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Photograpliic

Sciences
Corporation

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^==^

PLATf XVI

^ry Hi0hi ;'>eciifoiJ for («t,iiti<i fi Uolat-:

0^x^'^<^<, (z^if^y yf{/z4X{>-Aea^'6(^tl- S^a^^/e^.

OUR BIRDS OF PREY,

OK THE

eagj.es, hawks, and owls

OF

CANADA.

By

HEXRV G. VENNOR, F. G. S.

Of l/ic Invlo^'iai! Siin'c-y of Camu/a.

With 30 Photographic Illustrations nv \\m. Not

-MAX.

PUBLISHED BY DAWSON BROTHERS.

1876.

n

195185

To /,

Entered according to Act of Parliament of Canada, in the Year 1S76, by
H. G. Vennor, F.CJ.S.
in the Office of the Minister of Agriculture.

m

1 1

Printed nv D. ISenti.ky .V Co.

LIST OF i'LATES AND TABLE OF CONTENTS.

♦«♦ — - —

jf". "'■ DESCRinKD ON

I — Duck Hawk; Peregrine , jq

II— Pigeon Hawk ; Merlin ,j ,5

in — Gyr-Falcon i- ,,

IV — Gyr-Falcon; Dawson's Falcon 23— 26

V — Sparrow Hawk 2- .^

VI— Goshawk (adult) )

VII— Goshawk (young) ) •' 3'-- 3^

VIII— Cooper's Hawk; Chicken Hawk 37—40

IX— Sharp-shinned Hawk (male and female) 41—44

X— Red-tailed Buzzard ; Hen Hawk '.. 45—51

XI — Red-shouldered Buzzard ]

XII— Winter Falcon )' 53—55

— Swainson's Buzzard ; Canada Buzzard 57 60

XIII — Broad-winged Buzzard gj ^j

XIV — Rough-legged Buzzard |

XV-Black Hawk } ' ' ' ' 63-66

XVI— Marsh Hawk; Harrier (,■,__ -^

XVII— Golden Eagle (35 years old) j. ,_ -„

XVHI— Bald Eagle: White-Headed Eagle Si— 86

XIX— Osprey ; Insh Hawk g, „j

XX— Great Horned Owl ; Cat Owl 94—100

XXI— Screech Owl ; Mottled Owl 101 — 10-

• XXII — Long-Eared Owl jq? m

XXIII— Short- Eared Owl "3- 117

XXIV— Great Gray Owl ; Cinereous Owl iifj_j,2

XXV— Barred Owl (male and female) 123—126

XXVI— Sparrow Owl; Richardson's Owl (male and female) .. .. 127—130

XXVIl — Acadian Owl ; Saw-whet Owl i3i_i,8

XXVIII— Snowy Owl ; White Owl (male) j

XXIX— Snowy Owl ; " "(female)) 139—148

XXX— Hawk Owl ; Day Owl 149—154

NOTK.-On page 2, eleventh line from top, for Mr,/ read /ourl/i-Ms number referring to
the Bird Ouls, embracing the Burrowing and I'igmy Owls, whicli are not represented in Canada.

'wmmm

h IS frequently n matter of surprise, to those little verse.l in ornithoIojicAl science, that
although wc hue alrea.ly several works relating to Ornithology, an.l mo.-e especially to that of
our own .slan.l, yet that others, apparently with a similar ain,. are ahnost continually issuing
from the press 'Why,' say they, ' shoul.l „e have the sa.ne history so often ov.r ? ' Xow
though this shallow mo,le of argument appears sunicieMily plausible to the 'general rea.ler ' the
expenenccl ornithologist at once perceives :h. emptincs, an.l the ahsur.litv of the remark" If
each sHccee,l,ng author ,/,;/ tell the same story, .urdy no one would take the needless trouble of
consultmg h,s works. Hut the fact is, that Nature can never he exhauste.l, and however long and
mnntlc the descriptions of the economy of any bird may be, much yet remains to be .-,d,le I.
* * * * :i: :i: :i; ■:•

" Xo work treating of our Ornithology, hiihert,> published, has been without its due share of
errors an.l .kfccis ; an I, ind.-ed, all that we can ever hope to ach-eve with regard to the habits of
our ealhered t.ibe.s, is to ad.l as much as possible to their biographies."-( Wools' " /iritis/, So„^
/itras. ) '■"

INTRODUCTION

TiiK Natural History of Canada has received a very fair share of
attention from Naturalists Ixtth at home and abroad, hut in no
one department of this fascinatiuL,^ study can th«; i^rountl yet he
said to he well trocklen. In commencing' work in this field some
thirteen years ago, I chose as a special object of investii,fation our
liinls of I*rey, as affording' a field perhaps less trodden than
others.

From the year 1S65 to tht- present, in connection with ex-
plorations undertaken on Ix'half of the Geolo}i;ical Survey of
Canada, I have had unusual facilities for field observation, and
have traversed the greater part of that portion of Ontario which
may be described as lying between the Ottawa River and its
sources, and the St. Lawrence and its (ireat Lakes -a region the
interior of which is but thinly settled and comparatively unknown ;
also, a large part of the country lying to the northward of the
Ottawa River, between the Lake of Two Mountains and Pem-
broke. In these explorations, of course, ornithological studies
were of secondary consideration, the chief object being the un-
ravelling of the geological structure of the region travelletl over.
Nevertheless our eyes were always open, and everything was
carefully noted down : whether this was a clitf of the old Lauren-
tian crystalline limestone — the abode of our celebrated liozoon
Canadaisc ; a hole in the mountain's side made by the irrepressible
mineral hunter ; an Kagle perched on his rocky crag ; or a
painted Butterfly sporting amid the wild-blossoms of the mountain
dell. Thus, along with others, ( )rnithological facts and specimens
rapidly accumulated —many of the first, important; and many of
the last, rare, interesting and beautiful. The Geological gleanings
speedily found their way to the public through the annual Reports
of the Geological Survey, but my treasured Ornithological notes
and specimens were left with me to dispose of as I pleased.
These have been carefully studied, arranged, and supplemented

INTRODUCTION'.

with tlu! observations of other Canadian field workiTs, and are
herewith handed to the puhhc as a sHj^ht contribution to our Orni-
tholo),^)', and in the hope their their pe'rusal will not only be an aid
to our younj,' collectors in the identification of their specimens,
but will he the means of awakening a more lively interest in the
study of our IJirds generally.

Jlhistrations. As a work of this kiml unillustrated would be
but of little service to our students or the public generally, I have,
after much consideration and no littij e.\perimenting, accomplishe-d
this by photograph)'. .Such a method, attempted even a few years
I)ack, could not but have resulted in failure ; l)ut, to-day, to such
perfection has this art been brought, that the pictures produced
by it are not only beautiful, but truthful to the most minute detail.

Mr. Wm. Notman, of Montreal, to whom was first suggested
this method of illustrating the book, most kindly entered heart and
soul into the undertaking, and throughout the whole work has
afforded me every facility in his power, and has spared neither
material nor laljor, in order to render tiie Plates satisfactory and
truthful to nature. I have only to add that his name to these is a
sufficient guarantee of their merit, and that any defect which may
exist is to be ascribed to my selection of the specimens. In this
last 1 have not chosen, in any case, rare, unusual, or particularly
beautiful plumaged individuals to represent the different species,
but rather common or typical forms of these, male and female,
young and adult, or such as the collector and traveller would
most generally meet.

Attitude and Form of the Birds fi(^tired. — These are points
requiring a great deal of attention in the photographing of stuffed
specimens, and respecting which I have already been brought to
task by a few of my naturalist friends to whom some of the I'lates
were shown. My experience, however, among naturalists has
been that no two agree as touching any i)Osition .which maybe
chosen for a bird, and consequently no Plates, no matter how
perfectly executed, could please all. Besides, I have invariably
found that those who find most fault in this respect, are persons
who have been little on the field themselves, or, in other words,

f

iNTRonnrriOM.

vtt

who rather belonj^ to the class known as closd, than jichi natural-
ists ; ilu; latter knowinj^f well that it is really almost impossible to
conceive of a position which is not sometimes assumed !))• the
living bird. Of this fact I have recently been more convinced
than ever from the study of two livint,'' specimens of Owls the

Snowy ( )wl and th(' Short-eared Owl which liave been in my

possession for some months. l''or instance;, taking one out of the
man)- positions indulged in by the first of these birds, what would
my criticising friends have thought and said hail I represented him
as a round ball of white feathers, head hardly perceptible, feet
entiri'ly concealed, ;;nd sfpialting on the ground like a hen covering
her chickens. Yet this is the position in which I alwa\s lind my
Snowy Owl when I unexpectedly enter her abode. When aroused,
however, she draws herself up, her head and feet become visible,
and she presents such a figure as one of those given or. the two
Plates which have been allotted to this species in this work. The
Short-eared Owl has many remarkable attituiU^s, and most of these
differing from any of those in which the bird is figured in ornitho-
logical works. Mis wings are seldom kept close to his boily, but
rather in a drooping position, and either resting on the perch on
which he sits, or, as the case may be, trailing on the ground ; while
his head is generally sunk deeply between his shoulders. In fine,
the attitude of a bird is anything conceivable. The form of the
bird is of far greater importance than its attitude, and in the speci-
mens selected for this work this was carefully perpetuated by
means of girths anel nuinennis measurements made from the bird
ivhile in t/icjies/i, and generally immediately after death.

Of still greater importance, however, than either of the fore-
going points, is the careful selection, already referred to. of proper
or typical forms of plumage, of young, old, male and female birds.
Compared with this the attitude is of but trilling consideration, and
it would have served the purpose of this work equally well had I
simply selected and photographed appropriate unmounted skins.
Indeed, had it been necessary in order to show properly some
specific detail connected with the feet and claws, I should not have
hesitated to hcve mounted the bird accommodatingly holding forth
his foot for the inspection of the enquiring student ; so when the

VIII

INTRODIC'I'IOX.

I

i:xhil)iti()n of tlu; iimlcr sickis of iIk; wintj was desirable, I havL'
not lu'sitatcd to j^ivc tlu: bird the necessary position.

In fine, the main object of tliis work is practical utility not
a mere {'.shiljition of pretty photoj^raphs. In it I have (,'ndeavored
to represent every species of I'alcon, I lawk, Mu/.zard, Harrier,
Majj^le. and ( )wl, which has up to the present time been found in
Canada Consec|uently, shouki collectors still find somethinj^'
different from anythinj^f here fij^uired and described, they may feel
certain that the)' havct c:ither a species new to our faima, or a form
or variety of very uncommon occurrence. In either case the
circumstance would be of j^reat interest to Ornithologists, and 1
take this opportunity of requesting such discoverers to communicate
either with myself or the Natural History .Society of Montreal.

It now only remains for me to sincerely thank all those who
have in any way assisted me, either by the loan of specimens or
by furnishing me with desired information. The names of such
1 have embotlied in the proper places in the body of this w(jrk ;
but special mention may here be made of the following:

To Dr. .Spencer F. liaird and Mr. Robert Ridgway of the
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C, for the proper identi-
fication of the bird in our Museum, heretofore known as Dawson's
I*"alcon, and for facts reflating to other s[)ecies ; to Dr. Bernard J.
(illpin of Halifax, N.S., for M.S. list of the Rapacious Birds of
that Province ; the Rev. Duncan Anderson of Levis, Ouebec, for
the rare specimen of the White Gyr-Falcon ; to the Montreal Nal.
Hist. .Society for specimens placet! at my disposal ; to Dr. John
Bell of Montreal for the beautiful specimen of the Bald Eagle ; to
Wm. Couper, naturalist, of Montreal, for MS.S. notes; to Mr. W.
Bassmore of Montreal, for interesting notes on captive I'lagles ; to
Prof. Ramsay Wright of University College, Toronto, for a com-
plete list of the specimens contained in that Museum ; and lastly,
to Mr. Thos. Mcllwraiih of Hamilton, for the specimen of the
Duck- Hawk, and for many notes illustrative of the habits and
distribution of the birds in that vicinity.

HENRY G. VENNOR.

Montreal, ist June, iS-j6.

ORDER RAPTORES: lukus of i'REY.

Char.— Base of upper mandible with a soft skin or cere. Upper niandil)le
compressed ; its point curving down over that of tlic lower, forming a strong, siiarp
hooit. Toes, four, one behind. Si/c usually large, and frame powerful. Female
bird the larger, e.xcept in tlie Vultures. This order embraces the so-called Uirds
of I'rey.*

These birds may be separated into two sub-orders, namely : —

A. True birds of prey, which catch their victims aHve, and are

cHstinguished by their powerful bill^j, claws, and powers of
flio-ht.

B. Carriun-eaters, feeding on dead animals, havinjr comparatively

weak bills, lony;, straight claws, and heavy llight.

Species are found in all parts of the world. They are anala-
gous to the Rapacia among mammals, and their particular office in
the economy of nature is to keep in check tiie excessive increase
of the smaller kinds of animals. The carrion-eaters are chielly
limited to the warm climates.

The Birds of Prey embrace three great families :

The VuLTUKiD.E, or Vultures.

The F"alconii).k, or Falcons and allies.

The SiKiGiD.K, or Owls.

Of these, the first two are known as the Diurnal, and the last as
the Nocturnal birds of jjrej-.

The VuLTUKiD.K comprise three genera of which only one is
repre.sented in Canada, namely, the genus Cathartcs, to which
belongs the Turkey Buzzard or Turkey \'ulture, C. aura, lllig.
This species is described as inhabiting "all North America, except
th« Arctic regions." It is, however, rarely met with in Canada

Here, and in the following pages of this work, the general, generic, anil specific characters
are from the standard works of Cnssin and Baird, except where otherwise expressly mentioned.

BIRDS OF PRKY.

proper, and only in one or two localities, e.g., the extensive flats
near Chatliam and Lake St. Clair, where, I am informed, it is a
regular summer visitant, feeding upon the carcasses of drowned
cattle. It is not figured or further de.scribed in this work.

The Falconid.k comprise five sub-families and a great number
of genera, which embrace all our Falcons, Hawks, Buzzards,
Harriers, and Eagles.

The SiKiGiixK include all our Owls, which are likewise
arranged in five distinct sub-families, namely. Typical Owls, Horned
Owls, Gray Owls, Bird Owls, and Day Owls. Of these, the first
and third are not represented in Canada. About one hundred and
fifty species are known, forty of which belong to America and ten
to Canada. (Jntil very recently however eleven species v/ere set
down as Canadian ; but one of these, the Kirtland Owl, is now
thought to be merel)' the young form or red stage of the litde
Acadian Owl. perhaps more generally Known as the Scno^o/id Owl.

or the Typical Owls, or SL'i!^iHu\ the Barn Owl is mentioned
by many authors as a species inhabiting the temperate parts of
North America ; but there is no authentic record of its occurrence
in Canada. There are however stories in circulation of such an
occurrence, which, should they prove true, would enable u? to
add this species to our Kst of rare si>-aggicrs. The bird has
been me; with in Newfoundland, and is occasionally captured in
the New England and Middle States. One was taken in the city
of Lancaster, Penn. in a high church steeple, and was at the time
noted as " almost as rare a bird in this latitude as the Golden
Eagle." Another was taken near Springfield, Mass. in May, 1868 ;
and Dr. Wood, of East Windsor Hill, has, or had a specimen in
his cabine": that was shot at Sachem's Head, Conn, during 1865.
In a catalogue of the " Birds of Connecticut" Mr. Liiisiey records
die capture of another Barn Owl at Stratford. Altogether
perhaps, only about five c six birds of this species have been
taken in the whole of the Middle and New England States up to
the present year (1876), and consequently its extension into
Canada must be considered as merely accidental. It is not fig, red
or further described in tlie present work.

Family FALCON I D/E, The Falcons.
Sui!-Family falcon I NyE.
FALCO, LiNN.KUS.

Gen. Char. — General form robust and compact ; bill short, cirvcd strongly from the base
to the point, which is very sharp, and near wliich is a distinct and generally prominmt tooth;
nostrils circular, willi a central tubercle ; winjjs long, pointed, formed for viijorous, rapid, and long-
continued llight ; tail rather loni; and «Uie ; tarsi short, robust, coverei! with circular or hcxajjoral
scales ; middle toe lung ; cla-.vs large, strong, curved, and very sharp.

The species constitl.tint,'' this genus are justly regarded by
Ornitb.ologists as the typical cr most completely organized of
rapacious birds. They are remarkable for exceedingly rapid llight,
and great boldness in the attack and capture of their prey, which
consists of birds and quadrupeds often much larger than themselves.
They are found in most ;)arts of the world : the number of species
being fifteen or twenty. I'our or five occu" in Canada.

Falco Anatum, Honaiarte.

THE DUCK HAWK: PEREGRINE.
PLATE I.

This is tie " Falco Peregrinus " of Wilson, Audubon, and
other writers, and probably the Falco-nigriceps of Cassin. This
beautiful bird is regar.led as the most typical species of the " true
l*"alcons," or noble birds of prey. It is nowhere very abundant,
althougli prett)' generally distributed over the whole of North
America, east of the Rocky Mountains. It has Ijeen observed by
travellers, explorers, and Hudson Bay officers on the coasts of
Hudson Bay and the Arctic Sea ; on the " Barren Grounds"; at
Cape F'arewell, on the coast of Greenland ; on the coasts of
Labrador, Newfoundland, Gulf of St. Lawrence, New Brunswick,
and Nova Scotia; as also along the sea coasts of Maine, New
Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Long Island Sound, New
jersey, and Delaware, along the whole of which sea-board it is
celebrated for the havoc it makes among the wild fowl. It has
also been noted in East Florida, at St. Augustine, and is well

THE DUCK HAWK— PEREGRINE.

I

known to occur in Cuba and other of the West India Islands. It
probably is also more or less frequent all alons^ the eastern coasts
of South America, and Captain KinL,'' states that it is found in the
Straits of Magellan. A few find their way up the St. Lawrence,
and have been observed and killed at Quebec^ Sorel, Montreal,
Toronto, Hamilton, at Baptiste Creek, and at Long Point on
Lake Erie. On this course they appear to continue, by way of
the great lakes and connecting rivers, westward to the slojies of the
Rocky Mountains, which appear to bar or limit their llight in this
direction. They are, however, again met with rather abimdantly
on the Peace and Parsnip Rivers in latitude 55°-56°, where they
revel on their favorite wild fowl prey, which breed there in imusual
numbers. They have also been met with on the McKenzie River,
northward to Slave Lake, where, however, according to Ross, they
are rare. To the westward of the Rock)' Mountains I have not
come upon any authentic record of the occurrence of this species,
but its place is filled by a closely allied one, the Falco-nigriceps, of
Cassin, a bird in every respect similar to the Duck Hawk, e.xcept
in size, and perhaps stronger coloring of the under parts. This
second supposed species was first described i'. 1858 from specimens
received from California and Chili. These were undeniably
smaller than the Duck Hawk of eastern North America, with
the rufous color of the under parts in the young of a stronger
tint ; but other specimens since obtained from farther north fully
equal those from the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, "and
" the slight difference found to really exist between them seem to
" be by no means of specific value.'""'

In Canada proper the Duck Hawk is a rare bird, only being
met with in a few localities and at certain seasons. It appears to
prefer the sea coast, and makes but hasty visits across the interior
lying between the St. Lawrence and Hudson Bay. I did not meet
with it on any of my explorations in eastern Ontario, between the
St. Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers, nor did the inhabitants of this
section seem to be aware of the existence of any such Hawk. A
fine adult male, however, of this species was obtained by Mr.
Marcel at St. Lamberts, near Montreal. It is a rather regular

* J. A. Allen, in HuUetin Mus. Conip. Zool., Harv. Coll., Cambridge, Mass. (Vol. II., p. 317).

THE DUCK HAWK— PEREGRINE.

visitant in the ncii^fhhorhootl of the Bay of Toronto every spring
and fall, and occasionally falls a prey to the j^un of the sportsman ;
but it is said by the hunters to be a bird extremely difficult to
obtain. A few, hovv^ever, have from time to time been killetl, and
these now figure in one or two private collections in Toronto
and Montreal. Mr. W. Passmore, taxidermist to the Montreal
Natural History Society, who formerly resided and collecced
largely at Toronto, informs me that the Duck Hawks arrive with
the first flights of wild fowl every spring and fall in the Bay near
that city ; that here they wage constant warfare upon the ducks
and other water fowl, but are, as a general rule, too wary to allow
themselves to be shot. He describes their flight as being incon-
ceivably swift, and their "stoop" as comparable to the falling of a
lump of lead. They remain on the wing for hours at a time, and
often rise to great heights. Their bodies are wonderfully heavy
for the- size of the bird, and their plumage is of the most compact
description. Some specimens which I obtained from Mr. Passmore
are exceedingly small, being only 13 to 14 inches in length, from
tip of bill to end of tail.

In Hamilton, according to Mcllwraith, they are but rarely met
with ; they, however, are occasionally seen at Baptiste Creek, on
the line of the Great Western R.R., and are often killed by the
gunners at Long Point, on Lake Erie. More are killed, says
Mcllwraith, than perhaps is generally known, and but a few of
these ire utilized. There are some five or six specimens of this
bird in collections in ?Limilton, three of which figure in that of
the gentleman just named. Chatham and the Lake St. Clair flats,
are other likely localities for the occurrence of this species. Whether
the Duck Hawk nests in the central portions of Canada is not yet
known ; but the north shore of Lake Superior would appear to
offer suital)ie sites for this purpose. Richardson says, "It preys
habitually on the Long-tailed Ducks (anas glacialis) which breed
in great numbers in the Arctic regions, arriving in June and depart-
in gin September." At Long Point on Lake Erie, and other
shooting stations, it is observed to prey chiefly on that class of
birds embraced under the general name of " Mud-hen."'"^

• Mcllwraith, Hamilton, Ont.

6 THE DUCK HAWK— PEREGRINE.

A few years since some two or three pairs of Duck Hawks
nested rei^iilarly on Mounts Tom and Talcott, in Massachusetts
and Connecticut, but the poor birds were so continually harassed
by enthusiastic ocilogists and ornitholojrists, that they have been
oblij^ed to seek some more inaccessible position, and now but
rarely breed in these States. ! am inclined to believe that some of
these birds breed every yeai amon<j^ the mountains in the northern
part of the .State of New York, bordering- upon the Canadian
frontier, anil among- the adjacent " Chateauguay Mountains "
in Canada. During the summer of 1870, the eggs of the Duck
Hawk were received by Mr. C. W. Bennett from Vermont, this
being the first known instance of their nesting in that State. The
site chosen by the Duck Dawk for its eyrie is invariably in .some
inaccessible cliff or ledge of rock, in a well-selected cranny of
which the nest is deposited. The eggs, according to Baird, are
three or four in number, and of a chocolate color. It has never
yet been known to nest in trees, although Wilson says " In the
breeding season the Duck Hawk retires to the recesses of tlie
gloom)- cedar swamps, on the tall trees of which it constructs its
nest, and rears its young, secure from all molestation." This
statement is entirely conjectural, and is strangely at variance
with the caution given to naturalists by him on a preceding
jjage, where he says : " Naturalists should be always on their guard
when they find themselves compelled to resort to the observations
of others, and record nothing as fact which has not been submitted
to the temperate deliberations of reason. The reverse of this
procedure has been a princi[)al cause why errors and absurdities
have so frequently deformed the pages of works of science, which,
like a plane mirror, ought to reflect only the genuine images of
nature." Other writers reproduced this error of Wilson's, and as
the European Peregrine was well known to nest on cliffs, it was
for a time conjectured, from this difference in breeding habits, that
the European \Vas a distinct species from the American." There
being, however, really no difference in this respect, and but little

* In 183S, Donapartc, in his " Geogra[)hical and Comparative List," gave to the American
Peregrine or Duck Hawk, the name Fako aiuitiim. Previous to this linie all writers h.id considered
it, and it seems to nie justly, as identical with the luiropean Peregrine, or F. peregrinus, — an
opinion still held by many eminent ornithologists. Until about this date the Peregrine Falcon was

THE DUCK HAWK— PEREGRINE. 7

in any other, between the birds of the two continents, I l)elieve
they are today regarded by our leading ornitholoLjists as specifically
identical. To I'rof. .S. S. Haldenian, is due the credit of having
first matle known, not only the fact of the Duck Hawk breeding
on cliffs, but also of its breeding in the United States. l'erha|)s
the most complete and instructive account yet published respecting
the nesting of the Peregrine Ivilcon is that by Allen, in the
Proceedings of the Plssex Institute, (V^ol. I\'., page 153), wherein
he describes the eyrie on Mount Tom, Mass. In a subsequent
article in the American Naturalist (Vol. III., page 31^) further
notes of interest on the same locality are given, and as I am per-
suaded that these; articles have been read l)ut by few in Canada, I
close my history of the present species with an extract from the
last-named Journal. Allen says, referring to the eyrie on Mount
Tom : -

"These eggs were the first eggs of the Duck Hawk known to naturalists to
have been obtained in the United ^itates, the previous most southern locaHty wlience
they had been taken being Labrador ; but the species had previously been observed
in the breeding season by Dr. S. S. Haldeman os far south as Harper's Ferry,
V'irginia. One or more pairs of these birds have been seen about Mounts Tom
and Holyoke every season since the first discovery of the eggs at the former locality
in 1864. Mr. W. C. Bennett, of Holyoke, their discoverer, has since carefully
watched them, and his frecjuent laborious researches for their nest have been well
rewarded. In icS66, he took a second set of eggs, three in number, from the eyrie
previously occupied. In 1S67, the male bird was killed late in A|)ril, and tiiis
apparently prevented their breeding there that year, as they probably otherwise
would have done. At least no nest was that year discovered. In 186S, hawks of
this species were seen about the mountains, and although they reared their young
there, all eftbrt to discover their nest was ineffectual. The present year (1869),
they commenced to lay in the old nesting place, but as they were robbed when but
one egg had been deposited, they deserted it and chose a site still more inaccessi-
ble. Here, they were equally unfortunate, for during a visit to this mountain, in
company with Mr. Bennett (.-^pril 28th), we had the great pleasure of discovering
their second eyrie, and from which, with considerable difficulty, three freshly-laid
eggs were obtained. Not discouraged by this second misfortune they nested again,
this time depositing their eggs in the old eyrie from which all except the last set of
eggs have been obtained. Again they were unfortunate, Mr. Bennett removing
their second set of eggs, three in number, May 23rd, at which time incubation had

believed to h.ive a nearly cosmopolit.in distribution, but since then the Austr.ili.in and otiier supposed
species have been separated from it on (grounds that it now seems should be reconsidered. (liuUetin
oftheMus. Comp. Zoo., \'o!. II., page 317. Allen.)

M'

8

THE DUCK HAWK— PEREGRINE.

just commenced. Tlie birds remained about tlie mountain all the summer, and
from the anxiety they manifested in August, it appears not improbable that they
laid '. third tune, and at this late jjeriod had unlledged young. I'he first set of eggs
and the female parent, collected April 19th, 1864, are in the Museum of Natural
History at Springfield, as also a male killed subsetjuently at the same locality in
April ; the second set, collected in April, 1866, are in the cabinet of Mr. E. A.
Samuels ; the third and fourth sets, collected April 28th and May 23rd, 1869, are
in that of Dr. William Wood, of East Windsor Hill, Conn. Although in each set
the different eggs sometimes varied considerably from each other, neither of the
three last present that remarkable range of variation exhibited by the first. It is
probable that some years more than one pair have nested on Mount Tom, but only
one nest-site had been discovered before the present year. I learn from Dr. Wood
that this bird is every year seen also about Talcott Mountain, and that it i)robably
regularly breeds there. The young obtained from it in 1862 Dr. Wood kept till
the following fall, when they were sent to Professor Baird, and died at the Smith-
sonian Institution the succeeding spring."

As few ornithologists have had the good fortune to meet with
the eyrie and eggs of the Duck Hawk, and since it is not improb-
able that these birds ma)' )et be found to nest in Canada, I add
some further details of interest respecting the eyrie on Mount
Tom, near Springfield, Massachusetts. The accoimt from which
these are taken is the most complete and interesting ever pub-
lished on this subject, and is the only one in which the eggs of the
bird are described at any length.

" Although the Duck Hawk has been long known to breed at the localities in
Massachusetts mentioned above (Mounts Tom and Holyoke), those conversant
with the fact were not aware that any special interest was attached to it, or that its
eggs and breeding habits weie very little known to ornithologists, and so, until very
recently, no jiarticular efforts have been made to i)rocure the eggs. Mr. 15ennett,
becoming aware of this, resolved to procure the eggs. He accordingly visited
Mount Tom for this pur|)ose, April 6th of the present year (1864), when he searched
the whole ridge of the mountain, discovered the old birds and the particular part
they most frequented, and also the site of the nest, where the young hnd been
raised. The old birds were continually near the spot, and manifested much solici-
tude when it was api)roached, often Hying within six or eight rods, and once the
female came within three, screaming and thrusting out her talons, with an expression
of great rage and fierceness. The birds did not appear at all shy, being easily
approachtd quite nearly, though in walking, the cracking of sticks and the clinking
of splinters of trap-rock made no little noise. One of the birds appeared to keep
close to the eyrie, and both would approach whenever it was visited, screaming at
and menacing the intruder, notwithstanding that at that time there were no eggs.
Mr. Bennett, suspecting that incubation had commenced, visited the locality agaia

THE DUCK HAWK— PEREGRINE.

9

on the 9tl), but only saw tlie old nest, the birds behaving as before. Ten days
later he made another visit, and, creeijing rarefiiUy to the summit of the rliff, at a
point near the eyry already spoken of, he saw the female, on looking over the cliff,
sitting on the nest, and but five or six yards distant. She eyed him fiercely for an
instant, and then, scrambling from the nest to the edge of the narrow shelf sui)port-
ing it, launched int) tiie air. In a twinkling .Mr. Hennett's unerring aim sent her
tumbling dead at the foot of the precipice several hundred feet below. The nest
contained four eggs, which were soon safely secured, and the body of the female
was obtained from the foot of the cliff. The male soon coming about was shot at,
but he was too shy to come within range, excepting once when the gun was being
reloaded. The eggs were all laid after April 9th, and their contents showed, April
19th, that they had been incubated but a day or two. Incubation seems, in this
case, to have conmienced several weeks later than usual, whicii may have been
owing to the late snows and unusual coldness of the weather this year during the
first half of .April. The situation of the eyry was near the liighest part of the
mountain, about one-third of the length of the mountain from its south end, on a
narrow shelf in the rock, eight or ten feet fioni the top of a nearly jjcrpendicular
cliflf, 150 or 200 feet in height, and was inaccessible excej)t to a bold climber, and
at one particular point. The nest was merely a slight excavation, sutficient to
contain the eggs ; no accessory material had been added. The site had been
previously occupied, and probably for several years ; and for weeks before the
eggs were laid was carefully guarded by the bold and watchful birds." Coues says,
" These four eggs averaged 2.22 long by 1.6.S broad, with 2,32 by 1.7 1, and 2.16 by
1/3 as maxima and minima, respectively. Tiie smallest was larger than the one
measured by Dr. Brewer (2.00 by 1.56), which he obtained in Labrador. They
also varied considerably in contour, and in heaviness and extent of coloration they
showed a series from the darkest and most nearly uniform to the lightest and most
sparsely marked, in which latter the contrast between the white ground and the
blotches was striking."

Description of the darkest E^^. "The general color is chocolate brown, darker
and more dense and uniform about the ends, the part about the middle being
lighter, varied with small irregular blotches and specks of a darker tint than the
ground color. The color of the smaller end is a nearly uniform dull red-ochre.
There is also an irregular belt of scattered and apparently very superficial blotches
of very dark brown or nearly black."

Description of lightest Egg. " The greater end of the egg, which in the egg of
most birds is the end most subject to markings and to the greatest dei)th of color,
is white, sprinkled sparingly with reddish specks ; while the smaller end is deep
bright brick-red, here and there relieved by small specks and patches of white
ground-color. About the middle of the egg the colors are in more equal projjor-
tions, the white patches becoming larger on the smaller end toward the middle, and
the red patches on the larger end increase toward the same point, where the colors

U

■ii^V

10

THE DUCK HAWK— PERKGRINE.

it

meet and become mixed in irregular patches of various sizes, from mere dots to
blotclics."

Si'. Char. ~//i/«// -Frontal Imnd white. iMilirc upper parts Wiiish cintTcouN, with trans-
verse hands of hrownish black, li(,'htcr on thi- rump. Upper i)arts yellowisl. while, with tonhite
and circular spots of l>lacl< on the lircast and alidomcn, and /ia>isTii:w liands of lilack on the sides,
under tail coverts, and tihi.e ; ipiills and tail hrownish lilack, the latter with transverse hars of pale
cinereous, Cheeks with a patch of black ; hill lij^ht blue ; k't^s and toes yellow. Iris yellow.
Sexes alike.

YoHiixfi: — Kntire nppcr parts brownishdilack, frontal spot obscure, large space on the
cheeks black. Under parts dull yellowish-white, darker than in adult, and with loiii>i,'ii,/i>ial
stripes of brownishd)l.ack ; tarsi and toes bluish lead-color. Iris yellow. Total lcnf;th, iS to 20 ;
winj;, 14 to 15 ; tail, 7 to 8 in.

K

Falco Columbarius, Linnk.

THE PIGEON HAWK; MEKUN; "LITTLE CORPORAL."
I'l.ATi': II.

''"his beautiful lilllc l'"alcun is thai described jj)- Wilson and
subso(iuent American writers general!)-, as the Falco Columbarius ;
b)- Swainson as the Falco acsalon ; and b)- .Auihibon, Falco tcutcr-
arins, or " Little Corporal." It inhabits not only th(; whole of
the Canadas, but likewise the; fur countries to a very hij^h lalituile,
the States on the Atlantic, and the entire coast of the possessions
of the Unite'd States on the Pacific Ocean. Conseiiuently the
species may correctly be said to be distributed over the whole of
North America, exceptinjj^ the extreme Arctic regions. We have
met with it on every expedition, and in (;very locality visiti:d
between I'ort William on Lake Sujjerior, and the (lulf of the .St.
Lawrence ; and between this river and its ( ireat Lakes, antl the
height of land to the northward. Hut although ever)where met
with it nowhere can l)e .said to be numerous, and no ijreat numl)er
of specimens have yet been obtained during' any one summer. The
numbers, however, vary considerably in dilkrcnt years ; a fact
which is also true of most of the other species of the I'alconidie.
The Pijj^con Hawk is subject to ^reat variations in plumaj^e, and
therefore it is not suqjrisinm' to find it described under a variety
of names in ornithological .vorks. .Specimens in our collections of
immature individuals show almost unaccountable diversities, not
only in the style of colorinjj;-, but likewise in dimensions ; some of
these bearinsj^ a strikin^j;' resemblance to the Accipilcr fuscus, Hon.,
or Sharp-shinned Hawk. Accordinj^ to Cassin, however, there
are three well defined sta<^es. Of these the adult is easily distin-
guished and is very nearly as figured by Audubon under the name
Falco tcmerarius, but of the other two plumages it is difficult at
present to determine which is the more mature. These three
stages are easily discernible in our collection of Pigeon Hawks.
That of the adult, however, is the least frequently occurring form,
and may be given as one bird in twent)'. What I consitler to be
the second stage, or that intermediate between the bird of the first

12

THK I'IGKON HAWK— MKR LIN— "LITTLK CORPORAL."

year and the adult, is that in which thr. entire niiper phiinai^e is
either of a lij^dit ashy or dusk)' i)r()\vn ; entire iintk r parts chill
white witii lonj^itiKhnal stripes of h'j^jht brown ; tail lij^ht brown,
with about six whitt; bands. The third or youp^est sta^^e, or first
year bird, has the u|)per pluniaj^e of a much darker shade of brown,
ap|)roachiiij.^ to black ; tail still darker, and with four bands of
ilusk)' white. The cere and fe(!t vary in all these stages from a
docideil yellow to a dull qreenish yc'llow. Besides these: there are
a few other forms intermediate to the adnll, youui:;er -aw(\ young
Staines, which I cannot at present occupy s[)ace in ilescribinj.,r. In
former years, when Canada was more tlie great breeding resort of
our Wild I'ige'on [lutopistcs niigratoria, Swain), than it is at
pres(Mit, tlu! I'igeon llawk was much more abundant, it tlu-n
arrivi;d with tin; armies of these birtls in early s[)ring, and was by
far th(! most common species of hawk to be met with \\\ the
countr}-. 'then countless numbers were observed in a single day's
excursion, while of late' years hardly one dozen specimens have
been obtained during a summer's ramble.

The I'igeon Hawk, though of small size, is a fierce antl most
courageous bird, and does not hesitate to attack birds of much
larger size than itself. It preys not only upon pigeons, but also
upon black birds, rice birds, squirrels, mice and beetles. On one
occasion in Madoc, Ontario, I observed a female hawk of this
s|)ecies making desperate attempts to obtain the young of the
Ruffed Grouse, which the parent biril, however, most ably de-
fended. The Golden- winged Wood-peckers {Colaptcs Aiirattis,
Swain), and particularly the young of this species, are also a
favorite prey of this hawk. Reeks, in his notes on the birds of
Newfoundland, says, " Its food consists chiefly of small birds,
esi)ecially some of the smaller species of Tringi7i\ which abound
on the coast in the fall of the year." It is a summer migrant to
Newfoundland, and is said to be " tolerably common. " The
Pigeon Hawk undoubtedly breeds in many parts of Canada, but
its nidification has not been recorded from actual observation by
many of our collectors, although the eggs of the bird occur in a
number of collections. I am of the opinion that in choosing its

'IIIK I'KIKON HAWK -MKRI.IN -" I.rtTI.K CORPHRAIV'

13

nestinij site it olwcrves somcwiiat of the cunning' of iIk- I'crc^frine
I'';ilcon or Duck Hawk, and selects some Hecludeil and almost
inaccessil)l(! position. Accordinjjj to llutchins, as jfivcn in the
I-'aima Moreali-Americana, it mak('S a nest on rocks and in hollow
trees, ol sticks anil _L,nass, linctl with feathers. A n<;st found in
Labrador 1j\' Audul)on was in a low lir-tree, ten or twelvt; feet
from the jjjround, built of slicks, and lineil with moss and ft^athers.
In northern New Hnj^land. accordinj^^ to Hoardmaii, it nests in
hollow tn^es. Coues, in his " Birds of the NorihAVest," gives "an
un(iuestionable description, derived from examination of specimens
in the .Smithsonian." He says, "The size varies from 1.50 by
1.30 to i.So by 1.30 — fij^ures also indicatin^j the range of variation
in shape, some being subsplu'rical, others elongate-oval. Colora-
tion ranges from a nearl)' uniform deep rich brown (chestnut or
burnt sienna) to whitish or \vhit(; only, marked with a few indis-
tinct dots of dull grayish or drab. Such extremes are cor.nected
by every degree, a yellowish-brown ground color, irregularly
splashed with rich rudd)- brown is th(; usual style. The markings
may be very evenly distributed, or mostly gathered in a wreath
around one or the other end, or even both ends." Whethe-r our
Pigeon I lawk, l'\xlco Colnnt/mriits, is the same bird as the Euro-
pean Merlin, luilco (csaloii, is still an open (pu.-stion with many of
our ornithologists. Swainson, in the I'"auna Bon.'ali- Americana,
antl in a note under Richartlson's description of the Jutico <i\\alon,
says, " The specimen killed at Carlton Mouse is, beyond doubt,
an old female Merlin, just beginning to have its new feathers,
several of which, darker and more cinereous, are to be seen on
the sides near the hind part of the neck." He here undoul)t(.-illy
is drawing from his experience of the British Merlin ; and the
question naturally arises, may not this bird, as well as the /ui/co
Columlktriiis, inhabit Northern America ? or are we to consider
these two species as representing distinct geographical races of
but one species ? On this interesting (juestion. Reeks, in his list
of Newfoundland birds, throws some valuable light. He says,
."Since my return (to l^ngland) I have compared specimens of
this species (F. columbarius) with others of F. asalon ("Merlin),
and, although I cannot find any material or reliable difference in

u

niK I'KIEON HAWK -MKRMN -"LIl I I,K CURl'ORAL."

Hi

f

li

siw, the si)t!clt;s are easily separated hy exaiuinlni,' the tails. Hoth
sexes in /'". colninhariii^ have four di$liiut hiack h.irs -liiree i;x-
posed and one concealed by the upper tail-coverts. In /•'. tcsixlon
the feniali; only has the taildiars distinct, and they are six in
niiinlxr live exposed and out; conceahd. 1 hi- iiai . on the tail
of ihc adiill male /'". wsaloii, althoiij^h si.v in ninnhcr, arc only
partially delined, ami consr(iiicnll) vi-ry indistinct. The hill of
/''. icsaton is sli^^htl)' more compressed laterally hut not so much
s( horizontally as that of /''. io/iini/xtriiis. Tiic tibia- in my adult
n.nle specimens of the American bird (/''. columhariiis) are darker
ferruginous, with narrower lon).,dtuilinal lines than in ni)- l'",n,i;lish
.specimens of /'". <t\ux/on ; lail this distinction ma\- not be constant.
I hatl almost forj^otlen to state that the iiuK.r webs of the tail-
featluM-s of /•'. ioltiiiilhirins are whiti', except where crossed by the
black bars in this rispect differiuj.,^ fnjm /•'. u'salon, which has
.scarcely any variation in i-ither web. both beinj^ bluish ash." Attain,
in Cones' " Birds of the North-West," we fmd a distinct place
assij^ned to the Merlin, under the headin<4" luilco Richanisonii
( Ridi^cway), Ami:kI(A.\ Mkki.in. To this bird he further j^ives a
defmed habitat, namely, " Interior of North America, I'. .Siates,
from the Mississippi to the' Rocky Mountains, Arctic America."
Previous to the pui)licalion of the work just citeil from, and in
lcS66, the same writer stated as follows : "In the immense series
of Pim'on I lawks which I have examined from all parts of the
West, I fmd a few specimens which constantly differ to a marked
deijret; from any of the dive-rse pluma_sj^es in which F. colu))ibarins
presents itself These specimens are invariably much lar^'T than
any others in the series ; are much lighter colored, and differ con-
stantl) in the increased number of liy^ht and dark bars on the tail.
Compared with a luiropean specimen of F. (csalon, they a}.jree in
every particular. I think it most probable that future careful
research will demonstrate the existence of a species hitherto
usually confounded with F. coliuiidarius." We have found the
same resemblances and diversities in our collections of Canadian
specimens, but among these there are one or two which correspond
closely to that described as F. ccsalon in the Fauna Horeali-Anieri-
cana. Ridge way, moreover, has detected some further differences

THK IMC.KON HAWK— MKRI.rV -" MTII.K CORI'ORAI,."

15

•

I lH:li«'V<! lurtwi-cn (HIV /•'. trsti/on and tlic I'liropt an l)ir(', and is
inclinrd to consider thcni as l>i'lonj,'inj^f to diHtTcnt j,'foloj,ncal races.
I'loin the examination ol a ;,freat nunihir of specimens of the liird
commonly ticketed in our pehlic and private; collections, " l'ij;con
I lawks," however, I cannot l)rinj,f myself to conclude otherwise than
that we have hut one species, var)in_i(, indeed, greatly in the
colorinj;' anil often in vlimensions, hut not more so than is m<t
with in the imliviihials of die Kouj^dide^'^M'd ami Ked-tailed Hawks
(^'/. iagopus and />'. /><>n<i//s), and many others. I cannot speak
from experience of the /''. u'sa/oii of I'.urope, havini,^ .s(.':mi only a
few indilferently preservtul specimens of this bird, hut I ma\- state
that I attach considerable importance to the statements made hy
Recks, and alreaily j^dven in this article, respecting the il'fferences
between it and the /■'. coiumlnxrius.

l)r. Richardson's luxho (csaioii was an old female, shot at the
Carlton 1 louse on the Saskatchewan, Ma)' 14th, 1 S27, wliiK; ll) ing
with her mate: " In the oviduct there were several full-sizetl white
cgjfs, cloudeil at oni; end with a few bronze-coloreil spots." Rich-
ardson further adds, "Another s|)ecimcn, //'(^Ar/^/)' also a fi'mah,',
was killed at the Sault .St. Marie, betw(.;en Lakes Huron and
Sui)i'rior, but it could not be pn-served." .Since thi' dates of these
occurrences of the F. <csalon I doubt if altoj^i'ther six oth(,'r spiici-
mens, answering to Richardson's plate and description, have been
obtained in Canada ; consec[uently if the species is to be considered
as valid, it must be an exceedingly rare one. With the view, how-
ever, of presenting this whole (piestion fairl)' to our naturalists in
the Dominion of Canada, for whom this monograph is especially
intended,-- I append descriptions of both birds, namely, the Pigeon
Hawk {Falco columbanus, Linne), and the American Merlin [Falco
Richardson a, Ridg.), of w^hich last additional specimens are a
special desideratum. The first of these is by Cassin, and the latter
by Ridgeway.

Pigeon Hawk, Fako Columharius, Linn^.

AiliiU M(i!<: Kntire upper parts liluish slato color, every feather with a Mack lon(;itu<linal
line ; forehead and throat white, other under parts pale yellowish or reddish white ; every feather
with a longitudinal line of brownish black ; libiiv light ferruginous, with lines of black, (juills

•\l

IG

THE PIGEON HAWK— MERLIN— " LITTLE CORPORAL.'

black, tipped with ashy wliite ; tail light bluish ashy, tippeil with white and with a wide sublerminal
l)and (i( black, ami with several other transverse narrower bands of black ; inner webs nearly
white ; cere and legs yellow ; bill blue ; iris dark-brown.

Kv/wi.r/-. Krtire upper plumage dusky-brown, quite light in some specimens, and with a
tinge of ashy ; he.ad above, with narrower stripes of dark brown and ferruginous, am' in some
specimens many irre|;ular spots and edgings of the latter color on the other up|)er parts. Forehead
and entire under paits dull white, the latter with longitudinal stripes of light brown ; sides and
flanks light brown, with pairs of circular spots of w hite ; tibi;c dull white, with dashes of brown ;
tail [i.ale brown, with about six trarsve.se bands of white. Cere and legs greenish yellow.

Yount;. iJpper jilumage brownish black, white of the forehead .and undei parts more deeply
tinged with reddish yellow ; dark stri|)es wider than in preceding ; sides and flanks with wide
transverse bauds of brownish black ; and with circular spots of yellowish white. t^uiUs black ;
tail browlli^h l)lack, tipped with white, and with about four bands of white ; cere and feet greenish
yellow.

Total length— Female : 12 to 14 inches ; wing, 8 to 9 inches ; tail, 5 to 5;^ inches.
" — Male : 10 to 11 inches ; wing, 7/^ to 8 inches ; tail, 5 inches.

Iris in all stages dark-brown, nner yellcni.'. — II. G. V.

♦I

American Meri.i.n. Faho Ric/ianisonii, Ridgew.

Ai/iilf Mill,: Upper plumage dull ear'h brown, eacu feather grayish-umber centrally, and
with a conspicuous black shaft line. Ile.id above, approaching ashy-white anteriorly, the black
shaft -streaks being very conspicuous. Second.-vries, primary coverts, and pri.naries, margined ter-
minally with dull white ; the primary-coverts with f 'o transverse series of pale ochraceous spots ;
primaries, with spots of the same, corresponding with those of the inner webs. Upper tail coverts
tipped an 1 spotte 1 banealh the surface with white. Tail, clear dr.ab, much lighter than the
primirles, bit growing darker terminally, having b.asilly a slightly ashy cast, crossed with six
sharply defnied, perfectly defined, perfectly continuous binds (the last terminal) of ashy white.
Head frontally, laterally and beneath — a collar roui 1 the najje (interrupting the brown .tl)Ove), —
and entire lower i)arts white, somewhat ochraceous, this most ])ercei)tible on the tibi;e ; cheeks and
ear-coverts wiih sparse, fine, hair-like streaks of black , nuchal collar, jiigulum, breast, abdomen,
sides and flanks, with a median linear stripe of clear cchre-brown on each feather ; these stripes
bro.adest on the flanks ; each stripe with a conspicuous black shaltslre.ak ; tibi.e and lower tail-
coverts with fnie shaft-streaks of brown, like the broader stripes of the other portions. Chin and
throat, only, immaculate. Lining of the wings s|)otted with ocliraceous-while and brown, in about
e(|ual amount, the former in spots approaching the shaft. Inner webs of primaries with transverse
broad bars of pale ochraceous — eight on the longest.

Wing, 7 70 ; tail, 5.00; tarsus, 1.30 ; middle toe, 1.25.

Adult /;7«r7/t'— I )ifrering in coloration from the male only in the points of detail. '

Young Afale — Differing from the ad.ult onlv in degree. Tail-bands broader than in the adult
and more reddish ; the terminal one twice as broad as the rest, and .almost cream color. Wing,
7.00 ; tail, 4.60.

m

Falco Sacer, I-'okstkr.

FALCO CANDICANS, Gmf.un.

GYR FALCON; "SPECKLED PARTRIDGE HAWK."
ri-ATK III.

Throu>,fh the very great kindness of the Rev. Duncan Ander-
son of Spruce Cliff, Levis, Quebec, I am enal)led lierewith to
present an accurate photograph of the rarest of all "Our Birds
of Prey," the Gyr-1'alcon of northern North America ; or the
" Sjjcckled Hawk " of the Hudson's Hay Territories. This speci-
men was shot upon a flagstaff at the " Bay of Seven islands,"
about 350 miles below Quebec, tluring tlie month of May 1865.
It was skinned by a squaw and sent to Dr. Rus.sell of Quebec,
who subseeiuently presented it to Mr. Anderson, in whose collec-
tion it yet remains. The skin as an ornithological specimen was
in a miserable condition. No antiseptic whatever had been used,
while the skull bones had been completely removed, and in fact
every l)one that should have been left in. The bird had conse-
quentl)' to be set up entirely by eye-measurement, and the total
length gi^•en in the appended description of it may not therefore
be exactl)' correct. The sex and the color of the eyes could not
be ascertained. Mr. Anderson says, " No other bird of this
species has been seen in the neighborhood of Quebec, nor am 1
aware that it is represented in any of our museums or private
collections." Two specimens, however, in the dark stage — a
young male and an old female - corresponding to Audubon's /'".
/ndriUt'ora were taken near Montreal, and are now in the Museum
of Nat. Hist, in this city. Mr. Anderson further writes me, "The
individual who shot my specimen, a keen observant hunter, who
has resided for upwards of fort)- years on the north shore of the
St. Lawrence, states that he has never .seen during that time but
one other bird of the same kind. As to my own experience, I
have to acknowledge that many weeks of patient wandering
among the rocks of the North Shore liave failed to procure me
even a passing glimpse of this " ;7?;v? azw."

Mi
\\\
li

li

18

GYR FALCON— "SPECKLED PARTRirXJE HAWK."

The Gyr-r^alcon does not appear to have been m(;t with in
any of its varieties by Wilson* as it is ii»>t eninnerated amonj^^st
the birds of the I'niteil States either by him or lionaparte. It
is a strictly boreal species, beini^ found northward to the Arctic
Sea, and probably, accordinjr to Richardson. " in the most north-
ern of th(! ("leorj^ian Islands." It is well known to frequent
Icelanil ; and .Sabine met with it on the west coast of (ireenland,
as hio-h as latitutle 74 . Richardson states that it is common on
the " Barren (irounds," where it preys on the Ptarmij.(an, also
Plover, Ducks, and Geese, and that it sometimes in winter follows
the southward Hi,n"ht of these. The southern limit of its ranije,
however, is by no means clearly known. Mr. Anderson's speci-
men here hjjj'ured, the two in the Montreal Mu:,eum, and the other
seen by the hunter who shot the first mentioned, are the only
known occurrences of this rare bird in Canada. It has been
occasionally met with in the New H upland .States, antl Coues
.states that it is a " rare winter visitant, and only accidental as far
south as Massachu.setts." It has also been observed in Maine.
One specimen of the speckled plumage was taken near Providence
Rhode Island, b)- Mr. Xewton Dextt-r, during' the winter of 1864
and 1865 ; but Allen, who records this, adds, " Its occurrence so
far south appears to be wholly accidental."

i

I

According- to some of our best ornitholofj^ists there are two
species of the Gyr- Falcon : the Fcxlco candicans, and the Falco
Islandicus. Others again unite these two under the Falco
Saccr, of borster. In a paper entitled " Notes on somt; of the
rarer Birds of Massachusetts," Mr. J. A. Allen says, " The sus-
picion many authors have had that the Falco candicans ami /''.
Islandicus were but birds of the same species in different stages
of plumage, my own exc mination of the specimens of both in the
Museum of the Bo;;toii Soc. of Nat. Hist, and elsewhere, has led
me to believe is actually the fact. Sabine, so long ago as 1819,
I diink has fully shown this in his remarks on F. Islandicus in his
' Memoire on the Birds of Greenland.' According to the late
lamented Mr. Cassin, Sacer is the specific name which has priority
for this species." The F. Labnidora of Audubon is simply the

i n

C.VR FA7,C0N— "SPKCKLKD CARTRIDGE HAWK."

13

dark variety, or sta^re of plumage of this bird to which I also
refer that on the succeeding plate. Coues, in his " Catalogue of
the Birds of North America contained in the Museum of the
Essex Institute," says, " The (iyr-l'"alcon which visits New Eng-
land is variously given as ' Islandicus,' or ' canilicans.' ! do not
know which is reall\- the pro|;c;r name, nor whethi;r more than one
species be found. 1 believe it is still an open cpiestion among
ornithologists whether .these two names do not ref(;r to the same
species ; or, in other words, whether there is really more than a
single s|)ecies of (i\r-h"alcon. Mr. John Cassin in his reply to
some enquiries of mine upon this subject kindly furnishes me with
the following: 'I regard the speeies of Hierofalco of North
America as the l\ candicans of authors {e.j^., Hon. Consp. Av. etc.)
[\ cincereus, (imelin ; I\ (iroenlantlicus, Daudin ; F. Labradora,
.\ud. (name on plate) ; ]\ .Sacer, I'orster ; which last is the name
which has priority.' "

Mr. Anderson, of Levis. Quebec, writes to me undc^r date of
15th March, 1876, as follows: "Taking Prof. Newton's plan, I
feel satisfied, at least if the Prof is correct, that my bird is the
Falco candicans. I suspected this before, but lacked sufficient
data to work upon. " This plan of Newton's here referred to is
contained in a letter addressed to li. Coues, Esq., M.l)., by Alfred
Newton, Prof of Geology in the University of Cambridge, Eng.,"
in which, after stating that Cassin's notice of the Ciyr-Falcon in
his " Birtls of North America" is all wrong, he writes as follows :

" The first thing to be fully iiii[)ressed with is that these large Falcons have
exactly the same changes of plumage as I'ako I'cregrinus or F. Anatuni (supposing
they are distinct), i.c , the young in their first plumage are marked longitudinally,
and this plumage they kejp until their jY(W/r/ autumn, when the fully adult plumage
is assumed. In saying this I, do not mean to declare that the moult is a matter of
a very short time ; on the contrary, I have reason to believe that in most examples
it lasts for some months ; but by the end of their second autumn they are in full
adult plumage. All that has been said about these birds growing whiter and whiter
as tliey grow older is founded on mere speculation and fancy. The main differences
between immature and adult plumage are that the browns become grays and the
longitudinal markings transverse. None of ;iie European dealers understand this ;

I'ublislicd in I'roc. A. N. S., Phila., 1S71. I'ait II., p. 94.

nil
r

I!

20

GYR FALCON— 'SPECKLED PARTRIDGK HAWK."

and if you have skins from Paris, you will find, I am sure, young wliite birds marked
" /res a(/i///e,'' and old blue birds ^' /twit:'' It is tlie same with specimens from
Copenhagen and elsewhere. Now it being understood that, as I have said above,
the age of the bird may be detected from the color and, still better, from the
directions of the markings, it will then be evident that in a large series you have
what at first sight appears to be almost every step from the nearly pure white
phase — which some consider, though I do not, to be the J'", arcticus of Molbeill — to
the dark colored F. labradora of Audubon, and it is not easy to see how tliey can
be distinguished. Easy it is, however. Sort out all the specimens with white bil's
and claws (wiiite often flesii color), and then you will have /] candkans. 'I'hen
turn all the other specimens on their bellies, and lay in one hea[) those that have
the tops of their heads not darker than their backs, and on another those that have
the tops of their heads not lit^/i/cr than their backs. 'I'he first of these heajjs will
be F. islandicus, and the second F. {j)r-falco. You will perhai)s have some five
per cent, that this will not reach, and this remainder will require further comparison ;
but I am much mistaken if the ' moustache ' will not unable you to distribute the
balance. . . . The adults will be from the countries where each one breeds,
and the young from those to which they wander (generally in the autumn or
winter)."

Reeks in his notes " On the Birds of Newfoundland," says,
"This is the ' White Hawk' of the Newfoundland settlers. It is
pretty regular in its periodical migrations, especially in the fall of
the year. I was not successful in obtaining specimens ; I do not
think it breeds in any part of Newfoundland."'

Mr. Wm. Couper, naturalist, of Montreal, informs me he
obtained one specimen of this bird shot at St. I'oy in i860. It
was in its first year's plumage. This specimen is now in the
collection of the Smithsonian Institute at Washington, D.C. Mr.
Coupe ^ays he is convinced that Islandicus is the adult bird.

The following is a description sent me by Mr. Anderson of
the bird figured on the accompanying plate:

Adult. The ground color white ; head and upper part
of neck creamy white, gradually blending into pure white ; on
lower part of neck behind, narrow longitudinal pencillings of
brown ; along the back feathers and over the wings, elongated
spots of bro;\m, changing into a broader and saggital form towards
the extremities of the primary feathers of the wings, and on the

■n

wmmm^

GYR FALCON-" SI'KCKI.KI) PARTRIDCK HAWK.

21

rump, becomiiijr narrower and more elongated. The extremities
of the primar)- quill feathers brown, relieved by a narrow terminal
border of white on each ; the shafts of nearly all the feathers
havin<,r brown markings of the same color as the other markings ;
under parts entirely white, with a few elongated and very narrow
pencillings along the breast and sides of the abdomen; the leg
leathers pure white ; tail rounded ; five feathers on each side pure
white, the shafts of the two middle ones brown throughout to
within about one inch of the extremities, bcyonil which they are
white ; bill light bluish, slightl)' darker towards the tip of the
upper mandible; claws, bluish white. Total length, about 22
mches; wing, 15 inches; tail. 9 inches.

I

^%

f

4

»i

'*!

Falco Sacer, I-Ostkk. '
FALCO LAHkAIX)RA, Auu. (Dark Shv^r.)
THE GYB FAIiCON ; DAWSON'S FALCON.
PLATE IV.

I would draw special atteiuioii to the i)ird fii^ured on this
plate. It lias never before ap[)eared in any ornithological work,
anil indeed is unknown to most naturalists, There are but two
specimens of it preserved in Canada, and jjossibly in the whole
of North America. The following is their history ; About
twenty years ago. there was brought into one of our markets
in Montreal a singular and unusually large 1 lawk or Falcon. This
fortunately was purchased, and eventually found its way into our
Museum of Natural 1 listor)-. l-'or some time this stuffed specimen
attracted a great deal of attention among our naturalists and local
ornithologists, rone of whom remembered having ever seen one
altogether like it. After receiving the usual amount of handling,
however, the interest caused by its first appearance subsided, and
the bird was carefully ticketed and placed in the usual receptacle
for stuffed birds, an upright glass case. Here it remained for
about five years, attracting but little attention. In the autumn of
1861, however, a relative of Mr. W'm. Hunter's, the ta.xidermist of
the .Society, had the good fortune to shoot at Lachine (near
Montreal), a second specimen of this species, which happenetl to
be a young male. This was skinned, preserved and beautifully
mounted by Mr. Hunter, and presented by him to the Nat. Hist.
.Society of Montreal. The second occurrence of this rare bird
again aroused the attention of our naturalists, and among others
that of the late Dr. Archiljald Hall, who for some time had
been engaged on a list of the Mammals and Birds of the
District. After due e.xamination Dr. Hall conchklcd it to be a
new species, described and added it to his list under the name
of Falco Daivsoni (new species Hall ! ) — " after the esteemed Prin-
cipal of McGill College." In his description of it. Hall says, "It

X

'■- -^ ■- .^-^..«-^

24

THl-; (;\R FALCON— DAWSON'S FALCON.

hears some rescinhlaiicc: lo I'rol". Cassia's I [cirofalco stxccr, especially
his ilescription of the younj^f bird, l)iit dilTers from it in haviiij;' the
claws black ; and the under part of the claws are not jj^reenish-
yellow, but of the same hue as the tarsus ; and the jjjeneral tint of
the ilark parts of the plumajrc is not brown, but cmi^hatically slate
color. It also somewhat rescMiibles the description j^nven by the
same i^entleman of the /'". atriaipillns or pliiiiidarius, but differs in
having' greenish-blue tarsi, anil a bluish cere, with black irides."
iM'oin tlu' date of the capture of this last specimen (i<S6i) up to
the present N'ear (iS-0), no other individuals of this rare bird have
been met with, and the two birds have remained ticket(.'d in oUi
museum as the Fa/co Dawsoni (new species Hall !) Recently,
however, throuj^di the kindness of the C(nincil of the Nat. Hist.
Soc, both of these birds were placed at my disposal for re-examin-
ation and comparison for the present work, ami I was enabled
notwithstanding the indefinite colors of their plumajj^e to obtain
two beautiful and truthful photoit^raphs of them. Heini,^ stroni^ly
imj^ressed with the general likeness of these to the bird figured
anil described by Audubon as the Falco labradora, but unable to
satisfy myself as to their identity, I forwarded the photoj^raphs to
Baird and Rid>,re\vay of the Smithsonian Institution at Washinjf-
ton, referrinjj;^ these authorities to Hall's description of the bird in
the Canadian Naturalist and Ceoloj^ist. Shortl)' afterwards, under
date of March iith, 1876, Baird wrote as follows: "I have sub-
mitted your notes to Mr. Rol)ert Rid^eway for his criticism, and
I give you his replies herewith: Dawson's Hawk is the younger
jjlumage of the same l)ird as that described b)' Audubon as Falco
labradora, and is one of the local varieties of the Gyrfalcon. I may
perhaps write you more fully on the subject hereafter." In a post-
cript to this same letter, he adds, probably after a further examina-
tion of the plates, " There is no doubt that F. Daivsoni is the
dark stage oi Falco Gyr-falco given as F. labradora by Audubon."

This bird, in one or other of its varieties or stages, it is only
natural to suppose, may again be taken in some portion of our
Dominion. I therefore, to assist in its identification, append Dr.
Hall's original description of it. The portions within brackets are

THK c;VR FALCON— DAWSON'S l-ALCON.

25

corrections made by myself, the same specimens being before me
from which the description was orij^inaliy taken.

Sr. CiiAK. Hill stout, strongly tootluxl in upper mandible, the
tooth corresponding' with a notch in the lower one, of a bluish color,
terminatinij; in a black tip, which is the color of the cere and irides.
Tarsi feathered half way to the toes, of a dark greenish blue.
Toes long, moderately strong, claws black and much curved.
]"!yehVls dirty whit(-', this color forming a complete circle round
the eyes.

Dorsal aspect. The pnvailiug color is a dark slate color,
tipped with cinereous on the back of the neck, interscapulars and
secondaries, and with rufous on the back, the upper tail coverts
tipped with dirty rufous white (in one of the specimens). Many
of the secondaries have a rufous white rounded spot near the end
of their outer vanes. Tint of the upper part of the tail of a
brownish slate color, with about i i to 14 bars of light rufous
terminating in rufous white near the tip, the tail tipped with the
same color. The tail consists of about 1 i feathers (12), the ex-
tremities of which are all rounded.

Ventral aspect. Chin and upper part of throat whitish, each
feather having a narrow streak of slate color along its shaft. The
prevailing tint, like that of the back, is slate color, (darker tint),
• but diftering from the; back in that each feather has the outer vane
white, with an irregular long white spot on the inner vane, leaving
the central position of the prevailing color. Femorals as long as
the tarsals, the white on the feathers here assuming almost a
banded or barred appearance, which in the female is distinctly so.
Under tail coverts of alternate rufous white and slate colored bars.
The under surface of the tail exhibits a rufous tint, while the bars
are more distinctly seen.

2nd primary longest ; ist shorter than the 3rd, but longer than
the 4th : inner vanes of the primaries barred with white. ,._.,;.

m

M 'I'lIK (lYR KAI-COX— DAWSON'S FALCON.

Tlic tt'iiiak', wliich n'scmhlcs tlic inali' in t:v(.;rj' rt.'S|H;ct cxci-pt
tin: bars on tht- fcinorals, had its l)ill a ^om] tlcal worn, thus indi-
cating it to \n- an old bird. I.tiij^^th ot" the- male (taken from a
drictl mounted specimen) 23^ inches. Alar expanse ;,S inches.
That of the female (still oliler specimen) 27}.. inches, with an
alar ex|)ansc of about 42 inches.

'^^Pff'^V^.

Falco Sparverius, Ijnniis.

THE SPARROW HAWK.
IM.Ail-; V.

I'hc species fij^aired on this plate is the sniallest. most beauti-
ful, and perhaps ihi- In-st known ol the whole lainil) ; in fact so
universal is its ditYusion and so commonly is it met with, that I
nec-d do little hut present its photojrraph. Its habitat is tlu; entire
continent of America, and it nests in every section between the
fur countries and Mexico. Small as this bird is it is neverilu-less
a true falcon, and is possessed of sj^n^nt courage and audacity.
In Canada we have met with it ever\\vhere and on e\ t-ry e.xpeili-
tion durinj.^ each month between April antl November, .\ccord-
inj^ to Richarilson it bre(;ds in considerable numbers on the banks
of the .Saskatchewan in thi' neij^hbcnirhood of Carlton 1 lousi-,
arrivins^ then; in the month of Ajiril, layinj.; its ej^'jj^s about the
middle of .Ma)', and nnirinj^^ southward on the approach of winter.
It I )es not appear to be a very northern species, as Ross of the
McKenzie river district i^ives it as " North to Lapierre's House.
Rather ran- ;" and Richardscjn stati's that " It was not obst-rved
on the route ot the; expedition beyonil tlu; fifty-fourth dey^rei; of
latitude." It has been asserted by more than one writer, that the
.Spanow Hawk seems never to build a nest for itself, but occupies
the holes made by Woodpeckers, abandoned Crows' nests, and in
some instances a dove-cote. This is simply absurd, as most
of our Canadian ^icld collectors know that it is by no means
an unusual occu, .ence to find it occupying a nest of its own
construction, to which the same pair of birds return yearly. I
have .seen its nest placed in the hollow at the end of a birch
tree, that had been broken off some ten or twelve feet from the
ground, and which also contained the nest of the Red-headed
Woodpecker. The entrance to the Woodpecker's abode was only
seven or eight inches beneath the base of the Hawk's nest. This
tree was cut down, and the portion containing both nests kept.
The Hawk's nest was constructed of tw^gs, moss, mar.sh-grass, and

m

28

THK SPARROW HAWK.

was lineil with feathers. We have also, however, founil this l>irtl
occupying' the excavations made by Woocl[)eckers, as well as the
ahandoncil lu-sts of other Hawks. Mcllwraith of • I lainilton,
states, that there thi; .Sparrow Hawk fre(|uents dry ami samly
places, and breeds in Woodpeckers' holes. 1 lu; eyj^^s I have seen
were of various shailes of yellowish-brown, with darkiT dottinj^s
or splashin<j[s, ciiielly towards and at the larger eml ; and a few
were met with ot a pale yellowish white color, with but few
spots. There; is no 'end to the variety of coloring and markinj.;;
displayed in ;uiy lar^e collection of eggs of this species. My own
experience has bce'n that the (.'arlier in the .season the e-ggs were
obtainetl the fewer were the pale or light coloreil ones, and the
later the rarer the darker coloreil and blotched ones. In other
words, the first eggs laid b\' these birds on their arrival in spring
are the freshest and most marked in color ; while subsecpient
clutches contain a much larg('r proportion of the paler cohirs.

It is, I think, pretty well known, that in some instances on
record in wIih h a bird has been repeatedly robbed of its eggs
within a short season, and obligetl to lay three or four times its
usual number, that these towards the last became of a very much
lighter and different color from those first laid, and were occasion-
ally even without any of the usual markings. Tiic .same tliversities
of size, form and color among eggs of the same clutch have been
observed and recorded in the case of nearly every species in this
\^hole family, and we " .see how utterly worthless are such dis-
.repancic!s as ;v means of deciding a mooted ([uestion of specific
identity, or the reverse, in nearly allied birds. \'et some ornithol-
ogists will compare a single egg with another, gravely note the
differences, and thereupon proceed to an argument with still
denser gravity.""' The eggs of the .Sparrow Hawk are nearly
spheroidal, measuring about 1.33 by 1,12; from 5 to 6 c^f!;g?
are the usual nest-full, but sometimes one more is added ; three
to four birds, however, are the average number hatched. The
Sparrow Hawk is subject to wide variations in the c(ilor of its
plumage, but, as has been remarked by Cassin, these " do not

i

• Coues. Hirds of the North- West.

THK SPARROW HAWK.

appear to be constant, nt)r p»^ciiliar to any locality." 'I'lic sc.xcs
arc iinlikt!, the ailiilt fenKiU' bcinj,^ not only the larger Inrd, but
(lilTerin^f further in bt;in}4 baiuUnl transvtT.sely on thi- upper parts,
much in the same manner as the youn^ birds.

The Sparrow 1 lawk lives well in cDntincni .:. inil causes
consiilerablt. ainuseincnl to his captors by his droll .". I'i s. Many
anecdotes are told of this bird in captivity, but most of tlw-sc havt?
already appeareil in our popular works on ornitholoj^y. The
fo!lowin}.(, howi^vcr, rdatctl by Coucs in his " Mii\ls of the \orth-
\Vest," is new. lie says: "While 1 was at Columbi.i, in South
Carolina, a nei},dibor had three .Sparrow Hawks for some time.
As they had been taken from the nest when (luiti; yountf, they
became; in a measure reconciled to captivity. IMusy ate any kinil
of meat fniely, and as they^^rew up, b(L;an to dis[)lay much of their
natural spirit. When tornuMited in the va^- -us in,i,a'nious ways
people have of 'stirring' u|>' cai;('d birds, thev wouUI resent tin;
imlij^-nity by snappin,i; the bill, beatinjj^ with ihi' winjjj's, and clutch-
\n^ with their talons at the offending.; cant; or uml)rella-ti|). ( )n(;
of them was a crip|)le, havint^- a broken lejj^ very badly set, and the
other two used to bully him dreadfully. One nij^ht, whether from
not having- been kA sulTiciently, or beinj,^ in unusuall)' bad luunor,
they set u|)on him, killed him oKtriLjht, ami then almost (U.-voured
him before morninj^." Dr. Wood of l^ast Windsor liill stati's that
a few years since a pair of S[)arro\v Hawks attacked and killed
a pair of doves, took [jossession of their dove-cot and laid
four et'j'jifs.

This Hawk isa summer mij^rant to Newfoimtllantl, but Reeks
states that it is not so common a birtl as the I'ii^'^eon Hawk. It is
a resident and abundant bird in I'lorida, where it breeds in March.
Accordinj;- to Allen, " I'Morida specimens are considerably smaller
than New I'!nj.,dand ones -the former ])c\iv^ intermediate in size
betvvcen the latter and the West Indian and South American
representatives of this species, which have been refjarded as dis-
tinct species, and to which various names have been applied by
different writers. Audubon observes that he found this species in
the Southern States, and more especially in I'lorid.., so much

30

'J'HE SPARROW HAWK.

siiialU'r than the norUicrn birds, that he was at first inclined to
consitlet" them s|)ecifically distinct, hut finally felt sure they were
the same. The colors, as usual in other species, are generally
brighter in the more Southern examples." It also inhabits Cuba,
and has frequently been met with at other points to the southward
as far as the Straits of Magellan. In California, Dr. Cooper
describes this species as a constant resident, " frecpienting chieil)'
the plains, and f(X'ding on grasshoppers, mice, gophers, etc." He
also notices its habit of frecpienting the holes of Woodpeckers, in
which it builds a nest.

The Sparrow Hawk arrives in Canada in April, but is most
numerous in the early part of May. It breeds in many parts
of the Island ot .Montreal.

.Si'. Char. Adiill. !• roiilal bainl ami sp.ice, inchiding eyes .tihI lliroat, wliile ; a spol on
the neck behind, two others on each side of neck, and a line running down from l)efore tlie eje,
black ; spot on the top of the head and upper parts behind neck, light rufous or cinnamon ; under
parts generally, pale rufous, frecpieiuly nearly white, with numerous circular oblong black spots ;
(|uill.- brownish-black, with white liars on their inner webs ; tail tipped with white, and with a
broad siditermiii .1 black liand ; back generally with transverse bars of black, but they arc frec|uently
very few or wanting ; rufous s])ot on the hea 1, variable in size, sometimes wanting.

)'oniii^'ii Mate, Similar, but with the wing coverts, and tail ferruginous red, with numerous
transverse bands of brownish-black ; bene.ith with longitudinal stripes, and on the sides with trans-
verse bands of brownish-black, external tail feathers palest ; the broitd subterminal black band
obscure or wanting.

VtiHiij;. Willi all the rufous parts of the plumage more widly banded with brownish black ;
wing covert;, dark bluish cincereous, with large circular spots of black ; beneath will: longitudinal
stripes and large c'.rcul.ir black spots.

Length, lo.oo to 12.00 ; cxlc;.!, 19.00 to 22.00 ; wing, 7.00 to 8.00 ; tail, 5.00 to 5.50.

'I'lie iris is a dark-brown, iir^rr ycUo'ii' : bill, blue, black at tip ; feet, orange ; claw.;, black.

nosnspnp^

Suii-I<AMu,v ACCIPITRIN/K, riiK Hawks.

Char. Form rather long and slender ; tail and legs long ; wings rather short
bill sh;)rt, hooked ; upper mandible with a rounded lobe instead ota tooth.

Forty or fifty species arc known, distributed throughout tht

globe.

Geni s ASTUR, L.\cKi'KDE.

Gen. Char. .Size rather loni; Init slender ; \viii{;s rather short ; tail long ; tarsi long,
covered in front with lalher wide transverse sealae ; toes and claws moderate, the latter much
curved and shar]) ; bill short ; nostrils large, ovale.

About twelve species are known, inhabiting the forests of all
countries. (Cassin.) One only is found in North America.

Astur Atricapillus, (II lis.) J.nkd.

THE AMERICAN GOSHAWK.
I'L.VTKS VI Jfc VII.

This is undoulitedl)- the largest, and in mature plumage, the
most beautiful of all our Hawks. It is also known as the "Ash
colored " or " Black-cap Hawk," and occasionally as the " Black
Hawk " and " l^irtridge Hawk." It is not an abundant species,
although rather universally distributetl ovt'r British America
and the northern portions of the United States. In Canada
it is a resident bird, and is met with more or less during every
month of the year. In winter, however, the individuals are
few, and consetjuently we may conclude that the majority art!
migratory, spending their winters not in the Southern, but in the
more favorable portions of the Middle, Northern and Eastern
States. According to numerous local lists which I have examined,
the southern range of the Goshawk is from Maryland to Ohio,
Kentucky, Kansas and California. In the fur countries it is met
with to the shores of the Arctic .Sea, but is rare in the e.xtreme
latitudes. Bernard Ross, of the McKenzie River district, gives
it in his list as the " Black Hawk," and states that it is found
northward to Fort Good Hope, but that it is rare. On the

32

THK AMER'CAN CiOSHAWK.

west coast of America, Dall gives it as an abundant resident in
the Yukon reji;ion ; L^ rs. Cooper and Suckley, as of frequent
occurrence in Orei^on and \Vashin_i;ton Territories. In the Mis-
souri re<j;ion, accorthnLj to Coues, it is rare, " though doubtless of
regular occurrence." Numerous observers give it as rare and
only a winter visitant in the southern N"w England .States. In
Massachusetts, Allen states, " the Goshawk is a winter visitor, and,
subsisting upon ral)bits, partridges, jays, and such other birds and
jioultry as fall in his way, is a bird of considerable celebrity for
his strength and boldness." In another paper, entitled " Notes
on some of the rarer Birds of Massachuset". >," the same writer
observes — "This species varies most re-.r.i;!. _ in the number
of its representatives seen in different years, and also in the same
season, in localities in southern New England not far apart. Some
winters the only season at which it is seen in Massachusetts it
is extremely rare, while the next it may be one of the most
numerous species of its family. In years when it is generally
common some of our most careful observers tlo not meet with it.
Dr. Wood writes me under date of October 22nd 1868, that
with him ' it has been a very rare winter vistor until the last
winter, when the)' were more common than any of our rapacious
birds. I mounted five specimens and sent away several for ex-
changes. I think twenty were shot within a radius of five miles.
I have resided at East Windsor Hill twenty-one yert' -.. ukI have
known only three specimens taken here prior to •; ,' At

Springfield, Mass. less than twenty miles in a direct ]■... p th of
East Windsor Hill, and at nearly the same elevation auv>\e the
sea, I have known them to be quite common during several
winters within the last few years." Mr. C J. Maynard is con-
fident that this species sometimes breeds in Massachusetts, which
no doubt is correct, as i*^ is known to nest in northern New York
and the southern New England States. During the winter of
1869 it was particul ly abundant in Massachusetts, and the same
season Mr. Samuels received a dozen or fifteen .-.pecimens from
near Boston. In Canada the numbers of these binls likewise vary
greatly in different years. During some winters I have obtained
large number of specimens from one or other of our markets,

THE AMERICAN GOSHAWK.

33

while on the other hand sometimes five winters pass over in which
not an individual is exposetl for saie. Icis now over ten years since
they were at all common around Montreal, n'""] the same has been
the case in tin; neij^hliorhood of Toronto and Hamilton. Mcllwraith
of the last city t^ives it in his " List of IJirds observed near
Hamilton, C.W.," as " rather rare ; those procured being mostly in
immature plumage." In summer, however, and on most of our
expeditions, we have obtained specimens of this bird. It occurs
but sparingly in the high land of eastt;rn Ontario known as the
" Opionga Mountains," between the St. Lawrence and Ottawa
rivers, but more numerously on the slopes of these towards both
rivers. It is rather abundant, and brei'ds in tlie section oi
country to the northward of the Ottawa, or that traversed by the
rivers Galineau Lievre, and Rouge. I did not notice it on any
of the Manitoulin Islands, Lake Huron, and found it rare through-
out Ijoth this lake and Superior. At and around Ouebec it
appears to occur rather less frequently than to the westward, and
from that place to the (iulf of the .St. Lawrence very few individ-
• uals have as yet been met with. In Newfoundland it was not
ob.served by Reeks, but it is inclutletl in his list on the authority
of the settlers, "as the more enlightened in ornithology recognised
the plate of this species in baun. Hor. Am., where the scientific
name only is given." This is singular, for the plate is wretched.

I should have mentionetl, while relerring to Montreal, that
the eggs of this bird were taken on the summ'c of the mountain
there by Mr. Frothingham. Coues found it breeding in Labrador.
Audubon speaks of its breeding in New York and Pennsylvania ;
but Coues says, " such instances of breeding as this must be, I
think, exceptional." According to Dr. Ikewer the ^i^g of the
Goshawk is :; 5-16 long by i 15-16 broad, n'jarU' spherical, roughly
granuhiied, soiled white, with a faint bluish shade " marked irreg-
ularl;, with large but (juite faint blotches of drab and yellowish
brown."

The egg of this species collected by Mr. J. J. brothingham,

and now in the Museum of the Natural History Society, Montreal,

- measures a shade over 2 inches in length, and is barely i5/^ inches

E

sm

mam

34

THK AMERICAN GOSHAWK.

in breadtli ; its ground color is soiled bluish-white, with numerous
but very faint markint^s. It much resembles the egg of Cooper's
I lawk, but is invariably larger.

The sexes of this species are almost exactly alike in every
thing but in size, the colors of the female, however, being less
definite and paler. The young bird is not only very different in
coloring, but is likewise considerably larger than either of the
parents. In a numl)er of collections in Canada, I have seen
the young male labelled as the female, and it was only recently
that I removed fiom my own cabinet, an immature female
which had been for some years exhibited as an adult. On this
point Dr. Wood, of Hast Windsor Hill, Mass., remarks: "The
young are very unlike the adult both in si/e and markings; the
young is the largest until after moultmg. when the wing and tail
feathers never again acquire their former dimensions. The same
difference is observable in the Bald Eagle between the young and
adult." Allen likewise observes : " The young are more plainly
colored, and differ for several years so widely frc"i their parents
as to be hardly recognizable as belonging to the sanie species."
The figure on Plate vii. is ? life-like representation of a second-
year bird ; it certainly would hardly be nxognized as the Goshawk.

I think I am correct in stating that it is still an open question
whether our American Goshawk, and that of Europe are specifi-
cally distinct birds. Ornithologists of high standing appear on
both the affirmative and negative sides of this cjuestion. I'or my
own part, I must acknowledge that my opportunities of comparing
our own with European birds have not been extensive, but from
what few comparisons I have made, and from such conversations
as I have had with collectors from Britain, I cannot conclude
otherwise than that the differences pointed out by many writers
between them are trivial, as compared with tho.se known to exist
in individuals of some allied species. And further, among
specimens of the Goshawk obtained in North America, there
are some that differ more when compared with one another
than they do alongside a series of European bird.s. In support
of this statement 1 would draw attention to the following

THE AMERICAN GOSHAWK.

8fr

notice of variations in color presented hy some specimens from
Massachusetts and Maiiv>. "Ordinarily tliis species has each
feather below centered with a lonj^itudinal dark shaft-line, with
several transverse, broader but somewhat irregular, dark ashy-
brown bars on a lighter ground. Some specimens, however, as
one from Maine, have the transverse bars so narrow and broken
that the lower surface presents a nearly uniform, minutely mottled
appearance. Another specinie!i from Springfielil, Mass., represents
the opposite e.xtreme, it having the transverse bars broad, regular
and quite far apart, so that its re.sembiance to average specimens
of Astiir paluiiibariiis (European Goshawk) is very close. The
color in this specimen is much darker throughout than is usual
in this s[)ecies."''' The general and strong reseniblance, however,
between the birds of the two continents is admitted by all our
authorities on both sitles of the cpiestion ; and \\'ilson, describing
the first specimen seen by him, shot in the vicinity of Philadelphia,
observes: " If this be not the celebrated Goshmok, formerly so
mucli esteemed in falconry, it is very c'osely allied to it. I have
never myself seen a specimen of that bird in Europe ; and the
descriptions of their best naturalists vary considerably ; but from
a careful e.xamination of the figure and accornt of the Goshawk
given by the ingenious Mr. Bewick (Brit. Birds, vol. I., page 65),
I have very little doubt that the present will be found to be the
same." This statement of Wilson's, considering the advance made
in ornithological investigation since his time, is but of little im-
portance, but the same impression has been and still is made
on the minds of European collectors by their first sight of the
American bird. Coues in his late work on the " Birds of the
North-West," in describing the American Goshawk, says : —
" My own comparisons have not been sufficiently extensive,
but careful examination of the materials at my command shows
me decided differences, constant enough to fairly warrant specific
discrimination, although I should not be surprised if larger series
led to a different result."

Sp. Char. A</ull. Ileail above, neck behimt, and sUipe from l)(.hinil the eye, black, gener-
ally more or less tinged with ashy ; other upper parts dark ashy bluish or slate color, with the

•J. A. Allen in Bullet:n Mus. Conip. /.ool., Ilarv. Coll., Cambridge, Mass. (Vol II., p. 321.)

1 1 \

i\\

36

I'HK AMERICAN GOSHAWK.

sliafts of the fcallieii IjIucU, and freiiiicnlly with the featliers narrowly edged with black, pre^eniiiiu
a squamite or scale-like appearance ; a conspicuous stripe over the eye, and an obscure and partially
concealed occipital and nuchal band, while ; entire under paits mottled with a white and light ashy
brown ; every fenlher with a lunj^'iiudinal line of dark brdwn on ilK shaft, and with numerous
irregular and i^ lerfcct ininsverse lines or narrow stripes of light ashy brown, more distinct and
regular on the abdomen and libi;e ; .piills brown, with bands <if a deeiier shade of the same color,
and of ashy white on their inner webs ; tail same color as other upper parts ; under surface very
])ale, nearly white, having about four obscure bands of a deeper sha<le of ashy brown, and narrowly
lipped with white ; uniier tail covert while.

Voiing: Ijilire upjjcr parts including head, dark brown, with the feathers, especially on the
head and neck behind, edged and spotted with light reddish or nearly white ; tail light ashy, with
about hve wide and conspicuous bands of ashy brown, and narrowly tipped with ashy white ; <|uills
brown with wide bars of a darker shade of the same color, and wide bands of reddish white on their
inner welis ; under patis white, generally tinged with yellowish and fre(pienlly with reddish, every
feather with a lopgll;;ilinal stripe, lerminaling in an ovate spot of brown ; sides and [Wna- frei|Uently
with circular and lance<jlate spots, and irregular bands of the same color, the latter (til)i.v) generally
very cons|)icuously marked in 'his manner ; under tail coverts white, with a lew large lanceolate
spots of brown.

Total length — Kemale ; 22 lo 24 inches; wings about 14 ; tail lo'j to II inc'.ies,

" — Male: aboul 20 inches ; wing 12U ; tail 9^'j inclus.

Hill, blui=Ii-black and white ; iris, cere and feet, yellow.

ir-''

Genus ACCIPITER, Hkisson.

<iKN. CiiAK. Size rather small ; wiii^s slum, ami Ui! rallicr Icmy ; larsi long ami slcmlcr.
with ihc scales in front frL-citi-nlly nearly obriolclc.

This i^cnus contains ai)out twenty species, two of wliich are
found in Canada. Ihey ft"i;c|uent woods and borders of clearings,
and prey upon small birds, scpiirrels, mice and insects.

Accipiter Cooperi, (Bonaparte) CiKA^.

COOPER'S HAWK ; " CHICKEN HAWK."

I'l.Al I. Mil.

Thii, elegantly-formed Hawk is considered extremely rare in
Canada, it being perhaps onK' represented b\' about half a dozen
specimens altogether in ou;- ))ul)lic and private collections. A
circumstance, however, connecteJ with the indi\idual figured on this
plate, causes me to sus])ect that it may be of more common occur-
rence than is ordinariU- supposed ; this is explained by the follow-
ing extract from my note-book for the year 1866 -"I have been
surprised in m\- wanderings to observe the general ignorance
which everywhere prevails respecting this class of birds (Hawks
and Owls). The Eagle is a toU'rably well known bird with most
of the people we meet, but all Hawks are ' only common Hen
Hawks' or ' Pigeon Hawks,' and all Owls 'only common Owls.'
Hut how many a valuable specimen ha\e I rescued from igno-
iiuny, and secured for \\\\ list and our collections, by seeking
out some of" these ■ onlys ' which had been either thrown on the
manure heap, or strung up — as was tin; rart' antl beautiful Cooper's
Hawk obtained b)- chance to-day as a scarc-cnn^'." When Cassin
has admitted that Cooper's Hawk is " rather a difticult species
to the ornithologists on account of the great variations in its colors,
and in size also," and that " it is, in fact, unusual to fir.d two alike
in a doi .,n specimens," we cannot be surprised to find that in
Cane.da, where but few individuals occur, very little should be

38

COOPKR'S HAWK— "CHICKKN HAWK."

i

T

known aI)Out it. This bird is iht; F. Stanlcyi of Aiuliihon, and the
Accipitcr MixicaiiHS of Ricimrtlson in I'auna Horcah Americana.
By some ornithologists the A. Mexkanv: is regarded as a dis-
tinct species, hut this, as in so many other instances, appears
to be merely founded u[)on a sligiit difference in size and
darker coloring of plumage ; both of which diversities are
common to the individuals of a great number of species,
as we trace these from Canatla through the Northern, Middle
and into the Southern States. The A. i^undlachi, Lawr. of
Cuba, long considered as spc^cit'ically distinct from A. Coopcri, is
now regarded as merely its Southern variety. Although, as I
have already stated, perhaps only half a dozen specimens of this
Hawk are to be found in collections in Canada, I may add that
I have obtained several from collectors in the United States in
various stages, for the [purpose of comparison. These are now on
the table before me, and along side of them I have arranged a
series of male antl female Sharp-shinned Hawks (.-/. yz/i'r?/.?). The
resemblance between the two series of birds is very striking, ami
in fact the only difference perceptible to the ordinary observer, is
that of size and proportion. In other words, Cooper's hlawk is a
moderately larger reproduction of the vSharp-shinned Hawk, with
longer proportionate tail and stouter legs antl feet. As one or
two writers have observed, it is just such a difference as we have
between the Downv Woodi'Ixkkr and the Hairy Woodpkckkk.
The dorsal plumage of both Cooper's and the Sharp-shinneil
Hawks is of a dark or medium shade of brown, that of the latter
being as a rule the lighter or more ashy. The upper surface of
the tail is in both cases distinctly banded or barred with brown—
these on A. Coopei'i haxng much broader than on A. fuscns. On
the former the number of these bars is four, and on the latter five.
The tails of both are terminated with whitish, and the ends of the
feathers are rounded much more so in the A. Ccopcri than the
A. fiisciis. The imder parts of both of these species vary greatly,
but the diversities in the markings are as great among the difter-
ent individuals of the one species as they are among those of the
other. In both A. Coopcri and A. fiisciis the young birds are
longitudinally streaked beneath, but these streaks, as the birds

COOPER'S ha\vk-"ciii(jki;n hawk."

89

mature, become transverse. It is in some of these intermediate
staj.jes of ])luma<4-e that the two species most resemble one another,
so much so indeed in some of the specimens before me that were
it not for the invariable difference in size, they coulil hardly be
identifieil. It is true that the larj^^est females of the F, fuscus
jtjrade up closely to the small males of the ^7. Coopcri, but there is
always an easil\- pcrct.-ptible diffiTtince in size even in the ('xtn-me
forms of tliesf. 1 have further found a ^^ood mark of iliscrimina-
tion to be the shape of the tails. In A. fiiscus the v.\\^ of the tail
is even and the outside feathers are as Ion<^, if not a shade lon_t,rer.
than the middle ones; while in - /. Coopcri the mickllt; ones are
considerably larsj^er than those outside. None of my specimens
of this last bird are in th(.' ailult plumaire, and I (juestion very
much whether there is one of this plumat^e amont,^ any of our
Canadian specimens. I'his, thouoh apparently strauj^e, is not so,
for out of a great number of specimens oi A. fuscus, procured in
many widely separated parts of Canaur,., I ha\-e found only some
four or live mature birds. The adult Cooper's Hawk is said by
those who have taken it to be not only bluish-j^-ray on the upper
parts, but of a decided shatle of the same color on the breast and
sides, r'or further particulars respectini^ the plumaLTes of these
two beautiful Hawks, I must refer the reader to the a|jpended
descriptions under the present ami succeeding" articles.

Thou_(;h rare in Canada, the Cooper's Hawk is resident and
tolerably abundant in tln^ United States. The nest is variously
constructetl. Audubon describes it as composed externally of
numerous crooked sticks, lined with (grasses and a few feathers.
Brewer describes two, both lined with j)ieces of bark ; one of them
was between one-anil-a-half and two feet broad, the external layer
of sticks hardly an inch thick. 'I'he interior of this nest was
shallow, " with only a slight de[)ression in the centre, hardly
enough to keep the eggs from rolling out." I have s^en only a
few of the eggs of this bird, and these were not obtained in
Canada, although it undoubtedly breeds here. To assist in their
identification, I give Dr. Coues' reliable and accurate account of
tliem. This writer says — " Tlie eggs I have examined measured

(I

40

COOl'KR'S HAWK— "CHICKKN HAWK"

from 1.80 by 1.55 to 2.10 hy 1.60 figures showiiij; the variation
both in si/i- and shape- ; thc-y avi-raj^^c about 1.90 by 1.30. 'liicy
resemble- those of thi- Marsh 1 lawk so closely as to hv. not ct-rtainly
(listinLfiiishabii', but they arc; usually more ^dobular, and with a
more granulated shell. The j^reatest cliameter is at or vt.-ry near
tin; middle ; difference in shape of the two i;nds is rarely apprecia-
ble. All were mori- uniform in color than ihosi; of most I lawks,
resembling' the pali; scarcely marked examples occasionally laid by
most kinds of I lawks ; none were cons|)icuousIy dark-marked.
The ground is white-, faintly tinteil with li\ id or <,free-nish-\j[ra) ; if
marked, it is willi faint, sometimes almost obsolete, bhjtches of
drab, liable lo bi; overlooked without close inspection ; only an
occasional specimen is founcl with deciiled, thouj^di still thill and
sparse, markings of pale lirown. Three or four eggs are the
usual n(.-st compiiMiient ; in the Northern and Micklle States they
are laid in Ma\." This species is not found in the fur countries,
but only in the scnithern portions of Canada and southward. It
is a fierce and courageous biril, preying upon birds much larg(,'r
than itself and hares. Audubon relates an instance in which one
of these birtls grappled with ami killed a full-grown cock. It has
been occasionally tamed, and Dr. Coues, in his " jiirds of the
North-West," gives a most interesting and singular account of
this, as observed by himself. In Newfoundland Cooper's Hawk
is a summer migrant, and is ivyt uii"ommon. It is rather abundant
on the coast of the Atlantic, but it is comparatively rare in the-
western countries of the; United St.'.tes.

.Si'. (MAR. Adiill. Ilcail above l)iownish black, mixed with white on the occiput, other
upper parts dark ashy brown, with the sliafls of the featheri brownish l)!ack ; an obscure rufous
collar on the neck behind ; throat and under tail coverts white, the former with lines of dark
brown — other uniler parts transversely barred with litjht rufous white ; Quills ashy blown, with
darker ban<ls and white irregular uiarkirgs on their inner webs ; tail dark cinereous, tipped with
white, and with four wide bauds of brown'sh black.

Young. Head and neck beh'nd yellowish white, tin^'cd with rufous, and with longitudinal
stripes and oblong spots of brown ; other uppe rparts light amber brown, with large, partially
concealed spots and bars of while ; upper tail coverts lipped with while; under parts white with
narrow longitudinal stripes of light brown ; tail as in adult ; bill bluish horn color ; tarsi yellow.

Female -Total length : l8 to 20 inches ; wing, 10 to 1 1 ; tail, 8^^ inches.
Male — " " : 16 to 18 inches ; wing, (^Yi to 10; tail, 8 inches.

Accipiter Fuscus, {(imdin) (iRAV.

8HAHP-SHINNKD HAWK ; PIGEON HAWK
I'l.ATK IX.

This nt^at liltic I lawk, in common with the /uilco colinn/xiyiiis,
lii^iin^il on PiaU; II., is t,Mncrally knf)wn as the " Pii^^con I lawk "
l)()lh in Canada and the New I'.nj^hinil .States. Miit as " I'ii;t'on
Hawks," "Chicken Hawks," anil "Hen I lawks'" an^ the nanK's
j^iven l)\ the in ijority to every species of I lawk wliich crosses
their path, the sooner these terms are done awa) witli the Ix-tter
for our ornitholo_;;ists. As tie projicrt itle f)t" this Hawk iinpHes,
it is a remarkal)ly slender-lei^rtred and neat shanked bird, and in
this respect can easily bcr distinj^aiished irom all others. In
size it corresponds closely to the F. coliiiii/nxriits, hut is consider-
ably shorter in the wins^', and consequently less adapted for
prol()n_t,f(!d ilii^iit. The total K'n^th of tlu; adult male sharp-
shin is from lo to ii inches, and adult '".Miiale 12 to 14 inches;
the \vinL;s m(.'asurin<^ respectively from 6 to 6]i inches, and /j-j to
8 inches. As we have already seen. Hawks vary jj^reatly in size,
color and arrany^ement of niarkinL;s in individuals of the same
species, according to their sex and ^'\t', and independently of
both these. Our last species (./. Coopvri), however, and the
present one, are particularly marked in this n^spect, and hence
their synonyms are numerous. Wilson descril)ed the Sharp-
shinnt:d I lawk under the two distinct headin<^s of Juilco vclox and
Falco Pcnnsylvanicus ; Audubon as A slur fuscus ; Gmelin as
Falco Dnbuiiis ; Cuvier as Nisiis Pcnnsylvanicus ; anil Svvainson
and Richardson, in their Fauna Boreali Americana, as Accipitcf
Pcnnsylvanicus. To all of these authorities I would refer the
reader for interesting;' particulars.

T' e Sharp-shinned Hawk inhabits the whole ot North
America, from Me.xico to the shores of the Arctic .Sea. It is,
however, less numerous in the fur countries and high latitudes
than in the more temperate parts — as Richardson observes: " It
was not seen by any of the members of the expedition in their

V2 SHARI'SHINNKI) HAWK il(;KON HAWK.

srveral journeys." One sprcinu-n, however, was shot at Moos(!
I'actory in lalitiick; 51 , and deposileil l)y tin: Hudson's Ha)' Com-
pany in the Zoological Museum. Canadian specimens of this
1 lawk ofttm differ considerably in si/e and color from New I'^nj^land
e.xamples, and these aj^ain from south-western ami western ones ;
the tliff(Tence, however, is chiefly one of tint of colorintr. There
.'ippears to be a rufous western race, as Allen obs(Tves, " corres-
pomliiij^f with the Accipiicr Mcxicanux form of the A. Cooper i ; the
I-alio iiioriaps form of the /''. pcrcuritnts (Duck Hawk); the
Anhilmtco /err nj^ incus form of the //. ian^opiis ( Rous^h-lej^'^red
I lawk) ; and the western rufous forms of /hi/co dorcalis (Red-tail
I lawk); and Circifs hudsoniiis (Marsh Hawk)".

The Sharp-shinned I lawk is very closely related to A. nisui
or Sparrow I lawk of Hritain and '"urope, but 1 believe is by the
majoril}' of our ornitholoj^ists considered as specifically

distinct. The distinctive differei.. , .lowever, is again merely one
of tint of coloring, the general plan of th<r markings being the
same in both birds. Cassin remarks concerning the Sharp-shinned
I lawk that when in adult plumage it niuch resembles the . /. iiisiis
of luirope ; " but the young are quite different, as is the case; with
nearl)' all the species of this famil)- inhabiting North America,
which resemble species of the Old World." Henry Reeks, a ikitish
ornithologist, wIhmi alluding to specimens of the .Sharp-shinned
Hawk taken in Nc^wfounilland states liial the adult birds of this
species were not distinguishable from atlult specimens of A. iiisiis,
but that he had not had an opjjortunity of comparing the young
l)irds. The .Sharp-shinned Hawk is abundant throughout Canada,
and numbers of specimens were obtainetl on each of our expe-
ditions. These, how<;v(M-, in the majority of instances, were
females antl young birds, and very few good adult males were
procured. A favorite resort of this species is the skirts of
forests bordering upon our small interior lakes, or the edges c>{
clearings. In the lumber regio'is, or the great tracts of pine-
timbered lands between the vSt. Lawrence and Ottawa ri\ers, and
westwanl (»f the Great Lakes, this Hawk is but sparingly repre-
sented ; but in the hard-wood lands on the course of the Mada-

hllARl'SUlNNKl) HAWK ll'ii'.ON HAWK.

4it

waska ami Ilonm-chcrc rivers tluty are very al)uiulant, I have
also observed lIuMU rre(|uently in the neii^hhorhooil ol lUllcville,
and in many localities l)et\v(;en this town ami tlu; villaj^e of
Madoc twenty-six miles to the northward, where they are the
Hawk most commonly met with. Id the northward of tlu;
Ottawa river and Ottawa city 1 collected many alonj^^ the valU.-ys
of the rivers (jatin(.'au and Lievre, ami I'omul them to he particu-
larly numerous around the ednivs of burnt clearinj;s and where
loL^^inj.; was j^oinjf on. They are tolerably abundant in tin: neij;h-
borhooil of Montreal, ami a consiilerabic numbir wtrre oljtaimd
some years since on tlifferent parts of the mountain. In Hamilton,
Mcllwr.uth says: ".Seen in sprinL^ and fall. Xol observed to
breed." The pre)' of the Sharp-shinni'd I lawk consists of small
birils, the smaller (piadrupeds, and ins('cts. I have observed this
' id sittinj^ motionless for hours durinj^- tlu; heat of the day on
die branch of some tall tree oii the vA^v ot a clearance ; towards
sundown he rouscis up, shakes out his feat In rs, and is all life
and activit)' in anticipation of his e\cniniL; repast. Tlu: prey
is captured, whether it be an insect, mouse or bird, by a suihlcn
and (|uick ilash, and in most cases is carrieil into some concealed
nook amongst the shrubbery, when." it is devoureil.

The Sharp-shin nests in trees and, acconlinjj; to some writers,
on rocks, but I have never ob.served the nest in this last position.
The et^sji's are four to five in number, of a yellowish or liij^hl i^reen-
ish whit'; color, splaslKtd in ever)- conceivable manner with different
shad' s of brown ; sometimes these mark.ngs are nearer one eml
than the other, or form a wreath or belt towards the centre ; and
aj^ain, are confusedly spread over the whole surface from the one
epd to the other ; indeed it is e.xtremely difficult to fmd two or
three exactly alike. The egg measures 1.45 by 1.15, and the
ends are of about ecpial size. If I am not very much mistaken
this Hawk occasionally makes use of the nests of other Hawks
and Crows to rear its young— a habit common to our little
Sparrow Hawk.

Dr. Cooper says : " On the Sierra Nevada I have seen one
pursuing a striped squirrel, coming down with a zig-zag course

44

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK— PIGEON HAWK.

as if to prevent it from escaping i)y ap[)earin<r on all sides of it
at once. They frecjuently take younj^r chickens, ant! have l)een
seen by Nuttall to tlrive away a Recl-lail I lawk from tin; vicinity
of their nest witli all tlu; courage of the king-bird. They oc-
casionally soar upward to a great height, apparently for pleasure,
like other Hawks, and though their wings are short, seem to
ascend with very little effort, while near the eailh their flight is
by rapid (lappings and short sailings, as if laborious."

Mr. Wm. Couper informs me that this species is commonly
met with in the vicinity of Ouebec in the autumn, but generally
in the young plumage. It Ls also a common species and nests in
Nova Scotia according to Dr. Gilpin.

Si'. Char. Very .imilar to ■•/. Coopcii, Inil Sia..ll'-'r ; head bluish black above, buck iiioic
brownish ; thro.it and under tail coverts white ; other .mdrr parts fine light rufous, darkest on
the tibia', spotted and barred transversely with white, chiefly on alxlomen ; dark central streaks
on breast foatlicrs only ; otherwise as in A. Coopcri.

Young. Brown — darker than that oi ,/. Coo/>cri : beneath with longitudinal, ovale an 1
circular s])ots of reddish brown, becoming transverse baitds on Hanks and libi.o ; under tail covcrls
"vhitc, otherwise as in preceding.

Length, lo.oo to 14.CX) ; extent, 20.CX3 to 25.00 ; wing, 6.00 to 6.50 ; tail, 5.00 to 5.50.
Iris, orange or yellow ; bill, bluish horn color , cere and feit, yellow.

Srii-FAMii.v HUTI'ONIN.]':, Hi;//aki) Hawks.

:

CiiAU. Cencrai forin heavy; si/e moderate or large ; wings rattier short and
broad ; tail moderate. Flight vigorous, hut not swilt.

BctvvctMi twenty-five and thirt)- species are known, h\v nn\y
of which helono to Canada.

(hcNus BUTEO, CrviKk.

(!en. Ciiau. Hill sliort, wide at base, not very acute ; e<lge-. of upper nKiiuUlile with sli^jluly
rounded !o1>e.s ; nostrils lar(,'e, ova'e ; wings with fourth and fifth quills usually longest, giving them
a rounded form ; tail moderate, w ide ; tarsi moderate, rohust, with transverse scales before and
liehind, small circular and he\agonal scales on sides ; toes moderate or short, claws strong.

Owing- t(j the great variations in the phiniage of the species
constitnt'iig this genus, the e.xact numhci- of species is still iin-
deterniined. I'oiir are known to occur in Cnnaila.'"'

Buteo Borealis, (6w.) \'ii iii,.

RED-TAILED BUZZARD; HEN H. WK.
I'L.VTK X,

This and the succeeding species are alike known as " Hen
I lawks" through the country parts of Canada ; hut although much
resembling one another in general hal)its, nidification, and flight,
they are very differently colored hirtls. Tlie Red-tail, as this
l)ird is often called, is met w'ith over the whole of North America
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the borders of the fur

* Kew of our birds have caused more concision among writers or acquired a more involved
synonymy than the Hawks of ilie genus liutco. Setting .aside liiuwlus and l\nnsylvanicus as totally
distinct from each other and from the rest; ignoring for a moment ' harlani ' and 'cooperi,' we
will conline ourselves to consideratio'.i of the two species, /niiyalis, (IM., and S'.Oiunsoiii, HP.
These may be immediately distinguished by the eniarginalion o( /'our outer primaries in boirnlis ami
only three in ■S7i'tiin.H'iii. There are other points aside from color which varies so greatly in each.

lionalis (Red-tail) in all its variety of color is much the largest, the female averaging about
24 inches in length, with a stretch of wings over 50 inches ; it is robust, with a comparatively short
wing, and short, stout legs. In the East it remains comparatively c msMnt in color, aside from the
normal changes with age. In the West it runs from a slightly darker or more ferruginous cast
into a cpiitc fuliginous condition, the several st.ages being inseparably connected. The slighter

I!

46

RKD-TAILKD IJU/ZARD HKN HAWK.

countries southward to the West Indies. Its variations of phmi-
ajre are ahnost innumerable, and consecjuently its Hst of synon\ms
is unusually long'.

it is this Hawk that is so often seen 1)\- the traveller in Canada
(U'scril)ino its great circles in mid-air over our orcliards, groves,
fields, wood-lands and new clearings, and its loud anil somewhat
mournful cry — which 1 cannot describe — is familiar to all. It
comes to us early in the spring, towards the middle or latter [)art
of April according to the weather, and may l)e seen Hying about
in pairs in search of a nesting place. On one occasion, on the;
24th of Ma)-, 1864, I watched a pair of Buzzards describing their
circles above a piece of woodland bordering on th(' St. Lawrence,
near Lachine. When first observed they were crossing one
another's circuits at a comparatively moderate height, or not 'iiore
than twent)' feet above the tops of th(.' trees, (jradually, however,
they rose higher antl higher, at lh(; same time enlarging" their
circles, until llu \ must have reachetl an altitude of a great man\'
hundrci-l feet. At this the) remained for a considerable lai)se of
time, when they again commenced to ascend. Even from this
great height their cries could be distinctl)' heard, but as the birds
grew smaller and smaller and finally could barely be recognized
save !))• two minute circling specs, these grew fainter and fainter,
and at last C(-asei.l to be heard, and at the same instant I lost
sight of both birtls. This habit of the Retl-tail, common also to
some ot the allied species, I have several times observed and
chiefiy during the .spring of the year. Whether it is for the pur-

(leimrtures from the normal Eastern standard are the ihuh/oiius of Cassin, and most later writers,
but probably no/ o( Nultall ; the climax is reached in ailiinis, Cassin (Red-tailed lilack Hawk.)
1 adopt this name for the extreme Western variety, ignoring the intermediate stages, which have
been usually designated I'loiiliimis. In all t)f these birds, u'/i,'n nJiilt, the tail becomes chestnut-red
on top, whicli is never the case with Swiihisoiii.

The Fako or liiit/0 7'iilgaris o{ Audubon is uncertain— rather, let us say, it comprehends bolh
the Western Red-tail and .Swainson's Uu/zard, being ostensibly based'upon the latter, but the
description and figure rather indicating the former. The JiiiUv montanus of Nuttall (1S40 ; not in
edition of 1832) is based on Audubon's " Fako btitco" but the description is unmistakably that of
■S-iCaiiisoni. I follow Mr. Ridgway in relegating both these names to Sw<uiisoni, leaving ctiliiriis as
the first distinctive name of the Western Red-tail in all its variety.

.5'7<h/hjy)«/ is the smaller species, perfectly distinct. — (Coues.)

IIUKUU JM.,.,,

RKn-TA!l,KI) BUZZARD-HEN HAWK.

47

jjosc of more completely " scanninjr a region " or merel)- a little
gambol iiKlulgeil in iluring the pairing season it is hard to deter-
mine, but I am inclined to set it tlown to the latter. The; same
trait in the flight of these birds has been observc^d ami recorded
by Dr. \V. \Y. Wood of Massachusijtts. lit; says, "Occasionally
.several of tlu-m will be seen very high in the air, sailing about in
circles, .sometimes rising in s]jiral turns, and dcsceniling rapidly,
uttering a clear shrill cry of /\(U\ kac, kac several times, and often
continuing it some minutes. These gyrations (jccur more com-
monly in the spring : perhaps it is a nuptial ceremony or a bridal
pilgrimage."

ill

(lit

Tlu' adiilt Red-tail, as the name im[)lies, has a decided red
tail, l)ut only so on its upper surface. It is not, however, until
lull grown, and some time after, that this color appears. In the
Inlly adult bird the uniler parts are also fuKous ; but this tint tloes
not appear so early as the color on the tail — genc^rally long after.
I lence it is not sur|)rising to hear it remark(;d by some of our
hunters that there are different kinds of Red-tails ; and our amateur
collecLors are sorely [nizzled. Out of some thirty specimens of
this species procured by us on our expeditions in Ontario between
the years 1806 and 1876, fivi' only have the decided red-tail, and
two the fulvous coloring of the imder ])arts ; the remainder e.\hil)it
innumeral)le varieties. A few additional si)ecimens {procured in
one or other of our markets at Montreal, for the most part during
the months of April and May of the last five years, were likewise,
with but one exception, immature; individuals ; this one, however,
being the largest and most periectly colored bird it has been m\-
fortune to |)rocure. It measured when in the llesh upwards of
25 inches in length, and the stretch of its wings was close upon
53 inches. Unfortunately the bill of this specimen was almost
entirely destroyed by the shot, and its head otlu'rwise sadly in-
jured. One of the young birds obtaineil in the market was alive,
having been only slightly winged, and was kept so and cared for
by a friend of mine for the greater part of a summer. This bird
was particularly interesting, from the fact that its irides 7K<crc per-
fectly zo/iih', antl not as usual hazel or light brownish. This is

48

RED-TAILED BUZ/ARD— HEX HAWK."

IP

perhaps a very exceptional form ; but I have recently been in-
formed by Mr. Passmore, of the Montreal Nat. Hist. Soc, that
he also observed the same in a jouni;; Red-tail kept alive by him
for some time, which he afterwards stuffed and mounted. 'J'his
specimen Mr. Passmore yet retains in his collection, and as he
has faithfull)' perpetuated the true color of its eyes, the sin^i^ular
spectacle of a u<liite-cycd Mawk ma)- be seen b)- an)- one who
ma)- so desire.

The Red-tail is a rather larL,H; and ver)- rotund or robust
Hawk, with short stout les^s and rather short wings. They vary
soinewhat in kni^th, sonie males beinj^- onl)- ig or 20 inches
long from tip of bill to end of tail ; while as we have just seen,
the female somttimes is upwartls of 25 inches in length, with
considerable expanse of wing. Die specimen figured on the
accompanying plate is a line adult bird of this species. It was
shot in the Eastern Townships, and was prepared tor the present
work b\ Mr. W in. Couper, naturalist, of Montreal.

In the western half of the continent the individuals of this
species as is the case with so many of the Hawks — are more
rufous and mucli more intensely colored birds than their eastern
congeners, but in all other respects are the same. On this
difference was based the species described as B. iiiontaiii/s h\
Cassin and other writers, which was thought to replace, to the
westward, the Red-tail B. borcalis. This error, however, and
others regarding this species, are fully explained and done away
with in the foot-note appended to this article, from Coues' " Birds
of the North-West."

The nest of the Red-tail is generall)- constructed in a loft)-
tree and among the top-most branches. It is large, bulky and
rather flat, and is constructed of small branches, moss, grass, and
generally, though not always, lined with feathers. I cannot speak
w'ith certainty of the exact complement of eggs, having found from
one to four in different localities ; but two is the averaire number
of young hatched. Coues says the eggs are " three in number,
about 2.40 long by a little less than 2.00 broad." Their ground

RED-TAILED BUZZARD— HEN HAWK.

4r

color is a dull whitish, thickly marked in all the specimens I have
seen with splashes of brown of va. ious shades. Some, however, are
much more marked than others, and I have seen ej^gs taken by
farmers, said to be Red-tails', whifh were hardly marked at all.
The eggs of our next and succeeding species, the Red-shouldered
Buzzard, are very similar to those of the Red-tail, and as both
species nest in like situations and resemble one other in general
appearance and habits, the one is often taken for the other. I
think, however, it will almost invariably l)e found that the eggs of
the former are perceptibly smaller than those of the latter.

Mr. \Vm. Couper informs me that he met with the nest of
this hawk in the montli of August in the mountains near the
Mingan river, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence. The nest
contained two young birds, both of which were captured, and sub-
sequentl)- taken to iMigland l)y Sir J. Smyth. Mr. Couper further
states that the Red-tail is an uncommon bird in the neighborhood
of Quebec, and that the specimens which have been taken are
mostly in adult plumage. This is singular, because in the vicinity
of Montreal, as we have already shown, the immature birds are
those most commonly met with.

The Red-tailed Buzzard is a difficult bird to get within gun-
shot of when approached on foot, and so indeed are most
Hawks. It, however, is rather thrown off its guard when ap-
p'oached on horse-back or in a waggon, seeming under these
circumstances to have no suspicion ; but the instant the horseman
or waggon driver stops it is off. I have seen one of these birds
rc:main perched in a tree within an easy stone's-throw of a road
along which a long line of lumber-teams were driving with tre-
mendous noise ; yet when I cautiously attempted to get within
shooting-range of the same bird it at once grew restless, suspicious,
and quitted its stand long before I could get near enough for a
sure shot. Sometimes I have suddenly come upon this bird
in the tall grass of a meadow or clearing, and obtained an easy
shot as it rose from the ground. This habit of frequenting and
hiding in long grass is often indulged in by the Red-tail, and I

so

kKDTAlLKl) liUZ/ARI) HEN HAWK.

am inclined to belie vt; is clone for the purpose of obtaining the
younf.'' "^r spar?-<Avs, larks, anc' such other birds as nest on the
ground, but this fact I have not yet actually verified ; as the
bird is said to prey largely upon field mice, snakes and frogs —
which are abundant in meadows — the pursuit and capture of these
may lead it to frequent such situations. I have never myself
observed or heard of an instance of its capturing snakes in
Canada, but this fact has been recorded of it by several American
writers. One of these is given by Dr. Wood of Massachusetts
in the " American Naturalist," in referring to the winter habits
of the Red-tail in Massachusetts. This writer says : " A farmer
living in this vicinity, while putting up a fence around his pasture,
noticetl a large Hawk on the ground some forty rods from him,
sometimes rising up to two or three feet, then dropping down.
Supposing him to be tlevouring some game he paid but little
attention to it at first, but froni its continuing in the same place
and keeping up the same manoeuvring for a long time his curiosity
was excited, ami coming nearer the bird he discovered that the
tail of a large black snake was coiled around the hawk's neck,
and that the head and a part of its body was in a hole in the
ground ; the hawk was nearly exhausted. With a blow of his axe
the farmer severed the snake, and brought the hawk to his barn,
where he kept him alive for sonie time. The part of the snake
attached to the bird measured three feet, which was probably
about one half of its length. Tin; hawk evidently seized the
snake when he was partly in his hole and was unable to draw
him out, and when found the serpent was endeavoring to convince
his would-be-capturer that ' it is a poor rule that don't work
both ways.' I'his was the adult Red-tailed Hawk."

This bird is only a summer visitant in Canada, and \s
never seen during the winter. y\t this season, however, it is very
adundant throughout the New Kngland States, where it preys "on
the " wild game of the woods," and occasionally makes raids upon
the poultry-yard. Mr. William Brewster of Cambridge, Mass. in
an exceedingly interesting article in " borest and .Stream," en-
titled " Winter habits of Buzzard Hawks," gives some further

! 1 ;l

RED-TA1I,KI) HUZZARD— HEN HAWK.

Bl

])articiilars respecting the tlij^^ht and habits of the Red-tail. This
writer I observe also mentions its habit of stjuattinL; on the lonj^
grass. I Ic says : " Sometimes you see one sitting for a long time
motionless ami erect in the tall grass, watching like a cat, or
perhaps walking slowly with side-long motion. At this season
(winter) it leeds exclusively on mice and rats ; in early spring on
toads, frogs, snakes, ami the like. I doubt if it ever attacks birds,
for in about a do/en specimens examined at different seasons I
have never been al)le to detect any of their remains; nor have
I ever seen it pursue one. Occasionally a wounded (piail or snipe
may fall a prey, but such cases must be rare." This last statement,
however, does not hold good for the Red-tail when with us, for I
have found in the stomachs of several individuals the remains of
sparrows, woodpeckers, grouse, and other birds which 1 could not
determine ; as well as the remains oi' small green frogs. Mr.
Brewster also remaiks upon the cry of the Red-tail, comparing it
to the s)'llal)les crcc-c-c ! crcc-c-cp ! repeated five or six times, and
very different he .says from the shrill zchc-c-co ! of the Red-should-
ered Hawk, so often mimicked by the Jays.

•1'. _

J I

'\ 1

The Red-tail breeds in a number of localities on the island
of Montreal ; also on Nun's Island in the St. Lawrence, near that
city.

Sl'. Chai;. .'Iiiiill. Tail bright rufous, narriiHly lipped willi wliite, anil having; a subler-
minal haiul of l)lack ; ciilirc up|)fr parts dark umber broivii, lijjiiter ami with fulvous editings on
the head and neck ; upper tail coverts yellowish-white, with rufous and brown spots and bands ;
throat white, with narrow longitudinal stripes of brown; other under parts pa!e yellowish white
with longitudinal lines and spots of reddish brown tinged with fulvous, most numerous on the
breast, and foiniing an irregubr l)and across the abdomen ; under tail coverts and tibiae generally
clear yellowish white unspotted, but the latter fre<iuently .spotted and transversely barred with
light rufous ; un ler surface of ta. I silvery wltite.

Vouii^. Tail usually .ashy brown, with numerous bands of a darker shade of the same color,
narrowly tipped with white ; upper tail coverts white with bands of dark brown ; other upper parts
dark umber b.own, many feathers edged with dull white and with partially concealed s]iots of
white ; entire under pans while, sides of the breast with large ovate spots of brownish-black, and
a wide irregular band on the abdomen coniposeil of spots of the same color ; undtr tail coveits and
tibiie with irregular transverse stripes and s.agiltate spots of d.ark brown.

Total length — Female : 22 to 25 inches ; wing, 15 to 16 inches ; tail, S'> inches.

" .Male; 19 to 20 " ; wing, i.\ " ; tail, 7I2 to 8 inches.

Iris brown ; bill bluish ; cere and feel yellow, \oung, bill horn-black ; feet greenish.

i i

Buteo Lineatus 'Urn.) Jakh.

RED-SHOULDERED BUZZAIID ; WINTER FALCON.
I'l.ATKM XI .S XII.

If it is not tlu; Red-tail the traveller in Canada .sees during
the spring- months circling over our fields and wooil-lands, he will
not often he mistaken in sc^tting it down as the bird figured on
one of the accompanying platt;s, namely, eith(;r the adult Red-
shouldered Hawk or its immature form, thi; Winter l'"alcon. This
is another of those species in which the young differ greatly from
the adult birds — the former until comparatively recently being
described as specifically distinct by a number of authors under the
name luilco /lyanalts. Tiiis last form, or in other words, the
immature bifl is that most frequently' met with throughout
Canada in the summer months, but iluring April anil May I have
collected a great number of fine adult birds of both sexes. The
Red-shouldered Hawk is undoubtedly oiu; of our commonest
species in one or other of its stages, and it is ecpially so through-
out the Atlantic .States. In its habits, manner of llight, and general
appearance it much resembles the Red-tail, but is a slightly smaller
bird the male generally being from i8 to 20 inches, and the
female 21 to 23 inches in length. Perhaps it is to this species
that tile appellation of Hen Hawk is most commonly given in
Canada. The latitudinal range of the Red-shouldered Hawk
appears to be more: restricted than that of any oi\\vx speci(!s in the
family. There is no authentic account of its occurrence in high
latitudes, nor yet in any portion of the fur countries. It reaches,
however, across the continent, being found on the Pacific slopes,
where, as might be e.xpected, its tint of coloring is brighter and
more ferruginous. This western plumage was for some time,
indeetl until very recently, considered to characterize a bird speci-
fically distinct from the Red-shouldered Hawk of eastern North
America, and was described by Cassin as Jhitco dcgans. It is,
however, simply another example of the invariably assumed rufous

54

RKU-SH()UI.DKRi;i) liU/./ARU UIMKR KAI.CUN.

or rciTuj^inoiis phmiaj^i' of wtstcrii individuals of our eastern
spc'cirs, as illustrated also by the western representatives of the
li. borcixlia (Red tail), .Irchibutco li\jrof>ns (Rouj^h-ley) Accipilcr
Jiiscns (Sharp-shin), Cinus tyancus (Marsh I lawk), Falco coiiimiinis
or pcm^rinns (Duck Hawk), ami other species of this faniil)-, all
of which are ordinarily more rufous than the eastern, thou_L;h onl)
some of these have as )el lieen separated as distinct species. The
so-named Ji. clcgaiis, however, is not confined to the Pacific slopes,
as dark ferru!j;inous plumaged hirils l.ave been occasionalK met
with as far to the eastward as the neiid'horhood of Hamilton,
Ontario. One such was shot some years .lince at Haptiste Creek,
and is now in the collectioi. of Mr. Mcllwraith of the city just
nameil. This oecimen only differs from our ordinary form of
Retl-shouidered llawk in more intense coloring and to j^ive such
a distinct spt cific name would, it seems to me, he ridiculous.""

In Mast I'jorida, act ordinj^' to Allen, the Red-shouldered
1 lawk is \ cr)- abundant, and 1)\- far the most numerous species of
tin; family ; " it is generally smaller and much briy;hter-colored
than New l'!n_L;land specimens. The dark line along the shaft
ol the feathers below, especially mi the throat and oreast, is very
distinct in this respect, and in the brii^ht colors, greatly resembl-
ing' the so-called Butco clcgaiis ol Cassin."

This species nests in nearly ever)- .section of Canada. It
usuall)- choo.ses a lofty tree, and builds a large and shallow nest in
the uppermost branches. This is constructed of branches, gras.s,
leaves and moss, and is similar in every respect to that of the
Red-tail. The eggs are generally four in numb(M*, but it is not
unusual to find but three. They are of a dull-whitish color,
marked irregularly with splashes of brown, and are slightl\- smaller
than those of the ' .d-tail, measuring 2 inches or a little more in
length by about i-)4^ inches in breadth.

* Since wrilingilie .il)ovc I liave l)eeii sii forlunate as to procure from the neighborliood of the
Hack River, oil the l-.laiul of Montreal, a remarkably ferniginoiis coloreil Hawk nf this species.
It is an adult female, anil clilTers very much in lint from any specimens I hive ever taken. Indeed
I should not have reeoj^ni/ed the bird s.ive for the marked and characteristic red ihoiilJiis. This
specimen cleaily denotes a passage towards the />'. flcgans of the west, which I am now more
convinced than ever is the same spccits.

m-:

RKD-SHOUr.DKRF.I) HUZZAKD WINTKR FALCON.

5n

Sonic pairs of these 1 lawks or Hu/zarcls nv.sl rciju'arly at
St. Kosc, to llic northwanl of the citv of Montreal, ami Mr. Coiipcr
informs nu; that their e^o^s have been scxoral liiius taken by-
Mr. Dnnlop.

ihe birds tit^iired on the acconipanyin.^ plates Ikuc been
carefull)' selected from aiiionj.,'' a ^^reat number of specimens, and
are truthful representations of the two forms most generally met
with. Ihe Winter [•'alcon (the >ounLif) on Plate Xll. is one of
the most perfectly mounted specimens I have ever met with, and
I)einj.,f in sprint- plumas^e, forms a picture that for accuracy and
beaut)' has ni'\cr lu^cn ecpialled in ans' work on ornitholojL,^) . Ihe
adult birtl on Plate XI. is far from beinjj; the best of the individ-
uals I lia\e had to select from, but as it is in the plumai;e most
commoiil\- met with, it will serv*- better the object of the prcsi-nt
work than would any of the other perha|)s mort" l)e;iutiful, but
certainly less frecpicMUK nut witli forms of plumaj.je. W'crn; I
to attempt to illustrate the various statues passed through by this
Hawk from the yonng-of-thc-ycar to its true adult form, tweKc
plates would not be sufficient.

riu; number of intlividuals of this spi^cies taken on our
various e.xpeditions amoimts in all to fort\-thrcc ; th<.' majority
ot tlu.'se beiny^ immature birds.

Sr. Cfiak. Atliilt. Winj; coveit'- fioiu its lUxiue to tlie li'xly, line luitjhl nifoii% ; lirca-,! ami
other lower parts of the !«)ily paler or.infjc rufous, mnuy fcatlier-, willi traiisvorse bars .ind .spots of
white, wliiih preiloniiiiale on the alHlonieii ami umlfr tail eoverls ; cmiri.- upper parts brown ; on
the he.ml mixed with rufous, ami with white siiots on the winj; coverts and shorter (piills and riimp ;
quills lirownish-lilatk, with white spot< on thei'- outer webs ; tail brownish black, with about five
transverse bands of white and tipped with while.

)V«//;'. (WiitttT t'nhon). Kntirc under parts yellowish white, with lonniludinal stripes an<l
ol)1ong spots o( dark brown ; throat dark brown (this is vari.ible) ; upper parts lighter ashy
brown, with many partially concealed spots and bars of white ; (piills dark brown, with wide
transverse bars of rufous and while on both webs ; tail ashy brown, with numerous bars of pale
brownish and rufous white ; tail beneath silvery wliite.

Total length — Female : 21 to 23 inches ; win;,', 14 inches ; tail, y inches.
•' Male : 18 to 20 inches ; w'mv,, 12 inches ; tail, S inches.

Iris brown ; bill horn blue ; cere and feet yellow.

Buteo Swainsoni, Hon ai akii;.
HUTKO I NS I(;N A'lUS, Cassin.

HWAINSON'S BUZZARD; CANADA BUZZARD.
NO ri.ATK.

This s|)cci«.'s appears to inlial)it chi('l1y the; western portions
of America, ami is particularly abundant in the Missouri rej^ion,
but it has been taken several times in Canada, once, accordinj.,' to
Coues, in Massachusetts and was observed by the expeditions
with which Sir |ohn Richardson was connected " as far north as
the rifty-s(!venth parallel of latitude, anil it most probably has a
still higher range." Dr. Hernanl J. (iilpin of Halifax informs me
that it is common in that I'rovince, but j^^enerally confounded as
it has been nearly everywhere -with the Reil-tail (/A /)orcalis),
which very closely resembles it. lInfortunat(;ly I was not able to
secure a specimen for the present work. There should have been
one at my disposal in the Museum of the Nat. Hist. Hoc. of
Montreal, for on turninj^ up Ca.ssin's fijfure and description of his
B. iMsio/ia//ts- this same bird in a melanotic condition I rvad as
follows :-■' Of this very remarkable little liuzzaril one specimen
only has come under our notice, and is that above de.scribeil. It
belonjrs to the collection of the Nat. Hist. Soc. of Montreal, by
whom it was most kindly sent to Philadelphia for examination at
my request, through the good offices of M. M'CuJloch, M.l)., a
distinguished physician and naturalist of that city. . . . It was
cajjtured in the vicinity of Montreal." Considering my.self sure
of this specimen I did not think it necessary until recently to
make further inipiiries concerning it. On visiting the museum,
however, to get the bird I was gn atly surprised and disappointed
to find that it had vanished ; neither the present curator nor
taxidermist knew anything about it, and the former gentleman
positively asserts that no such specimen has been in the collection
during his term of office about thirteen years. Previous to this
term, however, I had myself several times seen this bird, and had

II

S8

SVVAINSON'S BUZZARD— CANADA BUZZARD.

more than once examined it in the presence of Mr. Wm. Hunter,
late taxidermist to the same Society. Where is this vahiable
specimen at present .'' Mr. Cassin clearly states that it was sent
to Philadelphia for examination and description, but does not say
what afterwards became of it, nor can I find any record either
of its loan or of its return in the printed proceedings of the Nat,
Hist. Society. This i.' a matter that should be looked into, and
that without delay by this Society, as if one rare specimen has
thus been permitted to be lost, there is no saying how many
others may have from time to time in like manner been removed.
1 allude to tliis more particularly here, as there is little doubt but
that these pages will fall into the hands of nearly all of our Ameri-
can ornithologists, some of whom may yet be able to throw some
light upon the fate of perhaps rt'turn this stray specimen.

I

.Swainson's 'kizzard has been already figured and described
under several names. Richardson in his I'"auna Boreali Ameri-
cana gives it as the Butco vulgaris or Common Buzzard ; Cassin
as already mentioned describes its melanotic condition as a new
species under the name of B. insignatiis, Brown Hawk or Canada
Buzzard ; while Hoy's B. Bairdii is now well known to be the
young bird. It is undoubtedly a rare bird in Canada in any of its
forms, and little is known of its distriijution or nidification in our
I'rovinces. Mr. Mcllwraith of Hamilton says : "A specimen of
this rare l)ird was shot in iS6o, while in the act of pouncing upon
a tame pigeon in the streets of Oshawa. This is the only instance
I have heard of its occurrence in Canada." Oiu" Hawks, however,
have been but little investigated, and it is not improbable that not
only this but some other species, now considered as accidental or
rare, will .yet be found to frequent regularl)- certain sections of the
country. For my own part I have never had much faith in the
validity of the B. Szi'ainsoni ViS a distinct species, and have always
considered Cassin's /A insigiiatus as a purely fortuitous condition
of the B. doi'ca lis or Red-tailed Buzzard, having seen very similar
conditions of plumage in a number _f specimens of the B lincatiis
or Red-shouldered Buzzard. But since studying Dr. Coues' article
on Swainson's Buzzard, and observing that he had the opportunity

'^^■^^ '

SVVAINSON'S BUZZARD— CANADA BUZZARD.

59

of examining " about forty specimens," I confess to being inclined
now to agree with him in his decision. He says, " The s})ecies
is thoroughly distinct from its nearest all)-, //. borcalis ; it never
gains the red tail, so characteristic of the latter, and vliffers in many
other points of coloration in its several stages c, ;.ii u \age, as noted
beyond. Although its linear dimensions inte rad: -A'ith those of
the Red-tail, it is neither so heavy nor so large a Lir and its shape
differs in some points. A very tangible and convv.nient distinction
to which my attention was first called by Mr. Ridgvvay, and which
I have verified in numerous instances, is found in the emargina-
tion ot the primaries. . . . Swainson's Buzzard has onl)- three
emarginate primaries, while the Red-tail hasyiv/r; the fourth quill
of the former, like the fifth of the latter, is variously sinuate-
tapering, iiut never shows the decided nick or emargination of the
inner web."

The ilimensions of the adult .Swainson's Buzzard are 19.00 to
20.00 long by 49.00 in spread of wing, the latter about 15.00.
Coues .says that in both sexes and at all age.s, the eye is of
varying shade of brown, and never yellow ; and that in the adult
birds the cere, gape, base of under mandible and feet, " are rich
chrome-yellow : " the rest of the bill and the claws being bluish-
black.

As this is an exceedingly interesting species, and other speci-
mens of it in one or other of its forms will undoubtedly yet be
taken in Canada, I append full descriptions of it in its adult and
immature stages. The first of these is Cassin's, and is taken fr(.im
the bird which was and ought now t(^ be in the Montreal
Museum of Nat. Mist. The second is l)y Coues, and is very
thorough.

(")
Var. Insignatus.

Sr. Char. Adult Male. L'mler coverls of the winys \\\v\ tail while— the former striped
loiifritiuliiipUy with pale rufous, ami the hitter transversely with reddish *;a)wii ; edj,'es of wing at
the shoulder nearly pure while ; libia- rufous irregularly harred with orown ; throat and .1 few
feathers of the forehcid white, e.ich feather having a line of dark brown, or nearly black.

liiiiiiliili

60

SWAINSON'S liUZZARD— CANADA BUZZARD.

Entire other plimiage above and below dark brown, every feather liaving a darker, or nearly
blaek, central line ; ((uills above brown, with a slijjht purple lustre ; beneath pale cinereous, with
their shafts white, and with irregular transverse bands of wliite ; tail above dark brown, with an
ashy or hoary tinge, and having about ten transverse bands of a darker shade of the same color ;
beneath nearly white, with conspicuous transverse bands of brown, the widest of which is subter-
minai ; tip paler, or nearly white ; bill dark ; cere, tarsi, and toes yellow.

FemaU: Nearly Adult. Like the preceding, but with the upper plumage darker, and the
entire under parts dark rufojs chestnut ; darker on the breast, cpiite uniform on the llanks and
abdomen, and every fe.ather having the shift darker brown, nearly black ; tliroit, forehead, under
wing coverts and unier tail coverts white ; tail .is in the preceding. — Cassin.

(*)
BUTEO SWAINSONI.

Si'. Char. Younf^-of-lhc-ycar (Hoth sexes). Entire upper parts dark l)rown, everywhere
varied with tawny edgings of the individual feathers. The younger the biril the more marked is
the variegation ; it corresponds in tints closely with the color of the under jiarts, being palest in
very ycung examples. Under parts, including lining of wings, nearly uniform fawn-color (pale,
dull yellowish-brown), thickly and sharply marked with blackish-brown. 'I'liese large dark spots,
for the most part circular or gultiforni, crowd across the fore-breast, scatter on the middle belly,
enlarge to cross-b.ars cm the fianks, l)ecome broid arrow-heads on the lower belly and tibi;e, and
are wanting on the throat, which is only marked with a sharp, narrow, blackish jiencilling along
tile median line. (^)uills brownishlilacK, the outer webs with an ashy shade, tlie inner webs toward
the base grayisli, paler, and marbled with white, and also showing obscure dark cross-bars ; their
shafts black on top, nearly white underneath. Tail feathers like the ([uills, but more decidedly
shaded with ashy or slate-gray, and tipped with whitish ; their numerous dark cross-bars show
more jdainly than those of the quills, but are not so evident as they are in the old birds.

Adults (either sex). l'p]ier parts dark l)rown, very vaiiable in shade, according to season or
wear of feathers, varieil with jialer brown, or even re.idish-brown edging* of the feathers, but
without the clear fawn-color of the young ; the feathers of the crown showini; whitish when dis-
turbed, and usually sharp, dark shaft-lines ; the upper tail coverts chestnut and white, with blackish
bars. (^)uills and t.ail feathers as before, but the inner webs of the former showing more decided
dark cross-bars upon a lighter marliled-whitish ground, and the litter having broader and sharper
dark wavy bars. These la'ge ijuills, and particularly those of the tail, vary much in shade accord-
ing to wear, the new feathers being strongly slate-colored, the old ones plain dark brown. The
tail, however, never shows any trace of the rich chestnut that obtains in the adult IS. borealis.

Mali-. Under parts showing a broad pectoral area of the bright chestnut, usually with a
glaucous cast, and displaying sharp, black shaft lines ; this area contrasting sharply with the pure
white throat. Other under parts while, more or less tinged and varied, in ditTerent specimens,
with light chestnut. In some male:, this chestnut is diminished to traces, chiefly in llank-bars
and arrowheads, and the white throat is immaculate ; in others the throat shows blackish pencil-
ling, and the rest of the under parts are so much marked with the chestnu', chiefly in cross-bars,
that this color ])redominato^ over the white, and appears in direct continuation of the pectoral area
itself. .Some feathers of this area are commonly dark brown.

Fimale. Much darker underneath than the male; throat pure white, but other under parts
probably never whitening <lecidedly. Pectoral arfa form rich, dark cheslnut or mahogany-color,
mixed with still darker leathers, to brownish-black ; and other under parts heavily marked with
chestnut, chietly in cross-b^rs alternating with whitish, but on the llanks, and sometimes across the
belly, these markings ([uite blackish. The general tone of the under parts may be ipiite as dark
as the pectoral area of the male, but it lacks uniformity, and the increased depth of color of the
pectoral area in this sex suffices to preserve the strong contrast already mentioned (.\bout forty
specimens examined. ) — Couts.

Buteo Pennsylvanicus ("/rv/^i^wj Honai-.

BROAD-WINGED BUZZARD.
I'LATK XIII.

Contrary to the general rule among our Birds of IVey— nio.st
of which range acro.ss the continent — the longitudinal dispersion
of the present species is quite restricted. It inhabits the temper-
ate parts of eastern North America, and the only instance of its
occurrence in the Missouri region is recorded by Prof. Snow, who
observed it in Kansas. It appears to be particularly numerous
along the Atlantic coast, and in New England, where it is one of
the most abundant species of the family, b'urther westward it is
met with chiefly in the fall and winter. It has been observed
about Washington, D.C., is given as common in Florida, is known
to reach as far south at least as Ecuador, and to reside in Cuba.
Audubon, however, gives it as rare south of the middle States,
and Dr. Coues does not mention it in his list of the birds of Soutn
Carolina.

In Canada it is not a common species. I have only met
a few individuals, most of these in immature plumage ; but the
bird is tolerably well represented in most of our collections. Mr.
Mcllwraith of Hamilton says : " I have noted extensive migrations
of this I lawk in March of different years — as many as twenty or
thirty being in view atone time ; they passed along at a consider-
able height, moving in circles toward the North-West. Those
met with in the woods appeared to be stragglers from the main
body." It has been taken about London, Ont., and according to
Mr. Passmore a consitlerable number in the vicinity of Toronto of
both young and adult birds. It occurs also in the neighborhood
of Montreal, frequenting the low grounds, antl Mr. Win. Couper,
naturalist and taxidermist, informs me that the young of this
species occurs commonly in the neighborhood of Oucbec in the
autumn, where they frequent the swamps to the northward of that
city. Mr. Couper also states that the adult birds are only seen

62

BROAD-WINGED BUZZARD.

occasionally, and that he has never met with a nest. I have not
myself met with either the nest or eggs of this Broad-winged
Hawk, and Dr. Cones remarks in his " Birds of the North-West,"
" The nest of this species has but seldom fallen under the notice
of naturalists." Audubon saw and described one. Prof. Adams
took one, which is now in the museum of IMiddlebury College,
Vermont. Another was seen and examined by Mr. Samuels in
West Roxbury, Massachusetts, in May, 1864. These, so far as I
can learn, are the only records in existence in North America.
Mr. Samuels states that the one examined by him was built in the
fork of a tall pine-tree, near the top, and was constructed of sticks
and twigs, lined with red cedar-bark, leaves, and feathers. It
contained four eggs, measuring from 2.00 to 2 15 inches in length,
by 1.70 to 1.72 in breatlth. These W( re a " dirty yellowish-white,
covered more or less thickly in the different specimens with spots
and blotches of reddish-brown." The bird undoubtedly breeds in
Canada, and I take this opportunity of directing the special atten-
tion of our collectors to it. In mature plumag eit is an extremely
handsome little Buzzard, and (juite different in its colors from any
other American species.

Sl'. Chak. Smaller than any of tl.e preceding. AJnlt. — Entire upper parts umlicr brown,
feathers on llie occi]nit and back of tlie neck while at their bases. Throat white, with longitudinal
lines of brown, and with a patch of brown on each side running from the base of the lower man-
dible ; breast with a wiile l)and composed of large cordate and sagittate sjiots, and transvere bands
of reddish ferruginous tinged with asliy ; other under parts white, with numerous sagittate spo'.s of
reddisli on the llaiiks, abdomen, and tibiic. In some specimens the ferruginous color iiredominiles
on all the under parts, except the under tail coverts, and all the feathers have large circular or ovate
spots of while on both edges, under tail coverts white. (Juills brownish black, widely bordered
with white on their inner webs ; tail dark brown, narrowly tipped with white, and with one wide
band of white and several narrow l)ands near the base.

Young. U|)per parts dull umber brown, many feathers edged with fulvous and ashy white ;
upper tail coverts spotted with white ; under parts white, generally tinged with yellowish, and
having longitudinal stripes and ob'.ong and lanceolate spots o/ brownishdjlack ; a stri|)e of dark
brown on each side of the neck from the base of the under mandible. Tail brown, with several
bands of a darker shade of the same color, and of white on the inner webs and narrowly ti])ped
with while.

Total length — l-'emale . 17 to 18 inches ; wing, 11 ; tail, d'/i to 7 inches.
" Male: 16 to i6>2 " " 10; " 6 to 6;-^ "

Archibuteo Lagopus var. Sancti-Johannis ((hu.) Rinc.

ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD ; BLACK HAWK.

I'LATKS XIV & XV.

" The ([uestion, lonsj^af^itatcd, of the relationshii) of our ' IJIack'
and ' RouL;h-lc<,fgecl ' Hawks ma)' be considered settled in favor of
their specific identity, the Black Hawk being simply the melanotic
condition of the Rough-legged. There is nothing either peculiar
or remarkable in this, melanism being an affection common to
many or most 1 lawks, independent of age, sex, season, or locality,
and analogous to the rusty-n^d plumage of Owls."

This quotation from a recent work of Dr. Coues will suffice,
in introducing the Plates of this much talked-and-written-of Buz-
zard, in two of its stages of plumage. I'hese two, as may be seen
at a glance, are very different, and it is no wonder that the)- have
until (juite recently l)een regarded as belonging to closely allied
specifically distinct birds. Now, however, (1876) our leading
ornithologists seem agreed on this vexed question. Baird and
Ridgway, after long and patient research, end the controversy
by stating — " The Rough-legged Hawk of North America and
the Black Hawk arc the same species, A. sani i'[-joii.\nnis. This
species or race, however, is not the same as that of luirope. (See
Hist. N. Am. Birds, HI., pp. 304-306.)"""' I am of the opinion,
however, that the Black Hawk is the adult bird. The typical
lagopus belongs to Europe ; the variety sandi-johannis to north-
erly North America ; while the melanotic or dark condition or
stage is chielly observed in the middle Atlantic .States, New
England, antl some parts of Canada.

The Rough-legged Buzzard in one or other of its forms, is
frequently met with in Canada, and in our various expeditions we
have collected upwards of thirty specimens. These vai")' greatly,
and were I to write a monograph of this species, fifteen Plates

• Letters from liniril to aullior, dated March lltli, l87f>.

64

ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD— BLACK HAWK.

!1 I

CM-

would be required in order to properly illustrate these thirty
specimens. Accordinij to Richardson this Buzzard arri\es in the
fur countries in April or May and leaves in October. I have
generally observed it in the central portions of Canada about the
latter part of April and Ijeginnini,"- of May, and have; seen but
few individuals later than October. It frecpients the same low
watery localities as is chosen by the Marsh Hawk or Harrier, and
both birds are often seen huntintj totji'ether in the same fields. It
preys larijely upon field-mice, froij^s, snakes and lizards, and
.seldom upon birds. It is a slutrirish and inactive bird during the
day, but towards sundown anil during the twilight is rather ener-
getic in the search for its evening repast. In this respect as
well as in its general mode of flight and capture of its prey, it
much resembles the Marsh Hawk. Indeed I have seen both
these birds actively engaged in hunting long after dark, and fully
agree with Audubon in considering the Rough-leg the most
nocturnal of our F"auomi).i;. These Buzzards are often shot by
the duck hunters, and brought into market for sale, and this
spring (April, 1876) I obtained five specimens from this source.
One of these was in the tlark brownish plumage, and was a very
large individual, the others showed indications of a passage to this
stage. 1 have not met with its nest, and, froni the fact of the
individuals being more numerous with us towards the latter part
of September and Octobc^r, conjecture they nest mainly in the fur
countries and possibly in high latitudes. From their habits we
not unnaturally might expect to fintl them breeding in the same
positions as the Marsh Hawk, but this I have never observed, nor
have I heard of their eggs being taken in Canada. The nest is
said to be ordinarily built of sticks, etc., in a high tree ; but Dr.
Brewer has met with it on cliffs. The eggs are three or four in
number, and measure about 2 'j by i^ inches. In color they
vary from a dull whitish, scarcely marked, to drab or cream)-,
" largely blotched with difterent shades of brown, sometimes
mixed with purple slate markings."

A number of dark individuals have been taken in several
parts of Canada, and the beautiful portrait given on the second

n
fi!

n^

rouc;h-lkg(:f.1) buzzard— ulack hawk.

65

it'.''
I'.'

of llie accompany injr IMatcs, was taken from a particularly dark
bird shot near MonL.cal. These Black Hawks are mentioned
in all ol our local lists as " rare." In I'-uropc this melanism
has not Ixcn ohscrved.

Mr. Reeks kept a bird of this species, taken in Newfoundland
alive, for two months, and fed it almost entirely on trout {saliiio
fontinalis), to which it seemed particularly partial. This same
birtl, howe\ (.;r, " invariably refuseil smelts, eitlu;r dead or alive,
and fresh from the; water." The Rout^h-letj;' is a summer mii^^rant
to Newfoundland, but, Mr. Reeks says, "as a rule remains later
in tin; fall than most of the Palconidie." It occurs likewise in
New Brunswick and Nova .Scotia, and in Labrador. In the
McKenzie River district Ross mentions the Rout^h-lej^ri^ed Hawk
as common as far north as Lapierre's House, and the Black Hawk
as rare northward to .Salt River. They are said to breed in great
numbers to the northward of Great Slave Lake.

..,/',, Since writint,^ the foregoing, aud while this was in press,
I have received an atlditional lot of specimens of the Rough-legged
Buzzard. These were all taken in the Province of Quebec. They
show every stage of plumage from the yonm^-of-lhe-ycar to ap-
parentl)' the fully adult bird — which is of a uniform dark broi^ni
color. Three of them have a great deal of hoary-white on the
crown and hind head, and these are further remarkable for very
broad, black, abdominal belts, and almost unspotted breasts.
There are five specimens labelled " Black Hawks," and these from
the appearance of their bills, feet, claws and wear of feathers, are
evidently birds of many summers. I have now examined twenty-
nine skins of this species, and am fully convinced that the dark
stage is the true adult bird, and not merely " a melanotic condi-
tion." I am also informed that this stage is met with yearly and
during every month of the summer in the low lands and boggy
tracts around Lake St. Peter, Sorel, and Three Rivers ; in the
neighborhood of the Bay of Ouinte, Belleville, Ontario ; and in
the marshes bordering on the Catarac^ui river near Kingston.
Consequently it is only natural to suppose that the bird nests in

66

ROUdH-LKCCKl) HLJZZARI) lil,ACK HAWK.

all these sections. I believe it will yet be discovered that its
nest is built on the jrrouncl or in some low bush.

The ijenus .Inliihitlco, of which this species is the only
representative in Canada, is distint^uishetl by tarsi densely feath-
ered to the toes, but more or less naked and scaly b(;hind ; wings
long and wide; toes short, claws moderate. Individuals larger
than in Ihilco.

Mk

.Si". Char. Ordinary !''orm. Head above yellowish wliite, with reddish-brown slrijies ; back,
SCTpulars, and shorter <|iiills, pale ashy, with partly concealed transverse bands of while and dark
brown, the Litter frei|uentiy pTevailinj; on back ; rump dark mnbir Ix-own ; primaries edj^ed with
ashy ; a lar(;e space on their inner webs at base white ; inider parts while ; throat with dark
brown stripes ; breast with larger s|)0ts and concealed reildish-brown stripes ; abiiomen with
numerous narrow bars of brownish-blatk, most conspicuous on flanks, and tinj^ed with ashy ; tiliiiv
barred transversely with white and dark brown tinged with reddish ; under tail coverts white ;
upper tail coverts white at base, tippal with brownish -black ; tail white at base, with a wide sub-
terminal band of black, and about two other black bands alternating with light cinereous ; under
wing coverts white, with brownish-black spots, and a long patch of ashy-brown on the longer ones.

You'ii^t'r. Light uudier-brown above, nuich edged with yellowish and reiMish white; a wide
band on alxlomen brownish-black ; other under parts yellowish-white, with a few lines and spots of
brownish bl.ick ; ((uills ashy-brown, a large portion of their inner webs white at base, with a sub-
terminal band of light umber-brown, tip white ; tibi.v and tarsi pale reddish-yellow, with stripes
and spots of dark-brown.

Iris pale-brown ; bill slate-color ; cere and feet yellow.

Dark Siagk.

(Probably Irue Adult.)

I'^ntire plumage brownish-black (rarely glossy-black) ; forehead, throat, and large partly con.
cealed spot on occiput, white ; tail with one transverse band of white, and irregular markings of
the .same towards the base ; i|uills with their inner webs white, conspicuous from below ; head
sometimes more or less striped with yellowish-white and reddish-y.llow, and tail sometimes with
several transverse bands of white more or less irregular. liill blackish ; iris, cere, and feet yellow.

Length in all stages : ig.oo to 20.00 ; extent, 50.00 to 5300 ; wing, 15.00 to 17.00 ; tail,
8.00 to 9.00.

il!^

m

Srv.-V ^^\i\^ MIIA'INM', T

1 1 1 ■:

Kites

C.'iiAK. Si/c usually moderate or small ; general form rallier slender and not
strong ; wings and tail long ; bill short, weak, liooked and acute ; tarsi and toes
slender and weak. I'ood i luetly re|)tiies and insects.

This stih-faiiiily comprises those birds coiniiioiily known
as Kiri-s and IIakkikks. It is re[)rcsenicd in Canada by one
genus and a single species.

Gl-.\L'S CIRCUS, LACI'I'liDL.

CiES ClIAR. l''.ice partly encircled l)y a ruff of sliort projecting feathers, as in the Owls ;
liead ralher large ; liill sliorl, compressed, curved from the base ; nostrils large ; wings long,
pointed ; tail long ; tarsi long and slender ; toes moilerate ; claws rather weak,

Cirous Cyaneus var. Hudsonius ( Liiinc.) Si in,.

MABSH HAWK ; HARRIER ; BLUB HAWK.
n, ATI; .\vi.

'I'his commonly mt.'t with I Iawi< frequents our meadows and
lowlantls, ami more particularly such as are in the vicinity of rivers.
Its partiality for moist, boi^jry places has earned for it in some
quarters the e.\pressive but not. v(.:ry elegant name of " Bog-
trotter," while the adult male bird, being exceedingly unlike the
female and young birds, is pretty universally known as the " Blue
Hawk." It is also ordinarily known as the " Brown Hawk,"
this color of plumage being by far the most common ; indeed
there are few collections in Canada which can boast of a specimen
in tlie liglit bluish plumage. Observing the scarcity of the Blue
Hawk, I long ago revolved in i7iy mind -as many others have
clone -the question whether this was not in reality a distinct,
though undoubtedly closely allied, species ; but from the very few
specimens I could find, I was unable to come to any satisfactory
conclusion. Mr. Passmore^ who had collected for years in the

68

MARSH HAWK HARRIKK— m.UK HAWK.

ncMijlil)()rli<)()(l of Toronto, infornuHl iiu,' that he liad iU'V(T seen
a sint^h; imiivuhial in thr l)hi(' phiinai^n'. The lalf Mr. W'm.
Ilunt(;r, who hail coUcctuil Ixith around llaniillon and .Montreal,
had only takiMi oiif or two spt'ciincns. Mr. Mrl 'wraith, also of
I (aniilton, l>y U-ttcr informs nic (hat tin- IMnc I lawks arc c.x-
trcmt'ly rare, perhaps oocurrinj; as one in fifty. Mr. Win.
Coiiper, tiatiiralist, formerly of (Jnebec now of Montreal, records
the same. In my own expeditions between Montreal and the
western extremity of Lake Siijierior 1 have only twice observed
it, and have never been able to s(!cure a specimen. On the (<ther
hand a j,fentleman has n-cently informed me that bhiisli Marsh
Hawks are abundant to the n.'ar of the island of .Montreal, in
the vicinity of Riviere dcs Prairies; and Dr. Bernard (iilpin of
llalifa.N, N. ' states that the Marsh Hawk in all its staj^es
between youu^; and blue adult is common in that Province.

The same scarcity, however, of blue .Marsh Hawks has been
recorded by observers ihrou^hout the I'nited .Slates. ( )ne writer
in the American Naturalist cries out, " Where are the pale-blue
^n-a\' male birds ? We have yet to see the first spi;cimen this
yi^ar. We have never seen a dozeti in so many yi'ars. Is this
absence of maU-' llarrier.s as noticeable elsewhere? 1 lave others
called attention to it ? This species (C". /ludsonins) nidificates in
this State (Mass.), yet e\cn in the neij^diborhood of the nests we
have been unable to hnd llu; male bird." So far as I can asciM*-
tain all the individuals yet oljtained in the blue; plumaj^e have been
males, and should we be disposetl to consider these; as specifically
distinct from our common brown Marsh Hawk, we have next to
inquire What of the females? Are they likewise blue; or do
they resemble the females of the; common species ? The whole
question is yet very perplexinjT, but is not without a parallel in
ornitholoii^ical history. I'or instance we have already reconhxl the
dark or black variety of the Rou^h-lej^jred Buzzard (Ji. /di^opiis),
which up to as recently we may sa) as yesterilay was l)elieved
to be a valid species ; while in the SirigidiC or Owl family we
have yet to notice red stages oi the vScreech Owl (Scops asio)
and Acadian Owl (Nyctixic acadica).

MAkSlI HAWK— HARRIKR HM'K IIWVK

60

To say timl llic liliic Hawk is ilu: li'iu- ailull inalo Marsh
Hawk may i r ma) not Ixj corrt'it : l)iit 1 am ratlu-r incliiu-d to
j^ivu it as a [iliimaj^c occasionally assimicd !>) th<' old male liinl.
To state |)"ositi\ ely. however, that all others are yoiini; and imma-
ture hirtis is simply ahsiird, lor I havi- (^xamineil a niimher of
specimens oi 'vidently fully mature male imlividuals which tlitl
not show the slii^jhtest indication of the bluish j^^u'l). Writers
have- l)( ■ n tod toml of settint;- ilown peculiar and often local con-
ditii>ns ot plumajjje as that of adult or very old iiulividu.ds of a
particular species, <•.;'•. the white and unspotted staj^i' of the Snow
Owl. which 1 know to be occasionall) assumeil as well b)' the
youn- binls ; and ai^ain the red stas^^e of the Screech Owl as
above referreil to which ap[)ears to be indepenilent of either
a;;e or sex. lUu we cannot enlarge, lor the present, therefore,
wr may simply state that in Canada the Marsh Hawk is, with
few exceptions, of umber-brown or li^Iit rufous colors, and that
occasionally the males .issume a lighter and U'ad-j^ray hui:. It
is also sufficient to statt; here that our American bird is a
geoj^^raphical variet)' of the lun-opvan ; and further that in Am-
erica there appears to be a northern and southern variety, namely
luidsoniiis and ii>'.crcns. The species, however, may correctly be
described as iliffused over the whol' of North America from
Mexico to the Arctic regions. It is ecpially abundant on the
coasts of the Pacific as on those of the Atlantic, but as in many
of the other species of the family, the western specimens, am'
especially the youny^ of these, are much bri<^ht(>r-colore(l lli.in
the eastern examples. In luirope and Asia the individuals of
this species also \aiv ,i,n"eatly in plum.a^e ; and Mr. G. R. (iray
in his " Catalogue ot British Hirtls " cites no fewer than tv.enty
synonyms.

The Marsh Hawk or HarritT is amoni;- the " i_t,nioble " birds
of the falconers, but, as Mr. Coues remarks, " is neither a weaklint;
nor a coward, as one may easily satisfy himself by handlini,'- a
winged bird." Though lon<,^-winged, its ili_L,dit is not rapid, but is
accom|)lished by alternate measured (lappiu'^s and low -sailinj^s,
turning and " quartering" the ground, something in the manner of a

1

^-

l!

i 1

n

70

MARSH HAWK HARRIER ItLUK HAWK.

wcll-traintcl ilo^. I'loin this habit has sprunj^^ the term " harrier."
The hiril was a few ji-ars aj^o very ahiiivlant in the low iiu'adows
whicii hortiei on the Laehiiie railroad on tiu; island of Montreal,
and in the neii^hljorhcjod of the whei.-l-hoiise and St. I'ierre ri\'er
orire«'k. 1 haveaiso fre(|iiently met with it on the Nuns' island in
ihr St. Lawrence, oppositt; Montreal, where several pairs nested
rej^iilarly for many years, Its nsual prey consists o\ field mice and
fielil-crickets Iarj,f(!ly. as also froj^^s and snakes, In this ri'S[H;ct, as
well as others, it resemhU-s the Rouj,di-lc;i;^fed Hii//ard (//. /<r<;i)/>us.)
I ha\e never observed it prey upon birds of any description,
allhoiij^h it may possibly do so when tin; former are scarce.
Aiuhibon says that occasi(^nally when impelled by hunger it will
attack palriil^es, [)I()vers, ;ind vw.n ducks ; but such occasions
must l)(! rare. I have examined several whose stomachs were
filled with the fragments of froijs and crickets alone. The Marsh
I lawk hunts lar^^cly durini,^ twilii^dit ami even after dark, ani
during the heat of the ilay is but seldom met with. Its nest has
been variously described by writers as beint,' constructed of moss,
grass, feathers and hair, anil placed on the ground or In a low
bush. In Canada, however, such a record would not be correct
nor sufficiently defmite. I nut with two nests on the Nuns' island,
near Montreal, both of which contained eggs. One of these was
simpl\- a collection of tlrii'd marsh grass, leaves, and a littU.- moss,
depositeil on the grounil, but close to the roots of a small bush,
the branches of which protected and to a great extent concealed
it. In this there were four eggs of a pale greenish or bluish-
white color, without any definite markings, although I observed
something like obscure markings on two of them. These mea-
sured a little less than i 34. inches in length, and in the broatlest
part were a little over i inch. The other nest was close to the
base of a tall clump of weeds and grass, and was entirely con-
structed of dri("d grass, loosely gathered together. This was
much trodden down, and looked as if it had been used for a
number of years. I believe these nests are in many instances
n.'turned to regularly year after year by the same pair of birds,
each time being slightly added to and repaired. This last nest

MAkSH HAWK HAkRII'.K UIXK HAWK,

Tl

conlaiiKHl ihn.-c v.^^^s, of similar ((tlor aiul juopDrlions lo lliose
first iiK:nti()iu;il ; the bluish shade, however, w.ns perhaps more
perceptible in the e^'^s of the second nest. I havi' never observeil
or heard of a nest beinj,' placed in a l)iish off the j^round in Canada,
but Richardson says in his I'auna Horeali Americana, " The natives
informed us that these birds biiilil imlifferentiy on the j^round or
in tile low bushes." My ex|H'rience, however, of the tales told l)y
natives is an) thinj; Init satisfactory ; and I know that in many
instances such informantH delight to color their stories with some-
thinj^r unusual, and to say the least, unlikeh'. It is also astonishin,i{[
what additional information may Ix; j^ained by exhibiting a pluj^'
ot tobacco or a Mask of spirits ; but information so incited is worse
than worthless.

The usual complement of ejrtrs in the nest of the Marsh
1 lawk is from three to five, but more have occnsionalK' be(Mi
fouiul ; three is tin; avcTage number of youiii; hatched. When
a nest has been rol)bed the bird lays a^^ain once or twice, but if
further molested abandons it. Coues i^ives as the measure-
ment of a number of e}4|,rs the following — " 1.S7 by 1.45 , i.(S6 by
1.45; 1. 82 by 1.44; I. So by 1.45; 1.80 by 1.42; they were dull
and white, with the faintest possible jj^reenish shade ; there were
no evident sp(^ts, but much mechanical soilinj,^."

The Marsh Hawk reaches the fur countries towards the latter
end of Apiil and leaves before the end of .Se[)tember. It winters
in the middle and eastern States.

They are particularly abumlant during the month of April in
the low lands around Lake St. I'eter and in the vicinity of Sorel,
where the)' are often shot by duck hunters and brought into our
markets. The Rough-legged Huzzard frcHpients the .same situa-
tions, and both birds are .seen hunting together.

Sp. Char. Ailutt. Entire upi>er parts, he.nl .mil hre.ist, i>ale bliii.sh-cinereotts, on the back
of head mixed with d.irk fidvous ; upper tail coverts while ; l)enealli wliiie, with small cordate or
hastate spots of lijjht ferruginous ; ipiills brownish-black ; their outer webs tinf,'ed with ashy, and a
large portion of their inner webs white ; tail light cinereous, nearly white on the innei webs of the
feathers, ami with obscure transverse bands of l)rown ; its under surface silky-while ; under wing
coverts white.

M I

!' i

72

MARSH HAWK— HARRIICK— BLUi; HAWK.

YminpT. Entiif upper parts ('uU umlicr-browii, many fcallicrs ctlgcil willi dull rufous,
especially on llie neck ; l>eneath dull reildisli-whil"?, willi lon^'iludinal brown stripes, mosl nujiiorous
on front of lliroat and neck ; tibiie tinged with reddish ; upper tail coverts white.

y'oHii.^. I'.nlire upper parts dull umber-brown, except white fail coverts ; beneath rufous with
stripes of brown on breast an 1 sides; tail reddislidirown, with about ihree wi<le bands of dark
fulvous, paler on the inner webs.

Length, 16.00 to 21.1x5 ; extent. 37.00 to 45.00 ; wing, IJ. 50 to 15.50 ; tail, 9.C0 to lo-oo.
Bill blated)lue ; iris, core, and feet, yellof.

» '

•

ii

Sri!-I'AMii.v AOUILIN.^., Tiik I'A(;i,i:s.

CiiAK. Size Kirge, and all parts very strongly organized. Bill large, com-
pressed, straight at base, curved and acute at tip ; wings long, pointed ; tail ample,
general!)' rounded ; tarsi moderate, very strong ; claws uuich curved, very sharp
aid strong.

There are said to lie ahout seventy species of E.uii.Ks, of all
countries, hut this is probably considerably in e.xcess of the true
number. It has recently been determined that in the United
States and Canada there are — excluding- the Ostrkv — but two
species ; the " iiird of Washington " (If. ]Vaihingtomi, Aud.^
being now conside.-ed as simply the young- of the: Hai.d or Wiiitk-
iii:ai)i;i) I-Iaclk.

11

CiEMS AQUILA, MoKllKlNC.

(iKN. Chak. (iencral form voiy ir^c .Mnl sirunf;, .nml ailapteil to loiij; continued and swift
flight, Hill liirfje, slronj;, conipresst-n, and hooked al the li|> ; winf;s lon{j, pointed ; tarsi rather
short, very strong, feathered to the toes ; claws sharp, strong, curve<l.

This genus is thought to include tx^enty specie.s, and these
are regarded as the true luigles.

Aquila Chrysaetus, Linn.j-u.s.

THE GOLDEN EAGLE: RING-TAIL.
I'l.VTK XVII.

This is the .h/iiila Canadensis of Cassin, Baird, and most
late local American writers, the American bird having until com-
paratively recently becMi consiilered as spc:cifically distinct from
the A. chrysactos of Europe and Britain.

The Golden Eagle is described in most ornithological works
as rare. Richard.son and vSwair.son in their Eauna Borcali Am-
ericana restrict it to the " recesses of the sub-alpine coimtry which
skirts the Rocky Mountains," ar 1 stal;: that it "is seldom seen

J

J 31

,£.

74

THK (iOLDliX MVdLK- RINfC-'lAII-.

FIk

! ■

farther to the eastward." and Pennant and Latham give it as an
inhabitant of Hudson's Hay. lUit since these records were written
ornithology has made rapid strides, and our knowledge of the
distribution of this noble specie.; has greatly increased. Although,
perhaps, " more particularly a species of boreal and Alpine dis-
tribution," it also has an extensive dispersion in the Canadas and
the Lhiited States, being m('t with southward to about t,^\
Northward it ran<;c;s to the Arctic coast and beyond. The
Gouien Eagle delights in solitude ; it universally selects for its
nesting site some almosi., if not absolutely, inaccessible situation,
generally far irom the dwelling of man. Here, in some towering
kdge of moss-covered rock, it con .lucts its nest and rears its
eagle-brood, year after )'ear for great though unknown-periods
of time. We have heard wonderful stories of the great age to
which somi pairs of these birds have livetl, and nests have been
pointed out to us which were said to have been occupied regularly,
by the same individuals, during upwards of one hundred years.
Hut who has not licard such stories ? Possibly in some such
out-of-the-way suuations as the nub-alpine recessc i of the Rocky
■\lountai.: ;, where the foot of man seldom treads, some of the.se
birds may attain to this age, and return regularly to the same
nest. Hut in Canada and the bordering United States we may
N'enture to state that to-day there are few places where the Golden
I'^agle could retain his eyiy, for even the space of a few years,
V ithout being discovered and destroyed. The oldest bird of this
species which !ias come under my notice is that figured on Plate
XV H. This individual is known to have lived for thirty-five years
in confinement, and was when captur{;d between three and t\vt^ yeais
old. Its leath was brought about by a gathering in the throat,
and at a time when the bird was in full vigor and had the prospect
before him of a very old age. Throughout his whole captivity he
tamed but little, and there were few besides his keeper, Mr.
Passmore, who could approach him. He evincetl a special an-
tipathy to children, and particularK" to babes in the arms of nurses.
Mr. Passmore several times atttMiipted to mate him with some
other eagles of the .same species in his possession, but without
success, every attempt of this kind resulting in a terrible conflict,

.»;i,

THE GOLDEN EAGLK— RING-TAIL

76

and once in the death of his would-be mate. On one occasion
a labon;r, who had been at work for Passmore, detenninetl to ob-
tain some of the leathers of this Eagle which were lying on 'he
floor of his large cage, thinking they could l.)e [)ut to some (orna-
mental use at home. I Ic; therefore boldly entered, and without
more ado commenced to gather the most perfect of these. While
thus erigageil, antl when stooping, the lierce bird poiuiccxl upon
him, an<.l drove his talons through his garments, inflicting a iUtvp
scratch on his back. The man beat ;• hasty nlreat to the door of
the cage, and Mr. Passmore happening to arri\e on the scene, the
bird was beaten off", taking with him, however, as a war trophy, a
large portion of the man's vest and shirt. The memory oi' this
Eagle was astonishing, lie remembered ever)- insult offered to
liim for )ears, anil always coupled it with the real offender, Mr.
Passmore informs me that on oi;e occasion his son went out to
feed the ICagle, and when offering the bird the meat, it took it
so (fuickly from him that his fmgers barely escapinl injury.
I^nraged at this, he seized a stick and struck the bird on the head.
This the bird at once resented and made desperate efforts to
reach him through the bars of liis cag(.\ ami tor weeks after refused
to take food from this man's hands. Mr. I'assmore's son shortly
after this left for Australia, where he remained three years. On
his return to Montreal he again paid a visit to his old irien 1 the
Eagle, the existence of which he had almost forgotten. Hut the
bird had not forgotten him, for Mr. Passmore tells me hv. at once
tlew into a terrible paroxysm of rage at th(' first sight of the
offender, refused his meat, and made desperate attt^mpts to break
through the bars of his cage. On several occasions in Toronto
this same Eagle managtxl to get loos, and would proceed on a
reconnoitring tour through the neighboring grounds. Me, however,
invariably returned before evening to his own c[uarters. Before
rainy weather the Golden Eagle is said to make a singular yelp-
ing or barking noise, which is kept up at short intervals until the
rain sets in. In this way the bird figured foretold in a most
marked manner the approach of storms so truthfully in fact that
Mr. Passmore and his bird were always consulted by the neighbors
before an excursion into the country was undertaken.

f-'l

^^

76

THE COLDFA' EAGLE—RING-TAII,

p! !

|.

I have never yet (Iurin<^f aii) expedition met with this Eagle
in its eyry ; I)ut have c xaniined, and niatle lon^" journeys on pur-
pose tc examine, some of their abandoned nesting sites. One of
these was located on the great Hastings Road in Ontario, and in
proximity to the York branch of the; Madawaska rivcT. Here in
a ledge; in the face of an abrupt walldikc cliff known far and near
as the " Eagles Nest ClitT," a pair of Eagles had built a large nest
ami occupied it regularly for a great number of years. Old settlers
related stories told them l)y their parents concerning this nesting
site, but all that I could delinitely learn was that some thirty )ears
before my visit to the place (1867) one, or both of the birds, had
been killed, and none had since been seen near it. Another nest-
ing site, but likewise now abandoned, was some miles to the
eastward ot that just mentioned, and in a pn^cipice or wall of rock
rising from the waters of Mazinaw Lake in Harrie township. 'I'his
we reached by the Addington road, running northward from Nap-
anee, and which skirts the western shore of the lake just named.
The " Mazinaw Cliff" is also a far-famed object. It rises abruptly
from the water to the height of about 265 feet, anil its face is
ornamented with Indian paintings and hieroglyphics. Here also
one or more pairs of these birds had been in the habit ot resorting
to raise their young ; but long previous to our visit to the locality
the inroads of the lumber-men had frightened them off to parts
even more rugged and remote, b'rom " Mazinaw CliiT" the country
on all sides is occupied by high bare hills of red granite and gneiss,
and is o( the most rugged and barren description. It must have
at one time been a grand resort for the Golden Eagle, and from
what I have gathered from old settlers in these jjarts, the birds
had been unusually abundant. The (lolden I'.agle, however, is yet
occasionally seen hovering over the " Opeonga Hills," in eastern
Ontario ; and to the northward of the Ottawa river it is of occa-
sional occurnMice. I have seen several beautiful specimens brought
into Belleville fron: the back country, but from what particular
part I could not ^^scertain. Several have also been tak(;n in the
vicinity of Toroi.to, Three Rivers, Ol. l^.., .■■:■< 'he north shore
of the .St. Lawrence. Mr. j. M. I m! ■>! 'e of Qt.-i sends me an
account of the capture of four of the'u ■ 1 ■g.'i: ■ <; ;■ ! agles at St.

THK COLDEN EAdLE— RENG-TAIL

77

Urbain, county of Cliarlevoix, near Baie St. Paul, in iS68. They
were caiii,dit under fit^ure 4 traps, inacle out of a crockery crate.
The bait used was a Hvc hen and chickens, tied by the le^- to the
crate. The Eagles circUng round, swooped to the ground, and
the; hen and chickens seeing the spoiler, retreated under the crate,
when, the F.agle pursuing, the person in ambush [Killed the string,
and the crate fell over the victim ; meanwhile the hen and chickens
rushed out through thi- interstices, leaving their would-be ravisher
inside a "victim of misplaced confidence." b'our fine I'^agles were
thus caught in one season, and Mr. Lemoine became the purchaser
of two of them. These he ke[)t in captivity for thirteen months,
and evdTitually sold them to Capt. Rooke of the 52nd Regt. , who
carried them to J'^ngland. The last Mr. Leinoine heard of them
was through a paragraph in "The I'ield " newspaper, extolling
their be-nity. Further particulars respecting the ca[)ture and bear-
ing of these birds may be found in " Maple Leaves."

Mr. Wni. Couper, to whom reference has i)reviously been
made, informs me that some line adult specimens of the Golden
Eagle have been shot near Quebec. The same person also
records its occurrence, from personal observation, on the south
coast of Labrador in June, and remarks that it probably breeds
there.

Mr. Mcllwraith of Hamilton does not mention its occurrence
near that city, but alludes to the individua obtained near Toronto
by Mr. Passmore, and states, " Its home, however, is in the
mountainous regions of Canada I'^ast, and its visits here are few
and uncertain."

I have myself met with it in tlie Chateaugua)' district, amongst
the mountains and lak(is bordering on the'State of New York, and
in the vicinity of the Owl Mead Mountain, Lake Ab^mphremagog.
In this section it has been tolerably al)undant. but of late years
few have been observed. In winter it has been met with as far
south as Washington, D.C, where, according to Coues and Dr.
Prentiss, specimens were obtained for several years running. In
the museum of the Smithsonian Institution are several that were

78

TUK GOLDEN EAGLE— RING-TAIL

procured in the Washington market. In northern New York and
in the mountainous portions of Maine, New Hampshire ami Ver-
mont, accordino- to Dr. Brewer, it has been oi)served to breed, but
so inaccessible is die position or site chosen that but few collectors
have been so fortunate as to procure the eggs. Dr. Bryant met
with a single individual of this species at Bras D'Or in the Gulf of
St. Lawrence. In Nova Scotia there are several instances of its
occurrence, but Dr. J. iiernard Gilpin records it as rare. He
mentions om^ that was kept in confmement for several years b\-
the late Dr. X'anBuskirk ; a pair tra])ped in the eastern counties
by Mr. Downs ; two other mounted specimens in St. John, N.B.,
;' id a ry line ' ''n' killed at Pictou by a woman. Dr. Gilpin
further remarks : — '• The adult bird is easily distinguished, and in
the young the feathered tarsi, absence of scutellatiori on the tarsi,
paler color, and less robust, or, as it were, less fatty look of legs
and toes, distinguished it from the young of the bald. The most
distinguishing mark on tliose I liave seen was the |)rolongation of
the loose' feathers or hackles from the front and sides of the head
to the shoulders. Thc^se, tippixl with pale golden, and semi-erect,
gave the bird a handsome crest, and added much to the intrepid
look and stern e\e, brow, and well curved, well hooked l)eak. The
other parts were deep liver brown, the primaries black, and the
shoulders rather lighter than the back." Dr. Gilpin also mentions
some facts relating to this bird in captivity, illustrating its fere city.
The one we have alluded to as kept by Dr. VanBuskirkwas e.x-
ceedingly fierce. It attacked anybody approaching it. striking
their legs and ankles with its talons. " This same bird pounced
upon and seized a large tom-cat that was attracted under his
perch by the fragments of meat dropped about, and immediately
devoured it, paying not the slightest heed i its frantic cries and
desperate contortions."

The eggs of the GoUlen liagle have not to my knowledge
been taken in Canada. Even in 1857 Dr. Brewer had no Amer-
ican specimens for description. There are, however, now in the
Smithsonian Institution at Washington "no less than a dozen
examples," and of these Coues gives the following notice : —

THK flOLDEN EAdF.K— RING-TAII,.

79

" Tlu! (\Lrjj[s arc about splu'rical, the detjiX'c of prolation being
sliglit, and then- bcint^- usually no appreciable difference in the
shape of the op|)osite ends. I'our selected specimens measure,
respective!)-, 2.65 by 2.15 ; 2.90 by 2,40; 3.00 by 2.;,5 ; 3.10 by
2.25 ligurt^s illustrating both the difference in absolute size and
the variation in shape. None are so largt! as the one said by
Audubon to have been 3.50 by 2.50; but I can readily beli(!ve that
such dimensions are sometimes reached. Among the twelve, only
one is \vliit<' and unmarked ; this closely resembles a liakl [•".agle's.
The rest are whitish (white shaded just perce|)tii)ly with neutral
tint), variously spotted and splashcttl. without the slightest ap-
proach to uniformity in the size, number, or pattern of the
markings. The color ranges from ' bloody-brown,' or rich sienna,
to bistre and umber. There are man\' other spots, more or less
obscure, and all apparently below the surface, showing grayish,
tlrab, pur[)lish, and neutral tint, by overlaying of the whitish cal-
careous matter in different thicknesses. Most of the markings are
sharp edged and distinct, but others shade off gradually, while
many are confluent, making irregular patches. As a rule they are
pretty evenly distributed, but in some specimens are chiefly gath-
ered about one or the other end, where the coloration consequently
becomes continuous."

nf

ill

m

i .ji

t

Si'. Char. Head ami netk beliiml light l)r()wni.sh-fulvous, varying in sliade, frequently light
jellowisli, gener.illy liarker ; tail at base white, oflcn for the greater ])art of its length : the ter-
minal portion glossy black; other parts ricli imrplish-brown, frequently very da-'k, nearly clear
black on under parts of body ; primaries shining black ; stcondarits piirpi sh-brown : til i.e and
tar»i bro\vni>h lulvous, generally mixed with dark asliy.

K(i««<,'<7-. Kntire plumage lighter, and mixed with dull fulvous; under part- of bcxly nearly
uniform with upix-r.

Length, 30.00 to 40.00 ; wing, 20.00 to 25.00 ; tail, 12.00 to 15.00.

Iri.s brown, liill horn-color ; cere and feet yellow.

ii

I

MM

PMPi

Genus HALIAKTUS, Savionv.

(lEV. CllAK. Si/.e Iarj;c ; tarsi ^hort: nakeil, or runlhfri;il for a sliori ilislance lielow llu- joint
of the tiliia' and tarsm, and witli the toes covered with scales ; toes rallier lont; ; claws very stront'i
curved, very sharp. Dill larr •, very strong, compressed ; nuir},dn of upper mandil)le sli^ntly lolied ;
winijs lonj;, pointed ; tail moderate. C ;i»eral fcjrm very rol)Ust and powerful ; flii^lr. very rapid
ami long continued.

This jrciius contains some; ten or dcven species only, inhabit-
ing various [)arts of the world. Thcsi; all suljsist more or less on
.fishes, and hence are desi^mated iMshin^^ or .Sea Eagles. One
only inhabits Canada.

fl

I ''^

Haliaetus Leucocephalis, SAVIGN^■.

BALD EAGLE; WH TE-HEADED EAGLE.
ri.ATK XVIll. (Irontlsplccc.)

There is no end to the accounts of strange Eagles given b}-
travellers and naturalists, and had this book been undertaken but
comparatively a few years ago, I should have been sorely puzzled
to have found specimens illustrative of the numerous s:cpposi'd
species and varieties. We now, however, ':now that in Canada
and the United States there are but two species of Eagles, namely,
the Golden Eagle and the White-headed or Bald Eagle, all others
being nothing more than immature individuals of both or either of
these species, or in some rare instances accidental \arieties.

The beautiful plate herewith presented of the Hald Eagle is
taken from one of the finest preserved specimens I have yet met
with in Canada, lent for this work by Dr. John Hell of Montreal.
It is a noble portrait, however, of a " mean " bird, and I regret
exceedingly that its misplaced title of " Bird of Ann^rica " obliges
me to place it as a Frontis])iece to the present work. Much
rather would I ha\e chosen the intelligent and industrious Firh
Hawk or Ospre)-, u[)on whose hard earned booty the Bald Eagle
largely subsists. In making this statement I am not merely re-

Ir t

82

HALI) K.\C;i-K— WHITK-HKADKU KACLK.

<ch()ini( what others have written on tiie same subject, hut am
lionestK' th'awinj^ from my own experience of the habits and J4en-
(.•ral disposition of both birds.

,.

1

I'he Hald Eai^le is numerous throughout the whole of Canada,
and the fur countries, to the shores of the Arctic sea. It Hkewise
extends across the continent from ocean ji ocean, and is i<nown
to breed as far south as Washington, D.C. It is abundant along
the Atlantic sea-board of the Eastern States, and particularly so
along the coast of Maine, where its large nest in some lofty tree
often forms a conspicuous land-mark. It also e.xtends throughout
the coasts of New Hrunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland,
where it is commonly known to the fishermen as the " Cirepe."
llt-nce it extends across the Ciulf of the; .St. Lawrence, breeds on
Anticosti, inhabits the coasts of Labrador, and eventually reaches
(Ireenland and Iceland. In these e.xtreme latitudes it extends
westward along the Arctic coasts, and Ross gives it as common in
the McKenzie River district to the shores of the Arctic sea.
From Great Slave Lake across to Lake .Superior and Huron, it
is particularly numerous, and breeds in all suitable places ledges
of rock and trees alike throughout this region. It is also a very
frequently met with species along the immetliate shore and islands
of the two lakes last named, and its nests are often found b\ the
hunters, surveyors and nativc^s. Prof. R. Hell informs me that
the young of this Eagle are much esteemed as an article of food
b)- both natives anil hunters, and that he has himself assisted at
such a meal.

The Bald Eagle also occurs throughout the area occupied by
Lake Ontario and across the country again, in the vicinity of all
the large lakes and prominent rivers to the waters of the Ottawa,
I have observed it also near the mouth of the Cataracjui river,
close to Kingston, and northward along this river and chai. of
lakes -the Rideau Canal — to Smith's Ealls. In the mountaii\ous
Laurentian country, to the northward of Ottawa city, it occasionally
is met with in the vicinity of the Gatineau, Lievre and Rouge
rivers, as well as some of the larger lakes through the intermediate

HAI.l) KACil-lv-WHrrK-MKAUKD EAGLK.

88

country, hut throii^^hoiit this rcj^ion it is by no means an ahunilant
l)ii'il. I'roni Lake Ontario it is inore or k-ss ahunihmt aloni; the
the valley of the St. Ivawrence outwartl to the (iiill, where we
have alreaily noticed its occurrence.

The Hall! I-'ai^fJi; feeds largely upon fish a fact recorded by
every writer -which it obtains |)artly by plunilerinj^ the Fish
Hawk, but not to the i xtent generally supposed. It undoubtedly
tishes for itself- when huni,n'y anil not too lazy for I have
repeatedly seen it plun_L;e after its finny pre) in prc;cisely the same
iiianner as the I'^ish Hawk. On one occasion, on Mud Lake, near
the villajre of Newboroujj^h, on thi; Rideau, a Balil Laj^le descended
with terrible velocity and struck the water within half s^un-ran^-e
of our canoe with a tremendous splash and noise. The bird dis-
appeari;d entirely from view for the. space of two or three secontls,
when he ajj^ain reappeared with j^^reat lloundi'rinj^^ and extracted
himself from the water with a[)parent difficulty, in his talons was
a larije fish, I ihoutjht a sucker, which was grasped close by the
head. In his upward flight the I'^agle several times checked
himself, to shake out 1 is ruflled feather^ antl n-move the water,
and then, with rather labored tliglu, betook himself to a tree in a
tract of drowned wood-land close by. On another occasion we
witnessed two of these birds fishing, or taking turns at fishing, at
the foot of the High Falls, Calabogie Lake, and observeil them
carrying their victims off in the direction of Dixon's Mountain —
the local name for a high bluff of red gneiss rock, which skirts
the western side of this lake. Several times we have witnessed
and verified for ourselves the pursuit, capture, and plundering of
the L'ish Hawk by the Hald Eagle ; but so has everyone who
has journeyed by our " forest and stream " i+i Canada. One
instance of this in particular may be recorde*.!. Two large Eagles
of this species together gave chase to a female Osprey or Fish
Hawk, which but a moment before had succeeded in capturing 'a
good sized lak(' trout. On iirst hearing the shrill screams of its
pursuers, the poor bird made desperate efforts by straight llight
to reach the drowned wood-lands in which its nest and young
were located ; but long before it reached these its course was inter-

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84

BALD EAGLE— WHITE-HEADED EAGLE.

ceptcd by one of the Entitles, wliile the other made repeated and
fierce stoojj.s at it fro'ii above. The Fish Hawk, however, still
held on firmly to its prize, and made repeated attempts to baffle
the onsets of the Eagle, in many of which it was successful. Before
long both birds had risen to a ^reat height —the one alternatingly
surmounting the other ; but we could still detect every now and
then the gleam of the fish in the sunlight. Suddenly, the Fish
Hawk was seen to descend with great velocity towards the \vater,
and we thought the poor bird had been struck, and perhaps mor-
tally wounded. It, however, as .suddenly checked its downward
course, and the Eagle which had as quickly followed it, shot past
and far below it ; and now once more the pursued bird made
straight for its nesting site, but again was intercepted by the
other Eagle, which made desperate by the protractedness of the
chase, struck fiercely at it with piercing screams. Baffled on every
side, wearied antl blinded with the repeated ])uffettirigs of the
Eagles, the Fish Hawk, with a .scream of rage, let go its prize,
which fell head long towards the water. This one of the Eagles
as quickly followed, and, getting below it, turned upon his back
and caught it in mid-air. Both birds then flew off with shrieks of
delight with their ill-gotten booty.

Not always, however, is the Bald Eagle thus triumphant in the
chase, and many a ti.ne have I seen the Fish Hawk far outstrip
him in flight, and carry her prize off in safety. On such occasions
the fury of the Eagle has no bounds, and he continues on the
wing for hours, all the while screaming with rage.

Although fond of fish, the Bald F2agle has many other tastes,
anrl these he satisfies as occasion .serves. P'rom what I have seen
of him myself, and from what I have heard from others, I believe
that he will devour anything which can be eaten, and this whether
li\ingor dead; a tom-cat, however —such as we described in the
preceding article as forming the repast of a Golden Eagle — would
be altogether too much for the Bald I'2agle, for he is an arrant
coward. Weak and sickly animals he will at once attack, and
vulture-like, gouge out their eyes. Rotten fish and animals he

|M|I*I

BALD EAGLE— WHrrE-HP:ADP:D EACLt:.

85

will sometimes so gorge himself on as to be incapable of llight ;
and instances are on record in which he has given chase to a
vulture or turkey buzzard, and compelled it to disgorge its stom-
achful of filth to satisfy his o\ n gross appetite. Trul)' a noble
bird to choose as the emblem of a great nation ! b'ranklin, while
regretting that this bird had been so chosen, consoled himself
with the reflection that few knew its portrait from that of the
Turkey he must have meant the Turkey vulture ; and certainly
its heavy build ami many of its habits place it rather with these
unsightl)' birds than with the Eagles.

The adult liald Eagle, such as figured in the appended plate,
is not the form most commonl) met with, but rather the " (iray
I'^agles " and so-called " Birds of Washington," which are its young
stages, 'i'hese, as in the case of the young of the Fish Hawk,
are considerably larger than the adult bird ; but after the first
moult the wing and tail feathers never again acquire their former
dimensions. This fact -true also as regards a number of the
balconidu- has li;d to much controversy respecting the sj^ecific
identity of indivitluals, c\£:, Audubon's " Bird of Washington," only
recently determined to be the young of the Bald b.agle. Audu-
bon's figure, however, differs considerably from any specimen since
taken, and as the l)ird from which his drawing was made does not
seem to have been preserved, nothing more can be gathered
respecting it. Many of the habits, given by Audubon as dis-
tinguishing his " Bird of W'ashington " from the Baid I'^agle are
now known to belong as well to this last bird ; for instance the
habit of clinging to and nesting in cliffs.

The Bald Eagle does not assume his adult plumage until
after his third moult, that is in the fourth year ; but the birds of
the second year breed. Thus to the surprise of ornithologists the
" Brown"' turned into " Bald" Eagles in the fourth year, and these
and the Golden Eagles were at last found to be the only repre-
sentatives of the A(piilin(C in Canada and the United States.

Dr. J. Bernard Gilpin of Halifax, N.S., has made the beagles
of that Province a spe.cial study, and has examined a great number
of specimens. He says, in determining our young specimens, and

86

BALD EAGLE— WHITE-HEADED EAGLE.

H

I

preventinjTf them from being confounded together, or even with
the Albicilla or Sea h^agle of luirope, which occurs in dreenland
■ — and one might occur here the scutelhi or large scales on the
feet and toes are the best tests. The Golden l^agle has none on
the legs, and about three on each toe ; the Bald Eagle has usually
five on the leg, five on the inner toe, from eleven to thirteen upon
the middle, eight upon the outside, and five upon the behind toe.
These vary, especially upon the middle toe, and upon the leg ; but
a series of perhaps thirty gives this approximation. The greatest
variation occurs upon the tarsi on the leg, and though nearly every
specimen has five lateral scales upon tin; front, yet in some they
are so small and obsolete that they have to be looked for, whilst
in others they are very large, and e.xtend nearly to the joints of
the front toes, as in Audubon's figure. This difference, Dr. Gilpin
says, is especiall) to be noticed, because Audubon makes " scutel-
lation on tarsi and toes continuous with their length," a specific
mark of his great Brown Eagle, //. Jl'as/iingtoniensis, and he
figures it so in his great work.

In fine, in any plumage our two Eagles may be at once dis-
tinguished by the legs, namel)-, feathered to the toes, Atpdla
chrysa'ctus ; naked on the whole shank, Haliiictiis leucoccphaltis.
The nest of the Bald Eagle is large and loosely constructed of
sticks from three to five feet in length — turf or moss and rank
marsh grass. Sometimes these are five and six feet in diameter,
and being repaired and added to annually, grow to prodigious
proportions. The eggs are from three to four, dull white, and, are
unmarked ; they are 3 inches long by ...50 inches broad ; but this
size is subject to the same variations, as shown to belong to those
of the Golden Eagle.

Si'. Char. ././;//' Head, t,iil,.nnil its upper and under coverls, white; rest of plumage
l)ro\vnisli-l)lack, generally with the edj^cs of the feathers paler. Bill, feet, and iris yellow.

i'l'ititi;-!!-. Kntire plumage lark brown ; paler on the throat, edges of the feathers paler or
fulvoi's, especially below ; tail more or less mottled with white, which, as ag'; advances, extends
over a large portion of the tail, especially on the inner webs, liill brownish-black ; iris brow n.

Length, 30.00 to 43.0c ; extent, 78.00 to 88.00; wing, 20.00 to 25.00; tail, ij.oo to 15.00.

This bird is accidental in Europe. . '-

mm

Gkxus PANDION, Savf

CSV.

CJen. Char. Winj;s very long ; geiKral fuiin heavy ; liill sliort, curved frvim tlie base, com-
pressed : tarsi very thick ami s'rong ; covered by small circvdar scales ; claws large, curved very
sharpj; soles ol fetl very rough ; tail moderate and rather short ; cere hispid ; nostrils oblic|Ucly
curved : outer tue versatile.

This genus is represented in America by Init one species —
the Osprey or Fish Eagle. This is one of the man)' species of
Raptores which, at one time supposed distinct from their Euro-
pean congeners, are now considered to be the same.

Pandion Haliaetus (^ /,///;/. J CuviEK.

OSPREY ; FISH HAWK.
TLATK XIX.

This intelh'gent, active, and hard working Ijird is abundantly
diffused throughout Canada and the whole of North America. In
1826 Bona])arte wrote respecting it: " It inhabits almost every
part of the globe near waters ; much mon; common in North
America than in luirope." Siibsecjuently, however, the same
writer, in his " (Geographical and Comparative List of the Birds
of Europe and the United States," appears to have changed his
opinion, as he calls the American Fish Hawk Pandion Carolinensis,
and gives its habitat as " America generally." Other writers have
since established other races, varieties or species, namely, the
West Indian and South American as one. the Asiatic as another,
and the Australian. The Fish Hawk of the whole of America,
however, is to-day again reunited with the Osprej- of the Old
World, althou.gh for fifteen years these birds have been considered
as distinct by the majority of American authors.

The I'^ish Hawk arrives on the coasts of New York and New
Jersey towards the la'cter part of March, and .shortly afterwards
appears in Canada and extends rapidly through the fur countries
to the Arctic ocean. It frequents lakes, rivers, cascades, and

88

OSPRKY— FISH HAWK.

rapids, and appears to delight particularly in rocky situations.
Ininiciliatrly upon its arrival in Canada it may be observed in
the neighborhood of our great lakes, actively engaged in selecting
a nesting site. This is almost invariably in a tret;, situated in an
open and conspicuous position. An old nest is often re-occupied,
and when necessary, repaireil. It is constructetl of long sticks,
moss, grass, roots, and lorack collected from the lake shores. 1
have met with this bird abundantly on each of our expeditions, not
only in thi' valley,s of the St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers, but as
well throughout the intermediate country, and in tin; mountains to
the north of the last mentioned river. I have already alludetl
to this bird in my account of the Hald I^agle, and may here simply
add that it is met with in the same regions as the latter. In the
McKenzie River district it is also common, and extends to the
Arctic coast. It, however, does not api)ear to breed on the " Barren
Grounds " north of the Churchill ; and Richardson did not observe
it during his coasting voyage along the shores of the Arctic sea.
Pennant informs us that it is abundant in Kamtscliatka, and it is
probaljjy e([ually so on the Pacific coast of North America. Thus
being likewise found on the Labrador coast, its range may be
given as across the entire continent, from ocean to ocean. It is
rather a timid and retiring bird, l)ul is able to defentl its eyry with
great spirit, and when wounded is anything but an easy bird to
handle. It never feeds on carrion ; indeed \Vilson goes so far as
to state — " It is singular that the I lawk (Osprey) never descends
to i)ick up a fish which he hapi^ens to drop, either on the land
or on the water. There is a kind of abstemious dignity in this
habit of the Hawk, superior to the gluttonous \oracity displayed
by most other birds of prey, particularly the Brdd Eagle, whose
piratical robberies committed on the present sj^ecies have been
alread\- full)- detailed in treating of his history." But, alas ! for this
" abstemious dignity," it is not sup[)orted by fact. The Fish Hawk
will descend after a fish when he has dropped it — which he seldom
does, however — and takes good care that his second grasp is more
secure than the first. He will even condescend to pick up a stray
fish wounded, or dead, which may happen to attract his keen eye,
as it floats, white side uppermost, down the stream. On one

■

OSPREY— FISH HAWK.

89

occasion, on cleaniiij^r out our canoe after a day's fishing o.' Miitl
Lake, on lli<' Rideaii, we threw out a number of large suckers,
which had l)een caught earl)- in the day, and started for the village
of Newhorongh. These fish remained lloating on the surface of
the water, antl their white bellies and red fins formed conspicuous
objects. 1 lardly hatl our canoes got well untler way again wlien
three l""ish Hawks llew directly to the spot, reconnoitreil the tloating
fish for a few minutes and then without more ado descended, ami
each bore awaj- a [)riz(;. I have never, however, seen a taiiilcd
fish .so taken up, although such were lloating for da\s wlieri' bish
Hawks were numerous.

I further place little faith in the stories told of this i)ird attack
ing fish largiM- than its strength will allow it to carr\- off. .Such
stories certain!)- help to garnish an illustratetl work on Natural
History. I)ut if not sujjported by fact the sooner they are weeded
out and forgotten tht' better. My own experience convinces mi'
that the I'ish Hawk only att(.:mpts moderate sized captures. I
have .seen one hover for a long time over a rather large |Mke, anil
finall)' f1)- off without attempting a stoop, although the bird evidentl)-
felt much inclineil once or twice to make the attempt. Trout,
suckers and perch, and occasionally cat-fish, an- its most usual
prey, ar.d these all of moderate size. l^ven shotiUl the bird
sometimes be im[)elled b)- hunger to seize a large and power
ful fish, 1 verv much doubt the abilitv of any such fish to dra*--
under water and iIro\vn a iluttering Fish 1 lawk, whose extent of
wing ranges from si\t)--four to sixty-eight inches. I should like
to see the struggle, and note the seconds such a fish coukl retain
such a bird under water. Besides, why shoukl the I'ish Hawk be
obliged to retain his hold. I le certainl)' ought to \w\^ no difiiculty
in loosing his grasp — for his talons: are not l)arl)ed unless indeed
his high spirit and "abstemious dignit)- " prefers death to th<.'
relinquishing of his i)rey. Wilson, who records this improbable
occurrence — and other writers have re-proiluced his story — also
.says : " The bodies of sturgeon and of several other large fish,
with a I''ish Hawk grappled in them, have at different times been
found dead on the shore, cast up by the waves." I would simply

?{ i '%: Is

'm:\.

mm

90

OSPREY— FISH HAWK.

add that from my knowledLje of our Canadian bird, l;c is not so
foolish. In sei/.inij a tish the I'ish 1 lawk hut seldom disappears
under the water, and then only for an instant, when perhaps his
prey has been deeper than calculated upon. More generally he
barely seems to break the water, nor does he stoop from a great
height, as some writers describ(.', but stations himself at a very
moderate distance above the water, where, with (juickiy vibrating
wings, he watches the movements of his " finny prey. "

Near the villages of Newborough and Westport, on the Rideau
canal, numbers of Fish Hawks breed yearly. I have counted
thirteen of their nests from one stand point. All of these were
built on dead, branchless trees, in a tract of drained wood land
close to the canal. Several of those which we examined as closely
as the nature of the ground would permit — appeared to be largely
made of bleached branches, dried grass and moss, and were lined
with feather.s. In one there was a great deal of paper in the form
of show-bills, which probably had been dropped from a passirig
steamer. In another the moss was green, and there appeared to
be inserted between the sticks a considerable cjuantity of fresh
earth and green, growing grass. The number of eggs in the nest
is from two to four ; they are larger than ordinary hens' eggs, and
vary greatly in color. Some are whitish, others yellowish cream-
color, and others again reddish. They are all more or less marked
with blotches and spots of reddish brown, but some very much
more than others. Indeed it is difficult to find four or even a less
number exactly alike.

In the mountain-lake region, about loo miles to the north of
the island of Montreal, according to Mr. Wm. Couper, the iMsh
Hawk is very abundant and nests. He says the young are fully
developed by the end of September.

The Fish Hawk is also common in Newfoundland'arriving
in May and retiring in the early part of October. It builds there
" in trees in the extensive woods, either near the sea-coast or on
some inland lake." _ , ,.

■■■■■■■■■•■"I»'^'"'^~-'

OSI'RKY— FISH HAWK.

91

Both Wilson and Audubon considered the American and
European Osprey to he identical.

Sr. ClIAk. Ailull. Held and cmire undiT parts wliilc ; stripe through the cvps, top of the
head, and upper pnrls of the liody, winys and tail, clecp uniber-hrowii, the tail with eight liandj o(
blacklsh-brown ; breast witli numerous cordate ami circular spots of |)ale yellowisli-brown,

liill and claws bluish black ; tarsi and toes greenish-yellow.

Young. Similar, but with the upper plumage edged and tipped with pale bronnish, nearly
white. S,iots on the breast more numerous and darker colored.

Length, 23.00 lo 25.00 ; extent, 64.00 to 68.00 ; wing, 19.00 to 21.00 ; tail, 9.00 to 10.50.
Iris yellow ; tail black ; feet greenish yellow.

Mr. .Sharpe, of the British Museum, remarks that the tail of
the Osprey becomes more uniform brown with age, so that a
strongly barred tail is a sure sign of immaturity.

With this species I terminate my review of the F.m.conid.i:
or DiURXAi, Birds ok Pri:v. In all, some fifteen or perhaps six-
teen species have been enumerated as inhabiting Canada, and I
do not anticipate further additions. Much, however, has yet to
be learned respecting the immature forms of many of these and
further information on the nidification of nearly all of them, ac-
companied by accurate descriptions of the number, size, color and
general markings of the eggs, is a special desideratum. According
to Mr. Sharpe's recent "Catalogue of the Birds of the British
Museum," the total number of species of Duknai, Birds ok Pkev
at present known amounts to 377 ; of these about 23, he says, are
doubtful or problematical ; 326 are represented in the coll'.v;tion
of the museum.

I

NOCTURNAL BIRDS OF PREY.

I'AMiiv STRKilD.l-:, 'riii: Owis.

.CiiAk. I'orm usually sliort and licavy, willi llic head dis|)roiioitiunally large,
and fre(|uently furnislicil with erectile tufts of feathers resembling the ears of ([uad-
rupeds. (ieneral organization adapted to vigorous and noiseless but not rapid
tlight, and to the capture of animals in the morning and evening twilight,

Kyes usually very large, directed forwards, and, in the greater number of
species, formed for seeing by twilight, or in the night. Hill rather strong, curved,
nearly concealed by jjrojecting bristle-like feathers ; wings generally long ; outer
edges of ]iriniary (|uills fringed ; legs generally rather short, and in all spec ies,
except in one Asiatic genus, (A'////(/.) more or less feathered, generally densely.
Cavity of the ear very large. Face encircled by a more or less i)erfect disc of short
rigid feathers, whii h, with the large eyes, gives to those birds an entirely peculiar,
and freijuentiy cat-like, exjiiession. I'emale generally larger than tiie male.

Accordino to Cassin tli(M"(! are about one luindrctl and fifty
spccieis of ( )vvls, ■• wliicli arc found in all parts of the worltl, of which
aiK)iit forty arc inhabitants of the continent of America and its
islands. '■ en are known to occur in Canada.

Tlu,' larger species siil.>sist on small <iiiadriipeds and birds,
but nuich the majority prey almost e.xcliisivel)- on insects. ;\
few of the species are strictly diurnal, and in their general habits
seem to approach the birds of the preceding family.

.Suii-l'AMiiv lU'HONIN.l':. Tiir. IIornki. Owi.s.

C!har. Head large, with erectile and prominent ear-tufts. I'lyes large ; facial
disc not complete above the eyes and bill ; legs, feet and claws u'^ually very strong.

This ilivision contains nimicroiis species, some of which are
very large, but the greater nimiber are mediimi sized or small.
They inhabit all parts of the world except Australia.

• .Vccoriliiij; to Sliai|)f's " (.'atalogue of the liinls of the liritish .Museum," th'i total number
of species of Owls is now about lyo. The liritish Museum contains 153, so that 37 are still
waiitiui; to complete the collection : the specific distinction of I'dliaps lo cif these is dubious.

04 GRKA'I' IIORNKD OWL— CAT OWL.

Gknls bubo, CuviKk.

(il'.N. Char. Size l;ir[;e ; (general form very rnlmsl ami iiowcrful. lUad lar^ji', willi con-
(tpicuous car luflH ; eyes vi-ry larf^e ; Willis loiij; ; l.iil short ; Ic^js nml toes very ttrung ; bill rn'lier
shiitt, slroiiKi curved, covered nt l)ase hy projectiinj fcallierii.

This )^reiuis embraces the lar^e Horned Owls, or Cat Owls,
as they are olU;n called in Canada. They an; most ahinnlant in
Asia anil Africa, and then- is thouj^ht to be about I'llteen species
in all countries ( )nly one species occurs in Canada, and in fact
in th>' whole of North America ; this is subject to great variations
in plumage and size.

Bubo Virginianus (C,m:Un) B(^\Ar.\RTE.

GREAT HORNED OWL ; CAT OWL.
I'l.ATK XX.

.Sometimes calhnl the EagU,- Owl by our Okl Country settlers,
but not to be confoundetl with the Ihibo ;navi>nus, or Great liagle
Owl of luirope, which occasionally pays a visit to the Orkneys
antl northern coast of Scotland. The Great Horned Owl belongs
to the Western Hemisphere, and is universally distributed in
America from the Arctic circle to its most southerly extremity ;
as well as from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans. It is an ab-
undant and n.'sident bird in Canada, and there is not, perhaps, a
city, town or village in the whole Dominion which cannot boast
of one or more stuffed or living specimens. There is but one
species, but this is subject to such variety in size, color, and ar-
rangement of markings, that our ornithologists have long been
puzzled in determining whether in reality there were one, two, or
even more species. In Canada, I may simply remark, we have
three tolerably constant forms or varieties, namely : one in which
the whole ground color is dark, another of a lighter or more ferru-
gino'is tint, and a third of an exceedingly light or whitish ground
color, sometimes, though rarely, approaching to almost pure white.
This last form has a general faded-out appearance, and is very

c;rk.\'I' iiokni n owi, cat owl.

05

like some stiiO't-cl s|K!cinuMis I have seen that were nally l)l('achecl
hy too stron^f sun-lis^Iu. In some ol tlu' olIu-T spccii^s of Owls \vc
notice a similar diversity in thi; colors of intlividuals of ihv. same
sjMtcics, which rcall)' amounts to little mon' than a i^n-adation from
a very li,i;ht to a more intense tint, in the inajoril) of instances,
however, the |)lan of the markings is the same throiij;hoiit in the
same species.

Cassin has j^froiiped the different colored, and some diHerent
sized (ireat Horned Owls into four leailing varieties, nauurly :
Atlatiticus, Paiijicus, ^liriicus ami Afaiicllioiichs, and at one time
attem[)ted to j^ive to each of these a ilefini-d i,feo_i(raphi(al distribu-
tion. This, however, he and others soon fomul to l)e futile; for
aft(-'r (^stahlishinif these four races or varieties in !S54, Cassin
subse(juently writes : " These.' varieties are evidently not to he
recognized as at all strictly geographical, nor so much so as
intimated in our notice of them alluded to above."

In Canada, and in Massachusetts and neighboring States,
specimens have of late ytiars been taken that t)picaily repres(Mit
each of these varietie's ; anil in the vicinity of Toronto and vest-
ward we tlnd abundant evidences of the occurrence of the \ery
dark /Ulanticus and the very light colored Arcticus. 1 he l.ist
variety, however, is exceedingly rare at and arounil Montreal and
Ouebec, where, in the greater number of specinuMis collecti:d, the
colors are either very dark or decidedly ferruginous. Referring
to the pale variety, 1 )r. Coues remarks that : " Jdiis peculiarity
of coloring seems to mark, in varying degree, Alpine specimens,
even so far south as New Mexico." The Great Horned Owls,
then, for the present, in all their variations of garb, may be con-
sidered as belonging to l)ut one species- the Bubo I'irgiHianus of
authors.

In Canada the great Horned Owl is met with throughout the
year, and is known to breed in a number of localities in both the
Province of Ontario and of Ouebec, and is said by Reeks to nest in
Newfoundland. These Owls, however, are particularly numerous,
and are more often met with during the fall and winter months than

11^

I

96

GREAT HORNKD OWL-CAT OWL.

in the siunnitr. from wliich circumstance I am inclined to believe-
that the majority breed in the fur countries, and extend during- the
nesting season even to very extreme latitudes. In the McKen/ie
River district, Ross speaks of its occurrence to the Arctic coast
and bc'N'ond. The same is also trne rcsr)ectintj: the Lonir and
Sliort-earetl Owls, the common Grey or Barred Owl, and the
Hawk Owl, althous^h there is not a doubt but that a niimber of
pairs of (-ach of these species nest regularly in suitable places
throughout the Canadas. It is decidedly an uncommon event to
meet with an Owl's nest, and I know y^'i but few instances on
record where th<.' eggs of any (M the Owls hav'e been taken by
collectors in Canada. This may in a measure be owing to the
nocturnal habits of many of the species, and the out-of-the-wa)'
spots these birds select to nest in, as well as to the smallness of
the number of our field oologists. The Great Horned Owl is not
\ery often seen a1)road during the day, but I have many a time?
stumbled upon one or more of them in their cozy retreats, in somi-
o'i our crosscountry excursions. It is, howe\-er, a strictly noctur-
nal bird. During the glare and heat of the mid-d;'.y sun it quietl\'
dozes v\ some well shaded grove or c{;dar thicket, but is ever on
the alert, and cannot be surprised, or, as some imagine, taken b\-
the hand ; but no sooner has the sun lowered and the heat some-
what abated, than, slipping from his perch, he tlits noiselessly from
one ledge of rock to another in eager search o*" some living object.
( )n several occasions v/e have drawn this Owl from his retreat in
broad day-light by accidentally burning something in our camp fire,
the smell of which arousetl his slumbering appetite. In dark and
rainy weather these Owls are on the move all day long, antl just
before a storm I have heard their sepulchral notes from every part
of the I .irrounding forest. These cries I cannot describe, nor can
I attempt to set them to music, as a writer in the American
Naturalist has done in a very happy manner with the sounds
produced b) som«; of the insect tribes. In mx- opinion were I
even to succeed in accuratel)- representing bj- note the night
concerts of these birds, I .should find still greater difficulty in pro-
curinij a human beinir able to yive utterance to them. In some
of ni) note-books, however, I find various attempts made to give a

II

!

GREAT IIORNEO OWL— CAT OWL.

97

readable description of their weird mus'c, but none of these satisfy
nie. A cominon expression, if I may so term it, or hoot, is an
often repeated 0/t-/ioo, oh-lioo! 0/1-/100, o/i-/ioor-r-r ! This is starteil
by one individual in a hollow, reed-like note in one part of the
forest, is taken up bj- another and another in other parts, until the
air resounds with a whirring noise like that made by a _i,dgantic
fanning mill. Suddenly, in the midst of this uproar, an old patri-
arch, evidently in a great rage, and in a harsh, terrible voict^
shouts ll'aiig/i-/ioo ! zoaHg/i-/ioo-}ioo-/ioo ! and immediately every
other cry ceases, and for some minutes the silence of the forest is
resumed. Again this is broken by the single hoot of some daring
individual, and again is answered from side to side until the uproar
is at its former h(;ight, when once mo.'e it is suddenly checked by
the bad tempered individual with the harsh voice. It was not a
bad description of such a concert, that given by one of our men
one night when we had been particularly bothered by the hideous
uproar outside, and the more iiuisical but more terrible song of
the mosquito inside our tent ; he said it seemed to him as if one
of the "noisy critturs " cracked a joke, laughed at it himself,
got the others to laugh, and then suddenly getting in a bad humour,
asked them " what in thunder tney wx're laughing at."

The nesting sites of these birds are variously chosen. Some-
times the eggs are laid on the ground, more generally in a bulky
rude nest, not unlike a crow's, constructed in a lofty tree, or in
the hollow of a decayed stem. Reeks describes a nest he observed
in Newfoundland " built on t/ie ground, in a tussock of grass in
the centre of a pond," this same nest having been for some time
previousl)- occupied by a pair of wild geesci. For my own part I
believe the birds are simply ititluenced in their choice of a nesting
place by the advantages this offers in respect to abundance of
food. Old nests of other birds I know to be sometimes used, and
perhaps more generally those of the Crow and Hawk. I have also
heard mention made of the eggs being found amid moss-grown
rocks, on which they had been laid without any intervening
material.

The number of eggs varies from two to five, and even six ;

'I '1 '

ft- ■ Si

98

GREAT hurni;d OWL— cat owl.

but two or three is the average niimljer observed in most of th(;
nests met with in Canada, and two the number of yount,'^ hatched.
They are subsphericeil, coioriess, and measure about 2'^ inclies
in leny^th by about 2 inches in breatlth. Mr. Mcllwraith of Ham-
ilton informs me that the Great Horned Owl nests in the vicinity
of that city, and buikls a large, coarse nest, composed mostly of
sticks, but warmly lined with wool and featliers. This nest is
usually ])laced in the hollow ot a decaying tree where a limb ha:;
been broken off; but sometimc;s in the crotch of a pine-tree where
a branch or branches join the main stem. The same gentleman
also informs me he has often seen the young of this species in a
half Hedged condition in the hands of country lads. " from whom
they dill not receive the verj' best treatment." The feathers at
this age are loose and downy, and the eyes are strangel)- con-
spicuous ; in fact they have no resemblance whatever to thi; j)arent
birds, but rather look like a shapeless bundle of greyish-brown
wool, into which have been stuck, as if for a joke, a great beak and
large pair of eyes. The parent birds are rather inattentive to
their young, and often leave them for long intervals to their own
devices ; and many a nest has been robbed with imjjunit)' on aich
occasions by some little ragged urchin belonging to the nest-and-
egg-himting fraternity of the country school. But woe be to that
same little urchin if he miscalculates his opportunity, and is caught
in the act by the enraged female parent It were better for him —
well, had he remained at school and taken for his lesson the fierce
disposition of the Great Horned Owl when tampered with.

The prey of this Owl consists of rats, squirrels, mice, rabbits,
partridges, pigeons, poultry, and even birds ot its own family, such
as the Long and Short-eared Owls. Indeed when hungry it will
pounce upon and devour, or attempt to devour, anything of a
moderate size in living shape. I have known one to destroy a
whole family of kittens, and even attack a large tom-cat ; in this
last, however, he met for once with his match, and parted with
some of his plumage.

Mr. Mcllwraith states that on two occasions he has killed
individuals so thoroughly saturated with the stench of the skunk

GREAT HORNED OWL— CAT OWL.

99

that he was j^lacl to leave them where they fell, shewing clearly
that these birds had recently been in contact with that animal. I
have kept a pair of these Owls in confinement and found them to
be Lintameable. They were always treacherous, and one could
never feel sure in offering' them a tempting piece of meat whether
they would not prefer the ends of the finger and thumb holding
it. They invariably made a loud hissing noise when api)r()ached,
and snapped their mandibles fiercely wh.en in any way tormentt.'d, or
at the sight of a dog. ( )ne showed great antipathy to a living Snowy
Owl in my possession, and made despe»'P*:e attempts to reach him
through the bars of his cage. This White Owl, however, from
what I knew of his disposition and prowess, would have been
rather more than a match for any one of the other species, and
the conflict probably would have (!nded by his devouring Ins op-
ponent.

During the winter months th.e Cireat Horned Owl is often
hard-pressed by hunger, and does not hesitate to attack boldly the
farmer's poultry. I'or this, however, he ge.ierally ])ays the extreme
penalty of the law, for among our habiiants there is no mercy
shewn to a "Cat Owl." The bird fig\nx'd on Plate XX Vv-as caught
in a trap by a farmer near Montreal, who had been for some time
missing some of his tlaintily-fed poultry. He was brought to me
alive and in splendid condition, and I spent some days studying
his varied attitudes before killing him. Immediately after his
death numerous measurements were taken, and girths of paper
were fastened at regular intervals around his body and subse-
quently slipped oft' tail-wards. From the.se measurements and
girths he was stuffed and mounted, and set in one of the positions
he had most generally assumed when living. I consefpiently can
present this figure of the bird as true to lif-;, and as a portrait of
one of the finest stuffed specimens of the Great Horned Owl to be
met with in any of our collections.

This bird is so well known that space need not be occupied
in giving its specific characters, but I may brielly give a sketch of
the pale or light-colored variety, Arcticus, which is of^en met with
in Ontario, and respecting which I fully agree with Mr. Cassin in

ift

f

I

u
a

1 *

f !

100

GRKAT HORNKD OWL— CAT OWL.

his statt'iiKMit. that " this varict>- is better entitled to be regarded
as a distinct species than any other."

Kit hanls«jn's and Swainson's White Horned Owl, Bu/?o Arc-
tkms. w.i'* |.rr>lKil»ly a very white example of this variety, if not a
lSt»rm dtH' t" ill'ini^tn.

%'*IM*(flr«-»Ail» r/>fi«;a«//j //;-t7//«, Cassin.

IflBWWKWli ifc-^te,**^ WM^ «MHi. llMWrti I'liim.iijc <if n iiredomin.itinj; pale yellowish

kfWH VMtar. «t mmim,-' ^m^r* fr«w m«w{v i.mc »liili- n. nearly the color of the two

*iii*.i«» ^m^m |M»t« «MIW«*» t^rr limn ihc iiprcr, .nii.! always thioiii,'liout the

Wttlk'M* m-: iwilM wMl »«»»«. frf.ttHkWijr |HiW itixl indistincl. hm in iho same general

tilt ♦•ry lijjhl, frfi|ucri!ly nearly pure while ; size

• •> »i, *i>.| the plumajie with nio-e or less of the

• on ihc face pale white, or pale cream

Iflmmi'tgt

'4|^-t vitklitHMiWtti' ;

y^' f w-Mlt t« i» «
I Ki^liiili tk III •

\

t4Ji lu |6 ; tail, loto II inches.
14 " IS ; " 910 10 "

Genus SCOPS, Savk.nv.

(Ik.n. Char, Size small ; e:\r-lufts conspicuous ; fajial ili^k im|icifcct in front. Itill short,
nearly covered by projcctinj; feathers ; wings long ; tail rather short, frei|uently curved inwards ;
tarsi rather long, more or less fully covered with short feathers ; those on the toes hair-like.

There are .said to be about twenty-five species of Scops, some
of these, however, are exce(!clinoly doubtful, and it is probable
that this number will yet have to be considerably retluced. I'he
same remark may be said to apply to most of the genera of both
the Falcoiiidcc and Strigidic.

■, 1 V^IM
-I'

Scops Asio (Linn.) Hon \r.

SCREECH OWL ; MOTTLED OWL ; RED OWL.

ri.ATK XXI.

This droll little Owl is the second smallest species in Canada,
and probal)ly the whole of North America. Though rtjpresented
in nearly every museum and many of our private collections, it is
but seldom met with by the ctrdiucvy traveller, and is generally
regarded as anything but a common bird. This apparent scarcity
of individuals, however, is in a great measure due to its haliits,
which are strictly nocturnal, and perhaps the greater number of
the specimens which have been taken have been captured alive
during day light, when the l)ii-tl may be said to be almost blind.
It is undoubtedly one of our most nocturnal species.

This Owl has been the subject of much controversy among
American ornithologists, and probalily more has been written
upon it than upon all the other species of the family together.
This has arisen from the fact that the individuals of the species
appear in two distinct stages of plumage — ^a red and ts. i^ray.
These have been described by some naturalists as two distinct
species, and by others as merely different stages of but one ; while
a third class of writers maintained that the red plumage was due

Jll)

fi

102

SCREECH OWL— MOTTLED OWL— RED OWL.

i

to neither age or sex, but was a garb occasionally assumed by
adult and young birds cf both sexes. The whole question has
been discussed at great length, but has finally resulted in tin;
pretty general acceptance of the last -or some closely related —
view. This, however at any rate as regards the bird in Canada
— I am not yet by any means disposed to accept. Coues observes,
" The same rufescent phase occurs in other species of Owls. ...
and is apparently analogous to the melanotic condition of man\
Hawks." On the other hand Dr. Hachman distinctly states that
the young of the Mottled or Screech Owl are red for two )'ears,
when they change to gra)- ; and Cassins remarks that the j'oung
become red when the feathers are fully grown, and afterwards
gray again. Fhese last two statements I at once accept, and
give here as probably tlu,' most correct view, as they are strongly
supported bj- sucn facts as b.ave come under my own observation
in Canada.

in a very old note-book, which contains some of my ornithol-
ogical observations, made long before I was aware that the Screech
Owl had furnished such a problem to naturalists, I find the follow-
ing note : "In nearly all tlie young birds which have come under
my notice there are traces of the red plumage, and it is probable
that at one particular period of their lives these assume the entire
red plumage, which they keep even until old enough to raise
broods themselves. The union of red and gray birds as parents,
sometimes observed, is simply an old or fully adult male choosing
a young mate, or vice versa." I have further taken specimens
shewing clearly the final stage just previous to the entire gray >
plumage. In these the rufous portions of the plumage were only
descernable upon close inspection, and by the ruftling of the
feathers. By far the greater number of specimens taken in
Canada up to the present year (1876) are gray, and in my recent
enquiries instituted in connection with the present work, I have
been surprised to learn how sparingly the " Red Owl " was repre-
sented in either our public or private collections. This fact,
however, does not in any way support the view I am inclined to
take of this most intricate question ; for, as a general rule, in our

II

RCREECH OWL— MOTTLED OWL— RED OWL.

103

Falconida- and Strigidcc it is the iinmnturc or young individuals
whicli an; most commonly met with in our collections. Conse-
quently we should e.xpect to find more red if this he the
young stage than ^,'77?^ owls, and particularly so when we know
that the birds n^main long enough in this plumage; to become
parents.

Being extremely anxious to arrive at something definite and
final on this subject, I this winter (i<S76) wrote to naturalists,
collectors, and hunters in all parts of the Provinces of Ouebec
and Ontario, ri;(|uesting facts relating to the occurrence of this
species. The replies from these sources, however, only confirmed
still more the rarity of the " Red Owl," while they also evinced
that the species was anything but abundant in either of its forms.
Mr. Thos. Mcllwraith, writing from Hamilton, says, " The Screech
Owl is tolerably common with us, the young being freejuently
taken during the early summer. A real good ;rc/ bird is not often
met with, perhpps not once out of one hundred cai)tures. I have,
however, heard from other persons living within one hundred
miles of this city that with them the red was the most common."

In the neighborhood of Toronto a few red indi\ iduals have
been taken, and one of these obtained in 1S57 is preserved in the
museum of the University College. One or two have also been
taken in the vicinity of Belleville. In the museum of the Nat.
Hist. .Soc. of Montreal there is one ^rrt' specimen unlabelled, [)ro-
bably taken on the island or near the city. In the neighborhood
of Ouebec I can find no records of the occurrence of either red or
gray, and Mr. \Vm. Couper, who resided and collected in this city
for a number of years, tells me he never met with one or had one
brought to him. I-'rom Halifax, N.S., Mr. Bernard Gil[)in writes
me, " Neither Mr. Downs or myself have met with this species (in
either plumage) here, though Reeks says it is common in New-
foundland, and I know common in the New England .States."
Turning to Reeks' " Notes on the Birds of Newfoundland," we
find the Mottled Owl described as a summer migrant and "tol-
erably common," He further remarks : " As this is one of the

m

HCffl

il: i

104

SCREECH OWI,— MO'ni.EI) OWL- RED OWL

w :*

•'\ 1
:3f'

commonest Owls in North America, it seems stranj^e that Mr.
Downs shouUl not meet it in Nova Scotia, especially as it frequents
the States borderin*^ on the Atlantic more than those inland."

I'Vom the forejj^oing records we cannot but conclude that the
red staj^je of the Mottleil or Screech Owl is of rare occurrence in
Canatla. The ordinary or j^ray stajj^e, however, may be said to
be pretty generally diffused. It is just possible that the plumages
of these binls " are purely fortuitous, and characttristic of neither
sex, age, nor season," as remarked by Coues, but 1 am more
inclined to believe that the frd stage is that occasionally assumed
by young indiviiluals hut never 1)\- really adult birds. Wilson
described the i^ray Mottled Owl as Strix lucvia, and the red as
Strix as/0, and a number of ornithologists still regard these as
specifically distinct birds. This view, however, has long ago
been abandoned by our leading authorities. Color being the only
distinctive difference, i;-, not sufficient grounds for the separation
of the species. It is true that Wilson mentions the Mottled Owl
{na-via) as a native of the northern regions, extending its migra-
tions as far south as Pennsylvania in winter, and states the " Red
Owl " {(isi'o) is not migratory. But thesi? distinctions go for naught
when we explain that our extended knowledge now proves that
the species is not by any means a " native of the northern regions,"
not having been met with in the fur countries, being comparatively
rare in Canada, while it is known to be most numerous along the
States on the Atlantic coast, antl southward to (ieorgia, and Florida.
It also occurs in Mexico and Ouatemala. In California it is given
by Ur. Cooper as " quite common in the Avooded parts of the
State, and often captured in houses."

The specimens figured on the accompanying Plate represent
birds in both stages of plumage — the red being the outside figure.
They were taken in the vicinity of Cote St. Paul, on the Lachine
canal, a short way out of Montreal, where the ^'ray birds are said
to be not unfrecjuent. I am convinced that it is entirely owing to
its nocturnal habits that this Owl is so seldom met with ; but
Reeks goes a long way to the other extreme when he states that
it "is one of the commonest Owls of North America."

SCRKECH OWI,— MOllLKl) (j\VI,~R|.;i) UWl,. 108

Sr. OAK. A1.0V,. pnio a.l.y-lMown, » itl, siu^ak, „f l„o« „ish.|,|,uk . .ml imvula, mol,li„.s
..f .he >umc- „uxe.l w,,l, .muk.,,.,. ; l.au.ul, .ul.y-uh,,. wi,,, l„.„u „i.sl,.„l.a s„i,,cs'a,Kl ," „ v to

-rownush ; ,,u Is l.ruwn whh .ransvers.- l,a„,U. nearly whue o„ ,l,e outer ueh, ; ...il ,,.. „I
brown waha,„».Mea„a„.verse narrow l,.,„.ls of pale cmercous ; mulcr win,, coveru vl.i.e ll e
larger tippe,! with hlack. (.Si.-/, n.nw.) '

)\'»u^.'r i;ntire npper vts pale l.rownish-.e.l with streaks of Uownish-blaek, especially on
.he he..,l an, .apu,.,,.; fac. throat, nn.ler win,, cove,,,, and tarsi, recMish-hrown ; ail rZ
with hanils ol 1 n.wn, darker on the inner webs. (S.../s „../,..)

Jc'«'tf. ICntire plumage handed with ashywhitc and pale brown ; wings an.l tail pale n.fmls.

ill

N

Gknus OTUS, Ci vii:u.

(jEN. ( iiAK. (itniral form Iniifjci .iml more skiulcr ilinii iti llic preceding; guncra. lloil

moilcralf ; ear lulu loiij;, crcclile. Mill ralliur sliorl, curviil from the base ; facial disc more

perfect than in the preceiliiij^ ; winy-, hmj,' ; tail mo.leraltf ; lar^i and toe-, covered with short
fealher* ; claws lonj;, curved, liyes rather small, and ■.iirrounded liy radiating fealliers.

This j^tMuis contains ten or twelve species of various countries,
all of which are more hanilsonie birds than are usually met with
in this family. Only one occurs in CaiKida.

Otus Vulgaris var. Wilsonianus (Less.) Ai.i.i:\.

LONG-EARED OWL.
ri..iTi: xxii.

The American Lons^-eared Owl is now considered by our
leading" ornitholoj^ists to belong,'' to a different <^eoi.,n-ai)hical race
from that of Europe or IW'itain : but 1 can see no appreciable
difference in the birds. I'he American birds maybe and j;enerall\'
are somewhat darker in color, but in all specific details and t^eneral
habits they resemble their luiropean cont^^mers ; conse(|ui'ntl)-, in
my opinion, it would much simplify matters were the birtls of both
continents classed and describeil under the one name. This has
been done with our ne.xt species, the Short-eared Owl, which like-
wise inhabits both continents ; for though ornithologists have tried
hard in its case also to discover sufficient distinctive characters
by which to separate American from luiropean indixiduals, their
efforts so far have signally failed, and Coues remarks that he is
" unable to appreciate any constant or tangible dift'erence between
the European and American bird, although the latter ma}' average
slightly larger and a shaile darker." But as anything further I
might bring forward on this oft mooted question would only be
a rehearsal of old and threadbare conjectures, I for the present
refrain ; simply adding that, as ornithology in America has now
many zealous and able devotees, the truth must sooner or later
be arrived at. This probably will tend toward a great reduction

Pi!

I

108

LONd-KARKI) OWI,.

i

in the lon^ list of Latin names now applied to supposed i^iviirap/iical
races, local varit-tics, and even species. I'or the pres(;nt, however,
I follow CoiU!S, Allen, and others, in ^'i^'i'^K ^'^'" American Long-
earcil Owl as var. U'ilsoniauus.

This Owl arrives in <.'anada sometime during the month
of April -early or late;, accordin,;.; to the weatlur from its
winter ([iiarlers in the Atlantic States, and soon extends through-
out our I'rovincirs. It also readies the fur countries, where
numhers remain durinif tlv summer for the purposes of niditication.
Inili\ iiluals have been met with as hij^h as latituile 60 , but seKloin
beyond this, and the bird cannot be said to be a very boreal
species. It nests both throuj^diout the Middle and Atlantic States
■A\u\ Canada, but this jjcrhaps rather sparingly ; and as it is of
retiring habits, it is not conunonly nn.'t with. 1 )uring th.e winter
months it is particularly abundant in the States bortlering on the
Atlantic, but at this season is rarely met with in Canaila. With
us the bird is 'leridedly most numerous in spring and autumn,
and there is no tloubt that the majorit\- pass their summer in the
fur countries. ! mU'cd from the lists I haxc examined, the Long-
cared Owl appears to be of rare occurrence in most parts of
Canada during the summer ; but from my knowledge of its habits
1 am inclined to think it is more abundant than is generally sup-
posed.

Tile Long-eared Owl is not particularly fond of man's society,
and raiiier shuns the neighborhood of his dwelling.s. It delights
in the gloomy solitudes of pine forests antl dark groves of ever-
greens, where we Iiave often surprised it on some of our short-cuts
or portages from one inland lake to another. It also, however,
during twilight, frecjuents the .skirts of clearing.s, where it hunts
diligently for its favorite prey field-mice. Insects also are much
sought aft(.'r, and .some of the birds we killed had their stomachs
filled with grasshoppers, black field-crickets and coleoptera, broken
up into small fragments.

I do not think the Long-eared Owl preys much upon birds
during the summer, as we never found the remains of these in

I.ONd i:.\KKI) OU'I,.

109

any of the iiulividiialH whose stomivhs wen- examined ; hut thiriiij^
the wiiUiM- inoiuhs. when insects are scarce, it is said hy American
writers to mai\e j^real iiavoc amon^- the smaller of the fe.ithired
tribes.

wwm

The Lonj^'-eared ( )\vl, in the general eolor of its [)lumajfe and
arranj^^(.'ment of markinj^'s, mm h reseml)les some of the fulvous
individuals of tlie < ireat lloiinnl Owl species, and 1 have met
with more th.in oni- person who lirmly Ix'lii'ved that llu- first-men-
tioned was the youni; of the last. The hirds also resemble one
another in some of their habits, such as do/ini^' ilurini; the day in
the jrloom ot the forest, hunlin,!^' in the iwiliL^hl ,uid throui^h the
nij^ht, makinj; occasional excursions by daylii^ht, and in one or
other of their modes of nidification. Their pre}', however, is very
different, for as we have already seen in a preecidinj^ article, the
(.jreat r.orned ( )wl boldly attacks larj^e (|uadrupeds and |)ow(;rful
birils, anil imleed almost an)ihinj4 in moderation that crosses his
ijadi.

The I ,on_i(-eareil ()wl is not by .uiy means a strictly nocturnal
specit.'s. It hunts durins^ the day in j^loomy W(''ather. and sees
well at all times. It is not onit of those species which may be
taken by hand, but is a vigilant, wide-awake l)ird, and suspicious
at all hours. We have met with it on most of our expeditions in
the; Province of Ontario and during nearly c:very month of the
summer and autumn, ant! conse(iuentl\- believe it ntsts somewhat
abundantly. Its nest, however, has but seldom been found, and its
eggs are represented in (ttw of our collections. ihis is doubtless
partly owing to the retiring habits of the bird but, as we have
before observed, the nests and eggs of all the Owls are difficult to
discover. .\ nest of this species was found during the summer of
1870 by Mr. Craig of Montreal, at Itochelaga (near Montreal),
containing four eggs. It was built in the branch of a spruce tree
some 25 feet high, about 18 or 20 feet from the ground. The
nest was like that of a crow, but larger, and made roughly of
twigs and moss. Two of these eggs are now in the collection of
the Montreal Nat. Hist. Society. They measure i}^ inches in

im

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i

110

LOXC-EARED OWL.

lengtl , by i 5-16 inches in breadth; arc subrotiind and white.

This Owl sometimes nests in the Ivjllows of trees —
hke n'.any other species of the faniih'. It also sometimes lays
its egy^s on the bare ground a habit not uncommon in the fur
countries — and has even been known to deposit them in tlie nests
of other birds, such as the Crow and Night-Heron. I ha\e been
informed by hunters that these Ov.'ls generally build rude nests,
something like a Crow's or Hawk's, and that the same birds often
return regularlj to the nest year after year. The CJreat Horned
Owl, as we have seen, also sometimes builds a nest for itself, but
more often chooses the hollow of a tree or deposits its eyf'-.s on
the ground. I do not think an)- of the Owls adhere strictly to
one particular course respecting their nidification. but rather vary
their methods to suit circumstanci's. Huftbn remarks that the
Long-eared Owl rarel) constructs a nest of its own, but noi un-
frequently occupies that of others, particularly the Magpie. Wilson
describes it as nesting among the branches of trees, \nd also
records an instance of its using the nest of a Oua-bird or Night-
Heron. .Sir John Richardson gives it as nesting on the ground,
and laying from three to four whitish eggs, and states that a nest
was found in this position by Mr. Urummond. He also, however,
adds that it sometimes uses the deserted nests of other birds, but
whether this is from his own observation or is borrowetl from
Wil.son whom he often (juotes — is not apparent. ( lentry says :
" The nests are usually constructed of rude sticks, sometimes of
boughs with the leaves atlherent thereto externally, and generally,
but not always, lined with the feathers of birds. The same nest is
made use of for several successive years." This writer further
remarks that no instance of its lading in nests of other birds came
under his notice. Audubon, however, again ascribes tb's habit to
the Long-eared Owl. Thus we have authentic account ; ot at least
three methods resorted to by this Owl in nesting, namely, on the
ground, in nests of its own construction, and in tho.se of other
birds, such as the Magpie, Crow, and Night-Heron.

Apparently the Long-eared Owl raises two broods at least in
one season, for it is known to lay in the fur countries in April,

LOXG-EARED OWL.

til.

The sexes, exce;:^tiny^ a tn'ilini>- distinction in size, are not
appreciably rlilTerent.

Sr. ClIAU. I'!ai-Uifls long .iiul cims])iciious ; eyes ral'icr small; wiii^s lung; tarsi and Ices
densely I'oatliered ; upper parts mottled with brownish black, fidvous and ashy white ; the former
predominating ; breast pale fulvous with longitudinal stripes of brownish-bl.ick ; .abdomen white ;
every feather with a wide longitudirlal stripe, and with transverse stripes of brownish-black ;
legs and toes pale fulvous, usually unsjiotted, but fre(iuenlly «ith regular narrow transverse shipes
of dark brown ; eye nearly encircled with black ; other feathers of the face ashy white, with
minute lines of black ; car-tulls brownish-black, edged with fulvous and ashy while ; ipnlls pale
fulvous at their bases, with irregular transverse bands of brow n ; inferior coverts of the wing pale
fulvous, frccpiently nearly while, the larger widely tipped with black ; tail brown, with several
irre;;ular tnnsverse bands of ashy fulvous, which are mottled, as on the quills. Hill and claws dark ;
irides orange-yellow.

Total length — Female, about 15 inches ; wing, II to 11^^ ; tail, 6 inches.
" — Male, rather smaller.

wnm^wT^iT^^ .„^_

i

anil iia\ (.; yoiuiij well y^rown in May, ami nests with eggs almost
hatched have been found in July.

Mr. Mcllwraith gives this Owl as "not common" around
Hamilton. Reeks says it is a summer migrant to NewfountllaiKl.
Dr. (iilpin of Halifax, X..S. writes me that it is a rare winter
visitant in that Province, but does not mention it as occurring in
summer ; and Couper states it is abundant in the dens(j pine forests
n(M"th of the city of Ouebec. I have met with it several times
around Montreal, and have taken .specimens on our mountain and
on the Nuns' Island opposite the city, where I know it breeds.
On this island the Oua-birtls or Xight-Herons also nest regularly,""'
and it would Ik; interesting to ascertain whether the Long-eared
Owl ever occupies tlieir nests. I do not think that this Owl is
rare in any i)art of Xorth .\.nerica, but there are seasons when it
is more al)undaht than others.

li

• See " Notes en the Night-heron " by the Author, Canadian Nat. and Geol. New Series, II.[p.*S3.

.11

III

if

1

i;

:

i

',^il

mmm

Genus BRACHYOTUS, Gould.

Gen. Char. ICar-tufls very sliort ami inconspicuous. General form rather strong; wings
long ; tail moilerate ; legs ••ather long, which, with the toes, are fully covered with short feathers ;
claws long, very sharp, and rather slender ; head moderate ; eyes rather small, surrounded by
radiating feathers ; facial disc imperfect on the forehe.id and above the eyes ; tail moderate.

Ihi.s genus contain.s lour or five .species only, the best known
of which is the Short-eared 0\v\(Dnichyohis palustris) of Europe
and North America.

Brachyotus palustris (BccJist.) Gc^uin.

SHORT-EARi3D OWL.
PLATK XXIII.

This unassuming but really handsome little Owl is perhaps
the most widely diflused species of the whole family. It inhabits
not only the whole of America, but also Europe, Asia and Green-
land, the West Indies and the CJallapagos. Specimens from all
these countries do not appreciably differ from one another, and
the hrbits of the bird are the same everywhere. .Some ornitholo-
gists—belonging to that class which has done n.ore to complicate
than simplify our nomenclature, but which now happily is in the
minority have tried hard to distinguish the American individuals
as larger and much darker ; but in the hundreds, if not thou.sands,
of skins that have now been e.xamined from every part of the
world, the same diversities in size and color alike distinguish the
individuals of each country ; and in Canada and the Uhited States

Ti almost albinism to the darkest known

"•ging

stages.

*An inleresting state of the phnnngc of tliis Owl is exhibited by two pairs taken on Muskeget
Island, Massachusetts, about July I, 1870, by Messrs. C. J. Maynard and William lirewster, in
which the color is so light as to almost suggest their being albinos. They are many shades lighter
than the specimens of this group from the interior, and show clearly, when taken in connection
v\uh the light race of Aivicola ripaiius 'An-ucla lin-wcri, 15aird), also occurring on this small

if

i

1,1

!■

I ^1

' 1'

114

SHURT-KAKED OWL.

The s| c'^^c nanv ut this sjiccics now generally atlopted —
/>it/us/ris !s hit(hly a, Mropriatf, so fnr<ii"-ntly is it foiin'l in mo'-t
and iVnn'- plan It i.^ but seldom ine« with in pin • forests, in
tin- j^looni ol wliicli tin I .on^ earcil DwI delights to do/e. hut
rath«r in clunps uf ald«r or wiiiow ' vi>hes in ojx n .iP'! marshy
tracts ol comu... It has ofirn I' n oh«i«*rv'il man) mil' way
from timhered lands, and on o| i fjriirien ; h'*; •'* ,.».iiic(i1 irV
delights in the rank h« rhage JMinlennj^ »n rivcr« md 'iiams

'I'h<- Short-eared Owl ar.ivrs in C. ida t« wan' th» end of
March, or inrhaps more yen r.jlly the lK'g'""'-..g of .V -il. in con-
siderable numhers. and setth s ilown in sijitahle localities every-
where. The majority, however, undoubtedly continue northward to
the fur countries to raise; th<'ir young. 'i"he date of their arrival
amongst us may be always tokl to a nicety, as many of the early
birds are killed by duck-hunters and brought into our ma.kets.
I have noted iwenty-five exposed for sale within one week, and
several of these were living. One of them I kept alive for some
time, and had abundant opportunities of studying its various
attitudes. When sitting easily at rest the unusual length of the
wings was very perceptible. These were generally held in a
slightly drooping position, their extremities decidedly resting upon
the perch on which the bird was sitting, or at other times on the
ground. The " inconspicuous " ear-tufts were seldom visible. The
whole bearing of this Owl appeared to be unassuming and gentle,
and it does not seem to be possessed of that voracity which is
common to most of the other species of this family. It was only
at times I could coax him to eat raw meat, and unless this was
cut up hne he would not touch it. He drank water freely, and
rather delighted to dabble in it. The flight of this bird was
perfectly noiseless. During the twilight he was particularly active,
and wandered from one corner of his apartment to the other, but
without the slightest sound. Unfortunately for the poor bird, he

sandy i>laiul, the cll'ect of ihe combine<l inlluence of an absence of sliade and the increased light
caused liy reflection from the light-colored saiid. The influence of similar circumstances is seen on
a large scale in the birdi and mammals of the Color.ido <lesert and the arid peninsula of Lower
California, and in less degree on the open arid plains of the mi<ldle region of the continent. (Allen,
Bulletin Mus. Conip. Zoo!, liarv. Colleg., CamU, Mass. II. No. 3, p. J41.)

ilp

iPMR

SHORT-EARED OWL.

115

could never understand the nature of the glazcxl window which
h'jrhted up his abode ; and many a time I have seen him tly with
unabated speed atijainst this, and fall stunned to the tloor beneath.
Ihis harsh experience I thouj^ht must sooner or later teach him
more wisdom ; but, alas ! it did not. One mornin)^- on entering
the r(M)m in which I kept him, I found my pet stretched breathless
or me lloor inuncdiately beneath the window, where he had
evidently fallen after a last and, unfortunat(;ly, fatal attempt to
reach tht' oulsiile w:;rld.

The chief prey of the Short-eared Owl is insects and field-
mice, and he rarely attacks liirds, and this only when the
former are scarce, namely, iluring the winter. I have on some
occasions met with this bird in unusual numbers in the fields
and meadows (jf I'lastern Ontario towards the close of harvest
time, when they were very fat. The stomachs of a number which
1 e.xamined were filled with field-crickets and grasshoppers, and
nothing else ; but later in the season they apjjear to feed more
upon the field-nu'ce. Some of these l)irds remain with us very
late, and long after the first snow-falls ; indeed I have met with
them occasionally throughout the winter. These winter visitants,
however, are exceptions to the general rule, for the majority of
the birds undoubtedly leave us in November for the Middle and
Atlantic States, where they remain until we have passed through
our long, dreary Canadian winter.

According to Richardson the Short-eared Owl reaches the
fur countries as soon as the snow disappears, and departs again
in September. They have been .net with as far nortl) as latitude
67°, and may even extend further. This same writer also states
that they are numerous, and hunt frequently for their prey in the
day time. But from what I have seen of this bird I know it to
see but poorly in the day light, and instances have come under
my notice of individuals being captured by hand.

The nest of this Owl is generally placed on the ground, and
consists of dry grass, moss, and featheis placed loosely together.
The eggs, however, are often simply laid in a depression in the

I

li

tie

SHORT-EARED OWL.

n

■i

ground without any matt-rial intervening. These are generally
four or five in number, and are of a dull white. Coues says they
are " less nearK' spherical than usual in this family ; " and those I
have seen resemble the eggs of a Cirouse more than those of an Owl.
They could not be mistaken for th(; eggs of the Long-eared ( )\vl.
According to Mr. Hutchins the Short-eared Owl "lavs /cu or
hvelve small, round white eggs ;" but this for a bird of. prey would
be something very extraordinary, and 1 am more inclined to believe
that this observer mistook the eggs of some of the grouse — which
likewise nest on the grounil for those of this Owl. At any rate,
whatever the bird may have done in Mr. 1 lutchins' time, it now is
content to \dc)- four ox Jive eggs, in rare" instances six. Thest-
measure on the average about \)A inches in length by i '.^^ in
breadth.

Like other Owls, however, the Short-eared Owl varies its
mode of nesting to suit circumstances. On the island of Oonal-
ashka Mr. Dahl has found it breeding in durnnos : he says " the
hole is horizontal, ami the inner end usually a little higher than
the aperture ; lined with dry grass and feathers." There are no
instances on record of its occupying the nest of other birds, and
consequently it is probable that it does not indulge in this habit.

I'ormerly the Short-eared Owl was conjectured to occur but
rarely south of Pennsylvania ; but it is now known to be abundant
about Washington, D.C., especially in winter. Coues met with
it in the salt-marshes of the North Carolina coast at various
seasons ; and Boardman states that it is quite common about
marshes in Florida. According to Dr. Cooper, in California it
has not been found south of the Santa Clara Valley.

The Short-eared Owls undoubtedly sometimes congregate in
large flocks. Mr. Bewick records an instance of twenty-eight
individuals being found in a turnip-field — which Richardson re-
marks is as extraordinary as Mr. Hutchins' statement respecting
its ten or tivdve eggs. But other similar instances are on record.
Coues says : " On one occasion I observed a g:'thcring of twenty
or thirty individuals on the Colorado River, below Fort Mojave.

If

mmmm

WPWIi!iS™S?^5w<^raBB^

SHORT-KARED OWI,.

117

(Others have notcil similar instances of its sociable tlisposition.
Tlu- birds were sittin-^- (luitc; closely toj^ether in the rank herbage
borderino the river; some tlai)peil hurrieilly off as the steamboat
came abreast of them, while others stood to their perches as we
jxissed." I have myself often met with them in lar^c; numbers in
Canada, and more particularly — as already mentioned in the
autumn. On some of these occasions the meadows reall)- seemed
to swarm witli tliem, but on our ap[)roach they betook themselves
to the trees. It is probable such iratherings in tht? autumn are in
some way or other connected with their southward mii^ration.
This Owl apjjears to be as abundant on the Pacific as it is on
the Atlantic coast, and no differences can be detected in the
specimens from these widely separated portions of our continent.

Sr. CriAK. Kar-tuft., very ^liorl ; cnliie |iluiiiagc biilT or palu fulvous; every fcalliur on ihe
upper p.irls wiih a wide longitudinal stripe of dark l.rown, which color predominates on the back ;
under parts paler, fretpienlly nearly white on the abdomen, with longitudinal stripes of brownish-
black most munerous on the breast ; very narrow and less numerous on the abdomen .nnd flanks ;
ligs and toes usually of a deeper shade of the same color as the abdomen ; quills pale reddish
fulvous at their bases ; brown at their ends, with wide irregular bands and largo spots of reddish
fulvous ; tail pale reddish fulvous, with al)Oiit five irregular transverse bands of dark brown, which
color predomina'.es on the two central feathers ; under tail coverts usually nearly white ; throat
white ; eyes enclosed by large spots of brownish-black ; ear-tufts brown, edged with fulvous. _Hill
and claws dark ; irides orange-yellow.

Total length— I-'emalc, about 15 inches ; wing, 12 ; tail, 6 inches.
" — Male, rather smaller,

m

■ . '%

■ Sui!-l'AMiLv SYRNIN/K, C.kw Owi.s.

Char. Mead large, with very small and concealed ear-tufls, or entirely with-
out. Facial disc nearly perfect ; eyes small for tlie family of (^wls ; winj^s rather
short, or not so long as in the preceding ; tarsi and toes generally fully featiiered.

This y;roiip contains sonu' of the lar^t'st of the Owls ; t;encr-
all)', however, the size is niediiini, antl rre(|iientl)' small. They
inhabit extremes of latitude. The plumage is generally lax and
soft.

Gknus SYRNIUM, S.wicnv.

Ge.v. C'HAK. Si/.e usiuilly lar),'c ; Iitad l.Tige, wilhoiu fiirtufls ; eyes ratlier smalf ; Mil strong,
curved from the Imse j fourth .ind lifili ciuills longusl ; tnil rather lon^;, wide, nmiidcd ; legs mod-
erate or rather long ; claws long, strong, very sharp j conch of the ear a simple oval cavity only
half the height of tlie cranium.

.Species of the genus inhabit principally the northcM-n parts of
the world, and are generally characterized by the prtnalence of
gray or cinereou.s of various shades in their plumage. There are
.some fifteen or twenty species altogether, two only of which are
met with in Canada.

Mr
j i,

.111 Hi

Syrnium Cinereum (Gmc.) Aud.

CINEREOUS OWL; GREAT GRAY OWL.

1'l.ATK XXIV,

The Great Gray or Cinereous Owl is the largest and niost
magnificent of the whole Owl family. On the same Plate with it
is figured, by way of contrast, the little Acadian or Saw-whet Ow^l,
the smallest species found in Canada ; and the contrast is indeed
striking.

I wish to begin ni)' description of this truly grantl bird by
clearly stating, that although it has been more or less nut with
every winter in Canada, it is by no means a common species, and
certainly not a resident one. I invite special attention to this

ISO

CINKRKOIJS OWF, (;RK.\i' (IRAV OWI,.

fact, for the reason that in several of the It^adinj^ works on our
North American orniiholoj^y, this species is stated to be "resilient
in Canada." l''or instance, only the other day, on taking- up the
very elaborate and comparatively recent work of Dr. i-Uioil Coues
on the " Birds of the North-West," my ey(! fell on the following,
in his description of the Barred ( )vvl our next species: "It
appears to be somewhat a southerly bird, very abundant in the
woods Tof the South /Xtlantic ami (lulf States ; but althouLih com-
mon in New England, /y ratlur sfxii iiio/y fcpirscuiai in liritish
America, the lioiiic of the (ireiit iinry (h\'/." I have mysiilf
italicised the latter portion of this tpiotalion, in wiiich few words
there art! two j^lariny^ errors whic'i cannot be too speedily cor-
rected.

And Mrst, the Barred ()\\1 insti;ad of beini,^ ''rather sparint^l)'
repre.>cMited in British America," is the most abundantly distri-
buted and most fre(|uently met with of the family in Canada durinj^'
the' fall, winter and sprinj^^ months, retirinj^- iluriuL; the simimer to
the more northern portions or to tlu; fur countries to rear its
young. Secondly. Canada cannot be said to be " the home of the
(ireat Gra\- Owl." when this bird is only a rare winter visitant,
and is never seen in the summer. Cassin, and other writers of hijrh
standin,L,^ have made the same mis-statement respcctini,' the latter
bird ; but in the writings of the first-named author we fmd the
clue to the whole misunderstanilini;. Cassin makes his statement
on the authority of tint late Dr. 1 lall, of Montreal, who, a number
of years since, drew out a list, entitled. " The Mammals and birds
of the District of Montreal," which was eventuall)' published in our
Canadian Naturalist and (leoloi^ist." In this list the (ireat (iray
Owl, Snow Owl, and I lawk Owl are mentioned as resident birds,
nestinj^ in the district. This statement, however, must be wholly
conjectural, as up to the present year (1876) no naturalist or
collector has himself taken, or heard of others having taken, the
eggs of either the vSnowy or the Cinereous Owl in Canatla ; and
I think the statement will as truly apply to the Hawk Owl. These

• Vol. VII., page 44, ti siy.

msm

CINKRKOUS OW'I-— (JRKAT (IRAV (AVL

121

facts show how cxtriMiiely careful all ohscrvcrs should he, especially
in Canada, in niakinj^' out their local lists of Mammals and Hinls,
uultin'' nothini' ilown as fact which the\ have not ohscrrvel them-
selves, or plainly statin}^ wherein they have drawn from lu.'arsay
or conjecture. W'hiN' on this suhject I may add, that the only
species of Owls which are known to nest in Canada, and of which
the ei^rys have Ix-cn obtained, an; the Little Scre<ch ( )wl, llu-
(ireat llorned Owl, the Iahv^ and Short-eared Owls, and the
liarred Owl.

The Cin(;reous ( )wl, as already stated, is rather a rare- bird
throujjfhout the greater portion of Canada l^asl and West hut
a i^reater number is seen every winti:r in the Province of Ouebec
than in ( )nlario. Reeks does not mention it in his list of Xew-
foundlanil birds, although tlu;re can be little doubt but that it
occurs there. At Ouebec and Montreal more specimens have
been obtain(!d, perha|)s, than at an)- other points. During' the
present wint(;r (1S76), mild -.wm-I open as the weather has bi-en,
there has been an unusual number of these Ijirds exposed f(ir sale
in the Montreal i arkets, all of which wvsv. obtained either on the
islanil or in ck-se proximity to it ; this unusual number, however,
only amounts in all to about six birds. One pair of thesi: I ob-
tained a male and female the latter being the largest I ha\ (•
ever seen. In Canada West this Owl has been taken at Kingston,
Toronto and Hamilton, and probably at other points. It is,
acct)riling to Richardson, " l)y no means a rare bird in the fur
countries, being an inhabitant of all the woody districts lying
between Lake Superior anil 1; -tudes 67 and 6S , and between
Hudson's Bay aiul the Pacific. It is common on the borders of
Great Bear Lake ; ami there ami in die higher paralkds of latitude
it must pursue its prey, during the summer months, by daylight."
It is not mentioned by Mr. Bernard Ross as occurring in the
McKenzie River district. P'rom Canada it wanders into the
Northern and New England States in winter, and is found as
far south as Massachusetts and New Jersey. I )r. Brewer states
that about the year 1839 he obtained two for Mr. Auilubon that
were shot near Boston, — " a fact which does not appear to have

V

122

ciNKkKous OWL (iRKAr (;rav our.

m

if

is

I ' ^

been previously n-corcled." Aiiotlu-r was taken at Salciii, Mass.
by Mr. E. S. Waters (iS()()) ami is now in the nuisciim of the
•*eal)0(ly Academy. Riili^way records it at Illinois. I )r. Coo|)er
reports it as " common in the ilense spruce foresti near the Col-
umbia river, and northward."

RespcctiniL; the nidilication of the (Ireat ( Iray ( )wl, and its
other gineral habits, very little is known to naturalists. 1 consider
it to be a ,'itrictly boreal bird, breeding in the fur countries and
extremely hij^h latituiles. The majority are resident birds in the
Arctic rej^Mons, ami those we sei; are the few straj^j^^lers which
perhaps have followed in the track of some of the nights of
l'tarmi,i,Mn.

This ( )wl is |)ai"ticularly W(.'ll provided against cold, biii not
to the sann; degree as the .Snowy Owl. Its plumagi; is loose, soft,
and has a hair-like appi-arance. The head and face api)ear to
be unusually large, but the skull, when the skin and feathers are
removetl. is comparatively small. L'nlikt the majorit)' of the
Owl species, the eyes of this bird are unusually small, as are
also the feet. There is considerable difference in size between
the se.xes, but in other n.'spects they are alike. The eggs of most
Owls are white, \vithi)ut s[)Ots, but according \.o the list before
referred to of I lall's, those of this specic;s are " motthid with black-
ish brown ; " which is most improbable. Can any of our collectors
inform us on this point ?

Sr. Char. The largest N U' American Owl. Above smoUy or .isliy-bruwn, mullkd ami
bnrreil wilh ashy-while, with nun i.i' us dark ashy-lirown 'itripes, especially on the hre.ast, and wiih
bars of the ,ame on the atdou ■■,;, ;egs and lower tail covirts ; quills brown, with about live wide
irregular bands of .ashy-white ; t il similar, with five or six bands, ami mottled with dark brown ;
feathers of the disk on the neck tipped with white ; eye nearly encircled by a black spot ; radiating
feathers round the eye, with regular transverse narrow bars of dark biown and ash white.

Length, 25.00 to 30.00; extent, 56.00; wing, iS.oo ; tail, 12.00 to 15.00. Iris yellow,
liill and claws f aler.

S. (■■■'■

■H

Syrnium Nebulosum (/'orsh-r.) IJoii:.

UARRIiiO OWL; COMMON GRAY OWL.
I'l.ATK XXV.

Tile two l)ircls so hcaiitilully ami accurately fijLjiircil on this
IMati! l)y Notinan will at oncv. he rccoj^nizcd by all <nir Canadian
s|)ortsnu'n ami C(<llrctors as old camp-fire acciuaintaiucs. They
arc mall- and fcnialc, and wvxv. taken on tin: Nuns' island, in the
St. Laurence, near the city of Montreal. As this Plate is not my
own haniliwork, it will not be consiilered ej^otistical in me when I
state thai a more natural, accurate ami beautiful portrait of the
Hprred Owl does not exist in aiu' ornithological work yet pub-
lishetl in this country. The birds from whicli it was taken
were in [)rime condition, or in other worils, in perfectly mature
plumajL,^.', and natural mates. The)- were; preserveil and mounted
by 'Mr. Win. Hunter, late taxidermist to the Montreal Natural
Ilistor)' Society, whose skill as a bird-mounter is well known
to the citizens of Montreal and Ilamillon, in both of which cities
lie for a numbir of \oars resitled and collc;cti;d. The figure of
this Owl as t(iven bj- Autlubon in his " Birds of America," is not
recoj^niizable at least as our bird- and must have been taken
from a form or stage not known in Canada ; this any one may set;
by comparing the Plates. I believe, however, that the Southern
individuals of this species {e.g. Florida specimens) are both darker
and a shade smaller than Northern New Englaml or Canadian
ones.

The Barred Owl, or, as it is more generally known in Canada,
the common Cray Owl, has. besides being wretchedly figured, been
most incorrectly described by many writers, and I here gladly
seize the opportunity of correcting some mis-statements made
respecting it In the comparatively recent work of Ur. Cones, on
the " Birds of the North-West," he mentions this Owl as " spar-
ingly represented in British America," and states that " the sexes
of this bird are not appreciably different in size, nor otherwise

1

HI

mi

124

liARRKI) OWI, COMMON CRAY OWI,

distinujiiishahle by external cliaracters." IJoth of these statements
are ck'cicledly incorrect. The liarrcd ( )\vl /.v universally tlift'uscd
over the t^reater portion of British Ain(!rica, and is a resident
species in most localities in Canada. Thcty have been met with
from I iamilton, ( )ntario, to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, and
extend northwartl to the fur countries. Mr. Mcllwraith in his
"List of Hamilton IJirds " ^'wca this species as a resident and
common bird; and Dr. H(;rnard dilpin wr'les me that in Nova
.Scotia it is the same. I have met with it myself on many of our
_^■eolo<rical exj)editions in both the Provinces of Ontario and
Ouebec, and have taken a number of specimens durin_t( winter
on the islaiul of Montreal. I'urlher, in reply to a letter, Mr. W in.
Couper writes me : " The Barred Owl is the most common species
throughout the Canadas, where it breeds. I f')und the younj^, in
the down, in a wood near th.c; city of Ouebec."

These records of the occurrence and residence of the Barred
< )wl in CaiKula are more than sufficient to overthrow the abqve-
meni.;-.ned rash statement respecting its beinj; " rather sparingly
represented." The northern limit of its range, however, does not
appear to extend much beyond the southern portions of the fur
countri(;s. It was not met with by Richardson on any of his ex-
jjeditions, but is iii'jntioned in his I'auna Boreali Americana from
the circumstance that one specimen taken at Hudson's Bay was,
in the year- , sent by Mr. (Iraham to the Rojal Society.
Hutchins does not gi\t; it in his remarks on the- birds fre<[utMiting
the mouth of Nelson river; nor is it incUided in Ross' list of the
birds of the McKenzie River district.

As to Cones' statement respecting the sameness of size in
the sexes, I can but remark that such is not the general ruU- in
Canada, where the ft.nale is considerably the larger I)ird. Wilson
also records this fact, but goes to the other extreme in stating that
"the difference of size between the male and fi-male of this Owl
is extraordinary, amounting sometimes to nearly eight inches in
thci length." Thus do hasty naturalists lly from one extreme to
another, while the (piiet but mon; accurate observer strikes the

BARRED 'JWL— COMMCXN (IRAV ()\\ L.

125

truth midway. Of course in all species there are occasionally
extraordinary individuals ; but puttinjj;' these aside, I can safely
state that, in thi- general run of specimens, the female i.'xceeds the
male in leny^th and extent I>y from two to four, rare-ly five inches.
Moth sexes, however, are much the same in pluma<j;e.

One \'ery remarkable feature in this Owl is th(; color of the i-ye,
which is wholly bluish black, aiul not unliki: a very lar<4C' bluish
black j^lass bead. Y(?t 1 have seen iiummerable stuffed s|)ecimens
throui^hout Canada, and v.vm in som:- public museums jj^azinjj;'
fiercely out of their cases with the IarL;(' oraiij^e-yellow coloreil
eyes of the (Ireat 1 lorned Owl. Doubtless such t,nive more
expression to the otherwise modest and mcu'k physiognomy of
this bird, bul the ex[)rc!ssion was a most unnatiu'al one, and woe-
fully i)<;lied its true character. Where nature is thus i<;nored in
stuffed specimens, these an; worse than worthless.

'llu; P)arred Owl is often met with dnrini;- the winter months
in 'Janada, and hunts during;- the tlay. It pre)s at this season
lari^c;l)' upon small i)irds and squirrels, and sonuitimes frequents
liie neijj;hborhood of the out buildini^s of a farm house, where,
besides mice and rats, it may occasionally (|uietly make off with
some poultry or tame pigeons. Its vision is unimpaired by the
sundit^ht, and 1 have found it an excei'din^iy difficult matter to
_L;et within i;un-shot of souk; of them. Tlu^ir llis^ht is remarkably
noiseless, and one mij^ht |)ass within a lew [)ac(;s of a person
without his attention beinj^ directt^d towards it, did its sluulow on
the white snow not bdray it. Vhc IJarred < )wl seldom makes
lon_<4' nights, but when disturbed or pursued, llits from one bushy
tree to another, describing a scjries of short f-in-xcs. It is often
difficult to tell what part of the tree is reached, as the bird thougii
entering it below tlu; low'ermost branches, afterwards suddenly
ascends to some of the to[)most boughs, where it is not easy to
discover it.

In summer these Owls betake them.selves to the more heavily
wooded sections of the country, and an; but seldom seen in the
vicinity of our towns and cititis. They fp-pienlly visit the sur-

V

120

BARRED OWL— COMMONf GRAY OWL.

veyors' or hunters' camp-fire in the Province of Ontario, and I
have known some to be exceedingly vf^nturesome on such occa-
sions. Strange to say, I have not been able to fintl any authentic
account of these birds nestinj^ in Canada., althoug^h they undoubt-
edly do so, beinir met with at all seasons. The youni^, however,
have often been taken " in the down," provin_L,r clearly t'-iat their
nestinjr site was not far 'distant. According to Coues, they breed
in March, in the Atlantic and (nilf States ; but it would be April
before they could do so in Canada. Their nest is sometimes built
in the branches of a tree, but more generally the eggs are laid in th ■
hollow of a tree. Occasionally they are said to make use of th ■
nest of a Mawk or a Crow. The eggs are white and subsphe"i''
measuring about 2 inches in length by i -; in breadth. They
range from five to six in number.

I should have mentioned that this Owl is not known to occur
west of the Rocky Mountains, : l)ut Dr. Cooper, in his " Birds of
Cah'fornia," remarks : "As it is, however, exceedingly improbable
that a bird of such wide range in other parts of North /\merica
should not cross the mountains, we introduce it here in anticipation
of the period of its detection in the mountains of California, which
will undoubtedly occur sooner or later." To the west of the Rocky
Mountains, according to Coues, the Barred Owl "is to some extent
replaced by the allied but perfectly distinct S. occidciitalc, dis-
covered by Mr. Xants, at P'ort Tejon, California, and subsequently
observed in Arizona by Lieut. Bendire, United States Army."

Sr. Char. Much smaller than the Ciiieieoiis Owl. Ilea'l large, without ear tufts ; tail
rather long ; upper parts light ashy-brown, frequently tinged with dull yellow, with transverse
narrow bands of white, most numerous on the head and neck behind, broader on the back , breast
with transverse bands of brown and while ; abdomen ashy-while, with . li.ngiludinal stri] -; of
brown ; tarsi and toes ashy-while, tinged with fulvous, generally without snots, but fretiuently
mottled and banded with ilatk Ijrown ; cjuiUs brown, with six or seven transverse bars nearly pure
white on the outer webs, and ashy-fulvous on the inner webs ; tail light brown, with about five bands
of white, generally tinged with reddish-yellow ; feathers of disk tipped with white ; face ashy-white,
with lines of brown, and a spot of black in front of the eye ; throat dark brown ; rlaws horn-color.
Bill r.aie yellow ; irides bhtish black. Sexes alike.

Total length, about jo.oo to 24.00 ; wing, 13.00 to 14.00 ; tail
Female invariably larger than the male. — H. U. \ .

9.00.

Messrs. Sclater and Salvin's .S'. ^ulvescens is the Mexican
variety of this species. . , -j-.x?^..

.;__i,:.i;;:.ii;iiia-;:>

Genus NYCTALE, Hrkiim.

Hkn. CllAK. Si/.c 'iiiull. Head witli very small carliifls, only seen wlien erected ; eyes
small ; bill moderate ; Aicial disk nearly perfect ; wingi rather long ; tail slioi' ; toes densely
feathered ; conch of ear very large, with an operculum.

Until quite recently this genus was thought to be represented
in North America by some four or five species ; these, however,
are now reduced to two, both of which are tolerably abundant in
Canada. They are of diminutive size, and are the most nocturnal
species of the family.

Nyctale Tengmalmi var. Richardsoni (/^'/>.) Ridhw.

SPARROW OWL ; RICHARDSON'S OWL.
I'L.ATK XXVI.

This is an exceedingly interesting little Owl, and the Plate
herewith presented is a truthful portrait of it. It inhabits (ireat
Britain, the continents of Europe and Asia, nc.ihern Africa, and
northern Nortli America. In Europe and Britain it is commonly
known as Tk.\(;malm's Owl, and throughout Canada and the
United States as the .Si-arrow Owl.

Up to the year 1838 the American bird was considered as
uncpiestionably identical with its European representative, but was
sub.sequently, in common with several species, separated as a dis-
tinct s[)ecies by over-zealous naturalists. Lately, however, and
chielly through t'^e studies of Mr. Ridgway of Washington the
birds of the two continents have been again re-united under the
name which has priority, namely JV. Tengmalmi \ but the American
bird is still suppo.sed to constitute a variety or a distinct geo-
graphical race which, for convenience, is called var. Richardsoni.
To my mind, however, as I have '^Isewhere remarked, such a
multiplication of names is much to be regretted, and appears
needless — not only respecting this, l)ut many other species which

H
1 I

m

'III

11

128

SPARROW OWL- RICHARDSON'S OWL.

inhabit alike both continents, bor when we come to inquire into
the distinctive marks which characterize such varieties, we find
these to consist in most cases of little more than a difference in
the intensity of coloring- ; and ev; n this does not appear to bj
constant in the indixiduals composinjr either race. b"or instance,
in the case of the Hawk Owl, S. iiltila \ar. Ilndsonia, which is
likewise separated into a Iun-oi)ean and American race, it has
only recently been discovered that it is thi' American type and
not the European which inhabits Cireat Britain.

Pi!

w

The American Sparrow Owl only differs from the TcngDialmi
of I'lurope in bt:ing occasionally darker colored, the habits of both
birds, and indeed all other specific details, beins^ uncpiestionably
the same. It is strictly a northern species, ran^iuL,'' with the Hawk
and SnoW)- Owls to, and probably beyond, the highest latitude
yet reached by travellers, but sto))ping far short of these birds in
its e.xtension to the southward. It has been met with in Maine,
Massachusetts, and Connecticut ; but in this last State rarely, I
can find no record of it in Pennsylvania or New Jerse), and tnink
it probable that beyond Massachusetts its occurrence is rare and
fortuit 'Vis. i^oardman oives it as resident in i-Iaine; and Downs
as common in Newfoundland. In Canada it is pretty universally
diffused as f;ir west as Hamilton, Ontario, where, however, it is
said by Mcllwraith to Ix; a rare winter visitor. Mr. W'm. Couper,
naturalist, informs me it is particular!)- abundant to the northward
of the city of Quebec, in fact more .so than in any other part of
Canada ; and I have myself met with it in the vicinity of Montreal
every winter for a number ot years. This winter (1H76) there
have been an unusual number of occurrences of this species as
well as of several other usually rare Owls about Montreal, l^r.
Bernard Oilpin writinj,'' from Halifax, N.S., says that the Sparrow
Owl is a rare winter visitor in that Province ; but as its habits
are very retirintj antl strictly nocturnal, it is possible that though
but few are seen the bird may be tolerably abundant. Ac-
cording to Kichardsc)n this Owl is very abundant in the reoion
of the Sa 'ati Ijcwar,, and its plaintiff cry may be heard throughout
the night iroi.' every quarter. The Cree Indians call it the

SPARROW OWL-RICHARDSON'S OWL.

129

" Death Hird," and have a curious custom of ans\verni<r its cry by a
whistle, which if not repHcd to by the bird, is thou,i,dit to bespeak
the early death of one of the number. In the McKenzie River
district Ross says it is found north to Fort Simpson, but is " rather
rare.

There is no record of the .Sparrow Owl breeding in Canada,
but that it does so I am persuaded. We have yet much to learn
respecting the habits and nidification of most of our Owls ; but this
investigation will ever be attended with difficulty until more inter-
est is awakened in the general community in their behalf When
it is yet uncertain whether the species most commonly m(;t with
nest in any part of our Dominion, what can we expect to learn of
those whose habits keep them aloof from observation7 -as is the
case with the birds of the present genus.

The food of the Sparrow Owl is mice and small birds, and in
summer largely insects. It is said to build its rest in a pine tree,
and use in the construction of this, sticks, grass, and feathers.
The Q<^g, like that of other Owls, is colorless, and measures i^
inches in length, by i inch in breadth.

There is considerable difference in size between the male and
female of this species — though this fact has not been noticed as
yet by any writer. This winter (1876) I had the good fortune
to obtain three females and two males, and found that the former
measured from i-y^ to 2 inches in excess of the latter in length,
and close upon the same figures in expanse.

The theory advanced some time since in the " Ibis " by Mr.
Elliot, giving the S. albif}'o)is. White-fronted Owl or Kirtland's
Owl, as the young of the present species, is hardly worth our
consideration, as it will not be for one instant regarded by any of
owe field-men in Canada, most of v-zhom have long ere this ascer-
tained that the so-called .5". KirtUmdii is simply a peculiar form
of the .Saw-whet or Acadian Owl.

The birds represented on Plate XX\T are male and female.
They were shot close to the city of Montreal.

Q

ill

ill ! '

■'pmpi

130

SPARROW OWL-RICHARDSON'S Q'.VL.

l.eh.n,l scapulars and rum,. ; hea.i i„ front wi,I, nnn.erous spots of white ; face whitJ w ,h . "'^

ttl 1 1 , . '^'•' ''^'■■'.' ;'"■" • '•^e^ ; ;' '"^'^ l'--^'- )'-'"owish, nearly white, sometimes l.^re,! an.l
spot ul wuh l.,ow„ ; .pulls l.rown, w.th sn.all s,,ots of white on their outer cl^es an,l lar.e spot
of the s unc on the.r mner webs ; tail l.rown, every feather with about ten pairs of white spots. '

Bill a yellowish white on the ridge and at the tip ; dark-colored on the sides

(never all yellow, as often described) ; irides orange and sometitnes lemon-yellow.

n>:r„sio„s .ana/>ie. Leufith, from lo-^ to .. inches ; wing, 7 to 8 ; tail, y/, to 4^^ inches.

Several of these Owls have been caught alive on the island
ot Montreal this winter (1876^.

2^E

w^Hiwuiiiwiwi^nwii I '--^^,"-;,!';:,'i^

Nyctale Acadica (Gniclui.) lio.wr.

NYCTALE ALBIFRONS, Cassin. ).
NYCTALK KIRTLANDIl, Hoy. )

fiiuinitan

ACADIAN OWL ; SAW-WHET OWL ; LITTLE OWL.
ri-ATK XXVII,

Also known in ius immature stages as the " White-fronted "
and " Kirtland's" Owl ; and to our French people as "la c/ioiiclte."
Perhaps it is most commonly known as the " Little Owl," for it
is decidedly the smallest sj)ecies of the family in North America.

- The Acadian Owl — for this is its proper name reseml)les
somewhat in its general color the Jjparrow Owl. It is, however,
a very much smaller bird, differs in the relative lengths of its
wings and tail, in its cere and nostrils, and has a black instead of
a yellow bill. Nor is it so boreal a species as the Sparrow (Jwl,
having as yet been but seldom met with in the fur countries, and
never in any very high degree of latitude. It is given and des-
cribed in Fauna Boreali Americana by Rich, and Swains., but only
from a single specimen taken on Thompson's River, New Cale-
donia, to the westward of the Rocky Mountains. Richardson's
description of it is largely borrowed from Wilson, as he states it
v.'as noL met with by "the Fxpedition." It, however, is met with
abundantly throughout Canada from one extremity to the other;
and it probably ex*^ends into the southern portions of the fur
countries. It is of rather fre([uent occurrence in the Northern
and New England States, and has been further traced a long way
into Mexico ; but this southward extension, as ,Coues remarks,
" appears to be mainly along wooded mountain ranges, the altitude
of which compensates, in a faunal sense, for the decrease in lati-
tude." From w'.iat I can gather from the published local lists of
American ni^turalists, this Owl has but seldom been met with to
the southward of Pennsylvania, and it is not given by Allen or

illl

132

ACADIAN OWL— SAW WHKT OWI, 1,11 TI.K UWL.

Hoardman as a I'lorida species. It, however, extends across the
continent from ocean to ocean ; conseciiiently its habitat may be
^•iven as the whole; of the temperate parts of North AnKTxa.

Audubon found the Acadian Owl in Marylanil, an.l describes
the eggs as being deposited in Crows' nests or holes in trees ;
these numbered from three to six ; were elliptical and white.

Wilson says but little of the Acadian Owl, and my ini[)ression,
after reading his short description, is that he personally met with
but few individuals of this species. He describes it as the " Little
Owl " (Sln'x passcrina, Linne), says it is met with as far north as
Nova Scoti.i, and even Hudson's Hay, that it s frequent in Russia,
and describes its nest, containing two white ("ggs, as constructed
half-way up a pine tree. His description of the bird is taken from
a single specimen — a female shot at Great Egg Harbor, in New
Jersey.

In Canada, however, where the Acadian Owl is particularly
abundant at all seasons of the year, we learn further particulars
concerning it, ami are enableil to correct a number of mis-state-
ments made respecting it. The two individuals figun-d on the
accompan) ing Plate were selected as average representative speci-
mens of this ( )wl frf)m out of twenty-five, all of which were taken
in Canada ; and had I recjuired, I could have procured at least
as many more. A third individual, evidently an old bird, in
splendid typical plumage, was received after the above two were
l^hotographed, and is figured on Plate XXIV along with the Great
(iray or Cinereous Owl.

As illustrative of the frequency of occurrence of the Acadian
Owl in Canada, I may give the following. Mr. Mcllwraith of
Hamilton writes me that he has had this Owl living and dead by
the dozen ; Mr. Passmore has taken numerous specimens in both
Toronto and Montreal ; the late Mr. \Vm. Hunter, of the Montreal
Nat. Hist. .Soc, had specimens from both Hamilton and Montreal ;
Mr. Wm. Couper, from Montreal and Quebec. Dr. Bernard
Gilpin says it is common around Halifax, N.S. ; and I have a

ACADIAN OWL— SAW-WHET OWI, Ml' I'M'; OWL.

LW

number of records of its occiirrcMict: in Nt-wfoundiand. My own
collections show it to he of fre([iient occurrence throiijjjh the
counties of I lastinvjs, Addinjj^ton, Frontenac, Lanark and Renfrew
in the Province of Ontario ; in the rej^ion to tiie northward of
the Ottawa river, alonj,' the valleys of the (iatineau, Lievre, and
Rouj^-e rivers; throuL,diout the District of Montreal; and in the
I'^aslern townships — in the mountainous region horderini^ on the
Stale of New York. In all these sections of country it undoubt-
edly bn.'eds ; but, strange to say, its nest and eirLjs were not found
b\ us on any of our ex[)editions, nor have I yet met with one
person who has been more fortunate in this respect. So small,
however, is this bird, and so nocturnal is it in its habits, that I
can readily conceive of its beint,'' abundant and perhaps breedinj^
in our midst without our being cognizant of the fact. The eggs
are said to be pure white, subspherical, and of crystalline clearness.
They measure i'h inches by i 7,s inches.

The food of this interesting little Owl consists almost entirely
of insects, and it is very i'ond of some of the large moths which are
on the wing during the twilight. Ii" is to some extent a resident
species in Canada, and as its plumage is evidently designed to fit
it for extrtine cokl, it is probable that numbers remain throughout
the winter in the fur countries. According to Dr. (iilpin it is
common and breeds in Nova Scotia. Reeks also describes it as
common in Newfoundland.

' I

> ■

The little tawny Owl occasionally met with in Canada of
about the same size as the Acadian Owl, and pretty general known
as Kirtland's Owl, is now considered by good authorities to be
simply the young or immature form of that first mentioned ; but
so rarely does it occur, and so few have been the specimens at
at oui' disposal for study and comparison, that I do not think i. e
question is yet satisfactorily determimd. If this tawny form is
in truth the young of the Acadian or Saw-whet Owl, it is another
of those puzzling instances in which, while the mature birds are
plentiful, the young and immature are but rarely met with. We
have already seen a parallel to this in the case of the red and gray

I

184

ACADIAN OWL SAW-WIIKI' OWL— Mi TM', UWI,.

.Stages of the Screech or Mottleil Owl, and remarked that amonn;
these the nv/ were perhaps in the proportion of one to fifty. In
the present instance; the small proportion oi' /<ia'//y to the ordinary
found pluniaj^fe is much more remarkable, ami may be j^iveii as
but one in a thousand. Are we, then, really to believe that, while
we have such numerous occurrences of typical Acadian Owls, or in
other words, of undoubtedly mature; birds, we have only occasional
accidental occurrence of the jounj; ami iinmalnrc form ? We can
hard!) conceive of such a case, unless indceil it coulil be demon-
stratetl that these younj^^ birds remained by themselves in some
out-of-the-way breedin^r resort until they had attained their mature
plumaije save, perchance, a stray individual or two which hap
pened to mij^rate with the older birds into our borders. On the
other hand, supposiiiij^ the taxony form (Kirtland's Owl) to be a
distinct and valid species, we have still to contend with
the fact of its universal rarity, which again suggests an iilea of
improbability, for we can hardly at the present day conceive of
a valid species being so rare as that only some dozen specimens
of it have — all told been taken. .Surely somewhere such a species
must be represented by a greater number of individuals, or it must
be on the verge of extinction. In this last case, however, we
should naturally e.xpect to find in the records of the past some
notice of its era; but such is not the case respecting Kirtland's
Owl. Indeed most of the specimens we know anything about
have been taken within the last twenty or twenty-five years, and
the larger number of these in Canada. One other v ew of this
question may be taken, and by me it seems by far the most reason-
able one, namely, that connected with the melanism or melanotic
condition peculiar to several species of both the Falconida- and
StrigiMc. Th'"'^- would at once seem to give all the e.xplanation
necessary, for we know that such melanism would affect only an
occasional individual of the species, under, perhaps, peculiar cir-
cunstances,- and hence the very few occurrences of the tawny
form known as Kirtland's Owl. As I have already stated, how-
ever, the whole question is yet involved in much uncertainty, and
until further facts and specimens have been collected, it cannot be
explained satisfactorily.

ACADIAN ()Wr<— SAW-WHF.r OWI,— IJI'ILK OWL.

185

TlnTc is one circiiinstance comiccttMl with tlu- oc'ciirrcnct' of
the Acadian Uwl ('ordinary form) in Canatla which should here be
mentioned, as it has an important l)earinj^f on this (|iiestion. It is
the fact that in a series of sonu; fifty s|)ecimens I liave examineil
there ?re ^reat diversities in the intensity aud jreneral plan of the
colors of the plumai^e. This is evidently the partial effects of lK)th
season ami ajije ; yet iwnr. of thes(! individuals approach in the
. lightest to the Kirtland Owl form. Siu'el)' in such an e.xtensive
series of birds takt-n at all seasons during a number of years we
mi^ht naturally e.xpect one, two, or (;ven mon; Kirtland's Owls, if
these are as is now generally 1 jlieved — the joung ol" this
species.

The tlrst instance of a capture of the rare little Kirllanil Owl
that came under my notice was in the year i(S62, in Montreal. The
bird was in the possession of Mr. VVm. Hunter, of the Montreal
Nat. Hist. Society, who stated that some few years previous (to
1S62) he had caught it alive in one of the grain stop s situated on
the Lachine Canai, not far from the city. On rt^fcnring to Audu-
bon's " liirds of America, " we could linil no notice of such a
species ; but Mr. 1 lunter informed me that he thought he had iden-
tified his bird from a plate in Cassin's " Hirds of California, Texas,
etc., etc.," — a work which I had not seen. We turned up this work
and carefully com[)arcd the plate and description of the Kirtland
Owl with our Caiiailian s[)ecimen, when I was satisfied that Mr.
Hunter had not been mistaken. This specimen was therefore
Irbelled Kirtland's Owl, and the species was added to oui local
lists.

The only other specimens which were then known anything
about were those- four in number mentioned in Cassin's work
as having been discovered and first described by Dr. Hoy from
the neighborhood of Racine, in the State of Wisconsin. Shortly
after this. Dr. Archil)ald Hall in his " Mammals and Birds of the
Distrct of Montreal." described this specimen of Mr. Hunter's,
alluded to Mr. Hoy's Racine specimens, and adds, " 1 am happy
to have had it in my power to add it to the list of Ow'ls." Mr.

H

186

ACADIAN owi, SAW \vm;r OWI. LI'iri.K OWI,.

lliiiU(!r's s|K;cinicii foriiHid one of a larj^'c case of stiiffetl hirils,
which was siibsi;(|ii(;ntly sold to a Mr. I lioiiiiison, of Motitnial, in
whos(' possession it reniaincil for some years. Upon the decease
of this ^nntlcnian his collection was sold and separatc(l, and
as far as 1 can learn, the case conlaininjjj the littl«: Kirtlaml's
Owl went out of our city. More r(!cently a second sptjcinicn of
this rare Owl was obtained whence I cannot ascertain and is
now in our Montreal Museum of Natural llistory. These two
specimens are the only ones to my knovvledj^je takc;n in the vicinit\-
of Montreal.

riu; following: notices of the occurrence of this rare ( )wl in
Canada, contributed hy Mr. Thos. Mclhvraitli of Hamilton to an
American journal will be reatl widi interest in this connection, and
in these I think 1 can detect a pa;j[e furth(;r in the history of Mr.
Hunter's specimen, just referred to. This ^^eiitlcman, ''ider date
of Lamilton, January 20th, 1S73, writes as follows :

" In looking; over tlie Natiirali.st (Americ.in) of Ai)ril, 1S71, I observe a notice
of the (a|)turc of a specimen of tlic White-fronted Owl in Maine, and the writer of
tiie note, I'rof. A. E. X'erril, says tliat the only other instance of its occurrence in
the United States, of which he is aware, is the specimen taken hy Dr. Hoy at
Racine. I am a little siirjirised at this, for, thoii^;li not coniin}; niiu h in contact
with colk'c tors, 1 have seen or heard of this (supj/osed) species now and then for
a niniiber of years hack. My first knowledjje of it was from Cassin's account, and
the figure given of it in his ' Hirds of America.' Shortly afterward I recognized it
in a small case in the possession of the Rev. Professor Ingles, now of the Dutch
Reformed Church, Brooklyn, New York, where it was called 'Saw-whet — young.'
IVic case iciis biouj^ht fiom Afontira/. I next met it in Toronto, where Mr. Passniore,
taxidermist, had two si)ecimens, one of which I obtained, and have now in my
collection. Again I heard from Mr. 1\ II. (iibbs, of (luelph, tiiat there were
several about his evergreens near the house, one of which he shot. About the
same time Mr. Booth, naturalist, of Drummondville, told me of a s()ecimen he had
obtained. Dr. Anderson of I'oint Levi, opposite ()uebec, had his alive for a time;
and 1 heard of still another in the hands of R. K.. Winslow, Kscp, of Cleveland,
Ohio. I'Yom the foregoing it would seem to be more common in Canada than it
is further south. The opinion seems to be generally held by tho.-.e with whom I
have conversea on the subject, that it is the young of the Saw-whet ; and yet it is
somewhat singular that it is not as often met with as its supposed paients. In the
month of October, a few years since, I had six in Saw-whet form brought me by a
lad, who got them all near the same place on his father's farm. The ineory recently

^t.jstui^siUL^\

ACADIAN OWL-SA\V-\Vlli;|- ()\VI, LliTM', ()\VI,.

\r>

advaiH L'll l>y Mr. Ivlliott, in llic ' Il)is,' of its ln'in;; the yoiinn "f '''*■' Sparrow Owl
( A'ycliile '/iiifitna/mi) I don't think at all probalilc ; I have the two sMc hy si<lc and
cannot olwcrve any rt-seniblancc to warrant snch a conchision, the dilTcrente in
size alone hrinf; suDw ient to show the distinction. My own opinion is that it will
l>e found to he the young of the Saw whet ; but is it not possii)li; that the) do not
all assinne the same garb- that there may be here a freak of nature, so to speak,
such as till re is in the case of the Screech Owl, where we I'lrul iioih red and gray."

< )iic of tlu: .specimens of tlu: Kirtland Owl referred to in tlu-
forcj^oiiij^ Holes is distinctly said to form one in a case of birds
which came from Montreal. This is imdoiihlcdly the one I have
already descriheil as heiiii; in Mr. llimter's and afterwards in
Mr. I'homjjson's collection.

Mr. .\nderson's specimen, also alluded to in Mr. Mcllwraith's
notes, I have seen. It is iindonhtedly the N. Kirthxndii o{ lloy
ami L'assiii lul is a very fine specinu;n. In ^n-neral appearance
it is very iiiilikc tin- .Acadian or .Saw-whet Owl, and indeed has
hard!)' one f(,';itiir(' in coiiinidn with this. 'I'his iiinl was kindly
lent me I))- Mr. Anderson for the present work, but as I had
previous to its arrival arranj^t.-il my hook for ,^o Plates onl)', I
was ohliLjcd to omit it for the present.

In Canada, besides the Acadian and Kirtland Owl forms,
we (<ccasionally hear of another, the ! )alhoiisi(! Owl (S. Dal-
lunisci, llall). .Several specimens of tliis variety have been
taken in the vicinity of Montreal, but I can detect no difference
betwe(;n them ami i mnnber of my specimens which I know to be
N. Acadica. I \ describinjr the S. Diil/iousci, D.. Hall says:
" The whole appearance very much resemblin_!;.j the former species
(Acadica).' He ailds, " The spots on the inner vanes of the
primaries, however, differino- from those on the .S'. Acadica in
beint( oval, and scarcely presentiiii^ the appearance of bars." And
fiirtln'r, in descril)in_i,r the vt-ntral as[)ect of Dalhousci, he says :
" Breast and belly streaked with retldish brown and white, instead
of beini,'^ wholly brown, as in the former (Acadica)!' I have seen
few specimens of the N. Acadica in which the breast and belly
were wholly brown ; and further, have found the sjwts on the
inner vanes of the primaries altogether too irregular a character-

u

f

X88

ACADIAN OWL— SAW-WHKT OWL— Ll'l TLK OWL.

istic to be in any way guided by. There consequently does not
appear to be the sh'ohtc.st grounds for making a distinct species
of the occasional form Dallioiisci.

For the purpose of comparison I append descriptions of both
the typical Acadian Owl and that heretofore regarded as Kirtland's
0;vl, simply remarking that concerning the last I can myself yet
come to no satisfactory conclusion.

N. ACADICA.

if;:
If:

•Si'. Char. Small. Wings long ; tail short. Upper p.arls rcdilish brown, tinged With
olive ; licad in front with line lines of while, and on the b.xck, rump, and scapulars, with largi
partially concealed spots of white ; face ashy-white ; throat white ; luid.er parts ashy-white, with
longitudinal stripes of pale reddish-brown ; under coverts of wings and tail white ; quills bi.iwn,
with sniall spots of white on their outer edges, and large spots of the same on their inner web.s ;
tail brown, every feather with aboat three pairs of spots of white.

Hill and claws dark ; irides yellow.

Total length, 7,''i to lo inches ; wing, 5 '4' to 6 ; tail, 2 '4' to 3 inches.

N. KiRTi.ANDM, Hoy, (Cassin.)

Sl\ Char. Dorsal asf<cci. ]'rev.iiling lint, chocolate brown, relieved on the scapulars,
secondaries, and primaries by whitish spots, on the latter the spots existing on both the outer and
inner veins, forming three o. four imperfect bars ; tail with three bars of while and faintly tipped
with the same color.

]'ciil)\il iisf'cct. chin and throat chocolate-brown, changing on the abdomen. Hanks and
inferior tail coverts lo an ochrey color ; under wing coverts whitish.

Bill black and nearly concealed by sniall feathers arising from i'.s base ; irides yellow ; above
eyes and on each side of the bill a dirty white line, remainder of the front compose<l of chocolale-
l rown feathers, edged with dirty white, their lips causing .at the edge of the front a dirty white Ime ;
feathers behind ejes darkest; tarsi feathered to extremities of toes with appressed ochrey-colored
feathers ; t^ > .and claws long.

Third primary longest, second and fourth subequal, first and seventh being about equal ; wings
rounded when exjiaiided ; length from crown of head to tip of tail, 7'r inches ; alar exp.anse, 15
inches. The whole plumage is peculiarly velvety to the feel. — (Hall.)

IPPI

■P""»"""

Sub-Famiiv NYCTEININ/E, Tiik Day Owls.

Chak. (Jencral form compact and robust. Head Tnoderate, without ear-liifis ;
wings and tail rather long ; tarsi strong, which, with the toes, are more densely
covered than in any other division of this family.

This division embraces two species only, which inliabit the
Arctic regions of both continents, the majority of the individuals
migrating southward in the winter.

Genus NYCTEA, .Stkpiikx.s.

Gen. Cuak. L.irge ; head rntlier larsje, willuml car-tufts ; no facial disk ; legs rather short,
and with long hair-like feathers, nearly concealing the claws. Hill short, nearly concealed by i>ro-
jtcting feathers, very strong ; wings long ; tail moderate, or rather long, wide ; claws strong, fully
turved. •

Only one species of this genus is known, occurring in the
north of both hemispheres. In America during wii.ti^r it migrates
southward almost to the Gulf of Mexico. Some, however, remain
all the year round in tlie fur countries.

Nyctea Scandiaca f A /;;/;. j Newt.

NYCTE.\ NIVEA, Crav.
SNOWY OWL; WHITE OWL.

PLATKS XXVIir & XXI.\. '

Were we required to single out from amongst our birds one
that might be said to be emblematic of a bright, clear, sharp
Canadian winter — not that of 1S75 '76 — we could not select any
more appropriate than the beautiful Snowy Owl of northern North
America. His snow-clad plumage recalls to our memories many
a brilliant, biting day, and many a storm e.xperienced far from the
haunts of civilization in the interminal)le wild snowy wastes of
Canada. Even during the heat of mid-siunmer, a glance at our
case of stuffed .Snowy Owls is sufficient to cause a feeling of relief
and refreshment in the same manner as the sight of a collection of
green, fresh-growing plants in winter reminds us of a by-gone and
approaching summer.

140

SNOWY OWL— WHITE OWL.

This handsome bird the IWxpoio-k'cctho, or IVapohoOy of the
Cree Indians, ami the Oopca^iiak of the Estiiiimaux — is rather
common with us between the months of November and April, or
from autumn to spring-, being very rarely and only accidentally
met with during the summer months. It is of frequent occurrence
in the Province of Ontario, but a much larger number of specimens
are taken yearly in the neighborhoods of Montreal and Quebec
perhaps than elsewhere. I have a number of these Owls in my
stuffed collection and a numbt'r mort; packed away as skins for
future study and comparison, all of wiiic'i were killed within a
very short distance of the first-mentioned of these cities. Nor must
I forget one more — a beautiful living birtl which 1 was so fortunate
as to procure this winter (1876) from a hahitant who, by some
means or other, had captured without in any way injuring it.

Of my stuffed birds, one in particular is an old male, a hero
evidently of many winters. His [)hunage is almost spotless white ;
his bill and claws are bluntc:d and \erv much worn ; ami his bodv,
when I removed his skin, was remarkably muscular and tough.
Another specimen is of considerably larger proportions, and a
female. Her i)lumage is thickly bari'^d or banded with gray,
except the chin, throat, and sides of neck, which are of the purest
white, this tjeing so distributed as to give the appearance of a
rounded apron. Other specimens, doubtless immature birds of
both sexes, are of varied markings, the white ground color being
variously relieved by spots and bars of brown and gray. A pure
white Snowy Owl is of comparatively rare occurrence; this plum-'
age, according to most writers, being only attaine-d by very old
birds. Sir John Richardson, however, judging from the size of
some of these while Owls met with by the expedition, thought
differently, and inferred that the old birds of both sexes frequently
became ivhite. He this as it may it is a point of very little import-
ance ; but it is my opinion that the unspotted form of plumage
belongs only to the males, and this occasionally to young as
well as old birds. I'"emales seem to be of much more fre([uent
occurrence than males in Canada, the last occurring perhaps in
the proportion of one in ten or fifteen birds, which circumstance

Ik

mEsSSESf

mmmmmmm

SNOWY OWL— WHITE OWI,.

141

makes it appear probable that the majority of this sex are resident
in the Arctic regions.

The Snowy Owl abounds throughout the whole year in the
fur countries, and penetrates far into the Arctic circle, having been
observed at the highest northern latitude yet attained by voyagers.
From these northern parts it is often driven by the severity of
the weather or scarcity of food, and visits many portions of
Canada and the northern United States, wandering occasionally
even to the; borders of Florida. On such migrations it is invariably
accompanied by ilocks of White Grouse or Ptarmigan, and it has
been observed that when either or both of these birds have been
unusually abundant around Montreal or Ouebec, the winter has
been more than ordinaril)- severe to the northward. 1 )uring
the latter part of December, 1S75, and in the midst of singularly
mild and rainy weather, a severe Polar wave swept over the
greater part of the Provinces of Ouebec and Ontario, closing up
our rivers and causing the thermometer to register between 20
and 28 below zero for hve days. With this arrived large (locks
ot Ptarmigan, \unilreds of which were e.xposed for sale in our
markets and groceries ; a number of Snowy Owls; a few (ireat
Gray Cinereous Owls, Bohemian Chatterers or Wax-wings, and
Pine Linnets. The Snowy Owls were l)rought into the markets
by the hahitaiiti; who Iiad shot them, and during one week I
examined u[nvards of a dozen of these birds, the majority of which
were females. The cold snap lea\ing us as suddenly as it had
arrived, was followed, on Christmas and New Years day, by open
spring-like weather with heavy rains, and the Owls and Ptarmi-
gans disappeared. It has always seemed unaccountable to me
that the Snowy Owl should be at all influenced by the cold. His
[)lumage is wonderfully adapted for the most inclement weather
we can conceive of, being thick, elastic and closely matted or
interwoven. Any one who has ever attemptt^d to skin one of these
birds will without hesitation bear me out in this statement. It
seems an endless task to get beyond the feathers ; and even when
we have succcedetl in parting the outer and inner portions ot the
plumage, we still fmd a thick matting of white down, which has to

142

SNOWY OWL— WHITE OWL.

Ill'' ,

be plucketl off before the skin is finally opposed. Ajjjain, when we
remove the skin, we fuKl the whole boely encased in a thick coating
of yellow fat, so that, as I have just stated, it is difficult to conceive
of any cold severe enough to penetrate such a covering. Still fur-
ther, when we look at this bird as he sits motionless, looking like a
lump of snow on the liml) of some tree, we observe that the only
uncovered or bare portions of his body are the great staring jellow
eyes, the point of the beak, and the very extremities of the hooked
claws, none of which can be sensible to cold. Consequently it is
more natural to attribute the southward migrations of these birds
to scarcity of food in the more northern regions, this scarcity,
being unquestionably caused by extreme weather, which obliges
the grouse and other creatures upon which this Owl preys to seek
more temperate ([uarters. In the track -if these the Snowy Owl
follows, and often himself falls a prey to the gun of the hunter
and figures in our markets.

The Snowy Owl hunts during the da)' and twilight, and
in this respect resemliles the Mawk Owl. " Indeed unless it
could do so," says Richardson, " it would be unfit to pass th.-
summer within the Arctic circle." On the "Barren grounds" in
these northern parts it scpiats on the ground, and is said to be
very wary and difficult of approach. This squatting on the ground
does not seem to be so much from the force of circumstance as
natural inclination and habit, for I have again and again surprised
this Owl on the Nuns' Island, near Montreal, on a snow bank, and
on the ice of the St. Lawrence, on the borders of this island.
When discovered the bird at once betook itself to some distant tree,
and became exceedingly wary, not permitting me again to reach
within anything like gun-shot of it. As an instance of its powers
of sight by day, I may mention the following : A gentleman resid-
ing some years since in Montreal, who was a great observer of
our winter birds, was in the habit of making frequent excursions
across the ice to Nuns' Island. On several occasions he observed
a Snowy Owl perched on one of the trees adjoining the out-build-
ings connected with the " Priests' Farm," but all attempts to come
within gun-shot of the bird proved unavailing. Thinking that

iiip"li'i«?WI

SNOWY OWI WHITE OWL.

143

the color of his li^arments mij^ht l)c th.e obstacU: t(j liis success, he,
on a subsequent occasion, shrouded himseU wholly in whitt; linen,
and repaired to the same spot. There sat the Owl in pretty much
the same position as- when it had been before observed, but as
wary as ever, and evidently even already enya^eil in considering
the nature of the white object approachinjj;^ him. The attempt
was unsuccessful, and the hunter returned to town without his
prize, but with a considerable addendum to his knowledge respect-
ing the powers of vision of the Snowy Owl.

When the Snowy Owl is winged antl otherwise wounded and
brought to bay, he makes a desperate resistance, and uses his bill
and claws with terrible effect ; and I have seen a (.log most griev-
ously torn, and almost entirely disabled, which had incautiously
attempted to retrieve one of these wound(;d birds. I have
never seen the Snowy Owl snap his mandibles together as most
of the other Owls do when molestetl, ami am satisfied he never
does so ; but with head thrown back, mouth open, and head-
feathers closely compressed, he watches every movement of
his tormentor, and cannot be surprised by the most cunningly
devised feint. The only sound made l)y the bird while thus
pressed is a repeated hissing, like that made by beagles and the
Great Horned Owl ; and occasionally I have b.eartl him scream
like an Eagle when he has been finally secured and powerless.

The living Snowy Owl in my possession was caught in a
trap of some kind on the island of Montreal, but, as I have just
stated, without being injured in the slightest. It is a beautiful
adult ful'-grown female, and thus far has thriven well, tamed very
considerably, and is fast becoming reconciled to her in»pri:ionment.
Iler abode is a large cellar, moderately light, and always cool,
and from one corner of this to the other she roams as she sees
fit. Her usual and apparently natural habit is to squat for hours
at a time on the floor, and although there are numerous objects
around her on which she might perch, w'ere she so disposed,
she has not yet done so, except when suddenly alarmed. Her food
consists of raw meat of any kind, which is cut up into long strips

144

SVOWY OWL WHITE OWL.

and handed her, and these she dolLs, I may say literally by the yard.
Occasionally I have tried her with cooked meat, but though sjie
eats this, she plainly shows by her manner that she is disappointed.
Contrary to the statements made by many writers, she is very fond
of water, and ilrinks it in lari,'-e cjuantities. I have seen her empty
a pan holding' at least three cpiarts at one lime. When she has
satisfied herself, if there is any water left, she uses this for washing',
eniploying her bill much in the same manner as a duck, picking
out and carefully arranging the upper parts of her pluniage. Indeed
there is nothing tries her so much as want of water, and when
occasionally she has been neglectetl in this respect for an unusual
time, she makes lu-r way to the kitchen and examines tubs, pails,
and pans of all descriptions, in which she knows th<' water is some-
times brought to her. Recently this bird has perniitted me to
stroke her luad-feathers, and appears toenjf y the sensation, sitting'
([uietly with her ejes closed. lUit this (|uiet is often deceptive,
for sometimes, when 1 least expect it, she makes a sudden and
fierce snap at my lingers, b'or this amiable return I alwa\ s reward
her with a sound cuff, which sends her sprawling on the cellar
floor, and having now received several of these reminders, she has

become much less treacherous.

I

I have been much struck with the likeness of my li\ing l)ird
in general attitude antl nianners to the Eagle, and her shrill cr\' is
not what ont: would expect to hear from an Owl. This cry is
sometimes a shrill, (]uerulous whistle, and occasionally a loud pierc-
ing scream, not unlike that of the Osprey or Bald I^agle. 1-Vesh
fish are her delight, and either frozen or thawed she makes short
•work with them. Audubon graphically describes the piscatorial
exploits of the Snowy Owl. and I can readily conceive the eager-
ness with which he must pursue this pastime.

The .Snowy Owl preys upon Grouse, Rabbits, .Squirrels and
small birds, and when he comes within the borders of civilization,
often regales himself upon tame pigeons and poultry. Rats he
does not .seem to care about — at least judging from the living
bird, which, though constantly surrounded by these vermin in its

'

mmm

■ ■

SNOWY OWI.— WHITK OWI,.

11.')

cellar by day anil niglu, yet never attempts to injure one. In
fact my Owl is fast friends with the rats whicli inliabit the cellar
with her, and on several occasions I have seen tlu' meat carried
off from under her very claws by these hungry creatures without
any demonstration of anger on her part. 'J"he Snowy Owl is said to
feed occasionally upon carrion ; but this, to my mind, has not been
satisfactorily proved. This fact was, perhaps, first recorded of
this species by Mr. Hutchins, anil has since been re-echoed by
other writers without further proof. I am inclined to consider the
Snowy Owl as beinir a particularly nice bird as re^^^ards his eatini^
— as he most assuredly is with retj^ard to the cleanliness of his
plumaj^^e and surroundin<^s when in captivit)-. Hunger, however,
may cause him to deviate from his usual rule.

Since penning the immediately preceding lines a circumstance
has occurred which exemplihes the fierceness and voracity which
may be created by hunger. It is this. I had recently procured a
beautihil living specimen of the Short-eared Owl, which was
captured in a barn near Longueuil, Montreal, and thinking that
Owl would surely agree with Owl, I without hesitation let loose
this new capture in the same cellar in which my Snowy Owl was
confined. Hardly had the poor little creature touched the ground
ere, with a plunge, the Snowy Owl was upon it, and with one grasp
of her fearful claws, had extinguished its life. She at once com-
menced to devour her victim, and although I seized the murderer
and raised her aloft by her wings, she still retained her fearful grasp
of her (juivering prey, and continued to make desperate efforts to
tear it. I eventually succeeded in forcing her to loosen her hold
and secured the poor bird, but too late to save its life. On
finding her prey gone her fury knew no bounds, and she followed
me to the door of the room with dilated eyes and most threatening
gestures.

The Snowy Owl is common in Newfoundland, and is thought
to remain there throughout the year, although it is very rarely
seen during the summer months. In a paper by Henry Reeks,
published in the " Zoologist " (London, I'^ngland) for 1869, and
subsequently reprinted in our Canadian Naturalist and Geologist

s

14G

SXOWY OWL— WHIIK OWL.

(New Series, Vol. V, pp. 3S et sci].) some very interest! njf traits
in the character of this l)irtl, as obscn ved in NtnvfouiicUand, are
recorded, and as these are from actual observation and I'xeniplify
its character tnilhfiiUy, I extract the follo\vin«,f :

" Tlic ' Wliite Osvl,' as the settlers term this species, is a bold, rapacious bird,
and not easily driven from its slaughtered prey. One of the specimens which I
obtained at Cow Head was feeding on an -.'ider duck — probably a wounded bird
which it had killed -and was twice knocked over with stones, the last time appar-
ently killed, before it would relimiuish the duck ; it had, however, siitficient life and
slrengih to force its claws into the arm of the man who picked it up, although
])rotected with all the clothes he usually wore. A large Newfoundland dog, used
for retrieving seals, etc., refused to go near the bird after it was knocked down with
stones. The men who were present assured me that the bird kept making a
' hissing ' noise, apparently at the sight of the dog.

During my residence in Newfoundland 1 heard amusing anecdotes of the
Snowy Owl, but, although I can vouch for the truth of them, it is scarcely necessary
to reproduce them all in the pages of the 'Zoologist ;' I will, however, relate one
or two which I do not think have before ajjpeared in print. AN'illiam \'oungs, of
Codry (Newfoundland), having continually had the bait stolen from one of his fox
traps, determined to watch the trap a id shoot the robber ; for this purpose he
Selected a fme moonlight night, with snow on the ground, and, with his gun in his
hand, a white swan-skin frcck on, and a white handkerchief tied round his caj), he
secreted himself in a small bush about twenty yards from his trap, fully determined
to shoot the first comer : but his determination proved fruitless, for a large white
Owl — probably the thief-seeing something white sticking up through the centre of
the bush, and evidently mistaking it for a fme plump Willow-grouse, instantly made
a 'stoop,' and at the same time sending. its claws almost to the man's brains, sud-
denly disa[)|)eared with the cap and white handkerchief The man was so startled
for the moment that he was unable to shoot at the bird.

The Snowy Owl is a frequent attendant — although generally unnoticed — of
the sportsman, and often succeeds in carrying off a grouse or duck before the
retriever gets to it. On one occasion some men were waiting in ice 'gazes ' for the
purpose of shooting wild geese {D. Canadensis and B. brcnta), when one of them,
named Jame? Carter, left his ' gaze ' to go and have a chat with his neighbor,
incautiously leaving his new white cuffs and gun behind him. He had scarcely
left his ' gaze ' when an unseen enemy, in the shape of a fine Snowy Owl, pounced
in and succeeded in getting clear off again with both of his white cuffs. . . .
A good many Snowy Owls are annually caught in the fox-traps of the settlers ; and
when very fat, which they frequently are, are considered good eating by many, and
I see no reason why they should not be so, but 1 could never sufticiently overcome
my repugnance to birds of prey as food to taste one. ]\one of the settlers

MM<

SNOWY 0\VL— WhITK OWL.

147

appeared to know anything of the breeding of this bird, although Mr. Downs states
that it ' breeds in Newfoundland.' .Mr. Cunlcuix has kindly examined parasites of
Nyctcii uivm from Newfoundland, and informs me (hat they are identical with
others from European s|)ecimens."

riicse anecd()t(!s and facts are new and instructive, and as
this pajjer of Mr. Recks' has been seen Ijy comparatively few in
Canada, I have thoii<,dit well to reproduce this portion of it. It
will he observed that the hunters of Newfoiuidland speak of the
"hissing" noise made by this Owl a fact I have niy.self already
mentioned— and do not speak of the snapping- of the mandibles.
I am inclined to believe that in this respect the .Snowy Owl differs
from its confreres the (ireat Horned Owl, Cinereous Owl, and
Harred Owl, all of which species when brought to bay snaf) their
mandibles loutUy. According to 'Jhinii/iick, the .Snowy Owl
sometimes visits the north of Germany, and is casually seen in
Holland. In luirope it is known to frequent the Shetland
Islands, and is occasionally caught in summer on the moors of
the Orkneys. In .Sweden, according to Farrell, the name of
//ar/an'^r h3_s been given to this species, which is derived from its
habit of feeding on hares. Mudie says " it very rarely comes to
the Mainland of Britain, and when it does it is always during
violent snow-storms from the north, which also bring the northern
birds not generally visitants of our shores."

The habits of the Snowy Owl during the breeding season,
such as the construction of its nest, periods of incubation, etc., do
not appear to l.)e well known. Its nest, however, has been found
on the ground, and it is said to lay from two to four white, circular
eggs, two of which only are hatched. As this Owl undoubtedly
lives much on the ground and rocks, it is probable it never builds
a nest in trees.

In Canada I have as yet found no authentic account of its
nesting, although it has been mentioned as a resident bird here by
Cassin, Haird, Coues. and other American writers, all of whom
have probably based their statements on Hall's very erroneous
list of our Mammals and Birds. Mr. Wm. Couper, however,
informs me that the Snowy Owl is a summer resident on the

11

148

S\()\VY OWI, WIII'IK OWL.

plains north of liu- ('lodhoiit riv<.;r, nortli shore; of the: St. Lawrcnrn,
>vhcrc' it is said to breed. It has Iiecn also observed l)y Dr.
liernanl (iilpin in the niontli of Au^nist (i'^54) on .Sable Island,
silting' watchinjjj rabbit burrows in the hoi sand; ])ul Mr. (lilpin
adds that he knows that tluty do not breed there. So few, then,
are the authentic instances of the occurrence of this Owl in Canada
diirini,' the siimnicr months that for tlu; present we cannot resji^ard
it as a resilient bird, ami as I have staled above, there '■. no rc:cord
of its nest or eggs having yet been found within our borders.

Sr. Char. Dorsal as/wt. K.-xcial disc white; lic.id, m-cli, ami wliolc ilorsxl ii'ijinn, pure
white, with more o less distinct umber brDWii, in suaie iiislanr.^H bl.iclvish li.irs j rump .iiul tail
coverts wliitc ; jirimaries niid st'condarics while, willi bars on the villi's nf the former, nil I lilack
spots on llie inner weli-. of the latter.

I'i'ii/ral as/uL 'I'liroat, vent, tail eovcrts, wiiij,' liiiiiij;i, an 1 tail, white; breast and IilII)-
while, nml like the back, v.iriously barred.

Nostrils larjjc and oval, obliipiely siluattd at the marjjin of the cere ; f-imor.ils a* lun;» as the
tarsi ; tarsus fe.atlicied to the talons, the feathers here beinj,' \>m^ and soiled ; claws black, long,
curved, and very sharp ; |)luniage of the legs and toes pure snowy white.

Hill and claws bluishddack ; irides bright yellow.

Total length, 24.00 to 27.00; wiiiK, 16 03 to 17.00 ; tail, abjut lo.oo.

The female is invariab']- larger than the male, and more
regular!)- barred. Occasionall)- the old males arc nearly altogether
pure whit.-.

GeM^ SURNIA, 1)1 MKKIl,.

liEN. C'liAR. (iencral form rail cr li>nt;, Iml nilmst ; si/i' medium j head modfrnte, without
ear-tufls J facial disU otJMiictc. ItitI iiKnIeraie, curve 1 from thi linse, comtciI wiili iimjocliiig
piiim«'i : wiiifjs long; tail hinK. wide gradunte I ; legs rather shori, niid with the toej (kmely
feathered.

This ociiiis coiilaiiis oik; species only wliich inhahits the:
northern regions of both continents.

Surnia Ulula var. Hudsonia {(.inc.) C\)Ui:s.

HAWK OWL ; DAY OWL,
I'I..\TK XXX.

Also known as the "Canada Owl," hut this rather thront^rli-
out the nt)rthern parts of luirope ami Cireat Britain than in
Canada. The typical i'lula belon^^s to liurcpe, the variety Ilnd-
sonia to America, and, accordiiii,^ to the authors of the " Birds of
Europe," to Great Britain. This last is a very remarkable fact,
and it is further stated that it is the American form ox gcoi^raphicai
race which inliabits the British Islamls apparently to the entire
exclusion of the other. Ornithologists lonii' thought, and many yet
do, that the American and European Hawk Owls were absolutely
identical ; tlu.-se, however, now prove to form two distinguishable
geographical races. The American bird is darker colored, and the
bars of the whtjle breast and belly are broader, "only a small
gorget being left whiie." The Hawk Owl is a strictly boreal
species, inhabiting the fur countries and the Arctic regions to a
very extreme latitude. It is even rare, as a general rule, in
Canada — n mibers of winters passing in which few individuals have
been ob.served or taken. Occasionally, however a fact already
recorded respecting the Snowy Owl — it appears rather numerously
around Montreal, Quebec, and in the Eower Provinces, whence it
also extends into the northern New England States. Rarely is
it met with as far south as Philadelphia ; and Coues says " from
Massachusetts southward its occurrence is rare and fortuitous."
One instance is recorded of its appearance in Bermuda (Drum-

I5U

HAWK OWL— DAY OWL

mnml) ; l)ut this individual had iindoiihtcdly lost hinisdf. or was
makinj^'^a dcspcratr altcmpl to nach the opposite i'olc just possi-
l)ly was an c-xilc. Mr. Whcaton im-ntions this (Jwl in his cataioj^aic
of tlu; Birds of Ohio ; and kidj^^way records it as occurrinjr in
Illinois. It has not lu'cn nu.'t with to tin; west of the Rocky
Mountains; l)Ul Dr. Cooper, in the " ( )rnithol()j,ry of California,"
says it " will doubtless be met with sooner or later, as it is so
abundant in the regions to the north of it (California)." We
harilly unilerstand what rej^ions 1 )r. Cooper here refers to. as it
is abundant nowhere, except in the fur covuitries and northwaril.
In the McK(Mizie River district Ross gives it as common to the
Arctic coast.

lfe.4

In Canada the Hawk Owl arrives earl)' in April, and is taken
occasionally by <nir hunters. Often at this season both it aiul the
Short-iared Owl are exposed for .sale in our markets, and in somi-
rare instances are broui^dit alive. They soon, however, disappear,
havint; only " dropped in " on their journey northward, and are noi
again seen until about the months of October and November, as a
few of them [)ass again to the southward. Rarely an.' they seen in
sunnier ; I have never met with one, but ha\e heard of instance s
related of straggU^rs beir observed very early in the autumn.
It is just possible that a stray pair may remain and nest with
us ; but this fact has not yet, to my knowledge, been authenticated.
Mr. Passmore and Mr. Couper, naturalists of Montreal, both of
whom have collect(;(.l largel)- throughout Canada, inform me that
they know nothing from personal experit;nct; of the nest and eggs
of this Owl, and are assured that Dr. Hall in giving it in his list
of resident and breeding birds for the " District of Montreal," was
greatly in error. Mr. Couper also further writes me: "The
Hawk Owl is a thoroughly northern bird, but it comes down to
the neighborhood of Ouebec in Sei)tember, and some years is
abundant. In Labrador they are said to be abundant throughout
the year. It no doubt follows the Ptarmitran on its mitjrations.
The nest has not yet been found in Canada." It is a common
bird in Newfoundland, according to Reeks, who states that it
remains through the year, but is less abundant in the depth of

mm

^

HAWK OWI,— DAY OWL.

I.M

winter than at other soasons. In Nova Scotia the I lawk Owl is
a winter visitant, ami has not been met with in siunnicr. I )r
J. Gilpin of Halifax, N.S , who has kiniliy sent me a nianiis(ri|)i
list of the Rapacious Hinis of that Province, states that ilurini;
some winters the Hawk Owls are very common, and then scarce
for a number of years, lie; has only observeil them in the winter
season. Meinjjr a day-llyiny: species, this Owl is j^enerally at once
observed, and wv. consetjuently cannot conjecture as we d(}
respectin^r some of the nocturnal species th.it it may occur more
al)undanily than we know of. Tlie bird is undoubtedly rare in
the inhabited and more temper.ite parts of Canada, and the name
of "Canada Owl" is far more applicable to the Barred Owl
(S. ucbulosum), which, as we have seen, is abundantly and univer-
sal!)- diffused.

Coues states that the Hawk Owl is common durinj^ winter in
the northern half of New l^ni^dand, and "known to breed in some
parts of Maine ;" and Mr. Samuels affirms that he " h.is known
sc\eral specimens to be taken in X'ermoiit ami New Ham[)shire,"
and ex|)resses his conviction that it breeds occasionally in the
New linuiand States. Neither of these stateim.-nts, however, as
to its breedinjr are borni; out by records of actual observation, nor
is the name given of one person who has himself s( en the e^us
or nest. The fact, if correct, of its beiny; a resident bird in
Newfoundland certainly ,t,M\"S some color to the statement of its
breeding in Maine, but some further er-idence is still required.

I have seen several of these birds on the island of Montreal,
and on Nuns' Island, in the St. Lawrence, opposite this city.
They prey largely upon mice, scpiirrels, and birds, but occasionally
when in the neighborhootl of farm houses, make raids upon poultry
and tame pigeons. On the island last named I have met with
them on some of the coldest days in winter, ami on one occasion
observed a pair most grievously tormenting a large Barred Owl.
The vision of the Hawk Owl is adapted to the day-light, and
even the strongest sun-light, and it takes no ordinary sportsman
to circumvent them. They are, however, extremely bold birds,
and in the fur countries are said to follow the hunters, and often

r

nm

f52

HAWK OWL— DAY OWL

to carry away a fcUen bird before it can be secured. This
Owl retires to rest at night hke an ordinary bird, and is but seldom
seen huntinof durintr the twiliifht. It is said to breed in hollow
trees and sometimes to construct a nest among the branches of
sticks, ;^;Tass, and feathers. The eggs — from such information as
I can gather — are from three to six in number, and measure from
i-)x to I ',;^ in length, by i 's to 1^4 in breadth. They are white
and almost spherical. iHirther information respecting the nidi-
fication of this species and specimens of its eggs are special
desiderata.

Mr. J. ("i. Wood, in his "Illustrated Natural Ilistor)'," in
alluding to this Owl, says: " Its nest is generally made on the
summit of a tree, contrary to the usual habit of Owls, which usually
take possession of a hollow in some dead branch, and lay their
eggs on the soft, decaying wood, or inake their home in a con-
venient crevice of some old I'lilding." Ikit Mr. Wood here must
be drawing entirely upon his imagination or from hearsay, for the
Hawk Owl though sometimes, as we have already observed,
building its nest in the branches of a tree, oftener chooses the
hollows of trees, and deposits its eggs on th(i soft decaying zvood.

The specimen from which Plate XXX was taken uas pur-
chased some years since alive in the Bonsecours market. It is the
second instance only, known to me, in which the 1 lawk Owl has
been so taken in Canada. This individual was kept alive and in
good condition for upwards of six weeks, and I had abundant
opportunity of studying his general character and various attitudes.
For some time he was very timid and suspicious, v/ould eat noth-
ing, and seemed determined to mope himself to death. After a
little judicious negligence, however, in visiting him, and a short
term of starvation, he came round a point or two, and even showed
some measure of interest and expectancy when food was brought
to him. At the end of a fortnight he ate his meat— -cut into small
junks — greedily, and, to my surprise, drank water freely. I say
to my surprise, for the impression conveyed to my mind heretofore
by the writings of authors generally on the Ow* family had been
that these birds never drank, and in fact detested water. But

asis!*!!**-—'—

HAWK OWL— DAY OWI,

15H

having now myself seen both the Hawk Owl and Snowy Owl
drink water freely and even delight to wash in it, I am convinced
that all other Owls do the same. We thus weed out another
incorrect and " idle tale " from our ornithological biographies. But
to return to our Hawk Owl. He soon became quhv. a hov^c in
the stable in which he was confined, and amu.sed us gn .i; ■ his
cunning and droll antics. He was a great mouser, and w.is ;,-ver
on the watch for these animals. When thus watching hi* _^ener-
ally took up a position on the edge or corner of a box immediately
above a mouse or rat-hole, and there remained patu ntly for
hours at a time. In this position — his most natural one lie was
mounted after death, and the portrait here presented is " true to
life." Nevertheless, his attitude has already been found fault with
by a few of my ornithological friends to whom I happened to
show some of the advanced Plates of the work. 'I'hey assure
me that " the bird will hardly be recognized as the Hawk Owl."
To these, and all such critics, however, I have simply to say,
a Hawk Owl it is nevertheless, and a very beautiful specimen in
full plumage. It may be unlike the majority of figures (ixtant
and the greater number of stuffed specimens in collections-most
of which have been drawn and mounted by artists and naturalists
who have never set eyes upon the living bird -but I can vouch
for its resemblance to the bird kept alive by myself, and which,
now mounted in my collection, constantly recalls to my memory
many an amusing incident in connection with its short term of
captivity.

Sl'. CuAK. Wings r.ilher long, first 'hiee ijuills incised oi ''•-r inner webs ; tail lony, with
its central feathers about two inches longer than the outer ; tarsi and toes densely feathered ; upper
parts fuliginous brown, with numerous paiiially concealed circular spots of white on the neck
liehind scapulars and wing coverts ; face grayish white ; throat white, with longitudinal stripes of
dark brown ; a large brown spot on each side of the breast ; other under parts with transverse
lines or stripes of pale ashy-brown ; quills and tail l.>ro\vn, with transverse bands of white. Bill
pale yellowish ; irides yellow. Color on the upper parts darker on the head, and the white
markings more or less numerous in iliflfercni specimens.

Total length— Female : 16.00 to 17.00 inches ; wing, 9.00 ; tail, 7.00.
" — Male, a shade smaller.

The difference between the male and female birds of this
species is, as a general rule, hardly perceptible. Both are marked

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1S4

HAWK OWL—DAY OWL.

alik-e, but perhaps the colors of the female are less intense. I
have met two remarkably light or pale-colored individuals, indeed
almost approaching albinism ; but these are probably of extremely
rare occurrence. In nearly all the species of Owls, however,
common to North America, we find the same whitish or pale-
colored individuals. Age may have more to do with these
occasional forms than is at present suspected.

^'

i !

With this Hawk-like Owl I close my review of the I'amilv
STKuaD.^i. Ten species have been described as occurring in or
inhabiting Canada, and it is not probable that any more will be
discovered. .Species in a country so well traversed as ours do not
spring into existence suddenly, and any that could have escaped
the notice of our prying naturalists for so long a time must indeed
be rare and remarkable birds. To such, when discovered, I shall
be happy to devote an entire work. Vox the present, however,
our young naturalists and the public generally may feel assured
that these ten species represent all the Owls of Canada. But we
have much more to learn about these. We really know but little
respecting the nidification of any them, and there is not a collection
in Canada that can boast of anything like a complete set of their
eggs. We have also much to learn respecting the immature
stages of these birds, and of the peculiar forms at present attributed
to inclauisin and albinism. In conclusion, then, I would direct
the special attention of students and collectors to this retiring
and unobtrusive Family, for although the individuals composing
it are " only Owls," still these afford one of the most interesting
fields of study to be found in the whole domain of Ornithology.

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