; "i AMERICAN BIRDS EGGS. CORNELL LAB of ORNITHOLOGY LIBRARY AT SAPSUCKER WOODS Illustration of Snowy Owl by Louis Agassiz Fuertes Cornell University Library North American birds e Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www. archive.org/details/cu31924022567725 Photo by Lispenard 8, Horton. NEST AND EGGS OF GREEN HERON. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS EGGS BY CHESTER A. REED, B. S. AUTHOR, WITH FRANK M. CHAPMAN, OF “COLOR KEY TO NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.”’ EDITOR OF AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY ILLUSTRATING THE EGGS OF NEARLY EVERY SPECIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS NEW YORK DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY 1904 COPYRIGHT CHESTER A, REED 1904 PREFACE. The greatest interest in the study of birds centers in their home life. Soon after their arrival from their winter quarters, all birds take upon themselves the duties of reproduction, the first step of which is the se- curing of a satisfactory location; some species, such as Auklets, Pe- trels, Burrowing Owls, Kingfishers, Bank Swallows, etc., nest at the end of burrows or holes in the ground; a great many nest upon the ground, some laying their eggs upon the bare sand, leaves, or rock, while others build nests, either bulky or slight as suits their respective tastes ; hundreds construct their homes among the branches of trees or bushes, some close to the ground, others among the highest branches, and still others swaying from the ends of the outermost limbs; other species lay their eggs at the bottom of holes in trees, either in natural cavities or in holes dug by their own efforts, the most noticeable in the latter class being the Woodpeckers, which often chisel their way into limbs of living trees. The study of nests alone is most interesting ; the rude and slight platforms of the Herons, Cuckoos, Grosbeaks, etc.; the rough but sub- stantial structures of the Robin; and the exquisite, architectural crea- tions of the Hummingbirds, Flycatchers, Orioles, Bush-tits, etc. Sure- ly the work of some of these little feathered creatures, these ‘‘ homes without hands,’’ show as great a degree of skill and artistic tempera- ment as is seen in the human race. The eggs of the different species vary through all the tints from white to blue, green and brown, some unmarked, others handsomely specked, spotted, blotched or wreathed with different shades of brown, lilac and lavender, aad their sizes vary from that of the diminutive Hummingbird to the Albatross, Swan and California Vulture as the largest North American eggs, and the Ostrich of Africa whose egg will contain several quarts. The nesting season ranges from January with some of the Owls to August in the case of the American Goldfinch, but by far the majority of species lay their eggs during May or June. It is at this period dur- ing their lives, that birds are at their best; their plumage is the bright- est, their voices are the sweetest, and their actions the most brilliant. The purpose of this volume is to furnish a reference and guide to all bird students who may desire to study the home life of our feathered creatures, by a description of how, when and where they build their nests, and the appearance of theireggs. At some time during youth, PREFACE. the desire to collect something is paramount; it has very frequently culminated in the indiscriminate collecting of birds’ eggs, merely to gratify a passing whim or to see how large a number could be gotten together, without regard to classification. It is this in conjunction with the many natural enemies that birds have had to contend with, that has caused the great decrease in numbers of certain birds. It is neither the author’s wish nor intention that this volume shall tend in the least to stimulate this desire in our youths. Knowledge does not imply pos- session and it is far more enjoyable to intimately know the birds in life than to possess empty eggshells or stuffeds kins. Withthe exception of a very few species, we now have all the information that can be derived from specimens of either eggs or birds, and it is especially desirable to study their habits and peculiarities in life, as this has been sadly neg- lected in the desire to possess. In regard to the few rare birds whose breeding habits are practically unknown, it will probably be for the best if we remain in ignorance. While the discovery of nests of Kirtland Warbler establishes the breeding range of that bird and the probable route of migration, I fear that it will swiftly lead to the total extermi- nation of that very rare species. Those who are the possessors of cameras can get a great deal of pleasure by photographing nests with eggs or young birds in natural situations, just as they were found. The examples of this class of work found on the following pages are the best efforts of some of the leading workers in this field. In the preparation of this volume, the author has had the coopera- tion of many active field oologists and his thanks are especially due Col. John E. Thayer, Lancaster, Mass., Mr. Chauncey W. Crandall, Woodside, N. Y.: and Mr. John Lewis Childs of Floral Park, N. Y., each of whom kindly placed their very extensive collections at his dis- posal for study and photographing, and to the Academy of Sciences, Philadelphia, for permission to photograph the egg of the Great Auk in their collection, their specimen being the best of the only two in this country, both of which were formerly in this institution. CHESTER A. REED. Worcester, Massachusetts, 1904. Nest and eggs of Green Heron............... 00 cee cece eens frontispiece a a & Pied-billed Grebe). ..cc46.3 cansasea irk teins cae oeee sad Page 3 we UG EN HOl DOCLI Grebe iinas:s sorcan: up aes Bae aas Sieeclale eee ain euaiie eles 4 es £6 SS SELOTM eG Gre besakainars ns cece tae agin se casas enantio a maa a 6 Ui: ce EES TOO Dies apepierca shh ote raudiavatieen mentale awa te a atom vie een caaare bee 8, 13 oe BG oe Herring Gullo essence aastentanacs go2% pated etka dbs 31 ie ue HS SCOMIMO DW WMer Mies as rais avs sses eos Mosse Dds See ia lesa SUR UR 39 ue ue Fe VIGGASE COIN che tn. sd Nocce een te re etercisae dn AIMS ck, oh ies ceectana eed uid 43 ce ge ‘€ “Yellow-billed Tropic Bird.............. 0... cece cece eee 56 Nesting Gannets on Bird RocksS...... on cccseene seas dee enceneneedewduw dees 58 Nest and eggs of Double-crested Cormorants..................... 0000 e eae 61 He es * “Mexican Cormorants: s vis s.anlecivarsvoracaieasedeatae sos 64 og sf “ ‘American: Merganser 3440. tesateeis dyaiepadessesiedee cae 69 Be es OOS Gad wall aatsumquny data nccnuth: & atin ania ase any srmadraat ie ash hoes 74 wa seme Pinitalapser ha cee ds waster Ree eM aaa ae meu Ore anceeveces ate 74 ‘6 ee He Ganad ay GOOSEas sic noead ftah toed Med Ph led nea 85 es ee SSS “NMVETICAN: BIEL ge ssostehess wd cave Sele eedue fees watered Ae oe ate 93 ae fs Hf Littles Brown Cran i. csscus wars a cauts spade Ga wincnea MaMa ae’s ne 101 ue o fee Wilson Phalarop Cir iceccisasrures skeet pela os. nrsimerenes ae Raat 108 Mu a * American, WO0dC0CKk: 0.0. :tiseGtrbSnebarscuaaess datosgded: 108 Woodcock on Nesti i. cunt iyi el ona moto od eee tenis Laue bernaah Sytuanities 111 Nest and eggs of Marbled Godwit..............0.. 000s 118 ne bs ‘ Bartramian Sandpiper. ........0cc.sss0cseaabevensessacess 122. aC te ‘s - Spotted Sandpipers x..01.00tawiavecaues soey smasevane dee 124 “ a REST] CSUN Vs y=) oa deta een erat ae ee 129 “s ts FMS OW = WITLI ay acct tector: acuksutaclo sina yey async eas HERE Te yaw 135. oe a te URufledGrousel ss 2s eee acste oe twas aku aun ged ce nn heme 140: ie ts &¢ Prairie. Hens ccseosias4 <3 par cate SRS oa SENG Sep Sas aOR 144 6 cy Hts Mourning: Doves caspase at continent ete: volume maan eee oe 149 6 He (DUT KEVAN U ITAL e Scns te ennai eels cus ra E ns Pine a Apter, oe 153 “ if ae WP ER ea wy Pole erin On enon eines Cu atte ec aay alent tite 156 ‘ ee MMS COOpEre EN AWS iia ay sors gisroncs ee cs Hot Meertny tedseeaeies vistas Rae 159 “ ue ** Red-shouldered Hawk... 0.06... csnse0aetesi is cues vue ees 168 “6 us ‘© Ferruginous Rows h-leg ccs shades sie ake eeies tate alongs 167 OspreysReturn InP tOdtseNesbhnron sss onaeccan mate Re aaa Maraelan Stages emul a Nears 178 ILLUSTRATIONS OF NESTS AND EGGS. ong-eared:Owlionvits. N@Stic. oe. evn tesco mats neva euecoas haves sey ese: 181 ILLUSTRATIONS. Nest and eggs of Yellow-billed Cuckoo............... 0.00.00 0c c cece eee 186 oc ‘“ “© Downy Woodpecker onc: sve ese ee ee ee eee 191 os ee Hes SBie kere ices occa eee a Ea ee ee 189 a a * Whip-poorewill..c.ars cae ese ee ee eee ee 200 ce ye 5 Nighthawk s3 4420 sacar Ann 5 aeter eee een eee ee) ae ee SS “Chimney Switt j.mc acca cess eee vem nts eee eee arene 204 ae oe ‘“* Ruby-throated Hummingbird............................ 207 st es silanes (Gr a ob 0 be RE MA A Een ERIN Rats an Aa oma aed Naas Soo 213 ee ee *~-Grested Ply catcher, si 2.tccs an oassusk eae tesa aaa 216 Phoebe on her Nest nee aa ge Ie Ne FO I ak aye COALS) Nest and eggs of Olive-sided Flycatcher............... 0.00000... 2000022... -220 ue es FPO Wood sPE@WEG> ccsxccs ests co reuse TER ee ee 223 2 se HE SM ODIE§ 4 bk bea ess. Bo Sahai ene Ee eRe ee 229 “ 6 a -CanadaSays cade, enna hha nen eee oo eee ree 233, Loggerhead ‘Shrike: sini. 8seenct a gee See eee eee 284 Red-eyed: Vireo om its Nest. 4 a crc, sien hedges cane canes en ep en ee 287 Nest and eggs of Yellow Warbler. ee AS RPE ea nated Meta R AS ks isis) oe et ‘* Magnolia Warbler a fates coe acacia RTT hea CRE eRe eee RES OO a6 fe > Prairie Warbler. ccc «oc ceteacles nie ee a ea <0 Oyerisbird., 0h 1 acs eey ents era eee ee mI 010 ee eo tes aw Water-thrush ncn. see ae ee eR UE, ce ee sa eAmericant Red startisaaccet ee cetacean eee 307 oe oe ‘ “‘Long-billed Marsh: Wren’. = 42¢.5.40.- dss. soeoe eae ees 315 Go uy ce “Townsend «Solutaires, sae aac wees eee ir eee 321 AG AG 9 = Wail SB ulsln= bitin messes eget eee eee eae eee ee 325 ee es “* Bluesoray RamilysAlaudi dees isc .cstus svstar cas cin ae er eee a 226 Crows, Jays, Magpies, etc. Family Corvide........................... 228 Starlings. ‘Ramily with it, andis no longer a sub-species. It is twenty-four inches in length, has a light gray mantle and black prim- aries which are tipped with white. The Herring Gulls nest in colonies in favorable localities throughout their range, chiefly onthe coasts and islands. A few pairs also nest on islands in some of the inland bodies of fresh water. Except in places where 3ult. they are continually molested, when they will build in trees, they place their nests on the ground, either making no nest on the bare sand, or building a bulky nest of seaweed in the grass on higher parts of the island. They lay three eggs of a grayish color marked with brown. In rare cases unspotted bluish white eggs are found. Size 2.8.x 1.7. Data.—Deer Is. Maine, June 11, 1891. Three eggs; nest of weeds and grass on high portion of the island. Collector, R. N. Knight. 52. Vega Gull. Larus rege. Range.—Coast of Alaska, south in winter to Califor- nia. Similar to the Herring Gull, but with the mantle darker, but not so dark as in the Western Gull. The nesting habits and eggs are the same as those of the Herring Gull, except that in a series, the eggs of the Vega will average a little darker in ground color. It nests during May on the coasts and islands of Ber- ing Sea, placing its eggs in a hollow on the ground. Size 2.75 x 1.65. Data.— Yukon River, June 20, 1sv9. Nesta large mass of Bromnisn Duke weeds on an island inthe river. Collector, J. Weston. NortTH AMERICAN Brirps Ecos. 33 53. California Gull. Larus californicus. Range.—Western North America, breeding in the interior. A smaller Gull than the Herring with the primaries gravish instead of black ; length twenty-five inches. This Gull is found in winter on the coast from British Columbia southward to Lower California, but nests in the interior from Utah northward. They nest very abundantly around the Great Salt Lake, placing their nests generally upon the bare ground. some- times there is a scant lining of grasses or weeds and again the nests will be situated in the midst of a tussock of grass. Three or four eggs generally constitute a set, but occasionally five are laid. The usual nesting time is during May. They show the same great varia- tions in color and markings common to most of the Gulls. Size 2.60 x 1.80. Data. —Pyramid Lake, Nevada, May 26, 1898. Slight nest of grasses on the rocks on an island. Collector, R. D. Wheeler, {Grayish brown.| 54. Ring-billed Gull. Zarus delawarensis. Range.—Whole of North America, breeding from the United States north- ward and wintering south to the Gulf States. A small Gull, eighteen inches in length, with a light gray mantle, black primaries with white tips, and always to be dis- tinguished in the breeding season by the black band around the middle of the greenish yellow bill. They nest in enormous colonies on islands in the interior of the country and in smaller colonies on the coasts. © Thous- ands of them breed on the lakes ofthe Dakotas and northward. The majority of them nest on the ground, although on _ the coast they are often found on the cliffs. They commonly lay three eggs placing them ina slight (Gray. | hollow in the ground, generally on the grassy portions of theislands. Thecolorvaries from grayish to brownish, marked with brown and lilac. The height of the nesting season is in June. Size of eggs, 2.80 x 1.75. Data.—Larimore, N. Dakota, May 31, 1898. Three eggs. Nest a hollow in the sand on an island, lined with a few grasses. Collector, T. F. Eastgate. Ky Sf {7 x and grass and placed on the ground (Pale greenishbrown.] 34 NortuH AMERICAN Brirps EGGs. 55. Short-billed Gull. Larus brachyrhynchus. Range.—Breeds from the interior of British Columbia northward to Alaska ; south in winter to Lower California. The Short-billed or American Mew Gull is seventeen inches in length, has a short, stout bill and is otherwise similar to the preced- ing species. Nests on islands in the lakes and along the river banks of Alaska. The nest is made of grass, weeds and moss and is placed on the ground. Early in June the birds lay their set of three eggs, the ground color of which is green- ish brown marked with dark brown. Size 2.25 x 1.60. Data.—Mackenzie River, N. W. T., June 18, 1900. Three eggs. Nest made of seaweed on an island in the river. (56.] Mew Gull. Larus canus. This is the European variety of the above species, breeding common- ly both in the British Isles and northern Europe. This species is given a place in our avifauna because of its accidental appearance in Labrador. {Pale greenish brown. ] 57. Heerman Gull. Larus heermani. Range.—Pacific Coast of North America from British Columbia south to Panama, breeding chiefly south of the United States border. A very handsome species, often called the White-headed Gull, and wholly unlike any other; length seventeen inches. Adults, in sammer, have the entire head, neck and throat white, this shading quite abruptly into the slaty upper and under parts ; the primaries and tail are black, the latter and the secondaries being tipped with white. The legs and bill are vermilion. They are found off the coast of California, but are not believed to breed there. They are known to breed on some of the islands off the Mexican coast nesting on the ground the same as the other species. The three eggs are greenish drab in color and are marked with different shades of brown and lilac. Size 2.45 x 1.50. NortH AMERICAN Birps EGGs. 35 58. Laughing Gull. Larus atricilla. Range.—Eastern North America, breeding from the Gulf to Nova Scotia, chiefly on the coast. [Pale grayish brown.] 8 inches high, slightly hollowed on top, in low marsh back of beach. E. A. MclIlhenny. 59. Franklin Gull. Range.— Interior North America, breeding from middle United States northward. Like the last but smaller and with the primaries light. Under- parts rosy in breeding season. Nests very abundantly in the marshes of Minnesota and north- ward. Nest made of grasses and placed in the marsh grass barely above the surface of the water. Eggs same color as the last but the markings more inclined to zigzag lines. Size 2.10 x 1.40. Data.— Heron Lake, Minn., May 26, 1885. Nest of wet sedge stalks and rub- Larus franklini. A beautiful Gull, 16 inches long, with a dark slate colored head, gray mantle, black primaries, and white neck, underparts and tail. Bill and feet red. This bird has its name from its peculiar laughing cry when alarmed or angry; it is also called the Black-headed Gull. They nest by thousands on the islands off the Gulf Coast and along the South Atlantic States. The nest is placed on the ground and is made of seaweed. Three, four and sometimes five eggs are laid, of a grayish to greenish brown color, marked with brown and lilac. Size 2.25 x 1.60. Data.—Timbalin Is., La., June 8, 1896. Three eggs. Nest of drift grass thrown in a pile about Collector, [Grayish brown.} bish placed in a bunch of standing sedge in shallow water; at least five thous- and birds in rookery. 60. Bonaparte Gull. [Pale grayish brown.] Collector, J. W. Preston. Larus philadelphia. Range.—Breeds in the northern parts of North America; winters from Maine and British Columbia to the southern border of the United States. Smaller than the last; 14 inches long. Plumage similar, but bill slender and black. They nest in great numbers on the marshes of Manitoba and to the northward. The nests of sticks and grass are placed on the higher parts of the marsh and the usual complement of three eggs is laid during the latter part of June. The eggs are grayish to greenish brown, marked with dark brown and lilac. Size 1.90 x 1.80. = EAA EE 36 Nortu AMERICAN BIRDS EGGS. [60.1] Little Gull. Larus minutus. This Gull is the smallest of the family; it is a European bird, and has acci- dentally strayed to our shores but a few times. Its plumage is similar to that of the Bonaparte Gull but the bill is red. It breeds in the marshes around the Baltic Sea, placing its nest of dead vege- tation on the highest parts of the marsh. They lay three eggs of a greenish gray color marked with dark brown and lilac. Size 1.75 x 1.25. (Greenish gray. ] 61. Ross Gull. Rhodostethia rosea. Range.—The Arctic regions, south in winter to Alaska, Greenland, northern Europe and Asia. This beautiful bird is the most rare of all the Gulls, being very difficult to obtain because of its extreme northerly distribution. It is in form and plumage like Bonaparte Gull, with the exceptions that the head is white, there being a narrow black collar around the neck, the tail is wedge shaped, and the whole under parts from the chin to the tail are rosy in the breeding plumage. The nests and eggs remain still undiscovered, although Nansen, in August 1896, found a supposed breeding ground in Franz Josef Land, because of the num- bers of the birds, but found no nests. 62. Sabine Gull. Yema sabinii. x Range.—Arctic regions, breeding from Alaska and Greenland northward, and wintering south to New England. A handsome bird, having the slaty hood bordered behind with a black ring, the primar- ies black, white tipped, and the tail slightly forked. They breed abundantly on the marshes of northern Alaska and Greenland, nesting the same as others of the species. The two or three eggs are laid in June. They are greenish brown in color and are marked with dark brown. Size 1.75 x 1.25. Data.—Hudson Bay, August 1, 1894. Eggs laid on the ground in [Greenish brown. | the moss; no nest except the hollow in the moss, Collector, G. Comer. NortH AMERICAN Birbs EGGS. 37 63. Gull-billed Tern. Gelochelidon nilotica. Range.—Found in North America along the Gulf Coast and on the Atlantic Coast north to Virginia and casually farther. This is one of the largest of the Terns, is 14 inches long, has a short, thick, black bill and a short slightly forked tail; the crown is black, mantle pearly gray, white below. This species is very widely distributed, being found in Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa, They are known locally as ‘‘ Marsh Terns’’ where they breed in immense numbers on some of the marshes about the Gulf, particularly in Texas. They also breed on many of the islands along the Coast, rarely making any nest, but laying the eggs in ahollowin the sand. They nest most abundantly in the latter part of May, generally laying three eggs. They are of a yellowish, grayish or greenish buff color and are spotted with brown and _ lilac. Size 1.80 x 1.30. Data.— Northhampton Co., Va., May 28, 1882. Three eggs laid on a mass of seaweed on marsh above tide water. Collector, T.S. Hayward. [Pale greenish buff.| 64. Caspian Tern. Sterna caspia. Range.—Like the preceding species, this bird is nearly cosmopolitan in its range, in North America breeding from the Gulf Coast and Texas northward to the Arctic Regions. This beautiful bird is the largest of the Tern family, being about 22 inches in length, with the tail forked about 1.56 inches. The bill is large, heavy and bright red; the crest, with which this and the next three species are adorned, is black. The mantle is pale pearl and the under parts white. These Terns some- times nest in large colonies and then again only a few pairs will be found on an island. In Texas, the breed- ing *Season commences in May, it being later in the more northern breeding grounds. They may be re- garded as largely eastern birds, as while they are com- mon in the interior of the country, they are rarely found on the Pacific Coast. Two or three eggs constitute a com- plete set; these are laid on the [Grayish buff.] sand in a slight hollow scooped out by the birds. They vary from gray to greenish buff, marked with brown and lilac. Size 2.60 x 1.75. Data.—Hat Island, Lake Michigan, July 1, 1896. No nest. Two eggs laid in a hollow in the gravel. Fully a thousand terns nesting on about one acre. Collector, Charles L. Cass. 38 65. Royal Tern. Sterna maxima. NortH AMERICAN Brirpbs EGGs. Range.—Temperate North and South America, breeding in the United States locally from Texas and the Gulf States northward to the northern boundary of the United States. The Royal Terns nest in great numbers on the coasts and islands on the South Atlantic and Guilt States and in the marshes of south- ern Texas. Like the for- , mer species they lay two or 4 three eggs ina hollow onthe | . bare sand. The eggs are the {t same size but differ in being \ tee more pointed and having a lighter ground and with the markings more bold and dis- tinct. Size 2.60x1.70. Data. —Ragged Is., Bahamas. No nest. Eggs laid onsand bank. Never have seen in the Tropics more than a single egg in a nest. Collector, D. P. Ingraham. 66. Elegant Tern, Sterna elegans. A — BE Oe Y J . we OF i Weer Oe > ne aaa cers. ae % fe ». : & &° “ a>. eo : 2 hos ¥ . bic bi mR, +. (Grayish buff.] Range.—Pacific Coast of South and Central America; north to California in summer. {Cream color.] Cabot Tern. Range.—A tropical species breeding regularly north to the Bahamas and Florida; casually farther north. A beautiful bird distinguished from the three preceding ones by its smaller size (sixteen inches) and by the bill which is black.with a yellowtip. They nest in colonies on the shores of islands in the West Indies and Bahamas, but not to a great extent on the United States Coast. Their two or three eggs have a creamy ground and are boldly marked with brown and black. Size 2.10 x 1.40, 67. A similar bird to the Royal Tern, but easily distinguished by its smaller size, slenderer bill, and more graceful form. Inthe breed- ing plumage the under parts of these Terns are tinged with rosy, which probably first gave the birds their name. They breed on the coasts and islands of Mexico and Central America, placing their eggs on the sand. They are be- lieved to lay but a single egg, like that of the Royal Tern, but smaller. Size2.40 x 1.40. Data.— Honduras, Central America, June 5, 1899. Single egg laid on the sandy beach. Sterna sandvicensis acuflavida. {Cream color.] NortH AMERICAN Brrps EGGs. 39 [Photo by P. B. Peabody. NEST AND EGGS OF COMMON TERN. 40 NortH AMERICAN BrirbDs EGGS. [68.[ Trudeau Tern. Sterna trudeaui. Range. -South America; accidental along the coast of the United States. A rare and unique species with a form similar to the following, but with the coloration entirely different. About fifteen inches in’ length; tail long and deeply forked ; bill yellow with a band of black about the middle. Whole head pure white, shading into the pearly color of the upper and under parts. A nar- row band of black through the eye and over the ear coverts. A very rare species that is supposed to breed in southern South America. Given a place among North American birds on the strength of a specimen seen by Audubon off Long Island. 69. Forster Tern. Sterna forsteri. Range.—Temperate North America, breeding from Manitoba, Mass. and Cali- fornia, south to the Gulf Coast and Texas. Length about fifteen inches ; tail long and deeply forked; crown black, back and wings pearl and under parts white. Bill orange red. This species and the three following are the most graceful of birds in appearance and flight. Their movements can only be likened to those of the Swallows, from which they get the name of ‘‘Sea Swallows.’’ Their food consists of fish, which they get by diving, and marine insects. They breed by thousands in the marshes from Manitoba to Texas and along the South Atlantic coast. Theeggs are laid in a hollow on the dry grassy portions of the islands or marshes. They generally lay three eggs |Brownish buff, | and rarely four. They are butfy or brown- : ish spotted with dark brown and lilac. Size 1.80 x 1.80. Data.—Cobb’s Island, Va., June8, 1887.° Eggs in a hollow on grassy bank. Collector, F. H. Judson. 70. Common Tern. Sterna hirundo. Range.—Eastern North America, breeding both on the coast and in the interior from the Gulf States northward. This bird differs from the preceding chiefly in having a bright red bill tipped with black, and the under parts washed with pearl. These are the most common Terns on the New England coast, nesting abundantly from Virginia to Newfoundland. These beautiful Terns, together with others of the family, were formerly killed by thousands for millinery purposes, but the practice is now being rapidly stopped. In May and June they lay their three, or sometimes four eggs on the ground as do the other Terns. They are similar to the preceding species but average shorter. Data.—Duck Is., | Burt. J Maine, June 380, 1896. Three eggs in marsh grass about fifty feet from beach. No nest. Collector, C. A. Reed. Nortu AMERICAN BrirRpDSs EGGS. 41 71. Arctic Tern. Sterna paradisea. Range.— Northern Hemisphere, breeding from New England northward to the Arctic Regions and wintering south to California and the South Atlantic States. A similar bird to the last, differing in having the bill wholly red and the feet being smaller and weak for the size of the bird. A more northern bird than the last, breeding abundantly in Alaska, both on the coast and in the interior. Inthe southern limits of its breed- ing range, it nests in company with the Common Tern, its nests and eggs being indistinguishable from the latter. When their nesting grounds are approached, all the birds arise like a great white cloud, uttering their harsh, discordant ‘‘tearrr, tearrr,’’ while now and then an individual, bolder than the rest, will swoop close by with an angry ‘‘cack.’’ On the whole they are timid birds, keeping well out of reach. The nesting season is early in June. Eggs like the preceding. Data.—Little Duck Is., Me., June 29, 1896. Three eggs in a slight hollow on the beach, three feet above {Grayish or brownish. | high water mark. 72. Roseate Tern. Sterna dougalli. Range.—Temperate North America on the east coast, breeding from New England to the Gulf. 3 These are the most beautiful birds, having ee a delicate pink blush on the under parts & Sea during the breeding season; the tail is very long and deeply forked, the outer feathers being over five inches longer than the middle : ones; the bill is red with a black tip. They 4 nest in large colonies on the islands from Southern New England southward, placing the nests inthe short grass, generally without any lining. They lay two or three eggs which are indistinguishable from the two preceding species. Data.—Egg Is., Buzzards Bay, Mass., June 6, 1899. Three eggs in scant [Grayish or brownish.| nest of grasses hidden under wild pea vines and grass on higher part of the island. Collector, Charles E. Doe. 73. Aleutian Tern. Sterna aleutica. Range.—Found in summer in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. South in winter to Japan. This handsome Tern is of the form and size of the Common Tern, but hasa darker mantle, and the fore- head is white, leaving a black line from the bill to the eye. They nest on islands off the coast of Alaska, sometimes together with the Arctic Tern. The eggs are laid upon the bare ground or moss, and are similar to the Arctic Terns, but average narrower. They are two or three in number and are laid in June and July. Size 1.70 x 1.15. Data.— Stuart Is., Alaska. Three eggs in a slight [Grayish or brownish. | hollow in the moss. - ; 42 ’ NortH AMERICAN Birps EGGs. 74. Least Tern. Sterna antillarum. Range.—From northern South America to southern New England, Dakota and California, breeding locally throughout its range. These little Sea Swallows are the smallest of the Terns, being but 9 inches in length. They have a yellow bill with a black tip, a black crown and nape, and white forehead. Although small, these little Terns lose none of the grace and beauty of action of their larger relatives. They nest in colonies on the South Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, placing their eggs upon the bare sand, where they are sometimes very difficult to see among the shells and pebbles. They are of a grayish or buffy color spotted with umber {Light Buff.] and lilac. They number two, three and rarely four, and are laid in May and June. Size 1.25 x .95. Data.—DeSota Beach, Fla., May 20, 1884. Three eggs laid on the sandy beach. Collector, Chas. Graham. 75. Sooty Tern. Sterna fuliginosa. Range.—Tropical America, north to the South Atlantic States. This species measures 17 inches in length; it has a brownish black mantle, wings and tail, except the outer feathers of the latter which are white; the forehead and under parts are white, the crown and a line from the eye to the bill, black. This tropical species is very numerous at its breeding grounds on the small islands of the Flor- ida Keys and the West Indies. They lay but a single egg, generally placing it on / the bare ground, or occasionally building a frail nest of grasses. The egg has a pinkish white or creamy ground and is beautifully sprinkled with spots of red- . dish brown and lilac. They are laid dur- : ‘ : ing May. Size 2.05 x 1.45. Data.— [Creamy white.| Clutheria Key, Bahamas, May 28, 1891. Single egg laid on bare ground near water. Collector, D. P. tngraham. (76.] Bridled Tern. Sterna anethetus. Range.—Found in tropical regions of both hemispheres; casual or accidental in Florida. This Tern is similar to the last except that the nape is white and the white of the forehead extends in a line over the eye. The Bridled Tern is com- mon on some of the islands of the West Indies and the Bahamas, nesting in com- pany with the Sooty Terns and Noddies. The single egg is laid on the seashore or among the rocks. It is creamy white, beautifully marked with brown and lilac. Size 1.85 x 1.25. Data. Bahamas, May 9,1892. Single egg laid in acavity among the rocks. Collector, D. P. Ingraham. [Creamy White.] NortH AMERICAN BrirpDs EGGs. 43 [Photo by William H. Fisher. LEAST TERNS NEST. 44 NortH AMERICAN BIRDS EGGS. 77. Black Tern. Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis. Range.—Temperate America, breeding from the middle portions of the United States northward to Alaska; south in winter beyond the United States border. The identity of these Terns cannot be mistaken. They are but ten inches in length; the whole head, neck and under parts are black; the back, wings and tail are slaty and the under tail coverts are white. Their dainty figure with their long slender wings givesthem agrace and airiness, if possible, superior to other species of the family. They are very active and besides feeding upon all manner of marine crustacea, they capture many insects in the air. They nest in large colonies in marshes, both along the coast and in the interior, making a nest of decayed reeds and grasses, or often laying their eggs upon rafts of decayed vegetation which are floating on the water. The nesting season commences in May, they laying three « eggs of a brownish or greenish color, very heavily blotched with blackish brown. Size [Deep greenish brown. | 1.35 x .95. Data.—Winnebago City, Minn., May 81,1901. Three eggs. Nest made of a mass of weeds and rushes HOE on water in aswamp. Collector, R. H. Bullis. (78.] White-winged Black Tern. Hydrochelidon lewcoptera. Range.— Eastern Hemisphere, its addition to Ameri- can birds being made because of the accidental appearance of one bird in Wisconsin in 1873. They nest very abundantly among the lakes and marshes of southern Europe, placing their eggs the same as the American species upon masses of decayed reeds and stalks. They lay three eggs which have a some- what brighter appearance than the common Black Terns because of a somewhat lighter ground color. |Greenish buff. | 79. Noddy. Anous stolidus. Range.—Tropical America, north to the Gulf and South Atlantic = States. A peculiar but handsome : bird (about fifteen inches long,) with a silvery white head and the rest of the plumage brownish, and the tail rounded. They breed in abundance on some of the Florida Keys, the West Indies and_ the Bahamas. Their nests are made of sticks and grass, and are placed either in trees or on the ground. They lay buta single egg with a buffy or cream colored ground spot- ted with chestnut and lilac. Size 2.00x 1.80. Atwood’s Key, Bahamas, (Buff.] June 1, 1891. Nest made of sticks and grasses, three feet up a mangrove. Collector, D. P. Ingraham. NortH AMERICAN Brrps EGGs. 45 SKIMMERS. Family RYNCHOPIDA. Skimmers are Tern-like birds having a very strangely developed bill. The lower mandible is much longer than the upper and very thin, the upper edge being as sharp as the lower. The lower mandible is rounded at the end while the upper is more pointed. Young Skimmers are said to have both mandibles of the same-length, the abnormal development not appearing until after flight. Skimmers are very graceful birds, and, as implied by their name, they skim over the surface of the water, rising and falling with the waves, and are said to pick up their food by dropping the lower mandible below the surface, its thin edge cutting the water like a knife. There are four species of Skimmers, only one of which is found in North America. 80. Black Skimmer. Rynchops nigra. Range.—The South Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, breeding from New Jersey southward. The Black Skimmer is about eighteen inches in length, and besides the remarkable bill is a bird of striking plumage ; the forehead, ends of the secondaries, tail feathers and under parts are white; the rest of the plumage is black and the basal half of the bill is i. crimson, Skimmers nest in large commu- nities, the same as do the Terns, laying their eggs in hollows in the sand. They are partially nocturnal in their habits and their hoarse barking cries may be heard after the shadows of night have enveloped the earth. Fishermen call them by the names of ‘‘Cut-water’’? and Sea Dog.’’ The nesting season commences in May and continues through June and July. They lay from three to fiveeggs, havinga creamy or yellow- {Buffy yellow.| ish buff ground, blotched with black, chest- nut and lilac. Size 1.75 x 1.30. Data.— Cobb’s Is., Va., June 8, 1894. Three eggs laid ina hollow on the beach. No nest. TUBE-NOSED SWIMMERS. Order Ill. TUBINARES. ALBATROSSES. Family DIOMEDEIDA. Albatrosses are the largest of the sea birds and have an enormous expanse of wing, the Wandering Albatross, the largest of the family, sometimes attaining an expanse of fourteen feet. Their nostrils consist of two shghtly projecting tubes, one on each side near the base of the bill. They are unsurpassed in powers of flight, but are only fair swimmers and rarely, if ever, dive, getting their food, which consists of dead animal matter, from the surface of the water. 46 NortH AMERICAN Birps EGGs. 81. Black-footed Albatross. Diomedea nigripes. Range.—North Pacific from California northward. This Albatross is thirty- two inches in length ; it is of a uniform sooty brown color shading into whitish at the base of the bill, which is rounded. Like the other members of the family, this species is noted for its extended flights, following vessels day after day without any apparent period of rest, for the purpose of feeding on the refuse that is thrown overboard. They breed during Our winter on some of the small isolated islands in the extreme southern portions of the globe. They lay asingle white egg on the bare ground. 82. Short-tailed Albatross. Diomedea albatrus. Range.—North Pacific Ocean in summer, from Lower California to Alaska. With the exception of the Wandering Albatross, which is now regarded as doubtful as occurring off our coasts, the Short-tailed Albatross is one of the largest of the group, measuring thirty-six inches in length, and has an extentof seven feet or more. With the exception of the black primaries, shoulders and tail, the entire plumage is white, tinged with straw color on the back of the head. They breed on the guano islands in the North Pacific off the coasts of Alaskaand Japan. They lay a single white egg on the bare ground or rocks. As with the other members of the family, the eggs are extremely variable in size, but aver- ageabout 4.25 x 2.50. 82.1. Laysan Albatross. Diomedea immutabilis. Range.—Laysan Island of the Hawaiian Group, appearing casually off the coast of California. This species breeds in large numbers on the island from which it takes its name. The birds are white with the exception of the back, wings and tail, which are black. The birds, having been little molested in their remote island, are exceedingly tame, andit is possible to go among the sitting birds without disturbing them. Mr. Walter K. Fisher has contributed an admirable report on this species in the 1903 Bulletin of the Fish Commission, the report being illustrated with numerous illustrations of the birds from photos by the author. Their single white eggs are laid on the bare ground. [83.] Yellow-nosed Albatross. Thalassogeron culminatus. This is a species which inhabits the South Pacific and Indian Oceans, and is said to rarely occur on the California coast. They breed during our winter on some of the small islands and during our summer are ocean wanderers, An egg Nortu AMERICAN Birps EGGS. 47 An egg in the collection of Col. John E, Thayer was taken on Gough Island, South Atlantic Ocean; Sept. Ist., 1888. The nest was a mound of mud and grass about two feet in height. The single white egg measured 3.75 x 2.25. It was collected by Geo. Comer. 82. Sooty Albatross. Phwbetria fuliginosa. Range.—Southern seas, north in our summer along the Pacific coast of the United States. This species is entirely sooty brown except the white eyelids. It is similar to the Black-footed Albatross from which species it can be distinguished in all plumages by the narrow base of the bill, while the bill of the former species is broad and rounded. They breed commonly on isolated islands in many quarters of the southern hemisphere. Sometimes this species constructs a mound of mud on which to deposit its single white egg, and also often lays it on the bare ground or rock, A specimen in Mr. Thayer’s collection, taken by Geo. Comer on So. Georgia Is. in the South Atlantic ocean was laid in a hollow among loose stones on the ledge of an overhanging cliff. Size 4.10 x 2.75. {White.] FULMARS and SHEARWATERS. Family PROCELLARIDAE. Fulmars and Shearwaters are Gull-like birds with two nostril tubes located side by side, in a single tube, on the top of the bill at it’s base. The Fulmars are mostly northern birds while the majority of the Shear- waters nest in the extreme south during our winter, and appear off our coasts during the summer. Their food consists of fish or offal which they get from the surface of the water; large flocks of them hover about fishermen, watching their chance to get any food which falls, or is thrown, overboard. 48 NortH AMERICAN Brirps EGGS. [85.] Giant Fulmar. Ossifraga gigantea. Range.—This Petrel is a native of the southern seas and is only casually met with otf the Pacific coast. It is the largest of the family being about three feet in length, and is normally a uniform sooty color, although it has light phases of plumage. They nest in December onmany of the islands south of Africa and South America, laying their single white egg on the bare rocks. 86. Fulmar. Fulmarus glacialis. Range.—North Atlantic coasts from. New England northward, breeding from Hudson Bay and southern Greenland northward. This bird which is 19 inches in length, in the light phase has a plumage very similar to that of the larger Gulls. They nest by thousands on the rocky islands of the north, often in company with Murres and Gulls. Owing to the filthy habits of the Fulmars, these breeding grounds always have a nauseating odor, which is also imparted to, and retained by the egg shell. Their single white eggs are laid on the bare rocks, in crevices of the cliffs, often hundreds of feet above the water. Size 2.90x2. Data.—St. Kilda, off Scotland. June 5, 1897. Single egg laid on rock on side of sea cliff. Collector, Angus Gillies. | White. ] 86 b. Pacific Fulmar. Fulmarus glacialis glupischa. This sub-species of the preceding, has a darker mantle than the common Fulmar; it is found on the northern Pacific coasts where it breeds on the high rocky cliffs, the same as it’s eastern relative. They nest in large colonies, every crevice in the rocks having its tenant. Their flight is graceful like that of the Gulls, which they closely resemble. They lay but a single white egg, the average dimensions of which are slightly smaller than those of the common Fulmar. Data.—Copper Is. Alaska. May 14, 1889. Egg laid in a crevice among the cliffs. NortH AMERICAN Brirps EGGs. 49 36.1. Rodger Fulmar. Fulmarus rodgersii. Range.—North Pacific, breeding in large numbers on some of the islands in Bering Sea; south to California in winter. Very similar to the two preceding Species except that the back is mixed With whitish, it is not believed to have a dark phase. Their breeding habits andeggs do not differ from the common Fulmar. The eggs are laid on the rocky cliffs during June. 87. Slender-billed Fulmar. Priocella glacialoides. Range.—Southern seas, appearing on the Pacific coast of the United States in the summer. This species has a paler mantle than the others of the family, and the primaries are black. The make-up and plumage of the whole bird is more like that of the Gulls than any of the others. They probably breed in the far south during our winter, although we have no definite data relative to their nesting habits. 88. Cory Shearwater. Puffinus borealis. This species probably breeds in the far south. It has been found only off the coast of Massachusetts and Long Island. This is the largest of our Shearwaters, and can be distinguished from the next species by its wholly white underparts, its light mantle and yellowish bill. We have no data relative to its nesting habits. 89. Greater Shearwater. Puffinus gravis. Range.—The whole of the Atlantic Ocean. Thousands of them spend the latter part of the summer off the New England coast, where they are known to the fishermen as Haglets. Their upper parts are brownish gray, darker on the wings; bill and feet dark; under parts white, with the middle of the belly and the under tail covers dusky. Length about 20 inches. Little is known concerning their nesting quarters, although they are said to breed in Greenland. From the fact of their early appearance off the New England coast it is probable that the greater part of them nest in the far south. [90.] Manx Shearwater. Puffinus puffinus. This species inhabits the North Atlantic ocean chiefly on the European side, being abundant in the Mediterranean and in the British Isles. These birds deposit their single pure white eggs in crevices among the cli on the ground or in burrows dug by themselves. Size of egg 2.35 x 1.60. Data.—Isle of Hay, North Scotland. June 1, 1893. Single egg laid at the end of a three foot burrow. 91. Pink-footed Shearwater. Puffinus creatopus. \ Range.—Pacific Ocean, north on American side to California in summer. This species, whose breeding habits are little known, is similar in-size and color to the Greater Shearwater, differing chiefly in the yellowish: bill and pinkish colored feet. 5 50 NortH AMERICAN BirpDs EGGS. 92. Audubon Shearwater. Fuifinus lherminieri. Range.—Middle Atlantic, ranging north in late summer to Long Island. & This bird, having a length of but twelve inches, is the smallest of the Shear- waters found along our coasts. Large colonies of them breed on some of the the small islands and keys of the West Indies and Bahamas, and not so com- monly in the Bermudas. Their eggs, which are pure white, are deposited at the end of burrows dug by the birds. Size of egg 2. x 1.85. Their nesting season commences about the latter part of March and continues through April and May. After the young are able to fly, like other members of the family, the birds become ocean wanderers and stray north to southern New England. Data.—Bahamas, April 18, 1891. Single egg laid at the end of a burrow about two feet in length. Collector, D. P. Ingraham. [ White. | [92.1.] Allied Shearwater. Puffinus assimilis. This is an Australian and New Zealand species that has accidentally strayed to the shores of Nova Scotia. 93. Black-vented Shearwater. Pu/ffinus opisthomelas. Range.— Middle Pacific coast of the Americas, north in late summer along the coast of California. This species breeds commonly on the islands off the coasts of Lower California, especially on the Gulf side. Their single egg is white, size 2. x 1.80, and is located at the end of a burrow. Data.—Natividad Is., Lower California, April 10, 1897. Single egg laid on the sand at the end of a burrow six feet in length. Collector, A. W. Anthony. 93.1. Townsend Shearwater. Puffinus auricularis. This bird ranges from Cape St. Lucas, south along the Pacific coast of Mexico, breeding on the Revillagigedo Islands off the Mexican coast. 94. Sooty Shearwater. Puffinus fuliginosus. Range.—A common species off the Atlantic coast in summer; breeds along our northern coasts, and it is also supposed that many of them nest in southern seas and reach our coasts early in the summer. These Shearwaters are entirely sooty gray, being somewhat lighter below. They are called ‘‘black haglets’’ by the fishermen, whose vessels they follow in the hope of procuring bits of refuse. They commonly nest in burrows in the ground, but are also said to build in fissures among theledges. Theirsinglewhiteegg measures 2.55 x 1.75. Data.— Island in Ungava Bay, northern Labrador, June 14, 1896. Egg laid in a fissure of a sea cliff. Collector, A. N. McFord. NortH AMERICAN Birps EGGs. 51 95. Dark-bodied Shearwater. Puffinus griseus. This is asouthern species which, after having nested on islands in the far south during our winter, comes north and appears off the Pacific coast of the United States during the summer. It is a similar bird to the Sooty Shearwater, but is considerably darker and the under coverts are whitish. Their nesting habits are the same as those of other members of the family. Size of egg, 2.40 x 1.65. Data.—Stewart’s Island, New Zealand, February 15, 1896. Single egg at the end of a long burrow. 96. Slender-billed Shearwater. Pu/ffinus tenuirostris. Range.—Northern Pacific Ocean in the summer, extending from Japan and Alaska southward. Supposed to breed in the southern hemisphere, as well as probably on some of the Aleutians in Alaska. 96.1. Wedge-tailed Shearwater. Puffinus cuneatus. Range.—North Pacific, breeding on the Revillagigedo Islands off the coast of Mexico, and probably on some of the small islands in the Gulf of California. ([97.] Black-tailed Shearwater. Priofinus cinereus. This is a Shearwater which inhabits the southern hemisphere, but which has accidentally wandered to the Pacific coast of the United States. It is dark above and Whitish below, with black under tail coverts. It breeds in the tar south. {98.] Black-capped Petrel. strelata hasitata. This is nota common species; it is an inhabitant of tropical seas and has only been casually found on our coasts or inland. It is a handsome species with white forehead, underparts and nape with a small isolated black cap on the crown ; the rest of the upper parts are blackish. It is a native of the West Indies. [99.] Scaled Petrel. Mstrelata scalaris. This is another rare species which is an inhabitant of southern seas. A single specimen taken in New York State gives it a claim as a doubtful North Ameri- can species. It is a handsome bird, the feathers of the grayish upperparts being edged with white, thus giving it the appearance of being barred. Its egg have only been known to science within the past few years. Data.— Preservation Inlet, New Zealand, June 7, 1900. Single white egg. Size 2.40 x 1.75. Collector, P. Seymour. Parent bird taken with the egg. 100. Fisher Petrel. strelata fishert. This is a handsome bird known only from the type specimen taken off Kadiak Is., Alaska, by Mr. Fisher. 52 NortH AMERICAN BIRDS EGGs. ([101.] Bulwer Petrel. Bulweria bulweri. An eastern Atlantic species which is only an accidental visitant to our shores. They breed on the Madeira Islands wherethe eggs are laid in crevices among the rocks or in burrows in the ground. Size 1.75 x 1.55, white. {[102.] Pintado Petrel. Daption capensfs. This is the Cape Pigeon of the southern hemisphere. It has only accidentally occurred on our coast. 103. Least Petrel. Halocyptena microsoma. Range.—Pacific coast of America from Lower California to Panama. The Least Petrel is the smallest of this family, in length measuring only 5.75 inches. Their plumage is entirely dark sooty. They have been found breeding on San Benito Island, Lower California, and they probably do on others farther south. The single egg that this bird lays is white with a wreath of fine black specks around one and sometimes both ends. Data.—San Benito Is., Lower Califor- nia, June 12, 1897. No nest, theegge being simply laid on the bare rock in a crevice. Size 1.00 x .75. Collector, A. W. Anthony. 104. Stormy Petrel. Procellaria pelagica North Atlantic Ocean chiefly on the European side, wintering south to New Brunswick. Smallest of the white ramped, black petrels ; 5.75 inches in length. This species is the one originally called ‘‘Mother Cary’s Chicken”’ by the sailors. They nest abundantly on many of the islands off the coasts of Europe and the British Isles, laying their single egg either in burrows or crevices among the cliffs. Data.—Coast of County Kerry, Ireland, June 1, 1895. Single egg laid at the end of burrow ina sea cliff. Size 1.05 x .80; white with a wreath of very fine dots about the larger end. Collector, G. H. McDonald. [White.] 105. Forked-tailed Petrel. Oceanodroma furcata. Range.—North Pacific from California to Alaska, breeding in the Aleutians. These birds have a plumage of bluish gray, the wings being darker and the underparts lightest. The nests are made in burrows or crevices in the banks. Data.—Uniak Is., Alaska, June10, 1900. No nest. Single egg laidat the end of a burrow. Several pairs nesting near. Egg white with a fine wreath of pur- plish black specks about the large end. Size 1.25 x .95. NortH AMERICAN Birps EGGS. 53 105.1 Kaeding Petrel. Occanodroma kedingi. This bird is similar to Leach Petrel, but is smaller and the tail is less deeply forked. Its range is from California to Panama breeding on the Revillagigedo Islands off Mexico. 106. Leach Petrel. Occanodroma leucorrhoa. Range.—North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans, breeding from Maine and from the Farallones, northward to Greenland and the Aleutians. These are the most common of the Petrels foundon our coast; they are eight inches in length, of a sooty brown color, and havea white rump. The forked tail will at once distinguish them from any of the Atlantic Petrels. They nest in burrows in the ground, laying a pure white egg, sometimes with a very faint dusty wreath about the larger end. Size 1.20 x .95. These birds generally take turns in the task of incubation, one remaining atsea during the day and returning at night while his mate takes her turn roving the briny deep in search of food. The young are fed by regurgitation upon an oily fluid which has a very offensive odor. This odor is always noticeable about an island inhabit- ated by Petrels and is always retained by the eggs or skins of these birds. They are very rarely seen flying in the vicinity of their nesting island during the day; the bird that is on the nest will remain [White | until removed by hand. Data.—Pumpkin Is., Maine, June 22, 1898. Single egg; nest of a few grasses at the end of a burrow dug in the baik. Collector, J. Lefavour. 106.1 Guadalupe Petrel. Occanodroma macrodactyla. This species, which is very similar to the preced- ing, except for a longer and more deeply forked tail, breeds on Guadalupe Is. Their eggs are white very minutely wreathed with reddish brown; they are, however, nearly always nest stained toan uneven brownish color. Data.—Guadalupe Is., Lower California, Mareh 24, 1897. Single egg laidona few oak leaves and pine needles at the end of a three foot burrow. Size of egg 1.40 x 1.00. Collector, A. W. Anthony. [ White. nest stained. | 107. Black Petrel. Occanodroma melania. Range.—South Pacific, from southern California southward, breeding on the small islands on both coasts of Lower California. They are similar to the Leach Petrel except that the rump is blackish. Data.—San Benito Is., Lower Califor— nia, July 28, 1896. White egg laid on bare ground at the end of three foot bur- row. Size 1.40 x 1. Collector, A. W. Anthony. 54 NortH AMERICAN Brrps EGGS. 108. Ashy Petrel. Oceanodroma homochroa. Range.—California coast, breeding on the Farallones and Santa Barbara Islands. This species, while not common, nests in all manner of locations on the Farallones, concealing their eggs under any rock or in any crevice that may attract their fancy. Their single white egg is only faintly if at all wreathed with fine dust-like specks of reddish brown. Size 1.15 x .86. Data.—Farallone Is., California, June 12, 1895. Egg laid on sand in crevice at the base of a stone wall; well concealed. Collector, Chester Barlow. 108.1. Socorro Petrel. Oceanodroma socorroensis. Breeds on Socorro, San Benito and Coronado Islands, placing its eggs at the end of a burrow. Data.—San Benito Is., Lower California., July 12, 1897. Single egg at the end of a burrow 3 feet in length. Egg pure white very finely wreathed with pale reddish brown. Size 1.15 x .87. Collector, A. W. Anthony. 109. Wilson Petrel. Occanites oceanicus. Breeds in the southern hemisphere in February and March and _ spends the summer off the Atlantic coast as far north as Newfoundland. This species can be distinguished from Leach Petrel by its square tail and from the Stormy Petrel by its large size and yellow webs to its feet. These birds are the greatest wanderers of the genus, being found at different seasons in nearly all quarters of the globe. Their single egg is white. Size 1.26 x .90. [110.] White-bellied Petrel. Fregetta grallaria, A small species (length about 7.5 inches) inhabiting southern seas. Recorded once at Florida. General plumage blackish. Upper tailcoverts, bases of tail feathers, under wing coverts, and abdomen, white. [111.] White-faced Petrel. Pclagodroma marina. ae Range.—Southern seas, accidentally north to the ; coast of Massachusetts. This beautiful species is of hi about the same size as the Leach Petrel. It has a bE, aN bluish gray upper parts; the whole under parts, as Vig well as the forehead and sides of head, are white. These birds have the same characteristics as do others of the species, pattering over the water with their feet as they skim over the crests and troughs of oe the waves. They are not uncommon in the waters {White.] about New Zealand where they breed. Their single eggs are about the same size as Leach Petrel, are brilliant white and are, very strongly, for a Petrel egg, wreathed about the large end with dots of reddish brown. Size 1.82 x .90. Data—Chatham Is., New Zealand, Jan. 7, 1901. Eee laid at end of a burrow. Collector, J. Lobb. This egg is in Mr. Thayer’s collection. h NortH AMERICAN Birps EGGs. 55 TOTIPALMATE SWIMMERS. Order IV. STEGANOPODES. TROPIC BIRDS. Family PHAETHONTIDAE. Tropic Birds are Tern-like birds, having all the toes connected by a web, and having the two central tail feathers very much lengthened. 112. Yellow-billed Tropic Bird. Phaethon americanus. Range.—Tropical regions, breeding in the Bahamas, West Indies and the Bermudas, casual in Florida and along the South Atlantic coast. The Tropic Birds are the most strikingly beautiful of all the sea birds; they are about 380 inches in length, of which their long slender tail takes about 20 inches. They fly with the ease and grace of a Tern, but with quicker wing beats. They feed on small fish, which they capture by darting down upon, and upon snails which they get from the beach and ledges. They build their nests in the crevices and along the ledges of the rocky cliffs. While gregarious to a certain extent they are not nearly as much so as the Terns. The nest is made of amass of seaweed and weeds; but one egg is laid, this being of a creamy or pale purplish ground color, dotted and sprinkled with chestnut, so thickly as to often obscure the ground color. Size 2.10 x 1.45. Data.—Coney Is., Bermudas, } May 1, 1901. Nest made of moss and [Dull purplish. ] ae seaweed in a crevice on ledge of cliff. Collector, A. H. Verrill. Le = ie 113. Red-billed Tropic Bird. Phacthon aethereus. Wa Range.—Tropical seas, chiefly in the Pacific Ocean; north to southern | a) California. fee They breed on several islands in the Gulf of California. This species differs | 7 from the preceding in having a red bill, and the back being barred with black. | y Their plumage has a_ peculiar é satiny appearance and is quite \ EER dazzling when viewed in the sunlight. They are strong fliers and are met with, hundreds of miles from land. They often rest upon the water, elevating their long tails to keep them from getting wet. They nest, as do the preceding species, on rocky islands and are said to also build their nests in trees or upon the ground. The single egg that they lay has a creamy ground and is minutely dotted [Pale purplish. | with chestnut. Size 2.40 x 1.55, Data.—Daphone Is., Galapagos Is., South Pacific, March 6, 1901. Egg laid in hole of a sea cliff. The eggs are easily told from those of the yellow-billed by their much larger size. Collector, R. H. Beck. 56 Norts AMERICAN Birps EGGs. [1t3.1.] Red-tailed Tropic Bird. Phacthon rubricaudus. Range.—Tropical regions of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, accidental off the coast of Lower California. | Pale purplish ground color. | This is a singularly beauti- ful species resembling the latter except that the central tail feathers are bright red, with the extreme tips white. During August and Septem- ber they breed in large colonies on small islands in the South Seas. On Maur- itius Island they build their nests either in the trees or place them on the ground; the nest is made of seaweed, sticks and weeds; numbers of them nest on Laysan Is., of the Hawaiian group, conceal- ing their nests on the ground under overhanging brush. The single egg has a pale purplish ground — speckled with brown. Photo by A. H. Verrill. YELLOW-BILLED TROPIC BIRDS NEST. NortH AMERICAN BirRbDS EGGS. 57 GANNETS. Family SULIDAE. Gannets are large stoutly built birds, having the four toes joined by a web; they have a small naked pouch beneath the bill; the bill is a little longer than the head, and the tail is quite short. The plumage of the adults is generally white, that of the young grayish. 114. Blue-faced Booby. Sula cyanops. Range.—Widely distributed in the tropical seas, north casually :to Florida and breeding in the Bahamas. Like the rest of the Gannets, this one is stupid and will often remain on the nest until removed with the hand, merely hissing at the intruder. Often they lay their eggs on the bare ground, but sometimes the nest is lined with seaweed or grass. They lay either one or two eggs early in April. These eggs are of a dull white color and are heavily covered with a chalky deposit. Size 2.50 x 1.70 Data.—Clarion Is., Mexico, May 24, 1897. Nest a mere hollow in the sand near the beach. Collector, A. W. Anthony. (14.1. Blue-footed Booby. Swla nebouxii. Range.—Pacific coasts and islands from the Gulf of California southward to Chili. These birds nest in numbers on the island of San Pedro ree in the Gulf of California. They lay but a single egg, placing it upon the bare rock. Their breeding season extends from the latter part of March into May. The egg is a dull white, generally nest stained and is covered with the usual chalky deposit. Size 2.35 x 1.60. Data.—Clarion Island, Mexico, May 21, 1897 Two eggs in a hollow in thesand near the beach. Collector, A. W. ‘Anthony. 115. Booby. Sula sula. Range.—Tropical coasts and islands of the Atlantic; north casually to Georgia. The common Booby is an abundant bird on some of the islands of the Bahamas and Bermudas; it is commonly called the Brown Booby because the upper parts are of a brownish gray. These birds, as do the other Gannets, have great powers of eat and without apparent effort dart about with the speed of an arrow. They are quite awkward upon their feet and are not very proficient swimmers. They rarely rest upon the water except when tired hundreds and sometimes thousands of them breed in company, laying their eggs upon the bare rocks. Sometimes a few sticks or grasses will be placed about the bird to prevent the eggs from rolling away. They generally lay two eggs, chalky white and nest stained. Size 2.40 x 1.60. Data.— Key Verd, Bahamas, April 14, 1891. No nest; two eggs laid on the bare [Chalky bluish white, nest stained.] rocks. NortH AMERICAN Birps EGGs. 58 ‘SMOON Cala ‘qor "H Waquey £q oy] NO SLAONNVO9 ONILSAN « TMOJI978 AA 8G} BUOTIY,, WOT Y NortH AMERICAN BIRDS EGGS. 59 115.1. Brewster Booby. Sula brewsteri. Range.—Pacific coast from Lower California southward. This Gannet replaces the common Booby on the Pacific coast. It nests abundantly on many islands in the Gulf of California, and in company with the blue-footed variety, on San Pedro Martir Island. They generally lay two eggs, placing them upon the bare rocks and surrounding them with a ring of sticks and seaweed to keep them in place. The eggs are chalky white and cannot be distinguished from those of the other Boobivs. Data.—San Benedicto Is., Lower California, May 18, 1897. Single egg laid on the sand amid a lew blades of grass. (16. Red-footed Booby. Sula piscator. This is another species that is only occasionally taken on the Florida coast. The habits of the birds and their nesting habits are the same as those of the others of the family. Two chalky white eggs are laid. Data.—San Benedicto Is., Lower California, May 18, 1897. Single egg. Nest a few twigs of rank grass. Collector, A. W. Anthony. (17. Gannet. Sula bassana. Range.—North Atlantic, breeding, in America, only on Bird Rocks in the St. Lawrence. These are the largest of the family, being 85 inches in length. They feed on fish which they catch by diving upon, from the air. When flying their neck is carried fully extended. They rest on the water when tired, the numerous air {Chalky bluish white.] cells beneath the skin, causing them to sit high up in the water and enabling them to weather the severest storm in perfect safety. The only known breeding place in America is Bird Rocks where they nest by thousands, placing their nests in rows on the narrow ledges ; the nests are made of piles of seaweed, mud and stones. They lay but one egg of a dingy white color and covered with a chalky deposit. On St. Kilda Island, off the coast of Scotland, they breed by millions. They are very tame and will frequently allow themselves to be touched withthe hand. It is said that thousands of the young are killed by fishermen every year and marketed in Edinburg and other places. Data.—St. Kilda Island, Scotland, June 18, 1896. Single egg laid on a large mass of seaweed on asea cliff. Collector, H. McDonald. 60 NortH AMERICAN Brirps EGGS. DARTERS. Family ANHINGIDAE. (18. Anhinga. Anhinga anhinga. Range.—Tropical America, north to the South Atlantic States and up the Mississippi Valley to Illinois. Anhingas or Snake Birds are curiously formed creatures with a Heron-like head and neck, and the body of a Cormorant. They live in colonies in inaccessible swamps. Owing to their thin and light bodies, they are remarkable swimmers, and pursue and catch fish under water with ease. When alarmed they have a habit of sinking their body below water, leaving only their head and neck visible, thereby having the appearance of a water snake. They also fly well and dive from their perch into the water with the greatest celerity. They nest in colonies in the swamps, placing their nests of sticks, leaves and moss in the bushes over the water. They breed in April laying from three to five bluish eggs, covered with a chalky deposit. Size 2.25 x 1.85. Data.— Gainesville, Florida, May 18, 1894. Nest in the top of a button-wood tree, made of leaves and branches, overhanging the water. Collector, Geo. Graham. (Chalky bluish white.] CORMORANTS. Family PHALACROCORACIDAE. Cormorants have a more bulky body than do the Anhingas; their tail is shorter and the bill strongly hooked at the tip. Cormorants are found in nearly all quarters of the globe. They are very gregarious and most species are maritime. They feed upon fish which they catch by pursuing under water. Most of the Cormorants have green eyes. 119. Cormorant. Phalacrocorax carbo. Range.—The Atlantic coast breeding from Maine to Greenland. The common Cormorant or Shag is one of the largest of the race, having a length of 36 inches. In the breeding plumage, the black head and neck are so thickly covered with slender white plumes as to almost wholly obscure the black. There is also a large white patch on the flanks. They nest in colonies on the rocky shores of Newfoundland and Labrador, placing their nests of sticks and seaweed Norta AMERICAN Birps Eccs. Photo by Walter Raine. NESTS OF DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS. [Lake Winnipezosis. June 14, 1903.) 61 62 NortH AMERICAN BrrpDs EGGS. in rows along the high ledges, where they sit, as one writer aptly expresses it, like so many black bottles. A few pairs also nest on some of the isolated rocky islets off the Maine coast. During the latter part of May | and during June they lay generally four or five greenish white, chalky looking eggs. Size 2.50 x 1.40. Data.—Black Horse Rock, Maine coast, June 6, 1898. Four eggs in a nest of seaweed and a few sticks; on a high Jedge of rock. Collector, {Chalky greenish or bluish white. | GC. A. Reed. 120. Double-crested Cormorant. Phalacrocorax dilophus. Range.—The Atlantic coast and also in the interior, breeding from Nova Scotia and North Dakota northward. 4 This is aslightly smaller bird than carbo, and in the nesting season the white * plumes of the latter are replaced by tufts of black and white feathers from above each eye. On the coast they nest the same as carbo and in company with them on rocky islands. In the interior they place their nests on the ground or occasionally in low trees on islands in the lakes. They breed in large colonies, making the nests of sticks and weeds and lay three or four eggs like those of the common Cormorant but averaging shorter. Size2.80x1.40. Data.—Stump Lake, North Dakota, May 31,1897. Nest of dead weedsonan island. Six eggs. Collector, T. F. Eastgate. ? 120a. Florida Cormorant. Phalacrocorax dilophus floridanus. This sub-species is a common breeding bird in the swamps and islands of the Gulf coast and north to South Carolina and southern Illinois. The nests are placed in the mangroves in some of the most impenetrable swamps and are composed of twigs and lined with leaves or moss. They lay three or four chalky bluish whiteeggs. Size 2.80 x 1.40. Data.—Bird Is., Lake Kissimee, Florida. April 5, 1898. Three eggs. Nest made of weeds and grass, in a willow bush. {20b. White-crested Cormorant. Phalacrocorax dilophus cincinatus. Range.—Northwestern coast of North America, breeding in Alaska, and south to the northern boundary of the United States, breeding both in the interior and on the coast, in the former case generally on the ground or in low trees on swampy islands and in the latter, on the rocky cliffs of the coasts and islands. The nests are built in the same fashion as the other Cormorants, and the three to five eggs are similar. Size 2.45 x 1.40. NorTH AMERICAN BIRDS EGGs. 63 {20c. Farallone Cormorant. Phalacrocorax dilophus albociliatus. Range.—This sub-species breeds on the coasts and islands of California and southward. oe In company with other species of Cormorants, these birds breed in large numbers on the Farallones, placing their nests well up on the higher ridges and rocks. They breed most abundantly during May. When nesting on the inland islands, they place their nests in low bushes. Their nests and eggs are similar to those of the other Cormorants. Size 2.40 x 1.50. Data.—Farallones, California. Nest of weeds and seaweed on therocks. Collector, W. O. Emerson. {21. Mexican Cormorant. Phalacrocorax mexicanus. Range.—Breeds abundantly from southern Texas, south thrcugh Mexico; north rarely to Kansas; has recently been found breeding in limited number on some of the Bahamas. In the interior they nest in trees, chiefly those overhanging or growing in the water. On the coasts they nest on the rocky ledges, as do the other Cormorants. They nest in colonies building their abode of twigs and weeds, and during May laying three or four eggs, greenish white in color and chalky, as are all the Cormorants. Size 2.25 x 1.85. itr cen isi RILEY 122. Brandt Cormorant. Phalacrocorax penicillatus. Range.—Pacific coast breeding along the whole coast of the United States. This species is found more abundantly on the Farallones than is the Farallone Cormorant. Like the other Cormorants breeding on these islands, these cling closely to their nests, for fear of being robbed by the Gulls, that are ever on the watch to steal eithereggs or young. Their nesting habits and eggs are identical with those of the other species. Size 2.60 x 1.50. Data.—Bird Is., California, May 24, 1885. A very bulky nest of seaweed on the rocks. Collector, A. M. Ingersoll. 123. Pelagic Cormorant. Phalacrocorax pelagicus. Range.—Coast of Alaska. These are perhaps the most beautiful species of Cormorants, having brilliant violet green metallic reflections and, in the breeding plumage, crests on the forehead and nape, as well as large white Hank patches. They breed in large colonies on the Aleutian Islands, placing their nests of sticks and sea mosses on the rocky ledges, often hundreds of feet above the sea level. Three or four eggs are laid during May and June. The young birds when hatched are naked and black, and are repulsive looking objects, as are those of all the other Cormorants. The eggs are greenish white with the usual calcareous deposit. Size 2.30 x 1.40. Data.—Copper Is., Bering Sea, July 2, 1899. Nest made of seaweed on the rocks. Collector, Capt. Tilson. 64 NortH AMERICAN Brrps EGGS. Courtesy of “The Condor’. NESTS OF MEXICAN CORMORANTS. NortH AMERICAN Brirps Ecos. 65 123a. Violet-green Cormorant. Phalacrocorax pelagicus robustus. _ This sub-species is found on the Pacific coast from Washington to the Aleu- tian Islands. Their habits and nests and eggs are the same as those of the Pelagic Cormorant, nesting on the high cliffs of the rocky islands. The eggs are the same size as those of the preceding. Data.—Sitka Sound, July 28, 1896. Nest on shelf of rock, 50 feet above surf; saucer-shaped, of seaweed and decom- posed grass. Collector, Joseph Grinnell. {23b. Baird Cormorant. Phalacrocorax pelagicus resplendens. This variety breeds on the Pacific coast from Washington south to Mexico. They nest on the Farallones, but in smaller numbers than the other varieties { found there. Both the birds and their eggs are smaller than the preceding. Size of eggs 2.20 x 1.40. 124. Red-faced Cormorant. Phalacrocorax urile. Range.—Southwest coast of Alaska, migrating to Japan in the winter. This species differs from the Pelagic chiefly in having the forehead bare. They — A do not differ in their breeding habits from others of the family. That the Cor- Gh morants are expert fishermen may be seen from the fact that the Chinese tame 4 and have them catch fish for them, placing a ring around their neck to prevent f their swallowing the fish. Their nesting places are very filthy, being covered See with excrement and remains of fish that are strewn around the nests. They NY breed in June laying three or four eggs. Size 2.50 x 1.50. y PELICANS. Family PELECANIDAE. Pelicans are large, short legged, web footed (all four toes joined by a web) birds, the most noticeable feature of which is the long bill with its enormous a pouch suspended from lower mandible. This pouch, while normally contracted, soe is capable of being distended to hold several quarts. It is used as a scoop in which to catch small fish. Their skin is filled with numerous air cells, making them very light and buoyant. 125. American White Pelican. Pelecanus erythrorhynchos. Range.—Temperate North America, breeding in the interior, from Utah and the Dakotas northward. These large birds, reaching a length of five feet, are entirely white except for the black primaries. They get their food by approaching a school of small fish and, suddenly dipping their head beneath the surface, sometimes scoop up a large number of fish at a time; after allowing the water to run out of the sides of the mouth, they proceed to swallow their catch. They nest in large communities on islands in some of the inland lakes. Great Salt Lake, Utah, and Shoal Lake, Manitoba furnish breeding ground for many thousands of Pelicans. They build their simple nests on the ground, making them of sticks and weeds. They generally lay two eggs, but often three or four. Size 3.45 x 2.30. Data.—Egg Island, Great Salt Lake, June 19, 1884. Two eggs. Nest aslight hollow in the ground, surrounded by a few sticks, Collector, F. E. Leonard. 6 66 NorTH AMERICAN BiRpDs EGGS. be) [Chalky White.] gv it 126. Brown Pelican. Pelecanus occidentalis. Range.—Found on the South Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. Brown Pelicans are about 50 inches in length; they haveablackish and grayish body and a white head and neck with a brown stripe down the back of the latter. The pouch is a dark greenish brown. This species is maritime and is not found inland. They breed in large colonies on many of the islands in the Gulf of Mexico and on Pelican Island on the east coast of Florida, in which latter place they are now protected from further depredations at the hand of eggers and gunners. Their fishing tactics differ from those of the White Pelican. They dive down upon the school of fish from the air and rarely miss making a good catch. Their nests are quite bulky structures made of sticks and weeds and grasses. These are gen- erally located on the ground but occasionally in low mangroves, these latter nests being more bulky than the ground ones. They lay from two to five chalky white eggs during May and June. Size 3. x 1.90. : Data.--Tampa Bay,Fla., (Chalky White. ] May 29, 1894. Three eggs. Nest in the top of a stout mangrove; made of sticks, branches and leaves. Collector, Geo. Graham. Nod NorTH AMERICAN Brirps Ecos. 67 127. California Brown Pelican. Pelecanus californicus. Range, —Pacific coast from British Columbia south to the Galapagos Islands. This bird is similar to the preceding, but larger and the pouch is reddish, They breed abundantly on the Coronado Islands and southward, Their habits, nesting habits and eggs are the same as those of the Brown Pelican. Size of the three or four chalky white eggs is 3.10 x 1.95. Data.—Coronado Islands, Calif., Mar. 23, 1897, Three eggs. Nest of sticks, lined with green leaves, located on the ground. Collector, H. McConville. j MAN-O’-WAR BIRDS. Family FREGATIDAE. 128. Man-o’-War Bird. Fregata aquila. Range.—Tropical seas, north regularly in America to the South Atlantic and Gulf coasts, casually farther. Man-o’-War Birds or ‘‘Fri- gates,’’ as they are often called, are remarkable birds in many re- spects. In comparison with their weight they have the larg- est expanse of wing of any known / bird. Weighing only about four pounds they have an extent of | from seven to eight feet, their | | wings being extremely long and \ pointed. The length of the bird is about 40 inches, of which the tail comprises about 18 in., 10 inches of this being forked. They s have a large bright orange gular sac, a long, hooked bill, and small slightly webbed _ feet. [ White. | Their powers of flight combine the strength of the Albatrosses and the grace of the Terns. They are very poor swimmers and do not dive, so are forced to procure their food by preying upon the Gulls and Cormorants, forcing them to drop their fish, which the pirates catch before it reaches the water. They also feed upon flying fish, catching them in the air, whither they have been driven by their enemies in their natural element. They nest in large colonies on some of the Bahama Islands and on some of thesmall Florida Keys. Their nests are small frail platforms of sticks and twigs and the single egg is laid in March and April. It is white and has a smooth surface. Size 2.80 x 1.90. Data.—Key Verde, Bahamas, Mar. 6, 1889. Singleegg. Nest a frail affair of sticks on a cactus. Collector, D. P. Ingraham. Order V. ANSERES. DUCKS, GEESE AND SWANS. Family ANATIDAE. The birds comprising this family are of greatly varying sizes, but all have webbed feet, and generally the bill is broader than high, and is serrated on the edges or provided with gutters to act as a strainer in assisting the birds to gather their food. 129. American Merganser. Merganser americanus. Range.—North America, breeding from the northern border of the United States northward. = The three species of Mergansers are almost exclusively fish eating birds. Therefore their flesh is unpalatable and they are known as ‘‘Fish Ducks.’’ They are also sometimes called ‘‘Saw-bills’’ because of the teeth-like serration on both the upper and the under mandibles. Unlike the other species of ducks, their bills are long, slender and rounded instead of being broad and flat; it is also hooked at the tip. Like the Cormorants, they often pursue and catch fish under the water, their teeth-like bills enabling them to firmly hold their prey. 68 NortH AMERICAN Brrps EGGs. The American Mergansers, Goosanders, or Sheldrakes, as they are often called, are found both on the coast and in the interior. Except in certain mountainous regions, they breed chiefly north of the United States. The male bird has no crest and _ the head is a beautiful green, while the female has a red- dish brown crest and head, shading to white on the chin. They build their nest in hol- low trees near the water. It is made of grasses, leaves a and moss and is lined with oa ; Le feathers from the breast of the bGreatay bull —~-_ female. During May, they lay from six to ten eggs of a creamy or buff color. ~~ = Size 2.70 x 1.75. Data.—Gun Is., Lake Winnipeg, June 16, 1903. Eleven eggs My in a nest of white down, located between two large boulders. Collector, Walter iE Raine. IN 130. Red-breasted Merganser. Merganser serrator. iy Range.—North America, breeding from northern United States northward. Seed This species is more abund- ae LON RET PE —— ant than the preceding. It ; 4 is slightly smaller, being 22 inches in length, and the male is crested. Found abundantly in the United States in winter. Breeds commonly in the interior of British America and in Labrador and Newfoundland. They make their nests on the ground, near the water, con- cealing them under rocks or tufts of grass. The nest is made of grasses, leaves and moss and lined with feathers. They lay, generally, about [Clear buff.] ten eggs ofa buffy or greenish ; buff color. Size 2.50 x 1.70. Data.—Lake Manitoba, N. W. Canada. Two eggs in a hollow lined with down, under a patch of rose bushes near shore. Collector, Jos. Hamaugh. 131. Hooded Merganser. Lophodytes cucullatus. Range.—North America, breeding locally throughout its range, in the interior. These are beautiful little Ducks distinguished from all others by the semi-circular, compressed crest which is black with an enclosed white area. They make their nests in hol- low trees, in wooded districts near the water, lining the cavity with grasses and down. They lay ten or twelve grayish white eggs. Size 2.15 x 1.70. [Grayish white.] NortH AMERICAN Brrpbs EGGS. 69 {Lake Winnipegosis, June 16, 1902. ] Photo by Walter Raine. NEST AND EGGS OF AMERICAN MERGANSER. This species usually nest in holes in trees, but on this island they were nesting in holes under boulders. 70 Nortu AMERICAN BIRDS EGGS. 132. Mallard. Anas boschas. Range.—Northern Hemisphere, breeding in America from northern United States northward, and wintering south to Panama and the West Indies. Contrasting with the preceding Fish Ducks, the Mallards are re- garded as one of (he most esteemed table birds. They feed on mol- lusks and marine insects which they generally reach by tipping in shal- low water. They nest in many localities in the United States but more abundantly north of our borders. They nest in fields in close proximity to ponds or lakes, aa their nests of grasses and F ie , eathers in the tall grass. In Ma pene elivebuG] and June they lay fan six to ten eggs of a buffy or olive green color. Size 2.26 x 1.25. Data,—San_ Diego, California, May 19, 1897. Nest made of grass, lined with down, placed on the edge of a field near a pond. 133. Black Duck. Anas obscura. Range.—Eastern North America, breeding from the middle portions north to the Hudson Bay territory and Labrador. Throughout their breeding region, one or more pairs of these ducks nest in nearly every favor- able locality, Their nests are placed on the ground in marshes, swamps or fields bordering a pond or lake, the nest being con- cealed in the long grass or reeds. They breed in equal abundance, either in the interior or along the sea coast; in the latter case their nests are often placed beside of, or under an overhanging rock. It is made of weeds, grass and moss and is lined with feathers and down. They lay from six to twelve eggs during May and June; these are buff or greenish buff in color. Size 2.30 x 1.70. Data.—Duck Is., Maine, June 8, 1893. Nest of grasses, concealed in a large tuft on water’s edge. Collector, C. K. Reed. 133a. Red-legged Black Duck. Anas obscura rubripes. This new sub-species has but recently been separated from the preceding. Their range is more northerly than the common Black Duck. The birds are larger and are especially distinguished by the red legs whereas the common species has legs of a greenish brown color. The. habits, nesting habits and eggs will not vary from those of the common species. The plumage of the male bird, like that of the preceding, does not differ anes that of the female, both being similar but darker than the female Mallard. [Pale greenish buff. ] NortH AMERICAN Birps EGGs. 71 (34. Florida Duck. Anas fulvigula. Range.—Florida and the Gulf coast of the Mississippi. This is a similar, lighter colored, locally distributed race of the foregoing. The most noticeable difference in plumage between this andthe Black Duck is the absence of marking on the chin. The habits are the same, and the eggs, which are deposited in April, are similar to those of the Black Duck, but smaller. Size 2.15 x 1.60. 134a. Mottled Duck. Anas fulvigula maculosa. Range.—Gulf coast of Texas and up the Mississippi Valley to Kansas. The habits of this bird differ in no way from the preceding ones. The six to ten eggs are greenish buff in color. Size 2.15 x 1.55. 135. Gadwall. Chaulelasmus streperus. aon Range.—Northern Hemisphere, is breeding in America, chiefly in the Se United States and north to Manitoba, ~- chiefly in the interior. South in winter to the Gulf. The “~~ males of these birds may be identified by the white speculum and the chest- ~~_ > nut wing coverts. Gadwalls nest on "EBEe the ground among the reeds of marshes ig or in the long grass of bordering fields; a they make little or no nest but line the cavity with down from their breasts. They lay from seven to twelve eggs of a creamy buff color. Size 2.10 x 1.60. Data.—Benson Co., North Dakota, June 19, 1898, Eight eggs. Nest on the ground among rank grass on a low island in Devils Lake. Made of weeds lined with down. Collector, E. 8. Rolfe. (Creamy buff, | 136. Widgeon. Mareca penelope. soe Range.—Northern Hemisphere, breeding in America, only in the Aleutian Islands; rare or accidental in other parts of the country. The European Widgeon is similar in build and plumage to the follow- ing species, except that the whole head, with the exception of the white crown, is chestnut. They build their nests in the rushes, making them of reeds and grass and lining them with feathers. They lay from six to ten light buff colored eggs. Size 2.20 x 1.50. {Pale buff.| 72 NortH AMERICAN BIRDS EGGS. 137. Baldpate. Mareca americana. Range.—North America, breeding in the interior from Texas north to Hudson Bay. The Baldpate (so-called because of the white crown) or American Widgeon is a handsomely marked bird and is regarded as a great table delicacy. The male birds cannot be mistaken for any other species because of the white crown, wing coverts and underparts and the broad green stripe, back of the eye. They breed locally in many parts of the country, building their nests of grass and weeds, neatly lined with feathers, on the ground in marshes. They lay from six to twelve creamy eggs. Size 2.15 x 1.50. Data.—Lac im Aux Morts, North Dakota. Eight [Creamy white. | eggs. Nest of grass and down on ground in agrassy meadow. Collector, E. 8. Bryant. [138.] European Green-winged Teal. Nettion crecca. An old world species that is casually found on both coasts of America. 139. Green-winged Teal. Nettion carolinensis. ” Range.—Whole of North America, y breeding chiefly north of the United States. A small, handsome species, the male of which can readily be identified by the reddish brown head and neck, with the large green patch behind each ear ; length fourteen inches. Green-winged Teals are our smallest representative of the Duck family. They are eagerly sought by sportsmen, both because of their beauty and the excellence of their flesh. They [Buft.} are among the most common of Ducks in the interior, where they nest generally in tufts of grass along ponds, lakes or brooks. Nest of grass and weeds, lined with down from the bird. Eggs buffy, four to ten in number. Size 1.85 x 1.25. 140. Blue-winged Teal. Querquedula discors. Range.—North America, breeding from northern United States northward ; rare on the Pacific coast. Another small species, known by the blue wing coverts and the white crescent in front of eye. They nest in the same localities with the preceding species, placing their nest of grass and weeds on the ground in meadows near water. Eggs buffy white. Six to twelve in number. Size 1.90 x 1.30. NortH AMERICAN Birps EGGs. 73 (41. Cinnamon Teal. Querquedula cyanoptera. Range.—Western United States, chiefly west of the Rocky Mountains. Casually east to Texas, Illinois and British Columbia. The Cinnamon Teal is another small Duck, marked by the uniform rich chestnut plumage and light blue wing coverts. The speculum is green. The nesting habits are the same as those of the other Teals, the nests being placed on the ground in marshes or fields near water. Their nests are closely woven of grass and weeds and lined with down and feathers from the breast of the bird. The eggs are pale buff and number from six to fourteen. Size 1.85 x 1.85. [t4t.t.] Ruddy Sheldrake. Casarca casarca. ‘This is an Old World species that has accidently occurred in Greenland. (42. Shoveller. Spatula ciypeata. Range.—Whole of North America, breeding in the interior from Texas northward. “This strikingly marked Duck is twenty inches in length, has a green head and speculum, blue wing coverts and chestnut belly. The bill is long and broad atthe tip. It makes its nest on the ground in marshy places, of grass, weeds and feathers. Six to ten eggs constitute a complete set. They are greenish or leaden gray color. Size 2.10 x 1.50. Data.—Graham’s Is., N. Dakota, May 28, 1899. Nest of dead weed stems and grass, lined with down. Ten eggs. Collector, E. 8. Bryant. [Lead gray.] 143. Pintail. Dafila acuta. Range.—Northern Hemisphere, breeding in North America from northern United States northward, wintering south to Panama. This species, which is also known as the Sprig-tail is very common in the United States in the spring and fall migrations. It is about thirty inches long, its length depend- ing upon the development of the tail feathers, the central ones of which are longand pointed. They breed casually in many sections of the United States, but in abundance from Manitoba to the Arctic Ocean. They nest near the water, laying from six to twelve eggs WEL of dull olive color. Size 2.20 x 1.50. [Dull olive gray.| Data.—Graham’s Is., Devil’s Lake, N. Dakota, June 15, 1900. Ten eggs. Nest on the ground, of weeds, lined with down. Colony breeding. Collector, E, 8. Bryant. 74 NortrH AMERICAN Birps EGGs. par ef) Photo by P. B. Peabody. NEST AND EGGS OF GADWALL. Photo by P. B. Peabody. NEST AND EGGS OF PINTAIL. NortH AMERICAN Brirps EGGS. 75 144, Wood Duck. Aix sponsa. Range.—Temperate North America breeding from Labrador and_ British Columbia south to Florida. Bridal Duck isa name often given to _ ee _— this, the most beautiful of all Ducks. : They are beautifully marked, have a large crest, and are iridescent with all colors of the rainbow. They frequent wooded country near ponds and lakes, feeding on water insects and mollusks in the coves. They build their nests in hollow trees and stumps, often at quite a distance from the water. When _ the young are a few days old, they slide, scramble, or flutter down the tree trunk to the ground below, and are led to the water. The nest is made of twigs, weeds {Rich buff. | and grass, and warmly lined with down. The eggs are a buff color and number eight to fifteen. Size 2. x 1.5. {145.] Rufous-crested Duck. Netta rufina. 2 A European species; a single specimen taken on Long Island in 1872. 146. Redhead. Aythya americana. Range.—North America at large, breeding from northern United States northward, chiefly in the interior. A bird commonly seen in the markets where it is often soldas the following species because of their similarity. The nests are placed on the ground in marshes or sloughs, and are made of grasses, lined with feathers. Eggs from six to fourteen in number, of a buffy white color. Size 2.40 x 1.70. (Butfy.] 147. Canvas-back. Aythya vallisneria. Range.—Whole of North America, breeding chiefly in the interior from the United States to the Arctic Ocean. A noted table bird, especially in the south where it feeds on wild celery. Can be distinguished from the Redhead by its darker head, lighter back, and grad- ually sloping bill. They nest abundantly in Manitoba, their habits being the same as the preceding. They lay from six to ten eggs of a darker shade than the Redheads. Size 2.40 x 1.70. Data.—Haunted Lake, N. Alberta, June 12, 1897. Ten eggs. Nest of reeds in a heavy reed bed out in the lake. Collector, Walter Raine. 76 NortH AMERICAN Birps EGGs. 148. American Scaup Duck. dAythya marila. Range.—North America, breeding from North Dakota northward, chiefly in the interior; south in winter to Central America. This and the following species are widely known as ‘‘Blue-bills’’ ow- ing to the slaty blue color of that member. Their plumage is black and white, somewhat similar in pattern to that of the Redhead, but darker, and the whole head is black. They nest in marshes about many of the ponds and lakes in the interior of British America. The nest is made of marsh grasses and lined with feathers. The six to ten eggs are pale grayish or greenish } gray. Size 2.50 x 1.70. Data.— : Saltcoats Marshes, N. W. Canada, [Pale greenish gray.] June 15, 1901. Ten eggs. Nest in the grass; a depression lined with down and dried grasses. Collector, Walter Raine. 149. Lesser Scaup Duck. Aythya affinis. Range.—North America, breeding from North Dakota and British Columbia *\ northward; winters south to Central America. - This Duck is distinguished from the preceding, chiefly by its size which is Sy oe about two inches less, or 17 inches in length. The nesting habits are the same as those of the Greater Scaup and the eggs are similar but smaller. Size 2.25 x 1.55. Data.—Northern Assiniboia, June 10,1901. Ten eggs on grass and down at the edge of a lagoon. Collector, Walter Raine. Key 150. Ring-necked Duck. Aythya collaris. = Range.—North America, breeding in the interior, from North Dakota and —=—=——~ Washington northward. Winters from Maryland on the east and British Co- lumbia on the west to Central America. Similar to the Lesser Scaup in size and plumage, except that it has a narrow chestnut collar around the neck, the back is black instead of barred with white, and the speculum is gray instead of white. The habits and nesting habits of the Ring-neck do not differ from those of the other Scaups. They lay from six to twelve eggs. Size 2.25 x 1.60. Data.—Cape Bathurst, N. W. T., June 18, 1901. Ten eggs in a slight hollow in the moss, lined with down. Collector, Captain Bodfish. 151. American Golden-eye. Clangula americana. Range.—North America, breeding both on the coast and inthe interior, from the northern border of the United States northward to the Arctic Ocean. These are handsome Ducks known Me as ‘‘Whistlers’’ from the noise of their wings when flying, and ‘‘Great- heads’’ because of the puffy crest. The head is greenish with a large round white spot in front of, and a little below the eye. The rest of the plumage is black and white. This species nests in hollow trees near the water, lining the cavity with grass, moss and leaves, and lining the nest with down from their breasts. In May and June they lay from six to ten eggs of a grayish green color. Size 2.30 x 1.70. [Grayish green. | NortH AMERICAN BrrRbs EGGS. 77 152. Barrow Golden-eye. Clangula islandica. Range.—Northern North America, breeding north of the United States ex- cept from the mountainous portions of Colorado northward. This Golden-eye differs from the preceding chiefly in the shape of the white spot before the eye, which in this species is in the form of a crescent. The size is the same, about 20 inches in length. The reflections on the head are purplish rather than greenish as in the preceding. The nesting habits are the same, they building in hollow trees near water. The six to ten eggs are not different from the preceding. Size 2.80 x 1.65. Data.—Alfusa, Iceland, June 30, 1900. Seven eggs. Nest of grass and down in a box attached to a tree by an islander. 153. Buffle-head. Charitonetta albeola. Range. — North America, breeding from United States northward. Win- ters south to Mexico. Gunners know this handsome little duck by the names of ‘‘Butter-ball,’’ and ‘‘Dipper,’? a name also given to Grebes. It is quite similar, butsmall- er (15 in. long), to the American Golden-eye but has a large white patch on the back of the head, from eye to eye. It is an active bird and, like the two preceding, is capable of diving to a great depth to get its food. Its nesting habits are like the preceding. Eggs eight tofourteen. Size2.x1.40. Data.— Alberta, Canada, June 6, 1899. Seven eggs. Nest in hole in tree stump, lined with down. Collector, Dr. George. [Dull buff.) 154. Old-squaw. Harelda hyemalis. Range.—Northern Hemisphere, breeding in the Arctic regions; south in win- ter to New Jersey and Illinois. The Long-tailed Duck, as it iscalled, is especially noticeable because the breeding plumage of the male differs markedly from that in the winter. In summer their general plumage is blackish brown, with a white patch around the eye, and white belly. In winter they are largely white. The central tail feathers are much lengthened. They breed abundantly in Greenland, Alaska and the Hudson Bay Territory, placing their nests of grasses and weeds on the ground near the water. It is generally concealed in the long grass. The eggs number from six to twelve. s Size 2. x 1.50. Data.—N. Iceland, June (Buff. J 10, 1900. Nest on ground, lined with down. Collector, S. H. Wallis. NortH AMERICAN Birps EGGs. 78 POTIIG-Ped _B FWSII aq} UO 4VY} PUB S8,}00,) B ye dwUN[D ssIBl OL ‘qor "M WaqdayH AQ OJ/OT”T <19}BM IG} JO JNO SUIMOIS SP Jajuad eq} Iveu 4eq} ‘ANHOS HSUVNN V ‘S,aqadr) £qsou 8, YOVq-SBAUB,) B Pelez[aYs Jo] 9q} dal JO Sdtwunyp) YyIM ‘SsuoT a[IW B IaAO ysno[s prpuelds y¥,, «([MOJ1978 AA 0G} SUOWY,, WO NorTH AMERICAN Brrps EGGs. 79 155. Harlequin Duck. Histrionicus histrionicus. Range.—Northern Hemisphere in America, breeding from Newfoundland and the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, northward. South in winter to California and New England. A beautiful and most gorgeous bird, not in colors, but in the oddity of the markings, the colors only including black, white, gray and chestnut. Either sex can be recog- nized by the small short bill. They breed mostly in single pairs along swiftly running streams, placing their nest, which is woven of weeds and grasses, in the ground near the water, It is also claimed that they sometimes nest in hollow trees. They lay from five to eight eggs, yellowish or greenish buff in color. Size oe 2.30x1.60. Data,—Peel River, Alaska, (Greenish buff. June 18, 1898. Seven eggs in a hollow in’ river bank, lined with down. Collector, C. E. Whittaker. 156. Labrador Duck. Camptolaimus labradorius. This fine bird, whose range was from Labrador to New Jersey in the winter, has probably been extinct since 1875 when the last authentic capture was made. It is a strange factthat a bird of this character should have been completely exterminated, even though they were often sold in the markets. Only forty-one specimens are known to be preserved at present and nothing is known in regard to their nesting habits or eggs. 157. Steller Duck. FEniconetta stelleri. Range.—Arctic regions in America, chiefly on the Aleutian Islands and northwest coast of Alaska. A very beautiful species eighteen inches long; head white, washed with greenish on the forehead and nape; chin, throat, neck, back, tail and crissum, black; underparts chestnut ; wing coverts white, the long scapulars black and white. It breeds on the rocky coasts and islands of Bering Sea. The six to nine eggs are pale olive green in color. Size 2.25 x 1.60. Data.—Admiralty Bay, Alaska, June 22, 1898. Nest on a hummock of the tundra, near a small pool, lined [Pale olive green. with grass anddown. Collector, E. A. Mellhenny. 158. Spectacled Eider. Arctonetta fischeri. Range.—Coast of Alaska from the Aleutians to Point Barrow. Like the rest of the true Eiders, this species is black beneath and mostly white above. The head is largely washed with sea green, leaving a large patch of white, narrowly bordered by black around each eye, thus resembling a pair of spectacles. The nests are made of grass andseaweed and lined with down ; they 80 NortH AMERICAN Birps EGGS. are placed on the ground in clumps of grass or beneath overhanging stones. The five to nine eggs are an olive drab or greenish color. Size 2.70 x 1.85. Data. —Point Barrow, Alaska, June 15, 1898. Six eggs. Nest ofmoss and down in a hollow in dry tundra. Collector, E. A. McIlhenny. 159. Northern Eider. Somateria mollissima borealis. Range.—North Atlantic coast, breeding from Labrador to Greenland and wintering south to New England. A large Duck similar to the next species, but with the base of the bill differing, as noted in the description of the following species, and with a more northerly distribution. The nesting habits are the same as those ofthe other Eiders. Six to ten eggs generally of a greenish drab color. Size 3.x 2. {60. American Eider. Somateria dresseri. Range.—Atlantic coast, breeding from Maine to Labrador and wintering south to Delaware. This species differs from the preceding only in the fleshy part of the base of the bill, which extends back on each side of the forehead, it being broad and rounded in this species and narrow and point- ed in the Northern or Greenland Eider. This species, but more especially the North- ern Eider, are the ones chiefly used for the eider-down of com- merce. Thepreceding species is often semi- domesticated in Green- land, the people pro- tecting them and encouraging them to nest in the neighbor- hood. They , make their nests of seaweed and grass and warmly j He it with eae ieee A ; their breast ; this down ‘ cca ae is continually added to the nest during incubation until there is a considerable amount in each nest, averaging about an ounce in weight. The birds are among the strongest of the sea ducks and get their food in very deep water. Their flesh is not good eating. Their eggs number from five to ten and are greenish drab. Size 3. x 2. 161. Pacific Eider. Somateria v-nigra. Range.—North Pacific from the Aleutian Islands northward, and east to Great Slave Lake. This bird is, in plumage, like the Northern Eider, except that it has a black V-shaped mark on the throat. They nest sparingly on the Aleutian Islands, but in great numbers farther north on the coast about Point Barrow. Their habits, nests and eggs are precisely the same as those of the eastern forms. Their eggs number from five to ten and are of olive greenish color. Size 3. x 2. Data.—Cape Smythe, Alaska, June 8, 1900. Eight eggs. Nest a hollow in the moss, lined with grass and down. NortH AMERICAN Birps EGGs. 81 (62. King Eider. Somateria spectabilis, Range.—Northern Hemisphere, breeding in America from Labrador to Green- land and the Arctic Ocean; south in winter to the New England States and rare- ly farther on the eastern side, and to the Aleutians on the Pacific; also casually to the Great Lakes in the interior. : A handsome and very different species from any of the foregoing, having the crown ashy blue, and the long scapulars black instead of white. It also has a broad V-shaped mark on the throat. Like all the other Eiders, the female is mottled brown and black, the different species being very difficult to separate. The nests are sunk in the ground and lined with down. Eggs number from six toten. Size 2.80 x 1.80. Data.—Point Barrow, Alaska, July 5, 1898. Five eggs. Nest a hollow in the moss on tundra lined with moss and down. Collector, E, A. MclIlhenny. 163. American Scoter. Oidemia americana. Range.—Northern North America, breeding from Labrador, the Hudson Bay region and the Aleutian Islands northward; winters south to Virginia, the Great Lakes and California. Scoters or ‘‘Coots’’ as they are generally called are Sea Ducks ~ whose plumage is almost wholly black; they have fantastically colored and shaped bills. The American Scoter is entirely black without markings; base of bill yellow and orange. This species nest as do the Eiders, often concealing the nest, of grass and feathers, under some overhanging rock. They lay from six to ten eggs of a dingy buff color. Size 2.50 x 1.70. Data.—Mackenzie Bay, June 15, 1899. Ten eggs. Nesta hollow in the sand, lined with down. {Buff.] [!64.] Velvet Scoter. Oidemia fusca. An Old World species that has accidentally occurred in Greenland. 165. White-winged Scoter. Oidemia deglandi. Range.—Abundant in North America, breeding from Labrador, North Dakota and British Columbia, northward. Wintering south to the Middle States, southern Illinois and southern California. : The largest of the Scoters, length 22 inches, distinguished by a large white speculum on the wing, also a white comet extending from under the eye back- wards. Italso has a yellow eye. Like the other Scoters, this species often feeds in very deep water. They are strong, active diving birds, and are also strong on the wing, generally flying close to the surface of the water. Their flesh is not regarded as good eating, although they are often sold for that purpose. They nest on the ground, generally in long grass or under low bushes making a coarse nest of grasses, and sometimes twigs, lined with feathers. They lay from five to eight eggs of a pale buff color. Size 2.75 x 1.89, 7 82 NortTH AMERICAN Birps EGGs. 166. Surf Scoter. Oidemia perspicillata. Range.—Northern North America, breeding north of the United States bound- ary, and wintering south to Virginia and southern California. The male of this species is entirely black, except for the white patches on the forehead and nape, and the vari-colored bill of black, white, pink and yellow. They nest either along the coast or in the interior, building a nest lined with down, in the marsh grass bordering small ponds. They lay from five to eight buffy cream colored eggs. Size 2.40 x 1.70. The females of all the Scoters area dingy brownish color, but show the characteristic marking of the species, although the white is generally dull or sometimes mottled. Data.—Mackenzie River, June 25, 1894. Six eggs in a nest of downlon antisland in the river. 167. Ruddy Duck. Hrismatura jamaicensis. Range.—Whole of North America, breeding chiefly north of the United States border, except locally on the Pacific coast. Winters along the Gulfand through Mexico and Central America. This peculiar species may always be recognized by the brownish or chestnut upper parts, blackish crown, white cheeks and silvery white underparts. The bill is very stout and broad at the end, and the tail feathers are stiff and pointed, like those ofa Cormorant. They build their nests in low marshes places,either placing them on the ground near the water orin the rushes over it. Their nests are made of rushes and grasses, sometimes lined and sometimes not, with down from the parents breast. The eggs number from six to twelve and are grayish in color. Size 2.40 x 1.75. Data.— Northern Assiniboia, Canada,June 6, 1901. Eight eggs. Nest made of aquatic grasses, lined with down. Builtin a tuft of rushes ina marsh. Collector, Walter Raine. {Grayish white. ] [168.] Masked Duck. Nomonyx dominicus. This is a tropical species which is resident in Mexico, Central America and in the West Indies. It occurs in Mexico north to the lower Rio Grande Valley and has in three known instances strayed to northeastern United States. The gen- eral plumage is a rusty chesnut, mottled with blackish, it has a black face and throat, and white wing bars. NorTH AMERICAN BIRDS EGGs. 83 169. Lesser Snow Goose. Chen hyperborea. Range.—North Amer- ica west of the Missis- sippi Valley, breeding in northern Alaska and the. Mackenzie River district. This smaller species of the Snow Goose nests on islands in rivers along the Arctic coast. é The nest is a depression V j in the ground, lined BY with grasses and, occa- sionally down. They lay from four to eight eggs of a buffy or yel- lowish white color. Size 5 x 1.76. [Grayish white.] 169a. Greater Snow Goose. Chen hyperborea nivalis. Range.—Eastern North America, breeding in the Arctic regions and wintering chiefly on the Atlantic coast, south to Cuba. This bird is like the preceding; except in size; about thirty-six inches, instead of twenty-six inches in length as is the lesser variety. The entire plumage is white except for the black primaries. They construct their nests of grasses on the ground the same as the preceding variety. The eggs number from five to eight and are cream colored. Size 3.40 x 2.40. 169.1. Blue Goose. Chen cvrulescens. Range.—North America, principally in the interior, breeding from Hudson Bay northward and wintering along the Gulf coast. This species may always be recognized by the entirely white head and neck, the body being grayish or bluish gray. They nest on the ground as do the other geese laying from four toeight eggs of a brownish buff color. Size 2.50 x 1.75. Data.—Cape Bathurst, Arctic coast, June 29, 1899. Four eggs laid in a depression lined with grass, on an island. Collected with the parent birds by the Esquimaux. 170. Ross Snow Goose. Chen rossi. Range.—This beautiful species,which is similar in plumage to the large Snow Goose, is but twenty-one inches in length. It breeds in the extreme north, and in winter is found in the western part of the United States as far south as the Gulf of Mexico. Their nesting habits and eggs probably do not differ from others in the family except in the matter of size. [171.] White-fronted Goose. Its upper parts are a glossy greenish brown, each feather being edged or fringed with whitish; the \ tail is very long, broad and graduated, the feathers \ being broadly tipped with white. They are noted \ for their swiftness on foot, paddling over the / ground at an astonishing rate, aided by their out- / stretched wings and spread tail, which act as / aeroplanes; their legs are long and have two toes front and two back. Their food consists of lizards and small snakes, they being particularly savage [White]. in their attacks upon the latter. They build rude nests of sticks and twigs, in low trees or bushes, and during April or May, lay from four to ten eggs, depositing them at inter- vals of several days. They are pure white and measure 1.55 x 1.20. 386. Mangrove Cuckoo. Coccyzus minor. Range.—West Indies, Mexico and South America, north regularly to southern Florida. This species is very similar to our common Yellow- billed Cuckoo, but the whole underparts are deep buff. It is a common species and nests abundantly in the West Indies, but occurs only in limited numbers in southern Florida. Their nests are shallow platforms of twigs and rootlets, placed in bushes and low trees, and upon which they lay three or four pale greenish blue eggs, similar to those of the Yellow-billed species but averaging smatler; size 1.15 x .85. | Pale greenish blue. } [386a.] Maynard Cuckoo. Coccyzus minor maynardi. Range.—Bahamas; accidental on Florida Keys. This is a slightly smaller and paler form than the preceding. 387. Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Coccyzus americanus. Range.—United States east of the Plains and from ~ southern Canada southward. \ This species is generally abundant in all localties in its range, which afford suitable nesting places of tangled underbrush or vines. It may be distin- guished from the Black-billed variety by its larger size (12 inches long), blackish tail with broad white tips, and yellowish lower mandible. They are often regarded by the superstitious as forecasters of rain, , and as omens of evil, probably because of their gut- [Light greenish blue. ] tural croaking notes, Nortu AMERICAN BirpDs EGGS. 185 Their nests are made of twigs, lined with shreds of grape vine bark or catkins; the nests are generally very shabbily made and so flat on the top that the eggs frequently roll off. They are located near the ground in bushes or low trees. The three or four eggs are deposited at intervals of several days, and frequently young birds and eggs are found in the nest at the same time. Like the Flicker, this bird will frequently continue laying if one egg is removed at a time, and as many as twelve have been taken from the same nest, by this means. The eggs ae light greenish blue. Size 1.20 x .90. They are usually laid during May or une. 387a. California Cuckoo. Coccyzus americanus occidentalis. Range.—Western North America, from British Columbia, southward. | Slightly larger and with a stouter bill than the last. Eggs not distinguishable. 388. Black-billed Cuckoo. Coccyzus erythrophthalmus, Range.— United States east of the Rocky Mountains; north to Labrador and Manitoba; south in winter to Central and South America. This species is rather more common in the northern parts of the United States than the Yellow-billed variety. The bird is smaller, has a black bill, and the tail is the same color as the back and only slightly tipped with white. Their nests are built in similar locations and of the same materials as used by the Yellow-bill; the three or four eggs are smaller and a darker shade of greenish blue. Size 1.15 x .85. All the Cuckoos are close sitters and will not leave the nest until nearly reached with the 4 5 hand, when they will slowly flutter off through the un- persenisnrbige,) derbrush, and continue to utter their mournful ‘‘Kuk-kuk-kuk,’’ many times repeated. {388.1.] Kamchatkan Cuckoo. Cuculus canorus telephonus. An Asiatic subspecies of the common European Cuckoo, accidentally occur- ing in Alaska. TROGONS. Family TROGONIDA. 389. Coppery-tailed Trogon. Trogon ambiguus. Range.—Southern Mexico, north to the Lower Rio Grande in Texas and in southern Arizona, in both of which localities they probably breed. This is the only member of this family of beautiful birds which reaches our borders. This species is 12 inches in length, and is a metallic green color on the upper parts and breast, and with coppery reflections of the middle tail feathers, the outer ones being white, very finely vermiculated with black, as are the wing coverts. The underparts, except for a white band across the breast, are rosy red. This species nest in cavities in large trees, generally in large, deserted Woodpecker holes. They are also said to have been found nesting in holes in banks. Their eggs are three or four in number and are a dull white in color. Size 1.10 x .85. Data.—Tampico, Mexico, April 21, 1900. 4 eggs at the bottom of a hole in limb of a large elm. Collector, F. B. Armstrong. {Dull white.] 186 Norra AMERICAN Brrps EGGs. Photo by A. R. Sparp. NEST AND EGGS OF YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. NortH AMERICAN Birps EGGs. 187 KINGFISHERS. Family ALCEDINIDA. 390. Belted Kingfisher. Ceryle alcyon. Range.—Whole of North America, breeding from southern United States, northward and wintering from the southern parts of its breeding range, south- ward. This well known bird is abundant in all localities near water, where its rattling notes are among the SSE Sa most familiar of sounds. Their food is almos tentire- : ly of small fish, which they catch by plunging upon from their perch on an old dead limb overhanging the water, or by hovering in the air like an ‘Osprey. Their nests are located at the end of burrows in sand \ banks or the banks of creeks and rivers. These tun- x nels,which are dug by the birds, generally commence S two or three feet from the top of ARE bank and extend “Se eee back from six to eight feet, either in a straight line or curved; the end is enlarged to form a suitable nesting place, in which from five to eight eggs are laid. They are glossy and pure white in color. Size 1.35 x 1.05. Data.—Lake Quinsigamond, Massachusetts, June 6, 1900. 7 eggs at the end of a six foot tunnel in a sand bank. Bird re- moved by hand from the nest. Collector, C. E. Howe. { White.) [390.1]. Ringed Kingfisher. Ceryle torquata. Range.—Mexico, north casually to the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas. This handsome species is much larger than the Belted Kingfisher and the underparts are nearly all bright chestnut, except the white throat. They nest in river banks the same as the common American species, and the eggs are white, but larger. Size 1.45 x 1.10. 391. Texas Kingfisher. Ceryle americana septentrionalis. Range.—Southern Texas, south through Mexico. 8 This variety is much smaller than the Belted, length 8 inches, and is a lus- trous greenish above, variously specked with white, and is w hite below, spotted with greenish. It is acommon and resident species in southern Texas, where it lays its eggs in holes in the banks along streams. The eggs are white and glossy, and measure .95 x .70. 188 NortH AMERICAN Brirps EGGS. WOODPECKERS. Order XV. PICI. Family PICIDA. Woodpeckers are well known birds having sharp chisel-like bills, sharply pointed and stiffened tail feathers, and strongly clawed feet with two toes forward and two back, except in one genus. Their food is insects and grubs, which they get by boring in trees, and from under the bark, clinging to the sides of trunks or the under side of branches with their strong curved nails, aided by the tail, fora prop. They are largely resident where found. 392. Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Campephilus principalis. Range.—Locally distributed, and rare, in Florida, along the Gulf coast and north casually to South Carolina and Arkansas. This is the largest of the Woodpeckers found within our borders, being 20 inches in length. But one other American species exceeds it in size, the Im- perial Woodpecker of Mexico, which reaches a length of nearly two feet; as this species is found within a few miles of our Mexican border, it may yet beclassed as a North American bird. The present species has a large, heavy, ivory-white bill. They can readily be identified, at a great distance, from the Pileated Woodpecker by the large amount of white on the secondaries. They used to be not uncommonly seen in many sections of the southeast but are now found very locally and only in the largest and remote woods. They nest in holes in large trees in the most impenetrable swamps; laying three, and probably as many as six pure white glossy eggs measuring 1.45 x 1.00. 393. Hairy Woodpecker. Dryobates villosus. Range.—United States east of the Plains and from North Carolina to Canada. fis The Hairy Woodpecker or its sub-species is found in all t parts of North America. The nesting habits and eggs of all the sub-species are not in any way different from those of the eastern bird, consequently what is said in regard to the eastern form will apply equally to all its varieties. Except during the winter months, this species is not as commonly seen about houses or orchards as the Downy Woodpecker. During the summer they retire to the larger woods to nest, laying their eggs in holes in the trunks or limbs of trees at any height from the ground, and generally using the same hole year after year, and often twice or three times during one season, ifthe first sets are taken. They lay from three to six glossy white eggs; size .95x 70. The species can he distinguished from the Downy Woodpeckers by their larger size (9 inches long), and the white outer tail feathers, which are unspotted. {White.] 393a. Northern Hairy Woodpecker. Dryobates villosus leucomelas. Range.—North America, north of the United States. Slightly larger than the preceding. 393b. Southern Hairy Woodpecker. Dryobates villosus audubonii Range.—Southeastern United States; north to South Carolina. Similar to the Hairy Woodpecker, but smaller. NorTH AMERICAN Birps Ecos. 189 393c. Harris Woodpecker. Dryobates villosus harrisi. Range.—Pacific coast from California to British Columbia. Similar to the Hairy but with fewer or no white spots on the wing coverts, and grayish on the underparts. 393d. Cabanis Woodpecker. Dryobates villosus hyloscopus. Range.—Southern California, east to Arizona and south into Mexico. Like the preceding but whiter below. 393e. Rocky Mountain Hairy Woodpecker. Dryobates villosus monticola, Range.—Rocky Mountains from British Columbia south to New Mexico. Similar to harrisi but slightly larger and pure white below. 393f. Queen Charlotte Woodpecker. Dryobates villosus picoideus. Range.—Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia. Like Harris Woodpecker, but with the Hanks streaked and the middle of the back spotted with blackish. = y, 394. Southern Downy Woodpecker. Dryobates pubescens. | Range.—Gulf and South Atlantic States; north to South Carolina. DPB This species, which is the smallest of the North American Woodpeckers (length _ [ ye 6 inches), is similar in plumage to the Hairy Woodpecker, but has the ends of the white, outer tail feathers spotted with black. Like the last species, it is represented by sub-species in all parts of North America, the nesting habits of all the varieties being the same and the eggs not distinguishable from one another. They nest in holes in trees, very often in orchards or trees in the neighborhood of houses. They are Be not nearly as shy asthe Hairy Woodpeckers,and also associate — | White, glossy) with other birds very freely. The three to six eggs are laid upon the bottom of the cavity, with no lining. The height of the nesting season is during May or June. The white glossy eggs ure .75 x .60. 394a. Gairdner Woodpecker. Dryobates pubescens gairdnerii. Range.—Pacific coast from northern California to British Columbia. This sub-species is like the last, but is without spots on the wings coverts and is a dingy white below, differing the same as Harris Woodpecker from the Hairy. 394b. Batchelder Woodpecker. Dryobates pubescens homorus. Range.—Rocky Mountain region of the United States. Like the last but whiter below. 394c. Northern Downy Woodpecker. Dryobates pubescens medianus. Range.—North America, east of the Plains and north of South Carolina. Similar to the southern variety but slightly larger and whiter. 394d. Alaskan Downy Woodpecker. Dryobates pubescens nelsoni. Range.—Alaska. Similar to the northern variety but still larger. 190 NortH AMERICAN BrirRDS EGGS. 394e. Willow Woodpecker. Dryobates pubescens turati. Range.—California except the northern parts and the ranges of the south. Similar to Gairdner Woodpecker, but smaller and whiter. 395. Red-cockaded Woodpecker. Dryobates borealis. Range.—Southeastern United States, from South Carolina and Arkansas, southward. This black and white species may be known from any other because of the uniform black crown and nape, the male having a small dot of red on either side of the crown, back of the eye. They are quite abundant in the Gulf States and Florida, where they nest during April and May, and in some localities in March. They build in hollow trees or stumps at an elevation from the ground, laying from three to six glossy white eggs; size .95 x .70. 396. Texan Woodpecker. Dryobates scalaris bairdi. Range.—Southwestern United States from southern Colorado south to north- ern Mexico. This species is brownish white below, has the back barred with black and white, and the male has the whole crown red, shading into mixed black and whitish on the forehead. Its habits and nesting are just the same as those of the Downy, but the three or four glossy white eggs, that they lay in April, are larger; size .80 x .65. 396a. St. Lucas Woodpecker. Dryobates scalaris lucasanus. Range.—Lower California, north to the Colorado Desert, California. Very similar to the last; less barring on the outer tail feathers. Eggs the same. 397. Nuttall Woodpecker. Dryobates nuttallii. Range.—Pacific coast from Oregon south to Lower California. Similar to the Texan Woodpecker but whiter below, with whitish nasal tufts, and the fore part of the crown black and white striped, the red being confined to the nape region. They nest in holes in trees, either in dead stumps or in growing trees, and at any height above ground. During April or May they de- eS cs white glossy eggs upon the bottom of the cavity. The eggs measure .85 x .65. 398. Arizona Woodpecker. Dryobates arizonex. Range.— Mexican border of the United States, chiefly in Arizona and New Mexico. This species is entirely different from any others of our Woodpeckers, being uniform brownish above, and soiled whitish below, spotted with black. The male bird has a red crescent on the nape. They are said to be fairly abundant in some sections of southern Arizona. Their nesting habits do not vary from those of the other Woodpeckers found in the same regions, andt hey show no especial preference for any particular kind of a tree in which to lay theireggs. The nest- ing season appears to be at its height in April. The pure white eggs average in size about .85 x .60. NortTH AMERICAN BIRDS EGGs. 191 From ‘Nature and the Camera.” Photo by A. R. Dugmore. NEST AND EGG OF DOWNY WOODPECKER. (Opening made to show the eggs. ] 192 NortH AMERICAN BrirpDs EGGS. 399. White-headed Woodpecker. Yenopicus albolarvatus. Range.—Western United States from southern California to southern British Columbia. This odd species is wholly a dull black color, except for the white head and neck, and basal half of the primaries. They are quite abundant in some localities, particularly in California on mountain ranges. They nest at any height, but the greater number have been found under twenty feet from the ground and in old pine stubs. They lay from four to six glossy white eggs, measuring .95 x .70. They oat are said to be more silent than others of the Woodpecker { White. | family, and rarely make the familiar tapping and never drum. It is claimed that they get at their food by scaling bark off the trees, instead of by boring. 400. Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker. Picoides arcticus. Range.—Northern parts of the United States north to the Arctic regions. As implied by their name, members of this genus have but three toes, two in front and one behind. The plumage of this species is entirely black above, and whitish below, with the flanks barred with blackish. The male has a yellow patch on the crown. They breed abundantly in coniferous forests in mountainous regions throughout their range, laying their eggs in cavities in decayed stumps and trees, apparently at any height, from five feetup. Theeggs [White.} are laid in May or June. Size .95 x .70, 401. American Three-toed Woodpecker. Pircoides americanus. Range.—From northern United States northward. The chief difference between this species and the last is in the white on the back, either as a patch or in the form of broken bars. The nesting habits are just the same and the eggs cannot be distinguished from those of the preceding. Both forms are found breeding in the same localities in the Adirondacks and in nearly all other portions of their range. 401ta. Alaskan Three-toed Woodpecker. Picoides americanus fasciatus. Range.—Alaska, south to British Columbia and Washington. Like the last, but with more white on the back. Eggs like the arcticus. 401b. Alpine Three-toed Woodpecker. Picoides americanus dorsalis. Range.— Rocky Mountains from British Columbia south to New Mexico. Slightly larger than the preceding and with more white on the back, almost entirely losing the barred effect of the American Three-toed variety. They nest chiefly in dead pines, laying four or five white eggs that cannot be distinguished from those of many other species. Size .95 x .70. NortH AMERICAN BirpbDs EGGs. 193 402. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Sphyrapicus varius. Range.—North America, east of the Plains; breeding from Massachusetts northward, and wintering from the Carolinas and Illinois southward. This species is one of the most handsomely marked of the family; they can easily be recognized by the red crown and throat (white on the female), each bordered by black, and the yellowish underparts. The members of this genus have been found to be the only ones that are really injurious, and these only to a slight extent, to cultivated trees. This species and the two following are the only real ‘‘sapsuckers,’’ a crime that is often attributed to the most useful of the family. Their nesting season is during May and June, they then re- | White. sorting to the interior of the woods, where they deposit their four to seven glossy eggs on the bottom of holes in trees, generally at quite an elevation from the ground. Size of eggs, .85 x .60. 402a. Red-naped Sapsucker. Sphyrapicus varius nuchalis. Range.— Rocky Mountain region of the United States and southern Canada south to Mexico and west to California. This variety differs from the last, chiefly in the addition of a band of scarlet on the nape in place of the white on the Yellow-bellied species. Coming as it does, midway between the ranges of the preceding species and the following, this variety, with its extension of red on the head and throat, may be regarded somewhat as a connecting link between the two species, but it is perfectly dis- tinct and does not intergrade with either. There appears to be no difference in the nesting habits of the two varieties, except that the present one, according to Bendire, shows a preference to nesting in live aspens. The eggs measure -90 x .65. 403. Red-breasted Sapsucker. Sphyrapicus ruber. Range.— Pacific Coast from Lower California to Oregon. Except for a whitish line from the eye to the bill, the entire head, neck and breast of this species is red, of varying shades in different individuals, from carmine to nearly a scarlet; the remainder of their plumage is very similar to that of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. This is an abundant species and in most parts of the range they are not timid. Like many of the Woodpeckers, they spend a great deal of their time in drumming on some dead limb. They nest commonly in aspens, preferably living ones, and are said to build a new nest- ing hole each year rather than use the old. The eggs are laid during May or June, being glossy white, five to seven in number, and measuring .Y0 x . 70. 403a. Northern Red-breasted Sapsucker. Sphyrapicus ruber notkensis. Range.—Pacific coast from California to Alaska. This is a deeper and brighter variety, and is more yellowish on the belly. Its nesting habits and eggs are the same as those of the southern form. 14 194 NortH AMERICAN BirRpDS EGGS. 404. Williamson Sapsucker. Sphyrapicus thyroideus. Range.—Mountain ranges from the Rockies to the Pacific; north to British Columbia. This cddly marked species shows a surprising number of variations in plumage; the normal adult male is largely black on the upper parts and breast, with only a narrow patch of red on the throat, and with the belly, bright yellow. The female is entirely different in plumage and for a long time was supposed to be a distinct species; she is brownish in place of the black in the male, has no red in the plumage, and is barred with black and white on the back and wings. They nest at high altitudes in mountain ranges, either in coni- ferous forests or in aspens. There is no peculiarity in their nesting habits; they lay from four to seven eggs, glossy white. Size .97 x .67. 405. Pileated Woodpecker. Ceophlewus pilcatus. Range.—Southern and South Atlantic States. This heavily built Woodpecker is nearly as large as the Ivory-bill, being 17 inches in length. They are not nearly as beautiful as the Ivory-bills, their plumage being a sooty black instead of glossy, and the white on the wing, being confined to a very small patch at the base of the primaries; the whole crown and crest are vermilion, as is also a moustache mark in the male. They breed in the most heavily timbered districts, and generally at a high elevation; excavating a cavity sometimes 24 inches in depth and eight inches in diameter. In most localities they are very shy and difficult to approach. During April or May they lay from three to six white eggs. Size 1.30 x 1.00. 405a. Northern Pileated Woodpecker. Ccophlwmus pileatus abieticola. Range.—Local throughout North America, from the northern parts of the United States northward. This variety is only very slightly larger than the preceding, it otherwise being the same. It is still abundant in many localities, but its range is rapidly being reduced, on account of cutting away the forests. Its nesting habits and eggs are the same as those of the southern variety. 406. Red-headed Woodpecker. Melanerpes crythrocephalus. Range.—United States, east of the Rockies, except New England; north to southern Canada; winters in southern United States. ae This beautiful species has a bright red head, neck and : fore breast, glossy blue black back, wings and tail, and \ white underparts, rump and secondaries. It is the most abundant of the family in the greater portion of its range, where it nests in any kind of trees or in telegraph poles at any height from the ground; they also sometimes nest in holes under the eaves of buildings. They are the most pugnacious of the Woodpeckers, and are often seen chasing [White.] one another or driving away some other bird. They are also known to destroy the nests and eggs of many species, and also to kill and devour the young, they being the only Woodpecker, so far as known, to have acquired this disreputable habit; they also feed upon, besides ants and larvae, many kinds of fruit and berries. Their nesting season is dur- ing May and June, when they lay from four to eight white eggs, with less gloss than those of the Flicker. Size 1.00 x .75. NortH AMERICAN Brrps EGGS. 195 407. Ant-eating Woodpecker; Striped-breasted Woodpecker. Melanerpes formi- civorus. Range.—Mexican border of the United States, southward. This species may be identified by the black region around the base of the bill, the white forehead, red crown and nape, yellowish throat, and blackish upper parts, extending in a band across the breast, this variety having the band streaked with white posteriorly. The habits of this variety are the same as the next which is most abundant in the United States. 407a. Californian Woodpecker. Melanerpes formiciverus bairdi. Range.—California and Oregon. This bird differs from the last in having fewer white stripes in the black breast band. In suitable localities, this is the most abundant of Woodpeckers on the Pacific coast. They have none of the bad habits of the Red-heads, appear to be sociable among their kind, and are not afraid of mankind. It nests indiffer- ently in all kinds of trees at any height from the ground, laying from three to seven eggs. Size 1.00 x .75. This species has the habit of storing food for future use developed to a greater extent than any other of the family. They sometimes completely honeycomb the exterior surface of decayed trees, with holes designed to hold acorns. 407b. Narrow-fronted Woodpecker. Melanerpes formicivorus angustifrons. Range.—Southern Lower California. This variety differs from the others in being slightly smaller and in having the white band on the forehead narrower. Its nesting habits are the same, but the eggs average smaller. Size .95x .75. 408. Lewis Woodpecker. Asyndesmus torquatus. Range.—Western United States from the Rockies to the Pacitic coast; from British Columbia south to Mexico. A very oddly colored species, 11 inches in length, having a dark red face, streaked red and white under- parts, a gray breast band, and glossy greenish black upperparts. They are not uncommon in the greater part of their range, can not be called shy birds, and nest in all kinds of trees at heights varying from six to one hundred feet from the ground, the five to nine white eggs measuring 1.05 x .80, and being laid during May or June. [White. | 196 NortH AMERICAN Birps EGGS. 409. Red-bellied Woodpecker. Centurus carolinus. Range.—United States east of the Plains, breeding from the Gulf States north to Virginia and in the Mississippi Valley to Canada; casually north to southern New England. The Red-bellied ‘‘Zebra Woodpeckers,’’ as they are called, are very numerous in nearly all parts of their range, frequenting the more heavily timbered regions, where they nest in any place that attracts their fancy; in some localities they also commonly nest in telegraph poles. They are quite tame, and during the winter months come about yards and houses, the same as, and often in company with Downy Woodpeckers. Their eggs, which are laid during May, are glossy white, average in size 1.00 x .75 and number from four to six. 410. Golden-fronted Woodpecker. Centurus aurifrons, Range.—Mexico and southern Texas, resident. This is also one of the ‘‘zebra’’ or ‘‘ladder-backed’’ Woodpeckers, having the back and wings closely barred with black and white, the same as the preceding; the \ forehead, nasal tufts and nape are golden yellow, and the male has a patch of red on the crown. This is a very common resident species in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas, where it nests in trees or telegraph ; poles, sometimes so numerously in the latter situations [White.] as to become a nuisance. Their nesting habits are not in any manner peculiar, and the eggs cannot be distin- hia from those of the preceding. Size 1.00 x .75. Laid during April and May. 411. Gila Woodpecker. Centurus wropygialis. Range.—Mexican border of the United States, in southern Arizona and New Mexico. Like the preceding but without any yellow on the head, the male having a red patch in the center of the crown. They are locally distributed in New Mexico, but appear to be abundant in all parts of southern Arizona, where they nest principally in giant cacti, but also in many other trees such as cottonwoods, mesquite, sycamores, etc. Besides their decided preference for giant cacti, there is nothing unusual in their nesting habits, and the eggs are not different from those of others of the genus. They lay from three to six eggs in April or May. Size 1.00 x .75. NortH AMERICAN Birps EGGs. 197 412, Southern Flicker. Colaptes auratus. Range.—Southeastern United States. Flickers are well known, large Woodpeckers (18 inches long), with a brownish tone to the plumage, barred on the back and spotted on the breast with black. The present species has a golden yellow lining to the wings and tail, and the shafts of the feathers are yellow; it has a red crescent on the nape, and the male has black mous- tache marks. This species and its sub-variety are the most widely known Woodpeckers in eastern North Amer- ica, where they are known in different localities, by something like a hundred local names, of which Pigeon Woodpecker and Yellow-hammer seem to be the most universal. They have the undulating flight common to all Woodpeckers and show the white rump patch conspicuously when flying. They are often found on the ground in past- ures or on side hills, feeding upon ants; they are more terrestrial than any others of the family. They nest anywhere, where they can find or make asuitable cav- ity for the reception of their eggs; in trees in woods or solitary trees in large pastures, in apple trees in orchards, in fence posts, in holes under the roofs of buildings, etc. They ordinarily lay from five to ten very glossy white eggs, but it has been found that they will continue laying, if one egg is removed from the nest at a time, until in one case seventy-one eggs were secured. Fresheggs may be found at any time from May until August, as they frequently raise two broods aseason. Size of eggs, 1.10 x .90 with considerable variations. {White}. 412a Northern Flicker. Colaptes auratus luteus, Range.—Whole of North America, east of the Rockies, except the southeastern portion. Averaging larger than the preceding, but individual specimens of the northern variety are frequently found to be even smaller than the southern, and vice ver- sa, making the distinction one of the study rather than Nature. 413. Red-shafted Flicker. Colaptes cafer collaris. Range.—United States west of the Rockies. This species is marked similarly to the preceding, but the top of the head is brownish instead of gray, and the underparts of the wings and tail, and their quills are reddish. Neither sex has the red crescent on the back of the head, except in the case of hybrids. between the two species, but the male has red moustache marks. There are no differences in the nidification between this species and the preceding, but the eggs of this average a nant trifle larger (1.15 x .90). te}. 413a. Northwestern Flicker. Colaptes cafer saturatior. Range.—Pacific coast, breeding from Oregon to Alaska. This is a much darker variety of the Red-shafted Flicker, but its nesting habits or eggs do not differ in any way. 414. Gilded Flicker. Colaptes chrysoides, Range.—Arizona and southward through Mexico to southern Lower California. This pale species has the yellowish lining to the wings and tail as in the Flick- er, but has a pale cinnamon brown crown, no crescent on back of head, and the male has red moustache marks. It is acommon species in all localities where the giant cactus abounds, and shows a preference to nesting in these strange growths, to any other trees. Their habits are, in all respects, the same as those of the other Flickers and their eggs cannot be distinguished. Size 1.10 x .90. 198 NortH AMERICAN Brirps EGGs. Photo by G. E. Moulthrope. NEST AND EGGS OF NORTHERN FLICKER. NortH AMERICAN Brirpbs EGGs. 199 414a. Brown Flicker. Colaptes chrysoides brunnescens. Range.—Northern Lower California. This is a slightly smaller and darker variety of the Gilded Flicker. 415. Guadalupe Flicker. Colaptes rufipileus. Range.—Guadalupe Island. Similar to the Red-shafted Flicker, but with the crown darker and the rump a solid pinkish white. They are common in a large cypress grove in the middle of the island, but rarely found on any other portions. The eggs have been des- cribed by Mr. Walter E. Bryant, who found them breeding on the island, to be indistinguishable from those of the others of the genus. GOATSUCKERS, SWIFTS, AND HUMMINGBIRDS. Order XVI. MACRROHIRES. GOATSUCKERS. Family CAPRIMULGIDA. Goatsuckers are long winged birds, with small bills, but with an extraordinarily large mouth, the opening of which extends beneath and beyond theeyes. They are chiefly dusk or night fliers, their food consisting of insects which they catch on the wing. Their plumage is a mottled black, brownish and white, resembling the ground upon which they lay their eggs. 416. Chuck-will’s-widow. tail coverts, the latter streaked with dusky. Their habits and ) nesting habits are the same as those of the eastern Phoebe, em they building their nests of mud, moss, weeds and feathers on Re ledges or about buildings, and generally close to or in the a vicinity of water. They breed during April or May, laying (White.] four or five white eggs which cannot be distinguished from those of the common Phoebe. Size .75 x .55 458a. Western Black Phoebe. Sayornis nigricans semiatra. Range—Pacific coast of Mexico and the United States, breeding north to Ore- gon. This variety differs from the last in having the under tail coverts pure white. Its nesting habits are precisely the same and the eggs indistinguishable. 459. Olive-sided Flycatcher. Nuttallornis borealis. Range.—Whole of North America, breeding from the Middle States and Cali- fornia northward, and in the Rockies, south to Mexico; winters south of the United States. These Flycatchers are nowhere abundant, and in some parts of the country, especially in the middle portion, they are very rare. They breed very locally and generally not more than one pair in any locality. In New England, I have always found them nesting in company with Parula Warblers, in dead coniferous swamps in which the branches are covered with long pendant moss. Their nests are placed high up in [Creamy white.] the trees, generally above fifty feet from the ground, and on small horizontal limbs; they are made of small twigs and rootlets, lined with finer rootlets and moss, and are very flat and shallow; as they are generally made to match the surrounding, they are one of the most difficult nests to find. They lay three or four cream colored eggs which are spotted with reddish brown and lilac, chiefly about the large end. Size .85 x .65. Data.—Lake Quinsigamond, Massachusetts, June 12, 1897. Nest of twigs and moss, about 60 feet above the ground, in a dead pine tree in center of a large wet swamp. Nest could not be seen from the ground, found by watching bird. Collector, C. K. Reed. 219 NorTH AMERICAN BIRDS EGGS. ope Moulthr nm Tat by ¢ Photo from life EBE ON NEST. PHO 220 NortH AMERICAN BIRDS EGGS. NEST AND EGGS OF OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER. 460. Coues Flycatcher. Contopus pertinax pallidiventris. Range.—Western Mexico, breeding north to central Arizona. This Flycatcher builds one of the most artistic nests created by feathered creatures. It bears some resemblance on the ex- terior to that of the next species, but it is much more firmly made, and the walls are usually higher, making a very deep- ly cupped interior. The outside of the nest is made of fibres, : cobwebs, catkins, etc., firmly felted together and ornamented [Cream color.] with green lichens to match the limb upon which it is saddled. The interior is heavily lined with dried, yellowish grasses, making a very strong contrast to the exterior. They are fairly abundant birds in the ranges of southern Arizona, where they nest generally during June. They lay three eggs of a rich creamy color, spotted and blotched, chiefly about the larger end, with reddish brown and lilac gray. Size .85 x .61. Data.—Huachuca Mts., Arizona, July 8, 1897. 8 eggs. Nest in a yellow pine about 60 feet up and near the extremity of a long slender limb. Elevation 7000 feet. Collector, O. W. Howard. NortH AMERICAN Brrpbs EGGS. 221 461. Wood Pewee. Contopus virens. Range.—North America, east of the Plains and north to the southern parts of the British Provinces. Winters south of the United States. This is one of the best known and one of the most common frequenters of open woods, where all summer long its pleasing notes may be heard, resembling ‘‘pee-a-wee’’? or sometimes only two syllables ‘‘pee-wee.’? They nest on horizontal limbs at elevations of six feet or over, making handsome nests of plant fibres and fine grasses, covered on the exterior with lichens; they are quite shallow and very much resemblea small knoton the limb of the tree. They lay three or four eggs of a cream color spotted in a wreath about the large end, with reddish brown and lavender; size .80 x .55. Data.—Torrington, Conn., June 16, 1890. Nest of fibres covered with lichens, saddled on the branch of an oak tree near roadside. Collector, John Gath. {Cream color.] 462. Western Wood Pewee. Contopus richardsonii. Range.—Western United States from the Plains to the Pacific, and from Mani- toba southward, wintering south of the United States. The nesting habits of this bird are the same as those of the eastern Pewee, but their nests are more strongly built and generally deeper, and without the outside ornamentation of lichens. They are saddle upon horizontal branches, like those of the preceding, as a rule, but are also said to have been found in upright crotches like those of the Least Flycatcher. Their three or four eggs cannot be distinguished from those of the eastern Wood Pewee. 462a. Large-billed Wood Pewee. Contopus richardsonii peninsule. Range.—This species which differs from the last only slightly, as is indicated by the name, inhabits the peninsula of Lower California; its nesting habits and eggs will not differ from those of the other Pewees. 463. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. Himpidonax flaviventris. Range.—North America, east of the Plains and north to Labrador; winters south of the United States. This species is slightly larger than the Least Flycatcher and is more yellowish above and below, the breast being quite bright. ’ s While common in some districts it is quite shy and frequents re | thickly wooded regions, where it is not very often seen. They ee nest near or on the ground among rocks or roots of fallen trees, chiefly in swampy places; the nests are made in bunches of moss, hollowed out and lined with very fine grasses. Their four eggs are creamy or buffy white, spotted and specked about the larger end with reddish brown and gray; size .68 x .d1. [Creamy white.] 222 NortH AMERICAN Brirps EGGS. 464. Western Flycatcher. Hmpidonax difficilis. Range.—Western North America, from the Rocky Mountain region to the Pacific, and north to Alaska; winters chiefly south of the United States. E> This Flycatcher, which is similar to the last, nests in similar lo- ae ; cations as well as in many others, such as crevices and fissures \ etc. The nests are variously made, but consist chiefly of fine grasses, weeds and fibres. The eggs are as a rule similar to those in rocks, holes in banks, cavities in trees, rafters in buildings, {Creamy white] of the last species and cannot be distinguished. 464.1. St. Lucas Flycatcher. Hmpidonax cineritius. Range.—Lower California. This species is similar to, but duller in plumage than the Western Flycatcher. Their nesting habits do not probably vary from those of the latter. 464.2. Santa Barbara Flycatcher. Empidonax insulicola. Range.—Santa Barbara Islands, California. This species is very similar to difficilis, but is said to be darker and browner. Its eggs cannot be distinguisned from those of the preceding. 465. Green-crested Flycatcher; Acadian Flycatcher. E’mpidonaz virescens. Range.—Eastern United States, breeding from the Gulf to southern New Eng- land, and in the Mississippi Valley to Manitoba. This species is very pale below and greenish yellow on the LE, back. They are among the latest of the migrants to reach our 3 borders and arrive in the Middle States about the latter part of May, when they are quite common. They build semi-pensile nests in the forks of bushes or overhanging branches at heights of from four to twenty feet, the nests being made of rootlets, fibres, fine grassss, etc., and partially suspended from the branch; they are quite shallow and loosely constructed and often appear more like a bunch of debris deposited in the fork by the wind than like the creation of a bid Their three or four eggs are buffy, spotted or specked with brown; size .75 x .50. 466. Traill Flycatcher. Empidonaz traillii. Range.—Western North America, from the Mississippi Valley to the Pacific; winters south of the United States. This species is very similar to the next, but the back is said to be more brownish. They are common and nest abundantly in thickets and low scrubby woods, usually placing the nest at a low elevation, preferably in a clump of willows; the nests are made of fine strips of bark, plant fibres, and very fine root- lets being woven about and firmly fastened in upright crotches. [Creamy white.}| Their eggs, which are laid in June, are buffy white, specked and spotted, chiefly at the:large end, with brownish; size .70 x.54. NorTH AMERICAN BirRpDs EGGs. Photo by Guy H. Briggs. NEST AND EGGS OF WOOD PEWEE. 224 NortTH AMERICAN Brirps EGGs. 466a. Alder Flycatcher. Empidonax traillii alnorum. Range.—United States, east of the Mississippi and north to New Brunswick. The only difference between this and the preceding variety is in the more greenish upper parts. They are quite abundant in the breeding season from New England and northern New York northward, frequenting, to a great extent, alder thickets bordering streams. Their nests and eggs do not differ appreci- ably from those of the western variety of Traill Flycatcher. 467. Least Flycatcher. Empidonax minimus. Range.—North America, east of the Rockies and north to the interior of Can- ada, wintering south of the United States. These little birds (5.5 inch long) are common about houses and orchards on the outskirts of cities, and on the edges of for- a : ests or open woods. They are very frequently known by the Sea name of Chebec from their continually uttered note. In nearly [White.] all instances, the nests are placed in upright forks at elevations varying from four to twenty-four feet from the ground. The nests are made chiefly of plant fibres, fine grasses, string, cobwebs, etc., and the three to five eggs are pale creamy white; size .65 x .50. 468. Hammond Flycatcher. Hmpidonax hammondi. Range.—North America, west of the Rockies and from British Columbia southward, wintering south of the United States. This western representative of the Least Flycatcher is less abundant and more shy, but has the same nesting habits as the eastern birds, placing its nests either in upright crotches or, more rarely, upon horizontal branches at a low elevation. The eggs cannot be distinguished from those of the last species. ate 469. Wright Flycatcher. Hmpidonax wrightii. Range.—Western United States, breeding from the Mexican border to Oregon, and wintering south of the United States. A very similar bird to the last but whiter below. It is a much more abundant species than the last and is found breeding in open woods and thickets on all the ranges. The nests are built like those of the Least Flycatcher and nearly always are found in the crotch of trees or bushes at a low elevation; their nests, like [White.] those of the two preceding species, bear a strong resemblance to those of the Yellow Warblers which are found in the same locali- ties and locations. The eggs are pale creamy white, four in number and meas- ure .68 x .52. NortH AMERICAN Birps EGGS. 225 469.1 Gray Flycatcher. Hmpidonax griseus. Range.—Lower California, north to southern California. This is a slightly larger species than the preceding and is grayish above and paler below, with little or no tinge of brownish or yellow. As far as I can learn its eggs have not yet been taken. [470.] . Fulvous Flycatcher. Empidonax fulvifrons. Range.—Eastern Mexico; admitted to our fauna on the authority of Giraud as having occured in southern Texas. This bird is similar to its sub-species but larger. Its nesting habits will not differ. 470a. Buff-breasted Flycatcher. HKinpidonax fulvitrons pygmeus. Range.—Western Mexico, north to southern New Mexico and Arizona. This small bird, which is but 4.75 inches in length, is brownish gray above and brownish buff below. It is not a common species anywhere, but is known to nest during June or July, on high mountain ranges, saddling its nest of fibres, covered with lichens, on horizontal boughs at quite an elevation from the ground. The eggs are pale buffy white, unspotted, and measure .60 x .50. 471. Vermilion Flycatcher. Pyrocephalus rubineus mericanus. Range.—Mexico, north regularly to southern Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. This is one of the most gaudily attired of all North American ; birds, being brownish gray on the back, wings and tail, and hav- ing a bright vermilion crown, crest and underparts. They are quite common in southern Texas, but far more abundant in the southern parts of Arizona. Their habits do not differ from those of other Flycatchers, they living almost exclusively upon insects. (Buff. | The majority of their nests can not be distinguished from those of the Wood Pewee, being covered with lichens and saddled upon hmbs in a similar manner, but some lack the mossy ornamentation. Their three or four eggs are buffy, boldly blotched with dark brown and lavender, chiefly in a wreath about the middle of the egg; size .70 x .50. Data.—San Pedro River, Arizona, June 10, 1899. Nest in the fork of a willow about 20 feet above the stream. Collector, O. W. Howard. 472. Beardless Flycatcher. Ornithion imberbe. Range.—Central America; north casually to the Lower Rio Grande in Texas. This strange little Flycatcher, several specimens of which have been taken in the vicinity of Lomita, Texas, is but 4.5 inches in length, grayish in color and has a short bill, the upper mandible of which is curved. It has all the habits peculiar to Flycatchers, Their eggs have not as yet been found as far as I can learn. 472a. Ridgway Flycatcher. Ornithion imberbe ridgwayi. Range.—Southwestern Mexico, north to southern Arizona. This species is slightly larger and grayer than the last. They are rare birds, either in the United States or in Mexico and their nests and eggs have not yet been reported. 16 226 NortH AMERICAN BirpDs EGGS. LARKS. Family ALAUDIDA. (473.] Skylark. Alauda arvensis. Range.—Old World, straggling casually to Greenland and Bermuda. This noted foreigner has been imported and liberated a num- ber of times in this country, but apparently is not able to thrive here, a fact which will not cause much regret when we remem- ber the experiment with the English Sparrow. They are abundant in Europe and Great Britain where they nest on the ae ground in cultivated fields or meadows, laying from three to [Grayish. ] five grayish eggs, marked with brown, drab and lavender. 474. Horned Lark. Otocoris alpestris. Range.—Eastern North America, breeding in Labrador and about Hudson Bay; winters in eastern United States south to Carolina. This variety of this much sub-divided species is 7.5 inches in length, has brownish gray upper parts and is white below with black patches on the breast and below the eye, yellowish throat and small black eartufts. The various sub- species are all marked alike, their distinction being based upon slight differences in size, variations in the shade of the back, or the greater or less intensity of the yellowish throat and superciliary stripe. The nesting habits of all the varieties are the same and the eggs differ only in the shade of the ground color, this vari- ation among the eggs of the same variety being so great that an egg cannot be identified without knowing the locality in which it was taken. The present va- riety build their nests on the ground generally under tufts of grass or in hollows in the moss which is found in their breeding range, making them of dried grasses and generally lining them with feathers. The eggs are grayish with a slight greenish tinge, and are specked and spotted over the whole surface with drab, brownish and dark lavender. The eggs of this and the next variety average considerably larger than those of the more southerly distributed varieties; size == .92 x .65. 474a. Pallid Horned Lark. O. a. arcticola. Range.—Breeds in Alaska and winters south to Oregon and Montana. This is the largest of the Horned Larks and has the throat white, with no trace of yellow. Its nest is built in similar locations and the eggs are like those of the preceding species. 474b. Prairie Horned Lark. O. a. praticola. Range.—Breeds in the Mississippi Valley from Illinois north to Manitoba and east to the Middle States; winters south to Carolina and Texas. This sub-species is considerably smaller than the Horned Lark, and the throat is paler yellow, while the line over the eye and the forehead is white. They are the most abundant and have the most extended range of any of the better known species. In the Mississippi Valley, where they are of the most common of the nesting birds, they build on the ground in ’ if meadows or cultivated fields, and very often in cornfields; the [Olive buff. nests are made of grasses and lined with horse hairs or feathers, and placed in slight hollows generally under a tuft of grass or sods. They raise two broods a season and sometimes three, laying the first set of eggs in March and another in June or July. The three or four eggs have an olive buff ground color and are thickly sprinkled with drab and lavender; size .88 x .60. NortH AMERICAN Brirps EGGS. 227 474c. Desert Horned Lark. O. a. leucolwema. Range.—Plains of western United States, east of the Rockies and west of Kan- sas and Dakota; breeds north to Alberta, and winters south to Mexico, Texas and southern California. This species is like praticola, but paler on the back; nest and eggs the same. 474d. Texan Horned Lark. O. a giraudi. Range.—Coast of southeastern Texas. A pale variety like leucoleema, but smaller; throat bright yellow, and breast tinged with yellow. Nest and eggs like those of the others. 474e. California Horned Lark. O. a. actia. Range.—Lower California and southern California. This bird is similar to the last but the yellow areas are brighter, and the nape and back are ruddy. 474f. Ruddy Horned Lark. O. a. rubea. Range.—Sacramento Valley, California. This variety has the yellow areas brighter than in any other and the back and nape are more ruddy. The eggs cannot be distinguished from those of the others. [Olive buff. ] 474g. Streaked Horned Lark. O. a. strigata. Range.—Northwestern United States (Washington, Oregon and northern Cali- fornia). Similar to the last, but with the back broadly streaked with black, the ruddy less intense and the underparts tinged with yellowish. 474h. Scorched Horned Lark. O. a. adusta. Range.—Western Mexico, north in summer to southern Arizona. This variety has the back and nape nearly a uniform pinkish ruddy with but little streaking. 474i. Dusky Horned Lark. O. a. merrilli. Range. Northwestern United States and southern British Columbia, winter- ing south to central California. Similar to praticola but slightly darker above. 228 Nortu AMERICAN Birps EGGs. 474j. Sonoran Horned Lark. O. a. pallida. Range.—Gulf coast of northern Lower California. The upperparts of this variety are very pale pinkish brown. 474k. Hoyt Horned Lark. O. a. hoyti. Range.—Interior of British America, west of Hudson Bay and east of Alaska, south in winter in the interior of the United States to Kansas. Much larger than the last; equal in size and similar to arcticola but with the throat yellowish and the upperparts darker and brighter. 4741. Montezuma Horned Lark. O. a. occidentalis. Range.—Western New Mexico and eastern Arizona, south in winter to northern Mexico. This variety has the upperparts pale brownish and not streaked; throat and forehead yellowish. 474m. Island Horned Lark. O. a. insularis. Range.—Santa Barbara Islands, California. Similar to strigata but darker. With the exception of the three large varieties of Horned Larks found north of our borders, neither the eggs nor, in most cases, the birds can be identified without the precise location where they were taken. CROWS, JAYS, MAGPIES, ETC. Family CORVIDA. 475. American Magpie. Pica pica hudsonia. Range.—Western North America from the Great Plains to the Pacific and from Alaska to Arizona and New Mexico. Se : These large handsome birds have the entire head, - neck and _ breast velvety black, abruptly defined against the white underparts. The back, wings and tail are greenish or bluish black, and the scapulars, white; length of bird 20 inches. They are well known throughout the west, where their bold and thievish habits always excite comment. They nest in bushes and trees at low elevations from the ground, making a very large nest of sticks, with an opening on the side, and the interior is made of weeds and mud, lined with fine grasses; these nests often reach a diameter of three feet and are made of quite large sticks. During April or May, they lay from four to eight grayish white eggs, plentifully spotted with brown and drab. Size 1.25 x .90. {Grayish white.] 476. Yellow-billed Magpie. Pica nuttalli. Range.—Middle parts of California, west of the Sierra Nevadas. This species is slightly smaller than the last and has a yellow bill and lores, otherwise being precise- ly like the more common species. Their habits do not differ from those of the other, the nests are the same and the eggs are indistinguishable. Size 1.25 x .88. {Grayish white.] NortH AMERICAN Birps EGGs. ockwell. R Photo by R. B. MACPIE. NEST OF AMERICAN 230 NorTH AMERICAN BrrpDs EGGs. 477. Blue Jay. Cyanocitta cristata. : : Range.—North America, east of the Plains and north to Hudson Bay; resident and very abundant in its United States range. These beautiful and bold marauders are too well known to need description, suftice it to say that they are the most beautiful of North American Jays; but be- neath their handsome plumage beats a heart as cruel and cunning as that in any bird of prey. In the fall, winter and spring, their food consists largely of acorns, chestnuts, berries, seeds, grain, insects, lizards, etc., but during the summer months they destroy and devour a great many eggs and young of the smaller birds, their taste for which, being so great that they are known to watch a nest until the full complement of eggs is laid before making their theft. They nest in open woods or clumps of trees, indifferently, in pines or young trees, building most often below twenty feet from the ground: the nests are made of twigs and rootlets, lined with finer rootlets. During May they lay from four to six eggs of a greenish or brownish buff color spotted with olive brown. Size 1.10 x .80. Data.—Chester County, Pa., May 23, 1886. Nest in an oak sapling, fifteen feet above ground; made of sticks, rootlets and grass. Collector, Samuel B. Ladd. 477a. Florida Blue Jay. Cyanocitta cristata florincola. Range.—Florida and the Gulf coast. The nesting habits and eggs of this smaller subspecies are the same as those of the northern Blue Jay. Like our birds, they frequently nest near habitations. 478. Steller Jay. Cyanocitta stelleri. Range.—Paciftic coast from southern California to Alaska; resident and breed- ing throughout its range. All the members of this sub-genus are similar in plumage, having a sooty black head, crest and neck, shading insensibly into dark bluish on the back and underparts, and brighter blue on the wings and tail. They usually have a few streaks or spots of pale blue on the forehead. They are just as noisy, bold and thievish as the eastern Jay and are also excellent mimics like the latter. They nest in fir trees at any height from the ground and in April or May deposit their three to six greenish blue eggs which are spotted with various shades of brown. Size 1.25 x .90.. Their nests are more bulky [Greenish blue.] than those of the eastern Jay and are usually made of larger sticks and held together with some mud. 478a. Blue-fronted Jay. Cyanocitta stelleri frontalis. Range.—Coast ranges of California and Oregon. The nesting habits and eggs of this variety are indistinguishable from those of the preceding. The bird has more blue on the forehead. 478b. Long-crested Jay. Cyanocitta stelleri diademata. Range.—Southern Rocky Mountains from Arizona to Wyoming. No general difference can be found between the eggs of this species and the Steller Jay, and the nests of each are constructed similarly and in like situations. 478c. Black-headed Jay. Cyanocitta stelleri annectens. Range.—Northern Rocky Mountains from northern Colorado to British Columbia. The eggs of this subspecies cannot be identified from those of the other varie- ties. Like the others, their nests are made of sticks plastered together with mud and lined with weeds and rootlets. 478d. Queen Charlotte Jay. Cyanocitta stelleri carlottz. Range.—Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia. Greenish buff.} NortH AMERICAN BIRDS EGGs. 231 479. Florida Jay. Aphelocoma cyanea. Range.—Locally distributed in Florida. P All the birds of this genus have no crests or decided markings, are white or grayish below, and more or less intense blue above, with the back grayish or brownish blue. This species is 11.5 inches long, has a pale blue crown and a nearly white forehead. It has a very limited distribution, being contined chiefly to the coast districts of middle Florida, and very abundant in some localities and rare in adjoining ones. They build shallow structures of small sticks and weeds lined with fine rootlets and placed at low elevations in bushes or scrubby trees. The three or four eggs, which are laid in April or May are dull greenish blue, marked with olive brown. Size 1.00 x .80. Data.—Titusville, Fla., April 17, 1899. Nest of sticks in a scrub oak, tive feet from the ground. Collector, C. H. Jenkins. {Greenish blue.] 480. Woodhouse Jay. Aphelocoma woodhousei, Range.—United States west of the Rockies and from Oregon and Wyoming to Mexico. This species has the crown and forehead bluish, and the underparts gray, streaked with bluish gray on the Ps, = breast. It is also larger than the last, being 12 inches long. They are very abundant in the Great Basin be- tween the Rockies and the Sierra Nevadas, breeding dur- ing April or May in scrubby trees or bushes at low ele- vations and generally near streams. They lay from three to five eggs of a dull bluish green color, spotted with umber and lilac gray. Size 1.08 x .80. Data.—Iron County, Utah, May 3, 1897. 4 eggs. Nest of sticks and weeds in a small pine tree. Collector, Harry Cooley. [Bluish green.| 480.1. Blue-eared Jay. Aphelocoma cyanotis. Range.—Interior of Mexico north to the southern boundary of Texas. The nesting habits of this species are the same as those of the others of the genus and the eggs are similar but the markings are generally more prominent and larger. Size 1.10 x .80. 480.2. Texan Jay. Aphelocoma texana. Range.—Southeastern Texas. It is not likely that the eggs of this species differ essentially from those of many of the others. 481. California Jay. Aphelocoma californica. Range.—Pacific coast of California and Washington. This is a very abundant species both about habitations and in low woodlands. They are very bold and familiar, stealing everything they may take a fancy to, and fre- quently robbing smaller birds of their eggs and young. They are said to be more tame and familiar than the eastern Blue Jay, thereby bringing their bad habits much more frequently to the attention of the masses. They nest most often in bushes or low trees in thickets, and sometimes in larger trees, but not as a rule, far above the ground. Their eggs are a bright bluish green color, specked and spotted with brownish and lavender. Size 1.10 x .80. {Bright bluish green.] 232 NortH AMERICAN BIRDS EGGS. 48la. Xantus Jay. Aphelocoma californi:a hypoleuca. Range.—Lower California. The habits and nests and eggs of this lighter colored variety do not differ from those of the California Jay. 481b. Belding Jay. Aphclocoma californica obscura. Range.—San Pedro Martir Mts., Lower California. A darker variety of the California Jay, whcse nesting habits will not differ in any essential particular. 481.1. Santa Cruz Jay. Aphelocoma insularis. Range.—Santa Cruz Island, California. This species is the largest and darkest colored bird of the genus Aphelocoma. It is said to be a very abundant species on the island from which it takes its name, and to have the habits and traits common to all the members of the Jay family. The nesting habits are the same as those of the others, but the eggs are slightly larger, averaging 1.15 x .85. The one figured is from a 5 set of three in the collection of John Lewis Chilas, taken [Greenish blue] by R. H. Beck on May 10, 1897. 482. Arizona Jay. Aphelocoma sieberii arizone. Range.—Arizona and southwestern New Mexico south into Mexico. This species differs from the preceding ones in having the upperparts of a uniform bluish, and in being without streaks on the underparts, and with no dusky ear patches. These birds, while they have the usual Jay traits, are more sociable during the breeding season and often small companies of from two to ten pairs nest in the same clump of trees, placing their nests in crotches at low elevations. The nests are made of small sticks and rootlets and generally lined with finer rootlets or horse hair. The eggs are a bright robin blue color, unmarked and number from three to six. Size 1.20 x .85. an Oe | Robin blue.) 482a, Couch Jay. A. s. couchi. Range.— Eastern Mexico, north to western Texas. 483. Green Jay. Xanthoura luxuosa glaucescens. Range.—Northeastern Mexico and the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas. This handsome species has a bright blue crown and patches under the eyes, the rest of the upper parts being greenish; throat and sides of head black, underparts green- ish white. This gaudy and noisy bird has all the habits common to other Jays including that of robbing birds’ nests. They build generally in tangled thickets or low bushes, placing their nests at a low elevation and making them of twigs, weeds, moss, etc., lined with fine rootlets. Their four or five eggs, which are laid during April or May, are grayish buff in color, spotted with various shades of brown and lavender gray. Size 1.20 x .85. [Grayish buff. | NortTH AMERICAN Birps EGGs. 233 484. Canada Jay. Perisoreus canadensis. Range.—Southeastern British Provinces and the adjacent portions of the United States; west to the Rockies. This is the bird that is well known to hunters of ‘‘big game”’ by various names such as ‘‘Whiskey Jack,”’ vp ‘*Moose Bird,’’ ‘‘Camp Robber,”’ ete. During the win- ter months, owing to the scarcity of food, their thieving propensities are greatly enhanced and they remove everything from the camps, which looks as though it might be edible. Birds of this genus are smoky gray on the back and lighter below, shading to white on the throat; the forehead and part of the crown is white and (Grayish. | the nape blackish. Their nests are placed at low eleva- tions in bushes or fir trees, and are usually very different from any of the pre- ceding Jays’ nests. They are nearly as high as wide, and are made of small twigs, moss, catkins, weeds and feathers making a soft spongy mass which is placed in an upright crotch. The eggs are a yellowish gray color spotted and blotched with brown and gravish. Size 1.15 x .80. Data.—Innisfail, Alberta, March 12, 1908. Nest a beautiful structure of twigs, moss and feathers in a willow bush, 6 feet from the ground. The thermometer registered 32 below zero the day the eggs were taken. Collector, W. Biackwood. 484a. Rocky Mountain Jay. Perisoreus canadensis capitalis. Range.—Rocky Mountains from Montana to Arizona. This variety has the whole crown white and only a small amount of blackish on the nape. Its nesting habits and eggs are precisely like those of the last. NEST AND EGGS OF CANADA JAY SHOWING CONSTRUCTION. 234 NortH AMERICAN BirpDS EGGs. 484b. Alaskan Jay. Perisoreus canadensis fumifrons. Range.—Alaska. A very similar bird to the Canada Jay but with the forehead yeliowish or dull- er; the nests and eggs are like those of the others of the genus. 484c. Labrador Jay. Perisoreus canadensis nigricapillus. Range.—Labrador. This is a darker variety of the Canada Jay. Its eggs cannot be distinguished from those of any of the others of the genus. 485. Oregon Jay. Perisoreus obscurus Range.— Mountain ranges from northern California to British Columbia. These birds are very similar to canadensis but have the whole underparts white. Like the Canada Jays they appear to be wholly fearless and pay little or no attention to the presence of mankind. Their nesting habits and eggs are the same as the preceding except that they have generally been found nesting near the tops of tall fir trees. Size of eggs, 1.05 x .80. 485a. Gray Jay. Perisorcus obscurus griseus. Range.—British Columbia to northern California, east of the coast ranges. This bird is said to be larger and grayer than the preceding. 486. American Raven. Corvus corax sinuatus. Range.—North America west of the Rockies and from British Columbia southward. The Raven is like a very large Crow, length 24 inches, but has the feathers on the neck lengthened and stiffened. Their habits are similar to those of the Crow, but more dignified, and they remain mated for life. Besides grass- hoppers and worms, they feed largely upon animal matter such as lizards, shell fish, frogs, eggs and young of birds, and carrion. They nest on ledges of high inaccessible cliffs or the tops of tall trees, making large nests of sticks lined with smaller ones and hair or wool; the eggs are laid in {Pale greenish white.] April or May, number from four to seven, and are light greenish in color, blotched with umber and drab. Size 1.95 x 1.25. . 486a. Northern Raven. Corvus corax principalis. Range.—Eastern North America chiefly north of the United States and north- west to Alaska; south on some of the higher ranges to Georgia. This variety is like the last but is larger. They are not nearly as abundant as the western form and are very rare within the United States. A few pairs still breed on some of the rocky islands off the coast of Maine; more off New Bruns- wick and Newfoundland, and they are quite common on the cliffs of Labrador and Alaska. Their nesting habits and eggs are like those of the last. NortTH AMERICAN Brrps EGGS. 235 487. White-necked Raven. Corvus cryptoleucus. Range.—Mexico and the border of the United States; north to eastern Kansas. This small Raven is of about the size of the a Crow, and has the bases of the neck feathers ses white. They are very abundant in some t localities, especially in southern Arizona. Their food consists chiefly of animal matter, the same as the large Ravens, and they are not nearly as shy, frequently feeding in camps upon refuse which is thrown out to them. They build at low elevations in any tree, but preferably in mesquites, making their nests of sticks and lining them with hair, leaves, bark, wool or anything soft. During June they lay from four to six pale bluish green eggs, generally sparingly spotted or scratched with dark brown and drab. Size 1.75 x 1.20. 488. American Crow. Corvus americanus. Range.—Whole of North America south of the Arctic Circle; most abundant in eastern United States; rare in many localities in the west. These birds, against which the hand of every farmer is uplifted, are very shy and cunning; as is well known, they nearly always post a sentinel in some tree top to keep watch while the rest of the flock is feed- ing in the field below. In the fall and win- &% ter, large numbers of them flock, and at I (Greenish white.] night all roost in one piece of woods; some wh of the ‘‘crow roosts’’ are of vast extent and =. Kansas and Nevada. These birds breed in numbers on the arid plains, placing Uy their grass nests on the ground at the foot of small bushes or NY” concealed in tufts of grass, and during May lay four pure Sree white eggs which are of the same size and_-indistinguishable [White.] from those of others of the genus. 579. Rufous-winged Sparrow. Aimophila carpalis. Range.—Plains of western Mexico and north to southern Arizona. This pale colored bird bears a remote resemblance to the fig: Tree Sparrow. They nest commonly in dry arid regions, plac- ing their nests at low elevations in bushes or cacti, preferably young mesquites, and making them of coarse grass lined with finer. Two broods are raised a season and from May to August sets of four or five plain bluish white eggs may be [Bluish white.] found. Size .75x 60. 266 NortH AMERICAN Birpbs EGGs. 580. Rufous-crowned Sparrow. Aimophila ruficeps. Range.—Local in southern half of California and in Lower California. _A brownish colored species both above and below, which is found on mount- ains and hillsidesin restricted localities. They nest on the ground placing their grass structures in hollows, usually at the foot of a small bush or shrub and oe ae: They, lay from three to five pale bluish white eggs. Size .80 x .60. 580a. Scott Sparrow.