family, but at the same time more social)le in disposition than other
species. I s call notes are said to be uttered in a rather petulant manner, and
Alexander Wilson compares them to the (pieridous cries of yoinig birds. Its
food, liki^ that of all our Woodpeckers, consists maiid\ of small insects and their
larva', cocoons, and spiders, and, in suimner, to some extent of berries and fruits.
Mr. F. A. .Mdllienny writes that in southern Louisiana tiic tig crop ripens
during their breeding season, and that tiie young are fed to a considerable

!P

■ ' 'i '

<

' 1

1

■» „;

!

'M

■''■* ■■-;

-J

1

62

LIFE HISTORIES OP NORTH AMERK^AX BIRDS.

extent cm them, tlie parent tiikinj^ the stem of a fio- in its l)ei(k and earning it
entire ti) tlie nest. Audulion mentions poke and sniilax berries, jjrapes, and
pine Howcrs as beinjj^ e.aten by them.

In Florida, South Carolina, and Louisiana nidifieation eommonres ratlier
early, sometimes in February; but full sets of ogjjs are riirely found before
the last week in April, and the majority of these birds connnence layinjr about
May 1. Mr. Arthur 'P. Wayne writes me from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina,
on tliis subject as follows: " The Red-cockaded Woodpecker prefers the lonj;-
leaf pine to breed in, l)ut I have also found the nest in the short-leaf species.
In this vicinity the hole is invariable e.xcavated in a live i)hie, and .sometimes as
many as six holes are found in a sinj^le tree. It never lays until the yum pours
freely from the tree it nests in, and to hasten its flow the birds di<>' into the tree
on ail sides, above and below the hole. The height of its nesting site varies
from 20 to 70 feet."

Trees in which the heart is diseased are usually selected for such a purpose,
and the cavity is excavated in the main trunk of the tree, ordinarily from
2") ti> 3") feet from the ground. The entrance* hole, which is about 2 inches in
diameter, fre(|uently passes through (I inches of solid wood before it reaches
the somewhat softer decayed inner parts of the tree, and the nesting cavity,
which is gradually enlarged toward the bottom, varies from G to 10 inches in
depth by about .'5A inches in diameter. Moth sexes assist in this labor, as well
as in incubation, which lasts about fourteen days. Ordinarily oidy'one l)rood is
raised in a season, l)ut from the fact that Mr. Henry Nehrling found young in
July which had only recently left the nest, it is possible that a second brood
is occasionally reared. Dr. William L. liali)h tells me that this s|)ecies is quite
common in tlie low, flat [)ine woods in Pntnum County, Florida, where he has
found s(!veral of its nests. All of tlie.se were excavated in the trunks of live
pine trees, and it took considerable labor to get at the eggs; the.se iire three or
four in number, rarely more. The eggs of this Wood|)ecker are pure; glossy
■white, and mostly elliptical ovate in shape. The shell is moderatel}' strong,
close grained, and semitranslucent when fresh.

The average measurement of twenty-three specimens in the United States
National Museum collection is 24.07 by 17.46 millimetres, or about 0.!)5 by 0.(;9
hich. The largest egg measures 2().42 by 18..")4 millimetres, or 1.04 by '0.73
inches; the smallest, 22.10 by 17.27 millimetres, or 0.87 by 0.68 inch.

The type specimen, No. 24724 (not figured), from a set of four eggs, was
taken by Dr. William L. Ralph on May U, 1891, near San Mateo, Putnam
County, Florida.

1 i 'f

H -

\0

BAIBD'S WOODPECKER.

(53

25. Dryobates scalaris bairdi (Sci.atkk).

liAIUn'S WOOni'ECKKU.

Piciis hiiinii (Scr,ATKu's MKS.) Maliikkhk, Moiiofjiaiili of tlic I'icidii', I, lH(il, lis, I'l. Ii7.
IhyohalcH m'uhtris bairdi ItiDGWAY, .Maiiuiil of North Aincrican Hirds, l.SST, p. L'.SS.

(15 79, C 297, Jl 3(!3, (J 434, D 396.)

CiEorrBAPniCAL HANfiK: Xortliei'ii Mexico and soutlii'iii border of the ITnited States,
from Texas through southern Xew Mexico and Arizona to soutiicastern California; north
to southern Nevada and southwestern Utah.

Hiurd's Woodpecker, iilso known ns "Texan Snpsnokor" iind "Ludder-
baokcd Woodixu-ker," is <reuerally resident and Itntcds wherever tbnnd. It
attains about tiie northern limits of its ranjjc in soutliwestern Utah, where Dr. C.
Hart Merriani met with it near the moutii of the Santa Chira Hiver; he also
ol)served it at lJ])per Cottonwood Spring's, at tlie easlern base of the Charleston
Mountains, Nevada, and an adult mah* was taken hy him on Meavenlaui Hiver,
in northwi^steru Arizona, on Alay It, 1891. This exteii'ls its northern v;\\\<<;v, to
ahont latitude 37"^. In Texas and New Mexico it is rarely met with north of
latitude 34"^. The western limits of its ranj^H'arc* found in snutheastern ( 'alifornia,
in San Mernardino County. ^Ir. F. Stephens, who is well known as an acciu'ate
observer, writes me on this sul>ject: "I have taken Maird's Woodjtecker, niat(!d,
in April, in the eastern end of the San (Jorji'onio Pass, in San Mernardino County,
California, and also at other times and i)laces in the Colorado desert, whei'e it
is not as connnon, however, as Nuttall's Woodpecker." Dr. A. K. Fisher took
two specimens on .January 4 and .">, IS'tl, at llesperia, in the same county. The
eastern limit of its ran<>-e appears to be found in southeastern Texas, where ^fr.
Henry Nehrliu};' reports it as connnon in all the wooded districts of Harris,
^[ontf^'omery, Galveston, and Fort Jiend counties, and from our present knowl-
i'A\\X(' it appears to occur throui;hout the greater part of this State, e\<'e])tiny' the
northern and northeastern portions. IJaird's Woodpecker is but a trifle lari;er
than the Downy, and its habits, call notes, food, etc.. are very similar. It prefers
the lowlands and river bottoms to the uplands, and it is rarely fouml at altitudi's
above 4,000 ft^et. I found it connnon in the mesquiti' mTo\('s nn tin* Santa Cruz
River, between Tucson and the l*apa<;d .Missidu Church, Arizona, and much less
so amonj;' the cottonwoods and willows on Willito Creek. In Arizona it is idso
met with in tlu^ oak belt, l)ut apjiarently not in the pines.

.Mr. W. E. 1). Scott stales: "I have freciuently met with Halrd's Woodpecker
in the ('holla rejiion in Arizona, diji';^in^' in the f^round at tlm roots of a cactus.
They are at times oreirarious. I particularly noticed this in l)ecend)er, 1X85,
when I often met with this s])ecies in Hocks of from fotn- to a dozen on the
l)lains at an altitude of ;5,000 feet. I have found the species breedin<i- in May
at an altitude of 3,.'")00 feet. On .May 27, ISS4, 1 found a nest in a, mescpiito
tree, which contained five e^^'^^s nearly ready to hatch; the opening' to the nest
was 14 feet from the m-ound."'

iji.

i-

i

i

m

iTLoAuk, Vol. HI, IHXti, p. 4L'«.

I- h

\ I,

64

LIFK MISTOUIKH OF NORTH AMKHIUAN lUUDS.

Maird's Woddiicckc^', lik(^ sovcnil otluT s])f'ci((s, is very fond tit' tlic ripe i\<x-
likc t'niit of tlic ^^'iaiit cacfiis, and I have met it moro tliaii oirx- in Saliiiarito
Pa.ss, Arizona, catir.j;' it on tlio {jfround. It nests liy |)ri'ft!ronco in ni('S(init(!
trees, one of our liardest woods, and it nnist re(|uire a Ion;,' time to chisel ont a
nestiu}; site in one of tlu^so trees. Wliilcf it is trnif tliat the heart is usuallv more
or less (h'cayed, tlu! i>irds have first to work through an inch or two of solid
wood which is almost impervious to a sharp ax. Dr. dames C. Merrill, United
States Army, reports IJaird's Woodpecker as a common resident in the vicinity
of Fort Hrown, Texas, and that he took several sets f)f its e<^<>'.s there; it was also
met with by ^[r. (1. B. Sennett near iri<lal<;'o, Texas, where a nest was found on
April '_*!( containinjf three youn;;' l)irds and a .sterile i'<x'^. In Texas it has
also been found nesting;- in hackberry and china trees, as well as in tele<;Ta|»h
poles and fence posts. In southern New Mexico and Arizona it nests sometimes
in the tlowerinfr stems of the aj^ave plant and also in yucca trees, and I have
found it nestiiifr on Uillito Cnsek, Arizona, in a small dead wiHow saplinj^- not
over 3A inches in diameter. The cavity was about 12 feet from the j^round
and 10 inches in depth, and the entrance hole a triHi^ over l.J inches in diameter.
This nest was found on .lune JS, 187'i, and contained *>nly two e<;'f;s, in which
incubation was about one-half advanceil; the e;i<)'s laid on iine chip.s. TIk*
nestinj'- sites are jdaced at various <list'Uices from tint jiTound, from .'5 to MO,
usually from (! to 14 feet. Dead branches of trees or partly decayed ones seem
to be pref(u-red to live ones.

From two to live v<x<xn are laid to a set, usually four or live, and incul)ation,
in which both sexes assi.st, lasts about thirteen day.s. In the lower Ivio (Irande
Valley full sets of fresh e^-^^s are sometimes found by the middhi of April, but
throuf^'hout the ji-reatcr ])art of its ran^ye not until the iirst week in May. I
believe one l)rood only is raisi'd, as a rule, in a season; but, as Iresh ej^'^s ans
sometimes found as late as duly, it is ])robable that a second l»rood is occasion-
ally reared. The ef;'i;s of Haird's Woodpecker are <;-lossy white in color, line
fjrained, and mostly oval or elliptical oval in sliajx', varying- occasionally to
elliptical ovate.

The avera<>o measurement of fifty-seven specimens, mostly from the Ralph
colliK'tion and taken in the loucr liio Oramh! \'allcy, is "20.74 by ir>.!)2 milli-
metres, or al)out 0.8li by O.lliJ inch. Tlie iariicst e;^';^' of the series measures
22.10 by 16.7() millimetres, or 0.87 by o.f;() inch; tlie smallest, 17.27 by l.").41t
millimetres, or O.fiS by 0.(11 inch, and a runt in tlie collection measures only
14.48 by 11.4a millimotres, or 0.07 by 0.4.^i inch.

"^I'he type specimen, Xo. 201101 (not liuured), from a set of four ej;'<>s, was
taken by Dr. James (J. ^lerrill, United States Army, near Fort ISrown, Te.xas,
on May 23, 1877.

.'S
V

THE 8T. LUCAS WOODI'KCKKB. 65

26. Dryobates scalaris lucasanus (Xantis).

HT. MICAS WOODl'FX'KKK.

l'ivu» luvanaiiiiH Xantuh, Proceedings Aciuleiny Niitursil Scioiuios, I'liiladelpliiii, ISTiit, li08.
DryobatvH HvtUaris luvnHanun Kidgwav, Prdccediiiffs IT. «. Nntioiial Museum, VllI, 1(W5, 365.

(B — , C 'Mill, U atJ.t((, (! 130, IJ mUt.)

Geoouai'HICal uanoe: Lower Civlit'orniii; easiial (?) in so;rtlieiii Onliforiiin.

The 8t. Lucas Woodpecker, a closely allied race to Halnl's Woodi)eekor, is a
common resident in the soiitiiern jiortions of the peninsula of Lower ("alifornia,
where it was discovered l)y Mr. .). Xantiis, near Cape St. Lucas, and descril)ed
in the " IVoceediiifis of the Academy of Natural Sciences in I'hilach'lphia, Penn-
sylvania, in 1«5!»." Mr. Walter K. Bryant, in his "Ciitalo<'ue of the liirds of
Lower ("allfornia," makes the following;' remarks al)ont this sul)species: "I first
nu't witii this Woodpecker on Santa Mar^^arita Island, and afterwards collected
specimens as far north as latitude 28"; Mr. Meldinj;- found it very common at
the < 'ajjc ref^ioM, liut rarely .saw any in the Victoria .Mountains."'

Mr. A. W. Antiiony took a specinu'U at San 'I'ehno, Lower California, on
April i{U, iKlliJ, and saw others there, and .Mr. W. \V. Price took another on April
29, 188!», at White Water, San Dit'j-'o C(umty, California, which extends the
ran^^j'e of this subspecies consi(leral)l>' to tiie northward.

Mr. Oerritt S. Miller, jr., of Cand)rid<je, Massachu.sctts, who records the
capture of the above specimen, which is now in his collection, says in referrino-
to it: "Mr. Price writes me that the specimen was shot from a tele<irapii pole al)out
3 miles west of the station of White Water. Woodpeckers, apparently of the
same kind, were seen on s(^v<'ral other occasions on the telej^raph poles alonjy
the line of the Southern Pacific Hailroad, near White Water, l)Ut tlusy were
very shy and no nioi-e coidd be killed. 'J'he l)irds were n(^sting• in the telegraph
poles, there beiui^' no otiiei'wood in tlie rej^ion.""

Th(^ CfJTfi's f)f the St. Lucas Woodpecker 1 believe remain still undescribod,
but are prol>al)ly indistinjiiiishable from those of the jjrecedinji' subspecies, and
its ;;-enei'al iiabits also ap|)ear to l»e very .similar.

27. Dryobates nuttallii (Oa.muel).

NUTTALL'S WOOUrECKER.

Picun iiiittftUii Gambei,, Proreedings Academy Natural Sciences, I'hiladelpliia, April,

1843, 2,">!t.
Dnjnbntes nnttaUii KlDOWAY, Proceediiifjs V. S. National Mu.seiini, VIII, 1885, 355.

(H 78, (,' li!»7(i, U 304, O 435, U 3!I7.)

GEoriRArnicAL RANfiE: Northern Lower California from the Snn Pedro Martir
Mountains, noitli tlirou};li ("alil'ornia to soutlieni Oregon (L'lnpiina Valley), west of tlio
Sierra Nevada and ('ascade .Mountains.

Kuttnll's Wood))ecker. which is about the .same size as the Texan Wood-
pecker, is an iniiabitant of tiie lower foothill rej^ions throun-hout its rauf^e, and is

' Procco(lii)!^ of tlio Cnliforuiii Aoatlciny of .Scioiic«8, 2il series, Vol. II, 1889, p. 286.
■' Tlir Auk, > ipl. XI, 1894, p. 178.
l()8yC-No. ;i 5

- It

«l

'.Ml

liL

m

ji-

66

LIFK lllSTOItlKS OP NORTH AMKUICAN lUUDS.

iiiKHt coiniiKm in the oiik belt and tlm ilcriiliioiis trcoM aldiifi' wah-r coiirscM, riircly
lu'iiij;- iiH't witli iMiiuii^' the (■(iiiit'crs. It is a resident and la'ccds tln-niijilioiit tlm
^TcatiT |)(ii'tlnn nt'( 'aliloi'nia west ul' tlic Sierra Nt-vadas, lait is ndwlicrc ('S|KM'ially
coninion. In simtlit-rn Oregon it apiicars to Itc rare, and tlic only s|)(t(-iiiicnH
recorded tVoin this State are the one taken Ity l>r. .1. S, Newlx'iry in tlie rni|)(|na
VaMey, which is in tlie I'liited States National Mnseinn, l»nt has no date on tlio
lahel, and anotlier taken neai' iVshland, now in the collection ol' the Tinted States
Department of Af>Ticultin'e, Washin<;ton, D. ('. It is apparently more ultundant
in sonthern ("alit'oi-nia than elsewhere. Mr. V. Stephens rejjorts it there as a
connnon resident i)elow the pine region, in which it occnrs lait sparingly. Mr.
(.'harles A. Allien writes me: "It breeds amonji' the oak };roves and perhaps
amonji' the willows alon;>' the Sacramento River, hnt I never tound it tar away
from the oaks. Its habits are similar to those of (iairdner's Woodpecker, i)nt its
notes are (piito <lilferent — so much ,so as to be appreciated even by u novice."

Mr. II. \V. llensliaw descril)es the call of Xnttall's Woodpecker as consistinj;'
of a series of loud rattling' notes, nuich prolonjicd, and say.s: "They can not bo
(U)mpared with those of any other Woodpecker with which I am ac(piainted."
lie fu.dier states: "This Wooilpecker is a bird particularly of the oak proves,
and ranges iVoni the lower valleys of the mountains to a liei<;'ht of at least (!,(>()()
feet, whi-re, near Fort Tejon, I found it fairly numerous among' the jiiues, this
beinji- the only locality where I found it amonj^' the conifers."'

.Mr. A. W. Anthony, in his list of "Minis of San I'edrn Martir, Lower
California," pul)lislied in "Zoe" (^'ol. IV, p. 2i{<!), says: "Common alo'if«' all
the timbei'ed streams as high as 4,000 feet, or the limit of the live oaks and
sNcamores."

Mr. Ivollo II. Beck, of l?errves.sa, California, writes mo as follows: "Nnttall's
Woodpecker is a fairly connnon resident in the mountains to the east of Santa
Clara County. It .seems to prefer the oak trees to other kinds, clind)ing u]) and
down the limbs, nuich the same as (Jairdner's does, in the search for grubs and
insect.s. On May 13, 1S!I2, I found a female digging a cavit\ for a nest on tlio
under side of a dead oak liml), about 24 feet from the ground: the (^nitv was
aliout 8 inches deep and not yet comjdeted. Ne.xt day, while walking down a
small gulch, I .saw a female fly from i; hole in a sycamore lind), which had been
.split off from the main trunk and lodged on a limb of another tree close by.
Tho mider side? of the limb was dead, but the npi»er jtart was still living. Hod-
shafted Flickers had dug several holes in the same lind), and one of these
containod eggs. I procured a rope and returned to this tree ai)ont four honrs
later, and when I had clindied to within 4 feet of tlu^ nest the female Hew off.
On examination I f(anid that the nest contained young, just hatched; both
])arents remained close by and uttered notes of protest until I left. They ap])oar

to 1

)e j)artial to

'•ulch

les, wliere white and live oa

ik tiH

are numerous, am

I I

have not noticed any in the valleys, among tho willows ahmg .streani.s, whore
(Jairdner's Woodpeckers are common."

■■'§

I

i

'i

I
■w

'If

f

4
J

4

!

'GeoKiiipliioal Surveys Wi'st ol' Uic lilDtli .Mfiidiaii, IS70, |>.

NUTTAIili'S VVOOIH'KOKEK.

67

Mr. H. 'I'. (Jaiilt piihlislicil an iiitcicstiiijif articlt' on Niittall's Woodpcckt'i'
in "Uiill.tiM II, l{i.l;,''\vay Oniitliolooinil Club," April, 1887 (pp. 78-81), from
wliifli 1 extract tlic tullowiii;i': "Altlion;i|i I liavc Im-ch a.n far .south as San
Dici^o, California, ami a.s far uortli a.'< tlm Kusnian Uivcr, Sonoma Conntv, ntop-
piii;^- at inti'rni('(liat<' |)oint.s, I liavc oltscrvcd tlii.>« hiril at Itut ono locality. 'I'liiH
iisscrtiou, however, may not cut any figure, for my stops were necesHarily short
In some places. The rejjio.i I refer to lies at the upper end of the San Hernar-
dino N'alley and hack from the coast aliout oO niilus, it is near a ranche known
US '(Grafton Retreat.'

"1 had heen out on the howlder plain several liours, on the moriiinj,'' of
April 2.'$, IHS.H, collecting- Itii'ds, and spyin;^' a clump of elder hushes in the
distance, not far from the hrook, the thounht occurred t'l uu* that I • mi^ht take
a rest lieueath their shade and at the same time he ready for any hird that put
in an ap|)earance. 'I'luvic hushes, or more properly trees, are a ^reat deal larji'cr
shriiii than oui' eastern |)lant, their truiiks i^rowinji' from I to ,S inches thron;ih;
and if they are not the same species, their inuhellate hlossoms are sti'ikinji'ly
similar, if not identical, to tlios(^ of our conmion eastern shrult (Siiiiihiiciis cinid-
dciisis'). I had hardly seated myself on an ai'in of the shruh when my atten-

tion was attracted to a

Imh

tl

e m the ma

in trunk, directly above niv head. At

almost the same instant a bird appeared at the opening from within, and dodged
back aji'ain as soon as she saw me. The movement \vas executed so (piicklv
that I was uiiai)le to t(!ll whether it was a Wren ora Woodpecker, b(U concluded
that it was the latter. Upon examination of the ajjortiu'e it seemed to have been

atelv mai

le. Of course I thoutiht that there wouhl be no trouble in dislodyinj.

her, and commenced to raj) on the trunk of the shruli with the butt of my j;un;
l)Ut this seemed to have no ell'ect. 1 then walked l»ack about aO feet, and,
takinji' a stand, \vaite(l from ten to fifteen minutes in the hope that she would

come on

t, atfordin

ji' me an op|tortunity to secui'e her au<l thus si

.Ive tl

le mvsterv.

but in this maneuver I was also batlled. I then went up to the bush and shouted
with all my mij;ht, but this did not shake her nervous system in the least, when
I iinallv resorted to m\' jackknife in order to enlarge the orifice, but, from its

l)ein<> such a tedious
liatchut alony wit

.1

ive it up in disji'ust

Tl

le next niornm'

took a

ne

for I desired very nuu'h to know what that hole con-
tained. It did not take me very huij^- to cut a |)lace larjfo eiiouj^h for nu; to
fjet my hand in, and I was thoroujihly surprised to learu that the bird was .still
on her nest. 1 pulh'd her out, and she a])peared to be stupefied — ilead, ajjpar-
ently- — but .soon reviveil. Upon further inspection I found that the nest

con-

taineil e;:j^s. The bird proved to be a female Nuttall's Woodpecker, and the
e^j;s werc^ pretty well advanced in incubation and would have hatchi'd in a
few days.

"The nest, which was about 5^ feet from tlio ground, wiis nearly a foot
deej) and alxtut 5 inches wide. The hide at the entrance to the nest was but a
little lar{>'er than a silver half dollar. The e<j;'jfs were si.\ in number, their dimen-
sious beinj!- 0.85 by 0.(j(j, 0.87 l)y (Mi.'j, 0.82 by 0.64, 0.85 by 0.G6, 0.85 by 0.66,

www

68 I'll'l' IIISTOKIKS OK NOItTIl AMKIMCAN IIIKDS.

iind 0.H4 )»y 0.(i4 iiirli, rcHiicctivcly. Hy tlic iilxtvc iiit'iisun'mciitM one will rcinlily
Hi'ii tliiit till' cyyK incni;;!' very cNciily. Tlicy >\vr (it" a pciiily wliitc cnldr, iiikI
Hcciii tn tii|i<'t° oil', liciii;!' iimrc imiiitfil iit tlf siiiiill ciiil tlian is iiHiiJilly tlic <'aH«>
aiiion;^- tlic I'iciiln'. 'riif male of tliin pair (I'nr tlifsc were tlic only ones nccn in
the vi('iiiit\) was sliut a little wliilc hct'nrc at tlic lirnuk. I at'lcrwafils hIihci'vciI
Muiiic ot" these liirds aiiiiin;;- the oaks in the tootliill canyons, liearinfi' their notcH
for the first time. Dr. Cooper mentions takin;;' the t'enialc I'roiii the nest, and
perhaps thiH may lie characteristic of the species — indeetl, it may lie of fre-
(pieiit occniTcnce anion;;' Woodpeckers; iiiit of the inan\' Woodpeckei's' iiestrt
that I have examined none have been so persistent in iiohlin^' the fort as Ih/fo-
hdtis inithillii."

Their food appears to consist mainly of insects and their larva", and pndi-
ahly occasionally of lierries and I'riiits. Its favorite nesting' sites are in oaks,
wvcamorcis, cottonwoods, and occasionally in elders, willows, and the ^iiant ca<'tii.s,
^•eiU'rally in dead limbs or old stubs, and nsiially at no very y'reat heij^ht from
the ^ronnd. NidifuMtion nsiially commences early in April and continues

thron;4li .May. <>nl\' one iirood is raised

111

season, but if the e;;Mis are taken

a Ht'cond set is laiil about two woeks later. Uotli sexes assist in the excavation
of the nesting' site, as well as in incubation, which lasts probably ai)out fourteen
(hiys. Nuttall's NNdodpecker, like tlii' majority of this family, is a devdted
parent, and loath to leave its e^'ys or yoini;;', frecjuciitly allowing- itself to be
canirht (ni the nest. It is a very boneticial species to the horticulturist, and
deserves the fullest protection. The nuniber of e^'us to a set \aries from four
to six, sets of four bein;^• most often fouiiil. 'i'liey are usually short o\ate in
shape, occasionally ovate. The shell is line ^fainod, strtuij;, jmre white in coloi-.

1 rati

ler ^i'lossy.

am

'i'lie average moasuroinont of twenty-two spocimon.H in the United States
National .Museum collection is 21. .'U by Ki.lll millimetres, or alioiit ().S4 i»y 0.(!4
inch. The largest ejj'fj measures '2iiXt'2 by Hi inillimetres, ov ().li;{ by (Mi.'} inch;
the smallest, l!l.;?() by l").?") inillimetres, or (t.7(i by O.lii' inch.

'i'lie type sjieciinen, \o. •J(>(i,'!l (not li;;iired), troin a set of four e^'^s, Ralph
collection, was taken near Lakeside, Sun Dieyo County, California, on May o,
18!)0.

28. Dryobates arizonae (IIaroitt).

AKIZONA WOOIiriX'Kl'.H.

Piciis nrizotw IlAiniiTT, Ibis, l.S8(i, 115.

Drjiolxitcii <tri:<)ii(f liiixiWAv, Manual of North Aiiicricaii liirds, 1.S87. 2S(i.

(B — , (' — . li 3tir>, (" 4.17. (J .!!•«.)

(iKoniiAPHiCAL UANOK: Soutlicrii Ai'i/.oua, .-loutliwi'stcin New Mexico, anil ailjaceiit
portions of western Mexico to Zacatecas anil .lallsco,

'I'lie range of the .\rizona Woodpecker within the Tnitod States is a rather
re.stricted one, it having' as yet been ol)taiiied only in tlie ( 'hiricaliua, Iluachuca,
Santa Rita, and Santa ('atalina mountains, in soutliern Arizona, and on the east

f 'i

f-.i

.("

'r.

' " r

!•>

li ■

E'

*'

,1

TIIK ARIZONA WOOIU'KOKKU.

61)

Hide lit' tli(> St. Luis MomitiiiiiH, near llif intcriuitiiHial luiiiiiilarv line, in noiitli-

Mf'xico, wIhtc \h. K. A. MfaniH, ITiiitcil Statox Annv. collfft*'!!

mil

woMttTii New

Hcvt'ral Hpcciniciis in .liuic, lH!t2; lint it ilcits nut a|i|icar U> In- very nmni
aiivwlicrc. It is prolialiK- a rcsidciit and lircfds wlicn-vcr tuiind It was I'lrst
addi'd tci iiur t'anna liy Mr. II. \V. Ilcnshaw, wlm ciaisidcis it as not uncfuiunoii
ill tlif tuntliills (it" tluf ( 'hiricahna Mdnntains, wIhtc lie tdiik several s|ie('iiiieiis
in tlie lattei part til' .Vii^ust, IH7I, and states: "Tliis rare Win id pecker is a
ies iin tlie t'cHifliills III' tlie ( "liirieaiiiia Mtiinitains, wliere it was

eiiniiiHin siiei

one II

it' tile first liirds tliat met ni\' e\-e wiien llie .sectio

n Whel'e I

t al

ininiils was

lirst entel'e<l.

Sti far as I eiiuld aseei'tain, at this seasnn at least, it

is eiiMlined til tla- reiiitin nf iiaUs, ran^in;;' t'l'nni almiit 4,(MH) tn IJHH) feet, ilnis
iiiliaiiitinji' a re;ii(in almnt midway liefweeii tin- lnw valleys and llie nmnntain
(listn<ts piiiper. Here tliey appeared to he perfectly at lionu', elindiin^' civer
tlie trnnks nf tlie oaks with tlu' sami' ease and rapidity of movement that
(listin;;iiish the motions of the Downy or Hairy Woodpeckei', ihoiinh their
habits, ill so far as thev ar»! at all jieenliar, are perhaps liest comparalile to
those of the lied-cockaded Woodjiecker of the .Sonth (Ih //oIkiIi s /((ow/Z/.s), espe-
ciallv their custom of niovinj;' uliout in small companies of from live to fifteen,
tliouji'li they were occasionally found siuyly or in pairs.

"When in ]iui'suit of food, they almost always alij:hted near the lia.se of
the trees, "railiiallv ascendinji- and makin;r their wav aloiij;' the smallei' lindis

an(

1 even out amonji' the foliaji'e, appeariiij;' to pret'er to .secure their t'l

cart

ful search than liv the hard lalior

cuttiii"- in

to tl

le wool
found

I in tl

le wav

tl

le

hem at all times

llairv Woodpecker employs its stren;;th. • * *
rather shy and fiifted with very little of that prying- curiosity which is seen iii
Home of the lietter-known species of this family; and if liy chance I sui'prised
a hand feediuji' amon}f the low trees, a sliarji warniuii note fi'om some mendter

more watchful than the rest connnunicated alarm to the whole assem

hh

wlien

thev took Hiji'ht immediately, showin;;' jjreat de.xteritv in doiln-iny lieliind
trunks and limhs, and niakiiij;- jiood their retreat liy short Hi^jhts fi-oni one tree
to another till they were out of sif;ht."'

iMr. F. Stephens foiuid a nest containin^i' vonnji' liirds in the Santa Rita
Mountains on Mav Hi, l^SO, in a svcamore tree; and Mr. W. K. D.Scott records

another, found on ^hn' '21, ISSf, in the ( 'atalina M

feet from the "round. IIi

'i'l

le nest Wi

ountaiiis, in an oak, ahout 10
iiuch like that of the Ilairv

wi

litth

smaller.

It contaiui'ii

tl

iret)

Woodpecker, save that the openinj;'

youHfj- hirds about two-thirds <>Town anil half feathered. '"-

'Phe hiihits of the Arizona Woodpecker are |iriihahlv very similar to those
<if the other members ot the <i-enus Dri/iilxttcs^ and this species seems to be
princijially confined to the oak belt and the timber of the foothills alonji- the few
streams fouuil in the reyfious it inhabits. Lieut. IL C. Menson, Fourth Cavalry,
United States Ariuv, as well as Dr. A. K. Fisher, met with it in the vicinity of

I U. S. (iuonriipliic'iil Surveys Wu»t iif thr lOOtli MuricUim, Vul. V, IST"., ii|i. ;189, ;tllO.
"The Auk, Vol. Ill, l>m, p. ll'l!.

■ it

npiOT

f 7?

70

LIIK IlISTOUIKS OF NORTH AMKRFCAX BIUDS.

Fort lliiaclim^a, aiul I'le latter also found it in tlio Cliiricaluia Mountains, south
of Fort Howie. Ho teil^ me tliat on ^fay 14, while i'ollectin<;' in (iarden Canyon,
in the Iluaehuca Mf)untain. a mile or more above the Post jjanlen, ho found a
nest of this species in a larj^e . Maple which ovevhun<i- i". stream. The cavity
was situated in a dry branch, alxtiii ^H feet from tlie ground, and was about a
foot in depth. It contained four youn<f, whii li wciij ^till naked.

I have t>nly seen one sc^t of ejj'gs of tiii.s species, wliich were takcin near
Fort Huachuca, Arizona, in May, l<Si)0. They iu-e usually tin'ee or foiu* in
number; the .slicll is close jifraincd and <;'Iossy; they meastu'e 21. OS by 16
millimeters, or U.H'd by O.fi.'J inch, and resemble the (^gf^'s of IJiiird's Woodpecker
very closely. There are no .ipecimens in tiie Uniied States National JIuseum
collection.

tg. Xenopicus albolarvatus (Oassin).

\vnrn:-nE.\i;KD woodi'kcki'.u.

Leuconerpcit nlbohtrraiot CV!'jSiN,.Pr<)c,('cdiii,t;s .Vcadeiuy ol' Natural ScU'iit'c.'-s l'liila(]<-I|>bia,

October,', isr>i KM).
XinopicKS (ilbolarvatu Malhei.he. Moiiofjrapli of the I'icidiC, II, 1802, 221.

(ii 81, V, 2!).->, U ;5(iti, (' 442, V 3!)!).)

(iKOCrB\rniCAT EAN(Ji;. Ilijjiicr iiiomitain ranges of western North America; from
.soutliern C'i),liforiiia ii )rtli tln'oupli Oregon ami VVasliiiijitoii to southern Itritish Coiuinhia;
east to western Nevi' hi and w<-.-iiern Idaho.

Till' habitai < 't tlu; W liite-hcaded Wo(id])ecker is restricted to the hig-her
mountain ratifies ■ the Pacific jirovince. It is a bird of the pine and lir forests,
and is usually n- lent and breeds wherever found. It is most common at
altitudes of frcm ', )()n to 9,000 feet, liut in winter it descends somewiiat lower,
and ma \' then be ; ometiiiies seen as low as ,'{,(100 fe(^t, and oceasionalh' even
near sea leve'., Mr. S. Hiiltbiud, jr., havinji- taken ji specimen near ( hii v's IIail)or,
Washin-j-ton, as recorded in "Zoe" (Jul\, lSf)-_>, p. 141). It has been met with
at Similkameen, in tlie Cascadi Mountains, in snuthern Mritish Columliia, whiidi
marks t'.ie northern l"mit of its known ranj^e; at Monnt Idaho and near Fort
Siiennan, blalio, which marks the eastern, and in the Volcan Muuntains, in Cali-
fornia, which is the n'ost southern rec(U'd for this s|)ecie:;. Mr. Koliert liidiiway
fotmd it not uncommon near ( 'arson ( 'ity, while Mr. II. V.'. ib-nsliaw ol>served
it at Lake i ahoe, Xe\a(la, and I met with it in tlu- Bine Mountains, near Camp
Iljirney, ( (refi'on, where it was rarely -ceii. Its center of abundance appeari^
to be t'ound in the higher Sierra Xexadas, in California, and in tlu ( 'aseade
Mountains, in Oregon. Both Dr. .i. ( '. ^brrill, I'nited States Arni\, and m\ si-lf
found it common at Fort Klamath in winter, but none a|i|)arentl\' bred near the
Post. The old',- nest t'ound be me there was on the slopes of ('rater Lake .Moun-
tain, about l'_* miles noi'tli of Fort Klamath, at an estiiiiate(l altitude of about
'j,500 feet. The nesting site was exeavated in an old pine stum|), about 1.5 feet
from the yi'muid, and contained Ibiu- slightly incul>ated eggs on Ma\' 2!l, 1883

THE WHITIMIKADKI) WOODPECKKK.

71

In the Blue Mountains, near Camp Harney, Oregon, this species was rare, but I
found two nests there, one on May 25, 1875. containinj'' tw(» fresh eggs, in a,
(lead limb of a pine, and about 25 feet from the ground. The other was found
on i\Iay 6, 1S77, containing f(>ur fresh eggs; the cavity was located in a dead
pine stump, about 15 feet from the ground, near Ruby's sawmill, on the Canyon
City road, at an altitude of about 5,500 feet; it was about 10 inches deej), the
entrance hole being circular and al)out 1'} inches in diameter: the eggs were
jilaceil on a layer of tine cliij)s, and, 1 lielieve, wen^ the first described of this
sjtecies.

Mr. L. Helding writes: "Common in the fir forests c.f the Sierra Nevada
from about 4,000 f<'et upward; most numerous at about 5,000 feet. Hare in
tlie tamaracks. » * » [t.^j burrows are often within 2 or .'5 feet of the
ground. 1 have seen two nests in cuts for shakes or shingles, made after the
tree was sawed into .sections, and one in <a small, short stul) of a dogwood (Coniiis
nnff(illi); May 25, 1879. first full set of eggs taken at IJig 'I-rees. At Mloods,
7,200 feet altitude, 1 have taken them as late as July 17. The eggs are
usually four, although I have seen five. In winter it is found sparingly in the
upjier edg(f of the foothills, at 3, 000 iect altitude. I found it rather common
alxiut Big Trees in the mild January of 187'J, luitil 2 feet of snow fell, after
wiiich none wen^ seen.'"

It is found on both side^ of the Sierra Nevada.s, but seems to be much more
common on the western slope. Mr. F. Stephens writes me: '^ XrimiiicKs dUiohir-
vatns is a resident of the pine regions of southern Califoi'uia, l)ut is n.)t conunon
e,vce])ting pttssiblv in a few localities. I lunc nc\i'i' observed it beloxv the pines.
I ha\e taken incubating birds in June in tlie Cuyamaca Mountains at altitudes
of about 7,000 feet. The nesting sites lierc were in \wv large <lead ])ine trees
and inaccessible. The white head maki's the binl (.'asily recognizable; its notes
are somewhat ditVerent from those of othei- AVoodpeckers in this region, and seem
to me niitre lik(.( those o( Dri/oliufi's ari'oiKC. On Jum^ ID, 1.S93, 1 found a nest
of this bird in the San .lacinto Mountains, at in :,ltitude of about 5,.S(i() t ct. in
a rotten jyine slidi about !t feet from the ground; it contained three yoi;ng of
ditVerent ages, the eldest being ablt- to H\- a xci'v litth'."

Mr. Rollo H. Heck informs nuf tliat he tonnd this species faii'K' conunon in
the ]iine timber near the road from Murpliy's to tiie Yo.semite \'allev. California,
.md tliat h;; discovered three nests widi young on June S, l.s;»3. These were nil
located in cavities in dead pine stumjis. from (5 to 15 feet from the ground. A
r.est containing three fresh eggs -was also disco\cred in a siiiiil.ir stuinji onl\' 1
ieet from the ground, tlie cavity lieing.S iuclies deep, lie writes al.-^o: "I noticed
one of tliese birds on .some* fnlleii logs ne;ir tiie road, liusily v\v^. 'vd in catching
spiders, searching for grubs, and frecpiently flying after passing inlets, catching
them in mid-air in the ma.iuer of the California Woodpecker."

Or. .lames ('. Menill, I'nited States .\rmy, makes the following i:itere.'<ting
remarks n' .ut this specie>. as observed by him at Fort Klamaih, and as the.se
entirelx' .igree wiili mv own. I "ivi the in i-ntire:

' t:;r

m

M

' hiiuil Minis 1)1' Ihr I'.nifir Oisii

'iiliCciriil:! .\i':iili'ru\ III Siii. liens. II. Ixi'll. p. >V.i.

If

V I

11 6

fi.

mi

72

LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMKHICAN BIRDS.

«..

'1:;.

" Xenopicus ulbolitriHifit.s. — Tliis iiitererttiiif;- Woodpecker was first observed
November !); by December it had become ratlier abundant, and so continued
until tlie latter part of February, but after the mi(Mle of March none were seen.
Duriiij^' the l)reedinfr season careful siearch failed to reveal its ])i-esence ne, " the
fort, nor was it found in the higher mountains north of the valley in July and
Aii<>ust. One would think that the peculijir coloration of the White-headed
Woodpecker wouhl make it very conspicuous and its detection an easy matter,
but this is by no means the case, at least al)out Fort Klamath. On most of the
pines in this vicinity there are many short stubs of small broken branches
projecting' an inch or two from the main trunk. Wiien the sun is shininj;' these
projections are lijj^hted up in such a manner as to appear cpiite white at a little
distance, and they often cast a shadow exactly resembling the black body of
the bird. In winter, when a little snow has lodged on these stubs, the resemblance
is even greater, and almost daily I was misled by this deceptive appearance,
either mistaking a stub for a bird or the reverse.

"I have rarely heard this Woodpecker hammer, and even t{ip])ing is rather
unconnnon. So far as I have observed, and during the winter I watched it
carefully, its principal supj)ly of food is olitained in the bark, most of the ])ines
having a very rough bark, scaly and deei)ly lissured. The bird uses its bill as
a crowbar rather than as a hammer or chisel, [)rying oiT the successive scales
and layers of bark in a very characteristic way. This exjjlains the fact of its
being such a (juiet worker, and, as woul« be exj)ected, it is most often seen near
the base of the tree, where the bark is tliickest and l•(^ughest. It nuist destroy
innnense numbers of Scol/ftidcc, whose larvic tuimel the bark so extensively, and
of other insects thn" crawl beneath the scales of bark for shelter during winter.
I have several times in)itated the work ^)f this bird by j)rying otf the successive
layers of bark, and have been astonished at the great numl)er of insects, and
especially of spiders, so exposed. As the result of this, and of its habit of so
searching for food, the White-headed Woodpeckers killed here were loaded with
fat to a degree I have never seen eipialeil in any land bird, and scarcely
surpassed by .some Sanilpij)ers in autumn.

"Though not shy, and with care gc;ierally a])proachable to within a short
distance, it is watchful and suspicious, and seems to know very well what is
going on, even if it does not sej fit to fiy away, though it is more apt to do this
than to dod"e around the trunk. The flight is direct, and rathei' slow and heavv.
Its skull is noticcidilv less hard and (h'Use tliiin that of Ihnnhatcs htinisii or J'iiiis
(inliiKs. During the winur it is silent, the only sound I have heard it make
being a harsh screech wIh'U wnuiidcd."'

Since then the Doctor lias also found it during the winter of 1 .S!)4-i)."i near
Fort Sherman, Idaho, where it is not uncommon, and ])rol)ably l)re('ds in the
mountains in the vicinity.

'The AiiK. Vol. V, 188S, i<. 25a.

THE WHITE-HEADED WOODPECKER

73

I consider the Wliite-heav'eil Wo()di)e(^ker a rather silent and mort- sedate
bird tlian most of the other nienibers of tliis family, the oidy note I liave heard
it utter bein^r a sharp, clear "witt-witt" as it passes from one tree to another.
Durinj,' the winter its food consists principally of spiders and insects and their
larvaj; and in summer, as Mr. C'harles A. Allen, of Nicasio, ('alifornia, informs
me, "It feeds its A'ounjjf on the larf^e black ants with which all tlie dead pines
and stum])s are covered at that time of year."

Niditication usually beghis about the middle of May and continues through
June. The sexes relieve each other in the jtreparation of the nesting sire , which
is usually located in a dead stub of a pine or iir; one that is jjartly decayed
seems to be i)refen'ed as it rarely t^xcavates on*^ in solid, hard wood. The nesting
sites are seldom situated t)ver 15 feet from tl.t gi'ound, and sometimes as low
as 2 feet. The entrance hole is about IJ inches wide, perfectly circular, and
just large enough to admit the bird; the inner cavity gradually widens towards
the bottom, and is usually from 8 to 12 inches deep, the eggs lying on a slight
layer of fine chips, in which they become well embedded as incubation advances.
Occasionally a rather ))eculiar site is selected. ^Ir. Charles A. jVllen found a
nest of tliis species in a ])ost in one of the snow .sheds on the Central Pacific
Railroad, between Blue Canyon and Emigrant Clap, about 40 feet from the
entrance of the shed, and some thirty trains ))assed daily within a few fei-t of
the nest, which contained six eggs when foiuid. Incul)ation lasts about foiu'tcen
days, and both sex s assist in this, as well as in the care of the young, which are
born blind and remain so luitil about half grown.

Tlu! nund)er of eggs to a set varies from thi-(H* to seven, sets of foin- being
most common. There is oidy a single set of five in the United Htates National
Museum collection, taken by Jlr. L. lielding, at Hig Tn'es, California, on June
8, 187!t; but Mr. Charles A. Allei: writes me that he has found seven eggs in
one of their nests. These vary in sliajie from ovate to short o\iite; the slicll
is pure white, fine grained, and only moderatcily glossy. Wlien fresh imd
unblown they are of a delicate pinkish tint and semitranshicent, and the volk
can be j)lainly seen; as incubation advances they become mon- and more
oijacjue.

The average measurement of forty-one specimens in tlie United States
Nati(mal Museum collection is 24 by IS.OT millimetres, or altout 0.1)0 bv 0.71
inch. The largest egg of the series measures 25.40 by lii.iiO millimetres, .ir 1.00
by O.Tti inch; the smallest, 21.84 by 17.7S millimetres, or D.Sd 1)y 0.70 inch.

The type specimen, No. I!t436 (not figured), from a s<'t of four eggs, Hen-
dire collection, was laken by the writer, near Camp Harney, (Jregon, on May
(J, 1877.

( » a

■ f i' • '

if '

,.J| •! ► ,

. ,,■

ili'j

. ^1

;.1

. --i

■ 1

-i

* .'•'•

■It

-',4.i

1 1

■ ■*' 1

';;j;f

!:|

' M\

li-'l

ll;f ^i

t ' -i

74 LIFE UISTOKIES OF NORTH AMKKICAM BIKU8.

30. Picoides arcticus (Swainson).

ARCTIC THKEE-TOEU WOODPECKER.

Picim {ApieriiKK) (irclicm Swainson, Fauiiii Horeali Americana, II, 1831, 313.
I'ivoiden uiTticus CI RAY, Genera of Birds, I, IM't, i'M.

(B 82, O 1(K), R 307, 0 443, U 400.)

CiEOfiuApnicAi. RANGK: Nortliem If orth America; south to the northern border of
tlie eastern United States; roffularly to northern New KiiRhind and tlie nortliern parts
of New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, and .Minnesota; casnally to Massachnsetts, nortliern
("onnccticnt, nortliern Pennsylvania, and northern Illinois. In the Kocky Mountains to
.Montana and Idaho, and in (he western ITnited States south to California and Nevada to
about latitude ;$0° (Lake Tahoe), and possibly still farther south in the Sierra Nevada in
winter.

'Plu> ii(>rtl\orn limits of the raiif^e of tlio Arctic or Black-backed Tiiroe-toed
\V(>n(l]ieck('r are not yet very well tlelined, and, jiidj^'iny from the few s])ecimens
from far northern localities in the Uniteil States Jsational Mn.seinn collection,
it appears to he nuicli rarer there than the next species. It certa'nly mnst
h(i considered a rare resident in [.-ahrador, as Mr. L. M. Tnrner obtauied only <a
sino'le siiecimen durinj>- several vear.s' residence in the district of llnyava. This
was taken at the "Forks" on December 18, 1S82, and none were obsei'ved by
him in tlu^ vicinity of Fort (!himo. There an; several s])ecimens in the collec-
tion from Moose Factory, James Hay, iind others from F<irts Kaeand I'rovidence,
on filreat Slave Tiuke; from Fort (.'hii)e"\vayan. on Lake Athabasca, and a sinj^le
otie fnnn Fort Reliance, on the Upper Yukon Uiver, Alaska, in latitude (14° N.,
which nnu-ks alnmt the most northern point of its known ranpe. The Jluseiun
])osses.ses another Alaska specimen also, taken in March, 18!)3, by Mr. V. L.
McKay, on the Mechatna River, and it ajipears to Ixs rare hen* also. Its south-
ern limits are much better defined, .md include tin* northern border of the eastern
Uniteil States, reachin<^- the southern point ot its ranj^e in tliO Adirondacks, New
York, in about latitude 44°, where it also breeds ; and occasionally stra^f,ders are
taken somewhat fartlier south in winter — in Massachusetts, for instance; it is
also rcccn'deil from r(mnecticut, northern Pennsylvania, and northern Illinois.
It is not micommon in the northern parts of Michij^'an, Wisconsin, and Minne-
sota, and breeds in suitable localities in all these State.s. It does init appear to
occur in the southern Rocky Moiuitains in the United States, exce])tin<i' in Mon-
tana, but it is abunihmt in the I'ascade Mountains, ()ret>dn, and in the Sierra
Nevadas in California and Nevada, south to about latitude .SiT^ (r.,ake Talioc).
' It has also been met with in Washing-ton, Idaho, and eastern Mritish Columbia,
and is said to be common in the wooded jiarts of ^lanitoba; it is certain also to
occur in s litable localities in A.ssiniboia and Alberta, as well as in the interven-
ing re<fi(ms wherever suitable timber is found.

'I'he Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker is essentially a bird of the pine, spruce,
iir, and tamarack f(n-ests, and is rarely seen in otiier localities. It is generallv a
ri'sidunt, rarely migrating tt) any distance, and jirobably breeds where^•er found.

THK ARCTIC THUEK-TOED WOODPECKER.

75

Its flif^ht is swift, tifroatly undulating, and is ttt'ten protracted for considorable
distan(!es. It is (|uite coinnidn in northern Maine, and Mr. Manly Hardy con-
siders it as the tamest and most stupid of the Woodpeckers found in that State.
He writes me: "Here (in Maine) it is rarely, if ever, found in any nundw-rs far
from burnt tracts; if in green growth, usually singly, or at most in ])airs; hut
on newly burnt lands specimens may be foimd by the score, and tlieir sharp,
.shrill 'chirk, chirk' can be heard in all directions. It seems to feed entirely on
such wood worms as attack spruce, pine, and other soft-wood timber that, has
been fire-killed. Sju-cimens are so abuntlant in sucli places that 1 once shot
the heads off of si.\ in a few nunutes when short of material for a stew."

The food of this Woodpecker seems to consist almost entirely of tree-
boring insects and their lan'iu, mainly Bi<})resti(l(C and CcniDilijjrithc ; l)ut
Audubon states that it feeds also on hemes and fruits. It never attacks a
healthy tree, and is far more beneficial than harmful, and deserves ])rotcction.

Mr. J. W. Preston, of Baxter, Iowa, writes me that he found this Wood-
pecker bn^eding in Hecker ('ounty, Minnesota, the nesting site being situated in
a live larch tree, about 30 feet from the ground; it contained young on dune
13, 1HH7. Dr. .Tames C. Men-ill, United States Army, found it breeding in
Prickly I'ear (!anyon, on the road between Helena and Fort Shaw, Montana, as
well as near Fort Klamath, Oregon; and Mr. K. S. Williams writes me tliat the
species is tolerably conmion al)out Columbia Falls, Montana. Mr. U MacFarlaiu!
found it nesting near Fort Providence, (ireat Slave Lake, Northwest Territory,
and ^Ir. (". Krieghotl" at Three Rivers, Lower Canada, eggs taken bv the two
last-nanuMl gentlemen being now in the collection. Dr. ('. Hart .Mcrriiim
found two nests, with eggs, of this species in the Adirondacks, near Seventh
Lake, Fidton Chain, Hamilton Comity, New York, on May 27 and dune 2, 1S,S,'5,
and has kin(il v- furni.shed me with the follf)wing notes:

"The water of Seventh Lake, l''uiton Chain, had l)een raised by a dam at
the foot of Sixth Lake, flooding a considc^rable area along the inlet, and tlu^ trees
killed by the overflow sto(jd in about (! feet of water. In 18S;{ the place was
first visited by mo, ^lay 27. lioth species of Tin-ee-toed Woodpeckers (/'icaidcs
anicrirnnus and ardkns) were tolerably conmion, and one new nest of each was
found. That of /'. mri'inis contained one fresh egg. The nest was lo inciies
deep, and the opening within 5 feet of the surface of the water. It was in a dead
spruce, 10 inches in dii-.meter. A ])air of White-bellied Swallows {'rnrlii/iincta
hirolor) had feathered tluiir nest in a deserted AVoodju'cker's hole higher up in
tlu^ same stid). The jdaccMvas next visited Juiu' 2, but the datci proNcd still too
early. Several unfinished nests of /'. (imrriatiiKs wen* found, and one completed
nest with four fresh eggs of /'. iitrficKs. Like the one found on mv first visit, it
was in a dead spruce and about ft feet al)ove the water. The nest was II inches
<lee[) and the orifice l'| inches in diameter. Many of last year's nc^sts were
occuj)ii'd by White-bellied Swallows. Some of the Three-toed Woodpeckers
were unusually noisy, the inales scolding, rajti>ing loudl}- on the dead wood, and
making nmch ado for these ordinarily (piiet birds. Nests were f'ouml in l)alsaui,

76

LIFE HISTORIE8 OF NOHTU AMERICAN BIK1>8.

iH

!■ 2- If I

spriK^e, an<l taiiiarack trees, and varied from 4 to If) feet above the water. A
fortnight hiter (June If)) I found a nest of J'icoUles (urtiriis, containing young
(apparently about a week old), at West Pond, near Hig Moose Lake. It was in
u tamarack tree and about 10 feet above the ground. A last year's nest in an
adjacent tamarack was occupied by a family of Hying s(|uirr(^ls."

I first met with the Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker on the summit of the
lilue ^lountains, near Soda Spring.s, Grant County, Oregon, in August, IHTfi, at
an altitude of about 5,000 feet, where it was raiv, and again near Fort Klamatii,
during the year 1 882-S3. There they were Tairly connnon in winter, freipienting
the more o[)eu ]iine forests in the mountain valh^ys, but were rarely seen by me
in sunnner, and I bcli(n'(; they mostl\- n^tired to an (extensive burnt tract, some
30 miles to tiie northeast of the jxist, near the lu'ad waters of tli<^ Deschutes
Kiver, to breed. Like the Hairy Woodpecker, they are ]tersistent drunnners,
rattling away for minutes at a time on some dead limb, and are especially active
during the mating .season, in April. I have located more tiian one specimen l)v
traveling in the direction of the sound when it was fully half a mile away. On
May 10, 1883, while en route from Fort Klamatii to Linkville, Oregon, and
only a few miles from the latter ])lace, just where tiie ])in(* timber endeil and
the sagebrush connnenced, I found a male busily at W()rk on a pine stump,
only about 2.^ feet high and about 18 inclu's in diameter, standing within a few
feet of the road, and close to a charcoal burner's cam]), in (piite an open and
exj)o.sed situation, nearly all the timber in th(! vicinity having been cut down.
The stump was solid, full of pitch, and showed no signs of decay: tiie entrance
hole was abcmt l.J inches in diameter and 8 inches from the top. 'i'lie cavity,
when first examined, was only about 2 inch(is deep, and on my retui-n, two da\s
later, it had reached a depth of 4 inches; the female was then at work. 'Po
make sure of a full set of eggs, I waited until the 25tli. The cavity tiien was
found to be 18 inches deep, and was graduallvi'ularged towai'd tiie bottom, 'i'iie
four eggs it contained had been inciibateii about four days. The female was on
the nest, and uttered a hissing sound as she left it, and might easily have been
caught, as she remained in the hole until the stump was struck with a hatchet.
The sides of the cavity were (piite smooth, and the eggs were ])artl\' cinbeddcd
in a slight layer of jiine chips. The locality wheri' tliis nest was for.iid was near
the top of a low divide, not over 4,100 feet in altitude. The majority of nesting
sites seem to hv locateil in dead trees or stumps, and rarely at any great height
varying usually from 2.i to S feet from the grounil.

Botii sexes assist in niditication, which is usualh' at its height between M;iv
20 and June 10, as well as in hicubation, which lasts about two weeks. ( )nly one
brood is raised in a season. The i'<!:'^s an- gene'.'ally fotir in number. I'hest; are
mostly ovate in shape. The shell is tine-grained and only moderately glossy,
and, like the eggs of all Woodpeckt'is, ]mre white in color.

The average measurement of thirteen t'ggs in tlu* United States National
Museum collection is 24.38 by 18.2i) millimetres, or O.Ofi by 0.72 inch. The
largest egg measures 20.40 by 1!>..")() millimetres, or l.(»ti by 0.77 inch; the
smallest, 22.3.') bv 17.53 millimetres, or 0.8S bv 0.(\\) inch.

TEK ARCTIC TllREE-TOED WOODPECKER.

77

The type specimen, No. 19411 (not fiffured), from a set of four egjjs, Ben-
dire collection, Wiiw taken by the writer, about 30 miles south of Fort Klamath,
Oregon, on May 25, 1883.

31. Picoides americanus BkkibI.

AMERICAN THREE-TOEU WOOUl'ECKEK.

ricoiikx nmcririnnis IJUEHM. llandbucli der Vdfjt'l Deutsclilaiids, 1831, 195.

(B 83, C 301, R 308, C 444, U 401.)

GEooRAPnicAi. i£AN(iK: XortluTii North AiiiiTica cast of tlie Kocky .Mountains;
south (|iriiicipally in winter) to the northern bonier of the I'niteil States; west, casually,
to the westein slope of tlie Bitter Root Mountains, in eastern Idaho.

The American Three-toed, also known as the "Banded-backed," "Whito-
l)acke(l," or simply as ''Banded Three-toed" Woodpecker, is mostly resident and
breeds wherever t'oinid. Along our nortliern l)order it .seems to 1)(^ much rarer
tlian the preceding species, and oidy Itreeils in snudl uund»ers in Maine, the
Wliite ^Mnimtaiiis in New Hampsliirt', the Ailiroiidacks in New York, possil)ly in
the (Jreeii Mountains in \'ermont, -ind probably along the west shore of Lake
Superior in Minnesota; but it is evidently still rarer in the western j»ortions
of its range, within the limits of the United States. The oidy western specimens,
taken within oin- borders, in tin; United States National .Museum collection, ar(*
a female, collected by Dr. .1. (i. ("oo|ier, on September D, I8(i(), on the western
slope of the Bitter Root Mountains, Idaho, and a pair sent to me by Mr. H. S.
Wi]liam.s, of Columbia Falls, Montana, taken on October 0 and 11, 1893. He
writes me: "It is nuich rarer here than /'. iirctiiii-^, and I consider it a much
more silent l)ird, its ordinary call notes dilfering much from those of the former
and re.send)ling more those uttered by the geiuis Dri/olmtcs."

Mr. L. M. TiUMier nu-t with this Woodpecker in tlie vicinity of Fort Ciiimo,
Ungava, and secured se\eral specimens at Wiiitetish l.,ake. wlici-e the spruce and
junipers attain a sliglitly greater size than nearer tlic I'ost. hi iiis niamiserii;t
iiutes he sa\s: "Farther to the southward, where tlie timber is larger and better
suited to tluiir haliits, they become correspondingh- more numerous, and in
suuthern Labrador, south of the 'Height of Land,' they are reported to be
(piite plentiful. Tiie manner of tliglit of this species is less vigoi'ous than
tliat of /'iidiiirs ((fctinis, yet ditl'ering in ;i manner that is (hthcidt tu (h^scribe.
These birds are not easy to detect, as tlie\' j-arelx' utter a note, and tlieii onlv
a s(iuealing, prolonged sound, similar to tliat made b\' Sfihi/rtiiiiciis /-((riiis. 'i'he\'
are oftener fomul solitarx', rarely two being foiuid in the same patch t<t \\ood,
excepting in tin; lireeding season, and hiter wlun followed lt\' their ^■oung. 1
observed their habit of decorticating large areas of tlir irimks of trees, ver\-
rarely th.e larger brunches, and in only one instance liaxc I found a funnel-shape<l
hole ill a inucli-deca\'ed snag."

Stragglers lia\'e been taken in \\intcr in ^lassachnsetts and also in Wi-^-
consiii, but it does not ol'ttii lind it^ wa\- so far south. .Vccordiiiy- to Sir .tohn

li^i:,

-:ll

■ *

78

lAVK IIISTOUIKS OF NOUTII AMKRIOAN lUllDS.

liicliiinlsoii, it i" toimd in all the fowHts of spruce tir lyiu}^ hetwoen Lake
Su|iuiior and tlie Arctic Sea, and is tlu) most conunou Woodpecker north of
(ireat Slave liake. Its food, like that of the precudinjc species, isonsists ])rin-
cipally of wood-borinj;- insects and their larvse, found in dead and decayin|^
tiiulier.

Jlr. Manly Hardy informs mo that the American Three-tood Woodpecker
is rather ran* in Maine, and he has no positive proof that it hreiMls there.

l>r. ( '. Hart Ali*rriani was, I believe, the first naturalist who took the ef>g8
of this species within tlio limits of the United States, and he j)ul»lislied the
following;' account in the " IhiUetin of the Nuttall ()niithohi}>ical Club" (Vol.
Ill, IS7S, p. •_>()(»):

"Jinir f, 1S7'S. — Shia'tly after crossiujj;- Moose River this morning, en route
for the l'\ilton chain of lakes, Mr. C. L. Baj^g and I were so fortunate as to
secure a set of the e<igs, with both parent birds, of Picoiika umvriviniHH (old
hirsiifiis). We had just crossed th(> l)oundary line between I.ewis and JFerkimer
counties, when Air. Maj;j'' called my attention to a 'fresh hole,' al)out 8 fe"t from
the <;roinid, in a spruce tree near by. On ajjproachinfi;' the tree a yellow crown
aj)pear('(l in tiit! hole, showing that the male bird was 'at home.' 'Po j)revent
iiis e,-,cape 1 jumped toward tlu* tree and introduced three lingers, which were
inunediately punctured in a manner so distasteful to their proprietor as to neces-
sitate an immediate withdrawal and exchange for the nmzzle of my friend's gun.
A handkerchief was ui'xt crowded into the hole, but was instantly riddled and
driven out by a few l>lovvs from his terrible bill. It was then held loosely over
the hole, and as the bird emerged I secured and killed him. Tiu-ough the
kindness of a friend, my pocket cimtained one of those happy combinations of
knives, saws, anil button hooks — a sort of tool chest in miniature — which one
sometimes sees in the shop windows and is apt to regard Avith awe rather than
admiration, but which constitutes, nevertheless, one of the most useful articles
in a naturalist's outfit. With this instrument we were enabled to saw a blociv
from the face of the nest, and to secure, uninjured, the four nearly fresli eggs
which it contaiiied. While wrapping up the eggs the female returned, and, as
she aliglited on tlie side of the tree, was killed by Mr. Hagg. The orificc! of the
hole was about 8 feet liigli and 1.] inches in diameter, and the cavity was a1)out
10 inches dec*]). * * * So far as I am aware, this rare Woodpecker is only
found along the eastern Itorder of Lewis County, in the Adirondacl region,
where i' is a resident species, and even liere it is nuich less common than its
congener, tin* Mliick-))acke(l Woodpi'cker."

Di-. Merriam also informs me that "numerous ne.sfs were found in the
Adirondacks in June, 188;{. Most of them were in the* floo<led timber bordering
the inlet of Seventh Lake, Fulton Chain. They varied from 5 to 12 feet in
heigh* above the water, and wen; in sj)ruce, tamarack, i)ine, balsam, and cedar
trees. A set of four fresh eggs was taken June 8. The feathers were worn off
the Ix'Uies of botli male and female before the nests wen; completed." lie also
took another set of four eggs of this species, one of them a runt, on June 8,

TUE AMEKIUAN TllUEK TOEIJ WOOUl'ECKEK.

79

1883, near Sixth Lnkc, Fulton Clmiii, llmnilton County, New York, in a rtiiiiiliir
situation, and ^icncroiisly proi'iitcd hotii of tlicsi^ sets to nio.

Dtn'iiifi' a cari't'nl examination of tlie sericn of spocinit'ns of tliis bird and its
two rt'co<rni/.c'd Huhspecics, 1 found sevonil skins colloctoil by Air. U. MacKarhuu!
in tlu! vicinity of Fort Anderson, in latitntle (J8" 30' N., Northwest Territory,
wliich appear to nie to eonie nearer to tliis species tlian to /'icoiiirs amcnruinis
(tlasrvus'iK, to wiiicli Mr. K. AV. Nelson refers tluun. Mr. MacFarlane also for-
warded two sets of egn's, with the pan^nts, at tho same time, and some of tliewe
are now in the United States National Museum collection. A sinj;le e};<i',
oriji'inally from a .set of three taken on May 3(*, I8(i3, accompanied l)\' thi^
female l)ird, was taken from a ca\ity in a pine tree, 4 feet fr()m the <iromid,
and another set of four, of which then* an; three eji-j'-s remainiiifi', and likewise
accompanied by the male bird, was taken on Juno T), 1SG4, from a lude in a
dry spruce, situated alxiut (I fet^t from the fi'round. The i'f;"};"s from the last set
were said to have been lyiu}>' on the decayed dust of the tree, and were pti-fectly
fre.sh when found. For some reason no mention has been made of these ejiffs
in the "History of Xoi'tli American Minis," although they were in the collection
when that work was written and were correctly labeled.

The '•eneral habits of the American Three toed Woodpecktsr a])])ear to
be very similar to those of the preceding species, and it seems, if possible, to lie
even a more hardy bird than the latter, e.xtendiag its range to the northern
limit of trees. NidiiiiMtion, even in tiat most northeru parts of its range, seems
to ('(unnience about the same time as it does in the Adirondacks, long l)efore
the ice and snow disapi)ear. The usual innnber of eggs laid appears to be four,
and both sexes assist in incubation. Mr. MacFarlane, in his manuscript notes,
mentions finding a nest of four young W()odi)ockers, in all prol)ability of this
species (iis one of theses birds was seen in the vicinity on June 21, 18r!2) which
were then already api)areiitly about a week or ten days old. As incubation
probably lasts about fourteen days, the eggs nm.st have been laid in the last
week in ^lay. The eggs of the American 'I iiree-toed Woodpecker are ovate in
sliaj)e and })ur(! white in color; the shell is fine grained and onlv moderately
glo8,sy.

The average measurement of twelve e'.>gs in the United States National
Museum collection is 23.41 by 17.S() niiHipu tres, or about 0.!)2 l)v 0.70 inci .
The largest egg measures 24.13 by 17.78 ,,,i;.nnetres, or 0.!).") by 0.70 inch; the
smallest, 23.1 1 l)y 17.78 millimetres, or 0.!»1 by 0.70 inch.

The type specimen. No. 23785 (not figured), liendirc collection, from a set
of four eggs, was taken l)y Dr. t'. Hart Merriani, on Moos(! River, Jlerkimer
County, New York, ou June 4, 1878, as previously stated.

%

r:!

I

80 lilFK lll8T()KIi:a OF NORTH AMKKIUAN IIIKDS.

32. Picoides americanus alascensis (Nklhon).

ALASKAN TIIKKK-Tor.l) WOOIII'KCKKK.

Pivoi<lr» tfiiUtcUjhiH ahimriiHin Nk.i.hon, Auk, I, April, ISHl, 16J5.

I'icoiilin iimi'rieiiiiHH (ihmrenniii KllKiWAV, I'liicewiiliKs FJ. 8, Natioiiiil MustMiiii, VIII,

i8.sr), 355.

(11 _, C — , R — , (' — , II 40lrt.)

Oeuobapiiic'AI- ranok: Aluskiv Territory; ciiHiiiilly! soiitli tliKiiiKli western Briti«li
rolmiibiii to iiortliwcstcni \Viisliiiif;ioii (\ iciiiity of Mount Itsiker); east irregularly to
(Ireiit Ueiir I/iiko .ind the Mitekeu/ie River Vulle.y, Northwest Territory, Dominion of
(Jitniidii.

'V]w Aliiskau Tlirco-tocd Woodpeckor, iloscribod by Mi*. 1",. \V. Ni-lsoii in
"Tlui Auk" (Aiiril, 1, 1S81), is nuiiiily (listiii;,''iiisliiibli) from tlm iircccdiuff H|>t'i'ics
by its imic'li luoro (toiispit'iious iiiiclial cnlliiriiiid geiioriill y Iioavier whito barrinj;'
of tho back and riini]», larmier whitci winjf markings, and witli tlio top of tlio head
moro or less mixed witli wliite. Tlu! most tyiiical specimens of this race oonio
from central iVlaska, and as it ajtproatdies tlie range of J'icoidr.s (iDifntvuiix on
the east it gratbially intergnuh's with this as well as with J'icnidrn iniirricaniis
ilorsdlis in the smith, and it is largely a matter of individual opinion just where
to draw the line of its range; I jjrefer to restrict it mainly to Alaska. Very
little is as yet known about its general habits, food, etc., but it is not likely
that it diifers much in these resj)ects. It is probal)ly a resident and breeds
wherever found. Mr. K. W. Nelson, in his report on the "Natural History
Cidlections nuide in .Vlaska, 1S77-1881," pul)lish('d by the Signal Service, United
States Army, 1887 (p. 159), says: "On the Yukon these birds are said to prefer
the groves of poplars and willows to the s])rnces. During my visits to the
interior I saw it ali\e only in a few instances, and h-arned nothing of its
habits. From the lunnber of skins brought me by the few traders, taken at
various points along the course of tluf Yukon, from near tlui nuuith of that
stream to the vicinity of Fort Ueliance,' its great alunidance is attested."

Nothing has l)een ])ublished al)ont its nesting habits and <'ggs, Init these
are not likely to ditl'er from those of the ju'eceding foiin.

33. Picoides americanus dorsalis IJairu.

ALPINE THREE-TOED WOODPKCKER.

Pivoiiles (lomaliH liAiRD, Itirds of North America, 1858, 100.
Pivinden americanug dorsaUn ISaird, Oriiitholo{,'y of California, I, 1870, SSfi.

(1584, 0 301a, 11 3«8((, O 445, U 401/>.)

Okooraimiical RANGE: Hocky Mountain regions of the United States and the
Dominion of Canada; south to Arizona and New Mexico; north throuf!;h C<»l<>rado and
intervening Htales; and through Alberta and eastern Britisli Columbia to Fort I-iard
and Cassiar, ami occiisionally to southern Alaska (Fort Keiuiy).

The Alpine or "Striped-backed Three-toed" Woodpecker is the most south-
ern representative of this genns, and appears to b(^ confined mainly to tlu! Rocky

'The Kurt RoUmico reforrud to liy Mr. Nelson \n Hitiintuil <m \\\f lIpjuT Yiikoii liivcr, in Aliiska;
another (now aliiuiihniccl) Ilnilson l!:i.v Couipany post, Kiliiuled on tho wiBturu end of (i real Sliive Luke, was
Bunilarly nanicil, and Hhoiild not be eonl'ouuded with it.

■fl'lili.

Hi

THK ALPINE THRKKTOKI) W'OODIMXJKKR.

81

Mmiiitiiiiis and nc.;^Iili(iriii<jf m'lffOH. It iw ruadily (lixtiiiffiiislmldo from fho two
jirci'ciliii^'' I'niins liy llm cniitiiiiioiis wliitc iiiiddlti lino of tlic buck, with few, if
an\, liltick Ittu'K, tiid inai'kinijj'.s i)cin<{ mostly lon;;itiidinal, and smalifi- wliitc npotK
on tlio (|uill.s. 'I'lm top <»f tlio head is nmch less Htrcakcd with whito tlian tlui
Ahiskan nice, and tlio hill is also moro sl(Mi(h'r than in tiio laltt-r. It is |)rol»ai)ly
resident and hreeds wlierever found. It has heen met witii in tlie IMack Moun-
tains, at Cantoinnent I5ur;iwin, near Taos, Xew Mexico; in the White and San
Francisco Mountains, in Arizona; ami in the hijjher ranf>es in ('(dorado, etc., as
well as in the liocky .Mountains, ami tla^ Stdkirks in Alherta, and eastern Mritish
Columbia northward to about Fort Liard and ( 'assiar, near the northern boiunl-
arv of this province, whence it stra;;j(les occasionally alonj;; the coast ran;ri's
into southern Alaska (Fort Kenay). It rarely occurs north of latitude (!"2°,
however, where it is i'e|)lace(l by the i)recedin;;' subs])ecies. Comparatividy little
has vet been recoi-iled about the nestiiij;' habits, etc., of this subspecies.

Di'. Fid}>ar A. .Mearns, I'nited States Army, in his ])aper on "Arizona
Mountain nirds,"says: "'IMie .Mpine Three-toed Woodpecker brei'ds connnonly
throughout the ])ine belt, seldom ascendinj^' far into tlu- spruce woods of the
lii<;hest jteaks. On the northwestern slojto of San Francisco Mountain I dis-
covered a Host of this spei'ies on Juno 8, 1887. The female wa.s seen alone,
jieckiufj' at a larj^e yellow ]tine, which, althou<;li dead, still retained its bark and
was (piite solid. While feeding;' slu! utteroil a peculiar, harsh, nasal cry. 1 shot
her, and then ' oticed a small, neatly bored hole in the south side of the pine
trimk, about i. feet from the fj;round and away from bramdies. With the aid
of a roi)e, and takiu};' a start from the saddle, I was scarcely able to climb to tho
nest, which the male did not ([uit initil I was well up; tlieU' ho camo out and
uttered a suddiai, sharp 'whi[)-\vhip-whip' in a menacinj^- tone, remainin>^' hard
by whih^ I worked with saw and chisel. It took nu» nearly half an hour to
make an opening;- sutliciently lar^e to admit the hand, as the burrow was situ-
ated .so extraordinarily <leep. Two younji', male and female, with feathers just
sj)routin^', were fouml on a bed of small chips at the bottom of the burrow, nt)t
more* than 8 inches lower than the entrance, but in the very heart of the tree,
the cavity beinj^' obliipie and j)ear-shaj)ed, and having' tin; strong odor character-
istic of Woodpeckers' nests in general. Both parents and their jjrogeny were
preserve! I, and are now in tin; American Museum collection. Tlu* irides of tho
adults were (hu'k cherrj' red; tlurn- feet, (daws, and basal half of mandible
plumbeous, tho rest of the bill being plumbeous black.'"

Mr. W. fi. Smith writes me: "T found this bird (juit«* conunon in Araoahoe
(bounty, and have also met with it in summer in Estes Park, Larimer Ciunty,
Colorado, and have reason to believtt that it breeds there; 1 never saw it at
h)w elevations." Mr. G. F. IhiMiinger informs mo that he found a nest of this
subspecies in the beginning of May, at an altitude of about (),,5(M) feet, west of
Fort Collins, Colorado; the nesting site was located in a burnt spruce stump,
about 15 feet from the ground, and contained five eggs.

,^■1/11:^

-:,mc}!

m

^'M

' Tho Aiik, Vol. VII, 1890, p. 252.

168116— No. 3-

v;-

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

^

<^.%

1.0

I.I

1^128 |2.5

1^

2.0

1.8

1-25 111.4 11.6

^ 6"

►

v5

^4>

^'

O

7

T.

/A

Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80

(716) 872-4503

7.

%°

I

m

82

lilFE IIISTOKIK8 OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Thoro lire no e{^j^« of the Aljtino Tliroe-too<l Woodpt'cktT in tliti UnitCHl
States National Muweuni colloction, and I am luiahlu to jrivo exact measure-
ments; but these are not likely to differ mut^li in sltujie or size from those of the
American Three-toeil Woodpeckers.

•■ I

'•'.y^

Hii*1

I .

>.'..'

■-,i V

34. Sphyrapicus varius ([^iNN.^rs).

YELLOW-ltKM.lKI) SAI'SUCKKK.

JHcM rariuK LinN/EUM, Systeiuii Nutuiiu, i-d. 12, 1, 17(56, 17(i.
Sphi/rapicii» rariuii ISaiki), IJinls of Niirtli Americu, ISTiS, 1(»3.

(!'. So, (', 301;, R 3(!», C 44(!, U 402.)

OKoc;uAi>Hi('At, liANUE: Kustei'u aii<l nortUei'ii Nortli Aiiu'.i'i(;n; in tlie uasterii parts
of tho. Doniiaion of Civaada north to Nova Scotia, New Rranswick, southern Qudiec aial
northcra Ontario; thence in a nonhwestcrly direction to Forts Itcsolation, Providence, and
Kac, on (ircat Slav<^ Luke, and sonu-wluit north of Fort iSinipson, Northwest Territory, to
aboat latitude (ilP .'10' N.; west, to l''ort Liard, in northeastern ISritish Coliunbia, and in the
United States to North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, tlie Indian Territory, and
Texas; south, in winter, to tint West liulia Islands, and through ^lexieo to Guatemala,
HoMdurasan<l (!osta Rica, Central America. Aitcidental in (ireeidand.

Tlie Vellow-ltellieil Sapsucker, also known as " Ued-throated .Sapsuck«'r,"
"S(pU'alin<f," and "Whiniii}'' Woodpecker," is a common sunnuer resident in
suita])le localities in tiie eastern I'nited States north of aluMit latitude 42'', and
in Peinisylvauia, (^liio, Tidiana, and Illinois it is known to breed as far south as
latitude 40 , while in the .Smoky Mountains, in western North Car()lina, it
reaches the extreme soutlu-rn points of its l)rc'edin;j- raufje in the southeastern
corner of ^lacon Coinity, close to the northern b<ird"r of Georgia, near latitude
3;")°. Here Mr. William Hrewster, to whom the ornith(do<>isfs of the United
States are "greatly imlebtcfl for a lar<j;-e amount of valual)le information, uustwith
this sjjccies sparin<fly, and shot tv,d speeinusns, both incubatinf--, in May, iHSft.
It is claimed, however, that it has also been found l)reeding on tlie iledina l{i\er,
near San Antonio, Texas, Ity Dr. Jlecrmiin, and that its egji's were taken by him,
which wouM extend its breediuff ranjje still farther south. More recent observers
do not appear to contirm this, and report Spliifrupiius rurins only as a mij^rant in
that vicinity.

Near the Atlantic coast, in the maritime jtrovinces of the IKaninion of
Canada, it is rather rare, and I believe it has not yet been found in Newfoundland
or I^abrador, but it is mor<^ common in the interior. It is an abun<lant sunnner
resident in tin; northern New i"]nf^land States and nortiiern New York; and in
tlie Adir<aidacks it a])pears to me to outmnnber all other Woodpeckers.

Mr. W. K. jjoucks, of Peoria, Illinois, writes me: "I consider this bird to l)e
a tolerably connnon resident lien^; 1 have* found it breedinji-, and a fev. nniy
remain here tiu'ough tlie winter, as 1 have seen tliem ([uite late in the fall. On
May IH, 18!)1, wliile collectinj^- in the river bottom, I discovered a nest of this
Hpecies in the trunk of ii solid dead tree, about l.'i feet from the ^roinnl. I gave

THE YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER.

83

tho trunk a sliaq) rap witli my walking stk-k; this had the ofiFeet of hrin<,'iii{,' out
a female Sapsucker, which gazed out inquisitively, ami then Hew to a distant
bnuu'li and was joined by her mate. Climbing to the hole, I found it had l)een
dug into tlie solid wood for about 3 inches, and, upon opening it to secure the
eggs, I found the depth to be about a foot. The excavation tapered from the
entrance to the Ixtttom, the diameter of the latter being somewhat greater. The
sides had been finely and evenly chiseled, far suri)assing any nest of a Woodpecker
that it has been mj' lot to examine. The entrance itself was a marvel, being
about 1 j inches in diameter, and extending about 3 inches into the wood. It
was so perfect that it resendded an auger-lM)red hole. The excavation contained
five i)artly incubated eggs, of a dirty-white ccdor, which were deposited upon a
good bed of chips at the l»ott<)m. The birds were not very shy, sitting around
on the dead lindis, preening their feathers, making short visits to some other tree,
and then returning. I took another set of eggs on .)une S, and found the birds
there in sunnner in succeeding seasons, but took no nests."

Mr. I). ]{. Huri" nvs, of Lacon, Illinois, likewise informs me that the Yellow-
bellied Sapsucker is a con»mon summer resident of Marshall and adjoining
counties in liUnois, wliio-e it is confined almost entirely to the river Imttoms.
lie wrote mo: "These l»i;"ds nidke their a|»i)earance here the latter part of April,
an." I ;'sting begins by tlu* middle of May or the tirst week in June. During
ni) coil : ''"j^^ trips by skiff in the ovei"flowed lutttom lands I always met with
this bin " i. considered it common. They an; easily located by their peculiiir
comj)laining but I'lther feeble calls, and a few moments' watching will usually
locate the nesting site. When nesting tlmy always seem to bo uneasy if their
nest is approaclie<l and very soon fiy to tiie tree in which it is located. In
most instances it is a newly excavated cavity in a ilead willow, ranging from 8
to 40 feet from the water or ground."

Prof Harton W. Kvermann records it as a rare sunnner resiiK-nt in Carroll
County, Indiana, wiiere lie has also ol)tained it in winter, on l)«'cend»er lA,
1884, and January 11, 1885.

Dr. Kllioit Cones gives it as a common sunnner resident in the wooded
bottoms of the Missouri region, and found it l»i-eeding <"onnnonly along the Red
Uiver in North Dakota. It appears also to be connnon throughout tiie wooded
regions of the provinces of IVIanitoba, eastern Assiniboia, and Saskatcliewan,
Canada, and thence northward as already indicated. A set of eggs taken near
Fort Resolution, (Ireat Slave* Lake, in June, 18()2, by Mr. Alex. McKenzie,
is now in the United States National j\Iuseum collection. Mr. K. MacKarlane
also found it breeding at Fort Providence, near the heatl waters of the Mjtckenzie
Uiver, in the spring of 188(i, this being the nio.st northern breeding ret'ord
known to me; but tiiere is a specimen in the collection which is labeled as
having l)(.on taken 100 miles northwest of Fort Simpson, which marks the most
northern known point of its range, where it pr«d)ably also breeds. Tiie western
limits of its lireeding range in the United States are not well defined; I lia»(* no
records from either Kansas or Nebraska, and doubt if it breeds in the former, or
nnich bevond the eastern limits of tho latter State.

84

LIFE IlISTOKIKS OP NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

u

!*'

1

1"

j

i ,

1

t*

1

■* I

f'

i

\ i

'•.'>.fl

ill

Tlio Yt'llow-bc'llied Haiwuckor Ih a rejfular migrant, usually arriving on its
breeding grountls in our more northern States about the middle ot" April, the
males preceding the females about a week, and returning to its winter homes in
the smith in the latter part of September and throughout October; while many,
presumably birds which spend tl.j sununer in the more southern portions of
their breeding range, extend their migrations to tiie West India Islands, and
others even through Mexi<'o to Guatemala and Honduras, in Central America.
It is sometimes met witl in winter as far nortii as latitude 40^, and (tccasionally
even farther. None of v>ur Woodiieckers are more noisy and boisterous than
this species; their <iueruloiis call notes are uttered very frecpientlv after their
return from their winter homes, and the males may at this timet be heard drinn-
ming almost incessantly, res irting to a resonant limb of some tree, the gable of
a roof, and even to tin escaite jtipes. Dr. C Hart Merriam, in his paper on the
"Hirds of Lewis Comity, New Ycrk," makes the following remarks on this
subject: "At this season scarcely an hour passes, from daylight till sunset, that
one or more can not be heard drununing with connnendable jerseverance upon
the tin roofs, eave troughs, or es(rape pipes of our houses or some of the out-
buildings. They strike the tin violently half ii do/.en <»r more times, evidently
enjoying the sound thus jiroduced, and then rest a few minutes before repeating
the performance. Each \Voodpe<'ker usually returns to the same spot, and on
our roof are several i)atches the size of one's hand from which the paint has
been entirely drnnnned off. On the escape pipe they sometimes f(dluw around
a joint, and by constant and long-continued pounding so l<»osen the solder that
the dependent portion of tiie pil)e falls down. How they manage to cling to
these vertical pipes and nearly perpendic.'ular portions of the roof is a iny.stery
to me. I have seen b(»th sexes at work on our roof, but the female dcos not
often indulge in tiiis pastime, and is rarely observed to take j)art in the ooister-
ous gand)ols of the males.'"

This species is a true Sapsucker; its hyoid apparatus is not as well developed
as is the case in the majority of our Woodpeckers, the tongue being but slightly
extensile and reaching oidy a littht distance beyontl tlm tip of the bill. One
of the most notable jieculiarities of this Woodpecker and that from which it
derives the name of "Sapsucker," is its habit of tapping certain trees, especially
iu the spring of the year, puncturing both the outer and iniu'r bark witli small
lioles rest^nbling giudet holes, which causes the sa]» to How fn-ely; on this, iu»
well as on the tender inner bark, it lives to a considerable extent.

At this sea.son of the year I believe the greater portion c»f their sustenance
is derived in this manner, varied with a diet of sjtidi'rs, ants, beetles, and otlier
winged insects anil such of their larvjc as are found hidden under the bark;
while they rarely dig sufticiently deej» in tim more .soliil w<»od to reach those of
the JhiprvMnlie anil other wood borers, which are the staple food of the majority
of our Woodpeckers. For this reason, instead of being a beiielicial species, like
the rest of this family, in certain localities, as where apple orchards are abun

I Kiillutiii Nuttall OruillioliigirHl t'liil>, Vol. IV, ItlTI), !>. '2.

THE YELLOW-BELLIED SAP8U0KER.

85

ilaiit, it becomes a nuiHanco, and materially iiijuren, and eventually kills, many
such trees. Indirectly it als() causes the deatli of many a Hairy and Downy
Woodpecker (the l)est friends the fruit {rrower has), these species l)eing fre-
quently shot throuffh ign»)rauce of their habits or l)ecause they are mistaken for
Sapsuckers. Besides ]»uncturiii<r apple trees, it is also jtartial to the thorn a])ple,
elm, white and yellow birch, red and sugar maple, j)oplar, red oak, hendock,
white and mountain ash, and several species of pines. 'J'hat it should be fond
of the sweet sap of trees does not sm'prise me, as this contains considerable
nourishment, and likewise attracts a good many insects, which the birds eat; but
it is not so easy to account for its especial predilection for the sap of th<* moun-
tain ash, which has a decidedly bitter taste, ami 1 believe j»ossesses intoxicating
properties, unless it be taken for the latter purpose; an<l the fact that after drink-
ing freely of the sap of this tree it may often be seen clinging to the trunk for
hours at a time, as if stupefied, seems to confirm this view. It is well known
tliat some of our l)irds indulge in su<'h disreputalih^ practices, and possibly
this species nuist be included in the nund)er, as there are sots among birds as
well as among the genus Homo. Aside from sap, the soft imu-r bark of trees,
and the various insects aln^ady mentionerl, it fee<ls to a considerabht extent
on ben-ies of different kiiuls, such as those of the .sour gum, dogwood, frost
grapes, blueberries, raspberri(;s, strawberries, an<l blackbemes, as wctll as occa-
sionally, when hard j)re8sed by hunger, on nuts, acorns, and sometimes even on
Indian corn.

Mr. Otto Widmann, of Old Orchard, Missouri, has kindly furnished me with
the following notes, as observed bv him in that vicinity: "They \\rv unobtrusive
and rather sluggish birds, (piite unlike the Ilairy and Downy Wt»o(lpeckei"s.
They may be seen sitting for half an lamrat a time in the same place, sometimes
crosswise on a branch. During a late wintry s])ell, when a fre<'zing rain had
enveloped everything in a sheet of ice, a Sapsucker huggi'd a piei-c of bacon
hung uj) in a tree for tw<» whole days. While the Downy and Hairy never get
tired of eating nuts, the Sai)sucker uses them otdy when hard ]»resseil by hunger,
and after his return in February he spends liis whole time ])uncturing the pines.
His favorite tree among our ornamental evergreens is the Austrian pine, his
second choice is the Scotch jtine, while he never taps the white pine and Norway
spruce. Of deciduous trees he occasionally punciures the .sjiell-bark hickory,
sugar maple, an<l cral» apple; this, however, is not done to any great extent.

"The trunks and larger limijs of tlut Austrian and Scotch pines look very
badly at times, but, strange to say, though they are not only girdled, but in
some places compactly covered with holes, the trees thrive as though they had
not been hurt by the perforations and loss of sap. This saj) has no terebinthine
tiiste, but is as sweet and pure in flavor as that of a deciduous plant; but the
e.vudations of resin, the secondary result of the Sajisucker's labors, mar the
appearance of these trees by ruiming d<»wn its sides or hardening into unsightly
lumps. Many of the birds remain in southern Missouri during winter."

i. i

86

LIFE HISTORIKS OK NOUTH AMKIMCAN BIKDS.

Jl t(i -

* Jill -'^i t
i] I' ^

il I -'I ^

si . 1

i:'l

1 <' -:

■

Mr. Mnnly Hardy, ot" Hrewcr, Maiius writes nic as follows aliout tills spe-
cies: "Tlioufjli not j^i'iu'rally iionsidt^rcd as a very lianly l>ir<l, tlicy aro really
one of our very earliest nu<,'rants to arrive here in ilio sprin<^. I have heard
them druMuiiin<r in March, when the thermometer was from 1;")° to 20° below
zero, Just as soon as the first sij^n of sunrise eoulil be noticed, on one of the
very coldest n>oriiin<fs I ever expiM'ienced. I have sometimes been inclined to
the belief that some of them hibernateil in hollow trees and jtassed the winter
with us. 'I'hey have spoiled several trees in my garden. Formerly I always
])rot(^cted them, and did not allow thiMu to be molested; but I find that con-
fidence ill them has been misplaced. They destroyed a lur<fe, hanilsome moun-
tain ivsh tree in my yard, and I believe* an(»tlier will die. I have only saved
the trees by killing every Sapsucker coming near them. Where they oidy
partly circle the tree it only stops its growth, but where they entirely girdle
a limb or the trunk in several places, and close together, it stops the flow of the
sap and it soon (lies. I have examined into the matti?r very closely and there
is no doubt of the cause."

1 consider the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker the conuuonest Woodpecker in
the Adirondack wilderness, in New York. Its ordinary call note is a whining
"whiiee," and it utters a number of other sounds, some of these resembling the
calls of the Blue Jay, and others those of the Red-shouldered Hawk. During
the mating sea.son, when the sexes are chasing each otlier, a series of notes like
"hoih-hoih," a number of times repeated, a»'e fre(piently heard. Although gen-
erally dispo.sed to be mon; or le.ss noi.sy, while clinging to their food trees they
are nearly always silent as far as my observations go. On June 25, 1H92, in
the woods in Herkiuier bounty. New York, I noticed a series of drinking holes
in a sugar maple standing close to the edge of a swamj), which ran up and
down, on one sid«' of the tree only, for a distance of iJ feet. These drinking
places were visited by diflerent birds at short intervals. All wen* silent while at
the tree, excepting one, a mahi, which always made a pecnliar snorting or pur-
ring sound when alighting. There wen- three rows of holes, (*ach about an inch
apart, running jjarallel to each other, and these were sejjarated about «fvery (J
inches by an initouched space some .'{ inches wide. On June 24, 1892, I noticed
a nest of this species in the trunk of a dead majde, about 40 feet from the
ground, near Wilmurt, New York. It contained nearly full-grown young, which
kept up an almost (constant clamor for food while 1 was watching them. In the
Adirondacks they prefer ash and butternut trees to nest in, but elms, birches, and
maples are also fret[uently selected for this purpose, while in the river liottoms
in Illinois and Indiana they often breed in willows or cottonwoods. Solid dead
trees seem to be preferred; if a living one is selecteil it is usi,.illy one* in which
the core is decayed. The nesting sites vary from S to M feet in heiglit from the
ground, being usually about 2f) feet up, and these are eitluir excavated in a dead
lind) or the main trunk of the tree; if in the latter, tHMpiently directly under
a lindi, which affords some protet-tion against storms. They are rather tame
and fearless about their homes, and generally allow themselves to be closely
approached.

TIIK YELLOW HELLIKl) SAPSUCKKU.

87

Wliilo in tho wocmIh ono iii<irnin<r, Hoatod iifraiiiHt the trunk* «»f n maple,
«)})snrvinfr tlic niovoiiuMits i>t' a Winter Wren and lit-r hrood, u malt' Y««1I<)W-
lu'llicd Sapsiu'kor suddenly tlt'w down from a neif-liborin};- treo and alifjlited
on the side of" the one on whieh 1 was lean;.;;,", -..iiiiin a toot of my head. Ho
Htartle(l me not a little, and no doiiht he was ecjually astonished, as h(> remained
only altout a minute, and, uttering; a sluup note, like "Iniwy," heat a hasty
retreat. Its favorite* resorts dm-in^j the hreeilin^f seas(Hi are deciduous and
mixed woods, ^reiu'rally close to water, in river bottoms, alouj; tlu» shores of
the nunu-rous lakes and the borders of swamps, while it is nuieli less fretjuently
seen at this sea.son of the year in ext«'nsive eoiiiferous forests.

In the more southern j)ortions of its l>reedin^' ran^fe nidiiieation usually
connneuees about the be^finnin^^ of May, and S4imewhat later farther north. It
takes about a week or ten days to comjjlete the excavation for a nestinj'- site,
which is usually <Tourd-sliaj»ed, varyin^f from (J to IS inches in d<!|ith. The
entranct! hohs is perfectly circular, about l.J inches in diameter, and just larf?«?
enoii^ih to admit the bird; the sides of the excavation are smooth, and a layer
of Hue ciiips is left in the bottom of the hole, on wliicii the e^i'^rs are deposited.
The sexes relieve each other in this work, and also share* the duties of intniba-
tion. Several other fresh holes are usually excavated in the same tree, pre-
sumably l»y the male, to wliich ho probably retires n» rest diirinir the nij,dit, and
to ;ruard his mate from jxtssibie dan^^er.

Fresh e^fj^s may be looked for durino- the lattt'r half of May and the lii-st
week in Jiuie, and from tive to s(*ven are laid to a set, those containin;>- five or
six Cfi'^i's bein;^' most conmion. \n e^j'^i' is depositei] daily, and should tiuf first
clutch bo taken, a second, usually containin^j;- four ejj'^is, is laid about two weeks
later, frecpUMitly in an excavation in the same tree. 'IMiey are devoted parents,
and when incubation is somewhat advanced, or the younj'- have* been recently
hatched, tiu* bird on the nest is loath to leave it, and will somc^times allow itself
to be captiu'ed rather than to di'sert its tn*asures. Tlu* one olf <luty mav also
fre(|Uently be seen clin^iiu"!' just below tlu* hole, and lemainin;;- in this position
perfectly motionless for se\ oral minutes at a time, as if in a deep study. The
ey<^'s, like those of all Woodpeckers, are pure white in color, tho shell is dose-
grained and only moderately <ilossy; in shape they vary from ovate to elliptical
ovate, and occasionally to an elliptical oval.

The avera<f(* measurement of seventeen ogj;s in the Unitid States National
Mu.seum collection is '2"2.1*;$ by 17.()(! millimetres, or about OSH liy O.CT inch,
"^riu* larf^est v'^if measures "23.37 l>y 17.0,3 millinuftres, or ()A^2 by (>.(J1» inch; the
smallest, ■_'().r»7 by 1(;.-J(; millimetres, or O.Sl by 0.(14 inch.

The type specimen, No. 247-0 (not fif^ured), from a set of six e^ffs, was
taken by Hr. William L. Ralph, near Trenton Falls, Herkimer County, New
York, on May 28, 1H8(!, from a cavity in a rotten lind) of an ohn tree standing
in an open field.'

' For further infuriimtiuii on tliJH Hpm'iitH, I ri-l'i-r tho rtmili'r to Mr. William llri>»Ht<"r'« int«riMtinK article
ill thi' Hiilli till ol' thn N'littall OriiitlioloKli'al Cliili. Vol. I, IS'li, ]>p. );:!-T0; also, to oiio liy Dr. ('. Hart Mot-
riaiii, ihiIiIIiiIdmI in the Haiiic lliilli'tiii. Vol. IV, IST'.I, pp. |-r>; anil to lhi< carcl'iil oIiHor\ alioiifi niailo by tho
late Mr. Kraiik Uollcx, piil.liHiuMi in tho AiiU. \ <>l. VIII. IS<l|. pp. 2.'>4i-TO, aixl Vol. I\, ISO-J, pp. 100-110.

'* ■■ ■

88

LIFE UI8TOUIKJ OF NOJtTU AMEUICAN BlUliS.

■3 ■

hi

35. Sphyrapicus varius nuchalis Haiku.

KKIl-NAI'KIJ HAI'SIICKKK.

Sphifraphwi variuM viir. uiwhnliH Haird, Birds oI' Nortli Ain<>i-icit, ISTtS, 10.1.
(II H«, C 3«»2rt, U 3<iltrt, r 447, I' iWii.)

GRO(«RAriii<!AL RANUK: KiHiky MoiiiitainM ami iMljiM-cnt raiiges from western TexiiH,
Ari/.ona, aiKl New Mexico; north tlimiiKli dilormlo, I'lali, Nevada, VV'yoniiiig, Montaiiu
and Idaho, into thu ItritiHli provinffs of AllHtrta and caMtern HritiHh Colunihia to about
hititudu 54° and prohalily fartlicr; wi-Ht to the (Jnscade Uan)re in VV'aHliini;ton and (>re);on,
and tliu Hlerra Nevada in California, and in winter into Lower (California and northern
Mcxiuo. ('liHinilly east to western Kansas (Walliwe).

Tlio breeding raiiije of the Ue(l-nrt])eil SajtHiK-ker or Woodpecker appenra
to bo ])riiuMj)ally eoiifined to tlie bigher nioiintuiii ranges of the interior from
€!olorado nortliward, as abvady indu-ated, ai.d west to the eastern sloj)es of the
Cascade Mountains in < >regon, Wasliington, and British Cobnnbia. It is (|ues-
tionabh' if it breeds, to any extent at least, in tlie SieiTii Nevadas, in northern
California, or in the mountains of New Mexico, Arizona, and western 'iVxas,
where it seems to be only 11 migrant. Dr. Klliott Cones, however, in the
"Proceedings of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences," January,
1866, records the lled-naped Sapsticker as a permanent and abundant resident
in Arizona; but more recent observations made in various parts of this t«'rri-
torydo not coiiiirm this statement, and I believe it is only a i-atherrare migrant.
Its Kunnner homc! appears to be restricti'd to the bor<lers of tlu« numerous
streams found throughout the mountains of rhe interior, including the eastern
slojM's of tlu^ Kocky Mountain system and those of tln^ Cascades, at altitudes
from r»,(M»(> to 1(1,000 feet. It usually arrives on its breeding groimds about tHie
fii;.t half of May, and the fall migration connnences about October 1. Its gen-
eral hal)it.'< are similar to those of the preceding spt'cies, and in the fruit-growing
.sections within its rang*', in s()Utheiii I'tah, for instance, it is said to do consider-
able damage to the orchards in ihe early spring and again in the fall, ta])|)ing
the peach and apple tn-es for ;<ap in the same manner as SphiiiapitKs rariiis does
in the Kast. Its principal food consists of small beeth's, spiders, grasshoi)i»ers,
ants, and sucii larvic as are to l>e found imder the loose bark of trt^es, as well as
of wild beiries of different kinds.

Mr. V. Stephens writes me: ^^Siilifiraiiiciis nniiis iiiirhtilis is very rare in
southern California. On November 'J, 1S!(1, a neighltor of mine shot a female
of the year and brought it to me; he said that it was boring lides in tint ajiple
trees and had damaged on(M'onsi(h'rably. This is the only California instance
of sap-sticking (in orchards) known to me." In a more recent letter he iidorms
me that Im met with this Woodpecker on Lassen Creek, in .Modoc County, Cali-
fornia, at an altitude of .'"),600 feet, on August 2, lH!t4, obtaining both parents
and ii family of young of the year

TIIH BUUMA1'£D SAPSUCKER.

Mr. W. O. Smith iiii'oniiH lue that tliin SapHUcker Ih a common Hummw n-si-
(lent ill EhIch Park, Cohjrado, broeding froin 7,000 foet up to nwirly timber lino,
invariably ne«tin<f in live (piaking iu<pun8, between Juno 1 and 16.

The followinfr is taken from an article of mine i)ublislu'd in "The Auk"
(Vol. V, 1K88, pp. 22(1 to 22!>), with Honio slij^ht alterationH made in the text:

Thirt race <»f Spliifnipinis variu^ I have met sparin<,'ly in various portions
of the Blue Mountains of Oregon, Washinfrton TeiTitory, and Idaho, and as
far west as the eastern slope of the ('ascado Uaiiffo in Southern ()re<jfon, in the
Klamath Lake re<;ion, where, however, it was rare and replaced by Spli/inipicus
riiltrr, the two species overlappin<; each other, but not inter<>radin;,', and remain-
in<.f pertectly distinct. 1 first met with the nest and ej^ffs of this bird in a small
aspen },Tove at the ed},'e of a beautiful little ])ark-liko prairie, near the summit
of the Hlue Mountains, in (Jrant County, Orej^on, on .Fune 12, 1H77.' I was
escortinjr an army paymaster from Canyon (!ity t(» C'amp Harney, Crejcon,
where I was then statitmed. After a laborious climb to the top of the steep
mountain at the foot of which the little miniuff town of Canyon City nestled,
I stopped for some twenty minutes to rest the animals and to eat lunch. The
spot was a lovely one; the little {;rovo at the mlffi of the heavy pine forest
contained perhaps half a dozen aspens that measured a foot or more throu<;'h,
and a nuud)er of smaller ones. I had made myself comfortable under one of
the lurf>est ones, which 8to<»d on the (mter od<fe of the j^rove, watcliin<>- the
horses enjoyinj^ the luxuriant {jrass, and was busily en<,''aj^('d in eatinjf my
lunch, shariii}^ it with several ()re<jfon Jays, 1'ciisoicii.s obsnini.i, which were
(piite tame and absorbed my entire attention for somt^ time. A IJed-naped
Sapsucker was, in the meantime, flviu}^ about my tree, ali<!^htin}|[ on others in
the vicinity, and keepiii<f up a constant chatter. I thou<,dit at first he was
jeah)us of the day.s, and paid no attention to him, till he Hew onto the tree I was
sittiu},' under, which brou<:!ht out his mate. Their nesting site was directly over
my head, about 20 feet from the ground, and I might have noticed it .sooner
by the fresh chips dropped by the birds in excavating the <'avity, and which
were lying all around me, had I not been entirely absorbed in watching the
Jays, or 'Meat Birds,' as they are called there by the hunters ami trajjpers.
It did not take long for <me of my men to climb nj) and chop a sulHcieiitlv
large hole in the tree to insert the hand. The entrance to tlie excavation was
exceedingly small, not over l\ inches in diameter, about 8 inches deep, and
about 4 inches wide at the bottom. It contained three nearly fresh eggs, lying
j)artly embedded in a layer of fine chips. About a year afterwards, when
passing the .same spot, June 2, 1878, I took another set of tlu'ee fresh eggs of
this species out of a hole in another, somewhat smaller aspen tree in the same
grove. Altlumgh aspens of suitable size were to be found in several places in
the immediate vicinity of Camp Ilaniey, Oregon, which is locatiMl at the foot
and on the southern slope of the Blue Mountains, at an altitude of about 4,800

> But I had previuualy fuuud a nest with young iu Juuo, 1875, in the same locality, as weU ui several
in 1876.

90

lilFK 1I18TUU1EM UF NUUTJi AMUUICAN ltllM>U.

h

;

' 1'

il

■I.

■'.

i

■ f:

li:&

foot, I fiiih'd to find any of tlicsi; Itinls iiostiu;,' tlicrc, tliou<;li tlmy woro met
witli Ity nio tit various times in tin* vicinity, and sometimes even <|uit<t a distance
away iVom tiie mountains. They aro only sunnnei' residents in tliat repon,
l»nt an occasional strajf^fler remains in sheltered locations thro(i};'hont the
winter. I am inclined to think that this Itird is much more conunon in the
Rocky .Mountain re;jfion.

Mr. Denis (iaie, of (Sold Hill, Cohtrafht, kindly fuiliished ine with the
foUowinf? observations nfffardin;; tiiis subspecies, lie writes as follows:

"My observations have been tiiat this subs|MH'ies invarialily selects for its
nestin;^ site a living aspen tree. 1 have never met with it in any other. This
tree favors the mountain <ridches and low. sheltered hillsides, at an altitude of
from 7,(M)0 to 1(>,()(K) feet. Above this point they do not attain sutHcient size,
and are mostly dwarfed and scrubby. Here in Colorado Sphyrapints rarins
nnclinlis is seldom found abovt! !>,0()() feet or mu«'h below H,{M){) feet. The
aspen tree is short lived, and ere much of a {jrowth is attained, a cross section,
in t!io majority of instanci's, will show a discolored cent«'r of incipient decay,
involvinji' half or twn-thirds of its entire diameter, with a sound, white sap zone
on the outer circumference, tu-xt to the l)ark. This sound, healthy zone nouri.slies
the tree until the decayed core discovers itself in some withered liml)s, and
frecjuently the to|» of the tree manifests the canker.

"Such trees the Hed-naped Sapsucker selects for its nestinjr sire, and with
{jreat perseverance chisels throu<.di this touj^h, sound /.oiu!, froui 1 to l.J inches
in thickness, commencin}; with a very smidi hole and jiradually extendin<;- its
circumference with each staj^e of the deepeninji' process, workin<>' from the low<'st
center out, till the exact circumference of the inteiuh'fl aperture of entrance is
attained. In thus radiatin;; in circles fnaii the central point the minute chips
are chiseled out with considerable ease. This mode of workinji' is ol)served
until the tou^h zouo is worked tlutni<i-h; what remains then is comparatively
easy work; the soft, sojj^y, lifeh'ss inside is worked into and downward with
ffn^ater facility, and a roomy, f;ourd-shapetl excavation (piickly follows, the
female (h»in<f the excavatiii}^ from i»e<rinnin<,'' to end, ami, according to exi}>encies,
completes it in from six to ten days.

"Some idea of the vitality and toujjhness of this zone of sap in a live
aspen may be realized when it is stated that in a tree used consecutively for
three or four years, if uiidisturl)e<l, an is the {general custom of >Sphi)ia])iriis
vtirins uiirhitlis, the entire apertiu'e will l)e almost doscid by the recuperative
aj^ency of the .sap wliicii (piickly heals and closes uj) tlu? wound. No other
Woodpecker will face such a formidable ta.sk. Pirxs viUosu.s liurrisii comes next
as a Ijorer; then follows Siihi/riiiiiciis thjiroidcKK. Moth of these species nest
sometimes also in apparently live aspens, but upon close inspection such trees
will be found to be badly decayed.

^^Sjiliifrnpiciis variwi nnrlidlis usually insists npon a new excavation each
year. The heij^ht of the nestin<j sites from the {jround varies from ,') to 80
feet; the full set of eyfjs is four or live in number; sometimes a smaller num-

TUB KED-NAl'KI) 8AP8UCKKR.

91

bor of «>jf(fH iiuirk a full set, |)r('suinal»ly tin* ncHt of oiio «»f laHt year'w MnU.
Fi'i'hIi c'jifirs may ho lookod for in ('olofado from .fiiiic 1 to IT), anil hIkhiM tlio
first Hot lio takou, a hocoihI oiio may jronorally l»o found from ton to fiftooii
(lavH lator; and, aH a rnio, tlio Hooond noMtin^ sito will not Ito ;;roatly distant from
tlio fn'Ht one. Hovoral nontH of tins spooius may Ih' found witliin a short distance
of each <tthor in tho sanu* aspon p-ovo."

My own limitotl ohsorvations <lin'in<f tlio hroodin;; soasun hoar out Mr.
(Jalo's Htatoinonts oom|)lotoly, viz, that this spooios hroods oxolusivoly in livo
aspon troos. Dr. .1. C. Morrill, Unitod States Army, in "Mullotin Nuttall Clnh,"
Uotohor, IHSl, states, liowoviM", that ho found a nest of those hirds in a dead
oottonwood tro(« in Montana. In sonthwostoni Ori'^m, in tho mountain parks of
the Klamath Lake region, those hinU brood sparin;r|y at as low an altitude as
5,000 feet, and it is more than probable that at a higher one, near the sununit of
the Cascade Rauf^e, they may be (juite common.

In the Hluo Mountain region, in eastern ( )re<ron, I found them breed*
inff only in tho sinj^le locality already mentioned, at an altitndi^ from (>,()(I0 to
7,0110 feet. iJurinfif the winter months, I have occasionally observed a Wod-
najiod Sapsuckor in tho Harney Valley, in ()re<>(>n, busily onffajrod in hunting
for food among the willow thi«^kots ft.und growing along tint banks of tla- small
streams in that sagebrush-covered region, often long distances away from
timber of any size. In Sphjiruincu.s rnriiis tnirlialis the red or crimson markings
found about the head and throat of adult birds are usually wanting in tho
young birds of tluf ytmr, or else are reidacod by a pale, claret-«'olorod tinge on
tho coiTosponding piu'ts. The black on the back and wings is also duller and
not so ileop, and the general pattern less distinct.

1 believe that both se.xos assist in tho labor of excavating tlu? nesting sit«',
the female appearing to do tho greater jiart of the work, however, which is
frecpiontly very laborious, and that tho male also shares tho duties of incnltation,
which lasts about fourteen days. Tho number of eggs to a set varies from throe
to six, usually four or five; those are mostly ovate in shape, a few an- elli|)tical
ovate; they are pure white in color; the shell is fine grained and moderately
ghtssy.

Tho average measurement of thirty-five specimens in the I'nited States
National Museum collection is 22. 7S l»y 17.07 millimetn's, or about 0.!I0 by 0.(17
inch. The larg«^st I'll;}!; of tho series mea.sures 24.1"3 by lS.2!) millimetres, or
0.95 by 0.72 inch ; tho smallest, 20.S3 by 16.76 millimetres, or 0.82 by 0.G6 inch.

The typo specimen. No. I!t4ir) (not figured), from a set of thre(f eggs, was
taken by the writer on tho sunnnit of tho Blue Mountains, in (Jrant County,
Oregon, as previously described, on Juno 12, 1877.

I

m

' ^

ml

U2 LIKE IllUTUUlKS OF NUUTll AMKltlUAN 111I{1>».

36. Sphyrapicus ruber (dlMKi.tN).

RKD-IIRKAHTKI) HAPSircKEK.

Piruii riihrr (iMRLilf, Sy«tflnm Natiiin-, I, 178H, 421).
Sphyrapivun ruber liAiKi), KirilH of Ntirtli Aint'iicH, LSSS, 204.

(B 87, C M2h, .MClf, It MWh, U 44S. II 40;«.)

(tRnnRAPiiicAi. RAMiF,: I'licillt^ ('oust (liHti'iutH, tVoiii noitlipm Tiowor ('nliruinia
tlii'oiiKli ('itlil'orniit, (>r<>|{i)ti, \Vii<4liiii!rt<>ii, luid BritiHli tJuliiinltiii; iiortli tomMitliiTii AlsiHkit;
east mainly totlio wuhUtii hIhik^h of tliu Siurra N«va«la, and iin lM>tli MiduH of tin* CuHcade
MoantaiiiH in Ori-K<>ii. WattliinKton, and Uritiitli Colnnihia.

'V\w l{('il-hrcast«>(l Sii|)sii('k«<r or Woudpcckcr is mily » Hiimiiicr roKulcnt
from nurtliivrii Ciilit'orniu iiortliwanl, ami u rcsidt'iit tlii'oii<rlii)tit tliu lialaiuc of
its raiifrc ill tlu* SiiTra Ncvadas, in tlio Hoiitlicni lialf of tliis State. Mr II. W.
Ilciisluiw found it near Fort Ti'jon in Anjjnst, 1H7<I, takinjf u yoiui<; bird tlicro
and sccinjf st'Vi'ral others. Mr. F. Stcpjicns writes me: "I saw one in .Iiuie in
tlie San Mernardino Mountains, wliere it i»rol)ably Imed.s, and eoiisider it as a
rather rare winter visitant near tlie coant."

Mr. \j. Heldin<jf says: "A eominon sninnier resident in tin* fir forests of the
Sierra. Like nearly all the ('alifornia Woodpeckers, it is fonnd lower down
in the winter, then heeomin^i^ rather connnon in the foothills, althonffh rarely
ween in tlu^ valleys. I have seen a eonsiderahle numlier of its l>urrows in
Calaveras, Tuolunnie, Alpine, Hntte, and other eonnties. They are rarely
below 80 feet, and are often overlooked or foinid with some diHieulty, as they
frecjneiitly aro in bark-eovered trees. It was notieed at Sierra Valley and
Donner Lake."'

AFr. (Mnirles A. Allen, of Nicasio, f 'alifornia, writes me: "These Wood-
peckers are very fond of hanj^inj^ to tele^iTiiiih pctles, and nniy bt* found
driimmin<r alonj^ the lino of the Central Pacific Railroad throufjh the Sierra
Nevadas, where you can hear them beatin<jr '• tattoo for hours at a time. If you
try to approacOi one, as soon as a certain distance is reached the bird will sidle
to the opposite side of the polo, and then keep peepiuff around the corner at
whatever has excited his suspicions, and us soon as it thinks it has a <food
opportunity to escape it will fly away with a shrill cry, and keep the pole in
line between it and yourself for protection. Here they are very shy, and
re'nain very quiet if discovered. They feed their youn<f on black ants and
other insects, which they i)ick out of decayed trees."

Dr. Clinton T. Cooke fttuud the Ued-l»reasted Sapsucker moderately com-
mon in the vicinity of Salem, Orejjfon, and took two sets of e{?<j:s from dead
cottonwoods, one set containinjr five fresh e<f<>s, on May 12, 18X8, the other,
also of five, on ilay 15, 18!)1, in which incubation had connnenced. The
iie.stin{^ sites were situated 20 and 25 feet from the ground. Mr. A. W. Anthtmy
writes mo that this species was ratuer common in Washiiig'ton County, Oregon,

■ Land Birds of the Pacific District, Californl:! Academy <if Science*, II, 1890, pp. 6G, 67.

?!•

TDK IIKI) BHRA8TKI) SAPsnCKEB.

93

in 1885. Il«) li>ciit«Ml two piuM in ii grovo of aldorH, and auotlier wan found
uxcavatin^f a ntmtiii^f Hitit in a lii;; lir stuh, fully M f(M>t from ilxt ground, on
April 10. Tlioy Hi'i-int'd to prof»'r tlit* orclianU to tho fonMtM, altlioufjfh timy
wert* often H(>«*n in tliu niapluH. 1I<^ alHo olmorvtul it in Marrli nt>ar KuHenada,
LowtT California.

Ml. Ii. II. Lawrcnco nu»t with tliiH Hpc'cicn at !Cid<;('(iold, WaHliinffton, on
OctolMT 2, 18!I2. Mr, II. MacKarlane found it lir»'(;diiijr mmr Kort St. .lames,
Stewart Lake, Hrititth ('olumhia, on May 'if) and 31, 1K8!), and Hi>nt e^;;^ of tliiH
species, and also a youn;; iiird of the year, taken neir liahim*, somewhat far-
ther north, to the I'nitetl States XatiiDial Musemn. It reaches the northern
limits of its hreedin<; ran^r(> in soutliern Alaska. A specimen taken on Juno
."■), 1HH2, near Fort Wraiijfel, hy .Mr. W. A. dones, is now in the United States
National Musennt collection.

The following- account U taken from my article on this spt'cies pid)lished
in "Tho Auk" (Vol. V, 18S8, pjt. 2-*!»-2;U), only a few chauffes hein^r made in
the text :

In my various tmvels throu<>-hout tho interior of Oreffon, Nevada, Wash-
ington, and Idaho. coverin<j^ over lifteen years, I never met with this bird till
tlu^ sunnner of 1882, when I was orden^l to takt* station at Fort Klamath,
located near the northern end of Klamath Lake, in the southwestern part of
Oreffon. Hero 1 found the Ited-hreasted Sapsucker an aliundant sununer resi-
dent, and I have no doubt a few of these liirds winter in the more sheltered
p(«*tions of the deep canyons of the lower Klamath Uiver ref^ion. They are
amoii}^ the earliest birds to lu-rive in tlu! sprinji;. The first bird of this species
shot by me, in the sprin;if <tf 18H;{, was obtained o'l March l.'J, and I have seen
a few as late as Novendier. On one of my collectinj; trips, the mornin<f of
.\pril 4, 1883, while ridin;;- throu};h a patch of pine tind»er, near Wood River,
the principal stream ruiminf,'' throuj,di the center of Klamath Valley, I noticed
a flock of those birds, at least twenty in nuud)er. They wore very iioisv, ai)j)ar-
entlv ^lad to <ret back to their sunnner homes, and seemed to have an excellent
time }ienerally, flyiny from tree to tree and callinjc to each other.

As I wanted a couple of speciniens, I was compelled to disturl) their jol-
lification; those |)rocared were l)oth males, svud presumal)ly the entire flock
belon<fed to this sex. My April 20 they had becom(! very common, and some
pairs at least were mated and iiad already selected their future domiciles, in
every case a {food-sized live aspen tree. The males might at that time be heard
in idmost all directions drununin<y on some dry limb, generally the dead to]) of
one (»f these* trees. They scarcely seemed to do anything else. At least five
pairs nested within half a mile of my house, and I laul excellent oppttrtnuities
to observe them. Some birds, api)arently more industrious than others, wouhl
not be satisfied with one hole, and excavated several, sometimes all in the same
tree; others contented themselves with a single one. It is possible that the
extra ones, after being begun, were abandoiunl, either being found to be too
damp inside or for some other cau.se unknown to me; <»r they may have been

ill

■A-

HM

Mil

m

94

LIFK IIISTOKIES OP XOUTU AMERICAN UIKDS.

niailo l»y tlio inale tor his own tiso to ))as8 the ni<^hts in and be olose to his mate
in case ot" (laii<fer; or, a<,''ain, jnst to keep his hill in chiselinff imietice. I am
niyselt" inclined to think that the female does nearly, if not qnite all, the work
on the cavity in which she deposits her e<rg8.

Tiiese birds an? not at all shy during the breeding season, allowing you to
approach them closely; but they have an extraordinarily keen sense of hearing,
1 freijuently tried to sneak up to a tree close to my house whi(rh I knew had
i)«'i!> selected l)y a pair of these birds, to watch them at work, but I was inva-
riably detected l)y the bird, no matter how carefulh* 1 tried to creep up, before
I was aide Ux get within iJO yards, even when she was at work on the inside of
the cavity and coulil not possibly nee me. The bird would cease working at
once, her head would pop out of the hole for an iustant, and the surroundings
be surveyed carefully. If I kei)t out of sight and perfectly still, she would
prol»al)ly l)egin working again a few minutes afterwards, but if I moved ever
so little, witliout even making the least noi.se, in my own estimation, she would
notice it and stop working again at once. If the tree were approached to*)
do.sely, .she would iiy oil', uttering at the same time a note resend)ling the word
'jay,' or 'chiie,' several times repeated, which would invariably bring the male
around also, who had in the meantime kept himself busy in some other tree,
eitlicr drunnning or hunting for food. While the female was at work on the
inside <tf the e.xcavation the male woidd fly to the entrance, from time to time,
and look in, probably asking his mate how her work was coming on, how soon
the\' might l)egin housekee])ing, etc.; and at other times he would hang, for
live or ten minutes even, just below the entrance to the burrow, in a dreamy
sort oC study, perfectly motionless and seemingly (hized, evidently thinking of
tlu^ family responsibilities tiiat were soon to come.

I am inclined to think that this species does not indulge in tiie hal)it of
girdling trees tor the sap and the soft inner baiK (caiiilnniu) to the same extent
tiiat Siilii/niiiiciis niriiis does — at any rate, not during the l)reeding season.
Thesi' birds were, as 1 said before, extremely abundant in the vicinity of Fort
Klamath, and this being the case, e\ idence of their work in this direction should
have been rather coimnon. I do not rememl)er having seen more than two
instances showing extensive and systematic signs of girdling — one, a medium-
sized Cottonwood liml), showed tiie punctures all over for a distance of ii feet;
th(^ other, a species of mountain ash, on which none of the shoots were over 3
inches through, had Iteeii riddled all over by the birds. These mountain-ash
shrults, none of wliicli grow to any size, were rare, however, in that vicinity.

Throughout its range 1 think this species breeds frequently at lower alti-
tudes than S/ilii/niiiiriis rarius iiticliulis. Fiu-t Klamath, however, altliough but
4,2iM* teet abovc^ sea level, has a very cool .sunmier climate, frosts occurring in
almost «'very month of tiie year. The surrounding country is very beautiful at
that time. Heavy, open forests of stately ])ines and firs, among these the grace-
ful ami beautiful sugar piiie, are found on the mountain sides and reaching well
down hito the green, park-like valleys. Interspersed here and there are asi)en

THE HKDBKKASTKn SAl'SUCKEK.

96

jjrnves of viiriouH extent, tiii'lr silvery trunks and li<jflit-}freeii t"i»liii<jo l)len(ling
iirtistii'iilly witli tlu' sdiiiluT };roen of" tlie piiies. TlieKO aspen }>Tuves are the
sunnner lionu^ nt" the Ued-lireastetl Sapsucker.

As far as ni\' own ol)sei'vations <i'o, heaUliy, sniootli-harked aspens are
always selected as suitable nestiiij;' sites by thes«« Itiids. The trees used vary
from \'2 to IK inches in diameter near the ffround, and taper very j^radually.

Tl

a- i'a\ it\ IS usu

dl\ excavateil lielow the lirst liml) of the tree, sav from ir» to

2/) feet from the {fround. The entraiu'e hole seems to he ridiculously small for
the size of tla^ bird — perfectly circular, from 1 | to lA inches in diameter only —
so small, indeed, that it seems as if it took considerable efl'ort for the bird to
s(pieeze liimself in and wriyjjle out of the hole.

'i'lm n'ourd-shaped excavation vavies in de]»th from C to 10 inchtis, and it
is from .'5 inches near the to|> to 4 or "i inches wide at the l)ottom. 'I'he liner
chips are allowed to remain in the i>ottom, forminj'- the nest pro|)er, on which
the e}^}|:s are dejiosited. KHMpiently the\- are niori- than half covered by thes(f
chips. The interior of the entire excavation is most carefully snujothed off.

which nuist consume consideralile tim

consHlermj''

the loujih, str

muv,

am

elastic nature of the wood when filled witli sap, makin^i' it even more <litlicult to
work when jtartly decayed, which seems to be the case with nearly all aspi-ns
<if any size. I'roi)ably ei<iht or ten days are consumed in excavatinf^- a .satis-
f'actor\' nestin<r site. All the larjicr and coarser chips are dropped out of the
hole and scattered aitout the \y,\sr of tin- tree. From the (piantity of these
found uiuler every tree occupied by thes(^ birds durinj;- the nesting' season of

is,sa, 1

un I

nclined lo believe that thev are onlv satisfied with an entirelv

1 not

suniiiv witn an o

th

.Id

one icpaired fo answer

new nesting;- site every year, aiu

the pur|)ose. 'I'huse same chips are an extremely simi»le and sure jjuide to their

nest.

In huntinj;' for them I looked for tlu! chips on the j;rouial first, and after

In

lindin;;' these it did not take lonji' to find the hole from which they cam
this maimer it was an easy matter to find their nest, and I took no less than
fifteen sets of their e^^^s in a siiiyle season, and mij;lit lia\e taken more had I
been so inclinetl, espi-ciallv 1)V followinji' up the itirds for their second sei, when-
they had iieeii robbed |)r(!viously. Ordinarily but one brood is raised in a

season.

The numlier of cfiji's varies from five to six to a set. Full sets of fresh

cfiji's ina\ he looiced lor in

I f(

that

loca

litv from Mav ■_'(» to J

une ;>, anit

I h

ive

taken nearly fresh ejijjs as late as.Iiine Hi. 1 took m\- first .set on Mav '2'6, lss;{.

t contained six fresh etfu's, and tiie cavitv was a

I bout

( iiicnc

lies d(

tl

le entrance
as usual a

aitout s inches la-low and directly under the first limb of the tri

live aspen, about IS feet from tlie ••■round. While the ne.st was beiii<i- rifled of

its contents both parents flew about the upper limbs of the tree, utteriiiji- a

nuiiil)

)er of (liftereiit soiiiiilinji-, plaintive cries, fike 'peeye, 'pii

liki

and

some o

f tl

lese reseiiilinii"'

K'urr,

somewhat t\w purriiifr of a «'at when pleased and
rubbiu"- a»ainst \our ley. I usi'd to note the difl'ereiit sounds in a small note-

im

VI

u

96

Lll' K HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

'. .

book at tlio viTv time, but Hfiirculy ever put them down alike; eacli time tliey
appeared a tiitie diti'ereiit ti> the ear, and it is a liard matter to express them
exactly on paper.

'riie I'fffis, when fresh and before blowinfj:, like those of all Woodpeckers,
show tile yolk t]n"oii<rli the translucent shell, ffivinf:^ them a beautiful pinkish
Hp[)earau('e, as well as a stsries of straight lines or streaks, of a more pronounced
white than the rest of the shell, running' toward and converging at the smaller
axis of the egg. After blowing, the pink tint will be found to have disappeared
and the v<x<i; changed to a pure, delicate white, the shell showing a moderate
amount of luster. There is considerable variation in their shape, runmng as
they do tiwough all the ditt'erent ovates to an elongated ovate.

tiotii st'X((s assist in incubation, which lasts from twelve to fourteen days,
I think. Tlieir food consists princii)ally of grubs, larvjv of insects, ants, various
species of lepi(h>ptera, wliidi they catch on the wing, like Flycatchers, and
berries. Of tiie latter (piite a number of ditlerent edil)le s])ecies are found
about Fort Klamath, and they seem to be especially fond of wild strawberries,
which grow there in abundance The young, after leaving the nest, stick to the
tree in which tliey were hatched for the first day or two, without venturing to fly.

Tlie l)eautiful carmine or crimson on the head and breast in the adults is
replaced l>y claret-brown in the young, varying in amoiuit and intensity in
different individuals; in some it is very distinct and prevalent. The yellow, so
plainly noticeabh; on the belly of adidt birds, is also wanting in the young.
Tlie colors throughout are much duller and the general pattern less distinct.
]iy the latter })art of Septeml)er the majority of these birds leave for their
winter haunts, only a few stragglers remaining. I'hese are pos.sibly birds that
breed farther northward and winter in the warm valleys of northern California,
and are tiien comparatively near tlie end of their migration, reuiaining in the
Klamath \ alli'v region, where there is always an al)undance of food for the
Woodpecker family, judging from the nund)i'r of diflerent species of the.se birds
found tiiere throughout the year, till the heavy winter .snows drive out the less
hardy, among wiiicli the Hed-breasted Sapsucker must be included.

While stationed at Fort Klamath, Oregon, I took especial pains to collect a
good series of l»oth adult and young birds of this species, as well as a number of
sets of their eggs, and devoted considerable time, at no little inconvenience to
myself, to ob.serve their general habits closely. Although my perscmal observa-
tions differ materially from those of other naturalists (see 'History of Nortii
American Minis,' l)y l^aird, Hrewer, and Ridgway, Vol. II, ])p. 044 and r)4r)), I
am confident that they will be found substantially correct by future observers.

The average mi^asurement of seventy-two sj)ecimens in the United States
National Museum c(dIection is 23.. "57 by 17.5S millimetres, or about 0.92 by ().()!•
inch. The largest 0}>:<<; of the series measures 25.40 by 17.78 millimetres, or
1.00 by 0.70 inch; the .smallest, 21.84 by 17.27 millimeters, or 0.8G by 0.68 inch.

Tiie ty])e specimen. No. 19395 (not figured), from a set of six eggs, was
taken by the writer near Fort Klamath, Oregon, on May 23, 1883.

WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKKU.

97

37. Sphyrapicus thyroideus ((Jassin).

WII.LIAMSON'8 SAl'SUCKER.

PivuH tInjroideiiM Cassin, I'roceediiifjs Aciulciiiy of Niitural Sciences, I'hilmlelphia, 1850,

1.S.51, M'J.
SphyriipicH* thyroideiiji Uaiki), Birds of North Aiiiorlcn, 1858, KMi.
(IJ 88, 8»; (1 .{04, 305; U .{TO; C W!t; U 404.)

(iEoobaphical isanok: Western North America; from the eastern slojies of the
Rocky Mouiitiiins west to tlic I'acilic. coast, and from Arixonu and New Mexico northwest-
ward to soutiiern liritish ('ohimbia; east, in winter o'>dy, to western Texas (Concho und
Tom <ireeii counties); south to Jalisco, Mexico.

The soiitlieni limits of tho hruediujr rjiuffn of Williiinison's Sapsncker, also
known as tlii' '■ Ulack-hn-asted," " Urown," anil " Konnd-Iicadcd" Woodpccki-r, as
far us tlu'V can ho di^lined at prt'scnt, (extend throu^^li the liifihcr nionntain ranjics
of luM'tlu-rn Now Moxico, sncli as tlio Hlack mid ('uloltra mountains, tlio Mof;dl-
lon and San Francisco mountains of Arizona, and northward aloni"' tlu^ eastern
slopes of the Uoeky Mountains, where it has as yet been found i»reedin}'-only in
Colorado. However, as .several specimens hav(^ heen taken on Laramit^ I'eak, in
southeastern Wyomin<>', in Au<;;ust, this would indicate that it hroeds at least as
far north in this direction. I have been tmable to find any records for Jfontana.
The northern limits of its sunnnor ran<;e on the Pacific ("oast include southern
British Columbia, where it has been taken near Similkameeu in June, 1HH2, and
it breeds throughout the Cascade Mountains of VVasliin<;ton and Orej^fon and
southward throu<>h the Sierra Nevadas, in .southern California.

Mr. V. Stephens writes me: "I have fovmd Sitlii/nipiiiis fhifroiifrii.s feedinjj^
their younf>- in Taquitch Valley, in the San .Jacinto Mountains, in southern Cali-
fornia, on .Fune 20, lS!>i{, at an altitude of al)out 7,000 feet, and .shot the female.
"^I'he nest was sonuf 4.") feet from the ground, in a dead and broken fork of an
otherwi.se f^reeu fir. 'I'he nest contained three younjr, one of which laid dead
and decomposinfi' in tiie Itottom of tint nest; the others were but a few days old.
In the week f'ollowin;^' I saw several more adu'ts of this species, between 7,000
and S,r)00 feet altitude, and succeeded in shootinj^- two more. The locality
where they were obtained is in about latitude 3i}° 50'. I have also taken it
near Fort liayard, New Mexico."

Mr. Robert Hid<>way obtained specinu'us near Car.son City, Nevada, anxl at
Parley's Park, in the Wahsatch Mountains, in Utah, where it is known to breed,
and J[r. II. W. llenshaw found it to be a fairly eonmu»n sumnu'r resident in the
mountains near Fort (jarland, in southern Cidorado.

Mr. W. (J. Smith writes me: "Williamson's Sapsucker is a common summer
resident in Kstes Park, (jolorado, where it nests mo.stly in dead pint^s, often within
a few feet of the ijronnd, and a<>ain as hijrh as 70 feet up. Full sets of fresh
ef>}is are usually found here during' the first week in June. Tlui nudi* appear-s
to UK* to do most of the incubatiu"', and hereabouts it is most often found at
altitudes between 7,000 and 8,000 feet, but I have also taken it at much higher
ones, where it nests somewhat later."

ItiSlW— Nu. 3 7

m

■rM

■'Mis

1. «. 1 1

■if '"ii

•f

w

II"

''II

»

m

:^l

98

LIFE UlSTOl'lES OF NORTH AMEltlCAN BIRDS.

Mr. Lyman IWdin;;, in liis "Land Birds of tlio Pacific District," speaking' of
this species, says: "Ttderahly connnon from about 7,(K)(> feet upward in summer,
often breedinji' in livinfj tamaracks anil covered witli their resinous juice. In
winter down to about tlie lower edf^i' of the sw^kir pine (IHuiis himhert'iuua),
ahitude ai)out 2,r)()0 feet, i»ut rare here, and mostly female or youn^ birds found
so low, while at \\\\r Trees, Calaveras (^tunty, ("alifornla, January ()-13, 1879,
1 ffot thirteen adult males. In the breedinj;' season they are most numerous in
the valleys, as at IMoods, Hermit Valley, Blue iiakes, etc. Their burrows vary
from f) to 6 fe^'t up to 30 or 40 feet. The youiifi' were still in their nests at
Bloods, July 21, 188(», but in 1881 they were about a month earlier."'

The followiiifif account i.>i taken from my article on this species jiublished
in "The Auk" (Vol. V, 188H, jtp. 23r)-23!>), a few alterations bein^ made in it:

This interesting;' Wooilpecker is so uni<|ue in the entire difference (»f color-
ation of the se.xes that for a lon<;' time they were considered and described as
sei)arate species. It remained for Mr. II. W. Ilenshaw, when.attached as naturalist
to Lieut, (leoriife M. Wheeler's expedition, enj^a^nMl upon the f^eoffraphical
exphtration of (Ndorado and New Mexic(), in 1873. to establish their identity,
he findinjr the supjiosed two species paired and breedin<>', near Fort Garland,
Colorado, in June of that year. Like Siilii/nipiriis rariHs nticlialis, it has an
equally wide and extended ran<;;e, reachinff from the eastern slopes of the Rocky
Mcmntains to tlie western spin's of the Sierra Nevada, and Cascade ranjres in
California and ( >re<>'on. In its habits, however, it dift'ers considerably from the
three other species of the };'enus S/tlii/nipinis^M of which seem to prefer rej^ions
aboundinjf in deciduous trees, and usijiji' these, as far as at present known, almost
exclusivelyfornestinjipurposes, while Williamson's Sapsuckerj^ives the preference
to coniferous forests, selectin<i' ]»ines to breed in, at least as frequently as aspens,
and, accordin<i' to my own obs^Tvations, oftener than the latter.

Althoufi'h it undi)ubtedly occurs in the ref>'ion interveninj; between the
Rockies on the east ami the Cascades (m the west, I can not jiositively recall a
sin<>le instance where 1 have si-en this bird in the entire mountain sy.stem,
be<;innin<>' at the Bitter Root Ranjre, in Montana, in the east, followin<f the contin-
Ucation of this throu<ih the Blue Mountains of Washinfjton and Orej^on, as well as
in most of the Salmon River mountain country in Idaho, till I first met with it
on the eastern slopes of the C-ascade Ranj^e, near Fort Klamath, Oregon, in the
autunm of 1882. It was here Dr. .1. S. Newbeny obtained the type of the
so-called ' Sphi/iviiints irilHaiiisoiii.'' Here I saw it for the first time on Septend)er
23, and as late as Novend)er 8 of the same year, takin;i' specimens on both dates.
Stran<>e to say, all the birds I saw and secured for a period coveriufj' about five
weeks, at that time, were females; and I oidy succeeded on October 28 in seein<j[
and obtainiufr my first male of this species. It was taken under rather peculiar
circumstii I had oidy to walk a C(iui)le of hundred yards from my lumse

to find I i a fine, open j)ine forest, (iun in hand, I, as usual, t^ok a short

stroll tiiii .iiorninfr, foUowinj.'' clo.se alonjr the banks of Fort Creek, directly east

'OrcnHiDiiiil I'iipcru, C'ulifnrnia Acaclriiiy of Stinicfs, II, 1S!K), pii. tiT, (!8.

WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUOKEB.

99

of tho Post, and I had not procoeded more than half a mile from my house
wIkmi I saw two lualoH chaHinfr oach other about a dead jjine stump, and utter-
'm<!: at the same time shrill cries. These cries attracted my attention to the
birds. I tried to {^et within ordinary sliootinfj: distance, but they took alarm
and flew in opposite directions bef(»re I was near enoufj^h. Nevertheless, I took
a snap shot at the one nearest to me; but it continued its tlifjht, apparently miin-
jured, crossing the creek, about (iO yards in advance of me, which was too deep
and cold for me to ford, and, nnich to my disjifust, disappeared in the heavier pine
tind)er on the opposite side, without stoppinjy while it was in sijyht. As it was
useless as well as impracticable to follow thi» one, 1 kej)t on in the direction the
other had taken, but failed to see it a<fain. Fully an hour afterwards, on my
way back to the Post, and when within a few yanh of the j)lace where I
first noticed the two birds; tired out and disfrusted, I sat down on an old lo<>- and
was taking a rest, absorbed in reHections on my bad luck, when, from (juite a
distance, 1 noticed a black-looking bird flying toward me, coming from the
ojiposite side of the creek, and from the same direction the one I shot at had
taken earlier in the morning. Its flight was so peculiar and strange, constantly
sinking, tiiat I refrained from shooting when it lirst came within range. No
wondei'; it was its last expiring eff"ort, and it actually dropped within a yard of
where I was sitting. It was iniquestionably the very bird I had shot fit more
tliim an hour before; no one else was out hunting at the time, as no other shots
were heard. A single No. 12 j)ellet had penetrated the lungs, and the bird, in
its dying struggle, had evidently tried to reach the same stump again on which
I first noticed it.

My earliest record for 1883, on which date I obtained a male specimen,
was March 20. It seems to me to be a more siditary bird than Splii/nipicHs nihrr.
I never saw more than two together or in close i)roximity of each other. It is
also more shy, and does not allow it.self to be approached so reailily as either of
the preceding species. Its breeiling range extend.s, near Fort Klamath, from an
altitude of alxmt .'),()()0 feet to the higlier peaks of the Cascade Hange, which
attain in that vicinity a height of about !>,()0() feet. On the mountain sh)pes
about Crater Lake it seems to l)e most abundant, but not as much so as is Sphi/ra-
picKs ruber in the lower valle}', where almost every aspen j^rove harbors a i)air
of these birds.

Crater Lake itself is such a strangely interesting and unique freak of nature,
the peer in sublime grandeur of the Yosemite Valley, in California, and the
Yellowstone Park, with its grand canyons and geysers, in Wyoming, and so
little known withal, that i will give a short descrii>tion of it as it appeared in
"Phe Auk:" "The lake is about 7.^ miles long and (J wide, and unlike anything
found in this or any other country. It is situated on the sunnnit of the Cascade
Kange, about 25 miles north of P\>rt Klamath, at an altitude of about 7,500
feet; the highest peak in the vicinity reaches up to 9,000 feet. The rocky walls
surrounding it on all sides are nowhere less than 1,000 feet and in places more
than 2,000 feet high, at many points almost perpendicular, so that a stone can

ly ?

'■'§

■Mi

■■.■■ '*. =1

. .u

'i'k

§

, ■ '■■■ *

ItMJ

LIFK IIISTOUIES OF NOUTU AMKKICAN BIUDS.

.,'■ ♦

■■'*..

bo tlirown without strikiii^j- aiiytliiiijj: i>n its way till it rcjiciu's the wat«'r, fully
2,U0() fV'<^t Ik'Iow. It is said to l)o s<>nu> 1,M()() tin-t dt'cp, an<l in placi-s is |»rui»-
ably more. Ouo can not realize the niafrnituih! of t!iis hole in the jiTound with-
out seein}"' it. A mountain the s'y/.v ot" .Mount Washinjiton, the hijihest peak of the
White Mountains, in N(>w Hampshire, mi^ht he dumped into it and not till it up
then. The water is beautifully clear and deep aziu-e Idue in eidor; the only
livinji' thiu}r seen near it on a visit to the lake on .luly '-'7, IKH2, was a solitary
female Wandering Tatler {llctrtdctilis iiiiKiiiis), apparently Ncry correctly named.
An island, covered with ;j(iod-sized trees, rises out of the water to a height of
nearly a tln>usand feet, on the west side of the lake. It is composiHl mostly of
volcanic scoria- and pumice, ami evidently was tlu^ principal cone of the now
extinct crater, traces of whose activity in former times, in tlu* shape of heavy

IIUl

nice deposits, can Ik^ foimd for oO mih^s iidaml to the east.

tl

on the roa(

Ifi

the I>eschutes Itiver to Kort Klamath. There is oidy one place from which tlio
shore of the lake can be reached with com|iarative safety, and even from there

it is I

)v no means an eas\' matter.

Mr. (iale, who is quite familiar with this species, writes me that in Ooloradu

they nest sometimes at an altitude of 10, 0(10 feet, and that they are {generally
distributed between that limit and S,000 feet. The ne.stinji' sites, lie says, are as
often met with in moderately thick woods as in the more open clearinjjs and
i.solated pine trees and shrul)s, the only coiulition ^iiidinj;- their choice of a home
beiiiff a sheltiM' from the stronj^- west wimls. .My own ol»servatit>ns af^ree j)retty
well with his. lie says: ".V marked peculiarity I have noted with Sjthi/ni/ncK-s
tlii/roidcii.s is that the male takes a lookout station upon some suitalde tree, where,
at the approach of any possii)le dan^^cr, he };ivt's the alarm by strikinj^ a short
dry limit with his l)ill, l)y which a pecidiar vibratiui;- sound is ;;i\en out, which
the female, not ver\' distant, fullv understands, and is at oi

ice on the

th

lert.

If

either excavatm^^', j;uarilm^', or coverin;;- lier eji'^^s she wi

sh

immeiliatelv look

out of her burrow, and, slioidd the intiuder's path lie in tlm direction of her
nust, she will silently slip away and ali>iht in a tree .some distance otV, but
in view of both her nest and the intruder. The first or second blow of a

•kl

ler move-

hatchet upon the tree trunk in whicii the nest is excavated will ma
ment a<4aiu by a short Hijiilit, so mauaj;'ed as not to increase the distance — in
fact oftener coming' nearer. When satislicii that her treasiu-es have been dis-
covered, she utters a pt 'uliar, low, fjratin^- sound, not unlike the i)urrin<i' of a

cat. The male tliei

I col

ties to till' fore and bravinii' the danyer,

IS \ erv courajreous,

urn

1, should the efi'^^s be far advanced in incubation, he will even enter tl

le

nest when you are almost within reach of it. When the latter is riHed, he is
always the first to f-o in and discover the fact, often passin-;- in and out sesei'al
times in a surprised sort of maimer. The lar;;'e, fi'apin;;' openin;;' made by

the roblter's hatchet he seems to i<>iiiire al

tou-etl

ler.

To 1

irn it seems impos-

sible that a few minutes only sufhces to cut tliroufih the wall of wood that took
his inat(! as many days of hard laiior to accomplish. I'l-eseiitly he is joined bv
the female, a joint insjiection is made, a verdict of jiraiid larceny (juickly reaclud,

WILLI AMSOX'H HAPSICKER.

101

and tlio conclusion arrived at: 'Well, wo sliall liavi; to try ajrain, witli tlie liojKi
of iK'ttcr luck next time.'"

Nidirication is similar to that of tlio other species of the fjenns, with the
exce|)ti(»n already mentioned, of the <liH'erenc(! in the kind of trees preferred.
The heiffht of nestinjf .sites varices consideraldy, say from o to (10 feet, and jier-
haps still moi'e in exceptional cases. Fresh efrj^s may lie looked for, accordin^i"
to altitude, from May •_'(» to .lune la; on May •2(1, 1H,S7, Mr. (Jale took a line
set of six, which 1 juiific to have l)een perfectly fresh, from the ex((uisite maimer
in whicli tiiey are ]irepared.

I ol)tained my fu'st set of cirfTs of this specie's on June 3, lSSi{, ahout 1>
miles north of For) Klamath, in the open pine forest on the road to (.'rater Lake.
It consisted of five e;ins, sli<ihtly incubated. The nestin<:f site was excavated
in a parti\' decayed pine who.se entire top for some 20 feet was dead; the heijjht
of the excavation from the firound was ahout W feet. The man dindiiii}'' the*
tree re|)orted it to lie alioiit S ini'hes dee|i and about a inches wide at the bottom,
and freshly maile. A second set, of six fresh "'ji'^rs, was taken .lune 12 of the
same vear, about 12 miles north of the I'ost, at a still hi<jher altitude than the
tirst one. It canu^ also out of a pine iiliout 40 feet from the (ground. A third
nest, found a week later, near the same jilace, contained five y«iun<,'', Just hatched.
This nest was in a dead aspen, about 20 feet from the {ground. Oidy one brood
is raised, and, like the two other species, it is only a sunnner resident, in the
vicinity of Fort Klamath. Its food stu'ins to con.sist almost exclusively of in.sect8
and their larva', various species of le|iidoptera, and an occasional <;rasshopper.
Merries, I think, are seldom eaten by them.

I have found fully Hedjied yoiniji' in .Fidy; a youu'f female, shot .Tuly 21,
must have left the nest certainly by the be<iinnin<r of the month. WluMi the
youufi' are lar<ie enough to tly, they are not at ;\11 rare at the lower altitude of
Fort Klamatii.. They show the same diH'erences in coloration in the sexes in
their first jilumaj^-e, with tlie followinj«- exceptions: The younjj males lack the red
on the throat, which is rejilaced liy dirty white; the sulphur yellow on the lower
jiarts is mostly wantinji', a slinht trace of it beinj;' noticealile on some sjiecimens;
and the lilack on the liack is nnicli didler. The youn^' females diH'er likewise by
the absence of yellow on the belly, tins black pat<'h on the.breast is wantin<jr, the
markings and barrings on the upper parts are less distinct, and the colors jjen-
erally duller. In its uudulatinjj' Hijiht from tree to tree this species utters a
shrill note, like "hiiit, liuit."

Williamson's Woodpecker winters in the* lower valleys and fo<it hill rcfyion.s
in the southern half of California, and southward in the pine forests ot Arizona,
New Mexico, western Texas, and probably als<i in similar localities of northern
.Mexico. The number of e;"<fs laid to a set varies from three to seven, sets of
five or six beiufi' most often foinid. Tlui.se, like all Woodpecker's ejj'g's, are jiure
cliina-whitc^ in color; the shell is close grained, rather thin, and only slightly
glossy. In shape they vary from ovate to (>longate ovate, and a few ajiproach
an ovate pyriform, a sliajie apparently not found in the eggs of the other species
tif this geiuis.

^ •••>»

*:u

a . ■■■■»

it

102

LIFE UISTOIUKS OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

The averajre nieiwurement of thirty-four Hpt'ciniens in the United States
National Museum colhH'tion m '24.20 by 17.1!< inillimetres, or about O.!*.') hj- 0.1)8
int'h. Tlie larprest ejj^ of tlio series nicaHurcs 2.').40 by 17.78 millimetres, or
1.00 by 0.70 hu'h; the smallest, 22.35 by 1G.51 millimetres, or 0.88 by
0.(ir> inch.

The typo 8i)eeim('n, No. liMOit (not fi}rnre<l), from a set of five eggs, was
taken by the writer near Fort Klamath, ()regt)n, on .Tune 3, 1883.

Hi

.'A

w

tlli

V.

38. Ceophlceus pileatus (Linn.eus).

I'lLKATEU WOOUPKCKEK.

Picun pileatus Linnaeus, Systema Natura-, ed. 10, 1, 1758, 113.
C[eophleeu8] pileatus Cabams, Journal fiir Oriiitliologie, 1802, 176.

(B 00, C 1'94, R .371, C 43L>, U 40.5.)

tiEoouAi'nicAL RANCJE: Moie or leas irregalarly distributiid tlirongh the heavier
wooded di.sti'icts of North Ainerietv, excepting Ni;\vfoundhiud, Labrador, the shores of
Hudson Bay. and those portions of the Northwest Territory, in tlie Dominion of Canada,
north of latitude (W°. In tlie United States, apparently absent or very rare in the south-
ern Rocky Mountains, and in the Territory of Alaska. Rare or extiri)ated in the more
thickly settled parts of the eastern United States.

The Pileated Woodpecker, also known in different sections as "Cock of
the Woods," "Logcock," "Woodcock," "lilack Log" or "Black Woodcock,"
"Johnny Cock," "Wood-hen," " Woodchuck,"and, according to Mr. R F. Gault,
by the peculiar name of "Good-Gods" in southeastern Missouri, is generally
resident and breeds wherever found, although in winter it may sometimes rove
about more or less, according to the food sujiply. Throughout most of our
Eastern States, north of latitude IV.)^, the Pileate<l Woodpecker is now some-
what rare, an<l here it is mainly confined to the heavily timbcre(T bottom lands
along the larger streams and the more thinly settled sections in the mountain
regions, where in a few favorable localities it is still met with in small nund)ers.

In quite a nundjer of our Southern States, however, it is far more comnam,
and in suitable localities it may be called fairly abundant. This is esi>ecially the
case througlamt the greater part of Florida, as well as in portions of South
Candina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, southern Missouri,
the Indian Territory, and the greater part of Texas It is i)y no means rare in
portions of the other Southern States, as it is well known to occiu' throughout
North Carolina, generally below an altitude of 4,.")(K) feet, and I have occasion-
ally seen bunches of these i)inls, nundtering from four to twelve, exposed for
sale in the mark<'ts of Washington, 1). C, whii-h had been killed in some of
the neighboring counties in Virginia, where this large nnd handsome \Vood-
pecker a])i)ears to be considered as a game Itird. I tried to cat one, when
short of meat, while traveling through the Hlue .Mountains of Oregon, but I
certainly cnn not reconnnen<l it. It feeds to a great extent on the large black
wood ants, which impart to it a very peculiar, and to me an extremely impleasant

TUK IMLKATEI) WOODPEOKEK.

103

flavor, ii kind of swoot-sour taste, wliicli any amount of seasoninj^ and cookiiif,'
(locH not disjfuisc, and I consider it as a very unpulatahle substitute for j-anie
of any kind.

In tile Uoeky Mountain rejjions of Arizona, New Mexico, (!ol(mulo, and
WvoMiini; tlie I'ileafefl Woodpecker apparently does not oc( ur, and if it occa-
sionally should, it must lie considered very rare. 'I'lie same remarks apply to
I'lali and tlie "freater part of Nevada, but it is occasittnally met with in the
western part of the latter State. I found it (piite rare also in Idaho, Orefjfon. and
Washinji'ton, (^xceptinjif in the coast rej^ions of the latter States. In California
it is not unconnnon in portions of the Sierra Nevadas, while in Hriti.sh Columbia
it appears to be far more abundant than anywhere else west of the Rocky
Mountains, both on the coast and in the interior, especially in the vicinity
of Lake Habine, in about latitude f)^t", from which point Mr. H. MacFarlane
sent a nundier of specinu>ns to the United States National Museum in IHS'I. It
has .dso been taken by Mr. li. U. Itoss, of the Hudson Hay Company, at Fort
Lianl, in the extreme iiortlufasteni corner of Hritish Columbia, and on Hi;;-
Island, in (Jreat Slave Lake, by Mr. John Heed, which marks the most northern
point of its known ran^e.

It can thus be seen that the Pileated Woodpecker is by no means dis-
tributed over the whoh* of North America, and that it is not found in many
heavily tindjered sections which appear to be equally suitable as a habitat
as many of those which it occupies. It is eminently a bird of the more extensive
forest regions, and is as much at hom<f in a semi-tropical as in a cold climate.
As a rule, specimens from the northern i)orders of its ran^e are considerably
larger than tho.se from the south. There ajipears to be considerable difference
in the habits of this bird; in .some sections it is extremely shy and wary, while
in others it is exactly the reverse.

Mr. Manly Hardy, of Hrewer, Maine, writes me: "This splendid bird is not
uncommon in the heavily timbered portions of our State, and. although usually-
very shy, becomes accustomed to man if not ilisturbed. I once had two so
tame they would aUow me to sit within 4 paces of them, and put my hand upon
the tree when they were not 10 feet above my head. They usually select
certain lar"e dead hemlock trees to which thev "o almost dailv, often remaining
for hours, rejieatin;'- their visits until the bark is almost entirely removed from
the tree. It was owin^- to the proximity of several such trees to my home camp
that I was able to become so familiar with them. They often chisel holes 6 or
H inches deep in cedar and other .soft-wood trees, and as lar^e as the holes in
a post-and-rail fence. I have seen one jiick a lar^^e hole throu;;h 2 inches of
frozen fjreeu hemlock to ^et at the hollow interior, and it seemed impossible
that a steel toed of the same size could have dime such work without beinpf
l)roken. They are easily called by clfipjiin^ the hands so as to imitate their
l)ounding. This re(|uires skill, but I have taught others so that they have been
successful in it. When called they seem to lose their nsual shyness, and seem
stupefied at not finding their mate, as they had exjjected. I have found them

P

■,•1'

f *

104

lilFH IllHTOUIKS OK NOUTii AMKUICAN lilltDS.

Ml

''f

noHtiiijf ill tlm liirj^t' yt-llnw Itircli, and once fouiid niu> laic in tliu tall af wmk
inHitlo tho troo, as 1 liavn often seen other species of \V<>o(l|ieckers tlo in llit^
fall; lait vvliether workinjf on next year's u«'st or providinL; a winter's r(!treat is
unknown to ine. Its food consists very lar^foly of ants. In some cases it
d(^scends to the ground to obtain them, after the maimer of the I'Micker. I have
seen them in Vosuinite Valley and ('alaveras (irove, California, and their actions
and notes seemed exactly the same as in Maine hirds.

"I once saw a Sharp-shinned I lawk persecute a pair of these Woodpeckers
most persistently. They spent coiisideralile of their time on some dead
hemlocks <-los(^ to my camp, and while l>usily at work tlu^ little Hawk would
dart at one ami follow him with his le;rs stretched out a.« if to seize him, all the
time utteriii};' a 'ca-ca-ca' to scare him. When the Woo^ljiecker aliffhted and
faced him from behind a tree, tho former would also alight close by on some
convenient limb, ready to repeat the pert'orinanco as soon as the other commenced
to work af^ain. Sometimes the Woodpecker, instead of Hyin;>;, would sidle
around tho body of the tree, and the Hawk would occasionally follow him
twice entirely around before aliffhtiii'j to take a rest, only to make a fiercer
da.sli next time. On some days this performance would be (•ontimie<l for at
least an hour at a time, and the Hawk seemed to put in all the tiiiu; he ctuild
spare from {jetting a living in annoying these birds. It was very eviilent,
however, that he ilaretl not seize one, as he easily could ha\(^ done ha<l he
wished to (h) so. Oiu! would hardly think that a I'ileated Woodpecker could
catch on tho side of a tree, swing his l)ody arr.nnd, and present his bill to the
llawk so (piickly, but I saw this done dozens of times. The Sharp-.shinncd
Hawk reminded me of some ])eople who never can bear to see otiiers getting an
honest living.

"The Pileated Woodpecker is a constant resident in Maine, 1)Ut rarely leaves
the vicinity of large timber. It prefers places where large hemlocks abound,
esj)ecially those localities where a few have been killed by camp building or
small fires. In fall and winter a jtair will regularly visit such trees every day
for weeks, spending hours daily in stripping ofi' the bark, until trees from 2 to ;j
feet in diameter are often entirely denuded or large |)atches of the bare wnod
are exposed. In the spring 1 have often seen bushels of bark under a single
tree."

Mr. R. S. William.'^, of Columbia Falls, Montana, writes me: ^^Ccnphhvm
pilciitiin is rather common all through the timber of the lJi)])er Flathead liiver
region, in the northwestern ]»art of the State. The bark of tlie wi-stern vellow
pine .seems to ofi'er attractive foraging for tlics(? birds. One tree I observed,
some 2 feet in diameter, is alumt stripped to the wood for ftO or (10 feet up. The
birds strike their blows sidewise, splitting the bark of!" in thin scales that .soon
accumulate in large heajis at the base of the trees where they work. I ran
across one bird obtaining his meal in a rather novel manner. Tie was eating
the berries of a dogwood {('oniiis stoloiiifrra), and as the stem of the shrub
was nuich too small for him to perch upright on, he allowed himself to swing

TIIK IMLKATKI) WOOIUMX KKK.

105

licnd (lowmviinl. iitid, HfiTtcliiiijj: ]\\x neck to one nidc, inimiiifcil t<» rciicli tlic
licrrii's. Not unt'r<'()ii('Mtly tlii-y scincli I'ort'ooil oii tin- jiTtiiiinl, iisiiiilly ali;ilitiii^'
low ilowii.on u trunk mid ilru|i|)iii<r Itackwanl, a i\-\v iiiclics at a time, till tlu-y
rt-acli tin* liaso, where they seareh aiiiuii^r the chips, ete., hut coiistaiitly Itiiikiii;;

lip "I

th tl

le inoi

Ht k

iitiwi !"• "■laiiees, as

it" to sav that thev were not to lie siir-

iirised in such a |»roeeedin;!'. 1 have never seen this speeies east of tiie Uoeky

Mountains in Montana.

have seen

tl

ns species i

n hut tew localities in the West, and with iiut

one exception I always t'oinid the I'ileated Woodpecker extremely shy and
dilHcult to approach. In tiie latter part otMinie. ISH'.', I t'ound a nest containinji'
four xoun^r ahout one-half mile southeast from Fort l\lamatli, Orepm, and I
noticed this family on several occasions afterwards in the heavy ]iine timher in
the vicinity of tho I'ost. These birds w«'re not shy, and 1 could readily have
whot thoni all, hut refrnined, hopiujj they would u«'st in tho neijrhhorhood a^^'ain
next season, which thev, however, faile(l to do. The ordinary call note is a loud
"ciick-ciick-ciick," several times repeated; another resemhles the "chink-up" of
the l{ed-shafteil Flicker, oidv somewhat slower, htuder, and clearer: others

auam

remind me of the cackliuy of a domestic hen. ( )ne of its love note;

according;' to Mr. A. Nehrliiij;', soiuids like "a-wtu-k, a-wucl
or ani"er, like "ha-hi, ha-hi." It is v«'rv noisv durinj,-' th

mil one (

if all

u'ln,

IS v«'rv noisv durm;,'' the matm^' si-ason and
iudulji'es in a ji'ood deal of (Irununini^r at this time of year. I lielieve tlie\'
remain mated thron;;h life, and pairs are more fre(pieutly seen than sinj^le itirds.
Its food consists of the ditlerent species of hoi'in;'' iu'ctles and llieir lais.e
iufestiu}^ timltered tracts, and of ants, many of which it captures on the jiiound;
it also feeds on wild <irapes, the herries of the Mack ;;uni, doji'wodd, pokeweed,
service l)erri«'S, acorns, heechnuts, and chestnuts. Considered from an economic

I

oint of view, it does far more n'ood than harm, and onl\' attacks decaviny and

fallen tindier. In the mountains of Oregon, and presumahly in oilier localities,
the I'ileated Woodpi-cker is most fre<piently met with in the extensive liiirnt

tracts, the so-called "deadeninys," when^ forest tires have sweitt tliroii"

h mil(

of line timlier and killed everythiii}'- in its jiath. Such localities afford thi.-*
species an altmidant food su])ply in tlu^ slowly (le('ayin;4- trees, and art? sure t'l

ittract then

1 h

ive

I'cn the Sim ohsciU'ed for weeks at Fort Klamath li\

the dense smoke caused hy such a tire, which raffed in the ( "ascaile .\lountains,
near Diamond Park, soniu .W miles north of the I'ost, in Au^iust, \XX',\. T\u'
hrijiht scarlet crests of thest; birds were in former years hif;hly prized by niaii\-

liiilian

tril

)es m our

Northwestern Slates, litMiifi- used as ornaments

their war bonnets, and these birds were eagerly hunted for this |impose. Its
flijiht is both stronjf and swift at times, but, as a rule, when at ease it is slow and

crow

-liki

e, rather mor

e direct and not s« undtdatinir as that of most of

our

Woodpeckers, and is often protracted for loufj;' distances.

In .southern Florida the niatin^- .season commences early in ^larcli, and
farther north corres])ondinj;ly later. A suitable tree havinji' been .sele<'ted, <;'en-
erally a dead one in larjre and extensive woods, both birds work alternately
ou the nesting site. This is usually excavated in tho main trunk, from 12 to 75

'!^'H

106

LIKK IIISTOUIKH OK NOUTII AMKUU'AN IIIUDH.

!,K.'

i

•

t'»M't from tilt' ^niiiMil, ami it takon froin seven to twelv(> dnvM to eoiiii»lete it.
'I'lie eiitniiice iiieiiHiireM tVoiii 'A to Hf^ iiielieH in iliiinieter, iniil it often j^oeM f)
in«'lu's straiji'lit into tlie trnnk before it is woi'ked tlowinvanl. The ea\Il\ Miiloi*
from 7 to ;j(t inelies iu fleptli, ant! is ;iTa(lnalIy enlaiyed tnwaril tlie linttotn,
where it is al)ont-(> inclies with). A layer of chips is K>ft at tlie hottoiii, on whieli
the e<fjfs are <l(*|iosite(l. Occasionally the entrance hole, instead of IxMnji' circu-
lar, is oval in shape, like that of the Ivory-hilled Woodpecker. The insidtt of
the cavity is (piite sr.iooth, the eil^i'es of the entrance are nicely lievtded, and,
taken as a whole, it is <|iiite an artisti<- piece of work, Sonu> of the liirds,
presnmalily such as Inve heen molested jd'eviously, art' (piite shy and artfid,
removin/j' every trace of chips as soon as loosened and droppin};- them in dif-
ferent places, at stane distance from the nesting;' site, so as not to hetniN' its location
l»y the accmnidafion of chips at the base of the tre<', and occasionally tlu-y show,
if possible, still more intellijfence. Dr. William L. Italph t(dls me that in tim
sprinj;- of 1H!C_* ho found a nest of this species in Putnam County, Klori(hi,
•vhere the l»ird is (piit(* common, excavated in a dead cypress in swamjty woods,
which was .comparatively easy to ^fet at. lie found this in the second week in
iVpril, aitout the time nidilication is at its heiffht there. ( )n rappiiij;- on tluf
trunk of the tree the bird, wlTudi was at home, stuck his head out of the hide
and dro]iped some chips, naturally causiuf; the Doctor to believe that the nest-
in^f site was still unfinished. The same ]»erformance was repeated on several
subsetpU'Ut visits, and fmally he ctauluded to examine the nest anyhow, when
he found nearly f'ulI-<frown yoiuiji'. This j>air of birds must have had e}f<fs
at thi' tiuK! he first discovered the nest, and tla; chips were simply thrown out
as a ruse to deceive him.

The trees most often used for nestinji' sites are cypress, fium, ])ine, fir,
tamarack, oak, sycanatre, elm, 1)irc,h, and cottouwood, and in .stuuhern Florida
the trunk of the cabbaj>-e palnu'tto also furnishes suitable nestin<i' sites. Besides
the customary layer of chips found in the bottom of the hole, one of the
nestin-^ sites exanuned by Dr. Kalph contained fully a i)int of clean sand. A
fresh cavity is jrenerally madt* each season, ami this species also excavates
others in the fall of the year to retire to durin<r intdement and stormy weather
in winter. On the data blank furnished by Dr. Walpli, for a .set of three e^^j^s
taken by him iu I'utnam County, Fh)rida, on April 20, 1S!»2, from a hole in the
side of a rotten pine stump, 27 feet above the firounil, in low, flat pine woods,
near a small swamp, 1 find the followiufr entry: "This nest was examined
April 13, but contaii'ed no egjrs. At that tinui the cavity was opened by
tearin<»' out a piece about 8 inches wide from the aperture nearly to the bottom.
The ilamajicd places was repaired by nailinj;' over it a ])iec(* of bark from the
stump, with a small holl.iw in the top, to reston* the openinji' to its |iroper sha|»e."
The cavity was about 18 incdies deep. In northern Florida full sets of ejffjfs
naiy be looked for about Ajn-il 15. Three efjfi's to a set seems to be the usual
nundier found here, and most of the cffjjs in tln' United States National Mu.seum
collection came from this State. Dr. \. K. Fisher took a set of four at Lake
George, Wairen County, New York, on Jlay If), 1S78; and Mr. .F. Harris Heed,

■^

TIIK IMLKATKI) WwODPKCKKR.

107

of Hovcrly, N«'W .F«'rM('y, writi'K tin-: "On .hiiu< 4, ]H'X\, in coinimiiy witli a
tVii'iid, 1 (li.iciiv«Ti'il II iioHt of tlic l'il('atf<l Wo(i(l|icckt'r, ill ( ')i|n' Miiv ( 'oiiiity,
Ni'\\ tlerwcy, coiitiiiiiiiijf list' yoiiu;>' Itinln. Our iittfiitioii was attnictcil li\ tlic
fi'iiiului wlio, witli iooil ill li*-r iiioiitli, Hi-w alioiit iis from tree to titc, \i r\
iinicli ayitiitcil, iiiul iilti'iiiiK: a cliattcrin^'' iioto n-Hciiililiiiy; tiiat of a tree fio<i-.
I'lioii an cxaiiiiiiatioii of tiif sinToiiiidinM triiiikH of <lcail tries, wt- locatiil tiic
nest, wliifli was alioiit 12 ffct alnivc the {froiniil. 'I'wo of tlir \oiiii;.'' win-
rcinovcil ami t'xaiiiiiicil, tlicy with nearly iil)l(^ to tiy. Altiiou;;li we rcinaiiifil
tiu'if nearly an liour wafcliin;f tlie female tliion^ili Held j.diif*^<es as she letiniied
to tlie nest to feed lier yoiiii;;', tlu* male liird was not seen. This is the tirst
oeciirrenee of itH Inveiliiij,' in tins loeality that I have met with."

From thre«' to live ^'^<:^!« are usually laid to a set, lait I have seen it stated
that the I'ileated Woodpecker often laid six, and that a nest found near Karni-
ville, Vir<finin, contained eipht. An ej-fr is de|iosited daily, and iiieiiliation
hej^iiis occasioiiilly hefore the set is completed, and lasts ahoiit ei^-hteeii days,
lioth sexes assistin;>° in this duty, as well as in carin;^' for the \oiin;^'. I, ike all
Woodpeckers, the I'ileated ant very devoteil parents, and the yoiin;; tollnw tliein
for some weeks after leaviii}; tlu? nest, until fully capalile of i nriiiji' for themselves.

The e;,''i^s of the I'ileated Woodpecker

Oiilr

V one lirood is i'aise(

(i in

a season.

ire (Hire china-white in color, mostly ovate in sha]

th

•11

is e\ci'e(

liimli

fine (>;rained and very };iossy, as if «'nameled; they are not as pointed as those of

the I

V4)rv

-hill

eil, ami averii<>'e siiiallei

The averaj^e measurements of twenty-nine siiecimens in tin* I nited States
National .Museiim c(dlection, mostly from Florida, are .'('J. ft liy "J I. us niiHimetres.
or about 1.28 by O-Of) inches. The larji'est e^'^' of the series measures '6'tJ>*> by
2.').15 millimetres, or 1.40 by 0.!)!> inches; the smallest, 3g.22 Ity 22.(;i
metres, or 1.1 It by O.Hil inches.

milli-

.f till

riie type specimen, No. 2()52!> (PI. 1, Fiff. 5), Italpli collection, fi

•om

set

ie(! e{><is, WHS taken by Dr. WiUiam L. Walpli, near San .Mateo, Florida,
April 13, l8!>iJ. It reiiresents one of the larmier ejijis of the .series.

39. Melanerpes erythrocephalus (Linn.kis).

KEU-llKADKp WOOIH'i;CKF,l{.

PiriiH iriitliroci'iihidiin Linn. iocs, Systciiiu Niitiiras cil. 10, I, 17-"»H, ll.'l.
MiUiuerpcx irylhrocvithttlm HWAINSON, Kaimii Hurcali Americana, II, 1H.!1, ;{l(i.

(H 94, C 3(iy, U .{T:., (J 4.j,l, U 4(M!.)

< JEociUAriiifiAL KANriK : Teiiiperatt* North America ; from the .southern United States
iiortli ill tlie eastern ])roviiieus of the Doiiiiiiioii of Canada to about latitude 4(t"'; rare or
eiLSUul only in the maritime )>roviiiccs; in the interior in Manitoliit iKUtii to alimit latituili^
5(P; west, in the United States, to the eastern slopes of the Itouky Mountains fioni jMhii-
taiia to Ooloradi*, western Kansas, the Indian Territory, and the eastern half of Te.xas.
Casual ill Utah (Salt Lake City) and southern Arizona (Chiricahna Mountains).

Tii^ Red-headed Woodpecker, ono of the best known aiul handsomest
species of the /'^VvV/rf' found in the United States, is nn(|uestionably tlu^ most dis-
reputable representative of this family; but this fact does not appear to be very

'■..':ip

il

n n r

1

•^ .'I

.i.-i

'ill

108

urn HIHTOIMKH OF NOUTII AMKUICAN ItlUDS.

1^1

•^^•^j

gt'iicrnllv known. 'I'hroiifiliout tht> jircati'i" portion of tlic ciistcrn (Tnitcd Stiitcn
it is ii ratluT irn-jfulnr resident. Manx ot" tliese hirds winter alon^' oni' noitliern
Itorder, in certain years, wlien tliey ean find an ai>nndant supply of food; in
fact, it is not ninisnal to lind tlie l{ed-lieade(l Woodpeeker at snrli times in local-
iti«'s wliere snow falls to a deptli of ■"> feet and more. 'I'lndujiliont tlie western
]iarts of its ranf^e, however, it appears to niij^rate pretty rej^idarh , and it is rare
to see one of these birds there, north of latitmht 40", in winter. In the eastern
portions of tlie New Knfiland States, Itorderin^- the .\tlantie Ocean, it is rather
rare, ami the sa* • remarks apply to that part of New York east of the llndson
Uiver, and to Vermont east of llie (ireeii .Monntains, where it is onl\ a casnal
sinnmer visitor. Its lireedin;;- ran;;e is coextensive with its distrihntion. Hirds
that miurate nsnally retnrn to their snnnner homes aiiont tli" latter part of April
or the l>ejiinninj;-of May, and leave for the sonth a<,^ain ahont the tirst <if ( )ctolier.
Their niovt'ments are very nncertain at all times, and arc evidentlv rejiiilated
laruch lt\' tlu! food snjiply; even on their hreeiiiiio- o-runnds, wjiere tiiev nia\ he
common one \ear, not a sini;le |iair may l>e I'oinid tlie next. Its favorite resorts in
snmmerare the borders of woods, l"rin;;cs of timiier alon;;' stremns, solitarv trees
in lieldsand pasti':\ s, shade trees alon;;- connlry woods, and on the triM'less prairies
of some of onr Western States it contents itself witii telciiraph poles, fence jxists,
etc. In the Sonth, newly cleared lields in which a nnndier ot' dead, ^.jirdlcd
trees still remain standiii};' are nnicli resorted to. tind in sucli localities these
hirds are \-er\' ahnndant at almost all seasons, hut cspecialK in winter.

In snnnner the food of the Ited-lieaded Woodpecker consists to a consider-
aitle extent oi' insects of ditfei'ent kinds, sncli as orassi nippers, ants, lieetles, and
Hit's, maiiv of \\hich are cauiiht on the winji', and of sneli lar\a' as mav l»e hidden
nndcr the hai'k of ^rces, or in rotten wood; l»nt it rareh' di<is out those ot' the
\iood-liorin<i' beetles wliicli are fonnd in more solid trees. .\t this season it .dso
feeds larjicly on fruits and bei-ries, sucli as chi-rries, apples, pcn-s. ti^s, peaches,
and grapes, as well as on bhn-kberries, raspberries, mulberries, poke and elder
licrries, i^-reen peas, and Indian corn in tlie milk; and last, but not least, on \ ounj;'
birds and eji'H's. In the late fall and win'er its diet is more larii<d\- vciictable,
one of its staples beinj;' beechnuts; the berries of the sour iium, doMwond, and
|ialmetto are also larfi'cly eaten; acorns, Indian corn, ami small j;raiiis are like-
wise used, and it is well known that these iiirds also store awa\' supplies, consistini^'
iioth of insects and veji'ctable matter, foi' winter use.

One of the stranjicst thini^s in the life history oi' tiiis species, so eiitirelv
<litVerent in every respect from the habits ot' all our other \\ oodpeckers, is the
fact that it feeds on both t\n' e<ij;s and youiij; of other birds. I wouki hesitaitt
s(»niewhat to nfcord such an t^xci'e(linjily pt'rnicioiis habit if I had llie least doubt
as to it and had not jiersonally witnessed it. I ha\e been aware ot' the fact that
it did !-iometinies throw out tli(^ <'ji'fix ot' other birds nestin<4' in caxities in trees,
since .M.ivlH, jSS,"), when I found a b'ed-hcadcd Woodpecker riilinii' the nest of
a Uei'-shafted Flicker near Fort ( 'nstcr, Montana, wher(^ both these s|)ecies
were not nncomintm. The cavity contained six fresh ej;ys, two of which had

m

lii

t'l

TIIK UHDIIKADKI) WOOIM'lHMvEU.

KM)

alrt'iuly boon tlin»\vii out, and 1 oaii^lit tlio Kod-lioad in tlio act, <«>niin<>; out
til' tlio holo witli liis hill stnck tin'(>n;;li tla^ tliinl. At that tinitt ! sinipl}'
(•(insidoii'ii lliis act on its part as a I'ui-cililo approiniation ol' u coxi'tod nostinj^'
site, as suitaltlo troos \voro scarci^ in this \it'initv, and thnu;^'ht no nioro aliuut
ihc niattor. 'I'lm noxt year 1 saw t!at lolldwin};' ufticio in tho "Ooloyist" (\'ol.
• i, April, ISSd, p. -Jli), whicii I was rather rolnotant to lioliovo at first, writton
1(V a ficntloiiian si;;nin;;' liinisolt' L. 15. l'\, Anjiiista, (ia.:

"('iiiuiil)(ili'<iii (if the linl-liitiiliil Wdiulpcrkir. — I notiot'd two intcrostinjf inci-
dents last sprin;;' connected with a Weii-headed Woodpecker, which may interest

the readers o

i tl

'Ool

Oi-lSt.

arh' ni

M

IV

lonnd a nest ot this

liird

contani

ni"' SIX e:

tiS, SI

tuated in the dead hranches of an oak, ,'U) t'eet lii<>'h

»ear

l.v

Crested

Titi

Mouse

had iiidustriouslv carved out his little home, in which I

le was

I'eedini^' .1 nest I'nll of Nonn^'. A few days alter, havinj;' taken the Woodpecker's
(.Mu-s (\ needed them ior m\' collection), I was watchinj;' the Titmouse's nest to
see him feed his little ones, when suddenly t^o owner of the rolihed nest Hew
down and lit near the entrance to the nest of its nei^hlior, an I thrnstinji' his
head inside, he delilierately drew ont Ji yonn;;- l)ird, carried it to a liranch near
li\, ami ale it. \\v and his mal(^ re|ieateil tlu* same action until they had killed
the whole l»rood; after which, liavinj;- pulled ont the linin;;- of the nest, they Hew
awa\'. 'This was vcrv surprisin;>' to me, as I have no\tM" heard of Woodpeckers
indidninji' in caimilialism hefoic. Mut I had not yet done with the actions of
the Woodpeckers. A week or so ai'ler havinj^ broken up the Crested 'ritmouse
nest, I iivticeil the K'ed-heads repeatedly \isitin};' tho sito of their old nest. 'I'his
aroMNcd mv curiositv, and supposing' they had tlecided to la\ a new clutch, I
\ isited tile cavity to see whether my supposition was true. What was my sin--

ise to liud that, the hollow contained not ej.;"'s, liul the decaxiu"' l(od\- of

<!reat ('I'cstei

hiatclii'r.

II

iw it came there

know not; hut I

iun

fidh

iii\ iiiced that tlu^ IJed-lu-ads visited the spot for the |ini'pose of devouring;' the
•rmin which infested the tlecayin^- llesh."

.V similai' incident is i-ecorde(l in the same periodical (\dl. ■'),. I imo, 188!f,

where one o

ft!

lese hinls was seen, Mea

r llvdi^ Park. Ontario, .liilv, ISSO

p. 11 ;i).

carr\inu' a\\a\' a iVeshlv killed xduni^' I'oliin.

Lo\ (land, Colorado, well known as a perfectly reliaiile and carefid ohserxcr.

.Mr. W. (J. Smith, \

ormerlv oi

writes me

The l{ed-ilea(

Wood|

lecker IS a common slimmer resident in

the lower foothills aloiiii' liie eastern slopes of the Uockx' iMoiintains in this
Slate, and I coiisidi-r it a veritahh^ hiitcher anion;;' our Nuthatches and Chick-
adees, driviii''- e\-er\' one a\\a\ from its iiestiii"- sites, and woe to the liii'd that

tl

lis villain can re

aeli. It destiovs liotli

e<i'i:s ami xoiiiii;-, ilra^-jiii';- the

latti

out of their nests and fretpieiitly lea\ in^' them dead al the entrance of their

.Mr. Howard .loiies, Circleville, Ohio, 1 helieve was tho first naturalist to
record the fact that this species rohhed the nests of other hirds of tlii'ir eji^s,
and states how a coloii\- of ('lill' Swallows which had estalilished themselves
under the eaves of a lar"-e harn, near .Mount Sterliiiji-, Ohio, was iiearlv e.\ter-

|!i?

1 1 '' ; .

( -4 ■ '

< *

1

t .. ■; ■=

Ih

:• '

II

1 . "

i

m

''9

liSk

,-•*'*

la

1

; . ' '

1

^ <- *

•-,'

■ "

m

li

If
ill' ' '

m

,,'i.

110

LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

minntod by these pests. (See "Ornitholdgist and Oologist," Vol. 8, July, 1883,
]). /3(!.) To these instances I will now add my own testimony, it' further eon-
firmation of the evil doin<>-8 of this handsome freebooter is wanted.

On tiio evenhij;- of July 1, 18l»2, while walking with Dr. AVilliam L. Kalj)!!
along the border of an open jjiece of mi.\ed woods, used as ii pasture, near
Holland Patent, New York, we noticed a Red-headed Wood|)eeker take some-
thing, ajjjjarently a bunch of moss, troni a crotch of a maple and carry it to a
fence jjost of an adjacent field. After worrying some time in trying to swallow
something rather too large for his gullet, he finally succeeded, after an eft'ort, and
then worked some little time, evidently trying to secrete the remainder. Both
of us had our field glasses and were watching the bird's actions closely. After
some little time he flew back t<» the tree he had started from, while we pro-
ceeded to the fence post to investigate, and, nuu in to our disgust and surjtrise, we
found the freshly killed and partly eaten l)ody of a young bird, almost denuded
of feathers, securely tucked aA^ay behind the loose bark of the post. His
victim was too nuu'h mutilated to identify positively, but looked like a half-grovtii
liluebird, whose head had been crushed in, the l)rain abstracted, and the entire
rump and entrails torn <iut; the only parts left intact were the breast, upi)er i)art
of the back, and tlie lower portion of the head. Tin* missing parts had evidently
just been eaten by the rascal while clinging to the top of tluf post, and the rem-
nant was then hidden for future use. After carefully replacing this as nearly as
possilde in the position in which it was found, we retvu'iu'd; liut I was interested
enough to revisit the spot next morning, only to find that the Ued-headed
Woodpecker had evidently been there l)efore me and breakfasted on the
remains of the bird, as not a ve.stige of the victim was there to tell of the
tragedv. It is sincerely to be hoped that all Heil-headed Wood])eckei-s are
not addicted to cannibalism; but when this matter is looked into more carefully
I fear that this habit will be found not imcommon.

Its Might, lik(^ that of all Woodpeckers, is inidulating and surging, and the
bird looks especially graceful and jdeasing on the wing. It is an adept fly-
catcher, and its vision is exceedingly shar|). A considerable portion of its food
is pickeil up tioui tlu; ground. 1 have seen one drop down from his perch on
some dead liml:, fully "JO feet overhead, ])ick up a small beetle out of the grass,
flv back to its percli to eat it, and rejjcat the same performance as soon as
anotiier was espied. I have also seen them cling to the side of a tree or fence
post, perfectly motionless, for fifteen minutes at a time.

Dr. William L. Ralph tells me that the Red-headed AVoodpecker is the
latest of these birds to arrive on its breeding grounds in Putnam County,
Florida, where it rarely begins laying before May 1. It undoubtedly spends
the winti'rs in some other ])art of the .State where the food su])ply is more
abimdant. It is known to breed throughout the South, from Florida .x'estward
through the eastern half of Texas, and to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains
where it is fairly conmion, in suitable localities, from Colorado northward, but it
has not yet been found in New Mexico. In the South it is stated to raise two

THE BED-UEADED WOODPECKER.

Ill

broods in a season, but in tlio northern ])arts of its ranjjo it raises only one. Wliile
stationed at Camp Marney, Oreji^on, T was nuicli surprised to se«* a headdress of a
prominent I'ah-Ute chief profusely (U'corated with a number of the heads of the
Kt'd-iieaded Woodpecker, and 1 was led to believe that it nii^^ht ])ossibly occur
in the vicinity, but learned subsecpU'Utly that an enterprising;- Indian trader had
im])orted a number of tlie skins from the East and sold tliem to the Indians at
fan(\' prices. .Mr. Kobert Kiilgway records havinf^- seen one near Salt Lake
City, Utah, prol)ably a straj'-f^ler, and I know of only one other reliable record
west of tlu* Rocky Mountains, that of a bird taken by Mr. \V. W. Price, in tlie
Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona.

Like most Woodjjeckers, the Red-headed is rather noisy durinjj' the niatin;,^
season, ctmtinually frolickin<j and i)layin;i' iiide and seek with its mate, and when
not so eu<>a<;'ed, aimisinj;' itself l)y drunnnin<;' on some resonant dead lindt, or on
the roof and sides of houses, barns, etc. It is a rather suspicious l)ird, l)ut
where not molesteil it will occasionally nest in clo.se i)roxiniity to houses. Its
ordinarv call note is iv loud "tchnr-tchur;" wlien cliasinj;- each other a sinill
note like "cliiirr-chiirr" is frecpiently uttered, and alarm is exjtressed by a harsh,
rattlinj"- note, as well as by one which, accordinff to Mr. Otto Wi<lmann, is iiidi.s-
tiiiiiuishal)le from tiie note of the Tree-frof'- {Jli/la tirhorm). He tells me tiiat
both bird and fro^i' sometimes answer each other. I consider this species rather
(|narrel.s()me and domineerinj;-, botli toward its own kind and witii otiier l)irds,
and see little in its "general character to connnend. From an economic view, it
ap})ears to me certiiinly to do fully as nuich if not more harm than jiood, iind
1 consider it less worthy of protection than any of our Woodpeckers, tlie Yellow-
breasted Sapsncker not excejjted.

In tlie northern jiartsof its ranj^e nidificiition bei,nns usually duriny the last
week in May or the lirst week in June. Siuiie of its nestinj,^ sites are exceed-
inj^ly lU'iit piei'es of work; the edjjes of the eiitraiu'e hole are beautifully beveled
off, and the inside is as smooth as if linishi'd witli a line rasp. 'Plie entrance is
about !•'{ inches in diami'ter and the inner cavity varies from 8 to 24 inches in
depth; the e^ji's are deposited on a Inyer of fine chips. It usually nests in tiie
defid tops or limbs of di'ciduous trees, or in old stumps of oak, asli, butternut,
maple, elm, sycamore, cottonwood, willow, and other species, more rarely in
coniferous and fruit trees, at heijihts vjn-yiiifi' from 8 to 8(1 fi-et from the <;roiiiid,
and also not infrecpiently in natural cavities. On tlii' treeless jirairies it liiis to
resort mainly to telejirapli poles and fence jiosts, and here it also nests muler the
roofs of houses or in any dark cornel it can find.

Incubiition lasts about two weeks, and both sexes assist in this lai)or, as well

IS 111 the preparation ot tlie iiestinj;' cavity

f th

an

eii't is laiil dailv, and incubation

sometimes commences before the set is conij)leted. The young of this species
lire fed in the ordinary way, at any rate after they are half }>Town, the parents
hrin;;in<>' their food in their bills. The number of eggs to a set viiries from four
to seven, sets of five being most frequently found, while occasionally as many
as eight eggs have been taken from a nest. Mr. R. C. McGregor records taking

m'lii

m

•ii

I

'<!

m

:

■i

i

; ■

1

if

•

.'

•

.,

1

I

t

■I

i '

'♦

•

.J
i ■

■r'

:i;;J

iil

m

Hi

mi

112

LIFK HISTOltlES OF NOltTH AMEKICAN HIRDS.

a set tit" tell cffffs of tlu^ Ri'd-lu'iul, vnrviii<»- in sizo from onliiiiiry <lowii to tlmt
of tlio Soiij;- Sparrow, rnciihatioii varicil from fresh in the smallest e;;<^' to
advaiieetl in the larjfer; the nest was in the cn<l of a rotten limh of a lar<>e
willow, al)out 'JO feet from the <;ronn(l. I^oeality, (Irow Creek, Weld ("onnty,
Colorado, May, 1887.' Likt* the (fj^fjfs of all onr Woodpeckers, they are pure
china-white in color; the shell is tine jirained and rather jjlossy, and when fresh
thoy are ([iiite translucent; they are mostly short ovate in shape, and show but
little variation in this respect.

'I'he average measurement of sixty eggs in the United States National
Museum collection is 25.12 by 19.25 millimetres, or about (>.!)!( by 0.7(1 inch.
The largest oifix of the .series measures 2(!.D2 by 20.32 millimetres, or 1.06 by
0.80 inches; the smallest, 22.!tO by 18.03 millimetres, or 0.!»0 by 0.71 inch.

The ty])e specimen, No. 23423 (not figured!, from a set of ii\e eggs, was
taken bv .Mr. C. W. Richmond, near Washington, 1). (J., June 23, 188.^).

40. Melanerpes formicivorus bairdi Kukiway.

OALIKOIiNIAN WOOUl'KCKKK.

Mclaiicriics finiiiicironis hiiirili UllxiWAV, Itnllctiii >f(>. L'l, 11. S. National Musimmm, 1881,
;i4, S5.

(H 95, 0 ;{10, 1! ;f77, O i.'M, U »07.)

(iKOOKAi'UiCAi. WANtiK: Xortlioni and western Mexico, northern Lower California,
and adjacent portions of tlie United States, from western Texa.s, New Jlexico, and Ari/.oiui,
north tiironjih ("alifbi'nia. into western Orcfjon to about latitude 41''; east to the western
slojies of tilt! Sierra Nevada and ("a.seade mountains in (California and Orcfjon. Sporadic-
ally oil the eastern slopes of the Cascades in Lake and Klamath counties, Oiegon.

f

In suitable localities, the Californian Woodja'cker is one of the moat
abundant and familiar spi-cies along our soiuhern border, and it is also rather
common in numy portions of C'alifornia and west<'rn Oregon. Meing esst'iitially
a bird of 'the oak belt, this iiandsome Woodpecker need only be looked for
where these trees arc* abundant. In the northern portions of Calitbrnia and in
southwestern Oregon it is rarely met with at a greater altitude than 4,500 feet,
but in .Vri/.ona, New Mexico, and in northern Lower California it is often found
at considerable distances above this ])oint. In California it reaches the eastern
limits of its range on the western slojies of the Sierra Ne\adas, and in Oregon
it rarely crosses over to the eastern slopes of the Ca.scades. As far as I have
been abh* to ascertain, it reaches the northern limits of its range in ( )ri'goii, and
it a|)pears to be rare or entirely absent in the northwestern parts cd' tins
State. I ha\(' been unable to lind a, single ri'liabh; recortl (d" its occurrence in
Washington, and do not bt;lie\'e that it has I'ver been met witli so far north. It
attains the eastern limit (d" its range, as far as known, in the Santa l'\' Moun-
tains, in northern New Mexico, wher«* Mr. II. W. Ileiishaw secured several
specimens, and it is also connnoii in the riuadalu[ie and Davis Mountains, ami

'Thu l)uloj,'i8t, Mil. ->, .Marili, 1«K«, ji. 41.

THE CALIFORNIAN WOODPECKER.

113

in the hilly country in the vicinity of Harris Lake, near tlio head waters of
the Guadalupe River, in Kerr County, Texas. A female, shot on November 25,
1S!)4, in the vicinity of this lake, was recently sent mo for examination by Mr.
11. 1*. Attwater, of Sun Antonio, Texa-s, and ho writes me that it is reported
as fairly conuaon there in winter, and may possibly also l)reed there. This,
as far as 1 can ascertain, marks the most eastern jjoint of its known ranj^e within
our l).)nlers.

Jlessrs. L. Beldino-and A. W. Anthony both met with the Californian Wood-
])('('ker in northern Lower California, and it is well known to bo a connnon
inliabitant (jf many localities in northern Mexico. It is usually a resident and
l)iveds wherever found, and it is jfenerally more ])artial to the canyons and
foothill rcjiions than to the extensive level tracts and larger valleys.

Tile (/alifoniian Wooil[)e(!ker is by far the most social rej)resent<ative of
tliis family found within the United States, and it is no umisual occurrence to
see half a dozen or more in a sinfylo tree. It is alst) a well-disposed bird, and
seldom (piarrels or iiyhts witli its own kind or with smaller species; but it most
einphatically resents the thievin<r propensities of the ditferent Jays, .Ma<>i)ies,
and Scpiirrels, when cauf^ht tresi)assin}»' on its winter stores, attacking these
intruders with such vigor and persistency that they aro compelled to vacate
the premises in a hurry. Its manner of flight and call notes chtsely resend)le
those of the Red-headed Woodpecker, and, like it, it loves to clmg to some
convenient dead limb near the top of a tree and drum for hours at a time. It
is one of the most restless Woodpeckers [ know of, and never appears to be at
a loss for anuisement or work of some kind, and no other bird belonging to this
family could ])ossibly be more industrious. During the spring and sununer
its food consists, to a great extent, of insects, ineluding grasshoppers, ants,
beetles, and diH'erent species of Hies, varied occasionally with fruit, such as
cherries, which aro carrieil off whole, apples, tigs, and also berries and green
corn; but acorns always form its principal food supply during tiie greater
portion of the year, and large ninnbers are stored away by it in the thick
bark of ])inos, as well as in dry and partly rotten limbs of oak and other trees,
also in telegraph poles an<l fence posts. This peculiar habit of storing acorns
in rece])tacles especially made fov this purpose, and not under loose l)ark or
similar hiding places, seems, lK)wever, to l)o principally conhned to the birds
found in California and southwestern Oregon, while it has not as yet l)een noted,
to the same extent at least, in the ijomewhat smaller birds found in Arizona
and New Mexico; and this habit is far too noticeable to have been overlooked
by the many careful ornithologists who have visited Arizona since I was there
in 1S72 and 1873, and have had far better opportunities for ol)serving its lia))its
tlian I I'ujoyed. Although I traveled over considerable areas in l)oth years
where these bii'ds W(;re fairly common in places, I saw no evidence of their
storing acorns in the way they do in the more northern ])arts of their range,
tliough I must confess that I was then generally far more on the lookout for
hostile Indians than ornithological matters.

1()896— No. 3 8

'IB;^

I

•I'

I, f ,

i

a

fi "

lij

.ii

f

■•!,

y \ -

m

-if

114

LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Dr. E. A. ^learns, United States Army, separated tlic birds found in Arizona
from tiioso in (Jaiifornia and ( )re<'()n, descril)inff the sotitliern form as Mchinvrpvs
fonnicivonis aridratKs, and taking'' into consideraticjii tlie principal ditference
claimed by him, which appears to be constant, and also some api)arent discre])-
ancies in its <roneral iiabits, I believe it is as well entitled to subspecitic rank as
not a few other now reco;;iuzed subspecies. The most notable ditt'erence of this
southern form from other reco^niized races of this species is the small size and
peculiar shape of the bill, lioferrinfjf to its hal)its, the Doctor saj's: "A very
common resident in the pine belt, breedinjj plentifully. I have found it as hif^li
as the spruce forests, but never in them. It is essentially a liird of the pines,
only occasionally descendinj>' to the cottonwoods of the low valleys. The oaks
which are scattered throuji'h the lower pine zont* supply a hufi*' share of its food.
Its habit of industriously hoardinjf food in bark of ])ines and in all sorts of
chinks and hollows is well known. These stores are the source of luiendinf;
([uarrels Ijctween this Woodpecker and its numerous pilferinjf enemies, and I
have laiil its supplies under contribution myself, when short of provisions and
lost from the connnand with which I had l)een travelin<f, by iillin<^- my saddle-
baj^s with half-dried acorns from under the loose bark of a dead ]>ine."'

In Mexico it is rejtorted that they store acorns in the dry fiower stalks of
the yuccas and the majiuay, Ai/nrc americnna, which is generally known as the
"mescal ])lant" in Arizona.

In the Rogue River Vallev, in southwesteni (Oregon, 1 found these birds
exceedingly al)undant in the canyons and foothills along the western slopes of
the Cascade Mountains, and here one could see evidences of their industry
every little while. I have seen t'.ie thick bark of laige sugar and other ])ines,
as well as partly decayed oak liml)s and telegraj)h poles, completely riddled with
small holes. Some trees certainly contained thousands of holes. A section of
a partly decayed oak hmb now before me, which is ;< feet 2 inches long and A.^
inches in diameter, of which only about three-fifths of the surface has been
utilized (the remainder having i)rol)ably i)een found too .solid) contains 205 holes
by actual count. These holes are circuhu', and average about three-quarters of
an inch in dejjth by half an inch in diameter; each one is intended to hold a
single acorn, and they aw generally jjlaced from half an incii to aii inch ai)art.
The acorns tit these holes pretty accurately, and are ai)par('ntly always driven
in point foremost, the base of the acorn being flush with the surrounding wood and
not readily extracted. It seems improbal)le and almost impossible, for a single
pair of these birds to be al)le to excavate all the holes I'ound in <'ertain favorite
trees, and I believe that stores so ])Ut away are shared in conunon by a numl)er
of birds living in the vicinity. There is (•()nsideral)le dirterence in the edible
cpialities of acorns; some are exceedingly palatal)Ie, while otiun-s are rather
bitter. The Calitornian Woodj)eckers know tiiis, and as far as 1 have been able
to detect only select the sweet ones. The sup])osition that they store only wormy
ones, and allow the inhabitant to get fat Itefore eating it. is nonsense; the meat

'The Auk, Vol. VII, ISIWl, pp. l.'19-ijl.

THE OALIFORNIAN WOODPECKER.

115

fit" the acorn is the attraction, not the worm in it, and there is no doubt that it
t'liniishes their ijrincipal food during the winter, and more or h'ss (Uirinj^ the
remainder of tlie year as well. To get at their contents, they are carried to a
convenient tree wiiero a limb has been broken off; the acorn is then driven
finnlv into some suitable crack between the spli.iters, or in a crevice in the bark
(imy place which holds it firmly aTiswering the jjurpose) it is soon split open,
the outer hull removed, and the kernel is then ready to be eaten.

Mr. F. Stephens writes me: "The Californiau Woodpecker is an abundant
winter resident in the oak forest, on the mountain slopes in southern California,
and a rather common sunnncr resident in mixed oak and pine forests; less
common, tliou;«h still not rare, in summer, in the oaks below the pines. It is
always active and noi.sy, and more or less j^regarious. At one of my camps
in the pine rej^ion of Smith's Mountain a family of this species developed the
sap-suckinj>' habit. I had noticed some fresh holes in the bark of two live oaks,
a foot or two from the ground, from which sap was flowing, and later I .saw
the birds drinking; in one case three were seen drinking at the same time.
Tills is the only instance of the habit in this species that has come under my
observatif»n."

I foimd the Californiau Woodpecker very abundant on the western slopes
of the Cascade Mountains, on the wagon road from Fort Klamath to Jackson-
ville, Oregon, in the middle of June, 1883. Shortly after crossing the sununit,
and .IS soon as the first oak trees were met with along the western slo|)e of the
niduntains, soum of these birds wen> continually in sight, and their loud
"tchurr, tchurr" could bo heard in all directions. Several nests with young
were found, and these made a buzzing sort of noise when disturbed; a single
set of four slightly incubated eggs, one of them a runt, was taken on Juno 15,
ISS.'J, ])rol)ably a second laying, the first set having been destroyed, as nearly
all tli(^ birds had good-sized young at that time. The nests were all situated in
livo-oak trees, from 1.") to 25 feet from the ground. The site, from which I
olitained the set of eggs, was excavated on the under side of one of the main
iiranclifs of a good-sized oak, about 22 feet from the ground, sonui eight feet
away from the main trunk, and i-ather difficult ti) get at. I never saw Wood-
])eckers so abundant anywhere as this species was here. Evidences of their
indefatigable industry were frecpu'utly visible. A telegraph polo was observed
which was fairly honcycomlied with small holes, and a large bla'k pine had
the bark perforated from near the base of the tree fully 40 feet up and all
ai-oimd the trunk. This tree alone must have contained several thousand holes.
The only locality where 1 have observed this species on the eastern shipcsof the
Casc-ade Mountains was near Pelican Hay, on the west side of Klamath Lake,
where a few straggling oaks existed, the only ones I have seen (in that side of
the mountains; this accounted for the presence of this Woodpecker there. It
was quite rare, however, only three birds being noticed. 1 am erroneously
quoted in "Nests and Eggs of American IMrds," l)y Oliver Davie (Sd edition,
18Hy, p. 220), as having found this species breeding near Camp Harney,

m

1!

Mi

U\-;

116

LIFK HISTOUIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS,

m'm

■■"■I . .•

M:

Oref^oii; I novtT mot with this bird in southeiisterii Oregon, and know that it
does not occur there.

.^^r. J. K. Lord, tlio naturalist of th(! Britisli Houndary Coniinisaion, on
^fav 25, 18(!(), observed this species on tlie head waters of the Deseinite« River,
(>re;;on, also on the eastern slopi^s of the Cascades, ainonj^ a mixed growth of
l)ines anil oaks. The latter are found hero only in a few localities, and are not
generally distributed through this region. He does not claim to have met
this species in Washington, and is mis(][Uoted in "History of North American
Birds" (Vol. II, 1874, p. 5(;S).

Viewed from an economic standpoint, the Californian Woodpecker deserves
prote(!tion, as it is unquestionably more l)eneiicial than otherwise. The small
amount of fruit it steals during a sea.son is fully paid for by the insects and
their larvai it destroys at the same time.

In the more southern portions of its range nidification commences some-
times as early as A|)ril, and somewhat later farther north. The nesting sites
are nmstly ex(!avated in white-oak trees, both living and dead, but preferably
one of the formtn" is selected in which the core of the tree is decayed. It also
nests occasionally in sycamores, cottonwoods, and large willow trees, and more
rarely in telegraph poles. Both sexes assist in the excavation of the nesting
site, as well as in incul)ation. The entrance hole is about If inches in diameter,
perfectly circular, and is sometimes chiseled through 2 or 3 inches of solid
wood before the softer and decayed core is reached. The inner cavity is grad-
ually enlarged as it descenils, and varies from 8 to 24 inches in depth, usually
being from 4 to 5 inches in diameter at the bottom, where a quantity of the fine
chi])s are allowed to remain, on which the eggs are deposited. In the Rogue
River Valley the nesting season is at its height about the latter part of May, and
full sets of fresh eggs may be looked for here alxmt the 20th of that month.
I have seen the parents here canyiug fcK^l in their bills to the young, and I
believe they are mostly fed in this way. "^riie number of eggs laid to a set is
usually fi>ur or five, rarely more. Mr. F. II. Fowler, Fort Bowie, Arizima,
writes me that he has taken a set of ten, saying, however, "evidently the
product of two females."

Like the eggs of all Woodpeckers, they are piu'e white in color; the shell
is fine grained and not nearly as glossy as in the eggs of the preceding species.
They are mostly short ovate in shape, a few oidy being elongate ovate.

The average measurement of nineteen specimens in the United States
National ^luseum collection is 20.40 by ID.O.') millimetres, or 1.00 by 0.75 inch.
The largest egg measures 2(!.42 by lit. HI millimetres, or 1.04 by 0.78 inches; the
smallest, 24.38 l)y 18.2i) millimetres, or ().9(i by 0.72 inch; and a runt egg, 19.05
by 13.21 millimetres, or 0.75 by (t.52 inch.

The ty])e specimen. No. 19414 (not figured), Bendire collection, from a .set
of four eggs, was taken by the writer near Ashland, Oregon, on June 15, 1883.

TdE \AUUOW.FUONTED WOODPECKER.

117

41. Melanerpes formicivorus angustifrons TUird.

N AKKOW-FKONTKI ) WOODl'ECKEK.

MeliinerpcH /ormimi'oriiii var. (imjuKtiffititH Kaiim), Oriiitlii)li)<;y "f Ctililoniiit, T, 1870, 4(15.
(U — . (J .MOrt, 11 ;t77«, V 4."..-., IJ 4(l7i(.)

(lEoiiuAPHiOAi, BANOK: Soiitliorii jwrtioiis of Lower ( 'alifoniiii.

Tlu' NiUTow-tVonti'd Woodjjocker, a slifflitly siiiiillcr liuo witli a hri^iliter
siilpliur-yellow tlirt»at nn<l a iiarmwor frontal Imiul than X\w Calil'iirnian Wodd-
IH'ckiT, is confined to tlio nioro southeni ])()rtions of tlu* ]u'ninsida of Lowor
Califoniia. It was described by tlie \i\W IVof Spencer V. Maiid, !ii the "Orni-
tiiolo;jfV of California, 1870" (p. 40")), from specimens obtaim-il l»y Mr. J.
Xantns, in tiio vicinity of Capo St. Lucas, Lower California. Since then Mr.
L. Heldinji' foun<l it conunon at Jlirailores, and still more abundant in the
Victoria Mountains. Mr. JF. Abbott Frazar, while colhictinfi' for .Mr. William
Brewster, in 18H7, in the Sierra de la Laguna, Lower (California, found a nest
of this 8ubsj)ecies on June 3, containiu},' four e<ij;s, which are now in AEr.
lirewster's collection. He describes these as white, with a rather dull f^loss,
varvin^' in shape from blunt ovate to l)road elliptical oval, nieasurinji-, respeiv
lively, 0.95 by 0.75, 0.94 by 0.74, 0.89 by 0.77, and 0.89 l)y 0.7(1 inch: (.r 24.13
by {9.05, 23.88 by I8.80' 22.G1 l)y 19..-)(1, anil 22.G1 by 111.30 millimetre.s.
Mr. Frazar tells me that, as nearly as 1k^ remend)ers, the nestinj;' site was in ti
dead pine stump at no very f;reat distance from the "ground, its jrencral habits,
food, etc., api)ear to l)e very similar to those of the Californian Woodpecker.
There are no eyj^s of this subspecies in the United States National ^fuseum
collection.

W"'.!

4

k ti t

42. Melanerpes torquatus (Wilson).

LEWIS'S WOOUrECKER.

Picm iiirquatux WiLsox. American Ornithology, III, IHll, 31. I'l. XX. I'i};. 3.
Mvlaiurpen torqii<ititn BoNAl'AKTK, (!eoj;ra|ilii('al inid Coniiwrative List, 1.S3.S, 40.

(H 'M, (' 311, li 37ti, V. 45t!, L' 408.)

(lEOORAPHirAL RANOE: VV'estern North America: from western Texas, Xew Mexico,
and Arizona tlironjjh C'oloiado, Wyoiiiinfj, western Sontli Daicota, Montana, and interven-
ing rejjions west to the I'rtcilic coast; nortli to soutlieru Mritish Colundtia on liotli siiles of
tlie Cascade Mountains, and to southern Alberta, in the Dominion of Canada. Casual in
western Kansas.

Lewis's AVoodpecker, a handsome and rather pccidiarly colored species,
whose rich dark crimson and bristle-like breast feathers identify it at once, is of
coininou occurrence in suitable localities throu<^hout tin! West, raniiinj;' from
the eastern .slopes and foothills of the Kocky i\[ountains and adjaci-nt ranjivs
westward to the Pacific coast. In the more northern ])arts of its raiifi'e it is only
ii sunnner visitoi', and from about latitude 38° south it is an irrei^ular resident,

' . %

il

■f i

i(

M

w

\i\

i

A

m

"m ■

Mi

i

'Mi

V

II

118

LIKH 1I18TOUIE8 OF NORTH AMKIMCAN lUUDS.

rotiriii<f to tlic lower I'ootliills iiiul valleys to winter. It is eHpi'ciall', ahiiiidant
iiloii;^ the eastern slopes of the Sierra N'evadas, in Calit'ornia antl Nevada, as
well as on those of the CascadcH in Orejfon and Washinj^ton, and on both sides
of the nine Moinitains and eonneetin^ raiifres in Orcffoii, Washington, and
Idaho, in the innnediate vicinity of the coast it is not so eonnnon and occurs
only sparin^^ly, hut a few appear to winter here.

Mr. 1{. II. Lawrence writes mo: "I occasionally saw one in January, lH!r2,
at Vancouver, and later in the ^eason seviU'al apparently nestcsd in the vicinity
of {{idfi'eville, ( "larke ( 'ounty, Washin^iton, in tla- hrokeii tops of lar;>'e cotton-
woods or willows, on the Ixu'dcr of a sloiijih of the Coluinbia calleil 'Lake
Uiver.' In the sunnner theses liirds came to feed in sonw cherry trees by tho
furndioiise where 1 stoppe<l. I'pon Hvinfi' away each one usually carried off
a cherry in its bill. The only call or note of this bird I have heard is a
kind of ])eepin<r twitter, a sound that is weak and feeble for a bird of this size
to {.rive. On July 10, 1H!)2, 1 saw one on a cherry tree in the '^-.n leu, circlin<f
for insects; each time it Hew a robin chased it, almost touchin<jf it, as valiant
as a Crow after a Hawk, but the bird made no resistance to the several attacks.
I also observed this species, on September 27, 1893, near Wilson's Peak, in
southern California, at an altitude of about 0,200 feet, llyinj;' by with an acorn
in its bill."

^Ir. v. Stephens writes me: ^^ Mrhincfix's torifiiofiin is irrejiular in appearance
in southern ( 'aliforuia, but is at times a1)undant. I have seen this species under
circumstances that warrant the belief that it occasionally breeds here, but such
instances are rare."

It ])robablv breeds in small numbers in the pine forests of the hiji'her
mountain ranf>'es in Arizona and southern New Mexico, where it has been found
at all seasons of the year l)y different observers. 1 saw larfji-e flocks near my
camp on IJillito ("reek, during the winter of lH72-7i{, on several occasions;
they are more or less }>T(.'ji'arious at this season. In northern New Mexico and
in Colorado it is a eonnnon summer resident up to 7,000 feet; these remarks
apjily also to similar rej^'ions in Wyominji' and ^lontana. The eastern limit of
its breediuji- ran;;e extends to the Hlack Hills, in South Dakota, where .Mr. W. T.
Wood took a specimen on .\uj;-ust 2, 1H,')G, which is now in the Cnited States
National Museum collection. In winter it has been met with in western Texas,
and it strajf^les also occasionallv into the western pai'ts of Kansas. Althouiih I
have not l)een able to find a sinule reliable record of this bird haviu"' been
taken in anv of the northern Statt's of the ^lexican Republic, 1 am confident it

vet be found there as a winter visito

fiave met witti Lewis s

W.

])ecker in the \ iclnity of nearly all the Military Posts I ha\c l)een stationed at

abuntlant as alou"- tiie soutl

lern sioiies or

tl

le \'eiirs

in the West, but found it nowhen'

the lihu! Mountain.^, in the vicinity of ('amp Harney, Orej^dn, durini.

1H7.") to 1.S7S. Here it was only a sunnner resident, usually arrivinj;' about tho

20th of April, and in some seasons from seven to ten days later. It is by far

the most silent Wooilpecker I hake met, and, aside from a low twitterinii', it

LKWISH WOOKl'ECKKlt.

119

riirt'lv iitkTH a loud luitc. Kvcn wlicii sudiU'iily iiliiniu-il, and wlu'U it m-cks
siit'clv in riiglit, tin- siii'iil " liuit, liiiit" '/tvu on siicli dci'iisions l>y nearly all ut"
our Woodpeckers is seldom uttered liy it. ()nly wlieii niovin;:- al)ont in (locks,
on their first arrival in tlie sprin;^' ami during the matin;;' season, which lolluws
shortUal'terwarils, does it indnl;ie in a few rattlint!' call notes, resendilin;;' those of
the I{ed-shat't(Ml Flicker, and it diiiins more or less, in a lazy .sort ot' way, on the
dead top of a tall |)ine, or a snitahle liml) of a cottonwood or willow. Its tli^^ht
is not nearly iis swift as that of the majority of our Wooilpeckers, and reminds

oiir more of that of Clarke's Xntci'acker and sunu' of our .lavs, hein^j' a mh-

panieil by a considerahle amoinit of tla|>pin;i' of the \\in;;s; it is also less
inidulatinu' and more direct. In smnnier its t'odd consists mainlx' ot' insects «>f
ditfercnt kinds, such as ;irasshop]iers, lar;;-e lilack crickets, ants, heetle.^, tlies, larvie
of different kinds, as well as of herries, like wild strawlierries ami ras|il)erries,
service herries and salmon herries, acorns, pine seeds, and jiniiper tierries, «hih»
in cultivated districts cherries ami other small fruits enter into its daily hill of
fare. Mere, when connnon, it may occasio?ially do some little dama;^'e in the
orchai'ils, hut this is fully compensated hy the noxious insects it destroys at
the same time. In localities where ^irasshoppers are ahnndant they live on
these pests almost ex(dusively while they last. Mr. Shelly W. Denton tells mo
he noticed this Woodpecker ;iatherin;i' lunnhers of .May tlies (/\/ilii'iiiir(i) and
stickin^i' them in cre\ices of |)ines, generally in trees in which it nested, evi-
(h'Utly imttin;;' them away for futiu'e use, as they lasted Imt a few days, it is
an expert flycatcher, and has an extremely keen \ isioii', sallyin;;- forth freipieiitly
after some small insect when this is perhaps t'ully llKt feet from its perch.
Solitary trees, such as have a few dead lind)s near their to]is and afford a ;foo(l
outlook over the surroundin;;' countrv, are much liked hv them, and such a olio
is almost certain to he teiianteil hy a pair of these hirds, it' there are anv to ))o
found ill the vicinity. I havt) rarely seen Lewis's Woodpecker in deep forests;
far more frocpieiitly just on the oiit.skirts of the i)ines, in juniper ;;ro\-es on the
tahle-lands borderin;;' the ])ines, as well as in the deciduous timlter alon;;- streams
in the lowlands, and occasionallv even in solitarv cottonwouds or willows, near
some little si)riii;i-, in the drier saji'ebru.sh-covered Hats, miles away from the
nearest forest; it is by no means as ]tarticnlar in the choice of a nesting;' site
as the majority of our Woodpeckers. Shortly after arrivin;;' on their bree'ling
eruuiids a suitable site is selected for the nest, and not infre(|Uently the saino
excavation is used for successive Acars. In most cases the iiestini;' sites are
excavated either in llu^ tops of tall ])ines or in dry cottonwoods, and in tall
rotten tree* trunk.s, occasionally in partly di'cayed limbs of sycamores, oaks, an<l
less fre(pieiitly in jiiiui»ei's and willows. The nests, as a rule, are not easily
u'otton at, and (piite a niimbi'r are practically inaccessible, varying;' in hei;;ht

from (i to fully !(»(» feet from the "round. Dr. ('. T. ('

\e iniorms me

that

111

the yicinity of Salem, Oreyon, it usually iiests in oaks, and is a ran- hreeih-r
there. Lieut. H. C Henson, United States Army, has sent to the National Museum
a set of five eirirs, taken near Gilrov, C/alifornia, <»ii May 8, I<S1>4.

I

I

*■'

■■4

■''If

«

(

HI''

I

II

^Jiii

■../,

I

ill

If

U

120

lAVK msTOUlKH OF NOIMII AMKKICAN HIUDH.

Mr. W. (i. iSinitli took Huverul wntn «>t' ••f.'^f* in'tir l.tivcland, ( 'oliinnli), diiriiiff
tlu* (ii'Mt tell iliiVH ill .hint', ami I liiivo t'oiiiKl it Itrccdiii}; iinir Fort l.iipwai,
Idaiid, at Walla Walla, Wnsliiiifitoii; tiiid at Kurt Klamatli and ('aMi|» llanii'V,
Ori'pm. At tiif latter place these liirds nested mostly in innipers, and tlieir
ejrjis Were coinpai'utively easily olttaiiieil. I liave taken I'resli <'j>jis, a set of
ei^lit, here (ai May 17, and aiiotlier of seven as late as .Inne 'J'.l, slaiwin^ the
iiestiiifi' season to lie stanewlmt \arialile. 'riie junipers which are selected lor
nestin;;- sites were invariably decayed iusiih-, and after the Itirds had chisi'Icfl
throufi'li the live wood, which was usually only frotn I to "J inches thick, the
remainder of the w<iik was com|)aratively easy ; the same site, if not disturla'd,
was occu|iied tor several seasons, and in such the inner ca\ity was much deeper.
Home beiiiy' fully iJO inches deep and generally aliout 4 inches wiile at the
bottom. The entrance hole varies from 2 to 2^ inches in diameter, and wlu
this is mailo l)y the birds it is always perfectly circular; but occasionally a ]mir
will take advantaye of an old knot hole, if it and the cavity it leads to aie not
too larye. The presence of fresh chi|)S found at the bottom of the tree enaitled
me to readily tell if the site wuh a newly made one, or one of the previous
year, and a rap a<i:ainst the trunk easily told if it was occupied. On its
breeding grounds iicwis's Woodpecker apjiears to be a stupid and rather
sluggish bird; it (h»es not show nearly as imieli parental aft'ectioii as most of the
other members of this family, and it is much le.ss <lemonstrative. It is not at
all shy at such times, and will often cling to some convenient lind» on the same
tree while its eggs ari^ being taken, without making the least comiilaint. A
second and smaller set is generally laid a couple of weeks later, if tiie (irst one
is taken, and not infre(|uently in the same nest, if the entrance hole has been
left intact. Hotli .sexes assist in incubation, and this lasts about two week.s.
The young leave the nest abimt three weeks after they are hatched, and are
readily tamed. I ke|tt a c(Uiple for several day.s, but they had such enormous
aj)petites that I was glad to give them their liberty, as they kept me busv
providing suital)le food. They were esjiecially fond of grasshopjiers, but also
ate raw meat, aiul climbed everywhere over the rough walls of n>v house. A
ciaisiderable share of the food of these birds is jiicked nj) otl' the ground, and
they appear to be much more at home there than Woodpeckers generally are.
The young are fed on insects, ami I believe also on berries; I have seen one
of the.se birds alight in a wild strawberry patch, pick up something, evidently
a strawberry, tly to a tree close by in which the nest was situated, and give it
to <ine of the young which was clinging to the side of the tree dose to the
nesting site.

From live to nine eggs are laid to a set; those of ..iix or seven are the mo.st
common, but .sets of eight are not very rare; I found several of that number,
and a single set of nine.

The eggs of Lewis's Woodpecker vary greatly in shape and also in size.
They are mostly (tvate or .short ovate in shape, but an occasional set is decidedlv
rounded ovate, wliile others are elliptical ovate; the shell is close graineil and, in

liKWIH'H W4)()I>l'K("Ki;i{.

121

most cnscs, (lull, o|)i)f|iii' wliitf, witliout iiiiy ^^lllsH wlmtfvcr. Somo wts, liowcvcr,
iirr iiiciilcnitily ;;liisMy, liiit scarcfly iim iiiiit'h sd us tlic lifftfr-kiKiwii •••^yxot' ♦lii'
l>'ci|-|ica<lt(l WiMitljicckiT, iiixl iioiir ari' iis liistnuis iih the c^f^is ot' the Kliikcr.

Tlif avcni^if mcasiinMiii'iit of one Iniiiilri'il aiul scvfiity-oiu' >*|M'riin('iis in tin-
I'niti'il States Niitiimal Museum collrctiim is •_•(:. I'.'J l)y L'd.'JI! niillimclics, or al»niif
l.d.'l l)\' (I. MO inclics. Tlic lar^it'st vim "' ''"' scries iiicasiin's •_".•. KT liy ■JL'.'t'i
milliiiu'trts. cir 1.1s hy O.HH iiiclicM; tlio siiiallcst, "J.'J.HH l»y 1(1. .'il iiiilliiiutrcs, or
(i.!i| liy (l.fl.Miicli; and a runt (•;;•;.'. IM. SO liy l">.-_»4 Miiilinii'trcs, or 0.7 1 liy 0.(;o in<li.

liic type s|M'ciinfn, No. lH.'Jd.'i (not liyiirfd). MciHlirc I'nllectim:. trnm a
Kct lit' niiif v'!:<i:<*< was taken l»y tlie writer near ('ain|) Harney, < )rej;nn, im .May
24, 1S77; incnlMitiun liail (•(•innu-nced in seven ot" these e;;)is and two wen*
t'l'fsli; tlie male was cmiirlit in thu nost.

43. Melanerpes carolinus (Linn-kus).

■I

KKn-iiKi,i,ii;ii WKoiu'i'.cKr.H.

I'iriiK vitroHitttit LiNN.Kr.s, Hystciriii Niituni', cd. 10, I, 17.">H. U.'t.

MiUtinriiiH ciirolitiUH KiuuWAY, Annals Lyconni Natural History, New York, X, .Ian.,
1»"4, 378.

(1! !>i, c ;mmi, U .■»7i', C 4.-)»I, I' mi)

(iKDiiUAiMMCAi. KA.MiK: Kii.stem ITultcd Btatfs; f'nan I'liirida ami the (lalt roa.st,
north to sonthciii New York, I'enn.sylvania, < Miio, soathein Michifraii, soiilhiMii Wi.sronsin,
Hontheastern Hoath Dakota, ami southern (tntaiio, in the Dominion of < 'amiila : we.st to
Nehra.ska, Kansas, the Imlian Territory, ami thi'oii};h al>oat the eastern half of Texas.
Itare or casual i n eastta-n New York, ('onnuctiiait, ami laatcrn MasHaehnsetts,

'riie northern limits of the hreodin;.'' raiiji'e of the Hed-liellied Wnodjieeker,
also known as the "("arolina" and "( 'heekereij" Woodia-eker, "Zehra Miril,"
"Woodelniek," and in Florida its "Oran^i'e Sapsneker" and "Sham-shack," are
not well deliiied as yet. It is (|Ue.stionabl(i if it hreeds in New York, aIthoii>;li
Hpeeimens have been taken in ditVerent localities in this State both in fall and
winter. It is known to breed re^idarly in southwestern I'ennsybania, in W'ash-
in;^ton and Westmoreland counties, where it is a resident, and in a number of
instances iJed-bellied Woodpeckers have been taken inifh fartiier nnrtli in this
State, niaitily in winter. From southwestern I'einisylvaiiia westward it becomes
both more common audit tnore re;;'tilar summer resident throituhont its raiiji'e as
alrc'iiily indiciitod. In Nebniskii it ajjpears to be rare north of the Platte I»i\er,
and it is also reporteil as a rare summer visitor in sotitheastern South Dakota by
l)r. (i. S. .Vji'orsborji', wlieri- he savs it probablv breeds. Stranji'e to say, it has
not beeti reporttul yet tnttn any place in Minnesota; btit it will undoubtedly
be found in some of the southern counties in this Stiite,

Altl

10tt"ll

th

western limits of the ri

)f tl

in;;e ot tnts species are jiciierally ji'veii as reaclnn^;'

eiistern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, I can not lind any positive and reliable
reconls of it.s occurrence west of the States of Nebraska and Kansas, and in
these it seems to be rare in the western parts. It is fairly common and breeds

v

^■

•'I

' ' T

ii

;

1- --Irt

•llli:

;||ii

122

LIFE UISTOKIES OF NORTH AMEUICAN B1KD8.

-A

4

%)}'

■ J

i

I!mI

in the Indian Territory and the eastern part (>!' Texas. It is a constant resident
soutli of about latitude 39°, and not a few winter even at tiie nortlieni limits
of its range. It is a coinraon uud well-known resident in suitable localities
throufjliout all the Southern and Middle States witiiin ils habitat. I presume,
like tlie Red-headed Woodpecker, they are more or less irregular in their move-
ments at this season, dejjending mainly on an abundant winter food supply.
This handsome Woodpecker is not at all uncommon here in the adjoining coun-
ties of Maryland and Virginia, and is also met with in the District of Columbia.
Here it is a resident, and prefers tiie more heavily tind)ered bottom lands and
swi nipy woods to the hilly and drier forests. Throughout tiie northern jjortions
of its range it pn^fers deciduous or mixed forests to conifenuis, but in the south
it is apparently as common in the flat, low pine woods as in the oak haunnocks.
Newly cleared lands in which numbers of girdled trees still remain standing
are favorite resorts for this as well as other species. The l{ed-l)ellied, like the
majority of our Woodpeckers, is a rather noisy bird. Its ordinary call note
resembles the "tchurr, tchurr" of the Red-headed very closely; another soiuuls
more like "chawli, chawh," and this is occasionally varied with a disagreeable
creaking note, while during the mating season peculiar, low, mournful cooing
sounds are sometimes uttered, which somewhat resemble those of the Mourning
Dove. Its food consists of about etpial proportions of animal and vegetable
matter, and it feeds conssiderably on the grounil. Insects, like beetles, ants,
grasshoppers, different species of flies, and larv;e are eaten by them, as well as
acorns, beechnuts, ])ine seeds, juniper berries, wild grapes, blackberries, straw-
berries, pokeberries, palmetto and soiu'-gum berries, cherries, and a])ples. In the
South it has ac(piired a liking tor the sweet juice of oranges and feeds to some
extent on them; but as it always returns to the same one, until this ceasi's to
yield any mi>re juice, the damage done in this is but slight. It has also been
ol)serv«'d drinking the sweet saj) from the trouglis in sugar camps. The injurx"
it commits by the little fruit it eats during the season is fully attoned for by the
numerttus insects and their larvic which it destroys at the .same time, and I
therefore consider this handsome Woodpecker fully worthy of protection. It is
generally a rather shy and retiring bird throughout the greater part of its range;
but in afew localities it is (piite the reverse, and, according to Prof D. K. Lantz,
has been known to e.xcavate Its nesting sites in the cornices of buildings in
Manhattan, Kan.sas. Here, as well as in some other of our jirairie States, it
nests also in telegra])h j)oles.

Birils that migrate from the northern portions of their rangi' usually arrive
on their breeding grounds rather early, sometimes by March 'JO, and shortly
afterwards preparations for nesting are commenced. A suitable sit(f is readily
found in the decayed top of some tree, oi' in an old stump, ni'ar a stream along
the edges of a pasture, or close to some road, and less often farther in the center
of a forest. Deciduous trees, especially tlu' softer woo<letl ones, such as elms,
basswood, maple, chestnut, poi)Iar, willow, and sycamore, are ])refcrr"d to the
harder kinds, such as ash, hickory, oak, etc. In northern l''h)rida tlle^■ nest fre-

THK UED-BBLLIEI) WOODPECKER.

123

-'i

qm-ntlv in pinos. 8ev(!ral excavations are often found in the same iroo in wliielv
the nest is located, and occasionally tlie same site, with slij^ht ntpairs, is used lor
more than one season. Mr. E. A. Mclllienny tells me <hat this species is (piite
conunon near Alton, Illinois, where ho saw an enormous cottonwood tree, stand-
iui;' near the banks of Wood River, occupied by several pairs of these birds, tjie
tree l)eing fairly i-iddled witb their holes.

Mr. 1). li. Burrows, of Lacon, Marshall County, Illinois, has kindly sent
inc th(» followiii;^ notes on this species, as oitscrved by him:

"Tile Ited-bellieil Woodpecker is a fairly conunon sjjccies in this section,
and is found in the river bottoms, in the bluffs, or in the small timber tracts
borderiu};' the prairies. I also met with this species frequently in southern
Arkansas, and found it to be the most conunon Woodpecker in north central
Texas, and there it fre(iuently makes its nest in tele;^raj)h poles. During the
nesting season I have found the birds to be (piite noisy al)out the nest, and in
several instances hav(( discovere<l the site, wiiile buildiufi-, l)y tlu^ nois\- call of
the bird; a search would reveal the femahf clinging to the tree just beneath the
opening. Sometimes 1 have observed her standing motionless for (|uite a while,
as though resting from her labors. Tiiis bird is a good nest builder, and with
its sharp bill is able to excavate cavities in living trees. 1 have never found a
nest in a tree that was wholly <lead. Sometimes the dead extremitv •)f an
upright 1)ranch of a living tree is used, and again 1 ha\(i found the nest in the
trunk of a livin; tree; in two instances I have found secontl-growth, lixing
black oaks used, ti nest cavity being about halfway up, whei-e the IkxIv of the
tree was not more than 7 inches in diameter. Tlie l)irils do not seem to be
))articidar as to tlus kind of tree used, as I have found them in many different
species. Th(( nest ranges from lo to fiO feet from the ground. Wlieu it is
reached, the birds tly al)ont lUU'asily, uttering their oft-repeated "chii-clia-cha,"
and 1 have had the female alight on the same Ijranch that 1 was on and but a
few feet distant.

"In tiiis part of Illinois tin- nesting season begins in April. 1 have taken
fresh eggs as early as May 2 and as late as .lunt; (!, and liav(f found young in
the nest as early as the latter part of April, so that in soint? instances eggs are
ile])osited (piitt; early. I havi' never found uunv than four eggs to llie clutch in
tiiis locality. In central Texas I took tlu! first full set of five eggs on April ■_'.'{,
an<l believe they do not begin to nest much earlier in their southern rang(^ than
they do here. The eggs taken from this locality average much larger than my
Texas specimens, and five <'ggs to the clutch are not uncoinmon farther south."

Moth sexes assist in excavating tim nesting site, as well as in inciiliatioii,
which lasts about fourteen days. The sites selected are usually from a to 70
feet from the ground, and resemlile those of our other Woodpeckers in every
respect, averaging aiioiit I'J inches in (hsptii. It takes from seven to ten days
to (fxcavate a nest, and frequently the birds rest for a week afterwards bi'fore
beginning to h •, ; an vtffi; is deposited daily, and from three to five are usually
laid to a set, rurely more. (.Hiinate seems to ali'ect the time of tlieir nesting very

iii'i

>h

ill

W

1

"M

1 :

•A i

I

■11

1- :;

124

LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMEKKJAN BIRDS.

little, as they appear to lay quite as early in the northern parts of tlioir range as
in the more southern. Full sets of fresh eggs may l)e looked for tlus last week in
April and during the first half of May. Generally only one bi-ood is raised in a
season. Jiotii })arents are devoted to their eggs and young, and will frequently
allow themselves to be cajitured rather than forsake their treasures. The eggs
are wliite, mostly ovate in shape; the shell is fine grained and rather dull looking,
with little or no gloss, resembling in this respect the eggs of Lewis's Woodpecker
more than those of the Ked-headed species.

The average measurement of twenty-four specitnens in the United States
National Museum collection (the majority of these coining from Florida) is 25.15
by 18.54 millimetres, or ().!(!) by 0.73 inch. The largest egg measures 2(). 6 7 by
l!l.3() millimetres, or 1.05 by 0.76 inches; the smallest, 23.11 by Hi.ld milli-
metres, or 0.91 by 0.66 inch.

The type specimen, No. 24727 (not figured), Ralph collection, from a set
tit' f(nu' 0'^<^>i, was taken by Dr. William L. Ralph, near Sau Mateo, Florida, on
May 18, 1885.

44. Melanerpes aurifrons (Waglek).

GOLUEN-FUONTEU WO( )D1»ECKEI{.

Picus auri/roiiH Waoler, Isis, 1829, 512.

Melanerpes auri/ruiu Kidgwav, Proceedings IJ. 8. National Mnseuni, VIII, 1885, 355.

(B 92, C 307, R 373, C 451, U 410.)

Geographical range: Ecostern Mexico; south to the City of Moxico; west to
Jalisco; north into the southern portions of central Te.\ii.s to about hitituile 35° 10' (Young
County). Ai)j)arently not found in western Texas west of longitude 101°.

The breeding range of the Golden or Yellow-fronted Woodpecker is
coextensive with its geographical distribution in the United States, and it is
probably a constant resident wherever found. Tiie northern limits of its range
have been considerably extended during the past few years, the most northern
point where it has been found, as far as known at ))resent, being Belknap, Young
County, Texas, where Mr. G. Ragsdale observed this species in the fall of 1878,
and I would not be surpri,>'ed to find it still farther extended into the extreme
southwestern parts of the Indian Territory and Oklahoma. While it appears
to be pretty generally distributed througliont southern Texas, it is less abnndant
in the central districts of the State, and throughout the more western jtarts it
a])pears not to be found at all. In .some of the eastern portions of its range in
Texas it overlaps that of the i)rece(ling species, nnd its general habits are very
similar to those of the former. It is e<inally at home in the more or less stunted
mesqnite, iuiisache {Acacia fa nu'siaua), and post-oak thickets of the drier plains,
as in the heavier and more luxuriant forests of the river bottoms.

Mr. I). H. Burrows has kindly furnished me with the following notes on
the habits of this species, as observed by him near Uoiua, Starr t-ounty, Texas,

THE GOLDEN-FRONTED WOODPECKER.

125

on the lower Uio Grande: "The Golden-fronted Woodpecker is a common
resident species in this hx'ality, and nuich more abundant than Bairds' Wood-
pecker, tho only other variety that I have fmnid here. They may ])o found
wherever there is u growth of trees sufficiently larjife to afford nestinj? j)lace.s hut
are most numerous in the river bottoms where there is a heavy growth of old
mescpiito tind)er. Diu'ing the fall and winter they may be found traveling about
from place to place in.pairs, and are easily located by the call note, which some-
wliat resembles that of the Ked-bellied Woodpecker, the habits of the two birds
being in many respects (piite similar. In tlie spring, when nesting, they become
verv noisy, and when approached, utter their alarm note witli great vigor. I
have never known tliis species to drum on a dead liml), as most of tho other
Woo(li)e«'kers do. When searching for food they may be seen very diligently
at work near the base of old trees, among tho thick bushes, or even ou the
ground. The nest is by preference made in the lives trunks of large trees,
usually tho mescpiite, but sometimes, in a dead stump or limb, the same cavity
l)eing usi'd year after year, and it is rpiite a rare thing to see a fre.sli excavation.
Tlie nesting season begins in Aj)ril, and most of the nests contain fre.sh eggs by
^lay 10. 1 took a set of six eggs from a cavity in a live mescjuite tree, tho
opening being but 2 feet !) inches from the ground, but usually they are placed
from S to 20 feet up. Althongli the birds are not notably sliy, yet it is my
experience that tliey kMve tho ne.st whon approached, and it is a hard matter
to find the bird in the excavation. If the nest is molested, the birds return and
vigoi'ously protest."

Mr. IT. P. Attwater writes me: "The nearest point where these birds nest
in the vicinity of Rockport, on the Gulf coast, is in the mesquite region, from
If) to 20 miles north of tliis place. Here their favorite nesting sites are in
telegraph poles, and there are few that are without Woodjjecker holes, as they
ap])ear to make new ones every year. Near San Antonio, Texas, where the
Golden-fronted Woodpecker is a common resident, it nests in all kinds of tall
live timber, pecan, oak, and large mesipiite trees being preferred, but telegraj)li
poles furnished favorite sites here al.so. A line running out of San Antonio
to a, raiu'li nine miles distant was almost destroyed l>y these birds; they came
from all sides, from far and near, and made fresh holes every year, sometimes
as many as five or six in a single })ole. Here it also nests occasionally in
artificial nesting sites, like bird boxes, etc., in j-ards and gardens."

I have read the following statement in a newspaper, said to have been made
by a prominent olhcial of one of the transcontinental telegraj)h lines, of which
I (piote oidy a portion:

"Wood))eckers are attracted to telegraph poles by tho humming noi.se of
the wires, caused 1)y the hitter's vibration in the wind, they believing that the
noise is made by insects boring in the poles, and these lairds accordingly lost
much time ami energy in knocking against the poles with their bills in order to
drive the supposed insects to the surface, where the latter would be readily
captured if they were only there to come out."

;*

I w

-l-

;li

I.

* I;

m

\i'.^

li ;

I '
I

\ .

I •

m

;

-1 :*

w

.m ■

If

m

i

iv

M

II

I

126

LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

I (l<i not holievo for an instant that tliese birds are qiiito as readily deceived
as this. The real cause of tlieir ])redilection for telefjrapli ])oles, in my opinion,
is tliis: These poh's are in many instances taUer than tiie prevaihnjf timber
found in tiie vicinity, and afford a mucli better outlook over the surroundiu};'
country. All Woodpeckers are fond of clinirin}'' to the highest dry limbs they
can find in the vicinity of their nesting sites; hence their j)reference for tele-
<;ra})h ))oles in prairie country or in mesquite and jmst-oak scrub, which rarelv
attain any f>reat. height in the dry plains and hills where they are usuallv ftmnd.
In such sections.the telegraph poles furnish not alone a better outlook, but also
convenient, and secure nesting sites, and they are not slow to avail themselves
of such advantages.

Their food consists of insects of various kinds, such as beetles, ants, grass-
ho])pers, also larva', acorns, Indian corn, and different kinds of wild berries ai\d
fruit. Consiilcrcd from an economic jioint of view, this Woodpecker certainlj'
does more good than harm, and the only thing that can be said again.st it is
that in certain localities where it is common it may make itself more or less of
a nuisance by iJijuring telegraph jjoles.

NidiHcation conunences sometimes in the latter part of ]\rarch, but usually
not nmcli before the miihlle of April; both sexes assist in this labor, and it takes
from six to ten days to excavate a proper nesting site; both live and dead trees
are used for this purpose, a.s well as telegraph poles and fence posts; the holes
are rarely over 12 inches dee]), and are situated at no great distances from the
ground, mosth' from (i to 25 feet up. From four to seven eggs are laid to a
set, usually hvi^ or six; these are ])ure white; the shell is dose grained, dull
looking, with I'ttle or no gloss, and varying in shape from ovate to short and
rounded ovate.

Incubation lasts about fourteen d.ays, and both sexes share this duty. The
earliest breeding record 1 have is April 7, IS84, on which date the late Capt.
1$. F. (ioss took a set of five eggs, near C'orjms Chri.sti, Texas, which is now in
the rnite(l States National Museum collectiim. It is probable that two broods
are occasionally raised in a season, as there are sets of eggs in the collection taken
in .June, antl two of these in the latter part of this mcmth.

The average nieasiu'ement of seventy-three eggs in the United States
National ^luseuui collection is 2').Ho by lO.oO millimetres, or about 1.02 by (1.77
inches. The largest egg of the series measures 27.94 by 10.5() millimetres, dr
1.10 by 0.77 inches; the smallest, 22.8f) by 17.78 millimetres, or O.flO by 0.70
inch.

The type sjjecimen. No. 20902 (not figured), from a set of four eggs, was
taken by Dr. .James C ^lerrill, United States Army, near Fort Ihown, Texas,
on Ai)ri"l 28, 1877.

. 1
■

THE GILA WOODPECKER.

127

45. Melanerpes uropygialis (Baird).

GILA WOODPECKER.

Centnrux nropygiaUn Haibd, Proceedings Academy Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, June,

1854, VM.
Metanirpes uropynialis KiixiWAY, Proceedings U. S. National Mu.seuni, VIII, 1885, ;i55.

(H !i;$, c ;{o«, u .{74, c 452, u 411.)

GEOciUAPinoAi. iiAN(iK: Southeastern Californift, southern Arizona, sonthwestern
New Mexico, Lower California; south to Jalisco and Aguas Califentes, Me.xico.

Tlio Gila W()odi)ecki'r is a connnou resilient in .>*uitable localities thronghout
tlie fj^reater part ot" .soutliern Arizona, and is most connnon at altitndes of about
•J.fjOO, but it is met with here up to 4,500 feet. Althouj'h it has l)een rei)orted
as having been taken in several localities in New Me.\ico, for instance, by
Lieutenant Whipple on Hill William's Fork, on February Ki, 1H54, this is
ri'allv in western Arizona; a couple of more recent records, from Pueblo Viej^o,
New Mexico, September l!l and 27, 1873, by Dr. C. G. Newberry, I believe
will also have to be changed to Arizona, but I have been unable to find this
place on any of the later mai)s. The only locality in New Mexico where the
(iila Woodpecker seems to occur is in the Guadalupe Mountains, in the extreme
southwestern corner of the Territory, where Dr. Edgar A. Mearns, United States
.Vrmy, found it common along the international boundary line in the summer
of 1893, and forwarded several specimens ol)tained in that vicinity to the
United States National Museum. It reaches the northern limits of its range in
the United States in the vicinity of Fort Mohave, Arizona, about latitude 35'^,
while in southeastern Arizona I believe it has not been detected as yet north
of the Gila Hiver, in about latitude 33^. It seems also to be found throughout
the greater part of Lower (California, where both Messrs. J. Xantus and L.
lielding report it as common in the vicinity of Cape St. Lucas. Mr. Walter F.
Bryant observed a few on Santa Margarita Island, and met with it generallv
idong the overland route, and Mr. A. W. Anthony writes me: "1 found the (Sila
Woodpecker not unconunon from the southern slo])i s of the San Pedro Martir
]\Iountains neai'ly or cjuite to the coast of San Fernando, Lower California.
Its presence was governeil entirely by the giant cactus, and it was only in the
near vicinity of the larger growths of these that they were to be found." In
a subsequent comnumication he states: "At the time I ieit my camp in the
dry desert region, about 50 miles .south of San Quentin, Lower California, on
.Tune 25, 1894, young of Driinlmtrs scaliiris iKcoaaiiiis, Melanerpes iiropytfidlis, and
Colaptes iliri/sni(h's were all common in families. The cacti ft)uud here were
vastly larger than in southern Arizona."

Helating to its distribution in southeastern Califoniia, Mr. F. Stephens sends
me the following notes: "The western limit of this Woodi)ecker seems to be the
Colorado Hiver. 1 expected to find it in the central part of the Colorado Desert,
where such species as Dri/ohates scalaris hairili, P'ipUo aherd, and Ilarporlii/iielnis
crissalis occur, but so far I have failed. I found a set of three partly incubated

I

M iM

I •'

■>.f

■^;"ij-

:

128

LIFK niSTOBIES OF NORTH AMEBICAN BIRDS.

eii'fC^ ill ii tVcslily cxcavatod liolu in ii growinj^ willow on Miiy 4, 1S8(5, opposito
Yuiiiii, on the Ciilit'orniii sido of the Oolonulo Uiver."

I firist met with the Gila Woodpecker dunn<y the winter of 1871-72 in
the vicinity of iny camp on the Santa (Jruz River, a few miles south of Tucson,
and siibsecjucntly found it to bo a common breeder at my permanent cam[) on
Rillito Creek, some seven miles fromTncon. Its general habits resemble those
of the ("alifornian Woodpecker in many respects. Like it, it is a rather noisy
bird; its ordinary call note, soundin<>- like "dchiirr, dchiirr," can lie heard in all
directions in the spring; when flying from one point to another it usually utters
a sharj), shrill "huit" two or three times, resemliling the comiiion call note of
the I'hainopepla, and which may readily be mistaken for it. It is also more
or less addicteil to drumming on the dead tops of Cottonwood, sycamore, and
mescjuite trees. Its flight, like that of most Woodpeckers, is undulating, rather
swift, and, on the whole, I consider it a. more or less suspicious and shy l)ird.
In southern Arizona at least, it seems to be equally jiartial to the well-tiuibered
bottom lands and mountain canyons as w(;ll as to the giant cactus groves in the
more arid foothill regions.

Its food consists of insects of various kinds, such as ants, beetles, grass-
hoppers, and larva>, and in season largely on the sweet, tig-like fruit of the
sahuaras, the giant cactus, and also, to a considerable extent, on the viscous
berries of a species of mistletoe which is (,'ommonly found on most of the larger
cottonwoods, oaks, and nies(iuite trees in these regions. Pliese sticky, whitish-
looking berries are a favorite food of many Arizona birds. Whih; tiie majority
of the (Jila Woodjjcckers in southern Arizona nest probably in sahuaras, quite
a number breed also in tlie larger cottonwoods, sycamores, and mesipiite trees,
gi-nerally, however, either in inaccessible situations in dead limbs which can
nor be trusti'd, or in the live mescjuite trees, in which the entrance can only l)o
enlarged with a, great deal of labor. I know no native tree whose wood is
hanh-r than this.

According to my observations, nidification in southern Arizona begins about
the latter jjart of April, and full sets of fresh eggs may be looked for during
the last two weeks in ^Eay. I found my first set of four eggs on Hillito Creek,
on ]\Iay 2i5, 1872. The nesting site was excavated in a limb of a large cotton-
wood tree, on the under side, and about 20 feet from the ground. The cavity
was 18 inches deep and 4 inches wide at the bottom; the entrance liohi was
perfectly circular and onl\- 2 inches in diameter. The limb was partly dead,
and the nesting site Mas located in this, a few chijjs being left in the bottom
of the hole, on which the eggs were dcjiosited. Both birds were on hand and
very uneasy while I was rifling the nest, uttering notes of i)rotest from a liinl)
overhead. As .><oon as I descended the tree they examined their despoiled
home in turn, and were evidently much surprised fo find their eggs gone. On
]\Iay 28, 1872, 1 found a second nest, also containing four eggs, in a sahuara,
about 20 feet from the ground. It caused me fully two hours of hard work,
with two men assisting me, to get these, by planting a pole alongside anil about

THE filLA WOODl'KCKKU.

129

ji foot from tlic cncttis, niid cliinbiiif,'' u}) this. InculKitioii was nhout oiu'-tourth
iidviiiici'il; tlic t'ciiiiilc WHS at lioiiic, l)ut How out as mooii as tlic ractiis was
struck with a stick. The inner cavity was (inly i\ inches (h-ep anil (juite roomy;
the juices of the cactus t'ornied a har<l incrustation, and tlio v^iXH laid on the hare,
hard tloor. On .May 30 I took another nest, also in a cactu.s, containing- tour
niuch-incuhated e^j;s. 'I'iiis time 1 tried choppinj"-, and had ropes thrown around
tiu^ top of tlu! cactus to steady it and let it conu^ down slowly, hut this plan
(lid not work well, and two of the o^'<;s were broken.

Fidly three-fourths of the.se hinls nest in cacti here, while the remainder,
nesting' in trees, are about e(puilly dillicull to j^ct at. Mo.st of their nestin<^
sites ail' used for several years in succession; in fact, I doultt verv imich
if a freshly I'xcavatinl hoht in a f^-iant cai'tiis is fit to nest in the same season.
Uoth sexes a.ssi.st in e.xcavatinj^ the nestinj^ site, and inculiation lasts about
two weeks.

The number of e}.rfjs to a set varies from throo to (ixc, sets of four beinj;
most coininoii. Like those of all Woodpijckers, they are pure white in c(dor.
'I'lie shell is line ^raitioil and not very j^lossy — not nearly as nuu'h so as the
e<j:<;s of the Ked-headed Woodpecker; they resemble moiH! the e;ifis of the other
species of this (feiuis in this re.sjiect, and in shape they vary from ovate to
elliptical ovate.

'I'he avera<;e nu'asuremeiit of twelves i'<x<!;s in the I'liited States National
Museum collection is •J4.,'58 by IS.O'J millimetres, or about O.Od iiy 0.71 iiu-h.
The larji'est ei>-j>' measures I'T.-b'! by IS. SO millimetres, or l.OS liy (1.74 inches;
the smallest, L>-i.S(; hy 17.-J7 millimetres, or ().!)() by 0.6S inch.

The typo specimen, No. lfl41S (not ti<;'urod), IJendire collection, from a set
of four e^'^s, was taken by the writer on Uillito (Jreuk, near Tucson, Arizona,
on May

23, IS 72.

46. Colaptes auratus (!.inn.i:ijs).

i'i.icKi;i(.

Ciiciilita aiiriilim Li.NN.KfH, Systcnia Natiinv, ed. 1(», I, IToS, 111'.
Coliipkii auratii!^ Vigors, Zdolofiica! .loin'nal, 111, 1,SL'7, 141.

(I! ',»7, (! 311-', It .378, (1 457, I- 412.)

(ii'oriiiArmrAL uanok: lOastcin Nmtli Anu'rica; tVoni Moiida and tlic Gulf coast
iiortli tlirod^'li tlio iiiaritiiiic iiroviiictis of Canada to Newtoinidlaiid and .soatlicrn Labiadur,
and till! slioros of Hudson Hay, to about latitude .W^; thence in a nortliwcstcrly dirccliiin
to Alaska, to about latitude (>S^; west tlii()U};li about tlie pastern half of Texas, the greater
jiart of the Indian Territory, Kansas, the eastern half of Nebraska, South and North
Dakota, and the provinees of Asi^iniboia and .Saskatchewan, Doiiiiniou of Canada, to
northern Ibitish Columbia. Casual in California; ueeidental in (ireeiilaiid and lOurope.

'I'he hreediiifi' rani^e of the Flicker, also connnonly known as "Golden-
winf>('d Woodpecker,'' "Yellow-shafted Flicker," " Yellow-haimner," and less
often as " llioh-hole" or "Iliyh-holder," "Clape," "Wake-up," besides u niunber

Itib'Jti— No. 3 U

■.::i

'1''

•Hi

;Ul?

m

w

p

130

hlFK UISTOlUEa OF ^•OUTlI AMERICAN DlJtDa.

1»

4

»r.

I ■;* if

.riff

i

if (.tl

icr more o

r less local names, is nearly coextensive wi

ith its

ireojrra

pliicivl

ilistrilmtion. In the more northern portions of its ran;^c it is a rej^iihir mij^Tant,
while it is usually a rijsident south of latitude 38^, ami winters in consi(leral)l(!
ninnl)ers farther north, straj^'j^'lers remaining;' even in Maine ami New Urunswick.
In the Southern States it is nuurh more ahundant in winter than in sunnner; still
a innnher of these birds breed in southern Florida, while it appears to b(! a
rather rare i)reeder in the immediate vicinitx' of the (!ulf coast, in Louisiana

md eastern Texas.

It

IS a very common

bird

m sui

tablt

ocalities thronji'hout

the eastern United States and the more southein parts of the Dominion of
Canada, bein;^' <;'enerally found below altitudes of 4,00(1 feet, and few species
are more <^enerally and l)etter known than tlu^ Flicker. Its breedinji' ran>j'e also
is more extensive than that of any other meini)er of this family found on tlu;
North American continent, ranj^iuff from about latitude '2H^ in Florida to Fort
Anderson, Mritish North America, in latitude (JS^ .'Jo' N., and probaltly still
farther north. Here 3lr. H. MacFarlane rejiorts it as "by no means scarce in
the valley of the Anderson; but, as it,> e<jjfs were not in demand, very few
indeed were <rathered for tran.smis.sion to Washinjifon, I). C." '

It i)rol)altly breeds thronyhout Alaska; l)oth Messrs..!. Lockhart and Robert
Kennicott forwarded .skins and iig<i:>i from Fort Yukon, which are now in the
I'nited States National Museum collection, and it has been taken within a few
miles of the coast in Herin;^' Strait. One of the most western breedinjr records
known to me is that furnished l)y Mr. K. MacFarlani , from Fort St. .James, Stew-
art's Lake, Hritish Columljia, who found the Flicki-r not uuconunt>n there, both
skins and efj'fi's, taken in the sunnner of 18!(0, havinjjj- becii forwarded by him
to the Fnited States National Mu.seum. In Labrailor it is rare, and I doubt
if it breeds there to any extent, exce})tinj^- perhaps in the extreme southern
portions. Alony the western borders of its ran;4'e in the Fnited States it inter-
jirades with ('(ildjttis rafcr, and <piite an extensive transit on ziuu! exists hei'e,

nu

hid

mg westeri. Texas, the eastern slopes i

tf the 1\( ck\' ^lountains

am

adjacent ranj^'es, in which typical specimens of both s[)ecies are fomid, a

s we

as

manv intermediates which show the chief characteristics of one or tlu! other

si)ecies more or less (

li.stincth

The same conditions exi^t to a somewhat less
dej;ree on tlie I'aciHc ("oast, in (California, ()re<;'on, Washiiifffon, and Mrili.sh
(V)lund>ia, where Cohiptis aiirtttiis from Ala.ska interfyrad'-s witii Cohiiifi:^ ctifcr
from th" interior, and j)robably also with the darker n(a■th^^est coast form, known
as Cdldjitcs rdfi'r sdliodtioi: For more di-tailed information on this snliject I
refer the reader to Dr. .1. A. Allen's interestiuj^' j)aper."

The Flicker is one of the mos
aiiparentlv alwa\s on o-ood terms wi

t .sociable of our \Voodpeckers, and

api)
usu

th its

nei

jihb

Mirds which

nu;irat((

dly return to their summer homes early in April, ind occasionally e\cn
in March, and one will not have far to jio then without iicarin;;- some of its

I I'mcci'iliiiK" !'• *^' Ntttioiiiil MiiHt'iim, 1S!I1, vol. II, ji. 4;i8.
Tlic Xcirtli Ami'lican SpiicleH of tlic^ (i<Miiis Col.iptvs, (•oiihIiIimimI nitli Hiiccinl icrcronce

iIk

elH-

tii>nslii|is of I'tihiptiH luiiiiliis and CohtpleM ni/cr, pulilislictl lij tUi' Aincrlcau .Miis<'iiiii nl N'atiinil lliiitory,
Hiill«lin, Vol. IV, ISU2, pp. :il-44.

TIIK FLICKKR.

131

mil

nv ami nitlicr incloilioiis ciills. 'I'lic iiiiih's usiidlly iH'cccdc tlic f'cmalfH a W

(lavs, ami as sonii as tlic latter arrive one can licar tlicir wcll-kiiDWii voices in
all ilirectioiis. (dient' tlieir ('(imiiioiiest calls at tliis season of tlie year is a clear
'•wliick-ah, wiru'k-ali;" anotlier sounds lik(! "(|uit-u, (|Mit-M," a nuinhei- of times
repeateil; "tcliuck-ii|i, tcliuck-u])," i-' anotlier familiar soimd utterofl l)y tliein;
a far-reacliin^' ''cla])e, clape" is also fre(|Uently uttered, wliile a ([uickly <;'iven

I'olhii"' oi'

rattlin"' "tliee-lie-lie-lie-lie" and a lov

iick-ciick-i-iick" seem to b

the notes of endearment. Another call when courting- its mate sounds like

'ou

it-ouit" and ends with a soft "puir, puir," or a cooii

lii'

vu-cah, AU-cah

Low, chncklin;;' sounds are also fretjuently uttei-ed dnrin;;' their lo\i' making

ano

iher couuuon call note s(unids like "zee-ah, zee-ah," and diniu"- the summer

a clear "pi-ack, pi-ack," oi- "pioli," is also freipu-ntly heard; in fact, no other of
oin' Woodpeckers utters such a variety of sounds.

The Flicker is especially demonstrative dnriiif^' tli(^ matinji' season, and is
ail ardent wooer. It is an e.\ceedin<i'ly intere.Htinjr atid amnsinji' sij^lit to see a
couple of males ])ayiii}^ tlieir addr<'sses to a coy and coipiettish female; the

apparent siiyness ot the suitors as they sidle up to her and as (piickly retreat
aji'aiii, the sly j^'lanees {fiven as one peeps from liehind a limii watchinj;- tlui
other — playinj;' Ito-peep — seem very human, and T have seen \\-\v more aiiiiis-
iiiU' performances than tlu^ courtship of a pair of these l>irds. The defeated

suitor takes ins rejection (pnte pliiloso[)hically, and retreats in

a diti'iiilied man-

ner, i)resuiiial)l\- to make another trial elsewlien

I 1

lave never \ct seen a uaii

of males li;^ht over a coveted female. F(^w liirds deserve our ^ood \\'\]\ more
than the handsonu? (lolden-wiii<i'ed Woodjiecker, ami it is well entitled to all of
the consideration ^iciierally shown it. Looked at from an economic |)oint of view,
it is ail e.Kceediiij^ly useful bird, destroyiii}^' many iio.xioiis insects and their larva',

a iii-ea

t iiiaiu' of which are yleaned from tl

le "'roll

ml, as it is far more terrestrial

ill its lialiits than au\' other memlier of this family. Its lieak is t'reipieiitlv co\-
erc(l with soil from diji';i'iii<^' in pastures after ji'riilis and earthworms, and also
in ant-hills after these insects or their lar\ii', of which it is especially fond; it
also feeds on hairless caterpillars. Ditl'ereiit kinds of berries and fruit, such as

clierrie!

link's, iiersiiiiiiions, s

trawl

111

< logwood, w

hortU

1"

lerries, muliierries

isniiei'ries, wi

Id

"•raiies,

)oke, ami .soiir-ji'iim iierries, ami occasiona

11 V

"•reeii corn, arc;

■ateii lt\' it. The ilaii

lau'e I

t does to cultivated fruits is \v\-y tritliu"-, and

this liird deserxcs the fullest ]irotection.

In the northern jiortions of its ran^c niditicatioii lie^-iiis ahoiit a couple of
weeks after the birds arri\e from the South, and a siiitaiile place is then selected
foraiiestiiij;' site. It prefers oiieii country, iutersfiersed here and there with j^'roves
and orclijirds, to the deeper forests to nest in. It is easily [ileased in this respect —
any old stump, a partly decayed limb of a tree, near the outskirts of a forest,

doiii;' the banks of a creek, beside a couiitrv road, or in an old orchard, wi

ill

aiisw

er the purpose. A fresh cavit\'

IS usu

dl

\' excuv

ated

su

itabh' trees or stumps are not readily uvailable the same may be occiipi*

e\('r\' \'ear
b

liiit

wheiH!

for s(.'\eral

seasons in succession. In the vicinity of Washiimton, District of

"■. fi

m

'■\H

1 ! .

I, ■

I

f

'•?!

li

132

LIFE UISTOKIKS OF NOUTII AMFIMCAN l!IIJI>H.

Cnliiiiiliiii, llicsc liinls nest in llu' oak, tisli, clicstnut, cliii, iiiiiiilc, ptiplar, willow
iiiid s\ cimiorc; spruce iiiiil bircliOH iiri* also used, hut, on tlic wliolo, sot'l-wood trees
seem to \iv pret'erred to liard ones. In tlie Soutliern States it lireeds tre(|iiently
in pines, and in the itrairie States it occasionally selects stfanj^c nestin^i' sites.
Here it has Imumi known to chisel throujih the weather-iioanlin^' of dwcllin;;'
houses, l)arns, and other outhiiildinjts, and to nest in the hollow space hetweeii
this and the crosslieanis; its nests have also lieen found in "ateiiosts where liotli

1»'"1

lie and s

tocl'

l< pass cons

tanth

ni (

hurcli to\vei>

ani

1 in liurniws of Kintilishers

and IJank Swallows in the perpctndicular l)anksof strea

Dr. (i. S..\i

ersl)or"',

of \'erniillion. South Dakota, records lindinj;' a nest of a l'"licker in an old
huh, al)out - feet from the "round, and hi(Mi'n l»\- a rank "I'owth of weec

wajion
s; hut

tlu! most peculiar nestiujj' site 1 havo ever heard of is one descriiied to me hy
^Ir. William A. Mryant, of New Sharon, Iowa, under date of Decendier 7, 1S!)2.
lie writest "()n a small hill, a nuarter of a mile distant from m\' home, >;tood a

liavstack whicli

had l>

]\\<j

tl

n j)laced there two years )>re\iouslv

he owner, (hn

le w

inter of lSSll-'!»0, had cut the stack throuuh the mid

lUe and nau

led

away one portion, leaviiig the other standinj^' with the end smoothly frinnned_
The following- spring' I noticed a pair of Yellow-shafted Flickers al)out the stack

showiu"' siyiis of wantiny to make it a fi.xed haititat

ion.

Oi

le nmrniiiii' a tew

was (•iniyinj''

to tl

le

da\ s latej" 1 was anui.sed at the eiiorts of on<' of the ])air. It
pei'iiendicular end of the stack and tln'owiufi' out chipped hay at a rate to defy
competition. This work continued for nearly a week, and in tliat time tiie pair
had exca\ated a ca\ity "JO inches in depth. The entrance was located S.^, i'eet
ai»ove ;.;round, and was '2.\ inches in diametei- and duji' hack into the stack for (J
inches, where it turned sharjily downward and was slij^htly enlarjicd at the
hottom. On .Mav "iS I took a handsome set of .seven eji'ji's from the nest, the
(.MM-s Kiuii' on a l)ed of chip})ed hay. The birds lingered about tlie stack and
lt\- .lime 14 had deposited another set of e^ys. Tlie\- remained in the \icinit\-

un

til autumn. I >urini>- that winter the balanct' of the stacl

K was remo\e(

1. Tl

lev

returni'd tlu^ followiufr sprinj;, and, after a brief s(

ijourn, dejiar

rted f<

parts

UUK

nown I nevi-r could (piite understand the philosophy of their ]»eculiar choice

.f til

is site, as woodland is abunilant her(^ A well-timbered creek liott(

an was

le.-.s than half a mile di.stant, while larj^e orchards and j^rovi-s sin-round the place

on e\'er\' hand

I'Mickers nest occasionallv ni nann'a. cavities and at distances from tl

10

•irouud varyiui:' from 2\ to (10 feet, but mostly between lo and "Jn feet. Old
rotten stumps, and dead or partly decayed trees are jtreferred to li\c ones. The
entrance hole is usually '2\ inches in diameter, and the inner cavity varies from H
to iiO inches in depth. It is gradually enlarji'ed toward the bottom, ami a layer
of iine chi])s, on which the eji'ji's ar(* de])osited, is .allowed to r.'main

Its

;ht,

dtl

iltncumn annarentiv

tb

jiecKe

borious, is stron<;' and swift, and. like that of all Wood-
undulatiny or wave-like. It friMjuently perches on a limb instead of

cliiiiiiiii!' to it, as do others of the trib

In the siiriii'i- of tl

(' A'car 1

t als

indulges in drumming', but not to the same extent as the majority of tliis family.

THK FLKIKKK.

18:

^Ir. MiUily Miinly, of llrowcr, Miiiiie, writes mo: "I onco fniiiitl one nslccp
nil till' (iiitsidc nl' ;i tree, lute ill tlif cvciiinj;'. [ was triivcliiin' liy iiiDoiili^lit, ami
JxiiiiwiiiL:' til" exact iucatiou nl' tlic iii'st in a small poplar, (jcciilcil to \isit it. 1
walkcil close under tiie liinl, without appan-ntly wakin;:' liiin, anil tlieii struck the
tree a lilow with a cliili, which 1 t'elt sure would stun liiiii, hut he tiew olV all
liiilit. There was no Itird inside (4' the hole, so he slept outside, clin^i'inji' to the
tree, t'roni choice. 'Phis proves that they can and do sleep in this wav. In hliie-
herr\- time they coii^reji'ate in (locks — I linv(! .se«n at least thirty at once — and at
siicli times their entrails are dyed hlue from the fruit eaten. I have fed the
vounji' with strawlierries when they were .still in their nest, l)eiiijj-ohlincd to put
the lirst into their liills: liiit after that they ate them <rreedily, and would scratch
up to the liole and look out when they heard me comin;f, actiii;;' just as if it was
the old liird which was feedin^j them."

Niditicatioii in the southern portions of its rauffo l)ef>'iiis ordinarily in the
last half of Aral li and in the north from four to fully six weeks later. iJotli
sexes assist in 1 construction of the ii(^stiu<i' site as well as in inculiation, and
the male usually does his full .share of work at hotli. According' to Dr. William
L. h'alph's ohservatioiis in Florida, the male usually sits on the e<>'{;s durin^i' the
ni^iit. In the South fresh sets of eji^s may he looked for diiriii<i- the lirst week in
.\prii; in the vicinity of Washington, District of ("oliimhia, diirinji- the lirst half
of .May, and in the more northern jiarts of its raiii^e, in Alaska and the North-
west Territory, about the lirst ten days in .June.

Flickers lireedinj:' in Florida ai'e <reiu'rally somewhat darker colored and
smaller than those from the more northern States, and this latter diU'ereiice is
especially noticeaiile in the e^i'ji's. From live to nine e^^jis are usuall\- laid to
a set, mostly six or seven: hut considerahly lar<i'er ones are sometimes found,
])nssilily the product of two females layiiifi' in the sani(» nest: hut the feciindit\'
of this Wo(iilpe(dier is known to he very <>Teat. I'rof M. W. Fvermann took
not less than tliirty-se\-en ejiiis from a jiair of these birds (out of the same
iiest) Itetweeii May 4 and .'iiiie -22, ISH;"); and a still more remarkable instance
is recorded in tiie "Yoiinii' ( hdojiist" (Vol. l,June, 1SH4, p. 2(i), by Mr. Chiirles
L. I'hilliiis, of Taunton, Massachusetts, who found two e<i-j;'s of this bird in a
cavitv of a larji'e willow on May (J, ISSiJ, of which he took <tiie, leaviiit;' the

oil

itlier as a nest c:

and he continued to do this day after day until the poor

iii'ii iiaii

aid se\-eiit\'-oiie eu'^'s in sevei

itv-tl

iree iiavs

.Mr. Steward O:

<;illi\-. o

Stateii I.sland, New York, also reports, in "Forest and Stream" of .Iiiiie •_',">, ISSf)
(]). 4"_'7), iiiidin^' a brood of not less than nineteen youiij;' I'Mickers in one nest,
all alive and apparently in jiooil condition. It seems almost imjiossible for

number of eij:i>'s, but the fact that tli

a

<iii'

le bird to cover and hatch such a

yoiiiiu- were apparently well fed and in fjood condition is still more remarkable,
and tlie ]iareiits must certainU' have ha<l a busytiuu; to nrovide for such a larpe
faiiiih .

Tl

le ('"■"'S o

f till' I'Micker are ylossv white in col

or, am

1 wl

leii fresh a

I'l

lear

as if enameled; the shell is very close jiTained and exceedinj^ly lustrous, as if
polished, resembling.;' the e<?};s of the Ivory-billed and IMIeated Woodpeckers in

■"■?•

#

■f

1i

ll

•4

i'l.

l:

Hi

•Is

1

I

■I

a

I

I '

i

134

l,iri; IIISTOIMKH OI' NOUTll AMKIJK'AN IUIM»8.

.,,,,;

this rc.H|»c('t. 'I'licy iirc ijiiitr Viii'iiildf in Hlinpc; the iiiMJority iiif nviitc, (iIIhth
short iiiul t'llipticiil Kviitc, iiinl ii tew M|i|)r(iiich siilt|i\ rilurm, wliilc soiih' iiic
iit'iirly jHTt'cct u\als. An c^jj' is rlcpositt'il thiily until tlic set is cuiniih'tiHl, jiiiil
iii(Mil»iiti(m lusts iiliiiiit lit"tccM iliiys; this onliuiirily ilncs nut licjiiii until the set
n\v iMiil tlicn Nonn;;' hinls :niit *'<^<is in diU'iTciil stiii^cs of
iitlvnnccnicnt m'c Imind in tlic sinnc nest. The \oini" mit iililc to Icnvc their

is coniiilcti'il, lint n

nest in fiiidnl sixteen ihiys; they ci'iiwl iiliont on the limits of the tree lor ii coniile
of iliiys hel'ore they veiitni'e to lly, ;i\u\ return to the nest iit ni;iht. 'I'he imrents
arc riithcr Huspicioiis ahout the nestinji' site, and emleavor to keep out of sijiht
as much as jiossihle, even whiTe not natlested; they are devoted in the eare of
their younji', and will fn'ipiently allow themselves to lie caiitin'ed on the nest.
in the moi'e northern portions of their ranji'e onl\ a sin-^le lirood is raiscil in a
season: in the south possi

il.lv t

wo.

'PI

le return nn"ration

to tl

en- wu

iter I

itanes

usually lte;iins ahout the latter part of Septendier, and is occasionally |irotracte(l
from four to six weeks later in favorable localities.

The avera<>'e measurement of one hundred and ninety-six e;;;.;s of this specicH
ill the Tnited States National .Mu.seum collection, mostly from the more northern
]tortions of its ran;i-e, is 'J?.!!!! i)V '2\JiO millimetres, or aliout i.lO hy O.M inches.

The lar;;'est e;
l»y O.'.M) inche^
Threi^ sets of

if the series measures ,'{(). 4H 1»\- ■J'J.SI! millimetres, or l.'iO

nallest, 'i-I.C I iiv •_'(l.8;{ millimetre:

or

(t.'.lT liv (t.s-_> inch.

■s — two of live and one of six — taken in I'utnam County,
Florida, liy l>r. William K. ixaljih, averajic only •_*").Hl> liy •_M)..'"i-_' millinietres, oi

uti's m

easures 2(i. (•_> li\ 21..'U

aliout l.d'J liy O.Sl inches. The larj^cst tif these e

millimetres, or 1.04 l)y (».H4 inches: the smallest, iM-S!) liy 1H.(»;{ millimetres, or

0.!IS liy 0.71 inch, which is ()uite a perceptilile diU'erence in size.

The type s|iccimen. No. 24(112 (not li^iin-ed), fi-om a set of ten ej:;,''s, was
taken on dune S, 1891, l»y J[r. R. MacKarlane, near ("undierland IIou.se, Sas-
katche^^an, Dominion of Canada.

47. Colaptes cafer ((Jmklin).

i(i;i )-sn AiTi: 1 1 i'mckeu.

I'iriis cn/ir (iMi'.LiN, Systcnia Natina', I, I'SS, 4.'il.

CW((;)/r.v (((/ir STE.rNK(ii';i!, Standaiil Natanii History, IV, 1.S8.'), 42S

(I! Its. o ;{i4, K :\:sh. (• i.v.i. r 11;!,)

(ir.oGKAi'iiiCAL RANOK: Western Noitli Aaicrlca; fnini the Istlninis of 'JVlianii-
tepee, nertli avcu' the talilelanils of Mexico, through western Texas, New .Mexico, Ari/.oiia,
Calit'ornia, OieK'on, the eastern (lortions of ^^■ashin^r^on, to .soathern l!ritlsli ('(ilaiiilila (east
of the Cascaile .Mianitains only) and southern .Vlberta; east, reyalaily to the easle-ii slopes
of the it'oeky Mianitalns, through Coloiailo, Wyoming, Montana, and western Assinilioia la
th(^ Dominion of Canada, and s|ioradii'ally to Kansas, Xeluaska, North ami Soalli Dakota;
west, in Washington, only to the Cascade .Mountains; .south, ill iiortbeni Lower Califuriiia,
in the San Pedro Maitir Mountains, to aliout latitude itf'.

The Ked-shafted l''licker, in which the under surface of the (piills and tail
feathers arc? dee|i oran<i;e vermilion, instead of yellow as in the iireccdinj;- s|ie-
cies, replaces the latter throughout the western United States and along the

Tin; iM;i»siiArn;i> imckkh.

185

sDiitliw I'stri'ii liiinlrr III' llh' I )iiiiiiiiiiiii III' ( 'iiiiikIii, i'iihI uf tlu' ( 'a^r.Hli- NfoiiiitiiiiiH.
It in II nsiilmt tliiiiii;;liiiiit llif ;;rciiti'r |i)irt uf its riiii;ii', r\n'|itlM;i ill'' iih'ii'
iiiii'tlirni |iiiiliiiiis, \viiiliTiii;i- n-jiiliii'ly in tlic vicinity »\ Km't Wiiijji Wiilhi, Wiisli-
iii<:'tiiii, ill liititmii' III , mill it i^ |ii'i'tty irriK'rally ilistrilMitcil, liciii;>- ns imiu'Ii jit
Inline in tlii> lii;>')i('i' innmitiiin ran^rcs n|i tn altitmii s of aiiniit lii.iiuii fri't, as in
till- InwiT iiml iiiiii'li Imttci' valleys anion<;' tlie tiniiicn-il iinttuin lainU. Ah
alriiiily stateil, fliin s|»'cii'.H intcr^ii'iidcs cxtciiMivcly with the piM-cciliii;;' mii' almi^
till' ciistcni liiii'ilt'i'H III' its ran^^'c, ami tyitical K|i(>ciinrns arc imt iincuMiniiiiily nut
wiili in western Kansas, wcstci'ii N'l'hi'iiska, ami .sniitliwcsteni Smitli Daknta; Imt
as fransitiiiii I'linns, nr sn-rallril "liylifiils," pfcdiiininatt' lai'j^i'ly lii'ic, I iln not
iiii'Imli' tlicsc si'i-tiiiiis ill their ran;;'e |ii'ii|ier, eimsiilei'in;; them as neutral ^ruiiiiil
nil wliii'h typical specimens nt' linth sjiecies are alioiit eipiallv ('iiimmin.

Its lireeilin^- faiiiic is nearly cncxtensiM- with its ;;-eii;>i'ii|iliical ilisti'iliiitinn.
It appears tn lie an eipially ciunmiiii siminier resilient <in the Mexican talile-lamU
as in the western I'nited States. Here, however, it is tint met with in simimer
ill till' lower K'io (iramle N'alh-y, nor throiiuiiont the dry and ai'id portions
ill the Western pai'ts of 'Texas and similar reeioiis in southern New .Mexico
and .\riy,ona, where it rarely lireeds lielow altitudes of (1,000 feet. Mr. \V. A.
.\ntlioiiy met with it in the San I'edro .Martir .Mountains, in Lower ( 'alil'ornia, in
Slimmer, at altitmles of from 7,000 to 10,000 feet, evidently nestin;:-: and near the
coast, in winter, as low as ,'5,000 feet. I t'oiind this handsome itird a coinmon
summer resident nearly everyw here tlii'ou}i'liout tlie West, from eastern .Montana,
west tliroii;^li Idaho, ( )rejiiin, Washin^iton, md Nevada, to California, and an
aliimdant winter resident in the \icinity n Tucson, - iiithern .\ri/.iina, whei-e
it imipiesiioiialily lireeds in the pine lielt in the hij^lier monntains.

In its ^iciieral lialiits, food, call notes, etc, the Red-shafted Flicker resiMiililes
the ]ireceilinji' species \-er\' closely, and I have lieen iinahle to detect anv notalile
dill'ereiices. It is a trille lai'iicr liird than the precedin;.'-, and in certain sections
ajipears to lie rather more partial to exteiisi\'e forests than its eastern relatiM'.
Its nestiiii;- haliits are also ipiite similar, and it adapts itselt' I'eadilv to the condi-
tions foimd ill its snrronndinj^s. Its t'a\orite nesting' sites are old rotten stiihs
or trees, such as cottonwoods, willows, sycamores, junipers, oaks, and pines.
It nests also ill holes in banks, in the sides of houses, in ;j'ate posts, etc. In the
more northern iiortions of its raiiye the nii"'rants usuallv return to their lireedini'-
^i'ronnds dnrin;^' the last week in March or the lieNimiinji' of .\|iril. Xidilication
lii'Liins alioiit the 1st of .Mas, and lull sets of fresh cf^'^i's niav lie looked tor alioiit
the middle of that month. 'The earliest set found li\- me, one of ei^^lit e^i'^s, was
on May l, 1871, near l''ort La])wai, Idaho; tho latest, one of seven e^'ji's, on .Inne
n, 1875, near Cam]) Harney, ( )rejion. In southern ( 'alifornia they nest mostly in
April, and here, .Mr. F. Stephens writes me, "the Hed-shafted Flicker is a cnminoii
resident; I find it from sea level to the n])iier limits of timlier, anvwhere where
trees occur. It often feeds on ants and insects picked from the ^roiiiid." ( )n()
liroodoiily is usually raised in a sea.soii; hut I lielieve an occasional pair of early
nestinii' liirds raises two. .\mon^' some peculiar nesting sites ot' this species the
fi'Mowiny deserve mentiuu:

A'

:5 1

■.t >

:-;!:

■1 *•

4

.;!

■M ^

'ill

■J

;^l,;

130 LIFE ItlSTORlKS OF NOliTH AMKUKIAN JJlliDS.

Mr. Wiiltcr Iv Brv). 't jiivcs the t'dllowinrf: "One lA' tlicsc wiy^ in ii Itridj^o
hulklicjiil, ;i few toot ahi.vc the ('arsdii Hivor, Ncvndii. Tlic iiitcridr of fho
striicliirc Wiis filled witli fjravol iiiid lar^o stones, anmnj;' wliieli tlw^ e<;'^s wero
ileposited. Aiiotlier pair used a tarj^'ct hutt, at. a nineli-f'n'(iiu'nted rauj^c, as a
substitute tor a stump. A third nest was in a sand hank, 3 foot from tlio tap and
10 from file creek. 'I'liis liolo was api)arently s|)eeially pn-pared, and not oiio
made by a ;>roinid .sipiirrel, sueli holes heinj'' sonu^tinu's ns(>d liy these birds.'"

Mr. Oharles A. Allen, of Xicasio. California, found a pair of Ked-.sliaftod

Flick

ers nes

tinir in a similar situation in a cr(>ek bank, the burrow cont;

unnia*

seven (•"■!■'

s, which he took. About ten days later, happeninji' to ]iass the sai

spot, he e.xainined the hole ajiiiin ai. 1 found it occujjied l)y a California Screech
Owl, which in the meantime had dei)Osited four e<;jis. Some two weeks sul)so-
(piently he examined it for a third time, and on this occasion the tenant proved
to be a Sparrow Hawk, which was si-ttinji' on five handsonu' ej>}>s. Tl

u're was no

r.estmji' material present on an\' occasion, the efi'ji's l\-in;;' on some loose dirt.

Near Fort La Aiii, Idaho, on dune 2, 1871, 1 found a pair of l.,ony-earod
Owls and IJed-shai. -il Flickers nestini^' in an old cottonwood stump: the ( )wls

occunied a iia

final <'a\it\-, and the Flickers had excavat(^d tl

loir iiestinji' sito

directly over that of the former, the entrance holes, althoiifj-h on different sides
of the still), were not over "J feet apart. The Ued-shafteil Flicker's eyj;'s, seven
in number, were on the point of hatchiiiji', while those of the < )wls were about
half incubated. 'I'hesc i)irds evidently li\'ed on jiood terms with each other.
( )ccasionally, after incubation has commenced, additional eiijis are laid at difi'ereiit
intervals by tliis species. ( >ii dune (!, 187"), near ( 'amp Harney. ( )reij()n, I found
birds nesting' in a rotten ])iiie stump, on the southei'ii slopes of

a |)an' (

if tl.

the Hliie Mountinns, the entrance hole )>
contained

hree \duiii>-

ipp

.1,1)

• .'5 feet from the fiTound. 'Phis nest
i)irds, api)arently just hatched, and two ejijis ;ilreadv

.liv(

1"

rfecth' fresh ones, one of tlie.s(> beini;' a runt ey

th

vicinitv the Ked-shafted Flick

ker was very common, ami nesteij mostly iii jum-
pers, usually from ,'i to ]2 feet friin the jiroimd; but 1 lia\(i also seen tluMii
eiiteriiif;' hol(\s in the dead tops of larji'e pines, fulh" 7(> feet aboxc the }>Touud.
Besides the usual insects and larva- u])on which this species feeds, 1 liax'e seen it
catch j^rasshopp' rs, l)oth on the <>'round and on the winji', and it is likewise^ very
,'oiid of wild strawberries and service l)erries. ('onsiilered from an economic.

poiiii of view, the K'ed-shafted Flicker
and, like it, desei\es

1)

tl

IS as heneticial as the precedin;;' species,

'I'lie number of
)eiu<>' most common.

the fullest protection.

e<i-jis m a

set AJiries from liv(^ to ten, sets of six

or se\eu

These are indistinguishable from those of the ]irecedin;.
species, exce])tinu' that they a\era;i(' a trifle larjicr, anil the same description wil

answer lor

both

'I'l

ic avera;i(' measurenuMit of one hundred and fiftv-two ('"'is in the I'nited

States National Museimi collect

ion IS

2S..'?f bv 21. (IS millimeti

ir about 1.12

i»\' n.,sr» inches

The li

n'fiest e"y of the series measures iJ2.7<! by 22.3;') milli-

'Diilletiii Calit'iiriiiu Aiiuleiiiy of iM-irmi's, II, Aiigiiitt '2, 1887, pp. 151, l.Vi.

THE ItEnsilAlTKI) KLICKKIJ.

137

inotrc's, or 1.29 1)V 0.88 inclics; tlio .sniidlcst, l'.").! ") I'v I'd.;")? niilliiiictrcs, or 0.1)9
l)y 0.81 iiicli; ;iinl a runt, 20.r)T l»y lA.Tf) iiiillinic*r<'s. or 0.81 hy (1.(52 ii-.cli.

'I1u' tyjK' sjiccinicii, No. lOiWl (not (ifiiiri-i,), iVopi u set of tni c^ifis, wii.s
taken by tlio writer near Fort Walla Walla, AVasliin-jto'i, (in .Mav 1 1, 1882.

0

f
I
i

48. Colaptes cafer saturatior iJiiMiwAv.

NOBTIIWKSTKKX II. I( Ki:!;.

Colapfcn i»(\ri<'<t)iiis stilimitior KinowAV, I'l'occcdiiin's l>i<>l<i<>'ii'al iSocicty <>!' Wii.sliiiijjton, II,

A|iri! 1(1, 1H84. !»0.
Culii2>ttK viifer naturtiliur KnxiWAV, MS.

(!!_,<! _ 1; _. (; _. 1^ 41.!rt.)

(iEOdRAi'ltlOAi. RAN(iK: Northwestern eoust rofiioiis. Iioiii nortlicrii Caliloniia imrtli
to soatlicrii Ala.ska (Sitka).

The l)r(HMlinp' ranfre of tlio Nortinvestem I'Micker, a soniewliat darker-colored
ra('(^ than Coloptes niffi; is confined to the coast districts of Washinjiton, l>ritisli
Colninltia, and the southern parts of Alaska north to Sitka, \\hei-(^ it occurs liutii
ill the uplands and lowlands. In the corres|)(iiidiii<.;' reoions in western ( >i';'i;'oii,
and ])riil)alily also in northwestern California, it aiiiiears tti lie fouiid onl\- on
tile snnmiits of the diiferent iiioiiiitains )ietW(M'ii the ( 'ascades and tlie coast
diirinji' the lireeiliiiu- season, where the same moist climate jirevails as is found
in the iininediate \iciiiity of the coast, while in tlii' drier lowlands, such as the
rm|i(|ua, Koji'iie, and Willamette river \allevs, it is re]ilace(! li\- Cdlujilis (d/'fi-
and hy intermediates lietweeii the two forms. .\ specimen in the collection of
the I'liited States 1 )e])artmeiit of Afiriculture, taken near ( Jleiidale, in I >ouj;l;is
( "ount\', Orejidn, on . I tine 1,5, lSil4, altlioiij;h not ((10 te t\ |iical, seems to liearoiit
this \ iew; another from near Soda \ille, liiim ( 'oiiiity, in the I'liited States X.itional
Museum (•oUection, taken in Septemher, howexcr, is a perfectly typic.d Cii/ajilis
iiij'i'r sdfiiralK.r. \s this siilispecies is known to lie a common winter resident in
IJritisli ("oliimliia, it is (piestionalile if the latter was a iiiii;raiit. I first met with
this dark-colored race in the I'lij^'ct Sound rejiion, ^\'asllillJi■t^ll, in the latter part
of .Maw 18!l4, and found it nioilerateh common in the \ii'init\' oi' Seattle, in
partly cleared tracts where there was a ^nod deal of' dead timlier, ,'ind also in the
rich liottom lands ol' the I'nyallnp IJixcr. Mere, as the majority of its iiestiiit;-
sites ar(( locate<l in rotten trees, anil fre(|uently ipiite a ilistam-e from the ground,
its ei;-i^s ar(( rather hard to obtain.

Mr. .lolni Fannin, curator ot' the I'roxiiicial .Museum at N'ictoria, Ihitish

(!oluinl)ia, in

us

]..ist of IJinls" t'oimd in that I'rosince, reports this siilispecies

as ibllows: "jVliundant west of the ("ascades; a nunilier winter in thi' ih'iu'hl'or
hood of N'ictoria."

Accordin^j' to ^[r. 10. W. Nelson, it does not ap])ear t

o yd reyuiariA' as

far north as Sitka, .Maska. lie says: "l)iiriiij;' Uisclioff's \ isit to Sitka, at the
time of the Wnssian-American telei;raph expedition, nnmhers of these lieaiitifiil
liinls were taken there, aiul some tif the .specimi'iis are now in the collection

I, I

w

If"!

]3H

TilFK IIISTOIIIKS OF NORTH AMEIUCAN UIItDS.

;h

t

,5

$

'•I

I

m

i

n

(if tlic Xiitiniiiil Museum. Since then, liowcvcr, the bird liiis not. been secured
I'roiu tliiit re<iioM. ISotli tbrins, Cnhiiitcs annitiis iind diilitplrs ivffr .(i/inatidr.
undoulttedly l)reed in tliat sectiitn, tlu-ir liiil)itiits overliippiu};-, l)Ut no internie-
diiile exiiniples liuve l)(fen secured tlnis tar."'

Its jicnend linbits, food, call notes, and niditication, as well as its e^ifis. are
similar to those of the two |trecedin<i' si^u-ies, and the sauu' description will
answci' tor them. The only al)solut(dy identified set in the Ignited States
National Museum c<illection is an incomplete (tne ot" four, taken by Mi'. James
ne]il»urn, near Victoria, British (!(dumbia, in Ufay, 18(i7. These measure,
resi.ectively, 3().!)4 by 21. S4, 30.48 by 'ii'.,'}') 3n.7H by '21.0!), and 30.22 by
21.34 millimetres; orY22 by O.Sfi, 1.20 by O.SS, 1.21 by O.sr,, nnd l.lit by 0.84
ilU'hes.

The type specimen. No. 1320r> (not iigurod), is the lar{.M'st ciiji- of this set.

49. Colaptes chrysoides (j\[ALiiEKiiF,).

(JII.DKI) I'l,I('Ki:i{.

(icojticHs iliriisi>itl(:i .M Al.ui'.KlU'^ Itevii'w ct jMii;;asin Zeolofjiciiic, l\', ISfti;, ."i3.

Voliiplis rlirjisoitlts K'l'.icnKMi.VCH, Ihnulliiich dor siu'cicllcn Oniitliolo'iic. Scinisoriii', IS.'it,

n;i.

(I! tlil, <; .U.!, It ;{7!», (' 4r.S. I' 414.

<ii'.0(ii!AiMne M, HAMiK; liowor < "alifortiia ami Saiiora, ^Icxico; aorlli, t'lronj;!! soutli-
cni and portions ol' iiortliwestcrii Arizona, to lutitadc 'A'r'\ Casually to sontlicastciii
Calirornia.

'i'iie (iilded Flicker, also known as "Cactus" or "Cape" Flicker, which has
the yellow shafts and (piills <if ('. (Viratiis ami the red malar patch and ashy
thi'oat, as in ('. ni/ir, is a cmnmoii resident of the <>'iant cactus belt of southern
Arizona,
Californ!

ailjacc

It M

exican State ot Sonora, and snndar regions in Low(

It

uas also nu't with on the ( "olorado |{i\('r, near Fort Mohave,

iVl'lZoUi

l)v Dr. .1. (i. C

m

Fel

iruar\-

isni,

th

biriis

feed-

mi>' on larva

ami insects anion"' the poplar ti

'ees, anil were \('i'\' sh\' anil wai'\'.

It iindoubtedh' occurs also, occasiona.lK' at least, on the California side of thi^
Colorado, but oids' as a sti'aji'>;ler. It Itreeds throuohoiit the rest of its ranoi'.

^Ir. I''. Stephens, who has collected ipiite extensively in southern Arizona,
writes me: "So far as m\' exiierieiice "'oes, this Flicker is restricted to tli<' oijint
cactus I'eii'ion. '1

lie most western jiomt at which 1 iiaxc seen this species was near
the head waters uf \V\'>: Saiidv Creek, in western Arizona, where the oijiiit cactus

IS CO

All
cactus

imnoii. I have looked closel\' for this bird at Vimia, but failed to find it.

hut line of

th

•ts of c^os I |ia\c taken were found in holes in the "iaiit

Th

•t tal

le excejitioii was a set taken near I ucson, Arizona, on A|

Ai

Aniii

1 SS4,

from a dead cottoinvooi

.Mr. .\. W. Anthon\- writes me

1 stub, and I shot the male in the mouth of the hoh

The (Jilded Flicker

IS

itl

M'l' common 111

the heavy jji'rowth of jiiaiit cactus, Ccniis jirhii/lci, but not aiherse to the candle-

' lii']iiil't ll|iiiil Natlll:ll lllHtiiiy ('iillcrti

riiiiilr ill Alanka, Nii. :i, ISST, |>. llil.

TIIK (llLIH:i) KLI(!K1:R.

139

wood forests wliicli cover ii larj;-*! ])iirt of tlio pcMiiisulii iM^twccii liitittidcs •JS'^
;iiiil 30". Vouii<>- were found by iiic in .Tunc i;t Sim Fcniinidu iuid non- Ssni
(!arlos, Lower (!iiliforniii."

Mr. J. Xantus found tlus Gild(t<l Flicker very coininon in tlic vicinit\' of
Ciipo St. TiUcas, and (|uite a nunilicr of s]iccinicns now in tlic I'nited States
National Museum eolleetion wen^ taken i)y iiim there: tliese aAcraj^-e a trifli'
smaller than tin; Arizona l)irds.

Mr. W. E. I). Scott met with this species in tlu* early siirin;^- and fall nn the
San Pedro slope of the Oatalina Moinitains, in southern Arizona, as lii;^h u|i as
."i, ()()() feet, and saw now and then siuffh^ inili\ idiials in the mesipiite timlier, far
awav fidui any {^'iaut cactus.'

I first met with this Flicker in sonu- liir^'c cottonwoods on Hillito ("rec^k,
near 'PiU'son, in the spriny of 1872, and also found a pair nesting- in a dead limb
of one of these trees, but the site was inaccessible. 1 at tirst considered these
liirds rare, and not until the nostinjf season was over did I discover how al»undaut
they wen in an extensive* fiiant cactus jirove in Sahuarita I'ass, a few miles
northeas' of 7tiv camp. Here lunnbers of them were feedin;.'; on the sweet, tiji'-
like frr.it of this cactus, in company with other species, and, as many of th((
cacti h.'d holes du}>' in their sides, this was unipiestionably a favorite l)reedin<>'
])la{'( for them. I do not consider the (iilded Flicker a \-ery shy l)ird in the late*
summer and fall, and I coulil have shot numl)ers of them at ditferent times had
1 wanted to do so. I paid but little attentii>n to this species \\ hen I fn-st sa\v
it, takiuf;- it at the tinuf to be the connnon eastern l''licker, from the similarity
of its -ippearance when tlyinj;', and only disco\cred m\' error on shootinji' one
on .Fir.ie 1(1, 1S72. Its call notes, manner of tHj^'ht, ami ncneral lialiits ai-e so
similar to thosi; of the common Flicker that one, j)articidarl\' a no\ice, as I was
til

len, nujrht rea<lMV make such a

ki

■itake. Its food consist

s manilN

if ditferent kinds and tlu'ir larva', as well as of wild l)ei'ries and fruits, an(

1\- of insects
(I it

ililams a <;-oo(l portion ot tlus on the fii-ouiu

f th

th

|{\' far the "reater

nund>er o

f tl

ies(*

birds

s nest m the sahuaras or

iiant

cactus; and where tliese are not foimd within reasonable distances, this species is
not apt to 1)0 met with, at least not durinj^' the lireedinj^' season. This is at its
height from th(* middle of April to the end of May, and, as Mr. F. Ste[)lunis has

tal^

en its eirii's in .luiU', it is possible that two broods are occasionalK' I'aisec

I in

a season.

It

ne'sts at \ar\inij' distances

fr

om

tl

le "rouiK

I from S to lit feet.

^■eiierally at heiffhts of about !'> feet. 1 hiixc the indurated form of a iiestin<jf
ca\itv of this species now before me, showiuj;- ils exact shape. The hanleiiecl

re about one-fourth of an inch thick, and show the inner contour o

<f th(

ca\ity per

fe.'tl\

Th

le entrance is iiearh' ."> inches m diametc

iiiside it is

alxuit 7 by 4 inches wide and .").i inches deep. The sides and bottom of the
cavity are (piite smooth, considering;' the nature of the substance (the soi't inner
lip of the cactus) out of which it is exca\!ite(l. It occupied only one-half of tin

trunk of one of tlies(> "iant cacti, ami the reiir of the cavifx- did not (iiiite

•h

' TLo Auk, Vol. \, 188G, p. ««.

■'^■iM

,;■ ■ f

ti:.i

/'^.4-

i"'

:. . ""'..iii '•

>"'

... i A*

I

1^

ir-

M ; < ■ ,

Ml
.Mi

im ■

m

i' I;

KVfh

140

LIFE riLSTOIUKS OF NOItTII AMERICAN BITM)S.

tin' ccuttT i)f tlic ])liint. 'I'lic (';4'ns liiy on tli(( liiinltMKMl tloor, iiinl not, as usual,
ou a layer of cliijis. 1 am incliucfil to lH^li('\ci tliat a freshly oxcavatiMl nesting
sit(f is not lial)italil(' t'orsonic^ weeks, as it nuist ve(|uire somc^ tinio for tli(i cxudinj;
sap to lianleii. Tlie mold heforo nw. somc^wliat resombles a wasp's nc^st, hotli in
color ami shape, and if susj)oniled from the limb of a tree niij^'ht easily he
mistaken for one. From two to five o<fj?s are laid to a set, usually four, and those
are indistinguishable in sliai)e and color from those of the rest of our Flickers.

'Hie a\('rage measurement of sevtni eggs in the Iniited States National
Museum collection is "iS.Of! by 21.03 millimetres, or al>out 1.14 by 0.sr> inches.
'Phe largest i}'/'^ measures .'5().7S by 22.10 millimetres, or 1.21 by 0.S7 inches;
the smallest, 26.!)2 by 20.32 millimetres, or l.OO by O.SO inches.

Tile tyj)e s])ecimen. No. 22()3r) (not ligured), from a set of four eggs, was
taken by Mr. Herbert Hrown, near Tucson, Arizona, ou ]\[.iy 25, 1884, from a
liol(^ in a giant cactus, 1") feet from th(^ ground.

50. Colaptes rufipileus UMuoway.

ClIAD.M.ll'K ll.ICKKIi.

Ciilajitin muxivimiix nilijiilciis \Uih;\v\\, liiillctiii ('. 8. (icoloiiiciil aiicl(i('(){;rai)lii('iil Sinvoy

of the Tcnititrics, 11, Xo. L', April I, lS7(i, 1!»1.
CdIiiIiIix niliiiUriin l!in(i\VAV, linllotiu Nuttall Oniitliological Club, II, .luly, 1877, fid.

(1! _. O — , 1! 3.S0, C — , IT 115.)

(iKodKAiMiic \i. liANdK: <ina(l!ilii|i(' Island, Mexico.

The (iuadalupe Flicker was discovered i»y Dr. Fdward Palmer in ISTo,
while engaged in making natural history collections on (ruadalupti Island, otf
the coast of Louver California, and nearly all of the land binls obtained by
liim at the time jiroved to bi; insular forms and new to science. Since then
Mr. Walter iv iJryant has twice visited this renioti^ island, which is situated
about 200 miles to tile south and west of San Diego, California, the northern
extremity lying in about latitude 21)^ 10' N. and longitude 118^ 1 8' W. It is
ai»out 1.') miles in length, with a maxinunn width of f) miles, and it is said to
reach an altitudi^ of about 4,500 feet at its highest ])oint. There are some ])ines,
cypress trees, and cal)l)ag(^ palms found on tlui island. For all tlu^ information
w<* possess about the life histor\- of this insular Flicker, whose habitat ajipears
to be contineil to this island, we are indebted to Afr. Bryant, wlio published an
interesting paper entitled "Atlditions to the Ornithology of Guadalupe Island"
(in Bulletin (!, ( "idifornia Academy of Sciences, daimary 5, 1887, pp. 2(!ll to 318),
from which 1 extract the foUowin;'' relatiu"- to this littled'

Known si)ecies

"Ctanparatively s|)eaking, this bird was not rare in the ri'stricted area- of
tli(( large cypress grove, but apart from this locality less than a dozen were seen.
Three specimens were taken among some ])alms, within a shoi't dist;

nice Irom

th

leach, on the eastern side of tin* island. Onh' on

e was

heard

th

pines at th(^ northern portion, and in tlu^ vicinity of the large jiahii gro\'e on
the northwestern slope tlie\' were occasionalh' seen.

U

TlIK (iUADALlJPE FLICKKK.

141

"Of Jill the spccifs of tliis tiiniily I liiivi* (^vcr met witli, mmn luivc Immmi so
tiiiiic .mil uiisiispifioiis or loss tVifiliteiu'il l»y tlio report of ii j;iiii. In .Fiiiniiiry
1 witnessed ii pecnliar liiil)it not lii't'oro noticed, I helievc, in l)ir(ls ot'tliis "^cnns.
A piiii- of Flit'k((rs were perched t'acinjf oacli other upon a ji'niirleil root jilxtnt it
feet tVuMi the fiToiniil, tluMT heads within a foot of each otlier. Snddenly tlm
nude, who had l)een sittinji' motionless heftre the female, lieji'an a somewiiat
<i'rotes(jue performance, which consisteil in a rapid holiliin^j' of his heail. In this
he was immodialeh' followeil liy the female. 'Piiis spasmodic liolil)inu' and
hciwinii' thev repeateil alternately a few times, when l...rh stop])eil as snddenly
as thev liad commeiicod. After an interval of a few seconds the male lie^an
Muain, and was joineil hy the female. Tlie mnvement I'esemltled more an
upward jerk of the head than a how.

" .\pproachin^- on mv iiands and knees to i^'et a closer view, I cnidd hear a,
low, I'hncklin^i' sonnd wiiile these strange actions were in ] )ro,iires^. Wliat th(^
outcome of this love-makin;;' — for such I rej^arded it — would have heen I did
not ascertain. The fear of losing- the specimen.s — almost the lirst ! had seen —
prompted me to tire. The first shot broujiht down the female. .\t the report
awav ilew the male, followed by another male, which, unseen l)y me, had been
(piite neai', on the i;round. They returned while I was still holdinji' tlie female,
and thus gave me an opportmiity of securinj^- them both, Tiieir e\ident lack of
timidity jiermitted me to draw near enoujih to plainly distinguish the character-
istic liright reil cheek patches. In February 1 saw a repetition of the action
al)ove noted, the birds being in a cypress tree above me. They were ver\-
tame, especially the female, who came (piite near as I lay ujion tlu ground,
wliistling "(piit-tu, (piit-tu," ami watching her puzzled actions. In ii half-dead
cvpress this pair had partialh' pecki^I a cavity for a nest. In addition to tlu^
familiar scythe-whetting notes they have the peculiar "wake-up" call and its
rapid jtrelude of monosyllables. By imitating this call 1 deco\-ed a distant
female to within short range, the bird coming through the thickest of the
express gro\-e, stoj)ping at short intervals to call and list(!n for a ri'[)lv.

"The food of this spe<'ies during a jiortion of the year consists largel\- of
smooth-skinned cater[)illars, liesides numerous beetles and ants: the latter are
always obtainable and, growing to a large size, figure as an important item of
their diet. 'i'he scarcitx' of decayed trees, with the exception of fall(Mi ones,
necessitates either work upon seasoned wood or the resort ti> dead palm stumps.
The nests will therefore be found at heights varying from .'{ to 1 "> feet.

"liy March Ifi the i)irds wi're invariably found in pairs, ami m\ wish to
secur(? a setting of eggs before departing seemed in a fairwaxof being fulfilled.
Strolling among the cypress, on the "iTth of March, I found tour ti'ees upon
which the i)irds were at work oi' hail lieeii recently, and in siu'h cases the birds
them.selves were always to be found in the innni'diate vicinit\-. Passing a half-
d<Nid hv{', I ho.u'd the sounding taps of a Wood[iecker at work, and as I neared
the spot the slight noise which 1 made as 1 carefully [)icked my wa\- o\cr the
rock-strewn ground caused a handsome male bird to suddenl\- jippear at an

'1 ;■ fi

ti-'-f, ■'

•..'ii

' ^

■'':^'

142

T.IKK TIISTOIilKS OV NOUTH AMKUIOAX DIKDS.

>• ' <

oiH'iiiufjf iilMdit 4 feet lii^ili. Witli ii t'oitt j^nispiiijr oitluir sidcf of tlio ontranco lio
{^iizcil upon tin- iiitiiidcr. I lii viii;^- comprelu'iKk'd tlm Hituation, ho Huw to auothei-
tree, Avlicro lit! ([iiictly awiiitcil my inspt'ctioii and departuro. 'I'lio liolo was tlicn
down al)oiit 1.') inclK's. I{y April 7 it liad rt'aclifd u dcptli of about 20 iui-lii's,
and contained six fresh c^'i^s, upon whicli tlu* female was then sittinj^'. As no
description lias hitherto appeared of tho e<>'^s of this spocios it may bo woll to
])resent here the measui'ements o[' this set (Xo. SO,'}, autlior's oiiloji'ical C(dlec-
tion). 'I'hey correspond exactly, both in color and ^^ciieral shape, with scores of
other e^i'ji's of this genus, and otfer the followiuf'' measurements in millimetres:
•J8 l»y -'2, I'S by 2--', 2S by •_'•_'.;"), 29 by •_'■_>, 2!l.r» l)y 'I*, '2\)I) by 22:" or about
1.11 by (».S7, \M hy ().S7, 1.11 by O.'h!!, 1.1 I by 0.S7, I.IC by 0.87, and l.KJ
by 0.S7 inches.

'There are no {'<x<<;a of this species in the I'liited States National Jln.seum
collection.

4

'I

m . ■

1 .

I

I'll!
-If-

. .1 ''^*

m

Family (!AIM{IMlTI/!IT)yl<:. fJoATsircKKUs, inc.
51, Antrostomus carolinensis ((Jmf.i.in).

CHUCK-WII.L'.S WIDOW.

VaprimiihiiiK riu-nliiiviiKis (isiKLiN, Systeimi Natui'ic, I, ii, I78.S, 10l!8.
AHtroslomiis ciiroliiicimis (iori,n, Icoiit's Avium, 1.S3.S.

(I! lll,C 2(it,K35;5, (3 m>, 1: 410.)

(iEO(H!AlMIu:Al, UAN(iK: l''l I tllO Houtll .VlljUltic aild (rUlf StatoS ainl tlld l<()\Vt'r

Mississii)|ii V'.illcy iioitli to the .soutlioni portions of VirK'inia, Illinois, aiul iiidiaiia, the
f^rcater iioition of .Vikmisus, southern Missouri, and the Indian Territory; west to Te.\as;
south in winter to the West India laland.s and through cistern Mexico and Central .\nier-
iea to Colombia. South Amcricu. Casual in S(mtlu>rn Kansas; accidental in Massachusetts.

The breeding rang(( of ("huck-will's-widow, also locally known in South
(."arollna as the "Dutch \Vhip-[)oor-wiH" or "Chii)-the-rod-oak-whit(!-oak," and
in some id' the West India Islaiuls as tin; "Spanish \Vhii)-poor-will," is coo.xton-
sive with its oeographical (listril)ution in tiie IJniteil States, exceptiuf'' tho lower
Uio (!rand(! Valley, in Texas. It is only a sunnner visitor over tho greater
portion of its rangt- with us, Ijut, accoi'ding to Mr. \V. iv D.Scott, in "Tho Auk"
(V(d. VI, 18SII, p. 2,">2), "Some of the.se birds are resident on tho (Julf coast of
Florida, at least as far north as Tarpon Springs, where in winter, in Decond)er and
.lanuary, tiiey ari^ rather rarer than at other seasons of tho year." Mr. E. A.
Mcllhenny also tells nu' that they are connnon residents in soutliern Louisiana.
Hy far the greater number, however, retire farther south, wintering in tho AVe.st
India Islands, as well as in ( 'entral Anu-rica, ami a i\'\v civeii pass the Istlnnus of
Panama In (Joloml)ia, Sctuth America. They usually reenter the United States,
from theii- wint(;r homes in the south, early in April, and move leisurely north-
ward to their 1 weeding grounds, retin'uing southward again al)out the iieginningof
Septeml)er. The males usually make tlieir a[ipearance on the breeiling grounds

i

THE (MIUCK WILL'S WIDOW.

148

a f'o\v<liivs boforc tlu' foniiih's. Dnriiij;' their ini^^riitioiis tlicy are said to traxcl
siii;ilVt '"■ i't iiiiist ill sniall (•oiiipaiiios, ami not in larjie Hocks, like most otiicr
s|tt'(ics, an<l tlicsc journeys are jterforiiied (Mitirely at ni^^lit.

(.'hurk-will's-widow is tlie larfjest of the ('((itriiiiiilfiidir found in the United
States, anil, like the rest of the members of this family, it is crepnsenlar and
nocturnal in its hai)its, bein;;' r-arely seen on the \vin;>- in the daytime, unless
accidentally startled troni its hidiiif^- place. It spends its days mostly hiiMeii
a\va\' in dark shady places in woods, amon^' the unihrjirowth, especially alonji'
rocky hillsides, resting either on the ground or in some hollow log, under a leilnc
of rock, or perched h-ngthwise on some low liml» of a bushy, densely-foliageil
tree. Although a tolerably conmion bird throughout the more southern portions
of its range, it is by no means as well known generally as it might be, and only
a careful and patient ol>server can expect to become familiar with its general
habits. Its ihght is extremi'ly noiseless, the very enil)odiment of graces anil
agility cond)ined, and in this rtispect it resembles our Owls somewhat, now
skimming along close to the ground, dropping down suddenly to pick up some
beetle, then dashing uiiward again, perhaps after a moth; constantly twisting
and turning from ono courst^ to another, but always on tlu^ lookout for any passing
insect. As soon as tlu^ sun has disaj)peai'e(l behind the horizon, all thi^ Chuck-
will's-widows in th(^ neighlntrhood become alert at once, leave their customary
restiuii' idaces in search of food, and, during the mating season esi)eciall\-, com-

from which tlie\' ha\(

phi
meuce to utter the jieculiar call, "chuck-will's-widow
derived their name. This strangely doleful-sounding note is occasionallv, par-
ticularly while miller sexual excitement, uttered very rajiidly for two or three

niinute:

more, the s\-llal)les being all rolled into one, until the bird

IS comia

■lied

to take a ri'st from slu'cr want of breath. The late Dr. William ('. .\verv, of

(ireeiisboro
on this sul

Alaiiama, well known as an excellent ol)ser\ei\ wrote me as follows
il cad

l)jiH't: "In general cadeiici' flic first tlirei^ syllables arc; ai)out eipial,
the syllabli> 'wid' being accented and emphasized, and tlu; last syllable, 'ow'
heiiig only about half the ([iiantity of the lirst three. Pronounce the s\llables
just as 1 have given them here, with the accent on 'wid' and the ipiaiitit\' of
(Mpial in length with the intoned ,syllal)le, and \(iii have the

the

cat

nrecediii"' ones

note of AiilrDslonnis raroli

'When frightened from its nest, or when flying late in the evening, it utt

el>

a harsh note at times, and this resembles, to my ear, the syllal)le 'baw! baw!
Iiaw!' Thesi' notes, apparently of displeasure or alarm, are low and can not
lie heard at a great distance, while, during a still night, the 'chnck-wiU's-
widow,' or call note, rapidly repeated, may be heard tor a mile or more, "^riiesi'
notes, (luring the mating season at least, an; uttered from dusk to about !l p.

m..

mil while sinyiii"'

til

e\' usua

iiy

sit on tile ji-round, on a lo<>- or roci

ind in such a jiosition

occasionally on a fence rail, or on a low limli of a trei

they usually sit lengthwise, not crosswise, on the limb. 1 have known this liird

from early boyhood and am positive that it never chants its monotonous smig

,liiU

tl

e on till' will"',

has I

leeii receiith' statei

It

IS also sail

1 'that if eitl

ler

, ) ■ '< :

Iji'i^y

i

m

■^ , i

^5.

:!

3 t

II

.,;/1

•.Hi

11

ir»

■ ii

li

viy

i

m

'f^:

144

I.IK15 MKSTOKIES OF NOKTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

flii'ir v'^'^s or ydiiii;^- iiru (listiirhod tlicy aro ('iiiTiod off in tlio capiicious nioutlis
of tlu! Iiinls to soiiu! ilistaut i)art of tlio forest, in tlio same nianiuT tliat a cat
transports licr kittens.' 1 nnist say tliat I do not lu'litfvo tliis asscrtioi:. I
j»nr|iosoly llnslicd the parent oil' tin- cjiji's wliii-li 1 sent yon tln'eo times on
May ;j, iSilO. wiien I lirst tonnd the nest, and onct^ mi tlie 4tli, altogei' v-r fonr
times, Itefore I took the set, and yet the old bird returned (;ach time and eon-
tiniieil to sit in the same phu-e as lonf^' as hvv e<^'ji's renii. 'led there. VV'lien I
flnsiied tlie parent tVoni her nest on the 3d of Jfay she* liad oidy one o'^ii;
thouji'Ii she was settinji'; on tiie 4tli she still had hut one, and it wa.s only on the
Gth, the third day after I found the nest, that sh(» laid flu! last e;;<jf."

It is possiiile that this species removes its eji'iis to a ditl'erent locality occa-
Hionally when distnrlied, l)nt this hal)it does not, by any means, appear to be
iniiver.sal; the youn;^', however, are more fre(|Uently hidden hi some other ])lace
by the jtarents under similar circumstances.

Tluf fooil ol' Chnck-will's-wiilow consists mainly of booties, wiufjod ants,
and other insects, (^sp<!cially the nij;ht-tlying Lrpidoptcra — siu'h as tlu^ Spiiif/idcc
(Hawk moths), SatiiruoiiUr (silk motlis), and N(iitnUJ(P (Owl moth.s) — and the
enormous width uf its short bill enables it to swalfow the larj^'cst of these very
reailily. It does occasionally aspirt^ to larj^-er ^amo, and it seems to bts a well-
established fact that small birds form a portion of its re^'ular bill of fare.

A well-authenticated instances of its canniltalistic tcnulencies is ])ul)lished by
Dr. F. W. Lany-don anion;;' his field notes on [.louisiana birds, in the "Journal
of the Cincinnati Society of Natural History" (Vol. IV, ISSl, p I'll), in which
he makes the following statenuMit: "The stomach of a female shot on April 14
contained the partially digested liody, entire, of a Swamp Sparrow, intermingled
with the feathers of which were uuuierous remains of insects, chieHy small
beetles."

^[oro recent, observations, made by Mr. John I. Northrop on Andros Tslinid,
one of the Unhamas, between March 14 and July 3, IKDO, fully confirms this.
He published the following regarding this species: "Three specimens were
taken, two of which were disturbed in the woods during the daytime and the
other .shot at dusk. Upon examining the stomarh of the first one shot, T found,
anK)ng an indistingui.shablc! mass of brownish matter, a small bone, about half
an iiuh long, that looked like the leg of a small bird. The next one examined
containeil in its stomach the ])artially dig<'sted remains of an entire riunnning-
bird, enough of which was pi-eserved to identify it beyond a doubt as Sp(irii<l'nnis
firoriUr '

Audulion, as well as Dr. Joim (Jundlach, also mentions having found the
remains of l)inls in the stomachs of this species, and it would a})pear that such
a diet formed a not unusual part of its regular fare.

In the southern \y,\rt of their range nidification l)egins sometimes by Ajiril
10, more often in the hitter part of this month and during May, and occasionally
eggs are foinid as late as.Fune 30. I believe, as a rule, only one brood is raised

The Auk, Vol. Vlll, IS',11, p. 73.

i

THE rilUrK WIIilAS WIDOW.

145

ill M sciison; but tliis last rcidrd, wliicli is frniii 'ritusvillc, Kloridn, si-ciiis tit iiidi-
fiitc tliiit two liroods iniiy ocviisiniiidly Itc rsiiscd under t'iivnr!il)lc circiinistiiuci'.s.
'Pile iimst iiortlicrii Itrcciliii;^- n<'(ird 1 Iiunc is one trurii the W.isliiin Wivcr, in tin*
Indian 'rurritory, in almut latitude) iJ;') ', hut it undouhti'illy laccds in suitaljlc
iticMlitics iis far mn'tii as latitude .'5S'. Altluai^ili fairly altuuilant tlu'dujilmut tlio
i;ieatei' part of 'i'exas durinj>' the l)reedinj>' season, it is not lound anywhere! in
tile lower iJio (JraiKh- Valley or vicinity, and \ have no authentic records of its
hrecdin^' there, where it appears to be entirely replaced hy Merrill's I'arauque,
Nililiilioniiis (ilhicitllis mnrilli. It appears to l)e tpiite connnon in I'utnani County,
Florida, and the niajorit}' of the ejif^s in the United States National Musouin
collection were ol)tained there by Dr. Williain L. Ralph, where it nio.stly nested
ill oak tliickets, under trees whose branches nearly touched the <iround, bcjtli in
swainpy and dry situations.

( 'hiick-wiU's-widow makes no nest; tlui e};';;s art^ usually laid on the <lry
leaves coverinff tim <>touii(1, in deciduous forests, and occasionall}' on the bare
uicuiid, either in flat woods or on brush-covereil and rocky hillsides — in fact,
such nestinji' place 'em to he preferred by this species to flat, lescl woods,
when olitainal)le. 'Vkk two e<ijis ai-e deposited on alternate days, and incubation
coiiinieiices with the first i"^'^ laid. I believ(f the female perforins the duties of
incubation almost entirely, l)ut both sexes are very devoted parents. The hii-d
nil the nest will try as assiduously to draw the intruder away from its vonnj^- as
llir liiiifeil (irouse, by fei^^niiij;' injury and Hiitterinji' aloiiji- on tlu? <ii-ound. it
usiialK' also emits a liissin;.;' noise when disturbed.

The efiji's of ( 'huck-will's-widow are amon<>- the handsomest found in the
I'liited States; the shell is tiiie-tiraineil, rather thin, and moderately jjlossv in
iiio>t cases. 'i"he\' are usiialh' elliptical o\al in shape, or about equally roiualed
on iioth ends, 'i'lie jii'ound color of these eirji's is of such a subtle tint that it is
almost impossible to describt^ it accuratcK'; it varies friuii a rich cream, with a
tiiiiit pinkish sutfusioii, to a pale cream, and more rarely to a pure white. They
;ire in mo.st cases more or less profusely blotched, marlileil, and spotteil with
(iiU'eieiit shades of brown, tawny, fawn, and Isabel-color, underlaid and inixeil
witii liji'liter shades of ecru dralt, laveiuh'r, pearl jiray, and pahi heliotrope
jiurple. In an occasional spi'cimen some of the markiiij^'s take the shape of
irregular lines and tracings, like those of the ejijis ol' the (irackles; in others
liicy are tiiu; and minute, obsciirinj^' the <4round color to some (.'.xteiit. In some
specimens the darker shades predominate; in others, the liji'liter; in fact, there
is nil endless variation in the style of niarkiii<i's, but in the entire series there is
not ;i sinji'le specimen which is not })erceptil)h- marked. The e<;'<fs are rather
liii'jic, considering' the size of the bird.

The avera^'e measurement of forty-two specimens in the I'nited States
National Museum collection is W'l.Sl by "25.76 millimetres, or alxait 1.41 by 1.01
iiulies. The lai'u'e.st eti'i"' of the series measures 4<t.l,'{ b\ 27 4.'! millimetres, or

l.fiS bv l.OS inch

tl

le sii

lallest, ;{5.;{(> i)y 25.15 millimetres, or !.;}!» iiy O.'JO

,;,,;X.|;;

il

■i:r'

inches.

i(M<;Mi— No. a-

-10

Il 11

it •■

\

m i

14(;

LIIM; lllSTOKIKrt ok NOIiTII AMKUKJAN IIIUDS.

Tilt' typo s|t»ciiiifii, No. 20444 (I'l. 1, Kij>-. H), (Voiii fi set of two cj^jis,
Uondiro colk'ctiou, was taken in (!oinal ('ounty, Texas, on Juno l."», 1H7!), ami
represents a small hut a very handsome ej^j;'. No. 2448H (I'l. 1, V"\\t. !)), also
from a set of two ej^j^.s, from the lialpli collection, was taken liy Dr. William \..
K'alpli, in I'ntnam Connty, I'Morida, on .May 1, 1S!(1, and represents on(^ of tlie
htdder-markeil types, the specimen beinj'' somewhat alio\e tlie avtra^ie size.

52. Antrostomus vociferus (Wilson).
wnii'-i'ooif-wii.i,.

';} i I '

Cniirimiilfiiis nici/rnin Wii.soN, AMicricMii < (riiitlioloKJ', V, I.S12, 71, I'l. II, I'iys. I-
AnlruntoiiiiiK vucijvriin lioN.U'ABTj:, (jcoKnipliical and Coniiiarative Li.st, is;i,s, «.

(B 112, C 'Mr,, H ;W4, 0 ;H»7, U 417.)

(ii;o(ii!APnu'Ai. ranok: ICasterii Nortli Ainerlcii; north lo the sontlicrn poitions ni'

the Dii

niiniDi) II

r Canada in tiie proviin'cs ot Nova 8rotia, Qacix-c, and nnrtluMii Ontario.

to soiitliwestt'in Kcewatin and western Manitolia; west in the I'liited States tiiron;;!!
eastern North and Sonth Oakuta, Nebraska, western Kansas, the Indian Terriicay, and
Te.xas; soath in winter through eastern Mexico to (iiniteniala. Casnal to Porto Hieo and
the West I allies.

While the lamiliar call of the Whip-poor-will, from which it receives its

name

ilinost universally known to every farmer's l)ov tliroiio-hoiit its ran'

th

iin'(|

itse

is not nearly .so often corrcu'tlv identitied, and otir common

Niji'lithawk, or Uull-hat, is frequently inistakiii for the author of these notes.
It is oul\' a sunmn-r \isitor throu<>hout the ofeater portion of the United States
id the southern |)arts of the Dominion of Canada, usually arrivin<i' from its

soiithei'ii portions

ai

winter haunts in (iuatemahi and .southern Mi'xico, al
of its lircediiio' ran^i'e in

Ollii

th

the United States, about the middle of .Maich;

am

moviny h'isurely northward, it reaches our middle Sttites alxiut April 1.'), ami
till' more noi'thern ones from one to three weeks later. Not a few Wliip-|)oor-
11s winter re^iularly in the southern parts of Florida, as well as alonj;' tlie (iiilf

wi

coast of {.louisiana; those tire probably birds which breed mainly north of the
United States. As far as 1 hnvv been able to ascertain, this sjiecies reaches
the extreme northern limits of its ran^c on the north shore of Lake Wimiipe;:,
near Norway House, one of the Hudson Hay Company's I'osts, situated in tlu!
siiiitliwi'stern part of tlu' rrovince of Keewatin, in about latitude ")4^. It is a
■iideiit in suitable localities throuohont .Maiiitol)a, and a set

cominnn summer re

is now in the United States Niitional Museum collection taken \>\ M

William MaeTavish, near Lak(! Manitoba, in June, IStJ'J. The western limits of
its raiiyc evteiid well into the (jreat Plains. Mr. A. W. Meiike writes me that

lie

las slior this species ni tinney County, 111 southwestern Kansas, wliere it

t'vidently breeds, but is rare; and it is undoubtedly also a simiiiier resident

tlirou<;liout the orciitcr ],>art of Nebraska, as well as ol' Xortli and South Dakota,

.Mr. William Lloy I records it as a summer resident in tlie eastern portions

\\, and Mr. U. I'. Attwater ob.serveil it in Mexar Couiitv, Texas.

d'C.u

iclio Conn

TFIK WIIII'l'OOU WILL,

U7

Tlicsi! iMtiiits I'liniisli proldilily iilMtut tlio westcni limits of its hruciliiiir raiijfo
ill tliiM State. It in (ipimrciitly a very raro smiiiiii'r resident in Kluriila, and In
tile iiniru^iliati^ vicinity <>t' tlie Hoiitli Atlantic, ami (iiilf coasts in Alaliania and
Mis,sisrti|)i)i; it ia'cunit's soniewliat in(Mt' j^eiierally distrihuted tlinaifiliont tho
liill coiuitrv (it' western South Carolina, nortliern ({eorj^ia, and Alaliama, hut
is still rare liere. The late Dr. William ( '. A\t'ry, one of the most reliahlo
ornithologists ot' the South, met the Whip-poor-will near i\nniston, Alabama,
ill ,liily, and while rather rare, it nnipU'stionahly breeds there to a limited
(Nteiit. .Mr. W. J. .Myers reconls it as sometimes lireedin.n' in llillslioro Coiinly,
I'loiida. where he round a nest and two ej^jis <iii ,\pril .">, iS!i;i; jind Mr. K. A.
^il■Illlel'.ll\■ int'orms me that he I'oinid it nestin<i' on .Vverx's Island, in soiitheru
Louisiana, where it was a rare sninmer resMeiit, hut tar nions common in fall
;iiid winter. I[e also says: "These birds are very tame, i'or on two occasions,
^\llile sifting- still In the twilijiht to oiiserve tho movements of some Owls, I liavo
iiad lliem come so close that I coidd have cau^^'ht them. < >ii one occasion oiio lit
(III iii\ knee, and another on my foot as it was extended before me." Tiie I'Morida
and Louisiana, lireeiliiiH- rt'conls are the most sontliern I know of, and it breeds
iiitM'e or less (•oininonh' in suitable localities tliroiiyhoiit the rcinainder of its
ran^c. Like many other species, it is very iimcli attached to its once (diosen
haunts, ami will return to them from year to year, often nestin;^- in the iihuitical
spot, or at iiio.-<t ^^itllin a few i"eot of it, if the ininiediate surroiindinjis hav(> not
been cliaii;ucd too iiiiich ill the nieaiilime. It returns south ai:ain during- the
first p;irt ol' ( (ctober. Its faxca'ite resorts are dense, shady thickets, itorderin;;-
oil cleaiiiins and river \alle\s; ro(d\\ and brush-covereil hillsides, and rollini;'
coiiiiir\ , iiitersjiersed alternatcK' with woods and iulti\ate(l tracts, are pret'erred
to the iiKMC le\cl iirairie regions. In the latter it is oiiK' ftaind aloiiji' the river
bliilVs, aiiioii^' the .shrubbery, and rarely any distance away on tlu^ open and
iieailx fretdess plains, Tinlcss at dusk and in early hours of the iiij^ht, wliihi
ill sciirch of food on the roads leadiii"' throuyii these. lis tliyht is stroll"',
swift, jiraceful, and ciitirtd\' noiseless, ;^li(liii<4' like a shadow (dose aloiii;' the
ground ill pursuit of nijiht-prowlinji' insects, mainly Lcpidnjilrni and ('itlroiilcrd,
on which it feeds jilniost ex(dusi\(dy. in the Western States, which are soiiie-
timo.s overrun by swarms of |{o(dvy .Mountain Locusts, it also feeds larj^idy on
those when abundant. Considered fr(an an economic ])oint of \iew, the Wliiji-
poor-will is an einineiitly useful and beiieticial liird, deservinj;' the fullest
protection. Likc^ ( 'liiick-will's-widow, it is crepuscular and nocturnal in its
habits, and is rareh" si-eii in the da\ time unless accideiitalK' driven from its
hidiiin- phice. It passes the hours of dayli;;lit in .-.liad\' retreats, either on the
uiduiid (ir on low limits of trees (on which it always per(dies leiijithwise) n\\ old
lo^s, and on or under rocks wtdi covered by undi-rbrush. It is rarely found at
liijiher altitudes than .'{,r)00 feet. Tho familiar call note of the Whip-poor-will
is well expressed by its name, but it .sounds to nio nioro like " Wliip-po(a'-wi(di,"

osneci

alL

,heii uttered (dose to tho listener. On their tirst arrival (ai tin

a'eediu};' jiroumis tins call is espe<

11

\ frociuontlv and rapidK iciieateil nt t

'1 ,1 '■

■ f

^

;|(>^

<,r

i'l

"n

ill'

■M

Si

1

»

(•

i

5

i

<
1

1

;■

i

■

J

?!■

(I

•

)*'

i...

4

\m

148

!-irK III8TOK1KH OF NOUTIF AMKUHAN Illl.'DS.

l)<'yiimiii;i' of dusk, iiml tlin»ii;;lunit tlio caily piirt ot' flic iiijilit, somt'tiiiU's tor
iiiiiiiitcs iit il timi', without imy purcoptil)!!) iuturiiussiou, nud oiio ciui tlicu easily
(Icroy tlifsc liiidH l>y iniitatiii}; this «'all.

'I'iicy an> siiid to siiijr uImo ocrasioiialiy duriii;i' tlic day, liut I never liciiid
oiif at siicli a tiuic, tnt'ii duriiijf cloudy weather. Ah tlie lireedinj;' season
advances tliey httconio luoro and nioro silont, but tiiey sonietinu's sin;;' as hite
as Septeinlier, never with tiin vim and jiersistency, iiowever, as on their lirst
arrival, when trecinently halt" a. (htzeii or niorc^ ot' tiiese Itirds may lie heanl at
thy saints time, I'urmin;;' a pertiM't chorus, their notes Itlendin;^' so comiiletely

mto ea(

h oth

ler that they sound lil\(( a, contiimons " \vhi|i|ier-Nvlii|i|ier-\\ hi|

the last svllalile iiein^' entirely lost in the medlev ot" noise produceil; >till siirh
vo-al concerts are not especially unpleasant to tiie ear, and rather lidl the
ucr into ii sound sleep.
.\l)oiit <lnsk the \Vhip-poor-will emerges t'roin its liidiuL;' place in some

listc

nei;;!ihorm;i- tincket ami ^oes liaw
1

ikill;;' t

or Its evenmii' nasi

consiiierahh

hi.

)onioi

ll-ti

n a I

jirounil, especiallN on w ell-tr;i\ cled
list hath to rid its IkmIn- ot" xcrmin.

I ot" its food is picked up from
roatls, on « hich it fre(piently indul;;('s
It will visit some t'ax'orite spots re^nlai'ly, and slightly sandy roads are preferre(|
to hea\ier soil. Its movements on the ^'round are ratherawkward, its feet hein;;-
weak and short; iait few of our hirds are more "'racefid on tiii' winy than the

W

ip-p
It I

a'-will. i hav(^ seen one toiu'h

hack of its win

to.

•th

sweiit ii\' nu',

n-rest its noiseless lliiiht instantK, di

to th

'■rouni

jierpoiK

At

licidi

M'l\-,

lick up some insi

ect. and dasi

1 a\va\- a-'

■iiiili

leiih

I al

as It ha

such times It occasioni

Iittei

as It
most
hed.
k

diick-diick," and another souiKliny lik<

I low, puiTiny nv iirimtin^i' noise hki

t li(

' zile-see, zue-see

vMiicli can no

near(

1 nnl

ess (Ule IS (

los.' I

IV.

\\'hile on a collecting'' triji in Ili'rkimer County, New \'oi'k, with l>r.
William h. IJalph, in .lime, ISl),"?, 1 witnessed a most amusiiiM' pei'foniiani'e.

,hi.'l

I one ma\' see perhiqis onci
oine '-Ml feet ill the real

in a

lifet

line

1 h

huildiiii''. S(

.f tl

ippelied to lie m a llllle ollt-

le not

ise at which

we were stoppiiin-, eai'l\

on the evening of the ■24th, aliont half an hour after sundown,

w hen

1 h

iiecu

liar, 1

ow, ciu

ckiny noise outside, which was directh' followiMJ l)\- the familial

call of "\vlii|i-poor-wi

jiair of these liirds paid lis reniilar \ isits iroin the

neiii'lilioi'in;^' f<ii'est, often perching- <iii the root' of tli(0iouse,
on the limhs of a crab-aiiple tr
road nassiim' in

an

lellf

eiice

re(^ nearliN', or occasioiialh' iili

1 crab-app
front of the house, where tlie\' would a!

rhti

tl

<l us to a

closeK' approachc(l before takin;^' win;;', and treat.

nirectlv aloiiy'side of the small outbuildin"' nri'viouslx' referred ti

11^- on the f-andy
tli<-msel\ cs to I '
iiiii'htlv ('•

sai

id and linu' had bee

1 snilled

d fi

tl

rom tile nuiiiei'<ii

is tracks of tl

lese

made b\' them iii"'litlv afterwards, it was e\ ideiit that th

IS

it was \l>lle(

I'c'ni

lai'h

and was

the trystin^' placi' of at least one jiair. Lookiiiu' thi'onyh

a small aiierture

saw one (

if the bir

ds waddlni':' alioiit iii a \ crx' excite^

manner over

II

le saiid-covere(l space, w

rhicl

1 was |i

naps

ii\

Icet s(|nai'e

and it was so much interested in its own performance that it did not notic.; i

lie.

THH VVmP POOH wir.L.

I4{»

iiltliitiiyli I in;iilr some iiuiHc tryiii;;' to (iylif nil' ii swiinii nl' iiiiiHi|iiii(Mw w liiili
iissiiili'il nil' Iroiii ill! siilrs. Its liciiil ii|i|iciir<M| tu lie III! iiiiiiitli. iiml its imli's
Will' iittiTcil sii I'lipiilly tliiit, cluHc Hi* I sviiH ti) till' liii'il, tlii'V siiiiiiili'il liki' mil'
lull;:. fiilltilllKillft lull. A t'i'W si'CiiihIh lifter liin lirst ert'nrf (it WIIH tin- nillle) lie
\V;is jiiliii'il li\' Ills iiljlte, Mini slie iit iiliee nillillielli'i'il tu l'i'M|iii||i| W'itll il |ii'i-llliiir,
|ii\V, iill/./illi'' III' yrillitili';' Mute, like " ;iii\v-uii\v-!''il\V. " lliuliillliti'ilh il imte nl'
:l|»|infMll or einli'liriiii'lil. Tllis eviilelltly rust IliT I'ulisiilel'illile ell'iil'l ; ller lieilil
iiiliiiisl tiiiii'lieil till' ;il'nllliil while lltterillj>' it, lier iillllllll}ie wiis reliiMil, iiml
lier wliiile linily seellieil ti> lie ill il viitlelit trelillile. 'Pile iiiiile in tile ineillltillie
liiiil siilli'il ii|i ti> lier Iiml tiiiii'lieil lier liill witli liis, wliirli nimle her inine
slii>litl\ In line siile, lilll so sliiwK' tlldt lie eilsiK' kciit elitse iiliil|i>-sii|e ut' her.
'I'liese siillill^- inuvellli'llts were kept up fur ti ininilte nr llliire eiiell time; first
line Wiilllil llln\e ilWllV, I'olliiWeil li\' the other, ailil then it WHS revi'l'seil: liiitll
were illinlil eiplillK liiilil illlil i'(i\- lit the siinie time, 'i'lieir entire ln\e milkillj;'
liiiikeil e\i'eeilin;>'lv hiiniiin, anil the feniiile ai'teil a.s timid ami liashfiil as iiiaii\'
\iiim^' maiili'iis winiM when receiviiijn' the lirst ileclaratiuiis nf their wunld-lie
|ii\i'i's, while the lowei'in;;' i>t' her lieail nii^i'Iit easily lie interpreteil as liein;;-
ilniie til liiile her iiliishes. .Inst aliniit the time I tliuii<;'lit this I'unrtship witiihl
leaili its I'limiiN, a i\i>>x ran cuit of the lioiise anil eailsed Imth tn take tli;;lit.
1 le alwiiN's shiiwed an iniai'i'iiiintalile antipatliN' fur these liirds. and invarialiU
I'liaseij them as siiitii as one wuiild ali<j!'ht near hy. I watehed \\>\- them uii
-cM'i'al >iiliseipieiit eveiiin^is, in the same pliire, lint they iiexer ri'tiirnei! there
sii earlv, liiil their t'resli traeks mi the sand sliuwed that the plaee had iieeii
visited later in the nii^ht.

In the mure smithern purtiMiisuf its raiiji-e the \Vliip-| r-will iiests iisiiallv

aliuiit tlie tirst week ill .\la\ , iiceasimialK' mil\' diiriii"' the last \\\i\ weeks in
.\pril, and in the mure iinrtherii parts nsnally nut liet'nre dune

Mr. 1 1. W . Mint, of New liaveii, ( 'miiiecticiit, has kindly furnished me w ith
liic fcilliiwiii;;' iioti's mi this speeies: "This lieaiitifn! liird is a yreat I'avnrile i4'
mine, and 1 have dexuted I'lHisideralile time ti> stiidyinj:- its haltits. It shows a
>trmi;i' attai'limeiil I'm' eertain Inealities tu tlm iiej;le<'t i>t' utliers appareiitK'

nalK' suited In its tastes, and 1 have taken live sets of it

s ei-ys wi

thin lii(» feet

111 a i;i\eii iiiiint. and even when the tirst set was taken the I'emale will nt'teii la\'

ith

a;:am witlim a rm

1 nr twii of the orieiiial site. It nests rather ear

Iv, .Mi

\- ■_>()

tu 'I't iieiii'^' the average date ol' m\' liiids. I know of no more Imlieroiis sii;'Iit

n iiird life tli:iii that ull'i

li\' the female wli

ell siiilileiilv surprised with

th

NOIIII'J

lie tiles or r

ather Hops aWmit the intruder

in a (

iri'le, often

dit-

in;>- to tmnlili' alimit iipmi the jiroiiml amonji- the 1

eaves, s

preadin^- tlu- tail and

'iiiiii;- the month, at the siiiii" time cmittini

'■ a SI

iiiml smnethinii' like th

e I'l'v or
ids, wholly
imle-erilialile, the \oiiiin' themselves, i'l tlieir scaiitN' drciss of dark vellow I'll/./,,

line of a \ery yoiiiii:' piipp>'i 'H'd :dso other <futtnral, iinemith smii

iiil\ all mm

Ith, addiiiy to the ticneral etVect. 1

oiu'c, anil miee oiilv, saw

a I de (the male is iie\er present at the nest) Ciirrv a yoniij;- hird alimit ,i rod.

III not sa\' she ll^

I'll lier mil, am

I don't think she did, lint I am almost

,:',

■ •■!

•i

^

\:

i

4'|

J '.*i

\'^

m

150

1,1 1'l', lIlSToniKS OF NOltTII AMKUIdAN 1!IIM)S.

iscd, as tlic vniiii"' was liiini'i'd clusc to tlio

sure tile claws aixl Ic^s niih' wcrt- i

IkhIv. 1 have in'\cr kiinwii tin- t';j;'j;'s t(» lie rcniovcil, tiiiiii};'li 1 liavf Ici't tliciii in

twii or tlin-c ililVcrriit iiistaiiccs.

"1 t'diiiiil a pair III" \-,iimu' niic iinirniiifi' and went lntinc after my cainci'a;
Itilt ii|inii in\- rcttini, scvcriil imui's later, tliex' were ^^'uiic and tlic old hird also,
and a caret'ul scarcli tailed to disclose tlieir retreat In tliis case it would
ii|)|)eai' that tlie old liii'd i-enio\ed tlieni. as tlie\' were certainly too youn;;' to
travel tar tlieniseKcs. 'I'lie eii';;s that I have f'oiniil (with the cNception of one

St

t) resendde each other closely, and w<'fe all taken in moderately o|ien second-

,tl

uTowth woodland and on rnln'cs so

)niewhat t'levateil al)ov(^ the immediate

sni

roundinjis. No attempt at a n(>st has been ol)ser\cd; tl

HI s

li;iht dejH

ic cfi'M's wer(t plactMl

t'ssions and nsnallv on one larj^'e h at", nexci' near a loi>' or rock.

"The set referi'i'il to aliove as exce|itional is (piite heaxilv marked, and one

i''rCii has the spots on one side nieriicd into one lari^e blotch. It was taken ,ImI\'

4, ISHl, at Deep Hi\cr, ( "oniU'cticnt, and is the latest ilate on which I have

t'onml ej:';is, thon^ili I lielie\-e that twoliroods are I'eared."

'The Whip-poor-will, like tlw other species of tlie < '(i/irinni/(/iil<r foinwl in

t, hnt fleposits its e<:<is usually on a layer of

the I'nited Slates, inal

!<es no lies

tlr\' lea\'es oi decKMioiis trees, sometimes on dr\' •..uie uetMJIes, iind occasioiialh

on the hare "Tound, n'eneralK' under thi(d< Imshes which afford pleiitx of shi

ide

111 SI

me se(diided and oul-of-the-wa\ corner, near the outskirts ol' foii'sts

or on

ln'iish-co\-ered hillsides, river liliilfs, etc., which are not readih accessiiile and
not disturlx'd much. It is naliirallv a timid and retirinii' liird, and does not
hrook reiieateil intrusion \fvv <;racet'ull\'. 'I"he nesting' site selected is al\\a\s a
well-draiiie(l and a dr\' one; liiilit Miid saiidv soils are prei'erred to liea\ier ones,
and it rarely, if ever, nests in places that are siiliject lo oxcrtlow.

The niimlier of e;;-;;s to a set is two: these are deposited on alternate days,
and incuhalioii commences with the lirst eiiii' laid. I heliexc the female atteiiils
to this duty almost cNchisiNch-, and she is a most tlexoteil parent, iisiiifi' all the
well-known artilices of many jirouiul-liuildinji- species to entice the intruder

th

awa\ ironi tlie vu-i
,.uns il' the nestiim- si

aw!

iiiit\' of her treasures. ( fccasionallv she

will reino' (■ lier

te has i)een disturlieil, and the eij'i>' is said lo he carrii'd

y in her capacious mouth; luit tl

US IS no

t a regular liaitit 1)\ an\ meat

The callow yomiij;, however, are more fre(pientl\' carried to a sate localitx' if ti
ot'teli distlirlied, Tlie eii'^s ot' the Wlli|»-p
i)ird. and elliptical oval in shape; I

oor-will are laru'c

for tl

le size ol" the

shell is rather frail, close-;'raine<l, and

dial

ilil

\ar;aiile m the ai

noiint of liist(

w Idle others show littli' or

r present; some

are rather "-lossv,

T

le L;round color ol lllese ey^'s i

111

usually ]iure white; occasionalK- a taint

cream tint is perceptible, and the markin^i's consist of blotches, spots, and
tracings ol dilfereiit sliades of brown, tawiu and lighter tints of ecru drab,
hncnder. lilac, and pearl ^ray. In most s|)ecimeiis the markings are profuse;
in some the darker, but in the majority the lighter tints preilominate, and an
occasional e^^' is almost unspotted. On tla? whole, they are not nuarh' ns

TIIK Willi' I'OOK WILL.

151

lininlsoiiii' {'iiji's iis tliusi- (>r ( 'Imck-wiirs-wiilow. jiikI flicv fire ^iciicriilK' niiicli
lijililiT cdldrrtl.

'I'lic jncnijif mcasiinMnctit of tliirty-tlircc specimens in tlic I'nited Stiites
Niitioniil .Musenin nillectinn is I'lt.liJ hy 'Jl.'Jlt inilliinetres, tir iiliouf 1.1") liy O.s I
indies. Tlie iiirjicst ej;-^- ot" the series measures .'{().4S i)y L'^.Sd millimetres, nr
i.-_>() liy O.OO inelies; tlie smallest. I'T.CiH liy J '"J millimetres, or l.()!t l.y O.Sl
inclies.

Tlie t\|ie s|)e('imen, No. lS'jr»(i (IM. 1, Fi<i\ !(»). IVom a set of two, was
taken l>y .Mv. l{ol>ert Wid^way, near Wheatland, Indiana, in .May, iSSS, and
i'e|in'sents one of the I tetter-marked eji'^s of this species; No. L'Olftd (I'l. 1,
l'"i;i-. II), from the Mendire collection, also from a set of two, was taken on
.Imie 1', ISS7, at ( )winj;s .Mills, Haltimore ( 'onnty, .Maryland, anil shows one of
lh( lii^htcr-marked sjii-cinu'iis.

53. Antrostomus vociferus macromystax (\VA(ii.i:i{).

srKi'iiKNss wnii'-i'oo'i-wii.i..

Ciiliriuniliiii.s iiiiirromjistii.i- WA<iLKl!, lliis, I.S;U, ."».'{;$.
('((/;(•( HI »///».v roci/vnis m<icr<>iininl<i.f llAit'rK.K'i', Ibis. ISitU, 'JHO.

(H— . ('— , U— . CSSl, r I17<(.)

(il''.0(iRA1'ni('AI, KAMil',: I''m)Iii ( inatciiialii, < 't'litrt'.! .Viiicrii'a. iiortli ovci' flic Mcviraii
tiililclaiids to siintliwcslcin New Mexico iind .soutlicin .\ri/<)iia.

Slejiheii>-'s Whip-poor-will, a somewhat lar;j'er siilispecies than its eastern
rrlalivc, was lirsl descrilied hy Mr. William iJrewster, in the "I'mlletin of the
Nullall ( Irnitiiolouical Clnii" (\ol. \'l, 1881, p|i. (ilt-7"_'), from a specimen
uliiained l)\ .Mr. I"'. Stephens, who first met with it in the ( 'liii'icaliMa .Mountains,
.Vri/ona, on .May 2, isso. Sultsetpu-ntly lie found it also in the Santa IJita

.Moimtains. in 1S81, where it was, however, less numerous than ii

I the liii'iner

raiii'-e the \ear in'ex 1011

111 speakinji- of Ste|)heiis's Whip-poor-will, .Mr. iirew-
ster sa\s, on paj^e 71: •'In the ('Idricahua .Mountains it is apparciillv imt
iiiicoiniiioii, to judii'e Ircm the loUowin^' notes which accompanied iii\ specimen:

1 have heard se\cial ol' these Wliip-|ioor-w ills siiiiiinfi' at one tiuic, and am
!iild tliat tlie\ were heard here last yi'ar. I hear /'. imlltiUi c\cr\ eNcnint;-.

They kee|) hijili uji the moimtain side, while this Whip-|io(ir-\\ ill all'ects tic
lower iiart of the cainoiis

« * *

In a recriit letter .Mr. Steiiheiis adds: '! heard the lirst Whip

diuut tlic midille ol .Ma\. \S\ .lime 1 tlic\ wer

e as common a.-

I

c\<r Ixliew

Iheill to lie 111

the Kast:

sometimes i could hear three or four w histlint;' ;il

llie\ were \('ry restless and rather shy, so 1 not t\\\\\ the specimen I sent \ cm,
and a female shot in the da\tiiiie. The latter flew oil' her nest, which, ;is usual,
was only a \cry slight depf'ssion in the "ground, hut in this c.isr was o\crhuii^
li\ a rock. The single ei^i;' (now liefore me) is plain white, with \vy\ faint
la'ownish spots, so faint that one x\oiild liardlv notice them. She would lia\i'
laid no more; this was on .Inly 4, ISSO.'"

«■■•>,

/■i

'1

it;'

r

i

Si

m

,; I

I

1

^

1

I

'

!f

ii

m
1

'■• *.p'i]i1-

. I-

Km

1^

152 LIFE IIISTOHIBS OF NDUTII AMKKIOAN HIltDS.

In till! siuiKf Imllotin (Vol. Vll, 1S82, jt. 212) Mr. Hrcwsti'V tlcscriiu's tliis
ojfff its follows: "The efi'jf is white, with ii dull oloss. At first sif^ht It ii|)iK'iirs
to hv iinuiiuiiliitc, but !i closer iuspeetion reveiils ii few fiiiut hlotehes of the
palest possiltle purple, so faint, iiidi-ed, that they nii<i'ht jtass for superlicial stains
were it not for the fact that they underlie the external polish 'V]w alisenci^ of
well-delined niarkinj^s may ]irol)al)ly lie explained l>y the assumption that the
Itird had laid one or more clutches earlier in the season, thus exhaustlufi' her
sujiidy of colorinu' pij^ineut. The specimen measures 1.17 liy 0.IS7 inches (<
•2!».72"l)y 2-.M(l millimetres)."

Mr. F. Stephens, in his notes on this subspecies sent to me, say. s: "'i'l

»r

le

locality where I fotuid the e^fi' was a <;ulch near the summit of the (!hiricahua
Mountains, in a thick forest of yellow pine. The nest, if it can be called so,
was a slijrht depression scratched in the "■•round, under the edjic of a bowlder.
Incubation was advanced. 1 do not af^ree with ]Mr. Hrewster (to whom I ])re-
senteil the e;ii};) in thinkinji' tliat it was a second brood. My opinion is that this

tl

le mon

th of

s])ecies is a late breeder, as it is also a late mi};rant."

Di'. A. K. Fisher uu't with Ste]ihens's Whip-poor-will durin
.Time, iSill, and has <;iven me the followinj>' notes: "The Whip-pnor-wilTs note
was not heard at Fort ISowie, Arizona, durin;^' the last three weeks of .May, 1S!)4.

Wh

U'U we made camp at the mouth of Hucker ("an\ on, snme fort\ miles sou

th ..f

the Post, in the ('

uncanua

M

ountains, on the last da\- of the month, we heard a

few, and a couple of days later found the specii-s abundant hij;her up in the
same canyon, amouj^' the pines (/'. jmnilrnisn). Here at early dusk ami at dawn

tl

leir notes were heard almost continuoush, and nund)ers of bird

s were seen.

On ,lune 5 Mr. I'^i-ed. Hall Fowler foimd a nest, if the sliiiiit deiiressi

on m tlu

th

rot

It

nid can be sodesi^^iiated, on a stee]) side hill al)out ■")() t'eet abo\-e the streai

was situated undei

an o\'ernan';in''' hus

h at the edii-e of a Hat I'ock, and <

on-

the fragments uf ei;-"- shells from which

taineil two \'ouu;;', I'eceiith' hatched, and
they had emerged.

"At Fly Park (altitude al)out 10,()()(t feet) the species was very mucii less
connnon, though a few were heard e\tr\' nin'lit. While feedini;' tlie\- often idiiiht

on a iironun

eut rock or dead stub, from which they liiunch out after ])assii

insects and return to wait for

Her iire\ .

Its call nitte, althouiih resendilin"- that of tla

common

\V1

Mii-|)oor-wi

iir

11.

is said to lie harsher and lou(i

er.

liieut. II. ('. 15enson, Fourth ('a\alrv, Fnited

States Arm\-, also met witii it near Fort iluacl

uici

md shot a female there on

^lav IS. ISSI

,hich

IS no

w in the United States National .Mil?

(•mil CO

liectit

Mr. \V. W. Price wiiti

s me

Wh

nii-i)oor-will III

I'i

the ( iraham Mouiita

distinctK' heard the note oj' Stephens";
ins, .\ri/.oiia, at ab(ait 7,11(10 feet tdcMitioii

d reasons to beliexc the testimony of a (iov-

ns, noi'th

on duly l!l, iSill. I mIso iiave

eminent |iacker, who says he has heard its cry in the White Mouiitai

of Fort Apache, in about latitude ;!4^."

It a|.|iears to lie pretty jicnerally distributed throiijiliout the lii;ilier moun-
lain rauyes of southern Arizona, and undoubtedly breeds where\er found; its

STEPHENS'S Wll 1 1' I'OOlt \V 1 IJ>.

153

fnvorito rosorts socm to Ito tlu; rocky sides of cimyuiis. 'Plic rcmiiiints of tlie
(.oMi'slu'lls t'oiuid l>y Mr. Fowler (tlm lower Imlt), wiiieli lie kiudly sent me tor
exainiiiiition, iiro uniforinly pahs croaiii colored ami apparently unspotted; an<l tlie
ejro- of this species is evidently but slij>litly marked. Ife writes me: "'Piie eyji's
were dejiosited on a bed of oak leaves by the side of a lar^-e i-ock: there
was no nest cxceptiuj^' tlus bare leaves, which had been hollowed out slightly;
both parents and the two youu};' ones were taken and they are now in m\' col-
lection; tho latter were covered with lijifht brown down, and were not more than
1 A inches loiifr."

There mv no ejffi^s of Stephens's Whip-poor-will in the I'nited States
National Museum collection, and no s])eciniens are i.^nred.

54. Phalaenoptilus nuttalli (.ViDrr.oN).

I'OOK-WILI..

i'liprimulfiiis niiflalU \VDvnoy, Birds of Americii. VI F, l.St.'i, .T»0, I'l. 4i».").
I'hnhtiKiptilus itutliiUi IJiDcaVAY, Proceedings IJ. S. National Miisemn. III. ISSO. ."..

(B 11.$, C 2(i(i, 1; ;!.'>-., (J 3!»S, i; IIS.)

(iEOOUAPHICAL RANGE: Western I'nited Slates, (roin llie Sierni Nevada and llie
('iiseade nionntains eastward to sontiieastein Sontli DaUota, eastern Nebiasl<ii, Kansas,
tiie Indian 'rerrit(n'y, and ea.stern Texas; north to i^asteiii Wasliin.ulon, Malm. Montana,
and .soutlie.rn North Dakota; .south in winter thronj;'!! eastern .Mexico to <iualeniala. Cen-
tral America. Casual east to Iowa and Missouri.

The Poor-will or Niittall's I'oor-will, a sonu'what smaller species than our
eastern Whip-|)oor-will, is <listributed o\-er (piite an extensixc ran^e, its habitat
l)ein<r mainly confined to tluf interior, from the eastern borders (d" the I'l.iins and
the Great Hasin regions to the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountains on the
West. As far as yet knoyvn it does not app(sar to l)e found north of our border.
l)Ut it will not surprise me to see it yet recorded from the southern ])ortions of
western Assiniboia and Alberta, in the Dominion of Canada, especially as it is
known to occur in Montana, the tvpe comiuf"' from the U])|ier Missouri Uixcr, in
tliat State. Its breediuii' rau^'e is coextensi\c \>ith its distriiiution in t\\o I'liitei!
States, where it is chieHy a sunmier resident; the majoritv of these liirds
mifi'rate to the table-lamls of eastern .Mexico, and maiu' ^^o still farther south to
(iuatemala. A few, however, winter alony- our southern border, in the Colorado
Desert in southeastern (California, as W(dl as in similar localities in southern
Ari/tnia, New Mexico, and southwestern Texas. I heard the unmistakable notes
id" this species early in December, iST'i, in the \icinity id' my camp on Willito
(!reek, near Tucson, Arizona, and aj^ain aliout the miildle id' l''el)ruary, IST,'!.

In some of its habits it differs consideraitly from the precedinii' species of
this family which are alnn)st entir(d\- confnied to the denser woodlands; the
Poor-will, however, althoii^-h fre(piently found in similar localities, is apparently
e(pially as much at honu^ on the open pi'airie and the almost barren and arid
reo'ions of the interior, which are covered onh' here and there with stunted

'■■fis

■fie

«::;

ii.-5i

m

1^:

m

If!

154

LIFK lIISTOlUliS OF NOKTU AMEllIOAN lUKUS.

.

■m

'i

'I

If' I

:lilr

. . . :.t.

ili

jtiitclics of sage {Artemisia) and otlicr desert jdaiits. 'Plie cliniate dues not set

111

t' the hottest reuioiis of tli

e coiitiiiei

It, lik(

to alVect it iimeli, as it iidmhits some o

Death VaHey, in soiitlieastern California, as well as the slopes of the |{(K'ky and

Hlue mountains, in (h-eyon, vliere it reatdies altitmles of from (!, (1(1(1 to S,()()(l

teet. 1 1

ia\(' liean

(1 the I'oorwill in Mear Valley, ()re<;(>ii, in a localit\' wliere
frost ••oiild lie fonnd every month in the year, in the eastern parts of its raiij;('
it overlaps that of the Whip-poor-will for some distance, and it appears to It

ipiite common in portions <»t eastern

ans,

IS, notaidvso alioiit Maiiliattan, where

I'rof. I). !•;. Lantz has repeatedly f nmd it hreedini^-. In a letter dated ( )ctoher
4, 1S'.I2, speakiny of Xnttall's as well as of tli(^ mori^ recently descrihed Frosted
I'oor-wili, he says: "'{'he Frosted I'oor-will is not uncommon in this localitv. 1
ha\(' noticed more specimens at the time of their spring;- niij;ratioii than later.

Indeed, at that time ir

d)oiit

as common

the other form, I'/Kihriidjitiliifi

inittnlli

kind, ir

Milt ill the breediii"' season iieaiK all the liirds seem to be of tlu^ latter

owe\er, mv ow

I'n o1)servatioiis lead nu^ to renard the '//"s/rv/'

as a- more

color phrase of I'lHi/ii'iio/itilKs iniftdili. 1 liav(( met with hotli birds togetlu ,' in
mi<^ratioii, and once found a pair of tled<>liiiys near where they were hatched,

one (

if th

1)1 I'd

liowini;' a decii

led I

ioar\' or

frosted coloriiiii' on the wi

II"' am

t,".ii tV'ithers, till- other beinji' without these markings Only the female parent
was seen. She \vas a typical Xnftalli. The j'oiing birds were caiight ami
liandh d. The frosted one was not so well developed as the other. So far as I
lia\'e 'ibserved, there is no ditl'erence in the habits or in the ej;'fi's of the two liirds.

I 1

lave tounil a niiiniK

lb

>f sets of the older varietv, sonu' of them befon^

1 k

new

that t'

.ertt was

a frosted form: since then 1 have always b

careful to

jiositixely identify the parents before takinji' the eji'ji's. The birds can easily b

secured b\- tlu' use of a butti'iHv net,

or even

bv di

roppinji' a

hat

ovei

tl

lem as

tliey sit in the sun; but the precaution to secure them is unnecessary to the
])ractical eye, for one can always have leisure to study them before they take
to ilifiht. With one exce])tion the eji'fi's taken were laid iii>oii bare patches of
;ii'a\cl or on low, flat rocks, and jilaced usually mar a bunch of weeds or a tuft
of yrass. The excejitioii was a set found on the liare ground in an allev in
.Manhattan City. This alley was in c(aistant nse and it was straiiii'e that the
cfi'jis remained for so loiif^' a tinu^ undisturlied, for when taken incubation hail
The I'oor-wills usually keep to the vicinity of .steep hills
Tliev seem to return to the same localitv fi'(tm year to

leii'iin 111 lioth cii'ii's,

th

and (d<l dead

\ ear

to I

)i'ee(

The food of the I'oor-will consists mainly ' the smaller iii<;lit-flyin<i- motiis,
lieetles, locusts, etc., of which a considerable portion are gathered from the
Lirouml. Its ilifi'ht is swift, «'asy, and perfi'ctly noiseless as it skims aloiiif close
to the ground in search of suitabh; morsels, and of tlu'se the more indigestible

arts, such as \\

ill"' coNcrts of beetles, etc., are ejected in

the

ame manne

as 111

th

{aptores and other birds

the f
As tar

oriii ot

I I

diets
1)

lave lieei

tie to oljserve, it does not utter its well-known and mouriiful-soiiiiding note of

)n\

h-wl

lee-ee

rhih

tl

Oil the wni"', aiK

1 th

ast syllable is iitterei

ow that

TIIK POOH-WILI;.

156

unless one is close to the liinl it can not lie roidily (It^tcctcd. I liasc licanl tlie
unniistakablcf son;^' of tliis species in many places in tlie West, lint altliuiijili
t'airlv connnon over a f^reat extent of country, it is nmcli more fVc(picntl\-
lieai'd than seen. I have also spent eonsideralde time in vainly looking; for the
egfi's of this species, and only sncceedcd in olttaininj^' a single set. Its hign-
1)nons calls are most often heard shoi'tly aftttr dusk, along- the sides of ivickv
canyons in the foothills, and less often on the lexcl plains and the miamtain
summits; its call note is also ticcasionally uttered in tlic daytime, hut not often.

Mr. Fred. W. Koch writes int* on this sul)ject as follows: "( )n the morning
of Jhiy "), ISDI, in the vicinity of ^hitarango S|iring, in the Coso N'alley,
California, while walking along a sheej) trail on the hillside al)o\(^ the spring, 1
was siu'jiriseil to hear a l*oor-will call from the opposite hill several yards away.
'Thinking it singular for this liird to utter its note in the daytime, I stopjjcd to
hear it repeated and \o make sure of its identity. Just then its mate llew iipalioiit
10 feet away, and on examination 1 found a single fresh i-'^'/ laid on the ground
in a little bare spot a few feet in diameter; next day tliere were two eggs, which
A\ere takt'U. 'i'lu' hird i)roltal)ly uttered the call to warii its mate." 'This set is
now in the I'nited States National .Museum collection.

This species was fairly common near Camp Harney, Oregon, along- the
slopes of l{attlesnake Canyon, in which the I'ost was huilt. It usually arrived
here al)out .\pril 15, and any tine (ncning after sundown si^Ncral of these birds
woidd "tnni' up" and commence calling- from different directions along the sides
of the cain'on, and keep up their concert for an hour or more. ( )n the e\cning
of ^fay 20, 1S77, while returning- to my (piarters. 1 noticed a pair of tliese ])ii-(ls
hopping along the main road directly in front i>f the otHcers' (piarters, evidently
feeding, and subsequently I saw sonu'times half a dozen, within a distance of
300 yards, similarly engaged. They were (piite tame, and would scarcely move
out of my way. 1 more than once ai)proached within two feet of one bet'ore it
took Hight, and then it Hew oidy a few feet before settling down again. \ \ov\
low, griuiting sound, like "pweek pweek," and another (-aused by the snapping-
togetlier of the mandibles, were the only noises made while so engaged: the\'
never uttered their ordinary call on this road. ()n.lune 4, bs77, a short distance
abo\-e the I'ost, I fhisluMl one of these binls on a small plateau, o\cr wliii-h
numerous bowlders were scattered: the scant patches ot' soil being coxcred
with sage and other bushes. This bii-d Huttereil and tund)led around me in
a circle, which made me suspect that its nest was close by: but the most carefid
search failed to rt-Ncal it. I am positi\'ea )pairnest(»d there, as I could lieai- their
calls in about the same jjlaci- every inght. The I'oor-will sits so close and its
plumage harmonizes S4) pcrf(*ctly with the ordinary surroundings that its eggs or
ynung- are oidy discoxered by accident. The only set of i-^xiX'^ obtained b\- me
was foimd on the di-y, ban-en plains south of my camp on h'illito ('reek, near
Tucson, .\rizona, on .\ug-ust 2, IS72; they were fresh ami liiid on the l)are gi-ound
under a small grease-wood bush (0///V////) and were fulK' exjiosed to the sun. The
male was shot. From the late date on which tliesi' eggs were found I believe

. ■! i

't i

:,', ::t

;ti i:

' : ; I • .!

1' I;

r

••

• ♦

lo(*.

LIFK IlISTORir.a OF NORTH AMEHK1AN BIRDS

■

" * ■. i^

Ill

this species raises twii Ih'immIs a year, at least tlii"uii;i'lioiit the soiitlieni iiortioiis
at' its faii;4'e

It <li<l not. iiunear to Ix^ ('oiiinio

ipi

II on tli<-s(

til

iilaiiis, Itiit ill the t'lMtt-

its rails w
The ('li'iis

ere iiiiicli more Creiiiieiitly heard.

>f XiittaH's I'tior-wi

first discovered hy I h-. (1. Suckloy,

(11 .liilv 17, is.")!!, on till! North Fork of tli(^ I'latte Itiver, in western

Xel

iraska,

iiiiil

111 e

.Meet

it' this set is at present in the niiitt 1 States National .Muse

ion.

I liiid that it had been correcth' eiitoriMl, but its exist

eiice

nideiitiv been overlooked, as no nientioii of it is made in tli

listorv o1

uni
had
f

North American Minis, 1S74," by Haird, Hrower, and T{id<;\vay. There are also
specimens from Nevada, California, Utah, ('olorado, and Arizona in the collec-
tion. Like the lialaiice of the species beloii^inj;' to this family, Niittall's I'oca'-will
is crt'piisciilar and nocturnal in its habits, ami is rarely met with in the daytime
iless accideiitallv tliished; but as it is ver\' tame, and will scarcelv move unless

ui

in ilaiiji'er of iteiii;^' stepped on, it is very seldom seen duriiifi' the day which it

bunch of yrass or a low bush, beside a rock or

siieiiils 111 repose under some

sp

sometimes on one, am

I altl

KUiuli it iiia\' o

fteii b

)e sittmji' 111 plain view and within

few feet of one, it is not I'eadih' detected. I think it rarelv percli

es on low

limits of trees. .Mtlioiiiih coinmon eiioiiiih in suitable localities throiiiihoiit its

rann'e, <renuine e<;"s of Nuttn

1

oor-wii

are

still

rare in ooloyical collections

Niditication be^-ins rather late; the earliest breedinji' record I have is Mayo,

itlieasTcrn ( "aliforiiia ; the i
tl

iiaj()rit\' mention the months of .lime and .luh',
f'Ai

mil a sin^i'le one names the beiiinmnji' oi Aiiy'iist. I wo eji'^^'s are laid to a set on

te d;i

alteriia

\-oun"'. am

bel

leve

botl

1 sexes assist in iiici

I bat

:on and in tlie care o

th

1 iM.tl

I are devo

ted

tl

ev

forsa

ke tl

lareii

ts: tl

le\' wi

11 let

\du almost touch them

•f th

before

leir treasures.

Tl

le e^fi's lay usiialU' on

the 1

lare ji'round, closi'

to

some little bush, to shelter them somewhat from the rays of the sun. Tlu^y vary
from oval to blunt idliptical o\al in shape; the shell is rather thin, close jiraim-d.

anil moileratel\- ylossv.

iieir color is iisualK' stateil to be white, but on close
inspection it can readily be seen that it is a delicate cream, with a faint pinkish
tint wiiicli does not perceptibly fade. Kjijis in the collection tal

ken more

tl

laii

twenty years ajio still plainly show this peculiar tint, 'i'he e^ys are unspotted
as a rule, lait an occasional sp(H-iiiien shows a few faint, ilarker shell markin<js
around one end, which are barely perceptible to the naked eyi;, and which fade

msiderablx in t

line

IH^ a\cra<;'e in

easurenieiit of thirteen .speci

mens

in the riiit-
National Miiseiim collection is ^l'^.\'.^ \\\ r.l.Oo millimetres, or (l.!)ll \i\

■lates
.'\i) inch.

Th

arrest e:

111

easiires •_'(;. (IT bv ■_'ll..'{2 millimetres, or l.H.") by O.Si) inch

the smallest, ■_*•_'. ."!.') bv 11)., '{(I miliimetn

O.SS bv 0.7(1 inch

The type specimen. No. "24404 (I'l. 1, Fiji'. "J.")), from a set of two ejifi's,
Ralph collection, was tak<'ii in Kstes I'ark, (Colorado, on .June 19, l.SDl, and

represents about an averaue-sized spe

■cinieii o;

f tl

us s

pec

les.

TIIK FUOSTKJJ I'OOK WILL.

167

55. Phalaenoptilus nuttalli nitidus Hkkw-stku.

FKOSTKl) I'OOK-WILL.

I'liiiliiiiiiplihix iiiiltalli iiilidiin BuK\V8i'i;i!, Auk, IV. Apiil, 1HH7, 147.

(B ll.J, pint; C 2»i(i, iKiit; H .{55, pint; (J ;i!»8, part; U USd.)

(Jeo(JUAPiiicai. banok: Ai)pareiitly siiiiihir to tbiit of the Toor will.

'riic Frosted Poor-will, it lij^litcr-colorcd imd grayer bird tliaii Xiittall's I'oor-
will is likely to pi'ovc only a color phase ot' tlio latter, e.sjx'cially as the known
raiiii'c of the two appears to l>e practieally identical, was first descrihed by Mr.
William IJrewster in "The Auk" (Vol. W, IS.S?, p. 147), from specimens taken
on the Nueces Hiver, Texas, Feltrnary 27, 1SS6. Ft has .since tlien l»een met
with in soutlu'U.stern (!alifornia, Arizona, southern New .^[exico, ( 'olorado, and
Kansas. Its oeiieral hahits appear to he entirely similar to those of the preced-
iufi' species, hut there is as yet not suflicient material availal)le to enable one to
come to any positive conclusions about the pro|)er status of this pale form.
The lat<' Col. N. S. CJo.ss, in his work on the "Minis of Kansas, ISIH" (p. IIW),
makes the tbllowinji' pertinent remarks on this subspecies: "This i)ird does not
apjtear to differ in haliits, actions, or size from /'. iiiittdlli, and I am im])ressed
with th(^ thought that it may possibly prov(> to be a dichromatic phase, like that
of the Screech Owl (Mrfi(isio/)s a.sio), rather than a subspecies, as now entered."

'I'luf very fact that it can not be considered as havin<i' a ranj^-i^ of its own
where the typical I'oor-will is not also found seems to confirm this view. One
of the li;ihtest-colore(l specimens of this pale form which I hav(^ seen (an acbdt
female) was secured in Death \'alley, California, on January "Js, iS'.tl, and is now
in the ornitholo<^'ical collection of the ITnited States Department of Aji'riculture,
in this city. Other specimens from the same region are typical I'lidhfiioiiti/its
iniltiilli, and both ])hases wintei' to some extent in these desert regions. A set (»f
eggs of this race, taken with the ])arent, in Iviley Comity, Kansas, on .Imie 'Jli,
\XH\\, l)y Mr. Kben M. Mlachly, are now in the (loss collection in tiie l'ui)lic
Museum at .Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They were laid upon the liare ground,
imder a bunch of grass upon the |)rairie, near the edge of a corntielil; they
measiuv 1.0,") by ().7!t and l.O.'ilty 0.7.S inches; or "iClH by •_'<U)7 ami 'iC.KI,
by 111. Si milliuietres. 'I'here .are no absolutely identified eggs of this suit-
species in the Tnited States National .Museum collection, and tlun' iU'e
indistiuyuishable from those of the I'our-will.

m

'' i' .-■

fir ■

'i it .,

'

■Iff

III

iP'

I

|-

m

mi

H^l

158 lill'K IlifSTOKlKS OF NORTH AMKUICAN BIUIKS.

56. Phalaenoptilus nuttalli californicus Kiugway.

DIISKV I'OOIMVILL.

l'hal(viioplilu.s nuttalli mliJ'orniouM UinuWAY, .Manuiil of Noitli Aiucrican Itirds, 1887, 588,
foot note.

(15 ll.'i, pint! <; L'fiti. piirt; l{ .i'M, part; C ;W.S, part; V 418 fc.)

<li;o(ii!APiii('Ai. HAN(ii';; I'acilic I'oast ieH:i(iiis, from ('aliforiiia north to VVasliiiiff-
ton ( f ), soutli to northern Lower California.

'V\\o raiiiicor tlic Dusky, also known as tlu- "(!alifomia," Poor-will isoonliniMl
to the moist coast districts ot" California, and ]»rol)al)ly to similar localities in
( )rcL;on and Wasliiniiton, Messrs. Lyman Meldiiij:' and A. W. Antliony likewise
report it from 'i'ia Jnana and tlie San I'edro Mai'tir Mountains, in northern Lower
California. Tlie most ty|)ical examples of this dusky race como from localities west
of the coast ran;i(^ in ( 'alii'ornia, while the hirds of the interior and tlio western
slopes of tlie Sierra Xe\adas are, more or k'ss, intermediato iM^twtH'ii this and the
connnon roor-wiil. Its hreedin^- ranji'e is coextonsivo with its distribution in the
I'nited States. Mr. F. Stejihens writes nu'; "The Dusky Poor-will is f'reciuently
heard in the sprinji' and fall, and a few winter in sheltered valleys neartlio coast
in San Dieud Ciamty, but it is ajiparently a rare summca* resident in .southern
California, and I iiave never taken its eoo-.s." Jlr. Charles A. Allen, of
Nicasio, California, considers it a conunon sunnner resident in Marin County,
where it arrives about the tirst week in March and remains during the breeding
»ea.son.

I\lr. U. H. Lawrence writes mo from Monrovia, Los Angeles Connty, (Cali-
fornia, as follows: "The California I'oor-will is pretty connnon hero. I first
heard its notes on Mav 3. iVccortling to my hearing, the words ' l*earl-rab-it'
give a fair idea of its call in letters. There is a kind of chuck or catch-
lireath after the lirst two syllal)les which really makes the call ha\o three. It
is clearly gi\('n, and the tirst two syllal)les can be hoard at a. considerable
distance; when excited more than conunonly this call note is reiterated with
animation for a short time, but it is generally given with slight ])auses after
I'ach call, then a loiigei' interval of silence lollows as the bird moves to another
place. While Hying in sight 1 have never heard it give any sound. On
August 1, while walking along the road to Duarte, about 10.30 ]). m. on a
mooidight night, i Hushed one; it tlew just ahead of me till I had passed its
nesting i)lace, when it wheeled around and alighted there again, se(;ming to
nestle ih)wn to the ground, which was packed hard just there. On approaching
it again, it ilew off a little farther along the road; when startled it gave quickly,
two or three times in succession, a low, soft nt)te, like '|)weok, ])weok, pweek,'
which could only be heard a few yards away.

"On Mav 5, lS!i;}, while hurrving to catch a train, ah)ng a road following
the i'tV^ii of a wash, a bov stopped me to show me a nest of the California I'oor-
will; we Hushed the bird after nearly treading on lior, looking about our loot

R

TOK nrSKY I'OOH-WII.L.

160

tor the rijilit sput, wlicii slic flew a t'cw yards imd ali;;lit(Ml. A siiijilc fjiji' lav
llici'c ill a sli;^'lit ilc|in'ssiuii nil tlic clean ami sniiicwliat cuarsc ^rascl, wlilcli
was ratlicr siiiiMitli Inr a t'cw t'cct aluait. ArDiiml was tlic usual l»rusli\- cliapairal
ct' the wasli. Tlic {•'xir was liruiii^iit t(i iiie hy flic boy in tlic c\ciiin^', witli tlio
iiird, and a slij^litly smaller one had bci'ii taken the day |ire\ii(iis IVoiii the saiiio
nest."

Mr. Lawrence kindly jiresented these e}if>s to the United States National
Museum collection, as well as the parent. This is not (luitc a typical I'liiiliniii/i-
liliix tnilhiHi rdli/'iiniiriis, hut it approaches this subspecies closer than the true
/'. initliilli. 'The tact that the i'eiiialc returned to lay her second cuji' in the saiiK!
spot tVoiii which the first had been taken the day betbrc shows how tenacious
tlicse liirds are to a locality once chosen tor a iiestin;;' site. To t'lirther coiilirin
this, Mr. Wolla If. Heck writes me that Ik^ shot two of these I'oor-wills in ■liiiie,
I8!t4, in Monterey County, within a few feet of the spot wlicic he tried to kill
one with a lisliin^- |)olc two years pre\ioiisly. *

.Mr. ^\'alte^ \\. Ih-yant, in his "( 'atalo^ue df the Uird> nf Lower ( 'aliforiiia,"
makes the follow in;:' remarks aliout this subspecies: ■'Noted at scxeral places
between Tia .Iiiaiia and San I'edio .\lartir by Mr. I5eldiiiu'. -Mr. .\iithoii\ hiis
met with it up to 8,(100 feet altitude, and says it winters in the low hills near
the coast. I'oor-wills were heard every eveiiinj:' ou the steep hillsides at
( 'omoiidu and at \arioiis localities. The only specimen secured, a male, was
taken at I'o/.o (iraiide, March 111, LSS9 I followed tiie bird some time before
^^•ctlin;^' a sliot, and each time that if was frightened it tlew al)oiit lOO \ards ami
alii.;'lit<'il on I'actus about .'{ feet lii^li. i'lie .Mexicans call them 'Tapa-camiiio'
when thev see them in the trail at dusk; but they also call the \i<:lit-haw ks by
the same name. At ('onuaidu they were known as 'Cow-day,' from the almost
perfect resemlilance of their note to those words. In upjier ( 'aliforiiia tlio
birds, which 1 have freipiently heard, utter the notes rapidly, and soiindiiio-
•jMior-wiir clearly; in Lower California the sounds are jiiveii ([uite slowly, and
risemble the Words 'cow-day' rather than 'pcxa'-wili."''

Tile lailv set of ei^ys of this subspecies in the I'liited States National
Museum collection is the one already referre(| to, ]a'e.seiiteil by Mr. l{. IF.
Lawrence. These two eji'jfs are indistiiijj;'iiisliable from those of the common
I'nor-will. Their li'round color shows tlu^ same pale creamy tint, with a faint
jiiiikish tiiiji'e, and tlieir shape is also similar. They measure •_•(>. I'i b\- lll.,'!0
and •-Ti.L') by 1!).;10 millimetres, respectively, or 1.04 by O.Ttl and O.iHI i»y 0.7(!
inches.

The t\pe specimen, No. 2.')IK'57 (not tijiured), from a set of two, taken near
Monrovia, California, on May I, 1S!I,'{. was |)resented by .Mr. \{. 11. Lawrence,
as already stated.

I I'ruireiUiigs of Uie Ciililniiiiii Aciich-iny nl' Scicuceti, I'tl Hriics, \(>1. II, ISH'.I, pji. 'Ml, 288.

I :'h

].

?

I K.

■:%

Wi

ti ill,

ii

;j

ilH

«'

^ •: . .;. K

m ■

V.

i ' '

*

'T ^

■(

■ S

, ^-

%

I

ill

I

I

■^H

■.

: !"^J

i

160 I. in; IIKSTOIMKS OK NOirni AMKIMCAN I!II!I»S.

57. Nyctidromus albicollis merrilli Shnnkit
.Mi;ifiiii,i,H I'AHAic^ii:,

Sjiftiilritmiit illliiriillis mn-rllli ,S|;NNi;i'T. Ailk, V, .liili., ISHH, 14,

(I! _-; r— : 1; ;i,-.(l, |mit: C .KC). jmit; I' iVX)

(iKdilUAIMIK'AI. KANdK: Sniltllci'li TrMl.s: Holltll t lll'iillj^ll iHirtlKSlstuni Mt'.xirii (o tllO
Istliiiiils i>r 'ri'liiniMtr|i<'i'.

Tlic r;iMM(. (if Mcirill's I'liniiKiiic witliiii tlic riiitcd Stiifcs is ii nitlicr
rcstrictril diic, Ikmiil:' iiiiiinls cniitincil, jis t'jir ns known, to tlu^ lowci' U'io (inuulo
\'iilli'\- Hint soiitlicni TcMis. 'I'lic most ciistcrii iioiiit from wliicli it lias \ct Immmi

ciiorlcil IS Anmsiis ( oiml\, wlicri

.Mr. II. I'. .\tt\Viitcr rc<Tiitly shot ii s|i('ciiiicn
near luickjiort. It is known to lie t'airh' ronimon in tliii vicinilv of ("orpiis
( 'liristi. Mr. I ». U. Bnrrows also met witli it on tiic Nnt'ccs Wivcr, ami tlicsi! points
|iioltalily mark tlic eastern limits of its ranj^o. We are indeliteil to Dr. .lames ( '.
.Merrill, I'liiled States .\rmy, for tlic! iliscoverv of this handsome suhspeeies
within our liorders, w ho took the first spoeimen within the limits of Kort Mrowii,
Texas, on .\piil 1, iSTii. and on May 2 \\i' also ohtaiiuMl the eji'^s. Since then it
has lieeii found to 1;;' a common slimmer visitor in tin; lower Hio ( )rande ^'alle\■,
ami a nimilier winter ti;ere as well: lint tiic majority pass south into eastern

M

exico, I

isiiallv retiiriiinu' lyiiin to tlu-ir Ureedinj'- <;roiiiids earl\ in .March.

In speakiny of tli(! Iiahits of this suhspeeies, I )r. Merrill says: "It freipieiits
shads' thickets and copses (where these can he found), and, when tliislieil, dod^ies
ra|iidl\' and silently ainoii;^' tlie linshes, hut soon alights, only to repeat the short
lli^ht when aj:aiii apjiroached. The e;^';is are deposited in such a situation.

iisiialiv

it the foot of a hush. The parent, when startled trom her

eiiiis, iiiaKes

no attempt to di

'co\- (Mie awa\ , luit, fh'I

few yards, idi"lits to watch tli

intruder, iVeiiueiitly raising herself on her lej^s and nochlinj;' in a curious manner,
iitti'riiii;" at the same time a hiw, whininj;' sound. Their notes are anionji' the
most characteristic niulit sounds of tlie lower Kio (iraiide, and are constantly
heard at e\ cninj:' diiriiiu' tlie summer months. They consist of ii repeated whistle
n'semliliiii;' tlie s\]lali]es ' whew-wiiew-w hew-wliew-wlie-e-e-e-e-\v,' much stress

(1. The wiiole is soft and mellow,

jeiiij.

hiid

Ulioll

the last, which is iiroh

yet can l)i- heard at a iiicat distance. The preliminary 'wliews' vary somewhat

ui nnniiier, an

I late in tiic season are often omitted alto"('the

* * «

"On the I'ltli of May, ISTG, I foiim] a set of eji},'s near camp, at llidalji'o,
ami on retiirnini;' in alioiit iit'teeii minutes to secure the parent, who had disap-
iieared amoiiL;' the thickets, I t'oimd that she iiad remove(l tlie en'fi's, althoujih tlie\'

lad not liei'ii toin

hed.

Mr. |). I). Ihirrows has also kindly fnrnisiied me with the followinf"' notes on
jMerrill's I'arampie: "\Vliile in tlu; lower l\io (irande country, in Starr Conntx',
the fall of ls:iO, I lirst met with tliis liird. It .seems to he a resident

.(liiriii;

for I met with It ihiriiii;' liie winter iiioiiths as well as diiriii

■ l'niicriliiif,'s r, S. Niiliiiiiiil Miisi'Uiii, Vol. 1, 1S7S, p. 1 1;>.

tl

i(! sprmji'

MKUUILI/S I'AUAUtiUI':

I*; I

mill simiiiicr. WIhmi llii^ iicstin;;' stNisoii is over tlic birds riniiiiii (jiiii't, iiml llicir

M'ciiliiir \v

iiislli

Mil- Utile IS imt liciii'i

I will

I rc!"ii

liirit

y, (111(1 yd, (111 \rry wiinii iiijilits

(IlllMll"' fill

li <>r tlir wiiiti-r iiKiiitlis, I liiivti (icciisidiitilK iit'iiril tliriii.

I)

uniin' tilt

til

wiiittT tlif liinls iiiiiy 1)1' HiislitMl IVtuii tlit- dt'iisf fliifkfts in ilit- Imtttiiii liimls,
liiit lis tlu) iifstin;;' si-iisoii iijtpi'tmt'lifs tlit-y Ifavc tlit-sf fltisf rt'trt'iits anil st't-k
iiitirt^ (ipi'ii ^iTttiiiiil. I)iiriii;>' tluMlaytiiiii> tlit> liinls wci-f t'liiiiiiiniily t'tuiiul mi tlii>
^^rtiiiiiit at tilt) t'litit. til' a ^rtiwtli <it' liusiii's nr aiiiiiii^' t'lillfii liraiit-iifs, luitl I liavf
iifiMsitiiially t'liiiml tlifiii iitTfiiotl, nijjilidiasvk-lasliitiii, ii|itiii a Itiw lii'aiifli imt
iiitii'f lliaii a i'tiiit t'rtiiii tin- {i'niiiiiil. WlifU fltist-jy a|i|iriiat'lict|, tlicy ilart i|iiif.kly

ttirwi

fti 111 a /iiiv,!

•iMirsc, (lrti|i|iiiiji' as siidilfiily tti tin- ^i-niiiiiil

lis (li"lit is

-limt. ii>iially iitit iiitn-f tliaii "lO tir GO t't-t't, ami «lit'ii st'ttlftl tlifv ftiiiiiiitiiii\-
rt'iiiaiii |ifi'l'fftK t|iiict until ajjiiin lliisjictl. Tlify liavc a |iffiiliar way nt' tiii'nin;^

ir larin!!' almiit as tlit'\' strike tlie yi'iuintl,

that tliev can liette

r w

itfh tl

ut

a|i|irtiafliiii^' tlaiijifr. 'I'liey lie so flusi; tliat it is witii ;;reat dillifiilty tliat tlif\-
tail lie dilet'ted. unless tile sjiiit is fai'et'idly marked. In a niiinlier nl' instaiifes,
wlieic the liinl seeineil tti t'et-l that it was tiiiservetl, 1 liaxc hail tiieiii ^ti llir<ni;;li
a pefidiai' liiiuin;^' iiiii\ ('nieiit, reseinlilinji' that tit' the iJiirrtiw iii^' ( )\\l, eseept that
liiitly is raised t'nnn its ftiiniilelely |)nisli'ate |)iisitit)ii. ( M'ltii when !lnshed

till

llie\ will iitliT a iietiiliar iitite, stiuntlini

like the svlialile 'ki

e\|)ltisi\(' elVet'l. ( )ii se\'eral tiffasinlis, i
liiiiii a liiiut. 1 Iia\e lieeii startled liv a i

11 the fail tit' tl
let'lll

i|i, iitteretl with an

le \ far. when retiirniiijr
I

stiHi slitii't and

iliar 'imt, put, wlueli t-anseil me t

11 111

\ ijiin a little tiLditer, t'eeliii"- sure that I liail distiirli

w

ild tiirkev anti that this

s his wariiiii;:- iinle. ('antitnisly apprtiathiiii;- the
sptil, 1 liavi- t'tiiiiid that it was made liy a i'araii([Ue. wliifh was usually perehed
iipim the e\lreinit\' til' a lnw, dead liiiili, nr tin the tup ut' a laisli. At these times
I I'tuind that the liinl was watehiii;;- t'nr t'nutl, and at intervals wtuild leave the
perfli,dart till' a slmrt distance as it' in pursuit ulaii inseet, ami astpiiekly return,
ill very iniu'li the same maimer that the Whip-ptiiii-will is afeiisttimed to tin. I

lielievi! thiit tlit

arils are s

triftl

\' msectivtirtiiis

lint I

lia\e never iiiiiile an

'Xaminatinii t>t' the stumaeh exeept in tine instaiiee

'riie sttiiii.'ieh tit' this l)ird,

killed in ,laiiuar\', slmwed parts ot" tlie f'uet anil wings ut' small lieetles ami till

iiiseets.

At the appmai'li tit" tin.' Iireeding seasttii ami as early as the niitltlle ut'

Mari'li the pendiar whistle of the i'aruiuiue liet'omes

itiwfr

K'iii (iraiide, where tliex' are t'tinimini, it iiia\

he li

general, ;i
eard tin al

Mile:

Tl

lis

s|iiH'ies is strictly nuctnrnal. When thislied in the daytime they .ivtiid striking
against hushes with AViuidert'id skill, hut they areipiite seiisitixf tn a strung ligiit.

The hirds liegiii to call as the tlnsk of the e\

eiiiii"' fiiines on.

ill

IS a loiiii-iirawn

'ko, wlie-e-t'-o-e->\'," iiiiieh ])rt)loiigetI, and

he eoiniiioliest
lised til ii iiiijh

pitch toward the last. 'I'liis is repeated often and with great energy, and on

-til

niii-ht iiiav h

iiiiitted.

heard at a lung distance
d I

At titl

lei

times the tirst svlialil

e IS

nil It IS \iirieil liy a repetition ot

tl

le first s\ llalile, a>

ko, k

<o-\vlie-e-e,

lie

first svlliililes roiieateil deliherateh', and the last not so long

tirawn and sudtleiih- cut short.

lljsiiti— N,,. If-

> I ■HI

:i

K

'$

■i

M)

.Ji

jl
1 u

11

1

1

1(5

l.iri; IIISTOUIKH OK NOUTII AMi:i!l<!AN HlUhS.

lii

'.'•I

'I

i:

'M

-w

iv

i

U>

tv««

i:H

liJ)

■1;ii

"1 llil\c never liiliml tlie l'iir(llli|lle lieMt'm;;' in tlle i|eli.-.e lliickels, wllere tliey
liiili" iliirin;;' tlie winter. Tlicy wcei; tlie more njien ;ii'iiinii|, llie lii^li, le\cl spots
near tlie ri\er, ny n|i sunie nrrii\'ii, nninn;,'' sriitterin;^' hnslies jiihI |(e;ii' eneliis, liut
never on tin' rockv liills, wliere tlie Texun Niylitliiivvk is irei|iienilv loiniil. In

one insllHIi'e ;l nest VVils tolUlil ilt tlie e(l;;e of tl cllltivilted lield. TIm' ^'<<;\X>* ">"•'

|i|jii'ei| on llie liiire ^^ronml, with no titteiii|)t iit nesi liiiilijin;^, niiil nsniillv tit tlie
tool III' ji i'llliii|i ol' linslies. 'I'lie liinl, w lieli liuHiie<| t'roiil tile nest, i|liiellv ilill'ts
otViiml ili'o|i-. to llie i^roiiiul lint t\ sliort ilistiincc iiwiiy.

'•|>nrin;i llie winter iiml siirin;;' (|H!»4) I t'oiin<l the l'(iriiii(|ne to lie Inirly

Ctll

niiioll illolili' tile li

■ course of tlie N'lieces IJivcr, lint I ilo iioi think thiit it
is to lie roiiml iinirli JMi'lhei' ciist, iiimI I know thjit n little riirther north its |iliii'e
is tiikeii liv the ( 'linek-wiirs-wi(l<i«. Here, us on the l{io ( Jiiinde, I ronml it
ri'siih'iil ihron^lioiit the yeiir. iiinl iiltlioii;ih it lireeds there, I \\;i> not siiecesst'nl
in lindin;!' iinv nests."

The t'ood ot' Merrill's l':irillli|lle, like thill ol' the rest ol llie Cnpi ilinililitlfr,
coiisiMts niiiiiilv ol' ni;:ht-tlyin^' insects, snch iis niolhs, lieelles, etc. Tlu^ croji ol'
ji s|iecinieii shot liv Mr. II. I', .\tt\viiter. neiir L'oi k|iort, 're\ii>, wiis tilled with
lirellies, I'Iniliinis jiiirnlis .' . Ill the lower Ilio (Ji'iinde \'iillev t'resh ei;;,;s fire
occ;isioiiiillv tilkeii in the second week ill .Vjiril. lillt tile lireedinji' sciisoli is not

ilt its liei<i'lil liel'oi'e .Miiv lllld lasts well into ,ll

ine

I'lie earliest iireediii"' record

I liav(^ is .\|iril 1 h the latest, June -7: in lioth cases iIk' e;

I'o'S w

en- fresh. It

IS

proliahle that two lii'oods are, at least occasionally, raised in a sea^

lie eji'^'s o

f M

errills l'aniiU{ilc a|>|iroacli an elli|itica! ovate more than an
elli|itical oval, one end lieiiif.'' alwavs more |ierce|itililv |ioiiited than the other.
The shell is close-urained, rather thin, and either without

OSS or oil! V nioiier-

iitelv

leir ;iroini(l <'oior varies trom cre;im and vinaceoiis h

ull I

o a

rich salmon Imll'. and this is more or less aliimdantly s|iotted and splashed with
lintVv jiink. ecru drali, pale lavender, and more nirelv with deeper shades of
cinnamon rnfons. In an occasional specimen the niarkinu's are nuiinlv conlined

ritv tl

to the iarjicr end, lint m the majoi'ity they are jiretty evenly scattered over the

entire siiriace

.f tl

e ''rl'^'-

A f

ew arc

lint

sliij'hilv niarke(l, and unless carel'nllv

I'xamiiied mii^lit pass for immaculate. They are handsome eii'i^s, and do not
rcscmltle any others of the ('iiiiriiiiitl/iitltr found in the I'nited States.

The Mvcrajic measnrement of forty-one specimens in tlie I'liited Slates

the Walph collection, is •il.-_'4 hy

Xati

.\l

iseimi CO

llect

tU

.mi millinietn

loll, mostly iroi
ilioiit l.-J.'i liv (».H!) ind

ics.

he larji'est cl;;.

of the series
iiallesi, -JT.IS

iieasiires ,'(,'! :i 7 liy 24.i;{ millimetres, or 1.31 hy (•.!!") inches; the sm
Ity 2n.,")7 millimetres, or 1.07 hy O.Ml inches.

( M' the type specimens, No. 2.52N1I (I'l. 2, Fie. 1)^ from a set of two eji'es,
Ralph collection, taken on May l(i, 1S!»2, represents one ol' the lietter marked
examples, while N'o. 2().'{3r) (PI. 2, Fiji'. 2), also t'rom a set of two and from the
same collection, taken on April 1(!, ls;i;i. represents one of the liLihter-marked
types of this species. Hoth were ohtained in Cameron County, Texas.

TMK NKlllTIIAVVK.

i(s:)

58. Chordeiles virginianus ((imi.i.in).

NIDIITIIAWK.

('(iinhiiiiliiUH I'irfiiniiiiiiis ( lMi;i,iN', Systvmiv N'atiiiii', I, ii, I 7HS, lOL'H.
CliiiiiUilix ririjiniiniiis Swainsun, l''iiiuiik Itorciili Aiiii'rii'ikiia, II, l.s.'ll, I!M1,

( It 111, (! 'j<;7, n ;r.7. « ' ;«!•!•, ir 420.)

(iKniiitAl'tllCAi. itANiiK: I'lastci'ii Noi'tli AiiH'i'Icii; imrtli in llit> Dominion of Cnniiilii
to Novii Scot ill, Ni!\v Iti'iinswii'k, <^lU'll(t(^ noi'tJKM'M i>nliiiio (Moose Kiicloiy), und Kft'watin
(l''oi'l ('liMi('liliill), in hititndo o!) , itnd tlifurd in u noitliwr.sU'rl.v ilii'frtioii lo tin' Mstckrn/.lr

liivi'i' \'all<',v, in tliu virinil.v of l''ort (■ I llo|ii'. to til)ont iiitituili' O.'i ; west in llie llnl((>il

Siiitt's to liio oastm'n liordcr of lliit (ir*>itt I'liilns iinil, s|ioniili('iill,v only, alont; tlu' Honthnn
liiiiiniliiry of tln> Dominion of Caniiilii un<l tlu* noitlioiii lioi'ilcr of liic rriitcil Slulrs, in llio
^^<lOll('ll ilintiii'ts, to sonlliciii llritisli Colnniliiii, Wasliin^rlon, ( )i'('>:<)n, anil noithcrn Cali-
fornia; Montli in wintrr to tlir llalninia Uluinls, CtMitral AiiMMJca, anil tlic (;t'<>at(M' parf of
KiMltli Amri'ira.

'I'lii' raiio(. ul' tlit^ Xi;;litliii\vk, iilsii kiinwii as " IJiill-lmt," " .M(is(|uiti> lljiwk,"
"Will ii' llic Wisp," "I'isk," "I'iraiiiiilif''," and soinctinu'M cri'inifiuisly im " Wliip-
|iiKir-\viH" (l)i'iiio' tVc(|iii'iitly iiii>*t!iki'ii tor this s|)i'cics), is i|iiiti' an oxtcinlcil ouo.
It is iinl\ a siiiMiiirr \isitiir tlirini;ilii>iit tlir I'nitril States ami tlio I tiiiiiiiiiuii nf
Caiiaila, firiii'fally arri\iiin- tViiin its wiiitiT iiaimfs in tlio I5aliaiiias. ('nitral ami
SdUtli Aiiicrica in tlio lattrr lialt' nf April, n-ai-liin^- llii- mure iinrtlii'rn parts
aluiut a niiiiitli latrr, and Icasin;^' the latter a;;ain in laryc stra^^^liiijL; flucks almnt
till' end lit' AnoMist, Miii\in;r leisurely smitliward and disap|iearin;j' i;radnall\-
idon;^' iinr smitliern Imrder ahoiit the latter pai't nf ()etiiltor. Its nii;;'i'atinnf- are
\i ry extended and rover the "•[•(.jifcv |)iii-t ul' the American cdntinent.

Its lireedinj!' faiiue in the United States and the l)i(niini(in nf Canada is
(•ne\tensi\e with its ;;'enoTaphical disti'ilmtinii. ( )n the Atlantie Sealmard it
I'earhes the nnrtliern limits nf its ran;;e in ahnnt latitmle nl^, in tiiu I'l'nvinee

if (,)nelie

ami

Itlinnii'

h it

iias Iteen recn

rded fi'nin lialiradnr, I tail tn tind an\'

pnsitise evidence nt its nccurrence thei'e. Se\cral specimens have been taken
at M<inHe Knctni-y, nni'thern Ontarin; and anumo- a cnllectinii nf skins frnm Fni't
Churchill, nil the west shnre i>\' lliidsnn Hay, in ahniit latitmle ."i{) , iinw in tlu"
Ivlinimroh Museum, is an adult female taken l>y I )r. < iillespie, jr., w hile statimied

tl

lere as an

.till

imlsnn

M;

IV

(

in

ilialil

M'

P

us tn 1S4."

hence it

\" fanofC's III

nnrthwestern directimi tn the Mackenzie l{i\('r N'allev,

nni'th lA' Fnrt Simps

III.

Mr. .Fi

line

Lnckliart sent a skin tn the I'nited States

Natiniial Musotim, nhtained near Fnrt (Jnnd llnpe, Nnrthwest Territitrv, in
ahnut latitude tili"^, which is the nnrthernmnst n^-ord I have lieeii able tn tind.
Till! western limits of the Niijrhthawk are nnt sn easily defined. In this direc-
tinn it reacdies the (^astern hnrdors nf the (irreat I'lains, and it is also fmiiid
sporadically tliroiii^hinit the lietter-tiinberod parts alnii-;' the snuthern l»niiiidar\-
nf the Dnininion nf ( 'anada and the iiortheni Imrder nf tin; ['nit<'d States, west tn
southern Hritisli Ciiliimliia, Washino'tnn, Oreu'nii, and iinrtherii California (.Mount
Shasta), where it is replaced in the more open |)nrtinns nf these reoions liy the
lighter-cnlorod western representative, CItordcUes vityiiiiuiuti Itiiiryi. 1 was ijuite

li^l!!

I

■ \ •

It!

i (

i-

I

.1 III'

I-

tl!

1

■i\'.

It

t^l

- n

,1 ;!' >k

•iiiii--^'!;!'

!H

^i-i/^

.. ;t

^11:

••)

m

''■-1 ;

1

i't

•<i|i,

164

Ml''' IIISTOKIKS OF NOKTIl AMi;iM('A>; lUltU.S.

sun I'iscd tn liiid tli;it si ins ijikcii l)y iiu; in the \iciiiity (if l''urt Kliiiuatli, ( 'n'fion,
Mid uiiw ill tlic I'liit ,1 ^,t:it('s XatiDHid .Muscium cnlJoctidii, arc alnuist indistiii-
ji' .s)ial)lt'from typical spiM-ii.uMi.s from tlio castcni ITiiitod States; tlicy t'crtainly
ait|ir<ia(li tlio eastern bird far iium* (dostdy than tliu li^ilitcr-cdlun-d western
snlispeeies. The siuiie remarks a])pl \ to specimens !roni suntliern IJritisli
(.!oluml)ia. ^^'^aslnn^•toll, and nortiieru ( "alii'oi'iiia. .vioii;;' riic respc(ti\e Imi-ders
of their rany'o the two fni-ni.^ oM-rlaji sometimes for eonsi(h'ri l»h' distances, tiie
present species occupying' t!ie (lUtskii'ts ol' tiie lietter-tindiered tracts, whih' the
western race is principal! \ restricted to tiie more ojieii prairie cniinli\.

'The Xi^iithawk is jicneralK a common snnimer resi(h-nt thronyiiont tiie
eastern I'nited States norta of latitiKh- .'5.')^. wliih- sonth of tiiis it is more irreji-
nlarly distriiinted, hut l)reeds, to s(,.iiie extent at h-ast, in all i>f oiir SontlK'rn
Statt's, exceptiiiji' perhaps l''lorida and the immediale \iciiiit\ of ilie(!nlf cciast.
Its common name is somewliat of a misMniner: it is l)\ no means iioctmnal in
its lialiits: in tact, it is diurnal and crepnsciilai, and it is not at all imiiNnal to see
numliers nl' these l)irds on tlu' win;^' on bright smiiu da\s: lint it does must of
its ImntiiiL'' in cloudy weat'.ier and in tiie earlv mornings aiul e\ c'linLi's, retiriiii:'
to re.^i siMiii alter it iiecomes i^ark: hut dnriiiji lirijiht mooiilij^ht nijilits it
keeps lip its tliyjit somewhat latei I'nd I ha\" heard its i-alls as late as elexeii
o'clock.

Il is one of our most <iiacefnl Mrds on the wiii^- and its aerial e\(iliitions
■ire truly wonderful; one moment it ina\' lie seen soariny' throii;:'h space without
any apparent iiio-.cment of its pinions, and ii^iain its swift fiiyht is accompanied
liy a u'ood deal of rapid Happiii;^ of the wliiu's, like that nf oiir l''alcoiis, and
this i> iMnstantK more or less \aried 1>\' iiunieions twistinj;s and turnings.
While sudiieiily dartiiiu- here and there in pursuit of its |irey I have svi'H om-
ol tlie--e lii'ds shdtit aliiinst |ierpeiidicnlarl\ upward v*illi the swit'tiiess of an
allow in |iiirsiiil nt' some insect. Its tail ajipears tu assist it ^'reatl\ in tliest-
Midden ziiiv.aii' chany-es, lieinu' Jiartly expandi'd duriii;;' most of its coiiiplic;ited
iiKiveiiieiits. I know of no more ii.terestinu' sijiiit than tu watch a iiumher of
Xi^lithawks while eii;^-;io(.d in feeding', skimmie;^' close to the ^rouiiil or over
the water- ol some pom' ur lake, j.i'lidii iX swit't'.x' alunjj' ii: all kinds of serpentine
Liyratioiis with tlie utmost i^race and ease, and no matter how limited the space
'iiay he and huw mimeruus the hirds, nunc vW] e\er L:et in the wav uf each
ulh -r; all their mo\eiiients seem lu he accuinplished in the must hariioniuiis
manner.

'The XiLi'hth.i ,\ i\ is a social hiu! while on ilie wini:-, ;md I liaxc seen fiillv a
liMnilrc<| at one lime hawking;- o%('r a sm;ill mountain meadow ur a pond, and
they certamiy seeineil to eiijov each other'.- coiiipanx . \\ hile on the wiiifi' theii'
(piernlous .uid sipieaky call note, sounding'; like "a'h-eek, adi-eek" or "speek-
sjieek " is rejiealed at dill'eri'iit iiiter\als. },'ir. \V. Iv (JruNcr desi'i'ihes this note
as a sharp, mowing;- "miieike," and it is also said to resenilile the wurd "heard,"
nttere'! ill a whisper. When disturlied while sitting- uii ils epL;s il n--uall\ utters
a luw, I iirriii,.;' >:• cluukliiiy suund; and during earh s[iring the male I'reipieiitly

THF. NKHITHAWK.

165

Icsccuds r!)|)i(lly iVcmi lii«^li iiliovo, tlit- vilinitinii ciuiscd hy tl

If ail' piissiny

throiii

;li tl.

ic iJiiiniii'ics ]iri«liiciii<i' II ])ccii

liiir I

inoMiiiiy sound wliirli has 1

K'fll

(■imi|p.ii'('d to that iiiailc liy lilawiiif;' tlii'oiij>'li tlic hiiiijiliolc ot' an empty harnl;
this collies perhaps as near to it as it can In* th'scrihed. It is amazing' to sei

diiriiiji tiiis peeiiiiai
he rapidity ot' a h;^htniii;^

wliat iierlei

■t control tliese liirds ha\t' over theiiiselvi

•rroniiaiice : cie-cciidiiiii' as the\- do ahnost with

t':i-ii, one would tliink tlie\ could not possil)l\- arrest their downward course in
liinc to ]ire\cnt liein^i' dashed to the <iroinid; lint at the proper inonieiit, l)\ a

-lliiile reverse i

noveineiit of their wiiii>s, tliev rise in a "radual curve, to resiiii

iiiiie

their lliu'

It or reiieat the same pert'orniance.

'I'l

Iv coiiiineil to the matin<i' and breedin^i' season,
'th

lis aerial pla\' seems

to 1)

I 1

ia\ e iie\-er ol)ser\ ci

It later 111 the ^car

< 111 the <i'roiiiiii, however, the Xi^^htiiawk does not sliow to siieli L;dod advan-
iits liere are slow, iinstead\', ami evideiitK' more oi" less
Its t'ood consists inaiiib,' ot insi-cts, such as tlies ami mos(|uitoes, small

tau'e and its moveiiu

lahoi-ioiis.
I'e.^tles. p-

Iiopiiers, cri(d\ets, and the smaller iiijilit-tKiii"- moths, and 1 l»elie\(

rasshopi

that all are can

lilit on the wiim'. It must be considered as an emiiieiitl\- iiset'nl

am

1 Iteiielicial liird and <leser\cs the fullest protection. rnfortuuateK . 1

iowe\cr,

the ''u'lithaw Ic is considered as a le"itiniate jiaine liird in certain section

iiiaiiN are Killei

.111 I

1 x'earlv for food, as well as for s|)ort, simply to show the
n marksinaiiVhip: and the j^-ood tlie\' do throULih the destruction

ot million- o

troiililesoi-.ie insects is cntirelv lost si"lit of Its fa\<irite liaii

iit.-

ire till- ei

iii'i's of forests and (deai'iims, Imrnt tracts, meadow lands al

on':' ru'cr

Ipotloms, and ciilti\ated lields, as well as the flat mansard roofs in many of our
lar^'er cities, to whicii it is imdoiiiitedly attracted hy the larye amount of food
rcadii\ olitainalde in siirdi h calities, esp.'cialh' aliort electric liiiiits. and also
ecure ni-tiiii.'' sites atforde<l on the ij'rax'el-

tlie convenient and s.

eo\('ri(| >lli'laces

if the roof>, which ma\' he \\ , od evervwhei'e in ahiindaiice. DuriiiL;' tiie heat

if the da\ the \ii;lith;

iwk ma

\ 1 ■■ found I'csti

horizontal limlis ot t

111 fence rails, the Hat surface of some

lid

ieii-co\ ere(

1 I'k

I'ee:
111 stmie wall

■lid 1ol:'s, chimney tops, and on railroad tracks. When perched on the liiiili ot'
a tree, a lo;:', or a fence rail, it always sits lei.jitliwise, and exceptiiiu' diirin;;' tlu^
niatiiiu' and lireedinj:' M-asoii I iiave rareh' seen one on the ji'i'oiiiid.

I'ictK speakiiiL;. the Nijihthawk is not a forest liird, as it oiiK fretpients

>t

their oiit'-k'rts, or e\teiisi\-e clearini!'s and linriit tracts, while it a\oids the

dense

Mill hea\ler ii'l'iiW

ill cl' tlmlier. It does not oiiject to simshilie like the A\

looi'-Wlll al

d the ( 'liiick-w iil's-w idow. and apparently is not alfected In the li^h

ill the wa\ tlie\ are

In New y.nii'laiid and iinist of the other Northern States nidili<'ation

relv

coiniiiei

ice> Kefdl'e the lilst

Week 111 .llllie (more ottlll (IlirUlU' the second), a II

th

contiiiiio well into JiiK The earli 'st date I know of on which it

s ci^'j:> ha\('

lieeii taken is May I'T in soiithei'ii Michijian: the latest, .liilv HI in south

\aiiia. Ill

more southern parts of its rann'e it usiuilU nests in tin

I'emisxl

lii-l half of M;

Like ilie rot of the ('inirhiiiiliiiilit'. the NiLi'l'thawk mal>

l\, .-Mid \oiin;,;'ai'e ocea-ionalU loimd li\ tin- end ol llll^ inonlli

es no 111 St. iillt de|io>I|-. it,-

..»i I'

m

w

ill

h

I-

I.

1-

i

'■ Hi »■

Ml:

■ ! V .' '

r-t I. ■ •

^: 1 ■ '■

J :: f,

t'

'Q\

166

Lll'E lUSTOltlKS OK NOIlTll AMEllIOAN lilHDS.

t\V(i ('"iji's (111 tlic bare jiroiiiid, frcHiiiciitly in very cxiMisod sitiiiifions, soiiK'tliiios
on sonic little cU'Viition, or in slij^'Iit lU'pivssions on Hat rocks, liutwccii the I'ows
in corn or potato liclils, in pastures, on },n'avcl liars, and cinder jnles near I'nr-
iiaces, and witliiii recent years they also nc^t nutre and more t'reiinently on tlie
flat, <^Ta\el -covered roofs of houses in our larj^cr cities. 'I^hey inuloulitedly
tind such nesting' sites very convenient and secure, but tlu^ intense heat to which
the eg'ji's and youii;;' are necessarily exjiosed diirinj;- tlie (hiy must li(> something;'
fearful, and I have no doubt tliat some of the latter jierish, and that not a few
of the eji'^s liecome addleil, from this cause. In favoriti^ localities the Xii;lit-
hawk breeds occasioiialiy in small colonics, and se\('ral ]iairs may lie found
breeding;' in close |iroximit\' to each other. I belicNC, as a rule, only a siiii;le
brood is raised in a season, but if the first set of I'ji'fi's is taken, a second one will
be laid aiiout a week after, wlii(di consists occasionally of only a sin^'le eoo'.

The Xii;lithawk \\as (jiiite common aloiin' the liorders of the ojieii piiK*
forests near Fort Klamath, Oreji'on, and all the nests found here were ]iiaced
close to the edj^ie of the perpendicular rini rock ^^■hicll skirts Klamath X'allev
toward the east. The ejijis wert' imariably laid Avithin a foot of the edj^c, and
I i)"esuine such places were selected for [iroteetivci ])urposes to lessen the dan^'er
of their lieiiifi' stepped on by cattle or horses, l^liese birds always pick out a dry
and well-drained spot in which to lay their eji'^'s, and if discovered on the nest,
the part-nt atteiiqits by all the well-known tactics of <iround-breedin;^' birds to
draw the intruder away from the spot, thitteri.ifi- in front of him, just out of
reach, uttering;' at times low cries of distress, etc. Occasionally the e^ji's or
youn^- are I'emoved (piite '. little distani'e by the jiarent, but this habit is liy no
means universal. A nes examined by me on .Fune 14, ISii;}, in irerkiiiier
County, New York, was foun ! in a slij^ht natural (h'])ression on a well-drained
fern-covered side hill, in an old (dearinj;, close to a small lake, 'i'he eiiiis laid
on the line firound about an inch or more apart, which seems to be their usual
posiiion, the ends pointinu' in the same direction; when covered, eaidi rests
against opposite sides of the breast of the parent and is held in place by the
wiuji's. 1 purposely tlushed this bird u-Ncrid times to note her iictioiis. It
allowed me to approach her within ;i couple of feet each time before lUiiii;- oil',
and then it onl\' rctireil a slior*^ distance, idiiihliu';' on a prostrate old lo"- close
by, remaiiiinj^- |)erfectly silent, .\bout li\c minutes alter 1 h It. it returned and
settled ajiiiiii on the eu'^s while 1 was still in plain \ iew I Hushed her aLjain
sli, rtly afterwards, and slu' rejieated the same pertonnain'e; lint the third time
she uttered a low, piirriiiL;' noise as she Hew, ])rolialil\' a note of protest. I was
in hopes that she mij^ht ti\' to remove her ey-^^s and 1 would have a chance to
observe how this was done, Init she failed to nratifv m\' wishes. The male did
nor put in an appearance <lurinL:' the two hours spent in watchiny the nest. As
nearly as 1 can as<'enain, inculiation lasts about sixteen da\s, and. both sexes
assist, in this (lut\'. Tlie \muiil!' are fairl\' well co\ered with j^ra \ down wdieii
tii^t liatche(l: the\ yrow rapidly, and while small one (.if the parents is always
close by.

THH NIGllTHAWK.

1()7

(>iil\' two I'fi'^^s arc laid ti> a set (i 'i altcniati' ilays) and inciiljatioii bcyiiis
with tli(^ lirst one (Icpusitt'd. Tlu' slu-ll is stiMiifi', closc-^raiiicd, and liciicrallv
moderately <^l(issy; in sliapo tlicy vaiy tVoiii ellijitieal oxate to elliiitical on al, tluf
loriiier prexailiii;.',' in the iiiajdrity, one end heinj;' a triHe smaller than the other.
TluMr ui'oiind color is (|nite \arialile, iUid ranges from a pale creamy white
thrnn<;li (lifi'erent shades ot" cream, olive Itntl', and olixc ;i'ra\-, and tlie\- are pro-
I'lisely lilotched and s|ie( l^led with ditVereiit shades of slate Idack, drab, smoke
and lilai' '^vny, ami tawny (dive, mixed witii li<^'liti'r shades of pear! j^ray, lav-
ender, and plmnheons. In some specimens tlw^ markinjis are line and niiiform
in size, almost oliscin'in;;' the ground color; in others the\' are less inimerous,
hilt larp' and prominent. Tluire is an eiulless variation in their markiujis.
Scarc(d\' au\' two sets resendde each other closely, and 1 consider the e;;^' ot' th(!
Ni^hlliawk one of the most ditli<'ult ones known to me to describe satisfactorily.

The average measnrement of eif^-lity-oiie specimens in the I'liiteil States
Nationa! j\[iiseum collection is -in.'.iT by '-M.sf millimetres, or l.ls l»y 0.8(1
inches. The largest e<i';i' of this series measures .'{,'{. ;").'{ liv 'J'i.Nd millimetres, or
1.3-' by O.'.K) inches; the smallest, -*7.(!.S by •-•0..J7 millimetres, or l.o'.l by O.Sl
inches. ^j

The typo specimen, Xo. 1IS13 ^Vl. 3, Vi'^. 1), from a .set of tw > taken
near Diibmiiie, biwa, on May 2S, isdf), by the .Messi-s. IMackbiirn. re|)re.>i , its one
of the laru'er and heavier marked sjiecimens. Xo. •_*4lt(iS ( i'i. .'!, Fij;-. 2), Kalpii
collection, from a set of twoiakeiiby Dr. William L. K'alpii in Iierkiiner( 'oimty,
Xew York, on .Inm^ '_'4, ISlll, represents a small specimen with an (dive-^ray
ji'roimd color and rather dark iiiarkinj;'s; while No. •_'()4r)7 (i'l. .'1, l-'iu'. '5), like-
wise from ii set of two, IJeiiilirc^ collection, was taken by the writer near I'"ort
Klamath ( )re^'on, on July (I, IScS'i, and represents one ot' the li^litei'-<'olore(l
types.

59- Chordeiles virginianus henryi ((Jassix).

WKSTKKN MCllTllAWK.

I'lionlfilcs hciirjii (^^ASSIN, Illiistriitioiis of tlic. Hirds of Caiitiiinia. 'I't-xas, elf., I, l,S,").">, '_':(.">.
i'liDidrilix rinjiiiininis var. /i(;/nvy/ ('oi'KS, Key, IHTli, 181,

(I! ii.">, c 2<i7<(, u ;r.7.(, (" 4(M», r vnut.)

(tEoohapukwi. 1!AN(ik: Wostciii North Aiiiciii'a; north to I'cntial liriiish ('iilMinl)ia
lo about hititiah' ■")"•' aial throajih llie |iiiiiric ilistrirts of southern .llhcrta. .Vssinihoia, and
western Manitoba; east in tlic I'nited States to we.xtei'ii .Minnesula. Iowa, noilhern and
central Illinois, Kansas, the Indian Terr! toiy, west eni and .soutlieiii Texas; south mer
the tablelands of Mexico, and in wiuter throuffh Central Anieiiea. over the (greater part
■if Houlh America to I'atayonia.

i^he Western Xiu'litlian k, a liohter-colored snbsjiecies than the preicdiiiu', is
a common simimer resident tliioii;^iiont a considerable portion of western Xorlh
America, l)nt it> ian;^(' is likewise a rather irregular one. ( >n the whole, it is
inor(( of a ])rairie l»ird than the former, but it is b\' no means ciudined to the
plains alone; it upjtears to bo eijuallv at homo ou tlio more open, barren

u

•Hi:

I* ^ •

i

•'!i^i|t:^

r.i

f! I

'" 'i I

l| !li

w-

1 ..

IP

1G8

LIFK IIISTOIUKS OF NOUTII AMURIOAX lUUD.S.

'J

$ .

■V' *

If

1:1 U

m

lili

IIX

)mitiiiii niiiycs tliri)ii<ili(nit tlu^ West, wliciv^ it is ioiiiid

:i siiiiimcr rcsii

l<-iil

witiiiu till)

lip to iiltitmlcs of 10,()()() feet. None of tlu^sci l)ii'(ls jippciir to wiiitc
limits of tile riiitcil Statos. It usiiiilly makes its appwimiicc aloii^ our soiitlioru
Ixirdcr about April I, iiinl rcttu'us to its winter haunts a^'ain late in Sopt'/mbcr.
()fCUsioual]\ a few sti'a;;';iicrs mav arrive somewhat earlier in tho sprin;^', as

Mr. H. !'. Lawrence writes me:

am sii

re I heard tlie er\' of a Xiiilithawk at

Olv

m|)i

sunnner.

W

islim^'ton, on

.Mareli "in, ISOO. .'hev are connnon hei-c in

tl

10

a\e I

iftei

1 seen

them tak(! dust l)al!

IS ni

til

e evenmu' Hi

th

near an adjacent cottaj^c.

Ml

Ma.K

|)atlis

iirlane reports

siiosiiecies as

coiumon summer rosideiit in the vicinity of I'"orts St. dam
tli(^ inti-rior of British Cohnnhi; in about latitude ,"

es am

■^1
1 St. (!e(iru(

in

and he sent two sets of

('"■"•s aiK

I a skill from there to tho United States Xal

ona

I M

Useiim collection 111

1S81). 'riiese points mark, as far as known, the northern limits ot' its raii;^'e. I
know it to tie cominon throujihout the saf;'obriisli plains and the prairie re;;'ioiis
of northern Washinjitoii, ldalii>, and .Montana, and there is no iloiilitthat it also

occurs m similar re

ions

tl

iroii'-'hoiit eastern AlliertJi, .Vssiiiiboia, and western

Manitoita: it

niv

eiv to be found farther iiortl

1 as we

lie eastern limits of

its raii^i'e extend w«dl into Miini'-sota, Iowa, northern and centra! Illinois, wliei .
it is the prevailing;' form foiinil throuf^hoiit the jirairie regions of these Stales.
It is also common tliroiif>'Iiout the middle and western portions of Kansas, tlu^
Indian Territory, and southwestern Texas. Alon;.;' our southern border it appears
to be rather rare, and I ob.served but ver\- i\'\y of these birds in the lower \alle\s

ind desert regions in southern Arizona.

II(

tl

ie\- apnea

pp

to 1

)(' inaiiih- coii-

fin
altit

t(
ude:

•arreii mom

itaiii raiiii'es, and onlv brcH'd suarinyl

It till

lower

Dr. K.h

A. M

earns reports it, liowi

ver, to be the common f

)f Xiiihthawk in the Animas A'allev, near the international iioiiiidarv

oriii
line, ill

itl

siaitliwes

which are now In

tern New M<'xico, and lie took

•t of

here on diilv .'], 1S1I2,

the I'liited States National Museum collection.

In Ins mier-

estiiii^- paper, "( )l)ser\ati(ais on the .Vvifaiina of jiortioas of Arizona," the Doctor

niiikes tile tollowmy' remarl

on

us suhsiiecies

species to infrinji'e on the territory of the 'rexiiu
Xi^htiiawk dnriii.u' the breeding' season; each keejts to its own ^roiuid, tiie latter

I h

i\e iie\er known

hellij;' coll
pines and

illed to the region iielow the pi

MMlce;

lil'eedmn- 111 "Tciit mimhel's 11

lies, and the former re

lese limited areas.

miii'i'Miit was tiikeii nt I''ort N'enl

e on

.Ml

I \'

tl

!l, ISS.-).

Klinu' m
A sii

tl

10

'I'

wo tresli co'Lis were tiikell

at

lieiiea

th tl

le

pllle

M

Flaystatf on June 18, 1SS7, in a le\el place, l)estrewii with volcanic scoria.
In our ^iiniiner camp, near the summit of the .Moii'olloii
licetle was aimoyinj^-ly iibiindant, llyiii^- into our tents in
l;' tlie dav and swarmiii';' around our lo;^- iires at tULi'lit. As

oiintains. a

^reat numl)ers durm
the twilijrht "atlier m]

hundreds of these Xi;.;lithaw ks ajipeared

tl

upon the scene

]treyiii'j' up

on

tlie troublesome

insects.

('

arel(

our

)resence at the lires

and of the iiois\- liilarit\- of camp, tli(^v flitted throiin'h the smoke with astonish

aptiiriiiii' ni\riads of ihr hated beetle

:\>

llev

in^' freedom from liiilideii'.

passed anil repas.sed abo\e, between, and around us, until their flickering' forms

TIIK WKSTEIO ISUiHTlIAWK.

1051

III

were iis fiVMiiliiir us tlui stirring;; of tlic i)iiic l^iii^lis uvcrhcinl, aiiil llu' l';iiiiiiii<;' dl'
tlii'ir wiii^i's iiliMDst iis little lu'L'(lt'(l. A cuiiplc nt' \-ouiij;', rccciith liMlclicd, wrrc

I'tmiid lu'iir the caiui) uu July 27, 1HS7, show iiij;' that twn lir !.-■ arc rcarcil tiic

Kaiuc yi'ar, or tliaf its scusoii of rciirodiu'tioii is (|iiit(' iirotractcil. The \tiicc of
this spocics is (|uit(' unlike that of ('liordtilrs /r./yy/.sv'.s."'

Tu southern California it is a soiuewhat rare suiiiiiier resident, iiut in the
middh :.iid northern portions of this State it is not niudiiitnon. In the lower
l»io (irande Valle\-, tln'oiiji-hout western Texas, th(^ I'lains. ami the (iicar l)a>ii
rc';jions it seems to he i^cneralK' distrilmted, and ajipears to he e(|nMll\' at lionu
in the hottest desert districts — like heath \'alley, for instance, lielow Nca le\el —
as on the hijiher mountain summits in the Sierra Xevadas and the liuck\ moun-
tains, r found the Wosterii Xijihthawk fairl\ comiiion in the \icinit\- of all
the military Posts where I have heen stationed in tlie West, and 1 ha\c not
ohserved the slijihtest ditl'erence in its li'cneral iialiits. call notes, etc. i'roin those
of its eastern relatix'es.

In the lower iJio (Irande Valley, in 'i'exas, niiliiication commences occa-
sionally in the last ucek in Ajtril and lasts well into .Inly, and here two hroods
are iindoul)tedly raiseil in a season, while in the more nortiiern portions 1 lielie\c
one is the rule, and here egf^j's are rarely found liefore the middle ot' ■luiie, and
frei[Uently not before the first week in July. Its nestinu' iial)its are ;dso .similar;
it hreeds in correspoiidinj;' situations, exce]itin<,'', as tar as I know, the Hat r<iofs
of houses. I have not yet heard of their hreeclimi;' oil !iousel(i|)s in an\ part ot'
their ranji'e. A si-t of e^j^s of this subspecies was found by me on .Inly li, IsT.'j,
ill the i'oothills of tlii' I51ue .Mountains, some (! miles iDrtheast of ( 'amp Iiarne\-,
( )rejj;ou, laid ainon^- some pebliles on the liare j:r(.und under a little saji'e bush.
'I'lie sittiiij;' iiird allowed me almost to touch it, ami was \cry reluctant to
abandon its ei.;'i;s, which were but sliji'litK' incubated. ( )ii m\' approach, it riitlled
its feathers and eiiiitteil a hissinj;' sound, resemblinj;- somewhat the spittin;.;' of a
cat when mad. 'Their favorite nesting places in that vicinity were the crests of
j:ra\clly ridges, always selectiu};- a well-drained spot, wlu.'re the rains could not
chill the yoinii^' or e^'^'s. Hare, rocky talile-lamls are also freipieiitly resorted
to for similar purposes, and less often the flat tops of bowlders. Extensive burnt
tracts aUo furnish favoi-ite abidinji' places for tlu'in in the more nortliei'ii portions
of theii' ran^-e : in fact, in such localities they are fully as abundant as on tli<'
more open saytdjrnsli plains, 'i'liey are ver\' <le\iite(l jiareiits. .Mr. W. (i. Smith,
ol liONcland, Colorailo, writes me: "1 had one swoop down sexcral times at a
doM' that used to accompany me, finally drivinji' it awity. 1 think the bird had
a lU'st close bv and resortecl to this means to protect its \ oun^' or sitting' male."

'I'he e<>'jis of the Western Xij^hthawk, both in shape an<l maikiiiiis, are
scarcely distin<i'uishable from those of the eastern bird, and tiie same description
will answer tor both: on the wdiole, however, the lij:hter-colored fypi's seem to
preilominate o\'er tin.' darkei' ones. 'Tiie eji'ys fii^iire(| ot' the ])recediiijj- s[)(H'ies
will also answer for this, and the sin<:le e^y fijiiu'ed of this suiispecies can like-
"wise l)e matched amoiiji' the series ot' the I'oriiier.

I

•It ••

■;;.,, I

■ 'f'

mm

M .i'!'.

1

' ri.e .\nU, \ 111. \ 11. IS'.iii, pp. J.-,l, -^riu.

P'

170

LIKU lUSTOlllKS OK NOKTII AMliUlUAN B1UI>S.

'rill! iivcraii-c inoiisuromcnt of a series of sixty-three ej^jj^s in tlic I'liited
States Xatioiiiil .Musimiiii collection is also practically tlic same, iiein;;' 21l.!t7 l)y
21.(11 millinictrcs, oi' I. IS liy (LSf) inches. The larji'est e^i'^' of the series nieas-
nres .•{I'.ol hy 22. SC niillinietres, or 1.28 by O.MO inches; ihe smallest, 27.43 i)y
2().S;{ niillinietres, or l.OS hy 0.82 inches.

The typo specimen selecteil, No. 26120 (I'l. .">, Vl^X' Ot from a set of two
eons, was taken liy Dr. Hilj^'ar A. .M(!arns, ITniteil States Armv, in the Animas
Valley, near San i-nis Spriniis, New Afttxico, on .luly .'i, 1S|I2, and ri'jjre.sents
a vvvy (inely ami jn'otiisely marked sjiecimen, in which the j;roiniil color is not
very ri'adily perceptible.

6o. Chordeiles virginianus chapmani (SKwinT).

I'l.OKIllA NKiirni.VWK.

{('Iii>riliilrs ixiiiiiiic) chninmuii (Senni'.TT .MS.) Ooiics, Auk, \. .liimiiiry, IHS.S, :'u.
CInrdfiIrs riniiniiiniin clmpmitni Scott, Auk, V, April, IHSH, lH(i.

(li — ; C — ; It S'llh, V. 1(11, ir IL'O/a)

r<EoaHA.l'niCA.L l!.\N(il',: Florida and (lie (iulf <()iist : west to sontlicni Toxiis;
winter .snutli to the li^iliiiniil Islands and tliroii^^ii eastern .Mexico lo CtMitral Anierica.
(3asna'ly north to Nortli Carolina (.Macon).

in

nil

.■h'l:

m

m

The rano'e id' the I'Morida Nii;'htlia\vk, also commonh' calleil "linll-i)at"

Mat,

a somewliat smaller an<

I <larl

ker-ciilo

re(l bird than tl

w c<innnou

smi[)ly

Nij^'hthawk, is conlined, as far as known, to I-'lorida and the (Jnlf coast west-
ward to southern 'l\'xas. I ha\o no ])ositi\(' bretidin^' records from outside (d'
Florida, but it is nmre than likely that it breeds alon;:' the I'ntii'e (!nlf coast
as far west at least as .\rausas ("onnt\', Texas. Mr. II. 1'. .Vttwater kindh' sent

•veral skins tak

en near

Kock

)ort, in tile abo\(' coinit\' (fall

specimens

which are undoubte(lly rcd'erable to this siibs])ecies. There is also a ^kin in the
IJniteil States Xatio lal .\[iiseum colhsction taken iiy Dr. Mlliott ('ones near Fort
Macoi., North Carolina, on .lune 10, ISdl), and I lia\c no doubt that it will \'et
ii-idar suninier visitor ah>n"; the south .\tlantic coast of (leoroia

IS a re

l»e found

and South (Jarolina. There is not sutlicieiit material available, excepliiiL;- from

I'Morida, to eiialde me to dernie its breeiliui;' ranuc more ihdinitel ,' out>ide (d' this

Stati

riie Flori.la Ni-lit!iawk

is niil\' a summer resa

lent of tile Tiiited State.-

USUI

:dlv arriNinii' from its winter haunts in tlie soiitli about the mii

d' April

ami returnini;' ajiain late in October. .Mr. iVttwater informs me tiiat this Nijiht-
hawk remains later in tlii' fall in tin- vicinit\' of Uockport than the W'esteiMi
Nig'hthawk, and that its favorite haunts there are the oak opeiiinjis, while the
latter more id'teii freipieiits the open jirairie.

Its

zciiera

1 haliits, call notes, food, cdc., seem to be similar to the t

wo

in'ecediii;.' speejes in almost I'Very respect.

Mr. W. K. D. Scott describes a,

yoiin^;' bird, ap|),'i

itlv t

i\c or SIX (ia\s o

Id. as i;

r

le <lii\VM is (

lirt\

white lieiieath, ami on ail other parts is the same dirty \\ hite, mixed with sp(ds

th

THK FI.ORIMA NKillTIIAWK.

171

of black, ffiviiifi" tlio bird fin M]i|i('iirniic(> altovc not inilikc tlu; yonuf^' of ^Ki/in-
lifi.s irilsiiui(t, siivc tliiit tlic down is Ioniser."'

Mr. I'ViMik M. ( 'liiiiMMiin, in liis "I-ist ol' Minis Ohscrvcil jit (liiint's\ illc,
Kloriilii," spt'iikin^' of tliis subspecies, stfites: " Bull-l)iit or (iis it is more coni-

non

1\- termed) 'IJiit' sliootinj^' is here a popular |)astime, jiTeat luunhers I

>eum'

aNonte

killed for food, and in August, wlien tlie l)irds liaxc f;;illiere(l In llocl
fields MiM\- lie occupied at nightfall liy as many as a dozen jiunners." '

Dr. William L. Kalpli lias taken several nests and e<j';.>'s, with tlii' ]»arents, in
I'ntniini ("ount\\ I"'loridii, wliicli are now in tlie I'nited States National Museum

collection.

lere, (lurm

th.' I

ireediiiL;- season a

reciuents main

Ivl

ow

llii

line woods, esiiecialU' sue

t least, tlie F
I

oi'iila

N

i-hlliaw
li

lurnt oxer, the e^'us j;'eiierall\' l\'in;i" on

th

lare j;roiiii(l.

liivc recelilU' lieell
S;illi|\' soil seems to

(hi(

't of ejiji's Avas found by him under a
small (iranjfe tree in an oraii"-e yrove on tlio side of a sand\' hill; three others

le prei'eiTcd for nesting- plai

were

tal

flat

mellts of eh

line wood

llld 111 one mslauee tlie (

til

hlid

on a.

few f

raL

d left wh

fVit

fall.

n trt

had I

leeli pai

rtlv I

unit, lietwceii tin

remaining- ])art of the tree and the fitiimi), aliotit .'! feet from e.icli. Nidification
apjii'ars to Ik? at its heif^ht in Putnam ('ounty, Florida, diiriii;;' May, and jiroli-
{iblv two broods are raised in a season.

'Die e^ji's of the Florida Nijiiithawk resembhs those of the 1

wo preceilmi

SJI

H'ies closelv, l)otli in slu

po

aiu

1 in th

iroiind color; hut the i

iiarUmij^

rule, ai-(

much darker and bolder, and the

s are also .soiiiew

hat

smaller.

T

le

di

ll'erence between them and those of their near relative, Clionlrili

rs rny/iiiiiiiiKs
is still jii'i-ater, the latter beiiiii' on the ;\hol(f much liijhter colored than

those of tho Western Nijirlithawk, reseniblinii' the eu'^s o
more in this i-espcct.

f ('ll(ir<lri/rs fc.l

l\

]\I

The aA'craye measurement of fifteen specimens in the I'nited States Nation

useum CO

)V ().8i

llect
inches.

ion, all from F

orida, is

•ift.D.'J b\- "iO.S!! millimetres, or .ibout 1.1 J

The li

iravs

t ogj--

iiieasu

rcsiJO.iU bv 'in.,-)? millimetre^

.r !.•_'•_>

bv O.Sl inches; the smallest, '27. 4."? b\- -JO.a--' iiiillimetr

l.OS iiv O.SO ill. die;

F

(»f the typ(^ spe.'imeiis, b.)th fr.ini tlw Ralph c..llectioii. No. '2 \'.u;'.) (I'l. ,'{,
5), from a s.>t of tw.) e^iji's tak.'ii iieai

• S;iu Mate. I, I'M.irid;

I. oil

.M

i\'

11, iss.-

represents on.' of the fiiier-markeil examples, wliile No. 'J.'iS'J.'i (I'l. !{, Fi;^-. (i),
also from a s.'t of tw.i taken near 'Poinoka, Fl.iri.la, on Afay S, Isii-J, shows one
of the darker-colored patterns.

' The Auk, \ul. \ , iti(*», i<. 18lj.

■ IbiiL, 1 , -'7:i

■ n

ii

n

i\ ■

■j'lf

m

T

f^.

▼

^

f

4

<•

172

hlKK lllSTOHIIvS «M" NOIITII AMKIMUAN lUUDK
61. Chordeiles acutipennis texensis Lawrknce.

T:;.\A\ XKiMTllAW k.

Clitird'ilrs iifiiliiiiiniis var. Ir.vvn.iiii |{A.iin). liitKWKi!, iiiiil Itiixiw '.v. History of Nortli
Aiiii'iir III Itinls. II. 1S7I, lOli.

(Of. MarU'it, (laliiiojfiic Itiids liiitisU Miiseiiiii, Wl. 1!)!', (IKi.)
(1! 1 1(1, ( ' LMiS, U 3:.8, C 402, r ll-'l.)

■.-•.IT.

§

\m

iUti

'i''

(li'.(i(iR VPiliCA.r, u,VN(M',: Soiitliwfstcrii irnitcil Stiitos, from soiitlicrn iiiid wrstcrn
'rcxas, soiitlii'i'ii New .Mexico, anil Arizona; iiorlli to hitiliidc .'is > In CaJiforiiia (to San
.li'ai|iiiii ami Stanislaus coiiiitii's), soutiu'iii Ni'vada, and soiitlicrii Utah; cast (casually?)
to sciiilliwi'stci'ii liiMiisiaiiii ■oiiili to liO\v<'r ('alifdiiiia a:id over tlic tablelands of nortli-
ciii Mcxicii; in winter to (' .-ta Kic; lud \'cra;;iia, ( 'ciitial Aiiiciica.

Within tlic last tew vcai-s tlic i-aiij^c of tlic Texan Ni^litliawk in tin- I'liitcd

States lias heeii "Teath' extemled. In ( "alitofiiia it is now known to occii

far

nor

til as San .loaiiniii mid Stanisliiiis coimtie;

in about latittide ;{S-, Mr. I..
I'x'ldinn" liavin^' oliserved alioiit a dozen of tlies(^ birds on .liiiie :>, Isni, at
Kni^'lit's I-'en-\ , in the latter coiiiitv, and one of tl

lese was secure(

I bvl

inn.

list

the hiena Ne\a(las this species \v

th

as met witii liv 1 M'. ( ". Hart Merriain and

other nieinbei's of liis exploriiiji' party as far north as IJisiioj), in Tiiyo Coiinry,
( 'alifornia, as Well as at several points in southern Nevada and in the lower Santa
('lara, A'allcy, in I'tali. in tlu! latter \alley Dr. Merriaiu found it lireedinn' near
St. (ieorji'e, securiii,!4' a set of fresh eoji's on May 13, ISKl. It appears to be
t;'eiierall\' distributed tln'oiiyhoiit the arid desert reuions of Arizona, and it is

coniinon 111 si

litable localities throughout this Territorx- as well as th

roiii

th

itl

f X.

ew .Mi'Xico, and it is also an aliundant snniinei' resident

southern portions o

in tlui southern and western iiortions of Texas. Mr. Iv A. M(dliieiin\' has tak

eii

It ni southwestern liouisiaiia, wliere it probably occurs only as a stra^jiler. It
idso appears to be jicnerally distributed throuj>'liout tlu^ fiToatcr part of Lower
(California.

SoiiKf of the habits of the Texan Ni;4lithawk, the smallest re))resciitativo of
this freiuis found within tlii) I'liited State;
what larji'er relative, tluf \\'esteru Niohthawk.

are \{'r\' similar

lar to tl

lose o

f its

sonuf-

Like tilt

ist-nameil species, it

verv sociable i)ird at times; in suitai>le localities, for iiist;

nice 01

I the bottom

lands border

mo' soiiKf o

f th

irf^ei' streams withm its lanji'e, it is \-er\' abundant,

and

never saw so man

V Nio'hthawl

<s amwiiere

I did of til

lecies one

eveiiiuj^' while camiied nciir a slono'h close to the (iila l»i\-er, wiiile in route from
Fort Yuma to old l-'ort McDow

southwestern Arizona, in .lul\ , 1S71. 'I'liere

were certainly se\-eral hundred niakiii;^- their eNciiiu;^' meal on the uuiiierous

is oracefiil as

insects wliii'h abounded in that vicinity. Its Hi^^lit is e(]iial
that <)f the other Xi^hthawks, but it rarely soars as liioh a;

the f

oriiier, am

{^I'lierally skims just over the tops of the bushes or close to the surface of the
water. In fact, 1 liavo rupeiitedly seen them toucii tlio surface, as if drinkinj;' or

TIJK TEXAN NUllITllAWK.

173

ciitcliiii"' insects, |)r(il>iil)lv the liilttT. Tlic onlinarv call note iittereij hv it wliile

111 tlic win;

luwever, IS (

(lute

(liU'ei'eMt; it is still mure

s(|nciiky tliiiii tliiit of tl'.e

Ni"litlia\vk, not so loud, tuid remind.' me somewlint of the soinuls miide li\- a

ver\ vonn

;;■ kittei

n ni (hstress. It apparently does not mdnljio ni the |iecnliar
aerial performances, cansin^' the hooniinjf sonnds made l)y the other niemhers
of this "cniis so freiinentK heard durin"' tlu^ matin"- and hrei'diny season: anil
it is also more crepuscnlar, and nnless accidentally Unshed is rarely seen flyinjj

dioMt in the ilavt

nne

Dr. James ('. Merrill, I'liited States Arniv, in his "T-ist

of Mirds ( )l).servcil in the \'icinity of Fort Mi-own, Texas," writes of this spec

It'S

as

foil

ows:

"Connnon sn n n nor visitor, a rrivin;;' early in April. While ('Imidrilix rlr-
t/iiHdiiKx linnf/i is nsnalh' foiniil almnt prairies at some distance from Imnses, the
present species is most plentifid jnst outside ot l>rowns\illi-, and 1 iiave t'onnd
several sets of i"^'^s \\itliiii the tort. 'These are iisiialK' deposited in expo>e(|

itniitions, aniont;- snarse chanarral, on yround hakeil a

Imost

IS hard u>

liiick

the intense heat of the sim. ( )ne set of e^ijis was placeil on a small piece oi
tin, within a toot or t\\i) ot' a Ireipiented |)alh. 'i'lie I'emale >its close, iind when

peediK' relnriis to its t'l^'^s. Thev make no attempt
to decov an intrniler awav. 1 have ridden up to within live t'eet of a female on
her eu'^i's, dismounte(|, tied my hoi'se, and put my hand on the hird liefort! she

tlnshed flies a few feet and

(I

wonld mo\('

T

necies is more strictlv ci'eitnscidar than ('lidrilci/t

I's rii'f/iii-

liii/n/i or Clioriliilis riri/ii/imnis, and is vcrv seldom seen on tla.' win

(Iminii'

the (h

T

le notes ai'e a mewni';- c

.11,

and a \fv\ cin'ions call that :s

itli dillicnltx' described. It is somewhat like the distant and \fvv

ipid tap-

pini;' ot' a larji'e Woodpecker, accompainetl l)\a Innnmin^' sound, and it is almo.>t
impossil)le to tell in what direction or at what distan<'e the i)ird is thiit makes
the noise. Moth these notes are uttered on the \\ inj:' or on tlii^ jironnd, and \>v
hoth .sexes."'

In somi' respects its habits rescMnble those of the I'oor-will more than the
Niji'hthawks. 1 hax'e UKtre than once seen several of these bii-ds aliuhl on the
bare ground in front <if my camp on Willito Creek, near 'I'ncson. .\rizona, after
rundown, ami watched them hoppin;^' attei- insects or diistin;.;' themselves. 'I'liev
Were verv tame, often allowinjj' nui to walk '.o within four t'eet ot them, vvliui

tliev wenld oidv'llv a few \ards Mud resume their feedii

The T.'xan Xij-I.th

dl

lawk nsnallv arrives alou';' the southern ho

lii' ajiinn.
th

>rdcr of \\f

ranj^c in the Tniteil States about theiirst week in .vpril,and returns soiiili a<;ain
in the latter part of October. Throuuhout the more southern poi'tioiis of its
habitat it undoubtedlv raises two broods in a season.

reci

ird.s I have (April 27 and 2H) are from lh

The earliest brecdinj.
■r Rio ( irande \'allev, ii

Texas; the latest (onc^ of my own) is Aniiust 6, 1S72, when 1 found a strongly
iiicubate(l set of ey'fi's near Tucson, Arizona.

1/ike the other members of the ('ii)ir'ntinl<ii<l(i\ the Texan Nijjhtliavv k makes
ho nest, but deposits its two eyji's on the bare fi'muml, where thev are fullv

' Crucenlin^s I'liitril .sijiIcm Niitional Miisciitii. V'nl. I. IS7S, p. lilt.

I i!

".Mi

i ; i •:

il '

i J

ii

■|: l|!

il-'

f/r

\y

\n

174

IJI'l': IIISTOKIKS OK NOIITII AMKHIOAX HIKDH.

M^ :

mm^

n'^''^'

If

■ M

,11: •

■■ii

Hi

i

ii>

'i-'ii

■..It .

I'XiMi.sL'il to ilic r:i\ s ul' tlic sun, ur iicar tlio Imso of .sonic ilcscrt slirult, wliicli nt
Ix'st i'urnislics Iml liltlr iirotcction tVom tlio iut(-iist< lioat, anil I liuv«) t'ouml its
I'^i'ji'H oil tli(» |iar(li<'i| j;rav('lly iiu-sas of soutluM'ii Arizona, inili'S from flin nearest
wati^r. Tlieii" favorite hreedin;^' resorts herct are tlie dry, Itai-ren tal)l()-Ian(is,
tile sides of canvons, and tlie eresis ot' roclvX' liiils. i\ltlion;;li not altsoIntel\'

certain.

1 I

lelleNC

tile t

wo e^-'^-s
"•■'•: laid.

l)e;;ilis witll tile til'st e;.

leconiit of ilieir siniilaritv in color to their "'eiieral siirr

ire depositeil on altcniiito days, uiid inciilmtion
Tliev ai'i^ exceediniilx dilliciilt to detect on

diindnifis,

\\

hicl

I iisnall\'

liarnioiii/e \vv\ closelv. 'I'lie shell is sti'on;>', close j;'raiiied, and rather <;loss\-,
while in shape the ej^'jis are more varialile than those of our other Xi^hthawks,
rai|i;inji' from o\al to elliptical oval, and aj;aiii to elliptical o\ate. The jiroimd
color \!iries I'rom paht ji;rav (a sort of day color) to pale cream\' white, with a
faint [linkish tint. This latter pliase of cidoratioii is rather nmisiial however.

'I'lu^ whole surface is iiiimiteK marlded, snei

dcd,

or ratiK

th

pepp

ill

I line

dots of dill'erciit shades of ijra\s, lilac, and a lew darker and coarser markin^^s

li' lawn color, >late, ami draii. ( Iccasioi
laked

e\ e, aiMiear

pp

lalK a. sperimeii is found which, to tlii'
itireK iiiiiuarked; Itiit on more careful examination a few

le noticeil

i lie\' are imicli

dark spiit>, mere pin |ioiiils, can readily I

colored than the avcrau'e ei;L:s ot' our other Ni;ililliawks, and readilv distin;;iiislied

I'rom thesi' on this account, as we

from their snial

ler si/e,

Tl

le

aven

IIK

asiiremeiit of lifty-ll\(i specimens in the Inited States

National .Museum collertion is L'li.st 1)\- 111.(11 millimetres, or alioiit l.Ot) li\ 0,77

inclies

he larfj;-est e:

.f tl

lis series me

asures 2JI.72 l)v 21.08 millimeti

cs, or

1.17 l)v (t.8;$ inches; tlii' smallest, 'i.'J. 11 hv 18.(ia inillinietres,or(t.!)l l)v(».71 im

Of the tvi

imeiis (all selecteil from set.s of two) K(

'4210 (1

V\'^. 7), taken iiy I »r. ('. Hart .Merriam, on May l.'{, 1S91, near St. (ieor;i-e,
I tall, represents an ejiii' with a lijilit ground coltu', and a peculiar and rare st\le
of inarkin-i'.s. No. 21312 (I'l. ;i, V'v^. 8), collected near Mrownsville, Texa.s, on
May 8, 1891, shows one of the darker and heavier marked styles. No. 2r)2!»!)
(IM. 3, Ki<;-. it), from tiie same locality, taken May Ifi, 1892, represents a very
uniform and evenly coIoihmI speciiiieii, while No. 2(1351 (i'l. 3, Kiy. lO), likewiso
from the same locality, taken May 8, 1892, represents about an avera^-e-colored
t-ou- of this siKM'ies. The last three types are i'rom the lialph c:ollection.

TiiK BLACK awirr. 175

Family MKll'Ol'omD.K. Swiri«.
62. Cypseloides niger ((J.mkmn).

III.ACK SWIKI'.

IliriiHilii iiUiva (iMi'.i.iN, Systoiim Niitiirii', I, ii, I7S,S, I02r>.

Ci/imcliiiilis »;.//(»• Sci.ATKII, pMircciliiijjH /(iiilojjiiiil Sdcicty, .llllir '_'", 18(r», rtl5.

(I! lOS. (! liTO, U ;!."•(>, r 1(14, I' IL'L'.)

LiKotillAl'llM'Al, HANiii;; .Moiiiiliiiiis of wt'sti'iii North Aincricii, iiiaiiil.v on tlii' I'licidc
c^>a^t; iiortli to liiitisli ('nliiintiiii; cusl to ciistcni Wiisliiii>itoii, NcmiiIii, iiimI roloriido;
soiilli to Ciilironiiii; iiiid in winter. tliroiiKli liowcr Oiilitoniia and Mexico to C'ostii Iticii,
Ccntiid Arnriicii (and llic West India Isiandnf).'

'I'lii! niiioc lit' tlic UliicU Swift, jilsii kiKiwii as "("loiiil Swift, " is still nitlnT
inipci'fcctlv iIcIImciI. As far as \ct known it lias mily liri'ii niiscrvcil in tlic
lidcky .Mniiiitaiii rcoioii in ('nlnrMilo, wIutc it seems tu lie mainly cnnlineil lu
San ,lnan Cnmity, in tlie suMlliwestern [lart iif tlie State. .Mr. A. \\ . .\ntlniny
writes wiv: '•Here 1 fminil tlie I51aek Swift \ery aliiinilant in the smninei- nf
iss;5, nestiiiL:' in all i>\' the highest craji's, Inn ne\er in jilaees aecessilile lu ;in\-
thin;j' nut |ir(i\iileil with winos, .\iiniit Sihcrtnn, ( 'iilnrailn, a laruc culnnx Innl
taken pnssessiiin of a very lii;;h clill'. making' their a|i|iearani'e almiit .linie •_'!>:
(Iurin<j: must i^t' the liay they eiiniil lie seen niiisino' aliunt u\er the valley at a
heii^ht lA' tViim l,(l(t(> to l".!!!!!! feet, hilt tcnvanl e\eniiio' ur at the aii|»ruarh ni'
a shower they descei'ileil fre(|iiently to v\itliin loO feet of the orumnl .\t siieli
tiiiu's an occasional . ..ot was to he had at some unwary striiL;;;lei, ami a series
{i\' aliuiit twenty was taken between .lime '2't anil .Inly Id. l-'emales shot
between .Inly .'') ami ID containeil ova nearly ready to deposit."

Dr. A. K. I'^isher tells me that he saw a niimbei' of these birds about the elilVs
near Triniilad, in Las .Vninias ( 'oimty, ( Colorado, about the middle of .Inly, 1 S'.i2.

.Mr. Robert U'id^way met witii it in Nevada, where several hundred wei'e
observed one moiniii^' hoverino- ovit the; ('arson Ixiver, below l''oi't Churchill,
and he also found the remains of one on the Tnickee [{iver, near I'yramid Lake."

'I'Ir' Mlack Swift midoiibtedly occurs ,dso in suitable localities in the inter-
vening' reo-ions, tlu* nioimtains of Utah, for instance. 'Phroiiiihont the Sierra
Nevadas, the Cascade .Moinitains, and the coast raiiji'es of California, Oreoon,
\\'a.shinotun, and Mritish ('ohimbia, it appears to be more oeiierally distributed
tiian in the more eastern portions of its ranj,''e, and wherever liioh pei'peiidicnlar
clitic are tound one may rcNi.sonably lioi)e to m(H;t with flocks of this hw<>;i'. Swift.
They are extremely social birds, and are rarely seen sinoly even during' tlu»

' .VltlioiiKli Mm WeHt liuliim Swift, tlio typo of Ci/pne/oirftd iiiiicr, is, .iciiinliii); tu llir Aimiiran Oniiilidl-
iiHists' rniiiii rliwk lint, eoiisiiliTi'il iili^ntiial witli our liinl, I lidirM! tlir liir^'cr size nf tln^ Iiitlir, rs|M'iiiilly
llir iii;irUril ililfi'i'i'iiri' ill till' li'iiylli i>f till' will;; mill its Hiiiiiowtinl imliT iiiliinitinn, is siiDii'irnt irii.siiii lor
»i|iiir:ilin« llio tvMi. IIS liuil liii'ii ilnim liy Dr. I'.llint t ( 'niirs, anil iiiiiri' ii'ri>iitly liy Mr. Kriii'st lliirtrrt, in
vnl. 1(1, jip. I'.ll. liri, Ciitalojjiioof ItirilH in tlii' Hiiti.sli .VIiisimiiii. 1 tiiiil tlm iiviraur wiiiy; iiii'iisiiriMiiinls iif
tlir nini! Wist Iiiiliaii siii'ciiiii'iis tu wliirli I liail aiii'ss In Im (i.Oil inrlics, wliilr tliat nf liftirii Nnrth AiiiiT-
iraii sKins i^ i; .V. im lies, anil I ci.nsiilrr it well riitilliMl to HiilisiH'cilic rank.

■ liislory of .North Aiiiiriian lliiils, Vol. 11, ts7l, p. IliO.

',! t

I

'il";

'ti '

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

/y

1.0

I.I

1.25

U.

1^

1^

III

2.2

2.0

1=

U ill 1.6

V]

v^

'm

<^

■<*■.->''
■^

(?

7

;^>

7

Photographic

Sciences
Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(716) 872-4503

1° .%L^

is

i

llliil

'Mill

176

LIKB msTOUIES OF NOUTII AMERICAN HIHDM.

hret'diny; rttsisnii. Tlu^y usually arrive from their wintur hoincH iu C'eutrnl xViner-
ica iluriu}; tli« latter part of April or the bcfi^iuniu;; of May, aud return south
ajjain in Se|)tiMnlH'r. Tlu'V breed throntrliout their Hununer ranj^e, and probably
only it sinji'le brood is raised in a season, as they nest rather late. The only
loealitv where 1 have observed this specitfs was on the upper (yoluiubia River,
opposite liake Chelan, Washiuffton, in .July, 1><79. Here quite a colony nested
in a hijili i)erpeinli<ular cliHt' on the south side of and about a mile baek from the
river, and nunTDers of them tlew to and from the valley below, where they were
feedin;;-. 'IMie day was a cloudy one, and a slow, drizzlin<j rain was fallinj^
nearly the entire time 1 was there; this eaused the birds to fiy low, and tliey
were easily idcntitied. They evidently had youn<>', and the twitterinj^s of the
latter could leadiiy l)e heard as soon as a bird entered one of the nmnerou.s
crevices in the clitf above. Tliis was utterly inaccessible, beinjr fully 300 feet
hijiii and almost perpendicular; and without suitable ropes t<» lower one from
above it was both u.seless and imi)ractical)le to make an attempt to I'eacli the
nests, 'i'liese were evidently placed well back in tlie fissures, as nothin<f l)earinw
a resemi)lam"e to one was visible from either above or below. In this locality
I believe fi'esli e^fi's may be looked for about .Tune 25.

Dr. ( ". Hart .Merriam's explorin^r parties found the Black Swift fairly com-
mon in various localities in Inyo County, (■alifornia, durinj^- dune, 1891, aud a
number of s])ecimens weri^ secured tliere. Dr. A. K. Fisher, in his Report on
the Ornitlioliijjv of the Death Valley Expedition of l.S!>l, makes the foUowinjj
remarks on this .sjjecies: "The HIack Swift was first ob.served at Owens Lake,
near Keeler, California where a nundjer were seen tlyinji; back and forth over
the salt meadows on May 31. On June 2 twenty or more were seen feedim;
over the sanu? meadows, and five sj)ecimens were collected. From the con<li-
tion of the ovaries of the feuiale secured it was evident that the e<jrgs had been
laid. When tlie tlock left the marsh it rose hif?h in the air, and went in the
diri'ction of the clitl's in the Inyo Mountains, near Cerro Gordo, where a colony
evidently was breedin<i." '

Mr. F. Stephens writes me: "^Ir. U. H. Jlerron has taken this species in the
San Hernardino Mountains, California, when; they appeared to be bree<lin^.
They were flyinji' in behind a waterfall that pcau'ed over a ])eri)endicular cliff,
and he found one drowned in the basin at the foot of the fall."

Mr. S. F. Rathbun, of Seattle, Wasliinjjton, informs me th.it the Black Swift
is ([uite abundant at Lake Samish, three miles east of the north end of T^ake
Wasliiii;iton. The slua-es of tiie lake are well settled, but the birds evidently
find Samish a j^i^od feeilin^r jri-(>und. His earliest record of the arrival of this
species there is May lo. Mr. KoUo II. Beck, while huntiuff near the rocky
coast of .Monterey (!oimty, California, in the sunnner of 1S94, shot a female
Black Swift on duni^ 2!), containiuf;- a nearly developed e'^if in the oviduct,
which he thinks would havtt been laid ne.xt day and would probiddy have com-
pleted a set, as the remainiiifj eji'jis were very small. The shell was not formed

> Nurtli Aiiioriniii Knuiiii, No, 7, 18i)3, |i. 54,

THE BLACK SWIFT.

177

yet, and Iio Imd no inonnH of incaMurin^ it at hand. It resembled the epg of a
Chimney Swift in siiajx', bnt was somewhat hirger.

The food of tlie Hhick Swift consists «M>tirely of insects, vdiich are cauglit
on the wi:ii},'i ii'xl 't« Hiffht is, if i)08sible, still more graceful and rapid than that
of the ("hinmey Swift. It is a rather silent bird, and seldom utters any call
notes while on the win<^ or when feedinjj. I believe it rarely, if ever, lights on
the ground.

As yet there is nothing positively known about the construction of the
nest of tliis species, and the eggs still remain unknown. 1 am aware that an
account of the finding of the supposed nest jvnd eggs has been published in
"The Auk" (V^ol. V, 1888, pp. 424, 425), but I am quite positive that this is a
case of misidentificatiou. I visited the same region in May, 18!)4, and found
the Western Martin, Prof/m- siihis liesperia, not uncommon in that very locality,
and the nest and eggs described as those of the Black Swift are unquestionably
referable to this subspecies.

63. Chaetura pelagica (Linn.kus).

CHIJINEY SWIFT.

H'-intlo pelagica LiNNvKrs, Syateina Natursp, ed. 10, 1, 1758, 192.
C" '.ur-' uduxyiu Stki'UKNS, Ueneriil Zoology, XIII, part ii, 1825, 70.

(B 109, C 271, 11 351, C 405, U 423.)

GEOOUAPniOAi, RANGE: Eastern North America; north in the southern portions of
the Dominion ofOanuhi to about hititude 5(P; in the interior, in northwestern Manitoba
to about latitude 52^ .JO' and probalily still farther; west in the United States to eastern
North and Sontli Dakota, eastern Nebraslva and Kansas, the Indian Territory, and Texas;
south in winter to Jalapa, Vera Ciuz, Cozuiuel Island, and Vueatan, Mexico, and probably
still farther.

Tile l)re('ding range of the Chimney Swift, also known as "Chimney
Swallow" and "Chinuiey Sweep," is coextensive with its distribution in the
Ddiniuion of Canadii and tlic I'nited States, it being oidy a summer visitor,
spending the winter in a milder climate. It usually re-enters the I'liited States
fnim the south in the latter part of March or early in April, and its retiu'ii
migratitui from its more northern breeding grounds begins early in Sei)tember,
while in oin* Middle States it lingers sometimes well into October. The north-
eriinn)st record for tiiis species which I have been able to find is Swan Lake,
in northwestern Manitoba, where IVof .F. Macoun met with it on .July 8, 1881.
Its western range apjjcars to i»e gradually extending, and at present includes
aitout tlie eastern half of the States of North and South Dakota, Nebraska,
Kansas, the Indian Territory, and Texas. It is an eminently social bird, and
with the settlement of the country has changed its nesting habits very mate-
rially. Formerly the Chinmey Swift nested exclusively in hollow tree trunks;
now it generally uses chimneys for such pur[)oses, and less often the interior of
barns and other outbuildings, attaching its nest to the rough, unplaucd boai'ds

inside, on tlm gal)le end and near the peak of the roof.
1U81W— No. 3 — 12

Ik'

^11

"\

?

ni'l

M

, T. ? lit

^'•'f^ril

178

LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

In a letter from Dr. WiUiniu \j. Ralph, dated San Mateo, Florida, May 19,
180'), lie says: "One of my men l)ron<;lit me the ejfjjs of a Chimney Swift that
he said he took from a nest attached to the sides of a well, 4 feet below the sur-
face of the {i^round. He says they often nest in such places iu this vicinity."
I consider this as a very unustiai nestiufjf site* for this species.

The Chinmey Swift is both diurnal and crepuscular in its habits, and spends
a {yood deal of time on the win^f. In appearaiu'o while flyinjf it resembles a bat
more than a binl, an 1 its lonfr, attenuated, saber-sha[)ed win<^s look entirely
out of proportion to it.' short, stui)by body. Duriuff the mating season the
Chimney Swift is particularly active, and small j)ai1;ies may be seen chasing
each other throughout the day, and even after the birds are pairetl they are
nearly always seen in parries of three or ujore, pursuing each other in a good-
natured way, uttering at the same time almost continuously their twittering
anil sharp-sounding call notes of "zig-zig," or "tzig-tzig," rajjidly repeated for
minutes at a time. Few binls apjiear to be more sociable and more devoted
to each other than tlu* Ciiimney Swift, and as they consume an inmiense
number of in.sect pests, anil do al)S(»lutely no harm, they deserve our fullest
jirotection. Their food consists entirely of in.sects, such as small beetles, flies,
moscpiitoes, etc.

Mr. Otto Widmann, of Ohl Orchard, Mi.isouri, who is well known as one
of our most painstaking and relialjle ornithologists and a close observer, has
kindly furnished me with the following observations on the nesting habits of
this species, lie writes:

"On the Hilt roof of my tower 1 set up a wooden shaft, 18 inches square
and G feet high, for Swifts. It was ready for occupancy April IS, 1891, and was
entered by a Swift the next day. I had the pleasure of seeing one pair build a
nest and raise a broofl in the sliaft in IMKI and again in 1H!!2. My experience,
thus restricted to two season.s, is too limited to be of nuich value, but some
points are so much at variance with current statements that I consider them
worthy of your notice.

"It is state<l tluit the Swift makes two broods south of Peimsylvania. This
is very improbable, since the successful rearing of a brood of Swifts takes not
less than two months, which is much longer than the authors who make the
statement allow for the process.

"Although the first Swifts ajtpear in our latitude (38° 40') as early as the
begiiming of April, and are seen to pair and select a chimney soon after their
arrival, the species is too nnicli tlependent on continuously warm weather for a
regular food supply to begin nest building l)efore the .second week in May.

"Ne.st building, too, takes more time than is generally supposed. Many
birds can build in rainy weather; some even choo.se such times, and one reason
for the preference of the early morning hours for buihling is certainly the cir-
cumstance that most of the material u.sed has the necessary itliability only when
in a moist state With our Swift it is (piite different; he can not jtroceed witii
his structure while the atmosphere remains .saturated with moisture; his secre-

THE CHIMNEY SWIFT.

179

tion is not a cement, but a fjflue, which hardens by dryin;^, and our warm days
in early suuuner are jrenorally aixonipanied by more or less rain.

"It tooic my Swifts two days to hiy tlie foun(hition; that is, ttt ))esmear the
wall and fasten thereto the first few sticks. On the tenth day, when the first
I'irir was laid, the nest was only half done, 2 inches wide, 2.J lon^, and only <»ne-
half inch deep. This was May 24. In the eveninj^ the e<j<^ was lyinj,' under the
nest, on the bottom of the shaft. On the next day a second ('<•<;: was lyinj^- on
tlie bottom. Then came a cold, rainy day and no eg<f was laid. After this they
went on building and laying until May 30, when four eggs were in the nest and
its dimensions were now 3 by 3^ inches and 1 inch deej). Incul)ati(in lasted
luitil .June 18, when one egg was hatched in the forenoon and the other three in
the afternoon.

"The ytmug remained in the shaft initil July 17, after which they were
brought back by the parents several nights, and then roosted elsewhere in the
luighborhoud. During the first week the blind and almcist naked young were
placed so that the four heads came together in the center of tlu^ nest and the
antil regions were near to its rim; t\i\t; arrangement is im]»ortant for tiie cleanli-
ness of the home, since the parents do not seem to trouble thems(dves with
removing the excrement. The secrond week, when the yoiuig were fast outgrow-
ing tlui little home, a different arrangement was necessary; all four iieads were
iMtw lying flat against the shaft, the anterior i)art of the body covering and pro-
tecting tlu! i)as(* of the nest and the posterior j)art protruding over its rim. At
the l)cginning of the; third week I was greatly astoni.shed to find my yoimg
Swifts gone; tlui nest was empty and no Swift to be se(;n in the shaft. I was
still wondering what had liecome of them when the parent came to feed. Young-
Swifts are very noisy when fed, and I was glad to hear that they were still
inside; all f<»in" were huddling side by side hanging on the wall immediately
l)elow the nest and entirely hidden from view ab(tve. At the beginning of the
fotu'th week I was still more surprised when, bending my head over the siiaft,
the young.sters jumped right against my face with a strong, hissing noise, wliich
1 i)elieve nuist be a very eH'et^tive means of frightening inisuspccting visitors.
Tile fourth week was spent entirely inside the shaft, hanging against its sides,
but not higher up than the nest, that is, iih feet from the mouth; so the clamlicr-
iiig up to the top of the chimney does not seem to be the style any more.

"Last year's experien(^e was es.sentially the same, with the following varia-
tions: May being rainy throughout, they did not begin to build until the first
we(fk of June. They attaclu'd the nest to the same spot where tiie nest of tlie
previous year had been washed off, and deposited five eggs, all of which were
iiatched and all five young bnmght up. Three left the shaft for the first time on
.\ugu8t 1, and the others the next day. The whole process occupie<l eight weeks
and two days, which is six days less than in IHlll, in conscipience of the more
favorable weather while building. The family roosted in the shaft until ( )ctol)er
14, when the last left.

"Taking all together, my observations may, in brief, be set forth ns follows:
In spite of preceding favorable weather, the Swift of St. Louis County, Missouri,

. < •, N

-Tf-

180

LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

lib-

'

^^-M

does not begin nest building before the second week of May, and unfavorable
weather may delay it until the 1st of June. Oidy a small quantity of glue is
secreted daily, and therefore the completion of the entire structure requires
about eighteen days. After two-fifths of the nest is completed (the work of one
week) the laying of eggs begins. The process of construction may be retarded
by cool weather (lack of food) and by continued rains (softening of glue). The
bird can control the laying of eggs; can discontinue for one or more days, if she
thinks necessary. Incubation begins before the last egg is laid and lasts eighteen
days. The setting parent shields the structure by habitually covering its base
with the breiist and pressing the head against tlie wall above. After the young
are eight days old they arrange themselves in the same manner. When the
sitting bird is disturbed, it at tir.st seeks to frighten the intruder by fluttering
and then hides below the nest. The young, when a iortnight old, also hide under
the nest, where they can not be seen fi'om aliove. When three weeks old, they
flutter and try to frighten the intruder with a hissing noise, and always remain
2 to 3 feet below the mouth of the chiiriney (shaft), where they are fed by the
parents. The yt»ung do not leave the chimney before they are four weeks old.
Under the most ftivorablo conditions a late brood can not be brought to a suc-
cessful end in less than fifty-eight (five eggs) to si.xty (six eggs) days, while an
early brood (begun the middle of May) may consume from sixty-five to seventy
days."

In a subsequent letter, dated August 20, 1894, Mr. Widmaun writes me as
follows:

"xVnother season confirmed my former statements in regard to the breeding
habits of the Swifts. The pair began building and laying at the regular time;
but after the second eg<^ was laid, on May 23, some misfortune happened, and
next day the eggs were found on the floor below, and no more were laid luitil
June 10, when laying 1)egan anew. Within eight days (June 10 to 17, inclusive)
five eggs were laid. On the 14th, after the third egg had been laid, the bird
began to set. On the 24tli one eufg had rolled out, leaving four in the nest.
.July 1, on the eigiiteeutli day of incubation, the eggs began to hatch, but the last
of the foiu" young did not leave the shell until July 3. This bird remained much
behind in development, while one of the three others always kept a little in
advance. The latter left the shaft for the first time July 26, but the youngest did
not get ready to go out until August 7, a difference of eleven days.

"The event of a young Swift leaving the chimney for the first time is made
known all over the neighborhood by great excitement and noise. While the
species for some weeks before have been quiet and inconspicuous, great activity
and noise is suddenly noticed, and numbers are seen cliasing through the air. Tiiis
indicates the event, and it occurred for the first time again o; July 1 7 lieing tlie first
young raised in the neighborhood. It was ])articularly noticed that the young
Swift is entirely naked when it leaves the shell, and not only the eyes but also the
ears are, t)r appear to be, closed for the first few days. The eyes ojien by degrees.
The best developed specimen of the four had the eyes open for occasional brief

TUB OHIMNKY SWIFT.

181

periods on July 11, wliilo two otliers had them partly open, and the eyes of the
snialleHt remained entirely cloHed until about the ir)th. In the ca»e of tlie youn<f-
est bird, whi<'h was a very weak creature at lirst and could not swallow all the
parent ])iit in its throat, 1 saw minute winj^ed insects crawl out of its mouth. This
shows that some of ihe insects are still alive v.'!:»... brou}(ht, and accounts fur the
peculiar inouth-<'leaniii<( motions after feedin<if. What the misfortune was tliat
befell the first e<f}jfs, and why they made a jtause of seventeen days before lajiu}''
a^^ain, 1 do not know. It was not the weather, but it may possibly have been the
Ued-headed Woodpeckers and Flickers, which did a {^freat deal of drummin<>- and
jdaying alxtut the shaft in those days."

While at Wihnurt, New York, in June, 1892, I found a nest of the ("liim-
ney Swift attached to a board in a hayloft, about 2 feet from the peak of the
roof One of the birds was settiiifj on the nest, which was a very small one,
while its mate hun<^ against the side of one of the boards, about a foot below
and a little to the right of the nest. The male assists in incubation. I saw
one of these birds, at a subsequent visit, fly in the loft whiht I was there, hook
himself to the boanl below the nest, and shortly afterwards he uttered a low
twitter; the one on the nest left at once on hearing the note, and flew out,
while the newcomer j)erched on the rim of the nest and rearranged the eggs
tinst before covering them. It changed its i)osition tw'wo before it seemed
suited; at least one-half of its length projected outside of the nest, and it is
cci'tainly ])uzzling to know how they manage to rear .; tiimily of four or five
young in so small a space.

Their semicircular, half-saucer-shaped nest is a most interesting structure,
and varies considerably in size and depth, as well as in the manner in which it is
attached to the wall or board to which it is glued. Some are exceedingly shallow,
i»arely one-fourth inch in depth, while others are nearly an inch deep, and
also much more roomy. An average nest is about 3 inches in outer diameter
by 2 in(!hes in width. One of the handsomest specimens I have ever seen
was taken by llr. C. J. I'ennock, at Kennett Square, IVimsylvania, on June
K), 1887, an«l presented to me. This measures 4.J inches in outer diameter by
;{ inches in width, and the outer edges, where attached to the wall, ai'e canned
completely around on the top, so that it can be hung ui»on a ]K'g, like a wall
pocket; this naturally gave it much more strength, by increasing the surface
which is glued to the wall, and lessened tlie chances of its becoming detaciied.
Tiio nests are entirely built up of small dry twigs, averaging from one-tenth to
one-sixteenth inch in diameter and from 1 to 2. J inches in length. One or two
somewhat longer twigs in'oject usually from the side, possibly to Ije used as a
perch while the young are being fed.

The amount of saliva used to glue them together also varies greatly in
dlHerent specimens; in some this is very plainly percei)til)le, and <iccasionally
forms a thin coating on the inside of the nest; in others hardly a tra<'e can be
seen, but nevertheless the twigs hold well together. There is no inner lining of
any kind used, the eggs lying on the bare twigs. The latter are gathered on

'M

n

..': ;

.. .(.

i

'3 iLH

'' " .t *■' ■■ I

182

LIFE HI8T0B:E8 OP NORTH AMEHICAN BIRDS.

the Vf'intr, tho l)ird breakiuff tlicm off witli itn Jioak wliilo flying' piiNt. Before tlio
country was well settled tln^ (!hiinney Swift built in hollow tn'es, attachin<r its
nest to the inside walls, und in sparsely sotthfd n^f^ions it does so still to some
extent; but now, wherever they ean avail theniselvefl of an unused ••hi inuey,
no uuitter of what material it is eonstructed, they do so, lioth for nestiu}^ and
roostiny; ])urj»oses. It s»'ems to nui that they ar<* j^nidually ehan;j^iu<;' af^ain mon*
and more from the chinniey to the inside of barns and (Uithouses, atta('hin<^ their
nests to the sides of rou<;h, nnplaned boanls, near the roof Such sites are more
protected from storms, and certainly much cleaner, and the birds appear to have
found this out, and act accordingly.

Several pairs fre(|iiently nest in company, and it is amusinj,' to see them,
after eii'diufj^ ov«'r the top <if the chinmey, suddeidy droj) down ])eri»endicu-
larly, often from considerable heights, and disappear within. Hundreds are
known to roost in the taller chinineyr, of some abandoned factories in many of
our large cities. I have also seen it stated that this species occasionally nests
in chinnu'ys which are in use, but no such instance has come luider my own
ol)servations. Throughout the more northern portions of its range the (/him-
ney Swift rarely commences laying before the second we«'k in June; four or
five eggs are generally laid t<. a set (rarely six) and usually an egg is deposited
eai'h day. In chinuieys the nests are ordinarily glued to the sides, from ft to
12 feet below the top.

Few birds are more devoted to their young than the (Chimney Swift, and
instances have been recorded where tlu* ])arent was seen to enter chimneys in
burning houses, even after the entini roof was a mass of flames, jireferring to
perish with its offspring rather than to forsake them. 1 have recently seen
in "Forest and Stream" (September IH, 18!)4, p. 224), another most remarkable
proof of affection for its young; want of space prevents mo from (puiting it
entire. Tlie writer states that fully a month after the Chinniey Swifts had
departed on their scmthern migration he heard u familiar twitter in the chimney,
and taking out the old-fashionvd fireboard found a full-grown bird lying npon
the hearth. Looking mi>re cK>sely, he discovered that it was fastened by a
horsehair wrapjied around its leg to the nest, which had fallen (htwn with it.
He says: "Tlis anxious mother, who had cast in her lot with him, to remain and
to die with him, for the time of insects was abimt gone, came into the diimney
and actually waited beside nie while I snijiped the strong hair and released him.
It was an hour or more before he gained the use oi' his legs and learned what his
mother was teaching him by flying up and down in the chimney, and then tliev
ln)th started on their lonesome flight to the far south." This instance certainly
shows a tender side of bird nature, and such instances are far more common
than they appear to be, if we could only see them. The young are fed by
regurgitation.

The eggs of the Chimney Swift are pure white in color and unspotted:
they are cylindrical ovate in shape; the shell is fine gi'ained, rather thin, and
moderately glossy.

■< Jv'

I .■: ■
"ii . ■

THE CHIMNEY 8W1FT.

183

Tlie averaj^e muaMurement of fifty-six e^jjifH in the United States National
Museum collection is 2().0!l by 13.22 niillinietros, or ().7!( by <>.r)2 inch. The larj,''-
est egi^ of the series nie;isures 21.34 by 13.72 millimetres, or 0.84 by 0.64 inch;
the smallest, lllt'd by 13.72 millimetres, or O.dit by 0.r)4 inch.

The type specimen. No. 2401!) (PI. 1, F\fr. 25), from a set of four c^rffs, was
taken by Mr. J. C I'ennock, near Kennett Sijuare, Pennsylvania, on June l(j,
1887, and represents about an avera<fe eyy of this species.

64. Chsetura vauxii (Townhend).

VAUX'S SWIFT.

Cjipiielm miixii Townhend, Journal Actulemy Natural Scieiicos, I'liila., VIII, DiJl), 14S.
Chatnra raiuii Dk Kav, Zoolofty of Now York, II, 1.S44, 36.

(H no, (! 272, K .{52, C 4(Mi, U 424.)

Oeoorapbical bANOB: Western North America; cliieHy west of the Siemv Nevada
and Casciule mouiitnins; north in British (Johunhia to about latitude !i'2"^ and probably
farther; east to western Montana and southern Ari/.ona; south to northern Lower Cali-
fornia, and in winter through Mexico to Honduras, Central America.

Vaux's, or the "Orej^on" Swift, a somewhat smaller and palcr-cohved bird
than the precedin<^, is principally confined to the Pacific Coast rco-ions, and
!i])pears to be nuich rarer and more sporadically distriltutetl in the interior, east
of the SieiTa Nevadas, and in the Cascade mountains of California. Orcjion,
Washington, and Briti.sh Columbia. Thv most noi-thcrn record 1 iiave liceu
able to find is one by Mr. Samuel N. Uhoads, publi.shed in the "Proceedings
of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 1893" (p. 44), where he
reports seeing this species near Lac la Hache, Hritisli Columbia, on July 1, 1H!I2.
He also met with it at Goldstream, on Vancouver Lsland, (»n ^lay 13. It reaches
the ea.stern limits of its range, as far as it at ))resent known, in western Montana,
where Mr. C. P. Streator took a specimen at Silver, in Missoula County, <tn June
25, 181(1. Mr. \V. E. I). Scott met with it early iu October, 18H4, on tiie San
Pecb'o slojje of the Santa Catalina Mountains, iu southern Arizona, at an altitude
of from 3,000 to 4,000 feet* These birds were pro))ably migrating. Mr. K.
Stephens observed it daily, and .secured a specimen at Olanciia, California, on
the eastern 8h)[)es of the Sierra Nevadtis, in the latter part of May, 18U1. lie
believes they were migrating.'"'

The limits of its breeding range are not well defineil as yet. Mr. F.
Stephens considers it only a migrant iu southern California. Tiie oidy breeding
records I have are both from Santa Cruz County, in this State, in almut lati-
tude 37°, and it appears reasonable to suppose that it breeds from there north-
ward, liut very few nests and eggs of Vaux's Swift luuc, as far as I am aware,
found their way into collections. It possibly breeds also in tiie more moun-

'The Auk, Vol. Ill, 1880, p. 429.

> Birds uf the Death Valley Expoilitidu, North American Kuima, No. 7, IStKI, i*. ^'>.

m

-Hf j

^^i

••■■■ii.

m

■'.■.r

i

A

!f.' ■'

1^ i-

184

LIFE UIHTOlilKS OF NUUTil AMERICAN BIRDS.

tHiiiouH partH (»f northern Lower Caliroi'iiin. T;> all of my travels throup;li our
Xortliwewteiii StateH I have failed to see thiH species excrcptiii^' at Fort Klamath,
( )reffoii, where it was fairly common near Up|)er Klamath Lake. Dr. .lames (I.
Meirill, United States Army, who also met with this species at the same Post,
and with whose observations I fully ajfree, says:

"While the Hiffht of Vaux's Swift is usually hif'her than that of the eastern
species and it is <renerally more difficult to obtain, yet if their habits are closely
studied it will be observed that there are times and places where they may bo
shot without especial difhculty. The heij^ht at which they fiy depen<lin<; on that
of the insects up(Hi which they feed, they may be most readily seiun-ed soon
after sunrise; as the day ^rows warmer and the in.sects tly higjier, they follow
them and are soon out of {runsliot ranjje for the rest of the (hiy, unless a chan<ru
in the weather should occur. Had 1 matle a specialty of collectinjif the.se Swifts,
I could readily have shot several dozen durinjj the season. As observed at F'ort
Klamath, this bird is not at all crepuscular. The notes differ somewhat from
those of Cli(etura pelayica, tliou<^h of the same character, and are less fre(juently
uttered." '

Vaux's Swift usually reenters the United States from its winter home in
Central America about the mi<ldle of Ajiril, and <,'oes south aj^ain during
October. Although j)ortions of California where this Swift is known to be a
summer resident have been well settle<l for some time, it does not appear that it
has changed its breeding habits to any extent, like the (Jhinmc^y Swift has in
the East, as it still seems to ne.st entirely in hollow trees, smd it is ])rincipally
due to this reason that so few of the nests and eggs have yet been taken.

Mr. A. W. Anthony, in his jmper on " Birds of Washington County, ( )regon,"
writes of Vaux's Swift as follows: "(Common summer resident; hunts in flocks
of lifteen to twenty. A pair were found nesting in a very large stub late in
May; the nest, however, was inaccessible. The birds would circle; about, fully
2(H) feet above the stub, initil directly over the opening; then, darting down
like a flash, would disappear with a sharp twitter." -

A letter received from Mr. (Miase Littlejohn, of Redwood City, (!alifon\ia,
dated August 8, 1803, says: "I took a pair of Swifts in town, birds I had
never seen here until last fall, and from their very strong, smoky odor, there
can be little doubt that they were living in some diimney, something they are
not known to do." Mr. Littlejohn has since then sent me one of the .skins for
examination, which proved to b«; Vaux's Swift, as he surmised, and it is |)ossible
that this species is just beginning to resort to cliiinneys for nesting ]»urposes.

Dr. ('. T. (!ooke writes me from Salem, Oregon, that on May •-*!», 1891, he
discovered one of their ro<»sting and prol)altly also breeding trees in the Wil-
lamette Valh^v — a large, inaccessible, dead, and hollow cottonwood, >vlii<di also
contained a Wood-duck's nest lower (h)wn, but likewise inaccessible. The oidy
eggs of Vaux's Swift I have seen were taken in .fune, 1874, near Santa Cruz,

' The Auk, Vol. V, ISHS, iiji. L'.">«>, 1!.")7.
■'The Auk, Vol. 111. 188C, pp. 165, 166.

VAUX'8 SWIFT.

185

( 'iilifVtriiia. Tlio U(«t is doHcrihiMl tin coiiiiMmod of «nmll twifTH, jrhu'd tt»j>ctli»'r
witli tli« Hiiliva of tlu! hinl, and fanioiu'd to tlio milo (tf a Imriicd-oiit and luillow
sy«"anior« treo. It waH not linud, and nvidi-ntly wan «|iiitt' Hiinilar to tlio nost of
tlic Cliininny Swift. I have nover hhimi jv i*|H'('inK'n, and tlicrefon- can not jfiv«<
MU'aHurcniiuitH. From threu to five effffH arc dcponitcd to a sot, and oidy one
lirood apjicars to Itc rained in a Huanon. 'rim cfr<,'H r«s«Mid)U^ tlioHc of the Cliiin-
ncv Swifts hotii in sliapo and color, init tliey are consideraltly sinailer.

The only specimens in the I'nited States National Mnscnm collection
measnro 1H.29 l»y I'J.I!!, 17.7« by 12,70, and Mluihy 12.4") millimetres, or 0.72
hy 0.48, 0.70 by 0.50, and 0.<)!» by 0.4!t inch, respectively.

The type specimen. No. 210or) (I'l. 1, Fij.''. 2(1, a sinjile efry), was taken near
Santa ("rnz, (California, in .hnie, 1K74, and presented to the collection by iJr.
tJaines C. Merrill, United StateH Army.

65. Atironautes melanoleucus (Haiku).

WHITK-TIIKOATEU SWIFT.

CypHeluH melanoleucm liAiBO, ProcecdiiiKs Academy Natural ycitMU'cs, I'liila. .June,

lH.-»4, 118.
A'nonauUii meluuokucuii IIartekt, CataloKue Hirds in Hritish Museuiu, XVI, 181)2, 4<j1>.

(B 107, 0 2«», It 349, 0 40.1, U 425.)

OKoonAPiiiCAi. ran(}K: Mountain rcjfions of tlic wostcrn United States; north to
Montanii; east to western Soatli Dakota (lUaek Hills), west4'ra Nebraska, and Colonido;
south throuKh Arizona, New Me.xico, western Texas, and I^ower Calironiiii tu (iinttenntla,
(.'entral America.

The raiiffe of the Whito-tliroated or "Rock" Swift does not appear to extend
nearly as far north in the monntains of the I'acitic Coast districts as it does in
the Kocky Monntain re<,'ion, where it is <ren«'rally distribnted, thron}>hout snit-
ablt^ localities, from s.tnthern Arizona and New Mexico northward thronjih (Colo-
rado and Wyomiiiff to Montana, which, as far as known, marks the northern limits
of its range, lien; Mr. \l. S. Williams fonnd this species bree<lin<i' in small
nnmbers in holes in a limestone difl" on Melt iiiver, alumt tla^ middle of tJnly,
ISSl. lie says: "A small openinff in the rock, which a bird of this species was
seen t<; enter and rea])pear from several times, I ap)»roached nearcnongh to hear
a vijrorous twitterin<>; at each visit of the parent bird, from which I presume the
younff were well advanced."'

On the Pacific coast in (California I have not l)een aide to trace it north of
Alameda, ( "ontra (Costa, and Mariposa counties, in about latitude iJS", and
somewhat farther north in Nevada, where Mr. Robert Hid<rway fomnl this
'jiecies extremely numerous in the Ruby Mountains, about the hi;ih limestone
dirts, as well as in the Kast Ilumlxddt ranjie, in about latitude 40^, and le.ss
ai)undantly in the Wasatch Mountains in Utah. 1 have been unable to find a
siufile record of its cajjfure in either Oregon or Washington, and this is the more

' Uiillotin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club, vol. 7, 1S82, p. U>3.

ft-,

M

■I

■; *

•

ii

1-

H*

186

LIFK III8TOUIK8 OF NOKTH AMKHICAN HIIM>«.

^^mw

fltrani^o wn theue HtatoH iilNtiiiul in Huifiil>)o rlitlk, anil tlu' Wliitc-tliroatt'il Swift
appcai-H to Ite the lianlieHt iiioniber <>(' tliiM t'auiily totiii)! in tliu IJiiitotI Htatfs and
wintvi'M to Hoino cxtont within our lutnltTH. Tlirouirliout tiiu inoru northern |»or-
tionH ot' itH ran^ri* it iH only a Htunnu'r virtitor, i)ut in Hontlit'rn (Jalit'ornia and
Arisiona it is t'onnd throu;rhont the year. Mr. K. St('|ili<'im writoH nic:

"'I'lio White-throated Swift in a ratiier eonnnon resident in sontliern (!)iU-
fornia. In winter it is soniewliat less conniioii, and disappears in stormy
weather. In th(< Colorado Desert, however, it is usnally eoinnion all winter. It
breeds in small colonies in elitl's, nsnally in the lower parts of the mountainH,
durinjr May and .Fnne. On March •_*H>, IS'.tO, at Horegfas Sjirinj,', on the border
»if the (!olorado l>esert, I saw stncral White-throated Swifts flyinjf in and out «d'
(•r«'vices of a santlstone cliH". I succeeded in clind»in}f to on«* of these «'revicps,
and chopiM'd away u part of the soft sandstone or indnrattMl clay and found two
liirds, evidently a pair, in tin* extreme hack end of a narrow crevico. They
were sittinji on a small hunch of short twijijs and weed stems, ;flued to};«'ther
into a nearly solid mass, evi<lently an old nest. The female, on dis.section,
proved to be not nearly ready for layinfr, as the ovaries were in the normal
winter condition."

There ar(^ nmneroiis records of the occurreiu-e of the White-throated Swift
in Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. I have seen hundreds of these birds
near Tut-son, Arizona, some throujihout nearly every month in the year, and
they evidently breed in the vicinity, in the numerous clilVs in the Catalina and
Uiiicon mountains. Mr. W. (S. Smith and Mr. A. W. Anthony uwt witli it in
CoKira(h>, where it was (|uite coimnon in suitable localities, 'i'he latter writes
me: "A few nest in the hi<rh dirts above Silverton, Cohirado, with ('i/iisrliiidrs
tiiffir. A female was shot by Mr. V. M. Drew on dune 2(t, at an elevation of
about 13,000 feet, and upon skinniii};- her an ejjff was found ready for extrusion,
but it was unfortunately broken. A Hock of these Swifts weic apparently tryinj^
to winter at llatchita, New Mexico, as 1 saw them «'onstantly as late as Decem-
ber 15. At San Diejfo, California, they winter in abumlance, and are fre(iuently
seen feeding along the beach north of I'oint Loma. A cidony was also found
by me nesting on ('oronado Island on May 20, but the nests wen* inaccessible;
they were jjlacetl behind loose slabs of rock that had become partly detached
from the face of the cliff, and from 20 to 30 feet above the water level. At
(Inadalupe Island this Swift was very abundant; tin* ragged, jirecipitons sides
of tlu* i.sland, composed of lava and perforated with thousands of holes and
crevices, furnish an abundance of nesting sites, and it is (piite proljable that this
s])ecies is resident there throughout the year. At tin- time of my visit, in May,
I found White-throated Swifts everywhere, from the top of the island, at 4,000
feet elevation, to the beach, and birds were ('onstantly seen to enter holes in the
crags; but in every case the ne.sts were as inaccessible as it is possible for a nest
to be. t)n May 18 a Swift was seen to enter a hole in the face of a bluff, within 8
feet of its base; even this proved to be as safe as any of the rest, as the nest was
found to be out of sight and several feet back, in a narrow crack in the lava. I

TIIK WlHTKTIIHOATKl) HWIFT.

187

also (uiiiiil it iicHtiiifr at San K<'niaii<lo, Lower ( 'alit'oriiia, iioarly at Hca level,
untl on top of San I'edro Martir, at l(l,0(H» feet elevation, in May."

MuMHrt*. Vernon liailey and J. A. Ijorin^f, while eolleetin^ for the I'liited
States |)(>|)artinent of A^rrieulture, met with the \Vhite-throat«'i| Swift in the
Wind Hiver and Sweet Water nionntains, Wyoming,', dnrinj; Aujrnst am! Sep-
teniher, '.6\)3, and Mr. •!. It. White has taken it at Harrison, Neltraska, whieh
marks the eastern limits of its known ran^fe.

Its jrciieral haltits, food, et<'., <lo not uitler much from those of the other
memliersof this family fonnd within the Tnitetl States, and, like them, it nsiinlly
tlies hiH:h din'in}; ch'ar, sunny weather, while on elondy days, as well as in the
early mornin;;s and a;;ain aixmt sun<lown, it hinits lower down, and is then
more reailily obtained. in its mutle of niditieation it differs from Itoth the
Chimney and Vau.\'s Swift, while the Hlaek Swift prohaidy nests in a similar
manner. Mr. F. Stephens's des<-rii»tion of its n«'stin(r hal)its are fully eon-
firmed l»y more reeent ol)servations made l»y Mr. W. it. .ludson in Kos An^jeles
County, California, who found a nest of this species during: the sunnner of
IK!I4. lie writes me: "It was situated ahout 80 feet from the top of a lar<jfo
cliff and about 12') feet from the {froinid, in a cave about 7 feet hi^ili, 10 feot
wide, and extendiuff some 7 fe«)t in the face of the cliff. '1 he nest wsis placed
in a small hide in the roof of the cave, almost too small to ^:et my hand in
without enlar;>°in^' it, and extended about a foot up in the rock, and then there
was a small cleft in which it was |)laced. It was .so firmly ^Ined to the rock
that it could not be pulled off without tearin<j it to pieces. The materials of
which it was constrin-ted felt soft and sponjjy; there were apparently no stickH
or twifi's in it, and it was lined with a few feathers." White-throated Swifts
were seen to enter this cave in May. but Mr. .ludson did not visit the locality
a<>'ain tnitil late in sunnner, by which time the birds had reared their youn<>-
and left the vicinity.

Since the above was written, Mr. .ludson has kindly obtained this nest for
me, and 1 am able, therefore, to {(ive a fuller description, as well as measurements
of it. Kvidently it has been in use duriufj more than one season, as the ve<ro-
table matter composiuff the base of the nest is ipiite disintegrated; while a
number of jjood-sized feather.s, includiii<i' some of the California and Turkey
Vulture, Ked-shafted Flicker, anil other species, which are mixed throujihout
the walls of the structure, are in a somewhat better state of ])reservation. It
measures ^ inches in outer diamettu' by 2 inches in depth. The inner cuji is
shallow and ajjpears not to have been over three-fourths of an inch deep.
.Mixed throughout the nestinjj material an^ small pieces of the winy- coverts of
beetles. The skeleton of a youiiji' Swift was also found in the nest. The
inner linin|.f consists of tine bark fiber and a few feathers, and apparently no
twijrs enter into its composition; the shafts of the feathers used, evidently took
tlu> jdaee of the ordinary small twij^s and weed stems. I'he call notes of this
sjjecies are rather louder and shriller than those of the Chinnu^y Swift, but
otherwise resenvble the ruttliujr twitter of the latter. In speaking of theii- song

■I ' I.

11
i1

.•■f:

:J

?;.)

188

LIFH UI8TOUIKS OF NORTH AMKKIOAN IUHD8.

.i-'

Dr. Fisher says: "Tlio mules uttered at short iiit(M'vals a series of notes
whieh, when a imniber joined in tlie j)ertornianee, pnuUieed a not unpleasant
impression."

'I'he e<fjjs of this species still remain amou}'' the special desiderata in
oJllojfical ctdlec Hons. I have never sei-n any, and thi^re are none* in fiie United
States National Museum. Mr. Walter Iv Urvant <jives the following description
of them: ".More tiian a dozen years a^o an imjx'rfect set of live fresii, unblown
♦'f-j^s of the Whitt'-throated Swift were presented to me by a younjr man in
CJoiitia ' "osta ("oiuity, Calilornia. 'I'liey \\vi\- taken from a nest in a crevice
in the liaciv of a tunnel-shaped cave in the side of a clitf, alxmt 20 feet above
the base, lu cidor tlie ejif^s are |)ure white, narrowly elli|)tical in form, but
rather smaller at one end. They measured OS? l>y ().."i;}, ().8S by O.o.'J, O.SS by
(»..■)•_>, and O.Sd by (!..->() inch (or -ilMO by l.l-K;, 2l'.3.") by 13.4(;, 2±;{.") l)y UV_»1,
and 21.84 by 12.70 millimetres); the fifth was too mncli dama<ied to measure
accuiately. Tin' e<f^s were collected on .hine <!, lS7(i."'

K'om four to five ef;};s appear to be laid to a set, and probably oidy a
siny^lo brood is reared in a season.

Family THOCUILID.K. lluMMix.iitiRDs.

^■•nill.

66. Eugenes fulgens (Swain.son).

lilVUI.I IirMMINOIUIil).

Trochihtn/itlpenn SWAINSON. Philosophical Mii^jn/.inc. ISL'7. Itl.

KnijeniH falifi'HH (iouLU, Moiio<;ra|>h of tlic Trochiiidii', Part XII. l.S.Vi, PI. 7, iind Vol. II,

is(!:. PI. .-.<►.

(H — , C 1.'74 his, U att, 0 I. i, V i'H\.)

(iKO(!RAi»iiiCAL RANGK: Monntiiins of soiilhoasti>rii Ari/.ouiV, .soathwestorn New
.Mexico, iiiiil over the tiiltli'-lantls of Mexico; south to Nlciir:i};iia, Ci'iitriil America.

'['he Kivoli ihnnmin}il)ird, also known as " Ivefuljicnt llunmiin;j;l)ir(l," one
of the iarji'est as well as one of tlie handsomest iiiend»ers of tiiis family found
witiiin tlie limits of the riiiteii States, is a iiiod(>rately common summer resi-
dent ill suitaliie localities, liiit has as yet lieen oiitained only in the mountains
near the Mexican Itorder, in southea.stern Arizona, and in the extreme south-
western comer of New Mexico, in the San Liiis raiio'e. it was tirst addi-d to
our fauna b\- Mr. II. W. lienshaw, who took a sinjile s]»ecimeii in the vicinity of
Camp (»r;iiit, .\rizona, on September 2t, ISTJi; lie also met with others in tlm
following' year. Since then it has lieeii ascertained to be a summer resident
tliroiiohout all the higher pine-clad mountains in soiitiieasti'm .\ri/,oua. Mr. F.
Stephens met witli it in tiie Santa Hita and Santa Cataliiia iiimuitain.s. Dr. A. K.
Fisher, Messrs. F. II. Fowler, W. \V. I'rice, and others took specimens in the
('hirieahua and lluachuca raiii.;ts, wliile Dr. Ivl^jar \. .Meariis obtained it in the

'Tliu NiiliuloKUt, Vi>l. II, Sipt. IS!P1, pp. 7, s.

THE BIVOLI IIUMMINOHIUl).

189

Snn Luis Mountains, N(fw M(<xic<>. I holiovo Mr. Ilonshaw's ivronl from near
Ktirt Grant still nMnains tlu' most northern ono, and it is not likt-ly that it will
ho found nuicli beyond latitude l\3". Its ranfjo seems to ho restricted to the
mountain rej^ions hetweeu altitudes of from 5,00l> to 10,000 feet, and it hroods
throufrhout its siunmej" ranjje in tiuf United States.

l>r. A. K. Kislier has kindly furnii*hed me with the followiu}^ notes on this
handsome llummin<rl)inl:

"The Kivoli Hummer was not met witli by us in the Chirieahua Mountains
until we made camp in the upper part of liuckers Cany(»n, amon<f tiie yellow
pines (/Vwfw imtiilrrosti). On tiio morning of ,Iune ft, 18!t4, an adult male
dashed throujih the eam]>, paused a moment over a flower spike of a scarlet
I'fiil^tcmoH, and then disappeareil up the canyon as rapitUy as it had come. No
more wi're seen until we reached tlie hijih mountains at Fly Park. On the
eveniujj: of dune 7, Mr. Fred. II. Fowler killed an adult male, and on the fol-
lowing- day the writer secured a femah* and two males, and suhse(|uently others
were taken. They wi-re usually found in the more oi)en parts (sf the forest
where tin* had killed a portion of the everjcreens, and a deciduous iniderjjrowtii
of aspens and shruhs thrived al)out the cool spriuf^s and little rivulets. A
horeal honeysuckle (hiiiicrnt iiirolHcnitii) was ahundant and just comin;^ into
hloom. All the Hummers in the xii'inity, the Rivoli Iluuuner amou}'- them,
deli}>lited to ;;lean from the flowers and to sit half concealed ainoufj;' the larjie
leaves of this shruh. If the larjre llunnner was startled from one of the clumps,
it would Hy to the lower hranches of a nei<fhhorin};' evergreen and settle on a
dead twijf and remain motioidess. They wore not very shy and could he
approached within 20 feet.

" It is the opinion of the writer that all tlii' birds seen were mifjrants, for
after the lirst few days the species became <piite rare, and durinf"- the three or
four days sub.secpu'ut to dune If) none were seen. Miu'eover, the testes of all
the niides secured were still undeveloped. It is proliable tliiit they spent a few
days after their miji'ration in feedinj'', and then separated and n'tired to the more
secluded forest to hunt nj) nesting jtlaces. No note was heanl."

They are said to he es|>ecially fond of hovering about the idos.somsof the
mescal (Aifarr aiiirricdini); these are generally iidV'sted by numerous small in.xei-ts,
on which they feed, and, like all our IlumMiiiigbirds, they are exceedingly greedy
and quarrelsome, chasing each other constantly from one (lower stalk to anotlu'r.

Com|)arativi'ly little is still known alKiut the breeding habits of this species.
Mr. O. ('. I'oling published an account of its supposed nest and I'ggs in "The
Auk" (Vol. VII, 18!l(), pp. 402 and KKJ), but the measurements of tlu! latter,
as given by him, show clearly that they can not belong to this bird, and are
nmch more* likely to be those of one of the smaller Hummers bleeding in the
same locality. Tim Hivoli Hnnnner is fully as large as the succeeding species,
whose eggs are known, and these aic consiilerably larger than the measurements
given by Mr. Poling, and there are ab.solutely identified eggs of the b'nliy-
throated Hummingbird now in the United States National Museum collection

H-

;,!

w

•■i

I (I

.1

i

i«:

•'HMIII

190

LIFE HI8TOK1ES OF NORTH AMBKICAN BIRDS.

whicli aro ljir<^er than the supposed eggs of tliis species. The great diflference
in tlie siz»( of these two birds proves coiichisively that tliere must he a mistake
eitlier in identitication or in tlie measurements of the eggs as described by l>im.

I am indel)ted to Mr. W. W. Price for a couple of nests of this species and
a broken v>i'f<;, which, however, is so badly crushed that it is impossible to
restore it and give accurate measurements, lioth of these nests were taken in
the lluachuca Mountains, in soutiiern Arizonii. The best ])re.served one »»f the
two measures ■2\ inches in outer diameter by 2 inches in depth; its inner diam-
eter is \fj by 1 \ inches in depth. It is composed of soft, silky plant fibers, and
is thickly coated exteriorly with small pieces of lichen, and lined with fine
down and one or two soft. Huffy feathers, apparently those of a species of Tit-
mouse. It lesembles the nest of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird very closely
in its general make up, but is naturally c(uisiderably larger. It was found by
Mr. L. Miller on .lune 22, 1H!I4, at an elevation of about 7,000 feet, saddled on
a walnut branch about 10 feet from the ground, and ctmtained «)ne young nearly
able to Hy. The other, which is not cpiite so well preserved, was found by Mr.
Price in the same mountains on June 4, 18!>3, placed on a slender branch of a
maple over running water, in a deep, narrow canyon, at about (!,0()0 feet eleva-
tion. The male was seen a .short distance away from the nest; the female hovered
about while the i)ranch was being cut off, and was secured. The single fresii
egg tile nest contained was accidentally broken.

Mr. Price urites me: " Kiif/cui's fiilf/ciis is found all through the pine regions
of southern Arizona. It was not rare in the lluachuca and Uiiiricahua moun-
tains, but I have never seen it below 6,500 feet elevation, and I have found
it above :i,r»()0 feet. During the flowering season it feeds extensively in the
flowers of the Ai/drc pitififl in the lluachuca Mountains. In the Chiricahuas I
have foiinil it early in the mornings in open gla<les, feeding on tlu' flowers of an
iris. It delights in open woods more than in damp ones, as is the habit of the
Blue-thi'oat, (yivlif/ciia rlciiii'ucirc."

There are no eggs of the Itivoli Hunnningbird in the Unites States National
Museum collection.

67. Cceligena clemenciae Lks.son

BLUE-THROATED HUMMINGBIKI).

Ornisiima rlemniciw Lesson, Oi.seaux Mouclies, 1820, 21(5, PI. 80.

Vtiliginid clrmiiiciw LESSON, Index (leneral et 8ynopti(|ue des Oisoaux du Genre Trocliilus,
1832, 1). XVllL

(B — , C — , R — , C — , U 427.)

rrKOORAPnicAL RANGE: Mountains of southeiistern Arizona, southwestern Xew
Mexico, and tlio tablelands of Mexico; south to Guerrero and Oaxaca.

Tlu^ geograi)hical range of the lilue-throated Hummingbird, also sometimes
called " |{lu(^-throa1ed Casi(pie," a slightly larger species than the preceding, is
very similar, and, like the llivoli llununer, it is only a sununer resident in the

THK BLUETHKOATED IIUMMINGBIKD.

191

llnitod States, and breeds wherever found. As far as known it arrives within
our borders early in jMay, and returns south a|rain about the l)e<?innin{r of
October. This larf^e and rather (hiU-coUired Ilunniier was tirst added to our
fauna by Mr. F. Stephens, who secured an adult male in the Santa C'atalina
Mountains on May 14, 18H4. Since then it has been taken by Mr. E. W. Nelson
in the Santa Hita Mountains; by Dr. A. K. Fisher, Messrs. W. W. Price, F. II.
Fowler, and others, in both the Chiricahua and lluachuca nu>untains, in south-
eastern Arizona, and by Dr. Fdj^ar A. Mearns, United States Army, in the San
Luis Mountains, in southwestern New Mexico. Like the precedinjif, it is a
niountain-lovin<j species, fre«iuentinfr similar re<|^ions; and, jud<i:inj>' from the
number of specimens that have been taken within our borders, it appears to be
more common than the Hivoli ihnnmer.

Dr. A. K. Fisher has kindly furiiish<;d me with the followitifj notes:

"Tlie Hlue-throated llummin<rbird was coimnon in the hi<>her Chiricahua
Mountains, wiicre it was observed at Fly Park duriufi' the early part of .June,
1 S!(4. Like the liivoli Hummer, it was very partial to th(^ tlowers of the shrubby
honeysuckle (Lonicera fiivohicmhi), amonj'- which six were secured June H and
three on June 10. It is probable tlie flowers attract larj^e numbers of insecti*,
wliicli in tiieir turn attract the birds, for the {^nUets of the Ilununers secured
were filled with them. On several occasions the male was heard to utter a simple
little souj:>', consistin<i^ of three or four syllables, which were repeated at short
intervals. While deliverin<r this souf;- the bird sat upri<;ht, with head more or
less thrown l)ack. No si^ns of mating were observed, and the ^('nitalia of the
s})ecimens secured were luideveloped. From .Tune 10 to June If) the species
became yriidually rarer, and it is proltalile they had dispersed am()n<if the wilder
parts of tlie mountains, prepiU'atory to nesting?."

1 am also indebtetl to Mr. E. W. Nelson for the little we know relatin<jto the
nestin<r habits of the Blue-throated IIummin<>bird. He writes me as follows:

^' Ciiiif/rtia clcmciiciic is a sparin<>ly distributed sunniu'r resident of all thr
mountain re<>ions of .south central Mexico, between 7,r»()() and 12,()()() feet. They
are rather quiet birds, often found [)erched on the tips of lar<;e maj^uey leaves
In the forests of pines of the hif^her slopes they are not often seen excejtt as
they dash by amonj;- the trees. On the !lth of Sei)tember, 1H!(3, a nest contain-
in}>' two egfjs was found at an altitude of 11,000 feet on the north slope of the
volcano of Toluca, in the State of Mexico. At this time the nights had already
become quite frosty here. The nest was i)uilt in the fork of a small shrub,
•i'rowinji- out of tlio face of a clili' .about IM) feet alxne its base, on tiie side of
a canyon, in the pine and fir forest. The nest was discovered by seein<r the
])arent apja-oach its vicinity. She flew (piietly close up to the nest, and then,
turninji' so that she faced out from the cliff and away from the nest, siie moved
backward several inches and settled lightly on the eggs. She was easily
alarmed, darting away through the forest, and was not seen again. The nest
was nearly inaccessible, and one aix'^ was thrown out and broken in securing it."

This nest, No. 2(i.'{,'{2, Fnited States National ^luseum collection, now before
me, is a handsome and rather bulky structure, which is apparently composed

1 ^i!

'f

192

LIFE HISTORIES OF NOKTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

entirely of fine mosses, the whole evenly quilted tojiether into a smooth, homo-
geneous mass, and bound firmly tofj^ether with silk from cocoons and s])ider8'
webs. It is saddled in a tripronjifed fork of a small twig, the three stems being
incorporated in the walls of the nest, holding it firmly in position, the main stem
being only one-twelfth of an inch in dinmeter. It measures 2;j inches in outer
diameter by 3 inches in depth; the imier cup is 1^ inches in diameter by three-
fourths of an inch deej). The walls of the nest are three-fourths of an inch
thick, and the inner cup appears very small ft>r the large size of the nest. It
looks like a warm and cozy structure, and it needs to be so. As the eggs /ere
only slightly incubated when found, the young would probably have hatched
by September 20, and would scarcely have been large enoiigli to leave the nest
before Octolier 12, by which time one might rea.sonably look for snowstorms at
such an altitude. There is bi't very little inner lining, not enough to hide tiie
moss, which looks to me like tho down from willow catkins. Two eggs are laid
to a sot, and probably two broods are raised in a season.

The single egg before me is elliptical oval in shai)e, dull white in color.
The shell is close-grained and shows no luster. It measures 1(!.26 by !).!»!
millimetres, or 0.64 l)y U.3!) inch. As there is but a trifling difference in the size
of most of our Ilunnningbirds' eggs, and apparently none in their slinpe and
color, r have, therefore, only figured the egg of a single specie.s.

The type s])ecimen. No. 26332 (not figured), was taken by Mr. E. W. Nelson

c.i e

ja .

ptember D, 18'J3, as already described.

68. Trochilus colubris Linn.eus.

HUBY-TUROATED HUMMINfiBIKD.

Trorhilu.1 coUtbris LiNN^Et'S, Sy.stema Xatiini', ed. 10, I, ITfiS, 120.

(15101, C L'75, U .'Wo, C 400, U 428.)

(iEoouAi'nicAi. RANOE: I'lasteni Nortli America; north in the more southeni paitM
of tlie Doiiiiuion <if Canada to abont latitude 52"^, in the interior in the Northwest Territory
to about latitude .57^ and probably still iivrtber; we.st in the United States to eastein North
and .South I )aiiota, eastern Nebraska and Kansa.s, the Indian Territcuy ami Texas; south
ill winter to the West India Islands and through eastern Mexico to Veragua, Central
America. Casually to Labrador.

'i'iie Ruby-throated or Northern Hummingbird, the sole representative of
tiiis family in eastern North America, is only a sunmier visitor in the Dominion
of Canada and througliout the greater part of its range in the United States, except-
ing the soutliern portions of tiie Flttrida peninsula, where it winters to some
t -.tent. Hy far the greater number of these birds, iiowever, migrate farther south,
sijcndinii' the winter in some of the We.st India Islands, while others pass
tlin stern .Mexico into Central America, as far south as Veragua. It

usu u'rives along our soutlu'ini border in the latter ))art of March, and

moves leisurelv northward, rartsly reaching the more northern States before
the middle of May, or about tiie time the early and hardier flowers begin to

THE KUBY THROATKl) HUMMINUUIUI).

blossom, and it usimlly goos soiitli again ahont tlie latter j)art of ScptcnilM-r,
tlui males |trece(liiig the t'emalt's, I believe, in both migrations, its bi-ee<rmg
range is c'oextensive with its geographical distribntion. Along the .Vtlantie
coast it has been met with by Mr. Lncieii M. 'Pnrner as tar north as Davis
Inlet, Labrutlor, in latitutle [ih^ 37', but this may have been only a casual
stra^fgler, as few birds of this species appear to breed north of hititu<le o'J".
In the inte'. '' r, in the so-called fur countries, it reaches farther north, however.
Sir John Richardson met it here up to the tifty-seventh ])arallel, which appears
to be the northernmost known limits of its range; but it is cpiite possible that
it reaches still higher latitudes. None of the numerous gentlemen connected
with the Hudson liay ("ompany, interested in ornithological investigations
in the far north, appear to have met with it in the lower Mackenzie basin or
along the shores of Ureat Slave !.iake. Westward its range extends well into
the eastern borders of the CJreat Plains; it is a fairly common sunnner resident
here in suital)le localities, in eastern Saskatchewan, and in Manitoba, as well as
throughout tlu; eastern parts of North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas,
the Indian Territory, and about the eastern half of To.xas. In many parts of
Florida it seems to be a rather rare breeder, but north of this State it is mostly
a connnon summer resident.

The Ruby-throated Ihnnmingbird prefers rather open and cultivated country,
interspersed here and there with mixed or deciduous woods overrim with
(lowering masses of vines and creej)ers, extensive orchards, etc., and it is not at
all adverse to taking nj) its home in flower gardens, in close proximity to man.
Its flight is extremely swift, and the rapid motions of its wings in j)assing back
and forth from one cluster of flowers to another causes a hunnnin"' or buzzinji-
sound, from which the numerous members of this family derive their name of
Ihnnmingbirds. Notwithstanding the very small size of most of our Hummers,
they are all extremely j)ugnacious, es]K'cially the males, and are constantly (|uar-
rcling and chasing each other, as well as other bii'ds, some of which are many
times larger than themselves. Mr. Manly Hardy writes me that he once saw a
male Ixuby-throat chasing a Robin out of his garden and following it up until
lost to sight.

There appears to bi' considerable difference of opinion among various
observers regarding the nature of their foo<l, .sonu^ contending that this consists
principally of nectar sipped !' im flowers, as well as the swi-et sap of certain
trees, to which tlu-y hel]) themsehcs at the drinking i)laces of the Yi^llow-bellied
Sapsucker, Siilii/r<ii)iti<s rariiis, while others, myself includeil, bi'lieve that they
subsist mainly on minuti^ insects and small spiders, tlie latter forming quite an
iiii|iortant article of food with them. Mr. Kdwin II. Kames, of Ihi Igeport, ( 'oii-
necticnt, mentions finding sixteen young spiders of iniiform size in the throat of
a young Ihnnmingbird which was about two days ohl.'

■The Auk, Vol. VII, 181)0, pp. 286-288. I iiIbo rul'iT the reixler to Mr. Freili-rick A. Liir.is's iiilin.st-
iiiK paper in tin- siinio periodicnl (Vol. X, ISiK!, ]ip. 311-.'nr)), mikI to iinotlicr liy tlir s:\mv millior, "On the
stnirtiirtMit' till* toii^iK) in nnininiiigbinls," in tin* '* IVoci-udin^N ut* tlie rnitiMl staters Natinii;il MiiKtMini"
( \ 111. XIV, ISiU, jip. l(>i)-1721, all of wliiiU lirur mi tliiH »iili,ji'Ct, liiit want of spai r pievriils mi' lioin i|iioting
tlifin,

ItWW— No. 3 13

194

LIFE HiaTOHIES OF NORTH AMEKICAN HIBDS.

,:'l

"■'•<

mil

Tliat our Tluinininffhirds live to «omo extent on tlie sap of certain trees is
undoubtedly true, Imt that tlujv couid exist for any len<rth of time on such food
alone is very ([uestional)le, to say th(^ least. They an? particularly fond of the sap
of the su<^ar maple, and only sli<^litly less so of that of ditlerent species of oak,
hirch, poplar, sycamore, and willow, as well as of the nectar secreted in theilowers
of the lilac, honeysuckle, jasmine, l)e<,''onia, horse chestnut, and many others

Mr. K. A. Mcllhenny writes me from Avery, Louisiana: "It is (juite a com-
mon occurrence here for the Hul)y-tln'oated Hummer to {^et drunk on the nectar
of the flowers of the cliinii tree {Mrlid umldnich). It sometimes indjibes so
much of the nectar that it i)fcoines stupefied and falls from the tree, when it
can be readily taken in the hand, and oft'ers no resistance. I have al.so taken
them by putting a little brandy and honey in honeysu('kl(* and jasmine blos.soms;
they rea<lily take this, and become so intoxicated that they are easily caufrht."

While stationed at the former cavalry depot at St. Louis, Missouri, in
1873-74, I occupied a set of quarters that wero completely overrun witii large
trumpet vines (Ticoiiki nnlicdiis), an<l when theses were in bloom the i)lace fairly
swarmed with l\ul)y-throats. They were exceedingly inquisitive, and often jjoi.sed
themselves before an open window and looked in my rooms full of curiosity,
their bright little eyes sparkling like black beads. 1 have caught several, while
busily engaged sipping nectar in these large, showy flowers, by simjdy placing
my hand over them, and while so imprisoned they never moved, and feignetl
death, but as soon as I opened my hand tiiey were oft' like a flash. They seem to
be especially ])artial to anything red.

Mr. ^lanly Hardy writes: "I was oncecam])ing (Hi one of the many islands
along the coast of Maine di ring a dense fog, which hud held us ])risoners for
several days, as it was -■(. thick that we coidd not find our way. We had been
living on lobsters, and lots )f their red .shells lay near the fire in front of our
tent, when suddeidy a llumnier came out ol the fog and darted down at the
moving from one to another, seeminglv loath to leave them."

sue I

-Mr. W. N. (.'lute, of Hinghamton, New York, writes: "The swamp thistle
(^('irsiiiiii Diiificiiiii), which blooms in August, seems to have great attrai'tions for
the Kuby-throated Ilunnningbirds. 1 have seen more than a hundred birds
about these plants in the course of an hour. Since it has been .stated that the
bee gets pollen but not honey from the t! .stle, it would appear that tlie.se birds
visit these flowers foi- insects. There is scarcely a flower that contains so many
minute insects as a thistle head. Examine one with a lens and it will be tbund
to contain many insects that can hardly be seen with the unaided eye, and if the
liuby-tln-oat eats insects at all, these are the ones it would take; and because
the larger tmes remained the (»bserver might conclude that none were eaten.
The jewel weed {Iiiijiiiticitfi) also receives nuudi of their attention, and nowhere
do I find these bii'ds so abundant as about thes*' two flo\,ers."

1 could (piote considei'able more testimony showing that the Hummingbirds
live to a great extent on minute spidt-rs and insects, but consider it unnecessary.
Hummingbirds are readily tamed and make interesting pet.s, but do not seem to

THK RUBY-THROATKl) UI^MMINGIUUD.

195

live long in captivity. Soiiiething seems to Ito lackiii;.'', inoliahly tiic r(M|uirt'il
quantity ot" insects which they are al)U) ti> ohtaiii in a wihl stat<', and sirup alone
does not appear to enable them to survive such changed cduditions tor any
h'Ugth of time. All of our llununingbirds are very fond of bathing, and I
have seen one fly repeatedly through the spray of a fountain in one of the
nunuirous parks in Washington, District of Cohnnbia.

Mr. Otto Wi<lmaim, of Old Orchard, Missouri, has kindly furnished me
with the following notes on diis species:

"While in the St. Francis region, Mi.ssouri, 1 was not a little surprised to
meet, on the forenoon of May 10, a great nund)er of l{ul)y-throats in the garb
of the female, but with beautiful red throats, in shape e.xiictly like the patch of
the male, i)ut the color a plain solferhio, without any metallic, or golden hue. At
first 1 did not know wliat to make of it, until 1 found out that the pollen of
yEs(i(li(s pariii, the rid shrub buckeye, is of the identical ccdor and stains the
fingers with solferino at the touch. These Ruby-throats were a wandering army
of femah's; among the larg«! number of birds present only a few (one or two, I
think) males were se(Mi, and tlu;y were prol)ably sununer sojor.rners in these
woods. Next day 1 visite<l the same forest again at the same ':our, liut all the
female Iluunners were gone.

"The first Iluunners appear in St. Fiouis County .dxa.t the last week in
Aia'il, but in southeast Missouri (I'emiscot County) I found tiieiii already present
on April 11, 181)3. Male Hummers do not become n iiierous in St. Louis
( 'Ounty before May 5, and females about May 1'2. Fresh eggs are to be looked
for about the 1st of June. Southward migratitai is well under way by the
middle of Septend)er, when Hummers are very plentifid. After tlie 1st of Octo-
ber they are leas frcipiently seen, but the la.st (uies do not leave us before
October II or 12. Mijiration in this species has uuudi in common with that of
the Swift, from which fact 1 conclude that their insect food may be somewhat
similar, and that both species may feed on nearly related insects. A peculiaritv
of the Ivuby-tiu'oat, which 1 have only onc(t .seen mentioned in print, is the pendu-
hun play of tla^ male llununer. In time it coincides with the period of sexual
excitement; it begins here about May 12, with the arrival of the itulk of the
feuiales, and lasts until ini'ubation has connnenced. In tliis j)lay the i)ird is
swinging to and fro, as if suspended from a fixed point; it descril)es one-fourth
of a circle, and travels about a rod. This j)endulum movement is continued
about a dozen times, the bird emitting chirps all the time."

Shortly after their arrival in the s])ring they are continually chasing eacli
other about; considerable of this is luidoubtedly done in play, Init occasionally
they act like perfect little furies, and try to injure ea<'h other as much as pos-
sii)le. At such times they utter rather shrill, scpu'aling sounds, like "chic-we-
we-a," which are freiiuently and ra](idly repeated; at other times they utter
low, chipperiug simnds that can oidy be heard when close l)y, intermixed now
and then with a somewhat louder chirp. After one has driven its rival away it
generally returns to one of its favorites jierches, some little dry twig of a shrub
or tree, from where it couunands a g-ood outlook, and couunences at once to

'i":i

I-

■m.

•'•'» ,!^

I:i

W.

i;

t :

M

,H.

i

r

d:

>''.h]ir

196

MFK UlSTOHIKa OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

reaiTiinjjo and smooth out its |tluinii;r«', usually Imffinuiufj with tho itriniarit's,
which an* doxtfTously ])ass('(l tlu'oiif^h its hill hy raisiuff and I'xtcudinjj' the wiuj;'
oM a level with the head. It is rarely seen entindy at rest for any huifjth of
time, and, when not husy j»reeuin<; its feathers, it darts about from one place to

au(

ither. .\lthou<di sutdi a small, tinv creature, it is fidl of «Mier"v,

and never

seems to tire. Din'inj;' the niatin<f season the male is very devoted to his mate,
foUowin^r her constantly about, and liereely attacks any rival that may approach
too near her.

1

n our

Southern States nidification lie"in

yi

av, occasionallv a

littl

e earner or later, acconhn

s usua

ly about the first week
to tl

ui

le sea.son, and corre-

spondinffly later in the more northern |)ortions of its ranji-e. A suitable nestin<j;
site havin;;' lieen selected (and this apjjcars to l)e an easy task), pn^parations for
liuildinji' are soon be^un. Durinj;' this tinu' the male may tVe(|Uently be noticed
indulj;in;i' in the |)endulum ])lay already described, and both .sexes will frecpu-ntly
dart straijiht u|> into tiie air for some 50 feet, and as (piickly drop down a<iaiu

in the vicinity of the cliosen nestinu' site.

'I'i

le nest is "cneralh' saddled on a

horizontal or a somewhat droopinj;' limb of a tree, about half an inch or a little
more in thickness, or it may lie |dace<l at tlie junction of a little fork where one
sido of the nest is supported by one of the branches, and less often in bushes
or vines, \ar\in"' from (5 to fill feet hij-h, usually from 10 to 20 feet from the

srronnc

1. Its f;

Ivor

ite I

treediu"- resorts are second-yrowth tindiei- alou"- river

blutVs, hillsides, the borders of forests, in shade trciesalou}"; country roads, orchards,
o-ardeiis, etc. I belicne the different species of oak, where they are found, are
preferrecl for nesting sites to all other trees, while hicktay, tulip, poplar, maple,
horse-chestnut, 1»eech, sycamore, do<>wood, black yum, buckeye, bindi, apple,

lear, oran<

■e, ])ine, red cedar. ,mil other trees, rose bushes, and cree|

lui"' vnu's are

also more or less used. In the Adirondacks, in New York, 1 lu'lieve birch frees
are the favorites. 1 have si-en oiu' of its nests sad<lled on the top of and between
two <dd |)ine cones, on a slender, dry lind), which 1 c(aisidei' a rather unusiud
nesting site for tliis species.

The nest of our Uuby-throated Ilummiiifibird is one of the most extjuisite
pieces of bird architectiu'e to be found anywhere, 'i'he circular foundation is
composed of bits of licdiens, mixed with fine veyetabh' fibers, which are appar-

ently iirnd\- "lued to the twiy on wliicdi the nest i

s sa(

hlled.

bb

presiimaDly witn

ith

.saliva secreted by tlu; bird for this purjiose, and the structure is built upon this,
the inner portions of it beiuy com])osed of soft, downy ])lant fibers, such as the

ilk

sUkv d()wn o

f dilh

erent species of willows and poplars, that f

ound on

th

youny

and unex|)anded leaves of the oaks ami viu"ious kinds of ferns (/''/V/Vv.s), especially
that from the youny stalks of the common brake (I'tcris aqiiiVniti), the silky
down of the n)ilkweed (.lstlf/)i<is), and similar materials from other sources.

After these have bee

n well wor

ked together in

irt of vejictable felt, the outer

walls of the nest are profu.sely covered with a coatiny of bits of lichens obtaincKl
from the trunks and lindw of trees in the vicinity, and then are firmly fastened
in ])lac(^ with spider w«'bs, yi\iny the nest the appearance of a small, lichen-
covered knot, which for tiiis reason is rather dillicult to detect. In nearly every

THE ItUlJV TIlUOATKh IIIIMM1N(;IUU1).

197

iiistiuuc tlic lU'st is ]iliu'»'(l so tliiit itw t'ontciits nri' protected tVdiii ii))(>vc liv tlio
loaves (»t' tlie tree or ii limit direetly over it, tiiiil it is rare to tinil one in a per-
feetly open and unsheltered situation. The loeation of the lieaiitit'ul little
structure eertainly shows eonsi<leral»le intelli;ienee on the part ot" the huilder.

The nests vary somewhat in size and iinlk, arrordin^i' to the thickness ot" the
linil) or twi^r <"' which they are sadilled. An avera^^-e-sized specimen nieasurert
about lA inches in outer diameter liy 1 \ inches in tiepth. The inner cup is aitout
an inch in width i)y tive-eij;liths of an inch in de|tth. I iudieve that the female
performs altout all tin* labor recpiired in th(^ construction of the nest, the male
simply f(dlowin}>- her around while she is jiatherinji- the necessary materials and
protectin^^• her, although he may oc<'asionally assist to some extent. .\s nearlv
as 1 can jud<ie, it takes about ten days to complete the structure.

Mr. II. W. Flint, of New Haven, ("oniiecticiit, sends me the f(dlowin}r
interesting; note on this subject:

"(hi May 'M), iSilO, I noticed an interestinj;' fact in connection with this
species. I was watchin<r a Downy Woodpecker (fxcavatiu;-' a home in the to|)
of a lofty inaph* on the edjje of heavy timber, when sutldeidy a male Ilmnmer,
clo.sely followed l)y his mate, darted toward the trimk of a larf^-e oak, at the
heifi'lit of at least lin feet from the j;round, and were inunediately attackc d by
some kind of beetle, which attempted to drive them from the tree. The birds
would, after an apparent stru^iji'le with the beetle, clinj;' to the trunk of the ti-e(!
a moment, ])ull oil' a bit of lichen, and then suddenly leave tlu^ spot like a flash.
I watched this jtair overtw<) hours before 1 succeeiled in locating;' the nest, which
wa.H at least 10 rods distant, and each time they returned to the tree the beetle
met them and foujiht them off, fre(piently driving;- them from the trunk after they
had succeeded in alij^htinjj-. The male showed jireat anjier, and his sharp, rapid
chirpinff was almost incessant while in the vicinity of the tree. The Iteetle <lid
not attempt to follow the birds, but tried to jtreveuf their alij^htinji' upon or
approacliiiifi' the tree. I was very much intcresti'd, and can not now understand
what was the cause of the anta<i'onism existinji' between them. The nest, which
I afterwards secured, was beautifully decorated, and the cfiji's somewhat incu-
bated, usually the case where the nest is well co\-ereil, as nunh of the exterior
decoration is done after the eg^js are laid, and even afterihe youn^i- are hatched."

In the Southern States fresh Offj^s may be looked for durin;.;' the tirst two
weeks in ^lay, in tlie\icinity of Waslun<>ton, ])i.>itrict of ( 'olumbia, about.linie 10,
and in New Knjiland ami our Northern States in the latter part of this month or
during;' the first half of .Inly. Two e<i<;s are laid to a set, one every otherday, and
these are frecpiently deposited before the nest is more than half completed, the
femahi finishin';' it ;;radually after incubation has connnenced, and sometimes
addin}>- additional licdiens on the outside, even after the youufi' have been hatched.
Incubation lasts about fourteen days, and the female not oidy attends to this
duty alone, but also appears to care for the younj; exclusixfly, which iwv larj;e
en(ui"h to leave the nest in about sixteen day;

Th

lev are liorn l)Mn(l, ami no

bli

not oiH'U their eves initil they are alxmt a week old. As soon as in<id)ation
connnenees the nude appears to lose all interest in his spouse for the time bein<^,

J';

t

i •

.'.•r

'

I

i

1 :

1

ti;*

I

^■k

■HuM

198

LIKK 1I18T01UES OF NOUTll AMKIUCAN IIIUDS.

•f

mM

^■H\]\\\

and l»'tH lior iitteiul to licr family tlutuis aluiu-, l<'M(liii)f iiii i ;isy, carclrHM lite in the
nu'initinio. Altliongli 1 liavci watclu'd Hovoral nests nt' Iliiinniinf^hirds (^mtainin^
yonnj; for hours at a tiin«', 1 liavo never yet seen a inalr feeilinjf them. They
}jrow aiuii/.inji'ly fast, and when about ten days old tli<v an* altout as larfje as
the parents. Their hills, however, f^^row |troj)ortionally nnicli slower than their
l)()dies. The y(mn}^ are fed hy re<rurjritation. 1 have satisfied myself fully on
this point, and have seen the female insert her hill ilmost for its full length in
the throat of the nestlinjfs, and watched her, with the aiil of a strong- jfla.ss, doiuff
so repeatedly. When not in search of food h1m3 broods the younff or sits on the
rimof the nest preenin;r her feathers. I believt* two broods are freipientlv rai.sed
in a season, occasionally three perhaps, as fre.sh e<fgs have been found as late as
Au{just 7. An old ne.>*t is sometimes occupied for several seasons and remodeled
each year; and should the nest and eggs be taken or destroyed, a second and
occasionally even a third and fourth attempt at nesting is matle within about a
week, and sometimes th.-se sid)se<|uent nests are built in the same tree again,
or in others close by. The birds become very much attached to a locality once
chosen for a home, and will return to it from year to year, not iidrecpientlv
l>uilding a new nest on the top of the last year's one, or alongside of it. The
female is very devoted to her young, and will occasionally resent an intruder's
presence by darting at his face.

The eggs of the Hubv-throated Hummingbird are pure white in color; the
shell is close-grained, rather frail, and witlmut luster. They are mostly elliptical
oval in shape, but occasionally a specimen a|»proaches an elliptical ovate, one
end l»eing somewhat smaller than tlut other.

The average measurement of twenty-nine specimens in the I'nited States
National Museum collection is VIM) by XI){) millimetres, or altout Of)! by ().i{.'{
inch. The largest oixii: of this .series measures 14.4H by !I.14 millimetres, or 0.57
by O.iiG inch; the smallest, 12.1 !» by S..'{H millimetres, or ().4S by ().;{,'{ inch.

The tyi)e specimen, No. 2G1I14 (I'l. 1, Kig. 27), from a set of two <'ggs, was
taken by Dr. William L. Ralph, near Holland Patent, New York, on June 21,
1888, and represents an average egg of this species.

69. Trochilus alexandri Hoircikk and Mclsant.

IU,.\tK-ClIINNKD HUMMINGIIIIM).
TrochiluH nli:riintJri l{oi'n<!iKB and Mulsant, Aiiiiali's Hdcicti' d'Agricaltiiie Uc Jjyoii, IX,

iMd, 3; JO.

(1? 102,0 1370, It 330, (! 410, U 429.)

(iEOfiKAl'nicAL BANiiK: Western North Anu'ricn; from tlie Pacific coast to tlic
Rocky Mountains; north to soutliera Uritisli Columbia, on l)oth sides of tlu> (Jiiscadcs and
S(mthern Alberta ?; cast to western Montana, western ("olorado, New .Mexico, and western
Texas; sontii tlirouKh <'alifoniia and Arizona into northern Mexico; in winter to Lower
California, tlio valley of Mexico, aiul the State of (luerrero, Mexico.

The Hlack-chinn"d !lumming})ird, also known as the "l'in])le-throated"and
"Alexandre's" Hummingbird, is rather irregularly distributeil throughout the
western L'nited States, and, while exceedingly abundant in some localities, in

THE ilLACKUlUNNJiU ULMMlNUlilUD.

lUJ)

otliej*s, apimroiitly o(|iially well siiitcil. it is compnrativcly rare. It lum not yet
homi ruconled, so tar as ! aiii aware, t'nim any point went ot" the Casciiilc NFonn-
tuinH in ()ri«jfon an<l Washington, and, in fact, it nnist bo considuruil as niiluT
ran' tiirou^rliout tlic eastern |)ortion of tliese States and Idaiio.

Mr. .lolin Kaiuiin. ein'ator of the Provincial Museum at Victoria, Hritish
CohiMiliia, in liis "Clieck List ol' IJritish ('oinnd)ia Birds," says: "Conlined to
the mainland: lioth slopes of the Cascades."

Mr. |{. S. Williams took a sinj^ie specimen at dolnmhia Falls, Montana, on
May 27, 18ll.'i, and a few others were seen snitseipiently. lie writes me: "In
this State they do not appear to breed east of the Kocky .Momitains."

Mr. Frank .M. Drew p'cords it from Colorado, where it has i)een observed
U|» to (1,000 feer, and .Mr. C. F. .Morrison, in a list of birds of La I'lata County,
in the same State, reports it as connnon and l»reediu},', sayiufj;: ".V nest shown
ino contained three efij^s."'

There are specimens in the I'liited States National Museinn collection from
Now Mexico, Arizona, (California, Nevada, I'tali, and Texas. In the latter State
Mr. IL I*. Attwater has found it nestinj; at San .\ntonio, and Mr. William Lloyd
in Tom (Jreen and Concho comities, which places mark about the eastern limits
of its breediufi' ran^c. It is oidy a snnnner visitor in the I'nited States and
Mritisli Columbia, and breeds wherever found. Throujihout the jfreatei pca-tions
of .Arizona, southern I 'tali, and .southern and southeastern California it breeds
abundantly, ami is apparently as much at home in the hot valleys border! iij;' the
Colorado Desert as in the higher Sierra Nexadas, where Lieut. II. C. lieiison.
Fourth Cavalry, I'nited States .Vrniy, took four of its nests and e^-Mis on .May
■2!t, 1S!C_', in the Seipioia National I'ark, at an altitude of over !»,(I0() feet: while
ill semitroiiical San Dicfi'o County, ( 'aliforiiia,iiidf;inji- from the number of l)reed-
inj"' records I have, it is, if anytliiiifi', still more common.

.Mr. F. Steiihens writes mo: "I have taken the nest and effffs of the Mlack-
chiimed Ilummiuf'bird near Fort Hayard, New Mexico, in 1S7(!, where this
s]tecies is rather common, and it is an aliundant summer resident of southern
California, below the pine zone. 1 have also found a set of efifis of this species
near San Bernardino, California, laid in a nest of the House Finch, ('(irinnliirus
iiitjicKHKs/roHidlis. No lining had lieen added, or any other chaiijics made; tlii^
bird evidently was in haste to lay, her nest, perhaps, having Ijceii suddenly
destroyed."

The general habits of the Black-chinned Hummingbird are very similar tft
those of the eastern Huity-tliroat. Ordinarily it makes its jipjiearance along
our southern border early in March, n'tnrning south about the 1st ot (►ctoi)er.
Its call notes and actions during the mating season resemble those of the former,
and, like it, the bulk of its food con.si.sts of minute insects.

Mr. H. II. Lawrence writes me: "On June IS and IK, lS!t4, in Los Angeles
County, California, the Black-cliinned as well as Anna's and Costa's Iluinming-
birds were very connnon in a little tract of wild tobacco, Xirofiana i/lauai, of

'TlieOrnitlioloKist iiml OolngiHt. Vol. XIII, 1888. |>. 1(17.

!?•' ■■' '

=? ?

it!!

200

LIKE illUTUUlEH OF NOKTU A.MKBIl;A^ Jtll(l>H.

h

M

M'lJ^lijl.

nboiit 2^ iicn's in extent, Hitiiat«'rl at tlio noutlicrn hIoju' of a swal«^ or draw
on Anffclano llciijflit.-*. 'I'lu'Mf trocK licar cliiHtM'H of NlcnfliT, yellow, tiilK<-
Nliapcil HowtM'K, and an* tVom 1.* to 'JO t(>et in In-i^'lit; tlic tract is known aH
'llninMH-r's I'ati-li.' I saw train seventy to eiirhty llunnniii'/hirds liero in KfHH
than two lionrs, dnnn<r the hottest jtart of the day. Many are kille«l liy tin;
hoVH with sprinir and uir ;j;nns in |)nre wantonnesH. No nests wore found, and
mules appeared to he more aliiuidant than females. I also found these three
species very conunoii in the dry wash of Saw-I*it Uiver, in the same county.
Here tiiey were attrai'ted hy a l»ri<rht red Hower {Dilphhiiiiiii ciinliimlis) jTrowinji-
on a clean, slender, juicy stalk, from "J to (! feet hi;;h This jtiant was altundantly
scattere(l amon^ the low hushes of a level tract ot a few acres, and appeared to
be a favorite feedin;; phu-e for different species."

In the vicinity of Tucson, Arizona, where this species is rnnimon. 1 have
frequently seen it feodinff in the flowers of the niescal (Afinir (nntririni(i), as
well as in those of several species of yuccas, und(ml)tedly attracted hy the
numerous small insects liarltortMl l»y them. Two nests, with youn;;-, prolialil\
three or four days old, were foiuid hy me saddled on willow branches, on the
banks of Rillito Ih'eek, on May 3(1, 187'2, one 4, the other 7 feel from the
(fround.

In southern California nidification (M)nunences ordinarily about the latter
])art of .Vpril or the Itej^innin^ of .May, liut I have seen it stated tiiat a s«'t of e<;}fs
has been found near Los Angeles, California, as early as Fei)ruary (J, possildy
a misidentilication, the nest really btdon}>in;;' to C(//////^ (imni, which is well
known to M.cjisionally breed this early. Throu-fhout the f^reater |)art of their
ran^fe, iiowever, it rarely bcffins layinji' before .May I, and the season is at its
liei;;;ht through this Muaitii, while secoml or possil)ly third sets an; found up
to the latter part of .Inly, anil occasionally still later. The nest is readily
distini^^uishable from that of the Uuby-throated llummin;i'bird l>y not bein;>-
covered on the outside with lichens. It is composed of plant down, varyinjf in
color from white to iiutf: the latter is ol»tained from the under side of the youn^'
leaves of the sycamore, the former piol»al>ly from willows, milkweed, or
thistles. These materials are wdl worked to-icther, and the outside of the nest
is thickly coated with s|)ider wel), li\ an occasional s|(ecimen a small leaf or
two, or a few flower blossoms of the oak aii; worked in the outer walls. In a
specimen from .Maria, Texas, the outside is well I'overed with small flower
Hj)ikes, the male aments of a species of oak, hidinji' the inner liniu}'' completely.

A Iteautiful nest now before me, taken by Mr. \'\ Stt^jihens, near Owens
Lake, Inyo County, California, No. 24.'J"2!I, Tnited Statics Natitaud Mu.seum
collection, is mainly comjjosed of whih; willow down, mixed on the outside with
a few small leaves and tile scales from the willow buds; these are firmly held in
place by an abundance of spider web, with which it is also securely attached to
the little fork in which it is saddled. The (Uiter diameter of this nest is about
1^' inches by I inch in depth; the inner cup is 1 inch in diameter by five-
ei<;hths of an inch deep; and while some specimens before me are a trifle larj>;er,
others are considerably smaller. Nests taken in the !Se<iuoia National Park, in

TiiK liLACKCIIINNKn IIUMMINrilllKH.

SOI

'riilarc roiiiity, Ciilit'ornia, liiivc |icri'('|.til)ly iliickcr whIIh timn those tVom tlio
waiiiuT IowIuiiiIk, ami an< also corrt'spoiKlinjfK' lar<f«'r. Tlic iicHtH arc citluT
Ha<l<lli'(l oil a Hiiiall, (lr(io|iiii^' Itraiicli or on a fork, oni> or two ot' tlu- Hiiiallci' t\vi<rM
i'om|io«iujr this iiHiially Immiij^ iiicor|torat('il in tin- walls and lioldiny' it sccincly
in placv. Many ot° tli<> lu'sts rcsfnihlc Hinall, tine Hpon^rcM, ami ai-r (■(pially
(■lastif, rcailiiy ri';iainin<i' their shape after iiein;;- scpieezed to;rether. 'I'liey are
generally plac«'(l from 4 to H feet from tlie fjrouml, mostly in the shrultltery
foiual iiein" small creeks or sprin^fs, and fre«|nently their nests oxerlian;;- the
water oi- the dry ciHU'k bed. Alders, cottonwoods, oak, sycaintirc, lannd, and
willows are most often mthtcted for ncstinjf sites, as well as yoiiny orchards,
especially apple and oninjro trctes, where they are availahle.

In the more soutluTii portions of tlu^ ranp- of the Mlack-chiinied Ilum-
miiiffliird fresh t'HTffs are occasionally found by May 1, and as late as the
lH'}.nnnin<r of Anffust. Altlioujrh most (»f oiu" Ilunnninjrhirds invariably lay but
two e^fjjs to a set, nests of this species now ami then contain three, all evidently
laid l>y the same female, and such instances do not a|ipear to Ite especiidly rare.
Three such cases have cointt to my knowlefljje within the last few years. Dr.
('. Hart .Mt'rriam found a set of three in tlm lower Santa (Mara N'alley, I'tali, in
May, 1H!)1. Mr. K. Stephens took another at Olancha, Inyo County, (California,
on May It!, iHltl, which i?^ now in the Tnited States National Museum collec-
tion, and Mr. Fred. II. Fowler obtained still another near Fort Howie, Arizona,
in the sprin^i' of lS!t;{.

The ejiffs of the Hlack-chinned Ihnnminjrbird resend)le tliose of the IJiiliy-
throat in shape and <'olor, but avcraj^'e a trifle smaller.

The averaji'e mtNisuremunt (»f fifty-three speciuuuis in tlie I'nited States
National Museum collection is 12.67 by K.JJt millimetres, or about (!..'>(» i)y (l.;53
incli. The lar;!est ^'}>;<r of the series measures Ki.T'i l)y H.()4 millimetres, or 0.04
by H.,*{4 inch; the snndlest, ll.!»4 by HAS millimetres, or 0.47 by 0.,'{2 inch.

The type specinu'U, No. 24"ir)7 (not ti<rured), from a set of three eji';is, was
taken by Mr. F. St(>phens, on .May 1(1, IHIH, near Olancha, Inyo County. Cali-
fornia, the ne.st bein<r sad<lled on a small twig of an apple free in a young
orchard, about 7 feet from the ground.

70. Trochilus violajugulum .Jefkkiks.

VInl.KT-rilHOATKK niM.\II.\(iBllil).

'I'riwhUiiH rioliijutjiiliim .IKI'KKIKS, Auk, V, April, 1.S8.S, KW.

(H _,('_, |{ _, (J _, U 429.1.)

<ii',o(ii{AiMiii'Ai. UANoi:: Houtluu'ii ('aliforuia (Haata Harbara Coaaty).

The Viol((t-throated Hunnningbird was first described by the lute J. Am<u'y
.lefi'ries in "The Auk" (\'ol. V, IHHK, pp. KJM, lfi;»), from a specimen, a male,
sla>t near Santa Harbara, California, on April .0, 1HH;5, and Mie type, 1 believe,
still remains uni({Uo. Nothing whatever is known regarding its haiiits or the
(!xtent(i' A range. It appears to be a perfectly good species, and was i)robubly
a straggler from the south.

/ i

4

i

i

■i

r

Oi

m

I

202

LIFE HISTOltlES OF NOltTU AMERICAN BlUDS.

•Is

^;"f

Hllii-

71. Calypte costae (liouKciKK).

COSTA'S 1 1 tlM M 1N( 1 IlIUD.

Oriiismya vo»Ut Boi'RCiEB, Ueviie Zoologiiiiie, ii, 18.'J1), 2!t4.

Culyple cos/w Gould, MoiioKiapli of the Tiocliilidu-, Part XI, 1850, and Vol. 111,1801, IM. 134.

(H KM), (' l.'.S(», l{ ;i;{7,C U5, i: 43(».)

(rKooKAi>Hi«JAL UANOK: Western North America; north to southern C^alifonii.i,
southern Nevada, r \ southwestern I'tah; east to western and thron};h southern Arixiina
to southwestern New Mexico; soutli to Lower California and northwestern Mexico to
ALuatian. 8inah)a, Mexico.

Tlio northern limits of tlie range of Costa's IIinnnnn<>l)ir(l luive recently
been considerably extended, and it is now known to be a conunon siunnier
resident in southeastern California, at least as far north as Owens Valley, Inyo
C'onnty, in about latitude 3f!° 20'; it reaches a slightly higher latitude in
southern Nevada, while the nortlu^rninost ])oint of its range, iis far as known, is
to ))(' found in the extreme southwestern corner of t'tah, on the eastern slopes
of the lieaverdam Mountains, where Dr. C. Hart Merriam found it conunon
among the junipers, somewhat north of th(! thirty-seventh j)arallel.'

On the west coast of California it has as yet ouly been taken as fai- north
as Ventura County, and it is evidently lare there, in Arizona it seems to be
distributed over the western half of the territory, as well as oxer most of the
southern sections. Its breeding rang(! is coexteiisixi' with its geographical dis-
tribution in the United States. 'V\w majority of Costa's Hummingbirds appear
to be only summer residents within the United States. Mr. W. W. Price, a
careful and reliable observer, states, howevei', that it winters in limited nund)ers
in southern California; and the fa(!t that he found a nest of this Iliunmingbird
containing young as early as January 28, 1><87, near Riverside, in San
liernardino County, seems to contirm this, and I have no doubt that other
si)ecies also winter in suitable localities in the Coloi-ado Desert, in the vicinity
of the few s])rings and water holes found there. Dr. Edgar A. Mearns, United
States Army, found this Ilununer (piite conunon at Tinachas, in southwestern
Arizona, neiu- the head of the (Julf of California, l)etween February l(i and 21,
1S1)4, aufl collected a number of specimens there. Its general habits do not
ditfi'r much from those of the other members of this family found within our
borders, excepting that it is somewhat more of a desert-loving species, and it
seems to show a special prefci'ence for the few water holes and sjjrings in the
liarren mountain ranges in southeastern California east of the Sierra Xe\adas.
In such localities it appears to be far more common thiui in the better watered
and more fertile p(trtions of the southwestern ]iarts of the State.

Dr. A. K. Fisher says: "Costa's Hummingbird is the common species of
the desert valleys and mountains of southern California and Nevada. » » *
In the Argus K;inge, California, the sjiecies was very conunon at Maturango

' Nortb AmiTli'au Fivuuii, No. 7, ISiW, pp. 56-58.

COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD.

203

Spriufj, and in Slioplienl Canyon, wliere several nests were found in low buslies
alonf^ the edjjes of the canyon. * * * At Coso the species was also very
abundant, and several of its nests were found. Various kinds of plants were
used as nestinj? sites, thou<;h the branchintf cactus (Opiiiitia rrhiiintiirpd) was
most cotnnionly chosen. CJsually the structure was placed on the top of a
lower branch, a foot or so from the {ground, and under an overiuuiffiii^- mass of
thick, spiny l)rauches, which formed a protection for the parent bird from tlie
sun and weatlicr as well as its enemies. At Coso one of these Ilunnncrs was
seen on a bright moonlight evening hovering about a l)nnch of flowers, and
was heard again later in the same night. « » * Just at daylight, on the
morning of June 2."), before the shadow had risen out of Wild Rose (,'anyon, a
Costa's Hummingbird came and hovered within a foot of our camp fire, prob-
ably mistaV iiig it, from the distance, for a bunch of bright-colored flowers. It
was observed on several occasions that any bright-colored object placed in a
conspicuous position attracted this bird.'"

^[r. V. Stephens writes me regarding Costa's Hummer as follows: "I have
found this species breeding in a gulch at the edge of the river bottom near the
(jrila River, New ^lexico, a few miles below old F<>» I West. In this case I saw
the male as.sisting in Imilding the nest. I distinctly saw him fly to a .spider web
and gather it in or on his bill while on the wing. He appeareil to l)e winding
it about his bill, but I can not be certain of this. Wiien no more of the web
was left in sight, he Hew a few yards across tli(> gulch, and I saw he was l)usy
at the nest, which I had not seen before. The date was about the em! of May,
1S7(). In southern (Jalifornia this species breeds on the (les(!rt side as early as
Fel)ruary, but on the coast side not until May. 'I'lu-y range and nest up into
the ))ines, l)ut are most common in the foothills. Tiiey prefer certain canyons for
nesting, and I know at least one canyon whi-re I could l)e rt'asonably certain of
getting half a dozen or more sets in two hours' search in the latter ])art of May.
The nests of this species are not as compactly l)uilt as those of Trochiliis (ilcraiidri."
Mr. R. II. Lawrence writes me from Los Angeles, California, as follows:
"On May 21, IH'.IS, I f »und a half-finished nest of wliat I took to be Cnlifjifr
rnsfrr, with the female working on it. On the 25tli, at II a. m., it contained one
i'li}!:, and on May 2(i, at dusk, it held two. On .June 1) the eggs were slill
mdiatclied; the young hatched on the iltli. On Juni! 2.'5, 1S!(4, in tlie moutii
of Saw-Pit Canyon, 1 found a nest of this Hnimner on tlie end of the lower
branch of a sycamore. It was about 4 fi-et from the ground ami near I'unning
water, well hidden under a thick canopy of sycamore leaves, which came down
to within 2 inches of it, so close as to .several times give tlie female some
ti'onl)l(' to percii upon the nest. The nest was jilaced on the forks of a branch,
anil made of the down of svcainon^ lea,ves and of cobwebs. It held two ver\'
young liirds. On .hine 2;") I again visited it, and waite(l to see tlie mother feed
the young ones. I finally foniid I could stand witliin 4 feet of the nest, and
removed several of the leaves of the canopy for a better \iew. It was then

'North Aiiifriraii Kaiiim. No. 7, ISiKl, \>]>. TM-oX.

t'h^

in^-

■•.;'■!

204

LIFE HISTORIES OP NORTH AMERICAN BIHDS.

about 12.45 p. m.; the day was warm. Tl»e parent's trips were not frequent.
Slie fed the young by touching the poin t of lier bill to the tips and sides of the
bills of her youngsters, as if to urge or invite them to stir and open their
mouths, not inserting her bill over one-fifth or one-fourth of its length. Once
she thrust it down half its length into the throat of one nestling, who then dung
to it to the very last moment of its withdrawal, apparently reluctant to let the
very smallest i)article of tin* regurgitated food miss its way or remain on the
parent's bill. Tiie jierformance was rather iu<li('rous, as both old and young,
especially the youngsters, went through many wriggling and sfpiirming motions.
The |)arent certainly once, upon returning to tlie nest, brooded the young ones
for a little wliilc, and then fed one before leaving the nest. It was interesting
to watch the female raise her crown feathers when settled into a more comfort-
able jjosition in the nest, and then, upon being alarmed by me, flatten the
feathers down, her eyes sparkling with fright. If I winked an eye she was
startliMl, as I stood so near. Once, uj)on her return, settling down to brood the
youngsters, she kept up for some moments a kind of paddling motion, as if she
were giving them a little massage treatment. Her respiration was very rapid
after this exertion. Life with these atoms of sensitiveness mu.st be at white
heat always. The young were lying side by side, but headed in opposite direc-
tions. Both liad voided excrement in one case, but the parent did not remove
either deposit while I was there. Except for this and a ])iece of eggshell, the
ne.st apjieared clean. The young had a narrow strip of long hairs down the
center of their backs. Their skins were a dark, dirty brown; bills were very
short, tipped with a point, and light colored; eyes were shut. No male parent
was seen. The nest and contents were left undisturbed for future observations,
if it is possible to visit it soon again."

Mr. A. W. Anthony found Costa's Hununingbird common in Lower Califor-
nia, and writes me: "Just before I left the higher l)enclies of the San Pedro
Martir ^lountains, on May 2D, 18!)3, CaliipU' iiiiiki became rather i-ommon, and
Calijptc cosUe still more so; both showed signs of early breeding. Valley birds
had rai.sed one or more broods by that time. Could it be that the.se had l)red in
lower altitudes before coming here?" Mr. Anthony's surmise that these birds
might have already reared one or even two broods in the lower and hotter
valley regions i.: undoubtedly correct, as Mr. Walter K. Hryant, in his paper on
the " Binls of Lower California," mentions finding a nest of this species on Santa
Margarita Island, on January 17, 188S. This was placed on an almost leafless
branch, 3 feet high, far from the water, and ctaitained large young.

Mr. H. T. Gault, in a recent letter says: "It may be a peculiarity of
ILnnmers in general, but I found these birds to i)e (!xceedingly tame; indeed,
it was almost impossible to keep them off their nests after they had been
frightened from them; the female would ))ersi.st in alighting on the nest even
when an attempt was being made to sever flu* twig on which it was ])lac(Ml from
the larger branch. Their extreme disregard for the presence of man wat a little
ahead of anything I had exj)ected to see.'"

'For II mom (letniliHl acrniint nf the ueiiting liabiUnrCiiHtn's Hiiniinorl ruler tlii' render t<i Mr. Uault's
article ill Tlie Auk, Vol. II, IHtk'i, pp. 309-311.

COSTA'S UUMMINGBIltl).

205

In Inyo Oonnty, ('alifurnia, Costa's Hunnner secerns to be very eoinnionly
fonnfl ahont the flowers of the squaw calibage, a species of Stanleyii, also about
wild rose, jjluni, or cherry bushes (PrunKs) growing in the canyons, as well as
about other shrubs and plants found in these desert regions. Nidiflcation com-
mences sonictinies early in .January; several of its nests and eggs have been
taken in l^os Angeles County, California, in February; throughout the greater
portion of its range, however, it is at its height during April and May, and at
least two bi'oixls are regularly raised in a season. Considering the small size
of most of our Hummingbirds, sixteen days, or even fourteen only, appears to
be an unusually iong time to be recjuired to hatch such a small egg, and it
.seems to l)e entirely out of pro])ortion when compared with many larger birds,
and in this respec^t this family shows its close relationship to the Swifts
(Cypm'U), where incubation lasts still longer.

The nests of (!osta's Hummingbird do not compare favorably in architec-
tural bec.uty with those of the preceding species; the materials used an; not so
thoroughly felted or (piilted together, and the inner cup has ordinarily a rather
slov< nly api)earance. It is externally composed of jilant down or fine shreds
of j)lant fiber; the outer walls are thatched more or less profusely, in dift'erent
specimens before me, with bits of gray lichens, fine shreds of bark, and small
dry leaves, and these are securely fa.stened in place by spider web and silk
obtained from cocoons. The inside is lined with j)lant down, and occasionally
with finely shredded plant fibers and small, fluffy feathers. In some examples
feathers are very prominent among the inner lining. An average specimen
measures lj| inches in outer diameter by 1 inch in depth. The inner cup is
altout seven-eighths of an inch in diameter by one-half inch in dej)th. They
are usually placed in low situations, from 1 to G feet from the ground, rarely
higher, although Mr W. K. I). Scott records one taken on May ;">, 18X2, near
Hiverside, in southern Arizona, from tlu* extremity of a cottonwood branch ;{;">
feet from the ground. In the desert regions of southeastern California various
cacti, tlu^ different species of sagi' (^Artciiiisia^ and greasewood bushes (Larrca),
while in the canyons ash, sycamoi'e, scrul) oak, paU) vcrde, cottonwoods, and
willows, fiu'nish their favorite nesting sites. The eggs resemble thos(^ of the
jireceding species in .sha|)e and color, but they are somewhat smaller.

The average measurement of twenty-three spe<'imens in the United States
National iMuseum collection is 12.1 K by 7.S7 millimetres, or <).4H l)y 0.31 inch.
The largest o,<!:{^ measures 12.!!;") by S.i;} millimetres, or O.ol by (1.32 inch; the
smallest, 11. OK by 7.<)2 millimetres, or ().4(; by 0.30 inch.

The ty])e specimen, No. 2 12r)0 (not figured), from a set of two eggs, was
taken by Dr. A. K. Fisher in Shephenl ('anyon, in the Argus Mountains,
California, on May 7, lS!tl, and the nest from whic.i these eggs were obtained
was placed on a little fork of a greasewood bush, 2 feet from the ground, very
poorly built, and probably an o\d one from the previous year.

«'■-•'? *•
»' i' 1

hi I* J

%

f'ifWWi-

m ;■'•; -

206 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

7a. Calypte anna (Lesson)

ANNA'S IIUMMINGBIKU.

Ornismyn anna Lesson, Supplement des Oisoaux Moiiclios, 1831, 115, PI. 7.
Calypte anna Gould, Mouograph of the Trochilidiu, Pt. XI, 1850, PI. 5; iiud Vol. Ill, 18(51,
PI. 135.

(B 105, O 27!), R 338, C 415, U 431.)

Geographical RANGE: Western North Anierii'H; north thronsh southerii and
middle California to abont latitude 41°; east to the Si>.ira Nevada; south to northern
Lower California and Cerros Island, and throu^ii southern Arizona; in winter to northern
Mexico. Casually ! to Guadalupe Island, Mexico.

The breediiifif raajye of Anna's lliimnnn<fl)ir(l, one of tlio linndsoniost species
found in the United States, appears to be a rather restricted one, and, as far as
kn(»\vn at present, seems to be confined to those regions of Cahfornia situated
between the coast and the Sierra Nevaxhis, and to the northern half of Lower Cali-
fornia. Quite a nundier of the.se birds winter regularly in southern Californiii,
while others j)ass, during their fall migration, through southern Arizona, and likely
also through southwestern New A[e.\ico, en route to their winter haunts in north-
ern Mexico. Mr. H. W. Hen.shaw met with Anna's Hunnningbird in the vicinity
of Camp Grant, Arizona, during the last week of Sej)tend)er, 1873, while they
were evidently migrating, and Mr. W. E. 1). Scott obtained a single speciu'en
in the Santa C.ttalina Mountains, in the same territory, on October 1, 1883.
If it sliould prove to be a sununer resident in Arizona, its nests and eggs must
be looked for in the canyons of the mountains at altitudes of from .^),0()0 to
7,000 feet. It usually returns to its breeding grounds very early in the spring.
Its general habits, food, etc., resemble those of the other si)ecies already rather
fully described, ai\d the breeding- season begins occasionally in February antl
lasts into .Fuly, during which time two, if not three broods are raised.

Mr. Charles A. Allen, of Nicasio, California, writ«'s me: "The male Anna's
Hunnningbird has a very nice little song; it may often be seen perched on some
prominent twig or a telegra})h wire singing away for tlear life. Its simi)le
little lay sounds like 'te-uit, te-uit, te-wieu, wieu, wieu,' repeated over and over
again, and when angry it utters a very harsh, rasping screech. In this vi(!inity
it is migratory, usually arriving about the second week in February."

Mr. F. Stephens se-it me the following notes on this species: "When I first
came to California 1 confused the females of this species with those of Trorhihifi
(ilcjraudri, and thought that Caliiptc (iiiiiii was a sunmier resident in the valleys.
Others appear to have made the same mistake. My |tresent belief is that <'alf)j)tc
anna seldom oriun'er breeds below the j)ine region of the mountains of southern
California, excej)t jjossibly immeiliately along the coast, and of this I have no
certain knowledge. I do know the species is found, though rather rarely, in
the pines iu May and June. It is an abundant winter resident in the valleys.

* ' . '^ .' *

ANNA'S HUMMINGBUtD.

207

Lately (September 27, 1892, at San Diego) I heard the song of this si)ecie8.
It was harsher than tlie song (»f Trorhilus ulcxnndii or Califj'te costte and eould
be lieard further."

Mr. RoUolI. Heck, of Henyessa, California, says: "Anna's Iluniniingbird is
acoiinnon sunnner resident here, and a few remain through the winter. 1 often
notice these birds hunting for spiders among the evergreen trees near my home;
they frecjnently visit the Howers about the houses in the valleys, and they also
have an abundance of wild ones to select from in the hills, from the time they
arrive in the spring until they leavcf in the fall. In March, when the Australian or
blue gum trees begin to blossom, this Ilunnner and the Rufus are very numer-
ous, chasing each other from tree to tree all day long; all the time uttering their
notes of defiance or hatred. Altlumgh somewhat larger in size than the liufus,
I believe the latter generally gets the best of it."

Mr. A. W. Anthony has kindly sent me the fcdlowing notes on Cali/pte
(tiuiii: "A nest of this species was found tat San Quentin, Lower California, in a
cliolla cactus growing witlnn a few feet of the bay. A piece of cotton was
pushed (h)wn over the eggs to i)revent their rolling out, and nest and all trans-
ferred to a box in my game bag. Upon arriving at my tent, an hour later, I was
somewhat disgusted to find one of tlie eggs pi})ped, and realizing the difticulty
of making a presentable specimen of it, was on the point of throwing it away,
when a movement on the part of the tiny creature within the shell suggested to
my mind that I hatch the egg and tind out for myself how baljy llununingbirds
conui into the world. So far there was but a phi point broken, the rest of tiie
shell being intact; and it was several minutes before the warmth of my hand,
aided by my breath, produced another movement upon the part of the prospective
Ihnumcr; first a feeble struggle, followed by an interval of rest; another scpiirm,
and tiie j)oint of the bill came in view and was withdrawn; after a moment's
rest a new system was adopted, which consisted of turning around in the shell
from right to left, and cutting a clean, smooth opening with the sharp, liorny tip
on the upper mandible; this ojx^ration was evidently hard work, and re<|uired
all the stnfugtli of the little mite, and fr(!(pu'nt rests were iKH'essary to recruit.
S<»metimes an interval of twisting seenu'd to accomplish nothing, and it woidd
look as if all its struggles would be in vain, and T wondered whether \\w. partait
would not render a little much-needed assistance at this stage; but after an
interval of rest the work would be continued Avith renewed vigor and another
millimetre cut ti>ward the outer world. The cutting was all done in the same
direction, and after about ten minutes 1 was oblige<l to turn the egg ovor in my
hand in onh'r to watch the proceedings, as by that time the opening had l)een
cut al)ouf half way around, bringing the chick's bill nearly underneath and in

the palm of my hand. When the shell had been cut f

our

-fiftl

IS aroun<

1, th^

chick succeeded in getting o\w claw hooked over the edge of tiie bresik, and by
one or two vigorous pushes broke the remaining shell, leaving in my hand two
nearly ecpial jmrts of what had been a Ilunnningbird's egg, and a sipiinning
something that bore no semblance whctever to one of the peerless mendiers of

■4

4

1 3

■•!

u

11

w
1 1

w

,^1

1 i\
It

■in

208

LIFK UISTOlUKa OF NORTH AMEUICAN RIHD8.

n:

-JM'^lit:

tlio ffcims rrt////>/r. Tlin (fiitire operation of liatcliing^, from tlio tinu' I diHcovcied
that tho M<i;4' was pipped, consuinod about fifteen iniuuteH.

" In Lower ('alifornia the nestinj? season extended from .lanunrv to June,
and perhaps hinjjer. One of tho nests found by mo near my camp at VaUadares,
Lower California, was built within 8 feet of a blacksmith's torjre, where the
smoke constantly obscured nest, bird, and all; but tho structure was finished
and the eiyi's laid in spito of the noise and confusion."

Besides spiders, small insects, etc., and tho nectar of difToront kinds of flow-
ers, Anna's IIunnnin<rbird is said to bo extremely fond of the sap of tho willow
(Salix larioh'pis), and it has also been observed hoverinj^ about tho punctures
made by the Rod-breasted Sai)su(!ker (Sphi/rapicu.s nihvr) in fruit orchards.

Nidification, as already stated, bejfins very early in (/'alifornia, occasicmally
in .January, but more often in February, and, as a rule, but few of the first nests
are found. The second setf find their way into collections more fre<]Uently,
however, and tho seas(m for these is at its liei<;ht in April or the first half of
May. At this time they retire farther into tho foothills and nest mostly amonj;'
the shrubbery along tho numerous small creeks found in the canyons of the
mountains, followin<r uj* tho flowers, in which they find a con.siderablo portion
of their daily food, and wiiicli usually bloom somewhat later in such localities.

The nests of Amia's Hummin<ibird also differ somewhat from those of tho
previously described species in their jifeneral make-up, and can in most cases
be readily di.stin<>uisiied from them. The inner walls are likewise composed of
various kinds of plant (h>wn, that found on the under side of the leaves of
sycamore being- jjcrhaps most frequentl)' used, while willow and thistle down
enters less often into their composititm. Some of the early nests are almost
entirely compt)sed of tho flowers of the J^uvali/pfioi, the Australian gum tree.
Tho outer walls are covered with soft green tree mosses and lichens, principally
the former, and these are held firmly in place l)y sjtider webs and cocoons. The
inner cup is lined with fine; plant down and a few soft, fluffy foatlu-rs (apparently
those of the fi'male) and occasionally with fur. A well-preserved, average-sized
s}tecimen, taken near 8anta Cruz, CalifV>rnia, on May 14, 1872, measures about
1§ inches in outer diameter by 11 inches in height; the imier cu}> is I inch in
diameter by five-eigiiths of an inch in depth; while one khul'v sent me by Mr.
C. Barlow, of Santa Clara, CJalifornia, t«ken by him on February 11, 1894,
containing two slightly incubated eggs, has much thicker walls and is profusely
lined with soft feathers of the Western Bluebird. It was saddled on u hori-
zontal twig of a cypress altout half an inch thick and 15 feet from tlu^ ground.
He writes: "This was the first Anna's Ilununiugljird's nest found by me in
1S!I4. On the same day several pairs were seen and one pair was found to be
building on the remains of a last year's nest, which contained fresh eggs on
February 21. At this season of the year it is usuall • rainy; the smi generally
rises bright, but is soon obscured by clouds. 1 noticed that a large majority of
these early nests were built on the east side of the trees, which aj)peared to mo
as being done perhaps so as to catch the rays of the sun while it shone for por-

f. ,•'

ANNA'S JIUMMINGBIUD.

209

liapa fill hour. Lat«'r on tlie iwntH wore I'liilt uliiiost iinywlion\ As a nilo, the
early iriiiiiniorH liero l)uil<l in (•y|)rl'^ss (ottcii i-alloil 'ci'dar') troes, and the nosts
aro usually linod with Icatlu-rs. 1 suiJixiso this is due to tho lack !)t voffutahh)
down, whi<'h is ])h*ntit'ul later, for I have never found a late nest lined with
feathers. A nest found on February 22 was linetl wih red cow hair and looked
(juite odd. Other of tlie.sc early ni-sts were lined with Western Hhuthird's or
Western Holtin's feathers, while one i-ontained a large feather of some Owl."

The nests are most often i)laced on low branches or twifjs overhan<fin}^
watercourses, in sycamore, mai)l»!, cottonwood, alder, or sumach trees or Itushes,
at no great di.staiu-e from the water; and again they may be found in cypress,
Australian blue gum, elder, box elder, and in orciiard trees, such as orange, peach,
and plum. In I^twer California Mr. A. W. Anthony found it also nesting in
(holla cactus. Nests are sometimes placed within a foot of the ground, and
others fully l\'t feet up, the average being from S to If) feet. They may be
saddled on a small, drooping limb, or jdaced in the forks of small twigs; in
eitiier case they are substantially built structures and well secured to theii
surroundings.

Only two eggs are laid to a stt, and these, likt^ all Ilununingbird's eggs,
are (lull white in color and elliptical oval in shape. Incubation lasts from four-
teen to si.\tt'en days, and the mal;' 'Iocs not assist in this duty.

The averag(? measurement of twenty-foin- specimens is l,'i.21l by S.7(! milli-
metres, or alxait 0.52 by 0.34 inch. The largest egg measures 14.2:.! by H.H!(
niillinn'tres, or O.ot! by 0.3") inch; the smallest, 12.70 by 8..'5S millimetres, or
O.i'jU Ity 0.33 inch.

Tiicf type specimen. No. 21748 (not figured), from a set of two eggs, Hen-
dire collection, was taken l)y llr. William A. Coi>per, near Santa Cruz, ( "ali-
fornia, on May 14, 1872.

73. Selasphorus floresii (rouLu.

FIA)ltKSrs nUMMlN(iblKI).

iSvlanphonts ^liorcHiHiovt,n, Moiiogra)ili of the Trocliilidic, Tt. XXlll, Si-ptember 1, 1801,
JM. iu; and Vol. 3, 1801, I'l. Kt!t.

(H — , C — . n — , C — , U 4.U.I.)

Oegokai'IIICAI, RAN(fE: 8oii til Western Mexico, Jalisco, and Oa.xaea; a('ci(U,'iital to
Calit'urnia.

Floresi's I[uinmingl)ird or Flame-bearer, an ex([uisitely jilumaged species,
can be considered only as an accidental .straggler within tlu^ liorders of the
Unit(Ml States, and still remains very rare in collections. It was olitained at
iJolanos, Oaxaca, Mexico, in 184.5, and remained unicpie for .-some time. More
recently it has been reported from the State *" Jalisco, and Mr. Walter K.
Bryant found a specimen in a taxidermist's shop in San Francisco, Califoniia,

ItiSyU-No. 3 U

.S

4

.1;

- ..1 1
( {

, 1

..! i

.■ ! *

Mf

1

\ ' 1 '.

■ ■ ' ,

a

■ i

■

•' '^

S :

'ill

'i'l

( 1 •■

!■■•;

llii

n. ■

f.' .

. i '

:H'V

-m

:> »J'..---

> <

210

I.ilE lilSTOUiEa OF JJfOKTll A.MKKICAN IJlltUS.

wliicli IiimI hi'L^i iiKmutod as a hat bird; lie waw assured that it lia<l boon killed
lu'ar tiiat city, wliii-li eiititles it to a place in otir fauna.'

Notliinji' a[)j)ear8 to be known as yet reyardinjf the lite histiay of this luuul-
some Hpecios.

74. Selasphorus platycercus (Swainson).

HROAD-TAll-Kl) Hl'MMINCiltlKD.

Trochiliiit plntjivetoiiH HwAlNsoN, Philosopliical Magazine, I, 18^7, 441.
ScliinplioruK plati/cercuM BoNAi'ARTK, Conspo^tus Avium, I, IH,")(», p. H'2.

(W 104, O 278, 1{ a;j», (J 413, I • 4;{l'.)

(iEociUAriiirAL KANGE: Mouiitaiu reRions of wi'stcrn Xortli America; iiortli in tlip
railed Stales to Wyoniiiijf and Idaiio; east to tlie eastern slojies of Die lioeiiy .Mountains
iuid iidjiieeat ranges in Colorado inid New .Mi^xico; we.^t to the Sierra Nevada and western
Ari/.iina, as well as in the intervening regions; south througii Ari/.inia, southern New Mex-
ico, and western Texas, over the Mexican tublelantls to Uuateuuilu, Central Auieriea.

Tile iiroad-tailed or Hocky Mountain Huiiiiiiiii<|i)ird is pretty peiienilly
distributed tiiroufiliout the various iiiountain .systems bc^tweeii the eastern .slopes
of the Hocky Mountiiins and the Sierra Nevadas. It can only be considered
as a suiniiier resident in the United States, retiriiiji' over the table-lands of
Aloxico southward to (Juateinala in winter. It usually iiuikes its appearance
aloiiji" our sdutliern border in Arizona and Xew .Mexico early in March, and
returns south in tla^ lattcM- part of Septeinlier or the l)e<fiiinin<i' of October.
As far as yet known, it reaches tlu^ northern limits of its ranji'e in southern
Wyomiuj;' and Malio, and is an exceedin<>'ly aliundant species throufihoiit the
mountains of Nevada, Utah, (J<dorado, New .Mexico, and .Arizona. Tlie Sierra
Nevadas seem to form the western boundary of its raii<i(', and it apparently does
not occur west of these mountains in ("alifornia. In .hiiie, lcS7(>, while eu route
from Camp .McDermit, Nevada, to Camp Harney, Orefion, I oliserved several
IIuinmiii<>birds aiiion<?the willows beside a little brook aloiiji" the southern slopes
of Steen's .Mountain, in southern Oreji'on, which I am almost certain belonged to
this species, but not l)ein<;' jirepared for collectinji-, I was unaiile to sectiire speci-
mens. Dr. ( ! Hart .Merriam records a specimen taken at liiji' Hutte, Idaho, which
is located in alioiit the same latitude, on July 1!>, ISIK), and 1 have no (haibt
that its raiific will yet be extended into southeastern Ori'^i-on. I also met with
this species as a rare summer resident in the foothills of the Santa Catalina
Mountains, in scaithern Arizona, and obtained a siiii>le nest contaiiiiiiu' two
nearly fresli eji'ji's, placed on a small c<ittonwood twij>' in a caii\oii, alioiit I) feet
from the j;Tound, at an altitude of about 4,<S(H) fcMst, on .hiiie 11, 1872. It did
not apjiear to breed in the valley of Hillito Creek.

In eastern Colorado it appears to be the only representative of this familv,
and is exceedingly almndant. Mr. W. (1. Smith writes me from Larimer ( 'oiiiit\',
in this State: "The Broad-tailed Hummer is couimon in the mountains from

'Foiest iiiid Strcimi, Veil. 'M, p. 120.

":;;•■ r-

THE BKOADTAILED HUMMINUUIRI).

211

7,000 fiset up to timber lino, uowtinpf almost ovcrywlu'ro lK*t\v(>t'ii tliose i)ointH;
ami a \ar<i:(i \niw truo srcMiis to answer ecjiially well lor a nestiii;,'' site as a small
hush. Ill tre((s the nest is frequently saddled on a larj^i^ lind>, hut it is more
often placed in low bushes, particularly on willow branches overhan;;injr water.
The male has a curious hal)it of tlyin<( up almost perpendicularly, 100 feet or
more, in the vicinity of the selected nestin<»' sit»!, and he fn^piently repeats this
|)erformance three or four times in succession before alijfhtinff on some dead
limb. The female is very loath to leave her e<ifgs, and if driven off will return
a<iain directly, even thou<ifh the intruder's hand is placed within a few inches of
the nest."

As far as my limited ob-servations go, all of our llunnninjrbirds in<lul<;e in
this p('r[)endicidar tlif^ht durin<r the nestin<f .season, and not a few of the nests
were found by me while watchin<f these birds <;-o throu;ih this peH'ormance,
which is ni>t ahme confined to the male; the femah^ also does it. On the first
arrival of this species in the sprinjr it is comparatively couunon in the lower
foothills and valleys, and nn(|uestionably breeds here. I5y the time the yonnf;^
;wv hw'^v (Miouji'h to leave the nest tlu- majoi-ity of the Howers have ceased
liloiiminj"', and as the c(»untry bej^ins to dry up more and morethe.se Hunmiiuj'-
i)irds retire to lii(>her altitudes in the mountain parks, where everythin<;' is now
as j-reen ami ia'ight hiokinji' as it was in the lower valleys two or three months
earlier. Here they raise their second broods inidi"' nearly similar conditions as
the first; the former are by this time well able to take care of themselves and
can be seen frolicking' about everywhere, 'i'hese vertical mijirations, if they can
be called such, frecjuently account for the entire disappearance of certain species
in summer from localities where they may have been exceedin<r|y numerous a.
couple of months earlier, and the {j'radnal dimiiuition or actual scarcity of fiie
food supjilv plainly accounts for the sudden chanj;(^ in tiieir lial)itat.

Mr. Kobert Uidji-way writes: "'rheHit>ht of this Hmn!iiinjil)inl is unusually
rapid, and that of the male is accompanied l)V a curious screechini"- buzz while
it is followed throujih an nndulatinj>' course. \j(t\\<r before the author of this
curious sound was detected its source was a Tnvster\- to us. This shrill, scri'cch-
inji' note is heard only when the l)ird is passinji' rapidly throuyli tlu^ air, for
when hiiverin<>- amon<i' the Howers its Hiijlit is accomi)aiiied liy oiiiy tlie usual
umrtled hum couunon to all the sj)ecics of tin* family."'

Accordinjj- to Dr. C Hart Merriam, the Ihoad-tailed lluiiniiei' is very al)un-
dant in the balsam belt and the upper jjarts of tluf pine belt in the San Francisco
I\Iouiitain re}>ion in Arizona. In "North America Fauna," No. 15, 18!t() (p. !l,'{),
he says; ".\ nest containing- two nearly tledgeil yoiuig was found on the linili of
a I)(mi>las fir, abcmt 4 feet from the ground, July 31. The ])rincipal food plant
of this Hummingbird is the beautiful scarlet trumpet flower of I'liitstcmoii
liiiihiitiifi torrci/i. During the latter part of August and early September, after it
had ceased tlowering, these birds were most often seen in the beds of the large
lUue Larkspur (^l)clphhtiiiin scopulorum). They wake up early in the morning

'I'. .S. Oi'uloKlcal KxplorotiouN of tlie 4()(li I'aiallol, 1K77. p. Ml.

r

'm

• . „ » ■

:*

! ! i, ■

■■3

I!
I

i

I

It'

fi'

•11

' -i

w

i

.'Hi
It

m

ii

t u
•'HI

i.l

if.:-;

212

LIFK UISTOUIES Ol' J(OUTU AMIiKlCJAN UlUDH.

iiiid jii> to water lit iliiylitjlit, in> iiiutter liuw rold the wi^iitlicr in. I)iiriii<i' tlio
iiiiiiitli of Aii^riiHt, and partii-iilarly tlic Hi'Ht lialt' oi' the iiioiitli, wlicii llic iiioni-
iiiji'H were often froHty, liumlrodH of tlioin I'linio to tlit- s|)riii<f to drink and Imtlici
at lircak of day. Tlicy were liko a hwiiiiii of hccs, Imzziii}; iilioiit one's head
and dartiii}{- to and fro in every dircetion. 'I'lie air wiih full of tliem. Tliey
would drop down to the water, dip their feet and iiellies, and rise and shoot
away as if propelled by an unseen power. 'I'liey would often dart at the face
of an intruder as if lient on piercinj^ the eye with their needle-like Jiill, and
then poise for a moment almost within reach hefore turniiifj', when they were
iij^ain lost in the busy thronj;'. Whether this net was prompted by curiosity or
resentment I was notable to aseertain. Several were seen at the summit of the
mountain duriii;{' the latter part of Auf^ust. I'hoy were found also at the (Jriiiul
I'anynn of the (Joloriido September 12 to 15. They bej^aii to leaxi? the moun-
tain diiriiifj the first week in September, and none were seen after the middle of
the month."

The Howers of the St i()i>hiil(tiiii, (kotilla, Af/iirr itiiivtinnid, miv' numerous
others, have {j^reat attractions for them owin<f to the iiuantities ot small insects
which they harbor. In the more southern portions of their ran^e nidilicatiini
comineiices late ill April or the be<rinuin},''of May, but most of thes; early sets are
j;enerally overlooked, while the second sets are usually laid alMtiit the first two
weeks in dune, and nestiii<i; continues tlirou<f|iout duly in portions of their ranji'e.
Mr. Kobert Hidgway obtained two nests of this species with e^';is in I'arley's
I'ark, I'tah, on .Fuly 23, 18(!9; they were }daced in willows •••rowiny beside a
stream.

Nests from diHerent lo.-alities vary considerably in make-up as widl ..- in
size. Nests saddled on <>'ood-si/,ed limbs, like those often found in the moun-
tains of (Colorado, are occasionally almost as larjic aj^ain as others ]»lac('(| on
.small twifjfs. One now before me. from the Halpli collection, taken by Mr.
William (i. Smith, at Pinmvood, ('olorado, on dune 2.'!, 181)2, measures 2 inches
in outer iliameter by lj| inches in depth, while one taken liy Mr. Hidgway, in
I'iirh'v's I*ark, Utah, on July 23, 18(51), measures cmly 1§ by 1 inch outside
measurement. The difference in size of the inner cu[)s of these two nests is even
more noticeable, the former measuriii}'' 1 inch by three-fourths of an inch, the
latter threi'-fourths by one-half of an iiudi. While the walls of both of these
nests are mainly composed of willow or cottonwood down, their outer covering-
is entirely dissimilar. The outside of the largcM' one is profusely coNcrecl with
small bits of li(dieiis, like the ne.st of the Ruby-throat; the smaller one is deco-
rated with shreds of bark, fine leaves, and dry plant fibers, reseiiiblin<;- more
the nests of (Costa's llumminjifbird in this respect. The radical difference in the
ap])earance of the nests is far {>reater than my simple description would indicate,
and the specimens themselves must be seen to have this diffei-ence fully appre-
ciated. There is no dou1)t whatever of the correct identification of both, but
their ne.sts evidently vary j,^reatly in diflereut localities, and while frequently
one can form a pretty yood guess as to what sjiecies certain llummingbird.s'

TIIK iniOAlJ-TAlLUn IIUMMINOJUUI).

213

iu>stM lit'loiij;, in tliis iiist.'iic*- iii IciiHt it wimiIiI Ik- iiii|iiissil)l)' to form ji curri'ct
idcii tVnin tlif iM'st mill c^^u's ulonc, without olitiiiiiiii^ tlif parnit. 'I'lic iiiiu r
liiiiii;;' ii|)|i*-ars to lie i'oiii|io»( il entirely of willow or eottonwood down, and none
ot" the NpocimcnH iu't'orc nie contain even a siiij»'l<> fcntlicr. 'I'lic outer covcrin^i'
or tliatcliiiifi' is lirndy securcfl to the walls of the nest with spider wei)s or silk
fi<»ni (H)coons. 'I'lie majority of the nests of tin- Ih'oad-tailed llunnnin;"i)ird are
placed on low, horizontal hrauches of willows, ahlers, cottonwoods, etc, at no
{^reat lieij;ht from the ji'iound, or overhanffinjf small mountain streams, while
others are saildled on liouj^hs or lindts of pine, fir, spruce, oi' aspens, from 4 to l."»
feet fntni the }>rountl, rarely higher. Occasionally a nest may Ite placed on a
curled-u]i piece of hark or on a splinter of a broken lindi. 'i'he lenjjth of incu-
liation is proltahly the same as that of our other species aliont which somewhat
mor(^ is known, and two if not three broods are rejiularly raised in a season.
The ejiffs, two in lunuher, reseudde those (»f the Uuhy-throat in every respect,
i)nt are a trifle shorter.

'I'he averaji'e measurement of tifte<'n specimens in the liiiited States National
Museum collection is 12.71) by H„'{3 millimetres, or about O.oO by ().3.'{ inch.
The larj.(nst ejjffjf measures 18.21 by H.iiS millimetres, or 0Iy2 by ()..'i.'{ inch; the
smaUest, 12.1!) by S.l.'S millimetres, or ().4H by ().;$2 inch.

The type specimen, No. 2<!71);J (not (iffured), from a set of two e;i';;s, Italph
collection, was taken in K.-tes Park, ('(dorado, on .June It), 1S92. The nest was
placed in the forks of .i willow twiji', 4 feet from the jiround, neai" the banks of
a little mountain brook.

75. Selasphorus rufus ((Lmkun).

KUKOl'S lUMMlXOUIKO.

Tntrliihis nifun (Imklin, Systeinii Natnrn'. I, i, 17.S8, 4!)7.
fitUii<2>liuniii riij'un Goi'LU, M<m();,'i'iiiili of tlii'Trocliilidii-, III, I.S."»2, IM. l.'!7.

(|{ im, C U77, K .{40, C 411, IJ I.W.)

(ii'.ooHAl'HicAL KANUK: WcstiTii North AiiuMU'ii; north lhioii;>li I'.ritish Coluiniiia
to aliont latitude <il' in southern Ahisiiii; east, in t\u'. rnited Slates, to the eastern slopes
of tiie lioeky Mtanitains I'loni Montana fhroufjli ('ol(Hii*lo to New Mi-.xieo, us well as in the
interveiiiii};- ie}i;ioiis; south throa(;li California, Arizona, .southern New Mexicct. western
'I'exas, and the talile-lands of .Mexico; in winter to Vera (Jruz and Oaxaea, Mexico, iind
liower California.

The Uufous llunmiinffbird, also occasionally calleil "Hufous-backeil," "( 'in-
nanion," and "Xootka" Udimniufibird, ajipears to be the most widely distributed
species of the Trii(liili(l(c fotnid on the North American continent, extending- at
least over 4t)'' of latitude. It reaches somewhat farther north than the b'liity-
throated Ilunniiinjibird, and apjiears to be a tolerably common summer resi-
dent in .southern Alaska, where Dr. T. II. Hean found it nestiii;^- in the vicinity
of Sitka on .lune !). It has also been observed somewhat farther north on the
•Vlaskan coast, in the vicinity of Mcuuit St. Klias, in aiiout latitude til ; l)ut

I

■if

■ i.

■'Oil

!-1 ;•

".'■1^

214

lilKK mSTOUlKH OF NOUTll AMKIfUAN lUUDH.

luiw tar it n-iiclicH irio tlic intcritir dt' tliin tcmtury is Hfill unknown. In
lli'itiHli ('(iliinihin it nuifrcs well into tlii' central partH of tliin province. Mr. |{.
Mac!' aria ne, to wlioni vn> are iialeltteil tor ho iiiitcli int'orniation re}rar<lin<>'Nortii
Aineri<'an ornitliolo^iv in tlie tar north, forwarded a nest and ejijrs, witli tlie parent,

totlit^ I'nited .States* Nati

.M

iseinn. Tliese were taken 1»\ liiin in llie \icinit\

of Kort St. .lames on .Inne KS iSMil, wliile en route to the llndson Mavt'oni-
pany's I'ost, on Stewart's Lake, in aliont latitnde .')4^' 40'. It is (piite likely tliat it
also reaches tlie province of Alixrta.as it is a moderately con nnon sinnmer resident
in northern Idaho, where 1 tonnd it iireedinfi' near Fort Lapwai on .lime 'JT, 1H71,
and Mr. K. S. Williams writes me from ('oinmltia Kails, Montana, that lie has
fonnil the WiiJ'oiis llnmmer in the valley of the upper .Missouri Hiver. Aloii^' the
eastern slopes of the U'ocky Moimtains it ai)pears to occur somewhat irrej;iilarly.
Mr. Oeiiis (iaie writes me that he saw a Hin^jle specimen of this lliimmer in
IJoulder ( 'oiinty, ( 'olorado, while Mr. William (J. Smith re|iorts it as rare in
Larimer ('oniity, hnt toleraltly conmion in Arapahoe County, in the same State.
Mr. Frank M. Drew rejiorts it as lireedinj;' in the h'ocky Mountains up to altitudes
of 1(),.')(>() fei't, while in the southern Sierra Nevadas it is e\-en common ahove
timlier line. In our Northwestern States, in Oregon and Washiii;itoii, especially
west of the Cascades, as well as in some of the mountain ri'yioiis of ( 'alifornia,
northern Arizona, and New Mexico, the Hufoiis Iliimminjjltird is a very cominoii
summer resident. I have never seen anythin;^ like such niimhers of lliimmin^-
l)irds as I met in the vicinity of Fort Klamath, Ore^roii, about the time this
species and the ( 'alliope Iliiumier passed throu<ih there on their spring;' mijrra-
tion. From the time the wild currant and <;oosel)erry Imslies (Itihis) lie^-in to

tl

oW(

V (and they jii'ow in ;;reat aiaindance amoiifi' the ojieii pii

le wo<M

is al

on

all the streams in Klamath Valley) they swarm everywhere, ami if they had
only stayed quiet lon^' enoiij;li to count them, I am sure as many as a thoii>.i'id
to the acre could have been found here; they remain Ncry abundant as Ion;;'

til

ese llowers

last. I never saw anNthiu"' like the

numbers anxwhere else,

Their constant iaizziu^' while tlyin^' from biisli to bush, about each of which as
many as a dozer were perhajis already hovering, and the jilitter of their brilliant

.1 1

pinniii^ie as they tiaslied liy, ciiasm;;' eacli other, was a si<^lit Ion;

to I

le remem-

bered. Few of this species a])peared to remain to breed; at any rate, I failed
in tindiii;^- a single one of their ne.sts here, altlion^h I searched carefully for
them. At Camp Harney, ( )re^dii, alon^' \]h' southern slopes of the Mine Moun-
tains, 1 found this species a rather rare summer resident ahm^- the outskirts of
the nine forests.

Mi

Rufous Hummer jiciu'rally reenters our southern
•1

bord

er earlv m

ch, passing' leisurely northward, and commences its winter migration a^^ain

from the more northern ))arts of its ran^'e about the 1st of September. I do not
believe that any nfinaiu within our borders tliiou<ihoiit the yeur.

In Oregon nidification begins occasionally by the second week in April,
and a nest containin<i' slightly incubated v^r'^s was found by Dr. Clinton '\\
Cooke, near Salem, Oregon, on April 18, 1H88, whilo iu nii(hlle Califoruiu it

TIIK UUF«.»U8 HUMMINOUIUI).

215

nt'Hts now and tlii'ii iinii'ly a iiuiiitli carlitT. \ s|i«'ciiiicii in my (-ollcctioii, taken
In Mr. (I. il. I{«'a(ly, at Woods Ija^^oon, ncai' Santa Crn/,, ('aliloiiiin, contiiincil
trosli i'iiinx tai March -T), lS7r». 'rin'on;,''lituit tlio ^n-atcr part ot' tluir ranjic,
cxct'ptinji' tile niort' nortlicrn portions, tin- iirf('(lin;f season is at its liei^ilit <ltn'ini;
the lii'st two weeks in M:iy and lasts well into .Inly, and two Itioodsare pmlndily
raised re^^tdaily, e\('e|)tin;;' perhaps in northern itritish Colinnliia and sontherii
Alaska. The nesting' haliits of the Unions llnniniin^i'liii'd are very similar to
those of the pret'edinjj- species, and their nostinj;' sites may l»e looked tor in low
hnshes as well as on hori/oiital lindm of trees at various distances from tin*

;rroun(l

One of the most complete and intercstinj;' articles on the life history of this
species is that of Mr. II. W. llenshaw, in "'I'lu^ Auk" (Vol. Ill, Lssd. pp. 7(!-7s),
who inclines to the belief that the majority of tht'so birds on the npper I'ecos
Uiver, New Mexico, breed in the upp<'r lindis of the pines, and, althon^jh they
were e.\ceedinj;iy abundant there, he only found a single nest, anil this only
after it had been deserted. I am also of the belief that in certain localities
thuy nest farther from the jiTound than llnmmin;;'birds usually do. The only
nest found by me in the West was at Kort I.apwai, Idaho, as already stated.
'This was saddled on a little. fork of a dry Cottonwood twi>i", overhanyin;^' a creek,
about 1') feet above the water.

Mr. A. W. Aiithonv writes' me: "I found the Rufous llummini'bird verv

ibnndant at Ilea vi-rtoii. Ore"'

on.

Hori' thev nesti'd to some extent in oak.>^

blackberry viiu'H, and on dry roots projectinjj from upturned trees. One nest
liiini;' fioin the end of a bill fern, while others, droopiiifi' over it from aliove, hid
the beautiful structure from all but accidental discovery,
however, seemed to be the loni'', ti'ailiii"' vines overl

Their favorite sites,

in^i'in;;' em

liaiik

meiits iiiid

upturned trees. A number were found in railroad cuts; freipiently several nests
were situated within a few feet of i-ach other, a slii;ht jireference lieiiiji' slinwu
to iMiibankinents havinj;' a soutlu'rn exposure. One nest was foiuid that had
been placed ou top of a last year's habitation, a mere rim beiii^i' built to raiso
the sides, and a flooring;' beinji added to cover up a larji'e jieblde that could be
]ilaiiily felt imder the cotton lining-. Fresh e^jfjfs were found here from .May 1

tod

line

Hi

Dr. Cliiitoii T. Cooke found me of their nosts, near Salem, Orejron, on a
droopin}"' limb of an ash tree, 20 feet from the f^round: others were found in

wa>

xberrv and blackberr\' bushes. At Table l{ock, in the Cascade Mouiiti

iins,

they were very aliundaiit on .hily ">, 1887, feodin<>- on a ('i)shllr/fii, in blos.soui
at the time.

Mr. |{. n. Lawrence met with the Rufous Tluminingbird in variiais jiarts of
Washino'ton, and writes me that it is very co

mnion

tl

WW.

II

IS ear

liest

record

was March J), when they had already .reached Ihvaco, in the siaithwestern part
of the State. [ii southern California this species was noticed by him near

Monrovia, on March <S, 1S94, and at Dnarte lie often saw K'lif

oils

II

iimiiiers

flitting' about the blossom-laden oranj>-e trees, in company with other llum-
niers, in an (achard situated near the foothills.

n^

r

I

■ i

I

Jlill

216

LIFE lllSTOlllES OF ^OUTII AMERICAN UlUDS.

-::!*^- ':

li*-

A( fonliu''' to my obscrviitidiis, tliis IIumnKM' seems to he especiiillv jmjjmi-
cions, and is fi])i)iirently more tliiiii a iiiiitcli for the f>tlier species witli wliicli it
conies in eontiict, even it' n triile lar-^cr than itself.

The nests of tlie iiiifous iruiini:!ii;>l»iril reseml)le tliose of Anna's very
closely in the ^fenera! miike-up, heinji' HikmI insiile with cotton down, while the
outside is more or less profusely covercfl with fine* mosses, shreds of bark, and
occasionally a few lichens. An avenijiM* nest measures lA inches in outer
diameter l)y \\ inclu's in (h'pth; the imu'r cuj) is alxiut seveu-eijijiths of an
iiu'h in wi<lth by one-half inch deep. No feathers, howexcr, are used in the
ini er linin<>' in any of the specinu-ns liefore me, as is frecpiently the ca.se in
the nests of Anna's Huunninjihirds. Beside the trees, siu'ul»s, etc., alreadv
mentioned, they are also occasionally placecl in cypress, iir, and other conifers,
wild currant, and salmouherry hushes. Mr. Clyde \j. KeMer, of Salem, Ore<fon,
rei)orts takinjf a set of thrc-e ejj'^j's of this s])ecies from ii nest in n l»lackl)errv
Itush, the only otiier instance known to me where this number has lu-en found
in a Ilununinfibird's nest, exceptinj;- tho.sc recorded uiuler TrurliUiin iih'.raniJit.

The e^i'^i's reseml)le tiiose of our other IInmminiil)irds in color and sha|te.
The averaji'e measurement of seventeen specinu-ns in the Unit<'il States Nationid
Museum collection is 12. (!1 by 8.40 millimetres, (tr about (>..")(• by (>.,"i3 inch.
The lar;.>('st v'^\i mciisures 13.4(! by S.G 4 millimetres, or ().");{ I)y ().;{4 inch; the
smallest, ll.!»4 l)y H.l.'J millimetres, or 0.47 by O.iV-' inch.

The type specimen, No. •2174,') (not lij^'ured), from a set of two eii'iis, l?en-
<lire collection, was taken by the writer near Fort Lajjwai, I(hUio, on Jiuie :i7,
1«71.

01:

76. Selasphorus alleni IIknsiiaw.

.\i.r,E\'s in'MMiNciinKi).

\l^\

'■■■m\\

Selanphorus (illeiii llENSllAW, Itullctin Nattnll Oriiitholofiicnl Club, II, 1.S77, 5.!.

(H — , (' — , I{ ;U1, (' Ul', U l.U.)

(■F.oonAriiif'AL ranoe: Western North America ; iiorih to soiitlieni Uritisli Coliiin-
l)iii; .soiUli tlnoufili Wiisliiiifitoii, Orcpiii, (.!alil'oniia, and soutlieni Ari/.oim; in wnUor to
northern Mexico anil Lower ('alitbiiiia ?.

'{'he rnuo'c of Allen's, also known as the "(iroon-backed," Hununinfrblrd is
not very well (h'tined as yet: this is mainly caused l)y its stronjf re.sendtlance to
the ])nM'edinji' species, makin<i' it a very diflicult matter to distinjiuish it positively
on the wiufi', and Allen's l!umininj;l>ird is und(ad)tedly fre(|Uently mistaken for
the Uufous. It appears to be only a suunner resident in the I'liited States and
liritish Colinnbia, .and its i)reedinjf I'anoc is coextensive with its distribution.
Alum's Iluunninjibird "was iirst discovered by Mr. Charles \. Allen, at Nicasio,
California, and was sui).se(piently described by Mr. 11. W. ilenshaw in the " Mul-
letin of the Nutt;dl Ornitholojiical Club" (Vol. II, 1877, p. h'.i). It is apparently
not nearly as connnon as tlu* Uufous liummin^^liird, and comparatively few spc^'i-
mens liaxe been taken outside of California. Mr. U. il. Lawrence records it

Al.LKN'S HUMMINdlUHn.

217

friuii Orav's Trarl)or, Wiisliini^ton, as a sumiiu'i- resident, perliajis as e<iniinon
•,\s Scl((si)lioni.s raf'iis, and I'reinKMitiiij;' similar places. He first noticed it on tlu^
cast lluniptnlips River, on April 30, 1891, ainou;^ salinonbeiTy :uid otlior flowiT-
inj;' bushes. He writes me that tlie Hdwards IJrothers, taxidermists, of 'I'acoma,
Wn.shin^ton, e.xhilti'^ed a mounted i)air of thesis birds and tiieir youuf^' in the
nest, taken in that vicinity, at the exposition there in October, iK'.ll. He also
met with it in dilfereiit localities in southei-n California. On AujiMist 11, 1S!I4,
he shot an adult female about (100 feet below flu^ sunnnil of Mount Wilson,
which he kinilly forwarded to the United States National Museum, and it wa.s
noticed by him as early as March S in the \icinity ol' .Moinvivia, Califoi'uia.

In sontheru ("alitbrnia it appears to be more a b'.i'd of the coast districts
than of the interior, and ivre it is also somewhat irreji-ularly distributed, beln;^
fairly abundant in some localities and ap])arently absent in others. Mr. W, Iv 1).
Scott records a sinj^-le specimen (an adult male) taken in the Santa Catalina
^lonntains, in southern Arizona, on July -.'5, 1S,S4, at an altitude of 4,,")00 feet.
How far s(»uth it raiij^cs into Mexico or Lower California durinj;' its mij^rations
is still \mknown, as no sjtecimens \\;\\v as far as 1 have been abh to ascertain,
\ ct been obtained trom any points in these re^i-ions.

In its f>-i'neral habits, food, etc., it resembles oin- otlu^r Ilumminji-birds. Mr.
F. Stephens writes me from San Dieji'o ("ounty, California: "The niijiratinff
season of Srlasplionis alliiii in sprin;^' is rather brief. Possibly a few of these
bii'ds breed in the ])ine ''^ifion, as I have taken adults and immature birds there
at the end of June."

Mr. Charles A. Allen, who di.scovered this species, and in who.se honor it
has been named, writes me: "Allen's Ihnnmiufrbird arrives in the \icinity of
Nicasio, California, about the middle of February, and conunences to lu'st soon
after arrival. The earliest date on which ! found one was Feliruary '-'7, lS7!t;
this was then about half finished, when a heavy storm set in which lasted about
fi\t^ days, an<l I did not visit the locality aj^ain until March S, when the nest was
completed and contained two fresh e^>fs. I have taken their nests as late as
July i5, and am well con\ iiiced that two broods are rai.sed in a season, at least by
all of the earlier brecdinjj;- liird.s. They .select all sorts of situations and various
kinds of trees and bushes to nest in. 1 have found their lu^sts as low as 10
inches and a^i'ain as hijih as IK) feet from the ^^I'ound. Tlieii' coui'a^^c is lieyond
(pu'stion; ! once saw two of tliesi' little \\arriors start aftei- a \Vestern IJed-tailed
Hawk, and they attacked it .so vii^orously that the Hawk was "lad to j^ct out of
their way. Hut these little scamps were even then not satisfied, iiut Indped him
alonfr after he had decided to }>'o. Fach male seems to claim a particular I'aufie,
which he occupies for feedinji' and breeding- purposes, and every other bird seen
1)\' him encroachiufi' on his preserM' is at once so detei'mineclly set upon and
harrassed that he is only too ^^lad to beat a hasty retreat. Durinji' their (piarrels
tlii'se birds keej) up an i'lcessant, sharp chir|iin<j', and a liarsli, raspin;^' buz/.infr
with their win^s, whi( ii soiuids very difVcrent from the low, soft huuunin;;' they
make with these while feeiliny. Fverv action aud motion at such times indicates

,.vJ

in

7. v'-ti

sfl

B

*

;l|il.

'mi

liJ

■rf*

Si

218

LIFE HISTOBIES OF NORTH AMKHK.'AN BIUDS.

that tlioy siro as mad as can ])e; this poor Anna Uuinnicrs havo to }^ut out of
thoir way |)ri!tty ([uickly at any time, l)Ut ospocnally wlioii thoy (Microach on th(nr
l)ri;e(lin<;' {frouiuls. Tlic males very ofton have (juarrcls amon<r tlienisiilvos, and
am tlion very noisy, while the females are more onh'riy and ([iiiet; hnt even
they have occasional little misunderstandinjfs with each otlier, especially when
a ])air meet while feedinj^' on the same bnsh; ono {fonerally vacates the prem-
ises v(!rv ([nickly, and as soon as sjie «hies all Ijecomes cpiiet a<>ain. DinMnj;' the
matinji' and Itreedinji' season the mahf fre(iuently shoots straijiht n]> into the air
and nearly ont of siii'lit, only to turn suddeidy and rush headlouf'' down until
within a few foet of the j^round. The win<^s din'int>' the downward rushes cut
the air and cause a sharp, whistlin<^' screetOi, as they descend withfrifilitl'ul veloc-
ity, and should tiiey strikt; anythiu}'' on their downward course 1 believe they
would be instantly killed."'

All tlu^ n«;sts and ejijjs of tliis species in the United States National Museum
were taken by Mr. Allen near Nicasio, California; one of these, now before me,
is attaciied to the side of a small oak lind) which turns abi-u]itly at an anjile of
about 4;")" directly over the cup of the ne.st, j»rotectin<jf it above; another is like-
wise attached to the side of a small pendant oak twij;', its Itase beinji' supported
by a bunch of moss. Some are securely saddled on small twifi's of raspberry
bushes, and several of these are usually incorporated in the walls of tlu> nest.
Occasionally they nest in hedges, on weed stalks, or on bushes overhangiiiff
water.

The nests are well and compactly built, tlu- inside beinj;' line<l with ve<feta-
ble down, while the outer walls are com])osed of green tree mos.ses and a tew
))its of lichens, securely fastened in place with a sjiider web. Nests built on
trees seem to be generally somewhat larger than tho.se found in l)uslies. 'I'he
average measurements of one of the former is l.J inches outer diameter and the
same hi depth; the inner cup is seven-eighths of an inch in width by three-
fourths of an inch in depth. On th<' whole they resemble the nests of Anna's
Ilummingl)ird more than th()se of the Knfous, and appeiir to me to be better and
more neatly built than either.

The vyi\}i!^ of .Mien's Hununingbird re.-<end)l(' those of the ot'ier mendiers of
this family in color and shajje, and are a triHe larger than those of the liufous
Hummingbird.

The average measurement of fifteen specimens in the Uniteil States National
Mu.seum collection is 12.7(i by S.oO millim(!tres, or about O.oO liy (•.;{;! inch.
The largest egg measures i;j.'J7 by 8..S',I milliuu'tres, or ().;").") l)y ((..'Jo inch; the
smallest, 12.4") by S.i;} millimetres, or 0.4!) by O.iJl' inch.

The type specimen, No. 27()l)!t (not figured), Ualph collection, from a set
of two eggs, was taken near Nicasio, California, on April 13, ISltJi.

' A vnry iiittircHtin)} ncriimit n( tlie Imliits of tliiH specicfi In captivity can lie rinmil m ;m iirtirli' by Mrs.
C. M. Crowt'U in the Oiuitliulugist mid Uoluglat ( Vul. 7, 1MK2, pp. 12ti-l'28).

TlIK CALLlori!: UUMMINGBIKI). 219

77. Stellula calliope (Oould).

CAIJ.IOl'K lUIMMINfiHIRI).

Trorliilus {Oalothoritj;) calliope (Iould, I'nH'.eediiigs Zoological Society, 1847, 11.
atelhilit valliope (rOULl), liitrodiietioii to tlit; Tioi^liilidii', 1801, 90.

(J{ — , C 2.S2, K ;U.'?, C U7, U 4;«i.)

(rEOOiiAriiK^Ar, UANOE : Mountiilnoits rcKioiis of western North Americiu; nortli (o
Hrltisli Coliiiiibia, Idaho, and Molilalia; oast to the Kouky Mountains; soiitii, llnoiigii ('al-
ifornia, Arizona, and Now Mexi('<t, over the table-lands, to tliii Valley of aMcxic^o and llu^
Htate of (liicrrero, Alexico.

'I'lic Ciilliopi' llumiiiinohird is tlic sniallcst of tlin Tmchilidfr i'mmd witliiii
tlio lliiit(!il Statos; Imt, notwitlistimdinj;- its(liiiiiiuitiv(i si/,i^, it is((uit<! luinly, mil,
• Ml tlin I'iiciiic Coast at least, it is toiiiul ii^ or 4^ iioi'tli of our hoiiniliiry. In
IJritisli Coluniliiii, acconling to Mr. .lolm Fiiuuiii, it is said to occur ou liotli
slopes of tlio CascadoH, and it will uud(iul)t<Hlly yot Ix; recorded from tlit* Prov-
ince of Alberta, as it is found liotli in nortliern Wasliinj;ton, Idaho, and Montana.
1 have taken it at Fort (!olville, Washinjiton, near the liiK?; and have seen it on
I'ond d'Oreille Lake, in Idaho; while Dr. C. H.art Mcariain took an adult female
near Fort Ellis, Montana, ou July 3, 1872, uliei'o it was uudoubtt^dly hreedino-.
Jlossrs. liichmoud and Knowlton obtained an immature bird on Au^-'ust 12, 1S88,
at Hear CrtH'k, and j\Ir. \l. S. Williams recor'ls a specimen from (lold Run, in
the Belt Mountairis, ou May 24, 1882; he writes me that he has also observed
it near ('olumbia Falls, thus showin;;- that tliis species is jtretty j^'enerally dis-
tributed over the more mountainous and western portions of tlus State of Montana,
'i'liese points, according to our present kiutwleilg<', mark the northern liiiiits of
its known raugcs. 1 have been unable to find any records of its oc(!urrence in
either Wyomiu"^' or CJolorado; but as it is known to be a summer resident
in various parts of both Utah and northern New Mexico, it will probably \et lie
found along the western slopes of the Rocky ilountains in these two States. It
is known to oc( .n- in the nnanitains of California, Arizona, and New Mexico, as
well as in suitable localities in the intervening regions, and as alreadv stated
extends .southward o\'er the taiile-lands of ^Iisxico. Its lireeiliug I'ange is coex-
tensive with its geographical distrilintion in the United States.

The Calliope ilummingliird is a mountain-loving species, anil during the
breeding season is rarely met with iielow altitudes of 4,(M»0 feet, and niiu'h
more freipieutly iietween (),'»()() to .S,00(l feet. Its favorite resorts are tin; open
timber found about the edges of mountain meadows and parks, and the ro(d\\'
hillsides covered here and therewith straggling pines and small aspen groves.

Mr. F. Stephens writes me: ''Slr/liihi idU'iojic is a rare summer resident in
California, at least as far south as the San Bernardino Mountains, where I found
two ne.sts ill IBS"). Kacli contained young recently hatched. The tirst nest was
found May 24, in the canyon of the Santa Anna River, at aiiout 3,000 feet alti-
tude, which must be exceptionallv low. The female was seen on the nest; it was
ilri-en off and shot, and the skin |ireserviMl, so that the identification is uiupie"-
tionable.

:f I

V-r

i.

Ml

if
\

1 ■■

V ■ ■ %

1 .

\' '\

1 ' 1

if : _ ■

3/ .

4 >{

ii

1 ..!■:

- '1

r ■!-

•'l^l

i 'I

I I

' ^V,' /i'

I - * '"

,. (

\m\

220

LIFK IIISTOKIUS OF NORTH AMEKICAN UIllDS.

"'I'lif iicst was built en an old nest of Tnxliilii-'i rasftr, wliicli is normal in cdin-
Itdsition and locafion. The second nest was found me 23, at al)out H,()()0 feet
altitude, iiu the soutlicrn side of A[ount (Jrayltack, tin- iiiji'licst peak of the San Mc!'-
nardino ran-^-c. It was l»uilt on a splinter of a knot, or short, broken branch, pro-
jectin;^' tVoni tlie siile of a lar^^'e cedar, about 20 feet from the jiTound, and also
«'ontained younj;' birds. 'I'lie parent was shot as she How from the nest, ai.d
preserved. This nest is ditlereiit from the other, and is ))rol)ably of the normal
tyjte. This species is not connnon even in the niifirations."

These are the most southern breedin<f records of which I have any knowled<fO.
Mr. Charles A. Allen has taken its nests near Nicasio, (California, and Mr Oharles
II. Townsend found it a connnon sunnncr resident on the McCloud Kiver; the
fu'st nest and ejij^s of this species were taken by the late ("a]>t. John Feilner,
First Dragoons, I'^nited States Army, on dune 4, 18'»!t, lu ar Pitt Kiver, Cali-
fornia, and these are now in the I'nited States National Museum collection.
Captain Feilner, who was an ardent ornitholoj;ist and o<)loj>ist, was subse(piently
killed l)y hostile Indians whili' in the jjursuit of his favorite study. Althoujjh the
Calliope IIunnninj>i»ird is cpiitc a common siniuner resident in suitai)le localities,
its nests and e;i<rs are still comparatively rare in collections. Hotli Dr. James
C. Merrill, United States Army, and the writer tbund this IIunnnini.;bird (piiti^
connnon at Fort Klamath, Orej^fon, wherc^ 1 took several of its nests and e<ij;s.
'J'wo of tile former have been fijiured in Mr. Robert Ridjiway's pa])er, "The
llunnnin<-birds," in the "Report of the National Museum for ISDO" (I'ls. 2 and
.'{), and a (|uadni])le nest of the same species taken by Mr. (!liarles II. ^J'own.send,
near Haird, California, a most remarkable structure, is figured on PI. 1 in the
sam(( publication.

The Callioi)e Ilunnner made its ap])earance at Fort Klamath in 1SS,'{ about
May II, possildy a few days earlier, or about tlui time tlu^ wild currant and
}poos((berrv buslii's began to blossom, and by the middle of thti month I have
seen himdreds in a morning's walk. While Srlasjihonis ni/iis was also (piite com-
mon at the same time, I believe this species outnund)ered it abtait three to one.
Alth<iugh I searched for their nests most carefully, several weeks pass(>d befon*
1 succeeded in finding one, and then its discovery was accidental. I had taken
((uite a long walk along the banks of Fort Crei^k on June 10, ami, the day being
a hot one, sat down with ;ii\ back resting against the trunk of a bu.shy blaek ])ine
whostf lower lind)s !iad been killed by fire; while resting thus one of these
llnnnners i)uz/.e(l repeatedly about my head for a few seconds at a, time, and
then rose ])er]iendicidarly in the air, only to rejieat the peiformance again. I
had no idea then that this species nested in pines, but in ordi-r to gi\-e me an
op])ortimity to \vatch its performance better I moved out from under the tree,
and a fi^w minutes later saw th(( bird settle on what I at first supiposed to lu^ an
old clump of pine cones. On looking do.ser, however-, I noticed its ne.st, wdiich
was ingeniously saddled on two small cones, auvl its outward appearance resem-
Itled a cone very closely. The nest contained two eggs, which were {'(Kisldei'ably
ad\an»"ed in imubation, and were not ilisturbed. Knowing now where to look

TIIK CALLIOI'K LCMMlNUlilKl).

221

tor tliciii, T liiid 11(1 t'lirtluT didiciilty in fiiulino- tlu'ir iiesfs, and all f>f those
()l)s('r\o<l by luc were Imilt in exactly similar situations. I siiccciMJcd in obtaiii-
iiifi' three sets of nearly Cresh efi'<;s, and I'oiiiid a niiinlier ot" other nests eontainiiiii'
youn<i- dmiiifi' the next tew days, 'riiey were usually placeil on or uf^aiiist a
dry cone on small dead liiiihs of /'iiiiis coiitorfd, from S to lA feet from tlu'
fjTound, and on aecount of the brittle nature of these limbs they were rather
hard to .secure. The nests, while outwardly not as handsonie as those of the
majority of our Tlummers, are nevertheless marvels of in<>eiiiiity, all those 1 have
seen mimickinji- a small dead pine cone so perfectly as to almost defy detection
unless one sees the bird fly on or ott' the nest. The majority iounil were sail-
dled on one or two such cones, or on a small limb and restiu}^ ajiiiinst the sidi's
of a cone. The outer walls are composed of bits of bark iuid small shreds of
cone, and the interior cup is .softly Jined with willow down. An avera^^c nest
measuii's about l\ inches in outer diameter by the same in depHi; the inner cup
heiiif;' three-(|iiarters of an inch in width by one-half inch in de])tli. The nests
wer<^ H'eiierally so jtlaced that the contents were protected by larger limbs or
<;reen boufi'hs abo\«', and at distances \aryin<4 from r» to 12 I'cet from tlu'
fi'round. One ] fountl had a flattened cone projectiiiff directly over it, resend)linji'
an opened umbrella. \\'hile bushy jiines seem to constitute their favoi'ite iicst-
iufi' sites in iiorthoru C'alifornia and ( )rej;'on at least, they do not invariably con-
fine tluMiiselves to such trei's. Mr. Shelly W. Denton took a nest of the Calliope
Ilumnier at Franktown, U'a.shoe County, Nevada, which is now in Mr. William
Ih'ewsti'r's collection at Caml)rid}ie, Massachusetts. Mr. Denton watcli<'il the liird
while building' it. This is composed interiorly of tine moss and willow down, and
the outer walls are decorated with tiny shreds of l)ark, iine tiakes of woo<l, and
ilakesof whitewash, fasteiU'd securely with coliwclis; it was placed on a knot in
a roi)e han^iiiij;- from the roof of a woodsheil and within f) feet of an occupieil
dwellin;^' liou.se. The materials out of which the nest is com|)osed closely assim-
ilate the ro|)e and knot on which it is placed. 'I'his nest coiitaineil two ('"ijis on
.luue f<, 1S87, thesis beiii};- deposited on alteriiati* days. The male was never
seen about the nest. The rope (one-third of an inch thick) hung down about 4
feet, so that every time the female settled on the rim of ihe nest while buildin<i'
she caused it to swin,u' back and forth like a pendulum. This s])ecimen. which I
have seen, does not resemble the nests taken l>y nie very closely, and the Cal-
liope; Hummer evidently attempts to mimic the immediate surroundin;.;s as nearly
as practicable. Mr. Walter K. Hryaiit records another, built •.:;,.. n a projectin}^'
splinter of a woodpile, at a heifiht of "> feet.'

'I'he only c'^'i^s of this species in the I'liited Stales National Museum col-
lection are those taken by the late Capt. .loliii Feilner, United States Army, near
I'itt Hiver, California, in .June, 1S,")9, and three sets collected by myself near Fort
Klamath, < )re<ion. 'I'hey resemble the ej;}is of our better known iluinminjibirils
in shajiu and color, but are smaller.

■llulletiu of tUo Cullfoiuia Aciulomy of Sciciu'es, 1M«7, p. 452.

-I [

1

'II III,

i-i :••;*! 1

222

MI'i; JIISTOIMES OF NOUTII AMKltlCAN BIRDS.

Tlic avcnijic iiicasiircnioiit (if cijilit oj^jis in tlio I'liiti'd iStiitcs National
.Musi'uni follcctioii is 11.71 l>y 7.!)4 iiiilliiiii'tri'.'^, or alxmt ().4() by O.iJl inch.
Tlic larj-cst (';>■}.■ nicasnn's 12.1!) Ity H.3S niiliinu'trt's, or 0.48 by 0.^3 inch;
the smallest, KMI? by 7.;57 inillimctrcs, or U.42 by O.'JO incli.

The type .specimen, No. 21737 (not li^ured), trom a set of two efffrs. Hen-
dire collection, was tukou by the writer near Fort Klamatli, Oref>on, on Juno
11, 1883.

W\\\y

78. Calothorax lucifer (Swainson).

J.UCIFER HIIMMINCHIRD.

VyniDiihuH lucifer Swainson, Philo.sopliicul Miipaxiiii!, 1827, 442.
Vulothom.r lueij'cr (lUAY, Ueiu'ia of Uirils, ISIS, I, ji. 110.

(I! _, O _, 1{ .J-U, (J il8, IT 137.)

(ii;(i(ii(Arni(Ai. ifANcii:: Table liimlH of Mexico, IVoiii I'lmbla aiid tlie Valley of
Mexico nortli ti> soutlicni Arizona.

We are indebted to Mr. IT. W. Tlensliaw for the addition of tlie Lnciter
irnmminjiliird to onr faima. He took a female of this species on Aiif^nst 7,
1874, near Camp Howie, Arizona, wlier(( it apjieari'd to be rare, and, as far as [
am aware, no i)tlier specimens have since tlieu been taken within our borders.
'Pile male reseiiddes (!osta's Ilummin}il»ird somewliat in size and j;eneral colora-
tion, so that it can scarcely be reco<>'ni/ed from it on the winji', ami mij;lit
therefore lie readily overlookeil by the averaj;-e collector. It ap})ears to be a
connnon species in the more sontiiern portions of Me.vico, amonj^ the table-
lands of I'nebla and on the bonlers of ihe \"alley of Mexico.

'J'he lat(( Mr. Bullock, in his "Six Months in Mexico," jjives a de.scrii)tion
of the nest and eggs of this s])ecies, and says: "They breed in Mexico in June
mul July, and the nest is a l)eautiful s|)ecimen of. the architectural talent of
these birds; it is neatly constructed of cotton or tlie (hiwn of the thistle, to
which is fastened on the outside, by some glutinous sub.stance, a white, fiat
lichen res'-ndiling ours.

"The female hiys two eggs, perfectly white, and large for the size of the
bird, and the Indians informed me they were hatched in three weeks })y the
male and female sitting alternately. * * * In .sleeping they frequently
suspend themselves by the feet, with their lieads downward, in the manner of
some jiarrots."'

The general habits of this species seem to resendde those of our better-
known 1 lummingbirds very closi'ly. There are no nests and eggs of the Lucifer
TIinmningliir<l in the cidlection, and I am therefore unalde to give measure-
ments; but, judging from the size of the bird, ils eggs should correspond closely
with those of ('(ih/jitr tuslir

'\ fiillur accoiiiit of Mr. ItiilUiik's iiapcr cm lliis HiiciicH ciiii be t'oiiiiit in Mr. Robert Uitlgway's i>aper
oil tlie nimiiiiiii(;l>ii(l», in the lieport cil' tlir Nalioiiiil .MiiHiiiim, 18tH) (pp. 360-362).

KIEFFEK'S lIUMMlNOltlKI).

223

7g. Amazilia fuscicaudata (Fkaskr).

KIKKFKU'8 ll(IMMIN(ilUKI).

TrnchUm J'uficicnwJatUH FuASKU, I'rocecdiiijjs Zoological .Society, 1840, 17.
Amuziim Jmcimudata Kidoway, Proceed in gs H. H. Natioiuil Miiseuiii, I, 1.S78, 117.

(B — , 0 — , It ;U5, (J 41ft, U 4:J8.)

fiEOOUAPiltOAL BANCiK : NortlitTH Houtli AiiR'rica.froiM Kcniidor and Culoiiibia. north
through Central America and eastern Mexico, to the lower Bio (irande N'alk'.v, Texas.

Kit'rtor's Iluinminrybinl, a foiuinoii Ceiitnil Anicricjiu species, cljiinis a ])la('P
in our fauiiii froiii tlie fact tliat a sino'le si)ecinieii has l)eeii taken at Fort IJrown,
Texas. Tliis was brou^-lit alive to Dr. James ('. ^[errill, United States Army,
lor examination, in .Fune, l.S7(!, by <ine of tlie soldiers, and a careful ilescription
of it was mad(! by the Doctor at the time, as the man wanted to keep it; but it
shortly afterwards escaped from him. As it has not been nbtained .since then
in the lower Kio Grande Valley, notwithstandinj;' the fact that consiileralde
c(dlectin<f has been done there, it can oidy be considered as a stra;;iiler within
our borders.

Mr. ('harles W. Uichmond has kindly fui'uished me witli the followiuL;'
interestin;^- notes on this species:

"AiiKizilid fnsricmnlotd is extnMiudy alumdant in the lowlands of eastern
Nicaragua. It outnund)ers in individuals all of the other (live) species of
numminf>'birds found in the same region. ( hi tlu^ Mscondido KMver this species
is confino<l to the lianana jilantations ami the shrul)l»ery around the huuses,
where it linds an abundaiu-e of food and good nesting sites. It is the [ilaiitation
llunnner, oidy two other species occasionally wandering intu tlie plantations
from the forest, which is the homo of the other sj)ecies. 'Pliis Hummingbird is
in([uisitive, like sonuj other Tluunners, and often poisi's 2 or .'5 feet from one,
changing its position on any conspicuous movement from the ol)ject of its ciiri-
ositv, antl when satisfied darts otV at great spee(l, uttering a succession of
shrill chii-ps. Its nest is frecpu-ntly ])laced in small orange, lemon, oi' lime trees,
near houses, 4 or ;"> feet from the ground. The bird selects any desiral)le site
foi- a. lu^st, in fact often buililiug it close to the end of the lind) of a band)oo
hanging out over the river or creek, and in this case usually G oi- more feet
above the water. The exterior of the nest is often covere(l with moss, which in
this damp region remains green during \\\v occui)ancy of the nest and for a
long time afterwards, giving it a very pretty api»earance. .V nest found in
( K'tober had just been deserted by the young birds, one found late in No\end)er
contained fresh eggs, (»ne founil about the middle of .biiuary containe(l eggs
nearly fresh, and another one found the sanu> day was in course of construc-
tion. The S])aniar(ls here call llummingl)irds 'garrion.'"

j\Ir. (Jeorge K. Cherrie, in his Preliminary List of tlie Minis '.f .Sjmi ,b)se,
Costa Hiea, in spi'aking of Rielfer's Hummingbird, says: "Tiie most abiuidant
species abtint San Jose, and, indeed, the most al>undaut species found on either

i-

Pi

'-Jf

I

'i. :
1

|i-

\k

Hi

If

:r*^'?rt

:t45i

llifli^

m

224

i-iri; iiiHTouiKs OK nouth amkhuax luitns.

ciiiist, mill lip ti> :iii iiltitmlc i>t' filxiiit (!,O0(> t't-ct. 1 liclicvc lluit tliis species is
iiestiiij;' ill every iiutiitii nt' tlu' Vt'iir. Nests are iisiiiilly pliiced alxnit If) t'ei-t t'roiu
the ^-ndiiid, in eitlier oraii^ic or lemon trees. A nest hefore me is constnieted of

some so

ft til

)er much resem

il)liiiji' I

leinp tow.

There are a tew lielieiis

covcriiif;-

the outside, and an iiiiiiT liiiinji- of a little; native cotton. The nest, somewhat
elliptical in form, measures 1.^ inches deep by "J inches loii;;' and H wide; inside,
1] hy so\cii-ei;^'hths l»y one-half inch deep. The two e^fi's, white in color and

ein

ptical ovaite in form, measure O.ri.i hy O.IM iiicli

Th

liciu

ral haliits of Wiert'er's iliiminin;;l)ird are ver\' similar to those of

our

better-known spi'<'ies. The nests dilfer soine\,liat in make-up; of the two
specimens before me, liotli taken by Mr. Charles \V. Ilichiuoiul, on December

•_'4, iSiCi, and daiinarv Ki, 1S!I'{, the first was sai

Idled

tl

u; eiK

1 of

a sma

II.

ilroopinji' twij;- of an allijiator ])ear tree, 4.] feet up, the nest beiii"-. partly sup-
ported by the ends of a iiuiich of leaves. The base of this nest is constnieted

f shreds of fine xcsretable fiber.

Th

and with a f

evv

of bits of (h'y fi'rass, and tlu^ w,i\U o

outer walls of this speciineii are well covered with f^reeii n
bits of lichens, the whole bein^' securely fastened with spider webs. The inside

The structure is a neat i)io('0 of bird archi-

liiied M'ith soft, l)rowiiish dow

IS

tectiire, and contained t

n.

wo

brolven e}i';;s w

lien found, it measures \\ inches in

outer diameter, and the same in luMji'ht. The inner cu|) measures se\eii-ei<^litiis
of an inch in width by three-fourths of an inch in depth. The base of the

second snecinu^n is coi

ni)osed of shreds of rcttei

I >\' I

fil

lers;

tl

lis

le walls an

built

lip of aiipai'eiith' sii

nilar but fiii(;i

aterial, am

I tl

ie\' are vvrv siiarmu'

^•ly

covered with shreils of ji'reeii moss, ijut more profiisel}' with small jii'Ilets of
white ])laiit down, held in jilace by si)ider webs, wliilo the interior is lined with

fine vegetable down.

Tl

II

ummiii;

'bird

lis nest resembles spe(;iii

neiis of the lilack-chinned

SOllK

what, liiit is considerably larger. The outside measurements

e the same as those of the ))iv('o<linjf, but the inner cui) is somewhat more

up

roomy; the outer walls are thinner and the cavity is .shallower; it was fastened
to ii fork of a droopin^i' bamboo twij;- lian^in<^' about 4 feet above the water of ii

eree

It

contained two nearl\- fresh e""s on ,lanuar\- KI, ISllii; these are nov

in the United States National Mu.seiim collection. They resemble the e}>-gs of
our ])etter-kiiowii lluiniiiii;j;birds, both in shape and color: ami nieasniH! l.'i.4(i
by !t.l4 and i;5.72 by S.(;4 miUimetres, or U..').'} Iiy O.iiC and 0.r>4 iiy O.iM inch.

The type specimen, No. 'ioSliJ (not fij^'ured), from a set of two e<f<f,s, was
taken by Mr. Charles W. Kichmonil on .lanuary Ki, IS",),'!, from the last described
nest, on the Kscondido Uixer, near Ml'uefields, Nicara;i'ua, and it would appear
as if this species actually nested in nearly e\'ery month of the year.

' The Aiik, Vol. l.\, 18'J2, i>. 326.

THE llUFFBELLli:i) IlLMMINliBlUl). 225

80. Amazilia cerviniventris (Joulu.

IllJKl'-llKLI.IKU IIUMMINCJIllUI).

Amiixilidi (riiiiinrenlriH (iovi.n, I'rofcediiips Z<M)l(){;i(;iil Siicit'ty, ISfllt, I.IO,

(U _, (! _, U 34«, C 4i;0, U J.!!*.)

(lEotrUArnic'AL ifANGK- Viilli'y of tlio lowiT Rio (iniiule in Tv.\;ih; south tlirongh
•■asti'iii Mexico to >'iciHH{?uiv, Central Aniciini.

'^IMic HiilV-lHtllit'd Hiiimiiiii;il)inl wiis also addctl to our fmnin l)y Dr. .Tiinies
(J. Mcnill, llnitod IStntes Army, who took tlio first s|M.'(iMU'ii w itliiii our borders
on tliu iiiilitiiry ri'servatiou of Fort lirown, Tt'xas, on Auj;nst 17, 1H7G. Since
tluMi it has Itccn ascertaiiKMl to 1)0 (luite a coninion sniuincr visitor in the lower
liio (Srande N'alley, and a nunil)er of its nests have l)een takeii tliere. It arrives*
in soutliern Texas about Ajn-il 1, and returns south in tlie latter part of Septeni-
lier or the liej^innin}; of Uetober. It is one of our plainest-eoloretl Iluniuiiiifi-
l)irds, and its jieneral habits, food, etc., iire undoubtedly similar to those of the
better-known members of this family found in the I'nited States.

Dr. James C. Merrill says: "The Burt-bellied Ilumminj^bird proves to be
an al)undant sununer visitor, and I ha\e nowhere found it so abundant as on tin?
military resi-ivation at Fort IJrown. llert; it seems perfecth' at home amon^i'
the dense, tangled thickets, dartinj;' rapiiUy anumg the bushes and creepinji'
vines, and is with diHiculty ol)tained. A rather noisy bird, its shrill cries usu-
ally first attract one's attention to its presence. A Ilunnner's nest, undoubtedly
made l>y this species, was found in Sei)tember, 1.S77, within the fort. It was
placetl on the fork of a dead, droo|!infi- twij;' of a small tret^ on the edf^e of a
path tlndu<"li a thicket; it was about 7 feet from the ground, and contained the
shrivi'led body of a younji' bird. The nest is nwule of the downy blos.soms of
the tree on which it is placed, bound on the outside with cobwel)s, and rather
si»arin<ily covered with lichens. In'ternally, it is somev.hat less than 1 inch in
de])th by one-half inch ii> dianu'ter. The external depth is \\ inches."'

1 have eiyht of these nests before \m\ all taken in Cameron County, Texas,
which are readily distini^uisliable from those of other sjiecies breedinfi- in the
I'nited States whose nests are known. They are composed of shreds of \v<xi'-
table fiber, thistle down, and an occasional specimen is lined with a \-ej;etable
substance reseinblin<;' brown cattle hair; but th(i majority are lin(Ml with thistle
down. The outside is covered with bits of dry flower blossoms, shreds of
bark, anil small pieces of liyht-cc.lored lichens, securely fastened in j)lace l)y
s|iider webs. The nests are neatly built, and are usually saddled on a small,
ih(io])inji' limb, (»r placed on a fork of a horizontal twiji', at distances of from 3
to S feet from the {ground. Small trees or bushes of the Anachuita (Cordia
//'(/s.s/V/v) ebony and hackberry seem to furni.sh their favorite nestiufr sites, thouf>h
occasionally a nest is found in a willow. An average-sized nest mi'asures 1||
inches in outer diameter by 1,^ inchcis in hei<;ht; the inner cup is seven-eij;hths

I I'rociiniliiigs Uiiitcil Stiitos Natiouiil Musoum, Vol. I, 1H78, pj). Hi), 150.
I(j«yt)-X<). H 15

'. > i •

iiffi

1

r

[p.

jillliw*'

■VMfllit:''

1

I

.;.■ ':'*<

22(5

Mil'; lllSTOUlliH OF NORTH AMKItlCAN lUUlKS.

of nil iiicli ill width liy liv*'-i'i<;'litliH of iiii iiirli in (lt'|)tli. Opni wiiuils siikI tlitt
(mIncm uI' cliapiirnil thickets lU'iir roads or ptitlis seem to lio |ii'ot«'rrcd tor piir-
|)<ts('s of iiidilii atiuii. I'roljuhly two broods art* raised in a season. The
earliest lU'stiii}; record I hiivt* is April 2i'{; the latest, .Fiiiie Ki. 'IMie ('f^fjs
resemble those of oiir better-known Unniiners in c(dor and shape, and appear
rather small tor the sixe of the bird.

The averajre measnrenunit of ei;^liteei; specimens in tho United States
National Museum collection is 1,'J.2.'{ iiy H.')? millimetres, or alioiit ().r»2 by O.iM
inch. The laiji'est e}>';i' measures 14.22 i)y 8.S1) millimetres, or (>."i(j by 0.^5.")
inch; the smallest, 12.11» by H.iU millimetres, or O.lS by (l.;{4 inch.

The type specimen, No. 2(iH()() (not figured), from a set of two ogys, Ual])h
collt'ctioii, was taken near Hrowusville, Texas, on May "J, 181)2.

8i. Basilinna xantusi (Lawkknci:).

XANTISS lll'MMIX(illlKl).

AmiKilia jiiiiliisi Lawkknc;i;, Annuls Lyceum, ^'(!^v York, 1800, l(l!».

llaniliiiiKi .laiitliimi Hi.Llo'J'T, ('liiHsiMciition ami Synojisis of tlic Trocliilidic, March,
l>S7i), l.'l*7.

(M — , C 273, U 317, (" 407, U 140.)

Gi;o(iilAPHiCAL KAN(ii;; Southoni Lower California, iiortli to about latitutlo -9°.

Xantns's IIniiimin<>l)ird appears to ))e confined to the southern half of the
]teninsula of I.,ower California, where it was lirst discovered by Mr. .1. Xantns
in the fall of 1S,')!>. It was desciibed by Mr. (Jeorjie N. Lawrence in April,
18GI), who named it in honor of its disccverer. Mr. Xantns <lid not eoinmuni-
cate aiivtliino' reirardiii'; the o-fiieral lial)its of this species, and iiothin<!: fiirthei'
was learned about it until Mr. ]j. Heldiiiif visited the same i'e;j;ioiis and obtained
its nests and e<i}>s, in the Himn}^- of 1882. Accordiuff to this •■•entlenmn, it is a
mouiitain-lovinji- species, in winter fre(|uentin<i' tlu^ canyons in close proximity
to water, while in summer it is distrii)iited throujih the orchards anil gardens,
where it nests.

Jlr. Walter K. liryant, in his "(!atal()<;ue of Birds of Lower California,"
states: "1 have found them only in mountainous country where there was abun-
dance of water, from (Joinondii as far north as latitude 29°. None were seen
uu the islands."'

IMr. lieldiiijic, in sjieakin;;' of this s]iecies, says: "It was common at the
western base of ("acachiles Mountains in February; more so, in fact, than
('uljijtU' co.ttfc. It was not (>l)served at San .lose until some time after my arrival,
tlioufjh it occurred in canyons only 2 or i5 miles to the westward. About the
last of April it was common in orchards at San .lose. While incubating' this
sp('cies is very confiding- and courageous, sometimes remaining upon the nest
until removed from it bytlie hand. A nest taken April 2i{, 18S-J, at San .lose,

' Prucoediugs of thu Culifuriiia Aoucleuiy of Sciuucos, aocoiid surivs, Vol. II, DiH'J, ]ip. HSV, 2'M.

XANTUH'H iniMMINCSHIKI).

227

was 1)

ItlCtMl

itl

iiiiiU'i'iHMitli an awiin

itf or sliailc <>t" lioiij'lis ami wccfis in tVoiit ^>^' a

t'ariiiliiiiiso. It was .siin'oiiiulfil hy duwiiv Iwads of coiniiosit*' plaiitM, and could

scam

tl

H* ilistnii>insh<'i| troin thcni, liavin''', as usual, hccii niai

1, l>

dci.l'

law cottdii.

'I'liis nt'st, wliicli is now Itctorc nic (No. iSafi.'J, I'nitcd States National
Musouin collection) is composed ext«'riorly of tine plant libers, thistle down, ami
shreds of moss, and theses are secureh' fastened into place liy spider wehs; the
interior is lined with thistle down and raw cotton; it measures aliont I'} inches
in outer dianu-ter l»y 1 inch in huifrht. 'i'he iimer cavity is larj^'e for the size of
the nest, measurinj'' 1 iiu-h in width hy (Mie-half inch in depth. 'I'he second
nest, No. lH')(i4, taken by Mr. Meldiufi- on May 7, \HH'2, in a canyon near
Santia^^o Peak, Lower California, resendtlcs the nest of tim Hlack-chimu'd
llunimint-hird somewhat, heinji' principally comjiosed of plant (h)wn, covered
on the outside with a few scales of buds, s»M'd capsules, fine shretls of bark fiber,
leaf st(Mns, and an empty cocoon, and these decorations are fastt-iu'd with spiiler
w«bs, while the inner cup is lined with plant down and other fine fibrous material.
This nest was saddled on tin; fork of a small twi};\ Its dimensions are about
tiie .same as thos(! of the first nest described, and like it is rather shallow.

The ejiji's res(Mid)le those of our l)etter-known Ilunmiinjibirds in shape and
color. The two taken from the first nest measure respectively 12.19 by 7.H7 and
11.!I4 by 7.H7 millimetres, or (».4S i)y (t.;U and 0.47 Ity O-'U inch; and those of
the second ne.st, 1 1.!I4 liy H.l.H and r_M!» ity 7.S7 millimetres, or 0.47 by (>.;{•_'
and ().4H by O.'M inch.

Till- type specimen, No. l.S,")(;4 (not fifiured), from a set of two ejijrs, was
taken by Mr. L. Meldinj;' on May 7, IS.S2, near Santiaj^o Peak, Lower California,
as already stated.

82. Basilinna leucotis (N'liiM.in).

WIIITK-EAHKI) HI :MMl.\(il!Il;i).

TrorliiluH liutotis Vii;ii,i,(tT, Kucydopcilio M('-tlio(li(|uc tl, .").">!».
liuKiHiuM leucotiii BoiK, Isis, ls;tl, 54)i.

(li— , C— , U— , (; — , I' Ul.l.)

(iEOCUAI'IIICAI. itANCK: Table liliuls of M<>\i(;o ami Central America; north in tlio
I'nited States to tlie hifjiicr mountain ranp's in southern Arizona; south to N iciu'a$j:ua,
Ceatral America.

'i'his iiandsome llummiiiofbird has only very recently been added to our
tauna, \h. A. K. Fisher obtaining;- a specimen on June 9, l.Sil4, in the Chiricahua
Moimtains, in southeastern Arizona. In writing of this capture he says:

"Duriufi' the early jtart of Juiu' a camp was made at Kly Park, a well-
wooded area southeast of the head of PiiU'r\' Canyon, at an altitude of alxait
10,000 feet. A Ijoreal honeysuckle {Ijiidirni iiivoliiiidtd) j^rows connuonly
ihrouf^h the scattered woods of sprue*' {I'ircti i)tfichii(inni), fir {I'scndot.siif/a tiixi-
J'iH(i), jtino {J'iniis aij(tcuhuitc'), ami as]ien (ro/iKliis fifniiildidcs). The flowers of
the honeysu"kle attract •i'reat nund)ers of Hunnners, and hundreds oi' Sclan-

m

.'I

it'-

If

i: i

niHs

II

228

UVK IIIHTUUIUB OF NOUTII A.MUltlCAN Ul\il)6.

I <«•:

. !4

I •■ 'Mill;

filnniix iiliiliirrrcKs niiil many Kiifinns fuhinis \\\\(\ Cn/ifiiiiii iliitiiiirin' vn\rv srcti
ilaily alxiiit tlin t'liiin|is. Karly on tlic in(irnin<;' nl Jnni^ I), in niin|)any witli
Mr, Frcil. Hall l''<i\vl<r, tlii' writt-r naw a I'fnialc Itusiliiinn Immtix wittin;;' nn a
(l(iailtNvi;>' III' a l.iniiiirti linsli, cluso tn tlu- trnmnil, wanning itrtcit' in \\w ray.s of
tlu! rising sum. 'I'Im- \vliit(' stri|H' on tlic .^idc of the Iwail wa.n plainly visihlc,
ami Icil to its spi-cily caiiturt'. Siil»Ht(|ii('ntly utlu'is wtic looked lor, but uono
were sct-n."'

Messrs. Salviii anil (lodnian say: "Tliis is one of tli< nnnoiiest an^l most

charat'teristir of the llnminin}>'l)irds of the hi<>'hlands of Mexico and (iualeniala,
itH ranjj'tt exteiidinj;' from the States of Sonora and Tanianliiias to the uplands of
Nicaraji'ua, liirds from these widely separated districts pi-esentin^i' no apprecialde
difference. Its rauj^e in altitudit is consiileral»l(3. It does not occur much lielow
4,1X10 feet ahove sea level, and thence reaches as hij:h as 7, •>(»(> or H,(HMI feet.
Oil till) slopes of the Volcan de Fue};d we used to fnid it not unconunouly in
open ji'lades of tlu! oak forests, where it took its I'ood from any plants that
happened to Ik? in (lower. Of the hreedinj;' hiihits of this species we have no
account, hut a three parts jjrown bird from Sierra de N'ictoria was shot by Mr.
IvichardsoM in .\pril; so that the nestin<{' time in that district would conuneiice in
March or the end of February. IJut the nestiu^i' .sea.sou proi)ably extends over a
(•onsideraide period, for l)e Oca says he once found a nest in l)eceud»er, thoujiii
tlu' usual uestin^i' time in the Valley of Me.xico, where the Itird is more conunon
than at .lalapa, is in .luly and August. Accordin;;- to N'illada it feeds from the
flowers of CiKt'i and Ai)(irr, and also from tho.st? of naiirdnlid and Sitlriu."

I have been unable to liud a di'tailed description of the nest and e;i>is of
this species, and there are no specimens in the I'nited States Natitmal Museum
collection.

83. lache latirostris (Sw.m.nson).

lll>'O.U>-iUl.,l.Kl) UI'.M.MI.N'dltlltll.

CijnanthuH lallnisfiiii Hwainson, riiilosophicul .MiiKaziac, 1827, IH.

lavhc lutirimlriK I'^i.Llo'ir, Classitication aixl Synopsis nl' ihe Tiocliilidic, .^lanli, I.ST'.I, 'SXi.

(]{ _, o — , u ;t4>s, c 4L'i, i; 441.)

(iEo(ii!Ai'irieAL i!AN(iK: .Moaiitaiiis of soutlicra .Vii/ona ami sontliwr'stcru New
.Me.xici); soutli to the Valley of Me.xico and Miclioacan, .Mexico.

The Mroad-billed or Circo Iliuniuinfibird a])pears to be a moderately com-
iiioii sununer resident in suitable localities in southern Arizona and southwestern
New Mexico, at altitudes from liJM) to 5,000 feet. It was lir.st added to our
fauua by Mr. II. W. Ilenshaw, who took two adidt males in the Santa Wita
Mountains, a few miles from old Camp Crittenden, Arizona, on August '2'.i, 1S7I.
Since then it has also been taken by jVIr. F. Stephens in the same locality, where
he secured li\c specimens, which are now in .Mr. William Mrewster's collection.

'Til.'. .Villi, Vol. XI, iH<M,i..;tL'.-.-:i2ti.

•Itiulogia t'riitnili Aiiivricuiia, Aves, \ol. II, .lul.v, ISlll', pp. Illll, ;U1.

in: iiituAM iiimj:i> iirMMiNoisiini.

2*Ji>

In H|ioakin;;- nl' tlicir ImliitH lie miivm: "'riwy won* iilwiiyH t<iiin<I iitnr wntcr, ami
iismilly iildii;; tlic "ttrciiins wliicli llowcd throiiyli ciiiivdiis, liiyli umniiji' tin-
iiiMiiiitiiiiis. Tlicy Mrt'iiicd to prct'ci' KXciiifiDrcH ti» otliri' trees, iiml iiniii'iiililv'
|iereluMl on (lead twijfH where they could connnand an open \ie\v. Tiieii' notes
were Hat, ami dilVei-ed I'roni those of other Hininners." '

Mr. W . v.. I). Scott suhseijuently extendeil its ranji'e northwaid to tlie Santa
( 'atalina Mountains. In his notes on the birds of Arizona lie makes the following'
I'eniarks ahoiit this species;

" Duriiif'' the sprin};-, si-n'mer, and early fall of \HH\ this was a rather com-
mon sjiecies in the ('atalina Mountains, from an altitude of .'i, ')()() to ,''),()()l) feet,
lint in the correspond in;;- .season of I MM,') tiio birds woro apparently rare. The
i»ii'(|H arrive at this point eaily in Api'il, the fith of that month bein;;' my eai'liest
record, when I took two adidt males. Tlu'V remain throii^jhont the sprin;;- and
sinnmer, leaxinji' liuan the middle to the last of Septendter. I took an adnit
female on.lnne •_'(!, 1SS|, that contained an nidaid <>;;•;;•, with shell nearly formed,
.so that there can be little donlit that the Itirds breed at this |ioint. Mesides, I
have the \inni;i' liirds in fnst plnma^i'e from .Inly 1 mitil late in .Vn^iist."

'There are also a number of spi'cimens of this species in the I'nited States
National Museum collection, taken by .Mr. K. \V. Nelson in the Santa Kita
Mountains and near Tucson, Arizona: and Ur. ivljiar .\. Mearns took a specina-n
in a canvon of the (luadalnpe Mountains, in southwestern New ^lexico, closer
to the internatitaial IxMuidary line, on August 31, 1S!I,'{, and another (Mi the
Santa ( "rn/. U'iver, west of the I'ata^^Muiia Mountains, near the Scana'a line, on
• luK 4, lS!»;i, both of which ari' now in the collection here.

Dr. A. K. L-'isher faili'd to tind this spocies in the Cliiricahua .Mountains,
Arizona, in the sprinii' of IS!i4, lint it inidoubtedi > occurs tli< re also. There is
a nest of this species. No. ITSlKt, in the I'liited Stato Nati(aial Museum colh'c-
tion, taken bv I'rof A. Duties at Ouanajuato, Mexico, and receixcd tVuin him in
.lulv, IST"), which measures 1.] inches in outtn- diameter by l'{ inches in hei;iht.
The iimer cup measures 1 inch in width by throe-fourths of an inch in depth.
l''or a lluimner's nest it is composeil of rather coarsi^ materials throuuhont.
These consist of tine shreds of l)ark and plant libers, mixed with a little linci'
\(';ietal)le down; the oiUside is decorated with narrow strips of bark, line plant
stems, bits of lichens, and a piece of white; cotton thread, these materijds bein;;'
covered with a coatin;;' of spider webs, which hold them securi'ly in |)lace.
Tile inner linin^i' consists of liner materials of a similar nature, and the entire
nest is rather loosely ])iit to^i'ether. This nest was sadilh'd on a fork of a slender
and drooping' twiji'.

Mes.sr.s. Salvin and (Jodinan mention another .spocimen, statin^-; "Senor .\.
Ilerrera describes a nest of this species which he found at ( 'himalcoyoc, in the
\ alley of .\|exico, as com|)osed of the .seeds of ^I.svVryy/Vf.s- InKirid, and placeil in
a plant of an Opiiiitid in such a manner that ii section of the plant shaded it from
sun and rain."*

I Itiilli^tiii Nuttiill Oiiiitlioliij;i(;il Cliili. Vol. VII, 1SS2, p. '.Ml
' lti(iliitj;iu Ceianili Aiuuricuiiu, Avu8, Vul. II, May, 18112, pii.

■

•1!

■I.

i;"

1:V

:-

' ill

. ;|

. .! ill

¥■■

m^

«|.V

■J i-t' I V .. .

1 f

iBi

230

LIKK IIISTOIUKS OK NOIJTII AMK1H(!AN lUHOS.

'riicn- arc no c^'^is of t is species in tlic United States National Mnsouni
collection, and 1 have lieen nnalile to find a descni)tioii or nieasurenients ot"
tluf same; Imt tliey inuloubtedly rei»enil)le those ot" our smaller Ilinumurs very
closely.

Family COTINCJIILK. ('otin(1as.
84. Platypsaris albiventris (Lawkkmi;).

XANTI'SS liKCAHO.

Hailronloiinin alhirnitris Lawukntk. Annals JivciMini, New York, VUf, ia(>7, 17r>.
I'lutyjimtrin athirviitrin ItindWAV, Manual of Niir!li American Jiiiils, l.S,S7, .llTi.

(H— «"— . I! — , O— , I' 4H.1)

(ii'.o(ii!AiMii('Ai, itANci;: Western ami soutlu'in Mexico; sonMi toYueiitan. CiusuiUly
nortli tt) the snutlu'i-n liorder of tlie I'nited Stales in sdutlieiii Ari/omi.

Xantns's lU-can. the oiiK' re|n'esentiitive ot'this t'aniih' in thi^ United States,
claims a place in our fauna trom tlie fact that ;i sinii'le specimen, an ailult mah
was

taken li\' Mr.W. W. I'rice in soutiiern Arizona, close to the Sononi, Yuw.

Ml

Price makes the followinij- remarks on this suitject

•On,!

uno

20, ISSS, 1 secured an ailult mal

e, in iireediii;^' pluinaji'e, of this

species, in the pine forests of the Uiiachiica iMoiintains, at an el(!vation of iihoiit
7, .")()() feet, and 7 miles north of the Mexican iioundary. (See l\id<;\vay's 'Manual
ot' North American Birds,' p. ■'{"if).) I am certiiin there were a pair of these i)irds,
as I heard tlieir wry jieculiar notes in dilfereiit jilaces .at the same time; lait the

localitv 1

reconleil

K'Iiil;' so (

•xtri'iiieh' roimh and broken, 1 onl\" secured the

one ai)ov(^

H'veral times while collectiufi' at hi<ili altitudi-s 1 lia\(^ heard hird
notes tliat I thoiiiiht werc^ these, Imt the\' wen^ alwavs on almost iiiaccessilile

mountain sides.
lui'titiii sffiih

ir.isi

in

le a(

!'

ij.- tl
irolialilv iiestiiu

'Their note reminds one of the soni>' of Stephens's Vireo ( I'/'rc/

Imt is not so \tm'X continued and is harsher. From observ

•tions of tile bird 1 killeil, I am sure its mate was in the vicinity, iiin

sue.

III."

sp

thoiiiil' 1 lia\e sinci- carefully searched the place without
will doubtless be found breediuf^ in Arizona, as was Trai/dit
<niiliif/i(i(K."^

c'rom till- lac* that no other specimens ot' this species have i)eeii taken in
tliiU \ icinity, which has since then been visiteii by sev(>ral jj-ood collectors, I am
inclined to believe that tliis liird can only \n' considered as a xcry rare summer

visitor in southern .Vrizona. 'I'lie late Col. .\. .1. (Jra\

son met wi

th tl

IS snecie

at Mazatlan, when' he ol)taiiied a male in February, and Mr. .1. Xantus also foiiiK
it on the plains of ('oiima, Mexico.

M

essrs.

lalvin and (loilman do not recojinize iliis as a "'ood

SlXM'leS, aiK

place it under the older name of Ihtdrosloiinis aiilniir (liafresiunc), statin;^' how -
e\-er: "This species, tak<'ii as a. whole, is subject to a <ireat amoimt of variation,
not only as re<iards the intensity of the color of the back and under surface, but

Thu Aiik, Vol. V, ISSS, p. 125.

XANTi;S'S UECAKI).

231

also as rc;^iir(ls to tli<> rosy spot on tlit! tliroist etc." Kurtl'rr on, in s])('akin<^- oi"
tlic liahits ot' //. <it/l(ti(i; llicy say: "In all parts of our rc^i'ion ihc ran^c in alti-
tude «»t' this species is very eoiisiderahle, anil extends from tli(^ sea level to an
altitude of at least H,0(K) feet. In the 'IVes Marias (Sraysui found it only in
tiiiek woods, where it was seen searehiufi' for instcts, sometimes, dartinj;- after
them when on the wiuj;', at other times lookinj;- for them amonj;' tlu' leaves and
hranelus, not unlike the Warblers. Its notes are feeble and but seldom uttered,
and its habits are solitary. This island bird has been separateil by Mr. I{idi;\vay
as I'latjiitsiuis nisiiUir'is.

"Mr. Ivobert Owen found a nest of this bird on .May l.">, ISdO, at Chuacusin,
(iuatemala.and sent us the female,its nest, and two ej>';i.s. The nest was (jntirely
(•om|)osed of tendrils, strips of bark, and ji'i'ass, so as to form a haiij^'ini;' nest,
o|ien at tlu' top and about '1 inches deep. It was built between and Inm^i' from
tile forked branch of a saplin;;' at the toot of a mountain. The cfi'ji' is white,
beautifully marked with pencilinj;s of pinkish red and scattered spots of the
same cidor; these markings are much blended and concentrated at the larj^cr
en.l."»

There is nothiuii' recordecl as \-et re;iardinii' the nestin;;' hal)its and e^ji's of
Xantns's Mecard; but they are not likely to differ very much from the nest and
eiiji's of llddidstiiDnis ((iildKc, to which it is closeh' allied. As I'ar as I can learn
the enu's still remain unknown.

Family TVUANXID.lv Tvhant Fi.vcAn hkijs.
85. Milvulus tyrannus (Lin.n.kus).

I'oKK T.\ILi:i) I'l.VCArCUKK.

Mnncwapii liiiitiiiiiix l.lNN.Mrs. Systcuia Natiua', cd. IL', I, I7(i(!, ,'{L'r>.
MitniliiK ti/riiiiiiiiK lioNAi'Auri',, ('n'o-jiiipliirii! ami t'omiianitivo Mst, IS.'iS, •_'.").

(I! IL'U. «'-:.'io, 1! ;{(i2, V :i«t;, I' [ii-'].)

(ll'.iMiRAIMIIc M. KANtii;: Friiiii iiorliuMii I'ataji'oiiia nortii tliniii;^li Soiitli mimI rnitral
Ami'rica to simllu'iii Mexico and the Lesser Antilles. Witliiii tlie liiiteil Stales accident-
ally ill Mississippi, Keiiliicky. New .lersey, and soiitlieni Caliloinia.

The (•'ork-laile(l l-'lycatcher can only be considei'ed an accidental straiijiler
within our Itordcrs. It is a common bird throu;^hout the more lc\ cl ami open
portions of Centi'al .Vnierica, ;ind also throui^hout the f;reatei' part of South
America.

'['he Scissor-tail T\ rant, or "Tijei'ela." as this species Is called l)\' Sdater and
Hudson, "is migratory, and arrives, already mated, at liuenos .\yres at the end
of September, and takt's its dcpaitiu'e at the end ot' l-'ebruary in families, old
and \ uunij' birds toi^cthei'. In disposition and "(.ucral habits if resemiilcs tlio

' ltii>lniri;n'fiitrali Amrriciiim, \\vh, \o\. II, Iti-f.-mlHi , ISlKi, pp. IL'I IJl.

m

•I I

¥'

'''\

. .1
i

K

•■

!;i

r:--

\- . ■■

I ■

(. .

:i^l''^l;j:|

'• ili-^il!

^1

!;'.i,..!l

232

TJKK IIISTOIMF.S OF NOUTri A^rEIMCAN TUTinS.

I

;,''<

true 'l'yriiiit-l)ir(ls, l)iit iliffcrs tVdin thoin in limji'uagc, its various cliirpinjif and
twittorinfj notes liavinj;- a lianl, porcnssivi' sonnd, wliicli Azara well conijiarcs to
tlie snappin;!- of castanets. It in-et'ers open sitnations, witli scattered trees and
Imslies, and is also ])artial to marshy f^ronnds, wliere it tak(*s uj) a position on an
elevated stalk to watch tor insects, and seizes them in the air, like* tho Flj'catc.lier.
It also irreedily devours elderlierries anil other small fruits.

"The nest is not deep, l)ut is nuu'h mon* elaborately oonstmctod than is
usual witli the Tyrants. .Soft materials are preferred, and in many cases tho
nests are composed almost exclusively of wool. The inside is cnp-sha])od, with
a flat bottom, and is smooth and hard, the thistle down with which it is lined
being cemented with }>um. The egji>. are four, sharply pointed, lii>ht cream
c(doi, and spotted, chiefly at the larj^'e end, with chocolate. In the breedinpf
time these Tyrants attack other birds aiiproachiug the nest wi'h {^reat spirit, and
and have a particular hatred to tlu^ Chiiiiaiif/o, ))ursuinj;' it with the }>reatest vio-
lence throujih the air, with anury notes, reseinl)linji- in sound the whettinj;' of a
s( vthe, Itut uttered with <ireat rapidity and i^iiphasis. How <ireatly this species
is imposed upon by the ('ow-l)ird, notwithstandinji' its pugnacious temper, wo
have alreadv seen in mv account of that bird.

"The Scissor-tails have oni' remarkal)le habit; they are not gregarious, but
once every ilay, just before the sun sets, all the binls lixing neai- together rise to
the tops of the trees, calling to one another with loud, excited chirps, and then
mount upward like rockets to a great height in tlu^ air; then, after whirling
about for a few moments, tliey ])recipitate themselves downward with tluf
greatest violence, opening and shutting their tails during their wild zigzag flight,
and uttering a succession of shai-|i, grinding notes. After this curious jjerforni-
ance they separate in pairs, and, perching on -the tree tops, e \ch couple utters
together its I'attling castauet notes, after whicdi the conii)any breaks up."'

Mr. (leorge K. Cherrie, in his List of Minis of San Jo.se, Oosta. Rica, speaks
of this species'as follows:

"Resident, but umch more abundant at some seasons than at others — that
is, immediately after tlie bi'eeiling season (from the latter part of April until the
first of Jul\) tlu'\' liecome cpiite conunon al)out the suburbs of the citv, and
remain so until th.e miildle of I)ec(Mnl)er.

"At a sligiitly lower altitude it nests ai)undantl\'. A nest with throt^ fresh
eggs, taken l)y Don Anastasio Alt'aro at Tamixir, Alajutda, May 2, 188!), was
placecl in a small tree, about 1(1 feet from the ground. The ]iarent bird left the
nest only very reluctantly and not until almost within the grasp of th(f col-
lector. 'I'he nest is constnu'ted of a mixture of small dry grass and weed stems
and soft dry gi'ass, rather compactly woven together, with a lining of a few fine
rootlets. It measures outside^ f) inidies in diameter ity 2',' deep; inside, '2\ in
diameter by 2\ deep. The eggs are white, s|)arsely spotteil and blotcheil, chiefly
about the larger end, with chestnut of slightly varving shades. In form the

' Arguuliiiu Oriiitliulogy, Vul, I, pp. KiO, 161.

TIIK FOltKTAILKI) K LY<"AT(lHi;i{.

233

on:<rs aro ovate, and tlicy inoasiirc ().8S l>y O.fid, 0.S8 l)y O.llf), iind 0.S9 by 0.63
iiicir' ((-(iiial to-i-i.-'if) l.y lO.TC, •-'-'..'{f) l)y I'e.f)! . and ^-'M hy 1« niilliniotres).'

Tlicrti aro no ej^'j^cs of tliis s|iof'ics in tlu( ITnitcd States National ^Insenni
eollot'tion, and I liave been unable to obtain a fully identified sjieeinieu for
illustration.

86. Milvulus forficatus (Gmf.lin).

SCISSOR-TAILKI) I'l-YCATCHKU.

Musficdpa /orjimln (iMELIN, Hystcina Xatuvir 1, i, 1788, O.'il.
Milviiliis/otjivtitiis SWAINSON, (iliissiliciitiiiii of Jiirds, 11, 1S27, 235.

(B 123, C 241, U 301, O 3(i7, IT 413.)

({EO(iRAi'Hi(!AL i!AN(;i;: Kiiiiii Niciiraffun, (.'ciitriil America, ii«rtU tlirongli eastern
Mexieo mihI in the United States, refjulniiy tin(iu};li Texas and the Indian Territory to
sontliern Kansas. Occasional in soiUli western Mi.ssonri, western Arkansas, and liouisiana.
Accidental in '•'lovida, Virjjinia, Illinois, New Jersey, the New ICnsland .States, Manitoba,
and even no. th to York l'"actory, Hudson Bay, and the Mackenzie Hiver \ailey, Northwest
Territory, 1/oniinion of Cainida.

Til' Scissor-tailoil, also known as "Swallow-tailod," Flycatcher, and more
freciMMitly as the "Texan Uird of I'aradi-ie," is a connn m summer resident
tln-ou;^hout the ^jreati'r portion of Texas and the Indian Territory, and extends
its breediuf^' ranjic^ northward into southern Kansas. It usuall\ arrives in tlie
southwestern portions of 'I'exas alxiut the middh^ of ^fareh, and returns to its
winter homes in Central America in October. Mr. W. K. (irover, of Galveston,
Texas, informs me that some of the.se birds remain in that vicinity throu^ihout
the year, movinj;' about from place to place in small ol' flocks from fi\e to six,
and occasionally as many as a dozen may be seen tojii-ther. Its brcedinji'
ranji'e is coincident with its distiibntion in the I'nited States.

The Scissor-taih'd Flycatcher is tlie most g'racoful and attractive species of
thif', family found within our borders, and is certain to bo injticcd by everyone
wherevi'r it occurs. Its lonji' outer tail feathers, which it can open and close
at will, and its pinkish flanks make it a conspicuous object amonj.;- tin? Texan
liirds. In all of its nnivennMits on the wini;' it is extrenn-ly <j;raceful and pleas-
inji' to the eye, especially wiien flutteriuj;' slowly from tree to treti on tint rather
open prairie, nUeriuj;- its twitterinj^' luites, which sound like the syllables ''psee-
psec" fre(iuently repeated, and which resemble those of the Kinj;bird, but aro
neithei' as loud nor as shrill; a^iaiii, when.chasin;;- each other in ])lay or an;;-er,
in swift flifi'lit from tree to tree, when it utters a har.sh note like "tlii.sh-tlii.sh."
It is essentialK' a liird of the more open countrv, and shuns extensive timbereil
fiacts, althoujih it is freciueiitly oi)served on the outskirts of these. It rarely
lijihts on \]\v f^round, and its lonj;' tail makes it then appear rathei' awkward in
its movements. Altlioufih includeil amonji' the TyraiU I'lycatclier.s, it is rather
amiablt! and social in disposition; and after the birds are once matetl several

' TUo Auk, Vol. IX, 1892, pp. 251 und 322.

i.')

"

•I

m, li

'^-m

SFM

M\y^

i?-

■-■■<

234

LIFK IIISTOH1K8 OF NORTFI AMKRICAN BIKDS.

])airs inav frc'<|iR'iitly Inrod close tt> ciicli other, iippanMitly in perfect liariiionv.
It rarely molests or chases birds which aro siiuiller than itself, but Itoidlx-
attac'ks Hawks, Ravens, Crows, Jajs, and other marauders with the utmost
fury, when they come tot) close to its n(^stin<>' site.

The iScissnr-tailed Flyc^atcher is rather I'cstless, and rarelv remains in one
place for any U-niith of time. It is constantly on the lookout for passinj;' insects,
nearly all of which are cau^j^ht on the wini^' and carried to .some* perch, where
they ari' l)i'aten into suitable pieces and swallowed at leisure. Its food con-
sists principally of moths, butterHies, beetles, ;^Tassho])pers, locusts, and cotton
worms; while berries of various kinds are also eaten to some extent. Consid-
ered from an economic point of view, they are amonj;' our most useful birds,
and, as the\' are rarely molested, they seem to be steadily increasinf^- in nundjers,
bein{>; far more common in many parts of Texas today than tlie\' were twentv
years aj^o. They (h) not bej;in housekeei)in<j: at once after their arrival from
their winter (piarters in Central America, but dally for several weeks in courtin<;'
and love-makinj>- and havinj^' a {i-ood time <>enerally before they l)e<iin their more
serious duties of reproduction. They are not hard to please iu the selection of
a .suitable nestinj;' site, and almost any tree standing;- by itself is jireferred to a
more secluded situation

Mr. II. 1'. Attwater, of Aransas County, Texas, writes me as follows on this
subject: "'I'he bold, fearless character of the Scissor-tail is shown in the manner
in which he builds his nest, which is a l)ulky structure, j^enerallv placed on a
horizontal liinl) in an exposed })Osition, and his careless disposition is also well
exemjjlitiefl ))y his choosiny for materials anythinji' that comes handy, fretpientlv
leavinjif loiiji' pieces hang'iufi' from the nest. I have found nests lined with
featlmrs, and others with horse and cow manure."

They nest by preference in nies(piite trees, less f'recpiently in live and jiost
oaks, the thorny hackberry or jiranjeno (Crifis jxdlidii), the huisache (Acaria
ffinicsidiKi), honey lix-ust, mulberry, })ecan, and tlu^ ma<;nolia, as well as in vari-
ous small, tliorny shrid)s. Tiieir nests are placed at various distances of "> to
40 feet from the ground, but on an average not over la feet, ami often in verv
exposed situations, where they can readily l)e seen. Occasionally, when placed
in trees whose limbs are W(>11 covered with lony streamers of the j^ray Spanish
mos.s, or in .shrul)s overrun with vines, they are rather more ditlicult to discover.
As thes(^ birds ai'e rarely molested, they l)ecome (piite tame, and ni'st not infre-
(juently in ^iardens and in close proximity to the ranches.

Nests (tf this species from dift'erent localities vary ;;Te.<tiy in size and mate-
i-ials from which constructed. Tiie bast^ and sides of tlu' ni'st are usually
composed of small twi^^s or rootlets, cotton and weed stems (those of a low
tlocco.se, woolly annual, Kntr prul'ifrra and Kidx iiiii/ticdiilis, the former ji'rowin^-
on dry and the latter on low i^ronnd, beiuff nearly always present); in some
sections the ji'ray Spanish moss forms tlu; bulk of the nest, in others raw cotton,
ami aji'ain sheep's wool; while rami's, hair, twine, feathers, bits of paper, dry
grass, and even .seaweeds may be incorporated in the mas.s. One that I consider

TIIH SC1S80UTAIM:1) FLYCATCIlIOlf.

2:15

a tyi)ical noHt, is now hcfont nu*; it is cxtoniiilly cDiistrurtcd of fine rootlets,
mixed with stems of 7wv/j' midtifdulis, wliicli ai'c well worked into the onter
walls. Tho inner cup of the nest, is lined with tine plant tiliers, with a little
wo(d, and a few feathers. This nest is synnnetrieal in ontline and compnetly
hiiilt; it was secnndy ffistened on the forks of a small o;dv limh, jmd was jtre-
sented to the United States National .^^nscnm colhn'tiou hy .Mr. II. I*. Attwater,
Uoekport, Texas. Externally it measnres (! inches in diameter l»y -'\ in depth;
its inner dianu'ter is ii inches hy 'J in depth. Other nests .in the collection iire
nnich more loosely constructed and fully twice as bulky, due no doul)t to tho
character of the materials used in their construction; ai..i afiain, some birds are
much neater and better builders and housekeejjers than others.

A nest taken by Dr. K. A. Mem-ns, Tnited States Army, on April 29, lS!(t3,
from an oak tree situated on the edjic? of the para<le j;round at Fort ("larke,
Texas, is mainly composed of stron}>- cotton twine, mixed with a few twijis, weed
stems, and raj^'s; e\'en the inner lining;' consists mostly of twine. TIow the female
mimaf;'ed to u.se this without ^'•ettiufi' hojjelessly eiitanijled is astonishinji'. The
])revious sea.son's nest still remained in the same tree, and a consideralile (pian-
tity of twine entered i\lso into its comjiosition. The earliest nestinf^- record I
have is April lit, at Mrownsville, Tex^is, where fresh cfifi's have also bei-n found as
lat(! as duly (!; and it a])i)ears more thfui proitable that two broods are raised in
many instfMices, at lejist in the southern portions of their breedin^i- ranjj^e. After
the nest, which is constructed in about a week, is ready foi- occu|)imcy, an e^y is
deposited daily until the clutch is com[)leted; this usually consists of fixe e<i'}is,
occasionally of four or six. Iiu'ubation lasts nbout twelve days, fmil the femide
apj)ears to p(?rform this duty alone, while the male remains in the vicinity, and
promptly idiases awa\' excrx' suspicious intruder who miiv venture too close to
the nest. The vouni;- are fed exclusivcK' on an insect diet, and Mre jdtle to \{-,\yo.
the nest in about two weeks. Moth parents iissist in their ("U'c. In tiie liite
suMuner they conjireiiate in considerabli' nund)ers in the cotton fields and open
pniirii's preparatory' to their mijii'ation south.

The shell of the ej^ji' of the Scissor-tfiiled Flyciitcher is smooth to the
touch, stronji', com])act, and moderately j^lossy. The e;;jis ai'e usually deal'
white, occasionally pide creiiniy white, iin<l rin-ely of a \cry pide pinkish ground
color. TIk' markings consist of cliu'et brown, heliotrope purple, and laxcnder
spots, and elonjiated blotches, var\iu^' in size iuid al)unilinice in diflerent speci-
mens; the lari:er end of the e<iji' is licnerally the heii\iest spotted: but few of
these eji'<>s can be called heavily marked, and occasionally a speciuu'U is found
which is almost innnaculate, the few markin;;s on it bein<j- confined to the hn-ficr
end onl\'. In shape the\' \arv from an ov;ite to a rounded o\iite.

The ;i\-eriiL;'e uu'nsurement of one hundi'e(l anti seven cfiji's in the I'nited
Stiites National .Museum collection is -J"-*.;")! by 1(1. !h; millimetres, or iil)out O.S!»
by 0.(17 inch. 'I'he lar-i'est e.uj:' of tiie series measures ■_'.'(. SS by lS.-_>!) milli-
metres, or 0.94 by O.T'J imdi; the smallest, -.'O.-'i-J l)y 10.4'.) millimetres, or O.sO
by O.lil inch.

• M

{•I I ■

mir

>'' H:i|;;i

r^'W :■

V >|

' m

236

LIFE niSTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN RlltlKS.

Of tlio typo spocinioiis, No. •2f}!'ui (1*1. 1, Fi<i\ 12), t'roiii a set of six oji<,%
Hiilpli collectidii, was takon nt'ar Hrownsviik', Toxas, on Ajjril ■_♦(), 1S!»2, and
measures a trifle above the average size, while No. 2(i21)2 (IM. 1, Kiff. i;{), from
a set of four eji"j;s, taken .liiiu^ o, lSfl,'{, near Uoekpoi't, Aransas ("ounty, Te.xas,
by Mr. II. 1'. Attwat(M', represents one of the least marked and smallest speei-
uiens in the series.

87. Tyrannus tyrannus (Linn.kus).

KlXfilllltl).

•I!

''.'■-i

•■l-t

li!-'

Hi

LnnhtH fiiraimiin TiiNN.icrs, Systemii Nntin'ii', oil. lo, I, 1">A, 94.
Tyraniiiin lyriuuiun Joim)AN, Matnuil of Vertebrates, e<l. 1, I.SSl, !MJ.

(I! 121, (! 21L', U ;m, (! ,i(I.S, U 444.)

(iEOfinAiMiicAr, i!AN(ii': 'rciiiitorate Nortli Anicrica, rliiclly east of flie Rooky Monn-
tiiiiis; rarer ami more lorally distrilmtetl westwaitl, in |ioi'tiuiis of lltali, Idalio, Nevada,
eastern (California, Oiejjon, Washington, and southern lii'itish Columbia; north in the
eastern JSiitish I'rovinees to aliout latitude oO"', and from Manitoba \ve.st\var<l to about
north; south in winter thmugb central and western Sinitli America to Rolivia,

latitude

tlio Island of Cuba, and the ISahanias.

The Kin"l)inl, also called "Mee Bird'

aiK

I "l?ee :\Iartin

IS a eommon

summer 1

esident, and breeds throii<']iout all of our Eastern and Middles Stat<':

and tlie southern i)()rtions of the Dominion of tJanaila, from No\a Scotia and
adjacent rej^ions, soiuh (d' alxuit latitude AO'', and west to altout lonjiitude 1)0^,
whenc(! it ranjics nor
beyond latitude AT'^.

th ti

irou"'

h Manitoba and Saskatchewan into Atliabasci

In the South it breeds from Florida and the (iidf Coast
to eastern Texas, but not nearly as conmionl\- as in thi^ Middle and Nortlieru

State:

Ti

lence it ranj^es n

1 a north westerly direction throuiili tlie Indian

Territory ai\d Kansas to tlu; eastern slopes of the Kocky Mountains, whi-re it
is rarely foiuul at hif;her altituiles than 7,(H)0 feet. It enters throii;^h some of
the lower passes of these mountains into Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Oreji'on, Wash-
iujiton, and Uritish ( "olumbia, where in certain Ic-alities it is not uiu'ommou. I

bell

ie\e it has not vet l)een ol)serveil m nortiiwestern I exas

th

N

ew

M

exico, or

Arizona: and in C^alifornia it can only i)e considered as a stra"'"'ler

Whil

e a

few winter in southern Florida and the Gulf ('oast, the 1

>UlK (

,f til

ese

birds

mifi'rate soiitii into ( 'entral America, ami s(<iiu( even into Holivia, as well as to
the Island of ( 'iiba and the Bahamas. They leave the northern portions of their
range about the middle of Aufiiist, and linj;cr in tin* south for some wei'ks
before passing- our border?

l''^'\v of .nil' birds

are

itetter known tliroii<"liout the I'liited States than the

Kingbird. Bold and fearless in character, yet tame and coniidiiif;' in man, often
preferrinji" to live in close- proximity to dwellinjis, in gardens and orchards,
the}' are prime fax'orites with the majority of our farininf>- population, and they
well deserve their fullest jiroteetion. Few birds are mcu'c useful to the farmer;
their reputation foi- pugnacity and reckless courage is so well established that

THE KINOniRl).

237

it is almost needless to dwell oii it, ns it is well known tliiit tliey will l)ol(lly
attiick and drive otV the largest of onr Kaptores, should one venture too near to
their eliosen nesting sites. WhcM'e a \m\v or more of these birds make their
homo in the vicinity of a farndumse, the poultry yard is not likely to sutler
nuuh throu}>li feathered marauders at lea«t; they are a ])erfect terror to all
hawks, instantly dai'tin<i' at and risinj^' above them, alifihtin}"' on their shouldi'is or
necks, and pickin}>' away at them most unmercifully luitil they are -only too
willinji' to beat a hasty retreat. The male is seeniin<ily always on the lookout
from his perch on the top branches of a tri'e or post for such enemies, and no
matter how larj-e they may be, a pair of Kinjibirds is more than a match for
any of them, our lar<;er Falcons and Kajiles not excepted, ("rows and IMue
Jays seem to be especially ol>noxious to them, and instances are on record
where they liav(! done them material injury.

From the fon^jroinjj' it. nuist not be assumed that our Kiufjliirds aie jicuerally
cpiarrelsonu' and that thev bullv all otluM' birds, as this is b\' no means the case.
As a rule they live in perfect harmony with all tlieii' smallei- relatives, and soiik!
of the hitter's nests are not infrecpu-ntly ])laced within a few feet of one of theirs,
in the same tree, lik«' that of the Orchard (Oriole, for instance; and they are not
content with jjrotectinj;' theii" own youn^- and eiif^'s, but watch over those of their
neiji'hbors as well. The only species I hav(^ observed as bein^i' on bad terms
with the Kiufi'bird is oiu' little Kuby-throated lhnnmini;'1)ird, which is well
known to be, if ])ossible, even more a}>'j;'ressive and ])Ujj'nacious than the former,
and it would seem as if, small ihoufi'h lu^ may be, he is a match for the a\-erajie
Kin;^bird, and probaitly always the a^i'ji'ressor. I have on two occasions seen a
Kuby-throated IIununin<«bird put the other to Hijiht.

They arrive in our Southern States from their winter homes about the tirst
two weeks in April, and move j;radually northward, jicnerally makinj;' their
appearance in the more northern States about tlu^ middle of -May. 'I'lie retmn
mij;ration from the far north commences in tlu; bej^innin;^- of Au<;'ust, and from
<tur Northern States usually in the latter i)art of this month. While by no
means unconmion in many localities west of tlui Hocky Mountains, Icre this
.species is rather irre;iularly distributeil, and while fairly abundant in certain
.sections, it is entirely absent in others which seem (Mpially well adapted to it.
1 founil the Kinji'ljird rather common on the Malheur and dohn Day rivers, in
Grant County, Orejion, while in dosidy adjacent sections (as in the vicinity oi'
Camp Harney) I failed to observe a siiijile specinu'ii. J also met with it on
Snake Kiver, near old Fort Hoise, Iilaho. it ajjjjcars to nie to be <;raduallv
extendinj'' its range westward, and in Wasliiuf^'ton and southern British. Columbia
it already reaches the Piicific coast in ])lace.s.

The Kingbirds arc rather noisy on their tirst arrival in the spring, and give
free vent to their exuberance of spirits; they are very restless at this time, now
lii»vering or tluttering slowly from one tree to another, or irom fenc(; post to
fence ])ost, the male following his mate with a peculiar, (piiveriug movement of
the wings and expanded tail, uttering at the same time u succession of shrill,

*-y-n

Hlt;i:

■'>^h:'

^i

..■ m

'it \

'^^-Mm

If'

-till

'm: ■ .1

',1 .•:■■•

238

1,1 FK lJI.STOI!li;S OK NORTH AMKRIOAJ^ UlltDa.

twitteriii;^' luifcs like "|itlistM'. ittliscc," var'u'd now and tlicii witli dtlicr ciills which
an* ratlirr ditlit'iilt to oxprcss in print; one of tlicso sounds liku '"twip-ip-iij-ij)."
OcniMiniiullv their Hi<;ht, is ajjparcntly accoinphslicd Avitlioiit puri'ej)til)lo niovo-
niiiit of tiic winj^s, as if ;>lidin;;' alonf>' in tho air, and a^jfain tlioy speed away with
tlie swiftness of an arrow in jiursuit of an insect or an enemy, doul)linji' on it
with the ji'reatest ease. The nudes are espt^-ially puj^nacious (hiring' tlu* niatinjjf
season, and lierct* cond>ats ensui^ between rivals for tlie possession of du! coveted
female; hut after they are mated thcyi-arely fight among- themselves, l)ut(juickly

come to ea(

ii oti

lers assistance ayamst a common enem\'.

From the oljservations made in the ITnited States Department of Agricul-
ture, al)ont '•<• i)er cent of the food of this species consists of animal matter,
l)rinci])ally l)eetles, grasshoppers, Ituttertlies, s])iders, wild hees, wasps, and niilli-
peds; to this list can he added caterpillars, different species of Hies, likt' the
larg-e black g-adtlv, so annoving to horses and cattle during- tho summer months,

anil small nnnnow:

Til

jri'ater portion of the food is taken

d

on the winj"-

althoug-h it feeds idso to some extent on the ground. The liird may usually bo
seen pi-rched on a low liiiil) of a .solitary trec^ or bush in a |)asture, on u fenco
post, a ti'legraph wire along- some country road, or even on a weed stalk in a fieh'.,
whence it darts after any passing- insect, 'i'lie snapping tog-ether of its mandi-
bles after (-atchiiig- its \tn'y can be heard (juife a little distanco away. With
a few bee keepers the Kingbird does not stand in the best repute, as it is sup-
pose(l to destroy many i)ees; i»ut I believe that tlie damage done in this respect
is g-reatlv exagg-erated, anil on closer examination I am of the opinion that
very few working liees will 1)(! found among- the contents of their stoniaehs, and
that the majority taken iiy them are drones, which do not stores honey, and that
the bee keeper is actually iienetited by their destruction. Tlu! veg-etai)lt! matter
found in their stomachs consists mainly of sassafras ami spicebush berries, wild
choki'chorries, juniper and dof^wood berries, mulberries, blackberries, liuckle-

n southern Lotu'siana,

Ml

berries, elderberries, pokeberries, and fro-t g-rapes
K. A. Mcllhenny tells me, the Kingbii-d feeds extensively on the bc^rries of tho
l»ricklyasli and Tabasco pej)pers, becoming- ag-reat nuisance on the pe])])er plan-
tations. Tlit^ flesh becomes (|uite jiungent from this food; tlu^ bird is considered
a delicacy there, and uumbi'rs are shot and command a good |)rice in the local
markets. It gathers in larg-e flocks in tlu* tall, and is locally known there as
"(Jross (hasset." The indigestible portions, like the wing- covers of beetles, tho
legs of grasshop](ers, and seeils of berries, are ejected in pellets. The Kingbii'd
loves a rather open country, and is rart-ly found nesting- at any great ilistanco
from water, and it shuns deiiselv timbered tracts.

In the more southern sections of its iireeding- range nidification begins

usu

dl\' in the first half of Mav, while in northern New York and

our

North

western States it rarely iiests before .luiie, more generally in the latter part of
this montii. and still later in the extreme northern parts of its range. The nests
are ])laced in \arious kinds of trees, such as apple, pear, tulip, chestnut, elm,
poplar, cottuinvooU, willow, oak, sycamore, osago orange, cedar, maple, birch,

TlIK KINdlWHI).

2;Ji>

liiiwtliMni, locust, wild |)liiin, <u.'iii<;'*>, mu\ Ifiiidii, iin well iis in slirnlis iiiiil liiislics
of tlitlVTcnt kinds, jicncrally iit a distaiict! of from 4 to 40 feet from tlu^ jiroiind.
'I'licy an^ usually jilarcd iu a fork or crotch on a horizontal braiicli, and fri'-
(|U('ntly well out on tho limb. They aio not at all particular iu the sch-ction of
a ncstin;; site; I liiivc seen nests piactMl on a fence rail (souu'times on to]» of one)
and aj;ain hetween the rails not over '2 feet from the j^round, in tlui hollow tops
of stumps, and in abandoned nests of the Kobin and the Mronzed (Jrackle.
Dr. A. K. Fisher informs me that at Ued ("loud. N(0)raska, in July a, iSO.'i, a
female was fouml sittinj;- on a nest )ilaced on top of a fence pu t, near the rail-
road track. It is not evident why this site was chosen, as plenty < f trees jfrew in
the vicinity, 'i'here was no shelter aiiovc^ to protect the nest from the sun, and
when seen the female was pantin;' from the heat.

Mr. Klmer T. .ludd, of (\indo. North Dakota, writes: "A pair of these l>irds
were noticed buildinji' a lu-st on a sulky ]ilo\v, and after the nest was nearly
completed the plow was re(|uired and used, but the nest was not disturl)cd. < )n
ilnishinji- the work I put the plow back in about the same place, and after a day
or two of consideration the i)ir(ls finished the nest, laid their coif's, and raised a
brood of younjf. Two little ^irls used to visit the ))lace every day, and the Itird
would almost let tlu •' ,»ut their hands on it before leaviufi' the nest. In tlii.s
section they usually lay our eji-jis, and tlu^ earliest date of nestini^' is ,lun«;
•_'!»; the latest, the third week in July. Their favorite nestin;^' sites here are in
wild ]ilum bushes, from 4 to (t feet from the ;.;rouud, and I ha\<' also noticed
them nestin;^- in eav(^ troujjhs and binders."

The Kingbird, like many other s])ecies, after selecting- a suital)le nestinju'
site and I'aisin}^' its younji- unmolested, will j;eiu'rally return to it from year to
year. The nest is usually well and compactly built, and varies more oi- less in
size and l»ulk, accordinj;to the site. A tyj)ical nest now before me, taken by Dr.
Kd^ar A. Mearns, United States Army, near Fort Suellin^', Minnesota, nu-asures
about i'tf, inches in outer diauu'tei' l>y.'i\ inches in de[tth; its inner iliameter
is .'5 inches b\' l'{ inches deep. Its exterior is consti'Ucte(| of small t\vi;.;s and
drv weed stems, mixed with cottonwood down, [lieces of twine, and a little hair.
Tile inner cuj) is lined with iine dry ^-rass, a few rootlets, and a small (piantity
of horsehair. In other specinu-ns l>its of wool, strips of bark, thistle down, cattle
hair, ami line rootlets an' incor[)oi'ated in the body of tin; nest. In the South the
ji'ray Si)anisli moss freipiently forms the bulk of the outer walls, while in tlm Adi-
rondack UKamtains, in Herkimer County, New York, in .hme, IS!I'2, Dr. b'alpli
and the writei' took a nest of this species from a crotch formed bv the ti'unk
and two broken branches of a small dead l)irch stump, about S t'eet t'roin
the ground, which was externall}' constructed of the lon;n', ji'reen tree moss of
that reji'ion, mixed with a few line roots and twi^^s, niilkwei-d down, weeds, and
ji'rasses, and lin<'d with tine roots, hair, milkweed down, a little tree-moss, Ursiicd,
anil a few l)lades of fine n'rass. The stump stood b\' itself on the edjic of a
small swamp, and the nest could be plainly seen tor some distance. Mr. \']. A.
Mcllhenny tells me that in the willow swamps in southern {..ouisiana these birds

t

'■■}

1 ■!
.-J

>r

»

■Jij .

1^

1 ». ' -

w -h

■Hi'

.;;1i

M ., ■■;v|

ll

!■

(«■

■lai t

240

TilFK IIIHTOUIKH OK NORTH AMKRICAN TURnS.

cMiistnict tlu'ir iicsts cntirclN' out tit' willdw ciitkiiis, witlmiit m\\ sticks wliatcvcr,
iiM<l tliat tlic iHssts niii 1m^ sihu-c/amI tnj.'ftli('r in tlit' liaiiil like ii hall.

Tint iiialtt assists iii tint ('(instruction dt' tin* nest, and t(i simic i-xtcnt in tla^
duties of inculiation. lie I'clicvcs tlic female from time to timo to allow lier to
l"ee(l, ^^iiards tlie nestinj;' site, and is usually |)erched on a lindi close li\-, wliern

he h

d

if tl

las a jidoil view ot tlie surroundinj^s. Hven when so-enj^afied lio rarely sits
entirely (|iiiet, liut every ^vw minutes elevates his c,r(!st and looks around for a
|iossil)Ie enemy. .\n e^iji' is de]i(isited daily, and incubation lasts from twidve

to thirteen davi

Tl

i(f vomm' while in the nest are

fed

entu'eh' on ainmii

food

and are ahle to leave it in aliout two W(H'ks after hatchin"', and soon learti to

v raised 111

th

nore

provide for themselves. .\ second hmod is occasionall
southern [lortioiis of their hreedinj^' raiific

The Kiii^liird is not particularly socialile, (Mich pair kecpiii;;' ]iretty much
to themselves during' the iiretjilin;^' seasdii, and later in familv parties, until the
winter mijiration commences, when thev ;i'atlier in tlocks and dejiart for the

soutn

th

Threi^ or foiu" e^^s are laid to a set; in sona^ localities tliriHi .s(((;ins to I)

i-iile

nis IS esiiecia

llv tl

le case in

th

breecl

le more .southern portions o

if ll

leir

III"' ran"(', w

hile farther north tlie\' m'lieralh' la\' four. .MtlioU"h th

[iiiiiliirt

•redited 1)\- several writeiv

hniim- from three to live ('"'li's, and

sometimes e\-eii six,

1 I

lave never seen a larn'cr s(

examiiKMl, and s(

ts ,lf

'11 h

\-,. en^s must he collsK

tl)

t tl
dered

laii tour amoiiii' the man

IS \('r\' iimisnal

he

ji'i'diind color of these e;;'j;'s \aries from white or ])nhj creamy white to a very
faint ro.'^e pink, ami tiiey are spotted and blotched with chestnut, claret brown.

i(^ marUiniis \arv "reatlv,

cinnamon, rufous, heliotrope purple, and lavender. Th
both in size and ([iiaiitity, but are ^^cnerall}' lieav iest aiioiit the lariicr end of the
ej^;:'. In the more finely marked specimens the s|iots are usually more profiisi'
and eveiil\- distributed, and occasionalh' an almost unmarked eji';;' is found. The

slie

itl

itn(^r smod

th, close-ji'raiiied, moderately stroii<>', and sli};'litly ^^lossy.
The eiiiis are niostlx' ovate in .>-hape, ranuinii' iroiii this to short and rounded

()vat(S and a W'W are eloiiiiate o\iite,

average measurement ol one

liimd

reil am

I fort\' eu'trs ill the Ibiited

.States National Museum

bv 0.

(- men.

Th

lection is ■J4.<l(! liy IS.-JI millimetres, or aiioiit (».'.»r)
ai'ucst eii'"- of the series measures '_*(). 1)2 b\' lll.iJO millimetres.

or 1.06 bv (l.7(i inch

'<mal

St, 2().s;i liv 17.27 millimetre

s, or

tt..s2 li\- (».6S

UK

The tvpe specimen. No. 2221111 ( I'l. 1, Kiy. 14), from a set of four ejijis taken
bv .Mr. Denis (ialc, iiejir ( iold Hill, Hoiildcr ( 'ouiitv, < 'olorad n .lime 2'), ls84.

sUiiws line o
set of thn

t' the 1( .-s marked e\;

imiiies:

d No. 2r>0ri2 (I'l. 1, Fi,u'. l."i), from

taken liv l>r. Kduar \. .Meanis, United States Arinv, near Fort

Siuillinj^, Minnesota, on .lime \'A, ISIK), represents a well-marked spoeiiuen.

' ' 'X'

TUB OUAY KlNUBUtO. 241

88. Tyrannus dominicensis (Gmklin).

(lliAV KINdlllKD.

LaiiiiiH UirimnuH ,i. dominicenitU (Imklin, Syntt'iim Nsitiini', I, 17H8, ;iOi,'.
TyrnuHiiH dominiveimH KidiiAKUSON, Uuport Hixtli Mi-i-tiii;; of tho Iti'itiHli AHsiiL'iatioii, V,
1H;17, 170.

(IJ 125, C L'43, It 3»;j, C ;j(i», IT 44.'5.)

(lEOOUAi'iii(!AL BANOK: Wt'st Iii<li<!8, cosists ol" Carriboiiii Sen, iind (liilf iif Mpxitjo;
mirth to Florida, (ic-or);ia, iind iSoutli Carolina. Avt'idciital in Ma.sHacliusutts and liritinb
Coliiiiibia.

The Gray Kin;>bircl is a modoratoly coininnii visitor to and iiroods aloiiji' tlio
soiitlu'rn border of tlio United States, and its haltitat is niaiidy conlined to tlio
imniodiate vicinity of tlio seatMiast and tlio hanks of tlio lar}>or stroams Howiii}''
into tilt! (lulf of Mo.\ii'o. Audubon, who callod this bird tlio I'ipiry Flycatcher,
re|iorted it as (juito coniinon on most of the Florida Keys, anil Dr. Machiiian
olwervod a pair breodiii}^' in tho c(dle<,''o yard atC'liarleston, South Carolina, which
returned for at least throe years in succession and raised two broods in a season,'
Mr. Arthur 'V. Wayne took a nest and e<;}i's of this s|K,'cies on Sullis an Island, near
( 'harlestou. South Carolina, in .liine, lS!t3. Mr. < '. .1. Maynard found them rather
conunoii on sonic of the Florida Koys, and writes about them as follows: "Tho
(iiay Kiuj^binls appear to prefer the outer or liij;her keys, and visit them in
i^reat iiiiiiibers, especially durin;^' the spriii;^' iiii^ration. In order to ;;ive some
idea of the home of these birds, I will describe Hauiboo Key, where 1 found
them particularly common. I'liis little isla'id, which contains nearly 2 acres of
land, lies about niidwaj' between Key West and Cape Florida. It is one of a
line of outer keys which have an old coral reef for a foundation, and as tlu*
present reef, which extends |taiallel with tho koys, but which lies .■"» miles at sea,
is clearly visible, this is used as a wreckiii}'- station, and has a lookout erected on
it. There were two families liviiij'' there; but, with the characteristic im|)rovi-
deiice of tho jioorer class in Fluriihi, they did not attem|)t to cultivate thi^ soil,
choosinj^' rather to depend upon a precarious livelihood j;ained liy wreckinj;-.
Thus the vof^etation of the place was, in a fi'reat de;;ree, in a ])riiiiitive condition.
Nearly the whole key was surrounded by a lielt of manj^roves, but these ^rew
on very low jyrouud, over which the tide rose every (hiy; lu<iher on tho dry land
were bushes, amonj>' which two or three species of cacti "i'rew in profusion, and
as the whole was overgrown by a tanj^'led mass of vines it formed an impeiie-
tialilo thicket. The wreckers had formed a small clearing' in the midst of tlii.s
jungle and erected two or three wretched houses.

"I landed on the 1st of May, and remained then* several days, (hiring
which time I saw hundreds of Gray Kiiigbirtl.s. They appeared to bo migrating,
for numbers were constantly arriving from seaward; yet, unlike many other
species, they invariably came in pairs, ami were evidently mated, as they were
constantly' ])ursuing each other through the air in a playful niamier, at the same

' History iif .North Aiiicrican liirtU, 1874, Vol. 11, p. 320,
1689«— No. 3 16

.11 * M>

I .--'

n

^ii' m

m

f

■ill:

11 I

i

' J
1 1

■ '• 1

it|!;

f :

■^ - ■*

I.'

'i

1

I \i

i

•. ll

i;

m •:l

>i)<:l

■!«■.,■ J

mm

M

?f;

242

LIKK III8TOUIKS OK NOIITII AMKHICAN MIKDH.

tiiiu* vooif'cratiiij;- Idiidly. Tlicy cxliiliit a (Iccidt'd preference for niiiiiffi'ovoH, niul
Inter, liy the midille of tlu- iiioiitli, hiiild tlieir nests in tliein, nsiially seleetinjr
huslies wliifli overlian^r the \vat«'i'. These Itirds i:!!>;!''it :;!! >}' rlie liij^lier keys
tVuni Kev'West to ('iipc! Florida. They also oeein- on the west eoast ill suitahio
localities, Imt I do not tliink that they are as alaindant on the east side of tlio
peninsula. They must iiii^irate early, as I never found them in autumn."'

Mr. W. K. U. Scott «ayH: "TIk* earliest record 1 have of its arrival ahcmt
Tar|Mm Spriujis, Florida, is April •_','{, 1M,S7, and the birds are conmion till late in
Septemlicr. The ejiji's are laid in this vicinity from about the middle to the last
of Ma\', and lint one hrood appears to he reared."

Mr. AlkiiiH' notos are as follows: "Arrives at I'unta Hassa michlle of April;
nests commonly on the islands and alonjr the shore in man^^roxe hushes; seems
to jirefer an isolated tree or bush near the water. Last noted at i'uuta Hassa
September 13. Arrives at K(ty West about April 1 1. A few breed here."*

First Lieut. Wirt Uobinson, Fourth Artillery, I'nited States Army, found
this species not at all uncouwnon at Mataiizas Inlet, Florida, and took three set.s
of e^i'j^s, which are now in the rnited States National Museum cidlection, uu
May IH and "23, 1SII4. Here they nested in the low maii<,'roves.

The (iray Kiii;;bird is far more abundant in the West India Islands, espe-
cially in Cuba, .lamaica, Dominica, and the Mahamas, where it is one of the
most conspicuous birds. Its {general habits, food, and manner of tli".;ht ai)pear
to be very similar to those of our common Kinji-bird, and, like it, it is fearless and
])Uf^-nacious in the defense of its chosen nesting' site, boldly attacking- birds much
larger than itself

Mr. Richard Ilill, of Spani.sh Town, .lamaica, in some interesting' notes
furnished to Mr. (Jo.sse, .says: "The Jamaica bird is not exclusively an insect
feeder, but eats very freely of the sweet wild berries, especially those of the
jiimento. These ripen in September, and in groves of these this bird nmy
always be found in aiiundanci-. I5y the end of September most of the migrant
birds hav(( left tlie island. * * «

"This is among the earliest of the birds to breed in Jamaica. As early as
Januarv the mated pair is saiil to be in possession of some lofty trt'c, sounding
at day dawn a ceaseless shriek, which is composed of a repetition of three or
four notes sounding like 'pe-chee-ry,' from which they derive their local name.
* * * In feediiiff, just ))efore suii.set. they usually sit eight or ten in a row,
on some exposed twig, darting from it in pursuit of their prey, and returning to
it to devour whatever they have caught. ''Miey are rapid in their movements,
ever constantlv and hurriedly changing their positions in tlight. As they fl\
they are able to check their s])eed su(hleuly and to turn at the
able angle. At times they move with moticadess wiiii.

■smallest m

trom one tree to an^

Wl

tl

leii oiu! descends to pu-k up an n

isect from th

■<urfi

.f tl

le water, it .<ii8

le ajtpei

(l)earan(!e of tumbling, and, in rising a<

gam,

ascends witl

1 a SI

njjular motion

' liinls (>r rioiidii iiml liiistein .Noitli Aiiiilica, ISSl, p. 176.

'Tiiu.viik, VI, iss'.i, p. :us.

THE OKAY KINOHIUD.

243

of till' wiiijfs, art if liiiilcti into tlm iiirimd t'lulciivoriiij^ t<> riH'nv<>i*itK«'lf. '" * '"
'I'liirt FlynitcluT is also cliitr^jcfl In Mr. Hill with stMziuf^ iipun tin- irumminji-
l>ir(ls lis tlmy Iidvci- (ivcrtlin hltissfiiiis in tlic pmlciis, killiii;;' its |irt'\- ii\- ivpcattMl
iiluws struck on tlic Itrain-li ami tlu-n ilcvourinj;- tlicni."'

Ill Klorida nidilication raivly (■oinnifiifcs lu-fon* tlin tliinl wcfk in May,
and soinctiincs not licforu .luiio. Tlu) lU'sts arc* most fi-c*|ii<'ntly found in inati-
jiTovi) ImisIics, in ditl'(M'('iit species of palms, and less often in li\e oaks; tliey
are usually placeil on horizontal liml)s overlianjiin;;' tlie water, and at no jfieat
distance ahovu it. A nest now liefore ine, taken hy Lieut. Wirt lioliinsoii, at
iMataii/as inlet, on May IS, IHKI, ineastucs (! inches in outer diameter l»y '2\
iiu !m's in depth; its inner diameter is 4 inches liy \\ in depth. It is externally
composed of small twi^s and rootlets, and lined with liner material ot' the same
kiml. It is a vory loosely and carehtssly l)uilt structure, res(;mlilin;i' a .Moiirn-
'n\<<; Dove's nest more than aiiythin;i' else; it containeil four fresh e;;|;s wlu'U
found. The number of e};-^ts to a set varies from thre<' to four, althou^i-li it is
said that occasionally as many as tive are found. These are among- the hand-
somest of our Flycatchers; their ^iround color varies from a creamy to a pinkish
or Hesh-colored tint, and they an- profiisi'ly spotted and i)lotched with dill'erent
shades of ('hocolate, burnt umbi-r, (daret brown, mixed with liji;hter shatles of la\-
ender an<l heliotrope purjile, the markinji's are usually heaviest about the larj;cr
end of the en'};', and often form an irregular wreath. The shell is close <ii'ained
anil rather iirm; the shape is usually elliptical ovate, less often elonj;ati' ovate.

The average iiieasnrenient of a series of forty efj'<;s in the I'liited .States
National Museum collection is "i").!)! by 18.50 millimetres, or about 1.02 by
O.TiJ inches The larji'i'st ej;';;' of the series measures 27. (iS liy liL.HO millimetres,
or 1.0!) by 0.7(J inches; the smallest, •_'•_'. (II by 17.53 millimetres, or O.SD by
O.Ci) inch."

The type specimen, No. I(;s44 (I'l. 2, Fig-, n), was taken by Mr. N. H.
Moore, near Manatee, Florida, in dune, iKT.'i, and represents a well-marked
specimen, while No. 20405 (I'l. 2, Fijj. 4), Hendire collection, taken l)y Mr.
('. II. Nainnan, in .May, 1S75, in southern Florida, represents an average-marked
fijio- of this species.

' ' ''ll

f: ;. '■

: 1 ;■

1

■ ■ »
)

!•

i l!^

,1'

|i

"

* ■

,'■ -i ! ■

8g. Tyrannus melancholicus ouchii (Baibd)

COUCH'S KINOHIKI).

Tjirninnin coitchii lUiitn, I'.irds of North America, 1858. 175.
T!)rniiuitK melanvholivtix viir. coiirliii ColKS, (Uii'ck List, cii. I, Dt'c, IHT.'J, 51.
(15 128, 12!», (' 24ti, K ,'!(I5, 0 .'!72, I! 44<!.)

<ii;oiiUAriiii!AL banok: From (iiiatenmla north thruuKh Mexico, to tiic lower Uio
(irauile V^iUey, in southcra Texas.

Couch's Kingbird is a- c )mmoi\ siunmer resident throughout a considerable
jiortiou of Mexico, but within our borders it appears to be rather rare, and has
^ far only been observed in the lower Uio Grande Valle), where it breeils spar

' History of North Ameticim Bir.ls, 1874, Vol. II, pp. ;H21, 322.

m.:

■ '1

li *'.

n

1

iff

^ ;

H

i i

iT

1.?

.M (f « •

» **:

#■

llv

X

244

LIFK HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

in}>ly. T liiivc l)eon quoted in the "History of Nortli American Birds, 1874"
(Vol. II, ](. 3l*!l), as haviiio' taken tliis sid)s])eeies near Tueson, Arizona; this is
evidently a mistake, as 1 can not find any reference to such a captui'O among my
notes on Arizona birds.

For what h'ttle we know al)out Couch's Kinjjbird we are indebted to Mr.
Georji'e li. Sennett, who iirst met with it on May S, 1877, at Lomita Kanch, near
Ilidalji'o, Texas. lie says: "At this point is the finest grove of ebonies (^Acacia
Jicjicdiiliff) 1 saw on the river. On the hillside, hack of the buildings, they over-
look the large resaca, then filled with ta.sseled corn. It was the tops of these
grand old trees that these Flycatchers loved, and so persistent were they in
staying-there that 1 thought they were going to settle in the neighborhood for
the season. Thei'e was a company of some six or eight scattered id)OUt. 1 did
not find them shy, for after our firing they would almost innnediately return to
the same trees. The}' were readily distinguishable from Ti/raiiiiun cdfoJUivnsis,
which were shot in their comi)any; their greater size and bright yellow under
])ai"ts can be seen at gunshot range.'"

A I nest taken by one of Mr. Sennett's collectors in 1H81 is described by him
as follows: "The nest was situated some 2() feet from the gntund, on a small
lateral branch of a large elm, in a tine gro\e not ♦':!:■ from the houses of the
I'unch. It is composed of small Am twigs, with a little Spanish moss and a few
branchlets and leaves of the growing elm intermixed. The sides of the nest are
lined with fine rootlets; the bottom with the black, hair-like heart of the Spanish
moss. The outside diameter is fi inches and the depth 2 inche.s. The inside
diameter is ,'5 inches and the dej)th l.'Jf) inches."'-'

There is as yet but little known about the general habits, food, and call
notes of this siil)s])ecies; l)ut it is presuma1)le that they do not differ very mate-
raillv from those of the other nuMubers of tiiis family. The numi)er of eggs
varies from three to four, and the nests appear generally to lu! ])laced near the
end of a horizontal lind), on a good-sized tree, at no very grear distan<'e from the
ground, and ])i-eferal)ly near watei".

All the eggs of this sidispecies in the I'nited States National Museum
collection wiTe taken in the \icinity of lh'owns\ ille, Ti-xas, where thest; birds
usually connnencc! nesting during t'le iirst two weeks in .May.

The ground color of the i.'\i\f>^ is a delicate* creamy pink, and they are mod-
erately well blolched and spotted with chocolate, claret brown, heliotrope purple,
an<l laxender. These markings are. in some instances, scattered pretty evenly
over the entire surface of the i.'\x\X\ in others tlicy are mainly confined to the
lar'i'er end. They are readily distinguishable from the eggs of the balance of
onr Kingltirds iiy their peculiar ground coloi', while their markings are verv
similar to those found on the v^'^i' of the other species of this family. ^Phe shell
is close-grained and rather str<)ng. and in sha|)e the eggs are generall\- ovate or
elongate ovate.

' liiiUcliii cjltlici U. S. OcoloKii'al :i'iil Oi(ij;niiiliii;il Survey, 1878, VdI. 1\', Nil I, p. iU.
Till' Auli, Vol. I, 1881, p. <j:t.

COUCH'S KINGBIRn.

245

The average size of thirteen eggs in the United States National Jfuseuni
collection is 24.3S liy 18.4") millimetres, or about O.llfJ hy().73 inch. The largest
egg measures 24.H9 by IH.HO millimetres, or ().!)H by 0.74 inch; tiie smallest,
23.62 by 17.53 millimetres, or 0.!»3 by O.G!» inch.

The type specimens, Nos. 24.'}13 and 20345 (PI. 2, Figs. 5 and fi), both from
the Halph collection, were obtained near Hrownsville, Texas, the former on May
13, lH!tl, the latter on May 16, 1S!)3, and .show the ditferent styles of marking.s.

go. Tyrannus verticalis Say.

AKKAXSAS KlX(lIUKl).

Tj/rannns verticalis Say, Long's Expedition, II, 182.'J, 00.

(B 12(!, C 244, K 30(i, C 370, U 447.)

(lEOGRApnioAL UANGE: Western North America; from the Pacific coast east to
western Texas, western Intliau Territory, middle Kansas. Ncbi'iiska. and western Min-
nesota; north to North Dakota, soutlierii Assiuiboia, Alberta?, and southern British
Columbia; south to Lower Calirornia, and in the winter thiouf;')! .Mexico to Guatemala.
Accidental in Iowa, Maine, New Jer.sey, New York, and Maryland.

The Arkansas Kingbird, for which the name of "Western Kingbird" seems
to be better suited, is pretty generally distril)Uted as a sumnu-r resident through-
out the middle and western portions of the United States, and it Itreeds in
suitable localities throughout these regions. The northern limit of its breeding
range extenils, as far as is at present known, into southern Assiniboia (the vallev
of the SoiU'is River), antl probal)ly westward tln-ough southern Alberta, as well
as along the southern borders of Mritish Cohuubia, where it appears to be fairly
conunon, ex('e])ting in the inunediate vicinity of the coast. In the Uniteil States
it reaches its northern limits in North Dakota and soutliern .Mimu'sota, where it
is rare, and tlumce it is foimd sou^'h through Nebraska, middh' and western
Kansas, western Indian Territory to northwestern Texas, and in all of tlie inter-
vening regions westward to the I'acilic Ocean.

In Lower California the Arkansas Kingbird appears to i)e rare, though a
few breed in the northern jiortions ot this peninsula. Dr. iviuar .\. Mearns,
United States Army, found a nest of this s|)ecies at St. Vsidora ranch on July 2,
18114, containing three (;ggs, wliicli are now in the c(d!ection iiere. Tliis species
arrives from its winter home in .Mexico and (Juatemala, along the southern
border of its breeding range, al)out the latter ])art of ^larcli, and passes leisurely
northward, reaching our more northern States about the beginning of Ma\, ami
returning early in St^ptendjer. Hy the midtlie of October all, oi- nearly all, have
passed our borders, and 1 do not believe that any wiiUer within the United States.

'I'he Arkansas Kingltird is pretty generally distribute<l throughout nn)st of
our Western States, anil is esj)ecially ai»uiulant in the (ireat Basin region. It is
es.sentially a bird of the inoi'e open country, especially of the rixcr valleys, and
is not generally found in the higher nniuntain systems, where it rarely reaches
higher altitudes than 7,500 feet. I have observed this species as common in

m

i-'i

1.-1

::L«

1

Hi

Hii:;'

liiiiliiili-

i'l

(

1.1 ■• '

ifill^n^

246

LIFE UISTOKIES OF NORTH AMHRIOAN BIRDS.

southern Arizona as in northorn Wii^hington and Tdalio, and wherever water
and a few willows are to be found, no matter if the smroundin}^- country may
otherwise be a perfect desert, some of these birds are sure to be seen. This
Flycatcher is, if anything', more noisy than our common eastern Kingbird, and
utters also a greater variety of notes; some of tliese resemble the squeaking
sounds of our Grackles; others are indifferent efforts at song — a low, warbling
kind of twitter — while occasionally it gives utterance to shrill, metallic-sounding
notes with more force to them tliau thos(t of the Kingbird. During the mating
season they are especially noisy, and begin their love songs, if they may be
called such, at the earliest dawn, and keep uj) their concerts with but slight
intermission during the greater part of the day; but after they are mated and
nidification connnences they are more (piiet.

Mr. R. H. Lawrence writes me from Monrovia, California, that the Arkansas
Flycatcher also utters very peculiar notes at times during the night. He says;
"(3n the night of July 30, ISD.'i, I frecjuently iieard a queer cry; sometimes
only a singh- note, and again this was rei)eated three or four times, followed by
a crying or wailing sound, as if made by a very young kitten. I heard these
notes on successive niglits. On August 2, al)oiit 4..'U) a. m., I succeeded in .shoot-
ing tlie performer out of a })e])])er tree standing close to the house, and it prt>ved
to be an Arkansas Flycatcher."

I'he males precede their mates a few days in the migration, and as soon as
the latter arrl\(' constant ([uarrels between rivals fortlie fiU'ors of tiie coveted
female ensue. Fre(|uently half a dozen of these l)irds may be seen chasing each
otiu'r ahoiit, pecking at and tumbling over each other in mid-air, keeping up
an incessant chatter and scolding in the meantime; but very rarely iiave I .seen
feathers tiy during tlie.se ostensible combats, and 1 iim inclined to think that the
majority of such ])erformances an^ indulged in more in fun than in anger.
'i^hey are undoubtedly more social than the common Kingbird, as 1 have seen
two ])airs nesting in the same tree, apparently living in perfect harmony with
each oilier. While thev are bv'uo means (|e\di(i of courage, tlie\' apjtear to me
to be miicli less (iiiarrelsome on the whole tliau the former, anil they are far more
tolerant toward .soiiu! of tiie larger liaptores. For instance, in the vicinity of
(!amp llaniey, Oregon, I found a i»air of these liirds nesting in the same tree (a
medium-sized pine) with Ihillock's C)riole and Swainson's Hawk, and, as far as I
could see, all were on excellent terms.

Their food consists of animal matter, jtrincipallv grasshoiipers where these
are abundant, as well as of moths, liutterflies, different species of flies, winged
ants, cater] liliars, and tlie large black crickets of the West. Most of their prey
is caught on the wing, and tliey rarely fail in ca|ituriiig it. They are i \tremely
de.\terons, and their flight is )>owerful and swift. During the summer they feeil
occasionally on wild lierries, and among these the service berry seems to be
more often eaten than any otiier. Like oar common Kingbird, they are often
crediteil with feeding to a considerable extent on bees and are therefore in bad
repute wilii bee keepers. This accusation, like many others made about some
of our most useful and beneficial birds, seems to be entirely unfounded.

TIIK ARKANSAS KINGUIKI).

247

Mr. Walter E. Bryant niakos tlio followiii}^' remarks relatiiijr to this subject
in "Zoe" (Vol. IV, 1H!IH, p. 57):

"Mr. A. Harnett, of San Diej^o County, California, has 300 swarms of bees,
which attracted the Flycatchers to such an extent that he made some iuveatiffa-
tions to ascertain to what defjfree they mij^lit be diuiia<iiii<i: to the bee industry.
Over one hundred Arkansas Flycatchers and Phcebes (lilack and Say's) were
dissected. In all of the Arkansas Flycatchers only drones were found, but no
workiuff bees, althou<;li in many cases the birds were <jror<;ed. In most of the
Pluebes drone bees were also found; the oidy excej)tion was that of a PIki'Ik*
(Say's?) in which a bee stiuf;- was found in the base of the toufiue. 'I'he birds
were all shot about apiaries, and were si-en rlartinj;' upon and catchin}f bees.
The examinations were made with a hand lens. ^Ir. Harnett reji'ards tlu^ occiu'-
rence of the stiiiji- found in the I'lnebe as accidental, and concluded that Fly-
catchers are beneficial in reducinji' the numbers of drones."

The Arkansas Kin<il)ird, like all of our Flycatchers, is extremely beneficial
and deserves the fullest jirotection, and where not molested Ix'comes quite tame
and will readily nest about houses. They are not at all particular in tin- choice
of nestiu};' sites and build in \arious situations, l)ut jicnerally in trees in creek
bottoms, near water, tliough 1 have occasionally found one of their nests fully a
mile away in an isolated tree in the foothills. Cottouwoods and willows seem to
be more often selected than otlii^r trees, but perhaps only because* they arc* the
commonest kinds throughout most of their breeding;' ranji'e. ()aks. sxciMuores,
Australian blue ^um, jimipers, elms, and orcliaril trees are also made use of to
a certain extent, while ])ines ;ire rarely o('('U])ied.

Mr. William (J. Smith informs me tiiat in (Colorado they nest occasionallv
on ledfi'es. Dr. C. T. Cook(* writes me that a pair of these birds nesteil in the
summer of ISill in a church stee})le in Salem, < )re}idn, and Mr. Elmer T. dudd,
of Cando, North Dakota, informs me that he found a nest on a beam of a rail-
road windmill ])ump, about (! feet from the {around, where trains passed close by
the nest constanth': another was found b\' him on a jirainbiiuler which was
standinji" within a couple of rods of a public schoolliouse.

I have examined many of their nests in various parts of the West. The
majority of these were placed in forks of trees, and ji'enerallx' close to the trunk;
others were saddliid on horizoiUal limbs. One nest was placed in the to}) of a
hollow Cottonwood stump, the rim of the nest beinj;' flush with die top; another
])air uuule use of an <ild lU'st of the Western Kobin; and still another built on the
sill of one of the attic windovis of niv (piarters at Fort Lapwai. Idaho. The\-
ja'oliably would not have succeeded in keepiii;^' this lu'st in place had I not
nailed a pieci' of board alonji' the outside to prevent the winil from l)lo\\inii' the
materials awav as fast as the birds could brin<;' them. The\' were persistent,
I'.owi'ver, and not easily discourajicd, workinji' hard for a couple of dins in
tryiufj- to seciu'e a firm foimdatiou l)efore I canu' to their assistance. Hotii birds
were equally dilifrent in the construction of their home until it was nearly fin-
ished, when the female did most of the arranjiinji' of the iiuier lining, and many

m

M

■i^r

:..

llii.

'I'

'it,:-.

r-i

:\\:M^:

"t'.'''

!ii.'

248

LIFE U18T01UES OF NORTH AMKKICAN IJIUDS.

1.^;^^

a cdii.sultation was evidently in(lul«ft'(l in l){'t\veen the j)air before the nest was
iinally n-ady for oeciiiKition, a low twitterinfj- beinif kept u|) almost eonstantly.
It took just a week to build it, and an egj>- was de]iosited each niornin<f after-
wards until the set, which consisted of four ep^rs, was completed. After
incubation iiad connnenced, I noticed that the female left her egf^s for an hour
or more at a time, durinji- the middle of the day, when the sun wjis shiniu}'' on
that part of the iiouse, and. sat pantinj'' on the window sill or on a little cotton-
wood ti-ee close l)y, kee})in;;' Avatch over her ti'casures. I also ol)served her
turninji' the ej>;is over and rearranging^' tiiem occasionally when she returned to
the nest.

'I'he nests of the Arkansas Kinji'bird vary fjreatly in bulk and size accord-
hig to the situation, and are usually placed at no <>Teat height from the ground.
Generally they are compactly built structures, the foundation and outer walls
being composed of weed stems, fine twigs, plant fibers, and rootlets, intermixed
with wool, cocoons, hair, feathers, bits of string, cottonwood, milkweed, and
thistle (h)wn, or pieces of paper, and lined with finer materials of the same kind.

A typical nest. No. "ifiOiiG, United States National Museum collection, tai en
by Air. H. W. l[(;nshaw, near St. Ysabcl, ('alifoniia, measures (! inches in outer
diameter by .'{ in deptli; tlie iimer cuj) is ii inches wide by 1:{ deej). It is prhici-
paliy iomposed of the stalks of Sfi/locHiic ((rizoiiiai and Micropiin vdlifornkits,
mixed i nd lint'd with cocoons and a little down.

Nidification, even in the more southern parts of their rang(>, rarely coni-
mer.ces much l)efore the middle of May, more generally (hning June, and near
the northern limits not before the first week in ,luly. From three to five eggs are
laid to a set, i'( .r being th(^ usual nuiid)er. I have taken two sets of five each
near Fort Walla Walla, Washington, i)ut such large sets are rather rare. Incu-
bation lasts from twelve to thirteen days: t.iiis (hity is mostly performed by the
female, but I have also seen the malt* on the nest, and he can generally be
observed close by, on the lookout for danger. Hoth parents are exceedingly
courageous in the defense of their nest and young, and evcM-y bii-d of this species
in the neighl)orliood will (piicklv come to the rescue and help to drive intruders
off a-< soon as one gives flic alai'iii. Tiie young grow rapidly and are aide to
lease the nest in about two weeks. They consuiue an innnense amount of food,
certainly fully their own weiglit in a day. I have often watched tlie family
])revi(Hisly referred to, raised on tlw sill of my attic window, and also fed them
with the l)(«lies of the larg(( black crickets wiiile one of tiie jjareiits was looking
on, and ai)parently approvi:.j.'ly, within a U^w feet of me. 1 have stull'ed them
mitil it seemed impossible for tiuni to hold an\ ore, l)Ut there was no satisfying
them; it certainly keeps the parents iiusy from e.iriy morning till late at night to
supply their always hungry family, i'licy are readily tamed wlieii taken young.
and are ver\' intelligent, making interesting pets. I belicNc that ouK' one bi-ood,
as a rule, is raised in a season, excepting possilily in the exti-eme southern
])ortions of their range, in southern Arizona and ( 'alifornia, a> I found fresh eggs
on llillito Creek, near Tucson, as late as duly 21), in a locality where these birds

THE ARKAXSA8 KINOBIRD.

249

lia<l not been previously disturbed, whicli soeins to indicato that they occasion-
till}' mil}' rear a second l)rood.

The e<^gs of the Arkansas Kiuffbird do not differ in shajjc or coloration from
those of the Kinfrbird, and the same description will answer for botii; but tiiey
are a tritle smaller as a rule.

The avera{>e measurement of one hundred and four ej^jjs in the United
States National iMuseum coUectiin is 23.()2 by 17.42 millimetres, or about ().!(3
by U.fjJt inch. T\\g larfjest eifff of the series measures 2r).91 by 18.54 millimetix's,
or 1.02 by 0.73 inches; the smallest, ID. HI by 15.7a millimetres, or 0.78 Ijy 0.()2
inch.

One of the type si)ecimens. No. 20302 (PI. 1, Fip:. 10), from a .set of three
eggs, shows rather heavy and handsome markings, and also a slightly i)inkish
ground color, while No. 20390 (PI. 1, Fig. 17), from a set of four (one of the
largest specimens in the series) represents about an average-marked egg; both
are from the Bendire collection; the former was taken at Fort Lapwai, Idaho,
June Hi, 1871, and the latter at Fort Walla Walla, Washington, May 25, 1881.

.fi

A'

'Pi

! i

gi. Tyrannus vociferans Swainson.

CASSINS KINGDIHD.

Tyyaimus vociferans Swainson, (^uiirtcrly .lourniil of Science, XX, ISL'Ci, 1*73.

(B lli7, C 245, It 307, O 371, U 448.)

Geoobapiiical kanoe: Western United States; from the eastern sloi)es of the
Hoeky -Mountains west to Cahforniii; north to .southern Wyoniin;;'; soutli throufjli Coh)-
railo, New Mexico, northwestern Texas, Arizona, to Lower California, .Mexico, and in winter
to (iuateinahi and Costa Uica. Accidental in Ore^'i'n.

Cassin's Kingbird, while fairly common in certain sections of its range,
appears to be entirt'ly absent in some of tlie intermediate regions. Eastward, so
far as is known at present, its breeding range extends to the eastern bases of the
Kocky Mountains in Colorado, and possibly to soutlieastern Wyoming, where
Dr. C. Hart Mcrriam obtained a single specimen on ^lay 27, 1872, near Ciiey-
enne. In the Great Hasin region, tln-oiigh Utah and Nevada to the eastern
slojies of the Sierra Nevadas in (."alifornia, it has not }'et been met with, but it
j)rt)bably occurs in southern Utah; while in the coast districts of southern Cali-
fornia and through the greater portion of Arizona and New Mexico it is a
common summer resident, and it also ])roltal)ly breeds in limited numl)ers in
northwestern Texas. In Oregon it can only l)e considered as a straggler, though
Jlr. A. W. Anthony observed a few specimens on May 5, 1S85, in Washington
County, in the noithwe fern part of the State. While the Arkansas Kingbird
apj)ears to shun the innnediate coa.st districts, Cassin's Kingbird seems to prefer
tliem. It is said to be quite connnon in many ))arts of Mexico during the l)reed-
iug season, and in southern California it is partly resident.

f .

)

250

LIFE FIISTOUIKS OP NORTH AMKltlCAN HI K IKS.

V, I

•■f ■■■'Hiil'J

■'Ai

Mr. V. StepliciiH writes inc: "Cassin's Kin^^hird is ji winter resident in
aoutheni Califurniii, but it is not very common. I iiave tailed to iind tliem here
duriiif;- the broodiii}^ season, even in tlie mountains."

It has not as yet been reported from soutiieni Arizona as a winter residcMit.
I tailed to notice tliem after ()etol)er in tiie vicinity of Tucson, and believe they
niifiiate rej^ularly, returuinj; fntm their winter homes in the south in March.

Cassin's Ivinj>bird is neither as noisy nor as (piarrelsonm as the ))r('cedinj^
species, and appears to bo more of a mountaiii-lovinj^- bird and to nest at hi<i;her
altitudes.

Dr. Kdj,''ar .\. .Mearns, Tnited States Army, in his notes on Arizona ^foun-
tain Hirds, says: "Cassin's Kinj^bird l)reeds connnonly throujihout the ])ine
forests. 1 found it in the uppermost tindjer on San Francisco .Mountain in June,
the altitude beiiiff nearly 12,000 feet. This conspicuous species likewise breeds
in the low valleys of Arizona, to^'tlu'r with th(^ .Vrkansas Kinii'l»ird (T//i(I)i)ihs
rcrlhdlis), nests of both sjjccies havinji' l)een found at the same time in one Cot-
tonwood tree in the Verde Valley. On the Afofiollon M(mntains I saw them
attack Crows and Western Hed-tailed ilawk.s, and drive them from the neifi'li-
borhood of their nests after the spirited fashion of the eastern Kingbird."'

Tiieir food, like that of the other members of this family, consists princi-
pally of insects, and is obtained in a similar manner.

Their call notes do not ditl'er verv much from those of the other Kinj^'bii-ds,
but on the who!,- are pctrhaps less shrill and a trifle more melodious. While
they are ]»ossii)Iy more connnon in the oak and pine belts in .\rizoiiii, 1 found
them by no means rare in the lowlands alono' the Santa Cruz Wiver and IJillito
Creek, near Tucson, Arizona, durinj;' the sunnner of 1S72, where I took a num-
ber of till ir nests. 1 consider them very late Itreeders, my earliest record bein;:'
June 14, when I took a set of four fresh e<^jjs; but it is j)o,ssible that I may have
overlooked the first broods entirelv, as most all the nests found by me durin<i"
the month of June (ai)out a dozen) contained fresh eji'n's. 'J'he season of 1S72
was a very backward one, however, and this may account for the late ne.stin<r,
especially as Dr. Coo])er is quoted in "History of North American Mirds, 1S74"
(Vol. II, p. 32.S), as iindiiio- Cassin's Kin^l)ird breeding- at San I )ie^'o, California,
.s early as .March 2S. The earliest record I have is May 27, 1S92 — a set of three
(.frrrs contaiuiuji' Vay'^q endnyos, taken at Doj:' Sprin;;-, (Irant (Jounty, New Mex-
ico, by Dr. E. A. ^learns, Uniteil States .\i-my, and now in the United States
National Museum collection. This nest was located in a hackl)i!rry tree, near a
nest of Swainson's Hawk, eontainini:- twon><>'<i-s.

The trees {iUMierally sidectt'd l)y«this species for nestin<>- sites are pines, oaks,
Cottonwood, walnut, hackl)erry, and sycamore's, and the nests are almost inva-
rial)ly j)laceil near the end of a horizontal liml), usually from 20 to 40 feet from
the srrouml, in |)ositions where tlie\' are not easilv reaclie<l. All of the nests
examined l)y ww were placed in larn'e cottonwooils, with lon^' spn^adiufi- limbs,
and were saildled on one of tlie.se, well out toward the extremity. The majority

> The Auk, Vol. VU, 1890, p. 255.

0A88IN'S KINdHIUl).

251

could only be reached by pliiciiiff a polo atiainst the limb and climbinfj to it.
'I'licy art* tully as denionstrativo as the Arkansas Kingbird when thoir nests are
disturbod, and are eqmdly ('oura{;eous in the defense of their ej^'f^s and yttunff.
The nents are lar}>e, bulky structures, larger than those of the jn-eceding s))ecieH,
lint <'(ini]iiis(Ml of similar materials. An average nest measures 8 inches in outer
diameter ljy 3 inciies in dej)th. The inner cup is 3^ indies wide by l'| deej).
Siuietimes they are pretty well concealed to view from below, but they can
usually l)e readily seen at a distance.

Fi'om two to five eggs an* laid to a set. Sets of three or foiu' are most
fre(pu'ntly found, while sets of two and five are rare, but I have found Itoth,
incubation having already conunenced in the smaller set. This lasts from twelve
to fourteen days, and is almost alwtays, if not exclusively, performed by the
female. I have never noticed the male on the nest. The eggs are similar in
color and markings to those of the Kingbird and Arkansas Kingbird, and about
the sanu; size as the latter, but on the whole they are not (|uite as iieavily spotted.

The average measurement of forty-four eggs in the United States National
j\luseuni collection is 23.<>2 by 17.47 millimetres, or al)nut 0.1(3 by O.*!!) inch.
Tile largest egg of the series niea.sures 27.114 by IK. 30 millimetres, or 1.10 by
0.7(1 im-hes; the smallest 22.(;i by 1().26 millimetres, or 0.81» )>y 0.(14 inch.

The type specimen. No. 20413 (I'l. 1. Fig. IS), from the Bendire collection,
was taken by the writer on Killito Creek, Arizona, <m July 15, 1872, and is a
nither large-sized o,<x<f, while No. 2(>14() (I'l. 1, Fig. lit) was collected by Dr.
Mdgar A. Mearns, United States Army, on tiie east side of the San !>uis Moun-
tains, New Mexico, on .Fuue 17, 1S'J2. The two specimens represent about
average-marked eggs of this species.

ga. Pitangus derbianus (Kaip).

DEKBY FLYCATCHER.

Siiiiropliniiun derhinnuK K.\rp, Proceedings Zoological Scx'iety, 18.51, 41, I'l. .\\X^■1.
ritaiKjux do-hinnus SOLATKU, Proceedings Zoological Society, l.S."((i, 2Jt7.

(H _, 0 — , It ;!08, C ;i(!4, t: 44i».)

Gkoorai'UK^ai, UANfiE: North to the lower Hio (irande Valley in Texas; south
tlii'ough Mexico and Oential America to Colonibiii, Veiiezuehi, and 'I'liiiidiid, Soath
America.

The Deiln' Flycatcher, also locally known as the " Hull-headed Flycatcher,"
"Mexican I'itangus," and "Rio Grande Flycatcher," can only be considered as
a rather unconnnon.suuuner visitor in the lower Rio (Jrande N'alley, in soiuliern
Texas, where it breeds in very limited muidters, though in the adjoining States
of Tamauli}ias and Nuevo Leon, in eastern Mexico, it apjiears to> be fairly
connnon, and it is etiually so thnrnghuut the greater })ortion of tlie ^Mexican
Rejiublic, l)oth in hot and temperatt; zones, when* it sometimes reaches an
altitude of .^),000 feet. It also breeds tlu\)Ughout Central America in suitable
localities.

.!■

^■^

>:1

I^H

!

\- iU

I.; I ;

■III

252

LIFK HISTOIIIES OK NOUTIl AMKIMCAN HIUDH.

'■.1:

■i|

1" .L''^^".

Mr. G. B. Seiuiott, to whom wo an^ iiiilfl)ti'tl tor a {rroiit <l('nl of viiluahle
information about the birds of tlin lower Uio Cirando Valley, added this largo
and conspicuous Flycatcher to our fauna, and says: "On April 23, 187H, a male
and female of this s|)ecies'were shot at I^ake 8an Jose, a f<nv miles froin Lomita.
lioth were shot about 4 feet up on the trunks of small retauia trees standiufj;' in
the water, and were clin<jinjr to tli.em nnd workinj,'' their way down to the water,
possibly to flrink. They were not particularly shy. On May i) another female
was .shot in a tree iiorderin<r the lake, yet not over the water. One or two more
wen* observed in tindier about water holes. In flight this Flycatcher resenddes
the Kinjifishers. Dissection indicated the approach of the breeding season, and
it xmdoul)tedly nests in the large trees of the locality."'

Jlr. l"i. W. Nelson writes me that he found the Derby Flycatcher rather
common about reed patches bordering the salt lagoons, near Manzanillo, in
Cidima, Mexico. They usually ])erched on the tops of dead bushes or stcmt
reeds, from which vannige ])oints they made excursions in various directions
after passing insects. lie also met with them near dalapa, \'era ("ruz, where
they frecpiented the scattered i)ushes on the borders of fields and ak)ng streams
flowing through cultivated or inclo.sed lands.

Mr. Charles W. Richmond has kindly furnished the following notes on this
large Flycatcher, as observed by him in Xicarngua:

"The nanu' given this bird in Nicaragua refers to its note, which soi. ids
like 'kiskadee,' several times repeated. They hav(^ another note, which they
utter on some occasions, and also a note of distress, very ditl'erent from either
of the others. Although t\\v food consists of insects, 1 have seen one specimen
that liad its mouth and throat full of riju' banana. The Derby Flycatcher is
common along the streams, and almost invariably ti'avels in jiairs. The bird
api)ears to be evenly distributed along the water courses, and two or three pairs
may* occupy perhaps ;; mile along the; river front, which territory they go over
every day. At the International Planting ("om])any's lleadcpiarters, where I
collected for over eight months, there,' were two pairs on the river, one on each
side, and another pair located on a creek dose by. After .shooting the two jiaii's
on.our side of the river, no others came alxiut f'oi- a long time, although tlie pair
on the opposite side of the river (aljout .'!(>() yardjS wide at this point) jiassed up
and down each day on their rounds. I'heir flight ordinarilv is short, the birds
.stop])ing a short time in each place, ])icking uj) food as they move along."

The most complete and interesting account of the general hiil)its of the
Derby Flycatcher is that published i>y the lat(^(u'orge X. Lawrence, based upon
collections and noti-s on the "Hirds of Western and Northwestern I\Iexico,"
made by the late ("ol. A. J. fJriiyson. an<l ]iublished in the "Memoirs of the
Boston So.'iety of Natural History" (\'ol. II, p. I'Sd). Tliese are as follows:

"This is a connnon and abundant species, inhabiting tlie western and north-
western parts of Mexico; I found it e(pially as connnon in Tehuantepec as in
the region of Mazatlan, where its loud, shrill notes of 'hip-se-dee, hip-se-dee'

' Ilnni'tiii of tlif I'. S. Gi'oliiyifiil miiiI Ofouriiiiliiciil Siiivcy. Veil. V, No. 3. IS'il, pp. 407, 408.

THE DERBY FLYCATCHER.

268

may bo licard Jit all seasons of tl'o year, l»iit iiioie ])articularly (luriiif; the
breetliiij-' season, when it is excessively }>;jirruh)us. It is more treciuently nu^t
witii in tlic neiji'hborhood of fresh-water streams and la>i'oons, and I havc^ often
observed tliem dart into tlie water after water inserts and niiiniows tiiat were
swinunin}"' near tht* snrface, not nnlilve^hi^ Kinj'tisher; bnt they nsnaliv ]»ursuo
and ca|)ture on tlie win<i' the lar^-er kinds of (Jolcojitcrn and Xt'iiro/itcra, swallow-
in<^' their prey entire after hrst beatiny it a few times a;;ainst tlieir perch. They
are usually in pairs, but I have also seen as many as twenty about a staonant
pool, watcliiiij'' its turbid water for insects and sn.all Ksh, for which they seem to
have a ;;'reat partiality.

"The nest of this species is very lar^e, and its construction differs from all
t\w TipauuiilfC of which 1 have any knowleiljic exceptinji' M. trxnisis. It is
dome-shape(l or covered, with the entrance on the side, while the other .species
l)uilil a saucer-shapefl nest. The nest of the Hull-hi'aded Flycatcher is usually
placed in the forks of the l)ranches of \-ery thorny tri'cs, Jo or 30 feet from the
l^round. It is composed of very coarse materials, of either straw or lichens,
sometimes of both, the liniiiff, however, is of firmer and more elastic fibcM's.
Other birds sometimes make their nests in the same or nearest tree, such as
M. tcxi'iisi.'), C. mrl(inirti-nis, and /. iiiishilahin. The eji'^s of this Flycatcher are
usually fi\c in nund)er; they are of moderate size, rather len<itlieneil, of a lijiht
cream c(dor, with a small reddish spi'ck; the shell is delicate and easily l)rok(!n."

Messrs. Salvin and CJodman make the tbllowinjr remarks about this species:
"In (Guatemala /'(7«////((.sw/tv7;»(«».v l)uilds its nest in April and Ma\'; one found
at Duenas was a larjic, loose structure with a j;reat deal of superfluous matter
aljout it, its entrance! Iteinj;- on one side; it was cumi)ose(l entirely of small
twigs and place<l at the end of a branch alxnit 20 feet from the ground;
another taken at San (ici'onimo had two openings, Itut one seems to be the rule.
A favorite haunt is the banauii groves, where the nest ma\' l>e found wedged in
among the chisti'rs of fruit. The eggs are slightly i)ear-shai)ed, of a i)ale
creamy-white color, spotted and blotched with brick red. Tlu^y vary consider-
al)ly in size and color, esjx'cially as to the magnitude and density of the sj)ots.

"We never noticed /'. (Inhnnms feeding on fish and water insects, as
described b)' Grayson, but .Mr. Hudson ascribes similar habits to /'. sitlphurafiis
in the Argi-ntiiui Uej)nblic."'

There are three sets of eggs in the Ralph collection, taken in (!aiiu'ron
County, Texas, on May !», May 27, and June 23, 1H;)3, respectively. Each of
these contaiue<l foui- fresh eggs when found; the last set was probaldy a second
laying, tlu^ first having Iteen destroyed. 'i\vo of theses nests wei-e located in a
thicket of Imisache trees (^Acdcia fanics'nuia), alxiut 10 tc'et from the ground;
•le other in a largo buiu'h of Spanish moss, pending from the lind> of a largo
rree, about 14 feet up. The last-nanu-d is now in the collection here. The nest
proper is an lunisually bulky structure, composed princii)ally of gray Spanish
moss, dry weed stems, pieccss of vines, and swamp grasses, and lined with finer

I

v,i ''

1

;i

III

i ■<':

I '1,

!■.

•Mjl

n |i1

ff

A- ■ ; -I ■

'biologia Ccutiali Aniurii'iiiii, Aves, \a\. II, ISS'.l, p. 45.

■ .rS

254

LIFK IIISTOUIES OF NOUTU AMKItUJAN lUUDS.

imitciiiilsof tlicHaiiic kinds. It inciisuri'H 11 iiiclios in oiitcrdiiuuctcr by f) inclieH
ill lu'i<rlit. 'I'lio iiiiKT eii|) iiiciisurcs ft iuclicH in diiiiiu'tiT l»y 2 iiiclios in dcptii.
'Plus viirioiw iiiiitfi'ials iiro w«dl intonvovon anil niiikcf a roinpact mass. Tlu' walls
of till) nest arc unusually thick. 'I'lic other nonts wiu'o liiu'd with wool, tfiitliors,
])laiit down, and Spanish moss.

Tho nuiiiiicr ot" »'<iji's to a set is tour or live, and prohalily only one hrood
is raised in i season. 'Plicy vary coiisidcralily in Hlia|M<; the majority may l»u
called short o\ate, others are ovate and eloiifiiite ovate; the shell is clost^ i^raiiieil
and Imt slijjhtly ^jlossy. Thi^ <>idiinil eolor is pale creamy white, and is spar-
iiiffly spotted, jirincipally about the larj^er end, with irreji'iilarly shaped spla.shes
and minute specks of seal or liver-hrown and different shades of lavender.

'i'he average measurement of ei^i'htecn ejijis in the I'nited States National
Museum collection is '2i>.4(I by 21. iU millimetres, or 1.1 (! by 0.84 inches. Tho
larjivst i'<x<x measures 30.4H by 22.10 millimetres, or 1.20 by (»..S7 iiiehos; the
smallest, 2(1.1(1 by 21.;U millimetres, or l.Oii by 0.84 inehe.s.

The type sp'ecimens, Xos. 2(;;542 and 2(];{4;5 (IM. 1, Fij-s. 20 and 21), both
from sets of four ej^f^s, Halph collection, were taken in Cameron ('otiiity, Texas,
on May 27 and .Tuiu^ 2.'}, 1SI»;5, respectively, and represent the heavier and liner
marked ty})es of these eygs.

!'■

93. Myiozetetes texensis (Giuaii)).

OIIUUD'S FLYCATCHEK.

Miincicapa tr.rensi.1 OlHAin, Sixtocn Texas Birds, 1841, I'l. f.
Mji'wzvMcH lexvniiiii Sulatku, I'loccedintrs Zoolofjiciil SiHtioty, 1859, nP

(H — , C — , K ;5()9, 0 — , U 14,-)(lj.)

GEorsRArniOAL bangk: Central Aiuoricu; south to CJoloinMa, Soiitli Aiiicricii. north
to iiorthtuii Mexico (ami soutliern Texas?).

(Jlrand's Flycatcher is included in our fauna on (Siraud's Texas record, but
no other specimens have since been secured, and if it occurs at all in the lower
Kio Grand(! \'alley, in Texas, it can only be considered as an accidental stra<^-
ler, and it is not probable that it breeils within our Ixa-ders.

Mr. Charles W. Richmond has kindly furnished me the followinj;' notes on
this bird: "It is very abundant in Nicaraji'ua. It is confined to the vicinity of
water courses, and is evenly distributed in such localities. It is (piite a stationary
liird; pairs occui>vinj;' a certain precinct may be found in the same place week
after week, seldom wanderinj;' far away, accordiiif^' to liiy observations. The
bird usuallv selects a tree overhaiifiinj'' the water for its jierch, where it often
sits for a considerable leiij^th of time, utterin;;- its peculiar cry, which resembles
that of a youii};' chicken, only loiuhfr. 'Pile bird has other notes which it makes
use of at different times. Occasinnally it prospects around the outer braiiches
of the tree for insects, maki*i^- short fli<;lits from branch to branch in a leisurely
manner, looking carefully about before proceediii<'- to the next branch, and

GIUAUD'a FLYUATCIIEK.

255

Htrotchinj,'' itH nock out, after the mnnnor of a \)o\i\ It froqnontly fiifs out from
its |)('ifli after passiuji' iusectH, like a Wood Pewee or Kiii;;l)inl. 'I'iii.s hird
ItatiieH fr(M|ueutly iluiiii;;' tlie day if tiie siui is siiiniu}^', tlyin^j' down into the
water witli a splash, tlieu up to its ])ertdi aj^niin, where it dresses its featliers.
Tliis style of i)athiiij; I iiave noticed (ndy in (Jiraud's Flycatcher.

"The nest is a lieautiful structure, rooft^d over, with tli(> entrance at one
side. It is usually profusely covered with living- moss, and is jieuerally placed
in a hush or tree over tlut water, from o to 1.^) feet up as a ride. Nests are often
placed in hunches of lianauas, and I have fouiul them in youn^' lime trees, 4
feet from the ^iround. One nest, found in a clumit of viiie.s, was fully 30 leet
from the <rroinid. I found a nest May I. '5, containiufi' throe youiif^ I)irds fully
tled;^ed. The par(;nt hirds werc! very much excited whiht I remained in the
vicinity. The species is known as 'Little Kiskadee' i)y the lOniilisli-speakin^-
]ieople horts on account of its r(;send)Iance to the Derhy Flycatcher."

Mr. K. W. Nelson writes me: "I fouiul (Jiraud's Flycatcher conmioi\ alon^-
tall heil^i'es honh'riii^- liidds near ,Iico, \'era ("ruz, .Mexico, diirinii- June and
iluly, IcSliy. They were also particidarly common alonj;' stri-ams hurdered hy a
more or le.ss .strajfjiliii}; p'owth of tall hushes. They appeareil to nest only in
the latter situations — a dozen or nuire of tlieir nests werc^ found here, all
similarly situateil. They were )»laced in forks near the tops of tall, slend<'r, and
•icnerally ovt-rhang-inj^' hushes, from 12 to 15 feet from the ;iround. In several
instiinoeH the nests were placed in the tops of hushes overhan<jiin^' streams.
There was not the slij;htest attempt at concealmt.'Ut, and the nests were usiiallv
visible at a considerable distance, appearin<4' like larj;e, raj^jicd liandfids of dry
fi'ra.ss thrust carelessly into the forks of the bushes. They were still more
conspicuous from the fact that they were usually I)uilt in the tops of bushes
somewhat taller than the averaj^e, or apart from the general mass of surroimdiii<i'
vt'jjietation.

" Uidortunately, all of the nests examined were either occupied liv yonn<>' or
had already been deserted; they were all lined with fine f>Tass stems. The old
})ir(ls were not at all shy, but watche(| my approach with consideralile anxietA-,
hoverini>' aliout from the top of one bush to another, in the vicinity of nests
containinji' youn^', utterin;;- clear, plaintive, whistlin<i' notes of alarm, with occa-
sional harsher, chatterinii' cries. When undisturbed these i)irds ])erch (|uietly on
conspicuous points, wlu'iice they <lart otf after passing;- insects or utter occasional
mellow, whistlinji' call notes. They are usually rather (piiet birds, althoujih
always conspicuous from the natiu'e of their surroundings. The u|)per limit of
their ran^c, near .Jalapa, N'era. ( 'ruz, appeal's to be about 4,r)()0 feet."

Mr. (i. K. Cherrie, of San .lose, Costa IJica, has kindly presented the
I'liiti'd States National Museum with a well-preserved nest of this species, and
also a handsome set of eyji's, the iirst fully identified specimens in the collection.
Since these have l)een received I find that the late Col. A.,1. (Jrayson ha<l taken
the nest and e<i;fi;'s of tJiraud's Flycatcher near Mazatlan, Mexico, yi'ars pre-
viously, and a short but correct descrii)tion of the nest is j^iven in the Memoirs

'•iji

25(5

LIl'M'} llISTOUilW OP NOltTlI AMKUICAN IJIHDH.

1 8 -U

of tlut Uttstoii Society of Ntitiinil Ilistorr (Vol. II, p. 2x(>). An cyjjr tiiki'ii by
liiiii lit tlio tiiiio is now in tho coUt'ctiuu Iiltc, and undoubtedly belunjjH to tliitt

sneeieH.

(Jirnud's Flycntrlicr boffiiis ncHtinff in Costu Rica about tlio first of April,
iind probal)iy rears two liroods in a season. The set of effj,''s presented i)y Mr.

Cliui

no was

tak

en on ,\n\w

;{(), 1K!)(>, and was, niorc^ tiian likelv from a .serond

lay

avniir.

'PI

IS "'en

tleinan descril)es a nest taken bv bin

I lie

Tal

inianni,

Costa

Uiea, on Ajirii 1, 1K!I(), as follows; "It was placed in a tliorny slirnb, aitoiit 5
feet from the "ground, the .shrill) j;Towiii};' in a clearinji' by the side of ii river. It
is composed entirely of dry j^rass, externally of rather coarsi^ steins, and lined
witlrvery tine, soft tops. It is somewhat retort shapeil, restiiij^' in the forks of
the limit, but is also bound to one of the branches of the fork for almost the entire
leiijrth of the nest. Louj;' gra.ss steins haiij^' fnaii the front of tlu> nest for 12
inches below tho bottom; the nest meusures externally 10 inches in depth by
() inches in horizontal diameter."

'I'lu^ one sent to the United States National Museum, taken at the same
])lace on April S, 1S!)(), is .similarly constructed; it reseiid)les the nests of our
Cactus Wren very much, and mijiht readily be mistaken foi- one* of tlu

m.

Th

le e;^';.;'s are two or three in number, ovate in shape, rather thin shelled,
and without luster; their ;;Tound color is a delicate creamy white with a faint
pinkish tint, and they are sparinjily marked, especially about the larmier end of
the e^)i', with minute spots of j)riint^ and heliotrope-purple and lavender.

The avera;;i' measurement of live ei^'f^'s in the I'nited States National Museum
collection is "iiMl by 1(!.7(J millimetres, or 0.!(1 by ().(I(! inch. The larj^est e<i;»'
measures -J.').!)! liy Ki.TG millimetres, or 1.02 l)y 0.(l(J inches; the smallest, 21.34
by 1(3.;')! millimetres, or 0.84 by 0.().")inch.

The ty[)e spev;inien. No. 2."»2S;{ (I'l. 1, Fiff. 22), from a set of three e<^<;s,
was taken by Mr. Georj;e K. Chen'ie, near San .lose, C«)sta iiica, on Juno 30,
ISDO, and represents an averaj^'e-marked e^g-.

94. Myiodynastes luttiventris Sclatkr.

Sri-rUUR-UKLLIED FLYCATCHEK.

Mjiiodi/iKisicK htfi'irfiiitrin Srr.ATUR, Proceedings Zoolofiiciil yociety, I8."i!), 42 (ex lioiiaparte
(Joiuiitc Ueiiilu X..\.XVIII,,1S."4, (i.'iT, iiomeii inidam).

(B — , C! — , It .{1(1, C 3(i,-., U 4."»1.)

Okograpiiical ranoe: Mexico and Central America; north to soutliern .\ri7.0na;
south to Pananui.

We are indebted to ^Ir. W. II. Ileu.shaw for the addition of this handsimie
Flycatcher to our avifauna. lie says:

""^riiis ])eculiar Flycatcher appears to be a sununer resident of tlu^ Chinca-
Ima Mountains in southern Arizona, wherc^ I obtained a pair of old birds, tof^ether
with three younj;', Augu.st 24, 1874. These, though indistinguishable in size

Till-; SIJLI'IIUIt iiKLLIKU FLYCATCIIKIt.

267

mill |MTi'f(>tiuii lit' |iluina;j'f tVniii tin- ailiilt |iair, \viTt< still tlii' itltjccts nt' tlii'ir
Moliritniis cart', ami wiMf ili'|H'iiili'iit. uiioii tlii-iii tor tiiml. Iiidt'cil, tlu'ir itrcsciico
ii\\<i\\t liavc rfiiiaiiicil iimioticcil liy iiu* hail I not Ixh'II ;rnii't«ti|, as I cnti-ri'il tlut
iniMitli lit' iiiio of tilt' (li'i'p, iiaiTow cimyoiiH intorscH'tiii); tlio MioiiiitiiiiiM in I'vcry
iliri'itiiiii, liy tlw shrill laitcs ami aiij;ry crii's i>t' thu olil liirds, who hovcn-il in
the air at a shmt ilistaiirc, i»r tit'w rt'sth'SHly t'rniii treo to tii-n t'liilfaviiriii;'' to
(liHtract my attt'Utioii from tim yoim;f, till, taking,' tho ahmii, timy fluw ovit into
an ailjiiininj^' raviiii', wliorn simii aftrr I finiml tlii' wlmli' family asscmhlfil, tlui
(ilil Itinls havinji' imiiu'diatt'ly n-joimMl tlii'ir rhai'i^cs. 'i'lm. follnwiiij;' ila\ Dr.
Hothroi'k, whiln out hotaiiiziiij;', saw what \w sniiposcil to iio a sccoml famil\- of
six or HfVi'ii II ili(\si? hirils, so fhiit, tlm ocfurrniKHf of thi' spi-rit's licri' is proba-
bly ti> l»r ri'nanh'il as by no nnans acfiih^ntal."'

Sinrc thi-n Lit'Ut. Harry ('. Honson, llnitml Statt-s Army, and l)r. A. K.
Fishi'r ha\i'i»otli taken this spoiMos ainon;^' the oaks in sonm of tin- raiiynns nrar
Fort llnachura, and it uiidniiiitrdly orcin's ri';;iilarly tin; ii;ihout the monntaiii
ri'j;ions of southi'rn Arizona dnriiij;' tim l)r(HMlini;' season. .Mr. Iv \V. Nelson
fonii I it not nneoimnon about .lalapa ami .lico, in Vurii (!rii/,, where they were
noted dining' .Fniio and .Inly. 'I'liey were fonnd ahin<;' heilj^es bordering' thu
roadsides and iields, and also anion;;' bushes on the more open parts of the

sloiies o

f hill.^

s ami eanxons.

tl

leir "('iieral habits thev elosi-lv I'esemltk

Mji'iozctvlvs tc.misis.

Mr. IJiehard h. liUsk has reeeiitly sent me tin; fiillowiii};' notes on the iiest-
in;;- of this speries in .southern Arizona, under date of Oetoiier 14, iHii;. He
writes: "Afttsr watihin;;' every ])iuv of Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers that came
to my notice, all throu;ili the season, in the hope of di.scoviu'in;;' some actions
that looked like nestin;;-, 1 had ^I'ixen it up as useless, when, on the moru-
in;i' of Au^iust 1, I saw one in the distance tly to a hole in the main stem
of a s\camore tn-e, about 40 feet from the lii'iuind. The bird flew first to an

III

Iter I

iraiii

•h iif the tree and mad

.1' a cart'

fill

reconiHiiter of the \iciiiitv

I

waited and watched ipiietly vnitil the iiro^iramnie was repeated txvice, and then,
after ^i'liinj^' chi.se to the tree and ascuitainiii;;' the hole to be a natural knot hole,
came to the comdusion that the bird must be biiildin^i', for there had been nono
of the species in that vicinity a few days previous when 1 reinaineil there for
Pwo weeks later I returned to the tree and succeeded in

siiine time hunting;'

reaching;' the hole, after some dilliculty. It was about 4 inches in diameter,
straij^ht in, scarcely extending;' below the mar;;in of the entrance, so that tho
l)ird, sittinj.;- on the e^j'^i's, couhl have easily looked out of the hole. Within was
a iie.st, which, thoui^h exceedin^^ly siniph' in con.struction, was certainly nni(|ue
in material of coiii])ositioii, for there was not a vesti^^o of anything;' in its struc-
ture except the .stems of walnut leaves, with which the bottom of the hole was
lined for a depth of about half an inch.

"Three years a;fo Mr. ( ). C l'ol:n<j^ shot a specimen of this species of Fly-
catcher which had a fully developed e;;;;' in its ovary, as late as the last of July,

'(!c()(;r:i])liitiil SiirvejH West iif Iddtli Mi'iiiliim, Vol. \ , 1S7,">, p. JUT.

4

i '1
■•'.I /

1 i

^1

i

f ':

.A%

* !•

V i!!. . «

'\" ' ;N'::J

iijil

16896— No. 3-

-17

'm

y- .-i

1 ' \ ,

258

LIFK lUSTOHlKS OK NOUTII AMKHICAN lUKDS.

and I;ist year, iihout the iTiiddlc of July, I sliot a t'lMiialc that was obviinisly laviiijjf.
I 'oncluilc t'niiii tlicsc t irciiinstaiu'cs, cuuiiIimI with my (^xpcrii-iicc this season, that
tlu lii'd is an ('XC(>|itii)nall\' late hrccih'r, which possibly may account tor no t)ne
;icttin;;' on the track of tlicir nests liet'ore, as the hii'd is not ver\ uncommon in
some hicalities in tills section, lve;;ai'(lin;4' their notes, 1 think 1 haxcnoteil Imt,
two distinct kinds, their discordant screech and a sinjile call. Tlu* screech, it
seems to me, is not to lie compareil to any hii'd \dice 1 hav(^ over heard, but
niifiht perhaps be compared lo the ])rotest of a wa;^on wheid that needs oillni"',
\ar\ini;' in leu'^'th, but al\va\s of tlu^ same incomparable qnalitx' of tone. Onco
heard, it is certain to li\e in Hie mc.iiory and be recoiiiii/.ed even alter the la])st^
of years. I could liai'dlx' (iescril)e their single note or call without hearing' it
ai^ain. I only know that it does nof closely reseml)le that of any other Klv-
catclicr, thoufi'h it mi^ihl not impress one as peculiar in itself, as <loes their otliei'
"ote. J do not think it is uttereil nearly as fre(pu'ntl\' as the screech.

'•They are fully as ([uari-elsome as the iiv.ra^i'e Flycatcher, at least about
their nesting' tr"e, i'Kvays keeitin;^- up their discordant notes while so en^'a^ed,
though if :', man is about the\ ai-<' apt to make tlieniselvcM sc.'U'ce. Tliev
;'r(! Muich less iiu'lined to seek an e.vposed, deail branch than some of the
other nien'iers of this family, aiMJ s'.' ni to lu- at least to be unich less actively
*'njia,ii<'d in tlieir le^-itimate callin.!.'; of catch. i,;^- Hies than any other Flycatcher.
Moreover, 1 ha\c seen them reoeatedl/ tlyinj^- into wild-chi-rry trees, loadeil with
ripe fruit, and thou;.,h I have not happened to be close enoiijih at the time to see
iliem eatinji- the tViiit, I concluded that that was Avhat they were doini^'. 'i'liey
fre(|Uent streams boi'derecl with lai';.;e trees seemiuji' always to ]ii-efer sycamores,
anil [ ha'. • rarely seen one more liian ;")(* yards I'rom a sti'eam. The extremis
width and size of their bills, toj>'ethei' v.'itli their sh(,i't no(dcs gWv them a. peculiar
appearand'- < '.en at a distanct^"

This nest, when taken on Auji'ust 15, 18!(4, contained three well incul)ated
o.Ufis, these bi'in;;- tlu; tirst ones actually foun 1 W'thin oin- borders. They were
obtained in Ivamsev's t "anyon, in tin lluaclnica Mountains, and are now in the
I'nited Slates i>;itional Museum cnllectiiMi.

As tlic jiiates tor tlli^ \<ihuiie had already i)een mad'- up and were then in
thd lithoj;raplier" • hands, none ol' them can be (iyuicd. Tliex' are broad, (dlip-
ical ovate in shape; the shell is close-iirained, stron;^', ami only slii,''htly j^'lossy.
Tiioir j^'round cohn* is rich, creamy but!', and they are profusely blotdi: d and
spotted. |)rincipally about tlieir larycr ends, with dai'k pansy purpli and lii,hter
shades of laveud.i; these marUiujis do noi I'esemble the streaky patieru found

tl

le e

if th

■nus Mi/idriliiiK. '1 hc' mea.'-iire "-'T.i!^ b\- 111.0,''), '2(i.l2 bv

l.S.So, ami -Jl.lil iiy 18..J4.niillinK'tres, or'l.)7 by (1.7.'), l.dl by (t.7-1, and ().!»7 b
(».7;i inches.

'I'!

le siiccimeli tl]

• ured on I'l. •_', Fi,u-.

I. wa>

Hr(

ewster, as there were iio eij;'"!'s o

f th

species in the co

llect

c(l by .Mr. Will

ion at till' time

lan.

jilates were made up. It was taken b\' Mr. K'. I!. .Mci.eod, near ( '.armeii
Chiliaalria, Me.vico, on ^tay -(!, 1N8"), from a ca\ity in a tree.

USi

^i^r-yf

THE SULl'Uirit BULLIKI) FLYOATCUER.

259

Tt resombles the esf^s provioiisly lUiscrilKid in ,sliiij)({ and <iToun(l cfdor, but
tho iiiiirkinjfs iiro soiuowliat brig-hter and lij^-litisr colored, and it nioasures only
24.Slt by l!).5() milliniotros, or 0.!)8 by U.77 inch. Tlic {oiualo paront, No.
23043, Hrevvistur colloctiun, was secured at the same time.

95 Myiarchus crinitus (LiNN.i-.rs).

CKKSI'KII l'l,Y(AI('Mi;i;.

Miisrivapa rriiiittt Linn.kits, .Systutna Natuni', mI. V2, 1, 1700, ii%'>.
Myiarvhun vrinitim Lightens i'k.in, Nomcnclator Musco HiM'oliiioiisis, 1854, 10.
(B 13(», v3 247, U ai2, 0 373, U 4r.2.)

(TEouRAruiCAh itANOE: Kastorii IJiiited States; nortli to tlio l*roviii<'t'< of New
Brunswick, <i)ii('l)t'i;, Oiitiirio, iiiul Miinitobii, Doiiiiiiioii oC Caiiu(l;i; west to .Mimie.sota,
easti'i'ii Nebniska, east(>rii Kansas, eastern liidiiiii Territory, au'l siifjlitly beyond the eastern
)iali' of Texas; south in winter tiirou^li eastern Me.^cieo to L'anaiiia and (Jolonibia, Soutli
America.

The Crested or Great Cre.sted P"'lycateher is a connnon siiiunicr resident in
sui*"ble localities throughout the eastern United States, and lireeds t'roin Florida
and le (xulf (Joast northward, includinji' the southern portions of the Doniiiii >ii
of Canada. The western limit of its hreedinj^' ranji'e in Texas extends sou'e-
what bevond the eastern half of the .State into Tom (Ireen Countv, and thence
in .1 nortluiasterly direction to ^[innesota and soutiu-rn Manitoba. Wliile the
majority i)f these bircls pass bevond our l)t)rders in wiiUer, not a few I'eniain on
the Florida peninsida and the adjacent keys throujjfhout this season, jjrobably
birds from the extreme northern portions of tlieir bi-eediu";- ranji'e. 1 he majority
reenter tlie Uniti'd Stales la'twi-en Jbircli 2;j and April 10, moving;' leisurely
aloui;-, and usually arri\inii'on their breeiliu};' jiroinids in the Middle States about
the latter part of April, and correspondiufily later farther northward. lu north-
ern New York and tlience west to .Minnesota they are rarely noticed before the
midille of .\la\'. I'lu' return migration from their l)reedinji- jii'ounds in tlie extreme
northern limits of their i-an^e commences in tlie latter part of .\uyust, and few
of these l)irds remain into Septemi)er.

'i"he Crested Flycatcher, tliou^h not jjarticiilarly rare along our northern
border, is far more connnon in nur .Middle and Southern States, thoujih perhaps
not as often observed a.^ its abundance woidd warrant. Its characteristi(^ call
notes mav ;;(nierall\' be heard in any piec(^ of \\oo(ls contairiiuj;' some dead tim-
ber and situated not too far from water. I>nrin};' the matin;;' season it is one of
tile noisiest ot our i'^lycatcliers, and its loii'l, ringin,i;' call notes can lie hear.! (piite
a distance It utters a \ariet\' oi' soimds; the most <'oinmon is a cleai- u '-ith!
like "i' whuit-huit," or "wit-whit, wit-whit," rejieated li\e or six times in a some-
what lower key, and varied to "winiir, whuree," or "puree," accompanied bv
Ncrious turnino's and twistln}; at the head. Its alarm note is a penetrating au'l
far-rea<'liing "whiiek, w ;•."■'<, 'and it took me -onie time to make sm'" that it was
made l)y this s[)ecie«. 1 liad pre\ iously attributed it to a .Shrike; but one

1^1

iff*

i! 'r

it

:H

¥\4^^

260

LIFE lIlSTOlilKS OF NOKTli AMHUICAN IJIHliS.

■li •

inoruiiif;', whiln luakinji' observations, 1 t'oiiiiil a Itrood of youn^ Crested Fly-
catchers, l)arely al)lD to Hy, which the; parents vainly triud to coax away from
the nei}i;hborhood, and I identified the makers of this note fully. The deprcsscil
crest was raised wiiilo uttorin<i- it, and tint calls were repeated for minutes at u
time, as tlu; \-onni;' w<'re not inclined to leave the tr(;es they were in.

Mr. ,r. W. IVestou writes me: "I heard a peculiar note of this Flycatcher
on(^ ev(Miin<r at snnset. Tho sinj^er was perched in the toj) of a tall tree, and
alon<^- with the ordinai'\' sonj;- it uttered a dear, li(|uid 'hirdic-hirdie,' with nuich
the sanu^ tone and cner^x' of tiie (Cardinal's son^\"

1 consider tliis l''l\ catcher mnch shyer and general ly more retirinji' than other
species of this taniily, like tiie i\inj;l)ird. Wood l*eW(H', l*h(el)e, etc., and, althonji'h
prol»al)l\- e(piall\' al)n'i(lant in some sections as the species mentioned, it is not
nearly as often noticed. It appears to me to he rather nnsocial in its habits, and
one will rarely si-e more tlian a jiair tojicther excepting dnrin;.;- the migrations.
From ]\\y own oil^.ervatil>ns, I taki; it aiNO to l)e more intolerant toward smaller
binls liiiierally than other Flycatchers, but not as pugnacious as the Kingl)ird
toward larger birds. .Vmong each other the\' are rather (| uarrelsome, and after
a pair has selected a n(;sting site no intruders are allowe(l to encroach on their
rang.

The late('olonel (ross sa\'s: "The\' tight lierceK'for a mate, and the\' have
a habit that 1 liave not noticed in otiiei' birds, of plucking, if ])ossil)le, the tail
feathers ot' a rival, in order to disliiiufe him, so hat lie will not l)e looked upon
with favor liy the opposite sex; and when hick enough to pull a featlu'r, it is
anuising to see them fuss over it. ])ickiiig, pulling, in fact fighting it, forgetting
for the time the owner in tin 'r exultation over the capture.'"

Its favorite haunts artf tue hea\ ily tindtered Itottom lamls along the banks
of streams and the borders of tind>ere(l ti-acts contiguous to water, and generally
at some little .li^tance from liuinan haltitations. Sometimes an exce])tion is
found to ihis rule, and pairs of thi'se Flycatciiers have been known to nest in
<dose pi'oximitv to dwellings, and e\en in such artiticial nesting sites as martin
I'OXes, etc.

From an economic ])oint of' \iew liie ( rested Flvcatcher nmst be considere(l
an extremely usel'id liii'd. its t'ood consists mainly of insects, such as l)eetles,
various species ut' tlies, grassho|)pers, butterflies, moths, and lar\a', varied in the
late summci' witli wild lic-rries of dill'ereiU kinds, its lliulit is strong, swift, and
graceful, iint i-arely proti'acted. I'ladi bin! has a few faxorite perches within
its if.nge, generalK a dead lindi near the top of a tree on the edi^t! of a woo(l,
\vhence il darts after passiuL;- insects, wliicli seldom escupe capture; tlifse are
then carried to the nearest jierch and devoured at leisiu'e. i ha\est'en it doubl"
in the chase with as much ea-c .is a I'^ilcon, and the sharp snapping of its
iii.milibles indicated i lainly that its sudden ihish was successful.

Xidificatiou commences ordinariK' some two nv three wciks after its
arrival on the l)reeiling uroniids. each pair "f birds selectiiiL;' a suitable nesting

' llisl.in III' llir liirilH III' K;in~;i>. ISHI, ;i. illin.

'hH

OK CHKSTKI) FLYdATCIIKK.

2(51

site, consistinfT usually itf ii inituriil ciivify in some troc iictir tlio Ixirdcrs nt" a
forest, in an old orclianl, or in a dead stiunp leanint'- over water, and tre(|U('ntly
an abandoned exeavation of one of tlie lar<^er Wood])eckers is used. Natural
cavities are preferred, however, where such an* obtainable, (iven should tliesn
be nuicli more extensive than are really neede<l, as instances are known where
openings in hollow limbs fulh' (i feet dee|) have been lilleil up with rnlil)Ish to
witiiin 18 inches of the top before the nest proper was bejiini. Moth sexes
assist in nest-buildinfr, and it takes soniotimes fulK' two weeks l)efor(f their task
is conii)leted. The iinishinff a.nd lininjr of the nest is <i-enerally coniplete(l by
the female. In Florida and other Southern States nidification Ix'uins ordinarily
during' the first two weeks in May; in the Middle States, in the latter half of
this mouth and. the first week in June; and in the iiore northern jjortions of its
breedinjj- rang'e, rarely before the middle of this month, or not initil the weathe
has become (piite warm.

The nests of the Crested Flycatcher vary greatly in bulk and composition
accordiufi^ to the localities in which they are placed. The trees most fre(pu'ntly
used for nesting siti'S are old a|)ple or pear trees, different species nf oaks, maple,
ash, Cottonwood, and ])ines. A nest taken by Mr. .1. W. I'reston on .lune ,'5,
18S1, near I'^ldora, Iowa, from a dead stumj) .ibont 6 inclies in diameter, stand-
ing on the lianks of the Iowa River, ami whicli filled -S inches of the ca\ it\',
began with a base of coarse trash and was finished witli line twigs, bunches
of cattle hair, pine need.les, drv leaves and grar.ses, the tail of a rabbit, |)ieces of
Catbirils' eggshells, exuvia' of snakes, o^vl and hawk feathers, tufts of wood-
chucks' hair, an<l fine grass roots. Another nest, taken by Dr. \V. I.,, ivalph,
near San Mateo, Florida, on May Kl, 18112, was placed in a hole in tlh^ side of
a rotten stmnp in low, flat pine woods, and was composed of dry cypress leaves,
pine needles, grasses, s])hagi:um moss, deail leaves, l)unciies of hair, snake
exuviie, strips of cypress itark, weeds, grass roots, pahnetto fiber, and feathei's;
it was* lined with bunches of hair, feathers, .strijjs of cy])re>;s l)ark, and pieces of
snake skin.

Fxuviie of snakes seem to be ])resent in the majo 'ity of the nests of this
species; they arc^ sometimes incoi'iiorateil in the nest proier, and again the\ ai'e
))laced around the sides of it, in all probability for p.'otectivc piu'poses, and
ai'e changed and i'earrange(l from time to time, ihit f 'W nests are fnund which
do not contain more or less of this material, ami occasionalK' wlnde skins enter
into their comjiosition.

JFr. W. Fi. Loucks, of I'eoria, Illinois, writers me: "I found a \ cry remark-
able nest of the Crested i'^lvcatcher some N'ears ago. The curious feature about
if was that the bii-ds had taken an eiioi-uious snake skin, probaiily that of a lilack-
suake, and had so arrangecl '► within the entrance of tlie caxitv that the greater
jiart o' t himg outside. \\'li;ii othei- motixcs ccmld the l)irds liaxc had tliui that
of alarming intrudersf Although usuidly a bird of the woods, i have found their
nests in a smnmerhouse on a picnic ground. The house was ipiite large imd f're-
(pieuted nearly every day l)y crowds of peopK'; nevertheless this did not disturb

w\ ■

lit;':;'-

ilsl

^i:

'■'illilH^^

262

LIFE HI8TOR1KS OF NOllTH AMERICAN BIHI)8.

the birds in the loast. Tiiey had seloctod jv corner inside under the eaves, and
on a shelt'-hke projection reared their young in perfect safety." I know of an
instance where a, pair built their nest in the open end of a stovepijje nuining out
from the side of a cabin near Wasliington, District of Cohmibia, and also where
these birds built in a stack of railroad ties dose to the truck over which a number
of trains passed daily.

The Crested Flycatcher builds at various heights ranging from "2 to (iO feet,
but usually not much o\er 20 feet from the ground. The nesting cavities
selected are ordinarily from IS to IW inches deej) and others are considerably
deeper, while occasionally one is cpiite shallow. The .inner cu]) of the nest varies
from '2'1 to i}.j| inches in diameter and from Ih to 2 inches in depth.

The eggs vary from four ti eight in number, sets of iive being perhaps most
often found, while those of six are not particularly rare. Mr. J. \Y. Preston, of
Baxter, Iowa, writes me that he took a set of seven eggs on June G, 188(!, from
a hollow in a dead limb wliich had been broken off, and in falling lodged against
some small saplings. The eggs were fre.sh and warmly covered with duck
feathers. The oiilogical collection in the Academy of Natural [Sciences, Phil.a-
deli)lila, Pennsvlvania, contains a set of eight eggs, which I have personally
examined. The ] arents are u:aially not very demonstrative when their ne,«,.s
are disturbed, and but rarely scold at the intruder. As a rule but one brood is
reared in a season, and incubation lasts about fifteen days; the female attends to
these duties almost (exclusively, but is not a very close setter, and it is not un-
'•ommon to find addlecl eggs in the nests of ,iiis spi'cies. An egg is deposited
daily until the set is ('ompleted. Th<' young are fed jn-incipally tm in.sects of
various kinds, and are able to leave the nest in about two weeks; they are cared
for i)\' l)oth parents until expert enough to care tor themselves.

The eggs of the Crested Flycatcher and those of the remaining members
of the genus Mi/ianliKs an; most peculiarly marked, and differ in this respect
from all other North American species, excepting the White-necked Haven, whose
eggs resemble these .somewhat in the style of n;arkings, but not otherwise. Tiieir
ground color varies from creamy to vinaceous buff, and this is overlaid with irreg-
ular l)lotches, longitudinal streaks and scratches, fine hair lines of different
shades of claret, liver l)rown, purple, and lavendt^r, as if done with a pi'u, giving
the egg a uni(pie ap]»earance. In the majority of specimens these markings
are heaviest about the laiger axis of the egg: in others they are mone evenly
distributeil, and in an occasional set the smaller two-tliirds of the eggs are nearly
unspotted, and but few streaks and scratches are noticeable, as shown in one of
the floured t\i)es; but such instances are rare. Tlie\- are uh stl\ o\at(' or short
ovate in shape, varxing occasional]\' tr- elliptical or I'loiigate o\ate. 'IMie shell
is do.se grained, rather firm, and sliglitly glossy.

The average measurement of ninety-one eggs in tiie I'niteil States National
Museum collection is 22.04 by 17.47 millimetres, in- about (t.SIt by tl.(;!l inch.
The largest ogg of the series measures 24.;5S i)y 17.78 millimetres, or O.lid by
0.7U inch; the smallest, 20.u7 bv 15.24 millimetres, or 0.81 bv 0.(J0 inch.

TIIK CHKSTKI) l''I.VCAT(;ilKK.

2<)a

Tlie type speciinoii, No. "iOI.'id (IM. 2, Fiji'. ^), from a sot of four cfrfi's, liou-
(lirc collection, was takoii in Mlack Hawk (lounty, Iowa, Juno 19, IST*;-, and
No. 2(!"2(!'2 (PI. 2, Fijr. !)), also from a set of four, near Richmoml, Mrjiinia, .hmc
7, 187!), by First Lieut. Wirt Robinson, United States Army. 'I'he tirst represents
one of the Imavier, ilie latter onif of the least marked type.*.

96. Myiarchus mexicanus (K.\[ i-).

MK.XIC.AN CKK.STKl) ll.YCA I'CHKK.

Ti/r\niiinil(i\ mf.ricfuui K.vfp, Proceedings Znoloffical .Sdciety, I.S,")1, 51.
Myiarclum mexwanux Lawbknck, Auiials LyciMiin. New York, IX, May. l.siilt, 202.

(B i;52. V, — . li .ni, «' Mi, V t.-..}.)

riEoonAiMiicAL HANOE: FjOwit Rio Graiule Valley in Texas; south tliroii;;li eastern
and .soutliern Mexico, and in winter to (iiiateniala and Salvador, Central Anieiicii.

The Mexican Crested Flycatiiher is a common summer resident of the
table-lands of eastern and soutlnM'n ^[exic(t, and reaches the northeiMi limits of
its breeding)' ran<;e in the lower Kio (Jrauile \'a]ley, in Texa.-, beyond which it
apparently (h>os not pass, but here it is not at all rare in suitable localities.

Dr. James 1". Merrill, United States Army, while stationed at Fort lirown,
'i'exas, tirst discovered this species as a sunnner resident of f)ur fauna, and
described its nest and ejif^s in the Bulletin of the Xuttall Ornitholofiical Club
(Vol. Ill, 1S7.S, p. 100), from specimens taken on May 10, 1S77. The nest was
placcfl in the end of a broken branch of an anacahuite tree, about 10 feet from
the •i'round. It was made of locks of wool and hairs, and contained Ww ejijis,
slif>htly advanced. He informs me that, there is but little ditference in the ji'cn-
eral habits, food, and call notes of this species from those of the better-known
(^rested Flycatcher of the eastern Unitisd States. Like this, it is only a sunnner
resident within our border, arrivino- in the lowi-r Uio Cirande ^'aIley al)out
the bejrinninfj: of A|iril and returnin<^ to its winter home in Central America the
latter ])art of Septend)ei\ It nests mainly in natural cavities in mes([uite trees
or in old rotten stumps, and occasionalh' in aliandoned Iniles of some of the
larji'er Woodpeckers, in telejjraph ])oles, and in open woods, from o to 20 feet
from tin* <iroiuid. The nests, accordinji- to Sennett, arc com])osed of a, matted
hilt consisting;' of soft strips of bark, feathers, hair, and wool, with sometimes
liits of snake skins intei'minjjled, but this material is ajiparently not nearly as
fi'cnei'ally used by this spiv.'ies as seems to be the case with our eastern bird.

Xiditication commenci'S sometimes before the middle of .\pril an<l lasts
tiu'oujih .May. The Iat"st date I have is .lune .">: the earliest, .Vpril IS, when a
set of live fresh e<rj>s was taken. I'robabl\- l)ut one brood is raised in a season.
i\Ir. (i. M. Sennett Hushed a male from a nest containinj;' six en'os on May KJ,
1S7S, which shows that it assists, occasionally at least, 'u the tluties of incubation.
The nimd)er of ejrji:s laid to a set varies from four to six, sets of five beiiij;' most
fre(piently fomid. 'Hiey resendde the ej;';is of the Crested Flycatciier very

■%

I M

264

LIFIO IliaTOKlKS OF NORTH AMKKKJAN UlliDS.

\'.-i ',4

clitscly in size, shape, and style of niiirkinj^s, and ran not l»e positively dis-
tinj^uislied tVoni tlieni; on the whole, however, dmy are not (piite so heavily
marked, and the <frouud eolor is t'requontly more of a light cream tint tiiau a
cream hntf.

The averajre measurement of seventy-seven egps in the United States
National Museum collection is -22.3;") l»y 17.;").'} millimetres, or O.SS liy ().(;!) inch.
The largest egg of the series measures 23. HS hy 18.211 millimetres, or 0.i)4 by
0.72 inch; the smallest, l!).Sl l)y 17.02 millimetres, or 0.7S hy 0.(;7 inch.

Tile type specimens, No.s. '2493!) and 2r)31H (PI. 2, Figs'. 10 and 11), both
from .sets of five eggs, Ralph collection, were taken near Hrowns\ ille, Texas,
the former on. Fune o, 1S91, the latter on May 7, 1>^'J2, and represent the average
and lighter styles of coloration.

Mlll{;.H

m

97. Myiarchus mexicanus magister Ridgway.

ARIZONA CUESTKl) I'LVCATCHER.

MyiarcliUK mvxivauun nuujintcr ItiDUWAY, Proceedings Hiolofj^ical Society, \Vasliiii};ftoii, II,
April 10, 1.S84, 90.

(B — , C — , B — , O — , U 453(1.)

(iHOOK viuiiOAi, RANGE: Western Mexico; north to sontluu'n Arizona and south-
western New Mexico; south in winter to Tehuantcpec, Mexico.

Tile Arizona Crested Flycatcher is tlu; largest lepreseutative of the genus
Mi/idtcliKs found within our boi'ders, and its briM'ding range seems to be confined
mainly to the giant cactus belt of southern Arizona, where it appears to i)e a
rather irregular summer resident, not uncommon in souk* seasons and rare in
others. I failed to notict; it whiles collecting in the vicinit\' of Tucson, in the
spring and summer of 1S72, and Mr. Herbert Hrown, who tried to si'cnrf the nest
and eggs tor the United States National ^^llseum, in ls!)3. was e(piall\' imsncce.ss-
ful, while Mr. F. Stephens ri'])orted tiiem as nitlier common in the same locality
in the latter piirt of May and throughout dune, IKSl, securing over a dozen
specimens during the time. Mr. William Brewster, in ,1 paper on ".\ ( '(ijlectiou
of .\rizoiia ilinls," iiii.kes the following remarks on this siibs|)ccies:

"The collectorV iiiites (F. Stephens) relating to the liaiiits of this Fhcatchcr
are (iisap|)iiintiiigly lirict'. It frcipicnted ln«- iiies(piites, and was tame and rather
noisy, iiaving a \ariet\' ot' luiid calls, some of which resembled those ul' M/iiiir-
chus ciiirrascnin. while utiiers were 'almost T!iraslier-like.' Its food seemed to
consist largely of lieetles. ( hi .fnne 27 a nest was foimd at ( "amp L<iwell. ' Moth
parents wei-e distinctly seen and positividy ideiititied. The nest was in an old
Woodpe 'ker's hole in a giant cactus, ait(viit IS feet from the ground. It \\:i>
lined witii soft, dowiu' wee(l ^ee(ls, and contained two \oung just liatclie(l and
an addled r^X'^!:-' The egg. imfortimateh-. is so liailix' broken tlial accurate meas-
urements are impossible, Init an apjiroximatioii would be 1.04 i)\' 0.74 inches. In
gronml color and markings it (dosidy resemliles the eggs of M/)iiin-lins rri)iifi)s,

TlUi; ARIZONA. CKKHTKl) PLYCATCIIKH.

2()r)

the shell beinj; a dull, clayey bufV, ovor which are nuiiu'roiis louf,''itu(linal lines
niul (liiHhoH lit purplish in-own or lavender. These niarkinjis arc pretty evenly
(listrihutcd, lint arc coarsest at the larger end of the cj;'^."'

Ml'. Stephens has kindly fnrnifhed ine with some additional notes on this
snhspccies, and says-: "'i'hc Arizona Cri'.-ted P'lycatcher s<'enis to lirced only in
tile fiiant cactus, anil is rather connnon in certain localities. A set of li\e e^'^s,
tal\en .May '24, 1SS4, near ("amp Lowt'M, was found in an old WoodjiecUer's hole
in an arm of a <;iant cactus, "JO feet from tlui ji'round. The feiiiale was on' the
nest, ai:d was shot. Incuhation had just conuneiieed. The nest was lined witli
hail' of \arioi.is liinds, mixed with hits of snake and Tizard skin."

Mr. W. Iv D. Scott also met with this Flycatcher alxait Tucson, Florence,
Riverside, and in the foothills of the Catalina Mountains, uj) to about 4,r)(H)feet.
He states: "In t]ie Catalinas, altitude 4,000 feet, this subspecies arrives about
April 20, and remains until late in Au<;ust or early in September. T found a
ni'st at this jjoiiit built in a deserted Woodpecker's hole in a dead sNCiimore stul).
It was entirely similar in construction to that of Miisiinijid rriiiitiis. even to the
traditional snake skins, and contained live e^'j;s nearly ready to be hatched, very
similar to those of Miisc'iaifxi cr'ni'ihis, save that they are a little larji'cr. Ihit
one brood is reared in the Catalina refi'ion."'-

From three to five e<;'ys seem to constitute a set. Nidification commences
sometimes during- the latter part of May, liut more freipiently in tiie i)e^iniiin.n' of
•lime. .Fudji'iiifi' from the oiilv s|)eciineii in tlie Unitt'd States National .Miiseimi,
the Q\i\r ot' the Arizona ("rested Flvcatciier ri'stMubles that of Mi/iiirchiis nii.ri-
{'(iiiiis closer than that of Mi/iiitrliiis criiuhis. It is not as heavily marked as the
avi-raj^'c ejiji's of the latter; tiie jiTound color is more of a creamy buff; tile maik-
iiiffs are not (piite so profuse, and resemble those of the first more.

The only e}i'<f of this subspecies in tlu^ United States National Museum
collection is the fioured type, No. 2,"iliir) (I'l. l', V'v^. 12). This was taken liv
Dr. A. K. Fisliei', dune 12, 1S!)2, on Killito (Jreek, near Tucson, Arizona, from
an old Woodpecker's hole in a j;iaiit cactus, about S feet from tlie j;romid. 'i he
nest contained one youiiji- iiird just out of the shell, tlirt'c ejiji's on the point of
hatchiuf;-, and an addled ejij;-, the only one that could lie saved; this me.isures
20.6;") by lS.o;{ millimetres, or 1.01 by 0.71 inches, and is elliptical ovjite in
shape. The shell is stron<i', feels siiiootii to the touch, and is somewhat j;'loss\'.

1 Bulletin Nnlt.ill Oniill.c.loiiicMl ( liil.. Vol. V 11, 1SHL>. p. L'i«.
"Tlitj Auk, Vol. IV, 1887, pp. 17, IK

1

1

ll

\\

It

n

• L

i;'

.

il

fil:

l^-

260

LIFE lllSTOitlES OF NOUTll .AMEUIUAN HIKIKS.

"i!

ill

98. Myiarchus cinerascens Lawkknck.

ASIl-TIII!()ATi;i) I'LVCATCIIKli.

Tyraniiula cinerascens Lawkencio, Annals Lyceum of Niituriil History, New York, V,

1851, liil.
^JyiarchiiH eiiicriiiicenii IjWvnEUCi',, Annals Lycenin ol" Natural History, New YfU'k, VII,

May, ISOO, -'85.

(1! i.n, c 248, It aia, c 375, u 454.)

(iKftOKArJiicAT. RAN(ii;: Western Fnited States; noitli to sontliern Oregon, Nevada,
Utah, and sontliern (Colorado: east to New Mexieo and southwestern Texas; south throuKh
Aii/ona and Lower Oalitbrnia, and over the table-lands of Mexico; in winter to Guatenuila,
t'entral America.

Witliin till' ITnited 8tates the Asli-tliroatod Flyentclu'r is only a sumiTipr
resident, iiinl its l)rcc(liiij^' and ^reonrnplijcji] raiiji'e correspond. It retnriis t'roni
its winter haunts in (Jiiateniala and soutliorn Jrexieo to soutlnvestern 'I'exas iuul
sontliern Arizona alxnit the hef>innin<i' of March, and readies the more northern
points of its run<4-e aljont a niontli hiter. (!liniatic conditions do not se<!in to
affect tile Asli-throated Flycatcher to any extent, for it is us much at lioine
ill tile mountain fastnesses of the southern Sierra Ne^■adas, wliere Lieutenant
IJeiisun f(!und it Imnidine commonly in the Seipioia National Park, in Tulare
County, California, at an altitude of 11,000 feet, as in Death Valley, probahly
the hottest i)lace in tlu^ United States, where a ])air of these l)irds were seen at
Furnace (!reek, oil June 21, 1S!)1, by Dr. \. K. Fisher. It is fairly common
at Redding and Baird, in Shasta County, and at Reil Hlutf, 'IVIiama ('ounty,
California, and itiaiihes ai)out the northern limits of its hreedino- range in
southern iJreg'«in, wlure it is rare. 1 found a single nest of this species contain-
ing live young birds about ten days old, in a natural cavity in a juniper tree
near Camp Harney, Oregon, on dune 20, 1876, but they appear to be very rare
there, as no others were noticed.

The Ash-throated Flycatcher is ratlier retiring in its habits, and is oftener
heard than .seen. In the vicinity of Tucson, Arizona, in tlu^ season of 1S72, I
found it quite common and e.xamined a number of nests. Their favorite haunts
were the denser mesquite thickets in the creek bottoms, oak groves along hill-
sides, and tlu^ shrubbery in canyons leading down from the mountains, but I
;dso saw them occasionally on (Ik* moi-e open plains covere(| with straggling
mes(pi.ite trees and patches of cliolla and other species of cacti. It is not nearly
as noisy a bird as Mji'iarrliHs crhiituK, but otherwise resembles it in its general
liid)its. Its pi-inci])al call note is a clear "liuit, liuit," a number of times
repeated, which sounds very much like the ordinary call of the l'hn'niii}w})l<i ; it
also nUers some low, whistling notes which are not at all disagreeable to tlu; ear.
In the spring of 1S72 it liecame alinndant aliout the latter half of ^larch, and
severi'l of tliest; birds might be seen chasing each o'-her througii the mesipiite
forests in almost every direction, within a few liundreil yards oi" my camp on
Rillito Creek, but niditieatiuu did not appear to begin till near tlie end of May.

f

THE ASllTniJOATEI) FLYCATCHEU.

367

Tlie Asli-tliroiitod Flycatclier is (jitito expert on the wiiiff, but never indnlfres
ill protnicteil Hiji'lits it' it ciin li(!l|) it. It seems to ho rather (luarrelsoiiie and
intolerant in its (lis])osition toward other l)irils, and will not allow any to nest in
dose proximity-, in tact, I am inclined to believe that it not int'reriiiently dispos-
sesses some of the smalltM' Woodpeckers, like Drifohdlis scalaris hoirdi, of itH
nestinfi' sites, as 1 have found its nests on two occasions in newly excavated
holes, the fresh chips lyin<:>' at the base of the tree, showing plainly that they
had only recently l)een removed.

Its I'odd consists mainly of beetles, Ijuttei-flies, ijrnsshoppors, flies, moths,
and occasidiwdlv ()f l)erries, especiallv thost; of a sjjecies of mistletoe (a pnriisitic
plant) jjTowinj;' abundantly on many of the trees found in southern Arizona.

Hy the be<;inning of May most of the birds are mated, and nidification
begins shortly afterwards. Tlie nests are usually jdaced in knot holes of mcs-
(jiiite, iish, oak, sycamore, jmiiper, and cottonwood trees, as well sis in cavities of
old stumps, in Woodpeckers' holes, and occasionally behind loose pieces of bark,
in the manner of the Creepers. On two occasions, near Tucson, I found the
Ash-throated Flycatcher using abandoned nests of the Cactus Wren, and Mr. A.
W. Antli.)ny found them nesting in the dry blossom stalks of the yucca and Af/dif
iiiiiiricdiKi in southwestei-n New Mexico. They also nested in similar localitii's in
Lower California, in the San I'edro Martir Mountains, where he observed them
Mt nltituiles of !l,()t)() feet. In a letter dated duly S, 1S1I4, he informs me that this
l''lycatcher was the most connnon species about his camp south of San (k)uentin,
I. ower California, and that many n(!sted there. fis well as about tlit^ Mission of Sun
Fernando, in holes made by Woodpeckers in the giant cactus. Mr. II. 1'. Attwiiter
repoi'ts this liird as conunon about iSan Antonio, Texas, and in this locality it
reiU'hes al)out the eiistern limit of its range in the (niteil States, Mr. Robert
h'idgway met with it in various placs in Nevada, and iis far e;ist iis tiio AVasatch
Moiuitaiiis in I'tah.

The .Vsh-tiu'oati'd Flycatcher uests at various heights from the ground,
rarely, however, at greater distiinces than "JO feet. The nest vai'ies consider-
Ml)ly in l)ulk according to. tiie size of the cavity used. Where this is large,
tia' bottom is Idled uj) with small weed stems, rootlets, grass, and l)its of dry
cow or horse maiuire, and on this foundation the nes^ proper is built, 'i'his
consists principally of a felted iiuiss of hair and fur from dill'ei'eiit iinimals, and
occiisionalK' of exuvia' of siiid<es ami siuidl lizanls; iiut these iiiiiterials m'e not
iiciU'ly as generaliv used iis in tlie nests of our eastern ('rested FKciitcher — in
fact, it is tile exception and not the rule to tiiiu .-micIi reuiiiins in their nests.
.\Miong about litteen nests of this species examined by myself 1 only found it in
tle'ce cases. As nearly as 1 have l)een abh' to observe, 1 tiiink the female does
liMst of the work on the nest, but the male follows her around while in search of
material, iind a])parently guards and sings to her. I have known a pair of tlies<!
))irds to finish a nest in one day. This was placed in a knot hole in a mesipiite
stu'u]), alxiut (S feet from the ground, and composed entire! v of deer hair. Some of
my Indian guides had dressed a couple of skins near l)y, and this fuinished the

.liii

A

in

li

\y I.

1]!|;.!'

2(58

\AVK IIIHTOKIKH OF NOItTII AMKIMCAN lUIlDS.

h'wih ill! .ihimdiint supply of sultiiMc Imildin^ nuitcrinl, <>( wliirli tlicy prouipflv
a\ail()(l tlu'iiisolvcH. Wliih^ tlu' \vi\\U in sdiik^ iirsts iirc thick iiiiil wi-ll lined, in
otliorH tlioro is but littlo iittcnipt nt lininiic tlio Hides of tlio ciivity, mid only a
small anioinit of liuir is placed in the liottoni of tli(^ liolo on which the eji'^'s arc*
deposited. It d(>pends entirely on the ainotmt of room, and it is snrprisinj;' how
little space is really recpiired l>y them in wiiicli to rear a family. The iimer cup of
a well-preserved nest of this l'"lycatcher, |(laced in'hind a loose piece of hark of an
old Cottonwood stump, measures aliout 2\ inches in diameter l)y 2 inches in depth.
'I'he walls of this nest are composed exclusi\('ly of cattle hair, which is well
(piilted toiretlier and forms a fairly stronj; felt. The hase is formed of dry jyrnss
roots, and it was placed iietweeii the soft inner and tiie outer l)ark of the tree,
which kept it intact and held itfirndy in position.

1 discovered the first nest of this species in a dense piece of mesquite woods
on Mav ■_*(;, 1S72, and between this date and .Inne 24 1 found lifteen others, with

mil several witn \inm

th

bird

s, son

le of these beiuti' full \ tledt'cd. Not one of

tliese nests contained more tlian four eji'^js, (piite a nuiMl)ei' only tiu'ee, and I do

not I

H'heve

that

more

th

n on(> lirood.is raiseii m a seaso

attends to thi* duties of incnbatit

111. 'i'lu! female, 1 tliink,
■xchisivch', which lasts aliont iifteen da\s.

HI I

le is not a cl()S(; sitter, and often leaves tiie nest for hour?

,esi)eciall\- dnrm

;;th

heat of the day, but ronuiins close liy. The younji' are fed on tlu^ soft portions
of insects, and leave tlu^ nest in about two weeks, followiufj' the parents about for

line time before^ thev are able t

o can

tor tl

emseixcs.

This Khcatcher leave:

for its winter home aixmt the latter part of Se|tt<iid)er.

'V]\i' number of ejj-fi-s to a xet ranjj'es from three to six, lint sets of the latter
nuinl)er are very rare; four are more fre(piently found; iind an e;;;;' is deposited
daily. The ^iroimd color varies from a lijilit <'reain to a jiinkish liutl, and tliis is
covered more or less profusely with fine lonj;itudinal streaks and liair lines of

lark

iiiriile ;in<

1 hi

1 vender, rarel\- \\ ith larn'e, ii

jjfeneral pattern (

rej^ularly sliaped iiiofciies, Tiie
of these niaiikinjis is finer tiiaii in the ej:'<is of Mi/inrdnis <ilinliis,
and the majority can be readily distiiifiuished fidiii those of the latter, lint not so
easil\- troin the lij^hter-colored types i)^ Mji'idirlnis nic.iicdinis. In shape tlu^y
vary from ovate to elliptical ovate. Th,' shell is line-uTiiiiu'd, rather .stronji', and

ifi'htly ^'lossy.

The averajre measurement of fifty-fi»ur efynrs in the rnitiMl States National

y\

useu

m. colhiction is 22.40 bv l(!..''tl ir.illimetres, or alxiiit O.SS 1)\- O.6.") incii.

The larj;-est ejj'fi' of the series measures 2.'<.SH by 17.7.S millimetres, or 0.114 liy
0.70 inch; tlu^ smallest, 20.;i2 liy 1.5.24 millimetres, or O.SO by O.CO inch.

The type s])eciinen, No. 2,521 H (1*1. 2 V\'^ li!, , is from a set of five efrpfw.
and was taken by First IJent. TIarrv ''. Heiisoii, I'liited States Army, in Sequtiia
National Park, Tulare County, California, un May 2a, 1892.

NU'lTINd'S I'LYCATCIIKU. 2()5)

gg. Myiarchus cinerascens nuttingi (ItiDuwAv).

NiriTiM.s i'i,v(AT(jiii:n.

MiliiitrlniH nitltiniji IllDdWAY, I'lococdiiifis IT. H. Niitiriiml Must'iiin, V, I.S82, .■t!»4.
Mjliiii-vhiin viitfranvviin iiitlliniii Allen, itullutiu Ainericnii Miisuiitti Xatiiral History, IV,
DtMriiilicr, IHitl.', ■•IKf.

(1! l.H, pint; (! L't8, part; HM.i, \mvt; (!.I75, pint; 11 l,j|((.)

<ll':<>(iRAi>iiii'\L it\N<ii;: Aii/imii niid soiilliward tliruu;;h western Mi'xico; in wiiitur
to (.'ostii l{l('a,<'t'iilriil AiiiL'rifii.

Niittiii;;'s l''l\ rjiri'licr lias only recently i)eeii adileil tii our avifauna. Dr.
A. K. Fishei', wliile on a coilet'tinii' trip tliron;;!) .Vrizona, tor the I'niti'il States
Deiiartineiit of Ai;ricnltin"e, in the sprin;;- and sinnnu-r oi' ls;i-_*, stopped a lew
days at 'I'ncson and visited Uillito ('nsek, ou .Jinie 12, IHICJ, in eoinpany with
Mr. ilerliert l?rown. who acted as jiuide. While ili'iv'n;.;' aliont anion;;' the ;;ioves
of niesipiite and ^iant cactus a Flycatcher was ihished from an (dd Wood-
pecker's hole in a ;;iant. cactus. The liird was securetl, as widl as u stit of four
fresh cfi'^s. On comparing' the specimen with tim type in the United States
National Mus(!um, it |troved to lie Mi/iiuihiis r/«('/v^s(77^v initfiiif/i, a small southern
representatise of Mi/i(ii<liiis ciiicni.so'iis, not yet recorde(l fi'om the I'nited States.

Sul».se(piently Mr. J. .Mden Lorin^- took another female at I'rescott, Arizona,
on dime 22; ami in the V. S. Department of A^^riculture collection there is still
another .specimen, taken liy Mr. Vcrnoii liailoy at Oracle, xVrizuna, June Ifj,
18H!).'

As yet little is known alxmt the ran^o and <!reneral habits (.f this suh-
species, but it would appear from the above that it is pretty generally distributed
over at least the southern half of this territory, ami the most surprising' thin;;' is
that it has been o\-erlooke(| so Ion;;'. It probably differs but sli;;'htly in its food
and call notes from the other mendiers of the genus Mi/iunliiis, ami its nestin;;'
habits seem likewise to be similar.

Its nest, wdiich in construction res(Mnblos that of the precedin;;' species, was
placed in an (dd ^\'oodpecker"s lude in a ;;'iant cactus, about 4 feet from the
;;round, and contained four fresh e;;';;s. These do not materially dill'er in
ap[)earance from the e;'';;'s of the Ash-throated Flycatcher, 'i'hey are (dliptica!
ovate in shape, and measure 2 b;58 by 17.02, 24.18 by IC.Ki, 24.,S!J by 17.02,
and 2.'5.«« by 17..");{ millimeter.s, or 0.'J(i hy U.(i7, O.'J'j l)y ().(J(;, O.DS by ().(i7, and
U.U4 by O.dlJ inch.

The type specimen, Xo. 2.")r.i| (I'l. 2, 1''!;^'. 14), is the last one whose meas-
urement is ;;'i\en, and was. taken as alri-aily stated.

' Suu I'hu Auk, \ ul. IX, 1»'J3, p. 3\H.

♦' ' 1

' ■!

'4

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

lii|28 125

f 1^ IS

^ u& lllllio

1.8

1.25 u |i.6

■• 6"

►

V

7]

Hiotographic

Sciences

Corporation

23 WIST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(716) 873-4S03

■>

,<>l

5

ii

i

It */ •

mi-

270 LIFE HISTOUIES OF NOUTII AMERICAN BIEDS.

100. Myiarchus lawrenceii (Giraud).

LAWRKNCK'S FLYCAT(;iIEK.

Muscicapa lawrenceii OiKAt'D, Sixteen Si»ecies of Texas Birds, 1841,9 (by actual counting,

the test not being pagi-d).
Myiarchus laicrenoeii liAiKD, ISirds of North America, 1858, 181.

(IJ 133, (J 248, It 314, C 370, U [455].)

Oeoobaphical range: Eastern Mexico; north to the lower Uio Grande Valley, in
Texas; south to Uuateuiala, Central America.

Lawrence's Flycatcher holds u place in our avifauna on Giraud's record
from the htwer Uio Grande, m Texas, but it has not since been obtained there
by any of the numerous collectors who have visited this region. At best it (^an
only be regarded as a rare straggler within our borders. Although a coninion
species in many parts of eastern Mexico, very little has been written about its
general habits, which probably differ but .slightly from those of its somewhat
better-known western representative, Myianhus .Uiwrencei olivascem.

There is a short reference to the eggs of this species, in the " Proceedings
of the ZooU)gical Society of London, 186'J" (p. 384), based on specimens vaken
by M. A. Boucard, at Talca, Oaxaca, Mexico. They are described as.i)ure white,
with spots of two sha<les of brown, jjrincipally toward the larger end, where they
form a ring, and measure 0.70 by 0.525 inch.

I doubt this ideii(ification, for so far as known none of the genus Myiarchus
lay eggs in which the ground color can l)e called i)ure white, ^md their small
size also renders it probable that they are not of this species.

loi. Myiarchus lawrencei olivascens Ridgway.

OLIVACEOUS FLYCATCHER.

MyiarchuK lawrencei olimseen» KiDOWAY, Proceetlings liiological Society, Washington, II,
April 10, 1884, »1.

(H _, C — , It — , C — , U 455o.)

Geographical range: Western Mexico; north to southern Arizojia; south in
winter to southern Mexico, including Yucatan. Accidental in Colorado.

This interesting subspecies, which is the smallest of the Mijinrrhi found
within our borders, was first discovered as a summer resident in tiie 8anta Uita
Mountains, Arizona, close to the Mexican boundary line, by Mr. V. Stt^plu-ns, in
the spring of 1881, and added to our fauna by Mr. William Brewster shortly
afterwards.'

Mr. Stejjhens sent me the following notes on the Olivaceous Fl\ catcher:
" 1 have seen this bird only in the Santa Uita Mountains, where it is conunon. I
have taken iiKuibating females in May and June, but never saw their eggs.

> Uullvtin uf the NuttuU Uruilliolugicul L'liib, Vul. VI, 1881, p. iai.

ii'-SMi

^ip:

THE OLIVACEOUS FLYCATCHER.

271

I suppose they breed in knot lioles, Woodpecker's liolcs, etc., and I opened
many such where they were present, l)ut found no ejjjjfs, and but tme hole that
seemed to be occupied by them; this was an old Woodpecker hole well lined
with liair."

Mr. William Brewster, in a paper on Arizona ])ird8, Ijased on material
collected by Mr. Stei)hen8, makes the following olwervations: "This pretty
Mifiarchiis, scarcely lar<^er than our common Ph«jebe, was met with only among
the Santa Rita Mcmntains, where it was apj)arently not uncommon, although its
disti'ibution seemed to be very local, mt»st ci" Stephens's specimens being taken
in a single canyon. They haunted the banks of streams, perching on dead
limbs, and taking frecpient flights after insectc. The only note heard was a
short, mournful 'jjeeur.' No nests were foimd, but a female, shot May 17, was
laying."'

Since then the Olivaceous Flycatcher has also been taktjii in the ITuachuca
Mountains by Lieut. II. C!. Hen.son, United States Army, iw well as by Dr. A.
K. Fisher, who tells me that they frecjuent the low scrub oaks in the canyon
bottoms, where they ue moderately common in both these and the Chiricahua
Mountaiuf. Mr. W. K. I). Scott likewise obtaiiuxl specinunis in a canyon of
the Catalina Mountains, at an altitude of rt,(lOO feet, on .lune 13, 1S84; and a
■ .'figgler has also been recorded from Colorado, taken by Cajit. 1*. M. Thome,
Twoii • -oo>"^nd Infantry, Unit<*d States Army, near Fort Lyon, May 11, 1884.
Its K^. ling range evidently extends through the mountain regions of southern
Arizona, wher.) it appears to be confined to the luimerous canyons, whose bot-
toms and sides are covered with low shrubbery; it seems to avoid the larger
river valleys and the open cactus and mesijuite covered plains.

The late (.'ol. A. .J. (}rayson says : " This little Flycatcher is very abundant
in the Mi'rias, where I met with them every day in all parts of the woods.
The islands nmst be their most natural and favorite abode.""

Nothing positive seems to be known about the eggs of the Olivaceous Fly-
catcher. There is a set of tour eggs in the Uuite«l States National Museum
collection. No. 13327, taken by Dr. E. Palmer, near Camp Grant, Arizona, in
18G7, entered as Myiarchns imxiraHus, which I believe belong to this subspecies.
They resemble the eggs of tlus Ash-throated Flycatcher very closely, but are
somewhat smaller than tlu; averagt^ egg of this species.

'Hullotln Xiittftll OrnithciloBiciil C'liib, Vol. VII, ISSa, pp. 204,205.
'PruccoiliugH lioatoii Suciety uf Nuturul HiHtory, 1871, p. 278.

r'l

m

■4m

272

LIFE niSTOUlES OF NOltTU AMERICAN UIBUS.

H

1

loa. Sayornis phcebe (Latham).

I'IKKIIK.

MuHvimpa phwbe Latham, Index Oruithologiciil, II, 171)0, 48U.
Su>jiirni» pkaibe Ste.inehke, Auk, II, Jiui., 188r),r)l.

{H 135, (J 25;{, It 315, 0 379, U 456.)

(lEOGKAPiiKAi. i».an(1E: Eastern North America; north to New Urunttwick and the
Provinces of (juubec, Ontario, Manitoba, Haskatt-hewaii, and Noutliern Athabaw^a to (ireat
Slave Laiie, Forts Hae, Hiii:;)8on, and Uenolution, Northwest Territory, ]>oniinion of Canada;
west to eastern North and bouth Dakota, eastern Nebra.ska, Kansas, the Indian T«u-rltory,
and western Texas; uasni'l to eastern Coh>rado and British (Jolunibia; south in winter to
eastern Mexi(u) and Cuba.

The Pluilu', iilso lociilly known as tlie "Pluubo Hird," "I'ewee," "Hritlfri,"
"Bum," or "ll(»us«!" IV'weo, "P«wit Flycatclier," and in the Piedmont re<^ion of
South Curolina as "Giiatcatcher," is pretty {generally distributed as a sunnner
resident, and breeds throu<>hout all the States eiist of the ^[ississi|)|>i River, except-
inj( Florida and the southern portions of South Candina, Georj^ia, Alabama,
and Mississippi, where it is only found in the mountainous parts. It has been
recorded as breediuff in southern Louisiana and juu-tions of Texas. The most
southern breedin^jf records I have been able to find are those <jiven by Dr. Lev-
erett M. Loomis, in Pickens and Greenville counties, 8outh Carolina, in ''The
Auk" (Vol. VII, l«itO, p. 39, and Vol. VIII, 18!)1, j). 328); by lilr. Frank 51.
Coonis, in St. Mary's Parish, Louisiana, in "The Auk" (Vol. IX, 1H1)2, p. 20.f));
and by Mr. II. P. Attwater, in canyons alonjjf the mountain streams in the hilly
country west of San Antiaiio, Texiis, in "The Auk" (Vol. IX, 18i>2, p. 23(;).

Longitude 100° (west of Greenwich) marks about the western limits of its
breeding range i?i the United States, but in the Northwest Temtory it reaches
west to nearly 122^ at Fort Simp.son, on the Mackenzie River, in latitude (!2^ 12'
N., where Mr. IJ. U. Ross, «»f the Hudson Ray Comj)any, obtained a ftMuale, No.
22G13, ui May, 1S(!1, which is now in the United States National Museum
collection. This point, as far as yet known, marks both tiie westiM-n ami north-
ernnuwt limits of its range. Its nests and eggs have al.so been talien on Lesser
Slave !.,ake, in southern Atbaltasca, by Mr. S. .I«>nes; and near Fort Rae, (Jreat
Slave Lake, by Mr. R. MacFarlane; it has also been obtainetl by Mr. James
Lockliart, at Fort Resolution; and Mr. A. McKay found the Phu-lte common
about Pelican Narrows, Keewatin, in June, 18511, sending several .sets of eggs
from there to tiic United States National Museum collection, lie says in his
notes accompanying them that "here they build in natural cavities in trees and
in crevices of rocks. The Indians call tiiem 'Moose-ldrds,' as they often use
m<u)se hair in lining their nests; they lay in June, and are very bcdd for their
siz«', often chasing Hawks and Crows."

Many of these birds remain in Florida and the Southern States l)or<lering
the (Julf i-oast during winter, but the majority pass beyond to Cuba and eastern
Mexico. Their flight is swift and strong when in pursuit of an enemy or while

THE riltEBli;.

273

ill quest of food, but ordinarily it consiMtM of slow, flutturin}i; movements from
point to point, especially durin<f tlio nmtin<( seiison, and it is then never protracted.

Tlie I'luebe, like our e([ually well-known I{ol)in and Bluebird, is one of the
first migrants to return from its winter home, and is ([uito as well known and
fully as popular. It usually arrives in our Middle States during the first half of
March, and a little later farther north, although occasional stragglers have been
observed in Maine and northern New York during the first week in this month.
The males pnM-ede the females by about a week or ten days, and move direct
to their breeding grounils; mating and nest building usually beginning about a
month later. Few of our native birds are more esteemed than the Iiomely and
plainly colored I'ha'bc, and its return to the (dd haunts is generally looked for
with pleasure No Ijird is more attached to a locality once chosen for a nesting
site, and no reasonable amount of annoyance and disturbance will cause it
ti> foi*sako its old home. It may jjossibly change the location for good cause,
but if it does, it will usually select another in the iimnediate vicinity. It
would l)e difficult to nanu* many native birds who do more good in a general
way and less harm than tiie l'luel)e. Its foctd consists mainly of small beetles,
flies, moths, buttei-flies, etc., of which it destroys an enormous number, as it is
scarcely ever at rest, dailing after ])assing insects and catching them both on the
wing and on the groimd. It seems to be always hungry, and invariably finds
room for an<»th('r choice moi-sel. It is said to help itself occasionally to trout
fry, but the damage caused in this respect nuist be very trifling, and is fully
compensated for l)y the good it does through tiie destruction of many noxious
insects; and, in my opinion, it deserves the fullest protection. After the berry
season c«>mmences it also feeds to some extent in sunnner ou raspberries, straw-
berries, mulberries, and p!)keberries, and in winter on cedar berries, palmetto ber-
ries, smilax berries, and wild grapes. It is one of the most restless little creatures
I know; even while perching ou a fence i)ost, the gable of an outbuilding, or a
a weed stalk, its crest is often raised and lowered, its tail is forever twitching,
and it appears to l»e unable to remain motionless for more than a minute at a time.

Dr. Ralph tells me that in Florida the I'luebe frecpU'ntly alights on the
backs (tf cattle and follows them around, catchhig the flies on these animals, and
tlutti'ring above them in search of in.sects. Their rather plaintive call notes,
given by most writers as "plia-be, pe-wee, p)ie-be," and "i)e-weet,"do not sound
to me in that way; they appear rather to apj)roach the words "see-ln?c, see-
hec," Hud are sometimes varietl to "see-bee," oi' "see-wht'o," with the accent ou
the last syllable; this call is o(M'asi(»nally followed Ity a rattling note. Its alarm
note sounds like "tchiik-tchiik," and (hu'ing the mating .season the male indulges
now and then in a low, twittering warble. It utters its calls very frcnpiently
and persistently in the early spring and for some time after its arrival, but less
often during the breeding season, when the cares of housekeeping absorb more
of its time.

Mr. Kugene I'. Hickneil makes the following pertinent comments on its
song: "It is one of those which appeal to the sympathies rather than to the ear,

IIWUG— No.

-i8

ii

I

274

LIF£ UISTOUIES OF NOUTU AMEUIGAN lilUUS.

fully making up in sincerity what it lacks »)f muHic. Still it must bo relucttvntly
ailniittod that later, when more i^aceful and gifted songHters are with uh, the
plain Phoebe does appear a trifle luisophisticatod and its notes nmy grow monot-
onous. Nevertheless, their jerky character seems to be held in high opinion by
their author, and is admirably seconded by its tail."*

In well-settled sections it loves to frequent outhouses, bams, etc., in close
proximity tf » human habittitions situated near springs, etc. ; here it becomes very
gentle, tame, and confiding when not molested. I have frecpiently seen one
alight within a few feet of my head and fly liack and forth from its perch after
passing insects, as undisturbed as if 1 had not been there. In mountain regions
and thinly populated tracts it is often found about rocky cliffs, along water
coiu'ses, and almost invariably near the point where a bridge spans a stream.
The Phujbe is the earliest of our Flycatchers to breed, nidification beginning
sometimes in the first week in April, but ordinarily not much before May 1, and
in the northern parts of its range rarely before June. While generally of an
amiable disposition toward other birds, often nesting in close proximity to the
Barn Swallow, Robin, and Chimney Swift, it will not allow any of its own kind
to occupy a site close to its own, fighting them persistently until driven off, and
should one of the earlier arrivals presume to ap})ropriate \U old nest, war is at
once declared. Such a case is recorded in the "Scientific American" (April
22, 1882, p. 24.')), by Mr. E. H. Davis, of Avon, New York, who writes as
follows: "I have noticed communications in late issues of your journal upon
the subject of two and three storied birds' nests. Penuit me to relate the
following, which I will personally vouch for. Some years ago a Phoebe Bird
had built her nest on a small projection under a piazza of my father's house, and
occupied the place for several successive years unmolested. One spring a
Robin took possession of it before the anival of the rightful owner, and would
not give it uj). The quaiTel between the birds was noted by the members of
the family, but nothing more was thought about it until fall, when the peculiar
slia])e of the nest attracted att(!ntion. U|)on examination it proved to bo a
double nest, one built upon the other, and in the lower one was found the
vandal Robin, dead. The Pluvbe Bird had built another nest, completely
inclosing the Robin, and reared her young u})on the grave of her enemy."

The same psiir of birds, apparently, return to their old haunts from year
to year, and if they do not always occupy the same nesting site, they usually
select one near by. Occasionally they build a new nest on the top of the old
one, and this is sometimes done to get rid of Cowbirds' eggs that may have
been deposited by these intruders, but ordinarily they do not appear to olyect
much to such additions, and care for them as faithfully as if they were their
own. Their favorite nesting sites are under bridges and culverts, even when
they are barely large enough for a person to crawl through, provided a suit-
able j)lace can be found on which to place the nest; next, outbuildings, such as
bams, sheds, etc., are frequently made use of; jjorchos of houses, window sills,

'The Auk, Vol. II, 1885, p. 254.

TUB PH(£BE.

275

etc., occasionally furnish suitable sites; overhanjjinjjf rocky shelves, especially
in quarries, upturned roots uf trees in woods, projecting Itauks of small streams,
caves, and more rarely the sides of open wells are likewise utilized for such
jjurposes.

Their nests vary considerably in shape as well as in the manner of con-
struction. If attached to the side of an overhanjjing rock, it is neceswarily
semicircular, and mainly com))osed of mud pellets mixed with moss, a little
f^rass, and occasionally a few feathers, somewhat reseml)ling the nest of our well-
known Barn Swallow. If placed on •: fiat beam, or rafter, or on top of a post,
it is circular, and sometimes but little or no mud is used in its consti'uction.

A well-preserved nest. No. 25587, taken by Dr. William L. Ralph, near
Floyd, Oneida County, New York, on May 17, 18'JO, was found in a swampy
part of a large wooded tract, about 5 feet above the ground, and underneath the
roots of a partly overturned tree; the upper parts of the roots luid fallen over
aud the nest was behind this, jjlaced on two small, swing-like roots that crossed
each other at right angles. It is mostly composed of mud and partly covered on
the outside with moss, dead leaves, a little feni down, and a few pieces of grass,
and lined with horsehairs, tine roots, dry mosses, grasses, etc. It measures 4^
inches in outer diameter by 4 inches in height, the inner cup being 2.J inches
across by IJ inches in depth. It is a neat, synunetilcal, and compactly built
structure.

Mr. J. W. Preston, of Baxter, Iowa, writes me: "A pair of Phcdjes have a
nest on a post in our bam, just below tlie hay, over the feed room, to which tliey
I'etuni year after year, having varying success and exhibiting a rare jjci'sistence
of purpose. One season the eggs were destroyed by mice, and yet a second
attempt was made, i>nd the brood came off rather late. Tiien another season
tlie young died in the nest from some cause, or were killed, and the parents
crowded them onto the outer walls, where they hung for more than a year,
seemingly not at all in tlie way of the old birds." When the nest is repeatedly
used, tlie old inner lining is iiu>stly removed and replaced l)y new material.

Inculjation lasts about twelve days, and the female pert'orms the greater
l)art «)f this duty, while the male remains in tlie vicinity of the nest on the
watch for j)ossible intruders. The female is a close sitter and is loath to leave
her nest. Dr. Ralph tells me of an instance where he found a Piurbe sitting on
a couple of eggs and a small pebble, which had accidentally fallen into the nest
and cracked sonie of the eggs. The young are large enough to leave the nest in
about two weeks, and a second brood is usually reared throughout the greater
part of their range.

The nestlings are fed entirely on insect food, and consume an enonnous
(piantity daily. The fenuile I'arely leaves the nest to go any considerable distance
to gather the necessary supplies, but the male makes more extended excursions.
I have observed a ])air of these birds feeding their young; one seemed to rojuire
considerable coaxing to take the jmtffered morsel, and although some of the
others clamored loudly for it the parent would not let them have it, ami gently
touched the sides of the bill of the sleepy youngster several times until it finally

i

.. i el

'\

.i

■i

li

*'i;

m

\n

' X-

r 'd

276

LIFE IimTOUlES UF NUUTU AMEltlCAN UlUDS.

(il>«iie«l itH miuidihU'H to ho foil. I was HtiiU(liii<r within 4 foot of tho ncut all
tho tinm. Tliu iiiotli of the nit worm seeiiis to Iju oiiu of tlio favorito foods of the
youiiff.

Tiu) Pluiiho is <HH» of tlie last of our Kly«'at('h«'rH to hsave its summor lioiiio,
usually roinaiuiii}; in our Northern Status till tlu) lattur |)art of Soptoinbcr, and in
favorable seasons even later. Mr. U. M. Kirhy Smith writes me from Sewanee,
'IViuiessee, that he noticed this species at ditlerent times durin<r the months of
January, February, and March, and beli«^ves that some winter there, which is
([uite i)rol)able, as numbei's remain in Florida and the Gulf Coast jyenerally
throughout this season.

The number of ej^<^s to a set varies from three to ei<,'ht; sets of five are
most c(»nunonly found, while the extremes are very rare; an ej;;}^ is dei)osited
(hiily, and the l*h(ebe is not infrecjuently imposed upon by the Cowbird, where
this pest is conunon. There are several sets in tho United States Nati<»nal
Museum collection containinjif one or two of these ])arasitic eggs. The Phcebe's
egg is usually pure white in color; the shell is ch)segrained, smooth, and
moderately glossy, which gradually disa|)i»ears in time, leaving tho shell a dull
chalky white. Occasionally some of these eggs aro more or less perceptibly
Slotted, with a few specks of red<lish brown about the larger end, but usually
only one or two in a clutch are so marked, while the majority of sets aro
iimnaculate. The eggs are mostly ovate in shaj)e.

The average measurement of one hundred and twelve eggs in the United
States National Museum collection is iK.Oo by 14.48 millimetres, or 0.75 by 0.57
inch. The largest egg of the series meas"res 20.32 by 14.il!> millimetres, or 0.80
by 0.59 inch; the smallest, l().7(i by 13.72 millimetres, or 0.(J() by 0.54 inch.

The type si)ecimen. No. 25587 (IM. 1, Fig. 28), from a set of five eggs from
the llalpii collection, slightly spotted, was taken near Floyd, (hieida County,
New York, May 17, 18!K), and the nest, of which measurements and a detailed
description have been given above, is the one from which this n'^}^ was taken.

103. Sayornis say a (Bonapakte).

S.W.S IMUEUK.

Miigvicaim Miiya Honapaiitk, Auici'icaii Ornithology, I, 16'S>, 'M.
ISuyunuii guyu» liAlUD, birds o(° North America, 1858, 185,

(H 13fi, C 250, R 31«, (J 377, U 457.)

(iKOGEArniOAL UANcii:: Western North America; eastward to western H;iskatchewaa
and Assiniboia, Dominion of Canada, and in tlio United States to easti'rn Montana, western
South Dakota (!), western Nebraska, western Kansas, and western Texas; north to Fort
Yukon, Alivska, and Fort Simpson, Northwest Territory, Dominion of Canada; south to
Lower (California and through Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas; in winter to
Puebla and Vera Cruz, Mexico. Accidental in Massachusetts.

Say's I'lui'be, a somewhat larger binl than the eastern representativ*! of
this gemis, and which it rejtlaces in western North America, has likewise a wide
distribution, the northern limits of its breeding riuigo iu Alaska reaching Avithiu

1^

SAY'S PIKEBB.

277

the Arctic. Circle. Mr. Luciou M. 'riirnor obtHiiUMi Hcvoral HpecimonH noiir Kort
Yukon, ill iihoiit liititiulo <»7^ luirtli, in tlu» latter part of May, 187(5, and Mr.
H. U. UoHH, of the lliidrioii Hay Company, took it at Fort SimpHon, on the Mac-
kenzie River, in .Inly, 1S(>I, where oin- common IMuehe waH also found l)y liim.
HkiiiH from both places, where both of these Hpeciert are known to breed, are
now in the United States National Museum collection. It will undoubtedly
be found in the vast interveniuj? territory north of our Iwrder and east of the
Rocky Mountains, in Athabasca and Alberta, as it is reconled from western
Saskatchewan and from British Columbia. In the United States it has b«'en
taken at various ))oints on tin* ejistern slopes of tlm Rocky McMtntains, l»ut there
it appears to be considerably rarer than farther wc^st. Its breeding ranp^e in the
United States is coextensive, with its geographi<-al ranj^e, exceptiuff the south-
western ])arts of Texas.

Say's Pho'be seems to be more at home in rather open country, and is
rarely found in heavily timbered re<^ions; still it occurs in such localities
at times, as I took a male near Fort Klamath, Orcfjon, on March 28, 18Hi{, and
saw a few others subseipicntly. Durinff my various wanderiufj^s in our Western
States and Territories 1 frenerally found Say's Plucbe rather uncomuion, except-
ing at Fort Lapwai, Idalxi, where several pairs were breeding within tluf limits
of the garrison, as well as at the adjoining Nez IVrce Indian Agencj-, and I
met with it also at Fort Custer, Montana; Camp llaniev, Oregon; Forts
C!olville and Walla Walla, Washington; Cam)) Independence, California; an<l
near Tucson, Arizona.

Its general habits and actions reseinlde those of tlu> eastern I'ho'be; like
it, it is one of the earliest sjn'ing migrants to return from its winter haimts, and
it is ecpially attache<l to its old home, to which it regularly returns from yc^ar to
year. It ajjpears to be nuich more tolerant in its dispositi<tn toward other
members of its kind than the I'luebe, as I have found several pairs l)reediiig
within 100 yards of each other, apparently in j)erfect harmony. Its nuunuM-
of flight is also similar, but its ordinary call note diflers somewhat, and sounds
really pathetic; a jdaintive " i)hee-eur," fretiuently repeated, ex])resses it tol-
erably well, always acconii)anied with a twitch of the tail and a raising and
lowering of the crest. Resides this note, during the mating season it gives vent
occasionally to a short, phiintiv*', twittering warble. I consider it a more rest-
le.ss bird than the I'luebe, if that is possible; for it is never idle, but constantly
darting back and forth from its perch after passing insects, which form the
btdk of its food and of which it never .seems to get enough. I have repeatedlj'
seen it catching good-sized grasshop])ers on the wing, as well as difterent s|)ecies
of beetles, flies, moth.s, and buttei-flies. It has a habit similar ti> the Owls of
ejecting the indigestible portions of its food in the shape of pellets. My atten-
tion was drawn to this fact by oli.sorving several such lying on the porch of my
(juarters at Fort Lapwai, Idaho, where a pair of these birds nested over tin?
door. It is not nearly as partial to localiti»'s near water as is our IMuebe, and it
is not uiuisual to iind it nesting fully a mile from such places. At tliis Post they

'k-l

278

LIFE I1I8TOUIES OF NORTH AMERICAN UIRDH.

)?<M»orally arrived durinp tlio tliird wet^k in Marcli, tlio innloH prccodinj; tlio
f(*iiiaU>H about a woolt, and nest ropairin},' or huildinfif coninionced altojit tlio latt»'r
part oi' HiiH month. I liavo taken a full set of egps, containing Huiall einbrvt»»,
on April 17, 1H71. Hero they noHted inoHtly under tlio eavoH of outhonM>H and
HtuhloH; hut one i)air Holeetod the jtlate or rail ov»'r the nuiin door of my
quartern, and another a eorner on tlie hoHpital poreh. In thin vicinity I also
found a pair occupyinff an old Clifl" Swallow's nest attached to an (iviM-lianfjinfj
ledge of rock in Soldiers' Canyon, on the road to lAnviston, Idaho, and another
in a very unusual position in the sanu* canyon, in an (dd liohin's nest, jdaced in
a syringa hush, about 4 feet from the {ground.

Mr. R. S. Williams found Say's I'lnelto nestinj^ in a deep canyon near the
Crooked Falls of tlu* IMissouri, Montana, and sent two sots of eggs to the United
States Natioiud Museum from there. These nests were jdaced on a sliirhtly pro-
jecting lodge of rocks, anil were well |)rotectod l)y overhanging walls, 'j'he first,
(containing six oggs, was taken May 21, 1888; the other wiw obtained on JuJie
3, 188!).

Mr. W. G. Smith reports Say's Pluebo as common in Tiarimer County, Colo-
rado, where it usually ntfsts under bridges and in sheds and barns. lie says it
builds a bulky nest, mostly composed of wool, and if its eggs are taken or
destroyed it often lays throe clutches during a s'sason, and not infreijuently in
the same place.

In Colorado it reaches an altitude of about 7,000 feet, and hero Mr. .1. Ahlon
Loring reports it as not uncommon at Grand Junction, and Mr. Denis Gale found
it 1)reeding near Gold Ilill on June 25, 1885; but it is evidently much more (;om-
mon throughout the Great l^asiu region in southern Idaho, Utah, Nevada, and
eastern California, where its center of abundance occurs. While Say's I'hci'bc
is fairly connnon in suit.able localities in northern California, as in the vicinity
of Reil Bluff, Tehama County, Mr. F. Stephens reports it as a rare sunnner
resident in the southern parts of this State, and says: "It is more connnon in
winter, though scarcely common then. It breeds early along the western
borders of the Colorado Desert, where I have found m^sts «'ontaining young in
tlu* latter part of March. The nests were placed on shelves mider overhanging
parts of cliffs, in shallow caves and similar jdaces; the eggs usually niunl)ered
four; the nests were built of soft fibers; no mud was used; and I have seen none
near water. These birds are generally seen singly except in the breeding sea-
son; they inhabit open country and lu-e never soon in forests. Gn Juno 1,
1893, I flushed a Say's Phoebe from a nest containing fresh (*ggs near Witch
Creek, California. The nest was placed inider a shelf of rock on a small cliff
over a brook. The nest, of nuid, looked like the nest of Sai/ornis nii/rivan-s, and
perhaps was an old one of that species relined. This is the first time I have
found this species nesting on the west side of the mountains, while on the desert
side they breed regularly."

Mr. John Swinburne found this species nesting at St. Johns, Ap;>cho County,
and Mr. W. E. D. Scott gives it as a rather rare sunnner resident in the Catalina
Mk '.intuins, Arizona, while I observed it in the vicinity of Tucson in winter oidy.

BAY'S rUCEUE.

279

Mr. A. W. Anthony writes mo: "I found Say's PhoDbo breeding in compara-
tive aV)un(lan(;o near Apache, in the exti omo southwestern corner of New Mexico,
in tlie midst of a very dry and barren ranj^o of iiills, in May, niigrating after
tiio first brood was raised, about June 20, and not seen again until Hupteniljer.
Old tuiniels and abandoned mining shafts are favorite nesting sites witli them,
nests having been found by me in Lower California, 'irt feet from the surface,
in prospect holes. At Apache I took a nest with four fresh eggs on May 23,
1K8G, and near San Diego, California, I found one in an old endiaukment, on
August 8, containing young and eggs." A nest taken by Mr. J. A. Luring, in
Nephi, Utah, July 1, 18})3, was |,lacod in the top of an old straw hat

Both Mr. L. Holding and Mr. A. W. Anthon}- have met with this species
in Lower California, during the breeding season; and it i)robably breeds also in
northwestern Texas and nortiiorn Mexico. It returns from its summer haunts
in the northern parts of its range usually about Septeml)er, and winters to some
extent in the southwestern parts of the United States; the majority, however,
pass south into Mexico. In the more southern portions of its breeding range
Say's Pluiibe begins nesting early in March; in the middle parts rarely l)efoio
May 1, and in the extreme .northern limits of its range not until Juno.

Two broods are usually raised in a season, and, under favorable* circtim-
stances, possibly even three. This species is fully as nmcli at home about human
habitations, and seems to a<lrtpt itself even more readily to the changed condi-
tions of its surroundings than its eastern relative, and about every cattle rancli,
stage station, or mining camp a pair or more of these birds will surely select a
nesting site, if a suitable location can be found.

Besides the various localities already nunitionod in which Say's Plincbo has
been found nesting, burrows of Bank Swallows are also occasionally ocuuipred.
Ordinarily mud is not used 'in the construction of their nests; which are ratlier
flat structures; the base usually consists of weed steins, dry gi-asses, moss, plant
fibers of different kinds, wool, empty cocoons, spider webs and hair, the inner
lining being generally composed of wool or hair aKaie. A well-preserved nest,
now before me, from the Crooked Falls of the Missouri, Montana, taken by l\Ir.
R. S. Williams, Juno 3, 1889, measures.5.J inches in outer diameter by 2^ inches
in height, the inner cup being 2 J inches l)y l\ inches in dei)tii. This is a (com-
pactly built structure, the materials composing it being well worked together,
and it is warmly lined with cattle hair.

The number of eggs to a set varies from three to six; usually four or five
are found, and one is deposited daily. Incubation lasts about twelve days; the
young are fed entirely on insects, mainly on small butterflies, which are abui.-
dant about that'timo, and they are ready to leave the nest in about two weeks,
when the male takes charge of them, the female in the meantime getting ready
for a second brood. The eggs are ovate and short ovate in shape, and resemble
those of the conunon Phoibe in every respect excepting that they are a triHe
larger in size.

The average measurement of forty-four eggs in the United States Nation.al
Museum c«dlection is VJ.bi) by 14.!I0 milliiiiotres, or abtnit 0.77 by 0.5!) incii.

► '

III' Mi

'

280

LIVE IIISTOIUIW OK NOKTII AMKKKJAN ItllinS,

Till' Iiir};«'Kt o}r;r <»* tlio s(*ri('rt iiiciwun^s 2 !.')!( by ir».ti> inilliini'fi-oH, or 0.85 hv
0.(11 iiicli: tlio «mull('rtt, IM.O.'J l»y l.S.!>7 milliiiiotros. or 0.71 by 0.')r> inch.

'riut ty|)»' siHM'iint'ii, No. '2i)^iitii (I'l. I, Kijr. 2!(), from a not of four cjjfTH, Hcn-
tiiro collection, t)ik«>ii by tlitt writor at Koit Lapwai, Fdalio, April 24, 1871, Ih an
•ivora<?i)-sizc«l vim, and one of the nsnal unt*potte<l types.

104. Sayornis nigricans (Swainson).

III.ACK riDKilK.

Tyrnnnvla nififivann^vrnivnuv, IMiilosopliical Mafraziiic, I, May, 1827,307.
tiuyoniiii niyrkuHH ItoNAfAKTio, (Jolloetion IVIuttrc, IH.TI, <sT.

(inut, (1 USl, It 317, C 378, U l.".8.)

(rEOOUAiMlK^AL i{AN(»K: Fioiii Moxico itiiil liowvr Cnlilom'a iiortli tliroiie)) wcKtoi'ii
ToMiH. New Mi'xico, Ari/oiiii, mid Oulil'oriiiii into Houtliwusturii Oregon, wi^st of tlic < 'ascnilo
Monntains; Oiist to wcHtcni Texas, Houtlicrn Xew .Mexico, Arizona, anil Huiitliern ('aliforniii.
Casually to Wnsliinjrton.

The Itreediii;;' ranf^e of tlie Hlack I'litebe, also known as the "Hlack Klv-
catrher," is much more restricted within the Tnited States tlinn that of the two
preccdinj;' species, Imt in Mexico it has a widely extended <lislribution. In
sonthwostern Orejion it has been ol)ser\ed in the Umptpia Valley by Dr. .1. S.
Newberry; and IVof (). H. .Johnson reports seeinj,' a single specimen near Salem
in July, 1S7!>. These points mark about the northwestern limits of its r.iiige, and
none have as j'et been observed oast of the Cascade Monntains at poiijts farther
south in this State. Its center of abundance is evidently that i)art of California
west of the Sierra Nevadas, where it has been reconh'd from many places
throu<,diout the year. Mr. Lyman Heldiiifj; reports it as a common and constant
resident at Stockton, Murphys, and Marysville, and as a sunnner resident near
Hi}; Trees, ('alaveras County, where it freciuents the willows near streams. Mr.
Charles II.Townsend found it breedino; near Haird, Shasta County, and it seenm
to be pretty fjenerally distributed throufrhout southern California as well. AVliile
apparently not reachiii},'' the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevadas in tlm northern
j)arts of this State, it has been observed as far east a.s Furnace Creek, Death
Valley, Hot Springs, in tlie I'anamint Valley, and Shepherd ("auyon, in the Argus
Kange, in southeastern California, by diHerent mendters of Dr. C. Hart Merriam's
oxph)ring i»arty in the Death Valley country, in the spring of 1891; but it
appears to be somewhat rare everywhere east of the Sierra Nevadns.

Mr. A. W. Anthony writes me: "The Hlack I'laibe breeils throughout
Lower California, from latitude "28^ northward wherever water is found, build-
ing under the eaves of adobe houses when near human habitations, and on the
sides of ledges along streams in the unsettled parts."

Li southern Arizona this sjjccies is resislent throughout the year, and I
have ob,serve<l it at all seasons. It is, however, more conunon in winter than in
sunnner. the majority of these birds evidently retiring to the •canyons in Hie
foothills of the niountaius to breed. I found lint a single nest; this was placed

TIIK lUiArK IMKKItK.

281

HI nil Hl))in(I(Mu><l well, in ii kiuiiII ciivity in tho «i»lo, cauHtMl by a bowMcr ilrctj)-
pin^; out, altiMit I t'crt Ix'low tiic hiiH'uco of flu* f^rouml. It contaimil yourt«r,
iiearb full <fro\vn, on April 24, 1S72. Mr. W. K. I). Scott reports tliis Hpccics aw
not iincoinnion in tli** Santa ( 'atalinn McMintainH to an altitutlcof 4,01)0 ft'ct. Ih-.
I'Mjfar A. MeariiH, I'nitod Statics Army, infortnrt nm that lu* fotnid a jtair l»r»'«'(l-
iiiff at tlu» riwrvoir from which tho town of 'PoinhMtono derives itw wat«'r Hnpply,
in MIIUm-h Canyon, lliiiu;lmca MoiintainH, Houthcrn Arizona, on .Inly ill, 1«!>4.
TIiIh is locati*<l in the Doujflass spruce zone (I'ni'utlittsHifn Uixijolia), at an altitude
of'-al)out S.OOO foet. I also met with the lilack I'lia-lx^ in wmthwestern New
Mexico, (tn the Mimhres Hiver, and Mr. \V illiam Lloyd <rives it as a rare sununer
visitor in Tom Green Oounty, Texas, whore he found it breedin}; on April 4.
Althoufjh a fjood many of these birds winter within our borders, ovon in locali-
ties whore snow occasionally falls, the majority mij^rato south into Mexico in
( )ctol)er, and return a<;ain early in March.

In its {joneral habits tho Ithu^k Pli(eb(( resembles tho common IMi<irbe more
than Say's; like tho former, it is usually only foinid noar water, and its call notch
aro also very similar. Mud soems to outer lar<foly into tho construction of its
nests, and I boliove is invariably nsed. These aro located in similar situations to
those of tho two ijrecoflinj,' species. It is equally attached to a locality onc(*
chosen for a neHtin<r site; and instances aro roconh'd where four dutches of e<jgs
have boon laid in one sea.son, the three previously laid havin<jf l)een taken, 'i'wo
broods are ^renerally roared in a year, and i>orhaps three. Tho exterior of tho
nest consists of small jtellets of nuid mixed with bits of dry j^rass, weed fibers,
or hair, and somewhat rtwmbles that of a Barn Swallow; the outer mud wall is
caiTied up ti» the rim. Inside it is lined with weed fibers, fine roots, strips of
bark, •••rass tops, hair, wool, and occasionally feathers. If their ojfjfs aro taken,
they <feiierally lay another set within two weeks. A nest now before me, taken
bv Mr. II. AV. Ileiishaw, at Santa Ysabel, ( ialifoniia, on April 2H, IH'J.'J, measures
!") inches in outer diainotor and 3.J inches in hoifjlit; tho inner cup is '2'\ inches in
diameter and \\ inches in depth, and is lined with jilant fibers and tine jjrass
tops. In the southern part of its breeding ranj^e nidification be<;ins usually in
the first half of April, rarely brfuiti, and corrospondinjfly later farther northward.

The number of o<j<js to a sot varies from three to six, usually four or five.
The)' resemble the offj^'s of tho two precodinjjr species in (-(dor, l»ut {^enorally
averajje a trifle smaller. .Fudj^injf from those before me, the markinpfs on tlu^
s])otted specimens are coarser and more pronounced, but tho jiroportirni of spot-
ted opff^s is no fp'eater. Tlu* ofj^ffs aro {jfenorally ovate in shape.

The avera^'o measurement of fifty-nine spe«'imeiis in tho United States
National Museum coUec'tion is 18.73 by 14.3(i millimotros, or about 0.74 by 0.r»7
inch. The largest ej^ir of the series measures 20.iJ2 by ir).24 millimetres, or
O.HO by 0.60 inch; the smallest, 17.7H by 13.21 millimetres, or 0.70 by 0.r)2 inch.

The type specimen, No. 20r)r)6 (I'l. 1, Fifjf. 30^, fnnn a set of three efjffrs,
Hendiro collection, was taken at Nicasio, California, May f), 1H77; this repre-
sents a well-spotted and averaj^o-sized specimen.

.1

V \]

282

LIFE U1ST0B1£S OF NUBIH AMEIUCAN BIRDS.

M' \

105. Contopus borealis (Swainson).

OUVK-SIDH) KLYCATCHKR.

Tyrannwi boiealU Swainson, Fanim lloroali Americana, II, 18.'tl, 111, PI. .15.
Contopus boreali» Baibd, Birds of North America, 1858, 188.

(B ia7, 0 253, U 318, 0 .380, U 45!).)

GEOORAPHinAL BANOK: North America; north in the eastern parts of the Dominion
of Canada t4> about latitude 50°, in the interior of the Hudson Bay country to about lati-
tude 61°, and in Alaska to latitude G3° \.; south in winter through the higher niouutaina
of Central America to Colombia, South America. Accidental in Greenland.

Tlie breeding ranofo of tlio Olivo-sidod Flycatcher in the esiatcrn parts of
the United States is confined to tlio coniferous forest roj^ions of our nortlieni
border from northern Massachusetts and northern New York westward to
Minnesota, and probably also to some of the hij>;her mountain peaks south of
those Stjites; in Connecticut, Pennsjdvania, the Vli-j^'iTiias, antl western North
Carolina, etc., where it has occiusionally been taken durinjr the breediu}? season
and possibly nests in limited numbers in suitable localities. It has also been
observed in the mountains of western Missouri by Mr. W. E. D. Scott in the
spring, and possibly breeds there; and the late Col. N. S. Goss rejjorts that ho
found it nesting near Wallace, Kansas, on May 27, 1883, an unusually early
date for this species. In the eastern ])rovinces of the Dominion of Canada it
breeds up to about latitude .'')0° N., while in the interior it ai)pears to be fairly
common in the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, the type coming from
Cumberland House, in latitude 54°. It extends noi'th at lea.st to Fort Resolution,
Gceat Slave Lake, in latitude Gl°, where A[r. li. Kennicott took a male on june
20, which is now in the United States N Honal Jluseuin collecticm. On the
Pacific Slope it has been tiiken by ^Ir F. Hislioff at Fort Kenay, Alaska, in
latitude GI°, and Mr. E. W. Nelson obtained a single binl on the Lower Yukon,
in latitude. 63°, which marks, ns far as known, the northern limit of its range.
Mr. J. E. McGrath al.so took a specimen at Camj) Davidson, Alaska, on May 18,
1891, which, together with the Hishoff skin, is now in the United States National
Museum collection. These reconls show tliat the Olive-sided Flycatcher is
pretty generally distributed over tlie southern coast districts of this territory.
From Alaska its breeding range extends southward through Hritish Columbia,
Alberta, the forest and mountain regions of the western United States, in(du<ling
the Rock)-, Cascade, and Sierra Nevada mountains, with their tributary spurs
and outlying ranges, to southern Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, tlie San Pedro
Martir Mountains in Lower California, the Sierra Madre in northern Mexico.
It passes thence south in winter through the higher mountains of Central
America to Colombia, South America.

West of the Rocky Motnitains the Olive-sided Flycatcher seems to l)e
generally distributed throughout the forest and mouiitainoiis regions to tlie
Pacific coast, although it is nowhere very connnon. Mr. S. F. Rathbuii, of Seattle,

Tllli OLIVK SIDMD FLYUATCUER.

283

Waslilnpton, writos mo: "This Flycatcher may bo called common aroimd
Soattlo as a sumiii(;r resident, arriviuff about May 1 and remaining into Septem-
ber. It is very evenly distributed, not iiidiscriniinatelj scattered, lus are sonu;
species, Itut alon;f the sliores of Lake Washington about every one-half to
three-tburths of a mile you can hear these birds and find a ])air. They evince
a fondness for tlu^ watered regions in preference to the high lands, not necessarily
ak)ng the water's edge, but only a short way back in the woods, and i)refer
the rather oiu'U tiinl)er wliere miwt of the original forest has been cut away."

In northern an<l central ('alifornia it appoai-s to be moderately ('oinnam
throughout the mountainous portions, judging from the numerous records. Mr.
L. Uelding found it breeding in Calaveras (Jtunity, and took a nest and throe
eggs on .June 17, 1883, the.se being now in the United States National Mu.seiun
collection; while from southern Califi;rnia Mr. V. Stephens writes me: "It is a
somewhat rare summer resident in coniferous forests, seeming to prefer the firs. I
found a nest on June f), LSX!), in a large fir, at about 7, AGO feet altitude in the
Cuyamaca Mountains; it was placed about 40 feet from the ground and H feet
from the trunk, near the extremity of a limb. It consisted of little more than a
lining t)f stitf moss, laid in a thitrk bunch of living leaves, and contained tiiree
eggs. While taking these the jjarent came repeatedly, almost within reach of
my hand, snapping her bill and scolding me. Lower down in the same tree
was a nest of the lA)uisiana Tanager containing young."

There are also records from Arizona and New Mexico showing that the
Olive-sided Flycatcher breeds, to some oxtent at least, in the higher mountain
regions there, and in Colorado it may be called fairly connnon. Mr. Denis
Gale writes me from Gold Ilill, Colorado, in 188!): "I have found a nest or
two of Coiitojuts hormlis almost every season, but always with yoiuig, until this
year. Their nests are \ery small and fragile in ap])earance for so large a bird,
but the wiry charactt-r of the material u.sed in their comj)ositiou is so deftly
fitted and fastened to and about the rasping sprays of" our spruce trees that you
could scarcely displace the nest if you should thrash the ground with the bough
upon which it is placed." A nest with tiiree eggs, taken on .Inly 3, 18S!>, was
kindly ])resented to the Fnited States National Musevnn ( (illection by Mr. Gale,
and this is the frailest-built structure I have yet seen of these birds. In
Colorado the Olive-sided Flycatcher reaches an altitude of !»,()0() or 1(),()00 feet
in summer. In the San IVdro Martir Miamtains, in Lower California, Mr. A.
W. Anthony informs me that tliis Flycatcher was-: occasionally obsei'vod by him
up to 1 1,000 feet, and evidently r.<j.>ting.

I have met with this sppcies in the pine forests of the Hitter Root JIcMintains
in ]\Iontana and Idaho, in the numerous parks in the Hlue Mountains, and at Fort
Klamath, Oregon, where se\eral pairs nested within a couple of miles from the
Post, in largo spruce and pine trees wliich were practically inaccessible. In
suitable localities in the south western jtarts of the Adirondacks, in llorkimei
County, New York, tiiey are i\ot uncommon, and I observed several pairs iu
this vicinity. Their habits seem <'vorywhero to Ik- alike.

, f

» ■

t'

M'

t

II

'1'

u

im

I.,, I

I

rj;

^1

\i

284

LIFE UISTUBIES UF NUUTU AMERICAN UIUDS.

■3-.% -- a ' ■ ■

i

Although the Olive-aided Flycatcher is rather evenly and widely distributed,
it can not be called a very common bird anywhere durin<f the breeding aeiuson,
which irt due perhajjs more to its unsocial and quarrelsome habits than to any-
thing else. While it a])pears tolerant enough toward other species, it will not
allow any of its own kind to nest, in dose proximity to its chosen home, to which
it returns from year to year. lOach pair seems to claim a certain rjmge, whit^h
is rarely less than half a mile in extent, and is usually located along some stream,
njar the shore of a lake, or by some little pond; generally coniferous forests
saem to bo preferred, but mixed ones answer their purposes almost equally well
a-* long as they border on a body of water or a beaver meadow and have a
few clumps of hemlock or spruce trees scattered through them, which furnish
suitable perches and j)oints of lookout. In such situations one is reasonably
curtain to find this species.

Like all Flycatchera, their food consists almost exclusively of winged
insects, such as beetles, butterHies, nuHhs, and the numerous gadfiies which
abound in the places frerpiented by these birds. A dead limb or the decfiyed
top of some tall tree giving a good outh)ok close to the nesting site, is usually
selected for a perch, from which excursions are made in different directions after
passing insects, which are often cliased for (juit<! a distance. Tiiis Flycatcher
usually arrives on its breeding grounds in the northern parts of the United
States about the middle of May, and its far-reaching call notes can then bts
heard almost constiintly in the early morning hours and again in the evening.
Unless close to the bird, this note sounds much like that of the Wood I'ewee,
which utters a note of oidy two syllables, like "pee-wee," while that of the Olive-
sided Flycatcher really consists of three, like "hip-pui-whee." 'Vha first part
is uttered short and (juick, while the latter two are so accented and drawn out,
that at a distance the call sounds as if likewise composed of only two notes, but
this is not the case. Their alarm ni>t(^ sounds like "puip-puip-pui))," several
times repeated, or "puill-puill-puill;" this is usually given only when the nest is
approached, and occasionally a jjurrfng sound is also uttered.

Nidification rarely begins anywhere throughout their rang<* before June 1,
usually not before .lune 10, and in some seasons Udt before .Inly. Tall ever-
green trees, such as pines, hendocks, spruces, firs, and cedars, situated near tlu^
edge of an o])ening or clearing in tlu* forest, not too far from water and com-
manding a good outlook, or on a blufi' along a stream, a hillside, the shore of a
lake or pond, are usually selected as nesting sites by this species, and the nest
is generally saddled well out on one of the limbs, when' it is diflicult to see and
still more .so to get at. Only on rare occiusions will this species nest in a decid-
uous tree; one instance has been rec(»rded of a pair nesting in an apj)le and
another in a cottonwood tree, but those nmst be considered as exceptional cases,

While on a collecting expedition with Dr. William L. Kalpli, in Herkimer
County, New York, a nest of tliis species was found on June IS, 181I2, in a spruce
tree, 4h feet from the ground, containing thnte eggs about oiu'-tliird inrul»ate<l.
The nest was placed on a horizontal limb, on some thi(!k, leaf-covered twigs,

A

V'^.

TU1<] OLIVE SIDED FLYCATUIIER.

285

aluuit T) foot from the trunk; the troo grew on a hillside near a little Hwanip, and
several tall dead stuniiw were still standing on the partly cleared hills in the
vicinity. The birds betrayed the location of the nest by their excited actions
and incessant scolding. They were very bold, flying close around the climber's
head, snapping their bills at him, and uttering angry notes of defiance rather
than of distress, sounding like "puy-pip-pip" or "wiip-wiip-wiip." They could
not j)ossibly have been more pugnacious. This nest, which is now before me, is
a well-built structure, and measures 4.^ inches in outer diameter by IJ inches in
depth ; the inner cup is very shallow, measuring 2ij inches in diameter by 1 inch
in depth. It is outwardly composed of tine, wiry roots and small twigs, mi.xed
with long, green moss {Ustwa), and lined with tine roots and moss. It is securely
fixed among a mass of fine- twigs growing out at that j)oint of the limb, which
is oidy half an inch thick under the nest. During the first week of June, 1H!)3,
we visited the same locality again, but these birds did not make their appearance
at the old nesting site until aVjout June 15, and showed no desire to nest up to
the time we left, June 28. Two other pairs were also located, but no nests were
found. I am of the opinion that, as the season was inuisually late, they postponed
uidificiition until at least three weeks later than usual;

Mr. lieldiny: states: "In California its nests are usiuillv 40 or 50 feet from
the ground, rarely as low as 20 in cone-bearing trees, and are mostly composed
of yellow lichen [Evernia i; «//><««), lined sparingly, in several instances, with fine,
wiry rootlets."'

The nest is usually jdaced at a considerable height from the ground, say
from 40 to 60 feet, and always out on a limb; occasionally one is foun<l not
over 20 feet up, but such instances .so far as I. know ivre not connnon. The
nests are generally hard to get at, and a.s tlicy are so shallow the contents are
frequently lost in trying to secure them. The Olive-sided Flycatcher usually
nests late, rarely before the middle of ,hme, and sometimes not until the begin-
ning of July. Only a single brood is reared in a season; but if' tlio eggs are
taken a second set is laid, and not infre([Uently in the same nest, if this has been
left. They are very much attached to localities once selected, and are loath to
leave them. The return migration to their winter haiuits begins in the latter
part of August, and, as far as known, all of these birds pass beyond our Itorder.

It does not take very long to build the nest, antl incubation lasts probably
not over fViurteen days. The young are said to remain in the nest about three
weeks. The eggs are usually three in number, rarely more or less. l*ossil»ly
about one set in twenty will contain four eggs, and although it has l)een stated
that from three to five are laid, I do not believe that a set of five has ever been
taken. The shape of these eggs is mostly ovate; the shell is delicate and not
lustrous. The groiuwl color varies from a jjale to a rich cream, with a pinkish
tint, and they are usualK spotted and blotciied with iliffurent shades of cliestnut,
ferruginous, heliotrope piu'ple, and lavender, these markings generally forming
an irregular wreath about the larger end of the i'^'f.

i

V.

' Laud Uirdi) uf the I'ttoillc District, ItilH), p. UT.

ii

286

LIFE UldTOlllES OF NOUTU AMEKICAN BIRDS.

The average moasureiiient of thirty-two e<;|jf« in the United States National
Museum collection in 21.51 by 16.10 millimetres, or about 0.8") by 0.63 inch.
The largest egg of the series measures 23.11 by 17.27 millimetres, or 0.91 by
0.6H inch; the smallest, 20.32 by 15.24 millimetres, or O.HO by O.fJO inch.

The type specimen. No. 23891 (PI. 2, Fig. 15), from a set of three eggs
taken by Mr. GralC; near Gold Hill, Boulder County, Colora<h>, on July 3, 1889,
represents one of the richer-colored eggs, while No. 25(t85 (IM. 2, Kig. 16), from
a set of three, Ualph collection, also from Colorado, taken June 16, 1892, shows a
paler-colored example; they also show the ditferenco in size.

io6. Contopus pertinax Caiianis.

COUES'8 FLYCATCHKH.

MyiurvhuM pertiiuu- LiCH'i'ENSTEiN, Nuiuoiiclator Mueso lioroliiiunsis, 1854, W (iioiuuii

ContoiniH iwrtimuc (Jauanih, Musouiii Heiiioaimin, It, Sept. 30, 1859, 72.

(B— , 0 254, 11 319, C 381, U m).)

Oeooraimiioal uanoe: Ilij^^lilaiuls of Ouatemala itixl Mexico; uorth to Arizomi
ami soutUwL'steru Now Mexico. Aeeuleutal iu Colorado.

The breeding range of Coues's Flycatcher is eoextonsive with its geo-
graj)hical distribution in the United States, where it is only a sunnner visitor. It
was adtled to our avifauna by Dr. Elliott Cones, who took a specimen near
Fort Whipple, Arizona, on August 20, 1864; and since then it has been found
to be generally distril)uted throughout the mountains of the southern half of
Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, although nowhere very connnon.

The best account of its general habits is that of Mr. 11. W. TIenshaw, who
says: "In 1873 I obtained a pair of old birds, which were accompanied by
several young, in the White Mountains, near Camp Apache, and, not meeting
with it elsewhere, supposed it to be rare. Sucli, however, proves not to l)e the
case, as the past s<*ason it was found to be one of the most numerous and char-
acteristic of the Flycatcher trilte, being seen everywhere in tlie mountainous
districts from Cam[) Apache to tlie border line.

"In general appearance as well as liabits it is (piite similar to the Olive-
sided Flycatcher, and shows tlie same proclivities for inliabiting the pineries,
often on the edge of an opening, or where the country is dixcrsilied and cut
up by rocky ravines and the })ines are interspersed witii oak woods. In such
places tlie species is sure to be present, and may be seen circling about the
high pine stubs or desceuiling to the lower trees, as the oaks, and launching
itself out from the branches in vigorous pursuit of Hies or beetles, which it
Imr 'th the greatest energy and perseverance. The notes are loud and very
t\) , ri"'^'^'") possessing the same character as the call of the ( )livc!-sided
Fi,.iiicher, but are readily distinguishable. Tliey resemble the .syllid)l('s
'l>e-wee-ee,' great emphasis being laid on the middle syllable, while the last
is (piite prolonged and in a slightly raised key. Each pair apparently takes

f i

COUES'S FLYOATOUKlt.

287

possession of a largo area, and allows no intrusion of their kind within tho
limits. Havinjf spent a few moments in one spot, the bird makes a hurried
df sh and in a few moments its voice ran be just distinguished as it is sent
back from afar in answer to the mate near by. A short inter^'al elapsing, it
will suddenly reappear from lunong the trees, and, with an exultant whistle,
settle firmly down on s»»me ])erching place, giving short, nervous jerks of its
long tail and tuniing its head ipiickly here and there, every motion betraying
the nervous activity of its nature. These sudden erratic flights from point to
point are quite characteristic of the bird. By the middle of July I found
tho young well fledged and quite numerous. Tlius tlie eggs are probably
deposited in the fii-st part of June. By tho latter part of September many
individuals had passed to the southward, but at Mount Graluiui at this time
the species was still present. I noticed them on several occasions on tho
outskirts of the flocks of Warlilers and Nuthatches, which were moving slowly
onward. They appeared to be migrating in their company, fonning, as it
seemed to me, a very incongruous element iii these sociable gatherings. Their
call notes at this time were given almost as incessantly as during the sunnner." *

Mr. F. Stephens writes mo: "I have taken this si)ecies in the mountains
north of Fort Bayard, New Mexico, and in tho Cliiricahua and Santa Rita
Mountains, in southern Arizona, in all parts of which it is a rare sunnner resi-
dent. The female of a pair taken June 27, 1880, in the Cliiricahua Mountains,
was incubating."

Mr.'W. E. D. Scott .also ob.Herved them in the Santa Catalina Mountains in
Ajjril, and Dr. Edgar A. M'oarns, United States Army, in the MogolK>n RangO;
Ai'iz(ma, dining the months of July and August, where a pair were seen feeding
their young on Baker's Butte. He .says: "Its habits resemble those of the
smaller species of this geiuis ratlier than of tho Olive-sided Flycatcher.""

The nest and eggs of Coues's Flycatcher were first described by Mr. Samuel
B. Ladd, West Chester, Pennsylvania, in "The Auk" (Vol. VIII, 1891, p. 315).
"The nest, placed on an oak limb 20 feet from the groui\d, is compact, and
reminds (mo of the nest of our Voiitopits rircti.s, oxcei)ting in size. Outside diam-
eter, 5 inches by 2 inches high; hiside diameter, 3 inches by 1 inch deep. The
body of the nest seems to consist of the web of some spider, intermingled with
the oxuvijc of some in.sect, fragments of insects, and vegetable matter, such as
staminate catkins of Qitnrii.S'fiiiori/i, a pod of JlosacJiia, and some Itiaves of Qiiercus
cmonji and Qncrvii-s tinditldfa. Tiie interior of tho nest is made up of grasses,
l)rincipally of two species of I'on, also some f'raginonts of a BoutcJona and a Stijm.
The eggs, three in number, were slightly incubated, l^he ground color is cream
Imft', spotted in a ring around the larger end with chestnut and lilac-gray.
Measurements: 0(53 l)y 0.8(i, 0:(i2 by 0.H3, O.Ul by 0.83 inch; average, 0.(J2 by
0.84. Collected June' 17; 1890."

Through the kindness of Mr. E. W. Nelson 1 am enabled to figure an egg
of this species and add tho following information about their nesting habits.

' I'liiteit Stiit«s Oeogriipliical Surveys, Vol. V, pp. 352-3.
"Tho Auk, Vol. Vll, mm, !>. l'o«.

. i:, .

ii-

( Iflf^':

!l

vt 1

i' i

288

LIFK IIISTOIUKS OF NOKTU AMEUICAN BIKDS.

II

IIo Hayw: ^' Cotitoi>us pcrtimu is ii Hparingly (listrilmtutl HUiiiniur n'sidi-nt in tlio
l»iiu)-t'ore8tt'il moiuitiuns of Hoiith coiitral Mexico, botweuu S, ()()() anil r2,()0(> feot
altitiido. At Los Viji^as, Vera (y'ruz, on June 1-J, 18!)3, a nest (containing t\v<»
fresh eiffTs was found in a pine tree at an altitude of al)out S,()0() feet. Tlie nest
was about 15 feet from the {jfround, on the outer end of one of the h»wer
brandies. It was phiced upon a small fork of the main l)raneli. The nest is
outwardly composed of {frass tops, which are covered witli fni<fmi'nts of moss
and lichens, and it is lined with the fine heads (seed tops) of a species of j^rass
growinjj; all about inider the pine trees of the vicinity. The locality was on
a •'•entle slojje at the northeast imse of the Cofro de I'erote, nenr Los Vij^as, in a
thitdi {^rowth of snial' pines. The parent birds paid but little attention to the
nest, but were (juite shy, so that some trouble was experienced in (d)tainin<j|; one
of them; each time, however, the birds returned to .the vicinity of the 'nest after
a Ion}'- detour throuffh the woods. !So far as I saw them, these birds are very
quiet durintf the breediii}^ season."

The nest, which is now before me, is a compact and neatly built structure,
and measures 4^ iniches in outer dia?neter by 2 inches in hei{,dit. The inner cup
is 2.^ inches wide by l\ inches deej).

Coues's Flycatcher leaves its sunnner home in southern Arizona and New
Mexico about October 1, and apparently none winter within our borders. The
eg}ifs are ovate in shape; the shell is frail and withou(> luster, of a rich cream tint,
and is sparinjrly spotted, prin(cipallyal»out the larger end of the egg, with ditl'er-
ent shades of chestnut, ferruginous, and lavender. Tiiey resend)le very nnich
the eggs of the Olive-sided Flycatcher, but. average a trifle smaller, measuring
21.0H ])y 1(1.51 and ll».56 by 1.5.75 millimetres, or 0,83 by 0(;5 and 0.77 by 0.(i2
inch, respectively.

The type specimen. No. 2(;222 (IM. 2, Fig. 17), United Htates National
Jluseum collei'tion, the smallest v^'^ of tlu' two, was taken by ^Ir. Nelson, as
already stated, on June 14, 18!t;$, near Los Vigas, Vera Cruz, Mexico.

107. Contopus virens (Linn.eus).

WOOD I'KWKE.

Miixricaim riV<n« liiNN.Krs, Systcinii Natiun', i';il. lli, I, 17iiO, .127.
Contopus firam Cau.&Mij, Jouriiiil I'iir Oriiitliolotiio, III, ^'ov., iJS.'i.'i, 47!t.

(H 13», (J I'oS, U 320, C 382, U.4()l.)

(iKOGaAl'liK^AL KANiiK,: Kiisteiii Noftli AiiiiTica ; north to tlic soutlicni portions of
the Dominion of ("iinaila, from New HrnnswicU to Manitoba; west to eastern North and
Hoath Dakota, eastern Ncl>raska, Kansas, the Indian Territory, and Texas; south in
wiutoi' throui^h eastern Mexico and (Uiateniala to Colombia and lOeuador, t^outh America.

Tile lu'ecding range of the Wood Pewec, also locally known in South
Carolina as "Dead-limb bird," extends through the exstern I'liitcd States north
into the southern ])arts of tlu; Dominion of Cauaila to .ibout latitude 4(!" N.,
west to western Manitoba, the eastern jjarts of North and South Dakota,

THE WOOD I'EWEE.

289

Nebraska, Kaiisn», tlio Intlian TeiTitory, and Homewliat bevoiid tlic! oaHtoru luilf
(if Texas, wlicre it has hocu touiid broediii}; in Itexarand Tom (Jrecii counties.
In tlio extreme soutlieni parts of its breeding' ranjj^e, in Florida and tlie Gulf
f'oast, it is rather rare, and tliis is also the. case north of latitude 4.')'', in southern
New Urunswick and the jn-ovinces of Quel)ec and Ontario, while in Manitoba
it a|i|K>ars to be tolerably connnon up to latitude 50°.

'J'he \Vo<»d Pewee, as its name implies, la a common sunnner resident
throuffhout all the wooded portions of its ranfre as indicated above, and is one of
the more tardy mijifrant to arrive on its breedinj,' {rrounds, reachinj^ them in the
more southern States in ilie first half of April, and in Pennsylvania, New York,
etc., about a month later. It shows a decid(>d preference forojten, mixed woods,
free from underbrush, and frecpients the ed<fes of such as bordi-r on fields,
clearing's, etc., either in dry or moist situations. In Oneida and Herkimer coun-
ties, New York, 1 found the Wood Peweo common everywhere, both in the
ni<»re extensive forests, as well as in orchards or shade trees alouff the country
roads, and even in the villajfes. Its plaintive call notes could be heard at all
hours of the day and often in the ni<;ht as well. Its sonjf, if it may be called
such, is uttered in a sleepy, listless maimer, while perched on some horizontal
limb or branch, usually one of the lower dead ones of a wide-spreadinjr tree, on
which its sits very erect and alert, and from whence it darts every little while
after some jjassin^' insect, in the cajtture t»f which it is as expert as any of our
Flycatchers. The ordinary call note sounds like "iiee-a-wee" or " st'e-t'-wt'c,"
loll};- drawn out and plaiivtive in .sound. Occasionally a short note like "pee-e'er,"
"phee-het'," or " hi'e-ee " is also given, this, if possible, in a .still more mcmiinful
strain than the former, but it is not as frecpiently heard. I find it very difficult to
reproduce the various calls on pajter, and am ])eifectly well aware that no two
])ersons would put them down exactly alike. The male Wood I'ewee, during
the mating season, gives vent occasionally to a low, twittering warble, possibly
an indication to its mate that all is well.

Its food, like that of all Flycatchers, consi.sts almost entirely of winged
insects, but I have seen now and then a Wood I'ewee tluttenng about a leaf i>r
small twig, as if it was jiicking off minute caterpillars or jdant lice. Mr. Gyorge
A. Seagle, superintendent of tiie Wytheville (Virginia) Fish ('onnnission station,
states: "This little bird has frecpiently been seen to catch young trout from the
ponds soon after they had been transferred from the hatching house." It is
possible that it may occasionally do a little harm in this maimer, but, on the
wliole, it certainly is an exceedingly useful bird, fairly well behaved toward its
neighlnirs, as long as they do not encroach too close on its nesting site, and it
deserves protection. It nests rather late; throughout our Middle States rarely
before the first week in June, and somewhat later farther north. In the vicinity
of Washington, District of Columbia, full sets of eggs may be looked for in the
first half of June, while in the more northern States nidification is at its height
during the latter part of this month and the first week in July.

In the choice of nesting sites the Wood Pewee is not very partieidar; it
t home among human habitations, in villages or near farmhouses, sis

equal

UWWi— No.

-I'J

mil

■••|!|ifii.'

'■ ■vrft

Its

''.-k|

,. ., i' f|

■■•■ -:-^'i

.:'$ 1

;.• ft-

'v--l|l

i

290

LIFE niSTOEIES OF NOUTU AMEKICAN DIUDS.

amidst tlio oxtonsivo forest rcfifionH of tlie Adirondncks and Himilar trncts. Tlio
trees most frequently selecited for nestinj^ nro o«k, elm, iisli, maple, liickory, pine,
locust, poplar, cedar, and ai)i)le, the nests heinfif placed from 5 to 50 feet from
the ground, ordinarily from 12 to 20 feet up. Tiiese are rather neat and hand-
some stnictures, consisting generally of thick side walls and very thin bottoms;
they are sometimes securely saddled on a horizontal limb, but more frequently
at the i)oint of juncture of a fork on the same, and generally some distance out
from the main trunk. A(!Cording to my f)bservations, decayed moss and lichen
covered limbs, growing out horizontally from the trunk, appear to l)o their
favorite nesting sites, but many of their nests are built on live limbs, especially
in oak, locust, and old apjdo trees. The .nest is not readily discovered on
acctmnt of its i)eculiar construction giving it the ajjpearance of a knot, and tho
bird is exceedingly alert and usually slii)s off before one sees her, and, although
she remains close by, flying from place to jdace and uttering her jdaintive calls,
she will not reveal its location by returning to it while the intruder is in the
neighborhood.

Air. J. W. Preston, of liaxter, Iowa, writes me: "A pair of "Wood Pewees
built on a horizontal branch, 12 feet above a path over which I traveled several
times each day, and, though the female became more and more accustomed to
my presence, she never remained on the nest while 1 passed. She would fly to
a certain dead snag and })eer down on me with her large eyes; but the young,
after leaving the nest, became (piite tamo."

Fine grasses, small piec(ts of moss, thin strijjs of bark, rootlets, and plant
fibers constitute the body of the nest, which is coated externally with bits of
lichens found on rotten limbs, and which are fastened to its sides with spider
webs and cocoons, similar to those of the lllue-gray Gnatcatcher and RuViy-
throated Hummingbird. All the different materials are well interwoven, and
tho inner cup of the nest is usually lined with finer materials of the same kind,
and occasionally with a little wool, down of plants, a few horsehairs, and bits of
thread. An average and typical nest of the Wood Pewee measures 2^ inches
in outer diameter by 1^ inches in depth; the inner cup is about 1;{ inches wide
by 1^ inches deep.

Mr. J. L. Davison, of Lockport, New York, kindly sent me for examination
a unicpie nest of this specie.s, taken by him from a horizontal lind) of an apple
tnio, jvlwut 8 feet from the ground, which well deserves mention. This nest,
which is well preserved, is exteriorly composed entirely of wool. It measures 2.\
inches in outer diameter by 2^ inches in depth; the inner cup is 1.^ inches wide
by 1 inch deep. It is very sparingly lined with fine grass tops and a few horse-
hairs, while a single well-preserved apple leaf lies perfectly flat and exactly in the
center and bottom of the nest. It contained three eggs when taken, and bears
not the slightest resemblance to any other nest of this species I have ever seen.

I believe that ordinarily but a single brood is raised in a season; but there
are probably exceptions, as Mr. Frank II. Hitchcock informs me that at Somer-
ville, Massachusetts, ou September 8, 1890, he found u paii' of Wood Pewees

THE WOOD I'BWBB.

291

Pftrinff for a brood of iiowly hatched young in a wnall j^rovo near hin lioine. If
th« first noHt iiiid v^ffH arn taken thoy will jinnnptly build a now ono, an«l oven a
third, frc(>uontly in iho Haino tree. An egfj '.h dopomfod daily. Incubation hwtH
about twolvo dayw. I have novor Hcen the malo aHsist in tluH duty, but ho
stays close by the nest and jjuards it. Tlie youn}f leave the nest in about six-
teen days, and an* cared for l)y both parents. From two to four ejjgs are laid
to a set, jfenerally three, and sets of four I consider rare. They usually start
on their return niigration in September, and I do not bolievo that any winter
within our fjorders.

The offf^s of the Wood Pewee vary in shape fi'om ovate to short or rounded
ovate; the sliell is close-fif rained and without jjloss. The ground color varies
from a jiale milky white to a rich cream color, and the markings, which vary
considerably in size and niunber in different sots, are usually disposed in the
shape of an iiTogular wreath around the larger end of the egg, and consist of
blotches and minute specks of claret brown, chestnut, vinacoous rufous, helio-
trope, purple, and lavender. In some specimens the darker, in (»tliers tlie lighter
♦iliades predominate. In very rare instances only are the markings foimd on the
smaller end of tlu* v.<!;i!:.

The average measurements of seventy-two eggs in the United States National
Museum collection is 18.24 by IS.Gf) millimetres, or about 0.72 by OIA inch.
The largest egg of tiie series measures 2().(>7 by 13.97 millimetres, or 0.71) by
0.55 inch; the smallest, Ifi.ol by 12.!*.') millimetre!*, or 0.(i.'') by O.ol inch.

The typo specimen. No. 25414 (1*1. 2, Fig. 18), from a set of three eggs,
taken by Dr. A. K. Fi.sher, near Sing Sing, New York, Juno 15, 1879, represents
ono of the lin-ger and well-marked eggs of this species, while N(». 25584 (I'l. 2,
Fig. 1!)), from a set of three eggs, Ualph collection, taken near Holland Patent,
Now York, .Time 30, 1882, rei)resents one of the smaller-sized and oddly marked
specimens.

io8. Contopus richardsonii (Swainson).

WESTKRN WOOD PKWEK.

TyraaHula rhhanlnoHii Swainson, Fauna Boreali Aiiicricaiia, 11, 1831, 146, PI. 40,

lower lig.
t'ontopm ricli(ir(honii HAiiii), Hirds of North America, ISTyS, 189.

(15 138, O USua, R 3U1, 0 383, U 4«2.)

GEonBAPniOAL RANGE. Wcstcm North America; north to llritish Columbia, the
Provinces of Alberta and Sn.skatchewan, and probably farther in this direction; ca.st to
Manitoba, western North and South Dakotit, western Nebraska, Kansas and Texas; south
to Lower California, and in wiutor through Mexico and Central America to Ecuador and
Bolivia, South America.

The Western Wood Pewee, also known as "Richardson's" and "Short-
legged" Pewee, is a conunon sunnner resident and breeds in suitable localities
throughout the western United States from the western edge of the Great Plains

'* ' t ■■:.'■ ^'7!

•ir'Mj

If

Hi

i 1

II

m-

■1

292

LIFE UISTUUIUU OK NUUTII AMEItlCAN UlltDH.

to the I'licitic Ocouii. Itmii^us iKii'tliwanl, uHiar iih known at proHont, to HritiHh
C«)liiiiibia, Alborta, and nortlicrn SaHkatclunvan, and \n ill probably b«< found in Htill
lii{^lier latitudoH. Southward it iH found during tlut brucdin^r HcaHon in Ari;!ona,
Nt'W Mexico, and wcwttirn 'IVxas, and in tlio nioiuitain roj^ioim of Lowur Cali-
fornia. In caHtcrn Manitoba, according; to Mr. IlinoHt K. TlionipHon, it overlapH
tlM3 ran^o of tlio Wood IVwcc, both Hpocies bcinjf found in tlio vicinity of
Winnipfjr, and it in "not raru in othor localitii's in this province. Nono winter
witliin our bordorw.

In its f^onoral habit» tiic WoHtcrn'Wood I'owcc rcHcinblcH tlic prcccdin},'
»pecics \cry closely, but not in its call notes. Tlu'se are shorter, nmch harsher,
and are uttered with much more emphasis — not in tlu; plaintive, listless manner
of the former. They resemble the sounds "pee-i'c" or "pee-eer," occasionally
varied to "pee-ah." Dr. James C. Mt-rrill, United States Army, {fives the note
as "tweer" or "deer." On the whole, the Western Wood I'ewee is not as often
found in e.\tensive forests as the pri'cedinj^ species. It prefers the less heavilv
timl>ered creek i)ott«>nis, the edj^es of mountain parks, and {{'enerally mort; open
country, but avoids the dry, aritl plains and desert re^rions. It has been found
at altitudes up to 11,000 feet in summer.

Its food <-onsists of insects of ditl'erent kinds, :md in southern ('alifornia,
Mr. F. Stephens informs me, this species is occasionally very destructive to
lionoy bees. Ho says: "1 have known apiarists to bo compelled tc sln)ot a
{jreat many to protect their bees; <»no in San I)ie<^o County t(dd me that he
shot several hundred in a season. Thoy cajtturo l)oth workers and drones, and
I have examined many stomachs which had stings sti(;king in them." Such
condu(!t on their part is probaidy exce|)tional.

Dr. A. K. Kisher, in his IJcport on the Ornitholofiy of the Death Valley
Expedition, says: "One day, when the wind was very high, a number were
seen sitting on the bare alkaline Hats near Owens !.,ake, where they were picking
lip from the ground the Hie.s which swarmed there, as grain-eating birds do
seeds."'

Mr. U. II. Lawrence writes me: "At Ilumptulips, Washington, this Fly-
catcher wi>uld rarely come within jtroper range of my shotgun until well along
in the morning, say half past 1) o'chu-k, when they came down lower in the trees.
Probably they sought the upper stratum of air in the early hours because the
sunlight set the insects stirring there before it did tho.so of the undergrowth.
, This was seen to be so on my trips to the little })rairios, where a comj)aratively
extended view could be had. 1 noticed this in May and June, 1891."

The Western Wood Pewee amves rather late on its breeding grounds; even
in the southern jjortions of its range it is rarely seen before the last half of
Ajnil, and not until a month later in the more uorthoni localities, while niJifica-
tiou rarely begins anywhere before Juno 1.

Mr. Robert Ridgway makes the following statement regarding the position
of the iKJsts of the Western Wood Pewee: "The nest of this species, as is well

■North Aiuericuu Fuuua, Nu. 7, 1893, p. 64.

THR WK8TEUN WOOD PRWEE.

293

known, (liffora very romnrkiihly from timt of Contoput virens, boinj; almost invii-
riiilily plnccul in t\w crott'li li«*two(!n nearly U|»ri;rlit forkw, liko that of ccrlain
I'^mpitlomum, an I'JmpidoHK.r iiiiniinitii aiul Kmpiiloiidx obsvurus, iuHtuail of lu'hifj
Haildlctl upon a lioriz mtal Imnicli, ( 'c.'"

My ohsorvations r»><far<linjy the pctnition of tlio nest of tlic Wt'stcrn Wood
I'cwoe aro radically dirtV-ront from tli<' aliovc, and all tliat I liavo sucn, some
twtfuty in nnmhur, were saddled dinefly on limits, or at points wlioro Itranclies
forked, and never in erotclies; an<l tlu» seventeen specimens now before me
were all similarly placed. Anion;; these* is one collected l»y Mr. Hid;;way
himself, No. 15200, United StatcM National Museum collection, collector's No.
1"2H2, from Parley's Park, .Func* 25, ISII!), which is catalo^fU'-d in the above-
mentioned rejxH't as "Nest in crotch of a dead aspen alon^y stream," hut which
shows distinctly that it was saddled on a hori/oiital fork and not /'// an iipri^rht
crotch. If tlio Western Wood Pewcu* phu-ns its ni-st occasionally iu a crotch,
which I do not deny, it is exceptional and n(»t the rule, and the many rec<trds
I have of its nesting,' from Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Ttah, Colorado, California,
and Ore^jfon confirm my assertions fully, and show conclusively that this species
does not ditfer in this respect from the Wood Pewee. The nests, however, do not
resemble tho.so of the former; they are better and more solidly constructed, and
iU'(* usually deeper. The outer ])rotective coatin^j consisting; of bits of lichens
is disj)ensed with; decayed ^irass, wood, plant fibers, down, fine strips of the inner
bark of juniper and sa;;e, as well as the tops of wiry ^^rasses, enter larjjfely into
their compositi(m. These materials arc* compactly interwoven, and the outsid(!
of tli(* nest is occasionally well covered with spider web.s. They an* usually
lined with fine ;;rass, down, and plant filters, and rarely with a few fitathers.
A handsome nest, No. 242S5, United States National Museum collection, taken
May 31, 1S!)1, by Capt. W. L. Car})eiiter, United States Army, near Prescott,
Arizona, containing; two eg<;s of this species and one of the Dwarf Cowbird,
measures 2 J inches in outer diameter by 1^ inches in depth; the inner cuj) is 2
inches wide by \\ inches deep. Althou;;h the walls of this nest aro very thin,
it is a well-built structure, and apparently stron;;er than many bidkier nests.
It was placed on a lind) of a cottonwood tree, al)out 10 feet from the ;>Tound.

Nests of this species may be looked for in pine, cottonwood, tamarack,
aspen, alder, maple, oak, hack))erry, ash, an<l orchard trees, from (! to 40 feet
from the ground. In the vicinity of Uort Klamath, Oregon, where it is a
common summer resident, the nests were usually placed on horizontal limbs of
black pine trees, both on live and dead ones, and in a single in.stancii I found
one in a small aspen. Among curious nesting sites the following are worth
nieutitming:

" "' "' ^ "* " ' ^ ' < near Twin Lakes, Coha'ado,

\\ ,

■1 ';

:'iiii

i;u

11

A

li

1 ■

! 1

li

f(l"

mi

If ■:•

s|j

294

LIFK IIIHTOKIKH OK NOltTII AMKItKJAN lilltDB.

Mr OlinrloH K. Aik«'n Htjitow: "1 liiivo found Hovoriil Hcttl«'«l in tho nnfjlo
t'onnoil hy t\w trtmk of thu ti'«*o anil a liorizontal l)i'an«^li, anil in ono instunf«>,
wlu'nt a lar^ro liinl) huil biton torn from tliu truo by thu wind, a noHt waH ])la(;ud
Hatly niM>n a hroiul, l)oaril-lik(t Hplintor."'

Mr. li. lUflilinjf, in liiH MinlM. of tlio Pacific Di«trict, 1890 (p. !»!l), niakoH
till) followinfr HtatDinont: "It ainumt alwayH plucoH itn nuHt on n (load horizontal
liml), at leaHt thin !« according to my obHorvationH, and I have soon many
noHtrt which wcro hiuIiIKmI on limlw. In. a. solitary inHtancc, howovor, tho ncut
was in or on horizontal diver}jinir"twij,''H in a dcciduouH oak, wliero it was partly
hidden by foliaf^o; ajjain, (»no was nicely Hurronnded and to a gron4 extent con-
cealed by having been bnilt.in a bunch of yellow lichen (/v'/vTW/rt)."

Most of these birds nest in iJune; the earliest breeding reirord I haA'o otit
of thirty-nin(* is May iU, from IVescott, Arizona. I believe that but one brood
is raised in a season, although I have fotnid nests with fresh eggs as late as July
If), jn'obably second layings where the first had been taken or destroyed. Tho
Western Wood I'ewee is very much attached to its nesting site when one has
been once chosen, and will frequently build a second nest in the same spot, or only
change the'location .to some other liird) of the same tree. It usually leaves its
breeding grounds for the south in Septend)er.

The nundjer of eggs to a set varies from two to four; sets of threo are 7riost
often found, while those of four are very rare. They can not be distinguished
from those of tho preceding species, and tho same description will answer for
both, but they are a trifie smaller.

The avorago measurement of eighty-eight eggs in the United StJites National
Museum collection is 17.!)7 by 13.61 millimetres, or about 0-71 by 0..')4 inch.
The largest ogg of the series measures IDO.") by 16.24 millimetres, or 0.75 by
O.GO inch; the smallest, Ifi by 1'2.!)5 millimotres, or 0 63 by O.Hl inch.

The typo specimens, Nos. 20r)36 and 20541 (PI. 2, Figs. 20 and 21), from
tho Hendire collection, were taken by the writer at Fort Klamath, Oregon, on
Juy 7, 1882, and July 18, 1883, respectively, each set containing three eggs,
and these represent the heavier and lighter colored patterns of markings, while
No. 2(i063 (PI. 2, Fig. 22), from a set of two eggs, taken near Santa Ysabel,
Califoniia, by Mr. II. W. Ilenshaw, ou June 9, 1893, represents an intermediate
type of (ioloration.

■ Survoyit Went of tho lOOtb Heridliui, VoL V, 1876, pp. 3i>l-355.

Till-; YKLLOWHKI.LIKI) l-'liYCATCIIKK.

295

log. Empidonax flaviventris IUird.

VKLM>W-HKI<MKI» KI.V(!AT(lli:H.

Tj/rnHHula flnrirfntriM FUiun (W. M. »tH. I''.), l'r(M'<'»«liiij{H AciMlf'iiiy Nuliiml S«'it'iiooM,

l>liiliMl<'l|iliiu, I'u., .Inly, IHI.'t, i>.s:<.
h'miiiiloHOjrfdrii'eHtiiii llAlRii, lilnlH of Nortli Aiiicruui, IMS, 1!W

(H lit, <! 2511, u .122, 0 asM, II im.)

OKOOKAiMlirAi. KANOK: KaHtom Xortli Ainnricit; iiortli to tlii> HontluMii )>ortl<)iiH of
Lithi'iidiir iiikI llio NorlliciiHl Territory; wcHt to Mikiiltnbii luiil MiiiiKMotii; Noiitli in
winter thruiiKli ciiHttTii Mexico iiiiil Cuiitnil Ainorira to Piiiiiinut. Cikmnilly to OrtMjnIiuiil.

'riio Ycllow-hi'lliol Flycatclior is n Humiiicr roHidciit in tlu* ii<»rtlu»rn toroHt
iiiul iiKmntniii rofjioiiH «it' tli«» United States, and In'oeds from Massaelmst'tts
and N<^w York northward tliron}^li tlie maritime provinces of tiie Dominion of
Canada to sontliern Laltrador and tlio Northeast 'I'c-rritory, where I'rof Jolin
Maconn reports this species as common about Lake Mistassinni, in hititiwU) r)l°,
h>n;ritude 72" and 7.'{^, and it probably ])asses beytaid this point. It lias also
been recorded as breedinfj rejfidarly in th(» Alhf^hany Mountains, in Pennsyl-
vania, and probably will yet be fomid its a rare summer resident at points
considerably farther south, as in tlu» Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, etc.
In the west it is recorded as a rejfular suninu^r resident in eastern Manitoba and
Miimesota, and probably breetls also in northern Wisconsin. It passes smith in
winter tlirou<jfli eastern ^[exi(•o and Central America to Panama. Several
8pe(uniens have iieeii recorded from Greenland.

Within the limits of the Unitetl States the YoUow-belHed Flycatcher seems
to bo fairly common in the northern New Eiif^land States, while in the Adiron-
dacks and Catskil's, in New York, it must be considered as rather rare. This
apiiarent rarity is due jierhaps more to its unobtrusive habits, its retirinj^ nature,
and favorite haunts duriiifr the breedinj^ season; as it fretjuents the dark, moist
recesses of the forests, which at this time of the year abound with bitinjf insect
pests of all kinds, and which for that reason are usually shunned by all but
truly enthusiastic ornitholofifists and ofilogists. As far as my observations go
(and they are rather limited) I consider this species the mo.st silent and retirinjj^
of all our Flycatchers, and, althoii},di it may be much more coniinoii in suitable
localities durin<^ the brecidiiiff season than it appears to be, it is but rarely seen
at this time indcss accidentally flushed from its nest. In the Adirondack moini-
tains, where I have met with it, it was observed only in ja-iniitive mixed and
rather open woods, where the {around was thickly strewn with decaying, moss-
covered logs and boles, and almost constantly shaded from the rays of the sun.
The most gloomy-looking places, fairly reeking witli moisture, where nearly
every inch of ground is covered with a luxuriant car|)et of .spagnum moss, into
w» li one sinks several inches at every step, regions swarming with mosquitoes
and olack tli(fs, are the localities that seem to constitute their favorite sunnner
haunts, and it is not surprising to me that the eggs of this Flycatcher are still

:• ' f

1i'l

^■■i.

ilt :■

296

LIFE HISTOKIES OF NOllTU AMEltlCAN BIRDS.

mm^

f 1

' .J" .v.<?

f-i'- r. '

so raro in most oolofyic-al colloctions. I have only been able to observe this
species in the vicinity of its nest, and can not add much infctrmation in regard
to its general habits. Its call note is a low, plaintive "jieeh peeh," the last part
more emphasized ; another, an alarm note, sounds like "turri turri;" the same
note I put down the previous season as "trehe-eh, trehe-eh," with the remark
that it reminded me »(unewhat of the sound produced by slidinj>' a fin<,fer over a
vi(din strinjjf.

Its food probably consists exclusively of small insects, which ccfrtainlj' are
abundant c >u{,di in the places fre(|uented by it. It arrives on its breediiifj^
•jrttunds in our Northern States during tlu^ last two weeks in May, and nidifica-
tion usually begins about the second week in June, occurring somewhat later
farther north.

We are indebted to Mr. 11. A. Purdie for the first authentic description of
the nest and eggs of the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (see "Hulletin Nuttall Orni-
thological Club," Vol. Ill, 1873, pp. irjn-KJH), and siiute then the correctness of
his identification has been fully verified. Dr. A. K. Fi.sher took a handsome set
of four eggs on June 26, 1882, in the Catskill Alountains, Ulster County, New
York, near the aunnnit of Slide Mountain, at an altitude of over i\,fA)0 feet.
'IMiese he generously presented to the United States National Museum, which
was the first genuine set in this collection. The locality where it was found
and the nest itself are thus described :

"On the slope whereon tlu^ ])irds had made their home an al)undant growth
of bright-green moss invested the rugged configuration of the surfiice and
enfolded the scattered remains of trees — ancestors, ])erhaj)s, of the yotnig growth
of balsams which clustered about the spot and afi'orded seclusion to the little
pair that had come among them. The nest was built in a cavity scooped in a
bed of moss facing the side of a low rock. The cavity had l)een e.\cavated to a
depth of 2J inches and was 2 inches across. The opening, but little le.ss than
the width of the nest, was 9 inches from the ground, and, partially hidden by
overh.anging roots, revealed the eggs within only to close inspection.

"The primary foinidation of the nest was a layer of brown rootlets; ui)oii
this rested the bulk of the structure, consisting of moss matted togetlier with
fine-broken weed stalks and other fragmentary material. The inner nest coidd
l)e removed entire from the outer wall, and was comi)oscd of a loosely woven
but, from its thickness, somewhat dense fabric of fine materials, consisting
mainly of the bleached stems of some .slender sedge and the black and shining
rootlets of, apj)arently. ferns, closely resemljling horsehair. Between the two
sections of the structure, and ajjpearing otdy when they were separated, was a
scant layer of the glossy orange pedicels of a moss (rnh/trirlinm) not a fragment
of wlii(!h was elsewhere visible. The walls of the internal nest'were about on(*-
half an inch in thickness, and had doubtless been accom})lislied with a view of
protection from dami)ness.

"Prof. Daniel C. Eiiton, of New TFaven, very kindly assumed the task of
determiuiug the difi'ereut species of moss which entered into the composition

THE YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER.

297

of th(i nest and of tlio moss hed in which it rested, and liis iiive»ti<;ation disclohcd
tlie fart that the mosses whieli ahoinided immediately about the nest liad not
heen utilized as buildin;,'' material. As dc^termined by l*r(»fessor Katon, the
species of niosH coin|iosin},' the bed were IhfpHHin iinihiatmii, Jl//j)niii)i spliiitlem,
][ff}titii))i .srhnhni, Jfi/pintm tri.std-ca.stmisis. Thosc^ appeariuff in tlm nest were
Jli/ptiitm iindlrrionKm, lljipiium mnhktihcrl'ii (?), DicniiiKiii loufiifoVixm, Diciaiiiiiii
Jiai/cllinr, J'i)li)trirlium commune, and /'oli/trirlntmfoimosiim. With these occurred
the following ne|)atica>: Ifasfii/tihri/Km frilolxiiiim, Scapaiiid alhicans, and Cvpha-
loz'ut hicKspiiliitd. In addition there were found amonj"' the materials of construc-
tion catkin scah's of the birch, leaves of the balsam, and fnrgments of the dried
pinna' of ferns; but, as su'i<,'estod by Professor Katon, the presence of somo
of these was probably accidental. Sprin^iinj;- from the verdant mo.ss beds
iinme-iiately about the nest were scattered plants of Oralis (udosdla, Trieiitafis
(niirriciiiKi, Si>liilni/i) fhi/rsnitlcii, nnd Cliiihoiia horciilis."^

I am indeltted to Dr. William L. Ralph for the opportunity of .studyinpf the
nestin;.5' habits of this interestinff Flycatcher. While on a tour of observation
iu the southwestern portions of the Adirondack mimntains in Herkimer C<mnty,
New York, while j)assin<^ throuj^h u swampy piece of mixed woods which waa
free from undergrowth in this particular spot, l)ut mostly covered with dense
alder thickets in the innnediate vicinity, a nest and four eggs of this species was
found on .hme 17, 1H!(2. The nest was placed among the u])turned roots of a
medium-sized s[)ruce tree, to which considerable soil, which was entirely covered
with a Uixuriar.t growth t»f si)agnum moss, was still attached. This perijcndio
ular moss and fern covered surface measm-ed about (j by 8 feet. The nest was
sunk into the moss and soil behind, about 14 iiuOies above the ground; the
entrance was partly hidden by some ferns and the growing moss around it, and,
taken all in all, it was one of the neatest and most cunningly hiildeii pieces of bird
architecture 1 have ever seen. I might have walked ])ast a dozen times without
noticing it. It contained four eggs, in which incubation was about one-third
advanced. The entrance was nearly circular, and measured about 1^ inches
iu diameter. The inner cup of the nest itself measured al)out 2 inches iu
fliaineter and 1^ inches in depth. It was composed of tine grasses and a few
lilack, hair-like rootlets and flower stems of mosses. A couple of days after
iinding tliis nest a Y('llow-l)elli<'d Flycatcher was seen flitting about the upturned
roots of a tree about 150 yards from when! the first was taken, but a most
careful search failed to reveal the location of the nest, if a second pair bred
there.

On a sub.sequent visit to the same locality, on Juno H, 180.3, a second ne.st
was found, containing two eggs; the.se were left until .June 10, when there were
fiiiu'. This nest was placed not over 10(» feet from the former, and was proliably
built by the same pair of birds which nested there the previous year. The
nesting site was in a swampy wood, composed mostly of spruce and tamarack
trees, in a slight hollow in the side of and at the foot of a suiall mound alxmt one

■ TruUBiictiuuu Liiimi'mi Society, \'ol. I, 18S2, pp. Kit, 161'.

t?

^

U'l

, .<

fl

.►J ; '.1. ii«*x.

mm

lil

IP

298

LIFK niSTOltlES OF NOKTH AMERICAN BIBDa.

foot high, covered witli Hjiafriuiiii moss, Ccptis tri/olia, Oxalis acetosella, and there
were also a few other small plants growing from it. A single stem of a small
bush protmded from the top f)f the opening. The hollow in which the nest was
placed was lined with fine, dry gi-ass and black, hair-like rootlets.

I think only one brood is raised in a season, as a most carefid search
failed to reveal a second nest in the vicinity. 'Hie birds were not seen afterwards,
although the locality was visited several times. The return migration com-
mences usually in the hitter jiart of August, and none winter in the United
States. Four eggs aie ordinarilylaid to a set; veiy rarely five. Their shape
is usually ovate; the shell is close grained, rather frail, and without hi.ster. The
ground color is dull white, and the fine markings, which are u.sually minute
and generall)- heaviest about the larger end of the egg, vary from (unnamon
rufous to walnut brown ; o(!casionally a specimen shows a speck or two of
heliotropes purple.

The average measurement of sixteen eggs in the United States Nation.-d
Museum collection is 1(!.94 by I2.!>l millimetres, or about 0.(>7 by O.f)! inch.
The largest egg measures 17.5;$ by 13.21 millimetres, or O.fil) by O.o2 inch; the
smallest, 16.2fi by 12.70 millimetres, or O.fU by 01)0 inch.

The type specimen. No. 25.597 (PI. 2, Fig. 23), Ralph collection, from a. .set
of four eggs, was taken by Dr. William L. Ralph, June 17, 1892, near Wilnmrt,
Herkimer Comity, New York, and represents about an average-marked o'^g of
tliis species.

1 10. Empidonax difiicilis Raird.

WESTERN FLYCATCnKR.

Empidonax lUffivilis Baiud, Birds of Nortli Anuirica, 1858, 198 (in text).
(B lUn; C 2.->i», part; It 323; C .380; U 404.)

(lEOOUAi'iiioAL UANOE: Western North America ; east to tbo eastern foothills of the
Bocky Moniitsii'is and adjacent ranges; north to southern Ahiska; south to Lower Cali-
fornia, and in winter through western Mexico to Costa Rica, Central America.

The breeding range of the Western Flyciatcher, also known as the "West-
era Yellow-bellied" and "Raird's" Flycatcher, extends through western North
America from Hot Si)iing Ray in southern Alaska (where Dr. T. H. Reaii took
a specimen on June 5, 18S(), and informs me tliat it is not at all uncommon),
through Rritish Ci>lumbia and the Pacific Coast States, south to northern I^ower
California, Arizcma, New Mexico, and probably weste.n Texas, and in tlie inte-
rior, through Utah, Nevada, Idaho, western Montana, Wyoming, and (■olonido.

Judging from the various records, the Western Flycatcher sei'ins to lie
much more common in the coast districts west of the Sierra Nevada and('ascade
ranges than in the interior, Imt it is also fairly common in C!olorado, Arizonn,
and portions of New Mexico. Mr. R. S. Williams found it Ijrceding in Relt
Canyon, Montana, and kindly sent to the United States National Museuin col-
lection both skins and eggs from that locality.

THE WESTEllN FLYCATCEER.

299

Personally I have never met with this species in eastern Washington or
Idaho; and only once near Fort Klamath, Oref{'on, where I found a nest, con-
taining four half-grown young, among tlie roots of a spruce tree growing close
to the banks of Anna (^reek, a small mountain stream some 4 miles north of the
fort, on July 6, 1882.

Mr. Charles A. Allen, of Nicasio, Califoniia, has kindly furnished me the
following notes on the Western Flycatcher: "1 tind it a very widely distributed
species throughout this ])art of the Sta+3, both among the forests on the highest
hills, where there is not a drop of water for long di.stances, and along the banks
of brooks and streams in the lowlands; in fact, anywhere where it can find
shelter and shade, of which it is very fond. I have found its nests in all sorts of
situations; .sometimes in a small tree, placed in the upright forks of the main
stem; again on the side of the stem, where a small stub of a limb or some
sprout.', grew out; or in a slight cavity in a tree* trunk; against an old stump or
a root which had been washed down during a flood in the middle of a stream;
among cm"led-up roots near the water, etc. 1 have foimd a nund)cr of nests,
when fishing for trout, by flushing the bird from under a bank; and on stooping
down and l(M)king I found the nest nicelj' concealed by the deeji-groen moss,
such as covered the surrounding stones. They always use this jjarticular kind
of moss, no matter where the nest is placed. Occasionally they nest in deserted
woodcutters' huts, in outbuildings near cover, and a friend of mine has s(jme
large water tanks in the woods back of his house, where for nineteen consecu-
tive years these l)irds have built imder the covered roofs of these tanks. I
know of no place in this locality where they do not breed, excepting in very
open country.

"Its song consists of a soft, low note. It shows much distress when its
nest is taken, uttering then a low, wailing note, like '})ee-eu, pee-eu,' and fre-
quently flutters about the person taking it and snapj)ing its mandibles together.
Its food consists of insects, which are caught by darting after them from its
perch on some dead twig or Hnd», and it seldom fails to cai)ture its victim."

Mr. II. P. Lawrence writes me: "I occasionally met with this species on the
coast. In my diary I find this description of their call noti-s or song: June 14,
IHDl, at Quinnaidt Lake, Washington, 'ix'-wit, jjc-wit,' uttered energetically, or
'wo-twee-eet,' witli vigor. On June "Jd, IS!) I, at Huniptulips, same .State, they
a"e put down as sounding like 'per-tee-t-weet,' or 'thweet'-put'-twcet',' uttered
in jerky, spiteful accents."

In Hclt Canyon, i^fontana, on July 0, 188!>, Mr. U. S.Williams found the
Western Flycatcher nestiiig in a narrow fissinc of limestone, about 7 feet al)ove
the base of the wall. A nest ol)served i»y Mr. A. W. Anthony, near Iloward.s-
ville, San Juan County, Colorado, on June "Jo, was placed on a h^dge of rock,
about 10 feet abovt^ a wagon road, and looked like a largt! ball of green nio.ss,
with a neat littht cup in tlu* center, liiie<l with cow and ]iors(^ hair. It contained
a single ii'^<x when first fitund, and a set of four on July .'i. Nests of this species
have also been taken by Mr. Denis Gale on ditferent occasions near Cndd Hill,

'lA

:.- i

' ■ I

300

LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

mi I

M.

liil

Colorado. A nest and four fresh egg«, kindly presented by him to the United
States National Museum collection, wore found at an altitude of OifjOO feet,
on June 27, 1S8!). It was placed in dense woods, 30 inches from the ground.
Mr. A. M. Injfei-soll reports findiufy a nest of this species at the bottom of a hole
5 inches deo]), made by a Ked-shafted Flicker in a live oak; nests have also been
taken in piles of driftwood, on beams under bridjyes, etc. Dr. C. T. Cooke also
found several of their nests and ej^gs near Salem, Oregon, in willow and cotton-
wood thickets.

The Western Flycatcher usually anives in the more soiithern parts of its
breeding range about April 1, imd con-espondingly Later farther north. In the
southern half of California it nests sometimes as early as the last ten days in
April, but moi'e frequently during the first week in May, while in the mountains
of Colorado and Montana it delays nidificaticm until the last half of June, and
occasionally oven later. I believe that in California two broods are sometimes
raised in a season, and this Flycatcher will lay as many as four sets of eggs in
a year, if those jireviously laid are taken.

A coiTespondeut of the Nidiologist, writing from Alameda, California, and
signing himself D. A. C[(dien], makes the following interesting statement in the
December number, 1H!»3, p. 51:

"In May of 1886 I found a nest of the Western Flycatcher, Emphhmtx
difficiUs, situated on a ri?fter in a cow barn and only 4 feet from the ground. As
I approached closely to the nest four young birds of this species fluttered down
to the ground and shutlleti along and out of sight In the bottom of the nest
was a set of four eggs, which, upon l)eing blown, showed that incubation had
begun at different periods for each egg, but the eml)ryos had not formed yet
in any of them. Had the young birds not been disturbed they would have
remained in the nest two or three days longer. The mother had deposited the
eggs so the heat from the nestlings Avould save her about a week's time sitting
on the eggs."

In the southern portions of their breeding range they rarely leave for their
winter homes before the latter part of October. Mr. L. Holding states that lie
saw a specimen in San Diego County, California, in December, and thinks a few
remain there dining ordinary winters.

From what has already been stated it will be seen that the Western Fly-
catcher is not at all particular in the selection of a nesting site; it may be on the
ground, well hidden from view, or in a tree, in a more or less exposed situation
from 5 to 20 feet \i\).

The nest is composed of weed stems, dry grasses, plant fibers and <lown,
strips of the inner bark of the redwood, fine rootlets, dead leaves, and bits of moss.
It is usually lined with finer materials of the same kind, and occasionally with
horse and cattle hair or a few feathers. Tiie outside of the ne.st is usuall}' coated
with green mctss when ol)tainal)le, but some nests before me show no trace of
this in their composition. They are generally i)laced not far from water, but
there are exceptions to this. A well-preserved uest now before me, taken by

TIIK WESTEKN FLYCATCUEU.

301

Mr. R. 8. Willituiis on July 6, 1H91, in liolt River Canyon, Alontana, measures
4 indies in outer dianieter by 2 inolies in height. The inner cup measures 2^
inches by 1:| inches <leoi). It is a rather hiosely built structure, and a good deal
of moss enters into its construction. Three or tbin- eggs are laid to u set, usually
four; I know of a single instance only of five having been taken.'

The eggs vary in slia])e from ovate to short and rounded ovate; the shell is
smooth, close grained, and without luster. The grouml color is usually dull
white or pale creamy white, and the eggs are blotched and spotted with cinna-
mon rufous and lighter shades of buft' pink. In the majority of sjiecimens these
markings are heaviest about the larger end, but in a few they are more evenly
distributed over the entire egg. Wiiile they resemble the eggs of the Yellow-
bellied Flycatcher c(»nsideral)ly, and are of nearly the same size, the sjwts are,
an a rule, coarser and heavier.

The average measurement of fifty-eight eggs in the United tStates National
Museum collection is 16.8G by 13.12 millimetres or about (>.(J(! by 01)2 inch.
The large.st egg of the series measures 18.80 l)y 13.72 millimetres, or 0.74 by
0.54 inch; the .smallest, 15.24 by 12.45 millimetres, or 0.(J0 l»y 0.4!) inch.

The type specimen. No. 24l)()0 (I'l. 2, Fig. 24), from a set of four eggs, Kalj)h
ctdlection, taken near llaywai'ds, California, June 4, 18S2, rejiresents one of the
smaller and lightly marked eggs, while No. 25072 (I'l. 2, Fig. 25), from a set of
three, taken by Mr. William G. Smith, near I'inewood, Colorado, June 12, 1890,
shows a larger-sized and heavier-marked specimen.

III. Empidonax cineritius Hhkwstkk.

ST. I.UUAS I'l,Y(ATCni:i{.

, m

fi>i

Empidonax eineritim ItiiEWsrioit, Auk, V, .lun., ISSS, !»((.

(H — , C — , U — , C — , I) 4(i4, 1.)

(iEoGKAiMUCAi, UA.Mii;: Ijowei' Ciilit'oriiiii.

Very little is yet known al)out this recently described species. It ai)peais
to occin- only in the I'eniiisida of Lower Calitoruia. The type was obtained at
La Ijaguna, and since then specimens have also been taken on Santa Margarita
Island, Comondu, and San Menito. Mr. W. A. Anthony writes me that he found
the St. Lucas Flycatcher abundant along tlie willow-lined .streams of the San
I'edro Martir Mountains in the spring of 1.S1I3, an<l cpiite rare in the mes(piite
thickets in an iirroifa near the old mission of San Fernando, not far from San
Quentin, Lower California, evidently nesting, but as no nests and eggs could
be found, they still remain imknown, and nothing farther has yet been recorded
about its habits, etc.

w

'tin

:-'r.i

I See BuUetiu Nuttull Oiiiitliiilogicul Club, Vol. VI, 18S1, p. ll'J.

1 1

ii

302

LIFE UISTORIE8 OF NOllTil AMEIUUAN lilliDS.

0':i:}

h^t

• i^ i

'\i

1 ^".i

I

112. Empidcnax acadicus (Gmklin).

ACADIAN FLVCATCIIEU.

MiiHcivapa avntUra Omiolin, Systeinii Xatunc, F, ii, 1788, 917.
Empidonu-x avudkuH ItAiiJl), Itirds of North Ainericii, 1858, l!)7.

(B 14;5, (J Uati, K ,{L'4, (J ;t84, U 405.)

Oeooraphical eanqe: Eastern North Amcrit'a; north to southern New England,
southern New York, Peniiaylvania, southern Miebijtan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, to
southern Manitoba; west to eastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, the eastern ]>arts of the
Indian Territ<ny, and Texas; south in winter through eastern Mexico and Central Auieriia
to Ecuador, South America, and the Island of Cuba.

Tlio bree(lin{T ran<?o of tlio Acndian Flycatclier, also known as tlio "(Irceu-
crested Flyfatclior," oxtends from Florida and our Southern States bordcrin}";
the Gulf coast, north to southern New York, the lower Hudson Hivcr Valley,
and possibly occasionally to the Connecticut Hiver Valley in southern New
Enjrland, the }>reater part of i'ennsylvania, Ohio, southern Michi<^an, Wisconsin,
and Minnesota, to the Province of Manitoba Dominion of Canada. In the West it
reaches to eastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, the Indian Territory, and somewhat
beyond the eastern half of Texas, where Mr. II. P. Attwater found it breediujjf
on the Medina River, \b miles south of San Antonio, Texas, in ,June, 181)1,
and sent mo the nest, which mupiestionably is of this sj)ecies. Mr. Frank M.
Chapman found it l)reedinj'- near (Jainesville, Florida, takinjf a nest and two
half-incu))ated ejij^s on May !». Dr. Leverett M. Loomis reports it as a conunon
summer resident in Chester, Greenville, and Pickens counties. South Candina.
■Phe late Dr. William C. Avery stated that it is conunon in .southern Alabama.
It is known to bree<l in Louisiana and I'astern Texas, and may be called fairly
counaon in suitable localities throuj^hout our Middle States. The northern
limits of its breediu};- ran^e are not as positively estaldished as they might be,
due to the facit that this species is ciften mistaken for Eiup'tihiid.r jiksiUiih tniilli,
wiiich it somewhat resembles, as do the efifis, but tiiere is no resemblance in the
nests.

Dr. A. K. Fisher found the Acadian Flycatcher a regular sununer visitor in
the vicinity of Sing Sing, New York, ami took several nests and eggs there,
which arc* now in tiie Fnited States National Museum collection; tiiis locality
marks about the most northern point of its range in the east. 1 believe, how-
ever, that it occasionally breeds ,-:"'l farther north in this State, as Mr. W. F.
Webit sent me a nest and three eggs which he identifieil as ludonging to this
species, taken July 4, 1S!)1, near Meridian, Cayuga County, New York. The
nest certainly looks like a typical one of Eiii})iili))i(ix ticiidiciis, and there is a
skin now in the United States National Mu.seum collection, taki'U at Amsterdam,
Montgomery County, New York, June f), 188;"), which further confirms this sup-
position. In Penn.sylvania it is a common sununer resident, and also in south-
ern Michigan, where tiie late Cai)t. H. V\ Goss found it breeding, and whence

\h^!=rsi

THE ACADIAN FLYCATCUElt.

303

ho Hcnt a nest and a sot of oggs to tlio 3[u8oiiin (collection. Mr. .J. W. Preston
writes nio that it is (common in Hanlin County, lown, describinj^ tlio nest as a
frail, seniii)onsilo structnro, fastened to a fork near the extremity of drooping
branches, G or 8 foot from the jfrountl, and fo;med of vines of Lathijrus, inter-
woven with a few f^rasses and oak catkins, fastened with spider webs, in thick
iniderbrush, but near openings. Dr. P. L. Ilatcii states that it is fairly common
in Minnesota. Mr. Ernest E. Thompson, in his "Hirds of Manitoba," gives it as
(piito common in the vicinity of Duck Mountain, and Col. N. S. Goss, in his
"Birds of Kansas," says: "Not uncommon in the eastern part of the State," and
ho also records it from eastern Nebraska.

'I'ho Acadian Flycatcher is one of the later migrants to an-ive on its breed-
ing grounds, and none winter witliin our borders. It reenters the United States
from its winter haunts usually about the middle of April, and moves leisurely
northward, arriving on its l)reeding grounds in tlie more northern portions of
its range during the last half of May. In the mountain regions of Pennsyl-
vania, tlie Virginias, Nortii Carolina, etc., it is rarely found above an alti-
tude of 3,000 feet. The favoritcf summer haunts of this species are generally
deep, shady, second-growth hard-wood forests, on rather elevated gi-ound, espe-
cially beech woods with little inidergrowth, or bottom lands not subject to
periodical overflow, and not far from water. In such localities its pecidiar call
notes, resend)ling "wick-up" or "hick-up," interspersed now and then with a
sharp "(pxeep-queep" or "chier-(iueep," the first 8yllal)le very (piickly uttered,
and another, somewhat like "whoty, whoty," may be fre(piently heard; but
the bird, althougli not particularly shy, is rarely seen while moving through the
dense foliage of the lower limbs from tree to tree. I have several times failed
to detect the bird wlieii I was perfectly certain it was within 20 feet of me.

Like nearly all Flycatchers, tlu; Acadian is rather unsociable and (piarrel-
some with its own kind, especially during tlie mating season. Its food consists
almost entirely of small insects, which are caught on the wing and rarely missed,
and to a small extent only on wild berries. It is an extremely lieneficial sjtecies,
doing no harm whatever, and deserves tlie fullest jirotection.

In our Northern States iiidification rarely commences before June, while
in the more southern States it iiests sometimes during the first week in May. In
the vicinity of Washington, District of Columbia, where the Acadian Fljcsitcher
is a common summer resident, it usually breeds during the first ten days in
.Tune. Their favorite nesting sites are in drooping branches (if various sorts of
trees and bushes, mostly beecii, witch-hazel, dogwood, sweet gum, hickory, and
oak, and less often in wild crab apjde, hawthorn, hemlock, pine, cypress, willow,
and birch trees, at heights ranging from about 4 to 20 feet fnnn the ground.
The nests, many of which are rather shallow, open-work, sieve-like structures, are
seniipensile, their upper rims being attached to the foi'k of some .slender twig, like
the nests of the Vireo.s; but do not resemble these in any other respect, and .show
great variation in size and in the character of the materials of which they are
built. In tho South many are constructed almost exclusively of Spanish moss ;

%

m

804

LIFE 111STOU1E8 OK NOUTIl AMEUICAN UJUDS.

v.^

ill" *\'

in tlio Nortli tlu* body (if tlio newt is cninposcd principally of (li'('!iyo<l fibrous
nmtcrial, dark-colored rootlets interwoven with a lew blades »»t'^rass, catkins, dry
blossoms, and usually decorated more or less abundantly with the male aments
or catkins of oak or other trees. There really is no inni-r lininj;', and the Intttoni
«»f the iiest is usually so thin that the e;;;;s can very readily bo seen throuj^h it
from below. In some nosts the outer decorations of catkins are omitted, and the
walls are coni|)osed of fine weed stems, silky plant fil)ers, and fin(! strijjs of bark,
nii.Ned with plant down, cocoons, and spider webs. This style of nest is appar-
ently considerable stron;;er than the former, and usually somewhat larf^er. A
rather well-built specimen, taken by Mr. Charles W. Richmond, .Funo 14, IHH;"),
near Washin^^ton, District of {.'olumbia, measures '2'\ inches in outer diameter by
2 inches in depth, while another, already mentioned as taken by Mr. II. 1*. Att-
water on the Medina Kiver, Texas, measures likewise 2.'j inches in outer diameter,
but only \\ inches in dejjth; the inner cavity is »»nly 2 inches wide and about
three-quarters of an inch deeii. There are several other ni'sts in the collection
equally shallow. Attached as they are to slender, droopinj."- branches, it is sur-
prisin<>- how the ejf<;s are prevented from rollin<i' out in a heavy wind storm uidess
the parent is on the nest. Occasionally one is fouiul which has some of the
materials of which it is built hanging down from the sides, giving it a very untidy
ajtpeaiance

Mr. Witmer Stone showed me a very peculiar nest of this Flycatcher which
he took on the lower Sus(piehanna Kiver, in York County, Pennsylvania, in June,
IS'JO. It was situated on the extremity of a low branch of a hemlock tree,
about (! feet from the gnanid, and was con.structed entirely of the long, gray
lichen, Umm harhafd. In fact, there are three distinct types of these nests; the
first and most connnon one is more or less abundantly decorated with the male
aments of dirt'erent 8i»ecies of trees; a second, in which these exterior (trnamonta-
tions are dispensed with, and the la.st, where the nest is liuilt entirely, or in large
part, of dirt'erent kinds of tree mosses. Occasionally the Acadian Flycatcher
Ijuilds a double ne.st — for instance, when a (Jowbird has deixtsited an vi>:<!; in one
just conq)leted, before the owner has laid in it. Mr. W. F. Loucks, of IVoria,
Illinois, sends me such a record. The nest foinid l)y him containe<l a Cowbird's
egg in the lower story and three fresh eggs in the upper one. The Acadian Fly-
catcher is one of the species on which this parasite inqioses occasionally. 1
believe that but one brood is raised in a season. During the latter half of Sep-
temlK'r the return mignition to their wint«'r homes commences.

Th(^ number of eggs to a set varies from two to four, while sets of three are
most often found; but sets of four in certain sections of its range, in Pennsylvania
for instance, are .said to be not especially rare; an v^*!; is deposited daily. In
shape they range from ovate to an elliptical ovate; the shell is close grained, and
occasionally slightly lustrous. The ground color varies from |)ale cream to buff
color, and the markings consist of moderate-sized spots, and again of nun-o specks,
ranging from livei brown and ferruginous to a light rufous tint. None of the
eggs are heavily spotted, and most of these markings are generally concentrated
about the larger end of the {i'^y;. Occasionally one is almost entirely unspotted.

'

Till': ACADIAN FLYCATCIIKU.

:.\():)

Tim iivcriiffe iiU'iisiir<Miu'iit of scvciity-Hix cffijfs in tlio (Tiiit«Ml Stntos National
lyiiisHun colhM'tion is IS. ,'{7 l»y l.S.M niilliniotreH, <tr about 0.72 hy (>.r»3 iiicli.
Tln^ larjjt'st ('}••{;• ot" tho series iiu'asuri's 20.07 hy 14.7iJ niilliim'trcs, or 0.7!( l>y
0.5H inch; the smallest, 16.7(> hy 12.70 niillinietres, or O.tKi hy O.AO inch.

The type specimen, No. 24S1(; (PI. 2, Fiff. 2()), from a set of three ejffrs,
taken hy Mr. (i. K. iMitcIiell, .Inne l.'l, IHHK, near Washinj-ton, District of
( 'olnmhia, represents one of the li}jhter-coh)re(l ard least-marked specimens,
while No. 241M1) (I'l. 2, Fi^'. 27), also from a set of three e^fjjs, Ralph collection,
taken Jlay 2.H, 18X0, near Washinjifton, Pennsylvania, represents ahont an
average egg of this species.'

113. Empidonax pusillus ( Swainson).

MTTI.K I'l.yCATCHEFJ.

I'ltttiirhynvhnit inmilluH SwAiNso.N, Philosophical Magazine, I, May, 18u'7, 'MHi.
Kinpiiloiiax pnnilliiH (Jaiianis, .Iiiurnal fiir Oruitholngin, 185i», 4.S0,

(H 141, (" 1«7«, K 325, C 380, U 4(i«.)

(lEOORAi'iiiCAi- rancjk: ChieH> western and portions of eastern North America;
north to soatlieni Hritish Columbia and the northern border of the western I'nited States,
in tho drier and more open districts; east to about the easttu'n limits of tln^ (rreat Plains
and tlie Mississippi Valley, in Arkansas, Mis.souri, Illinois, Indiana, and probably still
farther in this direction, as well as in most of the intervcMiing regions; south in winter
through the Mississippi Valley, Texiks, and Mi^xico, to Central Anieri(;a.

The hree<ling range of the fjittle Flycatcher, also known as tiie " Little
Western Flycatcher," extends north to the interior <»fsonthern Hritish (Jolnmhia,
and sporadically farther east to the northern horder of onr adjoining States, in
Idaho, Montana, and western North Dakota. Still farther east it reaches the
western portions of North and Sonth Dakota, the greater part of Neltraska, por-
tions of Kansas, Mis.sonri, Arkansas, Illinois, and prohaldy to sonthern Indiana
and Ohio; while to the southward it is fonnd in all the intervening country,
including ('alifornia, Arizona, New Mexico, northern and western Texas, and
portions of the Indian Territory, exc(!pting tlu* <lry and arid desert regions.

The Little Flycatcher is an ahundant snnnner resident in all suitable
localities tlnoughout the western United States, its favorite haunts being the
willow-covered islands and the shrubbery alonjr water (bourses, beaver meadows.

int

I the borders of the more open numntain parks; in such places it

some-

times reaches an altitude of 8,000 feet in sinnmer, especially in (-alifornia,
Colorado, and I'tah. It is ])retty generally distributed at this time through
Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, California, Mtmtana, Wyoming, VaAo-
rado, New Mexii'o, Arizona, and western Texas, and it probably also breeds in
tho higher mountains of Lower California. I have found this species in many

'Mr. WilliiiMt HrcwHtiT hiiH rerftiitly coiirliiKively <1i>inoiiHtriit<Ml thiit tlit' niiiiio of Ktnpidomu, vireHtrim
( Vicii.i.oi ) will liitvii lo lie NiiliHtltiiteil fur (but i>( Am^mluniix acadiciia (U.MKLIN), sue "Tbu Aiik,'' Vol. Xll,
IS'.iri, ii|i. l,-.7-iri!l.

lti«!t«— No. 3 W

,ii

: t.

■H

I
if

H'

■ If. ,

mm

. . '1 •

fi

- ■■ -•%■

1

'^lI:

i

! !

300

LII'K UlSTOltlUS OF NOUTH AMERICAN BlUDS.

)l.

m

ifiil!-

Ills©

lite"

m'

l(icaliti«'N in tlit* Wi'st, but it was csptM-ially coininou in the vicinity "t Kort
Kluniatii, ( >rt'j;un, wiiero I took a innnbi-r of its ut^stH and Offffs.

Dr. Clinton T. Cooko lias kimlly xent nio tlio foUowinjj^ notim on tliia
»|H>cieH, baHod on obscu'vatioiiH niado by liini in tlio vicinity of Salem, Orc^fon,
diunn<,' tiio years IHHH to 18111. IIo writn-s: "Tho Littlu Flycatdicr arrives at
Salnni about May 20, and for a week or two is very silent, seldom seen, and
rather inclined to seek the Imavy under},'rowth ahiuff water courses, where 1
have found it silently but industriously capturiuff insects, much as the Western
Flyt-atcher {EtuiiiiUnmr dijfii'ilix) does later in the season. About .Fune I they
bejifiii to frenuent the more o|Msn places, old pastures j^rown up with rosidiushes,
the small islands, and the gravel bars covered with a dense {growth of small
willows — in short, any open jdace near water whore there is a p'owth of bushes
from ;{ to 8 foet hi<jfh. Their imml>ers increase in tlie open localities until tlu»
middle of June, decreasiuff at the same tinu', and finally disapjx'unnj^ alto<;ether
from the woods. As their numbers increase in the open places they become
pufifnacious, and their .shrill, .sharp notes can be heard constantly. Their note,
given only during the breediuji- .si'asou, reseud)les the syllables of 'pree-pe-deer,'
delivered rather hurriedly and shrill. This call is (piite characteristic of the
energetic, aggressive disposition of the bird. In July, 1891, I hoard it several
evenings in the twilight, and once while out late in the night. As might be
expected, the male calls incessantly in the early twilight.

"Construction of the nest begins soon after Juno 10, and ordinarily con-
sumes al)out a week, so t'.iat oiui may begin to search for set** of fresh eggs l»y
the 20tii of tile mouth. Along tiio Willamette River tho nest is usually placed in
n small cluni[) of willow l)ushos, preferably a bush well covered with cotttm, and
it is apt to bo pretty well concealed in an upright crotch, about 4 feet from the
ground, sand, or gravel, as the case may bo. I have foiuid only one nest in a
rose bush, on a bar where willows were connnou enough. One nest which I
found was placed in a slender willow, fully IX foet from the ground, in an upright
crotch; another was placed in a willow bush growing in the water, and was
taken from a canoe, ami several wore plactnl within a foot of the sand or gravel.
The material uniformly used as a foundation for the nest is the inner bark of
small dead willows which have been killed by high water and subsequently
bleached by the weather, some fine rootlets, a little fine dead grass, a lining of
cotton down, with occasionally a piece of string and a few horsehairs. This is
often an artistic structure, but .sometimes only a loose flimsy atTair. Once I
have seen as nice a lining of hor.sohair as a Lazuli Bunting could j)Ut in; twice
a lining of fine rootlets, once <»no of green grass, anil t)nce one of fine green
rushes, which wore common in that locality."

Dr. Cooke's observations agree with my own; but at Fort Klamath, Oregon,
the Little Flycatcher, besides nesting in willows, is also rather partial to small
aspens. In California, in tho Santa Clara Valley, they occasionally build in
blackberry Inishes, and Mr. A. W. Anthony found several nests near Beaverton,
Oregon, placed in tho forks of rank ferns from a foot to 20 inches above the

THE LITTLE FLYCATCUEU.

307

groiiii)!. Ill Coloriulo Mr. Uoiiis Galo hiw found this Hpocion hroodiiijf in Hinull
aldor 1)Uh1iom. A nost and livo ef?f?s, ono of flutso hoin<f tli« o}^}^ of ii Cowbird,
were tukoii l)y liiin July "2, 188!), at an altitude of 5,r)()() ftuit, and prosonttxl to
tint United Statos National Musoum collu(;tion; and in Colorado the Ijittlu
Flycatidior soonis to bo not infroquontly iinposcd upon by tliirt pariwito, as ho
has taken several nests eontainin^ ono of their e),''},'s.

Until quite recently the birds found breedin<; thr<»U}jh(tut the ^^ississi|)pi
Valley, in Missouri, Illinois, etc., have generally been referred to Kinpidimax
pitsillus tmillii, and my attention was first drawn to this discTopaney by Dr. A.
K. Fisher, who showed me a i)erfectly typical breeding female taken by Mr. W.
8. Catleigh, near Canton, Illinois, on Juno 2"), 18114, whieh is clearly referable
to Kmiilihmu pnsilliia, and other such instan(!es have since then come under my
ol)servation, establishinjf without a doubt the «u»rrectn(iss of the I)octoi''s views,
and comi)elling mo to rewrite my articles on these birds. Although not (juite
positive regarding the Ohio birds, I fool certain that these will also be found to
be referal)le to this spo(!ioa, and the subjoiimd notes from some of my Kastera
correspondents are all mu(d> more likely to refer to Kmpidonax pitsillus than to
Empkhiim.r pnsilliis tmillii, but 1 jn'efer not to alter them.

Mr. Lynds Jones, of Oberlin, Ohio, writes mo: "I have lived in a locality
where Traill's Flycatcher was common. I mot with it first on the site of an old
locust grove where the young sprouts wore allowed to grow up; the ground was
low and marshy, and elder and willow bushes grew in profusion, together with
Ambrosia here it nested in willows close to tlio ground. Later I learned to
look for this bird elsewhere, and found it also in thickets of hazel and small
shrul)s, often a quarter of a mile from water, where the nest was placed in the
darkest parts of these thickets. I also found it nesting commonly in white-
willow hedges and in the shrubbery found along the l)anks of streams. If
possible, thickets are selected where cattle do not run, so that vinifs and bushes
are permitted to grow in wild profusion, and in such localities wild-jdum
bushes are frequently used as nesting sites. The nest is usually placed from 18
inches to 5 feet from the ground and well concealed. Its call note, sounding like
' whee-clic'e,' is uttered at short intervals during the mating season, and at longer
intervals in the summer."

Mr. W. K. Loucks, of Peoriii, Illinois, writes mo: "Traill's Flycatcher is a
common sununer resident here, very abundant in the river bottoms, but it is also
found sparingly in the iq)lands. I consider it a somewhat silent bird, frequenting
the thick growths of small trees which either grow in or near the water or in
damp situations. It is most abundant in the heavy growth of willows in the
bottoms, and many nest here."

Mr. Robert Kidgway tells me that in southern Illinois it frequents rather
open prairie country interspersed witli low shrubbery. Mr. Otto Widmann, of
St. Louis, Missouri, in a letter to Dr. Elliott Coue.s, published in the "Hnlletin
of the Nuttall Ornithological Club" (Vol. V, 1880, p. 22), makes the following
statement: "It is common almtjst everywhere outside the forest, not only along

f; ii

m

•' ■'■Mu

■«!;■-
1> ,.

I

hii'^i

■! ♦*M]t?>:

n

H

808

MI'K IliaTOUlES OF NUUTll \MKU1CAN lUUDS.

tlio 'willow thicki'tH Ixinlcriii;,' streams iiml swiiiiips,' Imt even hero in the city,
ill all laij^tt {^arduiis, parks, orcliarils, paMtiir»)s, i't'iiictt'ries, etc. Trailli is imt tlio
Hhy »r rctiriiiff bird of soino Kastorn writorM; its iiioveiiunitH aro not 'liidtlou by
tlio folia^jct of trues,' as its station is {reiierally on a proinineiit point, often tlie
very top of a sliriib or tnie, or a telej(ra|)li wire, a fence, or a weed stalk "

The Little Flyeatrlier, aeeordiiifj to my observations in the West, is not
nearly as shy a binl hh its eastern rejiresentativ*', and while on the whcde it also
probably prefers moist situations, like Traiirs Flyeateher, it seems to 1m( eipially
as well satisfied in rather dry eountry, where the other is apparently iievi-r found.
One of their eommou call notes sounds like "(|ueet-(|ueet," and the alarm note
uttered when the nest is approached is soniethinif like that of Traill's Flycatcher,
"whuish-whuish." When pursuin<; each other durinjf the matin;,' sea.soii, they
sometimes ^ive vent to a twittering- note, not unlike that of the Arkansas biy-
i'litchor, and a sharp "(|ueet-(iueet" is often lunird while these restless little beings
Hit about in the low willows, or when perched on some tall weed or coarse marsli-
ffrass stalk. They never remain lon^ in one place, but move from jiorch to
j)er(;h, snappiiiff uj) insects as they Hy; they are pu^niacious, (luarrelsomo little
creatures, making up in coura^'e and determination what they lack in size. I
have seen one drive a Red-.shouldered Ulackbird away from the vicinity of its
nest, i)itchin^' down on it an^n'ily and jieckin^' at its lusad and neck in tin- man-
uor of its larger relatives when chasing Crows (»r Hawks. They do no harm
and deserve the fullest jirotection.

Nidilication always commences late, even in the more southern portions of
their range; in the vicinity of Tucson, Arizona, for instance, I found two nests
with fre-sh eggs on June 16 and 20, 1872, which is about the time it begins nest-
ing at Fort Klamath and in the Willamette Valley, Oregon; and it is not unusual
there to fiiul fresh .sets (»f eggs during the first week in July. Ijieut. II. (J.
Benson, United States Army, took a nest of this species containing three fresh
eggs at Secpioia National I'ark, Tulare County, California, on July 13, 18112, in
a locality where it was not likely the bird had betm robbed before.

The description of the nest already given by Dr. Cooke applies to a typical
one, which is always built in a crotch or . mong young sjn-outs growing uj) from
the limJ), at a height of 1 to 18 feet from i.ie ground, averaging from 4 to 8 feet.
From their position these nests are usually (!one shaped. ( )ccasionally one is
found wliich is coinjdetely covered on the outside with plant down, probablj' of
one of the cottouwoods or sonu; species of willow, while the inner cup of the
nest is lined with line shreds of bark, plant fibers, and fine grasses. Where this
species nests in the vicinity of houses, as it frecpiently does in the eastern parts
of its l)reeding range, pieces of twine, rags, now.spapers, and feathers are fre-
(|uently incorjiorated into the body and walls of tlie nest, while the inner cu|)
is generally lined with the tops of fine grasses, sIhhmIs of bark, heinji-likcf Hl)ers,
especially those of the milkweed, horsehair, and occasionally feather.s. A well-
preserved nest of this species. No. 24111, United States National I\Iu.seum
collection, taken by Mr. Denis Gale, near Gold Hill, Colorado, on July 3, 18'J0,

m-^ .

TIIK LI'ITLK FliYCATOHRU.

309

Olio of tlio inoHt oom|mrtly Iniilt oiich, iiituiHtircH ,'{.^ iiiclioH in outer (liiiiii«>tfr l>y
4 iuclu-H ill <li'|)tli: tlit* iniK-r <mi|) is 2 iix-lifs \viil«- Ity 2 iiiclius doup. In m.nie
Hpociniciw till) outer wiiIIh iiro fully iiii incli tliii-k.

Tliii I/ittltt Flycatflidr occasioiuilly hnilils a ilonhltf n»mt. Ur. (Minton T.
Cooke writes iiic: "On Juno 20, lH!tl, 1 found a nest on ilaininer's Island, in
tlio Willanu'tte liivcr. It was situated in a willow cnitcli, about 4 feut from tliu
(ground; contained no e^^s and presented notliin;^ altnornial to view. I was
prevented from making a sucond visit to the nest until iluly (S, wiieii I supposed
it would eontain eitlier younjf or badly incul>ate<l »'f,'f,'s. I was mueli surprised,
however, to tind that it looked abnormally deej) outside. Tliu cavity was about
tlio usual depth, but from the bottom to the marf^in of this tho nest measured
about r> im-hes, and resembled an inverted cone, pr«<sentinfi; no irrofjularities from
apex to base. It contained four fresh ejjfjfs. On examinin}r it more closely I
saw it was a two-storied lU'st, one neatly built upon tlm other. The low<'r oia*
uIho (Mintained four offffs, the «M)ntontsof which were too dry to bo riMiioved, and
which evidently had been abandoned for Home inexplicable cause."

The number of e<r},'s to a st^t varies from two to four, usually three or four;
sets of the latter nund)er an^ oftener found in tho more northern ])arts of its
ranire than tho smaller nmnber; and an e<ro' is deposititd daily. Only(Uiu brood
is raisisd in a si^asoii, and incubation lasts about twelve days; the youiijij are
fed on insects of various kinds, and remain in the nest about two w(*eks. Tho
return mi^fration to their winter homes usually befjins in tlie more northern
j)ortions of their ran^ye about the first week in September, and nouo winter
within our borders.

The efffjfs are usually ovat«« in ahape; the shell is .stroiif;" and without luster.
The ffnmnd color varies from a pale creamy white to pale buti', and this is
moderately spotted with vinaceous rufous and ferruginous, 'i'he markin;rs are
principally conlined to the larf^er end of the e<i'g, and vary from small roundtMl
dots to larj^er irrejiular bhttclies amonf>; tiie finer ones. In some specimens the
ground <'olor might bo called dead w]iit(-.

Tiie average measurement of one hundred and twonty-nino eggs in tlie
United States National .Mu.senm collection is IT.Sf! by l.H.MD millimetre.s, or
about 0.70 by 0.53 inch. The largest t«^ii of the series measures 19.5G by
1.'{.97 millimetres, or 0.77 by O.'i.") iiu-h; the smallest, ir».4!t by 12.70 millimotres,
or 0.«1 by O.AO inch.

Tho type specimen.s, Nos. 2r)22M nnd 20221) (I'l. 2, Figs, 2H and 29), both
taken from sets of four eggs which were collected liy Dr. Clinton T. (^ooke,
near SahMii, Oregon, on .Fmu* 22 and .Inly 2, 1H!»1, are selected to show the
extremes in coloration and inarking.s, and were presented for that purpose.

(

: •• •

.•■■■■1

Mil .»

If.

i

It!

m

X' . i

I ■ ,*•■

^mI

i :'>it:
■.■■Mi

'ii;,

jiii

w

(■ . l.

I .l

1*1

p

■

,

■

i

1 v^"'".

\\ffty:

310 LIFE HiaTOBlES OF KOltTU AMEUlUAiJ BIRDS.

114. Empidonax pusillus traillii (Audubon).

TRAILL'S KLYCATCHEU.

Muscioapa traillii Audubon, Ornitliological IJiofjtraphy, I, 1832, 23(5.

Empidottoj; pmillus vav. traillii ISaibu, Urewer mid Kidgwiiy, IIi.story of North American
Birds, II, 1874, 300.

(B 140, O 2->7, K 325rt, C 385, IT 4C(ifl.)

GEOOBArniCAL BANOE: Eixsterii and portions of western North Ainorica; north to
.Sova Scotia, New Briuiswick, the soutliern portions of (Quebec, northern Ontario, and in
tuo interior of tliu Dominion of Canada, from Manitoba, Assiniboia, Alberta, and British
Columbia north to about latitude 03°, in the Alackenzie River Valley and southern Alaska;
west in the United States to eastern North and South Dakota; south iu winter through
Texas and Mexico to Central America.

Tlie breeding range of Traill's Flycatcher, the eastern race of the Little Fh*-
catcher, but not always readily distinguishable from it, extends from southern
New England, central and northern New York (the mountainous poi-tious of
northern Pennsylvania?), northern Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and eastern
South Dakota, or from the southern border of the Canadian fauna northward as
indicated, reaching the northern limits of its breeding range in the vicinity of
Fort, Simpson, Northwest Territory, and in southern Alaska, where it appears t()
be rare, however. I consider this sul)species as l)eing strictly a bird of the Cana-
dian fauna, and do not believe that it breeds simth of these limits. In the south-
eastern ])ortions of its breeding range, in New York and northern Connecticut,
Traill's Flycatcher is mainly found among alder thickets bordering the numerous
small mountain streams, or in rather wet meadows covered in places with under-
growth of willow, etc. In the A<liroiidack Mountains, in Herkimer County, New
York, Traill's Flycatcher is not an imcomnum sunnnev resident, very shy, and
mu(^h oftener heard than seen. In the vicinity of Wilmurt this sul)species was only
observed in the alder swamps and iu beaver meadows, was very shy and retiring,
and therefore seldom seen, for instead of perching on some dead twig or branch,
like most of our Flycatchers do, it kept hidden among the foliage as nuich as
possible. One of its notes, generally uttered during the breeding season when
sitting at re.st on some twig in the top of a bush, resembles the "))ree-pe-deer"
of the Little Flycatcher very much; another, the syllables "huip, huip;" and the
alarm note is soinetliing like " whuish, whuish," uttered quickly and emphatically,
bemg difficult to rei)roduce on pa|)er.

Mr. F. A. Patton found Traill's Flycatcher breeding in Miner County, South
Dakota, on June 30, 1H!)2, and sent me one of the ]»arents for identification,
which I consider to be referable to Kmpiilnnar piisiUns fraillii.

Mr. J. Lockhart, of the Hudson Bay Comj)any, has sent several sets of its
eggs, with the ))arents, to the United States National Museum, from Fort Resolu-
tion, Great Slave Lake, the most northern breeding record I have. It appears
to bo a common summer resident in British Columbia, ranging from the coast
eaatwanl throughout the intervenhig British provinces, excepting a few of the

TBAILL'S FLYCATCHER.

311

more open, sap;ehni8h-covered vallej's in the interior, where it seems to be
replaced by Emphhmix pimUus, or intermediatea, which are not readily referable
to either form. In fact, the differences between these birds are, at best, but very
slight, and the easiest solution would be to recognize only one species.

Traill's Flycatcher usually makes its appoarant^e in the more southern parts
of its breeding range about the latter pait of May or during the first ten days in
Jime, and correspontlingly later farther north. While collecting in company
with Dr. William L. Ralph, in the vicinity of Wilinurt, Herkimer County, New
York, on June 23, 1893, we found a nest of this subspecies in a swampy pasture,
placed in a small arrow-wood l)ush about 2^ feet from the ground.

The nest of Traill's Flycatcher resembles that of the Little Flycatcher very
nuich, and, like it, is nearly always built in a crotch formed by two or more
twigs growing out from the main stem; occasionally it is placed on a horizontal
limb, at a point where several smaller twigs spring out perpendicularly from it;
around these the walls of the structure are often woven. As a rule they are
well constructed, the niaterials used varying somewhat in different localities, dry
grasses, jiine needles, shreds of bark, and plant fibers usually constituting the
body of the nest, the inner cup being lined with fine gi'ass tops, shreds of bark,
vegetable fibers, feni down, and occasionally with a few horsehairs. A typical
nest measures about 3 inches in outer diameter by 2.J inches in height; the inner
cup is about 2 inches wide by 1^ inches deep; the materials composing it are
well interwoven Hh each other; the outer walls are thick, and, as a rule, it is
well comealed.

1 have seen it stated that Traill's Flycatcher occasionally builds a semipensile
nest, like the Vireos, but I have never seen any, and such iu.Htances, if they really
occui", must bo rsire. Its nest appears invariably to be placed in low shrubs or
bushes near water, and rarely over G feet from the gi"ound, more often from 1 to
4 feet.

Nidification begins late in the season, about a week being consumed in nest
building. The eggs, from two to four in nuud)or, usually tin-eo, although sets of
four are not unconnnon, are deposited daily. In the more southern parts of
their range fre.ih eggs may be lookeil for in the last half of .June, while in tlie
more northern portions, generally during the first two weeks in July.

A single brood is raised in a season, incubation lasting about twelve days.
The Cowbird occasionally deposits an egg in tlie ni'st. The young are fed on
insects, and leave the nest in about two weeks. The return migration t(» the
south begins sometimes in tlic latter i)art of August, but usually dm-iiig the first
hi\lf of Septendjer, and none winter within our borders. The eggs are mostly
ovate in shape; the shell is ch>sc grained and without luster. The ground color
ranges from a ; ale ereamy white to a jjale pinkish bufi". The markings vary
ciaisiderably i». size from minute dots and specks to bold spots and blotches of
ciimamon rufous, ferruginous, and claret brown, and iliey predominate mo.stly
al)out the larger end of the egg, in some cases forming an irregular wreath. A
few specimens are very slightly marked and appear almost iimuacidate. On

if

I'

%

'i

<:

* V

1

X

V I

(■

?.

!• iiii

■V. If

t if-

4.

312

LIFE 11I8TOKIES OF NORTH AMEKICAN BIRDS.

the whole, they resenilik* very cdosely the e<fgs of tlie preceding species, iis well
as those of Empidomw acddiviis, but they average a triHe larger.

The average measurement of fifty eggs in the United States National
Museum collection is lS..o4 by 13.46 millimetres, or 0.73 by 0.53 incii. Tiie
largest egg of the series measures l!).«l by 13.!t7 millimetres, or 0.78 by O.ijj")
inch; the smallest, 17.27 by 12.70 millimetres, or 0.(i8 by O.oO inch.

Tiie tyi)e specimen, No. 249!I2 (PI. 2, Fig. 30), from a set of three eggs,
Ralph collection, was taken by Ur. William L. Ralph, near Wilmurt, Herkimer
(Jounty, New York, June 22, 1891, and i-epresents about tiie ordinarj- style of
markings found among the eggs of this subspecies.

Hill

115. Empidonax minimus Baikd.

LEAST FLYCATCHER.

Tyrannula minima Baird (VV. 51. & S. F.), rroceedings Academy Natural Sciences, Pliil-

iulelpliia, July, 1843, l.'H4.
Empidonax minimug Baibu, Birds of Nurtli America, 1858, 105.

(B 142, C 258, R 32C, C 387, U 407.)

Geogravhioal range: Eastern NorOi America; north iu the eastern parts of the
Dominion of Canada to about latitude 49° 30', and in the interior throuf^li the I'rovinces of
Manitoba and yaskatchewaii to (Ireat Slave Lake and the southern Mackenzie River Valley,
Northwest Territory, to about latitude 03°; west to the eastern slopes of the Rocky Moun-
tains; casually to Utah; south in winter through Central America to Fanama.

The breeding range of the Least Flycatcher, also known as the "Che-
beck," extends through the northern parts of the eastern United States, from
about latitude 40° northward into the Dominion of Canada, tiu-ough Nova Scotia,
Cape Breton, Prince Kdward Island, New Brunswick, the southern portions of
the I'rovinces of Quebec and Ontario, to about latitude 4!)° 30', and thence west-
ward through Manitoba and Saskatchewan, in the interior, north to Great Slave
Lake and the southern Mackenzie River Valley, Northwest Territory, to about
latitude 63° N.

The western limits of its breeding range in the United States are not yet
well defined. It is known, however, to extend to Tom Green County, Texas,
where Mr. William Lloyd reports it as a "tolerably common sunnner visitant;
almndant in fall; liave shot young; no nests taken." (See "The Auk," Vol. IV,
1HH7, ]). 193.) A young bird of the year, taken there on August 1.'), 1885, and
now in tlie United States National Museum collection, seems to confirm this
statement, and another specimen, taken by Dr. H. H. Butcher, on August 3, 1866,
near Laredo, Texas, carries its probable breeding range still farther south and
west. As far as I am aware, no records of its breeding in Kansas have been
recorded, but it is said to nest occasionally in eastern Nebraska. It is known
to be a connnon summer resident in the Dakotas, and I took a single nest and
eggs on June 2.5, 1885, near Fort Custer, Mitntana; and two skins taken by me
near the same place are now in the United States National Museum collection.

m^

TUE LEAST FLYCATCHER.

313

Mr. H. W. HeiiHlinw also took ii specimen near Denver, Colorado, on May
17, 187.'5, aiul I l)elit!ve iiion- carufnl invcstifi^ation will yet kIiow that the Least
Flycatcher is an oct asionul sununer resident as far west as the eastern foothills
of the Hocky Mountains.

The most southern breeding record in the eastern United States I have
l)een able to find is one by Mr. John C. Cainis, in Huncondie County, North
Carolina, wiiere he reports it as rare, stating: "1 have seen but one pair, and
found their nest. It was jdaced in the fork of a persimmon tree, 20 feet from
the ground, tuid contained four fresh eggs." It also breeds sparingly through-
out the mountain regions of southern Pennsylvania, the Virginias, etc.

Mr. Witnier Stone writes me from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, under date
of April 21, 1S!I2: "I recently received a nest and eggs of Enipidonax miuiniit-s
from near Trenton, New Jersey, which I believe is the most southern record of
the breeding of this species in New Jersey."

Mr. S. N. Rhoads also re(!ords this species as nesting in Delaware County,
Pennsylvania, on June 1, 1881, securing the j)arents.'

It is a connnon sununer resident throughout the whole of New England,
New York, northern Pennsylvania, northern Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan,
Wisconsin, and Minnesota, as well as in the southern portions of the Provinces
of Ontario and Saskatchewan. Neithri does it ap])ear to be rare still farther
nortli, as there are several breeding records by Messrs. K. Kennicott and J.
Lockhart from Fort Resolution, (treat Slave Lake; by Mr. B. R. Ross, from
Fort Simpson, and by Miss Elizabeth Taylor, near Lake Athabasca, all in the
Northwest Territory.

The Least Flycatcher arrives at its summer haunts in the more southern
parts of its range about the second week in May, and is the connnonest of our
smaller Ti/raiiiiitlrc. It jn-efers tlie more open and cultivated cmnitry to the
forests, and is only found on the outskirts of these. Like many otlier species,
it readily adapts itself to tlie changetl conditions of tilings, and is eciuaily well
contented in the iunnediate vicinity of human habitations, and even in villages,
as in more retired ]»laces. Its favorite resorts are orchards, hedgerows, the
shade trees and shnd)l)ery along country roads, small streams, ))astures, etc. A
])erson will not havt^ to search long in such places to find it, or at least to hear
its familiar "che-beck," wiiich in an early morning's walk can be heard in every
orchard and from almost every clump of trees bordeiing the roads and lanes.
It is a most restless little creature, now flitting from branch to branch of an
apple tree, jieering here and there, then suddenly darting after some insect
which it has disturbed by its movements, uttering constantly a sharp "twit, twit,
twit" as it moves alnrnt, varied with its ordinary call of "che-beck," which it
lufver seems to tire of uttering; another one of its notes souinls soniething like
"s-lick, K-lick." During the mating seasim the male may sometimes be seen
hovering over a tree in which its mate is hidden, uttering at the same time a
low, twittering wari)le, like " whit-we-we;" at this time it is scarcely ever at

I Uiillotiu NiiUuU OruitliuloKU'ul Club, \'ul. Ml, 1H82, p. 5u.

ill

i

If!

M

1

I

a''

:

III-

314

LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

rest, and either its wings or tail are in constant motion. Where not molested it
soon becomes very tame and fearless.

Mr. Manly Hardy writes me: "A pair of these birds or their descendants
have nested regularly in or near my garden, usually building in a mai)l(\
These birds know me, and, what is more, I believe remember me from one year
to another. They often sat on a dry twig, or on a bean pole near by, and
watched me lioe, and suddenly one would dart down and catch a moth or other
insect which I had disturbed, flying so close to me that I could distinctly hear
the sharp snap of its bill. It then almost invariably returned to the place it
darted from to eat its l)rey. lioth birds often came close to the window and
watched my family inside."

Although small and insignificant in size, our Least Flj'catcher is by no
means a coward, and will boldly attack animals much larger than itself in the
defense of its nest and young. I have seen one give chase to an inquisitive red
squirrel, which is one of the greatest enemies our small birds have during the
nesting season, drive it promptly out of the tree in which its nest was jjlaced,
and follow it persistently until it had left the noighborliood. Altliough quarrel-
some enough among themselves, they rarely molest other small birds, and breed
in ap])arent harmony among them.

Its food consists principally of small insects of various kinds, and occasion-
ally of berries; it does no harm, and deserves the fullest protection. Nidific.ation
in the southern portions of its breeding range begins usually about the first
week in June, and somewhat later farther north; at Fort Custer, Montana, for
instance, the single nest I found there contained but slightly incubated eggs on
June 2.'), imry.

Apple orchards seem to furnish their favorite nesting sites in New England
and central New York; maple, oak, willow, alder, tamarack, spruce, locust,
beech, and other trees are also more or less used. The nest, a neat and compact
structure, is usually i)laced in an uj)right fork of a small tree or sapling, from
8 to 25 feet from the ground, and is outwardly composed of shreds of bark,
plant fibers, dry grass, weeds, thistle, cottonwood and fern down, pieces of
string, feathers, shreds of roi)o, sj)ider webs, and empt}' cocoons; tlu^ inner lining
usually consi.sts of fine plant fibers, especially those of tlie milkweed, horsehair,
fine gi'ass, shreds of the inner l)ark of willow, cottonwoo<l, cedar, and otlicr
trees, feathers, tliistle, willow, and cottonwood down, etc. Occasionally a nest
is saddled on a horizontal liinl) of a tnuf. Wliiie out with Dr. William L. Halpli,
in the vi('inity of Wibnurt, New York, on .luiie 10, 1H!)3, wt^ found a nest of
this Flycatcher saddled on a liml) of a young spruce, about 10 feet from the
ground and (I inches from tlie trunk, in a small swamp. Tlie nest contained
four nearly fresh eggs, and tiie female had commenced sitting. She seemed 1»ut
little ccmcerned at our intrusion, and rcmamed in the vicinity, utterinj>- the usufd
"che-beck" and now and tlien a lt»w "twit."

An average nest measures about H inclies in outer diameter by 2.J inches in
depth; the inner cup, about 2 inches in diameter by 1^ indies deep. It seems

THE LEAST ELYCATOIIEB.

315

to tako full J' a week or more to complete the nest. The female performs the
(lutieH of incubation almost oxclusivcly, and this, as nearly as I have l>oen able
to determine, occupies about twelve days. The return mif>Tation to their winter
home in (Central America xisually begins about the middle of September, none
remaining in our Southern States.

The eggs vary from three to six in number, usually fcMir, and one is depos-
ited daily. They are short and rounded ovate in shape; the shell is strong and
thick for its size, and without lustre. '^Hio ground color is pale (ireamy white,
and they are unspotted. The Cowbird imposes its eggs on several of our
smal](>r Flycatchers, including occasionally the one now imder consideration.

The average measm-ement of eijfhtv-five ej!r":s in the United States National
Museum collection is IG.14 by 12.70 millimetres, or about 0.(!4 by 0.50 inch,
"^riie largest egg of tlie senes measures 17.02 by 12.95 millimetres, or 0.(i7 by
0.51 inch; the smallest, 15.24 by 11.43 millimetres, or O.fiO by 0.45 inch.

The type specimen. No. 24993 (I'l. 2, Fig. 31), from a set of four eggs,
from the Ralph collection, was taken by Dr. William L. Ralph, near Holland
Ptatent, New York, on June 3, 1882, and reju'esents an average egg of this
species.

. -HI

ii6. Empidonax hammondi (Xantiis).

HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHKR.

Tyra luiila hnmmnndi Xantits, Proceedings Academy Natural Sciences, Philadelpliia, May,

l.S.-.,S, 117.
Empidonax hammondi IJAiiiD, Birds of North America, 18i»8, 199.

(li 145, 0 2(50, R 327, C :{9(», U 40S.)

GEoaBAPHtCAT, UANCiE: Westcrii North America; east to tlie eastern sIoi)C8 of the
Rocky Mountains and adjacent ranjj;es; nortli tlinm^rh Briti.sh Columbia to Alaska, and to
liittlc Slave Lake, southern Athabasca, latitude 55'=' 20' (as far as known), and probably
still farther iu this direction; south in winter to Lower California aiul southern Mexico.

The breeding range of Hammond's Flycat(]ior, which ajipears to l)c the
western representative of Kiiipiiloiia.r niiiiinnifi, is still very indifferently defined.
It is only known positively tf» breed in Colorado, California, Washington, Rritish
Columbia, and southern Athabasca, in the Dominicm of Canada, but its sumnu-r
range nndoul)tc(lly also extends tlinmgh the higher "" ;;atain regions of New
Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho.
Throughout our Western States it has thus far been met with chiefly dm-ing its
migrations, and comparatively few thoroughly identified nests and eggs have*
yet been taken. I have seen this species iu May near Fort Klamath and Camp
Harney, Oregon, but I am almost sure none remained in the vicinity to breed.
The birds which stay with us during the sunnner appear to retire mostly to
the higher mountain valleys, at altitudes of from 5,000 to 10,000 feet. This
accounts for the few nests and eggs which have* thus far bcicn discovereil within
our borders; and the fact that it is also a \('ry shy and .silent bird partly accounts
for its raritv as well.

ii'V !'

"-■'>a:'
■ ■• y>

ill.

T

316

LIFE HISTORIES OF NOKTO AMERICAN BIRDS.

Mr. H. W. Jlenslmw says: "llmnnioiul's P^lyc.atclu'r, in tlu* west, is one of
tlio most silent and n'tirinjrof l)inls, leavini'' tlio low country cntirel)- in suninuM-,
and finding in the glens and recesses of the pine woods of tlu* mountains or the
alpine streams, witli their fringes of alders, its chosen retnmts. As I hav(* noticed
thorn, nearly all of the dash and spirit characterizing this group is wanting,
though, of course, the difference is merely one of degree. After snap])ing U|) a
])a«sing insect it resumes its perch upon some low limb and nMiiains nearly
motionless for a time, giving an occasional listh^ss jerk of the tail. The notes
are very feeble, the most so of any Flycatcher I am accpiaintcnl with, and
consist of a soft 'pit,' varied with a low, lisping whistle."'

Mr. Denis Gale, of (Jold Hill, Colorado, kindly sent to t\w United States
National ^[usemn a handsonu^ nest and four eggs (No. "24112) of this species,
taken near the above locality, at an altitude of 10,()(H) feet, on June 27, 18!»0.
These eggs were slightly incubated; the female was also .secured, an<l is now
in the same collection. The nest was saddled on a horizontal limb of a spruce
tree, 3 feet from the trunk and 14 feet from the ground. It is outwardly com-
posed of old weed stems, decayed plant fibers, shreds of bark, and a little plant
down, and is lined with fine grass tops, shreds of bark, jilant down, hair, and a
few feathers. The outer diameter is 4^ inches l)y 1;'} inches deep; tlu! imier
cup measures 2^ inches in width by 1 ^ inches in depth. It is a compact and
well-built structure, and does not resemble any of the nests of tiie other mem-
bers of this genus. It was placed among a lot of smaller twigs growing out of
a limb, among which it is well secured. From its ])osition and general make-u]i
it resembles a nest of the genus ('(tiitopiis much more than one of Kiii/iidoiKi.i:
Another nest, also from ^Ir. (Jah; (No. 2.'3(i9r)), containing young when found
on Jidy 24, 1888, and taken in the same locality, was placed near the top of a
tall spruce, about 30 feet from the ground, and was not conceale<l. The nest is
a compact one and saddled on a fork; it is composed externally of decayed
vegetable fiber, and lined with finer materials of the same description, plant
down, and fur. It is shallow, being about 1'} inches deep by 21 inches wide;
the inner cavity is very large, while the sides of tlu; nest are exceedingly thin;
it is fully 2 inches wide inside l)y 1 inch deep.

Mr. L. Hehling, writing of this species, says: "Uy no means rare during the
migrations. Instead of being a common summer resident of the pine forests of
the SieiTa, as I stated in the 'Proceedings of the Tnited Htates National Museum,
1879,' I now think it a rare sunnner resident. The only nest I foimd was on
June (), 1880, at \V\g Trees, ('alaveras County, (!alifornia. This was on a hori-
zontal limb of a living june, 40 or 50 feet from the ground and partly hidden
by foliage. It was very wide in pro])ortion to its dejtth. Uy shooting it down
the eggs were destroyed. "^Phe female was shot as she fiew from the nest, and
was sent to the Smithsonian Institution. A few remain in this latitude I's late
as September lo, arriving from the South about .May 1."'"

'Surveys Wrst ol' tlin lOIUli Mcriiliiiii, Vnl. V. IHTri, ii. llC'.'.
'l.iiiMl IlinlH of tli6 I'arilic Distrirt, 1S!K), )>. IO;i.

HAMMOND'S FLYCATCU KU.

317

Ainoiijr ^fr. l$('l(liii;jf's lielil noton, which Iio kindly phicod at my disposal, I
fiml tho following; dcscriptioii of this ntfst:

"It appeared to bo nii^dy inado of much tl>o same materials as aro used by
CotitnpHs richarilsfini, but is much wider than tho nest of the latter species, having
a width <»f not h-ss than 4 incdies. Tho outer wall was noticeably «'onvex."

While on a visit to Seattle, Washington, in May, 1894, Mr. S. F. llathbun
told me of finding a nest situated on a small limb of a fir near I^ake Washing-
ton, diu'ing the ])revious season, which he thought belonged to this species, but
ho did not secure one of tiio birds. Tie found a similar nest this season, (m July
1, 1H94, also placed on a small lind) of a fir alxmt f)0 feet from tho ground. It
was built at a point on tho limb where u small twig branched out, being jmrtly
saddled and partly crotched. After watching tho bird go several times ti> the
nest, ho shot it and sent it to nus for fuller identification.; it jn-oved to be a
Hannnond's Flycatcher beyond a doubt, as ho had previously surmised.

Ilannnond's Flycatcher is evidently a very conunon sunnner resident in
central British Columbia, where Mr. It. MacFarlano took a number of its nests
in tho vicinity of Stewart's hake, in June, 18Hi», and tho United States National
Museum was favored with several sets of eggs, iiests, and the ))arents belonging
to them, all of which proved to belong to this species. Some of those nosts
wore apparently placed in ui)right crotches of willows, and others on horizontal
lind)s do.se to tho trunks of small conifers, at no groat distance from tho ground.
The earliostof six l)reeding records from this vicinity is June 4; tho latest, June
22. Tho nests difi'er somewhat from those previou.sly described as far as tho
inner lining is concerned. In three of these the bottoms are covered with scales
of buds of conifers, and the sides aro lined with fine j)lant fibers, shreds of bark,
plant down, and bits of hypmim mo.ss in fruit.

Mr. Charles A. Allen writes me that he found Ilannnond's Flycat(dier nest-
ing in Blue Canyon, I'lacer Coimty, California, at an altitude of about 5,(*00
feet, the nosts were jdaced on horizontal limbs, well out, in shady places in the
j)ino forests of the Sierra Nevadas.

The nmuber of eggs laid to a s«^t is usually three or four. The shell is
strong, close-grained, and without luster. Tiiey vary in shape from short ovate
to elongate ovate. Tho ground color is ])ale, creamy white, and tho majority
of the eggs aro iuisj)otted. In the small series before mo there are, how-
ever, two sets wiiich aro s[)otted. In the set of four eggs taken by Mr. Gale
every egg is marked, and the same is tho case with a set of three eggs taken by
Mr. R. MacFarlano. Jlr. Gale made tho following remarks about the .set taken
by him: "The eggs aro very interesting; a decided light-yellow ground, with a
slight powdering of dark specks, with larger shell markings of lavender tints."
Tho spots or specks on all the specimens are exceedingly minute, and are also
few in number, well rounded in outline, and mostly distributed about the larger
end of tho egg; they are of a liver- brown color. The lighter lavender-col(*,-ed
shell markings referred to by Mr. (Jalo are barely visible now, having faded i>ut.

The average measurement of sixteen eggs in the United States National
Museum collection i.s l(j.84 by 12.90 millimetres, or about 0.66 by 0.51 iufdi.

•• km

','''

•I

t; -t'l'

.i.,....v]t

J

T

' i,

318

LIFK IlISTOUIES OV NOliTlI AMEUICAN BlUDS.

Tlio lur}i;eHt nffii nieaaurcs 17.78 hy 13.72 milliiiiotres, or 0.70 by OIA iiicli; tlio
KuiiiUust, 10.24 l)y 12.70 inilliinetros, or O.GO by O.oO inch.

Tlio typo spociinen, No. 24112 (PI. 2, Fi^'. 32), from u set of four ejfjrjw from
llouldt'r Countj'-, Colonulo, wiw taken by Mr. Doiiis Gale on Juno 27, ISKO, and
preseuted to tlio Museuni collection; it ropreseut.s a 8i)otted specimen.

117. Empidonax wrightii IUikd.

WRKiHT'S KI-YCATCIIKK.

JUmpuioiM.r irrijihlii liAilll), Minis of Xortli America, l.S,"i8, LHM) (in text), i't. Jtrcwster,
Auk, VI, April, 188!t, «!).

(B 140, O l'«I, K 3L>8, C 3!ll, U 4t{!t.)

(JEOOKAPni(!AL BANQE : Western United States; north to Montnna, Idaho, Oregon,
anil i>robably Washington; east to the eastern slopes of the Koeky .Mountains and adjaeent
ranges; south in winter to Lower Oalifornia and southern Mexico.

Tho breedinj>- range of Wnght's Flycutclior extends througli the mountain-
ous portions of Arizona, New Mexico, and California, northward tlirough the
mountains of Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, and Wyoming to Montana, Oregon,
and probably Wasliington. Like the preceding species Wright's Flycatcher
retires to the higher mountain jiarks during tlio season of reproduction, and
rarely breeds below an altitmle of 4,000 feet; in Colorado it has been foiuid
nesting up to 10,000 feet. Its favorite resorts at this time are the .s1'.rubl»ery
near mountain brooks, tlie aspen and i)ine groves usually found at the borders
of mountain prairies, rather wet beaver meadows, and the edges of swamps.
In northeastern Arizona Mr. II. W. Ilenshaw found it among the oak openings
during the sununer, and in the vicinity of Santa Fe, New ilexico, he met with
it on the ban-en pinon-dad hills, where no deciduous vegetation was found; but
such a sununer liabitat nuist be considered as rather an exceptional one.

Wright's Flycatcher is a very conunon sununer ri'sident in the mountain
valleys and parks of the Cascade Range, in southern Oregon, and I have found
many nests of this species at Fort Klamath, also in tlie Des Chutes River Valley
and along tlie tributaries of this stream. It arrives on its breeding grounds at
Fort Klainatli aliout May 1.'), and nidificatiou usually begins a montli later. I
do not consider this species as noisy as the Little Flycatcher, whicli was ueai'ly
as common, but its iu)tes are very similar; in fact they are not easily distinguish-
able, but are given with less vigor than those of the former, while in its actions
it is fullv as energetic and sprightly as any of the species of tlu* genus Ei)i)>i(l<>ii(i.r.

Mr. R. S. Williams writes from Cohunbia Falls, .Montana: "Wright's Fly-
catcher is very coiiunon here, being by far the most abundant Flycatcher
ol)8erved. The lirst arrival this spring was noted May 7, and the next day they
were abiuulant. They seem to 1)e about equally distribnte<l in all kinds of
timber, and their notes are more freciuently heard all through the thiy than
those of any other bu'd."

%,'

WKIGUT'S FLYCATOUUU.

319

Mr. F. St(>phon.s inforinn mo that lio considers this species only as a migi-ant
in southern Calit'oruia, l)Ut possibly a tVnv nuiy breed in the pine regions.

In Calaveras County, Californiji, AFessrs. L. lielding and J. Clarence Sperry
found it common and breeding in the fir forests of the SieiTa Nevada Moun-
tains, tlio nests usually b(Mng placed in manzanita, hazel, dogwood, and other
shrubs; and both have sent nests and eggs to the National Museum. Mr. Robert
Uidgway collected several lU'sts and eggs in the East Humboldt Mounttuns, and
near Austin, Nevada, as well as in Parley's Park, in the Wasatch Mountains,
Utali, where this species was very connnon. The nests were all placed in aspens,
excepting one taken near Austin, Nevada, on duly 3, 186S, which was found in
a mountain mahogany bush on the extreme summit of a hill, at an altitude of
about !»,()00 feet, and another in Parley's Park, on June 28, 18(51), in a service-
beny 1)ush. In New Mexi«M), Arizona, and Colorado it appears to be somewhat
rarer during the breeding season.

Mr. Denis Gale tV)und a nest and four eggs, on July 22, 1888, in lioulder
County, Colorado, at an altitude of about 10,000 feet; these he ])resented to the
United States National JIuseuin collection. The nest was placed about 30 inches
from the ground, against the trunk of a sjinice bush, at the edge of a small clump
of these trees. Mr. A. W. Anthony took one near Silverton, San Juan County,
Colorado, on June 27, which also contained four fresh eggs, and describes the
nest as composed of silvery-white stri])s of the inner bark of a willow, lined
with fine grass stems and cattle hair. The nest looked like an inverted cone,
and was fully 8 inches in length by 4 in diameter at the largest j)art. It was
fastened about 4 feet from the gromid to an almost upright willow, apparently
tied on with spiders' silk alone, but was partly supported by a fork at the top.

I found my first nest of this species near the banks of the Des Chutes River,
Oregon, on Jun(i 12, 1882; it was placed close to the tnnik of a small pine sapling,
about 5 feet from the ground. It contained three eggs, in which incubation had
commenced. The female remained on the nest imtil I almost touched her with
my hand, she then fiew off and alighted in another small pine a i'ew feet away,
and uttered a few low notes like "tweer-tweer." Subsecpiently, during this and
the season of 1883, I found some twenty-five nests, which were nearly all placed
in similar situations, against the trunks of small saplings, such as pine, aspen,
alder, or willow, the first two being seemingly jH'cferred, or in ujjright forks in
bushes, siu'h as laurel or service berry, and from 2 to 18 feet from the ground.
It also nests occasionally in wild-plum bushes and in buck brush.

One of the neatest nests I have seen of this species was taken by me July
5, 1882, on the side t)f the mountain east of Fort Klamatli, Oregon, this being
the only one I did not find in the valley. It was placed in a good-sized laurel
bush (A'rt?«//rt), in a stout three-pronged fork, about 2 feet from the ground. It
measures 3.^ inches in outer diameter by 2^ inches in depth; the inner cup is 1 J
inches wide by 1 ff inches deep. Exteriorly it was composed entirely of decayed
plant fibers, which were compactly interwoven with each other, and the inside
was warmly lined with feathers of the Sooty Grouse, Yellow Warbler, and other

1 ?

t !i

m

• 1

t .1,1

t •

J

•

r

Jf.

! n

<i«

If III J

^^m

m

320

LIFH IIISTOUIES OF NOII'^II AM UUU AN mUHS.

hinls. Soiiio (it'tlu'sn iiuHts ri'sciiihlo ii l)liiiit iiivciti-d cdiit'; tlirnc iisiiiilly iiiciis-
iii'f about 3 iiu'lics in outer (liiuiiotcr aiid about 'Ah iiiclirs in dcjitli; tliu iiiiicr
cup is aJ)out 15 iiulu's in (liaim-ter by 1.J iucilies in (Icplli. Nearly cvory one is
partially linu'l with featlierw and cattle hair, and oeeaKionally bits of tino trets
moss enter into the eoinposition of the nest. They are always well built and
securely fastened to the twi^s anionj;- which they are placed.

Althoujfh Wriffht's Flycatcher appears to have not yet been tak(Mi in Wa,xh-
in<>'ton, I am (|uite coniid«'nt that it will be found there in suital)le localities, such
as the nine Mountains, f(»r instance, where scarcely an^' collectin}^ has yet been
dime.

Nidification rarely «'onmiences before tlie michlh! of .Fune, more frequently
(hn"in}f the la.st third of this month, and sometimes not before the Hrst week in
,Jidy. It takes fully a week to con.struct the nest, and 1 iielieve the male assists
in incubation, which lasts about twelve (hiys. The food consists, at this time of
the year at least, entirely of inset^ts. Only one bi'ood is raise<l in a season, and
the return mi^fration usually be^fins in the vicinity of Fort Klamath, ()re<;on,
in the latter part of Aujjust, when it conmieiices to leave for the warmer low-
lands. Some remain in |)ortions of sontheni California throuf>hout the winter.
The number of ey^jfs to a set is three or four; about one set in three, ac(U)rdinf(
to my observations, contained four eji^ifs, one beinjjf deposited daily. A second set
is frecpiently laid when the Hi'st is taken, and the new nest is often placed close
to the former site. Tlie e<i«fs are usually short or rounded ovate in shape; the
shell is stronji', clos«^ •••rained, and without lu.ster, dull white or [)ale creamy white
hi color, and unspotted.

The avera<,''e measurement of one hundred and eleven efjfrs in the United
States National Mu,seum colle<'tion is 17.22 )»y i;{.27 millimetres, or about O.fiS
by (t..')2 inch. The lar<i(?st i'jXi!; of the series measures lS.r)4 by 14.22 milli-
metres, or O.T.'J by 0..5() inch; the smallest, ir).24 by 12.111 millimetres, i a- (t.(!0
bv 0.48 inch.

The type specimen. No. 20480 (PI. 2, Fifj-. 8.'$), from a set of three e<rf;s,
liendire collection, was taken by the writer near F(at Klamath, Oreyou, Juno
24, 1882, and represents an averaj;e egy of this species.

118. Empidonax griseus Hkkwstkk.

OKAY FLYUATCUKK.

mm-:

It:;

Empuloiiiij- grinvim Bkewstku, Aux, VI, April, l.S,S!», 87.

(I! _,(;_, U _, C —, U lli'.H.)

(■Ko<tUAi>niCAi, IIANOK: Lowci' Culit'orniii iuul soatherM Sonorsi. Mexico

Very little is yet known about the range of the Ciray Flycatcher, recently
d(*s(!rib<;(l by Mr. William Hrewster from specimens tiiken by Mr. ^!. Abbott
Frazar, near La I'az, Lower California. It is a sinnewhat larger and grayer

J, .t»-»-<

TUK (IIJAY FLYCAT<MIKU.

321

bird tlian Wn^;ht'K Flycatcher, and apiuiarrt to ro|ilac(f fliis in tlio rc<,'i(»n« wlicro
it is tuiinil. Notliiii};' is an yet known alMUit its Itivcdinjr luihitw, nest, or (•^"■•s.
It lias been taken at 'rriunfo, San .Ioho di^l (Jaho, and on Santa Marpirita Island,
Lower Calit'oniiu, at Alamos, in southern Sononi, and it jjrubably also occurs
in the niountaiuH uf Houthurn Ariiiona.

'■ilc

iig. Etnpidonax fulvifrons ((iiKAuo).

KIILVOII8 F1,YCAT(!IIK1{.

Mum'iiapit fulrifroHH (ilRAl'l), Sixteen Tcxtw Birils, 1841, I'l. II.
EmpMoHiij; /uhiJ'rottH SoLATKll, I'locoediiiBS Zoologiital Society, 1858, ;101.

(H — , U — , R 33, (J — , V 1 170|.)

(iBouKAi'itK^Ai. RANOK: Kastei'u Muxicii ikiid soutliera Tuxas.

Since (Jiniud's dimcription of the Fulvous Flycatcher, in his paper on
" Sixt«'en Texas Birds," published in 1841, no other H|)eeiinenH, as far as I have
been able to learn, have been taken either in eastern Mexico or alon<f our south-
ern Imrder, in the lower Rio (Jrande Valley of Texas. The typo still remains
unique, tuid uothiny is known about its nestinjf habits.

; I ■' ! M

120, Empidonax fulvifrons pygmseus (Couks).

miFF-HUKASTKU KI.YCATC'UEH.

hJmpiilontix iiygnwHH (ioi'KS, Ibis, 1805, 5.'J7.

Kmpiilonttx fulri/roim pyijmwuH RimJWAV, rrocecdiiifis tl. S. N»tional Mas<^alll, V'llI,
1885, ;t5«.

(B — , (J 2(i2, B ;{2t)rt, (; 3!tl3, IT 470a,)

Geo(IUA1'H1(!AL UANUg: Northern Mexico; north to southwestern New Mexico and
Arizona,

The breedinjj!' ran<fe of the Ihiff-breastod Flycatcher apjiears to extend
throuffh northern .Mexico northward into southwestern New Mexico and the
southern half of Ariziaia. This subspecies was tir.st added to our fauna by Dr.
Elliott Coues, who obtained it near Fort Wliii)j)le, Arizona, on May 9, 18(55,
which point probably marks the northern limits of its range in the United
States. Since then it has been taken near Inscription Rock, New Slexico, and
at Camp Apache, Arizona, by Mr. II. W. Ilenshuw, who jmblished the following:
".Apparently a very rare species, as it was met with on but two oecasionis. At
Inscription Rock, New Mexico, July 24, I87i}, I observed a pair of old birds
feeding' the young. These latter were nearly full fledged and had evidently
been raised in the immediate vicinity. In September a single immature bird
was taken near Camj) Apache, Arizona, on a small brush-lined stream in a heavy
l)ine forest. Judging from the individuals seen, their habits difi'er in no note-
worthy respect from those of the small Flycatchers generally. * * *

16896— No. 3 -21

•r

i

tm

mm*-

Uki^i:

\i

322

LIKI<: lllSTOltlKH (M' MOKTII AMKUICAN I(1KI>S.

"Diiriiii;' tli«i |iaHt m'UHou I huw rnvt-nil iiiilividiialMtit' thin H)»(3('i«*H, liiit. not till
wuil (low'ii into tlu) Houtlutrn ]iart of Ari/.ona. I am int'liiu-il to tliiiik tliat it, will
not bit foiuiil to occur niiicli, it' any, nitrtli of tlu* tliirty-fointli |iamllol, and tliat
(U)Utli of tliiH it in II ru^riilar Hinnnicr roHidcnt, tlioii^rli curtuinly far from common.
In all its motions it is u jicrfcct Enijiiilomu."^

hr. A. K. I'islu-r, wlio met with tlic sniispccics amon^f tlio Hcnih oaks in tlio
Cihiricalma Mountains, in .)un(>, 1K!I4, informs mc that oiiu of thu notes rusomhloH
closely tho chirp of Auduhon's Warbler.

Mr. F. Stuphuns obtained this Klycatcher in the Santa liita and Ohiricahuii
mountains, Arizona, and in the mountains north of Kort Itayaid, Now Afivxico,
in 1H7() and IHHO, but was umible to find either the nest or e^ft,'s, both of which,
as fur us 1 urn uwure, still remuiu unknown.

121. Pyrocephalns rnbineus mexicanus (Sci.atkk).

VKKMIMON FLYOATOnr.K.

I'yrocepluilug mrj-iraniiH Scu.A'rKR, PnM'.wdings Z(M)l(>}j;iciil Society, 1.S5S), 15.
Vyrovvphalun rubineiiti var. /McawcawMw Coi'KS, Key, lrt72, 177.

(H 147, C Ua«, 11 .«(», O ;«»4, U 171.)

<iEi)OUAl»nK!Al, BANOE: Kfoin (ruuteinala tliroaRh Mexico and Lower ('alil'oriiia to
tlio Mouthcru bonier of tlio IJaitcd States, iiu'lialin)r soatliern Texas, soutliwestera New
Mexico, Arizona, auil soutliera Oaliforaia; north to soutUweBtorn Utah, and probably
southern Nevada.

Tho breediuff range of tho Vormilion Flycatcher is coextensive with its
distribution in tho United States, excej)ting jiossibly southern California, where
I l)elieve it has not yet been found nestiuf;, though .several specimens have
been taken there during the winter. Mr. F. Stephens met with this hand.some
Flycatcher in tho San Gorgonio Puss, and others are known to have been
taken near tho Santa Anna River, in Los Angeles County, and at tho mouth
of the Santa Clara River, in tho vicinity of Santa Uuenaventura, California,
which are the nio.st western records I have been able to find for this species.
Mr. Stej)hous writes mo as follows on this subject: "I consider all ])irds <»f this
species found west of tho immcdiato neighborhood of the Colora<lo River as
stragglers, und di> not know of a breeding record west of tho Colorudo River
bottom."

It seems rather strange that it should bo found only as a rare wintt^r visitor
in southern California, but from present information this seems to be tho case.

Tlio northern range of the Vermilion Flycatcher has recently bei;n extended
into southwesteni Utah, where Dr. C. Hart Merriam shot an adidt female at St.
George, in tho lower Santa Clara Valley, on May 13, 18!)1. lu "North Ameri-
can Fauna, No. 7" (p. 66), ho states: "She was killed in an orchard at Dodgo
Spring, about a mile from tho settlement, and contained largo ova nearly ready

> SurvoyH Woal of this 100th Moridiiin, Vol. V, 1871, p. 364.

Till-: VKUMILION FIA'CATUlllilt.

323

idfd
St.
lun-i-

for tlio mIioII. TIiIm n'cortl oxtfiulM tin* known ninyc i>f the MpccicM vcrv niatcri-
iilly, mnc«' it liiid not pruviously Ix-fn recorded north of h'ort Molmve, Arizonii."

'riie Verniilion Flyeatelier appeiUM not to lie partieidarly rare in tlie lower
Hio (h'aiwlu Valley, in tlio vicinity of MrownHville, 'r»'xas, wliere Dr. ilanicH ('.
Merrill, llniteil HfatcM Army, found Hcveral of their nestw and eji'f^'s, which are
now in tlio United States National MuHemn colh>ction; it also occurs in other
places alonjf our southwestern frontier. Us center of alunidance within our
hordci'H, however, nuist lie looked for in southern Arizona. Iler«', in the vicinity
of Tucson, aloii}^ the lianks of Hilliui (!reek (one of the many dry streams of
tluH coiuitry, where the water Hows aliove (i'round for about one month in the
year, and di;jf^injf has to lie resorted to to lea<l it out of its sandy hod, and
where, unl(;ss this is done, small sta;,niant pools are oidy occasionally met with)
I found this pretty and conspicuous little Flycatcher to lie a rather coiimion
Hunmu'r resident, and locatetl some two do/,en of its nests and en'j,'s durin^i- the
season of 1S72. Althou;;'h an occasional specimen can bo found hero thron<;'hoiit
every month of the year, comparativtfly ftiw of tlusso birds remain durin;'' th«*
winter. The iiist mij^rants usually return about March 1, the mahts prece(lin^'
tho fumales about u wook, and by tho 10th of the month both sexes are common.

'J'ho matinff season commences shortly afterwards, and the males, in their
handsomo red pluma^fo, may be seen hoverinjf in the air, some 20 to iiO feet above
the {fround, jioised and Hutterin^r their win}>s in the manner of ji Sparrow Hawk.
|)urin<; this performaiu-o ovory feather of the body, and even the tail, is raised,
and it seems a dilHcult matter for tluf bird '<> keep itself projierly balanced. At
this time it repeatedly utters a siu-ill not. like "/,i-i)ii'e, zi-brcc," and snaps its
numdiblos toj,'other, slowly descondiu}; to its perch ayain, usually on som(!
small lind) of a mes(|uito or other tree near water. It is a very comical-lookin;;'
little object at such times, and is evidently |iroud of its handsome appearance.
When at rest, perched on som»^ twi;>- overhan;>in;'- the creek bed, it utters a
wliinin}f sort of note occasionally, not unlike that of tho Western Wood I'<nveo.

Its food consists of insects, which are nuistly cau<;ht on tin* winir; but [
have also seen it alij'ht on tho <,miund to pick up a <,n'asshopper or stnall beetle,
returniu}^ to its perch afterwards, beatiuf'- its jirey ayainst it, and devouring,'' it
at leisure. Its favorite resorts are the .shrubbery found alonif water courses in
the more level, open country, but it also follows the canyons into the foothills
of tho mountains, up to an altitutlo of between 4,000 and 5,000 feet. I have
rarely found it at any j^reat distance away from water. In southern Arizona
nidificatitin seldom iiegins before April 20, and usually not until May 1.

Tho nest is a rather frail, .shallow, and flimsy aflair, and is always saddled
on a horizontal fork, well out from the trunk of the tree, as is that of the Wood
I'ewee. The foundation is composed of a thin layer of twijjis from 2 to 3 inches
in length; tho sides are eonsti'ucted of small weed tops, a sjiecies oi Evax, plant
libers, empty eoeoons, spider webs, plant down, etc. The whole is rather loo,sely
held together. Tho inner lining consi.sts most frequently of feathers, .sometimes
of a little wool, cattle Lair, fur, or plant down. The riuis of some ueats are

m

■ 1;;

mm

m

324

LIFE IIISTOIUES OF NOllTU AMEUIUAN BlUDS.

(lecorate«l witli ii lew li. "leiis, but such orimiiioiitiitioiiM iiiv nitlmr iintisunl, as
far a« my observatioiw go. Tlio outer dianu'tor of an averajre-sized nest is
about 3^ inches by 1^ inches in depth; the inner, 2 inches by tin-ee-fouiths of
an inch in depth, barely deep enou|::li to keep the e}>:<fs from rolling out.

In southern Arizona their nests may bo looked for in mesquite trees cotton-
wootls, oaks, and rarely in willows, all the nests examined by me being jdaoed
on forks of horizontal limbs, from 8 to M feet from the groimd, ••■enerally frt»m
10 to is feet up. Dr. J. C Merrill found it nesting in retama bu.shes, Purkinsonia
uculrata, in Texas, rarely over 6 feet from the ground. I found my first nest of
three fresh eggs on A\m\ 27, 1872, "ul tlie latest on July IG. This contained
two fresh eggs, and one of the Dwarf Cowbird, which occasionally lays in the
nest of this species, two such instances having come imder my observation.

Dr. J. C. iVlerrill, in his notes on the "Ornitludogy of Southern Texas," says:
"A nest of this sjjecies, found May 10, 1877, contained a young Dwarf Cowbird
and three addled eggs, which latter I removed. On revisiting the same nest ten
days later I foUi ,1 three fresh eggs, t»n which t!ie female was sitting. As the
young Cowbird coidd not have been fledged by this time, it would seem as
if the P^lycatchers, on finding that tlieu" eggs had been removed, had thrown
out the parasite egg and laid again." ^

An egg is deposited daily, and incubation lasts about twelve days; in this
the male assists to some extent, as I have on two occasions seen one sitting on
the eggs. I believe two broods are occasionally raised in a season. On June (5
I foinid a nest of the Vermilion Flycatcher in a small grove of cottonwood trees,
with no other shnibbery nearer than GOO yards; it was placed on a horizontal
fork of one of these trees, about 20 feet from the ground, and contained three
fresh eggs; close i)y the male was feeding a full-grown young bird; no other
pair apj)eared to occupy this gi-ove, and it seems very ])robable that it belonged
to these birds. The fact that I also found fresh eggs as late as Jidy 16 further
strengthens this supjwsition. The majority of these Flycatchers return to their
winter homes in Mexico during the latter part of October.

From two to three eggs are laid, generally three. I never found more in a
nest. They '?"e usually short and rounded ovate in shape; the shell is close
grained and lusterless. The groiuid color varies from pjJe cream to buif, and
the markings, which are generally heaviest about the larger end of the egg,
'jonsist mostly of bold, irregidar blotches and spots of clove and sepia brown,
drab, and lavender gi'ay. The egg does not resemble that of an)' of our Fly-
catchers, and is a handsome and striking one. Occasionally a specimen is found
in which the markings are sniall mid nearly evenly distributed over the entire
siu-face. and in others they form a well-defined wreath, leaving both ends almost
immaculatt.

The average measurement of fifty eggs in the United States National
Museum collection is 17.48 by 13.05 millimetre's or about O.G!) by 0.51 inch.
The largest egg of the series measiu-es 18.54 })y 13.!)7 millimetres, or 0.73 by
0.55 inch; the smallest, 15.75 by 12.70 millimeters, or 0.G2 by 0.50 inch.

' Proceedings U. 8. National Museum, Vol. I, 187S, p. 142.

THE VERMILION FLYOATCHEE.

325

Tlio type specimen, N(i. 20423 (PI. 2, Fig'. 3-i), from a set of three eggs,
Bendiro colUH-tion, one of the smiillor and Hghtor-marked eggs, was taken by
the writer near Tucson, Arizona, June 1, 1872: No. 21036 (PI. 2, Fig. 36), al.so
from a set of tlu'eo eggs, represents one of the large and more heavily marked
sptu'imens. It was taken by Dr. James C. Merrill, United States Army, near
lirownsville, Texas, May 29, 1877.

122. Ornithion imberbe (Sclatku).

IIEAKDLESS FLVOATCnER.

Campiostonid hnherbv ScLATKH, Proceedings Zoolofjieal Socioty, 1857, 203.
Oniitliiiiii iiiiberlic Lawuknck. Ibis, 1870, 4!t7.

(H — , (! — , R ;{,n, (1 303, IT 47U.)

(rEOGBAPnrcAL RANOE: (Jeiitiiil America and easttiru Mexico; north to the lower
Kio (iriinde Valley, Texas.

The Ileardlt'ss Flycatcher, one of tlie smallest of the Tyrfunikhe found within
the l)orders of the I'nitcd States, was added to our fauna bj- Mr. (}. H. Sennett,
who took a specimen near ijomtta Kanch, Texas, on April 24, 187!), whei\> it
appears to be a rather rare summer visitor. Mr. Sennett makes the following
remarks: "I have little to say of the habits of this species. Afy single specimen
was siiot on April 24 in a low bush distant from woods. No others were observed.
It was an a<lult male, in fine plumage, and its testes sIiowcmI the breeding season
to be close at hand. Its diminutive size and yellow oonuni.ssurti led me at tinst to
think it the yoimg of some other specit's, but I fortunately ])erceived mv error,
and was careful to preserve what proves to Ik! the best Hud of the trip, one which
adils to our fauna a new genus and .species never suspected to occur so far north."'

I belii've the nest and eggs (»f this interesting little Flyeateher still remain
unknown.

■\'B:

^'^-'Ip^

,' 'A' 4-.
-\ M" "v| ■■

. • ■■■(•>

■ 'rvU';

123. Ornithion imberbe ridgwayi Bkewstkb.

RnXiWAVS I'l.VCATCIlEU.

Or itiiioii imUei-hc riiliiinn/i Ukewstek, Hiillctin Xnttall Ornithological (Jliib, VII, <)ett)ber,
18SL', 20s.

(15 _, (• _, 14 _, O _, U 47LV(.)

(JEonKAi'uicAL RANOE: Nortlieiu Mexico, from Paebla and .lalisoo; north to south-
ern Arizoiiii.

llidgway's Flycatcher is another comparatively nu'ent addition to <uu'
fauna, and was hrst described Ity Mr. William Brewster in the "liulletin «>f the
Nuttall ()riiith(»logical ("lub" (Vol. VII, 1882, pj). 208, 20!»), froui si)eeimons

' lliillcthi li. 8, (i«oli>Ki<'i>l iiixl (ii'ii|i;ra|)lii<'iil Siirvi^y, Vi>l. V, No. It, |>. 400.

ill; ;

1

i ,

326

LIFE HISTORIES OF NOKTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

n

•I i< '•

collected by Mr. F. Stephens in the vicinity of Tucson, Arizona, in the spring
of 18H1. I ([note him in full:

"The detection of this Flycatcher in Arizona is perhaps the most interesting
discovery resulting from Mr. Stephens's late trip. Omithion imhvrhc has only
recently been added to our fauna by Mr. Sennett, and the locality of his .single
specimen — Lomita, Texas — was so far beyond the previously known range of
the species that its ocicuiTence seemed hardly likely to prove more than a mere
accident. In 1880, however, Mr. M. A. Frazar secured additional specimens at
Lomita, and now an allied but apjjareiitly distinct race turns up in Arizona.

"i\Ir. Stephens found the curious little bird only at Txicson, where his first
sjiecimon was taken April 28. Afterwards others were shot in the same locality,
but they were by no means common. The males had a habit of pen-hing on
the tops of the tallest trees in the vicinity of their haunts, and at siuu'ise
occasionally uttered a singidar song which Mr. Steithens transcribes as 'yoop-
yoop-yoopeedeedledee,' the first half given very deliberately, the remainder
rapidly. A connnoner cry, used by both sexes in calling to each other, was a
shrill 'pier, pi^r, pi6r, pifcr,' beginning in a high key and falling a note each
time. Tliey were very shy, and specimens were obtained <inly at the expense
of mucli ti'ouble and ] terse verence. Their loud calls were frecpiently heard,
but when the spot was approached the bird either relapsed into silence or took
a long flight to resume its calling in another direction. In their motions they
resembled otiier small Flycatchei-s, l)ut their tails were less frequently jerked.

"On May 2<S Mr. Stephens met with a young bird which had but just left
the nest. It was accompanied by the female parent, who showed nuich solici-
tude, and frequently uttered her shrill cries, to which the offspring responded in
nearly similar tones. Uoth individuals were secured, but neither the nest nor
the remainder of the Itrood — if, indeed, there were any more — C(mld be found.
On the following day this episode was rejteated, a second female l)(Mng found in
attendance on another young bird (»f nearly the same age as that obtained on
the previous occasion."

Mr. Stej)]iens wiites me that he took another specimen in April, 1884, also
near Tucson, and considers this subspecies as very rare. Additional specimens
have recently been taken by Mr. K. W. Nelson, at Etzatlan, .lalisco, on .lune
22, 18I>2, and at Tehucan, I'uebla, Mexico, on May 4, 18<Ji}; these are now in
the ornithological collection of the United States Dejtartment of Agriculture,
but nothing ajtpears to be known regarding the breeding habits, nest, or eggs
of this subspecies.

I" 1
i

M*.

. j

•- »' ■

\-}

i,

•• \

' >

I'

■.'V

t:

TUE SKYLABK. 327

Family ALAUDIDuE. Larks.
124. Alauda arvensis Linnaeus.

SKYLARK

Alauda arrenmn Linnaeus, Hystcma Natnrai, cd. 10, 1, 1758, 165.
(B — , C 55 bis, B ^99, G 88, U [473].)

Gkooraphioal ranoe: Europe and portions of Asia and Africa; accidental in
(ircenlaiid and the Benmida Islands. Introduced, tliougli not successfully, In the United
States, on Tiong Island, New York; near Cincinnati, Uliio; St. Louis, Missouri, and Port-
laud, Oregon.'

Tlio popular Skylark of Europe clairaa a place in onr fauna, bein<? a easual
visitor in Greenland, and it also occurs occasionally in the Bermuda Islands.
Several attempts have been made at various timers to introduce this favorite
Eur(^,)c;xii songster in difterent ])ai"ts of the United States., and though some of
the'o were ajjparently successful for a time, eventually, as far as known, they
aV failed. Up to March, 18S8, the Skylark was evidently fairly well established
i'l .suitable localities on Long Island, New York, and nested there; but since the
occurrence of the severe blizzard in the middle of that month none have been
observed, and it is presumeil that the entire colony was destroyed, the* last <late
on which any have actually been taken there being February 22, 1888, accord-
ing to Mr. William Dutcher.

Still, it seems to ))e a liardy bird, as Mr. Henry Seebohm states: "In west-
ern Europe it breeds up to latitude 70° (although it is comparatively ran^ north
of the Arctic Circle)." In speaking about the general habits of this species he
siiys: "No bird is l)etter known or more freipiently k(!i)t in confinement tlian
the Skylark. It is wasily caugiit, readily tamed, and bears its captivity well,
singing as sweetly on the sod in its* little cage as when soaring in boundless
freedom high U]) amongst the clouds. It is found in all kinds of places, from
the coast to tiie iidand moors and mountains, but is perhaps most abundant
in well-cultivated districts. It delights to frequent arable land, rich meadows,
and commons, but is nev(!r seen in woods or places where trees are very close
together. It is -.{[no very ])artial to the most elevated pastures, and often deserts
a sheltered valley to remain on them throughout the year. During winter
the Skylark is gregarious, but very early in the spring tlie large flocks break
up and it retii'es to its breeding grounds. In starch, when the cold winds ai"o
<lrying u\) the fallows, and the first spring flowers are apj)earing in the hedges, the
Skylark pairs. At this season several males may often be seen chasing a female
with great rapidity through the air, fvnd every now and then bursting out into
sweetest song. S(»metimes a male will hover above the female, who crouches
low among the herbage, and in various ways he will seek to display his charms.

' It hiw bnon ro|inrtiMl timt tlin coliiny of Skyliirkii net out tirnr Pnrtliiiiil, Or«Koii( snmn yonm ago, wos
in n tlonrixliiiifr cunditioii, Imt 011 iiii|iiii'y during <i riM'riit. viHit then', in Mny, 18!)l, I lailnd to liiivo tills
Nlati'iiit'iit ('(iiiliriiied.

f

|'3

■ ■ ; ■ ; fit «*

It*

i|: ■

-■■51!.

' Ml

i'l 4

< •:)n

i^-

328

LIFE HISTORIES OF NOETH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Slie will then often rise into the air, wlien several males will toy with her and
flutter rf)nn(l and round, or dart hither and thither w'tli great 8i)eed, singing all
the time. Sometimes the males will chase each other, and even fight for the
possession of the prize.

"At this season of the year the Skylark's scmg is particidarly loud and
charming. A few birds will often be tempted to sing by an unusually mild day
in winter, but the song is seldom fully resumed before March. The manner in
which the Skylark sings, in the full view of all observers, is probably the secret
of the bird's pojmlarity. Who has not seen this sond)er little bird rise from the
meadow grass or the heath, and has not watched its soaring iliglit as upwai-d and
upward it goes until it appears but a s])eck or is entirely lost in the sky? He
bounds up from tlie cover on fluttering wings and with outstret(^hed tail, rising
a little way in silence, then, bursting into song, lie pursues his uj)ward course.
At first the wings are beaten veiy rapidly, in a lluttering way; but when the
bird gets higher the movements are more regular. Sometimes it rises directly
upward, but very often goes far away from the ]dace of its first ascent, sailing
over the fields, but in an ever-rising course. When the zenith of its flight is
reached it will sometimes fly about for a short time, singing; but more usually
it comes down again directly. The song is continued until the ground is
neared, when the bird usually drops like a stone, or flutters oft" over the grass
ere seeking the cover. These aerial movements are not essential to the bird's
song; it will sing (piite as sweetly when perched on a clod of earth or on the
ground, and it often warbles a few notes when running about amongst the grass
or over the fallows. The height of the song flights also varies considerably.
Sometimes the bird may be seen fluttering at a moderate heiglit, singing very
sweetly, and remaining in the air for some considerable time; and it will
occasionally sit and sing on a small bush or a wall. When engaged in his
soaring flights the little songster will cease his strains and drop to the ground if
a Merlin lufikes its ai)pearance, aiul if a Sparrow Hawk does so, he soars still
higher; but a Kestrel is never regarded as an enemy.

"The Skylark has no great variety of notes — his compass is small — nor are
those he possesses either powerful or rich in tone; but he pours forth his song so
industriou.sly, so continuously, and arranges his notes so harmoniously that the
songs of few birds are listeneil to with more pleasure. The song of the Skylark
is pre-eminently cheertul; and if the monotony and continuonsness of the nuisic
reminds you of that of a l)agpii)e, it has at least no melancholy in its tone. It
is not continued for so long a time as is generally supposed, ranging from two
minutes to abf)ut a (piarter of an hour. The call note of the Skylark can not
be expressed on pajier; it may best be described as a liquid, musical, double
note, somewhat resendding the sound made by a whistle half full of water.

"The Skylark is not very shy, and will often allow the observer to watch it
within a distance of a few yards. It runs about with great ea.se, often pausing
for a moment to look warily around, stretching out its neck and standing as high
on its legs as possilile; but it often skulks very closely in the herbage. Its flight

THE SKYLARK.

329

'•y
ill

lis
if

h It
in^'
it'll
"lit

is quick and powerful, and when passing from place to place is strsiiglit or only
very slightly undulating. The Skylark is very fond of dusting itself for the
purpose of getting rid of troublesome parasites; it may often be seen on a sandy
road, or in a little bare jiatch in the fields, lying on its side, shaking its wings,
and thoroughly dusting its plumage. It always roosts upon the ground, amongst
tall herbage, and is seldom or never seen to perch in a tree.

"Although the Skylark often pairs early in March, nesting duties do not
generally commence before the middle of April. In exceptional cases eggs may
be found as early as the first week in April. The nj..r. is always built uj)on the
ground, amongst herbage, and is usually well citiu'ealed; generally it is placed
amongst the meadow grass or the growing corn, but sometimes it is built in the
coarse herbage on (U)mmons and weedy pastures, or amongst the wiry heath
branches on the moors. It is often built behind a tuft of herbage, and is usually
|)laced in a little dejiression, often scratched out by the bird. The nest is a simple
little structure, made external]}' of dry, coarse grass and a. scrap or two of moss,
and it is lined with finer grass, rootlets, and sometimes a few hairs. These
materials are very loosely put together, as is usually the caso in most nests built
on the ground. The eggs of the Skylark are four or five in ninnber, sometimes
only three. The ground color varies from dull white to white with just a tinge
of olive, and the markings are olive brown or neutral brown, the underlying
(mes being pale gray. The spots are generally so thickly distributed over the
entire surface as to conceal most of the ground color, and on the large end they
are often confluent and form an iiTegular zone. On thoso eggs where the mark-
ings are not so thickly dispersed the zone is much broader and darker. A rare
but very beautiful variety of the egg of this bird is white in groinid color,
thickly mottled and spotted with brownish red, and with numerous underlying
markings of gray. The eggs are not subject to any great variation in color, but
dilfur somewhat in shape, some specimens being very round, others pyriform,
and many oval; they vary in length from 1 to 0.87 inch, and in breadth from
0.72 to 0.(!3 inch. The Skylark usually rears two broods in the year, the young
of the first being gcnicrally abroad by the middle of June, and those of the
second in August. Tlu* female jierforms most of the duties of incubation, and
is a very close sitter, usually allowing herself to be almost trodden upon before
(putting the nest. In returning to the nest both birds usually drop into the
herbage some little ilistaiictf from it, and run through tlie grass the remainder of
the distance. During tlio whole jjcriod of incubation the mah^ liird is inces-
santly soaring upward to warble his song, from the first streak of morning till
dusk."'

As a rule the eggs of the Skylark are more heavily spotted and conse-
<piently darker colored than those of our Horned Larks, imt they do not diticr
much in shape. The average measurement of eighteen specimens in tlu^ United
States National Museum collection is 22.'2i\ Iiy lG.7(i millimetres, or about O.SS

> UiBtury u( UriliiiU UiriU, Vul. II, 1S84, px). 2B7'Snu.

t 'KVI

•i-y

\r.:\

;t.i

-•:;iii

, --IMi

..«f

' i

330

LIFE III8TOKIES OF NOUTPl AMERICAN BIEDS.

by 0.66 inch. The largest egg in tlio series measures 2r).fi5 by 17.27 millime-
tres, or 1.01 by 0.G8 inches; the smallest, 21.0H by 16.26 millimetres, or 0.83 by
0.64 inch.

The type specimen, No. 21833 (PI. 5, Fig. 23), Bendire collection, from a
set of four eggs, wjis taken in Saxony, Europe, on April 20, 185!), and represents
one of the darker-colored types of this species.

125. Otocoris alpestris (Linn^bus).

HORNED LARK.

Al/iuila alpeHtrU LinN/KUS, Sy.stoma Natnra', e«l. 10, I, ITfiS, 16(i.
Otocorin alpvHtris Uonapabte, Fauna Jtaliana Uccclli, l.s;{!( (not paged).

(B 3(»2, C 53, B 300, C 82, U 474.)

(lEOOBAPiTiCAL BANOE: Nortlieaateni North Americn, from tlio Province of Kee-
watiii. Dominion of Canada, both sides of Hudson Hay,«ea.st to Labrador, and south to
Newfoundland; also to (Irconland and to northern Euroiie; south in winter to about lati-
tude 38°, and casually somewhat farther south.'

The breeding range of tlio Homed or Shore T^ai'k, the second largest rep-
resentative f>f this genus found in North America, is coiirtned, as far as known
at j)resent, to the Province of Kcewatiu, Dominion of (Canada, lioth shores of
Hudson Bay, and the coasts of Ijabrador and Newloundland. In the latter
province it has been met with during tlie lirceding season near its southeastern
extremity, at Cajie St. I^lary, in about latitude 47'^, which ])robably marks about
the southern limits of its breeding range. Mr. William Palmer, during the
cruise of the United States Fish (commission schooner "Grinn])us" in the summer
of 1887, met with Honu'd Larks at the Penguin Islands, west of Cape Freels,
and at Canada Bay, Newfoundland, and says: "At tlie former place (a low, flat,
gra.ssy i.sland) several old ))irds were seen, who during our visit jjcrched on the
bowlders tliat surround tlu' island; and two young birds, wliich were evidently
bred on i\w island, were collected. At Canada Bay a few old birds were found
at the Cloud Hills, at an elevation of nearly 1,000 feet."'-

Mr. L. M. Turner, in his manuscript notes on the "Birds of iiabrador and
Ungava," says: "The first individuals of this Lai'k were seen .Fuly !>, 1882, on
the top of a high hill on Black Island, in Hamilton Inlet. The birds were

'In tlio genoral ticntiiiPiit of uiir iinnieroim races of llornnd I.arka I miiiiily follow the I'liiNsillintioii
of Mr. Joiintlinn Dwiglit, jr., who recently pulilisheil .in excellent Byno])9i8 of tlio gimiiH (ttoamt in tlio
Auk (Vol. VII, ISiK), pji. lHS-l,")g), to wliich I refer the roniler, nnd whli li cnn not lie readily iinjiroved upon
until coiiHiilerably more niateriiil liecinneH availalile. cHpociully from the interior and practically nncxplorcd
regionB lyMi); to the northwest of Hudson Itay, in order to cnahle anyone to define the KeoKraphical raiiKCH
of each reoognized Hiili8)iecicH more ai^cnratoly. I am inclined to licliove, however, that the range of the
present species under consideration will have to lie considerably extended to the westward, lint with the
material now ot hand nothing very positive can lie determined. Where the ranges of the ditl'ercnt snlisjie-
cies approach each other the birds intergrade and intermediate tonus are found which can not bo referred
to a particular race with any icrtaiiity, and as the eggs of the nuuierons races of the genus (Hueorin are prac-
tically similar, I have endeavored as far as possililo to ropresont the dill'crout styles and luarkiugs fouud in
the various subspecies anioug the types flgured.

'Proceedings of the ir. S. National .Mnsuiiin, Vol. .\III, 18iK), p. 2U2.

THE HORNED LARK.

331

ovidontly breodiiiff, 118 indicated by their actions when they flew from jKiint to
point, but always out of range, and returning to the phice whence they slurted.
At the mouth of George's River (Ungava Hay) I procured a single bird of three
which I foiuid anumg the mosses of a dry, level tract near tlie seashore. In
the vicinity of Fort Cliiiuo these birds are conuiion in tlii! spring niigjition
only, arriving just after the middle of May and remaining until the middle of
Sej)tember. They scatter over the treeless trac^ts and Itreed near the .oast.
Several specimens were procured near the mouth of the Koksoak IJiver, and of
these sonuf had the abdomen (juite denuded of feathers, proving them to be
incubating in the latter ten days of June. I coidd not find the eggs and nest,
although on several occasions I had every reason to suspect 1 was quite near
them. I have never heard these birds make an attempt at song; the cmly note
ever heard was a chirp, rather easily imitated, but difficult to describe."

Mr. E. A. Mcllhenny has kindly furnislied me with the following notes on
this sp<(cies:

"I found this bird breeding cpiite commoniv on the Labrador coast at (ape
Charles and vicinity, during my stay there from the 17th to the 22d of .Inly,
18!>4. On the afternoon of the 17th, while in search of s|iecimens on the liii'li,
rocky islands around Cape Charles Harbor, 1 saw two pairs of these birds, and,
as they showed great uneasiness at my ))resence, I concluded they were nestiag
near by, but a long scardi failed to reveal their nests. The n(fxt moniing, l)y
sunrise, I was on tlie island where I had secni the first pair, and, after walking
aro\md the place where 1 had observed the birds the evening before without
seeing anything, I fired my gun, when a short distance off to my right uj) got
a bird, which I promptly shot, and upon goin<^ to the place it flew from I
found the nest without any tnmble. The bird ])rovcd fo be a female Iforncd
Lark. The nest was emlK'dded in a slightly inclining bank of mo.ss and entirely
below the surface of the moss; it contained five richly marked eggs, slightlv
inctibated. When 1 found the nest it gave me the impression of being ver>'
small for the bird; but this was due to the fact that the entrance was small, and
tli(* hollow was enlarged under the moss. 'J^Iie nest was deeply cu))pe(l, havin;.;
a thickness of abotit 1 inch of line dry grass; it was lined with th(! down from
reindeer moss an<l tlie white feathers of I'tarmigans. 'J'he male bird did not
come around.

"Ijater in the day I fotmd imotlier nest containing five heavily incubated
eggs. Th(^ nest and position were very simibu" to the tme found in the morning.
Subseijuently I found tlu^si^ birds numerous on the mainland, but no mttre of
tlieir nests were ol>tained. On 8eptend)er "2, while at TFenly Harbor, Labradoiv
I found a desei-ted nest of this species containing thnse eggs. '^Phe nest was-
jilaced (tn a little knoll, in a marshy spot, on the bank of a small lake. On
August 10, 11, and U! 1 saw Horned liarks near Sukkertop])en, (Jreenland, but
did not get a specimen; I suppose they belonged to this species."'

■No inentiiiroiiKMitA of tlici eggn <>r tliin Hprcics liikcii liy Mr. Mi'Illieimy cnii bo k'voii, hb Iiu loHt IiIh
I'lilirit I'nllnctiiiii iif Hpuciiui'iiH liy tlii' foiiiulcriii): «( llii^ iliriituil ateamor Miruiidii, wbilf reliiiiiiii); fiuui
(ireeiilaml.

:.i

.MM!

if

■( .1 '.ii

•Ft Jiftt-i!. >■■■

332

LIFE 1I18TOBIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

TliiH Hdriu'd Lark soonm to lie identical witli tlie one found in nortliem
Europe, wliidi, accordiufif to Mr. Henry Seobolun, breeds in the extreme north-
eastern parts of Norway. There are no North American ef^fjfs of this species in
the United States National Museum collection, and no data with the few Kuro-
))ean specimens supposed to belonjjf to this species; judfyingf from their sizc^,
however, they are jirobably corntctly identified. They resend)le the e|^ffs of
our better-known TTctnied Larks, which will be more fully described hereafter,
in shape and color. There apjiears to bo no diflf'erence in their p^eneral habits.

From three to five eg<;» ajipear to be laid to a set, and jirobably only a
siufjle brood is raised in a season. Their lenfjth is ^iven by yeebohm as rangiu}^
from 0.90 to O.Of) inch, and the breadth from 0.(;2 to 0.70 inch, or 22.86 t(» 24.13
inillimetei's in length, and lli.lh to 17.78 millimeters in breadth.'

126. Otocoris alpestris leucolaema (('ouks).

PALLin HORNED I.AUK.

KremophUa alitrstrin h. leurnla-ma CouES, Uirds of the Northwest, 1875, .38 (part).
Otocorin iilpeMrU leurolama STB.FNKdKH, Proceedings U.S. National Museaiu, V,1882, 34.

(H — , 0 5M, R 300rt, C 83, U 474rt.)

Gkographicat. kanoe: Western Nortli America from Alaska cast to the Northwest
Territory, Britisli North America; south in winter, in the westeru United States, to about
latitude 40<^. C'asually to Long Island, New York.

The breediu}!^ ranjje of the Pallid Homed I^ark, owinf^ to the lack of suf-
ficient material, is still very imperfectly defined. It appears to be confined to
Alaska and to those portions of the Dominion of Canada east of the Kocky
Mountains, from about latitude 51° northward to the Arctic Ocean, and there is
little or nothinj>' known about the eastern limits of its range.

Mr. E. W. Nelson says: "Throughout Alaska this species appears to bo very
rare. Two specimens were taken in the vicinity of St. Michaels during my
residence there, and three were secured on tli(f llpi)er Yukon by Mr. McQucsten,
on April 3 and 30, 1S75). All of these birds are spring males and typical of
this variety. It is much more common on the head waters of the Yukon during
.spring and summer than along the shores of IJering Sea, wliere it can only be
counted as a very rare straggler."-

In the interior of the Northwest 'l^emtory, in about latitude fi8°, it ajipears
to be a connnon breeding 1)ird.

' Since tliis .vas written Mr. .lewi'U 1). S(>rnl)i)r({«r lias UcpoHitcMl tlireo of tlii'sp i^ggn in tin' U. 8. Nationiil
MnHi'iini poUectiim, takon liy a Moravian niisaioniiry ucar Okak, Labrador, on .lnn»21, IM!I2. TlieHO Hpitci-
monH appear to come from dilt'iTent nests. Tlieir ^ronnd color is greenish gray and sonicwliiit darker tlian
that of the rest of our Horned Larks. They are profusely l)h)tchccl and spotted witli dark olive, idivo hnlV,
and lighter shades of pale lavender. One of the specimens is elliptical ovate in shape; tlio other two are
ovate. They measure 24. S9 by 16. 7G, 24.18 hy 17.27, ami 22.10 by lfi.2t> millimetres, or 0.98 by O.tUi, O.il.T by
().(!8, and 0.87 by 0,64 inch. As the plates had been made np before these eggs were received, none could be
figured.

'Keport upon Natural History Collections maile in Alaska in the years 1877-1881, p. 1U3.

t\m PALLIIi IIOUNKD LAUK.

333

III his " Notes on iiixl List of liirds un»l K},'},'s (NtlU'ctod in Arctic iinu'ricii,
1K(!1-1S6(>," Mr. U. AlarFarhiiio miys, iti spoakiii;^ of tliis species: "Nino iicsts
of tlii« Lark wuro rocoived ai Fort Aiwlfrsoii (established on Anderson River
in lH(il and abandoned in 1H6(); approximate hititudo fiH" Sf)' N.), a few of tlieni
from the KH»|uimaiix, and tlie otlu-rs were collecteil by us in the Mairens and
on the coast of Franklin Hay. The nest was usually composed of fine hay,
neatly disposed, and lined with deer hair. Several of the piu'ent birds were
Hcciu'ed by snares jtlaced ther(M>n."

'I'he southern limits of its l)reedin{>' rauffe are as y<'t very imjK'rfectly
known. Mr. Dwij^ht records a Itreedinj^- Itird from the Sa.skatchewan ref^ion,
and it prol>ably breeds in small numbers from the northern half of this pnnince
northward. To the south it appears to interj^rade for some distance with Olororis
(iljw.slris jiraticola, whicii is really a miniature of tiie pnvsent subspecies, thouffh
sonu^what darker and a triHc* smaller in size, as well as with Otocoris aliirxfti.s
areiiicoln, tjie Desert Jlorned Lark whose ran;>e it also adjoins alonj,' the easteni
slopes of the liocky Mountains. Itsj^-eneral habits resemble those of our better-
known IVairie Ildi- 1 Lark, which will be more fully described later.

From three to lour e{,''fys ai)pear to be laid to a set, and ])robably oidy a
sinffle brood is raised in a season. The e.arliest breedin<jf record 1 liave, one from
the lower Anderson Kixer, in Arctic North America, is June 14; the latest,
from the same locality, is July !•, 1HC4, and the breeding .season api)ears to be
at its heiffht there durinfr the first week in July, as all the nests foun<l by Mr.
MacFarlane, exceptin<^' the sinj^le one just mentioned, were taken in this month.
The nest belon<,fin<if to the earliest set of egffs, taken by Mr. U. MacFarlane
(No. 10370, United States Naticmal Museum collection) on June 14, 1SG4,
which is now before me, measures 5 inches in outer diameter i)y 2J inches in
heiffht. The iimer cuj) is 'J.J incln's in width by 1 \ inches in depth. 'I'lie
nest, a well-built structure, is composed of rotten j^rass libers, tine roots, and
pieces of willow bark, anrl is warmly lined with similar materials, caribou hair,
and old cocoons. It was found by an Eskimo; the female was snared on the
nest which contained three eg<>s when taken.

The ((gH's '** ^''^ I'allid Jlorned Lark are mostly ovate in shape, \vh» often
elon<^ate ovate. Tiie shell is close finiined, rather strong, and .shows little or
no gloss. The ground color is mostly drab gray, sometimes grayish white; in
an occasional specimei\ a faint greenish tint is percei)tible, which fades out in
time. The entire sui-fiice of the egg is profusely blotched and sprinkled with
different shades of pale brown. In some specimens the markings are bold and
well defined; in others they are mimite, giving the a^}!; a i)ei)})er-and-salt appear-
ance; and again they are almost confluent, causing a miiform neutral browni.sli
ajtpearance. In some specimens the markings are heavier and become confluent
only about the larger axis of the egg, forming a wreath and leaving the ground
color on the smaller end of the egg plainly visible; in fact, there appears to bo
an endless variation in color and markings as well as in size among these eggs
and scarcely any two sets are exactly alike.

Ji'"'

-ill

,iE

•I',

HH-i

334

I.IKK lIlSTOltlES OF NOKTU AMliKlCAN lilUDS.

Thu iiv()m<>o iiu'UHim'im'iit of Hixti'oii Kporiiiieiis in tlio UuitutI StatCH
Niitiimal Murtouin ('((lloftitin, all taken l»y Mr. K. Ma«'Farlano, iw 23. 8K hy KJ.Tti
niilliinutros, ur 0.1)4 !)y ().()(! incli. Tlio lar;,a'.st. (yjif of tliis wcrioM nieiisuri's 2(!.42
by IH.HO niilliiiu'tnss, or 1.04 by 0.74 inches; tlio Hnmllest, 22.35 by 16 inilli-
motrcs, or 0.K8 Ity 0.(!3 incli.

Tho ty|to spocinicn, No. 13!m (I'l. 5, Ki<,'. 24), from a Hot of tlirco offffH,
wart taken by Mr. li. MacFarlane, near Anderson Ifiver Fort, in Aretie Uritirtli
Nortli Anierieu, on .hily 7, iHGI't, and representrt one of tlio more uniformly
cohtred types.

127. Otocoris alpestris praticola IIknhiiaw.

I'liAIKIK IIOKNEU L/UK.

0[tocoryH] alpfiifriii pratiovla IlKNsnAW, Aiik, I, .Inly, 18«l, l.'«4.

(|l_, 0— , U— , C-, U4746.)

(iEO(jRArinOAL KANOE: Ui>|M>r MiH8isHi])|>i Vnlley mid tlio rG(;ioim of tlie Great
Lakes; iioi'tli to Ontario anil .Manitoba; oast to tliu New Kn^laiKl anil Atlantic C'onHt Htatus;
west to eastern North and Hoiitli Dakota, eiistern Nebraska, and Kuimas; south iu winter
to iScuith Carolina and westward to.central Texas.'

As fur as is at present known, the southern limits of tho breediiiff rauf^e
of tlie IVairie Horned Lark are eonfined to suitable Idealities in eastern Kansas,
northern Missouri, Illinoi.s, northern Indiana and Ohio, northwestern Pennsyl-
vania, and the {•reater part of New York, where it reaehes the seashore. It is
also found more or le.ss abundantly throuf^hoiit the interveninjj rejiions north-
ward as already indicated, including,' the eastern ptirtions of the New Enjrland
States (exce})tinjf possibly New Ilanijishire and Maine), where it is still a rather
rare summer resident, and \\ here it breeds as yet only sj)oradically.

Within the last thirty years the Prairie Homed Lark has extended its
breedinj:? ranj^e very materially to the eastward, and in certain localities, notably
in the southwestern parts of the Adirondack re<fion, especially in Herkimer
County, New York, whore this bird was practically unknown twenty years a<ro, it
is now a fairly common summer resident, and small companies may be found in
every abandoned old dearinj^ ahing the numerous water courses in this otherwise
heavily timbered re<fion. It is essentially a ground i)ird and rarely alights on
fences, trees, or bushes of any kind; its favorite resorts are fallow fields, jjrairio
tracts, })astures, and country roads, and it is seldom found in heavily wooded
country. Dry and almost barren, sandy regions, grown up in places with weeds,

'III (liiicimHiu)r the jjoogrnpliioal rniige of the I'riiirie Horneil Liirk Mr. Dwight Ktatva: "gtrniign iib it
iiiiiv NCfiii, it iH a fact thiit Hoveral hreeiling binlH from C'ltrHoii, Neviuhi, iiiiint bu coimitlorcd of this rni'i>."
In Hpcukiiig witli Mr. K. Ridgwuy rcgartliiig iilU'UPil 8|ii'i'iiiu!iis of Olororin alpettri» praliioln from (.'HrHiiii
City, Neviida, hu sayn *^liat, wliile coiicviling that the 8|)0clinpiiH referrud to hy Mr. Dwight are practically
iiidistliiguishablii from MiHsiHsippi Valluy HperiniciiH, hu doua uut consider tlicm an being referable to Otocmit
alpeslria pratlatlu on account of their obvionsly dift'erent origin. He connidera them us intermediate between
arenicola and iiierrilti, a combination of whose cliarai'terH would ni'ceHsarily produce a bird siinilar to itnilicola
iu colurutiou. 1 fully agree with Mr. Kidgwuy's views iu this mutter, which uppurently solve this jirublom.

TlIK I'RAIUII': llOUKKl) liAUK.

:{35

(ttc, apiH'ur fo 1)0 prut'orrcil liy tlicHo l»ir<lK to tlin morn Icrtilc Mcctinim, iiiid in
such localities tlioy iiro ffciicrally coimnoii.

Tlio Prairiu Horned hurk is a liurdy bird, and not a few are constant resi-
dents, oven alon^ our northern border, thri)ii;4liout the j^ncatiir part of tlio year,
;idinf^ southward only durin','' uniisiialiy heavy snowstorms in tlu! latter j)art of
|)ecend)or or tho hejjinninj,' ot" .laimary, hut ('re(|U«Mitly reappearing on their
Itreedinir i,'rounds oarly in February, and by tho latter part of the month most
ot" theso birds hav(( already mated.

Accordin;;- to I'rot". Walter H. Harrows, of the I'nited States Department of
Agriculture, the food of our Horned Lark consists principally of seeds of dif-
ferent grasses, like thoso of the pigeon, foxtail, and Hungarian (.SV7«/(«), also of
those of dilferent species of Pitli/i/oiiiiiii (Itiudweed, knotweed, and smartweed),
those of the ragwootls (..IW^/os/Vj), pigweed (^('liiiiopodiuiii), i'tv. Hroken kernels
of oats and other grains have also been fouml in their stomachs, evidently
jticked up in tho roads and streets among the droppings of horses. During
spring and sinmner, when small in.sects abound, a jxirtion of their food consists
of young locusts and gra.sshojipers, small beetles and their lar\a', and hairless
cuter[)illars, and tho young nestlings at least are fed to some extent on insect
food. From an (M-ouomic jioint of view, all our Horned Larks nnist bo con-
sidered as useful birds, doing far more good than harm, and even if they do
now uiul then pull up some young grain, or pick up newly sown grain or
grass seeil which may have been left uncovered, as it is asserted they occasion-
allj' do, such damage is at best but very trifling, and is far more than compen-
sated for by the good they do in eating the seeds of many noxit)Us weeds and the
destruction of injurious insects, and in my opinion they deserve full protection.
'Plieir stomachs in most cases contain a large percentagi; of sand, which assists
them greatly in the digestion of the small hard seeds on which they live to a
great extent.

Tho late i^Ir. G. Fi. Harris kindly sent mo the following notes on this sub-
si)ecios, as observed by him in the vicinity of Hutt'aU), New York, for several
seasons. He wrote: "The I'rairio Horned Lark is a very common sunnner resi-
dent in this vicinity, and usually arrives hero during tlu' first thaw in February,
coming in flocks which sometimes nundjer hundreds. This .season (18!t.'5)I lirst
noted them on February 14; but ttwing to sickness my observations oidj- covered
what could bo seen from my window. They apj)ear to be uninated when they
first arrive, hut love making commences soon after, and by tho 1st of ^farcli thi-y
are all mated; for the males are then in full song — an indet^cribable warl)le — and
they may bo seen chasing tho females continually, like the Hobolinks, but they
aro not nearly as shy as tho latter, as there are no hiding ))laces at this season
(»n tho bare fields or pastures which they fre(juent. A nesting site is chosen as
soon as the snow conunences to disappear in ^farch, and early in the season ono
is always selected on a little knoll or on a slight rise of ground in a pasture or
meadow. Tho uests hero aro usually built f»n the oast side of such a kiadl, for
protectio.i from the cold west winds; they are mostly placed alongside a piece of

f..

;/!,■

'■11

.', i:^

r. ■ h

M

m

\sim-.

:)3(J

LIFIC IIIHTUKIUU OF NOItTU AMKKICAN UlUDM.

cow or li(»r«(' (liinjjf, a Mtimo, a jjioco of wood, or i; i-l ■! :,t' . !I, and now and tlion
in an old cow or ImrMti traik, niado wliilo tho soil was soft from rain. 'I'lio n»'Ht
in usually very liard to locato, iw both parunts aro vi'ry wati'liful. Karly in tlu*
day tin* fcnialu will usually luavo hcforo you ar(f within f)() yards of it, cn't-pin;;
away for soino distancf, croiiclKMl dost' to tiic j;round, huforo takin;;' win^i, or tho
uiaht will w:iru her l»y Hyin;;' across tlic (iclil, |»assin}r close l>y the n('stin<r site,
when slu* takes win<; also and is then chased by him forsouio distantu*. Toward
e\eiiinfi- they are not so cautious, and very often the nest can be approached
within a few f(U't, and when the female is suddenly surprised in this manner slu»
will Hy only a few yards, aliffht, and be;;in pi^ckin^c the <fround as uncotu'ornedly
as if her nest were not within a mile. In fact, tlu- only anxiety 1 have ever seen
these birds show when tlu'ir nests contained ej^j^s was by fiyiiij;' overhead while
an iutru<h'r was close to it, but they lU'ver ali;fht near it tliems(dves, iiow-
ever, wlu^n the nest contains youn;,' they act quite dith-rently ami Itecomc* {^reatly
ajjitated, fre(piently uttering'- an alarm note, somethiu'f like 't.seet, tseet,' hovering;
overhead i>v Hyin;^ across the field, ali^^htin;;' occasionally foi' a few seconds on a
f(Mice post, only to take winj,' a^ain tlut ne.\t mimite, and utterinji' their alarm
note constantly.

"Tlu^ early nests nrv built very com]iiictly and are warndy lined. First u
cu'cular hole is scratched in the ;iroimd, just deep euou;;li .so that the upper rim
of the nest will bo flush with the surface. The outer walls ant composed of soft
dead ji'ra.ss, and the inside is lined with thistht down and dry nudlein leaves ( \'rr-
hd.sriim), picked into small piei^es, wherever they can be «d)tained, the W(tolly
nature of these leaves makiu}'' a warm and comfortable lining;'; but whe.rt? theses
are not to be had, and where railroads an* near by, cotton waste* is often ^'ub-
stitutod. An occa.sional feather and the blos.soms of the mayweed (3f(initii) an*
also used now and then. Later in tlu* season, when the weather is warmer,
loss attention is paid to the linin<f of the ne.st.

"After tlu* first brood is hatched and the* youufj are aide to leave the nest,
they are always attctnded by the male, who keej)s them tojfether and {iuards
them, while the female is busily enfjajj^ed incubatinjf a second clutch of e<'p^«.
The weather <lurin<4' the latter jiart of Mandi is often very pleasant and warm,
only to be followed by a heavy fall of snow about Ajanl 1, when a j^ood many
unfinished nests and incomidetc* sets of ejij^s are .snowed under and ileserted
by the owners; in fact, only a few birds will clin<r to their ne.sts under such
ciiTiunstaii(*es, as I liave found many abandont'd ones in different scas.t)i»i
Durinjf tlu* latter part of Aj)ril and thr(aijih the sumnu-r season the hi
to desert the meachiws and pastures, and are then more fmiueutly i i in
potato and cabbaj^e fields, 1 suppose on account of the growth of the gi,. s, as
they ))refer ban* •■•round to nest on."

While social birds at all other times, durin<j^ the breedinpf season the Prairie
Honied Larks are rarely seen in flocks, each i)air keepinjf to themselves. 1 )urinj;
the matin<r and breedin}^' season the male indulj^cs in fre(pu'nt bui'sts of son<^',
ascending into the air very much like the Euro[)ean Skylark, but its vocal

TIFK I'HAIRIK HOIINKI* liAUK.

8:)7

jiowtTH, ultliou^li riitluT i)U'iiHiiij,' to tlio car arc iippurciitly not oqiiiil to tlumo of
the liitt«<r. Kiirlyin tlm h»himou tlio tiMimlo uIko mukcs tlicsc aerial aHcciitM ocra-
nioiially, not to mucIi urcat licijflitM, howovcr, an the inah-; Imt as soon as hIic
lu'^riiiH housekeeping she huconies more (piiet ami retiring;, lier maternal duties
taking- up hur entire time. On thu whole, all of our Horned l^arks are rather
jrentle and amiahly dispostid hirds, rarely (luarrelinj-; with each other cxccjitinj,''
during the mating season, when suitors for the sauie female indulge in occasional
bickerinjfs, which never amount to anything Herious, ono or the other shortly
}ii\in<^ way. Uivals <i-enerally Ijcffin i>y chasin<.f each other on tlm ffmund until
the pnrsutMl takes win;^-, when his opponent (piickly follows and daslu^s a^rainst and
lights him in the ail' until oncf or the other n^treats. The victorituis suitor then
(piickly returns to his coveted mato and struts befon* her with raised ear tufts and
trailiiiff wind's, very much in the same maimer as the Knf,dish Sparrow. These
small tufts of black feathers directly over the eyes are reailily erected, ami look,
at a distance, like little horns, and the name of Horned Lark is due to this fea-
ture. Tlu^y are generally raised when any susjiicions object apjiroaclies. In
winter, when tlu( <jround is covered with snow, these birds become very tanm
and <5;entlo, and may often be seen feediuf^- in small tlocks in the streets and
among the poultry in tho barnyards, merely hopping a foot or two to ono wido to
let ono pass.

Tho Prairie Horned Lark is one of our earliest binls to nest, and [ have
been informeil that nests (lontaining eggs have been found in tho vicinity of Mil-
waukee, Wisconsin, by February 2.'{. An average nest of this specit^s, now before
nu', taken near Fort Snelling, Minno.sota, by Dr. K A. Mearns, Ignited States
Army, on dune H, IH90, measures 4 inches in outer diameter by 1?J inches in
flepth, and the inner cup is "J^ ii\ches in width by 1 inch in depth. An occasional
nest is lincMl with a few horsidiairs oi- tine gras.s roots.

Two and occasionally three liroods are rai.sed in a season, and incubation,
which hists about fourteen days, is, I believe, about ecpially shared by both sexes;
the ymnig aro also cared for by both jtarents; they grow rapidly and lea\e the
nest before they are alile to fly well. 'Phe male usually takes care of tluMU,
pointing out suitalde food, i)Ut does not fet'il them; they have to pick it up, and
soon loarn to |)rovide for themselves. Tlu^y utter a faint "pee|i-peoj)" while
feeding, and itefore they can fly \\v\\ they hidi; among the grass and weeds at
the alarm note of their parents. Many nests and young are yearly destroyed
l»y cattle stepping on them, and by prowling cats and Ncrmin, ami, although
this subspecies is very prolilic, it is donl)tfnl if more than a single brood from each
pair reaches maturity.

From three to live eggs are laid to a .set, usually three or four, sets of ii\e

being rarely found. 'J'hese eggs resend)le those of the preceding subspecies in

-^liapo and color, but are somewhat smaller and n.sually slightly lighter colored.

. a set of four eggs taken by Mr. Henry Fisher, msar May wood, Illinois, on

ly 24, 187!(, the ground c(dor is suffused with a ])ale laveiuh^r tint, and ono of

no eggs shows a rather large, irregular blotch of pale purple on tho side.

168!t(!— N(). a 22

f

i

'il

It

3:J8

LIFE IIISTOUIES OF NORTH AMKUICAN UIUDS.

I., «

I

mm

mi

Tlii; iivonv^(^ nioasuromeiit of sixty spccinions in tlio United Stutoa Nutiona'l
MiiMC'inn collection i.s 21.(1') by lA.TS niilliinotnis, or about O.H;") by 0.(!2 incii.
Tlic largest eg<r of tlio series ineasures 24.13 by 1(1 niillinietres, or OM!i by 0.()3
inch; the smallest, 1.S.'2!) by U.'J'J millimetres, or 0.72 by 0.5!) inch.

Tiitt typo specimen, No. 247."U (IM. 5, Fi<f. 25), from a set of three e}y}f.s,
Ralph c<»!li'ctioM> was taken by the late Mr. (Seor<^e E. Harris, near HuHalo,
New York, on March I'J, 1S!)0, and represents one ot the lif^htor-coKtred and
iiner-marked exam[)les found aiuonjf the eg;;^s of this subspecies.

128. Otocoris alpestris arenicola Mknsuaw.

liKSDIir lloilNKI) I.ARK.

0\t<K:<>rjiii\ iitiiiniriH arenirola llENSUAW, Auk, I, July, 1884, 2(ia.

(IJ _,(;_, li _, (J —, i: I74().

(iKOiiRAriueAi, RANOK: Ueyious of the (iiwit I'liiiiis, llic, Udcky IMouutanis, ami tlie
(ircat liasiu; north, as till' as pusitivfly known, to about the northern boundary of the United
states, and <;ertainly also into tht; southern pat'ts of tiie I'ruvinces of Alberta and western
A.ssinib<)ia, in tlu; Dominion of Canada; east to western North and South Dakota, the
western hrlf of Nebriiska, Kansas, the Indian and Oklahi»na TeiTit<)ries, and northwestern
Texas; wt^st throufjiiout the nittre, arid portions of Idaho, Nevada, i'ud southeastern Cali-
fornia, east, of the SieiiM Xevadas, as well as throu;;!! the intervening re^^ions; south in
winUir tliroufjli northern Ari/.ona and New Me.vico to sontiiern Te.xas and eastern Me.xico.

The breedin<>- raimo of the De.sert Horned Lark is both an e.vtended as well
as a varial)le one, bre(Mlin<;' as it does on the hiji'lier liocky Mountain plateaus of
Montana, ('ohuiulo, n<irthern New Mexico, and Aiizona up to altitudes of about
1(>,(MI() i'l-et, as well as in the hot descu't valleys of southern N(*vada and south-
en. iiin ( -alifornia, where it apjjcai's al)out equally common. The northern limits
of its l)rcediiii'' ranf^i! uu([Uestional)ly extend well lieyond our border into the
I'rovinc(;s of All)(M'ta and Assiniboia. In the fuiiner province 1 saw FIoriKfd
Larks on tlu^ outskirts of (!alf,^ary, feetliu;;' closi; to the (Canadian Pai-ific IJail-
roa<l tracks, in tlu^ latter part of .May, l.SI(4, which are in all prol)al)ility n-feraliK*
to this sul)species, as the surroimdinj^' country is fpiit(! similar to that found in the
vicinit\- of Fort (hi;ter, Montnia, where it breeds abundantly. Dr. .bunes (J.
Merrill, I'uited States Ai'iuy, also found it l)reedinj>' (piiti? conmionly in the
vicinity of Fort Shaw, Montana, antl states: "Tlu^ nests are [ilaced anywluM-e
in th(^ op(;n prairie, and are little mont than slif^ht depressions in the j^'round,
lined with a few dry blailes of i>ra.ss. ( )ften there is not the slightest shelter or
concealment; at other times the nest is ])artly hidden by a, tuft of jirass, a stone,
or a bntfain lione; the e^-^s jipc usuallx' tiu'ee in mnnber."

Its general iial)its, fond, <'tc., are very similar to those of the Trairic* Horned
Lark. 1 hav(^ met with ir as a sunmu'r resident in various parts of the AVest, at
Fort ('uster, Montana, and in many ]»laces throughout southern lilaho, Nevada,
and southeastern California, where it fre(|uents the plains or rolliu};' coimtry,
covered with short bulfalo <;rass or a stunted j^rowth of .sajfelu'ush, avoidin<i' the
more luxiniant "■•owth of the nnister river vallevs. 1 have seen scores ot theso

/'^.

t\

■>?v

Tllli IM'ISKKT HOKNHI) LARK.

339

birds miles away from water, and they may frequently be observed running
along the roads in search of food and engaged in taking dust baths. Manj'^
jire yearly destroyed l)y the terrific. iiailst(»rins so prevalent along the eastern
sh)i)esof the Rocky Mountains, while others are often benumbed and smothered
on tlie open prairies, where there is little or no slielter from sudden blizzards and
fierce snowstorms; taking it all in all, they seem to have a hard fight for life,
and it is a wonder that so many survive.

Mr. William (J. Smith writes: "While T lived in the I'latto River Canyon,
40 mihis west of Denver, (Colorado, a terrible .snowstorm set in sudihudy in April,
and with it came tiiousands of these birds, which tried to .shelter themselves
under projecting banks. Tiu! majority were soon so chilled by the intensely
cold wind which was blowing at the same time, that they could not move, and
were ([uickly smothered by the drifting snow; and after this melted bushels of
their dead bodies coidd be picked up everywhere. My children brought a great
many live birds into the house. They seemed comphitely bewildered and made
no attempt to escape (iapture, but seemed very thankful for their freedom ue.xt

' i\

'!■•-■'

n(Ml

lil-

ble

the
C.

the

I ere
mid,
■f or
one,

)rned
4, at
,iida,
ntry,
X the
these

Many of thes(« birds winter within the United States along our southern
bonier, in the Colorado l)es(M*t and similar l(»calities, while a few may be found
in midwinter oc(^asionally as far north as latitude li'.i\ Of fourteen specimens
sent me in the (lesh by Mr. William (J. Smitii, of liovelaiul, (./'oloi'ado, shot <»n
.lanuary Ift, 1892, twelve w(M'e intermediate between Otocon.s alpcatris hmroUema
and Otocoiis alprstriti turiiicold, an<l but two werci typical e.\am))les of this
subspecies, probably all i)eing migrants from the north.

The l)reeding season of tht; Desert Horned I^ark connnences apjiarently
nuicli hiter than that of the I'rairie Horned Lark in similar latitudes, and even
nuicii farther south. 'I'lu; (^rliest brei-ding record I (ind among tlu^ series of
eggs of this subsp"ci(^s in the United States National Museum collection is one
of my <>wn, a set of three eggs taken near Fort Custer, Montana, on May IG,
ISSf), in which incniiation was well advanced; the latest is from the Hlack Hills,
ill South Dakota, duly iM, 18511. TIk; majtu'ity of t!ie records fall in June, and
two are in .July. Mr. ltoi)ert Ki<lg\vay found a nest of this sui)S|)ecies, with four
eggs, near Trr.ckee, Nevada, on June i5, 18(!8. i'r(il)ai)ly two l)roods are raised
in a season. From three to four eggs are laid to a set. They resemble those of
the previously describi'd sul)species very closely, both ill shape and coloration,
exci;ptiiig that an oi>'asioiial set is rather more (iveiily and lighter colored, giving
the i'i<:iy a uniform pale gray a])i)earance.

'i'lie av(!rage measurement of forty-live specimens in the Uniteil States
National iMuseum collection is 21.84 by lA.Ho millimetres, or about ().8(j by 0.(i2
inch. 'I'he largest egg of the series measures 23.37 by 17.02 millimetres, or 0.!>2
by 0.07 inch; the smallest, l!).5(i by ir).24 millimetres, or 0.77 by O.GO inch.

The type specimen, No. 21!)7! (1*1. 5, Fig. 2(1), from a set of three eggs,
was taken by Dr. James C. Merrill, United States Army, near Fort Custer,
Montana, in June, 188!, and represents one of the pule gray tyjii-s previously
mentioned.

t'i ; 'J

■ I '

-K

1^1

01

■v^v*-

340 LIFE UlSTOltlES OF NOKTH AMEIUCAN BIUDS.

129. Otocoris alpestris giraudi IIenshaw.

TEXAN HOKNEU LARK.

Otocoryu alpestris giraudi IIenshaw, Auk, I, July, 1884, 266.

(B — , C — , It — , C — , IT 474f/.)

GKOCiiiAPHicAL UANrtE: Coiist regions of southern Texas.

The l)ree(liiijf riuij^e of the Texan Honied Lark is coextensive with its geo-
graphical distrihiition in the United States. It seems to be found along the entire
coast line of Texas, breeding from Galveston to Point Isabel, near the mouth
of the liio Grande. Its range does not appear to extend very far inland, and it
is ])robably a resident throughout the year; still this is not certain, as there are,
so fur us I am awai-e, no winter specimens taken in the United States in any of
our larger ornithological coUectittus.

Mr. W. E. Grover, of Galveston, writes: "The Texan Horned Lark is
locally known here as 'Cliii)|)ie' and 'lioad Chijjpie,' as it is essentially a ground
bird. It frequents the level, grassy prairies along the Gulf shore, and may
frecpieutly be observed in the wagon roads; hence its local name. I do not
know how early it arrives iu this vicinity; 1 noticed a few on April 1, and by
May they are abundant. The nest is built in a saucer-shaped hole scratched
out by the birds, and here it is nearly always placed alongside of bunches of
wild chamomile {Matriairia coromttii) growing dose to the road; it is con-
structed of dry jiriiirie grass and lined with thistle down. The top of tho nest
is even with the surrounding ground."

All the nests of the 'lY'xan Horned Lark I have seen are nmch more sub-
stantially l)uilt than any of the balance of the sub.species breeding within the
United States. The United States National Museum is indebted to Mr. II. P.
Att vater for several of their nests and eggs — in fact, for all that are in the
collection at present. One of these nests, containing three eggs, on the point
of liatcliing when found on Aiu'il 'I'd, 181(2, is an inuisually bulky one. It was
placed in a pile of dry cow ilroppings near the .shore of Aransas Pay. The
outer walls arc; chicHy constructed of salt-cedar twigs (^MomiiithocMoc I'lttotulis),
and the lining consists of dry sea moss picked up on the shore. It measures
(! inches in outer diamcfter by 2.^ inches in height. The inner cup is 3 inches in
width by 2 inches in dejjth. An average ne.stfrom the same h)cality, taken May
2;$, lHf)2, containing four eggs in which incubation had connnenced, measures
about 4 inches in outer diameter l)y 1;( in height; the inner cup i.s about 2\
inches in width by 1.] inches in depth. Kxternally it is also compo.sed of small
twigs of salt cedar and coart.e dry grass, and it is sjjaringly lined with blades
of dry grass, anil a few feathers.

Mr. Attwater writes me under date of March 20, 1893: "Quite a number of
Texan Horned i^arks here, are still in small flocks; a few, however, seem already
to be mated, l)Ut 1 have thus far l)cen unable to locate anv of their nests."

THK TKXAN IIOUNEI) LARK.

341

tlie

)(iiut

was

L^t* in
M.iy

>)i.

tlad

CH

her
•eatl

of

All the eggs in the United States National Museum collection excepting a
single set were taken in the third week in May, evidently second hroods, and
a nest, witli three young birds about a couple of days old, was found on April
19, 1892, indicating that the breeding season coniniences probably about the
latter part of March and lasts through April and May. The usual nuMil)er of
eggs laid to a set appears to be three or four, and these resend)le very closely
tho.se of the otiier subspecies already described, both in shape and coloration.
Two specimens show a couple of dark-colored hair lines about their larger ends,
resendiling those found on our Orioles.

The average measurement of fourteen specimens in tiie United States
National Museum collection is 21.90 by 1').54 millh..8tres, or about 0.H6 by ().(!1
inch. The largest egg measures 23.()2 by 1(> millimetres, or 0.93 by O.GS inch;
the smallest, 20.83 by 14.99 millimetres, or 0.82 by 0I)\) inch.

The type specimen, No. 251.'')9 (PI. f*, Fig. 27), from a set of four eggs,
was taken and donated to the collection b}' Mr. H. P. Attwater, neai- llockjjort,
Aransas County, Texas, on May 19, 1892, and represents one of the lighter
styles of coloration found among these eggs.

130. Otocoris alpestris chrysolaema (Waolek).

MEXICAN IIORNKD LAKK.

Alauda chrysolwrna WAia.EU, lais, 18;U, ."»30.

Otocoris alpestrin clirynolwiiia Htk.ineokk, Proceedings U. S. Natioinl Miisciiin, V, iss:.', .'it.

(B — , C 53a, U 300/;, 0 84, 17 474f.)

Gkooraphical uange: Tablc-laiuls (tf Mexico, from Vera Cniz nortliward. including
tlie liiglier plateau regions of northern Lower Galiforni:i, as well 11s the coa.st districts west
of the (Joast Itaiige in California, north to about latitude 3!)^.

Tiie breeding range of the Mexican Horned Lark, wliile ipiite an extensive
one, is still very imperfectly defined, there being but little material on hand
fronv M(!xico, and tliis only from about the extreme southern limits of its range
where it is known to breed. Nothing is known regarding its distribution througli-
out central Mexico, while in Lower California it appears to be conlinud, during
the breeding s(>as(>n at hsist, to the more nortlumi ))arts of the i)eninsula. '

Ml'. A. W. .Vntiiony writes me: '■^ Oloniris iil/irsfriK rlir;/s()lifiii(t nests on tlie
San J'edro Martir Mountains at altitudes of nbdiit 8,r)00 feet, while on botii tin*
eastern and western slopcss it is replaced during tlie breeding season by Olttcorifi
(ilpc.stris 2Milli(l((, a strikingly ditiereiit race." It is also reported as brcediiig at
Siin Quentin, near the coast. It is not uncommon throughout the coast districts
of southern ('alifornia, and apparently reaches tiie northern limits of its range
lure in Sonoma Countv, about latitude 39°.

' Siller tlii« wiiH writtdii Uio 1'. S. I>i'|inrtiii(tiit iif A(jri<MiUiirn Iiiis olitaiiii'cl quite iiii osli>ii«ivii Kt'iins
of HkiiiH Cioiii tlin Stilton of I'lH'hla, Mi'xico, Micliil);o, Tliixi'itlii, anil ('liiliiialiiiii, Mi'xioo, taken at ililliTent
aeiiHoiiH, wliirh Hoeiii to lie all rcfrralih* to tliiH racts tiinl tiidicato that tln« Mi-xiraii lloriirtl I. ark Ih pretty
geiieruUy dUtribiitvil in Hnitalile localitlt'8 lliron>tbaiit tbi* );i't!Utur purl of tliu Jlrxiciin Ifupiiblic.

I I.

•iflilfl

we

! !•<

1

If i
li'

^

^^ )

^unffln s

342

LM'E IIISTOKIKS OF NORTH AMKHFOAN BIHD8.

Its general habits, food, etc., are very similar to tlio other subspecies of this
genus. Mr. F". Ste])hens writes nio: "The Mexican Horned Lark breeds in most
of the larger valleys (if not too wet) throughout southern California, from sea
level to the pines. Near Riverside they nest in the orchards and vineyards, but
in other localities the nesting site is usually away from the l)ru8h. A nest con-
taii.ing two eggs was found l)y me in a salt mar.sli at False Uay, near San Diego,
California, which was situated similarly to those oi Ammodramus heldhit/i."

Mr. Rollo II. IJeck writes that this subs])ecies is a common resident in
Santa Clara County, when* it l)reeds in consideralde numbers, both in iields
adjoining sloughs that coimect with San Francisco Bay and in the hills on
the eastern side of the valley. Mr. Charles A. Allen reports it as conunon in
JIarin County, and several males sliot by him near Nicasio on April 2!), 18!>0,
sent me for examination, are referable to this subspecies. Nearly all of the eggs
of this subspecies in the United States National Museum collection were taken
in the vicinity of Santa Cruz, California. A set from the extreme southern
limits of its range, taken by Mr. E. W. Nelson near I'erote, Vera Cruz, Mexico,
is probably referable to this subspecies. 'I'his nest, foimd on June (i, 18!>.'{, con-
laiiJed only two eggs, in whicl; incubation had commenced; these are somewhat
larj^'er than eggs from southern California. The nesting habits of the Mexican
Horned Lark are (piite similar to tiiose of the other subspecies of this genus.
Oc.'asionally a nest is found in a j)erfectly open situation; at other times it is
somewhat slieltered by a buncli of grass or weeds: and again it may be placed
ill cultivated fields, etc. Mr. G. 11. Atkinson took a ne.st containing four fre.sh
eggs near Santa Clara, California, on May 18, 181(4, placed beside a row of
carrots, and composed entirely of dried gras.ses; and on June 14 another
nest, containing tln-ee fresh eggs, was found in a similar situation, ])robably built
by the same pair of Ijirds. Niditication usually begins about the middle of
Ai)ril, and probably twt» broods are regularly raised in a season, as fresh eggs are
freipiently found in June. Fi'oni two to four are laid in a set, generally three.
These resemlile those of the previously describeil subspecies in coloration and
shape.

The average measurement of twenty eggs in the Ignited States National
Museum collection is 20.6!) by 15.37 millimetres, or about 0.82 by 0.60 inch.
Tlie largest egg of the series (one of the .set from Ferote, Vera Cruz, Mexico)
measures 2;$.l 1 by 10.24 millimetres, or 0.91 by 0.60 inch; the smallest, 1'J.05 by
15.24 millimeire,s, or 0.75 by (>.(!() inch.

The type specimen. No. 21028 (1*1. ;>, r^ig. 28), from a set of tlireo eggs,
Merrill collection, was taken near Santa Cruz, California, in April, 187!), and
has been selected as showing the ground color rather clearly.

THE KUDDY IIUKNKI) LAUK. 343

131. Otocoris alpestris rubea Hknshaw.

UirDDY IIOKNKI) LAUK.

0[toconfii] atpestrin riibeus Henshaw, Auk, I, July, 1884, L'CT.

(B-. (J-,B-,0-, 1-474/.)

OEOGRAPillciAL RANGE: Viilloys of t\n\ interior of (^alit'ornia, inainIytlio.se hotdeiinp
the Sacramento lliver, north to alxmt latitude KP, between tlie eoast ranj-es anil the Hi<n ra
Nevada; soutli into the San Joa<iuin Valley in winter.

Tho broc'iliuff riing'c of tlio IJiuldy Tfonicd Lfirk is coiifiiu'd, ns far iis
known, to a compiirativoly .siimll aroa of tlm interior of tlit' nortlicrn lialf of
California, flic valloys of tho Sacrauionto liivor and its larger tril)ntari."s, and
pos.sihly also to tlio ninilicrn parts of tlii' San .loaipiin \'alli'y, liiit this is not
yet po.sitivoly known. It is <;-enerally a resident where foun<l, excepting- in
nnnsnally Hevero winters, when it niijjrates to more coiiffenial localities in the
sonthern part of the State.

]\[r. Charlies II.Townsend, in speakinjif of this subspecies, says: "This form
of the Horned I^ark is a very common inhabitant of tho jdains and open country
everywhere in northern ('alifornia. It was found in linu'ted nuMd)ers on the
sasre-covered districts north of Mount Shasta in midsunuuer. 'J'h(Mloseh'-"razed
sheep pastures of thii Upper Sacramento A'alley were alive with them in April
and j\Iay, and tliey were al)undant in Jxdy on tho {grassy |)liiiiis east of Mount
Las.sen. As I was not at Red Hlulf in midsummer or midwiuter, I cannot allirui
that they are always present there, but think it not unlikely; a. few were nestiii}^'
there late in May. On May 4 I found a most remarkabht nest of e;.>jis, in all
j)robability of this species. I had secured a number of Horned Larks tho same
mornin<»- in a stubble field, and a nest coutaininii' oue e<^<>' of the nsual olive-
white col<»r, with minute dark spots, so characteristic of the e^-^' of the species,
when a plowman ajjproached with a lu-st containin;r thiee coos of similar size
and pattern of markiui^', but so suH'usi'd with a rich reddish brown as to be
inu'ecoji'iiizalile. The uian said thev were those of a bird exactK' lik(^ the Otn-
coris in my ba.sket Moth nests were of eipial size, loosel}' made of jj^rasses and
weeds, and jdaced amonjf the clods and stul)ltle. There wei'e no other l)irds on
the entire jdain lint Horned Larks, ami as tlui e<><;s aji'rei^ a\ ith no others, there
i.s no alternative but to call them ejijjs of this species."'

Tho general habits, food, etc, reseuibht those of tho other meudjers of this
family very closely, as well as the ej^ys, of which there are few in the I'uited
States National Museum collection — only thos(^ taken by Mr. Townsend, men-
tioned already. Tla threi; reddish-colori'd eji'^s are uiapu'stionably r(^i'erable to
this uibspecies, and su<'h instances of abnormal coloration ar(^ known lo occur
oiH'asionally in other species as well. Two parallel cases will be luuiid amou^'
those describi'd of tlu^ ( 'aliforiiia Jay and the Crow, iu whicli the normal green
color and darker markiujis an* replaced by ruddy and pinkish liutf tiut.s.

I ProcetMliiiK" i>l' lliv r. S Nntidniil Miihcmiii, \ iil. ID. IsnT, p. L'KI.

•.?(■'..

•I

U, !

li!

344

LIKl-: IIISTOUIKS OF NORTH AMUKK'AN BIRDS.

Tho moiisuremeuta of the four oggs of thia Hubspecies in the United States
Natiouiil Museum collection lire as follows: The single nonnally colored egg, No.
21703, taken on May 4, 18H4, niesisures 19.81 by 15.24 millimetres, or 0.78 by
O.GO inch; No. 21704, a set of three eggs taken on the same date an<l at tho
same place, the reddish-colored specimens, measure, respectively, 20.83 by
14.73, 18.r)4 by 14.48, and 1<»..'^G by 14.48 millimetres, or 0.82 by 0.r>8, 0.73 by
0.57, and 0.77 by 0.57 inch.

The type specimen, No. 21704 (PI. 5, Fig. 20), the largest I'f^fi; of the set
just menti(med, was obtained by Mr. Cliarles 11. Townsond near Red Ulutf, Cal-
ifornia, on May 4, 1884, and represents an abnormally colored specimen of this
subspecies.

1 i<

132. Otocoris alpestris strigata Henshaw.

STREAKED HORNED I.AKK.

0\tocor!/ii\ alpentrlH KtriijnUi Henshaw, Auk, I, July, 18.S4, 2(i7.

(R -, C -, R -, <' -, U \1\<j.)

Oeooraphioal HANOe: Coiist regions of Oregon, Washington, and soutliern British
Cohinibia, west of tlie Oasendu Mountains; south in winter to southern Ciilifornia.

Tile breeding range of the Streaked Horned Fiark, as far as known, is
confined to the coast districts of Oregon, Wasliington, and southern Uritish
Columbia, including the areas of heavy rainfall, and it proljably also l)reods in
similar localities in northern (California. In these generally heavily timbered
regions it inhabits the few dry prairies and more open valleys found near the
coast. Jfr. II. P. Lawrence met with a single specimen near Uidgefield, (Harke
County, AVashington, where it a|)peared to be rare, on duly 13, 18!)2. During
a recent visit to Puget Sound, in May, 18!I4, [ ftmnd it moderately common on
the dry, gravelly plains between Tacoma and Steilacoom, in Pierce County.
While some were still in small flocks, many were apj)arently already mated,
and some, judging from tiieir actions, had nests dose by; but on aconuit of the
limited time at my disposal 1 di<l not succeed in finding any. jMr. John Faimin,
curator of the Provincial ^Inseum, A'ictoria, British Columliia, records specimens
taken at Burrard Inlet, (Miilliwhack, and other localities west of tlie Cascades,
in this j)rovince. .Mr. A. W. i\nthony met witli this race at Heavertiai, Oregon,
where it l)reeds. A deserted nest containing three eggs was found by him on
.May 21, 1S84, jilared in an old cow track, consisting merely of afew grass steins
iuid lincfl with a little cattle hair. Tiiese eggs measure 20.83 by 15.24, 20.57
by 15.24, an<l 20.07 by 14.!»!' miilimetn's, or 0 S2 l)y 0.(iO, 0.81 by O.HO, and
0.79 by 0.59 inch, and are undoubtedly referable to tliis subspecies. On May
25 a female was shot with an {'\<:\f in tlut o\iduct ready to dc'iiosit. Tiie ground
color of the set ])nniously mentioned shows the pah^-greenish tint occasionally
found in the eggs of this genus, and one of them has a few reddish-brown

THE STREAKKD HORNED LARK.

845

hair lines Hcaitered over its center. Not Iwin^f alwolutoly identified, T linvi not
fiffured one of them. SjiecinieiiB taken in winter at Sakun, Orefjon, by Dr.
Clinton T. t'ooke, have l)een identified as this subspecies; tlie majority; howivor,
move farther south, spendinjjf the colder part of the year in southern California.

133. Otocoris alpestris adusta DwKiirr.

SCORCHED HOKNKI) I.ARK.

OIocoHh alprntriH ailimtn DwiOHT, Auk, VII, April, l«90, 148,

(H — , U — , U — , C — , U 474 A.)

(lEOGUAPHicAL KANOE : Soutliefii Arizuiia and New Mexico, western Texas, and
soutliwurd into nortliern Mexico.

'i'he l)reedinff range of the Scorched Horned Lark is confined to tlie south-
ern borders of the United States throuj^h southern Arizona, the f^reater part of
New Mexico and western Texas, south into northern Mexico. I'iiis race inhabits
the more arid valleys and table-lands so common in the ref^ions menti(tned, and
in .suitable localities it is resident throughout the year. In New Mexico it has
been found breeding as far north as Santa Fe, which probably marks the noi'th-
ern limits f)f its range. The Scorched Horned Lark is a connnon l)ieeder in
the vicinity of Forts Iluachuca and Howie, in southern .\rizona, where Mr.
Frederick Hall Fowler found a number of their nests and eggs; and the I'liitcd
States National Museum is indebted to him for all the sets of this subspecio in
the collection.

Its general habits, nests, etc., are similar to those of llu^ other member.i of
this genus. The nests, according to l\Ir. Fowler, are sunk flush with the surlaco
of the ground, and are usually jdaced be.side a tussock of grass or a pieci- of
dry cow dung in the o])en jdaiu, and more rarely luidcr a bush, as these are
more or less freipiented in midday by snakes and egg-eating lizards. The
nundier of <'ggs laid to a set varies from two to four, sets of threcf being most
common. The eggs rcsciidile those of our other Horned Larks in color inid
markings, but are mostly short o\ate in shape. The nesting season appears to
be at its lu'iglit in April, and jtrobaldy several broods are raiscfd in a season.

'^riu! average measurement of fifteen l'^xus m the United States National
]\Ius(>um collection is "_M.27 ity lli.OS millimetres, or al)out 0.M4 by O.dii in-h
The largest f^'^ in the series measures "i.'J.SS by KJ.'Jd millimetres, or (I.!t4 i>y ('Ail
hu'h; the smallest, lil.ati by K! millimetres, or 0.77 by O.*!.'? inch.

The type specimen, No. 2r)'i4"J (IM. .'), Fig. iM ), from a .set of thret^ e<.igs,
was taken 1»\ Mr. Fi't'derick Hall Fowler, near Fort Iluachuca, .Vrizona, on ^lay
5, 1H92, and represtuits one of the larger eggs of this subspecies.

^ ^1

•"(

m

m

1 ,Jl'lv

346 LIKU lIlSTOKlEa OF NOUTll AMERICAN U1UD8.

134. Otocoris alpestris merrilli l>\vi(iiiT.

DUSKY IIOKNKI) l.ARK.

OtocoriK alpeKtriM merrilli DwuiHT, Auk, VII, Ajtiil, lH!Ht, 15,5.

(H — , (' — , It— , (! — , 1: »7I/.)

flEoouAPiilOAL UANOE: From soiitliorii Hritish Colmiil)ia sonf li tliiouKli Wiwliington
aii(l()rcj;*H'Ciist<>ftlic<'ftS('!ule Moiiiitiiiiis, anil northern Ciiliforniii.castof flic SicrriiNcvaila,
east to southwestern Alberta ? and Idaho; south in winter to Nevada and ('alifornia.

TIk' In-ccdiiij;- liiii;;-!' of tlio Dusky Horned l.ark, as far as known, extends
from tlie eastern slopes of Mount Shasta, in northern CaHfornia, throuoli tln)so
parts of ( )re<:;dn, Wasliinijfton, and soutliern Hritisli ( "ohnnhia east of tlie ('asra(h'
Jlountains, nortli to alxiut hititude .51 "; eastward it ranjies tln'ou<,di the more fertile
portions of Idaho, and ([uite likely also into the southwost(!rn jtarts of the
Province of Alberta, in the Dominion of Canada.

'i'his snhspoeies is essentially a bird of the foothills (tlu^ so-called "Imnch
jrrass country," Fcstnca sp. ?) as well as of the more open and <irass-covere<l
valleys and ])lains occasionally found in the mountains, while it is either rare or
entirely absent in the more arid sa<jfebrush ])lains found interspersed throujjfh
the same rejiioitsi I havti met with the Dusky Ibniied l^ark in various parts of
Drej^-on and Washinji'ton, where it is (piite connnoii in suitable localities. While
en ront(^ fr(»m Fort Walla Walla, Washinj;-ton, to Fort Klamath, Orejidn, durin<>'
the latter ])art of May and the first two weeks in June, IHH'i, some of these
birds were almost constantly in sioht wheniver the road jjassed throuj^h o))en
country, and numy youn<>' birds had alrcsady left their nests. At Fort Klamath
they were not unconniion on the j;ravelly prairie adjoinin;^- the I'ost, and Dr.
James C. Merrill, United States Army, found it breedino- there. In the vicinity of
Cam)) TTarney, ()ref;'on, it was very rare in sunnner and oidy seen on the more
open, "irass-covered plains in the central j)arts of the Harney Valley, the InVher
portions of this bein^- covered with a {••ood growth of sagebru.sh (^Artemisia),
which they seem to avoid.

Tts general habits, etc., as well as its nests and eggs, are similar to those
of the oth(;r mendters of this geiuis. lIndoul)tedly two l)i'oods are raised in a
season, as I found a set of two slightly incubated eggs in the (Jreat Hend of the
Colinnbia Hiver on June !•, 1870. The ne.st was jdaced in a slight depression
l)esid(( a, tussock of binich grass near the trail from Lake ( 'helau to Spokane
Falls, Washington, and I found these birds as conunon here as farther sf)uth.
The eiTii's resendde those of the other meiid)ers of this iamilv, and from two to
four are usually laid to a set.

The average measurement of five specimens 'u the Fnited States National
Museum collection is 20.!)5 by ir).!)2 millimetres, or al)out (».8l' liy O.fiS inch.
The largest vyc^^ measures 21.84 by M\.f)\ millimetres, or (I.Hd l)y O.d.'") inch; the
smallest, 'lOM by ir).24 millimetres, or U.8(» l)v 0.60 inch.

w^^Hw^

THE DUSKY HORNED LAUK.

.'{47

Tho typo spociiiioii, No. 2()3S7 (1*1.5, Fiff. 30), Hciidiro collcctioii, from a not
of two ofTfjfs, was takou l>y the writer, and represents a ratlu^r uniform anil evenly
marked egg.

135. Otocoris alpestris pallida Townhknd.

HONOKAN IIORNKI) LARK,

Otovoiin itliiexIriH pdlliilfi TowNSEND, ProcecdiiiKR U. 8. National Mnsfiiim, XIII, l.S!M», l.'JH.

(B — , C — , It — , C — , U 474y.)

(iKodKAiMiiCAL KANOE: Lowcr California anil wcBtern Sonorn, Mexico.

The breeding range of the Sonoran Honied Lark is jjrohably coextensive
with its geograpliical distribution, but ('omi)aratively little is yet known aliout
this small pallid race.

Mr. A. W. iVnthony writes me: "While Otocoris alpritfris chrifsolmmn uosts on
the San 1 Vilro Martir Mountains at altitudes of about 8,500 feet, the nesting form
on l»otli the lower eastern and western slopes of these mountains is Townsend's
(itocori.s (iliicsfris jxiUida, a strikingly different raee." In a more recent letter
(July 8, 18!I4) he writes: "Pallid Horned [..arks are common and breed some-
where not far froni my camp, south of San Quentin, Lowin* (/'alifornia, where
they came to the corral each day in small companies of from two to six, and
over forty were sliot; but their number continued about the same; they dri)i)i)cil
down from high overhead. Skins taken in Decendier sliow strong traces of
intergradation with Otaroris d/jMstris ('hn/sol(em(i." I believe the eggs of this sub-
.species still remain unknown, but tlu^y are not likely to differ materially from
those of our better-known Horned Larks, and its habits are inidoubtedlj' also
similar.

im

■>fj

::W^

•111

.A-

: ' ■ 'I

136. Otocoris alpestris insularis Townskno.

insi:lar iioknki) lakk,

Otocoris iilpestris innulariK ToWNSENO, I'roci'iidinjjs IT. ft. National Museum, \',i, 18!)(», 140.

(|5_, (' _, H_, o— , U— .)

CiKOiiHArniOAi. UANiii:: Islands off tlie coast oC smitlicrn (California, incluiling Santa
Cruz, Santa Kosa, San Nicolas, anil San Cleincate.

This insular race of Homed Lark has not yet been admitted to sub-
specific rank by the American Ornithologists' Union, but as I believe that it is
well entitled to such recognition, I emunerate it among the other niunerous
recognized races of this genus. Mr. Dwiglit, in his paper on the "Horned
Larks," says, on jjage 152: "Mr. C. H. Townsend has kindly loaned me a series
of ten male Horned Larks from the Santa Cruz group of islands, C^ilifoniia,
including the ty))e of the race he calls 'insularis.^ I am much suri)rised to find
his birds practically indistinguiKliabh* from Oregon specimens of strigatu. They

);;ri

u

r>

348

LIVE IIIHTOHIKS OK NOKTII AMERICAN HIRDS.

nro thy Hiimo hIzc, hikI, tlioujjli nvcm};!!!},' ii little darker, tlio impo upproacliinp
brick 1-0(1, hoiuo t)f tliom euu be umtcliod by the few Hpeciineiis of ntri(/<itn I have
for compariMon."

While it is quite tnio that this island rare rowembles the Streaked IToriied
liarks from the northwest coast very closely, still the streaks on the back of the
latter, jiarticidarly on the lower back, nro nnich darker and more shari)Iy defined,
with liifhter interspaces, and the winfj is also shortcsr. 'IMie nnder parts, at least
on the lireast, are pale biitty yellow in sfri/idfa, wliile in insidaris they are alwayH
white, without any yellow tinj^e. Climatic differences must also })e considered,
and the jfreatest ])ossii»l(* variation exists in the respective habitats of thes(! two
races. While the Streaked Horned I^ark inhabits re^^ions of excessive rainfall,
the climate on the islands is exactly the reverse, beinfj; excessively dry and desert-
like, and, furthermore, this insular race is a resident and breeds on these islands,
and the breeding' ranjfos of the two do not approach each other by several
hinidred miles; for theses n-asons I do not consider them to be referable to
.stti()iitn, and they certaiidy can not be included amonf>- chrnsohciiKi, to which
Mr. If. W. lleushav.' orifiinally referred them. lie found them very (M)nnnon
residents on Sai.ta (!rui! Island and broediufr there. lie says: "The nests were
but rude attempts, beinji' nothin<f more than a small i»ile of dried fjra.sses suf-
ficiently hollowed to admit of the reception of the eg<i;s. One (No. 172!I5,
containiu}^ three eg<>s, taken on June 4, 1875, on Santa Cruz Island, California)
is deserving of notice as being placed within tlio cavity of an abalone shell,
one of a large heap lying half overgrown with herbage. The whole cavity of
the shell was filled by the material, and the eggs h»oked very pretty as they lay
contrasted with the shiny, pearly shells clustered about them."

Mr. Ilenshaw, in sptsiking of the social hal)its of the Iloi-ned Lark, says:
"The immense Hocks of these birds that gather together in the fall are well
known, but I was surprised to find to what e'xtent this sociable feeling was
carried during tiie breeding season. Moth on the mainland and on tla^ island
thev were seen all through .lune in scattered tlocks of both sexes, though nearly
all, perhaps all, were at this time nesting. Both sexes incubate, and it ai)i)eared
to be the habit of the birds, when off duty, to repair together in small tlocks,
and thus to wander in search of food. At this season they do not resort much
to the sandv beaches, but keej) on tlu^ upland, wlu^n^ among the herliage they
find moni easily and in greater al)undance the insects and scimIs which they
are fond of"'

Dr. E. A. Mearns, United States Army, foimd this subsjx-cies breeding on
San Clemente, the southernmost island off th(! coast of California, and sent
some fragments of eggs found on Aiigu.st '_'H, 1894, to the United States National
Museum collection. It has n(»t yet been recorded fron\ Santa ('atalina Island,
but as 1 have received Horned Larks' eggs from this island, they ju-obably are
also referable to this race.

lU. S. GcnlogicMl Siirvo)» West of tlio lOOtli MiTiiliaii. Aiipcmlix .1.1, Wlici'li'r, 1S76, ji. 24S.

Tni-: INHI LAIC lIOUNlil) LAKK.

849

Two mttH, uiidi (•oiitiiiiiin>>' tlirt'c^ *'Hii>*, ii<»w in thu rnitcil StiitoH National
MiiHciiiii collt'ction, takttu liy Mr. Ilciisluiw on .Fiiiu* .'t and T), iHTft, on Saiitii
Crii/i Island, ( 'alil'ornia, nioiwuro, iVH|K)ctiv('ly, 22.10 l»y IT). 411, 21.al» Ity 15.24,
and 21.59 by 15.24 MiiHiMioti-oM, or 0.87 by 0.61, 0.H5 by O.fJO, and 0.M5 Ity 0.(10
infh. Tlio other sot nioasiircs 20.;{2 by 15,4I», 20.07 by 15.41), and 111.05 Ity
15.24 Miilliniftivs; or <».80 by 0.(>1, (t.7y by O.Cl, and 0.75 by 0.(10 incii. Tlu-y
ri'soniblc tlic^ ^'Kn'"* "^ *''^' ''tl't-''" subspecit's of this <feniis, and no specimun has
boon tiHUicd.

Family COKVID.K. Cimws, Javs, Maopiks, etc;.
137. Pica pica hudsonica (Saiunk).

.\MI,I(I(AN MA(J1'IK.

CorruH huiUonifUH Saiiink, ApiH^nilix Krivuklin's .lournoy, ISL'H, 25, (171.
Vim i>wa hiidnonivu .loUDAN, .Maiiaul of N'ertela'iitt's, fd. 4, ISH4, !)4.
(H 4.'J2. O l!;{;i, It H8(i, C .'(47, U 47.").)

<ii';o(i|{AiMli('Ai. BAN»B: Middle and wustern North Aiacricii; t'roiii Aliinka and tiio
Alaskan IVninsala soatli tlii'()U{;li Hritisli ('<danil)ia, VVasliiaifton, Orejroii, iiorMiuastt rn
(<alil(>rnia, iioitlitMii and iniddlt- Xi^vaila, iiortlieni Aii/ona, and nortlH-rn NtMV Mexico;
east to east(M'a (Joloi'ado, wcsttu'ii Nt-lnaska, \vt'st<M'a Soatli and North Dakota, and western
Manitoba, as well as the interveain;; re;{ioas, as lltaii, Wyoiaiag, Montana, and Idaho;
casually stra^jfflin;; in winter to westi;rn Kansas, eastern Nebraska, northwestern Iowa,
Miune.sota, Wisconsin, and .MicliiKau, and the Province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada.

The American or Black-billed Maj.;i)ie is one of tlio best known and most
cliaractenstic birds of our western avifauna. It is {fenei'ally a resident and
breeds wheri^vei- found, exceittinj;- perhaps in the extreme northern portions of
its ranye in Alaska and aloiif^' the eastern border (the rejiions of the ( Jreat I'lain.s),
where it o»Hrasionally wanders eastward in the lute fall and winter, probably
di'iven away from its usual haunts by scarcity of food or sev»'re storms, which
so fre(iuently occur in these sections of country.

The American Majjpie is a handsome and strikinji-lookinj'' bird, certain to bo
notictid by anyone, even if not ornitholojiically inclined. It is extrenudy ]iert
in its jicneral bearinj.i' ami movements, both on tin- ^^round and in the trees, and
the stronji'ly contrastinji' colors of its ]>lumaji'e ai'e sure to draw attention to it at
(aice. On the winj;-, however, it siutws to loss advantaj^e; its tlii^ht is slow and
wavering;', and in windy weather evidently laborious. The lonji', weil^ic-shajted
tail .seems then to be decidedly in the way and a positive disadvantage, causinj.^
it no little troubh^ in flyiu}^' from point to point, and in such weather it will only
leave throu}fh necessity the sheltered bottom lands it usually fretiuents.

Althou<ifh nutre or less cpiarrelsome, it is social in disposition and likes to
be in the com|)any of its kind. 1 have freipiently seen from twelve to thirty
feedinfj- to<>ether near a slaujjhterhouse or soine other locality where food was
abundant; but such <>atherin}.(s are oftener met with in the late fall and winter

.'!.■'. .i

^■iij.

M

■i ■ iii

860

U\'K IIISTOUIKS OK NORTH AMKUKJAN IMUDa.

than iluriiifjT flu- hciihou uf rcproductitin. Tlicy iin* jolly, iioiHV Hciini|»s, iiciirly
iilwiiVH cliiittt'riiif;' (ir scoidiii;^', cvfii when iiluiio. When not iiiolt'stol tlicy sdoii
ItiHtt tlifir usual sliyiifss, ami will allow miit trcM|ueiitly to approach tliciii within
a t'uw t't't't; but iiotwithstaiidiu;;- this HciMuiii;; coiitidt'iico they aru I'onstuiitly on
their ^nnrd a<raiiiHt dan^i't-r, and 1 know no hird more intcllii^cnt, and at t\\v
waiiif time more Haiicy, impudent, and tMinniii};' than oin".Ma;>'pio. They appear
to eoiiipreiieiid tlie difl'ereueu butwuen a shotf^un and ii Htick from tho day they
are alile to tly.

I lia\(( had many opportunities to observe these birds closely, and was
lon^' ap) forced to the conclusion that their intellij^cnce and reasoning; powers
are astonishing;'. 1 will oidy mention one Instaiicc* of their sa^fac.ity, showin<f
how several of tliesr birds seeminj^ly worked in perfect accoi'd to a«H'omplish
an object which on*; bird could not have carried out alone. While stationed
at Fort Lajtwai, Idaho, on thu Nez I'erce Indian Reservation, from \HI\\) to 1H7I,
where Maf^pies wiivv exct'edin;;ly abundant, I posses,sed a line setter do}"', my
constant companion on all (^xinu'sioiis, who assisted me in finding' man\ rare
nests, and whom 1 re^iularly fed, j^ivinif him, when the more liipiid portion
of his meal was fmished, a well-l)oiled soup bone, with more or less meat
attacht'd, by way of dessert. 1 made him carry this to the lawn in front of
my (piarters, while I sat on the (lorcli watchin<;° him. 1 soon noticed that
generally a miiuite or so after the <h)<; api)earud with hiw Itono from four to
hIx Ma;ii)ies would inxai'iably l»e close by, though not a single one was in sight
before. These l)irds placed tluMiiselves in diti'erent positions around the dog,
plainly showing a preconcerted arrangenutut, and werit ready tor business at
once. One stationed itself directly in front of tho dog'H nos(( and ab(»ut 2 feet
awa\', another behind, within easy reach of the tail, and one or two by his side.
As soon as the dog bei-ami^ engaged in gnawing his bone, held in place by his
forepaws, tho bird stationiMl in tho rear made a vicious thtsli at his tail and
jtecki'd it severely; this naturally enraged "Rock," who (piickly wheeled ananid,
h'ft the bone, and tried to catch the otlender, who in the nu^antime tlew .slowly
and leisurely away, toling the dog after him as far as possible by fluttering
almost within his reach, and while this little ruso was being enacted tho
remaining i)irds promjjth' helpe(l them.selves. I saw this performance .several
times, and soon noticed that the different birds forming this foraging Jtarty could
lie readily distinguisluMl by tho variation in size, the length of the tail, or some
injury to the tail or wing feathers, etc., and, this lecl to a still more remarkal)le
discovery in this coimection. After the dog returned to i-esunie his interrupted
mt'al, another bird took position at tho (h)g's tail, while the one occupying it
previously moved to the best ])laco, that in front of the dog's head, to enabh*
it to get its .share of the spoils. I observed this maneuver several times, and it
did not take the (h>g very long to see through it as well, so that unless 1 forced
him to stay on the lawn ho would at on(!e carry his bono under the porch, where
the birds did not dare to follow liiiii. If this incident does not .show an extraor-
dinary amount of intelligence ami reasoning })ower, I do not know what would.

> - 1 '' 'm'

TIIK AMKKICAN MAdl'IK

aril

'riicrc hukiiuhI to lie ii |ii'rt'cct iiiiil<Tstiiii<liii;; tVom iIk' start iilioiit tlic Miiidf nt
attack liv wliirli llicy in rimiidiHlicil tlicir |)iir|Mm(', wliirli tuiilil not lia\«' liccii
HUcct'Kstiilly ilniH! ill any iHlitT way.

That tlii'V all' most skillt'iil fliicvcs is well kimwii to any oiir ac(|iiaiiitt'(l
with thcstt hirtls. How to cairy otV an c^'^^' hiiHcr than it ronlil nras|i in its
Itill nii;>lit pii/./.h* a liini of anotlicr spccifs, lint not the Ma^ipii^ It' too hir^**
to carry in tlic ordinaiy way, it simply runs its hcak tliroii;.!'li tht; sliell ami
can'i(!s it otl' in this nianncr. It' one nanumcs to timl tlut ontrancu to a hxnhoiisc,

I.OJ.-S will always

ircc thereafter, .\siihf tVoni its thievinji' propensities it is

also one of the most inischie\(Mis liinls I know, ami enjoys scarin;;' and deceivin;^'
huttor-ltohaved memhers of the feathered trilie. It will mimic the cry of a Hawk
as well as that of the .lay, and seems to ilelijiht in cansin;r the jtoidtry to run in
ever) dii'ection; it also imitates tluf cackle of a hen just after she has deposited
an eji'^i', causing' the roosters to search for her; in fact, it <li'li;;hts in playinj^'
tricks of all kinds, and se(Miis to enjoy them thorou^^hly. An enumeration of
the various misdeeds and lau;iluiitle performances of a pet Ma;.;pie iiehai^^inj;' to

one

.f th

e ca\ulry troops I served with would t

fair-sized hook, hut it

wou

Id

lie out of place here. S(»ine of these birds are far more intelli^oiit than others.
Any luifi'ht, ;.;litteriii;i' oltject is sure to draw their att(!iition, and is promptly
picked up and st'creted, it matters not how lar^i'e it may he, if it i.>* not too heavy
to carry or draji' away.

'Hi

itl

le soutiierii and eastern ranj^o of the American Ma<!;|)io huH hccoiiio some-
what restricted within recent years, and thev are no loii^icr foiiml in certain
localities where thirty years a-^o they were reported as fairly common. It prefers
rather o|ien country, shuns the heavy forests and strictly desert roffloiiH, and in
the Kocky .Mountains has been observed at liiyh altitudes. 'I'he shridibery and
ler^rowth f<iund aloiij;' water courses and springs in the foothill re<iioiis

um

and tile caiivon^ in the lii^-lier inoiintains seen

1.

to be its favorit(f habitat.

Its (a'dinary call note is a (pieruloiis "cack, ca(

or

"chiieck, chiieck,

uttered ill a liij^h key, and is disa;ireeal)le to tli(^ ear, but it freipieiitly utters also
a low, {iiirrulous <;abble, intermixed with wlii.stliii};' notes, not at all uiipleasin}>',
as if talkiu}^' to itself, and if annoyed at anythin<;' it does not hesitate to show its
displeasure by" scolding- in the most unmistakable manner. The Majj'pie spends
coiisideralile time on the f^roiiiid in search of food, and while its walk is some-
what jerky, it is jiracefui, and in moviii;^' about the haiidsoiiK* wedy'o-shajied tail
is slightly elevated and constantly twitched; occiisioiially, as when in a hurry.

the on

tracted, and is oiih- resorted to when iiecessarv.

Hilary walk is varied to a stories of hops. Its flight is never very pro-

Tlut <iifneral habits of the American Ma<ipie vary somewhat in diti'erent

localities.

In some sections, a.s soon as tlie snow disappears.

bird

S WllU

hh

ive

sjK'iit the winter months in the vicinity of farms and cattle or sheep ranches
(niupiestionably attracted to such places by a more abundant food supply) leave
them and retire from the immediate vicinity of settlements to take up their
housekeeping duties in more secluded localities, while in other places these

jW

352

LIVE 1II8TOBIKS OF NOUTII AMliltU.'AN HIIM)H.

hi-l

M

l)irls iv'iiiiiiu tlu* year aroniul anil breed in cIomo j)r(>ximity to man. At Fort
Lai wai, Idaho, more than thirty pairs bred witliin a radius of a mile of tlio
I'ost, aixl several within a hundred yards of sonu^ of tho houses, in pei'foctly
ex)>o ed situations.

Their IoikI duriufi' the f;reater ))art of the year consists mainly of insects,
especially of the larj^c black cricket (so numerous and de.structi\'e in certain
seasons in tho West), {jfrasshoppers, <>Tubs and larvai of different kinds, angle-
worms, crawfish, small nmn,,nals, birds, their youufj and Cfrgs. carrion of all .-iorts,
offal from slau<ihterhouses, nid kitchen refn.se geneially. In the summer and
fall fruits and berries also enter to some extent into their bill of fare. In the
winter, when fooil becomes scarce, tl'<'y are charj;'ed with peckinji- holes in the
backs of sore-backed horses, freshly branded cattle, and .scabby sheep. While
this is possibly true to a limited extent in exceptionally severe winters, 1 have
.lever observed it, althonjih stationed on several Imlian reservations, where
sore-backed ponies were conniion enoug'h; but I have seen them industriously
peckinj>- away at green hides hung out to dry. Mr. .John Bucher, of W.n-ner
Valley. <^iegon, states that he lies ol)served ninn'oers of Magpies on the backs
of caiiie, in the spiing, eating gru)>s, the larvji; of Ift/ftodrniKi hori.-^, which iidest
the backs <if old and thin animn.s, icul lie is liicewise of the opinion the}' do not
contine their attention to the grid> 'ilone, but i)ick at the living flesh as well.

Mr. W. G. .Smith, lately of Lovcland, Colorado, writes nu-; "Among .other
pet;. ! kei)t a. tam<> Magpie and a lot of guinea jtig.s. Several of the latter died
from some unknown cause. l)ne d;i\ I caught tiie Magpie in the act of pecking
out till' eye of one; I then exam'ued the dead ones and found that each had
both eyt.s picked out. A chargi^ of shot soon settled the culj)rit."

The American Magpie is undoubtedly more or less of a rowdy and scape-
grace among its kind, but on the whole 1 think he is not ipiite as black ns usually
])ainted, and while it can not Ik; denied that he dees some harm, I nnist insist
that he idso does considi'rable good, ;ind tlu; latter compensates perhaps for all
his misdeeds.

The nesting season l)egins early; in Colorado, northeastern California,
southern ' >regon, and Idaiio, sometimes in the first wt'ek vt' April, and usually
1)\ the middle of this month; in Wj'.shiugton and Montana, a couple of weeks
later, al)out the latter part of Ai)ril or the beginniiig of .May, and in the more
norihern j»ortions of its ranjre, in the last half of June and l)eginning of .Inly.
In Alaska the se binb have been founo ahnost at the Imrders •>f the Arctic Circle,
and on the Shumagiu I.sland.-, the Alas' an Teninsula, and in the more .southern
portions of ihe territory; in the vicinity of Sitka, they are not uncom.non. Mr.
Chase Litth-iohn writes that he found tlu-m all along the ]>eninsula .vherever
the alder bushes were large enough t.> afford siiclter and where they conUl place
their nests out of ivach of foxes.

'i'he Magpie, once mated, \ believe remains .so through life. 'I'he nest is a
l)ulky and sometimes ipiite an elalxirate affair, and is usiially globular in shape
Out var.lly it is constructed of stlck.s, some of which are occasiouallv 2 feet in

S.'if*

TllK AMKUIOAN MAdl'IK.

353

leiifi'th iuid nearly an iiicli In dianu'tcr, the coarser material heinji' nsed for the
base of the nest. The iinier cup, the nest proper, resenil)les a Uohin's nest some-
what, only lai'fier, and like it is plastered with a coatin<^' of wet nniil reaching'
well ii|) on the sides, but not (piite to the rim. This coatinj^- is can'tully lined
with fine rootlets, diy <jrasses, inner )»ark of the cottonwood tree, and hair; and,
in the vicinity of pine forests, >\ ith pine needles. The nest is domed over with
sniuUer sticks, and the sides ar(^ likewise protected by an open latticework of
similar material, thorny twin's l)ein<i- prefi-rred if obtainable. 'I'he entrance hole
j^enerally opens from the main body of the tree or bush in which the nest is
placed, the latter l)ein<i' usually found in the thickest tan;^le of lind)s, provi<Ied
they are strong enouf>h to support the heavy structure. On good-sized trees the
nests are ofttMi placed well out on a limb, where they are not readily reacheil.
iSome nests which 1 have seen measured nearly ."> feet in height b\- "J.i feet in
width; others again are miu'h smaller and more Himsily l)uilt, scarcely half as
huge, and only moderately domed; occasionally one is found which is almost
open at the top. Mr. 15. ,]. Ih-etherton, writing from Kadiak, Alaska, mentions
a nest there, ]ilaced in a dense tir thicket, about 10 feet from the ground. It was
built on three sa[)lings which grew in the shape of a triangle, the nest being built
a 'lid each, the center being supported by the small l)ranches. Al)out 5 inches
from the top of the nest a roof was built, open all around. He adils: "A
remarkable fact al)out this l)ird is its inability to keep dry; in the rainy wii.ters
it may be seen day after <lay hopping around, literally wet to the skin, and
looking as if it had been dip])eil in a bucket of water." The inner cup of the
nest MU'asures about (I inciies in width l)y 4 inches in depth. While on tlie nest
the tail of the bird is usually hcdd at right angles to the l)ody. Unless the eggs
are on the point of hat<'irmg it is a dithcidt matter *o approach close enough to
see the bird on the nest, as the female is exceedingly suspicious and will try
to sneak (piietly away at the slightest sign of danger, generally slipping out ou
the side opposite th(^ intruder, as there are usually sutKciently large openings
in the sides of the nest to permit the bird to scramble tiu'ough.

Xot Infi'e(|ucntly two or three unoccupied nests, l)uilt proliably by tlie same
pair of binls, are found in close proNimit\ to the one in use; iiut the same nest
is often made use of for several seasons in succession. 'I'wo or three pairs souu'-
times nest close together, but as a rule eaidi pair of birds have their own little
canyon .tr ravine i.i which the\ may be foinid from year to year. Tlu.ridiushes,
either ('nitin/iis liridaiin or ihnK/lnssI, conmionlv ibund near spriiig\ jilaces at the
heads of can\ (ins or smaller ravines, as ui'll as in the creek iioltoms jiroper,
were preferred as nesting sites b\' thesi hiids wherexcr I ha\c oii>er\('d them.

\\'illow thiikets. scrulil)\ cottonw Is, jiniijiers, pines, alilers, and tirs \ 'I'e also

used ill tlie order named. The height of ne.-<ts from the ground raiigeil tr(.i, 4 to
L*0 feet, rarely over t>r under thi-;. In Colorado, howe\er, according to Mr.
Frederick M Dille, tlu? Magpie sometimes builds in lofty cottonwoods. from oO to
(ii Meet from tlie l^i iiid; and 1 hav seen it state(| that occiipieil ne-.ts ii;i\e lieen
Inimd OH the ground, tliough I liavr iie\iM -.eeii one so >ituati'd.

lliSiHl-.No, ;i Z't

1 .'i ,

Ii V '

1

U'l^

I

MA

'■•,\

'IV

1

■! 1

354

LIFK UlSTOKIKS OP XORTH AMKUIOAN BIKDS.

>ilh '■**""'

i;.

fUlTHZTBy-

The averaf«'o iminbor of ofyps to a sot tliroii<'liout the {greater part of their
ran»«> is seven; sometiiiies, however, eijjht or iiino are found. At Fort Lapwai,
Itlalio, 1 found sets of nine not at all rare, and have twice taken sets of ten. An
tiiiiX is deposited daily; in('ul)ation does not hej^iu until the elutch is nearly coin-
];' 'ted, and li«-its from sixteen to eifjhteeii days. The female attends to thisthity
almost e.velusively ; I rarely saw tlie male on the nest, but he feeds her, and is
quite attentive, heiny <>enerally on the hiokout in the vicinity of the nest. The
youn^" wluMi tirst hatehed are uj;ly-lookin<>- creatures, nearly all head, and are
blind. They are fed on worms, the soft \y.irXn of insects, etc., and j^row rapidly.
They are able to leave the nest in about three weeks, and soon learn to care for
themselves. Only a sinjile ))rood is raised in a season; if the first set of e<>'<;'s
is taken, a second and even a third is sometimes laid, frecpiently in the same
nest or in another close by. The second set rarely numbers more than five or
six ejt'fi's.

These show }>reat variation in sliajje, size, color, and markings, the majority
inclining to ovate, while others may l)e called short ovate, rounded, elliptical,
and elongate ovate. The prevailing ground color is a palt^ or dirty gray, less
oft'n a light dralj, and occasiouidly a set is found of a decidedly grecsnisli tinge;
l)ut such eggs are nii-e. They are generally heavily blotched with ditferent
shades of brown and ecru dral), these markings l)(>ing often continent, almost
hiding the ground color, and are usually evenly distributed over the entire e'^f^.
In some specimens the markings predominate it the upper end of the egg, more
rarely on the lower end. Some also show lavender shell markings, anci occa-
sionally a, specimen is fou \d in which the markings are well defined, not con-
fluent, and leaving the inte. vening ground color distinctly visible. Tlu; shells of
these eggs iire close grained, moderately strong, and show little or no gloss.

The a\craii'e meiisuremeiit of two hundred and one eggs in the rnited
States National .Museum collection is S'lJii l)y •_*'2.86 millimetres, or 1.28 by
O.IMI inches. 'I'lii largest egg of the series measure* .'57. 1^4 l)yL'(J.42 millimetres,
or 1.4!) by 1.04 ini^hes; the smallest, •_'7.U4 l;y :il.59 millimetres, or l.lO by 0.85
inches.

The type specimen, No. iOvU!; (I'l. 3, Fig. 11), from a set of ten eggs. Hen-
dire collection, taki-n by the writer lu-ar Fort Walhi Walla, Wiishington, on A])i'il
10, lS8-_*. rejiresents an averiige-marked I'^x^x, and No. 'ioST-J (I'l. ;5, Fig. 12), a
single c'^'^, tnken by .Mi-. l'\ .M. Dille, near DeuNcr, Cidonido, represents one in
v.'.iich tlu' groin\d color shows a decided greenish tint, whili' \o. 2(!(!78 (I'l. .'5,
l''ig. l.'i), from a set of seven eggs, also taken by Jlr. F. M. Dille, nesn- I'latteville,
Coloriido, on May 2, 18'J2, n^presents a peculiarly shaped and heavily marked
specimeu.

TIIK VKLLOW HILLKD MAdl'Ili:. 355

138. Pica nuttalli Aitdubon.

vi:r,i.()\v-iiii.i,i;i> MA(irii:.

/'/(•(( iiHtlnlli All)ini(»N. C)riiitli()lo}{iciiI lii()};rii]»liy, IV', IS.'JS, iM. V]. :W'2.

(B iXi, V -';Wa. 1! L'.s7,'c ;J4>S, U iT*).)

(iKixiUAi'HTOAL BANGK: Middle Calit'orniii, west of" tbo Sierra Xevada .Mountains only.

Tlio brecdiiifi' ran<>'0 of t\w. Ycllow-billcMl Araji-pie is ooextensivo with its
fii'dUTiililiii'al ilistrihution, and it is a ('(tustaut residt'iit wlierc t'oiiiul. Its liabitat,
lidwcxcr, is iimcli more rcstrictt'il than tiiat of its larjicr rehitixf, and it is oidv
fonnd in \\w inidilU) portions of tlio 8tato of California, west of tho SiiTra
Nevada .Mountains, from Voiitura County in the south to 'l\'liania County in
th«; nortli, occu|iyino' al)out onc-lialf of the; aira of tiie State only. Thirty years
aj;o it was coninion in many places in the ininiediate vicinity of the coast when*
it is hut rarely met with now. It resend)les the Ulack-hilled Magpie in ever\'
particular ex('e|)tinii- i" the color of tlie l)ill winch is yidh>\v; this color is
l)rioht(^r in the l)irds foimd in the southern portions tiian in those approac hin^'
tile ran^e of tlie .Vmerican Majjfpie in noi'thenstern Califoi'uia. It also avera<;es
a tritle smaller in size, and its i>-eueral hal)its are similar. It '■' a constant
attenthuit about the various catthi and sheep ranches found scattered throu<>li
the interior of California, and here it subsists mainly on the otl'al, carrion, etc.,
found in the vicinitv of such places, this bein<^' in addition to its usual diet of
grasshoppers, wttrms, "rubs, etc. Small colonies are sometimes found brcH'ilinj;'
in. some secluded canyon in the neij^hborhood of such ranches, l)Ut nntre often
each pair occu|)y some <;idch itv ravine by themselves. Their l/tilky and conspic-
uuus nests are placed in oaks l)y preference", next in sycamores, willows, and
cottonwoods, anil .sometimes in very exposed situations where they can be readily
noticed for rpiite a distance; ;jenerally however, they are well hidden, especially
when placed in a thick l)unch of mistletoe. 'I'hex are constructed like those of
the pri'cedinji' species, but ar(< nn>re freipiently placed in larj;e tri'cs and rarely
in bushes; sometimes tiu'ee or four nests will lie built in the same tret' if it
be a lar<ie one.

Their usual heijjht from the ^'round \aries from.SO to 60 feet, and they are
often placed on tlie extremity of a limh, where they are hard to reach. Some
of the nests, besides tile usual lininji' of fine roots, dry <irass, pine needles, and
hair, contain iiits of dry cow dim"- and the tine inner l)ark of tiie cottonwood.

Mr. Ivollo II. Heck, of Uerrvessa, California, writes me that iic has noticed
the male feeding;- its mate while incul)atino-, and that tlie lattei' would flap her
winjis and call liki' a vumji' i)ird, and accordiuji' to him their iir-ual call note
sojkIs like "(|Ue, (|Ue, ([Ue," or "(pieek, (|Ueek."

The averajre number of cj;';;s laid is alxiut seven. Sets of eifi'ht and nine
are more rarely found than in the case of the American ^lao-jiie. Tliey are
indisting'uishable from those of that s|»ecies, l)ut avera<>e a trille smailei', and
specimens siiowino- a ^ireenish tiiiuc in tlie ground color apjiear to me to bo
iiiore fre(iuentl\' met with.

ft

■;lLi

;|,"^

ii-t

1 1

356

LIKK IIISTOKIKS Ol^ NOUTH AMKKICAN BIRDS.

[■5j .*■''■■;;,■

,!■'•'

■; -r-. + jj-

riie avorufio iiieasuieim'iit ut" sixty-two e<:fg« in tlie llnitod States National
Miiscuin collcition is 'M.')i by 2'2S)4 inillimotros, or aljoiit 1.24 by O.H!) inclios.
'Pile lari^L'st c^i;' of tlic scrii's measures i54,"21) by 22.8(i inillimetres, or l.i55 by
(».!)(> iiiclics; the sniallest, 28.40 by 21.;{4 millimetres, <.r 1.12 by (».H4 inches.

'Pile ty])ti speeimeii, No. 2012") (IM. ;{, Fi<>-. 14), iialpii collection, from a
.set of seven eji'ifs, taken near Valley Sprinji's, California, April 1.'5, 18t)2, repre-
Hcnts one of the li<ihter-colorud types fuunil amonjj the egj^s of this species.

139- Cyanocitta cristata (Linn.kus).

H1.11-; .lAV.

ComiH crimalus LiNN.ious. .Systcma Niituni', ed. 10, I, 17."i.S, 10(i.
Vyiinovitta cristata Strickland, Aniuvls of Natunil History, XV, 184."), 201.

(15 4;{4, 0 2;}4, U 289, C 340, U 477.)

(Jeoouai'IIkai. iiANGi".: Kasterii North Amprica; iiortli in tlip Dominion of Canada
to iil)out latitudf ")2^, and ciisnally to latitude ."i(P; west to ca-stern .Vssiniboia, eastern
North and Sontii Dakota, eastern Nebraska and Kansas, the east<?rn lialf of the ' <lian
Territory, and northern Te.xas; sontli tiiionj^h the United States, excepting Tlornla, tlie
Giilf Coast, and sontheastern Texas during the breeding season.

'Pile Hliie .biy, one of our best-known birils, is a resident and breeds
thrc mahout the ofeatcr portion of its n'.ifjfe, but is usually only a sinniner
\isitor in the nortiu'rn jiarts of tlie United States and southern Canada, thoufrli
even there some are occasionally found in midwinter in suitalile localities where
beechiuits and acorns, on which they })rincipally sid)sist at such times, are abun-
dant. Few of our native birds coiiijiare in beauty of ])lunia<>e and ovneral
bearinji' with the Blue -lay, and while one can not hel]i admirinji' him on account
of his amusiii"- and interestino' traits, still even his l)est friends can not say uuudi
in his favor, and tlioujiii I have ne\cr ( auji'lit on.^ actually in mischief, so many
dose observi'i-s have done so that on.' can not very welj, even if so inclined,
disjirovc the ))riiicii)al charoc broiioht aj^ainst this hiuid.some freebooter. He is
accused of de.stroyin;,^ many of the eo:<"S and yonn<f of oiu' smaller Itirds, and
this is so nniversalh' admitted that there can l)i' no floiibt of its truth.

.b

.Mr. Henry Xelirl
)f th'

ill"-

for instance, in his charm

ni"' w

ork, jiives the Mine

IV one ot tile worst possilile re] iitations, nased not on mere iiearsa\' evidenct

am

I 1

le IS W(

•II k,

lown as an e.xceet

linul

\' accurate

but on personal observations
ornitholooist.'

.Mr. \\. M. Kirby Smith, of Sewanee, 'Pennessee, writes: "'Plie IMue .lay
is ver\- abundant in this ^■icinitv, and does a oresit deal of harm by eatin;^' the;
,.oMis of .small V birds, particularly those of the Cliippino' Sparrow. I have often
ciiui^ht them in the act of destroyiiio- their nests and e^'^i's."

Mr. .1. W. I'restnii, of Maxter, Iowa, writes me on the same subject as fol-

'The.lav in t!

us reo'ion

has I'

veil

tabl

e nuisance

lie smaller

ll>

species of birds are utterly at its mercy in nestinii' time, and comparatively fev

I l)it) Noriliimi^iiliaiiisilii! V(ij;vl«elt, in.. 41t:Mil7.

mut
inch
any

llCll,

(• i>*

iliul

'lU'C,

ualc

■Inv
tliV

)i'tCll

inl-
lallcr
,- few

TUK BLUE JAY.

357

succeed in reariii''' a brood of youi)<^-. It is (•oiimion in tlio woixls to iicar Niroos
hmieiitiug' for tlit^r youii«i' wliicli the Jay lias forcibly carried away. Vast mini-
bers of eggs are oaten and the nests torn up. From the dour of my lionso I
have seen a lili'e Jay take and d(!\(iur the eggs of a Red-eyed \'ireo whose nest
had been sus])ended from the tips of a low hickory bough overhanging the
pathway."

Mr. Manly Hardy, of Hrewer, ]\Iaine, fully corroborates the.se statement.H,
writing me as follows: "It is a great robber of birds' ni'sts, taking l)oth eggs
and young. I also feel quite sure that in some cases it kills adult birds. I once
saw oiuf i)ass me with what I thought an unusualK' large crop. I fired, killing
the bird, and found also a slate-coloivd Junco, which iiad lieen jjccked some liy
the Jay, and I believe was killed l)y him. This occurred in the fall, during the
migration of the Junoos. There is little doid)t tliat tliey destroy many nests
of eggs and young; all of the small hirils sai/ so. Let a Kobin or a Pigeon
come among them and you Icar no outcry, and a l'"lick< r (tv any othei- \Voo(l-
pecker creates no distui'liance; but let a Ulue Jay, (irackle, or Crow put in an
appearance, and every bird in i-ange begins to call him a thief, and I never
knew them to slander their neighbors. Just think it over and see how this
agrees with your exjierience."

I might add more evidence to the same etiect, but consider it unnecessary
and think this cliarge fully substantiated. However, uot\vithstanding all his
vices, 1 can not hel|) admiring our Hlue Jay. for he has good traits as well.
Cunning, inquisitive, an admirable mimic, full of mischief: in some localities
extremeh' shy, in others exactly the reverse, it is dithcult to paint him in his
ti'ue colors. Not a few writers call him a bully and a coward, anil perhaj)s he
deserves these names at times; but instances are not lacking which show that
he possesses courage in the defense of his young, is a devoted parent, and will
sonu'times fiercely attack man hims(df in protet'ting iiis nestlings. Hut it is
inifortunate that he shows so little considei-atioii for the feelings of otiier birds
when he despoils them of their yoiuig.

What couhl be more conunendable than tiie following incident. I'elated by
Mr. Frithof Kundien, of Milwaukei', Wisconsin.'

^'L'cdsoii or iiistimf!' — 1 made some observations last sununer on the hal)its
of the nine Ja\' (CfiiiiiixiHa tiistdlii) which, if not showing reasoi;, certainly
show a degree of s\'mpath\' and kindness \\<irth\' of imitation b\- animals of a
higher order. Last August (1SS7), on an old farm in .b'tVei's<m ('ounty, Wis-
consin, mv attention was attia<'ted i)\- the notes of a Blue .\:\\, not the ordinary
cry, which could l)e heard at almost an\' time, as the\' are verv niunerous tlici-e,
l)Ut a series of regular calls, followed itv answers from a neighlioring tree.
'I'lu're was sometiiing so peculiarly suggestixc of a connmniication of thought
about the sound that I went to the place, and saw an old iilue Ja\- pcrche(l «ai
a feiU'c, some distaiu-e from a tree where there were severid othei's.

"On mv nearing the bird the calls tVom the tree Ix'cMme more frcipient and
loud, changing from a low, pleasant. connnunicati\e ton, to a shrill alarm, which
became more fretjuent and intense as I approached. Thinking tliat lu' nuist be

m

'!*!' "sFif

.i-1

, I '■

358

LIFE HISTOUIKS OK NOKTII AMKKIOAN BIRDS.

■' !-''H:>.

i'.5/*]i'

:J :;-s

■ *^'i .■*

iiijuiTil in some way 1 went cnutionsly up to liini, when 1 found tliat he was at
least i)artialh' blind. The eyes were Itlurred and dini, and the lids neaily dosed.
1 had little ditHculty in eatehinj;' him, and found him to l)e an old and heljile.ss
creature, with scareely a vestif^e of his former beaut}'. The beautiful bliu^
feathers wi-re nmcii faded; in fact, the general appearance of the bird was so
(liferent as to i»e apparent at a };lance: the claws were very nnu-h worn, the
hill dulled, and the juMinaries and tail feathers ra^ij^cd. Kvery feature sujij^ested
old a<^'e and feebleness. Yet he was cared for and watched as tenderly as was
ever a youn<>' bird in the nest. No sooner had 1 eaujiiit him than there were at
least a dozen Javs (dose at hand, whose sym|)atliy and interest were manifested
as plainly as could be without words. After a thorough examination 1 liberated
him, when he flew in the direction of the sound of the others, but did not succeed
in alii>'liting- amonp' the smaller branches of the tree, and finally settled on a larfje
limb near the ground. I saw him every day after that (from August 1 0 to .Vugust
1 7), and never did his companions desert him, some one of them bi'ing always
near and warning him of apjiroaching danger, whereujum he would fly in the
direction indicatecl i)y the sound of their voice's. They guided him regularly to
a spring near by, where I saw him l)athe daily, always, however, with some of
his companions close b\'. Thev not onlv watched and guided him, but tlie\-
fed him. I had noticed, sonu' da\s ])i'eviouslv, some .la\s carrving food, an<l
thought it strange at that season, as there were no young then to feed, biU foinid
afterwards, to my surprise and pleasure, that tlu' ])oor (dd blind l)ird was being
fi'd by those whom he could no longer se(!.

"About a week after first noticing this bird I was compelleii, on account lA'
sickness in the faun'ly.to relin(|uish my oi)ser\atioiis. Tlierc is no donbt what-
ever that the bii'd was an (dd one. The young of the year arc easily recognized,
not alone by their plumage, but by their peculiar teasing, whining notes, unmis-
takable to anyone familiar with the species."''

The notes uttered b\- th(^ Blue .lay are (piite \arieil. 'i"he (irdinarx call
note sounds like "djiih. djiUi," and again like "kiih, kiih." or "|icednnckie, pee-
diuickle." or "caltle, cal)l('. caltle." I lupc also occasionally heard tiiein utter a
shrill cry reseud)iing that of the peaco(dv. like "pifdi, pinli." or "tinii. tifdi." \aried
now and then lo a loud "pa-iiii. ]ia-lia." Occasionally, according to Mr. I'restoii,
it iiriMluces one like "sid-lit, sid-lit," eh'vatii.a' and loweriu"' the \n)(\\ in unison
with this peculiar musical etfort. According to Dr. I*, li. Hatch, in the "Minis
of Minnesota" (p. 'Jli"-*), "it utters notes somewhat like 'liilK -liilh-hilh,' or
'p'wilhilly-p'wilhilly," followe(| in a miinite afterwards b\- 'liw cen-liweeo-liweeo,'
or 'cliillac-cliillac-'diillac,' after wlii(di comes a soft, sweet, metallic note, tilled
with a sad ])athos."

While ordimii'ily a noisy bird, the careful listenei' may occasionalh be
treated to (piite a pleasing etfort at singing or warbling. Its remarkable powers
of numicry have otten been couunented on, and it is astoni.shing how accuratelv
the Blue Jay is able to imitate the various calls, alarm notes, and cries of dis-

1 riir Auk, Vol. V. isss, pp. i;u, infi.

THE BLIIK JAY.

3r)9

tress of otlior birds, and of" many inaiHiiials as well. These will roadilv de(<;i\o
anyone, and tlio Hhu? day seems to deliji'lit in playin;;' tricks on its nnsnspcct-
inj^' neiji'ldxirs in tliis manner, apjjarently out of pure miscliicf 'I'liey are t pe-
eially fond of teasinji' Owls, and occasionally Hawks also, but sometimes I'irli
disastrous residts to tlienisolves. Wiiile in tlie woods they are comparatively
safe; but if one ventures into tlie open, and the Hawk shouhl <i'et tireil of its
tormentor and turn on him, thc^ conscipiences are usually serious for the lilne
day. His ili^'ht is lal)nrious and accomplished oidy with a jiood deal of fiap-
pinji' of tli(^ winji's. lie is no match for our smaller Hawks; and e\i'n a Kiiijj;-
bird never fails to attack a Mhic .la\ most ^•i;.^•orously, should it chance to catt-h
one while flying from one wood to aiioth'-r or I'ome anywhei'c in the vicinit\ of
its nestinj;- site. The Blue ,Fay knows this, and stays therefore as much as pos-
sible in the tindxu-, TImy are usually found al)out the edges of clearings, and
not infre(piently nest in (dose proximity to houses, where, if not UKdested, tll(^^■
become very tame and are soon perfectly at home.

Their food consists of all sorts of animal matter, otfal, insects, grassho])per8,
grubs, worms, mice, etc., and, when })rocural)le, the eggs and young of smalljr
birds, varied with acorns, beechnuts, chestnuts, coi-n, and fruits of dilfereut
kinds. 'I'hey are not at all particular when hungry, but will eat almost any
thing, and have been seen picking up raw potato peelings, old dried-up ajiplcs,
etc. Where th{^y are resideut they lay up (piite a store of acorns, corn, and nu s
in various places for winter use, l)ut where they are only sunmier visitors thev
do not resort to this |)ractice. In the fall tli<\' congregate in large flocks pre-
paratory to their migrations. 'riie\' nsuallv leave their summer homes in the
latter part of Septend)er, returning again late in .\pril or early in May.

Ml'. W. W. Cooker states: "The Nueces ( 'anyon, in soiuhwestern Texas, is
said to be the winter home of countless myriads. In that ciis(^ they must migrati'
to the northeast, for ail ol)servers agree that in northwestern Texas the\' are
rather a rare l»ird."'

Throughout the greater part of the year the Blue .biy is a more or less
restless, noisy, and ro\ing bird, moving in little companies from one wood to
another; during the nesting season ii liecomes more (piiet and retiring, and is
less often seen or heard. It prefers mixed woods to live in, especially oak and
beech woods, l)ut for nesting sites dense coniferous thickets are generidly ])re-
ferred; oaks, elms, hii'koi-ies, and various fruit trees, thorn hushes, ami shrubbery
overrun with \ines ai'e also used, the nests being | laced in various situations,
sometimes in a crotch or close to the main trunk, or on the extremity of a hori-
zontal lind), among the outer branches. They are placed at distances from the
ground varying from ;"> to aO feet, Imt usually below "id fei-t. In the more
southern parts of their range nest Imilding begins in tin latter jiart of March,
and full sets of eggs m;iy l)e looked for by Api'il 1."). In our Middle States it
nests a couple (.!' week;; later, and ir. the noitliern portions fre<|Uently not l)etore
.lune. I believe hut one Ijrood is usually reared in a season, but in liie South
thev ma\' occasionallv raise two.

' llinl .\Ii},'i;itii>n in tlu^ NUssis.sipiii \ .ill. v. Hull. ■tin II. I'. S. |)c|iai'tiiiPiit .f \};ri(M,ltni-i>. IXKS, |i. 1.".".

iH

n I

'.( .*'

■ ■ - '#j'^n

3G0 I'IKK llI8T(>UIKa OF NOIiTII A.MKI.'irAN lillfDS.

The lU'sts iiro f^ciu'rally woll liiddoii, and an^ rather l)ulky l>iit coinpactly
built strucfunis, avi-rafiiii^i' fniiii 7 to 8 iiu-hcs in outer dianieter hv 4 to 4.J
inches in deiith; tlie inner cii)) measures al)out .'5A to 4 inches in diameter l)y
"M inches in (U']tth. Outwardly they are composed of small twif>rt (thorny ones
l>ein<4' liret'erred), hark, moss, lichens, jiaper, ra;is, strings, wool, leaves, anil dry

corporated and sometinu's cemented

j-rasses,

the various materials \h-\

n<>- wel

m

too'other with nnul, hut not always; the lininj;- is

usually com])ose(

1 ex(d

usive

»y

of tine rootlets. Occiasionally the Hlue Jay will take the nest of another species

1»V f

orce,

l)uilt

Mr. W. Iv Loiicks, of I'eorin, Illinois, wi'ite:

1

V nest of a nair of Hohins,

ni an elm tree, was stolen and appropriated l)v a pai

1
.f tl

lese lards.

It

was fitted up to suit their needs, and egf^s were deposited in it before the eyes of
the an<>ry Kobins."

.ludfie .T. N. (^lark, of Old Saybrook, Connecticut, found a nest of the lilue
day, in the sprinj^' of \Hx:\, in a ratlusr curious place. It was built amonj;- the
roots of a lar^-e tree that had l)een prostrateil by the wind, tiu'nin<;' up a larf;e
mass of roots, with the adlu'ring soil. Near tlm top of this mass, some H teet
from the <>round, under the liorder of the turf, Avhich had curved over, making
a screen, the nest, with its liv(

The nundier of e<>'<is to a set varies from throe to six; sets of four or five are
most often found, and an (•"i'' is (

was neatly hidden from view.

iliich lasts from lifteen t

le|»osited daily. IJoth sexes assist in incubati<

»n,

o sixteen (lavs,

he \iiiini;- "TOW rather slow

anil

are fed on insect.-^, worms, and animal food. 'I'hev often lea\e the nest before
they arc? i'lUly feathered, and when scarcely abli" to fly. At this time they fre-
(|uently betray their presence by their inces.sant clamor for fond, iie\-er aiipearing

to yet enniiiih to satisf\- their el

lo

111

(MIS appetiti :

Tl

le itareiits are i-xceei

devoted to them, anil are close sitters.

iistaiices lia\e oeeii reconlei

1 wl

liiiji'ly
lere a

female Hlue ,\n\ allowed her head and back to lie stroked while sittiii"- on her

Tl

le en-j-s (

if the liliie da\' var\- "reatlv in their "round col

or.

Ill some

this is olive <>Teen, olive butf, and pea green; in others it is plain butf color, or
again cream and N'inaceoiis biiti". 'Phis is irregularlv spotted and iilotched with
ditfereiit shades of browns and lavender, the markings being generally heaviest
about the larger end. A peculiar set of three eggs in the Uniti-d States National

M

iisciiin collcctiiin has a pale

bliiisl

i-t;reen "roiiii'

I col

or, w

ith oiilv a few rather

large blotches of slate and la\eiiiler about tiie laii;cr end, and one of these

is almost iinsjxitteil

IS SIllIK

,tli, cl.

use grained, rather stroii;.;', iind occa-

sioi

lally sligiitly glossy. The (•iXiSf^

are usua

V ovate in sha]

r

average measurenieiit of one hiuidred and thirty-live e^
llectioii is -J.S.O-i bv •J(».44 milliiiietn

th

iled

States National Miiseuiii co

1)\' O.Sl inches. The largest r'^'^ of the series measures

r about 1.10
,'i0.4S bv --'l.')!! milli-

metres, or l.^tt by ().S5 inches;
bv ().7y inch.

tl

le smalles

t, -iS.!') bv -'((.OT milliiiietnis, or O.'.tl)

I Oriiithi)loi,'i«t ami OologUt, Vol. S, ISSf, 1). 78.

TIIK IMAK JAY.

361

., r

Tim typo wpociinun, No, 2<>.'J7"i (I'l. 5, Kig. f)), Bendirc collection, troiii a
set ol' tlirct! t'^fix, tiikcn .Timo 11, l.S7(), near MiiHCittine, Iowa, antl No. 2")SS;5
(I'l. r>, Fiy. (!), lialpli colli'ction, from a set of Hve ejij^s, taken liy \h: William
L. Halpli, near Floyd, Oneiila County, New York, represent the two jirevailinf"'
t\pes of coloration of the e<;f"'s of this spe(nes.

140. Cyanocitta cristata florincola (Joiiks.

n.OIMDA IMAi: JAY.

Clianofiitlii rristdtii tloriiirolit ('ocKS, Koy, ed. L', l.S,S4, 4'_M.

(li —,('—, |{ —,("—, r »77((.)

Gkoobai'iik'AI. iiANtfK: Florida and tlieUulf coast to Boutheusturn Texiis; ('asually
to sontliwosteru Te.xas (Bexar County).

The Floridfi, Mine .lay i.-« a sli<i'htly smaller bird than its northern relative
and is a connuon resident in certain localities, l)reedin<i- thronj;hont its ran<ic.
It is .somewhat duller in plumage than the latter, the white on tln^ tips of the
secondaries and tail feathers l)ein}"' more restricted. It has Iteen taken in south-
ern Louisiana, and the latt^ Mr. Charles W. Heckliam found it at Leon Sprin>is,
some 20 miles northwest of San Antonio, in March, 1H87, this heinji' the na)st
westerly record for this subspecies. It is evidently rar(! in that vicinity, as Mr.
II. 1'. Attwater does not jiive it in his list of birds observed in the vicinity of
San .\ntonio, Texas.

It is quite couunon in manv ])art^' of Florida, and l)r. William L. Walph
has taken several nests and eg'^^'s in the nei<>'hborliood of San -Mateo, Florida.
Ui' tells me that its <>'en('ral habits are similar to thos(f of the IJlue Jay, and
one of its favorite foods here is the seed of the cabbajie ])almetto. Where
not unich nudested it becomes even tamer and more familiar than its north-
ern relative, and breeds like it in the vicinity of houses, ainon<>- the oranj^-e
}>To\('s. Two nests found by Dr. Kalph were placed in low, flat ])ine woods,
2.") and .'id feet, respectively, from tlie jrround; these were com|Hised of twijis,
Spanish moss, pin(! needles, and ])ieces of .loth, and lineil witli i'uw, roots. In
some of the nests the materials wei'e cemented together Mith nnid. A third
nest was place<l in an oran<;e tree .standinj;' within a few feet of a house, near
the banks of the St. .lolm's Hiver, about 20 fee" •V'>>( the {ground; it ^\as com-
])osed of twigs, catkins, i»lant fibers, weeds, grasses, pieces of string, and a
little Spanish moss, and tliijse materials were cemented together with nmd; tlie
lining consisted >'ntirely of wire grass (^Arifititl(i). Anothei' nes, was jdaced
among souu' small Itranches at the end of a lind) of an orange tree, about 1 1 feet
from the ground, and was composed of similar materials outwardly, but no mud
was used in its construction, and it was thickly lined with fine rootlets of the
orange tree.

The average measurement of two nests is about 8 inches in outside <lian!eter
by 4 inches in depth, the inner cup measuring about 4 inches in dianu'ter by 2^
iuches in depth.

^^,1

'\

'^

lip'

^.V:>:

:.• >l:'i'^

3«i2

lAVK IIIHTOHIKS OF NOKTIl AMKIilCAN lilUhS.

In the vicinity •>{' Sun Mated, Floridn, tlic uiiiy pniiit t'roiii wliicli I Iiiivo
any l)n'C(liii;^- rcronls, niditicatiitn iicnin.s snnM'timcs in tlic second week of A|)ril
and lasts tln-on^li tiiis inontli. 'I'lie earliest date on wliicli Dr. Ualpii tool< a set
of ('j;m>s was April 17; incui»ati(»n was tlien advanced al>ont one-third; tlie latest,
May 4, incni»atioii ix-in;;- advanced oiie-t'onrtli. I'rohaliK- two ia-oods are raised
liere in a season. 'I'lii^ •'^'^'^ "' ''•''* sulis|)ecies are indistin;iiiislial>l(( from tlioso
(»t' tlfe former, and tlio same description will answer e(pially well for hotli.

TIm! averaji'e measin-t'Tnent of sixteen ejif;s in the United States National
Museum collection is -21 .X',\ Ity 'JO.d.'S millimetres, or almut 1. 1(1 liv 0.81 inches.
The larji'est ej,'-ji- measin-es 'JlLiM by •_'(».;}•_' millimetres, or 1.1'> liy O.SO inches;
the smallest, •_>."». 10 hy ■JO.s;) millimetres, ov 1 i)y (t.SL' inches.

The tyjie specimens, Nos. •_'-H)l»() and •_',').">!);{ (i'l. .">, FIns. 7 niid S), from sets
of three and t'onr e>>'^s, IJalph collection, were taken liy Dr. William L. U'alph,
near San .Mateo, Florida, the (irst on April ,'{(), IH!)1, tlu^ last on May 1, iSlfJ,
and repi'csent avura<fe-coIored e|if;'s of this subspecies.

141. Cyanocitta stelleri ((iMi:i,iN).

.srKLLKK'S ,I.\V.

Cornm ulrllrri (rMKLIN, Systcniii Niitura', [, 17SS, ;{70.

VyanodtUi Khlleri SrUH'KLANn, Annals of Natural llisloiy. XV, l.si."), i>(il.

(B 4,(5, V, 1.';!.5, K L",((», C ;!.")(>, I' ITS.)

(iKOfiRAPiiif'Ar. BANCiK: Nortliwcstcrn Nortli .\iiiciica; Ironi norllicrn Oalit'ornia
niirtli to .southcia .Maska: cast to the (Jascadc .Moinitainsot' Orcntai. N\'asliin;;lon, and in
western Uritisli Culunibia, on both slopes.

Steller's Jay, also known locally as the "^lonntain" or "Pine". fay, is a
well-known inend)erof the fauna of the northwest coast, and is sure to Ito heard
from wherever found. Like its relative, the connnon Hlue .lay, it. is an inces-
sant scold, never at rest, fully as iiuiuisitivc. pryino- into the domestic atl'airs
of other birds, and, I think, e(|ually destructive. It is usually a constant I'csi-
dent iuid breeds wherever found. It is an inhabitant of the canyons and pine-
dad slopes of the hij^her mountains, and is not as often seen in the deep forests
as on their outskirts near water c(an'ses. Although rarely molested thronohout
its rauji'e, when; collectors ai'c few, it is exceedin}il\' sh\ and more dilHcult to
ap]»roach within shotoun ranj;e than is the l>lue .lay. I found this species (piite
connnon in the vicinity of Fort Klamath, in sontliwcstern Oreij-on, and I had
aljunilant opportunities to observe it closely. This locality forms nearly the
southern limit of its ran^^e, and specimens intermediate Ixstween the Mhu'-fronted
and the Hlack-hi-aded .Jays are occasionally foimd there, but tla^ majority of the
birds are I'cferable to this sjjecies. During' the winti-r months, especially when
heavy snows covereil the j^jround, small parties of these .lays now and then paid
visits to the back yard of my (piartei's in search of kitclien refuse, and most
of the specimens obtained by me wen- killed or caught in steel traps while so

■"^r-;-'

STKI.LKK'H JAY.

lUVA

m

ciifi'ii^icil. To luiiit tlu'i I sni'cusst'iil'y in tlio <)|m'Ii lakes Imtli time iiml iiiitifiii'c.
Should Villi sec one Hyiii},' into tlw* lower parts of ii l>iisliy lir or s|iriicc ami tliiiik
yoii had your specimen located, Itet'ore you could ;i-et within shootinji distance
you ini^'ht now and then catch a ^linipse of him ho|i|iin;>' up from limit to limli,
always keeitinji' close to the trunk an<l nioviny; u]) spirally, and liy tlio timo yon

were close ononiih von woi

nhl fail to tind the bird where you expected, l»ut
perhaps hear his harsh note of warning;' or derision from some other tree ahead.

.Ile.'t

or ni man\' wa\'s.

They seem to deli;;hl in teasin;^- the would-l>e ci

Like the Mine ,lay, they are expei't mimics, and I have lieeii deceived by
casion; they can imitate to perfection the notes of all

tl

lem on more than one o(

the Itaptores found within their ranj.>x' and si-em to take pleasure in doinj;' so,
probably to impose on the numerous sninll birds in their vicinity. Tlicy are
omnivorous, and while ])in(* seeds undonbte(lly form a considerable part of their

daih' l>ill of fare dur

mi.

th

i(! wmter months, scarceh' anxthm"' e(hlil(^ comes

th

ibl<

amiss. 1 havt* sc^en them, after eatin;;' their fill of kitchen ret'use, carry oil' larj^c
s of meat, bread, etc., hide them somewhere near, and come Itack at once

pieces

foi- more, keepin;^- up their visits until nothiiifi- remaine(l. Tiieir strong' feet are
used in j;raspini;' and hoiilin;^' the food, which is torn olf in pieces suitable for
swallowinji'. On these foraf^inff expeditions they are silent and constantly on the
lookout for dan;i'er.

Their ordinary call iKttes are harsh and discordant, some resemidinji' certain
of those of the .Ma'.pie, and otliers the (piernlous notes of the b'eil-breasted
Sapsucker, which tii. y art! especially fond of mimickinji-. A note frei|iiently

iieard while tK'iiij'' from one tr«'e to another

soiinil

lil

ke "(ifierk, (p'lerk, some-

tiim^s rapidh' repeateil; another, while at rest in some iinshx- thicket, resembles a
shrill whistle, like "twee-ish, twee-ish." In the early sjiriiif;' I have occasionally
heard one of tlujse birds make a very fair attenii)t at sinjiinji', utterin;>' a series
of low, nmsical, warlilin;;' notes, intermixed sometinu's with a shrill whistle.
They are not as social as manv other species of this famih', and it is rare to see
more than a dozen tof^'ether at any time, this occiirrinji' ""ly '" winter, when two

or

three familii's may join toi^cther in a forajiin;;' expedition

In the southern |iarts of their ranj^e nest biiildiuji' bejiins late in

Mi

early in April, anil correspoiidiiiffly later ntirthward. At Firt Klamath I noticed
them <;'atherin^ nestini;' i i

terials durinii' the iirst week in .\'ii'

il, an

d all the nests

I found there (five in nnmiter) were placed at the extremili ■.-< of lar^^e horizontal
limio of the hijiliest pine trees, near water, {generally from 40 to ad feet from

tl

lotiTouni

I, and

in positions practically inaccessible,

'he birds seemed to realizi

this, and were not at all particular aiiout hiilin<i' their nests, as the majority could
l)e easily seen from below. Usually they prefer bushy lir trees, which appear
to be their favorite ne.stin}>' sites throufihout the j^reater ])art of their ranjic; now
and then a vine, a maple, or a, hawthorn bush is stdected.

Mr. A. W. iVnthon\' writes m

'Htelk

ers .lav is comi

ion aliniit Heaverton,

( )re<ion. A nearly tiiiL-hed nest was disco\-ereil on March ;{1, in a lit sapliiij;',
about 10 feet from the yround. The first egy was dejiosited on A[)ril 10, and

/;4l

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-S)

1.0 Ifi^ IIIM

^^^^= ISO M32 iilll n n

I.I

1.25

Uttl

22

I4£ mil 2.0

11.8

i:4_ 1111.6

V

<s^

/2

/

"^

»*'

7

'/

Photographic

Sciences
Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(716) 873-4503

^

364

LIFE H18TOBIE8 OF NORTH AMKKUJAN UIKI)8.

one on each consecutive day initil the 14tli, when the set of four was taken.
Tl>e nests I liave seen were placed close tt) the trunks of small firs, usually in
very dense se(;ond-growth thickets, not over 25 feet from the ground."

Mud forms an important item in all the nests I have examined. They vary
from ") to (50 feet in height from the ground. A nest of this species now bef(»re
me was saddled on a small liuih of a leaning fir, 10 feet from the gromid and 30
feet froHi the bottom of a bank. Outwardlj' it is composed of small twigs, moss,
and dry grass, the whole well cemented with mud up to the rim of the nest;
it is lined with a thick layer of fine roots; outer diameter, !) inches by 6 inches
deep; the iimer cup of the nest is 4J inches in diameter by 2J dee]). It was
taken by .Messrs. Cooke and Warner, near Salem, Oregon, April 26, 18!)!, and
i'ontained four fresh egg.s. The fenuile was on the nest, while the male kept out
of sight, a short distance away, until the former left the nest, when he appeared
aud kept up a constant chatter until shot. The female was also taken; both
parents were forwarded with the nest and eggs, and are now in the United
States National Museum collection. The nest was well concealed from view
from the top of the bank, but easily .seen from an old road running iiluug the
foot of tile blurt". P\ill sets of eggs may usually be looked for during the latter
part of April and the lirst two weeks in Maj'.

Inculmtion, in which the male assists to some e.Ktent, lasts about sixteen
days, aud I believe usually ouly one brood is raisiMl in a season. The young
follow the j)areuts for some time, aii<l are cared for several weeks after leaving
the nest. The number of eggs to a set varies from three to five; sets of foiu'
are most often founti. They are a dull, pale bluish-green in ground color, and
are spotted and Idotched over their entire surface with irreguhirly shaped mark-
ings of different shades of brown and lavender, which an^ usually mosf numerous
about the larger end of the egg. In shape they vary from ovate to elongate
ovate. The shell is finely granulated and strong, with little or no gloss.

The average measurement of ten eggs is 31.50 l)y 23.37 millimetres, or
about 1.24 by 0.92 inches. The largest v.^iix measun-s 34.04 by 23.62 milli-
metres, or 1.34 by 0.1)3 inches; the smallest, 2!).46 by 22.61 millimetres, or 1.16
Ijy 0.8!) in.tiies.

The type specimen, No 24388 ( PI. h, Fig. fl), from a set of four eggs, taken
by Mes.srs. (^ooke and Wanicr, near Salem, Oregon, on April 26, 1891, repre-
sents a typical egg of this species.

Vr

THE BLUEFltONTEl) JAY.

365

14a. Cyanocitta stelleri frontalis (KinnwAY).

MM K-KKOXTKIl JAY.

Cyanura stellen viw. /ronUilin Uidoway, American Joiiiniil of Sciences inul Arts, :Ui ser.,

V, Jan., 1873, 41.
Cyanovilta utelleri \ar. frontalis Bouoaru, Catiilogiie Aves, 1370, 279.
(B — , O 2356, K 290a, C 353, U 478a.)

(fEOORAi'HicAL KANOB: Western North America; from northern Lower California
north throngli the coast ranges of Oallfornia ar.il Oregon to northwestern Washington
(and southern British ('olumhia ?); east to both slopes of the Sierra Nevsula Mountains, in
California and Nevada; apparently not present in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and
Washington.

Tlie raiip^e of tho lilue-frouteil Jiiy, also known as the "Siena Jay" and
"California Mountain Jay," lias recently l)een extended considerably to the
northward hy Mr. U. H. Lawrence, who found it not at all rare in western Wash-
injicton, in the I^ujpt Sound rej^ion, and it is presumable, therefore, that it is also
founil throu<,diout the ^oast ranges of Urej^on, occupying here the same gi'ound
as the ])receding species.

No tyjiical specimens of this race fron\ any portion (»f Oregoji have, to my
' T^owledfjce, l)eeu brought to the notice of ornitludogist.s. It undoubtedly inter-
ji"*.! 1. ..itli Steller's Jay in northern California and southern Oregon, as at Fort
Kl*. '1, f«v instance, where I have found intermediates between these races.
The majority of the birds found there, however, come nearer to Ciftnioritta stelleri
than to tlu* present race.

Mr. J,. Hi Iding found the Blue-fronted Jay in the northern j)arts of the
Peninsula (tf Lower California, at\'alle Pahnas, Vallecitas, and Guadalupe Can-
yon, in May, 1H85.'

It reaches its eastern limits on the eastern sloj)es of the Sierra Nevadas,
when^ it is common in pliices uf) to !t,.'")()0 feet. Dr. C. Hart Merriam's parties
failed to observe! it in any of the desert ranges east of these mountains during
their extended explorations of the Death Valley country in the summer of 18111.

While essentially a bird of the coniferous forests and rarely found any
distance away from these, exce|)tiiig in winter when small parties visit occasion-
ally the more open regions at the base of tlie foothill.-t, in sttme parts of California
it is moHf or less a resident of the oak belt as well.

Mr. H. 11. Heck writes me: "It is a connuon resident of the Santa Clara
Valley, California, as well as of the coast ranges, from Santa Cruz to 40 miles
below Monterey, wherever I have been. I have found about a dozen of their
nests, placed in oaks, buckeye, laurel, and holly bushes, at various distances
ranging from 7 to 40 feet from the ground. They wen^ always found close to the

water.

Th

birds

s are close sitters, and

I I h

lave seen them remain on the nest

imtil I nearly touched them, when they would fly off a short distance, .^creaming
and calling for their mates, who soon appeared and helpisd to make a louder

> ProvHuiliugs of the CuUfuriiiit Ank Iciii)' uf Soieuoes, 'id wriei, Vol. II, IMtiS, p. 393

■4

■ ■ iV

'f >H

M'

k;; I

is-- . ..

n ;

366

LIFK niSTOUIES OF NORTH AMEKICAN B1KU8.

racket. On ono o«'casi(»n wliile walkinj? up a canyon 1 waw a couple of Warblers
tiartinjj at one of these tlays, which seemed nuich afraid of them. lie would trv
t4i {fet on the under side of the lind) ho was on, dodjje his head, call for help,
and sometimes strike at them. Several times while takin;;: their ey-j's I have
seen these birds peckinjf viciously at the limb they were on, like a Woodpecker,
evidently ventin<i' their spite in this manner. One of their call notes sounds liki-
'chuck, chuck,' anotuer like 'kc-lup, ke-lup,' varied to 'que-quer-que' occasionally,
and a note of distress or auf^er sounds like 'cit-rftck, cft-rftck.'"

Mr. F. Stephens informs uie that they are fond of acorns, and j^ive tlu^
California Woodpeckei.: considerable employment in chasin<> them away from
their supplies stored av ay in the bark of the pines.

Mr. C'harles A. Alien, of Nicasio, California, says: "The notes of the IMue-
frontecl .lay are variable, at tinu^s hiwish and raspiu}.'-, and afj^ain very soft and
melodi(Uis. They will imitate the call of the Western Ked-tailed Hawk so per-
fectly that I have many times becMi almost deceived by them. I have .sati.sfied
myself beyond dispute that they are wondeH'ully sweet tonfisters. Many tinu-s
1 have seen them sittin<>' alont* in the shade of thick redwood trees sinfiin^^' as
sweetly as any bird 1 ever heanl. I presume the male bird is the souffster; I
have never shot one at such a tinuf to lind out; it always appeared to me as
thou<;h tile b'rd retired to tlie solitude of the heavy redwood forests to enjoy
his solo midi,sturl»ed."

Like Steller's Jay, they are onmivorous, living indiscrim.inately on both
animal and vegetalde matter, while acorns, as well as pine seeds, form no incon-
sideral)Ie part of their food. Like other mend)ers of this family, they are very
destructive to the young and eggs of smaller birds; but they also have their
enemies.

Among .some manuscript notes kindly loaned me by Mr. L. lielding 1 find
till' following item:

"At Hig Trees, Calaveras County, California, May ;{!>, !S7!I, 1 found a nest
of this Itird in a clu.ster of small cedars, about (i feet from the ground. It was
com])osi'd of sticks, mixed with mud and leaves, and linetl with jiine needles. It
coutaineil young birds about a week old. Three days afterwards, having shot
a Cooper's Hawk not far from this nest, and noticing that it had recently made
a meal of young .lays, I repaired to the place, and, as I had conjectured, found
they were missing. When 1 remembered the annoyance these .lays had caused
the small birds in their neighborhood, I felt that they merited the loss of their
ort'spring. Tile Blue-fronted .Tay is credited with giving tleer and other ganu*
notice of tile hunter's approach (ami doulitless this is correct as far as deer are
concerned), often following them with its characteristic cries, and I have on .sev-
eral occasions lieen notified by them of the presence and approach of deer, and
once found, tliroiigli the instrumentality of .biys, one of these animals which 1
had woimded."

The Hlue-fronted .lay, in some portions of its range, shows a predilection for
nesting in natiu'al cavities in trees and stul»s, which is a radical departure from
its ordinary mode of nesting. The late Col. N. S. Gross wrote as follows on

s:;

\\ ->.

THE ULUK FUOXTKU JAY.

867

this .su]>j(H't: "Wliilis collectin;' l)ir(l.s and tlieir (<<j<^s in company with my
brotliur, Capt. I J. F. (.loss, in tlie Hprinjjf ot" 1884, in the vicinity of JuHan, Cali-
t'ornia, wo iouiul a nunihor o( tho nests of the Hhie-fronted Jay, and in all oases
hnt one in holes and troujfh-like (!avities in trees and stubs, ninj^ing from 4 to 50
feet from the {ground, jjenerally Id to 20 feet up.'"

Since the construction of the Oentral Pacific Railroad over the Sierra Nevadas
nmny of the .lays nest in tlie extensive snowsheds found alonp; the line of this
road, and numi)ers of their nests are yearly torn down by the railroad employees;
but this does not appear to disirouruf^^e them, as they continue to build new nests
in similar localities. Besides the trees and shrubs already mentioned as bein<?
used for nestin;"- sites by this subspecies, it also builds occasionally in sycamores
an<l willow thickets, althou;fii firs, cedars, and pines are most often u.sed. Birds
bre'jdinjif in the hij^'her moimtains retina in the late fall to lower altitudes, win-
terin<>- usually in the foothills, from 2,000 to 4,000 feet above sea level.

Tiu} nests are similar in size and i-ttustruction to those of Steller's Jay, and
tlit^ sanu^ description will answer for both. Occasionally one is linetl with ])ine
needles in lieu of rootlets. Nidificatiou connnences sometimes in the latter part
of Ajiril, more frefjuently in May, and now and then it is delayed into June.
The ninnber of cff^js to a set varies from three to five, sets of four being m<tst
counnon. An eji-g is deposited daily, and incubation lasts about sixteen days.
The male assists in these duties, and usually but one brood is rai.sed in a season.
The e<fgs resemble those of Steller's ,Jay, in shape, {ground c^olor, and inarkinf^s,
but they avera<fe a trifle smaller, and the same description will answer for them.

The averajre measurement of forty-eight eggs in the United States National
Museum coUeciion is 30.22 by 22.G1 millimetres, or 1.1!) by 0.8!) inches. The
largest egg of the series measures 34.04 l»y 23.88 millimetres, or 1.34 by 0.94
inches; the smallest, 28.1!) by 22.3r> millimetres, or 1.11 by 0.88 inches.

The type specimen. No. 249(!4 (I'l. 5, Fig. 10), Ral|)h collection, from a set
of four eggs taken near Santa Cruz, California, on April 30, 187(!, rei)resents
one of tile lighter-colored tyj)es of the series.

143. Cyanocitta stelleri macrolopha (Haiku).

LONO-CRESTKl) .lAY.

Cyanocitta macrolopha Haibd, Procoetlings Aciulomy Natural Siriences, I'hilndolpliia, June,

1854, 118.
Cyanocitta stelleri macrolopha Coites, Bulletin i)f the NutttiU Oriiithologiual Olub, ^', April,

1880, !»8.

(B 430, (J 23.V(, U L'lMI/*, 21»0c, t', ;Wl>, U 47S6.)

Geoobai'IIICal RAN(iK: Soutliei'ii Kocky Mountiiiiis; north to southern Wyoniiii}r;
west tn the Uintah Mountains, in eastern Utah, and the higher ranges of northwestern
Arizona; south to northern Mexico.

The Long-crested Jay is a resident of the southern Uockj' Mountain
regions and breeds wherever fouiiil. Jlr. F. Stephens rei)orts it as conmiou
among tlie pine forests of the Chiricahua ^lountains, in southern Arizona.

' The Aiik, \ol. ]I, 188.-., p. 217.

m

it-t

LliS,-'''

lit-

:U;'

it,, i

868

LIFK HISTOllIKa OP NORTH AMKttlCAN BIUDS.

Dr. Edjrur A. MeaniH obHorvetl it in tlio Sim Fraiu-isiro MouiitniiiR, in north-
ern Arizona, and sayn: "It iHarenidont to the altitude of 1(),()()() feet, iwcendinff
Htill fiu-tlier. On the San Francisco M«mntainH I found itn nest, with fresli e<j:jtfs,
at the upper limits of the pines, in the second week in .Tune, 1887, while the
nests found in the lower Mogollons during the last third of May of the same
year all contained young."*

Mr. W. G. Smith writes: "1 found ihese Jays very connnon in the moun-
tains of Colorado at all seasons, hut (luring winter they prefer lower altitudes,
coming around the houses about the towns, and they are not particular then
upon what they feed. At such times they are rather tame and noi.sy, and,
like all Jays, very active. In Larimer County, Colora«io, they begin breed-
ing early in Ma}', but 1 have taken sets of fresh eggs at an altitude of about
9,000 feet in the middle i>f June, and in favorable seasons I think they breed
nuich higher still. Although their ne-sts are bulky, yet they are rather ditficult
to find. The birds are very (juiet during the nesting season, and are then rarely
seen. The female sits very close, and will allow you almost to touch her before
leaving the nest. On account of the early date on which they nest, their eggs
are sometimes frozen and then abandoned. I have occasionally foimd one or
two eggs in this condition. After the entire clutch is laid \ think they are
never left unprotected. During the breeding season these birds are perfect
terrors to all smaller birds, incessantly hunting for their eggs and young, of
which they devour great numbers. L have seen spirited combats between them
and other birds, especially Robins, at whose cries of alarm all of the species
within liearing distance hastened to help to fight off their connnon enemy, which
they frequently succeeded in doing. Even the little Pigmy Nuthatches are
capable of driving away these wludesale destroyei"s. I have noticed them
hiding grains of Indian corn in cracks and under the bark of trees, providing
for a possible scarcity of food in the future."

Their general habits an<l call notes resemble those of the prec^eding sub-
species. Their nests are usually placed in sniall bushy pines or other conifers,
at no great distances from the groimd, varying mostly from H to ir» feet.

Lieut. Harry C. Henson, United States Army, found the Long-crested Jay
breeding near Fort Star.ton, New Mexico, in Ma\-, 1884.

A nest and four eggs, presented to the United States National Museum
collection by Mr. Denis (iale, were found near CJold Hill, Hoidder County, Colo-
rado, in a black willow, !l feet from the ground, at an altitude of r),r>()0 feet, on
Aprils.'}, 18S!t, the earliest bre«'ding record I have for this subspecies. Four
sets of eggs in tlie Ralph coUecticui, oi»tained in Kstes I'ark, Colorado, were
taken, respectively, on May 3, 9, 21, and 25; all of the eggs were fresh when
found, excepting those of the last date, in which incubation had connnenced.
The breeding season, in (Colorado at lea.st, appears to bo at its height in this
month, but in the higher mountain ranges it is protracted into June, while in tiie
mountiiins in southern Arizona it probably couunences early in April.

'The Auk, Vol. VII, im), p. 2.-i6.

THE LONOCBESTEU JAY.

369

nio nostH of the Long-crested Jay, of which several are before me, resem-
ble those of the preceding subspecies in general construction, and mud enters
largely into their composition. Wliile they va.y but little outwardly in size and
bidk; the inner cup shovtrs more variation, rmging from 3 J to 4J inches in
diameter, and 2^ to 2f inches in depth. The iiuier lining consists mostly of
small rootlets, in one instance considerable horsehair being intermixed, while in
another the lining consists principally of gr<iss and pine needles.

The eggs vary from three to six in number, sets of four or five being
most often found. They are indistinguishable from those of Steller's Jay, with
the exception of being perhaps a trifle r ore glossy. Their breeding habits are
also similar.

The average measurement of thirty eggs in the United States National
Museum collection is 30.94 by 22.35 millimetres, or 1.22 by 0.88 inches. The
largest egg of the series measures 33.78 by 23.62 millimetres, or 1.33 by 0.93
inches; the smallest, 27.94 by 21.59 millimetres, or 1.10 by 0.85 inches.

The type specimen. No. 23774 (PI. 5, Fig. 11), from a set of five eggs
taken by Lieut. IL C. Benson, Fourth Cavalry, United States Army, near F"'ort
Stanton, New Mexico, in May, 1884, represents a large and boldly marked egg,
while No. 24444 (PI. 6, Fig. 12), also from a set of five eggs, Ralph collection,
taken in Estes Park, Colorado, on May 25, 1890, represents in its markings an
average egg of this subspecies.

Mini
olii-
<)ll
'our
vt'ic
ht'ii

U'*Mi.

this
the

144. Cyanodtta stelleri annectens (Baird).

BLACK-HEAUED JAY.

I Cynnura stelleri] var. amiectens Ba tBD, History of North American Birds, II, 1874, 281 in

text.
Cyanoeitta stelleri annectens Ridoway, Proceedings U. 8. National Museum, III, August

24, 1880, 184.

(B 4.W, part; C l'35o, part; R 2906; 0 .'WL', part; U 478c.)

Oeookaphical range: Northern Rocky Mountains; south to southern Wyoming
and northern Utah (Wasatch Range); west to Oregon and Washington, eitstof the Cas-
cade Mountains.

Tlie Bla(^k-headed Jay is a resident of the northern Rocky Mountain regions
of tiie United Stato.-i, and doubtless occurs also in corresponding localities in the
southern parts of British North America, in eastern British Columbia, and in
the Province of Alberta.

Mr. Robert Ridgway found it breeding in Parley's Park, in the Wasatch
Mountains, Utah, June 25, 1869, which mark about the southern limits of its
range. " The nest was placed in a small fir tree on the edge of a wood. It
was saddled on a horizontal branch, about 15 feet from the ground, and con-
tained six eggs. The base of the nest was composed of coarse, strong sticks,
rudely put together. Upon this was constructed a solid, firm plastering of mud
of a uniform concave shape, lined with fine, wiry roots. The external diameter

I68IW— No. 3 24

i'il-

■',*

it)

I

I

370

LIKE H18TOFUES OF NORTH AMKItlCAN lilitDB.

is nlxMit 9 iiu'hoH, tmd tlio lu-ijrht of tlio uunt 4 inciiiM. Tho interior is 5 inc.hos
in (liiuiii!t«r and .'J in deptli." '

I have met with this subspecies in tho Hitter Root Mountains, in Montana
and Idaho, as well as in the Hhie Mountains of Oreffon and Wasliinjyton; hut it
appeared nowhere to he eonnnon. At Fort Walla Walla, SVashinffton, I shot a
number of these birds durin;^ the winter months, when they left the mountains
and fora<fed about tho settlements in tho valleys. At such times I have fre-
quently seen them amonjjf tlie willows alonj; creek bottoms, fully 20 miles from
the nearest i)ine timber. I sent eleven skins, taken in this loeality, to Mr. William
Brewster, of Cambridj^e, Massachusetts, who pronomu-ed five of them typical
('f/(uio(ift(i strllrrl (uniccfnin, iuv\ two nearly typical t'l/aiiocitta ulelleri, and four
intermediate between these two forms.

Dr. C. Hart Merriam reports this Jay as veiy rare in south central Idaho,
but found it common, in 1872, ui tho Teton Basin, near tho boundary lino
between Idaho and Wyominjj.*

I failed to notice any ditt'erence in their habits from those of Steller's Jay,
excepting that they appeared to be less noisy, and on this account they are
perhaj)s less often observed.

The only egfjs of this subspecies in the United StatOfl National Museum
collection are three, from the set })reviously referred to as taken by Mr. Robert
Kidgway. They resemble the eggs of tho three ))roceding subspecies in every
l)articular, and meiisure, respectively, 31.50 by 21.34, 32 by 21.84, and 32 by
22.35 millimetres; or 1.24 1)y 0.S4, 1.26 by 0.H6, and 1.26 by 0.88 inches.

The type si)ecimen, No. 15431 (not figured), from an incomidete set of six
eggs, was taken by Mr. Robert Ridgway, in Parley's Park, Utah, as previously
stated.

6l^ >

145. Aphelocoma floridana (Baktuam).

FLOiUUA .lAY.

Cornm floriilnnm Hautram, Travels in Carolina, 1791, 2t)l.
Aplulotvma Jhritlaiia Cauanis, Museum IJcinoiiiiuin, I, 18.~il, 1221.

(B 4;t9, C 230, It L'tfl, C 354, U 479.)

Geogiiai'HICal iiANCiE : Florida.

Tho range of the Florida Jay, locally known as the "Send)" or "Bush"
Jay, ap|)ears to be confined to the Florida Peninsula, and even there it is oidy
foiuid in certain localities. As far as I am al)le to learn, it has not yet been
ol)served north of 8t. i\ngustine or south of Lake Worth, on the ea.st ctiast; nor
north of Pine Point and south of Punta Rassa, on the Gulf coast. It therefore
occupies only a comi)aratively small area of the State. In certain sections of
Florida, especially near the coast, and close to some of the larger rivers, sandy
ridges are found which i)roduce an almost impenetrable thicket of low, scrubby

' UiHtory of North Americun Uirda, 1874, Vol. II, pp.281,L'82.

< North Amerioim Fauuu, No, 5, U. 8. l>opartiueut of ARricultnro, 1891, p. 91).

IP'

THS FLORIDA JAY.

871

onkfl, mixod horo niul thoru witli stuiitod pinoH, lutuo of tlicso buHlioH attaining
a iioight of nioro than 10 fuot, and tlieno "HcrubH," at* thuy are locally called,
arc tho honiu of the Florida Jay. They are not found in the more open pine
forcHtii, n(»r in the extenHive swampu ho al)undant in thitt State, and are rarely
Heen any diHtanco away from tho oak thicketu.

Their food, like that of the rcHt of this family, conaiHtH of iiiHectH, {^rubs,
wood tickH, HuailH, offal, and other animal matter, variotiH HcedH, fruitH, and acomH,
and they are likewise charfjod with being very dewtriictive to the young and
eggH of other birds. Their call notes are said to be somewhat simihir to those
of the lUue Jay, but on the whole perhaps not so l<md and harsh. Where
not unduly molested they l)ecome quite tame and familiar, and will allow
themselves to be approached closely. Dr. Ralph says that ho stopped one
night at the house of a settlei*, near Titusville, Florida, who lived some distance
from other settlers. He was evidently a friend of the feathered tribe, his only
neighbors. On his calling or whistling, several Florida Jays, Cardinals, and
Mockingbirds would quickly a])pear, alight on his head and shoulders, and take
the food out of his hands. They were equally familiar with strangers, fighting
and quarreling among themselves for choice places on their persons. It is
astonishing how quickly some birds, as well as mammals, lose all their fear
and become almost domesticated if treated kindly, and that lonely settler
imdoubtedly passed many a pleasant hour in company with his feathered
friends. Their flight is slow, evidently laborious, and is said to resemble that of
the I^Iockingbird somewhat. A good deal of their time is spent on the groiuid,
where they are far mt)re at home than on tho wing, moving with the greatest
ease and dexterity through the densest thickets and undergrowth.

In fav(»rablo localities they are said to breed in communities, a number of
pail's nesting in close proximity to each other. In the more southern parts
of their range nidification begins sometimes in March, but generally they nest
more frecpiently in April and May, jmd sometimes even as late as the middle of
June, which looks as if two broods might now and then be raised in a setison.

The eggs of the Florida Jay range from three to five in number, and their
ground color varies from pea green to pale glaucous gi-een. They are blotched
and spotted with irregidarly shaped markings of cinnamon rufous and vinaceous
cinnamon, these being generally heaviest about tiie larger 'jnd of the ef!;g. They
are usually ovate in shape, though an occasional set may be called elongate
ovate; the shell is smooth and compact, and shows but little gloss.

Tiio average measurement of thirty-six eggs in the United States National
Museum collection is 27.31 by 20.32 millimetres, or about 1.07 by 0.80 inches.
Tho largest egg of the series measures 30.78 by 20.57 millimetres, or 1.21 by
0.81 inches ; the smallest, 24.64 by 20.07 millimetres, or 0.97 by 0.79 inch.

The type specimen. No. 24704 (PI. 5, Fig. 13), Ralph collection, from a set
of three eggs, wiis taken near Daytona, Volusia County, Florida, on May 14,
1891, and represents a small-sized but average-colored egg of tho series.

■I - i ^t ■ '

-M

■ f I ijf :

i|;t

mi

I-

872 liil'K lllU'i'UlUE8 OF ^UUTll AMEUKJA^J lilUDS.

146. Aphelocoma woodhousei (lUmu).

W<M»I)II(UIHK'H .lAV.

Vyanoeitta woodhounei Raiki), IIjiiIb of North Ainericn, IHM, 1*1. 5U.
Aphelocoma tcuodhoimi Uiihiway, Field luid Funmt, Juii«>, 1877, INM.

(I» 4;W, 0 230fl, U L'02, C SfiS, IT 480.)

Oeoorapiiical itAN«}K: WcHterii United States; north to H(>iithi>itHt4tru Oregon,
Mmtheni Idaho uihI VVyoiiiliiK; eiint t^t Colorado and New Mexico; wcHt to Nevada and
BoiitheaMtern Califoruia; south tlirough Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas into
northern Mczieo.

WoodliouHe's ilay is an iiiliabiinnt of tho Houtlioni Hocky Mountain ref^ons
an<l tho ranfjc'rt of tlio Great Hasin botweon tlio former and the Sierra Nevadas.
Besides the hiralities already mentioned, it is common in many parts of Utah.
During the biological survey made under the direction of Dr. C. Hart Mennam,
in the Death Valley region of southeastern California, in the spring and sunmier
of 1891, Woodhouse's Jay was found on all of the desert ranges which furnish a
growth of pifion or juniper. In California it was observed in the White Moun-
tains, Inyo, Argus, Coso, and Panamint ranges; in Nevada, in the Charleston,
Grapevine, Juniper, and I'ahroc, mountains, and in Utah, in the lieaverdaui
Mountains. In the latter part of June young which were able to fly were found
among the willows along the streams in the J^anamint Mountains, north of
Telescope Peak.'

Mr. Robert Ridgway found these birds very abundant in various })art8 of
Nevada, and also met with tliem in Utah and at City of Rocks, Idaho. I observed
this species on the southern slopes of Steens Moimtain, in southeastern Oregon,
in August, 1877, which locality marks about the uorthwestem limits of their
range.

Mr. Charles E. Aiken was, I believe, tho first natUi.ilist who took the nests
and eggs of this Jay, and he sent me several sets taken in El Paso County,
Colorado, in 1873.

Dr. Elliott Coues, in his Birds of the Northwest, states: "It is very abundant
in tho upi)er parts of Arizona, and widely and ecjually distributed in all sorts
of i)laces, with the exce])tiou, perhaps, of the recesses of pine woods, which are
generally relinfjuished in favor of the long-crested species. Its preference, liow-
ever, is for oak openings, rough, broken hillsides covered with patches of juniper,
manzanita, and yuccas, bushy ravines, and wooded creek bottoms."''

Mr. William Lloyd, in his List of Birds of Western Texas, says regarding
this species: " Resident wiierever there is slnn oak, at the heads of nearly all
creeks. Toleraldy (;onnnon. Nest with three eggs found April lil, 18S5, on
8{)ring ( 'reek, in low underbrush; another, same date and position of nest, with
three young." ^

■North American Fiiiinik, No. 7, IT. 8. Departiiiout of Agriculture, 1893, p. 69.
•IT. H. Oeologiral Surrey of tlio Territories, No. 3, 1874, p. !iiO.
'The Auk, Vol. IV, 1887, p. 290.

13-

WOODUOrSK'S JAY.

878

Mr. Scott foniul VVoo(11u)U.h»''h .lay n «-<»iiiin<<n and retiident »])ocieH at the
lioiul watoi'rt «>t' Mineral ('HH'k, ant! alHo coiiunon in tliu footliillH of the Oatalinu
Mountainx, in Houthurn Arizona. Hi' sayi*: "It trcqnt-ntly UHHociatuH with A/ilif-
loitinia sirherii arizotue, l»nt it is not ho |rn>pirions as that sju'cies. liruuds in hito
A|>ril and May, an<l I think hut ono l)rood is r*'ar«-d. As tar as [ am ahhi to
jiidjrt', this s[>e»M('s dotts not ranjjti btdow 3,000 nor above 0,000 feet in tlio foot-
hills of the Catalina Mountains. I have not nu't with it at other |K*iuts than
those indicated in the I'inal and Catalina mountains."'

Like the rest of the .Fay family, the notes of Wt>odliouse's Jay are (juito
varied and not unlike those of the California .lay. Its food also is similar, an<l
in rcjfions where oaks or nut pines are abundant consists principally of the frnit
of these trees, various insects, and presumably also of the y«>unff »"d cggn of
smaller birds. They are ajiparently equally as adept at thieving as are the
better-known species of this family, and j)robably do fully as much damage.
They ranj^e up to an altitude of 7,000 feet in stunmer.

Capt. W. L. Carpenter, United States Army, foun<l it breedinf^ near Prescott,
Arizona, on .Fune G, 18iU, and writes as follows: "The nest was placed about
.') feet from the ji^round, in the center of thick brush, and was difHcult to reach. It
was found on a brush-(!overed ridji^e, cut up by ravines, covered with oak, lemon-
beiTy, manzanita, juniper, yucca, prickly pear, mescal, and other {growths which
contril)ute to the appearance of a northern Arizona landscape, about 100 feet
above a small valley throuj^h which flowed a rivulet. The parents remained
in the vicinity, screaming harshly, bounding through- the jinii|H'r trees, and trying
for a long while to <lraw me away. When 1 finally located tlut lu'st, finding
further dtH'eption U8ele.s8, the one which I took to be the f(*male disap|)eared; the
other then perched within 10 feet of me an<l peered at me silently, with his
head cocked on one sifle, an interested spei^tator of further proceedings. As
we w.atched each other so closely I could not forbear saying, 'Ah, yes, my fine*
fellow, you are right; we are a. j)air of robbers. How many birds' nests have
you robbed this morning and devoured the joung, too?' When I had secured
the nest and packed the eggs away, he fiew off with loud screams, no doubt
intended for .Fay -like anathemas, whi»'h 1 could ])ut feel were well merited."

The nests are placed in scrub oaks, pirtous, and thick shrubbery, usually but
a short distant^c from the ground an<l not far from water. The nest taken by
Captain Carpenter, which is before uh', is composed of a flight platform of very
crooked interlaced twigs, and on these is placed a lining of fine roots and .some
horsehair. No mud is used in its construction. The lining is about three-
fourths of an inch in thickness. C'ompared with other .Fays' nests this is a
rather small structure, and not nearly as deep. It measures about 7 inches in
outer diameter by 4 inches in depth, and tlie iiuier cup 3.J inches in diameter by
2 inches in depth.

In the more southern portions of their range nidification begins in the latter
part of March or the first week in April, varying somewhat according to altitude.

'The Aiik, Vi.l. IV, 1887, p. aO.

374

LIFK HIHTOKIKS OF NORTH AMUKICAN BIUnR.

In Colorado mo«t of thoHo l)ir(l» appiMir to l)roo(l in May, whilo in n<»rtliom
Arizona w«'ll-incu1>at«'(l (>^^k iiavo Ihhmi found aH lato an tlu* HrHt v/vvk in .Tuiio.
Incubation laHtH almut mxtuun dayH, hoth paruntH prol)al>]y iiMitiHtinfr; an<l I think
that 1)ut onu lirood iM raiHod in a Hoamtn. The nunibor of o^^a hiid to a Hct varit'H
from tliroo to mx, UHually four or tivo. T\w (ground (•oh>r of tlicw t'}(ffs irt a dirty
p«a jfnH'u or a pah) Hajji* jfrtHMi; th'jy aro Hparin|rly HpottiMl and tli'ckud ov»'r tlio
ontiri* Hurfactt witli in-i-jjuhir niarkingH of f«rnigin«)UH brown, tawny, and lavi-n-
dor, th«*Ho i)oin{f UHually hmvinHt ab<nit th« hirffor end of tlio oj;p, but nowhoro ho
abundant aH to hich* tho p'ound cohtr. Tiut nhidl in compact, rather nmooth, and
but nliglitly Jfhissy. Tlu^y vary in nhapc from ovate or nhort ovato to (dongatu
ovato.

The averagfc mcaHurcmcnt of twenty-two egpn in the United States Natif*nal
Muneum collection in 27.57 by 20.0!) millimetren, or about l.(M) by 0.7!) inchen.
The largcHt ejrff motiHurcH 29.4(1 l>y 20.32 millimetres, or 1.16 by 0.80 inchen;
the HmalleHt, 25.40 by 19.81 millimetreH, or 1 by 0.78 inch.

The type specimen. No. 20359 (1*1. 5, P'ijf. 14), Hendire collection, from a
set of six efffjH, was taken by Mr. (.'harles K. Aikon, in El I'aso County, Colo-
rado, on May 18, 1874, and repruseuts an average marked egg of this s|>ecie8.

147. Aphelocoma californica (Vigors).

CALIFORNIA JAY.

Gnyruhm enUfornic\i» VlooR.<<, Zoology Heediey's Voynge, IfWO, 21, PI. V.
Ayphelocoma] cali/ornica Cauanib, Museum Ilciiicanuni, I, Octol)er 15, 1851, 221.

(B 437, 0 2306, R 2»3, C 350, V 481.)

Orooraphical RANGE: Pacific Const rcgioiiH; from northern Ijower Onlifornin
north through ('aliforniii (excepting Houtheosteni parts), western Oregon, to southweHtern
Washington; euHt to anil iududing the eastern slopes of the Hierra Xcvada, in California
ami western Nevada, and the eastern sloi)eH of the Cascade Mountains, in Oregon.

The California Jay is a common resident in Huitable localitieH throughout
the greater portion of its range, its favorite haunts being the oak-i-overed foothill
regions of the higher mountains, the brush-covered sides of the canyons leading
into these, and the shrubbery along water courses. It avoids the (sxtensive pine
forests, and is nvrely met with in such localities, excepting along their bordeiu
In summer it has been found at altitudes of from 6,000 to 8,000 feet, but it is
much more common in the lower agricultural uistricts and the oak belt. Where
these trees are abundant the California Jay is sure to be also present.

Mr. A. W. Anthony found it common in the vicinity of Knsenada, in Lower
California, which marks about the southern limit of its habitat. Its ea.stern
range terminates along the eastern slopes of the Sien*a Novadas, where it is only
found in isolated localities, tand it was not observed in any of the desert ranges
to the ea.st of these mountains by Dr. Merriam's exploring parties. Mr. Robert
llidgway reports it sus quite common in the vicinity of Cai-son City, Nevada.

TIIK CAMKOIiNIA JAY.

87ft

Mr. II. \y. IIoiiHliaw mot with it a t'(»tmi<lfml>l«' tliHtanctt imrth of this poiiif, iiiul I
Hiint ii nialo uihI naw Hovural paira nii May 10, 1KK3, tliiiiy iiiiUiM muitli of Kort
Klaniatli, <)n*)roii, on tlio ruad t(» Linltvillo, on ii liillmd** rovcrod wit)i mountain
mahogany IxihIiom, wIuto they w«ro (tvidontly lin-cdinff. TliiM locality in vhhI of
Klamath Lako and tho CaHcado Moiintaiim. Mr. Ih'imhaw ropoiiM a H|i«M-iin<'n
taken at Tho DalU'w, October 4, ISTf), and Mr. U. II. i^awrencif conmd«*rs it «-om-
mon at liid^efield and Vancouv(*r, WaHliin^yton, ax is alno the White-fronted .lay.
lie writtm from Portland, f)re>fon, under date of October 1{>, 1H9*2: "Ki<yht
California Jays hgou, mostly in small trees at the roadside and on tho }n'<>niid.
ThisHpocioH frequonts tho bushy Htri|ts ((orderin;; fences and tho ("dfros of fields
and slon^hs in thoOohunbia Hiver bottom. .Fud^injr from the lunnbers seen at
Uidjjerteld and tho Hurroundin;;s this mtocies chooses, I should expect to hud it
well up in tho valley of the Cowlitz River, Washinjjton." Mr. Lawrence adds:
"The call notes of tho California .Fay bear nujch resenddanc** to those of
(Jj/nnocitta sMIrri frmttalis, but they are not so loud and stronjf. One of their
calls BoundH like 'hi-o' or 'heo-hee, hee-lu'e;' another, not so harsh nor so loud,
is 'whe, whe, whc.'"

Mr. Charh's A. Allen, of Nicasio, California, writes: "I consider tlu'ir calls
fully as harsh and raspinjj as those of any other meinbor of this family. One
of their notes of alarm, uttered when they see somethiu}'!' they «lo not like,
especially an Owl asleep in a tree, soiuids like 'cnr, cftr, cfir;' as soon as this
is heard by others in tho vicinity they will <'ounn(!Uce to {father and join in tho
chorus. A sort of social note of recojjfuition sounds like 'whfize, whfizc,' <>iven
while movin<f about amonj; the trees and shrubbery, and one of their couunon
call notes sounds like 'croak, creak.'

" No birtl is nioro destructive of the sm.aller species buildiuji- open, uncon-
cealed nests than this ,Tay. 1 have seen one aliffht on a lind) near a nest, eat
the e<fgs that it ccmtained, and, not satisfied with this, };ive the nest a (h»\vn and
inward stroke with its bill, ripping; it open. They are esi)ecially destructive to
the nests of the Black-chinned and Anna's Tlunuuin^ibirds and the Ctround Tit.
They also become altof^ether too familiar about the poultry houses, and will eat
the eggs as fast as tho hens lay them. As .soon as they hear a hen cackle after
laying, three or four of these birds <jo to the s])ot at once. Even the ( hickeii
house affords no protection against these roljbers, if they can find a way of
entering it; shooting is e(|U.ally iiieflectual, for they ant too numerous. I'hey
destroy vast <|uantities of fruit in apjde, jjeach, ju-ar, and plum orchards, as well
as many sm.'dler fruits. Shooting them by luuidreds and hanging their (-arcasses
in tho fruit trees as scarecrows is of no avail; they do not know enough to be
frightened at anything. I have tried to poison them, but never saw a dead one
except when shot. They also destroy a great deal of young wheat when first
sown, until it is 2 or 3 inches high. They jiull it out of the ground and eat the
soft, swelled gi'ains; after the stalks l)egin to grow they will not molest it. I
have never seen one Jay eat .another's eggs, but they po.ssibly may do so on rare
occasions. One not familiar with theses birds can not realize the* amount of
mischief they can do, and they are incr<'asing in nundiers from year to year."

r

..■-.- ,l»

"■ ii!

p

I

m

1 if

>u

m-

376

LIFE IIlSTOKIEii OF NOUTII AMEKICAX BIRDS.

hi'..

I Imve reccivinl Hiiiiilar testimony from other irorresiKUulentrt in ( 'alifoniia,
and thero seems to be no doubt that tlie (California Jay is -..iie of the {greatest
nuisan -es wherever it is abundant, which seems to be the case throughout tlio
gi'viatcr jv)rtion of the State, and no one has anything good to say of it. In its
general habits it resembles the IMue .Tay considerably; it is an equally good
mimic, but it is less shy and wary and far more familiar and impertinent. Its
flight is slow and laborious, accomplished liy considerable flapping f>f the wings,
and only resorted to for short distances and through necessity. On the ground
and in bushes it is quick and agile in rdl its movements, hopping about from
limb to limb, and darting through the thickest undergrowth with great ease. It
is onuiivorous, and away from the settlements its food consists priuci}>ally t>f
acorns, the seeds of the nut pine, insects of various kinds, wild fruits, and ben'ies.

Mr. K. II. Beck, of Benyessa, California, writes me that he has seen tliem
with lizards in their claws. In the winter they mostly congregate in the sjmib-
bery found along the creek Iwttoms, and among the oak groves in the lower
foothills, leaving the more isolated localities in the mountain gorges where many
of them spend the sunmiers. In southern California nidification commences
occasionally in the beginning of April, and con'espondingly later northward,
where it is generally at its height during the first two weeks in May. I think
it not improbable that in favorable localities two broods are occasionally raised
in a season. Mr. F. Ste[»]iens took a set of four eggs near Owen's I^ake, Inyo
County, California, in which incubation had just conmienced, as late a« .lune
8, 1891, and in a locality where these birds were not likely to have been
previously disturbed.

The nests are usually fovuid on brush-covered hillsides or in creek bottoms,
placed in low bushes and thickets, such as blackbeny, poison oak, wild (^nosc-
berry, currant, hazel, hawthorn, and scnib- lak bushes, or in osage-orange hedges;
occasionally in a small })inon pine or a bushy young fir, and quite frequently
on a horizontal limb of an oak, varying in height from 3 to 30 feet from
the ground. In the majority of cases the nests are located Dear water, Init
sometimes one may V>e found fully a mile distant. Externally they are com-
posed of a jilatform of interlaced twigs, nii.xed occasionall}' with moss, wheat
stubble, and dry grass; on this the nest jiroper is j)laced, which consists of a
lining of fine roots, sometimes mixed with horsehair. No mud enters into the
composition of their nests. One now before me, taken l)y Mr. F. Stephens, as
mentioned above, measures 9 inches in outer diameter by 3^ inches in height; the
inner cuj) is 4 inches in diameter l)y 2 inches deep. Outwardly it is comp<>sed
of small twigs of sagebrush, and the lining consists entirely of fine roots; it is
compactly built and well constructed. The nests are usually well concealed, and
the birds are dose sitters, sometimes remaining on the nests until almost touched.

The numlier of eggs to a set varies from three to six, sets of four or five
being most common; the male assists in the construction of the nest, and to
some extent in incubation, which lasts about sixteen days. The young are able
to leave the nest in about eighteen days, and follow the parents for some time.

m

THE CALIFORNIA JAY.

377

Lato in the auinincr tliey eongrogatts in straggling flocks in localities where tliey
find subsistence* most abundant, as near orcshards and among the oak groves in
the foothills, which at that time supply them with the bulk of their food; here
they are constantly at war with the Californian Woodpeckers, whom they try to
rob of their carefully hoanled winter stores whenever an opportunity jiresents
itself, while in the winter they come around the farmhouses and steal whatever
eatables they can.

The gi'ound color of the egg of the California Jay is very variable, ranging
from deep sea green to pea and sage green, and again to dull olive and vinaceous
buft". The eggs with a greenish ground color usually have markings of a dark
bottle-green tint, mixed sometimes with different shades of sage gretai. The
eggs having a bufly ground color are spotted, blotched, and speckled with
different shades of feiTuginous, cinnamon, rufous, and occasionally lavender.
The markings are generally scattered over the entire surface of the i^gg, and are
usually heavier about the larger end, but nowhere so profuse as to hide the
ground color. These markings vary considerably in size; some are irregular in
shape, others are ((uite even iii size throughout, and occasionally they are fine
and j)rofuse, resembling in style of markings the well-known eggs of some of the
Thrashers (JIarporhynchus). A few instances are known where imspotted eggs
have been found. The shell is close grained and lusterless. In shape the eggs
are mostly ovate ; a few are elongate ovate.

The average measurement of seventy-six eggs in the United States National
Museum collection is 27.82 by 20.(52 millimetres, or about 1.10 by 0.81 inches.
The largest egg of the series measures 30.78 by 21.84 millimetres, or 1.21 by
0.8G inches; the smallest, 24.89 by 19.30 millimetres, <ir 0.98 by 0.76 inch.

The type specimens figured iire selected to show some of the different styles
of coloration found among the eggs of this species, which are subject to a great
deal of variation. No. 20309 (PI. 5, Fig. lA), Bendire collection, taken near
Niciusio, Marin County, California, April 31, 1878, represents one of the rarer
color phases; No. 2084(1 (PI. A, Fig. l(i), presented by Dr. James C. Merrill,
United States Army, from a set of three eggs taken near Santa Cruz, California,
April 23, 1877, .slu>\vs another rather rare .style of coloriitioii; No. 24331 (PI. f).
Fig. 17), received from the United States Department of .\gi'icultiu"e, from a set of
four eggs, taken by Mr. V. Stephens, near Owen's Lake, Inyo Ci>unty, California,
on June 8, 1891, shows one of the commoner types; and No. 2(!9")0 (1^1. 5, Fig.
18), from an incomplete set of two eggs, taken by Mr. J. Van Denburgh, near
Los Gatos, California, on May IG, 1889, shows a rather light-colored and nearly
immaculate specimen.

M

m

M

IT

m

\. I

378

LIFE UISTOBIE8 UF NOUTII AMERICAN lURDB.

i\\

\.U

148. Aphelocoma califomica hypoleuca Ridoway.

XANTIIS'S JAY.

Apheloaimn californica hypoleuca UinowAV, Manual of Nortli American Birdn, 1887, 3fi<i.
(H 437, pint; C 23<i/>, part; U 2)>;{, i)art; O 356, part; U 48lrt.)

(jEooRAi'iiiciAL RANOE: Southern Lower ('alit'oruia; north to nlM)ut hititndo 28°.

Very little is yet known about tlie life history of Xantxis's Jay (a some-
what smaller hird than the preceding), which inhabits the Houthern half of the
California Peninsula. Mr. Xantiis, in whose honor this subspecies is named,
found it a conunon resident in the vicinity of Cape St. Lucas, and states that its
habits are much the same as those of the California .Jay. They were also met
with by Mr. L. lielding in the same region. Mr. Walter E. liryant states: "I
saw a few among the mangroves of Magdalena Island, and along the mangrove-
bordered rstero to San Jorge, and northward as far as latitude 28°." Regarding
its nesting ha))its, he says: "A single nest of this new variety was foinid by
myself a few miles southward of San Ignacio, on April 12, 1889. The nest was
built about 3 metres high, in a gi*een acacia, near the trail. The female was
sitting and did not* fly until j)reparations for climbing the tree had conmienced.
The ne.st was in quite an exposed situation, among scant twigs on a horizontal
branch. It is (romi)osed of small, loosely laid dry twigs, and is a shallow recep-
tacle, lined with fiber and horsehair. The eggs, three in number (set No. 899,
collection of W. E. Bryant), contained small embryos. They are more finely
spotted than some similar Jays' eggs, with shell spots of pale lilac gray Jind
surface spots of pale olive green. The groinid color is dull glaucous green.
They measure 27.5 by 20.5, 27.5 by 21, and 27 by 21 millimetres "'(or about
1.08 by 0.79, 1.08 by 0.83, and l.Ofi'by 0.83 inches).

I have l)een inialde to leani anything further about the general habits
of this subspecies; they are undoubtedly very similar to those of the Califor-
nia .Jay.

Two eggs in the United States National Museum collection, taken by Mr.
Xantus in the vicinity of Cape St. Lucas, in the sjjring of 18(J0, have a pale
bluish-green ground color and are spotted over the entire surface with small
markings of gi'ayish l)rown, which are slightly heavier about the larger end of the
egg. The eggs are ovate in shape and slightly glossy, and are evidently out of
different nests. One measures 28.70 by 21.34 millimetres, or 1.13 by 0.84 inciies;
the other, 24.13 by 17.78 millimetres, or 0.95 by 0.70 inch.

The type specimen, No. 5174 (not figured), in die United States National
Mu.seum collection, was taken as above stated, and closely resembles an average
egg of the Califoniia Jay.

> l'roce«(liU{{ii of the Culifurniu Aradeiuy iif SoicuceH, 2il mii'Iiih, Vol. II, 1881), p)). :!4 und 293.

It -

BELDING'S JAY.

379

149. Aphelocoma califomica obscura Anthony.

helding's jay.

Aphelocoma caUfornica ohsmra Anthony, Procowlings ('tttifoniiit Actulomy of Sciences, 2(1
series, II, October 11, 1889, 75.

(B _, C — , R — , C — , U 4816.)

GBooRApniOAL BANGS: San Pedro Martir Monntains, Lower California.

Belding's Jay, another subspecies of tlio California Jay, was recently
described by Mr. A. W. Anthony, in the " Proceedings of the California Acad-
emy of Sciences" (2d series, Vol. II, October 11, 1889, pp. 73, 75). The type,
which differs from Aphelocoma californu'ti in its mucli darker colors and weaker
feet, was obtained by him at Valladores, Lower California, September 8, 1888.
In describing the region where his specimens were collected, he says: "About
1.50 miles south of the United States boundary, and midway between the Patufic
Ocean and the Gulf of California, lies a high range of mountains which is
marked upon the later maps of the peninsula as 'San Pedro Martir.' Tiie region
embraces a series of small ranges which rise from an elevated mesa having a
mean elevation of about 8,000 feet and an extent of 60 by 20 miles. In these
mountains are born the only streams tliat this part of the peninsula affords,
and an abundance of pine timber is found throughout the region. Many of the
ranges on the eastern side of the San Pedro Mjirtir rise to an elevation of 11,000
feet, or even in one or two places to 12, .500 (?) feet.

" Rising as the region does from the dry, barren hills of the lower country
to an elevation higher than any other on the peninsida or in southern California,
and i)resenting in its al})ine vegetation and clear mountain streams features so
different from the dry manzanlta and sage-covered hills of the surrounding
country, it is not unnatural to suj)})ose that its animal life would be found to
differ in some respects from that of the surrounding hills, etc."

In these regions Helding's Jay is found, and it is to be hoped that Mr.
Anthony will bo able to pay ani>ther visit to these mountains and exjjlore them
more thoroughly. Notliing is yet known regarding the nesting hal>its and eggs
of this well-marked subspecies.

I*

-|ii^

if '■

150. Aphelocoma insularis IIenshaw.

SANTA Cin;Z .lAY.

Aphelopoma ituularis FlKNsnAW, Auk, III, October, 1880, 452.

(B — , 0 — , U — , V — , U 481.1.)

OEOoreAi'HiCAL RANOE: Santa Oux Island, southern California.

The Santa Cruz Jay, which seems to be ctmfined to tlie similarly named
island, onc! of the innermost of the Santa Barbara grouj), about 2.'} miles distant
from the California coast, was first discovered by Mr. II. W. IIenshaw, in .June,

:W.

4

f^i

1

Ij'

m

I.-

h>'

ISil

380

LIFE H1FTOEIB8 OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

1875, ami described by him in "The Auk" (Vol. Ill, 188fi, pp. 4.')2,4.')3). It is
a larjjer binl than the California Jay, and generally deeper colored. Very little
is yet known about the life history of this species.

Mr. Eli Whitney Blake, jr., who visite<l this island on two occasions in 1887,
states: " It is by far the commonest land bird of the island, and familiar to the
verge of impudence. General habits like those of its near relatives on the main-
huid. Several nests which nuist have belonged to this species were j)laced in
trees or bushes, between 6 and 30 feet from the ground. They exhibited no
marked peculiarity of construction." '

The eggs of this species, as far as I am aware, remain still to be described.
There is probably but little difference between them and those of the Cali-
fornia Jay.

151. Aphelocoma sieberii arizonse Riuoway.

ARIZONA .lAY.

GyanoeUtn ultranmrinn vitr. nrhoiuv liiixtwAY, Hiilletiii I'jhsox Iiistitiit/C, V, December,

187.3, 199.
Aphel4>eoma tieherii urizoiuv Kiuuway, ProcetHlings U. 8. National Muauuiii, VUI, 1885,

;«5.

(H 440, C 237, U 296, <3 357, U 482.)

Geoobaphioai, kanok: Hdutherii New Mexico and Arizona; south into Sonora and
Chiliiiahua, Me.xico.

The Arizona Jay is a common resident throughout the oak })elt of .southern
Arizona and Njw Mexico which generally fringes the foothills of the mountiiins
and ranges wjll up among the pines. In suitable localities these Jays are very
abundant, especially so along the sIojjcs of the Santa Catalina, Iluachuca, Santa
Rita, and 'Jhiricahua mountiiins, in soutliern Arizona, and the ranges adjacent to
the Rio Mimbres, in southern New Mexico. They are rarely seen any distance
out on file arid plains; but after the breeding season is over small flocks are
sometin es met with among the shrubbery of the few water courses, several
miles away from their regular habitat. I repeatedly noticed several of these
Jays along the Rillito Creek, near my camp, in 1872-73, in the early spring
and up to the middle of May, evidently on ii raid after <'ggs and tlie young of
smaller birds, wiiicli l)reed in abundance here among the undergrowth in the
creek bottoms. On such occasions they were very silent, and their presence
was oidy betrayt^l hy the scoMings they received from the numerous resident
bird population. On their own heath they are as noisy as any of our Jays, and
apj)arently far more sociable, a number of pairs fre(|uently breeding in a small
oak i- Ml close j)roximity to each other, in this respect resembling the I'ifion

Jay. . .dso breeds in colonies at times. They do not unite in as large flocks,
howtvcT, but move about more in small family jiarties, from half a <lozen to

' The Auk, Vol. IV, 18S7, p. 3a9.

i5«*>'

Iv-, '■:

1:

TUE AltlZONA JAY.

381

twenty or thirty, in fact it is rare to see one alonu. Tliey are exceedingly
restless, constantly on the move, prying into this or that, spending a good por-
tion of their time on the ground, now hopping on a low limb, and the next minute
down again, twit(!hing their tails almost constantly. Their call notes are harsh
and far-reaching, and are somewhat similar to those of the California Jay.
'■'hey are as great robbers of the eggs and young of smaller birds as thefonner.
The other birds inhai)iting the same surrounding-s and building open nests must
certainly have a hard time of it in i-earing their young.

Their food consists of grasshopjters and insects of various kinds, animal
matter when obtainable, wild fruits, seeds, and esj)ecially acorns. The latter
probably form the bulk of their subsistence throughout the greater portion of the
year. In the Suharita Pass, between the Santa Catalina and the Rincon moun-
tains, near Tucson, Arizona, I noticed about twenty feeding on the fig-like fruit
of the suahara, of which, like many other birds, they seemed to bo very fond.
Their flight appears to me to be far less laborious than that of the California
Jay. It reminds me of that of some of our Raptores, rising now high in the air,
partly closing their wings, and then darting suddenly down, then up again, and
rei)eating these movements for some time. In southern Arizona the mating
season begins about the end of February, and nidification follows soon after.

According to observations made by Mr. W. E. D. Scott, the Arizona Jay
sometimes does not commence laying until fully two weeks after the nest has
been cor.ipleted, and again builds an additional nest close to the first, without
occupying it. A nest is described by him as follows: "It was built in an oak
sapling, about 10 feet from the ground, and is composed of dry rootlets laid
very loosely in concentric rings;, and with little or no attempt at weaving
together. There is nothing like a lining, and the walls of the structure have an
average thickness of about three-quarters of an inch. The interior diameter is
f) inches, and the greatest interior depth is 1^ inches. The whole fabric recalls
to mind a rather deep saucer. The nest was not built in a crotch, but where
several small branches and twigs leave the large branch (1^ inches in diameter)
which forms the main suppoi't. All the other nests I have seen resemble this
one so closel}' that this description will answer fitr them." '

A nest of this species, taken by Lieut. 11. C. Benson, United States Arm}-,
on April 6, 1887, differs somewhat from those described by Mr. Scott. It is
composed outwardly of small sticks and twigs; next conies a layer of fine root-
hsts, well woven together — this mass is alone <jver half an inch in thickness —
and, finally, the inner nest is lined with a liberal supply' of horsehair. It is well
constructed, and measures about 10 inches across externally by 4 inches in
dejith; the inner diameter is about 4^ by 2 inches in depth.

The nest and eggs of the Arizona Jay were firat discovered by Mr. F.
Stei»lieiis, near Fort Bayard, New Mexico, on Ajiril 29, 1876, and since tlion
he has found it breeding in the Chiricahua and Santa llita mountains; he con-
siders it a foothill bird, not going far into tlio pines and not appearing on the
plains.

■The Aiik, Vol. Ill, 1880, p. 81.

■><.:.■:

:.tl

Ij.'-!

,!rvi

la i ' , ■

Jr. -^

!'■"■

382

LIFK UISTOItlES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Lioutonaiit Boiihou, United States Army, found them breeding ubtmduntly
in the vicinity of Fort Iluachueu, Arizona, duriufr April and May, 1887. All of
the nests taken by him, some thirty in number, were placed in oaks, from 12 to
30 feet from the {fi'cmnd, usually about 15 feet hi;;h, being generally only moder-
ately concealed. Ilis first sot was found on April C, and the majority were
taken in this month; his latest record is May 10. The breeding season seems
to be at its height during the latter half of April. But one brood appears to bo
raised in a season, and incubation lasts about sixteen days. The number of
eggs to a set varies from four to seven; sets of four eggs are more frequently
found than larger ones, and in thirty-fimr sets now before mo there is only one
of si.K and one of seven eggs. These differ from all the known eggs of this
family found within the* United States by being xmspotted. They are glaucous
green in color, and the majority are nuich more glossy than Jays' eggs gen-
erally are.

In the fine series of specimens, one hundred and thirty-six in niimbei*,
nearly all collected by Lieutenant Benson, ! can not find a single one that sh(»\vs
any trace of markings; they are all perfectly immaculate. The shell is smooth
and compact; in shape they vary from ovate to elongate ovate.

The average measurement of this series is 30.28 by 22.2(! millimetres, or
about 1.1!) by 0.H8 inches. The largest egg measures 35.05 by 22.10 millimetres,
or 1.38 by 0.87 inches; the smallest 26.92 by 21.59 millimetres, or l.OO by 0.85
inches.

The type specimens, Nos. 22969 and 22997 (PI. 5, Figs. 19 and 20), from
sets of four and five eggs, respectively, were collected by Lieut. II. C. Benson,
Fourtli Cavalry, United States Anny, near Fort Huachuca, Arizona, on April 15,
aud 27, 1887, and represent average types of this species.

152. Aphelocoma cyanotis Kiuoway.

ItLUE-KAKKD .JAY.

Aphvlocoma vyaiwtin UniGWAY, Manual of Nortli Ainerican IJirds, 1887, ;{57.

(B — . C — , R — , 0 — , U 48(»,1.)

CiKonBAi'HK.'AL KAN(iE: Eastern Mexi'j, fruui the States uf Tuebla, Mexico, and
Sail Luis I'otosi north to western Texas.

'I'iie Blue-ejired Jay, a recent addition to our fauna, was first described by
Mr. Jloljcrt Uidgway from a specimen now in tlie United States National Museum
collection, taken by Mr. John Taylor, in Sei)tember, 183(!, in Mexico (exact
locality not known), and it was only rediscovered a few years ago l)y the late
Mr. 1'. L. ,Fouy, near (liarcas, Puebla, Mexico, which remains as yet the mo.st
southern point of its known range. Since then tiie United States I)ej»artment
of Agriculture has received a numl)er of specimens from different localities in
the States of Mexic<» and San Luis Potosi, where it appears to be common, and
also three from Pai.sano, Brewster County, Texas, a station on the S( iithern

THE BLUE-EABED JAY.

883

Pacific Railroad, and the liiji^heHt point (5,082 feet) on this road.' These speci-
niuns were taken (tn July 14, 18, and 21, 1890, and it is probable that this
species breeds there, l^he mountain slopes here, forming' a southern extension
of the Guadalupe range, are covered in places with scrub oak and juniper groves,
and these form the homo of this Jay.

Dr. A. K. Fisher, in his note in "The Auk" already mentioned, referring to
these Texas specimens, says: "Through the kindness of Mr. llidgway they were
compared with the type of Aphelocoma ii/anotis in the United States National
Museum collection, and were found to be rijferablo to that species. They differ
from cyanoHs \\i averaging a little smaller, and in having a more slender bill, thus
grading toward woodhousei, as might bo expected, where the range of that bird is
ajjproached. In coloration, however, allowing for the slight difference due in
the wearing of the plumage, they are identical with cifanotis, and in no way
resemble woodhousei."

Its nests and eggs still remain unknown, as far as I am aware, but they iire
not likely to diffur very nmch from those of the other members of this genus.
The mountains and hilly regions of that part of Texas where this Jay is found
have been but very indifferently explored, and undoubtedly other species new to
our fauna will be found here when this section becomes better known from an
ornithological standpoint.*

153. Xanthoura luxuosa (Lesson).

GKKEN JAY.

Qarrnlm hixuoHus Lesson, Kevuo Zoologiqne, 1839, 100,
Xanthoura luxuosa Bonai'ABTK, Consi)ectu8 Avium, 1, 1850, 380.

(B 442, 0 238, It 290, C 358, U 483.)

GEOnRAPHiOAL BANOE: Lower Itio Graudo Valley, iu Texhis; south through oustorii
Mexico to Vera Cruz and Puebhi.

The range of the Green or Rio Grande .Jay is a very restricted one in the
United States, including only the lower Rio Grande Valley, northwest to about
Rio Grande City, Texas.

Mr. D. B. Burrows, writing mo from Roma, Texas, says: "These birds are
common a few miles below Rio Grande City, but are never seen above this place."

'The Auk, Vol. XI, p. 3L'7.

'' Since tbis wiih writt«ii Mr. H. P. Attwator, of San Antonio, Texas, to whom I am iiulebteil for a g^unt
lU'iil of vnluiible information relating to Ti>xuh birds, biw kinilly 8( nl mo a itkiii of ii Jay, a foinalc, Hliot neiir
tbe bead waters of the Nueces Kiver, iu Edwards County, TuNas, jii December 1, 1S!)1, wbicb, on ciirefnl
comparigou witb a fair series of skins of the lllne-eared Jay now in the V. S. National Mnsciim, as well as
in tbe collection of birds in the U. S. Department of Agriculture, does not appear to me to bi^ referable to
this species, although it resembles it rather closely. I um inclined to believe that on the whole it comes
neariT to ApMocoma Bumiehratti Ridgway, and may prove to be a new race of this species. In the moan-
time I have received some additional material, consisting of an adult umlo and 3 adult females, as well as a
young female, only a few days from the nest. One of the adults was taken on March 18, the renmining ones
on May 8, 1895. Mr. Attwater obtained these 8]iecies near tbe source of Johnson Creek, about 20 miles
northwest of Kerrville, Kerr County, Texas, where this species is not uncommon and breeds. Although theao
skins are iu ratlnr worn plumage and in poor condition, they appear to be referable to this species instead
of Aphelocoma oumichraiti, as was at first surmised. This extends its range somewhat farther eastward.

m

U

.. -1 • : .1

■'■

384

LIl'K HISTORIES OF NOUTll AMKUIUAN BIRDS.

Tlio "Pajiiro vurdc," jw this hiitl in called by the Spanish-speiikini; popula-
tion of thirt region, is a cotninou resident throughout the heavier-timbered river
bottoms and the chapan'al bordering the Rio Grande, especiuUy in the vicinity
of Hidalgo and Loinita, and breeds wherever found.

Dr. Jaiu»'s ('. Merrill, United States Army, in speaking of this species, says:
"The Rio Grande Jay is a coinm<m re.sident about Fort Jirown and higher up
the river, but does not seem to pass nuich into the interior of Texas. It is a
noisy and gaudy species, soon making its presence known by its harsh cries or
by its green and yellow plumage, seen for a moment as it moves about. Though
at times shy, it is oftc^n very tame and l>old, entering tents and taking food oft'
of plates or from the kitchen, whenever a good opportunity ofl"ers. Large num-
bers are caught by the soldiers in traps baited with com, but the plumage ia
their only attraction as a cage bird."'

There is little or no difference in the general habits of the Green Jay from
those of the other membei-s <»f this family.

Mr. (leorge li. Sennett .says: "Of all the birds on the l<»wer Rio Grande,
this is the most mischievous, robbing and despoiling other bird.s' nests without
mercy." -

\'»'rv little has as yet been recorded regarding the food of this Jay, exce{)t-
ing what 1 have already mentioned, but it is presumable that it does not vary
much from that of our better-known species. The nesting season co?nmences
early in April and liists through May. The first nest and eggs brought to the
attention of naturalists, as far as I am aware, are those taken by Dr. Meirill on
May 27, 1H7(), near Kdinburg (now Hidalgo), Texas, about 70 miles above Fort
IJrown, on the Rio (jrnuuhf, and recorded in the "Jiulletiu of the Nuttall Onii-
thological Club, l87()" (Vol. I, p. 8!l). This is described as follows: "It was
placed on the horizontal branch of awaicjui tree, about 2.') feet from the ground,
and was built of twigs and rootlets. Tiie cavity was slight, and the entire
structure so thin that the eggs could be seen through the bottom. They wore
three in number and (piite fresh."

Two n«'sts now in the United States National Mu.seum collection resemble
the above, and are frailer than any other Jays' nests I have ever seen. They
do not always build such .slight structures, however. Mr. Sennett describes
one as follows: "Tiie nest of the Jay was some !( feet from the ground, on the
outer branches of a small tree, and composed wholly of sticks an<l fine twigs.
The sticks were so full of thorns that when they were crossed about among tiie
living itranches more* firmness wiis given to the nest than .isual, and by cutting
oft' the branches I could readily take it entire. The outside diameter is K inches
one way l)y 8 the other; its depth is 4 inches; inside it is 3.J inches wide by 2
inches deep."''

The nests ar(^ gentirally placed in dense thickets and well hidden among
the branches at heights varying tisiudly from 5 to 10 feet from the groiuid, and

' Proceeiliugs <if tlio U. S. Nationiil Mimonni, Vol. I, 1878, p. 136.
"Bulletin »f the 1'. S. ficcilnnical Survey, 1879, Vol. V, No. 3, p. 400.
' V. 8. fioologieal Survey, 1878. Vol. IV, No. 1, p. 30.

THK GBKKN JAY.

385

rarely in liirjy** tn-oH. Tlioy urn frtM|U((iitly fnund in n-tiiiiia, iiiuiniliuita, hrasil,
aixl lia«-klterrv IuihIics or trees. Tlui outer nest consists iisiialh' ot' a slijrlit
|)latt'orni of small thorny twi<;'s an*l brandies, s])arin<rly linetl with tine rootlets,
HHiall pieees of a wire-like vine, bits of moss, and oeeasionally dry grains and
leaves. The (Jreen .lay apparently does not u,so mud in the constrtietion
of its nest. The earliest l)re(Hlin(; record I have is April [\, and the latest is
May -(>. The breedinj*' season is at its height during the last week in April and
the first week in May. It is probable that two broods are sometimes raised in a
season. The length of incubation is not likely to vary more than a dayor so
from that of our better-known .lays.

The number of eggs laid by this species is from three to five; sets of four
are most often found. Tlu! prevailing ground color «>f these eggs is grayish
white, occasionally pale greenish white or butf color. I^liey are profusely
H|M)tted and blotched — but never heavily enough to hide thct ground <'olor — with
dirt'erent shades of bn»wn, gi'ay, and lavt^nder; these markings are geiKn-ally
more abuiulant about the larger en<l of the v<i;ir. The shell is close grained, mod-
erately strong, and shows little «)r no gloss. Their shajie is mostl}' ovate, and
sometimes short ovate.

The average measurement of seventy eggs in the United .States National
Museum collection is 27.31 by 20.43 millimetres, or alxmt l.dS l)y (>.H() inches.
The largest {.^^ii of the series measures 30.7H by 21.S4 millimetres, or 1.21 by
086 iiushes; the smallest, 24.H!» by 19.30 millimetres, or 0.!)8 by 0.7(i inch.

The type specimen. No. 20H43 (I'l. 3, Fig. ir»), from a set of four eggs, was
taken by Dr. .James C!. Merrill, I 'nited States Army, near Fort Hrown, Te.xas,
on April 23, 1H77, and represents one of the commoner tyj)es. No.h. 2(J3r)!l and
263(!2 (IM. 3, Figs. l(! and 17), Ralph collection, both from sets of four, taken
near Hrownsville, Texas, on A\m\ 3 and May U, 18'J3, respectively, show diH'er-
eut and less conuuon styles of marking.

iltili- '

<-■','

154. Perisoreus canadensis Linnvkus.

CANADA .rAV.

I, I

Cornm canailninin liiynA'.vs, Systcma Natiinr, cil. 12, I, ITfJO, l.TS,
Perisotnin mnadeiiaiK Uonapakte, (rcograpliical aiul CoiiipiU'ativc hist, 1838, 27.

(B 44;?, V 2;«», K 297, V 350, U 484.)

GEor.RAPniCAL RANOE: From iiortliern New England, northern Now York, nortlicrn
Miclii);nn, and Minnesota, nortbwiird tlirougli tlie Donn'nion of Canndsi to Iladson liayand
the interior of British Nortli America, east of the Kocky Mountains ; casually south to
northern Massachusetts (Berkshire Oountyl.

The Canada ,Tay is locally known as "Whi.sky .Tack" and "Whi.sky .Tolm,"
a conniption of its Indian name, " Wiss-kii-chon" or "Wis-ka-tjon;" it is also
sometimes called "Moose Hird," "Hudson Iky liird," "Caribou IJird," "Meat
Bird," "fJrease Bird," "Camp Robber," and "Venisnn Hawk," by tlie guides and
lumbermen of the Adirondack wilderness; it is only found in the more northern

16806-Xo. 3 25

,1,1

i!

:

i;

n

V

m

380

LIFE U1STOUIB8 OF NOHTH AMEUIUAN liUlDS.

parts of tlio Uniti'tl StateH, wlioro it. in a roHident luwl l)rt'0<lH. Witliiii our Inir-
(lurH it iH iiioHt eoiiiiiion in iiorthorii Mainu and nortlioru Miiim-Hot^i, inhaltitiii^'
tlio extousivo piny and tainamck forostH found tiicn-. In tho AdiroudaukH, in
northern Now York, it occurn only in tho wilder pnitictns, and it is not unconi-
ni(»n in HuctiouH of tho Wliito and CJroen Mountains, in northurn Now JIanipshiro
and Vonnont. It occasionally straffjjlos a littlo t'lrthcr south than tho points
inontionod, l)ut such occurroncos aro rathor raro. Northward it rauj^vs throu}>h
tho Dominion of Canada to tho western shores of Hudson Hay, to Fort Clnurhill,
and thenoo throuffhout tho inier'ntr of the fur countries to tho limit of timl)er
within tho Arctic Circle, oast of the Rocky Mountains.

No l)ird is better known to the lumbormen, trappers, and hunters alon;>' our
nortliern bordei than the Canada Jay, which is a constant attendant at tlieir
camps, and aii'ords tiiom no little amusement durin^r the lonely hours spent in tiie
woods. To ouu not familiar with thatm bii'ds it is u»toui»hiu<^ how tamo they
bocomo.

Mr. Manly Hardy writes: " Tho Canada Jay is a constant resident of nortii-
orn Maine, but in some seasons they are far more abunchint than in others,
beiii},' usually found in companies of from three to ten. 'I'iiey aro tho boldest
of all our birds, (fxcopt tho Chickadee (/'«/•«; (itiicttjnilii.s), and in cool impu-
dence far surpass all others. Thoy will enter tents, and often ali^^ht on tho bow
of a canoo whore tho padillo at every stroke ctunes within IS inches of them.
I know of nothiuff which can be euten that they will not take, and I had ono
steal all my candles, pulliujjf theui out endwi.se out; l)y one from a piece of birch
bark they wore rolled in, and anotlie. pecked il larj^e hole in a cake of castile
soap. A duck which I liad picked and laid down for a few minutes had tho entire
))reast eaten out by ono or move of these birds. I have seen ono alight in the
middle of my canoo and jjock away at the carcass of a beaver I liad skinned.
They often spoil deer saddles by peckinfir into them near tlio kidneys, 'i'licy do
great <lama<ro to the trajtpers by stealinj;' tho bait from traps st't for martens and
minks and by eatin<; trapped game; they will spoil a marten in a short time.
They will sit (piietly and see you build a log trap an<l l)ait it, and then, almost
before your back is turned, you hear their hateful 'ca-ca-ca' as they glide down
and j)eer into it. Tlioy will work steadily carrying off meat and hiding it. 1
have thrown out pieces and watched ono to see ln)w nmch ho would carry off.
He flew across a wide stream and in a short time looked as bloody as a butcher
from carrying large pieces; but his j)atienco held out longer than inilie. I
think one would work as long as Mark Twj'in's California Jay did trying to fill
a minor's cabin with acorns through a knot hole in tho roof Tiioy oat insects
of different kinds, and I havo found carrion beetles in their crops; they also eat
the fungi or inushrooms growing on stumps, using the.s«* largely when other food
is scarce. Thoy aro fond of tho berries of tho mountain iish, and, in fact, few
things como amiss; and I believe they do not possess a single good (piality
excepting industry. They breed e.'n-ly in March. While on a trip to the famous
Ripogeuus Falls, iu June, 18'J1, I saw many young Canada Jays; these wore

TUB CANADA JAY.

887

Hlattf hliu-k, tiltniit tlio nilor of a Ctithird, aixl my {riiiilo iiii'oniuMl nit' tliat ho
8UW tluf yiiimn' Hyiujr alxmt as early as A|nil 10."

A f(>m'S|Miii(ltfnt iff "The Aiiicricaii Field" (in Vol. ;U, duly l!l, 1H!I(», p.
r>4), under tlict mini do plume of "A<ramak," writes aliout the Canada .lay an
tollows: "lie will uat anything t'rnin soap to |dii^ tohaeeo. His appetite* and
mpaeity to stow away food is beyond helief One day we had a dozen lar^e
Hahnon trout hun<; up to dry, hut hein^r alisent from eamp for a few hours wu
returned to fintl four Whisky .lacks had totally annihilated oin- lish, They woidd
Hy ort" with pieces half as larffe as themselves an<l in a few minuti's return for
more. It is not possihh* they could ha\e i^aten it all. I have fed them snudi
hits till they could hardly fly enouf,di to jfet in a tn-e. Our pork, soap, tobacco,
and other provisions were unsafe in their si^dit and reach. Our Indians used to
say: 'Ilim eat moccasins, fur cap, matches, anytink.' I once* snared two of
them and put them in a ca<;<« madt* of birch bark and tamarack roots. Half an
hour after their capture they would eat jrreedily from my hand, lie is well
named ' Whisky .lack,' as I iiovur saw a nioro insane, drunkeu-actin;:' creature
in my life."

The apparent absence of all fear of man, its extreme familiarity, ami tlio
many cunnin^r and amusiii}^' traits of our ('anaila .lay must certainly commend
him to any lover of nature and <fo far toward balanciii}; accounts for the daiiiaffe
he sometimes dot^s throuj^h theft, wliih' his absence from the silent pine, fir, and
spruce forests and tamarack swamps in which he makes his home wimld cer-
tainly be felt, and by none more than the hardy trapper or Iiunter, wlios«« only
companion he is on many lonely tramps throiiji'li the deep winter snows, where
for days at a time not another livinj'' creature is seen.

Mr. Iv A. Samuels, in his Birds of New Kiijiland (p. .'W!7), says: "I have
had numerous opportunities for <d)serviii}>' its habits, and I can positiveK' aflirni
that it is equally rapacious and destructive with the Hhie .lay, which it resembles
in motions and cry. i once knew of a sin<;le pair of the birds destroyiii}; the
youiiff in four nests of tlui cominon Snowbird (Jiitiri) liifrm<ilis) in a sinj>le day."

Its tli<rlit is .Hh)W and lal»orious, and only acconipli.shed with a f^reat deal of
tla)»i)in;;' of the wiiifjs, wliih- it niovi's on the <;round and in trees with an expert-
ness equal to that of our better-kiatwn Blue .Jay. It utters a number of ])ecu-
liar notes and sounds which are utterly impo.ssible of reproduction on jtaper.

The nestin<>' season be<iiiis early, long before the .snow has disappeared, and
therefore comparatively little is yet kn»»wn about its breediu); habits.

Mr. R. MacFarlano found several nests and ef^fis of tiie Canada .Tay near
Anderson River Fort, British North America, duriii}'- the first week in May, and
rej)orts them tolerably numerous in the wooded country, even to its northern
and eastern limits; but none were observed by him in the barrens w«'st or east
of Horton River, nor <m the Arctic coast. The nests found by him were placed
iu spruce or tamarack trees, often in the middle of a swamp, on braiu-lies, (dose
to the trunks, and well concealed from view, and at lieiji^hts of 9 or 1(1 feet.

The Canada .Tay, like the other members of this family, is silent and
retiring during the breeding seiisoii, and is then seldom seen or heard. In the

)
I* '

II

h

'O.J

I

If..'

I' '

IJI'E UlSTOltlEB OF NOinU AJIKKICAN UIItl>8.

nioru HO(ith<*rii |Mii'ti(>n oC itM raii<ro iiitlilicatioii li<-;riiiM in Miircli, mid soiiiDwIiiit.
lat«*i' rai'tlicr iioi'tli. 'I'Ik* nest \h u liiilky alViiir. Out* now lM*t'iir<! iii<>, Mciit Itv
Mr. MacFai'liiiut, and collccttMl nitar tlu* lltidHoii Kay I'nrtt, at I'clicaii N'iu'I'owh,
in latitudu ftO" 30', coiibiiiiod four «'}fK'* when taken, in Man-li, \H\)l. It whk
plat-cd in a xMiall H|iriii'() tr«>o, near tlio trunk, alioiit M feet t'r<>n> tlx* ground. It
in ciiiniMtHt'd uf Huiall twi^^M, plant lilu'rH, willow liark, and (|uitt< a uiiihm of tlio
down and catkins of tlitt rottouwood or aHpcu, tluM nuitcrial constituting^' fully
onc-lialf of tliu lU'Ht. Tliu iinuM' cu|) Ih liniMl with tiiu'r material of the Hanie
kind, and .lays' feathers, which are easily recofrui/.ed hy their llull'y appearance.
Tlu) nest is about 8 iiu'hes wid« hy t inches deep; tint inner cavity heinj;'
almut 3 inches in width hy 2^ inches in depth. A nest taken near Ashland,
Aroostook Coiuity, Maine, is composed externally of hits of rotten wood, mixed
with tree moss, jdant iihers, and catkins, and is lined with similar hut finer
materials. This is a synnnetrical, well-liuilt structure, much neater than the
fonuer, and measures 7 inches in outer dianu^ter by 4 inches deep; the cavity
is 3 inches witle by 2 inches (U'cp.

Tho number of eirirs laid, as far as known to me, is three or four, althou^fh
mU of five may somotimes ]w fcuiud. 'riieir {ground color is f^enerally palo
>,'ray, more- rarely pearl {fray. They are profu.sely tieckeil and spottt^l over the
entire surface with different shades (»f brown, slate f^ray, and lavender. Their
shape is ovate; the shell is smooth, close ffrained, and souu»what {flossy.

Tho average measunfuient of eighteen eggs in tho United States National
JEuseum collection is 2it.3H by 2(».!tl millinu!tre.s, or abtmt l.K! by ().H2 inches.
The largest L^^^r measures 30.78 by 22.3r> nullimetres, or 1.21 by 0.88 inches;
tho smallest, 26.42 by 20.32 millimetres, or 1.04 by 0.80 inches.

Tho tyi)e speci'nions, Nos. 2037() and 20377 (IM. 3, Figs. 18 and If)), both
from sets of four eggs, Hendire collection, were taken in (,'olchester C'tuuity,
Nova Scotia, on April 2 and 4, 1884, and represent the ditferent styles of
markings found among the eggs of this species in tho collectiou, as well as tho
variutiou in hIzo.

155- Perisoreus canadensis capitalis IUikd.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN JAV.

I'erimreux cnnath-nais vivr. co^u^fl/i* " UAiiin MS.," Itidgway, Halletiu Essex lustitute, V,
Nov., 1873, lit;}.

(B — , Vj 23!)/*, U 297a, O 3(W, V. 4.S4rt.)

(lEooRArnniAL hanok: Uocky Monntiiin rt'nioiis of the llnitod States, from New
Mexico uiid Arizoua iiortU into Britisli North America; west t^) eiisteru Ore^'oii and
Idaho.

Tho Rocky Moimtnin or ^V^nto-llcnded Jay is a common resident of all the
higher ranges of the Kooky l^foiuitain system in the United States, and occms
also in tho White Mountains of Arizona, which form about the southern limit of

XnR IIOCKY MO'TNTAIN JAY.

sae

its i-)in<rc. It piiHrtoH iioi'tli into Itrit'iHli Nortli jVincrii'ii iiiul ii|i|)iir«iit1y boyoiid,
i»iit liiiw tar in tlmt din'ttion Imn not yet been (Icti^rinincil. It in ni(»Kinit«'Iy
connnun in Hnitiiliio Incaiitios in Oulorudo, Wyumin^, unil Montanii.

I tirst nit>t witli tlit* Uocky Moiintuin Jay on Ortolicr 31, lH7r>, wliilo on n
liinitin;,' trip, on tlut lutail waters of lUiar (!nH(k, a tribntary of Silvicn Uivcr, in
tim lUno Mountains, in (Jniiit (!onnty, Orojron, at an altitnilo of altont O.^OO
fijyt It appoai'iMl to Iki ratlmr rare, only two rt|M'«^ini»Mis l)i)injc olwcrvttd. Tlumo
wore attracted Ity a doer which I iiad killed, and were feedin;;on the olVal. I shot
one of the liirdn, which is now in the United States National Musenni collection.
I l)eli(>ve this point marks ahont the wosturn limits of its ran;>:e, the somewhat
smaller ( M'('<ron .lay hein;;' also fonnil in the same monntains, not more than 10
miles west of this locality. I also saw a few of these birds in tlu* Hitter Uoot
Monntains, as well as in the Yellowstone National I'ark, in 1H77, bnt had no
opportnnity then to observe them closely. Their jfen«u'al habits appear to bo
very similar to those of the C!anada Jay. Dr. James C. Merrill, United Statea
Army, met with it near Fort Sherman, Idaho, where it appears to be a some-
what irrejiidar visitor within a few miles of this Pass.

Mr. Frank M. Drew, in his paju-r on the Hirds of San Jiian (!onnty, (yolo-
ra(h), in the "Nnttall (h-nitholo^-ical (Mnb Hulletin" (V(.l. VI, 1H8I, p. 140),
speakinj; of this bird says; "(^nite abinidant, in smnmer ran^jiiifr from 10,000
feet altitud** to timber lin(>. In antunm, when on his first tonr of inspection
aroinid th(« house, ho hops alonij; in lucurions sidelong manner, just lik(Mi school-
ji'irl in a slow hurry. White-headed, ^rave, and seilate, he seems a very para^^on
of propriety, and if you appear to lie a suitable persona;-*', he will lat apt to
</\\{i you a bit of advice. Ilecomiu;,'' conlidential, he sputters out a lot of non-
sense in a manner which c-auses you to think him a veritable 'Whisky Jack;'
y<'t, whenever he is disposed, a more bland, minil-liis-own-business-appearinf^
bird will be hard to lind, as will also be many small articles aroimd <'amp iifter
one of his visits, foi- his whimsical brain has a f^reat fancy for anythin^f which
may l»e valuable to you, but perfectly useless to him."

\'ery litthi is yet known about the lu'sts and e;'<,''s of the Hocky Mountain
.lay, and they are unrepresented in the United States National .Museum collec-
tion. The late Dr. T. M. Mrewer received both from Jlr. Edwin Carter, of
Mreckenrid^je, Colorado, and describes them as follows:

"On April 2, 1S7!I, Mr. Carter found the nest of the Kooky Mountain
Jay near |{reckenrid;;'e, ('olorado, at an altitude of alxmt 10,000 feet. The nest
Wiis placed on a horizontal branch of a pint; tree, .'J feet from the trunk and 40
feet from the ;iround. It contained three *'nn'*' i'pi'iirently its full complement,
which were sli^^'htly inculiated. I'he nest, \\hi(di is now before mo as I write,
is warmly, stron<;ly, and compactly interwoven of various materials, of which
the; feathers anil down of various kinds of birds constitute tlu^ characteristic,
in;;redient. Tho ne-st measures 4 inches in external hei}>lit and 7 in dianu^ter.
Tluf cavity is 2 inches deep and 4 in diameter at tho tt>p. The external
fraui vork of the nest is a rude but strong interweaving of twigs and snadl

390

LIKK IIISTOUIKS OK NOUTIl AMKISIOAN lURDS.

briUuOies of jiino, inrlosing ii rlosely inqtiicted inner nest, composed of stronj^ly
l»len<l('d materials, stems of <frasses, liemj)en tibers of j>lants, liark, down,
feathers, ete. 'Die walls of the nest are 2 inches thick, and the inner nest is
warm and soft.

"The measurements of the e^<;s before me are l.t!) l)y 0.8(1, 1.1 (I by O.SCJ,
and 1.10 by O.Sd inches, (or 30.22 by 21. S4, 2!».4); by 21. St, and 27.!)4 by 21. S4
millimetie."*). Their ground color is a j{rayisli white, in two the niaikinj;s are
all ffroiijM'd around the larj>t'r end, the residue; of the surfaci* beinjj nearly
mimarked. In ont; the markiufjs an* well distrii)uted over tlu* entire e^ff^',
but larji'er anil conHucMit at the rounded end. Tim markinj^s arc lar<;er, nioHi
continent, and not .so di.stinct and separate as in the ef><fs of I'rrisorrits
iiniadfii.sis, and are of ii distinct shade of brown. While there is an absence
of slate and lilac, and whili* tlu* markings are all of om; color, ihere is a tinjfe
of purple shadiuj;' tlieui all, and the blotches vary ^jreatly, in the dej)th and
intensity of tin* shadinj;, from very lij^ht to a very deep color. The parent
accompanying- tlu* nest and ej;'^s is a female.'"

These i'ixixti are now in the museum at ( "amltrid^e, Massachusetts, when* I
have had the opportunity of examininj;' them. As as they do not materially
differ t'rom those of the precedin;;' specit-s, and as they art! in a ]toor state of
preservation, I have not ti<rured any.

156. Perisoreus canadensis fumifrons HmowAY.

■!^<'*^

r-

AI,.\SKAN .lAV.

I'f'fuioreiiM cantiilfiisis fiimi/roiin l{i»tiwA\, rrocct'diiifrs V. S. Natioiinl Museum, III, Marcli

li7, 1S80, 5.

(1! _, o _, i;, -JOT/,, (; ;U!0, (' 4,S4/*.)

(Seoouai'IIIOAI, iiAN(iK: Alaska, exci'i)tin}; the soutlicrn <'(>asl district.^.

This snbsju'cies is a resident ami bn>e(ls wherever found. Acci^nlinfy to Mr.
Ti. M. Tinner, tlu* Alaskan or Smoky-fi'tuiteil ,lay is known as tlit* "Si')jah" to
the Itussian-speakinj"- element of Alaska; he writes: "It rarely occurs in the
vicinity of St. Micha(>ls. Two specimens were obtained at the liedoubt duriuj;-
my three and a half years' stay there. Aloiij;' the Yukon River it is abundant
and a ]»ermanent resident. 'I'lie nu)st of my sjx'cimens were obtained from Fort
Yukon, Nulato, and .Vnvick, on the ^'ukon Uiver.""

Mr. 1']. W. Nelson, in speakinj^of the jicofrraphical ran<^e of the Alaskan ilay,
says: "Many specimens from tlu* tapper Yukon are nearly typical I'cri.soniis
raiiadi'iisis, but the present form <frailually replaced it lower down this .stream
until, near Nnlato to the coast, birds approaching^ the ((tiidilnisis style are almo.st
unknown. The jiresent form is the only /'rrisorrns i\m\u\ throujihout the Sitkan
and Kailiak rcffion, thence north along- the reyion bordering the iJenufj^ Sea
coast, and np th<* wooded interior.

' lliillcliii III' Iho Nutliill Oinit.)iiilc.u;ii:il Clnl), Vol. IV, 1H7!I. \>\>. -•:«•, -'10.
'H'liMtriliiilioiis III till' Natiniil Mixtiii.v ni' Alitslta, Nn. \\, lSS)i, p. Ili7.

TIIK AliAHKAN .lAY.

391

"'I'wo nosta wcro lu'oujrlit nic tVoiii tlio iiioutli of tlui 'Piinnna IJivcr hv ^ll.
Fran(,'t>is Mfiv'uT, wlio obtained tliciii April 1, ISSO, after considtM-altlc |H>rsuasion
anil an otVcr of a lar^r reward in tlom- to tiie natives dnrinji' a time of seareitv.
Uv these means lie sueeeeded in ^'•ettini-- a native to search for tiie nests of this
hird. Tlie yoini<? fellow retnrned in ii few Ikmm's with two nests, eaeli ('ontainin<r
half-j;T()wn vonnji'. \Valkin<;' into the house, he told the trader to take the nests
and liirds at once, for he was snre some evil wonlil resnlt from his act, and takin^^-
his Hour he hnrried away before the birds and nests were examineil. All the old
crones and men of the vicinity projthesied that the weather wonld turn cold and
that a verv late s])rin<i- wonld ensue as a result of this robbery. As (diauc(>
would have it. the prophecies of the old soothsayers came true in a remarkable
decree, and the sprinj;' was the coldest and most backward, by nearly a month,
of anv year since the Americans have had ])(>ssession of the country. In the
followin«i' sprinj;- (of tSSl) 1 asked the same trader to try anil j-'et eii-j;-s of this
Itird by sending;- out natives earlier in the se.ison. He complied, and olVered still
{rreater rewards than on the first occasion, but the natives could not be bribed
to risk the visitation of the birds' anji'er, and the old people positively forbade
any of the yoen^icr ones to have anything- to do with the matter; therefore
the attempt was abandoned. One ])oint was gained, however, and that w.as the
information how the natives fmuid the nests so readily. They told the trader
that these nests could always be easily found by examininj;- the snow at the base
of each busliy-toi)ited spruce, and whenever a number of small dry twi^s wen*
found lyinij near toj^ether upon the snow under a tree there was a j.;Teat proi)a-
bility of a Jav's nest beinii' snu<j:ly esconced in the thick bnmches overhe.id.

"The two nests, now before me, are built of a matted mass of a cotton-like
down of some jdant; about the upper ediie and in the cavity are pieces of rabbit
fur, a few llonuil Owl feathers, and tine strips of l)ark. The entir(> nest rests
upon a horizontal branch nearly "_* iiu'hes in diameter, and ;i .scanty nuud)er of
small dead spruce twiii's, (! to S inches lon^', loo.sely woven into the structure,
ji'ive it consistency and jjrevent it from Iteinn' easily dama<i'ed. This nest is -U
inches hijih by (! l>road. with a cavity '2\ inches dee|) by ,'i-'| inches aia-oss the
top. The other nest was placed in the fork of a small lii'ancli less than half an
inch in diameter, and rests on a roiinh platform of slender spruce twiy-s. The
main part of the ni'st is made of the same cottony sui)stance as is the first, and
is also intcrwoM'U with twii^s. .Viiove this is a layer of fine, fiiirous lilack moss,
siu'h as occiu's on spruce trees. The inside of the cavity is slightly lined with
line j^ra-ss. This nest measures 1 inches lii^h l)y (I inches iiroad, and the cavity
2 inches deep by ■_'•'{ inches across the to])."'

Mr. W. It. Dall, of the I'niti'd Slates Coast Survey, also took a nest of this
Jay near Nulato, with four half-^rown youn^'. on .\pril "JO, showiuji- that these
birds usually nest in ^farch, notwithstanding the iiUense cold w Inch occnrs occa-
sionally at this time of the year.

The eji^'s of this subspecies, as far as 1 am aware, still remain unknown,
but the\' .are not likely to differ nmch from those of the Canad.i .la\-.

f

HI

I

■■,{

' licport nimii Niitnriil llislm-.v CnlUTliiMis inadc in AliinUii, Nii. III. ISST, p. KlTi.

ii

i!

1

►■;

:1

s '■'

I;-!}; '

1 1 ■

It' •*'■■

392 LIFE UlSTOltlES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

157. Perisoreus canadensis nigricapillus Ridoway.

LAIIRADOK JAY.

Perisorem canadennin niflricapillim Kidqway, I'rociecdings U. 8. National iMtiReiiiii, V,
1882, 15.

(IJ _, O _, \l -_, (! _, U 484r.)

Geoouapiiioai, ranok: (Joswit rejrions of Labrmlor and tlietiinl)ert»il portioiiH of tlm
interior; uortli to Hudson 8trait.

The Liihrador Jay is a resident and breeds wherever found. ?^>r all the
knowledfife wo po.ssess of the life history of this Jay wcs are jnnnc^ipally iiwlebted
to Mr. L. M.Turner, from whose copious manuscript notes on the "Birds of
Labrador and Ungava" I extract the most interesting^ portions:

"This Jay is an abundant resident throujfliout the entin* rej^'ion wherever
timi)er is to l)e found. I observed the bird at. Uigolet, Davis Inlet, (jleorges
River, Whale River, Fort Chimo, and far in the interior. At certain seasons it is
more plentiful than at other'times; after August it is very abundant until the next
May, and is then very scarce until the following September. Over one hundred
and thirty specimens were preserved, and among this nmnber are birds of nearly
every month of the year. The l)reeding season could not bo determintHl with
exactness, as it varies according to the exigencitw of the weather. An adult
female procured April !(, 1883, contained ova of various sizes, the larg(!r ones
nu^asuring, respectively, 0.50, 0.44, and 0.33 inch in diameter; the largest ovum
was apj)arently ready to descend into the oviduct. * * * 'Pl^. Indians
assert that Ai)ril is the month in which the Jays l)reed, and tliat oidy one brood is
n^ared each year. Young birds as large and actually heavier than adults were
obtained, fully featlx^ed, from June 18 to 2!t. From >ray to September those
Jays are almost sihMit; not a sound will be heard in patclies of wood frequented
by them, and as tlu-y certainly attemjjt to conceal themselves dm-ing this period,
it is extremely ditficult to obtain specimens, for they sit so ipiietly among the
tliick moss and branches of the trees that detection is ftnly ranOy ])ossible. In
< )ctolM'r they assume their winter plumage and Ix^come livelier, ntt(;ring frecpicnt
wliistles which sound exactly like those made by ont* boy who hails anotiier;
in fact, I have often mistaken the sound for th;it of ii p(frs(m whistling to attract
my attention. HMu'ir power of mimicry is also good; the notes of the American
iiough-l(!gg(Ml TIawk, for instance, are well imiti.ted, as ari^ also the clucking
sounds of the (!atl)ird wIumi it enters a thicket.

"During the winter time these birds obtain a scantysupplyof food, and during
excessively sevens ])eriods they fre<juently are .-so reduced that a specinu'u will
no more than (Mpial the weight of a Redpoll (^ A ran this Ihiiirid). They are
onuiivorous; nothing comes amiss. 1 ol)tained a spe<'imen which had the dried
bracts of a spruce con(f in its l)eak. This mass was (juite large and covered
with a viscid saliva. Tnspi^ction jiroved that this substsmce contained no larva'
which could have tempted the bird to swallow the mass through inaltilit)' to tear

TUB LAIlltADOU JAY.

393

it apart. They are persistent visitors to tlio tents of camping parties, ami tliey
appear to have the faculty of discriniinating between the tents of natives, who
(the Indians more especially than the Eskimo) wage war on every Wliisky Jack
that conies in sight.

"I was once encamped a f(*w miles above the rapids, some 35 miles from
Fort (/'himo, and thought to take a nap while the other members of tiie party
watched for caribou to cross the river. My attention was directed to a noise
within the tent, and I perceived a Wiiisky Jack perched on a pile of meat. I
carefully arose, and altiiough the l»ird was within 2 yards of me it fearlessly
continued to peck at the fatty portions exjwsed. I then went to the meat and
cut off small jxirtions and fed the bird from my hand, and in less than five
minutes it was resting on one hand and feeding from the other. I was suiinnsed
at its familiarity, and continued to feed it until it could swallow no more. I
then cutoff a large piece, ])laced it in the beak of the bird, nnd drove it outsider,
when it flew to a neighboring tree, so heavily freighted that it could scarcely
sustain Hight.

"The Indians will not be tempted to procure the eggs of this bird under
any circumstances. 'I'hey believe that if a jierson sees the eggs in the nest, and
e.specially if he counts them, some great misfortune will befall him. Repeated
iiKpiiry among them elicited th.e statement that they liad never seen the eggs
and knew nothing about the niunl)er laid.

"Its general habits are similar to those of the other members of this family.
It is one of the greatest nuisances the trai)pers have to c(»nt((nd against, and one
of these assiu'eil me that he iiad taken fifteen of these bii'ds from a line of less
tlian forty traps in a single day, and with good reason he called this bird a
'wolverine with feathers on.'

"1 have never found thi' Labrador Jays in flocks, although several may be
in the neighborhood, and on a single occasicm only 1 saw five jtcrched in one
tree. If a gun be fired it is certain to cause a Jay to investigate it, anil I think
experience has taught him that food maybe procm-ed nt such times."

Since the above wiis written 1 have been fortunate enough to examine a set
of these eggs, taken in Labrador, in about latitude "i7° 30' N. .Mr. Jewell I).
Sorid)orger, of Cand)ridge, Massa<'husetts, while on a visit to that region in the
suuuner of IHil'J, obtained a set of five, and generously jn-esented three of these
through the writer to the United States National Museum collection, and subse-
quently also (h'posited the remaining two. They resemble th<i eggs of I'crisorcns
rnnmlnisis in color and in the gtmeral style of markings, but the latter are, as a
rule, coarser and larger, and the eggs are more pointed. Three; eggs in this set
maybe called pointed ovate in shape; the other two approach an ovate ])yriforni.
They measin-e 30.22 by 21.0S, 2!l.!)7 by 21.34 2!I.Jt7 by 21.34, 211.72 by 21.08,
and 2!>.21 by 21..^)!) miliimetres, or 1.1!) by 0.83, 1.18 l»y 0 84, 1.18 by 0.84, 1.17
by 0.83, and 1.1.') by 0.8;-) inches.

The type specimen, No. 2(!r)()0 (PI. 3, Fig. 20), rej)re,sents an average-
colored egg of this subspecies.

-■| •■

i ;i^i:-

1 :

S

'■'

;^'

394 LIFK UliSTOUIKS OV NOUTII AMEKIOAN UIItDd.

158. Perisoreus obscurus (Hidoway).

OKKOItN .lAV.

Perixoreufi cniindcmiH var. ohHCurHn Hidoway, Bulletin Essex Tiistitnte, Novombcr, 187.'{, 194.
PerinoreuH ohHvurun SiiAKi'E, llritisli Musoiiiii datiiloguo of Birds, III, 1877, 105.

(B — , 0 ;i3!)fl, It 298, C 3(!1, U 485.)

(iKonuAi'iiK^AL RANGE: Froiii tlicliighor iiiouiitaiiiuiis rojjionsof iiortlieru (California
north through (tri-gon anil Washington into British Columbia.

'V]u' Oregon Jiiy, bettor kuDWii tliroufj^hout its rsinfro as "M(>ivt Hawk,"
"Camp l{ol)lH'r," and "Venison Hinl," is a constant resident of tlie liij,dier nu»nn-
tains of northern (California, Orejron, Wasliinirton, and a eonsiderablct portion of
Uritisli (!(dunil)ia, and breeds wherever found. 1 met with it Hrst on tiie sunnnit
of tiie Hhie Mountains, between Canyon (Jity and Camp Harney, ()re<fon, on
June 12, 1877, at an ahitude of about (iJAM feet. I was eseorthij? an urniy
])aymaster, and after a laborious clinil) to the top of the steep moimtain at the
foot of which nestles the little mining town from which we staitiid, I stoi)ped
for luncheon and to rest the animals. While* so engagcnl 1 heard several whis-
tles in a large pine close by, and thcso were answered from other directions.
Shortly after I saw one of these birds in a little iir a few feet from where
I was sitting at lunch. I threw him s(»me sc ni])s of bread and meat, and ho
was by no means .slow in accepting the invitation to help himself. A few
minutes later three others made their aj)pearrtnce and fiul among our party with
the utmost un(M)ncern, and almost allowed themselves to l)e touched. Here they
an* tVuiud only in the highest portions of the mountains, which attain an altitude
of about 7,0()<) feet. I did not see any in ihe neighborhood of Camp Harney.

While changing station fi'om P^ortWalla Walla, Washington, to Fort Klamath,
Oregon, on June 12, 18S2, I met a brood of young birds, accompanied by both
parents, in a grove of small pines near the banks of the Des Chutes River, Ore-
gon, which had evidently left their nest oidy a diiy or two previously, and my
men caught two alive. They were of a dark slate-black color, cpiite unlike the
adults. A few miles north of Fort Klamath, on the (Jrater Lake Mountain,
they were very common and I had no difticulty in o])taining all the specimens I
wanted. While some of their notes are not as melodious as they miglit be, the
majonty are certainly (juite pleasing to the eiu", and I consider this .species a
very fair .songster. I have listened to them frecjuently, and have been surprise<l
to find so nuich musical ability. Like the other members of the genus IWi.soreus,
the Oregon Jay is a great thief and nothing edil)le conies uniiss; its g(Mieral
habits also are similar. It is a slightly smaller and darker colored bird than the
Canada Jay.

Mr. A. W. Anthony found this species a common winter resident in Wa.sh-
ington County, Oregon, and says: "'Fearless' is an apjiropriate term to use in
relation to this bird; it seems utterly devoid of fear. While dressing deer iu the
thick timber I have been almost covered with Jays flying down from the neigh-

I'' »

TUB OUKGON .lAY.

395

boriiifT trees. Tlioy would settle on my Imok, head, or shonldorH, tu<]f{yin<r and
j)ullin}r at each loose shred of my coat until one would think that their only
ohject was to help me in all ways possible. At such times their only note is a
low, i)laintive cry."'

The nests and epfjys of the (^refjon Jay were first discovered hy Afr. Anthony,
and he has giinerously <,nven Itotii, as well as other e(|ually rare specimens, to the
United States National Mus(nnn. II<! writes as follows ndative to the (indinji' of
th(Miest: "Tlu* birds were discovered ItniMinj^tm ^rarch4, iHSf); ontMif them was
seen (rlin<ifin<f to the side of a dead stub, about 75 feet from the j^round. H(! was
teariu};' out bits of moss, whicih did not seem to suit, for they were dropjii^d aj^nin
as fast as {gathered; but at last, findiu}; some to his fancy, he flew off and I saw
him ffo into a thick fir and ilisappear. I couM as yet see nothiu}; of a. nest, but as
both birds were flyinj^' in with sticks, moss, etc., I was sure one was l>ein<,f built
ther(\ lioth birds W(»rked hard, were very silent, and did n(»t come very near
the {^round, j^ettin^' nearly all of their buildinj;- material from the tree toj)s, 1 think.
On tlm Kith I af^ain visited the place, and with tlu* aid of a field j^lass discovered
the nest, which was to all aj)pearances coniplete, but the birds were not seen.
On the 21st I took a boy with me to climb tlus tree, and fcmnd tlu* nest finished,
but no egjjs. On ^[airh ii\ we \isited it aj^ain and found the set comjtlete and
the female at home. She stayed on tlu; e},''f's imtil the climber put his hand out
for her, when she darted of!" with a low cry and was shot by me. The ej;<^s, fivt*
in number, were but slij^htly incubated; the nest was placed al)out Hly feet from
the {ground and 10 feet from the toj) of the tree; it was built dose to the trunk,
and was very well hidden."

This nest, now before me, is compactly l)uilt and rather symmetrical, meas-
urin<>' 7.J inches in oxiter diameter by 4A implies di'cp; the inner rliameter is ;{
inches by 2.J inches deep. Externally it is comixtsed of fine twigs, dry gmss,
tree moss, and plant fibcsrs, all well interlaced, and the inner cuj) is (Mimi)osed
exclusively of fine, <lark-looking tree moss.

The niunber of e<i'<;s to a set varies from four to five. Incubation befyina
sometimes as early as the latter part of March, and a<fain as late as the first
week in May.

Mr. C. W. Swallow writes me that he took u set of four e}^}>'s of this species
in (Matsop County, ( )rejion, on May S. This nest was placed in a small hendock,
about 10 feet from the <;round. I Iw^lieve as a rule they nest in high, bush%'
firs. I saw a pair of these birds evidently feeding young, in a very large fir
tree, near the sunnnit of the Cascade Mountains, on Junc^ I>, 1S.S3, whih( en route
from Linkville to Jack.sonville, Oregon, but could not see the lU'st, which nni.st
have been fully (iO feet from the grotnid. Mut one l)r(K)(l is reared in a season.
The eggs are pearl gray or light greenish gray in ground color, spotted and
flecked with smoke and lavender gray, and these markings are pretty evenly
distributed over tlm entire egg. In shape they are ovate; the shell is smooth,
close grained, and only moderately glossy.

■''1^

I'-

39G

LIFH UISTOltlES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

They moasure 26.07 by 20.07, 20.67 hy 20.07, 26.67 by 19.81, 26.42 by
20.07, and 25.40 by 20.32 inilliinetrcs, or 1.05 by 0.79, 1.05 by 0.79, 1.06 by
0,78, 1.04 by 0.79, and 1 by O.HO huhen.

Tho tyiH' specimen. No. 22449 (IM. 3, V\n. 21), from a not of five efyj^s, was
taken by Mr. A. W. Anthony, nenr Heaverton, Oregon, on March 31, 1885, and
represents an average egy of the set.

159. Corvus corax sinuatus (Waglkk).

AMKKICAN UAVKN.

Oitrrm ninuatm WArti.EB, Isis, 1820, 748,

Cori^us oorax niiiuatuM UnxiWAV, Proceedings U. 8. Katioiiiil Afusenm, VIII, 18S5, 355,
(IJ 423, 4L'4, 0 220, R 280, O 338, U 48(i,)

(iKOORArinoAL BANOK: From Hritish ('olmiibia, tliP soiitliern parts of tlic Dominion
of Canada and tlit' llnited Statex, mostly west of tlie Mississipiii Valley, sontli tbroiijih
Mexico to Guatemala. liocal and mneli rarer in the eastern United States; ])rin('.ipally in
mountainous regious; soutU to uortlieru 8outh Caroliua, uortlieni Georgia, and uortheru
Alabama,

Our Havens have recently been sepnrated hito two races; but from the
information I have been abks to obtain it is (|uestional)hi if the alleged dift'er-
ences of the two forms will provi^ <'onstaiit and marked enough to warrant tiiis
distinction. There is not at ])resent sufiicient material available for examination
to determine tiiis conclusively. I will leave this to abler ornithologists to decide,
and will follow tiie adopted iiomcnclatuni of th(^ American Ornithologists' Tnion
for the present, including, however, the Kavens found in the eastern United States
in this race.

Tho American Raven is more generally distributed throughout the western
parts of the United States than in tiie eastern portions of its range, where it is
only found locally, and principally in the more mountainous regions from New
pj igland and northern New York to northern Soutii Carolina, and in the thinly
inlial>ited and heavily timbered sections of some of our Northern and Middle
States. It seems to make little (HtfenMicct to tiiese birds how desolate the countiy
which they inliabit may be, as long as it furnishes sufHcient food to sustain life,
and they nn' not hard to jili^ase in such matters. Onc^ is liable to meet with them
singly or in pairs, and occasionally in consideralde nund)ers, along the clifl's of
the seashore, and on the adjacent islands of the Pacific coast, from Washington
8(Uith to Lower California, as well as in the mountains and arid ]»lains of the
interior, even in the hottest and most barren wastes of the Colorado De.sert, as
the Death Valley region, and through all the States and 'I'erritories west of the
Itocky M(mntains. in the eastern piu-ts of its range it is most conunonly found
among the numerous islands off the const of Maine, in the Adirondack wilder-
ness in northern New York, and especiall\- in tlie extcmsive nioimtain regions of
North Caroliua, where it appears to jje as conuuou as in niauy localities in the
West,

5.,.'t.

THE AMERICAN UAVEN,

397

Till' Aiiicrican Kitvcn is UHnally a resident wlierever f"i»uii(i, hut is likely
to wiinder ctiiisideraltlo distances in winter, confirefratinfr in localities wliero
food is most easily obtained. While as a rule, it is novvhen* ahundant, it is
generally distributed over a larfye area, and in certain localities it niav ho
called fairly (!oinnion. I have met with th"m at every Post at which 1 have
l)een stationed in the West, but nowhere mi abundantly as at ("ami) "'"'"<'Vi
Orefi'on, where 1 had excellent opportunities to ol)serve them.

They are Htately and rather sedate-lookiuff birds, remain mated thronjih
life, and are soemin<rly very nun-li attached to each other, but a]tparently mui-e
\nisocial to others of their kind. On tlu^ }>rouiid their mo\enuMits are deliberate
and dignitied; their walk is {■raceful and seldom varied with huiried hops or
jumps. They ai)pear to still better ailvanta;re on the win<;, esjiecially in winter
anil early spring, when pairs may be freciuently seen playing with each other,
j)erformin}i: extraordinary feats in the air, such as somersaults, tryinji- to fly on
their backs, etc. At this season they seem to enjoy life most and <;ive vent
to their usually not very exuberant spirits by a series of low tdiucklinfi' and
gurji'ling notes, evidently indifferent efforts at sin<>inf;-.

Their ordinary call note is a loud "craack-craak," varied sometimes by a
deep, {grunting "koeiT-koerr," and again by a clucking, a sort of self-satistied
sound, difhcult to reproduce on paj»er; in fact, they utter a variety of notes
when at ea.se and undisturbed, among others a metallic-sounding "klunk,"
which seems to cost them considerable efl'ort. In places where they are not
molested they become reasonably tame, and I hav(^ seen Havens occasionally
alight in my yard and feed among the chi<"kens, a. thing 1 have never seen
Orows do. 'J'heir larger size when compared with the latter bird is not so notice-
able while on the wing, but on the ground, when feeding among its smaller
relatives, it is very perceptible.

Although a good deal has been written reflecting on the Haven, my ]ier-
sonal observations conqiel me to consider it as a rather orderly member of a
somewhat disreputahle family grou)). Among various misdeeils it is charged
with killing young lambs, chicken.s, and turkeys, as well as with destroying tlu;
eggs and young of different species of wild fowl; and while this is tru<; to some
e.xtent, yet where these birds can get a rcasonalde amount of food from other
sources they rarely disturb domestic animals of any sort. 1 have more than once
seen a Haven feeding among my poultry, apparently on friendly terms with both
ymmg and old; they never molested any to my knowledge; nor have I ever
heard complaints of .shepherds that tlu'ir hnnbs were troubled, nuich less killed,
by them. Their food consists principally of carrion, dead fish, and frogs, varied
with insects of difl'erent kinds, including grasshoppers and the large black crickets
so abundant at some seasons in the West; they also eat worms, nuissels, snails,
small rodents, including young rabbits, as well as refuses from the kitchen and
slaughterhouse. While the American Haven appears to ])o a well-behaved bird
in some localities, this is by no means the case everywhere. Mr. Charles A.
Allen, writhig me on this subject from Nicasio, California, says: "In the

R R

; mi

1

i

) ' '

P:.:^

ir,

In

i-

398

LIFK 111STOU1E8 OF NORTH AMEKIOAX BIUDa.

interior of Ciilitornia tlio Ravon destroys many youiifj^ cliickeus aii<l turkeys
urouiid tlio ranelies. In the s|»rin<jf months I liave frecpiently seen one of these
birds Hyin<^ overhead witli a youn<>' fowl or an e<ff,' in its bill. While making
off with one of the latter this is very notieeable, as tlu* e<ff^ shows off s(» jtlainly
a^jainst the shiny black of its |ilnma<;e. Inland it nests in the hifrluist redwood
or lir trees, and nearly always in siieh as are practieally inaccessible to the
av(n'a;je collector, and on the seacoast on the face of the hi<>;hest cliffs, where
they prey on the ej^ffs and youn;;' of the (lulls and Cormorants nesthifjf there."

In the winter it was no unusual sif^ht at ('amp Harney, Orej^on, to see a
^ozen or more Havens and perhaps twice as many Clrows searchiu}^ throujjfli
the fresh piles of manure which were daily carted out of the cavalry stables
and dumped some distance below the I'ost.

The Haven is usually one of tlu* shyest an., most suspicious of birds, ono of
tlio most dittteult to brinjr to ba^', and here oidy have I been able to approach
them at all closely; in other localities where I have tibserved them they remained
very shy and cautious, as is their usual custom.

Camj) Harney is situated on the southern slope of the Blu(! Mountains of
Orepim, attaininjf here a heij;lit of between G,0()0 and 7,000 feet, the foothills
and canyons leadin;^ into thiun al)oundin<>' in perpendicular cliffs varyin<>' from
30 to no feet in heijjlit, and furnishinjjf many excellent nestin<>' sites for these
birds, at least si. \ pairs breeding- regularly within a radius of 3 miles and perhaps
a dozen more within S miles of the I'ost. Notwithstanding- their comparative
abundance, I rarely managed to obtain more than three full sets of eggs in a
season during the four years I was stationed thi-n^; this may have been due to
their extraordinary cunning and the irregularity of their nesting, which undoubt-
edly in .some cases was done purposely. Should a pair of th(^se birds n-alize
that tlii'ir nest had been discovered, although finished and ready to receive the
eggs, they will abandon it, .sometimes for several weeks, and apjjarently leave
the locality, only to return and begin housekeeping when presumably all diance
of further disturbance has passed. I have lost more than f)ne set of eggs in this
way. In one case a pair of these birds, whose nesting site was in plain view
from my window, not over .'jOO yards distant (the ne.st itself, however, could not
be seen), deceived me so comiiletely liiat their young were half grown before 1
even discovered that this particular site was again occupied, the ])arent birds
keeping, so far as noticed, entirely out of sight during the day, i)robal)ly feeding
the young only early in the morning and possibly during the night, and I only
discovered them by accident while passing along near the top of the cliff very
early one morning, being attracted by th(* cawing of the young.

( )ut of some twenty n(*sts examined only one was jjlaced in a tree. It was in
a good-sized dead willow, 20 fei-t from the ground, on an island in Sylvies River,
Oregon, and easily reached; it contained five fresh eggs on April 13, 187.''). The
other nests were phused on cliffs, and, with few excejjtions, in positions where
tliey were comparatively s(>cure. Usually the nest could not ])e seen from above,
and it generally took several assistants and strong ropes to get near them, and

TllH AMKltU'AN l.'AVKN.

35>J>

even tlicn it was fri'(|ucnt1y inipoHHible to roiii-h tho i'^^h without tlio aid of a
loiij^ |)olo with a dippor attached to the end. A favorite site was a elitt" witli
a southeni exposure, wliere the newt was completely covered from alio\(! l)y a
projectiiiff rock. The nests found hero were well constnu-ted, and varied consid-
erahly in hulk, an avera<>'e one measurinj;' externally about IS inches in widtii
by 10 inches in dejtth. A mass of well-interlaced sticks, some of these very
lar}>e, formed the p'oundwork; the sides were lined with and Imilt up of some-
what Hner material, and the inner cup of the nest, resend)linj;- in size and depth
H lar}>o SOU]) plate, was thickly (piilt<'d with a mass of cattle hair and sometim«'S
the <lry, fine iinier bark of cottonwood. This inner lininj;' was fre(juently an
inch thick, and made a warm, cosy hfane for the younj;:. They looked clean,
but were offensive in odor, and when the nest was occ^upied the lining was
always alive with Heas. In localities where sheep are abundant the inner linin;jf
of the nest consists principally of M'ool, and in moimtainous rej^ions of tree moss.

Niditication, in tho vicinity of (Jamp Harney at least, usually ])e«fins in the
first or second week in April, sometimes, however, in the latter ]»art ol ]\Iarch,
and ajfain not before tho middle of I\!ay. I obtained a perfectly fresh set of
five egj-s as late as May 2i), lH7(i, from a locality where none of these birds hud
been disturbed previously; it was apparently a finst laying.

The American l{aven l)ecomes attached to a site when once chosen, and
uhliough its eggs or young may be taken for successive seasons, it will return
and use tho same nest from jear to year. 1 have taken three sets of eggs (evi-
dently laid by the same bird) from the same nest for successive years; they were
readily recognizable by their large size and .style of marking.**. Oidy one brood
is rai.sed in a season. Incubation lasts about tlure weeks, connnencing when
tho set is completed, and I believe both sexes a.ssist in this hdjor. When tho
female is sitting on tho nest tlu^ male may frefpiently be seen perched on some
small bush or a dead branch of a tree on the opposite side of the canyon from
where the nest is situated, uttering an occasional "klunk-klunk" and keeping u
.sharp lookout. Should anyone approach in that direction, though sonu) di.stance
ofi', he will warn his mate, uttering a low alarm note while Hying past the nest,
when she will usually slij) off and try to keep out of sight, while he endeavors
to (h'aw attenti(tu to himself, acting at the same time as utterly unconcerned as
if he had no interest whatever in that particular locality.

The y(»ung are able to leave the nest about a month after they are hatched,
and are cared for by both parents for some time thereafter. They disapi)eared
shortly afterwards from the inunediate vicinity of their nesting sites, and spent
the sunnner months about the sliores of Malheur Lake, in Harney Valley, where
an abundance of suitable food, such as dead iish, could readily bo procuretl.

Tho number of eggs laid to a set varies from five to seven, sets of five being
most connnon and those of six not rare, while among those taken by me were two
sets of seven each. These are de])osited on alternate days, but sometimes, after u
nest which contained one or two eggs only has been examined, no others jnay
be added for a week oi- more, and then lajing is resumed. The eggs \ar}' in shajie

JliJiiL

ii*

400

MKK IIISTOKIKM OF NOBTH AMKHIOAN lUUDH.

from oviitc to cloiijratc iiiiil cyliiKlricnl ovate; the t,nouii(l color in usually a pale
jM'a ;frft'ii, less ol'tcu u tiralt or fircciiich olive. 'I'liey are usually profusely
l)lot<-lie(l an<l s|iottetl uitli difl'ereut shades of lirowu, lavender, au«l drali. In a
iiund)er of speeiniens tlie niarkinffs are evenly dlstriliufed over the entire (■(,%
in a few cases nearly hidiu}"' the <iround color; in others they predominate at
one of the ends, and an occasional ej^jf is hut slightly marked, showing tho
ffround color «'learly. One such li^jht-colored »■},'<;• is often foiuul in sets other-
wise hea\ily nuirkt-d. 'i'he shell is stronj>' and <'ompact and shows little or no
}>loss. The markiu^fs in very I'are instances ap|)roach the pecidiar elonf>ated
style so «'hara«'teristic of the e<;'^s of the White-necked Haven.

Tim averaj,'!' measurement of fifty-four o^ffs in the United States National
Museum collection, all hut two taken by myself, is 4\).'>'.\ liy 32.7(i inillimetres,
or 1.II5 by 1.2!) inches. The larjiest ej^fi; of the series measiu'es iiOAf) l»y ;{7.84
millimetres, or 'J.iJS l»y 1.4!) inches; the smallest, 41.15 Ity 31.r»0 niillimetreH, or
l.d-J by l.-_'4 inches.

The type specimens, Nos. 'iO.H'Jl and "JOS'io (IM. 4, Kiffs. 1 i\\<[ 2), both from
the Jiendire collection, were taken by the writer near Camp Harney, ()rej(t»n, on
A}>ril 22, 1S76, and April 2(i, 1H77, respectively, the first from u set of seven
ejrfi's, the la.st from a set of six, and these represent tho two principal styles of
coloration.

)•'■:

ivy

1*1 ■. .. ' ;

!' . ' '* >

t '■'■■*

Wi :
It"*'

i6o. Corvus corax principalis Uidoway.

XOinHKUN IJAVKN.

Cori'UM oora-T prinoipnHK Ridoway, .Alaiiusil North .Vinericaii Hirds, 1H87, 'M\\.
(B 423, part; t) 22(i, part; U 2S», part; (J 3.W, part; U 48({rt.)

rrEooRAi'Hi(!Ai, RANGE : Nortlunii NortU America; from Greenland west to Alaska;
south to Britisli Columbia, uortbern Canada, and Labrador.

The Northern Ruven is admitted to subs])ecific rank in our avifauna mainly
on the claim of haviuff a relatively larj^er or stouter bill and a .shorter and stouter
tarsus than the southern bird, with nu»ro of the upper portions of the tarsus
concealed by tho feathering of the lower pails of the thi^fhs, the plumafco <feu-
erally beinjr less lustrous, liavens are well known to attain a }>Teat aj^e, an<l
instances are on record of these birds haviuff lived over a hundred years;
variations in })lumage may therefore depend to some extent on a<^e. These
differences nui}' possibly prove constant in the far north, to which for tho present
I prefer to restrict its ranj^e.

Its general habits and call notes rosomble those of the American Raven;
like it, it lives to a great extent on offal and refuse of any kiiul, and is generally
mo.st abundant in tint immediate vicinity of Indian camps and settlements, which
are mostly located on tlu! seashore, or on the banks of the larger rivers in tho
interior, where these birds act as scavengers. This is especially tho case on
the Alaskan Peninsula and on tho mainland, where hundreds of these birds may

THK NOHTIIKKN UAVKN.

401

fnM|uciitly ho houii in the vicinity ut' tho Hiiliuon f)iiiiiiM}>' HtatioiiH, wlutro tliuy
livu alinoHt ciitirttly on tlu) ort'iil of tiiiM tiHh, Cliuns uIho t'orni u small |)ortion
of tlitMi' food; tlutso an* said to Ixt carried Honu* dintant'i! in tin* air and (lion
di'o|)|KMl on tho rockM to hroak tho sholls. 'riioyalHo proy to no mnall cxtont on
tlio youn^r and tho i'nnn of tlio difi'uront watorfowl which noHt in snitahio localitioH
in thoso northern nt^^ionn in conntloss nunihcrH. If \v(t could hcliovo all that
is told al)out tlios«t birds, thoy cortainly appear to !>«• far more niischiovouH and
ini|)ndcnt than our Ainorican l{4ivon. Thoy aro said to show an inordinato hatred
for tho Indian dojrs, annoyiiiff and toasinj^ thoin in variou,. wa^s; for instance,
shoidd they find one asloo)), they aro said to dro|) a stick or stone upon the
nnsuspo(^tin^ animal out of ptn'o mischief

Mr. li. .1. Hrothorton, writing mo alxmt those birds from Kadiak, Alsaka,
.(ays: "I saw a native dojc one* day with a hone which ho vaiidy endeavored
to i^at. While so onj^a^od ho was ospiod hy a llavtMi, whi> tlew down and tried to
scare tho dojr l)y loud cawin}^, in which ho wiw shortly afterwards assisted hy
another, both birds sidlinj,' up to tho do<;'s head until they were barely out of
his roach, .lust at this time a third Ilavtsn appeared on the seen*' and surveyed
tho situation from an adjacent fence, but soon tlow <h»wii behind tho do<^ and
advanced until within roach of his tail, which ho seized so roughly that the dog
tin'nod for an instant to snap at him, and at tho same mouuuit the Itone was
snatched away by one of tho Itavons at his head."

Mr. Chaso Littlejohn writes: "In Alaska their nests are usually l)laced on
clitfs, and generally whore thoy c^in obtain thtf eggs of other birds with which
to foinl their young. Thoy aro very cunning. I remendier a |»air which nested
on a small island, within a stone's throw of the mainland, on which nianv Gulls
also nested. Hy acting in concert the latter can defend most of their eggs
against tlie.se birds, but whenever f visited this island t(» gather some for food
the Uaveiis took advantage of such an op|)ortuiiity. Tlioy would jiick tip an
egg, cany it to tho mainland, hide it carefully in tho moss, return for another,
and so on until there wore no more eggs or until I had left tho island, when the
Gulls would jirotect what were left. While tho Havens were on the mainland
the (iidls would not molest them, and so they could eat their |)liiiider in pi-ace.
All eggs not eaten at once were (!arefully buried in the mo.ss for future use."

While nesting sites on dirt's aro generally resorted to along the seashore, in
the interior of Alaska on tho Yukon River, as well as on tlui numerous streams
in Mritish North America flowing into the Arctic Ocean, they resort to .some
extent to trees, jirobably on account of the absence of tlus clifl's. ^fr. .fames
Lockhart found a nest in a cleft of a pophir tree, 20 feet from tlit* ground, at
Fort Yukon, Alaska, on May 2!), 18G2; and ^Ir. R. MacFarlane took a set of live
oggs from a nest jilaced near the top of a pine, 4.") foot from the ground, near
Anderson River Fort, British North America, on Aiiril 30, I8(i4.

Their nests resemble those of the American Raven in construction. Near
the soiishore they are usually lined with dry grasses, mosses, and seaweed, while
hair of the musk ox and moose is often used when procurable in the interior.

Itjsai— No. 3 26

•3

' .1

.'

;*i

M

4i»'J

LIhK IIISTOIIIKS OK NOIiTII AMKIMCAN I»1UI»8.

Nidilifiitiiiii l)(';;iiis uccasidiially in llii- latter part of April, iiKiro ;;t'ii(<nilly, liow-
<'\rr, iiliuiit till' niiilill*' III' May. ami stiinittiiiii's imt until tint first \vci>k in .hiiu*.
i'Viini I'iMir til xix i'<H!:>* aro iiMiially laiil tu a ,si>t, anil mily iin« liruuil is raiHcil in
a wiiHiin. Tlio ojjf^i* iIh nut ililVor niat((rially from tliow* of tlui American leaven,
lint as a rule they are iimniler, mure of a slinrt nvato, ami eiinH()(|Uontly sumo-
what lar;fer.

The averajie measurement of tliirty-uino epjfs in the llnit(«l Htatos National
Miisetim I'ollertion is 4!».'i3 liy .'U.'il milliinotres, or l.!>r» l»y l.iW! iiirhes. The
lariii'Ht eff;;' of the serii-s measures ri;{..'Jf liy .'i'l.rili millimetres, or "2.10 by 1.40
inihes: the smallest, 4I.!II liy l\',\.<)'2 millimetres, or l.(i") liy l..'{(t inches.

The type specimen, No. 1H4'J'» (1*1. 4, Fij;. 3), from a set of six ejfps, wan
olitaiiieil from (ioveriior Keiikel, near (loilthaali, («reeiilanil, in 1880, anil r(?|)re-
seiits one of the lifiliter-coloretl and less heavily markeil sp(!ciinens of tlu^ series;
the majority resemble tlm typos of the prt'C('ilinf>- sjjocicB, and the three uj,'tJ»
(ifiured would answer ocpuilly well for liotli forms.

i6i. Corvus cryptoleucus Coic:u.

WlllTK-NKCKKI) HAVKN.

Vorriis I'fuiitoleticKn Ciiuoii, I'nirciMliiijfs .Vciulcriiy Natural HcieiUM'S, Philivilelpiiia, .Vpril,
IHiVi, (id.

(H iL'.'i, (! 2L'7. I{ liHl. O ;i.«t, U 487.)

(iKoiiiiAi'iiU'AL UANOK: Soiitliwi'stoni Unitod States; fVoiu soutlifirn (Jaliforiiia
simtlioiist tlirou};')! Ari/.oiia, New Mexico, ami western Texas; soatli into niirtliern Mexico;
north to Olilalioina anil wesleni Inilian Territory, ("olonulo, and western KanHas.

The Wliito-iU'cked Uavon, a snmller and more ,slender-loiikinj>' bird than tho
American Raven, is likewise a resident and breeds whenever found. Alono- our
southern iiorder these two species are frequently found toj;-etlier, and the marked
ditfereuce in size between thi'iii is then very readily oliserved. This bird usu-
ally inhabits the jilains and foothills, and is rarely found at a hij^hor altitudes
than r),."i(»i» feet. It is far more .socialile in its habits than its lar^'vr relative,
and in winter fair-sized flocks may b often seen tojiether, especially in tho
vicinity of slaiijihterhouses. On the wl. le, they are not as shy as tho Ravens,
and are much more easily obtainuil. Quite a number of those birds were con-
stant visitors at my camji at Hillito Oreek, near Tucson, Arizona, in 187'i and
1873, on the lookout for scraps of food, and, as they wore rarely molested, .some
of the bolder ones liccame ipiite tame.

I remember one bird in particular (easily rooorrnizod by a white patch on
the throat caused by the loss of some feathers) which visited my kitchen tent roff-
nlarly, and would jiick up food thrown to him, coming'- fre(piently within 15 feet
of the person throwinj;' it. When the a]ipetite of this bird was satisfied it woidd
still pick up any morsel in sight and hide it in tho vicinity, imiler a jiiece of bark
or any other suitable object. One evoning I noticed liuu hard at work only a

THK WHITE Ni:<'KKI) KAVKN.

403

sliort (liMtaiict) from my umt, oviilt-ntly (liKKii'K up Homcthinff. llo pecked away
vifforously, and tlusii ndiiovoil tlui IoohuiumI dirt l)y HcrupiiiK witl» !»« boak from
Hid(( to rtidn, t'oriiiiiij( a kind ot' troiidi. I watttiicd him tor nomo tiiiut wifii a
field j^Iarts, hut coidd not imajifiiio wliat he was tryiuff to do, ho I wait»'<l until
ho had finished, notiii},' the locality earet'uily. Me numt have worked nearly
halt" nn hour before he Hew away. Upon ^yoinjj to the place afterwnrds, whieli
I thou<rht [ could hteate at once, I had eunsidcraljle ditHculty in tindin;r it; for
every thin^f had been replaced so carefully and nntin-ally that it looked as if the
jj^ronnd had not been disturlied, excepting that a fresh chip of wood was placod on
the spot, possibly to mark it. On investifi'atiii;^ 1 found tiiat the bird had made a
trench in the hard soil fully 2^ inches deep and about twice as lonjf, in which ho
had i)uried a «a*o(piett(f made of canned salmon which the cook had tinown out.
1 removed this, (!arefully replaced the soil a<,'ain as naturally as possible, and
marked it with a chip, in the hope of being able to watch tlie bird svhen returning
for it the next day; but 1 failed to see him, as he came too early, and, finding the
cache roblted, ho left in disgust. In its movements the White-necked Haven is
not as graceful as the Uaven, and its call notes also vary consi<l(!rably from
those of the latter; they are not ho loud and jMinetrating nor so varied. A harsh
"kwank, kwank" is most often hoard while the bird is on the wing. Their flight
is strong and often quite protracted I have sonu'times noti«'ed them sailing iu
circles like Eagles or Ilawks, especially in the early spring.

The food of the White-necked Kaven consists j)rinciiially of animal matter,
like that of its larger relatives, and, judging from their numbers in certain
localities, it seems to find subsistence reailily enough in even the most barren
regions. This bird is very conunou in portions of Houthern Ariz<mii and New
Mexico, as well as in western Texas, on the Staked Plains, and fairly so in Starr
County, on the lower Rio (irrande. Mr. W. E. Grover, of fJalvestiUi, writes me
that several were shot on the prairie, on tlie west shore of Galveston Hay, in
May, 18!)(). Srane twenty of these birds wore feeding among a flock of Red-
winged lilackbirds at the time. Although no longer admitted in (!alifornia
lists, this species undoubtedly hred formerly in that State. A set of four eggs,
now in the United States National Museum collection, taken by Mr. Xantus de
Vcsey, near Fort Tejon, California, on May 24, 18")8, and entered as those of
Corras raniimntfi, are unquestionably referable to this species.

Mr. William G. Smith, formerly of Loveland, C!(»lorado, writes that the
White-necked Raven breeds in the mountains there, and that he obtained two
very young birds of tliis species, which he reared. One of these remained
about the liouso for over a year, and was often visited by a pair of wild birds,
which it w(mld accompany sometimes, and stay away for a dav *>r two, and
finally it failed to return from one of these visits.

In suitable localities these birds breed in considerable numbers, for instance,
iu the vicinity of Fort Huachuca, Arizona, where Lieut. Harry t!. Jienson,
Fourth Cavalry, United States Army, found over sixty of their nests in the
Heosou of 1887 and as many as thirteen sots of their eggs in a single* day.

.1

H

w

!l

n— "•■

1

i

;.*!■!

; ■ if • ■.

u

« 1 ' !

i

i'r'it ;

■•:': -"i

111

404

IJFK IIISTOKIKS OF NORTH AMKHICAN IIIHDS.

1 found them rather rare hruedcrs in the vicinity of Tucson, and only secured
two of thi'ir nests, with egj^s, in 1872. In soutliern Aiizoiia they breed on the
dry plains, covered with a scanty growth of niesquite, creosote bushes, yucca,
and cactus, often niiU's from any water, more frequently than amonji^ the oaks of
the foothills, where I looked i)rincii»ally for their nests. The favorite nestinj;'
sites in southern Arizona are low, scrubby uiesquite trees, next oak, ash, desert
willow, and yucca, and in southern and western Texas ebony and hackberry
bushes are likewise^ not infreciuently used for this purpose.

The nests are usually poorly constructed ati'airs, and ai'e a trifle larj^er than
those of our conunon Crow. Outwardly they are mainly composed of thorny
twiffs, while the inner parts are lined with cattle hair, rabbit fur, and fretiuently
with pieces of rabbit skin, wool, dry Cottonwood bark, {^rass, or tree moss,
accordinji' to locality. This linin<^ is frecpiently well quilted, and again appar-
ently thiown in loo.se. They are extremely filthy and smell hoiribly. Old
nests are repairetl from j'ear to year, some of them being, as Lieutenant lienson
expresses it, seven or eight stories high, showing use for as many years. One
of the nests found by me contained a number of rags. The nests are usually
placed from 7 to 20' feet from the ground, rarely higher or lower. Considering
the warm climate in wliicli thestf birds are usually foiuid, they.ne.st very late.
Out of sixty-six reccuds the earliest is May Ct. 1 took this set, containing only
three o<^y;!i, hi the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains, near 'J'ucson, and
incubation was about one-third advaiu-ed when the eggs were found. Only
twelve other sots wt-re recorded for ^May, and these usually in the latter part of
the month. All the remaining s(ts 'were taken in Jmie, and fully half of these
after the niiddk' of that month. Only one brood is raised in a season. Both
sexes assist in incubation, which lasts about twenty-one days; this usually begins
only after the set is completed; but young birds varying in size are sometimes
found in tlu^ same nest. Tin* number of eggs to a set varies from three to
eight. In the .series of eggs in the ITnited States National Museum collection
sets of six and four respectively j)redominate, iind about one set in nine contains
seven eggs. ^Ir. F. II. Fowler, of Koit Mowie, Arizona, writes me that he has
foimd as many as eight eggs in one of their nests. I can only account for the
remarkal)ly late nesting of this s[)ecies by the fac't that insects and small reptiles,
which pr()l)alily furnish tlui larger ])ortion of the food of these liirds, are nnu'li
more abundant in southern Arizona after the rainy sea.son connnences, about
the last of May, than before, and these birds seemingly understand this and act
accordingly.

The eggs of the White-necked Uaven are, in nearly <fv(!ry instance, readily
distinguishable from those of the other species of the Vorriiid' found in North
America, and this Is due to the chiU'acteristic style of their markings. Tlu* grouiiil
color varies fruin pah; green to grayish green, and only very rarely to a light
bluish green. Two distinct styles of markings are found among these eggs, the
principal l)nt usually not the most notable one consisting of a mass of longi-
tudinal streaks and blotches of different shades of lilac, lavender gray, and drab,
running iVum p(jle to pole of the egg, ami the.se are again more or less hidden

TlIK WHITKNKCKEI) RAVKN.

405

'^

and partly obliterated by heavier and more rej>ularly defined s])ots and Itlotciies
of ditl'ereiit .shades of brown. In not a, few sets tiiese lijiliter and more subdued
shades arewantiuf;, and are rejdaced l)y a more conspicuous l)rown; i)ut almost
all of the e}irj>s sliow tlie peenliar lon<;itu(linnl streaks and hair lines so promi-
nently characteristic of the e;4;«Ts of the <i'enus Mi/inrcliiis. liesides the more rej;-
nlarly shaped uiarkin^js conunon to the balance* of the ejrji's of our ('orv'ni<i\ they
are on an avera<je also deciih'dly lijihter c(dored, and a tew e;;fis are almost
nnspottt^d. Scarcely any two sets are exactly alike. The shell is stronji" and
comj)act. In shape they are mostly ovate; a few are elliptical and elonfinte ovate.
Tiiey vary considerably in size, and for so lari>'e a bird souie of the ef>j;s are
rather small.

The averafije measnrompnt of two hundred and eij^hty-ei^rht e<i<is in the
United States National Museum collection is 44.'_*0 by W):!'! millimetres, or 1.74
l)y 1.1!) inches. The lrtr>;est eyn' of the series measures 4S.77 l)y 3.'{.7S milli-
metres, or l.!C2 by \.'6'A inches; the smallest, ;J8.G1 by 27.G8 millinu'tres, or 1.^2
by !.()!> inches.

The typo specimens, No. 231 tt4 (I'l. 4, Fijis. 4 anil 5), from a set ()f seven
Ofi'fi's, taken dune 4; No. 23124 (i'l. 4, Fij^-. 6), from a set of four e;;<;s, taken
June 18; and No. 23094 (I'l. 4, V\\r. 7), also from a set of seven e^j;s, taken June
17, 1SS7, were all collected by First Lieut. Harry C. Benson, Fomth Cavalry,
United States Army, near Fort Huachuca, Arizona, and represent some of the
dirt'erent style ^f markings found among* the eggs of tliis species.

162. Corvus americanus Aidibon.

AMKKICAN (HOW.

■adily
North
■ round

light
;s, tho
longi-

drab,
liddeu

Coci'i/.v ((mr/'fCff/iKX At'niTTioN, Ornitliolosica! ISioj^rapliy, II, IS.il. .'ilT.

(H 42«, V 228, U 2.S2, (' 340, I J IHS.)

GEooRAPniCAL RANGK: Contiiu'iit ol' Niirtli Anieiica, t'vccptirit; cxtri'iiic Arctic
potions iuul Floi'jdii ill siiiiiiiicm'; soiitli to nortlicni Mexico.

Th(( American or ('ommon Crow, one of the l)est-knowti birds of our avi-
faiuia, is widely but somewhat irregularly distribnteil over a large portion of the
North American continent. \\'iiih' somewhat rare in tin* more northern parts of
its range, and possibly entirely absent in certain sections, notably so throughout
the greater |)ortion of Lalirailor and the regions adjoining Hudson 15a v, it is
nevertheless found in other localities at nmch liiglier latitudes, and is known to
breed even within the Arcti«' Circle. Mr. U. MacFarlane obtained two sets of its
eggs on the lower Anderson Kiver, in about latitude (!H^ ;{.")' N. ( >ne set of
five eggs was taken on May A, 18()(!, and contained large cmlirovs when found,
an unusually early breeding record for that region.

In some of our Wesf-. i-n States and Territories it is also rare in certain sections,
especially so in southern iVri/.oiia, where the White-necked b'aM'ii jcplaces this
sp(>cies to a great extent. Ilowexer. what it lacks in numbers in some localities is

;

406

LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

more than made up by its iilmntlaiuro in others, especially in our Eastern States
and the Missi.saij)pi Valley generally. I have alwfiys held that our western Crows
constituted u fjood subspecies and still believe so, but nevertheless follow the
nomenclature of the American Ornithologists' Union. While our western birds
vary considerably in size, I think comparative measunMuents of a number of
specimens taken from different localities west of the Rocky Mountains will show
that they average smaller, and I find the same to be the case with a large series
of the eggs. I am also of the o|)inion that tiieir call notes differ to some extent,
but may be mistaken in this. Their jdumage is more or less variable, and is less
glossy than that of eastern birds, especially during the breeding season. Tins
western Crows, in some sections at least, seem also to be more sociable; at Fort
Lapwai, Idaho, for instance, I have occasionally found them breeding in what
might be called small colonies, and this was not due to scarcity of tind)er for
nesting purposes ; in fact, I once saw here three occupied nests in a single small
birch tree, where a nund)er of good-sized Cottonwood trees Avere to be found
close by and ecjually .suitable. Such a degree of sociability I have never
observed iuij'where among the eastern Crows during the nesting season; but it
seems akso to be unusual in the West, as I noticed it nowhere else.

Some of these western birds are also said to nest occasionally on the ground,
a mode of nidification seemingly entirely at variance with the habit.s of the
eastern Crows. Such an instance is recorded by Mr. E. H. Eorbush in "Eorest
and Stream," April 4, 188!i, in an article entitled "Five Days a Savage," where
he rejwrts finding a crow's nest, containing three young, on the ground on a
small barren island in the Gulf of Georgia, Hritish Cohuubia, which, however,
may have l)een one of Corvm canrUms, the Northwest Crow. Again, among
a collection of eggs .sent to the United States National Museum by Air. I{. Mac-
F.arlane, made in the vicinity of Fort St. James, British Colundjia, is a s(^t of
four unmistak.able Crow's eggs, brought in by an Indian for those of Franklin's
Grouse, and taken on May 2, lH8i>, from a ne.st placed on the grounci, under the
spreading limbs of a small spruce bush.

In the United States the (!row is a regular resident south of latitude 42'',
but not a few winter in suital)l(' localities at points considerably farther north,
while on the Pacific C!oast they are resident throughout the year. In the late
fall all the Crows in a certain section congregate and .select .some »uital)le piece
of woods, generally .it mi great distance from some good-sized stream, where
they roost in com[)anies, often many thousands in iuunl)er. From these roosts
they scatter regularly every morning over the surrounding country in sc'arch of
food, undoubtedly coveruig a radius of many miles in their daily flights, and
return again in the evening, in small, scattering Ixxlies, to their regular rendez-
vous. They may l)e seen coming in from all points of tlu^ compass, the leturn
flight often begiiming a couple of hours before the last stragglers arrive. These
roosts are probably formed more from sociability than for nuitual protection, as
the Crow has little to fear from other enemies than man.

Thruugliont the Eastern Stiites and the Mississii)pi River Valley generally
the Crows are extremely shy and difhcult to aj)proach at all times, while in city

<{,

TIIK AMlvKlCAN CltOVV.

407

parks they soeiii to know tlifit they will iiat ))(■ shot at, and here one finds them
fVe(|Uontly not nearly so cautions. In other sections, es])ecially on the I'acifie
Coast, where tiiey are not niucli molested, tlmy are morci familiar and compara-
tively tame, allowing a pei-son to approacdi them closely, both while t'eedin<>' on
the jfround and when perched in trees. 'I'heir cnnninj^' in evadin;^' the t'ai-mer's
;ihot<>nn is only too well known, and many amusinj'' stories are told about these
birds in this connectii>n.

UpiniouH differ fjreatly as to the economic value of the Crow, and even
with the most careful research it can not be accurately determined. While tlun-e
is no doubt that these birds do considerable damage at times to the growing
crops, and especially to Indian com, .and that they tlestroy the young and eggs
of some of our insect-eating birds, on the other hand it is equally certain that
they do nuu'h good, and it is almost safe to assert that the harm done by them
in a general way is pretty nearly, if not fully, compensated for by the good they
do in the destruction of numerous noxious insects of all kinds and field mice,
as most of their food is ol)tained on the ground. While 1 can not enter into
details as to their footl as fully as these birds perhaps deserve, in justice to them
I can say that from examinations made by the United States I)e|)artment of
Agi'icnltnre of a large ninnber of stomachs, and covering every month in the
year, the results obtained show that at least two-thirds of the food of nestlings
consists of animal matter, and that '.iiis kind of food also exceeds the vegetal)le
matter consumed by adults during the spring and sunnner months, while in the
late fall and winter tlu^ reverse is the case. Indian corn seems to i)e the staphs
vegetable food of the Crow in winter, and it is more than probal)le that a con-
siderable portion of this is of no especial economic value, and is picked up in tlit;
field after the crop has been harvested. Wheat, oats, barley, rye, and buck-
wheat are also eaten by them, but to a nuu'h less extent, while acorns, chestnuts,
beechnuts, the berries of the jtoison oak or ivy [HIiks), the fiowering dog\\dod
{('(iriiiis Jiorida), sour gum (Ni/tisa), the (^edar. and a number of smaller seecls
and dirt'erent kinds of wild and cultivated fruits also enter into their bill of fare.

During the spring, sunnner, and fall months insects of all kinds, the seven-
teen-year locust (Ciradd), May beetles (Larlnioskniti), June beetles {Allorliin(i),
and especially their larva-, the well-known white grubs so injurious to all kinds
of vegetation, grasshoppers, crickets, cutworms, and angleworms, even carrion-
beetles, spiders and their eggs, iidd mice, snakes, frogs, .salamanders, lizards,
small turtles, fish, snails, crawfish and other small crustaceans, carrion, and offal
generally — in fact, anything washed u|) by the tides or found along flie shores
of our larger rivers — constitute the bulk of their food. In the West, wlii-re occa-
sionally annies of the large wingless cricket (^Aiialics .sinipli:!) and hosts of locusts
devour every green blade on their liiu' of march, the Crows destroy enormous
munbers of these ])ests; like them, they seem to l)e always hungry ami able to
find room for just one nioi'e, and although generally in jHior condition throughout
the greater part of the year, in such localities they s(Mtn «ax fat. and they do an
immense amount of good, which is rarely taken into consideraficjn, however, by
the average farmer, who sees in the Crow an enemy at all times.

( in

ill

•I- ■!
Jii

ill -

i'. M.

408

LIFE UISTOlilES OF NOUTU AMERICAN BIRDS.

Mr. Manly Ilaidy writes me: "I have often seen Crows, near low tide,
dive from a jiier, striking the water as a Swallow does, and rise with somethiiij^
shining in their bills. I have seen this many times in Maine, and a friend tells
me that he has l)een near enough to see that they had seized small fish. While
waiting for a train I saw one dive in this way and take nj) some large, wiiite
substance; he carried it across the stream and left it on the railroad track; I
crossed and found it to be a large bunch of cotton waste; as it was after the
time for nesting, he nuist have mistaken it for food, ami finding his mistake
aban(h)ned it. Some seasons they destroy quantities of seed jwtatoes by tUg-
ging them up soon after planting; they als<» take new potatoes from the hills,
and 1 have seen them j)ick beans from the pods at Great Deer Island, Maine.
This could not have been for want of food, as an abundance of shellfish could
be j)rocured in the vicinity. I have also known a Crow to come into the limits
of Hangor, Maine, in a thickly settled neighborhood, and take well-grown robins
out of a nest built under the eaves of a house; it would come early in the
morning, swooping down like a Hawk, making no noise, taking its victim with-
out alighting. In order to obtain the meat of the great sea snails and whelks
along the seashore here, they carry them high into the air and let them fall on
the ledges beneath. While in (Jolonido, in 1891, I saw Crows on tlie top of
Pike's Peak, on October H, at an altitude of 14,147 feet."

It is well known that Crows are exceedingly intelligent, and quite a variety
of their cunning jjerformauces have found their way into print, a few of which
I mention.

A gentleman from Brighton, New York, under date of September 4, 1882,
writes: "The droll antics of a pet Crow, owned by a neighbor, have amused
me not a little, and the following exhibition of its intelligence seems deserving
of record. A few days since 'Jim' was given some dry crusts of bread for his
breakfast. After making several unsuccessful attempts to devour them, he seized
one in his beak and hoi)ped upon a chair, then upon the sink, and, finding a
basin containing some water, di[)pe(l the crust into the water until softeiu^d, then
removing it, ate it, and jumjied d(»wn and got the other piece, and, after softening
it as before, finished his meal.'"

Mr. Abbott M. Frazar states: "A tame Crow (CorviLs rtitiericamis) in my
possession has repeatedly amused me by the novel method he adopts to rid him-
self of parasites. For this purpose he deliberately takes his .stand upon an ant
mound and permits the ants to crawl over him and carry away the troid)li'sonie
vermin. The oi)eration seems nuitually agreeable to all parties, the ants (juickly
seizing uj)on the ijarasites and bearing them away. 1 have also noticed the
same habit in another tame Crow that I formerly had in my possession.""

Dr. Ralph tells me that he knew of a case where a pet C!row was teased by
letting it peck at a pocketknife and then rapidly withdrawing it. The liird
shortly became tired of this, and the next time, instead of trying to catch the

' Forest and Stream, September 7, 18H2.

' HiiUetiii uf the Nuttnll OtuitboloKiciil Club, Vol. I, 1870, p. 7f!.

•5 i".);.

K^

THE AMKlilCAN CHOW.

409

knif(> jiH hcforo, it bit tlio person's liaiul so hard that it caused liiiu to drop
tho kuitr, whicli was (jiiickly pi(^ked up l)y tlie hird, who then flow away witli it.
This little iuciduiit plainly shows its ri-asoninff })owers.

In the nnxed woods near Ilcdland Patent, New York, a species of Helix is
very abundant, and one finds many empty shells from which the animal has
been extracted by these birds. Api)arently nothing- seems to afi'ord more .satis-
faction to a (!row than to be able to harass every Owl it may see, as well as
the larjrer Hawks, but occasionally it pays rather dearly for siu-h sjjort.

j\Ir. J. W. Preston, of Baxter, Iowa writes mc^ about thest* ])irds as follows:
"One winter morning', whih; on my way to a country school, where I was teacii-
ing .it the time, a Crow was woirying a lied-tailed Hawk, and as it darted at
the fleeing bird it made a (piick grasp, turning completely over in mid-air, l)iit
succeeded in catching tiie Crow, which it bon^ down t(» the ground dead.

"T have seen a Crow carry a i)ie<M' of meat tjuite a long distance in its
claws. The Crow is terribly destructive to young birds and eggs in tln^ nest.
It is painful to see their havoc and hear the pitiful cries of the parent birds.
One such occuirence noted was that of a ])air of Red-eyed Vireos following close
after the Crow, scolding and crying as their nest and yoiuig l)irds were being-
carried across the field, a choice morsel for young Crows.

"The loss occasioned to farmers from their habit of carrying away eggs is
very consirlerable. 1 remember a brood of fourteen plump young chicks that
were a'l devoured by the daring fellows. I had allowed them to nest and rear
their y .ung in a grove 10 rods from the (h)or, and thus they repaid the kindness.
I have seen them feed from the raw back of a live hog which had accidentallv
been left out of shelter and had been somewhat frozen.

"In a woods near our home was a fauKuis Crow's roost. During- the winter
of 1H91-!I2 the number was e.stinuited at forty thousand l)irds. Aiuiut smiset
they canui in small flocks an<l straggling companies from long di.staiu-es awav,
gathering- into great flocks on pastures and meadows, so thick as to look like
plowed land. In the dusk of evening- the trees on a whole hillside appeared
like a dark bank, so vast was the rookery. Wt^ visit(Ml this i-esort often after
dark to hear the varied .sounds that ever arose frnm the restless, scolding l)irds,
whose voices were easily heard a mile distant. A whistle or shout was causi' fur
alarm, and the entiri> flock would rise up like a dark cloud, and the beating of
wings sounded like a strong wind. Sometimes they would fly a mile oft', and,
returning, circle al)out and begin settling uuich as ''hiimiey Swallows do,
striking each other and the branches with their wings; the din of tpiarreling fin-
places, changing, and flying- up and down was terrible; some cawccl loudlv,
others nuilHed the tones; some imitated the cry of a child, and some the sipiawk
of a chicken; i»ut the cond)ined eft'ect was a vast, weird wail that reverberated
through the forest and died away on the night winds."

In till' West I have never seen any very large ( 'row roosts in winter, although
the birds were quite counnon at Fort Lapw.ai, Idaho: Cain]) Harney, (h-egon,
and in the Walla Walla Valley, Washington, at all seasons. In ( 'alifornia they are
also t'<»uunon in the larger river bottoms, but on the whole are rather irregularly

•MM

1

SM

'■^

m

\,i

-'1 '

ti

ll

.^■1

1

m

;

*il

II

I:

,•' H '

II

I Hi

m

\f'- •

I' ■

1 ■

I

is •

v*

1^'

J!.

410

LIFE I118TOKIES OF NORTH AMF-MtlCAN HIHDS.

(listri})utt'(l, \vliil« in Houtheni Arizona and New ^loxico they are rare. Mr. V.
Stephens writes nie that he saw ( 'rows on Hi}"- Sandy Creek, (>0 niih's east of
Fort ]\rojave, Arizona, in Febrnary, 1880, and that )ie shot a specimen on the
Minibres Kiver, southern New Mexico, in April, 187(5. I shot a nude near
Tucson, Arizona, on April 13, 1872, but saw very tew others, and tailed to find it
breeding there.

The longevity of the Crow has been generally admitted, and I had always
thought theywere e.\tremely hardy; but this seems to be (juestional)le. During
January, 1893, large nund)ers perished in tlu* vicinity of Wa.shington, District
of Columbia, from having the cornea frozen during the cold, weather occurring
about that time, which resulted in blindness and starvation. Mr. liobert Hidg-
way, of the Sinith.sonian Institution, showed me a number he had j)icked up, and
assiu'ed me that luuulreds could be seen laying around in the vicinity, while
many others were j)artly blind."

Dr. M. G. Ellzey, writing from Cumberstone, Maryland, reports the same
occurren(H^ in that vicinity, and believes many thousands peri.shed in this
manner.-

1 have only once seen a wild bird partly blind. This was in 1881, while
stationed at Fort Walla Walla, Wasliington. A Western Horned Uwl was brouglit
to me alive by one of my men, who, wiiile out liunting, saw it and tried to get
witiiin reach to .shoot it. It heard him approaching, and in att(;mj»ting to tiy
away was stunned by striking a tree. It fell down, and l)efore it recovered he
captured it. One of its ey.'s was in the same condition as those of tlie Wash-
ington Crows, and the other was likewise affected, but it was still able to see a
little out of it. The bird was in poor condition, but not near starvation. I kept
it for many weeks, and it soon became remarkably tame and gentle, a very
unusual thing for birds of this species, and finally 1 sent it alive to a friend at
Johns Hopkins University, lialtimore, Maryland, for examination, and it reache<l
its destination safely.

The only plausilde reason I can assign for this affliction of the Crows found
by Mr. Kidgway is that while returning from their feeding grounds they weri^
compelled to face an extremely cold and penetrating wind, and having to keep
their eyes open to see where they were going, they were frozen. A strange fact
was <liscovered in this connection. Neither Mr. Hidgway nor his companions
could discover a single dead Fish Crow among the many .specimens examined,
although they were well re})resented among those Hying about.

The (.'row has a variety of call notes, and is rather noisy at times. The one
most frecpiently heanl is a harsh "cawh, cawh," and again a "krah, krah,"
besides a nund)er of other nmtHed sounds, generally uttered while at rest at the
roost. They are gracc^ful birds on the wing, especially so during the mating
season, when i)airs, while chasing each other around, may be seen performing all
sorts of aerial evolutions, turning comj)lete sunnnersaidts, now Hying on one

' For a fuller acrontit see Science, Feb. 10, 1S9H.
'-'See Forest and Stream, March 10, 1M93.

.if

THE AMKKICAN CUOW.

411

si<l*', or tilteriuitoly rising- <iiu' iihovw tlio (»tlu!r and middiMily diirtinj,' down ii<>iiin
witli winji'H coniplctcly closod, and in tlui nicantinic uttorin};' thu clioict'st (row-
talk to their prospective nuites. On tlio jjround they do not appear so ]a'epos-
sessinjj-; their walk is somewhat jerky and niieven, and they do not look nearly
as dijiiiilied as tlui Uaven. 1 believe C'rows remain matcnl thron};h lite.

Xest l)iiildin;r in the more southern States bej^ins sometimes by Keltrnary
20, and correspondingly later northwanl. in the vicinity of Washinjiton. Dis-
trict of (Jolundna, fresh ej,';i:s may bo oeeaslonally iound in the last week in March,
but more frequently durin;'' the first two weeks in April. Alonj;- our northern
border they ne.st ficnerally about the bef,nimin}f of May; and even in the most
northern portions of their ran<;e they have been known to breed e(|ually early,
but most frequently niditication here is protracted well into dune. In Idaho,
Washiufiton, and Ore^i'on it is at its hei^^^ht between April If) and May 20. The
nests are bulky, usually well constructed, and placed in the forks of branches,
f>enerally well uj) and hard to reach. Occasionally one is ])lac(Ml near the main
trunk, this beinj;' mostly tlii^ ca.se where bushy cedars or juni|)ers are used. Any
sort of tree may be chosen for a nestinjp site, j)roviding it is one of dense folia}>'e,
which will hide tlie nest well. In some localities \}'mo trees seem to be preferred,
while in others oaks are often selected. In the West cottonwoods, junipers, and
willows are most frecpiently nsed. Nests are usually placed at heiffhts varyinj;-
from 20 to (iO feet; but 1 have; found some barely (! feet from the ground, and
in many h)calities in the West they are rarely placed over 20 feet uj). Here also
they are said to occasionally nest on the <>Tound, but I have never ol)serv('d this
personally. Crows rarely neat in deep forests, the borders of woods and the
river bottoms bein<:f )»referred for su(di purjuises. The nests are oonq)osed out-
wardly of sticks, weed stalks, corn husks, and other coarse material, and lined
with ^rajjcvine bark, fine roots, dry f^ra.ss, leaves, straw, moss, raj^s, wool, and
hair, the liiunj^- varyiu}'' in diflerent localities. Where cattle are i)lenty the lussts
are often f(»und lined with more or less of their hair. Tlu;se (iner materials are
well quilted tofrether. The outer diameter of the nest is usually about 24 inches
by !> inches in depth. The inner cup is from 4 to (! inches deep and from 12 to
ir» inches in diameter. 'I'his prevents the efif^s from bein<>' throwJi out of the
nest durin<"- hi^h winds when placed in slench'r branches in the extreme to|is of
trees.

The nund)er of ejigs to a set varies from four to eight. Sets of five* are
most commonly found, while those of seven are rare, and those of cij>lit (piite
unusual, Mr. A. (!. Kenq)ton, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, writes me that he foimd
a s(^t of ten ('ggs in the s[)rin<>' of 1890, which lu' believes were laid by tin- same
bird. In the Western States usually from three to five eggs constitute a set,
and tho.se of six, according to my observatif>ns, are much rarer than in the
East. Incubation lasts about eighteen days, and both parents assist in this duty.
The young are born Idind and naked, and remain in the ne.st about three weeks.
While Crows steal many of the eggs of other birds, they apjjarently do not
molest any of their own kind, but if several pairs nest close together they will

i

tw

•* Ik .i *

I •« 1 12 *

412

LIFE niSTORIES OV NOKTll AMKKICJAN BIKDH.

steal noHtitip luatcrial from each other wlienever an o|»poitunity occurH. The
old iii'sts are resorted to for several seasons in succession where not molested.
Only one brood is raised in a season; if the first e}f},'s are taken, tlu-y usually lay
a second set, but rarely in the same nest. When the yoimj^' are nearly fledj^ed,
they may often be s«'en sittiu}^ on the rim of the nest or on Itranches close bj-,
watcliini; for tlu' retimi of the parents with food, and kee])in}f up an incessant
clamor.

(Vows' e<if^s are rather handsome, and vary {greatly in shape, size, color,
and markinjfs; the majority may be called ovate, but l)oth .short and rounded
ovates, and elliptical and elouf^ated ovates are also found in jfood .series, 'i'he
P'ound color varies from malachite and j)ale bluish jjreen to tilive };reen, and
occasionally to an olive buti". The markin<rs usually consist of irre<fularly shajjed
blotches and spots of dirterent shades.of browns and {frays. In some specinuais
these are lar<fe, and irre{>ularly distributed over the e<f}j:, usually predominating
about the larger end, leaving the ground color clearly visil)le. In others
again the markings are tine, ja-ofuse, and evenly distributed, giving the egg a
uniform dark olive-green color thr<mghout. In an abnormal set of five eggs,
presented by Dr. A. K. Fisher to the Uniteil States National Museum collection,
four have a pinkish buft" ground cidor, and are miiuitely s])eckled with tine
(h»ts of ecru drab, resembling somewhat in general appearance a heavily marked
egg of the American (!oot (^Fulira anirricatia); the fifth egg has a creamy white
ground color, and is spotted with different shrdes of light brown, drab, and
lavender. In another specimen, presented by Dr. T^ouis B. liishoj), the ground
color is salmon buff, and this is blotched with pinkish vinaceous. The entire
set of si.x eggs was similarly I'olored. Endless varieties may be found in a good
series of these eggs. The shell is finely granulated, strong, and occasionally
rather lustrous.

The average measurement t>f two hundred and ninety-two eggs in tlm
United States National Museum collection is 41.40 by 29.13 millimetres, or
about 1.(53 by 1.15 inches. Tiie largest eiy;<2: of the series measures 46.74 by
30.78 millimetres, or 1.H4 by 1.21 inches; the smallest, 30.07 t)y 20.01 milli-
metres, or 1.42 by 1.02 inches.

Of the type'specimen.H, No. 202!>7 (PI. 4, Fig. H), No. 20300 (IM. 4, Fig. I»),
and No. 20303 (IM. 4. Fig. 10), all from the Hendire collection, were taken l)y
the writer near Fort Lapwai, Idaho, on May 8, 1870, and April 2(), and May 4,
1871; No. 20313 (PI. 4, Fig. 11), also f'ron^ the abt)ve collection, wiis taken near
Camp Haniey, Oregon, on May 4, 1877; No. 24!I22 (PI. 4, Fig. 12), from the
Kal[)h collection, was taken near Nicasio, (California, on April 21, 1883; and No.
2327 "> (PI. f), Figs. 21 and 22), both from the saine .set, were obtained from Dr. A.
K. Fisher, and were collected near Lake ()re«»rge. New York, on May 14, 1883.
The specimens figured represent the different styles of coloration found among
the eggs of this species, as well as nearly the extremes in size. Plate 4, Figure
10, shows one of the commoner types of markings.

TUE FLOKIDA CKOW.

413

163. Corvus americanus floridanus Haikd.

KI-ORIDACKOW.

CorruH umvrimnuH vav, Jloriilaiiim Haird, Birds North Aiiicru'ii, 18."»8, 508.
(H 427, C liL'Sa, 11 asiia, V Ml, V iSSa.)

Ubouuapiikiak KANttK: Florida.

Tlio Florifhi Crow in (listiuffuishahlo tVoin its iiortlicni relative l»y itw decid-
edly larj;;or i'eet and bill, and its usually shorter winy and tail. It is a eonstart
resident in Florida, and its jroneral habits are similar to those of the American
Crow. Dr. Ralph reports it common in the vicinity of San Mateo, Putnam
County. Florida, and has sent both birds and e{ffi;s to the United States National
Museum collection from there. Several nests were found by him in tail, slender
pine trees in low, flat pine woods, usually borderin},'' on swamps. The nests
were located in the tops of trees, on horizontal liml)s, and close to the trunk,
at distances varyinjr from 4.') to 70 feet from the groimd. I^hey are usually
comjjosed of small sticks, lined lirst with Spani.sh moss and then with strips of
cypress bark; occiisionally a few feathei-s from the sitting bird, hair from cows'
tsiils, bunches of fine grass, and grass with the rootlets attsiched entered into the
composition of the linings, and in one instance the eggs were laid on about half
a i)int of fine rotten wood. The nests avenige in measurement about 24 bv
9 inches in outer diameter, the inner cup being about 16 inches in width by 5
inches in depth.

Tile eggs vary from three to tive in numl)er to a set; they are indistin-
guishable from those of the American Crow, and are usually deposited in the
latter part of February or the first week in March. In a set of five taken by
Dr. Ralph, on March 3, 1H!J1, incubation was advanced about two-thirds, while
in a set of three taken March 81, 1S92, it had just connnenced.

The average measurement of twenty eggs of this subspecies in the United
States National I\Iuseum (M)llection is 41.72 by 29.72 millimetres, or abt>ut 1.64
by 1.17 inches. The largest egg measures 45. !■! by 2!).21 millimetres, or 1.7!> by
1.15 inches; the smallest, 38.10 by 29.21 millimetres, or 1.50 by 1.15 inches. In
a larger series of these eggs the average measurements would jjrobably be
somewhat njduced.

The type sjiecimens, Nos. 24180 and 25590 (PI. 4, Figs. 13 and 14), both
from the Ralph collection, the first from a set of five, the latter from one of three
eggs, were collected by Dr. William L. Ralj)h, near San Mateo, Floi'ida, on March
3, 1S91, and March 8, 1892, respectively. They will answer equally well for
representations of some of tlie smaller-sized eggs of the American Crow.

■ki

n

n-'

mm

4H l»''''': IllSTtmiES Oi" NOKTU AAlEiaCAN BIKUS.

\ 164. Corvus caurinus IUiud.

NOUTIIWKST CHOW.

CorniH viiuiinHH lUlUD, Itirds North AiiU'ii(^a, 18.58, r»(i!),

(II 428, C 'I'Mb, K 1.'826, i) M'!, V 48<».)

(iKooKAi'iiicAi, itANOK: XorthwoMttiiii coiiHt (listi'ii'ts; fi-oin < trogoii north to Houtli-
orii Ahiska (Kadiak iHhiiKl).

I'Vom jihout \\w inontli (if tlio ()olninl)in Uivcr nortli iiloii},^ the const of
Wasliiiiiitoii ami British Ooluinliiii to soutlinni Alaska a .small, Hliort-lt'}?<j;t'(l, and
rutluT (lull-colored Crow is found, which tln^ro holds about tho sanic relation
to the Oommon (!row as docs the Fish (!row on tho Atlantic coast, both .spe-
cies inhabitiiiff the same rej'ions, the Northwest ('row |»redoniinatin<f, however.
Duriny a visit to tiie shores of I'ujfet Soinid, in May, 1H!)4, I was ai)le to satisfy
myself «tf this fact, and whilt* the sonu*what lar^jer CJrows of the inttM'ior are
also found as far west as the Sound, F do not Itelicve that the trutt Northwest
Crow ever passes inland much beyond tide water. Althou;,di 1 observed these
birds carefully, I could not detect any very marked difference in their j^eneral
hal>its or call notes; if such really exist, they are not nearly so noticeable as
are thosc^ l)etween the AnuM'ican and Fish ('row on the Atlantic coast. The
statement of Mr. J. K. Lord, naturalist of the Houndary Siu'vey between the
United States and British Columbia, quoted in Volume II, "History of Nortli
American Birds," by Baird, Brewer, and Ifidjiway (pa}>e 251), that "this Crow
retired to the interior to breeil, and built a domed nest," is entirely erroneous.
1 have traveled a ji'reat deal over the same ref^ions that Mr. Lord did, but my
observations do not warrant me in corroboratin<r this statement; none of our
(Jrows build domed nests, but the American Mag'pie, which is conunon in the
interior of Washington, does, and he mistook their nests for those of the North-
west Crow.

.Mr. 1\'. 11. Lawrence writes me: "The Northwest (yrow is very common in
western Washington, and especially al)undant on the coast in winter. At South
Bend, Pacific ( bounty, Washingt(»n, in February, 181)2, great Hocks of this species
could 1)0 heard when their rendezvous was several nnles away on the Willajta
River. 'I'liese Hocks. had many dis])utes with tins Gulls, large numbers of which
remained in and about town. Often the greater portion of both species seemed
engaged in these noisy controversies. The (iulls certainly held the town, though
a few straggling Crows were now and then se(;n in it. At tlus slaughterhouses
on the prairies below the town I saw a Hock of Crows drive oH' a nund)er of
(Julls, l)Ut probal)ly the latter were rather listless after eating heartily of the
ort'al. A Hock of alxiut one hundred and twenty were noticed February 7, 1S1I2;
a few were perched apart on a tree or snag, uttering strange soimds, lik(! 'koo-
wow, kow-wow, koo-wow,' the last syllable drawled and accented or emj)hasi/,ed;
then, with a slight spreading of the shoulders and the tail, the head being down
and the tail drooped, they produced by a curious chattering of the l)ill a sound
(not made in the throat, I judged) which resembled that of horny plates struck

Tin-: N0BTIIVVK8T (JUOVV.

415

tug(*thcr, tiiui caiiHiii}^ iiii oild Hliuddoriii^ of tlu- liuiul aii<l ovoii of tli<> luiily.
'IMiis was repeated a. few timcM, varieil with a noisy 'caw, eaw.'"

Mr. H. ,]. Uretliortoii writes iiie as follows: "The Xorthwt^st ('row is found
at Kadiak, Alaska, in innnens(* nuinhers throughout the yoar, hut in the winter
months they <'ongrogate in largo Hocks and th(M'efor(> are more noticeahle. In
general a]i|)oaranco and manners they gre.itly resemble tluf Knglish .Fackdaw;
they are easily tamed and Itecome interi^sting jiets, showing great fondness fiir
their masters

"Durinir the winter months tliev feed almost entirely on nuissels; in suin-
iner they resort to the salmon streams and live mostly on fish; they also eat
berries. Their call note is the regular 'caw' of ii Crow, but they will also sit
l)y the hoiu" and sing in a low minor key, which is quite pleasant to hear. They
are very bold, and (juite fearh;ss, and when one is shot the others will fly around
tluf gunner, uttering cries of distress and anger, oftt'U coming within arm's length.
They are very troublesome to the natives when drying salmon in the fall. In
April they gft into the interior of tlu^ island to nest, and but few are seen until
August. I ha\e never found their nests."

^Ir. F. Hiachort' foimd the Northwest (!row nesting mar Sitka in the spring
of 186(), and Mr. William II. Dall (»bserved it near St. I'aul, Kadiak Island,
Ala.ska, on Juno (I, 1874. Kggs taken by l)oth of these gentlemen are now in
the United States National Museum c»dlection. Foiu' or five eggs are usually
laid to a set, and neither these mu' the nests ditfer jnaterially from those of the
(Jonunon Crow; they average a trifle smaller, and the same de.scri[)tion will
answer for both. In the niore northern portions of the range nidification
usually begins in tiu; latter part of May or the beginning of June.

The average measurement (»f eight eggs from St. I'aul, Kadiak Island, and
Sitka, Alaska, is ;$;t.()2 by 27.43 millimetres, or \M by l.OH inches. The largest
egg moa.sures 41. ()6 by 27.!)4 millimetres, or l.(J4 l)y l.lO inches; the smallest,
3G.()7 by 27.94 millimetres, or 1.42 by 1.10 inches.

The ty[)e specimen. No. 12S41 (PI. 4, Fig. lo), from a set of five eggs taken
l»y iMr. F. HischoH", near Sitka, Alaska, in the early part of June, IHfifi, repre-
sents an average egg of the speiiies.

165. Corvus ossifragus Wilson.

FISH CKOW.

CorniMonsifmiiiis WiLSoN, Aaiericaii Oniitliology, V, 1812, 27, PI. 37, Vig. '2.
(B 429, O 220, K 283, (' 34;{, V 4iM>.)

(tEooRAi'UicAh kanok; Atlantic and Gulf coasts of tlio I'nited Wtatcs: from soutlicrn
Connecticut, the lower Hud.sou Valley, and Lonfj Island, New York, south to Florida and
Louisiana; casually to southeastern Massnchusotts (I'lyuiouth County).

The Fish Crow is a, smaller bird than our Connuon Crow, and is readily
distinguished from the latttn* on this account, as well as by the differen<'e in its
call notes. It is a resident throughout the year from the coast of Virginia and

B:'

< '1,, <

4ir,

i-ii'i; iii.sTui;ii;.s ok n«»ktii a.mkkkan iiiKi>a.

.Mai'\ liiiiil Hmitliwiinl, iiml lu-cuMiiiiial s|H-('iiii('iis winter Hoiiifwiiiit riirtlici' iimlli.
Ill tln^ l<»\v«'r iliiilsiiii Niillcy iiiul iiloii^f tlio sliorcs uf Ldiij;' IslninI, Nnw York,
it Ih not iiiicoiiiMioii ill Hitniincr, Imt in Hontlioistcrn iMaHsnciinHctts it tun only Int
coiwick'rcd a stnijijjlt'i'. A few pniliiilily liri'cil in HiiitiiliK' localiticH in HoiitliciiKt-
crii ('oiiiK'i-ticiit, anil it only i-oinnu^iiccs to lio tairh' coinnion t'roin Koiitlicrn Ncw
.Icrncy soiitliwaiil, in tlic vicinity of Waxiiiii^itoii, IMstrirt of Colniiiitia, it is
loiinil at all Huasonw of tlit- year. Wlii-nt Itotli HjH'cicH art' nbiiiidaiit, spocinu'im
aro soiMcliiiifs foiiiiil wliicli appear to he liyliriiln, anil it in not unlikely that they
iiitt'rl)ree<l occasionally. As a rule, the Fish Crow is rarely found at. any <freat
distance inland al>o\e tide water, and then usually only alon^' the shores of thu
hirjfer streunis.

Its ;rcii(!i-al haliits are similar to thos*^ of the Coiiinion Crow, and it is often
siH'ii ill company with them, especially in winter. I'hey, however, appear to he
less sociable, and on the wholo aro also Iomh HUHpiciouH and more curious. Their
food is also similar, tiiou<rh tin; proportions of vegetable and animal matter seem,
in some localities at least, to bo iiiorii ('(pially divided than appears to he the
case with the Common Crow. It is ;renerally sujtposed that the Fish Crow livo.s
more on animal food than its lar<fer r«dativo, which is probably th<i case in some
phuH's, but this does not appear to hold {food in tlu! vicinity of \V'asliin;;ton,
Uisfict of Columbia, or in some other localities. Mr. \V. K. D. Scott states
that on the (lulf coast of Florida they conjirejjate in laific flocks in the fall of
the year, and that the berries of tlu; palmetto constitute one of their favorito
foods.

In the vicinity of Charleston, South Carolina, accordinj^- to Audubon, tlioy
feed to a considerable o.\tent on fruits, and ho aci-uses them especially of coni-
inittiii;r <;reat depredations upon the ripo (ins; he also states that they feed on
various sorts of berries, particularly those of the common holly (^i/cj' ni.s.siiia),
uud those of the tallow tree {StiU'uijiia scbifcrti).^

Some stomachs sent to the I'liitcMl States Department of A;^ricultur(f from
St. Lucie and l^ako Worth, Florida, contained remnants of tifi's and dewlteiri<'s,
as well as various seeds, while some from the vicinity of Washiiijitoii, District of
Colunil)ia, contaiaed seeils and lierries of the cat briar (Smihu), mistletoe, wild
rice, hackberry, locust, mulberry, etc.

Dr. \. K. Fisher tolls me that on the coasts of (Jeor}>'ia ami South Carolina
he has seen iiuml)ers of them sitting" on piles of old wharves, troin which tlioy
would flyover the water, pick up soiuetliin<r, and return to the piles af^-ain to eat
it at their leisure. ( )n the seashore thev probal)l\' sul)sist mainlv on small fish,
crabs, and other crustaceans, and such oflal as is washed ashore. Tiik(! their
larger relatives, tli(>v are al.so accused of destroyiii<;' the youii}^' and oii^s of
smaller i)irds, and, accordini>' to Audiilxai, in Florida they even plunder the
nests of the C!ormorants and White Ibis, in the Smitlisouian {^rounds, Wash-
iufiton, District of Columbia, they have been noticed rej)oatodly carrying- otf
and eating the young of the English Sparrow.s, and Dr. Fi^lior saw ono chasing

' History <>!' North American HinlH, Vo], 11, p. 251,

TIIIO FlSIl C1!()W.

417

11 Willct, near Siiiff Siii^r. Xi'W York, in llic spriii^i' '<f IHSa. Wliilf llii' V\s\\
('row iui<loiilitt'(lly (Iocs ilcsti'iiv tlic \oiiii;>' nml cj^'^is <it' soiiif liinl.s in ccrtitin
lnciilitit',s, it iliK's nut (|i) so liiiliitniiily. .Mr. W'illiinii I'iilnicr, of Wasliiii;{l(in.
|)i.Htrirt (if ("uliiniltiii, tells nic llitit In- toiind tonr Kisli CntWM' iiuntx, witli cyjix,
dmin;,' tlic (iist ten ilays in .May, Ism, on u liill near Fdin-Milo Wiin, in
iMcxandria ( 'oiMity, \'ir;>'inia, anil al.sii tonr ncst.H of tliciirccn Heron, tontainin;^
viXiX!*, one of tiiest^ nests l)ein^' only 4(t ftM't from one of tlie Fisli ('I'ows' nests.
Notwitlistaiulin^ tliat none of the Herons were seen close to tlieir nests, wliile
tile l''isli Crows were at home and constantly flyin^i' alxtnl, .so tliat \\\v\- could
not lielp seein;;' tlie Herons' ey;^s, none Were ti'onliled and all contained full .sets.
Three of the Kixli (-'rows' nests were pbiced in pines, and one in a wild tdierry
tree, aixiut Mt leet from the ;;roinid. Fish ("rows can often he seen llvin;;' up
and down the Potomac U'ivcr, just o\<'r the water, lookin;^' for tood, and when
they find anythin^i' they llutter over it like a Tern. 'I'hey may often he seen
rt'stiii},' on the stakes left in thi' ri\ci' l»y lishermen.

Their call notes appear to lie less harsh and are uttered in a more draw lin;,"'
manner than those ot' the ( 'ommoii ( 'ro« ; they are also more \arialile. They
consist of a (dear "cah" or "cahk," I'epeated at intervals of aliout thirty seconds,
and ai'e usually ntlereil whih' the Itird is perched on the e.vtreme lop of a ti'ee.
They 'also utter a (juerulous "niaah, maah"'or "whaw, whaw," varied occasionally
to "aack, aack," or "waak, waak." It is almost imjiossilile ti> reproduce such
sounds accurately on paper, and not\\o persons would render them alike. Theii'
tli^i'ht is stated to lie more yi'aceful than that of the Common ( 'ro\\ ; they are
also said to soai' and to ele\ate their win^- morci while circlin;;- aiiont, especially
durin;i' the matinj;' season: hut I must coi - that I en not see much dilVei'ence,
and I lia\e watcheil Imtli species ciuselv.

In the nei^hlicirhood of Washington, District of ( 'ohunliia, they nest fully
a month later than the (!onnnon Crow, nidilication raiM-ly lie;iinninf;- hefore May
.""i, while .\udnlion rejiorts them as lireedinu' in Feiiruary in southern Florida,
and corn^spondinyly later northward. 'I"hi' oidy other Florida reconls I have
ai'e likewise in .May, one from the Kissinmiee IJixcr, on .May 2, IHTii, and the
other from near San .Mateo, I'utnam ( 'ounty, .May l.'i, ISICJ, the latter date lieinj;-
<i'i\t'n li\' I )r. Ixalpli. Tiiese e^ijrs were ipiite fresh, and the set was prolialilx' not
«'ompleted when taken. .Mi\ Theodore W . U'ichards slates that on the coast of
\'ir;iinia, where this species is much more connnon than the .\nierican Crow, the
hreedinjn' season is at its heifiht durinj^' the first three weeks in May; and in my
opinion the majorit\' of these liirds seem to nest in this month throui;liout the
fi'reater part of their range.

The nest itself re.semhles that of the (.Jonunon ('row, lint is, as a rule, some-
what snialhsr, ami like* that of the formcM' varies in composition aecordiufi' to
locality. A r.est taken liy Dr. Ualph mr.w San Mateo, l-'loi-ida, wa: composed ^.','
sticks with a little Sjianish moss attached to them, and was lined with ]iine needles,
strips <if cypress hark, and old Spanish moss. It was placed in the top of a
slender i)ine tree, in low, Hat pine woods, Si feet aliove tlu; j^ronnil. Some nests

ItiSUti— No. a 1'7

■

!

\\

0^

418

LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

ivro lined with dry cow and horse dun<f, cattle or horse hair, diy leaves, eel-
grass, and shreds of cedar bark, while pine needles seem to be present to some
extent in most of them. They are mostly i)laced in evergreens, such as pines
and cedars, and generally in the toj)s, either in natural forks or on horizontal
limbs, close to the trunk, usually 20 to 50 feet from the ground, rhey irefer
to nest near water, but occasionally ii pair will lie found making an excep-
tion to this rule, and nests have been tound fully 2 miles away from the nearest
stream or swamp. Hotli sexes assist in incubation, which lasts froHi sixteen to
eighteen days, while the young remain in the nest about three weeks. Only
one brood is raised in a season, liut if tius tirst set of eggs is takeutthey will
lay another, and not iafrecpiently In the same nest. The eggs nund)er four or
live to a set, very rarely moi-e. These are miniature counterparts of those of
the Conniion Crow, showing tlie same range of variation in shape and markings,
and one descri|)tion will answer tor both species, excejiting only the pinkish-
colored i.'g'^> jf the«former. I have not seen this peculiar tint among the eggs
of this specie. ,

The average uieasuremeiit of forty-six eggs in the United States National
Museum collection is 37.17 by 2(5. !I7 millimetres, (U- alnrnt 1.4(i by LOG inches.
The largest egg of the series measures 41. GG by 2r).40 millimetres, or 1.G4 by
1 inches; the smallest, iio.Oo by 2;'). Go millimetres, or l.JJ.S by 1.01 indies.'

The tyjie specimen, No. 2;J74r) (1*1. 4, Fig. IG), from a .set of four eggs, was
taken near Washington, District of Columbia, on May 9, 1HS7, while No. 25271
(I'l. 4, Fig. 17), from a set of five, was taken in Nortliiiuipton (younry, Virginia,
on ^lay 25, 18!>1. Both were coUetited by Mr. 'I'heo. W. Richards, and represent
the light and dark colored types found among the eggs of this species.

i66. Nucifraga columbiana (Wilson).

CLAUKKS MTCKACKEK.

Con'm^'ohtmbiniiuii 'iViLSoN, .Vmi'riciiii ()riiitli()lo}.'y, III, IHII, l'!», I'l. L'(», Vig. .'!.
NuciJ'nujd iJuinbiami Auui'ltoN, ()rnitli()ln;;iiMil Hiograpliy, IV, l.S;{8, 459, I'l. 3(iU.

(B J30, 0 I'ao, R 284, G 344, U 491,)

C,v.o(i:iA.vniCMj BANiii; : ]\[ount!iinous portions of western North .Vniericn; from
Arizona iind New Mexieo nortli to northern Alaska (Ivowak or l'utn,<ni River); ea.st to
and alon^ the eastern slopes of tlie Rocky'Mountains to the Bluek llills, South Dakota;
casual iu southeastern Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, and Arkansas.

Clarke's Nutcracker, niore generally known as "Clarke's Crow," and in
some localities as "Meat Hird," "Moose Hird," and "Camp Holiber," ranges
throughout the mountain regions of western Norih America, reaching tlie south-
ern limits of its habitat in about the northern iialf of New Mexico and Arizona;
to the eastward it reaches the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains and the
outlying spurs of this range, as tiie Mlack Hills in western South Dakota, while
to the north ii has been met with by Lieut. George M. Stoney, United States

CLARKE'S NUTCIJ ACKER.

419

.•s, was

r and in
ran<;t's
lie south-
lAri/.ona;
and the
Ita, while
Id States

Navy, in the valley of the* Kow;ik or I'utnaP' liiver, in northern Alaska, and
within the Art-tie (!irele. Mr. V. Stephens states: "In sonthern 'Jalif'ornia it is
never seen far from the pinon belt which ext jnds ii- a series of small forests along
the desert face of the hi<rher mountains, at alt!tu(\'s of from 3,000 to 6,()()() feet.
It is greffarious in its habits and wanders about a great deal, but can scarcely be
called a migrant here. It breeds in the higher jiine'forests in the San Hernardino
Mountains, not far from the desert side."

^Ir. William (J. Smith sent me the following notes about this species from
C/olorado: "CtMumon at high altitudes during the fall and winter. T have never
taken a nest, l)Ut have seen young Ijirds in May. Ihey are very tame where
not much molested; one entered my tout while eam})ed in Estes Park. By
manyitcrsons this bird is called 'Cam}) Jobber,' owing to its daring and thieving
propensities around cam|> fires. When the young arrive here, their throats and
breasis are fre(pUMitly nuicli staineil with red frt)m the juice of some berry they
have been feeding on elsewhere; while here they fed mostly on the seeds of the
pine, occasionally alighting on tlie ground after grasshojjpers and other insects.''

Dr. C. Hart Merriam met with it on the San Francisco Mountain, in Arizona,
and says: "Hreeds commonly in the spruce belt, occasionally descending to the
pines in sunnner. In September, when the pinou nuts wnvo, ripening, it came
down the mountain in Hocks, and was often seen in the pifion belt with the I'inon
and Woodhonsc's Jays. At the sanu; time it was common at the uppermost
limit of the dwarf spruce of the subalpine zont^."'

He also met with it in tlie spruce belt on all t-lit^ mountains \isited l)y his
])arty in iSiK) in soutii central Idaho; se\i'ral specimens were caught in marten
traps baited with meat."

This interesting sj)ecies is quite cnmnion in suitable localities throughout
its I'ange, and excepting perhaps in the more northern parts it is an irregidar
resident wherexcr found. Tliere is no (piestion that they are great wanderers
at times, lint this |)ropensity is more likely tlie ri'sult of necessity than choice,
and depends mainly on the food supply. In their geniM'al habits they resemble
certain Woodpeckers as much as they ilo tlie Corriiue, ami have many traits in
common with these birds. 1 well remember how elated I was over my first
specimen, which I olitaini'd after a long chase through soft, slushy snow, think-
ing T had secured a new Woodpecker, its undulating ilight resi'inbling that of
one of these birds \-ei'y closeI\-.

H.xcepting the breeding season, ( 'larke's Nutcrackers are sociable, in([uisitive,
and exceedingly noisy birds, and iire readily detected on this account when
moving about in flocks of a hundred or more in search of good feeding grounds;
thi'y are (piite omnivorous, and nothing edibk' is rejected by them. In the
winter their food consists princi]»ally of the seeds of ditVeront species of coniftsr-
oiis trees, while at other times it is <piit(! varied, including berries of various
kinils, beetles, and other insects and their larva", including liiitferflies (which I
havt^ seen them catch on the wing like a true Flycatcher) and grasshoppers.

' Niiitli Aiiicrii'.'in I':!iiiiii. No. I!. V. S. Dcpurliiiuiit of Agriculture, IS!K), p. ill.
'.North Aiiicriciiu I'auiia, No. .">, I'. S. Dcpartiui'iit of Agricultiiro, IS'.ll, p. KXI.

; 1 '

420

LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN IJIIihS.

Tliey also cat the lai'ge, wingless black i-rickets (An(dt>(.s simplex), wliicli are
exceudiu^^ly abiiii(laiit and dcstrnctive wherever found, overrunninj^- i,n'tre "l* lions
of country and devouring- everything- green and edible in their way. I liave seen
flocks of these birds scattered over the sagebrush-covered mesas (tal)le-lands)
forming the southern foothills of tlie lilue Mountains, in Oregon, industriously
engaged in catching tliese repulsive-looking insects and apparently eating- them
with a relish. They seemed to be especially noisy at such times, calling each
other constantly and having a jolly good time generally. While usually rattier
shy and not readily approachable witiiin gunshot, I iiave occasionally seen a few
much bolder and more inquisitive than the rest, alighting among my chickens in
the back yard, and feeding with them. 'I'liey spend considerable time on tlui
gnumd in search of food, hopping about from place to place like Jays, looking
here and there for a choice morsel. I'hey will hang to the bark of a tree pre-
cisely like a Woodpecker in search of gi-ubs, and again to the under side of a
piie cone, like a Crossbill, and apparently extract the seeds witli e(pial dexterity.
Their call notes are harsh and far-reaching, and consist mainly of a loud, ras])ing
"chaar, chaar," which can be heard for a long distance, and when a iuMnl)er are
together the noise made l)y them becomes ratlii-r disagreealde. Ihey do not
ajii)ear to destroy the eggs or young of smaller l)inls, but do far more good than
harm, and on this account deserve jtrotection.

The breeding season, considering tlie character of the country frerpiented
by these bn-ds, commences ver\' early, ami this accounts for tlu; few nests which
have as yet found tlieir way into our oiilogical collections. Mr. Denis (jale
found a nest of this species, containing- three fresli eggs, in Moulder ("ountv,
('(dorado, March A, 18SS, at an altitude of al)out S,r)(l() feet, when the mountain
sides were still covered with (h^ep snow. A se<-ond nest, also containing- tin-ee
fre.sh eggs, was found l»y him on Ajiril Ki, ISS!), and in this case he had noticed
the Itirds l)uilding- fully a month previous.'

('apt. 15. V. (Joss also fouml (JIarke's Xiitcracker breeding in the vicinitv
of Fort (Jarland, Colorado, where he obtained a nest with young birds on May
21, 1S79.

1 am nof aware of any nests and eggs of this interesting- species ha\ing l)een
taken, excepting- the two found by .Mr. dale and those .secured by myself near
Camp Harney, Oegon, April, 187(i and !S7S. 1 obtained tlie first evideiict^
of their breeding in that vicinity on Mayf), iSTo, when 1 found se\fi-al \'oung
liirds, but a few days out of the nest and not yet al)le to Hy well; tlii'V were sit-
ting on the In-anches of a large juniper tree in Kattlesnako Creek Canyon, about
3 miles north of the Post. As this tree happened to contain a cavity which
evidently had been useil by some bird as a nesting- site in previous yeai-s, I
came to tln^ erroneous conclusion that Clarke's Nutcracker nested in holes,
which caused me to examine many of them without residts. In JMarcli, ISTd,
I recommenced what looked like an almost fruitless search, in which I had

' I'or more detailml ikcroniits of tlii'Ho two ncHts kco iiiv .irtic Ii« in The Aiik (Vol. VI, IKHII. pp. L'L'fi-lMli,
ami Vol. VII, 18!t0, p. 01').

J-kt}-^'.

<JhAI{lvK'S NIITCUACKER.

421

iriost of tluf time to tramp throuj;li .siiow Iroiii 2 to 4 foet fleep; after having
cxaiiiined a p^roat many cavities, mostly in junipers, I was almost ready to give
ii|i tlic task, when I finally examined the pines more closely, and noticed now
and then an apparently round hall on the horizontal lind)s of some of these
trees, which 1 took to he nests of Fremont's (Jhickarec*, Sriiinis hudsonirits
frfiiioiifi, which is very common in this locality, 'i'he majority of these sup-
posed scpiirrels' nests were hy no means easily reached, and aft^r trying to
dislodge their occupants with sticks, stones, or occasionally with a load of shot,
and invarialdy failing to hring anything to light, I ceased to trouhle myself
further al)out them, liiiing more ])uzzled than mcr, I was about to giv«* up the
search for their nests, when, on April 2'2, after having made more than a (hizeu
fruitless trips, I saw a (Marke's Nutcracker flying quietly and silently out of a
large pine al)out ;")(• yards ahead of me. This tree had a rather l)ush\- top and
was full of limhs almost from the base and was easy to climb. As I coidd not
see readily into the top from below, I clindx'd the tree. Failing to see any
sign 'f a nest therein, and biMug completel}' disgusted, I was preparing to
des end when, on looking aroiuid, I noticed one of these supi^iscd scpiirrels'
ne.-.ts placed near the extremity of one of the li.rger liml)s, near the middle of
t'i ' tree, and 2'» feet from the ground; it was well hidden from below, and
sitting tiierein, in plain view from alxtve, 1 saw not a scpiirrel, but a veritable
Clarke's Nutcracker. I had found a nest at last, (piite miexiiectedly, and not
a day too soon. As it was 1 was almost too late, for the nest contained a young
bird just hatched, and two eggs with the shells already chipped iind on the
point of hatching. However, as even damaged speciuK'us, particularh' rare
'/Ues like these, were better than none, 1 took them, but left the yoiuig bird in
the nest. Tlie parent, trembling with fear, allowed me to almo.st lay my hand
on her before she fluttered off, and I was scarcely 2 feet away from tlu^ nest
before she was on it again. During the whole time she remained perfectly
silent. Not half an hour later I found a second nest, containing three young,
])erhaps a week old. Metween Aja-il 24 and iJO I found at least a dozen more
nests; these, howe\-er, all contained yoimg in different stages of growth, some
nearly large enough to leave th-' nest, and none contained more than three young.

In the spring of 1S77 1 conunenced my search for nests on March 15, but
failed to sec^ a single l)ird whci'e I had foiuid them com})aratively common during
the ])revious si-asnu. Their absence was due in this case to th<> lack of suitable
food. Xo I'ipc pine cones were to l)e f'oimd, on the hulled seeds of which the
young are at first exclusively fed.

huring the winter of 1S77-'7H a few of tlie.se birds occupied their old

haunts again, and I liegan my search as usual in the latter part of March. On
April 4, 1.S7S, I found tlo- first nest. It was placed near tlu' extremity of a
small limb of a jiine, aiiout 4l) feet from the ground, and was very hard to get at.
In trying to pull the limit down with a rope, so that it could be reached from a
stronger one below, it snapped and the eggs were thrown out of the nest. This
set also I'oniained three eggs, and inciiliatioii was well ad\anced. < )n A|)ril H

■Hi':

^■P|

m

m^i^

422

LIFK UlSTOUIUS OF NOKTH AMEUICAN IJIBD8.

I found luiotlier nest containing two ogga with largo embryos. Tliis one was also
in ai pine tree n(!ar the extremity of one of the limbs, about 1(1 feet from tlio
ground. The only way this eould be reached was by leaning a jxilc against
the liinl)s of the tnre and climbing to tiie ne.st, in which 1 succee(le(l dl'tcr a
good deal of labor and trouble. All of the nests found were placed in nearly
similar situations, on horizontal limbs of pines, J'iinis poiidcrosa, from l."") to 4ft
feet from the ground, in rather open situations at tiu! outskirts of the heavier
forests, and xisually on si<le hills with a southeasterl}' exposure, at an altitude
(estimat(Ml) of from 5,000 to r>,r)00 feet.

Hoth of Mr. Gale's nests went placed in low, scrnbby pines, J'iviis pnvdcrosn,
the fir.st in one about 20 feet higli, which branched out fi'oni the ground, with a
probable sju'ead of If) feet. TIk* nest was situated about IM inches from the
main stem, near a l)uncli of scrub, and firndy saddled on a three-prongiul fork of
a stout lind) 3 inches in dianu-ter, with smaller ones growing around it, so that
nothing save the overthrow of the tree itself could i)o.ssibl)' dislodge it. This
ne.st was place<l about 8 feet from the groimd, and is now, with th«^ eggs it con-
tiiined, in the United States National ]\[useum collection, having been kindly
])resented by Mr. Gale. Ilis secoufl nest with eggs, taken April Ifi, ISSII, was
also found in a small, scruliby pines only I'J feet high and (I inches in iliaineter;
it was ])laced about l) feet from the ground, and resenddes iho first in every
particular, b(!ing a little bulkier perhaps.

He found five other nests of this species, none of tliem containing eggs,
however; four of these were phu-ed in spruce trees, none ovi-r 2.") feet from the
ground and two oidy S feet ujt. A[r. (Jale's nest, now in the United States
National Musinun, was tlus only one found by him sadtlled on n, branch away
from the stem. The majority of sites chosen offered little conceahnent, l)ut in
every ease especial care was <ibs(!rvcd in selecting oiu^ affording thorough pro-
tection from the assaults of the fierce March wimls «]iich jjrevail in tliis moun-
tain region. The nests examined by me near Camp Harney, Oregon, were all
found in sheltered situations on side hills where they wen^ well protected from
heavy winds, and tlui horizontal limbs selected for building sites were usually
strong and bushy, with numr-rous small twigs among which the nests <'ould be
securely built. All of the nests observed were saddled on such limbs, sometimes
fully 15 feet from the trunk.

An average nest of Clarke's Nutcracker may be described as follows: 't'he
nest j)ro])er is placed on a platform of dry twigs, mo.stly those of the western juni-
per, ifmiipffHS orrhlctiiulis, and of tlui white sage, averaging about three-sixteenths
of an inch in thickness, and varying from M inches to a foot ui length. The.so
twigs, which also help to form the sides of the ne.st, ant deftly mattecl together
and to the smaller twigs of the liml) on which the nest is saddled; they arcs
further held together and l)onnd by coars(i strips of tlas inner bark of the juniper
tree; these strips are mixed among the twigs and ar<s very suitalilis for this pur-
pose. The inner nest is a mass of these sauK* bark strijts, only nnich finer,
having been well picked into fine fdu'r; it is tjuilted together with decayed

CLARKK'S NUTCRACKElt.

423

grasses .and pine straw, forniing a snug and conifortablo stnicture. No hair or
feathers entored into tlic coinitoHition of any of tlioso nests. The outer diameter
measures from 11 to 12 inclies l)y al)Out 7 inelios in dej)tli; tlie vn\i is from 4 to
f) inelies wide and A inclies deep. Tlie (piilted inner walls are fidly 1 .\ inches
thick; it is (piito deep for its size, and the female while incubating is well hidden.
Nest laiilding must occasionally begin in the latter pai-t of February, but more
frequently in March, and it ai)pears to take these birds some time to complete
one of these structures, lioth parents assist in this, as well as in iucul)ation, and
the male is ajijiarently equally as attentive and helpful as the female. While
they are noisy, ndlickiug birds at all otluM' times, during the season of repro-
duction they are remarkably silent and secretive, and are randy seen. The
eggs, usually threes in iiundter l)ut orcasioiuilly only two, are dtiposited during
March and April, according to locality, when the mountains are still covered
with considerable snow; incul)ation lasts, as nearly as 1 can judge, about
sixt(^on or seventeen days. 'I'lie young are fed e.xcdusiveh' on ludle*! pine
seeds, and grow very rapidly, being abhi to leaver the nest in about eighteen
days. Their plumage generally is much darker then than that of the adults,
and they are readily di.stinguishable. They follow the parents al)out for some
time, and when able to provide for themselves all these birds suddenly disappear
from the vicinity of thiur breeding groimds. This ha])j)ens al)out the latter part
of May or early in .June, and they are not seen again until fall, prol)al)ly return-
ing to th(* higher mountains about this time. Only a suigle Imtod seems to l)e
raised in a sea.son.

The eggs of ( 'larke's Nutcracker are ovate and elongate ()vate in shape.
The groiuul color is usually i)ale gray green, occasionally a clearer pale green.
They are r.ather sparingly tiecked, spotted, and blotched with minute markings
of different shades f)f brown, gray, and pale lavender, usually heaviest about
the larger end of t!io egg, and these form sometimes a fairly (h^fined wreath.
In others they are more evenly distributed over thci entire egg, but never thick
enough to hide the ground (iolor. In some the lower half of the L'<r'^ is almost
unspotted. The shell of these eggs is close grained, smooth, rather thin,
considering their size, and slightly glossy.

The average measiu'ement of nine eggs, six of these only in the United
States National Museum c(dlection, is 3,'}.S(; by 23.31 millimetre.-*, or al)out 1.33
l)y ().!I2 inches. The largest egg measures 34. 8(^ by 22. S(! millimetres, or 1..37 by
(>.{)() inches; the smallest, 33.7.S l)y 22.()l millimetres, or 1.33 by (»..S:i inches.

The type specimen. No. 20384 (I'l. 3, Fig. 22). from a set of two l)adly
inctdiated eggs, Hendire collection, was taken by the writer near r'amp Harney,
Oregon, on April H, 1H7K; No. 23<;83 (I'l. 3, Fig. 23), is from a .set of three eggs
collected near (Jold llill, Colorado, on March f), 1888, by Mr. Denis Gale.

tir%]

m

ten

m

I'' ■; ■

424 LIFE IIISTOUIES OF NOUTU AMEKIUAN BIRDS.

167. Cyanocephalus cyanocephalus (VVikh).

I'lNON JAY.

OymmtrhUim ciiani>cq)hiihiH Wikd, Keise in das iimero NonI Aiiicriku, II, 1841, 31,
Cyiiiiovcjihalns cijimocipliiihix S'i'i;,iNK<iKi{, Auk, I, l.S,S4, 2.'{0.

(U Wl, O -SM, 11 2S5, C ;!4r., I! W>.)

(rKDiiUArmcAr, liANciE: 'I'lic |iliilcini iT;>i(>iis of western N<trtli Anicrikii; from tlie
HiH'ky Mountains west, to tlio I'acilic <'oast ran;;'t's; nortii to southern Hritisli (Joluniliia;
soutli to nortliweslein Texas, Lower Calitbrnia, and northern Mexieo; casually to Kansas
und Neliruska.

Tlio IMuoii Jiiy, locjilly kn(>\vii also as "Nntcriickcf," "^raximiliiin's .Tay,"
"lilno Crow," iiiid as " I'ifKUiarin" Ity tlu' iMcxicaiis, is I'atlicr a, ctmiinoii resident
ill .siiital)l(^ localities tIiroii<;hoiit tlie southern jiortions of its raii^ic, wliile in tlio
nortlicM'ii parts it is only a snnimer \isitor, nii^ratinii;' reiiularly. It is most,
aliniidantly t'oui. 1 tliroiijilioiit the pifion and cedar-eoN-ered foothills ahoiiiuliiif;
between the western slopes of the Uocky .Mountains and the eastern liases of
the Sierra. Nevada and Cascadis ranges in California, Nevada, and Orejjon.

It is an einiiuMitly socialile species at all times, even diirini;' the breedinj^
season, and is usually seen in larji'e, compact flocks, moving- about from place to
place in search of feedin<;' ;i-roinids, bein<i- on vlie whole rather restless and erratic
in its movements; you may meet with thousands in a jilace to-day und perhaps
to-morrow you will fail to si-e a sinjile one. It is rarely met with at altitudes
of over 9, (too i'eet in summer, and scarcely ever in the hij^her coniferous forests;
its favorite haunts are the pinon-covered iiR)thills of the minor mountain
reji'ioiis, the sweet and very jialatable seeds of these trees furnishinj;' its favor-
ite food duriny a considerable portion of the year. In the summer they feed
lar<iely oii insects of all kinds, especially <irasshojipers, und are quite expert in
catdiin^' these on the win^'; cedar and juniper berries, small seeds of various
kinds, and dillereut species of wild berries also enter largely into their bill of
fare. A ;ireat deal of time is spent on the j^round, where they move alonji- in
compact bodies while feeilin<;-, much in the maimer of Hlackbirds, the rearmost
birds risiiifj,' from time to time, Hyin<i' over the flock and aliffhtinj;' a<;'ain in front
of the main body; they arc; rather shy and alert when eiijra^cd in feediiij;'. I
followi'd a Hock ntiinberiiiji' several thousands which was feedin<>' in the open
jiine forest borderinji' the Klamath Valley, Orejiiin, for inori^ than half a mile,
tryiiij^ to f>'et a shot at some of them, but in this I was unsuccessful. They would
not allow ine to ;^'et within raiiji'e, and finally they became alarmed, took win^',
and flew out of .sij^lit down the valley. On die next day, September IX, IKS-J,
I saw ii still larji'er Hock, which revealed its presenct^ by the noise made; these
1 headed off, and awaited their ap])roacli in a dense clum]i of small pines in
which I had hidden; I had not loiii;- to wait, and easily seciireil sev(>ral speci-
nieus. (.)n April -J, i<SS;}, i saw anotiier lari^c Hock fecdino- in the open woods,

TUH IMJfON JAY.

425

evi(l(fntly on tlicir rtiturn tit tli((ir l)r('i'(Iiii<r f>;n»un<lH lartlun- luirtli, mid l)v iifftiin
g«*ttiii<i^ ill i'niiit. (if tlicni I sfciirod sevovfil inw males wlioso testes wen* Imt
slij;litly eiilari^cfl. 'I'liese liirds are said ti» laced in lar;>'e iiimiliers in tlui
juniper jrruves near the eastern slopes of tlm Cascade iMoiiiitaiiis, on tlie head
waters of tin* Des Chutes Kiver, ( )re<>'oii. 1 liavci also seen them in the Yakima
Valley, near old Fort Sinieoe, in central Washinjiton, in June, ISSI, in an oak
fipenin;^', when! they were (piite nnineroiis. 'I'lii'ii' center of alinndance, liow-
mer, is in the pifion or nut-pine lielt, which does not extend north of latitude
40", if so far, and wherever these trees aro foniid in lari^c nnmhers tlm I'inon
Jay can likewise ])v looked for with confidence.

Mr. V. Stephtfiis writes iik; that he saw a mixed Hock of this speci»^s and
Clarke's Nutcrackers within 20 miles of the line of iiower ( hdifornia.

Afr. \j. |{eldi'i<4- found them almndaiit in the ])irions lietweeii Camjio and

II

tl

ins(

n's, Lower California, in Mav, 11S.H4; while .Mr. A. W. Antli

•ny rejiorts

leiu

Imndant on the Han Pedro Martir .Mountains, in tin* same State, at

altitudes of from 7,000 to 11, 000 feet.

On the eastei

■n slopes (

>f th

tl

{ocky Mountains tins species is much rarer

than on the western liorder, hut it has lieeu found in northwestern .Montana, on
]\!arias River, and has even lieeii recorded from t'astern Kansas and Nebraska,

where, however, it can on

Iv I

>e consK

lered

1 straii'iilei

near

The first nests and eg;i's of this species were found hy Mr. Charles iv .Vikeii
Ccdorado Sprinj^s, ('oloradn, on ^ia'S' 1,'}, 1874, where he noticed four otliei

lies

ts at the same til

in ai

found l)\' him contained iiv(

it these the ^oiium' Iuk

i's, 111 which incubation was W(

1 just hatched. The set

11 ad>

<1; t

wo

.f tl

lese eji'^is lie

kind!

y jiiive me, am

Itl

ie\are now in

the Cuited States National

jMusoHin collection. The first naturalist, however, who obser\-ed the nests and
youiijf of this spi'cies was ^Ir. Kobert Kidjiway, wlii> found a colony nesting- in
a low raii<ie of piuon-covc^red hills in the vicinity of (!arsou ("ity, Nevada, on
April -Jl, lS(iS.

Mr. 11. C. Parker, of C

iirson

ni

lie sai

City, took two sets of ej;j;'s of this sjiecies
lie locality, on .Vpril o, I.S7S, wlien^ Mr. l\*id;jway oliserved tlieiu ten

}■

ears iirevioush- and one

.f tl

lese IS now

in the I'liiteil States National

Aliisetim collection. Siibseipieiitl v he found another colon\- of these birds

mother portion i

bv tl

if ti

le same raiii^e i

,f hill

s, where he states tliev wt

■re breetlii

lousaiuls

The late ('apt. li. K. (

I OSS a

Iso t

oiniil

th

^P

lis species Itreediu';' m the viciiii

th

itv of

Fort (birland, Colorado, at an altitude of about S,500 feet, durin<^- the first two
weeks in Ma>', IH7It, and took nine sets of thiMr ejij;s, one of which is now

before iiu'.
same time.

iieir eusis were

Iso taken in northern

sew

.M

exico at aiiou

t th

Tl

leir call notes are oiiite \anal)le; soiiu

.f tl

leii,

almost as liarsli as

the "cliaar" of the Clarke's Nutcracker, otli>M\s p;irtake much of the i;abbl(

of the Ml

;ple, and still others reseui

bh

th

the

.\

shrill, (|uerii

' I'meewUligH nil iililiiiiiiii Aiadi'iiiy nl' ScimuT.s, Vnl. II, ISSU, pp. L'HII.LMU.

Vj'C iS .

m

mm

•• ,1* I I
is \i

ill'

426

LIFK lUSTOUIES OF NOUTII AMKUIOAN BIUDS.

louH "peoli, ])(H'li," or "wlieo, wlioe," is tlicir coinmoii cull note*. Wliilo fcodiiipf
oil the {fniimd tlicy keep up a constant cliattcrin;,', wliicli ciui bo licard for (piito
a distance, and in tliis way often Ix'tray their wluTcabouts.

Tlie nests arc* deep, l)ulky, anil compactly built structures, inoasiu'in<r
about 10 inches in outer diameter by 7 inches in hci^^ht; tlio cup of the nest is
about 4 inches in diameter l»y .'i inches in depth. Kxteriorly tlu^ nests are con-
structed of pifion, satrebrush, or juniju'r t\vi;,fs, and sin. ds of bark from tlio
same, while the inner lininjf consists of finer shreds of sin.ilar materials, jthint
fil)ers, (iiio rootlets, luid dry i^rass, all well woven toj^ether, the component piirts
of the nest varvini^- somewliiit in difPerent hu-.alities. The nests are usually
placed in forks or on horizontal limbs of j)inon or jiini|)er trees, generally from
a to 12 feet from the frronnd. They are randy well hidden from view and
ordinariU' can bt* seen for some distance.

In th»^ middle j)ortions of their range nidilicatiou begins early in Ajiril and
jtossibly still earlier farther soutli, whili^ to the northward and at higher altitudes
it is protracted until the first week in May. From three to live eggs an* laid to
a set, those numl)cring four being most often found. Incubation lasts about
sixteen days. The I'ifion Jiiys are close sitters and, lik(» Olarko's Nutcrac^ker,
are devoti'd parents. Tiie young are able to leave the nest in alioiit three
weeks, and may easily be distinguisiied l»y their somewhat duller plumbeous
bluecidor. They at once form in Hocks and rove abmit from place to place in
scan h of f(»od.

The eggs of the I'ifion Jay are cpiite variable in shape, ranging from ovate
and short ovate to elli[)tical ovate. The ground color is bluisli-whitc!, this lu-ing
covered all ovci' with minute specks of different shades of brown, in sonu* cases,
and larger spots and Idotclies in others, tlie.se bt>ing generally heaviest aiioiit the
larger end. An occasional ,set is blotched heavily enough to nearly lii(l(3
the ground color, but this appears to bo rarely the case. The sludl of these
eggs is close grained, finely granulated, slightly glossy, and mui'li stronger than
that of the preceding species.

The average meiisuremeiit of twenty-five eggs in the United States National
Museum collection is 30.11 by 22.18 millimetves, or about 1.19 by 0.87 inches.
The larg(ist v^^^i measures 31.75 by 23. 37 millimetres, or 1.2;") by 0.!)2 inches;
the smallest, 2(;.!»2 hy 22.10 millimetres, or 1.06 by 0.87 inches.

The tyi)e specimens, Nos. 24712 and 2r)3ir) (I'l. 3, Fig.s. 24 and 25), both
from sets of four eggs, from the Halpli collection, were taken near J^irt Garland
and Canon City, (!olonido, on ^^ay 10, 1879, and May Ki, 1890, and represent
the lighter and darker colored phases found among the eggs of this species.

TIIK 8TAUIilN(K

427

Funiilv STUK'NID/K. SrAKUNds.

i68. Sturnus vulgaris Linn

KlIS.

STAKMNO.

Stiii'HUH vuljiariM I.INN/KUs, Systciiui Natui'ir, oil. 10, 1, IT.'iS, l<i7.

(H — . < ' — , U L'7!l, < • .'t(i;i, V [VX\\.)

(iKnouArmcAi. uanok: lOuroiut iiiicl iiorthiM'ii Asisi; iMM'.i<l(Mital in (Irf>(>ii1aiii1. Intro-
dlUUMl ill tile I'liiterl Stales.

Tho Stjirlii

I"', ii conniKni

iiiroitfiiii si)('ci

IlilS li

ics, is ii(1mitt(Ml to mir t'iuiiifi. tVdin

Iv 1.

11 taken in (ircinilaiid, whore it can only Wo con

tlio fact tliat a .six'cimcn
sidcrcd a straj^j^lcr.

iMr. Henry Se('l)ohiu says: "Tlie Starliiiji' breeds tln'oiiji-lioiit Eiiro]i(> north
of hititiuh^ 44'', and is a resi(U'nt in the Azores. In Scamiinavia. it Is fonml as
far north as latitiuh' (>1>'^, in Sweden and Fiidand np to hititmh' C")"", and in tlu*
Urals only np to latitude 57'^, which appears to he its noi-thern limit in Asia..

inropean m

Is that are inim-atorv winter in the south of France

th

Dan-

ish I'eninsula, Italy, Greece, North Africa, and Palestine. In Asia it l)reeds ii
Soutii Siberia, Persia, and Turkistan, raii;;inf>' as far east as the soin-ces of tiu
Anioor, passinji' throiij;li iMonj^olia, on ini;;i'ation, and winterinji' in India.

"The Starliii"- is ahni>st as closeh' associated with man

IS tla^ Sparrow

but, unliko that bird, it seems to have a ])eculiar way of accommodatin;;- itself
to its surrounding's witli the ijreatest ease. Thus wo sei^ it almost everywliere
anil in every variety <if scenery. It will sliare tlit! eaves and the dovecot witli
the Sparrows and Pii^cons. It will nesth^ in the iiollow trees, far away from
lioiises, or make its honu* just as easily in the sides of tiie stU|iendons oce

■litl

s ni comiiain' wi

ith tl

'^y

K* noisy crowi

sea

birds

farther inland. After tlie bree(lin'

1 of
ason the Starliii"' bei

an

s, or on tile limestone ivicks

(imes even moi'c

widely distributed, and from Aiijiust until tlu* followinji- sprin}>' haunts fields and
MIS, jiardens, and the low-lyiiif;' shores, as its food supply may \h'.

marslies, comiiK

most alaindant. The Starling is a gregarious l)ird at all sc^asoiis of thci year;

but tl

lis lia

l)it

is most inarkod after the nesting season, for in tlii^ stiriii

th

.scarcity of suitable lireeding places u>

iially dis]

tl

lem.

"l"'iari\' in tlie vear, sometimes as soon as the middle of Januarv, the Star-
ling returns almost daily to its old nesting place, and iu a week or so tlu^ mah^
begins his unpretentious song. Ih* nsu;

illy sings when per(

hed

?\i

on a clumiKn'

or on the ea\'es near his nesting iiole, or on tli(f trec^ tops near at hand, ami his
song is warbleil forth as \\v riiflies the feathers of his head and throat and shak(;s

aiK

Idr

roops Ins winji's, as

thoiiii'h full of nervous exi'itemeiit. Altiiou"h inaiu' of

tho Starling's notes are harsh, still some of tlieiii are very full and pleasing, and
heard as they are, at a season when every sign of returning spring is eagerly
looked for and welcoineil, are certainlv one of the most cheerful sounds that

>'roet tho ear. Mach

lote is uttered in seeming caprice

th

arsu (Mies are

ipi

42K

1I11I1<'1»!(I \VI

LII'M-; IIIHTOIMKS OI-' NOKTII AMKIMCAN HIIIDH.

til tli<( sweet (Hies with no ii|)|ir(tacli to order. It is imleeil

II striinifc

soil";', iillil r;lll Mot lie inistukeii tor tllJit of iiliy otiier hi'itisli l)ii'(l, tile liose-colored
Stiirliiiji' e\ce|»te(|. Tile Starliiiji's jiliinii notes iire very liiirsli anil ra|(i(lly
repeateil, reseiiililiiij^ soiiiewliat those of the Missel Thnish. Its call note is a
elear, lonfjf-(h'iiwn, pipiiif;" '"'T-

"Karly in April, sonietiiiu^s not until the he^^innin;^ of May, the Starling's

have niosilv mated and "one to the

■dinji' holes. l're\ioiis to this, how-

ever, inneh (|iian'elinji' •••(m^s on foi" the ehoiee of snitalile sites. The stroiijr j^'iiin
the best-located holes, while the W(Mik seek ipiarters elsewhere. The Starlin}'-
will laiild its nest almost an\-wliere, and it needs hiil slight encoiiraii-ement to

takt* ii|i Its (|iiartei's in aii\' sintalile iioh* or liox placed tor its recept
lislodyt! liirjiH! tilos and lairrow coiisidtM'alilo distances under th

tioii.

it wil

e\-en (

e (Mves, ana

its liiilky nest often stops up some spoilt, to the dismay of the lionseholdiT. X
hole in the ji'ahle or insitle the (lovecot are also favorite places, while its jiai'tiality

for holes in trees i.s noiio the less. It also commonlv breeds in nii

ie.s.

111)

I oM

niasonrv ot every ilescri

di

ipti

on.

In th

i(^ wilder |)ortions o

.f tl

e conn

•hurcl
tr\- tl

le

Starlin;;- selects a hole either in a tree or a, rock for its purpose, and it will often

ireeil in ^reat numbers in caves or in crevices ol tlie ocean clitls

fth

itis

Tl

le nest is sometimes but a tew inches from the entrance to tlu? hole, at

o

tilers it is several teet, and in many cases, especially in trees and rocks, is aiiso-

iiitelv inaccessible

U the outer

■biidi

es, where trees ar(^ absent, the Starlin

breeds, accordiiij;' to Mr. Gray, luider the stones on the beach, in disused rat
holes, in turf dikes, and in holes in walls. Saxliy states that in Shetland it
breeds in peat stacks and rabbit Iniles. It has also been known, in one or two
instances, to build an ojn-ii and exposed nest in trees, to I'oar its yoiiii^' in a hole
in the "•roiincl, and to share the same nest with a Maypie.

"Tlio Starlin<;''s nest is a somewhat sloveiiK' structure, made of straw, dead
f^rass, and rdotlets, sometimes a twi^' or two, and is lined with a lew fealliers, a
little wool, or even a sera]) or two of moss, paper, ra;;-, or twine. In many cases
the birds do not troiiblo about a lining' at all, and the cup of the nest is entirely
c(im])osed of straws, arran^t;d very (iveiily and smoothly, liiit with a, lot of

straj-f-lino

bents

arouiK

I it.

"The ii(;st is in some cases miicli more elaborately made than in others,
and in .some holes the; dry and powdered wood at the bottom almost does sole
• liity for a bed. With <;Teat perseverance the Starling' will continue to Itiiild in
the same hole, althoujih its ne.st is repeatedly removed, and each year the birds
will return to their old (piarters.

"The food of the Starling;- is for the greater ])art of the year coiniiosecl of
and beetles; but in winter tliev are often seen to feed on iirain

worms, .slugs.

ind seo(

Is. I

n autumn

til

ev are

\r.v\ fond of fruit and berries. KhU'rberries

are part of their favorite food, and .soon the trees, which had previously bent
under the weif^ht of their clustering branches of black fruit, will be totally
denuded. In severe \veath<'r they will sometimes feed on liijis and haws, and
are often seen on coasts searcliiim' ibr sand worms and various small moUusks.""

' lli.slci

lllilisli jiilil.s, Scilii.l ISSl, Vol. 11, |.p. VJUi

!

m

TIIK STAULINd.

439

Stn-cral Htt('iii|»ts have l)i'cn iiiaiU' ti) introduoo tliis s]H'cic.s into the I'liiti'd
States, Init until rucciitly iioiio havo boon jieniiaiu'iitly siicccsMt'iiI.

Mr. Frank M. ('Iiapniiin, of tlic Aiiicricaii .Muscinii of Natural History in
Cc'iiti'al I'ark, New York City, writes me as t'ollows on tins siibji'ct:

"'riic last introtliiction ot" tla- Starlin;;' l)y Mr. Kiificnc Scliii'HIin lias a])|)ar-
ciitly lu'cn sucfcsst'ul. Tlic iiinls were lilu'ratcil in (Vntral i'ark, liut tlic majority
have left tliis and spread over tlic more nortlicrn jiart of tlic city. One pair
Itrcd under tlie ea\'es of this niuseinn in tlie snniiiicr of ISItJi, and this year two
pairs arcs hroedin;^' here, while .still another has estalilislied itself in the roof of
an apartment house close? l)y. Mr. (". I>. Ishain, an assistant in the ornitlioloj^ical
department, tells me that no less than t<'n pairs are passinj;' the suniiner at
Kinjisliriilj^t', near Spuytcn Duyvel, and that he knew where live pairs nested
there last }car. They apparently riiise two iiroods in a season and have become
pretty well established here. They are resident, or nearly so, and as they lia\e
already experienced one of the most severe winter:; of recent years, ir will not.
be the fault of the climate if they do not .^readily increase in numbers."

An attempt to introduce this species near Portland, Ore;;-oii, has apparently
failed, the birds liberateii there havinji' disappeared.

I'Vom four to seven c^i'^i's are laid to a set. 'The ejif^s vary in shajie from
ovate to elonj;ate ovate; the shell is rather coarsely ji'ranulated and \aries con-
siderably in color, raiiiiin^i from a jiale <ireenisli-iiliie to pale bluish-white.

The axcrayc measiu'emeiit of forty specimens in the l.'iiited States National
Mu.seum collection i^ "Jfl. 1(1 by '2\.',\[ millimetre.s, or 1.1 f! by ().S4 inches;
the largest ejiji' measures .'>1.7.") by •_*'J,IO millimetres, or l.'io ))y (t.S7 inches; the
smallest, '_'(!. (!7 by lll.."50 millimetres, or 1.0,') by 0.7(1 inches. None of these
egys are liyured.

Family l( 'TKKI D.K, Hi.ACKiuHits, Okioi.ks, etc
169. Dolichonyx oryzivorus (Linn.kis).

UOIiOI.INK,

FriiifliUn ori/zii'oni laNN.loes, Sy,stcma Natani', od. 10, I, I'ri.s, 17!>.
I>otirltony,foryzii'i>ni,i Swainson, >Cool(ij,'iciil •Iniiriiiil, III, 1827, .'i.">l.

(B 3t)!t, (J 210, U 257, (J .■il2. C 1!M.)

OKOORAPnu'AL RANOE: Xorlli Anierii'ii; iioitli in tlic Diunininn of Oaiiii<l:i iiciU' tlic
AtliUitic coast to alioiit latitude 17^. in tlic provinces of (Quebec and Ontario to nlioiit
latitude, -I'P, in .Manitoba and A.ssinilioia to iilioiit latitude 02^ N.. and tlicncc wcstwjid
to southern llritish (Joliinitiiii. In the United States west to Utah and eastern XeMida.
South ill winter to the West India Islands and South America.

The breedinji- ranji'e of the Hoboliiik, known also as " Skunk Mlackbird" in
the Northern States, as " ( h-tolan" and •' b'eedbird" on the Atlantic coast in the fall,
as "Meadow-wink" in some of our Middle States, as "b'icebird" and ".\laybird"
in South Cai'olina, Cleoroia, and [joiiisiana, and as '•liuttorbird" in .lamaica,

480

\AVK IIISTOKIKS OF NOIITII AMKKKJAN IIIKDS.

\m

(*.\tonils tVoiii iiliiMit liititu<l(> W, aixl ofcaHioiiiilly, tlu)ii^>'li riircly, tVoni ii little
siMitli lit' liititiiil*) .'t'.i , iKirtliW'tinl tliruii<^'li tlic siMitlicni nortioiiH dI' the Dniniiiioii
lit' ('uiiiiilii, ti.H alrfiiily ili-liiicil. I'Voni ri'ri-iit iitrni'iiiiitiiiii iilitiiiiiril li\' iiir, it iilsn
Itruods, in hiiiiiII iiiiinlu-rH iit lotiHt, mi llu' (iiilf ciitiHt of Luiiisiaiiii, timl |iriil))il)ly
iiIho ill iiiiitlicni Fliiriilii. It iiilialiits niicii prairiu (■(iiiiitry, cU'iirt'il ami ciilti-
vati'il ilistrirts, Imt is ucmt t'iiiiii(i in luri'sts.

'I'ho IJiilidliiik is a wcll-kiiuwii anil |ininc t"avorif(» with fvcryoiic tlirou^rlioiit
Ni'W Englaml ami tlic utlu-r Xortlicni States, anil tew of mir sninmer visitors
arcs mure piipnlar. It usually ari'ives mi its nmre smitlieni lireeilinj,'' jiriinmls
aliiint the miilille nt' May, anil rm'i-es|Mi!iiliii^>'ly Inter imrthwaril. It is tar inure
abiinilant oast than west ut'tlie liuelvy .Miiuntains, but iiiHtiitablo liawilitios in tlio
(Jreat Salt Lake ami Ttah liake valleys it is nut iiiiemninmi, anil Mr. II. W.
Ileiisliaw t'miml it rather niininmi in tlio lielils abmit I'nivo, Ttah, wiiere tho
parent liinls were nutieeil t'eeiliii}'- theii' yininyJiily 2"), 1H72.

Mr. Kiiliert l{iil;,'way says: "Tho Hiii)uliiik soeiiis tu be spreailiiij;; uver all
the ilistriets ul' the far West wherever the eiiltivatimi oi' cereals has extemleil.
We t'miml it emiiniiin in Aiij^ust in tho wheat tielils at thoUvorlan<l Uaiu-h, in
1,'uby Valley, Novaila." '

This last reeiiril reinaineil the must western uiie fur a niimlier of years, but
recently the I'niteil States Natiunal Museum ciillectimi receiveil a skin taken
by Mr. A. (!. IJruuk, July •_>;{, 18!)(), near ("liilliwack, Mriti.sh Culiiml)ia, which
oxtoiuls its raii^j'e aimss the cuiitineiit. It is pu.ssible, as stated above, that this
species is f;railiially extemlin;^- its ran;;e westward, anil the settling;' up uf the
cuuntry may have somethiii<i' tu ilu with this; but it is eipiall}' certain that it is
rapidly docreasin;;' in numliers in many lucalities in mir Kastern States where it
was an abundant summer resident less than twenty years a<fii. 'i'liis ma\' bo
due tu Slime extent tu a ji'radual chan^'e uf its ranji'e; but the emirmmis slaufi'h-
ter rlie Ueedbird, ur "Ortulaii," as it is there called, is subjected tu in the late
siiiiiiner, while lin^iorinj;- in the marshes biirderiii}^ tho ('hcsapoako Hay and
similai' lucalities mi the .\tlaiitic cuast, mi their miji'ratimi tu the smith, is ipiite
a factur in this matter, as many tlimisamls are whipped at this sea.sun uf the ycsir
tu the markets tA' mir larj^tM' cities, and Heedbirds ur Ortulans iiii tuast may be
fmiml 1111 the menu uf every tirst-class restaurant. In the marshes hen^ 'hey feed
nil the still suft seeds uf the Indian rice ur water uat (/i'diiid (ii/inifiru), which
imparts a deliciuiis tla\ur tu their tiesli; they soon itecuiiie excessively fat, anrl the
demand fur Ueedliirds is tar fiTeater than the supply; but furtiinately the Knjilisli
SpaiTuw is nuwadays extensively substituted fur the jroiiuino Ortolan, ainl vvil'
jirutract its jiradual exterminatiun for some time.

Another cause uf its decrease' is due to the enurmmis damajre it il ilie

rict! plantatimis uf .smiie uf uiir Suutliuni States, where they are ver>' tin ume
but rejj'ular visitiirs butli in tho spriiij"' and early fall, and whei'e many thmi.sands
are killed vearlv.

' Kxiilorutioim of tUu 4()th I'arullel, Vol. IV, 1877, pp. 500, 501.

TIIK nonoLiNK.

4.'n

• l;it(-

; iiinl

<|iiit(!

year

lay he,

.ytVcil

wliifli

111(1 tlic

will

Dr. ('. Hurt Mcmimi, cliicf of flic DiviMion ((t'Ornitlinlojry hikI Miuiiiiialoffy,
Uiiitt'd States I ►('|iaitiii('iit i>t' .\;;ririilfiin', iiiakcM flic tulluwiiijf utati'inciit, rcs|i(!ct-
iii^' tli'iH species ill liis aiiiiiiai repmt t'nr flic year lHH(i :

"()iit' ot' tlie iiiitst iiiipnrtaiit industries ot" the Simtlierii States, tiie eiiltiva-
tioiiot' lice, is rrip|»le(l mid made precarious hy the Heiiiiaiiiiiiul attacks of liinls.
Many kinds of liirds teed upon rice, itut the liird that does more injury than all
tlie rest coiiibineil is tiie Moholiiik of tlie North (l)oliclii)iii/.r <ir!f.:inini.s), called
'liet'dliird ' nloiijf tlio Chosapeakc and 'Iticeliinl' in the South."

The t'oliowin^' extracts from a letter from C-apt. William Mih's ilazzard, of
Aiiniiiidale, South CaroHim, one of the larfi(!St rice <fro\vers in t\n\ State, l)earinj{'
on this Huliject, is selecttMl out of several in the ahove report:

"The Uoliolinks mako their ap]K arance here durinjf tlui latter part of .\pril.
At that season their pluma;i'e is white and hlack, and they sin;;' merrily when at
rest. Their tli^lit is always at ni^lit. hi the evening' there are none. In the
nioniiu}^ tlioir app(;aniii<'o Ih lu'riildeij by the poppinjf of whips and liriii^' of
musketry Ity the lard minders in their etl'orts to keej) the liirds from ]mlliii<f up
tlut youii;{' rice. This warfare is kept up incessantly until aliout the "J.'ith of
May, when they suddenly disajipear at iiij;lit. Their next appearance is in
a dark yellow plumaj^e, as the liiceltird. 'inhere is no son;>- at this time, Itut
instead a chirp which means ruin to any ric(t found in the milk. My |)laiitation
record will show that for the |)ast ten years, e.xcejtt when pn^veiited hy stormy
Boutli or 8«»utliwost winds, the Hicehirds havo como punctually on the nijfht of
tho -1st of .\u;;Mist, a|)purently coiiiiiij;' from seaward. All iiijiht their chii'ii can
Ixi heard passing" over our summer homes on South Islaml, which is situated (!
miles to the east of our rice plantations, in full view of the ocean. Curious to
Hay, we have never .seen this ili;>lit during' the day. 1 )uriii^'' thu ui^dits of Aii<iust
21, 22, 23, and '24, millions of these liirds make their appearance and settle in
tho rice fields. Kniiii the 21.stof AiijiUst to the 2.")tli of Seiitemlier our every
t'tt'ort is to savii the crop. Men, lioys, and women, with fiuiis and ammunition,
iiro posted on every 4 or .'") acres, and slaiot daily an avera'jfe of aliout 1
(piart of powiler to the ;;un. This firiii<>; commences at first dawn of day and
is ke[it ui» until xiinset. .\ft(^r all this I'Xpeiise and troiilile our loss of rice per
ncro Heldom falls under f) bushels, and if from any cause there is h check to the
crop fluriii}"' its <;rowtli which prevents the ;^rahi from lieinj;' hard, hut in milky
condition, the destruction of such fields is complete, it not payinj,' to cut and
lirinjitlu! rico out of the field. We have tried every jilan to keep these jxests off
our crops at less expense and manual labor than we now incur, but liav(* been
unsuccessful.

pre

{pel

as (

lestructive to

isfactory ; yet it is the be.st we can (h>. I consider these birds

rice as the caterpillar is to cotton, with this difference, that these Hicebirds never

fail t(

) come.

From this it can readily be seen that our Southern planters have excellent

'^asons for (lestroyiii<i' i\w Bobolink by all the available means in their ])ower.

he persistent warfare carried on at-ainst it must undoubtedlv linallv diminish

s iiuinbers very materially, and the }iresent rarity of this .species in many

'

h .

jpH

" ■*:!

432

MKK IIISTt)Hli;S OF NOKTU AMKHIC'AN H1KD8.

localities in N"\v Kiifilimd and otlicr Nurtlicrn States is, in my (ipinion, tar nioni
attriliiital)le to wiiolesale (lestruetit)n than to elianj^c of lu'eeiiin^- ran<;e.

Mr. I'i. A. Mclllienny, of New llieria, I.onisiana, ttdls nio tliiit it is a well-
known fact anion;;- the rice planters of his State that tht^ Moi)olink, when feeding- on
the rice whiht still in the milky state, re(|uires to wash its hill frecpiently to free
It from tlu^ ^lunmy matter accnmnlatin^ on it from tlu» rice milk. Knowing' this,
many planters, insttsid of keeping' the rici' fields flooded, as formerly, now draw
olVall tlu^ water ahout this time, making- it necessary for the Itirds to p> .som(<
distance to procure it, thereby lessenin^j the destruction to some i'.\ti'nt, while this
treatment does not appear to injure the crop in tluf least.

.\fter the Mnlxilink I'eturns to his chosen sununer home he is safe enon^'h, at
least from his most merciless enemy, man, as tlu^re no omt looks on him as a
nnisanc((. The males usually precede^ the females a few days, and generally
return to the same localities from yeai' to year. In its handsome spiin^' dress
of l)lack and white the male forms one of tht> conspicuous features of a rural
landscape, while its liuhiilin^-, metallic son^-, almost constantly uttered during' tluf
mating' season, either while Ihitterin^' or hoxcrini;' alt(tve the female in the air, or
when perched on a fence, a shade trt'c liy the roadside, or a weed stalk in a meadow
or clo\(!' lield, is certain to attract attention to th" happy and joyous performer.
No other Itird .seems to lie in such exuberant, rollicking' spirits at this time of
the N'ear as our male Muiiolink. 'i'iie females, however, arc much less in e\i-
deucc at all times, and are rarely seen unless especialK' looked lor, keeping' in
the meadows, where the \'ouni;' yrass hides them (piite eliectualK from \ iew. I
have several times attempte(l to imitate their notes on paper, itut ha\'e failed
Durin;;' the lirsl tew weeks after its arrival the male is full ol" soii^' ; one of its
call notes sounds like " liiii'k, triick," another like "tchiie-tchiie," and another
like " killiidv, kiliink." My the middle of .July they are almost silent a,;ain, and
in some sections seem to disappear altogether. 'The Uol)olink is still fairly
conunon in all the dair\ regions nl' <'eutral New \'ork, and while at Ihdiand
I'ateut, in dune and duly, lS!i;{. I saw liiit few ol' these birds after duly la,
although (piit" a mnnl)"r of pairs lireed there regularly, they had ail apparently
disappeared.

Their food cwiisists m.-Inly of seeils and ;;rains of dilVerent kinds, and
during' the summer months also of insects, including' i^rasshoppers, small cater-
pillars, etc., and on their JM'eedin^- grounds they certaiidy do little or no damage.

In the more southern |iortions ot' its Itreedinti- raii^c niditication IteM-ins
nsnalh' alioul the last week in .Ma\' or the lirst week in .lune, and the voun^'
ha\-e mostl\- left the nest by the tin;.' haying' ln'^ius. In lal<' seasons muloubt-
edl\ many nests are uncovercfl and destroyed liy mowinii' machines, which are
the principal factors of desM'm-tion ot these birds in the north.

Th(^ nest is usu;dl\ jilaced in -i meadow or clover lield, and sometimes sev-
eral pairs nest close together. It is a ;;re;:arious and social bird, even duriiiL;- the
season of reproiluction, and loves company at all times. It is eijually at home
on the u|ilands as in tlie lower riv c liottoms, as lon^' as these are sown to ^niss.
As a rule the nest is hard to liiici; the female will rarely liy directly frou) il, l)iit

1 MiMiiiSu

'-I

TIIK liOltOI.INK.

433

s, iiiul

CiltlT-

niiia^-c.
iidoiilit-

ICS St'V-

iii;:' tlir
It liDinc
III oniss.
il, lull

runs for some ilistMiicc tliniu;;li tlic ji'i'iiss Ix'turc slic tiikcs lli^lit, tiiul !i|(|in)iicli('s
it in the s.'iiMt' \Vii\. It is ii tr.iil strnclnrc, outwiii'illy ctiniiiosiMl nl' drv weed
stems iinii ;^r:isscs, liiii'd wilii liner niiiterials ul' tlie same ixind, and is nsnalK'
|)lat'ed in a sli^lil natnral depressidn of tiie ^ronnd and W(dl concealed liy a
Inxnrions MTowtli ot' ^rass or dover. An axeraji'e nest measnres alxmt I inclies
in onler iliameter l)y 2 inches in depth; the inner cnp is ahont '2\ inches in diam-
eter 1)\' 1 \ inches deep. Sometimes a nest may he attached to several weed
stems a little distance iVom the ;ir()nnd. 'i\vo snch iii.'ances ar(* recorded hv
Mr. Klisha Slate, of Somerset . .Ma.ssachnsetts, in the " IJnlletin of the Xnltall
Ornithological Clnlt" (N'ol. \'l, ISSl, |ip. 117, lis). Want of space prevents me
from (piotinu' these here.

Mr. K. A. .Mcllheimy, of N\'\v llieria, Louisiana, tells na- that this s|)ecies
breeds in small nnmliers on I'etite Anse Island, on the (inll'coast of liOiiisiana;
and that he has taken two nests with ey.us (one on .V|iril IS, ISIII, und another
on April It, ISlfJ). To set all donhtsat rest, he kindly sent me the last-iueiitioned
set, which contained lixc heavily incidiated eL;j.;s, one of which was broken in
Idowin;;', and one of these is tiynred. lie wrote at the same time: "I lieliexc
man\' of the Moholinks hreed here liefore the\ n'o north; the \iMniy birds are
lieri^ nil snnnner, but an old liiid is ne\cr seen iifter the last of .Vpril, or after the
tiats m'e harxested. 'They nest in these lields. We shoot the \omij:' birds here
in Mav, and ,i;jain in Seiitendier, in w liicli months tlie\ are m'vv fat an 1 are
considered vcrx' ;jood e.atinji-."

(hi mentionin<;- this to my friend, l>r, li.ilph, who visits l''lorida e\fr\ winter,
lio told me that he had noticed two jiairs ot' Mobolinks almost dail\ , ne;ir San
Miiteo, I'lorida, I'rom abont the middle ol' Mav until the dav ot' his departure, on
Jnne I, 1S1I2. These birds wel'e most I'reiplelltl', seen ne.ll' llu' bjniks of the St.
.lolm's b'ivcr, dose to an oat field, and prob.dilv \\('re breeilinii' there.

l'"rom live to seven eiiii's (iisnallv live nv si\);n'e laid to a sei. and oidv one
brood is raised in a season. In the uiort> southern parts ol' iheii' beecdinL;' ran^ic
the \dunj;are generally kar^^-e enon;.;li to lly iiy ,Inly 1. They ^■.ithcr then in little
llocks with the parents (the male* assnmini;' the yarb ol' ihe female abdiit this
time) and are soon there.iiler le(l bv them to the marshes, near the seashore, in
(piest of their lavdi'ite food, which at tiiis time of the vcaris Indian rice; and bv
Auiiiist l."i thev be;jin to .'issendile ill the rici' lields of the South. remainiiiL;' there
inilii near the end of September iiei'ore mov iii^' on to their ,\ inter homes in Suiitli
.America. Their travcliny- is mosllv done at nij^lil. The majoritv |)iiss throiiiih
Moriila and the N.'est India Islands lai their way south, and not throiiLili .Mexico
via Texas

The e^i^s are ov.ite or slaa'l ov.ite in sli.ipe. The shell is clcpse i^raiiH'd
and somewhat j;lossv. The ;iromid color varies from pearl ;^rav or |ia!e ecru
dr.ib to a pale reddish brown or jiale ciiiiiamoii rufous. Thev are irre^nlarl v
blcitched and spottt'il w itii dillcreiil shades of claret brown, chocolate, heliotrope
piiriile, and lavender n.arkinjis, intermiiij:led with each other, and v.arv in;;' ^feallv
in si/.e and intcnsitv. Almost everv set is dilfereiitlv m.arked. and it isextremelv
dilHcult to ji'ive a fair avera;i<' description. In some specimens the ;^round cohir
tiis!ui S". :i — :'s

/.I

;- it

434

LIFK lIiaTORIKS OF NOUTU AMKRICAN BIRDS.

ri;,.A ••;

is aliiKist hiddoii, the marking's boiiifj^ ueiirly evenly distributed in tiie shape of
lar<ye blotclius over the entire surface of the o<i;<i;. In the majority, however,
tlie (hu'ker niarkin<fs are mainly confined to the larjfer end of the *'j;<f, while the
l)aler ones are more noticeable in the middle and about the smaller end.

The average measurement of seventy-.seven specimens in the United States
National Museum vollection is 21.08 by 15.71 millimetres, or 0.H3 by 0.()2 inch.
Tlu! lar^'est e<jr<i' in this series mea.sures 22.3.') by 1G.2() millimetres, or 0.H8 by
().(;4 inch; the smallest, 17.53 by 15.24 millimetre.s, or O.GiJ by O.fiU hich.

'I'lie ty|)e si)ecimen, No. 25338 (1*1. (!, Fi}^. 1), from a set of five ejff^s,
Ralph collection, was taken on Shelter Island, New York, June 8, 1882, and
I'eprcscnts one of the heaviest marked e<r<^s of the series; and No. 25740 (PI. (!,
Fif;". 2), from a set of five ef^ifs, taken by Mr. E. A. Mcllhenny, on I'etite Anse
Lsland, Louisiana, on April !l, 1892, represents one of the paler-colored speci-
mens in the series.

170. Molothrus ater (lionDAEur)

COWUIKO.

(h-ioUin iilcr HoDDAEUT, Table ties planches unliiiniiiees d'histoire iiiiturelle, 178.3, 37.
Mulotlintx (iter tiiiAY, Hand List of Hilda, II, ISTd, .{«.

(I! 400, C UIl, \l L'.-)8, C 313, U 405.)

(iKOiiBAPiiicAi. BANGK: United States and tlie soatliern parts of tlio Dominion of
Caniidii. in tlie eastern ]i(ii'tioiis to about latitude 40° N.; in the interior to Little Slave
Lake, soiitlu'i'ii Atliabasca, latitude 'h>° 30', and probably still farther north; west to British
(Joluiiibia, eastern Washiiifjton, ea.stern Orefjoii, Nevada, and soiitheasteru California; south
in winter to southern Me.vieo.

'Pile lireodin*;- ran<2-e of the Cowbird, also known as "Cow Buntiiifr," "Cow
Blackbird," "Shinyeye," " Hlackl)ird," "Lazy Bird," "Clodhopper," anil in former
years on the plains as " IhiHalo Bird," extends from our Southern States, exceptin}^
Florida, southern and western 'i'exas, north into the southern parts of the Domin-
ion of (Canada. Westward its ljrei'(lin<>' ran>;-e extends to ea.stern British Coliun-
iiia, eastiirn Washinjiton, eastern ()re<j;on, Nevada, and probably southeastern
California, where Ur. A. K. Fisher shot an adult male at Furnace Creek, in
Dcatli Valley, June 20, 18!ll. Fast of the Hocky Mountains the Cowliird is
pretty <i(Uierally distrilmtcd tiver the (>reater jiart of its ranj;e, excejitin;;' the
extensive forest re<>'ions and some of the morti southern States, where it appears
to occur only sparinj^ly. Its center of abundance is found in the States bor-
derii)}^' tlie I'pper Mississi|)pi Uixer and its innnerous tributaries. West of the
one Inuidreil and thirteenth meridian ((Jreenwich), in the United States at least,
it must be ccmsidered as. a rare summer visitor, and, as far as I have been able
to ascertain, it has not yet lieen found anywhere on the Pacific Coast west of
the Cascaih' and tlie Sierra Xi'vada moinitains except as a .strai^'jifler. In the
s(mt'iierii portions of the i'mviiices of .Mbcrta and .Vssiniboia, Dominion of Can-
ada, as far west as (!alyary, 1 found this species remarkably abundant in the

Till-; <;()\vi5ii!i).

4:!5

]iitt(ir ])firt of ^[ily, \H\)i, iil(»iifi' tlic line of tli(? Caiiadiiiii I'licific Uiiil^ay, snuiU
piirtics ot" t'roin six to twclvo boiiij^' aliiiost coiistautly in siglit, (ividciitly oii tlicir
way ttt their ItrcH'dinj^' jiToiiiul.s.

'The most iKtrtliorii point avIictc its oji'ji's liaA'<> Ixmmi taken a])|)ears to be in
the vicinity ot" Little Slave Lake, iu soiitluM-n Atliahasca, in latitnde ")")'^ IV)' \.
Mr. S. Jones, of tlus Hudson liav (Jonipanv, fo!\varde(l sj)(M'iin(Uis from tliere to
the Smithsonian Institution in 1<S(!H, but it is (juito ])rol)able that tliis species
ran<xes farther north.

Althouj;h 1 have traveled extensively ovi^r our \vestorinnost States and Ter-
ritories, I notice<l the Cowbird on but very few occasions, and only found its eii'^s
there twice; onct* on .Funt* '21, 1S7L near Fort Lajjwai, Idaho, in the not of the
Long-tailed Ohat, Jclcria rirciis loiii/icditdd, and ajiaiu near I'alouse Falls, in
southeastern \Vashinj>ton, on dune IS, 1S7H, in a nest of tlu> Slate-colored Spar-
row, I'dsscrcHa iliam .schtstacca. 'Phis I btdieve is the most western bi'ei'ding
ri'cord known.

Hoth of these! specimens ai'c* now in tlui United States National .Mnsenm
<!ollection.

The most southern breedinj;' records I have knowledj^-e of are from AVayno
and Jlclntosh counties, (Jeori^ia; i'etite Anso Island, l.,ouisiana, and Harris
Comity, Texas. It does not appeal* to breed anywliere in the innnediate vicinity
of the (jiulf coast in Texas, where it is replaced by its smaller relative, the Dwarf
Cowbird. \Mnle the majority of these liirds j)ass beyond our borders in the late
fall and winter, mainly to soutliern .Mexico, still a liood many remain in our
Southern States, and a few even winter occasionally as lar north as New Fn.n'-
land, ]\[ichij;an, etc.

Dr. (i. Hrown (ioode tells me that while on the Oerman Lloyd steamer
Nt'chn; in .\pril, ISSI), a Cowltird Hew on board, fully 1,0()() miles east of Xew-
founilland, and was captiu'ed.

The ("ow l)ird oi'dinarily arrives in f^dod-sized ilocks in th<> Middle States,
from its winter home in tlu^ South, during tlu^ last half of ^larch; in flie more
northern States, rarely Ix't'ort^ the lirst week in iVpril, and more tVecpiently after
the midille of this montli, the males pre(lominating in lumdiers o\cr the more
plaiid\' colored females, and generally pr-'cede them several days. Soon after,
these tlocks comnu'iu'e to break up and scatter in small companies of from six to
tw(dve individuals and disperses gt'iu'rally over tin; country, it |)refers more or
less culti\ated districts, river valleys, etc., where othei' birds are al)undant, and
rarelv penetrates far into iieavily tind)ere(l sections or mountainous regions,
excepting in ('olorado, where it has been met with at altitudes up to S,()0() feet.

The food of the Cowltird consists principally of vegetable matter, smdi as
seeds of dilferent kinds of noxious weeils, like ragweed, smartwee<|, t'oxtail or
pigeon grass, wihl rice and the smaller species of grains, berries of dilferent
kinds, as well as of grasshoppers, beetles, ticks, tlii's, and other insects, worms, etc.
Taking its food alone into consideration it does perhaps more good than harm.

While the Cowbird is fairly conunon in most of the States east of the
Mississippi Kivcr, it is far more noticeable in the regions west of this stream.

m

/ill

t,i

•.\.\\

J!

.Pi"*

43()

LIFE IIISTOIMICS OF NORTH AMKRICAX ItlRDS.

althoii^'-h ]iorliai)s not inucli more abundant. In t\w prairio StatcH this is espe-
riiilK' tile case, and ono will raivly sco a hnuch nt" cattle tlicru without an
attiMidini;- Hock of ('owhirds, who perch on their h.icks, searchini;' tor j)arasire8,
or follow them alon;^- on tlut j^'round, hunting;' for suitahle food aniouj;' their
<lroppin<fs. Tiioy generally act in concert; when one settles on the ground the
others follow shortly afterwards, and if one starts to fly, the remainder take
wing also. Their flight lesembles that of the Red-winged Klackhird. When
the nesting season approaches, tlu* males Itecomt* very demonstrative in their
actions toward tins females, but do not ai)|)ear to mind the attentions paid by
other males to the same female, as other birds tisually do, and rarely fight for
her j)ossession. Fri'e lovers as they are, they do not object to such trifles.

At tliis time of the year several males may freipiently be seen perched on
some fence riiil or the lind> of ;\ tree, with the feathei-s of tluMr throats raised,
tails spread, and wings trailing, each endea\'oring to j)our out his clioicest song to
one of his prospective mates. 'Phis consists of \arious unre|>roducible guttural
.sounds, utti-red while all the feathers an^ ])utfed out, the hoiid lowered, and i'\ i-
dently produced only by considerable etlbi't on the piu-t of the perforn' r. One
of their call notes scuuids somewliat like "spn-ele," others resend)le the various
S!|U(!aks of the Ued-\\inged lilackliinl, and all are dilficult to reproduce on paper.

It is a well-known fact that tlu* Cowbird is a parasite, building no nest, but
in'licting its eggs usually on smaller l)irds, leaving to them the labor and can; of
reiring its young. It appears to be entirely devoid of conjugal affection and
practice.^ polyandry, the small Hocks in which it is found during the season of
reproductiiui generally containing si^veral more males than females.

It is ,it all times more or less gregarious, especially so in the fall and winter,
when it often forms large flocks, and associates then with the other l$lackl)irds,
like Brewer's iuid the Ked-winged.

'ria^aying s(>ason rarely begins befori' M.iy lo, nnd continues for ii bout two
months. During this time ])robal)ly from eight to twcdxi- eggs are l;iid by I'ach
female, or the e([uivident of two l)roods, iuid I believe that several days elaj),se
between the laying of the eggs. It is not likely (and this is very fortunate
indeed) that more than half of these eggs nre hatched, lis some arc^ occasionally
dropped in olil and a!)andnned nests, iw, when tlui female is li;n-d pressed, e\en
on tile ground; others in just completcil nests in which tla^ rightfid owner hud
not yet laid, who, seeing tlu^ parasitic {•<<:'^ in its nest, either alxnidons it entirelv
orcoustriu-ts another over the first, burying the stranger i'lX'r!: among the building
materials.

When the Cowbird is rea<ly to de|ios , ler <'ggs, slu^ quietly leaves her asso-
ciates and begins her search for a suital)le nest, usuallv selecting one of a species
smalhir than herself; but if such i- not readily fomid, a nest of a larger bird will
answer (Mjually wtdl, especially if the full complement of eggs has not been
de})Osited in it. Slui does not forcibly drive! the owner from hei' nest, but watches
her opportunity to drop her egg in it when it is unguarded. In rare instances only
will a fresh ("owbinl's i"^,^ 1),. fonml among incid)att'd ones of the rightful owner.
I have observe 1 this oidy on a single occasion. I'rom one to seven of these

.*jt>fl%:

rf-^',i'*i\ ■

4t#

THE COWlilRn.

437

parasitic o<r<fn have boon found in a nest, tlie liirpfor nuinbors usually in tlioso nt'
}i!T(iun(l-l)uil(lin<>' spooics, cspocially in tliat of the Ovtiubinl, whcro from throo to
five, witli perliaps two or tln-co cgfjs of tlu^ owner, an* not especially unconnnon.
I know of one instance where not less than seven Cowbird's eggs were found in
a nest of this species with a single one of its own. Not infrequently two or
more eggs (in all j)robal)ility laid by the same bird) will bo found in one nest.
There is so much A-ariation in their eggs, both in size and markings, that the
close resemblance of any tw(» eggs at once atti'acts attention. It is not imusual
to find .some of the eggs of the rightful owner thrown out of the nest to make
room for those of the parasite, or to tiiid minute jtunctnres in the shells of some
of the remaining eggs. This is possil)ly done jiurposely by tlie Cowbiivl with
her beak or with her sharp claws whihf sitting on the nest and depositing her
own egg, to keej) the eggs from hatching. I am inclintwl to attril)ute this
]tuncturing to tlu^ latter cause, but then* is no doul)t that tht* Cowbird sometimes
tlu'ows the eggs of th(» rightful owner out of the nest puri)f)S(>ly to enhance* the
chances of its oH'spring coming to maturity. I ha\-e yet to see a punctured Cow-
bird's egg. It is astonishing how many different s]iecies are thus imposeil upon
bv the Cowbird. One would naturally suppose tliat l»irds breeiling in holes in
trees or luider rocks would be exempt from this infliction, but this is not the case.
Perhaps among the strangest and most unlikely of foster parents selecited are the
Hed-headed Woodpecker and tlie Hock Wren.

Mr. William (1. Smitli, fornu'rly of lioveland, (Colorado, writes nu> tliat he
found a (!owbird's i"^'^ in a Rock Wren's nest, iindi'r a ledge of ivick, fully 2
feet from the entrance, which was barely large enough for tlu* Wren to s(|ueeze
through. It seems almost impossible that a bird of this siz(* would be al)h! to
enter the small, jjeuflent nest of the I'arula Warbler and deposit its v<<:'^ therein
in tin* usual wav. However, as this species is occasionalh' imposi'd on, it is
possible that the i'<;:'^ is dropped in tlu* nest with the beak.

Tilt* following is a list of species in whose nests ("j:)X^ of the Cowbird liav(*
been found, and undoiibtedl\- a number of others xct remain to be added to it:

Zoiii ill lira miicroiifd, Moiiniiiiir I'ovc.

Goccyziis timrrioitiiis, Yellowbilli'd Cuckoo.

McUiufrpvK frythroccphiiliix, Red - lieailcil
Woodpecker.

Ti/idinnis ti/rdnniis. Kiiifjliird.

Stijioniis phdiiv, I'hd'lx'.

Coiitopiis rirois. Wood I'cwoc.

Kmpidonnx naiiliciiK, Arciiiliau Fly<'iiti'lit*r.

l-hiipiiloiifi.r jiKnillii.t, Ijittic Klycatclicr.

Hiiiiiiiloiiax pusilliiK trdillii, Tradl's fly-
catcher.

Hiiipidona.r minimus. Least Flycattdicr.

Otiifdtiii alpcstris pniticolii, I'rairie Horned
Lark.

Itiilivlionifr oriiiii'orus, Ttobolink.

XinilliitfrplKlliiH .idtltlioci-phnlils, Y (' 1 low-
lu-iidcd lilackbird.

Aifcliiiiin plifiiiiirii.1, licd-wiiificd l!1a('kl>ir<L

Shinifllii miifiiKi, Meadow Lark.

Sliinit'lla miijiiiit iiiyli-cta, VVestern Meadow
Lark.

Icfenis Kpuriux, Orchard Oriole.

Tvtenis (inllnilit, llaltiiiiore Oriole.

h'lcni.1 Inilliicki. linlloek's Oriole.

ScDlccDpliayiin cj/iiiioc-plialiiK, lirewei's lllaek
bird.

C(trpo(hicuB purpiiirim, Piirpl' I'i'ich.

S/niiHs tristis, Aiiierieaii (ioldliiieh.

Cdlrdrilis ontdlitx, (Jhestlillteollareci Loll};'-
spur.

Klli/iirlioplidtim mccoirnii, McCowii's Long-
spur.

Pooavtes !irdiiiiii<ii.i, X'e.spev Sparrow.

w

1

li

mm

■■!H
■v.V

; • 1(1

li

: •iii

; ■ :i

*■■ :*

^

,.l

Hi

;u; .'

!»■;>-;■•

h-%'

•'■■ - - :?■;.■•;■ ■, ■ •

4:38

LIKIO IIISTOUIKS OV NORTH AMKUICAX BIHDS.

I'lHtctvtis iiriuiiiiiniH coji/i/m'/i. Wt'Ntcrii N't'spcr
Spui'l'ow.

Choiiihtitcs (iriimmacim, l,iii'k Spin row.

Cliondnslrs jirdiiiiiidviis .slriiiiilim. WesttTii
fjiirk Spiirniw.

Zoiiotriiliiti hiicoiiliri/s, White cnnviicd Spar-
low.

Spizillii HDciiilis. ('Iii))pin;; Hpiiriow.

Spizi'lla puxilla, Field Spiiriow.

>S7>'-''"" i>nlliila, < 'liiy-coloicd Sparrow.

•Iiini'o hiirmnViH, Sliito-colorcd .luiico.

Miliixjiizii j'liKciditi, Soiifj Spiirrow.

Miloxjii:!! ftiHviaiit m on I una, Mountain Soiif^
Sparrow.

Mcliisplzii nt'orj/iiiiiii, Swaiii)) Spai row.

I'lissrrilld illaca .irliistiirvii, Slate ■colored
Sparrow.

Pipihi trjithritiihthahiiuH, Towliet*.

CiirdinnliH c<ir<liiiiili.s, Cardinal.

llnhiii liuloriciand, IJose-lireasted Ciroshcak,

Guinicd f arnica, IJIiie (Jrosbeak.

J'assfrina ci/dnca. Indifio liuntin<;.

I'assiriiia mniind, La/idi liniitinfj.

I'ds.srriiid firis, I'ainted IJiintin};.

Si)!:a dmrrirana, DieUeissel.

<'(il(tmii!<iii:a mcldniiroii/s, Lurk ISuntiu;,'.

I'irniiifi cnjihroiiulan. Scarlet Tana^er.

I'iraiiiia nilira. Siunnier 'I'anauci'.

I'i'triiflirliiloii lidii/'miis, Cliir Swallow.

AiiijiiVis rtihonnii, (.'edar Waxwiiig.

\'lri'i> oliracinx, Kedejcd Virijo.

Viici) flilruK, Warblinjf Vireo.

Vinii JlarifninK. Yellow (hroatecl Vireo.

Virci) xiililariH.1, IJluc headed \'ircii.

Vina iiiinhiiracfiixi.s. White-eyed A'irco.

]'irii) lii'lli, Hell's Vireo.

MiiiotiUa raiia, iilack and White Waihlcr.

I'riilono'dria citrcn, I'rothonotary Warhlei'.

Ill Imitlnriis nrmironm, Wornieatiiijj War
bier.

llchninthojthild piiiuH, 1{| lie- winged Warbler.

llflminlhiiphUa rlinisiiplira, ( lolden-winge*!
Warbler.

Jlvliiiinthapliila nijlcapilla, Na.Hlivill(! War-
bler.

GompHitthhiim dnicrifana, I'arnla. Wiirbler.

Ih-ndroiva (inlira. Yellow Warbler.

Itrndraira ca-niliHcrnK, JUack-throated lililo
Warbler.
I TUiidroicn cnrulen, Cerulean Warbler.

Dnitlrnicd hlaH-hufiiia; ISIaekbnrnian War-
bler.
, Ihnib-oird riirim. lilaek-tliroatcd (Ireen War-
bler.

I>i inhoicd ilisrolor, I'lairie Warbler.

SiluniH diirocaiiilliin, Ovenbird.

Nfiiinis nonhordmmix, Water Thrush.

Neiiinis molarilla, Louisiana Wnter Thrush,
I Gcothhiphformimt, Kentucky Warbler.

(tiollih/iiis irichax, JLiryland Yellowthroat.

OvothUipix trichdx occidenlalh. Western Yel-
lowthroat.

Tvtcrid riri'iix. Yellow-breasted Chat.

Ictcrla virtus loiif/icaiida. Long-tailed Chat.

Sj/lrania niilratd, Hoodeil Warbler.
I Setophaija riiticilln, Anu-rican Itedstart.
I OalcDsroplex faroliiuiixis, ('nthivi].
j Ilariiotlijinrhiis rii/iis. I'.rown ThrashtM'.

Salitiiifirs iilixolrliis, Itock V»'ren.

TroijUidijIix ailiDi, House Wren.

Varus hicolor, Tutted Titmouse.

I'oUoptila cirriilea, lUue-gray (inatcateher.

Turdiix iiiKxtclhius, Wood Thrush.

TiirdKs fi(.iccsii'i>s. Wilson's Thrush.

Tiirditx u.stuldtii'! sicdiitsoiiii, Olive-backed
Thrush.

Tiir<lii.i aoiialasriihir diidiihoni, A iid \i l)on's
llernnl Thrush.

Mrriild m'Kjrtitiiria, American Uohin.

Sidlia xidlix, IJIuebird.

Aiikihl;' tlic l)ii'(ls iiiciitioncil ii))(i\(' the iiosts of tlic I'lui-ho, Soni^- SpiiiTow,
'rowlu'c, IikIImii l5iiiitiiio-, ()\ciil)ir<l, nud Vcll(i\v-l)r('!ist('(l Clint scoiii i.i lie iinist
trci|ii('iitly scliM'tcd liy tlir Cnwhird, jiiid these usiiully coiitaiii also more ot" tlic
l»iiriisitic e^-Hs tli.'iu tlie iiiiijority ot" tlie others.

'Pile ('l;;;' ot' tluf ('owliird usiialK' hatches in Iroiii ten to eleven davs, <ron-
erally in adxance of those of the foster jiareiit, and tiu^ growth of the younj.^
intt'r]o|iei' Is rajiid. .Mr. .M. A. White, of ,Matlu;\vs, \'ir;;iiiia, w liosc^ observations
eorres|ioiid i'airly well with my own, writes on this snhject as follows:

" It was on the iltii of dmie, Isilj, tiiat 1 placed a fresh eji"- of the ( 'owbird
in tile nest of a ( 'liijipiii;;' Sparrow eontainiiiu' two of her own that had an
advance of one and a half da\s' incnhatioii. 1 watched results. About the llUli

iMMiH

THE COWHIKI).

439

,1 jW
1 tl

]\rr. Oowhinl omorfyod from liis prison walls, liir<ro iind vifjoroiis. A day Inter a
little sparrow caiim forth from his delicato shell, l)iit much smalhir, and cxhiljitiiii^'
less strenfjth than his foster brother. The other ej^fj^ failed to hatch.

"The daily in(!rease in size of the Cowbird was somethinj^' immense, whihf
his younf:fer eom])anion seemed to diminish ratlu*r than (tnlarji'c, until finally, at
the end of three days, he died, evidently for want of food, as the (!owl»ird, btunj;'
lar^^er, gretidily devoured everything that came in contact with his ca))acions
mouth. The untimely end of the rightful heir was but gain to this usurper, as
he now received the whohf attention of the parent birds. Nature having now,
at the early age of seven days, provided him with a respectable dress, he was
no longer continited to remain within tlu^ small compass of t.h(« nest, and lu; took
to the branches of the tree in which the nest had lieen placed, liiit soon this
area became too limited for his ainl)itious spirit, for at the end of his second
week he was flitting from bu.sh to bush, e.\i)loring the fields and hedges, his
foster parents ])roviding foi- him all the while. Tw<» wcH'ks more and he was a
full-fledged bird. Al)out July 20 I saw him for the last time.'"

Such seems to be the fate of nearlv all the young which have the misfor-
tune to be hatched with a Cowbird for a (iompanion. I have yet to s(h' a lu'st
containing young birds of l)oth species more than a few days old; by that time
the rightful offspring are either smothered or crowded out of the nest by their
stronger foster brother, or they are starved, and he then absorbs the entire* atten-
tion of the j)arents. Only in cases where the true offspring is as large or larger
than the imposter is there any likelihood of ((xcej)tion to this rule. It can readily
be seen what an innnense anu)unt of harm a Cowbird causes in the economy of
nature, granting that only a single one of its eggs is hatched in a seasDU. A
brood of insectivorous and useful birds is almost invariably sacrifice*! for every
Cowbird raised, and they are certainly not diminishing in numl)ers.

While a few of the .selected foster parents resent the a(hlition of a jjarasitic
G'^g in their nest, either by abandoning it entirely or bj- building a new one over
it, and occasionally even a third one, the majority do not a,[)i)ear to l)e nmch
disturbed by such an event, and after a short time go on as if nothing had
hajjpened. A few species, like the Indigo Hunting tor instance, will sometimes
abandon their own eggs should the .stranger egg be removed, but apparently do
not mind the h)ss of one or tw(j of their own, and continue incubating just the
same.

.Almost invariably the ne.st in which one or more of these ])arnsitic eggs
have IxMMi de])osited contains an incomplete set of the eggs of its rightful owners.
Where the Cowbird drops an egg in the nest of a .species consideral)ly smaller
than itself, as the Gnatcatcher, etc., its much larger size seems to be a positivts
advantage to the more rapid develoi)ment of the embryo, as the egg nnist
necessarily receive more animal heat than the smaller ones, which can scarcely
come nmch in (contact with the body of the-sitting bird, and the development of
the endiryos in these mu.st be more or less retarded thereby.

I- '•

mi '

'Tbo Odlogist, Vii!. X, AilR., 1S!I;!, pp. lililJ, SM.

rl-v

440 l-ll"K IIISTOItlKS OF NOllTII A.MICKICAN JtlHDS.

It is luilicroiis to sec s\ tut, t'lillx' llcil^'cd vdiiii;;' ('owltinl tollowiiijj' n |>uir of
Clii])])iiiy S|iarfo\vs, or soiiic sniiill \V'iirl»K'r, claiiioriii^' iMccssiiiitK' tor t'ooil, iiiul
littering'' its Ik'j,^;^^!!!,'' t'lill of " siM-iT-stii^rr" most |)nrsist(Mitly, tmly keeping;' (|iiict
wiiilc its "iiniiii'' l)i'ak is lillcil with sonii' siiitahlc morsel, iiiid sti'miti-ci' still to iiotn

how (h'votcil the iliiniiiiiti\(' luirscs are to tluMr fostur cliild. One

would

tliink

that they mi;i'lit see thi'oii^'li tht» frfiiid, at hjast iiftcr tliu yoiiiiff iiitcrh)|tcr h^a\'ps
the nest, if not l)ofort', and al)an(h)ii him to liis fates hut the ^^rcatost attachment
seems to exist between them mitil the (!owl>ird is al)h^ to shift for liimself, when

hel

eaves and joins his own kii

d.

It has I

x'cn

isserted that ( 'owhirds occasionallv l)nihl nests and rear tli(>ir

own \din

m- in the West, hut this is nn(lonl)tedl\' incorrect, and

on nroixM'

prop

investi<iation it will ])rol)al>ly he fonnd that tia* sujiposud (!owl)ird is really
Ikower's |{lackl)ird.

W

UMl

til

axinj;' season is o\-er tnev co

th

)lloct

ajram ni larij(M' H()cl<s am

fl(

freipient the marshes, in company with the Mlackhirds, where at that time of the
an ahnndance of food, and the reiurn migration to their winter

v<'ar thev find

h

lomes l)e"nis nsi

lallv in the latter half of ()ctoi)er.

The shell of the (*owhird's eirj;' is compact, ^•rantdated, moderatelv pflossy.

and relatively nnich stronjier than that of its near al

the lilcr'iihc. The jiTound

color varies from an almost pure white to j^rayish white, and less often to ])al(*

l)luish or milk\" wiiite, and the entire surf;

ic(^ IS usuallv co\-ereii with specks aiw

th

d

l.lotd
rufoiii^

coloi-

visihh

les \ar\inL;' in coloi- from chocolate to claret hrown. tawnv, and cinnamon

II an occasional specimen

almost entireU' liiddeii

til

c iiiai'

kinL:>

arc

continent and tl

le "rouiK

hvth

leiii: in the ma|orit\', liowe\'er, it is

(list

nici

liese markinn'.-

re usuallv iieaxiest al)oiit the laru( r eml of the e;

and in rare instances the\- form an irreiiular wreath.

Tl

ic e'li's \ar\' "reii

tl>

in shape, ranji'iny from ovate to short, rouiide(l, and elon^i'ate ovate, the first
jiredomiiiatiuii'.

lie a\craii'(

measurement of one hundred and twent\"-seven si)ecimens in

the I'iiitei! .States National
O.sl hy i>.(i."i inch: th
l)v ii.iil) inch: the sma
Tile t\pe speciiiK

M

iiseiim collection 1>

iM.iri hy l(i.4-_' millimetr
2.'). 40 h\- Ki.TIi millimetres

es, or

• larji'cst eii'^i' measure

lest, IS.d.'i l)y i:).4'.l millimetres, or

n. No. 2()1,")7 (I'l. G, Fi<>-. .'V), r<'pre.sents one of the li,i;hter-

0.71 hv 0.<!1 inch

marked lyjH's, and was taken hy the wi-iter near St. Louis, Missouri, on .liine 24,
iST.'i. t'roiii a nest of the ^'ellow-l)reasted ('hat: this containe(l three other eji'nfS,
one of which was depositeil liv the ('owliird and two lt\' the other species.
No. "JOlfiO (I'l. (1, l''i;^'. 4), also t'roin the Heiidire collection, repi-esents one of

the more linei\

^P

ttted

•f this species. It was taken from a nest of t!i(

.Mountain Son;;- Sparrow, in Kl I'aso County, Colorado, hd ,liily 2, 1H74; this
also contained another ( 'owhird's ei;^' and tliree e"i;s of the rightful owner.

Hoth of these are lar^^-e specini

Xo. -.'.f)!!;;; (I'l. c, I-

avera'!'e-si/,i'(i ami a liea\ il\' iiiarke(i siiecimeii m w

I Inch tl

le Ll'rolllK

■)) re|)resents an
1 col(

ir IS prett\'

wel

liiilileii, and was

taken h\' Dr. A. I\. l-'isher, near Sinii' Sin^', New ^'

ork

from a nest of the Hed-cNcd N'ireo, coiitainiiii;' two e;^;"s of its own in addition
to that of th(! i>arasite, on ,lune (I, ISSO; and No. •jr)?^! (I'l. (I, Fi-r. C), in the

TriK cownmD.

441

Knipli rollcction, roprpsonta .mo of the siiiallor-Hizc^l spi-ciiiu'iis, witli li^-'litcr-
coloifd iiiiirkiiiffs, imd wiis takon ucfir llollfinil I'iitcut, New York, on May iU,
18S4, from a nest of a I'Iki'Ik' containiiij,'' four of its own i'<r<,rs and two of tliose
of tlif Cowbird. Tlio two last luuued vvoru evidently both laid by the same bird.

I •■'.'

m

171. Molothrus ater obscurus (( Jmklin).

OWAKl" COWltllM).

Stiiniiis oJis('in-iiiii)'s\KL\y, Systcma NaturtB, I, ii, 1788, 804.
M[ol(itlintK\ iilirv.w. (ihnciinin UoUK.><, ISirds of tlui Noi'tlnvest, 1871, ISO, in text.
(15 — , V lillrt, li :.'.J8o, (J 314, U 4!»."m.)

rrKO(iHAlMll('Ai, ifAMiio: Mcxico iiiid ailjoiiiiiiiT ])oi'ti<)ii.s of tlio i'nited States from
Huathei'u IVxas to south wt'Stuni Arizona and Lower Oalifornia.

The breeding;' ranj^H* of tlie Dwarf (Cowbird in the United States is coincident
with its fieoj^rajjliical distribution. It can only be consitlered a summer resi-
dent in scmthern Arizona, althou<jh a fi-w appear to winter tliere, as 1 shot an
adult male on Killito Creek, near 'i'ucson, on .b-nuary '-U, IS?;}. It usually
amves from its winter home in southern Mexico about the middle of March,
and is then found associatinjj' with diti'erent s])ecies of Ulackl)irds, es])ecially
Ih'ewer's Ulackbinl, l're(|uentinii' the vicinity of cattle ranches, roads, and cid-
tivated fields, liy A)iril lo the flocks have scattered, and small parties i}( from
five to t^\(■lvc may now be seen in suital)le localities, sucli as the ^in-nl)l)( i-y
alonji' water coiu'scs, sprinjis, etc., where other small birds are ai)undant. 'i'lii'
character of its food, and its o'eneral habits as well, .ire similar to those of the
common Cowbii'd, which it closely resembli'S, beinji' oidy a trifle smaller. In
middle 'I'exas the two races interoTade t() some extent, and it is claimed iiotli
breed there. In the lower I\io (irande Valliry, 'I'exas, the tyjjical Dwarf ('mw-
l)ird is connnon, and I found it eipially so in the vicinity of Tucson, Arizona,
where! 1 have taken (|uite a mnnber of its ejij^-s.

Mr. I"'. Stephens writes me that it is a counnon sinnmer resident as far west
as the (Colorado Kiver, beyond the inunediate vicinity of which he has ne\er sei'U
it. Mr. L. Beldiuii' found it counnon in the streets of San Josc^ del (Jarbo, Lower
California, associatinj^' with iirewer's Blackbirds, during- April. l)ut he rarely saw
it later. It is ipiestioualile if it breeds there.

Like its , 'astern i'elati\'e, the Dwarf Cowl)ird drops its eo-ns in the nests of
other birds, princijially in those of species which are smaller than itself Tiie
followin;!;- is a list of tiiose in which they have thus far been found:

Cinilopiis rirl((ii(Jsoiii, Wcstciii Wood I'cwi'c. Irlrnix spioiiis, Orcliant Oriole.

I'lltiivephaluit rvhiiicKn iiivjiciiinin v'i>iniilion

Fiycatclier.
Anchiiiia plKiiiiiriin, Red winged Hlacivbird.
Iclcni.i enciillalKK, Hooded Oiiolc.
IcteniH cuvultatKa nchoni, Arizona Hooded

Oriole.

Iftcrux hiitlocki, l>allo( k's Oriole.

Clioniloileit iiraiiinxicux .stri<j(ttiis, Wcsieiii
Lark Sparrow.

Anijtliisjn'd biliiiialii. I'>l;i(k tliroaled Spar-
row.

V't'Mcrt'tt carpuiiH, liufoiiswinged Sparrow.

liSi?^^

\:\ '••:

1"'i

iii^i

ilwl,

442

LII'K HISTOUIKH OF NOUTFI AMKUICAN IUUI>S.

Mclonpiza /(iHcidIa fulloj;, Desert Song Spar- ' Ui'\m\iithn})hUa liiria; Ijiicy's VViirblfr.

row.
Hmhmiaora ruflnrijala, Texas Simrrow.
I'ir(iii;i(i nihni coopiri, ("oopci's Taiia>;er.
CufdiiKiVm rariliHiilix ('rt«i('((»(/((x, (iray-liiili'tl

Cardinal.
l!lpi)roi>hilii mitrelUli nh(irpii, Hliarpc's Sot'd

eater.
Virfo norfhoravcnsh, VVliileeyd V'irco.
Vino belli', HcH's N'ireo.
Vino livllii puMilliix, Least Vireo.

Jfniilroim witUrn noiionnid, Soiiora Yellow
Warbler.

Diudntivii rliri/Koiiiiriii, (ioldeii rlieekcd
Warl.ler.

(I ciitli I i/pin I i-ivhaM ovvidviilnliMfV) vHU'.rn Mary-
land Yellowtliiiiat.

Tctn-iii riniiH loiijiicaiifia, Loii(> tailed ('hat.

MiiiiUM poh/iiloltHs, Mockinf^bird.

I'oUoptiUt pliimhiii, I'liinibeons < liiatcateliur.

Sialiti wcn'crtwrt, Western IJluebird.

Doubtless a niiiiilMT of other names still i-eiiiain to lie added.

Aceordiiifi' to my oi)servatioiis, the I^c^ast Vireo seems to he ot'teiier imposed
upon, in soiitlieni .Arizona at least, than any other hird, the Desert Son;;-
Sparrow, Mlaek-throated Sparrow, and V(;rinilion Flycatcher tbUowin^i' in tho
order named.

The earliest dato known by me on which an e;;';^' of this sul)s|iecies was
found is .\pril 18, tho latest Au^^ust 2, showing;- that th<i layin;;' season lasts
apparently considerably lon^fcr than with Molotlina (iter, and it appears to be at
its liei^i'lit (lurin^f the month of Juno.

I found it iihnost impossible to obtain a full set of the i'<x<};!* of the Lonst
Viroo, Hourly overyxi08t containing'- one or two e;i-;,'-s of this parasite, and usually
only on(( or two of its own, and the latter were frequently punctured, in fai-t, this
was so often the case t'lat 1 am incliniMl to beli(!\-e that it is done purposely and
not by accidcMit; but wdiether made by the beak or the claws of the i)ir<l I will not
ventin-e to say; l)eli(n-e, however, it is done i)y tlie latter. In many nests 1 found
one or two of the owners' e;;-;;-s thrown out and i)roken, and occasionally every one,
the foster parent sitting;- on the parasite's e^j-ys alone. iVnxtnjr otlu'r instances I
found this to bo the case in a nest of tlu! IMundx'ous Gnatcatcher, which was
placed in a thick mistletoe bu'ich y-rowin;^- from a limit of a mesipiite tree, about
1.5 feet from the ;rround and well hidden. I first (.>i)served tho nest on .luno 10,
1H72, when it contained a sin^jle e;;-;^-: on visiting- it again on the ITtli the female
was sitting on a couple of Dwarf ('owliird's eggs alone, and on looking- on tho
g^round 1 found the renmants of three eggs, which evidently had lieen thrown
out. Bullo(-k's Orioh? may occasionally riil herscdf of the parasitic <''^ix'- "t nny
rate I noticed tlu* remains of one lying under a nest of this sjtecies, with portions
of one of her own. This nest containeil onU- three eggs of the rightful owner,
and the bird was sitting- on those. The largest nnmlaM- of Dwarf Cowbird's eggs
f;)und by me in one nest was throe, that of a Desert Song Sparrow, and all of its
own e"-"-s were missiu"-. I several times found nests containing- single eggs of
this parasite abandoniHl, and also picked up two uninjurcMl from tlu^ ground,
where they evidently had becm dropped by th(^ bird, not finding- a suitable nest
in time to deposit them. None* of the young of the foster |)arents seem to survive
tli(! advent of a \'oung- (!owbird in their nest longer than two or thrcic days,
as they are soon starved by tlum- more vigorous and voracious foster brother.
After tho youny- Dwarf Cowbird is old enough to care for itself it abauihtus its

.in^i^Sm

-'--'■ -^ - *"'^

TIIK DVVAIIF COVVHlUn.

443

f()st(>r parents iiiul seeks the t'(unpaiiy of its dwii kind, wliicli ^idtlier in sniiill
btiuds and rove tVotn place to plaee. Later in tlxt Heasou, aliont tlie latter part
of Oetolier, tliese }«atlier into lar^^er flocks, associatin;^' at this time witli other
cniiHcuial species, and shortly alter they retin-n to tiieir winter homes in Mexico,

In jit'iieral a|tpearance and shape the ej;';;^ of tln^ Pwarl' (.'o\vl»ird resendtle
those of the precedinji' species, and the same description will answer for lioth;
bnt they appear on an averajic to he somewhat less heavily s|iotted, which ^ixes
them a lijihter appearance, and they are also considerably smaller.

The avera^ic measurement of thirty-se\en specimens in the llniteil States
National Museum collection is l!>..'i(l l)y I4.IMI millimetres, or (t.7(> liy O.oll inch.
'I'he larji'est e^';^' in this series measni'es '2().'u liy 1"). 11> millimetres, ur O.Sl hj
0.(11 incii; the smallest, IS.O.'; hy l.'i.Tl millimetres, or 0.7 1 hy o..")! inch.

The type specimens. No. 201 7H and 201 7!> (I'l. (I, Ki<;s. 7 and 8), hoth in
the iJendire colU'ction, were taken liy the writer on Ixillito Creek, near Tucson,
Arizona, the lirst and smaller on .June 20, 1S72, from a nest of tht^ i'dack-
throated Sparrow, with only a sinjile e;;;;- <if its own, incul)ation havinji- com-
menced; the second, on duly 11I,1H72, from a nest of the Least N'ireo, containin;^-
also two of its own eji';;s, which were fresh. 'I'hey represent ahout the usual
amount of markings, and the last-mentioned si»ucinit'n is above the averaj^c size.

172 Callothrus robustus (Cadam.s).

KKll-KVKD I'OWIIIUI).

I'Kdioroliindi iriKiin WAOI.l'.li, Isis, ISL'it, 7"iH.

CiillotliiKx nihiixlKs IMlxJWAV, Manual"!' Nortli Aincricmi liinls, IS87, ">sn.

(1! _, C — , \i L'.W, (J .{15, I' 19(!.)

(iKOdi! Ai'iiicAi. KANcii;: Mc'xico and (Icntral Aniorica, nortli tosoutlicrn Tcxiis, south
to i'linaina.

The i)reedino> rano-e of tlat Ked-eyed or Uronzed ("owbird, a larger and
darker-colored species than the two precedinfi', coincides with its o-eonia|)hicii|
distribution in the United States, and extends, as far as known, northward and
eastward only to Hexar County, Texas, where .Mr. II. I', .\ttwater rejiorts it as a
rare sunmier r''sident near San Antonio, and where he found one ot' its e^'jis in
tho iiest of a Uidl<»ck's ()ri(de.

W(f iWi' inilebted to Dr. .bimes C. Merrill, rnited States .Vrmy, for the addi-
tion of this interestiufi' species ti> our fauna. lie first recorded it in thi' Mnlletin
of the Xuttall ( )ruitholooical ( 'lub (\'ol. I, 1S7<1, j). SS), as an alunidant summer
resident in tlu; vicinity of I'^ort IJrowii, Texas. A full account of tlie breeding'
habits ot' this species by 1 >r. Merrill may be found in the al)ove-i)ientioiied liulletin
(Vol. 11, 1S77, pp. <sr)-S7), from whi<h I extract the most inti-restinji notes:

"IMy first, specimens wen^ taken at Hidalgo, on the K'io (Jrande, 70 miles
northwest of Fort Hrown, where, however, they ai'e not so abundant as lower
down tlu^ river. Here they are conunon throuohout the year, a small pmpor-

iv'-vt"

'filU

11:-: ■,^:

:;i

444

IM'K IIISTOlMKi^ OK NOKTII AMKIUCAN ItlKDS.

fidii pMii^r s<iiitli in winter, 'riuisc tiuit rcnmin pitlicr in lin'yc llorkM wifli tlic
L(inji-tiiiit'(l (innklt's, toninion ( 'uwltirds, iinil Hrcwri's, Ivnl-winjifil, mid YclldW-
liciidcd IMiii'l\i)irds; they IxM'onif xci y tanw, iind tli<< aiiMndiinrr nt' food al)oiit
tiic picket iiiicH attraetM tlieni tor niiles around. Ciillnllinis rnhiisliis i.s readily
distin^i'iiislialtle in tliese mixed ^>-iitiieriii^s I'roni tlie ntlief species liy its Idood-rod
iris and its jn'cuiiar top-lieavy appearance, caused liy its lialiit of pulling' out tlie
featliers of tlie iiead ami neck. Tins lialiit is most marked tlurinji' tlie hreediuff
Mniisou and in the male, hut is seen tindujiliout the year.

"iMxiut tlie middle of April the conmion ("owhinl and Mrewei-'s and tho
Yellow-headed hiiickliirds leave for the north; the Lon;:-lailed ( irackles have
fciniied their colonies in favorite clumps of mes(|uite ti'ees; the K'edwin^fs that
remain to hreed ha\ e selected sites tor their nests; the 1 )\\ art' ( 'owhirds, ^fdhillniis
fiidnis (ilisi lints, arrive from the south, and ('iilhilliiiis nilnisliis jiather in tlocks hy
themselves and wait for their victims to huild. The males have now a variety
of notes, somewhat resend)lin<;' those of the connnon ('owhird, Multilhnis /iiioris,
lait more harsh. Uurin;,'- the day they scatter over the sui'roundin^i' country in
little companies of one or two females and half a do/,en males, returniii;:' at
niii'htfall to tho vicinity of the ]ilcket lines. While the females are feeding' or
restinji' in the shade of a hush the males are eaficrly |(a\ inji' their addresses hy
|iullin;i' out their feathers, as ahove noted, striittinji' up and ilown, and noddiujf
and liowinji' in a very o(hl mamu-r. Mvery now and then one of the males I'iscs
in the air, and, poisin;^- himself two or ihree feet iihoxc the female, tliitters (or a
minute or two, followin;^' her if she naives away, anil then desccials to resume
his pulhu;^' and liowiui.;'. This hahit of tlutteriu;.;- in the air was >\liat lirst
attracted my attention to the species. In other respects iheii- haliits seem to lie
like- those ot' ♦he eastern ('owliird (Mdlnllniis jirrnris).

".M\- lirst eji'ji' of ('(illotlini.s loluisfii.s was taken on May 14, lS7<i, in a ( "ar-
dinal's nest. A few days hef'ore this a soldier la'ou^^ht me a similar e;iji', sayiii;;
he found it in a Scissors-tail's (Mi/niliis) nest. Not recoiini/inji' it at the tiiia', I
l)aid little attention to him. and did not keep the t-'^is- I soon found several
others, and have taken in all twenty-two specimens the past season. All hut two
of these were found in nests of the Hnllock's, Hoodecl, mal < )rchard ( )rioles. It
is a cin'ious fact that although Vellow-hreasteil Chats and li'ed-wiiifi'cd Hlack-
hirds hreed ahnndantly in ])l;u'es most fre([Uented liy these Cowltirds, I ha\e hut
once found the hitter's (•<>•<;• in a Chat's nest, and ne\ ei- in a l{e<lwin{;'s, thoui^h I
have looked in ^(•ry many of them, i'erhaps they feel that the line should lie
drawn somewher*', .ual s(-lect their cousins, the HIackliirds, iis coming' within it.
The Kwarf Cowhirds are not trouhled liy this scruple, however. Se\ci'alof
theso parasitic e;ii;s were found under interestiu;;' conditi<ins. ( >n si.\ occasions
1 have found an eji'ji' of lioth Cowltirds in the same nest. In four of these there
were e^iTis of tho riji'hfful owner,' who was sittinji'. In the other two the Cow-
liird's ejij;s wore alone in th(! nests, which were deserted. Miit I lia\-e known tho

' It wuiiM bf intrrcMtirux to know wliat would liii\e lifroiiit^ of tlm tliftM* hptTii'M in oiio nest, and liiid tljii

liiltc'i' 111 noar the fort, wlnri) I conld have vinitc>d liwni daily. I xhould not liavr takiMi tlio cgKN' '' '*

]in>IialiK', lio««v(^r, that CitllolhruH rubuutiit wouUl have disposud of tlio joiiiig Dwarf C'o« bird as I'axily as
of the yoiinj; Orioles.

Till'} Hi;i) KYi:i> ("i)Wllll£l>.

445

Ilomlfd ( )riol»' to set nii mi {■•^ix '>)' ('nlhillinin nilnifitiis which \Viis mi ihr |ii(iiit n\'
liiitfhiii^i' wln'ii t'iMiii(l. Ilmv its own (lisii|i|iciircil 1 can not siiy. Once two ci;}is
ol' Ciilliillinis tiiliiisliis were t'oiiiul in ii nest of tlic sniiiii < )i'ciiiir(l Hrinlc (\iir.
tilliiiis). 'Twice I hii\(' seen ii lirokcii c;iy it\' ('(illnllini.s idliiistii.'t nmici' nests ot'
liiillocii's ( trioie on whicii the ownei- wiis sitting.

"I'",arl\ in .lime a nest of the llooch'd Oriole was t'oiin<l, with four e^i'^s, and
one of ('(illiilliiHs rohii-stiis, all of which 1 removed, leaving' the nest. Ilait|ienin;4'
to jiass liy it a few days later, I looked in, and to my surprise found two ejies
of nihiis/ii-i, which were Itrokeii. 'These were so unlike that they were ])roi)al)ly
laid liy dili'ereiit lards. Still another ee';i', and the last, was laid in the same
nest within ten days, lint the most remarkalile instance was a nest of the small
( trchard ( )riole found dime ■_'(», containin;:' thi'ee e;;MS(if I'dllnllinis nil'Kshis, while
just heiieath it was a \\li(de e;^';^' of this parasite; also a ln'oken one of this and
the Dwarf ( 'owltirds Mulntlinis nh.siiinis. 'Two of the e^'^^s in the nest were
rotten. 'The third, strany;e to say, contained a liviii},' emiiryo. As the nest was
certainly deserted, I can laily account for this l>y siipposin;;' that the two rotten
ones were laid alioiit the first week ol' dime, « hen there was consideraide rain,
anil that the other was depositeil soon after, since wiiicli time the wi'ather hail
lieeii (dear and very hot. On one occasion 1 found a t'emale ('(illdllinis inhiisln-s
suspendi'd from a. nest of the Ihillock's Oriole hy a stiait thread around its neidv.
'Tho ni'st contained one younj;' of this ("owl lird, and it is pndiahle that its parent,
after depositinji' tla^ e;;'^', hecaiiK^ entanji'led in the thread on hurriedly leaving'
the nest, and there died. It had a|)pareiitly heen dead alioiit two weeks. 'This
case supports the \iiw that the eji';.is or \ oim^i' of the owner ari^ thrown out iiv
the yoiinj;' paiasite and not removed hy its parent, tlioiii;h 1 could find no trace
of them heiieath the nest."

Amon^i' the s|)ecies imposed on Ity the IJed-eyed ( "owhii'd are the followimj;:

Milniliinjor/iiiitiis, Scissor tailed Klycatclicr. ' <'iiriliii(ili.s ciinliiKili.'i c<iiiic<iiitlii.s, (liMyliiilcil
JfifniH iiiiilitliitiii, Aiidiilioii's ( Iriolc. Cardiiiai.

tctiriis viirulliiliiK, lloiidcd Oriole.
Iclniis Hpiiriiis, Oi'i'hiu'd Oriole.
/i'''"'M liiilliicl,i, liiillock's Oriole.

(iitiiiitit <(vn(liit iiirliiiiicliii. Western Uliic

(iioslieak.
Ictiriis riiriis lititijUtiitdii, Loii},' tailed Chat.

Other species will undoiditodly have to he added to this li.st.

'The (Orioles appear to he the special victims of the Weil-eyed Cowhird, and
among these .Vudiiiion's sc-ms to Ite the worst sulfori'r. In nine sots of this
species in the I'nited States National Museum collection there are onlv two
whicli contain tlu; normal numher of egos, four. In each of tho other seven
tlu're are from one to thi'ee of those parasitic; (spgs, with (me or two of their
owner.s', and usually some of these are ]tunctured. In none of these nests were
eggs of the Dwarf ('owl)irii found in addition to those of tlu> ('idlitlliru.i rohitsliis.
'The former appears to deposit its eggs in ne.sts of tl:;; smaller Orioles only.

'The eggs of the Ked-tsyed Cowl)ird are rather glossy; the shell is finely
granulated and strong. Their sliai)e varies from ovate to short and rounded

1 1

•if

11

,':i^

,.i

'Hi

44<5

LIFE IILSTOHIKS OF NOKTU AMliKlCAN IMK'DtS.

o> ■ tc. I'lit'V iHH^ pule l)liiisli j;r('cii ill color ami uusiiottcd, ivscmhlinji- tlic v'^<^s
ot" tlic IJlai'k-throiit^tl Sjkutow ami Blue Grosbeak in this respect, but an? iiuicli

1

rii'ci'.

'I'lu- averajro lueasurcnu'iit nt' lliirty-cifi'lit sju'ciincns in the United States
National Mnscnni collection is 'iiJ.ll by IH:2\) niillinietres, or O.ill l)y O.T'J inch.
The largest e^';^- of the series nii^asures 2t.(>4 by IS. SO millimetres, or 0.117 b\-
0.74 inch; the smallest, •il.Sl by Hi. 7(1 millimetres, or O.Sd by (UK) inch.

The tyjjc specimon, No. 2(i;5H) (I'l. 0, Ki^'. 1>). from the Kalph collection,
taken from a nest of Amlniion's Oriole cont'iinin^' three i'.'^'^s and also three of
the Ked-eyed ( 'owbiril's. was oltained on May S, 1S!);5, in Cameron County,
Texas, and represents aii.iut.an asi-rafi-e vixu: of thi.' s[»ccies.

173. Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus (I'min.m'akti.j.
vi;.,Lo\v-ni;Ai)i;n lii.AcKiiiiai.

Trfn-Ks .rani'.oriiiliiihis I'.nNAr VUTF, Joiiriiiil Acadoiny Natiu'al Scicnros, Phila.. \', l.SLMi, L'!',!.
X(tnilr:^<l)liiilt(s .iKiitltixrp'tithm .loll'fA.N, .Manual ef X't'itchiatcs, etl. t, ISHi, '.tli.

(B 404, C -IVi, K -KiO, V. ;51!l, IJ 4i)7.)

OiooiiUArnicAi. UAMtr.: Wost'irn >rortli Aiiuii'lca; I'rmii nortlieni Mexico and Ijowcr
('alit'oniia, throiijili Te.vas. New Mcxice, Aiizoiia. and California, north to sourlicrn hritisli
Colnnibia, and in tiie interior of tiie honi'iiioii of Canada, in tlie Provinces of Athabasca
ai'd Kccwatln. to aUonI latitude ."),S .'!(»' N.; east to Manitoba, and in the United States
rc^idailylo Wisionsin, noithcin Uliiois, noitiiwestcrn Indiana, .Mis.sonri, and tlie Indian
'rciiitcM'y. ("asaaily t<i Oncario and <,>nebec, Canachi, Pcinisylvania, New York, the New
i'lnijlaiul Siates, tlie District of Colu:.d)ia, Soath Carolina, Florida, and liouisiana. Acci-
dental in the Ishmd of Cnba and in Greenhnid.

'ilie breeilinu' i-an;;-e of tlie Vidlow-honded Hlackliird is, I believe, eor.x-
tensive with its rejiiilar o-eoi^r .pliical distriltntion. althoujili we have 110 j)Ositiv(!
information that it l)reiMls in \'xas and in the Indian Teri-itory. It is a well-
known and abundnit winter iesid( lit, however, alon^' the Oulf coast and in
the lower Kio ( Irande \ al)e\', in 'I'exas, and it. lias been (disei'Ncd there up to the
latter part of April. In looking;' )\-er tli<^ ^.eries of e^;;s of this species I tind
tha* the I'nite 1 States National ."Itisemn contains a set of three, orijiinally par.
of Dr. l-iilandii'r's c(dlection, made in the ', icinity of Matamoras, Me.xico, .'Mid
received from Lieutenant <'(M'.eh, in ISo.s, which, altlion;L;li in a poor state (d'
preservation, i-an readily be identilied as belon;^in;i' to this bird. Ihit in the
almost impenelraliie tangle and under^'i'owtli with which nianv of the laj^oons in
tliat section (d couiitr\ are surrounded, ^vllie!i iticalities are uiainl'-' resorted tr.
by these birds dminji' the l)reedii.o' .season, it is an easy matter to ovcrhxdv even
sueii extensive colonies as are oceasiona.'lv found at that time ol' year on it>
reoiilar breeding- fi'munds farther north, and 1 therefore believe that it will yet
be found lU'stin;^- in '5'exas

riie Vellow-headed Hlackliird. wdiile conuiioii in suitable localiti<'s dui'iny
th ' br.jediny season ihronglioul portions of our Northern and Western States, is

THE YKLLOW UEADKI) liLACKBlUD.

447

ontiivly !il)S('nt in iiiiiny others. It is a liird ot" the pniirics, especially such as
arc covered here and there witii lakes, slouj^hs, and extensive marshes, and
avoids the more arid desert tracts, extensive forests, and tinilier-covered moun-
tain ranges, altliouj
11]) to !l.<»00 feet.

>h in (_!<dorado it has been ol)ser\cd ii

1 siinnner

.t altitudt

Besides llic numerous localities mentioned in previous works on this sub-
ject. Dr. E. A. .Meai'us, Tniteil States Army, found it breeding' in larj^c nmni)ers
the Mojiolloii Mountains in Arizona. Mr. A. W. Anthonv

It M

ormon

L-A

e. m

>ut tl

reports it as connnon throuj^'hout the sunnnerm southwestern New J>le.\ico,

th

X(

Mi

hi

exc(H'dinjfl\' common in tlu^ \'icinity of Fort IJidwell, ('alifornia, amoiiy the tules
of Gooso Lake, and, if possible, still more so ahm;^' tlie low, marshy shores of
Lakes Malheur and llarnev, in southeastern ( )rey-on, whert^ I have seen it in

immense numliers and examined man

'}•

nests. It is 111.

kewisi^ \i'rv connnon alonii'

the shores oi' Klamath Lake, and especially in tlu? extensive Klamath marshes.
1 liavt* also noticed it in dilfertsnt parts of Xexada, Idaho, and Washington, and,
in fact, it seems to be }^(Uierally distributed in favoral)le localities throujihout the
entire Northwest, exceptinji' jjcrhaps iii the innnediate vicinity of tlu; seashore.
Aliiiiji' the shores of the numerous lakes in .Manit(>l)a and Saskatchewan it seems to
'e e([U;dl\- I'onnnon. Mr. \\. MacFarlane forwar(le(l a nest and a, set of e;ij;s fi'om
unbcrhind House, Saskat<'hewan, and a skin from the Hudson Hav I'osi at iMi
lirochet, situated at the northern extremity of Ueindeer l,ake, in about ''^titude
.")S'^' ;50' and lon"itU(h' lol ' west of (ireenwich, where it is said to be a moder-

nmer resident. This localitv marks, as f

ately common sui

most northern point of its ran^^■(^

The Vellow-headed Mlack!iird is emineiith-

u' as IS V(

•t ku

own

th

sociiiule m Jts ll<

ibit

s, scarceu

evi'r seen smiilv, ami nsualK' hreeds ui larjie <'olomes

h

It is

ini)arentlv

tlv. 1

low

ever, not very toleriiul toward the other spt'cies of iJlackliinls which frecpieiit

sum

lar localities, and therefore rareh' nests i

lear or amou"!' them

th

Its notes are
harsh and raspini;-, an<l wlu'U a colony of these birds is disturl»ed on its breedinj;'

•trounds by an unwelcomt* intruder, and j^ives vent to its spleasure, the uoi.sc

md ('(^mmotion proi

luced

are somethinji' startlinj^-. The male, when at ease

and c!in;4in<i' to some swaviui^' rci-d or rice stalk, often indulj^ s in a Mirl of soim'.

tmiiin;^- auil twistiuu' its head in all forts ot' unu^

licisiti<) IS dnriiis'' this

f(
th

ance: but with ali th
rl

lan a series ot ntu-rU mdescriliable s(iueaks,

•tfort
ibk

s lie iloes not succeed ui uttermij' niucli eist

>er-

'chiick, chiick.'

'1>

Its

s ordmai'N- c;dl note is a siiri

hrill

It usualh arrives on its l)ix'ediMi;' iirounds in our N'orthern States diiriii"-

the first half of April, and coiTes|)ondiiij^iv later farther north

(f tlir \'iIlow-lieaded Ulackbird coiisistH of various kin.' of si

nal

sect Is

-lie

as wild rice

tc., and in farmiiii;- districts it occasionallv <■

damage to ^•ount'• corn, as wi-U as to corn in the milk, and to oal and wheat field

nis IS moiv

tl

Kill compeiisi

ited tor, lio\ve\er, b\ tl

le immi

■use number of insects,

includuiij tlii'ir

arvjf, '\ Ml

ch it destroys, es|)ecially younjr locusts and

;rasf hoppers, m tin- sprii.ii an<l fall flocks of these birds in;

seen tollowinj.','

t^

448

lill'K UISTOKIKS Oy NOSrni AMERICAN lUUDS.

th

plow, t'lciiuiM^' up ovcrytliiiig' as tliey ;•■<>

th

til

I bel

ll'Vt!

that,

(•11 thu wliolo it

(Iocs far iiinn

(I than liarii

.Mr. 15. 'P. (Jaiilt writes 1110: "In nortlicastoni Illinois tlio niarslics of tlic
CahniK't ami i'"ox Lake r(''::i()Ms used to ho favorite resort.s of these hinls. 1 have
alwa\s found them iiestiu''' in the tall wild

ice {iTowin;;' auuiidantu- in tlieso

th

th

localities. Each nest was attached to several such stalks, at a luMjiht of 2 or 15
teet above the siirfact! of the water, and usually in a jilace where it was almost
out tif tlu! ([Ui'Stion to use a boat to good advantai^c^ and (piite daniicroiis if not

UU}

)ossi

ble t

I) wade.

.Mr. .1. \y. Preston ina.Ues the followino remarks

T\

lese nirds suarni m

the

numerous swamps of northwestern Iowa. In one small tract of water cane I
have seen over a thousand nests built amonj^'the stalks, and sometimes so closelv

s are cunninj^ly woven into clum|»s ol' last

as

to touch each other. 'These nests

seasons cane, and

u'e (

lioice bits of bird architecture

r

Uf mati'i'ials utilized

are o

Id blades of sedj

'•(■s and

■asses brou"'

■lit fr

■oni .shallow water and used wet.

1 lia\c coucealeil mvself amoii"' them and watched the femah^ uatheriii"' tl

materials, w

Iiicl

1 sUe do(

eisurc'lv manner, dist

(lUl'

■iiich
her. Tlu^ lu'st is jilaced from (I inclies to .'5 feet above the water."

le

as do not suit

.V

moni-'

tile extensive tule marshes borclerinj'' .Malheur Lake, ( )reL;'oii. I ha\(

seen hundreds of these jjirds nestiny. Here the nests \\ere all secui'eK fastened
to si'\-eral tall Uile stems, or to rushes from 10 to 30 inches above the water
level. Some resenibl(>(l inverteil ctnies, and measured as iiiuch as H or 10 inches
in outer depth; the majority, however, were not nearly so deep. A well-}ireserved

nest now

•fore me, \o. •iO'_';5;5, I'aited Htates National Museum collection, tak

on Jiiiu! .'5, 1S7(), near .Malheur Lake, measures exteriorh' A inches in deiith 1)\-

-,i.

inciies m outer diametei

Tlu' inner cup is 2\ inches deep by 2'{ incia

S Ml

diamete
pieces (

The outside of the nest is composed of coarse marsh jji'rasses and

:ftul

an(

1 rusl

islies, w

user

th

1 tol
1

)ind

liese materials tojiethei

Inch
th

are woven toiictlier wiule wt

,hil(

't, but

no mud IS

le 111

use heni'i- utili/ed m a drv static

; tl

The nest, al

ner cup is line(| with iiner firasse;

liou;;li laru'i' and oulkv.

wails o\cr an mch thu

i~ (lUite liiilit, but still strnu<;' and diir

withstand

ti

ibl

e enon

it!)
f^h to

u-

lieav\- ji-ales w

hicl

1 occasionallv swrcii o\er tliesi

th

ake

I lia\e seen oiih the lemale laiild

my

d doubt if I

lailow inland

ic male assists to

an\" n'reat extent in viiis lai)or, but he does not al)andnn his mate (hirinij' tl

le

season ot incubation, as

I

a\e seen it stated: for, althoii;

■hi

le may not assist in

th

th

lese duties, he is ncer far awa\'. It takes about a week to build a nest.

aiK

i'X are tre(|uentlv not use(l tor a \\t.'vk or more a

ifter 1

leiny- finished. Ii

more xiiitliern parts ot it>

b

.lit

raii"-e nidilication iisumII\ Im :;ins duriii!.

he

last ten d;

Mi

\'. and IS at its heijiiit li\' the iiii

th

A .]

w

it(dicwaii and still fartliir

no

•th it

is pro

tractecl to the latte

r iia

I'

while in .Sas-
ol this month.

.Ml'. H. .\lacl''arlaiie took fre.sh eii'fi's in th" \iciiiity of t'nmiiei land llniise on
.iiine ;50, 1H!I().

I'"ro;, two to five ('"irs are laid to a set, usualh' four; and 1 !)e!ie\ c, throii'iii-

oiit the iioiiliern parts ot its raiii.>;e at least, only a single Urood is raided in a

d

season; an cij'l;' is depositeu (

laily.

■''fin

THE YELLOW IIUADKI) HLACKIURI).

449

Tncul)!ition, as luiarly i;s I hii'<' bemi iihlu to awnrtain, lasts alioiit fourteen
days, and tlie youn<^- are able to leave the nest in about sixteen days after
hatching.

Hy the 1st of Auf^ust the Yellow-hoadeil Blackbirds have fj^athered into
larf'G Hocks and then roam about in search of }>()od feeding grounds. 'I'hey fly
in compact masses and at tliis tinu* associat(f to some extent with Brewer's and
the Ived-winged Blackbirds. By tlu? middle of October they gradiudly disajtpear
ivlongthe northern borders of their range and move southward, wintering in our
soutluvestern States and in northern Mexico.

The i^ggs of the Yellow-headed Blackbird vary in siiai)e from ovate to ellip-
tical anil elongate ovate; the shell is finely granulated, strong, and rather glossy.
The ground color varies from grayish white to pale greeni.sli white, and this is
profusely and pietty (evenly blotched and speckled over the entire surface with
ditferent shades of l)rowns, ciiuiamon rufous, ecru drab, aiul pearl gra}'. The
markings are usually heaviest al)out the larger end of tliti egg, and sometimes a
specimen is met with which shows a few tine, hair-like tracings, like those tV)und
on the eggs of the Orioles.

The average measr ement of one hundred and thirty-four eggs in the United
States National Museum collection is 25.83 by 17.!)2 millimetre.s, or about 1.02
by 0.71 inches. The largest i'<i;'^ in the series measures 28.11(1 by 1!).81 millime-
tres, or 1.14 b}' 0.78 inches; the smallest, 23.11 by 17.53 millimetres, or O.'Jl by
O.C!) inch.

The tyj)e specimen, No. 20233 (PI. f!, Fig. 10), from a set of three, wa.s
taken l)y the writer at Malheur Lake, near Camp Harney, ( h'egtm, on Juno 3,
1S7(), and i-i'itresents one of the coarser marked a!id larger eggs; Nos. 25028
and 25030 (1*1. (i, Figs. 11 and 12), l)oth from sets of four, taken by Dr. Fdgar
A. i\Iearus, Fnited States Army, near Fort Snelling, Minnesota, .May 27, 1891,
represent tiie liner and mont common styles of markings, and show the variations
in size as well, the former showing also a few hair lines which are not often
found on the eggs of this species.

wm

II:

174. Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus).

Ki:i)-WlN(!i;i) ItLACKlilUD.

Oriolns phwiiivt'itu LiNN,Kt\S. Systemii Natiinc, cd. 12, F, 1T()(!, KJl.
Aijehiiu.s phaiiicciin awM^tioti, I''iiuiiu Borculi .Vinericaiiii, II, 1831,280.

(H 401, C 212, R 201, C 310, U lOS.)

(iKodHAi'uicAi, K iNoi', : Tciiipcriite Nortli AiiiiMica; north in tlio oiistorn parts nf
tiic Diimiiiiou of <'aiiii(ia to abiiul latiiiulc 1!)'^; in the inlcrior to (Jr^'at .Slave Lake and
l''"!' Hinipson, Northwest Territory to about latitude 02^ N.; iiiul on tlu' I'acitic Coast, as
;;..• as ivuown, to soutluun IJritisli Columbia. t"outh in winter to Costa Kica, Central
America. Accidental in Hn^huid, Italy, etc.

T'.e breeding range of the Red-winged Blackbird, also known as the
"Swam[)" and ''Marsh" Blackl)ird, is netu'ly coextensive with its geographical
distribution both in the United States and the Dominion of Canada. It is one of
it;x!H>— No. ;t — lit

'! S

i ■

m

W-

p-

- i'

Il-

■J

■VI ■'

'• "i '

ls 1-

■ ' ' 1 ■

450

LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

the coinraoiiost and best-known birds witliin onr borders, breeding in all suitable
localities tliroujilioiit the entire country, exceptiniif the extronie southern portions
of tlu! Florida peninsula and adjacent keys, the lower Itio Grande Valley in
Texas, the lower (JoliM'ado Valley, the southern jjortious of Arizona, and the
greater part of California west of the Sicjrra Ncvadas, when! it is replaced by
closely allied forms. Beyond onr northern border it breeds throughout the
more temperate portions of the Dominion of Canada, attaining the most northern
jxtints of its range in the vicinity of Fort Simpson, on the Mac-kenzie River,
and along the shores of (Ireat Slave Lake, in the Northwest 'I'erritorx'; while
on the Pacific Coast, as far as I am aware, it has not been noted farther north
than in the southern portions of l?ritisli Cohunbia, which seems to mark the
limit of its range in tlu.. direction. lOiiornious flocks of these birds winter in
the Southern and some of the Middle States, but the majority perhaps pass
farther south, (extending their migrations into Mexic(», and sometimes to Costa
liica. Central America.

The U(Hi-winged Blackbird is eminently sociable in its habits, and generally
moves about in large, compact Hocks, except during the breeding season, when
it scatters into small colonies, and sometimes into single |)airs.

It usuilly arrives in the .Middle Stiiles about March 15, moving slowly
northward, and by the last of April most of the birds are Cftabli.shed on their
l)reeding grounds, the males ])receding tiio females several days.

Fts favorite haunts are moist meadows adjoining the banks of small creeks
and streams, boggy spring holes and ponds bordered by clumps of cat-tails,
Hags, rushes, and rank weeds, low islands covered with marsh grasses and a few
willow and alder bushes, and particvdarly the large and extensive tule-boidered
lakes of the interior. As the mating season arrives the males become very
demonstrative in their attentions to their prospective mates, and their not
umnelodious "conk-qne-reeh, conk-(pie-reeh" may be heard in all directitms. A
call note like "tch-cwee, tch-ewee," an energetic "tchiick, tchiick," or "diick,
diick," and a, long-drawn-out, clear whistle like "zhee-hee, zhee-hee," are also
fre(iuently uttered at this time.

AVhile the food of the Ked-winged Blackbird consists to some extent of Indian
corn, rice, wheat, and oats, it also feeds on many of the seeds of noxious weeds,
like the ragweed and smartweed; and it destroys large numbers of cutworms
and injurious insects and their lar\'a\ In many of the ])rairie States it does an
inunense auKnint of good by feeding on the myriads of locusts which overrun
the c(.nntry at times, as well as on their eggs when tin-ued up by the plow.
Small moUu.sks and m nts also enter into their bill of fare, as well as wild
berries in tlieir season, and in some of the Southern States they an; said to feed
on the; seeds of tlie pine. In .southea.stern Oregon 1 have seen them feed on an
Ephemera, locally called "^lay" or ".salmon" fly, which makes its appearance
there about .Tune 1 in countless numbers.

While tli(> Hed-winged iilackbird nndoubteilly does niore or less damage in
some of our farming regions — for in::tauce, to yoiuig corn just sprouting, and

THE EEDWINGED BLACKBIRD.

461

ndiau
voeds,
worms
oes au
voiTiin

plow.
s wiltl
to t'et'd

on iUi
;arauce

lao-c in
ig-, and

ai^aiii when it. is in tho milk, find in the rice plantations in the Sontli — it likewise
does a great doal of good, and, excepting sections where it congro<;atcs in
large nnmbers, it is safe to assert that tho good done by it thronghont tho year
far ovor])alan('ps tho harm. Tho young are fed almost oxtilusivoly on insects,
and enormous lunnbers are required to feed them.

Tho nesting season varies somewhat in different sections of its range. In
same parts of the South full sets of eggs have been found as early as the first
week in Apr.', wlnle in others nidilication begins fully a month later. In the
northern half of the United States it is at its heijrht from Mav 15 to Juno la, and
occasionally fresh eggs are found more than a month later, these probably being-
second broods. At Fort Ues(dution, on Great Slave Lake, full sets have Ix'en
taken on Juno 7 by Messrs. Robert Kennicott and James Lockhart. In the
West I found the Red-winged Ulackbird common throughout Washington,
Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Nevaila, and it breeds more or less abundantly
in all suitable localities throughout this region.

Mr. II. P. Lawrence observed large flocks of Blackbirds, consisting of this
species, the Ricolored, and Brewer's Black! )irds, near the (!ohnnbia River, below
Vancouver, Washington, but they appear to become rarer near tho coast. At
Fort Walla Walla, Wa.shington, a little colony nested in a swampy thicket close
to the Post, at an unusually early date, April 20, 1881, and tho majority of the
nests contained full sets of eggs at that time, while at Camp Ilarney, Oregon,
about 2.")0 miles farther south, nidilication began about a month later.

The nests resemble those of tho preceding species in general construction,
but average a trifle smaller. They are usually placed in bunches of reeds, rushes,
or small bushes, from a few inches to sever> I feet above the ground, and occa-
sionall}- in a tussock of rank grass directly on tho groimd, mostly in swampy
places close to water, and rarely any great <listanco away. Now and then
a nest may bo found placed in the forks of willow, elder, and alder bushes,
from 10 to 1,") feet from th(! ground. The ni.st is always securely attached to
several of last year's reed and grass stems or to small branches of bushes; the
materials composing it vary considerably in bulk, they are used in a wet state,
and consist of ditVert nt kinds of coarse niar.sh grass, eel grass, and strips of rotten
willow and sagebrush bark, as well as of liner grasses. They are usually lined
with tine grass tops, and occasionally with horsehair.

An average nest measures from 4.J to 5 inches in outer diameter, and from
3^ to (5 inches in depth; the inner cup is from 2.J to 3 inches in diameter, and
about tho same in depth; it takes about a week to complete a nest and for it to
become sufficiently dry to bo used. Jlr. W. E. Grover found the Red-winged
Blackbirds breeding in considerable nuinbers on Galveston Island, Texas, tho
nests being gen(;rally placed in salt cedars or in Cherokee rosebushes. Ono of
tho nests sent by him to the United States National Museum collection had quite
a quantity of snake exuviic incorporated in its walls, a rather unusual building
nniterial for this species.

■••riiUJii

'I, I- V) .'■.i'f

i ' , ''-
■ < ••■!.■,

i'';^'.^' J

452

LIFIC HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Mr. I). C. li(«inl sent iim a ])li(>t<»f;'riii)li ot a iiwst of this spocies takcni near
Flnsliin^r, Loiin- Islnnd, Now York, wliicli was Imilt directly on oiio ot' tlin lion^-
))ilk'(l Marsii Wren, Chfothonix jiiilnsli-'is ,- hutli lU'sts were occupied and contained
e<j;'<^'s when taken. The Cowliird inijuwes occasionally on this species. 'I'he
imniber of cf^fi's laid to a set varies from t\V(» to six, and one is laid daily luitil
th(i set is coin]ileted. Sets of three and foiu" an; most often found; in the more
sdiitliern portii>ns of its range three pre(himinate, whih* farther north foiu' are
tlui nsual coniiilemeut. Sets of live are uuconnnon, iind thos(! of six are very
rare. Only a single brood is usually reared throughout the greater jjortion of
tlioir riuige.

lncul)ation hists al)out two weeks, and tlie yoiuig are able to leaA'e the nest
in al)out sixteen days. As soon as they ar(^ larger enough to pi'ovide for tiieni-
selves they gather into small companies and roam ov(!r tiie country. In August
and Sejjtember tlu^y ciingregato in larger tlocks, containing many thousands, and
at which time they fre(|uently do considerable damage in certain favorite resorts.

The eggs of the lve(l-winge<l Hlackl)ird are mosth,- o\ati' in shape; the shell
is strong, linely granulated, and moderately glossy. The ground color is usually
pale bluish gr<'eii, and tliis is occasionally more or less clouded with a |)ale
smoke-gray sulfusion. They are spotted, blotched, marbled, ami streakeil, mostly
about tlu- larger end, with ditl'ereiit shades of black, brown, drab, and heliotropes
|)urple, presenting great variation in the amount, character, and style of markings.
Occasionally an entirely unspotted vij;',!; is found.

The average measurement of three hundred and eighty eggs in th(i United
States National Museum collection is 24.Xt> by 17..^).") millimetres, or about (i.'.(.S
1)\- ().(!'.) inch. The largest egg in tiie series measures 27. '.(4 by I'.I.O,") millime-
tres, or l.lo by 0.7.") inches; the smallest, 20.57 by 15.75 luillimetres, or 0.81 l)y
0.(i2 inch.

The type specimen. No. 15037 (I'l. ti. Fig. 1.3), collected by Dr. Elliott Cones
near Fort Macon, North Carolina, .Iiua^ 12, l.S(il», represents an egg in which the
ground color is almost hidden, while No. 201IJ!) (Pl. 6, Fig. 14), from a set of
four eggs, I'nMidire collection, taken by the writer on April 27, ISSI, near Fort
Walla Walla, Washington, represents a, handsome and well-marked i."^<j;. No.
2()ino (I'l. (I, Fig. 15), from a set of three eggs taken by Dr. E. A. Mearns,
Fnited States Army, near Fort Clark, Te.xas, on ,Fuly 5, ISil.H, rejn-e.sents another
tyije, intermediati^ between the two previously mentioned.

The style of markings selected for the ty])es of Ai/elniiis gtihernator and
Ai/clahifi tricolor ap[)ly likewise to eggs of this sjiecies and would answer equally
well for them.

TIIK SONOUAN lti;i>VVlN(J.

4.'53

" •>! IS

■ 'i
.1 :it

175- Agelaius phccniceus sonoriensis Kidciway.

SONDKAN KKIJWINO.

Agelaius phanicciin Hniiori'nsis KiixiWAY, AraniiiU Nortli Ainericiin Itinls, I8S7, ;{T(».
(B401, part; V 212, part; E201, part; C MCt, part; I' l!l.S.»)

GEoiMtAiMiM'Ai, RANCH"-: Nortlii'ru Mt!xico and contifiiioiis borders of the TTnited
States, from tlie lower Itio (irande Valley, in Texas, and Soiitliern Arizon.i w(>st to the
lower Colorado \'alley, Calil'ornia.

Till' Scniorau IJcdwin^' is distinofuisliiiblcf troni tin' (iiinmon Hcd-winifod
]?lackl)ird liy tin- liji'litcr colors ot" the t'ciiialc, its siindlcr liill, and its sonu'wliat
larj;or size. Its hrocdin^' rau^n in tliu Ihiiti'd States is conlincd to onr cxtroniu
southern lutrder.

Five siieeiniens, threes males and two females, now in tin' I'nited States
National Miisemn <'olleetion, taken by Dr. dames ('. Meri'ill, I'uited States Army,
at Fort Hrown, Texas, are ret'erahle to this snlisjieeies. The last two were
taken on February 17 and March 111, 1S77, hnt there are im dates on the labels
attached to the males. There are also several sets ol" ejifi's in the I'nited States
National Museum collection, taken by the Doctor at the same place on May 1,
1877, which are presuMnibly referable to tliis race. These are indistini:uishal)le
from tho.s(jof the Ued-wiuf^ed Blackbirds, but as they are not al)sohitely identilied
I have not lijjiu'ed aii\' of them; thex' averaj^c a trille snndler.

A colony of Ued-winji'cd Blackl)irds (in all |trobabilit\ ot' this sul)S])ecies)
nested at the sink of the Santa Cruz Ifiver, anntuj^- the tla^s and cat-tail rushes
in the laiiuna, '.I n\iles northwest of M'ucson, Arizona, in the sprino- of 1S72, but
1 did not take any of their e^i'ofs, siipposin^i' them to be the connnon eastern Ived-
winji'ed Blackbird, which the\' closel\- resemble in all their habits jiiul actions.
They appear to be resident there, as I noticed sonu' at all sca-mis id' the
year around m\' camp on Killito ( 'i-eek, which they often visited, in company
with other Itirds, pickino- up scattered firain at the picket line to wiiich my
horses were tied at niylit.

There are no ]iositively identilied e^ofs i>( this subspecies in tic United
States National Museum collection, but thev undoul)tedl\ resemble those of the
lieil-wiuged Blackbird so closely as to be practically indistinguishable.

176. Agelaius phoeniceus bryanti KiixiwAv.

liAUAMAN i;i:nwiN(i.

AijelaiuH phwnivciix hrj/niili liinowAv, Manual N(U'tli American Mirds, 1SS7, .".7(t.
(I! 1(11, part; 0 212, i)art; K 2t!I, part; V. ;!10, part; l' 4it.S/,.)

(Jkoghai'HICAI, liAN(iK: The lialiaiaa Island ;, \V(^st rndies, tlu" .soiuhern portions of
tlie I'lorida peninsula and the adjacent keys: west casually ? to the (ialf I'oast of Louis!-
ai.a^bake lior^'ue); south to Vueatan and Niearafjua, Oentral America.

The breeding' raufic of the Bahannni IJedwinii' in the Unitc<l States extends
thmuo'h the soutlit^rn |)ortions of the I'^loi-icla peninsula (the Kxci'^lades) and the

'•a-

l^'; !,*■*■■''*.'

454

LIFE 1JI8TORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIHI)8.

iidjiircnt keys, north, iis far as known, to Matanzas Inlet, and ]iossil)ly along
the (jiilf coast to Louisiana.

There is a sjiccinien in the United States National ^Inseuni collection, taken
nt l^ake liorgne, Louisiana, showing all of the characteristics of this race,
which is distinguiHhal)l(' from tin* common l?ed-winp('d IJlackhird 1)y its larger
and sharper bill and smaller size. First Lieut. Wirt Robinson, Fourth Artillery,
United States Army, found this .sul)si)ecies breeding abundantly at Matanzas
Inlet, and .secured several skins which an* referable to it.

Mr. (!. J. Maynard, in his IJii'ds (tf Florida, describes the habitat and nesting
hal)its of tlui Haliaman Redwing as follows:

" 'i'he Avidi'spread marshes of the Everglades of Florida are covered with
a luxuriant growth of tall grass, which attains to tlai height of ."> or e\en (! feet.
'Plu'.se vast i)lains form the homes of hundreds of Red-winged IMackbirds, and
there they also breed. As the grass is submerged in at least a foot of water in
the spring, the Blackbirds are obliged to suspend their nests near the tops of the
stout stalks, of which they bring several together, weaving the leaves in the nests
and around them in order to make them secure. The Everglades are seldom
free froin wind, which often blows a gale, waving the grass back and forth
furiously, so that the binls are forced to l)uild exceedingly compact structures
or they will be blown to j)ieces. The nests are therefore made of the leaves of
the coarse saw grass which abounds, neatly and Hrmly woven together. The
swaying motion to which their domiciles are constantly subjected has a t Midency
to throw the eggs out, and would were it not that the birds, who lia\e doubt-
lessly been taught by the experiene(* of former gi-nerations, build their nests
very deep, and, not content with this, they make them more secure by contract-
ing the entrance so much that it is imjiossible tor the eggs to fall out e\en when
the grass bends >^^^ that the tops touch the watei\ I discovered the first nests
in that locality on the )Sth of A{)ril, and they each contained three eggs, which I
afterwards found were all that were ever deposited. These, contrary to tlu* rule
among birds which lay a less niimber of eggs in the South than in th(j North,
were proportionately smaller when compared with New England specimens.

"May 1 of that season founil me standing on one of the small outer keys,
aljout lltO mih'S south of the ])oint last described. This islet, like nii'uy others,
contained a small lagoon in tlie center, around which was a belt of land that
supported a ninnber of trees, mainly the kinds known as " button 'vood" and
"mangrove.'" There were a large number fif Red-winge<l iilackl)irds breeding
on this key; but I was ])uzzle(i to lind the nests, for 1 coidil not see tliiiii in the
trees, and there wen* no laishes or gi'ass. After watching them attentivi'K' f(ir
a few moments 1 saw a female emerge from a small liole in a buttonwood ti'ee,
not far from ihe ground, and, cliMd)inp' up to it, discovered the nest, ivhich was
built like that of a Hluei)ifd. I afterwards found several in similar jthuH's, all
containing eggs. For a time I could not understand wiiy the l)irds had cho^en
these novel situations for homes, but tlu* 'ha-ha' of a, group of Fi.sh Crows
helped to enlighten me; for 1 kiu'W that the ])re(lat(a-y habits uf the latter-named
species renders the eggs of all birds unsafe if e.xjtosed, unless the owners are

Tni<: BAIIAMAN BEUWING.

455

snflicioiitly utrourp to protect tliem, and wliat tlio llodwinf^s lack in stronotli tlicy
make up in cunnin;;', an tliey placed their treasures where it was impossible tor
their enemies to j-'et at them."'

In the Ralph collection of e<^gs are three sets tak(!n near Lake Worth,
Florida, in the sprinj;' of 1S1)4, Avhich are undouhtedly referal)le to this suhspct-
cies. They are smaller than the e^'fi's of the U(Ml-\vin<;cd Mlackhird, eijiht
s})ecimens averaj>in<^- 2"_M!> by l(!.7(j millimetres, or about O.ST liy o.dil inch. I
liave not tij^'in-ed a specimen, as they iU'c in;Iistin<^uishal)le from those of the
Ked-wiuged Blackbird excejit by their smaller size.

■PI

177. Agelaius gubernator (Waoi.ek).

UK (il.(ilii;ii lil.ACKItlHl).

PmrncoUus fj\thernaior Waoler, Isis, IV, l«3l', 281.

Ayelaiita gubernator Uonai'AUTE, (ie();;ru|>liical and Compreueiisivc hist, IMJJS, 29.

(B 402, 0 212«, K 201rt, G 317, U 499.)

GEOORAi'niCAL RANOK: Pacific Coast districts, from wpstcru Wasbiiigtoii aoiitli
through western Orejjoii, and California, west of tiie Cascade .Monntains iind the Sleriii
Nevadas to Lower California and Mexico. Casually to western Xevada and southeastern
Cidiforuia (Inyo Connty).

The l)reeilin<>' rano'c of the Ricolored or Crimson-shouldered Blackbird seems
to be a. rather contracted one. This species was first obtained in the I'nited
(■'dates by Mr. .1. K. Townsend, on the lower (_!olinnl)ia Uiver, and its hid)itat
api»ears to l)e mainly restricted to the regions west of the Cascade Mountains
in Washinjiton and Oretron anil w'est of the Sierra Nevadas in California. Mr.
Walter K. Bryant reports it as breeding- near Kl Kosario, in Lower ( 'alifornia.
A few specimens have been taken at points east of the Sierra Nevadas, where it
has been reported as breeding near lieiio and idong tlu^ Truckee lvi\cr, Nevada.
1 have also reported it as nesting in the vicinity (d'Camjt Harney, < )reg(ai, but I
am now fully convinced that 1 was mistaken in my iileiitiiiciition of this s|)ecies,
and it seems more than probable that the other reiia-ds are also iiuestionable.

It is a very easy nuitter to make such misideiitihcations, especially in speci-
mens not fully adtdt, and, after a careful study of the subject, I now believe that
this species does not Vjreed anywhere east of these momitains, in the st>-called
"Great liasin region."

The Bicolored Blackl)ird seems to b : tetty general^' di l.i])Uted tlnvMigh-
out such portions of the State of Calif'ori.i.>, west of the Sierr.r Ne\ adiis, as are
ada})ted to its needs, wdierever water is abundant. It a|)pears t lie naa-e com-
mon in the interior than in the innnediate vicinity of the coast. It is especially
numerous in the Sacramenti) and San .loacpiin valleys, and many of these bird-;
winter there. Mr. Charles A. Allen writes me that it arrives on its breeding
grounds in ^farin County, t'aliforiua, early in ]\Iarch, where it breeds abun-
dantly near Olema, as well as in Yolo and Lake counties.

' }!iicl> (.1 llciriclii, etc., ISSl, p. i;ili.

it

|i W'

,' > I

lite:

[■■■i, >.■ '1,1 . I.

X"

456

LIFE niHTORIHS OF NOUTII AMERICAN lUKDS.

Its <;'»'n('r(il liiiliifs, CimkI, cfill iidtt'M, etc., jirc siinilfir to tlioHO of tlio Rerl-
win<;o(l JUiU'kliinI; like this, it hrccds iiinoiifi' tlic tiilt', nislics, niul coiirso ^lass,
either in siiifilc^ jmirs or in cohmit's, in or near niiirshcs, phiciny its nest in tiit'ts
of inarsli frniss and rci'ds, from 1 to ,"{ tcct aixivc tho water, and siniihu' mateiials
are nsed in its constrnetioii.

'I'iu^ ey'fi's, from two to fonr in nnnd»er (very rarely nioic), reseiimh' tiiose of
tho Uc'd-win<,'ed HIackbird, excepting;' tliat they nrc ii trilie smaller and perhaps
on an averaj^e less heavily marked, lint otherwise the same description will
answer for both. The I ireedinj^- season in ( 'alifornia hejiins nsnally in the last
ten days of April, and contiiuu's thron;;hoiit May.

Ordinai'ily, I believe, two broods are raised in u season, the yonnjj of the fii'st
broods o'iithcrin^' in tlocks as soon as they are larj^e enonji'h to cai-e for themselves.

The averai^'e measnrement of forty-fonr speeimiois in the United States
National Museum eoUeetion is 24.07 by 17.35 millimetres, or about 0.!(5 by 0.(!8
ineh. The larji-est e^'j;' in the series measures 2(!.42 by 17.7H millimetres, or 1.04
by 0.70 inehes; the smallest, 21. 34 by 1(1. 7(1 millimetres, or 0.H4 by O.fiO inch.

The type specimen, No. I?")!!!! (I'l. (>, Vv^. l(i), from a set of four, was taken
by Mr. Charles A. Allen, near Nicasio, Marin (-(mnty, (-alifornia, on Ajiril 23,
|H77, and represents a specimen with a smoky <>ronnd color, while No. 25351
(I'l. G, Fi};-. 17), also from a set of fonr, in the J{alph collection, taken near Uleniu,
California, on Auril 23, 1HH4, represents one of the ordinary types.

178. Agelaius tricolor (Nuttaij.).

TmCObOKKO MLACKllIUn.

Icterm Irivolor NuTTALL, Atidahon's OrnitholoKiciil Hiograiiliy, V, IS.'JO, I'l. .'(SS, Fi;;. J.
AijeUtim irirolor IJoNAi'Auri;, (Icd^iriipliiciil and (loinjiarative List, l.S.'W, I'O.

(H 403, ('. 2lL'/<, K li(i2. C ;!1H, IJ .")(»(».)

GKofinAl'ltirAl, HANfiK: Sontliwcstcrii Ori'tjon, siintli tliroiifili Caliloniia. west oftlio
Sierrii Ncvadas. to nortlierii Lower ('iilil'ornia.

The breediuff ran},'e of the Tricolored or Ived and White Shouldered lilac.k-
bird is ]»robablv coextensive with its {reof^Taphical distribution. It ai)pears to 1)0
a resi(h'nt wherever found, and, as far as 1 can learn, lias not yet been rejmrted
from ]toints farther north than Klamath Lake, in southwestern Oreji'on. Here
it was fir.st met with by Dr .1. S. Newberry, anil later by Dr. James C. Merrill,
United States Army, who noticed a few amono- the common ]{ed-win^'ed Black-
birds there, l)Ut did not find it breedin<f. 1 failed to observe it while stationed at
Fort Klamath, and it is probably unconnnon. It is known to breed abundantly
in the interior valleys of CJalifornia, especially in tho southern and central
jiortions of the State, but it is not found east of the Sierra Nevadas.

Mr. F. Stephens writes to me: '^Ai/rlaiiis tricalur is an abundant winter resi-
dent in the larger valh^ys of Los Anjides and ( )ran;i(' counties, occmrinfi' here in
very larjro tiocks. In sunnner it is somewhat rarer, but several colonies are

■Ilk.Wghjf.aXMillir'igif^f Jaegw--* u^^^iw^anw*^

m

:■' y

TDK TliK'OLOKKI) lthA(M\ltllM).

4r><

kiKiwii to iiic ti) 1)roo(] ill tiil<> iiiiii'slicH from hcji Icvfl ii|i in iin iiltitudo of ^Jt^H\

IIH.

t'ccf. I riircly noticed it in tli'' lii^^'iicr t'ootliiiis tinil iiiuiintjii

III Lower ('ill i torn ill Mr. A. W. Antlioiiy ivports tlic 'I'ricolorcd MJiickliird:
"HutluT coiiiiiioii idoii^' tlu! iiortliwost coHHt, lin'cdiiiji' in iill tVcsh-wi'tcr iiiiirslics;
and in San liat'ad Valk-y Mr. L. Holding' I'oiind a lar^i'c colonv iicstinfi' in tulen,
May, ISS;-.."'

Mr. 1-. Middiiifi', in hU inanuHcript noto.**, wliicli lio kindly placi'd at my d

is-

jioHal, di'.><crilics tlic ia'ci'dinji']ilac('ot' an immense colony of tliis species, foiinil by
liim on May in, ISTII, near Stockton, ( 'alifoniia, as follows: "I noticed a ili;.;lit
of these liirds, mostly females, coming;' and ^'oin;;' from and to tlie center of an
(!.\ti'iiHive tide marsli to a pasture some ;{ miles distant from this place, not in
compact flocks, hut a sti'a^'<^liny llifi'ht of individuals, which seenu'd to move
independently of each other; those i-etiiriiin;^' were laden with f.Tasshoppers for
their yoiiii}^. |{y following,'' the hirds I found their nests, whiidi were })laced in
last year's tide and in a \i<;drous jirowth oi" that of tin- present soason. Thov
averaj^ed alioiit a nest to the sipiare yard, and these were usually attached to the
tiih^ stems of this and last Ncar's j^rowth, alioiit "J feet, and occasioiialh' onh- a
foot, above the water. I examined nearly a hiindreil nests. The jyreatest niimlier
of oi'i's found in anv one was three; the usual iiiimlier was two, and man\' con-

tauieil

liiit

II siniile (■"•"• or a voiiiijj

bird. Nolle of the ^■(lllnl!f were more th;m

w

eek old. 'V\

le colonv, coiisis

tiiij;- of many hundri'ds, was apparently not tliri\-
inji'; some of the nests had sli|)ped from their moorinji's and were capsized in the
water, many youiiii' were dead, and a consideraiile number of the e^'^s were
addled; all of ;lie nests examined were built without mud."

Mv. 11. W. ileiishaw found a ctdoiiy of these birds nesting- in a dry pasture,
in a jiatcli of nettles and briars coverinii' between .'5 and 4 acres, in the Santa
Clara Valley, California, on June 21, iHTo. The nettles jirew so dense and hij;h
(sometimes attaininj;' a height of 12 feet) that he found it almost impossible to
force his way into tlieir midst, nor did he succeed in peiietratiii};' beyond a few
yards. He remarks; "I speak within boiinils when I sa}' that two hundred pairs
had here conirre^ated to rear their younj,'', and the oilor arising;' from some portions
was almost as strong- as from the ( Jormorant rookeries. The nests were there by
liundreds, nearly every bush holdiufj several. '^Phese were, however, mostly
old, showing;' that the jilace had ser\ed for a breedinij- resort for probalily many
years. A few of the nests were this season's and contained \-ounfi', none that 1
Haw haviii;;' e;>';i^s, though could I have extended my search some would iloulitless
have been found. The nests were rather sliyht, Himsv structures, liiit in "('neral

resemblei

th

id(^ liy the Redwing' of the Kast, and were fasteneil on th

bushes in the same way. My presence ainoiij;' them created a j^reat disturbance,
1 the tri'es were soon covered with the panMit birds, one and all resentin<r this

aiK

intrusion on their

)ld-ti

me possessions m no "'en

tie t

ones. A i'vw davs later I

came across an immens(! Hock of youn<i' birds in the streaked nestini^- ]iliinia<i'e,

able to take care of themselves; thev had i>atliered thus to"-eth

ind fairh-

' Itiids of Lowri Ciilit'iirnia, Ciilirorniii A<'iiiU'iny of Niituriil Siiciui's. \'(il. 11, IKS'.I, p. :;!M.

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

2.5

2.2

1^

14^ 112.0

II

1.8

1.25 u III 16

^ 6"

1^

Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

73 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80

(716) 872-4503

f/

^

^

^

ft

468

LIFE HISTORIES OP NORTH AMERICAN HIRDS.

covered several small trees by the roadside. In all the number there was not n
single adult bird.'"

The general habits, food, etc., of the Tricolored Blackbird ave very similar
to those of the eastern Redwing, but their notes are said to bo cjuito different.
The young seem to be fed almost entirely on grasshoppers, and an immense
number of these insects must bo yearly destroyed by them, which fully counter-
balances the trifling damage they may occasionally conmiit in the grain fields.

From one to four eggs are laid, sets of three usually prevailing, and two
broods are probably raised each year; the breeding season appears to be at its
height during the first week in May.

The eggs rosoinblo those t»f the Red-winged Blackbird in shape and gen-
eral style of markings, averaging a trifle smaller, however; and both the ground
color and the markings appear (at least in the majority of specimens before me)
to be somewhat i)aler than in tiie eggs of tho former, but there is not suflicient
diff"orenco to require a special description.

Tiio average measurement of forty-one specimens in the United States
National Museum collecticm is 23.94 by 17.15 millimetres, or about 0.94 by
0.G7 inch. The largest egg in the series measures 2().42 bj-^ 17.78 millimetres,
or 1.04 by 0.70 inches; the smallest, 21.5!) by 1().51 millimetres, or 0.85 by
0.G5 inch.

The type specimens, Nos. 25354 and 25356 (PI. <!, Figs. 18 and 19), both
from the Ralph collection, each from a set of three eggs and re))resenting the two
])revailing styles of ct)loration, were taken near Lakeside, San Diego County,
California, on Ma^ 4, 1890.

m

179. Sturnella magna (Linn.1':us).

MEADOWLAIJK.

Alauda magna LiNNi«us, Systcira Natura-, fd. 10, 1, 1758, 1C7.
Sturnella magna SWAINSON, Pliilosophicul Magazine, I, 1827, 43<K

(B 400, C 214, U 'Mi, C 320, U fiOl.)

(iEOGBAPHTCAL RANGE: Eastcru North America; north in the Dominion of Canada
to southern Nova Seotia, soutliern New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario to cuHtern Mani-
toba. West to Alinnesiita, Iowa, Missouri, eastern Kansas, the Indian Territory, and Texat*.
South to Florida and tlie Gulf coast. Accidental in England.

The well-known Meadow or Old Field Lark is a constant resident south of
latitude 39°, and many winter farther north in favorable localities. It breeds
throughout its range, exco])ting the western parts of the Indian Teiritory ami
western Texas, and in suitable places it is (juite connuon. In our Northern
States and the southern parts of the Dominion of Canada it is only a sunnner
resident, arriving usually about Aja-il 1 and remaining ordinarilj- initil the latter
part of October and occasionally into November; while in the northeastern
portions of its range it is nowhere common. E,\cepting during the breeding

' Geographical Survey* We«t of the lOOth Meridian, Wheeler, Appendix J J, 1S70, p. 24U.

THE MEADOWLARK.

459

season it is more or less gregarious, and small flocks may often be seen roving
about in search of good feeding grounds. This is especially true in the fall of
the year, wlien several families unite, and as many as two dozen may occasion-
ally be flushed in a field over which they scatter, roaming about independently
of each other; but when ono lakes wing all the others in the vicinity generally
follow. In the Eastern States the Meadowlark is a rather shy bird and not
easily approached within gunshot, while in many jjarts of the South and in the
Middle States it is (juite the reverse and generally allows itself to be closely
approached without taking wing. Its flight is rather laborious, at least in
starting, and is accomplished by a series of raj)id movements of the wings,
alternating with short tlistances of sailing, and is rarely protracted. On aligliN
ing, which is almost invariably accompanied with a twitching of its tail, it
usually settles on some fence rail, post, bowlder, weed stalk, or on a hillock in
a meadow from which it can get a good view of the sun-oundings, and but
rarely on a limb of a tree. Its favorite resorts are meadows, fallow fields,
pastures, and clearings, but in some sections, as in northern Florida, for instance,
it also frequents the low, open pine woods?, and nests in these.

Our handsome Meadowlark is a favorite with most people, but its clear,
whistling notes, so frequently heard in the early spring, though melodious and
pleasing to the ear, are not nmch varied.

One of its songs sounds like " hdd-h(5t^-h(?t?-thdti-hea," uttered in a clear, high
'-( , a Sx-cttnd or call note resembles "eeck, ec'ck," ending with a trcnudous
(pi »er. Ml of these notes, although short, are difficult to reproduce in type.
Mr. W. Vj. Grover, of Galvestoiv Texas, writes me that one of their calls .sounds
like a longdrawn, whistled " laze-kill-di'e."

Considered from an economic point (»f view, it is one of the best feathered
friends the farmer has, and desenes the fullest protection, feeding, as it does,
mainly on noxious insects and their larva.', caterpillars, moths, grasshojijiers,
spiders, worms, et(^, and only to a limited extent on small grain. In the late
fall and winter it resorts sometimes to the roads and barnyards, wlure it may
occasionally be seen searching among the drojjpiiigs of horses for undigested
jiartides of grain.

The ]\Ieadowlark spends the greater j)art of its time on the ground, and
all of its food is procured there. It is rare to find one alone, and I believe it
remains paired for life.

Nidification usually begins in the first half of May and lasts through the
greater part of June, and occasionally fresh eggs are fouiul during the first ten
days in July, jutssibly second broods, but as a rule, in the northern parts of its
range at least, only a single brood is raised in a season.

Hoth sexes assist in the construction of the nest, which is always placed on
the ground, either in a natural depression or in a little hollow scratched out by
the birds, alongside a bunch of grass or weeds. It is invariably well hidden,
stalks and bhules of gi-ass being pulled and jtartly woven over it, fi>nning a
more or less complete <lome or roof, generally concealing the eggs or young
efiectually from view. The nest jn-opcr consists of a slight lining i>f dry, wiry

ll

^

460

LIFE HISTORIES OB' NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

grass, bits of stubble, weed stalks, and occasionally pine needles; the inner
cuj) is finished with finer matcnals of the same kind. Occasionally a covered
way, from 1 8 to 3fi inches in lenjifth, leads to the nest, which in such cases is
placed at the end of the tuimel, beside a tussock of rank grass, and in such
situations they are difficult t-y find. The female is a close sitter, while the male
shows (considerable anxiety and flutters about the vicinity, often betraying the
location of the nest in this wa}'. (Considerable additional work is sometimes done
on the nest after t!ie eggs have been deposited.

This bird is ociiasionally imposed on by the Cowbird, but not very often,
and an instaniie has been recorded where a second nest Wiis built over the one
containing the ))arasitic njri!;. Most of the nests are placed in level meadows,
but where side hills, especially those with a southern exposiu-e, are available, it
frequently selects them. The Meadowlark has many enemies, and numbers of
its eggs and young are destroyed every season by vermin, etc., and by the
agency uf man as well. In dairy regions the mowing-machine uncovers and
destroys numbers, and in many places in the New England States and in central
New York it is becoming ran r with each year.

The nest of the Meadowlark varies somewhat in size and bulk according
to the situation. An average one, now before me. No. 2r)093, United States
National Museum collection, taken by Dr. William L. Ualph, mea.sures 7 inches
in outer diameter by 3 inches dee}); the inner cup is 3 inches in diameter by 2
inches deep. It is composed exteriorly of coarse grass and lined with fine wire
grass, and it is only partly domed.

The number of eggs to a set vaiies from three to seven, sets of five being
nutst conmion, and one is depoHite<l (hiily. Incubation lasts about fifteen or six-
teen days, both sexes assisting in these duties. The young are able to leave
the nest in about two weeks, which is some time before they are al)]e to fly, and
they are very iu\e\)t in hiding at the slightest sign of danger. After they are
able to ja-ovide for themselves they gather into small parties and remain in the
vicinity where they were reared luitil the latter part of Oirtober, when they
gradually move southwaixl. N(me, as far as known, pa.ss beyond the United
States to winter. They find congenial homes at this time of the year in the
more southern States, and are then especially abundant along the Gulf coast.

The eggs of the Meadowlark vary considerably both in shape and size;
the majority are ovate, while others are short, elliptical, and elongate ovate. The
shell is strong, closely gi*anidate«l, and moderately glossy. The ground color is
usually i»ure white; this is occasionally covered with a pale |)inkish suffusion,
anil it is xavy rarely pale greenish white. The eggs are more or less jjrofusely
s])otted, blotched, and s))eckled over the entire surface with different shades of
bri»wii, ferruginous, pale heliotrope jmrple, and lavender; these markings gener-
ally i)redominate about the larger end of the egg, and are rarely heavy enough
to hide the ground color.

In some sets the markings consist maiidy of a profusion (»f fine dots; in
others the spots are well rounded and fewer in number; and again they occur

THE MKADOWLAHK.

461

in tho tihapo of irroffular luid coiirHc blotrheH, mixed with fint^r sj)eck.s and dots; in
fact, there \h an ondhfSH variation in tlio Htjlc of niarkin^H.

The averaffo nyasiirenient of a werioH of two hundred and one specimens in
the United States National A[useum collection is 27.75 by 2().3r) millimetres, or
1.09 by 0.80 inches. The larfjest efff? measures 30.78 by 22.C1 millimetres,
or 1.21 by 0.8!) inches; the smallest, 21.59 by 18.29 millimetres, or 0,85 by
0.72 inch.

The type specimen. No. 23755 (PI. (5, Fig. 20), from a set of four egg», taken
by Mr. C. W. Richmond, near Washington, District of Columbia, on May 12,
1889, has been selected to show the occasioiud variation in the ground color,
being a j)ale green in this instance. No. 25858 (PI. 6, Fig. 21), from a set of
five eggs, Ralph collection, tak»Mi by Dr. William L. Ralph, in Oneida County,
New York, on May 20, 1882, represents a normally colored and average-marked
egg of this species.

i8o. Sturnella magna mexicana (Sclater).

MEXICAN MEAUOWLAKK.

Sturnella mexicana ScLATER, Ibis, 18(>1, 179.

Sturnella nuujna var. mexicana Baiku, Brewer and Bidgway, History of North Ainericuii
Binls, Vol. II, 1874, 17a.

(B — , C — , B L'63rt, C :m, U 501rt.)

(tEooraimiical rance: Cciitrul and iiortbcra Mexico iiud contiguous border of the
United Htate.; from soutlierii Ari/.ona to the lower Bio (irande Valley, iu Texas, and pos-
sibly along the (Uilf coast to southern Florida; south to Costa Bica, Central America.

The breeding range of the Mexican Meadowlark, a somewhat snuiller
race than the j)receding, with a snuiller l)ill and larger and .stouter feet, is con-
fined to our southern border, as indicated above. It ajipears to be ratlutr
unconnuon within the limits of the United States, unless we include the small,
dark l)ird fouiul in southern Florida, which Mr. Frank M. CJhapnuui refers to
this subspecies. lie nuikes the following remarks about the Florida l)ird:

"Abundant. Comparison will not |)ennit me to refer the snmll, dark
Meadowlark, resident in Florida, to SttnneUa nidfpia, and while they are not
fully t\pical o( Sfinni'll<t niai/Hd mexicana, they a|)proach it .so closely as to ajjpar-
ently render subspecific separation im|)ossible. Tho Florida birds are perhaps
slightly darker above, tlie neck gorget is sonuiwhat wider, and the yellow of the
inider parts has more of a sid|)hur tint than in Mexican specimens."'

Among the series of skins in the United States National Museum collection
are specimens from Teiu>esse<* and southern Indiana which an; about as dark
and as snudl as the southern Florida birds; the ditl'erence, if any, is very trifling,
uiul if the Florida bird is admitted to be Stuniella majfua vicricaiia, tliesti would
also have to be included in this race. They certainly difl'er considerably from
some skins examined by me, which were taken near Hrownsville, Texas, and

I Tho Auk, Vol. V, 188S, p. 273.

• i,:Ui

•.Hi

t

■-ill

1. '

m

1 ■

'■ ! '

■ i i

' ■

462

LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Matninoriis, I^Iexico, and I l)elieve another good HulwpecieH exists in Hoiithem
Texas wliicli still rc^niains to be doacribod, and is not readily referable to either
Stutui'lla niaijmi or any of its recognized subspecies.

The Mexican Meadowlark was first added to our fauna by Dr. James C.
Memll, United States Army, who took specimens near Fort Hrown, Texas,
on August 21 and September 13, 1877. It appears to be only a summer visitor
there, and was a)>undant from April to October. Its notes and habits do not
seem to dift'er essentially from those of SturneUa nmgna.

Mr. F. Stephens also took both male and female of this subspecies near
old Camp Crittenden, in Sonoita Valley, Arizona, on July 22 and 24, 1884,
thus extending its range considerably westward, and showing that it overlaps
that of the Western Meadowlark. Mr. Stephens writes: "I do not recall any-
thing peculiar in their habits, and think I did not hear their song."

Tt is reported a common resident in Costa Rica, which appears to mark the
sftuthern boundary of its range in Central America.

A set of four eggs in the Ralph collection, taken near Fort Rrown, Texas, May
<{, 1h;>2, is probably referable to this subspecies. They resemble the eggs of
the common Meadowlark in coloration and markings, being short ovate in
shape, and considerably smaller.

They measiue 2r).'!tl by 20.32, 25.65 by 20.57, 25.40 by 21.34, and 25.15
by 20.32 millimetres; or l!o2 by 0.80, 1.01 by 0.81, 1 by 0.84, and O.'JD by
0.80 inches.

The type specimen, No. 25733 (PI. 6, Fig. 22), belongs to this set. The
nest was found on n prairie, concealed by a buuch of grass, and was composed
of dry grass. The eggs were fresh.

i8i. SturneUa magna neglecta (Aiduhon).

WESTERN MEAIxnVLAKK.

fituniella neglecta Audubon, Birds uf America, VII, 184.3, .'139, PI. 487.
Stiirnella mayna Vitr. neglecta Allen, Bulletin Museum of Comparative Zoology, III, No. 2,
July, 1872, 178.

(B 407, O 214«, R 264, C 322, U 6016.)

(}EOOKAPHIOAL RANGE: Western North America, iiortli to southern British Colum-
bia, southern Alberta, southwestern Saskatchewan, and western Manitoba, Dominion of
('anada; cast regularly to North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, western Indian
Territory, and western Texas; irregularly or less regularly to Minnesota and Iowa,
sparingly tu VVisconsiu and Illinois; south to Lower California and nortlieru Alexico.

The breeding range of the Western Meadowlark, a somewhat paler antl
grayer bird than Stiiniellu maf/iia, is coextensive with its distribution in the
United States, excepting the lower Rio Grande Valley, in Texas, where it is
re[)laced by the Mexican Meadowlark. Along the eastern border of its range
in some localities it overlaps that of SturneUa miufna for considerable distances,
but does not appear to interbreed with it. The greatest difference between these

THE WESTERN MEADOWLABK.

463

two Jjirds is the entire dissimilarity of their sonp and call notes. Oiu' western
bird is universally and apj)ropriately conceded to be by far the better songster.
Dr. J. A. Allen expresses these differences very pertinently Jis follows:

"It [its song] differs from that of the Meatlowlark in the EiiHtem States in
the notes being louder and wilder, and at the same time more li(juid, mellower,
and far sweeter. They have a pensiveness and a general character renuirkably
in hannony with the half-dreary wildness of the primitive prairie, as though the
bird had received from its suiToundings their peculiar impress, while if less
loud their songs would hardly reacih their mates above the strong winds that
almost constantly sweep over the prairies in the hot months. It differs, too, in
the less fretjuency of the hai'sh, comiilaining chatter so conspicuous in the eastern
birds, so much so that at first I suspecsted this to be wholly wanting."'

It is almost impossible to do justice on paper to some of the exquisite
strains uttered by this bird, and being no musician I shall not attempt it. 1 can
only comjjare it in some respects to the matchless, clear, tinkling utterances of
the finest of our western songsters, Townsend's Solitaire, and I refer the reader
for further information to Mr. Charles N. Allen's paper on this subject in the
Bulletin t.f the Nuttall Ornithological Club (Vol. G, 1881, pp. UA-IAO).

Mr. R. II. Lawrence sends me an imitation i»f one of its songs iw noted by
him on October 25, 1892, near Ridgefield, Clarke County, Washington, which he
renders as follows: "Hu-er-hu, whick-de, hu-er-hu-wt5er," given with spirit and
ringing clearness. One of its commoner songs is said by Mr. Charles A. Keeler
to resemble the syllables " twee-twcedle-tee-te-twe."

The Western Meadowlark, like its eastern relative, is a hardy bird, and
many winter in some of the warmer valleys of Washington and Idaho, but in the
late fall the majority retire farther south to California, Arizona, and northern
Mexico, usually returning to their breeding grounds during March.

In Colorado and Arizona it has been met with in summer at altitudes of
from 8,000 to 10,000 feet.

Its general habits resemble those of the eastern Meadowlark, and, like this
bird, it prefei's rather open country, meadow and prairie lands, and especially tiie
vicinity of streams, where a luxuriant gr(»wth of grass is usually to be found.
In the thinly settled regions in the West it is exceedingly tame and familiar,
and may frecjuently be seen perched on the roofs of houses and outbuild-
ings, pouring forth its clear, ringing, and melodious notes, which can be heard
for considerable distances. One of its most common call notes sounds like
"tchiieck," or "aeck."

Its food consists principally of small beetles, grasshoppers and their eggs, and
numerous other insects; even the large, repulsive-looking black crickets, which
are so numerous and destructive in some seasons in the West, are not rejected
by them, and only when such food can not be obtained does it ftjed on small
giains and different wild seeds. It is unquestionably one of the best friends
the farmer has, and fully deserves his good will and protection.

,.(

III

ft-!!?

i::#)

!

, i

•Memoirs Uustuu Society of Nuturul History, I, Pt. IV, 1S6U, pp. 4tl6, 497.

4VA

LIFK IllHTOUIES OV NOUTll AMKUICAN lilltDH.

Dr. CouoM, ill Hinls of tho NorthwoHt, 1874 (p. l!»2), writos: "In April,
iMff'oro puiriii^r, ItuiidrudH uhi)<1 to fro(iu«iit daily tlu) pariidu ground of Fort
Uundnll, wlioro, iim tli« griws was yot scarcely sproutod, good opportunity was
< •H'orod of observing tlunr ciharactcristic liahit — on«) not so goimndly known as it
should bo, since it is related to the peculiar shape of the bill. The birds may
be seen s(!attered all over the ground, busily tugging at something; and on walk-
ing over the scene of their operations, the ground, newly softened by tho spring
thaw, is seen to bo riddled with thousands of little holes, which the birds make
in search of food. The holes are quite smooth, not a turning over of the surface
of tho groun<l, but clean borings, like those made by sinking in the end of a
light walking stick, just as if tho birds inserted their bills and then w<»rked them
about till the holes were of sufficient size. Whether they bored at random, or
wore guided by s(tme sense in finding their jn'oy, and what particular objects
they were searching for, I did not as(;ertain; l)ut the habit was so fixed and so
continually i)ersevered in us to attract general attention."

Although not ([uite certain, I think 1 can account for the actions of the
birds ol)served l»y the Doctor. They were looking for and feeding on tho eggs
of the locust, which am deposited just below tho surface of the ground. I have
noticed the same thing at Camp Harney, Oregon, where these hinU were like-
wise very abundant. One or two pairs nested every season (»n the edge of tho
parade ground, among bunches of dry grass growing beside the driveway around
it, and witliin a few yards of the officera' quarters.

In tlie more northern portions of its breeding range nidification ordinarily
conunences about the first week in May, rarely earlier, and it takes usually about
a week to tH>mplete tho nest. This is generally placed in a slight natural depres-
sion, or in one made by the birds, at the base of a bunch of thick rye grass, the
dry Jdades of the jirevious year hanging down from the side and hiding the nest
naturally, or a nundier of blades are pulled down, covering the nest and forming
an arch over it. Some of these structures are exceedingly well hidd(?n, and
show considcu'able ingenuity on the ))art of the builders. Occasionally where
tlu* grass is dense enough to permit it, the nest is approached by a covered wfiy,
leading to tho nest proper, sometimes fully 4 feet away. Tho entrance resem-
bles the runway of some small rodent. The inner lining of the nest consists
ordinarily of thy grass, on which the eggs are deposited, and resembles that of
the common Moadowlark in every respect.

Mr. A. W. Anthony writes that ho found a nest containing six eggs m an
open field, near Beaverton, Oregon, May 21, in which incubation had conunencod,
the nt'st being j^laced in a hole in the ground fully 8 inches deej); and at San
(^ucfiitin. Lower California, he found it nesting in the salt marshes about the
bay, a set of four fresh eggs being taken on March 21.

Throughout the greater part of its range full sets of eggs are usually found
during the last half of May and up to tho middle of June. In western Texas,
in Concho and Tom Green counties, Mr. William Lloyd reports finding two
fresh eggs of this subspecies on March 27, 1882, and a full set of five eggs ou
April lb, 1883.

THE WESTERN MKADOWLABK.

465

Tho oai'lieMt datcH :tii which eggH in the Unitu«l StatoH Nationul Muhihimi
coIUtction have been taken, are April 13, 1893, at 8anta Ywabel, San l)iejf<»
County, ( 'alilbnxia, collected by Mr. II. W. Henshaw, and a set of four fre»h
eggH, taken by Dr. A. K. Fisher, United States Uepartnient of Agriculture, at
Wilcox, Arizona, April 22, 1892; a set of three wa« also taken by the writer
at (!anip Harney, Oregon, April 22, 1877, an unusually early date for this
locality. Along our southern border the Western I^Ieadowlark nests fully a
month earlier than farther north, and at least two broods are raised here in
a season; but I believe that second broods are not infrequent in favorable
localities consideraVdy farther north, where fresh eggs are soin.'*tinies found as
lat«: as the sectaid week in July. It is one of tlie 8peci(»s oc(;attioually imposed
on by the Cowbird.

Hoth sexes assist in the construction of the nest and also in incubation, whicrh
lasts about fifteen days. An egg is deposited daily until the set is completed.
The yt)ung leave the nest before they are able to fly, depending for safety on
hiding themselves in the grass, and they are cared for by the piyents until they can
provide for themselves. When they are able tt) do this they gather into small
companies and roam over the surrounding country. I do not believe that any
of the young of the year remain in our Northwestern States through the winter;
they probably move slowly southward in the late fall.

From three to seven eggs are laid to a set, five being most commoidy
found. Sets of four and six are not infrecjuent, but sets of seven are very rare.

I can not detect any difference between the eggs of this subspecies and
those of the eastern Meadowlark excepting in size. The eggs of the Western
Meadowlark apj)ear to average a trifle larger as a rule; otherwise the same
description will answer for both.

The average measurement of two hundred and six specimens in the United
States National Museum collection is 28.33 by 20.60 millimetres, or about 1.12
by 0.81 inches. The largest egg in the series measures 30.78 by 21.84 milli-
metres, or 1.21 by 0.86 inches; the smallest, 25.65 by 20.07 millimetres, or 1.01
by 0.79 inches.

The type specimens, Nos. 20275 and 20283 (PI. 6, Figs. 23 and 24), both
from sets of five, were taken by the writer, the first at Camp Hamey, June 3,
1876, the last at Fort Klamath, Oregon, June 7, 1882.

Fig. 23 rej)resents a specimen with very few fine markings, somewhat
below the average size; fig. 24, a good-sized egg of the better-marke<l type of
coloration. There are no eggs among the series oi' StunieUa magna that are as
lightly marked as fig. 23; but there is a still lighter-marked set of five eggs
among the series under consideration, taken near Ogden, Utah, on June 7, 1871.
With these two exceptions, I can not see any difference, as the light-green
ground color fouiwl now and then in the eggs of Sturnella maijtui occurs likewise,
though very rarely, in the western form.

1689i-No. 3 30

J

ill

m

m

406

lAVli lUMTUUIKH UF NOUTU AMEUICAN KlitDU.

i8a. Icterus icterus (Linn.vuh).

TKOIII'IAL

Orhlun ieUruH Llti'SMVH, Systemiu Katiirm, ed. 12, I, 176«, 101.
lettriii ivterm RiouwAY, I'rowiodings U. S. National Maseuiu, VIII, 1885, 356.

{B 408, C — , It 205, C 323, IT (502).)

OBO(}RAPHiflAL RANUU: Uuast regions of Colombia and Venoxnela, South Auierioi,
and tliu Island of Triiiiditd. (West Indies; introduced.) Aovidcutal in South Carolina
(Chui'luHtoi< ).

Tlie Troupial, ii South Ainericim spofins, van ttuly bo considered a Htraf5f,'ler
in the United States, and is admitted to our fauna on the strength of a single
specimen shot by Mr. Jolni II. Audubon in Charleston, South Carolina. Very
little luw yet been written on tiie life history of this bird. It is said to be a com-
mon resident of the coast districts of Colombia and Venezuela, South America,
and of the Island of Trinidiwl, and to be an accidental visitor to some of the West
India islands. Its eggs, usually four in number, are described as having a
ground color of reddish drab, and as being very generally blotched with mark-
ings of a deep claret brown and faint purple, the markings being deeper and
larger at one end. The nest is said to bo a long, pensile structure, suspendecl
from slender limbs of trees and difficult to reach. There are no eggs of this
species in the United States National Museum collection.

flvi

183. Icterus gularis AVaqleb.

OULAR ORIOLE.

Icterus gulark Waoler, Isis, 1829, p. 754.

(B _, C -, R -, C -, U -.)

OEonRAPnicAL RANOK; From Honduras and Guatemala, Central America, through
southern Mexico; north to the State of Taniaulipas, Mexico, and southern Louisiana.

This largo and handsome Oriole claims a place in our fauna from the fact
that a specimen was obtained in southeni Louisiana, which I recorded in "The
Auk" (Vol. X, pp. 366, 367), and which I supposed at the time to be referable to
IvkiHS ffidaris yucatancnsis (Von Berlepsch), on the strength of Mr. R. Ridgway's
identification. He has since changed his opinion and writes as follows: "The
identification was made when the series of specimens in the National Museum
collection of both forms was very meager, and was based on color alone, the
intense orange being supposed to be pecidiar to the Yucatan bird. A fine
series of the latter, subseejuently received from Dr. Gaumer, as well as a con-
siderable number of true gularis fr(»m eastern Mexico, shows that the supposed
(!olor diff"erence, while in the main reliable, is not a constant character, but that
there is a constant and very decided difference in the proportions between the
two forms which will serve to readily separate them. Tlie Louisiana specimeQ

THE UULAIC ORIOLE.

407

in trill! ifiilHtis iiH to propurtiniirt, and roprt^nontH tlio iiiaximuin brijylitiU'rtH."
Tliuro \h a Hiiiglo Hpeciinuii (a very highly colon^d iiialo) in tho colloction of tliu
Unittxl Htati's Department t»f Affrieulturo, taken on March 21, 1S!M, at Hidalgo,
TainauIipaH, wliich, at* tar aH I kuuw, luarkH the northern UniitH of ittt range in
Mexico.

Tiie foHowing noten on thi» HpecioH were ongnially puldiahed by me in the
aiticle alwve ([uoted:

" Mr. K. A. Mcllhenny ret^ently Hont me for iiU^ntifioation a skin of a hand-
Home Oriole, which proves to bo tliis subspecies, and which lie kindly presented
to tlio collection of the United States National Museum here. lie shot the bird
on June 3, 1893, on Avery's Island, New Iberia Parish, Louisiana, from a flock
of four; and he writes that, although these birds were (juite tame, he only
shot the one, in the hope that the remaining ones woidd bring itthers there.
His attention was first called to them by their unfamiliar whistle, which is a
a soft, Hute-like note, expressed by the word 'whae' ab;)ut as well as anything;
this is repeated from time to time as the birds move from limb to lindj in
search of food. On dissecting the specimen he found a number of small green
cateqiillars and several spidera, but their princi))al food seemed to consist of
the small purple figs, which were just ripe. While in search of food they
move aboxit exactly as the Baltimore Oriole does, swinging from slender ^wigs
head downward, looking luider limbs for insects, lie ttbserved the remaining
three birds again on Juno 5 in some fig trees in the plantati(tn garden.

"Although* this beautiful Oriole may be an irregular, it appears to be some-
times a counnon summer visitor along the Gulf coast of Louisiana, and lowt
frecpiently perhajjs of Mississippi as well, as the following notes will show; and
it seems even probable that it occasionally breeds within our borders. Mr.
Mcllhenny had alrea<ly obtained a specimen of this Oriole two years previously,
and sent me the following extracts, relating to its occurrence, copied from his
handbook:

"'iV/rt.i/ 17, 1891. — John Gofiriey brought :no to-day a beautiful bird that he
killed in the swamj) back of the sugarhouse. It is undoubtedly an Oriole, but
one I have never seen before. Owing to the poor condition of the plumage, I
did not make a skin of it. The markings are: Head, breast, under and upper
tail coverts, orange; wings, black, with orange markings at their base; back,
black from base of neck to upper tail coverts. It is a male, and much larger
than the Baltimore Oriole. On dissection the only food found was a few insects
and three small caterpillars.

^^^ August 3, 1892. — To-day I went out to Mr. Herter's rice field to try and
get some of the birds I hear feed there. I met J. Mason and induced him to go
with me. We arrived there quite early and saw a flock of about twenty of the
birds I was after; they were feeding on the rice in company with Bobolinks and
Red-winged Blackbirds. We found them very wild, and it was impossible to
get a shot. The men who mind the rice told nie they sometimes killed a few,
and they saw some every year in these fields. I went to the house of a negro
who had killed some the day before to see if I could get any, but found they

'■**

; »

1.1

468

LIKK IIIHTUHIKS OF NUltTIl AMHIUOAN lilUDH.

IiikI all ln'«'ii iiHcil fur food. 1 miiw, Iiowi'Vit, tin* IuouIh, wiiijfx, an<l ft'athorH of
Ht*vui'al spttoiniciiH, aiitl think tliat tli«> liirdH aru iiii(loiil)te*ily tliu HHiim an tlut ono
liroufrjit nu) Ity .lolm (Jortnoy on May 17 of hwt year, that it h an ()riol« I do
iiut doiiht.

"'On Hhowin^ th»t specimen killed on .luno 3, l«5>3, to Mr. Alien Mohio, on
tho 14th of the Hanio month, ho told mo that u Hock of about two hundriMl of
tlu'tfo hirdH cumo to liiH placo at MisHiHHippi City, MixHiHHijtpi, in thily, 18i)2, and
remained there for Hoino time. NumberH of them were killed and Hovoral were
Hent to a taxidermiHt in New ()r1(>anH, but he did not know hix name, lie Ih
positive it in the uame bird, and nn no one knew what they were, he had Home
mounted.'"

In luH letter of Septenil»er 12, \H',)3, Mr. Mellhenny writeH me aw followH:
"I whowod the skin to ('apt. .Mm Hare, of the Trinity Shoal light-Hhip, before 1
Kent it to you, and he told me that two biitlH of e.xaetly the mime appotiranee
had struck the light and had been killed this spring, in April. His Hhip is <>0
miles out to sea and duo south of hero. ('a{)tain Har<) tolls me that he often
sees large flocks of small birds Hying high in tho air during their migrations."

In a more recent letter Mr. E. A. Mellhenny sent mo some additional
information on this species, taken from his field notes. Under date of Juno S,
1H!)4, ho says: "While in search of nests to-day near the salt mine, I saw a
male ? of the large Oriole I foinid here last year; 1 had a good view of him,
being (piite near, but unfortunately had n(» gun." Under date of June l(i ho
mad(! the following entry: "Derouin told mo to-day that he had Been a))out
twenty of the large Orioles (like those he killed last year) in a field, and his
father, who had also seen them, confirmed his statement, but 1 failed to find
them. I offered him a reward then for every one he brought mo in good con-
diti<m, but a few days after this I left for (ireenrand. On my return here,
Otober 1, 1 found that five of these birds had been killed by this l>ai-ty, an near
as I could learn, about August 20, and were brought to my house; but as no
one there could skin them, they were thrown away."

The fact that these ])irds have now been seen regularly on Avery's Island,
Louisiana, for several seasons and throughout the sunnner, certainly indicates
that the)' are not casual stragglers, but regular sunnner residents, and probably
breed there, and possibly also ahmg the flulf coast of Texas.

Tho only description of tho egg of this species I have been able to find is
that published by Mr. H. Owen in "The Ibis" (Vol. Ill, 1861, pp. 62, 63), who
took a female and ono egg near San Geronimo, Guatemala, on June 8, 1860.
The egg is described as a pale gray, blotched aud streaked with very dark
brown; it measures 1 by 0.70 inch.

The nest probably resembles that of Audubon's Oriole, but 1 have been
unable to find a descriptiou of it.

A(Jl>UUON'8 OUlOIiK.

4Gi)

184. Icterus audubonii (iiKAmx

Ari>rHl)N'H OKIOl.K..

TrteruM umMmiiii GiRAim, Sixteen TexnH BiidH, 1H41, .*).

(B 4(Mt, V 'J'M, It 'Mi, C XW, V rMi.)

ORonKAPiiidAi, RANOK: Ooiitral ami eustvrii Muxicu, fVoui Jnguila, Ouxiutn, iiortb
to miutliern TexiiH (liexitr County).

Within tilt* bonlom of tlio United Htatos tlio brooding ranpe of AudubonV
Oriolo a|)|)oiirri to Im confined to tlu' lower Uio (>raiid«> Valley, where it in not
nnconinion in xuitablo localities and a resident thron<>fhont the year. Mr. II. P.
Attwater, in his List of IMvuh Observed in the Vicinity of San Antonio, Hexar
(Jonnty, Te.xas, inak(*s the ftdlowinj^ remarks:

"This s|)e(!ie« may perhaps be most pro])orly described as a rare winter
wanderer. 1 first observed it on March 27, 1K!)(), when I secnred a fine male
among the tall potman tindier on the San Antonio Kiver, just south of the city.
I was attracted by the bird's note. I did not observe it again until 18i)l, when
I obtained three specimens out of a flock of al)out eight or ten, at the same
place, on February 13. The next day they were all gone, and I have never
come across any since. Mr. Toudouze describes some birds (to me) which were
new to him, and which, ho noticed on the Medina River, alxmt the same time,
which, from his description, were no doubt this sjjecioa." '

Dr. James C. Men'ill, United States Army, in his List of Birds Observed in
the Vicinity of Fort lirown, Texas, writes as follows about this species:

"This fine Oriole is found in moderate abundance, and is the only species
that is resident. During the summer months it is usually found in deep woods,
at some distance from houses, l)ut during the winter it is less shy and retiring.
They ar») frecpiently captured and otiered for sale by Mexicans in this vicinity,
but several I have kept woidd not sing at all in cajrfivity. When free their
usual song is a {)rolongod and rep(*ated whistle of extraordinary mellowness and
sweetness, each note varying in jatcli from the preceding. If once lieard, it can
never be forgotten." ''

This is one of the sixteen new species of birds described by Mr. J. P. Giraud
in the Annals of the New York Lyceum of Natural History, in 1841, from spec-
imens collected in Texas in IH.'JS. Some time aftcsrwards Jir. ib»hn H. Clark, the
naturalist attached to the Mexican Boundary Survey, obtained several specimens
near Fort Ringgold, Texas. He rep(»rted it as not abundant, and its quiet man-
ners and secluded habits j»revented it from bcMug very c<)n8i)icuous. It was
most fre(piently observed by him feeding on the fruit of the hackberry, l)ut
whenever a])proached while thus feeding it always showed signs of uneasiness,
and soon after sought refuge in some place of greater concealment. Usually
])airs were to bo seen keeping close together, apparently prtfferring the thick

I The Auk, Vol. IX, 189-', p. 2;W.

" rroi'imliiiKN of tli« V. S. Nntiniml MiiHnniii, Vul. I, 1S7S. )>. CM.

■:\\

■ ' 'I

i . 1

■ill

; 1 * ■
I •

■ C''

•I

I-

470

LIFE HISTORIES Or NOKTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Ri -^

foliage found on the margins of ponds or in the old bed of the river. They did
not eoinniunicate with each otiier by any note, and Mr. Clark was struck by
their remarkable silence. Their habits seemed to him very dift'erent from those
of any other Oriole with wiiich he was acquainted.'

Like mo8+ Or;<des, this bird undoubtedly feeds to a groat extent on various
insects, cateii)illars, etc., and probably only occasionally on berries.

The first fully authenticated nests and eggs of this species were described
by Mr. George B. Sennett, from specimens taken by him near Lomita, Texas,
in May, 187H; and since then the United States National Museum has received
a fine series of their eggs from Dr. William L. Ralph, all taken ni tlu» vicinity
of Fort lirown, Texas. The nest of this Orioh* is usually jdaced in me.s(iuite
trees, in thickets and open woods, from 6 to 14 feet from tlio ground. It is a
semipensilo structure, woven of fine, wire-like grass used while still green, and
resembles those of the Hooded and Orchard Orioles, which are nnu-h better
known. The nest is firmly attached both on the top and sides, to small branches
and g!"Owing twigs, and, for the size of the bird, it aj)pears rather small. One,
now before me mea.sures 3 inches in depth inside l)y ab(mt the same iji inner
diameter. The rim of the nest is somewhat contracted to prevent the eggs from
being thrown out during high winds. The inner lining consists of somewhat
finer grass tops, whicrh still retain considerable strength, and are even now, when
perfectly dry, difficult to break. Only a single nest of tho.se found was placed
in a bunch of Spanish moss, and this was suspended within reach of the ground;
the others were all attached to small twigs.

Audubon's Oriole seems to be gi'eatly imposed ui)on by the Red-e}ed Cow-
bird; half of the sets in the collection contain from one to three of these
parasitic eggs; l)ut none of the equally common Dwarf" Cowbird have, as far i«3
I am aware, yet l)een foiuid in them.

Nidification begins sometimes early in April, but usually about the last week
in this month. Fresh eggs have been taken on A])ril 23 and as late as June S.
Attempts are probably frequently nuide to rear two broods in a season, but
many of them are unquestionaliy destroyed each year by the l?ed-eyed Cowbird,
as well as through other causes.

The nnndjer of eggs to a set varies from three to five. Sets of one or two
eggs of this Oriole, with two or three Cowl)ird.s' eggs, seem to Im^ most frocpiently
found, some of the first-nameil eggs being thrown out t(» make room. Th(* eggs
dift'er somewhat in the t'liaracter of their markings from those of the remainder
of otu" ( )rioles; they are ovate and elongate ovate in shape, and the shell is rather
frail and lusterless. 'I'lie ground color is either ))al(( bluish or grayish white, and
occasionally the egg is only slightly fiecked with fine markings and a few hair
lines of different shades of brown and dark pui-jjle, these being nearly evenly
distributed over the surface. In others the ground c(dor is partly obscured with
a pale i)ur|)le suffusion, and more ])rofusely blotched and streaked with different
shades of claret brown, jmrple, ferniginous, and lavender, resembling somewhat

• Hi»U>r.v of Nt>rth AmericBii llirda, 187t, Vol. II, p. 187.

^

Cift'f>>>

AUDUBON'S OKIOLE.

471

pertain styles of Brewer's Blackbirds' efrff", while an occasional set is profus(;ly
blotclied with coarse, heavy markings of cinnamon rufous and numerous finer
spots of the same tint, these almost completely hiding the giound color. The
markings are generally heaviest about the larger end of the egg.

The average meiusureinent of twenty-eight specin\ens in the United States
National Museum collection is 25.15 by 17.98 millimetres, or 0.9!) by 0.71 inch.
The largest egg of the series measiu'es 26.42 by 18.H0 millimeires, or 1.04 by
0.74 inches; the smallest, 23.(52 by 17.78 millimetres, or O.DiJ by 0.70 inch.

The type specimens are all from the Ralj)!! collection. No. 2553(5 (PI. 6,
Fig. 25), from a set of two eggs taken in Cameron County, Texas, Maj' 7, 1892,
represents one of the lighter-marked styles of eggs; No. 25538 (PI. (i, Fig. 2(5),
from a set of three taken,on the same date and in the same loi^ality as the former,
c<»ntaining also an vg^:; of the Red-eyed Cowbird, represents one of the more com-
mon types; and No. 2(5349 (PI. (5, Fig. 27), from a set of si\ eggs (three eggs
of the owner and three of the Red-eyed Cowbird) taken on. May i*, 1803 (same
place as above), represents one of the heavier-marked eggs of this species.

185. Icterus parisorum Bonaparte

8(;OTT'S ORIOLK.

Tcterm parisorum Bonapaktk, Proceedings Zoological Society, 1837, 109.

(li 411, C 210, U 268, C ;{2<.», U 5(t4.)

(Jkooraphical kanoe: Tablelands of Mexico, from Puehla and Vera Crnz north
through western Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and southern ('alifornia to southern Nevada
and southwestern Utah to about latitude 38° ; Lower California.

Tiie range of Scott's or the Mountain Oriole in the United States has been
very materially increased within tlu* last few year.s. It has been found by Mr.
E. W. Nelson in central New Mexico, in the vicinity of Sjinta Fe, in July, 1890,
and by different members of Dr. C. Hart Merriam's exploring parties of the
Death Valley Expedition, in southeastern ('alifornia and southern Nevada, in
the spring and sununer of 1891, while Dr. Meiriam himself found it in tlu^
Beaverdam Mountains, in southwestern Utah, and it apjx'ars to be generally
distributed throughout these regions, being fairly t-onnnim in, suitable localities.

The breeding range in the United States is coincident with its geographical
distribution.

In Texas it does not ap])ear to be found in the lower Rio (Jrande Valley,
but seems to l»e restricted to the extreme western parts of th<> State only. Dr.
A. K. Fisher, who is familiar with this species, tells me that ho saw an adult
niah* of Scott's Oriole among th<' yuccas at Eagle Flat, 15 miles east of Sierra
Blanca, El Paso Comity, on May 8, 1894, this being the only positive Texas
record I know of

The skin in the United States National Museiun collectitm on which the older
Texas record is based was taken by one (tf the Pacific Railroad surveying j. irties

fl

m

Hi

'■ j^

\i\
hi

\if

•r. ? ■ i

if-

'i

t. ■

.lis

472

LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

I

V

:

in iSr)(J, and is labeled simply "Pecos." From my knowle<lffo of the (!Ountry
(liaviii^ been in New Mexico at the time) 1 am satisfied that it really came from
near the head waters of the Pecos River, in central New Mexico, and in all
probability from the vicinity of the place where this species has since been taken
by Mr. Nelson, and not from the lower Pecos, in western Texas, as has been
supposed.

Scott's Oriole is only a summer resident with us, arriving usually along our
southern border about the last half of March or during the first week in April,
and moving slowly northward to its breeding grounds.

Mr. F. Stephens writes: "In Arizona this species seems to. be a rather rare
suniuK^r resident of the foothills and lower part of the mountains, breeding
up to the lower edge of the pines, but in migrating it passes well up into these.
In Arizona I have seen it nest in the yucca, sycamore, oak, and pine trees; one
nest found in an oak was not even semij)en8ile, being supported at the sides and
below by the upright branches between which it was placed. June and July
appear to be the j)rincipal breeding months. In California Scott's Oriole is a
rather rare summer resident of th(* deserts, j)rincipally the borders of the Mohave
Desert. I founil an old nest in a jjalm tree on the border of the Colorado Desert
that I believe to have been built by this species. In the sjjring migration a
few birds wander into the mountains, and occasionally they cross over the divide
into the drainage toward the Pacific. In California the migration commences
near the end of March, when this bird may be found in the foothills bordering
the Colorado Desert. It is shy and restless; its song is clear, loud, and, to my
ear, very musical; its greatest defect is its briefness, being about the shortest
Oriole song I know."

Mr. A. W. Anthony, in a letter dated July 8, 1894, says: '^Icterus parinorum
was often seen about my camp south of San Quentin, Lower California, and
it is rather common at the Mission of San Fernando. I shot one just below the
United States boundary, and saw several others within 3 or 4 miles of the line,
thus practically adding it to the list of San Diego County west of the range."

Pei*s(mally I first met with Scott's Oriole in the spring of 1872, and found
it rather rare in the foothills along the southwestern slopes of the Santa Catalina
Mountains, in the vicinity of my c^anip on Rillito Creek, near Tucson, Arizona.
In 1884 Mr. W. E. D. Scott was more fortunate and found this Oriole fairly
common on the opposite slopes of the same mountains, some 50 miles northeast
from where I had been located in 1872. He published a very interesting account
of the breeding habits of this bird in "The Auk" (Vol. 11. 188r), pp. 1-7), to
which I refer readers for further information. In this vicinity he met with it at
altitudes of from 3,000 to 8,000 feet.

Mr. Scott says: "Few birds sing more incessantly, and, in fact, I do not
recall a species in the Eastern and Middle States that is to be heard so frecpiently.
The males are, of course, the chief jierformers, but now and again, near a nest,
while watching the birds, I would detect a female singing the same glad song,
t)nly more softly. At the earliest da}'break and all day long, even when tlic

SCOTT'S ORIOLE.

478

M\

8U11 is at its liif^liest, and «]urin<»' tlio ^eut lieat of tho afternoon, its very musical
whistlo is ono of the few bird son<rs that are ever present,"

Tlieir food consists mainly of grasshoppers, 8inall beetles, caterjjillars, but-
terflies, larviu, etc., as well as of berries and fruits. In Suharita Pass, lM!tW(*en
the Santa (Jatalina and liincon mountains, near Tucson. Arizona 1 have seen
them eatiufif the ripe fig-like fruit of the giant cactus.

I found my first occupied nest of Scott's Oriole on June 4, 1H72, on the
dry jdains southeast of my camp on Killito Creek, fully 8 miles frftm the nearest
water. 1 had j)reviously observed sonte old nests attached to the tops of some
tall tree yuccas, an<l passing a clump of these at this time, I noticed u fresh
nest fastened to the leaves of one of the tallest trees. It was jdaced fidly
10 feet from the ground, and the only way I could reach it was to stan<l on
my horse, which I did, and secured the eggs, three in number, in which incu-
bation had commenced. The nest was so securely fastened to the surroxmding
bayonet-8haj)ed leaves that I could not ])ull it away, and only succeeded in cut-
ting my hand severely in trying to do so. The nest was composed of yiu'i'ii
fibers, sacaton, and grama grsuss, and lined with a little horsehair. The upjter
rim of the nest was not contracted, and it was a strong, well-built structure.

A well-preserved nest, now before me, taken by Dr. A. K. Fisher, United
States Dejiartment of Agriculture, near Shepherd's (Canyon, Coso Valley, Cali-
fornia, on May 11, 1891, was situated on the under side of a horizontal limb of
a giant }ucca ( Yucca arhorcsccits), about (i feet from the groimd. The edges
of the leaves to which the nest was attached were hacked and lacerated so as
to receive the threads and horsehair suspending it. The structure itself is sub-
stantially built of green gi-ass and dry yucca fiber, and it is lined with finer
hemp-like materials from the core of this j)lant. The walls and bottom of the
nest are far thicker than in most Orioles' nests. Externally the nest measures
3.J inches in depth by A inches in its longer diameter and 4 inches at the nar-
rowest point. The inner cup is oval in shape, 2.J inches deep and 3'| by 3 i'lches
wide. This nest, when first found, on May 7, contained two eggs; on a snbsc-
(pient visit, May 11, they had disappeared, and the nest was j)artly pulled down.

Caj)t. W. L. Carpenter, United States Army, found a nest and two eggs of
this species near Prescott, Arizona, on May 22, 1891, in a low, bushy i)ine, about
8 feet from the ground, fastened securely to a lot of pine needles among which
it was built; while Mr. G. P. Wilc(».K found anotlier, on June 28, 1892, containing
three eggs, suspended from a limb of a small oak, near Fort Iluachuca, Arizona.

While the difierent kinds of large tree yuccas untpiestionably furnish tlie
favorite nesting sites for this species within the bordei*s of the United States, low
trees of other species, as already stated, including junipers, are also used to a
considerable extent. In Lower California, according to Mr. A. W. Anthony, it
nests also in the thorny branches of the candlewood (Fouqnicia ciihdiiitiiris), and
Mr. Xantus reports it l)reeding there in bunches of moss and in hop and other
vines suspended from cacti. He mentions finding one nest in a bimcli of weeds
growing out of a crevice in a perpendicular rock. According to Mr. L. IJelding,
it is known as the Mountain Oriole in Lower California.

ntr

.:i

474

LIFE HISTORIES OF NOUTII AMERICAN BIRDS.

r

From two to four ej»gH are laid (usually three), and probably two broods are
raised in the more southern ]>arts of their range in a season. They are ovate and
elongate ovate in shape. The shell is thin, rather close grained, and without
luster.

The ground color is pale blue, which fades considerably in the course of
time, and this is blotched, streaked, an<l spotted, i)rincipally about the larger
end of the e<rg, with different shades of black, mouse, and i)earl gray in some
specimens, and with fine claret brown, russet, ferruginous, ancl laveniler dots and
specks in othere.

The average measurement of twenty-five specimens in the United States
National Museum collection is 23.86 by 16.98 millimetres, or about 0.94 by
0.67 inch. The largest egg in this series measures 26.67 by 17.27 millimetres,
or 1.0.5 by 0.68 inches; the smallest, 23.11 by 15.41) millimetres, or 0.!>1 by
0.61 inch.

Of the type specimens. No. 20228 (PI. 6, Fig. 28), from a set of three
eggs, Bendire collection, was taken by the writer, as already stated; and No.
2r)22.') (PI. 6. Fig. 2!t), also from a set of three, was taken by Mr. G. P. Wilcox,
near Fort Huachuca, Arizona, on Juno 28, 1892.

x86. Icterus cucullatus Swainson.

HOODED OKIOLE.

letertut cucullatun Sw/ xnhon, IMiilosopliical Magazine, I, 1837, 436.

(B 413, C 218, R 26», 0 328, U 505.)

Oeooraph'JAL RANnB: Southern and eastern Mexico, nortk to the lower Rio
Grande Valley, lU Texas; south to Honduras, Central America.

The breading range of the Hooded Oriole within the United States is rather
a restricted (me, being confined to the lower Ilio Grande Va^'ey of Texas, where
it is an abundant summer resident.

Dr. James C. Merrill, United States Army, in his Notes on the Ornithology
of Texas, ])ublished in the Proceedings of the United States National Museum
(Vol. I, 1878, pp. 134, 135), says: '^ Icterus niiullatm is usually found in woods.
The nests of this bird found here are perfectly characteristic, and can not be
confounded with those of any allied species. They are usually found in one of
the two following situations: The first and most frequent is in a bunch of hanging
moss, u.sually at no great height from the gi'ound ; when so placed, the nests
are formed almost entirely l)y hollowing out and matting the moss, with a
few Tilaments of a dark, hair-like moss as lining; the second situation is in a
bush (the name of which I do not know) growing to a height of about (i feet,
a iiearb- tem, throwing out two or three irregular masses of leaves at the

top. 1 -" launches of dark-green leaves conceal the nest admirably. It is
constructed of filaments of the hair-like moss just referred to, with a litth^ Sjianish
moss, wool, or a few feathers for the lining. They are rather wide and shallow

THE HOODED OKIOLB.

475

for Oiiolcs' ncstH, and though strong they appear thin and delicate. A few ])air8
build in Spanish bayonets Q/iwca) growing on sand ridges in the salt prairies;
here the nests are l)uilt cliiefly of the dry, tough fibers of this plant, with a little
wool or thistle down as lining; they are placed among the dead and ilepressed
leaves, two or three of which are used as supports."

Mr. George B. Sennett likewise reports this as the most abundant of all the
Orioles on the lower Rio Grande. He says: "They were continually i)eering
about the thatched roof of our house and the arbors adjoining for insects; tliey
were more familiar than any of the other Orioles about the ranch; the birds are
very active and so full of song that the woods are filled with music all day
h>ng.'"

Their food, like that of the other species of this genus, consists mainly of
insects and their larva*. Tiie nests are mostly placed from (I to 12 feet from tiie
ground, rarely farther up, but Mr. Sennett reports having found some fully .HO
feet high. They are most frequently placed in the hanging moss in various
kinds of trees, mesquite predominating. The nests built in yuccas are usually
entirely constructed of the fiber obtained from the dry leaves of this plant,
which are exceedingly well adapted for this pui-jjose, and such nests retain their
sluqie nmch better than those built of moss. One now before me, in an excellent
state of preservation, measures exteriorly 3J inches in depth by 3 inches in
wi<lth; the inner cup is 2^ inches wide by 2 inches deep. It is built throughout
of yucca fiber and contains no lining.

Nidification begins in April, and the earliest record of a full clutch of eggs
having been taken is April 17, a set of five; the latest was July 5; probal)ly two
broods are raised in a season. The Hooded Oriole is considerably imposed upon
by both the Red-eyed and Dwari' Cowl)irds, and in a few instances parasitic eggs
of both species are foiuid in the same nest. It would be interesting to ascertain
which of the Cowbirds survived. Probably the young Red-eyed Cowbird proves
to be too nmch for the smaller Dwarf Cowbird and gradually starves it to death.
None of these birds winter with us; they retire farther south in October.

The number of eggs laid to a set varies from three to five, sets of four
being most common, and an egg is deposited <laily. They are mostly ovate in
shape; the shell is delicate, ratiier frail, and without luster. Tlui ground color
is dull white, occasionally tliis has a pale buify and again a faint bluisli tint.
The eggs are blotdied and spotted, princijjally about the larger end, wit]> iiTcg-
ularly sha])ed markings ranging from dark seal i)rown to claret l)rown, purple,
mixed with ochraceous, mouse, and pearl gray, and these rarely run into lines
and tracings, so prevalent in the eggs of most of our Orioles. Some eggs are
fairly well marked, others only faintly; the lighter shades menti<iiu'd largely
predominate over the darker ones, and in some the latter are entirely wanting.

The average measurement of ninety-three specimens in tiie United States
National Museum collection is 21.r)J) by ir).24 millimetres, or 0.85 by O.JiO inch.
The largest egg in the series measures 22.H(i l)y Hi millimetres, or 0.90 by 0.63
inch; the smallest, 18.H0 by 15.24 millimetre.^, or 0.74 by O.fiO inch.

^^1

■ "1:

'11

1

ti'i
m

I Hnlliitin of the IT. S. tieoloRiciil iind OciKrupliicnl Survey, 187!t, Vol. V. No. 3, ]>, .198.

476

LIFE HISTORIES OP NOKTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Of tho type specimens, No. 209 lf» (PI. (», Fig. 30), from a set of five, taken
by Dr. James C. Morrill, United States Army, near Fort Brown, Texiw, on June
16, 1877, sliows the most common style of mar'Jngs, but these are usually
heaviest about the larger end, while in this specimen, the only one 1 have seen
so marked, they are concentrated about the smaller end of the egg. l^he shaj)e
of this egg is also rather peculiar, and it is tho smallest in tho series. N(». 2r)343,
(PI. (5, Fig. 31), from a set of four, taken May 13, 1889, near Hidalgo, Texas,
represents a rather o(hl and unusual style of markings; while No. 2.'").')47 (PI. 6,
Fig. 32), from a set of five, taken near Brownsville, Texas, (m May 3, 1 892,
represents an egg above the average size and shows some of the darker colors
referred to above. The last two are from the Ralph collection. The eggs
figured of the Arizona Hoctded Oriole will also answer for extremely hsuvily
colored specnnions of this race.

187. Icterus cucullatus nelsoni Ridgway.

ARIZONA HOODED ORIOLE.

IcteruK cHcuUatm nelsoni Uidoway, Proceedings U. S. National Museum, VIII, No. 2,
April li(>, 1885, 10.

(B — , 0 — , R — , C — , U 50r)rt.)

(lEOOBAi'HicAL BANGE: Xorthwas.'em Mexico (Mill Lower California; north to south-
western New Mexico, Arizona, and the southern hsilf of California, west of the Sierra
Nevmlas only.

The breeding range of the Arizona Hooded Oi-iole, also locally known in
southern California as tlie " Palmleaf Oriole," is coextinsive with its geograph-
cal distribution within tho United States, and is restricted to our soutliwesteni
border from the extremt! southwestern corner of New Mexico (whei'o Dr. Edgar
A. Mcanis, united States Ai.uy, obtained a single specimen in tiie Guadaluj)e
Canyon, near the Mexican boundary line, on October 4, 1893), which marks
the eastern limit of its known range in this direction, through southern Arizona
and California, north in this State to about latitude 38° 4.')', where it is known
to occur si)aringly as far north as Aubuni, i'lacer County. While the range of
Scott's Oriole in California seems to be confined to the eastern or desert slope
of the mountains, that of the Arizona Hooded Oriole apjiears to be strictly
limited to the western slope, and it has not yet been found anywhere in tlie
Colorado and adjoining deserts.

According to Mr. Walter E. Bryant, it is generally distributed ovoi- the
Peni.isula of Lower California, particularly in the vicinit\- of water and o{
human habitations. He ftmnd tliem on Santa Margarita Island in January. At
Comondu they wore nesting in the palm trees. A young one, caged, at San Fei'-
nando, was fed by the male j)arent. '

' liirilH of Liiwvr California, ('iilil'oriiia Acailoniy of 8ci»noeH, Vol. II, 1S89, p. ZKk

THE ARIZONA UOODED ORIOLE.

477

Within our IxtnlcrH it is more coinmon in Houtheni Arizona tlmn imywliero
oIho, Jintl I fountl about twenty of its nesta hero (hiring' th«} Mpriufj and HUinnier
of 1872. I first noticed this liandsome Oriole on April 5, when I saw several
males. My attention was drawn to tlie bird by its peculiar, sharp, gruting- call,
Uttered while flitting through the cottonwoods and shrubbery in the Rillito ( 'reek
bottom, and I rarely saw one far away from water at any season of tiie yeai*.
The dense, shady groves of cottonwood and mesquite trees in the creek bottoms
appeared to be its favorite haunts. It is a shy, restless creature, nearly always
on the move, looking for insects of various kinds and their larvai, including
hairless caterpillars, and small grasshopjiers. During the mating season, begin-
ning about the latter part of April, sevciid ma.es may sometimes be .seen chasing
a female and scolding and fighting each otiier for the coveted i)rize.

In southern Arizona nidification begins rather late, rarely before May 20,
jind sometimes later. In southern California, however, it commences fully a
month earlier, and a full set of cjgs was taken by Mr. Theodore 1). jiurd, near
Riverside, Califoniia, on April 23. Mr. W. E. D. Scott found ten nests of this
Oriole in a canyon in the Santa Catalina Mountains in 1884, v/hich are fully
described in "The Auk" (Vol. II, 1885, ])p. \M-\r,b). Thi:- paper gives an
excellent account of its breeding habits as observed by him. His earliest nest
was found on May 28 ivud contained three fresh eggs.

Although I searched carefully for nests of the Ar.zona Hooded Oriole during
the entire month of May, I failed to find any until June .'>, when I took the first
nest, ontaining three fresh eggs. It was suspended from j liunch of niistlett)e
growing on a limb of a cottonwood tree, about 40 feet from the ground, and was
hard to get at. This, like nearly all the nests found by me, was woven of a sj)ecies
of slender wiry grass gi'owing in moist places, which was used in a green state. It
contained a little cottonwood down for lining. Its green color, closely resembling
the suiTounding foliage, made it very difficult to see. It was securely fastened
to several mistletoe twigs among which it was placed. Fully three-fifths of the
nests found by me were ])laced in similar situations; the others were suspended
in mesquite (excepting one found in an ash tree), at vaiious heights from 12 to
45 feet from the ground. The#majority of these nests were woven of this green
wire grass, which seems admirably adapted for this pini)ose, and a few oivly were
made of dry yucca fillers; the latter were much more easily seen. In some
instances this material was also used for the inner lining, mixed with willow
down or a little wool, rm'ely with a few feathers, or a small quantity of hoi-sehair.

While some of the nests were semipensile and slung somewhat like a ham-
mock, so that they rocked like a cradle with every breeze, in the majority some of
the surrounding slender twigs among which the nest was placetl were incorpo-
rated into its walls and sides, securing it almost immovably in position. None
of the nests seen by me in any way resembled those of Bullock's Oriole, which
was also common here. They were always nmch brighter colored, not nearly
so deep, and wen^ constructed of entirely different materials. Neither do the
gi'ass-woven nests of the Arizona Hooded Oriole resemble the common type of
its near relative found in Texas. I refer to the nests built of tree moss, which

■ i. 1.
ill'

■'I

i I), i ,;

■^1

478

LIFK IliaXOKIES OF NOllTH AMEllICAN HIUDS.

')i

KM

lire usuiilly located in hunchuH of tliu miuiiu niaturial. Hut tlioHt^ of either form
of tlio Hooded Oriole, wlioii Imilt of yucca filters, mif^lit 1)«) readily luiMtaken for
each other. Hesides the trees already mentioned, Mr. Scott found it breediiifj in
sycamores, and in C-alifoniia it nests in walnut, willow, (^yj)ress, {ftnn, and fan
palms {Wasliint/tonid Jilicrm), the fibers of which, accordinjr to Mr. Then. ]).
Ilurd, are almost exclusively used as nestinj^ material in that locality.

Mr. llurd jmhlishod the foHowinji; interestinj"- notes on the nesting habits of
this Oriole, as observed by him in that vicinity: "For the rearin}; of the first
brood the nests are usually suspended in overhanging!: branches of the blue gum
(^Kncaljiittu.s iilobulus), but it is a nctticeablo fact that the second nests are more
conniionly attached to the leaves of the j)alm tree. Why this is I do not know,
unless they want to begin laying as soon as possilde, and therefore build where
material is mt)st easily obtained. When in i)alms the nests are fastened directly
to the under side of a large leaf, leaving a small opening on one or more often
on either side, for the bird to enter.'"

Mr. 11. 11. Lawrence took a nest of this (V >le containing four eggs near
Monrovia, California, on May lit, 1893; this i.eitt, vhich he kindly sent to me,
was attached to the under side of a banana leaf, about 9J feet from the ground.
Two other nests were subsecpiently met with in similar situations, one of these
probably bel(»nging to the pair whose eggs had been previously taken.

Two and possibl}'^ even three broods are sometimes raised in a season. I
found slightly incubated eggs in Arizona on August 25. From three to five eggs
are laid to a set: in Arizona xisually only three or four; but Mr. Ilurd rei^rts
taking a set of seven ftn May (i, IHitO. An egg is depo,sited daily until the set is
comj»leted. The Arizona Hooded Oriole is imposed upon to a c(msiderable extent
by the Dwarf C\>wbird, and I found several nests containing one and two eggs of
this ])ara.site with one or two only of the rightful owner.

Incubation lasts from twelve to fourteen days. I do not know whether the
male assists in this duty, but have seen him carrying nesting materials. The nest
is well built, it is basket or cup shaped, with a very thick bottom and strong
sides. It averages about 4 inches in height externally. The inner cup is oval,
about 2^ inches <lee|) and 'A by 2 inches wide, and it takes about four or five
days to com])lete it.

Tlu* eggs resemble those of the Hooded Oriole in general shajie and ground
color, but a few approach a decided elongate ovate; as a rule they are better
marked, and the darker shades predominate over the lighten ones; they also
show more of a tendency to run into zigzag mm'kings, as do the majority of
Oriole's eggs.

Tlie average measurement of thirty specimens in the United iStates National
Musemn collectiim is 21.09 by \h.'Al millimetres, or about O.Hf) by (>.(!1 incii.
The largest egg in the series measures 24.13 by l.'j.24 millimetres, or O.lio by
O.OOinch; the smallest, 1H.03 by 13.21 millimetres, or 0.71 by (».r)2 iiu'li.

'Ornithologist and Colonist, Vol. XV, ISiW, p. 13.

11

THE AKIZONA HOODKD ORIOLE.

479

The ty|)o Hpeoimen, No. 20220 (PI. 7, V\\r. 1), from a Hot of tlireo eggs,
Bendire collection, was taken by the writer on Uillito Creek, near TucHon,
Arizona, on July 17, 1872, and representH a well-marked Hpecimen; while No.
20227 (PI. 7, Fig. 2), also from a Het of three, taken by the writer in the same
vifinity, on AugUHt 25, 1872, rejjresentH u handsome and peculiar style of color-
ation, which is alHO occasionally found among the eggs of the Hooded Oriole,
but not often among either.

z88. Icterus spurius (Linn.«us).

OKrHARU OKIOLK.

OrioluH upHrhin LiNNiKUS, Syatema Natunp, etl. 12, 1, 1706, 102,
Ivterm gpuriHn Bonapartk, .loiirual Academy Natural Sciences, Phila., Ill, 1823, 'MXi.

(B 414, 0 215, B 270, 0 324, U 600.)

GEoaRAPHiCAli BANGr: Eastern United States; north to the Houthern border of the
nonunion of Canada, regularly to southern Ontario, casually to Houthern New Brunswick;
west to eastern North and South Dakota, Nebraska, eastern Colorado, Kansas, the Indian
Territory, and Texas; south in winter through Central America to Panama.

'J^he breeding range of the Orchard Oriole is confined to the eastern and
central parts of the United States, reaching from northern Florida along the
Gulf cojist west to the lower Kio Grande Valley, in Texas; thence north (except-
ing the northwestern parts of this State) through the Indian Teiritory, Kansas,
and Nebraska, to eastern South and North Dakota. In the Mississippi Valley it
reaches about the northern limits of its range in Minnesota and southern North
l)aki>ta, in about latitude 4(>'^, while along the Atlantic coast, in the New Eng-
land States and in New York, it is rarely met with north of latitude 42°. It
breeds sparingly in southern Ontario, in the Dominion of Canada, and undoubt-
<>dly also to some extent, in favorable localities, somewhat farther north than the
points indicated above, especially so in Minnesota; it may also breed in small
numbers in eastern Colorado. Mr. Frank M. Chapman reports it as a rare
summei" resident at Gainesville, Florida. Its center of abundance is to be found
in the States bordering the Mississippi Valley.

Throughout irs range in tlie United States it is only a sunnner visitor, and
none remain with us dming the winter. It reenters our southern border about
April 1, moving leisurely northward and reaching its more northern breeding
grouiuls from a mouth to six weeks later, according to the season, the nuiles
usually preceding the females by several days.

Tiie Orchard Oriole, though far less brilliantly colored than its eastern
congener, the Baltimore ( )riole, is equally well known though not quite as con-
s|)icuous. It is a restless, impidsive, but well-dispositioned bird, on good terms
with its neighbors, and, though not particidarly shy, it is nevertheless difficult to
observe closely, as it generally conceals itself in the densest foliage while at rest,
or else flits quickly al)out from twig to twig in search of insects, on which it
lives almost exclusively tlu-oughout the summer months.

Hi

n>

m.

1

Pi

4H()

lAVK llI»TOUIE8 OF NOUTU AMKllICAN lUKDS.

its t'livorit*' liiiunts, an itx iiaiiui iiiipliiw, aru nrcliarils, and w)u<ii tho applo
and |H-ar tn-cH ar«< in hlooni and tlit^ trtn-H hav(* connnfm cd to loaf oiiu may look
tor tlu' On-liard Oriole. It is genorally found in ratiicr open country, intur-
Hpi'iftod lu'rc and tlu^ro with small jfroven; also amon^if tlio Hliadt* tri'tm alonjf
country roads, and in tlu* prairio States among the trtM's aiul shruhlu-ry along
Htrcams, preferring such localities to hoavier-tindtered sections luiil forest n'gionw.

Its song, most often heard in the earlier spring, is uttered in a (piick, hurried
manner. Its loud, clear strains, indicating its impulsive nat(U'e, are ]ioured forth
with sucii rai)idity as to he diHicult to descrihe, and I shall not attemjtt it; hut
they remind me somewhat of those of the VVarhling \'ireo, only sounding louder
and clearer. A chattering, (pu'rulous note, when disturbed or alarmed from any
causi;, is also uttered.

Few l)irds do more good and less harm than our Orchard Oriole, especially
to the fruit grower. The bulk of its food consists of small beetles, plant lice,
tlies, hairless i-aterpillars, cabbage worms, grassh(»ppers, rose bugs, an<l larvjv of
all kinds, while the few berries it may help itself to during the short time they
last are many times ])aid for by the great uund)er of noxious insects destroyed,
and it certainly deserves the fullest protection.

Excepting in the extreme souttieni parts of its range nest building does
not begin much before May 10, and even there it is often protracted till after
the middle of the month. In southern New York, Pennsylvania, southern
Michigan, and ^linne.sota full sets of fresh eggs may onlinarily be looked for
from Ma\' "io to .June 10, while on the htwer Hio (}rande, in Texas, fresh sets
are occasionally taken during the first week in May, but more fre»|Uently not
until i.!>Mut the :::i<ldle (f this m(>ntli. Hotli sexe-! assist in nest l)uilding, and
generally finish <tne in from three to fbin* days. The nests are placed in trees
or bushes, from (J to 40 feet from the ground, usually from 12 to 20 feet, in a
great variety of trees, less often in conifers than in deciduous kinds. Apple,
l)ear, swet^t giun, ditt'erent kinds of oaks, sycamore, elm, cot^onwood, nuiple,
walnut, mesiiuite, hackbeny, prickly ash, cedar, and pine are a few of the many
selected as nesting sites. In the South the Orchard Oriole nests occasionally in
the gray moss {TiUandsia mncouk's) so commonly found hanging from many of
the trees there. The late Dr. William ('. Avery, of (ireensltoro, Alabama, sent
me a beautiful nest of this sjieeies, built in a bunch of such moss, pending from
a post oak, about 2r) feet from the grouml, and taken on May 27, 1«!>1. A huit-
able cavity wa.s fashioned in the moss, and this is well lined with the wiry green
grass which is nearly always used by the Orchard Ori<>le in the construction of
its nests. The inside is si)anngly lined with plant down. To what extent this
mode of building prevails I am unable to tell, but 1 believe it is rather unusual,
even in localities where this moss is abundant.

The location and manner of attaching its ingeinously woven, basket-like
nests vary gn^atly. Some are set in a crotch formed by several small twigs; the
b(»ttom of the nest occasi<»nally rests on and is supj)orted by these, and again
in similar locations it is unsujjpoi-ted, but the sides are securely fastened to
several of the twigs among which it is placed; then again some are built in a

. lip .

I

TUK OUCilAUD OltlOLBS.

481

fork of H liori/.iiiitiil liiiil), liko tlio iioHt of an Acailian KlycatcluT or a Viroo,
both Hi)k'H of flat iicHt. I)ciu<r fastened to tlut fork in which it is phieed; a^ain it
may ho fasteiUHl to soniu snitahht twi^s hy the rini only, in the manner of ti
lianinioek. Coini)aratively few, ex<'ei>tinf( those of tiie hist styhi and those hniU
in moss, ean really he ealled pensile or even seniiponsilo nests. They also vary
^rreatly in ))nlk and deptli.

A well-preserved nest from the Ralph collection. No. 25347, taken on Shelter
Island, Sntfolk (Jonnty, New York, on dnne ;{, IHSO, contained six e}^<>s when
found. It was placed in an iipri^dit fork of a small branch in a thorn pear tree,
about 1(J feet from the fj^ronn<l, and is composed of wiry jrrass used while frrcon,
and is lady slightly HiumI with ]ilant down. The outer diameter at the widest
part, a little below the middle of the nest, is 4^ inches; the outside depth is 4
inches. The upper rim of the ncfst is sonu'what contracted; the inner cup is
3 inches de«'p by 2.^ iiu'hes in diameter. T!ie sides are thick and secin'ely
fastened to .neveral branches, but the Itottom does not come within 2 inches
of the f(a'k of the crotch in which it is placed. Another nest, No. 202m, taken
l»y Mr. II. P. Attwater, on the St. diaries I'eninsula, near Kockport, Aransas
County, Texas, on May 10, IH\K\, contained six efi'},'s, and was placed in an upri;^ht
crot«'h of a mes(piite tree, H feet from the ffroniid, and only 25 yards from salt
water. This is much slifj^hter built, and measiu'es oidy 3 by 3 inches in outer
diameter; the inner cup is 2.J inches din-p and 2 inches wide; tlitt ujiper rim
of the ne.st is also somewhat contracted. This is likewise constructed of line,
wiry f>ras8, and is ap|»arently lined with a little thistle down. The ni-sts taken
in tlm South appear to bo nmeh less bulky than those from the northern parts
of its l>reedin;>' ranf^e.

Many of these nests retain their bri}»'ht pea-^j^reen color for yeai"s. Mr. 1).
H. Burrows writes mo that some nests of this species, whi<'h he foiuid in Starr
( 'ounty, Texas, were so well lined with cotton that the interior had a beautiful,
smooth, pure white appearancie. In the northern parts of its rani.fe the Orchard
Oriolo is more or less imposed upon by the ( -owbird; and Mr. Ihirrows informs
mo that on the lower Hio Grande, in Texas, its nests oftener contain parasitic
e^r^s of both tlie Ked-eyed and Dwarf (!owbirds than any other species noticed
l»y him. The Orchard Oriole is a very social l)ird and does not object to other
species nestiu}'' in the same tree with it; it seems to be on esjiecially f^ood
terms with the Kin<>;bird. Most of its time is spent in trees, and it is rarely seen
on the {ground. Its tlij^ht is swift, easy, and j^raceful.

Krom four to six egfjs are usually laid to u set (mostly iivo) and ono is
doi)osited dai^y. Incul)ation lasts about twelve days, and I am of tho opinion
tiiat this duty is exclusively performed by the female. I have never seen tho
male on tlie ne.st, but have seen him feed his mate while incubating. I believe
as a rule <»nly one brood is raised in a season. Both parents show ecjual solici-
tude and devotion in the care and defen.se of their young from jtrowling enemies,
and will boldly and furiously attack any intruder. In the northern parts of its
range the fall mijiration begins sometimes in the latter part of July, usually in

! > !
, I

;1

16896— No. ;

-31

482

lilKK IliUTOKlliH OK NORTH AMKKM^VN lilUDH.

til*) lH<^iiiniii^' of Aii<>:iiHt, <'i>iii|iiirativi*ly t'«\v liinlH rfiiiiiiiiiii^ iit tlin cidI nf tliirt
iiiiiiitli.

'Plio vnnx iii'ti iiiimtly ovalit in hIiii|ii', Imt ocrtiHioiiiilly a ni^t \h rmiiiil wliirli
\h *l«M'i<lu«lly I'liiiipitt* ovat*'. TIm* h\\v\\ '\h iMoilfrattOy Hti'dii^;, rlom* paiii<'<|, aial
without ^loHH. 'I'lif ^roiinii tolor is iiHiially |ialt* hliiisli wiiit**, and tliiH \h homk*-

tnnt'H

t'ainti

V ovci'laK

I witi

I |taio |M'ari ;i:i'ay or jrrayiHJi wintc

Tlu'

niarkni;>H,

wliicli lU'ti n«*arly alwavH lit-avifst aliout tlu> lar^rcr cml of" tlm cj^n', consiKt of
lilott-lics, H|)ots, HcrawlK, and tracin^fs of miveral sliadt'H of brown, |)ur|ili>, lav-
(Midcr, and pcari ilf^y, varyin;r in ainoinit and intensity in ditlcn-iit HptTiincnK.
In tilt' niajority of tiitt t'lmn lirforit iii« tli« darkxr iiiarkiii^s |ii't'doiiiinat«', hut
tim lij,'htt'i-rolon'd and more neutral tints an* nearly always present to a f,'reater
or less extent.

'I'he averau-e iii<*asiireinent of one hundred and thirty-thret* specimens in
thw United States National Miiseimi collection is 20.47 hy I l.'>4 niillinietreK, or
aliout (t.Hl hy 0.57 inch. The larjfest ejfj;; in the series measures '2'2,lMt liy iri.'24
milliinetres, or 0.S8 hy 0.(>0 inch; tlut sinallust, IH.OiJ hy 14.2"J millinu'ties, or
0.71 hy 0.r>(; inch.

The type specimen, No. 21(i70 (IM. 7, Kig. !<)> I*«'iidi"e collection, from an
incomplettt set taken hy Mr. A. .1. Dayan, near New Haven, ( "oimecticut. is a
vei\ peculiarly and oddly marked e^ij;-, and is Hjrured on this accoimt. No.
•J4H()4 (IM. 7, Fif^. 4), from a set of five taken in Chatham ('ounty, (Jeorj^'ia, May
21, ISDO, and presentetl hy Mr. W. \'\ Wehh, represents a rather heavily marked
specimen; while No. 2r)r»riO (IM. 7, Vifx. 5), Ralph collection, from a set of ftau',
taken in Cameron (bounty, Texas, Ma)- 10, IH!)2, represents a rather light-
colored and an averago-niarkod oyg.

l8g. Icterus galbula (Linn.1':uh).

llAl/riMOUK OKIOLK.

<'<>vnvi(t» UitlhuUi I/INN/Klis, Hystoiiia Natinii-, ed. 10, \lTtH, lOS.
Ivtvrim yalbiila (JoUK«, bulletin Niittall Oriiitliological Club, V, IStM). l»S.

(U 4ir., <J L'lO, l{ 271, C 3L'0, U 507.)

(iKodUAi'HK'AL itANOE: I'lastcrii North America; iiortli to the sdiithern Iwider of
the Doiniiiiiai ot'Caiiiida, I'roia Nova .Scotia aiul southorii New liruiiswick westward through
Ontario ami .Manitoba to iSasliatcliewan, where it roaches the iiorthuru known limits of its
range in hititiule .")5'^; west to eastern Assiniboin, tlio eastern parts of Montana, NV.vo-
iiiiiig(T), Culuiado, and Texas; south in winter througli eastern Mexico and Central
America to l*aiiama. Accidental at York Kitctury, Koewatiii, Dominion of Canada, the
Island of Cuba, and the Shetland Islands, Kuropo.

Within the htirders of tho United States tho breeding range of the Haiti-
more Oriole, also variously known as "Golden Robin," " Kire-bird," "I'ea-hird,"
"Hanging-bird," and "Ilang-nest," is riuarly coextensive with its geographical
distribution, with tho excejitions that it does not ajijiear to breed at all in southern
Florida and is generally rare in the immediate vicinity of the (Julf coast.

iilti-
inl,"
liciil
hori)

TlIK HAI/riM Iti: OUIOLK.

483

II ToxiiH, (luring; tlM< !ii-t>tMliii;r hcuhoii, it in t'liiiini mily in tlio innrt* fiiHtnii
portinim of till) Still**, iiiiil ii|i|i«<iirH to ho nun dvcii tlicrc, cxcoptiiijf in tlic ntntli-
fUHtuni |iui-t. It iM II i-uniiiion Miiniiiutr rcHiiii-nt in tlio Inilian 'rumtmy iiiul
KiiiiHiis, wliilo ill ('iiHtoiii Colurmlo and Montana it iniiHt \hi cuiiHiilcnMl as lari'.
It |iaHH0H lioyoial uiir iHtrtlcr into ftisti rn AHHinilmia, ami is cuniniDn in Manitnlni,
iviicliiii^r tilt) tiorthfin limits ol' its ran^ro in the iiitfiiur in Saskatilutwaii, wIk-i-d
('apt. T. Hlakistiin iimt witli it in latitmlo r>ri" N. TlK'Ufi) to tli«> fastwiinl it is
I'oiinnoii in Ontario, lint lu'coiiifs raror tofvanl tint Atlantif coast, ami is only
im)t with in small niimlicrs in soiithorn New Itninswick, wlitTi- it is n>port*M| to
luffd rt'ffiilarly near Woodstot-k, on tlm St. .lolin's Uiver, and it lias ht'cn taken
in-iir ilalit'iix, Nova Scotia, and also prohahly nests here to a limited extent.

In northern Maine the Italtimoro Oriole is rather rare. .Mr. Manly Hardy,
of Hrewer, writes iin<ler (hito ot" April 2!l, IHDI: "We tind many species ot"
birds hero now wliit^h wore not fonnd thirty years ayfo, and othei-H ai*o slowly
inovin^f this way. I find that certain species do not advance eastward faster
than from 2 to fi miles a year. The Haltimore Oriole reached here thirty-odd
years a^jfo, lint was fonnd on the Kennohoo Miver, fit) miles west, tweuty-livo years
provimisly, and I am certain that it was in IJaiifii'or three years Itefore it crossed
tho river to Brovver, and, althon<,di a ro}^ular visitor horo now, I have not soon
it oven a inilo oast of here as yet."

The Maltiinoro Oriolo is a common and well-known Itinl throntjhout our
Fiiistern, Middle, and Northern States. In the lJ|iper Mississippi Valley it has
jfreatly increased in niimhers within tho last thirty years, siiict* the country
has been settled, and it appears to he holdinj^ its own in the Kast where many
other species aro slowly <lecreasinf,^ This is undoubtedly due to its {^-reat popu-
larity in our rural distrii^ts, where its beiu'ticial ipialities are jiretty jieneriilly
uiuh'rstood. Aside from its showy )»lunia;>e, its .spri{i|;htly and pleasiii";- ways, its
familiarity with man, and the immense amount of good it does by tho destruction
<»f many noxious insects an<l their larviv, including hairless caterpillars, spicUns,
cocoons, etc., it naturally and dosorvedly endears itself to every true lover of tliu
beautiful in nature, and uidy a short-sighted churl or an ignorant fool would
bogmdge one tho few green peas and berries it may li(?lp itself to while in season.
It fully earns all it takes, and more too, and osuocially deserves tho fullest pro-
tuctiun of every agriculturist.

The l?altimore ()ri(do usually arrives in tho southern Now England State.s,
in central New York, and Minnesota, with almost invariable regularity, about
May 10, rarely \arying a week from this date; it arrives correspondingly earlior
or later farther south or north. About this time the trees havv; commenced t(»
leaf, and many of tho orchards are in bloom, .so that their arrival coincides
with tho loveliest time of the year. The males usually iirecedo the females
by two or three days to their breeding grounds, and tho .siiiiie site is fro((uently
occupied for several seasons, and nt»t infreciuontly tho same nest. It is very
ram.'; attachecl to a locality when once chosen for a home, and is loath to leave
it. Few birds are more devoted to each other than these Orioles, and 1 am of
the opiuiou that thoy romaiu mutod through lifo. Thou- favorito huuuts iu our

•II

I Mi

11

• I

M

1

1

1

■

I

i

.M

In

1

L

,f d

n

t 1

1

-. 1

II

-r

I

'

ij'h;

m'

484

LIFE FIISTOUIE8 OF NOKTII AMEUICAN JUUDS.

Eastern States are t'ouiul in ratlier open country, alonjj roads bonlered with sliade
trees, creek bottoms, orchards, and the borders of small thnbered tracts. It is
e(|ually at home in villages or cities of consideraljle size, as lonj^ as they fiu'-
nish suitable trees for nesting sites. It shuns swampy and marshy trai-ts and
extensive forests.

A very peculiar note, a long-drawn-out, chattering "chae, chac, chat;," is apt
to draw one's attention to it on its first arrival, and this is more or less fre(iuently
uttered throughout the season. This note is difficult to rejtroduce exactly, and
I Hnd its songs still more so. One sounds somewhat like "hioh, hioh, tweet,
tweet;" anothei something like "whee-he-he, whee-he-he, oh whee-he-he-woy-
wov." This last is nuich more softly uttered than the first. Mr. T. Nuttall
describes one of their songs as "tshij)pe-tshayia-too-too-tshippe-tshippa-too-too,"
and there are others impossible to render. The young, after leaving the nest,
utter a note like "he-he-hiie," and another like "heek-heek-he," varied occasion-
allv bv a low twittering. Shortly after their arrival they sing almost incessantly
when not eating; but later in the season, when they have their always hungry
family to provide for, they are more silent. Their fligiit is strong, swift, anil
graceful, and they are far more at home on the wing tiian on the ground, when^
they are seldom seen exce})t when picking up some insect or in search of nesting
material.

In the vicinity of Washington, District of Columbia, nidification commences
about the middle of May, and full sets of eggs may be looked for the last week
in this month, while in central New York, Connecticut, Wisconsin, southern
Minnesota, etc., they usually nest from eight to fourteen days late".

Few of our native birds build a more ingeniimsly constructed nest than tin;
Baltimore Oriole, and it nuist always be considered a most interesting exani|»le
of bird architecture, taking time, hitelligence, and good judgment to construct,
and from five to eight days are usually required for its comj)letion.

Some nests show a great superiority over others in general make-uj) and
workmanship, and are perhajjs the product of old and experienced Itirds, wliile
the younger ones, from lack of judgment, often select })oor sit«'s, or else seciu'e
their nests (sarelessly to the sujjporting twigs, so that many are destroyed before
the young reach maturity.

Ordinarily the nest of the Baltimore Oriole is j)ensile, and is usually sus-
pended by the rim from the extremities of several slender branches, to which it
is attacheil. Others, besides being fastened by the rim, which is always neat
and smoothly finished, are attached to some perpendicuhu' fork or limb by one
of the sides, thus steadying the nest and preventhig it from swinging too much
during heavy winds. In a truly jiensile nest simie of tlie eggs are occasionally
cracked by the violent swaying of the slender twigs to which it is attached,
while if fastened at the side this occiu's very rarely, ludess the entire lind) is
torn off. Both sexes assist in nest building. The materials used for the frame-
work consist })rincipally of decayed fibers, such as those of the Indian hemp
(^Apoci/iiHia an(fro.s(cmi/oUum), the silk of milkweed (Asclrpia.s), nettles (l^rtira),
aud, when located near human habitations, of horsehair, bits of twine, yarn,

m

'.v.

THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE.

485

strips of grapovine hark, etc. Witli hucIi materials a strong purse or poiich-
•sliaped nest is woven and firmly attached to one or more forked twifys hy the
slif^htly contracted rin;, and it is usually placed in such a position that the entrance
is well shaded hy leiify twills above. All sorts of materials are used in linin<f the
bottom and sides of the nest — cotton, wool, tow, ra<^s, cattle hair, fur, fine strips
of bark, tree moss, fine •'•rass, and jilant down. They readily avail themselves of
any suitable materials, such as yam, which may be thrown out to them, bnt
l»r(*f('r plain to {raudy colored stuffs. I have a nest before me which has a couple
of tassels, made of white cotton twine, pending loosely from the side of the nest.
This jie.st. No. 2.'')112, was taken b}- Mr. II. P. Attwater, near Chatham, Ontario,
in June, IHSfi. It is firndy attached to and jjendant from three small twigs, and
is composed of twine, horsehair, and plant fibers; the walls, although rather thin,
are greatly strengthened by the quantity of horsehair iised. It is externally fi
inches deej), and the entrance, which is oval in shape, mea-sun^s i\\ by 2 inches in
diameter. The cup is 4 J inches deep by 2.J inches wide. This is a truly pensile
nest. Anothei, No. 2r)904, taken bv Mr. Otto Widmann, near St. Lom's, Missouri,
on May 31, 1884, an excciedingly well-built example, was suspended from some
small twigs growing out of an upright fork of an elm branch about half an inch
tiiickand some 2.') feet from the groimd, it was also fnstened to one branch of the
fork for nearly the entire depth of the nest. It measures !l inches in length
by r> inches in external diameter, and is nearly cylindrical in shape. It is fully
T) inches deep .and 3 inches wide inside. The o])ening of the nest was well pro-
tecti'd from above bj' several small, leafy twigs; a few long streamers of hemp-like
fibers hang down from the sides and bottom. Tlu^ inside is lined with horsehair
and plant down. Although rather slovenly looking from tlu^ outside, this is by
far the best built nest of this species I have seen. The color of some of the
nests varies considerably according to the materials used; some look almost
white, others a pale straw color, and the majority smoke gray. In the South the
lialtimore Oriole, like the preceding species, builds occasittn.ally in bunches of
the gray moss (^TiUaiidsia usncoidcs).

The nests are usually suspended from long, slender, droopinji' branches of
elm, ma]»le, birch, weeping willow, buttonwofid, sycamore, oak, aspen, pojdar,
Norway spruce, a])}»le, pear, and wild cherry trees; bnt in .some localities they
are frequently built in the very top and center of a tree, where it is almost inqtos-
sible to see them. They are ])laced at various heights from the gnmnd, from
8 to .'')0 feet and more, and frequently in utterly inaccessible positions. '^Dk^
Baltimore Oriole is tolerant and amiably disj)osed tow.ard its smaller neighbors,
and such are often allowed to ne.st in the same tree, and occasionally within a
few feet of its own nest.

Incubation lasts about fiun-teen days, and I think the female attends to this
duty almost e.xclusively. Hoth sexes are extrenu'ly devoted to each otiier, as
well as to their eggs and young, defending these bravely against all intruders.
?>om four to six eggs are laid to a set, most frequently four, though sets of (ivi^
are not miconnnon, while sets of six are rather rare. One is dejiosited daily, and
only one brood is raised in a season. The young are able to leave the nest when

-.|i

7-i

i'

486

LIFI-: HISTORlP]S OF NOUTH AMEUIOAN BIRDS.

about two weeks old, uiul may then bo seen sitting on some of the branches
(ilose by and clamoring for food. They are fed entirely on insects, etc., and are
faitlifnlly cared for by the parents until able to provide for themselves. The
migration from the northern sections of their breeding range to their winter
homes in Central America begins usually in August, but oc(^asionally some birds
linger until September. This species is rarely imposed on by theCowbird. The
eggs of the Baltimore Oriole are usually elongate ovate in shajie, more rarely
ovate. The shell is tine grainiid, nuxlerately .strong, and shows but little gloss.

The ground color is ordinarily pale grayish white, one of those subtle tints
which is ditHcult to describe; in a few cases it is pale blui.sh white, and less oft(<n
the ground color is clouded over in places with a faint, pale ferruginous suffusion.
The ogg is streaked, blotcluMl, and cDvcred with irregularly shaped liiu's and
tracings, generally heaviest about the larger e'ld of tlu* v<rf!:, with different shades
of black and brown, and more sparingly with lighter tints of smoke, lavender,
and pearl gray. In a few instances the markings form an irregular wreath, and
occasionally a set is found entirely unmarked.

The av(>rage measurenuMit of fifty -six eggs In the United States National
Mu.seiim collection is 23.(>;{ l»y ir».4r> millimetres, or about O.Ul by ().(!l inch.
The largest o^m of tiu^ series measures 'iri.id by 1(J.7<> millimetres, or 1.02 by
().()(; inches; the smallest, 'H).Hl\ by 14.!»!l millimetres, or ().S2 l»y i).M inch.

Of the type specimens. No. 22(144 (PI. 7, Fig. (1), from a set of fom-, taken
by th(i late Caj)t. H. F. (Joss, near I'ewaiikcH', Wisconsin, on June 7, 1H72, shows
a rather unusual type of markings; No. 2r)r)r)7 (PI. 7, Fig. 7), from a set of five,
Halj)!) collection, taken on Shelter Island, New York, .Innc 10, 1882, rc'im'sents
one of the finer and more )>rofusely marked examples; No. '2')')^ (PI. 7, Fig. 8),
also from a set of five, taken l»y Dr. William L Hal}»li, near Holland i'atenf.
New York, ,^nuv 3, 1887, .shows the coarser style of markings and a rather dark
ground color; and No. 2584(1 (PI. 7, Fig. it), from a set of lour, taken on Jiuie
7, 1887, by the same collector and at the same place as the last, shows a speci-
men ill which the markings are maiidy confined to the center of the egg.

igo. Icterus bullocki (Swainson).

lUILLOCK'H OKIOI.R.

XdHthorniiH hulloeki SwATN iON, Pliilosopliicftl Magazine, 1, 1827, 436.
Ictfriis hiillocki Honai'Arti , (Icofjrapliical and doinpaiativo List, 1838, 2!>.

(B IKi, 0 217, 11 272, C 327, U 508.)

("lEOOTJArmrAi, ijanok: Wpstmn North America; north t^ sonlliorn British Colum-
bia, sontlicrn AllxMta, and Assiniboia, Dominion of Canada; oast to western North and
South Dakota, western Nebraska, ea.stern Colorado, and western Texas; fxiwer California;
south in winter into the valley of Mexieo and to Puebla. Accidental in Maine.

Ihdlock's Oriole, a, s))ecies as handsome* and cons])icnous as the ])rec,eding
one, replaces it in the western portions of the United States, and i.- likewise
widel)- distributed. Its breeding rang«* within our borders eorrespomls to its dis-

m

BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.

487

tribwtion. It is only a summer resident with us, urrivinj^ usually troin its winter
haunts in Mexico duriufr the last half of ALandi, an<l niovinjf slowly north-
ward, reaches the more northern j)arts f>f its breedinj^ ran<;e from a month to
six weeks later. It appears to be nuich rarer in th(» immediatt! vicinity of the
scacoast than in the Great Basin regions, when* it is common nearly everywhere,
«*spe»Mally if suHicient water is found to sui)port a few stunted cottonwodds and
willows. I)inMn;r my extensive wanderinrja throuj^h nearly all of the States west
of the liocky Mountains, and extending from the i\[exican to the Hritish borders,
I have m(*t with this species almost everywhere in th(* lowlands, and in some
localiti(*s have found it very abundant. Like the Baltimore Oriole, it avoids
densely wooded rc^gions and the higher mountains. It is es])ecially abundant
in the rolling prairie country, traversed here and there by small streams having
their sources in some of tlu* many minor mountain ranges which are such promi-
nent features of the landscape* in portions of Idaho, Wasiiington, and Oregon.
These strciams are fringed with groves of cottonwood, mixed with liirch, willow,
and alder bushes, which are the favorite resorts of this Oriole during the
bn^eding season. Tlie immediate* vicinity of water is, however, not considered
al)Solut(*ly necessary, as I have found it nesting fidiv a mih* or more away
from it on iiillsides, tlie eilgc^s of tal)le-lands, and in isolated trees or even in
bushes. In Oolonido it is siiiil to lie found at altitudes of over S.OOO feet, itut
as a rul(* it prefers much low(*r cdevations. I also met witli it iit Fort Ouster,
Montana, where, iiow(*\«*r, it was not connnon, and along the eastern border of
its range it overlaps that of the Maltimore ( )rioIe for considerable distances. In
western Texas it is conmioM and breecls as far sontii iis the mouth of the IJio
(Irande. It also Itreeds in northern Lower fJalifoi-nia and northern .Mexico. In
rioiith(>rn .Vrizona and Xew iMexi(^o I found it not unconnnon, but not nearlv as
aliundant as in (*astern ( h'egon and in Idaho, where it was present everywliere
in suitiible localities. In the vicinity of Fort Lapwai, Idaho, it was especiallv
abundant, nnd, although snital)lt* ncstn.g sites were* by no means .scarce, I have
seen thrct* occupied nests of tliis OrioU in a, sinidl l»irch tree* close to a nest of
the Arkansas Flyciitclier, sliowing tliem to lie very so<'iabie liirds. Near ("amp
Ilarney, Oregon, a Swainson's Hawk, an Arkansas Flycatcher, and a jiair of
this species iiestc(l in th(> siime tree, a good-sized pine. Dr. A. K. Fisher tells
me that lu* saw Inmdreds of tliest* nests in a large row of cottonwoods, east of
IMuenix, Arizona, in .June, 1H!)2.

The call notes of Bullock's Oriole are very similar to those of the Baltimore,
but its song is neither as jileasing to th(* enr nor as cleiu- and melodious as
that of tla* latter. Its food is similar, and consists principally of insects and
a few wild berries. Niditication Itegins lat(* in May, and fresh eggs may be
looked tor throughout the greater ))art of its nmg( during the first week in .bme.
In southern Oalifornia, Arizona, and southwestern Texas a few breed some-
times by May lA, but rarely earlier.

Tlu* nest reseu\bles that of the Baltimore Oriole, but as n rule it is not
(piite as ])ensile, and many are more or less securely fastened Itv the sides as
well as by the rim to at)me of the a<ljoining twigs. Tlie general make-up is

:*■ ■?

m

I ill

H

ii

if

r

488

LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

similar. As iiiiiny sections where Bullock's Oriole breeds are still rather
8i)ar8ely settled, less twine and such other material as may bo j)icke(l nj) about
human habitations enter into its composition. Shreds of wild flax and other
fiber-bearing ])lants and the inner bark of the juniper and willow an* more
extensively utilized; these with horsehair and the down of ])lants, wool, and
fine moss, furnish the inner linin<f of the nests. Accordinj; to my observations,
the birch, alder, cottonwood. eucalyptus, willow, sj-camore, oak, i)ine, and juni-
jier furnish the favorite nestinj;' sites; and in southern Arizona and western
Texas it builds frequently in bunches of mistletoe <rrowiny' on cottonwood and
mesipiite trees.

The nests are nsually jdaced in low situations, from (i to If) feet from the
jfround, but occasionally one is found fully AO feet up. A very handsome 'lest,
now before nu;, taken by Dr. Kdji^ar A. Jlearns, United States Anny, near Fcjrt
Hancock, Texas, on June 30, 1X1)3, just after the yoiuif? had left it, is placed
amon<f six twif^s of mi.stletoe, several oi' these bein<; incorporated in the sides of
the ne.st, which is woven entirely of hor.sehair and white cotton thread, makinji!;'
a very pretty combination. The l)ottom of the nest is lined with wool. Out-
wardly it is () inches deep; inside, 4.^ inches. 'I'lie entrance, at the top, is oval
in shape, somewhat contracted, and 4 by 2.J inches wide. Another jjccidiar
specimen before me, taken near Yreka, California, May 2!), 18(!(), is woven
aniouff and fastened to a bunch of needles of the Ion<^-leafed })ine; this nest
resembles an inverted ctiue, and is quite nnicpie in structure. I have also seen
double nests, one placed beside and fastened to one jn'oviously built that had
for some unknown reason been abandoned.

The number of e<^gs to a set varies from three to six; sots of five and four
aro perhaps most conuuon, while those of six ant not very rare. Ihdlock's
Oriole is occasionally imposed upon by the Dwnrf Cowbird in Arizona, and by
this as well as the Red-eyed Cowbird in southern Texas. Only one brood is
raised in a season, and the duties of incubation, which are ]ierformed almost
exclusively by the female, last about fourteen days. I have often watched the
sitting bird, and have never seen the male on the nest. At Camp Ilanioy a
nmnber bred at the Post, within a few yards of the houses, and when not
molested they .soon became as familiar as the Biiltimore Oriole. The sexes are
extremely devoted to e..ch other, find valiantly defend their eggs and young.
I once saw a pair vigorously attack a Richardson's scpiiiTel {Sciurus richardsoni),
which evidently wa,s intent on mischief, and drive it out of the tree in which
they had their nest. Both birds acted with the greatest courage and dashed at it
repeatedly with fury, the squirrel lieating a hasty retreat from the (;ond>ined
attack, 'i^he young are large enough to leave the nest in about two weeks, and
are diligently guarded and cared for by both parents until able to pi'ovide for
themselves. Tiie return migration in the more northern portions of tiieir range*
to their winter homes in Mexico liegins u.sually in the first half of August, and
bj' the end of this numth nearly all have departed.

The eggs aro mostly elongiite ovate in shape, a few are ovate, and an occa-
sional .sot is almost wodge-.shaped or cuneiform. Tho shell is close grained and

■('■•1!,

ill-"

BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.

489

only slightly glossy. Tlie <^rouu(l color is fifcnerally of tho samo suhtlo jyrayiah-
wliite tint as that soon in tho oj^j^s ot" tho Haltiinoro Oriole, l)Ut tiu* proportion
of tlio palo l)luish whito e<f<frt is greater than with tho latter. Occasionally tlie
gronnd color is pah* vinaceons butt". The markings are similar in color to those
I'ountl on the eggs of the preceding species, but as a ruh^ they are not so coarse,
and the fine hair lines running in irregular tracings around tiie larger a.\is of
the egg are more prevalent; they are also a tritte lai-ger.

Tlie average measurement of one hundred and forty-four specimens in the
United States National Museum collection is 2.'{..S0 by ir>.!<3 millimetres, or
about 0.114 by O.diJ inch. The largest 0}X'^ in tlu* series measiu-es 25.40 l)y 1().7(!
millimetres, or 1 by O.GfJ inch; the smallest, 21.34 by 15.24 millimetres, or ().S4
by O.GO inch.

Of the ty[>e specimens. No. 2020.S (PI. 7, Fig. 10), from a sot of four, Bondire
collection, taken by the writer at Fort Lapwai, Idaho, on .June (!, 1X71, .shows
the peculiar vinaceons butt" ground color n^forrod to idxive; No. 20211 (i'l. 7,
Fig. 11), from a set of thv':".-, in which incubaticin was iidvinu-ed, from the same
colh^ctor and place, tak(Mi .Turn* 15, 1S71, represents a peculiarly shaped and
very handsomely markcMl egg; No. 20218 (1*1. 7, Fig. 12), from a set of live,
tak<fn by the writcn* at C;iinp Ilarnoy, Oregon, on June 10, 1877, shows souu?
unusually heavy markings; while No. 25551 (1*1. 7, Fig. liJ), from a set of four,
in the Ralph collection, taken near Hrownsvillo, Te.xa.s, May 27, 1891, represents
about an average-marked egg and a rather doar gnumd color.

i'

if
'.1

ii

:|

igi. Scolecophagus carolinus (JIullek).

RUSTY KLACKJIIRI).

Turdun carolinus Mi'rLLKR, Systcina NaturiT>, Supplement, 1770, MO.
Scolecophagus curolinuH UiDcavAv, freceedings V. S. Natioiiiil .Musenin, VIII, 1.SS5. .'?."i((.

(li 417, C 221, It 273, 0 .331, U 500.)

GEOOBAPniOAL BANOE: Mainly Eastern North America; <'roni Florida and the (inlf
coast north throujjh tlie. Eastern United States and tho Dominion of IJaniuIa to Labrador,
Keewatin, thc^ Northwest Territory and northern Alaska to the shores of Iterinj;' Sea:
west in tho United States to Texas and the (Sreat Plains, and occasionally to the east«M'n
slopes of tho Rocky Mountains. Accidental in Lower Califtn-nia and ia Cireenland.

The breeding range of the Hustj- Blackbird, also conuuonly known as
the "Rusty Grackle," is a rather limited one within our borders. As far as
known it ])roeds only in i)ortioi * o(' Vennont, New Hampshire, and ^raine, and
in the Adirondack wilderness, riMciiing the most southerly point of its breeiling
range in Herkimer Oounty, New York, in about latitude 43^, whore it is strictly
confined to the mountainous regions and is rather rare. .Somewhat farther
north, in the vicinity of Rig Moose* Lake, Dr. (1 Ha.t Morriam rejiorts it as a
connnou suumior resident. It may ])ossibly brood on the west shore* of Lake*
Suja-rior, in northeastern Minnesota, but there are no records at hand from
there. As one advances north into the Dominion of Canada it becomes more

490

LIFK JIISTOUIKS OF NOUTU AMERICAN UIRDB.

I

common in Htiital)l(* lociiIitioH, (iiul its center of almndance durinjy tlio brood-
injjf HCiiaon nnist ho lookt^l for nortli of latitude M°, and it extends tlienco
to the ti'oo limit. Tho most northeni point at which it has yet been found is
Putnam River, xMaska, whore specimens were taken l»y Iii<'nt. CI. M. Ston(*y,
United States Navy. Its l)reedin<r ran^j^e is known to extend from T.,abrador in
a northwesterly direction clear across the con'.i-.icui, i<> tlu* shores of Herin;^
Sea, and as it covers such an innn(M>so tmct of cotmtry, I doubt if it is very

common anywhere.

rir

riut llusty (Jrackle is much more of a forest-lovin<f s])ecies than the other
Hlackbirdh, and durinjf tiie breedinj^ season it ai)])ears to be far less <;r(^<rari-
ous. Its favorite haunts in tlu* Adirondacks an? the swampy and heavily
wood(id shores of tlu^ many little mountain lakes and ponds found i^'ervwliert*
in this re<>ion, and here it spends the season of rej)roduction in cumjtarativo
solitude. I can .statt* from p(>r.sonal experience that tlie o<">ln;^ist who desirtfw
to study this sjtecies on its breedin<^- };rnunds nmst mak(( up his mind to endurt*
all sorts of discomforts; millions of Idack flies, <>'nats, and mosipiitoes make
life a burden duriu<; his stay, while tlie bo}>s and swamps thi'oii<>h which one is
compelled to flounder in search of the nest render walkin<>- anythinj;- lait pleasrnt,
and I am not at all surprised thai f^enuiim e}'<;s of this species are still desideraf"
in most collections.

The Rusty Hlackbird s])ends its winters mostly in tlu! Middh* and Southern
States, and is oiu^ of tlu^ earliest mij^rants to return to its brt^'diu}'' j^'rounds. It
arriv(^s in the more southern portions of its breeding- raM<;-e usually lai(^ in Marcii
or early in April, Iteforti the ice in tin* lakes has l)roken up and tlm trees havtt
commenced to sprout; and even on the Yukon River, Alaska, it has been seen as
early as April 10. Its food durinj;' the summer moiitlis consists principally of
inse«'ts of various kinds, such as caterpillars, moths, grasshoppers, etc., small
mollnsks, worms, wild berries, and small seeds. In winter this species feeds
more on {jrrain and may bti seen occasionally about barns and stock yanls and
in corn and rice fields, usually in small flocks by themselves, liut sonmtinies in
company with other Blackbirds. Their mode of flifjht restMiibles that of tla*
Red-winyed Blackbirds, and when feedinjj', while movinjr alon^', flu* rearmost fly
over the others and alij^ht aj^ain in the front ranks. Tlieir notes arc; much more
uuisical than those of the (irackles or other Blackbirds. 'I'luf ordinary call note
sounds like "tchiick, tchiick," several times repeated; another is lik(f "turulee,
turulee, turule(i," ntttired in a clear tone, and varied occasionalK to "trallahee,
trallahee."

Mr. J. W. Preston writes: "(^n an early sprinfj day, while I was Wfiitin}^
in a sheltered wood, a, jjoofl-sized flock of Rusty Blackbirds settl(>d in sonu^ low
trees about me, and as 1 was standin};(piietly by a larj;(f tvvx-. they did not see me.
'i'Jie wind whistled loudly thr<iu}rh the branches above, but these lively fellows
))e<j^an a serenade so joyous and full of j,d(Ufful aban<lon that I linj^ered ]on<r to hear
them. In sinjiinj^- they o))ened the bill widely and the throat s\velle<l with mel-
ody. Their notes are rich, varietl, and energetic. They are almost constantly in

TITK UUSTY BLACIKIURD.

491

motion, oliasin<>' ciich otlior or Hyiiif^ I'loiu porcli to purc.h, sinjyiii<i' iiunTily iiumt
of tlio tinio."

In tluMuoro soutluTU portions of its breeding' ruiiffc, in Tlorkiincr (!onnty,
New York, nidification connnenct's (is curly uh tlio last wiu-k in April. I)r.
William L. Ralph found a nest containinff four fivsli c^ffs on May 7, ^SH^',, ]nit
it nsnally commcnct's layin}^ lion* aliodt tiic middic of this montli, and if tho
first set of »'};f;s is taken, ii second on(f may lie looked for alxint two weeks later.
With )i set of five ejf<fs in tlui l{al]ih colltM'tion, taken on May 27, 1H!)2, in
which incubation had sli^fhtly aih anced, tlu* foliowinj;' remarks are entered on
tlio data, blank beloiif^inj;' to it: "When I reached the nest 1 foiird the fenude
bird dallyiiifj with two males, Hutterin;'' her winjjs, raisin;,'' her tail al)ove her
back, and caliin;;- to tliein. All three finally flew to the nest and nia<h' a ;;Teat
deal of noise in the chimi) of trees in which it was situated and on the mossy
^Tonnd l)eiieath. At first the female ajijieared to care more for tli«> attentions of
the males tlian slie did for her nest, but as soon as I be^an taking- the ei^ys she
and one* of the males mad«* a ^reat fuss and attempted to scan; me away. I
think th(! otlusr male was one of a pair to wliitli a deserted nest belon^'ecl, found
May 12, containing' two cold, wet e;i';;s; the female had probalily been killed."

'riirou^h the kindness (if Dr. {{alpli I had aiHipiiortiinity of tibservin^' a pair
of these liirils, and alsn their nest and e;>-^'s, in the spring' of 1H1»3, the only ones
nesting' in that vicinity.

i>r. (!. Hart Merriani found it breeding' on tla^ north lirancli of Moose
i{iver, near Hi^' Abiose j.ake, New ^'ork, im .Fime I'l, 18S.'{, and |ii'esented me
a. hand.some set of four e^'^^s taken liy him there. Tiu^ nest was placed in a
winterlierry or black elder liiisli {f/r.r rntiiilliitti), .'5 feet from the <;'niniid, near
the ed^-e of a stream.

Mr. W. (i. Winton took a nest and e^'^s near tlie Stewiacke iviver, Nova
Scotia, in lS(iO, and these e^-j^s are now in the United States National Museimi
collectifiii.

Mr. W. Ii. iiishop, <if Kentville, Nova Scotia, informs me that Im found the
Kusty lilackbiril breeding' tiiere as early as May 5, and tliat he thinks only one
brood is raise(l in a sciison.

Messrs. K. W. Ncdson and L. M. Turner liotli rejiort it comnKui on the
^'ukon Hiver, Alaska, anil several e;;'^s taken near Fort ^'nkon are now in
tlu^ collection iiere. 'The latter natundist also ttiok yoims' birds near Fort
(liimo, IJn^ava, on duly 10, 1S84. Ileye they frecpieiited swamiiy tracts in
wiiich a few isolated spruce and larch trees ^rew.

I'rof. Winfrtd A. Stearns says that in Labrador "the Wusty Mlackbird had a
siinimer brooding ran^'e all along the coast line, at least as far north as l/.Vii.so
an Loii]ie, at which place it was a summer resident. Mv. Fred. Davis informs
me that the bird occasionally built its nest in a wood jiile."'

Mr. ]{. MacFarlane found it breeding < in tlie Anderson Wiver, British North
.America; Mr. dames Lockhart, on the Yukon, near the nioutli of llie Porcupine

' lliril Lil'i' ill l.alirnilor, 18!K),ii.r>;).

I !l,

:: i'

i.

!

[

,1

[

1

I

l"

'

1

Pli

' if

492

LIFE HIHTORIKH OF NOUT £ AMERICAN lilRDS.

River, Alaska; and ofrpH from botli of tlicHO localities nro now in tho Unitod
States National Musemn collection.

The RuHt}' Hlackltird has also been reported by several observers as breed-
ing commonly in Manitoba, but it is questionable if it nests there, or even in
Saskatchewan — certainly not (m the open pla'ns and on the ground, as stated.
All such records ap})ly to Brewer's iilackbird, which was wrongly iduntiiied as
this species.

The nest of tho Rusty Hlackbird is a substantial and bulky one. It is
usually placed in swampy jjlaces, near water, in small spruce saplings, from 3 to
9 feet from the gT(»und, and occasionally in other low busiies. The base is ja-in-
cipally compose<l of sjdiagnum moss and earth, forming a firm, hard platform on
which the nest proper is built. This is thickly covered on tlu^ outsichi with
small tamarack and sj)ruco twigs, mixed with a few l»lades of grass, pieces nt
fern, and hmg, gi-een moss, especially at tlm })ase, and the iimer cup is thickly
and neatly lined with tine bright-green grass.

A nest now Itefore me, taken in Herkimer ('ounty, New Yorl:, on ^^ay 14,
1891, measures 7 inches in outer diameter b\- o.J inches in dejith; tho inner cup
is 3 A inches wide 1)> 2.J inches deep. One of these nests will last for several
seasons, but a frosh one is usually built every year. These birds are very nuich
attached to their summer homes, nsturning to them from year t»» year, ami
rarely more than two or throe pairs nest in one locality; in fact, they are as often
found singly. The eggs number four or five to a set, and one is de])osited each
day. Incubation lasts about two weeks, and tlu* young are abh* to leave the
nest in about sixteen days. They are mouse colored at first, and are carefullv
attended to by both parents, who are devoted to them.

The fiill migration from the more northern portions of their summer range
begins in the early part of September, iuid the s])ecies usually makes its ap)»ear-
ance in the Upper Mississippi Valley in the last half of October.

The eggs of the Rusty Blackbird are mo.stly ovate in shape. '^Phe shell is
strong, finely grsinulated, and slightly glossy. The ground color is a light
blui.sh green, which fades somewhat with age; this is blotched and spotted
more or less profusely, and generally heaviest about the larger end of the i'i>;>!;,
with different shades of chocolate and chestnut brown and lighter shades of
ecru, drab, and pearl gray. The peculiar scrawls so often met with an\ong tlu^
eggs of our Blackbirds are rarely seen on these eggs, which are readily distin-
guishable from those of the other species.

The average mea.surement of twenty-eight specimens in the United States
National Museum collecticm is 24.!)5 by IS.37 millimetres, or about O.fIS by
0.72 inch. The largest egg in the series measures 2(!.(i7 by 2().()7 millimetres,
or 1.05 by 0.7!) inches; the smallest, 23.11 by 17.78 millimetres, or 0.91 l)y 0.70
inch.

Of the type specimens. No. 202()(! (PI. 7, Fig. 14), from a set of four,
Bendire collectio: , was taken by Dr. f'. Hart Meiriam, near Big Moose Lake,
New York, June If), 1883, and reja-esents a coarsely blotched specinu'u; No.
2r)r)y8 (Pl. 7, Fig. 15), from a set of fiv(( eggs, Ralph cttllection, taken May 27,

l!V

T

THE ItUBTY BLACKUIRD.

493

Ih;»2, ropn-HoiitH «»iic of tho ((nliiiarily "mrkcd typos; luid No. 2«i!>20 (I'l. 7, Fi|,'.
Ki), from !i wet of four, iilso in tlio Ualpli collotttioii, tiiktMi May 2;{, iK'ja, n-pro-
scutM still aiiotlicr style of niarkiiifjs, which is not as miimion us tho two former;
the last two vgi^n wuru taken in Herkimer Comity, Now York.

192. Scolecophagus cyanocephalus (Waoi.rk).

HKEWKU'S IILACKUIKO.

PKaiooiiUiiH tiifiinofiphalus Waoi.KK, I sis, \S'2'.t, 758.
SoolfroiihujiiiH (■iiiinove2>lutlHii CuwsiH, Musuuiii lltMiiosiiiuin, \M\, IIKJ.

(H 41H, (3 UUa, It 274, C M'J, L 510.)

(ri!oaitAi'iiic\i> itANOK: Wosteni Xortli AmcrHiii; north to Itritisli (loliinibitiaiiU the
I'loviiiecs of Alliortii imd S!iskiit<;li<'Wiiii, in the hiiminloii of CiniiMhi; ciist to Miiiiit4)bit,
Minnesota, Xeln'iiska, Kansas, tho Imiian Territory, and Texas; soutli to Lower ('tilifornia
ami over the Mexican taldelands to Oaxaca. Oenisionaliy in winter tu Iowa, WisconHin,
Missouri, and lllinuis; casually to Louisiana and iSouth Carolina.

Hrewer's lilackltird, or the Hhie-headed (Jruckle, is tho western represent-
ative of the jjrecedinff species, and its hreedinj^ ranff«( is coextensive with its
j;(H><rrapliical distribution, exceptinj^ alon<r its eastern border, where it is limited
to northwestern Minnesota, the western parts of Nebraska, Kansas, tin* Indian
'i'erritory, and to nearly all of Texas, excluiliuff only tho extreme eastern por-
tions and tlu* innnediate vicinity of tlie (lulf coast.

Hrewer's Blackbird is conunon and is well known throughout the West; is
foiuul almost everywhere, in suitable localities, from the eastern slopes of the
K'ock; j\IountaIns to the I'a; itic coast. It is eipudly almndant on the Great
IMaiiis, and breeds in lar<,''e .ininl»ers in Manitoba and portions of Saskatchewan,
when* it reaches tin- northern limits of its ranf>e in about latitude 54° north
liOUfi-ituih^ !M;'^ west from (Jreenwich marks about the eastern limits of its breed-
iufi' ranji'e in the United States. Mr. Henry Nehrlin<f reports it as breediuff near
Spriu};- Creek, some iJO miles north of Houston, Texas, on May T), IHMl; and
Dr. I*. I,. Hatch, in his "liirds of Minnesota," records it as an abundant sunnner
resident alon^- the Hed Wiver, in northwestern Minnesota. It is only partly
ini}>ratory in the western United States, where some of tlie.se birds can bo .seen
throuf^hout the year. I have; met with it in Jaiuiarv, at Fort Colville, Wash-
iuf^on; and at Fort Walla Walla a large flock, numbering fully five hundred
birds, wintered regularly within the limits of the Post, feeding in the daytime
on the refuse grain foun<l about the (tavalry stables, and roosting in the cotton-
woods in the innnediate vicinity at night. Tliey were exceedingly tame and
familiar while feeding, and although fre(juently shot for food and harassed
<laily by Prairie Kalcims, Richardson's and Suckle} '" Merlins, and Pigeon
Hawks, which subsisted almost entirely on them, they persisted in remaining,
allowing a ])erson to approach within a few feet of them while on the ground.
I consider it the most confiding of all oin* Hlackbirds. Mr. \{. H. Lawrence
writes that he saw a large flock at Seattle in December, 1891, and one <»r more

■•!!i

t

*"

:!

i

494

LIFK IIISTOIMKS Ol' NOKTII AMKIUCAN HIUIKS.

I

HiM'ks in .liiiiiiiiry, iit-ar N'mu'iiiivt'i-, Wiisliiii^rtoii; iiioHt ut' tlumr hinls ii|)|if)irtMl
to Im- iiiJilcH. Am a nil<> Itrcwci-'s lUjukltiril likes rtitlit-r opi'ii coiiiitiy and is
nut Hcfii in t'Xttinsivt! lon-st rc^iions, and (liirin;;; tini linu'din;,'' season it shuns
the swain|»y and tnlc-lMtidcrt'd sImii'cs of tlie lar^rcr inland lakes, which aro the
home of thousands of Vello\v-heau> il and lted-\vin;red Itlaekhirds at that time
of year. Dr. K. \. .Mearn.s, Ignited States Army, met with it in the pine helt in
Ari/.ona, and foimd it connnon at the hasu of the San Kraneisco Mountains in
.Inne. I8S7, where it was hreedinir.

In «'olorado it has lieeii oliseived up to 1(),()()() feet, and in tlu* San I'edro
Martir .Mountains, in Lower ( 'alifornia, Mr. A. W. Anthony fotuitl it iiestin<>' in
the pines at an altitude «tf altoiit S,-_'()(l feet on Afay l.'J, iH!t.'{; wliile in the San
Vineent*^ N'alley they nested in olivo trees, and full s«!ts of ejf};s were taken liy
him here on April '2H. In western ( >ref;on, he informs me, they often n«'.sted in
old Woodpeckei- lades, souM'tinu'S more than lOtI feet from the {•round.

Kr«'wer's Hlackliird is a restless creatui'e, and is ne\cr still t'ur any len<;th
of time. Its manner of Hifiht is swift, and when in florks they ••■eiierally MM>ve in
a eompact liody; when on(f biril takes wiufjf all tlu* othwrs follow, and a Hock

makes eoMsiderahle noise as it pas.ses li\'.

On til

e uroiiml, whih* in sean

•h of

food, its walk is easy and ;;raceful, and in walkiii},' ahout while feedin;;' th«
birds in the rear take occasional sluu't tli;{lits and settle down just ahead of
the foremost ones; such movements are constantly takiiifi" place until startled
by sonu'thiii}!:, when they all take wii

iji' and settle in the nearest treei
Their food diiriuj;' the summer consists mostU' of caterpillars, jjrasshoppers,
larj""*} black cricketK, woi'ias, slugs, etc., varied with small seeds, and diu'iii};' the
winter mostly of <jTains of ditt'erent kinds, jjeiierally refuse picked up about
the stock yards and farmhou.ses. In the spriiij^ they may often bo seen follow-
ing' the farmer's plow, picking up beetles, larviv, etc., as they aro uncovered, or
following- cattle, like C'owbird.s. In the Santa Clara Valley, in ("alitornia, Mr.
K. II. Heck writes, a species of nieasurinjf worm attacked the apricot and prune
trees in certain orchards, and had denuded many of them. When the birds dis-
covered these worms tlu^y could be seen all day gatheriu}; them and feeding-
their \'oung therewith, destro\ing enormous iiiiml)ers; but during- cherry tinuf

tl

icy

•Iped tl

lemselves also to some clu-rries.

Alth

iou};ii this species may

di'stroy some fruit at times, it certainly does far more good than harm, and
deserves ])rotectioii.

Their ordinary call note is a sharp "tchiick, tchiick," and in the spring of
the year they are full of song, which it is utterly impossible to describe. A
number of birds are usually .singing, if it can be so called, at the same time, and

su«

h a concert, consisting of all sorts of sounds, must Ih; h(!ard to j-et a satis^

factory idea of it. Tlicy aro amiable and sociable birtls, and where not nudested
will readil)' alight in the yards of houses and pick up food from the doorsteps.
Such birds as migrate nsually retiu-n to their more northern broedin<^
jjnainds early in April, and shortly afterwards they begin to scatter in small
colonies over the surrounding- country to suitable localities to breed, thouyh

T

nUliVVlitt'a llLAL'KliiUl).

495

nuiiiy iMiiiH iicst Niii^ily. Urcwcr's Hliukliirds do not ticst in siicli lurj,Mi ImmIIch
lis (III tlu' l{t'il\vin),'M mill otlicr sperii-H, tinil ciildnicM ut' fifli'cn fu twenty pairM
me nini'li less t'lciiuently fiuiml lirci'ilinj;' lu^ii'tlitT tlitiM sniiillcr nni'sot' tVuni (ivi'
to ti'M pairs; iiiTasiiinally siiveral pairn nest in tlic same tree. 1 liavu met with
it almost every wlicii' in the West, (rom the Hritish line to southern Arizona,
lint in the latter 'rerritory only in winter. Inasiniich as it lireeds in southern
( 'alit'ornia, it prolialily lireeils also in Ari/.ona, lint I iliil not look tor its nests.

Nidilieatioii throii^hont the jfreater portion of its raii^e usually lieifins aliont
May I; in .sonthern ("alitornia It is sometimes fnlly a inontli earlier, and the
nest, in this loiality at least, is <fenenilly placed in low Imshes or in trees, I'roin
2 to;{(» feet fniin thep-iiinid, rarely lii<ilier. It nests mainly in oak, lir, cypress,
juniper, pine, willow, and apple trees, and in wild-rose, service lierry, and sajie-
lirnsli thickets. Oidinarily the nests are placed not over H feet from the {iionnil,
and in certain localities, as near Camp Harney, in sontheastern Orefi'on, tiiey are
mure freipu'iitly placed on \W (rrunnil, or rather in the ground, the rim of the
nest lieiiij;- Hush with the surface. I found ipiite a numlier there in snch situa-
tions, even when snitalile trees and linsiies were ava'lalile close liy, and in every
HUch case the nest was placed close to or directly on tin* edj^'e of a. perpen-
dicular liank of some small creek which might lieciime dry liy .Inly, and never
liy any chance as much as a foot away from the liank. 1 did not find a siiigh^
exception where the nest was placed on the ground, and I examined more than
Hfty. It puzzled me for a time to account for this, hut I lielieve I can give the
reason for it now. Cattle and Indian ponies graze clo.se to streams in the early
spring, liecause the grass there is gi'iierally greener and more aliundaut, and if
the nests were not pliuM-d in the jiositions thoy are, many would unihiuliti'dly
lie stepped on and the eggs or young destroyed. The birds have learned this
and place them where animals will not williugly walk, that is, close to a perpeu-
ilicular liank, be it ever so low.

The nest is a rather bulky structure when jilacod in trees or bushes, consist-
ing of a loo.se platform of small sticks, mixed with weed and gra.ss stalks, slireils
of bark, riiotlets, dry grass, and moss, and tlu;se materials are generally, but not
always, cemented together with earth, or with cow and horse nuuiure. Sonu^
nests are much more .solidly built than others; in these well-built nests the bulk
of the materials is used Wi't, and those built on the ground are apparently always
fashioned in this way. The inner cup of the nest is neatly lined with line root-
lets, decayed shreds of bark, or horsehair, more rarely with dry grass. A nest
now before me, taken near Camp Harney, Oregon, Mny '2'2, ISTfi, and sunk into
the ground, measures 6 inches in outer diameter by .'5 inches in dejitli; the inner
oup is 4 inches wide by 2 J inches dee}). Nests luiilt in trees are bulkier and
deeper on the out.side, but the inner cup measures about the same. It takes
about a week to comjilete the ne.st, and both sexes assist in its construction.

Throughout the greater jiortion of its range niditication is at its height
during the last half of May, and occasionally it is protracted into July. In
California it l)reeds ordinarily dining the last two weeks of April. Capt. W. L.
Carpenter, United States Army, took a set of live eggs on July (i, 1874, near

I 'I

i ill

i

i m\

4U6

LlFi: IIIUTOUIIOU OF NOUTII AMKltK!AN lUUDH.

Luniiiiif, Wyiiiiiiii)^, wliicli in tlio latt'Ht lirccdiiij; ri'ciiril I Imvtt of t' " H|itri('H.
llHually only one lirnod Ih rainoil in a H*>aHiin, at IcuMt in tlic nurtlu'in portions
of itH ran|^^*. It \h occasionally iniposcd npon Ity tlic Cowhinl.

The ninnltcr of cjr^rs laid to a net varies from fonr to eifylit. Sets of tive
aro most often found; sets of six are not ininsual, tlioii^li larjjer ones are rare.
In over two Immlred ncstH hcoii by ine, only a Hin^:le ono contained seven ef(^M.
An e^'^ is deposited daily tnitil tlie set is completed. Incubation lasts about
fourteen days, and tliis duty is performed ainutst excdusively by the female.
The youn;.( are larjfe enoujrh to h-ave tin- nest in about si.xteeii days, and aft«'r
tlu'V are able to care for themselves they c<dlect into small Hocks and rove about
the coimtry until the fall mi<>'ration be;riii,s, vvheii they (collect into lar^>'(* assem-
blies, and about the latter part of September be;ri>i to move southward. Birds
winterin^j; alon<>; our northern border apjtear to bo nearly all adult males.

The ejiffs of Hrewer's HIackbird are mostly ovate, less often short ovate, and
rarely elliptical ovate in shape. The shell is stronjr, not as (inely jfranulated as
in the precetlinji' sjiecies, and when fresh the ejr;;.s are rather ;;lossy. ('ompared
with those of the Husty (Jrackle, they show very litth^ resenddance, both j;round
color and markinifs bein;; very dill'erent, and the majority are nmch darker. The
ground c(dor, when plainly visible, is usually pale {j^ray white, less often pale
ffreenish white, a color that is diflictdt to exactly describe. This is mostly
profusely Idotched, marbled, streakeil, and spotted, with irre<,''ularly shaped
maikinj^s of seal, walnut, liver, and (love brown, mixed with li^i-hter shades of
russet, cinnamon rufous, fawn ctdor, and lavender. Some sp«'ciinens aie more
or less streaked with irrejiular lines and traciufrs, resemblin<r tho.sc found on
some e>f<rs of the b'ed-winfjjcd lUackbird, while in others the markinj:;s are heavy
a id so uniformly distributed that the };round cidor is entirely hidden. In a U-w
they are fine and minute, resenddinj,'' those found on the ejfpsof our well-known
Urown Thrasher. In fact, there is an endless variety of styles of niarkiufjs, and
two sets are rarely found which are marked exactly alike.

The* axcraf^e measurement of two hiuidred and forty-five s])OcimonH in the
United States National Museum c(dlection is 25.49 by 1S.(!() millimetres, or about
1 by O.T.'i inch. Tlu; larj^-est v/n in this s'-ries nu-asures 27.!)4 by 20.07 milli-
metres, or 1.10 by 0.7D inches; the smalles 20.h;{ by IT).-!!* millinietres, or 0.S2
by O.Ol inch.

Of the type; specimens. No. 20243 (I'l. 7, Fip. 17), from a set of four Ofrfxn,
represents one of the heavily marked and smaller-sized specimens; No. 20246
(I'l. 7, Fi<jf. 18), from a set of five, represents one of the lifihter-marked e<jf;,>'8, in
which the f^round color is i»laiidy visible; No. 20252 (IM. 7, Fi<f. l!l), also from
a set of five, shows another style of markiufis; and No. 202(i4 (IM. 7, Fi^r 20),
likewis(i from a set of five, represents still another ty])e. These ej><rs are all in
tht! Hendire collection. The first three were taken by the writer near Camp Har-
ney, (h-e<i-on, on May 23, 1875, May 23, 1H76, and May If!, 1H77, respectively,
and an^ selected out of a lar<ie nmnber of nests examined. The last was taken
by me near Fort Klamath, Oregon, on May 22, 1883, and represents one of the
more conimou styles of markings.

1

TUE rUUl'LE GUAUKLE.

4U7

193. Quiscalus quiscula (LiNNitut*).

I'lIKl'I.K OKAt'KLK.

<Jriiculii iiuUiula lAtftiMVH, SyHtema Natiirii', e<l. 10, I'M, 1(H).
(^itUialun iiuUvulu iluitDAN, Muniutl of tlie \'ort«*brut<'H, oil. I, 188^1, D.'i.

(B 421, V 225, It 278, (J SM, U 511.)

nRooKAtMliOAL RANdK: Atlitiitic coaHt n'KioiiH of the L'liitcd Stat«>M; fiiiiii Himtlierii
OoiiiM'uliciit ttiitl HoiitlittuMturii Nvw York w)iitli to Hoiitliurii Suiitli Cuiuliiia; wuHt to lliu
fUHterii hIo|K)h uf tliu AlleKlntny MouiitniiiH. In wiiitiT to Florltlii.'

Tim I'urplo Orackh', »1ho callod tlic "I'uritlo Crow Hlarkbinl," or miiiply
"Crow Hliickhird," Im oho of" tlio hi'st known and most familiar birdu of tiu)
localitiuH which it inhabits In tho northern parts of its ranj,'if it is migratory,
d('|)arting usually in tho boginning of October for its winter home in our Soutji-
ern States, where it congregates in innnonsu tlocks in suital)le localities, whilo
in the more southern sections it is a resident throughout the year and breeds
wherever found. The birds that migrate usually return to their bnu'ding
grounds early in March, and a few even in the latter part of February, when
their arrival is readily noticed. Their jjeculiar, scjueaky n«»tes, <'onsisting of a
variety (»f mostly indescribable sounds, such as "dweekli, dweekh, tchiih, tchiih,
(piiik, (iuiik,"or "da", djv," which seem to be uttered with considerable diHiculty,
and are invariably accompanied by the opening of the wings and tail, may bo
heard any morning in early spring from tho tree tops in rather open country, in
pastures, as well as in city parks.

At this time of the year small companies, consisting of from twelv(* to fifteen
birds, are usually seen together, roving from place to place and chasing each
other about, in search of mates. Unfortunately, as in tlu; case of many other
species, tho Puiide Gracklo is not looked upon with favt>r by the average farmer,
and they are often shot in large nmnbers because they help themselves to a little
corii when other food is scarce. Considered from an economic jtoint of view
and judged by careful examinations made by the United States Department
(»f Agi'iculture of a nund)er oi" stomachs of these birds killed during every
month of the year, it is shown tliat their food consi.sts largely of animal matter,
such as grasshoppers, caterpillars, spiders, lieetles, luitworms, larva' of dill'erent
insects, remains of small manunals, frogs, newts, crawfish, small mollusks, and
fish. Whilo it nuist be admitted that Indian corn, oats, and wheat are also
eaten to .some extent, much of the vegetable matter found in their stomachs
consists of tho seeds of noxious weeds, such as the ragweed (Aiiilifusia), smart-
weed (roli/i/oiiiini), and others. Fruit is used but .sparingly, and consists usually
of mulberries, blackberries, and occasionally of chenies. One of the gravest

'In dfliiiiiif; tho geoKrnphicikl raiigoH uf our Grackles uf tho.BiiliKoniis QuheuluH I liuvii inaiiily f(>Ili>W(>(l
Mr I'niuk M. Clmpiiiiui'H iililv papcr>oii tliiH subject, piililislioil iu tlio " llullclin <it' tlui Ainoricaii Musnini of
Niituntl History,'' New York (Vol. IV, No. 1), F«l>ruary, 18112, which coiitiiiiiH the latest iiilbrnmtioii cm
this suhjoct. Tliis is ou« of tho cases wlicre it is iiiiposHilih' to iletluo the rangcH niori- closely, as tlie difTer-
out Bubspocies iutorgrudo to u conslderablu oxtcut where the broodiug raiigo of ouo rucu overlaps that of one
of tho others.

KiS'JO— No. 3 32

"tfr

'M\\

lit' -,

; *

?!

(I

I

i

M:

11

498

LIFE 1118T01ilES Ol' I40UTU AM^:l:lCA^• "ilUDS.

»'Ii!irgf!i a^'iiinst them is tho destructitm of the youiiff aiiil cjigs of HinalU'r birds,
especially those of the Wobin. (Jriintiii;^ that remains of ef>'gshells are some-
times foim<l in their stomachs, which seems to bo tho case about once in twenty-
five times, it does not fully ju'ove that all of these birds are f^uilty of such an
olmoxiouH habit, and on the whole it cau be safely asserted that the Purple
Grackle doos far more j^-ood thai) harm, and deserves to l)o protected, excejjtiiifif
in localities where they winter, and where, from their immense numbers, they
may become a serious nuisance.

They spend nuu-h of their time on the jfround, beiufr essentially jrround
feeders; they walk along (dose to the heels of the farmer while plowing, picking
uj) beetles, grubs, etc., as they are turiu'd uj) by the plow, or search the meadows
and pastures for worms, gnisshoiipcrs, and other insects suitable for food. They
are at all times, eminenii_, social birds, even during the breeding season; a num-
ber of pairs generally nest together, and frequently several nests will be found
in one tree. Small colonies of Purple Grackles breed regularly in the public
parks of Washington, District of Columbia. They also nest sometimes in com-
paii)' with other species, being ai)parently on good terms with their neighbors.

In the selection of nesting sites, thick, busliy coniferous trees, such as cedars,
pines, and firs, seeui to be preferred, but many other kinds are likewise used,
notably such as are oveiTun with vines. VV^hore suitable trees are not available,
thick bushes, especially such as overhang water, are also made use of, where the
nests are occasionally jilaced scarcely 4 feet from the ground. Sometimes natural
cavities in trees or hollow stubs, as well as the excavations of tho larger Wood-
peckers, are also used, and along the seashore, where the Fishhawk is common,
they often place their nests in the interstices of these bidky structures, notably
so on Plum Island, New York. Speaking of tliis locality, the late Dr. Charles
S. Allen says: "In every Fishhawk's nest, except those on the ground, I always
found from two to eight or ten nests of the Purjjle Grackle. They were situ-
ated in crevices among the sticks, under the edges of tlie nest, or even beneath
the nest itself, so as to seciu'c ])rotecti()n from rain and bad weather. They wore
very bold in collecting fragments from the table of their j)owerliil neighbor."'

Mr. J. II. Pleasant, jr., of Baltimore, Maryland, writes asioUows: "On May
19, 1888, I discovered a colony of Purple Grackles nesting under the eaves and
rafters of a hay barn. In some instances the entrance to the nest was so small
that it was extremely diflicult to obtain the eggs. The crevices in which tho
nests were built were very nuu'h of tlie sanu; character as those frecpiently chosen
by the i"inglish Sparrow, and were situated at an average height of 25 feet from
the ground; over a df)zeu nests were observed."

Mr. Theodore W. Kichards, of Washington, District of Coluni])ia, found a
colony of these birds in Northampton Comity, ^'irginia, in May, 185)1, breeding
in a grove of small second-growth pines, some 20 feet in height, in company
witli (rreen Ilenms. The Grackles' ne.sts were invariably placed in the very top
of the trees, while their less assuming comi)anions were content to dwell in the

' Till! Auk, Vol. IX, 1X!I2, II. 31!).

TIIH PUIU'LE GKACKLE.

49'J

Miiy
autl

siuiiU
tlio

tioiu

lower story, so to speak, their platforms seldom hmv^ over 10 feet from the {ground,
and loosely balaneed on the top of a horizontal branch. '

The nests are rather loosely constructed and bulky. The materials used
vary greatly according to locality; the outer walls are usually composed of
(joarse grass, weed stalks, eelgrass, or seaweed, sometimes with a foundation
of mud, and again without it. The imier cup of the nest is composed of simi-
lar but finer nuiterials, and is generally lined with dry grass, among which
occasionally a few feathers, bits of paj)er, strings, and rags may be scattered; in
fact anything suitable and readily obtained is liable to be utilized. Exteriorly
the nests vary from 5 to 8 inches in height, and from 7 to ;>.inch'!s in diameter,
according to location. They are ordinarily about iJ inches deep by 4 inches wide
inside. The nests are j)laced at various distances from the ground, some as low
as ;3 feet, and others in the extreme tops of trees, or on horizontal limbs from 20
to 30 feet up, or occasionally even higher. At Washington, l)i.strict of Colum-
bia, the Purple Grackle begins to build, or to repair the old site, about the
beginning of Auril, and in favorable seasons full sets of eggs may be looked
for about the middle of this month, usually, however, not before the first week
in May, about which time they begin laying generall)' throughout their range.
Incubation, in which both parents assist, lasts ab( ut two weeks, and they are
ecjually solicitous in the defense of their eggs or young; the latter are able to
leave the nest in about eighteen days, and sometimes a second brood is raised.
They are fed almost entirely on insects while in the nest.

The number t ?ggs to a set varies from four to six, very rarely seven, and
sets of five are most often found. The shell is sti'ong, fine grained, and slightly
glossy.

The groiuid color of the Purple (irackle's egg varies from a pale greenish
white to a light rusty l>rown; they are generally blotched or streaked with irreg-
uliu" lines and dashes of various shades of dark brown, and in an occasional set
different tints of lavender markings are also noticeable. Only in rare instances
are these markings so profuse and evenly distributed over the entire egg as to
hide the ground color. They vary greatly in style. and character in different sets.

The average measurement of eighty-five specimens is 28..')3 by 20.81) milli-
metres, or about 1.12 by 0.H2 inchos. Tlie largest vixg of the series measures
32.7*; l)y 23.11 millimetres, or 1.2!l by O.ill inches; tiie smallest, 25f>fi by 20.51
millimetres, or 1.01 by 0.81 inches. I am aware that this does not agree with the
average measurements generally given forthese eggs, but it is nevertheless correct.

The type specimens. No. 2331(4 (1*1. 7, Fig. 21), from a set of six eggs taken
by Mr. Charles W. Richmond on April 17, 18S7; Nt). 24775 (PI. 7, Fig. 22),
from a set of five eggs, and No. 24776 (PI. 7, Fig. 23), from a set of four eggs,
l)otli taken by Mr. Guy K. Mitchell on May it, 1887, were all ol)tain('d naw
Washington, District of Columbia. These eggs, as well as those figured for the
two subspecies, (^uiscdhts iiiiiscula at/hciis and Qiiiscaliis qu'innda (rncits, represent
some of the different styles of coloration found among the three recognized
races of this CJrackle.

'I r

> Oulogist, Vol. VIII, .lune, 1891, p. 1828.

500

LIFK IllSTOlilES OF NOltTU AMERICA^' lilKDS.

194. Quiscalus quiscula aglseus (Baiuu).

FLOKIUA (iUACKLE.

I ^

'! I

ill !

W^

p

I

1 :

li

i '

M.

M

Quinatluii aylwiiH Baibu, Aiiioricaii Juurnal uf iSciciico and Arts, 18C(i, 84.
Quisvidus quiscula aglaius Stkjneukb, Auk, il, .laii., 1885, 43, footuotu.

(B 422, O — , li 278«, 0 330, U 511a.)

(iKuUBAPUic'AL UANUE : Froiu HoiitLerii Soutli Carolina (Charletstuii) Houtli thi'oii)rh
the Florida iieniiisula; west through Houtberii Georgia aud the Gull' coast of Florida to
Bouthciifiteru Louisiana (Now Orleans).

The Florida Grackle, or Florida Crow Blackbird, a slightly smaller race
than the preceding, is generally resident and breeds wherever found. Its gen-
eral habits are similar to those of the Purple Grackle in neai'ly every respect.
It breeds both in swamps and on higher grounds, in pine woods and orsuige
groves, etc. ; the nesting season begins sometimes in the latter i)art of March, but
usually about the lirst week in April, and occasionally as late as May.

Dr. William L. Raljih finds this subspecies connnon in Putnaui Ct)inity,
Florida, and the United States National Museum is indebted to him for nearly
all the eggs of this race in the collection, as well as for the nests and skins.
The nests vary somewhat in composition; some are made of coarse grass, leaves,
etc., taken from the ground in swamps, pressed finnly together, and thic;kly cov-
ered on the outside with Spanish moss, with which a few pieces of grass, twigs,
etc., are mixed, and they are lined with finer dry grass. In other nests the outer
walls are mainly composed of coarse grass, weeds, and but little Spanish moss;
these materials are cemented together with cow maniu'e aud nmd, and the nests
are lined with wire grass (^Arintidu); again flags, wet sphagnum moss, pine nee-
dles, and small twigs are used to a considerable extent in these structures. Such
substances as are most readily obtained near the nesting site are generally
utilized, and this accounts for the variable luiture of the materials used.

A nest now before me, built in an orange tree, about H feet from the ground,
measures o.i inches in height and S inches in outer diameter. The inner cup of
the nest is li'j inches deejt by A\ inches in diameter. Most of the nests found
by Dr. Ralph were placed in low bushes, from 2 to 7 feet above the water iu
cypress swamps; others were found in orange trees and small ))ines, at no great
distance from the ground. One nest, containing four eggs, in which incubation
was about one-fourtii advanced, taken by him March 30, had been placed
directly inider an occupied nest of the (irreeu Heron, with an interval of about 6
inches between them. It was in a bush in a cyjwess swamj), about 5 feet from
the ground.

The number of eggs to a set varies from three to five, and these show about
tlie same variations in color and markings as those of the I'urjde Grackle, aud
can not be distinguislied from them, excepting that they are somewhat larger.

The average measurement of twenty-three eggs, all from Florida, is ,'{(1.48
by 20.'J7 millimetres, or 1.20 by 0.82 inches. The largest egg measures 'M.'ii2 by

THE FLORIDA (JRACKriK.

501

21.34 niilliinotres, or 1.43 by (».S4 indies; the siiiiiUcst, 2«;.f>2 by 1!».3() inilli-
metrca, or LOG })y 0.76 inclu's. As will ho seen, these effj^s measure considerably
more on an average than do those of its lar<,fer relative, the l^urple CJrackle.

Tiie tyjie speeimens, N<.s. 2r).S24 and 20X2,") (IM. 7, Fig:s. 24 and 25), lialph
collection, from sets of iive and four ej^gs, respec^tively, were both taken near
San iVIateo, Florida, on April 25, ISHf), and April 14, 1,S88, by Dr. William L.
Ralph, and represent th(* btitter-cohired phases found among tlie eggs of this
subspecies.

195. Quiscalus quiscula aeneus (Ridoway)

imOXZEI) GKACKLK.

QuincahiK wncus IIidoway, I'roceediiiffs A(!iul('iiiy Xatnnil Sciencos, riiilndclpliiii, .luue,

ISO!*, l.U.
(fuiHCiilHH quiscula <riiei(ii Ste.tneoek, Auk, II, Jan., lcS.sr>, i:i, footnote.

(IJ — , C 22rm, K L'TSft, O ;{37, U rtVb.)

(iKOOKAPiiieAL UANOE: Froiii iKnthcrn Hritisli North Aiiioiica, vicinity of Great
Slave Lake and tlio country bordering tlic, southern half of Hudson Bay; southern Lab-
rador and southern Newfoundland, soutiiward tlirough tlie Dominion of (^aiuula and tlie.
United States; west tothe eastern shjpes of tiu^ Kooky Mountains; soutli to theKiodrando
Valley, in Texas, and the (iulf coast, to the nio'ith of the Mississippi, and thence north-
easterly through Mississipi)i, Alabama, northern (ieorgia, along the western slopes of the
Alleghanies, reaching the Atlantic seacoast again in Massachusetts and following it to
Nova Scotia. In winter, passing, to some extent, into Mexico, and casually to (he eastern
8h>i>es of the Alleghany Mountains.

'Die Bronzed (Jracklc, also known as the "Western Crow Blackbird," is far
more numerous than tuther of tlie two preceding sjtccies, and breeds throughout
its extensive range. Altliough only considered as a race in the "American
Ornithologists' Union Check List," in my ojtinion it is a perfectly good species
and I'lititled to specific rank.

Withiti the Unitetl States it is especially abundant; throughout the valleys
of the AFississippi River and its larger tributaries, and ])articidarly so along our
northern border and hi southern Uritish North America, east of the Kocky
]\I(mntains, where it 1)reeds in large colonies in favoralde localities. WhilcMiot
so common in our prairie States, it is generally distributed throughout tlie region
and is recorded from all of them.

Li the northern ])ortions of its range it is oidy a summer visitor, usually
migrating southward in inuuense nmnbers in the i-arly fall, passing through our
NiU'thern States diu'ing the latter part of October, and remaim'ng there in favor-
able seasons sometimes well into November, and returning from its winter haunts
in our Southern States and eastern Mexico diu-ing Februaiy and March. The
niiijority of these birds winter south of latitude 37° N.

Mr. W. Fi. Loucks, of I'eoria, Illinois, says: "'riiousands of these birds are
to b(^ found here in the s])ring, and whih* many of them ]iass north, others
remain to lireed. At this time of the year they make tlu! bottom lamls their

i

li

■ :li;

502

LIKK HISTOUIKS OF NOltTll AMEKKiAN lilKDS.

rendezvous. ()u tlieir first iirrival tliey keej) in Hocks for a few \ve(*ks, roosting
in the willows, and, together witli the Red-winged Blackbirds, make a deafening
noise, forming a general roost in which all the flocks from the surrounding
country join, and so great are their numbers that tlu^ trees apj)ear black. In the
fall they ag.ain gather in large flocks, but betake themselves to the highlands,
where they remain until their dejiarture for the south. Oak woods and orchards
are now theit resorts, whence an occasional visit is nia<le to the flelds for food.
In the vicinity of I'eoria they nest in uplands, where an orchard or a clump
of pines or occasionally a soft maple is selected for this jmrjiose; but if one
wants to see them in greater abundance he should take a boat and row into the
willow swamps, where they nest in large numl)ers, the nests genta'ally being
j)laced in willow trees, at various distances from the water level, say from 4
to 2!) feet, and occasionally higher."

The general habits of tlu* Bronzed Grackle do not vary greatly from those
of the preceding species, and their food is very similar. During the l)reeding
season this consists almost entirely of in.sects of various kinds, while later in
the sunmier corn is eaten to a cttnsideralde extent. In the north, where wild
rice is abundant, this, as well as other small seeds, forms a considerable portion
of their <laily fare. Beechnuts are also eaten by them, and they have been
observed catching bees.

There are two sides to every (juestion, and while there is no doul)t that
the Bronzed (irackle does some harm to the matured corn crops in certain
sections in the fall, due mainly to the enormous miml)ers of these birds that con-
gregate in some localities during their migration, it is etpially true that at all
other times, especially during the breeding season, they do cimsiderable good,
sul)sisting and feeding their young almost entirely on noxious insects of all
kinds, esj)ecially cutworms, which destroy a great deal of yonng corn, but
whose <lej)redations are often erroneously charged to the birds whiU^ searching
for them.

The nesting season is somewhat variable, and ranges from the first week in
March to the latter half of June, according to locality, although even at Fort
Resolution, near (Ireat Slave Lake, at the extreme northern jtoint of its known
range, eggs were taken l)y Mr. J. Lockhart, of the Hudson Bay Company, as
early as May 17, 1S(!;5; while at Fort Custer, Montana, they had not even com-
menced In-eeding at that time. I took my first fresh eggs there on May 2!), and
others as late as June 14, ISSf).

The late Dr. William C. Avery, of (jrreensboro, Alabama, found birds inter-
me<liate between this and the Florida Grackles nesting there on April 2.'), iSiK).
Dr. James (!. Merrill, Inite'l States Army, took fresh sets at Fort Reno, Indian
Territory, as late as May i\\, ISiJO, and Dr. Ralph found them laying at Holland
I'atent, Oneida County, New York, in the latter part of A|)ril or the beginning
of May. Climate seems t() have little influence on the time of nesting.

Where coniferous trees are obtainable jjreference seems to be given to tluMU
as nesting sites; willows, oaks, mai)les, elms, sycamores, and cottonwoods are

THE BKONZKJ) (1UA( KLK.

503

iilso fV('(|uently used, csi)t'cially tivcs coveriMl l»y }^iai)oviueH. In tho Weft
natural cavities and lioUow stnbs, as well as the excavations of tho larj^er Woofl-
]»e('kers, are often resorted to. 1 found several nests placed in open spaces in
stacks of cord wood near Fort (Juster, Montana.

Moth Mr. M. (!hanil)erlin and Mr. J. W. IJanks inform nie that in New
Hrunswick these (Jrackles nest frequently in hay barns. The hay is taken away
from the marshy islands horderin};' the rivers on the ice in winter, and these
birds take possession of such barns in large mnnbers in the spring, placin<>' their
nests in the angle of a brace or on the beams and girders, much in the same
fashion as that adopted by the Robins.

Mr. ,]. W. Preston, of Baxter, Iowa, in referring to their nesting habits in
the lake regions of northern Iowa and Minnesota, says: "A vast colony occu-
pied a brushy Hat near Cairo Lake, Hamilton County, Iowa, during the season
of ISSl. When I saw them the yomig liirds were leaving the nests, and the
noise and din of the scolding, s(jualliiig parents and crying young were deafen-
ing as one walked among tho nests, which were crowded in the toj)H of wild-
plum trees. I also saw a large colony in a tract of busliy land at the northern
extremity of Heron Lake, Minnesota. Ilen^ the nests were platted in low
shrubs and wild-goosel)erry buslu^H, some not more than 1 foot from the ground.
The construction differed somewhat from the ordinary nest. The structures
were deep and heavy, and were madi^ of dry grass, with a filling or wall (»f
mud between the outer wall and the lining. I have seen an odd nest of this
(Jrackle built in a bunch of conunon reed (^I'linit/nnfcn), which looks like broom
lorn at a distance and yrows from f) to 12 feet hijih. This nest rcsend)led that
of a Yellow-headetl lihu^kbird, the material being evenly woven together."

Ther(* is not nuu'h differenc*^ in their nt-sts; compared with those of the
Purple aTid Florida (Jrackles, they vary like thes(i in composition accorchng to
locality, and their nesting habits and «'gg's arc also similar. The nundicr of
eggs to a s(>t varies from four to six or rarely seven; sets of five are most often
found, and six are not unusual.

'^riie average measurement of a series of one hundred and foi'ty-eight
specimens in the I'nited States National Musemn cipllection is 2!>.()2 l)y "JiUX)
millimetres, or about 1.14 by ilX'2 inches The largest egg measures iJ 1.50 by
21.5!» millimetres, or 1.24 l)y (>.sr> inches; the smallest egg. 25.40 by l:».05
millimetres, or 1 by 0.75 inches.

The type specinu'n. No. 2.'>20(1 (PI. 7, Fig. 2(>), from a set of five eggs,
taken by Mr. V. X. Kdwards, near Woods Hole, Massachusetts, on May 27, 18S7,
re])resents one of the darkest eggs in the entire series; while No. 25S,S9 (PI. 7,
Fig. 27), from a set of four eggs, I{al]th collection, taken liy Dr. William L.
Kalph, on ]\Iay IS, 1SS7, near Il»>lland Patent, New York, shows one of tho
rarer types of coloration.

It; >
I

if

504 LIFE UISTOttlES OP NOKTU AMEKIUAN JJIUDS.

ig6. Quiscalus macrourus Bwainson.

GUKAT-TAILEl) GKACKLE.

Quiscalus miicroitrus Swainson, Animals in Menageries, 1838, 299.

(B 419, C '.'23, B 275, C 3;i3, U 512.)

CiEOGRAPnicAL RANUE: FroHi Nicaragua, Central America, north tlirough eastern
Mexico to southern Texas.

Tlie range of tlio Great-tailed Grackle within the United States is restricted
to the southern portions of Texas, contiguous to tlie Gulf coast and the lower
Rio Grande Valley. In the interior of the State it has been met with in Bexar
and Hams counties, which probably mark about the northern limits of its range.
Mr. H, P. Attwater considers it to be a common summer resident near San
Antonio, Texas, and a few winter there. Mr. Nehrling found it nesting in scat-
tered ])air8 in and about Houston, Texas, which marks about the eastern limit
of its distribution in this State. It is generally a resident and lireeds wiierever
found, and in the htwer Rio Grande Valley it is very abundant.

Mr. George U. Bennett, speaking of the Great-taile<l Grackle, says: "When
I think of this bird it is always with a smile. It is everywhere as abundant on
the Rio Grande as is I'assvr domesticus, the Engli-sh SpaiTow, in our Nf)rtheni
cities, and equally tame when about habitations. This bird is as much a part
of tlie life of Brownsville as the harrelcro rolling along his cask of water or the
mounted beggar going his daily rounds. In the towns and about the ranches
he knows no fear; is always noisy, never at rest, and in all })laces and j)osition8,
now making friends with the horses in the bams, or the cattle in the fields, then
in some tree pouring forth his notes, which I can liken only to the scrapings
of a conistalk fiddle; now .stealing from j)orch or open window some ribbon
for his nest, then following close behind the planter, quick to see the dropping
corn. With all his boldness and curiosity the boys of the streets say they can
not trap or catch him in a snare. He will take every bait or grain but the right
one; he will put his feet among all sorts of rags but the right ones, and the boys
are completely outwitted by a bird. He performs all sorts of antics; the most
curious and laughable ])ei"formance is a common erne Avith him: Two males will
take position facing each other on the ground or upon some shed; then together
they begin slowly raising their heads and twisting them most comically from
side to side, all the time eyeing each other, until their bills not only stand per-
pendicular to their bodies, but sometimes are thrown over nearly to their backs.
After maintaining this awkward position for a time they will gradually bring
back their bills to their natural position, and the perfomiauce ends. It is a
most annising thing to witness, and seems to be mere fun for the birds, for nothing
serious grows out of it."*

Their food consists of different kinds of insects and their larva;, small crus-
taceans, dead fish, seeds and grain of various kinds, and on the whole they do
comparatively little injury.

' NotiM on tlio Oniitliology of the I.owor Kio Grnnilc in TfXfts, IT. 8. Gvologicnl luiil Gcogrnpliioal
Survey, Vol. IV, 187S, pp. L'7 iinil 28.

THE GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE.

505

The Great-tailed Grackles are more or lesH gregarious at all times, and
generally breed in companies, often in considerable colonies, among the willow
thickets and chaparrals bordering the streams and irrigating ditches, or in the
tops of nies(juite, ebony and colima trees, so common a feature in the lower Rio
Grande Valley; they nest less often in hackberry, prickly ash, and oak trees, as
well as in the extensive canebrakes bordering the numerous lagoons and fresh-
water lakes and in the rushes in the salt marshes near the Gidf coast. Dr. Merrill,
United States Army, found them very common on the military reservation in the
vicinity of Brownsville, Texas, nesting in the tops of different kinds of trees,
as well as in the tule reeds, in company with several species of Herons, and even
among the interstices of the nests of Audubon's Caracara and on the same trees
occupied by these birds.

Mr. E. Kirby Smith writes: "At Suchil, Vera Cruz, Mexico, the Great-tailed
Grackle fretiuently nests under the eaves of houses, and I have seen as many as
fifteen of their nests in one tree. Excepting during the breeding season the
males and females keep in separate flocks. They fly very slowly. The local
name for these birds is 'Petcho.'"

Mr. Charles W. Richmond informs me that this species is very common .at
Bluefields, on the east coast (»f Nicaragua, and at San Carlos on the lake, and
that it is t.ime and familiar. It haunts particularly the wharves and low shores,
where it finds a varietj- of food. It is quite bold, going out to the Carib craft
anchored close by and visiting the decks for food. It is known as "Sanate"
among the natives.

According to Mr. Sennett, when breeding in swamps their nests are fre-
quently jdaced within 2 feet of the water, and from 4 to 30 feet from the gi'oinul
when in trees. Their nests, of which I have several before me, resemble those
of the rest of our eastern Grsickles in size, construction, and matenals; some of
them are almost entirely composed of Spanish moss, while others are mainly
built of small, round stems of creeping plants which are flexible enough to
admit of their being securely woven together. Mud is often used to bind the
materials together, and the upper rim of the nest is generally securely fastened
to the surrounding l)ranches or reed stalks among which it is placed. Some
nests show no traces of mud in their composition, l)ut the materials forming the
outer walls appear to have been quite wet when gathered. Tlie lining usually
consists of dry grass and fine roots, and when near towns bits of cotton cloth,
feathers, paper, etc., are often found mixed among the other materials.

Nidification usually beghis during the latter part of April; it is at its height
in the first half of May and lasts through June. One and sometimes two broods
are reared in a season. Young birds of various sizes and fresh eggs may fre-
quently be found in the same colony. The earliest record I have of eggs being
taken is one bj' Dr. Merrill, United States Army, at Brownsville, Texas, on
April 4. Both sexes assist in incubation, which lasts about fifteen days, and in
the care of the young, for which they show a great deal of solicitude.

The number of eggs laid to a set is usually three or four. Sets of five are
occasionally found, but clutches of this size are rather rare.

i!

';i!

506

LIFE HISTORIES OF NOllTU AMEUICAN BIRDS.

I I

Tho {fi'ound color is UHually pale (p-eenish blue, and Ih often more or lews
clouded over with purple vinaceous and Hnioky pale umber tintu, which are
usually heaviest and most pronounced about the smaller end of tho ej^fj. The
markings consist mainly of coarse, iiregularly shaped lines and tracings of dif-
ferent shades of dark brown, black, and smoky gray, and less-defined tints of
plumbeous. In rare instances an egg is found which is only faintly marked
with a few indistinct lines of lavender gray about the small end, the rest of the
shell being immaculate. They are mostly elongate ovate in shape; a few are
blunt ovate, while others approach a cylindrical ovate.

The average measurement of ninety-three specimens in the United States
National Museum collection is 32.18 by 21.75 millimetres, or about 1.27 by 0.8fi
inches. The largest egg in the series measiu'es Si'iJiH by 22. (il millimetres, or
1.44 by 0.89 niches; the smallest, 28.19 by 20.57 millimetres, or 1.11 by 0.81
inches.

The type specimen. No. 20290 (PI. 7, Fig. 28), from a set of three eggs,
was taken by Dr. James C. Merrill, United States Army, near Fort Urown,
Texas, on May 17, 1877, and represents a small-sized and dark-colored egg
of this species. No. 2562»i (PI. 7, Fig. 29), also from a set of three, Kal})h
collection, was taken near Brownsville, Texas, on May 21, 1891, and shows a
well-marked and average-sized egg.

197. Quiscalus major Vieillot.

BOAT-TAILED GRACKLE.

QuiscaluH major Vieillot, Nouveau Dictionnaire d'llistoirc Nature-lie, XXVIII, 1819, 487.

(B 420, G 224, K 277, C ;m, U 51,{.)

fiEOGRAPHiCAL RANGE: Soutli Atlantic aiul (Julf coasts of tlie United States, from
Marylaud southward; west to soutbeasteru Texas. Casual in southern New Jersey.

The Boat-tailed Grackle, also locally known as the "Thrush Blacklnrd,"
"Boat-tailed Blackbird," and "Jackdaw," is an abundant resident in the southern
portions of its range, along the coast and on the islands of South Carolina,
Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana. In the northern parts of its range,
which extends well into Maryland (Kent County), on tlie shores of Chesaj)eake
Bay, it is only a summer visitor, but some of these birds winter in suitable locali-
ties in Virginia and North Carolina. It has also been observed in the vicinity of
Cape May, New Jersey, in the summer, and possibly it breeds there in small num-
bers. It is known to breed at Pomona, Maryland, the most northern record I am
aware of. It is not uncommon on several islands off the coast of Virginia, and
a large colony was observed nesting on one of the small islands in Clu'isajjeake
Bay by Mr. Theodore W. Bichards. Mr. 11. Nehrling found it breeding in the
vicinity of Houston, Texas, which marks about the western limit of its range;
here it overlaps the eastern range of the })receding species.

Like the rest of the Grackles, they are gregarious and sociable in their
habits, breeding together in colonies in suitable localities, and roving about

THE BOAT-TAILED OUACKLB.

607

(luriuff the rest of the year in hu'ffe flockn. In Home sections they disappear
soMietinu'M from their usual haunts in the hite smnnier for a month or so, for
some unknown reason, probably f^oing in search of better feeding grounds, only
to return later. They spend a good deal of their time on the ground, walking
along slowly and sedately while starching for food. It requires quite an effort
for one of tlu^ birds to rise from the ground, and until fairly started its Hight
is slow, heavy, and laborious.

Tlieir food is largely derived from the sea, and consists mainly of small
mollusks and cru.staceans of different kinds picked up in the salt marshes and
uuid flats during low tide, and of dead fish, insects, etc., can-ied in by the tides.
They also feed, though to a small extent only, on vegetable matter, such as rice
and other grains, and occasionally on fruit.

In the more northern portions of their range these l)irds usually aiTive about
the beginning of March, and are at first very restless, roving ab«)ut from place
to place until the nesting season commences. They are unusually noisy during
this time, and their peculiar, grating notes can be constantly heard; some of
these are very shrill and unpleasant to the ear, but frequently during the mating
season a rather indifferent attempt at singing is made; this is somewhat less dis-
agreeable, but impossible to describe on paper.

Mr. Frank M. Chapman describes a singular note of theirs as resembling
the flaj)ping of wings, as of a Coot tripping over the water. He says: "This
sound was very familiar to me, and so excellent is the imitation that for a long
time I attributed it to one of the numerous Coots which abound in most places
favored by Quiscalus major." ^

Mr. W. E. Grover, of Galveston, Texas, writes: "One of their common
call notes, when sitting at ease in a tree, is a noisy, clucking 'clac-dac-clac,' fre-
quently followed by a long-drawn whistle like 'who-it, who-it.' In this vicinity
they nest principally in tulc reeds growing in fresh-water ])onds, and in the
thick matted gniss on the edges of salt bayous, some nests being jjartly in
the Weater at high tide. Some also nest in Cherokee rosebushes, and occasion-
ally a i)air will Vmild in a tree, as nmcli as 40 feet from the ground. 'I'he nests
of birds building in trees are not so deej) nor so well made as those in the canes."

Nidification appears to be somewhat irregular with this sjjccies. In southern
Florida some of these birds l)egin laying during the first week in March, wlien
quite a number have not even begun nest building. The nesting season lasts
until June here, and jH'obably two broods are raised regularly. In the northern
portions of their range it begins in the latter part of Ajanl, and is sometimes pro-
tracted until May. The nests are usually strong, bulky structures, measuring,
on an average, about 7 inches in height by 8 inches in width. The inner cup is
about 3 inches deep b}' 4J inches in diameter. They are constructed mainly
of coarse gi-ass, sedges, weed stalks, and fibrous roots, cemented and more or
less mixed with mud. In some nests no nmd is used, and these are conse-
quently not as solid. Sonu^ are built i)rincipally of Si)anish moss, others of eel-

'The Auk, 1888, p. 27:1.

508

LIFE UI8TOKIBH OF NUUTU AMBHIOAK B1KD8.

grass, the materials used varying in different localities. Cotton, rags, feathers,
and seaweeds are also sometimes incoq)orated into the walls. They are placed
on various kinds of trees and bushes, such as oaks, pines, and willows, and at
various heights from.the ground, ranging fmm 3 to 40 feet up, and again in water-
myrtle bushes, canebrakes, and reeds in swamps, not over 18 inches above the
water level.

The number of eggs laid to a set varies from two to five. Sets c,( three are
most common ; but in certain localities sets of four are equally so, while those
of five are somewhat rare.

Incubation lasts about fifteen days, and this duty seems to be mostly per-
formed by the female. The male, however, assists in feeding the young, and
after they are able to care for themselves the sexes separate in flocks and remain
a])art until the mating season approaches again.

The eggs of the Boat-tailed Grackle closely resemble those of the preceding
species, both in shape and coloration, excepting that the cloudy purjde vinaceoua
and pale umber tints are generally more evenly distributed over the entire shell,
when present, and are not so noticeable at the small end of the egg. In some
instances the lines and tracings with which they are marked are also perceptibly
finer as well as more profuse, being more like the markings found in the eggs
of the Baltimore and Bullock's Oriole. They also average somewhat less in size.

The average measurement of ninety-eight eggs in the United States National
Museum collection is Sl.fiO by 22.49 millimetres, or about 1.24 by O.H!) inches.
The largest egg measures 34.29 by 24.64 millimetres, or 1.35 by 0.97 inches; the
smallest, 27.94 by 21..'J9 millimetres, or 1.10 by 0.85 inches.

The type specim ns. Nob. 25632 and 25634 (PI. 7, Figs. 30 and 31), both
from sets of three eggs, from the Ralph collection, were taken in Mcintosh
County, Georgia, on April 26 and 29, 1890, and represent the ordinary styles of
mai'kings.

FiK.

Fit,'.

Fin.

FiK'.

FiK-

FiK.

Fig.

FiKM.

FiKs.

FiKH.

FigH.

Fij.'!".

FigH.

FigH.

Fig.

Fig.

Fig.

Fig.

Fig.

Fig.

Fig.

Fig.

Fig.

EXPLANATION TO PLATE 1.

1 C..nnr..K<ur<.li...-nHiH, LlinmrnH. Carwlinu Par.^iu.'t.
•• (ircfdirvx .•alif.irniamis, Lrhwm. Uoail-niimrr.
•t' (Vrvl.' ai.vnii. LiinmMis. IMlr.! KiugtiHlirr.
: ....... a.,».ri.ana H.„l-"tri.maliH. Sl.arp-. T-xan KmghHl.,...

5. vJvhhvn. l.il.at.,H. Lin.u..,,.. Pil-atr,! W.K.a,H..k,.r.
(1. rn.tniihagaHni.Liii.m'ns. Am. , , i,i..,l v.,i

;. i-r..toi,l.agaHnl.in..triH, Swains.m. ' >-'"7''"'-. "';^,-^^''^,
H iV A„tr„lt.,i..u«.aruli,>rnMs,(iin..lin. Chmk-w.ll s\N .l.-w.

10 'll' AntroHtmnus v.MilVruH, WilHon. Wl.ii,-i>.«.i--will

,.. , ', Milvnlus f.,rH.atuK. (l..,..lin. S.i.s.„-ta.M FlyoiU-lu... .
11 ir,. TvrainmstyrauiiiiH. LinniviiH. Kniglm-.l.

rticalis. Say. Arkansas Kiiiglmd.

1(1. IT. Tyraiiiuis vi'

Cassiii's Kiiigl>iril.

IS 111 Tvraiiinisvocifi'raiiH. SwaiiiHim

•>,)■ ..1 Pitai.gns (l.Tlaai.us. Kani.. D.'ii.y r ,,.■»■......

' :.!; Mvi!,z..t..tc-s t..x..nsis. (Jirau.l. Oivan.Vs Flyratcher.
■.i. PhaliMioi.tilusi.nttalli. AudulMni. Pn-r-wiU.

•Vr Drv..l.atJsi.ulx.s...ns, Li.nui.us. Dmv„y Wyoapocker.

•'.-, Clm'turavrlagira, Liniarus. Clnnincy Swift.

.>« cim-tiuavanxii.TdWiiscml. Vaiixs Swift.

t Tmhilus -inbvis. Linna-s. Uul.y-tUr..at..a Hmumu.gl.ml.

■>H SayDniisvliiilM, LalliaiM. PIiu'Ih'.

•Jll. SaVnriiis saya, UcMaimrtc. ^■'V';' '''''■'";■ ,

80. Sayi.niis nigricans, Swains. ,u. Black 1 h<vm.

' h'

??V

*#•

4

M

w

:J.

■i^ilB.

/"

KiK-

FiK.

Fu;.
V.e.
I •',,'.
ViB!

Firs

Hk

V\k.
Fi«.

ri^^
Vijr

KXPl.-VNAl'"'^ T(i I'l.ATK I.

I.
5.
li.

s. '.1.
til, r.
! •. \'<

tt If..
;i^ i.

l^, 1'.'

•J>'. .'!
■JO

■'I!

, i,.>,oHcvx .•..hf..n.i.au.s L.r..*.i. H<u.l . iiiuu r.

s:::!r::::ri.: --...;• ---^--

».,.«.-■■ I. v.Kt:- VVil>..». Willi' i""'l»'"-

I Si,vi.n:is nit;"i^»'-- S-.vjiin«ni

Ulnik rii'tl"'.

PlAl^i 1

r "*

in

t. ' ".

)

K

!• • ■• I"!

)

\>-«

)

^/*

)

/'/

;r

)

/•■••^

)

) 1

I

!PI

:i r.

Hi

■ 1, •

i

Il i

11

i

,!r

■I

m-.

FiKH.

t,!.'.

FiKH.

;i, 4.

Figs.

r>, (•>.

Fig.

i .

FiKH.

H. it.

FigH.

111. 11.

Fig.

13.

Fig.

IS.

Fig.

14.

FigH.

1.-., 1(1.

Fig.

17.

Figs.

IN. Ifl.

Figs. ;.'i»

21. ','3.

Fig.

-';i.

Figs.

34. 3.-).

Figs.

30, 37.

Figs.

3f<, 3!l.

Fig.

SO.

Fig.

31,

Fig.

;i3.

Fig.

u:!.

Figs.

y4, 35.

EXPLANATION TO PLATE IL

Nyctidromus allricoUis jucrrilli, Seunott. MorrUrs Piirauque.

Tyiiimius iloiuiuitfiisis, (juu'liii. (Jray Kiiigbinl.

Tyriiiiiuis ini'liim^lidliius i(mrhii. Bainl. Couch'.s Kingbird.

Myiddynastcs lutcivi'iitris. .Sclater. Sulplxur-Mlicd Flycatcher.

Jlyiarclins friuitus, Liiiiia'us. C'ri'stwl Flycatdiir.

Jlyiarilius iui'.\iiaiuis. Kaii]). Mexican Crested Flycatcher.

Myiarclnis nie.xicaims inagister. Ridgway. ArizDua Crested Flycatcher,

llyiarchns ciiierascens, Lawrence. Asli-throated Flycatcher.

Myiarclnis ciiierascens nuttingi, Ridgway. Nntting's Flycatcher.

Cimtitpns biirealis, Swainson, Olive-sided Flycatcher.

Contoims pertinax. Cabanis. diues's Flycatcher,

Contopns virens. Liinuens. Wmid Pewee.

Cdiitniius rieliardsonii. iSwainsiin. Western Wood Pewee.

Enii)idciiiax tlaviventris, Baird. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher,

Einiii<l(iiiax difficilis, Baird. Western Flycatcher.

Eniiiidonax acadiciis, Gnielin, Acadian Flycatcher.

Eniiiidunax i)usillns. Hwainsdii. Little Flycatcher.

Einiiidcinax imsilhis traillii, Andulmn. Traill's Flycatcher.

Eiui)id(inax niininnis, Baiid. Lea.st Flycatcher.

Einiiidciiiax lianiincindi, Xantns. Hannuond's Flycatcher.

Einiiidcmax wrightii. Baird. Wright's Flycatcher.

Pyroccphalus rubineus luexicanus, Sclater. VemiUiou Flycatcher.

*; '-

•:.lt''.f<

P •'

; MM

V

■7^^^

f

f,*0i

^f

•i.

'^1

J* '•ft' I

■ f r/,

E-Xri-ANA-^t'-N TO I'LATR II.

iV;.;.
Vig.

Fig*.

Fii!:'

1!, 4.
a. Pr.

- ^

:, II.

I?.

Nyrti'lroitsii- *>lb.'-
Tynui •"•"'t-wiuii ■
■ryriuuiii~ u-l'Uv V

Myiwlj'^'** -^ J"' ■
Myiar--' '■- riiri ■
M; i '. ' .- liii ^. 1

K/. • .1*

'111-* J • rriU
'u.»". i-iiieh

i.'iu.ii'iv
,!i, Km:)

-unit

ilorriilV I'uritiuiue.
Ki'iifhiKi.

•|v.

.'li. ■::.

■y. •,'».
.Ill
■ I

..in-
hi,.).

El.'

M a.i

lax

; -utix
max
I mil .
joiia
U'liii

'.iliw ■
1.1;...

iflcil
1.1 i.

. sii;.

. Il1< ■

utili '

'in.-
ru' .

ill hot,

i'.*.tt-.l fiyraifluT.
f 1 /.••111 lii'i.
iii,'!' FI;i;iiUhor,
,-! Kl , jiti.htr.
' "»o«t','ut.r.

li, .ViKrti iV'1Vl-t-.

'WU 'J""". WlfStiTIl Wodll PiWi-l .

■TKfi- Sa^J. Y-!lii\v-l>:lHfil Flyi-titdiir,
! h,y ril West' ru Flyjiitilier.
. . iiiMi'l'i'. Ai-iiiliiiii Flyi-;iti.'!ii'i".
H\\.\iii.,.ii. Littli' llyi'utilii'f.
iraiUii Ajvluli-m. TviiillV Fl.\c;it.Uer.

• - Riii:'il ]-<iihl, Flyciiti Uiv.
r.a. >, iiitiii. Hiiiiiiii'iiiil'.'i FlyculcliiT,
. Biii I Writihf.-* Flvcatclior.

• us 111 ai iiiu'*, Sjlater, VonuUlou F!ye;>ti.lier.

»•

l«

)

'7

1 >

> ) )

^V

'^:

^ ^ ^ I !)

<?;■'

.?^

) ) )

) 5 #

;:M:t

»v

H-U

KXPLANATroN To I'LATIO III.

FJKs. 1. •.>.;). ClionloilM virmniiuiiiH. (liiicliii. NiKlithnwk.

•■I"- '• <'lii>i'rli'ilcM viiKaiiiaiiiis lii>iirvi, ("iiNMiii, Wi'Hti'ni NiKlitliiiwk.

FiKH. .->. (1. CliiirdcilcH vir«iiiiiniii» ilmpiimiii, Sciiiictt. Floridii NiKlitliiiwk

Pyn. r. N. 1!, 1(». ("horilcilcs iicntipcimis tcxniHis. Lawri'iicc Trxaii NiKhtliawk.

FiKs. 11, !■.>. l:i. Pica pica Iniilsciiiicn. Saliiiii'. AiiiiTiiaii MiiKpir.

•■V '•■ Pii n imnalli. Aiiiliil>i)ii. Yi'llDW-billi'd MaKqjic.

FiK's. |.">. I(i. IT. Xantliiinra luxiKwa. Lcshhu. (Jrrcii .Tav.

FiKs.
FiK.
Fin.
FJK's.

Pi«.s.

IN. I!l. P,

'i-iKiircn.s < iiiiadciisi.s. Limia'ii.s. ('ainida .lav.

.'II. Pi'iisiiivus caimilciiHis iiiKTi(ai)illus, Kid^way. Labrador Jay.
.'I. PcriHDrcn.s Hlwiuni.s, Rid;;\vay. <)ri't;iiii .Tav.

Niicifrawi idJMiidiiana. VVilsmi. Clarkr's Nutcracker.
('yauoccplialnscyaiKHcphaliis. Wicd. Piniai Jay.

k

■■%.

m

lM-

■»*■■"

-i«.

i**p..

#.**i

t

..fJS^RBtt

<vK

1^

'^^tHS'V

PUP*.

\. 'i. \ ( ■,!.■.■ .r.ii»

►'> » '<

1 A' f

<V '-!m\- Ti, 'I.An', til
V

■ '.. !
•.■K..I.U..

'«

il*W.'tt.

iilii. Ui''>rw>i.v. i.alrii'li

r ,liiy

v.: Iv

;« , .\ ' •nif'm .1iv.\.

tt*i^4it'i"

Wil<«>ii ('linkc'x Niiti-nickfr.

n.-. i>;iiii«i

ilmlii- \\'\i''\. I'lft.iii Jiiv

ri.AiK III

I

•M

1^:

I

EXPLANATION TO PLATE IV.

Figs.
Fit?.
FiK«.

Kiijs. :
FiK«.
Fif?.
Fifjs.

1. •>. CcirvuH rorax sinuatns, Waaler. Amoricaii Ravoii.
:!. C'orvus coiax iiriiicipalis. Riil{,'way. Nurthcrii Raven.
1. n. (i. T. ("lU-vns cryiitolcucus. Condi. Wliite-ui'ckcil Raven.
'J 10, 11. I'J. On-vns aiiiiTicanns. Andnbon. Anierican Crow.'

l;!, 14. ('urvnsani.'ii.annsfioriaanns, Baird. Florida Crow.

ir,. Corvns lanrinus. Baird. Northwest Oow.
lii. IT. Corvns ossifraKUK. Wilson. Fish Crow.

'I'iKs. :.'l, "■ CorvuH iiiuiTicnuus, AuiIuIhui. Se.' Plain V.

l.) 'i

'iiSv

it-'

"^

f.f(*

%^^i

7.?"

r. *4

#■

t ■

M

"1

^

■J

'«^

-■?

■■/. ,

•,'

fnv

.1

lMt,.-l.

1

't. 'i. '.

Kii.s. V. •

>, II'

IK 1.'

FilT'.

It. 1)

r>;r

1.".

I'-ifr^

I.' ':

KX1'I.ANAT!<>\ 1.; rr.ATK IV.

. .; v,i ^ ..riix siiniHtiif VV^iiili v AiiuTiriui llrtvcri.
t ,r,uH--"m< v»'i''i|''!"' luilir^vtiv. N iiV'Ti. UiivHi.
t'.irvii^vTM'l.^'l'ai.'tis (" r-!< VVUi'.o-iu l:.-.! Kav.ii.
('mi Mix al.iini .inii- Av iiilH.ii. Aturn ;.!/ CniW.'
I '.irviis .mil rir!i;i,is l|..r.i!.inut=. bnir.!. KiMrWa Cr.iw
(■ ir\-iiN Kiurii"!-. Iliird. X.iri;nvi".l Cnnv.
i ..rvii- <is-,-,frHi.'iis. Wils''iv, Ki^li > i"W.

V%in il. ■-"; i:.iiMi:. iiuii-rl>.iu'i-., AinliilKHi. .Si'i' 1'Iji<.< \

Ih

'»■.

Fi(?.

1.

FiK.

2,

FiK«.

;t,4.

Fitju.

r,.a.

FiKS.

7.H.

Fig.

it.

Fig.

10.

Figs.

11.1-'.

Pig.

l:t.

FiK-

II.

Fif;s. 1

.. HI. IT. IS.

Figs.

111. •,•(».

Fig8.

21,22.

Pig.

a;!.

Pig.

21.

Pig.

2.").

Fig.

21).

Pig.

27.

Pig.

2s.

Pig.

2!t.

Fig.

:iii.

Pig.

Bl.

EXPLANATION TO PLATE V.

C'orrvzns iiinoririiiius. LiniuTOs. YfUdW-lriUnl Cncltoo.

C',.<r'v/.ns .iin.Ti.anns .Kvidrntiilis. Ui.lKway. ( 'iililonna ( n.k.H,.

Cicyzus (.lythiui.htlmliims. Wils.m. nia.k-l.ilU.a CmV.i...

Cviiiiiirittii iristiitii, Liiiiiii'us. Blue .Tiiy.

(•yiiniHilta iiisliitii (Idi-iiicolii, Cones. Florida Blue .Tay.

("yauiM-itta stcllcri. (Tiucliii. StcUrr's ,Tay.

( Vaiuuitta HtclliTi frontalis. Rid^wuy. nino-froiito.l .Tay.

cVanoritta stclli'ri niacrolopl.a. Kainl. LonK-.rcst.'.l .lay.

.Vlilii'loconia iloridana, liartrani. Florida .lay.

Aliliclocoina woodlionsci. liaird. Woodlionsc's .lay.

A|ilwloconia .alifornica. Vigors. I'aliforuia .lay.

Al,li,docouia sirlirrii arizona". Kid^way. Arizona .lay.

( "iirvns aiMcri( linns. Andnlion. American ("row.

Alanda arvensis. LinnaMis. Skylark. , ^ ,

Otoeorisalpestrisleneola.nia. Cones, Pallid Horned Lark.

( .to,oris alvestris ,nati.M,la. Hensl.aw. Prairie Horned Lark.

Otoeoris alpestris ar.'ui.'ola. Hensliaw. Des.Tt Horned Lark.

( Hoeoris alpestris -iraiidi. llensl.aw. Te.xan HonaHl L-.nk

( )toe..ris alpc-stris ehvsohenia. Waaler. Mc^-siean Horned Lark.

( )toeoris ali)estris rnbea. llenshaw. Unddy H.irned Lark.

( Uoeoris alpestris nierriUi. DwiKlit. Dnsky Horned Lark.

Otoeoris ulpeatris udustu, DwigUt. Scorilied Horned Lark.

■^

f .i*

v*;%

■''^.

*. iJr'

.a^"

■if?:'

:J!®

■mp.

'£'b.

»

4

fc-T'-iT'

:*f

•"«»)».

hT

:l#

RXI'l,\NATtON TO I'l.ATfi V.

Pin.
F.«».

Fkr.

Piif.

FiK.

1.
•i.

a,*.
ft.«.

1

.1

H.

1« » • <.».

'I. ?l>

■/l.'i'-

•M.

S.-I.
iMl.
*'7

St.

CorcyjinmiiiUTiianiin. I.iiiiin'ns. yi«lliiw-tri11rKl (Jiiokon.

t'lH-c yvni lunrricaiiiis i" ■•oliiilivlii'. ttiilnrwiiy. Calit'iiriiiii CtickiH)

('«H;<'j/.iu« frvtliiiiiiliOiulmii-. Wil«i« HtivU l>ill«'i < 'notdio.

* y»u<H iltiv iri«tjitji, I iimiinn. tlli\c Jiiv

■ 'v»ti>KittJk <ri.''t)iiji fl'i-iiiriilu. Ci'U»*. rU<iltU» IMiM- .Irty,

• '>iini>i -'In uti'ni'ri ii:iiiiliii Si-Jli-r * '.n .

. ;■ 1 • ili» rtiilpv.lv Ulfli'fr rtUcI .Ur.

•lojihM, B'linl f/<i!n! •mi'hU'hI •Illy.
< ' tr'r.iiM V'l--«';i(» ,t iv

\'n.'«'r!' • ■.iliiiir«i.».Iiiy.

o)iii>, lii'ljiwiy. An/i.rm Juy.
I ij , _\'/lni"rn. ,\ mcricttii < 'niw.

Alii'iii I l.uiiiswin. Skyliivk.

('t<i(..'i-, ;. I- ;s If-iu-olitTii.i, Ciiin*. Piilliil nornpil LftrV.
OtiK i.p~ »t|ii'!<tri>i ji''""''"'"' IIoiihIi.hv. Viaiii'' Ilomcil t^niV
OtiKi'MK .iliH-ntn-itt iiroiiiisilii. Tfi'tisliiiw. Di-cvl Hioiiii] Ijirlc.
' )t>«'iir.s diK-stn* ;;i'vm(ii. Ilnisliiiw. Trx.ni ITurncii lyirk.
< MiK'oris iil(»>«liis I liysolioiiiH. VS'iiKli r. M' xicuii H'irnoil biirk.
<)t-n'i>rii ii!j>d'tii!< riilx'ii, Hotwhiiw Umlilv l(.>'nt'<l Lnrk.
tMtK'jin.H (J'v -(rris iin'inlli. Dwiiflit. Oacky l]icnn'il Lark.
OtiKjiiHh iUi»!>.».ri>i iiil;i.<ti«, Dwiglit. Sfur'lud Honiwl Tjark.

IVATK V

* »

■C> .1

'■■r^

ff

'^^'■\.^

■4u*l

FiK's.

1,2.

FiKs.

:!.

t. r,. i\.

FiKS.

T. ."<.

Fi^'.

!l.

Fins.

111.

11. 12.

Fi';s.

i;i.

14. l.">.

Fi!<H.

l(i. IT.

Fig.!.

IS. 1!).

FiKH.

2(1. •i\.

Fiff.

22,

FiK».

2;i, 24.

l''ij,'S.

2.*

20, 27.

FiKs.

2,S. 29.

Fi«s.

:!()

:!1, ;!2.

EXPLA^■ATIO.V TO PLATE VI.

Uolichonyx oryzi ,-nrns. Liniiii'iis. IJdM.liiik.

Moll) '-.ras liter, Bmlducrt. Cowln il.

Mdlntlirus iitcr oliscnrus, (Jiiiclin. D-arf ( "owliird.

('alli)tlirus v()l)U,stii,-^, (."abauis. Hi'd-i'.vd Oiwliir.l.

Xaiitho<r|,lialus .xaiitho.Tphalu.H. B.iiiai.iut.'. Ycllow-l.caa.Ml Blackbird.

Aj^'daius iih(euii'''us. LiimuMis. Rcil-wiiitci-il Blai-kbird.

AKi'laius },'ubfvn,itnr, WaKb'r. Bii-nlortMl Blackbird.

Agclains tricoidr, Xuttall. Tricolorcd BlackWrd.

Stnniclla iiiat;iia. Liimanis. Mcadiiv. lark.

Siur-iclia magna iiicxiiana, Sclatrr. Mexican Moadowlar!:.

Stnniclla magna iicgli'cta, Audubon. Western Meadiiwlark.

Icterus audubonii. (iirand. Audubun's Oriole.

icterus ].;iris(iruiii, Benapavte. Scott's Oriole.

Icterus caculUitus, Swaiusuu. Hooded Oriole.

mutif

t

t'.J-f

•4.1

"**%

/

(

.•;|-^

^»^^|ft^

SI'

> ■■ '-^

^i

^#

if

.:.V

^'

)

1

Fixs.

Ki'jr.

II

l.v!. V'^lii'liir. vt "MH'f";' fiirviwx i!<>l<ti!ir "<
:i. 4. .•>. .1. M..l..'!ii-M- .U>.- '' '.'^- '.'..vvtii^

"„' /-.I. ,. .„ , ,, ^v>j.'- !; ^l . i^H- %vlorii

' ' -,,, i, ,. ,, ,. , ,•:;, nat'r Wiinl.M . IJi.'ilivlvl lii^n liiiii'i

,,_,.', . ., . r \'u!iitll. Tn. ■.Io->h1 ltl;Mk!)inl.

.^j" .■, .•,..,, l.iiin.i'U.- \l.JiiVnvi;irk.

"v., ..,,, ^, .,.;., ill. .■.xiiiltiM.S.-l.it.T. M.si.MliMi-Klc^vi.'irV.

,., .. „.,.,. ,,..11,1 i;..,.4Ui, .i.-.l."l-i, .\ii.lul...ii, W.-l.ni \l,-a.l<.wliiik.

•J.") .'ti. T. t't,. ■iif..iM.lnl..>i K <iinm-'. .\ii.iu1...n t »n..'i ^

".'. -i:). l.'l.-n:- I'li'-ih.nm. >l- 'ii .1- - ■•. S<->.lf< "violo

i '<

P
If

\ %
It 1'

Ik'

m

^^

r^" l:^-v m

A

i

FiKS-

1 , '-'.

FiKH.

If. 1. .">.

F\liH.

t>.

7. S. il.

FiKK.

HI. 11

ij. i;!.

Fif{«.

14

1.-.. i(i.

FiKS.

IT, IH

I'.l. 2(1.

FiKH.

•il.

•i-i. Si.

FiKM.

■,M, •.-•.■•).

FiKS.

Sli. -il.

Fi«H.

■iH. •».».

FigH.

;io, ;(i.

EXPLANATIOK TO PLATE VII.

Icterus curuUalus nclsdui. Kidnwiiy. Arizima Hmided ( )ri()le.
litems simrius. Liiiuii'us. ( )ri-hiu-<l t Irinlc.
Icterus niilbnlii. LiunaMis. HiiUiinore ( Iriolc.
Icterus bulliicki. Swiiinson. Bulldcks ()rii>le.
Sciilecui)liiiKus caniliuus. MiillcT. Rust.v Hhukliird.
ScdlecoiihaKUs (vanDceplialus. Waaler, lircwers Blackbird.
Quiscalus cpiiscula. Liuiueus. Puqile (irackle.
(Juiscalus (luiscula aglieus. IJaird. Florida (Tvackle.
Quiscalus ([uiscula leueus. Ridgwa.v. Hronzec^ (Jrackle.
Quiscalus niacrciurus. SSwain.soii. (Jreat-taileii (rrackle.
Quiscalub luajur, Vieillot. Boat-tailed Gruckle.

1 .1 ^^m,^.'i ^Bif^MJrM

'*"i

^

./

m

i

%

*1

^ --4

4

lv>#

«

. ■(^^•ifctt^

,;««■ •-■

3^'

/-'

♦^i

■?'''

- »»

;:^

♦

1 *■■

.^!

'1

PiUP.

1 . a.

fl;.-.

:t. 1. 'i

Vi'^-.

11, ". >. '■'

l-m^

VI ' 1 ;■,'. I.'

iM.'f-

11 !.-.. 11.

l''l«>-

IT, I-1-, 111. ■•'K

KiifH.

"I ■*•* 'J>''

)'-i.m.

','1. .'.1.

(■■u-.

-It. -T,

KiK-

•h. ;'••.

''iK-

;;(!. :!l

K.XI'I.AN" >.TtON TO l'i,.'TK VII.

hr.Tli,'T.uiMiM;itu^. ii.|«..ni l;icli'\v:iy. .V!.,-.'ln Hi mii-t "VI..1,

l.li-iii.x nmriiii. l.iiiiiH- !•■. On liiU'il i".*- .•

Irt-iil.s ci/lliiilii, 1,11111.11 s. i««lliiii.iii, • '...1 »

lct'T'i»> h\il.'',»ki. Stt-!il(iv.ii lliil'"i-t ii"l'-

S. .l.-<-.ii>hH>;<>rt .•• r'lliiiuK, Miill' r. Ui* U'"' ti.>i"(

,-:,-.i|.- M|i!M*.ni> < : Hill .•f|'li.ii"H. Wiiu'.ci. llr.'vvr- lil.i' kl.inl,

ivi>i-i. ..' 1. .(Ui.-iriilii I.iiiuititK. 1 iir).l" liriicWli-

^iiiM ii'is (iiii^ruui ikI > ">■ !!«•■' '■ l-'l'Tiilii (friu-kli'.

tjiii-ciilii' i'ii'*"ilii I'lii- ■• Hi.|,.'\v:.v. lln.ii/.cil (h"U'l.li'.

ijiii-. 'i!i.^ iiiHiii'iniK. swiiiii* .. < ir.Mttuiliil Onu kli-

(.^iii.1 4iu.s iiuijur. Vieillul. U...it-;:iilnl (iriukl".

':.A"- "/■

1

m

1

ALPIIABKTICAL INDEX.

Pagtv

Aonilinn Fl,\ cnli lii>r •'*''■

ai'ihliciiB (Kiiipiilnuitx) ''"'*

ui'till|i4'iiiili4 tt'xi-iiHlH (('lionl<tiU'ii) 17-

ail ll^4tu (Otoi-oriM ul)MtHtrls) '-^

H'lll'UK ((julsClllllH qUINCtlla) ^^

AtTmuuiU-rt iiu'laiinloiimiM ^^"

AgulaliiM K"l"'''"ator '*'*'*

IlllllUiuiMW ^^^

liryantl ^'^j'

HDUiirlt'Uais *'•■'

Iriccilor *•''«

Bulii'in ((^11 i»rulu» i| iilsiula) 50(1

aliii*ri'ii»m ( i'i(-<iiili-n aiiicrirainiH) ^

Alaakail .lay ■"*

T)irtM!-t(MMl WiMxllM-'ckcr 80

AlaiiilaarveiihlM •*27

alliiculliH iiurrllU ( Nycaiilroiaua) 1*)

alliiri'iitria (I'latj iwarU) 230

alliulurvat n» ( Xunopliua) '"

alcynii (I iryli) '*

Alt-xaiHlri>'a Ilimiiiiiugliinl ^^

ali'xaudi i (TrtMliiliia) l'"

AUcu, Cliuito A., "" tlieliabitaof thu Rcdbreiwtsil Snii-

Hucker ^

III! tlii> haliita nl • en'» Iluimiilugljird. 'JI7
oil tliii halilt" 111' till' WoBtiTii Fly

catflKT

on the call notes of tlio Bliw frontwl

Jay

oil llio general halills of the California

Jay

alloni (SelaHphorns) -'^

Alli'iiK 1 1 iiiiiniiugliird -1"

nl|ieatrin ailusia (Otocorls) ■'*''

arenicola (dtworlH) 338

I'hryHoliL'ina (Otocorls) 341

girumll (Otocoria) '■>**'

lUHlllarlH (( HocoriB) 347

leucolii'ina (< )tot'orln) 332

iiieirilll (Otoioiii)) 34«

(Olmoria) ''HO

lialliila (( ItoiorU) 347

liratifola (Otoi-nriH) 334

rnlMia (Otocori;*) 343

Htri(;nta (Otocciris) 344

A Ipiiic Tlini! loed Wooiliiwkf r 1*0

Aniu/.ilia lorviiiivi'iitrirt --''

tnacicaiiilata 223

aiuliii'uu.s iTroKon) 32

Ai'it-'ricuu ('row

Alagiiio

Ravrn

TlirBO-toed Wowliierkt'r

anieripiiiia Moptontrionalit* (UiTylo)

anieri(>aiiii8 alaHrciiMia ( Picolilen)

(t'ociy iiial

(Ciirviw) ■'05

ilorailia (I'iioidm) "0

tloriilanua (CorviiM) 413

occidi'iitalia (CorryzuN) 26

anguatlfroni (Melanerpea fonnlrlvoras).

Aul.

29U

366

375

(Ficoldcs).

lllai;k

((.'i-fitopliaga)

( • roove- Idlleil

anna (( 'alyptel

Anna'a lliiniinin|;1ilnl

iinnucti'na (Cyunodtla atollcri)

Autlioiiy, A, W., on llie lomlof tlio lloiid Itnnnor

an the noHtliiK lialilm of tlm AVIiltc

throated Swift In Colnrailo

on llio haliila of Anna* lluniniingliinl..
on the ni'Htliig haliitn uf lliu lluloiin

II liniinlngbird

on the Heating lialilta of Say'a riuihe in

Lower C'allfornlft

on till' nesting haliilsof S'iclh'i's Jay, in

( iregiin

on the nesting habitu of tlio t Iri'gon Jay

Antruatiiiiiiin ramllnenala

vm'iferns

tnacniniyatai

Aphehicouia californiea

hypoloiieii

ohsoura

oyanotia

dorldana

insiiiaria

aiebfrli ar.'xona'

woodliousei

Arctic Thrcetoeil W-jiidpt«kcr

aritiiiia(I'icoldi'a)

ari'nirola (( Itocdrla alptatris)

Arizona (.'rested Flycatcher

Hiiiided Oriole

Jay

Wooilpeiker

ari/.oua' ( llryobatos)

j (Aplielm'oina sleberii)

Arkansas Kingblnl

arvensis ( Alaiida)

Asli Ihnialeil Flycatcher

at<T (MolothniB)

obsciiriia ( Molotlirua)

Att water, II r, on the nesting habila of the (loldtnfronleii

1 WoodiH'cker

audiibouii (Dryolmles villiisiis)

(Ictorna)

A uiltlboli'a Oriole

I auratiis (Ciilaptea)

aurifroim (Melanerpos)

Avery, Dr. William C, on the habits of Chnek willa-

widow

liahitnian, Redwing

I hainli (Melanerpea forniicivorin)

( Dryoliates sealaris)

Baird'a Flycatcher

Woodpecker

Baltimore Oriole

, Handed Tlireetocd WiKidpocker

I -Daijked WgoUpeeker

509

rage.

117

«

0

e
»

'.•00

'2tHI

349

U

IMA
207

:i63
304
142
1411
151
374
378
3711
382
37(1
371)
3H0
372
74
74
338
'264
470
3M0
118
68
380
'243
327
2110
434
441

r25

51
469
46U
129
l'J4

143
4.'i3
112

63
298

63
482

77

77

< '1

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

lew

■ 56 il3.2 mil ^ n

;: i^ III 2.0

1.8

1.25 1.4 16

^

6"

►

I

Hiotographic

Sciences
Corporation

33 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(716) 872-4503

J-

(A

510

ALrilABETICAL INDEX.

Vugr. ;

lljirlow, (,'., nn thi> iifAlMor Amur if llniniiiltiKbinl 308

Uhi'Ii 1*Iiii>Ih4 'J7'J

ItitHiliiiiiii Iniu-otiit 227 j

luutuii 226 I

■hit 170

lliilrlii'lili'r.1 \V(i(Kl|»uk«r 00

Iti'urd, 1>. r., nenling nf tito Itt'dwiiigiil Hliu'kblnlouani'Ht

of Ihi' i-onu iillliil Marsli Wren 452

Id'iinlli'M n J laUliiT 325

IhH'unl, Xpiituii'it 230

llvck, KuUu 11., nil Iho liHliitH mill neatiii); iif NiittairH

\\'lt!Ml|M'4'k**r

uti the liit'i'ilin^ liiibiu of the lUuc-frontwl

J»y

on theKrneralhablUiif tlieC'ahfurilia Jay-

l\>v llinl

Martin

Itt'liliiiK, L., <in till' ^eni'ral Iiabltaoftlii' llliie-frnutiHl Ja}'.
on t)in nvMting babita ul' tbo Triciiloiwl lllaok-

binl

Ilelilin^'i* .Jay

Ib'lliil Kliii;tbilirr

llicoloml lllaikliini

Itig liiiiiiiMt \Vou4liH>i^ker

SapHiickiT

Ulrd. lire

llnllalo

Caribon

llmiMiiiib

(i

lliiilKtm liay

Lazy

May

Meal 385,

MiKwc :I85,

of Parad itm, Texan

PlmlH'

Veiiiaon

/.ebra...

lllaik Ani

Flycatcher

Lug Cock

I'hu'lw

Swifl

Witch

WomlwK'k

llla<kbinl «.

Uit-oiored

lloat luibil

Iln'Wor'a

Cow

CriniHon-HhoiildenMl

Crow

Florida t 'v»w

Martili

riir|ilf Crow

Ued and While Shnnlderi'd

Ki'd- winged

Kuaty

Savanna

Skunk

SwaiM|i

TliniHli

Triiolmid

WeMti-rn (Jniw

Vellow-lieaded

Hlark barkttl Tiirec-toeil WoodiMi-kiT

Iiillril Cuckoo

Miiuiiic

■lircaJttrd W'lHMllipcker

'cliiniiitl Hutnniin^lurd

-caii'd < 'iickuo

llliii'Crow

.lay

Fhirida

■eared Jay

305
376
230
236
366

457

370

34

455

46

40
236
434
,385
288
385
:w5
134

lil
418
418
233
272
304
121
li
280
102
280
175
6
102
434
455
,506
493
434
45.'>
497
500
449
407
4.'>0
440
480
6
420
440
500
450
,501
446

7»

27
349

07
108

17
424
3.'>ll
.101

;ii<2

Page.

Illiir-frunt4'd Jay 365

hoadi'il liracklu 403

■tbroateilCaiiii|ne 190

Iliimnilogbird 190

lloat'lailed lllackbiril ."iotl

Urackle 506

HiilMdIitk 420

biirealiH (< 'ont4ilius) 282

( liryobateH) 61

Hndtierto!). U. J., on a iM'Ciitiar next of the American

Hagple in Alanka ;t5:i

on tile haliilH uf tlic Nortli"rn Itaveii . . 401
on the general liabita of llii. XurlbweMt

Crow 415

Urewcr n lllackbird 403

llriilge i'lio'bi' 272

llrua<|.liilli.<l Iluniniingliinl 228

.tjiiliMl Hiinnningliird 210

HrunzMl Cowliird 44^1

linickli. 501

Hrown WwHlpecker 97

llryanl, William A., on the nesting hatiita of the Flicker. . 132

bryanli l.VgulaiuM ]ibii nicciia) 45:t

Hnffalii Ilml 434

llntriiellicd Hnininlngblnl 225

■bivaat*.*! Flycatcher 821

Hull hat 163, 170

-headed Flycatcher 251

bnllcM'kl (IctcruH) 486

Ilullock a Driolc 486

llnntiuK. Cow 434

IlnrrowH. D. 11., on tlic bn-cding liabi.a of the Hairy Wuvd-

ptH'kcr 49

on the iH'currence iind ncNtiii^ haliitH of

the Iteil-tiellicil Woo«llH.cker 123

on the liahitH of tlie<ioldi'n-front44l Wooil-

p<.<kcr 124

on the liabitM of UerTiU'a Paraui|ue 160

Ilimh Jay 370

lliiltcrliird 429

('Hlmiiia'rt Woo<lpe4-kcr 53

Cactna Flicker 138

cafcr (Ciilaiitet*) 134

Katunitior (Colaptea) 137

California CuckiHi 25

Jiiy 374

Mountain J ay :t65

roor-will 158

Californian Woodpwkcr 1 12

calJfoniianiiH (lieiM-occyx) 13

califoniica ( A |ilii.|ocoliia) 374

bypoteiica < A pliehiconia) .378

obacura (-Vphclocoiiiii) 379

ealifumirii8 lIMialii-noiitilim iiiiltalli) 158

Calliope IliilniniiiKiiinI 219

(SIclliiliil 219

Catothorax liicifer 222

Cnllot liruH roiiuHtua 443

Ciilyiite anna 206

coBtii' 202

Camp R<iblier 388.391.418

Cain|HMiliiliiH principalis 42

( 'anada Jay 385

cauadeimiaoapiliilia (Pcriaoreim) :188

fuiiiil'roiiH ll'criaoreUMi 300

liigricapiliiiH (IVriNorcuN) 392

(IVrisoriuiil 385

I'anorim telephoniia (CucuIuh) 33

Ca|«' Flickir 138

CiipitaliM ( PcriaoreiiH canadenHin) 388

CarilBiii Ililil 38S

Carolina l'iirn.[iii't 1

Wo.Klp.rker 121

carolinciiHia (.\iitruBtointiH) 142

(Coiiurim) 1

caroliniia (Mebincrpea) 121

ALl'UABETICAL INDEX,

511

Pace.

camUiinA (Hcolernphagnfl) iHQ

Cni'iMfiitor, Ciipt. W. li., on the ni-Hlin); ImbitH of WoimI-

tiotiiw's Jay, in Arixoiia ;t73

Culqiic. Ulru>-t broatiMl I (Kt

('ufMinft Kingbird 248

4'aurinuH (CNtrviia) 414

CfopliltPiiH )>il(«IUH 102

(MTvlnivt'iitriM (AniaKllia) 225

Ct'r>lo itlcytm 34

americiiiia aeptnit rltmnliit :i9

t4in|iiata 40

Cliii-tiira pelagira 177

vauxii 183

Chiiiutrnil Cork 13

chHpiiiaiii (t'hunleiles virf^liiianiiH) I7U

ChilH!(k 312

(.'lierkfrttl W4i(Ml|>efkvr 121

Ctiicu.va . 10

Cbiiiini'V Swallow 177

Swe4'p 177

Swift 177

( 'hip-the-rcil-iiak- wbit4!-oak 142

CbonlL'tleit acntiiwnuis toxeuaia 172

virgiuiauuH 163

cbapniani 170

beiiryi 167

clir.VHoideH <( 'oUptoM) 138

(■hr.\ Holn^nia (Otoeorifi alpi^stritt) J41

Chuck- wlll't)- willow 142

ciniTascena (MyiarrbiiB) ^66

uuttiiiKi (Myian-buH) 269

riiiiTltius ( Empittoiinx) 301

Cinnamon Huiumingbinl 213

Cii-co Hummingbird 228

Clape 120

Clarkf M Crow 418

XuU^ra^'ker 418

t-louiiuu'iiL' (Cii^ligtma) 190

CltMlboiUMT 434

Clnua Swift 175

(.'lute. W. N.,ontbcfi>odof the l!ubytlin>ateil Humming-
bird IM

CuL-cyzuH amvricauua 10

<iccidimtaIiH 25

erylhrophthalnuiB 27

minor 17

may nanli IB

( 'oik of tb« WowIb 102

Cii-IiK»Mia 1 IfiutiiiriiL^ 190

Colajiti-'B auratus 129

cafiT 134

saturat lor 137

chrygoiitet* 138

ruttpileutt Uo

i!iilubriA(Trocbilu8) 19*2

ctil.iinbianu ( N' ucifraga) 4 IK

Coutopus Iwrcalis 2«2

port iiiHi '286

riclianlMoiili 291

vircna 288

Connruat-urulineDHiM 1

OiK)l(t>, Dr. Clinton T., on the liabiU ol' tbe Little Fly-

I'atf bi'r, in OrcKun 306

Coppery taileil Trugim 32

vonix principalis (CorvuR) 4iio

siuuHtus (CorvuH) 396

Curroriiniino 13

CorvuB ameriuantiH 405

tlorldanus 413

CAurinuB 414

eora\ prinuipaliH 400

aiiHinluH 306

rryplolt'iirus 402

ogairragus 415

onsta' (Caly pto) 202

( '08ta'H HumniiDgbird 202

Fagn

Conea'a FlyraUiher 286

rouohii (TyrannuH nii'lani-boUuiia) 243

( 'ouiba Kiiigblnl 243

Cow Itlai-kblrd 434

Bunting 434

Cowbinl 434

Bronzed 443

Dwarf 441

Red-eyed 443

Cn'stiit FlycAtiber 259

Arisona 264

Mi'xitan 26:i

Crimson •ahonldert'd llbirkbinl 45S

irinitUH (MyiarcbuH» 2.'il>

crialata (CyaniH-illa) 356

Horlnrola (Cyanocitta) ;t6l

CnMopba'jia ani 6

Bub-iriwtria II

Crow. American 405

Blackbird 407

Florida BOO

Purple . 407

Weatern 501

«l no 424

Clarke's 418

Flab 41ft

Florida 413

Northwest 414

Kain 19

cryptoleupiis (Corviia) 402

Cuckoo. BW'k bilbil 27

oarfd 17

CaUfoniia 2.i

Mangrove 17

May nard 'a 19

Sllwrian 32

Western Yellow billed 25

YoUow-billeil 10

cncuUatus (Icterus) 474

nolsiuii (IcttTUs) 476

CuciiliiH canoruM tclrphonus 32

eyanucepbalut (CyanotrepbaluH) 424

( Si-olei'ophaguH) 493

CyaniH-ephalus cyauocepbalus 424

Cyauocltta criatata 356

tloriucola 361

stelleri 362

Hnnecti'Us 360

frontal in 365

nuicrolopba 367

i-yanotis ( Apheloroma) - 382

('ypselubles iiiger 175

DavisuD, J. L.. im the nesting habits of tlii> Itlack bilHl

CurkiK( 2H

on a pccnliur nvHt nf the Wimd IVwi'c 290

Dead -limb liird 28H

dcrbianus (Pitangus) 251

Derby FlycatcbiT 251

Desert Hornml Lark 33K

ditHcilis (Empidnnax) iW

Dolirhiinyx eryzivoma 429

dimiiniceDBis (Tyrannus) 241

cbirsaliM ( IMcoidcs ftniericauua) 80

Dovf. Hain 10

Dfiwny Womi pecker S'l

Dryobatca arizonu* fW

borealis 61

nuttallii «:>

pubcseens 55

gainlnerii 5H

orei reus 60

acalaria bairdi t).'l

lupaMnuB Ki

vlllosus 46

andulmnti 51

barriiU 52

512

ALPUABETIOAL INDEX.

Fage.

Dryulialfw villosuii hy loM'optia 53

leiit-miH^liiB Su

Diuky Ilnrnetl l.iirk 34S

INwrwUl 158

l>utrli \Vliip.p..orwiU 142

Pwwrf Cowbira 441

Emiiidouux ai'nilii'UH 302

cint-rKliiH ;W1

illtltnliH 298

lta< iventrlH 295

fill IfroUH 321

l>y]{innu8 321

KriMPUf 320

liunMiuii ill 315

niiniiuUH 312

IHiailliis 305

talllll 310

wrijihtl' 318

crytltrorrjilmluH (M4>1hiiitih>h) 107

f ryl lin>ptilhaliii UN (Corey /im) 2/

t'ryzivoriiH (DolJclioiiyx) 429

EiiK'lU'H fiilg«ii8 188

Firt'Iiinl 482

FIhIi Crow 415

Fiaticr, Dr. A. E., on tho habila of the Coppery -tAllftI

Tn»jf»tii 33

on llioliiiliitMortlK^ItivoU UiimnihiK-

hinl 189

un tht> lialiitH of tlio Blui'tliroati-d

ItuiniiiiiiKliinl, In Arizoua 191

Klamo-Iwirrr 209

tliivivi'iiirU ( Kiiipuloiiax) 295

Flicker 129

CttctiiH 138

Capr 138

tiililrtl 138

(iiiailalniH^ 140 I

North «r«tt'm I'M

Itcii jiliiiftiMl i:i4

V.llow whiirti'd 129

Flint, 11. \V„ on tbc lialiiU of tlio Whip pw.rwill 149

ni'Hting liiitiitHof th» Kiiliy tliroatfil

IlnmniingUird, lu ConoM-tlcnt 197

tlori'Hti (S4-lat«pliorua) 200 I

Flori«i'M HiiniDiiu^rltinl 209 !

Florida lUu.- .1 ay Ml

Cn.w 413

iUackliird 54K) !

(Iracklf 500 |

.lay 370 '

Xi(5litliawk 170 j

lloridaua ( A plielmoina) 370 ;

I)ori(iaiio8, (CorvuM aiui'riranua) 413 I

Horini-oln (CyaniH-iltarristata) , 361

Flyoatchcr, Acadinn :t02

Anlitliroated 266

llainla 29H

IteanllrAH 325

Black 280

BntrbnwiHtM 321

linll hiMilid 251 !

CoiOHrt 2K'J

Crwtwl 2:.»

Arizona 284

Ihrhy 251

For k tailed 231 '

Kulvniirt 321

(liraud A 2i>l

limy :I2«

(ti-e«'n-fn'«h'd 302

tluininond'H 315

rawniiM-K :;70

l-<MHt M2

l.ittlo ItttS

\V»'»tf'rn :io5

Mtfxiciiu-creatuU 263 i

rage.

Flycatcli^r, Niitting'a 260

OlivacauuH 270

Olivuitided 282

IVwit 272

I*fp*ry 241

Kidfpray'a 326

Ulo O randi* 251

Sciaaor-tailtMl 233

Kalnt Lui'aa 301

Siilpliur-lN'llli'd 250

Swallow- tailed 233

Tralll'a 310

Vcnutlion 322

Weat«m 208

Weatcm Yi>11ow-lH'11i«l 298

Wright'a 318

TelloW'lM'lIinl 295

forfloatns (MIIviiIiim) 233

Fork-taile<l Flycatcher 231

fonuictvuruH angiiMtifronN (Melam'rpes) 117

bnirdl (Melaiierpca) ipj

fnmtAllH (CyanwlttuntelliTt) 365

Fnwted PoorwlU |57

fiilgeDH (Eiigenea) igt)

fulvlfhiua ( Rmpldonax) 321

pyRtiiffua (Kini)idonax> 321

FulvooH Flycutchor 321

fuinifn>na ( IVrUorcoH canadi'nHiM) 390

fuacicandata (AmaiiHn) 223

gairdnerii (Dryobati-a piilieMcens) 58

<!alrdner'M WotMlpocktT 58

Gale, Denis, on the nesting habita of the Rod-napcd Sap-

ftucktT 90

un the ncating habita of Clarke'H Nutcracker . 422

gallmla { Icterus) 482

(iarrapatvro lo

Oe*M'iK«y X t-aliforuinnns |3

OilaWfMtdpM'ker y^

(lildcd Flicker |3g

Klraudi (Otocoria aliteatrlN) 340

( i iruM J'm Flycatcher 254

(inatcateber 272

(lolden lloMn 482

-fi-ontcd Wtiodiipcker 124

■ wingc*l WiKMlpcekcr 129

(tood giMla 102

(tracklc, lUuebeadeil 403

Boat-tailed 506

Bnntzed 501

FUirida 500

Grfat-lailed 504

Tiirple 497

Uuaty 489

( Jrny Mycaleher 320

Kingbird 241

Grease Bird 385

tircat White-backed Sapsiicker 50

■ tailed Grai!klo Mi

O reen .Tay 383

•backed lliniinitn(;hlnl 216

ere stwl Flycatcher ;k)2

uritteoN (Kniiddunax) 320

( JnM(\ e billeit Ani 0

It round ruckiM> 13

Grover, W. K.. on tbocall noteMof the Boat tailMl (Iraeklc 5ii7

iiiiadalniHi Fliekcr 140

gubimiator (Agelahis) 4.^)5

Gnlar Oriole 406

gularis ( Icterus) 466

Hairy WiMHliH-cker 46

hamiunndi (Empidoiiaxt 315

Hanunond'sFlyeateher 315

Hanging binl 482

Hang m»«t 482

Hanly, Manly, on llie nenttng habllH of the Arcti«- Three

tued Wootl|>ecker 75

ALPHAUETIOAL INDEX.

513

Ilanly. Manly, iiii lhi< Trlliiw IxilHiil Hnpunrkor 8a

tin llln liabllHiit' Itm IMlt-uttil WumllRTkur. 103

Kllik.r 133

fill till* fittiiiliurlly III* lilt' Li-iimI Klyi-ntrlitT. 3U

till i)ii' liuliitH III' till- Ciiiiiiilu tliiy :wii

Aiiii'ririiii Cniw HW

nil till* iiriKltial i-\t<>iiHtiili III' till' Itiillliiiiiro

orliili'. ill Muiiii' 4k;i

nuirin, (1. K., nil tliii liiiliilM III' tliti IVairiii llurui-il Lurk,

hi Ni'W Yiirk MS

liiiniHii (llryiiluilvH vIIIiihiin) 't'i

lliirriH*H WiHHiiHM-ki'i' .'>2

Hawk, Mwil... ;iU4

Miiminiln 103 ;

VuiiiMiiu •<8r> I

lll'll. luilillll lU :

lii'nr,\i (('liiirili'ilrH vjrutiiiHiiiiHl 1U7 '

Hi-niira, I'l-ol'. A. I.., uu tlir ImliltH uf tliu tirtNivu-liilli'il

Alii II

llillli liiilo lai

liiiliUir IL'U

HiHMl.ilOrioU' 474

Ariftoiia 471)

IIihiumI Lark 3311

1 M'acrl 3311

Dimky 3411

lUMiilur f 34/

Mi'xiciili 341

I'lilliil 332

I'ralrlo 334

KiiUiiy :143

Ko'iri'lli'il 346

Miiliiirtiu 347

Streiikwl 344

Toxmi 3411

noimr I'l'Wii' 271*

IIiiiIhoii Iliiy IDid .IV,

IliiilHiinii'H irira pira) 3411

lluiuuiiiigbini, AU'xnuilru'H lOH

Alleiiii :;i(i

A IK LIW

lllaok.liliinwl lUH

IlliU'tlli oalwl 190

llroudliillcil '.'28

tailed L'lll

lliiiriKllied 2i'i

( 'alliu|H' 210

('iiiiiaiiioii 213

lin 22K

Ciiiitirh 202

I'l.iri'ul'ii 209

lirtM-ii liarkril 216 j

LiiiiliT 222

NiHilkil 213

Norlliini 192

l'iii|ili' tlinmtitl 108 '

Itilnlaiiil IIM

KiillirK 223 i

ItiMili in-" '

lti«ky Miiiiiilaiii 210

niiliytliriialiil 102

liiiriM:» 213

Kill'iitm-liui-kfil 213

V iiilvitlii'iiatcil 201

Wliiliiarrd 227

XiilitiiH'rt 220

liyliiiH'ii|iim 1 1 Iryiiliati-H \ illiiMiiK) 53

liy|Hili-iira ( AiitirliK-iinia taliforiiira) 378

lailii' lul ilii«l ri« 228

ii*ti-nin (IcIiTiiH) 400

lutcriH iiiiiliiliniiii 409

biilliicki 4««

i-iifilllat tin 474

llclitiiul 470

Billblllu 482

tliilai-iN 400

ItiSSW— No. 3 Xi

I'M*-

liif^riiH irtoniN 400

Iiariiiiiririi ' 471

H|iiiriiin 479

iiiilii'rin' (llrnllbiiiii) !I25

riilKWiiyi (Oniilbiiin) 326

liidluli Hill 19

liiMiliii* llurniil Lurk ,147

iiiHiilarii) (IMiM-iiriM al|i«-8lri») 347

( A iilii'liMHinia) 379

Ivury bilbil WmHliH-ikir 4i

Jink, WliiHky ;W6

.laikdaiv MW

■I ny , .\ bitikaii 390

Arlzulia 380

Ikiblillg'il 379

llliu'k lioailMl ;i«B

lllilii 350

llliii' eariil 383

lUiii'-fniutiid 3M

lliinh 370

Oaliforuk 374

Miiiililulll 306

( 'aliuabl 386

Florida 370

Illiie 3r.l

tini'li 383

Lubriulor 392

l.ciligiTi'illi'd 307

MailiiiiliaiiH 424

Miitintaiii 302

(IniKiili 31M

Pillii 302

I'iri.iil 424

IMii liraliilii 383

Itmky Miilllllaill 388

.Santa Oll7. 379

Siriib 370

Sivrra 366

Siiioky-lVmitwl 390

Sli'lliTK 302

Wliiti'liiadwl 388

WiNHlliniiHi''s 372

XailtUH'H 378

ilewliird 9

Jiiliii, Wliiaky 3«.'i

.Inlinny 0«k 102

.Tiiild. KlniiT T., unaniiii' iii'Ciilianii'iitiligNiti'Bul' tliuKiuK-

blBl 230

•ludanti, W. II., on the iiotitiiiglnibitauf tlie \Vliite-tliruutt*d

Swift, ill Caliloniia 187

KiuKbird 236

ArkaHHua 245

CaiiBiii's 249

('uutii'H - 243

(Iriiy 241

Wistirii 246

Kiuillli-liii. IWllid 34

Illimid 40

Kllfolis-bri'aatfd 40

IVsau 39

KiHkaili-f 2.VJ

Little 265

KiM-li, Fred. W., nil till' liabita uf the INwr-wiU 155

Knw kn» 10

l.abriulnr .lay 302

Lailder-biKkeil Wu<Nl|rt'L'kur o:)

Laiilt, I'rnf. U. K., uu the bniedlu); liublta uf Mutlalla

I'lHir will I.'i4

Lurk, Dimrl llnriiMl 3:18

lliinky Horned 340

1 1 nniid 330

liniiilai' llorneil .'147

Mt'xiiali llorneil 311

Old Field 458

rallld Hi.rind 332

I'rairiu llurued 304

514

ALPHABETICAL INDBX.

r»(r« !

Lark, Riiildy HwrneH 343 |

Scori'liiil lli>rtie«l 34A

SiiiHiraii Iforiietl 'Ml

SI ivHki-i) HoriMil 344

'IVxMii lliirntMl 340

l«UnPHlr(t»)lBolH') 'JTX

LHwn>iK-e. K. II., on tht> IimIiHh nf I^wIs'h WmMlpii'kpr .. 118
till ihi-tifRihijiliiihiti) itl' tho lhiBk> P<M)r-

will '. ir*

fin tliohnliilNor Ihfi lUin-k rliiniivfl lliiiii-

iiiiiiKliinl. in <?iilil'urnia 109

on the iM'HtiuK hnliilH nf ('(mta'N Hiini-

niinglilnl, in (-Hllfiiruiii 'J03

on thi* mil not<-H iitlm'il liy tlie Arkiin

mw K intf Itinl 24«

iin Ihi* Kencriil tmbilN i»r tlie Norlhwcat

<'row 414

Imrrencei iillrnsr^nH (UylarrliiiH) 270 !

lawrruri'lt (MyiunlniH) -^70 j

Lrtwreme's Flv«tttoher 'JVn

Lttz.v HinI 4^*4

Leant FIvcatihiT ;il2 '

loiu'uuiflaa ( DryobatoH vUluatia) ."M)

l«iiri>lH-nia ( < »ti>rorla iiliM^titriH) 332 i

lfU(-utiH(llasilinna) J27

LewlN'H W(MNlpei-kcr 1 17 .

Littli- Flytal.li.T :mWV |

(tuinoit \VtHHl|Mrcker 55

KiHkiiilei' 255 !

SnpHnrkiT 55 |

\Vpct»Tn FlyimtrliiT 30.'> I

Littif.jiihn. ('Iiatie, mi the lialiUa of tli« Xurtlii>rn ICavcn. . 401 |

Lir-anl Hinl I3

Liigcork 102 '.

Wliltpliill.ll 42 j

Lonii cn'Hted Jay ;(fi7 I

Louckd. W. K., on lliu nrnttn^ Inibitattrth^ YHll»w-lH<llii><l

Sii|iMii(-k<'r H2

tin thii nestinft liahitHtif tho Cnwted Kly- i

rati'liiT litll I

on the peniTiil hiibiti* uf the HninEe<l

(irarkle, in lllinoiN MM

liirasannn ( I >ry<itiHt4>M Hralarltt) 05

liirifiT (( 'ttlot htinix) 222

Liirirer Hummingbird 222

LiiHk, KivhanI O, on the neHting habits of the Hulphur-

bellittl Flyratrher 257

liilcivf'ntriM (MyiiHlyn:iHteH) 250

liixiiuKa (XnnthiMirat 8M3

McUhenny, E. A , (in the habitN of the PanMiuet 3

CHI thohnbifHitf the MnnuniveCiickmi. IH
i>n llii> hiihittt, ftc, of the Ivory hilled

WwMlperker 4')

on the habiiN of the Kiibythnntleil

llnniHier IM

on the 1in-iiliiijihiibllit of the Ilontetl

Lark, in Lnbrndor 331

on the bretMling of the IlolHilink, in

l^iniftlunn 433

on the iH-curreiire of the (tiilar Oriole,

in HOiithern LoiiiKianu 407

mocrolDpha (CyantM'litn titi'lleri) 387

nnu'nintyitlax ( A nt roHtomtirt vm-tferus) Iftl

niacniiinia (QiiIn«'aliiH) ,'i04

inaKister (Myianrhua nii>\i<-aniiB) 2B4

luagim niexiciinii (Sturneila) 401

netcletU (Stiirnella) 462

(Kliirni'llal 458

Muffpie. American 340

Black biUed :wo

Vellow billed 355

nii\jor (QniHcalna) 'lOO

M anj'Tove ('itrkoo 17

Miirsh niaikbird 440

Martin. Hoe 2:M(

Ma&lmiUu&s Jay 424

Paff&

MayHinl 10,420

niaynanll (t'oi'rjiiiN minor) 19

May uariiH ( 'iii-koo 10

Meaduwlark 458

Mexican 461

Wentern 4t)2

Meadow- w ink 420

Meat IlinI 385,418

Hawk 304

nielani-hollruH eoiiuhil ^Tyrannua) V43

MfUnerfHw uiirirrunH 124

eandlnna 131

erjt hrwephalua 107

forniicivoruH antfiiNtifnina 117

Iwinli 112

torqiiatuN 117

iimpygialia r,7

nielannlencna i Aenmaiitea) 185

mrrrilli ( Nyulidromna albleolliH) 160

(tMworia alpcatritt) 346

MerrillH Paraiiqne |60

Mexican rn-Ktetl Fl.vcatrher 203

Horneil Lark 341

MtMidowlark . ...,. 461

PitangUH 261

nierii-ana ( St nmi-tla magna).. 461

mexiranuH niaginler ( M y ian^bus) 204

{ My ianhnm 36:1

( Pyrticephalua rubinena) 322

MilrulniifortlcatUH 2;i3

tyranniiH. 231

iiiiitiniua (Knipidonax) 312

minor ((%MTy7.na) 17

nmynardi (Coi'cyxna) 10

Moluthruaaler 434

obacnrna 441

MiniH*' Hint 385,416

MoiHiiiilo Hawk 163

Moiintaiu Jay 362

Oriole 471

My iarcbuB ctnenucviui 266

iMittinKi 260

rrinil lis 259

In wrenreii 270

oliviiaceuM 27n

mexiranu'* 263

inaglHter 264

Myiddynastet* tiiteivenlrii* 256

My ioieletew texiMiMiN 251

Narrow I'nmte*! WiKMlprrker 117

neglei'ta f Stiirnella itiagua) 462

Nelttun, £. \V.,un the distribtition and nesting liabita of
the Itlue Ihroatetl liiimuiinghinl, in

Mrxirn 101

nn the geni-ral habits of liirnud'B Fly-

tatoher . 255

on t henPHting liahit s of < 'oueHs Flyeatrher . 2K7

uelHoni (IrteruB t'lieulUtua) 476

nigiT (( 'y piwhii*los) 175

NIghthawk 16:i

Florida 170

Texan 172

Western 167

nigricans (Sayornia) 2K0

uigrii-Hpillua ( PcrinonMiB caiiadenais) 302

nithliiK (I'l BlHMioptUiis nnttalli) 157

Nootka Hiimniiugbinl 213

Korthem Hairy Woo*lpecker 60

Hammingbird 192

Raven 404t

Northweat Cmw 414

N'orthweHl«m Flii-ker 137

nui'hnlis (Sphyrapioiis varius) HH

Niirifk'agn eolumblana 418

Nutcracker 484

Clarke's 418

ALPUABKTIHAL INDEX.

616

niitUlH rallfflrnlcns (PhttlvBOptlliu) 1M

nitiiliii (Pliuliinupt Hum) lIiT

( IMialH'nopl iliiH) Ifva

(INiu) 'iKt

ttalllUDr.vulmleH) 05

NiittairiilNHii-will 153

WiMid|Mwker W

ihiIUiikI (MyUn'hiiH rinfrant'eiiH) 'JOU

N ntUn)(M Fiyralihf r 2«9

Nyt'tidroniiiH ulbiiollix iiivrrllli IfH)

obHiMini (A|ilM-l(H'oina nilllbriilrH) 1*79

olwriiniM (MiilolliruH nttri 441

(IVrirMtreiisf 394

iif ('lilHiitaliii ((*4>r('yxtiH anierivaniiN) 35

OM KieUI Lark 46|^

Ollviii'i'oiiH Flvfati'Iirr 270

oil VHMfi'iiN (MyiarrliuN lawn^iicei) 270

(Hivt- sidtU FlycatrliiT 2¥2

OnniueSapNurktir 121

Orrliard i )riol»i 479

OreBiin Jay .11*4

Hwifl W.i

or«'ii>oiia (Dryobatnrt imboHcens) 6U

Oriolf, A iidulK>n'8 469

Baltimore 482

ItiilliX'k'H 4«6

(iiilar 4fl«

HfMiilcHi 474

ArixoDu 47«

Mountain 471

Orihanl 479

I'ahnleaf 476

Scott H 471

Ornlthton InilM^rbe :i2ri

riil){wuy i :i'_*5

Ort^dan 429

tmHifiDtfiia (forviiM) 4iri

OtocoriH alpewtiiH . . :t30

ailtista Mr*

arenlrolii 338

t-ltryRolii-niii — 341

Klnaidl 34»

InHiilurift 347

leucolii'nia ;i32

luerrilll 346

pallida 347

pratiiola 334

rubfa 343

Htrigaia 344

Palfiano 13

Pallid ilnrnwl I.ark 332

pallida (Otmioria ]il|iFHtriH) 347

I'almiT, WiUiam.on tliu |;t'm^ral Iniblta of Uia Flftb Crow.. 417

PahulearOrioIti 476

PanHH|iie. Mfrrill'a 160

parisuriim ( Ivti'rna) 471

Paro<|uet 1

Carolina 1

Parrakeet 4

Pea bird 482

pt^lajbcica M'litctiira) 177

Periaortiua canadenaia 3H5

capHalia 38H

rumirronH 3IH)

niKricapilhiH 392

obarnrua 394

|H>rtinax (dtntopuN) 286

Peti'ho 505

pHWiH^ 272

HfMiae 272

Kirlianlaon'a 291

Short -logged 2tU

Weatern Wood , 291

\Vo™l 2HH

P«wit Flyuatt'ber ^72

PhalieuoptiluH iinttalli 1 53

PhftlipnnptllnNnuttAllirAHforntrnfl ISH

nitldna 197

I'hilllpM'M Woodpecker 50

Plm-lM' 272

llarn 272

Hint 272

MIiM'k 2«0

Hrld^e 272

(SayurniH) 272

Sa.VH 27«

pkwDlctinM i A KclaiuM) 449

bryanti (AHclahiH) 453

HonorlennlM (AK**lui<i>4t 453

PIfa niittalli 355

plra lindaonira 349

Pivolden aijicrU-antiH .". .. 77

alaxi'i'nHia ttO

doraalia 80

arcllcna 74

!M(toon, Wotal 10

I'Uon 10

Pili-Ht4tl WooiliH-rkuT 102

pileataa (CenpbUi'Mn) 102

Pint) Jay 803

Plnon Jay 424

Pifionario 424

Pipiry Flycatohi'r 241

Pirainidig 163

Pi«k 163

Pitangna dcrbianuH 251

Mex ii-an 251

plalyt'eriMiH (SelaMpliorua) 210

PlHtypaarla albtvi-ntfiM 230

I'h-iiHant, .1. II., Jr., on tlie nvHtinf; bablta of llit^ Purple

( . rii rk le 498

Poor- will 153

t'aliforuirt 158

Ibwky 158

Frosted 157

Niitlalla..... 153

Prairie Horned Lark 334

pratieola (Otoeorin til|M->(tris) 334

Preston, J, W.,on tlie deslnirtive Iiabita ot' llie Kino Jay,

in Iowa 356

on the jrenrral liabitrt of tlio American

Cn)w 4{»9

on the Hon^ot'tlie KohIv Itlaekbinl 409

on the nesting liiibitrt of tlie ItnMi/.etl
(irackle, in northern Iowa ami Mitiiie-

HOtA .103

Price, W.W., on the neatHof the Kivoli Hunnnin^binl. . . 190

prini'ipalii* (( 'aniiH'phituH) 42

(CorvuM eorax) 400

pubeacena ( DryobateH) 55

gainlnerii (I>ryidtat4)H) 58

oreo'cuH (Dryobatea) 60

PnrpleCrow Hlaokbird 497

r.raikle 497

-throate«1 Hummiu^bird 198

ptiHilbia (Kiiipidonax ) 305

traillii (Knipldonax) 310

pyginn-na (Knipidonax fnlrifrona) 321

PyriN'ejdialnM rnbinoua niexicanua :t22

tjuim'alnrtniai'rniiritrt 504

nuO<>r 506

quiscula 497

lenous 501

agbi'UH 500

qiiiarnla irneua (Qnlxcalna) 501

agbeua ((juim-alua) 500

(tjiiirteatuN) 407

lialii Crow 10

1 »ove 19

Halpb. Dr. AVilHam h.. on tho itaf;acity of ilia Pileale^l

WiH>d|terker 100

616

ALPUABETICAL INDEX.

Kiil|th. l>r. Winiam I... im llm linhitA nf thn n<Mlhfta<l<<l

\ViHMl[Hw-kor

on tlir t'tHMl III tlifl IVwfi', ill Flfir-

i<I(i

(Ill thf ni-Htlng IiiiltiU nf tlio Flnr-

itlti HIiHitlHy

on (lie tjitiii'lH'Hil of thn Finridii

Hliin.rjiy

nil Ihn rt'iiMiiiiiij; jiowith nf t)ii>

Aiiii'rii-nn Crnw

nil lliit iii'HlliiK IiaIiHh III tint Flnr-

iilii ( ?row

nn tlin iiitMtinu liabitH nf the

ItiiHty Hlaikhlnl

mi till- ItriTiliriK Imliliii nf tlio

FInrlilii Crackle

Kaveii, AnuTiprn

N nrttiorn

Wliili. iii'iki-il

Rpil nnd Wliit*^ t> ImtililiTiil Itlnckliinl

HtilwiiiK. Hiiliaiiian

Sniinridi

Ri'ii iM-lliwl WiMMliHikor

-lin'HRtl'll SAprtUcklT ^

\ViHKl|M-t-k<>r

■riH'kndml WniNlpi'rker

-i'\<'«H'nwhinl

•hi'iidt**! \Vnn«l|MH'k<'r

-naiH'il SiiitHiii-ker

■H!ia('t<'<l KlitkiT

•thnialtil SajiNurker

■wiiip'd Blm'kliinl

Ki'Hllilni

K«tiilp>nt lliiiiiiiiiiigliinl

Uirt^liinl

rlrtmnlrtiinii (('niit4>iuis)

Itit-tinriUoirH IVwi'i'

Kk'himiDd. ('harli'N W.,nii till- iit'Hlhi^haliiUof UicCrnnve-

liillnl Aiii

nil the ni'MInf; )iahit}i nf Kirlli'r'H

Himinilnifbinl

nil 1)ingi>m>ral lialiilHuf tlii> IVrliy

Fl\i'nt«li('i

nil tlio liJiliitH nf (liraiiirH Fl\-

I'atchiT

rldffwnyi (Ornithion tmberlic)

ItulKway's* Flycatcher

ItlitliT « HiimniiiiKliinl

Itiiitii'il K iii^tiHliur

Kinllramln Flycatrlii-r

Jay

Rlvnli Iliimitiini;liir()

Itoail-ruiiiiiT

ItnlilxT, *'aiiip USTi. :i!l4,

Kniiiii. f;<iliteii

rnlniMtiiH (CalliithriiH).

Kni-k Swift

Kotky Mountain Hiiiiiinitigbiril

■Tay

Roiind-lieailoi) WoiHl|M>rker

niliea (OtnroriH nlpcfltriH)

riilHT (SpliyrapiriiH)

riililiii>iirt iiiPxiraiiiiH (I'ynirrplialtin)

Itiiliy tliniati'd IItininiiii(;lijrd

HikMv IlnniiMl l,ark

riillplliMia (Cnlupti-N)

HiifniiH Iliiniiiiiticliird

-biiokeil Iliiiiiiiiin^rbint

-lipfaRti-il Kin;:liH]iPr

nifiiR (SflaHpliiiniH)

KiiHty Hlmkl.inl

<irarklr

Saint Luca^ Flyratrlior

WlMMilMH-klT

Sanatt'

8uiiiu Cnu Jay

11U
273

nni

1(71
408
4U

4IHI
402
45A

4ri:{
4:1:1
121
»'j

02

ni
44;t

107

88
1»4

B2

4J0 ;

420 !
1K8 ,
421*

291 ;

21H I

II '

22:t I

252

2.'i4
;i2,'i
325
22:1
40
251
3H:t
1KH

i:t

i\H

4K2
44:t

iHri

210
WH

07
MA

02

:i22

102

34:t

140

21:1

213

40
213
4K0
4X0
301

(15

Sapanokor, Croat WhUft-bMkwl fto

T-iUle M

Oranua 131

IIimI -brvaHteil 02

Ki'ilnapiHl 8H

Ked- 1 h roatiil ii|3

Bfiiii'alhiK H2

Toxan m

WilliaiiiHnn'N 07

Yfllnwbellii'd K2

ant.irfttinr ((.'nlapt^n ralVr^ 137

SavHUiLi llln<^kl>lnl A

miya (SaynrniM) 270

Saynrnirt niuriiann 2«0

pliirlie 272

aaya 27(1

Say's riHilw 278

m-alnriH Uairdi (Dryobati'i^) fi3

IiiraanntiH (DryobatpHj *15

SiirtHnr-tailcdFlyi-ntclier 2;i3

Tyrant 2:tl

S.-'nliM-opliagnH 1 nnillii no 489

cyiinnn-plialilM 40;i

Scnrclml Hnnied Lark 345

S<:nt t H Orii.lp 471

Scrub. lay ;i7G

ScIuHphnrnH al|i*iji 21(1

llnriHil 2(»9

platyccri'iiH 210

riifim 213

■optcntrionalia (Ccryle niiiurlraiia) 39

Sliuni-(tliiH?k 121

Shiiiywyi' 434

Shnrtlrfrgcd Piwi'i' 2«1

Silierlaii CiiiktMi •* :w

Hii'lirrii tiriKiMur (Apliitlnrnina) .'WO

Sjurra Jay ;i05

HlnnntiiH (Corviw i-nrax) 30fi

Skylark 327

Skunk niackbirtl 420

Suiitb, W.C. on thiMliHtriliiitloii, otr.,nf llio Umiiil tailed

Hiiniiiiiii^bird. 2lo

nn tlii« ili'Mtrufliuii of tlio hi-Ni-rt Ilnnii'd

I.lirk in Cnlnrado 339

nil t)ii> K*'i><'''i<l liiibitH nf tlin LnnKcreatt'il

Jay 3«8

Sinnky.frontcil .lay ;i90

Snaki' killer n

Si'ijali HIM)

Snnnraii I Inrni-il Lark 347

KcilwiiiK 453

HnnnriciiHi.-* ( A|xi-laiiiM plin'iiioi-UM) 453

Soiithi-rii Iluiry AVofMlpi-rkir 51

SpiiniMb WliMi- pour- will 142

Spli\rapifiiH rulit-r 92

tliyroidriiH 07

viirinrt 82

niithaliH K8

Hpuriiif) (Irtrnis) 479

Si| iit>at in^ SapMiirkiT 82

St arl iiic 427

Htflleri (Cyanni-jfla) ;{ii2

anii(M-tt'nH<('yiiniii'ilta) 300

fniiiliilif (CyaniM-iltji) 305

iiiai-rnlopliii (CyaiKH'itta) 307

StclliTR Jay 302

SIt'lbilit t'iillinpi' 210

Stcphi-nM. F..nn tin- liabitHnf tlipCalifnriiian Wo^mIj kir. 115

nil t)ii> ^i-nt^rapliinit ntll;:<- nf llii-fiilit Wnnil-

piikcr 127

nn till* iHrnrri'iiro nf Hit- \Vlilli>-tlirnat*'il

Swill in tticCnlnradc. Ptwrt 18fl

nn tlin linn-iliiic baliiiH nf (;MHta'M IIiin?iiiliiu

l.inl 203

nn tlii> nri'iirn-nrr nf Si nit 'h Orin|i> ill (Jali

fomia 472

aumtauktical inhfa'.

fil7

StophiMn'ii Whip p-MirwIll 161 I

Stmiki'il lliirni'il l.iirk :W4

HlrlgntadMiH'iirlKuliH'iitHii) 344

Slrl|M.il Imik ThreoUK'il Wo«l|HikiT 8" '.

Httirnt'llii iniiKiiii 45f( I

iiM'Vlfiiiin 441

n«ul<'<-tn 4«S

StiimiiH viilgnrtR 427

HiilrlniNtrlA (Crutitplinjia) 0

Siilplnir IhiIIImI Klyinlrlmr SM

SwhIIiiw, Cliininoy 177

lallwUi.viiOiAiT 23.1

Swnmp lllackblnl 440

Hni'i'li. C'liimnry 177

Snirt.niiuk 175

('hiniDrj' 177

CInnil I7J

Ornffon 183

Ittick 186

V»nx'« 183

Willie llimiitiHl 186

IflepliftniiM (riH'iiliirt I'linoniMl 83

'IVxBii llhil nf I'uniiUw 23.1

lliiriii'il Lurk 340

K IiikIIhIut "0

Nlglillmwk 172

Sapullrkrr 11.1

tovnnntH (riionliWIi-H >uMittiM<nii"M) 172

(Mylii7.i'tftfii) 2.M

Tlirt'*' IfM'il WiHMlpi'rkf'r, Ainrrlrilli 77

Thni.h IHiiiklilnl 5811

t ll^ rolilt'llH (SpliympioilN) 97

Tlrkhiril 8

Ti.jiTHn 231

li>ri|iMlla (rcryli'l 40

toriiniilMM (Mi-linieriH'H) 117

Intillii (Kliiplilnimx pimllliit) 310

Tniilln Flycaliliir 310

lriiiilor(.\KHniii«) 4.M1

Triroliireil lllllikliiril 45«

Tnioliilti!* iilfMiiiilrl IIW

i'iiliilirl.1 1»'J

vliiJi^liiKiiliiiii 2IM

Tnitcmi anilil^iniH 12

Coppiry IuIImI 12

'Irimplnl 4IM1

'I'liriH'r, I.. M., nil tlic jfi'lKTill HiiliitH ol' llio Liilinuliir Juy 1112

lynniiiiirt (MllMiliiHt 231

(TynimiiiHl 230

TyruiiiillM ilotiiltiirfliMis 241

liipllinrliiilJcuH riiiii'jiii 243

v«rt ii'til if* 245

villi fiTnim 249

Tyniiil, S<l««iir tuiliil 211

tintpy^liilis (Mi>liint>r|H'H) 127

viirlilM iiiK'liHliH (Spliyriipirum KM

I SpIiynipirllH) H2

villixii (('liit'liini) 183

Viiiix «S«ilt 183

Vi'iiimin lliril 194

IlHwk 185

V«nniliiin Flyi'nloliiT 122

virtliiiliH (Tyninliiin) 245

villiiHiiH iiiiiliiliiiiiii (Drynlmli'H) ."il

( 1 lr\ iilmliH) iS

liiirriitii (DrMihiilrH) 62

liylii.ii'iipn!« ( 1 >r> nlijiti-N) 51

li'iii-iiiiii'liiM 1 1 )r> iitiiiti'M) .50

vinmiiKiiluTii (TriM'liiliM) 201

\'inli't-llirMiili>(1 Iiiimiiiiiij^liinl 201

vill'llH (I'liDl'ipilK) 28(1

vir);liiiitiiiiH i-liii|)iii»ni(<'liiirilhlli>t() 170

(('lionlilli'Kl 181

lii'iiryl (Cli.inli.iliii) 107

TiM-iri-miiHlTyrriiiiiiiA) 240

voollVniH ( AutruHtouiiiB) 140

vm-lfi.niN iimi-nmiyHliix f AntnmUimnB) 161

viilifiirln (SitirniiM) 4ST

Wakiiiip I»

Wi.«l)Tii Oow niwkhlnl Ml

KlynilcliiT M*

KIngblnl Mb

Mnililnwlurk 483

NlKlilliBwk 18T

WlHIll I'l'WlH^ 291

Villow-lmllM FlyniU'hor and

Vi'lliiw lillliil Cmkmi 26

Wtilnlnt! WiHNlp4.ck«r 83

Wlilpi«Kir-wlll 14«

Ihitch 143

Hpuiilnh 142

Strphi'in'ii 161

Whltky.Iiu-k M»

.Inliii 386

Whilr, M. A., im tlio tlniu requln^l li» liiilJ'h llti' I'Kgn of

Ilii.Cowliinl 438

Whlii' luiiki'il Wo<nl|iiiikiT 77

■liillM Logrmk 42

WiiiHliKiikiT 42

-piinil lliniitiiiiiglilnl 227

■limiiM ,liiy 188

WiMMliMH'kor 70

•iipckfMl Unveil 403

■llinmltHl Swill 188

Wliliimnli, (Ittii, on tlir iirnliiiK luiliitH iir t)ii> ViOliiw-blllt'd

( 'm^kiMi 22

■111 lliit liiiliila iir tliK YHIiiwlH'llh'ilSnp.

Hiii'knr 85

on tliii nmlhiK liitbll" nf tim <71illni)i>y

Swift 178

on Hip ui'i'iim'iiri., ni-Hlln}£ liiiliiln. nnil
ntigriitliin nf till* KllliytlmiltltMl iltllri-

niintjliiril. In MiMHitiirl 105

Wllllama, U.S., on llii> lialiilH ol'tlii. rilinlvil WiKidpri knr. 104

WllliiiniMin'N SiipHiirker 97

'.Vlllo' till' WiHp l«:i

Wllili, Bluik «

WoiHli'lmik IliJ, 121

WiMMli'iM-k 42.102

WinMllira 102

wihh11ioiii«i*I (Aplmliicoina) 372

WiHHiliiiniii.H.liiy 372

WiMHl|ie€k«.r, Aliuiknn 'rhl-ee-lot-d 8*t

Alplnn Tlin'i'-loed 80

Aini-rii'iin Tlirt'C tot'il 77

Anlli. 'nm.<iliHHl 74

Arizona 68

lUlnrn 63

Kunili'iMiwknl 77

lliuiili'il 'I'lm'i. loeil 77

lliitihrlilirn 611

BlitHiiini'a 40

Dlnik haikiil 'llini'loiil 74

lllnik linunliil »7

llriiwn »7

Ciilinn Ih'h 53

rnliriimiiiii II'-

rurolina 121

< 'liiiki'ml 121

1)1. wny r>ri

(iiiirilniT'i* 58

llllu 127

(iolilrn-fninli'il 124

I iiitilrn. wiiigiHl 12U

llillry 46

lliirriB'ii B2

Ivory liilliil 42

l.atlilfrliiii'ki-il 6:1

l.i.wl»« 117

l.ittlii liiiinea 6.''

Narrow.rriinli'il 117

Niiilhfru Uairy 50

518

ALPHABKTICAL INDKX.

Pricv.

WiHMliiM'ksr, NntUII'n •»

l>llllll|n'> W

l*llMlt<'<l IW

K«l IwllM 121

|{wl-bnMlMt«Ml W

Kfil f'uckailwl Bl

I(mI lii'wini IW

Kitiiiiil-liewlnl W

HniitliKrii lUlry '•<

Holnt l.uran «

Strl|H'il liiirk TIhwOiimI Ml

WhiiiinK "3

WhIUi'liW'knl n

WhUo'lilMi'il «

Whits IhwIimI W

r kIIuw t'nni tnl IM

Wood Pbww 2M

I'iKwm 1»

wriKbtIi lEinpidiiiiRi) 'W

Wright'a nyiuli'lier 3111

xnnthomplitlnii (Xnithor«phaln«) M

XnnthiM't^lihiUut x»ntlMioe|ibMliiii 44t

XmilhciiirHlutuiiM M»

>Mituiii(l><wlll»na) '■•'•

Xuilui'a llfcard MO

lliinimlnRliird >M

J».v «T»

Xena|ili'iii< »llMil»rvatu« 70

VkIIiiw IwIIIimI riywitchiT '*0

HN|Miit'knr W

bUMOuikuii 10

HaKI'l" *"

■ fnmlwl WiHMlpwker IM

•baiiitu(>r !'■*

heiHlMl lllx'k'ulnl «•

abuflwl Klliker !»

VoiinKOId-nun Bird 17

ZehnUIrd 1*1

Zoiillotlllo 11