Fhpeh Dechy poate a eau pean bat i nti a ea A GUIDE TOTHEBIRDS - OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK | o. rey h Hoffmann Book. COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. SPARROW HAWK (perched); SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (flying) A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND HASTERN NEW YORK CONTAINING A KEY FOR EACH SEASON AND SHORT DESCRIPTIONS OF OVER TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY SPECIES WITH PARTICULAR REFER- ENCE TO THEIR APPEARANCE IN THE FIELD BY RALPH HOFFMANN Member of the American Ornithologists’ Union WITH FOUR FULL-PAGE PLATES BY LOUIS AGASSIZ FUERTES AND NEARLY ONE HUNDRED CUTS IN THE TEXT 5 he BOSTON AND NEW YORK HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY Che Wiverside Press, Cambridge 1904 LIBRARY of CONGRESS Two Gapies Received APR 21 1904 Copyright Entry po DEH 1G oO ance QQ XXe. No. See os COPY B COPYRIGHT 1904 BY RALPH HOFFMANN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Published April, roo €2 ea” = @2 20 . SO Pat? ANC *. ~y * @ * oY e 4 e? a. 8 2:2 am ° 2? vee ee naee ana = = a a6 . oe ¢_e ® ® e@e5 Ses a = é 7 ac? e e a3 e Fee Oe, Che! o*e eée an e *@ Seal e * *. i eS. 6 FO Fig © Ca * On F : e * e CRE Oe OL tr Vienne Stn aS Saye = oe Ae ane . sa ‘ae » sae PREFATORY NOTE I am indebted to a number of friends for assistance and advice in the preparation of this book. Mr. F. H. Allen, Mr. William Brewster, Mr. Walter Faxon, and Dr. C. W. Townsend have read either the entire manuscript or parts of it, and have made valuable suggestions. Miss M. E. Blatch- ford has also read the manuscript and given much helpful advice. I am indebted to Mr. G. M. Allen for the advance sheets of his “ Birds of New Hampshire,” which have helped me on points of distribution. Mr. F. M. Chapman has very kindly permitted me to use the dimensions given in his “ Birds of Eastern North America.”” I am indebted to Mr. Brewster and to Mr. Walter Deane for the use of skins in Mr. Brewster’s collection, and to Dr. W. McM. Woodworth for the use of skins in the Museum of Com- parative Zodlogy. Mrs. Florence Merriam Bailey has kindly permitted the use of cuts which have already appeared in her ‘‘ Birds of Village and Field.” If this book proves helpful to others, it will pay, vica- riously at least,a little of the great debt which I owe to Mr. Walter Faxon, whose instruction and example have been an invaluable guide and stimulus to me in the past. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION I. THe OBsEcT AND PLAN OF THIS GUIDE Il. Brrps AND THEIR SEASONS III. Migration IV. DISTRIBUTION . ; V. Hints For Fietp Work VI. How To USE THE Keys . KEYS Kry For WINTER Kry For MArcH. Key For APRIL Key For May KrY FOR SUMMER Kry FoR AUTUMN BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN YORK Percuine Brraps: OrpER PAssERES Thrushes : Family Turdide Kinglets : Family Sylviide Nuthatches and Tits : Family Paridies Creepers : Family Certhiide Thrashers, Wrens, etc. : Family Troglodytide Titlarks : Family Neotaoillides Warblers : Family Mniotiltide Vireos : Family Vireonidz Shrikes ; Family Laniide . : Waxwings, ete. : Family Ampelide Swallows : Family Hirundinide Tanagers : Family Tanagride : ’ Finches, Sparrows, ete. Bamily Runeilide Blackbirds, Orioles, ata. : Family Icteridee PAGE 29 33 37 42 51 61 NEW (Gl 80 83 88 89 97 . 98 130 apie oY | 139 . 140 147 . 148 184 Vili CONTENTS Starlings : Family Sturnide Crows, Jays, etc. : Family Corvide Larks: Family Alaudide . Flycatchers : Family Tyrannide GOATSUCKERS, SWIFTS, HUMMINGBIRDS, ETC. : CROCHIRES Hummingbirds: Family Trochilide . Swifts : Family Micropodide Nighthawks, Whip- esr ete.: Family Caprimul- : : ; ; . 212 gide WOODPECKERS, ETC. : ORDER PICI Woodpeckers: Family Picide Cuckoos, KINGFISHERS, ETC.: ORDER COCCYGES Kingfishers : Family Alcedinide Cuckoos : Family Cuculide Brrps oF PREY: ORDER RAPTORES Horned Owls, ete. : Family Bubonide Barn Owls : Maamily, Strigide : Hawks and Eagles: Family F “lami PIGEONS : ORDER COLUMBZ Pigeons : Family Columbide GALLINACEOUS BriRDS: ORDER GALLINE Pheasants : Family Phasianide Grouse, Bob-white, etc. : Family Reteqeatdes SHORE Brrps: ORDER LIMICOLZ Turnstones : Family Aphrizide Plovers : Family Charadriide Snipes, Sandpipers, ete. : Family Sealeaente : Phalaropes : Family Pao eenedids RaAILs, ETC.: ORDER PALUDICOLE Rails, Gallinules, and Coots: Family Rallide . . 195 195 He Le) 201 . 209 210 215 . 224 226 . 228 234 . 235 246 . 276 CONTENTS HERONS, ETC. : ORDER HERODIONES Herons and Bitterns : Family Ardeide. Ducks, GEESE, SWANS: ORDER ANSERES Ducks, Geese, Swans: Family Anatide CORMORANTS, GANNETS, ETC.: ORDER STEGANOPODES Cormorants : Family Phalacrocoracide Gannets: Family Sulide . PETRELS, SHEARWATERS, ETC.: ORDER TUBINARES Petrels and Shearwaters : Family Procellariide TERNS, GULLS, AND JAEGERS : ORDER LONGIPENNES Gulls and Terns: Family Laride Jaegers : Family Stercorariidze Divine Brrps: ORDER PYGOPODES Auks, Murres, and Puffins: Family Alcide Loons : Family Gaviide . : Grebes : Family Podicipide APPENDIX A. Lists oF BIRDS BREEDING IN THE THREE LIFE-ZONES oF NEw ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEw YorK B. Booxs or REFERENCE INDEX . 286 310 . 311 312 . 347 351 = LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FULL-PAGE PLATES PAGE Sparrow Hawk AND SHARP-SHINNED Hawk. Frontispiece LirE-ZonE Map . : : j 5 : ; : 15 LEAST FLYCATCHER . 6 : : : “ . facing 202 ~ CHIMNEY SwIFT . Hee acing. 210)” RED-TAILED HAwk AND Marsa Haws. : . facing 246 ’ FIGURES IN THE TEXT FIGURE PAGE 1. Ruby-crowned Kinglet, head . ; : : ; atoll! 2. Golden-crowned Kinglet, head. : . ; : 82 3. Red-bellied Nuthatch, head . : ; 3 ‘ . 86 4, White-bellied Nuthatch, head. : “ : 87 5. Long-billed Marsh Wren, head. 4 é : 5) 6 7 8 9 . Short-billed Marsh Wren, head . : : : é 91 . Carolina Wren, head : ‘ ‘ . 94 . Canadian Warbler, head and bast : , : . 100 . Wilson’s Warbler, head . , ; : ; ‘ a (0 10. Hooded Warbler, head : ; j : ; 2) FOR, 11. Northern Yellow-throat, head : : : ‘ . 104 12. Kentucky Warbler, head . ; : 5 : :' 106 13. Oven-bird, head and breast. ; : : ‘ . 109 14. Prairie Warbler, head and breast , ce. “BLO 15. Black-throated Green Warbler, head and tease : Sabi 16. Black-poll Warbler, head. : : : . 2) GS 17. Chestnut-sided Warbler, head : : ; ‘ . 118 18. Magnolia Warbler, head and breast . ‘ ‘ oy ilo 19. Myrtle Warbler, head and breast . : . 120 20. Black-throated Blue Warbler, head and ‘iieast ‘ i, eee 21. Yellow Warbler, head and brat : ‘ ; : . 123 22. Golden-winged Warbler, head and breast . : 5 227 23. Blue-winged Warbler, head and breast . : ‘ . 128 24. Worm-eating Warbler, head ‘ ; ‘ ‘ a: ag LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS . Black and White Warbler, head 26. Solitary Vireo, head . Warbling Vireo, head . Red-eyed Vireo, head . . Loggerhead Shrike, head . Northern Shrike, head eae winged Swallow, head Ang tree . Bank Swallow, head and breast . . Tree Swallow, head and breast . Barn Swallow, tail . Cliff Swallow . : . Rose-breasted Grosbeak, ‘Remale head and brenate . Towhee, head and breast i : . Towhee, tail § . Song Sparrow, head omg renee . Slate-colored Junco, head and breast . . Slate-colored Junco, tail . . Field Sparrow, head . . Chipping Sparrow, head . . Tree Sparrow, head and breast . White-throated Sparrow, head . White-crowned Sparrow, head . Seaside Sparrow, head and breast . . Sharp-tailed Sparrow, head and breast . Henslow’s Sparrow, head and breast . Grasshopper Sparrow, head and breast . Vesper Sparrow, head and breast . Pine Siskin, head and breast . Redpoll, head and breast ; . White-winged Crossbill, head and fies . Purple Finch, Female, head and breast . . Bronzed Grackle, head 3 . Bronzed Grackle, tail . . Red-winged Blackbird, F emales Bead aad pees . Bobolink, Female, head and breast. . Blue Jay, head “ . Horned Lark, head mal beers? . Nighthawk, head . Nighthawk, wing . Whip-poor-will, head . . Northern Flicker, head and bedact. . Red-headed Woodpecker >» £29 132 . 134 136 . 138 139 . 141 142 . 143 144 . 146 151 . 153 153 lor 159 . 159 160 . J6f 162 . 164 165 . 166 167 . 168 169 a2 176 . 178 179 . 182 185 . 185 191 . 194 198 . 200 212 . 213 214 . 216 218 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS . Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, head, breast, and wing . . Belted Kingfisher, head and breast : : . Black-billed Cuckoo, tail . Yellow-billed Cuckoo, tail . . Sereech Owl, head . . Mourning Dove, tail . Bob-white, head . . Piping Plover, head and freee . Semipalmated Plover, head and breast . Killdeer, head and breast ; . Black-bellied Plover, Immature, bead . Solitary Sandpiper, tail : . Red-backed Sandpiper, head . . Florida Gallinule, head . Sora, head . Virginia Rail, endl . Least Bittern, head . Surf Scoter, head . Buffle-head, head . American Golden-eye, head . Blue-winged Teal, head . . Red-breasted ee: head . Leach’s Petrel . Common Tern . Herring Gull . : : . Razor-billed nen in Winter ead . Briinnich’s Murre, head . . Black Guillemot . : : . Horned Grebe, in Winter, head X111 . 220 225 . 226 227 . 231 247 . 202 254 . 255 256 . 258 264 . 268 278 2 219 280 . 284 291 . 296 298 . 303 309 . o14 319 . 324 330 . 331 332 . 337 ute rel INTRODUCTION i . 7 ‘ : a : "ae ag x ’ — E , ‘ ‘ 5 5 4 * , A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK I THE OBJECT AND PLAN OF THIS GUIDE THERE is something infectious in the enthusiasm of a stu- dent of birds. To hear him talk about the excitement of see- ing a new bird, to read his account of it, or, best of all, to go afield with him on a May morning, is often enough to awaken a new interest, which enriches life to a surprising degree. The study of birds presents plenty of difficulties, which add fuel to the flame of real enthusiasm ; there are sloughs of despond beyond which the faint-hearted never get. A guide who knows the way, its pitfalls and short cuts, is always wel- come, and almost necessary in these days when our only weapon is the opera-glass. In spite of the fact that many excellent books are now available, the author offers another, both in the belief that there can never be too many good guides, and in the hope that this book has been especially adapted to the growing class of beginners in bird study. The book is the result of experience with many field- classes. Hvery effort has been made to emphasize the aspect of birds as seen out of doors, to describe their general or most prominent colors rather than any mark difficult to see on the living bird, and to call attention to their characteristic habits and haunts, and thus to enable the conscientious student to answer, with as much certainty as possible, the question, 4 - A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS ‘What is the bird that I have seen?” The keys and the illustrations have been prepared with this end in view. There has been no attempt to give a complete description of the plumage, as it would look if the bird were held in the hand, nor does the book contain anything like full biogra- phies of each species. Minute descriptions of the plumage and full accounts of the lives of the birds are to be found in many excellent books, some one of which may well be used to supplement this Guide. Notes and songs have been carefully described, and as far as possible expressed in English syllables. The author is well aware that another listener would express the same sounds by very different syllables; he has not attempted to convey to any one unfamiliar with the song anything more than an idea of its length and accent, and perhaps a suggestion of the quality of its tone. It is hoped, however, that the songs as transcribed will be useful in identifying doubtful species, that any one comparing the transcripts in the book with his own field-notes, or, better still, with the songs themselves, will recognize their likeness to that of one species and their unlikeness to that of another. The descriptions given in this Guide of the nests and eggs of those birds that breed in New York and New Eng- land are not intended to be full or detailed. If a nest and eggs have been found, but no clue to the parent birds has been obtained, these descriptions will not serve as a means of identification ; in fact, even a large collection of nests and eggs 1s sometimes of little use in such a case. The descrip- tions are merely intended to guide the student in his search for a nest by indicating where it is generally placed, or if the student. thinks he has discovered the nest and eggs of a certain species, they will tend to confirm or to dispel his belief. The book attempts to be a guide for only a restricted re- gion, —eastern New York, northern New Jersey, and New THE OBJECT AND PLAN OF THIS GUIDE 5 England. By narrowing the field in this way, many species are eliminated which in other manuals bewilder a beginner and often lead him into error. No mention, moreover, is made of birds that are only irregular wanderers to the region. As the student advances in the study of birds and be- comes more familiar with the commoner species and more interested in the subject, he often asks, ‘‘ Where or how can I see such and such a species, of which I read in Burroughs or Torrey ?”’ In the case of local or rare birds, an attempt has been made in this Guide to direct the student to certain favorable localities where the species will be either surely or probably found; and in every case the kind of country where a species is likely to occur is as fully described as possible. IT BIRDS AND THEIR SEASONS THouGH by far the greater number of our birds spend the winter months south of us, yet a few species of land-birds and many sea-birds find food enough here even in winter to support life. If these species are also found in the same region in summer, they are known as permanent residents. Examples of this class are the Chickadee, the Crow, the owls, and the Grouse or Partridge. Several of them are birds that find their food on the limbs or twigs of trees, in the form of dormant insects or their eggs, others feed on the seeds of weeds or grasses, or on the berries or buds of bushes or trees. The owls live on mice or other small mammals. Most of the birds that live chiefly on insects are driven south by the approach of frost. Besides these resident birds, our winter list includes birds that are found in summer to the northward of us, migrants, in other words, for whom our latitude is far enough south to afford food. Examples of this class are the Shrike, the Golden-crowned Kinglet, and the Tree Sparrow; they are known as winter visitants. Another group of birds, includ- ing the Crossbills and the Pine Grosbeaks, generally resi- dent in high latitudes, move southward at very irregular intervals, and then become abundant winter visitants. The first warm days of March melt the snow from the hillsides of central New England and stir the hibernating insects; a few species of birds that have wintered only a few degrees to the south of us, now begin to move north- ward and arrive in New England ; examples are the Bronzed BIRDS AND THEIR SEASONS rf Grackle and the Red-winged Blackbird. A few Bluebirds and a fairly large number of Song Sparrows winter in south- ern Connecticut and in the lower Hudson Valley, but in March the number becomes vastly larger, as the army from the south arrives. Most of the winter birds are still here, so that the March list is the winter list plus the March ar- rivals. In April, a larger number of species arrive from still farther south, but a few of the winter residents now leave for their summer homes, so that they must be subtracted from the April list. May brings back all the birds that have wintered south of us, as far south in many cases as Central or South America. It also drives northward our winter visitants, so that these no longer appear on the list. Some of these, such as the Tree Sparrow, breed outside the limits of the United States, so that they need not enter into our calculations again till they return in the fall; many others, such as the Brown Creeper and the Golden-crowned Kinglet, though they now vanish from Connecticut, Massa- chusetts, and the lower Hudson Valley, go no farther than the Adirondacks, New Hampshire, Vermont, or Maine to breed ; these therefore appear later in the list of the sum- mer birds of those regions. Some of the March migrants, too, such as the Fox Sparrow, pass farther north in April beyond the Canadian boundary and do not appear again in our lists till the fall. Others, both of the March and April arrivals, pass into northern New England and New York to breed, but are eliminated from our May list in the southern and central portions of our field. By the middle of June, all birds are on their breeding erounds; lists of birds seen in the latter half of June and early July include only the permanent residents and the summer residents. But inasmuch as the summer birds of northern New York and New England differ so much from those of the rest of the field, as is more fully explained under the heading Distribution, the division of the key 8 A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS which is especially intended for northern New York and New England is larger for summer than for other seasons. Many of our summer residents grow less numerous or disappear entirely before the first of September; very few migrants from the north are seen till the middle of the month, when the arrival of the Black-poll Warblers marks the beginning of the return tide. By the middle of October only a few of our summer residents and a few migrants re- main, and by the first of December we come back to winter fare. The list for the autumn months will include, there- fore, all our permanent residents, all our summer residents, except those that leave before the middle of September, and all the migrants. Ill MIGRATION THE migration of birds is their movement away from their breeding grounds at the close of one breeding season, and their return to it at the approach of the next. Almost all birds move about to a certain extent after they are no longer bound to the neighborhood of the nest, but when an Owl haunts the same swampy forest throughout the year and a Downy Woodpecker wanders no farther from its woodland home than the nearest village, we call such birds non-migra- tory. The great majority of our birds, however, are forced by lack of food to move southward at the end of summer ; some go only a short way, many pass beyond the limits of the United States, a few pass the Equator. It often happens that there are individuals of a species present both in summer and in winter; there are Chickadees, for instance, in New England at all seasons, though it is quite possible that they are not the same individuals — that the more southern have been replaced by some that bred farther north. For our purpose, however, such birds must be considered permanent residents. Some species, Crows for instance, are permanent residents, but are much commoner in summer than in winter. The wandering away from the breeding ground begins almost as soon as the young are able to fly ; Snowbirds often appear in the valleys, a mile or so from spruce growth, as early as the middle of July. During August, many of our resident birds undoubtedly move southward; many have been silent for some time, so that we do not notice their departure. A few species, too, reach us from the north 10 A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS during July and August, the Solitary Sandpiper and the Great Blue Heron toward the end of July, the Northern Water-thrush and the Yellow-rumped Warbler in August. By the tenth of September, the great stream of northern birds sets in, reaching its height about the first of October, though the Fox and Tree Sparrows do not arrive till late in October. It is safe to say that by the fifteenth of December all the land-birds that intend to move southward have done so. In New England and New York, there is practically no change in bird-life (unless it be a further diminution in num- ber of some wintering species) until the middle of February. The first arrivals from the south, the Crow Blackbirds, Bluebirds, etc., reach the lower Hudson Valley by the end of February, and the latitude of Boston early in March. These are birds that have wintered within fairly easy reach, in the Carolinas perhaps, or in Virginia. Stormy weather delays them; a warm spell with southwest winds brings them early. All through March and early April other birds which have wintered in the Southern States arrive. In the mean time, birds that have wintered in the tropics have been pushing into the Gulf States or into Florida, and at each warm wave they advance, till in May they flood New York and New England in a great wave. The first warm, fair night following a hot day, or, better still, two successive hot days, between the third and tenth of May, will generally bring the first Orioles; the next such spell of heat will bring all the northern warblers and thrushes. If early May is cool and clear for days, the birds do not arrive in a great body, but slip through in little flocks, almost unnoticed. A cold northeast storm following suddenly on a hot wave makes the best conditions for observing migrants ; they are held back in great numbers, and as they feed low in the bushes in such weather, they can be easily studied. About the city of New York, migration is practically over by Deco- ration Day ; a day or two later, the last Black-poll Warbler MIGRATION alg and Olive-backed Thrush have left the latitude of Boston. Only two or three rare migrants, the Mourning Warbler, for instance, occur regularly in June. The above paragraphs deal chiefly with the migration of land-birds; the shore-birds and the sea-birds have some- what different periods of migration. The sandpipers, plovers, and terns spend the winter to the southward, and return to their breeding grounds for the most part during May. A few species remain to breed off the coasts.of New York and New England, but the vast majority pass farther north. By the middle of July, many of the sandpipers begin to come back, and there is a heavy migration of the shore-birds during August and early September. Numbers of the ducks, loons, grebes, and gulls are winter visitants to our coasts; they begin to pass north in April, and by the end of May all that are going north have left. The gulls begin to come back in August, some of the sea-ducks, loons, and grebes in September, and throughout October there is a steady south- ward movement ; by the first of December the bulk of those that winter farther south have already passed by. There are several facts about the migration of birds that it is well for the observer to keep in mind. In many species the males precede the females by several days, — in the case of the Red-winged Blackbird by several weeks. If a species is a summer resident of any locality, and also a migrant to more northern regions, the first arrivals are almost always residents which return to the old breeding-places. The earli- est Black-throated Green Warbler, therefore, will be found in some grove of pines where the bird breeds, and two weeks later, perhaps, the orchards and open woodland will be full of migrant Black-throated Green Warblers, passing north in company with other northern warblers. The resident birds, moreover, vary greatly in promptness ; some one Catbird will be noted as an early bird, singing in his favorite thicket sev- eral days before his neighbors arrive. The period of migra- WZ A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS tion of any one species varies, largely according to the abun- dance of the species, but also according to some unexplained idiosyncrasy of the bird. The Yellow-rumped Warbler is passing through sometimes for a period of over a month ; the frst Rusty Blackbird often appears late in March, and the last in early May. Certain birds are seen much less fre- quently in migration than one would expect from their abun- dance northward ; the Winter Wren and the Sapsucker are examples. Some birds have very different routes in spring and fall; the Connecticut Warbler is almost never found in New England in spring, but is sometimes locally common in the autumn, while the Blackburnian Warbler is much rarer in the autumn than in the spring. Several birds, therefore, the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher and the Bay-breasted Warbler, for instance, occur as not uncommon migrants along the Hudson, or even in the Connecticut Valley, though rare in eastern New England. The spring is an easier time to identify migrants than the autumn. Nearly all the males are in full song in the spring; very few sing at all inthe autumn. Many birds change their plumage in the summer, and lose their bright distinctive marks. And yet, to an enthusiast, there is something very fascinating in the study of the fall migrants. In spring, the bird’s song generally betrays his presence for some time be- fore he is seen; but in the autumn one is kept constantly on the alert to discover in the flocks of small restless warblers or sparrows, often dull colored and puzzling, some novelty or rarity. Perhaps the most interesting experience connected with the study of birds is to hear the notes of migrants passing overhead on clear nights in August and September. The tsip of Black-poll Warblers or the chink of a Bobolink fall- ing from the darkness, brings home to one with startling — impressiveness the wonder of the long journey from northern New England to the Equator and back again. IV DISTRIBUTION Tue fact that birds are not universally distributed is known to every one interested in natural history; that the Mock- ingbird is a southern, and not a northern bird is generally understood. The exact limits of the breeding area of any one bird are hardly to be defined even in New England, but the region where it breeds commonly may now be definitely mapped. ' Two important factors must be borne in mind in studying the breeding areas of the birds of New England and New York, the latitude and the altitude. If we pass from New York city through southwestern Connecticut to New Haven, then up the Connecticut Valley to northern Vermont, we note in southern Connecticut the tulip-tree and the sweet gum ; in central Connecticut we see them no longer, but we still see oaks and hickories; but by the time we reach Wells River in central Vermont, these too are left behind, and patches of spruce and fir appear on the distant hillsides. We have climbed only 407 feet from the sea, but we have traversed nearly three degrees of latitude, and hence these changes. They are due to a colder and moister climate at a higher latitude. Had we left the train in the Connecticut River Valley, at Greenfield, traveled westward to North Adams, and then climbed Mt. Greylock, almost 3000 feet above the railroad, we should have noted the same changes as we ascended the mountain; the oaks and nut trees would have disappeared, and been replaced by spruce and fir. But here the changes would have been due to altitude. 14 A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS And as. all life is intimately associated, the student of birds would have felt sure from the presence of the sweet gum trees in Fairfield County, Conn., that certain birds, the Southern Water-thrush for example, would be found breed- ing there, and from the spruces on Greylock or in northern Vermont, that Black and Yellow Warblers nested among them. To predict what birds will be likely or certain to be found in any one place, we must, therefore, know first its lati- tude, — southern Connecticut and northern Maine will have few birds in common; next, we must know the altitude of its hills and the character of their vegetation, —if they are high enough to be clothed with spruce, they will be frequented by birds unknown as summer residents in the lowland. | ‘ So regularly do certain groups of plants and animals, in- cluding birds, confine themselves to certain well-marked re- gions, that it has been found convenient to employ certain fixed terms to designate the areas where these groups are found. The sweet gum and the Southern Water-thrush are characteristic of the Atlantic Plain from southwestern Con- ~ necticut to Florida; they are representatives, therefore, of what is known as the Carolinian or Upper Austral Life Zone. The spruce and the Black and Yellow Warbler occur through- out the forested region of Canada; they are representatives, therefore, in northern New England of the Canadian Life Zone. So closely is the presence or absence of a certain well- marked group of birds correlated with the presence or absence of the spruce and fir, that the nature of the forests becomes the first point one must settle with regard to any locality in southern New Hampshire or Vermont, or northern Massa- chusetts or New York. The accompanying map shows the extent in New England of the Upper Austral and Canadian Life Zones. The country between these zones possesses many birds IMboschea Greylbck ut hs Peat ning GAS 4 ga Yonex ) Chatham / \W_Monomo

, |) eR Pies “eR Dae OBE Stavane LN 17.00. In woods; head with long red crest. p. 219. Pileated Woodpecker. 9.50. On trunks or large limbs of trees; back plain black; crown in male with yellow patch. : p- 222. Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker. KEY FOR MAY 49 Red, Scarlet, or Rose. A. 8.35. On ground near bushes, or singing in trees; head and upper breast black; belly white; tail black and white; sides of breast and belly eNestnat See Bee es ea Ploo aL Owes. 8.12. In trees; spot of rose on Presse. head black; wings and tail black emclisylite ye cae ye os Delo” EOse- breasted Grosbeak. 7.25. In trees; whole body red; wings and tail black. p- 147. Scarlet Tanager. A’. : 8.25. (As far north as Central Park, N. Y.) Entire plumage red or red- dish meres conspicuous). « 21) +) Pelol.: Cardinal: pAUE® 8.56. On large limbs and trunks; top of head and in male throat dark red; back speckled with white; edge of black wing white. p. 220. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. [6.33. Size of English Sparrow. | B. 6.22. Entire upper parts and throat crimson, brightest on head and rump. p. 181. Purple Finch. 6.19.* Entire bird enon, red; regular in northern New England. p- 180. American Crossbill. 6.05.** Entire bird rose-red; wing-bars white; not so uncommon in northern New England . p.179. White-winged Crossbill. 5-63 In trees; crown, throat, upper breast, and sides bay; wing-bars VIGO 5 a 4 5) 6 Me, Wo JUG: Baveproneted Warbler. 5.25. (Rare in eastern New England.) In trees, often evergreen; throat rich orange; back black, streaked with whitish; patch on wing SIEMG@ Mrs cMNel) s othiveit sen) ave t's p. 114. Blackburnian Warbler. Blue. A. 13.02. Perched near water, or flying over it; much white showing in wings and tail; billlong and pointed. . . . p.224. Kingfisher. 11.74. In woodland, or in trees near houses; much white in wings and tail; band across breast black; crest often raised p. 198. Blue Jay. [10.00. Size of Robin. | 7.01. Upper parts deep blue; breast reddish-brown p. 71. Bluebird. 7.01. Upper parts grayish; breast pale reddish; wings and tail bluish. p.- 71. @ Bluebird. (6.33. Size of English Sparrow. | B. 6.07. On limbs and trunks of trees; back bluish-gray; top of head black; under parts white . . . p. 86. White-bellied Nuthatoh, 50 A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS 5-59. Sings from a high perch, near bushes; entire body deep blue. p- 149. Indigo-bird. 5.28. (Arrives May 10.) In trees; throat black; upper parts dark blue; spot on wing white. p.121. Black-throated Blue Warbler. 4.73. In trees; head and black bluish-gray; throat yellowish with brown Spot. 5 2 ie ee ots (os) «6p. 124. ParulaWWererer: Bie 4.62. On limbs and trunks of trees; under parts reddish-brown; black line througheye .. . . p.85. Red-bellied Nuthatch. KEY FOR SUMMER (JUNE, JULY, AUGUST) Brown or Brownish. A. 12.20. T1639: 12.00. 1.42: 10.75. 10.00. 9-75: Q.OI. 8.35. 8.29. 8.12. 8.00. 7:75: 7.52. 7.25. Pato. 7.17, 7.02. { In trees; very slender; tail long; Yellow-billed Guckdo {under parts white. . p.226. $Black-billed : Flies from or to trees; rump white. . . . . p. 216. Flicker. Upper parts reddish-brown; tail very long; flies into bushes when disturbed) . 2.05 «-. oo eepooeehrasher: Whistles in tree-tops, or Gon “pasties feeds in grass; outer tail- feathers white . . ... =... . p.190. Meadowlark. Bieastibay.. 3% ss p- 73. Robin. Flutters from ground in enoods as if hemmilderedr band across upper breast white or buff . . . . . . p. 213. Whip-poor-will. In trees; notes loud and harsh; belly yellow; tail reddish-brown. p. 207. Crested Flycatcher. On ground under ae tail-feathers tipped with white; flanks reddish-brown . . syle p- 152. 9 Towhee. On ground in woods, or on Jor himbs: meat white, heavily spotted; head reddish-brown... .. . p. 79. Wood Thrush. In trees; breast lightly streaked; line over eye and bar on wing white; no red on breast’ p. 150. Q Rose-breasted Grosbeak. In bushes near water; blackish-brown; streaked. p- 191. @ Red-winged Blackbird. (Very rare in southern and eastern New England.) Walks or runs on the ground in grassy fields; throat tinged with yellow; stripe through eye, sides of throat, and patch on breast black. p. 199. Prairie Horned Lark. In wet woods; upper parts tawny-brown; breast not spotted with blacks a! ak Deri ro Satie anes STNG 78. Wilson’s Thrush. Walking on ground in peaelae! or lighting in trees; unstreaked. p- 192. Q Cowbird. In trees; head and neck snuff-brown; line through eye velvety- black; crest often raised; tail- feathers tipped with y ellow. p- 189. Cedar-bird. (Rare in eastern and southern New England after May 10.) Breast spotted with black; tail reddish-brown. p. 74. Hermit Thrush. In grass-fields; under parts yellowish-brown; unstreaked. p- 198, Y Bobolink. A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS . About farm buildings, or near water; tail constantly jerked; breast unstreaked; flies out from perch for insects . p. 206. Phoebe. . In woods and about camps. Entire plumage sooty brown. p. 197. J/m. Canada Jay. . Breast white, spotted with black; eye-ring white; cheek bufiy. p- 76. Olive-backea Thrush. . On ground, or low limbs; breast spotted with black; tail reddish- NOVA bas a are Hermit Thrush. . (On mountains ASE 3000 ite ) On ground, or on low limbs; breast white, spotted with black . . . p.77. Bicknell’s Thrush. . On ground, or in bushes; head marked with black and white; line over eye yellow; throat white. p. 163. White-throated Sparrow. . Size of English Sparrow. | . Wherever there are bushes and water: breast streaked, with dark blotch in centre . . . . . . p. 157. Song Sparrow. . In trees: entire under parts soci Ae unstreaked. p. 136. Red-eyed Vireo. . In dry woods, on ground or low limbs; teeters as it walks; breast streaked with black . . . . -.« « p. 108. Ovensoree . In pastures and near cultivated felde- breast streaked. p. 172. Vesper Sparrow. . In marshes; breast dark, unstreaked; cap chestnut. p. 155. Swamp Sparrow. . Insalt marshes. . . . . . p.167. Sharp-tailed Sparrow. . In trees; common in village streets; entire under parts white, un- streaked . 3. 2.02. 2. » « p. 1345 Warbine perce . In grass land; breast streaked. . p.170. Savanna Sparrow. . In bushy pastures and hillsides; often in cedars; breast unstreaked; song musical - 6 « » « » « « D160. ield Spasms . In bushes or small trees; unstreaked; tail nervously twitched to the sidewat en ae . . . p. 149. ¢ Indigo-bird, . In pines; upper as Por ich under parts dull whitish: wing- bars dull white . . . = eo ee sO eL Se Ores. Warbler. . (Not common north of fatende of Boston.) In dry, sterile fields; song insect-like; breast unstreaked p. 169. Grasshopper Sparrow. . Near houses or farming land, or in cedars; breast ashy white, un- streaked; song unmusical . . p.161. Chipping Sparrow. . In marshes; clings to stalks with tail cocked; song bubbling. p. 89. Long-billed Marsh Wren. . In wet meadows, or ill-drained hillsides; breast narrowly streaked; note flee’-sic; rare . . . . . p.168. Henslow’s Sparrow. . In orchards, or about buildings; tail often cocked over back. p- 95. House Wren. . In wet meadows; clings to stalks with tail cocked. p- 90. Short-billed Marsh Wren. B’. 6.00. 5.50. 5.80. 5-61. KEY FOR SUMMER 53 (Not found north of Rhode Island.) In salt marshes. p- 165. Seaside Sparrow. (Rare in southern Connecticut, not uncommon in the lower Hudson Valley.) Skulks in bushes: whistles loudly; conspicuous whitish MMe FONE event vy eval | seep o+n Carolina NV Ten. . On ground, or in trees; brownish-gray; outer tail-feathers white. p. 158. @ Junco. . Clinging close to trunks of trees . . p.88. Brown Creeper. (Only on mountains above 3000 ft. except in northern Maine.) In trees, chiefly spruces; crown brownish-gray. p- 83. Hudsonian Chickadee. . Dark brown; generally on ground; in damp forests. p- 91. Winter Wren. or Grayish. . Breast reddish; in trees, oron ground .. . . p.73. Robin. . Lengthwise on limbs, or on cae rocks; bar across wing white; Wwinesevery long. % |. ey Da oka. a NGS it hawk. . Dark slaty-gray ; mes of heed black in bushes, or feeding on STOUNCU ele) 6G of) On SH. Cehievinel: . About farm-buildings, or near sarees files out from perch for insects; tail constantly jerked .. . ou) i) Dec0b.) eheebe: . In groves, or street trees; flies out fon perch for insects; wing-bars WAMTLOMMM SMM rel ros Teta siet ce sh itert bana ple Wood Pewee. . In woods, often about camps; forehead white; nape black. p. 197. Canada Jay. . Entire plumage sooty slate . .°. p.197. Jm. Canada Jay. . Slaty-gray; wing-bars white. . . p.183. ¢ Pine Grosbeak. . On tops of trees or bushes; wings and tail black and white. p. 137. Loggerhead Shrike. . On dead trees in clearings or burnt tracts; flies out from perch after insects; note a wild whistle. p. 206. Olive-sided Flycatcher. . Size of English Sparrow. | . In trees; breast white, unstreaked. . p. 1386. Red-eyed Vireo. . In trees, or occasionally on ground; brownish-gray; streaked all over; lime over eye white. . . . p.181. 9% Purple Finch. In trees, common in village streets; breast unstreaked. p. 134. Warbling Vireo. (Rare south of latitude 43.) In cool woods; head dark; breast un- streaked ; line to and around eye white. p. 182. Solitary Vireo. 54 A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS 5-41. In trees in open country; note an emphatic tse-dic’ ; sits upright on perch or flies out after insects. p. 202. Least Flycatcher. 5-28. (Rare south of latitude 43, except in western New England.) Low in woods; spot on wing white. p- 121. © Black-throated Blue Warbler. 5.27. (Rare north of Connecticut.) In thickets; under parts yellowish; note loud and emphatic. . . . p.131. White-eyed Vireo. 6.28. Near water; under parts streaked with black; tail constantly wagged. p. 107. Louisiana Water-thrush. 6.00. (As far north as Orange, N.J., and Staten Island.) In trees; upper parts gray; crest conspicuous . . p. 85. Tufted Titmouse. 5-75. (As far north as Sing Sing, N. Y.; absent in New England.) Sits upright on a perch, or flies out for insects. p- 203. Green-crested Flycatcher. 5-51. Back greenish-gray; head striped with black and buff. p. 128. Worm-eating Warbler. 6.27. Head and upper breast slaty-gray; outer tail-feathers white. p- 158. Juneo. 6.19. In trees, generally conifers, often with red males; rump greenish- VCIOWS ond wecunton go act . p. 180. 2 American Crossbill. 6.09. In alder thickets ; sits upright on a perch: note quee-quee’. p. 202. Alder Flycatcher. 6.05. In trees, generally conifers, at high altitudes; wing-bars white; rump greenish-yellow . p.179. 2 White-winged Crossbill. 6.04. On ground near water; tail constantly wagged; breast streaked with black = 9.0". ee Be es ew se ls LOB reece 5-63. Entire under parts vellowish; in spruces; note pee-a. p. 204. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. 5.56. Active in trees, generally conifers; sides streaked with black. p.- 115. @ Black-poll Warbler. 5.28. In trees or underbrush; under parts unstreaked; small spot on wing white . . . . p.121. 9 Black-throated Blue Warbler. 4.07. Active in trees, generally conifers ; top of head yellow or orange, inclosed in black; note ¢see-tsee-tsee, thin and high. p. 81. Golden-crowned Kinglet. Yellow or Orange without Black. A. 10.75. Breast yellow with black crescent; back brown; in grassland. p- 190. Meadowlark. [10.00. Size of Robin. ] g.or. Belly yellow; throat and breast ashy; tail reddish-brown. p- 207. Crested Flycatcher. 7.53. In trees; under parts and middle of back dull orange; wing-bars White: ‘.¢. «lets « «« » p. 188 9 Baltimore Gare 4-77- 1B? . 5.65. 5.61. Br25: 5.00. KEY FOR SUMMER 55 . (Rare north of Connecticut.) Under parts dull yellow; upper parts grayish-brown. . . . . p. 189. Q Orchard Oriole. . In trees; under parts speciaitberelliont upper parts olive-green. p. 147. 2 Tanager. Size of English Sparrow. | . In woodland; crown dull orange; breast spotted. p- 108. Oven-bird. . Throat and breast bright yellow; in all but evergreen trees; not restless; song loud and rich; wing-bars white. p. 1383. Yellow-throated Vireo. . Generally in pines; yellow ee on throat; wing-bars dull white; song rippling . . . 5 oa [Oe 111. Pine Warbler. . Restless in trees and thickets: ies of rer, wing, and band’ across tail yellow Aa ee 6 oo 6) On BGO deseo kuehatae - In bushes in wet alincen: welllowy briehtece on throat; back brown- (Sine we Neal cn |) Pade ao Northern Yellow-throat. . (Rare north of Connecticut.) Sides washed with yellowish; eye-ring and line to forehead yellow; notes loud and emphatic. p. 131. White-eyed Vireo. . (Rare south of latitude 43.) In evergreens; throat dull orange; wing- barwhite ... . . p.114. 92 Blackburnian Warbler. . In open woodland, and roadside thickets; top of head yellow; under parts white; cheeks white; narrow stripe along flanks reddish- brown) |. . . .p.117. Chestnut-sided Warbler. . Often with BRenee alloy and black males; throat yellowish; back brownish ; wings and tail black and titel p-177. @ Goldfinch. . Yellow all over, brighter below; back greenish-yellow. p. 122. Yellow Warbler. Under parts bright yellow; head ashy; very restless in scrubby growth. ...... . . p.126. Nashville Warbler. In trees, generally conifers; rump yellow; back brownish. p. 120. @ Myrtle Warbler. Low in woodland; under parts yellow. p. 100. Q Canadian Warbler. In trees, generally conifers; throat dull yellow; back black, streaked with white ; wing-patch white. p- 114. 9 Blackburnian Warbler. Wing-bar yellow; under parts streaked . p.176. Pine Siskin. Yellow, Orange or Chestnut, with Black. A. 8.35. Scratching under bushes, or flying through them, or singing from bush or low tree; head black: tail black, tipped with white; sides DANAE UNC Divine ht al ay Me oe ty 268. Rowhee, 5.61. 5s25. 5-12. A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS . In trees; head black; breast and belly reddish-orange; wings black, with white wing-bars; tail black and yellow. p. 188. Baltimore Oriole. . (Rare north of Connecticut.) In trees; head black; breast and belly chestnut; no yellowintail . . . p.189. Orchard Oriole. Size of English Sparrow. | . Restless in trees or thickets; head black : orange or yellow on sides of breast, wing, and tail . . . . . p.99. Redstart. . Low in thickets, generally in wet places; throat and breast yellow; broad band through eye black. . p- 103. Northern Yellow-throat. . In trees, especially evergreens; throat and sides of breast black; cheeks yellow; song wheezy; common. p- 118. Black-throated Green Warbler. . In scrubby pastures, or edges of woodland; throat black; top of head and band on wing yellow; rare. . p. 127. Golden-winged Warbler. . On the ground, in trees, or flying; back and under parts bright yel- low; forehead black; wings and tail black and white. p. 177. Goldfinch. . In second growth; under parts bright yellow; sides streaked with black. 5°... 20252 20 21 p..109:) Prater In wet woods and in laurel; back of head and throat black ; fore- head and cheeks yellow . . . . p.102. Hooded Warbler. . In wet woods; line over eye yellow; sides of throat black. p- 106. Kentucky Warbler. . Top of head and under parts yellow; line through eye black ; wing-bars white or yellowish-white. ' p. 127. Blue-winged Warbler. . In trees; rump, crown-patch and patches on sides of breast yellow; patches on sides of upper belly black. p. 120. Myrtle Warbler. . In thickets, chiefly near the ground; head and throat bluish-gray; breast black; belly yellow . . p. 105. Mourning Warbler. . In trees, generally conifers; forehead and cheeks black; crown chestnut; throat, upper breast, and sides bay. p. 116. Bay-breasted Warbler. In wet thickets or mountain-sides; under parts yellow; necklace of spots across breast black . . . p.100. Canadian Warbler. In trees, generally evergreens; throat orange; head and back black, streaked with whitish . . p.1l4. Blackburnian Warbler. In trees, generally conifers; under parts bright yellow, streaked with black; head bluish-ash; back and wings black and white; rump yellow ... . . . . p.118 Magnolia Warbler. KEY FOR SUMMER 57 5.00. In trees; under parts yellow, streaked with black; crown black. p- 123. Cape May Warbler. Black and White. [10.00. Size of Robin. | A. 9.40. On trunks or large limbs; under parts and broad stripe down back white; wings barred, black and white;.% with red patch on head; rare except near deep woods . p. 224. Hairy Woodpecker. 8.51. Flying from exposed perch; under parts white;. head black; tail black, tipped Voalool Anu GG 6 6 6 de Able Kingbird. 8.35. Scratching in thickets, or singing rom bush or low tree; head black; sides chestnut; ipl foninoe tipped with white. p. 152. Towhee. 8.12. In trees, or in potato-fields; head and back black; wings and tail black and white; breast white with a spot of rose in centre. ; p- 150. Rose-breasted Grosbeak. 7.25. In or near grassy fields; under parts black; upper parts chiefly wie e 6) oo 04 Melo’ = 18 Xo) oyolbhaule 6.83. On trunks or lees Teenie vines amis and broad stripe down back white; wings barred, black and white; # with red patch on head. p- 993, Downy Woodpecker. 12.00. In woods, often about logging-camps, forehead white; nape black. p- 197. Canada Jay. 9.00. On tops of trees or bushes; wings and tail black and white. p. 137. Loggerhead Shrike. 8.75. On trunks and large limbs; back barred with black and white. p. 221. American Three-toed Woodpecker. 8.56. On trunks and large limbs; back speckled with black and white; white stripe along edge of wing . . . . p. 220. Sapsucker. [6.33. Size of English Sparrow. | B. 6.07. On limbs or trunks; crown black; under parts white; back bluish- OTA us acs . . . p. 86. White-bellied Nuthatch. 5-30. On trunks and ter ge ibante asi trees; head black, with white line through centre; back streaked black and white. p. 129. Black and White Warbler. 5.28. (Only from northern and western Massachusetts northward.) In woods; throat black; upper parts dark bluish; spot on wing white . . . . . p.121. Black-throated Blue Warbler. 5.27. In trees; top of head and throat black; cheeks white; wings gray. p. 84. Chickadee. B’. 5-56. Active in trees, generally conifers, chiefly at high altitudes; crown plain black; back and breast streaked, p. 115. Black-poll Warbler. 58 A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS 5.28. In trees or underbrush; throat and sides black; upper parts dark- bluish; spot on wing white. p- 121. Black-throated Blue Warbler. 4.62. On trunks and limbs; top of head and line through eye black; back bluish; under parts reddish-brown or buffy. p. 85. Red-bellied Nuthatch. Black. A. 19.30. Entire plumage blackeS eenrs ae oe - » » p. 196. Crow. 13.50-12.00. In pines, or walking on el: tail long; head lustrous blue-black . . . . . . . . ~~. =p. 184. Crow Blackbird: _ [10.00. Size of Robin.] 9.51. Near water; red on shoulders, or white bar on upper wing. p. 191. Red-winged Blackbird. 7.92. Walking on ground, or lighting in trees; head deep brown. p. 192. Cowbird. A’. 8.50. Only near New York city, or Long Island Sound; purplish or greenish at close range; feathers of upper parts fed with buff; billsyellows = 2 eres 5.0 Sigur sens, AYE. 17.00. In woods; head with long red crest. p- 219. Pileated Woodpecker. 9.50. On trunks or large limbs; back plain black; wings and tail black and white . . . p. 222. Aretic Three-toed Woodpecker. Red, Scarlet, or Rose. AS 8.12. In trees; spot of rose-red on white breast; head and throat black; wings and tail black and white. p-. 150. Rose-breasted Grosbeak. 7.25. In trees; whole body red; wings and tail black. p. 147. Scarlet Tanager. TING 8.25. (As far north as Central Park, N. Y.) Entire plumage red or red- dish; crest conspicuous . . . . . . . p: 15i°) (Cardia A’, 9.08. Entire plumage rose-red; wing-bars white p- 183. Pine Grosbeak. 8.56. On trunks or large limbs; back speckled with white; whole top of head, and in male throat also, dark red . p. 220. Sapsucker. [6.33. Size of English Sparrow. | KEY FOR SUMMER 59 6.22. Entire upper parts and throat dull crimson; brightest on head and rump; bill’stowt . . -. Prats . 181. Purple Finch. 5.25. (Rare south of latitude 43.) i tr ees, chiefly evergreens; throat rich orange; back black, streaked ain white. p- 114. Blackburnian Warbler. 6.19. Entire plumage vermilion-red, brightest on head and rump. p. 180. American Crossbill. 6.05. Entire bird rose-red; wing-bars white. p.- 177. White-winged Crossbill. 5-63. In trees, generally evergreen ; crown, throat, upper breast, and sides bay; wing-bars white. . . p.116. Bay-breasted Warbler. 5-25. In trees, generally evergreen; throat rich orange; back black, streaked with whitish; patch on wing white. p- 114. Blackburnian Warbler. 4.62. On limbs or trunks of trees; top of head and line through eye black; back bluish; under parts reddish-brown. p. 85. Red-bellied Nuthatch. Blue. A. 13.02. Perched near water, or flying over it; much white and no black showing on wings, tail, and throat; bill long and pointed; head eyested ta. 1. ee Deed Kanohisher. 11.74. In trees; much mite horse in wings and tail, and black on head and breast; bill not loner head crested p. 198. Blue Jay. [10.00. Size of Robin. |] 7.01. Upper parts deep blue; breast reddish . . . p.71. Bluebird. 7.01. Upper parts grayish; breast pale reddish; wings and tail bluish. pavls 2 Bluebird. [6.33.. Size of English Sparrow. | B. 6.07. On limbs and trunks of trees; back bluish-gray; top of head black; under parts white . . . p.86. White-bellied Nuthatch. 5-59. Deep blue all over ; sings from a high perch. p. 149. Indigo-bird. BIRDS CONSTANTLY ON THE WING (SWALLOWS, SWE WiC.) A. 10,00. Wings long and narrow, a white bar on the under side; birds gen- erally high inair . . . . p. 212. Nighthawk. 8.00. Wings rather broad; ple very ee or females light below. p. 146. Purple Martin. [6.33. Size of English Sparrow. | B’. Sue A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS . (Longer but not larger than an English Sparrow.) Glossy blue above; salmon or whitish underneath; two outer tail-feathers long and pointed ys. re. . . . p. 144. Barn Swallow. . Back bluish; throat shasta: ‘belly whitish; rump brick red; tail almost square . . . . . p. 145. Cliff or Rave Swallow. . Iridescent greenish-blue above ; pure white beneath; tail simply forked ews esumes . . . p. 143. White-bellied Swallow. . Sooty brown, often apparently black; wings narrow and curved; flight bat-like; tail either cigar-shaped, or, when quickly spread, Semesinaael SoMa. eats are p- 210. Chimney Swift. . Upper parts brown; under ae whitish; band across breast brown- ish; tailnotched .-. ... . . p. 142. Bank Swallow. Upper parts brown; throat and breast dusky; no distinct band across breast. . . . . p.141. Rough-winged Swallow. KEY FOR AUTUMN (SEPTEMBER 15-NOVEMBER 15) Brown or Brownish. A. 12.20. { Intrees; very slender; tail long; Yellow-billed } 11.83. under parts white . . . p. 226. Black-billed j 12.00. Flies from or to trees; rump white. . . . . p.216. Flicker. 11.42. Reddish-brown; flies into bushes when disturbed; tail long. p- 95. Brown Thrasher. 10.75. Flies up from the grass; outer tail-feathers white. p. 190. Meadowlark. Cuckoo. [10.00. Size of Robin. | 9.55- In flocks; upper parts rusty-brown. .p. 186. Rusty Blackbird. 8.35. Scratches under bushes; outer tail-feathers deeply tipped with white. p-. 152. 2 Towhee. 8.12. In trees; line over eye and bar on wing white. p. 150. Q Rose-breasted Grosbeak. 7.75. On or near the beach; throat yellow . . . p. 200. Shore Lark. 7.26. (After October 15.) Fox color; scratches on ground; breast spotted. p. 154. Fox Sparrow. 7.19. In flocks in trees; plump, sleek; eats fruit. p. 139. Cedar-bird. -7.17. On ground, or low limbs; tail reddish-brown. p. 74. Hermit Thrush. 7.17. On ground, or low limbs; head, back, and tail uniform olive-brown; cheek buffy; eye-ring white . p.76. Olive-backed Thrush. 6.25-7.58. On ground, or low limbs; head, back, and tail uniform olive- brown; cheek gray; no eye-ring. p. 77. Gray-cheeked Thrush. 6.99. On trees near water; tail constantly jerked . . p. 206. Phoebe. 6.74. Feeds on ground, generally in flocks; head marked with black and white; line over eye yellow or yellowish; throat white or whitish. p. 163. White-throated Sparrow. 6.38. In flocks on the ground in ploughed fields and on mud-flats and marshes; tail constantly wagged; outer tail-feathers white. p. 97. American Pipit. [6.33. Size of English Sparrow. | 6.36. (After October 20.) In flocks on the ground, or in low bushes; wing-bars white; spot on unstreaked breast dusky. p. 162. Tree Sparrow. 6.30. In weedy fields, or at the edges of grassy marshes; breast streaked with dark blotch in centre. . . . p. 157. Song Sparrow, 62 A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS 6.27. Brownish-gray, unstreaked; outer tail-feathers white; generally in flocks with slate-gray males . . ss aaeE 158. 2 Junco. 6.25. Only in or near beach GOS, a so A ” 171. Ipswich Sparrow. 6.17. On the ground in woods; breast streaked . p.108. Oven-bird. 6.12. In grassy pasture-land, or in old fields; outer tail-feathers white. p. 172. Vesper Sparrow. 6.12. In grassy marshes, or borders of old fields; breast streaked; line through forehead white. . . . p.170. Savanna Sparrow. 5.90. A swallow with brown back and white under parts; common along the sea-shore. . . . p.143. Jm. White-bellied Swallow. 5-89. In grassy marshes, or weedy edges of old fields; breast unstreaked; wing reddish-brown . . . . . p.155. Swamp Sparrow. 5-68. In bushes, near old fields; breast unstreaked; wing-bars white; bill reddishhy ame. . . . p.160. Field Sparrow. 5-66. On trunks or large Tne of pass - . p. 88. Brown Creeper. 5-65. In trees, or on the sea-shore in bayberry bushes; rump yellow; tips of outer tail-feathers white . . . p.120. Myrtle Warbler. 5-59. In weedy corners; no reddish-brown anywhere; tail twitched side- WASH bes meet See on |) 149. Indigo-bird. 5-37: Feeding on soni, in ; old fields or weedy corners; breast un- streaked; wing-bars dull white; bill black, or dull reddish- browne 2. oe) spe Gil Ghigaine Sparrow. 5.10. Upper parts Bon false “fron tinged with yellow; wings and tail dusky, with whitish markings . . . p.177. @ Goldfinch. 5.00. In brush heaps, or stone-walls; tail often cocked over back. p- 93. House Wren. 4.06. In brush heaps, stone walls, or along woodland streams; call a sharp chick; curtsies nervously . . . . .p.91. Winter Wren. 5.50. (Very rare in New England.) Skulks in bushes; conspicuous whitish line overeye ..-. ». - « . . p. 91. Carolina Wren: BY: 5-35. In flocks in trees; crown dark brownish-gray. p. 83. Hudsonian Chickadee. Gray or Grayish. A. [10.00. Size of Robin. | 8.94. In thickets; uniform slaty-gray with a black cap. p- 95. Catbird. 6.99. On trees near water, or flying out after insects;. tail constantly twitched. (Much commoner than the next) . p. 206. Phoebe. 6.53. (Only till October.) Perched in trees, or flying out after insects; wing-bars-white. . . .« »- - « « p.-205. Wood Pewee. Ae 12,00. In woods; crown white; nape black , . p.197. Canada Jay. a) KEY FOR AUTUMN 63 g.08. Slaty-gray; wing-bars white. . . p.183. @ Pine Grosbeak. [6.33. Size of English Sparrow. | B. 6.23. In trees, often with smaller birds; breast gray, unstreaked; line over eye white, bordered above with black. p. 136. Red-eyed Vireo. 6.22. In trees, often with red males; breast streaked. palsy urple inch: 6.19.* In trees, generally conifers, often with red males; rump greenish- yellow. .«. Jone FOS ele @ American Crossbill. 6 .04. (Only till October 1. ) Wolsey on ground under trees or bushes at the edge of water; tail constantly wagged. p- 108. Water-thrush. 5.80. (Rare after September 23.) In trees, often with smaller birds; breast gray, unstreaked. . . . . p. 134. Warbling cvareo: 5.61. In trees; breast unstreaked; head dark; ring around eye and line foubiliiswinite 2). ee a pato2 me SOktaAry: VT eO. 5.50. Restless in trees; under amit yellowish; faintly streaked. p- il. Black-poll Warbler. 5.27. (Rare north of eee In thickets; breast unstreaked; sides yellowish . . hk en Ds 131. White-eyed Vireo. 5.27. In trees in small Ales aan and throat black. p. 84. Chickadee. 5-00. In flocks in trees; uniformly streaked; bar on wing yellowish. p.- 176. Pine Siskin. 4.41. In trees or thickets; restless; eye prominent. p. 80. Ruby-crowned Kinglet. 4.07. In trees; restless; wing-bars white; crown yellow, bordered with black .... . . . p.8l. Golden-crowned Kinglet. 6.00. (North as far as Orange, N. J., and Staten Island.) In trees; upper parts gray; crest conspicuous . . . p. 85. Tufted Titmouse. 6.19. In trees, generally in tee often with red males; rump greenish- yellow 34 Nee ge 5 6 JooWlels | S American Crossbill. 6.05. In trees, penerally in qa. often with red males; wing-bars white; rump greenish-yellow. p.- 179. 9 White-winged Crossbill. Yellow without Black. A. 7.25. In trees; back greenish; under parts yellowish; wings brown or black; bill light-colored . . . . p. 147. Scarlet Tanager. (6.33. Size of English Sparrow. | B. 5-95. (Rare after September 23.) In trees; throat yellow; wing-bars white. p. 133. Yellow-throated Vireo, 5.10. 4.77- 4-73- A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS . In trees, or at the sea-shore in bayberry bushes; rump yellow; tips of outer tail feathers white . . . p.120. Myrtle Warbler. . Low in trees or bushes; under parts yellow; upper parts gray. p- 100. 2 Canadian Warbler. . (Very common till October 15.) Restless in trees, under parts yellow- ish with faint streakings . . . p.115. Black-poll Warbler. . In trees, generally in pines; throat yellow; wing-bars dull whitish. p- 111. Pine Warbler. . In low trees or bushes; under parts yellow; tail constantly wagged. p.- 110. Yellow Palm Warbler. . (Rare after October 5.) In trees; sides of breast, bar across wing, and band across tail yellow. . .:. . . p. 992) "=O atedsiema. . Low in bushes in wet places; throat yellow. p- 103. @ Northern Yellow-throat. . (Rare after September 25.) In trees or thickets; top of head yellow; under parts white. . . p. 117. Chestnut-sided Warbler. . (Rare after October 10.) In trees; under parts and rump yellow; tail black, the middle third white. p. 118. Magnolia Warbler. . In trees, cheeks yellow; wing-bars white. p. 113. Black-throated Green Warbler. In flocks; throat yellowish ; wings and tail dusky and white. p- 177. Q Goldfinch. Restless in trees or bushes; under parts yellow; upper parts brownish (tinged with green in strong light) p. 126. Nashville Warbler. In trees; throat and breast yellow; upper parts grayish-blue; wing- bars white . . . . . . . > p. 124. Parnla Weseeen Yellow, Orange, or Chestnut, with Black. v5 [10.00. Size of Robin. ] 8.35. [6.33. TEx 5.60. 5-41. 5-33: 5.10. 5.10. Scratching on the ground under bushes; head black; sides chest- nut; tail black, outer feathers tipped with white. p- 152. Towhee. Size of English Sparrow. | Low in trees or bushes; under parts yellow; necklace of black spots across the breast . . . . . p.100. Canadian Warbler. In trees; head black; sides of breast orange; bar across wings and tailsalmon. . . - . » p.99. RHedstart. Low in bushes in wet “levaae- theca allows band across eyes black. p. 103. Northern Yellow-throat. In trees; cheeks yellow; throat and sides of breast black. p. 113. Black-throated Green Warbler. In flocks; body yellow; cap black; wings and tail black and white. p. 177. Goldfinch, Black and White. AS 10.32. (Only after October 25.) On trees ; upper parts gray; wings and tail blacks) a ese cpl des. “Norther tate KEY FOR AUTUMN 65 [10,00. Size of Robin. |] 9.40. On trunks or large limbs; stripe down middle of back white; wings and tail barred with black and white. p. 224, Hairy Woodpecker, 8.56. On trunks or large limbs; back speckled with white; white stripe along edge of wings. . . - - + p.220. Sapsucker. 8.35. Scratching on the eeomnil niadloe nee head black; tail black, outer feathers tipped with large white eon . p. 152. Towhee. 6.88. In flocks, generally near the sea; wings and tail black and white; body chiefly white ..... . p.174. Snow Bunting. 6.83. On trunks or large limbs; stripe down middle of back white; wings and tail barred with black and white. p. 223. Downy Woodpecker. 12.00. In woods; crown white; nape black. . . p.197. Canada Jay. 8.75. On trunks and large limbs; back barred with black and white. p. 221. American Three-toed Woodpecker. [6.33. Size of English Sparrow. | 6.07. Climbing about on the large limbs or trunks of trees; top of head black; back bluish-gray . p. 86. White-bellied Nuthatch. 5-30. (Rare after October 1.) Climbing about the trunks or large limbs of trees; streaked black and white. p. 129. Black and White Warbler. 5-28. (Rare after October 10.) In trees; head and throat black; under parts white; white spot on wing. p- 121. Black-throated Blue Warbler. 5.27. In small flocks in trees; cap and throat black; cheeks and breast WULOMN ERS Wei ht eee Sen en veut em De O47. (Chickadee. Black. A. 12-13.50. In flocks; taillong . . . . . p.184. Crow Blackbird. [10.00. Size of Robin. | 9.55. In flocks near water . . . . . .p. 186. Rusty Blackbird. 9.51. In flocks, with red or white at the bend of the wing. p. 191. Red-winged Blackbird. 7.92. In flocks; head brown; body black . . . p. 192. Cowbird. A’. 8.50. (Only near New York city or Long Island Sound.) Walks on ground; purplish or greenish at close range; feathers of upper patttipped with buff . . 2 «ss « «. p. 195. Starling. TNE 17.00. Entire plumage black, except a red crest and a white bar on wing. p. 219. Pileated Woodpecker. 66 A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS 9.50. On trunks or large limbs; back black; wings and tail black and - white... . . p. 222. Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker. Red, Scarlet, or Rose. . A. [10.00. Size of Robin. | 9.40. On trunks or large limbs; stripe down middle of back white; wings and tail barred with black and white; red patch on back of head. p. 224. Hairy Woodpecker. 8.56. On trunks or large limbs; back speckled with white; white stripe along edge of wing; top of head, or top of head and throat, red. p- 220. Sapsucker. 6.83. On trunks or large limbs; stripe down middle of back white; wings and tail barred with black and white; red patch on back of head. p. 223. Downy Woodpecker. 8.25. (As far north as Central Park, N. Y.) In trees or thickets; entire plumage red or reddish; crest conspicuous. p.151. Cardinal, A: 9.08. Entire plumage rose-red; wing-bars white. p. 183. Pine Grosbeak. . 8.56. On trunks or large limbs ; back speckled with white; whole top of head, and in male throat also, dark red. p- 220. Sapsucker. [6.33. Size of English Sparrow. ] 18}. 6.22. In flocks in trees; rose-red, brightest on head and rump. p- 181. Purple Finch. 6.19.* In flocks in trees, chiefly conifers; vermilion-red, brightest on head and rump . se! Vek eaters p- 180. Red Crossbill. 4.62. Climbing on trunks and large limbs of trees; under parts reddish- brown; back bluish . . . p. 85. Red-bellied Nuthatch. Bie 6.19. Entire plumage vermilion-red, brightest on head and rump. p- 180. American Crossbill. 6.05. Entire bird rose-red; wing-bars white. p. 179. White-winged Crossbill. Blue. A. 13.02. Flying over water, or perched near it; bill long and pointed; much white showing, but no black; head crested. p. 224. Kingfisher. 11.74. In trees; bill not long; much white, and some black about the head and breast; head crested . ... . . p.198. Bluewday- [10.00. Size of Robin. ] 7.01. In open country; upper parts blue; breast reddish. p.- 71. ¢ Bluebird. KEY FOR AUTUMN 67 . Upper parts grayish; breast reddish; wing and tail bluish. p-71. @ Bluebird. . Size of English Sparrow. | . On trunks or large limbs of trees; top of head black; back bluish- RAV Gees) 1 « Gaim 0 86. White- bellied Nuthatch. . Near water, sgpeiellke near the sea; flying about, or perched, often in great odes upper parts saosin: blue ; anor parts white. p. 143. White bellied Swallow. . In trees; head and throat black; back and wings grayish-blue; spot on wing white . . p.121. Black-throated Blue Warbler. . In trees; upper parts grayish-blue; throat and breast yellow; wing- bars white. . . . . p. 124. Parula Warbler. . On trunks or large Teaabee hyp fierce top of head and line through eye black; under parts reddish-brown or buffy. p. 85. Red-bellied Nuthatch. BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND HASTERN NEW YORK PERCHING BIRDS: ORDER PASSERES THRUSHES: FAMILY TURDIDA Five brown, wood-haunting Thrushes occur in various portions of New York and New England. They resemble one another closely in their general appearance and behavior, and in the quality of their voices. Only one, the Veery or Wilson’s Thrush, occurs in summer throughout New Eng- land and New York. The Wood Thrush is common in southern New England; the Hermit Thrush and the Olive-backed are common in northern New England. All are shy and more commonly seen than heard; when sing- ing, however, they often sit for a long time on one perch, generally on some low bough, and may be discovered if one approaches them carefully. The Brown Thrush, so called, or Brown Thrasher, is not properly a Thrush. (See p. 95.) BLuEBIRD. Sialia sialis 7.01 Ad. $.— Entire upper parts bright blue, particularly when seen in strong light ; throat, breast, and sides reddish-brown ; belly whitish. Ad. 9.— Upper parts grayish, but in flight showing blue on the rump, wings, and tail ; the reddish-brown of the under parts much paler than inthe ¢. /m.— Back spotted with whitish; throat and breast whitish, mottled with brownish spots. Nest, in a hollow limb, box, or knot-hole, lined with grass. Eggs, light blue. 72 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK In southern Connecticut and Rhode Island, especially along the Sound, and in the lower Hudson Valley, small flocks of bluebirds spend the winter, feeding largely on berries. In most of New England and New York, however, the Bluebird is only a summer resident, common from early March through October. The breeding birds arrive soon af- ter the first warm days of March; a little later the northern migrants are seen flying over, singly, in pairs, or in small flocks. The Bluebird frequents country where more or less open ground is broken by low trees or bushes; an old apple orchard is a typical haunt. From some low point of vantage, a post or bough, it watches the ground, flying down at inter- vals to secure an insect. From the first of April, the war- bling of the male becomes less frequent, and by the middle of the month the bird is comparatively silent. The female is now sitting in some hollow limb, or ina box or jar pro- vided for her. In June the second brood is raised, and during the second mating season there is a renewal of the song. The late summer and early fall find the Bluebird in small groups, often associated with Chipping Sparrows, feeding all through the open farming country. Snatches of the spring song are now not infrequently heard, but the characteristic note of this season is the call-note, cher-wee, uttered by old and young of both sexes. When the parents are attending their young, they utter a peculiar chatter, like the syllables chut-wt-ut. The song is simple, and consists chiefly of variations on.the call-note; its charm is due to the gentleness and richness of the voice, and its association with early spring. The Bluebird should be confused with no other blue bird; the Indigo-bird is blue on the breast, while the Bluebird’s breast is reddish-brown ; the female Bluebird is dull-colored, but both females and young show blue in flight. The Bluebird when perched looks round-shouldered, and the male nearly always flutters a wing on alighting. AMERICAN ROBIN 73 American Rosin. Merula migratoria 10.00 g¢.— Head black, a white spot above the eye; back grayish ; wings brown; breast bay; tail black, outer feathers tipped with white. @.—lHead the same color as back; breast paler than in g. Im. — Breast spotted with black. Nest, of grass and mud. ggs, blue. Small flocks of Robins sometimes spend the winter even in northern New England, feeding on the berries of the mountain ash. In southern New England and the lower Hudson Valley, especially near the sea-coast, Robins often winter in large flocks; they rarely come into the villages, but live in thick groves or swamps of cedar, on the berries of which they feed. The flocks in winter seem to be made | up entirely of males. In late January or early February, large flocks of Robins generally appear in the cedar groves, even when there have been none observed previously. In early March the resident Robins return, the males first, in flocks which feed chiefly on the hillsides; by April the females appear and the pairs are scattered about the vil- lages, the males joining in the early morning and evening chorus. The nest is now built on the limb of a tree, or in some crotch, or on a projection of a shed or piazza; the same site is often used year after year. By the end of May the first brood have left the nest. The young may be known by their spotted breasts and by the harsh squawk which they utter. Soon a second nest is built and the male again sings regularly. In midsummer the male Robins and the young of the first brood repair each night to some low wooded swamp; thousands occupy one ‘ roost,’’ coming in from miles about. In the fall Robins linger into No- vember, singing occasionally on warm mornings. The song is a series of phrases rising and falling, four often constituting a series, which is then repeated or varied. The birds sing even before it is light, and after continuing 74 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK for about an hour, cease and disperse to feed. Then there is desultory singing from individuals through the morning. Besides the single pip or pop of the Robin and the excited pip, pip, pip, it has a high, thin hissing note, very like the Cedar-bird’s, but a trifle sharper. A common call-note is a shrill tsee, tsee, often followed by a low tut, tut. When a Robin flies over an observer, the white feathers under the tail offer a striking contrast to the dark breast. Just after a Robin lights it almost always pumps its tail vigorously once or twice. When a Robin flies up from the ground, the white spots on the tips of the outer tail- feathers are conspicuous. Hermit Turusu. Hylocichla guttata pallasu (els Ad. — Head, back, and wings olive-brown ; tail reddish-brown ; throat and breast white, spotted with black. Nest, on the ground. Eggs, pale greenish-blue. The Hermit Thrush is a common summer resident of northern New York and New England, of the higher por- tions of the Catskill region, and of Berkshire and Worces- ter counties, Massachusetts. It also breeds here and there in cool woods in eastern Massachusetts, and on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard. It occasionally spends the win- ter in southern New England and the lower Hudson Valley, feeding at that season on berries. In April and early May, and in October, it is a not uncommon migrant in woodland and thickets, flying up when disturbed into the low limbs of neighboring trees or to stone walls. Here, if it is conscious of observation, it expresses its excitement by slowly elevating its tail, till it makes a considerable angle with the body. This action is also characteristic of the bird when disturbed on its breeding-ground, and is then accom- panied by a harsh, nasal speke, or a thin, hissing note, like the Robin’s. It also has in the breeding season a sweet HERMIT THRUSH 75 eall-note, like the introductory note of its song; this is often heard about the nest, when the birds are not alarmed. Its ordinary note on migration is a chuck. It sings very rarely when on migration, and with only a hint of the power which it reserves for its northern home. As a second brood is raised in late July and early August, the male is in full song at that season. The song of the Hermit Thrush is, next to that of the White-throated Sparrow, the most noticeable feature of the cool woods of northern New York and New England; it is heard both in deciduous and evergreen forests, but on the higher mountains above 3000 feet it is replaced by the song of the Olive-backed Thrush. Its voice bears a strong resemblance in quality to that of the Wood Thrush, so that the identity of the common thrush of any one region is often a matter of constant discussion among ama- teur lovers of birds. The ranges of the two overlap so little that it ought to be easy from a study of the map (p. 15) to make a shrewd guess; the form of the song should then decide the matter. The song of the Wood Thrush begins with a phrase which suggests the syllables ee-o-lee, and continues with phrases, often containing notes separated by great intervals. The song of the Hermit is divided into cadences of different pitch. Each cadence is introduced by a pure fluted note, then follow two or three higher notes, given with a tremolo effect. These are either all three on the same pitch, or more often the last two are a little higher or lower than the first. The introductory note is held long enough to give a calm, meditative effect to the song; it also serves to give the pitch to the cadences, one of which is so high that it is hardly to be heard at a distance; the others are very full, soprano or mezzo- soprano. ‘There are no bass notes, such as the Wood Thrush strikes, and no great intervals between any two notes. 76 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK Its reddish-brown tail and the trick of raising it slowly, distinguish the Hermit from the other thrushes. (See also under Fox Sparrow, p. 154.) OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH; Swarnson’s THrusH. Aylo- cichla ustulata swainsoni TAG. Ad. §.— Upper parts olive-brown; eye-ring buffy ; cheek, when seen in strong light, washed with buff ; breast whitish, spotted with black. Nest, in bushes or small trees, bulky and compact. Eggs, light greenish-blue, spotted with brown. The Olive-backed or Swainson’s Thrush breeds on Grey- lock Mountain in Massachusetts, on the higher Catskills, in deep spruce swamps on the southern New Hampshire and Vermont upland, and commonly all through northern New England and in the Adirondacks. In the rest of New Eng- land and New York it is a spring and fall migrant, a bird seen only by those who look for it. During the second half of May it may be found in roadside thickets, open woods, and even in the yards of villages and towns, if there is attrac- tive shrubbery andif the locality is favorable to migration. The bird occasionally sings on migration, early in the morning and toward evening; but on its northern breeding- ground the song becomes a characteristic sound. It is un- mistakably the voice of a thrush, like a Veery’s song in- verted, going up instead of down the scale, but throatier, more gurgling, inferior in purity, richness, and suggestive- ness to those of the three other common thrushes. Its call- note is a sharp whit, which can be varied in tone and power ; it also utters on its breeding-ground a note like the syllables chee-urr. In the fall, from the end of September to early October, the migrant birds frequent the dry birch-lined lanes or country roads, or the open glades of woodland ; with them are often associated, both in spring and fall, the GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH one Gray-cheeked Thrushes described below. Both species are so shy that it is often impossible to get near enough to distinguish one from the other. If an Olive-back perches for a moment in good light, the observer can make out that the feathers under the eye, the cheek, so to speak, are of a yellower shade than the rest of the head ; a faint buffy eye- ring, too, is a distinctive mark. The spotting is not heavy, nor does it extend down the flanks, as in the Wood Thrush ; the entire upper parts are olive-brown, nowhere tawny. Sometimes the bird when startled utters its call-note, whit, or answers an imitation of it ; this note is characteristic, and settles its identity. GRAY-CHEEKED TurusH. Hylocichla alicie BickNELL’s Turusu. fHylocichla alicie bicknelli 7.58; 6.25-7.25 Ad. §.— Upper parts olive-brown; no buffy eye-ring or wash on cheek ; under parts white; throat and breast spotted with black. Nest, in scrub spruce or fir. Eggs, greenish-blue, spotted with brown. The Gray-cheeked Thrush is a migrant through New England and New York. Its habits and haunts are very like those of the Olive-backed Thrush, and it appears at about the same time. On the higher Catskills and on the high mountains of northern New England just below the timber line, where the stunted spruce and fir grow close together, a smaller race of this thrush, known as Bicknell’s Thrush, is a common summer resident. As a migrant it sings less than the Olive-backed Thrush, but on the mountain summits its song and call-note are constantly heard, especially at dawn and at dusk. The call- note is like the syllables fee’-a, sharp and petulant, often rising to a high strident note suggesting a nasal note of the Red-winged Blackbird. This call, like the Veery’s, may be much modified and subdued. The song is very similar in 78 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK quality to the Veery’s, though perhaps a trifle thinner, with a marked upward inflection at the close. It may be written thus: te-dee!, dee-a, te-dee-ee, with a slurring effect on all the long syllables. On Mount Mansfield, in Vermont, the hotel is in the midst of the breeding-ground of the Bick- nell’s Thrushes, and is an excellent place to observe them. Much remains to be learned about their nesting habits. To distinguish the Gray-cheek from the Olive-back, one must see the side of the head in strong hght. If there is no difference in shade between the top of the head and the cheek, —if both are gray, — and if there is no tawny color on head or tail, then the bird is a Gray-cheeked Thrush. Witson’s Turusu; VEERY. Hylocichla fuscescens 7.52 Ad.— Upper parts brown, with a distinct, though often not a strong, tawny tinge; under parts white; breast and sides of throat washed with yellowish-brown, lightly spotted with tawny-brown. Nest, on or near the ground, in wet woods. Eggs, greenish-blue. The Veery is a common summer resident all through New York and New England, wherever the ground is moist and there are trees. On the higher mountains it rarely as- cends above a level of 1500 feet, and in northern New Eng- land is not common away from the river valleys. It comes in early May, but does not sing for a week or ten days after its arrival; then it sings freely till July. During August it is rarely seen, and probably leaves during that month or early in September. It may often be seen feeding in any shaded road that passes through its haunts, its quick run suggesting the Robin. The song of this thrush, from which one of its names is derived, consists of three or four phrases, the last two lower than the preceding and ending with a strong vibrat- ing chord, suggesting a sound muffled by a tube. The song proceeds from the recesses of swampy woodland, or ceasing, WOOD THRUSH 79 is followed by a low sharp phew ora higher phee-oo, which in turn may be subdued or softened or varied in tone. The Veery’s buffy, comparatively wnspotted breast, and its tawny head, back, and tail, distinguish it from the other thrushes. The Brown Thrush, so called, or Brown Thrasher, has white under parts heavily spotted with black. Woop Turusu. Hylocichla mustelina 8.29 Ad.— Head and upper back, reddish-brown ; lower back and tail brown ; breast and sides of belly white, heavily spotted with large black spots. . Nest, generally in a sapling about eight feet up. Eggs, green- ish-blue. The Wood Thrush is a common summer resident of southern New England and the Hudson Valley, but north of Massachusetts it is only found up the valleys of the Connecticut, the Merrimac, and their chief tributaries, and along Lake Champlain. It is true that it has been found at Willoughby Gap, and at Lake Memphremagog in Vermont, near Mt. Moosilauke, at Jefferson, and at Franconia in New Hampshire, but in most of the upland country of New England — in Worcester and Berkshire counties in Massa- chusetts, and farther north, wherever spruce and fir are found, in all of Maine but the extreme southwest, in the Adi- rondacks, and in nearly all of New Hampshire and Vermont— the Hermit, Veery, and Olive-backed are the only common thrushes. The Wood Thrush comes in early May, and is only occasionally seen after the first of September. In southern Connecticut and in the neighborhood of New York city it is a familiar dooryard bird, but in the rest of its northern range it is a bird of rich woods, especially where there is young growth near water. The Wood Thrush is in song from the morning of its arrival till July, often all through the day, especially in cool 80 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK woods, but more noticeably in late afternoon and early evening, when many other birds are silent. After the song ceases, one may still hear in the darkness a pip pip pip pip, Which serves also as the alarm-note with which breeding birds greet an intruder. In August the Wood Thrush and the Veery become silent, and are seldom seen; they slip southward almost unnoticed. This is the largest of our true brown thrushes. (The Brown Thrush, so-called, is the Thrasher; see p. 95.) It is the most heavily spotted, not only on the breast, but also on the flanks; is tawny on the head and upper back, and olive-brown on the tail. For a suggestion of the difference between the song of this species and that of the Hermit Thrush, see p. 75. KINGLETS : FAMILY SYLVIIDA RuBY-CROWNED KinGLET. Regulus calendula 4.41 Ad. $.— Upper parts gray, with a greenish tinge in strong light; crown with a partially concealed patch of /lame-colored feathers ; wing-bars whitish ; under parts dull whitish. Ad. 2.— Lacks the crown-patch. Nest and Eggs as in the following species. The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is a rather common migrant through New York and New England, in April, and again in October. It probably breeds sparingly in eastern Maine, but in the rest of New England it is unknown in summer. In the migrations it frequents the edges of woodland, or pas- tures overgrown with bushes and small trees. Like its rela- tive the Golden-crowned Kinglet, it is often found in ever- greens, either red cedar groves or the spruces in plantations. Its feeding habits are similar to its relative’s. It inspects the twigs with restless activity, frequently flitting its wings. The harsh, grating call-note of the Ruby-crowned King- ee GOLDEN-—CROWNED KINGLET 81 let is often the first thing that attracts our attention to it. Often the repetition of this note is followed by the song, a performance deservedly noted for its sweetness, brightness, and vigor; it may always be recognized by the high, thin introductory notes and by a phrase of three notes, tee'-d?-di re- peated several times toward the end of the song. The song is often uttered in the fall. Fig. 1. Ruby-crowned When a male is excited, the feathers se of the crown are slightly raised and show the flame-colored patch from which the term ruby-crowned has been derived. If two males pursue each other, the color actually seems to blaze forth, but often no color at all is visible. The species, nevertheless, may always be distinguished from the Golden- crowned Kinglet by the absence of any markings over the eye, the adult Golden-crown always showing at every sea- son the black stripes inclosing the yellow crown. The eye of the Ruby-crown is surrounded by a whitish ring which makes it seem large and prominent for so small a bird. GOLDEN-CROWNED Kinetnt. Regulus satrapa 4.07 Ad. &.— Upper parts gray, with a greenish tinge in strong light ; wing-bars whitish ; crown orange, edged with yellow and black ; line over the eye white ; under parts dull whitish. Ad. Q. — Crown-patch entirely yellow edged with black. Jm.— Lacks yellow crown-patch, black lines very indistinct. Nest, globular, of moss, ete., in an evergreen from six to sixty feet up. Eggs, sometimes as many as ten, dull white, faintly speckled with buffy. The Golden-crowned Kinglet is a common summer resi- dent in the Canadian Zone (see map, p. 15), but throughout the rest of New York and New England a winter visitant only, arriving in late September and leaving by the end of 82 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK April. In northern New England it is not common in win- ter. Kinglets are often associated in winter with Chicka- dees; if, therefore, the sharp tsit of the Chickadee is heard in fall or winter, it is well to follow the sound and, when the Chickadees appear, to keep eye and ear alert for any of “WS their traveling companions. Often the Kinglets travel alone, searching restlessly the twigs of trees and hedges, following perhaps a well-marked course through plantations and woodland, and calling to each other with a thin sharp see-see-see. If the birds are in thick evergreens, spruces or cedars, it is very hard to get even a glimpse of them, but in leafless apple-trees, a favorite resort, they display their brightly marked heads and quick, restless ways. They do not cling to a twig upside down lke the Chickadees, but occasionally one flut- ters for an instant before the desired morsel and picks it off. Their numbers vary from winter to winter, and even in the course of a single season there seems often to be a fluctuation. In April their numbers increase, as the birds that have wintered to the southward pass through as mi- grants. In March and April the males continue the lisping note, put more and more power into it, and then by a de- scending trill fall, as it were, from the height to which they have scaled, — this is the song of the Golden-crowned Kinglet. The lisp of the Chickadee, the screep of the Brown Creeper, and the see-see-see of the Kinglet all have a strong resemblance. The last two are sharper and more finely drawn out, the Kinglet’s is quickly repeated, while the Creeper’s is one long continuous note. In summer the Kinglets keep almost wholly in the spruces, and are thus even more inconspicuous than in win- ter ; their song and call-notes, however, make their presence known. Their call is now often longer and still more like Fie. 2. Golden- crowned Kinglet HUDSONIAN CHICKADEE 83 that of the Creeper. The young, which are found in little companies in late July and August, lack the head-markings of the adult; they may be recognized by their small size and by their lisping notes, identical with those of their parents. NUTHATCHES AND TITS: FAMILY PARIDZ Two Nuthatches and three Tits or Chickadees occur in New York and New England. The White-belhed Nut- hatch and the common or Black-capped Chickadee are found everywhere ; the Hudsonian Chickadee is confined to north- ern New York and New England; the Tufted Tit does not regularly occur north of New York city. Nuthatches fly inv - undulations something after the manner of Woodpeckers. HupDSONIAN CHICKADER. Parus hudsonicus 5.35 Ad.— Top of head brownish; back brownish-gray ; throat black, separated from the brown by a stripe of white ; breast and middle of belly white ; side of belly reddish-brown. Nest, in holes in trees. Eggs, spotted with reddish-brown. The Hudsonian Chickadee is a permanent resident of the extensive spruce forests on the higher mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont, in the Adirondacks and in north- ern and eastern Maine. In summer it is confined in the White and Green Mountains to the spruce belt above 3000 feet, but in autumn it wanders down into the valleys, in company with migrating warblers. In winter a few occasion- ally wander southward; small flocks have been observed on Mount Greylock in Massachusetts, and stragglers occa- sionally occur even in eastern Massachusetts. Its habits are very similar to those of the common Chickadee ; in fact, the two not infrequently wander about together. Bones or bits of meat left about logging camps in winter are equally attractive to either species. 84 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK The dee dee dee of the Hudsonian Chickadee sounds more “‘babyish” than that of the common species; the notes are lower and more. drawled. The Hudsonian Chick- adee seems to have no note that corresponds to the phee-bee of the common Chickadee. CHICKADEE. Parus atricapillus 5.27 Ad.— Top of head and throat black ; sides of head, and belly white ; back, wings, and tail gray; wing-feathers edged with white ; flanks washed with light brownish, especially in the fall. Nest, ina hole ina tree. Eggs, often as many as eight, white, spotted with reddish-brown. The Chickadee is a permanent resident throughout New England and New York; in the southern portions of its range it is less common in summer than in winter. At this season little flocks of five or six pass through the woodland, orchards, and plantations, often accompanied by Kinglets, a Brown Creeper, a Downy Woodpecker, or a Nuthatch. As spring approaches, the winter bands separate into pairs, which then often retire from the neighborhood of villages, so that a notion prevails that the Chickadee is only a winter resident. The pair, too, become very silent; the male, how- ever, occasionally utters his whistled phee-bee. The nest is placed either in a natural cavity or in a hole picked out of a soft birch stub by the birds themselves. The pure whistle above described, though uttered oftenest in March and April, may be heard in any month of the year. Besides this song the Chickadee has various little lisping calls, a note something like the syllables tout de suite, and the well-known tsic-a dee-dee. When feeding, the Chickadee has a habit of cling- ing upside down to the tips of twigs; occasionally it flies to a limb and there hammers open a seed or a tough cocoon. If bones, suet, or broken nuts are hung on the trees near a window, Chickadees will become constant and familiar vis- TUFTED. TITMOUSE 85 itors throughout the winter. The Chickadee is readily told by its black throat and top of head, and white cheeks. Turtep Trtmouse.~ Beolophus bicolor 6.00 Ad.— Forehead black ; upper parts, wings, and tail gray; sides of belly reddish-brown ; rest of under parts white ; head crested. Nest, in a hole inatree. Eggs, white, spotted with reddish- brown. The Tufted Tit is a permanent resident of New Jersey, as far north as Orange, and of Staten Island, though not common in the northern portion of its range. In south- western Connecticut it occurs only as a rare visitant; it is absent from the rest of New England. Its loud whistle, like the syllables peto, attracts notice to it, and its con- spicuous crest and plain gray colors make it easy to iden- tify. It has also sping calls very hke the Chickadee’s, and a hoarse dee dee dee. RED-BREASTED NuTHATCH; RED-BELLIED NUTHATCH. Sitta canadensis 4.62 Ad. $.—Upper parts bluish-gray, top of head and _ stripe through eye black ; line over eye white; under parts reddish-brown. Ad. 2?.— Top of head and stripe through eye bluish-gray; under parts paler. Nest, in a hole ina tree. Eggs, white, speckled with reddish- brown. In northern New England and New York, in tracts of spruce, the Red-bellied Nuthatch is generally an abundant permanent resident. The forests are sometimes filled with its little nasal call. At very irregular intervals, it moves southward in large numbers, and becomes a common fall migrant, in September and October, throughout southern New England and the Hudson Valley. After such a 86 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK migration many individuals stay through the winter, and some linger till May. As an ordinary thing, however, these birds find food enough in the north, and are either entirely absent in south- ern New England in winter, or occur only as straggling migrants, or as rare winter visitants. When they come south, they resort either to the pines Fig. 3. Red-bellied et Neen or to the Norway spruces, clinging to the cones till they extract the seeds, then flying with nervous little movements to a hmb where they either hammer open the seed, or as frequently hammer it into a crevice for safe-keeping. The Red-bellied Nut- hatch is a very active, restless bird, and its short tail gives it a comical air of fussiness. The ordinary call-note is a high-pitched nasal ank, ank; when the bird is excited this note is repeated very rapidly and for a long period. It has, besides, a call-note like the syllable hit, which is often varied in pitch. Its nasal call is one or two tones higher than that of the following species. If a Nuthatch has bright reddish-brown under parts, there can be no doubt as to its identity, but in spring and summer the color fades, and the female in particular is al- most grayish below. It must then be distinguished from the White-bellied Nuthatch by its small size, and by the black or bluish-gray line through the eye WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH; WHITE-BELLIED NUT- HATCH. Sitta carolinensis 6.07 Ad. $.— Upper parts grayish-blue, except the crown and front part of back, which is black ; under parts white ; feathers under the tail reddish-brown ; tail short and square, all but the central pair of tail-feathers black, the outer ones with large white spots. Ad. @.—Similar to the ¢, but the black of head and back re- placed by dark grayish-blue. WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH 87 Nest, in a hole in a tree. Eggs, white, thickly spotted with brownish or lavender. The White-bellied Nuthatch is a permanent resident of southern and central New England and the lower Hudson Valley, and a summer resi- dent throughout New Eng- land and New York, but it is a local bird, and very rare in summer in many places. It spends almost its entire time on the trunks and large fy¢. 4, White-bellied Nuthatch limbs of trees, where it : hunts in a characteristic manner, sometimes peering over the sides, hke a Black and White Warbler, often walking entirely around the limb, and not infrequently walking head downward on the trunk and observing an intruder with out- stretched head. Unlike its relative, it rarely visits conifers, keeping chiefly to deciduous trees. Attention is often drawn to the White-bellied Nuthatch by its nasal guank ; the pitch of this call-note is very close to B-flat, though it varies to B, and it is always lower and heavier than the similar call-note of the Red-bellied Nut- hatch. Its song, which it begins to utter early in March, resembles the syllables t00-td0-too, quickly repeated. When singing, the Nuthatch generally perches on some small twig. The male brings food to the female while she is sit- ting. A Nuthatch may be identified by its long, straight, slen- der bill, by its manner of clinging to the trunks or large limbs of trees, and by its grayish-blue black. The White- bellied Nuthatch may be distinguished from the preceding species by its greater size, by its pure white under parts (reddish only under the tail), and most surely by the absence of a black line through the eye; the white of the fore-neck extends up a little behind the ear. 88 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK CREEPERS: FAMILY CERTHIIDZ Brown CREEPER. Certhia familiaris americana 5.66 Ad. — Head, upper back, and wings brown, finely speckled with gray ; rump reddish-brown ; tail grayish brown, unspeckled ; tail-feathers pointed ; under parts white ; bills slender, slightly curved. Nest, in a crevice under a flake of bark. Eggs, white, a chiefly about the larger end with reddish-brown. The Brown Creeper is a winter visitant in southern New York and New England from the end of September to the end of April; in nofthern New York and New England it is absent or rare in winter. In summer it inhabits the deep woods of the Canadian Zone, keeping chiefly to the spruces, but occurring also in forests of hard wood. Nests of the Brown Creeper have occasionally been found in eastern Mas- sachusetts, but its occurrence there in summer is exceptional (see map, p. 15). It is everywhere a common migrant in April, late September, and early October. It spends its whole existence on the trunks and large limbs of trees. In winter it often associates with Chickadees and Kinglets, and like them has routes along the village streets and through the plantations, or through the woods. It may often be detected by its note, a thin, fine screep, like the Kinglet’s, but not broken into parts, and almost exactly like the Cedar-bird’s wheeze. Soon the eye is caught by the flutter of the Creeper from one tree to the base of the next. Its usual method of feeding is to ascend close to the trunk, partly supported by its tail, often making a spiral and reappearing higher up, or fly- ing off to begin again at the base of the same or another tree. In March or April a well-trained ear may occasionally hear the Creeper’s song, a wiry little performance suggesting the syllables, wees, wee'-si, wi-see’. If two are together at this season, they utter a slight ts¢p, and often engage in an animated chase among the trees. LONG—BILLED MARSH WREN 89 THRASHERS, WRENS, ETC.: FAMILY TROGLODY- TIDA: Wrens: Subfamily Troglodytinz Five species of Wren occur in New York and New Eng- land. The two Marsh Wrens are found only in extensive marshes or wet grassy meadows. The Great Carolina Wren is not regularly found north of southern Connecticut. The House Wren, though local, is fairly common from Massa- chusetts southward, and occurs here and there in northern New England. The Winter Wren is a common summer re- sident of the moist forests of northern New York and New England, and occurs elsewhere as a migrant. Wrens are noisy and active, but secretive birds, concealing themselves in tall grass, brush heaps, or stone walls. They often cock their tails over their backs. They are all rather small and of a nearly uniform brown color. LonG-BILLED MArsuH Wren. Telmatodytes palustris 5.20 Ad. — Head blackish-brown, unstreaked; middle of back black- ish, spotted with white; rest of back, wings, and tail brown; tail barred with black ; line over eye white ; under parts white ; only the sides washed with buff. Nest, globular, with the opening at the side ; made of grasses or cat-tails, and fastened to the stalks of cat-tails or to the stems of bushes. Hggs, chocolate-brown, spotted with darker brown at the larger end. The Long-billed Marsh Wren is a common summer resi- dent of the tidal marshes from Staten Island to eastern Massachusetts. It is also common near the coast in exten- sive cat-tail marshes along sluggish streams, as at Wayland, Mass., but in the interior of New England it is rare or absent, except along the valley of the Connecticut River, Where it occurs as far north as Springfield. The Wrens 90 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK arrive early in May and remain into October. A few even spend the winter in thick tangles of cat-tails near the coast. In the tidal marshes they frequent the ditches, and nest in the high-tide bushes (/va). The Wrens sing all day and through much of the night, often flying up over the cat-tails or grass, and singing as they descend. In making their way through cat-tails, they grasp the stalks with their strong feet, often standing with each foot on a separate stalk and their tails cocked over their backs so far that the white under tail-coverts show. When disturbed, they often show themselves only for a moment, and then disappear into the rushes, where they keep up a harsh scolding, or when reassured, pour out again their rapid, bubbling song. The alarm-note is an energetic tschuk. The nest is made of the stalks of cat-tails bent into a globular shape and fastened to cat-tails or to high-tide bushes. It is lined with the soft down from Fie. 5. Long-billed Marsh the cat-tail head, and is entered Wren through an opening at the side. The nest that contains the eggs is often a shabby-looking affair, made of old brown stalks, while all about are empty nests of fresh green cat-tails. These are busily woven by the male — why, no one knows. The white line over the eye, the blackish, unstreaked head, and the dlack patch on the upper back distinguish this wren from the following species. SHORT-BILLED MArsH WREN. Cistothorus stellaris 4.00 Ad.— Upper parts brown, streaked with black and white ; lower parts buffy, especially on the sides; no distinct line over eye. Nest, globular, with the opening at the side; made of grasses bent over and fastened to the stalks of stout grass, on or near the ground. Eggs, white, generally unspotted. SHORT-BILLED MARSH WREN 91 The Short-billed Marsh Wren is a somewhat rare and local summer resident throughout southern and central New England and New York. It ar- rives in May and stays through September. While the Long-billed Marsh Wren lives among cat-tails, the Short-billed prefers the sedgy meadows that border sluggish fresh- water brooks or rivers. If the meadows are extensive, there may Fic. 6. Short-billed Marsh be hundreds in a colony, or it may ae consist of only a pair or two. A few have been found as far north as Dublin, N. H., and several large colonies in Berkshire County, Mass. The bird is common in the Pur- gatory Meadows at Norwood, Mass., and in the marshes bordering the Sudbury at Wayland, Mass. While the song of the Long-billed Marsh Wren resembles the House Wren’s in its volubility, that of the Short-billed Marsh Wren suggests rather some species of sparrow. It may be represented by the syllables tsip tsip tsip tsipper tsupper tsipper, the first two or three notes staccato, the rest running rapidly down the scale. The call-note is lke the opening note of the song. The bird clings to the grass stalks in the same attitude as its relative, with tail cocked over its back, but it may be distinguished by the absence of a white line over the eye, and by its streaked head and upper back, which lacks the black patch. WintER Wren. Olbiorchilus hiemalis 4.06. Ad.— Upper parts deep brown; line over eye pale brown or light tawny ; wings and tail crossed with narrow dark bars ; under parts brownish or tawny, lighter than upper parts, but barred with blackish and white, and darker than in following species; tail less than 14in. long. s 92 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK Nest, on the ground, often under the roots of an overturned tree. Eggs, often six or seven, white, speckled with reddish-brown. The Winter Wren is a common summer resident of the Canadian Zone (see map, p. 15), a rare winter visitant in southern New England, and a not uncommon winter visitant in the lower Hudson Valley. It passes north in April, and returns in September and early October, but it is rarer as a migrant than its abundance in the north leads one to expect. In winter and on migration it frequents brush heaps, stone walls, or fallen trees, particularly along the banks of wood- land streams. It seldom sings while migrating. It breeds rarely in deep-wooded swamps on the upland of Worcester and Berkshire counties in Massachusetts, and in southern Vermont and New Hampshire, but as soon as one enters the damp forests of Mount Greylock in Massachusetts, the Cats- kills, and the higher mountains of northern New York and New England, the song of the Winter Wren becomes one of the characteristic summer sounds; it is as if the bird had been uncorked, Thoreau said, and the song left run- ning. The song is long and high, in two equally balanced parts, the first ending in a contralto trill, the second in a very high trill; after a little interval the song is repeated or answered. The Wren sings either from some high dead stub, or from the mossy logs over which it creeps in search of food. When alarmed on the breeding-ground, the bird utters a sound like the syllables errrrip, and at other times a sharp chick, very like a note of the Song Sparrow, but quickly repeated. It has also a fashion of bobbing or curtsying when observed. When searching for food, it seems often to skip, rather than to fly, from one log to the next. To distinguish a Winter Wren from a House Wren is a difficult matter. Except in September, however, the two will rarely occur together. The House Wren is nearly an inch longer, and much of the additional length is in the tail ; its HOUSE WREN 93 under parts are lighter, and it is likely even in the fall to utter its grating scolding-note. The Winter Wren utters a chick of surprise, and generally bobs or curtsies; this bob- bing action will identify it at once. The Winter Wren has a light line over the eye, which the House Wren Jacks, but the line is often rather indistinct, and especially difficult to see clearly on such an active and secretive bird. House Wren. Troglodytes aédon 5.00 Ad. — Upper parts warm brown ; wings and tail faintly barred with black ; under parts grayish, the flanks faintly barred with black ; bill long, slender ; tail more than 1} in. long. Nest, of sticks, ete., in a hole in a tree or box. Eggs, sometimes as many as eight, thickly speckled with pinkish-brown. The House Wren is a common summer resident in most of New England and the lower Hudson Valley, but it is a local bird, and may be wholly absent from certain regions. It is rare in northern New England, and confined to the Transi- tion Zone. Occasionally it is found nesting in dead trees in the burnt tracts away from the settlements, but as a rule any wren seen in the forests of northern New England isa Win- ter Wren. The House Wren arrives late in April, or early in May, and stays till October. It frequents apple orchards, or the yards about houses. Its small size, brown, unstreaked upper parts, and its pert ways readily distinguish it from other small birds. It often cocks its tail over its back, espe- cially when scolding an intruder. When it sings, it holds its tail pointed downward. The House Wren’s song is a vigorous, bubbling perform- ance, the notes following each other very rapidly. Its seold- ing-note is a harsh grating chatter, often uttered by the bird from its hiding-place in a stone wall or a brush heap, into and out of which it slips with the ease of a mouse. (See preced- ing species. ) a 94 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK CAROLINA WrEN. Thryothorus ludovicianus 5.50 Ad. — Upper parts rich reddish-brown; line over eye whitish ; throat white; breast and belly washed with buff. Nest, bulky, of sticks, ete., in a hole in a tree or in some cavity abont buildings. Eggs, whitish, speckled about the larger end with reddish-brown. The Carolina Wren is a very rare permanent resident of southern Rhode Island and southern Connecticut, and a rather common summer resident of the eastern slope of the Palisades ; it occasionally wanders into Massa- chusetts. The bird’s favorite haunts are brushy tangles. If a male is anywhere about he can hardly be overlooked; he is a constant singer, Fie. 7. Carolina Wren even in winter, and his song is so loud and clear that it can be heard easily a quarter of a mile away. It consists of short phrases of from two to four notes repeated again and again in a loud clear whistle. These phrases vary greatly; some of the common forms may be written twip'pity, twip'pity ; whiddy you', whiddy you! whiddy you'; thri'ou, thri'ou, thri'ou. Certain phrases suggest notes both of the Cardinal and the Tufted Tit; a beginner should make a careful study of the notes of these three species. The alarm-note is a rather smooth pewrr. A Carolina Wren is easily recognized by its wren-like behavior, by the rich brown of its upper parts, and by the conspicuous whitish line over its eye. Thrashers and Mockingbirds: Subfamily Miminze The Catbird, Brown Thrasher, and Mockingbird form a closely related group, which is included in the same family with the Wrens. BROWN THRASHER 95 Brown THRASHER. Toxostoma rufum 11.42 Ad. — Upper parts reddish-brown ; wing-bars white; bill long, slightly curved; tail very long; under parts white; breast, belly, and sides of the throat spotted with black. Nest, of coarse twigs, on the ground, or in a low bush. Eggs, white, thickly speckled with reddish-brown. The Brown Thrasher, or Brown Thrush, is a common summer resident of southern New England and the lower Hudson Valley ; it becomes less common on the upland of central New England and is absent from all the less culti- vated northern portions of New York and New England. It arrives toward the middle of April and remains till Octo- ber. It frequents dry, scrubby growth, roadside thickets and overgrown pastures, scratching on the ground and slip- ping into the bushes when alarmed, with the ease of its com- panion the Chewink; it may often be seen running in the roads. When a pair have a nest or a young bird hidden in a thicket, they manifest great excitement at the approach of an intruder, uttering a loud smack and a mournful ti-yoo-00, or a puffing or hissing sound. The yellow eye seems to glare at such times. The male sings from a high perch, often the uppermost spray of a tall tree, with tail depressed. The song is the most brilliant performance given by our New England birds, a succession of finely executed phrases, very often in pairs, and of great variety. Thoreau’s phrasing of it is, ‘‘ Drop it, drop it, — cover it up, cover it up, — pull it up, pull it up, pull it up.” A Brown Thrasher is readily told by the reddish-brown color of its upper parts and by its long tail. CATBIRD. Galeosvoptes carolinensis 8.94 Ad.— Entire body s/aty gray, except the head and tail, which are black ; feathers under base of tail chestnut. Nest, of sticks, in a thick bush. Eggs, glossy greenish-blue. 96 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK The Catbird is a common summer resident of New Eng- land and New York, except in the mountainous northern portions, though it is found along large streams even in northern Maine. It arrives in May and lingers into October. It frequents shrubbery and thickets, especially the tangles of vines and bushes near water. It is fond of fruit, and may often be seen in midsummer with a raspberry in its bill. Its ordinary call-note, from which it gets its name, is familiar; it 1s, perhaps, more snarling than a cat’s mew. It utters, besides, a mellow chuck, and occasionally a grating chatter, kak kak kak. Its song is very similar to that of the Thrasher, but it is not so vigorous, and though it un- doubtedly does contain fine passages, it is marred by the constant introduction of harsh phrases. When singing, the Catbird often sits on some high spray, with tail depressed ; when it hops along the ground or on a fence, the tail is either cocked at an angle or thrown jauntily from side to side. The bird always has an alert, saucy air. Mockinesirp. Mimus polyglottos 10.50 Ad. — Upper parts ash-gray; wings black, with a broad white bar ; three inner pairs of tail-feathers black, fourth and fifth pairs white, edged with black, outer pair white; under parts grayish- white. Nest, of twigs, weed-stalks, etce., in a thick bush or low tree. Eggs, bluish or greenish, spotted with reddish-brown. The Mockingbird is a rare visitant in southern New Eng- land and the lower Hudson Valley; there are several records of its breeding in New England, notably near Springfield. Single birds are not infrequently seen, especially in the fall or early spring; some of these may, of course, be escaped cage-birds. An observer must guard carefully against taking a Shrike for a Mockingbird; the two birds resemble each other somewhat in figure and coloration, but the Shrike in AMERICAN PIPIT 97 adult plumage has black wings and tail and a black stripe through the eye, while the Mockingbird has brown wings and tail and a gray head. If the bill can be examined at close range, the two birds can be readily distinguished ; the Shrike’s is like a Hawk’s, thick and hooked ; the Mocking- bird’s is like a Catbird’s, long and rather slender, with no hook. (See Fig. 30.) TITLARKS : FAMILY MOTACILLIDZ American Prprr; TirnarK. Anthus pensilvanicus 6.38 Ad.— Upper parts brownish-gray ; end of outer tail-feathers white; next pair tipped with white; line over eye whitish or buffy; throat white; breast streaked with black; belly white. The Titlark is a migrant through New England and New York, rare in New England in spring, but common in the fall, especially near the coast. It passes north in April and May, and returns in late September, October, and early November. Near the coast it frequents the short grass of the tidal marshes or grassy hills, where it feeds in company with Shore Larks and Snow Buntings. It often occurs in large flocks, which rise when disturbed and fly off over the marsh with a shrill tsee-tseep tsee-tsee-tseep, very like the call- notes of the Shore Lark. Inland it is fond of ploughed fields, mud-flats, or low meadows, but is also found on erassy hilltops, even at great elevation. Its long tad/ is constantly wagged as it walks; this wagging should iden- tify it at once, as the birds with which it consorts do not have this trick, and the other birds that do, the water- thrushes, etc., are not found in open fields. When the Titlark flies, it shows two owter tadl-feathers tipped with white. 98 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK WARBLERS (PROPERLY WOOD-WARBLERS) : PAMILY MNIOTILTIDA: The term Warblers is applied in America to a very large family of small birds, many of which live almost wholly in trees. The number of species to be distinguished often dis- courages a beginner, but many are confined almost wholly to certain kinds of country, and much may be done by learning where to expect each one. The males, moreover, are generally brightly marked, often with yellow; the fe- males and young are harder to distinguish. Half a dozen species occur commonly throughout New York and New England and are easily distinguished, both by their appear- ance and from the kind of country which they prefer ; these are: the Redstart, wherever trees and open spaces are combined, especially near water and often near our houses; the Northern Yellow-throat, ins low bushes in wet places; the Black and White Warbler, on the trunks of trees in open woodland ; the Oven-bird, on or near the ground in all kinds of woodland ; the Black-throated Green, in evergreens, and the Yellow Warbler, either in the shrubbery near houses, or in the willows along water-courses. The Chestnut- sided Warbler occurs nearly everywhere in New England, being absent only where extensive coniferous forests still exist ; it délights in dry roadside thickets and the second- growth in clearings. The Pine Warbler is common wher- ever pitch pine is abundant; it breeds also in white pine groves, but is not found in the Canadian Zone. In the spruce forests of northern New England the Myrtle Warbler is abundant, occurring even in the dooryard, if spruce-trees surround the house. In wilder country, where young spruces grow, the Black and Yellow Warbler is common, and on mountains, in stunted spruce, the Black-poll is abundant. In southern New York and New England the northern species occur as more or less common migrants in April and AMERICAN REDSTART 99 May, and September and October. They are to be looked for in the broad valleys of large streams, or near the coast, occurring in almost any bit of woodland or orchard along their paths of migration (see p. 11); they now occur in mixed flocks, often associating with Vireos and Kinglets, between which they are intermediate in size. Their songs are seldom beautiful, and often hard to distinguish ; they are in full song in spring, but few sing in the fall. Several species change their plumage in the fall; the Black-poll, Myrtle, and Yellow Palm Warblers are the commonest ex- amples of this class. 2 The Oven-bird, the Water-thrushes, and the Yellow Palm Warbler obtain their food on the ground; the Black and White Warbler gleans from the trunks and large hmbs; the Redstart often pursues an insect through the air ; the Yellow- rump is an expert fly-catcher, but in winter lives largely on bayberries. The Parula and the Blue-winged Yellow often cling to the tip of a twig like a Chickadee. Nearly all the others pick their food, chiefly insects, from twigs and leaves. AMERICAN Repstart. Setophaga ruticilla 5.41 Ad. &.— Head, throat, and back lustrous black; sides of breast and flanks reddish-orange ; large bar across wing and tail light salmon ; tips of tail-feathers black for a third of their length ; belly white. Ad. 9.— Head gray ; throat grayish-white, orange and salmon replaced by yellow. Young ¢ resembles the female until the third year. Nest, a soft cup, generally in the crotch of a tree or sapling from ten to thirty feet up. Eggs, thickly spotted with dark brown, chiefly around the larger end. The Redstart is a common summer resident throughout New York and New England, absent only at high altitudes. It arrives early in May and remains through September. The male Redstart’s bright colors always attract attention and excite admiration, and, unlike its rival, the Blackburnian 100 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK Warbler, it may easily be seen by the beginner. It is com- mon in the shrubbery about dwellings, and in its restless course flies from twig to twig, sometimes pursuing an in- sect to the ground at the observer’s feet. Both sexes have a habit of keeping the tail spread like a fan, so that the yellow or salmon band is very conspicuous. . It needs practice to distinguish the song of this species from that of the Yellow Warbler, often its neighbor about our houses. The Redstart’s song is less complicated: wee’- see'-see' is its shortest form; wee!-see-wee'-see-wee! is an- other. All the phrases are on one key, and are almost never followed by the additional phrase with which the song of the Yellow Warbler ends. The male in his first spring wears the gray and yellow of the female, so that one often hears the song uttered apparently by the female. CANADIAN WARBLER. Walsonia canadensis 5.61 Ad. &.—Upper parts ashy gray ; crown blackish, especially on the forehead ; breast crossed by a broad band of black spots which separate the yellow throat from the yellow belly. Ad. 9 and Im. — The blackish crown lacking ; spots on breast faint. Nest, in mossy banks and under roots. Eggs, white, spotted about the larger end with reddish-brown. The Canadian Warbler is a migrant through southern New England and the lower Hudson Valley in the second half of May and in September. As a migrant it is found chiefly in wet woodland, where it keeps rather low in the bushes, though it may occur in dry places, and when singing often mounts fairly high in trees. It breeds from the edge of the Canadian Zone northward, occurring Frc, 8. Canadian Warbler here and there in deep, cool swamps, WILSON S WARBLER 101 even in central and eastern Massachusetts, and not uncom- monly in the highlands of western Massachusetts. It is often abundant in the thickets of mountain maple on ill- drained mountain summits. It is very inquisitive, and an intruder may frequently hear its alarm-note, chick, or catch a glimpse of the black “necklace” across its yellow breast as it flies low in the bushes. Its song is a rather hurried out- pouring of notes, introduced by the same chick which it uses as an alarm-note. (See Magnolia Warbler, Fig. 18, p. 119.) Wiztson’s WARBLER. Walsonia pusilla 5.00 §.— Upper parts bright olive-green in a strong light ; crown black ; forehead and under parts bright yellow. 9.— Black crown generally wanting. Nest, on the ground in wet woods. ggs, white, speckled with reddish-brown, and with lavender. The Wilson’s Warbler is a rather uncommon migrant through New England and New York, occurring in the latter half of May and in September. It breeds rarely in the extreme northern and eastern portions of Maine. It is gen- erally found in trees or bushes near water, along the edges of swamps or in the bushy borders of streams, though, like most migrants, it may appear, when ~~ Fic. 9. Wilson’s more than usually common, in any Wenpler suitable cover. Its song suggests to most observers the song of the Yellow Warbler; it is briefer, less lively, and ends in some rapidly delivered notes. It is a restless little bird, difficult to observe. The yellow of the under parts first attracts attention ; then a glimpse of its dark back dis- tinguishes it from the female Yellow Warbler, but a sight of the black crown bordered by the yellow forehead is necessary for an absolute identification. 102 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK Hoopep WARBLER. Wilsonia mitrata 5.67 Ad. $.— Forehead and cheeks bright yellow ; top of head and throat black, inclosing the yellow cheeks ; under parts yellow ; back brown (olivaceous in strong light) ; outer tail-feathers white. Ad. 9 and Im. — The black of the throat absent or inconspicuous. Nest, in a crotch of a bush or sapling about four feet up. Eggs, white, spotted, generally about the larger end, with red- dish-brown. The Hooded Warbler is a summer resident of southern Connecticut and the lower Hudson Valley, arriving early in May and leaving in August. It is locally common along the Sound and in the Connecticut Valley, and in northern New Jersey. At Englewood and at Fort Lee, N. J., it frequents rich swampy woods, feeding either in the undergrowth, or in tall trees. In southern Connecticut it seems to prefer woods with extensive under- growth of mountain laurel. It is an active bird, and has a loud, bright song. The song varies con- siderably; in some forms the open- ing notes have something of the wildness and sweetness of the Field Sparrow’s song, and are followed by notes with an upward inflection, suggesting those of the Black and Yellow War- bler. The alarm-note is a sharp chip. The male is unmis- takable; the female may be known by her yellow forehead and white outer tail-feathers. Fic. 10. Hooded Warbler YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT. Icteria virens 7.44 Ad.—Upper parts brown, tinged with green in strong light; throat and breast rich yellow ; eyelids, a line over the eye, and another under the cheek white; line from eye to bill black; belly white. NORTHERN YELLOW-THROAT 103 Nest, rather bulky, of coarse grasses, leaves, and strips of bark, low in a thicket. Eggs, white, speckled and spotted with reddish- brown. The Yellow-breasted Chat is a common summer resident of southern Connecticut and the lower Hudson Valley; in southern Rhode Island it is locally common; northward it becomes rare, and though found sparingly in the valleys of Berkshire County, Mass., and rather commonly at Swampscott, Mass., it does not seem to breed north of the latter State. The Chat arrives in May and leaves in August. Its favorite haunts are tangled briery thick- ets, or thick bushes in clearings. Here it soon makes its presence known by its loud calls. These are of aston- ishing variety, and sometimes absurdly grotesque. When uttering them the bird is often concealed in the thicket; at such a time he frequently utters his notes with such modulations and in such different keys that he seems now close at hand, and now far away. When singing on a limb, he turns with an air of ludicrous gravity from side to side, and in the height of the breeding season dances jerkily in the air with outstretched legs. The commoner calls are a loud tdo too too, resembling somewhat the song of the White-bellied Nuthatch, a whistled whit, and various clucking and mewing sounds. NortHern YELLOW-THROAT; MAryLAND YELLOW- THROAT. Geothlypis trichas brachydactyla 5.33 Ad. ¢.— Upper parts deep olive-green in strong light; fore- head and broad line through eye black, bordered above by ashy gray ; throat and breast bright yellow; belly yellowish. Ad. @. — Without the black or ashy lines ; throat and breast yellowish ; belly whitish. Nest, on the ground or in a tussock, a deep structure of leaves and grasses. Eggs, speckled with brown at the larger end. 104 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK The Northern Yellow-throat (known formerly as the Maryland Yellow-throat) is a common summer resident of all New England and New York, arriving early in May and staying till October. In southern New England it is largely confined to swampy thickets, or the bushy borders of streams; but farther north, where the upland is ill-drained, it is common in the roadside bushes, even Fig. 11. Northern on the hills. Its mask of black, like Yellow-throat \ a domino, contrasting with its bright yellow throat, its nervous actions, twitchings of the tail, and manner of climbing up the stalks of reeds or twigs, all serve to call attention to it and to fix its appearance in the mind. The Yellow-throat’s song is loud and emphatic and at- tracts attention. It varies in different localities, but the same form is generally used by birds of one region; there are dia- lects, in other words. Three common forms are, (a) wee’- see-see, wee'-see-see, wee'-see-see, (b) wee-see!-ser, wee-see!- ser, wee-see'-ser, and (c) wee-see-see'-see, wee-see-see'-see, wee-see-see!-see. At intervals the male mounts a short dis- tance into the air, and while descending utters a series of chips, followed by a bit of the ordinary song. The call- note is a rather loud tchek ; the bird has also a rapid, rather wren-like chatter; in fact, its form and many of its actions suggest a wren, but no wren shows yellow any- where. The female, though less conspicuous, may be distin- guished from other small yellow-throated birds by the low, wet situation where she is found, and by her nervous ways. No Pine Warbler would be found in the places which she frequents; the occasional Nashville Warbler or female Yellow Warbler that might occur there would be yellow or yellowish on the belly, as well as on the throat. MOURNING WARBLER 105 MourninGg WARBLER. Geothlypis philadelphia 5.63 Ad. ¢.— Head and neck bluish-gray, mixed with black on the _ throat ; breast black ; back, wings, and tail brown, tinged with green in strong light ; belly bright yellow. 9.— Head, neck, and breast brown, or brownish-gray ; back, wings, tail, and belly as ing. Nest, on or near the ground. Eggs, white, spotted with brown or reddish-brown. The Mourning Warbler is a rare migrant through south- ern and central New England and the Hudson Valley, occur- ring late in May or early in June. In migration, the bird frequents dry, bushy banks. On Mount Greylock in Massa- chusetts, on the higher Catskills, and from central Vermont and New Hampshire northward, the bird is a somewhat local summer resident, nowhere very common. It frequents clear- ings and burnt tracts, where in the thickets of mountain ma- ple under fallen trees it searches for food, or utters its rather striking song. It also sings from the tops of small trees, and occasionally delivers an outburst in the air. The song may be written thurree, thurree, thurree, generally followed by two or three lower notes. Whether the accent is on the first or second syllable is hard to tell, but a throaty quality, and the presence of the letter 7, characterize the song, and a glance at the gray, black, and yellow of the singer identifies him at once. CoNNECTICUT WARBLER. Geothlypis agilis 5.40 Ad. §.— Head, neck, and upper breast ash-gray ; ring around eye white ; back, wings, and tail brown, tinged with greenish-yel- low in strong light ; belly bright yellow. Ad. Q and Jm.— Upper parts, wings, and tail brown, tinged with greenish-yellow in strong light ; throat and upper breast brownish ; rest of under parts yel- low ; ring around eye brownish-white. The Connecticut Warbler is a rare fa// migrant through New England and the Hudson Valley, occurring in the latter 106 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK half of September and in early October. In the swamps about Fresh Pond in Cambridge, Mass., it is sometimes common. In such places it feeds in the jewel-weed (Impatiens), great masses of which grow in the wet soil. In western Massachusetts it occurs in rather dry lanes. It is more leisurely in its behavior than its relative the Northern or Maryland Yellow-throat, and when disturbed often flies to some low limb near by, where it sits quietly. An adult in full plumage is rare, but the bird may always be distin- guished from the female Northern Yellow-throat by its throat, which is brownish where the other species is yellow, and by its bright yellow under parts. If the bird is seen at close range, a whitish eye-ring is visible. Kentucky WARBLER. Geothlypis formosa 5.40 Ad. $.—Crown and stripe from bill along side of throat black ; line over eye and under parts bright yellow ; back, wings, and tail brown, tinged with greenish-yellow in strong light. Ad. 9.—Similar, but the black veiled with gray. Nest, of dried leaves on the ground. Eggs, white, spotted with brown or reddish-brown. The Kentucky Warbler is a rather common, though local, summer resident of the lower Hudson Valley as far north as Sing Sing. It arrives early in May and leaves late in August. It fre- - quents low damp woods, spending most of its time on or near the ground. Its song is loud and bright, Fig. 12. Kentucky and resembles the syllables tweedle, Mipepler tweedle, tweedle. The Northern Yel- low-throat has been taken for the Kentucky Warbler; the yellow line over the eye is the distinguishing mark of the latter. LOUISIANA WATER-THRUSH OT LovisiANA WATER-THRUSH. Sewurus motacilla 6.28 Ad. — Upper parts grayish-brown; line over the eye pure white; under parts white, tinged in strong light with buffy; throat un- spotted ; breast and flanks streaked with black. Nest, placed under the bank of a stream or under the roots of an overturned tree. Eggs, white, spotted with reddish-brown. The Louisiana Water-thrush is a summer resident of Berkshire County, Mass., of Rhode Island, Connecticut, and the lower Hudson Valley. It is rare in Berkshire County, local in Rhode Island and northern Connecticut, but fairly common in southern Connecticut and along the Hudson; it even penetrates the Catskills, following the mountain streams. It arrives in the middle of April, often a fort- night before the northern species, and leaves before Sep- tember. Though it does to some extent frequent swampy woods and sluggish woodland streams, as at Englewood, N. J., yet its favorite haunts are clear mountain brooks, where it trips over the stones, or utters its wild ringing song from the branches of the overhanging trees. Like its relative, it has a habit of wagging the tail as it walks. During May, both the northern and the southern species occur in southern New England and the Hudson Valley. The southern species may then be distinguished by the pure white line over the eye and by the wnspotted throat. Its song, generally described as wilder than that of the north- ern species, and the call-note, may both be distinguished by a practiced ear, but a beginner must depend for identifica- tion either on the time of year, or on the white line over the eye and the unspotted throat. A Water-thrush seen in southern New England or New York between the tenth of June and the first of August will, almost undoubtedly, be the southern species. 108 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK WATER-THRUSH. Seiurus noveboracensis 6.04 Ad. —Upper parts dark brown; line over the eye whitish, buffy in a strong light ; under parts buffy ; everywhere spotted with black. Nest, on or near the ground. Eggs, white, spotted with reddish- brown. The Water-thrush is a common migrant through southern and central New York and New England during May, and again in August and September. From central New Hamp- shire, through northern Maine, and in the Adirondacks, it is a summer resident, frequenting the swampy edges of lakes, swampy woods, or the poolsin mountain streams. In migra- tion it may be found in any low, wet ground, under trees or bushes, picking its way along the edges of the water, con- stantly wagging its tail. Its song is loud and clear and may be represented by the syllables twit twit twit twee twee twee~oo, all very staccato, and the last notes going down the scale. The call-note is a clear, metallic chip. (See pre- ceding species. ) OVEN-BIRD. Seiurus aurocapillus 6.17 Ad. — Upper parts brown; crown dull orange, edged with black; breast and sides spotted with black. Nest,a bulky structure of dry leaves and stalks, on the ground, with the opening at the side. Hggs, white, spotted with reddish- brown. The Oven-bird is a common summer resident throughout New England and New York, arriving early in May and lingering through September. It inhabits woodland of every sort, if there are open spaces under the trees where it may walk over the ground in search of food. It prefers, how- ever, dry open woods of deciduous trees. Here its loud song, Teacher, TEACHER, TEACHER, THACH, to modify Mr. Burroughs’s version, is one of the first sounds to attract PRAIRIE WARBLER 109 the ear. When uttering it, the bird is generally perched on a rather high limb, but at other times it walks with pinkish feet over the dry leaves or along some low limb, with a constant upward tilt of the tail. Towards evening and at intervals during the night, one is surprised, while walking in or near woodland, by a burst of rather rapid music from a bird high overhead, and as he shoots earth- ward a few phrases remind one of ErCutae Ooennid the teacher teach of the Oven-bird. This is the famous flight-song of the Oven-bird, not rare, but rarely heard, unless one happen to live in the very woods. Its alarm-note is a vigorous tschuk. When the brooding female is frightened off the nest, she tries to draw the in- truder away from the spot by fluttering helplessly along the ground, trailing behind her an apparently broken wing. PRAIRIE WARBLER. Dendroica discolor 4.75 Ad. ¢.— Upper parts with a strong greenish tinge, when seen in strong light; when the bird is seen from above, reddish-brown markings show in the middle of the back ; forehead, a line over eye, and a spot below eye yellow; spot in front of eye and stripe below eye black; wing-bars yellowish; breast bright yellow with black streaks down the sides. Ad. 9. — With less, sometimes no reddish-brown on the back. /m.— Upper parts olive-green; under parts yellow; no wing-bars. Nest, in a bush or low tree, generally lined with horse-hair. Eggs, white, speckled with dark brown, chiefly about the larger end. The Prairie Warbler is a summer resident of southern New England and Long Island, but is rare in northern New Jersey and in the lower Hudson Valley; it is not found north of Massachusetts, except in a few stations in the Merrimac Valley, nor does it occur, so far as I know, 110 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK in the interior of the State. It is found in dry, scrubby second-growth, especially on sandy soil. It is abundant on Martha’s Vineyard and on parts of Cape Cod, but rare or only locally common over most of its range. It arrives early in May, and leaves in September. The Prairie Warbler’s song is a series of sharp, thin notes running rapidly up the scale. They may be distinguished from the Parula’s notes by their thin- ness; the Parula’s voice is wheezy, nor would it be often heard in the hot, dry situations in which the Prairie Warbler delights. The Canada Warbler (p. 100), the Black and Yellow (p. 118), and the Fic. 14, Prairie Warbler pare Cape May also have yellow under parts streaked with black. Only in the Prairie Warbler, however, is the black confined to the sides. The Canada Warbler, moreover, chooses low, wet places, even on migra- tion, and in summer the breeding areas of the two birds hardly overlap. YELLOW PALM WARBLER; YELLOW REDPOLL. Dendroica palmarum hypochrysea 5.43 Ad. in spring. —Crown chestnut; back brownish; under parts bright yellow; sides of throat, breast, and sides of belly streaked with reddish-brown ; no white wing-bars. Ad. in fall and Im. — Crown-patch concealed; under parts as above. Nest, on the ground. Eggs, buffy white, speckled with brown. The Yellow Palm Warbler or Yellow Redpoll is a mi- grant through New England and New York, appearing in April and early May, and again in September and early October. It breeds sparingly in open juniper-bogs in north- ern and eastern Maine (Knight). In spring it is a bird of stone walls, bushes, and low trees, feeding often on the WESTERN PALM WARBLER alii ground. Its song resembles that of the Chipping Sparrow, but is less strong even than that simple performance. It is often associated in migration with the Yellow-rumped War- bler; the songs of the two Warblers are both rather feeble, but the Yellow Redpoll’s is rougher and less likely to rise or fall into a different key. The Yellow Palm Warbler has in spring a chestnut crown, like that of a Chipping Sparrow, but its bright yel- low under parts distinguish it, of course, from that bird. It has, moreover, a trick of constantly wagging its tail up and down; this habit distinguishes it readily from the two other warblers with yellow under parts, the Nashville and the Yellow Warbler. (See also the account of the Black- poll Warbler in autumn, p. 116.) Patm WARBLER. Dendroica palmarum 5.25 The Western Palm Warbler is a regular, though rare, mi- grant in the latter half of September, generally appearing earlier than the preceding species. Its habits and haunts are similar to those of the Yellow Palm Warbler, and it takes a trained eye to distinguish between the two. Its breast, throat, and upper belly are all dingy whitish, only the extreme lower belly and the feathers under the tail are bright yellow. The eastern bird is yellow over the entire under parts. PinE WARBLER. Dendroica vigorsir 5.52 Ad. §.— Upper parts with a strong greenish-yellow tinge in a good light; wing-bars whitish; throat and breast yellow, brightest on the throat; belly paler. Ad. 9.— Upper parts brownish with fainter greenish-yellow tinge; under parts grayish-white with a faint tinge of yellowish on the breast; wing-bars narrower, gray- ish. Jm.— Similar to 9, but without any yellowish tinge; wing- bars very faint. 112 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK Nest, generally in pines, from twenty to fifty feet up. Eggs, dull white, spotted with brown, chiefly about the larger end. The Pine Warbler is a common summer resident of cen- tral New England and of parts of Long Island; in northern New Jersey, the lower Hudson Valley, and in southern Con- necticut it occurs only as a migrant. In the valleys of the Housatonic, Connecticut, and Merrimac, and in southern Maine it is found as far north as the pitch pine grows, but it also occurs sparingly near its northern hmit in groves of tall white pine. It is the first warbler to arrive in spring, appearing early in April, and it lingers till the middle of October, singing freely again toward the end of its stay. In the spring, the bird often descends to the ground to feed, and it may in any case be more easily observed in the loose growing pitch pines than the equally common Black- throated Green Warbler in the dense white pines. The movements of the Pine Warbler are leisurely, and it stops continually to shake out the sweet trill which constitutes its song. The song resembles in form the Chipping Sparrow’s and the Snowbird’s, but is sweeter and less staccato than either of these songs; moreover, it is rarely heard outside of a pine grove. At the height of the breeding season the trill is occasionally followed by a few additional notes in a lower key. The resemblance of the Pine Warbler in pattern of color- ation to the Yellow-throated Vireo is discussed on p. 134. The dull colors of the female Pine Warbler make her one of the most difficult birds to recognize; the faint tinge of yellow on the breast is perceptible only at close range in good light, and the wing-bars are narrow and grayish. The shape of the bill, of course, indicates that she is a warbler ; it is often only by a process of elimination that one dis- covers her identity. The young birds in autumn are even more non-committal. BLACK—-THROATED GREEN WARBLER ble BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER. Dendroica virens 5.10 Ad. §.—Back greenish in strong light ; wing-bars broad, white ; cheeks and forehead yellow; middle of throat, upper breast, ~ and sides black ; belly white, running up into the black area. Ad. ©.—The yellow cheeks duller, tinged with greenish ; black throat almost obscured with gray ; wing-bars white. Jm.— Show- ing hardly any black on the throat. Nest, from fifteen to fifty feet up in coniferous trees. The Black-throated Green Warbler is a common summer resident of most of New York and New England ; in north- ern New Jersey, the lower Hudson Valley, and southwestern Connecticut it occursonly asa migrant. It arrives late in April or early in May; north- ern individuals occur in September and early October in the mixed flocks of migrating warblers. It is the chief inhabitant of the white igs. 15. Black-throated Green Warbler pines, where one hears continually its wheezy notes. It is also a common resident of the red cedar or savin groves of southern New England and of the spruces of northern New England and New York. In mi- eration it is common in deciduous trees. The song of this warbler has two forms, one quicker than the other; they may be written 2@é zee zw 2¢ and 2 2d 20 20 zee zu ev. When a male is singing freely, he often keeps up a chipping note through the short intervals between the repetitions of his song. The bird is seldom clearly seen, though its notes are so constant, but as it comes to the end of a twig, one gets from below a glimpse of the bright yellow cheeks, the black throat, and the entering angle of white between the dlack sides. The only other small bird with a black throat and yellow about the head is the Golden-winged Warbler. In 114 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK this species the cheeks are clear black and white and only the top of the head is yellow; the black throat, too, covers only a small area, not extending down the sides, nor is the Golden-winged Warbler found in pines. (See Fig. 22, p. 127.) The songs of the two species and of the Black-throated Blue have something of the same quality of tone, but differ decidedly in form. The Black-throated Blue utters three notes, the last two drawled, and generally with a rising inflection. The song of the Golden-winged Warbler may be written zeé zee-zee-zee, the first note long, the next three a bit lower and quicker. BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER. Dendroica blackburme 5.25 Ad. §.— Crown and line under eye black ; back black, streaked with gray ; wide bar on wing white ; throat, breast, and line over eye bright reddish-orange ; sides of breast streaked with black ; belly whitish. Ad. 9.—Similar, but duller, yellow replacing the orange. Jm.— Similar to the female ; the back browner, the yel- low paler. Nest, in evergreen trees, from ten to forty feet up. Eggs, greenish-white, speckled or spotted, chiefly about the larger end, with reddish-brown. The Blackburnian Warbler is a migrant through south- ern New England and the Hudson Valley, in May and Sep- tember, rare in eastern New England, but fairly common in western New England and in the Hudson Valley. It breeds from the edge of the Canadian Zone northward, lo- cally in deep hemlocks or pine woods at the southern border of its range, commonly in the coniferous forests of the north. The song of the Blackburnian Warbler is characterized by its extreme thinness; one form resembles a very wiry Red- start’s song, but the commoner form, by which the bird may always be recognized, may be described by the syllables wee, see, see, see, zt, zt, zt, ending in the thinnest note imagin- able. The singer is generally feeding high in thick ever- BLACK—POLL WARBLER 115 ereens, and it is only now and then, when he comes out to the tip of a twig, that his splendid color is visible. If seen, it can never be mistaken or forgotten. The deep orange of the throat and breast are unlike the color of any other small bird, except the Redstart, where the orange is on the sides of the breast and the throat is black. The female and young may be known by the suggestion of buff in the yellow throat, and by the white wing-patch. BLACK-POLL WARBLER. Dendroica striata 5.56 Ad. §.— Crown black ; back gray, streaked with black ; wing- bars white ; cheeks white ; under parts white, the sides streaked with black. Ad. 9.— Upper parts gray, showing black streaks and a greenish tinge in strong light; wing-bars white ; sides streaked with dull black. Ad. in winter and Im. — Similar to the female, but more yellowish below, and the streaking on the back and under parts very faint. Nest, in evergreens, about six feet up. Eggs, white, speckled and blotched at the larger end with brown. In most of New England and New York the Black-poll Warbler is a very common migrant in the second half of May, and in September and early October.. On the mountains of northern New York and New Eng- land it is a common summer resi- dent, occurring most commonly in the stunted spruces at the edge of the timber line. The song of the Black-poll is con- = F1¢- 16. Black-poll stantly heard from the migrants in eres May; it is a high thin ¢stt ¢tsit tsit tsit tsit, of a pene- trating quality, delivered with a crescendo and diminuendo ; the last notes are by some birds run rapidly together with almost a sputtering effect. The alarm-note is a strong chip. 116 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK The call-note is a rather rough lisp; it is constantly heard from the trees in autumn, and is the sound heard most fre- quently at night as the birds migrate southward. The male Black-poll Warbler may be told from the Black and White Warbler (see Fig. 25, p. 129) by its plain black cap, and by its very different manner of feeding. The former hops from one small twig to another, while the lat- ter climbs along the large limbs in the manner described on p. 129. The female is harder to identify; one must look for the white wing-bars and the dull streaking along the sides. In the fall the young Black-polls and the adults in winter plumage are very abundant and should be looked for and carefully studied. ‘Their upper parts have a greenish tinge when seen in strong light; they are yellowish below and have white wing-bars. They have a way of twitching their tails, but it is a slight nervous action, different from the deliberate sweep of the Yellow Red-poll. (See also next species. ) BAY-BREASTED WARBLER. Dendroica castanea 5.63 Ad. ¢.— Top of head chestnut, bordered in front and on the side with black; back streaked with black ; throat, breast, and sides chestnut ; sides of neck and rest of under parts buffy ; wing- bars white. Ad. 2.— Upper parts olive, streaked with black ; under parts buffy ; sides of breast tinged with reddish-brown. Im. &.— Similar to ad. Q ; flanks with a tinge of reddish-brown. Im. 9.— Upper parts olive-green, usually unstreaked ; flanks usually without tinge of reddish-brown ; under parts buffy. Nest, in coniferous trees, fifteen to twenty feet from the ground. Eggs, white, tinged with greenish, and finely speckled. about the larger end with brown. The Bay-breasted Warbler, as a migrant, is not uncom- mon in the Hudson Valley and in western Massachusetts, but is generally very rare in eastern New England, where it occurs, as a rule, only when there is an unusually heavy CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER iU7h migration of warblers. It passes north in the middle of May and returns in September. It breeds commonly on the high mountains of northern New England and in the exten- sive coniferous forests of northern and eastern Maine. The song of the Bay-breast suggests somewhat that of the Black and White Warbler, or the short form of the Redstart’s song. This is the only warbler that has a chestnut crown, throat, breast, and sides; the Yellow Redpoll has a chestnut crown and slight streaking of chestnut on its yellow under parts ; the Chestnut-side has a narrow stripe of chestnut along the sides, but a yellow crown and a white throat. In Septem- ber a few Bay-breasts pass through eastern Massachusetts, and a larger number through the Hudson Valley. They now resemble the immature Black-poll Warblers so closely that only a trained eye can distinguish them. The buffy tinge over the under parts, the butfly wnder tail-coverts, and occasionally the tinge of reddish-brown along the sides are their distinguishing marks. CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER. Dendroica pensylvanica 5.14 Ad. $.— Top of head yellow ; back in strong light of a green- ish tinge, streaked with black; wing-bars yellowish; cheeks white ; sides of throat black ; a narrow stripe of chestnut-red along the sides of breast and belly. Ad. Q9.—Similar, but duller. Im. — Entire upper parts yellowish-green ; wing-bars yellowish ; under parts white. Nest, in a low, slight bush, often a blackberry or a raspberry. Eggs, white, speckled, chiefly about the larger end, with reddish- brown. The Chestnut-sided Warbler is a common summer resi- dent of New York and New England, but is less common in the lower Hudson Valley than farther north. It arrives early in May and stays till the end of September. It pre- fers dry roadside thickets or clearings, and though its song 118 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK closely resembles that of the Yellow Warbler, the two spe- cies are so rarely found breeding in the same kind of coun- try that one will not often confuse their songs. ‘The singer in the dry scrubby thickets is nearly always the Chestnut-side, while the bird of the streams and cultivated land is the Yellow Warbler. ; Each of these two warblers com- Fic. 17. Chestnut-sided monly has two quite distinct songs, Warbler one strong and incisive, the other feebler and less piercing. The sharp incisive song of the Chestnut-side ends with a phrase which has suggested the rendering, Very, very glad to meet you. The loose or feeble song has so little character that it is hard to learn. The yellow crown of this bird, and the white throat, breast, and belly make it easy to recognize, even if the narrow line of chestnut is not at first seen. The yellow- ish wing-bars of the young, and their greenish-yellow backs, and white, unstreaked under parts, distinguish them from other young warblers. Macnoiia WARBLER; BLACK AND YELLOW WARBLER. Dendroica maculosa 5AZ Ad. §.— Head ashy ; cheeks and back black ; large patch of white on the wing ; all the tazl-feathers tipped with black for some distance, all but the central ones white above the tips; rump yellow ; under parts yellow ; breast and sides heavily streaked with black. Ad. 9.—Similar, but duller. Jm.— Upper parts gray ; back greenish in strong light ; rump and under parts yellow ; tail as in adult. Nest, from three to six feet up, in coniferous trees. Eggs, white, marked with brown at the larger end. The Black and Yellow Warbler is a migrant through southern New York and New England, common in western MAGNOLIA WARBLER 119 New England and in the Hudson Valley, fairly common in eastern New England. It arrives about the tenth of May, passes north before the end of that month, and returns in September, and early October. On migration the Black and Yellow seems to prefer evergreens, but when abundant, it is found in all suitable places. It Fig. 18. Magnolia Warbler is a common summer resi- dent in the Canadian Zone, from the edge of the spruce belt northward. It delights in the pasture spruces, the thick growth of healthy young trees, whose lower branches sweep the hillsides; but it will live in almost any growth that contains spruce, even high up the mountain-sides, The song is as characteristic a sound of the smaller patches of spruce as that of the Yellow-rump is of the more extensive tracts. Generally it suggests the syllables weely, weely, wichy, with a rising inflection at the close, but there are several variations, which can be learned only after long practice. The song generally has more character than that of the Yellow-rump. The alarm-note is a rather sharp chip ; the bird has other short notes, one of which is a tizie, resembling the song of the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, but thinner and drier (I. H. Allen). The Prairie, the Canada, and the Cape May are the other warblers whose yellow under parts are streaked with black. Neither the Prairie nor the Canada shows white on the wing: the Prairie has no ashy-gray or black on the up- per parts; the Canada has no white in the tail. A study, too, of Figs. 14 and 8 on pp. 110 and 100, will show the difference in the pattern of black and yellow. The much rarer Cape May, which, like the Black and Yellow, has a yellow rump and white on the wing, may be distinguished 120 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK by the black crown. In all plumages the tail of the Black and Yellow is a good field-mark ; even when closed it shows white halfway down, and extensive black tips. MyrtLe WARBLER; YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER. Den- droica coronata 5.65 Ad. §.— Upper parts gray, with a bluish tinge in strong light ; rump and small crown-patch yellow ; wing bars white ; cheeks black ; throat white ; sides of upper breast black, of lower breast yellow ; belly white ; three outer tail-feathers with large white spots. Ad. 9.— Upper parts browner ; less black below. Ad. in winter and Im. — Yellow crown-patch partly hidden by brownish ; back brownish ; breast washed with brownish ; rump yellow ; outer tail-feathers spotted with white. Nest, in coniferous trees, five to ten feet up. Eggs, grayish white, spotted with brown. The Yellow-rumped Warbler is the only member of its family which winters in New York and New England ; it is found in winter from Ipswich, Mass., southward along the sea-coast wher- ever bayberries are abun- dant. It has even been found at Pine Point, Scar- boro, Me., in January. Early in April the Yel- low-rump appears as a Fig. 19. Myrtle Warbler migrant, and early in May it becomes abundant. A few migrants occasionally reappear late in August, but the great host, now in their winter plumage, pass through late in September and through October. It breeds commonly in the extensive spruce forests of northern New York and New England ; sparingly in Worcester and Berkshire coun- ties, Mass., and here and there on the upland of southern BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER AWA New Hampshire and Vermont, wherever there are patches of spruce; in the southern part of its range it breeds occa- sionally in white pine groves. The song is difficult to learn; it generally consists of two sets of phrases composed of the syllables wee-see-see’-see, the second sometimes in a lower, sometimes in a higher key than the first, but neither of them at all sharp or decided. In spring it gleans insects from the twigs of trees, or flies out from the branches to catch the little winged crea- tures that swarm at this season; its yellow rump is now often hard to see, but the bird may be recognized, if seen from below, by the large black patches on the breast and the yellow patches lower down. Note also its white throat ; it is the only white-throated warbler, except the Chestnut- side, that has any yellow in its plumage. In winter, when it adds bayberries to its insect fare, it feeds in low bushes ; when it flies up, the bright yellow rump and the spots of white on the outer tail-feathers make an unfailing field- mark. BLACK-THROATED BuuE WARBLER. Dendroica ceru- lescens 5.28 Ad. §.— Upper parts grayish-blue; a white patch in the wing ; throat, and sides of head, sides of breast, and belly black; rest of breast and belly white. Ad. 9.— Upper parts brownish or gray- ish, tinged with green in strong light ; line over eye dull yel- lowish-white; white wing-patch smaller than in male; under parts dingy yellowish. Jm. $.—Similar to ad. %, but upper parts tinged with olive-green, the black somewhat veiled with white. Im. 9?.—Similar to ad. 9. Nest, in a low bush or sapling, often in laurel, hemlock, or yew, two feet or less from the ground. Eggs, white, spotted with brown, chiefly at the larger end. The Black-throated Blue Warbler is a common summer resident of northern New York and New England from 122 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK Berkshire County, Mass., northward, and a rather common migrant through southern New England and the lower Hudson Valley, passing north in May, and re- turning in September and early October. It is less common as a mi- grant in eastern Massa- a chusetts than in western Fic. 20. Black-throated Blue Warbler Massachusetts or in the Hudson Valley. In summer it frequents, in the southern part of its range, cool woods of deciduous trees, — beech, maple, and birch, — where its drawling notes are as characteristic as those of the Black and Yellow Warbler in the spruces. The song varies somewhat in form and in length: a com- mon form consists of three rather pure notes with a down- ward inflection, followed by a fourth, hoarse note with rising inflection, whee-a whee-a whee-a whee-ee ; another common form consists of one short introductory note and two up- ward hoarse notes, the whole given rapidly. The hoarse drawling character of the last notes will always serve to identify the song. The alarm-note is a rather heavy chuck. The male is unmistakable; the female and young are rather puzzling birds, unless one can make out the small white spot on the wing, and the whitish line over the eye. YELLOW WARBLER; SUMMER YELLOWBIRD. Dendroica cestiva 5.10 Ad. ¢.— Entire bird yellow or yellowish; the crown in good light bright yellow; the upper parts greenish-yellow; wings and tail brownish; the breast streaked with reddish-brown. Ad. 9. — Like the $, but crown not brighter than the back, breast not streaked with reddish-brown. YELLOW WARBLER 123 Nest, a neat gray cup in the fork of a bush or low tree. Eggs, bluish-white or greenish-white, spotted with brown, generally ina wreath around the larger end. The Yellow Warbler is a summer resident of New York and New England, arriving late and leaving about the middle of August; a few migrants from the north are seen in Septem- ber. It is common in central and southern New England and in the lower Hudson Valley, and frequents orchards and gardens, even in large cities; in the hilly country of western Massachu- Fie. 21. Yellow Warbler setts and in northern New England it is much less common, and is generally confined to the valleys of the large streams and their tributaries. It is active, and a constant singer, uttering its bright song from the morning of its arrival to that of its departure. The song has two forms: one loud and incisive, like the syllables wee!-chee, chee, chee, chee'- wee, the other less sharp and strong. (See under Chestnut- sided Warbler, p. 118.) The alarm-note isa rather loud chip. There is hardly any bird with which the Yellow Warbler can be confused: none of the other warblers is so yellow- ish above, except the Blue-winged Warbler (see Fig. 23, p. 128) ; the Goldfinch has black and white wings and tail, anda black forehead. (See, also, p. 126, Nashville Warbler.) Care May Warsier. Dendroica tigrina 5.00 Ad. $.— Crown blackish ; patch back of eye orange-brown or chestnut ; back streaked with black; white patch on the wing; rump yellow; under parts yellow, streaked with black. dd. Q.— Upper parts gray; rump yellowish; under parts white, tinged with yellowish and streaked with dusky brown; white wing-bar very narrow. 124 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK The Cape May Warbler is a very rare migrant through New York and New England, generally occurring only when the other migrating warblers are unusually abundant. It should be looked for in the height of the spring migration, about the middle of May, and again late in August and September. It is probably less rare in western New Eng- land, and is reported as tolerably common in the fall at Sing Sing (Chapman). From 1871 to 1875 it bred “ really abundantly in the coniferous forests about Lake Umbagog in western Maine” (Brewster), but is now rarely found breeding even in northern New England. The song resembles the Black-poll’s quite closely; it has been described as peculiarly “faint and listless,” “a monotonous zee-zee-zee-zee,” ‘sometimes with three zees, sometimes with four, but always in an unhurried mono- tone” (Torrey). A male in spring plumage could be confused only with the Black and Yellow Warbler, from which its black crown and orange-brown ear-coverts should distinguish it. NORTHERN PARULA WARBLER. Compsothlypis amert- cana usnece 4.73 Ad. §.— Upper parts and sides of head grayish-blue, with a patch of greenish-yellow in the middle of the back ; wing-bars white ; throat and breast yellow, washed across the upper breast with chocolate-brown; belly white. Ad. 9.— Upper parts as in male; breast without the brown band. Nest, of usnea, generally in a pendent bunch of the same moss. Eggs, white, speckled with reddish-brown about the larger end. The Parula Warbler breeds in swamps or deep moist woods, wherever the trees are hung with the long gray usnea moss. It is, therefore, found in summer in the white cedar swamps of Cape Cod, southern Rhode Island, and Connec- ticut, and throughout the damp forests of Berkshire County, TENNESSEE WARBLER 125 Mass., and northern New York and New England. In the vicinity of New York city, however, and throughout most of southern New England, including the neighborhood of Boston, it occurs chiefly as a migrant. It is often very com- mon throughout May, and again in late September and early October. It may then be seen wherever migrating warblers are found, —in the village streets, about houses, and along the edges of streams or swamps. It generally keeps well up in the tops of trees, where it often clings like a Chicka- dee to the ends of small twigs. Like many of our other warblers the Parula has two songs: one is easy to learn, a series of zee-like notes, which rise quickly and end in a little zip, as if one were winding up a little watch; the other, though of a less distinctive form, has the same hoarse quality. This is our smallest warbler, and should be confused with no other bird, if one can get a view of the bluish head, the yellow throat, and white wing-bars. TENNESSEE WARBLER. Helminthophila peregrina 5.00 Ad. §.— Top of head ash-gray; rest of upper parts olive- green; under parts white. Ad. 9.— Similar, but top of head tinged with greenish; under parts washed with yellowish. The Tennessee Warbler is a migrant through New York and New England, in May and September; it is usually very rare, though sometimes common in the autumn in the lower Hudson Valley. On migration it frequents apple or- chards and tall woodland trees, but in northern New Eng- land, where it breeds sparingly, it frequents larch swamps and occasionally spruce growth. On account of its lack of bright colors it is the least likely of the rare warblers to come under the notice of any but an expert field ornitholo- gist. Its song is a series of sharp sit’s, like a Black-poll’s, 126 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK but with a decided change to a higher pitch in the middle and a fall at the close. But for the sharp slender bill and the smaller size the bird might pass for a Red-eyed Vireo, until its song betrayed it. NASHVILLE WARBLER. Helminthophila rubricapilla 4.77 Ad.— Top of head ashy, with a chestnut crown-patch some- what hidden; rest of upper parts brown, tinged with greenish in strong light; under parts bright yellow ; ring around eye white or yellowish-white. /m.— Similar, but head like back; under parts not so bright. 5 Nest, on the ground. Eggs, white, speckled with reddish-brown, chiefly at the larger end. The Nashville Warbler is a common summer resident of portions of New York and New England. It is rare or absent in the neighborhood of New York city, except as a migrant, but breeds from Highland Falls northward. In Connecticut it is generally distributed, but is not common in the southern part of the State. In the upland of central and northern New England it is common. It arrives early in May, and leaves in September. It frequents land which is partially overgrown with small trees and bushes, and as it is one of the most active of an active family, it often leads a stu- dent a very long chase before he gets a glimpse of its ashy head and yellow under parts. Its song, however, is very charac- teristic. It begins like a Black and White Warbler’s, or a Redstart’s, and ends with two or three quick phrases that run down the scale, wee-tse wee-tse wee-tse, chiddle chiddie chiddle. Occasionally the ending is omitted, leaving a puz- zling beginning which is hard to tell from a Redstart’s song. The chestnut crown-patch of the Nashville is often diffi- cult to make out, but no other warbler has bright yellow unstreaked under parts and an ashy head. The white eye- ring, too, is diagnostic, if one can get a view of it. The GOLDEN—WINGED WARBLER Wi Connecticut Warbler, which occurs only in the fall, also has a whitish eye-ring, but its throat is not yellow. GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER. Helminthophila chrysoptera 5.10 Ad. $.— Crown yellow ; upper parts ashy-gray; wings and tail bluish-gray; patch on wing yellow; throat and stripe through eye black, separated by a white stripe. Ad. 9.— Black of male re- placed by gray. Nest, on ground. Eggs, white, speckled with brown, chiefly about the larger end. The Golden-winged Warbler is a rather rare and local summer resident of southern New England and eastern New York. No other ae New England bird has such a restricted range. It is rare in the Hudson Valley, has been found in New Hampshire only in the Lower Merrimac Valley, and not at all in the interior of Massa- chusetts, unless in the Connecticut Valley near Springfield. It is not rare in eastern Massachusetts, but is uncommon in Rhode Island and southern Connecticut. It arrives in May, and leaves in August. It frequents dry woodland, particularly near open bush-grown pastures. Its song, though like that of the Black-throated Green Warbler in its wheezy quality, differs decidedly in form (see pp. 113, 114). Fic. 22. Golden-winged Warbler BLUE-WINGED WARBLER. Helminthophila pinus 4.80 Ad. §.—Crown bright yellow; back and rump bright olive- green in strong light; a narrow black line through the eye ; wings and tail bluish-gray; wing-bars white or yellowish-white; outer 128 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK tail-feathers showing white when spread; under parts bright yel- low. Ad. 9.—Similar, but yellow of head restricted to the forehead; under parts duller. Nest, on the ground. Eggs, white, thinly speckled with reddish- brown. The Blue-Winged Warbler does not occur north of southern Connecticut and the Lower Hudson Valley, but in most of this region it is fairly common. It arrives early in May and leaves early in September. It is found in dry bushy fields, on the edges of woodland, and sometimes even in swampy growth. It is not so active as many of the war- blers, and gleans its food leisurely among the branches of trees. Its song is characteristic ; the syllables zwee-churr, both notes drawled, represent the ordinary song. It occa- sionally utters a longer, more complicated series of notes. From the Yellow Warbler it may readily be distinguished by its gray wings and by the black line from the bill through the eye. Fie. 23. Blue-winged Warbler WorM-EATING WARBLER. [Helmitheros vermivorus | | 5.51 Ad.— Head with four black lines, two through the eyes, and two on the top of the head, separated by buffy lines; back olive green in strong light; throat buffy; breast and belly whitish. Nest, on ground, always with the heads of a common moss, Poly- trichum, in the lining. Eggs, white, spotted with reddish-brown. The Worm-eating Warbler is a regular, but not very com- mon, summer resident of the lower Hudson Valley, is locally common in northern New Jersey, and occurs locally in southern Connecticut. It arrives in May and leaves in August. It is a bird either of dry wooded banks, or of BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER 129 swampy thickets, where it feeds either on the ground or in the trees, gleaning among the twigs, or flying up to a bunch of dried leaves to pick off an insect. Its song is almost exactly like that of a Chipping Sparrow ; in fact, if one hears in dry woodland in the region above defined what seems to be a Chipping Sparrow singing _— Fie. 24. Worm-eating perhaps a bit faster than the aver- Warbler age, the song should be followed to its source, and the singer scrutinized. The clearly defined contrasting colors of its head give it a trim appearance, and make it easy to identify. Buack AND WHITE WARBLER. Mniotilta varia 5.30 Ad. §.— Streaked everywhere, except on the throat and belly, with black and white ; a broad streak of white through the middle of the black crown. Ad. 2.— Upper parts streaked with brownish- black and white ; under parts white, with obscure streakings on the sides ; bill slender, slightly curved. Nest, on the ground; generally in a depression. Eggs, white with brown spots on the larger-end. The Black and White Warbler, or Black and White Creeper, as it was formerly called, is a common summer resi- dent of most of New York and New England, becoming less common in the northern portion of the region and infrequent in the deep northern for- ests. It arrives in the latter part of April, and leaves in September. It is found in woodland, particularly where Fie. 25. Black and White Warbler trees and bushes grow near open spaces. Here the bird may be seen following each large limb to its extremity, peering now over one side, now over the other, searching for the insects even on the under side, 150 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK When singing, the male sits on a twig, his long bill open, uttering again and again the thin, wiry notes which consti- tute his song, wee-see', wee-see', wee-see', wee-see'. In the height of the breeding season there is often an intermediate portion of the song ina lower key. Both birds utter a chat- tering note when excited, but I have never heard the great variety of notes which has been attributed to this species. After a period of silence in early August, the song may oc- casionally be heard again. The Black and White Warbler may possibly be confused with the Black-poll Warbler in spring, or with the Downy Woodpecker. From the former, its manner of feeding and the broad white stripe through its crown should distinguish it (see Fig. 16, p. 115) ; from the latter it may be distin- guished by its smaller size, slender bill, and by the absence of a broad white stripe down the back (see Fig. 16, p. 115). In strong light the contrast of the lustrous black and the white gives the male almost a bluish look. VIREOS : FAMILY VIREONIDA Four Vireos occur in summer in nearly all southern New York and New England, and another species passes through as a migrant. In northern New York and New England, especially in the upland, only two are common. The Red- eyed Vireo is universally distributed; it occurs wherever there are trees. The White-eyed Vireo breeds commonly in low thickets as far north as southern Rhode Island and Connecticut, and rarely in eastern Massachusetts. The Yellow-throated and Warbling Vireos are birds of the shade trees in village streets, or tall trees in groves or along streams. The Solitary Vireo occurs in summer in the cool northern woods, and as a migrant in the rest of New York and New England. The Vireos feed in trees, hopping and flying from one twig to another, keeping in fairly constant WHITE-EYED VIREO 131 motion, but in a leisurely fashion. They are stouter than warblers and their tails are shorter in proportion to their length. They are unwearying singers, the Red-eye alone furnishing a large proportion of the woodland chorus. All the Vireos come down to the ground on occasions, for in- stance to pick up nesting material, but as a rule only the White-eye comes habitually below a line ten feet above the eround ; the Red-eye and Solitary vary from ten to thirty ; the Yellow-throat between twenty and thirty; the Warbling between thirty and sixty. All but the Yellow-throat are chiefly gray in color. All the Vireos build neat, cup-shaped nests, hung generally from a forked twig. WHITE-EYED VIREO. Vireo noveboracensis 5.27 Ad. — Upper parts greenish-yellow in strong light ; throat gray- ‘ish-white ; line from bill to and around eye yellow ; sides and belly very yellow; wing-bars yellowish ; iris white, visible at a greater _ distance than the red iris of the Red-eyed Vireo. Nest, a cup hung from a fork in a low horizontal bough, some- times from a vine. Hgqs, like the Red-eye’s. The White-eyed Vireo is a common summer resident in southern Connecticut and in the vicinity of New York eity, but is rather local in Massachusetts, and absent north of that State. It arrives early in May, and stays through September. It frequents tangled thickets, particularly in lowlands. It seems to be a more excitable bird than the other Vireos, and begins to scold and sing whenever its thicket is approached. It greets a visitor with a startlingly energetic song, containing the notes chip-whee-oo. Besides this phrase the White-eye has a great variety of notes, many of them imitative of other birds; I have heard it give the chip’-churr of the Tanager and the dich’-you of the Chewink. Its scolding-note is a mew, suggesting that of the Catbird. 132 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK The White-eyed and Solitary Vireos both have a strong yellow tinge on the sides of the belly, but in the former the line to and around the eye is yellow, while in the lat- ter it is white. The White-eye is small and is rare north of Connecticut; the Solitary is larger and breeds in northern New England, passing through southern New England and the Hudson Valley before the White-eye arrives. BLUE-HEADED VIREO; SOLITARY VIREO. Vireo solitarius 5.61 Ad.— Top and sides of head dark slate-gray ; line from bill to and around eye white ; back gray, with a greenish-yellow tinge in strong light ; wing-bars white; throat and breast white; sides of breast dark gray ; sides of belly greenish-yellow. Nest, a cup, hung from a fork in a horizontal branch. Eggs, white, sparsely spotted with brown at the larger end. The Solitary Vireo is confined in summer to the Canadian and the sub-Canadian areas, but is a common migrant through the rest of New York and ~ New England, passing north in the latter part of April and early in May, and returning late in Sep- tember and early in October. As a migrant it frequents almost any Fic. 26. Solitary Vireo piece of woodland, often coming into orchards and about houses. It breeds in deep, cool woods, either evergreen or deciduous, preferring possibly the former. It is much less common than the Red-eye, and its voice is louder and richer, so that as one passes along a woodland road, the Solitary Vireos inhabiting the region are easily noted, and are found to be separated by far greater intervals than the Red-eyes. The song resembles that of the Red-eye in form, but it has a sweeter, more appealing tone. Certain passages are charac- teristic; one is a “double note,” that is a phrase repeated YELLOW-—THROATED VIREO ile quickly in a lower key; another resembles the syllables to-wee’-choo, the singer sliding from a high to a low note. Sometimes the singer has a fit of ecstasy in which he runs his phrases, ordinarily separated by considerable intervals, rapidly together, and follows them by sweet twittering. The song is not infrequently heard in the autumn, when the bird is migrating south. The alarm-note is an unmusical chatter, similar to that of the Yellow-throated Vireo. The white ring around the eye of the Solitary Vireo and the white line from the eye to the bill are excellent field- marks. YELLOW-THROATED VIREO. Vireo flavifrons 5.95 Ad. — Head and upper back greenish-yellow in strong light; rest of back gray; wing-bars white; throat and breast bright yellow. Nest, a cup hung from a twig, from ten to twenty-five feet above the ground. Eggs, white, spotted with brown at the larger end. The Yellow-throated Vireo is a summer resident in cen- tral and southern New York and New England; it is rare north of Massachusetts. It arrives in early May, and stays till the middle of September. Like the Warbling Vireo it prefers the shade trees in the village streets and about houses, and the tall trees along streams; in the northern part of its range it is found only along the alluvial flood plains of large rivers. After an interval of silence in August, it smgs again in September, especially early in the morning, and continues to do so till its departure. The song in form resembles those of the Red-eye and the Solitary, and differs from that of the Warbling Vireo. It is made up of separate phrases, one with a rising, the next with a falling inflection. The notes are louder and richer than those of the Red-eye, but generally harsher and more querulous than those of the Solitary. The phrases are separated by considerable intervals, giving the song a more 134 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK leisurely character than that of the Red-eye. The male has a harsh chattering note with which he scolds intruders. The bright yellow throat should distinguish this bird from other vireos. It resembles the Pine Warbler very closely in coloration, and during migration the two might occur in the same places. Ordinarily, however, the Vireo would rarely, if ever, be found in evergreens, and the Pine Warbler rarely away from them. The songs of the two species are very different, and on close inspection the Vireo is seen to be heavier, with a stout bill, while the Pine Warbler has a more slender bill. WARBLING VIREO. Vireo gilvus 5.80 7 Ad. — Upper parts brownish-gray; under parts grayish-white, with a slight yellowish tinge on the belly; a whitish streak over eye, but no dark line through it. Nest, a cup hung from a fork, from, twenty to forty feet up. Eggs, white, spotted with reddish-brown at the larger end. The Warbling Vireo is a rather common summer resi- dent of southern and central New England and of the lower Hudson Valley. In northern New York and New England it is confined to the neighborhood of vil- lages in the valleys. In most of New England, in fact, it is a bird of the village street rather than of the woodland, though it is also found in tall trees along streams. It arrives a little earlier in May than the Red-eyed Vireo, and leaves in September. The Warbling Vireo is less frequently seen than the Red- eye, as it often stays for hours in tall shade-trees, but its song is uttered constantly, and affords an easy means of dis- tinguishing it from its relative. It is a true warble, that is, a succession of smooth notes run into one another, and Fic. 27. Warbling Vireo PHILADELPHIA VIREO 135 though repeated in the height of the breeding season more than four thousand times a day, never varies perceptibly. The song of the Red-eye is made up of short phrases of almost endless variety. Beginners often have great diffi- culty in distinguishing the song of the Warbling Vireo from that of the Purple Finch. The song of the Finch is ex- tremely rapid and energetic; the Vireo’s is deliberate and languid compared with the burst of melody that the Finch utters. The Warbling Vireo, after a period of silence in August, sings again in September, but only for a short time, early each morning. Both sexes have a querulous call-note, which suggests the mew of the Catbird. If seen at close range, the Warbling Vireo may be dis- tinguished from the Red-eye by the different appearance of the side of the head; there is no dark streak through the eye, nor is the light line over the eye bordered above by a black line. From the following species it may be distin- guished by the absence of a yellowish tinge on the throat and breast. s PHILADELPHIA VIREO. Vireo philadelphicus 4.75 Ad.— Upper parts grayish, tinged with green in strong light; top of head clear gray; cheek gray; a whitish line over eye; under parts distinctly but not strongly tinged with yellow. Nest and eggs, like those of the Red-eyed Vireo, but slightly. smaller. The Philadelphia Vireo breeds from northern New Eng- land northward, and in most of New York and New Eng- land occurs only as a very rare migrant, generally in Sep- tember or early October. In northeastern Maine, in the vicinity of Lake Umbagog, and at Dixville Notch, N. H., it is not uncommon. Here it frequents the thin growth of poplar and bird-cherry in clearings and along roadsides rather than the deeper woods. A male sang constantly in 1386 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK June, 1903, in a group of birches almost under the eastern windows of The Balsams, at Dixville Notch. The song is at times identical with that of the Red-eye, though generally a little more languid. One phrase sug- gests, in form, but not at all in power and sweetness, the double note of the Solitary Vireo. The scolding-note is a harsh twee-twee-twee, which closely resembles that of the Warbling Vireo. A good look at the bird should leave no doubt of its identity ; the side of the head resembles the Warbling Vireo instead of the Red-eye, but the entire under parts, particularly the breast, are distinctly tinged with yellow. (See Brewster, “‘ Auk,’ 1903, p. 369, and Dwight, “ Auk,” 1897Gpn'Z59)) RED-EYED VIREO. Vireo olivaceus 6.23 Ad. — Upper parts brownish, with a greenish tinge in strong light; crown gray, bordered on each side by a blackish line ; line over the eye white; dusky stripe through eye; under parts white, with no tinge of yellow. Nest, a cup hung from a fork, from five to twenty-five feet up. Eggs, white, spotted with brown, chiefly at the larger end. The Red-eyed Vireo is a very common summer resident throughout New York and New England, arriving in May, and sometimes staying into October. It lives in deciduous trees, and may be found wherever they occur, — in the woods, orchards, plantations, vil- lage or city streets. It is a constant singer, so constant, in fact, that its Fic, 28. Red-eyed Vireo song is very generally overlooked. It is only when one’s ears are opened that we realize how large a proportion of the daily chorus of bird-song is fur- nished by the Red-eye. The bird itself spends so much of RED-EYED VIREO 137. his time among the leaves that unless one knows his song and follows it to its source one sees little of the singer. A male often sings for a long time on one twig, merely turning his head from side to side. The song is made up of separate phrases of from two to four syllables, with either a rising or a falling inflection, as if the bird were carrying on a conversation. The phrases are separated by very short intervals, and vary greatly. Certain forms fecur, but in no fixed order. Beginners have much difficulty in distinguishing the song of the Red-eye from that of the Robin. This latter is a true song, an outburst of melody in which the same phrases are repeated in a definite sequence and after a certain interval. There is more power, too, in the voice. The Red-eye’s phrases are each separated by a slight interval, so that it is impossible to say when the song 1s over; it goes on practically all day. The songs of the Yellow-throated and the Solitary Vireo resemble that of the Red-eye in form, but each possesses more power, and the latter greater sweetness. To distinguish a Red-eye when not in song from the warblers which frequent the tree-tops, it is necessary to get a view of the pure white under parts, and to note the heavier proportions, and the more leisurely behavior. From the Warbling Vireo it may be distinguished either by the markings on the side of the head (see Fig. 27), or by the song (see p. 135). The red eye is visible only at very short range, when the female, for instance, is sitting in the nest and allows a very near approach. SHRIKES : FAMILY LANIIDZ LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE. Lanius ludovicianus 9.00 Ad.— Top of head and back ash-gray; black lines extending from sides of throat through the eyes and meeting over the bill; 138 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK wings and tail black and white; under parts grayish-white. IJm. in summer. — Top of head and back brownish-gray; breast washed with brownish; black lines hardly extending beyond the eye, and not meeting over the bill. : West, in a thick bush or tree, often a hawthorn bush. Eggs, whitish, thickly marked with brown. The Loggerhead Shrike is a not uncommon summer resi- dent of the Lake Champlain Valley. It breeds rarely in the rest of northern New England, and is a very rare migrant in southern New England and the Hudson Valley. Its habit of perching on the tips of trees or bushes, and its contrasting colors, gray, black, and white, make it easy to observe and recognize. It feeds on grasshoppers, frogs, and mice, and, to a certain extent, on small birds, and impales its prey on thorns. Its song is described as low and musical, and its call-notes as harsh and unmusical. The ordinary shrike in New England between October and April is the Northern Shrike. The Loggerhead is over an inch smaller than its relative, and the black marks in front of the eyes meet across the forehead. Fic. 29. Loggerhead Shrike NoRTHERN SHRIKE. Lanius borealis 10.32 Ad. — Upper parts ash-gray, becoming whitish on the forehead, over the eye, and on the rump; a blackish stripe back of the eye, extending to the base of the bill, but not over it; wings and tail. black and white; under parts grayish-white, crossed with dark wavy lines which show only at close range. Jm.— Upper parts grayish-brown; wings and tail duller; under parts much more distinctly covered with wavy lines of dark gray. The Northern Shrike is a winter visitant in New York and New England; rare in some years, not uncommon in NORTHERN SHRIKE 139 others. It arrives in October, and leaves towards the end of March. Each Shrike, on its arrival from the north, apparently settles for the winter in a fixed region, which becomes its regular hunting-ground. Here one finds, during the winter, mice, small birds, and grass- hoppers wedged in the forks of low trees or bushes, or im- paled on thorny twigs, and occasionally a Shrike is seen dashing at a flock of frightened birds, and pursuing its victim till it is exhausted and caught. At other times it perches on the top of some tree or bush. The Shrike sings occasionally all through the winter, but more often in February and March. The song is a medley of harsh calls, mews, and screams, never very loud, inter- spersed with some rather sweet notes; it suggests the song of the Catbird. Its call-notes are extremely harsh and grating. A Shrike in adult plumage is unmistakable. Young birds lack the bright black and white of the adults, but they may be recognized by their rather plump look, habit of tilting the tail on alighting, and by the characteristic flight, two or three rapid wing strokes, followed by a scaling flight on set wings. A close inspection will show the heavy bill with its hooked tip. (See Mockingbird, p. 96, and Loggerhead Shrike, p. 138.) Fic. 30. Northern Shrike WAXWINGS, ETC.: FAMILY AMPELIDA; CrpAR WAXWING; CEDAR-BIRD. Ampelis cedrorum t.19 Ad. §.— Head and throat rich snuff-color, fading into grayish- brown on the back and breast; under parts yellowish; wings and tail ash-gray; tal tipped with yellow ; shorter wing-feathers often 140 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK tipped with red; line from bill through eye black; long crest- feathers often conspicuously elevated. Nest, of grass, stalks of weeds, etc., on the limb of a tree, from ten to thirty feet up. Eggs, gray or bluish, spotted with black or dark brown. A few Cedar-birds are occasionally seen in southern New England and the lower Hudson Valley in early winter, and in mid-winter great flocks appear, especially near the coast, and feed on the berries of the red cedar. In April these birds often disappear, and the breeding birds do not arrive till May. These come in small flocks, and do not pair till June, and often do not build till July. They now frequent almost every kind of country where both trees and open spaces occur, nesting in orchards, neglected pastures, and open spaces in woodland throughout New England and New York. In the upland region of middle New England they are among the most abundant birds. In late summer they gather about water, and spend much time flying out or up after insects. They are very fond of small fruits, and in September gather in flocks, often with Robins, in the rum- cherry trees. By November they have almost all disap- peared. The young in early fall have none of the rich brown of the parents, being of a much grayer shade, with streaked breasts. Cedar-birds often fly in compact flocks, which wheel on set wings before alighting. Their only note throughout the year is a wheezy lisp. — SWALLOWS: FAMILY HIRUNDINIDZ: Five species of Swallow (the Chimney Swallow, so called, is really a Swift ; see p. 210) occur throughout New York and New England. The Barn Swallow is by far the com- monest, and is found wherever old-fashioned barns exist; though a meadow-haunting bird in inland regions, it is a constant visitor along the sea-beaches, and over bays and ROUGH—WINGED SWALLOW 141 harbors. The Bank Swallow occurs over lakes and streams near steep banks of sand. The other three —the White- bellied Swallow, the Have Swallow, and the Purple Mar- tin —are more or less local, and may be wholly absent from any given locality. Where the Have Swallow occurs at all, it is generally found in large colonies. The White-bellied Swallow is common in the Maine wilderness, nesting in dead trees, and is an abundant migrant along the salt marshes and where bayberries abound, hovering over the marshes by day, and gathering at night in enormous flocks. ROUGH-WINGED SwaLLow. Stelgidopteryx serripennis 5.75 Ad.— Upper parts dark brown; throat and breast brownish- gray ; belly white. Jm.— Similar to adult, but wings tinged with cinnamon. Nest, in holes in sand banks, or in a crevice of masonry or a ledge of rock. The Rough-winged Swallow is a summer resident of the lower Hudson Valley, locally common at Riverdale, Hast- ings, and Sing Sing; it occurs here and there in northern New Jersey, and in southwestern Connecticut as far north as Hart- ford. From the rest of New England it is apparently absent, though a pair has bred for many years in a limestone quarry at North Adams, Mass. It arrives in April and leaves in August. Fie. aie i ania Nwallow The Rough-winged Swallow often breeds in banks with Bank Swallows, and can then hardly be distinguished from the Bank Swallow except by a trained observer; the upper parts are very similar, but the throat of the Rough-wing is darker, and the middle of 142 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK the breast hghter than in the Bank Swallow, so that there is no appearance of a dark band across the breast. The choice of a nesting-site is often a clue to the bird’s identity ; if one sees in the region above defined what is apparently a Bank Swallow entering a crevice in masonry or in a natural ledge of rock, or a hole in a building, one may be pretty confident that it is a Rough-winged Swallow. ; BANK SwALLow. Liparia riparia 5.20 Ad.— Upper parts grayish-brown; under parts white; a brownish band across the breast ; tail slightly forked. Nest, in a hole in a sandy bank. Eggs, white. The Bank Swallow is a summer resident throughout New York and New England, arriving late in April, and leaving early in September. Over the surface of the large New Eng- land rivers, from the Housatonic to the Penobscot, and up the valleys of their tributaries, far into the mountains, little bands of these small brown swallows hunt back and forth throughout the summer. Banks of clay or sand, cut through by the river, are breeding-sites for colonies of them; occasionally they take possession of a deserted gravel-pit. Here the little toes scratch out holes which run two or three feet into the bank; often there are many holes close to each other, and perhaps a Kingfisher’s hole, twice as large as the swallow’s, among them. The small size of the Bank Swallow, the absence of any blue or greenish lustre, and its harsh, gritty note easily dis- tinguish it from all other adult Swallows, except in south- western Connecticut and the lower Hudson Valley. Here the Rough-winged Swallow must be taken into considera- Fic. 32. Bank Swallow TREE SWALLOW 143 tion (see p. 141). Young White-béllied Swallows have brown upper parts, and in their first plumage a wash of brown on the sides of the breast, but no decided band entirely across the breast, as in the Bank Swallow. TREE SWALLOW; WHITE-BELLIED SWALLOW. Jridoprocne bicolor 5.90 Ad. g¢.— Upper parts greenish-blue, especially bright in strong light ; under parts pure white ; tail notched, but not deeply. Ad. 9.— Upper parts usually duller. Jm.— Upper parts brown ; a faint incomplete dusky collar across the breast. Nest, in a hole in a tree, or in a box. Eggs, white. The White-bellied Swallow is a summer resident through- out New England and the Hudson Valley, but it is only locally common. Many of the boxes formerly tenanted by Swal- lows are now occupied by English Sparrows. In pure farming coun- try, as along the Concord River, the White-bellied Swallow is still a characteristic feature of the farm. In wilder country, in northern New England, and occasionally throughout its range, it nests in deserted woodpecker holes in trees. About the first of April the earliest arrivals appear along the sea-shore, or Fie. 33. Tree Swallow over some lake or river, and in a week or two their shrill notes are heard about the farmhouses where they breed. As early as July migrants begin to return from the north, and multitudes now collect over the marshes and along the beaches at the sea-shore, fringing the telegraph wires for rods, hovering in clouds over the bayberry bushes, the fruit of which they eat, or sunning themselves on the sand. A few stay into October. 144 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK The notes of the Tree Swallow are generally sharp and high, but occasionally sweet and twittering. Near a breed- ing-site the male may be heard singing before dawn, either from the box, or as he flies to and fro in the darkness. The pure white under parts distinguish this swallow from both the Barn and Eave Swallows, each of which has a reddish-brown chin. The Bank or Sand Swallow has a brownish band across the upper breast. Young White- bellied Swallows not only lack the steel-blue of the adult, but have a faint brownish collar nearly across the breast ; they must therefore be carefully distinguished from the Bank Swallow, which has a broad dark band completely across the breast. The flight of all four swallows may be distinguished aftez much practice. The White-bellied often hangs in the wind with outspread wings and tail, and back curved like a dolphin. Barn Swatiow. Hirundo erythrogastra 6.95 Ad.— Entire upper parts, except the forehead, deep purplish- blue ; forehead, upper breast, and throat chestnut ; sides of throat and upper breast bluish ; lower breast and belly varying from sal- mon to whitish ; outer tail-feathers long and narrow ; tail, when spread, much spotted with white. Jm.— Outer tail-feathers shorter than in adult. Nest, made chiefly of mud mixed with straw and lined with feathers, placed commonly against a rafter of anopen barn. Eggs, white, speckled with brown and lavender. The Barn Swallow is a very common summer resident of all New York and New England, wher- ever there is any grass-land. It arrives towards the end of April, and leaves early in September. It builds a nest of straw and mud on a rafter of a barn or Fic. 34. Tail of Barn Shed, or occasionally on some projection Swallow outside, but not fastened by the side CLIFF SWALLOW 145 under the eaves. In late June the old birds are very busy, hawking for insects over the tall grass in the meadows, and flying in and out through the open door, or through a broken pane. In July the young appear, sitting on the shingles on the slope of the roof, or later on the dead branches of neighboring trees, or on the fences. Here they are still fed. by the parents. A little later, they too are constantly on the wing and are fed in the air, the old bird and the young one mounting upward together, their breasts almost touching. The young at this season lack the long outer tail-feathers. The Barn Swallow’s notes are pleasing and often musical. In the barn, or when flying in friendly companies, they utter a gentle twitter. When they become excited, this changes to a more emphatic it-tic. The male often sings a song of some length, which ends with a very curious rub- bery note. The song is uttered either high in air or from the barn ridge-pole. F When a Barn Swallow perches, the long outer tail- feathers show hke two long needle-points projecting beyond the wings. These long feathers and the white in the tail distinguish the Barn Swallow from all the other swallows. CuirF SwaLttow; HAve Swartow. Petrochelidon lunifrons 6.01 Ad. — Head dark blue; forehead cream-white ; back dark, with bluish reflections; rwmp pale brick-red ; throat deep chestnut; belly whitish; tail square or fan-shaped in flight. Nest, of mud, under the eaves of barns or outbuildings. Eggs, white, spotted with reddish-brown. The Eave Swallow is a summer resident of New England and New York, arriving about the first of May, and leaving early in September. In some regions it is very abundant, but it is often absent from wide areas, as about Boston. Even 146 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK where it does not breed, it may be observed as a migrant near large bodies of water. Its ordinary note is a harsh mono- syllable. In western Massachusetts and in northern New England, colonies, numbering frequently over fifty nests, may be found under the eaves of barns on large farmsteads; these colo- nies are often a mile or so apart, whereas the Barn Swallow in- habits almost every outbuilding along the road. Toward the end of May, Kave Swallows are seen hovering daintily over mud- puddles, or flying with a pellet of mud to their half-finished nests. These are composed of mud, and are gray when dry ; they are placed outside of the barn, directly under the eaves, and are often retort-shaped, that is, furnished with a neck bent away from the round body of the nest. The sitting female often thrusts out her head, showing the cream-white frontlet, and in early July, as the parents fly up to the nests from below, or cling to the entrance, they show the reddish-brown rump. Fie. 35. Cliff Swallow PureLeE Martin. Progne subis 8.00 Ad. &.— Entire body glossy blue-black ; wings and tail brown. Ad. 9. — Upper parts, wings, and tail brown, glossed on the head and back with purple; throat and forehead gray; breast brown; belly whitish. Nest, in “ martin boxes.” Eggs, white. SCARLET TANAGER 147 The Purple Martin is a summer resident throughout New York and New England, but it is extremely local, and ap- parently growing more rare. Martin boxes set up on tall poles are an interesting feature of many villages and farm- steads, but through large sections of the country, most of Berkshire County, Mass., for instance, Martins are entirely absent. They seem to have a decided preference for the valleys of slow streams, where they may hawk over exten- sive meadows and sheets of water. They return to their boxes toward the end of April, and leave New England before September. Their loud, deep voices and the rich blue-black of the males make them attractive neighbors. They spend much time sitting on the doorsteps, so to speak, of their houses, — the ledge before the entrance to the box. In July the young birds are seen thrusting their heads out for food. The ordinary notes are a deep musical pew, pew, pew, and a twitter like that of the Barn Swallow, but richer. They have also a harsh squeak. The colonies nearest Boston are in West Roxbury, Hyde Park, Dedham, Lexington, and Concord; near New York city there are colonies at Plain- field, N. J. TANAGERS: FAMILY TANAGRIDZA SCARLET TANAGER. Piranga erythromelas 7.25 Ad. §.—Entire body bright scarlet; wings and tail black. Ad. @.— Upper parts greenish; wings and tail brown; under parts yellowish. Ad. $ in autumn. — Like the 9, but wings and tail black. Jm.— Like the female, but ¢ has black wing coverts. Nest, of fine twigs, loosely built, on a limb, seven to twenty feet up. Eggs, bluish, with reddish-brown markings. The Scarlet Tanager is a summer resident throughout New England and New York, common in southern New 148 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK England, especially in oak and chestnut woods, rarer in the evergreen forests of northern New York and New England. It arrives early in May, and is occasionally seen in Sep- ~ tember. The Tanager is chiefly a bird of the forest trees, though it not infrequently nests about houses in well- wooded towns or villages. It is not a very active bird, and unless its note attracts attention, it escapes observation to such a degree that it is commonly considered rare. Its song, rhythmical, hoarse, and not long sustained, sug- gestsa Robin with acold. Occasionally, in the height of the breeding season, it is a prolonged and sweet performance. Both sexes have a characteristic call-note, chip-churr, the last note lower. The female can hardly be confused with anything else; it is hard, however, to think of a yellow- ish bird, with greenish upper parts, as a ‘‘ Scarlet” Tanager. FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC.: FAMILY FRIN- GILLIDZ The Sparrow family includes a larger proportion of the bird population of any region than any other family, but many of its representatives go by the name of Finches, or conceal their relationship by other names. One branch of the. family contains chiefly bright tree-haunting birds of north- ern affinities. Many of these are of only irregular occur- rence in southern New England ; such are the Crossbills, the Redpoll, and the Pine Grosbeak. The Goldfinch is common throughout New York and New England, and the Purple Finch common north of Connecticut. Another branch of the family includes three or four bright-colored birds of southern affinities; these are the Indigo-bird, the Rose- breasted Grosbeak, the Cardinal, and the Chewink. The rest of the family is mainly made up of the brown, ground- haunting birds, that are commonly referred to as Sparrows. INDIGO BUNTING 149 These inhabit every sort of country except the deep forest ; some are local, and never occur except in salt marshes or wet meadows; others, like the Song Sparrow and the Chipping Sparrow, are widely distributed. The White-crowned, Tree, and Fox Sparrows breed north of the United States, and occur here only as migrants; others, such as the White- throated Sparrow and the Junco breed only in northern New York and New England. In trying to identify a brown Sparrow one should notice first of all whether the breast is streaked or not; the next important point to settle is the presence or absence of yellow, buff, or black lines on the side of the head. Inpico Buntine; Inpico-BirD. Cyanospiza cyanea 5.09 Ad. §.— Entire body deep indigo-blue, deepest on the head, often with greenish reflections; wings and tail brown, the feathers margined with blue. Ad. 9 and Jm. — Upper parts light brown, unstreaked ; under parts grayish, washed with brown, especially on the breast ; wings and tail sometimes margined with bluish, Ad. & in autumn.— Like the 9, but wings and tail decidedly bluish. Nest, in low bushes, a foot or two from the ground. Eggs, white. The Indigo-bird is a common permanent resident of New England and New York, very common on the upland region of New England, but not known to occur on Cape Cod. It arrives early in May, and remains till October. It frequents bushy roadsides, overgrown pastures, and the edges of wood- land. In the fall it is found in low gardens or cornfields, or neglected weedy spots. The male generally sings from the top of some low tree, where his deep color fades into the blue or light-colored background of the sky. The song is diflicult for beginners to remember ; it consists often of sets of phrases given in a 150 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK high key, then repeated in a slightly lower key, growing feebler as the song ends. It resembles the syllables swee- swee-swee, swee-swee (slightly lower), sweet-sweet-sweet, swee-swee (slightly lower), swee, swee, swee. The song is heard constantly through July and into August. The male can be confused only with the Bluebird, and then only if the under parts are not seen; no other New England bird is blue all over. The female may be known by her wnstreaked brown back, her brownish under parts, and her habit of twitching the tail sideways as she appears and disappears in the roadside thickets. ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. Zamelodia ludoviciana 8.12 Ad. $.— Head, throat, upper back, wings, and tail black ; wings and tail much spotted with white; lower back white ; breast rose-red, a stripe of this color often extending down the white belly, and a salmon tinge under the wings ; bill large, white when seen from below. Ad. 9?.— The black of the male replaced by brown; back and breast streaked ; bar across the wing and line over eye, white ; line through crown white, streaked with brown; bill large, light colored. Ad. ¢ in late summer and fall. — Head brown; line above eye whitish ; back brown ; rump whitish; breast pink, veiled with buff ; wings and tail jet-black and white. Jm. ¢.—Similar to ad. ¢ in late summer, but pink not so extensive ; wings and tail brown. Nest, of twigs, loosely constructed, from five to twenty-five feet up in bush or tree. Eggs, pale blue, with numerous brown markings. The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is a summer resident through- out New York and New England, common in some regions, but rare in others, for instance on Long Island. It is said - not to occur on Cape Cod, and in the upland of northern New England, though found even high up on the moun- tains, it is nowhere common. It arrives in May, and remains into September. Of late years it has shown a preference for villages, and even for city streets, if well- ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK 151 shaded it also occurs in orchards, but apparently its natural habitat is a growth of young trees or saplings, particularly in low ground. In midsummer it is often seen in potato- fields, collecting the slugs of the potato-beetle to carry to its young. The song of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak is a fine, power- ful warble, with some of the cadence of the Robin’s song, : Ys . SS \ XS \ SEA a. \\ Fic. 36. Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Female though faster; a ‘glorified Robin,” Burroughs has called it. Its alarm-note is a sharp, metallic click. The female looks like an overgrown sparrow, and may readily be told by her large bill, the white line over her eye, and the white on the wing. As the male flies, he shows a ring of white, formed by the white in his wing. CARDINAL. Cardinalis cardinalis 8.25 Ad. §.— Top and sides of head, conspicuous crest, and under parts bright red; forehead and throat black; back, wings, and tail tinged with gray; bill red. -Ad. 9. — Crest, wings, and tail dull 152 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK reddish; upper parts brownish; throat gray; rest of under parts dull buffy, sometimes showing a trace of red on the breast; bill light-colored. Jm.— Similar to ?, but bill blackish. Nest, in bushes or vines, of twigs, bark, and rootlets. Eggs, white or bluish-white, spotted with brown or lavender. The Cardinal is a permanent resident of northern New Jersey, Staten Island, and the lower Hudson Valley, as far north as Hastings; it is rare on Long Island, but is not uncommon in Central Park; in New England it occurs only as an accidental visitor. It frequents thickets, especially along streams, mounting tall trees to utter its loud, pure whistle, but seeking its food in the shrubbery, or on the ground. In winter it frequents warm hollows on sheltered hillsides. Its notes are too numerous to transcribe, but are nearly all loud and clear; the same note is generally repeated with energy and rapidly. Some common forms of the song re-— semble the syllables whoit, whoit, whott, etc., ki, ku, ku, etc.; one form ends in a series of ee’s ‘‘so long continued that it apparently ends only when the singer becomes out of breath.”” The female also has sweet whistled notes, and both sexes utter as an alarm-note a sharp ¢szp, slight in pro- portion to the size of the bird. There is no other bird in New York or New England with which the male Cardinal can be confused; the Tan- ager has black wings and tail, and no crest. The female shows a reddish tinge in her crest, wings, and tail, and, like the male, has a trick of nervously jerking her tail upward. TowHEE; CHEWINK. Pipilo erythrophthalmus 8.39 Ad. $.— Head, throat, breast, back, wings, and tail black; the wing-feathers margined with white; the outer tail-feathers with large white spots; belly white; flanks chestnut. Ad. 9.— The black of the male replaced by a light reddish-brown ; otherwise TOWHEE 153 similar. Jm. — Head and back brown; breast streaked with black; wings brown and white; tail as in ad. Nest, on the ground, often under a heap of brush. Eggs, white, evenly speckled with brown. The Chewink is a common summer resident of southern and central New England and of the Hudson Valley. In the northern parts of New York and New England it is confined to the more settled portions, and frequents pastures that are becoming overgrown with bushes. It arrives late in April, and stays into October. It is abundant in scrubby oak, such as is common on Cape Cod and on Martha’s Vineyard. When undisturbed, it scratches ener- getically in the dry leaves under the bushes, or mounts some Fie. 87. Towhee low tree to sing. The song varies considerably, but as a rule resembles the syllables dick-yoo, chiddle-chiddle-chiddle. The Chewink has two broods, and therefore sings well into July. The alarm-note, chi-wee!, has given the bird its name; often the southern name, Joree, seems to suggest the note better. During the breeding season it has a sharp, sibilant call- note which suggests the sst¢ UY AS of certain of the sparrows. ; hie Ire Fire. 388. Tail of Towhee When startled, the Chewink flies with jerks of its widespread tail, so that the large white spots on the outer tail-feathers show clearly. When seen from below, the angle made where the black breast meets the white belly is an excellent field-mark. At close range the bright red iris is conspicuous. 154 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK Fox Sparrow. PLasserella iliaca 7.26 Ad.— Top of head and back reddish-brown and gray; tail red- dish-brown ; sides of throat and breast thickly marked with bright reddish-brown spots, forming a heavy blotch in the centre of the breast; belly and sides marked with dark brown arrow-shaped spots. The Fox Sparrow is a common migrant through New York and New England from the middle of March to the end of April, and from the middle of October to the end of November. The bushes along the edges of cultivated fields and open places in woods are the resort of this large and handsome sparrow. When a flock of Fox Sparrows are startled from the ground, they generally fly into a tree, one after another, instead of diving headlong into cover after the manner of their frequent companions the Song Spar- rows. The rich tawny color of the back and head, and par- ticularly the reddish-brown tail, are then conspicuous. When seen on the ground, the large arrow-shaped mark- ings on the white breast and flanks are prominent. When on the ground, they scratch with both feet at once, jumping forward and back, often making a noticeable rustling among the leaves. Often the little flocks which we meet are silent, but sometimes they sing freely. The song is loud and rich, one of the finest of sparrow songs; there is a suggestion of generosity and courage in the manner of its delivery and the fullness of its tone; it is occasionally heard in the autumn. The ordinary call-note is a st, similar to that of the Song Sparrow and the White- throat, but slightly heavier. The bird also utters a chuck of alarm. The fox color should distinguish this sparrow from the others. Certain Song Sparrows, especially those seen in early spring, are so unusually reddish-brown on the upper parts, that a beginner might be puzzled to decide whether they | SWAMP SPARROW 155 were Song Sparrows or Fox Sparrows, but as in many simi- lar cases, a doubtful Fox Sparrow is probably a spurious one; the genuine Fox Sparrow is so very tawny that, when he really appears, no doubt of his identity is left in the mind. The White-throated Sparrow’s period of migration slightly overlaps the Fox Sparrow’s, both in April and October, but the tail of the former is grayish-brown. The Fox Sparrow is not infrequently mistaken for the Hermit Thrush ; the tail is reddish-brown in both birds, but the back and head of the Thrush and his breast-markings have none of the rich tawny color of the Sparrow. Swamp Sparrow. Melospiza georgiana 5.89 Ad. in summer. — Crown rich reddish-brown, blackish on the forehead; back brown, streaked with black; wings reddish-brown; breast and sides of throat ashy gray, unstreaked; throat whitish; flanks washed with brownish. Ad. in winter and Im.— Crown streaked with black and reddish-brown. Nest, onthe ground. Eggs, whitish, thickly covered with brown- ish markings. The Swamp Sparrow breeds in any extensive grassy swamp throughout New England and the Hudson Valley, arriving early in April, and remaining through October. Along the sea-coast of southern New England and New York, where the winter is not very severe, it occasionally winters in the edges of the cat-tail swamps. In migration, especially in September and early October, when Swamp Sparrows are often abundant, they may occur at some dis- tance from swamps or wet meadows. The song of the Swamp Sparrow is simple but musical, as if a Chipping Sparrow were singing in the marshes an unusually sweet song. Toward evening the birds make many little twittering and scolding sounds, as they pursue each other to and fro. The call-note is a metallic chink, 156 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK resembling that of the White-throated Sparrow, but a little less heavy. In spring the chestnut crown and reddish-brown of the Wings, without white bars, distinguish the Swamp Sparrow from all but the Chipping Sparrow; the latter, however, never resorts to the wet swamp lands and has a more slen- der, less stocky figure (see p. 162). In the fall the un- streaked breast distinguishes it from the Song Sparrows which abound in the swamps at that season. The Swamp Sparrow has a square whitish throat-patch, but it is far less conspicuous than the pure white throat of the White- throated Sparrow; the latter moreover may readily be dis- tinguished by its greater size and the black and white head markings. (See Fig. 45, p. 164.) Lincoun’s Sparrow. WMelospiza lincolnii 5.75 Ad.— Upper parts brown, finely streaked with black and gray; under parts white, finely streaked with black, and washed across the breast with buff: The Lincoln’s Sparrow, or Lincoln’s Finch, is a rare migrant through New York and New England in May, late September, and early October. It is probably less rare in western New England than along the eastern coast. In spring it frequents the bushes on the edges of swampy or wet places, especially in valleys which are good migration routes. In the fall it accompanies the migrant Song and Swamp Sparrows, and may be found near the grassy swamps and wet meadows where these species then congregate. It rarely sings on migration, and only occasionally utters its alarm-note, a slight tsup. It requires a well-trained eye to distinguish it from the Song Sparrow. Itis possible to find it by persistently gazing at every sparrow in a migrating company in turn, using the opera-glass, until one is at last discovered with a pale buff SONG SPARROW 157 band across the narrow streaking of the breast. When one has become familiar with the species, other differences are apparent ; the bird is smaller than the Song Sparrow, trim- mer, more elegant. Its tail is shorter, and the color of its back and the side of its head is olive-gray rather than red- dish-brown. It is more apt than the other sparrows to raise its crest-feathers slightly when alarmed. (See ‘“ Bird-Lore,” sole trap, 09.) Sone Sparrow. Melospiza cinerea melodia 6.30 Ad. — Upper parts brown, the back streaked with darker brown; top of head reddish-brown, with streaks of gray through centre and over each eye; breast and sides streaked with reddish- brown, the streaks generally coalescing to form a large spot in the centre of the breast ; two other large spots-at the sides of the throat ; tail rather long. Nest, placed either in grass or sedge on the ground, or in a low bush. Egqs, heavily spotted with reddish-brown. The Song Sparrow is a common permanent resident in the lower Hudson Valley and in southern Connecticut and Rhode Island; it winters not uncommonly in the edges of marshes or in piles of brush along the Massachusetts coast. In the rest of New York and New England the Song Sparrow is an abundant summer resident, arriving early in March and re- maining through October. Where the bird winters, its song may Fig. 39. Song Sparrow be heard on mild days, even in the winter months, and especially during the latter part of February, but in general its song is one of the signs of spring. From about the middle of July, through the late summer 158 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK and fall, the Song Sparrow utters from the weeds or corn- fields a low warbling song, quite different from the ordinary sprightly song. The ordinary alarm-note of the Song Spar- row is a sharp ¢schik ; another very common note may be written ss¢ ; White-throats and Fox Sparrows both utter notes similar to the last, but slightly heavier. The song is subject to endless variation in the species, and varies to a considerable degree even in the same individual, but it com- monly begins with three brisk notes or pairs of notes, whit, whit, whit, or o-lit o-lit o-lit, and in the middle of the song there is apt to be a harsh burring note, after which the song runs quickly out to some ending. The Song Sparrow is found wherever there are bushes, but particularly near water. It is a brisk, active bird, but not at all fond of the open, diving headlong into the nearest tangle when alarmed. When in the bushes it is continu- ally hopping about, with jerking movements of wing and tail. Only when preening its feathers after a bath, or when singing from the top of some low tree, does it sit quiet. (See under Vesper Sparrow, p. 172, and under Savanna Sparrow, p. 170.) SLATE-COLORED JuNcoO; SNOWBIRD. Junco hyemalis 6.27 Ad. §.— Head, back, throat, and breast slate-gray, the latter sharply defined from the white belly ; two outer tail-feathers and part of the third, white. Ad. 9.—The upper parts browner ; throat and breast paler. Jm.— Upper parts, throat, and breast streaked. Nest, often built in the side of road, or in a depression in a bank, or on the ground. Eggs, white, spotted with brown. The Snowbird is a common winter resident of southern Connecticut and Rhode Island, and the lower Hudson Val- ley, and not uncommon along the Massachusetts coast as far north as Boston. In the interior, where snow is deep during SLATE-COLORED JUNCO 159 much of the winter, the Snowbird occurs only as a migrant, through April, and again in late September and October. On the higher summits of Berk- shire and Worcester counties, on the Catskills, and in northern New England and New York, wherever there are patches of spruce, the Snowbird is a com- mon summer resident. In winter flocks frequent the warm slopes where weedy patches have been laid bare, in severe weather often coming about the house and barn, particularly if seed is scattered for them. In the spring migra- tion they are found at the edges of cultivated fields, and along the roadsides ; and in the autumn in more open wood- land. They breed either on rocky mountain tops, where they occur higher up than any other bird, or in spruce for- ests, particularly where there are clearings or pastures. The Snowbird’s song is a pleasant little jingle, like the clinking of bits of metal struck rapidly together. (See under Chipping Sparrow, p. 161.) The bird sings often from a stone, or from the top Jjanies of an evergreen. It has also a smack of alarm, a pew peu peu, uttered when two birds are quarreling, and a twittering sound given when one bird starts to fly, apparently to keep _ the flock together. The pure white V made by the owter tail-feathers, when the bird rises from the ground, or the dark cowled appearance of the head, as it is seen from below, easily distinguish it. 160 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK Fietp Sparrow. Spizella pusilla 5.68 Ad.— Top of head and back reddish-brown ; a rusty streak be- hind the eye; cheeks otherwise grayish ; gray line over eye, but no black line through it ; bill reddish-brown ; wing-bars whitish ; under parts gray ; breast washed with pale buff. Nest, placed on the ground, or in a low bush. Eggs, white, with brown markings. The Field Sparrow is a common summer resident of southern New England and the lower Hudson Valley; in northern New England it is confined to the cleared land in the settlements, and it is absent in the Canadian Zone. It arrives early in April, and remains through Octo- ber. There are several records of its occur- ~. rence in southern New England in winter. Fie. 42. Field = Q]d pastures, overgrown with high bushes suey and cedars, and the edges of woodland are its favorite resorts; it is never a bird of the yard, or of the cultivated fields. Its song is a fine strain, beginning with two or three high sustained, piercing notes, then running into a succes- sion of similar, more rapid notes, all in a minor key, and often running down, or occasionally up, the chromatic scale. Sometimes the last rapid notes rise, and occasionally one note is repeated throughout. A beautiful form of the song, often given towards evening, is made by a repetition of the whole in a different key, as soon as the first part is ended. The call-note is a tstp lighter than that of the Chipping Sparrow. The reddish-brown bill of the Field Sparrow is the best mark by which to distinguish it from the Chipping Spar- row; any one familiar with the bird soon learns also to recognize a certain characteristic aspect of the side of its head, where its black eye stands out in contrast with the CHIPPING SPARROW 161 light gray around it; in the Chipping Sparrow the black line through the eye and the white line over it give the head a very different appearance. CHIPPING SPARROW. Spizella socialis 5.37 Ad. — Crown reddish-brown, a gray line over the eye, a black line through it ; cheek gray ; back brown, streaked with black ; under parts ash-gray ; bill black (cinnamon-brownish in winter); tail long and slender, rather deeply notched. IJm.— Young birds in the first plumage have the breast streaked, in the next they lack the reddish crown. Nest, always lined with horsehair, placed in a bush, vine, or low tree. Eggs, bluish, with brown or blackish markings. The Chipping Sparrow is an abundant summer resident throughout New York and New England, breeding even in the forested regions wherever there are clearings and cultivated ground. It arrives early in April and remains through Octo- ber. It is common in the village door- yards, about farm buildings, along the roadsides, and in the pasture, especially where there are groves of red cedars. It is: ‘ ny Fie. 43. Chipping is unsuspicious, and often comes to the Sparrow doorstep in search of food. The song is a succession of staccato notes, or rather the same note repeated rather rapidly ; the songs of different in- dividuals vary greatly as to time. The song resembles that of the Snowbird, but is drier and less musical ; the Swamp Sparrow’s song is still more powerful and musical, while the Pine Warbler’s song is a trill, the notes running lazily into each other. The Chipping Sparrow’s call-note is a slight ts¢p. The reddish-brown crown and unstreaked ashy breast distinguish it readily from most of the other sparrows ; from its close relative the Field Sparrow it may be told in 162 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK summer by its black bill and the black line through the eye; in the fall Chipping Sparrows are often seen with reddish-brown bills. There is more black in the Chipping Sparrow’s back and less reddish-brown, so that its back looks darker. From a description of the Swamp Sparrow, one might suppose that it resembles the Chipping Sparrow ; as a matter of fact, the latter is so slender and its tail is so long, that even if the two happened to come together as migrants in the spring and fall, one ought to have no difficulty in distinguishing them. TREE SpARRow. Spizella monticola 6.36 Ad.— Crown reddish-brown; back brownish, streaked with black; wing-bars white; under parts pale gray; a dusky spot in the centre of the breast ; sides tinged with reddish-brown. The Tree Sparrow is a common winter visitant in New York and New England, appearing in October and leaving in April. It is even more nu- merous as a migrant than in winter. Tree Sparrows fre- quent sheltered spots where food and cover can be found; the edges of marshes, old fields grown up to weeds, and dry hillsides covered with ragweed (Ambrosia) are favorite resorts. A single bird is rare, and flocks sometimes number a hundred. They scatter over the feeding- ground, reaching up for the seeds, jumping for them, or even lighting on the taller plants, and bending them down with their weight. A snow-fall enables them to reap a harvest. from still taller plants, and their tracks now form a network from one stalk to the other. Fic. 44. Tree Sparrow WHITE-THROATED SPARROW 163 While feeding, the flock keep up a cheerful twitter, each bird repeating the syllables teed-wit in a sweet, lively tone. When startled the Tree Sparrow utters a slight tstp. This note is also used as a call-note, and may be heard on dark winter afternoons as the birds fly into weedy thickets to spend the night. The song, uttered in March and April, and occasionally in the autumn, is sweet and rather loud, be- ginning with four long-drawn notes, whee-hee-ho-hee (Lan- gille). The form of the opening is like that of the Fox Sparrow, but the notes are not so rich and powerful. In winter the Tree Sparrow may easily be distinguished from any other wintering sparrow by its unstreaked breast, chestnut crown, and white wing-bars. In October and April it often associates with Chipping Sparrows and Field Spar- rows, and from these two species it may be distinguished by its greater size and the whiter wing-bars, but chiefly by a dusky spot in the centre of the breast. WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. Zonotrichia albicollis 6.74 Ad. — Crown black, with a white stripe through the centre; a broad white stripe over each eye, ending in a yellow line before the eye; back and wings rich reddish-brown; wing-bars white; a square white throat-patch bounded by ash-gray; breast pale-gray; belly white; sides of belly brownish; tail brown, with no tawny tinge. Jm.— Crown dark brown; stripe through middle of crown very faint; line over eye dull buffy; yellow before eye dull; throat- pateh grayish-white. Nest, placed either on the ground, orinlow bush. Eggs, heavily spotted with pinkish-brown. The White-throated Sparrow is a common summer resi- dent of the Canadian Zone, wherever balsam firs grow. In southern and central New York and New England it isa common migrant in late April and early May, and again in late September and through October. A few White-throats winter in southern New England and in the lower Hudson 164 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK Valley, finding shelter in piles of brush, or the edges of marshes. In migration they frequent dry roadside thickets, or shrubbery, where they scratch for food on the ground, or fly when startled into the neighboring trees. In the breeding season they prefer overgrown clearings, where raspberry-bushes grow breast high among fallen trees, or the swampy forests of balsam fir. Fic. 45. White-throated = heir song is perhaps the most no- ps ticeable sound in the northern woods, and oftenest attracts the attention of a beginner; it is easily imitated by whistling, and has been variously ren- dered as Old Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody, or Sow wheat, Peéverly, Peéverly, Peeverly ; in fact it is often called the Peabody-bird. The song is often attempted in the fall, but is rarely clear and true at that time. Even in summer it often drops on the second triplet to a flatted note. The alarm-note is a brisk metallic chip ; this note is also used in the dusk when the birds are settling for the night. Another note is a ss¢ similar to the lisp of the Song Sparrow and the Fox Sparrow. (See following species.) WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. Zonotrichia leucophrys 6.88 Ad. — Crown black, with a broad white stripe through the centre, and a white line extending back from the eye; no yellow before the eye; sides of head and back of neck brownish-gray; back, wings, and tail brown; wing-bars white; under parts gray; no well-marked white throat-patch ; bill reddish-brown. Im.— Crown reddish-brown; stripe through centre pale grayish-brown; otherwise as in adult. The White-crowned Sparrow is a migrant in May, and in late September and October; rare in eastern Massachusetts and in the Hudson Valley, not uncommon at times in Berk- shire County and in the White Mountains. It is fond of the SEASIDE SPARROW 165 same places that the White-throated Sparrow frequents, — thickets and undergrowth, the edges of roads, and weedy patches. | Its song is too rarely heard; it be- gins with pure sweet notes that suggest the Meadowlark’s whistle, or a Vesper Sparrow singing louder than usual, and continues with notes that recall the Black-throated Green Warbler ; the whole performance is quite differ- ent from the song of the White-throat. An adult bird is distinguished from its relative the White-throat by the absence of yellow before the eye, by the pure ashy throat, which lacks the square white throat- patch, and by the different aspect of the crown,—the broad- Fic. 46. White-crowned Sparrow est white stripe is in the centre, and there is no broad stripe of white over the eye. The shape of the head, moreover, is different and characteristic: the back of the head seems a little higher than the crown. In fall the immature bird must be distinguished by the cleaner look about the sides of the head and throat; everything is ashy-gray, except the crown. The bill in both adults and young is reddish-brown. SEASIDE SPARROW. Ammodramus maritimus 6.00 Ad.— Upper parts brownish-gray, nearly uniform ; line from bill to eye yellow ; throat whitish, with a dark streak on each side ; rest of under parts grayish-white; breast streaked with dull gray; no buff on side of head. Jm.— Upper parts streaked with black; under parts buffy white; breast and sides streaked with dark erayish-brown. Nest, in the grass on the ground. Eggs, white, speckled with reddish-brown, especially at the larger end. The salt marshes along the sea-coast from Point Judith, R. I., southward, are inhabited by the Seaside Sparrow as 166 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK well as by the Sharp-tailed Sparrow, while north of Rhode Island only the latter is found. Both species inhabit the marshes along the Ar- thur Kill, on Staten Island. The Seaside Sparrows arrive in May, and can be found © in the marshes till Oc- tober, but the breed- ing season, June and July, is the best time to visit them, for then . they and their relatives, the Sharp-tailed Sparrows, are found well out in the marsh, and hardly any other species of Sparrow with them. The grass, too, is short, and progress not difficult. As one looks over the level expanse, small birds are seen flying jerkily up and dropping down again a short distance beyond. Occasionally one flies to a con- siderable height, and sings as he drops back. The birds cling to the coarse grass along the tidal streams or ditches, or to the old stalks of high-tide bushes (Jva). Here they utter their feeble trisyllabic song, the last syllable a wheeze. From their relatives the Sharp-tails they may be easily distinguished by their dark gray look, due to the absence of buff on the sides of the head ; the Sharp-tails have so much buff about the head that they are almost bright colored. From the Swamp Sparrows, which also have a white throat, the gray look and the absence of rich reddish-brown on the flanks should distinguish them ; note, too, the Seaside Spar- row’s long bill. There are generally Long-billed Marsh Wrens associated with the Seaside Sparrows in the coarse grass along the ditches, but the Wrens are smaller birds, and they cock their tails over their backs with an absurd effect. Fic. 47. Seaside Sparrow - SHARP—TAILED SPARROW 167 SHARP-TAILED SPARROW. Ammodramus caudacutus 5.85 Ad.— Top of head dark brown, with an indistinct gray line through the centre; back brown, the feathers margined with whit- ish; line over eye and for some distance behind it buffy, separated from a buffy stripe alongside of throat by an ash-gray cheek- patch; under parts washed with buffy (except in midsummer), breast and sides streaked with black; tail-feathers narrow and pointed, the middle pair the longest. Im. in summer. — Under parts buffy, with very indistinct streaking on the breast. Nest, of grasses on the ground. £gqs, pale blue, finely speckled with reddish. The Sharp-tailed Sparrow is a common, though somewhat local, summer resident of extensive salt marshes along the coast of New York and New England, such as occur along the Arthur Kill, on Staten Island, and at Revere and Ips- wich, Mass. It arrives in May, and stays till October. The tall coarse grass (Spartina), called thatch in New England, = which grows along the tidal Fic. 48. Sharp-tailed Sparrow creeks and ditches, is its favorite haunt. When perching, it grasps the stalk with feet widespread, or, when startled, dives down, perhaps to appear on the top of another patch. When feeding in the shorter grass, it runs with head down, hike a Savannah Sparrow, or stands high on its stout legs. Its song is simple and unmusical; Dr. Townsend has well described it as like “the hiss of hot iron in water.” The male, when singing, frequently mounts a short distance into the air, but more often sings from the top of the grass, or from some post. It is to be recognized by its rather long bill and by its narrow tail, not square like a Savannah’s, but with the middle feathers longest, but chiefly by the buffy line over the eye 168 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK aud along the sides of the throat. Birds seen from June to the middle of September all have streaked breasts; and this streaking and the buffy cheeks distinguish them from their relatives and companions the Seaside Sparrows. (See preced- ing species.) Young birds have less streaking than the adults, but are much yellower below than the Seaside Spar- rows. Norr. — There is another species of Sharp-tailed Sparrow, the Aca- dian (Ammodramus nelsoni subvirgatus), which inhabits the salt marshes of New Brunswick, and has been found breeding in Sagadahoe County, Me. It occurs on the rest of the New England coast as a spring and fall migrant in May and October, but resembles the preceding species so closely that only a trained observer, viewing the bird at close range, could distinguish it. A third subspecies (Ammodramus nelsoni) also occurs in October. HENSsLOW’s SPARROW. Ammodramus henslowi 5.00 Ad. — Upper parts dark brown, streaked with blackish; under parts whitish, narrowly streaked with black on breast and sides; tail short and narrow; bill heavy. Nest, on ground. Eggs, grayish-white, thickly speckled with pale brown. Henslow’s Sparrow is a rare summer resident of southern and central New England, arriving in May and leaving in August. It is an extremely local bird, occurring in south- ern New England in exten- sive wet meadows along ‘sluggish streams, and in Berkshire County and in - southern New Hampshire ~ in the ill-drained hillsides Hic: 42: Henslow:s Sparrow, on the upland, where the wet, neglected pastures are partially overgrown with spirea, or the shrubby cinquefoil. From May to early August one can hear from such meadows or pastures one of the simplest GRASSHOPPER SPARROW 169 bird-songs, two syllables, flee/-sic, delivered almost as one. The notes are sharp and carry a long distance, nor do they sound much more penetrating when one is almost upon the singer as he crouches on a low bush or plant. Like several of its relatives, the Henslow’s Sparrow prefers, when dis- turbed, to hide silently in the grass, or to fly but a few rods and then drop into the grass, where it runs or squats. Its narrowly streaked breast and the absurdly large beak should identify it. GRASSHOPPER Sparrow. Coturniculus savannarum passerinus 5.38 Ad. — Upper parts streaked with black, rich chestnut, and gray; line through the crown buff; under parts buffy, unstreaked. Im.— Breast spotted with blackish. Nest, on the ground. Eggs, white, spotted with reddish-brown. The Grasshopper Sparrow is a common summer resident of southern New England and the lower Hudson Valley, but is rare in most of Massachusetts ; in New Hampshire, it is found only here and there in or near the valleys of the Connecticut and the Merrimac, and in Maine it does not occur. It is common in certain sec- tions of Massachusetts, as on the dry, sterile fields of Nantucket, or the extensive Fia. 50. Grasshopper Sparrow plains in the Connecticut and Sudbury valleys, where the eround is sandy and the grass not too luxuriant. The bird arrives late in April or early in May, and remains till Sep- tember. It utters its insect-like song from some tall weed or low 170 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK post, and sometimes from the very ground. The song is so shrill that it takes a sharp ear to catch it. It is almost ex- actly like the stridulation of the green grasshopper, com- mon in low grass-land (Orchelimum vulgare), tsick, tsick, tsurrrrrrr. The call-note consists of two notes, tillic, almost run together into one. The flight of the male from his sing- ing perch is curiously feeble and fluttering. © From other grass-loving sparrows, the buffy unstreaked under parts should distinguish it. SAVANNA SPARROW; SAVANNAH SPARROW. Passerculus sandwichensis savanna 5.68 Ad.— Upper parts brown, streaked with blackish; a yellow line over each eye, and a narrow white stripe through the centre of the crown; breast and sides rather narrowly streaked; the spot in the centre of the breast and on the sides of the throat not so prominent as in the Song Sparrow; tail rather short ; legs and feet pale pink. Im. — No yellow over eye. Nest, on the ground. Eggs, bluish-white, thickly marked with reddish-brown. The Savannah Sparrow is a common summer resident of the upland meadows of Berkshire County, Mass., and of northern New England and New York. It also breeds com- monly on the edges of extensive salt meadows along the New England coast, north of Long Island Sound, and on the wide alluvial meadows of certain rivers, such as the Concord and the Connecticut. Through southern New Eng- land and the lower Hudson Valley it occurs chiefly as a migrant, common in April and early May, and again in September and October. It should then be looked for in grassy fields, particularly near the sea-shore, or along the larger streams. The Savannah Sparrow, unlike most migrants, rarely sings during migration. On its breeding-ground the song IPSWICH SPARROW 171 continues through July. The song is unlike those of the Vesper Sparrow and the Song Sparrow, but might be con- fused with that of the Grasshopper Sparrow. It is uttered from a rock or a low post, and consists of two or three pre- liminary chips, followed by two long insect-like trills, the second in a little lower key than the first, tsip, tsup, tsip, tseeeceeeee tsee-ee-ee-ee. The Grasshopper Sparrow’s song is drier, less musical, and the trill is all on one note (see p. 169). When the birds have young about, they are very watchful, and observe an intruder by the hour, continually uttering a sharp tswp. When two birds quarrel, they utter a harsh dsss. The appearance of the Savannah Sparrow’s head, as the bird faces one, should distinguish it from the Song Sparrow and the Vesper Sparrow; the white median line and the yellow lines over the eyes give the head a striped appearance, quite distinct from that of the other two species. The shortness of its tail, too, is apparent when it flies; after a short nervous flight it drops into the grass, where it runs along or squats motionless. IpswicH SpaRRow. Passerculus princeps 6.25 Ad. in spring. —Spot before the eye yellow; line over eye white ; upper parts pale gray, streaked on the head with black, on the back with brown; throat and belly white ; breast and sides streaked with brown; legs and feet pale pink. dd. in winter. — Similar, but without the yellow before the eye. The Ipswich Sparrow is a migrant and winter visitant along the sea-coast of New England and New York, com- moner during the migration than in winter. It arrives in November and stays till the first week of April. At all seasons it is confined to extensive stretches of beach-grass, such as occur at Ipswich, Mass., on Cape Cod, and on Long Island ; occasionally it comes down to the beach and feeds there with Shore Larks and Snow Buntings. One can flush 172 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK it by walking through the beach-grass; after a hurried flight it dives down again into the grass, and either crouches under a tuft of grass, or runs low from one bit of cover to the next. Its note is a faint tsip. Its general aspect is that of a darge, pale Savannah Spar- row, and care must be taken to distinguish it from this species, which is often abundant in the beach-grass. VESPER SPARROW; BAyY-wINGED Buntine. Poewcetes gramineus 6.12 Ad. — Upper parts grayish brown, streaked with dark brown ; breast and sides rather narrowly streaked, the streaks often form- ing a spot in the centre ; sides of the throat narrowly streaked : cheek washed with buff; bend of wing bay ; outer pair of tail- feathers mostly white, the next partly white. Nest, in a depression in grass or under a clump of plants. Eggs, dull white, buffy, or pinkish buffy, stained and speckled with reddish-brown. The Vesper Sparrow is a common summer resident of New York and New England, though absent, of course, in the heavily forested re- gions of northern New England. Even here it appears in the upper val- leys as soon as clearings are made and grass-land becomes extensive. The Vesper Sparrow arrives in early April, and stays till the middle or end of October. It frequents short-cropped pasture land, and the edges of cultivated fields. Here from a rock, a fence, or the limb of a tree, it sings its song, so often repeated toward evening that it has won for the bird its name. Fic. 51. Vesper Sparrow VESPER SPARROW 173 Beginners have much difficulty in distinguishing the song of this sparrow from that of the Song Sparrow. The opening notes of the latter are very various, but are almost always three, rather brisk and high. ‘Those of the Vesper Sparrow are two, low, long, and sweet; then after two higher notes the song runs off into a succession of trills, not musical in themselves, but aiding in giving the whole performance more dignity and sweetness than the Song Sparrow’s livelier effort. The time is distinctly slower, and the whole number of notes greater than in the Song Spar- row’s song. In certain regions the first of the opening notes is omitted, as in Berkshire County, Mass., and northern New England, or they are modified, as on Nantucket, where they resemble those of the Field Sparrow. To distinguish between the Vesper Sparrow and the Song Sparrow, observe, if possible, the white outer tail-feathers of the former; these, however, are often not clearly visible, —the bird must spread its tail fully to show them. One may also note the grayer shade of the Vesper Sparrow’s brown, the dusky cheek-patch, and the absence at the sides of the throat of the reddish-brown marks, which on the Song Sparrow form a triangle with the dark breast-spot. The Vesper Sparrow is a less nervous bird than the Song Sparrow; it often runs or squats before one, either in the road, where it dusts itself like a hen, or in the grass; the Song Sparrow darts with a jerk of its tail into the nearest bushes. LAPLAND LonesrurR. Calcarius lapponicus 6.25 Ad. $ in autumn. — Top of head and back brown, streaked with black ; sides of head and line behind eye buffy ; reddish- chestnut collar on hind neck obscured by gray ; wings chestnut, with two white bars ; tail nearly black, outer pair of feathers tipped with white ; black feathers of the breast and sides veiled with gray ; belly white. Ad. 9 in autumn. — Similar, but with 174 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK less black on the upper parts, and on the breast ; no buffy line back of eye ; often no reddish-brown on the hind neck. The Lapland Longspur is a very rare winter visitant along the sea-coast in the neighborhood of New York city, and a rare migrant along most of the New England coast. At Ipswich, Mass., on the grassy hills near the ocean, espe- cially at Great Neck, it is often a common fall migrant. It arrives late in October and often stays into January. It feeds either in company with Horned Larks and Snow Bunt- ings, or in small flocks alone. None of these birds hop; all walk or run. . Its notes are a harsh and rattling chirr, less musical than the roll of the Snow Bunting, and a sweet tyee, which corresponds to the tee of the Bunting. If one is thoroughly familiar with the Lark and the Bunting, it is easy to distin- guish the Longspur from them. The absence of a yellow throat-patch outlined with black separates it from the Lark, and its general dark tone distinguishes it from the Bunting. In fact, the reddish-brown wings and blackish breast suggest an immature male English Sparrow. SNOWFLAKE; Snow Buntine. Passerina nivalis 6.88 Ad. in autumn and winter.— Head and under parts white, washed on the head and sides of breast with brown; the black feathers of the back veiled with gray and brown; wings and tail black and white ; bill reddish-brown. Jm.— Brown on the crown, and sides of throat deeper ; black of wings and tail not so clear, and white less pure. Ad. in March. —The brown begins to wear off, the plumage tending to become black and white. The Snow Bunting is a common winter resident on the coast of New York and New England, and along the shore of Lake Champlain, arriving late in October and leaving toward the end of March. Occasionally large flocks appear in the interior, especially in northern New England, feeding EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH 175 on the seeds of weeds in neglected fields and waste ground. It occurs also as a migrant in large river valleys, feeding on the muddy flats of lakes or ponds. On the sea-coast, flocks of Snow Buntings associate with Horned Larks, but the for- mer frequent the beach more than their companions, and the grassy hills less. The notes of the Snow Bunting are a high, sweet, though slightly mournful tee or tee-oo, a sweet rolling whistle, and a harsh bzz.. The great amount of white about the bird serves to distinguish it; the white in the wing is especially conspicuous, as it flies over. On the ground it either walks or runs. EurRoPEAN GoLpFINcH. Carduelis carduelis 5.90 Ad. — Region about the base of the bill bright red; top of the head and a stripe down the side of the neck black; sides of head white; back brown; rump white; wings and tail black, the former erossed by a broad band of bright yellow ; under parts dull white, sides brown; bill reddish-white, tipped with black. Nest, a neat cup, in bushes or small trees. Eggs, bluish-white or greenish-white, marked with purplish around the larger end. The European Goldfinch has been introduced in the neighborhood of New York city, and seems to have become permanently established in Central Park and other favora- ble places in the upper part of the city. It is resident throughout the year; in the neighborhood of Boston it occurs rarely. It is restless and active, flies like our Goldfinch in undulations, but is more at home in trees than on the eround., A common note is like the syllables steeglit. It may easily be known by the broad band of yellow across the black wing. Its under parts are white, unstreaked, while the Pine Siskin, which has a smaller yellow bar across the wing, is everywhere streaked. 176 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK Pine Siskin; Prye Fincnu. Spinus pinus 5.00 Ad. — Upper parts grayish-brown, streaked with black; a yel- low bar across the wing, partly concealed by a whitish wing-bar; bases of tail-feathers sulphur-yellow, these and the wing-patch showing in flight; under parts gray, streaked with brownish; bill sharply pointed. Nest, in coniferous trees. Eggs, pale greenish blue, speckled chiefly around the larger end with reddish brown. The Pine Siskin is an abundant resident of the great coniferous forests of northern New England and New York. Occasionally it moves south- ward in great flocks, and spends the winter in south- ern New England and New York, often in company with Crossbills and Redpolls. An occasional migrant flock or single bird generally appears in October, and in April or May. The Siskin, like the other northern finches, is rest- less and yet fearless. It occasionally feeds on the ground, and may then be approached almost within reach. It gen- erally feeds on the seeds of birches, and on those of pines and spruces, clinging easily to the twigs or cones. The common call-note resembles the syllables chee-ee given in a husky tone; when flying it utters a note like the syllables ¢it-¢-tit. Another very sweet call, often given by a single bird to call back the flock, is identical with a note of the American Goldfinch. The song heard even in March in the depths of the spruce forests is a rather formless succession Fic. 52. Pine Siskin of sweet notes, varied occasionally by a screeching note, like the noise made by blowing through a comb covered by paper. Siskins may be told from Goldfinches, with which they often associate, by the thick streaking over the entire under parts, and from Redpolls by the thicker streaking on AMERICAN GOLDFINCH E76 the belly, and by the absence of the blackish throat. (See Fig. 53.) AMERICAN GOLDFINCH. Astragalinus tristis 5.10 Ad. $.—Crown black; body bright yellow; wings and tail black, spotted with white. Ad. 9. — Upper parts brownish-olive; under parts yellowish, -with a dusky wash on the throat and breast; wings and tail like the male’s, but duller. $ in winter. — Like the female, but with black-and-white wings and tail. Jm. — Like winter adults, but browner, the wing-markings brownish in- stead of white. Nest, a gray cup, lined with down, placed in fork from five to thirty feet up. Eggs, white. The Goldfinch is a common permanent resident of New England and New York. As winter approaches, flocks, sometimes of over fifty birds, gather together and wander about, feeding on the seeds of birches or on the seeds of weeds and grasses in neglected fields. At all seasons the birds are fond of the seeds of composite flowers; a gay company often scatter over the lawn and feed on dandelion heads; bachelor’s buttons, thistles, and sunflowers also at- tract them. By May the males have recovered their yellow and black, and begun to twitter their sweet if rather char- acterless song. They are still in flocks, even when other birds are building. By June, however, they are met with in pairs, the dark female with the bright male, and by July they are building in the sugar maples or apple-trees. While the female is brooding the male goes swinging over in deep undulations, calling te tee’ de de, and she answers with a simple te’ de dee, te’ de dee. When the male sings on the wing, he flies around in circles, with broad, fluttering wings, and keeping the same level; but the ordinary flight is undulating, and in midsummer the male often seems to accent the curve, as if enjoying the great plunge through the air. The voice is always sweet; one call-note is very like a call of the Canary, swee-ee, with a 178 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK rising inflection. The young bird, just out of the nest, has a peculiar call, chi-pee’, a characteristic sound in late summer. Goldfinches often associate with Redpolls and Siskins, when these visit southern New England, but may be dis- tinguished from them at all seasons by the black and white in the wings and tail, and by their unstreaked breasts. The winter plumage of the male is very different from the bright yellow and black of spring, but there is always a tinge of yellow on the throat. Reppout. Acanthis linaria 5.32 Ad. $.— Crown crimson; back streaked with gray and brown; middle of throat blackish ; rump slightly tinged with pink; breast and upper belly suffused with rose; sides streaked with brown. Ad. 2.—Similar, but no rose on rump or breast. Jm. — Similar to 2, but without crimson crown. The Redpoll is a very irregular winter visitant in south- ern New York and New England, often absent for periods of from five to ten years. In northern New Eng- land it occurs more fre- quently. It varies, too, in abundance, occurring at times in large flocks, and throughout the coun- try, at other times in small flocks, and only here and there. It fre- quents neglected fields, feeding on the seeds of weeds and grasses, or visits groves of birch, picking the seeds from the ripe catkins. It is often found near the sea beaches. The Redpoll has a sweet call-note, almost identical with a note used both by the Goldfinch and by the Pine Siskin. Fic. 53. Redpoll WHITE—WINGED CROSSBILL 179 Tt also utters, especially when flying in flocks, a rattling note, like the syllables tshu, tshu, tshi. A flock is generally composed of birds in many stages of plumage; some show no red, others have only a small dark red cap, still others have a suffusion of rose over the breast as well. They may be distinguished from the Pine Siskins, with which they are often associated, by their grayer tone, by the smaller amount of streaking on the under parts, and by the blackish throat. WHITE-WINGED CrossBILu. Loxia leucoptera 6.05 Ad. §6.— Head, rump, and under parts rose-red; middle of back black, streaked with rose; wings and tail black; two broad bars on the wing white ; tips of the mandibles crossed. Ad. ? and Im.— The red of the ¢ replaced by gray, tinged with olive-yel- low, and streaked with black; rump yellow; wings and tail almost black; wing-bars as in male. Jm. ¢.— Often shows stages be- tween the plumages of the ad. ? and ¢. Nest, in coniferous trees. Eggs, pale greenish, dotted about the larger end with brown. The White-winged Crossbill is a very irregular winter visitant in southern New York and New England, often ab- sent for a period of many years. In northern New England and in the Adirondacks, it breeds spar- ingly, and is a not infrequent win- ter visitant in the valleys. Its call- note is a sweet monosyllable, re- sembling the syl- Fie, 54. White-winged Crossbill 180 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK lable peet. It has also a chattering note, uttered when it flies. Its disposition and habits are similar to those of the Red Crossbill, from which it may always be distinguished by the presence of conspicuous white wing-bars. The red of the adult male is a rose-red, different from the vermilion- red of the Red Crossbill. AMERICAN CROSSBILL; RED CrossBinu. Loxia eurvi- rostra minor 6.19 Ad. §.— Entire body dull vermilion-red, brightest on head, rump, and belly; wings and tail dark; tips of the mandibles crossed. Ad. 9 and Jm.— Entire body gray, with a greenish wash on the breast; rump greenish-yellow. Nest, in coniferous trees. Eggs, pale-greenish, spotted with purplish-brown. The Red Crossbill is a common permanent resident of the coniferous forests of northern New England. A few Crossbills may be seen in any month of the year on the upland of Berkshire County, Mass., and in southern New Hampshire and Vermont (see map, p. 15), but in southern New England they are very irregular visitors, occurring abundantly in some winters, at other times being wholly absent, or appearing only as rare migrants in spring and fall. When they spend the winter in southern New England, they resort to the cone-bearing evergreens — the hemlocks, spruces, and pines —and feed on the seeds, hanging to the cones and forcing their scales apart, or later on in the season picking up the fallen seeds from the ground. They also extract the seeds from the rotten apples left on the trees. Like the other northern visitors they are very tame, but when startled often fly off to a distance. Their call-note, always uttered when flying, is a loud kip-kip, kip-kip-kip, very like a note made by young chickens. The song re- sembles the syllables too-tee’, too-tee!, too-tee', tee, tee!, tee. (See preceding species.) ENGLISH SPARROW 181 ENGLISH SPARROW. Passer domesticus 6.33 Ad. §.— Top of head grayish ; a patch of chestnut on each side of the head ; back brown, streaked with black; wing-bars white; a stripe of chestnut on each wing; throat and upper breast black ; rest of under parts grayish-white. Ad. 9. — Head grayish-brown; back streaked with black and buff; under parts whitish; breast washed with grayish-brown. Nest, either in trees, or in a hole or corner. Eggs, generally white, sometimes brownish, finely speckled with brown or gray. The English Sparrow is now a permanent resident of nearly every city, town, and village in New York and New England. Only the wilder or more hilly portions of north- ern New England are still free from its presence. In many suburbs it occupies the boxes and holes which otherwise Bluebirds, Wrens, and White-bellied Swallows would use. It also annoys Robins by following the parents when they are collecting food for their young and stealing it from out of their bills. At night Sparrows roost in thick trees or vines, and in large cities collect in astonishing numbers in small parks. In the country small flocks often collect in brush-heaps. The Sparrow’s voice is harsh, and too suggestive of the city to please most ears. Its ordinary note is the well-known chirp, but it has an astonishingly large number of modifica- tions of this note. In spring, or on warm days in winter, the male utters a cry, lke the syllables fee-leep, with a per- sistence worthy of a better cause. The chunkiness of the Sparrow, the unstreaked dingy-white breast of the female, and the black throat of the male, will serve to identify it to any one who is so fortunate as to be unacquainted with it. Puree Fincw. Carpodacus purpureus 6.22 Ad. §.— Entire body suffused with rose-red, strongest on the head, rump, and throat; back streaked with brownish; belly gray- 182 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK ish; wings and tail brownish; tail rather deeply forked. Ad. ? and Jm.— Upper parts grayish-brown, streaked ; under parts grayish, streaked with brown ; line behind eye gray. $% in first breeding season, like the female. Nest, in evergreens, five to thirty feet up. Eggs, blue, spotted at large end with brownish. The Purple Finch is a permanent resident of New Eng- land and New York, but of irregular occurrence in winter, sometimes very rare, often rather common. In south- ern New England and the lower Hudson Valley, it is a common migrant in April, and in September and Oc- tober, but few remain through the summer. In New England the summer residents arrive in April and stay until October. They are found, in winter, either in cedar groves or in hard wood, near groves of hop hornbeam, but they are active, rest- less birds, and may be heard anywhere flying overhead. In spring they frequent the same places, but come also to the evergreens about houses, and to the elms in the street, the swelling buds of which they bite off. In summer they build chiefly in conifers, and are numerous in the great northern forests. They utter, when flying, a single sharp pit, by which they may be easily identified. Their song is vigorous and musical, a rapid, energetic warble, often lengthened in the height of the mating sea- son to a long, passionate utterance (see Warbling Vireo, p. 135). The male at this season walks, or rather dances, about the female, with wings spread and quivering, repeat- ing the song in a low, pleading tone, or he flies off singing in the air in his loudest tones. A call-note, resembling the Fic. 55. Purple Finch, Female CANADIAN PINE GROSBEAK 183 syllables pé-wee!, is given by both sexes, and it is known that the female occasionally sings, though often when the song seems to be uttered by a female, the singer is really a male of the preceding summer. The large bill of the female should distinguish her from any brown, streaked sparrow. CANADIAN PINE GROSBEAK. Pinicola enucleator leucura 9.08 Ad. §.— Entire body rose-red, brightest on head and rump; middle of back spotted with black; wings brownish-black, with white wing-bars ; tail brownish-black; bill short and stout; tail deeply forked. Ad. 9 and Jm.— Top of head, rump, and some- times the breast, washed with saffron or reddish; rest of body dark gray ; wings and tail as in male. Nest, rather flat, of rootlets, in coniferous trees. Eggs, green- ish or bluish, spotted with brown. The Pine Grosbeak is a very irregular winter visitor in southern New York and New England, often absent for periods of several years, occasionally appearing in very large flocks, at other times less abundantly. The first flocks generally arrive in November or December, and all leave southern New England for the north before April. In west- ern and northern New England it occurs less irregularly. A few birds breed on the high mountains of northern New England and in the vicinity of the Connecticut Lakes. When the Pine Grosbeak visits southern New England, it is remarkably unsuspicious, allowing people to approach al- most near enough to touch it. It feeds on the fruit of the mountain ash, on cedar berries, on seeds of the white ash, and, towards spring, on the buds of pine, spruce, and maple. There are generally several red males in a large flock of grayish birds. The common call of the Pine Grosbeak consists of two or three clear whistled notes, that suggest the notes of the Greater Yellow-legs; they may be written tee-ti, tee!-tee-ti, 184 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK the last note lower than the others. They often utter a sharp peer, something like the cry of a Blue Jay; while the birds are feeding they utter a low musical twitter, and, when flying up suddenly, a low trilled whistle. The size, the undulating flight, the short, stout bill, and the white wing-bars serve to identify the gray birds; the red ones are unmistakable. BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES, ETC.: FAMILY ICTERIDZ The eight members of the family Icteridae differ widely in appearance and habits. The two Orioles are rarely seen on the ground; when they do come down, they hop. All the other species get their food chiefly on the ground, and these all walk. In four of the eight species black predomi- nates; these species are gregarious, often occurring in very large flocks. The Orchard Oriole is found commonly only as far north as southern Rhode Island and Connecticut. The Rusty Blackbird is only a migrant in most of New York and New England. BRONZED GRACKLE. Quwiscalus quis- cula eneus PURPLE GRACKLE. Quiscalus quis- cula Crow BLACKBIRD 12.00-13.50 Ad. ¢.— Head, neck, and upper breast iridescent purple, vio- let, or brassy-green in good light (at a distance the whole bird looks black); rest of body black, with metallic reflections; wings and tail bluish, violet, or purplish; tail long, middle pair of feathers much longer than outer pair ; ae pale yellow. Ad. 9.— Similar, but browner and smaller. Nest, bulky, of dried grasses, etc., in trees. Eggs, greenish, spotted and streaked with black and brown. The Crow Blackbird is a summer resident throughout New York and New England, but in northern New England CROW BLACKBIRD 185 occurs only locally in low ground near water. It arrives late in February, or early in March, and stays occasion- ally as late as Oc- tober. When the Blackbirds first re- turn, they come in flocks, and they breed in commu- nities, preferring the security of evergreen trees for Fie. 56. Bronzed Grackle nesting-places. Here they may be seen on the tops of the trees squeak- ing and whistling like creaking sign-boards. When the t ‘ Whee. ah! ; Wl | ae ey 1 My agbhY Mya! ae yA Ty | Mi ra ia IN Yi SSS Fia@. 57. Tail of Bronzed Grackle 186 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK male utters his song, he spreads his wings slightly and puffs out his feathers. When the young are in the nest, the female, a little smaller and duller than the male, may be seen walking over lawns or open places in the neighbor- hood, hunting for grubs or bits of refuse, and then flying to the nests. From all the surrounding country, lines of such foragers converge in the chosen grove in midsummer. After the young are able to fly, the breeding-places are deserted, and either no Grackles are to be seen or else very large flocks are met with, blackening the fields or trees. Sometimes these flocks, or migrants from the north, are seen late in October, and occasionally in November. The absence of red on the shoulder distinguishes the Crow Blackbird from the Red-wing, and the long, wedge- shaped tail, conspicuous in flight, from the Rusty Black- bird. This tail is often held keel-shaped, the middle feathers being depressed. On the ground the bird some- what suggests a Crow; the gait, as in the case of all the blackbirds, is a walk. When Crow Blackbirds fly, their line of flight is level, not undulating, so that the members of a flock do not rise and fall as the other blackbirds do. Like several of the other blackbirds, it often jerks its tail upward when perched. Notr.— The Crow Blackbird, in the neighborhood of New York city, is the Purple Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) ; about Boston and northward it is the Bronzed Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula eneus). In the former the colors of the head and neck are not sharply defined from those of the body, as they are in the latter. In Connecticut intermediate races occur. The habits and notes of the two are practically the same. Rusty BLAcKBIRD. Scolecophagus carolinus 9.55 Ad. & in spring. — Entire plumage glossy bluish-black; eye pale yellow or white. Ad. Q in spring. — Slate-gray; eye asin ¢. Ad. in autumn. — Feathers of head, neck, and back tipped with rusty- brown; under parts buffy. RUSTY BLACKBIRD 187 Nest, in trees, bulky. Eggs, bluish-green, olive, or brownish, speckled and spotted with brown. The Rusty Blackbird (rusty only in the autumn) is a common migrant through New York and New England, from the middle of March to the first week of May, and again from the end of September through October, or in the vicinity of New York city until December. It breeds to some extent in the northern and extreme eastern counties of Maine. The Rusty Blackbird is as fond of wet places as the Red-wing; it is generally found in small flocks near marshes and at the borders of water-courses. Like the Red- wing, it visits to some extent the dry hillsides, particularly in the fall. When seen at a distance, and in flight, it is almost im- possible to distinguish between this bird and the Red-wing, unless the split or squeaking whistle of the Rusty is heard. This is its song, corresponding to the congaree of the Red- wing ; it is heard both in spring and fall. The species also has a chuck practically indistinguishable from that of the Red-wing, and has the same trick of jerking its tail upward when perched. When seen near to, the absence of any mark on the shoulder should distinguish the Rusty; the tail, though slightly rounded, can hardly be confused with the long, extremely rounded tail of the Bronzed Grackle. The surest mark by which the Rusty may be distinguished from the Red-wing, if one can get near enough, is the white eye. The female might be confused with the female Cowbird, but in most cases the latter would not occur in the wet places affected by the former; moreover the Cowbird’s bill is shorter. The female Red-wing is heavily streaked. A Rusty Blackbird in autumn might be mistaken for a male Cowbird, but the rusty is much more widely distributed in the former, extending well down the back, and the bill is longer and sharper. 188 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK BALTIMORE ORI0LE. Icterus galbula 7.53 Ad. §.— Head, throat, upper back, wings, and tail black; wing-feathers margined with white; tips of outer tail-feathers yellow for nearly half their length ; lower back, breast, and belly, reddish-orange. Ad. 2?.— Black of the male much duller; rump, breast, and belly yellow ; throat often spotted with blackish ; tail grayish-orange. Im.— Similar to the °. Nest, a pocket composed of tough fibres or string, hung from the tips of pendulous twigs, commonly of elms, or sometimes close to the upright stem of small trees. Eggs, white, scrawled with irregular lines of brown or black. The Baltimore Oriole is a common summer resident of southern and central New England, and the lower Hudson Valley. In the upland of northern New England and New York, the Oriole is confined to the village streets in the more settled valleys; in the forested region of the north it is wholly absent. It arrives early in May, and stays till about the first of September. All through May and early June Orioles are active and musical, flashing through the trees and whistling, now a single note, now a phrase or two. By the middle of June the young begin to call from their hanging nest, and their crying is then incessant, and resembles the syllables tee/-dee- dee, tee'-dee-dee. Some time in July the old Orioles moult, and are then quiet and retiring; after the moult the male whistles again, especially early in the morning, and con- tinues to sing till his departure. The female during the mating season whistles two or three notes similar to the male’s. Both sexes utter a long chatter when excited. The question is often asked whether the Oriole ever uses the same nest a second season. I have never observed such an instance, but it is a very common sight to see a new nest built only a few feet from the old one, or sometimes even the tattered remains of the nest of two years before on still a third twig. ORCHARD ORIOLE 189 It is a common error in central New England to imagine that a dull-colored oriole seen in an orchard is the Orchard Oriole; the latter occurs commonly only in southern New England and in the lower Hudson Valley. (See following species. ) ORCHARD ORIOLE. Icterus spurius 7.32 Ad. §.— Head, throat, and upper back black; lower back, breast, and belly chestnut; wings dark brown, tail almost black. Im. 2 in second year.— Upper parts greenish-yellow, brightest on the rump ; tail brown, tinged with greenish-yellow ; throat black ; under parts yellow. Ad. ?.—Similar to Jm. $, but throat yel- low; back browner. Nest, a deep cup made of long green grass-blades, hung gen- erally in apple-trees ten to fifteen feet up. Lggs, bluish white, spotted and scrawled with black or brown. The Orchard Oriole is a common summer resident of southern Connecticut and the lower Hudson Valley; in eastern Massachusetts it is a rare summer resident as far north as Ipswich. It is not uncommon in the valleys of the Connecticut and Housatonic, as far north as Springfield and Pittsfield, though it is far less common everywhere in Mas- sachusetts than the Baltimore Oriole. In northern New England the Orchard Oriole does not occur. It arrives early in May, and leaves in August. The Orchard Oriole, as its name suggests, frequents apple orchards, but it is often found in low shade-trees. The song is very different from that of the Baltimore Oriole; it is not made up of separate whistled phrases, but is a definite outburst of musical notes. It recalls the rich- ness of the Fox Sparrow and the energy of the Purple Finch. The call-note of the Orchard Oriole suggests the chuck of a Blackbird; it has also a chatter resembling that of the Cowbird. A bird in the adult plumage of chestnut and black is 190 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK unmistakable, but the males in the second year and the females may be confused with female Baltimore Orioles; the greenish tinge of the upper parts should distinguish the female Orchard Oriole, while the pure black throat of the young male should identify him. MEADOWLARK. Sturnella magna 10.75 Ad.— Upper parts brown, streaked with black ; line through crown buffy; line from eye to bill yellow; throat and belly bright yellow; black crescent on breast ; tail-feathers short and narrow, outer ones white. Ad. in winter.— Upper parts a redder brown ; black and yellow of under parts veiled with buff and reddish-brown. Jm.—Yellow of breast much paler; black crescent replaced by a few dark streaks. Nest, on ground, of dry grass, sometimes arched over. Eggs, white, speckled with reddish-brown. In southern New England and in the lower Hudson Val- ley, wherever the ground is fairly free from snow, par- ticularly on salt marshes, the Meadowlark spends the winter in small flocks. The clear whistled notes of the bird may there be heard in every month of the year. But in the interior the Meadowlark is only a summer resident, and in northern New England it is rare or absent. It fre- quents wide stretches of grass-land, associating either with Bobolinks in rich meadows or with Grasshopper Sparrows in dry fields; at all seasons it is common on salt marshes. Its ordinary song is a clear, rather plaintive whistle, ut- tered from the top of a tree, or a fence, and often in the air; it has besides a harsh guttural chatter, and a nasal peent. In the breeding season the Meadowlark indulges occasionally in a flight-song, more prolonged, but less clear than its usual whistle. The yellow breast and the black crescent do not often show; the bird commonly keeps his back to observers. The legs are long and stout, and the bird spends much time on the ground, where it walks. ~ RED-—WINGED BLACKBIRD 191 Though about the size of the Flicker, it can readily be distinguished by its flight; after a few strokes it sails a short distance, then repeats the few strokes, then sets its wings and sails again. When it. flies up from the ground, the white outer tail-feathers are a conspicuous mark ; as the bird walks on the ground, its short tail is often ner- vously opened, so that the white feathers show. RED-WINGED BiAckBirp. Agelaius pheniceus $9.51. 2 8.00 Ad. 6.—Entire plumage black, showing in flight a bright scarlet patch edged with buff and white, at the bend of the wing ; often only the white edging shows when the wing is closed. Ad. © and /m.— Brown, everywhere streaked; throat often buffy. Nest, of grasses and weed-stalks, in a low bush or on a tussock of sedge. Eggs, pale blue, scrawled and spotted with dark purple or black. The Red-winged Blackbird is a common summer resident of the Hudson Valley and of southern and central New York; in northern New England, especially on the upland, it is much less common. Occasion- ally a few Red-wings winter in the marshes near Boston, and may do so in favorable local- ities in southern New England. The male ar- rives early in March, but it is often three weeks before the female joins him. When the young are full grown, the breeding birds depart and are rarely seen after August. Flocks of northern migrants often arrive in September and linger till October, and on mild days sing in chorus, though without the vigor of spring. Fic. 58. Red-winged Blackbird, Female 192 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK At first, while the marshes are still cold, the hillsides are visited by flocks of males, and here they may often be seen feeding on the ground with Robins, or in a noisy chorus on some tree near by. The song has a liquid opening-note, and ends in a ree or ray, long prolonged ; when uttering it, the male spreads his wings and shows his blazing scarlet epaulets. When a flock are singing, the liquid notes form a musical undertone to the shriller ree, the whole suggesting the music of waters. Besides the song, the species has a rather heavy chuck, used as a call-note, and a long, rather pure whistle, constantly heard in the marshes in early sum- mer, and often followed by a series of staccato scolding-notes, and in midsummer a loud nasal dissyllabic note, suggesting the cry of the nighthawk. The birds are intolerant of in- trusion, and gather round a visitor with much expostulation. They also attack and escort away any large birds — hawks, crows, and even inoffensive bitterns. A male Red-wing is easily told by his scarlet wing-patch or even by its white edging, which shows when the wings are closed. A female differs from the other blackbirds in the heavy streaking above and below. (See Rusty Black- bird, p. 187.) CowsiRD. Molothrus ater 3 7.92. © 7.50 Ad. §.—Head, neck, and upper breast rich brown (at a dis- tance the bird seems entirely black) ; rest of plumage iridescent black. Ad. 2 and Jm.— Entire plumage brownish-gray, un- streaked. Nest, none, the eggs being laid in the nests of other birds. Eggs, white, evenly speckled with brown. The Cowbird is a summer resident of New York and New England, but is rare in the hilly country of northern New England, and entirely absent from the unsettled forest regions. It arrives late in March or early in April. In late BOBOLINK 193 summer or early autumn the Cowbird is either absent or else occurs in large flocks, which occasionally linger through October. Cowbirds have several times been found in New York and New England in winter. In spring flocks of two or three, or more, fly about in a restless fashion, and attract attention by a long, high whistle, followed by two shorter, lower notes. The bird’s flight is unsteady, and it looks distinctly smaller on the wing than the Red-winged Blackbird, with which it often associates. When the flock lights on trees, the males spread wings and tail, lift the latter, extend the neck, and follow these absurd gestures by a feeble squeak. Both sexes have a harsh chatter. They make no nest, and by laying in the nest of smaller birds, force them to bring up their young. The young Cowbird is brownish-gray, and generally larger, by the time it leaves the nest, than the foster-parent that is feeding it. In summer Cowbirds are often seen following cattle about, walking on the ground. They can then be readily distinguished from the much larger Crow Blackbirds by the short, stout bill, by the reddish-brown head of the male, and by the grayish-brown females in the flock. (See under Rusty Blackbird, p. 187.) Bosoutnk. Dolichonyx oryzivorus 7.25 Ad. §.—Nape buffy-white ; shoulders and lower back white ; otherwise black. Ad. ‘2?.— Upper parts brown, streaked ; under _ parts yellowish-brown, unstreaked ; line over eye and line through crown buffy. &$ in August and Jm.— Similar to female, but yel- lower. Nest, placed on the ground in some tuft of grass or weeds. Eggs, white, blotched with brown. The Bobolink is a common summer resident throughout New England and New York, wherever there is grass-land, 194 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK though absent apparently from Cape Cod, and local in the vicinity of New York city. It arrives early in May, and stays till Septem- : ber. It breeds in fe = We mowing-land of ; AS SRN erass or clover, and ‘ A NS ASA ‘ at the edges of WW Si SS& grassy marshes N\ \\ :o) yi ° NN os Here the males through May and June pour forth their rollicking song, either from the tops of the neighboring trees, or from some bending weed, or tuft of grass. Often they sing in the air, either gliding with curved wings or chasing each other furiously over the field. About the first week in July the young ones leave the nest, and now the song of the males ceases abruptly. If one approaches the grass where a young one is hiding, both parents hover near, uttering a chuck of alarm, flying from one perch to another, spread- ing the tail nervously. Towards the end of July the males begin to lose the black-and-white plumage; it is replaced by adress similar to the female’s, but yellower. About this time old and young gather in large flocks, which roost each night in the long grass of some low meadow. As they pass to and fro they utter a mellow chink, which is one of their ordinary call-notes; this note may be heard at night in August and early September from migrant flocks. The young birds and the males in autumn may be known by their wnstreaked yellowish under parts, and by the buffy line over the eye; in spring the presence of the brightly marked males will often help one to identify the plain-colored females. Fie. 59. Bobolink, Female STARLING 195 STARLINGS : FAMILY STURNIDZ STARLING. Sturnus vulgaris 8.50 s Ad. ¢ in summer. — Entire body black, with green and purple reflections ; each feather of the back tipped with grayish-yellow ; bill yellow. Ad. 2.— Plumage less brilliant ; buffy spots larger, especially below. Ad. in winter. — Spotting much more conspicu- ous ; light brown on upper parts, and whitish on under parts ; bill blackish. Jm.— Grayish-brown. Nest, in hollow trees, or in crevices in buildings. Eggs, pale greenish-blue or bluish-white. The Starling has been introduced from Europe into Central Park, and has not only become well established there, but has spread to New Jersey, Staten Island, and along Long Island Sound. It is resident throughout the year. Starlings feed on the ground, where they walk after the manner of our blackbirds. In late summer and autumn they collect in flocks, which in Europe blacken the sky ; they now resort to the reeds in low ground. The male sings in early spring from the top of a tree, or on some build- ing; some of the notes are very sweet, others are harsh, and many are imitations of the surrounding noises. CROWS, JAYS, ETC.: FAMILY CORVIDA Piso Crow. Corvus ossifragus 16.00 Ad.— Entire bird black, with blue or purplish reflections at close range. Nest, of sticks, in trees, generally in evergreens. Eggs, like those of the common Crow. The Fish Crow is a common permanent resident of the lower Hudson Valley, and occurs regularly but not com- 196 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK monly along the coast of Connecticut, as far east as Strat- ford. It has been taken at Springfield, Mass., but is prob- ably very rare north of Long Island Sound; in fact, it is almost always found near the sea or on large streams. Though the Fish Crow is smaller than the Common Crow, It is very difficult to distinguish it by the size alone, but its car is distinctive; it is higher, more nasal, and less power- ful than the caw of the common Crow. AMERICAN Crow. Corvus americanus 19.30 Ad. — Entire bird black, with blue or purplish reflections when seen in strong light. Nest, of sticks, in tall trees. Eggs, generally bluish-green, marked with brown. The Crow is a permanent resident of the warmer portions of New York and New England, but a summer resident of that portion only of the interior where the winter is not severe. Great numbers move to the coast at this season, and find food on the marshes and beaches. Each evening multitudes assemble and fly off to certain roosts several miles away; in the morning they return and scatter over the feeding-ground. In March long trains flying northward show that the migration has begun. Mating begins early in April; Crows are now seen pursuing each other in the air, turning and swooping with considerable grace. Besides the ordinary caw, and the many modifications of which it is capable, the Crow utters commonly two other striking notes. One is like a high-pitched laugh, hd-d-d-d-d-a ; the other a more guttural sound, like the gobble of a turkey, . cow cow cow. Crows have a strong antipathy towards the larger hawks and owls, pursuing them sometimes in great flocks, and cawing vehemently each time the victim makes an attempt to escape his noisy escort. NORTHERN RAVEN 197 NorTHERN RAven. Corvus corax principalis 22.00-26.50 Ad. — Entire bird black ; the long feathers of the throat and the thick bill show only at close range. Nest, of large sticks, lined with grass and wool, on cliffs or in trees. Hggs, bluish-green or olive, spotted with brown. The Raven is a rare permanent resident of the coast of Maine, breeding on some of the small islands of Penobscot Bay. According to Mr. Brewster, it “ regularly visits the interior of northern New England in late autumn and win- ter.” It probably still occurs in the Adirondacks. In spite of its greater size, it is often difficult to distinguish it from a Crow, unless it utters its hoarse curruck. CANADA JAY. Perisoreus canadensis 12.00 Ad. — Forehead, sides of head, and throat whitish ; hind part of head dusky grayish ; back gray ; tail gray, feathers tipped with white. Jm.— Entire plumage sooty-slate. Nest, in coniferous trees, of twigs, bark, ete. Kgs, grayish or whitish, speckled with brown. The Canada Jay is a permanent resident of the conifer- ous forests of northern New England and New York. It is especially common in autumn, but rarely appears far south of central New Hampshire and Vermont; its presence in Massachusetts is accidental. It is noted for its fondness for meat, and in winter comes boldly about the logging-camps in its search for scraps of refuse. It is noisy, like its rela- tive the Blue Jay, and has a variety of notes, many of which bear a strong family resemblance to its relative’s. Its fluffy appearance and its pattern of coloration has sug- gested a comparison with a “ magnified Chickadee ”’ (Seton). The white spot on the forehead is the best recognition mark; the bird has no crest. 198 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK BiLuE JAy. Cyanocitta cristata | 11.74 Ad.— Upper parts grayish-blue ; head furnished with a crest, which is often, however, depressed; wings and tail bright blue, with narrow black bars and broad white spots; throat gray; collar about breast and neck black; lower belly white. Nest, placed in thick evergreen from five to twenty feet up. Eggs, greenish, spotted with brown. The Blue Jay is a common permanent resident of New England and New York, but is most numerous in the au- tumn. It inhabits woodland of any sort, feeding in fall and winter on grain, acorns, and nuts; in spring and sum- mer it lives largely on in- sects, but too often robs the nests of other birds of eggs or young. Though a noisy bird at times, a pair can be so silent about the nesting- site that the eggs will per- haps be laid before their presence is suspected. Their bright contrast, too, of blue © and white, is not nearly so conspicuous in leafy shade as one might expect. Jays have a habit of hopping upward from one branch to the next till they reach the top of a tree. When flying through open spaces, they keep at almost an exact level, and may by this peculiarity of flight be recognized at some distance. Jays are very vigilant and give notice by their screams of the presence of an intruder; hawks and owls are frequently pursued by a noisy mob. Their notes vary greatly; the commonest are the well- known strident djay djay, a higher and more prolonged tee-ar tee-ar, which exactly simulates the scream of the Fig. 60. Blue Jay PRAIRIE HORNED LARK 199 Red-shouldered Hawk, a resonant, trumpet-like teerr and a too-wheedle too-wheedle, which suggests the creaking of a wheelbarrow. When uttering these sounds from a perch, Jays open the wings, and bend the head back and forth, like crows when cawing. They have also, in spring, low, sweet crooning notes. Many good observers believe that the Jay imitates the cries of various hawks, such as the Broad- winged and the Sparrow Hawk. The fact remains that even where the Red-shouldered Hawk is uncommon, the Jay frequently uses a note like his scream, so that it may be a part of his original repertoire, and not an imitation. LARKS: FAMILY ALAUDIDZ PrRaArRiE Hornep LarK. Otocoris alpestris praticola 7.25 Ad.—Similar to the following species but smaller, the throat white, or only tinged with yellow ; the line over the eye pure white. Im. — Lacks the black and yellow about the head ; breast washed with brownish buff, speckled with dusky. Nest, on the ground. Eggs, pale olive or pale buffy, finely but thickly speckled with olive-brown. The Prairie Horned Lark is a summer resident of north- eastern New York, Berkshire County, Mass., and northern New England. It has been found in North Adams, Wil- liamstown, Lanesboro, and Pittsfield in Berkshire County, at Hubbardston in Worcester County, and at Ipswich, Mass., at Franconia, Errol, and Shelburne, N. H., ete. It is apparently extending its range eastward, and will probably become commoner, and appear in new localities. It arrives in March and raises two broods, the first in April, the second in June. It frequents grassy hills or intervales, and feeds on the ground, walking or running. It is restless, and often flies about, uttering a sharp tseé or ¢see-de-reé. Its song is uttered either on the ground, and 200 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK then consists of four or five introductory twits, followed by a little trill, all in a very sharp tone, or it is delivered after the bird has mounted, like his famous cousin, to a considerable height; it is then much longer, but still sharp and unmusical and lacking the strength of the Skylark. The Prairie Horned Lark also occurs as a rare migrant in late October and November along the sea-coast of New England and New York, often in company with its relative the Shore Lark. It must not be confused with the small pale-colored females of the latter species, from which the pure white line over the eye will distinguish it. Hornep LARK; SHORE LARK. Otocoris alpestris 7.75 Ad. $.—Forehead and patch back of eye yellow; “horns,” or tufts of feathers projecting backward from the head, black ; front and sides of crown, line from bill under eye along sides of throat and band across upper breast black ; back of head, back, and rump pinkish-brown; tail dark, outer pair of feathers edged with white; throat yellow ; belly white, sides pinkish-brown. Ad. @.—Similar to $, but decidedly smaller, the black much less pronounced; the pink tinge often wanting; throat duller. The Shore Lark is a common winter visitant along the sea- coast from October to April; small flocks occasionally occur inland. Shore Larks feed in flocks along the flats left bare by the tide, and on the fields _ and hillsides, within sound of ~ the surf. Their notes are shrill, re- sembling the syllables tsee, tsee-de-ree ; it is hard to distin- cuish them from those of the Titlark, which may be found in the same localities in falland Fic. 61. Horned Lark HORNED LARK 201 spring, but not in winter. They are restless birds, flying high when disturbed, and passing back and forth from one hill to another, so that their notes are often heard high in air. On the ground they run or walk ; in the air their wings look long and pointed. The “horns” show as little tufts of elon- gated feathers projecting backward on each side of the head. The females are smaller, the yellow of their throats is duller, but they may be distinguished at very close range from the inland Prairie Horned Lark by the white eyebrow of the latter. Shore Larks are often associated with Snow Buntings, but may be known by their heavy square-shoul- dered build, the yellow throat, and the black markings which include it. | FLYCATCHERS : FAMILY TYRANNIDA Nine Flycatchers occur as summer residents in some parts of New York and New England. Four or five are commonly distributed throughout the whole region; these are the Phebe, the Kingbird, the Least’ Flycatcher, and the Wood Pewee, all of which are fairly common, and the Crested Fly- catcher, which is locally common, but in many places rare or absent. In the lower Hudson Valley, the Green-crested Fly- catcher occurs as a summer resident; in northern New York and New England, the Alder and the Olive-sided Flycatchers occur as fairly common summer residents. The Yellow- bellied Flycatcher is a summer resident of high mountains, and of the damp forests of northern New York and New England. All the Flycatchers sit more or less on exposed perches, in an upright position, with the tail held nearly straight down. From this station they fly out after passing insects, and then return to the same perch or another. Many of them during the breeding season are of a rather overbear- ing disposition, constantly wrangling with other birds that come near their nesting haunts. 202 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK Least FiycATcHER; CHEBEC. Hmpidonax minimus 5.41 Ad.— Upper parts olive-green, tinged with brownish; wing- bars ash-white ; under parts whitish, with a slight tinge of yellow on the belly. Nest, a neat gray cup, often in a crotch from twenty to thirty feet up. Eggs, white. The Chebec is very common throughout New York and New England, except in the less cultivated districts of northern New England and New York, where it is chiefly confined to the villages and the neighborhood of tilled fields, its place being taken in the wilder regions by the Alder Flycatcher. It arrives late in April, and in eastern Massa- chusetts is rarely seen after the end of August. It breeds in apple orchards, edges of woodland, in fact, wherever trees are separated by slight open spaces in which it can hunt. It sits on some fairly exposed perch, in the manner character- istic of flycatchers, and makes constant sallies into the air, down over the grass, or even against the trunks of trees. The male in spring and early summer is a constant singer, snapping out the syllables se-bic’, with a violent jerk of his head and a quiver of the tail. Both sexes, after alighting, often utter a little gurgling note, and quiver wings and tail. The call-note is whit. Just before dusk the male often flies up from some tree near the nest, and delivers a flight-song, in which the call-note, whit, and the ordinary song, se-bic’, are repeated many times. (See also following species.) ALDER FrycaTcHER. Lmpidonazx traillii alnorum 6.09 Ad.— Upper parts dark olive-green, often with a tinge of brown; under parts white, washed with yellowish on the belly ; wing-bars brownish-gray. Nest, in crotch of small bush near the ground, made of coarser material than the Chebec’s. Eggs, spotted. GREEN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER 203 The Alder Flycatcher has been found breeding in northern New Jersey, in northwestern Connecticut, and in eastern Massachusetts, but outside the Canadian Zone it occurs chiefly as a regular but rare migrant late in May or very early in June. From the edge of the Canadian area north- ward it is a rather common summer resident, frequenting alder thickets along streams and swampy places, as well as wet clearings and ill-drained hillsides. Its song is like the syllables qwi-dee', ending with a marked ee instead of the sharp ic of the Chebec. The singer either mounts an exposed perch, where he may be seen jerking his head violently, or as often sings concealed in the leafy twigs. Where the birds are common, the song is heard as late as the first week in August, but it is not regular after the middle of July. The call-note is a sharp pip. Its appearance in the field is so like the Least Flycatcher that only a very well-trained eye can distinguish the two species. The notes, however, of the two are very unlike; the marked difference in habitat, moreover, should make it comparatively easy to separate the two species in the breed- ing season. GREEN-CRESTED FrycatTcHEerR. Hmpidonax virescens 5.75 Ad.— Upper parts dark gray; back tinged in strong light with greenish; wing-bars buff or buffy-white ; under parts white, tinged with sulphur-yellow, shaded on the breast with grayish or greenish. Nest, on a limb, from four to twenty feet up, shallow, pensile, of rootlets, grass, and plant stems, loosely put together. Eggs, creamy-white, spotted with brown. The Green-crested Flycatcher is a locally common sum- mer resident in the lower Hudson Valley as far north as Sing Sing, and in New Jersey as far north as Plainfield, 204 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK but occurs in New England only as an accidental visitor. It arrives in May, and generally leaves in August. It fre- quents woodland and orchards, especially in the neighbor- hood of small streams. The sharp call-note, gweep, and the song, which Bendire writes wick-wp' and Chapman pee-e- yuk', are characteristic; these notes, the larger size, and the buffy wing-bars distinguish the Green-crested from the Least Flycatcher. YELLOW-BELLIED FiycaTcHER. EHmpidonax flaviventris 5.63 Ad. — Dark olive-green above; wing-bars whitish; entire under parts yellowish, brightest on the belly, shaded with olive on throat, breast, and sides. Nest, sunk in mossy bank, or “ among the earth-laden roots of a fallen tree” (Brewster). Eggs, white, marked with reddish- brown, chiefly at the larger end. The Yellow-bellied Flycatcher is a rare migrant in eastern New England, and, like the Alder Flycatcher, appears very late in May or early in June, and again in August and early September. In western New England and in the Hudson Valley it is not rare, but it is often silent and of a retiring disposition, frequenting low woods and swampy places. On the higher Catskills and the mountains of northern New England and in the great spruce forests of Maine, where the ground is deep with a feathery moss (Hypnum), the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher is a fairly common resident. Here, too, it is shy and retiring, but its notes differ from those of the other small Flycatchers, and assist in its iden- tification. Its call-note is like the syllables ti-pee’-a, and resembles closely a note of the Wood Pewee; its absurd little song, like the syllables pe-wick, is uttered almost as a monosyllable. Its great similarity in appearance to the other litle fly- catchers, the Least and the Alder, should make a student WOOD PEWEE 205 very careful in identifying it; the distinctly yellowish pe over the enture under parts Rice nishes it. Woop PEWEE. Contopus virens 6.53 Ad. — Upper parts dark brownish-gray; two white wing-bars ; under parts whitish, the sides washed with dark gray. Nest, flattish, saddled on a limb, twenty to forty feet up, exqui- sitely decorated with a green lichen. Eggs, white, with a ring of dark markings about the larger end. The Wood Pewee is a rather common summer resident of New York and New England. It arrives in May, and leaves toward the end of September. It is a characteristic bird of open woodland groves or the tall shade-trees of vil- lage streets and plantations. It sits on the ends of dead limbs, usually in the shade of the upper branches, and darts out at passing insects, returning, after its sally, to the same perch or to a neighboring limb. The ordinary drawled pee- a-wee pee-a is to be distinguished, on the one hand, from the pure phee-bee of the Chickadee and the rather hoarse phee'-wt of the Phebe. Toward the middle of August the full song is rarely heard, and the common note is a shorter pee'-a, which must not be confused in northern New Eng- land with the call-note of the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. The bird utters beside a low chit, and about the nest an excited chitter. The long-drawn song, when given, distinguishes the Wood Pewee from any of the other Flycatchers, but when the bird is silent it may be confused either with the Phebe or with the Chebec. It may be distinguished from the former by its smaller size and by its well-marked wing-bars ; moreover, it never flirts its tail after the manner of the Phebe. It is considerably larger than the Chebec, and, when it faces an observer, the middle of its breast shows a light line sepa- rating the darker sides. 206 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK OLIVE-SIDED FrycATcHER. Nuttallornis borealis 7.39 Ad.— Upper parts dark olive-gray and brown; under parts dark brownish on the sides, with a whitish stripe down the middle; no wing-bars, except in young birds ; two white cottony tufts on the flank, which show in flight. Nest, placed on a limb of an evergreen, twenty or thirty feet up. Eggs, white, with dark spots. The Olive-sided Flycatcher breeds here and there in the hill country of Berkshire and Worcester counties in Massa- chusetts, not uncommonly in portions of Cape Cod, and regularly in the Canadian Zone. It isa rare migrant through eastern New England, in late May and early June; in west- ern New England and the Hudson Valley it is less rare. On the higher Catskills and the Adirondacks, and in northern New England, wherever the woodsman or a forest fire has left tall dead trees, the wild call of this bird may be heard. The birds fly from the tops of the tall stubs, some- times almost straight up, or circle about, and light again on another perch. The song is loud, and resembles the syllables pi-pee!, or pip, pi-pee’. The call heard constantly, even in August, when the song is infrequent, is a loud pip, pip-pip. Pu@se; BripcE Pewee. Sayornis phebe 6.99 | Ad.— Upper parts grayish-brown ; head dark brown; no con- spicuous wing-bars; throat and breast grayish; belly pale yellow- ish; sides dark. Jm. — Wing-bars more distinct, and the under parts yellower. Nest, composed largely of moss, placed on a beam or rafter in a shed or under a bridge, and in less settled regions on a ledge of rock. The Phoebe is a common summer resident throughout New York and New England. It arrives late in March or early in April, and lingers into October. It is common about CRESTED FLYCATCHER 207 farm-buildings, sitting often on the ridgepole, but it also shows a marked fondness for the neighborhood of water. The name Phoebe suggests the song, phee!-wt or phee'- wi-wi, hoarser than the pure whistle of the Chickadee, and with much more snap than the drawling note of the Wood Pewee. The Phoebe has also a chip, and about its nest a curious chattering cry. It raises two broods in the northern states, and the song is therefore heard well into July; after the moult in late summer the song is often heard again. In early spring the Phcebe occasionally utters a flight-song, beginning with whits and running into phebes rapidly repeated. The sideways sweep of the tail is a characteristic action by which the bird may always be identified ; in the old birds the absence of wing-bars also serves to distinguish it from the Wood Pewee. Young birds have dull wing-bars, but they cannot refrain long from making a suggestive movement of the loose-hung tail. CresteD FrycatcuER. Myiarchus crinitus 9.01 Ad. — Head dark brown above; back olive-brown; tail in flight nearly as reddish as a Brown Thrasher’s ; wing-bars brownish- white; throat and breast ashy; belly sulphur-yellow. Nest, in holes in trees. Eggs, white, with dark streaks. The Crested Flycatcher is a summer resident throughout New York and New England, but is absent from the forest region of northern New England and New York, except along the great water-courses. It is much commoner in Connecticut than in Massachusetts, where it is absent from many localities. It arrives early in May, and remains till September, but, like most of the flycatchers, is rather silent in August. It frequents orchards and woodland, breeding in holes in trees, generally using a piece of cast snake-skin in the material of the nest. 208 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK It has a very strong, harsh voice, and soon makes its pre- sence known by its characteristic calls; one of these is a hoarse, long-drawn wheep ; another is a lower whip whip whip, anda third a guttural, rattling cry. It frequents the tops of tall trees, and seems to get much of its food without the sallies into the air characteristic of the rest of the family. The crest is not nearly so prominent as in the Jay or Cedar- bird; the loose feathers on the head are partially erected. The loud, harsh notes first call attention to the bird, and the peculiar coloring of the under parts — ashy, yellow, and reddish-brown — should distinguish it when seen from below. Kinesirp. Tyrannus tyrannus 8.51 Ad. — Top of head blackish, with a concealed crest of orange- red; back gray; wings brown; tail black, tipped with white; under parts white, washed with grayish across the breast. Jm. — Tip of tail and breast tinged with pale brownish-buff. Nest, rather bulky, either in trees from ten to thirty feet up, or in bushes near water. Eggs, white, spotted with reddish-brown. The Kingbird is a common summer resident throughout New York and New England, except in heavily forested regions. It arrives early in May, and is rarely seen after the first of September. It occurs wherever there are trees sur- rounded by open country, either in orchards or open farm- ing land, or along streams. From the top of a tree, from a mullein stalk, or a telegraph wire, it watches the air round about, and makes sallies after passing insects. As it returns to its perch, it spreads its broad fan-shaped tail, showing the white tips of the black feathers. The Kingbird is notorious for its habit of pursuing crows and hawks, darting at them from above with vicious jabs, often following them for a long distance, and returning at last with a shrill kip-per, kip-per. Its mating performance RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD 209 consists in flying upward, and then tumbling suddenly in the air, repeating the manceuvre again and again, all the time uttering its shrill cry. During the nesting season, the male may often be seen on a conspicuous perch near the nest, and when the young are being fed, one parent flies out to meet the one that is bringing food, and welcomes it noisily. The flight of the Kingbird is steady and at about the same level. The orange-red crest-feathers are generally concealed by their blackish tips, but in the mating season, or under the influence of anger, they flare out. The black tail, broadly tipped with white, and the white under parts make the Kingbird an easy bird to identify, even from a car window. GOATSUCKERS, SWIFTS, HUMMINGBIRDS, ETC.: ORDER MACROCHIRES HUMMINGBIRDS : FAMILY TROCHILIDA Rupy-THROATED Humminesirp. Trochilus colubris 3.74 Ad. §.—Chin black, rest of throat, when seen from in front, intense crimson changing to golden red, but from the side appar- ently without color; rest of lower parts dusky-whitish ; upper parts bright green. Ad. 9. — Throat whitish ; otherwise as in male. Nest, of plant-down, saddled on a limb, the outside covered with lichen. Eggs, two, white. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is a rather common summer resident of New York and New England, arriving in May, and leaving in September. The neighborhood of flowers, particularly red flowers, attracts this insect-like bird; columbine, nasturtium, trumpet-vine, scarlet honey- suckle, monarda, and jewel-weed are particular favorites. Contrary to the general notion, the Hummingbird often perches either on a dead twig or on a telegraph wire; as it 210 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK sits, the long needle-like bill appears out of all proportion to the size of the tiny creature. Hummingbirds are very fearless, and will frequently fly about a bunch of some favorite flower, though held in the hand; they are also very irritable, constantly pursuing each other with excited squeaking. The male often poises in mid-air, and then with a sudden: downward rush executes an arc, rising to the same height, then swinging back to the former station. The female alone is said to attend to all the duties of nest-build- ing and the care of the young, which she feeds by thrusting her bill far down into their throats. There is only one species of Hummingbird in eastern North America, but the male alone has the ruby throat. Certain sphinx moths, poising before the flowers in the afternoon, are often mistaken for hummingbirds. SWIFTS: FAMILY MICROPODIDA CHIMNEY SwiFt. Chetura pelagica 5.43 Ad. — Entire bird sooty-brown, palest on throat; wings long and narrow; tail either cigar-shaped, or, when spread, fan-shaped. Nest, a shallow platform of sticks glued to the inside of a chimney. gqgs, white. The Chimney Swift is an abundant summer resident throughout New England and New York. It arrives to- ward the end of April or early in May, and leaves toward the end of August; small flocks, presumably migrants from farther north, are often seen, particularly along the valleys of large rivers, till late in September. The nest is made of short twigs broken off by the bird while flying. It is a moot point whether the bill or the feet are used for this purpose. These twigs are glued together and to the bricks in the chimney by saliva, and form a shal- low platform on which the eggs are laid. In northern New ee we e pare SS bY SWIFT HIMNE Cc CHIMNEY SWIFT 211 England and New York the Swift still builds occasionally in hollow trees, as all its ancestors once did, or ‘‘on the inner walls of barns and outbuildings” (Brewster). Rain sometimes loosens the nest, which then falls to the bottom. The young, when fed, keep up an energetic crying, easily heard through the walls of the chimney. The Swift’s common note is either a loud staccato chip, chip, chip, or the same notes run rapidly together. This chippering, heard from little groups high overhead, is often the first intimation of the bird’s presence in spring, and it is continued constantly till mid-July, then less frequently or only rarely till the bird’s departure. Chimney Swifts resemble swallows in their appearance on the wing and in their manner of feeding, but may be distin- guished after a little practice by the appearance of the tail, which is short and cigar-shaped, or fan-shaped when spread, but never notched, forked, or square. Their flight, too, is characteristic ; they alternate rapid bat-like strokes of the wings with periods when they glide with their wings curved in a long narrow crescent. Just before descending into a chimney and often when two are flying together they raise their wings at an angle over the body and keep them so for an instant. As arule they hawk high, sometimes very high, but occasionally they fly low over grass, and they commonly fly low over water. Swallows frequently light on wires and twigs, but Swifts, as far as I know, have never been seen to perch. At night, and in the heat of the day, they cling to the rough bricks inside the chimney, supporting them- selves with the help of the needle-like tips of their tail- feathers. Marvelous tales are told by the older writers of enormous numbers of Swifts which resorted nightly to certain well-known hollow trees to roost. It is still pos- sible to see several hundred gathering about some tall deserted chimney down which they vanish at the approach of dusk, 212 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK NIGHTHAWKS, WHIP-POOR-WILLS, ETC.: FAMILY CAPRIMULGIDA There is a belief common among country people that the Nighthawk and Whip-poor-will are one and the same bird; it is probably due to the fact that the latter is so rarely seen, and so constantly heard. NieutHawKk. Chordeiles virginianus 10.00 Ad. §.— Entire upper parts, when seen near to, black, finely speckled with gray, and a little brown; middle pair of tail-feathers like back, the others tipped with black and crossed near the tip by a white band; a broad band of white across the throat ; breast black, speckled with gray; belly gray, barred with black, often tinged with buff ; wings long and narrow; a broad white bar crosses the wing, showing best from below. Ad. 2.— Similar, but throat- band buff instead of white ; no white on fail. Eggs, laid on bare rocks or gravel roofs, dull white speckled with gray or brown. The Nighthawk is a summer resident throughout New England and New York, common in some localities, rare or absent in others. It arrives in May and leaves for the south to- ward the end of August, when large flocks of Nighthawks are often seen passing overhead, par- ticularly along broad river valleys; it is occasionally seen in Septem- ber. Curiously enough, though the suburbs of many of our large cities are no longer wild enough to offer the Nighthawk proper breeding-sites, it has found the flat gravel-covered roofs of the cities themselves suitable for nesting-sites, while the air about supphes it with an abundance of food. The Nighthawk is a not un- Fie. 62. Nighthawk NIGHTHAWK Ze common sight over the streets of Boston and New York, and its harsh peent is a common sound. Outside the cities it breeds on rocky hillsides, or in wild pastures, laying its = Fic. 638. Wing of Nighthawk two eggs on flat rocks or bare spots where their speckles of gray or brown harmonize with the surrounding stones and lichens. In the breeding season the male dives down from a considerable height, and as he nears the ground turns off and up in an abrupt curve; at the same time he manages to produce, probably with his wings, a loud and peculiar booming sound. The neighborhood of water attracts Night- hawks, as it does the swallows, and doubtless for the same reason. They may be seen hawking high over the river valleys, their long wings carrying them forward with ap- parent deliberation, though constant, quick upward strokes, or rapid turns to either side, betray the ceaseless search for insect food. Their size, when thus feeding, distin- guishes them from any swallow and from the Swift; they are often taken for small hawks, but they may be always recognized by the bar of white across the wing, which shows best from below. Occasionally one may be seen perched lengthwise along a limb or a fence-rail. (See fol- lowing species. ) WHIP-POOR-WILL. Antrostomus vociferus 9.75 Ad. $.— Upper parts a mixture of black, gray, and yellowish- brown, no white ; wings barred with black and yellowish-brown ; throat black ; upper breast black, crossed by a narrow white 214 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK band; rest of under parts buff, speckled with black; middle tail- feathers like back, the three outer pairs with the terminal half white. Ad. Q.—Similar, but band across breast buff, and outer tail-feathers narrowly tipped with buffy white. Eggs, creamy-white, spotted with lilac or lavender, laid in dry leaves on the ground in woods. The Whip-poor-will is a locally common summer resident throughout New York and New England, arriving late in April or early in May, and staying into September. It is a bird of the woodland, espe- cially along streams or at the edges of farming-land, and has become scarce in many locali- ties, as the woodland has given way to cultivated ground. It spends the day in dense thick- ets or in deep woods, on the ground or on low limbs, and if surprised in such a place it flutters off as if bewildered, but with noiseless flight. The song of the Whip-poor-will begins at dusk, is heard at intervals all night long, and regularly before dawn; it is often repeated a hundred times in rapid succession. If the song is heard at close range, it is found to begin with an introductory chuck. During midsummer the song is less frequently heard, but on the breeding-ground it is repeated a few times nearly every night, even in September. By those who live surrounded by woods, the Whip-poor- will is not infrequently seen sitting at dusk on the ridge- pole of some shed, or flying about engulfing moths and beetles in its cavernous mouth. Its relative the Night- hawk is much more often seen by day, roosting on some limb, fence-rail, or rock. Both le lengthwise on the limb, but the Whip-poor-will has a white or buffy band on the upper breast, while the Nighthawk has one on the throat. Fie. 64. Whip-poor-will WHIP—POOR-—WILL 215 The Whip-poor-will has conspicuous bristles about the bill, has no white bar on the wing, and has the entire plumage much speckled with yellowish-brown. The Whip-poor-will has a rounded tail, and the outer feathers end for a greater or less length in white or buff ; the Nighthawk has a forked tail tipped with black and crossed in the male near the tip by a white band. WOODPECKERS, ETC.: ORDER PICI WOODPECKERS : FAMILY PICIDA Hight species of Woodpecker occur in New York and New England. Only. two, however, the Downy and the Flicker, are common residents throughout this area. The Hairy Woodpecker is very similar to the Downy, and is generally confined to regions which have a certain amount of good-sized timber, while the Pileated Woodpecker lives only in deep forests. The Sapsucker breeds in northern New York and New England, and occurs as a migrant elsewhere. The Red-headed Woodpecker occurs only in southern and western New England and in eastern New York. The two Three-toed Woodpeckers are confined to the forests of northern New York and New England. The habitual resorts of all Woodpeckers are the trunks and large limbs of trees, though, except in the breeding season, the Flicker is nearly as often seen on the ground, where it feeds on ants, as on trees, to which it resorts chiefly as a perch. Woodpeckers all fly in great undulations, holding their wings close to the body for an instant, then rising by means of two or three more strokes. Most of the Wood- peckers feed on the larve of borers which they extract from the trunks or limbs of trees; they are, therefore, permanent residents. The Sapsucker, however, and Flicker are not adapted to feed on borers, and are therefore migrants. 216 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK NorTHERN FLICKER; GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER. Colaptes auratus luteus 12.00 Ad. $.— Head grayish-brown, a scarlet band across nape of neck ; back brown, barred with black; wings and tail black ; shafts and under sides of wings and tail-feathers golden-yellow ; rump white; throat pinkish-brown ; line along side of throat and band across upper breast black; rest of under parts buffy, marked with round black spots. Ad. 9. —Similar, but without the black line along the side of the throat. Nest, in a hole in a dead limb. Eggs, white. Near the sea-coast, from Massachusetts southward, and in the lower Hudson Valley, the Flicker is not uncommon in Fie. 65. Northern Flicker winter. In the rest of New England it is only a summer resident, common everywhere except in the northern heavily-forested regions. The migrants return in March or April, and are then extremely noisy; their loud wick wick wick wick is one of the characteristic sounds of a bright spring morning. This is generally the cry of the male only, who also delivers at this season a tattoo on a resonant limb, which may often be heard in the pauses of the loud call. NORTHERN FLICKER aA The ordinary call-note of the Flicker is a high-pitched ti-err, often confused by beginners with the teer of the Blue Jay. The Flicker’s note is sharper, less prolonged, and has a marked downward inflection; it is, moreover, usually given but once, or repeated only after a little in- terval, whereas the Jay generally screams two or three times in quick succession. When two or more birds come together, the males spread wings and tail, bowing and turning, while both sexes utter a note, like the syllables yuck!-a yuck'-a yuck'-a. At such a time the full beauty of the plumage is displayed, the large black dots on the breast, the red band on the ashy nape, the black collar on the breast, and the black mus- taches of the male. Ordinarily, however, the ‘bird looks merely brown. When uttering the long, loud call, the male often perches across a large twig or small lhmb, but as a rule he alights on the upright trunk of a tree after the fashion of other Woodpeckers. In spring and summer Flickers spend much time on the ground, feeding on ants; and in autumn they eat greedily of black cherries. The eggs are laid in a hole excavated by the birds, gen- erally in a dead limb, with a large circular opening. The same nest is often used over and over. If one raps on the trunk of a tree so occupied in May, the startled female often appears for an instant in the opening and then hurries off. At such a time, when the bird flies directly overhead, the golden wnder sides of the wing and tail-feathers show ; or- dinarily, the Flicker is readily identified by its size and pecu- liar flight (see Woodpeckers, p. 215) and by the white rump, which shows as it flies from one group of trees to the next. RED-HEADED WooppEcKER. WMelanerpes erythrocephalus 9.75 Ad. — Whole head and upper breast crimson ; wpper back, wings, and tail bluish-black ; lower back, wide band across wing, and 218 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK belly white ; outer tail-feathers tipped with white. Jm.— Head and breast gray, streaked with black; black of back veiled with gray; white in wing barred with black; belly white, streaked with grayish-brown. Nest, in a hole, ina tree. Eggs, white. The Red-headed Woodpecker is a permanent resident of New York, and along the valley of Lake Champlain in Fie. 66. Red-headed Woodpecker (From Biological Survey, U. S. Department of Agriculture) Vermont. In the latter region it is not uncommon, but in the lower Hudson Valley and about New York city it is generally rare, though occasionally common as a migrant. In eastern New England it is only an accidental visitor. ~The Red-headed Woodpecker is fond of open groves, and is often seen flying from fence-posts in pastures which contain trees. Its common note is almost identical with the grrrr of the tree-toad. NORTHERN PILEATED WOODPECKER 219 The term Red-headed Woodpecker is commonly misap- plied to various Woodpeckers; the Flicker, the male Downy, and the Hairy, all have a red patch on the back of the head, while the Sapsucker either has the crown red, or both the crown and throat red. In the adult Red-headed Woodpecker, however, not only the whole head and throat are red, but the upper breast as well. When it flies, it shows a striking contrast of white with glossy black. NorTHERN PILEATED WoopPECKER. Ceophleus pileatus abieticola 17.00 Ad. %.— Entire plumage apparently black; throat, two stripes on side of head, one on side of neck, and a bar on the wing, white; whole top of head bright scarlet, the feathers forming a crest ; stripe along the cheek red. Ad. 9.— Similar, but only the crest scarlet. Nest, ina hole ina tree. Eggs, white. The Pileated Woodpecker, Logcock, or Woodcock, as the lumbermen call it, is a permanent resident of those por- tions of northern New York and New England that are still heavily forested ; elsewhere in New York and New England it is a rare straggler. It is a mighty hewer of wood, leaving signs of its activity in nearly every decaying tree and on many sound ones in its neighborhood. Where it digs for grubs, it cuts out great square mortise-like holes, different from the round nesting-holes of woodpeckers in general. These holes often run deep into the tree, or run into each other up and down the trunk. The noise of its hammering resounds through the woods like the blows of a woodman’s axe. Its call, or cackling, frequent in spring, suggests that of the Flicker, but is wilder and louder. Its flight is undulating, and this, with the white patch and scarlet crest, will easily identify it when flying; when against the trunk of a tree it is, of course, unmistakable. 220 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER. Sphyrapicus varius 8.56 Ad. §.— Crown and throat crimson, edged with black; line from bill under eye white ; back and wings black, everywhere speckled with white ; broad stripe from shoulder along edge of wing white; middle tail-feathers barred with white; upper breast black ; belly yellowish. Ad. 9.—Similar, but throat white. Im. — Crown blackish; throat whitish; breast gray, with blackish bars. Nest, in a hole ina tree. Eggs, white. In the Canadian Zone the Sapsucker is a common sum- mer resident ; elsewhere in New England and New York it Fic. 67. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is a migrant, passing north in April, and returning in late September and early October. It is occasionally found in winter in the lower Hudson Valley. On migration it is found in apple orchards, open groves, and not infrequently on shade trees about the houses. The Sapsucker breeds in Massachusetts only on Mount Greylock, and there but sparingly ; but on the upland of Vermont, in northern and central New Hampshire, in the Adirondacks, and in the Maine woods, it breeds commonly. Each pair have a ‘‘sugar orchard” of maple or birch, to which they resort constantly to drink the sap; in order to YELLOW-—-BELLIED SAPSUCKER DOM obtain it they drill small holes in successive rows, which often completely encircle the tree. Here they may be found clinging to the trunk, which is already riddled with holes and perhaps dying. About them fly hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies, attracted by the sweet liquid. For a long time there was doubt as to their object in drilling the holes, many believing it was to attract insects. Mr. Bolles (‘‘Auk,”’ vol. vill. p. 256) has shown that while insects do form a considerable part of their food, their chief object in drill- ing the holes is to get the sap. They also eat pieces of one of the inner layers of the bark. Nearly every old apple-tree gives evidence in its numerous rings of the vis- its of the Sapsucker. The young while in the nest are fed on insects, which the Sapsuckers often take on the wing. On the breeding ground the Sapsucker is noisy, uttering a squealing cry like a Jay’s or Red-shouldered Hawk’s, but more subdued; it also drums on resonant bark loud enough to be heard at a considerable distance. While migrating however it rarely utters a sound, and it is only when the eye catches sight of its rather stout body, pitching from one tree to the trunk of the next, that attention is called to it. If it is an adult, the crimson crown extending over the forehead serves to identify it. The speckled back and the stripe of white which shows along the black wing, even when the wing is closed, serve to distinguish the young bird. AMERICAN THREE-TOED WoopPECKER. TPicoides americanus 8.75 Ad. $.—Similar to the following species, except the top of the head, which is more or less mixed with white, and the back, which is crossed by narrow white bars. Ad. 9.—Similar to ¢, but without the yellow crown-patch. Nest, ina hole ina tree. Eggs, white. 222 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK The American Three-toed Woodpecker “has practically the same range in New England as [the following species, but] it is in most places very much less numerous. Among the White Mountains, however, and about the sources of the Connecticut River, it is not so very uncommon for a bird of its solitary and retiring disposition” (Brewster). This species occurs south of its breeding-range far less often than the following, from which it may be distin- guished by the narrow bars of white across its back. Arctic THREE-TOED WooppEcKER. Picoides arcticus 9.50 Ad. §.— Top of head black, with yellow crown-patch ; back black ; stripe on side of head white, bordered beneath by a black line; wings black, spotted with white; middle tail-feathers black, the outer feathers white. Ad. 9.—Similar, but without the yellow crown-patch. Nest, in a hole ina tree. Eggs, white. The Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker is “a rather common but somewhat local resident of the wilder and more heavily timbered portions of northern New England, whence it sometimes wanders southwards in autumn and winter” (Brewster). It is rare south of the White Mountains, the Adirondacks, and the forests of Maine, though stragglers are occasionally found in autumn and winter as far south as Connecticut. Its notes are loud and shrill, and are often uttered as the bird flies. The plain black back serves to distinguish it from any other small woodpecker. The white stripe on the side of the head is also a help to identification, the corresponding mark on the American Three-toed Woodpecker being a mere line. Mrs. Eckstorm, in “The Woodpeckers,” says that she has found this to be the best field-mark of this species. Adult males of both this species and the preceding have conspicuous yellow patches on the crown. DOWNY WOODPECKER Yes Downy WoopPEcKER. Dryobates pubescens medianus 6.83. Bill .68 Ad. $.—Upper parts black; stripe above and below eye, middle of back, and bars across the wing white ; outer tail-feathers white, barred with black; under parts white; a scarlet patch at the back of the head. Ad.?.— Similar, without the scarlet patch. Im. —Young males in summer have a reddish-brown patch at the back of the head. Nest, in a hole in a dead limb, from ten to thirty feet up. Eggs, white. : The Downy Woodpecker is a common permanent resident of New England and New York. It frequents woodland, orchards, and shade trees. In winter it often follows a wan- dering band of Chickadees, and may easily be attracted to a bone or piece of suet hung on a limb near the house. Occasionally in spring one sees a Downy flying through the trees as if crazy, or two sometimes have a wild chase in and out of the tree trunks. In March the male begins to drum on some dry resonant limb, and by April the pair have excavated a nesting-hole in a dead limb in some woodland tree. The call-note of the Downy is a sharp chick, and it also gives, less frequently, a shrill ery with a rapid downward fall, suggesting in form the whinny of a horse. The young, when following the parents, have a shrill whinnying cry like the adults, but with less downward inflection. The attitude of the Downy, when climbing the trunk or large limb of a tree, distinguishes it readily from the smaller Black and White Warbler. Itis always erect, parallel, that is, with the limb, sometimes above a horizontal limb, some- times on the under side, but never peering over each side as the Warbler does. Its progress is by jerks; it often backs down, tail first, but never comes down head first, like the Nuthatch. Occasionally it perches like a song-bird across a small twig. (See, also, following species.) oe 224 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK Harry Wooprecker. Dryobates villosus 9.40. Bill 1.22 Ad. — Similar to the Downy Woodpecker, but larger, the outer tail-feathers pure white, not barred with black. Nest, in a hole inatree. Eggs, white. The Hairy Woodpecker is a permanent resident of New England and New York, but is much rarer than the Downy in more cultivated districts. Where there is considerable woodland, especially good-sized timber, it is*fairly common. In the breeding season it is rarely seen out of the woods, but in fall and winter it wanders about, and not infre- quently comes to suet or bones hung out in village yards. The chink of the Hairy is like that of the Downy, but to a trained ear it sounds heavier and wilder. Its rattling call lacks the downward run so characteristic of the Downy and suggests the rattle of a Kingfisher. If one is in doubt about a woodpecker, the bird is prob- ably the Downy rather than the Hairy, for when the larger bird is seen its size attracts notice at once; it is nearly as large as a Robin, and its bill looks long and heavy. The outer tail-feathers are pure white, not barred with black as in the Downy ; but this difference is of little help, unless the bird is seen near at hand, and with outspread tail. CUCKOOS, KINGFISHERS, ETC.: ORDER COCCYGES KINGFISHERS: FAMILY ALCEDINID4 BELTED KineGFIsHER. Ceryle alcyon 13.02 Ad. &.—Upper parts grayish-blue ; feathers of the wing tipped with white; spot before the eye white; tail-feathers nar- rowly barred with white ; broad collar white; band across the breast bluish-gray ; lower breast and belly white ; bill long ; BELTED KINGFISHER 225 feathers of the back of the head long, often raised as a crest. Ad. 2.—Similar to ¢; band across the belly and sides chestnut. Nest, in a deep hole in a bank of sand. Eggs, white. The Kingfisher is a summer resident of all parts of New England and New York, appearing in April, as soon as the a hij I) J By f | |} iy) Yi Wy Wy itt iY Yj NM, Uiyy yy Fie. 68. Belted Kingfisher ice melts from the streams and ponds, and staying till October. Along Long Island Sound and in the lower Hudson Valley, where there is open water all winter, a Kingfisher is occasion- ally seen even at that season. Any point of lookout over the water may become the Kingfisher’s perch, — spar-buoys and spindles in little coves and harbors, limbs of trees extending over quiet mill-ponds or pools in mountain streams. Here it sits and watches the water below, or when startled passes along the shore or up the brook, with a loud ery, like a watchman’s rattle. It often hovers over one spot, with body nearly perpendicular, and wings beating rapidly, watching some fish below, ready to plunge and seize it in its long bill. 226 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK The Kingfisher may often be seen flying high overhead from one fishing-ground to another, or to its burrow. It may then be identified by its curious flight; after two or three wing-strokes at ordinary intervals it quickens the time, taking two or three strokes much more rapidly. CUCKOOS: FAMILY CUCULIDZ Neither of our two species of Cuckoo gives the cuckoo ery of the European species. BLACK-BILLED Cuckoo. Coccyzus erythrophthalmus 11.83 Ad.— Upper parts uniform brown; under parts white ; Dill black ; skin about the eye red ; small tips of white on all but the inner pair of tail-feathers. Nest, of sticks, loosely constructed, in a bush or a low tree, or in a dense mass of vines. Eggs, pale greenish-blue. The Black-billed Cuckoo is a common summer resident of southern and central New England and of the Hudson Valley, arriving in the first half of May, 7 and occasionally ’ lingering till late in September ; it is less common in northern New England and is absent from the higher and heavily forested regions. It inhabits tangled thickets, plan- tations, and the edges of woodland, feeding on caterpillars in the thick foliage. In May, when the web-lke nests of the tent-caterpillar are conspicuous in apple and wild cherry- trees, both species of cuckoo resort to them, and pick out the hairy caterpillars, which most birds eschew. Each species of cuckoo has two sets of notes, which are very similar in tone and form. One consists of a series of Fie. 69. Tail of Black-billed Cuckoo YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO 227 notes like the syNables kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk-kyow-kyow-kyow. These the Black-billed introduces by a gurgling note; its notes, moreover, are more liquid, less wooden than those of the Yellow-billed. Besides these prolonged calls each species has a shorter call: that of the Black-billed sounds like the syllables kuk-kuk, or kuk-kuk-kuk, the double, triple, or sometimes quadruple combinations being repeated often many times; the corresponding notes of the Yellow-billed are single, low, dove-like notes, coo, coo, coo, coo. The Black-billed Cuckoo, when seen at short range, may be distinguished by the black under mandible, by the rim of bare red skin about the eye, or by the small white tips on the dusky (not black) tail-feathers. It has a habit when alarmed or excited of raising its long tail slowly. YELLOW-BILLED Cuckoo. Coccyzus americanus 12.20 Ad.— Upper parts brown; under parts white; lower mandible yellow, except the tip, which is black; tail long, rounded, the three outer blackish tail-feathers ending in large white spots ; a broad area of cinnamon showing in the wings when the bird flies. Nest, of sticks, loosely constructed, in a low tree or bush, or in a dense mass of vines. Eggs, pale greenish-blue. The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is a summer resident of New York and New England, rarely occurring beyond the north- ern boundary : 4, of Massachu- ia & setts. It ar- SSeS << = SSNS’ rives in the first half of May, and occasionally lingers late into September. In the Fic. 70. Tail of Yellow-billed Cuckoo hilly portion of central New England it is rare, occurring in Berkshire County only along the rivers and at the outlets of lakes. In eastern Massachusetts and about New York this and the preceding species are often equally common. 228 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK The haunts and habits of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo are similar to those of the preceding species. It slips quietly into the trees and then sits motionless, so that it is more often heard than seen. Its notes have been described under the preceding species. To distinguish the Yellow-billed Cuckoo from the Black- billed it is necessary to get near enough to see the large white spots on the tips of the blackish tail-feathers, or the yellow under mandible, or to catch, as the bird flies, the cinnamon in the wing. BIRDS OF PREY: ORDER RAPTORES OWLS: SUBORDER STRIGES HORNED OWLS, ETC.: FAMILY BUBONIDZA While seven or eight species of Owl occur in New York and New England, only one, the Screech Owl, is at all com- mon in inhabited regions. The Barred Owl and the Great Horned Owl are the species most frequently heard in deep forests. The other species are either uncommon and retiring permanent residents, or rare or regular wanderers from the north. The Snowy Owl and the Hawk Owl hunt by day, and the Short-eared Owl is often seen in the daytime, but the other Owls are nocturnal, hiding by day in some hollow tree or thick evergreen. Here they are occasionally discoy- ered by a band of jays, crows, or smaller birds, who surround or pursue them with great outcries. Owls bolt their prey bones and all and then disgorge the indigestible portions in the form of pellets; their presence is, therefore, often indicated by the appearance on the ground of numbers of these gray pellets. They hoot at all seasons of the year, but less commonly in summer and very constantly in late winter and early spring. An Owl is easily recognized by its AMERICAN HAWK OWL 229 noiseless flight and by the peculiar human appearance of the face, due to the position of the eyes, both of which look forward. The feathers which surround the eye are known as the facial disk; in one or two species their color serves as a good field-mark. It is important also to determine the presence or absence of “horns,” or erect tufts of feathers, which in several species rise from the head. AMERICAN Hawk Own. Surnia ulula caparoch 15.00 Ad.— Top of head and hind neck spotted with white; back dark brown; under parts white, streaked on the throat, barred on the breast and belly with brown; wings and tail brown, barred with white; face whitish, encircled with black ; tail considerably more than a third as long as the whole bird; bill yellowish-white. The American Hawk Owl is usually a very rare winter visitant in northern New England; occasionally, however, it is fairly common in winter in Maine and northern New Hampshire. It is as diurnal as a hawk, and watches for its prey on a perch in plain sight. It may be known by its tail, which is much longer in proportion than that of any of our other owls. Snowy Own. Nyctea nyctea 25.00 Ad. §.— Entire plumage white, more or less barred on head, back, wings, and tail, and often on the belly and sides, with brown. Ad. 9.— Much darker than ¢, only the face, front of neck, and middle of breast pure white; rest of plumage heavily barred with brown. The Snowy Owl is a very irregular winter visitor from the north, sometimes occurring in large numbers, but often absent for several years; it is found more often along the sea-shore than inland. It is strictly diurnal, and may be seen perched on some rock or tree, conspicuous enough if 230 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK there is no snow about. The sexes vary in the amount of brown color in the white feathers, but the general effect is always so white that there is no chance of confusing it with any other owl. GREAT HornepD Owtu. Bubo virginianus 22.00 Ad.— Head and neck speckled with black and tawny; rest of the upper parts speckled with gray; collar across breast white ; rest of the lower parts tawny, barred with black; disk tawny; ear-tufts nearly two inches long, black and tawny; eyes yellow. Nest, in trees, often a deserted hawk’s or crow’s nest. Eggs, white. The Great Horned Owl is a permanent resident of New York and New England; itis found only in extensive tracts of woodland, particularly where swamps give shelter to hares and grouse, on which it feeds. Its common call is a deep-voiced hoot, made up of a number of syllables. It differs from the cry of the Barred Owl in keeping on the same note to the end, and being less regular in form and accent. It may be written thus: Whoo', hoo-hoo, hoo, hco. If discovered in the daytime, it may be readily identified by its great size, prominent ear-tufts, and broad white collar. ScREECH Own. Megascops asio 9.40 Ad.— Either bright reddish-brown, or delicate brownish-gray, streaked with black, the two phases of color having nothing to do with sex or age; two “ears,” tufts of feathers about an inch long, on the sides of the head. Nest, in a hole ina tree. Eggs, white. The Screech Owl is a common permanent resident of New York and New England, more common in the southern portion of its range, and absent from the mountainous and SCREECH OWL PAN heavily forested regions of the north. It is the only owl which remains in the towns and villages, the only one whose voice is regularly heard away from deep woods. Its notes are a frequent accom- paniment of winter twilights, and though more often heard in autumn and winter, they are uttered occasionally at every season. The name, bor- rowed from Europe, is not ap- propriate to our species. The cry is tremulous, quavering, suggesting the soft whinny- ing of a horse, or the rapid and muffled beating of wings. Sometimes the little owl is seen sitting on a branch of the tree in the gathering dusk, but as a rule it keeps concealed during the day in thick evergreens, or more often in the hollow of a tree. The presence under a tree of gray pellets of mouse-fur, inclosing skull and bones, is evidence that an owl either inhabits or has inhabited the tree. Sometimes an excited scolding and fluttering of Chickadees about a hole in an apple-tree betrays the little recluse. The ear- tufts distinguish it from the much rarer Acadian, our only other small owl; its small size should easily distinguish it from the other owls. (See also Long-eared Owl, p. 233.) Wy Wh en KK Veg ae Mh Mie i he i ty eye \' ‘ i Fie. 71. Screech Owl SAW-WHET Owr; AcApran Own. Nyctala acadica 8.00 Ad.— Upper parts brown, more or less spotted with white; under parts white, striped with brown; wing, when spread, crossed with several rows of white spots; no ear-tufts. Im.— Upper parts plain brown; under parts brownish, fading on the belly into yel- lowish-brown. Nest, in holes in trees, often in a deserted woodpecker’s hole. Eggs, white. 232 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK The Acadian Owl is a rare permanent resident of north- ern New York and New England, and a rare migrant and winter visitant in southern New York and New England. Its notes, which have given this owl one of its names, suggest the rasping sound made in filing a saw. It is smaller than a Screech Owl, and is readily distinguished by the absence of ear-tufts. The spots of white on the brown back, moreover, give it a very different tone of color from that of the Screech Owl, with its fine streaking of black and reddish-brown, or gray. BARRED Ow. Syrnium varium 20.00 Upper parts dark brown, barred or spotted with buffy; lower parts whitish, barred with brown across the breast; belly striped with brown ; disk gray; bill yellowish ; no ear-tufts. Nest, in trees, usually in hollows, sometimes in a deserted hawk’s or crow’s nest. Hggs, white. The Barred Owl is a permanent resident of New York and New England. Like most of the large owls, it is now rare and confined to the wilder, more heavily wooded dis- tricts, where its hooting is a characteristic sound of wild, swampy woods. Its ordinary cry is composed of a regular number of syllables, about eight in all, divided into two sets of four each, very similar in form; the second, how- ever, ends in a deep hollow note with a downward cadence. It may be written hoo hoo hoo hoo, hoo hoo hoo hoo'- aw. Its regular form and the falling cadence at the close distinguish it from the other common hooting sound in the wild forests, that of the Horned Owl. It is oftener heard in winter and early spring than in summer; it is regularly uttered in the evening, but not infrequently in the daytime also, especially in answer to an imitation of the cry, or be- cause of some other unusual excitement. Sometimes the Barred Owl is discovered in the daytime, SHORT—EARED OWL 238 hiding in a thick evergreen, or in some hollow tree, the centre, perhaps, of a little mob of angry birds. It may be then recognized by its large size, absence of ear-tufts, and the brown barring across the breast. SHORT-EARED Ow... Asio accipitrinus 15.50 Ad.— Upper parts yellowish-brown, streaked with black; under parts buffy, streaked with dark brown, particularly on the breast; wings and tail, when spread, spotted and barred with white; disk blackish around the eyes; ear-tufts very short. Im. — Upper parts darker; under parts dull buffy, unstreaked ; disk brownish-black. Nest, on ground. Eggs, white. The Short-eared Owl is a rare and local permanent resi- dent of New York and New England, but is chiefly met with as a migrant, especially along ocean beaches and in extensive marshes. It is occasionally as diurnal as the Snowy Owl, and may be seen beating over the marshes or sand dunes. When startled it sometimes flies to a post or knoll in the marsh or on the beach, and lights there. Dusk, however, is its favorite hunting-time, and it generally spends the day on the ground in thick grass. Its ear-tufts are not at all prominent, even in the lve bird, but it may be known from the forest-haunting Barred Owl by the nature of the country in which it is generally found, by its smaller size, the lighter tone of its upper parts, and by the absence of barring on the breast. AMERICAN LONG-EARED Own. Asio wilsonianus 14.80 Ad.— Prevailing color of the upper parts dark brown, speckled with whitish and yellowish-brown; lower parts whitish, streaked and barred with dusky; ear-tufts conspicuous, over an inch long, blackish, rising from the middle of the head ; disk about eyes rich reddish-brown. 234 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK Nest, in trees, generally a deserted crow’s or hawk’s nest. Eggs, white. The Long-eared Owl is a rather uncommon permanent resident of New York and New England. Like all the larger owls, it is more common in the wilder parts of its range. It frequents swampy woods or thick evergreens, hunting at night and hiding in thick foliage by day. Its cry is “said by some to resemble the noise made by kittens, while others state that it is like the barking of small dogs” (Fisher). It may be known by its size, inter- mediate between the Screech Owl and the Great Horned Owl, and by its conspicuous ear-tufts, which rise from the middle and not the sides of the head. (See also Screech Owl, Fig. 71, p. 230.) If it faces an observer, the rusty- brown facial disk is conspicuous. BARN OWLS: FAMILY STRIGIDA AMERICAN BARN Own. Strix pratincola 18.00 Ad.— Upper parts buffy-yellow, mixed with white and gray, and speckled with black; under parts varying from white to bright tawny, dotted with black; disk varying from white to tawny. Nest, in a tower, steeple, or hole in a tree. Eggs, white. The Barn Owl is a rare but regular resident from Long Island and northern New Jersey southward. It very rarely issues forth in the daytime. Bendire describes its common cry as a ‘ peevish scream,” frequently heard at night; he mentions also “‘a feeble querulous note sounding somewhat like the call of the Nighthawk,” and “an unpleasant hiss- ing noise.” If seen perching, it will be readily recognized by its white or tawny face, encircled by a reddish-brown ring, and by its conspicuous long legs, which are not hidden by its plumage, as in the other owls. AMERICAN OSPREY 235 HAWKS, ETC.: SUBORDER FALCONES HAWKS AND EAGLES: FPAMILY FALCONIDA Thirteen species of Hawks (including the Bald Eagle) occur regularly in New York and New England. Of these, nine belong to three genera, alco, Buteo, and Accipiter, which differ so much in their proportions and in the char- acteristics of their flight, that it is important to become familiar with them. The Sparrow Hawk, the Red-shoul- dered Hawk, and the Cooper’s Hawk are the commonest representatives of these three genera. AI] these species hunt in country where woods alternate with open land, and are seen most frequently flying overhead or perched upright on some lookout post. The Marsh Hawk, which belongs to a different genus, is often commoner than the Sparrow Hawk, while the little Sharp-shinned Hawk is common everywhere in spring and fall. The frontispiece and the plate facing page 246 illus- trate the differences between the four common genera. The Marsh Hawk hunts low over extensive meadows; the Fish Hawk plunges into the water from a great height; the Eagle, too, is generally seen near large bodies of water; the Rough-legged Hawk is a rare migrant or winter visitant to extensive meadows; the Goshawk and the Pigeon Hawk are rare, and the Broad-winged Hawk is only locally common. AMERICAN OsprREY; Fis Hawk. Pandion haliaétus carolinensis 23.10 Ad. ¢.— Upper parts grayish-brown ; head, neck, and under parts white ; sides and top of head marked with dusky. Ad. 2.— Similar to ¢, but with breast spotted with brown. Nest, in trees or on poles near the water. Hggs, varying from buffy-white to reddish-brown, spotted with dark brown. 236 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK The Fish Hawk is a local summer resident of New York and New England, breeding near the coast or on large inland rivers and lakes. There are colonies in northern New Jer- sey, on Long Island, and on Narragansett Bay ; in Maine it breeds both on the coast and in the interior. In the rest of New York and New England it is a rather common migrant, both on the coast and inland, in April and May, and in September and October. Its habit of plunging into the water from a height is, of course, characteristic. When not fishing, its great extent of wing, and its white head and under parts distinguish it. AMERICAN SPARROW Hawk. Falco sparverius $9.50. 92 10.75 Ad. g.— Upper parts conspicuously reddish-brown ; head, when seen near to, slate-blue, with a large reddish-brown spot; throat and cheeks white, a black mark from in front of the eye along the side of the throat, another from back “of the eye; wings slate-blue; tail tipped with black; large black spots on belly and side. Wa @.— Very similar, bat with more reddish-brown on the wings; no black band across tip of tail. Nest, ina hole in a tree, or ina tower. Eggs, varying from white, with few markings, to deep buff, more or less speckled with brown. The Sparrow Hawk is a summer resident of New York and New England; it is nowhere common, and in the up- land of northern New England it does not occur. It is a common spring and fall migrant along the coast, and an occasional winter visitant from eastern Massachusetts south- ward. It frequents extensive meadows, where a few tall trees here and there furnish it with posts of observation and a breeding-site in some dead limb. It often hovers over the grass, with tail broadly spread, the wings rapidly vibrat- ing forward of the almost perpendicular body. Just after alighting the tail is t¢/ted once or twice. During the court- PIGEON HAWK Det ship the male performs evolutions in the air, dropping rap- idly from a height, uttering a note like the syllables killy, killy. The small size of this hawk will distinguish it from all other hawks except the Sharp-shinned and the rather rare Pigeon Hawk, and from each of these the reddish-brown of the back and tail at once distinguishes it. In flying, the Sparrow Hawk takes rapid strokes, and does not alternate these regularly with intervals of gliding, as the Sharp- shinned Hawk does. The tail of the latter extends far out behind him as he circles high in the air; the former’s wings reach well toward the tip of the tail, so that its tail does not show as conspicuously. The Sparrow Hawk’s wings are long and narrow; the Sharp-shinned Hawk’s are short and broad. (See Frontispiece.) Picton Hawk. Falco columbarius 6 10.00. 9 13.00 Ad. &.— Upper parts bluish-gray ; under parts white, streaked with black, the throat lightly, the rest heavily. Ad. 2 and Jm. — Upper parts brownish; under parts as in male. The Pigeon Hawk is a somewhat rare migrant in New York and New England in April, September, and October, more common along the coast; it is an occasional winter visitant. When a student has thoroughly learned the differ- ence in appearance and flight between the Sparrow Hawk and the Sharp-shinned Hawk, between a Falcon with long, narrow wings, and an Accipiter with short, rounded wings, he will be able, if a good opportunity offers, to identify a Pigeon Hawk. If a small hawk has a powerful head and shoulders, long narrow wings reaching well toward the tip of the tail, and the rapid flight of a faleon, and yet has a brownish (not reddish-brown) or a slaty-blue back, it can be no other than the Pigeon Hawk. 238 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK Duck Hawk. Falco peregrinus anatum $ 16.00. ¢ 19.00 Ad.— Top and sides of head black, throat inclosed by two broad black stripes ; rest of upper parts, wings, and tail bluish-gray; tail crossed with narrow black bars; throat and breast buffy, or white; belly buffy, crossed with narrow black bars. Jm.— Upper parts blackish-gray, the feathers edged with brown; black bars border- ing throat, as in adult; throat buffy; rest of under parts buffy or yellowish-brown, thickly streaked with black. Nest, on steep cliffs. Eggs, varying from buffy to brown, sometimes plain, sometimes spotted, or blotched. The Duck Hawk breeds here and there on a few steep cliffs along the Hudson and in New England. Mount Tom and one or two other cliffs in Massachusetts, Eagle Cliff and Dixville Notch, N. H., and Lakes Willoughby and Mem- phremagog, Vt., each has an eyrie of these noble hawks. In most of New England the bird is a rather rare migrant or a still rarer winter resident. In April and May, and again in September and October, it is not infrequently seen along the sea-shore, where it preys on the sea-fowl and shore birds. When one approaches the cliff where a pair are breeding, the parents become much agitated, and fly up and down with a loud, harsh cry. The Duck Hawk may readily be known by its size, by the cut of its wings and tail, and by the black “‘ mustaches.”’ Baup Hacre. Halicwetus leucocephalus 6 32.85. @& 35.50 Ad.— Head, neck, and tail white ; rest of plumage dark brown. Im., second or third year. — Head and neck blackish; rest of upper parts mixed grayish-brown and blackish ; under parts mixed white and dark. Im., first year.— Whole plumage nearly uni- form black; under parts more or less spotted with whitish. Nest, on tall trees, sometimes on cliffs. Eggs, white. The Bald Eagle is a permanent resident of the lower Hudson Valley and along Long Island Sound, and a rare AMERICAN ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK 239 winter visitant in southeastern New Hampshire. It is a summer resident of the Maine coast and of some of the large lakes of northern New England. Elsewhere in New England it is a rare migrant, occurring in May and at almost any time during the summer. It frequents bodies of water at all times, feeding on the dead fish and other refuse cast up on the shore. An old bird, with white head and tail, is unmistakable ; in the brown immature plumage the eagle can be told from one of the larger hawks only by its great size and by its proportions. The wing is twice as long as the tail, so that the whole extent of the spread wings from tip to tip is six or seven times the length of the tail. AMERICAN RovuGH-LEGGED Hawk. Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johannis d 21.50. 22.50 Ad., normal phase.— Head and neck whitish, streaked with brown ; rest of upper parts brown, streaked with lighter tints ; base of the tail whitish, barred with black; lower parts dark brown, spotted with white. Jm., normal phase.—Similar, but lower parts whitish or buffy, streaked on the breast with brown, and crossed over the belly by a broad band of deep brown. Both old and young have so-called melanistic phases, in which they vary from deep black to forms a little darker than the normal. The American Rough-legged Hawk is a very rare migrant or winter resident in New York and New England. It was formerly a common migrant through the Connecti- cut Valley. ‘‘The Rough-leg is one of the most nocturnal of our hawks, and may be seen in the fading twilight watching from some low perch, or beating with measured noiseless flight over its hunting-ground. It follows two very different methods in securing its food: one by sitting on some stub or low tree and watching the ground for the appearance of its prey, as the Red-tail does; the other by 240 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK beating back and forth just above the tops of the grass or bushes, and dropping upon its victim, after the manner of the Marsh Hawk” (Fisher). The whitish base of the tail and its length help to identify this hawk in the light-colored phase; care, how- ever, must be taken not to mistake the much commoner Marsh Hawk, which has pure white upper tail-coverts, for a Rough-leg. The former I have never seen light on a tree ; the latter often watches for its prey from a perch; the flight of the former is light, the latter’s heavy. BROAD-WINGED Hawk. Buteo platypterus g¢ 14.00. ¢ 17.00 Ad.— Upper parts dark brown; tail dark, crossed by two to four broad bands of light gray or whitish, which show from below; under sides of quill-feathers white, tipped with black ; under parts brownish, spotted with white. Jm.— Upper parts dark brown; tail duller, with fainter bars ; cheeks with rather distinct dusky streaks or “mustaches ;”’ under parts white or buffy, heavily streaked with black. Nest, in trees, from twenty-five to fifty feet up. Eggs, buffy- whitish, spotted with brown. The Broad-winged Hawk is a summer resident of New York and New England. In some parts of northern New England it is the commonest hawk, but it is rare or absent in many localities. It arrives in April, and leaves in Sep- tember. It is a bird of wooded hills, and disappears if the country is cleared. If a student has become familiar with the commoner hawks, and can recognize a Buteo by the cut of the wings and tail, he may hope under favorable conditions to identify a Broad-winged Hawk. It is decidedly smaller than a Red-shouldered Hawk, and has in the breeding season a cry that resembles the note of the Wood Pewee. It is the most unsuspicious of our hawks, especially about the nest. In the adult the dark bars across the tail show distinctly RED-SHOULDERED HAWK 241 from below; a large part of the wnder side of the wings when spread is white without any barring, and offers a marked contrast to the black tips. RED-SHOULDERED Hawk. Buteo lineatus g 18.30. ¢ 20.35 Ad. — Bend of wing and under parts reddish-brown; tail black, crossed with five or six narrow white bars. /m.— Upper parts dark brown, spotted with white; tail dark, crossed with grayish bands ; under parts whitish, streaked or spotted with brown. Nest, in large trees, from fifty to seventy-five feet up. Eggs, white or whitish, spotted with brown. The Red-shouldered Hawk, called Hen Hawk by the farmers, is the commonest hawk in southern New England and the lower Hudson Valley. It is a permanent resident, but less common in winter than in summer in the northern portion of its range. It becomes rare at the edge of the Canadian Zone. It may be seen circling high overhead, often screaming tee’-wr téé'-wr, or a pair may be seen over low, swampy woods, screaming, and soaring higher and higher, till they become mere specks in the blue. In fall and winter it often perches on some favorite tree, watching for mice or frogs in the low meadows or swampy grounds, The Red-shouldered Hawk is not swift enough to pursue many birds on the wing, as the Falcons and Accipiters do; it either watches the ground from a perch, as above de- scribed, or when soaring high overhead, scans the ground or trees beneath it for mice, squirrels, rabbits, and occasion- ally birds. When it sees its prey, it closes wings and tail, and drops swiftly down upon it. Adults have reddish-brown under parts, and may be thus distinguished from Red-tailed Hawks ; but immature birds of both species differ very little, and can hardly be distinguished unless killed. The notes of the two, however, differ, and in spring and summer are excellent means of 242 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK identification. The scream of the Red-shouldered Hawk is identical with one of the notes of the Blue Jay; it can easily be imitated by whistling. The scream of the Red- tailed Hawk is higher, more sputtering, more of a squeal than a scream. RED-TAILED Hawk. Buteo borealis g 20.00. 9 23.00 Ad. ¢.—Upper parts brown ; tail deep reddish ; under parts white, more or less heavily streaked with brown. Jm.— Similar to adult, but tail brown, crossed by numerous blackish bands. Nest, in tall trees. gags, dull white, more or less spotted with brown. The Red-tailed Hawk breeds throughout New England and the Hudson Valley, but except in the wilder and more hilly portions of New England it is less common than the Red-shouldered Hawk. Though the species is a permanent resident, there is a regular migration in spring and fall; sometimes a large number pass over in a day. The bird’s hunting and nesting habits are similar to those of the Red- shouldered Hawk; its notes have already been described (see preceding species). In the glens among the mountains the high, sputtering cry of the Red-tailed Hawk is a not uncommon sound, and a day hardly passes without a sight of the majestic bird soaring overhead. Even when the hawk is high in air, if it is an adult, the reddish tail shows as the bird wheels. (See plate facing page 246.) AMERICAN GOSHAWK. Accipiter atricapillus t 22.00. 9 24.00 Ad. — Top of head and region back of the eyes black, a white line over the eye; rest of upper parts, wings, and tail bluish-gray; under parts white, everywhere streaked and barred with dark gray. Im. — Upper parts brown, spotted especially about the head with whitish; tail and under parts white, streaked and spotted with brown. COOPER'S HAWK 243 Nest, of sticks in trees. Eggs, white, sometimes faintly marked with brownish. The Goshawk is a rare summer resident of the Canadian Zone, where it is confined chiefly to the deep forests of the higher mountains. In the autumn and winter, at irregular intervals, Goshawks appear in southern New England and the Hudson Valley in considerable numbers. They are ex- traordinarily bold and rapacious, and fly, when hunting, with great speed. An adult is a very beautiful bird, the slaty gray of the back and fine gray barring on the white under parts giving it a hghter tone than any other hawk, except the adult male Marsh Hawk. The black cap and the white line over the eye are also distinctive marks. An immature bird could hardly be told from a large Cooper’s Hawk, unless killed and measured. Cooprrer’s Hawk. Accipiter cooperii 6 15.50. 9 19.00 Ad. §.— Upper parts dark gray, bluish-gray in strong light; top of head blackish ; tail crossed by several blackish bands ; under parts white, closely barred with reddish-brown; tail rounded. Ad. @.—Duller than the ¢. Jm.— Upper parts dusky brown; lower parts white, striped with brown, the sides barred with the same. Nest, in high trees, often a deserted crow’s nest. £998; bluish- white, rarely spotted with pale brownish. The Cooper’s Hawk, called Chicken Hawk by the farm- ers, is a not uncommon summer resident throughout south- ern and central New England and the lower Hudson Valley it occurs sparingly on the uplands of central New England, but is absent from the deep forests of the Canadian Zone. It is a rare winter resident in the vicinity of New York city. The Cooper’s Hawk is bold, strong, and swift, and destroys more poultry and wild birds than any other hawk. When the nesting-site is approached, the birds utter cries like “a Flicker’s laugh or a tree-toad’s trill magnified”? (F. H. Allen). 244 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK The male is hard to distinguish from a female Sharp- shinned Hawk, but the female is considerably larger. Her long tail and manner of flight ought easily to distinguish her from the other common large hawks, the Red-shouldered and the Marsh Hawk. The Red-shouldered Hawk soars or circles high in air, with a cut of wings and tail like that of the Red-tailed Hawk shown in plate facing page 246 ; the Marsh Hawk glides low over meadows and marshes, and sooner or later shows the large white spot at the base of the tail. The Cooper’s Hawk either flies fairly high, the powerful wing-strokes alternating with periods of gliding, during which the length of tail is evident, or, when hunt- ing, flies rapidly over the tops of bushes and between the trees. When a Cooper’s Hawk perches, the tail projects well below the wings, and is crossed by blackish bands. The breast is either finely barred with reddish-brown, or streaked with blackish or reddish-brown. SHARP-SHINNED Hawk. Accipiter velox 6 U2.) 30 1350 Ad.— Upper parts grayish-brown; tail crossed with blackish bars; under parts white, streaked with reddish-brown. Jm.— Resembles immature Cooper’s Hawk, but tail square. Nest, usually in trees. Eggs, white, greenish-white, or bluish- white, usually heavily blotched with brown. The Sharp-shinned Hawk is a common migrant through- out New England and New York, occurring in April, Sep- tember, and October. It is rare in the breeding season in New England, and still rarer in winter; but it is a common permanent resident of the lower Hudson Valley. ‘The Sharp-shinned Hawk is the commonest small hawk in spring and fall, and the most destructive to bird-life. Often a hush falls over the thickets which a moment before were full of song and fluttering wings; if we glance upward at sucha time, we can generally discover a small hawk drifting over, MARSH HAWK 245 taking a few strokes, then gliding forward on spread wings, or wheeling motionless. Its long tail and short, rounded wings, and the alter- nation of wing-stroke and periods of gliding, mark it as either a Sharp-shinned Hawk, or a near relative, the Coop- er’s Hawk, and distinguish it from the other small hawk, the Sparrow Hawk. When pursuing its prey, however, it does not stop to glide, but flies with rapid wing-strokes, dashing into a thicket where the frightened birds have taken refuge. It is then to be distinguished from the Sparrow Hawk by the entire absence of reddish-brown on the back. When it perches, it chooses a limb more or less in shadow; its tail extends some distance beyond its folded wings, and is crossed with several blackish bars. There is no way of surely tell- ing a large female Sharp-shinned Hawk from a small male Cooper’s Hawk ; the male of the smaller species and the female of the larger may, however, always be told by their size. When the nest is approached, the parents utter a ery suggesting “a Hairy Woodpecker’s long call” (F. H. Allen). (See Frontispiece.) Marsu Hawk. Circus hudsonius 2 19.00. © 22.00 Ad. §.— Upper parts light bluish-gray ; tail crossed by black bars ; upper tail-coverts (over the base of the tail) pure white ; throat and breast gray ; belly white, flecked here and there with brown ; under surface of the wings white ; wings tipped with black. Ad. 9.—Upper parts brown ; “rump” white; lower parts buffy-whitish ; breast thickly streaked with brown. Jm. — Upper parts similar to 9 ; lower parts rich rusty, streaked with brown on the breast, paler and unstreaked on the belly. Nest, on the ground, in wet meadows. Eggs, white or bluish- white, often spotted with pale brown. The Marsh Hawk is a summer resident throughout New England and New York. It winters sparingly in southern New England and the lower Hudson Valley. It arrives in 246 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK March or April, and stays till October. The usual haunts of the bird are extensive meadows, where it hunts mice and frogs by gliding low over the grass and occasionally dropping to the ground, beating up and down apparently in a regular course. It is found, however, even in the hills, where there are only restricted swampy tracts. In the breeding season the male performs aérial revolutions, dropping from a height, turning, and screaming in his descent. When the nest is approached, the parents swoop at the intruder, uttering cries like the syllables geg, geg, geq. When it flies low, the pure white wpper tail-coverts offer an unmistakable field-mark; they are especially conspicu- ous in the brown birds, the females and immature males. The adult male is a beautiful bird, the delicate gray shade of its plumage and the black-tipped wings suggesting a gull. Sometimes the Marsh Hawk is seen at a considerable height ; at such a time its long tail distinguishes it from the Red-shouldered Hawk, and its long wings from the Cooper’s Hawk. PIGHONS: ORDER COLUMB4 PIGEONS : FAMILY COLUMBIDZ: Mournine Dove. Zenaidura macroura 11.85 Ad. §.— Back of head bluish-gray ; rest of head and neck pinkish-brown, sides of neck with metallic reflections ; a small black spot below the ear; back, and wings and tail when closed brown; outer tail-feathers and wing-feathers, when opened, bluish ; the outer tail-feathers much shorter than the middle pair, banded with black, tipped with white ; breast pinkish-brown ; belly buffy. Ad. ?.—Similar, but duller; hardly any bluish on head. Jm.— Duller and browner than 9. Nest, a loose platform of sticks, generally in trees, not over ten feet from the ground. Eggs, two, white. heal enone. RED-TAILED HAWK (upper); MARSH HAWK (lower) MOURNING DOVE 247 The Mourning Dove is a summer resident of central and southern New England and of the, Hudson Valley, arriving late in March, and re- maining till October. Though Ve) found as far north as Concord, v7) N. H., it is generally rare north of southern Connecticut, or only locally common in the broader river valleys. It frequents sandy plains and the edges of old fields, SAH SSS SSS: SSE aS (ae am = = Le particularly in the neighborhood WH} of pine groves and of orchards, INAH: im. bobn of which it nests. In FAR late summer it feeds on the ih stubble of grain-fields, and is | Ma not infrequently to be seen from : igs the cars, as it flies off at the ap- Fie. 72. Tail of Mourning : D proach of the engine. Its notes, rte heard in early spring, particularly at sunrise and sunset, are like the strokes of a distant bell, low and sweet, but mournful. They may be written thus: coo-ah, coo, coo, coo. When a dove flies from the ground, it often lghts in some tree near by; its long, rownded tail, marked with black and deeply tipped with white, serves as an excellent field-mark. At a distance the general appearance of the bird is brownish, but it is readily told by its pigeon-like aspect, and by its flight, which is very swift, rather low, and is accompanied by a noticeable whistling sound. (See Yellow- billed Cuckoo, p. 227.) Norr. — The Wild Pigeon (Kctopistes migratorius), formerly seen in innumerable multitudes, is now practically extinct in New England, Any bird which answers fairly well to the description of the Pigeon, unless seen in the woods of northern New England or by a very well trained observer, is probably the Mourning Dove. 248 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK GALLINACEHOUS BIRDS: ORDER GALLINA PHEASANTS: FAMILY PHASIANIDZ The Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus torquatus) and the English Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) have been introduced in various places in New York and New Eng- land, and have become well established here and there. GROUSE, BOB-WHITE, ETC.: FAMILY TETRAONIDA: Though there are four species belonging to the Grouse family in New York and New England, two are so rare or local that few observers will meet them. The Ruffed Grouse or Partridge is everywhere distributed. The Quail or Bob-white is common from Massachusetts southward. The Spruce Grouse is a permanent, though rather rare or local, resident of extensive spruce forests in northern New York and New England. On Martha’s Vineyard a very small colony of the Heath Hen are the last representatives on the Atlantic coast of the Prairie Hen so common in the West. Heatu Hen. Tympanuchus cupido 18.00 Ad. $.— Upper parts brownish, barred with black and buff ; under parts white, barred with brown ; sides of the neck with tufts of stiff, rather long black feathers. Tail grayish-brown, without bars or bands, except a whitish tip. Ad. 9.— Similar, but neck-tufts much shorter. Tail barred with buff or light brown. Nest, on ground. Eggs, creamy buff, with a slight greenish tinge. The Heath Hen is the eastern representative of the Prairie Hen of the West, and though formerly found along RUFFED GROUSE 249 the Atlantic coast from Massachusetts to Virginia, is now confined to the island of Martha’s Vineyard, where it is a permanent resident. Only a small number of Heath Hens still survive, and the great plains of oak scrub in which they live are so extensive that it is only by chance that one meets them. A guide is necessary, and repeated visits must be made to insure even a chance of success. The male in spring inflates two yellow sacs on each side of the neck and utters a booming sound which can be heard over a mile away. The lack of a broad black band across the base of the tail should distinguish the Heath Hen from the Ruffed Grouse. RuFFED GrRovusE. Bonasa wmbellus CANADIAN RUFFED GROUSE. Hina PARTRIDGE umbellus togata 17.00 Ad. ¢.— Upper parts and wings reddish-brown or gray, streaked with black; large tufts of glossy black feathers on the sides of the neck; tail broad, reddish-brown or gray, crossed by a broad band of black near the tip ; throat buffy; rest of under parts white, tinged with buffy, and barred, particularly on the sides, with blackish-brown. Ad. 2.— Similar, but smaller; neck- tufts small or almost wanting. Nest, on the ground in woods. Eggs, buffy, usually unmarked, sometimes slightly speckled with brown. The Partridge, as it is usually called in the north, is a common permanent resident of New York and New England. It is exclusively a woodland bird, only appear- ing in open country when it has lost its way. It frequents all kinds of forest growth, and is equally at home in swamps and upland. As one walks through the under- erowth, a Partridge often starts off directly at one’s feet, with a loud whirring of wings. In summer the female frequently tries to divert attention from her young by feign- ing a broken wing, sometimes circling within a few feet of 250 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK an observer, whining piteously. When the woods are again quiet, she may be heard mewing and clucking to the young, who have been hiding in the dry leaves and now rejoin her. From March to May the drumming of the male is a con- stant sound in swampy woods. It begins with hollow thump- ing sounds, separated by slight intervals; these soon run rapidly into one another, and the performance ends in a reverberating roll. The best explanation of the drumming of the Partridge is that of Mr. Brewster, who is convinced ‘that the bird’s wings strike neither its body nor the log [on which it stands], but simply the air, and that the sound which they produce while the Partridge is drumming is essentially the same as that heard when it starts in flight” (Minot, p. 409, note). The drumming is rare in mid- summer, but is not infrequently heard on warm days in the autumn. At night Partridges roost in trees, and where they are not shy they often fly to a tree when startled and watch the intruder from their perch. On winter afternoons they often burrow into the snow and spend the night in this shel- ter. Their tracks are frequent in the winter woods, for they walk rather than fly from place to place, making long lines in various directions. When they do fly, their outspread wings leave one or two impressions just beyond the end of their track. In summer they frequently dust themselves in the road, and, ike many birds, seem little alarmed by the approach of a carriage. The male may be told from the female by his larger size, longer tail, and more conspicuous ruff of black feathers, formed by prominent tufts at each side of the neck. The widespread tail varies in color from gray to reddish-brown. The Grouse found on the upland of western Massachusetts and in northern New York and New England has grayer upper parts, more distinct barring on the breast and belly, and generally a grayer tail; it is known as the Canadian Ruffed Grouse. CANADIAN SPRUCE GROUSE Zrii CANADIAN SPRUCE GROUSE. Canachites canadensis canace 15.00 Ad. $.— Upper parts barred with black and gray; under parts black, many of the feathers bordered or tipped with white; tail black, tipped with reddish-brown; a line of bare skin above the eye bright red. Ad. 9.— Upper parts barred with black, gray, and pale yellowish-brown; under parts whitish, barred with black. Nest, on the ground. Eggs, buffy or pale brownish, spotted with brown. The Spruce Partridge, as it is commonly called by the lumberman, to distinguish it from the Birch Partridge or Ruffed Grouse, is a permanent resident of the heavy conif- erous forests of northern New England and New York. It is rarely seen south of the White Mountains, and is no- where in New England at all common. It is found, as its name suggests, in dense swampy growths of spruce and fir. It is remarkably tame, allowing such a near approach that it should be impossible to confuse it with its relative, the Ruffed Grouse, which, except for its ruff, has hardly any of _ the black shade so characteristic of the Spruce Grouse. Bos-wHiITE; Quaint. Colinus virginianus 10.00 Ad. §.—Line over eye white, bordered above and below with black; top of head reddish-brown, mixed with black; back of neck reddish-brown, mixed with white; back and wings chiefly reddish- brown ; tail gray ; throat white ; band across upper breast black ; breast and belly white, barred with black; sides heavily washed with reddish-brown. Ad. 9.—Similar, but throat and line over eye buff; little or no black on the breast. Nest, on the ground, in meadows or grain-fields. Hggs, white usually more or less stained with light brown. The Quail is a permanent resident of the Transition sd Zone, common in southern New England and the lower Hudson Valley, but rare or absent from the upland of west- 252 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK ern Massachusetts, and north of that State found only in the valleys where the winters are not severe. (See map, p. 15.) It frequents scrubby growth, where bushes alter- nate with small trees, espe- cially in the neighborhood of farming country. Here the male may be heard from May to August, whistling his vigorous Bob- White, or oh-Bob- White. When sing- ing, the male is often perched Fie. 73. Bob-white on a fence, wall, or limb of a tree, and an answer may bring him flying angrily up. Later in the summer and all through the fall a covey of birds, if scattered, call to each other by a note like the syllable guoit, suggesting a note of the guinea hen. Quail tracks may often be seen in the snow; they are smaller than those of the Grouse, or Partridge, occur in more open country, and are generally more numerous, the Grouse being in winter a more solitary bird. When the Quail is startled, it flies with great speed, and then scales with wings bent downward in a sharp curve. The small size should distinguish a Quail from a Grouse when flying; the latter, moreover, is not so richly colored, and has a much broader, fan-shaped tail, tipped with black. SHORE BIRDS: ORDER LIMICOLA TURNSTONES: FAMILY APHRIZIDZ Ruppy TuRNSTONE. Arenaria morinella 9.50 Ad.—Top of head grayish-white ; breast and line about eye black ; back and wings warm reddish-brown, mottled with black; RUDDY TURNSTONE 253 three stripes of white on the back showing in flight; white showing in wings in flight ; legs red. Jm.— Upper parts brown, streaked with gray ; lower back, wings, and tail in flight, similar to adult; sides of throat and breast dark brown; rest of under parts white. The Turnstone is a not uncommon migrant along the sea- coast in May, and again in August and September, feeding on the outer beaches either in small flocks by itself or in company with Ring-necks, Sanderling, and “‘ Peep.” It may readily be distinguished from any of these species by its size (it is larger than a Ring-neck) and by its striking colors. In the adult plumage, the black breast, rich reddish-brown back, and red feet are very noticeable when it is feeding, and when it flies the display of white, formed by stripes down the middle and sides of the back and along the wings, makes a striking pattern. The young birds may be known by the same pattern of white which shows in flight. The Turn- stone’s call-note is a chuckling whistle. PLOVERS: PAMILY CHARADRIIDA Five species of Plover occur in New York and New Eng- land. The Killdeer is rare and occurs only as an accidental migrant or as a local summer resident. The Golden Plover is a regular autumn migrant, but is far less common than the Black-bellied Plover, and is becoming steadily rarer. The Black-bellied Plover, the Beetle-head of the gunners, is not uncommon on mud-flats and sand-bars. The Piping Plover breeds not uncommonly on the sandy beaches of Long Island and Martha’s Vineyard, and sparingly on Cape Cod and on the Maine coast; it occurs also as a not uncom- mon migrant at other beaches in New England. The Semi- palmated Plover, the Ring-neck of the sportsmen, is by far the commonest member of the family. It associates regu- larly with the smaller sandpipers, either on the beaches or in the sloughs in the marshes. Plover may be told from 254 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK sandpipers by their shorter bills. All but the Black- bellied Plover have a habit of bobbing the head as they stand. | Pipinc PLover. Afgialitis meloda 7.00. Bill .50 Ad. ¢.— Forehead, throat, and ring around neck white ; for- ward part of crown black; a partial ring, broken in the middle of the breast, black ; rest of upper parts light brownish-gray ; tip of tail black; breast and belly white ; base of bill orange, tip black; feet yellow. Ad. 2.— Similar, but the black bars tending toward brownish, and less distinct. Eggs, laid in a hollow on little pebbles on the open sand, creamy white, speckled or spotted with dark brown. The Piping Plover is one of the few waders that breed on the coasts of New York and New England ; it may there- fore be looked for in June and early July, when there is only the Spotted Sandpiper from which it must be distin- guished. It also occurs as a reg- ular but not common migrant in April and May, and again in August and September. It breeds on the sand-beaches of Long Island, Martha’s Vine- yard, and the adjoining islands, and sparingly on Cape Cod, at Ipswich, Mass., and on the Maine coast. . Its sweet but mournful call Soe Te EE OTe: consists of two notes, pi-peel, the first very short and about half an interval above the second. The bird frequents the upper part of the beach,. where its pale colors harmonize so perfectly with the dry sand that it is often invisible till it starts to fly. It bobs, like its relative the Semipalmated Plover, but may be dis- SEMIPALMATED PLOVER 255 tinguished by its lighter color, and by the difference in the black collar, which in the Piping Plover does not cross the breast. SEMIPALMATED PLovER; Rine-NECK. Agialitis semi- palmata 6.75. Bill .50 Ad.— Forehead white ; forward part of crown, stripe under each eye and over bill black; throat and narrow ring around neck white ; band across breast and neck black ; rest of upper parts grayish-brown ; rest of under parts white ; legs yellow ; base of bill orange ; tip black. The Semipalmated Plover, or Ring-neck, is a common migrant along the sea-coast in May, and again from the middle of July to October. Ring-necks frequent the beaches and mud-flats exposed at low tide. They are not, as a rule shy, and if startled, fly only a short distance, uttering as they rise a sweet call, chee-wee, as characteristic of the mud-flats and beaches as the kew, kew, kew, kew of the Yellow-legs is of the grassy marshes. They are often associated with the smaller sandpipers known as “Peep” (see p. 267), or with their larger relative the Black-belhed Plover; their bobbing readily distinguishes them from the Peep. They are much commoner than the Piping Plover, and are a darker shade of brown on the back, the color of wet rather than of dry sand. The black ring encircles the breast, while in the Piping Plover the black bands from each side of the breast do not meet, Fie. 75. Semipalmated Plover 256 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK KILLDEER. Oxyechus vociferus 10.50 Ad. — Head and back brown ; ring entirely around neck white, edged on the hind neck with black ; forehead, stripe over eye, throat, and lower parts white ; two black bands across breast, the lower one narrow ; rump and base of tail cinnamon. Nest, on ground. Eggs, buffy-white, with chocolate markings, chiefly at the larger end. The Killdeer is a rare summer resident in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and a rare spring and fall migrant along the coast. It occa- sionally appears in western Massachu- setts, and on Long Island has been re- corded in every month but January. In the breeding sea- son it is noisy and restless, continually uttering the com- plaining kzll-dee, from which it gets its name, and occa- Fie. 76. Killdeer sionally a rolling whistle a little like that of the Upland Plover. Like most of the plovers, it bobs constantly. It may be readily distin- guished from the smaller Ring-necks by the two bands of black and by the cinnamon rump and base of tail, which are conspicuous in flight. The Killdeer’s wings are long and narrow, and its flight graceful and vigorous, suggesting somewhat that of the Sparrow-Hawk. AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER PHT AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER. Charadrius dominicus 10.50. Bill .90 Ad. in breeding plumage. — Top of head and upper parts black, spotted with bright yellow and white ; tail dark grayish-brown, barred with white, tinged with yellow ; a white line from fore- head passes over the eyes, and broadens into a wide patch on the side of the breast ; sides of head, neck, throat, and under parts black. Ad. in late summer and fall. — Upper parts as in spring, but duller ; under parts white, with a few grayish-brown feathers on neck and breast. Jm.— Upper parts dusky, mottled with dull whitish spots, becoming yellow on the rump ; under parts ashy, especially on neck and breast. The Golden Plover is a migrant along the coast, ex- tremely rare in spring and rather rare in fall, passing north in May, and returning from the end of August to Novem- ber. It is occasionally found on the flats left bare by the tide, but is more likely to occur well up on the beach, or still more frequently on the short grass of marshes or hill- sides, especially where the ground has been burned over. The call of the Golden Plover is a bright whistle, queep, quee-lee-leep, without the mournful character of the Black- belly’s call, and with no modulation. It has also a note like the syllable gweed/e. Immature birds resemble young Black-bellied Plover, but are much less common. They may be distinguished at close range by the absence of the whitish tail, and of the white in the outspread wings. The Golden Plover bobs regularly and the Black-belly rarely, if ever. BLACK-BELLIED PiLover; BrETLE-HEAD. Sguatarola squatarola 11.00. Bill 1.10 Ad. in. spring. — Hind head and back black, spotted and barred with white; tail white, barred with brownish-black ; wings showing white in flight ; sides of head and neck, throat and breast, and upper belly black, bordered by white on each side, the white 258 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK border meeting over the forehead; feathers under the raised wings black. Ad. in late summer and fall.— Upper parts dark brown, speckled with white; under parts white, with an occasional black feather ; tail and wings as in spring. Jm.— Upper parts lighter and with a golden shade on each feather; under parts white. The Black-bellied Plover is a rather common migrant along the coast in spring and fall, passing north in May, > SS = —= : =S> ——S . >S= NS EES NS > = \Se y Fig. 77. Black-bellied Plover, Immature and returning from late July to November. The young birds which appear in August are called Beetle-heads by the gunners; as they are more numerous than the adults and far less wary, they are more often seen by students. Both old and young frequent the mud-flats and sand-bars left bare by the tide; here they feed either alone or in company with Ring-necks, Turnstones, and Peep. They scatter when feeding like Ring-necks and stand about head- ing in different directions, or after a short run, pick some- thing from the sand. So far as I know, they do not bob, though all our other plovers do. The notes of the Black-belly are among the most musical uttered by shore-birds; the call most often heard, either . Out-Door Papers. By THomas WentTwortH Hic- GINSON. 12mo, $1.50. 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