CIHM Microfiche Series (l\Aonographs) iCI\AH Collection de microfiches (monographies) [^ Canadian Inatitut* for Hiatorlcal MIcroraproductiona / Inatitut Canadian da microraproductkina hiatoriquaa 1995 TMhoiul Mid Bibliottiphic Notn / Nam tMhniqwn tt MMiO(r«phi4iM> TIM liutituw h« atMmpted to obtain 11m b«t origintl copy ovajlobl* fo< filming. FHliim of this copy which may bo biMiogrtphically uniqut, which may alter any sf lh« ima(M in tha rapioduciion, w which may significantly changa tha uiual mathod of filming, arc chcckad balow. L'lnititut a mierofilnii la maillaur aumplaiia 4u'M lui a M poHJbla da sa preaurar. Lat Muilt da cat axamplain qui lont paut4lca uniquat du point da aua bibliographiigiM, 4ui pamant modiliar una image faproduita. ou qui pautmit axigai una modilicalion dam la m^thodo nermala da f llmaga lont Indiqu^ □ Celoucad cenii/ Couvartura da aoulaur □ Cotmri damagad/ Coumrtyra andommagia □ Comrl rattorad and/or lafflinatad/ Ceunrtun mtaurta at/ou palliculia D D Csaar titia mitiing/ La titra da eeunortura manqua Colourad mapi/ Cartas gtographiquat an coulaui □ Colourad Ink li.a. ethar than blua or Mack)/ Encra da aoulaur (i.a. autra qua Maua ou noiral 0 Colourad platat and/or illuitrationt/ Planchai at/ou illuitrationi an aoulaur □ Bound with othar material/ RaM anc d'autrat documann J~~y( Tight binding may cauM thadowt or dittortion I ./I along Intatior margin/ La raliufa tarria paut cauwr da I'ombra ou da la diitonion la long da la marga intiriaura □ Blank laaMf addad during taitoration may appear within tha text. Whanncf poaiible, theia ban baan omitted from filming/ II M paut qua ceruinai pagei Mancbai ajouttai lots 4*000 reitauratian epparaiuent dani la texte, mail, loraqua aala tail poaiible. cei pagai n'ont patttifilniat. □ Coloured pagat/ Paget de aoulaur □ Paget damaged/ Paget andonMUgtat D Pegei reitared end/or lamirutad/ Pages resteuites at/ou palliauMes r~71 Paget discoloured, ttaiiwd or foxed/ IZJPagasd t dicolorias, lacbatias ou piquiai □ Pages detached/ Paget dtacbtoi 0thowthrough/ Trensperenae 0 Quality of print yarias/ Qualiti bitgale de I'lmpretsion n Continuous pagination/ PagiiMtion continua IndexlesI/ Camprend un Ideal Index Title on haeder taken from:/ La titn da I'en-tlte pteeienf • thre de la lieraison 0 , I Additional comments:/ '' I CommenttiretHipplementeires: Peges wholly or the beet possible □ Tidepegee Pagedethr □ Ception of issue/ Titn de dipart de la lieraison I IMastheed/ I I OinMqua Ipitiadiquee) de la liyraiaon pertially obscured by errete slips, tissues, etc., heve bean taf ilmed M Various paglnga. This item it f ihned et the reduction retie checked below/ Ce document est filmi au teux de rUuction indiqui ci-desious. lox 14X 1(X 23X »x XX c y I _ J ^^^ tax ._ MX 30* MX 2fX VX Tha copy tilmad hart hu baan raproduead thanki to tha ganareaity of: National Library of Canada L'axamplairt film* tut raproduii grica * la gtntreaiU da: Blbllothaqua natlonala du Canada Tha Imagaa appaaring hara ara tha baat quality pouibla considaring tha condition and iagibility of tha original copy and in Itaaping with tha filming contract apacif icatiena. Original cepiaa in printad papar covara ara filmad baginning with tha front covar and anding on tha laat paga with a printad or illuatratad impraa- aion, or tha bacl> covar whan appropriata. All othar original copioa ara filmad baginning on tfia first paga with a printad or illuatratad imprat- aion, and anding on tha last paga with a printad or illuatratad impraaaion. Tha laat racordad frama on aach microfiche shall contain tha symbol — ^ Imaaning "CON- TINUED"), or tha symbol y Imaaning "END"), whichavar applias. Las imagas suivantas ont tit raproduitas tvac la plus grand soin. compta lanu da la condition at da la nattat* da I'aaamplaira film*, at an eonf ormit* avae laa conditions du eonirsi da fUmaga. Laa aMamplairaa originaux dont la couvanura an papiar aat Imprimaa sent fllmas an comman«ant par la pramiar plat at an tarminant soit par la darniAra paga qui comporta una amprainia d'Imprasaien ou d'illuatration. soit par la sacond plat, salon la eac. Tout laa autraa axamplairas originaux sont filmts an commancani par la pramitra paga qui comporta una amprainta d'Impraasion ou d'illuatration at an tarminant par la darniira paga qui compona una taila amprainta. Un daa symbolaa suivants apparaitra sur la darniira imaga da chaqua microficha. salon la caa: la symbola -^ signifia "A SUIVRE". la symbola V signifia "FIN". Mapa, plataa. eharu, ate. may ba filmad at diffarant raduction ratios. Thosa too larga to ba antiraly includad in ona axposura ara filmad baginning in tha uppar laft hand cornar. laft to right and top to bonom. as many framas as raquirad. Tha following diagrams iliustrata tha mathod: Laa cartas, planchaa. ubiaaux. ate. pauvant aira fllmas t das taux da reduction diffaranis. Lorsqua la documant aat trap grand pour aira raproduit an un saul clich*. il ast filma * partir da I'angia supAriaur gaucha, da gaucha i droiia. at da haut an baa, an pranant la nombra d'Imagaa nteassaira. Las diagrammas suivanis illuatrant la m^thoda. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 MiaoCOPY (ISOIUTION IBT CHAIT (ANSI ond ISO TEST CHART No. 2) L£|2il IM us ^ ■■1 US |M Ih Ste 12.0 ■ 1.8 _^ APPLIED IIVMGE In ^Sr^ 165J East Main Street ^— Rochester, New York 14609 USA ~^Si (7t6) 482 - 0300 - Phone ^^ {"6) zee - 5989 - Fox I'll ' Hawk Owl 3 (ireat Horned Owl 5. Bald Eagle 2 Screech Owl 4. Florida Burrowing I A Popi;!;: H:?r;Jbook >t ti. '^'>^i^' of C;;„vulr, and the United .ra.cs '';■ 1 ho in a-. X j!i all '■'"^ti' ii» III C.jl.,r ril Ji;i! i jTi f'oroiif ,1 '■. limitfd A Popular Handbook of the Birds of Canada and the United States By Thomas Nuttall New Revised and Annotated Edition By Montague Chamberlain With Additions, and One Hundred and Ten Illustrations in Color Toronto The Musson Book Co., Limited iWBld^iii. All Cs, L C- S I 229721 I tcl CapyrkU. tS9l, ISX, <90S, Bv LiTi'LE, Brown, anu Compamy- Part I. - LAND BIRDS. CONTENTS. Pa« . 96 .119 . 103 . J85 109 Bunting, Indigo ,,0 BLACKBiRr,, Red-wingcd . Kusty . . . Vellow-headcd Bluebird Bobolink Painted Caracara, Audubon'i . Cardinal Catbird ... Chat .■ .■ Chickadee Carolina . . Hudsonian , Chuck-will'i-widow . . Cowbird Creeper, Bah Honey B'rw. . . . CroMbill, American . , White- winged Crow . . . .- . Fi»h ...'.'. Cuckoo, Black-billed . . Mangrove Yellow-billet' DiCKCtSSEL Eagle, Bald . Golden . . 6 • 3<>2 • '95 173 . 146 • '50 151 .46s . 104 ■ 3S8 •387 • }7S . 38> . 126 • '3t 436 437 43» 298 '5 Gray Sea 26 Finch, Purple .... •,,, Flicker \ [ ^^ Flycatcher, Acadian . Created . Leait . . Olive-sided Traill's . . Yellow-bellied Cnatcatcher . . Goldfinch - . . , Ameiican Goshawk .... Crackle, Boat-tailed Purple Grosbeak, Blue . . Evening Pine . Rosc'-breasted Gyrfalcon .... Hawk, Broad-winged Cooper's Duck . HanitV Marsh . Pigeon . Rea-shouldered Redtailfd . . itough-ieggcd Sharp-shinned Short-tailed . Sparrow . . Humming Bird . . Jay, Blue , . Canada . Pagi •4S5 413 421 > 41a 434 426 170 353 348 3" "4 "5 371 367 375 369 7 49 34 9 46 5' II 43 46 4t 35 50 '3 457 '33 w CONTENTS. Jay, FlofU* '37 Junto, SlatMolored . . ■ ■ W KiN«Bi>D 404 Guy HU KingBsher 46' Kingltl, Giildcnctowned . . jSj Ruby-crowned . . • 281 Kile, Everglade 4° Mii»i»«ippi i7 Swaltow-lailed . . - ' J9 While-tailed 3* Lafland Loiigspur Lark, Horned . ■ Meadow . . 304 79 Martin, Purple 39i Maryland Vellow-lhroat. . .249 Mocking Bird 187 NlUllTHAWK 470 Nuthatch, Brown-headed ■ . 386 Red-breasted ... 385 White-breasted . . 383 Omoi-E, Baltimore .... 83 Orchard 93 Osprey »7 Oven Bird "i Owl, Barn 75 Barred 70 Burrowing 78 Great C ly 64 Great Horned .... 61 Hawk S3 Long-eared 66 Richardson's . • - - 73 *^aw-whet 72 ocreech 57 Shorleared 68 Snowy * 55 PAROQUKT, Carolina .... 428 Peweo. Wood 419 Pho-he 4'5 Pipit 292 Ful HATIN 120 Redpoll 355 Hoary 3j8 Reditin 64 KoUn 98 Safsuckcii 450 Shrike, I oggerhead . . . . 1O2 Northern 159 Siskin, Pine 3Si Skylark « . 297 Snowflake 3°° Sparrow, Acadian Sharp-tailed 345 Hachnian's .... 327 Chipping .... 333 Field 336 Fox 338 Grasshopper . . . 329 Henslow's .... 330 House 354 Ipswich 326 Lark 317 Le Conte'a .... 331 Lincoln's .... 328 Nelson's .... 346 Savanna .... 325 Seaside 346 Sharp-tailed ... 344 Song 322 Swamp 342 Tree ^^2 Vesper 320 White-crowned - .315 White-throated . . 318 Swallow, Bank 4<» Barn 394 Cliff 396 Rough-winged. . . 403 Tree 399 Switt, Chimney 463 Tanaoer, Scarlet 306 Summer .... 309 Thrasher, Brown 192 Thrush, Bicknell's 212 Gray-cheeked . . .211 Hermit 20$ CONTENTS. Thruth, Louiaiana Waici Olivtbaikctl . Walcr .... Wilton'a . . . \ViH«J . . . . , Tiimuuac, I ultcd . . , , Tuwtivc ... Paui Vmto, Hluc headed . . riiilidelplii I . . Ked-cyeil . , Warbling . . . Whitccycd . . Yellowlhruaied Vulture, Black . Turkey . Wakbiek, 'tachman's . . llay-brea»led Black and while Blackburnian . Ulack-poll . . Black-throated Blu Black-throated Green . . Blue-winged . Canadian . . Cape May . Cerulean . . Chettnut-sidcd Connecticut . . Golden-winged . Hooded . Kentucky . Kirtland'a Warbler, Pa... 'Magnolia .... jj. Mourning . ' ,,, »!>""• . . . .'? N"hville. . . .,„; Orange crowned 164 '•""i* 2Z Pine Prairie . , I'rathiinotary Swainson's . 'I'enneuce . Wilson*! . . Woiinealing . Yellow Velh.w I'alm . Yellow-ihroatcd VV.ixwing. Ilohcmian . Cedar .... ... Wheatear ['^ Whip-poor-will .... IjT Woodpecker, American three- '""l . .456 Arctic three-toed 455 211 »57 156 i&S 238 •5» '54 Downy Ilairv . . , Ivo Mllcd Pi!. 1 . . Red lied . Red-cockaded Ked-hcaded . Wren, Bewick's . . . Carolina . . . , House Long-billed Marsh -" 453 • 45' ■ 44' ■ 44-i ■ 44* ■ 454 • 44') . 276 27-' . 266 ■ 27y Short-billed Marsh . . 277 Winter j^,, 1 1 i Pla j 2. 3- 4 5- Pla I. 2. 3- 4- 1 Hi :; 1 5- Plat I. 2. 3- 4- 5- Plat 1. J 2. I 3- ^ 4. A 5 I Pi.at? 1. C 2. F t ^^1' ^^^^H 1 f f "l k ILLUSTRATIONS IN PART I. COLORED PLATES. Plate T Frontispiece 1. Hawk Owl. 2. Screech CJwl. 3. Great Horned Owl. 4 Florida Burrowing Owl. J. Bald Eagle. P'-ATE II Pagtio 1. Baltimore Oriole. 2. Meadowlark. 3. Red-Winged Blackbird. 4. Bobolink. 5. American Ospkey. P"te III Pag, ,46 1. Chickadee. 2. Catbird. 3. Cedar Waxwing. 4- Red-Eyed Vweo. 5. Robin. P"TE IV. Pag, J02 1. American Redstart. 2. Blue Jay. 3. Wood Thkush. 4- Water Thrush. 5. Duck Hawk. ••■•"eV P^gitn 1. Cerulean Warbi.er. 2. Prairie Warbler. Plate V. — conHnutd. 3 Yellow Warbler. 4- Parula Warbler. 5. Blackburnian Warbler. 6. Black-Throated Green Warbler. Plate VI p^g, 262 1. Maryland Yellow Throat. 2. Blue Bird. 3. Winter Wren. 4. Nashville Warbler. 5. Black-Throated Blue Warbler. 6. Ruby-Crowned Kinglet. Plate VII .fiy Bird. 6. Red-headed Woodpecker. ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT. Jft Pagi No I. Turkey Vulture . . I 27- 2. White Gyrfalcon . . 7 28. 3- American Sparrow 29. Hawk >3 30- 4- Golden Eagle . . . >5 3i' 5- Bald Eagle .... >9 32- 6. American Osprey . . 27 33- 7- American Goshawk . 3> 34- 8. Cooper's Hawk . . . 34 35- 9- Mississippi Kite . . . 37 36- 10. American Rough-Legged 37- Hawk 4' 38- 11. Red-Shouldered Hawk 43 39- 12. Broad- Winged Hawk. 49 40. •3- Hawk Owl 53 4i- '4- Snowy Owl .... 55 >5- Screech Owl .... 57 42. 16. Great Horned Owl . 61 43- '7- Long-Eared Owl . . 66 18. Short-Eared Owl . . 68 44- 19- Barred Owl .... 70 45- 20. Richardson's Owl . . 73 46. 21. Barn Owl 75 47- 22. Florida Burrowing Owl 78 23- Meadowlark .... 79 48. 24. Baltimore Oriole . . 83' 49- n- Red-Winged Blackbird 96 50- 26. Yellow-Headed Black- 5i- bird 102 5« Page Bobolink 109 Blue Jay 133 Canada Jay .... 138 Tufted Titmouse . . 142 Northern Shrike , . 159 Redstart 164 Wilson's Warbler . . 168 Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher 170 Yellow-Breasted Chat 172 White-Eyed Vireo . . 178 Mocking Biro .... 187 Brown Thrasher . . 192 Wilson's Thrush . . 207 OvEN-BiRD .... 215 Black-Throated Green Wakbler 230 Parula Warbler . . 244 Maryland Yellow- Throat 249 Worm-Eating Warbler 25; House Wren .... 266 Carolina Wren ... 272 , Goldcn-Crowneo King- let 283 Bluebird 28; Wheatear 290 American Pipit ... 292 Horned Lark .... 294 Skylark 297 ILLUSTRATIONS. A*. 53- Snowflake . . 54- Lapland LoNGSPUj 55- SCARLKT TanAGER S6. Lark Sparrow 57- Vesper Sparrow 58. Song Sparrow 59- Tree Sparrow 60. Fox Sparrow . 61. Sharp-Tailed Sparrow 62. American Goldfinch . 6j. CiOLDFINCH ■'V 300 304 306 3'7 320 3« 33' 338 344 348 64. Redpoll . . . . " ^^^ 65- Hoary RedpolL .' ' " ^fl 66. Cardinal . . . . ' ^l 67. Rose-Breasted Gros- BEAK ... , 68. Pine Grosbeak . .' ,7; 69- American Crossbill «8 70. White-Breasted Nut- •^^ 383 JV:,. 7'- Hlack and White War- bler .... 7'- Barn Swauow 73' Tree Swallow 74- Bank Swallow 75' Kingbird. . 76. Olive.SidedFlycavcher4,o 77. Traill's Flycatcher . 42, 78. Carolina Paroquet . 428 79- Vellow-Billed Cuckoo 432 80. Ivory-Billed Wood- PECKER 81. Pileated Woodpeckei 82. Yellow-bellied Sap- sucker 83- Ruby-Throated Hum- MING Bird . . 84. Belted Kingfisher 85. Chimney Swift 86. Nighthawk .... 394 399 401 404 44< 450 457 461 463 470 Ob the ai their the ai in an yieldii like n recessi beings most 1 go will reeled may be lundii tarily h summei them to heard £ light, a How vo are thesi and the boundle: lence, ha of perpel INTRODUCTION. their appearance and habits thL?K "°°\'"°"' wmarkable in the air. Tl,ey play arouS „X r '^""""^'^ '"'"'""'^"'^ °' in an element wbi.h defies our n, ? '""''' "'"^^ ^roach yielding slcy. journey over o«r h^T""' ^" »•" °f 'ight in the lilce meteon ta t™e sunlh ne „f '" "'""'"'"''1 '^°'''. dart recesses of the oLt an^ ?h/ T^'V^' ^^'''"« "•«= «"i'a^ beings of fancy. They di^jLr'?' ''^ «'"1<= '^'"o- «« 'i^^ ■nost lively motion and ^auUfol f '"" """'^^P^ ^i"" '"e go with the change of the s^a»n T""T ' ""^^ '=°'"« '»»d rected by an uncon™rir' r"" "'*'' ""'""^ ^^ -^i" -y be considered rroXm wi^l^ t^L"' '^'^r' "'^^ funding scene. With what^Tfi 7 '^*'"'' °^ "'^ "ur- tarily hail the amva, of S^^TiS 7^''°"' '° "^ "'-'•"- summer, after the lapse of The 2 ""''^"^ers of spring and them to for^ke us rmltv 0'"^" ' ^J'^' ^"""'^"^'^ heard from the leafy wove, :,nH 1, T ^"' '°"8^' n°«' light, or recollections TSeoL"'^ forests, inspire de- How voUtile. how playfolt^Sri. •''"'' '" '^^-^ •»*«»'• are these roving sytTNare 7o JT "r""! ^""^ •'^PP^' and the waters are alike habS; Se^ ^ '"' "^^ ^^"•'• boundless action; and Nature I'tK '''' "* 'P^"' '» lence. has assisted and fortnhem'?or1hir'^'"j '""^^°- orperpetual life and vigor. i„ an^rrnVato'It t?;^!'''"' INTRODUCTION. If we draw a comparison between these inhabitants of the air and the earth, we shill perceive that, instead of the large head, formidable jaws armed with teeth, the capacious chest, wide shoulders, and muscular legs of the quadrupeds, they have bills, or pointed jaws destitute of teeth ; a long and pliant neck, gently swelling shoulders, immovable vertebrae ; the fore- arm attenuated to a point and clothed with feathers, forming the expansive wing, and thus fitted for a different species of motion ; likewise the wide extended tail, to assist the general provision for buoyancy throughout the whole anatomical frame. For the same general purpose of lightness, exists the contrast of slender bony legs and feet. So that, in short, we perceive in the whole conformation of this interesting tribe, i. structure wisely and curiously adapted for their destined motion through the air. Lightness and buoyancy appear in every part of the structure of birds : to this end nothing contributes more than the SOI and delicate plumage with which they are so warmly clad ; and though the wings (or great organs of aerial motion by which they swim, as it were, in the atmosphere) are formed of such light materials, yet the force with which they strike the air is so great as to impel their bodies with a rapidity unknown to the swiftest quadruped. The same grand intention of form- ing a class of animals to move in the ambient desert they occupy above the earth, is likewise visible in their internal structure. Their bones are light and thin, and all the muscles diminutive but those appropriated for moving the wings. The lungs are placed near to the back-bone and ribs ; and the air is not, as in other animals, merely confined to the pulmonary organs, but passes through, and is then conveyed into a num- ber of membranous cells on either side the external region ol the heart, communicating with others situated beneath the chest. In some birds these cells are continued down the wings, extending even to the pinions, bones of the thighs, and other parts of the body, which can be distended with air at the pleasure or necciity of the animal. This diffusion of air is not only intended to assist in lightening and elevating the body, but also appears necessary to prevent the stoppage or INTRODUCTION. XIII rapidity of their motion through the resisting atmosphere • and thus the Ostnch, though deprived of the power of £t mns almost with the swiftness of the wind, and requin^^ a, 1 possesses, the usual resources of air conferred on o her bids Were It possible for man to move with the rapidity of 1 Swa .' low, the resistance of the air, without some such peculiar pro vision as in birds, would quickly bring on suffocS The Ze T^hir T °' ""■" '='"" °' '"■■"8' '^ ""-'- P-balJ; due to this greater aeration of the vital fluid Birds, as well as quadrupeds, may be generally distinguished to subsist, and may, consequently, be termed carnivorous and granivorous. Some also hold a middle nature, or partake of w^thl, J. ^f"''"™".^ ^"'l herbivorous birds are provided w«h larger and longer intestines than those of the carnivorous i, r„n ^"'.T '. "°"''^""g ^*'!«fly °f grain of various sorts, IS conveyed whole into the craw or first stomach, where it i softened and acted upon by a peculiar glandular secretion ^rown out upon its surface; it is then again conveyed into a second preparatory digestive organ; and finally transmitted mto the true stomach, or gizzard, formed of two strong muscles connected externally with a tendinous substance, and lined in- ternally with a thick membrane of. great power and strength- and m this place the unmasticated food is at length completelv triturated, and prepared for the operation of the gastric juice Ine extraordinaor powers of the gizzard in comminuting food' to prepare it for digestion, almost exceeds the bounds of cred- ibility lurkeys and common fowls have been made to swal- low sharp angular fragments of glass, metallic lubes, and balls armed with needles, and even lancets, which were found broken and compressed, without producing any apparent pain or wounds in the stomach. The gravel pebbles swallowed by this class of birds with so much avidity, thus appear useful in bruising and comminuting the grain they feed on, and prepar- ing It for the solvent action of the digestive organs Those birds which live chiefly on grain and vegetable sub- INTRODUCTION. Stances partake in a degree of the nature and disposition of herbivorous quadrupeds. In both, the food and the provision for its digestion are very similar. Alike distinguished for sedentary habits and gentleness of manners, their lives are harmlessly and usefully passed in collecting seeds and fruits, and ridding the earth of noxious and destructive insects ; they live wholly on the defensive with all the feathered race, and are content to rear and defend their offspring from the attacks of their enemies. It is from this tractable and gentle race, as well as from the amphibious or aquatic tribes, that man has long succeeded in obtaining useful and domestic species, which, from their prolificacy and hardihood, afford a vast supply of wholesome and nutritious food. Of these, the Hen, originally from India; the Goose, Duck, and Pigeon of Europe ; the Turkey of America ; and the Pintado, or Guinea- hen of Africa, are the principal : to which may also be ad- ded, as less useful, or more recently naturalized, the Peacock of India, the Pheasant of the same country, the Chinese and Canada Goose, the Muscovy Ouck, and the European Swan. Carnivorous birds by many striking traits evince the destiny for which they have been created; they are provided with wings of great length, supported by powerful muscles, which enable them to fly with energy and soar with ease at the loftiest elevations. They are armed with strong hooked bills and with the sharp and formidable claws of the tiger ; they are also further distinguished by their large heads, short necks, strong muscular thighs in aid of their retractile talons, and a sight so piercing as to enable them, while soaring at the greatest height, to perceive their prey, upon which they some- times descend, like an arrow, with undeviating aim. In these birds the stomach is smaller than in the granivorous kinds, and their intestines are shorter. I^ike beasts of prey, they are of a fierce and unsociable nature ; and so far from herding together like the inoffensive tribes, they drive even their offspring from the eyry, and seek habitually the shelter of desert rocks, ne- glected ruins, or the solitude of the darkest forest, from whence INTRODUCTION. XV they utter loud, terrific, or piercing cries, in accordance with the gloomy rage and inquietude of their insatiable desires Besides these grand divisions of the winged nations, there are others, which, in their habits and manners, might be com- pared to the amphibious animals, as they live chiefly on the water, and feed on its productions. To enable them to swim and dive m quest of their aquatic food, their toes are con- nected by broad membranes or webs, with which, like oars they strike the water, and are impelled with force. In this way even the seas, lakes, and rivers, abounding with fish, insects, and seeds, swarm with birds of various kinds, which all obtain an abundant supply. There are other aquatic birds, frequent- mg; marshes and the margins of lakes, rivers, and the sea which seem to part■^ke of an intermediate nature between the knd and water tribes. Some of these feed on fishes and rep tiles; others, with long and sensible bills and extended necks seek their food in wet and muddy marshes. These birds are not made for swimming; but, familiar with water, they wade and many follow the edge of the retiring waves of the sea' gleaning their insect prey at the recession of the tides- for this kind of life Nature has provided them with long legs bare of feathers even above the knees; their toes, unconnected by webs, are only partially furnished with membranous appen- dages, just sufficient to support them on the soft and boggy grouiids they frequent. To this tribe belong the Cranes, Snii^s, Sandpipers, Woodcocks, and many others. In comparing the senses of animals in connection with their instmct, we find that of sight to be more extended, more acute and more distinct in birds, in general, than in quadrupeds I say "in general," for there are some birds, such as the Owls whose vision is less clear than that of quadrupeds; but this rather results from the extreme sensibility of the eye, which, though dazzled with the glare of full day, nicely distinguishe even small objects by the aid of twilight. In all birds the organ of sight is furnished with two membranes, - an external an J internal, _ additional to those which occur in the human subject. The former, mtmirana nicHtam, or external mm- xvi INTRODUCTION, brane, is situated in the laiger angle of the eye, and is, In fact, a second and more transparent eyelid, whose motions are directed at pleasure, and its use, besides occasionally cleaning and polishing the cornea, is to temper the excess of light and adjust the quantity admitted to the extreme delicacy of the organ. The other membrane, situated at the bottom of the eye, appears to be an expansion of the optic nerce, which, re- ceiving more immediately the impressions of the light, must be much more sensible than in other animals ; and consequently the sight is in birds far more perfect, and embraces a wider range. Facts and observations bear out this conclusion ; for a Sparrow- hawk, while hovering in the air, perceives a Lark or other small bird, sitting on the ground, at twenty times the dis- tance that such an object would be visible to a man or dog. A Kite, which soars beyond the reach of human vision, yet distinguishes a lizard, (ield-mouse, or bird, and from this lofty station selects the tiny object of his prey, descending upon it in nearly a perpendicular line. But it may also be added that this prodigious extent of vision is likewise accompanied with equal accuracy and clearness ; for the eye can dilate or con- tract, be shaded or exposed, depressed or made prutubetsnt, so as readily to assume the precise form suited to the degree of light and the distance of the object ; the organ thus answer- ing, as it were, the purpose of a self-adjusting telescope, with a shade for examining the most luminous and dazzling objects ; and hence the Eagle is often seen to ascend to the higher regions of the atmosphere, gazing on the unclouded sun as on an ordinary and familiar object. The rapid motions executed by birds have also a reference to the perfection of their vision ; for if Nature, while she en- dowed them with great agility and vast muscular strength, had left them as short-sighted as ourselves, their latent powers would have availed them nothing, and the dangers of a per- petually impeded progress would have repressed or extin- guished their a-^— We may then, in general, consider the celerity with which an animal moves, as a just indication ot the perfection of its visio" A bird, therefore, shooting swiftlr INTRODUCTION. XVII through the air, must undoubtedly Ke bett,, ,(,,„ 'lowly deKribe, a waving tract T^e ,«k u ^ ?* *'''"'' carefully through bar» of wil^ elJn V^T"^ *""' ">'"« tinguished, may uem tr. ..J„ . "" 'y" *«« «»" rcIaUve veio^Ja'dwl^Tt'nTh "'"'""" '° •"'' ""' ''' blind individuJ, of t rhu'man " It'^^^^^ '"""" °''°'"' apparatus seem, capable ofTullv^f 'he exquisite aud.ory are the flicl.erings ol the £t ~i, /'"' °' ''"""• ^°' proportional he^hfof^ren:: "^^^fT ' " ^°"""^' ''' ties that prevail on the surface are thefj "''"°"' '"'"T'''"- Wrds, and occupy a larglr hare of ,h ""^ P'""^ '" the grovelling quadrupell Natl ^TI inceptions, than in out this supfrLtHf v;ionbvZ "'"•''''"'= '^'■"'''' elaborate structure of itsTrr,; L ns"!?'\'°"''P'''="°"' ""-^ proportion to the bulk ofT 'h V u "*' "■" "'"' " '"'•8^^ '" also more delicatt ^^ ^.^'r^^LT.^, ^"""^''^ " " rece.es „ust consequently e'xciteZViVir """"''' Another cause of difference in ,h^ ■ ■ quadrupeds is the nature of the ell™ '"^""'^" "^ ^''ds and Birds know better than !nn„ '^ f "' '" "^'"^ •"'^X "^e. air, its temperatu e « different t K^''" °' "^'"''"- '" '"e many otherparticiL Zb^tr' T K^'^'"' '''="'''^' ^^ adequate conception. Vheffo'te '„ "^k"' "° """"^ "'^ cate better than our weather gheTthT "!' '"'' '"'*'- in that voluble fluid • for oftfnT I ^"^" ^^^^ ''W^n violence of the wind' and s ," /" ^ '°''''''^''^ -"" ''•« VOL. I, — * ' ■ IN 1 KOULC HON. •eiene iky and a bright lun, while the terrestrial animali re- main involved in darkneu and expoied to all the fury of the tempest. In twenty-four houn it can change iti climate, and tailing over different countries, it will form a picture exceeding the powers of the pencil or the imagination. 'I°he quadruped knows only the spot where it fced!<. — its valley, mounuin, jr plain ; it has no conception of the expanse of surface or o( remote distances, and generally no desire to push forward its excursions beyond the bounds of its immediate wants. Hence remote journeys and extensive migrations are as rare among qtudrupeds as they are frequent among birds. It is this desire, founded on th*ir acquaintance with foreign countries, on the consciousness of their expeditious course, and on their foresight of the changes that will happen in the atmosphere, and the revolutions of seasons, that prompts them to retire together at the powerful suggestions of an unerring instinct. When their food begins to fail, or the cold and heat to incom- mode them, their innate feelings and latent powers urge them to seek the necessary remedy for the evils that threaten their being. Hie inquietude of the old is communicated to the young; and collecting in troops by common consent, influ- .^nced by the same general wants, impressed with the approach- ing changes in the circumstances of their existence, they give way to the strong reveries of instinct, and wing their way over land and sea to some distant and better country. Comparing an'maU with each other, we soon perceive that smell, in general, is much more acute among the quadrupeds than the birds. Even the pretended scent of the Vulture is imaginary, as he does not perceive the tainted carri in, on which he feeds, through a wicker basket, though its odor is as potent as in the open air. This choice also of decaying flesh is probably regulated by his necessities and the deficiency oi his muscular powers to attack a living, or even tear in pieces a recent, prey. The structure ol the olfactory organ in birds is obviously inferior to that of quadrupeds ; the external nostrils are wanting, and those odors which might excite sensation have access only to the duct leading from the palate ; and even INTRODICTIOW. or ~ expands, „ i„ .he t^d^"!'" ";"'^'""'. •» 'arge. Pedi. Md Karcely exceeded 1^.7 k """ °^ *« 1'«"lni- ceive with what Jii? ,"';„«"„ 'd'"'^ """"• ^'^ P^" of note,, and even wo„|, we h ? k P*"* '°°"' "'^"''ion. "earied song,, ,o the^ irwa^hf '°,"'"" '° ""'' "»• l-on. Their ear and .h^, are ™ "' ."' '",'" '""'f"' '"f"- than in other animal,, Z tZlT ''''""' ""'' P"*^^"' generally agreeable. A CroVwhL " """^ "''P«'='°"» ""d thou«u,dth part the size o?.^ '"•^'"^''y more than the farther; the Nigh.i^a " can Z T' T' "^ """^ " '"• or 'han the human voicf. \Z dL 'f^" *'"■ "' ""»'= sound dc.,end entirely on he^T"' """" ""'' P"*" of 'he support and contfnuance o? S'' °' "■"' '"»'"»; •>« their internal emotions '" """« '""'« '"'ely from o.h'erc,:;^^£j:,;'r;^ ::inr *- '^^'^ •^- '- -^ cavity that augments the so S' TT" '''°" '" ^ "^^S' -tent, and communicte wi^ inel""'^ '°° '"' «'''"" capable of being expande.l w hh . ''''""" *hich are 'he body, give additS .,: 1 h"';* f." ' ""'"" "«"'-'"« formation oi the thorax, the lu2 and a f r'"' """""' ""= w.eh these, seems expressly 0^^.'^. , °'^''"' connected lion to their utterance. '''""■''"^'l to «'ve force and dura- Another circumstance, showing ,i, birds, is the distance a' wh.ch thev ^^^''^P"'^" of voice in region, of the atmosphere tnll."' ''"'^""' '" "^^ ""gher height of seventeen thousand fee, f T ""^ " ^"^'^ "> 'he Flocks of Storks and Geerm,v ' " " """« ■'"»' visible. Withstanding the s^^ hey 11°;"?' ''■«""• -"- -'• »-«H.; 'heir ., .i„ therefLTi;::,\r ^'Xudroi INTRODUCTION. more than three miles, and is at least four times as powerful as the voice of men and quadrupeds. Sweetness of voice and melody of song are qualities which in birds are partly natural and partly acquired. The facility with which they catch and repeat sounds, enables them not only to borrow from each other, but often even to copy the more diffi- cult inflections and tones of the human voice, as well as of musical instruments. It is remarkable that in the tropical regions, where the birds are arrayed in the most ^jlowing colors, their voices are hoarse, grating, singular, or terrific. Our sylvan Orpheus (the Mocking-bird), the Brown Thrush, the Warbling Flycatcher, as well as the Linnet, the Thrush, the Blackbird, and the Nightingale of Europe, pre-eminent for song, are all of the plainest colors and weakest tints. The natural tones of birds, setting aside those derived from education, express the various modifications of their wants and passions ; they change even according to different times and circumstances. The females are much more silent than the males ; they have cries of pain or fear, murmurs of inquietude or solicitude, especially for their young ; but of song they are generally deprived. The song of the male is inspired by ten- der emotion, he chants his affectionate lay with a sonorous voice, and the female replies in feeble accents. The Nightin- gale, when he first arrives in the spring, without his mate, is silent ; he begins his lay in low, faltering, and unfrequent airs ; and it is not until his consort sits on her eggs that his en- chanting melody is complete : he then tries to relieve and amuse her tedious hours of incubation, and warbles more pathetically and variably his amorous and soothing lay. In a state of nature this propensity for song only continues through the breeding season, for after that period it either entirely ceases, becomes enfeebled, or loses its sweetness. Conjugal fidelity and parental affection are among the most conspicuous traits of the feathered tribes. The pair unite their labors in preparing for the accommodation of their expected progeny ; and during the time of incubation their participa- tion of the same cares and solicitudes continually augments INTRODUCTION XXI their mutual attachment. When ,h, source of care and pleasure oDen, . /°""^ '^^"' " "-» the ties of affection ; a .the tend" ?' "'" ^''^"g«hening fefending their infant bid re SlI ^^f . ^^^ -""« and 'x'th parents. The warmth of aTI ^ J°'"' ""^ntion of by calm and steady aUaehmem IT7 '" "'"^ — '"^d withou. suffering any dStrn; ..' ''^ "^^'^^ "'«"J^. family. ^ a-minution, to the rising branches of the -^^SClJ^ZXT ""^ "' '''^- -^ tmues commonly through i e Arlol ' "l' ''""'' ^°"- also of long endurance T w. t ^ ^"^ """"^ '''"'''' '' « Pewee and the Blue- J'd "ho vea7 T"'"' '" °" ^°""»°" quent and build in the sime n ^ ". "^'^ ^^^r continue to fre- orchard tree. But in generT'th^' " '"''^ " '"'^ ^-^y^^l expires with the season, after ' h. '"°?""°" "' ""^ ^'^'"^^ "f reproduction, in th^ nZeLr """f ''''^ '^' '"'^""°"« spring. The appearance even of "" Ti '''™^ °^ "^^ °«-- -hes in the a,ftumn,The„ bo^' 1^' '"'"^"°" °"- -- are then seen in the ame humll *' /"^"'^ and their young they arrive again amon" ^TL """''T' "''''■ '''^^' often by themselves arfclad ;" "'^'P""g• "^^ "ales in flocks, -ith vigorous song^'aTer he chT '," ""-^ ""P"^' "^^'y^ and have passed the l n'er tiev no 1"''"'=' '" ^''''^^ 'hey wann-y contest the Hg^^ tSerelcSet o^ '"^'- "^ ."arperC5arp;it^eX^--«-^^ ferently at what'^they cal" It ^1 ^0^°'"^"^' '"'"^- taste appears indeed much less acute thnn I ''"''= "' ■f-e except such as are earn voro ^1'?"'"™''''^ ' '"' are, in general, hard, and almor'rH; ^"^' ^"^ P^'^'« can only direct them thou.r^h """'='^"°"^- Sight and scent rior degree Tbe^L, u^' ''°'^"^ "'^ 'atter in an mfe- entire,.an.i„gtothem. As t J:^r t^iS":-:^-- J INTRODUCTION. with teeth, the food undergoes no preparation in the mouth, but is swallowed in unbruised and untasted morsels. Yet there is reason to believe that the first action of the stomach, or its preparatory ventriculus, affords in some degree the ruminating gratification of taste, as after swallowing food, in some insectiv- orous and carnivorous birds, the motion of the mandibles, ex- actly like that of ordinary tasting, can hardly be conceived to exist without conveying some degree of gratifying sensation. The clothing of birds varies with the habits and climates they inhabit. The aquatic tribes, and those which live in northern regions, are provided with an abundance of plumage and fine down, — fro,-i which circumstance often we may form a correct judgment of their natal regions. In all climates, aqua- tic birds are almost equally feathered, and are provided with posterior glands containing an oily substance for anointing their feathers, which, aided by their thickness, prevents the admission of moisture to their bodies. These glands are less conspicuous in land birds, — unless, like the fishing Eagles, their habits be to plunge in the water in pursuit of their prey. The general structure of feathers seems purposely adapted both for warmth of clothing and security of flight. In the wings of all birds which fly, the webs composing the vanes, or plumy sides of the feather, mutually interlock by means of reg- ular rows of slender, hair-like teeth, so that the feather, except at and towards its base, serves as a complete and close screen from the weather on the one hand, and as an impermeable oar on the other, when situated in the wing, and required to catch and retain the impulse of the air. In the birds which do not fly, and inhabit warm climates, the feathers are few and thin, and their lateral webs are usually separate, as in the Ostrich, Cassowary, Emu, and extinct Dodo. In some cases feathers seem to pass into the hairs, which ordinarily clothe the quadru- peds, as in the Cassowar)', and others ; and the base of the bill in many birds is usually surrounded with these capillary plumes. The greater number of birds cast their feathers annually, and appear to suffer much more from it than the quadrupeds dc INTRODUCTION. •rom a similar change Th,. k... <• j , 'o 'ay. The season'of mluL^ 1 '°T ^^''^^ -' 'his .ime or autumn, and their r^ken'Je Z ''!''''"' °' '""""" 'he spring. The male sometles unT "'''"^ "^'""'l "» remarked, an additionaf™ r^SsT' T "' '^^'^ ^'^^^''^ and among many of the wadeil .Z I , '^'°'' °'' ^""""er; pipers. Ploven,, and 0011!^ sir '°°''' '"''^'' "^ ^and- ■n 'he year, so that thei'r summer 'T"™" ^ ■"°"" '*'« wholly different. • """" ""'' *'"'er liveo- appear. h^ ^^'^:ris r~ '-''---^ -p^ed hy able; in this way fh'ose "ih' rrakTre'^trlf ''"'"' the pursuit of the strong and rJ "'''''*'^ '" elude . greened from the attacks of.heir '^'"°"\ ^'"^ "' ^^en of colors assimilated to he pt r^T u' '" "-^"gement for subsistence and repose .hX W ".'' '"°^' '"^^'1"-' distinguished from the tree on Jh i ''"'"' '' ^^^'^^'J"" be Snipe from the soft and springv » 'T^ ''' '°^ ' °' 'he The Great Plover finds its 3,! -''='' " ^^'J"-'"'- which its colors are so nicl adanrn ''J° ''°"^ P'^<^^^- '° observer may be deceived the i "'• *' '"°'' ^'-et of by the Night Hawk, Partridg^ H "er "' H^'l' ^'^^^"'^^^ Quail, the young brood of which 1,. ' u""*^ ""= ^™*"ean 'ively conscious of being netl^""' °."'''^ ^^"''d, instinc- resemblance ,0 the brokeif gSon'T ['' ''™™ ""^'^ ^"^^e to this natural concealment Z ,''^ "'''' "^' •"^'^ ""«' protecting artifice is often ' emoIoveTh ."'^/''"'^"P"^^ ^"d render the appearance of th^r' nS Ih '' '° ^°"'^^^' « European Wren forms it, n. ambiguous. Thus the a hayrick; eovere^ilh itnTT^ "t' '''' " ^^^-' clad ; or made of green moss, when the dec T ''°''" '^ ^ " -s built, is thus covered ■ and ,t ,. .^^"^ '™"'' '° "'hich leaves only a concealed ^Ltry in th"; f' "'"''"^ " ^l»ve, l^'rd, by external patches of iTh gtl'tr """ ?""""'"«- • ance of a moss-grown knot. A s I'nH 7 „ « "''' '^' 'P^'"' our Vellow-breasted ^catch^.^^ni^.'^V^tEnt^ INTRODUCTION. Golden-crowned Thrash (Seiurus aurocapiUus) makes a nest like an oven, erecting an arch over it so perfectly resem- bling the tussuck in which it is concealed that it is only dis- coverable by the emotion of the female when startled from its covert. The Butcher-bird is said to draw around him his feathered victims by treacherously imitating their notes. The Kingfisher of Europe is believed to allure his prey by displaying the brilliancy of his colors as he sits near some sequestered place on the margin of a rivulet ; the fish, attracted by the splen- dor of his fluttering and expanded wings, are detained while the wily fisher takes an unerring aim.' The Erne, and our Bald Eagle, gain a great part of their subsistence by watching the success of the Fish Hawk, and robbing him of his finny p, ■■/ as soon as it is caught. In the same way also the rapacious Burgomaster, or Glaucous Gull (Laius glauais), of the North levies his tribute of food from all the smaller species of his race, who, knowmg his strength and ferocity, are seldom inclined to dispute his piratical claims. Several species of Cuckoo, and the Cow Troopial of America, habitually deposit their eggs in the nests of other small birds, to whose deceived affisction are committed the preservation and rearing of the parasitic and vagrant brood. The instinctive arts of birds are numerous ; but treachery, like that which obtains in these parasitic species, is among the rarest expedients of nature in the feathered tribes, though not uncommon among some insect families. The art displayed by birds in the constraction of their tem- porary habitations, or nests, is also deserving of passing attention. Among the Gallinaceous tribe, including our land domestic species, as well as the aquatic and wading kinds, scarcely any attempt at a nest is made. The birds which swarm along the sea-coast often deposit their eggs on the bare ground, sand, or slight depressions in shelving rocks ; governed alone by grosser wants, their mutual attachment is feeble or nugatory, and neither art nor instinct prompts attention to the construc- 1 The bright feathers of this bird enter often successfully, with others, into the composition of the most attractive artificial flies employed by anglers. INTRODUCTION. ^^^ s to\r;aTe:ttraSrv' '^^ ^-« - - .ic birds are not very L.X to et let) ' °"^" f"- remark that while our common Geese Ind'lIV I'T'" '° Fowls, have no permanent selectTve aUachl . r "l" ^°'"""<^ .he Canadian Wild Goose, the Eider liT'd" ''"^ T"' are constantly and faithfully paired thrn \ u '°'"^ ''"'^'^• that this negl-ect of accomm'odaUoT for the^ "'^'^^^°"! ^ cation of an artificial nest rnm ^"""^ '" "'« <""''"- their tribe, has less Ire 1:^:^: re " ^'' '"^ '''' °' aid than with the hardv and nrZ "'\'t''""""°" "f ">"tual cal, coarse, and retiring b^ds' ir"'? '""'^ °'"^"^ ""-"- " show considerable addfes/nttarin? T' °' '^"" for their young; i„ this w y some of the R^ "^T.f'"^ ''^'^""'^ the Common Puffin) do not "mst 2 ^ '*"« Hke the Gulls, who Lher r , on he 3:;';^" ^'k ""^ ''''' than art in its defence- h,„ ° u , ""'^ ""^ ""^'t '^^•'at, the Alcas form a dtp^urrj T h^" '""' """ ^""'^ "' Birds of the same .en , li '"''""''' "' ">^'^ ^rood. «cation. T^r\^^is:-t:?SLr:rt"- rampart of mud, and enters bv a „"''*'""" ^ ^ugh-cast edge. The Cliff Swallow o Bonapart cone"'? '" "' "P"" feathered nest in a receptacle of r»!-.' '" '''™ """J a narrow-necked P^rse '^reort'^Anl: ■""' """'''""« Indian seas, forms a small receptacle Ir u ''"'"' ™ '"' of interlaced gelatinous fibres 'po^erf b T""' \"""'^ the rarest Llicacy^T;; i'^Ml^innk^VKirr^ burrows deep into the frfnhl. k i i- Kmgfisher, .vo.-ng in hollow trees- and .h-T . . ' '^'^"^ ""eir INTRODUCTION. penters, and without the aid of any other chisel than theii wedged bills. But the most consummate ingenuity of ornithal architectutv is displayed by the smaller and more social tribes of birds, who, in proportion to their natural enemies, foreseen by Nature, are provided with the means of instinctive defence. In this labor both sexes generally unite, and are sometimes occupied a week or more in completing this temporary habitation for their ycjng. We can only glance at a few examples, Aiefly domes- tic ; since to give anything like a general view of this subject of the architecture employed by birds would iar exceed the narrow limits we prescribe. And here we may remark that, after migration, there is no more certain display of the reveries of instinct than what presides over this interesting and neces- sary labor of the species. .'Vnd yet so nice are the gradations betwixt this innate propensity and the dawnings of reason that it is not always easy to decide upon the characteristics of one as distinct from the other. Pure and undeviating in- stincts are perhaps wholly confined to the invertebral class of animals. In respect to the habits of birds, we well know that, like quadrupeds, they possess, though in a lower degree, the capa- city for a certain measure of what may be termed education, or the power of adding to their stock of invariable habits the additional traits of an inferior degree of reason. Thus in those birds who have discovered (like the faithful dog, that humble companion of man) the advantages to be derived from asso- ciating round his premises, the regularif of their instinctive habits gives way, in a measure, to improvable conceptions. In this manner our Golden Robin (Icterus baltimore), or Fiery Hang Bird, originally only a native of the wilderness and the forest, is now a constant summer resident in the vicinity of villages and dwellings. From the depending boughs of our towering elms, and other spreading trees, like the Oriole of Europe, and the Cassican of tropical America, he weaves his pendulous and purse-like nest of the most tenacious and dur- able materials he can collect. These naturally consist of tli INTRODUCTION. ^^^.^. the security of his loftv and "' " ' ^""''O". and conscious of taken up his welcomirinT'^"'^'''''^ ™"^'°''' •>«« The same mo.i.es of c^„v „"^Je ZT'%°' T ''""'^•'°"^- apparent influence on ra„vro'"f°'I '''*'' ''^'' '''''' feathered tribes; the BluXL^wLf an" sIT """"'"' inhabitants of the wood, ,r» . ^""•"°*s, original Pigeons. The Catbrr^ofte, u'° '"' '"'""'"''' '^an our for the convent el?^^^^^^^ ing. occasionally, the motions of tLf ' ' ""'^ "'''''■ whistle with complacent m^™v' tenant, answers to his his intrusion. -ATcl^onT'^' V"'"''' ="«" ^°M"' and coa.e archj cl~ J^eteVb: T"™'" ''"'"'P''' or the noisy Jay ,vho seek T, ^ . P"'"'"'= ^""^l^"" for protec^oJ L^trnMri HeT;'': ^^^^^ ^--V. employed in their no s^, a". ' Thit '^'''"l"''" "^^^ ^'"' ence over unvarying iLS" „ ^^^ ^g^c.ty obtains its influ- birds, may readily^b^ eon ' " d T ""^ "'"^ """^ '■^">"'^' venturous associaL'^wTr ^ Irw^h Te '''' ""' which requ red it • for n« =„ ,. '"* occasion reared their you" ' than theTr Z. T ""^ """"'^ """ «"''■" again return. * ^"' ""'"'"' ^"^P'='°n and shyness rna::xrsivtroX"fTnvr'''^' 'i ""-' •''"'^-^'"'^'■ little variety of rr'T, T^'"^ '"'^=^' °^ P°^«essing but streams anLae"s "re sca:^"r'°"l' ?"' P^'^^^'^'^ -^ere to be found. The eJenT '"'• '"""'"^'^ '""'^ "^ INTRODUCTION. the umbrageous, wild, and unpeopled banksi of the Mississippi, and other of the larger rivers, no less than the vast pine-bar- rens of the Southern States, are nearly without birds as perma- nent residents. In crossing the desolate piny glades of the South, with the exception of Creepers, Nuthatches, Wood- peckers, Pine Warblers, and flo<:ks of flitting Ijrks (SturneUa), scarcely any birds are to be seen till we approach the mean- ders of some stream, or the precincts of a plantation. The food of birds being extremely various, they consequently con- gregate only where sustenance is to be obtained ; watery situa- tions and a diversified vegetation are necessary for their support, and convenient for their residence ; the fniits of the garden and orchard, the swarm: of insects which follow the progress of agriculture, the grain which we cultivate, — in short, everything which contributes to our luxuries and wants, in the way of subsistence, no less than the recondite and tiny enemies which lessen or attack these various resources, all conduce to the support of the feathered race, which consequently seek out and frequent our settlements as humble and useful dependents. The most ingenious and labored nest c. .til the North Amer- ican birds is that of the Orchard Oriole, or Troopial. It is suspended, or pensile, like that of the Baltimore Bird, but, with the exception of hair, constantly constructed of native mate- rials, the principal of which is a kind of tough grass. 7h5 blades are formed into a sort of platted purse but little inferior to a coarse straw bonnet ; the artificial labor bestowed is so app.irent that Wilson humorously adds, on his showing it to a matron of his acquaintance, betwixt joke and earnest, she asked " if he thought it could not be taught to dam stock- ings." Every one has heard of the Tailor Bird of India (Syh'ia sutoria) ; this little architect, by way of saving labor and gain- ing security fo.' its tiny fabric, sometimes actually, as a seam- stress, sews together the edges of two le.ives of a tree, in which her nest, at the extremity of the branch, is then secured for the period of incubation. .Among the Syh'ias, or Warblers, there is a species, inhabiting Florida and the West Indies, the Syh'ia pensilis, which forms its woven, covered nest to rock in INTRODUCTION. jjxfx the air at the end of two suspending strings, rather than trust It to the wily enemies by which it is surroumled ; the entrance for security, is also from below, and through a winding vestibule' Our little cheerful and almost domestic Wren (Tnglodylti fulvus), which so often disputes with the Martin and the Blue- bird the possession of the box set up for their accommmlalion in the garden or near the house, in his native resort of a hollow tree, or the shed of some neglected out-house, begins his fabric by forming a barricade of crooked interlacing twigs, — a kind of chevaux-dt./risi, - for the defence of his internal habitation, leaving merely a very small entrance at the upper edge The industn, of this little bird, anj his affection for his mate, are somewhat remarkable, as he frequently completes his habita- tion without aid, and then searches out a female on whom to bestow It ; but not being always successful, or the premises not satisfactory to his mistress, his labor remains sometimes with- out reward, and he continues to warble out his lay in solitude. The same gallant habit prevails also with our recluse Wren of the marshes. Wilson's Marsh Wren (TroglodyU, palusMs), nstead of courting the advantages of a proximity to our dwel- hngs, lives wholly among the reed-fens, suspending his mud- plastered and circulariy covered nest usually to the stalks of he plant he so much affects. Another marsh species inhabits the low and swampy meadows of our vicinity ( Troglodytfs ire- v.ros,ns) and with ready address constructs its globular nest wholly of the intertwined sedge-grass of the tussock on which retreats but for the purpose of distant migration, and avoid their own""" '" ""*"'*' '"'"^""S' =^*'>' «»« °f ^^^^V but Among the most extraordinary habitations of birds, illustra- Tn r^ ">^''""i^^ i"v«^"tion, may be mentioned that of he Bengal Grosbeak, whose pensile nest, suspended from the cloth, in the form of a large bottle, with the entrance down- wards; It consists also of two or three chambers, supposed to be occasionally illuminated by the fire-flies, which, however XXX INTROnUCTION. only comtitute a put of the food it probably conveys for the support of ito young. But the most extraordinary instinct of thu kind known, is exhibited by the Sociable, or Republican (-rosbeak (foetus sotim, CuvreR), of the Cape of Good Hope. In one tree, according to Mr. Paterson, there could not b^ fewer than from eight hundred to one thousand of these nests covered by one general roof, resembling that of a thatched house, and projecting over the entrance of the nest. Their common industry almost resembles that of bees. Beneath this roof there are many entrances, each of which forms, as it were a regular street, with nests on either side, about two inches dis-' tant from each other. The material which they employ in this buildmg IS a kind of fine grass, whose seed, also, at the same time serves them for food. That birds, besides their predilection for the resorts of men are also capable of appreciating consequences to themselves and young, scarcely admits the shadow of a doubt ■ they are the probability of danger or the immunities of favor We talk of the cunning of the Fox and the watchfulness of f teasel ■ but the Eagle, Hawk. Raven. Crow. Pye, and Blackbird as- sess those traits of shrewdness and caution which would seem to arise from reflection and prudence. They well know the powerful weapons and wiles of civilized man. Without beine able to.«.///w.r, -a vulgar idea, _ the Crow and Blackbird at once suspect the character of the fatal gun ; they will alight on the backs of cattle without any show of apprehension, and the P^e even hops upon them with insulting and garrulous playful- ness ; but he flies instantly from his human enemy, and seems, by his deprecating airs, aware of the proscription that affects his existence. A man on horseback or in a carriage is much less an object of suspicion to those wily birds than when alone • and I have been frequently both amused and surprised, in the sunw '"k '^"'' "^'"'^"^ "' "'^ Common Blackbirds n an ng from che ploughing field, with looks of alarm, at the Z h< I ?'" ■"?' '' ''"''"'' '■'■°"' ''"'^ ™°'« dangerous than the black slave, whose furrow they closely and familiarly fol- INTRODUCTION. 'owed, for the inwct food i, ,ff„^ , . ""'" ;;ny appearance of dS, t^^,"' Jj™' -""out be.„yin« »>< capacity for change of di.pojL .k""'' /""''" ^"^^ '< 'ong operated upon our dn™ T ""'" "»' which ha. to - ''..'Ton siigh.rg;7eir;Xh '''■-•'''•'--'■"" «>uble. and sacrificed wi.hoSregTe"' Ho '!it'"""'' '"''°"« " of our Goose and Duck in thflr •> , ''"^""« 'he hab- n«"d of that excessive a 1 i^7S. f"'^ '"-"-^ condition ! 'o the.r savage nature, they ^0^. ^'"'"°'"'"*«. » peculiar cattle, and hardly ^h^Tl^Z' Z'Z' *f ""= •^°"'"'- '» a very ban-dog, -- noisv L,Kw ^ ^- '*'>'' ""e Gander "otice of the s.rLer"s Z't,^"^' «' ""^ ^°'""°'''' •>« Pves -ddlingschool-bof ^X;;- ■; f- 'he terror of'^.he ;s reported of an.i,,ui,y, that by"he r T'"^ '"°°^' ""<' " ulness they once saved the Rom 1 ^f'^'''^ ""'' w^'ch- ; .^position of these binls changTb/do"""- • ''°' °"'^ '^ ""= 'he.r stn,„g instinct to migratbn-n^ domestication, but even -holly annihilated. InstTToSniLTh "'""^ '°"«'"«'' "« «-ng their way to distant regionV h ^V*"' T ""'"'"'' ""'■'•' |«^'Petual abund..nce attendant 'f.* ^""""'"'^ '" «he ■n^tinct can thus be des, Id ^ 1 ^ '"' ''''"'■ " stances, need we wonder7at ,WsM?' '" ""'"'^'^ "''^'"■ g«nce is capable also o anl^he T'"^ T** '""«' '"'^"'■ -iaptedtonewhabitsandunnattll' r^' ^' '"•Pwvement, "'"'"going the slavety of T2lT I """''^ ^^"^ ""hou "■">• -nsible of immlhLs and ore *°"; '^"' ''""' "--"«= ^"l"-^'icand rude family of bWs XT" ' ""^ '" ""^ ^""= 'l"o'e the tame habits of the ™n^'"'""°"''^ ''^ -"ay '"her countries, where they breed f„ ."'-"''" '" ^"'''"'^ -"d 'I'eir valuable down an obfect of ' ""'"'^" '^ '° ''"der '" be killed under legal penaL anr^^' ""'^ ^" '""''"dden "^■e security, thev sit on ^h.^' "' '^ ^""^ "f 'his legisla- of ".an, an'd a:re ^ely ^s'Tm^'r'^' ''^ '••-PP--h I'-ding, as our tamed nuck, N^ "'' '"""« ""^ '«-°° °f -'ednnti,they„:i-S-;::--tl;Lrt XXXII rNTRODUCTION. however, the but tint, with its eggs and down, to the lining of which the i.iale i< now obliged to contribute, be take- iway, they «agnr;,)iisly leave the premiies, without return. Tl j pious Storlis, in Holland, protected Sy law for their usefulness, build their nests on the tops of houses and churches, often in the midst oi cities, in boxes prepared for them, like those for our Martins; and, walking about the streets and gardens without apprehension of danger, perform the usual office of domestic scavengers. That birds, like our more sedentary and domestic quadru- peds, are capable of exhibiting att.Achment to those who feed and attend them, is uniieniablc. Deprived of other society, some of our more intelligent species, particularly the Thrushes, soon learn to seek out the company of their friends or protec- tors of the human species. The Drown Thrush and Mocking Bird become in this way extremely f.imiliar, cheerful, and capriciously playful ; the former, in particular, courts the atten- tion of his master, follows his steps, complains when neglected, flies to him when suffered to be at large, and sings and reposes gratefully perched on hia hand, — in short, by all his actions he appears capable of real and affectionate itf-.,' ment, iiirf is jealous of every rival, particularly any other bird, which he persecutes from his presence with unceasing hatred. His pet- ulant dislike to particular objects of less moment is also dis- played by various tones and gestures, which soon become sufficiently intelligible to those who are near him, as well as his notes of gratulation and satisfaction. His language of fear and surprise could never be mistaken, and an ir' ration oi his guttural low /sierr, tsherr, on these occasions, answers as a premonitory warning when any danger awaits him from the sly approach of rat or s' and in an under-.one confcS I '^ ""^ '^''"'"« "'"(f. Jumping motion of .he hu«,nlrr , '"'''''' '''^•''"' ''^' bolder, and pe,ceiving.. had a ^ar" .^' '.'"«"">« became prisoner between temerity and iJf!? '° '""'='" « «h.- alarmed or offended, he lla.^lfl'^?- ^'" *'"" """y biH all friendly appt.che" at 'f '" '"' '°'''"' P'^^b, for. and angry * J.^''^'= .V' ^^J' »!■"' '-t^"' "^ '"» '"« tram, wao al„ much amutd b^ 1 f JT"^^' ""'"''"• ^'■ 'his bird, and relate, rarone^hi^hhr^u'"'"^^"' ""y hard bread-crumb,, found when .h' . 7u' "^'"^ ^°"'^ °f rational remedy in softenl Ihem Z 'I " ""°'"' " '''y «ater; he likewise, by exwrienc^'n^ J '" *■" "'»^' °' P'icKofthe wasp, on S he L ''° u'l'' """' "'' '^'"f"' trading their sti^g,. Bm i. iulH LT''' '^ "''^''"'='1 by ex- «o follow ou, .he« ghmm rir'of^„ °°''''°""'"'^ ■»'""«« a« well in bird, as in our mo!^ „ '"'^"'S"". which exist remarkable t.Ient of the plrrT "-""" l"'"'""^^'- The human voice ha, long LnZl -,;""" ''' '°"" °^ '"«= and well.authenticated^coum of ih, '"°'' ""-ordinary common ash-colored sp™, 1 ,""1°"^ °' """^ °^ 'be O'Kelly bought for a hund^/ °' " '"''' """ch Colonel vidual no, only r peaLd a lfa"tT t ^"''°'- ™» '""i- <.««...,^manyVe'tion,' and'w^, ablef v 7"'™"'' ""' tunes. While thus engaged it rat, u""' " ^"""^ °f ance of science, and po,s«L^ ,!,h "'"' '^' ""= "?!«"- 'hat if by chance it mUtook a tlf^''''' "' '" » accumte, where the mistake wTSe co r^ ' Tl!" "^^"'° '"<= »>" regular «me, go again thr^ujk .he tho r w^ 1" '"""« ness. So celebrated wa, thi, sunfrislr l ^ . P'"^" "''«■ notice of it, death appeared in .I" r \'^'' "" '"'""^0' for the 9th of October:. 8o, In fhi, "" ^^^■''"« P°^'" beside, her great musical facult e, she coT' " '^ ""''^' "'^^ articulately, and give her orden ik t !. """"" ''" *""' ^"> <.~e =" m a manner approaching to XXXIV INTRODUCTION. rationality. She was, at the time of her decease, supposed to be more -ban thirty years of age. The colonel was repeat- edly offered five hundred guineas a year for the bird by persons who wished to make a public exhibition of her;' but out of tenderness to his favorite he constantly refused the offer. The story related by Goldsmith of a parrot belonging to Kmg Henry the Seventh, is very amusing, and possibly true It was kept in a room in the Palace of Westminster, overlooking the Thames, and had naturally enough learned a store of boat- men's phrases ; one day, sportmg somewhat incautiously. Poll fell mto the river, but had rationality enough, it appears to make a profitable use of the words she had learned, and ac- cordmgly vociferated, "A boat! twenty pounds for a boat ' " This welcome sound reaching the ears of a waterman, soon brought assistance to the Parrot, who delivered it to the king, with a request to be paid the round sum so readily prom- ised by the bird ; but his Majesty, dissatisfied with the exor- bitant demand, agreed, at any rate, to give him what the bird should now award; in answer to which reference Poll shrewdly cried, " Give the knave a groat ! " ' The story given by Locke, in his "Essay on the Human Understanding," though approaching closely to rationality and apparently improbable, may not be a greater effort than could have been accomplished by Colonel O'Kelly's bird This Parrot had attracted the attention of Prince Maurice then governor of Brazil, who had a curiosity to witness its powers The bird was introduced into the room, where sat the prince in company with several Dutchmen. On viewing them the Parrot exclaimed, in Portuguese, " What a company of white men are here ! " Pointing to the prince, they asked, " Who is that man?" to which the Parrot replies, " Some general or ';„ il! P""" "°* ^^^^' "J"™™ "hat place do you come? The answer was, "From Marignan." "To whom do you belong?" It answered, "To a Portuguese." "What do you do there ? " To which the Parrot replit :. " I look after chickens ! " The prince, now laughing, exclaimed, - Vou look INTRODUCTION after chickens I " To whirh p„ii /.-and I W wen e^t h L'to H'-Tr'' "^"' same mstant in the n .,.., of a caTlil. K J ?'""'''"« ^' ""^ The docility .>■ birds ■.,'/. '^^I''"* '"■°°d-hen. depends, of cou e. .pou ti^e 'IT^-^'"^ expressing sounds hearing.-assisudci.oZ oi;":. K,°' "'"' ^"'"^^ ''"d The imitative actions ^a ■ ' "-""'"^""ble power of memory as Goldfinches, L^ar^^^ri^---^^^^ c-.rious as their expression of ^''^l T' ''""' '^ ■ted in England some of thesrh^H.' , ^°™^" "'>"'- death, and was held up by the LJor c'l""' °k "''''='' '"■™"'^'^'' active signs of life, a second k,^ ! '""'°"" """""'"K '"'y with its claws in the a^ A thL "^^ """^ °" ">« head, -^et.with paiis oTits^tirA'r«r^^^°'"«'<' Venetian girl looking out at a ^^.in « """»<:ked a soldier, and mounted guard as a T ^°"; "^ "^"^ ""^'^ ^^^ cannonier, with a cap on its Ltd fi"'" ^' ^""^ '^^ '• and with a match in i^ c"aw dith \"^°'^ °" "^ ^''°"'der, same bird also acte^as 1 1 S' ' '"l" ^^""°"- The barrow, as it were to ,1, "°""'^'^''' "-as wheeled in a little before Ihe comZy/"; t7£/'': ''''''' *' «- -t and .he last bird stood ami t alschTge'o '"' I'T""'"'^ without showing any sign of f^^^''^'^'^^ "'^ small fireworks, weisttSt^r^isrs^ri^^r"--'^''-^ Frenchman named Dujon • one o ./; 1 '° '^'°' ^V " shot at, and falling down as if d H '"'^"''^ "^^'^'"^e wheelbarrow and conveyed 7J bv ' ""^ ."•" '"'° ^ «"'« The docility of the CanaVS Go.Hr k ■ "' '°'"'^''«'- severe education, put in f^r comn^v ^'^ " ""'^' ^y '''"t °' and we cannot deny tl the tT T '''"' '^'' "^ "-e dog; •cind of rational intem^nce e S"d b""'"" ' ^'"^ °^''-« quadrupeds,_an incipienrknoi ldl~ °'°" ^^^^^^ removed from the unimprovaUe TnH^ I "'^ ^"^ ='^'=« <■" instinct. Nature probrbrSe jfs ST'''!,'^-'-^ animated machines than we are an^ . Producing such themutabilityofcircumsUncesbUhichaCr'' '"' '■"''^'' ' r wnicn almost every animated XXXVl INTRODUCTION. being is surrounded, there seems to be a frequent demand for that relieving invention denied to those animals which are solely governed by inflexible instinct. The velocity with which birds are able to travel in tli.>ir aerial element has no parallel among terrestrial animals ; and this powerful capacity for progressive motion is bestowed in aid of their peculiar wants and instinctive habits. The swiftest horse may perhaps proceed a mile in something less than two minutes ; but such exertion is unnatural, and quickly fatal. An Eagle, whose stretch of wing exceeds seven feet, with ease and majesty, and without any extraordinary effort, rises out of sight in less than three minutes, and therefore must fly more than three thousand five hundred yards in a minute, or at the rate of sixty miles in an hour. At this speed a bird would easily per- form a journey of six hundred miles in a day, since ten hours only would be required, which would allow frequent halts, and the whole of the night for repose. Swallows and other migra- tory birds might therefore pass from northern Europe to the equator in seven or eight days. In fact, Adanson saw, on the coast of Senegal, Swallo.vs that had arrived there on the 9th of October, or eight or nine days after their departure from the colder continent. A Canary Falcon, sent to the Duke of Lerma, returned in sixteen hours from Andalusia to the island of Tene- riffe, — a distance of seven hundred and fifty miles. The Gulls of Barbadoes, according to Sir Hans Sloane, make excursions in flocks to the distance of more than two hundred miles after their food, and then return the same day to their rocky roosts. If we allow that any natural powers come in aid of the instinct to migration, so powerful and uniform in birds, besides their vast capacity for motion, it must be in the perfection ana delicacy of their vision, of which we have such striking ex- amples in the rapacious tribes. It is possible that at times they may be directed principally by atmospheric phenomena alone ; and hence we find that their appearance is frequently a concomitant of the approaching season, and the wild Petrel of the ocean is not the only harbinger of storm and coming change. The currents of the air, in those which make exten- INTRODUCTION. xxxvii sive voyages, are sedulously employed • anrf h seasons, when they are usually in . ' ^'""'^' ^* "rt^w or departure accelerated by ?"orh!°"H"' '"' '"^'^ ^"i-' That birds also should i' aJeTof '1°" °' "«"''"'''• journeys from the acutene^ of the r ' "^"'"'^8^ ''" '^eir M than the capacity of rdolt'T"' "'"''' "'°''= """'l"- ™aster, for man/mile's Ssucclil°t;r "' ''"' °^ "'■^ «^Ps. It is said, indeed in rZt.^ """* "^^"^ °f ^^ that the Passenge , or Ca^vLp '''''" °'"""' ^""J^'^'"". to the place from whence it fs h*'"^' " "°' ""^'" '° '^tum in an open wicker bLket admSf ' '"'"' ' *" '=°"-y«'J -enety. Many of our btds trevfr mT °' •"'^ ""'^'"^ great valleys and river.cour,« ^ u '""'""'^^'y the southern or warmer destn"l„' T^ ''""^ '°«'^'^^ their the Connecticut, the HuT^Tljnr ^"''' """^^^ "^ the Santee, and Lre partuhrlv he T m- ""^ «"^'J-h-na, in part, the leading route of ou,' T ^'"''''PP^- "^ °ften, mysterious as is the — andT^^"^ •"'"'• ^"'' '° ^^^^t those of all other coun7n^'whe"e fhTv""" °' °" "'""'■ '*^ tination of many is rendered ceV^ "'"'°'" " ""' ""^ ''«- southern parts of the Union or ^h'^"' "'• '°°" '' ^' ^'"'' ""e ;co. .o Which they L^r^r t thS ^'^ °^f- they were nearly or wholly nntn. '"^."'■nter; for now, where by thousands, an'd flitttel" I iLTer '''' 'r°"« of autumn. It is curiou, m „k . showenng leaves adventurous instinct™ ^mSr^^^^^^^ of this tivorous species which wholly kave u^Ll""""'"^ '""^^ regions of the tropics. Many oen f 7 T^'^ ^'^ S^^i^"" through Mexico overland? to these thV° h'!" '"""'"'°" merely an amusing and varied feas But 7 '°r'' '^ number, who keep too far toward the , " "'"^'^ """"" ocean-bound penLula of Fr.t^ '""' ^'^ '='"" "-e age ,s presented, the :^ifrc2:;,rur,:'"°" ''^"^'^°^- young and inexperienced as wel as Th o^d "T"' '^ "'^ -- voyagers w-;l-l-^-P;-.^o^ XXXVIII INTRODUCTION. fames; but baffled by storms and contraiy gales, they often suffer from want, and at times, like the Quails, become victims to the derouring waves. On such unfortunate occasions (as Mr. Bullock • witnessed in a voyage near to Vera Cruz Ute in autumn), the famished travellers familiarly crowd the decks of the vessel, in the hope of obtaining rest and a scanty meal preparatory to the conclusion of their unpropitious flight. Superficial observers, substituting their own ideas for facts are ready to conclude, and frequently assert, that the old and young, before leaving, assemble together for mutual departure • this may be true in many instances, but in as many more a different arrangement obtains. The young, often instinctively vagrant, herd together in separate flocks previous to their departure, and guided alone by the innate monition of Nature seek neither the aid nor the company of the old ; consequently m some countries flocks of young of particular species are alone observed, and in others, far distant, we recognize the old. From parental aid the juvenile company have obtained all that Nature intended to bestow, — existence and education; and they are now thrown upon the world among their numerous companions, with no other necessary guide than self-preserving instinct. In Europe it appears that these bands of the young always affect even a warmer climate than the old ; the aeration of their blood not being yet complete, they are more sensible to the ngors of cold. The season of the year has also its effect on the movements of birds; thus certain species proceed to their northern destination more to the eastward in the spring and return from it to the south-westward in autumn. The habitudes and extent of the migrations of birds admit of considerable variety. Some only fiy before the inundating storms of winter, and return with the first dawn of spring- these do not leave the continent, and only migrate in quest of food when it actually begins to fail. Among these may be named our common Song Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Blue- bird, Robin, Pewee, Cedar Bird, Blackbird, Meadow Lark and many more. Others pass into warmer climates in the autLmn, » Travels in Mexlca INTRODUCTION. A-batros, and vCrSe?"*^ ^' ^""'^' ">« "-"er; ^he greater number of bird, ,„ ", • ^Peces, however, proceed o„W LI? '\'^^ "ight; some prey, -Crows, Pies, Wrens CreeL^;-''' "'' '^'"™'" ^irds of b.rds. Swallows, and some o^'" ti;o °"v'"'' ^''''' «'»«■ « 'he mght are the Owls, BuSr bIhv"'':^'' "^^^ ^^""y Flycatcher, Night Hawli, Whip-pf^ '.f '"«'''''''^' '^''^'''es, number of aquatic bird., who e moT' """^ "'» ^ «'ea nocturnal, except in the coTd L d "-' ''' "'° ''""^'P''"^ -here they usually retire to brTe' ot Tl''"' -«'-^' erfiilly .mpelled by this goveS' „?*'' ^'"^^ are so pow- •hey stop neither day nor n'™ ^, "°"^^ '° ""gration that cJIas. Plovers, Swans Cranes Wiid? "%"'' «"°»». Mota- untoward circumstances rendeTasteT' '"''' "" ^''^" °f birds, which ordinarily trav 1 o^! Tn'T'^' '^'"'''" '""'1^ he,r route during the day. and carrl^ „"'' "'^ht, continu. to eat; yet the singing-bWs nrnnT ^ ''"' "'^"'^^'^^' 'ime by day, whatever may hapD en , ^^ '" ""''^' "'"" ™«^«e -quired, with astonishment Ct^^V ''"'' '' "n-y her' 4 animals are able to ^Ttb°7- 1 '^^"^ but enthusiast!^ aid of recruiting sleepfB ^3,^"^' 'bus engaged, without he f vel that its incentfve breaks our" " ""^ "^"-"y ^r deumed in captivity, - so much ' ^""'^ '" "'°^^ '^hich are . day they are no more aW th " ^'"'°"e'' -^wing the !" taking nourishment at the ano'T';'"'' °"'^ -ied '"« repose, as usual, they mS^rt °' "*''' '"" '"-- -ek- «^.ng in the cage, whether he fo!« '^"'"°"' '''"^ ""'°'" and when the moon shines thevl'^'"' '' "k'"^'' °r not ; - their custom, at liber^; tZ^TZ 1' """^^ '^^'•-. - i^ for fachtating their route Som. t f advantage of its light iourney. still find m^Jl^^^^^^T '="^«^'^ '» '"'eir -hJe traversing the sea, p^r^u^t - '"^' -"''' Swallow, xl INTRODUCTION. or graze the surface of the deep. If the Wien, the Creeper and the Titmouse rest for an instant on a tree to snatch a hasty morsel, in the next they are on the wing, to fijlfil their destina- tion. However abundant may be the nourishment which presents itself to supply their wants, in general, birds of passage rarely remain more than two days together in a place. The cries of many birds, while engaged in their aerial voy- age, are such as are only heard on this important occasion, and appear necessary for the direction of those which fly in assem- bled ranks. During these migrations it has been observed that birds fly ordinarily in the higher regions of the air, except when fogs force them to seek a lower elevation. This habit is particularly prevalent with Wild Geese, Storks, Cranes, and Herons, which often pass at such a height as to be scarcely distinguishable. ' We shall not here enter into any detailed description of the manner in which each species conducts its migration, but shall content ourselves with citing the single remarkable exam- ple of the motions of the Cranes. Of all migrating birds, these appear to be endowed with the greatest share of foresight They never undertake the journey alone; throughout a circle of severa: miles they appear to communicate the intention of commencing their route. Several days previous to their departure they call upon each other by a peculiar cry as if giving warning to assemble at a central point; the favorable moment being at length arrived, they betake themselves to flight, and, in military style, fall into two lines, which, uniting at the summit, form an extended angle with two equal sides At the central point of the phalanx, the chief takes his station to whom the whole troop, by their subordination, appear to have pledged their obedience. The commander has not only the painful task of breaking the path through the air, but he has also the charge of watching for the common safety; to avoid the attacks of birds of prey; to range the two lines in a circle at the approach of a tempest, in order to resist with more effect the squaUs which menace the dispersion of the INTRODUCTION, linear ranks; and la«i„ ■. • "'' compan, iookTp' ir^^ '"J"- ,ead„ .hat .he fa.i^ed nourishment and repose SH, """^ convenient pUcTkr ^"ncion of the aeriaTd^ector t:?°"'"' " '' ">' "attn an" As «>on a, he feels sens b e 'o fa f "''\" " •"" '"°™'""'4. 'he next in the nie, and ret reft, *^'' ""^ "''^ ^is place to ■ng the night their fligh. s a .enH "u "' "'-™"/ "u - 'he loud cries which we hear """■ '^""''iderable noise ; Je chie, answeredTthe 7Z l^J^ "^ ^'"^ 0^,^ Wild Geese and several kinds of n , '""^ ''" commands voyage nearly i„ .he same . nl^^^f ^f ° -"e their aerS call of the passing Geese as th *^"""- The loud h'gher regions of the air T'r , ^ ""^ '^curely through ,h P-f Of .heir sa^^c^t^n' ca^l" '° ^' ^ ""' - an aSoS s.eal along ,n silence, as if aw;,,/ <■ ? ' "^cessarily low, thev Ti?Secd:;™ '''^" '"'" '" "'"'"^''^ migraL„'oT5s,l?'orJ 1°^ «'''' ""POrtance to ,he "« to be avoided when conL "''""^"^ ''hen favorable acc.den.s, when they are .r ° l"?' f "«= "o^' disastrous of ^e't' V«^' '"' '■^"a -JS f ^^^^^^^ ir .he breeze verging from .heir orio«vev r -"'ch we have been able o support'?' °' '^°'"«'-ated specie^' «e examples is. that our do^ .07' ^ = ""=-'" ° yea« • p,geo„s have exceederth^ ! !, ''"'^ "^^'^ '*enty amed more than thirty yea,. Gee ^ "^ ' ^^"°'' ^ave at- ha'f a century; a Pelican hariivedT ^ """""'^ ™°'e than Ravens, and Eagles have exceeln ''^^'yy'^^: and Swan? " 'he unnatural restraints oTthe ' 'r""^- E^^" Linne"s een or fifteen years, and Can;rie3'l«%''T ""'^^'^ ^- four' ^- remarkable tenacity of hYeno^'^-"'^" ^o account for een offered; .hough Buffon t' of •^- '^'^ ^«''^'"^«°'y has -""s nature of their bone" colZ"'°" "^' ""^ ^'^-nd -ra^ ossification and rigidtoftrs '7 '° *' ^"'^' ^ 'he abndge the boundaries of iTe ^""" P^Tetually tends xliv INTRODUCTION. In a general way it may be considered as essential for the bird to fly as it is for the fish to swim or the quadruped to walk ; yet in all these tribes there are exceptions to the general habits. Thus among quadrupeds the bats fly, the seals swim, and the beaver and oi.^r swim better than they can walk. So also among birds, the Ostrich, Cassowary, and some others, incapable of flying, are obliged to walk ; others, as the Dippers, fly and swim but never walk. Some, like the Swallows and Hummii.g Birds, pass their time chiefly on the wing. A far greater number of birds live on the water than of quadrupeds, for of the latter there are not more than five or six kinds fur- nished with webbed or oar-like feet, where.ts of birds with this structure there are several hundred. The lightness of their feathers and bones, as well as the boat-like form of their bodies, contributes greatly to facilitate their buoyancy and progress in the watf ' and their feet serve as oars to propel them. Thus in vhatever way we view the feathered tribes which surround us, we shall find much both to amuse and instruct. We hearken to their songs with renewed delight, as the harbin- gers and associates of the season they accompany. Their return, after a long absence, is hailed with gratitude to the Author of all existence ; and the cheerless solitude of inani- mate Nature is, by their presence, attuned to life and harmony. Nor do they alone administer to the amusement and luxury of life ; faithful aids as well as messengers of the seasons, they associate round our tenements, and defend the various produc- tions of the earth, on which we so much rely for subsistence, from the destructive depredations of myriads of insects, which, but for timely riddance by unnumbered birds, would be fol- lowed by a general failure and famine. Public economy and utility, then, no less than humanity, plead for the protection of the feathered race ; and the wanton destruction of birds, so useful, beautiful, and amusing, if not treated as such by law, ought to be considered as a crime by every moral, feeling, anil reflecting mind. TURKEY VULTURE. TURKEY BUZZARD. Catoartes aura. ^iVfH' '"''■■''"••''■■'"• --*-■- This common Turkev-Iilr- v i. onheastem or New England States a"T' "^°"^ '° "^''^ '"e » as far as the latitude of 4,0"' ^''«5'" being seldom ™ «'"'e local antipathy, their diJt f """ '''■"" "i^es "ns which prevail In th spT„g fth ■""' ^°"^ '-"=™ ""«-»• —I ^ "^ "" ">« time they usually BIRDS OF PKEV. breed, or lotne other cause, it U not eotily auignable ; and the fact U itill mure remarkable, ai they have been abscr>'ed in the interior by Mr. Say at Cu m Pembino, in the 49th degree of north latitude, by Lewii and Clarke near the FalU of the Oregon, and they are not uncommon throughout that territory. They are, however, much more abundant in the warmer than In the colder regloni, and are found beyond the equator, even as far or farther than the La Plata. All the West India islands ire inhabited by them, as well as the tropical continent, where, IS in the Southern States of the Union, they are commonly protected for their services as scavengers of carrion, which would prove highly deleterious in those warm and humid cli- mates. In the winter they generally seek out warmth and shelter, hovering ofien like grim and boding spectres in the suburbs, and on the roofs and chimneys of the houses, around the cities of the Southern States. A few brave the winters of Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey, but the greater part migrate south at the approach of cold weather. The Turkey Buzzard has not been known to breed north ol New Jersey in any of the Atlantic States. Here they seek out the swampy solitudes, and, without forming any nest, deposit two eggs in the stump of a hollow tree or log, on the mere fragments of rotten wood with which it is ordinarily strewed. Occasionally, in the Southern States, they have been known to make choice of the ruined chimney of a deserted house for this purpose. The eggs are larger than those of a Turkey, of a yellowish white, irregularly blotched with dark brown and blackish spots, chiefly at the larger end. The male oflen at- tends while the female is sitting; and if not materially dis- turbed, they will continue to occupy the same place for several years in succession. The young are covered with a whitish down, and, in common with the habit of the old birds, will often eject, upon those who happen to molest them, the filthy contents of their stomachs. In the cities of the South they appear to be somewhat grega- 1 rious, and as if aware of the protection afforded them, \)k- sent themselves often in the streets, and particularly near tlif I I TURKEY VULTURE. domewic Black VuSr^' fc"; '^ ~"P«'' -'"• 'he ..iU C cl'ee«e, of meat, firt. or ani^l « descriptions. Bits of digestion, is gr;edi,r:,:;r.I;''«='-"y'f"d..„d«..yof the opportunity olfci the? Lt w Ih^ :"*"''' '''^- "">«» fll .he«,e,,„ i„ ,„,h . manners ^'r"""' ^"""^^V' ""d We of rising f,«„ ,h, "„^" Thf,^ *°'""""" '""P"' of attacking young pig, f^7a_b. 1^' ' '""''^ »' **•»« picking out tne eyfs. ^^rvvatrto'n^*'""'"* """' "»»"" b/ erara watched them for hour. .^ *""' *•"'« « t)em. de^riptions. but ^™y n ver m,H *"^" '""''^" ''P'"" "f «'l even killed lizanls wd f™« ^ '"^ '"'^•^'' "P"" "-e-". He •hey did no. app^a'o t«ce"them' "? '" '"^'^ -^^ "" putrid «:eat. Lthat a mo " ^Z ""'" ""^ ""^"""^ "><= upon flesh, is not in eLZ u "' """"»'- ""'ng at all A. night they rU^t " tt "ei" ""' Turkey VuLe. «.dom in flock, .ike the bVcSw "V"'' '"'' ' ^"'-' "mes pass the night in number nn?K , """" ""y «>™e. .he suburbs of L ^uthT™ "ties JT'' °' '"' ''°"«» ■» desirous of taking advantaeT ofT' "^P*" Particularly cover to issue from the chl'ne« Hel'T "f " "-'^ '»"- they and their black relatiVe" ^hon^^' " "'' ™° ""»"• observed perehed in the», cl n *^ "° "^^ '~»'' '^Y be feeble rays, and stretcS^g outTheTrTarr" "^''"^ '" '^^ warmth directly ,o their chZit^i.^"'' ^8^ '""dmit ">« gaged in acts of necessity thlv !" ^""^ ''''" "ot en- <^«r». even at the c^' s^aI,roTth''"""'"' °° «»' ^- companies, slowly and maieS * '*"' ''^ »«>ring, i„ •he atmosphere; rising ge^J'S?'""''* "'«''" «P°- «" they wmetimes disap^, L' ndT i^^ '" "'"' 'P'''^ '^''='". practise this -ofty fliff p Jfc^:."^ t^:^'"""*/'-^. They »f thunder-storms, when elev«J u ' <=ommencement hey float at ease i^ the eihireTsl '''u''' "" °' '''^"'ents. naking no other appIrewTfflTr "?'' °"tstretched wings - and then stead'y^Lf ^i^^ ptloS"' ''^"' "^ "^ Pmions as they spread 4 BIROS OF PREY. them to the fanning breeze, and become abandoned to its accidental sports. In South America, according to Humboldt, they soar even in company with the Condor in his highest flights, rising above the summits of the tropical Andes. Examples of this species still wander occasionally to New Eng- land and to Grand Menan, and in 1887 Mr. Philip Cox reported the capture of two near the mouth of the Miramichi River, on the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in latitude 47". It occurs reeuUrly on the St. Clair Flats, in OnUrio. The Vultures are not classed as the first of birds by the syste- matists of the present day. Now the singing-bhds — the Osdius — ar;; considered the most highly developed, and of these the Thrush famUy 13 given highest rank. The Vultures are classed as the lowect of the birds of prey ; and this entire order has been moved down below the Swifts and the Woodpeckers. BLACK VULTURE. carrion crow. Catharista atrata. Char. Dull black ; htad dusky and partially covered above with feathers. Length about 2 feet. jV«/. On the ground screened by bushes, or in a stump. (No attempt B made to build a nest or even to lay a cushion for the eggs.) -£«?»• 1-3 (usually a) i bluish white, marked with several shades of brown; 3.10 x 2.05. This smaller, black, and truly gregarious species of Vulture in the United States appears to be generally confined to the Southern States, and seems to be most numerous and familiar in the large maritime towns of North and South Carolina Georgia, and Florida. They are also met with in several of the Western States, and as far up the Ohio as Cincinnati. In the tropical regions of America they are also very common and extend at least as far as Chili. Like the former species,' with which they associate only at meal-times, they are tacitly allowed a public protection for the service they render in rid- ding the earth of carrion and other kinds of filth. They are BLACK VULTURE. ">e feeble «y,of ,he .u„, a"d ".ir^ °' ''°"'"' <=«=Wng ""t the warm air over theX f ^"« "'" '^'" *'»8^ «° ad become, „„u,ually chilly, ort^^'"- .«''•-'> .he weather »«n basking upon thecWmne™t ,h "■«'• ^^'^ ""^y ^ a» well a, the aoot iueif, cT^^'^'^:'"" """"^e, which. ""Pumy to such filthy a^d meWhn, "°"'^ •^'^''°"» ° , .'he .mbs of some of the Ur^iTtl' T'"'' ""'=• ^ °» ■ndo^ence till aroused by th? cal I!.; ^ ' '"""^ « '''"ess Their flight is neither L ea^v „ ' ""«"• Turkey Bu^zarf. They flaolL ' "" «""'*" *« ">« of the «y. renewing the'^KfYer • "' ''^ ^" ^°^- vals. At times, however, Z It """T "' ''"'« ^^"■ In the cities of Charleston ^7^J°«"''"e elevations, number, walking the streets witTr^^r '^. "^ '° "^ »^<=° '» Fowls, examining the channT^df '^™'^'^'>' °f domestic order to glean up th^ ^TorT ?""^''°'^ "^ fi'th in -hich may happen' to bell:; Tuf "'"" °' -"^ kind veO' tegdar in their attendee T,^ T'^'J' ''PPeared to be some of them become kno^rbJ^X^''' ^^•"'"'='' -<1 he case with an old veteran w^, ^" '^ Particularly (havmg by some accident loTth^o.."^'^ "P°" °»e foot appeared round the shamWe to c. "^'u'"^ ''^'^ ««"'arly butchet, for about twenty yeS T„ i "" "'^ '~""'y of the ''urpnsed them feeding in fhe^ J" '^^ """""y. '-here I have and timorous, watching my m^l '^ ?P'"^'' "'"'e'shy and every now and then ™. " '^""'j' '"'e Hawks ;je high boughs of aXhtrin^ Z "[ ''""■ " '"^^ ^ '"' rest, as I slowly approached ,7 . ' "^omn-unicated to the something like LTp^s Jd J^* ^^ of alarm, or u,aj^ -hole flock by degree'deTertf^^: :V '."^ "' ''^'^'^ «ht' hey happened to\e feedlg Som , ^^"^ '"'« "P°« '^hich together about one carca^to tlfr T' *'>' *'" =°"ect and upwaris; and the oject what"'"" °' '"° """'^'ed -bed in living n,oun,i„g,S; "t nh' " HI'' ^' '^ »°'' ' ""^ ■»"- of these ^ble s^a^Trs f k "* "'"'"= "•« «*"• "-ho may often be 6 BIRDS OF PREY. seen jealously contending with each other, both in and out of the carcase, defiled with blood and filth, holding on with their feet, hissing and clawing each other, or tearing off morsels so as to fill their throats nearly to choking, and occasionally joined by growling dogs, — the whole presenting one of the most savage and disgusting scenes in nature, and truly worthy the infernal bird of Prometheus. This species is very rarely seen north of the Carolinas, though a few examples have been taken in New England and at Grand Menan. AUDUBON'S CARACARA. CARACARA EAGLE. KING BUZZARD. POLVBORUS CHERIWAY. Char. General color brownish black ; fore part of back and breast barred with white ; taiJ white, with bars of black. Length 20} to 15 inches. Nest. On a low tree or bush ; made of sticks and leaves. Egg'- 2-4 (usually j) ; brownish white or pale brown, blotched with deeper brown ; 3.30 X 1.75. This very remarkable and fine bird was first met with by Mr. Audubon near St. Augustine, in East Florida. He afterwards also found it on Galveston Island, in Texas. From its general habits and graceful, sweeping flight, it was for some time mis taken for a Hawk. Though common in many parts of South America, it is within the limits of the United States merely an accidental visitor. It is said, however, to breed in Florida, in the highest branches of tall trees in the pine-barrens, making a rough nest of sticks like a Hawk. In Texas it breeds, accord- ing to Audubon, in the tops of bushes. Since Nuttall wrote, the Caracara has been found in number.s in parts of Florida, and it is not uncommon in Texas, southern Arizona, and Lower California. WHITE GYRFALCON. Falco islandus. '>^"z,^::.'t%ti^Xtt^x-^, T--. but u,„a,„ ,,h CHAIt. GRAY GYRFALCON. Falco RusncoLus, .nd ^^:'z^:z^^^i c:^:::!;^^^'" "-'^ BIRDS OF PREY. i GYRFALCON. Kuoo RusnooLus ovHrALca . Cka«. Upper parts doll brownbh (duiky), with bn of blnith «>t tewo^pwt. white, or a«»tly whit, muked'with dueky ; VhSta he^ITu, BLACK GYRFALCON. Falcx) RirencoLus obsolbtus, Cha«. Prevailing color brownish black; usually barred with ll.t.f~ tints, but sometimes the ban are indistinct '^ ^^ * "*'"" This elegant and celebrated Falcon is about two feet in length ; the female two or three inches longer. They particu larly abound in Iceland, and are found also throughout Siberia and the North of Europe as far as Greenland; Mr. Hutchins' according to Pennant, saw them commonly about Fort Albany at Hudson's Bay. OccasionaUy a pair is also seen in thi^ vicimty m the depth of winter. They brave the coldest cli- mates, for which they have such a predilection as seldom to ■1 t^'f'' "^"^ '• ^^ ''°"°8" ^^ «« commonly seen m the North of Germany, but very rarely the old, which are readily distmguished by the superior whiteness of their plumage which augments with age, and by the increasing narrownes^ of the transverse stripes that ornament the upper parts . " the body. The finest of these Falcons were caught in Iceland by means of baited nets. The bait was. commonly a Ptarmigan Pigeon, or common Fowl; and such was the velocity and power of h|s pounce that he commonly severed the head from the baited bird as nicely as if it had been done by a aTiro^tr ^"^Iv"" "''""^ ^°' "•» ""83 of Denmark, and from thence they were formerly transported into Ger- many, and even Turkey and Persia. The taste for the amuse- ment of falconn^ was once very prevalent throughout Europe, and continued for several centuries; but at this time it has ataost wholly subsided. The Tartars, and Asiatics ^ne- ally, were also equally addicted to this amusement. A Sir DUCK HAWK. Next to th: s^tht bw^jr * "" ' ^"' °^ «-kr -"d intrepid, andia^ h dl ^h^ ht.T "'™"^"^' «=«-«- It boldly attacks the Wst of hL* ? '"'"" ^°' '^^o-'O' Heron, and C„u>e l^ZTtly^LT f^' ^°°"' ^'"'^ ■t lives much on the hare andTT™- ^" '" ""''^ ««ions '"th astonishing velocity, and ofoTJ" '•"'*" ^^^ " dart, "Pon it ahnost perpenSr^ Tbt' h' ^'"^^ P°""'=»8 desert regions where it usu^^dwl f "" "'^ =°''^ »"d the most lofty and inaccessible rTfa "" """ '^'"^ "t.o„ wm be reuiAed. Ihi acce^iwr^l';!''?' P'^**"' "^'^'S- but It appear, to indicate that the« .1 k . " "^^ "■""«*. » "Interior of Arc«c Sra frl H^''"''^°^^'^''*''i»g^ve: Specimens of all four ^TC,tZ^^% f'^ ««> Alafka." a few of the Black have be" tak« . ^ °^ latitude 450 and "outhen New England and Nel Vor J """"' " ^ ~»* » --) luve ac\M»'.^''^i^;,^"-««/-C0K(^.,„„^. lUinou. ' """red to the prairie districts of DUCK HAWK. Faico peregrwus anatum l«k patch on the ch«k.. B.TlTf W„?.K T " """" »' b™»ni.h: . «ngth 17 to 19 hiche* ^ *^"« 'o"*. «1^, and poimrt! lO BIRDS OF PREY. Niil. On tree or cliff; i loosely arranged platform of dry itlck^ somtitimei partially lined with grass, leaves, or moss. Eggs. 2-4 J reddish brown — sometimes o{ bright lint — marked with dull red and rich brown ; a.io X i,£a The celebrated, powerful, and princely Falcon is common both to the continent of Europe and America. In the former they are chiefly found in mountainous regions, and make their nests in the most inaccessible clefts of rocks, and very rarely in trees, laying 3 or 4 eggs of a reddish-yellow, with brown spots. In Europe they seldom descend to the plains, and avoid marshy countries. The period of incubation lasts but a short time, and commences in winter, or very early in the spring, so that the young acquire their full growth by the middle of May. They are suppo-sed to breed in the tall trees of the desolate cedar swamps in New Jersey. Audubon, how- ever, found them nesting on shelving rocks on the shores of Labrador and Newfoundland, laying from 2 to j eggs of a rusty yellowish brown, spotted and blotched with darker tints of the same color. They also breed on shelving rocks in the Rocky Mountains, where Mr. Townsend obtained a specimen on Big Sandy River of the Colorado of the West in the month of July. When the young have attained their growth, the parents drive them from their haunts, with incessant and piercing screams and complaints, — an unnatural propensity •which nothing but dire necessity, the difficulty of acquiring sustenance, can palliate. In strength and temerity the Falcon is not exceeded by any bird of its size. He soars with easy and graceful motions amidst the clouds or clear azure of the sky ; from this lofty elevation he selects his victim from among the larger birds, — Grouse, Pheasants, Pigeons, Ducks, or Geese. Without being perceived, he swiftly descends, as if falling from the clouds in a perpendicular line, and carries terror and destruction into the timid ranks of his prey. Instead of flying before their relentless enemy, the Partridge and Pheasdnt run and closely hide in the grass, the Pigeons gl.ince aside to avoid the fatal blow which is but too sure in its aim, and the Water Fowls seek PIGEON HAWK. It '•''"ring i, off in hi, talon, and .hTu™""""' '"'° ">« "''. -«h hi, booty at leiS: &ii" «t'' '° «"'»' Wmseli anotlier fello«r.plunderer ' i.K ^ ''* ""«=''» "-e Kite i-bab.y to JST/CX" """'' """• "^ -- ^u^Jx'cS.'iro: 'Mi^rLl^f -t'' '^~'«''- A„„,ca HGEON HAWK. Falco CMLUMBARIUS. °"^'"^itr>r •' ""-"•"'' '"""'^ •'™''"' '^^•" d...^d.„^^J„':f^°y»JV^'''''--''"''" «"•»<• co.or. blotched wi,h This species is a little lareer tlian rt- r n • means ro abundant: thouirh m»! u fo"owng, bu. by no -•egrees by Long's 'NorthwL"n S h".'''""''= '""^"i-^* ^y .extending it, mig^tiorCreSo Tu^' r"''°"- """* fj°""« '" «»>^ interior of Canada U ^'' '"'^ observed by Audubon in Labrador in ,?, . ""' "^ ^'^° 13 BIRDS OF PREY. Small birds and mice constitute iu principal food ; and ac- cording to Wilson, it follows often in the rear of the gregarious birds, such as the Blackbirds and Reedbirds, at well at after the flitting flocks of Pigeons and Robins, picking up the strag- glers, the weak and unguarded, as its legitimate prey. Some- times, when shot at without efiect, it will fly in circles around the gunner and utter impatient shrieks, — probably in appre- hension for the safety of the mate, or to communicate a cry of alarm. The Pigeon Hawk is a common migrant through New England, Ohio, and southern Ontario. It is always late in migrating, and a few examples have been seen in Massachusetts in midwinter. It breeds sparingly in the northern portions of New England, and the Maritime Provinces of Canada. Its breeding area extends north to the lower fur countries, and in winter it ranges to the Southern States and South America. Note. — One example of the European Merlin (Fako rigulus) has been captured oH the coast of Greenland. AMERICAN SPARROW HAWK. Falco sparverius. bar.; uil uwny. with bIackT„dtd^p«d;^'^''^ -iU. U™,; Uii Uw„y, W.U bUcI^h ^ ulZn' Y' """"«' . Airf. Usually in caiitiM of tren nft^ ■„ w^*" *° ""='""■ time, in docrled nest of a Crow Woodpecker', holes, .ome- brf^'i ..1? i""®"' "™"""'"'' "■"«■ •"■"^f'd with dull red and the remote interior of the Northel 1, ^ T""'''" ^""^ .era, .r as the W M^l^'r '^ e^ r^ ht^S^^roi:,; ixraX""^ '^"^, -- 7 "assicrs, nor ao they seem at all to visit u BIRDS OF PKEY. m the maritime districts of New England. As they were seen in St. Domingo, by Veillot, abundantly in April and May, the breeding-stason, we may naturally conclude that this species has a much greater predilection for the warm than the cold climates. On the south side of the equator, even in Cayenne and Paragtiay, they are still found, in all of which countries they probably breed. According to the habits of this tribe of rapacious birds it appears that the nest is built in a hollow, shattered, or decayed tree at a considerable elevation. Its motions appear somewhat capricious; it occasionally hovers with beating wings, reconnoitring for prey, and soon impatiently darts off to a distance to renew the same ma- noeuvre. In the winter, however, it is most commonly seen perched on some dead branch, or on a pole or stalk in the fields, often at a little distance from the ground, keeping up a frequent jerking of the tail, and attentively watching for some such humble game as mice, grasshoppers, or lizards. At this time it is likewise so familiar as to enter the garden, orchard, or premises near to the house, and shows but little alarm on being approached. It is, however, by no means deficient in courage, and, like the larger Falcons, often makes a fatal and rapid sweep upon Sparrows or those small birds which are its accustomed prey. Instead of being a mere straggler outside the wanner portions of the United States, as Nuttall appears to have considered this Fal- con, it is quite common throughout most of the continent, and not only breeds in New England, but occasionally winters there. It breeds also throughout Canada, north to the lower fur countries, and during the cold weather ranges from New Jersey to the Southern St a. Note. — The Cuban Sparrow Hawk (Fa/ce dominicnuis) has been found in Florida ; and two examples of the Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) have been captured on this side of the Atlantic, — one oS the coast of Greenland, and the other at Nan- tasket, Mass., in 1887. GOLDEN EAGLE. Aquim chrvsaetos. This ancient monarch of the birds is found in all the cold hiAwTV'^'""' °'"'^ "°"''^™ hemisphere, taking up 5 sef and m r- '" "' ^'"' '■°'"'' ^""^ P'^'-' -d in ti ,' desert, and mour.tamous regions. His eyry, commonly formed of an extens>ve set of layers of large sticks, is nearly horizow f and occasionally extended between some rock and ad/oin ng I6 BIRDS OF PREV. tree, u wu the one dncribed by Willughby in the Peak of Derbyihire. About thirty milet inland from the Mandan Fort on the Misiouri I once had occaiion to observe the eyry of thi( noble bird, which here contisted of but a ilender lining of iticki conveyed into a rocky chaim on the face of a lofty hill riling out of the graiiy, open plain. It contained one young bird, nearly fledged, and almott of the color of the Gyr&lcon. Near their locky nesti they are leen uiually in pain, at timet majeitically soaring to a vast height and gazing on the sun, towards which they ascend until they disappear from view. From this sublime elevation they often select their devoted prey, — sometimes a kid or a lamb from the sporting flock, or the timid rabbit or hare crouched in the ftirrow or sheltered in some bush. The largest birds are also frequently their victims ; and in extreme want they will not refuse to join with the alarmed Vulture in his cadaverous repast. After this gorging meal the Eagle can, if necessary, fast for several days. The precarious nature of his subsistence and the violence by which it is constantly obuined seem to produce a moral effect on the disposition of this rapacious bird : though in pairs, they are never seen associated with their young; their oflTspring are driven forth to lead the same unsocial, wandering life as their unfeeling progenitors. This harsh and tyrannical disposition is strongly dispUyed even when they lead a life of restraint and confinement. The weaker bird is never willingly suffered to eat a single morsel ; and though he may cower and quail under the blow with the most abject submission, the same savage deportment continues towards him as long as he exists. Those which I have seen in confinement frequently uttered hoarse and stridulous cries, sometimes almost barkings, accompanied by vaporous breathings, strongly expressive of their ardent, unquenchablfc, and savage appetites. Their fire-darting eyesi lowering brows, flat foreheads, restless disposition, and terrific plaints, together with their powerful natural weapons, seem to assimilate them to the tiger rather than the timorous bird. Yet it would appear that they may be rendered docile, as the Tar- tars (according to Marco Polo in 1269) were said to train GOLDEN EAGLE. '7 2LTI^1£;;S::r,„^/f n-'^ --•ope. ^ of the FJcon i^e to^Li? r .^ ^'^^^^^^ •« «h« docility venerated Waz-^ffarA of our No«h.!r^^«, ° '*" "" wd the cudal fe«he„ a^ e«?r. 7"!T''*''8'""' heaa^d.^. .«, „ it^d-LrirrrPiSorScr ^«:::^.^"ofS^ Sura rtK. ^i '?^ ? ?'' « il»«l i» >l» umtJ attention. -,"il,hi%r ""»»«•;>. if desirous to attract ""on, Still, his glance was qu ck and fierv Wh,.n Ki«» I8 BIRDS OF i'KEV. The ferocious and savage nature of the Eagle, in an unre- claimed state, is sometimes displayed in a remarkable manner. A peasant attempted to rob an eyry of this bird situated at the Lake of Killamey : for this purpose he stripped and swam over to the spot in the absence of the old birds ; but on his return, while yet up to the chin in water, the parents arrived, and missing their young, instantly fell on the unfortunate plunderer and killed him on the spot. There are several well-authenticated instances of their carry- ing off children to their nests. In 1737, in the parish of Norderhougs, in Norway, a boy over two years old, on his way from the cottage to his parents, at work in the fields at no great distance, fell into the pounce of an Eagle, who flew off with the child in their sight, and was seen no more. Anderson, in his history of Iceland, says that in that island children of four or five years of age have occasionally been borne away by Eagles ; and Ray relates that in one of the Orkneys a child of a year old was seized in the talons of this ferocious bird and carried about four miles to its nest, but the mother, knowing the place of the eyry, followed the bird, and recovered her child yet unhurt. The Common, or Ring-tailed Eagle, is now found to be the young of the Golden Eagle. These progressive changes have been observed by Temminck on two hving subjects which he kept for several years. The Golden Eagle is generally considered to be a rare bird in New England and Canada, and, indeed, throughout the settled dis- tricts everywhere ; though examples have been taken the continent over, from Greenland to Mexico, and west to the Pacific BALD EAGLE. WASHINGTON EAGLE. Haixeetus LEUCOCEPHALUS. a lining. ' "■"* " """'V ""y "ttempt it ^W- »-3 ; white or pale buff ; ».9o X X25. 20 BIRDS OF PREY. The Washington EagU. — It is to the indefatigable Audu- bon that we owe the distinct note and description of this noble Eagle, which firet drew his attention while voyaging far up the Mississippi, in the month of Febiuaiy, 1814. At length he had the satisfaction of discovering its eyiy, in the high cliffs of Green River, in Kentucky, near to its junction with the Ohio : two young were discovered loudly hissing from a fissure in the rocks, on the approach of the male, from whom they received a fish. The female now also came, and with solicitous alarm for the safety of her young, gave a loud scream, dropped the food she had brought, and hovering over the molesting party, kept up a growling and threatening cry by way of intimidation ; and in fact, as our disappointed naturalist soon discovered, she from this time forsook the spot, and found means to convey away her young. The discoverer considers the species as rare, — indeed, its principal residence appears to be in the northern pans of the continent, particularly the rocky solitudes around the Great Northwestern Lakes, where it can at all times col- lect its finny prey and rear its young without the dread of man. In the winter season, about January and February, as well as at a later period of the spring, these birds are occasionally seen in this vicinity (Cambridge, Mass.), — rendered perhaps bolder and more familiar by want, as the prevalence of the ice and cold at this season drives them to the necessity of wandering far- ther than usual in search of food. At this early period Audubon observed indications of the approach of the breeding-season. They are sometimes seen contending in the air, so that one of the antagonists will suddenly drop many feet downwards, as if wounded or alarmed. My friend Dr. Hayward, of Boston, had in his possession one of these fine, docile Eagles for a consid- erable time ; but desirous of devoting it to the then Linnaean Museum, he attempted to poison it by corrosive sublimate of mercury: several times, however, doses even of two drams were given to it, concealed in fish, without producing any inju- rious effect on its health. The Washington Eagle, bold and vigorous, disdains the piratical habits of the Bald Eagie, and invariably obtains his cilia), BALD EAGLE. 31 own sustenance without molesting the Osprey. The circles he hLTn ; '•? "t "'f ' "■= "'"^^ ">- «-- °f 'he White! headed Eagle; he a^so flies nearer to the land or the surface of the water; and when about to dive for his prey, he descend, fis^ on which he darts only when within the distance of a few yards When his prey is obtained, he flies out at a low eleVa ton to a considerable distance to enjoy his repast at leisure. The quantity of food consumed by this enormous bird is very pat, accordmg to the account of those who have had them L'n!f TT"'- ^'- ''"''"'~°'' •™'' ^"^ "Sighed fourteen PhUadelphia (accordmg to the account of my friend Mr. C Pickering), also a male, weighed much more. -by which dif- ference It would appear that they are capable of becomine exceedmgly fat; for the length of this bird was about the samf as that of Audubon, -three feet six or seven inches. TTie width, however, was only about seven feet, — agreeing orettv The male of the Golden Eagle, the Uugest hitherto known, is seldom more than three feet long. Tlat this bird U not the White-tailed Eagle (FaH'^ aM- ctUa) or Its young, the Sea Eagle {jr. oss,/ragus), i, obvi- ous from the difference in size alone, the male of that bi«l bemg httle over two feet four inches in length, or a little ess even than the Bald Eagle. The female of tie Washing- ton Eagle must, of course, be six or eight inches longer. -- which ,^U give a bird of unpaiaUeled magnitude amongst the n-hole Eagle race. This measurement of the Sea E^le is obtained from Temminck's "Manual of Ornithology," ^o has examined more than fifty indhriduals. At the same time I have I suspicion that the Washington Eagle, notwithstanding this, ;x.sts also in Europe; as the gr,a/ Sea Eagle of Brisson is iescnbed by this author as being three feet six inches in length ram the point of the bill to the « »St tree, p„Klucing the most putrid ^d noT»™e effluWa n?! year, wnen the charactenstic white of the head anrf ...l K. comes perfectly develooed A. .i, ■ ""j"'*" ^"° ^" be- timorous, will often oe^,>; ^ ^^ "° "~"' '^y °' or,- eS:::? :cr p-r^r :si-:':,r " ^ audible snoring sound. ' '" ""^* » ^^T 24 BIRDS OF PREY. ■ The principal food of the Bald Eagle is fish ; and though he possesses eveiy requisite of alertness and keenness of vision for securing his prey, it is seldom that he obtains it by any other means than stratagem and rapine. For this habitual daring purpose he is often seen perching upon the naked limb of some lofty tree which commands an extensive view of the ocean. In this attitude of expectation he heedlessly sur- veys the active employment of the feathered throng, which coune atong the wavy strand, or explore the watery deep with beating wing, until from afar he attentively scans the motions of his provider, the ample-winged and hovering Osprey. At length the watery prey is espied, and the feathered fisher de- scends like a falling rock ; cleaving the wave, he now bears his struggling victim from the deep, and mounting in the air, utters an exulting scream. At this signal the Eagle pirate gives chase to the fortunate fisher, and soaring above him, by threatening attitudes obliges him to relinquish his prey; the Eagle, now poising for a surer aim, descends like an arrow, and snatching his booty before it arrives at the water, retires to the woods to consume it at leisure. These perpetual dep- redations on the industrious Osprey sometimes arouse him to seek for vengeance, and several occasionally unite to banish their tyrannical invader. When greatly pressed by hunger, the Bald Eagle has sometimes been observed to attack the Vul- ture in the air, obliging him to disgorge the carrion in his craw, which he snatches up before it reaches the ground. He is sometin-ss seen also to drive away the Vultures, and feed voraciously on their carrion. Besides fish, he preys upon Ducks, Geese, GuUs, and other sea-fowl; and when the re- sources of the ocean diminish, or fail from any cause, par- ticularly on the southern migration of the Osprey, his inland depredations are soon notorious, young lambs, pigs, fawns, and even deer often becoming his prey. So indiscriminate in- deed is the fierce appetite of this bold bird that instances are credibly related of their carrying away infants. An attempt of this kind, according to Wilson, was made upon a child lying by its mother as she was weeding a garden at Great Egg- BALD EAGLE. 2S was seized and ^d to ,h.^ "^^ "*" '^« house, five mUe, d^uuT^d wh^^r ^"T *" '"*«' »' « "^-"P that family, shows the crprf,T.T r v *■" "'^ *•" «=«" °' have bee/'effecTdt; he wj ^ u . d%"' °"' " '"'""""^ '" to the present. JeS ^^ t'S'^ ^" "^"'^ Z'^^t reapers, accompanied b; the life ofTn '^« J"""" ^°'='' infant, repaired to an island in lis ionH.K"'''" T*^ '^ down her child in the shade at ^1^7 ' ""^ "^'^" '"'<* lime attitudes f 1^0^71 ^1^^ ""'''• '" '""^ '"'>- and lofty cataracts, p'a^cuuS! ^" ;°7™« °^' '""erfall, where he watches forThei^eo^tL^ V""""' ''''«^' other animals that are destroy^ Lthr"'"" ^^ '^'^ tuous waters. destroyed in the descent of the tumul- Au'S!h:r.:'&t:^-j--^:rr" ■■" *^ "•'■•■"•- *- -the difference in aiz., ZT, ■ '" '""""txre Bald Eagle. . Nuttau, /o.irwi;vrud\t"'r:"ofTetr ^''•'=-- net species ; for it was not untiUtouMsSo .w "''"'" " °' *»• iropped from the lists. I have riven .h.? V- «"'^*'«^"«» was 'Ppeared in the original work foTtoA '"? '"°8"Pl'i'» as they ory of the bird's diff^tive habt Thl dTff ''' '"•"' " 8°°^ "'*■ 'not due to difference of a« t' ,3!l L '"" '" '""'"» "<>*•<» ■Cerent conditions under whlh Md^l ^^an'ceW;!:;:^' 36 BIRDS OF PREY. I win take thii opportunity of protesting igainit the perpetua> tion of as idea, still current, whicli originated witli tlie older writers, concerning the "nobility" of the Falconida, under which family name are grouped the Eagles, Falcons, Kites, and Hawks. They were until quite recently classed among the first of the feathered race ; but the systematisis now place them below the Woodpeckers, and next above the Grouse and Pigeons. The majority of the FalcoHlila have an attractive physique and superior strength, as well as a haughty bearing. They are hand- some, stalwart ruffians, but they are nothing more. They are neither the most intelligent nor most enterprising of birds, nor the bravest. They are not even the swiftest, or most dexterous on the wing ; and in bearing, proudly as they carry themselves, are not supreme. It is now considered probable that the tales of Eagles carrying oS chiUien are myths. m GRAY SEA EAGLE. WHITE-TAILED EAGLK. HaUiEETUS ALBiaiXA. Crak. General color, grayish-brown (paler on margin of feathers); head and neck gray, — paler in old birds ; tail white ; legs bare. Length : male, 33 inches ; female, 38 inches. Nett> In a tree or on a rock, sometimes on the ground ; made of dry sticks looaely arranged and often piled to considerable height Eip. 1-3 (usually a); dull white; a.85 X a.a^ Mr. Hagerap reporU that this European bird breeds in southern Greenland and is quite common there. It feeds principally on fish, but will eat any kind of meat or carrion, being particularly partial to water fowl, and is much more enterprising than is its congener, the Bald Eagle. AMERICAN OSPREY. FISH HAWK. PaNDION HALMglVS CAROLINENSB. "h white: under-parSi white Tr Lffilk ""^ ^"^ "»"• »n«* From the nature of its food th. fl<^i, j rendered exceedingly rankTnH ' "'^ *^™ "" '8gs, are genetaliy taken in fhe m5 ^H "!!?'• ^''°"8'' "» P^^ » Osprey Letimes st, ^ a74re'1.rnrr"""^'' " . .W quietly waiting its eSctTapXt " '"^ "' ^'^^^onrS^-^-^^^J-con. ^^i^d.^r^-t<:::-"*"^^^^^^ New York),^o W tlL T™ ."'r'""^ °' ^°8 I^'^^d l"ri;r ^-" ■- - «- «T.5ri- BIRDS OF PREY. Here they Uve together at leait as peaceably u rooki ; and lo harmlen are they considered by other birds that, ac- cording to Wilson, the Crow Blackbirds, or Grakles, are some- times allowed refuge by the Ospreys, and construct their nests in the very interstices of their eyry. It would appear some- times that, as with Swallows, a general aaaiiiunce is given in the constructing of a new nest ; for previous to this event, a flock have been seen to assemble in the same tree, squealing as ia their custom when anything materially agitates them. At times they are also seen engaged in social gambols high in the air, making loud vociferations, suddenly darting down, and then sailing in circles; and these innocent recreations, like many other unmeaning things, are construed into prognostications of stormy or changing weather. Their common friendly call is a kind of shrill whistle, 'fheitr, 'phrw, 'phew, repeated five or six times, and somewhat similar to the tone of a 6fe. Though social, they are sometimes seen to combat In the air, instigate) probably more by jealousy than a love of rapine, as their food is always obtained from an unfailing source. Early in May the Osprey commences laying, and has from two to four eggs. They are a little larger than those of the Common Fowl, and are from a reddish or yellowish cream-color to nearly white, marked with large blotches and points of reddish brown. During the period of incubation the male frequently supplies his mate with food, and she leave* her eggs for very short intervals. The young appear about the last of June, and are most assiduously attended and supplied. On the approach of any person towards the nest, the parent utters a peculiar plaintive, whistling note, which increases as it takes to wing, sailing round, and at times making a quick descent, as if aiming at the intruder, but sweeping past at a short distance. On the nest being invaded, either while containing eggs or young, the male displays great courage and makes a violent and dangerous opposition. The young remain a long time in the nest, so that the old are sometimes obliged to thrust them out anil encourage them to fly ; but they still, for a period, con- tinue to feed them in the air. AMERICAN GOSHAWK. BLUE HEN HAWK. ^ ACCIHTER ATHICAPILLUS. northem par,, of Gre« B^tain T" '" '^"""' ^"~"y. «he '^nd, into Chinese I^Ll Z^T^' """^ ^"^"''' ""^ ex- 'he European bird, is v7ry ^ '^""' " "'"'^ ""-''d to P»«ntly at the approach of wTn?' f^ "* '° *« South ap- 32 BIRDS OF PREY. Fresh Pond Hotel, in the moult, having the stomach crammed with moles and mice, and it was shot in the act of devouring a Pigeon. The Goshawk was held in considerable esteem for falconry, and, according tu Bell, was employed for this amusement by the emperor of China, who moved sometimes to these excur- sions in great state, often bearing a Hawk on his hand, to let fly at any game that might be raised, which was usually Pheas- ants, Partridges, Quails, or Cranes. In 1269 Marco Polo witnessed this diversion of the emperor, which probably had existed for many ages previous. The falconers distinguished these birds of sport into two classes, — namely, those of falconry properly so called, and those of hawking; and in this second and inferior class were included the Goshawk, the Sparrow Hawk, Buzzard, and Harpy. This species does not soar so high as the longer-winged Hawks, and darts upon its quarry by a side glance, not by a direct descent, like the true Falcon. These birds were caught in nets baited with live Pigeons, and reduced to obedience by the same system of privation and discipline as the Falcon. A pair of Goshawks were kept for a long time in a cage by Buffbn ; he remarks that the female was at least a third larger than the male, and the wings, when closed, did not reach within six inches of the end of the tail. The male, though smaller, was much more fierce and untamable. They often fought vrith their claws, but seldom used tlie bill for any other purpose than tearing their food. If this consisted of birds, they were plucked as neatly as by the hand of the poulterer ; but mice were swallowed whole, and the hair and skin, and other indigestible parts, after the manner of the genus, were discharged from the mouth rolled up in little balls. Its ciy was raucous, and terminated by sharp, r''*erated, piercing notes, the more disagreeable the oftener they were repeated ; and the cage could never be approached without exciting violent gestures and screams. Though of different sexes, and confined to the same cage, they contracted no friendship for each other which might soothe their imprisonment, and finally, GOSHAWK. ^r- •^- s^' ':r^ ,rr r """■'"■" i^«K left with aiy o'her KriT "^ ^""°"'' "^' " Cos- of the whole. Their oMiltil,^" "^^"' "><= destruction -ice. moles, young Geet^Jr^ " r"« "'""'' «1"-^H of their ownTpecies. '""''""*'* "« P«y "Pon the young The Goshawk is not so ran. u a • fupposed ; Indeed, it i. ^i""^ comlThT. ""f ""'«' »»""»«"=' ' ■nces of Canada and in nwthe™ nT p "^ '" "" """i™' Prov. during the entire year, h t" 'lI^^S'"'^' *''^'-« " i'^nnd apparently rare in the Lake w" "^^' '° Manitoba (though 'r r^T::?.' '^^ y-d oM^-^- -' ™««. ■•" w.n"fr'; »unt^r.HS'afew";^rrpX:t^d'"'"''^ «° "> ^^ '«' New England. So few, comp^aUvl '/r'^,r"'"*<'"'''ern raaged birds are seen that the s'/'L " ""'' *""*'"• younger brown birds beine J™!f,! ".," "°' *'" '"'o*''. the young of several other Hawk,^™" -nd-stinguishable from the '- z ^X:^^^:::^^^ na„ , .. „.„ „,,, .. - and for good reason. With a teldn. "^ " "-e " Blue Hawk," Hht that is rivalled onty by tt S •''"^> """ ''"'""y of ^nes a spirit of enterprise worthy oUhTn'' ""^ ^°*'"'«'= «•-»- VOI.I._, I COOPER'S HAWK. ACCTPITER COOrERII. Char. Adult bluish gray or almost bluish ash, head darker ; below, whitish, breast and belly thickly streaked with reddish brown, sides with a bluish tinge ; wings and tail barred with dark brown, tail tipped with white. Length about i6 inches (female 2 to 3 inches longer). Ntst. In a tree, near the trunk ; made of twigs, lined with grass. Eggt. 3-4 ; bluish white spotted with reddish brown (sometimes im- maculate) ^ 1.90 X 1.5a This fine species of Hawlc is found in considerable numbers in the Middle States, particularly New York and New Jersey, in the autumn and at the approach of winter. It is also seen in the Oregon territory to the shores of the Pacific. Its food appears principally to be birds of various kinds ; from the Sparrow to the Ruffed Grouse, all contribute to its rapa- cious appetite. I have also seen this species as far south as the capital of Alabama, and, in common with the preceding, its depredations among the domestic fowls are very destructive. Mr. Cooper informs me that the plumage of the adult male bears the same analogy to the adult of F.fuscus as the young of that species does to the present, excepting that the rufous SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. tints are paler Th^ ,i'ir '' °' even 3,' ,„ " '""'=' " '^^ b^weea the two is as It « called " Chicle Hawk taT =" "" '"»«'»»• — Hawk by the Northern famieis. SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. ACCIPITER VEIOX. habits''a„T,emerit^onhe''S7.r'''' '" ""= =°'"^S«« amusement to which these birds were" dr*! r*"' P"""'>' fash,on, few species of the genus wol h ' T"" ""^ '" Suma^and Pugnacious tha/thepr^sem Th°""' "'°"' =""" described by Pennant under the nl™ ^ u ^ '"'""« '"^'l « and he remarks its affin^lto the p' *''" ^"""""^ ^'"™''. It is, however, somewhat kssdi^erenr'''''" ^"^"^^ "«*''• and much more broadly «^' fl? k'' '""''"^ °" ""e head, of our species, accor^ .^AuJuS ^"1 '"'°"- "^"^ "«' eggs are four or five, pTyish white W 1 T^" '" " '"^' '^'^ ">« they lay about the SS/to th^-- '^''' ''"''''"*" ^ t™e Sparrow Hawk show, rnn *? u, ""'^'^'^ °'" ^arch. The to hunt Partrid^s iirQ^^-^ir^^^ »>ong Pigeons, young pouZ 2d Tn k!!.''" ^"'™^''°° In the winter they migra^om F. ^-"^^ °^ '^^ '''» ""' yet. tempted b^the abund^n t u'" "'" ^"""'''= States, Mississippi. inSUts' veten st tT"'"' f'^ °^ '"= far as the Falls of St. AnthonJ^" .he .Jd 7" " latitude. Indeed accorrfin^T ^, ** degree of north 40 BIRDS OF PKEV. liuippi territory, twenty or thirty being aometimes visible at tlie same time ; often collecting locusts and other large insects, which they are said to feed on from their claws while flying, at times also seizing upon the nests of locusts and wasps, and, like the Honey Buzzard, devouring both the insects and their larvc Snakes and lizards are their common food in all parts of America. In the month of October they begin to retire to the Soutl., at whicii season Mr. Bartram observed them in great numb'i assembled in Florida, soaring steadily at great elevations '' ./eral days in succession, and slowly passing towards th :.. winter quarters along the Gulf of Mexico. From the other >;a.es they migrate early in September. ^ This species is most abundant in the western division of the Gulf States, but is irregularly distributed over the Southern, Western, and Middle States. It has occasionally visited New England, and examples have been seen in Manitoba and near London and Ottawa in Ontario. EVERGLADE KITE. BLACK KITE. HOOK-BILL KITE. SNAIL HAWK. ROSTRHANIUS SOOABIUS. Char. Prevailing color dull bluish uh, darker on tail, wings, and an. terior portion of head ; rump white, with terminal bar of light brown ; bill black ; feet orange. Length 16 to iS inches. i\V.r/. A platform with a slight depression, composed of sticks or dried grass, built in a low bush or amid ull grass. E^'s. 3-3; brownish white blotched with various shades of brown ; 1.70 X I 45- This is a tropical species that occurs in Florida. Mr. W. E. D. Scott reports finding it abundant at Panasofkee Lake, and says : " Their food at this point apparently consists of a kind of large fresh-water snail which is very abundant . . . They fish over the shallow water, reminding one of gulls in their motions; and having secured a snail by diving, they immediately carry it to the nearest available perch, when the animal is dexterously taken from the shell, without injury to the latter.' AMERICAN ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. BLACK HAWK. ArcHIBUTEO l^GOPUS SANcri-JOHANNIS. tHAK. General color variable _ ,i,.i. .... on.e.™e, black; ,„ tb.u:Zr/^^Vi'llt°''''-''''''°^->'<^r, ppearance of streaks Tl,- ,k ^ ? "" lighter cobr. Drorf,.^i„. dark band. Ta" with'^Ja'rf rnTlilt't' ""'}' °" '-rd "'K .«Uy distinguished from any other Hawk b^.h:rl*'''''''' " "» basT )>i to 22 inches. ' ** "'' "» feathered shank. Length <^'"and\:tiS' ""' " °" """• "' »"'='" lined with gr,„ dry f^^--3; White or crea™, more or les. spotted With brow„;... 43 BIRDS OF PREV. Mid to by four eggs, clouded with reddish. It ii common also to the north of Europe, if ;iot to Africa. The usual sUtion of these birds is on the outskiru of woods, in the neighborhood of marshes, — situations suited for supplying them with their usuU humble piey of frogs, mice, reptiles, and straggling birds, for which they patiently watch for hours together, from daybreak to bte twilight. When prey is perceived, the biid takes a cau- tious, slow, circuitous course near the surface, and sweeping over the spot where the object of pursuit is lurking, he instantly grapples it, and flies off to consume it at leisure. Occasionally they feed on crabs and shell-fish. The inclement winters of the high northern regions, where ihey are usually bred, failing to afford them food, they are under the necessity of making a slow migration towards those countries which are less severe. According to Wilson, no less than from twenty to thirty young individuals of this species continued regularly to take up their winter quarters in the low meadows below Philadelphia. They are never observed to soar, and when disturbed, utter a loud, squealing note, and only pass from one neighboring tree to another. The great variation in the plumage of this Hawk has been the cause of considerable controversy. Wilson wrote of the black and the brown phases as of two species, giving them distinct habits. Nuttall, following Audubon, considered the changes from light to dark due only to age. Spencer Baird (in i8j8), Cassin, and Dr. Brewer agreed with Wilson. Later authorities, however, with more material to aid them, have pronounced both views incorrect, and have decided that there is but one species, — that the black is but a melanistic phase. Our systematists now separate the Ameri- can from the European form, giving to the former varietal rank, as its "triiioiiiiil appellation" denotes. Nuttall duel not mention the occurrence of this bird in Massa- chusetts, though Dr. Brewer states that at one time it was abun- dant near Boston, and within more recent years numbers have been captured by Mr. E. O. Damon on the Holyoke Hills, near Spring- field. It occurs within tlie United States principally as a winter visitor when it ranges south to Virginia, its chief breeding-ground lying in the Labrador and Hudson Bay district. RED-SHOULDERED HAWK. W'NTER HAWK. BUTEO UNEATUS. tap. -d, tahc/'cr; s." ';, "—'""•-. ~ p,,' MldOCOrV msouiTION tist chadt (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) 1.0 Irl^ 12^ ^ APPLIED IIVVIGE In ^^ 1653 Eost Moln Street ji^S Rochester, Ne» York U609 USA ■^— (716) 482 - 0300 - Phone ^S (''6) 288- 5989 - Fqk 44 BIRDS OF PREY. every morning of the season. This plaintive echoing note resembles somewhat the garrulous complaint of the Jay, kei-oo, kee-oo, kei-oo, continued with but little intermission sometimes for near twenty minutes. At length it becomes loud and im- patient ; but on being distantly answered by the mate, the sound softens and becomes plaintive like kei-oo. This morn- ing call is uttered most loudly and incessantly by the male, inquiring for his adventurous mate, wnom the uncertain result of the chase has perhaps separated from him for the night. As this species is noways shy, and very easily approached, I have had the opportunity of studying it closely. At length, but in no haste, I observed the female approach and take her station on the same lofty, decayed limb with her companion, who, grateful for this attention, plumed the feathers of his mate with all the assiduous fondness of a Dove. Intent upon her meal, however, she soon flew off to a distance, while the male still remained on his perch, dressing up his beautiful feathers for near half an hour, often shaking his tail, like some of the lesser birds, and occasionally taking an indifferent sur- vey of the hosts of small chirping birds which surrounded him, who followed without alarm their occupsition of gleaning seeds and berries for subsistence. I have occasionally observed them perched on low bushes and stakes in the rice-fields, re- maining thus for half an hour at a time, and then darting after their prey as it comes in sight. I saw one descend upon a Flover, as I thought, and Wilson remarks their living on these birds. Larks, and Sandpipers. The same pair that I watched also hung on the rear of a flock of cow-buntings which were feeding and scratching around them. They sometimes attack squirrels, as I have been informed, and Wilson charges them with preying also upon Ducks. I never observed them to soar, at least in winter, their time being passed very much in indolence and in watching for their game. Their flight is almost as easy and noiseless as that of the Owl. In the early part of the month of March they were breeding in West Florida, and seemed to choose the densest thickets and not to build at any great height from RED-SHOUI.DERED HAWK. 4- yJ'JZ^f' ?" "PP™^'='"°fi «hese places, the i,^..^ became very loud and angry. m»/,r//a«,i. -This large American Buzzard is not un- pS^fv "^K "t"-"' "' "■^■" "^ '" "'^ neighborhood of Ph.ladelph.a where W,lson met with it along the marshes and meadows feedmg almost wholly upon frogs. It is abundant toward wmter. It appears to have very much the manners of the European Buzzard, remaining inactive for hours to- gether on the edges of wet meadows, perched upon the larger hmbs of trees and at times keeping up a regular quailing ^d rather hoarse iagA^,, i^i^^-o.. which at intervals is answered by the mate. When approached, it commonly steals off to some other tree at no great distance from the first; but if the pursuit be continued, it flies out and hovers at a consider- Z^SL'' '' ^'" ^" '"'''''-' °^ «"^-'^ ^^y -<> to'^hem"nn!^"f'l-"''°'^''"'^ ^"""5 ='" *'"'"^« "P^i", giving T,tT, i ^^- '*"*'"<=«i™ "^"■«. but a different distrbutTon Jf th. hT. "'i'" '"■° '""g'-^Phi" tell about all that is yet known of the hab> s and range of the species. I, is found throughouUhis t'^lj'T"'": *T ""= ^"" S'="^^ '° 'he southern border of the fur countries, has been taken at York Factory on Hudson^ Bav and IS common in Manitoba. nuason s ua). ^ ^'!^'~'^^^ Florida REr>-SHOULDERED Hawk (But,o lima ZtxV" 1""'"'":: '""" 'O""" '" Florida, and rrn^'nt the Atlanfc shore north to South Carolina and along the Gul" tinge on the head and neck replaced by brownish gray BIRDS OF PREV. HARRIS'S HAWK. PaRABUTEO UNICINCTUS IIARRISI. Char. Prevailing color black, somelimes chocolate brown, tinged with chestnut on the rurap ; shoulders and lining of wings chestnut ; tail-coverts base o£ Uil, and terminal band, white. Length about 20 inches. ' Ntsl. On a cliff or in a tree, — usually the latter; a mere platform of twigs and roots, lined with grass. Ep;!. 2-5 (usually ■<,)■, white, tinged with yellow, sometimes marked with brown or lavender, or both ; 2.15 X 1.65. Harris's Hawk is abundant in parts of Texas and in Mcico and occurs in small numbers in the southern part of Mississippi' It IS usually represented as a rather sluggish bird, associating with the Vultures and joining in their leasts of carrion, but sometimes preying upon the small reptiles that infest the banks of streams and pools. Mr. Sennett, however, describes those he saw along the lower Rio Grande as more active, feeding chiefly on birds, mice, and gophers. RED-TAILED HAWK. BirreO EOREALIS. Char. Above, dull brown streaked with rufous and grayish • below whitish or tawny streaked with brown; tail chestnut above and gray beneath, with a band of black near the end and tipped with white In the young the tail is grayish brown crossed by some nine dark bars and the underparts are white with brown streaks. Lencth loW to 2-1 inches. o »/» j Ntst. In a high tree; of sticks, lined with grass, sometimes with feathers. .^^'■''* i *■'''"'' °' '>'"■''' *'>''«• ""'"y heavily spotteu or blotched with reddish brown; 2 30 X 1.80. This beautiful Buzzard inhabits most parts of the United States, being observed from Canada to Florida; also, far westward up the Missouri, and even on the coasts of the northern Pacific Ocean, by Lewis and Clarke. Wilson found the young to be fully grown in the month of May, about latitude 31° on the banks of the Mississippi; at this period they were very noisy and clamorous, keeping up an inces- sant squealing. It al?o occasionally nests and breeds in large RED-TAILED HAWK, trees in the secluded forests of this mn «f m u seized in the talons It k f , ^^ "' overtaken and where ^ice! l^H an'd lot'TPlr^^' ^^7 upon lizards, -appearing Sdeed nftpn T ^^'^' most humble game ' " '°"'=°' *'"' ""e ealthrJ^tZlVn J't>"' ^^^™ ■"■"^'> ^"-•'^'> ^ asir«;rviritt:^dtLri^;roS'''o^ middle of January in Sonfh r r f ^""""8' ^^°"' ^^^ 48 BIRDS OF PREY. ceived and soon followed by his ambitious mate, and in a little t-me, by circular ascending, gyrations, they both disappeared in the clear azure of the heavens; and though I waited for their re-appearance half an hour, they still continued to be wholly invisible. This amusement, or p.edilection for the cooler regions of the atmosphere, seems more or less common to all the rapacious birds. In numerous instances this exercise must be wholly independent of the inclination for surveying their prey, as few of them besides the Falcon descend direct upon their quarry. Many, as well as the present species, when on the prowl fly near to the surface of the ground, and often wait and watch so as to steal upon their victims before they can take the alarm. Indeed the Condor frequents and nests upon the summit of the Andes, above which they are seen to soar m the bovndless ocean of space, enjoying the invigorating and rarefied atmosphere, and only descending to the plains when impelled by the cravings of hunger. The Eastern variety of the Red-tail U a common bird throueh- out eastern North America north to about latitude 49°, and wi mken by Dr. Bell at Fort Churchill, on Hudson's Baf 'lT~ westward to the Great Plains, where it is replaced by the su" spec.es inj&n. From the Roclcy Mountains to the Pacific it is represented by caiurus. and examples of this latter variety have been taken, occasionally, as far east as Illinois. The Red-tail is a summer resident only of the Maritime Provinces, but a few art found m winter m southern Ontario and New England. NoTE..-Mr. Ridgway now considers Harlan's Hawk to be a variety of the Red-tail, and he proposes to name it i?«/.. iolu, harlan,. Its usual habitat is along the lower Mississippi ; but exam- pies have been taken in lUinois, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Georgi" tapt. Bendine reports that Krider's Hawk (B. b Krideri\ I^Z '21T^ °°"'"™ ^•""'"^- ("^^ "'"°--^ ^-'■ J^Jl "*"?'" I' ^•^^^^O'-'s Hawk (,Buteo swainsoni), a Wes em spec.es h.ve been taken in Massachusetts, -one a, Wayland in 1876, and the other near Salem in .878 BROAD-WINGED HAWK. Bli7-E0 LATISSIMUS. and streaked with rufous!^' Le„g,h ,6 nih^Jv"'"'. "'""^' '""«'' brovnUh, with severa] dusky bars ^,Z^„ "",* ' ''"■■'"• •»" '»'l feathers. ' °' ""8'' »"<> 'med with leaves and _^^^'^^.-4, buffish, blotched with reddiah brown of various shades, well as of the head and h^ . '''''' '"''"• "''^'"S- ^'^ was observed saLg in w d" drdes tLt^^°"'"^ '^''^ ""= "'^"' and presenting alJost a se^^S ul^J^ " "Ser '"^^ d.v.dua.s appea. to he al, that we. .not" ^o ^;;tn 'oTtM; so BIROb OF PREV. •pedes. Audubon considers it by no means a rare species in Virginia, Maryland, and aU the Sutes to the eastward of these. Its usual prey is small birds, very young poultry, smaU quadrupeds, and insects. The Broad-wing occurs throughout this eastern faunal province, but is somewhat local in distribution. In portions of the Maritime Provinces it is abundant, L» 'gh In general it is rather uncommon. Mr. John Neilson considers it common near the city of Quebec, but Mr. Ernest Wintle reports it rare at Montreal, while Mr. William L. Scott thinks it the commonest Hawk in the Ottawa valley. Mr. Thomas Mcllwraith gives it as a " casual visitor " to the southern portions of Ontario, and Mr. Ernest Thompson found it abundant in the Muskoka district Thompson also reports it common in Manitoba. In the more northern portions of New England it is a fairly common summer visitor, while it is found in Massachusetts and Connecticut throughout the year, but is rather rare. It occurs also in more or less abundance in all tl-e Middle, Western, and Southern States. My observations in New Brunswick have led me to form a dif- ferent opinion of the characteristics of this Hawk from those expressed by several writers. The examples I met with were not peculiarly void of either boldness or vigor in pursuit of their prey, nor peculiarly spiritless when wounded. They did, of course, like others of the tribe, pursue weak prey, and displayed little true bravery ; but bravery is not a characteristic of the Hawks. A wounded Broad-wing, however, acts just as does the boldest of them, — he turns on his back and hits out witli claws, beak, and wings; and the gunner who thinks he has a meek or spiritless bird to handle may regret the thought. SHORT-TAILED HAWK. BUTEO BRACHVURUS. Crak. Above, brownish black or blackish brown ; forehead and cheeks white; tail brownish gray barred with black and lipped with white; beneath, pure white, a patch of rufous on side of chest. Length i6 inches. tfesl. In a tall tree; made of dry twigs, lined with fresh twigs of cypress. Egp. 1-3 ; dull white, spotted on large end with reddish brown. MARSH HAWK. cau?ed""!:c"„1ifi^^te."'/ ^TT "'™ "^ «■" "W "av. .ubjec. of .ome ont™v ;X ;bril'^■ P^'P'^^'y-"" b«n the opinion, held may «„««» iuJlr^o' n?T"'' ;'^"" *»'''»» •eientific name^ "UmtraUon of the evolution of many into the hand, of .noth« .lei^L^^i l""" ".y"""? >""» c»me »P«cie.. he named it J'S^l'^f^^t^^''''^ " '" '^ « «» black waa Uken hvlm/n^/u.i ''^"*"r/.°''''''~"iJ' »" ^^ '"""thing tioned were di.po^ed of bv L{r T""' ^''"' '*° '"t-nen- ««« a melaniMic phie? whife f„ ^XT^ P'"""««' ""d >%■ latter, aa the Little Black h!JC """' "■'"■" ""''s 'he These opinions have recltly^:; r„r°:i'1 "^ •P*"''^ '""'■ been held for a long timTbv thT few fh"f 1/u' **' *'"'='' J"* .heStt°:.Sent'tr^^^^ uaI,-ameIani5ticpW,?rthe„o™rc^. ' ' u'"^""*' °'~»- The bird is entirely tropica in its^l^'^./ '^''" "•"»' United State, only in the ?roD c^ nn,?^ ' fi^. '' '"""^ '^"■'" «>' posed formerly to ^cu' ^e e m ° . °"' °' ^'°"<'''- '« ""« »"!> straggler, but recenTobse^a, on^hat " " T^ " "=="""-tal though uncommon visitor 7ndb"e5fn" C' '"<"*« «8«lar MARSH HAWK. MARSH HARRIER. BLUE HAWK. Circus hudsonius. streaked with rufous; tail wiihrf^T i ^ 5^™""= »>»«. d>'k brown ''tro'".^ '-^'x'^'otiS; "■""""•"'' '""-•'a-y «ra„g;dpu.;o™Td:^r,„^r,r;turto""^''~"p= » "—y ..8oT>.4a ■ """""""•«• •»■»"»" opotted with buffisb or brown- S* BIRDS OF PREY. This species is common to the northern and temperate, ai well as the warmer parts of the old and new continents, being met with in Europe, Africa, South America, and the West Indies. In the winter season it extends its peregrinations from Hudson's Bay to the Oregon territory and the southern parts of the United States, frequenting chiefly open, low, p.nd marshy situations, over which it sweeps or skims along, at a little distance usually from the ground, in quest of mice, small birds, frogs, lizards, and other reptiles, which it often selects by twilight as well as in the open day ; and at times, pressed by hunger, it is said to join the Owls and seek out its prey even by moonlight. Instances have been known in England in which this bird has carried its temerity so far as to pursue the same game with the armed fowler, and even snatch it from his grasp after calmly waiUng for it to be shot, and without even betraying timidity at the report of the gun. The nest of this species is made on the ground, in swampy woods or among rushes, occasionally also under the protection of rocky precipices, and is said to be formed of sticks, reeds, leaves, straw, and similar materials heaped together, and finished with a lining of feathers, hair, or other soft substances. In the F. cineraceus, so nearly related to this species, the eggs are of a pure white. When their young are approached, the parents, hovering round the intruder and uttering a sort of uncouth syllable, like gtggeggag, or ge ge ne ge ge, seem full of afright and anxiety. The Crows, however, are their greatest enemies, and they often succeed in demolishing the nests. The young are easily tamed, and feed almost immediately without exhib- iting any signs of tear. NuttaU has told about all that more modem observers have to tell of this species. The authorities differ chiefly in descriptions of the structure of the nest and the markings on the eggs. The nests that I have examined have been composed entirely of coarse grass without lining, though the softest of the grass was laid on top! The eggs were unspotted. HAWK OWL. SURNM ULULA CAPAROCH A-..C wilds of both continents, Jng f Zer/i l' •'" ""= the fur countries from Hudson's Bay to 2 p" fi^"" ""* stragglers, now and then at distantly , !""""• ^ ^'^ of winter, penetrate on tLe one side Tn"''.' ^" "" ''""' the United States and on T it T ^^ "°'^^^"' P^"s of 'n Germany, and' Se^ e t L'ncT Trd"^ ''''" -a^con.an;s^;~vx=s:it;ri: 54 BIRDS OF PREY. flutten on the ground. They are abo laid to feed on mice and iniecti, and (according to Meyer) they nest -ipon Tees laying two white eggs. They are said to be constant atten- dants on the I'tarmigans in their spring migrations towards the Nortn, and are observed to hover round the camp-fires of the natives, in quest probably of any offal or rejected game. In Massachuseiu and the more southern portions of New Eng. land the Hawk Owl is only an occasional winter visitor j but in northern New England and the Maritime Provinces it occurs regu- larly, though of varying abundance, in some seasons being quite rare. It i» fairly common near Montreal, anl rare in Ontario and in Ohio. Thompson reporU it abundant in Manitoba, but only one example has been Uken in Illinois (Xu/evay). It breed, in Newfoundland, the Magdalen Islands, and northern Manitoba, and north to sub-arctic regions. SNOWY OWL. NVCTEA NYCTEA. bro»rhMa';"rh'J.'btda'„"c;^ of dun brown o, continents, being common in r. i ^ '"^ "8'°"" °f both Kamtschatka. Upland and H.h'J''' ^''"'^"'^ I^'^ds, *ilds, surrounded by an at "" ^^- '" "■"« drear^ b^eeds,and obtainslfsu^tlrr j'' ^^ "^-^ '" wnite robe rendeia 56 BIRDS OF PREY. him scarcely discernible from the overwhelming snows, where he reigns, like the boreal spirit of the storm. His loud, hol- low, barking growl, 'whcwh, 'whowh, 'whowA hSh, hah, hdh, hah^ and other more dismal cries, sound like the unearthly ban of Cerberus ; and heard amidst a region of cheerless soli- tude, his lonely and terrific voice augments rather than relieves the horrors of the scene. Clothed with a dense coating of feathers, which hide even the nostrils, and leave only the talons exposed, he ventures abroad boldly at all seasons, and, like the Hawks, seeks his prey by daylight as well as dark, skimming aloft and reconnoi- tring his prey, which is commonly the White Grouse or some other birds of the same genus, as well as hares. On these he darts from above, and rapidly .eizes them in his resistless talons. At times he watches for fish, and condescends also to prey upon rats, mice, and even carrion. These birds appear to have a natural aversion to settled countries ; for which reason, perhaps, and the severi'y of the climate of Arctic America, they are frequently known to wander in the winter south through the thinly settled interior of the United States. They migrate probably by pairs ; and accord- ing to Wilson, two of these birds were so stupid, or dazzled, as to alight on the roof of the court-house in the large town of Cincinnati. In South Carolina Dr. Garden saw them occa- sionally, and they were, in this mild region, observed to hide themselves during the day in the palmetto-groves of the sea- coast, and only sallied out towards night in quest of their prey. Their habits, therefore, seem to vary considerably, according to circumstances and climate. This species is a regular winter visitor to the Northern and Middle States, and during some seasons has been quite abundant. A few pairs have been seen in summer in northern Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia; but the usual breeding-ground is from about latitude 50' to the Arctic regions. While in their more southern resorts they are rarely found far from the forest districts. » These latter syllables with the usual quivering sound ol the Owl. SCREECH OWL. MOTTLED OWL. RED OWL. ■ MegaSCOPS ASIC. JOow.dnll whitish orwlrita r„f '''"'"""« "'<"• »"<1 with M.^L I •rown or blackish t- i! i, ""'""' '■■« and heavilv m T j "'"^^'^^ : frequent. Ur« « J^''*'''^ «">°««rv.. ^ennsyivani. Published in^he.S vf ' ^''«'- C»"»^. the Academy of Nahi«i c." * " ™''""« of the JouiBai r^ -fthatLRSS^-r-fJh^^^^^^^ »^ « are specifically distincT he h« k.^'' *''"'* United O-b rear young of the «ml'coL "^^^^ "«" «*« Red of the preceding species T„ , ' ""* ""»' "-e Gray Owls -ttied from I r;; '„ - s t;* '"'''^'' - «^y -^ P'u^age. the habits of the J' '^'^'""'' « "'^X "e in present inhabit, and breeds in mo« "' "'"'^ ""ke- The In Pennsylvania they are hlS r^°'"'« United States b«edmg in hollow trees T?,^ ^^ ""* '«'« «d of May I have had an onn « • ^^^^ "« «•»« four ^' '^of thet:"„e;TtrLl::^*»" '^'^"- - •^^ out of a hollow anni?^ ' V *«> "^ young Owl months. A dark cZtZTs% •''' "'»?' ^°' ^»e ^y- In the evening he CJl T '""« during the '"8 "^ross the toom^„wSch h, '^'""^'^'^ «stless,''gl j! ong noiseless flight, as if wafted h7r°"''°'''' '^"' « '^^e- Je clung to the wainscot, aid utwe t h " ^°''^- ^t times head round to his back Ct * *""•• '''' brought his Miant eyes, a most1p;c"al 'd f"""'' '>>' ">« -d of his «"= eyes of all the Owls a^l^'^ """"'"">' "PPeaiance. As -ovablyin "«=«'cketbyrern^f '°«^''«'». "= ""^ iV -ent. this provision for thTfree ve« T^ ''"'* *=*P""" 'iga- appea« necessary. When an T"^" """'"^ of the head appeared .tro^^en^^d in'^''^'"^' •""''"* «-e»tag he ■"8 with a hissing no^%';7~""8 '"e object, bioj! 'Pec.es, and stretching out ^leck "<^ ™"""°'' '° "'her "otion. in a threatening at it^de a„H " '^'^- ^'^"^ ™adea s^ppi„g ^,, «^ Spin^' "'"^' »PP««ch. f"™r-h:^sw-o~-^^^^^^^^ — ..ecdirrux-^^-the? I «0 BIRDS OK PREY. hair, in pellets. He also devoured large flies, which at this time came into the room in great numbers ; and even the dry parts of these were also ejected from the stomach without di- gestion. A pet of thU species, which Dr. Michener had, drank frequently, and was accustomed to wash every day iii a basin of cold water during the heat of summer. Nuttall, following Wilson and Audubon, treated the gray and red phases of this bird as two distinct species, and wrote separate biographies, which I insert in full. Some ornithologists have sup- posed that the gray specimens were the young ' ,rds; but it has been proved beyond question that the two phases are simply indi- vidual vanations of the same species. Gray and red birds have been found in one nest, with both parents gray, or both red, or with one of each color. The Screech Owl is a resident of southern New England and quite common. It breeds northward to the Maritime Provinces westward to Minnesota and southward to the Gulf States. Prob- ably southern New England is the northern limit of the bird's distribution in winter. NoTB. - A smaller and darker race is found in South Carolina Georgia, and Florida. It is named Florida Screech Owl (Af. ash floridanus). In this race the reddish feathers wear a richer rufous tint, and the gray are more deeply tinged with brown. " t^p«l GREAT HORNED OWL. CAT OWL, f.^ Bubo vkgin,aws. 63 BIRDS OF PREV. Florida, and in Oregon ; it exiiti even beyond the tropic*, being very probably tlje same bird described by Marcgrave as inhabiting the forests of BraiU. All climates are alike to this Eagle of the night, the king of the nocturnal tribe of American birds. The aboriginal inhabitants of the country dread his boding howl, dedicating his effigies to their solemnities, and, as if he were their sacred bird of Minerva, forbid the mockery of his ominous, dismal, and almost supernatural cries. His favor- ite resort, in the dark and impenetrable swampy forests, where he dwells in chosen solitude secure from the approach of every enemy, agrees with the melancholy and sinister traits of his character. To the surrounding feathered race he is the Pluto of the gloomy wilderness, and would scarcely be known out of the dismal shades where he hides, but to his victims, wtre he as sUent as he is soUtary. Among the choking, loud, guttural sounds which he sometimes utters in the dead of night, and with a suddenness which always alarms, because of his noiseless approach, is the 'uiaugh hi! 'waugh >•/>/ which, Wilson re- marks, was often uttered at the insta. ■: of sweeping down around his camp-fire. Many kinds of Owls ate similarly daz- ried and attracted by fire-lights, and occasionally finding, no doubt, some offal or flesh thrown out by those who encamp in the wilderness, they come round the nocturnal blaxe with other motives than barely those of curiosity. The solitary travellers la these wilds, apparently scanning the sinister motive of his visits, pretend to interpret his address into " ' fVha Uooksfor yiu all! " and with a strong guttural piorunciation of the final syUable, to all those who have heard this his common ciy, the resemblance of sound is well hit, and instantly recalls the ghasUy serenade of his nocturnal majesty in a manner which is not easily forgotten. The shorter cry which we have mentioned makes no inconsiderable approach to that uttered by the European brother of our species, as given by Buffon, namely, 'he-hoo, 'hoe-hoo, boo-hoo, etc. The Greeks called this transatlantic species Byas, either fix)m its note or from the resemblance this bore to the bellowing of the ox. The Latin name Bubo has also reference to the same note of this noc GREAT HORNED OWL. tanuIbW. According ,oFri5ch .h„v ^^ "I've. Its cries varied accordin^„' ^ 'P' °"' "'*«• binh " *f- muling cry .ikr^^^ «° c.rcu«.unce. ; when hnn^J probably, of our species uuT, .h. . "'""'«'' ^he J yetdaylight, as it ^t o" e lo^b'^cV'";' ""'""« "y- -"i^' °f both is, at times, also not unhkert /J"'' "" """"d d.umal bird, of pr^y. Indeed „.f ^' ^^ ">« """k' or our species on the 4v flj„:',t.*^'°°'"^ "«"''" ^ have .een -a uttering his can „•; ^l fLT' ^T" '"'°- «'«" young rabbits, squirrels, rats mice n m' ^"'' "''^ P«y i^ vanous kinds; and wh n^^ese ^ ' 1"" ^ ?' '"^ •"«»• of occasionally prowl pretty boldiv ^ T '^'' " '^''"*»i»h, they of Chickens, which'the^sete ^""^ """ '^-^"d in q„ei pean Horeed Owl frequen rconteln "^"'C ^'"^'"^ ">" E-ro- Prey, and generally comes L" """^ ""= ^"""-^ for it, -th hunger, „ne o'f he^e has ZTr' "'"'^ "^ »«"^^ a man, as if for conflict, lndl^Z^''°'^u° "^ ^«' "Pon fnend Dr. Boykin. of M Cdge';",,'' t^_ '» '^e encounter. My one of our own daring noctuS .H °'°'^-^'^ me that h's premises, saw a caf dori^^ adventurers, pawling „«.„ and supposing grimalkin a more haL?°^ °^ '^ smoke-house, than appeared in the sequel b^nHl""' ''""•''-'*• anima talons; but finding he h^fc if ^;r''*'d "er up i„ hi fore he allowed puss on,.. ""' " "'as not lone be ;n..and the »mrLT:a3rmmittrb ''" ^^^^ ^» after a severe conflict with^ catT l . ^ '^ ^8'''' "ho^ «;a3 at length brought to the ground L^'' T^"^ '«» "-e ai^ h.mself from the feline grasp ^^°'' ^^ '^°"M disengage appel^dX'ilkS^; tT''^' ' "^^'^ °--d m a cage approached ITith a^. ^d dX'S ^' ^^'' -'' "^ ^n "-bUl; he now and then uttetd VV J? '"'^'^«'j"^"' oud m h,s call at an earlier hour Wht ' ""^ "^ P""^ cularly contracted the iris of th. ° Wroached. he cir- ^'he threatened objec; Ve ^ l^'f/'^T ^ '^'^'^^ -- to any sound which occurred neart"' «^''"l«<='»«s Sy-g Pigeons, which passed by a sLmedr'"'"'' ''^ ">' / at some distance, with a scruti. 64 BIRDS OF PREY. nizing and eager glance. When fed he often had the habit of hiding awajr his superfluous prm-ision. At far as I have been able to observe the retiring manners of this recluse, he slumbers out the day chiefly in the dark tops of lofty trees. In these, according to Wilson, he generally be- gins to build in the month of May, though probably earUer in the Southern States. The nest is usually placed in the fork of a tree, made of a considerable pile of sticks, and lined with dry leaves and some feathers ; and, as a saving of labor, some- times they select a hollow tree for the purpose. This Owl is usually found in woods of rather large growth ; but Nuttall slightly exaggerated in naming the " dark and impenetrable swampy forest" as its "favorite resort." Throughout the Mari- time Provinces it is found on the outskirts of settlements, as well as in the wilderness. , An interesting account of the habits of this species in captivity, from the note-book of Mr. James W. Banks, of St. John, N. B., appeared in "The Auk " for April, 1884. I: '1^ Note. — There are two geographical races of this species that should be named here. The Dusky Horned Owl (£. virgi- Htanus saturatus), an extremely dark form, i. xurs in Labrador, and is found also on the coast of the Northwest. The Western Horned Owl (B. virginianus subarcticus), a light-gray form, is usually restricted to the middle faunal province, but has been taken in Illinois and Wisconsin. GREAT GRAY OWL. SCXJTIAPTEX CTNEREA. Chak. Above, sooty brown mottled with irregular bars of dull gray : below, paler tint- of same colors in wavy stripes. No ear-tufts. The largest of the Owis. Length. 23 to 30 inches. Nest. In a tree. E^s. 2-3; white; 2.15 X 1.70. T is is the largest American species known, and if the 5. lapponica, common also to the Arctic circle, and seldom leav- ing it, being only accidental about I^ke Superior, and occa- GREAT GRAV OWL. «d showed a g«« par^l^ t ..r !'^/°' •'veral month,, ""«eda.remulousc^'2 J;^'^;»•^ "'"*'• ^t time, he to Uutof the Mottled Owl A^t^ '^V »« ^"T d'^miUr «h«e Owl, re,ide the wbote yei "", ' ^ "^ ^'>"d°' Kon territoty by Mr. ToS^" ^ '"" *"^ '» ">e Ore- veiy low, and feed on m^" J u^'^^ "**«'« in pair,, fly "ch modular vigor a,^miX"'.''^-»' *'^ ^^^ •hen, a foot deep. With ^^"t^' *° '^\"«'' «>« «ow after alp.ne hare alive in their ^„,*V' ""' '° <=^ off the pean wholly confined to the de^« l^J-"^^ ^« »1 ecie, ap- three ,tragg,e„ being all thit wf C*^""" °^ ^Pl^d. two „ country by natmalisti ' '^"' °'«**»ed out of that lying between Lake Tupent ^d latf;"' ""^y ""trict! between Hudson's Bay «d ,h? p.'T'^", ''° " ''S" "-d the border, of Great ^ar ie a^d ^ ^' " '^°""»°'' <>» parallel, of latitude, it must pj«uel nr ";,"1"^ " "^^ "'^her months, by daylight. It kee™ T„ ^'^' •'""°8 ">« """nmer does not frequent the ^X«ZZ\^''t *^' ^'' -" - .. so often met with ninaySh! '^ ^^'^ °'''' °- hunt, pnncipaMywhen the sTr, low IL; Z-^'"* "^'^ •"" tm.es when the recesses of the w^,^ i'""'°'^y«s"ch that the American hare and the ^r^ "^ '^"P'^ "«>dowed, Cmereou, Owl chiefly p^^ f'""?^"^ '""f^ls on which the of May I discovered a n«^f7M n "^ '° ^'^«'- On the .3d lofty balsam poplar, of stick! a„H l'' ^"'" °° *« ^P of a VOL. I ^ LONG-EARED OWL. ASIO WILSONMNUS. Crax. Above, finely mottled with dark brown, dull buff, and gray ; breast similar, but of reddish tint ; beliy paler, with dark markings. Ear- tufts large; toes feathered. Length 15 inches. Nett. Usually in a tree ; of twigs, lined with grass and feathers. Sometimes a deserted Crow's or Hawk's nest is used. Aef- 3"^! white and oval ; I -65 X 1.30. This species, lilce several others of the genus, appean to be almost a denizen of the world, being found from Hudson's Bay to the West Indies and Brazil, throughout Europe, in Africa, northern Asia, and probably China, in all which countries it appears to be resident, but seems more abundant in certain places in winter, following rats and mice to their retreats in or near houses and bams. It also preys upon small birds, and in summer destroys beetles. It commonly lodges in ruined buildings, the caverns of rocks, or in hollow trees, .t defends long-Eared owl gerous and nnhtt. *• ""'' *•"••" bounded ii dan- and m the .ccidenul hoUonTof u\.T ''""'''" """"« ""« rte dJapidated nu^^r of the S.^, J"" '°"'"« '^'h W.d Rgeon. of the ftUri or ev« .1 *!"«"'' ""« °f the ^".rre. True to thT^J,"' ""'''" '"ft'd re.^at of the Owl. .itting on her eg« IbTJt '^'''?" ^und one of these on the .5th of April^, tte„H' ^^ °' •"' ^^ «'^ the m.d.t of the gloomy enswlmo^^^r '^'°": ^'"'^''-■phia, in «ual re^rt of the.e «,liu,y He™? 1"" :'"^'' ''"""^^ the fa fact w,th her company, andVo"!!:, ?? "t" "'""'^ '»as she ^ a nest in the wme tree ^^7^'"""°"' "^ the Qua, "early fully gn,w„, are grly^sh ^tf ^' '^' '°'''"^' ""'« on a large branch duri„g^het!''2V/°°^' close together thickest foliage; they acqut theirt !'' ".""^ '"•' "'"'''»' the days. Besides mice and ^.t'" "^"'o' '" about fifteen .■n-ce. moles, and beetles. Ue 0!^"" '"'° P'^^' '" «*«- «« made by this bird, "S-'^^^rf ^'^ °' '>o"°'v moan- during the night, so as ti be t^ubt ' '""^"r repeated « vety attractive to the la^e ST "'""'= "'^ fr« inconspicuoui . Some example! •re much paler, ai if the color* had faded. Len^tth about 15 inches. A'/i/. On the ground amid tall gra», and compoied of a few twigt and a few featheri. £gft- 3-fi i white and oval ; 1.60 X I 2a . This is another of those nocturnal wanderen which now and then arrive amongst us from the northern regions, where they usually breed. It comes to Hudson's Bay from the South about May, where it makes a nest of dry grass on the ground, and, as usual, has white eggs. After rearing its brood it de- parts for the South in September, and in its migrations has been met with as far as New Jersey, near Philadelphia, where, according to Wilson, it arrives in November and departs in April. Pennant remarks that it has been met with in the •o lik in Ml Su Or P» for of I to >igh biaz had com it al dang timet when like I >carc( ferent have s Bewici once i: Holtar countr house usually Europe —a lit Thii has beei the coai authentii •h' past I the Gulf SHORT-FARED OWL. - •nd Iceland. .„<, ^ We'oL^ft ' "? °"""'' '•^«J« 0«Kon. In England it appZ .^rl !. ' '" "" '"^""X »' nation, of the ^ooAcocV^^t^- T^^"* '^'^ "« ""- for which i, watche., Mated on f^. ''"'°" "•^'""'•'j' "«'«. of . ca, listening -"eSy " V.7/' '''"' »" "- v.gil«,ce' to which it i, „ „u^h ^i ; ^ "^^ '°» "queak of it, prey, "ght by imitating the „und. ju. „rdT'""'' '"°"«'" '» blaze of nocturnal fire, and n„ L '*'''' ""'«='«d •>/ the had the blind .emcri7;\o «^k"«„°'"'j''"' ''« »"«'">" combat at to be knocked A^ I' '"'* =°'"« '^ close to '« al«, display. £ i^'etir t'" "^« -"-ded dange«,u.toapp„x h In hT*^"* ^'"^'y- «> a. to be tin.- ventuJX.ad ly tyU^^t t^'' r"^'' ^'"^■ when sitting and looking sharpwSnH^^'' short flight.. ,nd '*« tuft, of feather, on thTheaT t* . ^"•' "><= -hort. e^. •"•^cly visible. Like i^l oL '""'' "' "' "h" time, -ntly over the count J' T"X'Z^'''^- "^'"« ""l" have «,metime. been Men n T a ^ '''°'>'' t^e* Owl. ^^} even remarHat ,8 Tt^'h hT'"" '"^^her once in a turaip-fieW in Enghnd tLv ^"" '°"'"''' « Holland in the month, of SemW ^ ^^'"'° -""""">•" in countries are Mrviceable for the d«^.. "u""^'' "'«' ''' «« houiie and field mice their r,-^""" ">'y niake amoni -ally breed in high iitCC T'k ^"^""^^ '""' ^•>«>pe to nest ir ^aThe,. i^ tl "Z^"'^, ^" °'««'^«,°V.o'brdT"' t ""^ ''it ^"^'^-d Owi,. and the coast, but Mr. William I r '""*'''« "a"h land '."f authentic record of ^ b^eXT'T '""^-^ """ •"= knows '.otn* hepasttenyea,,... It ra"Sl.rhrrh?/ ""^^ ^"«'='"'' -^t^;" '"e Gulf su.es and beyond%nd wt. ^o'the PacifiT'"''' '°'"' '" BARRED OWL. HOOT OWL. Syrnium NEBULOSUM. Char. Above, brown barred, spotted, and striped with dull gray or tawny J below, similar colors of paler tints i face, gray stripes; tail barred ; iris brownish black ; bill yellow. Length 19X to 24 inches. Easily distinguished from all other species by its dark eyes. Nest. Usually in a hollow tree, but often a deserted nest of Crow or Hawk is re-lined and used. Eggs. 2-4 ; white and nearly spherical ; 1.95 X 1.65. This species inhabits the northern regions of both the old and new continent, but with this difference, as in the Bald Eagle, that in the ancient continent it seldom wanders be- yond the Arctic circle, being found no farther to the south than Sweden and Norway ; while ■••. America it dwells and breeds at least in all the intermediate region from Hudson's Bay to Florida, being considerably more numerous even than other species throughout the swamps and dark forests of the South- BARRED OWL. QuaiS,i;rd iris '''''-• ^"■•"^'" «™-' these birds not uifrequenflv nn^ '"'^' '^ *^" ^' -choice garden in quest of ^^S^^^r" Tf ,'''' '"™-''°"- -'d At these times they prowUb ITA T "'"'^ ^"""g chickens, and steadily about^frLi foH""' *""'"«' ^"'^ "^ '- Georgia, West Florida and T ^ ' '"■'^>'- ^" '^"^•>ama, -e often to bett bl^X "n ''7r'"""^' ""^ weather, and at times even 1 ^ I' P^^'^^'a-ly in cloudy diurnal birds o X 1^° h !, '" "'"^ ^" ""^ ^'^'^^«« of ally both by day and ntht andl""' ""'"''' ''^"•' "-^-o"" readily answered' when £eS l^^T f "^°«"'"°"' '^ towards the sound. One wh ch I Z . '°^ '^' °"Si"al December (.8,0) was ^0^. "'"^' '" ">« '"°'>th of day-time ; LatlZt the snoV V°^^^ °' ^"^"^ « 'he Owl also joined thchte ZT"'"\'""^ '"" ''"" ^™. ">« sinister puUe by recetw the ""\°"' '*'''"'='' fr"™ his only for th^e "or^ S ^.f^V^n 1''^ ^" ^ "''^'' nest they still keep together for m . . ^°""8 '^^"^ 'he the high, shaded branches of there, T""'\ '"" "^"^ "^ ably been hatched. On beinJ In I'T '^ey have proo- they utter a hissing call audiWef'^'^""'';''' ''^ "'<= P^'^"'^. to Audubon, when' ^t n pSitvTh ^''""- ^^^"^'"^ in catching mice Their fl«K?^ ^ P™""^ ^^"y "scful Louisiana, fnd co^^sidlleTasTairtat. "'^" '' ''' "^^ °' «gSi^s"^?'rs:^fh*\r r^"'^ '-'--'o- peared in " The Auk " for AprU Ts^ tL ^^' ''?" Published, ap- kept a pair for several year^ and^' J'l! ^T"'"' "'• F^ank Belles, wmg, was reduced .0 such ^^.^"etion that m/'b'u""^ ''™''^" "» to make use of it i„ hunting for °,h„ V ^" °"" "^ «"»bled 73 BIRDS OF PREY. SAW-WHET OWL. ACADIAN OWL. NVCTALA ACADICA. Cbar. Above, dark grayish brown spotted with white ; below, white, spotted with reddish brown ; tail short, with three narrow bands of white spots. Young almost solid brown of reddish tint, and face with white markings. Length 7X '° ^H inches. Mil. A hole in a tree (often in a hole that has been deserted bjr Wood- peckers), lined with feathers. ^i?'* 3*^ (usually 4); white; 1.20 X i.oo. This very small species is believed to be an inhabitant of the northern regions of both continents, from which in Europe it seldom wanders, being even very rsire in the North of Germany. In the United States it is not uncommon as far to the south as Pennsylvania and New Jersey, where it is resident, having ap- parently a predilection for the sea-coast, living and nesting in the pine-trees or in the clefts of rocks, and laying 4 or 5 white eggs. It is generally nocturnal ; and if accidentally abroad by day, it flies quickly to some shelter from the light. It is very solitary in its habits, living wholly in the evergreen forests, and coming out only towards night or early in the morning in search of mice, beetles, moths, and grasshoppers. The note of this species is very different from that of the Sirix passerina, or Little Owl, to which it is nearly related. This latter kind has a reiterated cry, when flying, like poopod poopoi. Another note, which it utters sitting, appears so much like the human voice calling olit aimi, hemi, edmi, that accord- ing to BuflTon, it deceived one of his servants, who lodged in one of the old turrets of the castle of Montbard ; and waking him up at three o'clock in the morning, with this singular cry, he opened the window and called out, " Who 's there below ? My name is not Edme, but Peter ! " The Saw-whet — called so from its note, which resembles the filing of a saw — breeds from the Middle States northward to about latitude 50°, but is not an abundant bird anywhere. RICHARDSON'S OWL. SPARROW OWL. NyCTALA TENGMALMI RICHARDSON!. wh... but with U. wh;;^rh^;r„d'«cV''°Un«b'r''" '.° "■' «" ^w'. In a tree ; of gr«, a„d leaves ^ ' "" " '"'^'^ ■««-'• J-4; white; 1.35x1.15. when s'uS Ld ly ratleaT^ ^° ^^^ *'' '-P«= Its nocturnal «y consist of » !^ '^^'^']y =»"8ht by the hand. at the long inteL" IVt't To ""h"^ "°'^ '^P^«^«' superstitious practices of thTl^H [ ^'^ " '^ ""'^ °f «he it; and if the'^Mrd remaint siw""r° v'^'"' "'■^° '"^^ ''^^ 'enge, the speedy dearhof. hi '*"' interrogatory chal- 74 BIRDS OF PREY. 2 eggs in the month of May. It feeds on mice and beetles. It probably inhabits all the forests of the fur countries from {'■reat Slave Lake to the United States. On the banks of the Saskatchewan it is so common that its voice is heard almost every night by the traveller wherever he may select his camp. It inhabits the woods along the streams of the Rocky Moun- tains down to the Oregon, and betrays but little suspicion when approached, Richardson's Owl is usually a rare winter visitor to the Maritime Provinces ; but Mr. C. B. Cory found it common and breeding on the Magdalene Islands, and a few examples have been taken in New Brunswick in summer. It is common on the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, though rare near the city of Queljec; it occurs sparingly in winter along the northern border of New England and in southern Onta- rio, and occasionally straggles to Massachusetts and Connecticut. Thompson reports it common in Manitoba, and it is found through, out the fur country. Mr. Nelson reports these birds breeding in northern Alaska, where they occupy the deserted nests of other birds — usually on bushes. Dr. Merriam, on the authority of Mr. Comeau, of Point de Monts, describes the cry of this Owl as " a low liquid note that resembles the sound produced by water slowly dropping from a height." BARN OWL. Strix pratincola. Cha«. Colors extremely variahl^ ai b"fch w,.h dark ,po«; face wh e tf.^lJ'^ k** *'"' """'^ ' •''""'h, "'^r tt"'^' .^"."..it^sr"-'" '-- o'^" o"'» 2? ^i*-^- 3->« ; white ; ,.75 x ''^^^ '"'«" ""^ «"eir distraction, boy. to se, np . shout"^ J foCte ^1 °.' ^k"*'"^"' ''"^ deafened and stunned as at timi n ^' ^^° '^°™" «> • thus become an easy ly to hl^ '^ *" *■»" ^'^> ^^ ability of such, an eff^TUl t ^"'""°"' ^"^ '"' P™'^ sider the delicW and maStude „^,K 'P'T* *•"="> *' ™»- this biM, the u^ 7wS ?lh,W ' '""^"°'^ "PP^'^'"' 0' the othenHse silent repeat 7the^' " "'""^"^ '° <^'^°ver captive, according toluffon thJ h "^P"''■ ^'■*" '^''«> Of lil^rty.and pe^iltuJ'rS LSe^ '"""XT'' '"^ '- ent from that of the youne ReH n i i" ''^^" "^"y '''«""■ feed from my hand.'Ld\^^ d°':^^edS: f^f 'r^' »° -.-..whenanyatXr.-artotr;-^^^ groSrS^LtcrcS;^" ""^^.""^^ ^"^' «'»-'' 'Heir downy as almost entireir o r s mbl 'T Tf """' '""^ Hudson's Bay a large Owl reJ^Kr ,. '^°*^" P""^" At .M*£;X';,~;ffl2'.X%' ";■"" '"- •«■ examples have been takenTr ^ ^'"'"' Carolina. A few -'. Mcnwraith re;:i^tatr "SlU'^tS^"^ ^^ FLORIDA BURROWING OWL. SpEOTYTO CUNICULARU FLORIDANA. Char. Above, grayish brown spotted and barred with whif ; below pale huffish barred with brown; a patch of white on the breast; lees lona and slender, and covered with buffish bristles. Length about ,o inches. JVti>. At the end of a burrow in the ground, lined with xrasa and feathers. £gfs. 4-10; white, varying in shape, usually nearly round; i.2< This variety, which is found in Florida only, is smaller and lighter- colored than is the well-known bird of the prairies. In habits the two differ little, the Florida birds living in communities, —sometimes several pairs in one burrow, — and feeding on mice and small birds The tales related of Burrowing Owls and rattlesnakes occupying the same burrow are "hunter's tales," and lack confirmition. Note. — The Western form of the BuRRowmc Owl (S.cuni- cularia hypogaa, has been taken in Massachusetts; but its occur- rence to the eastward of the Great Plains is accidental. MEADOWLARK. FIELD LARK. SrURNELLA MAGNA. lie mUd aM,.M ot iLdS .,2 ,k " °' ""«™' » 8o SINGING BIRDS. I Florida ; M that in tome degree, like the Jajn and the legiti- mate Starlings, they partially migrate in queit of food during the leverity of the weather in the colder Sutes. It it not, how- ever, improbable bat that auM of the migrating familiet of these birds, which we find at this season, have merely travelled east- -^rd from the cold Western pbuns that are annually covered wicn snow. They are now seen in considerable numbers in and ijund the salt-marshes, roving about in flocks of ten to thirty or more, seeking the shelter of the sea-coast, though not in such dense flocks as the true Starlings ; these, in the manner of our common Blackbirds, assemble in winier like dark clouds, moving as one body, and when about to descend, perform pio-' gressive circular evolutions in the air Uke a phalanx in the order of battle; and when setUed, blacken the earth with their numbers, as well as stun the ears with their chatter. Like Crows also, they seek the shelter of reed-marshes to pass the night, and in the day take the benefit of every sunny and shel- tered covert. Our Starling, like the American Quail, is sociable, and some- what gregarious; and though many, no doubt, wander some distance after food, yet a few, in Pennsylvania as well as in this rigorous climate, may be seen in the market after the ground IS covered with snow. Wilson even observed them in the month of February, during a deep snow, among the heights of the AUeghanies, gleaning their scanty pittance on the road, in company with the small Snow Birds. The flesh of our bird is white, and for size and delicacy it is considered little inferior to the Partridge ; but that of the Euro- pean species is black and bitter. ■Die flight of these Larks is laborious and steady, like that of the Quail, with the action of the wings renewed at short in- tervals. They often alight on trees, and select usually the main branches or topmost twigs on which to perch, though their food IS commonly coUected frori the ground. At various times of the day, and nearly through the winter, in the milder States their very peculiar lisping, long, and rather melancholy note is heard at short intervals; and without the variations, which are inn 4 Bobolink. J c e ii li 81 Wl nc toi lis] is «Pi un{ faci U V Eng with gtt (, aflbn Ac jealoi which ternit; recepi wiiy J usually ivithen path is only to The blue, all marked merous darker | often ra VOL. MEADOW LARK. tt not inconiidenble h*._ »be w, or d«cend., .f ,^1 ' ! " I*"' J the female d» „ wmged BlackbW. i We Hk. 1 "" '^' "^ "" female Red not" much more muii^lS ,':;r "■"" "-" '"«« «« ^ E/L"" ""^ ^^ ' «^t iZ by '„r ""^ "»''■« "" fine JPpean indeed '^Zl^rj-^J^ T ■'' °"' ^^^ ^." ""hrn ha hearing, and repeat »h^ i ""^ """^ 'an«ua« i^*""/. /««V^/«,/. P"™P'>'«e»; wthat<''/«f *. L uo r.^iT" ,1° d o ' r"^ "' '"' "'"^ ^^™"°n. solitude seem To stiZhtT ^IV '"'^ *^' '*'>^ti°'>» °f termmating plaintively ^V^ /'T! ' '''^ *"^' and off very slenderly in th'e la^^longLl;'^' wh' f- "'" ''"""« ».m.tat.on from the Cardinal'^eak a^H ,." """"'""^ nved from the Crested Titmouse who' .t u "'''"''■ heard m concert as they passed ,r.. . ^ ^''^ "■^'^""^y Another interrogatory s^inwhf.KrT^ "'^ warmer States, of .830 was precisely 'SL» ' > """ ^''' '" ""^ ^P^ng oft repeated. ' Another m^^lf ;T;1f .^'^ ""ry -■> '°"d and A>S^.O', "'^'A'/r/i'n^.-notesconieH r °u '""^ ''^^' ^''^'■^ of the Carolina W^' (ako hearS o v ™ ""' "'""^"""'"^^ '^ted to suit the fancyVoIr ocl '^ ^T^T^' !"" '"°'^"- «>ngs, but less agreeably than th. , ^ '^""^'^ "''**ise abundant opportunity of o'e"i\ °"; "''^'^ ' ''" «'eaving her complicated nest ev^'J T^ '" ""^ '°" °f from the drudgery in which she ^ "?T ""* '^^°' ^ ^ ™«ef sort of quen,Io's^and rt^her pla^tlf ? "T'' ™°^' '" ^ couth syllables, ■.. •,., iZ^^ZjT' f^ """««' """ and vaulting, which I have litt e Z,h! "^' '"""^^ '°"<1 discordant notes of some SuthT ^"' "" '™"""°° °^ 'he days she continued ,hTs"atLr'° ''"^- ^°^ ■"-"/ T..e male, also while s^e "g Ms Sn tie °'" '"' ^"™''°" -ate, or while they are b^th a tenH '^""^ ''"^'"' ''"'^ brood, calls frequently i^W Wend,"' T ""' """^''S^'' Indeed, all the individual of rither^ "^"P"' ''^'"'- '^'"■ to adhere for weeks to th. . '"' ^PP'" pertinaciously i>ave accidentalircolleeted ''"''"' ''^"'""^'' ""-" thej happening, very unusu:;i^\:"; "^ ^^^'^^ ^^^^^ • The i„, ph«« ,„„d, H ' *"' "harmonious 86 SINGING BIRDS. apd bold whistle struck upon the ear of a Baltimore with great delight ; and from that moment his ordinary notes were laid aside for 'wot/, 'woil, feu, and other phrases previously foreign to him for that season. I have likewise heard another individ- ual exactly imitating the soft and somewhat plaintive v'tlyu, I'ltyiu of the same bird, and in the next breath the peit, or call of Wilson's Thrush ; also at times the earnest song of the Robin. Indeed his variations and imitations have sometimes led me to believe that I heard several new and melodious birds, and I was only undeceived when I beheld his brilliant livery. So various, in fact, are the individual phrases chanted by this restless and lively bird that it is scarcely possible to fix on any characteristic notes by which he may be recognized ; his singular, loud, and almost plaintive tone, and a fondness for harping long on the same string, are perhaps more peculiar than any particular syllables which he may be heard to utter. When alarmed or offended at being too closely watched or approached, both male and female utter an angry, rattling tsher ish'r, or hiss, tsh' /sh' tsk' 'tsh. The beautiful Baltimore bird is only one of the tribe of true Jcleri, which, except the present and two following species, remain within the tropical regions, or only migrate to short distances in the rainy season. Ours wing their way even into Canada as far as the 5 5 th degree, and breed in every intermediate region to the table-land of Mexico. A yellow Brazilian species of the section of this genus, called cassicus, according to Waterton inhabits also Demerara, where, like our bird, he familiarly weaves his pendulous nest near the planter's house, suspending it from the drooping branches of trees, and so low that it may be readily looked into even by the incu- rious. Omnivorous Hke the Starling, he feeds equally on insects, fruits, and seeds. He is called the Mocking Bird, and for r.oms together, in gratitude as it were for protection, he serenades the inhabitants with his imitative notes. His own song, though short, is sweet and melodious. But hearing perhaps the yelp- ing of the Toucan, he drops his native strain to imitate it, or place it in ridicule by contrast. Again, he gives the cackling BALTIMORE ORIOLE cries of the Woodpecker ,h. M ^^ '"at the mimicking talent of .? , ^ '"™- H^nce we «e of five to seven inches ,; de'l ,' '1,""'°"' ^y''"^™ Pouch "-e extremities of the hi^h H ^^''^ ^"^Pended from near - ">e e,m, the pear o: apj t' tTZ T "" °^ '-s (s"uch' natural strings of the flaf jf the siil IZ" '' «™'^ ^-'el! «;* " ''°"' ^"'ficial threads, round tl' °' ''''™P-''°'rhock corresponding to the intended 1T "',T' ^°^''^<1 'wigs »^"h the same materials, wilW dol '"'' '^'P"' °^ '^e neft l"!e^' brings, thread, seX^^t ' °' '"^ ""=''^«"'al ravel- y^ near the „eighb;>ri„ghous'or; ^T'' '"^^ ""^^ bl t mterweaves and fabricates a C oT" "' ^"'"'^ °f ''-s, form mtended, towards the bottom r "T' '='""' '"'<> 'he «al nest, made chiefly of hnt J^ "^'' '^ P'^c^'l 'he ^metimes. i„ defect of hair lin ^ f*"'' '""'^^ ^^ cow hair Of Jender strips of sloth L\' k^ ■"'f " -'"> a mi^ feathers, the whole being of a ^ ^. '^ "^'^ '^''h a few -noreorless attached to fhe exte ""f"^'"""' ''"'^''ncss, and 'he leaves, as they grow out T P°"'=''- Over the too canopy, defending'^hfln.fr "I' ""''^« -"d agreeabfe' ~mes a con'side Jb "'diic; "" '"' "^ ^"- - of labor, anri\r;U:-°''e equally ^^^l^ -ole without any assistancTandthfr ''"""^ P^'^"™ he '•bo-u.task„ear,ywithout£dtfhr;:„tr°"'f''' '■'■•' "i Who, hove- 88 SINGING BIRDS. ever, in general, .. . principal worker. I have observed a nest made almost wholly of tow, which was laid out for the convenience of a male bird, who with this aid completed his labor in a very short time, and frequently sang in a very ludi- crous manner while his mouth was loaded with a mass larger than his head. So eager are these birds to obtain fibrous ma- terials that they will readily tug at and even untie hard knots made of tow. In Audubon's magnificent plates a nest is rep- resented as formed outwardly of the long-moss; where this abounds, of course, the labor of obtaining materials must be greatly abridged. The author likewise remarks that the whole fabric consists almost entirely of this material, loosely inter- woven, without any warm lining, — a labor which our ingenious artist seems aware would be superfluous in the warm forests of the lower Mississippi. A female, which I observed attentively, carried off to her nest a piece of )amp-wick ten or twelve feet long. This long string, and many other shorter ones, were left hanging out for i bout a week before both the ends were wat- tled into the sides of the nes*. Some other little birds, making use of similar materials, at times twitched these flowing ends, and generally brought out the busy Baltimore from her occupa- tion in great anger. The haste and eagerness of one of these airy architects, which I accidentally obseived on the banks of the Susque- hanna, appeared likely to prove fatal to a busy female who, in weaving, got a loop round her neck ; and no sooner was she disengaged from this snare than it was slipped round her feet, and thus held her fast beyond the power of escape ! The male came frequently to the scene, now changed from that of joy and hope into despair, but seemed wholly incapable of com- prehending or relieving the distress of his mate. In a second instance I have been told that a female has been observed dead in the like predicament. The eggs of this species are usually four or five, white, with a faint, indistinct tint of bluish, and marked, chiefly at the greater end, though sometimes scatteringly, with stragghng, serpentine, dark-brown lines and spots, and fainter hair streaks, BALTIMORE ORIOLE. - looking sometimes almost lit, „,, u ■ only, and without the s^l'''-^ "J J'-' -d occasion.,,, ^ '^« days. In LouisiL, accordinrr^ °/mcubation is four- quentIyraisetwobn>odsi,^thT^I * ° '^'"*"'>°°' ">ey fre- -th the opening o^^e :1\^Z''' T"' '" »^' ™"«^ «ngle brood, whose Iohr and Th*' "' '^'^ ™» but a cradle absorbs their whde aueSn"' T'^" '" "■^■' '"^y Penod they seem, as it were n ' T*^ " "''^ interesting and educate their you "g The fij,? T'' '" P'°'*«. cherish 'nfant brood utter while yet in th, «'""^ '^'5' which the take wing, as well as for som days ir ' '^t "''"'^ """' «° clamorous as the parents anB^T k .l '*''' *'''='' becomes I ^'- acquire the scoW ^gTa" e ' d V ''^- ^"^^ -> i probably hear around them such "°'" "^"^ '^ey spotted Sandpiper, and o,h"n a„d To.^"'^'"' "^^ '^ °' ^' ously fed and guarded by thdr ve J Tl '°""'"" '° "^ '^'<'- parents. Unfortunately, ^th,seomrLr.'''' ""'^ '^''^oted the airy nest from the Lredatbns If '''"" '° """« othe, animals which frequ nttee, in "'""'°"' '"""''^y^. "nd '^ also occasionally attended w^h J " ""''^ ^"'"''tes, young escape before obtainTnglt perfe?"''^"''' ""» '"e* They chng, however, with weat f! "'" °^ "'''' "^ngs. neighboring twigs; ;et so,nS T"'^ ''"''' '° the nest or 'f not kUled on the pot "ton '''^^ ^^" »° 'he ground, and enemies. On such occ^as bnH ^TX f "''' '° """"^rou and wailing cries of the parents An^T '° ^'" ""= P'^'-"^ he generous and brilliant male th Z " ''"' ''"«^' o^^rs. ou^ of the two. steps in to save his br^H ""'' "'^ ''« l^™' have known one so boldTn !v k^'^ ^' "'='>' ^a^^d ; and himself to be killed, by a '« ^°'"''=''' '^'''"'^^ «» to uffer 'han desert his offsp^ ' ZlZTl ''f ' ''^^' «"'" ;hen the fell cat has devoted he 'h'T ''''' '"'^'"°«"«. or Jay the disconsolate parlntJ ''"'P'"'' brood, day after rhey almost forget 1 eTamidnrH'° •"""" '''-'- =>? the unhappy neighborhood „ h. u ''"''• '"^ ^^'" '''^v- -intervals, to visit an^llrovtrrs^J-:?; 90 SINGING BIRDS. spell-bound by despair. If the seaion be not too far advanced, the loss of their eggs is generally soon repaired by constructing a second nest, in which, however, the eggs are fewer. The true Oriole (O. galiula) , yi\ac\i migrates into Africa, and passes the breeding season in the centre of Europe, also makes a pendulous nest, and displays great courage in the de- fence of its young, being so attached to its progeny that the female has been taken and conveyed to a cage on her eggs, on which, with resolute and fatal instinct, she remained faithfully sitting until she expired. The Baltimore bird, though naturally shy and suspicious, probably for greater security from more dangerous enemies, generally chooses for the nest the largest and tallest spreading trees near farm-houses, and along frequented lanes and roads ; and trusting to the inaccessibleness of its ingenious mansion, it works fearlessly and scarcely studies concealment. But as soon as the young are hatched, here, towards the close of June, the whole family begin to leave the immediate neighbor- hood of their cares, flit through the woods, — a shy, roving, and nearly silent train ; and when ready for the distant journey be- fore them, about the end of August or beginning of September, the whole at once disappear, and probably arrive, as with us, amidst the forests of South America in a scattered flock, and continue, like Starlings, to pass the winter in celibacy, wholly engaged in gleaning a quiet subsistence until the return of spring. Then, incited by instinct to prepare for a more pow- erful passion, they again wing their way to the regions of the north, where, but for this wonderful instinct of migration, the whole race would perish in a single season. As the sexes usually arrive in different flocks, it is evident that the conjugal tie ceases at the period of migration, and the choice of mates is renewed with the season ; during which the males, and sometimes also the females, carry on their jealous disputes with much obstinacy. That our Oriole is not familiar with us, independent of the all-powerful natural impulse which he obeys, is sufficiently obvious when he nests in the woods. Two of these solitary BALTIMORE ORIOLE. wholly out of sight rtfh ^ "^ imtahle until ^i J/ ;- ci.,.a„, pot'- JJ "'/r;:? ;^-^ '-'' °^- pop - rees wh,ch decorate ,he Jee^and /h'"'"'' '"''■^' '■™™ ^he "le passing crowd and th- / , K.irdens, ;.n-.i,! ,i,. ,,:„ ° -^'y and during .he day a S h« """"'""'"^"^^o™-' "^ght and continuous. " ""^^ P"^=«^d high, and fly Jne food of the Kilii™ --.in,esthose;?t'";;,rr"''^^"''^""'^'p'"-.- of bee,, i„,.„^_ ^nd s'nfa 1 fl es 7,!''""' ""-"'"«"' kind. Occasionally I have seen an Jv , , ^ "P'^'^'" °<" cynips '•■-jdes of sandy and ^avelirrS^' ^""-''"g ^^^^^^^^^^^^ usually with soft caterpma^s ;'h™h I' ' '''^ "'^'^ y°'"^8 on arriving at the nest; and Tn t ^^ '"■'"°''' ""^^ -J'^We assiduously unite. ThJy seldl t, "''""">' '°" b°'h Lfs gardens, except a few^re'ieT and ?/ "''''^ ^"-'''ofour -"ost harmless, useful, beau ful an^ '"""^"'"' ""d "e the ^ountty. They are, howeve 1' '"'^/°"""°n birds of he Panying .heir young to ThT^J""';'* °^ ^^etimes accom! Jh'le small and green; and bel"'^ '' "^'"^ """^ devour damage they commit is at times '„h!^ '^""'^ 8'^8"-"». the y are seen in cages, b ."rchfetfe;''''" °<^^-°-"r «eal and water; they appeL aL / /" '°'^''' ^"'"^' °' berries, currants, rai4s,'and £ t. ,k°' •^''^"'^'' «'^- onsiderthem,liketheC;ssica„s,^;,^° .''« "^ "-"y J"^tly hough ,n a less degree. They inf w "^'' "^ °"""vorous, finement or domestication and hero """'" ""^'^ '» «»- ^H friendly, even going ,n a„H ? / ^^'^ ''°'="«. P'ayful "™- alighting at f wTis e on th^e hand*^ I?""^^' ^"^ -- rhe young for a while require to Z fL""^ "' '^'" P"«««or. '"d the most suitable appears to ^ /."" '"'™^' ^°°^ alone » "-milk. In this w'; hey ma "h "'""'^ "'^«' ^^"^ -■» the firs, hatching; but afthrL! '""^ "'^^^ «"-o« this time vegetable substances 9a SINGING BIRDS. appear to afford them no kind of nutrition, and at aP times they will thrive better if indulged with a little animal food or in«ects, as well aa hard-boiled eggs. The rammer range of this beautiful bird in the fur countries extends to the 55 th degree of latitudt, arriving on the plains of the Saskatchewan, according to Richardson, about the lolh of May, or nearly as early as their arrival in Mas'-chusetts. Those which thus visit the wilds of Canada in all probability proceed at once from Mexico, or ascend the great valley ot the Mississippi and Missouri. I have had a male bird in a state of domestication raised from the nest very readily on fresh minced meat soaked in milk. When established, his principal food was scalded Indian corn- meal, on which he fed contentedly, but was also fond of sweet cakes, insects of all descriptions, and nearly every kind of fruit. In short, he ate everything he would in a sUte of nature, and did not refuse to taste and eat of everything but the condi- ments which enter into the multifarious diet of the human species: he was literally omnivorous. No bird could become more tame, allowing himself to be handled with patient indifference, and sometimes with play- fulness. The singular mechanical application of his bill was remarkable, and explains at once the ingenious art employed by the species ir. weaving their nest. If the folded hand was presented to our familiar Oriole, he endeavored to open it by inserting his pointed and straight bill betwixt the closed fingers, and then by pressing open the bill with great muscular force, in the manner of an opening pair of compasses, he contrived, if the force was not great, to open the hand and examine its contents. If brought to the face he did the same witH the mouth, and would try hard to open the closed teeth. In this way, by pressing open any yielding interstice, he could readily insert the threads of his nest, and pass them through an infinity of openings, so as to form the ingenious net- work or basis of his suspensory and procreant cradle. This is a familiar bird throughout the greater part of this faunal province north to the southern portions of Ontario and Quebec, ORCHARD ORIOLE. .p~i.. i. between the .-tern b^ ", ,he u ""' ''»'"?« <>' «•>!» coast. "* " '"* Rockiei and the Pacific ORCHARD ORIOLE. Icterus spuiuus. wini. du.ky brown »,'h j wW.rtV/ ,1"' u°"™"'"'"'"8tobrow„j (...her. or o.L^, ZTrUlui.":!'':- '"" '"""' '"" ""«• •'"■ fork, of .mail ,wig.. ,"" ofte„ .„ 1,^1 ' T" """"^ '"PP"""' '" "« (.on, the ground j;d„;.':r.„do;teth'- "'""^ "»- '" <-' »5S'w?;;?,ra"d'Ltrtx"t'""' " «'«" ''"'•'"'^"■"'y X^ JrSrr Tc ^-^" -" - - -" -eorM.„e. There^^ttLtrera:^"-",- 94 SINOINr, BIRDS. northern migrationa, like thoM of the Riltimore bird, are per- formed by dny, and that the males arrive a week or ten d:iy ! sooner than their mates. They appear to affect the clevatetl and airy regions of the Alleghany mountains, where they are much more numerous than the Kaltimore. The Orchard Oriole is an exceedingly active, sprightly, and restless bird ; in the same instant almost, he is on the ground after some fallen insect, fluttering amidst the foliage of the trees, prying and springing after his lurking prey, or flying and tuning his lively notes in a manner so hurried, rapid, and seemingly confused that the ear is scarce able to thread out the shrill and lively tones of his agitated ditty. Between these hurried attempts he also gives others, which are distinct ami agreeable, and not imlike the sweet warble of the Red-Breastiil Grosbeak, though more brief and less varied. In choosing the situation of his nest he is equally familiar with the BaltimorL' Oriole, and seems to enjoy the general society of his speriis, suspending his most ingenious and pensile fabric from the bending twig of the apple-tree, whinh, like the nest of llie other, is constructed in the form of a pouch from three to fi\ ■■ inches in depth, according to the strength or (luxibillty of the tree on which he labors ; so that in a weeping-willow, accordinn to Wilson, the nest is one or two inches deeper than if in an apple-tree, to obviate the danger of throwing out the eggs ami young by the sweep of the long, pendulous branches. It is likewise slighter, as the crowding leaves of that tree aflbnl a natural shelter of considerable thickness. That economy of this kind should be studied by the Orchard Oriole will scarcely surprise so much as the laborious ingenuity and beautiful tissue of its nest. It is made exteriorly of a fine woven mat of long, tough, and flexible grass, as if darned with a needle. The form is hemispherical, and the inside is lined with downy substances, — sometimes the wool of the seeds of the Button- wood, — forming thus a commodious and soft bed for the young. This precaution of a warm lining, as in the preceding species, is, according to Audubon, dispensed with in the warm climate of Louisiana. The eggs are 4 or 5, of a very pale bluish ORCHARD ORIOLE. •hoy Income -.uaJified ^ T JL iJl ""\ ' ° '"^ '"'"" ;;• T. -e generally .ecn -bllJXTlt Wd";:"? { ""' I'rLviously to their drmrtMr. .k . "°'* °'^ J""''- ">eir parenl, becL,T^ ' '^""«' ''"'"8 the care of Sourh frequen.tKT'i°l'h ? '.° °' "?*"''».-«" the e-ejd^/,H:'irb;:„rwiirurr'''"'' '""'"''' irom the nest hnt ,l„- . " '"'■■'" ^'"y «o raise 'hey prol^b y X "°' "'^ "" «"'^' "'^> -re fed though in cage,, being fed on le an^ d ' 7 ?* u"'"' «""' ""^""'» procured. Their ordinirn . -^ " *'"'" *''"'' ^'"'"ot be insects, of w ,S they dll: ' " ""^''"' " "''"^'"'^ '">'' of the season .hey i/ewteTeed^on """'l'"- '" '"^ '°""« -d berries ; but .hei depredatln onT'r "" °/ ^"'^^ '■"'"' "e veiy unimportant. '^ ''"""'"' °» ">« f""t» of the orchard ■'""Parineljin Alassachusett, and , "Lu*'''^- " '^'=''" "Sul^Iy l.'I'en in Maine and New Tulwick I."k ""'"ri"-""" ha. been^ '.uf State., and in winter range, nto cl ^","i' '"""'*"«' '» 'he Mr. Cliapman descrilw. .hf • S ""*' America. -I. and 'iexii.e." rnd X"i::'",.°/if ',°"°'« " "— ali, pression." ' "* ""» " wth rare ikilJ and « ■ RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. ACELAIVS PHCENICEUS. Chak. Male: black; lesser wing-coverts vermilion, bordered with buff. Female : above, blackish brown streaked with paler and grayish ; lower parts dusky white streaked with reddish brown ; sometimes wing- coverts have a reddish tinge. Young like female, but colors deeper. Length j}i to to inches. JVett. In a tuft of grass or on a bush ; composed of grass, leaves, and mud, lined with soft grass, Egp. j-5 J color varies from bluish white to greenish blue, blotched, streaked, and spotted with lilac and dark brown; size variable, average about I.OO X -90. The Red- Winged Troopial in summer inhabits the whole of North America from Nova Scotia to Mexico, and is found in the interior from the 53d degree across the whole continent to the shores of the Pacific and along the coast as far as Cali- fornia. They are migratory north of Maryland, but pass the winter and summer in great numbers in all the Southern States, frequenting chiefly the settlements and rice and com fields ; towards the sea-coast, where they move about like blackening clouds, rising suddenly at times with a noise like thunder, and exhibiting amidst the broad shadows of their iimereal plumage the bright flashing of the vermilion with which their wings are so singularly decorated. After whirling and waving a little distance like the Starling, they descend as a torrent, and, dark- RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. 97 ?nmg the branches of the tree, h u • ^' raiies. fhis nius c seems tn h- , °' ""ore than twn '"th their peculiar ion^-Z^.^^flZ,^ ^°'' °^ ""= Bobolink compUining chirps. ja« a^n " , ""^ '"''' ""« «" /« • then -'■on ofa si^l:jronT^tJ'' r"""*^' ^ ^ t"W a novel and sometimesTrJnH *!' "'' *''°'* constitu- hannony, i„ „hich the p^rfo^f' " , ' °' '^'^°«' »d bnstle up their feathenTncleH ". T ^ "™«'' ""^ quantity what their show of m„ ° ,"' ''"'' '° "ake in in When their food beZ tor ."'^ 1''='' '" ""^"'r- -■«> .the Purple GrakI fTei°f,t1,ir/'' ''^"'' '^''^ assemble »d in the bam-yards. S' and '^ ""'""'^ *= com-cribs ""/ tney seem to telipvr »;,•; * ' '"*y wire chatter, and being the k^nL'^Z '"".'"'" '°" ^y Wendly f-'Kot in the instant, and T^l h T"^' "'''^ '"^""^ "e acquaintances in spile of tleir prelt " ^'"'"« ♦''^« ^ °M "■>g their accustomed resort ^^ef ■\P"P««^ife. Selec- •^sound again with their note"' Z'ST- '"« "^ "eadows evenmg before retiring ,o ' ' T "'^ ■" the morning and -ttling themselves for' the nglT'^fd tf""'^ "'^-^ "° day, they seem all ,o join inTg LTJ .h "' "^"'"8 « 'he H tones, which would be ve,^ a^' t^°? °^ ''>''» '^^b- -Pt-on of the plaints and ZZnTTf ""' '°' *«= «'«- Wended. They continue to feed In" '^"' ^'"^h *» « «d by slow streams and ponds ,,I T ^f""'' '" '^^'P' :f',:^-»''^^begintoseparat Spat"?' " ='°- '^ ver, they appear to be partly doIvL™ ,.f°'netimes, how- '' Cow Troopials; as amS'a ^ZT2 '^ """■' '=°"='« VOL. I. _ 7 " """"^r Of females engaged in 9S SINGING BIRDS. incubation, but few of the other sex appear associated with them ; and as amoqg the Bobolinks, sometimes two or three of the males may be seen in chase of an ind'idual of the other sex, but without making any contest or show of jealous feud with each other, as a concubinage rather than any regular ' mating seems to prevail among the species. Assembled again in their native marshes, the male perched, upon the summit of some bush surrounded by water, in com- pany with his mates, now sings out, at short intervals, his guttural kong-qiOr-ree, sharply calls ftshiah, or when disturbed, plaintively utters 'ttshay; to which his companions, not insen- sible to these odd attentions, now and then return a gratulatory cackle or reiterated chirp, like that of the native Meadow Lark. As a pleasant and novel, though not unusual, accompa- niment, perhaps the great bull-frog elevates his green head and brassy eyes from the staghant pool, and calls out in a loud and echoing bellow, 'vi'rroo, 'warroo, 'worrirroo, 'boaroo, which is again answered, or, as it were, merely varied by the creaking or cackling voice of his feathered neighbors. This curious concert, uttered as it were from the still and sable waters of the Styx, is at once both ludicrous and solemn. About the end of April or early in May, in the middle and northern parts of the Union, the Red- Winged Blackbirds com- mence constructing their nests. The situation made choice of is generally in some marsh, swamp, or wet meadow, abounding with alder (Alnus) or button-bushes ( Cephalanthus) ; in these, commonly at the height of five to seven feet from the ground, or sometimes in a detached bush or tussock of rank grass in the meadow, the nest is formed. Outwardly it is composed of a considerable quantity of the long dry leaves of sedge-grass (Carex), or other kinds collected in wet situations, and occa- sionally the slender leaves of the flag (/w) carried round all the adjoining twigs of the bush by way of support or suspen- sion, and sometimes blended with strips of the lint of the swamp Asclepias, or silk-weed- (Asckfias incamata). The whole of this exterior structure is also twisted in and out, and carried in loops from one side of the nest to the other, pretty KED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. much in the manner of th. n ■ , * -d handsome material,. "rhe'S S "f' "' '"« «"'•"« "ell as the bottom, are th,n «n ^^ """"hces that remain as «-« «>o.s, fib.«u3'p«t o" S 'd ■" '^"' ""'" -«^. »^ «out and «,b,tantii thoueh ' **." '° '■°"»' ''he^ dnTa 7^" iined with fine dry s2 or"""''*' '''^"' ">« '"'<"el'^ (^0^). Whenthe^esttlnlfZ.r""'^"''"^--^''- adjoming stalks of herbage but T^^' " " *^ "«<• «o the ^^on of fi«ty is uTa^id^' The °" "' ^^"""^ '^'^ P- wh'te, twged with blue, marked Ju\ ''^ ""^ fr°« 3 to c female ,s sitting, or when the yolf ^PP'°«hed while the '^ a«= made by both j^e^Tw T '*''''''' '"""^ ^™» of Restless male, who flies Hfett 1 '' P'^<^l«ly by the bnngs together the whole sympatLil. """' ""^ 8«'"l'y "^hose nests sometimes are^ZTf '^^^ °^^ fc"°n^ The female cries ^uraA, i?'° ' f^ ^"^' "^ «ch other chie they dreaded is accompSed .hi .'T' "^"^ '^ -»"- to others which are more stu .1 '°'"''^' °o«« Pve way 'Wch resembles /•«< /""/"*'"' ''°"'' ^^ mournful; one^f ^^-^ taken or dest„,;;d 'ie p^^ T/'''"''- ^'^ "^e young or several days; but ^ .rfo^ 7tr"'" ''°'' '^'j^'^^ they .gam commence building usuaV '" S'"*""''^ habit n>eadow or swamp with the r ITI^'' """r "''"■ ■" 'he same J-iy and August the young bwf„ '" '"" ''"^ P« of hepn to fly in flocks and reLsfthems!/''*'"""'* *^' ''-^-> dence on their parents, who^c Je'uot'^K'?''"'^ '"""" ''^P*^"- ^o^ie^Srio t?^^^^^^^^ "•- «-^. ^r their 'h-ch is now , ftvorite reS td T '° '"' ""ripe'com, 'h-rhng and driving over thVd™ ^'^"f '"'""''»^' ^^» «-o darken the air ^ththrrbr.^---S 100 SINGING BIRDS. ■ at this time made among them by the gun and the Hawks pro- duces but little effect upon the remainder, who continue fear- lessly, and in spite of all opposition, from morning to night to ravage the cornfields while anything almost remains to be eaten. The farms near the sea-coast, or aBuvial situations, however, are their favorite haunts; and towards the close of September, the com becoming hard, it is at length rejected for the seeds of the wild rice (Zttania aquaiica) and other aquatic plants, which now begin to ripen, and afford a more harmless and cheap repast to these dauntless marauders. At this time, also, they begin to roost in the reeds, whither they repair in large flocks every evening from all the neighboring quarters of the country ; upon these they perch or cling, so as to obtain a support above the surrounding waters of the marsh. When the reeds become dry, advantage is taken of the circumstance to destroy these unfortunate gormandizers by fire ; and those who might escape the flames are shot down in vast numbers as they hover and scream around the spreading conflagration. Early in November they generally leave the Northern and colder States, with the exception of straggling parties, who still continue to glean subsistence, in the shelter of the sea- coast, in Delaware, Maryland, and even in the cold climate of the State of Massachusetts.* To those who seem inclined to extirpate these erratic depre- dators, Wilson justly remarks, as a {)alance against the damage they commit, the service tl.ey perform in the spring season, by the immense number of insects and their larva which they destroy, as their principal food, and which are of kinds most injurious to the husbandman. Indeed, Kalm remarked that after a great destruction made among these and the common Blackbirds for the legal reward of 3 pence a dozen, the Northern States, in 1749. experienced a complete loss of the grass and grain crops, which were now devoured by insects. Like the Troopial (Oriolus icterus. Lath.), the Redwing shows attachment and docility in confinement, becoming, like 1 My friend Mr. S. Grem, of Boston, assurM me tlMl he has seen these bird! near Newton, in a cedar-swamp, in January. RED-WINCID BLACKBIRD. ,0, the Starling, familiar with those who feed him ,n^ the attention he receives, by sinriLlt '"'n? "T"* pretty freely, consisting, as' w^hav^i^ rTraZ^f "" "'h.ch become at length somewhat agreeable to the Z T^ instances are said to have occurred of Uieir acauWnl.h ' of articulatmg several words pretty diltiLct^' "' ''°"" ^SifanSiibrt:;^^^^^^^^ -" e^-se^t'sT^-------"^^^^^^ ^'^C^:^:'^J^^:7^i:^r.^^°7 «° *« E-te™ states " ranges through the Saskatchewan Z', ^%'°- '" ""^ ^est it winters «,uth to MexicoTbut a fcw^^i?''-^" ?T ^'"* ^^''^- " brave a New England winter n^ '!"''"^"»'» have been known to male was seen atout the f^". Po„h "^ '^u "l"'" "' '^S^-go, a of the Nuttall Club of CamTrM« Ir^*"" l' **^"=" "^" these bird, have been found .hefeVv^ ^^^^e^' """' "^"»' °' .^a'lrdaTjr'rac'e^lirn'd on'Sn^^- 'Tr *^'"'"^' » em Florida. Bahama Islands and in outh- YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD. Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus. Char. Male : head, neck, and breait yellow ; large patch on wing white ; other parts black. Female and young : general color blackish brown; wings without the white spot; throat and breast dull yellow. Length 9 to ii inches. Nat. Of dried grass, firmly woven and fastened to twigs of a bush or stalks of rushes, in a marsh or swampy meadow. Eggi. — 1-6 ; grayish white, sometimes with a green tint. Irregularly marked with brown; 1.05 X a70. The Yellow-headed Troopial, though long known as an inhabitant of South America, was only recently added to the fauna of the United States by Major Long's expedition. It was seen in great nutnbers near the banks of the River Platte, around the villages of the Pawnees, about the middle of May ; and the different sexes were sometimes observed associated in separate flocks, as the breeding season had not yet probably commenced. The range of this fine species is, apparently, from Cayenne, in tropical America, to the banks of the River Missouri, where Mr. Townsend and myself observed examples not far from the settled line of Missouri State. It has been seen by Dr. Richardson, in summer, as far as the 58th par- allel Its visits in the United States are yet wholly confined to VELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD. ,03 in all thci, ™ove.en.,, aeS rvo'utraTd H ""■"' "^ acter, appear as the counterpart of th^Ti^ Predatoor char- They are also seen to SeTtltZf"''"^''^ "'^"^''• in the manner of the cTw IS^/T t"" "f °/ '°°''' spnng season they wage war unn„T ^"^P"^- In the lame, like the ied^Zr^T^n ""'' '"'^" '«'• ""eir depend on the seeds Ifdes At n" "'^ ''"""P''"^ observed them in flocks' anH ? /^' '^'"'"ara, Waterton from their habits! thTyC™ T^H "7' '"™ ^"''I"^'*'^ On the 2d of Mav Yn a.^ 7 ^ '^^ ^'^'" '"'"«" '^°™- around- the K^n^MUrAr" ™ '°"' """^ ""= -"""=nt. the Yellow-headtd TroomiT' "'" T "^^ '"'"°''''»« <" They kept whoTonheind'^"'''' "'"^ ">= ^^bird. this time, by them'selve TSe sonTh'T'-''" '"^"' '« with their bills in quest of inlets Z\ . ^ * """ ""' ''""^ straddle about with'a qult^^t ^d ^' 7 l'"" ''"'^'' manner of the Cowbird whi«if • . ""^ '''"' "n the 'ing note Jn^^te^^Tj^.J^ pt effort a chuck- straining squeak as if JLT ' °'^'*" ''"'''"S into a some kfnd^fti^: in "tZtUSynr": '° "^"^ "rLnTo/rrtheV-^. - of^ cTS open plain of 4e HltS t! ft °? ^^^ ""^''' i" the Townsend found he n^oTIh" "°'"u' ""''" »'»<^' ^r. formed of fine graLesanH '^''.'''' ^'"" ""''" " '"^dt ^A--.-i5,,or Mea*5^"J,::' '"^°'"' ""' '*= ^' °^ ">e observed occasionally in southe™ O^ 2 • i"'"""' " ''» been taken at Point des 'wXonTheGl'J^irs'r '''"'''''' '"" Massachusetts. Pennsylvania. South cluU,n/«S'^.""' '" 104 SINGING BIRDS. COWBIRD. cow BLACKBIRD. MoUnHRUS ATER. Char. Mile : head and neck dull brown ; other parts gloiiy black. Female and young : browniah gray, paler below, with dark streaki. Length 7 to 8 inches. ATesi. Does not build any, but lays its eggs in nests of other species, uiually olstnaller birds, such as the Yellow Warbler, Chipping Sparrow, or one of the Vireos. £sg'- •' (number unknown, probably 4) i dull white, sometimes with green or buf! tint, irregularly marked with various shades of brown ; 085 X 0,65. The Cow-pcki Bird, perpetually gregarious and flitting, is observed to enter the Middle and Northern States in the latter end of March or the beginning of April. They make their mi- gration now chiefly under cover of the night, or early dawn ; and as the season becomes milder they pass on to Canada, and perhaps follow the Warblers and other small birds into the farthest regions of the north, for they are seen no more after the middle of June until the return of autumn, when, with the colds of October, they again reappear in numerous and aug- mented flocks, usually associated with their kindred Red-wings, to whom they bear a sensible likeness, as well as a similarity in notes and manners. They pass the winter in the warmer parts of America as well as in the Southern States, where I have observed them in the ploughed fields, gleaning along with the Red-wings and the common Blackbirds. They are also ver;, familiar around the cattle, picking up insects which they happen to disturb, or that exist in their ordure. When on the ground, they scratch up the soil and appear very intent after their food. Sometimes even, infringing on the rights of the Plover, individuals, in the winter, frequent the margins of ponds in quest of aquatic insects and small shell-fish ; and they may be seen industriously occupied in turning over the leaves of the water-plants to which they adhere. They also frequent COWBIRD. 105 occaaonaljy the rice and com 6M "»«<=.«» « .11 time., «, ^, 7" ^'"^ to ""tive food and le^ mjuriou. to the fen^r aTZ""' '»''«P<"d«t and California, it i, p^bable oL, .k ^ "'" '° Mexico and table-land., a. well TL ^ -In"" f^u ''^ '» ""= "'8^ "««. however, accoMing ,S aT.^ "^k"" """''• ^» L^-i" selves from all hind«nce to the^ ^'^^ ^'«'» '«''^ them disposition and instinct which 0™™^°^^!.""*^- ^'"' ^°'«ile masons change and as tleir foJ^T .'""^' '° ""K'-te. as the periodical influence; and for a^h^*'"' '° *■"'' ''^^« ""'x a Pa-««aportionof thXtime in J,; '' "'""■° ''°^^^. the conjugal sute. But S ou h-rr^'* "j-'^'""'' « Cuckoo, this season never 1°, Te nl 'r ^'"'^ without ever pairing. A gen^I .„' t ^^ "^« together Aem, scarcely exciting anyTaSsv""'"' P"^"^'' ""«>"« durable affection. Fr^m the coZ'en '"""^^'""Panied by any have been bred as foundlinLt tT ""' °^'^"' "^^ they fed by foster-parents unde" fhe"'' " aP 1 °"'" '""^'' ^^ and deception, and by the sacrifice ,f?. '"'"'" °f delusion of the nursing birds. W^t Sth/r V°"'"'""' P™««"y known, this and the EuropeTcu kt T^'f '"■"' '"■"'^"° 'nd,genous to the old conLent are the „„V v^"""" 'P^'" ■nalce a nest or hatch their yolg SLtl- k'" '"'° """ « v.ce of habit, but a perpetual in«! . , ' character is not various circumstances, anTfrom?„r ""'""• '^^^^ ^"^ thi^, that the eggs of he Cow ?JL " .""""^ '^'^'"''y *« f""" io6 SINGING BIROS. .1 4 -i I i .-I tence, the itrange egg on which they ut would generally be deitroyej. When the female is diipoaed to lay, she appears restless and dejected, and separates from the unregarding flock. Stealing through the woods and thickets, she pries into the bushes and brambles for the nest that suits her, into which she darts in the absence of its owner, and in a few minutes is seen to rise on the wing, cheerful, and relieved from the anxiety that oppressed her, and proceeds back to the flock she had so reluctantly forsaken. If the egg be deposited in the nest alone, it is uniformly forsaken; but if the nursing parent have any of her own, she immediately begins to sit. The Red-eyed Flycatcher, in whose beautiful basket-like nests I have observed these eggs, proves a very afiectiouate and assiduous nurse to the uncouth foundling. In one of these I found an egg of each bird, and the hen already sitting. I took her own egg and left the strange one; she soon returned, and as if sensible of what had happened, looked with steadfast attention, and shifted the egg about, then sat upon it, but soon moved ofl; again renewed her observation, and it was a considerable time before she seemed willing to take her seat ; but at length I left her on the nest. Two or three days after, I found that she had relin- quished her attention to the strange egg and forsaken the nest. Another of these birds, however, forsook the nest on taking out the Cowbird's egg, although she had still two of her own left. The only example, perhaps, to the contrary of de- serting the nest when solely occupied by the stray egg, is in the Bluebird, who, attached strongly to the breeding-places in which it often continues for several years, has been known to lay, though with apparent reluctance, after the deposition of the Cowbird's egg. My friend Mr. C. Pickering found two nests of the Summer-yellow Bird, in whii had been deposited an egg of the Cowbird previously to any of their own ; and unable to eject it, they had buried it in the bottom of the nest and built over it an additional story ! I also saw, in the sum- mer of 1830, a similar circumstance with the same bird, in which the Cowbird's egg, though incarcerated, was still visible COWBIRD. 1^ "{ "hi. kind thu, txpolT^ iT^ " ^ ^'' fo'«d «r J 'W'birdinthe CtS n^ i^l"'"; O" placing .„ ejf, ^« deposited. On rtese c^Sn^lT" *;? '"^ ^^°'""«1'» ^ beg,„ her incubation with T^TlZ' u""" ""^ '^'«° other nests I |,ave observed .1 ** °' "'='' kind, and in 'hat of ,l,e intnider J^',^ "'^J' « 3 of her o^n with P~bably the nest^LmSell^Sr!? °' '"" «-«"' S«' nur^ directly to sit. This utre^ h ' ""u" '° ""^"^ 'h' Myjhan her own, is consec^uem l ?|' e, "'"" '° '"= hatched; and the young of the r 1 "^ *""""'' '^ »o°ner about the „th or ZhdaLT;^^^'"^' ^ Relieve, appear brood »ho make tJ.eir appearance ^Z,' ^'^ '^"' ''" °>^ Tioopul. From the greai size of ,. * '""^ ■*'" 'ban the Z7 T "°» ""'^'^'^d -ben del'; f "''''^' 'be legitimate by the duped parent to a dis^ce t/ "l'=°"^eyed. as usual. «>ey are never found immed atl? ^*''^.^''"« "^"PPed / bu '-varUbly happen if they wer^^ltt^HTV'"' ""'' '" ^O"" ^ the summer of .83, I acZ. i ^t' 5:,."'^.y<'""« Troopial. r« °" •" » 'ii^'^ce one of its dl/ "P'"* ^P"""'* <=ar. a second nest of the same soecLc j:°"°« ">"' rifled ; and -re hatched soon after the CowV;^ "*",'' ' °'"' ""^ broS 3 days, and as they perish^ °'°°P'^' = """e survived 2 or bird. As tar as I ha" e had ? """"^ '^'y ''y 'be paren o-ndling shows no hSL^ .^r""""^ °^ °^^l the "' be nearly absorbs th ir'who e a^^T' '"'^ °^ ^is n'ur.i - cWteristic cunning Ind self " ""' """ '"'' '"'P'"^ -«-.'bey,uick,ydeL«LfCrp^n^^When^fu,, io8 SINGING BIRDS. ■bout in the woodi until, at length, they instinctively join com- pany with those of the same feather, and now becoming more bold, are seen in parties of s or 6, in the Aelds and lanes, gleaning their accustomed subsistence, lliey still, however, appear shy and watchful, and seem too selfish to study any- thing more than their own security and advanuge. The song of the Cowbird is guttural and unmusical, uttereo with an air of affectation, and accompanied by a bristling of the feathers and a swelling of the body in the manner of the Turkey. These are also all the notes of the species in the season of their attachment ; so that their musical talent rates lower than that of any other bird perhaps in the genus. Some- times the tones of the male resemble the liquid clinking of the Bobolink and Red-winged Blackbird. Sitting on the summit of a lofly branch, he amuses himself perhaps for an hour with an occasional 'kluck 'tste, the latter syllable uttered in a drawl- ing hiss like that of the Red-wing. Accompanied by his mates, he also endeavors to amuse them by his complaisant chatter ; and watching attentively for their safety, they flit together at the instant he utters the loud tone of alarm ; and they are always shy and suspicious of the designs of every observer. On a fine spring morning, however, perched towards the sum- mit of some tree in the forest where they seek rest after their twilight wanderings, small and select parties may be seen grate- fully basking in the mild beams of the sunshine. The male on such occasions seems as proud of his uncouth jargon, and ns eager to please his favorite companions, as the tuneful Night- ingale with his pathetic and varied lay. The Cowbird is a common summer resident of New England, though of rather local distribution. Dr Wheaton reported it as abupdan* in Ohio during the summer months, and Mr. Mcllwraith made a similar report for Ontario. It is rather uncommon in the Maritime Provinces, but ranges as far northward as the 50th par- allel. In January, 1883, two specimens were taken near Cambridge, Mass., by Mr. William Brewster and Mr. Henry M. Spellman, an^ other evidences of occasional wintering in New England have been reported. BOBOLINK. "CBB,KD. SKUNK BLACKBIRO. MH.OOW-W.NK DOLICHONVX ORVZIVORUS. .'='^f'«- f"d young :aho!ry.llo»frb™"^ '''■'''■ "''' ''" «!">-' -nipatonr species ICtth TT^ '^'''^•^"" °^ 'his tn,i; ^^-irsu^i::;--3~^ no SINGING BIRDS. mates. Accoiding to Richardson it is the beginning of June when they arrive at their farthest boreal station in the 54th degree. We observed them in the great western plains to the base of the Rocky Mountains, but not in Oregon. Their win- tering resort appears to be rather the West Indies than the tropical continent, as their migrations are observed to take place generally to the east of Louisiana, where their visits are rare and irregular. At this season also they make their ap- proaches chiefly by night, obeying, as it were, more distinctly, the mandates of an overruling instinct, which prompts them to seek out their natal regions ; while in autumn, their progress, by day only, is alone instigated by the natural quest of food. About the ist of May the meadows of Massachusetts begin to re-echo their lively ditty. At this season, in wet places, and by newly ploughed fields, they destroy m'ny insects and their larvae. According to their success in obtaining food, parties often delay their final northern movement as late as the mid- dle of May, so that they appear to be in no haste to arrive at their destination at any exact period. The principal business of their lives, however, the rearing of their young, does not take place until they have left the parallel of the 40th degree. In the savannahs of Ohio and Michigan, and the cool grassy meadows of New York, Canada, and New England, they fix their abode, and obtain a sufficiency of food throughout the summer without molesting the harvest of the farmer, until the ripening of the latest crops of oats and barley, when, in their autumnal and changed dress, hardly now known as the same species, they sometimes show their taste for plunder, and flock together like the greedy and predatory Blackbirds. Although they devour various kinds of insects and worms on their first arrival, I have found that their frequent visits among the grassy meadows were often also for the seeds they contain ; and they are particularly fond of those of the dock and dandelion, the latter of which is sweet and oily. Later in the season, and pre- viously to leaving their native regions, they feed principally on various kinds of grass-seeds, particularly those of the Panuums, which are allied to millet. They also devour crickets and grass- hoppers, as well as beetles and spiders. Their nest is fixed on BOBOLINK. Ill the ground in a slight depression usuallv !n , c u , grass, either in a dry or mo!.7.^' !-^ " "'''' °^ "eadow a loose bedding or^il"dJ.''°°' '°"'"'"' """^ °^ be distinguishable frrre'ero^'tTe T^;'^ " ""^^'^ '° eggs are ■; or 6 nf » j ii u- ' *^°'"'d around it. The irregular blotches'^r.^J ^„tV '^\'""^' **«• »°°'«= wards the large/end. "'^' ""''"y '^P°«"l to- The males, arriving a little earlier than th- „.i, appear very vigorous, lively, ^Tf^^Ur " ^" '"''■ ''"^ occur before the mating is JiedT andT.? f^^ l"^"''^ very coy and retiring F™, t .7 ' ^ ''"^" ^^^ « first period, Ld riv™rjs.e^;f„"°° :r ''•'= ^'"""^ =" '^s enlivening music frrevenn" "^V" ""T^"' ''^'°' quiet females keep much oTthfg^^^l' l^^ '"^- ^""^ appear, they are pursued hv fL T ' ^s soon as they affection, Jd if eft^er 1™^ L'^''""' '"•""'^''^'^^ ^°' theii is chased oiT L ^LT « 1 "T '' '"^ ''''^'"' '"'"^ fortunate rival iC^i ^f ZT, " '"P^^"'' "^ "'' ™°« terruption as long as Zfem f^ • ^""'^"'^ '^'"^ '""<= i°- times%e,y si£ 7s tth stL ," ""T' ""' "^ '*"''' ^' -^'i theSkylarlmoS »*„'^^£"„-.V^'^^^ °'^"' '""= above the field, as he^a^es a^oTf '^' *' * ''^' '""8''' to another, he wL sucH it7 T ''""'"P °' ""d notes, so conC 'ltd ,?/ '»^'»''=y °f sh°rt, variable. almost like theSinTL^fj""?^'' '^' " "PP^'"" of these tones are vSa^rf,lT'r^ .'''''" •''"'''• ^''"y such rapidity thTt Z ^ 1 ' "'.""'^ ""= "^^''^'^d '^ith general effect h" ^e ZhT" '."T'^ "■"'»• "^^ good, and wh;n sevLIl'alechltt Zlt"^ °^ Nature, is «.uid soundX^r^r^^r.^--^^^^^^^^ this fami iar and rMW^' '=''«"»«>= Period and air of 112 SINGING BIRDS. ludicrous dunning phrase, as he rises and hovers on the wing near his mMe, >• • Sid-i-link, 'Bdd-i-link, "Urn mnny'T»m Dinny. — 'Come piy me the twi ind six pence you've owed more than a year and a haff ago! — 'tshi 'tshl •tsM, 'tsh 'Ish tshe," modestly diving at the same instant down into the grass as if to avoid altercation. However puerile this odd phrase may appear, it is quite amusing to find how near it approaches to the time and expression of the notes, when pronounced in a hurried manner. It would be unwise in the naturalist to hold in contempt anything, however trifling, which might tend to elucidate the simple truth of nature ; I therefore give the thing as I find it. This relish for song and merriment, con- fined wholly to the male, diminishes as the period of incubation advances ; and when the brood begin to flutter around their parents and protectors, the song becomes less frequent, the cares of the parents more urgent, and any approach to the secret recess of their helpless family is deplored with urgent and incessant cries as they hover fearfully around the inten- tional or accidental intruder. They appear sometimes inclined to have a second brood, for which preparation is made while they are yet engaged in rearing the first ; but the male gen- erally loses his musical talent about the end of the first week in July, ftom which time his nuptial or pied dress begins gradually to be laid aside for the humble garb of the female. The whole, both young and old, then appear nearly in the same songless livery, uttering only a chink of alarm when sur- prised in feeding on the grass seeds, or the crops of grain which still remain abroad. When the voice of the Bobolink begins to fail, with the progress of the exhausting moult, he flits over the fields in a restless manner, and merely utters a broken 'bib'lte, 'bob' lee, or with his songless mate, at length, a 'weet 'iveet, b'kef b'leet, and a noisy and disagreeable cackling chirp. At the early dawn of day, while the tunefiil talent of the species is yet unabated, the effect of their awakening and faltering voices from a wide expanse of meadows, is singular and grand. The sounds mingle like the noise of a distant torrent, which alternately subsides and rises on the breeze as BOBOLINK, the performers awake or rpl..„ ^ more distinct and tumultuo s'mi'^^^hTe' " ""^^ »«-»- sumes tlie intelligible character of ,h T"""^ "^'^ '' «- young males, towards the clo^of Jj": "'"'^'^ »°8- The •heir perfect character, utter also ^^U"* """'^ ^=" agreeable and continuous lowwlH/ r'""^' '' ^-^ ■bellow Bird than the usual In„ r l" " '"''^ ^^ of the appear now in every respect "*fk' '^""' '° '^-t. they angling musicians whenTted7„^'°.'=''«''«d only become About the middle of Au^t in .T''"' "'''' ^ ^««ri. vested already of all selec«vfT^' u ~°8''=e'«'n« numbers, di- «ter New vL and Pe ^^S ^n'l^ -»' ^-8in« pa;ties . Here, along the shores of Ihlk™ ' ""'' '" "«= South, fields of the wild rice they find 2. T"!' ""''' ^"> «°ating S'stence during their short sta^ a^H^'l'^""' '^"^ '>' ^^ ^ttle inferior to that of th" E^^ean On '. " f'^"' "°" ''^'' " Birds as they are then called T 1?,^ ' ""^ ^''''^ °' Ri<=« favorite sport for gumier. of aul ^parrow-dr^ss, form a the occasion and clmir;™dtiouThr"'' ""'° '""> ""t on s.Ient and greedy roosting Cf Th! T"^ »''«' ''"ost »«h this delicious game and^hf ' ™"''^'' "« then filled amusement, along the i^tlt Z"'*' ,'°'' '°' '"<='=«» -d a-^ and other rive« T^ond ,o ^^^ '^°^» °f the Del- ^hootag. As soon as the c,^T„th? T^ ^' '^'" °f Ra"- aud as the wild rice cLl L ^ °^ °"'°'^' ™""nence take their departure from pr^'T^" '° '•^''. the Reed m2 the. ^her^g,ess'r4n':^X?sr ^^'"''' -^^° ■n the nee fields; and before Z ™ ^'**''' they swann a>-ady made thdr ajp^^^^t T Vf "'"^ ""^ ^' Jamaica, where they ^ f^ '" ** '^'«ds of Cuba and grass, become so faL to dSrvrthl ^'t °' '^^ «»»« «d are in high esteem for t^rilble °' " ^««-bi,ds." t^fi^S^a^lSiX'^esfrt'S""^ ■•— n.o„ north of VOL. I, — 1} "4 SINGING BIRDS. BOAT-TAILED CRACKLE. JACKDAW. QinSCALUS MAJOR. Cras. Extrandy longi wedge-shaped tail, lew conspicuous in female. Hale : black, with metallic tints of green, blue, and purple. Length 1 5 to I7)i inches. Female: above, brown; beneath, grayish brown, changing to reddish and buffy on breast and throat. Length, iiH to 13 inches. NuL A bulky structure of dried grass and strips of bark, cemented with mud and lined with fine grass ; placed in a tree in swamp or near a marsh, sometimes fiutened to rushes. ^gP- 3~Si grayish drab with tints of green or Uue, marked with bliuk and brown blotches and lines ; 1.35 X 0.9a This large and Crow-like species, sometimes caUed the Jack- daw, inhabits the southern maritime parts of the Union only, particularly the States of Georgia and Florida, where they are seen as eariy as the close of January or beginning of February, but do not begin to pair before March, previously to which season the sexes are seen in separate flocks. But about the latter end of November they quit even the mild climate of Florida, generally, and seek winter-quarters probably in the West Indies, where they are known to be numerous, as well as in Mexico, Louisiana, an 1 Texas ; but they do not ever extend their northern migrations as far as the Middle States. Previ- ous to their departure, at the approach of winter, they are seen to assemble in large flocks, and every morning flights of them, at a great height, are seen moving away to the south. Like most gregarious birds, they are of a very sociable disposition, and are frequently observed to mingle with the common Crow Blackbirds. They assemble in great numbers among the sea islands, and neighboring marshes on the main- land, where they feed at low water on the oyster-beds and sand- flats. Like Crows, they are omnivorous, their food consisting of insects, small shell-fish, com, and small grain, so that by turns they may be viewed as the friend or plunderer of the planter. PURPLE CRACKLE. often accompanied by a crj S^^S' r'' '''^ """"«. breed>ng.„ason changing ataost into f m "■"' "''' '» ">« heard to sing in ,he s^ring^d th^^ ""'"'■ '^'''>' «« ""'y - ^ess. i, „o, Xg.r'dS^;:^r?r'""^'^-"« »<"" in company, on reeds anH k I ^''*'^ "ests are of salt-ma^he, '^nd ^^s n^'t''."^ '"e neighborhood begmuing of April; JZn after wMch^ '° '"'' '"~'" ">« mates, not only with the care of ^k ' """"^ ^^^^ thefr «:8 of the young, moWng":^"^"''!^'."'!.'^"' '"' «"- Cowbirds, without taking a^v in/ "^^'^ ""^"^ '"«= 'he progeny. ""« ""^ '«e«st in the fate of their onf,:ru^r:r„iVr4tr„r^r'-^«'- ^evera, instances correctness of these remrtf lf« i*""' ''«" «Po«ed; bm the PURPLE CRACKLE. CROW BLACKBIRD. QWSCALUS QmsCUL.* Ii6 SINGING BIROS. to May, leaving those countries again in numerous troops about the middle of November. Thus assembled from the North and West in increasing numbers, they wholly overrun, at times, the warmer maritime regions, where they assemble to pass the winter in the company of their well-known cousins the Red- winged Troopials or Blackbirds; for both, impelled by the same predatory appetite, and love of comfortable winter quarters, are often thus accidentally associated in the plun- dering and gleaning of the pUntadons. The amazing numbers in which the present species associate are almost incredible. Wilson relates that on the 20th of January, a few miles from the banLj of the Roanoke in Viiginia, he met with one of those prodigious armies of Blackbirds, which, as he ap- proached, rose from the surrounding fields with a noise like thunder, and descending on the stretch of road before him, covered it and the fences completely with black ; rising again, after a few evolutions, they descended on the skirt of a leafless wood, so thick as to give the whole forest, for a considerable extent, the appearance of being shrouded in mourning, the numbers amounting probably to many hundreds of thousands. Their notes and screams resembled the distant sound of a mighty cataract, but strangely attuned into a musical cadence, which rose and fell with the fluctuation of the breeze, like the magic harp of .£olus. Their depredations on the maize crop or Indian com com- mence ahnost with the planting. The infant blades no sooner appear than they are hailed by the greedy Blackbird as the signal for a feast ; and without hesitation, they descend on the fields, and regale themsehres with the sweet and sprouted seed, rejecting and scattering the blades around as an evidence of theii' mischief and audacity. Again, about the beginning of August, while the grain is in the milky state, then- attacks are renewed with the most destructive effect, as they now assemble as it were in clouds, and pillage the fields to such a degree that in some low and sheltered situations, in the vicinity of rivers, where they delight to roam, one fourth of the crop is devoured by these vexatious visitors. The gun, also, notwith- PURPLE CRACKLE. , ^ittToj:'^T^^, T '-- •'^- "- - Southen, State,, in wi«e" IfL! '" ^' °"'"- '» ">e s-^anns, and bo dly peck S>e hLh T'' ^' '^°"-="l» in the aix openings 'of'the ^S 'T """ "' •"" '^-"«'' reiterated depredations, t^^e detected r^" °' ""«= a pest to his industry; though „n .K ""^ '^* ^™er as a long ti^e consists whoUyoni.^ '^''" '^'" ^'^ (<" .0 do ti^e «ost essenti^'Si;' olXr 'xf "^ r"^"""''* frequent swamps and meadows anH r^r ,^W at tiiis season rows of the plough, Tw^pT; ^^f ^."^'^ ^""-^^ the fur- noxious animals as soon as they aooear ^''■*°™' '"d other ' loose soil, that nothing of thi^icTnd maT' '^'""^''^ "P 'he time of harvest I have unifoTmlt 1 rf?^ '""" '^'"'- ^P to the to consist of these iaiT —i" °"' ^"""'^ ""^'^'^d which they devour sS^umt*;K™t'' !"' *"'"-' °^ economy the whole crop of^S tl T '^'^ providential ably be destroyed by redme,^ ^"^ P'''"^' *°"W prob- winter they coUect the mlt of thl t^K '° «''™'°^'«- ^n -d may be seen assemb^ in^'l^^ tdtst th^' 'Zl"^' this purpose. In the spring season fh-prL. * *"^' ''"^ cedars and pine-trees, to 1^^^ "^^'"^' "^^ '» *« friendly and mutual cC„ On k' 'T'"^ ^^^^ '«^ '^th -eU as in bushes, they gene^u, u^.^' '!"'^'' °' «>ese trees, as 'ike all their mo;emennZm • '''' ~ *''''='' "^'^ '"- - or r5 of ther'^ofteTj^enTthr "" '°''^- "^ sometimes they have been known r u "*"" ''^'J ""1 the interstices of the Rsh Haw^ *™" "'"' "^"^ '°to protection. OccasioL^'th^rbreed^' ^ /^ ^- -^ety and habitations, and if not molested ,w ^^^"^ ""« to p;ace for several year^t^u ;!? "^° [Z"'° '"= ^' of mud, mixed with stalks and tZ^" "* " composed »;ith fine dry grass and hoJe-t^ T :^- '^' ">" ''°«* the same species in the SouTe„ t' . '^•==°'^«e t° Audubon, decayed trees, after the Z,n r J'' "'''*' " "'' hollows of -ity withgra^sl" m™Tre; etrrr^^^ ""'"« '"= single brood in the season rnTh P""*"" "°« than a tne season. In the autumn, and a. the approach Ii8 SINGING BIROS. of winter, numerous flocks, after foraging through the day, return from considerable distances to their general roosts among the reeds. On approaching their station, each detachment, as it arrives, in straggling groups like ctows, sweeps round the marsh in waving flight, forming circles ; amidst these bodies, the note of the old reconnoitring leader may be heard, and no sooner has he fixed upon the intended spot than they all descend and take their sUtions in an instant. At this time they are also frequently accompanied by the Ferruginous species, with which they associate in a friendly manner. The Blackbird is easily tamed, sings in confinement, and may be taught to ai iculate some few words pretty distinctly. Among the variety of its natural notes, the peculiarly affected sibilation of the Starling is heaid in the wdttitshte, wetfiishee, and whistle, which often accompanies this note. In Nuttall's day variety makfaig had not come in fashion, and the systematists were content to treat the Crow Blackbirds of east- em North America as of one form. Now we have three forms, with three "distinctive scientific appellations." It is somewhat difficult to distinguish these forms, except in extreme phases of plumage, for many specimens of the Northern variety have the diagnostic characters of the Southern birds. The present race is said to occur on the Atlantic coast of the United States, north to Massachusetts, and in the lower valley of the Mississippi. The Bronze Crackle ((2. quiscula aneus) lacks the purple metallic tint on the body, that being replaced by a tint of bronze ; the purple and blue tints are restricted to the head and neck. The wings and tail are purple. This form is abundant throughout the New England States and Canada, and ranges north to Hudson's Bay and west to the Great Plains. I have seen nests of these birds placed on the lieams of barns in New Brunswick. Thf farmers along the St John and Kenebecasis rivers erect bams on the marshy islands and " intervales " to store their hay until it can be carried to the mainland on the ice ; and these bams, being un- used during the breeding season, offer excellent building sites for colonies of Crow Blackbirds and Swallows. The nests are fastened to the beams with mud in much the same method as that adopted by Robins. A smaller race with a larger tail Is restricted to Florida and the adjacent country and westward to the Mississippi. It is named the Florida Crackle (g. quiscula algaus). RUSTY BLACKBIRD. 119 RUSTY BUCKBIRD. SOOUOOPHAOOS OmoUNUS. "d vin«, «>m*.ime. cmenled ,S"? m^^T^lt^" '^'*'" '' *^f Cowpen Bird; and .^i^' t^t^"^ ^""^^ "' 'he throughout America, fZu'd^^uVTl "^ '« '■°»°«' ^ to the Pacific 0™e«^l^'"!"°"*«'«°dwe.t- ^"«>„. .hey pass lu«ru.«S'peJ^f' '=^°'^« '° "turn to the North to bre^ T .k '^'?^ °° their observed them on the banW the OK """'^ °^ ^'"^ he during a snow-storm. ^J iJve ?„ ,K °'" ^"'"'^kr River. Bay about the beginning of M!rrn^"V*f '^^'^'y of Hudson's of the common SowKS'^ "^ """* '» 'he manner or near the graund. D S«l ""^ "'"'* *ey find on « far as the Mtude of 3^aS'l"' *"? ^ 'h'= -nter 68th pataUel or to the ex^'m^v n^^ """. ^^'^ "^^ '° the s"« in the pairing se^ but L '^'' "S^""- ^hey rearing their young -^^"i 1' '*?'!" "'"'^ ^Uent whUe f«mcare.theJ2.2^^mtt^erL. "'.'"^ "''"^ 'h^™ heard until the^p^^n.^^^''' «^ n,ay occasionally be agreeable and murical as tha 7l^e J^'" """? " •""" « passes that of any of the o^^' ZS^'j;"^ f '"^ "- angmg until the middle of Octrbe?^ ' ^'"^ *«" t-^e'Lt S ';J:"!? IS -^ hushes at „o great dis- species, and lay Te el of ? „!, °!" '^'^ '» the other The young and old. no^ i^i':'" ^^' ^""-^ with bUck. -northe_,o;s.rpr^rs:r^sX"" lao SINGING BIKOS. October to the middle of November, they are teen m flocki through the Eastern States. During their stay in this vicinity they assemble towards night to loost in or round the reed- marshes of Fresh FOnd, near Cambridge. Sometimes they wlect the willows by the water for their lodging, in preference to the reeds, which they give up to their companions the Crow Blackbirds. Early in October they feed chiefly on grasshoppers and berries, and at a later period pay a transient visit to the corn-fields. They pass the winter in the Southern States, and, like their darker relatives, make familiar visits to the barn-yard and corn-cribs. Wilson remarks that they are easily domesticated, and in a few days become quite familiar, being reconciled to any quarters while supplied with plenty of food. The Rusty Blackbird breeds from about the 45th parallel to the lower fur countries. It la fairly common near the Atlantic, but is more abundant in the interior, and fir. Thompson reports it com- monly abundant in Manitoba. la this region it does not always select an alder swamp for a nesting site, as some authors have stated, A nest discovered by my friend Banks was amid the upper branches of a good sized spruce on a dry hillside in Mr, William Jack's pork, near St. John. NORTHERN RAVEN. CORVUS COKAX PKINCIPAUS. Chae. Black with blaiih purple gloaa. Length 22 to 26)i inches. ATest. On a cliff or in a tree ; made of sticks carefiiUy and compactly arranged, lined with grass or woo), — repaired year after year, and thus increased to considerable bulk. £g^t. 2-7 ; pale olive, marked with olive-brown blotches and streaks ; 2.00 X 1.4a The sable Raven has been observed and described from the earhest times, and is a resident of almost every country in the world ; but is more particularly abundant in the western than the eastern parts of the United States, where it extends along the Oregon to the shores of the Pacific. This ominous bird NORTHERN RAVEN. open day. He may be cord«ri k'^. •" ^"^^ »»>««d fa bud. of p„y. feedLf „rSy on" "* ' "'""'"' «° «"• -".ng on weakly Unfb.. you2 har^™"' "*' "^^ionally indeed to give » prefe«!;/° "* "? "' "•""»». "nd .eem. «i-.e. he i. able .o S o^Ll 1^0?/°"' ^ ■"' " ">« ««« <» -nsecu, earth-worm., even dead 1 1, "^ '^''^ " ^'» " P-^'^l^'y fond of eig,,^t^f /'t' ""^, '" "^'""°" 'o «". omnivorous than the Ra^^^ ' "° *°""»' »««■«» more truly »«I>^ii^.;rcSf':S;;;„f '-'^''T'"'-""^ « voracity, and funereal aspect, we .^"eed „o,T^' '"^ *"' '«"°"'' '''« ■P'orance and error he shouti hL^K!'"P""'^ """ '" '■™« "f » an object of disgust and fear », f" ? *'""''"y «8"d«d l-st of sinister bi^iTor those who»„nr°^ Pre-emi„e„t ■„ the announcing of misfortunes ■ and «^ ^ Premonition was the people ye, i„ Europe, even i^^ ' f \'° ''"' ''"'"' "^^ ">any ic and become unfa^y a "he so nd of ^k' '*'' "''° '«">■ According to Adair, the Southerfw ^""'"^ ^"^king. Raven for those who are sS "'w^?' ""^ '"^""^ «"« native, of the Missouri, »Zt27^u'^ ^" ^°'^'' "d ^ -«. decon.te themselves r^^JT" "^^ *'"^'«"' °' of this dark birf. But all tSe 1^ TTT **"" ">• ?'"«« terest in destfay. pos^^dtv S R *' ° '^^ ^•"""' « »■ inhabitants of the IT^^l^J.J'lf ''"• '*« 'hat of other «he changes which ai^ aboutT^t ' " "''''°«'^* ''•''h'S of »hich he ha. the Tu^ty ofln """ '"^^ «mo.phere,Ld actions produced byS el™ ?""""* ^^ ^'^ "i« and en. province, of Sw^rasS^r'"''"'"- I" the south- serene the Raven m.^yZtTT'^^ *'>^"> ^^e sky i. «te the word .^,^. which ^ ^SaT^ ""'" "^ ''°"°- «i •i-nes he ha. been^seen fa 2 i° "f"' ^'»»»«- Some- "■e electric fire streaml^ fr^^ Til " "'"°'^^-«°™ with natural though '^tr.oZll^^^^°'^\°f ^^ "ill, - a 'he superstitions and to ^d th °k T' '"""'''"' '° '^"^fy *e imagina^ trait, and aSel'^fttmr'^^" °'" -"^ laa SINGING BIRDS. Id andcBt tiiiiet, when divination made a pait of icHgion, the Raven, though a bad prophet, w»i yet a veiy interesting biid ; for the paidon for prying into fiiture events, even the moat dark and lofrowftil, ii au original propeniity of human nature. Accordingly, aU the action* of this sombre bird, all the circumstances of iu flight, and all the diflerent intonations of iu discordant voice, of which no less than sixty-four were remarked, had each of them an appropriate signification ; ami there were never wanting impostom to procure this pretendiil intelligence, nor people simple enough to credit it. Soim even went so br as to impose upon themselves, by devouring the heart and entrails of the disgusting Raven, in tlie strange hope of thus appropriating iu supposed gift of prophecy. The Raven indeed not only possesses a great many natural inflections of voice corresponding to its various feelings, but it ha* also a talent for imitating the cries of other animals, and even mimicking language. According to Bufibn, eoiai is a word which he pronounces with peculiar facility. Connecting circumsunces with his wanu, Scaliger heard one, which when hungry, learnt very distinctly to call upon Conrad the cook. The first of these words bears a great resemblance to one of the ordinary cries of this species, k&wallah, k&ivallah. Besides possessing in some measure the faculty of imiuting human speech, they are at times capable of manifesting a durable attachment to their keeper, and become familiar about the house. The sense of smell, or rather that of sight, is very acute in :he Raven, so that he discerns the carrion, on which he often feeds, at a great distance. Thucydides even attributes to him the sagacity of avoiding to feed on animals which had died of the plague. Pliny relates a singular piece of ingenuity em- ployed by this bird to quench his thirst: he had observed water near the bottom of a narrow-necked vase, to obtain which, he is said to have thrown in pebbles, one at a time, until the pile elevated the water within his reach. Nor does this trait, singular as it is, appear to be much more sagacious than that of carrying up nute and shell-fish into the air, and -"^^H NORTHERW RAVEW. ,„ blood ^ juic^'oTthe 'pir Th^'^"' """"='"' "^ ^' ~cial U«n he bird, of pL I" whT^h '7 "" "'» "•»«' coou, nature «.d con.^uem^J T ""•/ '""" "" P""""" heat and d«I,ke to wander from their cool re reat. VS^n^ 'oost m the woods liltP r,r.^ j l ™"»"- iney never choose in thTt^yr^t^^ ^i^'r' '"'"""' "^''J"" during the night in companies of icto « n^ ^ """ holesofthemouIderinKwall Jth/ ^ ,'"'' °' '" "'^ and sometimes up^^tt h£h b 'ir"""/."' "'"'^ '°"^'^' trees. After they^ave p2d tifeTr «. L ^' "^ '°'""^ through life The ml ^n ' '''"[.''''^''*>' »PP«»rs to continue gn iiie. me male expresses his attachment by a particu- 134 SINGING BIROS. lar strain of croaking, and both sexes are observed caressing, by approaching their bills, with as much semblance of affection as the truest turtle-doves. In temperate climates the Raven be- gins to lay in the months of February or March. The eggs are 5 or 6, of a pale, muddy bluish green, marked with numerous spots and lines of dark olive brown. She sits about to days, and during this time the male takes care to provide her with abundance of nourishment. Indeed, from the quantity of grain, nuts, and fruits which have been found at this time in the envi- rons of the nest, this supply would appear to be a store laid up for future occasions. Whatever may be their forethought re- garding food, they have a well-known propensity to hide things which come within their reach, though useless to themselves, and appear to give a preference to pieces of metal, or any- thing which has a brilliant appearance. At Erliirt, one of these birds had the patience to carry and hide, one by one, under a stone in the garden, a quantity of small pieces of money, which amounted, when discovered, to 5 or 6 florins ; and there are few countries which cannot afford similar instan- ces of their domestic thefts. Of the perseverance of the Raven in the act of incubation, Mr. White has related the following remarkable anecdote : In the centre of a grove near Selbome ti\ere stood a tall and shapeless oak which bulged out into a large excrescence near the middle of the stem. On this tree a pair of Ravens had fixed their residence for such a series of years that the oak was distinguished by the title of "The Raven Tree." Many were the attempts of the neighboring youths to get at this nest. The difficulty whetted their inclinations, and each was ambi- tious of accomplishing the arduous task ; but when they arrived at the swelling, it jutted out so in their way, and was so far beyond their grasp, that the boldest lads were deterred, and acknowledged the undertaking to be too hazardous. Thus the Ravens rontinued to build, and rear their young in security, until the fatal day on which the wood was to be levelled. This was in the month of February, when these birds usually begin to sit. The saw was applied to the trunk, the wedges NORTHERN RAVEN. ,2 Ravensalon. AuL, °Sf ^1'^ "^ ' ''« ^"" '"e devoted her ancient eyry ; »d a vic2T ""'• """ ""^ «""« ^o™ whipped down by Te twL^d k'^'k'^, '^''''°"' *- ground. ^' ^""^ ^""Kht lifeless to the The young, at first more white tl,»n ki ■ pr-iously prepared in the cS^ of^ ^^^' "^ 'f "y food gorged by the bill, nearly in thtm T^" ^"^ "•*" ^is at this time, douby v£? ^« banner of pigeons. The male for, but defU Z ; m.> viroi,:^^"' "V''' '"'^^"^^ and show, a particular enmufto t^e ^ wlf' f ""^ ''"^^' h» neighborhood, pouncing uL hi ! ° '"' "PP'"^ '» b". until sometimesVh^^^onist Vs^lro'':^ "'' ''^ The young are long and affecfcnately fedlv tt „ «'°"°'^- though they soon leave the nest th • P"*°''' ^°d neighboring tocks, yTuSle to I^ '"""" ^'"""« "^ "^^ pass the time in combu^ com°i ^' "^^ "^'^"^'^^ "«'''. '^d of the parent with C She"'"^ "'"J'" ^^ ^n-och forts to fly, and then „?^ l^ZrT,'"""^ ''^^ '"'"'^ days after leaving the nesHhev 1^ ^ '°°"- '^'^■« ' ^ flight as to accompanyTe p^L T' "l ""^ ^"'^"''^ '"°' ■noming to night /and it is^' „?"' °° ^"' ^^<="«ions fiom this oflectionate Elation 2 * '° """'^'' ""^ ?"««=« of summer to go out with the old 'm tlT^ continuing the whole -turn with them again in the eveningToTf^'' "^ "^«^"^ despise the appetite of the Raven L l^^''" ^^ ""•'' mstmctive morality of his nature ' admire.the Like birds of prev the »„„ " the bUl, the hard and tadi^^^f "''" '^'" ''"^ ^°'^^. by "ones of fruit a«l the ^f^''^ "Tc"' ""='' ^<^' =« '"e timer eat. '^°*'' °^ '""^l ^ which they some- ■M?4r^™,«-lHttte^^^ '-^ '- the «amed); and the distribution o, he M ""?'*'"''" been »'-". the Rocky MounUins l^..tr:: ^j:^ ^^ 136 SINGING BIRDS. occura throughout Canada north to the Arctic Ocean and weM to the Pacific. Of late yean the Raven has almost forsaken the New England shores, though it is still numerous around the Bay of Fundy, and occurs locally in small numbers along the coast of the Atlantic to North Carolina. In the west it ranges south to northern Michigan and British Columbia. It is more abundant to the westward . Black, with gloss of purple tinge. Length 17 to si fnches. Nut. In a tiee \ made of sticks and twigs, lined with grass and leaves Eggi. 4-6 ; sea-green to dull olive, blotched with brown ; 1.70 X 1.20. The Crow, like the Raven, which it greatly resembles, is a denizen of nearly the whole world. It is found even in New Holland and the Philippine Islands, but is rare in Sweden, where the Raven abounds. It is also common in Siberia, and plentifiil in the Arctic deserts beyond the Lena. The native Crow is a constant and troublesomely abundant resident in most of the settled districts of North America, as well as an inhabitant of the Western wilds throughout the Rocky Mountains, to the banks of the Oregon and the shores of the Pacific. These birds only retire into the forests in the breeding season, which lasts from March to May. At this, time they are dispersed through the woods in pairs, and roost in the neighborhood of the spot which they have selected for their nest ; and the conjugal union, once formed, continues for life. They are now very noisy, and vigilant against anj intrusic>n on their purpose, and at times appear influenced b) mutual jealousy, but never proceed to any violence. The tree they select is generally lofty, and preference seems often given to some dark and concealing evergreen. The nest is formed externally of small twigs coarsely interlaced together, plastered and matted with earth, moss, and long horse-hair. CROW. 127 to approach towaris theTrnest It^ h^.'^^'^'' '^P°« till the intruder duappel^ ^'ri J"*^ """ '^ » '"*«««« their b«od, they reS u;^"^': *^ •*«- '° <=»-«' ajitu«io„ to follow themTn t^S^ '"^h ""1 "^ *" » food to his mate while confinlT^^'K ^""^ ""l' -"w earn- relieves her by sitting in her !^ " '«^' '^'* « ««« Raven, the sLa^Vthe K^^r^ , '" ^"'°P'=' '"'™ th« P- join ins^' ^'e aLk »d " '" "P""^'' "- ous blows, destroy tTeL^l '"T"°"' ''>"^"" °f ^"ri- alert and counZus not o7' '' "^^ ^"^^« ^"d, more 'he Crows an?^;^ VS/^^''*^' ""' "«« vanquishes "^ IS equally omnivorous with th» b- ««)nns, carrion, fish, grain fn.ito j • ^'"°' ""^'ts, digestible by any o TL^^' """^ "" '*"« «^«'y*hing -p.ble t^ J. ;rantinranill'=''1nes^^. ^^^ hid-eggs is also very considerable T^' ^'',,^«»t™«'on of detected feeding thTir v^S ;ouS S^he T "" °'^" of the Partridee whirh th„, ^ '"* Precious eggs ^magreat heightupon the „S J^W ,£ °^P"* ""^ Mres and devour the birds wh.>h thr« J^' ?" ^" *^' ie weak and wounded «me^ \ ^""^ ""«'"• """^king oung chickens and DuSrand^^ T"'*'"'^ "^"^ °° ounce upon Pigeons Sei^^^I^i:"^" "'T"'' '^ qual success. So familiar ZT f • ^' ""^ '""' ^"n"" arts of the Levant thaTLev w^ f "" "* *'=>' '" "■»« .4 .ike Harpies. ali^S; tSil? LT" °^ '""-»• -ymg in the dinner, and^ o^t' mlSfr S 128 SINGING BIRDS. away by blows. In turn, however, the Crow finds enemies too powerful for him to conquer, such as the Kite and Eagle Owl, who occasionally make a meal of this carrion bird, — a voracious propensity which the Virginian Owl also sometimes exhibits towards the same species. Wherever the Crow appears, the smaller birds take the alarm, and vent upon him their just suspicions and reproaches. But it is only the redoubtable King Bird who has courage for the attack, beginning the onset by pursuing and diving on his back from above, and haras- sing the plunderer with such violence that he is generaUy glad to get out of the way and forego his piratical visit ; in short, a single pair of these courageous and quarrelsome birds are suf- ficient to clear the Crows from an extensive cornfield. The most serious mischief of which the Crow is guilty is that of pillaging the maize-field. He commences at the planting-dme by picking up and rooting out the sprouting grain, and in the autumn, when it becomes ripe, whole flocks, now assembled at their roosting-places, blacken the neighboring fields as soon as they get into motion, and do extensive dam- age at every visit, from the excessive numbers who now rush to the inviting feast. Their rendezvous or roosting-places are the resort in au- tumn of all the Crows and their families for many miles round. The blackening silent train continues to arrive for more than an hour before sunset, and some still straggle on until dark. They never arrive in dense flocks, but always in long lines, each falling into the file as he sees opportunity. This gregarious inclination is common to many birds in the autumn which associate only in pairs in the summer. The forests and groves, stripped of their agreeable and protecting verdure, seem no longer safe and pleasant to the feathered nations. Exposed to the birds of prey, which daily augment in numbers ; penetrated by the chilling blasts, which sweep without control through the naked branches, — the birds, now impelled by an overruling instinct, seek in congregated numbers some general, safer, and more commodious retreat. Islands of reeds, dark and solitary thickets, and neglected swamps, are the situations chosen for 3 CROW. 139 two of the* «nSLMrc™;''^« "^ ^--^'->^ there „e and take IZT^. Z\S'' "vJhetftlS' """^■^''' «»upied by theie bud, L nff i ^ "°'* '^ "°w December^?ati''^°;^;„'=^°»P«'«-d'o»y; but in Reedy Island, just abTe ^T ""^ '*'"' "^^'^ °n sometimes sweot awav h» .» , expect it, are w^ H^_r "■ r^"""™, made no attempts to escape and but seldom seen ft,t^t ^ '^•^ ""''°'"' »'^' *«? ^^ terrific t^mwre's £ve .h" ""'"■ "^ *" °*" «^«« and price is puTu'^Lrhtdl' 7 "' '^'''"' "«* '"'«-' - of ensnaSngX *u2f^'t i" ~"'^""'^«. ^ons means mnXT ^ '"''' •*«" had recoune to Of th,. " vSS.'Z;"^^"*^' '^^ -P^« 'ts appear^, ^1" I30 SINGING BIRDS. fiist glance, perceiving with re«dy sagacity the wily manner of the fowler. So fearful and suspicious are they of human arti- fices that a mere line stretched round a field is often found sufficient to deter these wily birds from a visit to the comfieUl. Against poison they are not so guarded, and sometimes com steeped in hellebore is given them, which creates giddinesf and death. Another curious method is that of pinning a live Crow to the ground by the wings, stretched out on his back, and retained in this posture by two sharp, forked st' .s. In this situation, his loud cries attract other Crows, who come sweeping down to the prostrate prisoner, and are grappled in his claws. In * this way each successive prisoner may be made the innocent means of capturing his companion. The reeds in which fhey roost, when dry enough, are sometimes set on fire also to pro- cure their destruction ; and to add to the fatality produced by the flames, gunners are also stationed round to destroy those that attempt to escape by flight. In severe winters they suffer occasionally from famine and cold, and fall sometimes dead in the fields. According to Wilson, in one of these severe seasons, more than 600 Crows were shot on the carcase of a dead horse, which was placed at a proper shooting distance from a stable. The premiums obtained for these, and the price procured for the quills, produced to the farmer nearly the value of the horse when living, besides affording feathers sufficient to fill a bed. The Crow is easily raised and domesticated, and soon learns to distinguish the different members of the famUy with which he is associated. He screams at the approach of a stranger; learns to open the door by alighting on the latch; attends regularly at meal times ; is very noisy and loquacious ; imitates the sounds of v^ous words which he hears ; is very thievish, given to hiding curiosities in holes and crevices, and is very fond of carrying off pieces of metel, com, bread, and food of all kinds ; he is also particularly attached to the society of his master, and recollects him sometimes after a long absence. It is commonly believed and asserted in some parts of this nSH CROW. '31 fountnrth.tu.eCn.w, engage .,«„ , but u h« never been ^U T'! '^ ««°««' ^"bat; from cMl ducori, or the nr!^ • "^" ^ ''°«''ity arises contesting for ^.ri..^^^^^^ <" f '^-« 'I^c^ It » weU known that RXof ''' °' ""^«°« «™und. »d drive away by e!ej j^i'^""'""'' '^'h e-h other anive among them b^^^!^^.^ '"di^dual, who Note — tk r ^' FISH CROW. COBVUS OSSmiiGus, Wilson was the iim to observe ,1,. ^- • smaller and peculiar AmeS^l*' ^T^"^ '""ts of this «>as, of Georgia. It « meTliTrf ''"'"' ^°"« "»' «=- New Jersey; and altho-.S. 1^1 "°"^ "« '^^ ^'^t °f -tenor of the continent, it rcol" "' 1' '^ "'^ ''^'e™ Oregon, where it was nesril T" °" '^« ^^nks of the eei« apart from the^oron^,:..'"^ """'^ °^ April. X y. to roost among T rel i?'*"' '"^^ "^ -->"- "emng. fa,„ ^h, shores wh'^'ffV?'"'' "*''^'' towards ^'ches in.the neighbor,^ ^ f " ' '"'«*«=°«. '"'d « « t,mes hoan» and ^t^^ " nV°'"' ''"'^"^ ^'^ous/ ese Crow, pass most ooKme n ""'*" """^ ^'fJ-^ he stream to catch up dea7a„?. u" "^"^' '•°^«™8 over -"al matteu which'flo 'w,S 't^'^'" "^«''^''' -other 'e w,th considen.ble celerit? w IT" 'T ' « *«»« they "''ey them to an adjoin^' ^ 1^?.""" '° ^'^ c'^'^. e-r predatory industry at wfu^'C 1''°" ""= '""''ts o i«sure. They also snatch up water- 132 SINGING BIRDS. Uiaidi in the tame manner, and feed upon tmill ci*tw; at tiroei they are leen even contending with the Gulls for their prey. It is amusing to see with what steady watchfiilness they hover over the water •n search of their precarious food, having, in fact, aU the traits of the GuU ; but they subsut more on accidental supplies than by any regular system of fishing. On land they have sometimes all the fsmiliarity of the Magpie, hopping upon the backs of cattle, in whose company they no doubt occasionally meet with a -^^ jply of =nsects when other sources laU. They are also regular '« their attendance on the fishermen of New Jersey for the d . -« of gleaning up the refuse of the fish. They are V. s- jiy and suspicious than the common Crow, and showing i i inclination for plundering the cornfields, are rather friends than enemies to the farmer. They appear near Philadelphia from the middle of March to the beginning of June, during the season of the shad and herring fishery. The habitat now accorded to this species is " the Atlantic and Gulf States north to Long Island and west to Louisiana." It probably occurs occasionally along the Connecticut shore, and may straggle into Massachusetts ; though Mr. Allen has omitted it from his list On the Pacific coast it is replaced by C. caurinut. All Crows are more or less fish-eaters, and in some localities fish forms their staple diet. On the shores of Cape Breton, near the coal districts, the fish-eating Crows are separated by the natives from the common sort. It is said that the flight and voice of these birds can be readily distinguished. Some miners working at Lepreaux, in New Brunswick, who were familiar with the fUh- eatlng Crows of Cape Breton, drew my attention to a flock of apparendy small and peculiar-voiced Crows gleaning along the shores; but though easily trapped by a fish bait, they proved to be nothing more than rather small common Crows. Note. — The American Magpie {Pica pica hmdstmica) Is a Western and Northwestern bird, and occurs as a straggler only east of the Mississippi. It has been taken In Michigan, northern Illinois, and western Ontario j also at Chambly, near Montreal. BLUE JAY. Cyanocttta cristata. "««.. «cond,rie., and mM of S -fcafh™ h,^^?''' •""•■ ""k : wing- A^./. In , .»ui conifer, abo„r^J„n^il;«"' " '° "« inche,. *«P fore., or new . wttlement, rouVhly b„lZ.l *""'^- '""*'«'' '■> "d root^ uul lined „-,fc j„, ^ "*"'' ""' «™'7 constructed of twigs X fC "-" '-'' """ " -^^ "^ -i^ ^.icisk bro.,, .,o f«^m Itr "o^~':'=- » ->« -tH in the interior. 54th to the S6th dSr J^eT"""'" ^^^ ^"' ■■» *«= ^rd to the l^o Se f^ ^^"•'f'^-'". ^d southwest- -gions from the fonfinet of W™ t,,*'*^ """"^ ""' ^'^'- >34 SINGING BIROa The Blue Jay it a constant inhabitant both of the wooded wildemeas and the vicinity of the lettled fimn, though more familiar at the approach of winter and early in ipring than at any other leaion. Theie wanderingi or limited migrations are induced by necessity alone; hit hoards of grain, nuts, and acomt either have iailed or are forgotten: for, like other misers, he is more attiduout to amast than to expend or en- joy his stores, and the fiuits of his labors very frequently either devolve to the rata or iquirrels, or accidentally assist in the replanting of the forest. Hit vititi at thii time are not un- frequent in the garden and orchard, and his usual petulant addreu of djdy, jiy, jdy, and other harsh and trumpeting articulations, soon make hit retreat known to all in his neigh- borhood. So habitual is this sentinel cry of alarm, and so ex- pressive, that all the birds within call, as well as other wild animals, are instantly on the alert, so that the fowler and hunter become generally disappointed of their game by this his garrulous and noisy propensity; he is therefore, for his petulance, frequently killed without pity or profit, as his flesh, though eaten, has but little to recommend it. His more com- plaisant notes, when undisturbed, though guttural and echoing, are by no means unpleasant, and fall in harmoniously with the cadence of the feadiered choristers around him, so at to form a finishing part to the general mutic of the grove. His ac- cents of blandishment, when influenced by the softer passions, are low and musical, so as to be scarcely heard beyond the thick branches where he sits concealed ; but as soon as dis- covered he bursts out into notes of rage and reproach, accom- panying his voice by jerks and actions of temerity and defiance. Indeed the Jay of Europe, with whom our beau agrees entirely in habits, is so irascible and violent In his movements as some- times to strangle himself in the nurow fork of a branch from which he has been found suspended. Like the European spe- cies, he also exhibits a great antipathy to the Owl, and by his loud and savage vociferation soon brings together a noisy troop of all the busy birds in the neighborhood. To this garrulous attack the night wanderer has no reply but a threatening stare BLUE JAY. US trie* is uken of Uii. dWikeZ^K: ^'^'"^^'«' •" «>«« coun- thu. .he Owl, being le, tJ o 1 1 '^'^" °' "*"'"'''« "«». ; by liming the neSriS ^n« ^'^"P' *''° *« thencugh a. will. The cLmon C; evl^ond r"""''' "' ''"'"■^^" voice of the Owl and the no sy Kestrel " T""'^' "^^ ".rd, Blue Jay mock with a Uumt'.cc^l^L >. l'"" ^""^ ""= ing. of the Red-Aouldered HawT wf ^T' *' ""' " ""''"• take singular satisfaction in ," ° '"'"^" ^'"^ W™ American sSlr^w Hawk 'h''"^ """ ""^'"°« ">= '"''« tended plainteTa JZh' ?k .?'^""« "P°° ">"» »>y ">' Pre- coLmation b;S Sawktsl"'""^" '"''"^ *" '"<"1« them a, his ^^^^I^'^^'^^ZTT- '""""'^ °" °" °' caSetf-iits ^t: irr ■■""'''^'' » ^ speech. articuUting worf^^n, T '° ™"^'« '"""an hearing voices Ukea^^^T '"""^ '"««c'ne«; and on common Jay of Europe thit he hiL^ ""^'" °^ *« feit the action of a Lw ^af tlo,!^. °"' » exactly counter- scareely be persuaded but that ^^^ °° * ^'"^"^^ ^' """ Another, unfVrtunaSv renderedT' t"^°'" """ « ''°'''- came in to lodge in the h^sl !; „ ! ''°™ "''•' ''''' ^«". "as little obsei^ed but i^ ,f '" ""^ """^^ "''"^ he he^re the compSonThtTdSL'^^^''''' '' '" ^^^^'-^ The favorite food of this species is chestnuts, acorn, .„d MICROCOPY RESOIUTION TfST CHART (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) A APPLIED IIVHGE In ^^^ 1GSJ East Main SIreal K= ??fl'i"'*''> ""* '^°'^ '*609 USA •j:^ (?'6) *82 - 0300 - Phone ^= (716) 286- 5989 ~ Fa. 136 SINGING BIRDS. Indian com or maize, the latter of which he breaks before swallowing. He also feeds occasionally on the larger insects and caterpillars, as well as orchard fruits, particularly cherries, and does not even refuse the humble fare of potatoes. In times of scarcity he falls upon carrion, and has been known to venture into the bam, through accidental openings ; when, as if sensible of the danger of purloining, he is active and silent, and if surprised, postponing his garrulity, he retreats with noiseless precipitation and with all the cowardice of a thief. The worst trait of his appetite, however, is his relish for the eggs of other birds, in quest of which he may frequently be seen prowling ; and with a savage cruelty he sometimes also devours the callow young, spreading the plaint of sorrow and alarm wherever he flits. The whole neighboring community of little birds, assembled at the ciy of distress, sometimes, how- ever, succeed in driving off the rathless plunderer, who, not always content with the young, has been seen to attack the old, though with dubious success ; but to the gallant and quarrel- some King Bird he submits like a coward, and driven to seek shelter, even on the ground, from the repeated blows of his antagonist, sneaks off well contented to save his life. Although a few of these birds are seen with us nearly through the winter, numbers, no doubt, make predatory excursions to milder regions, so that they appear somewhat abundant at this season in the Southern States ; yet they are known to rear their young from Canada to South Carolina, so that their migrations may be nothing more than joumeys from the highlands towards the wanner and more productive sea-coast, or eastern frontier. East of the Mississippi the Blue Jay has been rarely seen north of the 50th parallel. Note. — A smaller race, which differs also from true eristala in having less white on the tips of the secondaries and tall-feathers, has been named the Florida Blue Jay (C. eristala florincola). It is found in Florida and along the Gulf coast. FLORIDA JAY. «37 FLORIDA JAY. AphELOCOMA FLOmUANA. Char. Above, dull azure blue: back with n=,ri, „. v Ihroat and chest gravish whit. ..r..i,-5 T ? " "' brownish gray; wi^rte looZTZ:""'""' "' ""''" ' ■"»<" o' '-8' '■"' «»». lined ...fTo.&:'' P»"8reen or bluish gray, spotted with rufous and black ; some of which, probably im to I^ ^id toT'' °"'°'"' JUnee . the so„« of .h^e Th™sh^"r f^ ;:: l^Z simiStrZ^Tthe tr'"' '"'"^ ='=''"°- ''' ^"-^ -^ very « feeds Urgely on the seedTo/r IZi^iS' Uke o^efS'ecTes of th^' " '"'""T' ^"^""^ '° ''--'>°-i"«- m.m,cry in this state are very imperfect. '^'' *' CANADA JAY. whiskey jack. moose bird. Perisoreus canadensis. Char. Above, ashy gray ; head and nape smoky black ; forehead and lower parts whitish gray ; breast brownish gray ; wings and tail dark ashy, tipped obscurely with white. Young: uniform dull smoky black, paler beneath. Length, 1 1 to 12 ind. >. f/est. In a coniferous tree; a bulky but compact structure of dried twigs, shreds of bark and moss thickly lined with feathers. ^SS'^ 4~5i of light gray or huffish, spotted with dark gray, lilac gray, and pale brown ; 1.15 X 0.80. This species, with the intrusive habits and plain plumage of the Pie, is almost confined to the northern regions of America, being met with around Hudson'^ Bay, bu^ becoming rare near the St. Lawrence, and in winter only straggling along the coast as far as Nova Scotia. Westward, occasionally driven by the severity of the weather and failure of food, they make their appearance in small parties in the interior of Maine and north- CANADA JAY. Th "^V'^ ''^'" " 'hetolTf H^uf ""'^ '"'° '"' State the Mohawk. I„ ,he monthTf M " r ° ""'^ ""* ^^^ of brood of these birds old InH ^ ^ °''^'^^<1 " v^anderine or 'he W^,,„^.^ il thlfol^etort"^"" '"' '"^"^ •»"- probably been bred. They dlend!^ °'\ *''"^ ^^^^ ''^d ^Pnng .„ quest of iiuects 'and .Si ' >, ''' «""""^ »'" ^ According to Mr H,„ u- . '"'"'• habitations !nd terns o?r:ib>' ""= ^'=' '^''- -ar the to Pilfering everything 'wlth^itar^dt ""^"' " '^ «-" to venture into the tents ZT' . «"»«i'nes so bold d'shes even, whether fresh oTsar I'tT ,"' "'^''' ^™™ 'he sagacity of watching the humS set h f''° '^' "i^^ievous from which it purlofns the b^' l! ^^^ ""^ ""^ Martin, Crow app,,^^^*'^^- Its appetue. like that of the '^dtheir larva., and on flesh of dffferentT"!!'' ''"°"= "'^-"'. of berries in hollow trees for \^t Y"' ""'' "P ^'°«» remdeer, is driven to the necTss 1 ' fr '!■""'"' "'"' ^^e The severe winter, of the Jds it L,K^'''°« "^ "'='>»'• ^t this season it leaves the woods to ml "^^ 'Common Jay, food trying every means for s7b2tel . "'""'°"' ^^'^^ ' ger It seeks boldly the socierof '- ^ '^'""^ ^^ '"'"- h.rds are such prater, as to b tLidered'l f "^^ ^''^- are superstitiously dreaded by tt !^ • ^°"'''"8 ^'«1». «d "■only fly in pai„ „ rove in sm»n f ^,^"8«''- They com- '0 approach, and keep up a S /f T '^^^ °° "^^ «*■«->' '-S repeating their nZfo^' l^:;'l' ''t''^^' -"e- ■mmediately before snow or fallin. / ^° """^ ^' ^ ''"e. they seldom long survive thou Jhh*''^''- ^^'^ ^^SK Like most of their g7u ' hevte'7 "7" "'''"=' '^"^ ^^ ingtheirnests, which are fon^edof f ' '^' '""'"«' ''""'I- trees. They lay 4 to 6 liriT^ ,,""«' '""^ St^ « the pine- brown spots' rkVyol^XoTlt .T '■-""y -rkedlith "early quite black, and cLtLue'so for"^"' "'*" ^™'^'' <« -ord^toKichardson,.h-°nXrr\m.^,^ 140 SINGING BIRDS. inhabits all the woody districts of the remote far countries from the 65th parallel to Canada, and now and then in severe win- ters extends his desultory migrations within the northern limits of the United States. Scarcely has the winter traveller in those cold regions chosen a suitable place of repose in the forest, cleared away the snow, lighted his fire, and prepared his tent, when Whiskey Jack insidiously pays him a visit, and boldly descends into the social circle to pick up any crumbs of frozen fish or morsels of dry meat that may have escaped the mouths of the weaiy and hungry sledge-dogs. This confidence is almost the only recommendation of our familiar intruder. There is nothing pleasing in his voice, plumage, or attitudes. But this dark, sinister dwarf of the North is now the only inhabitant of those silent and trackless forests, and trusting from necessity in the forbearance of man, he fearlessly approaches, and craves his allowed pittance from the wandering stranger who visits his dreary domain. At the fur posts and fishing stations he is also a steady attendant, becoming so tamed in the winter by the terrible inclemency of the climate as to eat tamely from the offered hand; yet at the same time, wild and indomitable under this garb of humility, he seldom survives loi.g in confine- ment, and pines away with the loss of his accustomed liberty. He hops with activity from branch to branch, but when a> rest, sits with his head drawn in, and with his plumage loose. The voice of this inelegant bird is plaintive and squeaking, though he occasionally makes a low chattering, especially when his food appears in view. Like our Blue Jay, he has the habit of hoard- ing berries, morsels of meat, etc., in the hollows of trees or beneath their bark. These magazines prove usefiil in winter, and enable him to rear his hardy brood even before the disap- pearance of the snow from the ground, and long before any other bird indigenous to those climates. The nest is concealed with such care that but few of the natives have seen it. Whiskey Jack has evidently moved somewhat southward since Nuttall made his observations, for the species is now a fairly com- mon resident of the Maritime Provinces of Canada, as well as of the northern portions of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New CANADA JAY. 141 York, and Michigan. Near Ottawa anH i„ .1. w . . of Ontario, it occurs re«ilarlv .h™,l'i, ". ■ *' Muskoka disfrt Bcton, and «veral Tave te"n re^rtJ^I '"^"C "='■«'"»• "«" Massacliusetts. *'~''*^ ^™" "her locaUtie. in »now and ice. Tlie nest was X,H „ ^ ^f "" '=°™"<' "ith ^^strt^L^SSHrf^s^^:: w.:i"S^7Srt*ror:^t:f'^rrr'"-'^ :^?:jutrtHe?;^d:iv?^^^^^^ bird, gather about my"amX whl,in a'f """ """""^ °' *«« been lighted; and thfy did not he^Jl to rj"'""'".""" " ''" thrown toward them. Mr Thnmt. ^ "'' "P " P'«« °' ■"«* in Manitoba. He describesThe,T^ "*"'"^' *'•""" experience and helping themsetrst ^J^; Strt'^V ";' T^''^''"' respect for these birds fearfng h"^ .Tck tw •" »"P«"'i«°<» fron. killing one, and Whisk^y^JUf,-'.:::^ '^r""' diff^rrfrom t™"e'.«Xri"n ^eiLfr"*"^" '">--^'-'-) It U restricted .0 .beTo^ ^fcf Ub^ISr^ =°'°'^"°''- TUFTED TITMOUSE. Parus bicolok. Ckak. Above, bluish ash; beneath, dull white; flanlu tinged with yellowish brown ; forehead black ; head conspicuously crested. Length 5>^ to 6H inches. Ntst. In a cavity of a tree or stump ; composed of leaves, moss, or woollen material, lined with feath«:rs. Eggs- J -8; white or pale cream, spotted with reddish brown; 0.75 X 0.55. From the geographic limits of this species, as it occurs to me, I am inclined to believe that the bird seen in Greenland may be different from the present, as it scarcely appears to exist north beyond the States of Pennsylvania or New York. They are seldom, if ever, seen or heard in this part of Massa- chusetts, and instead of being more abundant to the north, as believed by Wilson, they are probably not known there at all. In the Southern States, at least in winter and spring, they are very common, and present all the usual habits and notes of the genus. The numbers which I saw in the Southern States from January to Match would seem to indicate a migratory habit ; but whether they had arrived from the Northeast, or from the great forests of the West, could not be conjectured. The Pelo, as I may call this bird from one of his character- istic notes, and the Carolina Wren, were my constant and amusing companions during the winter as I passed through the dreary solitudes of the Southern States. The sprighthness, caprice, and varied musical talent of this species are quite interesting, and more peculiarly so when nearly all the other vocal tenants of the forest are either absent or silent. To TUFTED TITMOUSE. •43 other things in Nature, are far beyond Thjf^hf' """^ The notes of th? P . '" '"""f" ^' "'"""' dehncation. ordinary expressions ltr::^^tu,2T!j::rr'''- my my. and now and then C'> ^1 i!/, '! u „ ""'■^"'T some variation in the tone and exD 1st ot K t """"^ lively and agreeable. The Sdle 'syl ble' f^t T '''' nounced in a hollow reverberating tone Jw^ ^'°" after the subject and its variation werHnished in tl "7'" voice an, , , ^.^.^l, toi:t:^et; .fj^'o rjay^S the Chickadee, went <%:-^y.^y.A and ^^v- J-'^! cule^being accompanied by extravagant gestures. Alatrar^r;::«;;:Jtf^^^^^^^^^^ ^" ^i^e ^erpartof our Wite. as He gayly;rue7rbu'jTribt:Ss" '/ f"'' M4 SINGING BIRDS. pea-ptti-pta. This tender call of recognition was at length answered, and continued at intervali for a minute or two ; they then changed their quick call into a Asmtx fitd pil6 pttd ; and now the natural note paised into the plaintive key, sounding like que-ah qut-ah ; then in the same breath a jarring note like that of the Catbird, and in part like the sound made by put- ting the lower lip to the upper teeth, and calling '/tA' vah, 'tsh' vah. After this the call of kerry-kerry-kerry-ktrry struck up with an echoing sound, heightened by the hollow bank of the river whence it ptxx:eeded. At length, more delicately than at first, ill an under tone, you hear anew, and m a tender accent, pelo pete ptio. In the caprice and humor of our performer, tied by no rules but those of momentary feeling, the expression will perhaps change into a slow and full peet-peet-a-peet-a-peet then a low and very rapid ker-ker-ker-ker-ker-kerry, sometimes so quick as almost to resemble the rattle of a watchman. At another time his morning song commences like the gentle whispers of an aerial spirit, and then becoming high and clear like the voice of the nightingale, he cries keeva keeva kieva keeva ; but soon falling into the querulous, the day-day-day-day- day-dait of the Chickadee terminates his performance Imita- tive, as well as inventive, I have heard the Peto also sing something like the lively chatter of the Swallow, kta-Uta-leta- UtaSt, and then vary into plto-fHto-pito-pito-pelo extremely quick. Unlike the warblers, our cheerful Peto has no trill, or any other notes than these simple, playful, or pathetic calls ; yet the compass of voice and the tone in which they are uttered, their capricious variety and their general effect, at the season of the year when they are heard, are quite as pleasing to the contemplative observer as the more exquisite notes of the summer songsters of the verdant forest. The sound of 'whip-tom-kelfy, which I heard this bird utter, on the 17th of January, 1830, near Barnwell, in South Carolina, is very remarkable, and leads me to suppose that the species is also an inhabitant of the West India Islands, where Sloane attributes this note to the Red-eyed Flycatcher; but it is now known to be the note of a tropical species, the vireo hngiros- TUFTED TITMOUSE. «4S d'ilum tlSf "'" """ •"' ''""»'"' "-'« -«' -'-■'•d m i.. The Peto, beaidrs insecte, like the lav tn .hi,k l chop, up acom,, crack, nuu ««1 hli Id ^^Ju '^' " f''^ a. .heir contend holding .hem m^wSt K'. °&" aUo searehe. and peck, decayed tree, and theh V w! ^ ».den.b' energy and industry in que,t of la^ •" ■ .Z^ T" AMoitJuig 10 ,he oteervations of Wilson ii v«„ k. Siroir".=TL"-L€'vrH This .pecle, belong, to the Carolinian Jaunal area arrf n.. VOL. I. — 10 146 SINGl.NC UIKUS. CHICKADEE. PaRUS AlKICAPILLUS. Chai. Above, why gray i below, gray inh white t flankibuiiyi crown and throat black ; cheek white. length 4^ to 3)^ inches. At-//. In a cavity made in a decayed stump, entering from the top or »ide ) compoaed of wool or inner fur cf imall mammali firmly and compactly felted. Sometimei niuia and hair are used, and a lining of feathen. £^'- S'-S ; white speckled with reddiih brown , 0.60 X 0.50. This familiar, hardy, and restless little bird chiefly inhabits the Northern and Middle States as well as Canada, in which it is even resident in winter around Hudson's Bay, and has been met with at 63° on the northwest coast. In all the Northern and Middle States, during autumn and winter, families of these birds are seen chattering and roving through the woods, busily engaged in gleaning their multifarious food, along with Nut- hatches and Creepers, the whole forming a busy, active, and noisy group, whose manners, food, and habits bring them together in a common pursuit. Their diet varies with the season ; for besides insects, their larvx and eggs, of which they are more particularly fond, in the month of September they leave the woods and assembie familiarly in our orchards and gardens, and even enter the thronging cities in quest of that support which their native forests now deny them. Large seeds of many kinds, particularly those which are oily, as the sunflower and pine and spruce kernels, are now sought after. These seeds, in the usual manner o.' the genus, are seized In the claws and held against the branch until picked open by the bill to obtain their contents. Fat of various kinds is also greedily eaten, and they regularly watch the retreat of the hog- killers in the country, to glea. ^p the fragments of meat which adhere to the placci where the carcases have been suspended. At times they feed upon the wax of the candle-berry myrtle {Myrica ceriftra) ; they likewise pick up crumbs near the houses, and search the weather-boards, and even the window-sills. CHICKADEE. '47 '47 Sn?J°[h?:^"f':«^ -^ Pa^icularly fond of .peci« when .he nd^la, ;':t'',r"'"r" ^"^•^'' '"'" "- the .kuU with a viewto ea. he\ '''.- """ """' '''°*=' "' never witne«ed. Tn wL L Ih'"'"" ' ^"J """ """""'^ ' have to the .now-bank beneaT ,"'. T^''^' ""y *"' ''"«'>J in« .mall piece, J^ ^Tv .h""' ""^ '""" "^ -•'"- «l*ay, easily supplied and hn.H "'?'" ""'' ^'"^'^ "'^'" « -d very doVLhe^: hey ii^^^ ''''' '" "»>"" the inclemency of the seL^n. r i ""convenience from "•e close of L.oi, Z" t ,im " '" ""^ *"""' °' "'»"' already to show their 117 "^^"^ *» "livened as cock, the male approachrh" ' T"":":' ""' "^ '^""'«'- vi„g,; and in the sZ. teT 7"" """'""« '""^ "bra- engagements, daning after eachth' ' !!""" ""'' """"^'^ ^nger. Their roost isinth? ill T^ ^"^' ^"°'"y -nd 'hey also breed, making" sSft le o7 °' "'l'""" ''"'' ""ere »nd laying from ,ix ,o tweL "T' ''"''' '"''' ^'^"''ers. specks of brown-red They be.inT . "''l' "" *'""^' *"' close of April; and thoughfhey commonT "^^' ""^ """^'^ °' or deserted holes of the VvZlr,?!, ^ "'''"' "'^ "^""'"ral -id to excavate a cavity foriTel'l?"' ''[ '' ''■"" ""ey are Irs. brood take wing a^,u the T "V^ "'"''' "^^'^ The have sometimes a sfcond .Lwtrd S,"' 'f'" /^ J"""- ''nd they ■■- soon as fledged, have ai ^e eVte™!? "V"'^- "'""' ^°»»«. 'he head is equally black .^V"''™^' ""'''' of the adult, _ -i'h all the agility 'and self. 1'^^ "^T' ""^ '^^ ^^out appear neverth;iesLe:ysotitrr",K°' "'" '^^'''"'' "ho "■ne the whole family^o„l"e to t " ""''''■ ^^"^ 'his 'he autumn and wint-r. Cy ' „T' 'l^''^" "'""'Sh 'ree to tree, keeping ud a rnnf f , ? """"^ '•^ ""cert from ^'V,V,V.>, prLded'; a rlS^^'^'tf ^'^"-^ '^"- engaged picking round the h ,rt ,u' "" "'" "hile busily 'heir extremitie's and p^ee^t/o^ "''" hanging from' 148 SINGING BIRDS. crevice of the bark, and searching around the roots and in every possible retreat of their insect prey or its larvse. If the object chance to fall, they industriously descend to the ground and glean it up with the utmost economy. On seeing a cat or other object of natural antipathy, the Chickadee, like the peevish Jay, scolds in a loud, angry, and hoarse note, like 'tshe diigh ddigh ddigh. Among the other notes of this species I have heard a call like tshe-de-jay, tshe- de-Jay, the two first syllables being a slender chirp, with tYieJay strongly pronounced. Almost the only note of this bird which may be called a song is one which is frequently heard at inter- vals in the depth of the forest, at times of the day usually when all other birds are silent. We tiien may sometimes hear in the midst of this solitude two feeble, drawling, clearly whistled, and rather melancholy notes, Uke 'te-dlrry, and sometimes 'ye- perrit, and occasionally, but much more rarely, in the same wiry, whistling, solemn tone, 'pehbi. The. young, in winter, also sometimes drawl out these contemplative strains. In all cases the first syllable is very high and clear, the second word drops low and ends like a feeble plaint. This is nearly all the quaint song ever attempted by the Chickadee, and is perhaps the two notes sounding like the whetting of a saw, remarked of the Marsh Titmouse in England by Mr. White, in his "Natural History of Selbome." On fine days, about the commencement of October, I have heard the Chickadee sometimes for half an hour at a time attempt a Uvely, petulant warble very different from his ordinary notes. On these occasions he appears to flit about, still hunting for his prey, but almost in an ecstasy of delight and vigor. But after a while the usual drawling note again occurs. These birds, like many others, are very subject to the attacks of vermin, and they accumulate in great numbers around that part of the head and fiont which is least accessible to their feet. The European bird, so very similar to ours, is partial to marshy situations. Ours has no such predilection, nor do the American ones, that I can learn, ever lay up or hide any store of seeds for provision, — a habit reported of the foreign family. CHICKADEE. 149 that sho«.bme73i:rn"whth'^:;rs "Sj S^' ^f '^"'^"^ with th. latter, is^^H k'" *" """ 'o'"'' «> ~mmo„ Indeed, f™„, their^a.ot^,^:^ T"" °' '"''' ««-• "e see no better pl^rof 1^„ '^^ omnivorous habit --inctly after the Garr^H.T^t""" *""' ''"^' '^^" sidissK rSeiTh-r^ -' ^-- ^ - I have since seen the Tw of Eur- "^"^ ^"^ ■^'*"°"'^- have good n^ason to Sve it S "h '^' """'^ ^"'"'y' -"^ and familiar ChickaderuX iLv'"^'™'" "' ""'^ «« but in pairs or solitaj nel i^^ " "^'''^^' ^''<^°'" aUy and almost constanu7'near stream^T"^ ^'"^"^ «^"- the willows, alders, or other sm^.» '^'*"=°"«'==. on strea,ns, and utten' now td the„ i e^bL ""'"f "« °^" queruious call, and rarely if ever the SL 7? "°'"« °' makes a noise in the soring « ;. • ^/t ^ *'■*'• ^t also -. Which ours neverdof; ne S' "^ "" "^""''"^ "^'^ near waters; often ever i^' . Chickadee is seldom seen eluded woo^s; t; :rn the w^hl-rt"^' '"^V"^ - early as October, roving •fammes't^^™'"*^'' '^"W, and as failure of their o.A^r^^ l^t^^ l^^^ »<1 the orchards and gardens aDnelrin/: . ^^ '° fr^-l^^nt indigent, but inLt^:Vpj:r4rS2' ''"'""' ''""«^' cnmny of the bark or holes in ^d^^fre^T'^ '°'° '^^"^ sects, spiders and 1,r™ j "ecayed trees after dormant in- to th; ^oun^d r,::^vtT5 sit? r "'' — ^ happens to faU W„, their gZ tLT °^P'°^''°" which Jing warble are heard eveH" wimer oH'"' T '' ^"^ j'"«- weather relaxes in its severitv ^H I ' ^"^ "''" the the river hermirof tTp^' ' '° '*""• '"^"^ of being presence, inrnlltabl " ctiL"Td"chr ''^'' "•' ^"^ ''^ '' ness to the sUent and dr«™ . *■' "" "'' of cheerful- America. ^""^ "^'"^ °f the coldest parts of ISO SINGING BIRDS. CAROLINA CHICKADEE. Parus carounensis. Char. Above, ashy gray tinged with dull brown ; head and throat black ; cheek white ; beneath, brownish white ; flanks huffish. Length 4X to 4^ inches. AWA In a cavity of decayed stump, composed of grass or shreds uf bark, and lined with feathers. Sometimes composed entirely of fur or fine wool felted compactly. Eggs. 5-8 ; white often spotted with reddish brown ; 0.60 X 0.50. This species, detected by Mr. Audubon, is a constant inhab- itant of the Southern and Middle States from the borders of New Jersey to East Florida. It has a predilection for the borders of ponds, marshes, and swamps, and less gregarious than the preceding, seldom more than a pair or family are seen together. It is also shy and retiring ; inhabiting at all times a mild and genial clirrie, it never seeks out domestic premises, nor even the waysides, but, like the European Marsh Titmouse, it remains throughout the year in the tangled woods and swamps which gave it birth. In the wilds of Oregon late in autumn we frequently saw small roving restless flocks of these birds associated often with the Chestnut-Backed species. At such times both parties were queftilous and noisy ; but the tshe te de de is comparatively feeble, uttered in a slender, wiry tone. At such times intently gleaning for insects, they show very little fear, but a good deal of sympathy for their wounded com- panions, remaining round them and sdolding in a petulant and plaintive tone. At the approach of winter those in the Atlan- tic region retire farther to the south, and on the Pacific border they are to be seen in winter in the woods of Upper California ; but in no instance did we see them approach the vicinity of the trading posts or the gardens. A nest of this species discovered by Dr. Bachman was in a hollow stump about four feet from the ground ; it was rather shallow, composed of fine wool, cotton, and some fibres of plants, the whole fitted together so as to be of an uniform thickness throughout, and contained pure white eggs. HUDSONIAN CHICKADEE. iSi HUDSONIAN CHICKADEE. Parus hudsonicus. b.'org4r:',c«^"iL tr i^z s- "T' ^^^ ^^-- 5 '" SX- "• "°" btomaab black. Length on .hi. a„„,h„ of felted fur "nd ^on tht I,,/"'""™ "' ""«' "«'"• »»<' .haped nen of firm felt, made of the in„, , " "' "" 8™«'"J Po''''^ ££f'- 6-io;creamywhit.wi,hh '"■''''"'»"""»"■»'''• larger end; 0.58 X o!^. '"■°*" 'P°» '" » <=«!• "ound the than three feet from the JT j ■ . ^'«''' °'^ °°t "ore low stump «:arctrtii l^^*^' "^ "^^ '■°"°" "^ "^ decayed shaped iS purSt Lr" °; "!'"« "'"=''•'''• ^t -> Side, its sides al^^T^i^lt^rthtr 7 *" '^''^ ^- the finest for of different n„.A,! a L- *^ "^oniposed of out that it iooke'dtIf7h:d^^ \rdXt^^^^ On the nest being assailed, the m^e tw aj'the nt™« '"■ ■ng an angiy /^-/,-*./„. "*" ^* ^^ '"'"><»", utter- P™vtc":tugf L^^b^'ndLt • ^'^ ™"""°" - *' "-"^titne has been found breed"t aUo t th'" """-'" **" ''" """■""■ " Hampshire, New York f'nH m- v.- ^ "°"''^"' P"*' "* Maine, New of Ontario.' mT. W^er Fa^o'n Sr' '" *^ **""«"'» -l''^"" migrant to the eastern Dart^fM«""t'" " ' "■"' "•""S'- «g"lar in numbers in wintraShI b"S e"S ""* "■""" " °-- _^^ A few examples have been taken in Connecticut and i„ Rhode 153 SINGING BIRDS. BOHEMUN WAXWING. AmPELIS GAKSIULUS. Chak. PrevaUing color cinnamon brown or fawn color, darker on front head and cheeks, changing to ashy on rump ; chin and line across forehead and through the eyes, rich black; wings and tail slaty; tail tipped with yellow ; primaries tipped with white, secondaries with appen- dages like red sealing-wax. Head with long pointed crest Length jyi to Sj( inches. Easily distinguished from the Cedar Bird by its larger size and darker color. JVtil. In a tree, a bulky structure of twigs and roots, lined with feathers. £igs. 3-5; bluish white spotted with lilac and brown ; i.oo X 0.70. The Waxwing, of which stragglers are occasionally seen in Nova Scotia, Massachusetts, Long Island,' and the vicinity of Philadelphia, first observed in America in the vicinity of the Athabasca River, near the region of the Rocky Mountains, in the month of March, is of common occurrence as a passenger throughout the colder regions of the whole northern hemi- sphere. Like OUT Cedar Birds, they associat* in numerous flocks, pairing only for the breeding season ; after which the young and old give way to their gregarious habits, and collec- ting in numerous companies, they perform extensive journeys, and are extremely remarkable for tiieir great and irregular wanderings. The circumstances of incubation in this species are wholly unknown. It is supposed that they retire to the remote regions to breed ; yet in Norway they are only birds of passage, and it has been conjectured that they pass the sum- mer in the elevated table-land of Central Asia. Wherever they dwell at this season, it is certain that in spring and late autumn they visit northern Asia or Siberia and eastern Europe in vast numbers, but are elsewhere only uncertain stragglers, whose ap- pearance, at different times, has been looked upon as ominous of some disaster by the credulous and ignorant. The Waxen Chatterers, like our common Cedar Birds, ap- pear destitute of song, and only lisp to each other their usual low, reiterated call of zi z/ re, which becomes more audible when! BOHEMIAN WAXWING. 'S3 , are disturbed and as thev tak, »„ »• ™ ^ yry sociable and affectL«! » u "'"«• ^'^ "« a«d si. in row, often on ^rS bi^ ?'" """^ '"""""''y. in coUecting their food. whL rsai^^^ ' "''° °°' ""P'"^^^' of various kinds, particiwyg,^? thev^T! °'^""^ '^''' and laurel berries, as well L S!' ^ ^ '^' "niper often seen to drink '^'^ ' *=""""'' ">'' "K'' «nd are Orfa;- Jraltk^ at^ ^ S, '"Z ^ ^"^^'^ '» "^^^ « the berries of the atoe 1. , ^''^' *'"'" "'^J' f^-^d °n kinds exposed a.ain "o tht ?:f'"'"^/'''""'"'"' ''"'' "'her Another flock of tCe or ihunn'^H """f' '"' 'P""« 'h--- the banks of the sl^kath ° ^^ '"dividuals was seen on same month. In tefutr; '* """'1°" "°"''=' ^^'^ '" ^^ on one or two trees ^drlr"!l'' ""'^ '"' ^««'='' '"^'^her place for an hour taTht ZZ 'T-*^" '"^"' ^= «»« noise, and were toi shy to r'°*' ""^u* " '""'^ "^"'""g Their stay at „ost^dn^t°xce^dTrd' "^ «""'^'" Indians knew of their nests Th. \7 T' ^^ °°°«' °^ 'he believe that they retted i^Vher'!.."'' '^°"'°' ''^ ""'"n to and desolate mountefn ,il« !"^'°« '=^°° '° «'«= broken parallels, where thTS^r t'olSf " ^ ''"- °^ ««'^ common juniper, so abund^t^' If °" "•" ^™" °^ *e Townsend nor myself observed .his^^ ''•T"' ^"*" Mr. River district or oTthfSy S^unlr " " '"= ^"'"""''^ The Bohemian is still a re Ar «f ;f"»i°n»'ly in winter appeinealonrSr"'" ""'' "™«ular habits, Unued States and throuKe^s^Z ' •''°"''*™ ""'^er of the flocks^ but sometimes a^or several'"'"" °^ ^"^ i" C h" been made that there is no recorf ofT""- ^"^ "'^''"^ hT^K*"'7"'"'° '"^ P"' "teen yea" c^,'** ,°S.=""ence in New "" ''''"""• =""» ---^ "- be'e^-^en t ;L'i ^Cn^u " "" >54 SINGING BIRDS. CEDAR WAXWING. CEDAR BIRO. CHERRY BIRO. Ahpelis CEDRORUM. Char. Prevailing color cinnamon brown or fawn color, changing in ashy on rump and yellowish on the belly; chin and line acrou foreheail and through eye», rich black ; wing» and tail slaty ; tail tip|»d with yel low J secondariei sometimes with red, wax-like appendages Head willi long, pointed cresL Length 6}i to 7}i inches. Mtt. In a tree ; large and loosely made of twigs and grass, lined with grass, hair, or feathers. £^. 3-5 ; bluish white spotted with lilac and brown j 0.85 X 0.60. This common native wanderer, which in summer extends its migrations to the remotest unpeopled regions of Canada, is also found throughout the American continent to Mexico, and parties even roam to the tropic A forests of Cayenne. In all this extensive geographical range, v. here great elevation or latitude tempers the climate so as to be favorable to the production of juicy fruits, the Cedar Bird will probably be found either almost wholly to reside, or to pass the season of reproduction. Uke its European representative (the Waxen Chatterer), it is capable of braving a considerable degree of cold ; for in Penn- sylvania and New Jersey some of these birds are seen through- out the winter, where, as well as in the early part of the summer and fall, they are killed and brought to market, gen- erally fat, and much esteemed as food. Silky softness of plumage, gentleness of disposition, innocence of character, extreme sociability, and an innate, inextinguishable love of freedom, accompanied by a constant desire of wandering, are characteristic traits in the physical and moral portrait of the second as well as the preceding species of this peculiar and extraordinary genus. Leaving the northern part of the continent, situated beyond the 40th degree, at the approach of win*er, they assemble in companies of twenty to a hundred, and wander through the Southern States and Mexico to the confines of the equator, in CEDAR WAXWING. f °f Which countries they are now eith« '^^ dant. As observed by Audubon fh J ! ''°"""°° <" 'bun- and often performed L a ttidie H^'l" "'''• ™"'--d, ■n flocks or companies. 1^^^= ' . '^'"j '^'^ '^'y ™°ve A» the mildness of springrefur, i""' ^^°'' 'hey alight, food, they reappear in7f S^lVj'' " ">«=" '-o^te the beginning of April, befoTT^ .'^""'™ S'^'" "bout fruits, the cherries <^d mult^ ' 7T'\°' ''''" ^-°""^ pay the gardener for the tithe of hi. ^' """ ''"^"' '° «- 'hey fail „o, ,o assist in riddtag h s tL"°^' "''' "^'"^^ '^"^.■ "»es which infest them. andThe sma^", T' '^'"^^y ""^' vanous insects now constitute theTr"n,7f"' ^«'''' "'>d at a time they may be seen feeHilt u ^ '^°'^ ' """^ ^^ hours worms which inL ora^e "rf eTa'nr'!"'"'"''""^ '^'-''"■ casions, silent and sedate afteT'l ,v n""'- «" 'hese oc- dressing their feather in „ea't„tar?r '^'^'"«' ""'y «' the number of 5 or 6 ; and as the °" '^' "^""^ ^'^"'^^ '» ment approaches, the^ may Z obse^'T ,"' "'""'^"^ '"'^^h- and caressmg with the most gentlrr;' ^"""'"^ '=''^'' <"»'". which, however, they are even T' ~ ^ P'='y'"»'°ess in Raven, to whicL s^'arind LdH - '' "' '=°"'''"»"=d different as he looks. h.Tj"ZV7l°''' """"^ «'^«^' demonstrations of attachment whrh ^^""- ^'" '^ese would kindle the feud ofTea Lsv ^ '" ' T' ^«°'°"' ''■"d birf scarcely any dimtaut o„ tf h^ "^^"T' P""^"" '" ">is «hey are gregarious to sote a p rL'!,?;^ "^"' «^' ^^^ "« ■ncubation, this affection hi, K ^ ""^ '"'^""«f ««ason of of sexual distinct^ t1 , mZTT""^ '° "^ '"'^^P-'^-t an eye-witness assures me hlhaf " '' "'"^'"^ "» f" 'hat these birds seated upon "branch da^''"^ ""' ""°°« '^ "'^ °' it to his associate when Lu2^ ^'*" ^" '"''^<='' ""d offer ■' '0 the next, and each deStelv d^ J"' disinterestedly passed has pmceeded backward and'^fot^^'w <>«■-. 'he morsel Pnated. Whatever may be the uT^l ^'"Z " "^ ^PP"" IS6 SINGING BIRDS. instant, aitting in the same range, tliinlu the exercise of the gun must be credited only by the havoc which it produces against a friendly, useful, and innocent visitor. Towards the close of May or beginning of June the Cherry Birds, now paired, commence forming the cradle of their young ; yet still so sociable are they that several nests may be observed in the same vicinity. The materials and trees chosen for their labors are various, as well as the general markings of their eggs. Two nests, in the Botanic Garden at Cambridge, were formed in small hemlock-trees, at the distance of 1 6 or 1 8 feet from the ground, in the forks of the main branches. One of these was composed of dry, coarse grass, interwoven roughly with a considerable quantity of dead hemlock sprigs, further con- nected by a small quantity of silk-weed lint, and lined with a few strips of thin grape-vine bark, and dry leaves of the silver fir. In the second nest the lining was merely fine root- fibres. On the 4th of June this nest contained a eggs, — the whole number is generally about 4 or s ; these are of the usual form (not remarkable for any disproportion of the two ends), of a pale clay white, inclining to olive, with a few well-defined black or deep umber spots at 'he great end, and with others seen, as it were, beneath the surface of the shell. Two or three other nests were made in the apple-trees of an adjoining orchard, one in a place of difficult access, the other on a de- pending branch easily reached by the hand. These were securely fixed horizontally among the ascending twigs, and were formed externally of a mass of dry, wiry weeds, the materials being firmly held together by a large quantity of cudweed down, in some places softened with glutinous saliva so as to be formed into coarse, connecting shreds. The round edge of the .est was made of coils of the wiry stolons of a common Cinquefoil then lined with exceedingly fine root-fibres; over the whole, to give elasticity, were laid fine stalks of a slender juncus, or minute rush. In these nests the eggs were, as de- scribed by Wilson (except as to form) , marked with smaller and more numerous spots than the preceding. From the late- ness of the autumn, at which period incubation is still going CEDAR WAXWINC young are «iU helpless, it ifsu Jl" "* ''^ ' *»<» •Wle the «i>e parents, uttering n^ c e,Tr !fJ° ""•"'" "" "'«"=' »' those who may endlnger o jeo^". « '"'' 'P^'^^'"'' "> •till, they are flying round in'^ ^' ""^'^ °^ ">«' t'ood ; pear.. They feed the yo^^ ^^7^°'.*^' '""■"" "'■^P- caterpillars; but at the end iflhe ,h 'i"f " "^ ""~"' like the old ones, almost exclusilelvl'" ' '' "''^ "' ^'^' such as whortle and ser^^e S ,7"!. """^ ^'"'=>""™"». ries, etc. A young birTrom one nf 1. " "* """*^"'«^ ^her- hemlock, was' thLnuS my p'tr"" f "''*''''" '»•« »me means ejected from wLndir "2 r"^ been by however, he had been well ferf „, .l ' """"' situation, and was merely sctatchrJb^tfa.rh'^^^^^^^ "T '""^«' chemes and mulberries he «., !! f ""''""^- ^<^ °n mate in the nest was suffered tonTK r"u''^'«''*' ^"''^ »" his natural protectors. Sj^^^r, ' '"' ^«"«"»ess of feathers were already seen ^. , u «"'"'• °^ ''" "Eng- age,, showing that thei %ptan« H "' '^'" "PP*"^ or x«, many birds j^ fe^T '"''"^'"' "° '"^''^''lar «« during their JhoTlL" I L^Tl:'''"". '"^'^ °'— ^ "opatient of the cage and e!^ , "' '"eresting /r^*^ -'f to the very mou h^thle s^ft' 7'""°'^' «°'»'"« "m*. often fed. The throat, inlet JkeTcrlV" ''"'"'« ''»» ^nd the contents are o;iy Su Jlv n ^' "i""'" °^ "^"'^ti"". I now suffered the bird J^^^ZT f.""'" ""^ '''°™'^'>. descended from the tree in wll^? ' !°' ''^"^ '^''y' »>« food; but the momen he wa?SieH^"'''''' """''"» 'O' »d appeared unable to sur^ve Thfl ' r T''^^'* *' °««. came seldomer to me wd Zll ? °^ '"^"y- He^w of -^^.^..and wrenSd:2rm ''' ''^P^« "'"'"=-'y W>en young, nature proSdTfm ^.r'? ''^""'"^ "^'"'es. 158 SINGING BIRIM. the young Baltimore), was hit deafening and almoat incenant call for food. Another young bird of the fint brood, probably neglected, cried so loud and plaintively to a nude Baltimore Bird in the lame tree that he commenced feeding it. Mr. Winship, of Brighton, inforroa me that one of the young Cedar Birds, who frequented the front of his house in quest of honey- suckle berries, at length, on receiving food (probably also abandoned by his roving parents), threw himself wholly on his protection. At large day and night, he still regularly attended the dessert of the dinner-table for his portion of fruit, and re- mained steadfast in his attachment to Mr. W. till killed by an accident, being unfortunately trodden under foot. Though harmless, exceedingly gentle and artless, they make some show of defence when attacked ; as a second bird which I brought up, destitute of the red appendages on the wings, when threatened elevated his crest, looked angry, and repeat- edly snapped with his bill. Almost all kinds of sweet berries are sought for food by the American Waxen-wing. In search of whortle-berries, they retire in Pennsylvania to the western mountain-chains of the Alleghany range ; am! in autumn, until the approach of winter, they are equally attached to the berries of the Virginia juniper, as well as those of the sour-gum tree and the wax-myrtle. They also feed late in the season on ripe persimmons, small winter-grapes, bird-cherries, the fruit of the pride of China, and other fruits. The kernels and seeds of these, uninjured by the action of the stomach, are strewed about, and thus acci- dentally planted in abundance wherever these birds frequent. Like their prototype, the preceding species, the migrations, and time and place of breeding, are influenced by their supply of food. In the spring of 1 83 1 they arrived in this vicinity as usual ; but in consequence of the failure of cherries, scarcely any were bred, and very few were either to be heard or seen in the vicinity. In parts of New Frj'" 1 this bird is known by the aime of the Canada Robin ; and by the French Cana- dians it is fancifully called Recollet, from thf ':olor of its crest resembling that of the hood of this religious order. NORTHERN SHRIKE. BUTCHER BIRO. Lanius boreaus. ta. black tipped with white; whi,,Xhf' "'.''««"''«''; wing, a„d Zf. ^"*"' '^ '" '°^ '■""" """ **" '"""" gra-Mned^lMe^v^Vrfea^i;.'"*' »"" "^'^^r »«1« of .Hck. „d ..ot^To.;!:*' ■""' '"' *'"■ "-" ■'"•.•Po..«i with HLcd brown; .'.is t;t rcoS^af r '- '"°" ----^ - '- fc. regaining with uT h" oughout "r'"""""" °'"^°'"' » their wanderings, according tn 1 ^u ""^"- '^'y «'»d and are not .LZTi^ Kenttt' " '" " '''"^''"• March they retire to the No«h ,K u "" *''"*"• I" ="n,mer abode in the tl keft W J "^» '"'"' '"''' "P "'''' %land. The nest [rirtfrCe'^TnT'""" """^ ^'='' fo* of a small tree and on™».- • ^^ ** compact, in the externally of dr^eT^J ^T""'" i° ^° ''PP'-^-'^e. composed feathers. The elfTre T T'l'^'^'l™"''^' -"^ well lined with egg, are about 6, of a pale cinereous white I<0 SINGING BIRDS. th' ' muked at the greater end with ipott and itreakt of nifous. The period of littlng to about 15 dayi. The young appear early in June or the latter end of May. The principal food of thto ipecief to large iniecu, »uch as grasshopper*, crickets, and spiders. With the surplus of the . former, at well as small birds, he dtoposes in a very singular manner, by impaling them upon thorn* as if thus providing securely for a future supply of provtoion. In the abundance, however, which surrounds him in the ample store-house of Nature, he soon kMes sight of thto needless and sportive econ- omy, and, like the thievtoh Pie and Jay, he suffers hto forgotten store to remain drying and bleaching in the elements till no longer palauble or digestible. As thto little Butcher, like his more common European represenutive, preys upon birds, theK impaled grasshoppen were imagined to be lures to attract hto victims ; but hto courage and rapacity render such snares both useless and improbable, as he has been known, with the temerity of a Falcon, to follow a bird into an open cage sooner than lose hto quarry. Mr. J. Brown, of Cambridge, informs me that one of these birds had the boldness to attack two Canaries in a cage, suspended one fine winter's day at the window. The poor songsters in their fears fluttered to the side of the cage, and one of them thrust hto head through the bars of hto prison ; at thto instant the wily Butciier tore off hto head, and left the body dead in the cage. The cause of the accident seemed wholly mysterious, till on the following day the bold hunter was found to have entered the room, through the open window, with a view to despatch the remaining victim ; and but for timely interference H would have instantly shared the fate of its companion. On another occasion, while a Mr. Lock in this vicinity was engaged in fowling, he wounded a Robin, who flew to a little distance and descended to the ground ; he soon heard the disabled bird uttering unusual cries, and on pproach- ing found him in the grasp of the Shrike. He snatched up the bird from its devourer ; but having tasted blood, it still fol- lowed, as if determined not to relinquish its proposed prey, and only desisted from the quest on receiving a mortal wound NORTHERN SHRIKE. C.IIH a^^*^,;,,.,^'^^' °; N'» England he i. «,„c,i„u ■ng .pecie., re«,1„ble. the diS"° ;''\'. "■"' "' "" f"''- tonge J Md my friend Mr B«,^^ I '"''"'« °^« "(P^'^^'i quacking of hi. Duck, w th^7h ^""^ °"» mimicking ,he decoy fowl TT,ey 5;o imtte"!!'.''"':""' '° •>'"> " .o . inio^ed that Jy .ing p e.rwer.h: ' ,"" '""^ '-" v.ew to entice them into-ight. foMh°'„°"'" "'?'• " ''»"h . their prey. Thi. fondnew fe, j' LT'^ °' '""""8 "•'■» T'c^m """^ the Ju,. of ~°"' " '" ''• '''"' -"'^ Mocki^nL'Ja^Jr^^j^i" "rH""" '"''"■' «- Aat it i. difficult to dIZS r^ th,, specie, of Za,/«.. hearf one (November .od, f^ ,. ^T, ""."• ^ ^'^' '"t*'/ w-ble re^mbling that of he' W^i?'' '" ' '"^ ""'' «« •eason, and immedUtely after h;.n! '^"°"' "' ""> Prwent Catbird. Like that 0^,™ '* ''"'"«^'* '» 'hat of the a^ mount, to thX^^Tyof^r U^ '"'''^" ^^ !>« deceptive talent and mi.lia^^he l^n ul "' '° '"'P'"'' ihcm »iu,in hi, reach. Hi, .»i.„^ '""'• »o " «o bring -d hi, gn.cefid, flo4 Sn, k eptt f". "'^ "«"' ^"^ ^' The parent, and their b«L '^ ""*"= """t'on. ">eir ,ub.i,.ence. a.nd r mat^ .T' T '""P^"^ '» ""«»' of ■"^e boie: attack, ev~ S" X "t°''= '"«>"■ T^» — .th,uch.,i^^^ag.m^.J- fr. Arthur ChadhouraVnf r T?i ""^ O""" ^««ey'- "'^ale ,i„g, and de^riU h'ert""!;- "'~"M''« ^^ "a. heard qi-ite a mimic." " " »" unusually fine singer and VOL. I. _ „ 103 SmCING BIRDS. LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE. hASWS LUDOVlCIANUS. CHAii. Above, blui.h aih, generally not moch paler on rump ; nnder- pa^upwe S rarely any line, of gray: fla"l« '"g'd w.d. gray, uZX7li .id.'o« heil black : wing, jnd '"'black t.pP«d wjth wh..e: .hite patch on wing.; outer tail feather! white. Length 8Ji to g}i '"Sbtlnguished from ««•«/« by .mailer .i« and by the black forehead "^:I:'"ira':«Srrough.y made of twig, and gra». lined with leave. "'a^."'"^; dull gray with green tint .potted with lUac and brown; 0.95 X 0.70. This species principally inhabits the wanner parts of the United States, residing and breeding from North Carolina to Florida, where I have observed it likewise in winter. It was also seen in the table-land of Mexico by that enterprising natu- ralist and collector, Mr. Bullock, and my friend Mr. T. Town- send found it in the Rocky MounUin range and m the temtory of Oregon. According to Audubon it affects the low countries, being seldom met with in the mountainous districts. Its habits are shy and retiring, and it renders itself useful, and claims protection by destroying mice around the planta- tion for which it sits and watches near the rice-stacks for hours together, seldom failing of its prey as soon as it appears. Like most of the genus, it is also well satisfied with large in- sects, crickets, and grasshoppers, which like the preceding species it often impales. In the breeding-season, according to Dr. Bachman, it has a song which bears some resemblance to that of the young Brown Thresh ; and though very irregular, the notes are not unpleasing. At other times its discordant caU may almoi'* be compared to the creaking of a sign-board in windy weather; it probably has also the usual talent for mimicry. The pairs mate about March, at which time the male frequently feeds the female, and shows great courage in defending his nest from the intrusion of other birds. The nest tOGGERHEAD SHRlKa I«3 a. according to Dr. Bachman, usually made in »!,- . .. of a tree .uch a, the Uve-oak or sweTt ™n, ! T' "'"'" cedar rj to 30 feet fiom ^e^^^ Tu'c^ ^"^ T ' food in tl,e intervals. Tley ^ Zn^^^^^ "" °"^ Its manners resemWe Sot. R t^^ " *" '"'^°- watcl^fuluntaitesiiteD^"/ """''''' ■' »"» »"«=« and upon it. and strips fim^^ 2 h,.*"""^' '''•'" '' P*"""^ birds, seizing the obie" irmedt. ^ ' *-« -'he™ Illinois, and the Great Lake, IT,^ ^u^"'"' °^>°' '""'he™ em New England and New Cnswtk"*' "''" ^"' '" ■">«"- ^" habits a. in appearancHS ^:SZ:!X^;^^i:^ REDSTART. SeTOPHAGA RUnCILLA. Char. Male : Imtious blue-black ; belly white ; patch on sides ot breast, basal half of wing-quills and of tail, orange red. Female: the black of the male replaced by olive brown, the red replaced by dull yellow. Young males like female, but gradually changing to fall plumage. Bill and feet black. Length 5 to 5}^ inches. Nest. An exceedingly graceful and compact structure saddled on a branch, or supported by forked twigs of a sapling, from 5 to 20 feet from the ground. It is composed of a variety of materials, in this region most commonly of grass and vegetable fibres lined with fine grass or horse-hwr. ... j . ,. EfS'' 4-5! ■*"" "'''"' 'PO"''' "chiefly around the larger end with brown and lilac ; 0.65 X 0.50. This beautiful and curious bird takes up its summer resi- dence in almost every part of the North American continent, being found in Canada, in the remote interior near Red River in the latitude of 49 degrees, throughout Louisiana, Arkansas, and the maritime parts of Mexico ; in all of which vast coun- tries it familiarly breeds and resides during the mild season, withdrawing early in September to tropical America, where, in the perpetual spring and summer of the larger West India islands, the species again find means of support. At length, instigated by more powerful feelings than those of ordinary want, the male, now clad in his beautiful nuptial livery, and accompanied by his mate, seeks anew the friendly but far distant natal regions of his race. In no haste, the playful REDSTART. I6S he .5 seen as early as the beginnmg of Ma^h ''"' '".^"'^""^ sioner upon the bounty of man Thn.^K "° P'^"" his relative Sylvias, he is fall r,f i.f. . . ''^^" s°ade. Like He does not.'like ^he^l^^p te^thTrn' ""re- proach of his insect , -ey, but carr^rn^ T ^="'^'«^' -P^ he is seen flitting fh^m bough tX«horTr°"^' "^'"• the flying troop of winged insects frfm' 1 '""f P"'^"ing tree in a ^ig..ag, ^^^di^Zl^mZZlT^^^^^ whUe the clicking df the bill' declares dIsSly both L^h ' and success. Then aliffhfin„ „„ '"""'y "oth his object tently watching with htS ^e^d^ SZ:^ ''^'''' ^■ for an instant or two flirtincr lit.! ? u ^'°"8 upon it tail fro. Side to ^^C:^ ^Sr^^X'Z:^^'^ arrow in a new direction aft^r ,1,. f u °" "''^ ^° ered in the distanceTd' ^orwhtV^.p^JeS to b ''^°^- noitnne. At first th? mai«o "Ppeared to be recon- pursuing each olr' nit cWeTZT J°r'^^ ^'"^^' female seeks out her preyShesiact^^^'': /"'''• '^''^ her manners resembles thei':; ^ ''"' "'"'"«' ""^ '" The notes of the male, though not possessed „f ^ . pass are highly musical, and at times sweet "d^ "kT varied like those of the Warblers. MaTv of ^h ? "^""^^^^ are mere trills of harmony, cannot brLa, erf b""' " t'' Their song on their first arrival ;<= i ^ ^"^ ''°'^'- greatly resembles the Vrl ^ITmL ,T T''' ""'^°™' ^"^ VM v.. .....,„ of Z «tS'SSl"'''''°^'r uttered in a piercing and rather slendel tc"e ^t TT^' — ofthecoL:j'verr^SSfi-^-- 166 SINGING BIROS. have likewiie heaid individuaU warble out a variety of sweet and tender, trilling, rather knid and shrill notes, so superior to the ordinuy lay of incubation that the performer would scarcely be supposed the same bird. On some occasions the male also, when angry or alarmed, utters a loud and snapping chirp. The nest of this elegant Sylvan Flycatcher is very neat and substantial, fixed occasionaUy near the forks of a slender hickory or beech sapling, but more generally fastened or agglu- tinated to the depending branches or twigs of the former ; sometimes securely seated amidst the stout footstalks of the waving foliage in the more usual manner of the delicate cradle of the Indian Tailor Bird, but in the deep and cool shade of the forest, instead of the blooming bower. Both parents, but par- ticularly the male, exhibit great concern for the safety of their nest, whether conUining eggs only or young, and on its being approached, the male wUl flit about within a few feet of the invader, regardless of his personal safety, and exhibiting unequi- vocal marks of distress. The parents also, in their soUcitude and fear, keep up an incessant 'tship when their infant brood are even distantly approached. NuttaU classed the Redstart with the Flycatchers, as some of its habits -such as darting from a perch, and captunng insects while on the wing- are typical of that family; but the more mod- Tm systematist, class it with the Wood Warblers. It .s an abun- dant summer resident of this eastern province, breedmg from about the valley of the Potomac to southern Labrador. HOODED WARBLER. 167 HOODED WARBLER, SVLVANM MIIDATA. acroM forehead "d .hroVhtycJrt^ll^lJ^r^^^^^^^ '■"%'""<' <" ^="0- three outer tail-feathers. Bill bS feet J^lh ,T I *'"" °" '"" <"' male, but .ometime, lacWng the black jn^hJ"^ ^'""''= ""■"" '" olive and the throat yell™ ' '''"'^'" »P«:"»''« the crown i, graf » ho'r,lh°j;. ■"'"" "»'»«'''>"'" "d vegetable fibre, lined with brow^and mi::;T77x ai;'' """"" "■""^ ""'^ "» '"«" «d with This beautifol and singularly marked summer sDed« m™ mon m the South, i, rarely seen to the nor^ or^e 7Z b.y t^t th '' "f " '° ''"■'=° °' ^' ^-' I"^i« pit biy to pass the winter. At Savannah, -n Georeia it arH™. from the &>uth about the ,oth of March. acSg'to W^^^' n « partia, to low and shady situations darkened li^Ider-' wood. IS frequent among the cane-brakes of Tenne^ennH engaged m the pursuit of winged insects. WhUe Z.^'^ ^oyed. ■ now and then utter, three loud, and not unSsicTl very lively notes, resembling the words, to« te« "S' In Its simple song and general habits it therefor, much «^m bles the summer Yellow Bird. Its neat anH .„ isgenerally fixed in the fork of a strCC^^^Zt^t of moss and flax, lined with hair, and sometimes fSthe^^ .hf grti^d. "" ^^•"' -"''■ ^^'^ ''"'^^' =p- --d: s~'?e'S^et ^"^VLl^.-^^^^^^^^^ ^- ■•- ««u.ar breedine near ClevpUnH nk- j • ^' '' '"** **<=■> found 168 SINUlNti BIRDS. WILSON'S WARBLER. wilson's black cap. Sylvania pusilla. Char. Above, olive ; crown black ; Corehead, cheeks, and entire under parts yellow. Female and young duller, and black cap often obscure, sometimes lacking. Length, 4^ to 5 inches. Nist, On the ground, in a bushy swamp, or on branch of low bush ; of twigs and vegetable fibre lined with moss or fine grass. Eggit 4"^ i white spotted with brown and lavender ; 0.60 X 0.50. This remarkable species of sylvan Flycatcher was first ob- served by Wilson in New Jersey and Delaware as a transitory bird of passage. Audubon has noticed it in I.abrador and Newfoundland, where it was breeding, and it is not uncommon in the State of Maine. He also saw it in his way to Texas early in April. It begins to migrate from Newfoundland about the middle of August, and is seen in Maine in October. Mr. Townsend and myself had the pleasure of observing the arrival of the little cheerful songsters in the wilds of Oregon about the first week of May, where these birds commonly take up their summer residence, and seem almost the counterpart of our brilliant and cheerful Yellow Birds {Sylvia astiva), tuning their lay to the same brief and lively ditty, like 'tsh 'tsh 'tsh tshta, or something similar ; their call, however, is more brief WILSON'S WARBLER 109 and less loud. Thev Mr. ~.u , in bushes more thw^ree^ " ,'"r''°'^""'"»P'«°«'. kept bordered the Colum^irb^^C^I^^H' ",/'* '""=""' *'>-'> &re, and only varying thdrln^** '^"'"'"^ ""='' '"»<« earnest .arble. ly fhe th "^f ZTh '" "* °^""''"«' -<> ■ng their full-i,edged young thoLh? ^r""" '"'^^''y ^"d- '6th of the same momh contaS *" '"""'^ "^ "''' °" '^e cing incbation. TT,e nest wal Hf V^' ""^ J"« =°'n"'en. bush, laid very adroitly "t™? '"^""'' "^"^ ''"^" "'vice mass of old moss ( i^l") that h^d 11^' T" "" ''^'=''^-'^' It was made chiefly of ground „ ^*""' '^^°'" " '«' above, lining of d;y. 4. slenZ „r"s ^f^^r ^' *"" ^ "'•^'' proached, went off slvlv n.nf , ' '*"'^'^' "ben ap- mouse. The eggs arT v;rv "im" f "'. "' «"""'' ''''«'' Vellow Bird, spZ^^lZZof '°, "r" °' '"' ^"■"■"" to be disposed in a ring a, the 1° ^^'"' •'™*"' '"<="ned Audubon in a nest which L fT'"''''^ °'^"«<1 by Mr. ^'^a.«r. also made ottstSd;: L^^^"' ^-^^ '» ' Wilson's Black Can Is a resident of northern New e7^Z' '^^"^^ not common, summer United States. It is not ,,„ ' b«eding chiefly north of the ?nd fairly common a" a mi^^^SHr; I "-e MaritiJle Province, ■"Ontario, though abu„da^'^i„"'ohP, ' ^,°"««al, *"" ■■" ""'X ««" Minnesota. ' '" ""'o- and reported as breeding in '^' '/'anual- by Nuttall, who alletd t^t"''' «'™" » P'»« in Not having been found by any of le ^^ " .'"" "'^ 'Peeies. ha^ been omitted from many re«m works r?*^"" °'"^"""' " "hypothetical list " by the A OV " "" P'a«d on the brought forward by Ridgewav in h^T;'"'' '"'"«'» been again that he saw it i„ New JeTsev ^i' d,fh' "iST'-" ^"'"n stfted 'ucky, and Nuttall's i.aS^ief „tt " ' M ""^ l'"* """^ '" ^en l"rds were seen by Nuttall only "« the , 'l"""'"*- ^s the probable they were the younL of the v '^''™/"' °* winter," it is northern breeding species ^ ' ^^" °^ =<""« of the more BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER. POUOFTIIA CERULEA. Chak. Male: above, bluish gray, darker on head, paler on nimpi forehead and line over the eye black ; beneath, pale bluiah white ; wingi dusky; tail longer than the body, the outer feathers partly white. Fe- male : similar to the male, but lacking the black on head. Length ^H to 5 inches. Mit. A graceful, cup-shaped structure, saddled on limb of a tree 15 or 20 feet from the ground ; composed of felted plant fibre ornamented externally with lichens and lined with feathers. £gp. if-y, bluish white, speckled with bright brown) ass X "MS- But for the length of the tail, this would tank among the most diminutive of birds. It is a very dexterous, lively insect- hunter, and keeps commonly in the tops of tall trees; its motions are rapid and incessant, appearing always in quest of its prey, darting from bough to bough with hanging wings and elevated tail, uttering only at times a feeble song of /see tsee tsee, scarcely louder than the squeak of a mouse. It arrives in the State of Pennsylvania from the South about the middle of April, and seldom passes to the north of the States of New York and Ohio, though others, following the course of the large rivers, pen- etrate into Kentucky, Indiana, and Arkansas. Its first visits are paid to the blooming willows along the borders of water- courses, and besides other small insects it now preys on the troublesome mosquitoes. About the beginning of May it forms its nest, which is usually fixed among twigs, at the height of :o, or sometimes even 50, feet from the ground, near the summit BLUIWllUy CNATCATCHBR. ,7, ^VX?; J. t.J'^°iJ«J» -tcriab. «ch „ the «o«». fen. down. «d theXfil^" '•'"'"• "'"■'"'' "°- this fiaU nwt the Cow T>»n^^"'"*"' "^"^ "'he™. In nunes. In thi. case « wi.T.u ^ "ffectionate and pigmy probably convey^ ^X the p^ntt^„t^"""' '^^ «<» =» lender c«dle, which^wouldTo^be atlet '1 ^""."^ '"'<^ or receive the body of the inti^der ""'^ **" ""^ht ^-b^u^rTol^-Sl!^',"^ ^V" «,u....,y«„,-.,., audible un,e„ „„, i. q'ui.e^rTht ."i""" ^°"""' » *» "^ ^ YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT. ICIERU VIRENS. Char. Above, olive ; lores black ; throat and breast rich yellow ; belly white. Length 7 to 8 inches. Ntsl. In a thicket 2 or 3 feet from the ground j of dried leaves, strips of bark, or grass lined with fine grass or fibres. Egjl,, 3-4; white, with pink tint, tpottcd with brown and lilac ; ago X 0.70. This remarkable bird is another summer resident of the United States which passes the winter in tropical America, being found in Guiana and Brazil, so that its migrations prob- ably extend indifferently into the milder regions of botl\ hemispheres. Even the birds essentially tropical are still known to migrate to different distances on either side the equator, so essential and necessary is this wandering habit to almost all the feathered race. The Icteria arrives in Pennsylvania about the first week in May, and does not usually appear to proceed farther north and east than the States of New York or Connecticut. To the west it is found in Kentucky, and ascends the Ohio to the borders of Lake Erie. In the distant interior, however, near the Rocky Mountains, towards the sources of the Arkansas, this bird was observed by Mr. 'Say, and Mr. Townsend saw it YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT. ,7, « «x,n „ U.e only br^",tfir' '^/ "l''*'"' "f Augu.,, o, diium journey. "'"* "" ""''^ •» •«d«rtake thei, he become, jealous'of hi, « '.h'" °f '" =°"«''"»"". intrusion. «;olding all ^holvZj'^^ ""^ """" ""' '"" uncouth tone, very difficult .0 H,-^ " ""^"^ °^ '^'^ ""'i a whUtling. in whiTh c"e°b'rm'a^ °' ""',""'■ ""P' ^-^ but seldom within siehr HU '^ ^ '"'"'' '° approach, consunt and rapfd expressly T"""' "V"''' °^^'"'°'» »« unseen, his voice Irfro"', °^ ""'^V'"^ '"'^'"yj and still Some of these note, timUe' the' l7 1" """'^^ ""^ "''=^«- «ying duck, at first loud ^Vpfd TJ'?"\°' "? "'"^^ °' '^ •^ end in single notes. A sucSon "f ,".'"* "" *^^ '^™ heard, some like the barkinrnf *"" '°"" "= "°* of hollow, guttur^ uncoZ ^°""«. ^"''P'"' *'"' '^ -^^ety ^ndtermiL~cJonTv h '"""k' '^'''"'""^ '"^P^^'^d. a cat. but hoaxer rrnn*^. by something like the mewing of •he ;oung, hrvT:;rt"r:c:;:e:"7ii'r''^"'^"'^^^ uttered with vehempr. /-""ence. All these notes are ^oduUtionsVtTpSn^at ^r. Ketn^^""' IcS be'L" loti^r'' "k^*""' '^^ """"'^ °f May. the bush, in an ,„ terla dli'"/. ' °"' '^""""""'^ '" '^ "ramble- feet from th ^und T^e' " ""'' °' '""''' '^^'- * °' 5 period of I. df^^ and ll T"^ ''' ''"'<=''^d '" ^be short in June. WhHe the femS *'.""' ^•'°" "«= ^^-""d week still more loud aid itcTs am n'' "' t"" °'""= ™^'^ -« ■md at times mount mtr^ r"" '' ^"""^ealment, mounts mto the air almost perpendicularly 30 174 8INOINO BIXM. or 40 feet, with hit legi hanging dowo, and detceilding u he tote, by repeated jerki, he aeenri to be in a paroxytm of feai and anger. The unial mode ol flying it not, however, different from that of other birds. The (bod of the Icteria contitU of beetles and other shelly insecU; and as the summer advances, they feed on various kinds of berries, Uke the Flycatchers, and seem particularly fond of whortleberries. They are frequent through the Middle Sutes, in hedges, thickets, and near rivulett and wattry situations. This Chat is now found regularly in Connecticut and northern Ohio, and sparingly In Massachusetts. A few examples have been taken In New Hampshire and southern Ontario. YELLOW-THROATED VIREO. Vduco ruvmoNS. Cha». Above, rich oHve, shading to sihjr r»T on th* '"■P! I'™ acrou the forehead and around the eyei yellow ; throat and breast rirh yellow i belly white, lidea ahaded with pale olive ; wings dusky with two white bart) tail duakjr, the {eathera edged with white. Length 5 to 6 inches. Mjt. In wooda or orchard; auapended bom fork of branch J to 30 (wt from the ground (usually about 10 feet) ; a graceful and compact st.'ucture of graaa and strips of bark covered with lichens and lined with grass or pine needles. £.«'■ }~S : white with roseate tint, thickly spotted ' >und the large end with shades of brown ; 0.80 X 0.60. This spetiies of Vireo, or Warbling Flycatcher, visits the Middle and Northern Sutes of the Union about the beginning of May or as soon as his insect food allows him a means of subsistence. He resides chiefly in the forests, where he hunts his tiny prey among the high branches ; and as he shiiU from twig to twig in restless pursuit, he often relieves his toil with a somewhat sad and indolent note, which he repeats, with some variation, at short intervals. This song appears like '^reea 'freed, etc., and it sometimes finishes with a complaining call VnXOW-THROATED VIREO. ,75 ^n different tone. „ they „e repewed. bn though u««U, genenll, pleuin,. In other reipect. they cowiderablv reKm^ We the «,n, of the Red-Eyed Wubling Fly^^h" In^,^ w«ble with the loud, eneigeUc note* of the Utter- uidX^ rendered peculurly agreeable, u nearly .U the »n«te™ of ^e grove «e now Peking . .ilent Aelter f™™ the^Try "eat In the warmest weather the lay of thi. bird i. indeed SS ..rong and hvely ; wd hi. u.ually long-drawn, alm^tSSe echomg and .mpreuive mu.ical cadence, appearing Uke a ronuntac ^d tender reve^r of delight. TT^e Z not Smct jnce^ant heard from thi. «,vi„g .yjvan min«^'r^edTn bar, nearly a. follow.; ^i ^r.d /r,o.; ^aif *reo.;7Z!^, When unuted, he utten a very loud and hoar« mLin.^ pra,,kpraigH A. «o„, howeverTa. the warm ^aTher Sn! o d.chne, and the bu,i„e„ of incubation is finished, aC the begwnmg of Augu,t. thi, «d and slow but inteus^J oT'r nearly cease, hi, song, a few feeble fare^eU n7ef only bemg heard to the first week in September. beS'fi.r"^,'"'" *' "" °' ^^ 8"""' ^O"""""* • very beautiful pendulous nest about 3 inches deep and \^aZ diameter One. which I now more particu Jy 7L^Q '^ ^spended from the forked twig of an'oak in the n ^ndgh irmly all round the curving twigs by which it is supported- Uie stoutest external material, or skeleton of the C u o?°he riSo7'^rT"^ by coarse thread, and smaU ma^i itjL t^l^ ""'' ""• °^ "^^ ^■^o"" °f We moth" h It. .T* *''* "''"^ "■'"'"^ "« "ISO blended fine blades of dry grass. The inside is thickly bedded wfth thi 176 SINGING BIRDS. last material and fine root- fibres; but the finishing layer, as if to preserve elasticity, is of ratl.er coarse grass-stallis. Exter- nally the nest is coated over with green lichen, attached very artfully by slender strings of caterpillars' silk, and the whole afterwards tied over by almost invisible threads of the same, so as to appear as if glued on ; and the entire fabric now resem- bles an accidental knot of the tree grown over with moss. The food of this species during the summer is insects, but towards autumn they and their young feed also on various small berries. About the middle of September the whole move off and leave the United States, probably to winter in tropical America. Nuttall followed the older authors in naming the forest as the favorite haunt of this species. Later observers consider that it frequents orchards and fields quite as much as the woods, and it is reported as common in the gardens near Boston. It occurs in southern New England and the Middle States as far west as Iowa, and in .Manitoba, where it is common. It has not been found in the Maritime Provinces, but is common near Montreal and in Ontario. BLUE-HEADED VIREO. SOLITARY VIREO. ViREO SOLrTARIUS. Cha». Above, bright olive ; line from nostril to and around the eyes whitish ; crown and sides of head bluish ash ; beneath, white, sides and flanks shaded with olive and yellow; wings dusky with two bars of yellowish white ; tail dusky, feathers edged with white. Length 5 to 6 inches. Nist. Suspended from fork of branch of low tree or bush ; composed of grass or vegetable fibre, ornamented with moss or lichens, lined with ^rass and plant down. Eggs. Creamy white, spotted, in wreath around larger end, with bright brown; 0.80 X 0.50. This is one of the rarest species of the genus, and from Georgia to Pennsylvania seems only as a straggler or acci- dental visitor. BLUE-HEADED VIREO. ,.- inJir ^i;^ — f s:™ T T' --' ^'°- the tops of the canes or Z busTe's ll Z T" .'''^°"'* moni, seen hopping i„ ..J^^t, ^^nT'S^ '\ ^ "^ of insects and berries Its fliaKf i. ''^°';'^' *' • '> consists agitated. According to S. £Ua'"'" ' "^ "'"°"-"e surpasses artf the Id e^Ti^rf ' f '" " ""^'"^ "'"^"^ from the rising dawn o^daHo ti^S^t^'-P""^'' <"" "'''en vigorous even during the X ht. T ^^ "^ '^""8' ''"'I birds are still, givef addiS. f "°°°' "^"^ """^ °">" While chanting forth S^l'^r"''' '° '"" ""'^ ^°<=^i«- species is almost wholly confined tA .^^""^^Ivania, the rihVs T. :„ ■ ^ connned to our villages, and even TrjzScZir'' " ^^ -ds!butfi^r visible JSn, secured tmT ""^ "^V ^■"-' - heard to cheer fh^T T ^°^""^' °f "^^ forest, is AsTateltheL fn K "r"*^ """"^e with his untiring song >s it were, faintly warbkd a n,l ""> "°"""8 ^"n. I heard. ".te . tad „ppj,, ,i,h h ux^ "It; r these airy cradle- at n,. . "^^'^ ^«™ one of a-ry cradle, at the veo^ summit of one of the most gigan- I83 SINGING BIRDS. tic, more than loo feet from the ground. At other times they are not more than 50 to 70 feet high. The only nest I hafe been able to examine was made externally of flat and dry sedge -grass blades, for which, as I have observed, are occa- sionally substituted strings of bass. These dry blades and strips are confined and tied into the usual circular form by caterpillars' silk, blended with bits of wool, silk-weed lint, and an accidental and sparing mixture of vernal grass tops and old apple-blossoms. It was then very neatly lined with the small flat blades of the meadow grass called Foa comprtssa. This species is rather uncommon in the Maritime Provinces excepting near the Maine border in New Brunswick, and in the more southern portions of Nova Scotia. It is fairly common in southern Quebec, and abundant in Ontario. In parts of New England and the Middle States it is a common summer resident. At i.e West it ranges north to the fur countries. RED-EYED VIREO. ViREO OUVACEUS. Chak. Above, bright olive, rrown ashy; white line over eyes; iris ruby red ; beneath, white faintly tinged with dull olive on sides; wings and tail dusky. I.eiigth l^^ to 6>^ inches. Nest. In an open pasture or along margin of field ; suspended from fork of an upper branch ; composed of grass and vegeuble fibre, and lined with fine grass, etc. Egp. 3-5 ! *•>'"= (sometimes with a faint pink tint) spotted sparingly, around larger end, with dull brown ; 0.80 X 0.55. These common and indefatigable songsters appear to inhabit every part of the American continent, from Labrador to the large tropical islands of Jamaica and St. Domingo ; they are likewise resident in the mild tableland of Mexico. Those individuals who pass the summer with us, however, migrate to the wanner regions at the commencement of winter, as none are found at that season within the limits of the United States. The Red-Eyed Vireo arrives in Pennsylvania late in April, and in New England about the beginning of May. It inhabits the shady forests or taU frees RED-EYED VIREO. l«3 vUWes.wheTelM^^^dTelvTH*"'^™'.'"'* ** ""b-rbs of •inued, with little interS, fo Z?Ti.r' ** °'''° «">- ■t darts and pries among the thkkS "" " ' """' « and smaU caterpilUn,. From rLv^ ? *•""* "^ *«»«='' the most distinguished warbkr of ^^^ T """" ^"«"« " ^^ aU the other birds have^IcoL . °""' '"'* '''''° "J-nost -ith unabated vigor Ev^Tthrfi ""r T " "' ^^ "«"" eaed by the feebk mys of thl * ^^ "' P"'"*^'' »"" «"-" »•>& and plaintively Junes a &r^'„ t k"^' '^^">' "^'^^ Ws summer notes are uttered In^! ° •"'' """^^ *°°ds. His syllables, and have somethii^ in fH 'T^"^ •"" °f « »' 3 the Thrush or Amera!. Z . "" '*' "«= ''""P'^ lay of sWy comme„ces™ng ''k^te?'' T' ""^'"^ "-^ the same expressions; but his ?o„« " ' "'"' '^ ^^'='' "^ well as mellow and melod Lu^^ I ke he """'^ """"tonous as moist and dark summer w^',ht\t «« of the Vireos. In continued, untiring warble of et ' '" *"""* '° ^ ""^ most populous and noisy streets ofTlt '^f'"!''; «°d in the lay is commonly heard frem tt ^11 . ' """" "'"' '""^'^ carts and carriages atTem^b to d^ I""' "'^ '^ ""^ ''"^"e of pipe with moreligor and L™fr" ^" 'J''"' ""' «"^'"'^» his heani in spite of'^ve J dS S "^ ' /? """""^'^ '» »- *'/*," attributed to this spedes hv ^ "^ °' " ^'>-^'"«- We never heard; and comml ^ T' ""^ ^'° ^i^n. I 'he Union, the ^o^ livero"^^.?* 'Pecies is throughout -ver yet in this count^ Snceivt^^S" .'* °' ™'^"^«°° sounds. I have alreadv rZl7f ■ J'"'^ ^° assocUtion of -U is, in fact, somSerutS' f'f' "'^' ^'^ ''"^ular ^VheaourVire^ sings sW T t ^^ "^^ '^"'*"' Titmouse, following sweetly ZSphTsef '° -"^ f ''"^"^ '•=«d. the '»ed,mayoften be caught bT,he?H°"''^ ^'^'^ '^^ earnest animation, in a pa triftenZ ''"f ?'"'"-"' -"> -calcu.tedtoproduc^ec.^m'r^;St£t»--^^ 184 SINUINU BIROS. the sensitive mind. Yet while this heavenly reveiy itrikei on the human eat with such peculiar effect, thv humble musician himself seems but little cooceined ; for all the while, perhaps, that this flowing chorus enchsmts the hearer, he is casually hopping from spray to spray in quest of his active or crawling prey, and if a cessation occurs in his almost untiring lay, it li occasioned by the caterpillar or fly he has just fortunately cap- tured. So unaffected are these delightful efforts of instinct, and so unconscious is the performer, apparently, of this pleas- ing faculty bestowed upon him by Nature, that he may truly be considered as a messenger of harmony to man alone. Wan- tonly to destroy these delightful aids to sentimental happiness ought therefore to be viewed, not only as an act of barbarity, but almost as a sacrilege. The Red-Eyed Vireo is one of the most favorite of all the adopted nurses of the Cowbird ; and the remarkable gentle- ness of its disposition and watchful affection for the safety of its young, or of the foundling confided to its care, amply justi- fies this selection of a foster-parent. The male, indeed, de- fends his nest while his mate is sitting, with as much spirit as the King Bird, driving away every intruder and complaining in a hoarse mewing tone when approached by any inquisitive observer. By accident the eggs were destroyed in a nest of this species in the Botanic Garden, in a sugar-maple about 20 feet from the ground. At this time no complaints were heard, and the male sang all day as cheerful as before. In a few days, unwilling to leave the neighborhood, they had made a second nest in a beech at the opposite side of the same prem- ises ; but now the male drove away every intruder with the greatest temerity. The young of this species are often hatched in about 1 3 days, or 74 hours later than the parasitic Troopial ; but for want of room the smaller young are usually stifled or neglected. I have, however, seen in one nest a surviving bird of each kind in a fair way for being reared ; yet by a singular infatuation the supposititious bird appeared by far the most assiduously attended, and in this case the real young of the species seemed to be treated as puny foundlings. RED-EVED VIREO. I8S « well a, other k^dT oi'n:::! ^^''-''«"'"'''"^«. hopped close round nZL \ " 'Experienced birds fu.Tppreh'::,:::': vi^'zt' ' t; "^"' '"-^ f- young birf, of the R^d t> were^.i fL''"" °^ °'='°'^' '*° md busily eniramd in „i «^"°« '" '^^ ^'^""ity, ^ed e,es e„i°l c^httr^ 1^1^ n^SS^rr °' -ny mmate. I clipped his wing and left 1,^^.., "'"' room; he soon became very eentle Ml I "«' '" * Oics out of my hand, ate I^LSl^ ^ I'Zr "' t'te, and m short seemed pleased ° j'T". *'"> * 8°°d appe- could not stir but it was 1^0! k . ''""''''• ^ Ay was with a lame Kin. ffird 1 '^ '""«!" 1 '"'^ ""'y difficulty The King apTear;d vS™ iJl °"Tl'^ ""= ^""^ ''P''"™^'- panion; snapped Ws bil ..'v .°' '''' ""'*= Harmless com- grudged him'sSi nee :Lrhet" '' T^^"^'' ''"'^ »- same food with himself At Lth'f "','i'"" '^ '"^'^ "" ">« provision and for protection f 1 h . ^^^ """"^ '° "« '""^ the career of my interrsZ a„H ' r""'"' ^°^'^''- »"' terminated by death occSonS'lr '""P""'"" '"' »<"> thcea produced in c^n eq e^^^^^^^^^^^^ "V ^ diar- hair with his food, which Jas fold I """« " '""•" '"^l' "^ very different from ^l^Z T *"' ''°'"^=''- "^'^ ^ird, in my POssessiS regi^^rj^rr^^^^^^^^ ' f'"^""' ^^^ pellets of the indigeSe pa^s J .. ^'^ ' "l' ""'"« ^''^' ■86 SINGING BIRDS. PHILADELPHIA VIREa VlKEO PHILADEIPHICUS. Chai. Abore, grayUh olive, brighter on ramp, thidiBg to uhjr nn crown ; whit* line over eyei ; benetth, greenish jreilow, paler on throat and belljr. Length about 4)^ inches. Mjt. In a grove ; suspended from forlced twtga of low branch ; com- poMd of grass and birch baric. £tp- 4—? i white, spotted with brown | — i Thii ipecies was first dr^ribed by Mr. Cassin, (n 185 1, from a specimen shot by him near Philadelphia in 1843. Of the bird's habits we have learned but little. The only nest yet discovered was found by Mr. Ernest E. Thompson in Manitoba in 1884. Of the bird's range we have still much to learn. It is a migr.int only in southern New England, but is known to spend the summer in Maine, and has been taken at that season in New Hampshire. In 1882 our party secured several at Edmundston, in New Bruns- wick, near the Quebec border. Dr. Wheaton considered it a regu- lar spring and fall migrant .li -ough Ohio, but very few have been observed in Ontario. The song of this species is so much like that of the Red-eye, that they are not easily distinguished. Note. — Mr. Comeau has taken at Godbout, on the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, one example of the Yellow-green ViRBO (V.JIavoviridis), a bird of Mexico and Central America. MOCKINGBIRD. MiMUS POLyCLOTTOS. A-A. _^ _• I . . ' PMs, etc. "-'"" ; composed of twig., roots. ^if'- 4-6; greenish blue to ml. k.,' '*'''=-'«^d of Me:tico. its wonderfd p<^^ "^ " , 7"»- ^-"l consequently displays residence in thfunSd Stat stt'thTr''",'" "«^"' "' ^ 'PPears. . Short, per Je^S I ^^S^^LH^ S i88 SINGING BIRDS. the weitem world in either hemisphere ; and the individuals bred north of the Delaware, on this tide the equator, are all that ever migrate from their summer residence. A still more partial migration takes place also, probably, from west to ea»t, in quest of the food and shelter which the maritime districts aflbrd. Though now so uncommon in that vicinity, 50 or 60 years ago, according to Bartram, it even wintered near Phil.i- delphia, and made a temporary abode in the mantling ivy of his venerable mansion. In summer a few proceed as far as Rhode Island, following the mild temperature of the sea-coast ; but farther north these birds are, I believe, nearly unknown, except rarely and occasionally in Massachusetts near the sea. With the advance of the season, also, in the country which it inhauits, varies the time of incubation. Early in April the nests are begun in the maritime parts of Georgia, but not before the middle of May in Pennsylvania. In the winter these birds chiefly subsist on berries, partir- ularly those of the Virginia juniper (called red cedar), wax- myrtle, holly, smilax, sumach, sour-gum, and a variety of others, which furnish them and many other birds with a plen- tiful repast. Insects, worms, grasshoppers, and larvse are the food on which they principally subsist when so eminently vocal and engaged in the task of rearing their young. In the South- ern States, where they are seldom molested, with ready saga- city they seem to court the society of man and fearlessly hop around the roof of the house or fly before the planter's door. When a dwelling is first settled in the wilderness, this bird is not seen sometimes in the vicinity for the first year ; but at length he pays his welcome visit to the new-comer, gratified with the little advantages he discovers around him, and seek- ing out also the favor and fortuitous protection of human society. He becomes henceforth familiar, and only quarrels with the cat and dog, whose approach he instinctively dreads near his nest, and never ceases his complaints and attacks until they retreat from his sight. None of the domestic animals, or man himself, but partic- ularly the cat and dog, can approach during the period of incubation, without receiving an attack from these affectionate MOtKI.NOBIkl), 189 ISO guardiani of their btnoH -ri. • *ho ,pa«, neithe; the e^ nor Z'^'i' *"' """ ««k'' Approach i, dUcovered hyiheZri'.. '^ '«'» " »>« feul he.iU.ion. elude" hrbUe L 'f '. ' "l"' "P"" '"'" *'">out ondpanicmarlythe ye;;h^ ""^'"« •""' "•»"« ">e head. c«d. in causing hLrreZT ""^'/"""""ble. he «K,n ,uc. &1I« a victim to hi. temeritv ^ u • ! *"»' """""^ °ften «emy dead on the field L n^ ".'.""""'^ ''"^' ''-'"« "i. ncal in ,ts proportions Hi, m«,- ""'^'^' *"'J symmet- graceful, perpetuT anL,r^ f^ "" "'"''• "P'd, and look .hit a^ea,: '^„r;T'':f "j"' " P'^^^"' -P"ce ^d • listens with s^Lt attentioi loTt"^ ""^ intelligence. He lessons from everySvorr '^ ?""'"» "'""''' "^''^"«» "P exactness, both n'SuTand " '='"'\"'= "'"""^""^ -'^ feathered race And how ^^""'' ""= ""'^ "^ "11 the and calls may be he contriver "^ ""' ""°''''"" ""= '-« liarly his own' ^ infuse ?moherK "" °'P'"=''" '^'^^ P«"- -d harmoni;us m^u at o„ thich ch""',"" °' "P'"^'"" table and wonderful composer With thef '.''" '"""'" »hile yet the sun lingers l^low the bLh K °^ ™°"""8' lime songster, in his n,W 1^ ^'"^ horizon, our sub- I'-chof'Italbusiorre inTr""''" °" "■'' '"P™-' rable song which ,1?^ .t ^ *"""' P°"" "t" his admi- -bling L, Sl'l nS 1 ?LTn ?'' °J "°'" ^™"' "" "^« alone, and all the e" of^he ™ ' !° """ '"' ^'° '' heard "ere accompanim ms to this . "". ''°" '"'"" '^"'P'"^^'! '» of Nature. NorTs h ^TntcTf T' '" ''*= '""'"'"^ °P«" notes are also N^^ f'lf !"h '^ '° ''""""°"; ''» "«ive sho« expression^ta t iaKS "'^'' '=°°^'"'-« °' -. native str.„sr"arnre:;brrerj£:Jtt- 190 SINGING BIRDS. of the Brown Thrush, to whom he is so nearly related in form, habits, and manners ; but, '.ike nide from cultivated genius, his notes are distinguished by the rapidity of their delivery, their variety, sweetness, and energy. As if conscious of his unri- valled powers of song, and animated by the harmony of his own voice, his music is, as it were, accompanied by chromatic dancing and expressive gestures; he spreads and closes his light and fanning wings, expands his silvered tail, and with buoyant gayety and enthusiastic ecstasy he sweeps around, and mounts and descends into the air from his lofty spray as his song swells to loudness or dies away in sinking whispers. While thus engaged, so various is his talent that it might be supposed a trial of skill from all the assembled birds of the country; and so perfect are his imitations that even the sportsman is at times deceived, and sent in quest of birds that have no existence around him. The feathered tribes them- selves are decoyed by the fancied call of their mates, or dive with fear into the close thicket at the well-feigned scream of the Hawk. Soon reconciled to the usurping fancy of man, the Mocking Bird often becomes familiar with his master ; playfully attacks him through the bars of his cage, or at large in a room ; rest- less and capricious, he seems to try every expedient of a lively imagination that may conduce to his amusement. Nothing escapes his discerning and intelligent eye or faithful ear. He whistles perhaps for the dog, who, deceived, runs to meet his master; the cries of the chicken in distress bring out the clucking mother to the protection of her brood. The barking of the dog, the piteous wailing of the puppy, the mewing of the cat, the action of a saw, or the creaking of a wheelbatrow, quickly follow with exactness. He repeats a tune of consider- able length ; imitates the warbling of the Canary, the lisping of the Indigo Bird, and the mellow whistle of the Cardinal, in a manner so superior to the originals that, mortified and aston- ished, they withdraw from his presence, or listen in silence as he continues to triumph by renewing his efforts. In the cage also, nearly as in the woods, he is full of life and action while engaged in song, throwing himself round with in- MOCKINGBIRD. '91 nearly all other bird, to rest 'dT °' ??""' "^"^ '="'^1^ he oft employs iH.^ "'r^n' T' '*" Nighting^e ^"ent cottager to re2e L l""*- "^ houseless hunter I„d darkness of the shad^'sc"ne h^ "^ """""•» ">« contrast and perpetual viri^ capncous fondness for e- His imSrofTe\Z^'"^"°'^'= '•"'-- ™Pted by the crowing of t^e c^oJ?^ '." ^'^^ ^«"- the plaintive warblinra of th! m \ L '^"""S °'' ">e dog; 'he Chatter of thecal oVo Srca^kh^ ottn'T''^ -^^ the simple lay of the native Robin w. * "" ''""' ''"''J vociferations of the m^^l^^, ^Z T"^ '^'' '"' garrulous lav Wren <,„/ ' * ™ "°'es of the appearance' o'f ^^."'y St Hmlt''" """"'' '''"- -=" « presence of the orilais J^ °" ""^' °""='ves in the 'he whole of this S^^'^r,,^"^ «^e the feet that "W. Indeed, if is CssSe to lUten /^f °' '^ ""«'« ^'rams, when delivered by a uolriof '^'^ °'P'"=« woods, without being deeply X?°I '^T^ ^ ^'' '^'^'^ 'he spot by the compSd fee^^ ?' '^'"°^' "^"«J «<> in which, from the mceS anH ^ ^ "'"'''*' '^'^ "^'^ht enchanting voice ofTeJfrfSefX «" '''^''°"' "" -" - 'han the ear. It is, howCrTaTnfu^ t '%'' "° '^ 8«''fi«l .-ordinary powers of natu^'exe^d wi^h " *^* *^^ »" freedom in a state of confinement 't "" ""'^'' «'°*""" endurance, and after this mortwon JV?' '"^'^'"^ '^' >o»8 oner has survived for 6 or Tyeal h? Ij' """^ '°'*"«'°8 Pn^ h« gay career; and thus shut on? f'^.''' °*'='' *="»'"-'« BROWN THRASHER. BROWN THRUSH. Harporhynchus RUFUS. Chak Above bright reddish brown or rufous ; beneath, white, tinged ■ with rufous or buff; breast and side spotted with brown j biU about as long as the head. Length loji to 12 inches. . . „ Nesl. In a thicket or low bush, and sometimes on the ground; bulky, and loosely constructed of twigs, roots, and dried grass, sometimes lined with horse-hair or feathers. .... Egg,, 3_6 (usually 4) ; dull white with buff or green tint, marked with minute spots of reddish brown; 1.00 X 0.80. This large and well-known songster, inferior to none but the Mocking Bird in musical talent, is found in every part of this continent, from Hudson's Bay to the shores of the Mexican Gulf, breeding in all the intermediate Space, though more abundantly towards the North. It retires to the South early in October, in the States north of the Carolinas, and probably ex- tends its migrations at this season through the warmer regions towards the borders of the tropics. From the isth of April to early in May these birds begin to revisit the Middle and Northen States, keeping pace in some measure with the progress of vegetation and the comparati*; BROWN THRASHER, advancement of the «ea«nn tu pairs, so that theirmS°tta2Lr'"K^"'^^ '" ^"^ « than the season of inc^^on sLh" ^-T"""" ""^ """"^ tall orehard or forest tree ^ ma^^ '^ T ""^ '°P "^ «""« the mom of his arrival ^.'hw.T; ^^^. ""^ "'''^''^' '^'"tes voice, somewhat rTsembT^ I^^S Z'-^^Jr^' "'^ far more varied and powerful ril- "''' °^ ^"™Pe. but vocal choir of the forS h t "'" . '":?"'""'°"' "«"<^^' ^^ the nate originality; hr?als no derht"'' "" '"" '""" "^ - therefore no title to the lime of m ."" '"™'""^' '^ •>« appea^ce he falters in.r41^,Yij^„ On hi, first when his mate commences heT^r^ .!^^ Njghtmgale; but attain all their vigor and varil Th ^^"- ^^ "«« the first season, in a suTe of "hL J ''°""« ^"'^'- ^^n "< aid Of the parent's yoZ. 1^^^^^^^°'' r''^"* ^'^ reveiy the pathetic and sweet ZrZtl '" ''""""ious In the month of May, Xe T w ""'^' '° '^^ "?«'«• and decorate the land^^ 'l""""'"^ "'^'^' P'*™e Thrasher in his affecdo^rL teems't"''^ '"'^ °' *>■« ance for the bounty and teeminl % ^""^ «^**''»' "«"- ^ in pleasing unLrlth T h/™^"''°" °' N«"«. "^d season. ^'^ ""= harmony and beauty of the % a low. thick bu!h m «^' ^^'?f J~ 'his purpose usu- feet from the earth, and Tmetim« " °' '™"""P '^ f^'' some sheltered tussu^k or TerS,?^ ?'? °" **' 8«"°« coast Pf- About the middle of ri,„ir'"^'"'"^ves in Ge«- ^J^vania^ and at length leisuLy 'appA 'h '''?"° *" P-- England by the close of the fiL ^T ^" ">« Part of New week in May. These ^W^ c^ tL^J^ "«• °^ '^'^ ^-^ Canada where they p^^eed CoT fi ""«"''°° "^^ t° 'he 4St^ parallel, arriving on thfl^nl '^'^°'"'««s as far as about the close of May Thr™ k ^ °^ '^'^ Saskatchewan 'em-tory of the MissSppi Jey £ ""'' "'^"' ^^ ^^^ ^nd t.U about the middle o? (J^tober tf ^-7^ *" ^^^ EnS feed principally upon wild beSs ' '''""' '^"^ "-e young ;-fSSt:s SiVtir'S'th'"- ■^^-'^ -«^-^ considerably, ,0 that sSetTrnTs^'f ''•'"*"«'-«-'' va^ -mpass is scarcely at all inferior to th l"^ i" '™'«tness and Thrush. A quaintness, however p^i?' °^^ Ferruginous h» song is frequently n,ade uo of ^s^' '" '" .f '''' ^^o"^. and of other birds, --given, however ^ther?^ "'"''«' '■"''^«°°' »d vanety of tone, and like Jh? v-^ ' ^"^pbasis. melody, ^- of repose, i; the ufe iK''''^'''^. -ading th'' -^-:^s:tLritri?--=f2;^S 196 SINGING BIRDS. During the heat of the day, or late in the moming, the variety of his song declines, or he pursues his employment in silence and retirement. About the astb of May one of these familiar birds came into the Botanic Garden and took up his summer abode with us. Soon after his arrival he called up in low whisperings the notes of the Whip-poor-wiU, the Redbird, the ptto peto of the Tufted Titmouse, and other imitations of Southern birds which he had collected on his leisurely route from the South. He also soon mocked the 'tshe-yah •tslu-yih of the litUe Acadian Flycatch- ers, with which the neighborhood now abounded. He fre- quently answered to my whistle in the garden, was very silent during the period of incubation, and expressed great anxiety and complaint on my approaching the young after their leaving the nest. One of the most remarkable propensities of the Catbird, and to which it owes its name, is the unpleasant, loud, and grating cat-like mew i^pay, 'pay, 'pay) which it often utters on being approached or offended. As the irriution increases, this note becomes more hoarse, reiterated, and vehement; and some- times this petulance and anger are carried so far as to per- secute every intruder who approaches the premises. This temper often prevails after the young are fledged; and though originating no doubt in parental anxiety, it sometimes appears to outlive that season, and occasionally becomes such an an- noyance that a revengeful and fatal blow from a stick or stone is but too often, with the thoughtless and prejudiced, the re- ward of this harmless and capricious provocation. At such times, with little apparent cause, the agitation of the bird is excessive; she hurries backward and forward with hanging wings and open mouth, mewing and screaming in a paroxysm of scolding anger, and alighting^ almost to peck the very hand that offers the insult. To touch a twig or branch in any part of the garden or wood is often amply sufficient to call down the amusing termagant. This harmless excess, and simulation of grimalkin's tone, — that wizard animal so much disliked by many, — are unfortunate associations in the cry of the Ca/bird ; CATBIRD. '9; laborious, and usually coSed o„^ r * 1°^ """ ^""^''^ " Pn>gress, however, i, ve^^J ?'^ 1""" •'!»'' '» ^ush; his amusingly capricious. He ^J^^^t "i" """"■>" »d J"k» enemies, often descends to the ZnH ^"^ ''"'<= '"''" °f .hough almost familiar, is v ' S i^"!""?' '"""*'' »^ danger. "^ ^'"='' "» »>» retreat from real The food of the Cathir/i i. ■ •■ specie,, being insecuSJ^^r tr,^° !'? °l '"= ^^"'''"8 rious garden fruits: feedinrhT '^"'^"^'y beetles, a-,d va- various kinds of be Jes i!.l?^°""« °'^*" °" ^''^"ies and to atUck snakes whe^ Lv^nn k 'u "' ""'"^ "^ observed and commonly succeedt driS^"^*]? '^^ "''""^ °^ «>« "est, ho'eever. by L^™ k-l /'' '"''"^' '^'^^ "■«« that they may acHn L"h ^ " '"°^""'' "^ '^'^''^ -der the inflLnce o^ff^i rTh.-lr? ''''"'"^ from the nest, is easily domestica ed h! ' ^^"^ "•''=•1 inmate, and seems atLheT 'o h f ^a^/"™- '^ -^ --ng P^ace of security. About da,^ „f T' ? '°.^ ''*«'""« <>' about with affected wildness^l,, !?^' '^ "' ''"K^- »>« <««' wings with the noise almost of aT^t''.^"'' '"' '^" »d head, opens his mouth aL^J"' &'^."'^'>'°« ^°«'' ''- ciy .s so guttural as to be uttered 3;^ ™""«' this curious often also gives a squeaUsTe fltH ""^"'"^ *" •>'"• He ^d is very Ume, .^oui"„^,"ebu "t™ T tV° ''"°"'"' approach him for inju.;. wtn Z. r °1^'' ^'"^^ '^hich with great uneasinesTjerks eveU '"l*^' '"^ '''" ""-"d and utters the feeble c^Tf ZT J.^J^' '^"■'" ^^' «ach, an-using individual, 2ct llX^Z't^"'' ^^^^ powers by imiuting the swJ7JT' '^«^" ''''' ^°=al Spa.row, as given in the autarn^ JT "^^^^ °^ "-« Song "on on other occasions, X am fndiS ""^r" '"'"^ °' '™"^ sesses no original note of hTown hi '^'""' "'^' I^^ P°s- •he songs of other birds, ^ike L R?" k" '"'^ "'°'^"'''- the Robw, he is exceedingly 198 SINGING BIRDS. fond of washing, and dashes about in the water till every feather appears drenched; he also, at times, basks in the gravel in fine weather. His food, in confinement, is almost everything vegetable except unbruised seeds, — as bread, fine pastry, cakes, scalded commeal, fruits, particularly those which are juicy, and now and then insects and minced flesh. The Catbird occurs regularly along the Annapolis valley in Nova Scotia, and in New Brunswick between the Maine border and the valley of the St. j ohn, but it is rarely seen elsewhere in the Maritime Provinces, It is fairly common near the city of Quebec, and abundant about Montreal and in Ontario. ROBIN. MERinjl HIGRATORU. Chai. Above, olive gray ; head and neck darker, sometimes blach , wings and tail dusky ; outer tail-feathers broadly tipped with white ; be- neath, brownish red; throat white with dark streaks; under tail-coverts white ; bill yellow. Length 9 to 10 inches. Ntst. Usually in a tree, but often on fence-rail or window-ledge of house or bam; a bulky but compact structure of grass, twigs, etc., cemented with mud. EgS'- 4-5 > greenish blue (occasionally speckled) ; 1.15 X 0.80. The familiar and welcome Robins are found in summer throughout the North American continent from the desolate regions of Hudson's Bay, in the 53d degree, to the tableland of Mexico. In all this vast space the American Fieldfares rear their young, avoiding only the warmer maritime districts, to which, however, they flock for support during the inclemency of winter. The Robins have no fixed time for migration, nor any particular rendezvous; they retire from the higher lati- tudes only as their food begins to fail, and so leisurely and desultory are their movements that they make their appear- ance in straggling parties even in Massachusetts, feeding on winter berries till driven to the South by deep and inundating snows. At this season they swarm in the Southern States, though they never move in large bodies. The holly, prinos. ROBIN. '99 now afford them an amp,J7e^r^l't^ ''^""" J""'!^' of the more juicy bcr^cT au "m„ ^T'J^ '"^ "'»"'" "^"ns of the milder .eawn Fv. ' 'u** ""' '"»««='» "d flock, of Robin, are e^ Tn cer^^° '" "■« ''"'^'^ °f Boston open spring, i„ u,e dep\ "f SrT"'' '^"""'"« "'■"«» f™mthecolderinteriorof"heS.r I'nS ? '"*"" P"'*""^ are consequently often traDn,H7n!i\ ?■ J" """'^ '"""'"n' "-ey Towards the close nf^^r • """"^ ™ 8^"' "-""bers. « intervals s.i.l tun^/Jiira^d fh^l ?'°""^ '"^ ^°''- Ma«h. in the Middle St te, tfo"e .h ""^ '"'='""' ^^^^^ °^ wholly disappeared, a few des^hol '"'"" "f winter have As soon as the ,otl^ of tW, ton S''""'" ^' "^"'^' «'''"• heard in this part of nTf^T^ ""'J """^ « '™« also be at the close of the jLoJ cont^'" J"'^ " ^P"'' "o--- stinacy. they are on y s^e^ ^ S TnH "', "'«*'' ^''^ "b- or the edge of the fores ,del.Ver,herr ""T '^°" ""= °^'"'"» all the artless energy of true Iff . '"'"*' """"'"K 'ays in calls to mind the fel W "Ltlf" the TH ' r "* ^°"« - charming month of May so,Zal h """'' *"'='' '" ""e from the low copse and's^r^ "ZT'"^''"' ^^'"'" not, however, the comoas, »L American biid has n-uch-loved Wter'J hTs' fZo: "' h'^' '^™"" -"^ please, render him an' univeS^I Se a^d /"''"^*" ^ ^ .t were, with the welcome prdJde toTh "°T "'""'' about to burst upon us fiom aU the— ^""'''^ '=°"~" orchards. With this plTin^ ^2^'" "'^^ ""'' "°°"'i°8 «ason, amidst the frLS^re^fflT"'""'!.'""' "'^ °P»4 dure of the fields, w^^n ^ rcr,"°' !"' ""P"'^« ^- pie song of the Robin. The cLnfil„ "" ''^"'= '° *^ "">- making his abode in our Lrn^'S" k' ^f'^"' ^ »' ''y and innocence of his L^er, W^ °"^''^'' *^' ^'^'^^ please, inspire respect ^Z'^""^'' ^'' ^°^ ?"*=.. to -hoo,-boy,',„dhi:^;S„eTrstTlT '" ''' '"-' owes, however, this immunity i^ "„ ^T^ "^ '"°'"'''^- "«= nate name which he bears as the r T" "" ""= '■°«"- -to have covered witha'CLotTetir^S 300 SINGING BIRDS. tog "hibes to the wood.," u held to univenal reaped to eveiy part of Europe, where he u known by endearing namea, and so familiar to wtoter that he lonieUmei ups at the window or enten the home in learch of crumb*, and Uke the domestic fowls, claims his welcome pittance at the farmer's door. The nest of this species is often on the horizontal branch of an apple-tree, or in a bush or tree in the woods, and so large as to be scarcely ever wholly concealed. The parents show great affection, courage, and anxiety for the safety of their young, keeping up a noisy cackling chirp when the place is approached, sometimes even boldly pecktog at the hand or flytog in the face of the intruder; and they have often serious contesU with the piratical Cuckoo, who slyly watches the ab- sence of the parents to devour their eggs. To avoid these visits and the attacks of other enemies, the Robin has been known to build his nest within a few yards of the blacksmith's anvil ; and m Portsmouth (New Hampshire) one was seen to employ for the same purpose the stem timbers of an unfui- ished vessel, in which the carpenters were constantly at work, the bird appearing by this adventurous association as if con- scious of the protection of so singular and bold a situation. I have also seen a nest of the Robm bottomed with a mass of pme shavings taken without alarm from the bench of the car- penter. From the petulant and reiterated chirp so commonly uttered by the Robin when surprised or irritated, the Indians of Hudson's Bay call him, from this note, Pee-pie-hhu. They often also utter a loud echomg 'kh 'kh 'kh, and sometimes chirp m a high or slender tone when alarmed, &nd with an affectation of anger sharply flirt the tail and ends of the wings. They raise several broods to a season, and considerable num- bers flock together in the latter end of summer and autumn. When feeding on cherrie- x>ke, sassafras, and sour-gum ber- nes, they are so intent as to be easily approached and shot down in numbers ; and when fat are justly esteemed for food and often brought to market. In the spring they frequently descend to the ground in quest of worms and insects, which then constitute their principal support. ROBIN. 30I docnelTerr 'ySt?'' !? «•• ««•. -0 -» very ^m. even ,o „ du]n,^«teSL . ^" ""«'" '° P'P« ^°«h iiunJred" , They acqX!^ ' "".•'*"" "• "«' «>' " O/rf ickry. imiuung thf r«roft^ «'»«derabie t«te for mi™. being approached ^i"^' TT^'"^^' '^ othe«. On l-o* of anger by c^ki^T^"' ^^'^ """"x make «me they become ve^, ta^^^ "f. T^PP'-S ">« bill. At time! with domestic clSrTi^lS '" k""* "'" "' ^' house .uch occasion, have sometimelZ? ''^'" ''" »'°"«' «■«' °» by micuUting endearing ::^s^"^"''°f~'«n« auention fng. apparently with the^ exDr;^-^ ^'^"*' "'^- ^^nec- "ttentive blandishmenr 1^:^^';'''^ ' «"""' "»P«« °' moulting season, in which they a^~I" .o^T "^"^ ''■ "■" yet have been known to survive i^ ^" considerably, n.fous color of the breast ^om«W« ^''"" '"" "P"""^'- The thus Uve in confinemenT Ther„n '^.' " "^^ """l' '^hich ■ng, and commences before «1^"T T* " '" ">« ™°™- 'o«d, full, and emphatic! ' " "Wch^jme it is very to .he Yukon di.t'ric.VA.^kt 1^^' t'"^ " "" "-«" ^"ced Rockies to the Pacific it I, repkced hC 2i •' '""'"' ■»»* of the vanety. "Pl'eed hyprop,n,Ha, a larger, grayer ' nave seen We flocks nf »„>,• ■ «on,e j^nters, anS^velTyelle^te" »l"r,'''T ^"'■"'"='' """ng the cold „o„,h^ Thew wtoter'LSSi'""' " ''^ """"""' •''^n| their under parts than Is se™ „n ^ ** ""^h "ore white on and their en«re pluma^^ i^h ™ Tul"?' '<*" '" the summe " n-er much farther noSh. -^UJvZ ^^t^ •P""' the sun,! border the Arctic Ocean ,^ \ " ** barren lands which that cloud of Robin, wwVTe "":,'"" !?' '^^^^".r^^^g^oi found, and sail, away ou.h^Td "IhT" IH^*^ ""''^ "'"dtagf to the West Indie,. Throughou thJ ° * ^ u""* S'" Lawrence ."any variation, of climate R«K- ''«^^' embracing as it doe, -tie, during every wint^ L^'rt ■:; "'y >« '°-n^ to %}i inches. AV.fr. In a thicket or on low branch of small tree, usually in a moist place ; o{ grass and leaves cemented with mud, lined with fine roots. ^gS'- 3-5 i pale greenish blue ; 1.05 X 0.75. This soliury and retiring songster during summer inhabits the whole continent from Hudson's Bay to Florida ; and ac- cording to my friend Mr. Ware, breeds as far south as the viciniiy of Natchez, in the territory of Mississippi. Whether it leaves the boundaries of the United States in the winter is not satisfactorily ascertained ; as the species is then silent, and always difficult of access, its residence is rendered peculiarly doubtful. The lateness of the season in which it still lingers renders it probable that it may winter in the Southern States, as a young bird, gleaning insects and berries, has been cauglit in a garden in Boston on the 26th of October. From the southern parts of the Union, or wherever he mav winter, the Wood Thrush arrives in the Middle States from the nn. 1 'f':ds(arl. Blue Jay. ■■^•Uuck Hawk. ;j Wood Thrush, ■t. Water Thinisli WOOD THRUSH 203 gmning of May. a. the dawn of ' ^^" T"" "■"" "'^ ^- h« presence in the woods ^H fl^T"^ ^' "°* announces --«ing though the "' the clear »°ods from dawn to dusk « th^T^K ^"'"^'^ ""= ''"'PPing sweeter and more constat i,hi, *^' '^'^'^ the day thf ™pted whistle is likewise often ?"!' "'' ^'«" «d imer eard by the traveller to SaT^'h?"'' ^°- "^ -io^X -verses the silent, dark, and w^ed :i?r °' '■"»'°^'' ^ »•' the haunts of men. It , ,,.J~ w^'demess, remote from vey any idea of the pec iar Sb LTf'!'"'' "^ "-^s to con »mongst his phrases the so«L r . ""' ""^^ Permit: but Mowed by a trUI 4L7 in l""'"' P'''^"""'^ "qu'd and -cogni^ble. At ti^es i ITe^ "''""P'''^ ha., is readily biance to those of WUson-rnmst ^ k' '=°°^''^««ble resem- then varied to V>S „»« Ji. . ,^' .,"'='' *" '* '''"''u 'vrhthu »^^».^high and shriU ' " "•"''' ^'^'^«. then '.H tl «on. aPPe'^^ot'or^'o"^^ "n I'Y ""'^ ""™8 ''"Po^i- -'"■ngly charm, us with his song heTc '""' '""^ ^'""'^ "^^ song, he IS content and even soli- 304 SINGING BIROS. citous to remain concealed. His favorite haunts are low, shady glens by watercourses, often rendered dark with alder-bushes, mantled with the trailing grape-vine. In quest of his insect prey, he delights to follow the meanders of the rivulet, through whose lea^ shades the sunbeams steal only in a few inter- rupted rays over the sparkling surface of the running brook. So partial is this bird to solitude that I have known one to sing almost imiformly in the same place, though nearly half a mile &om his mate and nest At times indeed he would ven- ture a few faltering, low notes in an oak near his consort, but his mellowest morning and evening warble was always deliv- ered from a tall hickory, overtopping a grove of hemlock firs, in which the dimness of twilight prevailed even at noon. The Wood Thrush, like the Nightingale, therefore feels inspired in darkness ; but instead of waiting for the setting sun, he chooses a retreat where the beams of day can seldom enter. These shady retreats have also an additional attraction to our Thrush ; it is here that the most interesting scene of his instinctive labor begins and ends ; here he first saw the light and breathed into existence ; and here he now bestows his nest in a sapling oak, or in the next thick laurel or blooming alder, whose ber- ries afford him ample repast in the coming autumn. Beetles, caterpillars, various insects, and in autumn, berries, constitute the principal food of the Wood Thrush. The young remain for weeks around gardens in quest of berries, and are particu- Urly fond of those of the various species of cornel and vibiir- jium. At this season they occasionally leave their favorite glens, and in their devious wanderings, previous to their de- parture, sometimes venture to visit the rural suburbs of the city. The young are easily raised, and sing nearly as well in the cage as m their native wilds. Nuttall made a mistake in giving to the Wood Thrush so ex- tended a range, and most have confused this species with the Olive-backed, of which he makes no mention. In New England the Wood Thrush is rarely found north of Massachusetts excepting In western Vermont. It occurs in the southern parts of Ontario and Michigan, and has been taken in Minnesota. It has been found in winter in Cuba and Guatemala. HERMIT THRUSH. aos HERMIT THRUSH. SWAMP ROBIN. ■^^«W;S AWALASCHKM PALMsn. ^BP- W ; tnaOth blue ; oSiTo^i; *'"^ *"'' °"»* mo^tains of New Ha^pshii^ o r^^" '7" *^ '°^ "'Pine on the tableland of Mexico and in th." '^''° "" '^* Antilles. In Pe„,«yiv2u S W T" """^'^ °^ 'he the close of autu,^ir^;;;^7„J^"iy' "^ N^"' England, at coast in quest of the wi^K^es oTwh T^^ *" '^^ »«" spring and summer it lives cSvo° """^ " ""^ ^"d^; ta »d also coUects the .umW SieTnfT V°' ^*'' '"^. Like the preceding sSit ^!! °^""= ^'*'»'''^ ^'A~. lives whoUy in the St !f ^f '° ^""^ «>«'«ae. and inhabits the whole ^^^l in .""f '"" States. whJxe it •^^ of the caneSl S tK ":" ^^ """^ '»«»'«« which, besides being^^abol^f ^.f^"^' '^^'^ '^8'°'>='. in^ct food, we ^/n^V S!^ J "^"^ *"^ ■'« '^vorite hennit flitting through ^^J^L , '""' °" ""^''"y vocal -aysofnoonLc^Su^eS «'°°^^'''<='> 'he brightest of such swamp,, in theT^' ^'* ""f" "''^ t^'isht. I„ one -est of this sp^L wWch i?T r"""' ^^° ^"^^^d a of a t«e, fome^ Uh ir "* °° "^^ ''"'^'''^ branch plastering ofS ^.'T^;""'"'^ ""^ ^""out using any Pass,^'X^oo^\^^«"--deof ahyerofciSe' ^■. the Zing corisle^^r^' ^^.,"««™«cd with horse- «7 neatly w:^rb::rlheirri:.r''''°"" •"'•^-o^'^'y 8-s '-.he Middle Sutes these bird, ..only seen for. rew 206 SINGING BIRDS. weeks in the spring and £tll. They arrive in this part of New England about the loth of April, and disperse to pass the summer in the seclusion of the forest. They are often seen on the ground in quest of their food, and frequent low and thick copses, into which they commonly fly for concealment when too attentively observed ; though when in small companies, in the spring season, they do not appear very shy, but restless from the unsettled state of their circumstances. When dis- persed, they utter a low, chirping call, and for some time continue to frequent the same secluded part of the forest in society. At times, like the Wagtail, they keep this part of their body in a slow, vertical motion. In manners they strongly resemble the following species, but their song seems to be unusually lively and varied. The Hermit is a common bird in the Maritime Provinces and Quebec, and nests from about latitude 44* nortbwani. It is com- mon on Anticosti and along the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and has been taken at Lake Mistassini. In Ontario it occurs chiefly as a migrant, though breeding in the Muskoka district In New England also it is principally known as a migrant, breeding in numbers only along the northern border and on the higher hills of Connecticut and Massachusetts. The nest has been taken in Ohio and in southern Michigan. The opinions expressed by Nuttall that the Hermit Thrush is a peculiarly shy and solitaty bird, and that its favorite resorts are amid th- deep forests, are, I think, somewhat misleading; at least my obs»rvations in New Brunswick led me to form quite different opmions. I did find these birds courting retirement and appar- ently destitute of either vanity or curiosity; but they always dis- played a calm seU-possession that is inconsistent with shyness. Nor were they pecuUarly solitary, for though it was unusual to see a number of them in close companionship, it was not unusual to meet with half a dozen in as many minutes, or to find as many nests within a small area. Like all woodland birds, they prefer the groves to the open fields, and they enjoy a cool shade in a moist valley; but they build their nests near the settlements, and rarely go into the denser for- ■ ests. This is their habit in New Brunswick, though of course wlien farther north they must resort to the timber districts; there are iew settlements to attract them. WILSON'S THRUSH. TAWNY THRUSH. VEERY, "^"""WS FUSCESCENS. 'awny. Ltngth 6^ to 7jf iach", ' *"■'"' '?<'««' »i"> than any olher.^^/^ ""r"'' '^'"'^"^^y insectivorous a.iy other naUve species. According to WiUon, many of 308 SINGING BIRDS. these birds winter in the myrtle-swamps of South Carolina. I have not, however, seen them in the Southern Sutes at that season, and most part of the species pass on probably as 6r as the coast of the Mexican Gulf. They do not, according to Wilson, breed in the lower parts of Pennsylvania, though un- doubtedly they do in the mountainous districts, where they are seen as Ute as the 20th of May. They propagate and are very common in Massachusetts. In its retiring habits ind love of concealment this Thrush resembles the preceding. It frequents the dark and sliady borders of smaU brooks ^nd woods, and sometimes the bushy aI:^ retired parts of the garden; from whence, without being often seen, in the morning and particularly the evening to the very approach of night, we often hear the singular, quaint, and musical note of this querulous species at short intervals, as one perches upon some low branch of a tree or bush. This curious whistling note sounds like 'vehu 'v'rihu 'ifrehu 't^rehi, and sometimes 'vtd vei 'vreha 'vrehi vehi, running up the notes till they become shrill and quick at the close, in the first phrase, but from high to low, and tenninating slender and slow, in the latter; another expression seems to be, 've 'ved vthurr, ascending like a whistle. The song of another indi- vidual was expressed in the following manner : 've 'viUiU'viinU 'tuimu 'tuimi. It was then repeated with variation, 've viUlUil vimUviinU; then viUmU viiniUU, tuUiliU tuiniiU; the whole agreeably and singularly delivered in a shrill, hollow voice, almost like the sound of liquor passing through a tunnel into a bottle. I have also heard several of these sounds, sometimes occasionally prefaced by a mewing or chirping warble. These sounds, though monotonous, are possessed of greater variety than is at first imagined, the terminating tone or key changing through several repetitions, so as to constitute a harmony and melody in some degree approaching the song of the more musical Wood Thrush. From this habit of serenading into the night, the species is sometimes here dignified with the nickname of the Nightingale. Occasionally he utters an angr}-, rather plaintive mew, like the Catbird, or a quivering bleat WILSON'S THRUSH almost similar to that of a lamb • ,^ -1. and foUows the fatrud", 2h ^ !„"" '''''"°»"'«'' "''"^hcs fu^iA.. at other time, "Sol Z^ °^ ^"^^ ?""*'♦ during the early part of summer 'a^^Vt Tu"' "' ''"' various kinds, particularly Ci^I^lT , ^ '**"'' "»«<=«' »' -ny ^ged hL JSStT^'Z'f'-'^' ""^ '"- cuidti' ot'rv^^riir-""" °^. "'• p-^--^ °^^- rels. On the 4th o7 C ^^^ T^T'' *" °'^°'''« O""" petulant Thrusht, thus ZcJZ' ,°^"'^ "^ °' "^'^ of them used a pWntke ain ' '' <=ontending; otfe antagonist up and doC he ^eeT; 1°^ ^^ "'' •^'"^'' "" Catbird, to which this ipecfes Ta- - 2''' ''°*^"' » ^O""" t^ixt the combatant and L ''*""^' ""^PI^ « be- birds had a nest ^ mat" in L"""" "^'^^ °°« "^ ">ese boring garden; the se^d liSSZ^- ""V^" »"«"- and spent many weeks in theloZif r "J'"^'^'^ h"™*'. at times sad and solitary vet hf.^ . .^'"' "^''^^ ^^ough forlotn song, and see^d « ZtZT^l '"""' " '^"' '"^ those who whistled for him n^L "*' *<=1»ainted with «.« of complaisant cu^o°V ^ 'C h ' "T '""'' ^"> " habits became a great nerv^Lru ^'* '''"°" nocturnal be dared to makeTapSc^ "" '^'^ °"' '''"— tbe'J^tref irK^'t^fr r*^ '"-' •^^ =>- of the darkest part ofTSK^J ^^'^^ '"""■^ •»»" "> graund (I to t feet^ .^ ■ *^**' distance from the "ised b} a bei o leaveT a^d"" 'l'^"' "» "^o ««th. but Catbird, -nii, spi eT^em" in^!,^"'"""''' *^' °^ 'h" depend on the «s^bL„ce "f iLlf 'i" '"'"''^ ""^"y t° bosom of the forest onThlh it ^I'^'^;*^ ^'"^ °«* '^* 'he «ts so dose as nearly to ad^ If k ' ''"'^J''«^"> approached it The nest sometimes appe^tt?!'"* "^"^ «P ^V *« hand, a-ciation of colors -^thTe^e „7wf l!" '"' ""'^ -•» seen one placed on a mass of n!ll! 7^'='' " "^^ I have VOL. ,. _ „ ""^ °f prostrated dead brambles, on a 310 SINGINO BIROS. (alien heap of lilac twigs in a lavine, and alto in a imall withered branch of red oak which had fallen into a biuh j be- tow it wai al$o bedded with exactly similar leaves, so as easily to deceive the eye. But with all these precautions they appear to lose many ^gs and young by squirrels and other animals. The nest is usually bottomed with dry oak or beech leaves, conne stalks of grass and weeds, and lined very generally with naturally dissected foliage, itt stalks, some fine grass, and at other times a mixture of root-fibres ; but no earth is employed in the iabric. The eggs, 4 or s, are of an emerald green with- out spots, and differ from those of the Catbird only in being a little smaller and more inclined to blue. So shy is the species that though I feigned a violent chirping near the nest contain- ing their young, which brought Sparrows and a neighboring Baltimore to the rescue, the parents, peeping at a distance, did not venture to approach or even express any marked concern, though they prove very watchful guardians when their brood are fledged and with them in the woods. They have com- monly two broods in the season; the second being raised about the middle of July, after which their musical. notes are but seldom heard. I afterwards by an accident obtained a young fledged bird, which retained in the cage the unsocial and silent timidity peculiar to the species. Wilson's Thrash breeds farther to the southward than the Her- mit, but does not range quite so far north. It is common in the Maritime Provinces and near the city of Quebec, bat has not been taken recently on the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Though it is abundant in Manitoba, and Chapman reports its occurrence in Newfoundland, it breeds abundantly in Ontario and in northern Ohio. In New Brunswick I have found the neat as frequently in an open pasture as in more obscure places. Note. — The Willow Thrush (7". /uscescem saluicota), a Rocky Mountain form, occurs occasionally in Illinois and casually in South Carolina. GRAy-CHEEKED THRUSH. 311 OUVE-BACKED THRUSH. TWUJUS USTOLATUS SWAWSONn. Offering ,„ u, .o„g aX I^IT io oft " M* Tr.'*' ""'.''«'' Rockies. I, breed, in noX™ N?w En^lInH 'T™ ^"^ °* *'"' in the elevated portion, of M^achS^d rl "°^T''''' """ as in northern New York ann^irh^n a '^?''""''™«. »» well State, and southward to P^^'''''^*"' »»'' """"" '" "-e Guii It IS common in the Maritime Province, but I. »~.- j .. rare between Montreal and Lake Hurn! A ""! '» r^P"""' father dant migrant through Oh^ I,h„„IH ' '*'' J* **"« «' »>»■»• portion, of Onu^o **P*" *" *"'' " ?""«"! in GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH. ALICE'S THRUSH. T^nicus AUCM. b.n^aTwhUe'T"d:""„ic1t.hS''',; "■""'" ""« """"^ "■« '^^ > b.« and marked wi.. la "/e'd Jktp:ir 'lt~^ "o^l^ta^h""'^"' T"" 'Ew*- 3-4 i greenish blue .potted with brown ; 0.90 X a7a After much contention as to tlievalirf;h,„f A I- . .-, variet, Of the Olive-backed, the s;rr2:htttia'i.^U ata SINGING BIRDS. •pecifte rank. In appeannce it differs from twainstnli chiefly h lacking the yellow around the eye, and In having gray tnitead of buff cheeks. Alkia is also a trifle the iarger of the two. The distribution of the present species has not yet been thor- oughly worked out, for only a few years have passed since iu discovery ( but it is known to occur in the United States and the settled porttons of Canada as a migrant only, breeding north to the Arctic, and wintering south to Costa Rica. BICKNELL'S THRUSH. TUKOUS AUCIC BICKNELU. Crai. Above, olive, varying from a grayish to a msset tinti wings and Uil ilightly browner than back ; distinct ring edded m moss, or covered with it. Egp. ^; white, spotted, most heavily near the larger end, with brown and lilac; 0.75 X 0.55. WATER-THRUSH. northern regions at the JriZt t-^ "** "**«"> «nd and "yBelf fl-erve^tj^rrfino """""""• **'• T°«»» or twelve days Ind r^H "^ "'"^ ««»»» fo' ten August, whenf^n thefr^avTr' ""'" "'"'" "" "''^'''' °' they leave the'swa^JsLZountlt'oT'^' '""" """*"»• and. after again irleM^nT, ™°"".'*'"' °^ ""eir summer retreat, toward, thfsLatrLprrth'r'''""" ^°- ^w days' setts they are scaite v eJ^^ ""' ''"'O''- ^n Massachu- continue'in sh^y^^e^rnatrTJ" '"' '""-»"• ""^ •-"ies tin near/thT^;:^' T^X^""' °" "-" '"«' .hi^^errirSX'neSe"' ""' '"^ '^^°'''" -°" °^ -atery solitudes of L^uS^'"' 7"""' "T *°"»' »"'' Here it is abundant, rdTem.^r.'^'' • '^'' *''*''«'PP'- loudness, sweetness L7 e-n-nently distinguished by the beginning Wgh a^'c^ar florin t""^ °' "^ "°''»' '^ch, delicate as to tenJ„Z' • "f '^^""^ '" " =«Jence ,<^ At such times t~-:,rctr "' ""^"^ '*• -ofnea.yL,f^S;----^«^^ 314 SINGING BIROS. Mid wliury wUd* he inhabiu. The sUence of night ■« alw, at timet, relieved by the inceiiant warble of this Western Philo- mel, whoee voice, breaking upon the ear of the lonely uavellrr in the wilderpess, leemi like the dulcet lay of lomething iuper- natural. Hii long ii alio heard in the winter when the weather proves mild. In this habit he appears considerably allied to the Reed Thrush or River Nightingale of Europr, which night and day almost ceaselessly tings, and soothes his sitting mate, among the reedt and marshes of hit favorite resorts. Since Nuttall's day the Water Thrush has been sepaiated from the true Thrushes and classed with the Warblers. The birds seen by Wilson and Audubon in Louisiana, Tennessee, and Miulssippi were doubtless referable to yiolaeilla, for though the present spc- cies is found throufchout this Eastern Province, west to Illinois and Manitoba, it seldom has been discovered breeding south of 45°. It is a rather common spring and autumn visitor to Massachusetts and may breed in small numbers on the Berkshire hills. On the plains the type is replaced by the variety named notaiiUs — Gkinnell's Water-Thrush, — which is larger and darker! Nttabitu occurs occasionally In Illinois and Indiana. LOUISIANA WATER THRUSH. SEnntus Moi'AaLLA. Char. Similar to nntboraciHtit, but larger, and bill longer and iloutf r. Under parts tinged with buff, but never with bright yellow; throat free from spots. Length ^ to 6J< inches. Ntit. On the ground, hidden amid roots of fallen tree, or on a mossy bank ; composed of leaves, grass, and moss, lined with grass and hair. Eggt. 4-6; white, sometimes with creamy tint, speckled with brown and lilac; 0.75 x0.6a The range of this species extends from southern New England, the Great Lakes, and Minnesota (in summer) to the Gulf States and Central America (in winter). A few pairs are seen every sea- son in southern Ontario. Its hablU do not differ from those of its congener. OVEN-BIRD. oolden^;rowneo thmj-h. SKlURira AUR0CAP1LJI-, ■lomed, ,h. entrance on the "J. ""P'^^'y '"•f-i. »metime. .rched or Canada, and in the 3o " *f M"*^ °f *« United State,, arnVingintheMi?d,erdTortlS;L't"« ^ "■""»"' of May or close of Anril ^nnT ^ '"""* *''« beginning Mexico, and^eCr Werindi'^"!.'"' ""P'"' A'-'^'^- The GoIden-crS Tin,! K .''' '"'^ '° September. out of the shadeTt'i^Ss t'd"^!"""."*' » "•"" -" pound often like the Urk^JaC r "'' """ »'°°8 "-e '-es,and»metimes m^^^;';,^/"~ '"« "nmche, of tails. It has few nr^t.^. """ "^""^ »' ^' Wag- .i.e deeped ^dJ^^Tthe fo""f ' "'' '""' ^"^^'^ '^ '™pl^ long, reiter^teTnote o;-S-;U".'r'r "''"»■'' " .Pearing,...e.o.d^rf:^^.-.%^rS'rbf-n 2l6 SINGING BIRDS. nearer than it reaUy is. As soon as discovered, like the Wood Thrush, it darts at once timidly into the depths of its sylvan retreat. During the period of incubation, the deliberate lay of the male, from acme horizontal branch of the forest tree, where it often sits usually still, is a 'Isht te (she te tihe a tshee, gradually rising and growing louder. Towards dusk in the evening, however, it now and then utters a sudden burst of notes with a short, agreeable warble, which terminates com- monly in the usual 'tshe U tshe. Its curious oven-shaped nest is known to all the sportsmen who traverse the solitary wilds which it inhabits. This ingenious fabric is sunk a little into the ground, and generally situated on some dry and mossy bank contiguous to bushes, or on an uncleared surface ; it is formed, with great neatness, of diy blades of grass, and lined with the same ; it is then surmounted by a thick inclined roof of simi- br materials, the surface scattered with leaves and twigs so as to match the rest of the ground, and an entrance is left at the side. Near Milton hills, in this vicinity, the situation chosen was among low whortleberry bushes, m a stunted cedar and oak grove. When surprised, the bird escapes, or runs from the nest with the silence and celerity of a mouse. If an attempt be made to discover the nest from which Lhe is flushed, she stops, flutters, and pretends lameness, and watching the success of the manoeuvre, at length, when the decoy seems complete, she takes to wing and disappears. The Oven Bird is another of the foster-parents sometimes chosen by the Cow Troopial ; and she rears the foundling with her accustomed care and affection, and keeps up an incessant tship when her unpledged brood are even distantly approached. These birds have often two broods in a season m the Middle States. Their food is wholly insects and their larvae, particularly small coleopterous kinds and ants, chiefly collected on the ground. The Oven-bird, like the Water-Thrush, has been removed by modem authorities from classification with the Thrush fair, y and placed with the Warblers. It is now known to breed from Virginia and Kansas to Labrador and Manitoba. It is abundant in Massa- chusetts and the Maritime Provinces, and common over its entire range. It winters in Florida and as far south as Central America. MYRTLE WARBLER. 21J MYRTLE WARBLER, IfELLOW-RUMP WARBLER veliou,^ R. "'-^OW^ROWNM WARBLRR. Oendroica coronata ■w ™i «i h.„'S; £.7:;; * J, ■»«- *•«!, ™», ^ The historv of thi« .^.1. '■"perfect. I^ «,e ^dTf ::/°Chrr'" '^"^ -'^ passage, artving fit,m the ZtT ,^T f^^^ "' " " bW of bepnntog of May, and p^e^ n^nh '/'°* °' ^P"' <" Ubnidor to pass the summer ^L°TA^ ^ '' ^'""^'' »d »d rearing the young. Ase rW^.K '^.^ '^"^^ °f breeding » absence of littfe iore Sr^e 1'°^' °' ^"«"=''' " ='««' wear; and being haMy ZZT *'' "'"'= '"'ds again «"'lens and wood, tinKhTc^'^'n x^"*"-^ '^'^ S fe nowai^o^e^^jj^utfte close of November, feeding M). or on those of L V^'^r "^' ^^^'^^'' ""^ »d persisting hemes, and Sn,! •'^"- ^'*' """er late T-nter food in the Sou he™ ^°^ '"'.""' ~°«toe their te-^. in the swamps and shehf ' rf' ""' '" ~»»Me«bIe num- Pass the cold season. In tfll^f'"''' °^*<= «ea.coast, .!,« •ober, they may be seen at 1- ,;* '" '^' •="'' I«« <>> O^ -ths fern the meado:;td Su^°;"'7,r''><'PPe" ^1 f-eyoften watch for the appea^eHf ^f '"'' '^^ ^'"' »«>. bonng suke, low bough, of^e^ i '''"'' •■""" « °'«b- ^""'-ar and unsuspicious. pScuST '' ''" '""^ ««> «> -PP-haimo^witHinth^er^rj^thtiC^lt:^^^^^ 2l8 SINGING BIRDS. the period of migiation, they appear in an altered and less brilliant dress. The bright yellow spot on the crown is now edged with brownish olive, so that the prevailing color of this beautifvil mark is only seen on sheddii^ the feathers with the hand ; a brownish tint is also added to the whole plumage. But Wilson's figure of this supposed autumnal change only repru- sente the young bird. The old is, in fact, but little less brilliant than in summer, and I have a well-founded suspicion that ili. wearing of the edges of the feathers, or some other seconiJaiy cause, alone produces this change in the livery of spring, par- ticularly as it is not any sexual distinction. While feeding they are very active, in the manner of Fly- catchers, hovering among the cedars and myrtles with hanging wings, and only rest when satisfied with gleaning food. In spring they are still more timid, busy, and restless. According to Audubon, the nest and eggs are scarcely to be distinguished from those of Syhiia asiiva ; one which he examined from Nova Scotia was made in the extremity of the branch of a low fir-tree, about five feet from the ground. When approached, or while feeding, they only utter a feeble, plaintive tship of alarm. This beautiful species arrives here about the 7th or 8th of May, and now chiefly frequents the orcha.ds, uttering at short intervals, in the morning, a sweet and varied, rather plaintive warble, resembling in part the song of the Summer Yellon Bird, but much more the farewell, solitary autumnal notes of the Robin Redbreast of Europe. The tones at times are also so ventriloquial and variable in elevation that it is not always easy to ascertain the spot whence they proceed. While thus engaged in quest of small caterpillars, the Myrtle seems almost insensible to. obtrusion, and familiarly searches for its prey, however near we may approach. The " Yellow-rump " — by which name this species is best known — breeds regularly from northern New England northward and west to Manitoba; also on the Berkshire hills in Massachusetts. It is an abundant summer resident of the Maritime Provinces, but elsewhere, in the settled portions of Canada, occurs as a migrant only. It winters regularly in Massachusetts and central Ohio, and thence southward as far as Central America. VEIiOW PALM WARBLER. 3,^ VELLOW PALM WARBLER. VEU.OW REn-POLL WARBLER. Dendroka PALMXRUM hvrxmrysea. "h.t. on outer „il.f«,h„,. ^^^ "„"'"'"« >>""! "O"" paichw cf color, duller, and marking, lew^lr /"'' ''"""«= ''■""" •>"' L«"gtl. 5 to 5^ inch... *" "" *"'"«' »»^d^^i.^:^^^Z^i:S%r:^™-- .in.e. marked on far as Labrador, where they were seen tn ' """'1^"'"'''^ "« and in the mon h of Au2 The voun" """ ^ '^'«^"^°' In the Southern States^l ' TV'".^'"''^'^ ''^'^^'^'l- hete. Hke «any othr^r^^LrpaLXt^nrr-, ^k'"= appear extremely busy in auest^th of ^ne family, they They frequent low. s^mp^^tkl ^l^ ^^f " T^'."'''- feeble notes are said sca„.e[y rdeLTthT nal T" ''" These stiajjelers remain .ii "'■"^~"'« we name of a song. nestisuS::."?,Tyd p^irw 'T'^'"'"^' ""' "■' ber, and some pr«babl7winr in ^T'"^ ^ '"'^ '" °^^- they were met with in 7T ? ^uthemmost States, as ™s is a d^t^nTtr^rtTe i^rsrx"htr"t- ably does not exist in the United Sutes ' ^ ^'°^- Ruby-crowned Wren! hi? description with that of the that bi,^ '"' •"' ™PP°=«1 f^'^' being precisely »ao SINGING BIRDS. Mr. Neibon thinks it uncommon near Dornald, Quebec, and says he never sees a specimen later than June ist. Dr. Wheaton has reported it as a common migrant through Ohio, but it is re- ported rare in Ontario. Nuttall's statement, borrowed from Wilson, that some remained in Pennsylvania during the breeding season, has not been confirmed by more recent observations. In habits this species stands peculiar. Unlike other Dnuiroica, it nests on the ground, and unlike most other Warblers, shows a strong preference for fields and road-sides, where it may be found hopping along with the Sparrows, and flirting its tail like a Titlark. The song is a very simp!e affair, — a few sweet notes. Note. — The Palm Warbler (Dttidroua palmarum) differs from kypachrysea in being smaller and much duller colored. It breeds in Manitoba and northward, and winters in the Southern States. A few examples have been seen in the Eastern States. Audubon's Warbler (Dendroica audubmi), though a bird of the Western Plains, has a right to mention here through examples having been taken in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. YELLOW WARBLER. SUMMER VEIXOW BIRD. SUMMER WARBLER. Dendroica .asnvA. Chak. Male: general color golden yellow, upper parts tinged with olive ; breast and sides streaked with orange brown. Female t similar, but upper parts with deeper tinge of olive, and under parts with lesb stiealn. Length t,yi to 5^ inches. Ntst. On a bush or low tree, in a garden or open pasture ; gracefully formed and compactly woven, of various vegetable fibres, — grass, stems, etc, — usually lined with hair or plant down, sometimes with feathers. Egg)- 3-S i dull white or greenish white, marked chieSy around the larger end with brown and lilac ; 0.65 X a^s. This very common and brilliant summer species is found in all parts of the American continent, from the confines of the Arctic circle to Florida and Texas, is well as Oregon and the Rocky Mountains, where it spends the mild season. About the middle of March I already heard the song amidst the Pl.V. •'.Pr, emleanVVWbler. ■'«■'■'« Harhlrr. O"- Harble 4- Panila Harbler O BJackburnian Waibler 6. Black-Throaled Green Warble VELLOW WARBLER. ^ the Northern, and by the mMHi vL '^* '='°* "f AnguM in State, of the Union, or „ ^' ^ '""""'^' » •''«^«' «• of joining the mSn7^^'i*""'='""l "rood are capa- the twilight, and win?Z? way 'bfl "'''*"• P"""")' '» ical destination, paiiDglZL I ^ "**" '^ ""«'' '"P" appearingatlenUS^e^cL r"^ 'i" ^•""er and numeroua host Ljugh tJn^^, a' "''""=' ^^''^ 'P"'"' thw St. Domingo, and other SrU« "=' J° ^"^ Cayenne. West Indies. ^^" contiguous islands of the bJ'and .usSdrcS°:^r '^^ ^^''^ «"»- " in pursuit of flitSngTns^cL it^ " "/"^ conspicuous, blooming shrubs and oS It '^ '"" ^"^ "~»8 ">« wiUow-trees and other STJI „1" T^*""'^ ""^''^ ^ afford this and other spS^ .™ ^."^^f situations, that P-Uars, on which they deUght .T^ed ^ ^ ""^ "*"- busily employed it occasi„„ln ^''' mcessantly and l°ud,shril,:and almosTSS^oLT "'' "^^ ^"^ ^'^ » and irregular intervals, ~%K?J."T""^ ""'"■ « '^°^ rogatory, as if expecting the ^«^v L?'*"'""= '"*' *"'"- times, but particuWyler L ^ °° "^ '" '»«'• Some- a more extended and pt^W, "T^ ^ '" °' '^'^^^o^' mination tender, plaintive and «,fr "^ ' ""''" ^= '='" note also sometimes Sto W. l^f' •' ''^'' "'^ '"- The female sometimes sZ reaX « n"" ""'' '^'''^ "^ ""'• olarly about the time shf is e^^^n ."! *= '"»'''' P»«i-- Althongh the song of these b I^ J"u '^''"""'■°« •>" »«'• 339 SINGING BIRDS. «t ofher times, I have known the ne«t placed upon the horizontal branch of a hornbeam, more than 15 feet from the ground, or even 50 feet high in the forks of a thick sugar- mapl. or orchard tree. These loiiy situations ate, however extra. idmaiy; and the Uttle architects, in instances of this kind, sometimes fiul of giving the usual security to their habiu- tion. The nest is extremely neat and durable ; the exterior is formed of layers of Aule^, or sUk-weed lint, ^tinously though slighUy art .ched to the supporting twigs, mixed with some slender strips of line baric and pine leaves, and thickly bedded with the d<= ^^-^ and other kinds. '^ ' ^' """^mes, cornel berries. 334 SINGING BIRDS. i i ' MAGNOUA WAKBLER. BLACK AND YKLLOW WARBLKB. OiNOKOICA MACULOSA. Chaa. Malt I upper pwtt'black, the (either* edfad with olhe t ramp yellow i crown Hh, bordered bjr bUck and white; beneath, rich jellow, thickly ipotted on breut and aide* with black; white patth on wings and on all but middle Uil (eatheri. Female : aimilar, but colora duller, and back sometima* entirely oUt*. Length 5^ Inchei. Mit. On a horljontal branch of apruce or fir, oaaally 3 to 6 feet from the ground, but sometimei higher ; made of twiga and graaa, lined with fine black roota. Sep. 4-5; creamy white, ipotted with lilac and lereral ihadea of brown ; 0.60 X 0*50. This rare and beautifiil species is occasionally seen in very small numbeis in the SoiMiem, Middle, and Northern States, in the spring season, on its way to its Northern breeding-places. In Massachusetts I have seen it in this vicinity about the mid- dle of May. Its return to the South is probably made through the western interior, — a route so generally travelled by most of our birds of passage at this season ; in consequence of which they ate not met with, or but very rarely, in the Atlantic States in autumn. In this season they have been seen at sea off the island of Jamaica, and have been met with also in Hispaniola, whither they retire to pass the winter. Like all the rest of the genus, stimulated by the unquiet ptopensity to migrate, they pass only a few days with us, and appear perpetually employed in pursuing or searching out then: active insect prey or larvx ; and while thus engaged, utter only a few chirping notes. The Magnolia has a shrill song, more than usually protracted on the approach of w?t wither, so that the Indians bestow upon it the name of .Kaft Bird. According to Audubon, many of these birds breed in Maine and the British Provinces, as well as in Labrador, and extend their summer residence to the banks of the Saskatchewan. They have also a clear and sweetly modulated song. Although rare in the United States, it appears, according to Richardson, that this elegant species is a common bird on the MAONOLU WARBLER. j2j b«nki Of the SMlwtchewwi, where it i. „ ftmUUr u the com l>a»e of the Rockiei. brwHinl u l •^''*""'= »»<» «he eastern the nonhern 3„''7'n« York n*;?. '*«*/"«'»«' "d in thence to Lab^or^^ Great SJa«L'"'^ "f ""^'«»^ "'•'' ward along the cre^ of th. Aif^u'' '"^ """"^ "-"'th- (Chapman) "^^ Alleghanie. to P,m»,Ivaaia •• aie. of the bark and from th.leav^!^H?, .^* *'''"" "" "^"^ Oying mitea. The favorite V;'^' ^^ TtTl^ '"'V'"^!^ or an open pasture, thouirh I h,™ * j '~"'"' °' » "ood usually r„ thT^ar^in^of^fn ^pen glade""' ""'• '" *' ""P '""*' ^.c]if,X^:; J.^^r^'^'i'^^^^^^^^^^ y- >. » .nractlve .orri^Xs-cre™^^^^^^^^^ scne of then, crLn7t^the °^^.^ */ " '^^^^^ nies—it ha. also been ascert^„!S thaf^™ ^"' 2* l*" ^"'R'»- that breed in the interior /oluthlMr «'"' °' '"'*' species that are not se^ if N^^' p "ll!'i°H^ • "" '?"'-""*• "'"X tion are abundant in the autum* ^^^ ^"^ '^« "P""* ■nigra' VOU I. — 1 MiaoeOfY DESOIUTION TEST CHAIT (ANSI and ISO TEST CHAKT No. 2) ^ APPLIED IIVHBE In. ^^^ 1653 East Main Str«et ET^ Rochester. Hem York U609 USA rj::^ ('16) *62 - OJOO - Phone ^S C^'^) 2aa - S989 - Fox 226 SINGING BIROS. CAPE MAY WARBLER. I Dendroica tigrina. Char. Male; back yellowish olive, withdarkerspots; crownblackish; eappatch chestnut ; line £rom bill around the eyes black ; rump yellow, wing-bars white and fused into one large patch ; white blotches on three pairs of tail-feathers ; beneath, yellow tinged with orange on chin and throat, spotted with black on breast and sides. Female : similar, but back grayish, and lacking distinctive marking on head ; under parts paler ; spots on wings and tail smaller or obscure. Length about 5 inches. Nest, In a pasture or open woodland, on low branch of small tree ; a neat, cup-shaped structure, partially pensile, composed of twigs and grass fastened with spider's webbing, lined with horsehair. Eggs. 3-4 ! dull white or buffy, slightly specked, and wreathed around larger end with spots of brown and lilac ; 0.70 X 0.50. This very rare Warbler has only been seen near the swamps of Cape May by Edward Harris, Esq. ; near Moorestown, in New Jersey; and in the vicinity of Philadelphia, about the middle of May, — probably as a straggler on its way to some Northern breeding-place. Its notes and further history are yet unknown. Since Nuttall wrote, we have learned a little more of the life his- tory of this feathered beauty, though our knowledge of the bird's habits is still very limited. So rare is the bird that examples adorn but few collections ; yet it has been seen occasionally throughout the Eastern States, and is reported by Thompson as " plentiful " along the Red River, in Manitoba. It has been traced north to Hudson Bay, and south (in winter) to the West Indies. The southern limit of its breeding area is probably about the 4Sth parallel. The nest has been found by Mr. H. B. Bailey at Umbagog Lake, in Maine, and by Mr. James W. Banks near St John, N. B. Banks's nest, which I had the privilege of examining, was com- pletely hidden amid the dense foliage of a clump of cedars, growing on an open hill-side, and quite close to a much-used thoroughfare. When first discovered it was unfinished, and the female was at work upon it. The male never appeared, nor was he heard in the vicinity, though the spot was visited frequently. After four eggs had been laid, female, nest, and eggs were " gathered." The species had not been observed before near St. John, though Mr. Boardman had reported taking examples at St. Stephen's, and I had seen several at Edmundston, near the Quebec border. CANADIAN WARBLER. easfy discovered, and werelLarifbTv foS^?' '"JT ^''' '^^^ ««« of h,gh spruce and fir trees onTh" crt of a hU? W ""• """"" to obtain a nest, and of course him.«^ .1, u ^* "«™ anxious little thinking that this coterie ofBent™'!^'' "'"'= "«" '"^"^'■es, "-hile their industrious bu "ejected t' '" '"'"''"« '"'"''='>' housekeeping affairs down ySrTn .h"^ >? "'"' ^"™'«''« to ™ng however, and discovered tha L tZ'^'^' ^' '^'«ed*the he simple lay of the Nashvii e tl^^ulh Th '""."'"^d """ewhat full nor so sweet, recalline rXrth.^- ? ''°"^* '* "«"her so and White Creeper. ^ "" """' *'0' tones of the Black CANADIAN WARBLER. SVLVANU CANADENSIS. Char. Male : above btiii«h 1. from bill around the eye,,' yeC-^^n: (7°'"IJ'"^^ '"'"' •>!«'' : Kne br.«t black ; under pans' yel o:',Xd wT.h b^f 'u' '"' '" ''''""' hne or crescent across the breast -throar..! ^ f " "" '•«"» ''''""'""g a ».«..lar but lacking black on Lh ''°"«'- T^ale and youne ■ Ungth 5 .0 sj< inches '"''■ ""^™' °" »«ast l.„ 1,^'. -rw.pr'd^SofTo^'ro^^ir'''""'"^ IH^'d Of grass and s.en,s, iTned ti°h hTr ^ "'""™"* ™'^ °f » '^« ' "">■ wi.ht;owraVdTu;c ;; joro'ir"'* '■""■^ "^-O -h^ larg.r end, This is a rare summer snecie? m n,. ».i • „ ■ng singly, and for a fe,v dTys ol on th " ' '""'"■ south in the spring or auh,™; ^' ^ ^^^^e north or and Labrador.'andarerrrah ?''' """' "^"^"^ '" ^^"'"la - the «„te Ly which Thev n ''!.' '" '"°"»"''"°"= i"'«™r. their tribe" very active in 11 "!""'' '"''• '*« "'^ '"' «' insects. ^ ^ '" '■""'"S through the branches after FoSrherko„:'';:rnf,^-'''"« '" ^"^ «- ^■•ne British Provinces Td ^SoT Tev r^" ".'' ''^'"^' '"« 'ive note in the spring andTth. ^ "' " '''°"' "'^"'^'=- 'hey have a predifecfon for 21 ^""r'r' ''''"" "''^y d'^^" laurels grow ""* "^^ ^"^^'^ of streams where 338 SINGING BIRDS. The Canadian Warbler is common during the migrations, from the Atlantic to the Mississippi, and though breeding chiefly north of 43°, some pairs nest in Massachusetts, New York, southern Ontario, and Illinois. It has been taken in Labrador and is common in Manitoba. It winters in Central America. YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER. r .MDROICA DOMINICA. Char. Above, grayi: ash ; forehead and siues of head, black ; line from nostril to hind neck, yellow ; patch on side of neck, white ; wing- bars white; outer tail feathers with white patches; beneath, yellowish white ; chin ind throat rich yellow; sides streaked with black. Length 4H to sH inches. JVest. In an open grove or the edge of heavy woods, on top of horizontal branch or at the forks of a limb, or " concealed in pendant moss," 20 to 50 feet from the ground ; made of grass-weed stems, strips of bark, and moss, lined with vegetable fibre, horse-hair, or feathers. Egg,. 3-55 white, tinged with green, spotted around the larger end with brown and lilac ; 0.70 X 0.50. These elegant and remarkable birds reside in the West Indies, and also migrate in considerable numbers into the southern parts of the United States, particularly Lomsiana and Georgia, whence indeed they only absent themselves in the two ind -lent months of December and January. They are seen in February in Georgia, but very rarely venture as far north as Pennsylvania. The song is pretty loud and agreeable, according to Latham and Wilson, resembling somewhat the notes of the Indigo Bird. In the tropical countries they mhabit, this delicate music is continued nearly throughout the ye.ir, and participated also by the female, though possessed of in- ferior voce! powers. The bird appears to have many of the habits of the Creeping Warbler (5. varia), running spirally around the trunks of the pine-trees, on which it ahghts, and ascending or descending in the active search of its insect fare. , , The sagacity displayed by this bird in the construction and situation of its nest is very remarkable. This curious fabric is YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER. 239 suspeiirfed to a kind of rooe whirh h,„™, <■ " any injury, ihe more securely to dpfr,H fi,:„ precous habitation from the attacks of numl ? tt, the tne vestibule ,t ,s necessary to go over a kind of partition and hrough another aperture, before it descends in.o^h ^.a'rded 0? pli ^ ""'' """ ' "'"'^ °^ «^hen, or the silky down and Massachusetts. I. winte^i^ridf ::<, C:^;a.'!?rricr' "cu'r^ alo^tfr °"' '."''>■" -4fnstet^o°S.; "l east: rdtoVhi: ll^^f: r''^' "°"V° "'"'■'^™ "«"°^"-<' South Carolina a^dnorida °"' "'" "^ ""'" '^^ =^° » It winters in Central America. i BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER. Dkndroica virens. Char. Male in spring : above, bright olive ; line on sides of head rich yellow ; wings and ♦ail dusky ; wing-bars and outer tail-feathers white ; beneath, white tinged with yellow; throat and chest rich black. Mate in autumn, female, and young: similar, but black of throat muced with yellow, sometimes obscured. Length 5 to 5X inches. Nest. On the border of heavy woods, in fork of coniferous tree 30 to 50 feet from the ground; of twigs, grass, etc., lined with hair and down. ^SS'- 3-4* white or creamy white wreathed around larger end with spots of brown and lilac; 0.65 X 0.50. This rather rare species arrives from its tropical winter- quarters in Pennsylvania towards the close of April or begin- ning of May. About the 1 2th of the latter month it is seen in this part of Massachusetts ; but never more than a single pair are seen together. At this season a silent individual may be occasionally observed, for an hour at a time, carefully and ac- BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER. 23, farienol /'"""J'"" °^ ""* 'P««« P^^ably proceed retiring habits it is not Tas^ to t^at orth. T""" ■""" .n a perfectly solitary situation orthe B u" HuL J M^ i°7 ""'=''' ""o stunted Virgin a juniper When i ,„ ne. »d was now nearly i„ the sa^e trk w^oS^'J STo J: nd whue pmes ,n which I had first heard him a fortnjht £ '-"'^r^nittet °* r^'"' ""-"^'^ '"^ '^"^"^ '"" -w a;dthTre\';oct:^:iVroTh7toiorLrinr'^ vals he was perpetuaUy busied in cat'chinV sX^^td 33* SINGING BIRDS. Other kinds of flies, keeping up a smart snapping of his bill, ahnost similar to the noise made by knocking pebbles together. This quaint and indolent ditty I have often heard before in the dark and soUtary woods of west Feimsylvania ; and here, as there, it affords an agreeable relief in the dreary silence and gloom of the thick forest. This note is very much like thu call of the Chicadee, and at times both are beard amidst the reigning silence of the summer noon. In the whole dis- trict of this extensive hill or mountain, in Milton, there ap- peared to exist no other pair of these lonely Warblers but the present. Another pair, however, had probably a nest in the vicinity of the woods of Mount Auburn in Cambridge, ami in the spring of the present year (1831) several pairs of these birds were seen for a transient period. Nuttall was not the only one of the older writers who expressed the opinion that this and other species of the family were less abundant than more modem observers have found them. Wilson and Audubon made similar statements. This Warbler is now known to be a common bird throughout these Eastern States, and may be found, in summer, in sny coni- ferous forest in Massachusetts, and thence northward to the fur- countries and westward to the plains. It breeds also, sparingly, in southern New England, northern Ohio, Illinois, etc., and "along the Alleghanies to South Carolina," and winters in the West Indies and Central America. BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER. DeNDROICA BLACKBiniNME. Chak. Male t above, black, back streaked with whitish ; sides of head black ; crown patch, line over eye, and entire throat and breast rich orange or flame color ; belly yellowish white ; aides streaked with black; large white patches on wings ; outer tail-feathers nearly all white. Fe- male : similar, but black replaced by grayish brown, and orange by dull yellow ; white patches on wings and tail less conspicuous. Length 5^ to 5^ inches. i^^est. Usually in coniferous woods, saddled on horizontal limb of pine or hemlock, 20 to 40 feet from the ground ; composed of twigs, roots, and shreds of bark mixed with vegetable down, lined with feathers and hair. ^'SS^- 4 1 white, often tinged with green, spotted, chiefly around larger end, with brown and lilac ; 0.70 X 0.5a '^B BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER. 3,, d:^:; hi'"''' °"""' '^""'^ ""-"« -en al auS S^' the M ^ , '''"? "° ^"« "' ^ '" » y" known. 234 SINCINO BIRDS. apruce tree at a considerable elevation. Lichen*, dry leaves of the hemloclE, and slender twigs formed the exterior; it was then lined with hair or fur and the feathers of 'he Ruffed Cirouse. He afterwards met with this species in Aaine and Newfoundland. Nothing is more remarkable in the history of this species than the raritv of the adult and the abundance of the young birds ; these last, which we have long known as the Autumnal Warbler, appear in gregarious flocks in the larger solitary for- ests of Massachusetts as early as the soth of July, assembled from the neighboring districts probably, in which they have been reared. They remain there usually until the middle u( October, at which time they are also seen in the Middle States. They feed on small insects and berries. Late in the season, on a fine autumnal morning, troops of them may be seen in the fields and lanes, sometimes descending to the ground, and busily employed in turning over the new fallen leaves, or perambulating and searching the chinks of the bark of the trees, or the holes in the posts of the fence, in quest of lurking moths and spiders ; and while thus eagerly engaged, they are occasionally molested or driven away by the more legitimate Creepers or Nuthatches, whose jealousy they thus arouse by their invasion. Earlier in the season they prey on cynips, flies, and more active game, in pursuit of which they may be seen fluttering and darting through the verdant boughs of the forest trees. One of these little visitors, which I ob- tained by its flying inadvertently into an open chamber, soon became reconciled to confinement, flew vigorously ailer house- flies, and fed greedily on grasshoppers and ivy berries ( Cissus hedetacea) ; at length it became so sociable as to court my acquaintance and eat from my hand. Before I restored it to liberty, its occasional tiveet attracted several of its companions to the windows of its prison. At this time the bird is desti- tute of song, and only utters a plaintive call of recognition. Nuttall followed Wilson and Audubon in considering the young Blackburnians a different species, naming it the " Hemlock War- bler." I have given above Nuttall's account of the two. CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER. 235 Of .he AUcghanic. „ wS f™": ^ th:' "°"«i''*""" Mexico TOuthward. ' «•>»">«» and eaitern of the bird while in iu .ummer home „ k ""* •*"'«'"* '"">it. the higher branche,, and ita favori?, h, . °*'' ' ?'='""« fcr 'oreat. where .he pi'ne andtXk flourlT '" ""'" "» ""«-' CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER. Dendkoica P'NNSVLVANICA -.=p™Xr^s.S':te!:;:^:;:5-"'."..Hor,„<.^ of neck and entire under p.r.. whi." .U ^ ? * '""='' "' '"«'' : »'d« f'male. .imilar. but color, dulll, v^' *"'' *"°"'"' °" ««" «hi... -pt. . ..L^f —l^'^M'^'jf P«>bab.;wi„ten,i; -.y in May on 1.^^^ h t ^ed' ^ 2""^™ -^T spnng in Canada and around Hudson" C Tf^" •'" ""' mam, no doubt, to rear their younrfn sSdeH ''"" "*■ "tuations in the Noithem Wo secluded mountainous ■830, a pair ..J^flT^^lZ Zi'"" "' °' ^'' «ear the sun>n,u of the Blue H I oSton ThTr/ "^'^ male was very similar to that of the Sme^/e Jow B^;^' V" Jy a litUe louder, and less whistling, U rtembSf"! IX rr: att'^d- r" °^ "^'^^ -^-^ -^ ble, there was a nest hJI^T: T ''^^^- " '^ P"''^- 330 SINGING BIRDS, ditty. On their first anival, previom to painng, theie bird» are like the rest of the genua, reitlew, and intently engaged In the chaie of insecti amidst the blossonw and tender leaves ; thev likewise pursue common and green bottle flies with avidity and success. On the 37th of June, 1831, I observed a pair selecting food for their young, with their usual address and activity, by the margin of a bushy and secluded swamp on the west side of Fresh Pond, in this vicinity ; but I had not the good fortune to discover the nest. I have, however, since, I believe, discovered the nest of this bird, in a hazel copse in a wood in Acton, In this State. It Is fixed in the forked twigs of a hazel about breast high. The fabric is rather light and airy, being made externally of a few coarse blades and sulks of dead grass, then filled In with finer blades of the same, the whole matted and tied with caterpillar's silk, and lined with very slender strips of brown bark and similar white-pine leaves. It appeared to have been forsaken before its completion, and the eggs I have never seen. In the woods around FarranvlUe, on the Susquehanna, within the range of the Alleghany chain, in the month of May, 1830, I saw and heard several males in full song, in the shady forest trees by a small stream, and have no doubt of their breeding in that situation, though I was not fortunate enough to find a nest. This i ^ecies is now a common summer resident of New England and the settled portions of Canada, and occurs westward to tlu Plains. It breeds in numbers as far south as the fortieth parallel, and regularly, though sparingly, on the elevated lands southward to Georgia; is not an uncommon summer visitor to the Maritime . rovinces, and is quite common in Manitoba. It winters south- ward to the Bahamas and C^tral America. BAV-BREASTED WAnBLER. 337 BAY-BREASTED WARBLER, Dendroica castanea. 0.0... lined wi,h fin. ,oou, n,:..:.'"^„';t;d,„ """•*'"• '""'■ "^ -i^%'ddirh\tr:','';*;'j;o.5c."'''' """ ""•- " """•- 0-. •po.-.a This U a ,(ill rarer and more transient visitor than the last It arnve, .n Pennsylvania from the South some time in An I or about the beginning of May. and towards the ,Tth orS of the same month it visits M-- sachusetts. but seldom stals more than a week or ten day, nd is very rarely eronl return m the autumn. Audu^n once ^' e„Jd Xeral in inTr^Se'd Jr^r ' '"°'''' -timri ILk^ ^'^^ "'""'"' ™8"'"'y proceeding to he northern reg-ons. It i, an active insect-hunter, and kee™ much towards the,top, of the highest trees, where i darts S wings One of these b.rds, which was wounded in the wine soon became reconciled to confinement, and greedily caugh; tent rh7ln"' 1!".'!,'''=' ' "'"'"' """' ^"' '^^X extent of the mjury, he did not long survive. In habits and i "h-v^'rr:: ■" °r "• ""' -^^''-- ^^^^^^^^ .Hal 238 SINGING BIRDS. In New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario. The most southern point at which it has been found breeding is Chicarua, N. H, in lati- tude 44°, where Mr. Frank BoUes obtained a nest in 1890. The «pe. des ranges north to Hudson Bay, and south to Central America. -I BLACK-POLL WARBLER. Dendroica SnUATA. Cha«. Above, grayish olive thickly streaked with black ; top of head War !t ; cheeks and entire under parts white ; sides streaked with black • wing-bars and tail-patches white. Length 5)4 to sH inches. JVttt. In an evergreen forest on low branch (sometimes on the ground) • of grass, roots, twigs, and lichens ; lined with grass covered with white feathers. AsT'- 4-5 ; white, with various tints (usually pale pink or cieamy) more or less spotted with reddish brown and lilac, — often dark brown and ohve gray ; 0.75 X 0.55. This rather common and well-marked species is observed to arrive in Pennsylvania from the South about the aoth of April, but in Massachusetts hardly before the middle of May; it re- turns early in September, and appears to feed wholly on insects. In the Middle States it is confined chiefly to the woods, where, in the summits of the tallest trees, it is seen, in busy pursuit of its favorite prey. On its first arrival it keeps usually in the tops of the maples, darting about amidst the blossoms. As the woods become clothed with leaves, it may be found pretty generally as a summer resident ; it often also seeks the banks of creeks and swamps, in which situations it probably passes the breeding season. In this vicinity the BUck-poll is a familiar visitor in the lowest orchard-trees, where it feeds on canker- worms and other small caterpillars, as well as flies of different kinds, etc. At this time, towards the month of June, it is no longer a resUess wanderer, but having fixed upon its station for the summer, it now begins, in a humble way, to display its musical talents in the cherished and constant company of its faithful mate. This note, uttered at intervals of half a minute, is like the sound o{ tsA' tsh tsh tshe (she, from low to high, but PINE WARBLER. 239 ^together «, riuill and slender a. ,0 sound almost like the fa.ntfil.ng of a saw. This species extends its migni"' Newfoundland, according to Pennant In ,h. * "°°^ '° June Audubon found th^ nes^r^JJo/'icTlul 3 feet from the g«und, in the fork of a small bnwch, cto^ .0 the mam stem of a fir-tree. It was formed of peek S wh.te moss and Uchens, intermixed with coarse dri^d^ wthm th«w»alayer of bent-grass, the lining, of i^^coCd d.y moss looked like horse-hair, and was axT^nged in a c^u ^duect.on with great care; lastly was a thief bed of ^e soft feathery -some of them were from Ducks, but mo^tf them from the Willow Grouse. It contained 4 e^ northern South America. ^^^ *"<* """«" !■> PINE WARBLER. Dendroica vigorsii. inches. "■■reatners, white. Length jy to 5JC ■^northern migiahons to the forests of Newfound™ T 240 SINGING BIRDS. close of October; stragglers have even been seen in mid-wm ter m the latitude of 43°. In winter they rTve L"! the' pme forestsand barrens of the Southern States in Zp^t of .0 to 50 or more, alighting at times on the trunks of the mot 'f "'T"''' ""^^^^ "•^■" "" '"king larvrbut Ire ■nfest the opemng buds of th- pine, around which they may Z rwr^tS' '°",r' ^^""«'"«' " "^'P^' -'^ «^- ^ ™ 1' K . ""^ "^'^ P"'^"'^' '''°°' ""«= to «'>"«, foraging through the forest; occasionally, also, they aligh on he SJT T\°^-™' -^ grubs of vahoL kiS, or da. ^regularly after hovering flies, almost in the mamier of the Fly catcher. In these states 'they are by far the most numerousof an the Warblers. In the month of March they already began to^ow ,nd.cations for pairing, and jealous co„tes..'eLued perpetually among the males. The principal body of the spe- cies probably remam the year round in the Southern forests where Isaw them throughout the winter; great numbers are also bred m the Northern States. In summer their food is the eggs and larvs of various insects, as well as flies or cynips caterpillars, coleoptera, and ants. In autumn, the young fre-' quent the gardens, groves, and orchards, feeding likewise on bemes of various kinds, as on those of the cornel, wild grape and five-leaved ivy ; at this season they are very fat, and fly mid' forage in famUies. They now only utter a shrill and plaintive chip. I have had a rtiale Pine Warbler, domesticated for a short time; he fed gratefully, from the instant he was caught, upon flies, smaU earthworms, and minced flesh, and was so tame and artless as to sit contented on every hand, and scarcely shift himself securely from my feet. On offering him dnnk he walked directly into the vessel, without using the slightest precaution or exhibiting any trace of fear. His isAii and manner in all respects were those of the Autumnal Warbler. The song of the Pine Warbler, though agreeable, amidst the dreary solitude of the boundless forests which he frequents, has PINE WARBLER. but little compass or varietv '*' Plest triU of the Cwt^; f°"""»« i">PProaches the sim- 8en.ly rising, or murmu^g';i^'',^,7»rr ^ "-^berating, ;n 'he spring, -fe,, .^, . J,^^'*;^ *« '^ > > V » y^,. „f there .s a variation in the cade;^*^; k t"''' *° '°'"' '™e, at a distance, is „ot unpleasm. T^^' "!■ t', "'°"8'' "^'her feeble P.pe during the heat of thT^u'n!!. !. "' '"'"^''^' 'unes his and innocently fearless throuiThel^V"'"^ "^ «"" gentl^ cedar m perpetual quest ofX „„ ■„„ °"^'>^ °f the pL or commonly heard at a considerlrH ?* P'"^" '^'''^ '"ng is nest, from whom he often Strav" ''""^ "'^ ""^'^ and cess o his precarious pursu? XT: ^<=-^^-g to .he sue- vanes from slender to high or low it t T"'^ °^ ""^ 'marble cover the retreat of the 1,,° btT' ,!„ "" '^"^^"" '° dis- - near with the modulation oJhL Tim '?"' "''"^'' ^PP^"» ^ar The female likewise tunes a" t.W T ^^ntriloquous note, a w.jy tone, almost like th 't of 'he ^ J" '"°" '''"'" '^^ - About the 7th of June, is' i ,"'"' "l ''''y'P""g- species ma Virginian junior ne'arM?'''' ^ ""' °f 'his "y. at the height of about ;of"tf"m f:'"™' " '"'^ ^^n- fiMly fixed in the upright tw1^ of f T t ^'°'""^- ^' *as was thin, but very neat th.- '^'"'^ branch. The ne,t -e»sof the sle^en; :eTdX™^'^- 'nterlaced, and connected elte!! ,^''%f'""' '■'«'"^), circularly «'™e species of ^sZZs and K> r.'"" '°"«'' ""^ "hres of The lining was n.Jtu'C^'^f^lj''^ r ^^'""'^ -''° f^ mat of the down of fern sulks ann'' "'""" ™°'-fibres, 'he Robin's breast, - a culu! L, ?' °' '"° ^^^''^'^ ° P°^e of warmth and shelter for the '' "' f ""'"^^ 'he 'everalof these nests, whf ^had at L '"°°''' ^ '^'^ '0 'he ground, and i; all the Iw '"' '""" ''^^n thrown "ere the same as in the o„e n^owT ""' ^^"^"^ ■n^'erial co»rse,is entirely different frl T ''"'^"hed ; and this, of authority of Mr. Abbor t1:I 'tu """ "^ ^''-^ °° 'he "ore than the usual pendulnlr f mentioned is nothing Flycatcher. Tke eggsto" t °'""= ^^'^^^^'^ Garbling VOL. ,. _ ,6 «8' "•"^ 'vere 4, and, advanced toward! 342 SINGING BIRDS. hatching, they were white, with a slight tinge of green, veiy fiill of small pale brown spots, somewhat more numerous towards the larger end, where they appear connected or aggre- gated around a purplish ground. The female made some little complaint, but almost immediately resumed her seat, though i of the eggf sen taken away ; the male made off immediately, and was but seldom seen near the place. The Pine Warbler is a common summer resident of New Eng- land, but I seldom saw it In New Brunswick, and can find no evL dence of its occurrence In Nova Scotia. Mr. Nellson thinks it uncommon in the vicinity of Quebec city, and Mr. Mcllwraith makes a similar report for Ontario, while Mr. Thompson reports it common in Manitoba. It winters in the Southern States. PRAIRIE WARBLER. Denoroica discolor. Chak. Above, olive; back with patch of red spots; forehead, line over the eyes, wing-bars, and entire under parts rich yellow ; black streak on sides of head ; sides spotted with black ; 3 outer tail-feathers with broad patcli i° 'he vicinity "mter m the West Indies about the middle of September PARULA WARBLER. BLUE YELLOW-BACKED WAKBLER. COMPSOTHLYPIS AMERICANA. Char. Male: above, bright ashy blue, an olive patch on the baclc; thi jat and breast yellow, a patch of rich brown on the breast j belly white ; wings with 2 broad white bars ; white patches on inner web of outer tail-feathers. Female : similar, but colors duller and the patches un back and breast obscure or absent. Length 4}^ to 4^ inches. A^j/. In moist woodland or on border of swamp ; usually in a bunch of ** beard-moss " {usttga) hanging from the trunk or branch of a tree 10 to 40 feet from the ground, and composed of threads of the moss and Ane grass or hair compactly woven; sometimes lined with pine-needles or hair. £gf'- 3-7 (usually 4) J white or creamy, thickly spotted with several shades of reddish brown ; 0.65 X 0.45. This remarkable species visits the Middle and Northern States about the ist to the 15 th of May, and is seen again early in October on its way to the West Indies (St. Domingo and Porto Rico), whither it retires at the approach of winter. A few, according to Catesby, pass the whole year in South Car- olina. It is very abundant in the summer in the woods of Kentucky, is active and restless on its first arrival, and fre- quents the summits of the highest trees, being particularly fond of the sm?'l caterpillars and flies of various kinds which are, in the early part of spring, attracted to the open blossoms and tender shoots. It also possesses in some degree the creeping and prying habits of the Titmouse, to which genus il it was referred by Linnaeus and Pennant. Entering the south- BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER. 245 em extremity of the Union by the first approach of spring it .s now seen searching for its insect food on shrubs and p"S. t, m mo.s. phces, by the borders of lakes and stress iS v.c>mty.,„ not common; but as it was singing as late as the "d of May in the woody solitude of theB^ Hi^ of Milton, ,t must undoubtedly breed there InT r '"P""' """'S'^ sufficiently different: the tones, nsmg from low to high, are rather weak and insignifican. In Nuttall^ day this dainty bird was named "Partybove, dull olive: beneTth di. 1 I™ • u"^n "''"'= '"°"^''"- F«"»l« ^ Length 5 ,„ 5^ inches ' ^ "'"''' ^'"'"" "■""= »P<" "»" wing- gra^ti^:vtera:dth:^ ;":' ™''"^-''" o" Wgh branch, of and hair. ' '' '"'""'■ '""""^ ""> !"«" .ilk, lined with rciot, only as a transient visitor in the month of April, in the Middle 246 SINGING BIROS. States, and after staying to feed for a week or ten days, it proceeds to its northern breeding-place in the wilds of Canada, of which we are wholly ignorant. In November I have ob- served a few on their return to the South, and according to Vieillot, they winter in St. Domingo and other of the larger West India isUuids. Near Farranville, on the Susquehanna, within the range of the Alleghany Mountains, in the month of May, I saw and heard several pairs of this rare species in the shady hemlock- trees. The males were uttering their slender, wiry, and very peculiar notes, while busily engaged in foraging for insects, and seemed, by being paired, to prepare for incubation. The Pine Swamp Warbler (Sylvia sphagnosa) is now consid- ered only as the young of this species, of which, however, I think there yet remains some doubt. The history of this species need no longer remain a mystery, for while not abundant, its nesting habits may be studied in any suita- ble locality in nortliern New England or northern New York, and westward to the Plains, or along the higher altitudes of the Alio gh .lies as far down as Georgia ; though the major portion of the flocks pass on to the Canadian faunal area before stopping to bulla. I did not meet with many examples in New Brunswick, and Mr. Neilson thinks it rare near Quebec city ; but Mr. Wintle calls it common near Montreal, and the Ontario observers also regard it as common. It winters in Florida as well as in the West Indies. KENTUCKY WARBLER. GeOTHLVPB FORMOSA. Ciua. Above, olive ; crown a.id sides of head and neck, black ; line from nostril to and around the eye yellow ; beneath, yellow, the sides shaded with olive. Length 5K to s^ inches. Nejt, On the ground, in rather thick woods ; a bulky afiair of loosely laid leaves and grass, lined with vegetable down, roots, or hair. Eggs. 4-6 ; white or creamy, spotted with lilac and several shades of brown ; 0.73 X 0.56. This beautiful species, first described by Wilson, frequents the dark forests of the southwestern parts of the Union, being CERULEAN WARBLER. 2 . cane-bmkes, and swamp, neJ^eLk. of ,h '^'^ It arrives in Kentucky rtout the mWH. [ . *"" "*•"• the southern extremfty SZ UnJV ^ ^P"'' »»" "'"» time in March, L by the mirf^r ^T ^"^° ^ "^^ «"« of the United ^,e.^™^1'" "^ September retire, south pairing sea«,„ of ^nrin^^nH^." '" ""^ P"*^'""' » "-e of North CarS '^'" " '''^''>' "^-W" to the east ••Ett?u°.ed st"^t'su;':Sf " •?' "■"i'-'" " ^vcn as New England and scTuXm MicwJ^'^'T,""'^ -"h to «,u.hern ^nd Central America." It™ m™, '?,r„M '"*'•"<"•' West Indies valley, and has been seen W „, ? "' *'°"« "" Mississippi There isonlyone record of Us ^^""'il Tm °^*' AUeghani;^. taken in ,876. at Suffield, Con^ M^Ioh^ New England, - a pair pair were frequently seen by hhn nl'Jt ?"'""" '^'^ ">at a the early part of Jnly, ,8;9 '^ " "'" ** *y »' Q«bec during Those who have hearH »i,. ■nelody, the tones being Toudand"^ P™nounce it an attractive Mr. Wm. Brewster ranfa t amon^ thi ?1 fl *.' """■« P'«»i»fr formances. """"^ *■" '«« of the Sylvicoline p