GILES LIIHO Jt LIBERTY PRINTINGCO NV MEADOW LARK STURNELlAMAGNA.(Linn.) GENERAL INTRODUCTION This volume is the first to appear of a series on the zoology and cryptogamic botany of the State of Illinois, author- ized and provided for by the Thirty-fourth General Assembly.* The series is intended to summarize the facts relating to the natural history of Illinois which have been accumulated by general investigations made in the districts of which the State forms a part, by the studies of local naturalists, and by the « operations of the State Laboratory of Natural History. The work of this institution has been especially directed, dur- ing the past twelve years, to the supply of the more important deficiencies remaining in our knowledge of the zoology and botany of the State. Neglecting the flowering plants and the classification and description of birds and mammals,— already fairly well studied for this region, — we have paid particular at- tention, so far as descriptive work is concerned, to the lower plants, to reptiles, amphibians, and fishes, and to insects and aquatic invertebrates. Still greater prominence has been given to a general research on the system of actions and reactions occurring within the assemblage of living forms native to Illinois, with a view to exhibiting the laws of interaction and coordination by which the innumerable host and vast variety of the plants and animals of our region are held together as a definitely organized, living whole. As an item of this research the economic relations of the most important groups, — especially of birds, fishes, and insects, *Laws of the State of Illinois, 1886, p. 23, sec, 3, IV GENEKAL INTRODUCTION. — have been studied extensively, and reference has been had at every step to the needs of the public schools and the higher in- stitutions of learning. In the preparation of the volumes of this report it will be our main final object to furnish the materials for a full and accurate picture of the native plant and animal life of Illinois as it actually exists in our fields, woods, and waters, and to bring most prominently into view those parts of the subject which have a peculiar educational or economic value. Especial- ly we have hoped to furnish in this series a solid and perma- nent basis for the study and teaching of the natural history of this State and of its different sections, thus opening to the student and the teacher the way to a familiar knowledge of the life of his neighborhood in all the relations likely to have any important bearing on popular education or on the general welfare. Classification and description must furnish the foundation of such a work; but to these will be added accounts of habits, of life history, and of relations to nature in detail and at large, as full as the state of our knowledge and the funds at our dis~ posal will permit. The volume here presented is due to the generous and disin- terested labors of Dr. Robert Ridgway, formerly of Mt. Carmel, Illinois, — an ornithologist whose long and eminent service in the Smithsonian Institution and the United States National Museum seems only to have intensified his interest in the promotion of the study of his favorite science in his native State. The technical and biological part (to be finished in Volume II.) will be followed in that volume by a second part devoted to a full and detailed discussion of the relations of our birds to nature at large, and especially to man. While the second part will be based upon the preceding, to which it will form a gen- GENERAL INTRODUCTION. V eral and economic appendix, it will be so constructed as to make it a practically independent manual of our economic or- nithology,— using- this term in its broadest sense. The long delay in the publication of Volume I. has been due partly to the pressure of other duties and to lack of office assistance, but chiefly to the destruction by fire in the printing- office, in February, 1887, of an entire edition of the volume and of the plates and cuts from which it was printed. To the characteristic generosity of the honored and lamented Dr. Spencer F. Baird, we owe the illustrations of this volume, with the exception of the frontispiece, — all being printed from copies of cuts loaned to the Laboratory by the Smithsonian Institution. S. A. FORBES, Director of Laboratory. CHAMPAIGN, June 30, 1889. CONTENTS. PAGE GENERAL INTRODUCTION .T.;.7.7. iii PREFACE 3 INTRODUCTION 7 I. PHYSICAL FEATURES or THE STATE : 7 The Lake Shore District 10 The Prairies 13 The Southern Bottom Lands 17 Climate 1!) II. CHAEACTEEISTIC FEATURES OF THE AVIFAUNA OF THE STATE 2 1 Position with regard to Faunal Provinces or Districts 3 ) Migrations 31 BIBLIOGRAPHY 36 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS 43 ANALYSIS OF HIGHER GROUPS 44 Order PASSERES— The Passerine Birds 47 Family Turdidae (The Thrushes), 49.— Family Sylviidae (The Warblers), 72.— Family -Paiidae (The Titmice and Nuthatches), 78.— Family Certhiidae (The Creepers), 86.— Family Troglodytidaa (The Wrens and Mocking-Thrushes), 88.— Family Motacillidae (The Wagtails and Pipits), 109.— Family Mniotiltidse (The American Warblers), 113.— Family Vireonidae (The Vireos), 179.— Family Laniidse (The Shrikes), 192.— Family Ampelidae (The Waxwings), 198.— Family Hirundinidaa (The Swallows), 203.— Family Tanagridse (The Tanagers), 214.— Family Fiingil- . lidte (The Finches), 219.— Family Icteridae (The American Orioles), 305.— Family Corvidae (The Crows and Jays), 329.— Family Alaudidre (The Larks), 336. —Family Tyrannidse (The Tyrant Flycatchers), 341. Order MACROCHIRES— The Goatsuckers, Swifts, and Hummingbirds 358 Family Trochilidae (The Hummingbirds), 359.— Family Micropodidae (The Swifts), 363.— Family Caprimulgidae (The Goatsuckers), 366. Order PICI— The Woodpeckers, etc 371 Family Picidas (The Woodpeckers), 371. Order COCCYGES— The Cuckoos, etc ,.,. 389 Family Alcedinidas (The Kingfishers), 389.— Family Cuculidas (The Cuckoos), 392. Order PSITTACI— The Parrots, etc 396 Family Psittacidae (The Par: ots), 396. Vlll CONTEXTS. PAGE Order ACCIPITKES— The BircU of Prey 3!U Suborder Striges— Nocturnal Raptores (Owls), 399— Family Strigidse (The Barn Owls), 400.— Family Bubonidee (The Owls), 403.— Suborder Falcones— Diurnal Raptores, 426.— Family Falconidte (Falcons, Kites, Haniers, Hawks, and Eagles), 126.— Suborder Sarcorhamphi— The American Vultures, 488.— Family Cathar- tidse (The American Vultures), 488. Order COLUMB.E— The Pigeons or Doves 494 Family Columbidaa (The Pigeons), 494. PART I. A DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF THE BIRDS OF ILLINOIS BY ROBERT RIDGWAY. PREFACE. When, at Prof. Forbes's request, the writer consented to under- take the preparation of a work on the birds of Illinois, he had many misgivings as to his ability to perform the task within the alloted time ; but by persistent labor during hours not required for other engagements, difficulties have been surmounted and the volume completed. Were it not for the generous and cordial permission of the Direc- tor of the National Musuem to make use of the collections of that establishment in the preparation of this work, the undertaking would have been impossible to the author. The National Museum contains thousands of specimens of birds from Illinois, contributed by various naturalists now or formerly residing in the State, and to these free access has been granted. Among the principal col- lections are the following: (1) From Cook county and the south- ern portion of the State (chiefly Union county), by the lamented Eobert Kennicott — Illinois' first and most gifted naturalist, who sadly ended a short but brilliant and promising career in the wilds of Alaska ; (2) from Cook county, by Mr. E. W. Nelson, of Chicago, and (3) many interesting specimens from the same region by Mr. H. K. Coale, also of Chicago ; (4) contributions of rare and inter- esting specimens from Warsaw, Hancock county, b.) Mr. Chas. K. Worthen ; (5) a fine collection made at Mount Carmel, Wabash county, by my deceased young friend, Mr. Samuel Turner, and presented to the National Museum by his brother, Mr. Lucien M. Turner, now of the U. S. Signal Service; (6) occasional interesting speci- mens from Dr. J. Schneck, of Mount Carmel, and (7) specimens col- lected by the writer in Wabash and Kichland counties, but chiefly in the vicinity of Mount Carmel. The author is autoptically familiar only with the bird-fauna of the southeastern portion of the State. At Mount Carmel, his native place, observations were made almost continuously from about 1860 to 1867, while one month of each succeeding year has been mainly 4 BIKDS OF ILLINOIS. or partially devoted to a continuation of investigations at the same1 place. The summer of 1865 was passed at Olney, Eichland county, where several birds not observed at Mount Carmel were discovered ; while subsequent visits to the same place, including several trips to the neighboring prairies, have further increased his knowledge of the bird-life of that locality. Without the aid furnished by the collections above referred to, and the assistance kindly rendered by several gentlemen who have been making a special study of the birds of their respective neigh- borhoods, this catalogue would of necessity have been a purely local one. Mr. H. K. Coale, of Chicago, has most generously placed his note-books, full of valuable records, at the author's disposal, while Mr. Chas. K. Worthen has contributed many important notes ; so that, with help from so many sources, together with various local lists, and other publications1 on the birds of Illinois, it has been possible to prepare a tolerably full list of the birds of the State at large. Much remains to be done, however, especially in the western and extreme southern counties, which are certain to produce important and perhaps unlocked for additions.* The author has endeavored to make the work as original as the circumstances would allow; but on account of the limited time allotted for its completion (one year), and being mainly occupied with other duties, he has found it necessary to draw, to a certain extent, upon previous publications. Thus, for the land-birds, many of the generic diagnoses have been taken from the History of North American Birds,1 while for the water-birds the descriptions have been copied from The Water Birds of North America.2 In every case, however, matter which is not original with the present work is enclosed in quotation marks, and the source whence obtained explicitly stated. It may further be explained that the author has the permission of the publishers to make extracts, at his discretion. 1 A partial bibliography of Illinois ornithology is given on pages 36-42. *The author at first intended to give an Appendix including descriptions of species which may in time be found within the borders of the State, to aid the collector or inves- tigator in identifying any species which may not appear in the catalogue proper; but the idea had to be abandoned on account of the necessity of limiting the number of pages of this work. 1 A History of North American Birds, by S. F. Baird, T. M. Brewer and K. Ridgway. Land Birds. Illustrated by 64 colored plates and 593 wood cuts. (Volume I, pp. i-xxviii, 1-596, i-vi, plates i-xxvi. Volume II, 3 p. 11. pp. 1-590, i-vi, plates xxvii-lvi. Volume III, 3 p. 11. pp. 1-5HO, 1 1., i-xxviii, plates Ivii-lxiv.) Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1874. 2 Memoirs of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. Vol. XII. The Water Birds of North America, by 8. F. Baird. T. M. Brewer and R. Ridgway. Issued in continuation of the publications of the Geological Survey of California. J. D. Whitney. State Geologist. (Volume I, pp. i-xi, 1-537. Vol. II, pp. 1-552). (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1884. PREFACE. 5 An original feature of .the work — the vernacular synonymy*— will enable the reader to more readily identify, by reference to the index, any bird whose local name is known to him but whose scientific name he has not learned. The biographies are necessarily short, but it has been endeavored to mention the more prominent characteristics of each species. For all faults of omission or commission, the author begs the indulgence of the generous reader. It has been with him so truly a "labor of love" that no effort has been spared to make the work as complete as the circumstances would allow ; and it is hoped that it may prove in some degree useful to those who are engaged in the study of our birds. SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, WASHINGTON, D. C. JULY 2, 1885. * A vernacular synonymy of North American birds was at one time contemplated by Mr. Ernest Ingersoll, who. in the Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club, Vol. VIII, April, 1883. pp. 72-78, called attention to the desirability of such a work, and gave a very interesting list of the numerous local names of the Colaptes auratus. Mr. Ingersoll's plan, however, was unfortunately never carried out; but it is to be hoped that may .eventually be consummated. INTRODUCTION. I. PHYSICAL FEATURES OP THE STATE. General. The total length of the State of Illinois is 378 miles, the extremes of latitude being 36° 59' and 42° 30', while the maxi- mum breadth is 210 miles. The great length of the State from north to south gives it a climatic range of 5J degrees, which exceeds that of any other State except California. The topography of Illi- nois is so simple, however, that any decided differences of climate or temperature must necessarily result from difference of latitude or season, there being no mountains sufficiently elevated to produce any perceptible modification in this respect. "Illinois occupies the lower part of that inclined plane of which Lake Michigan and both its shores are the higher sections. Down this plane in a very nearly S. W. direction the principal rivers have their courses to the Mississippi. The lowest section of this plane is also the extreme S. angle of the State, and is only 340 ft. above the Gulf of Mexico. The greatest elevation of the country is 1,150 ft., and the mean elevation about 550 ft., above tide water. Next to Louisiana and Delaware, indeed, Illinois is the most level State of the Union. A small tract in the N. W. corner of the State around Galena is hilly and somewhat broken, and there are bluffs on the Mississipi and Illinois rivers; but by far the greater portion of the surface consists of vast level or gently undulating prairies. A low mountain ridge extends across the S. end of the State, from Grand Tower, on the Mississippi to Shawneetown on the Ohio, constituting the fruit region of southern Illinois." (Ameri- can Cyclopedia.) The highest point within the State is said to be near the north- ern border, between Freeport and Galena, where the so-called "mounds" are 1,100 to 1,150 feet above sea-level, though only 200 to 250 feet above the surrounding country. The lowest part of the State is, of course, the river-bed at Cairo, where the elevation above mean tide in the Gulf of Mexico is 340 feet. The general surface in the southern is much more varied or broken than that of the central 8 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. and northern portions, there being a bold, almost mountainous, range of hills with an elevation of 500 to more than 600 feet above the surrounding country, or a total altitude approximating 1,000 feet above sea-level, the lowlands along the northern side of the range averaging only about 55 feet above the river at Cairo. (Worthen's Geology of Illinois, Vol. I., pages 3 and 4.) Continuations of this range extend, with occasional breaks or in- terruptions, to the northward, along the western border of the State. "A range of heights commences at the bluffs that bound the American Bottom, near Kaskaskia, and stretches northwardly through the State toward Lake Michigan. A noble limestone bluff breaks off, almost at right angles to this chain, and stretches along the margin of the American Bottom to the point nearly opposite the Missouri. This bluff has, in many places, a regular front of perpendicular limestone, not unfrequently 300 feet high. Another line of river bluffs commences opposite the mouth of the Missouri, and reaches the mouth of the Illinois. Opposite Portage des Sioux, these bluffs shoot up into detached points and pinnacles, which, with the hoary color of the rocks, have, at a distance, the appear- ance of the ancient spires and towers of a town." ("Illinois in 1837 & 8; a sketch descriptive of the country," etc. Philadelphia: S. Augustus Mitchel, 1838.) "Along the banks of the Upper Mis- sissippi there stretch for hundreds of miles the ruined fagades of stately castles and magnificent temples, built by Nature's hand. Seamed and scarred are they, too, as if by the lightning, and here and there appear ghastly rents and yawning chasms half concealed by vines sweeping from every ledge, and shrubs rooted in every crevice. One should see them in the beauty of the morning, as cool, silent and dark; with the dew heavy on rock and shrub, and trembling vine ; mild convolvuli, full-blossomed and rejoicing in the shadow, swinging gaily from every projecting rock. And all through the autumn, while the oaks and maples and the vines, in russet and scarlet and gold, hold their death together, and with the clus- tering masses of golden-rod and purple asters, mock the cedars and hemlocks in their dress of sombre green." (M. L. W., in The Pastime, Washington, D. C. Vol. II, No. 5, May, 1884.) There is probably no better index or key to the distribution of birds in any country than that afforded by the character of the vegetation; should this vary essentially within a given area, a cor- responding difference in the bird-life is a certainty. The author may, therefore3 be excused for going somewhat into detail on this subject. INTRODUCTION. 9 The two extremes of the State present vast differences in the character of their vegetation, as might be expected from climata- logical considerations alone ; but some of the most conspicuous dissimilarities arise from causes quite independent of climate. The southern third is for the most part heavily wooded, the northern and central portions mostly prairie. At least, this was the normal or original condition of things before the planting of orchards and shade trees in the prairie districts, and the clearing of forests in the wooded sections changed somewhat their relative proportions. The change thus wrought has been in some respects very great; but it is asserted (and certainly with truth as regards some sec- tions) that the conversion, by Nature's own hand — though through the agency of civilized man by the stoppage of prairie fires — of what were prairies fifty years ago into what are forests at the present time, has very nearly, if not quite, balanced the extent of deforestation. The northern Coniferts are scarcely represented in the sylva of the State, only six (out of ten species found in the Northern States) occurring altogether, and nearly all of these solely in the northern tier of counties, and there locally. Thus, of the pines, Pinus banks- iana (gray pine) occurs in Cook and Ogle counties*, and P. strobus (white pine) in Cook, Winnebago, and Ogle counties ; the larch (Larix americana) in McHenry, Stephenson, and Winnebago counties, Juni- perus sabina, var. procumbens, in Cook county, and the yew (Taxus baccata, var. canademis) in Winnebago and Ogle counties ; the only other one occurring in more than two counties being the arbor-vitae (Thuja occidental i s] , which has been found in Peoria, Cook and Kane counties. Of the numerous southern and eastern species of Coniferce, only four, or possibly five, occur in Illinois, as follows : The bald cy- press (Taxodium distichum) in the inundated lands of the southern part of the State ; the white cedar (Chamcecyparis sphceroidea) in Gal- latin county, and the yellow pine (Pinus mitis) on the rugged south- ern hills. It is supposed that a fifth species, the Jersey scrub pine (Pinus inops), probably occurs with the last species, since it is very abundant on the "knobs" of southern Indiana. Two species of gen- eral distribution, so far as the country at large is concerned, occur both in the northern and southern portions, though they are more or less local, and wanting, too, for the greater part of the State. These are the red cedar (Juniper us viryiniana] and common juniper (J. communis). * Probably in Lee county also (fide Professor Forbes, in epistj 10 BIKDS Of ILLINOIS. As to dicotyledonous trees, it may be said that while only 3 species (i. e., wild red cherry, Primus pennsylvanica; cork elm, Ulmus race- mosa, and paper or canoe birch, Betula papyracea,) are confined to the northern portion of the State, at least 33 species are restricted mainly to the southern half, the following comprising the latter list : Cucumber tree (Magnolia acuminata), umbrella tree (M. um- brella}, tulip tree (Liriodendron tid'qnfcra)* , deciduous holly (Ilex decidua), Indian cherry (Rhamnus caroliniana) , black locust (Robinia pseudacacia), water locust (Gleditschia monosperma}} , Chicasaw plum (Primus chicasa), Washington thorn (Crateegus cordata), tree haw- thorn (Cratagus arborescens) , narrow-leafed crab-apple (Pyrus augus- tifolia), sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua), Hercules' club (Aralia spinosa), tupelo gum (Nyssa uniflora), farkleberry (Vaccinium arbor- eum), southern buckthorn (Biimdia lycioides), southern iron-wood (B. lanuginosa), silver bell tree (llalesia, tetraptcra), western catalpa (Catalpa speciosa), "privet" (Forestiera acuminata), winged elm (Ulmus alata), water elm (Planera aqiiatica), Mississippi hackberry (Celtis mississippiensis) , water hickory (Carya aquatica), small shell- bark (C. microcarpa), overcup oak (Qaercus lyrata), Spanish oak (Q. falcata), willow-oak (Q. phellos), chinquapin (Castanea pumila), black alder (Alnus serrulata), yellow pine (Pinus mitis), white cedar (Chamacyparis sphceroidea), and bald cypress (Taxodium distichnm). The decidedly "Austroriparian" fades presented by the vegetation of the southern counties (north to Wabash and St. Clair) is further illustrated by the parasitic mistletoe (Phoradendron flavescens), the arborescent grass, forest-reed, or switch-cane (Arundinaria tecta), and the large number of vines, besides the great luxuriance of vege- tation generally. It will be best to treat of each section (so far as the writer possesses the knowledge to do so), under a separate heading, rather than to enter here into further details. The Lake Shore District (by E. W. NELSON.!) "The region about the southern end of Lake Michigan, in Illinois, presents an unusually fertile field for the ornithologist. Situated, as it is, mid- way between the wooded region of the East and the treeless plains of the West, with the warm river bottoms of the South, rich in southern species, extending within a comparatively short distance, and the great Lake upon the north, northeastern Illinois forms a kind of "four corners" where the avian-faunse of four regions inter- grade. To the proximity of Lake Michigan we are indebted for a * North to Vermilion (Ji/'r Professor Forbes in t North to Illinois River bottons, near the mouth of that stream (Forbes). : In Bulletin of the Essex Institute (Salem, Mass.). Vol. VIII, 1876, pp. 90-92. INTRODUCTION. 11 number of more or less strictly maritime species, among the most important of which are, during summer, Ammodromus caudacutus, jfEgialitis melodus and Anas obscura, and, during the migrations, Strepsilas interpres, Tringa bonapartei, T. maritima, T. canuta, Cali- dris arenaria, with all the common water-birds, with very few exceptions, found upon the coast at that season. In winter the list is larger, during which season are found Histrionicus torquatus, Harelda glacialis, the three species of Q^demia, Somateria mollissima, S. spectabilis, Stercorarius pomatorhinus, Lams glaucus, L. leucopterus, L. marinus, and Rissa tridactyla. "As would be expected, the southern species occur only in sum- mer, with the exception of Lophophanes bicolor, which is found only in winter. The principal southern species are : Mimus polyglottus, Parus carolinensis, Thryothorus ludovicianus, T. betvicki, Protonotaria citrea, Dendroeca var. albilora, D. ccerulea, Oporornis formosus, Icteria virens, Myiodioctes mitratus, Pyranga cestiva, Collwio var. ludoviciana, Cardinalis virginianus, Centurus carolinus, Nauclerus forftcatus, Rhi- nogryphus aura, Tantalus loculator, Gallinula martinica, Porzana jamaicensis, Sterna regia and S. antillarum. "We also have, either as residents or transient visitants, the fol- lowing western species : Myiadestes townsendi, Vireo belli (breeds), Hesperiphona vespert'ma, Plectroplianes pictus, Ammodromus lecontei, Zonotrichia var. intermedia, Z. coronata, Z. querula, Spizella pallida (breeds), Eremophila var. leucolcema (breeds), Sturnella var. neglecta (breeds), Scolecopliagus cyanocephaliis, Pica var. hudsonica, Chordeilcs var. henryi (breeds), Buteo var. calurus (breeds?), B. swainsoni (breeds?) Tringa bairdii, Steganopus wilsoni (breeds), and numerous others less strictly western. "Not only is the influence of the Lake upon the fauna shown by the occurrence of numerous species of birds, attracted by the pres- ence of a large body of water with its congenial surroundings, but the influence of the Lake upon the climate and the vegetation in its immediate vicinity has a marked influence upon the list of sum- mer residents. "As is well known, the country bordering upon the great lakes possesses an average lower temperature during summer, and a higher temperature during the winter, than the surrounding dis- tricts. This has a decided effect upon the movements and distri- bution of the birds in the vicinity of these large bodies of water. "This influence is seen in a retardation, often of a week or more, in the spring migration, and in the scarcity of small woodland 12 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. species during the breeding season. Although birds are exceedingly numerous here during the migrations, and the number of species found during the summer compares favorably with the number found at the same season in other localities having the same latitude, they are represented by decidedly few individuals. This fact is especially noticeable after one has passed a day in the marshes of the vicinity, where the abundance of numerous marsh and water birds, both in species and individuals, would lead one to suppose the woods were equally favored. "The limits of the field discussed in this paper embrace two counties, Cook county upon the south, and Lake county upon the north. Each possesses certain topographical peculiarities. Cook county is mainly prairie land, interspersed with ridges and groves of timber, the former of which generally extend parallel to the lake shore. Near the southeastern portion of the county the surface of the prairie is but slightly above the level of the lake. Through this county flows the Calumet river, along which are extensive marshes, which form a favorite haunt for various waterfowl. Along the lake shore, in northwestern Indiana, extending thence slightly into Illinois, is the Pinery, a peculiar, sandy, barren tract of land partly covered by a sparse growth of pines and deciduous underbrush, with, near the lake, patches of juniper. Lake county has much more woodland, and is more hilly or rolling than Cook county. Extend- ing along the lake shore, from the northern border of the State nearly the entire length of this county, is a tract quite similar to the Pinery before described, except that here the sandhills near the lake are nearly covered with the junipers (Juniperus communis). Throughout this county are scattered a large number of small lakes, many of which have a marshy border and are much fre- quented by waterfowl, both during the migrations and the breeding season. "The woods near Lake Michigan, in both these counties, are upon ridges extending parallel to the lake shore, which are separated by belts of prairie. These ridges form convenient highways for the woodland species during the migrations. The water birds e'ither follow the lake shore or the river courses. The migrations of the latter are almost directly north and south, but with the woodland species it is quite different. They follow the heavily wooded river bottoms from the south, and approach the sparsely wooded States along the upper Mississippi in immense numbers, where they swerve toward the heavily wooded region of the northern lake region, where INTRODUCTION. 13 they find extensive breeding grounds. This change in the direction of their migration causes them to move diagonally across the northern half of Illinois toward the northeast. To this we are in- debted for the vast numbers of migrants found along the lake in this vicinity. Weary from their flight up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, they halt along the inviting ridges bordering along the lake. After a short rest they resume their northward way, striking boldly across the lake towards their summer homes in northern Michigan and beyond. I have many times stood upon a wooded bluff on the lake shore and seen flock after flock of warblers and other small birds pass out of sight over the lake. "The fall migration is less uniform, the birds straggling along in such a manner that it is difficult to trace any movement except a general inclination to the south. A severe storm upon the lake during the spring migration works sad havoc among the birds, for when a fog arises they become bewildered and perish by thousands, and large numbers are washed ashore. An instance of this kind occurred the last of May, 1876, when I counted over two hundred birds, representing over fifty species, in walking about a mile along the lake shore." The Prairies. The author's personal acquaintance with the prairies, their vegetation and their fauna, is very limited. In his section of the State, there is no open or uncultivated prairie nearer to Mount Carmel than 25 miles, the nearest one being Allison's Prairie, opposite the city of Vincennes, Indiana. In Jasper and Kichland counties, prairies of considerable size occur. They are offshoots or arms of the Grand Prairie, although each particular arm or "bay" has its own distinctive name. A few miles west of Olney, Eichland county, lies Fox Prairie ; and to the southeast of this (the wooded bottoms of the Fox Eiver and tribu- taries intervening) is Sugar Creek prairie. These two are the only prairies which the writer has explored ornithologically. The first visit to Fox Prairie was made on the 8th of June, 1871, the writer and his companions arriving a little before noon. A rolling plain spread before us, the farther side bounded by timber, while the prairie itself was free from tree or brush, except where some intersecting stream was followed by a narrow line of thickets, interspersed with occasional fair-sized and gracefully formed elms ; or along the edge, where the jungle of sumac, thorn-bushes, wild plum, hazel, etc., backed by young oak and hickory trees, showed plainly the encroachment of the woodland. Herds of horses and 14 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. cattle scattered about over the prairie, and two or three neat farm houses, with their attendant orchards and cultivated ground, made us realize that we were yet within the bounds of comfortable civil- ization ; otherwise, the landscape presented much of its primitive aspect. The day was a delightful one; for, although the heat ranged above 80°, the fresh prairie breeze tempered it to a delight- ful mildness. Besting upon the cool, green- sward in the shade of a large elm in the hollow, our ears were delighted by such a chorus of bird-songs as we have heard nowhere else. Among the leafy arches overhead the Baltimore Orioles whistled their mellow flute- like notes, accompanied by soft, contented warble and joyous carol of the Warbling and Eed-eyed Vireos ; the birds of the meadow were chanting on every hand their several ditties, while the breeze wafted to us the songs of various woodland species. In the scrubby jungle a Mocking-bird fairly filled the air with his rich medly of varied notes, the singer leaping in restless ecstacy from branch to branch, with drooping wings and spread tail, or flitting from tree to tree as he sang. A Brown Thrasher poured forth a ceaseless accompani- ment as he sat perched sedately upon the summit of a small vine- canopied tree — a contrast in bearing to the restive, sportive Mimus, his rival in vigor, and superior in sweetness, of song. Several Yellow-breasted Chats interpolated their loud cat-calls, vehement whistlings, and croaking notes. These three, loudest of the song- sters, well nigh drowned the voices of the smaller birds ; but in the brief intervals — "between the acts"-— were heard the fine and sweet, though plaintive, song of the little Field Sparrow, the pleasant notes of the Chewink, the rich whistlings of the Cardinal, and the clear, proud call of Bob White. Upon proceeding to the thickets and thus interrupting the louder songsters, the wondrously strong and vehement notes of the "Chickty-beaver Bird" or White-eyed Vireo greeted us from the tangled copse, and soon a song we had never heard before — the gabbling, sputtering harangue of Bell's Vireo— attracted our attention and, of course, our interest. In the more open woods marking the border of the timber the several woodland species were noticed ; there the Vermilion Tanager or Summer Red- bird warbled his Robin-like but fine and well-sustained song, the Blue-jays chuckled and screamed as they prowled among the branches, and gaudy Red- headed Woodpeckers flaunted their tri- colored livery as they sported about the trunks or occasional dead tree-tops. INTRODUCTION. 15 On the opeij prairie, comparative quiet reigned. The most numerous bird there was "Dick Cissel " (Spiza americana), who monopolized tbe iron-weeds, uttering his rude but agreeable ditty with such regularity and persistence that the general stillness seemed scarcely broken ; hardly less numerous Henslow's Buntings were like- wise perched upon the weed-stalks, and their weak but emphatic se-wick sounded almost like a faint attempt at imitation of Dick Cissel's song. The grasshopper-like wiry trill of the Yellow-winged Sparrow; the meandering, wavering warble of the Prairie Lark (Otocoris alpestris praiicola) — coming apparently from nowhere, but in reality from a little speck floating far up in the blue sky, — and the sweet "peek — you can't see me" of the Meadow-lark, completed the list of songs heard on the open prairie. Many kinds of birds besides those already described were seen, but to name them all would require too much space. We should not, however, omit to mention the elegant Swallow-tailed Kites, which now and then wheeled into view as they circled over the prairie, or their cousins and companions, the Mississippi Kites, soaring above them through the transparent atmosphere; nor must we forget a pair of croaking ravens who, after circling about for a short time over the border of the woods, flew away to the heavy timber in the Fox Eiver bottoms. Early in the following August we paid a second visit to the same spot, and found a material change in its aspect. A season of universal drought having passed, the prairie, which before was com- paratively brown and sober in its coloring, was bedecked with flowers of varied hue. The Mocking-birds, Brown Thrashers, Chats, and most of the other songsters, were silent, but the shrill screech of a large species of Cicada repeatedly startled us as we brushed against the weeds, while numerous grasshoppers were far more noisy than the birds. As we came well out on the prairie, however, a beautiful and unlooked-for sight appeared; in short, we were com- pletely transfixed by the to us novel spectacle of numerous exquisitely graceful Swallow-tailed Kites floating about on bouyant wing, now gliding to the right or left, then sweeping in broad circles, and approaching so near that several were easily shot. Soaring" lightly above them were many Mississippi Kites, of which one would now and then close its wings and plunge downward, as if to strike the very earth, but instantly checking the velocity of its fall by sudden spreading of the wings, would then shoot upward again almost to 16 BIKDS OF ILLINOIS. the height from which it had descended. When two or more passed one another at opposite angles — as frequently happened — the sight was beautiful in the extreme. The total number of species observed during these two trips, within the bounds of the prairie itself, numbered about ninety-five on each occasion; while the surrounding woodlands, cultivated grounds and river bottoms added so many more, that a total of about one hundred and forty species were ascertained to, in all probability, breed upon an area five miles square, having for its centre the portion of the prairie where we made our investigations. Of this grand total, only twenty-five were water-birds, the remainder of one hundred and fifteen species of land-birds being, perhaps, as large a number of regular summer residents as any locality of equal extent in North America can boast. A third visit to this prairie was made early in June, 1883 — exactly twelve years after the first trip. The change which had taken place in the interval was almost beyond belief. Instead of an absolutely open prairie some six miles broad by ten in extreme length, covered with its original characteristic vegetation, there remained only 160 acres not under fence. With this insignificant exception, the entire area was covered by thriving farms, with their neat cottages, capa- cious barns, fields of corn and wheat, and even extensive orchards of peach and apple trees. The transformation was complete; and it was only by certain ineffacable landmarks that we were able to identify the locality of our former visits. As a consequence, we searched in vain for the characteristic prairie birds. Upon the unenclosed tract of 160 acres — a common grazing ground for the herds of the neighborhood — Dick Cissels, Henslow's Buntings, Yellow- winged Sparrows, and the Meadow-larks were abundant as ever; and running in the road, now wallowing in the dust, then alighting upon a fence stake, were plenty of Prairie Larks (Otocoris); but— shades of Audubon!— equally numerous were the detestable and de- tested European House Sparrow, already ineradicably established. We searched in vain for Bell's Vireo, for all the thickets had been de- stroyed. Neither was a solitary kite, of either species, to be seen. We left our beautiful prairie with sad heart, disgusted with the change (however beneficent to humanity) which civilization had wrought. The same is the history of all the smaller prairies in many por- tions of the State ; and it will probably not be many years before a prairie in its primitive condition cannot be found within the limits of Illinois. INTRODUCTION. 17 The Southern Bottom Lands. As a typical example of a lo- cality presenting the characteristic features of the southern bottom- lands, I shall select, for special description, the "Cypress Swamps" of Knox county, Indiana, which, to the writer, have been the scene both of many fruitful explorations and delightful memories. The series of ponds which, together with their connecting "sloughs," constitute the so-called cypress swamps, are situated on the point of land known as "The Neck," a sort of peninsula between the mouth of White Eiver, on the south and east, and the Wabash, on the west. The most southerly of these ponds lies about two miles to the northeast of Mount Carmel, in a direct line; arid interspersed through the forest, at distances from one another of from a hun- dred yards or less to perhaps a quarter of a mile, are other ponds, varying in their shape, extent and character. Those best known are designated as the "Cypress," ''Forked," :< Beaver-dam," and "Washburne's " ponds, the latter being the largest. They all drain, by connecting swamps, into White river, a short distance above the mouth of the latter stream, through a crooked ditch, known as the "White River slough," deeply cut through the alluvial soil and everywhere overshadowed by dense forest. Some of these ponds are mostly open, but others are filled with willow trees (Salix nigrd), averaging perhaps 50 feet, but occasion- ally growing more than 70 feet, in height, but of slender form ; while even the open ponds have a bordering fringe of these trees, occasionally mixed with swamp cottonwood (Populits heterophylla} . In the swampy tracts between the ponds grow dense and tangled thickets of button-bush (Cepltalauthus occidentalis] , clumps of black alder or water holly (Ilex decidua tall stems of Amorpha fruticosa, and occasional crooked, thorny trees of the water locust (Ghditschia monosperma). The open portions of the ponds are in summer choked with a rank growth of various aquatic plants, the "spatter- dock" (Nupliar aclvena) prevailing, but giving way in deeper water to the beautiful western pond lily (Nijmphtea ttiberosa). The southern cypress (Taxodium distichum) — here almost- at its northern limit — formerly grew in abundance and attained magnifi- cent proportions about the borders of the ponds and in the inter- vening swamps, as well as along the main "slough," but at present few fine trees are to be seen. Nowhere do they now form the ex- clusive or even prevailing growth, but are scattered singly or in groups among tall sycamores, ashes (Fraxinus americanci), sweet gums (Liqiiidamlar styraciflua] , water oaks (Quercus palnstris) and 18 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. other moisture-loving trees, and attain an average height of about 100 feet. Good-sized birches, Betula nigra (and lenta?), also grow along the margins of the ponds. It should be added that these ponds are nowhere very deep, and that they consequently sometimes become completely dry in seasons of extreme drought. The surroundings of these ponds consist of continuous magnificent forest (now deprived of many of its finest trees and no doubt doomed to early destruction), comprising everywhere a mixed growth, em- bracing altogether more than fifty species of trees, among which oaks (11 species) and hickories (5 species) predominate, although the sweet gum, black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), box-elder (Negundo aceroides), white elm (Ulmus americana), honey-locust (Gleditschia triacanthos) , coffee-bean (Gymnocladus canadensis), black walnut (Jug- lans nigra), hackberries (Geltis cccidentalis and mississippiensis), tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), and other species are (or were) also abundant; there are also a few beeches (Fag us ferruginea), and black cherries (Primus serotina), besides occasional specimens of the beautiful Catalpa speciosa. These woods are very open, it being comparatively easy, in many places, to drive through them with a light wagon. There is almost no shrubby undergrowth, the usual underwoods consisting of red-bud (Cercis canadensis}, dog-wood (Cor mis Jiorida), pawpaw (Asimina trlloba), and mulberry (Moras r nbra) here attaining the stature of good-sized trees. The unob- structed sunlight, which, directly or by reflection and diffusion, freely permeates all portions of these beautiful forests, promotes the development of a luxuriant and varied herbaceous growth — grasses, sedges, ferns, flags, balsam-plants (Impatient fidra and paUida), car- dinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), etc., according to locality, and others far too numerous to mention ; even the decaying logs are covered with weeds, thus presenting the appearance of miniature gardens. Other characteristic features are the abundance and luxuriance of climbing plants, embracing no less than four (probably five) species of wild grape, the Virginia creeper (Ampelopsis quinqucfolia) , cross- vine (Bignonia capreolata), trumpet-flower (Tecoma radicans), pipe- vine (Aristolochia tomentosa) and others, not forgetting the far too abundant poison vine (Rhus toxicodendron). The switch-cane (Arun- d in aria tecta) occasionally chiefly monopolizes the soil, and the scouring rush (Equisetum hyemale) sometimes constitutes the exclu- sive growth, but only in a few places of limited extent. It is because of this abundance of sunlight and exuberance of vegetation, that these woods surpass all others in abundance of INTRODUCTION. 19 bird-life, and therefore afford the richest field for the ornithologist. The willows are the chosen home of the Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrca); the undergrowth, of the Hooded and Blue- winged Yellow Warblers (Sijlcania mitrata and Helminthophila pinus); ducks and other aquatic species have a secure home in the shelter of the water-lilies ; herons build their nests in the lofty tops, and turkey buzzards hide their young in the hollow bases, of the gigantic- sycamores. Thirty years or more ago, Parakeets (Conuru* carolin- cnsis) disturbed the solitude or drowned the voices of the songsters by their piercingly shrill screeching notes, but they have long since vanished, never to return. The turkey still lingers, how- ever, but must surely disappear when its shelter shall have passed away. Climate. The climatic conditions of Eastern North America are remarkably uniform, as might be expected from the exceeding- simplicity of its topographical features. The Alleghany mountains, although sufficiently elevated to carry on their summits many Canadian types, both of plants and animals, quite to the southern limits of the range, in northern Georgia and Alabama, yet form so slight a barrier that a very large majority of the species in both the animal and vegetable kingdoms are common to the Atlantic seaboard and the Mississippi Valley. In fact, diversity of flora in the two regions is usually due chiefly to local causes — character of soil and geological formation — it being a common circumstance to find localities along the Atlantic coast and in the interior which more resemble one another in their vegetation than do contiguous localities in either district. It is a well known fact, however, that in the interior of large continents the climate reaches greater extremes of temperature than in the same latitudes along the seacoast; and this principle applies to the districts here under consideration, though to a very slight extent. From the meteorological records of the United States Signal Office, we are able to deduce the information that, as a rule, in cases where the mean annual temperature is essentially the same at places of corresponding latitude on the Atlantic coast and in the Mississippi Valley, the annual range is greater in the latter; that is, the maximum heat of summer and minimum cold of winter excel those of the former. The rainfall also, as a rule, is somewhat heavier along the coast. There are many exceptions, however, to these rules, and instances can be found where, according to the records, they are reversed. 20 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. With regard to this subject we cannot, in the present work, enter into detail, but must be content with presenting a few data by way of illustration of the above remarks. In the "Tables and Results of the Precipitation, in Eain and Snow in the United States," collected and published (in 1872 and 1881) by the Smithsonian Institution, Professor Charles A. Schott, the compiler, recognizes (pp. 127 — 133 of first edition, 197-203 of second edition), ten geographical areas, each of which is characterized by marked peculiarities in the distribution and quantity of the rainfall. Illinois comes chiefly if not entirely within "Type IV" of these regions, including the Ohio Valley, which is characterized as follows : "One principal maximum, and one principal minimum; the former early in June, the latter early in February. Range, moderate." This region is to be compared, in the illustration of our subject, with "Type I.Atlantic seacoast from Portland to Washington," which has "Three nearly equal maxima, about the middle of May, August and December, and one principal minimum about the beginning of February;" "the range between the extreme monthly values .... small," .... and "the August maximum .... generally the highest." These are, however, mere technical differences, only appreciable to, or recognizable by, the meteorologist. With the following data* we shall dismiss this subject: — I. Comparative mean annual tcmj^crafurc and rainfall. Chicago.— Lat. 4F52' alt. (3H0.92 feet. Mean annual temperature (8 years) 49°1. Total annual rainfall (8 years( 85.27 inches. Boston.— Lat. 4'2°21', alt. 142.19 feet. Mean annual temperature (9 years) 48°4. Total annual rainfall (9 years) 50.82 inches. Indianapolis, 7^.— Lat. 39°47', alt. 746.58 feet. Mean annual temperature (1 year) 53°3. Total annual rainfall (8 years) .... 45.22 inches. Philadelphia, Pa.— Lat. 39?57, alt. 52.42 feet. Mean annual temperature (9 years) 53°1. Total annual rainfall (8 years( 42.93 inches. * Compiled from the Annual lleports of the Chief Sigmil Office. U. S. Army, 1871-1880. INTRODUCTION. 21 Cincinnati, Ohio.— Lat. 39^6', alt. 620.42 feet. Mean annual temperature (8 years) 55~3. Total annual rainfall (8 years) 42.39 inches. Baltimore, Md— Lat. 39 28', alt. 45.19 f€c-t. Mean annual temperature (8 years) 55~5. Total annual rainfall (8 years) 42.46 feet. St. Louis, Mo.— Lat. 38°S7', alt, 567.67 feet. Mean annual temperature (8 years) 5505. Total annual rainfall (8 years) 39.67 inches. Washington, D. C.— Lat. 3s 53', alt. 105.56 feet. Mean annual temperature (9 years) 55°1. Total annual rainfnll (9 years) , 42.73 inches. II. Comparative mean monthly and annual temperature and rainfall at Cairo, Illinois, flat. 37°0', alt. 377.35 ftj and Norfolk, Virginia flat. 36*51', alt. 54.50 ft J, for 10 years. Maximum Mean Annual Temperature for 10 Years. _- i — i ' — i e- r*" Li rtT *"•' "^ ^ <» 03 "O p £, C ~i "1 >5 v^ K * g ? r I f ; I • I | | i 2 ;_. rs o- cr BO- :r % ("^airo ... Norfolk. 187839.8 1870 47.7 44. 7 57. 8 04. 3 45. 0.46. S 55.3 C8.1 65.7 73. P S2.7 78.181.7 81.270.fi 78.209.7 50 50.8 050 .1 33.2 49.433.0 59.02 58. '.U Minimum Mean Annual Temperature for 10 Years. Cairo . . . Norfolk. 1875'28.332.9 187235.037.0 44.8 39.0 54.8 65.8 57.0 08.0 74.2 78.973.007.5 81.079.072.658.9 55.2 45.9 40.2 45 0 36.8 55.62 57.20 Average Mean Annual Temperature for 8 Years. Cairo — Norfolk 57.9 58.7 Mean Annual Rainfall for 10 Years. o r-f- P €airo Norfolk.. 2.97 3.50 3.05 4.39 4.21 4.31 3. 9s :> 3.804.643.33 27 4.02 5.306.364.91 3.02 3.09 063 >:\ I 42 .3tJ 42.8:5 50.54 *The comparative rainfall of the two localities, as given in tlie report of the Chief Signal Officer for 1880, is as follows:— Cairo, 8 years, (1871-79) 45.09 inches. Norfolk ., , 53.s:{ 22 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Observations taken at West Salem, Edwards Co., Illinois, (lat. 88° 30', long. 88°), for 4 years, give almost exactly the same total precipitation for the year as that which, according to the above table, has been ascertained for Cairo, the difference amounting to only .60 of an inch. The monthly means are considerably dif- ferent, however, as the following will show. In this table are also included the results of observations at New Harmony, Posey Co., Indiana, (lat. 38° .08', long. 87° 50'), for 12 years— both being com- piled from the Smithsonian tables of precipitation, above referred to: — a e * February. March •a s p 5 f August — Septembe October... Novembei Decembei K p Wpct Sfll^m 4 years 2.86 •>, 77 3.47 ? 51 3 '40 3.80 3 50 4.50 3 76 4.50 4 uP 4 81 3 11 3 42 2.83 3 87 1.74 '? ?5 3'^l 4.13 3 no 42.23 38.75 New Harmony 1- years The rainfall is apportioned to the different seasons, as follows :— CO CO tal ^3 •o £ pj 2 2 8 ^ a H » ; n> | West Salem, 4 years 10.34 12.77 8.66 10.46 New Harmony 12years 10.66 10. 3D 9 3:3 8.37 The maximum and minimum mean annual rainfalls, during the years of observation, at the above mentioned localities was as follows : West Salem. — Maximum (1858) 51 . 00 inches . Minimum (1859) 41 02 New Harmony.— Maximum (1855) 48 . 11 " Minimum (1856) 23. 18 Meteorological observations have been taken regularly at Mount Carmel during the past few years by Mr. James Pool, recently ap- pointed U. S. Signal Observer, who has kindly favored me with the following data : Mean monthly temperature and total precipitation, for the year 1876. (Three obervations daily, viz., at 7 A. M., 2 P. M., and 0 P. M., local time.) INTRODUCTION. 23 Precipita- tion. Mean temperat're January ... February .. March April May June July August September. October November . December . 9 35 2.71 5.04 3. S3 1.7!) 6.21 ].(J8 3.81 li.ltf 1.74 2. 10 1.95 Total precipitation Mean annual temperature. 42.30 in. 42.1° 3'J 6 40. (J 5C.1 65.1 74.0 80.1 7ti.2 07 3 54 !> 41.11 23.4 55.3° The largest rainfall in 24 hours during 187G was 2.60 inches. The maximum heat for the year was 97°, and greatest degree of cold during the winter 1876-7 was 0° (zero). Kainfall during the year commencing June 16, 1884, was as follows : June.., 0.38 July 2.05 August 1.29 September 5.35 October 2.33 November 1.97 December 7.59 January 3.81 February 1.48 March 0.95 April 1.69 May 2.75 June 3.59 Total for the year 35.23 inches. Maximum precipitation during 24 hours in 1883 4.40 inches. Maximum precipitation during 24 hours from June 16, 1884, to June 15, 1885 2.09 inches. Maximum temperature for summer of 1884 -j-98° 1885 +98 Minimum temperature for winter of 1883-4 — 25° 1834-5 —15° The following are a few of the unusually heavy rainfalls for localities in Illinois as recorded in the report of the Chief Signal Officer for 1880: Louisville: 2 inches in 5 hours (Jan. 2, 1880), 5 inches in 2 hours (July 1, 1878). Pcorla: 3.94 inches (May 8, 1880). Rock Island: 3.74 inches (June 1, 1880). Cairo: 3 inches in 90 minutes (June 27, 1879). Elmira: 3.29 inches in 1 hour 55 minutes (August 19, 1878.) Chicago: 4.14 inches (July 26, 1878). '21 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. II. CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF THE AVIFAUNA OF THE STATE. General Kemarks. Observations in many sections of the State from which we as yet have no data, and also more extended inves- tigations in those sections already explored, are necessary before we can have an accurate knowledge of the distribution of the spe- cies within our limits. At present we know the subject merely in outline, and what we assume to know is undoubtedly subject to greater or less modification— according to the species involved — in the light of future information. The following tables are, therefore, to be considered as provisional, and as expressing merely the author's present knowledge of the subject, based in part on his own explorations, but to a greater extent on the published records of other observers. A. Species ivhich have tion of the State, mmy of 1. Merula migratoria. 2. Sialia sialis. 3. Regulus satrapa. 4. Parus bicolor. 5. Parus atrieapillus. . Spizella pallida. 38. Spatula clypeata. 17. Melospiza fasciata. 39. Anas carolinensis. 18. Melospiza georgiana. 40. Aythya afflnis. 10. Melospiza lincolni. 41. Aythya collaris. 20. Habia ludoviciana. 42. Sterna hirundo. 21. Dolichonvx oryzivorus. 43. Colymbus auritus. 22. Xanthoeephalus xanthocephalus. 44. Urinator imber. NoTE.-Tlie incerrogation mark implies donbt as to whether the breeding range of tho species is really so restricted. F. Slimmer residents which, so far as known, are confined mainly to the Southern portion of the State. 1. Helinaia swainsoni. 8. Ardea egretta. * 2. Peucasa bachmani. 9. Ardea candidissima. 3. Guiraca coerulea. 10. Ardea ccerulea. 4. Antrostomus carolinensis. 11. Ardea rufa. 5. Campephilus principalis. 12. Nycticorax violaceus. 6. Catharista atrata. 13. Anhinga anhinga. 7. Tantalus loculator. G. Summer visitants to Southern portion of the State, but not ascer- tained to breed ivitliin our limits. 1. Passerina ciris. (Mt. Carmel, June, 1871.) 2. Elanus loucurus. (Mt. Carmel, summer, 1863?) 3. Asturina playtata. (Kichland Co., August, 1871.) 4. Buteo harlani. (Warsaw, Hancock Co., March, 1879.) 5. Guara alba. (Mt. Carmel, May, 1881, and at other times.) fi. Plegadis autumnalis. 7. Ajajaajaja. (Mississippi bottom, about 1860: said to have been common.) 8. Ardea occidentalis. (Mt. Carmel, September. 1870. 9. Pelecanus fuscus. (Warsaw, Hancock Co., October 1873.) lit. Phalacrocorax mexicanus. (Cairo: summer.) * "Abundant all summer on the Illinois River as far north as Peoria." (Professor Forbes, in epist.) INTRODUCTION. H. Irregular or casual Visitants from the Western Province. 1. Sialia arctica. (Winter.) 2. Myadestes townsendi. (Winter.) 8. Rhynchophanes maccowni. (Winter.) 9. Zonotrichia querula. (Spring and 10. fall.) 11. 5. Junco oregonus. (Fall.) 12. (J. Scolecophagus cyanocephalus. (Win- 13. ter.) 14. 7. Pica hudsonica. (Winter.) Sayornis sayl. (Season not known.) Bubo subarcticus. Falco mexicanus. (Fall.) Buteo krideri. (Summer.*) Buteo calurus. (Spring.) Archibuteo 1'errugineus. (Fall.) Anas cyaaoptera. I. Regular Residents or Visitants wJiicli intrude from the Westward. a. Observed only in Summer. 1. VIreobellii. (Breeding.) 2. Spizellapallida. (Breeding.) 3. Xanthocephalus xantbocephalus. (Breeding.) 4. Chordeiles benryi. (Breeding?) b. Observed only in Winter, or during migration. 5. Coccothraustes vespertinus. (i. Ammodramus lecontei. (Breeding?) 7. Colymbus californieus. c. Observed irrespective of season. 8. Chondestes grammaca. (Breeding.) 9. Sturnella neglecta. (Breeding.) 10. Buteo swainsoni. (Breeding.) 11. Pediocaetes campestris. (Breeding.) J. Stragglers and doubtful species, the former including those of which not more than one specimen has been taken or observed. 1. Sialia arctica. W. 2. Myadestes townsendi. 3. Parus hudsonicus. N. 4. Junco oregonus. N. 5. Passerina ciris. S. 6. Pica hudsonica. N. 7. Sayornis sayi. W. • * Probably breeding. W. 8. Buteo calurus. W. 9. Buteo krideri. N. W. 10. Buteo barlani. S. 11. Asturnia plagiata. S. 12. Ardea occidentalis. S. 13. Pelecanus fuscus. S. 14. Phalacrocorax mexicauus. 30 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. K. Species formerly occurring but jjossibly now to be found in the State. 1. Pica hudsoniea. 4. Lagopus lagopus. 2. Campephilus principalis. 5. Ajaja ajaja. 3. Conurus carolinensis. Position -with regard to Faunal Provinces or Districts.— Illinois lies far within the Eastern, or Atlantic, Province, and were it not for the prairies its fauna would probably not possess the slightest tincturing of western forms. The State is also wholly em- braced within the "Carolinian Fauna" of Mr. Allen;* but the southern portion possesses so many of the elements characterizing the "Louisi- anian Fauna" (or "Austroriparian Province" of Professor Copet), that it should probably be referred to the latter district — and has, in fact, been so referred by Mr. Allen, Professor Cope and other writers. With regard to so-called geographical variation Illinois likewise belongs strictly to the Eastern or Atlantic Province, none of the resident or summer-resident species showing any tendency toward the representative forms which belong to the Western Province, except very rarely, or sporadically, and apparently not more fre- quently than along the Atlantic coast itself. The writer has been able to obtain but a single example of Pipilo erythrophthalmits showing white spots on wing-coverts or scapulars, and this ex- ample has these markings less distinct than have two specimens obtained at Washington, D. C. He has been able to secure but one specimen of Sphyrapicus varius showing an indication of a red nuchal bar, and in this case also the feature is less developed than in one from the District of Columbia. Among more than one hundred Flickers shot in Wabash and Richland counties, only one showed the slightest variation toward the western type (C. mexi- canus), in a very slight tinge of red at the end of the black mous- tache, much less, indeed, than in some specimens from Pennsylva- nia, the District of Columbia, and Florida.* The same observation may be made with respect to other species, with scarcely an exception, the only one, in fact, being the case of Geothlypis trichas, the Illinois form of which seems to be the western race, G. trichas occidentalis, Brewst., which, however, apparently replaces the true G. trichas every- where west of the Alleghanies. • *See Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Mass., Vol. II,. No 3. pp. 393-395. t See Bulletin of the United States National Museum, No. 1, 1875, pp. 67-71. *The specimen in question is, however, almost exactly matched by one from Mar 'J} Co., California, (coast, north of San Francisco). INTRODUCTION. Si In the southern portion of the State, there is observable in some species a marked tendency to the characters of extreme southern races, in smaller size and darker coloration, and, in some species, larger bill. This tendency is especially noticeable in the quails (Collnus virginianus) from the bottom-lands of the lower Wabash, some specimens of which are so much like the Florida form (C. vir- ninianiis Jioridamis) that they have been referred to that race. Migrations. — Data for the elucidation of this subject are un- fortunately very meagre. While residing at Mount Carmel, the author made careful record of the dates of arrival and departure of many species during the years 1863-'66, inclusive, the results of which are herewith given : — Spring Arrivals. Species marked with an asterisk (*) winter. *I. Anas boschas January *2. Ectopistes migratoria *3. Dafllaacuta *4. Branta oanadensis *5. Merganser americanus *0. Spatula clypeata *7. Aythya americana *8. Anas carolinensis February *9. Anas americana " 10. Seiurus motacilla *11. Aix sponsa *12, Anas discors 13. Grus mexicana March 14. Grus americana *15. Gharitonetta albeola 16. Phalacrocorax floridanus 17. Charadrius dominicus • 18. Spizella socialis 10. Tringa maculata 20. Tachycineta bioolor 21. Progne subis *22. Harporhynchus rufus 23. JBartramia longieauda 24. Regulus calendula April 25. Mniotilta varia " 26. Chelidon erythrogastra _ " 27. Polioptilacoerulea " 28. Chaslura pelagica " 29. Numenius longirostris " 30. Stelgidopteryx serripennib " 31. Dendroica albilora " 32. Petrochelidon lunifr jns " 33. Dendroica asstiva " 34. Vireo noveboracensis " 35. Tyrannus tyrannus sometimes remainincj all 15. r> -Feb. 25. 20. 20-Feb. 14. 20. 20. 25. 1. 18-28. 20. 25. 28. 1-4. 6. 1. 1-7. 12. 13-19; 15. 15-24; 20—28; 21-26. 28. 1—9. 1—15. 2—5. 2—10; 3—11; 4. 8—12; 9-18; 10—20; 14-22. 15. 15—21; remains until Sept. 20. remains remains until Sept. 20. until Sept. 8. remains remains remains remains remains until Sept. 20. until Oct. 20. until Oct. 17. until Sept. 13. until Sept. 20. remains until Sept. 9. 32 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. *36. Dendroica palmarum April 16—23; remains until Oct. 15. 37. Antrostomus vociferus 17. *38. Galeoscoptes carolinensis 18—24: remains until Oct. 5. 39. Icterus galbula " 19— 22; remains until Sept. 14. 40. Icterus spurius " 19—25. 41. Passerina cyanea " 19; remains until Oct. 15. 42. Vireo flavifrons " 19; remains until Oct. 15. 43. Empidonax trailli " 19. 44. Empidonax acadicus 19. 45. Alyiarchus crinitus " 19-26; remains until Sept. 10. 46. Turdus mustelinus " 19— 21; remains until Oct. — . 47. Vireo philadelphica " 20. 48. Piranga erythromelas 20—23; remains until Sept. — . 49. Pirangarubra " 20— 29; remains until Sept. 27. *50. Geothiypis trichas " 20— 30; remains until Sept. 16. 51. Spiza americana " 22—30. 52. Vireo olivaceus " 22; remains until Oct. 15. 53. Protonotariacitrea " 23. 54. Icteria virens " 23— May 4. 55. Dendroica pennsylvanieus " 26. 56. Geothiypis formosa " 28; remains until Oct. 15. 57. Dolichonyx oryzivorus " 29— May 7. 58. Coccyzus americanus " 29— May 14. 59. Chordeiles virginianus May 2—8. 60. Dendroica tigrina " 3. 61. Contopus virens 6—7; remains until Oct. 15. 62. Habialudoviciana " 6; remains until Oct. Autumnal Arrivals. 1. Sphyrapicus varius September 15— 29. 2. Ampells cedrorum* 18. 3. Junco hyemalis " 26-Oct.21. 4. Certhia americana 29— Nov. 2. 5. Dendroica coronata October 1—4. 6. Sitta canadensis " 2. 7. Kegulus satrapa 2. 8. Melospiza georgiana 8. 9. Zonotrichia albicollis 9—10. 10. Carpodacus purpureus 20— Nov. 8. 11. Zonotrichia leucophrys " 15. 12. Spizellamonticola " 'JO— Nov. 1. 13. Loxiaminor 22. 14. Passerella iliaca -~. 15. Anthus pensilvanicus November 15. 16. Troglodytes hyemalis " 3— Dec. 25. 17. Aauila chrysaetos September 8. 18. Melospiza fasciata October 15. 19. Calcarius lapponieus " 20. * Since ascertained to be also a summer resident, though much more numerous in winter. INTRODUCTION. 33 To show the relation between the return of birds from the South and the vernal change of vegetation, I give the following dates of the leafing and flowering of certain plants at Mt. Carrnel, as noted in the spring of 1872, by Dr. J. Schneck. It should be remarked, however, that the season was much later than usual. (See foot- note below.) Species. Date of leafing. Date of flowering. Ked Maple (Acer rulirum) .. April 12 March 2»* Silver Maple (Acer dasycarpuin) " 12 April 8 Sugar Maple (Acer saccUariniim) " 15.... Shell-bark Hickory (Carya alba) " 13 .. Redbud (Cercis canadensis) . .... " 20 April 10 Wild Cherry (Primus serotina) 5 ... " 25 Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florid ) " 20 White Ash (Fraxinus atnericana) . . . . April 12 Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tuUvifera) April 4 Peach (Persica. vulgaris) ... . . . " 20 ^pril 12 Apple (Pyrus inalus) " 13.... " 20 White Oak (Qnercus alba) " 13 Lilac (Syringa vulgar is) . " 19 April 12.... American Elm (Ulmus americana) . .... March 30t Wild Columbine (AQuilegia canadcnsis) . ... April 20 Spring Beauty (Claytonia virdinica) . . . C April 121.... Dogs- tooth Violet (Erytlironiuinamericanxm) " 20 Crane's-bill (Geranium inacitlatuin) " 25 .. Liverwort (Hepatica triloba) . . March 315. Blue Flag (Iris versicolor) April 13.... May Apple (Podophyllum peltatum) March 30.... Blackberry (Rubus vUlosus) \pril 10.... Elder (Sambuots canadvnsis) .March 30 Blood- root (Sanguinaria canadeusis) April 12 ... April 14 * In 187C, flowered February 1. tin 187G, flowered February 15. 1 In 1876, flowered March 2. § In 1876, flowered March 2. BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. The date of flowering of additional species, in 1876, was noted by Dr. Schneck, as follows : Species. Date of leafing. Date of flowering. Ranunculus abortivus .... March 1.... Copsflla bursa-pastoris 1 Pear (Pyrus coinmunis) , ... April 1 April 20-24* Apple (Pyrus mains) M arch 30 April 20t White Oak (Quercus alba) April 24 Currant (Ribes Tubrum) ..... .... March 28 April 13* Blackberry (Rubus villosus) " 30 May 10§ Elder (Sambucus canadensis) April 2 June 15 Blood-root (Sanguinaria canadensi.-) March 10 April 2 Lilac (Syringa vulg arts) April 13 April 30 Dandelion (Taraxacum dens-leonis) April 13 White Elm (Vlmus americana) April 13 ... March 25.... For purpose of comparison, I give below the earliest and latest recorded dates of arrival for a number of species at Mt. Carmel, Illinois ; Wheatland, Indiana ; St. Louis, Missouri, and Washington, D. C., — localities in nearly the same latitude. For the latter, I am indebted to Mr. H. W. Henshaw and Mr. Wm. Palmer, of Wash- ington, who have kindly given me their records ; the data for St. Louis, I have compiled from Mr. Otto Widman's "General Notes and Weather Report from St. Louis," published in Bulletin No. 1 of the Ridgway Ornithological Club, of Chicago,1 which abound with valuable data pertaining to the subject of bird-migration in the Mississippi Valley. * Fruit ripe July 30. t Fruit ripe July 10. t Fruit ripe June 10. § Fruit ripe July 1. 1 Cook, W. W., and Widman, Otto.— Bird Migration | in the | Mississippi Valley. | I By | W. W. Cook and Otto Widmann. | | Bead before the | Ridgway Ornithological Club. | Novembers, 1883. | | Published in the "American Field" | Vol. XX, No. 2:?, to Vol. XXI, No. 3. | Published in pamphlet form with the following title on cover: The | Ridgway Ornithological Club, | of | Chicago, Illinois, U. S. A. | | Bulletin No. 1. | Bird Migration in the Mississippi Valley | By | W. W. Cooke and Otto Widmann | | Published by | The American Feild, | December, 1883. 8 vo., pp. 37, the contents as fol- lows: "Part I. Introduction. I - - | (W. W. Cooke.)" Pp. 3, 4. "Part II. | | Gen- eral Notes and Weather Report from St. Louis, | Mo., beginning with January 1, 1883. I - I O. Widmann." | Pp. 5-13. "Part III. | - - | General Notes on Birds and Weather at Jefferson, | Wisconsin, in the Spring of 1883. | - - | W. W. Cooke." Pp. 14-18. 'Tart IV. I | Notes on each species of Bird observed at St. Louis, | Missouri, and Jeffer- son, Wisconsin, during the | Spring Migraion of 1883. | | Pp. 19-37. INTRODUCTION. 35 g ?'s £, Wheatland, Ind., 1881-1883 03 f O to' g O ScP "' — 00=" **o" B b 1 Antroctomus vociferus April 17 April 15 April 1 Aoril 18 — Afav 11 17 Compsothlypis americana 16-18 " 17 May 6-13 8 Geothlypis trichas Apiil 20-30 .... ' ' 18-18 " ]7 April 22 — May 1 " 16-21 " 25 5 Vireo noveboracensis " 15 ' ' 16-18 " 14 April 18-28 6 Empidonax minimus ...... " 17 May 5 April 20 — May 2 7 Turdus mustelinus April 19-21 " 171 8 April 19 Anril 98 TVTav 9 8 Sylvania mitrata " 25 ,., " 17 ' ' 16-20 " 17 \Tir\\ 20 MTV 7 0 Tyrannus tyrannus April 18-21 " 16-19 " 18 May 3 1 Vireo gilvus " 17-24 ... " 18 9 Vireo flavifrons April 19 " 17 " 17 ' ' 17-19 " 2! Mar Ti Mav 1° 4 Dendroica albilora April 9-18 " 17 " 12 " 14-22 " 17-18 " 18 Anril 98 Mav "i " 17-25 " 17 7 Dendroica palm arum April 16-23 Apr. 18— (May 2.) " 13 April 15 " 18— (May 3) May 7 — It April 18-23 April 17. ' ' 18-30 May 14* May 14 15 1 T^Teciprinn <^Vfin6a Apiil 19 " 18 30 April 21 May 9 12 ° Chondestes grammaca ' ' 18-21 " 3 April 20-23 " 18-3D . " 27 May 11 13 " 20-29 " 18-23 " 26 " 3-11 ( " 18.) " 8 G Myitirchns crinitus " 19-26 " 18-19 " 17. 7 Gcileoscoptes carolinensis.. " 18-24 1 ' 19-20 " 18 April 30 " 20 May 12 ' ' 21-25* May 14 May 14" ... April 23-M.iy 4. ' ' 22 '6- . . April 23 May 2-24 1 TrOrhilus colubi i-^ " 24-25 May 11.. Apr 24— (May 8 ) May 7-14 3 DeudroiC'i p^nn^ylvuuicei. April 26. .. " 24— (May 3.) Aurll 27. May 10-11 4. Suiza americana. . " 22-31).., April 24-26.., " 21. rt/J OD BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. 2 i£ SsCj '.& *i !•> 2 anteriorly. /.'.l Bill strongly hooked Psittaci (North American species). ANALYiSIS OF HIGHER GROUPS. 45 &.2 Bill not strongly hooked. I.1 Beatrices rigid, acuminate Pici. Z.2 Beatrices neither rigid nor acu- minate. m.1 Inner hind toe 5-jointed. Coccyges (Trogones>. TO.1 Inner hind toe 2-jointed. Coccyges (Cuculi). i.3 With webs between bases of anterior toes. j,1 Gape excessively broad and deeply cleft. Wings greatly elongated lilacrochircs (Gaprimulg i). j." Gape normal. Wings short, concave... Galliaas (Penelopes). It." Hind toe elevated Gallinse (Phasinni). g.- Bill strongly hooked, with a distinct cere at, base. h.1 Toes 2 in front Psittaci (exotic species). h." Toes 3 in front, or else outer toe reversible. i.1 Hind toe incumbent. j.1 Eyes directed forward. Outer toe re- versiblo Accipitres (Striges). j? Eyes lateral. Outer toe not reversible (except Pandion) Accipitres (Falconet?). i.- Hind toe short, elevated. . .Accipitres (Sarcorhamphi). f? Lower part of tibia not feathered near joint, or else bill lengthened and grooved. a.1 Hind toe, if present, elevated, or else claws ex- tremely lengthened. li.1 Whole head feathered, or else size small (length less than 1 foot) Limicoloe. ft.2 Part of head naked. Size large (more than 3 feet long) Paludicolae (Grufs). g.- Hind toe incumbent, and claws never extremely lengthened. ft.1 Loral and orbital regions fully feathered Paludicolae (Ralli). ft.2 Loral or orbital regions, or both, naked. i.1 Inner edge of middle claw pectinated Herodiones (Herodii). i.1 Inner edge of middle claw not pectinated. j.1 Sides of maxilla without trace of lateral groove Herodiones (Cicnn in'\ j." Sides of maxilla with distinct lateral groove Herodiones ( Il> i<>i>ln). d." Bill with distinctly fringed or toothed tomia. e.1 Legs extremely lengthened: bill bent abruptly downward at the middle Odontoglossae. e.~ Legs short or but moderately lengthened; bill not bent downwards in middle Anseres. r." Hind toe connected with the inner one by a web Steganopodes. ?).2 Nostrils tubular Tubinares. n.- Bectrices entirely absent Pygouodes OKDER PASSERES — THE PASSERINE BIRDS. 47 ORDEK PASSERES.— THE PASSERINE BIRDS. CHARACTEES. — Three toes in front and one behind; the latter well-developed and on a level with the rest. Bill without a cere, and never distinctly hooked.* Primaries 9 or 10; secondaries 9; rectrices usually 12, rarely 10 or 14. Wing-coverts arranged in three series or tracts, as follows: ,1) a well-defined lesser-covert area, the numerous small feathers of which are arranged in several rows, the feathers alternately in more or less squaraatc fashion; (2) the middle coverts, which form a single row, the feathers of which overlap one another with their inner webs, or the reverse of all the other feathers of the wing; (3) the greater coverts, which overlie the basal portion of the secondaries, but covering less than the basal half of the latter. The Order Passeres includes the vast assemblage of so-called "Perch- ing Birds," which comprises by far the larger part of known species. The majority of them are of small size, but there are many excep- tions to this rule, the Haven and other large Corvidce being true Passeres. The Passeres include two rather distinct major groups, which may be distinguished as follows : — Oscines. Tarsus compressed posteriorly, with comparatively sharp hinder edge; or else, hind claw longer than its digit, and straight. Clamatores. Tarsus cylindrical, the hind claw shorter than its digit and distinctly arched. ANALYSIS OF FAMILIES OF PASSERES. A. Oscines. a1. Posterior half of tarsus compressed, with two lateral plates uniting in a comparatively sharp edge, and for the most part undivided. &1. Primaries obviously 10, or else tip of bill hooked. c1. Tarsi "booted," i. e. the anterior plates undivided for the greater portion of their length. d1. With distinct rictal bristles. Rectriees normally developed. Nostril oval. e1. Larger (wing more than 3.00 inches). Young distinctly spot- ted Turdidfe. e2. Smaller (wing less than 3.00 inches). Young not spotted Sylviidae (Sylviince, ReguUnce). d". Without rictal bristles. Rectrices much abreviated. Nostrils linear Cinclidae. c2. Tarsi not booted, but anterior plates divided for the greater portion of their length into more or less distinct segments, or "scutella; " d1. Bill strongly hooked Laniidae. *An exception to this is found in the Family Laniidce, in which the maxilla is con- spicuously uncinate, with a pronounced notch and well developed tooth behind it. All the other characters ot this family, however, are distinctly Passerine. 48 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. ci*. Bill not strongly hooked. e1. Tarsus longer than middle toe with claw, or the bill elongat- ed, not depressed, narrower at base than length of culmen. /'. Bill moderately hooked at tip , Vireonidse. f"-. Bill not distinctly hooked at tip. gl. Tail-feathers stiff, pointed at tip CerthiidB. g". Tail-feathers normal. hl. Nasal feathers directed forward. il. Smaller (wing less than 4.00 inches). jl. Bill notched, subulate Sylviidae (PoUoptiUnan . j-. Bill without notch, more or less conoid Paridse. •i2. Larger (wing more than 4.00 inches) Corvides h2. Nasal feathers erect or inclined backward. i1. Bill elongate-conical, culmen straight. First primary minute, not reaching to tip of coverts. Sturnicljt i8. Bill not conical, culmen more or less curved. First primary well developed, extending be- yond tips of coverts Troglodytid?: . e*. Tarsus not longer than middle toe with claw. Bill short, de- pressed, width at base exceeding length of gonys Ampelidas. b". Primaries apparently only 9, the tip of the bill not hooked. e1. Bill very short, very broad at base and deeply cleft, the gape more than twice as long as the culmen. Outer primary more than twice as long as the innermost Hirundinidae . c-. Bill variously formed, but gape never twice as long as culmen, etc. Outer primary less than twice as long as the innermost. dl. Bill decurved and very acute at tip Caerebidae (Uertkiola). d-. Bill not decurved. e1. Bill not conoid; angle of gonys not forward of the nostril. f1. Terlials elongated, reaching nearly to tip of longest primaries. Hind claw nearly as long as, or longer than, its digit Motacillidae. &2. Tertials not elongated, falling far short of tips of longest primaries. Hind claw much shorter than its digit... Mniotiltidse. e2. Bill conoid; if slender, the angle of the gonys forward of the nostril. f1. Bill notched, and with bristles at gape. 01. Nostril exposed, rounded anteriorly, and without dis- tinct opercu'ium. Base of tomia not forming a distinct angle Tanagridas. g-. Nostril concealed by feathers, or pointed anteriorly and overhung by a distinct operculum, or base of tomia forming a distinct angle FringillidcG /*. Bill without notch, and without bristles at «;ipe Icterids. a2. Posterior half of tarsus not compressed, but rounded and divided into dis- tinct segments, or"scutellae," like the anterior half Alaudidee. B. Clamatores. a1. Inner toe entirely free at the base from the middle one. Posterior face of tarsus not reticulate Tyrannidae. a2. Inner toe with basal phalanx united to that of middle toe. Posterior face of tarsus reticulate Cotinjids. — THE THRUSHES. 49 FAMILY TURDID^E.— THE THRUSHES. CHARACTERS.— Bill slender, usually distinctly notched, and with distinct rictal bristles. Tarsi booted; i.e., the anterior covering undivided for the greater part of its length. Voting, distinctly spotted. All the North American Turdidse have the wing more than three inches long, and may thus be readily distinguished from members of the most nearly related family, the Sylviidse. The American Turdidse include two strongly marked sub-families, which may be distinguished as follows :— Turdinae. Gonys more than one third as long as the commissure. Myadestinae Gonys less than one third as long as the commissure. SUBFAMILY TURBINE.— THE TRUE THRUSHES. ANALYSIS OF GENERA. a.1 Wing less than five times as long as tarsus. b.~ First primary not reaching beyond tips of primary coverts. Tail with- out rufous patch at base. c.1 Tarsus not longer than middle toe with claw Hesperocichla. c.2 Tarsus decidedly longer than middle toe with claw. d.1 Second quill shorter than fourth. Tail without white at base. e.1 Tail less than three times as long as the tarsus Turdus (Hylocichla). e.z Tail more than three times as long as the tarsus Merula. d.- Second quill not shorter than fourth. Tail white at base Saxicola. &.2 First primary reaching beyond tips of primary coverts. Tail with rufous patch at base Cyanecula. a." Wing more than five times as long as the tarsus Sialia. Of the above genera, only Turdus, Merula, and Sialia are, so far as known, represented in the Illinois fauna. The typical species of Turdus are exclusively Old World, a single one (T. iliacus Linn.) occurring accidentally in Greenland. All the American species belong to a very strongly marked subgenus, or perhaps genus, Hylocichla, which differs from Turdus proper in the much more lengthened tar- sus, and other characters. —4 50 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. GENUS TTJRDTJS LINN^US. SUBGENUS Hylocichla Baird. Hylocichla BAIKD, Review Am. B., i., 1864. 12. Type, Turdus mustelinus GMEL. The essential characters of the subgenus Hylocichla consist in the much lengthened tarsus, proportionally shortened tail, and small size. The group comprises the small North American "Wood Thrushes," which are closely connected on the one side with CatJiarus, by their lengthened tarsi, and with Turdus by the shape of the wing. The bill is shorter, more depressed, and broader at base than in typical Turdus, so much so that the species have fre- quently been described under Muscicapa. It is not at all improbable that naturalists may ultimately con- clude to consider the group as of generic rank, as has already been done in some instances. As to their general appearance when seen in the forest, the Hylocichlse, with the exception of the Wood Thrush, which is conspicuously larger and more rich in color than its congeners, are much alike in their general appearance and in their habits. As has been truly said by a discriminating observer,* their general resemblance to one another is so close "that none but ex- perts can distinguish them, though, upon a close examination the characteristics of each are found to be marked with sufficient dis- tinctness to leave no doubt of their identification. In the field all three [i. e.fuscescens, swainsonii, and pallasii] have the same outline from beak to tail, the same russet coloring above and the same dull white breasts, more or less spotted ; but lay examples of each side by side and it will be proven that the Tawny was correctly named, for his russet plumes have a reddish tint in marked contrast with the greenish shade of the Olive-backed, while the Hermit is distin- guished by his tawny tail which changes to olive above the rump. But the actions of these birds are more nearly identical than either form or color, for whether seen hopping along the ground or perched upon a tree, feeding or flying, it is impossible to detect any differ- ence in them." *Mr. Montague Chamberlain, ill the Canadian Sportsman and Ji'attiralisl, Vol. III., No. 1, January, 1883, pp. 201-203. TURDID;E — THE THRUSHES. 51 Key to the species of Eastern North America. COMMON CHARACTERS.— Above plain brown: beneath white, more or less spotted with brown or dusky. Young, with the upper parts, including wing-coverts, spotted and streaked with yellowish fulvous. a1. Sides distinctly spotted, as well as the breast; culmen, .70 or more, and wing usually more than 4.25. 1. T. mustalinus. Above cinnamon-brown, brighter and more rufous on the crown, more olive on the tail; beneath, including the sides, white, the breast and sides marked with roundish or inversely cordate spots of black. Wing 4.10-4.50, tail 3.00-3.30, culmen .70-.75, tarsus 1.20-1.30, middle toe .70-.75. a". Sides uniform grayish or brownish, without distinct spots; jugulum, etc., more or less tinged with buff. Culmeu .60 or less, and wing usually less than 4. 1'5. b1. Second primary shorter than fifth, the fourth longest. Tail and upper coverts rufous, in decided contrast with the olive of the back, etc. A. distinct buff orbital ring. 2. T. aonalaschkae pallasii. Jugulum with very large triangular spots of dusky. Wing 3.40-3 90 (3.64), tail 2.55-3.15 (2.82), culmen .50-.60 (.54), tarsus 1.15-1.30 (1.19), middle toe .65-.75 (.70). b". Second primary much longer than fifth, the third longest. Tail and upper coverts, not noticeably different in color from the other upper parts. c1. A distinct buff orbital ring. 3. T.ustulatus swainsonii. Above uniform olive, of variable shade, the outer surface of the wings (and sometimes the tail also), very slightly browner, or less olive, than the back. Jugulum bright buff with rather large triangular spots of dusky. Wing 3.80-4.10 (3.9ti), tail 2.80-3.10(2.95). culmen .50-.55f.52), tarsus 1.05-1.18 (1.10), middle toe .65- .72 ( 69). c2. No trace of light orbital ring. 4. T. aliciae. Very similar to H. ustulatus swainsonii, but buff of jug- ulum. etc., usually very much paler, and buff orbital ring wholly ab- sent, the whole side of the head nearly uniform grayish. a alicice. Wing 3.75-4.40 (average 4.07), tail 2.95-3.40 (3.09), culmen .45-.5S (.55), tarsus 1.12-1,30 (1.18). middle toe .60-. 75 (.68). (3 bicknelli. Wing 3.40-3.80 (average 3.65), tail 2.60-2.70 (2'75), culmen .39-.52(5I), tarsus 1.10-1.25 (1.13), middle toe .65-.70 (.68). Bill more slender, and colors usually darker. 5. T. fuscescens. Above uniform fulvous-brown or tawny, jugulum creamy buff, marked with small cuneate spots or streaks of brown, somewhat darker than the crown. Two races, as fellows: a fuscescens. Above light fulvous-brown, ortawny; jugulum creamy buff with narrow cuneate markings of brown, scarcely dai ker in tint than the upper parts. Wing 3.75-4.15 (3.90), tail 2.70-3.30 (2.96), culmen .52-.60 (.55), tarsus 1.05.-125 (1.15), middle toe .G5-.72 (.69). (The prevalent eastern form.) ft i-alicicolus. Above russet-olive, jugulum very pale buff, with euuuulc markings of dark brown. Wing 3.80-4.25 (4.02), tail 2.95-3.40(3.20), culnien .55-.60 (.57), tarsus 1.15-1.28(1.17), middle toe .C5-.75 .69). (Rare straggler from the Rocky Mountains). 52 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Turdus mustelinus (Gmel.) WOOD THRUSH. Popular synonyms.— Bell Thrush; Bell Bird: Wood Robin; Grive des Bois and Merle tanne (Canadian French). Turdus mustelinus GMEL. S. N. i, 1788. 817.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 343.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1832, 372; v, 1839. 446, pi. 73; B. Am. iii, 1841, 24, pi. 144.— BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858. 212; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 148; Review, 1864, 13.— COUES, Key, 1872, 72; Check List, 1873, No. 3; 2d ed. 1882. No. 6; B. N. W. 1874, 2.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 7, pi. 1, Fig. 1. Turdus (Hylocichla) mustelinus COUES, B. Col. Yal. 1878, 28. Hylocichla mustelina RIDGW. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. iii, 1880, 166; Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 1. Turdus melodus WILS. Am. Orn. i, 1808, 35, pi. 2, Fig. 1. HAB. Eastern United States and British Provinces in summer, breeding throughout. In winter, Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, and Bermudas. SP. CH. Above bright tawny cinnamon-brown, more rufescent anteriorly, more gray- ish posteriorly; auriculars streaked white and dusky. Lower parts white, the breast and sides with large blackish spots. Adult in summer: Above cinnamon-brown, becoming bright tawny rufous on the head, the color clearer and somewhat lighter on the cervix; wings less reddish than the back, rump still more olivaceous, and tail decidedly grayish brown. A pure white orbital ring; lores grayish white, more gray immediately in front of the eye; aurieulars dusky, distinctly streaked with whitish. A white malar stripe, curving upward beneath the au- riculars, the anterior portion speckled with dusky. Entire lower parts white, usually somewhat tinged with buff on the breast; sides of throat bounded by a stripe of aggre- gated blackish cuneate streaks; jugulum marked with distinct cuneate or deltoid, the breast and sides with larger, broader, inversely cordate, spots of black; abdomen and crissum immaculate; throat with very few minute spots, or entirely immaculate. Bill dark horn-color, the basal half of the mandible paler; iris dark brown; tarsi and toes pale brown. Wing 4.10—4.50; tail, 3.00-3.30; culmen, .70— .75; tarsus, 1.20— 1.30; middle toe, .70— .75. Adult in winter: Similar, but jugulum more decidedly tinged with buff. Young, first plumage: Similar to the adult, but feathers of the pileum and back with paler (ochraceous) shaft-streaks; middle wing-coverts with terminal triangular spots of ochraceous, the greater coverts narrowly tipped with the same; spots on breast, etc., less sharply denned. Specimens of this species vary considerably in the intensity of the color of the upper surface, the variation involving both the rufous of the anterior and the grayish brown of the posterior portions. Beneath, the jugulum is occasionally without any buff tinge whatever, while in some spring specimens this color is quite as evident as in most autumnal or winter examples. The spots on the breast and sides also vary much in size and exact shape, being larger and more rounded in some, smaller and narrower in others ; in some speci- mens they are deep black, in others decidedly brownish. Extreme variations, however, in this respect, appear to be purely individual, and not at all dependent on locality. TURDID.E— THE THRUSHES. 53 Although a common species throughout the temperate portions of eastern North America, the Wood Thrush cannot be said to be a well-known bird in the same sense as the Eobin, Catbird, or other more familiar species; but to every inhabitant of rural districts his song, at least, is known, since it is of such a character that no one with the slightest appreciation of harmony can fail to be im- pressed by it. The song of the Wood Thrush is of a richer, more melodious tone than, perhaps, that of any other North American bird; and, did it possess continuity, would be incomparable. It is one of the few birds which the Mocking-bird cannot imitate — he cannot even ap- proach the liquid metallic melody of the Wood Thrush's tones. Yet, just as the hearer becomes an attentive listener the beauti- ful notes cease with disappointing abruptness. The favorite haunts of the Wood Thrush are damp woodlands and shaded dells, but he has on a few occasions been known to take up his abode in wooded parks within large cities. It is not often, however, that he is to be met with away from the wild- wood, where, however, he is by no means shy. The nest of this species is usually built upon a horizontal branch of a low tree, usually from six to ten — rarely fifteen — feet from the ground. It is a firm, compact structure, with much mud in its composition. The eggs are from three to five, but usually four, in number, and are of a uniform greenish blue color, thus, as does also the nest, closely resembling those of the Bobin, except in size, being considerably smaller. Turdus fuscescens Steph. WILSON'S THRUSH. Popular synonyms.— Tawny Thrush; Veery. Turdus mustelinus WILS. Am. Orn. v, 1812, 98, pi. 43, fig. 3 (nee GMEL.). Turdus fuscescens STEPH. Shaw's Gen. Zool. x, 1817, 182.— BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858, 214; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 151; Review, 1864, 17.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874. 9, pi. i.flg. 5,-CouES, Key, 1872, 73; Check List, 1873, No. 6; ed. 2, 1881. No. 7; B. N. W , 1874, 5; B. Col. Val. 1878. 39. Hylocichla fuscescens RIDGW. Proc. IT. S. Nat. iii, 1880, 166: Norn. N. Am., 1881, No. 2. Turdus wilsnni BONAP. Jour. Phila. Ac. iv. 1824. 34.— ADD. Orn. Biog. ii,1834. 362, pi. 164; Synop. 1839, 90; B. Am. iii, 1841, 27, pi. 145. Merula minor Sw. & RICH. F. B. A. ii, 1831. 179, pi. 36. Turdus brunneus BREWER. Jour. Bost. Soc. vi, 1852, 304. HAB. Ea&tern United States and British Provinces; wintering in the Southern States and in Cuba, and breeding in the northern portions of its range. (Replaced in the Rocky Mountains by the allied race T. fuscescens sulicicolus). 54 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. SP. CH. Above uniform, rather Hght fulvous brown, varying in precise shade; no Irace of a lighter orbital-ring, the sides of the head being nearly uniform grayish, as in T. alicice. Jugulum and posterior portion of throat creamy buff, with cuneate spots of brown, usually a little darker than the color of the crown, these markings narrower and more distinct anteriorly; chin and upper part of throat, nearly white, immaculate, but bordered along each side by a longitudinal series of brown streaks, sometimes blended into a single stripe, below an ill-defined whitish or buffy malar stripe; lores pale grayish or grayibh white; auriculars darker and more brownish. Sides of breast, sides, and flunks, light brownish gray, the sides of the breast sometimes faintly spotted with a deeper shade, but frequently uniform; tibise grayish white in front, brown on posterior >ide; rest of lower parts pure white. Bill dusky, the basal half of the mandible paler; iris dark brown; tarsi pale brown (in skin), toes darker. Wing 3.75-4.15 (3.95); tail 2.70-3.30 (3.02); tarsus 1.05-1.25 (1.15); middle toe .G5-.72 (.69); culrnen 'exposed portion) .52-. 60 (.56).* In summer, the colors paler; in fall and winter, the brown above brighter, the buff of jugulum deeper, and spots darker. "First plumage: female. Above bright reddish- buff, deepest on back and rump; feathers of pileum, aape, back, and wing-coverts margined with dark brown, confining the lighter color to somewhat indefinitely defined central drop-shaped spots. Lores and line from lower mandible along sides of throat, dark sooty-brown; throat, sides and abdomen pale brownish-yellow with indistinct transverse bands of brown; breast deep buff, each feather edged broadly with dull sooty-brown; anal region dirty white. In my collection, taken in Cambridge, Mass., July 23, 1874." (BEEWSTEK, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, January, 1878, p. 18.) Specimens vary a great deal in the precise shade of brown on the upper parts, which, however, is always decidedly more fulvous or tawiiy than in any other species, while there is also much varia- tion in the depth of the buff color and the distinctness of the spots or streaks on the jugulum and sides of throat; the latter are occa- sionally, but rarely (as in No. 63058 $, Massachusetts, and 2145 $, Pennsylvania), very small and no darker in color than the upper parts. Wilson's Thrush is a common enough bird of the northern United States, but south of the parallel of 40° it is known only as a migrant, or winter resident, and on the Alleghames, where, at the proper altitude it spends the summer. According to Dr. Brewer (Hist. N. Am. B., I, p. 10; "it is timid, distrustful, and retiring; delighting in shady ravines, the edges of thick, close woods, and occasionally the more retired parts of gardens." The song of this Thrush is so very delicate and wiry that the hearer must be near by to catch all the subtle quavers and trills which are its characteristics. Dr. Brewer says it "is quaint, but not unmusical ; variable in its character, changing from a prolonged and monotonous whistle to quick and almost shrill notes at the close. Their melody is not unfrequently prolonged until quite late in the evening, and, in consequence, in some portions of Massa- *Extreme and average measurements of 16 adults. TURDID.E — THE THKUSHES. 55 chusetts these birds are distinguished by the name of Nightingale,— a distinction due rather to the season than to the high quality of their song." This estimate of the song of the Tawny Thrush is shared by Mr. Chamberlain, who says (1. c.) that "the Veery displays the least musical ability yet his simple strain is exceedingly pleasant to the ear and his beautiful voice exhibits most strongly that pecnlier resonant metallic tone which is characteristic of the genus." The nest is placed on or near the ground, resting on a thick mat of dry leaves, and is without mud in its composition. The eggs are four or five in number, of a bluish green color, usually immacu- late, but in very rare cases finely speckled with brown. Mr. H. K. Coale's notes regarding this species as observed by him in the vicinity of Chicago, are to the effect that it is a rather com- mon migrant, but not often seen, on account of its shyness, and that it is generally found in clearings, in company with Towhee Buntings. Turdus fuscescens salicicolus (Ridgw.) WILLOW THRUSH. Popular synonym.— Rocky Mountain Veery. Turdus fuscescens BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858, 922, 927 (Ft. Bridger, Wyoming).— ALLEN. Bull. M. C. Z. iii, 1872, 155. 173 (Mts. of Colorado).— BIDGW. Bull. Essex Inst. 1873, 172 (Salt Lake Valley. Utah); Bull. Esses Inst. 1873, 179 (Colorado); ib. 1875, 35(Provo K..Utah); Orn. 40th Paral. 1874.398 (valleys of Bear. Provo, and Weber E's. Utah; breeding).— HENSHAW, Ann. Lye. N. Y. xi, 1874 (Utah); JRep. Wheeler's Exp. 1874, 39, 56, 71 (do.); Zool. Wheeler's Exp. 1875, 148 (Denver & Ft. Garland. Colorado; breeding).— COUES. B. N. W. 1874, 5 (part). Turdus (Hylocichla) fuscescens COUES. B. Col. Val. 1878, 39 (part). Hylociclila fuscescens salicicola RIDGW. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vol. 4, Apr. 10,1882,374. Turdus fuscescens salicicolus COUES, 2d Key, 1884, 246. HAB. Rocky Mountain region, west to the Salt Lake Valley; wintering in eastern Mexico (and southward?). Accidental fall straggler to Illinois (Chicago, Sept. 16, 1877, H. K. Coale. CH.— Similar to T. fuscescens, but averaging decidedly larger, the upper parts much less tawny, and the jugulum less distinctly buff. Wing 3.80-4.25 (4.02); tail 2.95-3.40 (3.20); culmen .55-. 60 (.57); tarsus 1.15-1.28 (1.17); middle toe .65-.7S (.69).* Adult in spring: Above uniform russet-olive (much as in T. ustulatus); jugulum and lower part of throat pale buff, as in ustulatus, much lighter than in fuscescens, the mark- ings, however, small and narrow as in the latter. Sides of head dull grayish, without trace of lighter orbital ring; sides of breast, sides, and flanks ash-gray (rather deeper than in fuscescens), the breast very faintly or not at all spotted with darker. * Extreme and average measurements of 11 adults. 56 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Adult in fall and winter: Above darker, more umber, browu; jugulum and lower part and sides of throat deeper buff, with much darker spots. The general appearance of this bird at first glance is more that of T. usttdatus than true T. fuscescens, the upper parts and anterior lower parts being quite similarly colored. A close examination, how- ever, immediately reveals radical differences, the most important of which is the total absence of any light orbital ring, which is always present, and very distinct, in ustulatus. The wings and tail, instead of being appreciably more rufescent than the back and rump are, on the other hand, less so; the buff of the jugulum gives way very abruptly to the ash-gray on the sides of the breast, and the spots end quite as abruptly, the breast being plain ash-gray laterally, and white medially, with very indistinct spots of grayish between the white and the gray. In ustulatus the sides are decidedly brown, with very distinct transverse spots of a darker shade of the same color entirely across the breast. Another excellent character consists in the color of the axillars and lining of the wing, which are light grayish in the present bird, and deep brownish buff in ustulatus. The differences from typical fuscescens of the Atlantic States, as indicated in the above diagnosis, are exceedingly constant. A specimen from Chicago, 111., in the collection of H. K. Coale, of that city, (No. 1568, Coll. H. K. C., Sept. 16), is referable to this race, and is evidently a fall straggler from the Eocky Mountain district. It is even more olive above than most specimens from that region, having almost exactly the same shade of color as a fall specimen of T. swainsonii from Massachusetts, the latter, however, an unusually brown example. The entire absence of any light or- bital ring, the narrow, almost linear, streaks of the jugulum, and the peculiar proportions, however, refer it at once to fuscescens. This form was named salldcolas on account of its marked predi- lection for willow thickets, to which, along the streams in the val- leys and lower canons of the Rocky Mountain region, it is chiefly confined during the breeding season. The Willow Thrush is a purely accidental visitor to the country east of the Mississippi River, its occurrence in Illinois resting upon the capture of a single specimen in Chicago, by Mr. Henry K. Coale, September 16, 1877, as noted above. (See " Nuttall Bulletin," Oct., 1883, p. 239.) TURDHXE — THE THRUSHES. 57 This strongly marked race is decidedly distinct from its eastern representative in both habits and song, the latter being far finer. Turdus alicise Baird. GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH. Popular synonym. Alice's Thrush. Turdus alicke BATED, B. N. Am. 1858, 217; ed. 1861, pi. 81. fig. 2; Cat. N. Atn. B. 1859. No. 154; Review, 1801,21.— B. B. & R. Hist, N. Am. B. i, 1874. ii, pi, i. flg. 3. Turdus swainsoni var. al'miw COUES, Key, 1872, 73; Check List, 1873, No. 5a. Tardus swainsonii b. alicitc COUES B. N. W. 1874, 4; B. Col. Val. 1878. 35. Turdus untulatus aliciai COUES, 2nd Check List, 1882, No. 12. Hylocichlaalicice'R-LDGVf.Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. iii. 1880, 166; Nom. N. Am. B. 1880, No. 3. HAB. Arctic and subarctic America in summer, from Labrador to Alaska (Pacific coast); passing through the eastern United States during migrations, and wintering in Central America, south to Colombia: eastern Siberia. SP. CH. Above uniform greenish olive-brown; no trace of light orbital rinj. Beneath white usually more or less tinged with buff on the jugulum, the sides uniform olive-gray. Jugulum with lower parts and sides of throat marked with rather small triangular spots ot dusky. Wing, 3.85-4.40 (4.18); tail, 2.85-3.25 (3.05): culmen, .50-.58 (.54); tarsus, 1.15-1.2") (1.19); middle toe, .65-. 72 (.69).* Adult in Spring. Above uniform greenish olive-brown, the tail and outer portion of wings sometimes appreciably browner, or less greenish; sides of head nearly uniform dull grayish, the auriculars faintly streaked with white. Malar region and lower parts in general, white, the entire sides uniform olive-gray, and the jugulum usually (but not always) more or less tinged with light buff; jugulum, with lower part and sides of throat, niarked with rather small but very distinct deltoid spots of dusky, these markings more cuneate anteriorly, and forming a nearly continuous submalar stripe along each side of throat, the extreme posterior spots decidedly transverse; breast marked with transverse spots of olive-gray, like the color of the sides. Bill black, the basal half of the mandible pale colored (dull flesh-color in life); interior of mouth bright yellow; tarsi and toes pale brown or horn-color, the toes usually darker. Adult in fall and winter. Similar, but usually more greenish olive, and the buff tinge on jugulum more distinct. Turdus alicice is apparently a very near ally of T. fuscescens, with which it agrees much more closely in measurements and in pattern of coloration, than with T. ustulatus swainsonii with which it has usually been compared, and, by many confused, though needlessly so. From the latter it may be invariably distinguished by the en- tire absence of a light orbital ring, the whole side of the head being nearly uniform grayish, as in fuscescens. The spots on the jugulum average decidedly smaller; the jugulum and malar region are much less distinctly buff; the sides much grayer, etc. Some specimens of alicice and swainsonii are identical in the color of the upper parts, *Extreme and average measurements of 38 adults. 58 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. but a large majority of the former species are decidedly darker and less brown, appearing on actual comparison almost gray in con- trast. There is the usual range of individual variation in this species, affecting not only the color but the proportions also; but I have been unable to discover any variation with locality, although specimens from the far North, being in midsummer dress, are paler and grayer than specimens from the United States obtained in spring or autumn, and therefore in fresher plumage. First described in 1858 from specimens obtained at West North- field, Illinois, by Miss Alice Kennicott, and near Cairo by her brother, the lamented Robert Kennicott, this species remained for several years rare in collections and its distribution comparatively unknown ; but at the present time its habits and range are known perhaps as exactly as those of any of its congeners. Everywhere within the United States the typical form is merely a migrant, although a small southern race passes the summer on the higher mountains of the extreme northeastern portions of the country; but of the latter it may be best to treat specially under its appro- priate heading. (See T. alicice bicknelli, page 59). The breeeding range of the Gray-cheeked Thrush includes a vast extent of territory, from the bleak regions of Labrador to the shores of the Arctic Ocean and westward to the coasts of Behring's Sea, including those of the Asiatic as well as the American side. In its general habits, this species much resembles its congeners, being, perhaps, most like T. ustalatus swainsonii, although its rela- tionship to T. fusccscens are in some respects equally close. The eggs are spotted, like those of the Olive-backed Thrush, however, and not plain colored as are usually, but not invariably, those of the Tawny. The notes are said to be quite distinctive, the song being most like that of the Hermit Thrush, "but differs in being its exact inverse," beginning with its highest and concluding with its lowest notes, instead of the reverse. TURDID^E — THE THRUSHES. 69 Turdus alicise bicknelli (Ridgw.) BICKNELL'S THRUSH. Hylocichla alicice bicknelli RIDGW. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. Vol. 4, Apr. 10, 1882, 377.— BICK- NELL, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, July, 1882, pp. 152-159 (habits).— BEEWSTEK, il>. Jan.. 1883. pp. 12-17 (critical). Turdus alicice bicknelli COUES, 2d Key, 1884, 248. HAB. Higher mountains of the northeastern United States, from the CatskUls anil Aclirondacks, in New York, to the White mountains of New Hampshire; breeding from an elevation of 4.000 feet upward. Straggler to Illinois 'Warsaw, May 24, 18S4; Chas.K Worthen). SUBSP. CHAR. Similar to Turdus alicice Baird, but much smaller and (usually) with the bill more slender. Wing, 3.40-3.80 (3.65); tail, 2.60-2.90 (2.75); culmen, .50-. 52 (.51); tarsus. 1.10-1.25 (1.13); middle toe, .65-.70 (.68). The seven specimens upon which this new race is based are uniformly very much smaller than true T. alicice, with slenderer bills, and present also certain slight but rather indefinite peculiarities of coloration. After a very careful comparison, however, I am un- able to find any constant color-differences which can be expressed in a diagnosis. Some specimens, notably the two males from Slide Mountain (where Mr. Bicknell found the present bird breedingin company with T. ustulatus swainsoniiand T. aonalaschkce pallasii, and having very distinctive habits and notes as compared with the two species in question), have the upper parts much browner than in alicice, with the wings and tail appreciably more reddish. In fact, the general aspect of the upper parts approaches more closely that of T. ustulatus, but the shade is much darker and less fulvous, while, as in typical alicice, there is no trace of a lighter orbital ring. The bill is much more slender than in most specimens of the larger form, while in several examples it is of a very peculiar shape, being much depressed basally, with the middle portion of the culmen somewhat concave. In fact, the bill in these specimens is much like that of the Nightingale (Lus- cinia philomela) in shape, but with even a more prominent angle at the base of the gonys, aud still more depressed at the base. The extreme form of the bill, in this respect, as ex- hibited in No. 653 (coll. E. P. B.), suggests very strongly that of a Dipper, or Water Ouzel (Cinclus) in miniature. This newly discovered race, was first obtained on the Catskill Mountains by Mr. Eugene P. Bicknell, to whose kindness I arn in- debted for the privilege of describing it. Mr. Bicknell found it breeding on Slide Mountain, at an elevation of 4,000 feet, and made careful observations on its habits, which were recorded in the "Nut- tall Bulletin" for July, 1882, pp. 152-159. A single specimen was obtained at Warsaw, Illinois, on the 24th of May, 1884, by Mr. Chas. K. Worthen, thus considerably extend- ing its known range and adding it to the fauna of this State. 60 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Turdus ustulatus swainsonii (Cab.) OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH. Popular synonyms.— Swainson's Thrush; Swamp Robin (New England). Tin-dux xirahifonii CABAN. Faun, Per. 1815-46, 187.— BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858, 216; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 153; Review, 1804, 19.— COUES, Key, 1872/72: Check List. 1872, No. 5; B. N. W. 1874, 4; B. Col. Val. 1878, 34.— B. B. & R., Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 14, pi. i, fig. 4. IlylocicJila ustulata swainsoni RIDGW. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. iii., 1880, 166; Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 4«. Titrc1ns ustulatus swainsoni COUES, 2d Key, 1884, 248. HAB. Eastern North America, including the Rocky Mountain district, west to the border of the Great Basin; breeding in the British Provinces and far southward in the Rocky Mountains; wintering in southern Union States,* Central America and various parts of South America (Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, etc.). SP. CH. Adult. Above uniform olive-brown, more grayish in some examples; a very distinct orbital ring of buff; supraloral stripe, malar region, chin, throat, and jug- uluin, light buff, usually deepest toward sides of head and neck. Jugulum thickly marked with very broad triangular spots of dusky brown (much darker than the color of the crown), these markings more cuneate anteriorly, and continued along sides of the throat in a series of longitudinal dashes, usually blended into a more or less continuous sub- malar stripe, narrower and unbroken anteriorly; chin and upper part of throat immacu- iute; sides of breast, sides, and flanks, olivaceous-gray; rest of lower parts pure white; breast marked with distinct transverse spots of deep brownish gray; tibiae light brownish gray. Axillars and lining of wing deep grayish fulvous, mixed with ochraceous. Bill dusky, basal half of mandible pale (dull flesh-color in life); interior of mouth rich yellow (in life); iris dark brown; tarsi and toes pale brownish, the latter darker. Length, 7.— 7.50; extent of wings, 11.50— 12.25; wing. 3.80-4 10 (3.96); tail, 2.80— 3.10 (2.95); culmen. .50— .55 (.52); tarsus, 1.05—1.18 (1.10); middle toe, .65— .72 (.69).t "First plumage: Male. Above much darker than adult, each feather, excepting on rump and tail-coverts, with a tear-shaped spot of rich buff; beneath like adult, but rather more darkly and thickly spotted on the breast, and with narrow terminal bands of dull black on the feathers of the lower breast and sides. From a specimen in my collection shot at Upton, Me.. August 4, 1874." (BKEWSTEB, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, Jan.. 1878. p. 18.) Among a large series of specimens there is much variation in the precise shade of color of the upper parts, some being much grayer than others. As a rule, examples from the Eocky Mountains are appreciably grayer than those from the East, and in the case of two or three the difference is very decided ; but after a careful com- parison I find that that the difference is not sufficiently constant to warrant varietal distinction, especially since the measurements of the two series coincide very closely. I *The only record the author has seen is that of Mr. W. W. Cooke, in the Ornithologist mul Oologist. for December, 188:}. p. 83, to the effect that this species has been found win- tering in the Mississippi bottom, Illinois. t Extreme and average measurements of 14 examples. + A series including 5 males and 2 females from the Eastern States and Rocky Moun- tains average as follows: Wing. Tail. C'lmen Tarsus M. toe. Eastern specimens — 3.96 2.92 .52 1.12 .69 Seven specimens measured. Western 3.96 2.98 .52 1.09 .69 TURDIDJfi — THE THRUSHES. 61 A specimen said to be from San Francisco (No. 39468; F. Bisch- off) agrees exactly with eastern specimens. There may be an error in the locality, or it may be an accidental straggler.* Three specimens from the Yukon region in Alaska (50146, Kamen- sichta, May 31, W. H. Dall; 73227, Ft. Yukon, June 22, L. M. Turner; and 81106, Anvik, lower Yukon, May or June, E. W. Nelson), are more grayish, like Rocky Mountain examples. Extralimital specimens are from Tehuantepec, Guatemala, Costa Eica, and Ecuador (55335, Archidona, Rio Napo; Orton). They agree entirely with North American specimens. The Olive-backed Thrush, or "Swamp Robin" as it is familiarly known in New England, is another of the species which in most parts of the United States where it is found occurs simply as a migrant. It breeds from northern New England north well into the more southern parts of the region inhabited by T. alicice, both species often breeding in the same localities and yet each retaining its special characteristics of habits and notes — a fact sufficient to at once dispose of any theory of their representing races of one species. In the higher mountains, this species breeds far southward, Wilson having found its nest and eggs on the high lands of north- ern Georgia, while in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado Mr. Hen- shaw found it abundant, in May, in the vicinity of Fort Garland. The song of this species, according to the writer's experience in the mountains of Utah, is simple and brief, but very sweet, though less so than that of either T. fuscescens salicicolus or T. aonalaschkce. Mr. H. K. Coale informs me that several specimens shot in May, 1883, were about a dead cow, where they had probably been at- tracted by the supply of maggots. The nest of the Olive-backed Thrush is usually built in bushes or low trees, near or along the banks of streams. Those found by the writer in the mountains of Utaht were in willows overhanging or growing very near to the banks of a mountain brook at heights varying from three to ten, but usually about seven, feet from the ground. In no instance were there more than four eggs in a nest. The composition of the nest of this species (as built in New Bruns- wick) is thus described by Mr. Chamberlain :t "In a specimen of this nest before me coarse grass is the predominating material in *The "make" of this skin is precisely that of specimens prepared by the same col- lector at Peoria, Illinois. t Ornithology of the 40th Parallel, pp. 397, 398. t Canadian Sportsman and Naturalist, Jan., 1883, p. 20. <>li BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. the external parts, but in the walls twigs of spruce, bits of lichens and dried leaves are mixed with the grass and all are woven into a solid mass, very firm and strong. The lining is formed by a layer of fine grass interwoven with pieces of a black, vine-like root, all neatly laid; over these, at the bottom, is a layer of skeleton leaves. The measurements are : Depth, inside, If inches ; width at mouth, •2f inches ; outside, the diameter is irregular, varying from 4i to 5 inches. Mr. J. W. Banks tells me that of some fifty nests of the Olive-backed Thrush that he has examined all were lined with skele- ton leaves ; but Mr. Harold Gilbert found one in 1878 that was lined with moose hair. This nest was built in a garden, in the suburbs of St. John, within twenty feet of the house and but an arm's-length from one of the main walks. The moose hair was furnished by a tame animal kept on the grounds." Turdus aonalaschkae pallasii (Cab.) HERMIT THRUSH. Popular synonyms.— Eastern Hermit Thrash; Rufous-tailed Thrush ; Swamp Robin, or Ground Swamp Robin (New England); Solitary Thrush. Turdus solitarius (not of LINN.) WJLS. Am. Orn. v, 1812, 95 (not pi. 43, fig. 2, which= swainsonit.-A.VD. Synop. 1839. 91; B. Am. iii, 1841, 29, pi. 146. Merula solitaria Sw. & RICH. F. B. A. ii, 1831, 184, D!. "35" (=37). Turdus minor (not of GM.) NUTT. Man. i. 1832, 346.-A.UD. Orn. Biog. i. 1832, 303, pi. 58. Turdus pallasii CABAN. Wiegm. Archiv. 1847, i. 205.— BATED, B. N. Am. 1858, 212; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 149; Review, 1864, 14.— COUES, Key, 1872, 72; Check List, 1873, No. 4; B. N. W. 1874, 2; B. Col. Val. 1878. 20.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i. 1874, 18, pi. i, fig. 6. Turdus aonalaschkcR pallasi RIDGW. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. Vol. iii, March 22, 1830, 1. Hylocichla unalascce pallaxi RIDGW. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. iii, 1880, 166. Norn. N. Am. B. 1880, No. 5k. Turdus unalascce nanus COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 10. HAB. Eastern North America, breeding chiefly north of the United States and win- tering in the more southern States, or from about the parallel of 40° to the Gulf coast. Represented in western North America by the allied races auduboni (Rocky Mountain district) and aonalaschkaz (Pacific coast). SP. CH. Second primary shorter than fifth. Tail much more reddish than back. Wing, 3 40-3.90(3.64): tail, 2.55-3.15 (2.88); culmen, .50-. 60 (.54); tarsus, 1.15-1.30 (1.19); middle toe, .65-. 75 (.70).* * Extreme and average measurements of 24 adults. The average of 32 adults meas- ured by Mr. Henshaw (cf. Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club) is slightly different, being, wing. 3.61; tail, 2.87; culmen, .53; tarsus, 1 15. Though the sexes are not constantly different in dimen- sions, the ? is usually a little the smaller, as the following averages of 16 males and 8 females will show: Wing. Tail. Culmen. Tarsus. Middle toe. Males . .... 3 71 3 00 55 1 21 70 Females . 3.57 2 77 53 1 17 70 TURDID.SJ — THE THRUSHES. C>3 Adult in spring and early summer. Above uniform olive-brown, changing to dull cinnamon-rufous on the tail, the upper tail-coverts of an intermediate tint; outer portion of the wings more rusty than the back, but much less rufous than the tail. A very distinct orbital ring of pale buff ; auriculars and suborbital region dull grayish brown, in- distinctly streaked with paler. Lower parts dull white, purer on the abdomen, the jugu lum usually faintly tinged with buff: jugulum marked with large deltoid spots of dark brown or blackish, the more posterior of these spots broader and less pointed, the ante rior ones more cuneate; sides of the neck with cuneute streaks of dark brown or blackish. narrower and more linear anteriorly, where they form a well defined stripe or "bridle" along each side of the throat; malar region dull white, indistinctly speckled or streaked with brown; breast with distinct roundish or somewhat saggitate spots of deep grayish brown; sides and flanks light grayish olive-brown, axillars and lining of wing pale dull ocliraceous; tibiae olive-brown. Adult in fall and winter. Similar, but above much browner (almost umber on the back), the tail deeper rufous, the jugulum more distinctly tinged with huff, and the sid'-s browner olive. "First plumage: female. Kemiges and rectrices as in adult, but darker and duller; rump and tail-coverts bright rusty-yellow; rest of upper parts, including wing-coverts dark reddish brown, each feather with a central tear- shaped spot of golden- yellow; en- tire under parts rich buff, fading to soiled white on abdomen and anal region; each feather on jugulum and breast broadly tipped with dull black, so broadly, indeed, that this color covers nearly four-fifths of the parts where it occurs; rest of under parts, with exception of abdomen and crissum, which with the central region of the throat are im- maculate, crossed transversely with lines of dull black. From a specimen in my collec- . tion shot at Upton, Me., June 20, 1873. This bird was very young, — scarcely able to fly, ic fact,— yet the color of the rectrices is sufficiently characteristic to separate it at om-r from the corresponding stage of T. swainsoni, which it otherwise closely resembles. Another specimen of apparently nearly the same age, taken at Eye Beach. N. H., July 25, 1872, differs in having a decided reddish or rusty wash over the entire plumage, and by the spots on the breast being brownish instead of black." (BEEWSTER, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Ciub, Jan., 1878, p. 17.) Specimens vary a good deal in the precise shade of color on the upper parts, the relative blackness of the spots on the jugulum, the distinctness of the buff tinge to the latter region, and other minor details. In the spring or early summer plumage the color of the back is much that of T. ustulatits siocdnsonii , but is browner, or with less of an olive cast. In winter the back and crown are sometimes decidedly reddish brown, some specimens, (as Nos. 7591, Washing- ton. D. C. and 54823, Enterprise, Florida, Feb. 1), being in fact even more rufescent than the Rocky Mountain form of T. fascescaix. The spots on the jugulum vary in form from decidedly cuneate to broadly deltoid, and in color from dark grayish brown to black. An excellent treatise on the several geographical races of this species by Mr. H. W. Henshaw may be found in the "Nuttall Bul- letin," for July, 1879, pp. 134-189. The Hermit Thrush is a species of more general distribution than any other of the small thrushes, being found entirely across the continent and north to the arctic regions. It is not quite the saint' bird, however, in all parts of its range, the Rocky Mountain region 64 BIRDS OB* ILLINOIS. being occupied by a larger, grayer, race, while in the Pacific coast district a dwarf race takes its place. These two geographical forms being sufficiently distinct to rank as subspecies they need not be mentioned further here. The "Ground Swamp Robin," as this species is known in parts of New England in contradistinction from its relative, the Olive-backed ed Thrush, (called "Swamp Robin") breeds from Massachusetts north- ward, and passes the winter from the Middle States, or from about the parallel of 40° to the Gulf coast. It has been found common in winter in vicinity of Washington, D. C., during the severest weather, the mercury registering -16°. Most of the habits of this species are very similar to those of its congeners. Its song is said by Dr. Brewer to be "very fine, having many of the characteristics of that of the Wood Thrush. It is as sweet, has the same tinkling sounds, as of a bell, but is neither so powerful nor so prolonged, and rises more rapidly in its intonations. It begins with low, sweet notes, and ends abruptly with its highest, sharp ringing notes." GENUS Merula LEACH. Hernia LEACH, Syst. Cat. Mamm. and Birds. 1816, p. 20. Type, Turdus merula Linn. GEN. CHAR. Tail about four-fifths as long as the wing, and more than three times as long as the tarsus, slightly rounded; tarsus a little longer than commissure, exceeding middle toe and claw by less than the length of the latter; 3d, 4th, and 5th auills longest, the 2d about eaual to the 6th, never much longer or shorter. 3d to 6th quills with outer webs stnuated. Outstretched feet not reaching beyond the middle of the tail. Plumage variable, but never distinctly spotted beneath, except in young. Sexes sometimes very different in plumage. The above characters apply equally well to the type species, M. merula (the European Blackbird) and the North American repre- sentative congener, M. miyratoria. The former, however, has the tail a little longer, proportionally, has the bill decidedly narrower at the base, and has the plumage uniform black in the male, gray- ish brown in the female. North America possesses only two species of this genus, the com- mon so-called Robin (M. migratorla) and the M, conftnis (Baird) of Lower California, the latter being very distinct. TURDIM3 — THE THEUSHES. 65 Merula migratoria (Linn.) AMERICAN ROBIN. Popular synonyms— Robin; Robin Red-breast; Migratory Thrush; Robin Thrush; Red-breasted Thrush; American or Carolina Fieldfare. Turdus migratorius LINN. S. N. i, 1766, 292.— WILSON, Am. Orn. i, 1808, 35, pi. 2. fig. 2.— NUTT. Man. i. 1832, 338.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 190, v, 1839, 442, pJ. 131; Synop. 1839, 89; B. Am. iii, 1841, 14, pi. 142.— BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858, 218; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 155; Review, 1864, 28.— COUES, Key, 18:2, 71; Check List, 1873. No. 1; 2d ed. 1882, No. 1; B. N. W. 1874, i, 228; B. Col. Val. 1878, 8.-B. B. £ R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 25, pi. 2, fig. 3. Merula migratoria Sw. &RICH. P. B. A. il, 1831, 176.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 7. HAB. Breeding throughout northern and eastern North America, but more sparingly in the Southern States. Replaced in the western United States and high table-lands of Mexico by the allied race M. miyratorta propii/qua. SP. CH. Adult $ in summer: Head deep black, with the lower eyelid, part of the upper eyelid, and a supra-loral streak, pure white; chin pure white, the throat streaked with the same, Upper parts grayish slate-color, the scapulars and interscapulars show- ing darker centers, these usually most conspicuous anteriorly; wiug-coverts also darker centrally but this mostly concealed; primaries, primary-coverts, and alu 35, black, narrowly but distinctly edged with ash-gray. Tail uniform slate-black, the two outer feathers with inner webs distinctly tipped with white, Juguluin, breast, entire sides, upper part of abdomen, axillars, and lining of the wing, uniform deep rufous or reddish ochraceous (varying much in shade in different individuals); posterior part of abdomen and femoral region pure white; anal region and crissura white, mixed with plumbeous, this mostly beneath the surface. Bill, bright yellow, tipped with dusky; iris brown; tarsi and toes brownish black or dark horn-color— sometimes deep black. Total length lo.-ll; extent 15.50-17.; wing. 8.10-5,40; tail, 4.10-4.50; culmen, 8S-.92; tarsus, 1.30-1.40; middle toe, .82-.9S* Adult 9 in summer: Usually a little paler and duller in color than the male, but not always distinguishable. Bill less purely yellow; dimensions about the same. Adult in winter: Upper parts decidedly tinged with olive; rufous feathers of the lower parts distinctly bordered with white, producing a scaly appearance. Bill mostly blackish, the yellow confined chiefly to the lower mandible. Young in first winter: Differing from the autumnal or winter adult in much paler colors; head grayish, the pileum scarcely or not at all darker than the back, the upper parts being uniform dull gray; breast, etc., reddish ochraceous, much mixed with white posteriorly, the jugulum tinged with ashy. A more or less distinct supra-auricular streak of white. Young in first plumage: Pileum and side of head dull blackish, with an indistinct dull whitish superciliary streak between; the lower eyelid also whitish. Upper parts dull brownish gray, the scapulars and interscapulars variegated with blackish terminal bars and whitish shaft-streaks; lesser and middle wing-coverts also marked with pale shaft- streaks. A whitish malar-stripe, bordered below by a blackish stripe along each side of throat; chin and throat white, immaculate, or with only very faint scattered specks, lireast, sides and abdomen, pale rufous or ochraceous, thickly spotted with black; lining of wings uniform ocliracoous or pale rufous; posterior lower parts chiefly whitish. *Extreme measurement of 9 adult males. —5 66 BIKDS OF ILLINOIS. Among a large series of specimens, such as that contained in the U. S. National Museum, there is of course, a very considerable range of individual variation, but the extremes of normal variation are included in the general terms of the above diagnoses. The deepest-colored specimen in the series is an adult male obtained at Laurel, Maryland, April 3, 1879, (No. 82,539 ; H. Marshall). In this the dorsal feathers are all black, but distinctly bordered with slate-gray. All the wing feathers are decidedly black centrally, this showing very conspicuously on the tertials, while the primaries, with their coverts and alulae are deep slate-back, narrowly, but very sharply edged with pale gray. The black of the head is very intense, while the black streaks on the throat, are much broader than the white ones. The lower parts are of a very rich, bright, uniform rufous. The bill, in the fresh specimen, was a pure, rich, golden-yellow, with the extreme tip black. This specimen I do not consider to be at all abnormal in the respects indicated, however, but believe that it represents merely the most perfect plumage of the fully adult male. The palest colored individual is a female from the District of Colum- bia, obtained October 15 (No. 59,304; D. W. Prentiss), and in the plu- mage described above as that of the young in first autumn. The entire upper parts are a uniform ash-gray (slightly tinged with olive anteriorly), the feathers of the pileum darker centrally. The entire throat is white, very narrowly streaked with dusky. The breast and sides pale rufous, or bright reddish ochraceous, strongly shaded with ash-gray across the jugulurn, and posteriorly broken into large spots by the broad white borders to the feathers. The habits of the American Eobin are too well known to require particular description. With many characteristics which of them- selves should endear him to every lover of birds, he possesses cer- tain bad qualities which have made him enemies. Seeking the so- ciety of man, he "outwears his welcome" by pilfering cherries and other small fruits with most provoking industry and pertinacity; and though a persistent singer during early morn, he delivers his sweet carol in a vacillating manner and quite spoils its effect by the interspersion of harsh, squeaky notes, while as the "evening shades deepen" his sharp complaining chirps annoy us by their too frequent repetition ; and the twilight seems to make him all the more vociferous. However, "with all his faults, we love him still." No American orchard would be complete without its pair of Robins, TURBID.® — THE THRUSHES. 67 and his absence would create a void in the ranks of our birds, which would be felt by every one who cherishes memories of his boyhood days. GENUS SIALiIA SWAINSON. Sialia SWAINSON, Zool. Jour, iii, Sept. 18'47, 173. Type. Motacilla sialis LINN. "GEN. CHAK. Bill short, stout, broader than high at the base, then compressed: slightly notched at tip. Rictus with short bristles. Tarsi not longer than the middle toe. Claws considerably curved. Wings much longer than the tail; the first primary spuri- ous, not one fourth the longest. Tail moderate; slightly forked. Eggs plain blue. Nest in holes. "The species of this genus are all well marked, and adult males are easily distinguishable. In all, blue forms a prominent feature. Three well-marked species are known, with a fourth less distinct. The females are duller in color than the males. The young are spotted and streaked with white." (Hist. N. Am. B.) COMMON CHARACTERS. Adult male bright blue above, beneath cinnamon and white (S. sialis), blue and chestnut (S. mexicana'), or blue and white (S. arctica); adult female with the blue above confined to the wings, rump, and tail, the upper parts being grayish, the lower parts paler and duller than in the male (in S. arctica, breast, etc., grayish drab). Young, with the grayish or dusky upper parts spotted or streaked with whitish, and the whitish lower parts squamately spotted with dusky. a1. Breast and sides chestnut or cinnamon. 1. S. sialis. Throat cinnamon, like the breast; belly white; upper parts cobalt-blue. Hab. Eastern North America. 2. S. mexicana. Throat deep blue; belly grayish blue; upper parts rich smalt-blue, the back usually with a chestnut patch. Hab. Western U. 8., chiefly in the val- leys. o2. Breast and sides turquoise-blue. 3. S. arctica. Upper parts rich azure-blue; belly white. Bab. Western U. S., chiefly on the higher mountains, and northward to the interior of British America. The three known species of this genus are included in the above synopsis for the reason that two of them have already been recorded as occurring in the State, while the third (S. mexicana) is said to have been taken in Iowa, and may therefore possibly, like other western species, occasionally straggle to Illinois. The females of the three species differ from one another in much the same characters as those which distinguish the males, though the colors being much duller the differences are far less striking. 68 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Sialia sialis (Linn.) BLUEBIRD. Popular synonym.— Eastern Bluebird. Motacilla sialis LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i. 1758, 187; ed. 12, i. 1766, 336. Sylvia sialis LATH. Ind. Orn. ii. 17DO, 522.— WLLS. Am. Orn. i. 1808, 56, pi. 3, flg. 3. Ampelis sialis NUTT. Man. i. 1832, 444. Sialia sialis HALDEM. Trego's Geog. Perm. 1813. 77.— BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858, 222; Cat, N. Am. B. 1859, No. 158; Review, 1864, 62.— COUES, Key, 1872, 76; Check List, 1873, No. 16; 2d ed. 1882, No. 27; B. N. W. 1874, 13: B. Col. Val. 1878, 77.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i. 1874, 62, pi. 5, flg. 3.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 22. Sialia wdsonii SWAINS. Zool. Jour. iii. 1827, 173.— Sw. & RICH. F. B. A. ii. 1831, 210. HAB. Eastern North America, west to the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains, north to British Provinces. Breeds throughout its normal range, and winters in most portions of the eastern U. S. Resident in Bermuda. "Sp. CHAB. Entire upper parts, including wings and tail, continuous and uniform azure-blue; the cheeks of a duller tint of the same. Beneath reddi.sh brown; the abdo- men, anal region, and under tail-coverts white. Bill and feet black. Shafts of the Quills and tail feathers black. Length, 6.75; wing, 4.00; tail, 2.90. "Young. Mal^s of the year dull brown on head, back, and lesser coverts; streaked, except on head, with white. Throat and fore part of breast streaked with white. Tertials edged with brown. Rest of coloration somewhat like adult." So well known are the habits of the common, familiar Bluebird, that little need be said here on the subject. Partially migratory almost everywhere, it may be occasionally seen in \\inter even in the most northern States, but probably nowhere north of the paral- lel of 40° can it be looked for with any certainty at this season of the year, Eew birds in the whole world possess as many attractive features as the Bluebird. With the confiding familiarity of the European Robin Redbreast (Erithacus rubeculd), it is adorned with a plumnge of tropical beauty and is endowed with a voice of pecu- liar tenderness. By an English writer residing in Bermuda, he is styled "the loveliest of birds with the blue of a Bermuda sky upon his back, and on his breast the tint of its rosy dawn." "Common summer resident, nesting in boxes put up for their ac- commodation. The English sparrows attack and chase away the Bluebirds, and many that nested in the city have gone into tbe suburbs and now nest in hollow trees or holes in fence posts. In August they frequent stump fields and cleared woods, in flocks and families. The males sing at this time, but in a weird, far-away tone. Once found a nest built between the stalks of a geranium plant in a large flower urn. Arrived March 6, 1879, but in warm seasons are as early as February 20." (H. K. COALE, MS.) — THE THRUSHES. 69 Sialia arctica (Swains.) MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD. Popular synonyms.— Arctic Bluebird; Rocky Mountain Bluebird. Erythaca (Sialia} arctica Sw. & RICH. F. B. A. ii, 1831, 209, pi. 39. Sialia arctica NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 573; ed. 2, i, 1840, 514.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 81: B. Am. i:, 1841, 176, pi. 136.— BATED, B. N. Am, 1858, 224; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 160; Rev'ew, 18'U. 64.-COUES. Koy, 1872,76; Check List, 1873. No. 18; 2d ed. 1882, No. 29; B. N. W. 1874, 14; B. Col. Val. 1878. 8J.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. A. B. i, 1874. 67. pi. 5, fig. 4.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 24. Sylvia arctica AUD. Orn. Biog. v, 1839, 38, pi. 393. HAS. Western mountain districts of North America, north to lat. 6J&°. south nearly, or quite, to the Mexican boundary, at high elevations. "Sp. CHAR. Greenish azure-blue above and below, brightest above; the belly and under tail-coverts white; the latter tinged with blue at the ends. Female showing blue only on the rump, wings, and tail; a white ring round the eye; the lores and sometimes a narrow front whitish; elsewhere replaced by brown. Length, 6.25; wing, 4.3(j; tail, 3.00. 4875.) "Young. Male birds are streaked with white, as in S.sialis, on the characteristic ground of the adult. "As already stated, the blue of this species is greener than in sialis. The females are distinguished from those of the other spe- cies by the greener blue, entire absence of rufous, and longer wings. "In autumn and winter the blue of the male is much soiled by umber-brown edges to the feathers, this most conspicuous on the breast, where the blue is sometimes almost concealed; the plumage of the female, too, at this season is different from that of spring, the anterior lower parts being soft isabella-color, much less grayish than in spring." (Hist. N. Am. B.} The only claim of this species to a place in the Illinois fauna rests on the single record, by Mr. Nelson (Pr. Essex Inst. viii. 1876, p. 95) of the capture of a specimen opposite Dubuque, Iowa. The home of the Arctic or Eocky Mountain Bluebird is the mountainous region of western North America, especially the ranges of the interior, and thence northward through the more elevated portions of British America to a high latitude. As the Californian Bluebird (S. mexicana) is essentially a bird of the lower valleys, so is the present species emphatically a bird of the mountains, its visits to the lower portions of the country being mainly during winter. SUBFAMILY MYADESTIN^I. — THE SOLITAIRES. The birds of this subfamily have usually been placed with the Ampelidae, in a group including also the genera Phainopepla and 70 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Ptilogonys. Its true relationship, however, is decidedly with the TurdidiB, to which its booted tarsi, its habits, the spotted plumage of its young, and many other characters ally it closely. The only North American genus is the following: GENUS MYADESTES SWAINSON. Myaflcsles SWAINSON, Jard. Nat. Library, xiii.. Flycatchers. "1838," 132. Type, M. gpnibarbis Sw. "GEN. CHAR. Occipital feathers full and soft. Plumage rather loose. Bill weak, much depressed. Commissure nearly straight. Hind toe longer than inner lateral. Toes deeply cleft. Closed wing externally with an exposed light band across the base of the quills, and another nearer the end, separated by a darker one. Tail somewhat graduated on the sides. "Of the ten or more described species of the genus, only one be- longs to the limits of the United States, although several others oc- cupy adjacent territory in Mexico. Several are peculiar to islands of the West Indies." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Myadestes townsendii (Aud.) TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE. Popular synonyms.— Townsend's Flycatcher, or Flycatching Thrush: Townsend's. Ptilogonys. Ptiliogonys townsendii AUD. Orn. Biog. v, 1839, 206, pi. 410, fig. 2; Synop. 1839, 4C; B. Am. 1, 1840, 243. pL 69.— N; UTT. Man. 2d ed. 1, 1810, 3(il.. Myadestes townsendi CABAN, Wiegm. Archiv. 1847. i., 208.— BAIIID, B. N. Am. 1858, 321; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 235; Review, 1866, 429.— COUES, Key, 1872, 117; Check List, 1873. No. 121; 2d ed. 1882, No. 169; B. N. W. 1874. 93; B. Col. Val. 1878, 44.-B. B. & K Hist. N. Am. B. i. 1874. 406, pi. 18, flgs. 3,4.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 25. HAB. Western Mountain districts of the United States, from the Mexican boundary to British Columbia. (Accidental straggler to northern Illinois.) "Sp. CHAB. Tail rather deeply forked. Exposed portion of spurious quill less than one third that of the second; fourth quill longest; second a little longer than the sixth. Head not crested. General color brownish ash, paler beneath; under wing-coverts white. Quills with a brownish yellow bar at the base of both webs, mostly concealed, but show- ing a little below the greater coverts and alulee; this succeeded by a bar of dusky, and next to it another of brownish yellow across the outer webs of the central quills only. Tertials tipped with white. Tail feathers dark brown; the middle ones more like the back; the lateral with the outer web and tip, the second with the tip only, white. A white ring round the eye. Length. 8 inches; wing, 4.50; tail, ly.85. (8,234.) "Young birds have a large triangular pale-ochraceous light spot on the end of each feather (rather paler below), bounded externally by a narrow border of blackish; the quill and tail feathers as in. adult." (Hist. N. Am. B.) TURDID.E — THE THRUSHES. 71 Illinois is far from the normal habitat of this interesting bird, whose true home is the mountainous regions of the Far West. & single specimen, however, was shot at Waukegan, by Mr. Charles Douglas, on the 16th of December, 1875. Mr. Nelson informs us that it was "found in a sheltered ravine, extending a short distance into the bluff, bordering the lake shore near the above-named place, and showed no alarm when approached. Nothing peculiar was observ- ed concerning its habits except that its movements were very sprightly." Mr. Douglas has recently written me that it was eat- ing the seeds of the common black thorn-apple (Cratcegus tomentosd), and that it was quite silent. Townsend's Solitaire is, from all accounts, a charming songster— the finest, perhaps, among North American birds. Dr. Newberry describes its song as clear, full and melodious, and, although not greatly varied, the notes are all particularly clear and sweet, with strains of pure gushing melody that were both spontaneous and ins- piring. Dr. Cooper says that its song can be compared with noth- ing uttered by any other bird he has ever heard in the United States; and that it excels Lthat of the Mockingbird in sweetness, while it is entirely original. Mr. J. K. Lord, who heard them sing- ing in November, at Fort Colville, Washington Terr., describes their song, as heard on that occasion, as resembling that of the Song Thrush (Turdus musicus) of Europe. 72 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. FAMILY SYLVIID^J.— THE WARBLERS. CHARACTERS. There is very little by \vhich to distinguish the birds of this Family from the Turdidse, beyond tie very much H mailer size and the unspotted plumage of the young. Of the so-called subfamilies here recognized, the Polloijliiinos arc without much Question out of place, though it is very uncertain where they do belong. For the convenience of the student, however, we place them here iu accordance with the arrangement adopted by the American Ornithologists' Union, American Ornithologists' Union. The so-called subfamilies may be distinguished as follows: a.1 Wings longer than the nearly even or emarginate tail. Anterior tarsal envelope continuous for the greater part of its extent. No white on tail. b.1 Nostrils exposed. Scutellae distinct on inner f-ide of tarsus Sylviinae 6.* Nostrils concealed by feathers. Tarsal envelope without appreciable scutellae Regulinae a.2 Wings not longer than the graduated tail. Anterior tarsal envelope dis- tinctly seutellate. Tail with white terminal spots and edgings Polioptilinae SUBFAMILY POLIOPTILIN^3.— THE GNATCATCHERS. GENUS POLIOPTLLA SCLATER. Polioptila SCLATEB Pr. Zool. Soc. 1855, 11. Type, Motacilla ccerulea LINN. CHAR. Bill slender, attenuated, but depressed at the base; nearly as long as the head, distinctly notched at the tip, and provided with moderate rictal bristles. Nostrils rather elongated, not concealed, but anterior to the frontal feathers. Tarsi longer than the middle toe, distinctly scutellate; the toes small, the hinder one scarcely longer than the lateral; its claw scarcely longer than the middle. Outer lateral toe longer than the inner. First piimary about one-third the longest; second equal to the seventh. Tail a little longer than the wings, moderately graduated; the feathers rounded. Nest felted and covered with moss or lichens. Eggs greenish white, spotted with purplish brown. "The species all lead-color above ; white beneath, and to a greater or less extent on the exterior of the tail, the rest of which is black. Very diminutive in size (but little over four inches long)." (Hist. N. Am. B.} SYLV1ID.E — THE WARBLERS. 73 Polioptila cserulea (Linn.) BLUE-GKAY GNATCATCHEE. Popular synonyms.— Blue Wren; Long-tailed Blue Wren; Eastern Gnatcatcher. Motacilla ccerulea LINN. S. N. ed. 12. i, 1766, 337. S'jlvania ccerulea NUTT. Man. 2d ed. i, 1840. 337. Culicivora ccerulea AUD. B. Am, i, 1840, 241. pi. 70. Polioptila ccerulea SCL. P. Z. S. 1855, 11.— BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858, 380; Cat. N. Am. B. 1839, No. 282; Review, 1864, 74,-CouES, Key, 1872; Cheek List, 1873. No. 23; 2d ed. 1882, No. 36; B. N. W. 1874. 17; B. Col. Val. 1878, 101.-B. B. & E. Hist. N. A. B. i, 1874. 78, pi. 6, fig. 5.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B., 1881, No. 27. HAB. United States, chiefly south of 40°; wintering in extreme southern States, Cuba, Mexico, and Guatemala. "Sp. CHAE. Above grayish blue, gradually becoming bright blue on the crown. A narrow frontal band of black extending backwards over the eye. Under parts and lores bluish white tinged with lead-color on the sides. First and second tail feathers white except at the extreme base, which is black, the color extending obliquely forward on the inner web; third and fourth black, with white tip, very slight on the latter; fifth and sixth entirely black. Upper tail-coverts blackish plumbeous. Quills edged externally with pale bluish gray, which is much broader and nearly white on the tertials. Female without any black on the head. Length, 4.30; wing, 2.15; tail. 2.25. (Skin.)" (Hist. N. Am. B.) This active little bird inhabits chiefly open high woods, often along streams, where he may be seen skipping and darting about among the topmost branches, his long tail elevated and jerking in wren- like fashion, — always moving about and ever uttering his wheezy, squeaky notes. During the breeding season the male has a very varied song of considerable power but lacking in sweetness, and uttered in an erratic manner, portions of it suggesting a weak imitation of the Catbird's medley. The nest of this species is one of the gems of bird architecture. It is a very compact mass of soft felted materials, elaborately and artistically ornamented on the outside with gray and glaucous lichens, the deep interior cavity cosily lined with softest down and feathers. The shape varies from that of a deep cup to that of an inverted cone, the opening being always at the top. This elegant structure is securely fastened — either saddled to or woven about — a horizontal limb, usually near the top of a tree, but, especially if the tree be a very tall one, sometimes on one of the lower branches. Often it is attached to a limb of nearly the same diameter as itself, thus appearing as a knot or other excrescence. 74 BIKDS OF ILLINOIS. This species is one of the earliest to arrive in spring, making its appearance at Mt. Carmel early in April, the 2nd and 10th of that month being the earliest and latest dates recorded by the writer. In Cook county, Mr. Coale says that it is a "rather common migrant," but that it was really common only in the spring of 1875, when several were shot in Hyde Park. He had not found it breed- ing, however, though it was found doing so by Mr. G. F. Clingman at Whiting Station, Indiana, near the Illinois line. At St. Louis, Mr. Coale found it very common and nesting on May 22, 1883. SUBFAMILY REGULIN^E. — THE KINGLETS. GENUS KEGULTJS CUVIEE. Regains CUY. Le9ons d'Anat. Comp. 1799-1800, tabl. ii. Type, Motacilla regulus LINN. Corthylio CAB. Jour. Orn. i, 1853,83. Type, Motacilla calendula LINN. "GEN. CHAK. Bill slender, much shorter than the head, depressed at base, but becom- ing rapidly compressed; moderately notched at tip. Culmen straight to near the tip, then gently curved. Commissure straight; gonys convex. Rictus well provided with bristles; nostrils covered by a single bristly feather directed forwards (not distinct in calendula). Tarsi elongated, exceeding considerably the middle toe, and without scu- tellfe. Lateral toes about equal; hind toe with the claw, longer than the middle one by about half the claw. Claws all much curved. First primary about one third as long as the longest; second equal to fifth or sixth. Tail shorter than the wings, moderately forked.the feathers acuminate. Colors olive-green above, whitish beneath. Size very small." (Hist. N. Am. B.) COMMON CHARACTERS. Above olive-greenish, brighter on rump and edges of second- aries and reetrices; secondaries with a broad black basal bar. Beneath dull whitish. Male with a brightly colored crown-patch of red, orange, or yellow, with black stripes in some species, in which the female has a yellow crown-patch. Young (and adult female of E. calendula) without any markings or bright colors on head. a1 Crown with a broad black stripe on each side, 1. K. satrapa. Forehead smoky whitish; crown-patch bicolored in the male— intense orange centrally, with a yellow border— uniform yellow in the female. 2. E. cuvieri. Forehead and a stripe across lores and behind the eye, black; crown- patch uniform red in the male. a- Crown without black stripes. 3. E. calendula. Crown with a central patch of vermilion-red in the aldult male, this usually absent, or when present much reduced in size, in the female. The first and third species whose characters are given above are very abundant birds in all parts of the State — the first throughout the winter, the other chiefly during the spring and fall migrations, but wintering to some extent in the southern portions. The second species (R. cuvieri} was discovered many years ago, on the banks of SYLVIID.E — THE WARBLERS. 75 the Schuylkill Elver, in Pennsylvania, by Audubon, and is at pres- ent known only by the description and illustration given in the works of its discoverer. It is one of several species belonging to the same category, among which may be mentioned the Carbonated Warbler (Perissoglossa carbonata), Small-headed Flycatcher (Sylcan- ia microcephala), Blue Mountain Warbler (Dendroica montana), etc. But since two other species (CentronyAfaiti'diiandCoturniciiluslecontei) until within a few years past included in the same list are now well-known birds, it is quite possible that a few years hence, when the number of intelligent observers has increased, we may know more of Cuvier's Kinglet. Regulus satrapa Licht. GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET. Popular synonyms. — Golden-crested Kinglet; Golden-crowned Wren; American Golden-crowned Wren, or Kinglet; American Golden-crest. Sylvia regulus WILS. Am. Orn. i. 1808. 126, pi. 8. fig. 2 (not of Linn.) Regulus cristatus NUTT. Man. i. 1832, 420.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii. 1834, 476. pi. 185 (not of Koch). Regulus satrapa LIGHT. Verz. Doubl. 1823, No. 410.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 82; B. Am. ii. 1811, 165, pi. 1H2.— BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858, 227; Cat, N. Am. B. 1859. No. 162; Eeview, 1861. 65. — COUES. Key, 1872, 78; Cheek List, 1873, No. 22; 2d ed. 1882. No. 34; B. N. W. 187-), Iti; B. Col. Val. 1878. 96.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. A. B. i. 1874, 73, pi. 5, fig. 8.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 33. HAB. Whole of North America, breeding mostly northward of and wintering chiefly within the United States; in winter extending also far into Mexico, on the elevated table- lands. "gp. CHAK. Above olive-green, brightest on the outer edges of the wing and tail feathers, and tinged with brownish gray towards the head. Forehead, a line over the eye and a space beneath it, white. Exterior of the crown before and laterally black, embracing a central patch of orange-red, encircled by gamboge yellow. A dusky space around the eye. Wing-coverts with two yellowish-white bands, the posterior covering a similar band on the quills, succeeded by a broad dusky one. Under parts dull whitish. Length under four inches; wing, 2.25; tail, 1.80. Female without the orange-red central patch. Young birds without the colored crown." (Hist. N. Am, B,) "First plumage: female. Pileum (including forehead) dark smoky-brown; line over the eye entirely cut off at its anterior corner by the junction of the dusky lores with the brown of the forehead; tertiaries broadly tipped with white; breast strongly washed with pale fawn-color; otherwise like adult. From a specimen in my collection taken at Upton, Me., August 25, 1874. A young male taken August 25, 1873, is in every way similar. A good series of specimens of various ages shot during August and the early part of September illustrate well the transitional stages. First the brown of the pileum darkens into two black stripes, while the line over the eye broadens to meet its external margin. Next, two lines of yellow feathers appear inside and parallel with the black ones, while the orange of the central space (of the male) is produced last." (BBEWSTEK, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club. June. 1878, 19.) 6 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. The delicate little Golden-crowned Kinglet — smaller even than the Ruby-crown — is known in Illinois, and indeed in all portions of the United States, except the northern coniferous woods and similar forests of the higher mountains, only as a winter visitant or resi- dent. He is most often seen during clear frosty mornings in mid- winter, and seems particularly in his element when the trees are decked with an icy covering of sleet — when the woods appear like fairy land, and the pure crisp air instills fresh vigor to those who sally forth to enjoy its exhiliarating influence. Then the little Gold-crests may be seen in woods or parks in scattered troops, nim- bly hunting among the crystal branches, now hanging in Titmouse fashion, then dropping to another limb, and carelessly hopping about, apparently not feeling the contact of the ice with their tiny feet. At such times none of our birds are tamer than these dainty little creatures and none certainly more lovely. They come about the intruder as if utterly unmindful of his presence, often so near that the sparkle of the little black eye, the flash of the glowing orange crown, and every detail of his pretty plumage can be plainly seen. In its northern summer home, the Gold-crest is said to have an agreeable though delicate song, far inferior, however, to that of the Ruby-crown. In winter, its usual note is a delicate wiry chirp, im- possible to express in writing, but nearly if not quite undistinguisha- ble from the ordinary note of the Brown Creeper. According to Mr. Coale, it is a "very common migrant" in Cook county. " Ever active and uttering a te-tze, tze-tze as they fly into every nook and corner of the foliage of trees." Regulus calendula (Linn.) BUBY-CROWNED KINGLET. Popular synonym. -Ruby-crowned Wren. Motacilla calendula LINN. N. N. ed. 12, i. 176fi, 337. Sylvia calendula LATH. Ind. Orn. ii. 1780, 549.— WILS. Am. Orn. i. 1808, 83, pi. 5, fig. 3. Regulus calendula LIGHT. Verz. Doubl. 1823.— NUTT. Man. i. 1832, 415.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii. 1834, 546, pi. 195: Synop. 1839. 83; B. Am. ii. 1841. 168. pi. 133.— BAIHD. B. N. Am. 1858, 226; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 101; Review. 1864. 66.— COUES. Key. 1872, 78; Check List, 1873, No. 21; 2d ed. 1882, No. 34; B. N. W. 1874. 15; B. Col. Val. 1878, 93 — B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 75, pi. 5, flg. 9.— RTDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 30. HAB. The whole of North America, breeding chiefly north of the United States, but south to Colorado, at least, in the Rocky Mountains; wintering in the more southern United States, and thence to Mexico and Gautemala. (Accidental in Europe and Greenland.) — THE WARBLERS. 77 *8p. CHAB. Above dark greenish-olive, passing Into bright olive green on the rurcp and outer edges of the wings and tail. The under parts are grayish white tinged with pale olive yellow, especially behind. A ring round the eye, two bands on tne wing-cov- erts, and the exterior of the inner tertials white. Male. Crown with a large concealed patch of scarlet feathers, which are white at the base. Female and young without the red on the crown. Length, 4.50, wing. 2.33; tail, 1.85. "This species of Regulus appears to lack the small feather which in satrapa overlies and conceals the nostrils, which was probably the reason with Cabanis and Blyth for placing it in a different genus. There is no other very apparent difference of form, how- ever, although this furnishes a good character for distinguishing between young specimens of the two species.'' (Hist. N. Am,. B.) The diminutive Euby-crowned Kinglet is scarcely known in the United States except as a transient visitor in spring and fall, mak- ing himself more conspicuous in the former season, when the fruit- trees are decked with blossoms, among which he may be seen en- gaged in the occupation of snatching from the half opened buds and the unfolding leaves the minute insects which constitute his food. His summer home is among the northern coniferous forests, and he winters in the milder regions of the more southern States. The song of this bird is comparatively powerful for so small a creature, and is remarkable for its softness and sweet expression. It consists of an inexpressibly delicate and musical warble, aston- ishingly protracted at times, and most beautifully varied by softly rising and falling cadences, and the most tender whistlings imagina- ble. Dr. Brewer says that its notes are "clear, resonant, and high, and constitute a prolonged series, varying from the lowest tones to the highest, and terminating with the latter. It may be heard at quite a distance, and in some respects bears more resemblance to the song of the English Sky-lark than to that of the Canary, to which Mr. Audubon compares it." We have never heard the Sky- lark sing; but there is certainly no resemblance between the notes of the Ruby-crowned Wren and those of the Canary, the latter be- ing as much inferior in tenderness and softness as they are super- ior in volume. 78 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. FAMILY PARIDJE.— THE TITMICE AND NUTHATCHES. t CHARACTERS. Bill more or less conical, without notch, the nasal feathers directed for- ward and usually concealing the nostrils. Size small (wing less than four inches long.) Tarsi distinctly scutellate. The above characters are drawn up to include Chamaa, whose claim to a place in the Family Paridae is a matter of serious doubt. Sitta, although appearing so very distinct from the typical Paridce is yet so closely connected through Palrearctic forms of the latter (as Parus varius of Japan) that there can be no doubt of its belong- ing to the same family. The North American subfamilies, including Chamcea, may be de- nned as follows:— a.1 Bill stout, much shorter than head. Tail about as long as the wing, or longer. Hallux shorter than middle toe. &.1 Nostrils concealed by feathers. Tarsus with anterior covering seu- tellate on outer side Parinae. b." Nostrils exposed. Tarsus with anterior covering fused on outer side . . Chamseinae . a.2 Bill slender, as long as the head. Tail much shorter than the wing. Hallux longer than middle toe Sittinae. SUBFAMILY PARING.— The Titmice. This subfamily, as above characterized, includes three North American Genera, which may be denned as follows : — a1. Bill with either the culmen or gonys decidedly convex. Nostrils wholly concealed. Plumage very lax. bl. Tail about eaual to or not much longer than wing, rounded Parus. c1. Head not crested (Subgenus Parus.) c". Head crested (Subgenus Lophophanes.) 1)-. Tail much longer than wing, graduated Psaltriparus . a2. Bill with both culmen and gonys nearly straight, the tip acute. Nostrils partly exposed. Plumage rather compact Auriparus. The genera Psaltriparus and Auriparus, as well as the subfamily Chamceince (the latter including the single genus Chamcea), are extra- limital, belonging to the southwestern portions of the United States. GENUS PARUS LINNAEUS. SUBGENUS Lophophanes KAUP. Lophophanes KAUP, Entw. Gesch. Europ. Thier. 1829. Type, Parus cristatus LINN. Bceolophus CABINIS, Mus. Hein. 1850. 1351, 91. Type, Parus bicolor LlNN. "GEN. CHAB. Crown with a conspicuous crest. Bill conical; both upper and lower outlines convex. Wings graduated; first quill very short. Tail moderately long and rounded. Nests in hollow trees; eggs white with tine red dottings." (Hist. N. Am. B.) — THE TITMICE AND NUTHATCHES. 79 This subgenus scarcely differs from Parus except in the possession of a well developed pointed crest. But one species occurs east of the Eocky Mountains, except in Texas, where a Mexican species, P. atricristatus is found. In Western Texas to Arizona occurs another Mexican species, P. wollweberi, while in California and other parts of the Western Province P. inornatus is found. Parus bicolor Linn. TUFTED TITMOUSE. Popular synonym, —Black-fronted Titmouse. Parus bicolor LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 340.— WILS. Am. Orn. 1. 1808, 137, pi. 8. fig. 5.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 199, pi. 39; Synop. 1839, 78; B. Am. ii. 1841, 143, pi. 125.-NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 236. Lopliophanes bicolor BONAP. Consp. i, 1850, 228.— BATED, B. N. Am. 1858, 384; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 285; Review. 1864, 78.— COUES, Key, 1872, 80; Check List. 1873. No. 27; 2d ed. 1S82, No. 40; B. N. W. 1874. 19: B. Col. Val. 1878, 113.— B. B. & B., Hist. N. Am. B. i. 1874, 87, pi. 6, fig. 1.— RIDGW, Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 36. HAB. Eastern United States, west to Nebraska and eastern Texas, north to the Con- necticut Valley; resident and breeding throughout. "Sp. CHAR. Above ashy; a black frontal band. Beneath dull whitish; sides brownish chestnut, of more or less intensity. Feathers of the crown elongated into a flattened crest, which extends back as far as the occiput. Bill conical; lower edge of upper mandible nearly straight at the base. Fourth and fifth Quills equal; third a little shorter than seventh: second rather shorter than the secondaries. Tail nearly even, the outer feather about .20 of an inch shorter than the longest. Upper parts ash-color, with a tinge of olivaceous. Forehead dark sooty-brown. The feathers of the upper part of the head and crest ob- scurely streaked with lighter brown. Under parts of head and body, sides of head, in- cluding auriculars, and a narrow space above the eye, dirty yellowish white, tinged with brown; purest on the side of head, the white very distinct in the loral region, and includ- ing the tuft of bristly feathers over the nostrils, excepting the tips of those in contact with the bill, which are blackish. The sides of the body and the under tail-coverts are tinged with yellowish brown. The quills and tail feathers are edged with the color of the back, without any whitish. Bill black. Feet lead-color." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Length, about 6.25 inches; extent, 9.25; wing, 3.05— 3.45. Perhaps no bird is more abundant in wooded districts of the southern half of the State, than this species ; and this ap- plies equally to all parts of the year. Pioving in restless noisy troops through the woods, scolding at every intruder and calling to one another in harsh tones, they are often, on this account, very annoying to the collector or the hunter. During winter they become very familiar, approaching with confidence the immediate vicinity of dwellings (which, indeed, they seem inclined to shun only during the breeding season), and, in company with Snowbirds (Junco ////- emails), Carolina Chickadees, Nuthatches (Sitta ca/rolinensis), Blue- jays, and other familiar species, glean their portion from the refuse 80 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. of the table — bread-crumbs, bits of meat, or indeed anything eat- able. The notes of this species in their general character resemble those of the Chickadees, but are much louder and more vehement, In spring the male has a very pleasant call, consisting of a repeti- tion of the syllables peto, peto, peto in a very clear and rather sweet whistling tone. The nest is built in cavities of trees, like that of other species of the family. Subgenus Parus Linnaeus. Parus LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i.1758,189; ed 12. i. 1766,340. Type, by elimination, P. major Linn. "GEN. CHAE. Head not crested. Body and head full. Tail moderately long, and slightly rounded. Bill conical, not very stout; the upper and under outlines very gently and slightly convex. Tarsus but little longer than middle toe. Head and neck generally black or brown, with sides white. Nest in holes. Eggs white, sprinkled with red." (Hist. N.Am.B.) The species of this subgenus which occur in Illinois, may be dis- tinguished as follows: COMMON CHARACTERS. Above plain grayish, with or without distinct whitish edgings on larger wing feathers; beneath whitish, the sides Tinged with ochreous, fulvous, or ru- fous; entire pileum, chin, and throat, black, or brownish, the sides of the head whitish. Sexes alike, and young similar in plumage to the adult. a1. Crown and throat deep black. 1. P. atricapillus. Tail about equal to the wing (rarely a very little shorter, usually longer); greater wing- coverts and tertials very conspicuously edged with whitish; black of the throat much broken posteriorly by white tips to the feathers. Wing 2.50-2.75 (2.63), tail 2.50-2.75 (2.63j, tarsus, .65-.70 (.69). Hab. Northern portion of the State; very rare winter visitant to southern half. 2. P.'carolinensis. Tail decidedly shorter than wing: wing-coverts and tertials with- out distinct whitish edges; black of throat with abruptly defined posterior border. Wing 2.40-2.60 f2.44), tail 2.10-2.50 (2.19), tarsus .55- .65 (.61). Hob. Southern half or more of the State, resident wherever found. a2. Crown and throat brownish, the latter darkest. 3. P. hudsonicus. Crown hair-brown, back slightly more olivaceous; sides of neck ash- gray, the cheeks paler, incliniug to white anteriorly; throat sooty blackish; sides dull rusty. Hab. Bare winter visitant to extreme northern part of State. Parus atricapillus Linn. CHICKADEE. Popular synonyms. Black-capped Titmouse or Chlcadee; Eastern Chickadee; Northern Chickadee. Parus atricapillus LINN. 8. N. ed. 12, i. 1766, 341.— WILS. Am. Orn. i, 1808, 13i, pi. 8. fig. 4.— Sw. & RICH. F. B. A. ii, 1831, 226.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv. 1838. pi. 353, fig. 3; Synop. 1839, 79; B. Am. li. 181!, 146, pi. 12G.-BAIRD. B. N. Am. 1858, 390; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 290; Review, 1864. 80,-CouES, Key, 1872, 81; Check List. 1873. No. 31; 2d ed. 1882, No. 44; B. N. W. 1874. 20.-B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i. 1874, 96, pi, vii, fig. 1.— REDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 4L PARIOE — THE TITMICE AND NUTHATCHES. 81 HAB. Northeastern North America, or from northern United States east of the Great Plains and northward; winter visitant south to about 40° or a little further. (Replaced in the Rocky Mountain district and Great Plains and thence northward to Alaska by the more slender, lighter colored race, septentrionalis Harris.) SP. CHAR. Adult: Entire pileum and cervix glossy black; chin, throat, and malar region black, Ihis broken posteriorly by whitish tips to the feathers; sides of head and neck white. Upper parts ash gray, more or less tinged with yellowish; wings blacki>h, the feathers edged with light ashy, the greater coverts and tertials broadly edged with white. Tail dusky, the feathers edged with ashy, inclining to white on lateral rectrices. Median lower parts (from jugulum back) white, lateral portions buff. Bill black; feet bluish plumbeous, iris dark brown. Yoring; Very similar to the adult, but black of pileum and cervix wit hout gloss, that of the throat more sooty, buff of sides less distinct, and plumage of looser texture. Male (7 specimen?): Wing, 2.60-2.75 (average, 2.66); tail, 2.60 2.75 (2.63); tarsus, .65-.70 (.69(. Female (3 specimens:) Wing, 2.55-2.60 (2.58); tail, 2.50-2.CO (2.57), tarsus, .68-.70 ( 69). This familiar and active little bird is almost confined to the north- ern half of the State, making its appearance south of the 89th parallel, so far as the writer's knowledge and observation are con- cerned, only at rare or at least very irregular intervals during the coldest weather. Its habits are too well known to require descrip- tion here. Parus carolinensis And. CAKOLINA CHICKADEE. Popular synonyms.— Carolina Titmouse; Southern Chickadee. Parus carolinensis AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 474, pi. 160; B. Am. ii. 1841, 152, pi. 127.— BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858, 392; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 293; Review, 1861, 81.— COUES, 2d Check List, 1832, No. 47; 2d Key, 1881, 2CG.-B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 10.!, pi. 7, fig. 3.— RIDOW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 42. Parus atricapillus var. carolinensis Coues, Key, 1872, 81; Cheek List, 1873, No. 316. HAB. Southern half of Eastern United States, north to or beyond 40°, west to eastern Texas and Indian Territory. (Resident throughout its range.) "Sp. CHAR. Second auill appreciably longer than secondaries. Tail very little rounded Length about 4.50 inches; wing less than 250; tail, 2.40.* Back brownish ash. Head above, and throat, black, separated on sides of head by white. Beneath white; brownish white on sides. Outer tail feathers, primaries, and secondaries, not edged with white." This species, which is the more common one in Illinois (except the extreme northern counties) may readily be distinguished from P. atricapillus by the more extensive and more "solid" black on the , throat ; by the absence of distinct white edgings to the wing and tail feathers, and by the different proportionate length of the wing and tail. (See synoptical table.) This pretty, active and familiar little bird occurs throughout the State, but is most common in the southern half, where it is the representative of the northern Black-cap (P. atricapillus}. The *In fourteen adults, the wing measures 2.40-2.60, the average being 2.46; tail 2.10-2.50 (average, i'.15); tarsus, .55-.6S (average, .60). —6 82 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. relative areas occupied by these two species are, however, by no means well made out, but it is probable that the larger portion of the State is occupied by the present species, to the exclusion of the other. Woods, especially those of bottom-lands, are the favorite resort of this species ; and in summer it may always be found wherever there are plum thickets or many red-bud trees, since in the soft wood of dead trees of these kinds it is able to excavate with ease a hole for its nest. As a rule, however, it selects a cavity already made, as the deserted hole of the Downy Woodpecker, a knot-hole, or a hollow fence rail. In winter it is very familiar, keeping much about door-yards and orchards, even in towns, and gleaning its daily food from the "back steps," where the table cloth is shaken, and where it may often be seen perched on the edge of the garbage pail, pecking bits of meat, etc., from the contents. The notes of this species are decidedly louder than those of the Black-cap, and his spring song of chick'-a-dee, chick' -a- dee, cliick'-a- dee, uttered in a very clear and sweet whistling tone, is very pleasing. Parus hudsonicus Forst. HUDSONIAN CHICKADEE. Popular synonyms. Hudsonian Titmouse; Hudson's Bay Titmouse, or Chickadee. Parus hudsonicus FOEST. Philos. Trans. Ixiii, 1772,383,430.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 543, pi. 194; B. Am. ii, 1841,155, pi. 128.— BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858,395; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 296; Review, 1864,82.— Couss, Key, 1872, 81; Check List, 1873, No. 33; 2d ed. 1882, No. 49.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i. 1874, 105, pi. 7. fig. 7.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B, 1881, No. 45. HAS. Northern North America, south to extreme northern border of the United States, except on the Pacific coast, where replaced from Sitka south (and probably farther north- ward) by P. rufescens Towns. "Sp. CHAK. Above yellowish olivaceous brown; top of head purer brown, not very dif- ferent in tint. Chin and throat dark sooty-brown. Sides of head white. Beneath white; sides and anal region light brownish chestnut. No whitish on wings or tail. Tail nearly even, or slightly emarginate and rounded. Lateral feathers about .20 shortest. Length about 5 inches; wing, 2.40; tail, 2.66."* (Hist. N. Am. B.) This species can only be considered the merest straggler to the extreme northern portion of the State. The author has never met with it alive, and therefore knows nothing of its habits from personal observation. Mr. Nelson informs us (see page 95 of his list) that Dr. J. W. Velie took a single specimen at Kock Island, but at what date it is not stated, and I learn from Mr. Coale's memoranda, that Dr. Hoy obtained one at Eacine, Wisconsin, in January, 1882. *Five specimens from Maine, Nova Scotia, and Labrador, measure as follows: Wing, 2.50-2.55 (average, 2.52); tail, 2.40-2.70: tarsus, .62-.70. PAKID2E — THE TITMICE AND NUTHATCHES. 83 SUBFAMILY SITTING. — THE NUTHATCHES. The Sittina include a single American genus, Sitta, which is represented by numerous species in Europe and Asia. The allied genus Sittella belongs to Australia. GENUS SITTA LINNAEUS. Sitta LINNSUS, Syst. Nat. ed. 10. i, 1758, p. 115. Type, S. europcea LINN. "GEN. CHAK. Bill subulate, acutely pointed, compressed, about as long as the head; culmen and commissure nearly straight; gonys convex and ascending; nostrils covered by a tuft of bristles directed forward. Tarsi stout, scutellate, about equal to the middle toe, much shorter than the hinder, the claw of which is half the total length. Outer lat- eral toe much longer than inner, and nearly ectual to the middle. Tail very short, broad, and nearly even; the feathers soft and truncate. Wings reaching nearly to the end of the tail, long and acute, the first primary one third (or less) the third, or longest. Iris brown. Nest in holes of trees. Eggs white, spotted with reddish." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Species. COMMON CHARACTERS. Above plain bluish gray, the crown different in color (black, plumbeous, or light brown); tail and wings varied, more or less (the wings slightly), with black and white; beneath chiefly plain whitish, rusty, or dull buffy. a1 Crown glossy black in the male, plumbeous in the female; abroad white superciliary stripe. 1. S. carolinensis. Wing more than 3.30. Whole side of head and most of lower parts pure white, the lower tail coverts spotted with chestnut-rufous; tertials marked with black. Malevrith entire pileum and cervix glossy black; female with pileum dusky plumbeous, the cervix black. 2. S. canadensis. Wing less than 3 inches. Side of head with a broad black stripe; lower parts, except throat, light rusty, or ochraceous; tertials plain grayish. Male with pileum and cervix glossy black, female with the same parts dark plumbeous. a2 Crown light brown. Sexes alike. 3. S. pusilla. Pileum light brown, down to the eyes, the lores and postocular stripe somewhat darker; a cc-nspicuous cervical spot of white; lower parts buffy. Young with the crown grayish, the wing-coverts edged with light fulvous. Wing about 2. 60. The Brown-headed Nuthatch (S. pusilla), is a species belonging to the Southern States, where it is abundant from Louisiana and Florida to lower Maryland. It has been taken in the vicinity of St. Louis, Missouri, and also in Michigan and Ohio; therefore, its presence in the southern part of Illinois, especially among the pine woods which there occur in certain localities, is to be anticipated. 84 BIKDS OF ILLINOIS. Sitta carolinensis Lath. WHITE-BELLIED KUTHATCH. Popular synonyms.— Tomtit; Blue Sapsucker. Sitta carolinensis LATH. Ind. Orn. i. 1790, 262.— WILS. Am. Orn. i, 1808, 10, pi. 2, fig. 3.— NUTT. Man. i,1832, 581.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 299; v, 1839, 473, pi. 152; Synop. 1839, 167: B. Am. iv, 1842, 175, pi. 247.— BATED, B. N. Am. 1858, 374; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 277; Review, 1864, 86.-CouES, Key. 1872. 83; Check List, 1873, No. 38; 2d ed. 1882, No. 57; B. N. W. 1874, 24.-B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 114, pi. 8, flgs. 1.2.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, -No. 51. HAB. Eastern United States and British Provinces. (Replaced in western United States by the more slender billed, duller colored form, S. carolinensis aculeata.) This well-known bird is abundant throughout the State, and is a permanent resident everywhere except perhaps in the extreme northern counties. In the South it breeds very early, the writer having observed, on April 19, 1883, a female feeding well-feathered young in a knot-hole of a small white-oak tree (about 30 feet from the ground). A week later the tree was cut down, but the young had flown. This was at Wheatland, Indiana, but there is no doubt that the species breeds equally early in corresponding latitudes in Illinois. Sitta canadensis Linn. RED-BELLIED NUTHATCH. Popular synonym.— Canada Nuthatch. Kitta canadensis LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 177.— NUTT. Man. 1, 1832, 583; 2d ed. i, 1840, 607.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 24, pi. 105; synop. 1839, 167; B. Am. iv, 1842, 179, pi. 248.— BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858, 376; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 279; Review. 1864, 87. COUES. Key, 1872. 83; Check List, 1873, No. 39; 2d ed. 1882, No. 59; B. N. W. 1874, 25; B. Col. Val. 1878, 136.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. A. B. i, 1874, 118. pi. 8, fig. 7.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 52. Sitta varia, BABTR. Trav. 1791,289 bis.— WILS. Am. Orn. i,1808, 40. pi. 2, flg. 4. HAB Northern North America, to the limit of timber; breeding chiefly north of the United States (except in elevated mountain regions); Eastern United States chiefly in winter. While this species breeds sparingly in the extreme northern coun- ties of the State, it is only a winter visitor to the southern portion. Indeed, its appearance there is both infrequent and irregular; at least this is the writer's experience in Wabash and Richland coun- ties. During winter it is semi-gregarious, roving in scattered troops PARID.E — THE TITMICE AND NUTHATCHES. 85 through the woods, and making its presence known, when it cannot be seen, by its penny-trumpet toot, toot, — a very peculiar note, totally different from that of its larger white-bellied relative (S. Car- oline nsis). Mr. Nelson makes the following reference to this species in his list of the birds of northeastern Illinois: "A rare summer resident. I found a pair near Chicago with full grown young the first of July, and Mr. Rice observed a pair feeding unfledged young the last of April, 1874, at Evanston. The excava- tion containing the nest was in a tree, standing on one of the principal streets of the town. It was about twenty feet from the ground. The young were thrusting their heads out of the hole and clamoring for food, thus attracting his attention when they would otherwise have been unnoticed." •„. 86 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. FAMILY CERTHXID^.— THE CREEPERS. CHARACTERS. Bill slender and arched; hind toe longer than middle toe, the claw lengthened and strongly arched. Tail lengthened, graduated, the feathers stiff and acuminate at tips. The above brief diagnosis is sufficient to characterize the family Certhiidce if we exclude from it the European genus Tichodroma, which differs in short, even tail, with feathers broad and rounded at ends, and in other characters. As thus restricted, the family includes only one genus, Certhia, the single North American species of which is quite circumpolar, though modified into more or less distinct geographical races in different parts of its habitat. GENUS CERTHIA LINNAEUS. Certhia LINN.EUS, Syst. Nat. 10th ed. 1758, 112. Type, C. familiaris LINN. "GEN. CHAB. Plumage soft and loose. Bill as long as head, not notched, compressed: all its lateral outlines decurved. Nostrils not overhung by feathers, linear, with an in- cumbent thickened scale, as in Troglodytes. No rictal bristles, and the loral and frontal feathers smooth, without bristly shafts. Tarsus scutellate anteriorly, shorter than mid- dle toe, which again is shorter than hind toe. All claws very long, much cuived and compressed; outer lateral toe much the longer; basal joint of middle toe entirely adher- ent to adjacent ones. Wings rather pointed, about equal to the tail, the feathers of which are much pointed, with stiffened shafts. Primaries ten; first less than half the second. Nest in holes of trees; eggs white, sprinkled with reddish." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The genus Certhia is readily distinguished by the decurved, com- pressed bill; absence of notch and bristles; exposed linear nostrils with incumbent scales ; connate middle toe, very long claws, short tarsi, pointed and stiffened tail feathers, etc. Certhia familiaris americana (Bonap.) BROWN:;CREEPER. Popular synonym/ - American Tree Creeper. Certhia familiaris WILS. Am. Orn. i, 1808, 122, pi. 7. flg. 1.— NUTT. Man. 1. 1832, 585.— AUD. Orn. Biog. v. 1839, 158, pi. 415; Synop. 1839, 72; B. Am. ii, 1841, 109, pl.115.— COUEP, Key. 1872, 84: Check List. 1873. No. 42; 2d ed. 1882^ No. 62; B. N. W. 1874. 26, 230; B. Col. Yal. 1878, 145. — THE CEEEPERS. 87 Certhia rufa BARTR. Trav. Fla. 1791, 289 bis (nomen nudum).— COVES, Pr. Phil. So 1875, 347. Certhia familiaris rufa KIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 55. Certhia americana BOXAP. Comp. List, 1838, 11.— NUTT. Man. i, 2d ed. 1840, 701.— BAIKD.B. N. Am. 18,38, 372; Cat, N. Am. B. 1859, No. 275; Review. 1864, 89. Certhia familiar is B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i. 1874, 125, pi. 8, fig. 11. HAB. Northern and eastern North America, breeding from northern border of United States northward. (Represented in the Rocky Mountain region by the grayer race mon- tana, and along the Pacific coast by the rusty colored occidentalis.) "Sp. CHAK. Bill about the length of the head. Above dark brown, with a slightly rufous shade, each feather streaked centrally, but not abruptly, with whitish; rump rusty. Beneath almost silky white; the under tail-coverts with a faint rusty tinge. A white streak over the eye; the ear-coverts streaked with whitish. Tail feathers brown centrally, the edges paler yellowish-brown. Wings with a transverse bar of pale reddish white across both webs. Length, 5.50; wing, 2.60; tail, 2.90. "Young. Resembling the adult, but streaks above indistinct, and the feathers there tipped indistinctly with blackish; the rufous restricted to the upper tail-coverts. Breast and jugulum with very minute blackish wavings or indistinct bars." (Hist. N. Am. £.) This very inconspicuous little bird is probably known to few besides the special student of ornithology and the collector. He is a tiny brown-streaked fellow, who may occasionally be seen during the colder parts of the year, nimbly creeping up the trunks of trees, ascending in more or less of a spiral, and when the first limbs are reached flying to the foot of another tree and repeating the per- formance. If too closely approached he manages to keep on the side opposite the observer, and should the latter attempt to go around he moves also — keeping the tree always between. The nest is normally placed behind loose plates of semi-detached bark, on the trunk of a tree, and is composed chiefly of the fine inner bark of trees. It is so situated that the overhanging bark forms a shelter from the rain, and the loose and irregular char- acter of the mass of strips and fibers in which the small nest is hollowed out, so effectually conceals it from the hungry or curious eye, that it has rarely been seen. BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. FAMILY TROGLODYTIDJE.— THE WRENS AND MOCKING- THRUSHES. CHARACTERS. Anterior covering of tarsus distinctly scutellate. Bill slender, some- times lenghtened and more or less arched, the culmen more or lets convex. Wing rounded with the first quill well developed, projecting beyond the tips of the primary-coverts. Although the Mocking-Thrushes present several strongly marked characters not shared by the true Wrens, we are compelled for the present to place them in the same family. There can be little doubt, however, that they should constitute a family (Mimidce) by themselves. The two so-called subfamilies may be distinguished by the fol- lowing characters : — Troglodytinae. No rictal bristles. Inner toe united to the middle by at least half of its basal phalanx. Wing less than 3. 50 inches. Miminae. Rictal bristles well developed. Inner toe wholly separated at the base from the middle toe. Wing more than 3,50 inches. Subfamily Troglodytinae. — THE WRENS. "CHAB. Rictal bristles wanting; the loral feathers with bristly points; the frontal feathers generally not reaching to nostrils. Nostrils variable, exposed or not covered by feathers, and generally overhung by a scale-like membrane. Bill usually without notch (except in some Middle American genera). Wings much rounded, about equal to tail, which is graduated. Primaries ten, the first generally about half the second. Basal joint of middle toe usually united to half the basal joint of inner, and the whole of that of the outer, or more. Lateral toes about equal, or the outer a little the longer. Tarsi scutellate. "The impossibility of defining any large group of animals, so as to separate it stringently and abruptly from all others, is well un- derstood among naturalists ; and the Troglodytidce form no exception to the rule. Some bear so close a resemblance to the Mocking- Thrushes as to have been combined with them ; while others again exhibit a close approximation to other subfamilies. The general affinities of the family, however, appear to be to the Turdidce, and one of the best characters for separating the two families appears to exist in the structure of the feet. TROGLODYTID.E — THE WEENS AND MOCKiNG-THRUSHES. 89 "In the Turdidce the basal joint of the outer lateral toe is united to the middle toe, sometimes only a part of it ; and the inner toe is cleft almost to its very base, so as to be opposable to the hind toe, separate from the others. In the Troglodytidce, on the contrary, the inner toe is united by half its basal joint to the middle toe, sometimes by the whole of this joint; and the second joint of the outer enters wholly or partially into this union, instead of the basal joint only. In addition to this character, the open, exposed nos- trils, the usually lengthened bill, the generally equal lateral toes, the short rounded wings, the graduated tail, etc., furnish points of distinction." (Hist. N. Am. B.) In several genera which unquestionably belong to this family, (Salpinctes, Campylorliynclius, etc.) the postero-lateral plates of the tarsal envelope are divided, much as in the Larks and tracheophone Passeres (Dcndrocolaptidce and Formicariidie) , and with the Larks, are the only members of the Oscines which have these plates thus divided. It will therefore be seen that Stmdevall's primary division of the Oscines into two groups based upon this character — "Lamini plantares," to include those which have these plates undivided (as- sumed by the author in question to include all oscinine families ex- cept the Larks), and " Scutiplantares" to include those with these plates divided (including the Alaudidce alone), is hardly warranted by the facts in the case. North American Genera and Subgenera of Troglodytinae. a.1 Wing more than 3.00 inches Campylorhynchus. «,- Wing loss than 3.00 inches. 61. Outer toe much longer than the inner. c1. Culmen equal to tarsus, depressed at base Catherpes. c2. Culmen shorter than tarsus, compressed at base Salpinctes. b-. Outer toe not distinctly longer than the inner. c1. Tail moderately graduated, or rounded, the tips of the lower coverts falling far short of the ends of the lateral rectrices. cZ,1 Gonys concave, the maxilla decidedly, though gently, decurved at tip Thryothorus. e1. Tail much shorter than wing. Bill stouter, the culmen mod- erately compressed at base. (Subgeuus Thryothorus). e". Tail equal to or longer than wing. Bill slender, the culmen much compressed at base (Submenus Thryomanes). d". Gonys straight, the maxilla scarcely decurved at tip , Troglodytes. e1. Culmen decidedly curved, the bill stouter. Tail nearly or quite as long as wing (Subgenus Troglodytes). e*. Culmen straight, the bill subulate. Tail much shorter than wing (Subgenus Anorthoura) . 90 BIEDS OF ILLINOIS. CJ. Tail much graduated, the lower coverts reaching to tips of lateral rectrices Cistothorus). d1. Bill much shorter than head, stout, the gonys straight (Submenus Cistothorus) . d2. Bill nearly as long as the head, slender, the gonys slightly con- cave (Subgenus Telmatodytes). GENUS THRYOTHORUS VIEILLOT. Thryothorus VIEILLOT, Analyse, 181(5, 45. Type, Troglodytes arundinaceus VIEILL.,= Sylvia ludoviciana LATH. Thryomanes SCL. Cat. Am. B. 1851, 22. Type, Troglodytes bewickii AUD. "GEN. CHAK. Bill compressed, rather slender; height about one fourth the length above. Culmen and commissure gently curved throughout; gonys straight; tip very obsoletely notched. Nostrils in the lower edge of anterior extremity of the nasal groove narrowly elliptical, overhung by a stiff scale-like roof of the thickened membrane of the upper part of the nasal groove, the crescentic edge rounded. The septum of nostrils imperforate; the posterior part of the nasal cavity with a short septum projecting into it parallel with the central, not perpendicular as in Microcerculus. Wings and tail about equal, the latter moderately rounded; the first primary more than half the second, about half the longest. Tarsi rather short, scarcely exceeding middle toe. Anterior scutella? distinct, rest of each side of tarsi in a continuous plate. Lateral toes equal." (Hist. N, Am. .B.) Our species may be distinguished as follows : a1. Tail feathers rufous, barred with black. Lower parts more or less ochra- ceous. Tail much shorter than wing T. ludovicianus. a-. Tail feathers (except middle pair) blackish, with pale gray terminal blotches. Lower parts pale grayish. Tail about equal to wing in length. T. bewickii. SUBGENUS Thryothorus VIEILLOT. Thryothorus ludovicianus (Lath.) CAROLINA WREN. Popular synonyms.— Great Carolina Wren; Mocking Wren; Large Wood Wren. Sylvia ludoviciana LATH. Ind. Orn. ii, 1790, 548. Troglodytes Ivdoricianus LIGHT. Verz. Doubl. 1823, 35.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 429.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 399, pi. 78; Synop. 1839, 74; B. Am. ii, 1811, 116, pi. 117. Thryothorus ludovicianus BONAP. Comp. List, 1838. 11.— BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858, 361; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 265; Review, 1864, 123.— COUES, Key, 1872. 86; Check List, 1873, No. 47; 2d ed. 1882, No. 68; B. N. W. 1874, 29; B. Col. Val. 1878, 168.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i. 1874, 142, pi. 9, fig. 1.— RIDGW. Norn. Am. B. 1881, No. 60. Notacilla caroliniana BAETE. — Certhia caroliniana WILS. Am. Orn. ii, 1810, 61, pi. 12, fig. 5. HAB. Eastern United States, chiefly south of 40°; resident throughout. "Sp. CHAR. Exposed portion of the bill shorter than the head. Above reddish brown, most vivid on the rump. A whitish streak over the eye, bordered above with dark brown. Throat whitish: rest of under parts pale yellow-rusty, darkest towards the under tail- coverts, which are conspicuously barred with black. Exposed surface of the wings and tail (including the upper coverts) barred throughout with brown, the outer edges of tail feathers and quills showing series of alternating whitish and dusky spots. Legs flesh- colored. Length, C inches; wing, 2.60; tail, 2.45." (Hist. N. Am. B.) TROGLODYTID^B — THE WKENS AND MOCKING-THRUSHES. 91 An adult 4 from Brookville. Indiana (No. 386, coll. A. W. Butler; Feb. 10,1881), has the sides and flanks distinctly barred, as in a Wheatland specimen, while the upper part of the breast is marked, entirely across, with rather scattered and small, though very distinct, dusky specks. The chin and upper part of the throat are dull white, as are also the lower breast and upper abdomen, centrally; but the jugulum, sides, and flanks are ochraceous, the flanks even tinged with rufous. The measurements are, wing 2.40, tail 2.20, culmen .65. tarsus .85. In southern Illinois this bird is exceedingly abundant, frequenting chiefly the woods along streams, and rarely found about dwellings, although he occasionally visits the vicinity of farm houses and even the outskirts of towns ; but he seldom if ever fixes his habitation in close proximity to the abodes of man. His nest is built in hollow stumps or logs, or knotholes, in the woods, and is exceedingly diffi- cult to find. His notes are varied, and are all characterized by great power — almost, in fact; disproportionate to the size of the bird, even for one of this family. His clear whistling song, although rather monotonous, is sweet and of unexcelled power, being quite as loud as the strongest notes of the Mocking-bird or Brown Thrasher —in fact they are probably more so, and can be heard for a greater distance. On clear, cold days in midwinter, when the earth is snow-clad, and the air is still and crisp, there may be heard, from the edge of the woods, perhaps half a mile away, an exceedingly loud cheer- ful whistling song — ivilly-way' willy-way' willy-way' — repeated at short intervals, and resembling somewhat in accent the whistle of the Cardinal Grosbeak, but far louder, and altogether a finer per- formance. This is the song of the Carolina Wren. Some have called him the Mocking Wren; but I have never heard one sing any song but his own, and hundreds of times has his characteristic melody greeted my ears. The Carolina Wren is a very prolific bird, raising regularly two, and not unfrequently three broods during the season, and hatching on an average five young each brood. Mr. Nelson records in his paper (page 34), a double nest of this species found by Mr. John L. Kidgway, at Mount Carmel, "which was obtained by him in the bottoms. The two nests were of about equal size and composed principally of moss and grass. The con- tiguous sides were slightly united. Both nests were constructed the same season, and when found one side contained half fledged young," 92 BIKDS OF ILLINOIS. Subgenus Thryomanes Sclater. Thryothorus bewickii (Aud.) BEWICK'S WEEN. Popular synonyms.— Long-tailed House Wren; Long-tailed Wren. Troglodytes bewickii AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 9G.pl. 18; Synop. 1839, 74; B. Am. ii. 1841, 120, pi. 118.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 43t; 2d ed. i, 1840, 489. Thryothorus beicickii BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858, 363 (Thriothorus); Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 267; Review. 1864, 126.— COUES, Key, 1872, 86; Check List, 1873, No. 48: 2d ed. 1882, No. 71; B. N. W. 1874, 31; B. Col. Val. 1878, 109.-B. B. & B. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874. 145, pi. 9, fig. 3. Thryomanes bewicki KJDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 61. HAB. Eastern United States, chiefly west of the Alleghanies. In the interior, north to Minnesota; eastward, north to New Jersey. Very irregularly distributed, being apparently unknown in many localities within the limits of its general range. Not recorded from most portions of the Atlantic coast. Migratory in the northern parts of its range. "Sp. CHAR. Above dark rufous-brown; rump and middle tail-feathers sometimes a little paler, and very slightly tinged with gray, and together with the exposed surface of secondaries distinctly barred with dusky. Beneath soiled plumbeous- whitish; flanks brown. Crissum banded; ground color of quills and tail feathers brownish black. Length, 5.50; wing, 2.25; tail, 2.50. Length from nostril, 39; along gape, 70."* (Hist. N. Am. B.) In most parts of southern Elinois, this is the "House Wren" par excellence; and even in localities where the true House Wren (Troglodytes aedoii) occurs, Bewick's Wren is far the more numerous of the two. In Wabash county, the writer has never seen nor even heard a T. aedon; and in Eichland county, where the latter was not uncommon T. bewickii was extremely abundant, nesting in all sorts of places about barns, stables and other buildings, while the former was chiefly if not entirely confined to the orchards, where it nested in hollow apple-trees. This was almost invariably the case where both species were found upon the same premises. No bird more deserves the protection of man than Bewick's Wren. He does not need man's encouragement, for he comes of his own accord and installs himself as a member of the community, wherever it suits his taste. He is found about the cow- shed and barn along with the Pewee and Barn Swallow ; he investi- gates the pig-sty ; then explores the garden fence, and finally mounts to the roof and pours forth one of the sweetest songs that ever was *Eight adults measure as follows: Wing, 2.05-2.25; tail. 2.10-2.40; culmen, .50-.55; tarsus, ,62-.75, TROGLODYT1D.E — THE WEENS AND MOCKING-THRDSHES. 98> heard. Not a voluble gabble, like the House Wren's merry rounde- lay, but a fine, clear, bold song, uttered as the singer sits with head thrown back and long tail pendent, — a song which may be heard a quarter of a mile or more, and in comparison with which the faint chant of the Song Sparrow sinks into insignificance. The ordinary note is a soft low plit, uttered as the bird hops about, its long tail carried erect or even leaning forward, and jerked to one side at short intervals. In its movements it is altogether more deliberate than either T. ludovicianus or T. aedon, but nothing can excel it in quickness when it is pursued. The nest of Bewick's Wren is placed in all sorts of odd places. Usually it is in a mortise-hole of a beam or joist, or some well- concealed corner. One was beneath the board covering of an ash- hopper; another, in a joint of stovepipe which lay horizontally across two joists in the garret of a smoke-house; a third was behind the weather-boarding of an ice-house, while a fourth was in the bottom of the conical portion of a quail-net that had been hung up against the inner side of a buggy shed. None of these nests would have been found had not the bird been seen to enter. The nest is generally very bulky, though its size is regulated by that of the cavity in which it is placed. Its materials consist of sticks, straw, coarse feathers, fine chips, etc., matted together with spiders' webs, and lined with tow and soft feathers of barnyard fowls. The eggs are usually seven to nine in number, but occa- sionally more,* and are white, rather sparsely speckled round the larger end with brown. Mr. Nelson records the breeding of this species in the extreme northern part of tha State, as follows: "A pair of these birds appeared in a vacant lot in Chicago the first of June, 1876, and taking possession of a convenient corner in the roof of an arbor proceeded to raise their young. At intervals through the day the male would mount to the top of some house, or the topmost twig of a tree in the vicinity, and sing for an hour or more. The family suddenly left about the middle of July." *Mrs. Mary A. Turner, of Mt. Garmel. sent to the National Museum a nest of this species containing eleven eggs. 94 BIRDS OP ILLINOIS. GENUS TROGLODYTES VIEILLOT. Troglodytes VIEILLOT, Ois. Am. Sept. if, 1807, 52. Type, T. aedon VIEILL. Anorthoura RENNIE, Montagu's Orn. Diet. 1831. Type, Motacilla troglodytes The characters of this genus are sufficiently indicated in the synopsis on page 89. They come very close to those of Thryothorus, the nostrils, especially being linear and overhung by a scale. In this respect both differ from Thryophilus of Middle America. The bill is shorter or not longer than the head; straight, slender, and without notch. The tail is graduated, and shorter than the much rounded wings, the feathers narrow. The light superciliary line of Thryothorus is almost entirely wanting in the North American species. Our two species may be thus distinguished: a1. Bill rather stout, with decidedly convex culmen. Tail nearly or auite as long as wing. Beneath brownish white, the crissum and flanks barred with dusky and rusty T. aedon. a2. Bill slender, the culmen nearly straight. Tail decidedly shorter than wing. Beneath pale brown, whole abdomen, sides, flanks and crissum barred with dusky ., T. hyemalis. Subgenus Troglodytes Vieillot. Troglodytes aedon Vieill. HOUSE WREN. a. aedon. House Wren. Popular synonyms.— Short-tailed House Wren; Wood Wren. Motacilla domestica BAETE. Trav. 1791, 291 (nomen nudum). Sylvia domestica WILS. Am. Orn. i,1808, 129, pi. 8, fig. 3. Troglodytes domestica COUES, Pr. Phila. Ac. 1875,351. Troglodytes domesticus COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 74, Troglodytes aedon VIEILL. Ois. Am. Sept. ii. 1807, 52, pi. 107.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i. 427; v.470. pi. 83; Synop. 1839, 75; B. Am. ii, 1841, 125, pi, 120.— NUTT. Man. i, 2d ed. 1840, 475. — BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858, 3J7; Cat. N. Am. B. 1839, No. 2?0; Review, 1864, 138.- COUES, Key 1872, 86; Check List, 1874. No. 49; B. N. W. 1874, 32.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 149, pi. 9, fig. 5.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 63. Troglodytes fulvus NUTT. Man. i, 18:32, 422. Troglodytes americanus AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 452, pi. 179; Synop. 75; B. Am. ii, 123, pi, 119.— BAIED, B. N. Am. 368; Cat. N. Am. B. 180, 272. Review, 18J4, 141. HAB. Eastern United States and British Provinces; in the former, chiefly northward and eastward? (In southern Illinois chiefly replaced by Thryothorus bewickii.) b. parkmanii. Parkman's Wren. Popular synonyms.— Western Wood Wren; Western House Wren. Troglodytes varkmanii AUD. B. Am. ii, 18-11, 133, pi. 122.— NUTT. Man. 2d ed. i, 1840, 483.— BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858, 367; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 271; Review, 1864. 140. Troglodytes aedon \ar.parkmanni COUES, Key, 1872, 87; Check List, 1873, No. 49a; B. N. W. 1874, 32.— B. B. & R., Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 153. Troglodytes aedon parkmanni RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 63a. Troglodytes domesticus parkmani COUES, B. Col. Val. 1878, 171; 2d Check List, 1882. No. 75. TROGLODYT1D.E— THE WEENS AND MOCKING-THRUSHES. 95 HAS. Western United States, east to the border of the wooded region. (Occasionally straggling to Illinois.) "Sp. CHAR. Tail and wings about equal. Bill shorter than the head. Above reddish brown, darker towards the head, brighter on the rump. The feathers everywhere, except on the head and neck, barred with dusky; obscurely so on the back, and still less on the rump. All the tail feathers barred from the base; the contrast more vivid on the exterior ones. Beneath pale fulvous-white, tinged with light brownish across the breast: the pos- terior parts rather dark brown, obscurely banded. Under tail-coverts whitish, with dusky bars. An indistinct line over the eye, eyelids, and loral region whitish. Cheeks brown, streaked with whitish. Length, 4.90; wing, 2.08; tail, 2.00." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Two races of the House Wren occur in Illinois which may be distinguished as follows : HOUSE WKEN (T.aedon). Above decidedly rusty on the rump and tail, the back umber" brown, and usually not distinctly barred (frequently entirely uniform); in winter, deep reddish umber-brown above, with only the wings and tail distinctly barred. Wing, 1.90— 2.15(2.02; tail, 1.72-2.08 (1.85); culmen, .46— .52 (.49); bill from nostril,. 32— .37 (.34); tarsus, .60— .70 (.65); middle toe, .45— .54 (.50). PAEKMAN'S WEEN (T. aedonparkmanii). Above rather grayish brown, the rump and tail slightly more rusty, and the back and rump generally very distinctly barred with dusky (very rarely plain). In winter, above dull brown (deeper than in sum- mer), the back still distinctly barred. Wing. 2.— 2.25 (2.09); tail, 1.85—2.12 (1.98); cul- men, .45— .55 (.49); bill from nostril. .30— .40 (.35); tarsus, .60.— 70 (.66); middle toe, .47-. 54 (.50). The two races are by no means well denned, except in extreme cases, but there is an appreciable average difference, as above de- tailed, distinguishing eastern and western specimens ; nor are their relative abundance and distribution within the State well made out. Although a bird of very wide geographical range, the House Wren is, for some reason or another, very rare in many parts of southern Illinois. Indeed, during the writer's residence in Wabash county, he never even heard the note of an individual of this species, its place being taken entirely by Bewick's Wren. In the neighboring county of Eichland, however, the House Wren is not uncommon in some localities, but the other species still largely preponderates in numbers ; and the same is the case in Knox county, Indiana, in all localities where the writer has been able to make observations. To the northward, the present species gradually increases in abundance, until finally, in the northern counties of the State the proportional representation of the two is reversed. Although having had many opportunities of studying the House Wren in the Atlantic States, where it is a very abundant bird, the writer became most familiar with him in the Far West, where all 96 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. wooded localities, excepting coniferous forests, were his chosen abode, and where he was equally at home in the cottonwoods of the river valleys, or the aspens just below the timber-line on lofty mountains. He was there everywhere the same quick, saucy little fellow, and in the spring and summer an incessant and voluble songster. The following very interesting notes regarding the length of time required for the bringing forth of a brood of this species, were com- municated to Professor Baird by Col. S. T. Walker, of Milton, Florida : "In looking over an old memorandum book the other day, I came across the following notes made in 1866, concerning the nesting of the House Wren. I was sick at the time, and watched the whole proceeding, from the laying of the first stick to the conclusion. The nest was placed in one of the pigeon-holes of my desk, and the birds effected an entrance to the room through sundry cracks in the log cabin. "Nest begun April 15th "Nest completed and first egg laid April 27th "Last egg laid , May 3d "Began incubation May 4th "Hatching completed May 18th "Young began to fly May 27th "Young left the nest June 1st "Total time occupied 47 days." Subgenus Anorthoura Bennie. Troglodytes hiemalis Vieill. WINTER WREN. Popular synonyms.— Bunty Wren; Little Log Wren. Sylvia troglodytes WILS. Am. Orn. i, 1808, 139, pi. 8, fig. 6 (not of LINN.). Anorthura troglodytes COUES, Key. 1872, 87. Troglodytes .hiemalis VIEILL,. Nouv. Diet. N. H. xxxiv, 1819, 514.— Sw. & RICH. F. B. A, ii, 1831, 318.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1858, 430, pi, 360; Synop. 1839. 76; B. Am. ii. 1841, 128, pi, 121.— NUTT. Man. 2d ed. i, 1840, 481.— BAIRD. B. N. Am. 1853, 369; Cat. N. Am. ISSO, No. 273; Review, 1864. 144. Troglodytes europwus NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 427 (not of LEACH). AnorUiura troglodytes var. hyemalls COUES. Key, 1872, 351; Check List, 1873, No. 50. Troglodytes paroulus var. hy emails B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 155, pi, 9, fig. 9. Anorthura troglodytes hyemalls RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 65.— COUES. 2d Check List, 1882, No. 76 Chiemalls.l TROGLODYTIM2 — THE WRENS AND MOCKING-THRUSHES. 97 HAS. North America east of the Rocky Mountains, breeding chiefly north of the United States; south in winter nearly or quite to the Gulf coast. "Sp. CHAE. Bill very straight, slender, and conical; shorter than the head. Tail con- siderably shorter than the wing^, which reach to its middle. Upper parts reddish brown; becoming brighter to the rump and tail; everywhere, except on the head and upper part of the back, with transverse bars of dusky and of lighter. Scapulars and wing-coverts with spots of white. Beneath pale reddish brown, barred on the posterior half of the body with dusky and whitish, and spotted with white more anteriorly; outer web of primaries similarly spotted with pale brownish white. An indistinct pale line over the eye. Length, about 4 inches; wing, 1.6t>; tail, 1.26." (Hist. N. Am, B.) "First Plumage: male. Remiges, rectriees, etc., as in adult; rest of upper parts dark reddish brown, becoming more dusky anteriorly; no trace of bars except on wings and tail. Beneath dull smoky brown, with a strong ferruginous suffusion on sides, anal region, and crissum; every feather of under parts with a bar of dark brown. From a specimen in my collection taken at Upton, Me., August 4, 1874." (BEEWSTEB, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, Jan.. 1878, p. 22.) This little bird visits Illinois only at the approach of cold weather, and leaves with the advent of spring. He frequents chiefly the woods, more especially in bottom lands, where he may be seen about old logs, hopping nimbly in and out among the knot-holes and other hollow places, then flitting, like a brown butterfly, to another place of refuge on the too near approach of an intruder. Occasion- ally he may be seen about wood-piles or lumber-yards within towns, but he is never on the same degree of intimacy with man as the House Wren, partaking, in his sylvan proclivities, more of the nature of his larger and brighter-colored relative, the Carolina Wren. GENUS CISTOTHOBUS CABANIS. Cistothorns CABANIS, MUP. Hein. i, 1850, 77. Type, Troglodytes stellai is LtcHT. Telmatndytes CABANIS, Mus. Hein. i, 1830, 78. Type, Thryothorus arundinaceus ~ViEii,T:.,=Certhia palustris WILS.) "GEN. i HAK. Bill about as long as the head or much shorter, much compressed, not notched, gently decurve'l from the middle; the gonys slightly concave or straight. Toes reai-hing to the <-nd of the tail. Tarsus longer than the middle toe. Hind toe longer than the lateral, shorter than the middle. Lateral toes about equal. Hind toe longer than or equal to its digit. Wings rather longer than the tail, all the feathers of which are much graduated; thn lateral only two thirds the middle. The feathers narrow. Back black, conspicuously streaked with white. "Of this genus there are two sections, Cistothorus proper and Tel- matodytes, the diagnoses of which have already been given. The two North American species present the feature, unique among our Wrens, of white streaks on the back. -7 98 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. *' A. Cistothorus. Bill half length of head. No white superciliary streak. Head and rump and back streaked with white. Tail dusky, barred with brown c. stellaris. " B. Telmatodytes. Bill length of head. A white superciliary stripe. Back alone streaked with white. Tail feathers black, barred with whitish. C. palastrls." —(Hist. N. Am. £.) Subgenus Cistothorus Cabanis. Cistothorus stellaris (Licht ) SHORT-BILLED MARSH WREN. Troglodytes stellaris "LICHT." NAUM. Vog. Deutschl. iii, 1823,724. Cistothorus stellnris CAB. Mus. Hein. i, 1S5'\ 77.— BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858, 365; Gat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 269; Review. 1864, 1J6.— COUES. Key, 1872, 88; Check List. 1873, No. 52; 2d ed. 1832. No. 81; B. N. W. 1874, 30: B. Col. Val. 18/8. 180. -B. B. £ R. Hist. N. Am. B. i. 1874, 159, pi. 9, fig. 7.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 08. Troglodytes brevirostris NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 426; 2d ed. i, 1810, 493.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 427; Synop. 1839, 77: B. Am. ii, 1841, 138, pi. 124. HAB. Eastern United States, north to Massachusetts and Manitoba, west to the Great Plains and even to Utah; winters in the Southern States. "Sp. CHAK. Bill very short, scarcely half the length of the head. Wing and tail about equal. Hinder part of the crown and the scapular and interscapular region of the back and rump almost black, streaked with white. Tail dusky, the feathers barred throughout with brown (the color grayish on the under surface). Beneath white, the sides, upper part of breast, and under tail-coverts reddish brown. Length, 4.50; wing, 1.75; tail, 1.75." (Hist. N. Am. B.} "Autumnal plumage: young male. Above similar to adult, but darker, especially on nape and pileum. Throat'and abdomen light buff; breast, sides, anal region, and crissum rusty-brown, paler and with white tippings to the feathers anteriorly. From a specimen in my collection shot at Cambridge, Mass., September 19, 1870." (BEEWSTER, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, January, 1878, 22.) The Short- billed Marsh Wren occurs throughout Illinois, but only in certain favored localities. Mr. Nelson, in his catalogue of the birds of Cook and adjoining counties (p. 94), writes of it as follows : "Bather common summer resident and generally distributed in suitable places. Breeds last of May. I think the distribution of this species is much more general than is supposed. Owing to the character of the locality in which they are found, and to their shy- ness, the chances are that they will be overlooked. Before I learned their habits I passed repeatedly through places where I afterwards found they were quite common." Its favorite resorts are said to be wet meadows, where the grass and sedges grow tall and rank, and in prairie sloughs. The nest, like that of its long-billed relative (C. palustns), is fastened to up- TROGLODYTIDJE — THE WRENS AND MOCKIXG-THRUSHES. 99 right grass- or sedge-stems, and is of globular form, with the entrance a small hole in the side. The eggs, however, are pure white, with- out markings, instead of deep chocolate-brown, or densely speckled with the same on a lighter ground. Subgenus Telmatodytes Cabanis. Cistothorus palustris (Wils.) LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN. Popular synonyms.— Grass Wren; Stink-bird (N. E. Ills.) Certhia palustris WILS. Am. Orn. ii, 1810, 58, pi. 12, fig. 4. Troglodytes palustris Bonap. Jour. Phila. Ac. iv, 1824. 30.— Sw. & RICH. F. B. A. iJ,1831. 319.-AUD. Orn. Biog. i. 1831, 500, pi. 100: Synop. 1839, 77; B. Am. ii, 1841. 135, pi. 123. — NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 439; 2d ed. i, 1840, 496. Cistothorus palustris BAIED, B. N. Am. 1838, 364; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 268; Review 1864, 147.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B.. i, 1874, 161, pi. 9, fig. 6. Telmatodytes palustris COUES, Key, 1872,87; Cheek List, 1873, No. 51; 2d ed. 1882, No. 79; B. N. W. 1874, 34; B. Col. Val. 1878, 178 (part).— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 67. HAB. Eastern North America, breeding nearly throughout its range, and wintering in the Southern States; accidental in Greenland. (Replaced in the West by the race or sub- species paludicola, Baird.) "Sp. CHAK. Bill about as long as head. Tail and wing nearly equal. Upper parts of a dull reddish brown, except on the crown, interscapular region, outer surface of tertials, and tail feathers, which are almost black; the first with a median patch like the ground color; the second with short streaks of white, extending round on the sides of the neck; the third indented with brown; the fourth barred with whitish, decreasing in amount from the outer feather, which is marked from the base, to the fifth, where it is confined to thtt tips; the two middle feathers above lit*} the back, and barred throughout with dusky. Beneath rather pure white, the sides and under tail-coverts of a lighter shade of brown than the back; a white streak over the eye. Length, 5.50; wing, 2.08; tail, 2.00." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The Long-billed Marsh Wren is an abundant bird in suitable localities, which consist of marshes or swamps grown up with rank sedges and grasses, to the upright stems of which its curious nest is attached. The species occurs throughout the State, and some- times winters in the extreme southern portion. Although usually fastening the nest to upright sedge- or reed-stalks, the writer has found several that were built in small willow trees, at heights vary- ing from six to fifteen feet above high tide. This was in the marshes of the Potomac river, near the foot of Analostan Island, opposite Washington, D. C., where the species is excessively abun- dant. 100 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. The song of this species resembles somewhat that of the House Wren, but is much less agreeable, having a peculiar sputtering or scolding character. Mr. Nelson, in his list of the birds of northeastern Illinois, refers to the Long- billed Marsh Wren as follows : "Abundant summer resident in marshy localities. Arrives the first of May, nests the last of this month to the first of August. I have seen hundreds of the nests of this species, but have yet to see one attached to a bush in the manner described in Baird, Brewer and Eidgway's 'North American Birds' (Vol. 1, p. 162). The nests I have seen have almost invariably been placed in the middle of tall bulrushes, or wild rice, growing upon a more or less submerged marsh, and are supported about two feet above the surface, by being firmly attached to several of the surrounding stalks, some- thing in the manner of the attachment of the Bed-winged Black- bird's nest. The structure of the nests agrees with the description in the above-named work, with the exception of mud never being used in nests I have examined. While the female is incubating, the male is almost constantly employed upon the construction of several unfinished nests, until often a pair may boast the possession of a dozen unoccupied tenements. The supernumerary nests are less substantial structures than the one occupied, and are built indif- ferently of the living or dead grass leaves, the latter being almost exclusively used in the structure occupied." "In the sedges and cat- tails, which border the placid current as it approaches the lake," writes the author of "Our Birds in their Haunts," "are the breeding haunts of quite a group of birds which frequent the water and the vicinity in this locality. As one glides along these waters in a light skiff, on a fine June morning, admiring the trees, shrubs, vines and wild flowers which adorn the graceful curves of the bluff on either side, from out the sedges and cat-tails there comes the sharp metallic twitter of the Long-billed Marsh Wren (Telmatodytes paliistris). You strain your eyes to get a glimpse of the utterer of these weird notes, but he is completely concealed in the tall, thick growths, and dodges about so mysteriously that you can scarcely keep the direction of the sounds. There ! Now he is in plain sight, clinging sidewise to that huge cat-tail overtopped by its candle-shaped blossom. What a wee bit of a bird he is, seeming scarcely larger than the end of one's thumb, though, from the tip of the bill to the extremity of the tail, he measures some five inches or more ; but the head is so thrown up, and the tail so TKOGLODYTID^ — THE WRENS AND MOCKING-THRUSHES. 101 thrust forward, that he assumes almost the shape of an irregular ring or triangle, and so quite deceives one as to the length of his slender body. * * His flight is short, and every motion is exceedingly quick and nervous. '•In the tall bleached sedges of the previous year, this Wren is very easily seen in May or early in June. Then he is especially lively, hanging sidewise to the smooth perpendicular culms, or grasping two opposite ones, one in each wiry foot, his legs stretched apart in a horizontal line; or tossing himself up several feet into the air, with head and tail up, he will drop down, with a light and graceful flutter, making his very best attempt at a song as he thus describes an abrupt curve. That song begins with a rather harsh screeping note, followed by a rattling twitter, and ends in a note very much like that with which it began. "Pulling the boat somewhat into the sedges, we wade among them half way to the knees in water. Here is the nest ! About the size of a common cocoanut, it is woven and interlaced by the dried and discolored leaves of the sedges and marsh-grass, intermixed with vegetable down, and sometimes with an abundance of green moss, so as to make the walls quite th'ick and firm, and is lined with finer materials — perhaps the down from a vacated Duck's nest in the neighborhood, or the feathers of a Coot devoured by the Marsh Hawk; it has a hole in the side, so beset with down as almost to close it up — the artistic structure being hung to the green or dried sedges or marsh-grass only a few inches, or sometimes three or four feet from the water. These nests are often found in large numbers in the same locality, the greater part of them being unoccupied." 102 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Subfamily Miminae.— THE MocKiNG-TiinusHES. The principal characters of this so-called subfamily, have already been given on page 88. The group is probably entitled to family rank, the differences from the true Wrens being very marked. The Mimiiuz have usually been placed in the subfamily Turdida, but they appear to be even less closely related to the Thrushes than to the Wrens. As has been stated in "History of North American Birds" (Vol. I., p. 31), the Mimincs "have a somewhat thrush-like appearance, but (except in Oroscoptes) with longer, much more graduated, and broader tail; short, concave wings, about equal to or shorter than the tail, usually lengthened, sometimes decurved bill without notch, and strongly marked scutella? on the anterior face of the tarsus. The loral feathers are soft and not ending in bristly points. The colors are dull shades of brown, gray or plumbeous. Most of the species, in addition to a melodious native song, possess the power of imitating the notes of other birds; sometimes, as in the Amer- ican Mocking-bird, to an eminent degree. All are peculiar to the New World, and the species are much less vagrant than those of the Turdince, — those of the United States scarcely going beyond its northern boundary ; others, again, restricted to small islands in the West Indies, or in the Pacific Ocean." ANALYSIS OF NORTH AMERICAN GENERA. a.1 Tail shorter than wing, nearly even Oroscoptes. a.a Tail longer than wing much rounded. b.1 Bill equal to or longer than head Harporhynchus . c.1 Tarsus shorter than culmen. Tail exceeding wing by more than length of tarsus (Subgenus Harporhynchus). c.a Tarsus longer than culmen. Tail exceeding wing by less than length of tarsus (Subgenus Methrlopterus). &.3 Bill much shorter than head. c.1 Tarsus exceeding middle toe and claw by more than the length of the latter. Commissure longer than middle toe and claw Mimodes. c.2 Tarsus exceeding middle toe and claw by less than the length of the latter. Commissure shorter than middle toe and claw. d.1 Tarsal scutellae very distinct. Gonys straight or even slightly concrve. Much white on wings and tail Mimus. d." Tarsal seutellre very indistinct, sometimes nearly obsolete. Gonys slight! y convex. No white on wings or tail Galeoscoptes . TROGLODYTID.E — THE WRENS AND MOCKING-THRUSHES. 103 GENUS HARPORHYNCHUS CABANIS. UarporhyncJius CABANIS, Archiv f. Naturg. 1848, 1. 98. Type, Harpes redivivus GAME. Methriopterus REICH. Av. Syst. Nat. 1850, pi. iv. Type, Turdus rnfus LINN. "GEN. CHAK. Bill from forehefid as long as, or much longer than the head; becoming more and more decurved in both jaws as lengthened. No indication of a notch. Rictus with the bristles extending beyond the nostrils. Tarsus long an-d stout, appreciably ex- ceeding the middle toe and claw, strongly scutellate anteriorly. Wings considerably shorter than tail, much rounded; the first quill more than half the second; fourth or fifth longest, Tail large, much graduated; the feathers firm. "The species of this genus are all of large size, in fact, embrac- ing the largest of the American slender-billed oscinine birds. All the species differ in structure, varying especially in the length of the bill, as above stated." (Hist. N. Am. B.} The genus, as defined above, is divisible into two well-defined sections, for convenience here termed subgenera (although they are possibly of generic rank), which may be characterized as follows: 1. Harporhynchus. Tarsus much shorter than culmen; gonys equal to or longer than middle toe, without claw; tail exceeding the wing by much more than the length of the tarsus. Lower parts wholly immaculate. 2. Methriopterus. Tarsus longer than the culmen; gonvs much shorter than the middle toe. without claw; tail exceeding the wing by much less than the length of the tarsus. Lower parts more or less distinctly spotted or streaked. To Harporliynclms, as thus restricted, belong only H. redivivus (Gamb.), H. lecontei (Lawr.) and H. crissalis Henry, while to Methri- opterus may be referred the following: M. rufas (Linn.), M. longirostris (Lafr.), M. ocdlatus (Scl.), M. cinereus (Xant.), M. bendirei (Coues), M. palmeri Eidgw., and M. curvirostris (Swains.). This arrangement, I am aware, removes M. palmeri much further from H. lecontei than Mr. firewater, (cf. Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, vi, Apr. 1881, p. 67) has suggested should be its position ; but after a very careful comparison of all the species, I am convinced that the two birds have in fact nothing in common beyond a general super- ficial resemblance in coloration. In fact, these two species, which exhibit the nearest approach in the two genera, may be as certainly distinguished by the characters given above as may H. redivivus and If. rufus, although the difference is of course far greater between the two latter. 104 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Harporhynchus rufus (Linn.) BROWN THRASHER. Popular synonyms.— French Mocking-bird; Sandy Mocking-bird; Ferruginous Mocking- bird; Fox-colored Mocking-bird; Thrasher. Turduf rvfus LINN, S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 1C9; ed. 12. i, 176C. 293,-WiLS. Am. Orn. ii. 1810,83. pi. 14.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 102; v, 1839, 441, pi. 116. Orrpheus rufus Sw. & RICH. F. B. A. ii, 1831, 189. -AuD. Synop. 1839. 88; B. Am. iii, 1841, 9, pi. 141. Ha>-pnrhyn.chus rufus CABAN. Mus. Hein. i, 1850, 82.— BATED, B. N. Am. 1858, 353; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 261: Review, 18G1, 44.— UOUES, Key, 1872,75; Check List, 1873. No. 10; 2d ed. 1882, No. 17; B. N. W. 1S74, 9; Col. Val. 1878. 61.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B.i. 1874. 37, pi. 3, fix. 1.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 13. HAS. Eastern North America, west to the Rocky Mountains and North to the British Provinces; winters in the Southern U. S. "Sp. CHAR. Exposed portion of the bill shorter than the head. Outline of lower man- dii>l« straight. Above light cinnamon-red; beneath pale rufous-white with longitudinal streaks of dark brown, excepting on the chin, throat, middle of the belly, and under tail- coverts. Th^se spots anteriorly are reddish brown in their terminal portion. The inner surface of the wing and the inner edges of the primaries are cinnamon; the concealed portion of the quills otherwise is dark brown. The median and greater wing-coverts become blackish brown towards the end, followed by white, producing two conspicuous bands. The tail feathers are all rufous, the external ones obscurely tipped with whitish, the shafts of the same color with the vanes. Length, 11.15; wing, 4.15; tail, 5.20; tarsus, 1.^0."* (Hist. N. Am. B.) Though not a very familiar bird — preferring rather hedges and thickets by the wayside — the Brown Thrasher is nevertheless well known from his eminent abilities as a songster, in which respect he has no superior and few rivals in those portions of the country which he inhabits. Besides thickets and hedge-rows, he frequents also open places where there are isolated thorny trees, in which to hide his nest, and where, while his mate is sitting, he mounts to the summit of a tree and, remaining in a fixed position, sometimes for hours together, cheers her, and indeed all listeners, with his sweet and powerful song. The song of this species is conspicuous for its vigor, while it is rendered more attractive by reason of its continuity and pleasing expression. It is said to strongly resemble, particularly in modulation, the melody of the Song Thrush (Turdus musicus), perhaps the finest of European songsters. In power it at least equals, and in sweetness excels, the much praised performance of the Mocking-bird, but it lacks the inimitable variety of the latter. Perched aloft on a bare twig, his head thrown proudly up, and tail pendent, he pours forth an untiring succession of pleasant notes, * Six adult males from the region east of the Mississippi measure as follows: Wing, 4.10-4. 25 (average, 4.21); tail, 5.05-5.45 (average. 5.20); culmen, .95-1.00 (average, .93); tarsus, 1.28-1.40 (average, 1.36), Females average gomewhat smaller. TROGLODYTIOE — THE WRENS AND MOCKING-THRUSHES. 105 extremely varied, but almost constantly uttered in pairs, producing by the latter peculiarity a song unmistakably individual in char- acter. GENUS MIMUS BOIE. Mimus BOIE, Isis, Oct. 1826, 972. Type, Turdus polyglottos LINN. "GEN. CHAR. Bill not much more than half the length of the head: gently decurved from the base, notched at tip; commissure curved. Gonys straight, or slightly concave, llictal bristles quite well developed. Wings rather shorter than the tail. First primary about equal to, or rather more than half, the second; third, fourth, and fifth quills nearly equal, sixth scarcely shorter. Tail considerably graduated; the feathers stiff, rather narrow, especially the outer webs, lateral feathers about three quarters of an inch the shorter, in the type. Tarsi longer than middle toe and claw by rather less than an addi- tional claw; tarsi conspicuously and strongly scutellate; broad plates seven. "Of this genus there are many species in America, although but one occurs within the limits of the United States. "The single North American species M. polyylottus is ashy brown above, white beneath ; wings and tail black, the former much varied with white." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Mimus polyglottos (Linn.) MOCKING-BIKD. Popular synonym.— Southern Mocking-bird. Turdus polyglottos LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758. 169; ed. 12, i, 176*;, 293. Turdus poly glottus GMEL. S. N. i, 1788, 812.— WILS. Am. Orn. ii, 1810, 14. pi. 10. fig. 1.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 108, pi. 21.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 320. Mimus poly glottus BONAP. Comp. Geog. List, 1837, 17— BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858. 341; Oat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 253; Review, 1864, 48.— COUES, Key, 1872, 74; Check List, 1873, No. 8; 2d ed. 1882, No. 15; B. N. W. 1874. 8; B. Col. Val. 1878. 53.-B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i. 1874, 49, pi. 3, fig. 4.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1831, No. 11. Orplieus poly glottus SWAINS. Zool. Jour, iii, 1827, 167.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 87; B. Am. ii, 1841, 187, pi. 138. HAB. United States, chiefly south of 40°, but occasionally to, or even across, the north- ern border (west of the Mississippi, breeding as far north as Ft. Fettermau, Wyoming Terr.); Mexico, and Greater Antilles. (Resident throughout its range.) "Sp. CHAK. Third and fourth quills longest; second about equal to eighth; the first half or more than half the second. Tail considerably graduated. Above ashy brown, the feathers very obsoletely darker centrally, and towards the light plumbeous downy basal portion (scarcely appreciable, except when the feathers are lifted). The under parts are white, with a faint brownish tinge, except on the chin, and with a shade of ash across the breast. There is a pale superciliary stripe, but the lores are dusky. The wings and tail are dark brown, nearly black, except the lesser wing-coverts, which are like the back; the middle and greater tipped with white, forming two bands; the basal portion of the primaries white; most extended on the inner primaries. The outer tail-feather is white, sometimes a little mottled; the second is mostly white, except on the outer web and towards the base; the third with a white spot on the end; the rest, except the middle, very slightly or not at all tipped with white. The bill and legs are black. Length, 9.56: wing, 4.50; tail, 5.00. " Young. Similar, but distinctly spotted with dusky on the breast, and obsoleteiy on the back." (Hist. N. Am. B.) 106 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. So well known are the habits and other characteristics of the Mocking-bird that nearly all that could be written here would be but a repetition of what has been previously published. In Illinois, as in many other States, its distribution is very irregular, its absence from certain localities apparently in every way suited to its require- ments being very difficult to account for. Thus, while one or two pairs breed in the outskirts of Mount Carmel nearly every season, it is nowhere in that vicinity a common bird. Thirty miles further north, however, in the neighborhood of Olney, where the country is more open, I have found it almost abundant, on one occasion six males having been seen and heard singing along the roadside dur- ing a three miles drive from the town. Mr. H. K. Coale informs me that he saw a Mocking-bird in Starke county, Indiana, 60 miles southeast of Chicago, January 1st, 1884; that Mr. Green Smith had met with it at Kensington Station, Illinois, and that several have been observed in the parks and door- yards of Chicago. In the extreme southern portion of the State the species is abundant in suitable localities, and is resident through the year. While without a rival in variety of notes and unequalled in bril- liancy of song, the Mocking-bird can scarcely be considered our finest singer. Remarkable as are his powers of imitation, he cannot reproduce the metallic harmony of the smaller Thrushes (Hylncichhe), and perhaps not even the trill of the Canary. To our mind, the Brown Thrasher has a sweeter song, and one equally vigorous ; but there is a bold brilliancy to the vocal performance of Mimus that is peculiarly his own, and which makes him chief of songsters. GENUS GALEOSCOPTES CABANIS. Galroscoples CABANIS, Mus. Hem. 1, 1850, 82. Type, Muscicapa carolinensis LINN. "GEN. CHAR. Bill shorter than the head, rather broad at base. Rietal bristles moder- ately developed, reaching to the nostrils. Wings a little shorter than the tail, rounded; secondaries well developed: fourth and fifth quills.longest; third and sixth a little shorter; first and ninth about equal, and about the length of secondaries; first quill more than half the second, about half the third. Tail graduated; lateral feather about .70 shorter than the middle. Tarsi longer than middle toe and claw by about an additional half- claw; scutellate anteriorly, more or less distinctly in different specimens; scutellae about seven. "The conspicuous naked membranous border round the eye of some Thrushes, vrith the bare space behind it, not appreciable. "There is little difference in form between the single species of Galcoscoptes and Mimus polyglottus, beyond the less degree of defini- TROGLODYTID^ — THE WEENS AND MOCKING-THRUSHES. 107 tion of the tarsal plates ; and but for the difference in coloration (uniform plumbeous, instead of gray above and white beneath), we would hardly be inclined to distinguish the two generically. "The single species known is lead-colored, with black cap, and chestnut-red under tail-coverts." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Galeoscoptes carolinensis (Linn.) CATBIRD. • Popular synonym.— English Mocking-bird (Virginia). JUuscicapa carolinensis LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 328. Orpheus carolinensis AUD. Synop. 1839, 88; B. Am. ii, 1841, 195, pi, 140. Mimus carolinensis "GRAY" SCL. P. Z. 8. 1856, S29I.-BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858, 316; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 254.— COUES, Key, 1872. 74; Check List, 1873. No. 9; 2d ed. 1881. No. 16. B. N. W. 1874, 8; B. Col. Val. 1878, 5(:. Galeoscoptes carolinensis CABAN. Mus. Hein. i, 1850, 82.— BAIRD, Review, 1864, 54.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 52, pi. 3. fig. 5.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 12. T urdus lividis WILS. Am. Orn. ii, 1810, 90. pi. 14, fig. 3. Turdus felivox VIEILL. Oi?. Am. Sept. ii, 1807, 10, pi. 67. Orpheus felivox Sw. & RICH. F. B. A. ii, 1831, 192. HAB, Eastern North America, north to about lat. 54° in the interior; west to, and in- cluding, the Rocky Mountains, and along the northern boundary extending to Oregon and Washington Terr. Winters from the Southern States south to Panama; Cuba; Bermudas. SP. CHAK. Adult: Uniform plumbeous-slate, lighter below; pileum dull black, or brownish black, abruptly defined laterally, but anteriorly and posteriorly gradually blending into the dark grayish or slaty of the forehead and nape— the former often with a smoky brown tinge. Tail uniform slate-black, the under surface of the lateral rectrices with the outer web and tip of inner web sometimes grayish, the inner web occasionally indistinctly barred with the same. Crissum chestnut, the feathers slaty beneath the sur- face. Bill jet black; iris deep brown; legs and feet black, the soles of the toes olive- yellowish. Young: Similar to the adult, but blackish of pileum less distinct, and lacking sharp definition laterally, lower parts very faintly mottled, transversely, with darker, and slightly tinged with brownish (as are also the upper parts), the crissum dull light rusty brownish. Male: Total length, about 8. 70-9. 00 inches; extent, 11.00-11.50; wing, 3.45-3.75; tail, 3.70- 4.25; culmen, .65-. 75; tarsus, 1.05-1.15. Female, averaging a little smaller. The Catbird and its habits are too well known to require extended mention in this work. Like a candidate for political honors, he is a rascal and reprobate of the " first water " to some, but the pink of perfection to others. He is, indeed, a bird of varied qualities, which show in different lights, according to the personal predilec- tions or prejudices of the individual who is expressing an opinion respecting his merits or demerits. One of our most familiar birds, and one which should rank in our affections along with the Bluebird and Eobin, is the Catbird. But unfortunately he is the subject of very general prejudice, not merely 108 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. on account of his undeniable propensity to steal cherries, but also because many persons dislike the cat-like notes which he utters on certain occasions. But if he is to be condemned to persecution on account of these failings, we must also consider that he is little if any worse than the Robin or the Mocking-bird and when we enlist our thoughts in his favor, and consider his confident famili- arity, his trim, graceful form, neat dress, bright, easy manners, and interesting song, we may readily forgive all his short-comings. Though distinguished by his song, which, notwithstanding its frequent interruption by imitations, is eminently original in style, it is, how- ever, his manners which commend him most to our notice. There is scarcely an orchard in the land, from the Atlantic coast to the western base of the Rocky Mountains, and from the Gulf of Mexico to the British Provinces, which is not enlivened by the presence of one or more pairs of Catbirds ; and very incomplete an American orchard would seem without them. At all hours of the day his cheerful song may be heard from among the green boughs of an apple-tree ; and when the heat of the midday sun tells him that a bath would be refreshing, he comes and splashes in the wash-basin at the back-door in the most perfect civilized style. Then, when we return his familiarity and intrude upon his own household, we cannot but admire the courage with which he remonstrates and defends his home. The song of the Catbird is one which, though vigorous and pleas- ing, is not universally admired. It has sufficient vigor, for he is untiring in his efforts to please ; it has strength enough, for he is ever ambitious to make his voice conspicuous in the morn- ing chorus; and we occasionally catch snatches of soft and sweet notes, or he even now and then manages to execute some very brilliant passage. But should the latter be the case, he seems him- self astonished, though evidently well pleased, for he pauses as if waiting for and expecting applause. In his performance there is too much deliberation, and the general effect is that he is merely practicing, during which he at times gets tired of his own voice, and substitutes other sounds which he has heard. These he imitates with tolerable success, but the sounds which he most affects, as the squeal of a young pig, the squeaking of a hinge, or the squall of a cat, are harsh interruptions to a song which might otherwise be pleasing. MOTACULL1D.E — THE WAGTAILS AND PIPITS. 1U9 FAMILY MOTACILLIDJL— THE WAOTATLR AND PIPITS. "CHAK. Bill slender, conical, nearly as high as wide at the base, with slight notch at tip; the culmen slightly concave above the anterior extremity of the nostrils; short bristles at gape, which, however, do not extend forward to nostrils. Loral feathers soft and dense, but with bristly points; nasal groove filled with naked membrane, with the elongated nostrils in lower edge; the frontal feathers coming up to the aperture, but not directed forward nor overhanging it. Wings lengthened and sharp-pointed; the primaries nine (without spurious first), of which the first three to five, considerably longer than the suc- ceeding, form the tip; the exterior secondaries generally much emarginated at the ends; the inner secondaries (so-called tertials) nearly equal to the longest primaries. The tail rather narrow, emarginate. Tarsi lengthened, scutellate anteriorly only, the hind claw usually very long, acute, and but slightly curved (except in Motacilla). Inner toe cleft al- most to the very base, outer adherent for basal joint only." "The combination of naked nostrils, notched bill, and nine primaries, with the tarsi scutellate anteriorly only, will at once distinguish the Anthince of this family from the A la udidce, which they closely resemble in coloration, habits, and lengthened hind claw. The lengthened, slightly curved hind claw, much pointed wings, emarginated secondaries, —the inner ones nearly as long as the primaries,— distinguish the family from the Syloi- colidce* with which, also, it has near relationships." (Hist. N. Am. B.) A single genus, Anthus, with a rather strongly characterized .sub- genus, Neocorys, occurs within the United States. GENUS ANTHUS BECHSTEIN. Anthus BECHST. Gem. Naturg. Deutschl. 1802. Type, Alauda spinoletta LINN. Neocorys SCL. P. Z. S. 1857, 5. Type, Alauda spragueii AUD. GEN. CHAR. Bill slender, about half as long as the head, the culmen somewhat depressed or concave in the middle portion, or toward the base, the tip decurved and distinctly notched; rictus not distinctly notched. Tarsi distinctly scutellate, longer than the middle toe; hind toe about as long as the lateral toes, its claw very long and slender (as long as or longer than its digit), but decidedly curved. Wing much longer than the tail, the rela- tive length of the primaries variable (according to the species), but first equal to the fourth, or longer, the fourth very much longer than the fifth; tertials much elongated, the longest never much shorter than the longest primaries, often longer. Tail emarginate or double- rounded, the intermedia?, however, always shorter than the lateral rectrices. Colors never bright, but usually different shades of brown or grayish, more or less distinctly streaked. In their external appearance, the Titlarks, or Pipits, resemble very closely the true Larks, especially the typical genus, Alauda. The species average nearly the same in size, but are of more slender build, have the same brownish, streaked coloration, and also have the tertials and hind claw greatly developed. The analogy extends *t. e. Mniotiltidas. 110 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. still further; for not only are the general habits nearly identical, but the appearance of the eggs, structure and situation of the nest, and general characteristics of song are quite the same. These te- leological resemblances, however, are no indication of relationship ; on the other hand, the two families are quite far removed from one another in the great assemblage of Passerine birds. It is unneces- sary to allude to the differences here, since they have been suf- ficiently elucidated on page 48. The two North American species of this genus which may be properly mentioned in the present connection differ as follows : a1 First and fourth primaries decidedly or appreciably shorter than second and third; hind toe (with claw) shorter than tarsus; outstretched feet falling considerably short of end of tail. Lateral tail-feathers with inner webs partly dusky. (Anthus). 1. A. pensilvanicus. Legs and feet always deep brown or dusky. In summer, above nearly uniform grayish brown; beneath deep pinkish buff, the jugulum more or less streaked with dusky ^rarely nearly immaculate). In winter, abwve olive- brown, the pileum and back indistinctly streaked with darker; beneath ochreous- buff, the jugulum broadly streaked with dusky. Wing about 3.15-3.30, tail 2.40-2.00, culmen .42-.50, tarsus .80-. fid. a- First primary as long as or longer than second; hind toe (with claw) longer than tar- sus; outstretched feet reaching nearly or quite to end of tail. Lateral tail-feathers with inner webs wholly white (for exposed portion). (Xeocorys.) 2. A. sprajueii. Bill, legs, and feet pale-colored, the maxilla, only, dusky. In summer, above broadly streaked with light buff-grayish and brownish dusky; lower parts dull buffy white, more strongly tinged with buff across jugulum, where narrowly streaked with dusky. In tc inter, beneath much deeper buff, the jugular si reaks broader; upper parts with the pale streaks more decidedly buff. Young, with upper parts more broadly streaked with blackish, the feathers, especially on back, bordered terminally with white. Wing, about 3.20-3.40; tail, 2.33-2.60; cul- men, .45; tarsus, .90. The A. spragueii has usually been placed in a so-called genus Neocorys, Sclater ; but the variations in the details of external form are so numerous among the many species of the genus Antlnas, in its comprehensive sense, that the recognition of generic value in the differences which exist between A. pensilvanicus and A, spragueii would necessitate the adoption of many more genera than most systematists would care to allow. In short, there are so many species which, in their varying details of structure, seern to bridge over so completely these really unimportant differences that, with my present knowledge, I would not feel justified in separating them. MOTACILLIDiE — THE WAGTAILS AND PIPITS. Ill Subgenus Anthus Bechstein. Anthus pensilvanicus (Lath.) AMERICAN PIPIT. Popular synonyms.— American Titlark; Pennsylvania!! Pipit: Louisiana Pipit. Alauda pensilvanica LATH. Syn. Suppl. i, 1787, 287. Anthus pensylvanicus THIENEMANN, Rhea, ii, 1847, 171. Alauda ludoviciana GM. S. N. i, pt. ii, 1788,793. Anthus ludovicianus LIGHT. Verz. Doubl. 1823, 37.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 94; B. Am. iii, 1841, 40, pi. 150.— NUTT. Man. 2d ed. 1810, 517.— BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858, 232; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 165; Review, 1864, 153.— OOUES, Key, 1872, 90; Check List, 1873, No. 55; 2d ed. 1882, No. 89; B. N. W. 1874. 40; B. Col. Val. 1878, 193.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, in, pi. 10, fig. 3.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 71. Alauda rufa WILS. Am. Orn. v, 1812, 89, pi. 42. fig. 4. Anthus spinoletia NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 450. Antlius aquations Sw. & RICH. F. B. A. ii, 1831, 231, pi. 44.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, (name on pi. 10). Anthus pipiens AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1832, 408; v, 1839, 449, pi. 80. HAB. Whole of North America, but breeding only north of the United States, except on summits of the higher western mountains, where breeding south to Colorado, at least; south, in winter to Guatemala and Bermudas, but apparently not to West Indies. "Sp. CHAK. (Female, in spring.) Above olive-brown, each feather slightly darker towards the central portion; beneath pale dull buff, or yellowish brown, with a maxillary series of dark brown spots and streaks across the breast and along sides. Ring round the eye, and superciliary stripe, yellowish. Central tail-feathers like the back, others dark blackish brown; the external one white, except at the base within; a tvhite spot at the end of the second. Primaries edged with whitish, other quills with pale brownish. Length, 6.50; wing, 3.45; tail, 2.95." In Illinois, the Titlark is known only as a spring and fall migrant, or, in the southern portions, an occasional winter resident appearing irregularly in small flocks, which frequent wet grassy pi MOPS, where they move upon the ground with a graceful gliding walk, tilting the body and wagging the tail at each step, much in the manner of a Seiurus. It is very restless, the flocks seldom remaining long at one place, but soon taking wing, they flit to another spot, or in graceful sweeps pass and repass over a particular place before alight- ing. During the author's sojourn in western Nevada, in the winter of 1867-68, the Titlark was perhaps the most abundant of the winter residents there. This was particularly the case at the Truckee Meadows, where, in November, they came in immense flocks and spread over the soggy fields. They remained during the moder- ately cold weather for the greater portion of the winter, occasionally congregating by thousands about the haystacks and corrals. They were equally abundant at Carson City, particularly in the vicinity 112 felRDS OF ILLINOIS. of the warm springs, where the high temperature of the water kept the meadow soft and comparatively green, even during the coldest weather. In April, just before their departure for the North, they were observed in their more highly-colored spring plumage. The Titlark breeds abundantly in the barren regions of the far north, from Labrador to Alaska, and on the bleak summits of the Kocky Mountains as far south at least as Colorado, The nest is built on the ground, and the eggs are so densely speckled with chocolate-brown as to sometimes appear uniformly of this color. MNIOTILTID.E— THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 113 FAMILY MNIOTILTID-ffi.— THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. The extensive and varied family of Mniotiltidce, or "Warblers," constitutes a most attractive element of the North American Ornis. Next to the Fringillidce, it is more numerously represented than any other, while it is even more characteristic, all the species being purely American, while the FringillidtB are, as a family, cosmopoli- tan. With a few exceptions they are eminently migratory birds, the great bulk of them passing rapidly across the United States in spring, on the way to their northern breeding grounds, and in fall to their winter residence within the tropics ; consequently, they are known to few except the close observer of bird-life, though in season they literally swarm where their insect food is most plentiful — always where the green leaves are, whether in lofty tree-top, vine- embowered coppice, or budding orchard. When the apple trees bloom, the warblers revel among the flowors, vieing in activity and in number with the bees ; now probing the recesses of a blos- som for an insect which has effected lodgment there, then darting to another, where, poised daintily upon a slender twig, or suspended from it, he explores hastily but carefully for another morsel. Every movement is the personification of nervous activity, as if the time for their journey was short ; and, indeed, such appears to be the case, for two or three days at most suffice some species in a single locality; a day spent in gleaning through the woods and orchards of one neighborhood, with occasional brief siestas among the leafy bowers, then the following night in continuous flight toward its northern destination, is probably the history of every individual of the moving throng. No group of birds more deserves the epithet of "pretty" than the warblers: Tanagers are splendid; Humming-birds are refulgent; other kinds are brilliant, gaudy or magnificent, but warblers alone are pretty in the proper and full sense of that term. One of the finest (Dendrolca maculosa) is decked in richest yellow, deepest black, purest white and softest blue -gray, in elegant pattern and har- monious contrast; in another (D. llackbiirnice) the intense cadmium- orange throat glows like a burning coal, so strong is the contrast —8 114 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. with the jet-black upper parts ; another (D. vlrens) has a coal-black throat, sharply defined against the pure gamboge-yellow cheeks, the back bright olive-green, the lower parts white. One of the most striking in appearance is the Hooded, or Mitred Warbler (Sijlcania mitrata) the plumage of which is rich yellow beneath, olive green above, the head jet-black except on the sides, where it is rich yellow, the same as the lower parts ; the plumage is still further varied by white patches on the inner webs of the tail feathers, which show distinctly when the tail is spread. Without going into further detail, it may be remarked that a peculiar shade of olive- green, which has on this account been well termed "warbler-green," is the usual color of the upper parts in the birds of this family, some species which are otherwise colored in the adult stage having this tint more or less developed in the autumnal plumage of the young. As natural an arrangement, consistent with convenience of analysis, of the genera of this extensive family as the author is at present able to present, is the following. The groups here recognized arc fairly well denned, but are hardly entitled to the rank of sub- families. a1— Bill cylindrical (sometimes even somewhat compressed), not abruptly bent at tip and without very distinct notch; rictal bristles weak, sometimes even (apparently) quite obsolete. &1. Size small (total length under 6.50 inches); bill slender and nearly cylindrical, the outlines nearly straight. 1. Mniotilteae ( Wood \Varltlers). Feet comparatively weak, not reaching, when outstretched, near to the end of the tail. Wing rather lengthened and point- ed, considerably longer than the nearly even or slightly emarginated tail. Chiefly arboreal. 2. Geothlypess (Ground Warblers'). Feet strong, reaching when outstretched nearly or quite to the end of the tail. Wing rather rounded, usually shorter (never decidedly longer) than the rounded or slightly graduated tail. Terres- trial. W. Size very large (total length more than 7. 00 inches); bill stout, compressed, high, the culmen much curved. 3. Icterieae What- Warbler^). Bill without notch or ricial bristles; wing much rounded, decidedly shorter than the rather lengthened tail. a2— Bill decidedly depressed (quite Flycatcher-like), the tip abruptly bent and distinctly notched, rictal bristles strongly developed. 4. Setophageae (Flucatcli'tng Warblers'). ANALYSIS OF GENERA. a. Mniotilteae. 1. Middle toe, with claw, longer than tarsus. Bill much compressed for terminal half, the lateral outlines decidedly concave; oulmen and gonys decidedly convex; commissure moderately concave. Rictal bristles very inconspicuous; notch just perceptible Mniotilta. MN:OTILTIME — THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 115 2. Middle toe, with claw, not longer than tarsus. Bill without a distinct notch, or lacking it entirely; rictal bristles want- ing, or very minute; culmen and gonys nearly straight; bill only very moderately compressed. a. Middle toe and claw about equal to tarsus. Bill not acute; culmen and gonys decidedly convex; notch just per- ceptible; bristles apparent Protonotaria. Bill moderately acute, robust; no notch; culmen straight, its base elevated and slightly arched; bristles not apparent Helinaia. Bill moderately acute; robust; no notch; culmen convex, its base not elevated; bristles apparent Helmitheros. 6. Middle toe and ela\v considerably shorter than tarsus. Bill very acute, its outlines nearly straight; notch not perceptible; bristles not apparent Helminthophila. Bill very acute, its outlines nearly straight; notch just perceptible; bristles strong Compsothlypis . Bill distinctly notched; rietal bristles strong; outlines generally Blightly curved Dendroica. b. Geothlypeee. 3. Wings pointed, longer than nearly even tail. Above olive-brown; beneath white with dark streaks Seiurus. Above olive-green; beneath yellow without streaks Oporornis. 4. Wings rounded, shorter than the graduated tail. Colors as in Oporornis Geothlypis. c. Icterieae. 5. Characters as given above; outor toe completely separated from the middle one; upper mandible decidedly deeper than the lower. Color above uniform olive-green or olive-gray; beneath rich yellow for anterior half, white posteriorly Icteria. d. Setophageae. 6. Bill decidedly "Tyrannine." Tail fan-shaped, equal to or longer than wing, decidedly rounded. Colors mainly black, orange-red, and white in the male, grayish, yellow, and white in the female Setophaga 7. Bill much less depressed, and with less strongly developed rictal bristles. Tail shorter and narrower (shorter than the wing), nearly even. Colors, plain olive-green or gray above, yellow beneath, with more or less of black about the head in the male (sometimes in the female also) Sylvania. It is possible that of the above the Icteriets should properly rank as a subfamily ; but some tropical genera (<.'. g. Granatcllus of Middle and South America and 2eretistris of Cuba) appear to connect the only genus, Icteria, with the genus Geothlypis, through certain trop- ical species of the latter which have much stouter and more arched bills than the North American species. The connection between Dendroica and Seiurus is very nearly made in a West Indian species of the former (D. plumbea Lawr.) and the Antillean genus Catharo- peza ; the genera Seiurus and Oporornis differ more in coloration than anything else, while the differences in form between the type of the latter genus and that of Geothlypis are reduced to almost nil by the 116 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. intermediate species, G. Philadelphia and G. macgillivrayi. The Dendroicte pass by almost a gradual transition through Perissoglossa very close to Helminthophila, while the latter genus stands not far' from the allied genera Helmitheros, Helinala and Protonotaria. No positive distinctions of habits obtain between members of the several groups as a whole; thus, the typical species of Helmintko- phila, those also of Sylvania and, the "Oporornis" formosa inhabit pre- cisely the same localities, keeping near, and nesting on or near, the ground, and are therefore true "Ground Warblers" so far as habits are concerned. Some species of Dendroica (e. g. D. vigorsii and D. dominica) are "creepers," thus showing an analogy, at least, to Mniotilta. One species of this same genus (D. palmarum), walks gracefully upon the ground, with a delicate mincing step, and un- dulating wagging of the tail, much like the species of Seiurus, but still more like a Titlark (Anthus) ; some of them combine these vari- ous characteristics, to a greater or less degree, while others possess none of them to a pronounced extent. It will thus be seen, that while a classification of the family based upon technical characters is difficult, an arrangement by artificial considerations is infinitely more so. GENUS MNIOTILTA VIEILLOT. Mniotilta VIEILLOT, Analyse, 1816, 45. Type. MotacMa varla LINN. GEN. CHAK. Bill rather long, compressed, shorter than the head, with very short rictal bristles and a shallow notch. Wings considerably longer than the tail, which is slightly rounded; first quill shorter than second and (usually) a little shorter than the third also. Tarsi rather short; toes long, middle one eq.ua! to the tarsus: hind toe nearly as long, the claw considerably shorter than its digit. Color white, streaked with black. Nest on ground; eggs white, blotched with red. This genus differs from other Mniotiltca chiefly in the elongation of the toes, especially the hinder one, by means of which the species is enabled to move up and down the trunks of trees, like the true Creepers (Certhiida). But one species is known. This has, at all stages, the crown black, divided by a broad white medial stripe; the upper parts black, varied by two white wing-bands, the outer edges of the tertials and of upper tail-coverts, a superciliary stripe and more or less of the lower parts, also white. The adult male has the throat more or less mixed with black (sometimes almost uniformly of this color), and sides streaked with the same; the young male is similar, but with the throat immaculate MNIOTILTIDjE — THE AMERICAN WARHLERS. 117 white. The female is not very different, except that the white mark- ings are more or less soiled with brownish, the black is less intense, and the streaks on the sides indistinct. Two races have been recognized, only one of which has been detect- ed in Illinois (or indeed in any locality west of the Alleghanies), the typical form being restricted to the Atlantic coast and the West Indies. Mniotilta varia (Linn.) BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER. Popular synonyms.— Black-and-white Creeper; Black-and-white Creeping Warbler; Striped Creeper. a. varia. Motacilla varia, LINN, S. N. ed. 12, i. 1766, 333. Sylvia varia LATH.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 384. Certhia varia VIEILL. Ois. Am. Sept. ii, 1807, 69.— AUD. Orn. Biog. 5, 1832, 452, pi. 90. 3fniotilta varia VIEILL. Analyse, 1816, 45.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 71; B. Am. ii, 1841, 105, pi. 114.— NUTT. Man. 2d ed. i, 1840. 702.-BAIBD, B. N. Am. 1858, 235; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 167; Review, 1864, 167.— COUES, Key, 1872, 92; Check List, 1873, No. 57; 2d ed. 1832, No. 91; B. N. W. 1874, 45; B. Col. Val. 1878, 204.— B. B. & R., Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 180. pi. 10, fig. 6.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 74. Certhia maculata WILS. Am. Orn. iii, 1811, 22, pi. 19, fig. 3. Mniotilta varia var. longirostris BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858, p. xxxi, No. 167. I. borealis. Mniotilta varia AUCT. (all western references). Mniotilta borealis NUTT. Man. 2d ed. i, 1840, 705. Mniotilta varia borealis RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 74a.— COUES. 2d Check List, 1882, No. 92. HAB. Eastern North America, west to eastern base of the Rocky Mountains, north to the fur countries; breeding throughout its range; in winter, both coasts of Mexico (north to Mazatlan) and Central America to Colombia, and throughout Greater Antilles. SP. CHAE. A dull male : Above rather glossy blue-black, relieved by a broad medial crown- stripe of white, two white bands on the wing (formed by tips of middle and greater cov- erts), and white outer edges of tertials and of upper tail-coverts. Lores and auriculars black, separated from black stripes on sides of crown by a broad white superciliary stripe. Broad malar stripe and most of lower parts white: the sides broadly streaked with black, and the chin and throat more or less mixed with black— almost solid black in high- plumaged specimens. A large white spot on inner webs of two outer tail feathers, near end, and all the rectrices edged externally with bluish gray. Bill wholly deep black in summer, brownish black in winter; iris brown; legs and feet black (at least, in summer). Total length about 5.25 inches, extent 8.75, wing (average) 2.80, tail 2.10, culmen .44, tarsus .63, middle toe .52. Young male first autumn: Similar to the adult, but whole throat immac- ulate white. Bill brownish black, the basal portion of the mandible lilaceous-white; feet dull olive, the claws olive-yellowish. Adult female: Similar to the male, butcolors duller— Ihe black less intense, and the white parts tinged with brownish; throat immaculate white. Size slightly less. Young, first plumage: Similar in general appearance to the adult female, but markings, especially the two stripes of the pileum and the streaks beneath, much less 118 BIEDS OF ILLINOIS. sharply defined; the streaks of the breast indistinct grayish-dusky, suffused with pale fulvous, those of the back more strongly tinged with rusty. The two stripes on the pileum dull grayish-dusky, instead of deep black. There is a slight average difference in proportions between birds of this species from the Atlantic coast district and those from the country westward of the Alleghanies, but the difference is scarcely sufficient to warrant their separation as races. The average measurements of specimens from the two regions are as follows: Atlantic coast specimens (true M. varia}. Male: Wing. 2.72-2.88 (average 2.78); tail, 1.92-2.20 (2.07); culmen, .45-. 50 (.48); bill from nostril, .32-. 40 (.37); tarsus, .60-. 68 (.65); middle toe, .50-. 58 (.54). Female: 2.70; 2 .-2.05 (2.0J); .45-. 48 (.46); .36-. 38 (.37); .C8-.70 (.69); .50. Mississippi Valley specimens (M. varia borealis). Male: Wing, 2.70-2.90(2.80); tail, 2. -2. 24 (2.09); culmen, .40-. 48 (.44); bill from nostril. .30-. 38 (.32); tarsus, .62-. 65 (.63); middle toe, .49-. 58 (.52). Female: 2.60-2.75(2.65); 1.92-2. (1.96); .40-. 45 (.42); .32; .66; .50-. 56 (.53) The above figures are based upon the careful measurement of 9 adult males and 2 adult females from each region, and, while they show that the difference is not abso- lutely constant, they show that the eastern bird averages decidedly larger (except in length of wing and tail), the difference being especially noticeable in the greater length of bill and feet. The longer-billed form winters in Florida and the West Indies, the other in Mexico. This sprightly and pretty little bird is very common in dry woods, where it may be seen ascending or descending the trunks of trees lin the manner of a creeper or nuthatch. Its nest is built upon the ground, imbedded among dry leaves, and as a rule so artfully con- cealed as to be discovered only by accident. GENUS PROTONOTARIA BAIRD. Protonotaria BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 239. Type, Motacilla citrea BODD. GEN. CHAR. Bill longer than the middle toe and claw, distinctly notched, all the out- lines nearly straight. Wings much longer than the rather short, rounded tail. Tarsus decidedly longer than the middle toe and claw. Lower tail-coverts reaching nearly to the end of the tail (on account of the shortness of the latter). This genus is most closely related to the genera Helinaia and Helmitheros, especially the former, but may be immediately distin- guished by the distinctly notched bill, and brilliant colors, there being in the latter respect much resemblance to the Helminihophilee, particularly H. pinus. The single known species is one of the largest, and in some respects the finest, of the warblers, and is very peculiar in its habits, frequenting wooded swamps or the willow-grown bor- ders of ponds in the bottom lands, and nesting in holes of stumps or dead trees, like the Titmice. MNIOTILTID.E — THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 119 Protonotaria citrea (Bodd.) PROTHONOTARY WARBLER. Popular synonyms. — Golden Swamp Warbler: Willow Warbler. Motacilla citrea BODD. Tabl. P. E. 1783, 44 (based on PI. Enl, 704, fig. 2). Protonotaria citrea BAIKD. B. N. Am. 1858, 239; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 1C9; Review, ISM, 173.— COUES, Key, 1872, 93; Check List, 1873, No. 59; 2d ed. 1883, No. 95; B. N. W. 1874, 47; B. Col. Val. 1878, 210.-B. B. & R, Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 181, pi. 10, fig. 8. RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 75. Motacilla protonotarius GM.— Sylvia protonotarius LATH.— WILS. Am. Orn. iii, 1811, 72, pi. 24. fig. 3.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 410.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i. 1832, 22; v, 1839, 460, pi. 3. Helinaia protonotarius AUD. Synop. 1839, 67; B. Am. ii, 1841, 89, pi. 106. Motacilla auricollis GMEL.— Sylvia auricollis LATH.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 380. Sylvicola auricollis NUTT. Man. 2d ed. 1840, 431. HAB. Eastern United States, chiefly in the Mississippi Valley, where breeding abun- dantly in willow swamps, north to at least 40° in Illinois and immediately contiguous States. Straggling northward (blown by storms) to Maine and New Brunswick. Winters in Cuba, Yucatan, and southward to Panama. SP. CH. Back olive-green; wings, rump and tail, plain bluish gray, or plumbeous; head and lower parts yellow, the latter white posteriorly; inner webs of tail feathers (except middle pair) white tipped with dusky. Adult male in spring: Entire head and neck, and lower parts, except crissum, rich mellow gamboge yellow, varying to cadmium- yellow; top of head sometimes touched or tinted with cadmium-orange, occasionally tinged or washed with olive-green, but often pure yellow. Bill uniform deep black; iris brown; legs and feet dark plumbeous. Adult male in fall and winter: Similar, but yellow lighter, or less inclining to cadmium, the top of the head always (?) overlaid by a wash of olive-green. Adult female: Similar to the duller colored males, but yellow appre- ciably less pure, the pileum always olive-greenish, and gray of wings, etc., less bluish. Total length, about 5.40; wing, 2.90; tail, 2.25. Wherever there are swamps surrounded by woods and bordered by willow trees, and especially if the growth of the latter be ex- tensive, this beautiful bird is almost sure to occur. In the southern half of the state it is, in such localities, one of the most abundant birds. In a letter dated July 9, 1884, Mr. H. K. Coale, of Chicago, in- forms me that on May llth a few Prothonotary Warblers were found in the woods along the Kankakee River, in Stark county, Indiana, about sixty miles southeast of Chicago. On the 18th, a dozen or more were seen, and on the 25th, having by that time "learned their clear sharp note, repeated four or five times on the same pitch," he could hear them all along the timber; but as he looked for them near the water's edge in the "pucker brush" he did not see many. By carefully following the call of the male he discover- ed that the birds kept in the tops of the small trees, often flying 120 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. across the river in pairs and alighting well up. On June 1st he had no trouble in seeing them and procuring specimens. They were occupied around the dead stumps, about ten feet from the ground. On the 8th of June he gave his attention to hunting for their nests, and found several. Young were found flying about June 15th. Mr. Coale says that "the Prothonotary Warbler is the most abundant summer resident of this locality, excepting perhaps the White-bellied Swallow and Eedstart. Probably from forty to sixty pairs of the two former species were breeding within a dis- tance of two miles." He regards the Kankakee as the northern limit of the breeding range of the species. He notes it as having been seen or taken in Cook county, however, near Chicago, in May 1883. GENUS HELINAIA AUDUBON. Helinaia A.VD. Synopsis. 1839, 66. Type, Sylvia swainsonii Aur>. GEN. CH.*— Bill nearly as long as the head, somewhat compressed, especially toward the cuJmen. which is elevated basally where it extends backward, as a rather prominent ridge well between the frontal apices. This genus much resembles Helmithcros in general appearance, but differs in having a considerably longer and more compressed bill, the ridge of which is compressed, elevated, and appears to extend backwards on the forehead, as well as to be in a straight line with the upper part of the head. The wings are longer, the tail forked, not rounded; the feathers narrower and more pointed; the tarsi shorter. In form it is still nearer Protonotaria, but the bill is quite different in shape, while the coloration is widely diverse. The single species is perhaps the plainest colored of American Warblers, being uniform olive-brown above (the head more rufous) and dingy yellowish-white below. Mr. Brewster remarks as follows concerning the relationships of this genus : *"CHAB. Bill long, robust at base, tapering to a sharp point, smooth or slightly notched at tip; the culmen slightly curved, its ridge compressed, elevated, and extending well back on the forehead, resembling in this, as in some other respects, the bill of the Meadow Lark (Sturnella). Wings long, X'ather rounded, the first quill always shorter than the second and third, which are about equal. Tarsus stout, slightly longer than the middle toe. Feet large, flesh-colored. Eminently terrestrial" BBEWSTER, Auk, Jan. 1885, p. 76.) MNIOTILTID.2E — THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 121 "The place which Hclinaia should occupy in systematic lists is a somewhat puzzling question. Its long wings, large, flesh colored feet, and sluggish terrestrial habits indicate an affinity with Oporornis; its acute, compressed bill and short tarsi a perhaps stronger one with Hclmithcrus. In many respects it seems to form a connecting link between these two genera, with Hclmithcrus extending the change towards Helminthophila. Baird apparently held some such view in 1858, for he placed Helmitherus (in which he included Helinaia) between Icteria and Helminthopliila, and Oporornis imme- diately before Icteria. Subsequently he separated Helminthophila still further from Oporornis by the intervention of the additional genera Perissoglossa, Dendroica and Seiurus, and later authorities have widened the gap still more. Leaving out of consideration the Cserebidae, a troublesome family which seems to grade insensibly into the Sylvicolidre through such genera as Helminthophila and Perissoglossa, our North American Sylvicolida3 might be very naturally arranged as follows : 1, Mniotilta; 2, Dendroeca (including Ferisso- glossa and Peucedramus as sub-genera) ; 3, Protonotaria; 4, Parula; 5, Helminthophila; 6, Helmitherus; 7, Helinaia; 8, Seiurus; 9, Oporornis; 10, Geothlypis; 11, Icteria; 12, Myiodioctes; 13, Setophaga; 14, Car- dcllinct; 15, Ergaticus; 16, Basileuterus. The Caerebidae, however cannot be thus conveniently ignored, and the general subject is far too important and comprehensive to be discussed within the limits of the present paper." (BREWSTER, Auk, Jan., 1885, p. 79.) Helinaia swainson Aud. SWAINSON'S WARBLER. Popular synonym.— Swainson's Swamp Warbler. Sylvia swainsonii AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1831, 563, pi. 198. Helinaia swainsonii AUD. Synop. 18 S9, 66; B. Am. ii, 1841, 83, pi. 104. HeloncEd swainsoni RIDGW. Norn. N.lAm. B. 1881. No. 76. Helmitherus swainsoni BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858, 252; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 179; Review, 1864, 180.— COUES. Key, 1872, 93; Check List, 1873, No. 61; B. Col. Val. 1878, 212.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 190, pl.'lO, fig. 9; iii, 1874, 504. Helmintherus swainsoni COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 97. HAB. "Austroriparian Province," or Gulf States from South Carolina, Georgia and Florida to eastern Texas (Rice Co.); north, in Mississippi Valley to southern Illinois and southwestern Indiana? Cuba: Jamaica. "Sr. CHAR. (Adult t. breeding plumage, No. 8974, Coll. W. B., Charleston, South Caro- lina, May 1, 1881.) Crown and nape reddish brown; remainder of upper parts, including the sides of neck, clear olive, the wings, tail, and upper tail-coverts tinged with reddish 122 B RDS OF ILLINOIS. brown; under parts creamy white with a lemon-yellow tinge, most pronounced on the breast and abdomen faintest on the throat and crissum; sides of body brownish olive; sides of breast olivaceous ashy, extending completely across the breast in a broad but rather indistinct band of pale, nebulous spots; throat, abdomen and crissum immaculate; a dusky stripe starting at the lores (which are nearly black) passes backward along the side of the head intersecting the eye and separating a conspicuous, brownish white su- perciliary stripe from the region below the eye, which is dappled with a reddish brown on a creamy white ground. There is also a short, yellowish, concealed median stripe on the forehead. Iris hazel; legs and feet flesh-color (notes taken from freshly killed specimens). "Dimensions. — L. 5.G5; ex. ,9.0(1; wing, 2.82; tail, 2.03; tar, .74; culmen from base, .70; from feathers, .61; from nostril, .42; depth of bill at ant. cor. of nostril, .18; width at same point, .13. Sexes indistinguishable. "J-uv., first plumage.— (3 No. 224, A.'T. W.. Charleston, June 9, 1834.) Wings and tail essentially as in the adult; abdomen dirty white; rest of plumage, including the crown, nape, back, rump, throat, breast, sides of head, neck and bod}-, and the wing-coverts, nearly uniform dull cinnamon brown, without bands, spots or any other markings what- ever, even on the head. Another specimen from the same brood, but apparently older, has the lores distinctly black, the light space on the abdomen nearly obscured by a brow- nish tipping on many of the feathers, and the general coloring lighter, approaching choc- olate-brown m places. "The above-described plumage is very odd and striking. In general coloring the bird seems to most nearly resemble the young of Oporornis formosus .* It differs so wide- ly from the adult H. swainsoni that no one would suspect their identity were it not for the bill, which in the smallest specimen before me shows all the essential characteristics of the genus. "Juv.fallpiumage.—ti No. 354, A. T. W , Charleston, Aug. 25, 1884.) Entire upper parts rich olive strongly tinged with reddish brown, the crown scarcely deeper colored than the back, the wings a trifle redder; loral stripe blackish; superciliary stripe tinged with yellow; under parts strongly yellowish. Otherwise like the adult. "Variation*.— Among the adult and fall-plumaged young before me there is much va- riation in the size and shape of the bill, as well as in general coloration. Some examples have the upper and lower outlines of the bill nearly if not quite straight; in others the cul- men is strongly curved, the gonys often with an appreciable angle. Again some speci- mens have the bill decidedly notched at the tip, although in the majority it is plain. As a rule 'but not invariably) young birds seem to have a shorter, slenderer and straighter bill than do the adults. "The color variations range between two extremes. In one the crown, wings, and tail are bright reddish brown— almost reddish chestnut on the secondaries— in decided contrast with the back, which is deep brownish olive; the underparts strongly yellowish. In the other the wings and tail are concolor with the back, which is of a plain grayish olive; the crown dull reddish brown; the under parts creamy white scarcely, if at all, yel- lowish. That these variations are not sexual is evident, for the richest-colored bird in the whole series is a female (No. 137, A. T. W., May lOj and several of the dullest, males; that they are not connected with age is equally certain, for among the young birds still bearing traces of first plumage both types occur. As a rule, however, in autumn they are more apt to be yellow beneath than are breeding birds, but in none of the specimens *As described by Mr. Kidgway. Bull. N. O. C., Vol. Ill, No. 2, April, 1868, p. 60. I have no specimens for comparison. MNIOTILTID.E — THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 123 which I have seen is the yellow deeper than in a male taken May 5 (No. 9015. W. B). Adults in autumn are positively indistinguishable from breeding birds. Young in full autumnal dress may be generally, if not invariably, recognized by the darker color of the bill and the much more uniform coloration of the upper parts, the crown in some specimens being almost concolor with the back, wings, and tail, a condition never seen in spring birds. "In markings the variations are trifling. The nebulous spotting on the breast is indis- tinct in many birds, and with a few barely appreciable, the ashy being practically con- fined to the sides, and the remainder of the upper parts immaculate. The yellow of the median stripe on the forehead is usually restricted to the bases of the feathers, but in a few specimens it extends to their tips, forming a conspicuous marking. In others again it is wholly wanting." (BKEWSTER, Auk, January, 18S5, p. 7G-79.) Further than the account given by Audubon, little was known until quite recently concerning the life-history of tir.s bird. Even now its distribution is very imperfectly made out, bat in all proba- bility its range includes the lower South Atlantic States, the Gulf States and the lower Mississippi Valley in general, or from South Carolina and Florida to eastern Texas,* and north in tha interior to southern Illinois and Indiana — everywhere in swampy districts only. GENUS HELMITHEEUS EAFINESQUE. Helmilheros EAFINESQUE, Jour, de Phys. vol. 88, 1819, 417. Type, Motacilla vermioora GMEL. — Helmintherus VON FEANTZIUS, Jour fur Oru. 1869, 293.—Helminthotherus SALV. & GODM. Biol. Centr. Am. i. 1880, 112. GEN. CHAK. Bill large and stout, compressed, nearly or quite as long as the head. Culnien very slightly curved; gonys straight; no notch in the bill; rictal bristles wanting. Tarsi short, but little, if any. longer than the middle toe and claw. Tail considerably shorter than the wings, rather rounded. Wings rather long, the first quill a little shorter than the second and third. This genus comes near Hel'mala, but differs in several important respects, which will be found detailed under that genus. The single species is very plainly colored, being uniform olive-green above and buff below, the head deep buff, relieved by two black stripes on the crown and a streak of the same behind the eye. *See Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, vol. vi., January, 1881, r- 55. (Navarro county.) 124 BIEDS OF ILLINOIS. Helmitherus vermivorus (Gmel.) WORM-EATING WARBLER. Popular synonym.— Worm- eating Swamp Warbler. Motaci'la vermivora GM. S. N. i. 1788, 951 (based on Edw. pi. 305). Sylvia vermivora LATH.— WILS. Am. Orn. iii, 1811. 74, pi. 24, fig. 4.— NUTT. Man. i. 1832, 409.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1832, 177; v, 1839. 460, pi. 34. Helinaia vermivora AUD. Synop. 1839, 60; B. Am. ii, 1841, 86, pi, 105. Helmitherus vermivorus BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858, 252; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 178; Re- view, 1864, 179.— COUES, Key, 1872. 93; Check List. 1873, No. 60; 2d ed. 1882, No. 96 ("Helmfotherug"); B. N. W. 1874, 48; B. Col. Val. 1878, 211.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, i8~, pi. 10, fig. 10. ne.lmintherus, vermivorus VON FKANTZIUS, Jour, fur Orn. 1869, 293. Helminlhothsrus termivorus SALV. & GODM. Biol. Centr. Am. i. 1880, 112.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 77. HAB. Eastern United States, chiefly south of 40°; north regularly to Connecticut Val- ley, casually to Maine; west to border of Great Plains. Wintering in Florida, Cuba, Ja- maica, Yucatan, and Central America, south to Veragua. SP. CHAR. Adult (sexes alike): Head buff, with a broad black stripe on each side of the crown (from nostrils to occiput), and a narrower black stripe behind the eye, along upper edge of the aurieulars, continued, more or less distinctly, at the anterior angle of the eye. Upper parts plain olive-green. Lower parts buff, paler on chin, throat, abdo- men, and crissum, where sometimes almost white. Upper mandible dark brown, the lower paler; iris dark brown; legs and feet pale brown in dried skins, pale brownish flesh-color in life. Wing, 2.65-2.90; tail. 1.90-2.20; culmen, .60-65; tarsus, about .70. (Female averaging smaller than the male.) Young, first plumage: Head, neck, and lower parts deep buff, the black stripes of the adult merely indicated by indistinct stripes of dull brown; back, scapulars, rump, and wing-coverts dull light brown, tinged with cinnamon, the greater coverts passing into deep buff terminally. Remiges and rectrices olive-green, as in the adult. The buff of head-stripes, etc., is deeper in autumnal specimens. Few of our Warblers are less conspicuous than the present species. Dull of color, retiring in disposition, and unusually shy (according to the writer's experience), with no distinctive notes, he may easily pass unnoticed, or if seen, unidentified. Except for the absence of streaks on his breast (and this deficiency only a full front view would reveal), he would readily pass to the less careful observer for a Golden-crowned Thrush, so common in the same localities. His song so closely resembles that of the Chipping Sparrow that it is sometimes difficult for the most critical listener to distinguish it. The Worm-eating Warbler usually frequents thick woods, preferably the sides of ravines, where it keeps among the undergrowth, and builds its nest on the ground, imbedded in dry leaves, and hidden by a bunch of sprouts, a few fern-fronds, or other similar objects. In suitable localities in southern Illinois, the Worm-eating War- bler is a common species ; but in the northern portion of the State it appears to be very rare, Mr. Nelson, noting only a single speci- men, taken at Waukegan, May 21, 1876. MNIOTILTID2E — THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 125 GENUS HELMINTHOPHILA KIDGWAY. Eelminthophaoa CABAN. Mus. Hein. i, 1850, 20. Type, Sylvia ruficapiUa WILS. (Not of BECHST. 1802.) Helminthopliila RIDGW. Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl. vii, 1882, 53. Same type. GEN. CHAR. Bill rather elongated (but shorter than the head), somewhat conical, very acute, the outlines nearly straight, but sometimes slightly decurved at the tip; no trace of notch at the tip, nor of bristles at the base. Wings long and pointed (decidedly longer than the moderately developed tail); the first quill nearly, sometimes quite, the longest. Tail nearly even, or slightly emarginate. Tarsi appreciably longer than the middle toe and claw. The species are all of small size, being, with the exception of Compsothlypis, the smallest of the family. Most of them are brightly colored, at least one of them (H. chrysoptera) being one of the prettiest birds of the entire family. Including three somewhat doubtful forms, believed to be hybrids, eleven species are known, of which the fol- lowing occur east of the Mississippi : a1. Wing varied with white or yellow. b1. Wing with a large yellow patch covering both rows of coverts. 1. H. chrysoptera. Forehead and both rows of wing-coverts yellow; upper parts bluish gray, lower parts white medially, bluish gray laterally, i: Lores, auriculars. and whole throat black. ?: Lores, auriculars, and throat dull gray; yellow of forehead tinged with olive. 2. H. leucobronchialis. Similar to chrysoptera, but whole throat pure white, even beneath the surface of the feathers; black on side of head limited to a narrow loral and postocular streak; breast often tinged with yellow— sometimes bright yellow; sides usually but slightly or not at all tinged with grayish. 62. Wing with two white bands, formed by the tips of middle and greater coverts. ' 3. H. lawrencei. Head and lower parts bright yellow, relieved by broad black stripe coveri ig lores and auriculars and black throat, as in H. clirysoptera, the ? probably with these black markings dusky olive; upper parts olive- green, the wings and tail bluish gray, the former with two white bands. 4. H. pinus. Similar to H. lawrencei, but whole throat bright yellow, like other lower parts, and black on side of head reduced to a narrow streak, as in H. leucobronchialis. 9 similar to the i, but rather duller, the yellow of forehead less pure, and streak through eye dusky instead of black. a1. Wing unvaried. b-. Two outer tail feathers with a large white patch near end of inner webs. 5. H. bachmani. Above plain olive-green, forehead and lower parts yellow, i: Whole throat black; crown gray, bordered anteriorly by a black bar. ?: Throat dusky olive; crown dull grayish olive, the black bar obsolete. b". Inner webs of tail feathers without white spots. 6. H. ruficapilla. Above olive-green, the head grayish, with a whitish orbital ring; lower parts yellow. a: Crown with a concealed patch of chestnut, s: Simi- lar to the i, but colors duller, the chestnut crown-patch less distinct (some- times obsolete). 7. H. celata. Above olive-green, beneath pale grayish yellow; crown with a con- cealed patch of orange-rufous, this less distinct in the female and quite obso- lete in the young. 126 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. 8. H. peregrina. Adult $: Above olive-green, the head and neck ash-gray, without colored crown-patch, but with a narrow dusky streak through the eye; lower parts white. Adult ?: Similar, but gray of head tinged with greenish, and white of lower parts soiled with yellowish olive, especially on sides. Young: Head and neck olive-green, like othei upper parts; lower parts strongly tinged with olive-yellowish, the lower tail-coverts, however, always pure white. 9. H. cincinnatiensis. Above olive-green, the forehead yellow, and crown blotched with black; rest of head, with whole lower parts, yellow, the side of head marked by a broad loral and suborbital patch of black. Helminthophila pinus (Linn.) BLUE-WINGED WARBLER. Popular synonyms.— Blue-winged Yellow Warbler; Blue-winged Swamp Warbler. CertJtia pinus LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 187. Helminthophagapimts BATED, B. N. Am. 1858, 254; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 180; Review, 1864, 174.— COUES, Key, 1872, 94; Check List, 1873, No. 62; 2d ed. 1882, No. 98; B. N. W. 1874, 49; B. Col. Val. 1878, 214.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874. 195. pi. 11. fig. 1. — KIDGW. Nona. N. Am. 1881, N. 79. Helminthophila pittws.RiDGW. Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl. vii, 1832, 53. Sylvia solitaria WILS. Am. Orn. ii, 1810, 109, pi. 15, fig. 4.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 410.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1832, 102, pi. 20. EeUnaia solitaria AUD. Synop. 1839, 69; B. Am. ii. 1841, 98, pi. 111. HAB. Eastern United States, chiefly south of 40° and west of the Alleghanies; north, irregularly to Massachusetts and Michigan, and west to border of the Great Plains. In winter, eastern Mexico and Guatemala. SP. CHAB. Adult i: Forehead, fore part of crown,' cheeks, and entire lower parts (ex- cept crissum), pure gamboge-yellow, most intense on forehead; crissum and lining of wing white, usually more or less tinged with yellow. Occiput, cervix, back, scapulars, and rump, plain olive-green, brightest on the rump, where more tinged with yellow; wings and tail bluish gray, the former crossed by two white bands, formed by tips of middle and greater coverts; two outer tail feathers with most of the inner web white, the third with about the terminal half white. Lores and a narrow postocular streak, deep black. Bill wholly deep black; iris brown; legs and feet dull plumbeous, more or less tinged with yellowish, especially on soles of toes. In autumn, similar, but yellow of forehead more or less obscured by olive-green; maxilla dark plumbeous or brownish black, its edge, with mandible, dull flesh color, or purplish brown, the latter with a blackish stripe along each side. Adult 9; Similar to the s, but colors appreciably duller. Total length, 4.65-5.; extent, 7. -7. 50; wing, about 2.40-2.50,; tail. 2. -2. 10; culmen, .50; tarsus, .70. In half-cleared fields which have grown up to sprouts, and in rich open woods in the bottom-lands, where the switch-cane forms a con- siderable proportion of the undergrowth, the Blue-winged Yellow Warbler is one of the characteristic birds. The male is a persistent singer during the breeding season, and thus betrays his presence to the collector, who finds this of all species one of the easiest to pro- cure. His song is very rude, however, resembling more that of the Yellow- winged Sparrow than any other bird whose song I have heard. The nest is built on the ground, among upright stalks, rest- ing on a thick foundation of dry leaves. MNIOTILT1D.E — THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 127 Helminthophila chrysoptera (Linn.) GOLDEN- WINGED WARBLER. Popular synonyms.— Blue Golden-winged Warbler; Golden-winged Swamp Warbler. Motacilla chrysoptera LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 333. Sylvia chrysoptera LATH.— WILS. Am. Orn. ii, 1810,113, pi. 15, fig. 5.— Nuxr. Man. i, 18S2, 411.— AUD. Orn. Biog. v. 1839. 154, pi. 414. Helinaia chrysoptera AUD. Synop. 183'.), 67; B. Am. ii, 1841. 91, pi. 107. Helminthophaga chrysoptera CAB. Mus. Hein. i, 1850, 20.— BATED, B. N. Am. 185S, 255; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 181; Review, 1864, 175.— COUES, Key, 1872, 94; Check List, 1873, No. 63; 2d ed. 1882, No. 102; B. N. W. 1874, 49; B. Col. Val. 1878, 216.— B. B. &R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 192, pi. 11, fig. 2.— RIDGW. JNom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 81. Helminthophila chrysoptera RIDGW. Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl. vii, 1883, 53. HAB. Eastern United States (chiefly north of 40° in summer) and Canada. Winters in Cuba, Central America and extreme northern portion of South America (Colombia). SP. CHAR. Adult t: Forehead and fore part of crown rich gamboge-yellow; occiput, cervix, and other upper parts uniform bluish gray, relieved by a large patch of light gam- boge-yellow covering both rows of wing-coverts; secondaries (including tertials) some- times edged with olive-green; inner webs of three outer tail feathers marked with a large white patch, that on the exterior feather occupying the greater portion of the terminal two thirds. Lores, orbits, and auriculars deep black; below this, a pure white malar stripe, and above the auriculars a more or less distinct white streak, extending anteriorly to above the eye; chin, throat, and jugulum solid black, with a rounded posterior outline. Remaining lower parts pure white medially, bluish gray along sides. Bill deep black; iris brown. In autumn, similar, but black feathers of throat very narrowly margined with white, the yellow of forehead and blue-gray of back tinged with olive-green. Adults: Similar to the s, but black of throat and auriculars replaced by dusky grayish, the yellow of forehead obscured by olive-green, and back usually tinged with the same. Total length about 5 inches; wing 2.45-2.65; tail 1.90-2.25; culinen about .50; tarsus .70. The southern limits of this species during the breeding season are not known with certainty. The writer is certain of having seen one or two individuals during a visit to Fox Prairie, in Kichland county, in June, 1871, but whether they were breeding there he has 110 evidence further than the circumstance that all other species of the neighborhood were then nesting, while all which were unques- tionably migrating had passed north at least two weeks before.* It has been found breeding abundantly in Stark county, Indiana, by Mr. H. K. Coale, who sends me the following interesting communi- cation concerning his discovery : "Each season reveals new and interesting facts in the study of the birds. On May llth, 1884, in a woods on the Kankakee river, in Starke county, Indiana, I found the Golden-winged Warbler quite common. Five were shot and three others seen — all males, which were singing. Some were flushed from the ground and flew up to the nearest small tree, where they sat motionless next the trunk. * Since the above was written, found breeding by the writer (in June, 1885) along the southern edge of Calhoun Prairie, in Rich land county. 128 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. The locality was a moist situation, overgrown with young trees and bushes. Their short lisping note, repeated four times, was easily distinguished." The Golden-winged Warbler is a common species during the spring migration in Wabash county, Illinois, and in adjacent counties of Indiana, and it is hardly, if at all, less rare in fall. Helminthophila ruficapilla (Wils.) IASHVILLE WARBLER. Sylvia ruficapilla WILS. Am. Orn. iii, 1811. 120, pi. 27, fig. 3.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1832, 450, pi. 891 Helmintkophagaruficapilla BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1838,256; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859,.No. 183; Review, 1864, 175.— COUES. Key, 1872, 94; Check List, 1873, No. 67; 2d ed. 1882, No. 106; B. N. W. 1874,50; B. Col. Val. 1878. 224.— B. B. £'.R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 196, pi. 11, fig. 7.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 85. ffelminthophila ruficapilla RIDGW. Bull Nutt. Orn. Club, vii. 1882, 54. Sylvia rubricapilla WILS. Am. Orn. vi, 1812, 15 (index).— NUTT. Man. i, 1882, 412. Helinaia rubricapilla AUD. Synop. 1839, 70; B. Am. ii. 1841, 103, pi. 113. HAB. Nearly the whole of North America, but rather irregularly distributed in the West; breeding on higher mountain ranges within the United States (south in the Sierra Nevada to at least 38°j*. but chiefly northward (south to Massachusetts). Winters chiefly in Mexico. Casual in Greenland. "Sp. CHAB. Head and neck above and on sides ash-gray, the crown with a patch of concealed dark brownish-orange hidden by ashy tips to the feathers. Upper parts olive- green, brightest on the rump. Under parts generally, with the edge of the wing, deep yellow; the anal region paler; the sides tinged with olive. A broad yellowish white ring round the eye; the lores yellowish; no superciliary stripe. The inner edges of the tail-feathers margined with dull white. Female similar, but duller; the under parts paler and with more white; but little trace of the red of the crown. Length, 4.65; wing. 2.42; tail, 2.05." (Hist. N. Am. J5.) "First plumage: Female. Remiges, rectrices, etc., as in adult. Two conspicuous wing- bands of bright buff. Pileum and nape light ashy, tinged with fulvous. Back ashy, just touched with green; rump bright olive-green. Supra-orbital line, ring around eye, and the throat, bright buff. Lores, maxillary line, and auriculars pale ashy. Breast and cris- sum gamboge-yellow, each feather tipped with whitish, producing a somewhat hoary ap- pearance. Abdomen pale yellow; sides dull cinnamon, with a shade of ashy. From a specimen in my collection taken at Upton, Me., August 14, 1873. A full series of specimens illustrates well the progressive stages. The fall plumage in very Quickly acquired by young of this species." (BREWSTEB, Bull Nutt. Orn. Club, Apr. 1878, p. 57.) The Nashville Warbler is a rather common bird during the migrat- ing seasons, and breeds in the extreme northern counties of the State. In its general habits this species is much like the other members of the genus, living among the undergrowth in open woods or among bushes in cleared places, and building its nest upon the ground. The song is said to resemble that of the Chestnut-sided * The western bird is now recognized as a distinct race, H. ruficapilla gutturalis Ridgw. (Hist. N. Am. L. i, p. 191.) MNIOTILTIDJE — THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 129 and Summer Yellow Warblers (Dendroica pennsylvanica and D. (Estiva), and is therefore very different from that of its Blue-winged Yellow and Golden-winged congeners. Helminthophila celata (Say) ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER. Sylvia celata SAY, Long's Exp. i, 1823, 1G9.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 413.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1831, 419. Vermivora celata NUTT. Man. 2d eel. 1840, 473. Helinaia celata (part) AUD. Synop. 1839,60; B. Am. ii. 1811, 100. Helminthophaqa celala (part) BATED, B. N. Am. 1818,257; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 181; Re- view, 18G4, 170.— COUES, Key, 1872, 93; Check List, 1873, No. CS; 2d ed. 1882, No. 107; B. N. W. 1874,52; B. Col. Val. 1878. 226.-B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 202, pi. 11, fig. 5.- RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 80. Helminthophila celata RIDGW. Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club,vii,1882,54. HAB. Interior of North America, breeding in the Rocky Mountain region and north- ward to the Yukon region of Alaska; in winter migrating through the Mississippi Valley and westward to the Great Basin; very rare, during migrations, in Atlantic States. Winter- ing along southern border of United States and in Mexico. (Replaced along Pacific coast, from the Alaskan peninsula southward, by a brighter-colored race, H.celalalulescens, and in the South Atlantic States by the dark-colored H. celata obscura; the latter possibly breeding in the higher Alleghanics. "Sp. CHAK. Above grayish olive-green, rather brighter on the rump. Beneath en- tirely greenish yellowish-white, except a little whitish about the anus; the sides tinged with grayish olivaceous. A concealed pateh of pale orange-rufous on the crown, hid- den by the grayish tips to the feathers. Eyelids and an obscure superciliary line yellow- ish white, a dusky obscure streak through the eye. Inner webs of tail feathers broadly edged with white. Female with little or none of the orange on the crown, and the white edgings to inner webs of tail feathers. Young lacking the orange entirely, and with two fulvous-whitish bands on the wing. Length, 4.70: wing, 2.25; tail, 2.00."* During the seasons of migration, this species is occasionally com- mon, but some years appears to be very rare if not wanting alto- gether. It possesses no special characteristic of habits or song, in which respects it resembles the other members of the genus. The writer found it a very abundant species during autumn in the mountains of Nevada and Utah, and a rather common bird in the higher woods of the Wahsatch Mountains, where it was breeding. Its summer home extends far northward, even to the shores of the Arctic seas, and it breeds abundantly throughout the Yukon Valley in Alaska, quite to the shores of Norton Sound, and thence east- ward to the McKenzie River district, from which region numerous nests have been received at the National Museum. * Average of five adalt males: wing, 2.50; tail, 2. 01; eulmen, .41; tarsus, .42. Average of two adult females: wing, 2.31; tail, 1. 93; eulmen, .4'); tarsus, .64. -9 130 BIKDS OF ILLINOIS. Helminthophila peregrina (Wils.) TENNESSEE WARBLER. Sylvia peregrina. WILS. Am. Orn. iii, 1811, 83, pi. 25, flg. 2.— NUTT. Man. i.1832, 412.— Aur>. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 307, pi. 154. Syluicola(Vermivora) peregrina Sw. £ RICH. Faun. Bor. Am. ii, 1831, 221, pi. 42. Vermivora peregrina NUTT. Man. 2d ed. i, 1810, 469. Helinaia peregrina AUD. Synop. 1839, 68; B. Am. ii, 1841, 96, pi. 110. He'lminthop hag a peregrina CAB.— BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858, 258; Cat. N. Am. A. 1859, No. 185; Review, 1865, 178.— COUES, Key, 1872, 95; Check List, 1873, No. 69; 2d ed. 1882, No. 109: B. N. W. 1874, 53; B. Col. Val. 1878, 2JO.-B. B. & 11. Hist. N. Am. B. i. 1874, 205. pi. 11, figs. 10, 11.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1831, No. 87. Helminthopldla peregrina RIDGW. Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl. vii, 18S2. 54. HAB. Eastern North America, west to eastern base of Rocky Mountains (El Paso Co., Colorado, Sept. 1, 1873; C. E. Aiken); breeding from northern border ot United States to the Arctic regions; winters in Cuba and Middle America and south to Colombia. "Sp. CHAR. Top and sides of the head and neck ash-gray; rest of upper parts olive- green, brightest on the rump. Beneath dull white, faintly tinged in places, especially on the sides, with yellowish-olive. Eyelids and a stripe over the eye whitish; a dusky line from the eye to the bill. Outer tail-feather with a white spot along the inner edge near the tip. Female with the ash of the head less conspicuous; the under parts more tinged with olive-yellow. Length, 4.50; wing, 2.75: tail, 1.85. "Autumnal specimens and young birds are sometimes so strongly tinged with green- ish yellow as to be scarcely distinguishable from./?, celata. The wing is, however, always longer, and the obscure whithish patch on the inner edge of the exterior tail- feather, near its tip, is almost always appreciable. In celata this edge is very narrowly and uniformly margined with whitish. "A young bird of the year, from Fort Simpson (27.223), has two distinct greenish white bands on the wings, and the forehead and cheeks greenish yellow. A corresponding age of II. celata has the wing-bands more reddish brown, the wings shorter, and no white patch on the outer tail-feather." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Autumnal specimens usually have the primaries narrowly but distinctly tipped with white, and occasionally show traces of white tips to the greater wing-coverts. Like the Orange-crowned Warbler, the Tennessee Warbler is a bird of extreme northern distribution during the breeding season ; but, while the former is chiefly western during its migrations the latter is exclusively eastern, the base of the Rocky Mountains being the western limit of its range. It is very abundant in Illinois dur- ing its migrations, both in spring and fall ; indeed, it seems to be far more numerous west of the Alleghanies than eastward of that range, in which respect it is like the Philadelphia Vireo and several other migratory birds, which can scarcely be considered as more than stragglers in the Atlantic States. Like the Orange-crowned MNIOTILTID^E — THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 131 Warbler, this species breeds abundantly in the extreme north, being particularly numerous in the McKenzie River district; but it is ap- parently wanting to the Alaskan fauna. The southern portion of its breeding range includes the northern shores of the Great Lakes and a considerable portion of New England, including parts of Massachusetts. Its nest, like that of other species of its genus, is built on the ground. The song is said to resemble that of the Nashville Warbler, except that it is shriller. GENUS COMPSOTHLYPIS CABANIS. Parula BONAP. Geog. & Comp. List, 1838,20. Type, Parus americanun Lnm. (Not Parulus SPIX, 1824.) Compsothlypis CABANIS. Mus. Hein. i, 1830, 20. (Same type.) "GEN. CHAB. In the species of this genus the bill is conical and acute; the culmen very gently curved from the base; the commissure slightly concave. The notch when visible is further from the tip than in Dendroica, but usually is either obsolete or entirely wanting. Bristles weak. The tarsi are longer than the middle toe. The tail is nearly even, and considerably shorter than the wing. Color, blue above, with a triangular patch of green on the back; anterior lower parts yellow." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Compsothlypis americana (Linn.) PARULA WARBLER. Popular synonyms.— Particolored Warb'er; Blue Yellow-backed Warbler. Parus americanus LINN. 8. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 190. Sylvia americana Aur>. Orn. Biog. i, 1832, 78, pi. 15. Syhncola americana AUD. Synop. 1839, 59; B. Am. ii, 1811, 57, pi. 91. Parula americana BONAP. Comp. List, 1853, 20.— BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858, 233; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 168; Review, 18S5, 169.— COUES, Key, 18/2, 92; Check List, 1873, No. 58: 2d ed. 1832, No. 93; B. N. W. 1874, 46; B. Col. Val. 18r8, 208.— B. B. & B. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 208, pi. 10, fig. 7.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 88. Compsothlypis americana CAB. Mus. Hein. i, 1851, 20. Sylvia pusilla WILS. Am. Orn. iv, 1811, 17, pi. 28, fig. 3. HAB. Eastern United States and British Provinces, breeding throughout, or from Gulf coast northward; in winter, most of the West Indies, Mexico, and Guatemala; also in Florida (and along Gulf coast). West to eastern base of Rocky Mountains (El Paso Co., Colorado, May; C. E. Aiken). SP. CHAR. Two bands on the wing-coverts, and spots on inner webs of two or three outer tail-feathers, just before the end. white; breast yellow; back greenish; abdomen and crissum white. Adult t: Above grayish blue, with a triangular patch of olive-green on the back; throat and breast yellow, with more or less of dusky, and sometimes also of orange-rufous, across the jugulum. Adult s: Similar, but colors duller, the blue above obscured with a greenish wash and the yellow beneath paler and more soiled. First plumage: male. Uemiges, rectrices, etc., as in the adult. Pileum, cervix, rump and upper tail-coverts dull gray tinged with olive anteriorly and with blue posteriorly 132 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. the back with more or less of an indistinct patch of olive-green: throat and eyelids gray- ish white, abdomen, anal region, and crissum pure white; jugulum and sides of breast pale ash-gray. From two specimens obtained at Mt. Carmel, 111., July 17. 1871. Both of Iheseshowa large patch of bright gamboge-yellow on the breast, these feathers de- noting the commencement of the adult plumage. One of them also has the chin and an indistinct supraloral line tinged with yellow. "Autumnal males are browner on the chin, yellower on the throat and jugulum. Head tinged with greenish; secondaries edged with greenish yellow. Autumnal females are light greenish olive above, dirty white beneath. "In very brightly colored spring males, there is frequently (as in 58,335, Philadelphia) a well-defined, broad blackish band across the jugulum, anterior to an equally distinct and rather broader one across the breast, of a brown tint, spotted with black, while the sides are much spotted with chestnut-brown; the blue above is very pure, and the green patch on the back very sharply defined." (Hist, N. Am. B.) This pretty little warbler is abundant during the migrations, and is also not uncommon in swampy forests during summer, when it inhabits chiefly those woods where the long gray lichens (Usnea) are abundant on the trunks and branches of the trees. In these long beard-like tufts it constructs its nest, which is so artfully con- cealed that only the actions of the owners can reveal its location. GENUS DENDROICA GRAY. Dendroica GKAT, List of Gen. and Subg. B. 2d ed. Appendix, 1842, 8. Type, MotaciUa cor- onata LINN. The essential characters of this genus, as here enlarged, have been given on page 115. Therefore, we will in this place give the differential characters of the two so-called subgenera, fuller diag- noses of which will be found under their separate headings : Dendroica.— Bill not acute, the gonys convex, the notch distinct. Tongue uot lacerate or fringed at tip. Perissoglossa.— Bill very acute, the gonys slightly concave near tip, the notch obsolete or very indistinct. Tongue forked and deeply lacerate at tip. Subgenus Perissoglossa Baird. Perissoglossa BATED, Rev. Am. Bird?, 1864, 181. Type, MotaciUa tigrlna GM. "GEN. CHAR. Form of Dendroica, but bill slender, acute, with very indistinct notch; the commissure gently arched or curved from the base; the gonys also straight, or even MNiOTILTID^E — THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 133 slightly concave. Tongue lengthened, narrow, deeply bind (for one third), and deeply lacerated or fringed externally at the end; the edge along the median portion folded over on the upper surface, but not adherent." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The curvature of the bill in Perissoglossa tigrina is quite peculiar among the Mniotiltida with notched bills, with the single exception of Helminthophila bachmani. It seems likely that the Helinaia carbonata of Audubon belongs here, as it appears very closely allied to the type of this subgenus. The two species differ, however, as follows : — COMMON CHARACTERS. Male. Top of head black. Above olive, becoming yellowish on rump. Head, neck, and lower parts bright yellow, becoming whitish posteriorly. Dorsal feathers with black centres; breast and sides streaked with black. A black streak through the eye. P. tigrina. Large white patches on inner webs of tail leathers. Sides of head and middle of throat tinged with chestnut. One large white patch on wing, covering both rows of coverts. Outer web of lateral tail-feather blackish. P. carbonata. No white patches on tail feathers. No chestnut about head. Two bands on the wing, the anterior one white, the posterior yellow. Outer web of lateral tail-feather whitish. Dendroica tigrina (Gmel.) CAPE MAY WARBLER. Motacilla tigrina GMEL. S. N. i, 1788, 985 (based on EDWARDS, pi. 257). Dendroica tigrina BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858, 286; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 206.— COUES, Key, 1872. 102; Check List, 1873 No. 85; 2d ed. 1882, No. 126; B. Col. Val. 1878, 245. Perissoglossa tigrina BATED, Review, 1865, 181.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 212, pi. 12, figs. 1.2— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 90. Sylvia mari ima WILS. Am. Orn. vi. 1812. 99, pi. 54, fig. 3.— AUD. Orn. Biog. v. 1839. 156, pi. 414.-NUTT. Man. i. 1832, 371. Sylvicola maritima JARD.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 56; B. Am. ii, 1841, 44, pi. 85.— NUTT. Man. 2d ed. i, 1840, 424. HAS. Eastern North America, north to Hudson's Bay and Lake Winnipeg; breeding chiefly north of the United States and wintering in the West Indies, where resident in Jamaica. "Sp. CHAR. Bill very acute, conical and decidedly curved. Bill and feet black. Upper part of head dull black, some of the feathers faintly margined with light yellowish brown. Collar scarcely meeting behind, rump and under parts generally rich yellow. Throat, fore- part of breast, and sides streaked with black. Abdomen and lower tail-coverts pale yel- low, brighter about the vent. Ear-coverts light reddish-chestnut. Back part of a yellow line from nostrils over the eye of this same color: chin and throat tinged also with it. A black line from commissure through the eye, and running into the chestnut of the ear- coverts. Back, shoulders, edges of the wing and tail, yellowish olive; the former spotted with dusky. One row of small coverts, and outer bases of the secondary coverts, form a large patch of white, tinged with pale yellow. Tertials rather broadly edged with brown- ish white. Quills and tail dark brown, the three outer feathersof the latter largely marked with white on the inner web; edge of the outer web of the outer feathers white, more per- ceptible towards the base. Length, 5.25; wing, 2.84; tail, 2.15. 134 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. "Female. Above olivaceous-ash, most yellowish on rump; no black nor chestnut on head. Wing-coverts inconspicuously edged with whitish. Tail spots very inconspicuous Beneath dull white tinged with yellowish on the breast, and streaked as in the male, but with dusky grayish instead of black." (Hist. N. Am. B.) "First plumage: female. Remiges. rectrices, and primary coverts as in adult. Pileum, nape, rump, and upper tail-coverts dark slaty-brown, the back with an indistinct patch of olive-green. Eyelids, throat, jugulum, and sides of breast dark slate: abdomen, anal region, and crissum soiled white, tinged with dull yellow. From a specimen in my collec- tion shot at Upton, Me., August 21, 1874. This bird exhibits a few irregular patches and isolated feathers of dull yellow on the breast and throat, forerunners of the fall plumage." (BKEWSTEB, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club Apr. 1878, p. 60.) "The chestnut about the head in adult males varies in amount with the individual; sometimes las in 20,633, May, Moose Factory, Hudson's Bay Territory) there is an oblong spot of chestnut in the middle of the crown, but generally this is absent. Very frequently the chestnut tinges the throat. All variations in these respects appear, however, to be individual, and not dependent at all on locality. West Indian specimens appear to be absolutely identical with those from North America. "Autumnal specimens are browner, the chestnut markings much obscured." (Hist. N. Am. B.) This was until within comparatively a few years a rare bird, whose habits were by no means well known. It passes through Illi- nois during its migrations, but does not, so far as known, remain to breed, although in the mountainous portions of Hayti and Jamaica and perhaps others of the Greater Antilles, it is a permanent resi- dent; thus having a very peculiar distribution, like the Yellow rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata) and possibly other members of the family. With the exception of two, which were taken in an orchard (when the apple-trees were in bloom), all the specimens of this species secured by the writer were shot from tall tree-tops, the height being so great that it was impossible to identify the species. It therefore seems likely that most examples evade the collector by keeping in the tree-tops at such an elevation that they cannot be distinguished from other Warblers. Mr. Nelson (page 99 of his catalogue) says of this species in northeastern Illinois : "Very common migrant. May 7th to 25th, and September 5th to 20th. In spring, found almost exclusively in the tops of the trees; in autumn found in large numbers along roadsides, borders of woods and fields in company with Dendroeca palmarum, from which it is, with difficulty, distinguished at gunshot, so closely alike are their habits and movements at this season." MNIOTILTIOE — THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 135 Subgenus Dendroica Gray. Dendroica GEAT, Genera Birds, Appendix. 1842,8. Type, MotacUla coronata LINN. "GEN. CHAK. Bill conical, attenuated, depressed at the base, where it is however scarcely broader than high, compressed from the middle. Culmen straight for the basal half, then rather rapidly curving, the lower edge of upper mandible also concave. Gonys slightly convex and ascending. A distinct notch near the end of the bill. Bristles, though short, generally quite distinct at the base of the bill. Tar?i long, decidedly, longer than the middle toe, which is longer than the hinder one; the claws rather small and much curved; the hind claw nearly as long as its digit. The wings long and pointed the second quill usually a very little longer than the first. The tail slightly rounded and emarginate." "Colors. Tail always with a white or yellow spot; its ground color never clear olive- green; in D. cestiva edged internally with yellow. "Eggs usually with a white or a bluish white ground, marked with purplish brown and obscure lilac; in some, mingled with varying shades of sienna-brown. Nest, so far as known, in bushes and trees, except D. palmarum, which is on the ground. "The genus Dendroica is one of the most extensive as to species of any in North America, and scarcely admits of any subdivision. There is a little variation in the bill, wings, etc., the chief peculiar- ities being in D. castanea and pennsylvanica, in which the bill is broader, and more depressed, with longer bristles ; in D. striata, where the bill is narrow with scarcely any bristles ; and in D. pal- marum and kirtlandi, where the wings are very short, scarcely longer than the tail. D. palmamm has the tarsus unusually long. The colors in all are strongly marked, and the species are among the most beautiful of all belonging to our fauna, and are the most con- spicuous for their numbers and in their migrations." (Hist. N. Am. B.} The difference in manners between certain members of this genus is remarkable ; thus, the D. palmarum is very terrestrial in its habits, walking upon the ground with the ease and grace of a Tit- lark (Antlius), and, like these birds, it has a wagging motion of the tail. On the other hand, the D. dominica and D. vigorsii are "Creep- ers" almost to the same extent as is the Mniotilta varia; creeping not only along the branches of trees, but the cornices and lattices of build- ings, with the facility of a Nuthatch (Sitta). Both these species, how- ever, may often be seen hopping among the foliage of the trees, now and then snapping an insect on the wing, in the manner of others of the family. Synopsis of Species. A. Inner webs of lateral tail-feathers with a patch or distinet edging of yellow. 1. D. aestiva. $: Gamboge-yellow, more olive-green above, the breast and sides streaked with chestnut-red, s: Duller, lacking distinct red streaks below. Young: Dull olive-green above, plain pale yellow, or greenish buff y white, below. 136 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. B. Inner webs of lateral tail-feathers with patch or distinct edging of white. a. "Wing without light markings, except a white spot at base of primaries (sometimes obsolete in ?). 2. D. cserulsscens. i: Above plain dark dull blue; sides of head and neck, throat, and sides, black; belly white, s: Above dull grayish green, below dull pale greenish buff. 6. Wing with one or two distinct bands across coverts. 3. D. virens. t: Above bright olive-green; wing with two white bands; sides of head gamboge-yellow; chin, throat, jusulum and sides of breast, deep black; belly white. ?: Similar, but black of throat, etc., broken by admixture of yellow and whitish. Young in fall and winter: Throat, etc., mostly pale yellowish. 4. D. striata. Crissum pure white at all stages and seasons. 3: Pileum uniform deep black; upper parts grayish, streaked with black, the wings with two white bands; lower parts pure white, the sides of the throat with a series of blended black streaks, uniting on chin, s: Above dull olive-green, everywhere streaked with black; beneath whitish, more or less tinged anteriorly with greenish buff, the sides (and sometimes sides of throat) streaked with dusky. Young in fall and winter: Above olive-green, more or less streaked, especially on back, with dusky; beneath pale olive-yellowish, the crissum, however, always pure white. 5. D. castanea. Crissum always pale creamy buff, i: Crown, throat and entire sides chestnut, darkest on the first; above grayish, streaked with black, the wing with two white bands; sides of neck and whole belly palo buff, or buffy white. 9: Somewhat similar, but chestnut wanting, or merely indicated, the crown streaked like the back. Young in fall and winter: Similar to corresponding stage of striata, but crissum pale buff, the upper tail-coverts and tail tinged with bluish gray; flanks sometimes (in males chiefly) tinged with chestnut. 6. D. pennsylvanica. Wing-bands sulphur-yellow; throat pure white; crown yellow or gi-ass-graen; auricular^ white or light gray, i: Sides, continuously, rich chest- nut, connecting anteriorly with a black cheek-patch; crown bright yellow; back streaked with black and greenish yellow. 9: Similar to the t, but duller. Young in fall and winter: Above nearly plain bright olive-green, including whole top of head; side of head ash-gray; lower parts plain white, more grayish laterally, where sometimes tinged with chestnut on the flanks. 7. D. caerulea. .5: Above fine grayish blue, with black streaks on back and along sides of crown; wing-bands pure white; lower parts pure white, interrupted by a gray- ish blue jugular band or collar. 9: Above grayish green, glossed with blue; beneath light greenish buff, without jugular collar. Young i: Similar to adult 9, but whiter beneath, and upper parts more glossed with blue. 8. D. blackburniae. Crown with a more or less distinct central spot of orange or yel- lowish, i: Spot on crown, superciliary stripe (widening on sides of neck), suborb- ital spot, with whole chin, throat and jugulum, rich cadmium-orange, most intense on throat; other markings about head, with prevailing color of upper parts, deep black, relieved by a large pure white wing-patch, covering both rows of coverts; breast and belly yellowish white, the sides streaked with black. 9: Similar in pattern, but black replaced by streaked black and grayish olive, the orange of throat, etc., much paler. 9. D. maculosa. White tail-spots on the middle portion of the inner webs, and on all the feathers except the intermedia?. . coronata!) Sylvia canadensis WILS. Am. Orn. ii, 1810, 115, pi. 15, fig. 7.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 393.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1831, 309. pis. 148.155. Syloicola canadensis RICH.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 61; B. Am. ii, 1811, 63, pi. 95. Dendroica canadensis BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858,271; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 193. Motacilla ccerulescens GMEL. S. N. i, 1788, 960. Dendroica ccerulescens BAIRD Review, 1865, 186.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 251. pi. 12, figs. 10. 12.— COUES, Key, 1872, 99; Check List, 1873, No. 76; 2nd ed. 1882, No. 117; B. N. W. 1874, 45; B. Col. Val. 1878, 211.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 188 1, No. 94. Sylvia sphagnosa BONAP. Jour. Phila. Ac. iv, 1824, 199 (= $j.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 406.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 279. Sylvia pusilla WILS. Am. Orn. v, 1812, 100. pi. 43, flg. 4 (= ?; not of vol. iv, p. 17, pi. 28, fig. 3, which= Compsotldypis americana), HAB. Eastern North America, breeding chiefly north of the United States, but also in New England, south to Connecticut and New York; wintering in southern Florida, Ba- hamas and Greater Antilles. SP. CHAR. Adult l: Above uniform dull grayish blue, including outer edges of quills and tail feathers. A narrow frontal line, entire side of head and neck, chin and throat, uniform deep black, this color extending back along the sides to the tail; rest of lowor parts, including axillars and lining of the wing, pure white. Wings and tail black (outer edge of feathers grayish blue); the former relieved by a more or less extensive patch of white at base of primaries, the latter with a white patch near end of inner web of each feather except the middle pair. Adult t, in fall and winter: Similar to spring and sum- mer plumage, but black feathers of throat margined .with white, and back washed, more or less, with olive-green. Adult 9; Dull grayish olive-green above, dull light greenish buff below, inclining to white on the belly; sides of head dusky olive, the eyelids and a more or less distinct superciliary streak whitish; white patch at base of primaries reduced in size, sometimes quite obsolete; white tail-spots also smaller than in the f,. "First plnmage, t. Remiges and rectriees as in autumnal males, the former slightly paler in color. Rest of upper parts, including the wing-coverts, dark olive-brown; sides of head very dark brown; lores black; throat, jugulum, lower eyelids, and a very con- spicuous supra-orbital line, pale buff; breast and sides ashy, tinged with olive. Abdo- men, anal region, and crissum strong sulphur-yellow. White spot on base of primaries fully developed." (BKEWSTER, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1878, p. 57.) "First plumage, ?. Remiges and rectriees as in autumnal female. Rest of upper parts, including wing-coverts and sides of head, light olive-brown. Lores dull black. Super- ciliary line, both eyelids, throat, jugulum. abdominal and anal regions, with crissum, light buff. Breast and sides olive, tinged with buff. Spot on base of primaries dirty-white. From two specimens, 3 and ?, in my collection, shot with parents at Upton, Me., August 11. 1873. The male above described shows a few black feathers on one side of the throat. Several adult females in my collection, taken both in spring and fall, lack the white wing- patch altogether. Others have it but faintly indicated." (BREWSTEK, 1. c.) The Black-throated Blue Warbler is one of the many species which merely pass hurriedly through our State on the way to their sum- mer home in the great northern woods, and back again to their 140 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. tropical winter quarters. It possesses nothing specially distinctive in its habits, either during the breeding season or when migrating, and, compared with some other species, may be -considered as one of the least abundant of its family, although common enough some seasons. Dendroica coronata (Linn.) MYRTLE WARBLER. Popular synonyms Myrtle Bird; Yellow-rump Warbler; Yellow-crowned Wood Warbler. Motacilla coronata LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 333. Sylvia coronata LATH.— WILS. Am. Orn. ii, 1810, 138, pi. 17. fig. 4.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 361. — AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, SOS. pi. 153. Sylvicola coronata Sw. & RICH. F. B. A. ii,1831. 216.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 51; B. Am. ii,18il, 23, pi. 76.— NUTT. Man. 2d ed. i, 1840, 411. Dendroica coronata GRAY, List Gen. B. App. 1842,8.— BAIED. B. N. Am. 1858,278; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 194; Review, 1865, 187. — B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 227, pi. 12, figs. 9, 12. Dendrceca coronata SCL.— COUES, Key, 1872, 100; Check List, 1873, No. 78; 2d ed. 1882, No. 119; B. N. W. 1874,57; B. Col. Val. 1878,278. -RiDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 95. HAB. Whole of North America, but chiefly east of Rocky Mountains; very rare, and perhaps merely straggling during migrations, in western portions, although sometimes not uncommon in California. Breeds from northern New England northwards, and per- haps southward along higher Alleghanies. Resident in Jamaica; winters in greater por- tion of Eastern U. S. (regularly north to about 40°), and also in Mexico, Guatemala and the Greater Antilles. "Sp. CHAK. Above bluish-ash, streaked with black. Under parts white. The fore- part of breast and the sides black, the feathers mostly edged narrowly with white. Crown, rump, and sides of breast yellow. Cheeks and lores black. The eyelids and a superciliary stripe, two bands on the wing and spots on the outer three tail feathers white. Female of duller plumage and browner above. Length, 5.65; wing, 3.00; tail, 2 5(>. "Autumnal and winter birds are very much duller and more obscurely colored, the upper parts of an umber cast with the streaks almost obsolete; the black of the breast wanting or but just indicated, and the yellow patch on crown almost concealed by the brown tips to the feathers, and those on side of breast quite dull. "A spring male (52,283) from Washington is remarkable in having the adjoining series of feathers down the middle of the back with their inner webs broadly edged with yellow. In this respect it differs from all others that we have noticed." (Hist. JV. Am, B.) In the southern portion of the State (north at least to the line of the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad), this species is usually an abun- dant winter resident. It may often be seen in midwinter, when the ground is covered with snow, in the door-yards along with Snow- birds (Junco liyemalis), Tree Sparrows, and other familiar species, MNIOTILTID^— THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 141 gleaning bread crumbs from the door-steps, or hunting for spiders or other insect tidbits in the nooks of the garden fence or the crevices in the bark of trees ; and at evening, flying in considerable companies, to the sheltering branches of the thickest tree tops (pre- ferably evergreens), where they pass the night. Not unfrequently, however, they roost in odd nooks and crannies about the buildings, or even in holes in the straw- or hay-stacks, in the barn-yard. A favorite food of this species are the berries of the Poison-vine (Rhus toxicodendron) , and during the early part of winter large numbers of them may be seen wherever vines of this species are abundant. During the winter season the plumage of this bird is dull and unattractive, the sexes being scarcely distinguishable by color; but as spring advances, the male assumes a parti-colored livery of black, slate-blue, white and yellow, which renders him one of the most striking among the feathered rivals of the bees which hum among the blooming apple-trees. At this season, too, the male has an attractive song, somewhat like that of the Summer Yellow-bird, but more of a warble and sweeter in tone. According to Mr. McFarlane, of the Hudson's Bay Company, the Yellow-rumped Warbler reaches the high northern latitudes, near the Arctic coast, late in May, and leaves that region in September. He states that it nests in moderate abundance at Anderson Eiver, and that, although in a few instances the nest was placed on the ground, it generally built four or five feet up in a low spruce tree. A nest found at Parsboro' Nova Scotia, is thus described by Dr. Brewer (Hist. N. Am. B. Vol. I., p. 228) : •''The nest was built on a horizontal branch, the smaller twigs of which were so interlaced as to admit of its being built upon them, though their extremities were interwoven into its rim. The nest was small for the bird, being only two inches in depth and four and a half in diameter. The cavity is one and a half inches deep and two and a half wide. Its base and external portions consist of fine, light, dry stalks of wild grasses, and slender twigs and roots. Of the last the firm, strong rim of the nest is exclusively woven. Within, the nest is composed of soft, fine grasses, downy feathers, and the fine hair of the smaller mammals." 142 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Dendroica maculosa (Linn.) MAGNOLIA WARBLER. Popular synonym.— Black and Yellow Warbler. Motacilla maculosa GM. 8. N. i. 1788. 984. Sylvia maculosa LATH.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 260; ii, 1834, 145; v. 1839, 458, pis. 50. 123.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 370. Sylricola maculosa Sw. & RICH. P. B. A. ii, 1831, 213, pi. 40.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 61: B. Am. ii, 1841,65, pi. 9G. Dendroica maculosa BATED, B. N. Am. 1858, 284; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 204; Review, 1865, 206.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 232, pi. 14, flg. 2. Dendrceca maculosa SCL.— COUES, Key, 1872. 102; Check List, 1873, No. 84; 2d ed. 1882, No. 125; B. N. W. 1874, 62; B. Col. Val. 1878, 290.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 97. Sylvia magnolia WILS. Am. Orn. iii, 1811, C3, pi. 23. HAB. Eastern North America, west to eastern base of Rocky Mountains: breeds from northern New England northward, and winters in Bahamas, Cuba (rare), eastern Mexico, and Central America to Panama. "Sr. CHAK. Male in spring. Bill dark bluish black, rather lighter beneath. Tail duj-ky. Top of head light grayish blue. Front, lores, cheeks, and a stripe under the eye, clack, running into a large triangular patch on the back between the wings, which is also black. Eye'iids and a stripe from the eye along the side of head white. Upper tail-coverts black, someof the feathers tipped with grayish. Abdomenandlowertail-covertswhite. Rump and under parts, except as described, yellow. Lower throat, breast, and sides streaked with black; the streaks closer on the lower throat and fore breast. Lesser wing-coverts, and edges of the wing and tail, bluish gray, the former spotted with black. Quills and tail almost black; the latter with a square patch of white on the inner webs of all the tail feathers (but the two inner) beyond the middle of the tail. Two white bands across the wings (sometimes coalesced into one) formed by the middle and secondary coverts. Part of the edge of the inner webs of the quills white. Feathers margining the black patch on the back behind and on the sides tinged with greenish. Length, 5 inches; wing, 2 5"; tail, 2.25. Autumnal males differ in absence of black of back, front, sides of head, and to a considerable degree beneath, and in much less white on the wings, and head. "Female in spring. Similar, but all the colors duller. Black of the back restricted to a central triangular patch." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The Magnolia Warbler, probably the most showy of the Dendroica, is an abundant species during its migrations, but does not breed within the limits of the State. It is one of the most agile of its tribe, its quick and restless movements being more like those of the Eedstart than those of its nearest kindred. The tail is carried somewhat elevated and widely expanded, to display the broad white band across the middle portion of the inner webs of the feathers, which, together with the bold contrasts of black, yellow, and blue- gray of the plumage, render it both conspicuous and beautiful. Dendroica cserulea (Linn.) CERULEAN WARBLER. Popular synonyms.— Blue Warbler; White-throated Blue Warbler; Azure Warbler. Sylvia ccerulea WILS. Am. Orn. ii, 1810, 141, pi. 17, flg. 5. fiylvicola ccerulea RICH.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 56; B. Am. ii, 1841, 45, pi. 86. Dendroica ccerulea BATED, B. N. Am. 1858, 280; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 201; Review, 1865, 191.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 235, pi. 13, figs. 10, 11. MNIOTILTIDjE — THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 143 Dendrceca ccerulea SCL.— COUES, Key. 1872, 99; Cheek List, 1872, No. 77; 2d ed. 1882, No. 118; B. N. W. 1874. 56,23?; B. Col. Val. 1878, 267.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 98. Syloiarara WILS. Am. Orn. iii, 1811, 119, pi. 27, flg. 2.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 393.— AUD. Orn Biog. i, 1832, 258, pi. 49. Sylvia azwea STEPH. Gen. Zool. x, 1817. 053.— NUTT. Man. i. 1832, 407.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1832, 255, pi. 48. HAB. Eastern United States, but chiefly west of the Alleghanies; north to Canada West and (casually) Connecticut. Breeds very abundantly throughout the heavily wooded dis- tricts of the Mississippi Valley. Winters in Central America and Northern South America; Cuba. "Sp. CHAR. Male. Above bright blue, darkest on the crown, tinged with ash on the rump; middle of back, scapulars, upper tail-coverts, and sides of the crown, streaked with black. Beneath white; a collar across the breast, and streaks on the sides, dusky blue. Lores, and a line through and behind the eye (where it is bordered above by whit- ish), dusky-blue; paler on the cheeks. Two white bands on the wings. All the tail feathers except the innermost with a white patch on the inner web near the end. Female, greenish blue above, brightest on the crown; beneath white, tinged with greenish yellow, obsoletely streaked on the sides; eyelids and a superciliary line greenish white. Length, 4.25; wing, 2.65; tail, 1.90. "The autumnal adult plumage of both sexes is, in every respect, exactly lik^ the spring dress. Young males in late summer are very similar to adult females, but are purer white below, and less uniform greenish blue above, the dark stripes on sides of the crown and black centres to scapulars being quite conspicuous; the young female, at the same season, is similar in pattern to the adult, but is dull green above, without any tinge of blue, and light buffy yellow below. "There is considerable variation in adult males, especially in the width of the pectoral collar; one (No. 60,877, Mt. Carmel, Wabash Co., 111., Aug. 9) has this entirely interrupted. In this individual there is no trace of a whitish supra-auricular streak; while others from the same locality, and obtained at the same date, have the band across the jugulum con- tinuous, and a quite distinct white streak over the ear-coverts." (Hist. N. Am.B.) This pretty little warbler is by far the most abundant of the summer-resident members of the family in Illinois. It frequents chiefly if not exclusively the tall timber of creek and river bottoms, where it keeps much among the tree-tops rarely descending to the undergrowth, and then perhaps only to search for material for its nest. "It is a bird of the woods, everywhere associated with the beauti- ful tall forests of the more northern counties of Western New York, sometimes found in the open woods of pasture-lands, and quite partial to hardwood trees. In its flitting motions in search of in- sect-prey, and in the jerking curves of its more prolonged flight, as also in structure, it is a genuine Wood Warbler, and keeps, for the most part, to what Thoreau calls "the upper story" of its sylvan domain. Its song, which is frequent, and may be heard for some distance, may be imitated by the syllables rJicct, rhcct, rJtcct, rJieet, ridi, idi, e-e-e-c-c-e-e ; beginning with several soft, warbling notes, and ending in a rather prolonged but quite musical squeak. The latter and more rapid part of the strain, which is given in the up- ward slide, approaches an insect quality of tone which is more or 144 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. less peculiar to all true Warblers. This song is so common here as to be a universal characteristic of our tall forests. The bird is shy when started from the nest, and has the sharp chipping alarm - note common to the family. The nest is saddled on a horizontal limb of considerable size, some distance from the tree, and somo forty or fifty feet from the ground. Small, and very neatly and compactly built." (Rev. J. H. Langille, in Ornithologist and Oolo- gist, Dec. 1882, p. 191.) In History of North American Birds, Vol. III., page 505, Dr. Brewer describes a nest of this species, as follows : "A nest, containing one egg, of the Cserulean Warbler, was ob- tained in June, 1873, by Frank S. Booth, the son of James Booth, Esq., the well known taxidermist of Drumrnondville, Ontario, near Niagara Falls. The nest was built in a large oak-tree at the height of fifty feet or more from the ground. It was placed horizontally on the upper surface of a slender limb, between two small twigs, and the branch on which it was thus saddled was only an inch and a half in thickness. Being nine feet from the trunk of the tree, it was secured with great difficulty. The nest is a rather slender fabric, somewhat similar to the nest of the Redstart, and quite small for the bird. It has a diameter of 2f inches, and is 1^ inches in depth. Its cavity is 2 inches wide at the rim, and 1 inch in depth. The nest chiefly consists of a strong rim firmly woven of strips of fine bark, stems of grasses, and fine pine needles, bound round with flaxen fibres of plants and wool. Around the base a few bits of hornets' nests, mosses, and lichens are loosely fastened. The nest within is furnished with fine stems and needles, and the flooring is very thin and slight. The egg is somewhat similar in its general appearance to that of D. festiva, but is smaller and with a ground- color of a different shade of greenish white. It is oblong-oval in shape, and measures .70 of an inch in length by .50 in breadth. It is thinly marked over the greater portion of its surface with minute dottings of reddish brown. A ring of confluent blotches of purple and reddish brown surrounds the larger end." In the extreme northern part of the State, the Cerulean Warbler is, according to Mr. Nelson, "a regular but rare migrant. May 12th to 20th, and the first of September. Prefers high woods. Very abundant in the southern half of the State. Rare summer resident here, but near Detroit, Michigan, I am informed it is one of the common species at this season." MNIOTILTID/E— THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. Dendroica pennsylvanica (Linn.) CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER. MotaciUappnnsylvanica LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 17fi6,S33. Sylvia prnnsy -vanic a WILS. Am. Orn. ii, 1810,99, pi. 14,fig. 5. Dendroica ' pennsylvanica ~BAIRT>,~B. N.Am. 1858,279; Cat. N. Am. B. lS59,No.200;Review, 18C5.191.-B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874,245. pi. 13, figs. 7,8. Dendrceca pennsylvanica SCL. & SALV.— COUES, Key. 1872, 101; Check List, ls73. No. 83; 2d ed. 1882, No. 124; B. N. W. 1874,62; B. Col. Val. l878,24i.-Bn>Gw. Norn. N. Am. ii. 1881, No. 99. Motacilla icterocephala LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766,334. Sylvia icterocephala LATH.— AUD. Orn. Biog. 1,1*32,306, pi. 59.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832,380. Sy vicola icterocephala RICH.— AUD. Synop. 1839,54; B. Am. ii, 1841,35. pi. 81. HAS. Eastern North America, breeding from northern United States northward into British America. Winters in southern Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and thence to Panama; Bahamas. "Sp. CHAK. Ma'e. Upper parts streaked with black and pale bluish gray, which be- comes nearly white on the forepart of the back ; the middle of the back glossed with greenish yellow. The crown is continuous yellow, bordered by a frontal and superciliary band, and behind by a square spot of white. Loral region black, sending off a line over the eye, and another below it. Ear-coverts and lower eyelid and entire under parts pure white ; a purplish chestnut stripe starting on each side in a line with the black mustache, and extending back to the thighs. Wing- and tail-feathers dark brown, edged wiLh bluish gray, except the secondaries and tertials, which are bordered with light yellowish green. The shoulders with two greenish white bands. Three outer tail-feathers with white patches near the end of the inner webs. "Female like the male, except that the upper parts are yellowish green, streaked with black; the black mustache scarcely appreciable. Length, 5.00; wing, 2.50; tail, 2.20. "The young in autumn is very different from either male or female in spring. The entire upper parts are of a continuous l.ght olive-green ; the under parts white ; the sides of the head, neck, and breast ash-gray, shading insensibly into and tinging the white of the chin and throat. No black streaks are visible above or on the cheeks, and the eye is surrounded by a continuous ring of white, not seen in spring. In this plumage it has frequently been considered as a distinct species. "The male in this plumage may usually be distinguished from 1he female by possessing a trace, or a distinct stripe, of chestnut on the flanks, the young female at least lacking it." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Perhaps the prettiest of our Warblers, this elegant little bird is usually, especially during the fall migration, one of the most abund- ant. It breeds in the northern portion of the State, but how far southward is not known. In June, 1871, the writer saw a pair in the scrubby woods bordering Fox Prairie, in Eichland county, at a time when all the summer residents were nesting; but they may —10 146 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. * have been merely belated migrants. Mr. T. H. Douglas, of Y\7auke- gan, writes me that he saw a pair of Chestnut- sided Warblers at that place on the 31st of July, and that "as the male had a worm, in his mouth they evidently had young." This species has a very pretty song, resembling somewhat that of the summer Yellowbird (D. (estiva), but "less of a whistle and somewhat louder." The nest is built in bushes, along the edge of a thicket or low woods, and resembles in its materials that of other species of the genus, while the eggs also are lacking in distinctive characteristics. Dendroica castanea (Wils.) BAY-BREASTED WARBLER. Popular synonym. Autumnal Warbler. Sylvia castanea WILS. Am. Orn. ii, 1810, 97, pi. 14,flg. 4.— NUTT. Man. i,lS:C,382.— Aur>. Orn. Biog. i,1832,358, pi. 69. Sylvicola castanea RICH.— AUD. Synop. 1839,53; B. Am. ii, 1841, 34, pi. 80. Dendroica castanea BAIRD.B. N. Am. 1858, 276; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 197; Review, 18(io.l*9.— B. B. £ R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 25l.pl. 13, figs. 4,5. Dendrceca castanea LAWK.— COUES, Key, 1872,101; Check List, 1873, No. 82; 2d ed. 1882, No. 123; B. N. WT. 1874, 61; B. Col. Val. 1878,243.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 100. Sylvia autumnalis WILS. Am. Orn. iii, 1811,65, pi. 23,flg. 3.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 390.— AUD. Orn. Biog. 1,1832,449, pi. 88. HAB. Eastern North America, north to Hudson's Bay, west to edge of Great Plains; breeding from northern New England northward. Winters in Central America and northern South America (Colombia). "SP. CHAE. Male. Crown dark reddish chestnut; forehead and cheeks, including a space above the eye, black; a patch of buff- yellow behind the cheeks. Rest of upper parts bluish gray streaked with black, the edges of the interscapulars tinged with yel- lowish, of the scapulars with olivaceous. Primaries and tail-feathers edged externally with bluish gray, the extreme outer ones with white; the secondaries edged with oliva- ceous. Two bands on the wing and the edges of the- tertials white. The iincler parts are whitish with a tinge of buff; the chin, throat, forepart of breast, and the sides, chestnut- brown, lighter than the crown. Two outer tail-feathers with a patch of white on the inner web near the end; the others edged internally with the same. Female with the upper parts olive, streaked throughout with black, and an occasional tinge of chestnut on the crown. Lower parts with traces of chestnut, but no stripes. Length of male,5.00; wing, 3.0.5; tail, 2.40. "The females and immature males of this species differ much from the spring males, and are often confounded with other species, especially with D. striata. A careful comparison of an extensive series of immature specimens of the two species shows that in castanea the under parts are seldom washed uniformly on the throat and breast with yellowish green, but while this may be seen on the sides of the neck and breast, or even across the latter, the chin and throat are MNIOTILTID/E — THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 147 nearly white, the sides tinged with dirty brown, even if the (gener- ally present) trace of chestnut be wanting on the sides. There is a buff tinge to the under tail-coverts ; the quills are abruptly margined with white, and there are no traces (however obsolete) of streaks on the breast. In D. striata the under parts are quite uniformly washed with greenish yellow nearly as far back as the vent, the sides of the breast and sometimes of the belly with obsolete streaks; no trace of the uniform dirty reddish brown on the sides ; the under tail- coverts are pare white. The quills are only gradually paler towards the inner edge, instead of being rather abruptly white." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Comparatively little is known of the habits of this species. It passes by in spring and fall, being sometimes abundant at both sea- sons, but does not tarry long. It breeds in the dense coniferous forests of the north, from the shores of Lake Superior to northern Maine. In general habits, at all times, it closely resembles other species of the genus. In Oxford county, Maine, says Mr. Maynard*, "these birds are found in all the wooded sections of this region, where they frequent the tops of tall trees. The first part of the song is like that of the Black-poll Warbler, but it has a terminal warble similar to that of the Redstart, to which it bears a striking resemblance, with the ex- ception that it is given with less energy. This species seems to be confined during the building season to the region just north of the White Mountains range." Dendroica striata (Forst.) BLACK-POLL WARBLER Muscicapa striata FOKST. Philos. Trans. Ivii, 1772. 406, 428. Sylvia striata LATH.— WILS. Am. Orn. iv,1811, 40,pl. 30, flg. 3; vl, 1812, ini.pl. 54,flg. 2.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832,383.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 201, pi. 133. Syhni ola striata Sw. & KICH. F. B. A. ii, 1831,218.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 53; B. Am. ii,1841, 28, pi. 78. DenUrnica striatn BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858,280; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 202: Eeview,18G5, 192.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i. 1874, 248, pi. 13, fig. 9. Dendrceca striata BLAKIST. Ibis, 1803,62.— COUES, Key 1872,100; Check List, 1873, No. 81; 2d ed. 1882, No. 122; B. N. W. 1874, 60; B. Col. Val. 1878, 288.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 101. HAS. In summer, northern North America, breeding from northern New England and coast of Labrador to the coast of Alaska (as far south as Fort Kenai) and shores of the Arctic Ocean; migrating through eastern United States; wintering in Cuba (rare) and parls of South America (Colombia and Chili?). * Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist, ilv, Oct. 18, 1871, pp. 10,11. 148 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. "Sp. CHAK. Male,. Crown, nape, and upper half of the head black; the lower half, including the ear-coverts, white, the separating line passing through the middle of the eye. Best of upper parts grayish ash, tinged with brown, and conspicuously streaked with black. Wing and tail-feathers brown, edged externally (except the inner tail- feathers) with dull olive-green. Two conspicuous bars of white on the wing-coverts, the tertials edged with the same. Under parts white, with a narrow line on each side of the throat from the chin to the sides of the neck, where it runs into a close patch of black streaks continuing along the breast and sides to the root of the tail. Outer two tail- feathers with an oblique patch on the inner web near the end; the others edged inter- nally white. Female similar, except that the upper parts are olivaceous, and, even on the crown, streaked with black; the white on the sides and across the breast tinged with yellowish; a ring of the same round the eye cut by a dusky line through it. Length of male, 5.75; wing, 3.00; tail, 2.25." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The autumnal dress is very different from that of spring. The upper parts are light olive-green, indistinctly streaked with dusky; beneath greenish yellow, obsoletely streaked on the breast and sides; the under tail-coverts, only, pure white, a yellowish ring round the eye, and a superciliary one of the same color. In this dress it is very easily confounded with the autumnal D. castanea. The differences, as far as tangible, will be found detailed under the head of the latter species. "The young bird in its first dress is also quite different, again, from the autumnal-plumaged birds. The upper parts are hoary- grayish, the lower white ; each feather of the whole body, except lower tail-coverts, with a terminal bar or transverse spot of black- ish, those on the upper parts approaching the base of the feathers along the shaft. Wings and tail much as in the autumnal plu- mage." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Except the Yellow- crowned Warbler, (D. coronata) and the Summer Yellowbird (D. (estiva), the Black-poll Warbler goes further north than any other species of the genus, its breeding range extending from the desolate plains of northern Labrador to the shores of the Arctic Ocean and coast of Norton Sound. It is usually an abundant species in the Atlantic States during its migrations, and in spring is the latest of the migrants. Dendroica blackburnise (Grnel.) BLACKBURNIAN WAKBLER Popular synonyms. Orange-throated Warbler; Hemlock Warbler. Motacilla blackburnice GMEL. S. N. i, 1788, 977. Sylvia blackburniee LATH— WILS. Am. Orn. iii, 1811, 64, pi. 23, fig. 3.— NUTT, Man. il, 1831,379.— A UD. Orn. Biog. ii, lf-34, 208; v, 1839, 73.pl. 135,399. Sylvicola bJackbitrnice JARD.— AUD. Synop. 1S39, 37; B. Am. ii. 1841, 48, pi. 87. MNIOTILTIDJE — THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 149 Deiidroicahlackburnice'B&iKD B. N. Am. 1858, 274; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 196; Re- view, 1865, 159.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i. 1874, 237. pi. 13, figs, 2, 3. Dend'-oecab ackbumke Set,.— COUES, Key, 1872, 100; Cheek List, 1873, No. 80; 2d ed. 1882, No. 121 ("l>laekburn(R")\ B. N. W. 1874,59; B. Col. Val. 1878.284.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 102. Sylvia parus WTLS. Am. Orn. v,1812, 114, pi. 44, fig. 3.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 392.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 205, pi. 134. Sylvicola parus BONAP.— AUD. Synop. 1839,55; B. Am. ii,1841. 40, pi. 83. HAS. Eastern North America, breeding from northern United States northward to British Provinces; straggling westward to Utah and New Mexico. Winters in eastern Mexico and south to Colombia and Ecuador; Bahamas; Greenland? "Sp. CHAK. Upper parts nearly uniform black, with a whitish scapular stripe and a large white patch in the middle of the wi g-coverts. An oblong patch in the middle of the crown, and the entire side of the head and neck (including a superciliary stripe from the nostrils), the chin, throat, and forepart of the breast, bright orange-red. A black stripe from the commissure passing around the lower half of the eye, and including the ear-coverts; with, however, an orange crescent in it, just below the eye, the extreme lid being black. Rest of under parts white, strongly tinged with yellowish orange on the breast and belly, and streaked with black on the sides. Outer three tail-feathers white, the shafts and tips dark brown; the fourth and fifth spotted much with white; the other tail-feathers and quills almost black. Female similar; the colors duller; the feathers of the upper parts with olivaceous edges. Length, 5.50; wing, 2.83; tail, 2.25. "Autumnal males resemble the females. They have two white bands instead of one; the black stripes on the sides are larger; under parts yellowish; the throat yellowish, passing into purer yellow behind. "Autumnal young birds have the same pattern of coloration, but the dark portions are dull grayish umber, with the streaks very obsolete, and the light parts dull huffy-white, tinged with yellow on the jugulum; there is neither clear black, bright yellow, nor pure white on the plumage, except the latter on the wing-bands and tail- patches." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Few of our birds are more beautiful than the full-plumaged male of this lovely bird, whose glowing orange throat renders it a con- spicuous object among the budding and blossoming branches. The species is migratory in Illinois, passing through in spring and fall, its summer home being chiefly, if not wholly, to the northward of our State, while it passes the winter in Central America and north- ern South America. The Blackburnian Warbler breeds in the northern portion of New York, and in portions of Massachusetts, and thence northward to the British Provinces, frequenting the coniferous forests, and building its nest in bushes or small trees a few feet above the ground. 150 BIBDS OF ILLINOIS. Dendroica dominica albilora Baird. SYCAMORE WAKBLEE. Popular synonyms. "White-cheeked "Warbler; White-browed Yellow-throated Warbler. Drnd' oica or Dwlroeca dominica. "I Dendroica or Dend?-cecasuperciliosa. I AH quotations for localities west of the Allegha- c, , . .,. I nies and in middle America. Sylvia or SylvicolapensiH*. Dendroica dominica var. aZ&?7oraBAiBD,RiDGW. Am. Nat. vii, 1873, 606.— COUES, Check List, 1873. No. 88a.— B. B. & K. Hist. N. Am. B. 1, 1874, 241, pi. 14, fig. 7. Dendrceca dominica alhilora BIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 103a. HAB. Mississippi Valley in summer, north to the Great Lakes, east to West Virginia, and west to eastern Kansas; winters in Mexico (both coasts), Guatemala and Honduras. SP. CHAR. Adult (sexes alike}. Above ash-gray, without streaks, the forehead or sides of crown, or both, black. Wings blackish, the middle and cheater coverts broadly tipped with white and edged with ash-gray; remiges edged with ash-gray. Tail dusky, the feathers edged with ash-gray, the inner webs of three outer rectrices with a large white patch covering the terminal portion— on the lateral feathers occupying nearly half of the web. A white superciliary stripe, sometimes tinged with yellow anteriorly; a crescentic spot beneath eye, and large space on side of neck immediately behind aurieu- lars.also white. Lores and auriculars deep black, this continued down each side of tha throat, but on sides of breast broken into stripes which extend along sides to the flanks. Chin, throat, and jugulum bright gamboge-yellow, the first white anteriorly. Best of lower parts except as described, white. Bill deep black; iris brown; legs and feet brownish. Wing about 2.50-2.65; tail, 2.00-2.25; exposed culmen, .45-.4S; tarsus, .65-.70. The plumage of the adult in fall and early winter differs from the spring livery, as described above, only in having the ash-gray, and also the white of the abdomen, slightly tinged with brownish. The young in first autumn are essentially similar to autumnal adults, but have the brownish wash or discoloration more distinct, and the markings consequently less sharply denned. The Sycamore Warbler is a common summer resident in tlie bottom-lands, where, according to the writer's experience, it lives chiefly in the large sycamore trees along or near water courses. On this account it is a difficult bird to obtain during the breeding season, the male usually keeping in the topmost branches of the tallest trees, out of gunshot, and often, practically, out of sight, although his presence is betrayed by his loud, very unwarbler-like song. The song of this species is so much like that of the Indigo Bird that it requires a practiced ear to distinguish them ; the tone is remarkably similar, but there is a difference in the modulation which after one becomes thoroughly acquainted with it renders it distinguishable. In its motions, this warbler partakes much of the character of a creeper, often ascending or descending trunks of trees or following their branches, much in the manner of a Mniotilta. MNIOTILTID^E — THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 151 The first specimen which the writer ever saw was creeping about the eaves and cornices of a frame dwelling house in the center of the town of Mt. Carmel. Very often, however, it could not be dis- tinguished from other warblers, so far as its actions were concerned. Mr. Nelson (page 35 of his list) makes the following record of his experience with this species at Mt. Carmel: "First noted August 30, when they were found to be abundant in a group of elm trees on the river bank near town. During the succeeding three days they were plentiful, and thirty-six specimens were taken and many more seen. After September 2 not a speci- men was to be found, though diligent search was made. While here they showed great preference for the elm trees before men- tioned, none being found elsewhere. They uttered the faint "cheep" common to most warblers, and one was heard delivering a low song from the top of a tall elm. The notes were so low that even when standing under the same tree the song could only be distin- guished by careful listening." The distribution of this species is not yet well made out ; it prob- ably occurs, however, in all parts of the State where there are suitable localities; i. e., densely timbered creek or river bottoms, where large sycamore trees are abundant. Dr. E. M. W. Gibbs informs me (in letter) that he took a specimen at Kalamazoo, Mich-gan, (lat. 40° -25) on May 5, 1877, and another in the fall; and, though probably erroneously, that it probably goes farther north to breed. Mr. Nelson records it as being in Cook county a very rare summer visitant from the south. Prof. D. S. Jordan, of Indianap- olis, Indiana, writes that this species is a common summer resi- dent in that vicinity, and that he has trustworthy information of its rather common occurrence, in summer, in the vicinity of Detroit, Michigan. Dendroica virens (Gmel.) BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLEB. Motacilla virens GMEL. S. N. i, 1788, 985. Sylvia virens LATH.— WILS. Am. Orn. iv, 1810,127, pi. 17, Rg. 3.— NUTT. Man. 1, 1832, 376. —AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, 70, pi. 399. Syvicola virens RICH.— AUD. Synop. 1839,55; B. Arn. ii,1841, 42, pi. 84. Dendroica virens BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858, 267; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 189; Review, 1865, 1S2.— B. B. & It. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 201, pi. 12, fig. 4. Dendrccca virens SOL.— CouES,Key,1872,97; Check List, 1873, No. 71; 2d ed. 1882, No. 112; B. N. W. 1874,54; B, Col. Yal. lS78,240.-RiDGW. Noui. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 107. 152 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. HAB. Eastern United States and Canada, breeding from higher mountains of Middle States and New England northward; straggling occasionally to Greenland or even to Eur pe (Heligoland) ; winters in Cuba and Middle America, south to Panama. "Sp. CHAB. Male. Upper'parts, exclusive of wing and tail, clear yellow olive-green, the feathers of the back with hidden streaks of black. Forehead and sides of head and neck, including a superciliary stripe, bright yellow. A dusky olive line from the bill, through the eye, and another below it. Chin, throat, and forepart of the breast, extend- ing some distance along on the sides, continuous black; rest of under parts white, tinged with yellow on the breast and flanks. Wings and tail feathers dark brown, edged with bluish gray; two white bands on the wing; the greater part of the three outer tail- feathers white. Female similar, but duller; the throat yellow; the black of breast muck concealed by white edges; the sides streaked with black. Length. 5 inches; wing, 2.58; tail. 2.oO. "The autumnal male has the black of throat and breast obscured by whitish tips. Females are yellowish white beneath, tinged with grayish towards the tail." (Hist N. Am. B.) • "First plumage. Male. Remigesand rectrices as in adult; greater and median wing- coverts just tipped with soiled white, forming two very narrow, indistinct wing-bands. Rest of upper parts dark slaty-brown, each feather of the back edged with bright green- ish. Superciliary stripes (just meeting in a narrow line on the forehead), eyelids, maxil- lary line, and chin, bright yellow. Sides of head dark slate; under parts soiled white, each feather on the breast and sides with a terminal spot of black; on the throat and juguhnn, these spots become large blotches of dark slate, the feathers being just tipped r.nd edged with light yellow. (From a specimen in my collection shot at Cambridge, Mass, July 30,1875.) Like most of the previously described young Warblers, this bird has a narrow central line of yellow feathers extending down the throat and juguluin to the breast." (BEEWSTEE, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, Apr. 1878,57.) Little need be said of this bird further than that it is one of the army of migrants passing hurriedly through in spring to its breed- ing grounds in the northern coniferous forests and in fall on the way to its tropical winter home. It is a beautiful bird, one of the most elegant of its family, and is at times extremely abundant. Dendroica vigors!! (Aud.) PINE WAKBLEE. Popular synonym. Pine Creeping Warbler. Sylvia pinus WILS. Am. Orn. iii, 1811, 25. pi. 19, fig. 4.— NUTT. Man. 1,1832.387.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 232, pi. 111. Sylvicola pinus JAED.— AUD. Synop. 1839,54; B. Am. ii, 1841, 37, pi. 82. Dendroica p nus BAIBD, B. N. Am. 1858,277: Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 198; Review. 1865, 190.— B. B. £ R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 268, pi. 13, fig. 6. Dendraica pinus MC!LWRAITH, Proc. Essex. Inst. v, 1866, 86.— COUES, Key, 1872, 104; Check Lisl,lVT3,No. 91; 2d ed. 1882,No. 134; B. N. W. 1874. 69; B. Col. Val. 1878. 251.— RiDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 111. Sylvia viyorsii AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1832, 153, pi. 30. Vireo vigorsii NUTT. Man. i, 183^,318. Dendroica vigorsii STEJN. Auk. ii, Oct. 1885,343. BINIOTILTID.E — THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 153 HAB. Eastern United States, Canada and New Brunswick; west to Kansas and Minne- sota, south only to Gulf States and Bahamas; breeds nearly throughout its range, and winters chiefly south of 40°. "Sp. CHAR, ^nrim./ male. Upper parts nearly uniform and clear olive-green, the feath- ers of the crown with rather darker shafts. Under parts generally, except in the middle <>f the belly behind, and under tail-coverts (which are white), bright gamboge yellow, with obsolete streaks of dusky on the sides of the breast and body. Sides of head and neck olive-green like the back, with a broad superciliary stripe; the eyelids and a spot beneath the eye very obscurely yellow; wings and tail brown; the feathers edged with dirty white, and two bands of the same across the coverts. Inner web of the first tail-feather with nearly the terminal half, of the second with nearly the terminal third, dull incon- spicuous white. Length, 5.50; wing, 3.00; tail, 2.40. (1,356.) "Spring >emale. Similar, but more grayish above, and almost grayish white, with a tinge of yellow beneath, instead of bright yellow. Young. Umber-brown above, and dingy pale ashy beneath, with a slight yellowish tinge on the abdomen. Wing and tail much as in the autumnal adult. "Autumnal males are much like spring individuals, but the yellow beneath is softer and somewhat richer, and the olive above over- laid with a reddish umber tint." (Hist, N. Am. B.) So far as the western portion of its habitat is concerned, the name of Pine Creeping Warbler, as applied to this species is de- cidedly a misnomer; for in the Mississippi Valley, where its breed- ing range is probably pretty general, conifers of any species are comparatively rare and exceedingly local. It has been found feeding- its young in the heavy timber of the Wabash bottomlands, near Mount Carmel, but the writer has not been able to discover its nest. It is apparently not uncommon there, though not so often observed as birds of more conspicuous plumage or louder song. In the East its nest is said to be "placed at a considerable height, sometimes fifty feet or more from the ground, and is usually fast- ened to the twigs of a small branch."* The song of the Pine Creeping Warbler is a low trill, somewhat like that of the Chipping Sparrow or Worm-eating Warbler. Although when in the trees the movements of this species recall those of a Mniotilta, or, rather, the D. dominica, when on the ground it progresses by a graceful gliding walk, much after the manner of the Red-poll Warbler (D. palm arum). * Hist. N. Am. B. i.pp. 209,270. 154 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Dendroica palmarum (Gmel.) PALM WAKBLEK. Popular synonyms. Wagtail Warbler: Titlark Warbler; Tip-up Warbler; Red-poll Warbler. Motacilla palmarum GMEL. S. N. i, 1788, 951. Sylvia palmarum LATH, et AUCT. Sylvicola palmarum RICH, et AUCT. Dendroica palmarum (part) BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858,288; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 208; Review, 1865,207.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 273, pi. 14,flg. 8. Dendrosca palmarum SCL.— COUES, Key, 1872, 104 (part); Check List, 1873, No. 90 (part); 2ded. 1882, No. 132: B. N. W. 174, 67 (part) ; B. Col. Val. 1879, 284 (excl. syn. part).— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 113. Sylvicola petechia Sw. & RICH, F. B. A. ii. 1831, 215. pi. 41.— AUD. Synop. 1839,58; B. Am. ii, 1841, 55, pi. 90. HAS. Interior of eastern North America, north to Forts Simpson and Resolution, east to western base of the Alleghanies, west to the lower Missouri and eastern Texas ; breeds chiefly north of the United States ; winters in the Gulf States and Lower Mississippi Val- ley, and also in the Greater Antilles. Occasional in Atlantic States, where, however, as well as northward to Labrador, chiefly replaced by the much brighter colored form, hypochrysea.* SP. CHAK. Adult male in spring (No. 83,024, U.S. Nat. Mus. Mount Carmel, Illinois, April 22,1869.) Beneath yellowish white, tinged with yellow, the throat and crissum deepening into gamboge; sides of the neck, sides, and entire breast, streaked with umber-brown, tinged with rusty, the shafts of the feathers darker; a distinct superciliary stripe of clear yellow. Pileum uniform rich chestnut, darker next the bill, where divided medially by a short and indistinct streak of yellow. Upper parts in general olive- gray, deepening into yellowish olive-green on the upper tail-coverts. Tail-feathers dusky, edged externally with pale olive- yellowish, the two outer pairs with their inner webs broadly tipped with white. Wings dusky, the remiges edged like the tail-feathers, with yellowish olive-green; both rows of coverts tipped with pale grayish buff, forming rather distinct indications of two bands. Wing, 2.55; tail, 2.30; bill, from nostril, .30; tarsus, .80. Most other males in the series before me are rather duller than the one described. A specimen from Carlisle, Penn. (No. 152, U. S. Nat. Mus., April 26, 1845, S. F. Baird, — presumably a male), differs merely in the more indistinct character of the streaks along the sides, those of the breast being almost obsolete. One of the brightest males in the entire series is a specimen in Mr. Nelson's collection (No. 2,072, Waukegan, 111., April 12, 1876). This, however, is scarcely different from the one described, the only obvious difference being the some- what brighter yellow on the breast, and the greater amount of chest- nut in the streaks of the side of the breast. The palest male is also a Waukegan specimen (No. 2,073, mus. E. W. Nelson, April 28, 1876), which has the posterior half of4he superciliary stripe white and the whole breast whitish, the pure yellow being thus restricted to the throat and crissum. *Dendri£ca palmarum hypochrysea RIDGW. Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, i.Nov. 1876, p. 85. MNIOTILTIDJE — THE AMERICAN WARBLERS 155 Adult fpmale in spring (No. 83,027, U. S. Nat. Mus.. Mount Carmel. 111., spring; S. Turner). Similar to the male, as described above, but pileum mixed chestnut and dark umber-brown, distinctly streaked with dusky. Wiug,2.35; tail, 2.05; bill.from nostril, .28; tarsus, .71. A female from Calumet, 111. (No. 83,029, U. S. Nat. Mus., May 12, 1875 ; E. W. Nelson), is considerably paler and duller, the lower parts being whitish tinged with yellow on the throat and jugulum, only the crissurn continuous yellow ; even the superciliary stripe is white from the eye backward. The pileum is grayish olive, like the back, tinged in one or two places with chestnut, and very indistinctly streaked. The streaks on the sides are almost obsolete, but across the jugulurn they are quite well denned. Many females, however, are quite as brightly colored as the brightest males, the variation being chiefly individual and not sexual. Adult (both sexes') in winter. Lower parts dirty whitish, the breast and sides with narrow streaks of grayish brown; throat and superciliary stripe wholly dirty v}hitish; yellow entirely confined to the crissum, except a tinge on the abdomen, and along the edge of the wing in some specimens ; crown grayish umber, with but little, if any, tinge of chestnut, and distinctly streaked with dusky. This plumage is that of all late fall and winter specimens, whether from far north or the West Indies. I have seen no specimens from the latter region in the spring plumage. During the spring migration this is one of the most abundant of the Warblers, and for a brief season may be seen along the fences, or the borders of fields, usually near or on the ground, walking in a graceful, gliding manner, like an Antlius or Seiurus, the body tilting and the tail oscillating at each step. For this reason it is sometimes, and not inappropriately called Wag-tail Warbler. The species probably does not breed anywhere within the limits of the jState, but goes far north to pass the summer. Mr. Kennicott found a nest at Fort Eesolution, in Arctic America. It was on the ground, on a hummock, at the foot of a small spruce tree in a swamp. When discovered (June 18), it contained five young. Dendroica discolor (Vieill.) PRAIRIE WARBLER, Popular synonym. Chestnut-backed Yellow Warbler. Sylvia discolor VIEILL. Ois. Am. Sept. ii, 1807, 37, pi. 98.— NUTT. Man. i,1832, 394 r'294"by error).— Aur>. Oru. Biog. i,lS31, 70, pi. 14. Sylvicola discolor JAED.— AUD. Synop. 1SS9.G2; B. Am. ii, 1841. 68, pi. 97. Dendroica discolor BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858,291); Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 210; Review, 1865,213.— B. B. & R. Hist, N. Am. B. i, 1874, 276, pi. 14. fig. 9. 156 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Dendroeca discolor A. £ E. NEWTON, Ibis, 1859, 144.— COUES, Key, 1872,103; Check List, 1873, No. 86; 2d ed. 1882, No. 127; B. N. W. 1874,03; B. Col. Val. 1878,246.— E me w. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 114. Sylvia minuta Wits. Am. Orn. iii, 1811,87, pi. 85, fig. 4. HAB. Eastern United States, north, to Massachusetts and northern Illinois, west to Kansas: breeding nearly throughout its range, in suitable localities. Winters in Florida (and other Gulf States?) and in most of the West Indies. "Sp. CHAR. Spring male. Above uniform olive-green, the interscapular region with chestnut-red centres to feathers. Under parts and sides of the head, including a broad superciliary line from the nostrils to a little behind the eye, bright yellow, brightest an- teriorly. A well-defined narrow stripe from the commissure of the mouth through the eye, and another from the same point curving gently below it, also a series of streaks on each side of the body, extending from the throat to the flanks, black. Quills and tail- feathers brown, edged with white; the terminal half of the inner web of the first and second tail-feathers white. Two yellowish bands on the wings. Female siinilar, but duller. The dorsal streaks indistinct. Length, 4.86; wing, 2.25; tail. 2.10. "First plumage of the young not seen. "Autumnal specimens have the plumage more blended, but the markings not changed. A young male in autumnal dress is wholly brownish olive-green above, the whole wing uniform; the forehead ashy, the markings about the head rather obsolete, the chestnut spots on the back and the black ones on the sides nearly concealed." (Hist.N. Am. B.} The so-called Prairie Warbler (and a less appropriate name has rarely been bestowed !), is one of the few species which appear to be more numerous eastward of the Alleghanies than to the west- ward of that range. It is abundant along the Atlantic coast, from Florida to Massachusetts, where it frequents open places, such as neglected fields and pastures, more or less grown up to bushes or young trees, its favorite haunts being localities where young cedars (Juniperus virginiana) are pretty thickly scattered about. Like all other warblers, it visits the orchards when the trees are in blossom, and it was in a blooming apple tree that the only specimen ever shot by the writer at Mount Carmel was killed. The nest of this species is thus described by Dr. Brewer, in His- tory of North American Birds (Vol. I., p. 278) : "Several nests of this Warbler have been obtained by Mr. Welch in Lynn. One was built on a wild rose, only a few feet from the ground. It is a snug, compact, and elaborately woven structure, having a height and a diameter of about two and a half inches. The cavity is two inches wide and one and a half deep. The ma- terials of which the outer parts are woven are chiefly the soft inner bark of small shrubs, mingled with dry rose-leaves, bits of vegeta- bles, wood, woody fibres, decayed stems of plants, spiders' webs, MXIOTILTIIVE — THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 157 etc. The whole is bound together like a web by cotton-like fibres of a vegetable origin. The upper rim of this nest is a marked feature, being a strongly interlaced weaving of vegetable roots and strips of bark. The lining of the nest is composed of fine vegetable fibres and a few horse-hairs. This nest, in its general mode of con- struction, resembles all that I have seen; only in others the ma- terials vary — in some, dead and decayed leaves, in others, remains of old cocoons, and in others, the pappus of composite plants, being more prominent than the fine strips of bark. The nests are usually within four feet of the ground. The eggs vary from three to five, and even six." GENUS SEIURUS SWAINSON. Seiurus SWAINSON, Zool. Jour, iii, 1827,171. Type, Motacilla aurocapiUa LINN. "GKN. CHAK. Bill rather compressed, with a distinct notch. Gonys ascending. Kictal bristles very short. Wings moderate (about three quarters of an inch longer than the tail) ; first quill scarcely shorter than the second. Tail slightly rounded, feathers acumi- nate. Tarsi about as long as the skull, considerably exceeding the middle toe. Under tail-coverts reaching within about half an inch of the end of the tail. Color above oliva- ceous ; beneath whitish, thickly streaked on the breast and sides ; wings and tail immacu- late. Nests on the ground, often arched or sheltered by position or dry leaves. Eggs white, marked with red, brown, and purple." "This genus is decidedly sylvicoline in general appearance, although the spots on the breast resemble somewhat those of the Thrushes." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Key to the Species. A- Crown orange-rufous centrally, bordered on each side byablaelush stripe; no white superciliary str pe. 1. S. aurocapillus. Above brownish olive-green. Young: Above fulvous brown, with indistinct dusky shaft-streaks on the back; wing-coverts tipped with light ful- vous, lower parts light fulvous, with dusky shaft-streaks, except on abdomen and crissum. B- Crown uniform with the back, and bordered on each side by a distinct white super- ciliary stripe. 2. S. motacilla. Throat and crissum immaculate, or else the former only minutely speckled; lower parts creamy white, the flanks and crissum deeper buff; super- ciliary stripe white. Wing, 3.20-3.25; tail, 2.20-2.35 ; bill from nostril, .40-45. 3. S. noveboracensis. Throat always more or less speckled, and crissum with dis- tinct, though mostly concealed, streaks; lower parts pale sulphur-yellow, or yel- lowish white, not deeper on flanks or crissum; superciliary stripe light fulvous. (X. noveboracensis. Wing,3.-3.10; tail, 2.25-2.40; bill from nostril, .35-.3S. /?. notabilis. Wing.3 (15-3.25; tail, 2.25-2.50; bill from nostril, .40-.50. 158 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Seiurus aurocapillus (Linn.) OVEN BIED. Popular synonyms. Golden-crowned Thrush; Wood Wagtail; Land Kick-up (Jamaica); Golden-crowned Accentor. Motacilla aurocapilla LINN. S. N. ed. 12,1,1766,334. Turdus aurocapillus LATH.— WILS. Am. Orn. iii,1810,88,pl. 14,flg. 2.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 355; 2d ed. 1,1840,404.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 253; v, 1839, 447, pi. 143. Seiurus aurocapillus SWAINS.— Sw. & RICH. F. B. A. ii, 1831, 227.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 93: B. Am. iii, 1841,35,pl. 148.— BATED, B. N. Am. 1858,200; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 186; Re- vie w, 1865, 214, 266.— COUES, Key, 1872, 105; Check List, 1873, No. 92; B. N. W. 1874, 70.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. 1,1874,280, pi. 14, tig. 11. Siurus aurocapillus MOORE.— COUES, B. Col. Val. 1878,298; 2d Check List, 1882. No. 135.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 115. HAB. Eastern North America, north to Hudson's Bay Terr, and Alaska, west to Rocky Mountains, breeding nearly throughout its range. In winter, Florida, Bermudas, all of West Indies, Mexico (both coasts), and Central America, south at least to Costa Rica. "Sp. CHAR. Above uniform olive-green, with a tinge of yellow. Crown with two nar- row streaks of black from the bill enclosing a median and much broader one of brownish orange. Beneath white; the breast, sides of the body, and maxillary line, streaked with black. The female and young of the year are not appreciably different. Length, 6.00; wing, 3.00; tail, 2.40." (Hist. N. Am. B.) First plumage. Remiges, rectrices, etc., as in the adult. Rest of upper parts dull fulvous-brown; the crown without stripes; all the feathers very indistinctly darker centrally; lower parts paler, more buffy, fulvous, growing gradually white toward the crissum, the buffy portions (breast and sides), with very fine indistinct streaks of dusky. (From a specimen obtained near Washington, D. C.) The golden-crowned Thrush or Oven Bird is one of the most generally distributed and numerous birds of Eastern North Amer- ica. It is almost certain to be found in any piece of wood- land, if not too wet, and its frequently repeated song, which is not musical or otherwise particularly attractive, but very sharp, clear, and emphatic, is often, particularly during noonday in midsum- mer, the only bird-note to be heard. It lives much upon the ground, where it may be seen walking gracefully over the dead leaves or upon an old log, making occasional halts during which its body is tilted daintily up and down, much in the manner of the Water- thrushes (S. motacilla and novcboracensis), but more like the Ken- tucky Warbler, often to be seen in the same localities. Its ordi- nary note is a rather faint but sharp chip, prolonged into a chatter when one is chased by another. The usual song is very clear and penetrating, but not musical, and is well expressed by John Bur- roughs, in "Wake Bobin," as sounding like the words "teacher, teacher, TEACHER, TEACHEK, TEACHER!— the accent on the first syllable, and each word uttered with increased force and shrillness." But, as Mr. Burroughs truly says, "he has a far rarer song which MNIOTiLTID.E— THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 1.59 he reserves for some nymph whom he meets in the air. Mounting by easy flights to the top of the tallest tree, he launches into the air with a sort of suspended, hovering flight, and bursts into a per- fect ecstacy of song — clear, ringing, copious, rivalling the Goldfinch's in vivacity, and the Linnet's in melody. This strain is one of the rarest bits of bird-melody to be heard. Over the woods, hid from view, the ecstatic singer warbles his finest strain. In the song you instantly detect his relationship to the Water Wagtail (Seiurus nove- boracensis) — erroneously called Water Thrush — whose song is like- wise a sudden burst, full and ringing, and with a tone of youthful joyousness in it, as if the bird had just had some unexpected good fortune. For nearly two years this strain of the pretty warbler was little more than a disembodied voice to me, and I was puzzled by it as Thoreau was by his mysterious Night- Warbler, which, by the way, I suspect was no new bird at all, but one he was otherwise familiar with. The little bird himself seems disposed to keep the matter a secret, and improves every opportunity to repeat before you his shrill, accelerating lay, as if this were quite enough, and all he laid claim to. Still, I trust I am betraying no confidence in making the matter public here. I think this is preeminently his love-song, as I hear it oftenest about the mating season. I have caught half -suppressed bursts of it from two males chasing each other with fearful speed through the forest." According to Dr. Brewer (Hist. N. Am. B. Vol. L, p. 282), "the oven bird always nests on the ground, and generally constructs nests with arched or domed roofs, with an entrance on one side, like the mouth of an oven, and hence its common name. This arched covering is not, however, universal. For a site this species visually selects the wooded slope of a hill, and the nests are usually sunk in the ground. When placed under the shelter of a projecting root, or in a thick clump of bushes, the nest has no other cover than a few loose leaves resting on, but forming no part of it. "A nest from Racine, Wis., obtained by Dr. Hoy, is a fine typi- cal specimen of the domed nests of this species. The roof is very perfect, and the whole presents the appearance of two shallow nests united at the rim, and leaving only a small opening at one side. This nest was five inches in diameter from front to back, six inches from side to side, and four inches high. The opening was two and a quarter inches wide, one and three quarters high. The cavity was two inches deep below the brim. At the entrance the roof re- cedes about an inch, obviously to allow of a freer entrance and exit 160 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. from the nest. Externally this nest is made of wood-mosses, lichens, and dry leaves, with a few stems and broken fragments of plants. The entrance is strongly built of stout twigs, and its upper portion is composed of a strong framework of fine twigs, roots, stems, mosses, dry plants, etc., all firmly interwoven and lined with finer materials of the same." Seiurus motacilla (Vieill.) LOUISIANA WATER -THRUSH. Popular synonyms. Large-billed Water- thrush; Water Wagtail; WagtaiL Turdus motacilla VIEILL. Ois. Am. Sept. ii, 1807,9, pi. 65. Slums motacilla Couzs.Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, ii, 1877,33; B. Col. Val. 1878,299; 2d Check List, 1882, No. 138.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 117. Turdus ludoviciamts AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1832,99, pi. 19. Seiurus ludovicianus BONAP.— BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858, 262: ed. 1860, pi. 80,flg. 2; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 188; Review, 1865, 217.— COUES, Key, 1872, 106; Check List, 1873, Xo. 94; B. N. W. 1874.72.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. 1,1874,287, pi. 14,flg. 13. HAB. Eastern United States, north to Michigan and (rarely) Massachusetts, -west to Kansas, Indian Territory and Texas; breeding north to Connecticut and lower Hudson River Valley, southern Michigan, etc., but chiefly west of the Alleghanies. Winters in eastern Mexico. Guatemala, and south to Veragua, also in Cuba and Jamaica. "Sp. CHAK. Bill longer than the skull. Upper parts olive-brown with a shade of green- ish. A conspicuous white superciliary line from the bill to the nape, involving the upper lid, with a brown one from the bill through the eye, widening behind. Under parts white, with a very faint shade of pale buff behind, especially on the tail-covers. A dusky max- illary line; the forepart of breast and sides of body with arrow-shaped streaks of the same color. Chin, throat, belly, and under tail-coverts, usually immaculate. Length, 6.33, wing, 3.25; tail, 2.40; bill, from rictus, .75. Sexes similar. Young not seen. "Autumnal specimens have a more or less strong wash of ochra- ceous over the flanks and crissum, and the brown above rather darker and less grayish than in spring birds. "This species is very similar to S. noveboracensis, although readily distinguishable by the characters given in the diagnoses." (Hist. N, Am. B.) The Large- billed or Louisiana Water-thrush, is an abundant bird in all swampy wooded locations throughout the State, although much less numerous in the extreme northern than in the more southern counties. From Mount Carmel southward it occasionally remains during mild winters, and even in cold and backward springs sometimes makes its appearance long before leaves and blossoms begin to unfold. Its favorite resorts are the borders of creeks and larger streams, and the margins of swamps or ponds in the woods, and it is always to be found in those places most fre- quented by the Prothonotary Warbler, nests of the two being some- MNIOTILTID.E — THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 161 times placed within a few yards of one another. It is usually seen upon the wet ground or wading in the shallow water, its body in a horizontal position or even more elevated posteriorly, but contin- ually tilting up and down, and when moving about it progresses by a graceful gliding walk. If it fancies itself observed, it runs slyly beneath the brush- or drift-wood overhanging the shore ; and if alarmed, flies up suddenly with a sharp and startling chatter. Audubon describes the song of this species as fully equal to that of the nightingale, its notes as powerful and mellow, and at times as varied. This may be true of the ecstatic love-song, heard on rare occasions, and uttered as the singer floats in perfect abandon of joy, with spread tail and fluttering wings; but it can hardly be true of the ordinary song, which, although rich, sweet, and pene- trating, and almost startling in the first impressions it creates, is soon finished, and the pleasing effect somewhat transient. It cannot be denied, however, that its song is one of the richest to be heard in our forests. Seiurus noveboracensis (Gniel.) WATER-THRUSH. Popular synonyms. Small-billed Water-thrush; Water Wagtail: Water Kick-up; Bessy Kick-up and River Pink (Jamaica); Aquatic Accentor; New York Aquatic Thrush. Motacllla ncevia BODD. Tabl. P. E. 1783,47 (based on PL Enl. 752, tig. 1). (Not of p. 35') Siurus na>,vius COUES, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, ii,1877, 32; B. Col. Val. 1878,293; 2d Check List, 1&2, No. 136.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 116. Motacilla noveboracensis GMEL. S. N. i, 1788, 958. Turdus (Seiurus) noveboracensis NUTT. Man. i, 1832,353. Seiurus noveboracensis BONAP.— AUD. Synop. 1839,93; B. Am. iii, 1841, 37, pi. 49 (part).— BAIRD.B. Am. 1^58,261; Cat. N. Am. B. 1^59, No. 187; Review, 1SG5, 215.— COUES, Key, 1872, 106; Check List, 1873, No. 93; B. N. W. 1874, 71.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 283, pi. 14, fig. 12. Turdus aqnaticus WILS. Am. Orn. iii, 1811, 66, pi. 23, fig. 5.— AUD. Orn. Biog. v, 1839, 284, pi. 423, fig. 7. Seiurus aquaticus Sw. & RICH. F. B. A. ii, 1831,229, pi. 43. HAB. Eastern North America, chiefly east of the Mississippi, north to the Arctic coast, breeding from northern border of United States northward. Winters in more southern United States, all of middle America (both coasts), northern South America, and all of West Indies. Accidental in Greenland. "Sp. CHAE. Bill, from rictus, about the length of the skull. Above olive-brown, with a shade of green ; beneath pale sulphur-yellow, brightest on the abdomen. Region about the base of the lower mandible, and a superciliary line from the base of the bill to the nape, brownish yellow. A dusky line from the bill through the eye; chin and throat finely spotted. All the remaining under parts and sides of the body, except the abdomen and including the under tail-coverts, conspicuously and thickly streaked with oliva- ceous brown, almost black on the breast. Length, 6.15; wing,3.12; tail.2.40. Bill, from ric- tus, .64. Sexes similar. —11 162 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. "A very young bird (22,619, Fort Simpson, August 10) is very different from the adult in coloration. The upper parts are fuligi- nous black, each feather with a broad terminal bar of pale ochra- ceous, wing-coverts tipped with the same, forming two distinct bands; streaks below as in the adult, but broader and less sharply defined." (Hist N. Am. B.) The summer home of the Water-thrush is in the more northern portions of the continent, its breeding range embracing the whole of arctic and subarctic America, from the western portions of Alaska to the region about Hudson's Bay, and southward to the northern border of the United States. In Illinois the species is known as a migrant, passing slowly through in spring and fall, though in the extreme southern portion a few pass the winter, especially if the season be mild. At Mount Carmel it sometimes became common in the latter half of August, and in spring usually remained until after the Louisiana Water-thrush had begun nesting. Seiurus noveboracensis notabilis (Grinnell) GEINNELL'S WATER- THKUSH. Popular synonym. Wyoming Water- thrush. Siurus ncevius notabilis "GKINNELL, MS." BIDGW. Proe. U. S. Nat. Mus. ii, March 27, 1880,12; Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 116«.— CouES,2d Cheek List, 1882, No. 137. HAS. Eocky Mountain district east, as a more or less common straggler, to Illinois and Indiana. Occasional on Pacific coast. SP. CHAR. Similar to 9.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 293, pi. 15, fig. 3.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 119. HAB. Eastern United States, chiefly west to the Alleghanies; north to Connecticut Val- ley, southern New York, Michigan, and Wisconsin; west to Kansas, Indian Territory, Texas, etc. ; breeds throughout its United States range. Winters in Mexico and Central America, south to Panama; Cuba. "Sp. CHAK. Adultmale. Upper parts and sides dark olive-green. Crown and sides of the head, including a triangular patch from behind the eye down the side of the neck, black, the feathers of the crown narrowly lunulated at tips with dark ash. A line from nostrils over the eye and encircling it (except anteriorly), with the entire under parts, bright yellow. No white on the tail. Female similar, with less black on the head. Length, 5 inches; wing, 2.95; tail, 2.25. "The adults in autumn are exactly the same as in spring." (Hist. N. Am. B.) First plumage. Reiniges, rectrices, primary coverts, and alulze as in the adult. Pileum and back dull raw-umber brown, tinged with rusty on the back and scapulars ; throat, jugulum, breast, and sides pale grayish fulvous, the abdomen and crissum paler and slightly tinged with yellow. -A'o markings of any sort about the head. The beautiful Kentucky Warbler is one of the most abundant of birds in the rich woods of southern Illinois. As far north as Wabash, Lawrence, and Kichland counties, it is even more abundant than the Golden-crowned Thrush, though the two usually inhabit different locations, the latter preferring, as a rule, the dryer upland woods, while the present species is most abundant in the rich woods of the bottom-lands. In its manners it is almost a counterpart of the Golden- crowned Thrush, but is altogether a more conspicuous bird, both on account of its brilliant plumage and the fact that it is more active, the males being, during the breeding season, very pugnacious, and continually chasing one another about the woods. It lives altogether near the ground; making its artfully concealed nest among the low herbage and feeding in the undergrowth, the male uttering his pretty song from some old log or low "bush. His song recalls that of the Cardinal, but is much weaker; and the ordinary note is a soft pchip, somewhat like the common call of the Pewee (Sayornis pliosbe.} Considering its great abundance, the nest of this species is extraordinarily difficult to find; at least this has been the writer's experience, and he has come to the conclusion that MNIOTILTID.E — THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 167 the female must slyly leave the nest at the approach of the intruder and run beneath the herbage until a considerable distance from the nest, .when joined by her mate, the pair by their evident anxiety mislead the collector as to its location. However this may be, the writer has never found a nest of this species except by acci- dent, although he has repeatedly searched every square foot of ground within a radius of many yards of the spot where a pair showed most uneasiness at his presence. SUBGENUS Geothlypis CABANIS. Geothlypis CABANIS, Wiegmann's Archiv, 1847, i, 316,349.— ID. Schomburgk's Eeise, Guiana, 1848. "GEN. CHAK. Bill sylvicoline, rather depressed, and distinctly notched ; rictal bristles very short or wanting. Wings short, rounded, scarcely longer than the tail ; the first quill shorter than the fourth. Tail long ; much rounded or graduated. Legs stout ; tarsi elon- gated, as long as the head. Olive-green above. belly yellow. Tail-feathers immaculate. Legs yellow." (Hist. X. Am. B.) COMMON CHAEACTEBS. Above plain olive-greenish, beneath plain yellowish (except on throat and jugulum, in G. Philadelphia and its western representative, G.macgilli- vray i>. 1. G. trichas. Adult male: Forehead, lores, and auriculars black, bordered behind by light ash-gray or grayish white, (sometimes tinged with yellowish); lower parts bright yellow, the abdomen usually dull whitish. Adult female: Forehead and auriculars olive-brown, like rest of upper parts, the former usually tnged with reddish brown; no gray or whitish on head, and lower parts less distinctly yel- low. Young, first plumage: Above uniform olive-brown, beneath deep buff, or light ochraceous. 2. G. Philadelphia. Adult male: Head and neck plumbeous, with more or less of a black patch on the jugulum; eyelids blackish. Adult female: Head smoky gray, tinged with olive ; the throat pale yellowish gray ; eyelids, and an indistinct post- ocular bar dull whitish or pale dingy yellowish.* Geothlypis trichas (Linn.) A. trichas.-MAKYLA D ELLOW-THROAT. Popular synonyms. Black-masked Ground Warbler; Black-cheeked Yellow-throat; Black- spectacled Warbler; Brier Wren; Yellow Brier Wren. Turdus trichas LINN. S. N. ed. 12,i,17CP,29". Sylvia trichas LATH.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 401.— AXTD. Orn. Biog. i, 1832.120; v, 1839, 463, pl. 23. Geothlypis trichas CABAN. M. H. i, 1850, 16.— BAIBD, B. N. Am. 1858, 241; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 170; Eeview, 1865, 220.— COUES, Key, 1872, 107; Chei k List, 1873, No. 97; 2d ed. 1882, No. 141; B. N. W. 1874,74; B. Col. Val. 1878, 30P.— 3. B. & B. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 297, pl. 15, figs. 7,8.— BIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 122. *The western representative of this species. G. ma^gillierayi, is very similar, but differs in proportions, the tail being decidedly longer. The male is without a solid black patch on the jugulum, and tlif .•v.'lids arc distinctly white, in very marked contrast with (he vplvety-hlir'k lores. 168 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Sylvia marylandica WILS. Am. Orn. i, 1808. 88, pi. 6,flg. 1; ii, 1809. 163, pi. 18, fig. 4. Trichas marylandica NUTT. Man. ed. 2,1,1840.453.— A UD. Synop. 1839,65; B. Am. 11,1841. 78, pi. 102. Sylvia roscoe AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1832, 124, pi. 24. Trichas roscoe NUTT. Man. 2d ed. i, 1840,457. B. occidentalis.-WESTERN YELLOW-THROAT. Popular synonyms. (Same as for the Eastern form.) Geothlypis trie has AUCT.— (Western references.) Geothlypis trichas occidentalis BKEWST. Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, viii, July, 1883. p. 159. HAS. The true G. trichas chiefly east of the Alleghanies, or at least east of the low- land portions of the Mississippi Valley. G. trichas occidentalis from the Mississippi Valley to the Pacific Coast. SP. CHAE. Adult male. Above olive-green, becoming browner on the nape. Fore- head, lores, orbits, auriculars, and malar region deep black; this bordered posteriorly by light ash-gray or grayish white. Chin, throat, jugulurn, and breast, rich gamboge-yel- low. Abdomen, sides and flanks, dull yellowish white in true G. trichas, yellow in ncci- d'-ntalis. Adult female. Much duller in color than the male, without black, gray, or white on head, which is mostly dull brownish, the pileum or auriculars, or both, some- times tinged with reddish. Yellow of throat, etc. .much duller than in the male. Young, first plumage. Somewhat like the adult female, but still duller in color. Lower parts dull olivaceous, anteriorly, tinged with yellow on throat, the posterior portions pale dull buff. Young, in first fall. Lower parts entirely light dull buff. Wing (of male), 2. 00-2. 40; tail, 1.80-2.40. We have not formally separated the two races indicated in the above synonymy and description, for the reason that at present we are not sure of their exact limits. Occidentalis is evidently the pre- vailing form in Illinois and Indiana, much the larger number of specimens having the larger size and more extensively yellow lower parts of the western form. Still there is much variation in this latter character, and it may be that both forms occur. This merry little denizen of the briar-patches is one of the most conspicuous members of the family to which he belongs, being both abundant and familiar, and furthermore decked with such a marked plumage that he cannot fail to attract notice. The broad, velvety black spectacles contrast handsomely with the bright yellow of his throat and the whitish line above them, giving him a very wise look, as he peers at one through the briars or weed-stalks ; and his pretty song of witcliity — witcliity' — witchity', uttered from the top of a rose bush or among the brambles, is to be heard throughout the day. Its nest is usually built between upright weed-stalks or coarse grass- or sedge-stems, in the damper portions of a meadow, and is deeply cup-shaped, the opening being at the top. The eggs vary in number from four to six, and before being blown are of a delicate pinkish white, the larger end marked by a ring of specks and "pen- lines" of different shades of brown. MNIOTILTID.33 — THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 169 Geothlypis Philadelphia (Wils.) MOURNING WAEBLEB. Popular synonym. Black-throated Ground Warbler. Sylvia Philadelphia WILS. Am. Orn. ii, 1810, 101, pi. 14, fig. 6.— NUTT. Man. 1,1832,404.— AUD. Orn. Biog. v, 1839, 78. Trichas Philadelphia JAED.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 65; B. Am. ii, 1841, 76, pi. 101.— NUTT. Man. 2ded.i, 1840, 459. Geothlypis Philadelphia BAIED.B. N. Am. 1858,243; ed. 1860, pi. 79,flg. 3; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 172; Review, 1865, 226.— COUES, Key, 1872, 107; Check List, 1873, No. 98; 2d ed. 1882, No. 142; B. N. W. 1874, 75; B. Col. Val. 1878. 313.— B. B. £ R. Hist. N. Am. B. 1,1874,301, pi. 15, fig. 6.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 120. HAB. Eastern North America, breeding from northern United States (New England to Minnesota and eastern Dakota), northward; more rare In Atlantic States. Winters in southeastern Mexico and Costa Rica, and thence south to Colombia (no Guatemalan or West Indian record). Casual in Greenland. "Sp. CHAE. Wings but little longer than the tail, reaching but little beyond its base. Adult male. Head and neck all round, with throat and forepart of breast, ash-gray, paler beneath. The feathers of the chin, throat, and fore breast in reality black, but with nar- row ashy margins more or less concealing the black, except on the breast. Lores and region round the eye dusky, without any trace of a pale ring. Upper parts and sides of the body clear olive-green ; the under parts bright yellow. Tail-feathers uniform olive ; first primary, with the outer half of the outer web nearly white. Female with the gray of the crown glossed with olive ; the chin and throat paler centrally, and tinged with fulvous ; a dull whitish ring round the eye. Length, 5.50; wing, 2. 45; tail, 2.25. "Specimens vary in the amount of black on the juguhim, and the purity of the ash of the throat. The species is often confounded with Oporornis agilis, to which the resemblance is quite close. They may, however, be distinguished by the much longer and more pointed wings, and more even tail, shorter legs, etc., of agilis. The white ring round the eye in the female Philadelphia increases the difficulty of separation. "The adult male in autumn is scarcely different from the spring bird, there being merely a faint olive-tinge to the ash on top of the head, and the black jugular patch more restricted, being more con- cealed by the ashy borders to the feathers; the yellow beneath somewhat deeper." (Hist. N. Am. B.) In the Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club (Cambridge, Mass., April, 1878, p. 61) Mr. Brewster gives the following descrip- tion of the immature stages of this species, taken from examples in his unrivaled collection of eastern birds : "First plumage. Female. Remiges,rectrices,etc.,as in adult. Rest of upper parts, with wing-coverts and sides of head, dull reddish brown, becoming almost cinnamon on the back, and tinged strongly with ashy on the pileum. Entire under parts light reddish brown, most pronounced on the abdominal and anal regions, becoming lighter on the throat, and darker, with a strong olive suffusion, on the breast and sides. No appreciable 170 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. maxillary or supra-orbital stripes. (From a specimen in my collection shotat Upton.Me., August 11,1876. This bird was very young; in fact barely able to fly. A slight doubt exists in my mind as to its identity, for I did not actually see the parent birds feed it. though both were in the immediate vicinity and exhibited much solicitude. This specimen is separable from the corresponding stage of G. trichas by the ashy cast of the pileum and the absence of brownish on the sides.) "Autumnal plumage. Young male. Entire upper parts olive-green, the feathers of the pileum and nape being just tipped with this color and showing plainly the ashy underneath when disarranged. Sides of head, with broad bands extending down each side of the throat and nearly meeting across the jugulum, ash, washed with greenish olive. Sides, with a broad connected band across anal region and breast, dull olive- green. Rest of under parts, with central areas of throat and jugulum, very clear rich yellow, intensifying into a spot of orange on the breast. In two specimens (both males) a yellow tipping of the feathers on the jugulum nearly conceals much black underneath, which becomes conspicuous when the plumage is slightly disarranged. "Autumnal plumage. Toung female. Similar to the male, but with a more olive cast to the green of the dorsal aspect, less ashy on head, and the spot on the breast of richer, deeper eolor.and broader diffusion. The young of both sexes in autumnal plumage have the upper and lower eye-lids conspicuous fulvous yellow. In one specimen (male, taken August 21) the eye-lids are dirty white. (From seven specimens— two females, five males— in my collection, shot at Upton.Me., August, 1874.) Irrespective of generic chara.c- ters, the young of G. Philadelphia are at once distinguishable from those of Oporornis agilis in corresponding stages by the total absence of ashy on the central regions of the throat, jugulum, and breast. So marked is the difference that obtains in this respect, that I am easily able to separate the two species, when lying side by side, at a distance of fifteen or twenty feet." During the spring migration, I have found this bird to be very common, on one or two occasions ; and I have also obtained speci- mens in the fall. Early in May, 1881, they were abundant near Wheatland, Indiana, most of them being observed about brush-piles in a clearing and along fences in the immediate vicinity. In the early part of June, 1871, I saw a pair in a thicket along the border of Fox Prairie in Kichland county, and presumed at the time that they were breeding there, but the individuals in question may have been merely late migrants. GENUS ICTERIA VIEILLOT. Icteria VIEILLOT, 0 is. Am. Sept. 1,1807, iii, 85. Type, Muscicapa viridis GMEL. •=Turdi s«'iitf.ll;i> fused externally in part into one plate. MNIOTILTUXE — THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 171 "The precise systematic position of the genus Icterla is a matter of much contrariety of opinion among ornithologists; but we have little hesitation in including it among the Sylvicolida. It has been most frequently assigned to the Vireonida, but differs essentially in the deeply cleft inner toe (not half united as in Vireo), the partially booted tarsi, the lengthened middle toe, the slightly curved claws, the entire absence of notch or hook in the bill, and the short, rounded wing with only nine primaries. The wing of Vireo, when much rounded, has ten primaries, — nine only being met with when the wing is very long and pointed. "Of this genus only one species is known, although two races are recognized by naturalists, differing in the length of the tail." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Icteria virens (Linn.) YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT. Popular synonym. Yellow Mockingbird. Turdus virens LINN. S.N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 171. Icteria virens BATED, Keview,1865, 228.— CouES,Key,1872,108; Check List, 1873, No. 100; 2d ed. 1882, No. 144; B. N. W. 1874, 77; B. Col. Val. 1878, 320.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 307, pi. 15, fig. 12.— RIDGW. Nona. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 123. Muscirapa viridis GMEL. S. N. i, 1788, 936. Icteria viridis BONAP.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 299; 2cl ed. i, 1840, 339.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii. 1834,223; v, 1839, 433, pi. 137; B. Am. iv, 1842, 160, pi. 244.-BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858, 248; Cat, N. Am. B. 1859, No. 176. Piprapoly lotta WILS. Am. Orn. i, 1808, 90, pi. 6, fig. 1. HAB. Eastern United States, north to the Connecticut. Valley and Great Lakes ; west to the border of the Great Plains ; winters in Eastern Mexico and Guatemala. "Sp. CHAK. Third and fourth quills longest; second and fifth little shorter; first nearly equal to the sixth. Tail graduated. Upper parts uniform olive-green; under parts, including the inside of wing, gamboge-yellow as far as nearly half-way from the point of the bill to the tip of the tail; rest of under parts white, tinged with brown OH the sides; the outer side of the tibiad plumbeous; a slight, tinge of orange across the breast. Forehead and sides of the head ash, the lores and region below the eye black- ish. A white stripe from the nostrils over the eye and involving the upper eyelid; ;i patch on the lower lid, and a short stripe from the side of the lower mandible, and run- ning to a point opposite the hinder border of the eye, white. Bill black; feet brown. female like the male, but smaller; the markings indistinct; the lower mandible not pure black. Length, 7.40; wing, 3.25; tail, 3.30. Nest in thickets, near the ground. Eggs white, spotted with reddish." "Both sexes in winter apparently have the base of lower mandi- ble light-colored, the olive more brown, the sides and crissum with a strong ochraceous tinge." It is this plumage that has been recog- nized as I. velasquezi. 17'3 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. First plumage. Rerniges, rectrices, etc., as in the adult. Head superiorly and laterally, uniform grayish olive, with a barely appreciable whitish supraloral line and orbital ring, and without black markings. Whole throat pale ash-gray (almost white on the chin), stained laterally and anteriorly with yellow; entire breast gamboge -yellow, obscured with olivaceous gray across the jugulum (probably entire gray at at first, the yellow feathers being probably the beginning of the first moult). Abdomen white ; flanks and crissum pale buff. In most parts of Illinois the Yellow-breasted Chat is an abundant bird in suitable localities. These consist of the borders of thickets, briar-patches, or wherever there is a low, dense growth of bushes— the thornier and more impenetrable the better. Probably none of our birds except the Mockingbird itself possess a greater variety of notes than this loquacious species, on which account it is not unfre- quently known as the "Yellow Mockingbird." All its notes appear to be original, however, although some of them suggest very strongly those of other creatures. Thus, one of them resembles closely the barking of a pup; another, the mewing of a cat; and a third, the whistling sound produced by a duck's wings when flying, only much louder. This last is the sound most frequently heard, and may be recognized at a distance of a quarter of a mile, or more, the other notes being interludes between repetitions of the whistling song. The latter can be very perfectly imitated by a good whistler, and the bird thereby brought instantly to the spot, where he dodges in and out among the bushes, uttering constantly, if the whistling be repeated, a deep-toned, emphatic tac, or hollow, resonant meow. During the height of the breeding season the male becomes exceed- ingly animated and tuneful, ascending, by short flights and jumps, from branch to branch, to the top of a small tree, singing vocif- erously all the while — and then launching into the air, dangling its legs and flirting his tail, descends, by odd jerks, to the thicket. The notes of this species are heard regularly during moonlight nights, throughout the breeding season. The nest is built in a thicket, usually in a thorny bush or thick vine. It is bulky, composed exteriorly of dry leaves, strips of loose grape-vine bark and similar materials, and lined with fine grasses and fibrous roots. The eggs are three to five in number, glossy white, thickly spotted with various sbades of rich, reddish brown and lilac. The species appears to be rather rare in the extreme northern portion of the State; but Mr. Douglas informs me that he has taken its eggs a few miles north of Waukegan, while Mr. Coale records in his notes one specimen from Chicago. MNIOTILTID.E — THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 173 Mr. Nelson says that the Yellow-breasted Chat is a "a regular but not common summer resident" in Cook county, arriving May 1 to 10, and departing the last of August. GENUS SYLVANTA NUTTALL. Syivania NUTT. Man. Land B. 1832,290. Type by elimination Muscicapa sell>ii AUB.,= Motacilla mitrata GMEL. Wilsonia BONAP. Geog. and Comp. List, 1838,23. Same type. Myiodioctes AUD. Synop. 1839,48. Same type. "GEN. CHAK. Bill broad, depressed; the lateral outlines a little concave; the bristles reaching down not quite half-way from nostrils to tip. Cu linen and commissure nearly straight to near the tip. Nostrils oval, with membrane above. Wings pointed, rather longer than the nearly even but slightly rounded tail; first quill shorter than the fourth, much longer than the fifth; the second and third quills longest. Tarsi rather lengthened the scutellar divisions rather indistinct; the middle toe without claw, about three fifths the tarsus. "This genus is distinguished from Setopliaga mainly by stouter feet and longer toes ; shorter and more even tail, narrower bill, etc. The species are decidedly muscicapine in general appearance, as shown by the depressed bill with bristly rictus. The type, M. mi- tratus, is very similar in character of bill to Dendroica castanea, but the wings are much shorter ; the tail longer and more graduated ; the legs and hind toe longer, and the first primary shorter than the fourth (.15 of an inch less than the longest), not almost equal to the longest. The species are plain olive or plumbeous above, and yellow beneath. They may be grouped as follows:" (Hist. N. Am. B.) A Inner webs of tail-feathers with white patches. 1. S. mitrata. Above plain olive-green, beneath pure yellow. Adult mile: Head, neck, and jugulum deep black, the forehead and auriculars gamboge-yellow. Adult female: Black head-markings of the male usually merely indicated, some- times absent, and rarely so extensive or deeply black as in that sex. Young: No black whatever about the head. 2. S. microcephala. Above olive-green, beneath pale yellowish; wing with two white bauds. B Inner webs of tail-feathers without any white markings: 3. S. pusilla. Above plain olive-green, beneath continuous yellow. Adult mule: Crown with a patch of glossy blue-black. Adult female: Similar to the male, but black crown-patch usually less distinct, sometimes nearly obsolete. Young: X<> trace of black on crown; otherwise, like the adult female. 4. S. canadensis. Above plumbeous gray, beneath yellow, the crissum white; a yel- low orbital ring. Adult male: Forehead, crown and jugulum, spotted \villi black. Adult fi'in -ill-: Similar to the male, but black spots of head, etc., much less dis- tinct. Young in first autumn: Similar to the adult female, but black markings wanting; those of the jugulum, however, indicated by deltoid or cuneate streaks of olive-grayish or dusky: yellow supraloral bar obsolete. 174 ELRDS OF ILLINOIS. Sylvania mitrata ( HOODED WARBLER. Popular synonyms. Black-headed Warbler; Hooded Flycatching "Warbler; Mitred Warbler; Selby's Warbler. Motacilla initrata GMEL. S. N. 1,1788,977. >'///(•(« mitrata LATH.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 373. -Aim. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 68, pi. 60. Wi Isonia mitrata BP. Conip. List, 1838, 23.— BIDGW. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1880, 173, No. 124. Xylvania mitrata NUTT. Man. 2d ed. i, 1840,333. Myiodioctes mitratus AUD. Synop. 1839,48; B. Am. ii, 1841, 12, pi. 71 ("mitrata").— BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858,292; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 211; Eeview, 1865,239,-CouES, Key, 1872, 109; Check List 1873,No. 101; 2d ed. 1882, No. 146; B. N. W. 1874. 78; B. Col. Val. 1878, o24.— B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874,314,pl. 15, figs. 10.11.— EIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 124. Sylvia cucullata WILS. Am. Orn. iii, 1811, 101.pl. 26, fig. 3. Muscicapa selbyii AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 46, pi. 9. Jluscicapa selbii NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 296. HAD. Eastern United States, north to Connecticut and Hudson Eiver Valleys, west- ern New York, and Michigan; breeding throughout its summer range; casual to Massachusetts; west to Kansas. Winters in Cuba, Jamaica, eastern Mexico, and Central America, south to Panama; Bermudas. "Sp. CHAK. Male. Bill black; feet pale yellow. Head and neck all round and fore- part of the breast black. A broad patch on the forehead extending round on the entire cheeks and ear-coverts, with the under parts bright yellow. Upper parts and sides of the body olive-green. Greater portion of inner web of outer three tail-feathers white. "Female similar, but without the black; the crown like the back*; the forehead yel- lowish; the sides of the head yellow, tinged with olive on the lores and ear-coverts. Throat bright yellow. "Length. 5.00; wing,2.75; tail,2.55. (Skin.)" (Hist. N. Am. B.') "Mr. C. Hart Merriam, in his late "Keview of the Birds of Con- necticut" (pp. 25 and 29), rectifies an error in the recent descriptions of the females of this species. I wish to add my testimony to his conclusions, "that the female bird, like the male, is several years— at least three — in attaining its full plumage ; and that the two sexes, when fully adult, can only be distinguished by the fact that, in the female, the throat, though strongly tinged with black, is never pure black as in the male." Long ago I discovered these facts, as the bird is an abundantly breeding summer resident here, where I have taken several of their nests in a single walk. With a large series of specimens before me, I can fully endorse Mr. Merriam's views. The females of the second summer are entirely without any black upon the head, and I have frequently found them sitting upon their eggs in this condition. Males of the same age show very evident traces of black. Only in extreme examples does * See, however, Mr. Mearns's note, given below. MNIOTILT1D.E — THE AMERICAN WAKBLKRS. 175 the black on the hood and throat of the female approach the purity of those parts in the male." (E. A. MEARNS, in Bull. Nutt. Om. Club, ii, pp. 72, 72.) In all rich damp woods, both in Illinois and Indiana, I have found the beautiful Hooded Warbler a more or less common species. In the woods of Knox and Gibson counties, Indiana, immediately opposite Mount Carmel, it is particularly abundant, so much so, in fact, as to be one of the most characteristic species. Sylvania pusilla (Wils.) WILSON'S WARBLER. Popular synonyms. Green Black-capped Flycatcher or Flycatching Warbler; "Wilson's Black-cap; Black-capped Yellow Warbler. Muscicap a pusilla WILS. Am. Orn. lii, 1811, 103. Wilsonia pusilla BON AP. Comp. List, 1838, 23.— RiDGW.Proc. U.S.Nat. Mus. 1880. 173, No. 125. Sylvania pus ilia NUTT. Man. 2d ed. 1,1840,335. Myiodioetes pusillus SCL.— BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858, 293; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 213; Ee view, 1865, 240— COUES, Key, 1872,109; Check List. 1873. No. 102; 2d ed. 1882, No. 147; B. N. W. 1874, 79, 232; B. Col. Val. 1878, 326. -B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 317, pi. 16, figs. 3,4.— EIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, i, No. 125. Sylvia wilsonii BONAP. Jour. Phil. Ac. iv, 1824, 179.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 438. Muscicapa wilsonii AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 148, pi. 124. Myiodioetes wilsonii AUD. Synop. 1839,50; B. Am. ii,18Jl,2f!,pl. 75. HAB. All of North America except Pacific coast, where replaced by a brighter colored (and otherwise different) race, var. pileolata*; breeding from extreme northern border of United States (?) northward to Hudson's Bay and Alaska, where reaching to the coast of Bering's Sea, and across to eastern Siberia. Winters in eastern Mexico, Guatemala, and south to Chiriqui. SP. CHAE. Forehead, line over and around the eye, and under parts generally, bright yellow. Upper parts olive-green; a square patch on the crown lustrous black. Sides of body and cheeks tinged with olive. No white on wings or tail. Female similar, the black of the crown duller.or sometimes replaced by olive-green. Length, 4.75; wing, 2.25; tail, 2.30. This little bird is found in Illinois only during its migrations, and, like other species, varies greatly in numbers in different years, being scarcely to be found some seasons and abundant at others. It is, however, an inconspicuous species, and may readily pass un- noticed. Its summer home is in the colder regions of the far North, where it breeds from Labrador to Alaska, and north to the limit of tree growth. *See ffist. N. Am. B. i.p. 319. 17G BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Sylvania canadensis (Linn.) CANADIAN WAKBLEE. Popular synonyms. Canada Flycatcher; Necklaced Warbler; Bonaparte's "Warbler; Canadian Flycatching Warbler. Muscicapa canadensis LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 327.— WILS. Am. Orn. iii, 1811. 100, pi. 26. fig. 2.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 17, pi. 103. Myiodioctes canadensis AUD. Synop. 1839,49; B. Am. ii, 1841, 14, pi. 72.— BAIRD.B. N. Am. 1858.294; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 214; Review, 1865,239.— CouES.Jiey, 1872,109; Check List,1873.No. 103; 2d ed. 1882, No. 149; B. N. W. 1874,80; B. Col. Val. 1878, 323.-B. B. & B. Hist. N. Am. B. i. 1874, 320, pi. 16, fig. 6.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 127. Sylvia pardalina BONAP. Jour. Phil. Ac. iv, 1824, L'9.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832,372. Muscicapa bonapartii AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1831, 27, pi. 5 (= young). Setnphaga bonapartii Sw. & RICH. F. B. A. ii, 1831, 225, pi. 47. Myiodioctes bonapartii AUD. Synop. 1839,49; B. Am. ii, 1841, 17, pi. 73.— BAIED.B. N. Am. 1858,295; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 215. Sylvania bonapartii NUTT. Man. 2d ed. i, 1840, 332. HAS. Eastern North America, breeding from northern border of United States (in- cluding higher portion of Middle States), northward. Winters in Mexico, Central America, and northern South America to Ecuador. "Sp. CHAK. Upper part bluish ash; a ring around the eye, with a line running to the nostrils, and the whole under part (except the tail-coverts, which are white), bright yel- low. Centres of the feathers in the anterior half of the crown, the cheeks, continuous with a line on the side of the neck to the breast, and a series of spots across the forepart of the breast, black. Tail-feathers unspotted. Female similar, with the black of the head and breas-t less distinct. In the young obsolete. Length, 5.34; wing, 2.67; tail, 2.50." (Hist. N. Am. B.) "First plumage. Female.. Remiges.rectrices, etc.. similar to the adults. Rest of the upper parts, including wing-coverts and sides of head, uniform deep dull cinnamon; the greater coverts tipped with fulvous. Throat, breast, and sides very light cinnamon, tinged with olive. Anal and abdominal regions pale sulphur- yellow. No conspicuous spots, stripes, or markings anywhere. (From a specimen in my collection shot at Upton, Me., August 4.1874. This bird was so young as to be scarcely able to fly, and with the rest of the brood, was attended by the female parent.) "Adult in autumn. Male. Similar to adult in spring, but with the yellow of the under parts much more intense, and the black spotting on the breast slightly clouded by the yellow tipping of the overlapping feathers. (From a specimen in my collection shot at Upton, Me., August 29.1874.) " 'Young in autumn. Male. Pileum and back greenish olive; nape and rump bluish ash, slightly tinged with olive. Centres of a few feathers on the forehead and cheeks, with a continuous line along the side of the neck to the breast, dusky-black. A broad band of very small spots (each one not more than one auarter of the size of those ex- hibited in the adult plumage) across the upper part of the breast black. Otherwise similar to the adult." (BBEWSTEE.^wL7. Nutt. Orn. Club, Apr. 1878, pp. 60,61.) This handsome species is rather a common migrant, being in fact, sometimes one of the most abundant members of the family. It has not yet been detected as a summer resident of any part of our State, but, since it is said to breed "in New York and Massachu- setts, and in the region north of latitude 42°" (BREWER), it very likely does so in the extreme northern portion of Illinois. MNIOTILTID^ — THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 177 The fully adult male is a very handsome and conspicuous bird, though far less so than his relative, the Hooded Warbler; and his song is one of the prettiest that we know of, having some resem- blance to that of the Water- thrush. "In Vermont," says Mr. Charles S. Paine*, "the Canada Fly- catcher is a common summer visitant, and is first seen about the 18th of May. They do not spread themselves over the woods, like most of our small fly-catching birds, but keep near the borders, where there is a low growth of bushes, and where they may be heard throughout the day, singing their regular chant. A few pairs may occasionally be found in the same neighborhood. At other times only a single pair can be found in quite a wide extent of territory of similar character. They build their nests, as well as I can judge, about the first of June, as the young are hatched out and on the wing about the last of that month, or the first of July. I have never found a nest, but I think they are built on the ground. They are silent after the first of July, and are rarely to be seen after that period." Nests found at Lynn, Mass., by Mr. Geo. 0. Welch, were built in tussocks of meadow-grass, in swampy woods or logs ; they were constructed of pine needles, strips of loose grape-vine bark, dry leaves, etc., and lined with fibrous dry roots. The eggs were five in number, clear white, marked with a wreath of spots of various shades of rich brown, purple, and violet. GENUS SETOPfiAGA SWAINSON. Sftophaga SWAINSON, Zool. Jour, iii, Dec. 1827,360. Tyve.Muscicapa rutacilla LINN. "GEN. CHAK. Bill much depressed, the lateral outlines straight toward tip. Bristles reach half-way from nostril to tip. Culmon almost straight to near the tip ; commissure very slightly curved. Nostrils oval, with membrane above them. Wings rather longer than tail, pointed; second, third, and fourth quills nearly equal; first intermediate be- tween fourth and fifth. Tail rather long, rather rounded; the feathers broad, and widen- ing at ends, the outer web narrow. Tarsi with scutellar divisions indistinct externally. Legs slender; toes short, inner cleft nearly to base of first joint, outer with first joint adherent; middle toe without claw, not quite half the tarsus." (Illst. N. Am. B.) Setophaga ruticilla (Linn.) AMERICAN REDSTART. Popular synonyms. Black-and-red Warbler; Fan-tail Warbler, or Flycatcher; Yellow- tailed Warbler or Flycatcher. Motacilla ruticilla LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758. 180. Muscicapa ruticilla LINN. S. N. ed. 12. i. 1766, 326.— WILS. Am. Orn. i, 1808, 103, pi. 6, fig. 6; v, 119. pi. 45. fig. 2.— Aur>. Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 202; v, 1839, 428, pi. 40; Synop. 1839, 44; B. Am. i, 1840, 240, pi. 68. * In Hist. N. Am. B. i, pp. 320, 321. — 12 178 BIEDS OP ILLINOIS. Muscicapa (Sylvania) rwfa'otZZa NUTT. Man. i, 1832. 291. Setophaga ruticilla Sw.— BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858, 297; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 217; Re- view, 1865. 256.— COUES. Key. 1872 110; Check List, 1873, No. 104; 2d ed. 1882, No. 152; B. N. W. 1874. 81, 232; B. Col. Val. 1878. 337.— B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 322. pi. 16, figs. 1, 5.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 128. HAB. Eastern North America, west regularly to and including the Rocky Mountains. to the borders of the Great Basin, straggling to the Pacific coast; breeds throughout its summer range, which extends from the Gulf States north to Ft. Simpson and Hudson's Bay. Winters in "West Indies. Mexico. Central America, and northern South America, to Ecuador. "Sp. CHAK. Male. Prevailing color black. A central line on the breast, the abdomen and under tail-coverts white; some feathers in the latter strongly tinged with dark brown. Bases of all the ciuills except the inner and outer, and basal half of all the tail- feathers except the middle ones, a patch on each side of the breast, and the axillary re- gion, orange-red, of a vermilion shade on the breast. Female, with the black replaced by olive-green above, by brownish white beneath, the red replaced by yellow; the head tinged with ash; a grayish white lore and ring round the eye. Length 5.25; wing, 2.50; tail, 2.45. "The young male in early autumn greatly resembles in plumage the adult female, but has the upper tail-coverts and tail deep black, sharply contrasted with the olive of the rump, instead of having the upper tail-coverts olive, the tail simply dusky; in addition the back is more greenish olive, and the abdomen and crissum pure white. The male does not obtain the perfect adult plumage until about the third year." (Hist, N. Am. B.) Although so very abundant as to be, like the Eed-eyed Vireo, a nuisance to the collector who has to shoot his warblers at ran- dom in the tall tree-tops, the Eedstart is by no means a well known bird to the general observer. This arises from the fact that it inhabits almost exclusively thick woodlands, where it usually keeps well up in the trees. None of the numerous family of war- blers are more active than the present species, which is continually on the move, darting first this way, then that after insects, which it snaps up in the air in the manner of a true flycatcher. At all times the long, broad tail is spread out like a fan, showing, in the female, a broad pale yellow band — her only ornament — and in the male enhancing the striking appearance caused by his handsome black and salmon-red livery. Its notes, particularly the song, bear a rather close resemblance to those of the Summer Yellowbird, but are weaker and less attractive. The nest is a compact, cup-shaped structure, usually placed on a horizontal branch, but supported by upright twigs, at heights varying from eight or ten to fifty feet from the ground. Its material consists of vegetable fibres, etc., closely interwoven, and lined with softer materials. The eggs are usually four in number, and very similar in color and markings to those of the Summer Yellowbird. — THE VIEEOS. 179 FAMILY VIREONID^E.— THE VIEEOS. "The essential features of this family appear to consist in the combination of the dentirostral bill, notched in both mandibles; the ten primaries (except Vireosylvia) , of which the outer is usually from one fourth to one half the second; the rather short, nearly even tail, with narrow feathers, and the great amount of adhesion of the anterior toes,— the whole basal joint of the middle being generally united on both sides to the adjacent joints, and decidedly shorter than the basal of inner or two basal of outer. The outer lateral toe is generally appreciably longer than the inner, reaching considerably beyond the base of the middle claw. The tarsi are always distinctly scutellate anteriorly. The young are never spotted, or streaked as in the Thrushes ; nor, indeed, do the adults exhibit such markings. "The Vireonidce are peculiar to the New World, and are widely distributed, although but one genus belongs to the United States." (Hist. N. Am. B.) GENUS VIHEO VIEILLOT. Vireo VIEILL, Ois. Am. S.ept. 1,1807,83. Type, Muscicapa noveboracensis GMEL. "No great violence will be done by considering all the American Vireos as belonging to one genus, divisible into three subgenera, as, however different the extremes of the series may be from each other, the gradation is quite complete. "The North American species take a wide range during their southern winter migration, only paralleled in this respect by the SylvicolidcB; they do not visit the West Indies, save as very rare stragglers to Cuba (V. olivaceus, solitarius, flavifrons, and novebora- censis). They all have a melodious song, and, so far as known, 180 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. make a deep nest, suspended by its upper edge between the forks of a horizontal twig. The eggs are white, generally with a few red- dish or brown blotches. "Quite a number are characterized by having the eyes white, red, or yellow." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Analysis of Sulgenera. Vireosylva. Bill compressed, n arrow; culmen and commissure straight, the tip ab- ruptly curved (or.if thi - is not the case, there i no trace of light banils on the wing; -ee seciion "b"). Superciliary stripe continued back to the occiput. No trace of light bands on the wing. No conspicuous ring round the eye. Lanivireo. Billcompresse !, stout; culmen arched from the base, commissure curved. Superciliary stripe stoppi g at posterior angle of the eye and curving under it, enclosing the eye in a conspicuous orbital ring, interrupted only in front. Two conspicuous white band- on the wing. Vireo. Bill stout, scarcely compressed, sub-cylindrical. First primary not spurious or, if so, not acute. SUBGENUS Vireosylva BONAPARTE. Vireosylva BONAJP. Comp. List, 1838, 26. Type, Muscicapa olivacea LINN. SUBGEN. CHAE. "Wings long and pointed, one third or one fourth longer tin n the nearly even or slightly rounded tail. First quill very small (less than one third the second), sometimes apparently wanting. Second quill longer than the seventh, much longer than the secondaries. Tarsi short (scarcely extending .60 of an inch) ; toes rather long. Body slender and elongated. Bill slender, narrow, straight; the culmen straight for its basal half, the commissure quite straight; light horn-color, paler beneath. Feet we k." (Hist. N. Am. B.) COMMON CHARACTERS. Above plain olive, without distinct wing markings, the pileum more grayish, contrasting more or less strongly with the color of the back; a more or less distinct superciliary stripe of whitish, and beneath it a rather ndistinct dusky streak before and behind the eye. Lower parts whitish, the crissum and axillars, and some- times flanks, yellowish. A. First primary rudimentary, usually concealed.* * In very rare instances V. olivacea has a well-developed spuriou? primary, as witness the following, by Mr, Batchelder, in the "Nuttall Bulletin." vol. ii.pp. 97,98: "On Septem- ber 3, 1877, at Bar Harbor, Me., I s ot a Eed-eyed Vireo ( Vireo olivaceus) which is curiously abnormal in having well-developed spurious first primaries, which measure 1.16 inches in length, the wing measuring 3.15 inches. Through the kindness of Mr. J. A. Allen, I have examined the Vireos of this species in the collection of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, and find in a series of about seventy specimens four more cases of the same variation. They are as follows: No. 23,281 (Coll. M. C. Z., from Coalburgh, W. Va.,) with spurious primaries on both wings, measuring 1.17 inches (wing 2.23) ; No. 23,274 (Coll. M. C Z., same locality), with a spurious primary only on the left wing, measuring 1.10 inches (wing 2.92.) No. 4,185 (Coll. M. C. Z., from Newtonville.Mass.). with spurious primaries on both wings, measuring 1.09 inches (wing 3.02) ; and No. 4,793 (Coll. M. C. Z., same locality), with a spurious primary on the left wing, measuring 1.15 inches, the wing measuring 3.21. It may be well to say that they are not the first primary coverts, but are true spurious primaries, lying in the same plane as the other primaries, and differing from the spurious primaries of other species of this family only in being somewhat smaller. This variation seems particularly interesting from the fact that the presence or absence of a spurious primary has been to some extent taken as a basis of Hussilii'.-ition in (his family." VIREONID.33 — THE VIREOS. 181 a. ,Pileum bordered along each side by a dusky line. Wing more than 3 inches. 1. V. olivacea. Above olive-green, the pileum slate-gray; beneath white medially the sides olive-greenish; crissum scarcely tinged with yellow; inner edges of quills white. -'. V. flavoviridis.* Above yellowish olive-green, the pileum ash-gray; beneath white medially, bright greenish olive-yellow laterally, the crissum, lining of wings, and inner edges of quills light yellow. b. Pileum without dusky border; wing less than three inches. 3. V. philadelphica. Above grayish green the pileum gray; beneath sulphur-yel- low, more whitish on the chin and abdomen. B. First primary well developed, and exposed (.50 of an inch, or more, long). Wing less than 3 inches. 4. V. gilva. Above olive-gray, the crown not conspicuously different; beneath whitish, the sides tinged with dull buffy. a gilva. Wing, 2.65-2.90; tail, 2.20-2.50; bill from nostril, .30-.35. Eastern United States. ft swainsoni. Wing, 2.70-3.00 ; tail, 2.20-2.60; bill from nostril, .25-.2S. Bill more depressed, and colors grayer, with less of a buffy cast on sides, etc. Western United States. Vireo olivaceus (Linn.) BED-EYED VIKEO. Popular synonyms. Eed-eyed Greenlet; Bed-eyed Flycatcher. Muscicapa olivacea LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 327 (part).— WILS. Am. Orn. ii, 1810, 55, pi. 10, fig. 3. Virt-o olivaceous VIEILL.— NUTT. Man. i. 1832, 312.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 287, pi. 150; Bynop. 1839, 162; B. Am. iv, 1842. 155. pi. 243.— BAIBD, B. N. Am. 1858, 331; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 240.— COUES, Key, 1872, 120; Check List, 1873, No. 122; 2d ed. 1882, No. 170; B. N. W. 1874, 96; B. Col. Val. 1878, 495. Vireosylva olivacea ~Bp.— Vireosylvia olivacea BAIED, Review, 1866, 333.— B. B. & K. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 363, pi. 17, fig. 2. HAB. Eastern North America, north to "Fur Countries;" west to Rocky Mountains, or even beyond, especially along northern border of United States; winter? from Florida and Cuba to Trinidad and Colombia, but not in West Indies, except Cuba; accidental in Greenland and even in England. "Sp. CHAK. (No. 1,418 male, Carlisle, Penn., May, 1844.) Upper parts olive-green. Top of head, from bill to nape, ash-color. A white line from nostrils above and beyond the eye, bordered above by a dusky line forming the edge of the ashy cap, and below by a similar, perhaps paler, loral and post-ocular cheek-stripe. Beneath, including tibiae, white, with perhaps a tinge of olivaceous ash across the breast; the sides of the neck like the back; sides of the body with a faint wash of olive. Axillars and crissum faintly * This is a Central American and Mexican species, reaching its normal northern limit in the lower Rio Grande valley in Texas. It has been taken, however, on the Canadian shore of the Lower St. Lawrence, and may possibly occur as a straggler in Illinois, 182 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. tinged with stilphur- yellow; lining of "wings and its edge, the latter especially, nearly white. Quills blackish brown, edged externally, except at ends of primaries, with olive; internally with white. Tail-feathers lighter brown, edged externally like the back, in- ternally with pale olivaceous white. Bill dusky above, pale below; tarsi plumbeous; iris red. Length, 6.33; extent of wings, 10.25; wing, 3.33; tail, 2..".o. 'Female similar, but duller in plumage." (Hist. 3'. Am. £.} Taking the country at large, the Red-eyed Vireo is perhaps the most abundant woodland species. It is the bete noir of the collec- tor, who, during the "warbler season" daily, and much to his disgust, sacrifices a greater or less number of individuals; indeed it is a common saying that a "a Red-eyed Vireo can make himself look and act like any sort of warbler." It is probable that we have not a more beneficial bird than this species, noxious and destructive in- sects of numerous kinds constituting his principal food. Seeking for 1hese is his constant occupation, as he hops along a branch, now peering into some crevice of the bark or nook among the foli- age, even uttering his pretty song during the interval between swal- lowing the last worm and finding the next. "The tender and pathetic utterances of this Vireo, uttered with so much apparent animation, to judge from their sound, are in striking contrast to the apparent indifference or unconsciousness of the little vocalist who, while thus delighting the ear of the listener, seems to be all the while bent on procuring its daily supply of food, which it pur- sues with unabated ardor. (BREWER.) "This Vireo," says Dr. Brewer,* "builds the pensile nest of its race, suspending it from, the fork of two or more twigs of a forest tree, at various heights of from five to fifty feet from, the ground. It is cup-like in shape, and always dependent from small twigs, around which its upper edges are firmly bound. Externally it is woven of various materials, fine strips of bark, the hempen fibres of vegetables, and webs of spiders and various caterpillars. These are compactly pressed and woven, and, as some suppose, aggluti- nated by the saliva of the builder. Sometimes the unmanageable materials give to the outside of the nest a rude and unfinished ap- pearance, at others they are evenly and smoothly wrought. They are very strong, uninjured by the storms of winter, and are often made use of by other birds, by mice, and even by the same bird a second season." * Hist. 2f. Am. B. i, p. 365. VLBEONID/E — THE VIREOS. 183 Vireo philadelphicus (Cass.) PHILADELPHIA VIREO. Popular synonyms. Philadelphia Greenlet; Brotherly-love Vireo. Vireosylviaphiladelphica CASS. Proc. Phil. Ac. 1851,153, pi. lO.fig. 2.— BATED, Review, 18mbi i. "Sp. CHAR. (No. 28 890.) Head and neck above and on sides, with interscapular re- gion, bright olive-green. Lower back, rump, tail, and wing-coverts ashy. Wings brown with two white bands across the coverts, the outer edges of inner secondaries, and inner edges of all the quills, with inside of wing white. Outer primaries edged with gray, the inner with olive. Tail-feathers brown, entirely encircled by a narrow edge of white. Under parts to middle of body, a line from nostrils over eye, eyelids, and patch beneath the eye (bordered behind by the olive of neck) bright gamboge-yellow; rest of under parts white, the flanks faintly glossed with ashy. Lores dusky. Bill and legs plumbeous black. "No spurious primary evident; second quill longest; first a little shorter than third. "Length, 5.SO; wing, 3.00; tail. 2.00; difference of longest and innermost quills, .90; tarsus, .73. "Autumnal birds, perhaps more especially the young, are more glossed with olivaceous, which invades the ashy portions, and tinges the white." (Hist. N. Am. B.) In some respects the Yellow-throated Vireo is the most remark- able of all the species of the family which occur within the United States. It is decidedly the finest songster of all those which reach the Northern States, has the loudest notes of admonition and re- proof, and is the handsomest in plumage. So far as the writer's experience with it is concerned, he has found it only in the woods, and mostly in the luxuriant forests of the bottom-lands, where it may be regarded as the most abundant species of its family. This experience accords with that of Audubon and Wilson ; but the habits of birds vary greatly with locality, and in other portions of the country, notably in New England, it is said to be a very familiar species, delighting in the companionship of man. YJHEONID^E — THE VIREOS. 187 Vireo solitarius (Wils.) BLUE-HEADED VIREO. Popular synonyms. Solitary Greenlet, or Vireo; Blue-headed Greenlot. Muscicapa solitaria WILS. Am. Oni. ii, 1810, 43, pi. 17, fig. 6. Vireo solitarius VIEILL. 1817.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831. 147, pi. 28; Syimp. |s:;<», ir.it; B. Am. iv, 1842, 144, pi. 239.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 305.— BAIED, B. X. Am. 1858, 340; Cat. X. Am. B. 1859, Xo. 250.— GOUES. Key. 1872. 121; Check List, 1873, Xo. 127; 2d ed. 1882, Xo. 177; B. X. W. 1874, 99; B. Col. Val. 1*78. 507. }'iri'osylcia solitaria BAIED, Keview, 1866, 347 (s. g. Lanivireo). Lanivireo solitarius ALLEN, 1869.— B. B. & E. Hist. X. Am. B. i, 1874, 373, pi. 17, flg. 8.— KIDGW. Xom. X. Am. B. Xo. 141. HAB. Eastern North America, north to 'Fur Countries;" breeding from northern border of United States northward, and wintering in Cuba, eastern Mexico, and Guate- mala. "Sp. CHAE. (No. 300 male.) Above olive-green, including upper tail-coverts; the top and sides of head and nape ashy plumbeous; sides of the neck plumbeous olive. Broad line from nostrils to and around eye, involving the whole lower eyelid, white. A loral line involving the edge of the eyelid, and a space beneath the eye, dusky plumbeous. Beneath white; the sides yellow, overlaid with olive, this color not extending anterior to the breast. Axillars and base of crissum pale sulphur-yellow, the long feathers of the latter much paler or nearly white. "Wings with two bands and outer edges of innermost secondaries olivaceous white; the quills dark brown, edged externally with olive-green, internally with white; tail-feathers similarly marked, except that the lateral feather is edged externally also with white, the central without internal border. Bill and legs blackish plumbeous. Iris brown. "First auill spurious, rather more than one fifth the second, which is intermediate between the fifth and sixth; third longest. "Fresh specimen: Total length, 5.40; expanse of wing. 9.00 Prepared specimen: Total length, 5.25; wing, 2.95; tail, 2.35. "Spring specimens show sometimes a gloss of plumbeous on the back, obscuring the olive, the contrast of colors being greater in the autumnal and young birds. Sometimes the crissum appears nearly white. The length of the spurious primary varies considerably, from .45 to .75 of an inch. "In autumn the colors are similar, but slightly duller and less sharply denned, while the back is considerably tinged with ashy." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The solitary Vireo passes through Illinois only during its spring and fall migrations ; at least there seems to be no record of its breeding anywhere in the State, but it may do so in the extreme northern portion. Its known range during the nesting season extends from eastern Massachusetts and the region along the northern bor- der of the Great Lakes northward nearly to the limit of tree growth. "Mr. Burroughs describes the love-notes of these birds as being inexpressibly sweet and tender in both sexes. The song of the male, 188 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. as I have heard it, bears no resemblance to that of any other Vireo. It is a prolonged and very peculiar ditty, repeated at fre- quent intervals and always identical. It begins with a lively and pleasant warble, of a gradually ascending scale, which at a certain pitch suddenly breaks down into a falsetto note. The song then rises again in a single high note, and ceases. "Mr. Nuttall found a nest of this species suspended from the forked twig of a wild crab-tree, about ten feet from the ground. The chief materials were dead and withered grasses, with some cob- webs agglutinated together, externally partially covered with a few shreds of hypnum, assimilating it to the branch on which it hung, intermingled with a few white paper-like capsules of the spiders' nests, and lined with a few blades of grass and slender root-fibres." (BREWEK.) SUBGENUS Vireo VIEILLOT. Vireo VIEILL. Ois. Am. Sept. i, 1807, 83. Type, Muscicapa noveboracensis GMEL. "SUBGEN. CHAR. Wings short and rounded, a little longer than the tail, equal to it, or shorter. First primary distinct and large, from two fifths to half or more the length of the second, shorter or not longer than the eighth." (Hist. N. Am. B.} The two species of this subgenus which are known to occur in Illinois may be distinguished by the following characters : 1. V. noveboracensis. Two distinct white bands on wing. Lores dusky, bordered above by a yellow streak; a yellow orbital ring. Above olive-green, the nape usually ashy; lower parts white, the sides greenish yellow. Iris white, in adults. 2. V. bellii. Only one white band on wing, and this indistinct. Lores and orbital ring white, the former with a dusky streak. Above grayish olive, more greenish posteriorly ; beneath buffy white, the sides and crissum tinged with sulphur-yellow. Vireo noveboracensis (Grnel.) WHITE-EYED VIREO. Popular synonyms. White-eyed Greenlet; Little Green Hanging-bird; Chickty-beaver. Muscicapa noveboracensis GMEL. S. N. i, 1788, 947. Vireo noveboracensis BP. 1824.— Aur>. Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 328, pi. 63; Synop. 1839. 161; B. Am. iv, 1842, 146. pi. 240.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 306.— BAIBD, B. N. Am. 1858. 328; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 248; Review, lhC6, 354.— COUES, Key, 1872, 122; Check List. 1873, No. 129; 2d ed. 1882, No. 181; B. N. W. 1874, 100; B. Col. Val. 1878, 520.-B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 385, pi. 17, fig. 4.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 143. Vireo cantatrix WILS. Am. Orn. ii, 1810, 26G, pi. 18, fig. 6. HAB. Eastern United States, west to edge of Great Plains; winters in Gulf States, Cuba. Bermudas (resident), and eastern Mexico, south to Guatemala. VIREONID2E — THE VIREOS. 189 "Sp. CHAE. (No. 10,193 male. Illinois.) First primary about half the length of second, •which is longer than secondaries, and about equal to the eighth; the fourth longest; third and fifth little shorter. "Above bright olive-green; sides of neck, and a gloss on its upper surface, ashy. The middle concealed portion of feathers of lower back and rump pale sulphur-yellowish. Beneath white; the chin and lower cheeks with a greyish tinge; the sides of breast and body, with axiliars and base of crissum (more faintly), bright yellow; the inner wing- coverts and rest of crissum much paler, almost white. A broad yellow line from nostrils to and continuous with a yellow ring round the eye, which is encircled exteriorly by olivaceous; a dusky loral, but no postocular spot. Wings with two covert-bands am] innermost secondaries externally, broadly yellowish white; rest of quills edged exter- nally with olive, except the two outer and tips of other primaries, which are grayish. Beatrices edged externally with olive, except outermost, which is bordered by grayish. All the long quills bordered internally by whitish. Bill blue-black, paler on the edges; legs dark plumbeous. Iris white. Total length, 4.90; wing, 2. 40; tail, 2.20. "Specimens vary slightly in a greater amount of ashy on the head, and less brilliancy of the yellow of head and sides. Some- times there is a decided ashy shade in the white of throat and jugu- lum, which again has a very faint tings of yellowish." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The White-eyed Yireo — popularly known usually as the "Little Green Hanging-bird," or "Chickty-beaver," is an abundant species in suitable localities, which comprise hazel thickets, blackberry patches, bushy swamps, etc., where its presence is made known by its vocif- erous notes, which in loudness appear out of all proportion to the size of the little creature which produces them. These notes are remarkable for their oddity as well as for their strength. In Bermuda they are interpreted as "ginger-beer, — quick," while in Illinois the writer has heard them translated by boys into "chick ty- beaver, — limber, stick, with special emphasis on the first syllable of each word. The White-eyed Vireo is an exceedingly unsuspecting bird, "per- mitting a near approach, and when whistled to will often stop and eye you with marked curiosity, and even approach a little nearer, as if to obtain a better view, entirely unconscious of any danger. This is not so, however, when they have a nest. On this occasion they exhibit great uneasiness when their nest is visited, approach- ing very near to the intruder, looking down upon him with marked expressions of uneasiness, and scolding all the while with great earnestness, and with a hoarse mewing that is very peculiar." (BREWER.) The nests of this species are elegant specimens of bird architecture. They are deeply pensile, composed of soft mosses, lichens, and other substances, and suspended from the forks of a twig, usually at a height 11)0 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. of three to five feet from the ground. A characteristic one described by Dr. Brewer was "composed of a singular medley of various materials, among which may be noticed broken fragments of dry leaves, bits of decayed wood and bark, coarse blades of grass, vari- ous vegetable fibres, lichens, fragments of insects, mosses, straws, stems, etc. These are all wrapped round and firmly bound together with strong hempen fibres of vegetables. Within this outer envelope in an inner nest, made of the finer stems of grasses and dry needles of the white pine, firmly interwoven." The height and diameter were each about three inches, and the cavity about two inches deep. Vireo belli! (And.) BELL'S VIREO. Popular synon/.n. Bell's Greenlet. Vireo bellii AUD. B. Am. vii, 1844, 333. pi. 485.— BATED. B. N. Am. 1858, 337; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 246; Keview, 1866, 358.— COUES, Key, 1872, 123; Check List, 1873, No. 131; 2d ed. 1882, No. 183; B. N. W. 1874, 101; B. Col. Val. 1878, 526.-B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 389, pi. 17, fig. 13.— KIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 145. HAB. Groat Plains of the United States, north to Minnesota, east to Illinois (prairie districts), south (in winter) to southern Mexico (Tehauntepec). Arizona, in autumn. SP. CHAE. (No. 1,926.) Above olive-green, brightest on the rump; tinged anteriorly with ashy; the top and sides of head ashy, in faint contrast. A line from nostrils to eye (scarcely beyond it), and eyelids very pale yellowish white; lores dusky. Under parts, including inner wing-coverts, and edge of wing, creamy white; the sides, axillars, and crissum pale yellow, sides of lower neck and of breast glossed with olivaceous, faintest on the longer feathers of the latter. Two rather narrow bands on the wing-coverts, and the outer edges of innermost secondaries white; the other quills edged with faded oliva- ceous. Inner edges of quills whitish. Tail feathers brown, edged externally with olive; internally fading into paler brown, Median portion of rump feathers concealed with pale yelloAvieh. Bill horn-color above, pale below. Legs plumbeous. "Iris brown." "First quill spurious; not quite half the second, which is about equal to the eighth; third and fourth quills longest; fifth scarcely shorter. Tail nearly even, or a little rounded, the feathers narrow. "Total length, 4.20; wing,2.18; tail. 1.90; tarsus, .75. "The above description is taken from a type specimen received from Mr. Audubon, and represents the average spring plumage. Autumnal skins 'are rather brighter, and there is occasionally an ochraceous tinge on the white of the under parts. "This species at first sight appears like a miniature of V. gilvus, the head being almost exactly similar. The back is, however, much brighter olive, the sides and crissum deeper yellow. The superciliary light stripe is shorter. The white markings of the wings are want- ing in c/ilvus. The wing, tail, and feet are entirely different in their proportions." (Hist. N. Am. B.) V1KEONID.E— THE VIREOS. 191 In its habits this species is nearly a counterpart of the White- eyed Vireo, inhabiting, like that species, dense thickets or briei patches. In Illinois it is confined to the prairie districts, and is almost everywhere a much less common bird than V. noveboracensis. The writer first met with it on Fox Prairie, in Kichland county, on the 8th of June, 1871, being first apprised of its presence by its very curious notes. Mr. Nelson found it in the same locality four years later, but in 1883 the writer was unable to discover any of the species during several weeks' search in the same place and adjacent localities, all the thickets which it formerly inhabited hav- ing given way to cultivated fields. Mr. Nelson's experience coincided in the main with that of the writer, except that he found the spe- cies so shy that only two were shot, while the writer had no difficulty in shooting several, but was unable to find or secure them, owing to the tangled briery growth in which they fell. Mr. Nelson says :* "Bather common in the dense patches of bushes on the prairie. The males would appear on the top of a tall bush and utter a queer song entirely peculiar, but so shy were they that at the first alarm they would disappear. Although repeated efforts were made to obtain specimens during the week we were there, only two were shot." He subsequently (.June 23, 1875) obtained a single specimen near Chicago. (See Bull. Essex Inst. Vol. VIII., 1876, p. 103.) * Bull. Essex Inst. ix, 1877, p. 48. 192 HIKDS OF ILLINOIS. FAMILY LiANIIDJE.— THE SHRIKES. "CHAR. Bill very powerful, strong, and much compressed, the tip abruptly hooked, deeply notched, and with a prominent tooth behind the notch; both mandibles distinctly notched, the upper with a distinct tooth behind, the lower with the point bent up. Tarsi longer than the middle toe, strongly scutellate. Primaries ten; first primary half tho second, or shorter (occasionally wanting). Wings short, rounded; tail long and much graduated. Sides of tarsi with the plates divided on the outside." (Hist. N. Am. B,~) Of this family only a single genus is known in North America. GENUS LAN1US LINNAEUS. Lanius LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 93. Type.i. collnrlo LINN. "GEN. CHAK. Feathers of forehead stiffened; base of bill, including nostrils, covered by bristly feathers directed forward. Bill shorter than the head, much compressed, and very powerful. Culmen decurved from base, the mandible abruptly bent down in a powerful hook with an acute lobe near the tip. Tip of lower mandible bent upwards in a hook; the gonys very convex. Eictus with long bristles. Legs stout; the tarsi rather short, and longer than the middle toe; the lateral equal; the claws all very sharp and much curved. Wings rounded; the first primary about half the second, which is equal to the sixth or seventh. Tail longer than tho wings, much graduated, the feathers broad." (Hist. 2f. Am. B.) Our two species may be distinguished by the following characters : COMMON CHARACTERS. Above plain gray (brownish in young of L. borealis] beneath whitish, with or without darker waved lines or bars; side of head marked with a broad black band, covering lores and auriculars; wing, and tail black, the former with a white patch at base of primaries, the latter with outer feathers chiefly white. 1. L. borealis. Wing more than 4.50 inches; tarsus less than 1 inch. A white cres- centic spot on lower eyelid; lower parts always more or less waved with dusky. Adult: Above fine light bluish-gray, the scapulars and upper tail-coverts nearly white. Young: Dull brownish, beneath brownish white waved with dusky; black auricular band indistinct. 2. L. ludovicianus. Wing less than 4.50 inches; tarsus more than 1 inch. No white on lower eyelid; lower parts waved with dusky only in young. a ludovicianus. Above deep plumbeous, the upper tail-coverts scarcely or not at all lighter than the back; axillars plumbeous, the jugulum and sides strongly tinged with the same. j3. exciibitorides. Above fine light bluish-gray, the upper tail-coverts more or less distinctly paler (sometimes nearly pure white), the jugulum and sides scarcely tinged with grayish. LANIID.E — THE SHRIKES. 103 Lanius borealis Vieill. NORTHERN SHRIKE. Popular synonyms. Great American Shrike; Great Northern Shrike or Butcher Eir': White Whiskey-jack (Fur Countries). Lanius borealis VIEILL. Ois. Am. Sept. i, 1807, 90. pi. 50.— Sw. & RICH. F. B. A. ii, 1S31 111 pi. 33.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 157; B. Am. iv, 1842, 130. pi. 236.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Ata. II. 1881. No. 148.— COUES, 2d Check List, 1882. No. 180; B. Col. Val. 1878, 558. Collyrio borealis BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858, 324; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859 No. 230. Collurio borealis BAIRD, Review, 1806, 440.— COUES, Key, 1872, 125; Check List 1 No. 134; B. N. W. 1874, 101.-B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 415 pi. 19. figs. 1, 2. HAB. Northern North America, south, in winter, to about 35°; breeding north of the United States, and in higher mountain districts of the latter. SP. CHAE. Adult in breeding season. Above light ash-gray, becoming gradually white on forehead, over eyes, on tips of longer scapulars, and on upper tail-coverts, the latter, however, tinged with gray. Lores and auriculars black. Wings black, the secondaries and shorter primaries narrowly tipped with grayish white, the primaries with a white patch at the base. Lower parts grayish white, the jugulum, breast, and sides transversely waved or vermiculated with dusky gray. Tail black, the outer web of lateral feather and ends of all except middle pair white. Bill entirely black; feet black; iris brown. Adult in winter. Similar, but lores grayish white, and mandible whitish at base. Young. Above grayish brown, tinged, more or less with rusty, the longer scapu- lars and upper tail-coverts paler; black of lores and auriculars indistinct or obsolete; wing-coverts edged and tipped with rusty or buff; spot at base of primaries much re- stricted, or obsolete. Lower parts brownish white, everywhere distinctly vermiculated with dusky. Total length, about 10'i inches, extent 14>2. Wing about 4.50. Although it has been recorded as breeding in the northern portion of Illinois, there can now be no doubt that all such records refer to the Loggerhead (L. ludovicianus}, and not to the present species, which is probably only a winter visitor, and a rare one at that, beyond the middle portion of the State. The summer habitat of the Great Northern Shrike, as may be inferred from its name, in- cludes the more northern portions of the continent, as far north as the limits of tree growth, and across from ocean to ocean. It is said also to breed in mountainous regions of the United States, but we have little reliable information on this point. The general habits of this species partake of those of others of its family. "Its bold audacity and perseverance are quite remark- able, and are often displayed, in the fall, in the manner in which it will enter an apartment through an open window and attack a Canary, even in the presence of members of the family. It rarely fails, if it gains access to the cage, to destroy its inmates before the latter can be rescued by the intervention of those present, and only by great promptness in sheltering the cage. In one instance the writer was sitting at a closed window, reading, with a Canary hanging above him. Suddenly there was a severe blow struck at —13 104 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. the pane of glass near the cage, and the frightened Canary uttered cries of alarm, and fell to the bottom of its cage. The cause was soon explained. A Shrike had dashed upon the bird, unconscious of the intervening glass, and was stretched upon the snow under the window, stunned by the blow. He revived when taken up, and lived several days, was sullen, but tame, and utterly devoid of fear. He refused raw meat, but eagerly tore in pieces and devoured small birds when given to him. His tameness and indifference to our presence may have been occasioned by stupor arising from his injury. In another case a Shrike made a similar attack, but escaped unharmed, and though he remained about the house several days, was too wary to allow himself to be decoyed within gunshot." (BREWER.) Lanius ludovicianus (Linn.) LOGGEEHEAD SHRIKE. Popular synonyms. Louisiana Shrike ; Carolina Shrike ; Southern Butcher Bird; "Mock- ing Bird;" Common American Shrike. a. ludovicianus. Lanius ludovicianus LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 134.— A UD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831. 300, pi. 37-; B. Am. iv, 1842, 135, pi. 237.— COUES, B. Col. Val. 1878, 561 ; 2d Check List, 1882, No. 187. — RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 149. Collyrio ludovicianus BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858, 325; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 237. Collurio ludovicianus BAIED, Review, 1866, 443.— B. B. & B. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 418, pi. 19, fig. 4.— COUES, B. N. W. 1874, 23?. Lanius carolinensis WILS. Am. Orn. iii, 1811, 57, pi. 22 flg. 5. b. excubitorides.— White-rumped Shrike. Lanius excubitorides SWAINS. & RICH. Faun. Bor. Am. ii. 1831. 115, pi. 34. Collyrio excubitoroldes BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858, 527; ed. 18(10, pi. 75, fig. 2; Cat, N. Am. B. 1859, No. 238. Collurio excubitoroides BAIRD, Review, 1866, 445. Collurio luflovicianusvar. excubitoroides COUES, Key, 1872, 125; Check List 1873, No. 135a; B. N. W. 1874, 102. Lan ius hulovicianus excubitorides COUES, B. Col. Val. 1878. 561: 2d Check List, 1882. No. 188; 2d Key, 1884, 338.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1884, No. 149a. Lanius mexicanus BREHM, J. f. O. 1854, 145, 148. HAB. Whole of temperate North America, including Mexico, but in many portions of the Eastern Province very local. The so-called /,. excubitorides mainly restricted to the arid interior regions, from the Saskatchewan plains to the table-lands of Mexico, includ- ing Lower California. SP. CHAR. Adult. Above ash-gray, usually somewhat paler— occasionally white— on the upper tail-coverts, the tips of the longer and outermost scapulars distinctly white. Wings and tail black; secondaries tipped with white, and primaries with a white patch at the base; ends of tail-feathers, except, middle pair, white, the outer rectrices sometimes almost wholly white. : Lores, orbits, and auriculars deep black. Lower parts entirely white, the sides sometimes tinged with grayish. Bill and feet black, at all seasons; iris brown. Young. Above brownish gray, vermiculated, except on middle of back, with LANIID.E — THE SHRIKES. 195 dusky, and tinged, more or less, with buff. Middle and greater wing-coverts, tipped with grayish buiT, enclosing a cui'ved dusky line; secondaries tipped with pale buff. Breast and sides pale buff or light grayish, vermiculated with dusky grayish. Black on side of head replaced by grayish dusky, with less sharply defined outlines. Total length, about 9 inches; extent, 12.50; wing, about 3.75-4.10; tail, about 4.00. Although the so-called "White-rumped Shrike" has usually been recognized as a well-marked race, it is found, when very large series of specimens are carefully compared, to rest upon a rather unstable basis. The ascribed characters are good enough if they were con- stant, which they are not; and about all that we can at present admit is a decided tendency in specimens from the arid interior regions to be lighter in color than those from the more humid dis- tricts on either side. The opposite extreme is seen in specimens from Florida, which are very dark, bu,t probably hardly separable as a race. Specimens of this species from Illinois have been referred to ex- cubitorides; but, while some specimens approach the latter, none that I have seen are typical of that style. Regarding this matter, Mr. Nelson makes the following observations in his catalogue of the birds of the northeastern portion of the State (Bull. Essex Inst. Vol. VIII., 1876, p. 104) : "A small series of shrikes from the northern and southern ex- tremes of the State have been submitted to my friend, Mr. J. A. Allen, who replies as follows : ' They all belong decidedly to var. ludovicianus, though somewhat lighter than Florida specimens, with smaller bills, etc. There is a slight approach in some of them to excubitorides, but the resemblance to Florida specimens is far greater than to specimens from the West — Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, etc. During the past two years I have examined a large number of shrikes from northern Illinois, and have found them, in nearly all cases, to be much nearer ludovicianus than excubitorides * Specimens obtained in the Wabash Valley and other parts of southern Illinois, exhibit the same characteristics in about equal proportion, as far as the number of specimens seen would permit me to judge." In all portions of the State of Illinois that are not too thickly wooded, the Loggerhead Shrike is a more or less common species. It is partial to those more open localities where there are hedge- rows or plenty of low thorny trees, preferably the honey-locust (Gleditschia triacanthos), wild crab-apple, or trees of like character. * An example collected at Mt. Carmel, January 5, 1886, by Master Jesse J. Turner, and by him presented to the National Museum, is decidedly the darkest in color of any of the numerous specimens in the National collection, including those from Florida. 196 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. These seem indispensable to its presence for the reason that the slender, sharp-pointed thorns are required for impaling its prey, and the matted impenetrable covert for the concealment or protection of its nests. Notwithstanding the fact that this species occasionally kills and devours small birds, it is of great benefit to the farmer from the fact that it destroys large numbers of grasshoppers and field mice. The habit of impaling its victims on thorns is one common to the whole family of Shrikes, and also one that has not been satisfac- torily explained; for it seems that objects so impaled are seldom touched by the bird afterward. It has been suggested that the bird improves every opportunity to procure food, and when not needing it impales it to provide for an emergency ; and that when fresh food is readily obtainable it is preferred. This may be the true explanation, but we think a more plausible one m?y be found. In the protection of its young, no bird displays greater courage or more affectionate solicitude for its off sp rug. I have repeatedly, when I had climbed to a nest containing young, had the parent birds alight within my reach and retreat only when I had attempted to grasp them ; all the while they were greatly excited with anger, and were the opportunity given to do so without being seen would actually bite my hand. During such occasions they keep up a peculiar crackling sound, mingled writh a sonorous qua a-u, qua a-a. The notes of this species are exceedingly varied ; so much so, in fact; that it is confounded by many people with the Mockingbird, although this is perhaps as much on account of the general simi- larity of their plumage as from any other reason. Some of the notes are soft and musical, but most of them are harsh, that most frequently heard resembling the creaking of an ungreased wheel- barrow or rusty gate-hinge. It is supposed that it imitates the notes of the smaller birds in order to entice them within its reach. When taken from the nest and reared in captivity, the Logger- head Shrike makes a most affectionate and interesting pet. It be- comes so perfectly tame as not to require the restraint of a cage, but will follow its keeper about the fields, and seeks his companion- ship with all the intelligent devotion of a dog. While watching for its prey, the Shrike occupies a prominent perch, as the summit of a small tree in the midst of a field or common, sitting "bolt upright," and scanning carefully the surround- ings in every direction. Its flight is very peculiar; on leaving the LANIID^E — THE SHRIKES. 197 perch it sinks nearly to the ground, describing a curve as it descends and passing but a few feet above the surface, ascends in the same manner to the object on which it next alights. The flight is per- formed in an undulating manner, the bird sustaining itself a- short time by a rapid fluttering of the wings, and sinking as this motion is temporarily suspended. While flying, the white patch on the wing is very conspicuous. The very bulky nests of this species are usually placed in thorny trees or in those having a dense canopy of vines. At Mount Carmel, however, I have frequently found them in apple trees. They are composed largely of wool and feathers. When built in young trees of the honey locust, where it is an absolute impossibility to reach them by climbing, they are often poked from their position out of spite, by the "small boy" with poles or fence-rails. 198 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. FAMILY AMPELIDJE.— THE WAXWINGS. CHAK. Legs moderate. Nostrils elongated, linear, with the frontal feathers extending close to the edge and to anterior extremity, concealing them; these feathers short, velvety and erect, with few bristles. "Wings very long and pointed; outer or first pri- mary so much reduced as to be almost inappreciable; the second nearly the longest. Wing nearly twice the length of the short, narrow, even tail. Under coverts of tail reaching almost to its tip. Secondary quills of fully adult birds with flat horny app nd- ages at end of shaft like red sealing-wax (except in A. japonlca). Young birds streaked beneath. Adults plain. This family, as restricted, contains but a single genus, Ampelis. The most obvious characters consist in the short, broad, and rather depressed bill, with short, decidedly convex gonys and densely feathered nasal fossae, and the wax-like appendages to the tips of the secondary quills in the adult. The family is usually enlarged, however, to include a so-called subfamily, Ptilogonatinre, which may be distinguished as follows : COMMON CHARACTERS. Gape of mouth nearly straight. Metal arsal scutellifi in three series. Body plain beneath, in adults. Ampelinae. Wings very long and much pointed, longer than the short even tail. First primiry excessively rudimentary; the outermost about the longest. Gape without bristles. Frontal feathers extending forward beyond the nostrils. Often with horny appendages like red sealing-wax at end of shaft of secondaries. Ptilogonatinae. Win s rounded, shorter than the graduated tail. First primary nearly half the second. Gape well bristled. Frontal feathers falling short of the nostrils. No red horny appendage to wing feathers. SUBFAMILY Ampelinse. GENUS AMPELIS LINN^US. Ampelis LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 297. Type, A. garrulus LINN. GEN. CHAR. Tail even, much shorter than the wing. Crown with a well-developed, soft, pointed crest. Other characters are as given above for th • family Ampelidce. Only three species of this genus are known, one of them being peculiar to North America, another restricted to Japan and adjacent parts of northeastern Asia, the third of circumpolar distribution. They are beautiful birds, characterized by exquisitely soft plumage AMPELID^S— THE WAXWINGS. 199 of subdued but harmoniously blended and contrasted colors, and are besides of most graceful form. They may be distinguished as fol- lows : COMMON CHABACTEKS. A lengthened crest of soft blended feathers. Colors, soft silky- brownish becoming more vinaceous anteriorly, and ashy posteriorly above. A black stripe on side of head, from nasal feathers across lores through the eye and behind it beneath crest, and a patch of the same on. chin, with a white streak between 011 side of lower jaw. A. Wing variegated. Lower tail- coverts rufous. Crest nnich developed. Forehead and side of head bright purplish rufous. Black patch covering whole throat, ami sharply defined. No white line between black of lores, etc., and brown of forehead. Inner webs of primaries tipped narrowly with white. a. Terminal band of tail rose-red. A. japonica.* Greater wing-coverts dull red. No yellow on tips of primaries. Rufous of crissum stained with red. Hub. Japan and eastern Siberia. 6. Terminal band of tail rich yellow. A. garrulus. Secondaries and primary coverts tipped with white, forming two broad short bands. Primaries with outer webs often tipped with yellow. Hal>. Arctic regions of both hemispheres; in winter, south into northern United States and along Rocky Mountains as far as Fort Massachusetts, New Mexico. B. Wings unvariegated. Lower tail-coverts white. Crest moderately developed. Forehead, etc., not different from crest. Chin, only, black, this fading gradually into the brown of throat. A white line between black of lores, etc., and brown of forehead. a. Terminal band of tail rich yellow. A. cedrorum. Wings plain bluish-ashy. Hab. Whole of North America, from 52° N., south to Guatemala, Jamaica and Cuba in winter. Ampelis garrulus Linn. BOHEMIAN WAXWING. Popular synonyms. Northern Chatterer or Waxwing; European Chatterer or Wax- wing; Black-throated Waxwing; Waxen Chatterer. Lanius garrulus LTNN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 95. Ampelis garmlus'Lis-s. S.N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 297.— BAIRD.B.N. Am. 1858,307,923; Cat.N. Am. B. 1859, No. 232; Eeview, 1866,405.— COUES, Key, 1872, 115; Check List, 1873, No. 118; 2d ed. 1882, No. 166; B. N. W. 1874, 91; B. Col. Val. 1878,459.— B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. i. 1874,396 pi. 18, fig. 1.— BIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 150. Bomb u cilia garrula VIEIIX. 1823.— Sw. & RICH. F. B. A. iiJ831, 2:>7.— NUTT. Man. ii,1834, 579.— AUD. Orn. Bio-, iv. 1838, 462, pi. 363; Synop. 1839. 165; B. Am. iv,1842. 1865, pi. 245. HAB. Northern parts of Northern Hemisphere; in North America, breeding in the northern coniferous forests, south to northern border of the United States, in Rocky Mountains; in winter, south, more or less regularly to lat. 40°, irregularly, still farther south. Not recorded from Pacific coast south of Alaska. "Sp. CHAE. Crest lengthened. Body generally soft, silky brownish-ashy, with a pur- plish cast, the wing-coverts and scapulars more brownish, becoming more reddish anteriorly and ashy posteriorly; the rump and upper tail-covert, as well as the second- aries, being nearly pure ash. Anteriorly the color passes gradually into deep vinaceous chestnut on the forehead to behind the eye and on the cheeks; abdomen yellowish white. Lower tail-coverts deep chestnut. A stripe on side of the head, covering the lores and nasal feathers (scarcely meeting across the forehead), involving the eye and continued back toward the occiput and beneath the crest, with a large patch covering the, chin and throat, deep black; a narrow crescent on lower eyelid, and a short stripe between the black of the throat and that of the chin at the base of the lower mandible, two very broad bars on *A mpelis phoBiiicopterum TEMM. PL Col. ii, 1838, pi. 450. 200 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. the wing, one across ends of primary coverts, and the other across ends of secondaries (the first occupying both webs, and the latter the outer), white. Primary coverts, pri- maries, and tail slaty black, the latter growing gradually ashy basally. A broadband acri ss end of tail, and a longitudinal space along end of outer web of primaries, gam- boge-yellow,—the marks on primaries, however, sometimes white, only stained with yellow. Each of the secondaries with an expanded continuation of the shaft, in form of flattened, very thin, somewhat elliptical appendages, of a bright vermilion-red resem- bling red sealing-wax. Length, 7.40; wing, 4.50; tail, 3.00." (Hist. X. Am. fi.) The sexes are essentially alike in coloration, but younger birds have little or no yellow on the wing, the markings being entirely white, or yellowish white, and reduced in size ; the yellow tip to the tail is also narrower, and the "sealing-wax" appendages more or less rudimentary, or even wanting altogether. This exquisite bird is an abundant though very irregular winter visitor to the extreme northern portion of the State, and even occa- sionally wanders to the southern portion, Professor Forbes having taken a specimen at Villa Kidge, Pulaski county, December 18, 1879. (See Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, Vol. V., p. 118.) In Cook county, Mr. Nelson says* that it is "an irregular but occasionally abundant winter resident, especially along the lake. Arrives in December, and sometimes remains until April. The win- ter of 1875-76 they were unusually numerous. In a letter dated March 16, 1876, Mr. Charles Douglas, of Waukegan, describes an "immense" flock of these birds which he observed the day previous, upon the lake shore near that town. The birds were feeding upon the juniper berries found there, and covered, according to Mr. Douglas's estimation, an area at least ten rods square. While feed- ing, those in the rear were continually flying and alighting in ad- vance, thus keeping the flock moving so that it was difficult to overtake them. A few days later the flock separated into numerous smaller ones, and soon departed for the north." Ampelis cedrorum (Vieill.) CEDAR WAXWING. Popular synonyms. Carolina Wax- wing; Cedar-bird; Cedar-lark; Cherry-bird. Bombycilla cedrorum VIEILI;. Ois. Am. Sept. i, 1807, 88, pi. 57. Ampelis cedrorum GRAY, 1849.— BATED, B. N. Am. 1858. 319; Cat, N. Am. B. 1859, No. 233; Review, 1800, 407.— COUES, Key, 1872,115; Check List 1873. No. 119; 2d ed. 1882, No. 167; B. N. W. 1874, 93. 233: B. Col. Val. 1878, 470.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i,1874, 401, pl. 18, fig. 2.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 151. Ampelis americfiim AViLS. Am. Orn. i, 1808, 107, pl. 7, fig. 1. Sombyeillacarolinensis STEPH. Gen. Zool. x, 1817, 422.— AUD. Orn.Biog.i, 1831, 227, pl.43; Synop. 1839, 165; B. Am. iv, 1842,169, pl. 246.-NUTT. Man. i, 1832,248. •Bull. Essex Inst. Vol. viiUS76,p. 103, AMPELID.E — THE WAXWJNGS. 201 HAS. Whole of temperate North America, south (in winter only?) to Guatemala. Jamaica, and Cuba; breeds nearly throughout its summer range. SP. CHAE. Crest moderate. General color soft vinaceous cinnamon, deepest anteri- orly, more olivaceous on back, scapulars, and wing-coverts, passing into pure light ash on the rump and upper tail- coverts, and into dingy yellow 011 flanks and abdomen. Lower tail-coverts white. Whole of the wing posterior to the greater coverts slaty ash, almost black along end of inner webs of primaries, the miter webs of which are narrowly edged with hoary whitish. Tail slate, passing into black terminally, tipped with a broad, sharply defined band of gamboge-yellow. Abroad stripe of intense velvety-black on side of head, starting from nostril, passing across lores, and involving the eye, continued from it beneath the crest to the occiput; chin dull black, blending gradually into the brownish of the throat. A narrow white line across the forehead and along the side of crown, be- tween brown of crown and back lores, etc., a narrow crescent on lower eyelid, and a stripe between black of lores and that of the throat, white. Fully adult male and female with each secondary rjuill terminated by a bright red horny appendage to the shaft. Younger birds with these very small and few in number, or entirely absent. Young. In general appearance similar to the adult. Colors more grayish, with indistinct concealed whitish streaks on nape and down back, these stripes becoming very conspicuous on the sides and flanks and across breast. No black on chin. Rump grayish brown; ab- domen and flanks dingy whitish. No appendages to s ndaries, and the yellow band across end of tail narrower than in adult. Eegarding alleged sexual differences of plumage in this species, we quote the following from E. A. Mearns, in the "Nuttall Bulletin" for April, 1878, p. 70 : "I have been so struck by the great varia- tion in different specimens of this species, in regard to the red wax-like appendages, that I have taken particular pains to procure a large series of specimens illustrating this difference. In this series I can scarcely detect any sexual difference in that respect, except that the particularly well-developed specimens are all males. In the normal plumage the waxen appendages are confined to the tips of the secondary remiges, but in my cabinet are several specimens which have them affixed to the primaries, and in several instances even to the red rices ; but they are usually small and few in num- ber. One specimen has several of these attachments to the prima- ries, which are nearly as well developed as those on the secondaries. But the most remarkable specimen is a handsome male (No. 545, adult male, April 11, 1875, Highland Falls, N. Y., E. A. M.), having these ornaments attached, not only to each of the secondaries and three of the primaries, but each of the rectrices is embellished by a well- developed red appendage. Several other specimens have large red tips to each of the rectrices ; and one (No. 1,558, male, February 23, 1878, E. A. M.) has Jive of its primary remiges (5th to 9th) tipped with yellow. Professor Baird* says : "A specimen from * Baird. Brewer, and Ridgway, Birds N. Am. i, p. 401, 1874. 202 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Guatemala (No. 50,455, male) is almost identical with examples from the United States, but differs in having a small spot of yel- low at the tip of each primary; also there are red appendages on the tip of a few tail-feathers, as well as the longest feathers of the lower tail-coverts."* "While speaking of this species, it may be well to add that in specimens taken in worn plumage, late in summer, the colors are very much bleached, all of the colors being very much paler ; the white band across the forehead is very much broadened, and the black of the chin much lightened. The top of the head and neck has an ochraceous suffusion, and the cinnamon- color of the back extends into, and partially subdues the ash of the rump." The elegant Cedar Waxwing is an abundant species throughout the State, but it is so capricious in its movements that its presence or absence appears to bear no relation to season or weather, the question of food supply being probably the controlling influence in its wanderings. Wherever there are ripe cherries (wild or cultivated), cedar berries, or berries of the black gum (Nyssa multi-flora] it is sure to be present. Except during the breeding season they rove in flocks, uttering, both while on the wing and when feeding, a very simple and perfectly monotonous lisping note, which is apparently their only utterance ; for, although belonging to the 0 seines, or so- called "Singing Birds," this species is perhaps the most silent of all the Passeres. During the spring of 1881, when the willow trees in a swamp near Wheatland, Indiana, were infested with myriads of the larvae of a small beetle (Plaaiodcra lapponica], immense number of Cedar- birds were present feeding exclusively on these insects. They are said also to be very fond of the destructive canker worm. In short, there can be no doubt that, although to a certain extent inimical to the grower of small fruits, they partially if not fully pay for what they take, in ridding his premises of insects which would otherwise injure if not destroy his trees. * Italics uiy own. Popular synoi y.n. Bell's Greenlet. Vireo bellii AUD. B. Am. vii, 1844. a°>3. pi. 485.— BATED. B. N. Am. 1858, 337: Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 240. pi. 17, fie. 13.— RIPGW. Nom. X. Am. B. 1*81, No. 145. H1RUNDINIDJL — THE SWALLOWS. 203 FAMILY HIRUNDINIDJE.— THE SWALLOWS. "CHAR. Bill short, triangular, very broad at base (nearly as wide as long) and much depressed, narrowing rapidly to a compressed, notched tip; mouth opening nearly to the eyes. Primaries nine, graduating rapidly less from the exterior one; tail feathers twelve. Feet weak; tarsi seutellate. shorter than middle toe and claw. Number of joints in toes normal; basal joints of middle toe partially or entirely adherent to lateral toes. Wings long, falcate. Tail forked. Eyes small. Plumage compact, usually lustrous. All the American species with a white patch on the sides under the Aving, and Avith the irides hazel or broAvn." (Hist. N. Am. Birds.) The Hirundinidte- form a very well-marked group of birds, easily distinguished from all others except the Cypselidce (Swifts), to which they exhibit a close resemblance in external appearance and habits, but from which, apart from the internal structure, they differ rad- ically in the possession of nine, instead of ten primaries ; twelve, instead of ten tail-feathers; seutellate tarsi, toes with normal num- ber of joints (1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively, exclusive of ungual phalanges), instead of a different proportion; differently shaped nostrils, and other minor characters. The following synopsis, adapted from that in Hist. N. Am. B. (Vol. I., pp. 326, 327), may serve to identify the North American genera. Genera of North American Hirundinidce. A. Nostrils broadly oval, or circular; opening upAvards and fonvard, and exposed; without overhanging membrane. a. Edge of Aving smooth. Tarsus short, stout; equal to middle toe without claw; feathered on the inner side above. Nostrils almost or entirely without membrane. Bill stout; culmen and commissure much curved. Frontal feathers with- out bristles. Tail deeply forked. Color lustrous black ; belly and crissum sometimes Avhite Progne. Bill rather weaker; commissure and culmen nearly straight to near tip. Frontal feathers bristly. Tail nearly even. Throat, rump, and crissum, and usually forehead, rufous ; belly white Petrochelidon. b. Edge of Aving in adult male armed with stiff recurved hooks. Bill larger and more depressed. Tail emarginate only. Color uniform dull brown, the crissum white Stelgidopteryx. B. Nostrils lateral; bordered behind and inside, or overhung by membrane, the outer edge of Avhich is straight, and directed either parallel with axis of bill or di- verging from it. a. Tarsus short; about equal to middle toe without claw. Tibial joint feath- ered; feathers extending along inside of upper end of tarsus. Tarsus bare at loAver end. Lateral olaAVS reaching only to base of middle. Tail very deeply forked, much longer than closed Avings; lateral feather a linear and vey narroAV at end, tAvice the length of central. Upper parts 204 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. ami pectoral collar stcel-Niie; front and throat, sometimes under parts, rufous. Tail-feathers with white spots on inner webs Chelidon. Tail with shallow fork, not exceeding halt an inch, shorter than closed wings. Feathers broad. Color blue or green above, with or without white rump ; white beneath. Tail-feathers without spots Tachycineta. Tarsus with a tuft of iVathers at lower end. Lateral claws lengthened reaching beyond base of middle claw. Tail slightly forked. Color dull brown above ; beneath white, with browr. pectoral collar Clivicola. GENUS PROGNE BOIE. Progne BOIE, Isis, 1820,971. Type, Hirundo pm-pim-a LINN.=#. siilis LINN. "Gen. CHAE. Body stout. Bill robust, lengthened; lower or commissural edge of maxilla sinuated, decidedly convex for basal half, then as concave to the tip, the lower . mandible falling within its chord. Nostrils superior, broadly open, and nearly circular, without any adjacent meniliranc, the edges rounded. Legs stout. Tarsus equal to mid- dle toe without claw; the joint feathered: lateral toes about equal; the basal joint of the middle toe half free internally, rather less so externally. Claws strong, much curved. Nest in hollow trees. 'Eggs white. "The species of this genus are the most powerful and robust of the Swallows. Some are glossy black, others whitish below." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Progne subis (Linn.) PURPLE MARTIN. Popular synonyms. Martin; House Martin; Purple Swallow; American Martin; Violet Swallow. llirvnilo snl>ix LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758. 192. Progne sub in BAIKD, Review, 18G5, 274.— B. B. & E. Hist, N. Am. B. i, 1874, 320, pi. 16, ligs. 7, 10.— COUES, 15. Col. Yal. 1878, 445; 2d Check List, 1882, No. 165.— BIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 152. Iliniiulo jiiiriiurrn LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 17(J(i, 344.— WILS. Am. Orn. v, 1812, 58, pi. 39, figs. 2, 3.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 115, pi. 23; Synop. 1839, 37; B. Am. i, 1840, 170, pi. 45. Progin' i>nritin-en BOIE. 1826.— BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858, 314; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 231.— COUES, Key, 1872, 114; Check List, 1873, No. 117; B. N. W. 1874, 91. HAS. Whole of temperate North America, wintering in Mexico (and southern United States?) ; Bermudas; accidental in Europe. SP. CHAE. A/lt male. Entirely uniform lustrous steel-blue, with violet-blue re- flections; the wings and tail black, slightly glossed with bluish. Adult female. Above glossy blue-black, be ining hoary grayish on the forehead, and sometimes on the nape also ; throat and jugulum gray ; rest of lower parts white, relieved by dusky shaft-streaks. Young. Similar to the adult female, but above less glossy blackish, and the nape crossed by a more distinct grayish collar. Wing, 5.50-6.20; tail, 3.20-3.80, forked for .80-1.00 inch. The young male is several years in attaining the uniform glossy violet-black plumage, the steel-blue feathers appearing in gradually coalescing patches. HIRUNDINID.'E — THE SWALLOWS. 205 No bird of North America is more deserving of protection and of encouragement to live about the habitations of man than the Purple Martin. One pair of them will destroy more insects in a season than all the English Sparrows in a township will kill in their life- time. Besides, their notes are pleasing to the ear, and their actions both when on the wing and when perching upon their boxes ex- tremely interesting. The ordinary notes themselves of this species are very agreeable to say the least, and during the breeding season the male has a continued and varied song of great beauty and considerable power ; and it is as much on account of the sweetness of their notes as for their familiarity and usefulness that these birds are such general favorites. I have observed that in the wild woods, where these handsome birds have not yet had opportunity to avail themselves of man's hospitality, they are as lovely and musical as when semi- domesticated in our door-yards, and in all respects exactly the same birds. GENUS PETROCHELIDON CABANIS. Pelroclielidon CAB. Mus. Hein, 1850,47. Type, Hiru m/o int'lmiogaster SWAINS., = P. swainsoni SCL. "GEN. CHAB. Bill stout and deep, somewhat as in Prague. Nostrils entirely superior open, without overhanging membrane on the inner (or upper) side, hut somewhat over- hung by short bristles, seen also along base of inner mandible and on chin. Legs stunt ; the tarsi short, not exceeding the middle toe exclusive of its claw; feathered all around for basal third or fourth, though no feathers are inserted on the posterior face. Tail fall- ing short of the closed wings, nearly square or slightly emarginate; the lateral feathers broad to near the ends, and not attenuated." (Hist. N. Am. B.} This genus, like Chelidon, is nearly cosmopolitan, at least two species — P. arborea (GOULD) and P. arid (GOULD) — belonging to Australia, and two or more to tropical America. Petrochelidon lunifrons (Say). CLIFF SWALLOW. Popular synonyms. Eave, or Square-tailed Eave, Swallow; Crescent Swallow; White- fronted Swallow; Republican Swallow. Hlrnndo lunifrons SAY, Long's Exp. ii, 1823, 47.— Sw. & RICH. F. B. A. ii, ls3l. 33].— BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858, 309; Cat. ft. Am. B. 1859, No. 226. Peti-ocJieUiion hinifroiis LAWK. 1861.— BAIRD, Review, I sir,. 288.— COUES, Key, ],X72. 114; Check List, 1873, No. 114; 2d ed. 1882, No. 162; B. N. W. 1874, 88; 15. Col. Val. 1878, 426, (excel, syn. pt.).— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i. 1874, 334, pi. 16, tig. 13.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 153. 20G TURDS OF ILLINOIS. Hirnndo fulva "ViErLL." AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831. 353, pi. 58 (nee VIEILL.) ; B. Am. i, 1840. 177, pi. 47.— NUTT. Man. i, 1&32, COS. HAB. Whole of temperate North America, north to Nova Scotia, Severn K., and Alaska; winters in portions of Central and South America. "Sp. CHAR. (No. 18,322, male.) Top of head glossy black, with greenish lustre; back and scapulars similar, but rather duller, and somewhat streaked by the appearance of the white sides of the feathers,— the bases of the feathers, however, being plumbeous. Chin throat, and sides of head, chestnut-brown, this extending round on the nape as a dis- tinct continuous collar, which is bounded posteriorly by dull grayish. The chestnut darkest on the chin, with a rich purplish tinge. Kump above and on sides paler chestnut (sometimes fading into whitish). Upper tail-coverts grayish brown, edged with paler, lighter than the plain brown of the wings and tail. Forehead, for the length of the bill, c-ivamy white, somewhat lunate, or extending in an acute angle, a little over the eye; a very narrow blackish frontlet; loral region dusky to the bill. A patch of glossy black in the lower part of the breast, and a few black feathers in the extreme chin, the latter sometimes scarcely appreciable. Under parts dull white, tinged with reddish gray on the sides and inside of the wings. Feathers of crissum brownish gray, edged with whitish, with a tinge of rufous anteriorly (sometimes almost inappreciable). Nest of mud, lined; built against rocks or beams; opening sometimes circular, on the side; sometimes open above; eggs spotted. "Total length, 5.10; wing, 4.50; tail, 2.40, nearly even; difference of primary quills, 2.10; length of bill from forehead. .38, from nostril .25, along gape, .CO, width, .50; tarsus, .48; middle toe and claw, .72; claw alone, .22; hind toe and claw, .44; claw alone, .20. "There is no difference between the sexes, but the young bird is very different from the adult in the following particulars : the steel- blue above is replaced by lustreless dusky-brown, the feathers (ex- cept on head) being margined with a creamy tint ; the neck merely tinged with rufous; the throat has only a dusky suffusion, and the chin is much mixed with white; the frontal patch is obsolete." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The Eave Swallow, Mud Swallow, or Square-tailed Barn Swallow, as this species is variously known in popular nomenclature is, locally, an abundant bird; Wherever found it occurs in colonies, sometimes comprising a hundred or more pairs, which take possession of the under side of the eaves of some large building — usually a barn or warehouse — attaching their gourd-shaped nests near together, so closely, sometimes, that some are built upon other. When located in towns or their immediate vicinity these colonies suffer much from the persecution of boys who delight to "pelt" the nests with various missiles, which recreation should be abridged by those having the authority, since it is an advantage to any community to have a colony of these insectivorous birds in its neighborhood. LUUUNDINIDJE— THE SWALLOWS. 207 GENUS CHELIDON FOKSTEE. Chelidon FORST. Synop. Cat. Brit. B. 1817,55. Type. Hirundo rustica LINN. "GEN. CHAR. Nostrils lateral. Tarsi short, not exceeding middle toe without its claw, the upper joint covered with feathers, which extend a short distance along the inner face of tarsus. Tail very deeply forked; the lateral feather much attenuated, twice as long as the middle. Basal joint of middle toe free for terminal fourth on outside, for half on inside. Nest partly of mud, and lined with feathers; eggs spotted. In type, an in American species, the forehead and throat rufous; a black pectoral col- lar; tail feathers with largo light spots on inner webs." (Hist. N. Am. B.) This, the typical genus of the family, has numerous representa- tives in the Old World, but in America is represented by a single species, the C . erythrogaster, or common Barn Swallow, which in- habits the greater portion of both North and South America. The various species are characterized, in addition to the characters of form detailed above, by a distinctive coloration very different from that of the otherwise closely related genera Tachycineta and Calli- cJielidoii, but much resembling that of the species of Petrochelidon, from which, however, other characters trenchantly separate them. The allied American genera may be distinguished from Clidldon as follows : Tarsi slightly feathered on inner face at upper end ; equal in length to middle toe- without claw. Tail very deeply forked. Plumage beneath rufous, the throtal darker Chelidon. Tail slightly forked or emarginate, plumage beneath pure white Tachycineta. Tarsi entirely naked, lengthened, equal to middle toe and half its claw. Tail considerably forked. Plumage beneath pure white Callichelidon*. Chelidon erythrogaster (Bodd.) t BARN SWALLOW. Popular synonym. Rufous-bellied Swallow. Hirundo erythrogaster BODD. Tabl. P. E. 1783,45 (based on PI. Enl. 724, fig. 1).— BAIRD, Re- view, 1865, 295.— CouES.B. Col. Val. 1878, 407 (erythrogastra); EIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 154. Clielidon erythrogastra STEJNEGER, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. v, 1882,31. Hirundo rufa GMEL. S. N. i, 1788, 1018.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832,601. Hirundo horreorum BARTON, Frag. Nat. Hist. Penn. 1799, 17.— BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858,308; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 225; Eeview, 1865, 294.— COUES, Key, 1872, 113; Check List, 1873, No. Ill; B. N. W. 1874,85.— B. B. & R. Hist, N. Am. B. i,1874,a39. pi. 16. fig. 9. Hirundo erythrogastra horreorum COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 159. Hirundo rustica "LiNN." AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 413, pi. 173; Synop. 1839,35; B. Am. i,1840, 181, pi. 48 (nee LINN.) Hirundo americana WILS. AM. Orn. i, 1812,34, pi. 38, figs. 1,2. * 0. cyaneoviridis BRYANT; BAIRD, Review, 303 (Bahamas). 208 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS, HAB. Whole of North America (including Greenland and Alaska), and parts of South America; breeds throughout North America, including parts of Mexico; winters in tropi- cal America, including West Indies. "Sp. CHAB. Tail very deeply forked: outer feathers several inches longer than the inner, very narrow towards the end. Above glossy blue, with concealed white in the mid- dle of the back. Throat chestnut: rest of lower part reddish white, not conspicuously different. A steel-blue collar on the upper part of the breast, interrupted in the middle. Tail-feathers with a white spot near the middle, on the inner web. Female with the outer tail-feather not quite so long. Length, 6.9rt inches; wing, 5.00; tail, 4.50." (Hist. JV. Am. B.) Ill young birds, the frontal chestnut band is smaller and less dis- tinct. The adult male is more deeply colored beneath than the female. The common Barn Swallow is so well known that any special account of its habits in this work would be quite superfluous. Its distribution is quite universal, its breeding range including almost the whole continent of North America. In unsettled districts where there are no buildings for its accommodation, it builds in caves or recesses among cliffs. Like all the Swallow tribe, the present species is most beneficial to the farmer, and should be most care- fully protected and encouraged. GENUS TACHYCINETA CAIUNIS. TacJiycincta CAB. Mus. Hein. 1850, 48. Type Hirninlo tlmJassina Sw. "GEN. CHAE. Nostrils lateral, overhung or bordered internally by incumbent mem- brane. Tarsi with the tibial joint covered by overhanging feathers, adherent a short dis- tance along inner face, about equal to middle toe without claw. Lateral toes equal. Adhesion of basal joint of middle toe variable. Tail emarginate only, or slightly forked; fork not exceeding half an inch in depth. Color blue or green above, with or without metallic gloss; with or without white rump. Entirely white beneath. Nests usually in holes of trees or rocks; eggs pure white, unspotted." (Hi»l. JV. Ant.B.} Of this section there are two North American species which may be distinguished by the following characters, both being blue or green above and white beneath: 1. T. bi color. Throat feathers white to the base; auricular* wholly dusky. Adult: Above, including the auriculars, rich metallic steel-blue, with green reflections. Young: Above lustreless sooty-plumbeous. 2. T. thalassina. Throat feathers dusky grayish below the surface; auriculars mostly whitish. Adult male: Above rich, soft (nut metallic) dark green (sometimes bronzed over with purple), with a violet collar across the nape; upper tail-coverts mixed with rich violet-purple; sides of the rump with a white patch. Adult female: Similar to the male, but duller; crown bronze-gray. Young: Similar to that of liicolor, except as described above. T. thalassina is a western species, the range of which extends little if any east of the Rocky Mountains. THE SWALLOWS. 209 Tachycineta bicolor (Vieill.) WHITE-BELLIED SWALLOW. Popular synonyms. Black and White Swallow; Green-blue Swallow; Tree Swallow. Hirundo bicolor VIEILL. Ois. Am. Kept, i, 1807, Cl, pi. 31.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 491, pi. 98; Synop. 1839, 35; B. Am. i. 1840, 175, pi. 4G.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 605.— BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858, 310; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 227; lleview, 1865, 297.— B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 344, pi. 16, fig. 8. Tachycineta bicolor CABAX. 1850.— COUES, Key, 1872, 113 Check List, 1873, No. 112; B. N. W. 1874, 86; B. Col. Val. 1878, 413.— BIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 155. Iridoprocne bicolor COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 160. Hirundo viridis WILS. Am. Orn. v, 1812, 49, pi. 38, fig. 2. HAB. Whole of temperate North America, breeding from table-lands of Mexico to Alaska and Great Slave Lake; wintering in southern United States, Cuba, Mexico, and Guatemala; Bermudas. "Sp. CHAR. Glossy metallic bluish green above; entirely white beneath. Female duller in color. Length, 6.25 inches; wing, 5.00; tail, 2.65. "Young bird dull sooty gray above, much like that of H. thalas.siiiti; but may readily be distinguished by the feathers of the throat being pure white to their roots, instead of having the concealed bases grayish as in that species." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The White-bellied Swallow is an abundant species where there are suitable places for the location of its nests. Some years ago there were many large dead stumps standing in the water in a stagnant pond connected with the Wabash Paver immediately above the dam at the Grand Eapids, near Mount Carmel. This pond consisted of "back water" resulting from the building of the dam, and the dead stumps were presumably the remnants of trees that had been killed by flooding, since they grew so thickly as to leave no doubt of their having once formed part of the adjacent forest. These dead stumps and "snags" were perforated by countless wood- pecker holes, and in these the White-bellied Swallows had their nests, as did also many pairs of Carolina Chickadees and Pro- thonotary Warblers. The Swallows were most numerous, however, there being perhaps more than fifty pairs nesting there. In some old elm trees, with dead tops, growing on the "commons" at Mount Carmel, there were also, formerly, several pairs nesting. Regard.ng this species in Cook county, Mr. Nelson gives us the following information on page 102 of his list : "Common resident. Arrives in large numbers March 20th. The first of May only residents remain. Departs in September. This species still keeps its primitive habit of nesting in deserted wood- peckers' holes, hollow stumps, and similar places, generally close —14 210 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. to some stream or body of water. Several times during the spring I have seen these birds occupy martin houses for several weeks, until the owners returned, when, after a desperate battle, they would leave. Have never observed them about the town during the breeding season." GENUS CLJVICOLA FOESTEB. Cliricola FOKRTER, Syn. Br. B. 1817, 55. Type, Hlrundo riparia LINN. Cotile BOIE, Isis, 1822, 550. Same type. "GEN. CHAK. Bill small; nostrils lateral, overhung by a straight-edged membrane. Tarsus about equal to middle toe without claw; feathered at upper end, especially on inner face, and having also a small tuft of feathers attached to posterior edge near the hind toe. Middle toe with basal joint adherent externally to near the end, half-way in- ternally, the claws comparatively little curved, the lateral reaching beyond the base of the middle. Tail slightly forked. Color dull lustreless brown above, in riparia white beneath with gray pectoral band. Nests in holes in banks; eggs white." (Hist. N. Am. B.} Birds of the genus Clivicola resemble in general appearance and habits those of the genus Stelgidopteryx, but may always be distin- guished by the small tuft of feathers growing from the lower por- tion of the posterior face of the tarsus. There are also other char- acters, which, however, have been sufficiently mentioned on page 204. Clivicola riparia (Linn.) BANK SWALLOW. fopular synonyms. Sand Martin; Sand Swallow. Eirundo riparia LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 192.— WILS. Am. Orn. v, 1812, 46, pi. 38, fig. 4.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 607.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, 584, pi. 385; Synop. 1839, 36; B. Am. i, 1840, 187, pi. 50. Cotile riparia BOIE, Isis, 1822, 550.— EIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 157.— COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 163. Cotyle riparia BOIE, 1826.— BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858, 313; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 229; Ee- view, 1865, 319.— COUES, Key, 1872, 114; Check List, 1773, No. 115; B. N. W. 1874, 89; B. Col. Val. 1878, 435. -B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 333, pi. 16, fig. 14. Clivicola riparia STEJNEGER, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1882, 32. HAB. Northern Hemisphere in general; in America, south to Brazil, and throughout "West Indies, but breeding chiefly in the United States and northward; winters chiefly south of the United States. "Sp. Char. Adult. Above grayish brown, somewhat fuliginous, with a tendency to paler margins of the feathers. Beneath pure white, with a band across the breast and the sides of the body like the back. Length, 4.75; wing, 4.00; tail, 2.00 "Young birds have less emarginate tails, and the feathers of back, rump, and winga edged with whitish." (Hist. N. Am. £.) HIRUNDINID.E — THE SWALLOWS. 211 A young specimen, full-fledged, in the collection of Mr. H. K. Coale, of Chicago, is apparently referable to this species, but differs quite markedly from any other example I have seen. The most conspicuous feature is the decided and quite uniform buff tinge to the whole throat, except along its posterior border, which calls to mind several Central and South American species of Stelcridopteryx (as S. niftcollis, S. uropygialis, etc.) ; the shade of the buff is lighter however, while the rest of the plumage is altogether different. The brownish gray pectoral band is wider and darker than usual, while the upper parts are a shade or so darker than in the average. Another very curious difference from the ordinary style of C. rip aria consists in the deep rufous-buff terminal margins of the wing-coverts, tertials, upper tail-coverts, and feathers of the rump, these markings being grayish or yellowish white in all other specimens I have seen. The measurements are as follows : Wmg, 3.60 ; tail, 2.00. It is evidently not full grown. The specimen was taken at Riverdale, near Chicago, Illinois, July 4, 1877. The distribution of the Bank Swallow within the limits of the State may be said to be very general, and it is also one of the most abundant species, occurring in colonies of greater or less ex- tent wherever there are sand- or soft earth-banks in the vicinity of water. It not unfrequently nests in the immediate vicinity of colonies of the Kough- winged Swallow, and at Mount Carmel I have found both species not only nesting in the same ravines, but appar- ently mingling together in perfect harmony. GENUS STELGIDOPTERYX BAIRD. Stelgidopteryx BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 312. Type, Hirundo serripennis ATJD. "GEN. CHAR. Bill rather small; nostrils oval, superior, margined behind, but scarcely laterally, by membrane, but not at all overhung; the axes of the outline converging. Frontal feathers soft, and, like chin, without bristles. Tarsi equal to middle toe without claw; the upper end covered with feathers all round, none at lower end. Basal joint of middle toe adherent externally nearly to end; internally, scarcely half. Lateral toes about equal, their claws not reaching beyond base of middle claw. Tail slightly emargi- nate; the feathers broad, and obliquely rounded at end. Edge of the wing rough to the touch; the shafts of the flbrilla^ of outer web of outer primary prolonged and bent at right angles into a short stiff hook. Nest (of S. serripennis) in holes in banks; eggs pure white, unspotted. "Color dull brown above." (Hist. N. Am. B.) "The birds of this genus have usually been referred to Cotyle, which, however, they resemble, only in color. The nostrils are ex- 212 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. posed, instead of being overhung; the tarsus is bare below, not feathered, and the lateral claws are considerably curved, and not reaching beyond the base of the lateral, as in Cotyle. The structure of the wmg is very different." (BALED.) The chief peculiarity of this genus consists in the remarkable roughness of the eage of the wing, said to occur also in Psalidoprocne CAB., an African genus. This characterizes only the adult male and older females, the young and many adult females having the web of the outer primary soft, as in other swallows. Stelgidopteryx serripennis (Aud.) BOUGH-WINGED SWALLOW. Popular synonyms. Rough-winged Bank Swallow, or Sand Martin; Bridge Swallow. Eirundo ser, ii.ennis AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838. 593; Synop. 1839, 37; B. Am. i, 1840, 193, pi. 51. Cotyle, serripennis BOIE, 1814.— BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858, 313; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859 No. 230. Stelgidopteryx serripennis BAIED, Review, 1865. 314.— COUES, Key, 1872, 114; Check List, 1873 No. 116; 2d ed. 1882, No. 164; B. N. W. 1874, 90; B. Col. Val. 1878, 438.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i. 1874'. 350, pi. 16, lig. 12.-RIDGW. Norn. Am. B. 1881. No. 158. HAB. Whole of United States, except extreme northern border, and New England east of the Connecticut Valley; northwest to British Columbia; wintering in Mexico and Guatemala. "SP. CHAE. (No. 32.269, male.) Above smoky brown, rather deeper on the head, perhaps a little paler on the rump. Larger quills and tail-feathers dusky brown; the secondaries and greater coverts sometimes lighter along their external edges. The under parts (for about half the total length) from bill to and including breast, with the sides of body and lining of wings, mouse-gray, rather lighter along the throat; the rest of under parts, in- cluding crissum, white, the latter with the shafts sometimes dusky, and very rarely with dusky blotches at the ends of the longer feathers. "Young birds (as in 1,120) differ in a tinge of reddish fulvous on the upper parts; the wing-coverts, secondaries, and inner primaries margined more or less broadly with a brighter shade of the same. The gray of the under parts is also washed with this color, especially on the chin and across the breast. The hooks of the edge of the wing have not yet become developed. "(No. 32 269, male, fresh specimen before being skinned.) Total length, 5.40; expanse of wings. 12.20; wing from carpal joint. 4.50. "(No. 32.2C9, male, prepared specimen.) Total length, 5.20; wing,4.50; tail,2.25; depth of fork, .15; difference of primaries, 2.28; length of bill from forehead, .40, from nostril, .24, along gape, .56, width of gape, .43; tarsus, 45; middle toe and claw, .57; claw alone, .19; hind toe and claw, .41; claw alone, .16." (Hist. N. Am. B.) In its general appearance as well as in habits, the Eough-winged resembles so closely the Bank Swallow as to be not easily distin- guished by the casual observer. It nests, like the latter species, in holes dug into the banks of streams or ravines, usually, however, in colonies by themselves, though not unfrequently mingling with HIKUNDINIDzE — THE SWALLOWS. 213 the other, pairs of the two sometimes occupying adjacent burrows. The Bough-winged Swallow, however, sometimes nests in holes in the abutment of bridges or even in cavities among the timbers, — a habit which the Bank Swallow has not been observed to have ac- quired. By the careful observer the Bough-winged Swallow may be im- mediately distinguished from the Sand Martin (C. ripariaj by the uniform "mouse-gray" or grayish brown color of the under parts, gradually passing into white on the under tail-coverts, the lower surface of the Bank Swallow being pure white, with a distinct band of grayish brown across the breast. 214 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. FAMILY TANAGBID-aB.— THE This beautiful group of birds, the essential characters of which are given on page 48, is represented within the United States by only five species, one of them being somewhat doubtful as a member of our fauna ; but in Tropical America, Tanagers form one of the prin- cipal elements of a bird-fauna, which for variety has no parallel in any other part of the world. It may interest the reader to know that the five families of Neotropical birds which are represented by the greatest number of species are absolutely peculiar to America, these families being the Tanagers (Tanagrid. Points of mandibles not overlapping. Acanthis. Tarsus equal to the middle toe. Bill very acutely conical; outlines and commissure perfectly straight. Lateral toes reaching beyond the base of the middle one. No ridge on the side of the lower mandible. Streaked; a crimson crown (except in one species). Leucosticte. Culmen slightly decurved; commissure a little concave. Bill obtusely conical; not sharp-pointed. A conspicuous ridge on the side of the lower mandible. Claws large; the lateral not reaching beyond the base of the middle one. Colors red and brown. D. Hind claw much the largest; decidefly less curved than the middle anterior one. Tarsus longer than the middle toe. Lateral toes equal; reaching about to the base of the middle claw. Hind toe as long as or longer than the middle one. Bill very variable; always more or less curved and blunted. Palate somewhat tuberculate; margins of lower jaw much inflexed. Tail slightly emarginate or even. Wings one half longer than the tail. First quill as long as the second. Plectrophenax. Angle of gonys opposite middle of culrnen, the gonys greatly ascend- ing. Maxilla shallower than mandible. Middle toe and claw about equal to tarsus, the claw reaching beyond that of the hallux. Secondaries mostly white. Calcarius. Bill much as in Plectrophenax. Middle toe and claw shorter than tarsus, the claw not reaching as far as to the tip of the hind claw. No white on secondaries. Bhynchophanes. Bill very stout, conical, the angle of the gonys decidedly posterior to the middle of the bill, the maxilla equal in depth to the mindible. GENUS COCCOTHRAUSTES FRISSON. Coccothraustes BEISS. Orn. iii, 1760, 218. Type.Zoxm Coccothraustes LINN. Subgenus Hesperiphona BONAPARTE. ffesperiphona BONAP. Comptes Eendus, xxxi, Sept. 1850, 424. Type, Fringilla vesper- Una COOP. "GEN. CHAR. Bill largest and stoutest of all the United States fringilline birds. Upper mandible much vaulted; culmen nearly straight, but arched toward the tip; commissure concave. Lower jaw very large, but not broader than the upper, nor extending back, as in Guiraca; considerably lower than the upper jaw. Gouys unusually long. Feet short; tarsus less than the middle toe; lateral toes nearly equal, and reaching to the base of the middle claw. Claws much curved, stout and compressed. Wings very long and pointed, reaching beyond the middle of the tail. Primaries much longer than the nearly equal secondaries and tertials; outer two quills longest; the others rapidly graduated. Tail slightly forked; scarcely more than two thirds the length of the wings, its coverts cover- ing nearly three fourths of its extent. Nest and eggs unknown." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Coccothraustes vespertinus (Coop.) EVENING GROSBEAK. Fringilla vesperlina COOPER. Ann. Lye. N. Y. i, 1825,220.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 594.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1839,515; v. 1839,235, pis. 373,425. 222 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Coccothraustes vespertina Sw. & KICH. F. B. A. ii, 1831,269, pi. 68.— AUD. Synop. 1839,134; B. Am. iii, 1841, 217, pi. 207. Hesperi phono, vespertina BONAP. 1S50.— BATED, B. N. Am. 1,->5S, 409; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 302.— COUES, Key, 1872, 127; Check List,1873,No. 136; 2d ed. 18S2,No. 189; B. N. W. 1874,105.— B. B. & R. Hist, N. Am. B. i, 1875, 449, pi. 22, fig. 1.— KIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 165. HAB. Western North American, south, in mountain districts, to elevated regions of eastern Mexico; north to the Saskatchewan, and east, especially in winter, to the Great Lakes; accidental in northern Atlantic States (New York, Ohio, etc.). "Sp. CHAR. Bill yellowish green, dusky at the base. Anterior half of the body dusky yellowish olive, shading into yellow to the rump above, and the under tail-coverts below. Outer scapulars, a broad fron al band continued on each side over the eye.axillaries, and middle of under wing-coverts yellow. Feathers alon? the extreme base of the bill, the crown.tibise, wings, upper tail-coverts, and tail black; inner greater wing-coverts and tertiaries white. Length, 7.30; wing, 4.30; tail 2.75. "The female differs in having the head of a dull olivaceous brown, which color also glosses the back. The yellow of the rump and other parts is replaced by a yellowish ash. The upper tail-coverts are spotted with white. The white of the wing is much restricted. There is an obscure blackish line on each side of the chin." (Hist. N. Am. .B.) Young male, nearly adult. Generally similar to adult male, but tertials having inner webs entirely dusky and grayish, the lower webs grayish next the shaft; inner greater coverts pale yellow; deeper on edges; upper tail-coverts tipped with dingy yellow, and inner webs of tail-feathers indistinctly tipped with grayish, passing into whitish termi- nally. Back and jugulum mixed with feathers of an olivaceous yellow. (Male, Santa Cruz, Cal., March, 1876; Coll. E. W. Nelson.) This beautiful bird is a winter visitant to the more northern por- tions of the State, its appearance being, however, very irregular, as is that of the Bohemian Wax- wing (Ampelis garrulus). Mr. Nelson says that it is "a winter visitant occuring at irregular intervals. The winter of 1871 they were quite common throughout the northern portion of the State. The following whiter they were much rarer, and since then but very few have been seen. I am told that formerly it was fo much more regular occurrence." (Bull. Essex Inst., Yol. VIII., 1876, p. 104.) The most southern record for this State appears to be that by Mr. 0. P. Hay, in the "Nuttall Bulletin" for July, 1881, page 179, which reads as follows : "The Evening Grosbeak has for its habitat the region extending from the Plains to the Pacific Ocean, and from Mexico into British America. Toward the north it ranges further to the east; so that, while it appears to be not uncommon about Lake Superior, it has been reported as occurring in Ohio, New York, and Canada. In Illi- nois it was observed at Freeport during the winter of 1870-71 ; and at Waukegan during January, 1873. (Hist. N. A. Birds by Baird, Brewer, and Pddgway.) Mr. Eobt. Pudgway in his recently issued 'Catalogue of the Birds of Illinois,' states that it is 'a winter visi- tant to the extreme northern counties of the State'. FRINGILLID.E — THE FINCHES. 223 "It will, therefore, be a matter of interest to ornithologists to learn that this exquisite bird is sometimes found further south and at a less advanced season of the year. About the year 1872, while hunting during the fine autumn weather, in the woods about Eureka, Illinois, I fell in with a flock of these Grosbeaks, and succeeded in killing six of their number. They were feeding in the tree tops on the seeds of the sugar maple, just then ripening, and were exces- sively fat. They were very unsuspicious, and for a long time ap- peared to be incapable of realizing the havoc that I was making in their ranks, as they tarried in the neighboring boughs and uttered their call-notes to summon their missing companions. As the skins of these birds afterward passed out of my hands, I can not now give with certainty the year of their capture. Eureka is in Woodford county, and one hundred and twenty miles nearly due south of Freeport. It is about the same distance south of Waukegan." According to Mr. Thos. H. Douglas, of Waukegan (in letter dated January 2, 1882), "these birds, when shot at, will fly into the nearest large evergreens, where they sit perfectly still, and are very hard to be seen, but after a few moments they begin to call and can easily be discovered. I have repeatedly shot two or more out of the same tree. They feed on the seeds of evergreens and sugar-maple buds. Have known them to stay until May, when they ate the buds of black ash and cottonwood. They were feeding on the latter in com- pany with the Kose-breastecl Grosbeak. I think we will get some this winter, as there are very few evergreens seeding north of us, and what are, are mostly blind seeds. I had one slightly wounded in a cage for several days in the green-house, where it got to be very tame, and seemed to prefer hemp seed to any other kind, although I tried it with about a dozen kinds of evergreen seeds." GENUS PINICOLA VIEILLOT. Pinicola VIEILL. Ois. Am. Sept. i, 1807, 4, pi. 1, fig. 13. "CHAE. Bill short, nearly as high as long; upper outline much curved from the base; the margins of the mandibles rounded; the commissure gently concave, and abruptly deflexedat the tip; base of the upper mandible much concealed by the bristly feathers covering the basal third. Tarsus rather shorter than the middle toe; lateral toes short, l, ut their long claws reach the base of the middle ono, which is longer than the hind claw. Wings moderate; the first quill rather shorter than the second, third, and fourth. Tail rather shorter than the wings; nearly even." (Hist. N, Am. B.) 224 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Pinicola emicleator (Linn.) PINE GROSBEAK. Loxia enucleator "LnxTX. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 171.— WILS. Am. Orn. i, 1808, 80, pi. 5, fig. 2. Corythus enucleator CUVIER.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 127; B. Am. iii, 1841, 179, pi. 199. Pyrrhula enucleator BONAP. 1828.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 535.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, 414. pi. 358. Pyrrhula (Corythus} enucleator Sw. & EICH. F. B. A. ii, 1831, 262, pi. 53. Pinicola enucleator CAB. 1851.— GOUES, Key, 1872, 127; Check List, 1873, No, 137; 2d ed. 1882, No. 190; B. N. W. 1874, 104.-B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 453, pi. 21, figs. 1, 2. RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 16G. Pinicola canadensis ("BEEHM") CABAN. Mus. Hein. i, 1851, 167 (ex. Corythus canadensis BKEHM).— BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858, 410; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 304. HAB. Northern coniferous forests of Northern Hemisphere ; in North America, breed- ing far south (to at least 38°) in higher western mountains, and in winter migrating south to or beyond 40°, in Eastern Province. "Sp. CHAK. Bill and legs black. Male. General color light carmine-red or rose, not continuous above, however, except on the head; the feathers showing brownish centres on the back, where, too, the red is darker. Loral region, base of lower jaw all round, sides (under the wing), abdomen, and posterior part of the body, with under tail-coverts, ashy, whitest behind. Wing with two white bands across the tips of the greater and middle coverts ; the outer edges of the quills also white, broadest on the tertiaries, on secondaries tinged with red. Female ashy, brownish above, tinged with greenish yellow beneath; top of head, rump, and upper tail-coverts brownish gamboge-yellow. Wings much as in the male. Length about 8.50; wing, 4.50; tail, 4.00. Young like female, but more ashy." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The Pine Grosbeak — much the largest of the North American Fringillidae — is an irregular winter visitant to the more northern portions of the State. Mr. Thos. H. Douglas, of Waukegan, writes me, under date of January 2, 1884, that, having been informed of a flock of "strange birds," which had been seen eating high-bush cranberries, he, the next day saw from his room a small flock flying by, which proved to be this species. He adds : "They are more shy than the Evening Grosbeak, as a shot will generally scare them out of sight." GENUS CARPODACUS KAUP. « Carpodacus KAUP, Entw. Europ. Thierw. 1829, 161. Type, Loxia erythrina PALL. "CHAR. Bill short, stout, vaulted; the culmen decurved towards the end; the com- missure nearly straight to the slightly decurved end. A slight development of bristly feathers along the sides of the bill, concealing the nostrils. Tarsus shorter than the middle toe; lateral claws reaching to the base of the middle one. Claw of hind toe much curved, smaller than the middle one, and rather less than the digital portion. Wings long and pointed, reaching to the middle of the tail, which is considerably shorter than the wing, and moderately forked. Colors red, or red and brown. Female. With the red replaced by brown." (Hist. N. Am. B.) THE FINCHES. 225 While the western portions of North America possess three species of this genus (C. front alls, the familiar House Finch, of the Valley portions, C. purpnreus calif or nicus, or California Purple Fmch, of the Pacific coast, and C. cassini, Cassin's Purple Fmch, of the higher mountains), but a single species occurs in the eastern por- tions of the continent. This, the common Purple Finch (C. pur- pureus), occurs within the United States chiefly in winter and early spring, the greater part of its breeding range being located beyond our northern boundary. Carpodacus purpureus (Gmel.) PURPLE FINCH. Popular synonyms. Purple Liiiuet; Purple Grosbeak; Strawberry Bird (Connecticut) ; Rosy Linnet; Koseate Grosbeak or Finch. Fringillapurpnrea GMEL. S. N. i, 1788, 923.— WILS. Am. Orn. i, 1808, 119, pi.' 7, fig. 4; v, 1812. 87, pi. 43, fig. 3.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 24; v, 1839, 500, pi. 4.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 529. Erytlirospiza purpurea BONAP. 1838.— Aur>. B. Am. iii, 1841, 170, pi. 196. Carpodacus purpureus GEAT.— BATED, B. N. Am. 1858, 412; Cat. N. Am. B, 1859, No. 305.— COUES, Key, 1872, 128; Check List, 1873, No. 139; 2d ed. 1882, No. 194; B. N. W. 1874, 106.— B. B. & B. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 465, pi. 21, figs. 10, ll.-KiDGW. Norn. N. A. B. 1881, No. 168. HAB. Eastern temperate North America, but breeding chiefly north of the United States; in winter, south to Gulf coast. "Sp. CHAE. Second quill longest; first shorter than third,— considerably longer than the fourth. Body crimson, palest on the rump and breast, darkest across the middle of back and wing-coverts, where the feathers have dusky centres. The red extends below continuously to the lower part of the breast, and in spors to the tibia?. The belly and under tail-coverts white, streaked faintly with brown, exc n">t in the very middle. Edges of wings and tail-feathers brownish red ; lesser coverts like the buck. Two reddish bands across the wings (over the ends of the middle and greater coverts). Lores dull grayish. Length, 6.25 inches; wing, 3.34; tail, 2.50; bill above, .46. Fi-inah. Olivaceous brown above; brighter on the rump. Beneath white; all the feathers everywhere streaked with brown, except on the middle of the belly and under coverts. A superciliary light stripe." Although best known as a spring migrant, when the flocks are rendered conspicuous by reason of their musical warbLngs, the Purple Finch is a winter resident in the more southern portions of the State. The writer first made its acquaintance at Mount Carmel, in mid-winter, under circumstances of delightful memory. The ground was covered with snow, — the weather clear and bright, but cold. Crossing a field in the outskirts of the town, and approaching the line of tall, dead "rag-weeds" (Ambrosia t ri.fi da) which grew thickly in the fence corners, a straggling flock of ba'ds was startled, flew a short distance, und again alighted on the tall weed-stalks, uttering as they flew a musical, metallic chink, chink. The beautiful —15 226 BIRDS OP ILLINOIS. crimson color of the adult males, heightened by contrast with the snow, was a great surprise to the writer, then a boy of thirteen, and excited intense 'interest in this, to him, new bird. On subse- quent occasions during the same winter, they were found under like circumstances, and also in "sycamore" or buttonwood trees, feeding on the small seeds contained within the "balls" of this tree. The Purple Finch may possibly breed in the extreme northern portion of the State, but has not yet been recorded, so far as the writer is aware, as doing so. From History of North American Birds (Vol. I., pp. 463, 464) we quote the following paragraphs, by Dr. 1. M. Brewer, pertaining to the breeding habits of this species : "The Purple Finch, or, as it is generally known in New England, the Linnet, is one of our sweetest, best, and most constant 'song- sters, and is often trapped and sold as a cage bird. They soon become accustomed and partially reconciled to their confinement, but sing only during a small part of the year. When one of these birds, confined in a cage, is hung outside the house, in the country, he is sure to draw around him quite a number of his species, and this furnishes the dealer a ready means of capturing them. "The song of the Purple Finch resembles that of the Canary, and though less varied and powerful, is softer, sweeter, and more touch- ing and pleasing. The notes of this species may be heard from the last of May until late in September, and in the long summer evening are often continued until it is quite dark. Their song has all the beauty and pathos of the Warbling Vireo, and greatly resembles it, but is more powerful and full in tone. It is a very interesting sight to watch one of these little performers in the midst of his song. He appears perfectly absorbed in his work,— his form is dilated, his crest is erected, his throat expands, and he seems to be utterly unconscious of all around him. But let an intruder of his own race appear within a few feet of the singer, and the song instantly ceases, and in a violent fit of indignation he chases him away." GENUS LOXIA LINNJEUS. Loxia LINKEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. 10, 1758, 171. Type, Loxia curvirostra LINK. "GEN. CHAR. Mandibles much elongated, compressed and attenuated; greatly curved or falcate, the points crossing or overlapping to a greater or less degree. Tarsi very short; claws all very long, the lateral extending beyond the middle of the central; hind claw longer than its digit. Wings very long and pointed, reaching beyond the middle of the narrow, forked tail. Colors reddish in the male. FRINGILLID.E — THE FINCHES. 227 "The elongated, compressed, falcate-curved, and overlapping man- dibles readily characterize this genus among birds. This feature, however, only belongs to grown specimens, the young having a straight bill as in other Finches." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The two North American species of this genus may be very readily distinguished by the uniformly brownish wings of L. minor, and the conspicuous white spots or bands on the greater and middle wing-coverts in L. leucoptera, — these differences characterizing both sexes, at all ages. Loxia curvirostra minor (Brehm). AMERICAN CROSSBILL. Popular synonym. American Red Crossbill. Loxia curvirostra FOKST. Phil. Trans. Ixii, 1772, 402 (nee LINN).— NUTT. Man. i,1832, 583.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 559; v. 1839, 511, pi. 197; Synop. 1839, 128; B. Am. iii, 1841, 186, pi. 200. Curvirostra americana WILS. Am. Orn. iv, 1811, 44, pi. 31, figs. 1,2.— BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858, 426; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 318. Loxia curvirostra var. americana COUKS, Key, 1872, 351; Check List, 1873, No. ; B. N. W. 1874, 109.-B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, pi. 23, figs. 1, 4. Loxia curvirostra americana RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 172.— COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 199. Curvirostra minor BEEHM, Naum. 1853, 193. Loxia curvirostra minor RIDGW. Proc. TJ. S. Nat. Mus. viii, 1885, 354. HAB. Temperate North America, breeding from northern border of United States north to portions of Alaska, and on higher mountain ranges south to Pennsylvania, East- ern Tennessee, etc. (In Rocky Mountains and other higher western ranges replaced in summer by the much larger//, curvirostra mexicana.} South to Virginia, Tennessee, etc. "Sp. CHAE. Old male dull red (the shade differing in the specimen, sometimes brick- red, sometimes vermilion, etc.); darkest across the back; wings and tail dark blackish- brown. Young male yellowish. Female dull greenish-olive above, each feather with a dusky center; rump and crown bright greenish yellow. Young olive above; whitish be- neath, conspicuously streaked above and below with blackish. Male about 6 inches; wing. 3.30; tail, 2.25." (Hist. N. Am. B.} Perhaps no birds are more erratic in their movements than the Crossbills ; and this observation applies no less to their habits dur- ing the breeding season than at other times. They appear and disappear from a given locality in the most unexpected manner, and it probably cannot be said of any district that any species of this genus is a constant inhabitant during any portion of the year. In IlLnois, the present species is an irregular visitant throughout the State, being of course more rare and uncertain in the southern than in the northern portion. 228 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Having had few opportunities for observing the habits of this spe- cies, we quote the following from History of North American Birds (Vol. I., pp. 487, 488), written by Dr. Thos. M. Brewer: "The Crossbills are extremely gentle and social, are easily ap- proached, caught in traps, and even knocked down with sticks. Their food is chiefly the seeds of the Conifers, and also those of plants. Audubon's statement that they destroy apples merely to secure the seeds is hardly accurate. They are extravagantly fond of this fruit, and prefer the flesh to its seeds. Their flight is undu- lating, somewhat in the manner of the Goldfinch, firm, swift and often protracted. As they fly, they always keep up the utterance of their loud, clear call-notes. They move readily on the ground, up or down the trunks and limbs of trees, and stand as readily with their heads downward as upright. "So far as is known, these Crossbills breed in mid- winter, or very early in the spring, when the weather is the most inclement. The nest and eggs of this species were procured by Mr. Charles S. Paine, in East Eandolph, Vt., early in the month of March. The nest was built in an upper branch of an elm, — which, of course, was leafless,— the ground was covered with snow, and the weather severe. The birds were very tame and fearless, refusing to leave their eggs, and had to be several times taken off by the hand. After its nest had been taken, and Mr. Paine was descending with it in his hand, the female again resumed her place upon it, to pro- tect the eggs from the biting frost. The eggs were four in number and measured .85 by .53 of an inch. They have a greenish white ground, and are beautifully blotched, marbled, and dotted with vari- ous shades of lilac and purplish brown." [Further interesting information on the breeding habits of this species may be found in the "Nuttall Bulletin" for January, 1880, pp. 7-11, and 50, 51 ; and in the "Ornithologist and Oologist" for December, 1880, pp. 78, 79, is a record of the capture of speci- mens at Eugby, Tennessee, July 27 and August 7, 1880.] Loxia leucoptera (Grnel.) WHITE- WINGED CROSSBILL. Loxia leucopicra GMEL. S. N. i, 1788, 844.— NUTT. Man. i, 1852, 540.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1883, 467, pi. 364; Synop. 1839; B. Am. iii, 1841, 190, pi. 201.— B. B. and E. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 488, pi. 23, figs. 2, 3.— COUES, Check List, 1873, No. 142; 2d ed. 1882, No. 198; B. N. W. 1874, 110.— RIDGTV. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 175. FRINGILLID.E — THE FINCHES. 229 Cumh-ostra leucoptera WILS. Am. Orn. iv,1811, 48. pi. 31 fig. 3.— BAIKD. B. N. Am. 1858, 427; Cat. N. Am. B, 1859, No. 319.— CouES.Key, 1872, 129. Loxia atrata von HOMEYEE, J. f. 0. 1879. 179. HAB. Northern North America, breeding from northern New England and northern Rocky Mountain districts northward. (Said by AUDUBON to breed in mountainous por- tions of Pennsylvania.) In winter, south to or beyond 39°, in some seasons. No Pacific; coast record south of Alaska; accidental in Greenland and in Europe. SP. CHAR. Bill greatly compressed, and acute towards the point, Male carmine- red, tinged with dusky across the back; the sides of the body under the wings streaked with brown: from the middle of belly to the tail-coverts whitish, the latter streaked with brown. Scapulars, wings, and tail black; two broad bands on the wings across the ends of greater and median coverts; white spots on the end of the inner tertiaries. Female brownish, tinged with olive-green in places; feathers of the back and crown with dusky centres; rump brownish yellow. Length about 6.25; wing, 3.50; tail, 2.60. The white bands on the wings distinguish this species from the preceding, although there are some other differences in form of bill, feet, wing, etc. There is less variation in form and color among specimens than in the preceding. The American White-winged Crossbill differs from its European analogue, L. bifasciata, in the more slender body and bill, and in having the body pomegranate- red, with blackish back, instead of cinnabar-red, as in curvirostr-a and minor. Bonaparte and Schlegel quote the American species as occurring in the Himalaya Mountains, and perhaps Japan, but throw doubts on the supposed European localities. In the Journal filr Ornitlwlogie for 1879, p. 179, von Homeyer describes as a new species ("Loxia atrata") what appears to be a variation of L. Icucoptera; but the circumstance that the supposed species is based on two specimens "exactly alike" suggests the pos- sibility of the form in question proving eventually to be perhaps a local race of L. leucoptera. A free translation of the original descrip- tion, in German, is as follows : "Somewhat smaller than L. leucoptera, but writh about the same length of wing, the tail at least 10 mm. shorter. Distinguished by its coloration. The red in ground tone is nearest that of the 'Hakengimpel' [Pinicola enncleator], but everywhere darker, and saturated, as it were, with black, this color extending indefinitely both on the back as well as on the middle of the belly to the breast, as also on the lower iail-cover>s. The feet are even darker colored than in leucoptera. The wing-bands are unaffected for the most part, although not quite so broad. This is especially seen in the first or terminal band, which begins, scarcely visible, at the edge of 230 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. the wing, and remains very inconsiderable to the middle, then qu ckly expands to a great rounded spot. The extent of the second band is everywhere much more limited than in leucoptera. "This is decidedly not a melanism, as is shown, not alone by the character of the coloration, but by the occurrence of two old males exactly alike. "My two birds came from North America." The same general remarks found under Loxia americana will apply equally well to the present species. The White-winged Crossbill is, however, decidedly a more northern bird so far as its summer habitat is concerned, breeding abundantly in the subarctic portions of the continent from northern Labrador and the western shores of Cumberland Gulf to Alaska, or quite to the northward of the breed- ing range of L. americana. Mr. Thos. H. Douglas, of Wankegan, sends me, under date of November 17, 1883, the following exceedingly interesting note on this species : "Last winter we were visited by several flocks of Loxia leucoptera and a few of L. americana. The former were in a stained condition of plumage. They stayed around piles of pine and spruce cones we had gotten the seeds out of. They carne about the first of February, and some stayed as late as April 1. One of the americana and two leucoptera were here until the latter part of April. Although these two species got along well together when out of doors (would pick seeds out of the same cone), when in captivity (as we had them several times) the former would not let the latter feed, and killed some by picking them on the head. They were very easily caught. We captured several with our hands, and a great many in a com- mon flour-sieve fastened to a pole about six feet long. They would eat out of our hands in a few minutes after being caught. A num- ber were kept in confinement here. I have four — three males and one female. I think there are several more in town. Both sexes sing (the female in a lower voice) in a low and sweet but discon- nected tone. Since moulting, the males have had an olive-green plumage, without any show of red." January 2, 1884, he writes me as follows: "My crossbills are stall alive and flourishing, I will try and mate them the coming spring. I have three males and one female. The latter got out of the cage while it was hanging out of doors in the — THE FINCHES. 231 summer and came back the next day and allowed itself to be taken by hand. The males since moulting are about the color of Den- droica (estiva." In the spring of 1839, Mr. Jillson, of Hudson, Mass., sent Dr. Brewer a pair of these birds which he had captured the preceding autumn. They were very tame, and were exceedingly interesting little pets. Their movements in the cage were like those of caged parrots in every respect, except that they were far more easy and rapid. They clung to the sides and upper wires of the cage with their feet, hung down from them, and seemed to enjoy the practice of walking with their head downward. They were in full song, and both the male and female were quite good singers. Their songs were irregular and varied, but sweet and musical. They ate almost every kind of food, but were especially eager for slices of raw apples. An occasional larch cone was also a great treat to them. Although while they lived they were continually bickering over their food, yet when the female was accidently choked by a bit of egg shell her mate was inconsolable, ceased to sing, refused his food, and died of grief in a very few days. GENUS ACANTHIS BECHSTEIN. Acantlils BECHST. Orn. Tasch. Deutscli. 1803, 125. Type, Fr Ing ilia linaria LINN. jSSgiothus CABANIS, Mus. Hein. 1851, 161. Typo, Frlngllla linaria LINN. "Sp. CHAE. Bill very short, conical, acutely pointed, the outlines sometimes con- cave; the commissure straight; the base of the upper mandible and the nostrils con- cealed by stiff appressed bristly feathers; middle of the mandible having several ridges parallel with the culmen. Inner lateral toe rather the longer, its claw reaching the middle of the middle claw; the hind toe rather longer, its claw longer than the digital portion. Wings very long, reaching the middle of the tail; second quill a little longer than the first and third. Tail deeply forked." (Hist. N. Am. B.) and Races. COMMON CHARACTERS. Adult. Above streaked with dusky upon a brownish, or brown and whitish, ground; wing-coverts tipped with whitish or pale brown. Beneath whitish, usually streaked on the sides with dusky. An indistinct, lighter superciliary stripe. Crown crimson (except in A. brewsteri.') Male. Breast more or less tinged with rose-pink. Female. Breastnot tinged with pinkish. Young. Without any pink on breast. A. Crown of adult with a patch of crimson. Chin with a dusky spot. 1. A. hornemannii. Bill very short, the depth at the base nearly equal to or greater than its length. Bump wholly white, or with white largely prevailing. Breast in adult male delicate peach-blossom pink. Lower tail- coverts with white shafts. a. Bill very stout, rather obtuse, the depth through the base about equal to length of culmen. Wing, 3.25 or more; tail, 2.70 or more. Hab. Greenland; northern Labrador (Ungava) in winter A. hornemannii. 232 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. 6. Bill more slender, very acute, the depth through base less than depth of cul- men. Wing, 3.10 or less; tail, 2.60 or less. Bab. Arctic America, except Green- land; south, in winter to northern U. S A. hornemannii exilipes. 2. A. linaria. Bill more slender, the depth through the base much less than length of culmeu. Bump heavily streaked with dusky, the latter usually largely prevail- ing. Breast in adult male intense rose-pink. Lower tail-coverts with dusky shafts. a. Wing, 3.00 or less, tail, 2.50 or less. Hab. Arctic and subarctic America, except Greenland; in winter to U. S A. linaria. b. Wing usually more than 3.00 inches; tail, 2.CO or more. Bill much larger and stouter, less acute at tip. Ha b. Greenland south in winter to northern border of U. S A. linaria rostrata. B. Adult without red patch on crown, or dusky spot on chin. 3. A. brewsteri. Above olive-brown, streaked with dusky, the rump tinged with sul- phur-yellow. Below whitish, tinged on jugulum with fulvous yellow, the sides and crissurn streaked with dusky. Wings with two pale fulvous bands. Wing, 3.00; tail, 2.50. Hab. Massachusetts in winter. (Only one specimen known.) Acanthis hornemannii exilipes (Coues). HOARY EID-POLL. Popular synonyms. Coues' Redpoll, or Linnet; White-rumped Redpoll. Fringilla boreal is AUD. Orn. Eiog. v, 1839, 87, pi. 400 (nee VIEILL). Linaria borealis AUD. B. Am.iii, 1841, 120, pi. 178 (nee TEMM). ^•Egiothus exilipes COUES, Proc. Phil. Ac. 1861, 385; 1869, 187; 2d Check List, 1882. No. 210. JEgiothus linaria var. e.rilipes COUES, Key, 1872. 131; Check List, 1873, No. 146 b. ^giothus canescens var. e.rilipes B. B. & B. Hist, N. Am. B. i, 1874, 493, pi. 22 fig. 2. jEaioihus canescens e-j-ilipes BIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 178 a. Aei n his horneiiKiiinii i-j-ilipes STEJNEGER, "The Auk," i, 1884, 152. HAB. Arctic America (except Greenland) migrating southward in winter to northern Illinois, Massachusetts, etc. SP. CHAR. Adult male in summer. General color white, this immaculate on rump and lower parts (the sides occasionally streaked, however) ; the jugulum and sides of breast delicate peach-blossom pink, the rump often tinged with the same. Crown crim- son. Occiput, nape, back, and scapulars, grayish brown, streaked with whitish and dusky. Bill dusky. Adult male in winter. Similar, but plumage more or less suffused with fulvous, and the bill yellow, with dusky culmen and gonys. Adult female. Similar to the male, but without the pink on the breast, etc. Wing, about 2.75-3.00; tail, 2.35-2.50. The Lesser White-rumped Redpoll is a very rare winter visitant to the extreme northern portion of the State. I have seen speci- mens in the collection of Mr. E. W. Nelson, that were collected in the vicinity of Chicago, hut I am unable to give dates of their capture. The National Museum likewise possesses specimens from Mount Carroll, collected hy Dr. H. Shimer. This species breeds abundantly throughout the subarctic districts, from northern Labra- dor to western Alaska, whence numerous specimens both of the bird itself and its nest and eggs have been sent to the National Museum ; but we have not, as yet, any account of its distinctive habits. THE FINCHES. 233 Acanthis linaria (Linn.) REDPOLL. Popular synonyms. Common Redpoll; Dusky Redpoll; Snowbird; Redpoll Linnet. Fringilla linaria LINN, S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 182; eel. 12, i, 1766, 322.— WILS. Am. Orn. iv, 1811, 41, pi. 30, fig. 4; ix. 1814, 126.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 512.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, 523, pi. 375. Mgiothus linaria CAB. Mus. Hein. 1851, 161.— BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858, 428; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 320.— COUES, Key, 1872, 130; Check List, 1873, No. 146; 2d ed. 1882, No. 207; B. N. W. 1874, 114.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 493, pi. 22, figs. 3, 5.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 179. Acanthis linaria BON. & SCHL. Monog. Lox. 1850, pi. 52. Linaria minor Sw. & RICH. F. B. A. ii, 1831, 267.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 114; B. Am. iii, 1841, 122, pi. 179. jEgiothusfuscescens COUES, Proc. Phil. Ac. 1861, 222. ^Egiothus linaria veiT.fuscescens COUES, Key, 1872, 131. HAB. Northern North America, (except Greenland) south, in winter, to about lat. 40° (occasionally farther) ; breeds chiefly, if not entirely, north of the United States. Inhabits, also, northern portions of the Old World. SP. CHAE. Adults in sjtriinj inn? trinter. Ground color of the occiput, nape, scapulars, and interscapulars, brownish white, each feather with medial streak of dusky brown ; rump and upper tail-coverts white, with the streaks in sharper contrast. Wings clear brownish dusky, with two conspicuous white bands, formed by tips of middle and second- ary coverts; tertials broadly, and secondaries narrowly, edged with white,— this broader on inner webs. A narrow frontal band (tinged with brownish), an obscure superciliary stripe, and the lower parts in general, white; sides streaked with dusky, and lower tail- coverts each with a medial streak of the same. On the forehead and vertex a somewhat quadrate patch of intense carmine. Nasal plumules, lores, and a small, somewhat quad- rate, gular spot, dark silky brown. Bill yellow, the culmen and gonys black. Male. Throat, jugulum, and breast, rosy carmine (extending upward over the malar region, and backward over the sides almost to the flanks) ; rump tinged with the same. Female. No red except on the crown, where its tint is less intense; dusky gular spot larger, extending farther on to the throat. Adult inbreeding (midsummer} plumage (="^E. fuscescens" COUES). The pattern the same as above, but the dark tint intensified and spread so as to almost entirely obliterate any lighter markings, except the streaks on the rump; the wing-bands, as well as the dorsal streaks, obsolete; streaks on the sides broader; frontal band dusky, like the occiput. Red tints slightly intensified. Bill wholly dusky. Male. Throat, jugulum, breast, and tinge on sides and rump, rosy carmine. Female. Without red on the breast. Young, first plurnaie. Whole head, neck, and breast streaked, and without trace of red. Dimensions. Male. Wing. 2.80; tail, 2.30-2.35: bill, .35-.36X.20.-25; tarsus, .53-.S5; middle toe, .30-.33. Female. WTing, 2.70-2.80; tail, 2.30-2.35; bill, .32-.35X.23-.25; tarsus, The plumage of this species is quite different in summer and in winter. In the latter season the plumage is softer and more lax, and the markings better defined, though in autumn with a consid- erable ochraceous suffusion. In spring the colors are purer, and the. 234 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. markings more sharply defined ; in the breeding season the plumage assumes a burnt appearance, the dark tints intensify and spread, so that sometimes the upper parts appear almost uniformly dusky ; the bill appears larger than in winter, in consequence of the less development, or wearing away, of its basal tufts. In this dusky summer condition it becomes the jE. fuscescens of Cones. In the series of over two hundred examples examined, all midsummer specimens are in the plumage of fuscescens, while the latter is not seen in any autumnal, winter, or spring birds. This pretty little bird is a common and regular winter visitor in the northern portions of the State, but its occurrence in the south- ern portions is so rare that the writer has seen it but on one oc- casion at Mount Carmel. It appears in flocks, which feed upon the seeds of various herbaceous plants, and is very unsuspicious. Its breeding range includes the whole region from Labrador to Alaska, with an undetermined southern limit, which, however, prob- ably nowhere approaches very near to the northern boundary of the United States. According to Dr. Brewer, "their migration southward in winter is evidently caused more by want of food than by the state of the temperature. They remain in high northern regions in the most inclement weather, and often appear among us in seasons not re- markably cold, and remain until late in the spring." Acanthis linaria rostrata (Coues). GREATER REDPOLL. Popular synonym. Greenland Dusky Redpoll. JEgiothus rostratus COUES, Proc. Phil. Ac. 1861, 378. Acanthis linaria rostrata STEJNEGEE, Auk, i, 1884, 153. JSgiothus linarius, vur. liolbolli B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 493 (part). JEgiotTius linaria holltolli RJDGW. Nom. Am. B. 1881, No. 179 a. ^Egiothus linaria Tiolboelli BREWST. Bull. N. O. C. 1883, 95 (critical). Linaria brunnesdens TON HOMEYER, J. f. 0. 1879, 184 (part?). CHAR. Similar to A linaria (vera) in plumage (usually, however, more heavily streaked on the sides, etc.), but all the dimensions decidedly greater. Wing, 3.00-3.30; toil, 2.60-2.70; culmon, .41-47; depth of bill at base. .25-.30; tarsus,. .65-.70; middle toe, .35-.40. This large race of A. linaria is the Greenland representative of the species, though it is by no means confined to that country. It is, however, there, the prevailing if not the only form, while on the FRINGILLID/E — THE FINCHES. 235 continent it occurs chiefly in winter, though occasional summer specimens from very high latitudes appear to be scarcely smaller than Greenland samples. Mr. H. K. Coale has taken this bird near Chicago, and has kindly sent me for examination the specimens which he secured. GENUS SPINUS KOCH. Spinus KOCH, Bayr. Zool. 1816, 233. Type, Fringilla spinus LINN. Chrysomitris BOIE, Isis, 1828, 322 (same type). "GEN. CHAK. Bill rather acutely conic, the tip not very sharp; the culmen slightly con- vex at the tip ; the commissure gently curved. Nostrils concealed. Obsolete ridges on the upper mandible. Tarsi shorter than the middle toe; outer toe rather the longer, reaching to the base of the middle one. Claw of hind toe shorter than the digital portion. Wings and tail as in ^(tiothus. "The colors are generally yellow, with black on the crown, throat, back, wings and tail, varied sometimes with white. "The females want the bright markings of the male." "This genus differs from jEgiothus [=Acanthis] in a less acute and more curved bill, a much less development of the bristly feathers at the base of the bill, the claw of the hind toe shorter than its digital portion, the claws shorter and less curved and attenuated, and the outer lateral toes not extending beyond the base of the middle claw."— (Hist. N. Am. B.) The species occurring in the eastern United States (one of them probably as a purely accidental straggler) are the following: A. Inner webs of tail feathers with a white patch. 1. S. tristis. Adult male in summer: Rich lemon yellow, with black forehead, wings, and tail; tail-coverts, band across wing, and outer wing- markings, white. Adult female: Wings and tail as in the male, but duller; upper parts olive, tinged with lemon-yellow; lower parts pale yellowish, or sometimes grayish white, tinged with yellow anteriorly; no black on head. Adult male in winter: Similar to summer female, but more brownish. B. Inner webs of tail feathers without white patch, but with yellow bases. 2. S. pinus. Adult (sexes alike) : Above grayish or brownish, below dull white, every- where streaked with dusky; bases of secondaries and tail-feathers sulphur- yellow. Young: Similar, but with a fulvous suffusion, especially on tips of wing-coverts; yellow of remiges and rectrices usually more exposed. 3. S. notatus. Adult male: Entire head, neck, and jugulum, with wings and tail, black; a patch of rich yellow on bases of remiges and rectrices; upper parts greenish olive-yellow, clouded with dusky on the back; beneath rich oil-yellow. Adult female: Head and neck olive above and yellow beneath, like the body; wings and tail less intensely black than the male. '236 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Spinus tristis (Linn.) AMERICAN GOLDFINCH. Popular synonyms. Yellow-bird; Lettuce-bird; Salad-bird; Thistle-bird; Black-winged Yellow-bird; Black-capped Yellow-bird. Fringilla tristis LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i,1758, 181; ed. 12, i, 1766 320.— WILS. Am. Orn. i, 1808, 20, pi. 1, fig. 2.— AUD, Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 172; v. 510, pi. 33.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832. 507. C'ardnelis tristis BP. 1825.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 116; B. Am. iii 1841, 129, pi. 181. Chrysomilris tristis BP. 1838.— BATED, B. N. Am. 1858, 421; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 313. COUES, Key, 1872, 131; Cheek List, 1873, No. 149; B. N. W. 1874, 116.— B. B. & K. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 471, pi. 22 figs. 7,8. Astragalinus tristis CAB. Mus. Hein. 1851, 1£9.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 181. —COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 213. Spinus tristis STEJN. Auk, i. 1884, 362. HAB. Whole of temperate North America, breeding nearly throughout its range. "8 P. CHAR. Male. Bright gamboge-yellow; crown, wings, and tail black. Lesser wing-coverts, band across the end of greater ones, ends of secondaries and tertiaries, inner margins of tail-feathers, upper and under tail-coverts and tibia white. Length. 5.25 inches; wing, 3.00. Female. Yellowish gray above; greenish yellow below. No black on forehead. Wing and tail much as in the male. Young. Reddish olive above; fulvous yellow below, two broad bands across coverts and broad edges to last half of secondaries pale rufous. "In winter the yellow is replaced by a yellowish brown; the black of the crown want- ing, that of wings and tail browner. The throat is generally yellowish; the under parts ashy brown passing behind into white." (Hist. N. Am. B.} Found abundantly throughout temperate North America, familiar in habits, and conspicuous in plumage, it is no wonder that the American Goldfinch is one of our best known birds. Known famil- iarly as Yellow-bird, Lettuce-bird, or Garden-bird, he is present with us at all seasons of the year, although there are many times when none are to be seen. In the fall the male loses his beautiful lemon-yellow plumage and assumes a sombre garb like that of the female, which he wears until the succeeding spring, when the rich colors of summer are resumed very gradually, the change commenc- ing in April and continuing until the summer is at hand, before all traces of the winter dress are lost. The Goldfinch is one of the latest of our birds to commence breeding, it being usually after the first of July, in the more eastern States,* before their nests are con- structed ; and some broods of young first leave their nest in Sep- tember. This late breeding, as Dr. Brewer suggests, is probably due to the scarcity of proper food for the young during the early part of summer. * At Sacramento, California, however, I found this species breeding very abundantly during the month of .Tune, nests with fresh eggs being taken from the 6th to the 28tli <>f the month. FRINGILLID.E — THE FINCHES. '237 "The Goldfinch is to a large extent gregarious and nomadic in its habits, and only for a short portion of the year do these birds separate into pairs for the purposes of reproduction. During at least three fourths of the year they associate in small nocks, and wander about in an irregular and uncertain manner in quest of their food. They are resident throughout the year in New England and also throughout the greater portion of the country, their pres- ence or absence being regulated to a large extent by the abundance, scarcity, or absence of their favorite kinds of food. In the winter, the seeds of the taller weeds are their principal means of subsist- ence. In the summer, the seeds of the thistle and other plants and weeds are sought out by these interesting and busy gleaners. They are abundant in gardens, and as a general thing do very little harm, and a vast amount of benefit in the destruction of the seeds of troublesome weeds. As, however, they do not always dis- criminate between seeds that are troublesome and those that are desirable, the Goldfinches are unwelcome visitors to the farmers who seek to raise their own seeds of the lettuce, turnip, and other similar vegetables. They are also very fond of the seeds of the sunflower." (BREWER.) The notes of the American Goldfinch are for the most part re- markably sweet, partaking somewhat of the nature of the ttceet of a canary bird, but more tender ; and the song is no mean perform- ance. The latter more nearly resembles that of the Indigo Bunting than that of any other American species, but is more irregular, less harsh, and interrupted by interpolations of the ordinary call- notes. The following interesting notes on the nest and eggs of the Amer- ican Goldfinch were kindly prepared for this work, at my request, by Mr. Hugh M. Smith, of Washington, D. C. : "Each of eleven nests in my collection, from Virginia, is similar to the others in structure, being composed of thin strips of grape- vine bark and weed fibre, fine grass, catkins, and thread, with a few leaves occasionally worked in ; these are very neatly and compactly woven together. The interior is lined with thistle-down and some- times a few feathers. The nest is cup-shaped ; but inasmuch us the situation of the nest in a tree or shrub is variable, the shape, depending more or less on its resting place, is consequently some- what modified. Some nests — probably the greatest number — are lodged in the upright crotch of a tree ; some are pendant between two forking limbs; while others are saddled 011 a horizontal bough. 23K BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Orchards appear to be the favorite breeding localities of the Gold- finches. Young trees are preferred to old ones, the foliage of the former being denser, and offering greater concealment to the nest. The average size of a number of nests is three inches in diameter by one and a quarter inches in depth. "The peculiar feature connected with the nidification of the Goldfinch is the late date at which the nests< are constructed and the eggs deposited. The earliest date at which the eggs accompany- ing the above-mentioned nests were taken, was July 27, the latest August 31, the eggs in both instances being newly laid, and proba- bly the full set. As late as the first week in September I have seen nests with incomplete sets. It was impossible to ascertain with accuracy when the nests were built, but the time can be surmised from the dates given for the eggs. For three successive years the nests and eggs of the Goldfinch were systematically searched for in the same neighborhood; no full nests, however, were ever found prior to the 27th of July, as above stated. This may meet the ob- jection that might be made, that had the eggs been sought for, they would probably have been discovered sooner. From three to six eggs are laid ; four or five is the usual number. They are blu- ish white, with a delicate rosy tinge when fresh." Spinus piims (Wils.) PINE SISKIN. Popular synonyms. Pine Linnet; Pine Goldfinch. Fring ilia pinus WILS. Am. Orn. ii, 1810, 133, pi. 17, fig. ].— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 511.— Aur>. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 455; v, 509, pi. 180. Linaria pinus AUD. Synop. 1839, 117; B. Am. iii, 1841, 125, pi. 180. Chrysomitris pinus BP. 1838.— BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858, 425; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 317.— COUES, Key, 1872, 131; Check List, 1873, No. 148; 2d eel. 1883, No. 212; B. N. W. 1874, 115.-B. B. & E. Hist, N. Am. B. i, 1874, 480, pi. 22, fig. 16,-EiDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 185. *iiinus pinus STEJN. Auk. i, 1884, 302. HAB. Cold-temperate North America, breeding south to coast of Massachusetts, the Hudson Valley and along the Rocky Mountains to southern Mexico. (Southern breeding limit in Alleghanies undetermined.) In winter migrating, irregularly, over greater por- tion of United States. "Sp. CHAR. Tail deeply forked. Above brownish olive. Beneath whitish, every feather streaked distinctly with dusky. Concealed bases of tail-feathers and ctuills, together with their inner edges, sulphur-yellow. Outer edges of quills and tail feathers yellowish green. Two brownish white bands on the wing. Length, 4.75; wing, 3.00; tail, 2.20. Sexes alike. Young similar, but the white below tinged with yellow, the upper parts with reddish brown, and there are two pale ochraceous kinds <>n the wing." (If int. X. Am.B.) In autumn and winter a reddish brown tinge overspreads the upper parts. FRINGILLimE — THE FINCHES. 239 The Pine Goldfinch, or Pine Siskin, inhabits during summer the northern coniferous forests, but in winter visits the milder climates of the United States, its migration extending to the northern dis- tricts of the Gulf States, if not to the shores of the Gulf itself. Its appearance in a given locality is irregular and uncertain, to about the same degree as that of the Purple Finch. In spring, large riocks may be seen feeding upon the tender buds of apple, elm, and other trees, either alone or in company with the Purple Finch. The nest of the Pine Goldfinch, as observed at Sing Sing, New York, is thus described by Dr. A. K. Fisher, in the "Nuttall Bul- letin" for July, 1883, pp. 180, 181: "On May 25 I secured the nest. It was situated about two feet from the top of the tree, and about twenty-four from the ground. It contained four nearly fresh eggs. The nest proper, or outside part, is a frail affair, the lining making up the bulk of the nest. The outer part is made up of fine twigs from the Norway spruce, loosely placed together, a few rootlets and pieces of string being interwoven. The lining is very compact, made up of hemp-like material, horse-hairs, bits of thread, feathers, rootlets, and like substances. The nest measures eight centimeters in breadth by five centimeters in depth. The ground work of the eggs is of a light blue-green, the spots, which are numerous and somewhat confluent on the larger end, are of a light brown-lilac color. A few large and solitary spots of dark brown are dispersed sparingly over the greater part of the egg, diminishing in size towards the smaller end. One egg was unfortunately broken ; the others measure as follows : 12^x16 mm. 12|-xl6imm, 12 x 17mm." GENUS PLECTROPHENAX STEJNEGER. Plectrophanes KAUP. Entw. Eur. Thierw. 1829, 138 (nee MEYEK, 1815). Type, Emberiza nivalis LINN. Plectropfienax STEJN. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. v, 1882, 33. Same type. GEN. CHAE. Bill conical; the lower mandible higher than the upper, the sides of both mandibles guarded by a closely applied brush of stiffened bristly feathers directed forwards, and on the upper jaw concealing the nostrils; the outlines of the bill nearly- straight or slightly curved; the lower jaw considerably broader at the base than tin? upper, and wider than the gonys is long. Tarsi considerably longer than the middle toe; the lateral toes nearly equal (the inner claw largest), and reaching to tho base of the middle claw. The hinder claw very long, moderately curved and acute, considerably longer than its toe; the toe and claw together reaching to the middle of the middle claw, or beyond its tip. Wings very long and much pointed, reaching nearly to the end of the tail; the first quill longest; the others rapidly graduated; the tertiaries a little longer than the secondaries. Tail moderate, about two Ihirds as long as the wings; nearly even, or slightly emarginated. tMO BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. The two known species of this genus are essentially boreal, one of them, so far as known, being confined to the vicinity of Bering Sea, while the other is quite circumpolar. They are ground birds, collecting in large flocks, in autumn and winter, 011 tundra and plains, one of the species passing far to the southward. The re- cently discovered P. hyperboreus,* is distinguished by its much whiter coloration, only the tips of the quill-feathers and small spots near the end of the middle tail-feathers being black in the adult male. Plectrophenax nivalis (Linn.) SNOWTLAKE. Popular synonyms. White Snowbird; Snow Bunting. Entberiza nivalis LINN: S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 176; ed. 12, i, 1766 308.— WILS. Am. Orn. iii,1811, 86, pi. 21, fig. 2.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832,458.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834,515; v,496, pi. 189. Phctropha-nes nivalis MEYEE.— AUD. Synop. 1839,99; B. Am. iii, 1841, 55,pl. 155.— BAIED, E. N. Am. 1858, 432; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 325.— COTJES, Key, 1872, 133: Cheek List, 1873,No. 152; 2d ed. 1882, No. 219; B. N. W. 1874, 118.— B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 512, pi. 24, fig. 2.— EIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 186. Plrctropheiiaj- tiiralis STEJN. Proc. 17. 8. Nat. Mus. 1882, as. HAB. Northern North America, south in winter, to northern United States (very irregularly beyond 40°, but auoted from Georgia, District of Columbia, Kentucky, Kansas, etc.). Also found throughout the arctic and subarctic portions of the Old World. "Sp. CHAE. Male. Colors, in spring plumage, entirely black and white. Middle of back between scapulars, terminal half of primaries and tertiaries, and two innermost tail- feathers, black; elsewhere pure white. Legs black at all seasons. In winter dress, white beneath; the head and rump yellowish brown, as also some blotches on the side of the breast; middle of back brown, streaked with black; white on wings and tail much more restricted. Length about 6.75; wings, 4.35; tail, 3.05; first quill longest. Female. Spring, continuous white beneath only; above entirely streaked, the feathers having blackish centres and whitish edges; the black streaks predominate on the back and crown. Young. Light gray above, with obsolete dusky streaks on the back; throat and jugulum paler gray, — the latter with obsolete streaks; rest of lower parts dull white. Wing- coverts, secondaries and tail-feathers broadly edged with light ochraceous brown." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Although the "White Snowbird" or "Snowflake" is said to be an abundant winter resident of the northern portion of the State, it is so very rare in the more southern districts that the writer has seen there but a single specimen, the locality being Mount Carmel, and t'.ie date forgotten, but sometime during the early part of 1864 or 1865. Mr. Nelson's notes on its occurrence in northeastern Illinois (Bull. Essex lust., Vol. VIII., 1876, p. 105) are as follows : *See Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. vii, 1884,18. FRINGILLIDJE — THE FINCHES. 241 "An abundant winter resident. Arrives in flocks, the first of November, and remains until about the middle of March. The 5th of March, 1875, I saw a flock of these birds in a tree in Chicago. The males were chanting a very low and somewhat broken, but very pleasant, song, bearing considerable resemblance to that of Spizella inonticola. This and the following species, [Calcarius lapponicus], as well as other winter residents, appear a week or more earlier in the fall, and depart later in the spring, in the vicinity of the lake, than in any other parts of the State in the same latitude." The Snow Bunting breeds throughout the Arctic regions of both continents, the National Museum possessing nests from the most northern point of Alaska (Point Barrow) and from Labrador, as well as from various intermediate localities. GENUS CALCARIITS BECHSTEIN. Calcarius BECHST. Orn. Taseh. Deutsch. 1803, 130. Type, Fringilla lapponica LINN. GEN. CHAR. Bill small, the gonys very short, with its angle opposite the middle of the culmen; maxilla equal to or exceeding the mandible in depth, the depth of the bill not exceeding the length of the gonys. Middle toe, with claw, shorter than tarsus, the middle claw falling short of that of the hallux. Tail longer than the distance from the carpal joint to the tips of the tertials (except in C. ornatus). The three species of this genus differ considerably in the details of form, but it is probable that these differences are of no more than specific value. Thus C. ornatns differs from both C. pictus and C. lapponicus in having the tail much shorter than the distance from the carpal joint of the wing to the end of the tertials, in which respect it agrees with liliynclioplianes mccoicnii, but this is apparently owing more to the greater development of the second- aries than to a really reduced length of the tail. In the form of the bill, however, it agrees very closely with C. pictus, which, as does also that of C. ornatns, differs from that of C. lapponicus in being more slender and pointed. The species may be distinguished by the following characters : COMMON CHARACTERS. Above brown, spotted with black. Male with the crown and other parts of the head black. A. Outer tail-feathers dusky at the base. 1. C. lapponicus. Lower parts dull whitish. Adult male in summer: Head and jugu- lum black, with a broad white supra-auricular stripe ; nape bright chestnut-rufous; lesser wing-coverts grayish; middle coverts dusky. In lolnte.r: Similar, but throat whitish, jugular patch badly denned, head much tinged with ochraceous, and rufous of nape obscured by grayish. Adult female in summer: Head mostly dullbuffy, the crown with two broad lateral stripes of broad dusky streaks, the -16 242 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. ear-coverts tipped with a dusky bar; a dusky patch on each side of throat and in- dication of one on the jugulum; nape faintly rufous, streaked with black. In win- ter: Similar, but more suffused with brownish. Young: Head, nock, jugulum, and upper parts yellowish fulvous, streaked with black ; crown and wings strongly linged with rufous. 2. C. pictus. Lower parts deep buff. Adult in ale in summer: Head black, with lores, centre of ear-coverts, a maxillary and a supra-auricular stripe, white; throat, nape, and entire lower parts deep buif ; lesser wing-coverts black, with the last row white. In winter: The wing and lower parts similar, but the head without well- defined black, and the white replaced by buff. Adult female: Similar to male in winter plumage, but jugulum streaked with dusky, and lesser wing-coverts grayish. B. Base of outer tail-feathers white. 3. C. ornatus. Two outer tail-feathers white to the extreme base, and third with base white. Adult male: Nape chestnut-rufous; belly black. In mnmner: Top of head, jugulum, and belly deep black, the latter sometimes tinged with rufous; nape uniform deep chestnut-rufous; all markings sharply contrasted. In winter: Top of head streaked with black and fulvous, the rufous of nape and black of lower parts overlaid and nearly concealed by light grayish fulvous tips of feathers. Adult female: Entirely light dull buff, the upper parts broadly, and sometimes the breast narrowly, streaked with dusky. Young : Above blackish, the feathers bordered with dull whitish; wings dull brownish fulvous; throat white, faintly spotted with dusky; rest of lower part pale dull buff, the breast streaked with dusky. Calcarius lapponicus (Linn.) LAPLAND LONGSPUR. Popular synonym. Brown Snowbird. Fr ing ilia lapponica LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 317. Emberiza lapponica NILSS.— NUTT. Man. i, 1&32. 463.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1833, 473, pi. 365. Ember iza (PlectropUanes) Japponica Sw. & RICH. F. B. A. ii, 1831, 248, pi. 48. Plectrophanes lapponicus SELBY.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 98; B. Am. iii, 1841, 50, pi. 152.— BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858,433; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 326.— COUES, Key, 1872, 133; Check List, 1873, No. 153; 2d ed. 1882, No. 220; B. N. W. 1874, 120.-B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 515, pi. 24, fig. 7. Centrophanes lapponicus KAUP.1829.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 187. Calcarius lapponicus STEJN. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1882,33. HAB. Northern North America, breeding in arctic and subarctic districts, in winter migrating very irregularly, south to or beyond 40° (South Carolina, Kentucky, southern Illinois, northern Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, etc.); very rare in Middle Province, and not recorded from Pacific Province. "Sp. CHAE. Male. Head all round, and neck, black, extending on the jugulum in a crescentic patch ; a broad line from above and behind the eye, sides of neck, a patch in the black of hind head, and whole under parts, white; the sides of body streaked broadly with black. A broad half-collar of chestnut on back of neck, separated from the hood narrowly, and from the auriculars and throat broadly, by the white stripe from the eye. Above brownish black, the feathers sharply edged with brownish yellow. Outer tail- feathers white, except the basal portion of inner web, and a shaft streak at end; next feather with a white streak in end, rest black. Legs black ; bill yellow, tipped with black. In winter plumage the black and olher markings overlaid by rusty and fulvous; beneath whitish. Female, with the black feathers of head edged with yellowish rusty; the throat white, bordered on the sides and behind by blackish; feathers edgi-d with grayish white, the rufous of nape obscure, and streaked with blackish. Length of male, 6.25; Wing, 3.90; tail, 2.80. FRINGlLLIDjE — THE FINCHES. 243 "Autumnal specimens, of both sexes, differ in having the pattern of coloration obscured by ochraceous borders to the feathers, and a general rusty cast to the plumage." (Hist. N. Am. B.) This species occurs throughout the State in winter. During severe weather 1 have seen large flocks at Mount Carmel, flitting in a restless manner over the snow, uttering all the while a peculiar rattling chirrup ; and on other occasions, I have observed indi- viduals mixed in with flocks of Shore Larks. The Lapland Longspur, like the Snow Bunting, breeds in the arctic regions of both continents. The male is said to be a sweet songster, often singing while on the wing. Calcarius pictus (Swa:ns.) SMITH'S LONGSPUR. Popular synonyms. Painted Longspur; Smith's Bunting. Emleriza (Plectrophanes) picta Sw. & RICH. F. B. A. ii, 1831, 250, pi. 49. Emlieriza picta AUD. Orn. Biog. v, 1839, 91, pi. 40D. Plectrophanes pictus BP. 1838.— AUD. Synop, 1839, 99; B. Am. iii, 1841, 52, pi. 153.— BATED. B. N. Am. 1858, 434; Cat, N. Am. B. 1859, No. 327.— COUES, Key, 1872, 13t; Check List, 1873, No. 134; B. N. W. 1874, 121.-B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 518, pi. 24, figs. 4, 5. Centrophanes pictus CAB. 1851.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 188. Calcarius pictus STEJN. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1882, 33. Emberiza smithii AUD. B. Am. vii, 1844, 337, pi. 487. • HAB. Great interior plains of North America, breeding from the Yukon, Mackenzie River, and Slave Lake districts for an undetermined distance southward, and migrating in winter to the prairies of the Mississippi Valley and as far south as northwestern Texas "Sp. CHAE. Male. Spring. Top and sides of head black. A line from bill over the eye, lores, lower and posterior border of the black cheeks, ears, (encircled by black), and a small patch in the nape, white. Entire under parts, and extending round neck to nape (where it bounds abruptly the black of head), buff or light cinnamon-yellow; the under tail-coverts paler; the inside of wings, white. Feathers of upper surface black, edged with yellowish gray; shoulders or lesser coverts and the greater, black; middle white, forming a conspicuous patch. Quills edged externally with white, this involving the whole outer web of outermost primary. Whole of outer and most of second tail-feathers white. Bill dxisky; lower mandible and legs yellowish. Length, 5.50; wing, 3.50; tail, 2.75; bill, .45. "Female. The markings of male faintly indicated, but the black and buff wanting. Head above brown, streaked centrally with paler. A narrow dark line on each side the throat, and brownish streaks across the jugulum, and along sides of body. Traces visible of the white marks of the head. Bill and feet as in the male." "This species is quite similar in form to P. lapponicus, although with slenderer bill, and perhaps longer hind claw. While the colors of adult males are very different, the females have a decided resemblance; they may, however, be distinguished in all stages by 244 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. the black or dusky legs of lappomcns and the yellow of jpicfats, and perhaps by the more dusky upper mandibles of the latter." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Like the Lapland Longspur, this species is only a winter visitor to Illinois. It is by no means so generally distributed as that species, its migrations being almost wholly confined to the open prairie districts. "Mr. Audubon, in company with Mr. Harris and Mr. Bell, ob- tained specimens of these birds near Edwardsville, and described them as a new species [Plectrophanes smithil]. Mr. Bell states, in regard to these birds, that he found them very abundant on the low prairie near a lake, a few miles from Edwardsville. They were generally in large flocks, and when once on the ground they began to separate. They ran very nimbly, in a manner resembling that of the Grass Finch, and when they arose, which they rarely did unless they were nearly approached, they uttered a sharp click, repeated several times in quick succession, and moved with an easy undulating motion for a short distance and then alighted very sud- denly, seeming to fall perpendicularly several feet to the ground. They preferred the roots where the grass was shortest. When in the air they flew in circles, to and fro, for a few minutes, and then alighted, keeping up a constant chirping or call, somewhat like that of the Bed-Poll." (BREWER.) Mr. Nelson records the following regarding his observations on this species in the northwestern portions of the State : "Common migrant. March 30, 1875, near Calumet Lake, I found a flock containing about seventy-five individuals of this species. Their habits are quite similar to those of P. luyponicus while upon the ground, except that while the latter species preferred the wet portions of the prairie, the former were found only about the higher portions. When flushed they invariably uttered a sharp clicking note, rapidly repeated several times. When driven from their feed- ing place by my approach, they would rise, in a loose flock, and after wheeling about a few times start off in a direct line, gradually rising higher until they disappeared. After a short time their peculiar note would be heard, and darting down from a considerable height they would alight near the place from which they were driven. Although the flocks of P.pictu,* and P. lapponicus often be- came mingled while flying over the prairie, I did not see them alight together." FKINGILLIM; — THE FINCHES. 245 The breeding range of this species is much more restricted than that of C. lapponicus, heing confined to the interior of Arctic Amer- ica, chiefly in the basin of Mackenzie and Anderson rivers, including the region about the Great Bear and Great Slave lakes. In fact, it is emphatically a bird of the great interior valleys of the continent, between the Rocky Mountains on the one side and the Atlantic forest region on the other. GENUS RHYNCHOPHANES BAIRD. RhynchopTianes BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 432. lype.Plectrophanes mccoivnii LAWR. GEN. CHAR. Bill stout, conical, the gonys longer than the hind toe, with its angle con- siderably posterior to the middle of the bill. Maxilla equal to the mandible in depth; mandibular tomium forming a decided angle at the base. Middle toe, with claw, shorter than tarsus, the claw reaching beyond that of the hallux. Tail decidedly shorter than the distance from the carpal joint of the wing to the tips of the tertials. In the form of the bill of tliis well-marked genus there is nothing to indicate its near affinity to the genera Plectrophenax and Calca- rius; but in other parts of its organization it evidently approaches much nearer to these forms than any other. The bill is wonderfully similar to that of Calamospiza, the only conspicuous difference being its considerably narrower form, — particularly the mandible, as com- pared with the maxilla. The lateral, as well as the vertical, out- lines are very nearly the same, even to the well-marked angle at the base of the mandibular tomium. In other characters, how- ever, the two genera are so different as to warrant their assignment to distinct groups, or subfamilies. The genus Rhynclioplianes contains a single species, peculiar to the interior of North America. Rhynchophanes mccownii (Lawr.) McCOWN'S LONGSPUR. Popular synonym. McCown's Bunting. PlectroplKiiu** mccon-iui LAWR. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vi, 1851, 122.— BAIRD, B. N. Am. 437; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 330.— CouES.Key, 1872,134; Check List, 1873, No. 156; B. N. W. 1874, 124.— B. B. & B. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 523. pi. 24, fig. 1. Rhynchophanes mccowni BAIRD.— KIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 190. HAB. Great Plains of the United States, breeding northward (in Dakota, Wyoming, etc.) and migrating south in winter through Colorado, Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, to northern Mexico; occasional winter visitor to prairies of Illinois. 246 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. "Sp. CHAR. Male in spring. Top of head, abroad stripe each side the throat from lower mandible, and a broad crescent on jugiilum, black; side of head including lores and band above the eye, throat, and tinder parts, ashy white; ear-coverts bordered above and behind by blackish, running out at the maxillary stripe. Breast just behind the black crescent and sides, showing dark bases of feathers. Upper parts ashy, tinged with yellowish on the mandible, and streaked with dusky; least so on nape and rump. Lesser wing-coverts ashy; median, chestnut-brown, with blackish bases sometimes evident; the quills all bordered broadly externally with whitish, becoming more ashy on second- aries. Tail-feathers white except at the concealed bases and the ends, which have a transverse (not, oblique) tip of blackish; the outermost white to the end; the two central like the back. Bill dark plumbeous; legs blackish. In winter, the markings more or less obscured; the bill and legs more yellowish. "Female lacks the black markings, which, however, are indicated obsoletely as in other Plectrophanes: there is no trace of chestnut on the wings, nor the streaks on the breast. Length, 5.50; wing, 3.60; tail. 2.50; bill, .46. "This species varies considerably in markings, but is readily rec- ognized among other Plectrophanes in all stages by short hind toe, very stout bill, and the transverse dark bar at the end of all tail- feathers except the inner and outer. (Hist. N. Am. B.) McCown's Longspur is one of several very peculiar birds which together characterize the avi-fauna of the Great Plains of North America, its more prominent associates in this distinction being the Lark Bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys), Chestnut-collared Longspur (Cakarius ornatm], Baird's Bunting (Centronyx bairdii), Clay-colored Sparrow (Spizella pallida), Leconte's Sparrow (Coturniculus lecontei), and Harris's Sparrow (Zonotrichia querula). These, together with the subject of the present article, and a few species not named, char- acterize a Canipestrian Province, which, so far as its aviaii fauna is concerned, is even more distinct from the Middle Province than is the Pacific Province.* McCown's Longspur is an abundant species during summer on the great plains of Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming, to the northward and southward of which its breeding range extends for an undeter- mined distance. In winter it migrates south to the prairies and plains of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, as well as to the table- lands of Mexico. In Illinois it is, so far as known, merely a strag- gler during its migrations, or in winter, three specimens having been taken in January, 1877, at Champaign, Champaign county, as an, nounced by Mr. H. K. Coale in the "Nuttall Bulletin" for April, 1877, p. 52. *Writers on the zoo-geographical divisions of North America have almost all divided the continent into three "Provinces;" viz., an Eastern, a Middle, and a Pacific. These divisions seem to me untenable, however, and I would allow only two primary longitudi- nal divisions; an Eastern and a Western, the latter with three subdivisions, which may be termed, respectively, the Pacific, the Bocky Mountain (or Middle), and the Canipes- trian districts. THE FINCHES. 247 SUBFAMILY PASSERINJE. "The introduction into the United States at so many distant points, of the European House Sparrow (Pyryita domestica) renders it necessary to introduce it with any work treating of the birds of North America, although totally different in so many features from our own native forms. In some respects similar to certain Coccothraustince, in the short tarsi and covered nostrils, the wings are shorter and more rounded, the sides of the bill with stiff bristles, etc. The much longer, more vaulted bill, weaker feet, and covered nostrils, distinguish it from SpizellirMe" (Hist. N. Am. B.) GENUS PASSER Bunt ON. Passer BKISRON, Orn. iii, 1700, 72. Type, FringiUa do me si c i LINN. "Gen. CHAK. Bill robust, swollen, without any distinct ridge; upper and under outlines curved; margins inflexed; palate vaulted, without any knob; nostrils covered by sparse, short, incumbent feathers; side of bill with stiff, appressed bristles. Tarsi short and stout, about equal to or shorter than the middle toes; claws short, stout, and considerably curved. Wings longer than tail; somewhat pointed. Tail nearly even, emarginated.and slightly rounded." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Passer domesticus (L'nn., EUROPEAN HOUSE-SPARBOW. Popular synonyms. English Sparrow; European Sparrow; House Sparrow. FringiUa domestica LINN. S. N. ed. 10,1,1758,183; ed. 12,1,1766,323. Passer domesticus SCHAEFF. Mus. Or. 1789, 24.— COUES, Key, 1872, 146; 2d ed. 1884, 344; Check List, 1873, No. 187; 2d ed. 1882, No. J92. Pyrgila domestica Cuv. Reg. An. 2d ed. i, 1729, 439.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i. 1874, 525, pi. 23, fig. 12. HAB. Whole of Palaearctic Region. Introduced into and naturalized in North America Australia, and other countries. "Sp CHAB. Male. Above chestnut-brown; the interscapular feathers streaked with black on inner webs; the top of head and nape, lower back, rump, and tail-coverts, plain ashy; narrow frontal line, lores, chin, throat, and jugulum black; rest of under parts grayish, nearly white along median region. A broad chestnut-brown stripe from behind eye, running into tho chestnut of back; cheeks and sides of neck white; outside of closed wing, pale chestnut-brown, with abroad white band on the middle coveits, and behind showing the brown quills; the lesser coverts dark chestnut, like the head stripe. Tail dark brown, edged with pale chestnut. Bill black; feet reddish; iris brown. "Female. Duller of color, and lacking the black of face and throat ; breast and abdomen reddish ash; cheeks ashy; a yellow-ochre band above and behind the eyes, and across the wings. Head and neck above brownish ash ; body above r jddish ash, streaked longi- tudinally with black. "Male in winter. The colors generally less distinct. Length, 6.00; wing, 2.85; tail, 2.50; tarsus, .70; middle toe and claw, .60. 248 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. "The House Sparrow of Europe lias been introduced into so many parts of the United States as to render it probable that at no dis- tant day it will have become one of our most familiar species. Brought over to the New World within a comparatively few years, it has commenced to multiply about the larger cities, especially in the environs of New York, as also about Portland, Boston, Newark, and Philadelphia One thousand birds were let loose in the public squares of Philadelphia in the spring of 1869." (Hist. N. Am. B., 1874.) Concerning this unmitigated pest we have little to say, further than to bewail the misfortune of its introduction, and to plead for its extermination. It is in every respect a first-class nuisance, to be classed along with the house-rat and other noxious vermin. SUBFAMILY SPIZELLIN.ZE. — THE AMERICAN SPARROWS. CHAK. Bill variable, usually almost straight; sometimes curved. Commissure gen- erally nearly straight, or slightly concave. Upper mandible wider than lower. Nostrils exposed. Wings moderate; the outer primaries not much rounded. Tail variable. Feet large; tarsi mostly longer than the middle toe. The species are usually small, and of dull color, though frequently handsomely marked. Nearly all are streaked on the back and crown, often on the belly. None of the United States species have any red, blue, or orange, and the yellow, when present, is as a superciliary streak, or- on the elbow edge of the wing. In the arrangement of this subfamily, as of the others belonging to the Fnngillida ', we do not profess to give anything like a natural system, but merely an attempt at a convenient artificial scheme by which the determination of the genera may be facilitated. A. Tail small and short, considerably or decidedly shorter than the wings, owing either to the elongation of the wing or the shortening of the tail. Lateral toes shorter than the middle without the claws. Species streaked above and below. (Ammodrameae.) Ammodranrus. Tarsus not longer than middle toe, with claw. No white outer tail- feathers. a. Subgenus Ammodramus. Bill slender, the depth at the base less than half the culmen. Tail graduated, the feathers acute. Outstretched feet reaching to or beyond tip of tail. 6. Subgenus Coturitii-uliis. Bill stouter, the depth at base more than half the culmen (except in C. 1econte.il. Tail graduated or double-rounded, the feathers narrow and acute. Outstretched feet falling short of tip of tail. FRINGILLID^ — THE FINCHES. 249 d. Subgenus Uenlronyx. Tail deeply emarginate.two and a half times as long as the tarsus, the feathers narrow and attenuated, as in Coturniculus. Hind claw nearly or quite as long as its digit. e. Subgenus Passerculus. Tail slightly emarginate, three times as long as the tarsus, the feathers broad and scarcely attenuate, though acute at tips. Hind claw shorter than its digit. Poocaetes. Tarsus longer than middle toe. with claw. Outer tail-feathers partly white. B. Tail longer and broader; nearly or quite as long as, sometimes a very little longer than, the wings, which are rather lengthened. The primaries considerably longer than the secondaries. None of the species streaked beneath, when adult, and only the back and crown, or back alone, streaked above. (Spizelleae.) a. Tail rounded or slightly graduated. Chondestes. Tail considerably graduated. Lateral toes considerably shorter than the middle toe, without its claw. Wings very long, decidedly longer than the tail, reaching the middle of the tail. First quill longest. Head broadly striped with chestnut. Back streaked. White beneath. A white blotch on the end of the tail-feathers. Zonotrichia. Tail rounded. Wings moderate, about as long as the tail, reaching about over the basal fourth of the tail; first quill less than the second to fourth. Feet large. Head striped with black and white or with brown and ochraceous. Back streaked. Junco. Tail very nearly equal to the wings, slightly double-rounded. Outer toe rather longer than inner, reaching the middle claw. No streaks anywhere except in young; black or ash-color above; belly white; with or without a rufous back and sides. Outer tail-feathers white. Amphispiza. Tail lengthened, rounded or slightly graduated; the feathers unusu- ally broad to the end. Bill slender. Wings about as long as the tail, reaching but little beyond its external base. Tertials broad, and, with the secondaries, rather lengthened. Second to fifth quills nearly equal, and longest. Tail black. Ashy brown above; white beneath. Sides of head with stripes of black or grayish and white. 5. Tail decidedly forked; a little shorter than the wing, sometimes a little longer. Spizella. Size rather small. Wings long. Lower mandible largest. Uniform be- neath, or with a pectoral spot or the chin black. C. Tail lengthened and graduated; decidedly longer than the wings, which are very short, scarcely extending beyond the external base of the tail. Feet reaching but little beyond the middle of the tail. Species all streaked above; streaked or nearly unicolor beneath. No white on wings or tail. Outer lateral toe the longer. First quill not the shortest of the primaries. (Melospiseae.) Melospiza. Culmen and commissure nearly straight. Claws stout; hinder one as large as its digit. Tail-feathers rather broad. Body streaked beneath (except in M. georgiand). Peucsea. Culmen and commissure curved. Claws weak; hinder one not much curved, decidedly shorter than its digit. Tail-feathers narrow. Without streaks beneath, excepting a narrow submaxillary stripe. D. Tail rather short, and much graduated; longer than the wings; the midrib moro median. Culmen curved. Tarsus considerably longer than middle toe. Outer toe longer. But little difference in the length of the quills; the outer ones much rounded; even the second quill is shorter than any other primary except the first. (Embernagreae.) Embernagra. Color, plain olive-green above. 250 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. GENUS AMMODRAMUS SWAINSON. SUBGENUS Ammodramus. Ammodramus SWAINSON, Zool. Jour, iii, 1827, 348. Type, Oriolus catirJaciifiis "GEN. CHAR. Bill very long, slender, and attenuated, considerably curved towards the tip above. The gonys straight. A decided lobe in middle of cutting edge of upper bill. The legs and toes are very long arid reach considerably beyond the tip of the short tail. The tarsus is about equal to the elongated middle toe; the lateral toes equal, their elaws falling considerably short of the base of the middle one; the hind claw equal to the lateral one. Wings short, reaching only to the base of the tail; much rounded; the secondaries and tertials equal, and not much shorter than the primaries. The tail is rather shorter than the wings, and graduated laterally; each feather stiffened, lanceolate, and acute. "Color. Streaked above and across the breast; very faintly on the sides. "The essential characters consist in the slender and elongated bill ; the long legs reaching considerably beyond the tail, with the lateral claws falling considerably short of the middle one ; and the very short rounded wings, rather longer than the cuneate tail, with its stiffened and lanceolate feathers." (Hist. N. Am. B.} Only one of the three known species of this genus has been taken in Illinois. In view, however, of the possible occurrence of a second (A. maritimus), its characters, together with those of the other, are given in the following synopsis : COMMON CHABACTEES. Above olivaceous or ashy, the crown washed with brown laterally, the dorsal feathers darker centrally; beneath white, tinged across the jugulum with ochraceous or ashy; jugulam streaked; a dusky "bridle" on each side of the throat, . above it a malar stripe of ochraceous or white. 1. A. caudacutus. A: tail, 2.35-2. 65. FRINGILLID^E — THE FINCHES. 251 Ammodramus caudacutus nelsoni (Allen). NELSON'S SPARROW. Popular synonym. Nelson's Sharp-tailed Finch. Ammodromus cauclaciitns var. ne'soni ALLEN, Proc. Boston Soc. xvii, March. 1875, 93.— NELSON, Bull. Essex Inst. viii, 1876, 107, 152; Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, July. 1876 40. Ammodromus caudacutn* nelson i RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 201r/.— COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 241; 2d Key. 1*84, 368. HAB. Mississippi Valley (Calumet marshes, and vicinity of Warsaw, Illinois; eastern Kansas, etc.) ; salt marshes of Atlantic coast during migrations. SP. CHAR. Ar/u't. Piletim bluish gray or olive-gray medially, umber- brown laterally, the lateral stripes more or less streaked with black. A broad superciliary stripe deep ochraceous, connected behind the auriculars with a broad maxillary stripe of the same color. Auriculars grayish, with a dusky line along upper edge, connecting with a dis- tinct black streak beneath hinder part of the ochraceous superciliary stripe. Scapulars and interscapulars bright olive-brown, the outer webs broadly edged with grayish white, separated from the brown by a blackish line. Tertials dvisky, bordered with rusty whitish or pale rusty. Rump uniform olive-brown. Itectrices light raw-umber-brown, darker along shafts. Chin, throat, breast, sides, flanks, and crissum ochraceous, the jugulum, breast, sides, and flanks streaked with dusky. Wing, 2.20-2.30; tail, 1.95-2.10. This inland race differs from the coast form principally in its somewhat smaller size (the hill especially) and brighter coloration, the colors being richer and the markings more sharply contrasted. So little is known either of its habits or distribution, that all the information we have to offer is the following, from Mr. Nelson's list of the birds of northwestern Illinois. (Bull. Essex Inst., Vol. VIII., 1876, p. 107) : "First obtained September 17, 1874, in the Calumet Marsh, where it was abundant at the time. The 12th of June, 1875, I saw sev- eral of these birds in the dense grass bordering Calumet Lake, where they were undoubtedly breeding. The 1st of October, 1875, I again found them abundant on the Calumet Marsh, and also found them numerous in the wild rice bordering Grass Lake, Lake county, Illi- nois, the 10th of November the same year. Prof. S. A. Forbes has taken them on the Illinois Kiver during the migrations, and Dr. Hoy has obtained a single specimen at Kacine. From the numbers which visit us in the fall, they must breed in abundance north of this State. They are difficult to obtain, as they take refuge in the dense marsh grass upon the first alarm. Occasionally one mounts a tall reed and utters a short, unmusical song, slightly resembling that of the Swamp Sparrow (M. palustris)." BLUDS OF ILLINOIS. SUBGENUS Coturniculus BONAPARTE. Coturnicnlus BONAP. Geog. and Comp. List. 1838,32. Type, Frimjilln fKizsprlna WILS. "GEN. CHAK. Bill very large and stout (except in C. lecontei) ; the under mandible broader, but lower than the upper, which is decidedly convex at the basal portion of its upper outline. Legs moderate, apparently not reaching to the end of the tail. The tarsus appreciably longer than the middle toe; the lateral toes equal, and with their claws falling decidedly short of the middle claw; the hind toe intermediate between the two. The wings are short and rounded, reaching to the base of the tail; the tertiaries almost as long as the primaries; not much difference in length in the primaries, although the outer three or four are slightly graduated. The tail is short and narrow, shorter than the wing (except in C. Jecontei}. graduated laterally, but slightly emarginatr; the feathers all lanceolate and acute, but not stiffened, as in Ainniodranntx. "This genus agrees with 1'nxxcrctilus in the short and narrow tail. The wings are much shorter, and more rounded ; the feet shorter, especially the middle toe, which is not as long as the tarsus. The tail-feathers are more lanceolate. The bill is much longer, and more swollen at the base. "The essential characters consist in the swollen con- vex bill; the short toes, compared with the tarsus; the short and rounded wings ; and the very small, narrow, slightly graduated tail, with its lanceolate, acute feathers (except in the South American C. manlmbe). "In some respects there is a resemblance to Ammodramus, in which, however, the bill is very much more slender ; the wings are shorter, and more rounded ; the tail feathers much stiffer, and even more lanceolate ; the toes extending beyond the tip of the tail ; the middle toe rather longer than the tarsus, instead of considerably shorter." "C. lecontei has the same general form, but a much smaller bill." (Hint. N. Am. B.} The three North American species differ very strikingly from one another in form, and may be readily distinguished by proportions alone, as follows : a. Tail much shorter than the wing, double-ruunded. Primaries extending beyond t he tips of the largest tertials for about .40of an iru-h. 1. C, passerinus. Bill stout, the culmen slightly depressed in t he mi 'die portion. Wing about 2.50; tail, 1.90; culmen. ..r.i>; depth of bill, .25; tarsus, .80. It. Tail about equal to, or even longer than the wing, graduated. Primaries extending very little beyond tips of longest tertials. 2. C. henslowi. Bill very stout, the culmen not depressed in the middle. Wing about 2.1",; tail, 2.KI; culmen,. 50; depth of bill .30; tarsus. .7". 3. C. lecontei. Bill very small and slender, the culmen depressed in the middle portion. Wing about 2.10; tail.2,30; culmen, .45; depth of bill, .-O; tarsu> . .n.". THE FINCHES. 253 By coloration, they may be distinguished as follows : COMMON CHAEACTEBS. Crown and back streaked with black upon an ashy, olive, or chestnut ground; beneath whitish, tinged across the breast with ochraceous or ashy, plain, or with blackish streaks on the breast. A light superciliary stripe. A. A dusky streak on each side of the light malar stripe. 1. C. henslowi. Bill very robust, .28-.S2 from nostril and .25-.2S deep at base. Adult: Head grayish ochraceous, lighter beneath; a stripe of Mark streaks un each side of the crown: also a post-auricular black streak, and a less distinct black streak on each side of the lighter malar stripe; breast streaked with black. B. No dusky streak on either side of light malar stripe. 2. C. lecontei. Bill very narrow (much as in A mm otlramus cauflacutus), .25-.30 fmm nostril and .20 deep at base. Adult: Head fine buff, the auriculars, lores, and pos- terior two thirds of the middle stripe on the crown, grayish white; a black stripe on each side of crown; sides (but not breast) streaked with black. Young: above ochraceous, with broad streaks of Mack on the back; medial stripe of crown en- tirely buff; beneath white, the juguhmi buffy, narrowly streaked Avith dusky. 3. C. passerinus. Bill robust, .28-.32 from nostril, and .25-.30 deep. Adult: Head, throat, jugulum, and sides oehraeeous buff; edge of wing gamboge-yellow; a yel- low spot above the lore; no streaks on jugulum on sides. Crown chestnut-brown or black, divided by a medial, narrower stripe nf huff or pale gray. Young: Super- ciliary and middle crown stripes pale grayish; beneath pale buffy; the jugulum streaked with dusky; no distinct yellow on lore or edge of wing. Ammodramus savannarum passerinus (Wils.) GRASSHOPPER SPARROW. Popular synonyms. Yellow- winged Sparrow; Grass-bird; Ground-bird; Grasshopper- bird. Fri/igilla passerina WILS. Am. Orn. iii, 1811,76, pi. 26, flg. 5.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 180; V, 1839, 497, pi. 130. F.mherizapasserina AUD. Synop. 1839,103; B. Am. iii, 1842, 73, pi. 1C2. Coturniculus passerinus BONAP. 1838.— BATED, B. N. Am. 1858, 450; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 338.— COUES, Key, 1872, 137; Check List, 1873, No. 162; 2d ed. 1882, No. 234; B. N. W. 1874, 131.— B. B. & l\. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 553, pi. 25, flg. 4.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 198. F i- ing ilia savannarum GMEL.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 494; 2d ed. i, 1840,570. HAB. Eastern United States, breeding throughout, but wintering in Southern States, Cuba. Porto Eico. eastern Mexico, and scmth to Costa Rica. "Sp. CHAK. Feathers of the upper parts brownish rufous or chestnut-brown, mar- gined narrowly and abruptly with ash-color; reddest on the lower part of the back and rump; the feathers all abruptly black in the central portion; this color visible on the. interscapular region, where the rufous is more restricted. Crown blackish, with a cen- tral and superciliary stripe of yellowish tinged with brown, brightest in front of the eye. Bend of the wing bright yellow, lesser coverts tinged with greenish yellow. Quills and tail-feathers edged with whitish; tertiaries much variegated. Lower parts brownish yellow or buff, nearly white on the middle of the belly, darkest on the jugulum. The feathers of the upper breast and sides of the body with obsoletely darker centres, these sometimes wanting. Sides of breast ag.iinst bend of wing with a few black streaks, usually concealed. Length about 5 inches; wing. 2.40: tail, 2.00. "The young of this species has the jugulum and sides of the breast streaked with black, much more distinct than in the adult, 254 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. and exhibiting a slight resemblance to C. henslowi. The upper parts are less varied. "Specimens from the Far West have the bill more slender, the reddish of the back considerably paler, the dark markings of the back restricted, the light stripe on the head with scarcely any yel- low, a decided spot in front of the eye quite yellow, and little or no ochraceous on the breast. "The young bird, with streaked jugulum, may be most readily distinguished from C. J/ciisloirl by the grayer plumage without any shade of chestnut or greenish yellow, the sparseness of streaks on the side, the absence of the two mandibular dusky stripes, and the broad dusky centres of the middle tail-feathers." (Hist. N. Am. B.) This little bird is abundant in all cultivated portions of the State, as well as 011 the open prairie. To the rural population it is known as the "Grass-bird," "Ground-bird," or "Grasshopper-bird," the lat- ter appellation being derived from its grasshopper-like song, which it utters from the end of a fence-stake, the top of a tall weed-stalk, or as it sits upon the summit of a haycock in the meadow. The greater portion of its time is passed in the grass, in which it runs from the intruder, unseen, like a mouse ; or, if pressed too closely, rises suddenly and flies a greater or less distance in a zigzag man- ner, exceedingly provoking to the collector, who finds it a difficult mark to hit. Ainmodramus lienslowii (And.) HENSLOWS SPARROW. Popular synonym. Henslow's Bunting. Emleriza hensloiri AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831,300; v,1839, 493, pi. 77; Synop. 1839, 101; B. Am. iii, 1841, 75, pi. 163. Fringllla Itrnslowi NUTT. Man. 2d ed. 1,1840,571. t'otm-iticiilus henslou-i BP. 1838.— BATED, B. N. Am. 1858, 451; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 339. — COUES, Key, 1872, 137; Check List, 1873, No. Ki3; 2d ed. 18*2, No. 23C; B. N. W. 1874, 133 ("hfHxkni-ii").— B. B. & 11. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 550, pi. 25, fig. 5.— Rnx;w. Num. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 19!». HAB. Eastern United States, breeding north to Massachusetts, northern Illinois, etc. ; winters in Southern States. West to Loup Fork of the Platte. "Sp. CHAR. Upper parts yellowish brown, the hood, nock, and upper parts of back tinged with greenish yellow. Interseapul.ir feathers dark brown, suffused externally with bright brownish red ; each feather with grayish borders. Tertiaries, rump and tail- leathers abruptly chirk i-lieslnut-brown, darkest centrally, paler externally, and narrowly margined with gray. Crown with a broad, black-spotted stripe on each side; these spots continued down to the back. Two narrow black mandibular stripes and one postocular on each side of the head, and an obscure black crescent or spot behind the auriculars. FRINGILLID.E — THE FINCHES. tinder parts light brownish yellow, paler on the throat and abdomen. The jugulum, upper part of the breast, and the sides of the body conspicuously streaked with black. Edge of wing yellow. A strong tinge of pale chestnut on the wings and tail. The median tail-feathers and upper coverts chestnut or rufous brown, with sharply defined shaft- streaks of black. Length, 5.25; wing,2.15; tail, 2.15." (Hitt. X. Am. B.) This species is related to C. passe-rium, but readily distinguished by the well-marked streaks on breast and sides, the greenish yellow, not chestnut-brown, of head and nape, and the two mandibular dusky stripes. The middle tail-feathers are reddish with only a very narrow sharply defined median shaft-streak of black, instead of having the greater portion of the centre dusky with scalloped edges. Henslow's Sparrow is an exceedingly common or even abundant species in Illinois, but is much more local than its relative, the Yellow-winged Sparrow. The writer first met with it on Fox Prarie, Bichland county, in June, 1871, having his attention attracted to it by its peculiar note. It was very abundant^the males being perched on tall weed-stalks, uttering incessantly their rude and feeble, but emphatic "song" sounding .like p'd'lnt, or se' trick, the head being thrown back and the tail inclining forward underneath the bird, in the manner of C. passerinns. Twelve years later it was exceedingly numerous on the small remaining patch of open prairie (160 acres in extent) in the same locality, and also in a similar bit of prairie of equal extent which marked the last vestige of the once exten- sive but since populous and well-cultivated Sugar Creek Prairie, several miles to the southeast. These birds lie very close, allowing themselves to be almost trod- den on before flying; and, notwithstanding a very large number of females were shot which had evidently been startled from their nests, only one nest could be found. They had probably run some distance through the grass before flying, thus rendering search fruitless. Mr. Nelson states that in Cook county it is a rather common resident on the prairies, arriving May 12 to 20, and leaving the first of September. In Kichland county the writer found it exceed- ingly numerous during the latter part of October, 1882, in company with smaller numbers of C. lecontei, inhabiting the dead grass in the damper portions of the meadows. Mr. H. K. Coale writes me that he found it to be a common summer resident in a certain piece of wet prairie overgrown with bushes at Tolestoii, Lake county, Indiana. 256 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. During the summer of 1879, the writer found this species to be very common in Fairfax county, Virginia, about five miles from Washington. Walking along the road at dusk, a few stars having already made their appearance, he was surprised to hear the pe- culiar note which he had last heard on Fox Prairie, eight years previously. Soon numbers were heard on every hand, the locality being a rather narrow valley between low hills, the lower ground being chiefly damp meadow-land. Pie turning a few days after with a friend, several of the birds were secured. A nest found in this locality the following summer is thus described by Mr. P. L. Jouy, of Washington, in the "Nuttall Bulletin" for January, 1881, pp. 57, 58: "Nest rather rude and irregularly shaped, composed externally of coarse grass, lined with exceedingly fine grass-tops circularly dis- posed and well finished, but without any horse-hair; no other ma- terial than grass was used in its construction. The nest is about four inches in diameter, about two inches in heighth, and two inches inside diameter; it was placed in the centre of a large clump of wild clover (Trifoliu»< uyrarium}, and rested directly on the ground without any appearance of a cavity. The clover had grown up about a foot or more in height and completely surrounded the nest, which was only discovered by parting it. The female was secured as she flew from the nest. The eggs, four in number, are much blotched and speckled all over with a mixture of madder-brown and sepia, the color becoming more confluent on the larger end ; there are also a few dashes and dots of very dark sepia, almost black, scattered among the spots. One of the eggs has a number of large blotches of a lighter tint than the spots scattered all over it so as to almost form a ground tint for the spots. The ground color is a delicate greenish white. The measurements, in hundredths of inches, are as follows: .75 x .00, .75 x .58, .75 x .56, .75 x .60. The eggs, taken June 3, contained large embryos within four or five days of hatching. As I took full-fledged young last year on the 12th of July, they undoubtedly raise two broods in a season. "The above described nest and eggs were taken in the locality where Mr. Eidgway found the birds last year (see this Bulletin, Vol. IV., p. 238), near Falls Church, Fairfax Co., Va. They are more or less common in all suitable places, probably a dozen pairs breeding in this and the adjoining meadows. "Since writing the above, two fully-fledged young birds have been taken (June 6) in the same place. The birds have been also seen — THE PINCHES?. 257 and heard sing'ng at Ball's Cross Eoads, in Virginia, about two miles nearer the District than the other locality. Besides the char- acteristic note of see-icick, they have quite a song, which may fairly be represented by the syllables sis-r-r-rit-srit-srit, with the accent on the first and last parts. This song is often uttered while the bird takes a short flight upward; it then drops down again into the tangled weeds and grasses, where it is almost impossible to follow it." Ammodramus leconteii (And.) LECONTE'S SPARROW. Popular synonyms. Leconte's Bunting; Yellow Sparrow (Manitoba). Emberiza leconteii AUD. B. Am. viii, 1843, a38 pi. 488. Cotiirnicuhtu li'contii BP. 1850.— BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858 481; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859,No. 340.— COUES, Key, 1872,137; Cheek List, 1873, No. 164; 2d ed. 1882, No. 237.— B. N. W. 1874, 135.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 552, pi. 25, fig. 6.-IliDG\v. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 200. HAB. Eastern portion of the Great Plains of the United States, from Manitoba (in sum- mer) to central Texas (in winter). In winter migrating through the prairie districts of the Mississippi Valley to South Carolina, Alabama, and Florida. SP. CHAK. Bill much more slender than 0. henslowi. First quill longest, the rest diminished rapidly. Tail emarginate and rounded, with the feathers acute. Upper parts light yellowish red, streaked with brownish black; the margins of the feathers and scapu- lars pale yellowish white. Tail-feathers dusky, margined with light yellowish. Lower parts, with the cheeks and a broad band over the eyes, fine buff. Medial line yellowish anteriorly, nearly white behind. The buff extending to the f emorals and along the sides, streaked with brownish blaek. Throat, neck, and upper parts of the breast, without any streaks, and plain buff. Adult male (No. 65,815, U. S. Nat. Mus.). Ground-color of the head white, tinged with buff on the niaxill;p,and with ash on the auriculars; crown with two broad black stripes, separated by a narrow medial one of whitish; nuchal feathers bright rufous, edged with ashy white, and shafted with black; dorsal feathers black, broadly edged exteriorly with white, and interiorly narrowly skirted with rufous. Beneath entirely white, tinged on the throat with buff, and streaked on the sides— from the breast to the flanks— with black. Length,5.00; extent, 7.10; wing,2.10; tail, 2.00; culmen, .42; tarsus, .68. (August 19; plumage much worn and faded.) Adult female (No. 65,814, U. 8. Nat. Mus.). Resembling the male, but, being in less abraded plumage, the colors more pronounced. The band is deep buff (just as in Ammo- drannts caudacutus], the auriculars and lores distinctly grayish white, and the medial stripe of the crown ashy white except the anterior third, which is buff. On the lower parts, the whole lower side of the head, and the entire breast, sides, flanks, and tibi;e, are deep buff, the sides sharply streaked wi h black. The abdomen anal region and crissum are pure white, in marked contrast. Length, 5.00; extent, 7.00: wing, 2.on; tail. 2.10; culmen, .45; tarsus. .70. Young. Ground-color above dull buff, below white: tin1 pattern of the old birds seen in the markings, which, however, are pure black, all reddish and brown tints being absent — except on the wings and tail, which are nearly as in the adult. In its unspotted breast, the rufous feathers of the hind-neck, the absence of submalar stripes, and apparently in the markings of the wings, it is most like C. passe rin us. Although the middle tail-feathers - 17 258 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. have the narrow stripe of C. henslowi, the bill is much smaller, as stated by Audubon, than in the others, and is distinctly bluish. The vertical stripe is deep buff anteriorly, instead of buff through- out,' and the superciliary stripe is continuously buff, instead of yellow anterior to, and ashy behind, the eye. In the comparative length of wing and tail, it is most nearly related to hcnsloici, but the bill is very much narrower than in either. This elegant little sparrow is, in some localities at least, an abund- ant migrant in Illinois. In the latter part of October, 1882, I found it numerous in meadows on Sugar Creek Prairie, Richland county, in company with C. hensloici, but preferring the rank grass near streams. It resembled the latter species in its actions, being diffi- cult to flush and flying in a very zigzag manner, but was readily distinguished by its more slender build and conspicuously lighter or more ochraceous coloration. But few specimens have as yet been taken in the northeastern portion of the State. Mr. Nelson, in his catalogue, mentions it as follows : "A rare migrant. I obtained a fine specimen May 13, 1875, at Eiverdale, Illinois, and by my notes I see that a second specimen was observed the 21st of the same month near where the first was obtained. The specimen in my possession was flushed from a small depression in the prairie near the Calumet river, where the moisture had caused an early growth of coarse grass, about three inches in height. After darting off in an erratic course a few rods, it sud- denly turned, and alighting ran rapidly through the grass, from which it was with difficulty started again and secured." Mr. Chas. K. Worthen, of Warsaw, writes me as follows concern- ing this species : "I have taken in the last two years, on the prairie here, some twenty specimens ; have taken them both in fall and spring, as well as during the summer, and am satisfied they breed here, though I have not been able to find their nests or eggs. I have found them on low swampy prairies in the Mississippi bottoms, and on dry bluffs; but generally in swampy or marshy ground." (See "Nuttall Bulletin," January, 1880, p. 32.) SUBGENUS Passerculus BONAPARTE. BONAP. Comp. List Birds, 1838 33. Type, Frhnjilla savanna WiLS. "GiCN. CHAB. Bill moderately conical; the lower mandible smaller; both outlines nearly straight. Tarsus about equal to the middle toe. Lateral toes about equal, thrir FRINGILLIM: — THE FINCHES. claws falling far short of the middle one. Hind toe much longer than the lateral ones, reaching as far as the middle of the middle claw; its claws moderately curved. Wings unusually long, reaching to the middle of the tail, and almost to the end of the upper cov- verts. The tertials nearly or quite as long as the primaries; the first primary longest. The tail is quite short, considerably shorter than the wings: as long as from the carpal joint to the end of the secondaries. It is emarginate, and slightly rounded; the feathers pointed and narrow." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The essential characters of this genus lie in the elongated wings (longer than the tail), the tertials equal to the primaries, the first quill almost longest. The legs are long, the outstretched toes reach- ing to the end of the tail ; the lateral toes considerable shorter than the middle, which is not much longer than the hinder. The tail is short, narrow, and emarginate ; the feathers acute. Ammodramus sandwichensis savanna (Wils.) SAVANNA SPARROW. Popular synonyms, Grass Bird; Ground Bird. Fringitla savanna WILS. Am. Orn. iii,1811,55,pl. 22, fig. 2; iv, 1811, 72, pi. 34, fig. 4.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832", 489.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 63; v, 1839.51G.pl. 109. Emleriza savanna BP. 1838.— BATED, B. N. Am. 1858, 442; Cat. N. Am. B. 1S59, No. 332.— COUES, Key, 1872, 135; Check List 1873, No. 159; B. N. W. 1874, 127.— B. B. & K. Hist. X. Am. B. i, 1874, 534, pi. 24, fig. 8. Pdsserculus sandwichensis savanna RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 193 a.— COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 227. HAB. Eastern North America, breeding chiefly north of, and wintering south of, the parallel of 40°; Cuba. (The typical race of this species inhabits the north Pacific coas', from Vancouver Island to Unlashka. It is similar in colors to savanna, but is decidedly larger. In other parts of western North America, including Alaska, with the exception of the coast district, the smaller, paler, and more slender-billed P. sandwichensis alan- dinus replaces both the other forms.) "Sp. CHAR. Feathers of the upper parts generally with a central streak of blackish brown; the feathers of the back with a slight rufous suffusion laterally; the feathers edged with gray, which is lightest on the scapulars, and forms there two gray sh-ipi's. Crown with a broad median stripe of yellowish gray. A superciliary stripe from the bill to the back of the head, eyelids and edge of the elbow, yellow, paler behind. A yellowish white mandibular stripe curving behind the ear-coverts, and margined above and below by brown. The lower margin is a series of thickly crowded spots on the sides of the throat, which are also found on the sides' of the neck, across the upper part of the breast and on the sides of the body; a dusky line back of the eye, making three on the side of the head (including the two mandibular). A few faint spots on the throat and chin. Kest 260 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. of under parts whit- . Lengtl , V>0; wing, 2.70; tail, 2.10. Yonng. Ground-color of the upper parts (except wings an I tail) light ochraceous, more brownish on top of head, ni'i"T part of back, and on upper tail-coverts, the streaks blacker and more conspicuous than in the adult. Beneath with an ochraceous tinge anteriorly, the streaks broader and deeper Mark than in the a, i>l. 31. !i.v. 1.— RIDUW. Num. X. Am. B. 1NM, No. JH. Emli. rim grammaca AUD. Syuop. 1839, 101; B. Am. iii, 1841,03, pi. 158. HAB. Mississippi Valley, north to Iowa, Wisconsin, and southern .Michigan, rasr, regularly to Indiana, western Kentucky, etc., occasionally to Ohio, and casually t<> Massa- chusetts and the District of Columbia; west to eastern portion of the Great Plains; soutli to eastern Texa-. "Sp. CHAK. Hood chestnut, tinged with black towards the forehead, and with a median stripe and superciliary stripe of dirty whitish. Rest of upper parts pale grayish olive, the iiiterseapular region alone streaked with dark brown. Beneath white, a round spot oil the upper part of the breast, a broad maxillary si ripe cutting off a white stripe above, and a short line from the bill to the eye, continued faintly behind it, black. A white crescent under the eye, bordered below by black and behind by chestnut, on the ear-coverts. Tail-feathers dark brown, the outermost edged externally and with more than terminal third white, with transverse outline; the white decreasing to the next to innermost, tipped broadly with white. Length, 6 inches; wing, 3.30." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The colors of the female are slightly duller than in the male, the chestnut less bright, the black not so intense ; the pattern, however, is the same. The young bird has the breast and throat with a good many spots of dark brown instead of the single large one on the breast. The other markings are more indistinct. This handsomely marked bunting (for it is not a true sparrow, nor a finch) is found abundantly in all suitable localities, its favor- ite resort being fertile prairies and meadows adjoining strips or groves of timber. In Illinois it evinces a special fondness for corn- fields, in which it builds its nest at the foot of the stalks, while the male sings from the fence or the top of a small tree by the roadside. It has been a matter of surprise to us that writers who have de- scribed the habits of western birds have not mentioned more par- ticularly the vocal capabilities of this bird, which in sprightliness and continuity of song has few, if any, rivals among the North American F>-in>//Ui•/ n-intrr: Crown bleu-k, the feathers bordered with pale grayish brown, producing a scaled appearance; throat white, bordered on each side with a dusky streak: a blackish patch, or cluster of spots, on the jugulum; sides of head and neck buffy. I). Crown black or brown, divided by a white, buff or yellowish stripe. § Median stripe of crown white (in adult) or buff (in young). 2. Z. leucophrys. Lores black or brown. Adult: Head-stripes black (one on each side of crown and one behind the eye) and white (one on middle of crown and one over the ear-coverts). Back light ash-gray, streaked with chestnut-brown; edge of wing white, breast clear light ash-gray. Young. _ first iruitrr: Head- stripes chestnut-brown and dull buff; otherwise similar to adult. Young, first plumage: Crown dusky blackish on sides, the middle whitish streaked with dusky; throat and breast more or less streaked with dusky. 3. Z. gambeli.* Pattern of coloration exactly as in Irucophrys, except that the lores are grayish white, or (in young) grayish buff, confluent with the light superciliary stripe. Median stripe of crown grayish white, much narrower than lateral black stripes; back olive-brownish, streaked with brownish black; edge of wing yellowish; whole throat, foreneck, etc., dingy gray. 4. Z. intermedia. Similar to Z. yamhrU, but median stripe of crown pure white, wide as or wider than black lateral stripes; back ashy, streaked with chesnut- brown; edge of wing white; throat, etc., pale ashy. (Colors exactly as in leu- cophrys, except as to the lores, which are grayish white instead of black.) •"Confined to the Pacific Coast. 266 fclliDS OF ILLINOIS. §§ Forehead and fore part of crown yellow centrally. 5. Z. coronata. Middle of crown, anteriorly, bright greenish yellow (in adult) or olive-yellow (in young). Arln.lt: Pileum black laterally, the median portion yel- low anteriorly, and ash-gray posteriorly. Plumage otherwise exactly as in Z. gambdi. Young. In first if inter: No distinct stripes on crown, which is dull olive-yellowish, obscured by grayish brown, and streaked with dusky; the streaks more distinct posteriorly, and sometimes forming an ill-defined stripe on the side; otherwise, like the adult. B. A yellow supraloral spot; throat abruptly white. 6. Z. albicollis. Adult: Two broad stripes on the crown, and a narrow one behind the eye, black; a white stripe in middle of crown, and one over ear-coverts, the latter becoming bright yellow over lores; ear-coverts and .jugulum deep ash ; back rusty brown, streaked with black. Young, first u-inter: Similar to adult, but head-stripes rusty dusky-brown and pale rusty buff, the yellow over the lores, and the white throat-patch, less distinct, Yoium. ///>•/ iilinnayt': Crown uniform snuff- brown, with a narrow whitish middle stripe ; superciliary stripe dirty whitish, with no yellow over lores; jugulum streaked with dusky. Throat not abruptly white. Zoiiotrichia querula (Nutt.) HARRIS'S SPARROW. Popular synonym. Mourning Finch. Fringilla qtterula NUTT. Man. 2d ed. i. 1840. 558. Zonotrichia querula GAME. 1847.— BAIED.B. N. Am. 1858,462; Cat. N.Am.B. 1859, No. 348. — COUES, Key, 1872,145; Check List 1873, No. 185; 2d ed. 1882, No. 280; B. N. W. 1874, 157.— B. B. & K, Hist, N. Am. B. i, 1874, 577, pi. '26, figs. 4,7.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am, B. 1881. No. 205. Frhigilla harrisii AUD. B. AM. vii. 1843, 331. 484. Fringilla comata MAX. Eeise Nord-Am. ii, 18-11, 352. HAB. Eastern border of the Great Plains, from northern Minnesota and Dakota (in summer) to central and eastern Texas (in winter). East, irregularly (?) to Wisconsin, Illi- nois, Iowa, and Missouri. "Sp. CHAE. Hood and nape, sides of head anterior to and including the eyes, chin, throat, and a few spots in the middle of the upper part of the breast and on its sides, black. Sides of head and neck ash-gray, with the trace of a narrow crescent back of the ear-coverts. Interscapular region of back, with the feathers reddish brown, streaked with dark brown. Breast and belly clear white. Sides of body light brownish, streaked. Two narrow white bands across the greater and middle coverts. Length n! out 7 in; !, ; wing, 3.40; tail, 3.65. "The bill of this species appears to be yellowish red. More imma- ture specimens vary in having the black of the head more re- stricted, the nape and sides of the head to the bill pale reddish brown, lighter on the latter region. Others have the feathers of the anterior portion of the hood edged with whitish. In all there is generally a trace of black anterior to the eye." (Hist. X. Am. B.) Considering the length of time it has been known (more than 40 years), comparatively little has been learned regarding the habits of this FRINGILLIDjE — THE FINCHES. 267 species. Its nest and eggs are to this date (June, 1886) unknown, as is also its exact range during the breeding season. The only specimens of this species known to the writer as having been taken in Illinois were those recorded in the "Nuttall Bulletin" for January, 1880, pp. 30, 31, one of which was obtained at Bloom- ington, in the spring of 1877, the other at Normal, on the 14th of November, 1879, both by Mr. W. H. Garman. Several examples have been taken in southern Wisconsin, near the Illinois line, one of which, shot at Eacine, by Dr. Hoy, was mentioned by Mr. Nel- son in his list, while three others, reported to me by Mr. H. K. Coale, were collected at LaCrosse, October 3, 1883. Zonotrichia leucophrys (Forst.) WHITE CROWNED SPARROW. Ernie riza leucophrys FORST. fhilos. Trans. Ixii, 1772, 382. 403, 426.— WlLS. Am. Orn. iv, 1811, 49. ill. 31, fig. 4. Friitdilla Ifucophrus BP. 1828.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 479.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834,88; v, 1839, 515, pi. 144; Synop. 1839,121; B. Am. iii, 1841, 157, pi. 192. Fringilla (Zonotrichia) leucoyhrys Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 255. Zoiuitrirlilii Iriicoplirus BP. 1838.— BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858,458; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. ' 345.— COUES, Key, 1872, 144; Cheek List, 1873, No. 183; 2d ed. 1882, No. 276; B. N. W. 1874, 154.-B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 566, pi. 25, figs. 9, 10.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 206. HAB. Breeding from northern Labrador to the Roeky Mountains, and south to at least latitude 48° on the Sierra Nevada in California and the higher ranges of Colorado. In winter, most of the eastern United States, wintering chiefly south of 38°; also, portions of Mexieo, including Cape St. Lucas. "Sp. CHAE. Head, above, upper half of loral region from the bill, and a narrow line through and behind the eye to the occiput, black: a longitudinal patch in the middle of the crown, and a short line from above the anterior corner of the eye, the two confluent on the occiput, white. Sides of the head, forepart of breast, and lower neck all round, pale ash, lightest beneath, and shading insensibly into the whitish of the belly and chin; sides of the belly and under tail- coverts tinged with yellowish brown. Interscapular region streaked broadly with dark chestnut-brownish. Edges of the tertiaries brownish chestnut. Two white bands on the wing. Female. Similar but smaller; immature birds in first winter, with the black and white stripes on the crown replaced by darU chestnut-brown and brownish yellow. Length, 7.10 incln-s: wing, 3.25. Yomnj of the year thickly streaked with dusky on the breast. The lateral stript-s <>!' the crown dull brown, the median die streaked whitish." "The white of the crown separates two black stripes on either side, rather narrower than itself. The black line behind the eye is continued anterior to it into the black at the base of the bill. The lower eyelid is white. There are some obscure cloudings of darker • 268 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. on the neck above. The rump is immaculate. No white on the tail except very obscure tips. The white 011 the wings crosses the ends of the middle and greater coverts." (Hist. X. Am. B.) This fine sparrow is usually an abundant migrant in the north- ern portions of the State, and a more or less common winter resi- dent in the southern parts. At Mount Carmel it was often abundant throughout the winter, frequenting, during the coldest weather, the door-yards and gardens, in company with Snowbirds (Junco hyemalis), Tree Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, Yellow-rump Warblers, and other familiar species. Its clear, but rather subdued, whistling song was often heard just before its departure for the north. This song much resembles that of the White-throated Sparrow, but is less monotonous and rather more plaintive. "Among the birds that tarry briefly with us in the spring on their way to Canada and beyond," writes Mr. John Burroughs, in Scribner's, "there is none that I behold with so much pleasure as the White-crowned Sparrow. I have an eye out for him all through April and the first week in May. He is the rarest and most beautiful of the Sparrow kind. He is crowned as some hero or victor in the games. He is usually in company with his con- gener, the White-throated Sparrow, but seldom more than in the proportion of one to twenty of the latter. Contrasted with this bird, he looks like its more fortunate brother, upon whom some special distinction has been conferred, and who is, from the egg, of finer make and quality. His sparrow color, of ashen gray and brown, is very clear and bright, and his form graceful. His whole expression, however, culminates in a regular manner in his crown. The various tints of the bird are brought to a focus here and in- tensified, the lighter ones becoming white and the deeper ones nearly black. • There is the suggestion of a crest also, from a habit this bird has of slightly elevating this part of its plumage, as if to make more conspicuous its pretty markings. They are great scratchers, and will often remain several minutes scratching in one place like a hen. Yet, unlike the hen and like all hoppers, they scratch with both feet at once, -which is by no means the best way to scratch." — THE FINCHES. 269 Zonotrichia albicollis (Gmel.) WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. Popular synonyms. Peabody Bird (New England); Yellow-browed Sparrow. Frinijilla alb'tcoUi* GMEL. S. N. i, 1788,920.— WIL.S. Am. Orn. iii, 1811, 51, pi. 22, fig. 2. Zonotrichia albicollis Sw. 1837.— BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858,418; Cat. N. Am. B. 1851), No. 340. — CouES.Key, 1872,144, fig. 88; Check List, 1873, No. 182, 2d ed. 1882, No. 275; B. N. \V. 1874,151.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i,1874, 574, pi. 26, fig. 10.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 209. Fringilla pennsylranica LATH. Ind. Orn. 1790, 446.— AUD. Oru. Biog. i, 1831, 42, pi. 8; Synop. 1839, 121; B. Am. iii, 1841, 153, pi. 191. HAB. Eastern North America, breeding from northern United States north to the "Fur Countries." Winters in the United States, chiefly south of 40°, and west to the borders of the Great Plains; accidental west to Utah and Oregon; also, in England. "Sp. CHAR. Two black stripes on the crown, separated by a median one of white. A broad superciliary stripe from the base of the mandible to the occiput, yellow as far as the middle of the eye, and white behind this. A broad black streak on the side of the head from behind the eye. Chin white, abruptly defined against the dark ash of the sides of the head and upper part of the breast, fading into white on the belly, and mar- gined by a narrow black maxillary line. Edge of wing and axillaries yellow. Back and edges of secondaries rufous brown, the former streaked with dark brown. Two narrow white bands across the wing-coverts. Length, 7 inches; wing, 3.10; tail, 3.20. Young of the year not in the collection." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Few birds, if any, are more abundant or more generally distrib- uted than is the present species, during the winter, throughout the more eastern United States. From the eastern border of the Great Plains to the Atlantic coast it is decidedly the most numerous of the FringiD.idse, — every hedge-row, brier-patch, brush-pile or similar place being frequented by dozens or scores of individuals. During the day these occupy themselves silently in gleaning for food among the dead leaves, but at the approach of dusk congregate more closely together, and before seeking their "roost," in the thicker growths of a swamp, in brush-piles, etc., become quite noisy, calling to one another with a sharp, penetrating, almost metallic chirp, which is peculiarly in accord with a cold, drear winter evening. In the spring, before their departure for the north, the males occa- sionally whistle their monotonous but exceeding clear and plaintive chant, sounding like pe-pe-pe' body, pe' body, pe'body, — on which account, the species has in parts of New England received the name of "Peabody Bird." GENUS SPIZELLA BONAPARTE. Spizplla BONAP. Geog. and Comp. List, 1838, 33. Type, Fringilla cannfJt'nxis LATH., —F. ntonticola GMEL. "GEN. CHAR. Bill conical, the outlines slightly curved; the lower mandible decidedly larger than the upper; the commissure gently siuuated; the roof of the mouth not'" L i B r 270 BIRDS OP ILLINOIS. knobbed. Feet slender; tarsus rather longer than the middle toe; the hinder toe a little longer than the outer lateral, which slightly exceeds the inner; the outer claw reaching the base of the middle one, and hall' as long as its toe. Claws moderately curved. Tertiaries and secondaries nearly equal; wing somewhat pointed, reaching not quite to the middle of the tail. First quill a little shorter than the second and equal to the fifth ; third longest. Tail rather long, moderately forked, and divaricated at the tip; the feathers rather narrow. Back streaked: rump and beneath immaculate. Young streaked beneath. "This genus differs from Zonotrichia principally in the smaller size, and longer and forked instead of rounded tail. "Birds of the year of this genus are very difficult to distinguish, even by size, except in monticola. The more immature birds are also very closely related. In these the entire absence of streaks on a plumbeous head point to atrigularis; the same character in a red- dish cap, and a reddish upper mandible, to /m.siWa,- a dusky loral spot, with dark streaks, and generally a rufous shade on top of head, to socialis. 8. Itreirei'i, with a streaked head, lacks the dusky lore and chestnut shade of feathers. S. pallid a generally has a median light stripe in the cap, and a dusky mandibular line." (Hist. N. Am. B.) With a single exception, all the known species of this genus are North American, though one of them (S. atrigularis) barely comes within our borders in Arizona and southern California. The single purely extralimital species is S. pinetorum SALVIN, of the Guatemalan highlands. It is closely related to S. socialis, but is evidently distinct. Leaving out S. atrigularis and S. worthcni,* the species inhab- iting the United States may be characterized as follows : COMMON CHARACTERS. Back brownish, sharply streaked with black; rump plain grayish; wings with two light bands; lower parts unstreaked, except in young. A. Crown rufous in adults. a. Maxilla, black, the mandible yellow; a dusky spot on the .juguluni. 1. S. montieola. Atlult: Crown and outer webs of scapulars and tertials, bright rufous; two distinct white bands on the wing; sides of head and neck ash-gray, lighter on throat; a pale gray superciliary stripe, whitish anteriorly; a rufous postocular stripe; a dusky spot in middle of the jugulum. b. Bill wholly black or reddish brown. 2. S. pusilla. Bill wholly light reddish brown. Crown dull rufous; back dull rufous, the feathers edged with grayish and streaked centrally with black : outer edges of tertials pale grayish brown; sides of head pale ash-gray, with a dull rufous streak behind the eye; wing with two indistinct bands. Young: Crown and back dull grayish brown, without rufous; breast narrowly and in- distinctly streaked with dusky. 3. S. socialis. Bill wholly black in adults; dull reddish brown in young. Crown bright rufous, becoming black anteriorly; a whitish superciliary stripe; a blackish streak behind the eye; ear-coverts, sides of neck and rump, ash-gray. Young: Crown and back brown, broadly streaked with black: breast and sides thickly streaked with dusky. * Spizella u-orthe.ni EIDGW. Proc. U. S. Nat, Mus. vii, Aug. 22, 1884, 259. Silver City, New Mexico. (Dedicated to Mr. Chas. K. Worthen.of Warsaw, Illinois.) FRINGILLIM3 — THE FINCHES. 271 B Crown grayish brown, streaked with black, at all ages. 4. S. pallida. Adult: Crown streaked black and brown, divided by a distinct stripe of light brownish gray; nape ash-gray; ear-coverts light brownish, edged above and below by a dusky streak; distinct maxillary and superciliary stripes of brownish white, the former bordered underneath by a dusky bridle; beneath continuous white the breast and sides faintly shaded with grayish brown. Young: Head more tinged with fulvous, and tin- markings less dis- tinct; breast streaked with dusky. 5. S. brewed. Adult: Crown pale grayish brown, streaked with black, and with- out middle stripe; nape and back similar; no distinct superciliary or maxillary stripe, and ear-coverts but slightly darker than adjoining portions. You mi: Similar, but breast streaked with dusky. Spizella monticola (Gmel.) TREE SPARROW. Popular synonyms. Canadian Sparrow; Winter Chippy. Fringilla monticola GMEL. S. N. i, 1788,912. tipizella monticola BAIKD.B. N. Am. 1858,472; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 357.— CoUES, Key, 1872,142; Check List, 1873, No. 177; 2d ed. 1882, No. 268; B. N. W. 1874, 140.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. ii,1874, 3, pi. 27, fig. 5. Friitgilia i-nixn/riiftis LATH. Ind. Orn. i, 1790, 434.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 495.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii,1834, 511; v, 1839, 504, pi. 188. Emberizac'. utonticitJa oc/uncea BREWSTER, which breeds in Alaska, and mi- grates in winter to the Western States and Territories.) SP. CHAR. Mandible yellow, maxilla black. Pikmin rich rufous, also a distinct post- ocular stripe; sides of head light ash-gray, including a broad siiperciliary stripe, tin- latter nearly white anteriorly. Nape mixed ashy and rufous. Back rusty ochraceous, streaked with rufous and black. Wings rusty, the feathers blackish centrally; both rows of wing-coverts broadly tipped with pure white, forming two distinct bands; tertials bordered with white toward ends. Rump uniform grayish olive. Tail dark grayish brown, feathers edged with paler. Lower parts whitish, tinted with ashy anteriorly, sides and flanks tinged with ochraceous, sides of breast tinged with rufous, and middle ofjuguliun with a dusky spot. Total length, 6.25-6.50 inches; extent, 9.25-9.50; wing, about 2.SlKJ.l!>; tail,2.so-:!.im. This pretty little sparrow is one of our most common and familiar winter residents, occurring everywhere throughout the State, and in the sheltered bushy swamps in the more southern counties con- gregating in immense numbers. It comes familiarly about the door- yards and gardens, gleaning from the snow in company with Snow- birds (Junco hyemalis) and other winter residents. During the warmer days of winter, or even if the weather be cold though clear, the rich medley of soft jingling notes uttered by a number of 27 '2 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. individuals of this species is not excelled for sweetness by any bird notes, while during the love season, says Dr. Brewer, "the Tree Sparrow is quite a fine musician, its song resembling that of the Canary, but finer, sweeter, and not so loud." According to Mr. Brewster, "their song is a loud, clear and powerful chant, starting with two high notes, then falling rapidly, and ending with a low, sweet warble." After mentioning the fact that this species is, in northeastern Illinois, an "abundant winter resident about thickets and in marshes," and that it "arrives the 15th of October and departs the 1st of April," Mr. Nelson, in his list (p. 108) thus appropriately describes their song : "The first of March they collect in large flocks and are very musical. Often a large portion of the flock will unite in song which, although it may be more than equaled later in the season, yet, coming as it does between winter and spring, and so touch- ingiy plaintive, one involuntarily stops to listen with a peculiar feeling of pleasure." Spizella socialis (Wils.) CHIPPING SPARROW. Popular synonyms. Chippy; Chip-liird; Hair-bird. Fringilla sociali* WILS. Am. Orn. ii.isio, 127, pi. 10, fig. 5.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 497.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834,21; v, 1X39, 517, pi. 104. Ember iza socialis AUD. Synop. 1839,105; 13. Am. iii, 1841,80, pi. 1(55. Sjjizella sor/nf/.s BP. IfcSS.— BATED, B. N. Am. 1*58, 473; Ca!. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 359.— COUES, Key, 1872,142; Cheek List, 1873, No. 178; B. N. W. 1X74, 148. -B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. ii,1874,7, pi. 27, fig. 1. Hiiizella dontpstica "(BAETE.)" COUES, Proe. Phil. Ac. 2il Check List, 1882, No. 269.— EIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 211. HAB. Eastern North America, north to the "Fur Countries, " wintering in Southern States, Cuba, and eastern Mexico. In the western United States and the greater part of Mexico, replaced by the slightly but constantly different 6'. socialis arizonie. "Sp. CHAB. Eump.backof neck, and sides of head and neck, ashy. Interscapular region with black streaks, margined with pale rufous. Crown continuous and uniform chestnut. Forehead black, separated in the middle by white. A white streak over the rye to nape, and a black one from the base of the bill through and behind theeye. Lores dusky. Upper parts unspotted whitish, tinged with ashy on the sides and across the upper breast. Tail-feathers and primaries edged with paler, not white. Two narrow white bands across the wing-coverts. Bill black. Length, 5.75; wing, nearly 3.00; tail, 2.50 (or less). "Young. Immature birds and frequently the adult females with the cap streaked with blackish lines, the chestnut sometimes nearly or quite wanting. Birds of the year streaked beneath and on rump. "The color of bill varies; sometimes entirely black throughout, sometimes very light (but never reddish as in >. imsi/hi), with all intermediate stages. There is usually, how- ever, a dusky tiu^e in the upper bill, wanting in pusitla, and the lores are almost always more or less dusky in all stages of plumage." (Hint. N. Am. B.) FRINGILLID^ — THE PINCHES. 273 So well known is the common Chipping Sparrow, Chip-bird, or Chippy, that a particular account of its habits is hardly necessary here. Perhaps the most familiar and confiding of all our birds, it is at the same time one of the most beneficial ; and, so far as we are aware, possesses not a single objectionable trait. Says Dr. Brewer (Hist. N. Am. B., Vol. II., pp. 9, 10): "The tamenee.s and sociability of this bird surpass that of any of the birds I have ever met with in New England, and are only equaled by similar traits manifested by the Snowbird (J". hy emails) in Pictou. Those that live about our dwellings in rural situations, and have been treated kindly, visit our doorsteps, and even enter the houses, with the greatest familiarity and trust. They will learn to distinguish their friends, alight at their feet, call for their accus- tomed food, and pick it up when thrown to them, without the slightest signs of fear. One pair which, summer after summer, had built their nest in a fir-tree near my door, became so accustomed to be fed that they would clamor for their food if they were any morning forgotten. One of these birds, the female, from coming down to the ground to be fed with crumbs, soon learned to take them on the flat branch of the fir near her nest, and at last to feed from my hand, and afterwards from that of other members of the family. Her mate, all the while, was comparatively shy and distrustful, and could not be induced to receive his food from us, or to eat in our presence." Spizella pallida (Swains.) CLAY-COLORED SPARROW. Embr-riza pallida SWAINS. P. B.-A. ii, 1831, 251. Spizella pallida BP. 1838.— BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858, 474; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 360.— COUES, Key, 1872, 143; Check List, 1873, No. 180; 2d ed. 1882, No. 272; B. N. W. 1874,148.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874,11, pi. 27, fig. 3.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 212. Emberiza shattuckii AUD. B. Am. vii, 1843, 347, pi. 493. HAB. Great Plains, from the Saskatchewan to Texas, and (in winter) along the southern border to Arizona and Cape St. Lucas, west to base of Rocky Mountains, east to prairies of Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois. (NOTE. The "Emberiza pallida" of Audu- bon's works is not this species, but txnl«r'i,s, of Guadalupe I., and J. bairdi, of Lower California — not coming within the United FKINGILLIMS — THE FINCHES. 277 States). In Eastern North America only two species occur, and one of these (•/. oregonm) merely as a straggler. Both belong to the Illinois fauna, and may be distinguished as follows : 1. J. hyemalis. Plain blackish gray, or slate-gray the belly and lateral tail-feathers white. (Abundant winter resident.) 2. J. oregonus. Head. neck, and jugulum, black; back brownish; rump, only, slate-gray; sides light pinkish brown; belly and lateral tail-feathers white, as in J. hyemalis. Of the western species, J. aikeni is larger than J. hyemalis, and usually has distinct white wing-bands ; the sides ash-gray, and the bill light pinkish. J. annectens has the head, neck, jugulurn, and upper parts ash-gray (back more brownish), the sides pinkish ; bill light pinkish. J. caniceps resembles J. annectens, but has the back bright rufous and the sides ashy, like the breast. J. dorsalis resembles J. caniceps, but has the upper mandible black, the lower yellow, and the lower parts grayish white. J. cinereus is allied to dorsalis, and like that species has the iris bright yellow (in other species, excepting J. dorsalis, the eye is dark brown or claret color), but has the rufous of the back extended over the wing-coverts and tertials. Each species, or race, has likewise distinctive proportions and a separate breeding range. Junco hyemalis (Linn.) SLATE-COLORED JUNCO. Popular synonyms. Black Snowbird; Common Snowbird; Slate-colored Snowbird; Gray Snowbird; Eastern Snowbird. Fr ing ilia hyemalis LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i. 1758, 183.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 72; v, 505, pi. 13. Niphcea hyemalis AUD. Synop. 1830,106; B. Am. iii,1841,88,pl 167. Junco hyemalis SCL. 1857.— BAIRD.B. N. Am. 1858,4(58; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 354.— COUES, Key, 1872, 141; Check List, 1873, No. 174; 2d ed. 1882, No. 261 ("hi emails"); B. N. W. 1874, 141.— B. B. & K. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 580, pi. 26, fig. 5.— BlDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 217. Fringilla hudsonin FOKST. Philo^. Trans. Ixii, 1772, 428.— WILS. Index, vi,1812tp xiii. Friiigiila nivalis WILS. Am. Oru. iii, 1810, 129, pi. 16, fig. 6.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 491. HAB. Northern North America, breeding from northern New England to Alaska (Yukon district); in winter, whole of eastern United States, and straggling westward (Colorado, Utah, Arizona, etc.). "Sp. CHAK. Everywhere of a grayish or dark ashy black, deepest anteriorly; the mid- dle of the breast behind and of the belly, the under tail-coverts, and first and second ex- ternal tail-feathers, white; the third tail-feather white, margined with black. Length, 6.25; wing.about 3.00. In winter washed with brownish. Young streaked above and below. "The wing is rounded; the second quill longest ; the third, fourth, and fifth, successively, a little shorter; the first longer than the sixth. Tail slightly rounded, and a little emarginate. In the full 278 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. spring dress there is no trace of any second color on the back, ex- cept an exceedingly i'aint and scarcely appreciable wash of dull brownish over the whole upper parts. The markings of the third tail-feather vary somewhat in specimens. Sometimes the whole tip is margined with brown; sometimes the white extends to the end; sometimes both webs are margined with brown ; sometimes the outer is white entirely ; sometimes the brownish wash on the back is more distinct." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Some specimens have more or less distinct white wing-bands. While the Snowbird is known to every one as a common and familiar winter resident, there are few people but to whom its coming and going is a mystery; and the question is often asked, "What becomes of the Snowbirds in summer, and where do they breed?" The summer home of this interesting species includes the colder region of the far North from northern Maine and the more eastern British Provinces to Alaska, north to the Arctic "barren grounds," and along the higher portions of the Alleghanies for an undetermined distance southward.* "About Calais [Maine], and in all the islands of the Bay of Fundy, and throughout New Brunswick and Nova Scotia," Dr. Brewer "found this by far the most common and familiar species, especially at Pictou, where it abounded in the gardens, in repeated instances coming within the out-buildings to build its nests. In a woodshed connected with the dwelling of Mr. Dawson, my attention was called to the nests of several of these birds, built within reach of the hand, and in places where the family were passing and re- passing throughout the day On my ride from Hal- ifax to Pictou, they reminded me of the common Spizella socialis, but were, if anything, more fearless and confiding, coming into the room where the family were at their meals, and only flying away when they had secured a crumb of sufficient size." In all probability the Snowbird does not breed, even occasionally, anywhere within the limits of the State of Illinois ; nevertheless, individuals may in extremely rare instances be found several weeks after others have departed for the North, these having probably re- ceived some injury which retards, if it does not altogether prevent, *On the high mountains of western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and northern Georgia, an allied race, or perhaps distinct species, is resident. This has recently (in "The Auk, "vol. iii, Jan. 1886, p. 108) been described by Mr. Brewster, as J. hyemalis carolinensis. FRINGILLID^E — THE FINCHES. 279 their migration. Professor Forbes informs me of such an instance which came under his own observation, as follows : "While on a recent trip to southern Illinois, I astonished myself by shooting, June 9, one mile from the Ohio river, near Elizabeth- town, in Hardin county, an adult specimen of the Common Snow- bird (Jtinco hyemalis), I killed the bird from a tree in the edge of a wood. I neither heard nor saw another of the species there." (See "Nuttall Bulletin," July, 1881, p. 180.) Junco hyemalis oregonus (Towns.) OREGON JUNCO. Popular synonyms. Black-headed Snowbird; Oregon Snowbird. Fringil/a oregona TOWNS. Jour. Phil. Ac. vii,1837, 188.— AUD. Orn. Biog. v,1839,68, pi. 398. Niph&a oregona AUD. Synop. 1839,107; B. Ain. iii,1841, 91.pl. 168. Junco oregonus Sci.. 1857.— BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858, 46C; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 352.— COUES, Key. 1872, 141; Check List, 1873, No. 175; 2d ed. 1882, No. 263; B. N. W. 1874, 142. B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 584. pi. 26, ng. 2.— KIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 218. HAB. Pacific coast of North America, breeding from higher mountains of southern California north to Sitka; in winter throughout the western United States, and even straggling to the Atlantic States (Kansas, Illinois, etc.) In its habits and notes this bird is so completely a counterpart of the common eastern Snowbird (J. hyemalis) that the writer is unable to discover, from the accounts of writers or from his own experience, any peculiarities whatsoever. It is, however, very differ- ent in its plumage, as may be seen from the description given above, and the .comparative diagnoses on page 277. GENUS PEUC.2EA AUDUBON. Peuccea AUD. Synop. 1839,112. Type F ring Ilia bachmanii AUD. "GEN. CHAK. Bill moderate. Upper outline and commissure decidedly curved. Legs and feet, with the claws, small; the tarsus about equal to the middle toe; the lateral toes equal, their claws falling considerably short of the middle one; the hind toe reaching about to the middle of the latter. The outstretched feet reach rather beyond the middle of the tail. The wing is very short, reaching only to the base of the tail; the longest ter- tials do not exceed the secondaries, while both are not much short of the primaries; the •niter three or four quills are graduated. The tail is considerably longer than the wings; it is much graduated laterally; the feathers, though long, are peculiarly narrow, linear , and elliptic-ally rounded at the ends. "Color beneath plain whitish or brownish, with a more or less distinct dusky line each side of the chin. Above with broad obsolete brown streaks or blotches. Crown uniform, or the feathers edged with lighter." (Hist. N. Am. B.) 280 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Only one species of this southern genus is known to occur in Illinois. Another however, may be expected, at least as a straggler, and for this reason the comparative characters of the two are given here. 1. P. sestivalis. Adult: Above reddish brown, streaked with gray, and usually spotted on the back with black; beneath dull buffy, whitish on the belly. Middle tail-feathers without distinct bars. a. cestivalis. Crown streaked with blackish, and black streaks on back always very distinct. Hal>. Florida and lower Georgia. /?. bachmanii. Crown without black streaks, and black streaks on back frequently obsolete: general coloration much more "sandy" above, and clearer, or less dingy, buff below. Halt. North and South Carolina, west to eastern Texas, north to southern Illinois and Indiana. 2. P. cassini. Above brownish gray, spotted with grayish brown and black, but with no rusty; lower parts nearly uniform brownish white or pale brownish gray. Middle tail-feathers very distinctly barred with dusky. Halt, Southwestern U. S., north to Kansas. Peucsea sestivalis bachmanii (And.) BACHMAN'S SPARROW. Popular synonyms. Illinois Sparrow; Oak-wood Sparrow; Bachman's Finch. Peuccea cestivalis RIDGW. Am. Nat., July 1872, 430 (Wabash Co., Illinois); Ann. N. Y. Lye. x, Jan. 1874,373 (do.); Proc. Boston Soc. xvi, Feb. 18, 1874, 308, 326 (do., summer resid.); Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club.iii, Oct. 1878, 164 ("extremely local and quite rare").— NELSON, Bull. Essex. Inst., ix,1877, 36,49 (Mt. Carmel, Wabash Co., and Fox Prairie, Richland Co., Illinois). Peuccea illinoensis RIDGW. Bull. Nutt. Orn Club, Oct. 1879, 219 (southern Illlinois to central Texas). Peucaia cestivalis illinoensis RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 2267.— COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 252. Peuccea cestivalis bachmani BKEWST. Auk, ii, Jan. 1885,106. HAB. Open woods, old fields, etc., in semi-prairie districts of the lower Mississippi Valley and Gulf States; north in summer to Richland, Lawrence, and Wabash counties, Illinois; Knox and Monroe counties,* Indiana; and Nelson county, Kentucky; east to Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, Alabama, and the Carolinas; southwest to "Lower Cross Timbers" and "Post Oak Woods" of Cook county, Texas. SP. CHAE. Adult. Above sandy ferruginous, indistinctly streaked with light ash-gray, these streaks broadest on the back and middle line of the crown; interscapulars some- times marked with narrow central streaks of black. Outer surface of the wings light fer- ruginous, the greater coverts less reddish and edged with paler; tertials dusky brown, bordered terminally with pale reddish ashy ; outer surface of the secondariesferruginous. Tail uniform grayish brown, the edges of the feathers more ashy. Sides of the head and neck, throat, jugulum, and entire sides, deep dingy buff, this color most distinct across *In a letter dated April 27, 1864, Professor David S. Jordan, President of the Indiana State University, writes me as follows: "It may perhaps interest you to know that two specimens of Peuccea cestivalis illinoensis have been taken at Bloomington (April 24). They were shot in a brush hear*" FKINGILLID^E — THE FINCHES. 281 the breast, paler on the throat and chin; a postocular streak of ferruginous along tho upper edge of the auriculars; sides of the nec?k streaked with ferruginous; an indistinct dusky streak on each side of the throat, along the lower edge of the malar region; abdo- men dull white; crissum creamy buff ; edge of the wing, from the carpal to the carpo- phalangeal joint, bright yellow. Bill pale horn-color, the maxilla darker; iris brown; legs and feet pale brown. Total length, about 6.00; wing, 2.25-2.60 (2.51); tail, 2.40-2.95(2.69); bill, from nostril to tip, .30-.33; depth through base,.27-.30 (.29); tarsus, .70--.82 (.77); middle toe, .55-.60 (.59). * Compared with typical P. cestivalis, in corresponding plumage, the differences of coloration are at once apparent. The upper parts are much paler, and more "sandy" in hue, and the black mesial streaks which in eestivalis mark all the feathers (except those of the nape and wings) are either entirely wanting, or confined to the inter- scapular region; the breast and sides are very distinctly ochra- ceous buff, these parts in (estivalis being dull buffy grayish. The proportions are very nearly the same in the two species, but bach- manii has a longer wing and a thicker bill, the average of five speci- mens, compared with six of cestivalis, being 2.51 and 0.29 respec- tively, against 2.40 and 0.26. P. arizonce is so different as scarcely to need comparison, having, like cestivalis, the whole crown streaked with black ; the general hue of the upper parts more of a hair- brown, and the lower parts nearly uniform pale buffy grayish, the abdomen not conspicuously lighter. It is also larger, measuring, wing 2.60, and tail 2.85. While little is really known regarding the distribution of this species in Illinois, it probably occurs locally — that is, in suitable localities — throughout that portion of the State lying south of the parallel of 39°; and perhaps it extends still further north. It is emphatically a bird of open oak woods, where large white and post oaks prevail, with grass land immediately adjoining, or where the intervals between the trees consist of sward rather than under- growth; but neglected fields, grown up to weeds, and in which old dead trees are left standing, are also its favorite haunt. Bachman's Sparrow first came under my observation early in June, 1871, when several were seen and others heard, about half- way between Mount Carmel and Olney, the former in Wabash, the latter in Richland county, Illinois. *These measurements represent the extremes and averages of ten adults. 282 BlEDo OF ILLINOIS. After leaving this locality the species was lost sight of until the llth of August following, upon our return to Mount Carmel. At the latter place it was found to be rather rare in certain places just outside the town limits, the localities frequented heing invari- ably neglected weedy fields in which scattered dead trees were stand- ing. Unlike most birds, this species sang with the greatest vigor, and frequently during the sultry midday, when the sky was bright- est and the heat intense — the thermometer ranging from 90° to 103° in the shade. The song, while reminding one somewhat of the plaintive chant of the Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla), was far sweeter and altogether louder ; the modulation, as nearly as can be expressed in words, resembling the syllables theeeeeee-thut, lut, lut, lut, the first being a rich silvery trill, pitched in a high musical key, the other syllables also metallic, but abrupt, and lower in tone. In July and August, 1875, several specimens of this species were collected by Messrs. E. W. Nelson and F. T. Jeneks in the vicinity of Mount Carmel and on Fox Prairie, the latter in Richland county, about thirty-five miles to the northward of Mount Carmel. Mr. Nelson thus records his observations (Bull. Essex Inst., Vol. IX., p. 38): "Bather common. Those obtained were found about the fences or brush piles in half-cleared fields. They were shy and quite difficult to secure from their habit of diving into the nearest shelter when alarmed, or skulking, wren-like, along the fences, dodging from rail to rail. One was observed singing from a fence stake, but seeing the intruder it stopped abruptly and darted into a patch of weeds." GENUS MELOSPIZA BAIRD. Nelospiza BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 478. Type, Fringilla tneloilia WILS., F.fasciatn GMEL. "GEN. CHAK. Body stout. Bill conical, very obsoletely notched, or smooth; somewhat eonipn ss.'d. Lower mandible not so deep as the upper. Commissure nearly straight. Gonys a little curved. Feet stout, not stretching beyond the tail; tarsus a little longer than the middle toe; oilier toe ;i litle longer than the inner; its daws not quite reaching to the kise of tin- middle one. Hind toe appreciably longer than the middle one. Wings quite shori and rounded, sean-ely reaching beyond the base of the tail ; the tertials eon- siderablv longer than the seeundaries; the quills considerably graduated; the fourth longest; the first not longer than the tertials, and almost the shortest of the primaries. Tail moderate^ long, rather lunger from eoeeyx than the wings, and considerably gradu- ated; the feathers oval at the lips. and not stiffened. Crown and back similar in color, and streaked; beneath thickly streaked, except in M. georgiann. Tail immaculate. I'snally nest onground; nests strongly woven of grasses and fibrous stems; eggs marked with rusty In-own and purple on a ground of a clay color/' FRINGILLIME — THE FINCHES. 283 "This genus differs from Zonotrichia in the shorter, more gradu- ated tail, rather longer hind toe, much more rounded wing, which is shorter; the tertiaries longer; the first quill almost the shortest, and not longer than the tertials. The under parts are spotted ; the crown streaked, and like the back." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The three species which occur in eastern North America (one of them peculiar to the Atlantic side) may he distinguished by the following characters : A. Breast and sides distinctly streaked, at all ages. a. Maxillary stripe and jugulum white, like other lower parts, the streaks on breast broad, cuneate. 1. M. fasciata. Above rusty grayish, streaked with brown and black. Wing about 2.70; tail nearly 3. 00. ft. Maxillary stripe and jugulum buff, the other lower parts chiefly white; streaks on jugulum linear. 2. M. lincolni. Above olive-brown, streaked with black. Wing 2.60, or less; tail 2.50, or less.* B. Breast and sides without streaks, except in young (fin t plumage). 3. M. georgiana. Breast and sides of head ashy; wings chestnut-rufous; back olive-brown, broadly streaked or spotted with black. In breeding plumage, crown (of both sexes) bright chestnut. Melospiza fasciata (Gmel.) Fr in gilla fasciata GMEL. S. N. i, 1788, 922. Melospiza fasciata SCOTT, Am. Nat. x, 1876, 18.— KIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 231.— COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 244. Fringilla melodia WILS. Am. Orn. ii, 1810,125, pi. 16, fig. 4.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 12<>; Y, 507, pi. 25; Synop. 1839, 120; B. Am. iii, 1841, 147, pi. 189. -NuTT. Man. i, 1832. 48(i. Melospiza.melodia~RA.ix-D. B. N. Am. 1858,477; Cat, N. Am. B. 1859, No. 227.— COUES, Key, 1872, 139; Check List, 1873, No. 146; B. N. Mr. 1874.138.-B. B. & K. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 19, pi. 27, fig. 6. HAB. Eastern United States and British Provinces, west to, and including, the Great Plains; wintering from about 50° to the Gulf coast, breeding in northern States and along the Atlantic sea-board. (In western portions of the continent, represented by numerous local or geographical races.) "Sp. CHAE. General tint of upper parts rufous and distinctly streaked with rufous- brown, dark brown and nshy-gray. The crown is rufous, with a superciliary and median stripe of dull gray, the former lighter; nearly white anteriorly, where it sometimes has a faint shade of yellow, principally in autumn; each feather of the crown with a narrow streak of black, forming about six narrow lines. Interscapulars black in the center, then rufous, then pale grayish on the margin, these three colors on each feather very sharply contrasted. Rump grayer than upper tail-coverts, both with obsolete dark streaks. There is a whitish maxillary stripe, bordered above and below by one of dark rufous brown, and with another from behind the eye. The under parts are white; the jugulum and sides of body streaked with clear dark brown, sometimes with a rufous suffusion. On the middle of the breast these marks are rather aggregated so as to form a spot. No distinct white on tail or wings. Length of male, 0.50; wing, 2.58; tail, 3.00. Bill pale brown above; yellowish at base beneath. Legs yellowish. * In western specimens the tail is sometimes half an inch longer. 284 BIIiDS OF ILLINOIS. "Specimens vary somewhat in having the streaks across the breast more or less sparse, the spot more or less distinct. In au- tumn the colors are more blended, the light maxillary stripe tinged with yellowish, the edges of the dusky streaks strongly suffused with brownish rufous. "The young bird has the upper parts paler, the streaks more distinct; the lines on the head scarcely appreciable. The under parts are yellowish ; the streaks narrower and more sharply denned dark brown." (Hist. N. Am. B.) While the Song Sparrow breeds in the extreme northern part of Illinois, it is known in the more southern portions only as a winter resident. This is somewhat remarkable, since along the Atlantic coast it is one of the most abundant summer residents throughout Maryland and Virginia, in the same latitudes as southern Illinois. The writer has elsewhere (Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist. Vol. XVI., 1874, p, 9) called attention to this fact, as follows: "In southern Iowa, according to Mr. Trippe (Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., Oct., 1872, p. 237), the Song Sparrow is 'abundant in spring and fall, but not observed to breed. Shy and retiring, a complete contrast to the eastern Song Sparrow.' In southern Illi- nois this is also the case, the species being there a winter sojourner, abundant, but very retiring, inhabiting almost solely the bushy swamps in the bottom-lands, and unknown as a song bird. The same are also probably its habits throughout Illinois and the adjacent districts. This is a remarkable instance of variation in habits with longitude of one geographical race, since in the Atlantic States it breeds abundantly, as far south at least as the parallel of 38°, and is besides one of the most familiar of the native birds." As far north at least as Wabash, Lawrence, and Pdchhind coun- ties, in this State, the Song Sparrow makes its appearance in the fall along with the White-throated and Swamp Sparrows, and re- mains all winter in company with these and other species, depart- ing with them in the spring. 1 have there heard its song but on two or three occasions, and then only in the spring, just before they took their departure.* The song of this bird, although sufficiently fine to attract atten- tion, is by no means equal to that of many other species of its * Since the above was written, Mr. J. A. Balmer, of Paris, Edgar county, has informed me that the Song Sparrow is a not uncommon summer resident of that vicinity, and has sent a nest and eggs, obtained in his garden, to prove the correctness of his identification, fRINGILLID.. Orn. Biog. i, 1832, 279; v, 517, pi. 53. Passerina ciris VIEILL. Gal. Ois. i, 1824, 81. pi. 66.— BIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 251.— COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 292. Spiza ciris AUD. Synop. 1839,108; B. Am. iii, 1841, 93, pi. 109. Cyanospiza ciris BAIKD.B. N. Am. 1858,503; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 384.— COUES, Key, 1872, 149; Check List -1874, No. 190.— B. B. £ K. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 87, pi. 29. figs. 7,8. HAB. Southern Atlantic and Gulf States, north to South Carolina and southern Illinois, west to Arizona; south in winter to Panama. "Sp. CHAE. Male. Head and neck all around ultramarine blue, excepting a narrow stripe from the chin to the breast, which, with the under parts generally, the eyelids, and the rump (which is tinged with purplish), are vermilion-red. Edges of chin.loralregion, greater wing-coverts, inner tertiary, and interscapular region, green; the middle of the latter glossed with yellow. Tail-feathers, lesser wing-coverts, nnd outer webs ot quills, purplish blue. Length about 5.50 inches ; wing, 2.70. "Female. Clear dark green above; yellowish beneath. Young, like female. "Tail very slightly emarginated and rounded ; second, third, and fourth quills equal; first rather shorter than the fifth. "The female is readily distinguishable from that of P. cyanea by the green instead of the dull brown of the back, and the yellow of the under parts." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The plumage of the Nonpareil, although brilliant, can scarcely be called beautiful, since there is an entire lack of harmony in his tints. The name Painted Bunting is therefore peculiarly appropriate, 302 BIBBS OF ILLINOIS. the juxtaposition of noneomplimentary colors — green, blue, and red • — strongly suggesting the inartistic "daubing" of a juvenile would- be artist. So far as the records are concerned, this species claims a place in the Illinois fauna, from the circumstance that a female was seen by the writer on June 10, 1871, close by the roadside, in Wabash county, and under circumstances which allow of no doubt as to correct identification. The date and also the character of the locality suggest the possibility, if not probability, that a pair were breeding in that vicinity. It will doubtless yet be found breeding in the more southern portions of the State. The eggs of this species are very different from those of the Indigo Bird, being heavily spotted round the larger end with reddish brown. GENUS SPIZA BONAPARTE. BONAP. Jour. Phil. Ac. iv, pt. i, Aug. 1824,45.— Type, Embprlza americana GMEL. Eusptza BONAP. Saggio, 1832. 141. Same type. Euspina CABAN. Mus. Hein. i, May, 1851, 133. Same type. "GEN. CHAE. Bill large and strong, swollen, and without any ridges; the lower man- dible nearly as high as the upper; as broad at the base as the length of the gonys, and considerably broader than the upper mandible; the edges much inflexed, and shutting much within the upper mandible ; the commissure considerably angulated at the base, then decidedly sinuated. Thi> tarsus barely equal to the middle toe; the lateral toes nearly equal, not reaching to the base of the middle claw ; the hind toe about equal to the middle one without its claw. The wings long and acute, reaching nearly to the middle of the tail; the tertials decidedly longer than the secondaries, but much shorter than the primaries; first quill longest, the others regularly graduated. Tail considerably shorter than the wings, though moderately long; nearly even, although slightly emarginate; the outer feathers scarcely shorter. Middle of back only striped; beneath without streaks." (Hist. JV. Am. B.} This genus comes nearest to Calamospiza, but has shorter tertials, more slender bill, weaker and more curved claws, etc. It is entirely peculiar to North America,* and contains, so far as known, only two species, one of which is so very rare that but a single specimen has ever been obtained. *An Old World Bunting (EmlierizamelanocephalaSco'P.) has been referred to Euspiza, even by some of the leading European authorities ; but it is not only generically distinct, but a member of quite a diffez-ent group of the Family. FRINGILLID,E— THE FINCHES. 803 SPECIES. S. americana. Top and side of head light slate, or ash-gray; forehead tinged with greenish yellow. A superciliary stripe, a malar spot, side of breast, and middle line of breast and belly, yellow. Chin white, throat black, shoulders chestnut. Female with the black of the throat replaced by a crescent of spots. Hab. Eastern Province of United States; south in winter to New Granada. S. townsendi. Body throughout (including the jugulum), dark ash, tinged with brown- ish on the back and wings. Superciliary and malar stripes, chin, throut, and middle of belly, white. A submalar line and a pectoral crescent of black spots. No chestnut on shoulders. Hab. Chester county, Pennsylvania. Spiza americana (Linn.) DICK CISSEL. Popular synonyms. Black-throated Bunting; Little Field Lark; Little Meadowlark. Eiiiberiza americana GMEL. S. N. i, 1788,871.— WILS. Am. Orn. i,1808,411; iii, 1811. 86, pi. 3. fig. 2.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 461.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv,1838, 579, pi. 384; Synop. 1839,101; B. Am. iii, 1841, 58, pi. 156. Euspiza americana BP. 1838.— BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858, 494; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 378. — CouES.Key. 1872, 148; Check List, 1874, No. 191; B. N. W. 1874, 165; B. B. & K. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 65, pi. 28, figs. 11,12. Spiza americana RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. No. 254.— COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 287. HAB. Eastern United States in summer, north to Connecticut and Massachusetts- (rarely) ; west to the Great Plains, and, during migration, to Arizona. Winters within the Tropics, as far south as Colombia. "Sp. CHAK. Male. Sides of the head, and sides and back of the neck ash; crown tinged with yellowish green and faintly streaked with dusky. A superciliary and short maxillary line, middle of the breast, axillaries, and edge of the wing yellow. Chin, loral region, patch on side of throat, belly, and under tail-coverts white. A black patch on tho throat diminishing to the breast, and ending in a spot on the upper part of the belly. Wing-coverts chestnut. Interscapular region streaked witn black; rest of back im- maculate. Length, about 6.70; wing, 3.50. "Female with the markings less distinctly indicated; the black of the breast re- placed by a black maxillary line and streaked collar in the yellow of the upper part of the breast. "Among adult males, scarcely two individuals exactly alike can be found. In some the black of the throat is continued in blotches down the middle of the breast, while in others it is restricted to a spot immediately under the head. These variations are not at all dependent upon any difference of habitat, for specimens from remote regions from each other may be found as nearly alike as any from the same locality." (Hist. N. Am. B.) "While some other birds are equally numerous, there are few that announce their presence as persistently as this species. All day long, in spring and summer, the males, sometimes to the number of a dozen or more for each meadow of considerable extent, perch 304 lilRDS OF ILLINOIS. upon the summits of tall weed-stalks or fence-stakes, at short intervals crying out : "See, see, — Dick, DicJc-Cissel, Cissel;" therefore "Dick Cissel" is well known to every farmer's boy as well as to all who visit the country during the season of clover-blooms and wild roses, when "Dame Nature" is in her most joyous mood. Perhaps the prevalent popular name of this species is "Little Field Lark" or "Little Meadow Lark," a name suggested by his yellow breast and black jugular spot, which recall strongly the similar markings of the Sttirnella, and also the fact that the two frequent similar localities. The name "Black-throated Bunting" is probably never heard except from those who have learned it from the books. The location of the nest varies much with locality, though probably not more than in the case of many other species. At Mount Carmel, all that I found were in clover fields, and built upon or very close to the ground. In Richland county they were almost invariably built in small clumps of coarse weeds, at a height of about a foot above the ground. In Wisconsin, however, accord- ing tc Dr. Brewer (Hist. N. Am. B. Vol. II., p. 68), Dr. P. B. Hoy, of Racine has never found a nest within one foot of the ground, some of them being as elevated as six feet. Of nineteen nests dis- covered by Dr. Hoy during one season, "ten were built in goose- berry bushes, four on thorn bushes, three among blackberry bushes, one on a raspberry bush, and one on a wild rose." ICTEEID.E — THE AMEEICAN OEIOLES. 305 FAMILY ICTERID^E. — THE AMEEICAN OEIOLES. "CHAR. Primaries nine. Tarsi scutellate anteriorly; plated behind. Bill long, generally equal to the head or longer, straight, or gently curved, conical, without any notch, the commissure bending downwards at an obtuse angle at the base. Gonys generally more than half the culmen, no bristles about the base of bill. Basal joint of the middle toe free on the inner side; united half-way on the outer. Tail rather long, rounded. Legs short." (Hist. Jff. Am. B.) This family is one of those eminently characteristic of the New World, all the species being peculiar to America. It is of course most numerously represented within the Tropics. Three "subfamilies" have been denned, but their limits are purely arbitrary, it being in some cases difficult to decide whether a species belongs to the genus Icterus or Agelaius, each typical, respectively, of the so-called "Icterince" and "Agelaince." These artificial sections are thus denned in History of North American Birds (Vol. II., page 147 : Agelainae. Bill shorter than, or about equal to, the head; thick, conical, both mandi- bles about equal in depth; the outlines all more or less straight, the bill not decurved at tip. Tail rather short, nearly even or slightly rounded. Legs longer than the head, adapted for walking; claws moderately curved. Icterinae. Bill rather slender, about as long as the head; either straight or decurved. Lower mandible less thick than the 'upper; the commissure not sinuated. Tarsi not longer than the head, nor than middle toe ; legs adapted for perching. Claws much curved. Quiscalinae. Tail lengthened, considerably or excessively graduated. Bill as long as, or longer than, the head; the culmen curved towards the end, the tip bent down, the cutting edges inflexed, the commissure sinuated. Legs longer than the head, fitted for walking. The North American genera may be thus arranged under their re- spective "subfamily" headings : Subfamily Agelainae. A. Bill shorter than the head. Feathers of head and nostrils as in B. 1. Dolichonyx. Tail feathers with rigid stiffened acuminate points. Middle toe very long, exceeding the head. 2. Molothrus. Tail with the feathers simple; middle toe shorter than the tarsus or head. B. Bill as long as the head. Feathers of crown soft. Nostrils covered by a scale which. > is directed more or less downwards. —20 300 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. 3. Agelaius. First quill shorter than the second and third. Outer lateral claws scarcely reaching to the base of middle; claws moderate. 4. Xanthocephalus. First quill longest Outer lateral claw reaching nearly to the tip of the middle. Toes and claws all much elongated. C. Bill as long as, or longer than, the head. Feathers of crown with the shafts pro- longed into stiffened bristles. Nostrils covered by a scale which stands out more or less horizontally. 5. Sturnella. Tail feathers acute. Middle toe equal to the tarsus. Subfamily Icterincc. 6. Icterus. Bill slender, acute, sometimes slightly decurved, about as long as, or a little shorter than, the head. Nostrils as in A gelaius. Tail rounded or graduated about as long as, or slightly longer than, the wing.* Subfamily Quiscalince. 7. Scolecophagus. Tail shorter than the wings; nearly even. Bill shorter than the head. 8. Quiscalns. Tail longer than the wings; much graduated. Bill as long as, or longer than, the head. The three so-called subfamilies represent, superficially, three Old World families ; viz. : The Agelainte may be said to correspond to the Starlings (Sturnidce), and have been called the American Star- lings; the Icter'mce may likewise be compared with the Orioles (Oriolidfe), and in fact currently, though very improperly, bear the same name. For want of a more distinctive term, that of American Orioles is perhaps defensible, the name "Hang-nests," while very appropriate for the Icter'nite, lacking sufficiently exclusive pertinence to make it preferable. The Quiscalince are very appropriately called Crow-Blackbirds, but they have been termed Grakles by many authors, on account of a supposed resemblance to the true Grakles, or Minos, (Graculidce) of Southern Asia. Some of the Agelaince (notably the genera Dolichonyx and Moloth- rus) present a very close resemblance to certain Friugillidts in their general form, especially in the shortness and conical shape of the bill. They may, however, be readily separated by the family char- acters, as given on page 43. All of the genera characterized in the above synopsis belong to the Illinois fauna, no others occurring in North America. * Decidedly shorter than the wing in the subgenus Yphantes, to which the Baltimore and Bullock's Orioles (/, galbula and /. bullocki) belong. ICTERID.E — THE AMERICAN ORIOLES. 307 GENUS DOLICHONYX SWAINSON. Dolichonyx SWAINSON, Zool. Journ. iii, 1827, 351. Type, Emljeriza oryzivora LINN. "GEN. CHAK. Bill, short, stout, conical, little more than half the head ; the commissure slightly sinuated; the culmen nearly straight. Middle toe considerably longer than the tarsus (which is about as long as the head); the inner lateral toe longest, but not reach- ing the base of the middle claw. Wings long; first quill longer. Tail-feathers acumi-. nately pointed at the tip, with the shatt stiffened and rigid, as in the Woodpeckers. "The peculiar characteristic of this genus is found in the rigid acuminate tail-feathers and the very long middle toe, by means of which it is enabled to grasp the vertical stems of reeds or other slender plants." (Hist. N. Am. B.) A peculiarity in the plumage of the only known species is that while the adult male in spring is deep black varied with buff nape and whitish scapulars and rump, this livery is changed at the end of the breeding season for a sober one of streaked yellowish, like that worn by the female throughout the year. Dolichonyx oryzivorus (Linn.) BOBOLINK. Popular synonyms. Bob Lincoln; Skunk Blackbird (Northern States); Keed Bird, Orto- lan (Atlantic coast in Autumn); Rice Bird (South Carolina and Georgia); Butter Bird (Jamaica). Emleriza oryzivora Linn. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 179; ed. 12, i, 1766, 311.— WILS. Am. Orn. ii. 1810, 48, pi. 12. figs. 1,2. Dolichonyx oryzivorus SWAIN'S Zool. Jour, iii, 1827,351.— AUD. Synop. 1839 138; B. Am. iv, 1842. 10, pi. 211.— BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858, 522; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 399.— COUES, Key, 1872, 154; Check List, 1874, No. 210; B. N. W. 1874, 178; 2d Check List, 1882, No. 312.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 149, pi. 32,flgs. 4,5.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 257. Icterus agrippnnis BONAP. Obs. Wilson, 1824, No. 87.— NUTT. Man. i,1832,185.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 283; v, 1839, 486, pi. 54. HAB. Eastern North America, north to the Saskatchewan (lat. 60°), west to or even be- yond the Rocky Mountains (Ruby Valley, Nevada, and Salt Lake Valley, Utah, in Septem- ber); in winter, south through Middle America, West Indies, and South America, to Bolivia, Argentine Republic, and Paraguay; Galapagos. "Sp. CHAR. General color of male in spring, black; the nape, brownish cream-color; a patch on the side of the breast, the scapulars, and rump, white, shading into light ash. on the upper tail-coverts and the back belo\y the interscapular region. The outer pri- maries sharply margined with yellowish white; the tertials less abruptly; the tail- feathers margined at the tips with pale brownish ash. In autumn totally different, re- sum bling the female. "Female, yellowish beneath; two stripes on the top of the head, and the upper parts throughout, except the back of the neck and rump, and including all the wing feathers generally, dark brown, all edged with brownish yellow, which becomes whiter near the tips of the auills. The sides sparsely streaked with dark brown, and a similar stripe behind the eye. There is a superciliary and a median band of yellow on the head* Length of male, 7.70; wing,3.83; tail, 3.15." (Hist. N. Am. B. vol. ii, 149.) ' 308 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. In History of North American Birds (Vol. II., pp. 150, 151), Dr. Brewer thus describes the habits and song of this species : "In the earliest approaches of spring, in Louisiana, when small flocks of male Bobolinks made their first appearance, they are said by Mr. Audubon, to sing in concert ; and their song thus given is at once exceedingly novel, interesting, and striking. Uttered with a volubility that even borders upon the burlesque and the ludicrous, the whole effect is greatly heightened by the singular and striking manner in which first one singer and then another, one following the other, until all have joined their voices, take up the note and strike in, after the leader has set the example and given the signal. In this manner sometimes a party of thirty or forty Bobolinks will begin, one after the other, until the whole unite in producing an extraordinary medley, to which no pen can do justice, but which is described as very pleasant to listen to. All at once the music ceases with a suddenness not less striking and extraordinary. These con- certs are repeated from time to time, usually as often as the flock alights. * * In New England the Bobolink treats us to no such concerts as those described by Audubon, where many voices join in creating their peculiar, jingling melody. When they first ap- pear, usually after the middle of May, they are in small parties, composed of either sex, absorbed in their courtships and overflow- ing with song. When two or three male Bobolinks, decked out in their gayest spring apparel, are paying their attentions to the same drab-colored female, contrasting so strikingly in her sober brown dress, their performances are quite entertaining, each male endeav- oring to out-sing the other. The female appears coy and retiring, keeping closely to the ground, but always attended by the several aspirants for her affection. After a contest, often quite exciting, the rivalries are adjusted, the rejected suitors are driven off by their more fortunate competitor, and the happy pair begin to put in order a new home. It is in their love-quarrels that their song appears to the greatest advantage. They pour out incessantly their strains of quaint but charming music, now on the ground, now7 on the wing, now on the top of a fence, a low. bush, or the swaying stalk of a plant that bends with their weight. The great length of their song, the immense number of short and variable notes of which it is com- posed, the volubility and confused rapidity with which they are poured forth, the eccentric breaks, in the midst of which we detect the words "bob-o-link" so distinctly enunciated, unite to form a ICTEKID^E — THE AMERICAN OEIOLES. 309 general result to which we can find no parallel in any of the musical performances of our other song-birds. It is at once a unique and a charming production. Nuttall speaks of their song as monotonous, which is neither true nor consistent with his own description of it. To other ears they seem ever wonderfully full of variety, pathos and beauty. "The young, in due time, assume the development of mature birds, and all wear the sober plumage of the mother. And now there also appears a surprising change in the appearance of our gayly attired musician. His showy plumage of contrasting white and black, so conspicuous and striking, changes with almost instant rapidity into brown and drab, until he is no longer distinguishable, either by plumage or note, from his mate or young." One would suppose that the terrible slaughter carried into the ranks of this species during its autumnal migration would materially diminish its numbers. That this has been the result is a fact which has been noted by many persons resident in those portions of the country where the Bobolink is a familiar summer sojourner. The Bobolink breeds only in the northern part of Illinois, where, according to Mr. Coale, it is an abundant summer resident. In the middle and southern portions of the State it is transient only, merely passing hurriedly through in spring and fall, but so different in plumage and habits during the two seasons that probably few persons suspect their being the same bird. GENUS MOLOTHRUS SWAINSON. Molothrits SWAINSON, F. Bor.-Am. ii, 1831, 277. Type, Fringilla pecoris GM.,=Oriolus ater BODD. "GEN. CHAR. Bill short, stout, about two thirds the length of head; the commissure straight, culmen and gonys slightly curved, convex, the former broad, rounded, convex, and running back on the head in a point. Lateral toes nearly equal, reaching the base of the middle one, which is shorter than the tarsus; claws rather small. Tail nearly even; wings long, pointed, the first quill longest. As far as known, the species make no nest, but deposit the eggs in the nests of other, usually smaller, birds. "The genus Molothrus has the bill intermediate between Doliclionyx and Agelaius. It has the culmen unusually broad between the nos- trils, and it extends back some distance into the forehead. The difference in the structure of the feet from Doliclionyx is very great. "Species of Molothrus resemble some of the Fringillidce more than most of the typical Icteridce. The bill is, however, different, the tip 310 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. being without notch ; the culmen running back farther on the fore- head, the nostrils being situated fully one third or more of the total length from its posterior extremity. The entire absence of notch in the bill and of bristles along the rictus are strong features. The nostrils are perfectly free from any overhanging feathers or bristles. The pointed wings, with the first quill longest, or nearly equal to second, and the tail with its broad rounded feathers, shorter than the wings, are additional features to be specially noted. (Hist. N. Am. B.) Molothrus ater (Bodd.) COWBIKD. Popular synonyms. Cow Blackbird; Cow-pen Bunting; Lazy Bird (Connecticut); Clod- hopper. Oriolus at^r BODD. Tabl. P. E. 1783. 37. Molothrus ater GEAY. 1870.— Bidgw. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 258.— CouES,2d Check List, No. 313. Frin ilia pecoris GMEL. S. N. i, 1788,910 (female). Emberiza pecoris WILS. Am. Orn.ii, 1810.145.pl. 18, figs. 1,2,3. Icterus pecoris Bp. 1824.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 178.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 493; v, 1839,233, 400, pis. 99, 424. Mololhrus pecoris Sw. & RICH. F. B. A. ii, 1831,277.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 139; B. Am. iv, 1842, 16. pi. 212.— BATED. B. N. Am. 1858, 524; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 400.— COUES, Key. 1872, 155; Check List 1874, No, 211; B. N. W. 1874, 180.-B. B. & K. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874,154, pi. 32. figs. C,7. Fringilla ambigua NUTT. Man. i, 1832,484 (= young). HAB. Temperate North America (except Pacific Coast?), north to about 68°; breeds chiefly north of 35°, and winters mainly south of the same parallel, down to southern border of the United States. "Sr. CHAE. Second quill longest; first scarcely shorter. Tail nearly even, or very slightly rounded. Male with the head, neck, and anterior half of the breast light choco- late brown, rather lighter above; rest of body lustrous black, with a violet-purple gloss next to the brown, of steel-blue on the back, and of green elsewhere. Female light oliva- ceous brown all over, lighter on the head and beneath. Bill and feet black. Length, 8 inches; wing, 4.42; tail, 3.40. "The young bird of the year is brown above, brownish white be- neath: the throat immaculate. A maxillary stripe and obscure streaks thickly crowded across the whole breast and sides. There is a faint indication of a paler superciliary stripe. The feathers of the upper parts are all margined with paler. There are also indications of light bands on the wings. These markings are all obscure, but perfectly appreciable, and their existence in adult birds of any species may be considered as embryonic, and showing an inferiority in de- gree to the species with the under parts perfectly plain." (Hist. N. Am, B. — THE AMERICAN ORIOLES. 311 The Cowbird is a common species throughout the State. It is resident southward, but only a summer sojourner in the northern portions. It is at all seasons gregarious, associating in small flocks, which follow the furrow made by the ploughman or keep company with the cattle, often alighting upon their backs. The Cowbird builds no nest, but lays its eggs surreptitiously in the nests of other birds. In this it evinces no preference, except that a species smaller than itself is usually selected, and never one very much its superior in size ; usually a very much smaller bird is thus imposed on. It makes no attempt, however, to select a species whose eggs more or less resemble its own, but drops its eggs indiscriminately in nests whose owners lay white eggs, plain blue eggs, or speckled eggs. The number of these parasitic eggs which may be found in one nest varies from one to five, and it may be that, in some cases at least, all are deposited by one bird, although it is equally probable that sometimes the eggs of two or more individuals are dropped in the same nest. It is interesting to watch the female when she is searching for a nest in which to deposit the egg she is about to lay. She hunts stealthily through the woods, usually among the undergrowth, and when a nest is discovered, patiently awaits from a convenient hiding place the temporary absence of the parent, when the nest is stealthily and hastily inspected, and if found suitable she takes possession and deposits her egg, when she departs as quietly as she came. The male Cowbird is polygamous, and becomes quite amorous during the breeding season, parading before the females with spread wings and tail, now and then swelling up until he seems ready to burst ; but the looked-for catastrophe is prevented by the emission of a ridiculous squeaking song, when he subsides to his original proportions. GENUS XANTHOCEPHALTJS BONAPARTE. Xanthocephalus BONAP. Conspectus, i, 1850, 431. Type, Icterus icterocephalus BONAP. "GEN. CHAK. Bill conical, the length about twice the height; the outlines nearly •straight. Claws all very long; much curved; the inner lateral the longest, reaching beyond the middle of the middle claw. Tail narrow, nearly even, the outer web scarcely widening to the end. Wings long, much longer than the tail; the first quill longest," (Hist. N. Am. B.) This genus differs from Agelaius in much longer and more curved claws, and in having first or second quill longest, instead of the longest being the second, third, or fourth. 312 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. There is even a greater discrepancy in size between the sexes, the female being scarcely more than half the bulk of the male. The latter is black, with the head, neck, and jugulum yellow. Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus (Bonap.) YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIKD. Icterus xanthocephalus BP. Jour. Phil. Ac. v, 1S26, 222.— AUD. Biog. v. 1839, 6, pi. 388. Agelaius xanthocephalus Sw. & RICH, F. B.-A. ii. 1831, 281.— AUD. Synop. 1839,240; B. Am. iv, 1842, 24, pi. 213. Agelaius longipes Sw. Philo. Mag. i, 1827, 436. Icterus per sp i cillatus WAGL. Isis, 1829, 758. Icterus icterocephalus BP. Am. Orn. i, 1865, 27, pi. 3.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832. 176; 2d ed. 1840,187. Xanthocephalus icterocephalus BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858,531; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 404.— COUES, Key 1872,156; Check List, 1874. No. 213; 2d ed. 1882, No. 319; B. N. W. 1874. 188.— B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874. 167, pi. 32, fig. 9. pi. 33, fig. 9,-KiDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 260. HAB. Western North America, regularly to Wisconsin, Illinois, Kansas, etc., (casually) to Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Florida and Cuba, north to the Saskatche- wan, aud south into Mexico. Accidental in Greenland. SP. CHAR. Adult male in summer. Head, neck, and jugulum yellow, varying from a lemon to a rich orange shade— very rarely to a pinkish saffron hue; primary coverts and lower greater wing-coverts white; rest of plumage uniform dull black, the lower portion of the tibiee and the feathers immediately surrounding the anus yellow; lores, eyelids and feathers bordering the base of the bill, also black. Adult male in ivinter. Similar, but top of the head and nape washed with dusky. Total length about 10^-11% inches; extent 17-18%; wing 5.65-5.80; tail 4.50-4.85; culmen .90; tarsus 1.30; middle toe 1.05. Adult emale. Brownish dusky, the throat and jugulum dull yellow, the middle of the breast mixed with whitish. Total length about 9 inches; extent 14J6; wing 4.40-4.65; tail 4.50-4.70. Young male in first winter. Similar to the adult female, but larger and deeper colored. Young, first plumage. General color light isabella-brown, or dull brownish buff, the wings and tail dusky. The Yellow-headed Blackbird appears to be confined to the prairie districts of the northern portion of the State ; at least there seems to be no record of its occurrence elsewhere. The writer thought he once heard its note at Mt. Carmel, but was unable to discover the bird, and may have been mistaken ; and he was never able to find it on the prairies of Eichland county, in marshy situation where the Bed-wings were abundant. In Cook county, Mr. Nelson says (page 111 of his list) that it is a "very common resident in large marshes. Arrives the first of May. Commences nesting the last of this month. Owing to the restricted localities inhabited by this bird, it is very slightly known among farmers ; even those living next the marshes, generally think it an uncommon bird. My observations regarding the actions of the males during incubation do not agree with those of Dr. Coues ("Birds of the Northwest," p. 190). The only difference between the habits of the male and female is the slightly ICTERIDJ3 — THE AMERICAN ORIOLES. 313 additional shyness of the former. Their nests vary endlessly in size, from four to twelve inches in depth, although the latter size is rather uncommon." Mr. Coale informs me that colonies nest in rushes in the Calumet marshes, that they are bold and interesting, and that he has seen adults on the ground along country roads, some distance from, water. GENUS AGELAIUS VIEILLOT. Agelaius VIEILLOT, Analyse, 1816,33. Type, Oriolus ph&niceus LINN. . "GEN. CHAR. First quill shorter than second; claws short; the outer lateral scarcely reaching the base of the middle. Culinen depressed at base, parting the frontal feathers; length equal to that of the head, shorter than tarsus. Both mandibles of equal thickness and acute at tip, the edges much curved, the culmen, gonys, and commissure nearly straight or slightly sinuated; the length of bill about twice its height. Tail moderate, rounded, or very slightly graduated. Wings pointed, reaching to end of lower tail-cov- erts. Colors black with red shoulders in North American species. One West Indian with orange-buff. Females streaked except in two West Indian species. "The nostrils are small, oblong, overhung by a membranous scale. The bill is higher than broad at the base. There is no division between the anterior tarsal scutellse and the single plate on the out- side of the tarsus." (Hist. N. Am. B.) This genus is represented in eastern North America by a single species, the common Eed-winged Blackbird (A phosniceus). Agelaius phceniceus (Linn.) RED -WINGED BLACKBIED. Popular synonyms. Red-winged Starling or Blackbird; Eed-and-buff- shouldered Black- bird; Red-shouldered Blackbird; Swamp Blackbird. Oriolus phceniceus LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 161. Agelaius phosniceus VIEILL. Analyse, 1816.— AUD. Synop. 1839,141; B. Am. iv, 1842, 31, 216. — BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858, 526; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 401.— COUES, Key. 1872, 156; Check List. 1874, No. 212; 2d ed. 1882, No. 316; B. N. W. 1874, 186, (part).— B. B. & R, Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 159 pi. 33, figs. 1, 2,3.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 261. Icterus phceniceus "DAUD." LICHT. 1823.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 169. -AuD. Orn. Biog. i. 1831,348; v, 1839, 487, pi. 67. Sturnus predatorius WILS. Am. Orn. iv, 1811,30, pi. SO.flg. 1. HAS. Temperate North America, more rare on Pacific coast, where represented by an allied species A. gubernatorWA-G-L.; north to the "Fur Countries," south, in winter to €osta Rica, but wintering, more or less regularly, north to 35° or further. Bahamas, but not in Cuba, where represented by A. assimilis. Accidental in England. SP. CHAR. Adult male. Uniform deep black, the lesser wing- coverts brilliant scarlet. the middle wing- coverts butf or ochraceous. Bill and feet deep black, iris brown. Total length (fresh), about 9.00-9.50 inches; extent, 14.50-15.75. Adult female. Above dusky grayish brown, the feathers narrowly edged with light grayish, rusty, etc.; beneath 314 BIKDS OF ILLINOIS. white, broadly streaked -with dusky, the chin, and throat, sometimes sides of head also, usually more or less tinged with buff orpink. Lesser wing-coverts sometimes dark brown red. Total length (fresh), 7.45-8.25; extent, 12.15-13.00. "First plumage, female. Above dark seal-brown; every feather of the crown, nape and interscapular region, with the greater and middle wing-coverts, primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries, edged and tipped with brownish fulvous. Beneath light yellowish-brown, thickly and broadly streaked 'everywhere with dull black. Sides of throat and head, including a considerable space around the eye, bare skin (of a brownish orange color in the dried specimen), with a few scattering pin-feathers. (From a specimen in my collection obtained at Cambridge, Mass., June 24, 1872.) Males in first plumage, before me, differ but little from the indivi- dual above described. All have the bare spaces on the sides of the throat, although these are feathered before the first moult is begun. A male in transitional dress (collected at Ipswich, Mass., July 15,1874), with the head fu'ly feathered, has the throat dull brownish yellow, with a strong tinge of the same color on the breast. The wing and tail-feathers are renewed during the first moult. "Autumnal plumage: young male. Crown dark brown, with a faint rusty edging upon each feather: nape brownish yellow, with a rusty tinge, finely spotted with a dark brown; interscapular region, and a broad outer edging upon the secondaries and tertia- ries, deep dull reddish-brown, each feather having a broad V-shaped mark of dull black. Rump glossy black, every feather edged with fulvous ashy; shoulder dull red with black spotting; middle coverts fulvous; greater coverts tipped with the same color. Super- ciliary stripe brownish yellow. A space anterior to and beneath the eye dusky black. Entire under parts black, each feather upon the ablomen edged broadly with pale ashy, elsewhere with yellowish brown. The light edging of the feathers gives the under parts a conspicuously scutellate appearance. (From a specimen in my collection taken at Cambridge, Mass., October 6, 1776.) This plumage (although not to my knowledge pre- viously described by writers) is the characteristic one of the young in autumn. I am un- able to state if the adult male retains his uniform black coloring at all seasons. A re- markable variation from the typical plumage is afforded by a fine adult male in my cabinet, which has a broad crescentic patch of pale yellow tinged with rose-color upon the breast. Nor is this specimen unique, for I have seen several others with a similar but less conspicuous mark. It probably represents an exceptionally high condition or phase of ornamentation, like the commoner one of scarlet or yellow wing-markings, in the Scarlet Tanager (Pyranga ru'bra). Very old females of A. phceniceus have the throat a delicate peach-color; illustrated by several specimens in my cabinet from Nantucket and Ipswitch, Mass." (BEEWSTEE, Bull. Nutt. Orn. OZw&.Oct.,1878,p. 175.) The common Eed-winged Blackbird is one of our most abundant and best known birds. Every marsh and open swamp is inhabited by numbers in the spring and summer, while in autumn they col- lect in large flocks, sometimes of such extent as to cause serious damage to the farmer's grain stacks. In the extreme southern por- tion of the State they sometimes winter, congregating in large flocks, from which they daily sally forth to forage over the surrounding country. Even during the spring and summer the Redwings are gregarious, for they breed in communities, hundreds of pairs sometimes nesting in one marsh. The males are polygamous, each having under his protection from two to three or four demure looking females, hardly half his size, and dressed in homely garb, who attend quietly and assiduously to their domestic duties, while their lord and master ICTERID^E — THE AMERICAN ORIOLES. 315 mounts guard upon some prominent perch near by, and cheers them with his song. This song, while in a measure harsh, has yet a peculiar metallic resonance which renders it not unpleasant ; and when the songs of many individuals are blended the resulting chorus is decidedly musical. The normal, or usual, song sounds like con'- cur-ee', but there are many variations from this modulation. When singing, the male bends forward his body, swells his plumage, and by some peculiar adjustment of the wings brings his scarlet epaulettes into striking prominence ; and when he sallies from his perch to make the regular round of inspection over his harem these splendid decorations flash forth with rich brilliancy, no doubt to the admira- tion of the faithful creatures for whom the display is intended. The nest of the Ked-winged Blackbird is very variously situated, but it is always in or in very close proximity to a swamp or marsh. It is placed either among rank grasses or sedges, rushes, or other marsh plants, or in bushes growing in the water; and on one oc- casion the writer found a colony which had built their nests in "sage bushes" (Artemisia tridentata) growing in and about a shallow alka- line pond, on Antelope Island, in the Great Salt Lake. The most noteworthy departure from the usual situation, however, known to the author, was that of a nest built in a small elrn tree standing in the middle of a moderately dry meadow, and placed at a height of about fifteen feet from the ground. GENUS STURNELLA VIEILLOT. Sturne.Ha VIEILLOT, Analyse, 1816, 34. Type, Alavdi magna LINN. "GEN. CHAR. Body thick, stout; legs large, toes reaching beyond the tail. Tail short, even, with narrow acuminate feathers. Bill slender, elongated; length about three times the height; commissure straight from the basal angle. Culmen flattened basally, extending backwards and parting the frontal feathers; longer than the head, but shorter than tarsus. Nostrils linear, covered by an incumbent membranous scale. Inner lateral too longer than the outer, but not reaching to basal joint of middle, which is equal to the tarsus. Hind claw nearly twice as long as the middle. Feathers of head stiffened and bristly ; the shafts of those above extended into a black seta. Tertials nearly equal to the primaries. Feathers above all transversely banded. Beneath yellow, with a black pectoral crescent." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Two quite distinct though very similar species of Sturnella are found in Illinois, one of them belonging exclusively to the eastern and the other to the western portions of the United States, but occurring together in the prairie districts of the Mississippi Valley, especially west of the Mississippi River. 316 BIEDS OF ILLINOIS. These may be distinguished by the following characters :. 1. S. magna. Yellow of throat confined strictly between the maxillte. Lateral stripes of the crown with black predominating; upper parts with much black, and with the dark bars of the tertials and middle tail-feathers usually connected along the middle line cf the feathers. Hal). Eastern United States to the border of the Great Plains. 2. S. neglecta. Yellow of the throat extending over the maxilla? nearly or quite to the angle of the mouth. Lateral crown stripes streaked with black and grayish in ne. rly equal amount; upper parts with less black, the dark bars of the tertials and middle tail- feathers not connected. Hob, "Western United States and western Mexico, east to the prairie districts of the Mississippi Valley. It is sometimes rather difficult to distinguish specimens of these two species; but the most casual observer of birds may readily dis- tinguish them in life by their totally different notes— probably no two species of any genus of birds being more distinct in this respect. Sturnella magna (Linn.) MEADOWLARK. Popular synonyms. Fieldlark; Old Field Lark. Alauda magna LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 167.— WILS. Am. Orn. iii,1811,20, pi. 19. Sturnella magna BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858, 535; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 406.— COUES, Key, 1872, 157; 2d ed. 1884,406; Check List, 1874, No. 214; 2d ed. 1882. No. 320; B. N. W. 1874, 190 (part).— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 174, pi. 34, fig. 2.— EIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 263. Sturnus ludovicianus LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 290.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 147.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834,216; v, 1839, 492, pi. 136. Sturnella ludoviciana Sw. 1831.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 148; B. Am. iv,1842,70,pl. 223. HAB. Eastern United States and British Provinces (north to about 53° in the interior), west to the edge of the Great Plains; winters chiefly south of 38°. Accidental in England. "Sp. CHAK. The feathers above dark brown, margined with brownish white, and with a terminal blotch of pale reddish brown. Exposed portions of wings and tail with dark brown bars, which on the middle tail-feathers are confluent along the shaft. Beneath yellow, with a black pectoral crescent, the yellow not extending on the side of the maxilla; sides, crissum, and tibise pale reddish brown, streaked with blackish. Alight median and superciliary stripe, the latter yellow anterior to the eye; a black line behind. Female smaller and duller. Young with pectoral crescent replaced by streaks; the yel- low of under surface replaced more or less byochraceousor pale fulvous. Length, 10.60; •wing, 5.00; tail, 3.70; bill above. 1.35." (Hist. N. Am. £.} Adult male. Wing, 4.50-5.00; tail.3. 50-3. 85; culmen, 1.20-1. 50; bill from nostril. .75-. 95; tarsus, 1.35-1. 60; middle toe, 1.10-1. 30. Adult female. Wing about 4. 20, tail 3. 00. Four adult males from Mount Carmel measured, when fresh, as follows : Total length, 9.75-10.50 ; extent, 15.00-15.75. In a work whose acknowledged aim is to give information to the interested reader, it seems almost presumptuous on the part of the author to offer any remarks on the habits of so well-known a bird ICTERID^E — THE AMERICAN ORIOLES. 317 as the common Meadowlark ; for perhaps the majority of those who may read this book are as familiar with this bird as the author, and doubtless many are even more intimately acquainted with him. Suffice it to say, therefore, that while not one single charge has been laid at his door, so far as the author is aware, the Meadowlark is a very general favorite among lovers of birds, on account of his pleas- ing song, bright plumage, and pretty ways. His sweet, tender song is one of the finest to be heard in our rural districts, and is charac- terized by a delicacy of tone remarkable in a large bird. It is usually interpreted by the country folks as intimating that "laziness will kill you" (accent on the penultimate syllable), while others imag- ine it to say : peek — you can't see me, — a very appropriate translation, we think, in the case of a bird which, like the present, plays at "hide and seek" with us in the meadows. Apropos of the song of this bird, it has been said that on the prairies of Illinois a de- cided change from the song of the bird of the Atlantic States may be noticed, the variation being in the direction of the more power- ful, melodious, and varied song of S. neglecta. But the writer has been unable to detect the slightest difference, and his experience is similar to that of others who have had the opportunity to compare the songs of meadowlarks in the two regions. S. neglecta itself occurs more or less plentifully on the prairies of the northern, cen- tral, and western portions of the State; and as this bird varies greatly in the character of its song with different individuals (though it is always very distinct from that of S. magna), it is probable that the author to whose statement we have referred heard in reality in- ferior songsters (probably younger birds) of the western species, and not S. magna. Sturnella neglecta (Aud.) * WESTERN MEADOW! ABK. Popular synonym. Western Fieldlark. Sturnella neglecta AUD. B. Am. vii. 1843. 339, pi. 487.— BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858, 537; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 407.— BIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 264. Sturnella magna var. neglecta COUES, Key, 1872, 187; Check List, 1874, No. 214a.— B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 176, pi. 34,fig. 1. SI tirnella magna, b. neglecta CouES.B. N. W. 1874, 190. Slurnella magna neglecta COUES, 2d CheckList, 1882, No.322. II.VB. Western United States, east to the prairie districts of the Mississippi Valley, as far as central and northern Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, etc. ; south to western Texas and western Mexico, as far as Colima. r 318 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. "Sp. CHAE. Feathers above dark brown, margined with brownish white, with a ter- minal blotch of pale, reddish brown. Exposed portions of wings and tail vdth trans- verse bauds, which, in the latter, are completely isolated from each other, narrow and linear. Beneath yellow, with a black pectoral crescent. The yellow of .the throat ex- tending on the sides of the maxilla. Sides, erissum, and tibife very pale reddish brown, or nearly white, streaked with blackish. Head with a light median and superciliary stripe, the latter yellow in front of the eye ; a blackish line behind it. The transverse bars on the feathers above (less so on the tail) with a tendency to become confluent near the exterior margin. Length, 10 inches; wing,5.25; tail, 3.25; bill, 1.25." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Adult male. Wing, 4.40-5.10: tail, 3.30-3.50; culmen, 1.18-1.40; bill, from nostril, .85-.90; tarsus, 1.30-1.45; middle toe, 1.10-1.15. Adult female. Wing, 4.35-4.45; tail, 3.05-3.10; bill, from nostril, .80-.85; tarsus, 1.25-1.35; middle toe, 1.05-1.10. Adult males shot by the writer in Nevada, measured, when fresh, as follows : Total length, 9.75-10.25 ; extent, 16.00-17.00 ; maxilla and tip of mandible, black ; basal two thirds of the mandible, and pos- terior three fourths of the maxillary tomium, pure pale blue ; iris, brown ; legs and feet uniform, delicate, pale, ashy lilaceous. According to Mr. E. W. Nelson (Bull. Essex Inst. Vol. VIII., 1876, p. iii), the Western Meadowlark is "a regular but rather rare sum- mer resident upon prairies'' in the northeastern portion of the State, and he conjectures that it "is probably a common summer resident upon the prairies in the western portion." He records "a fine speci- men" in the collection of Mr. A. W. Brayton, "taken near Chicago the last of May, 1876," and among Mr. H. K. Coale's notes I find an entry reading "Englewood, May, 1876," which, however, may possibly refer to the same specimen. On the prairies of Eichland county I have, on a few occasions, heard its unmistakable song, but have never been able to obtain a specimen. GENUS ICTERUS BEISSON. Icterus BBISS. Orn. ii, 1760, 85. Type (by elimination), Oriolus icterus LiNN. Pendiilinus VIEILL. Analyse, 1816, 13. Type, Oriolus spurius LINN. Yphantes VIEILL. Analyse, 1816, 33. Type, Oriolus baltimore LINN. (Coraciasgalliula) LTNN. "GEN. CHAE. 13111 slender, elongated, as long as the head, generally a little decurved, and very acute. Tarsi not lunger than the middle toe, nor than the head; claws short, much curved; outer lateral toe a little longer than the inner, reaching a little beyond base of middle toe. Feet adapted for perching. Tail rounded or graduated. Prevailing colors yellow or orange, and black." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The two species occurring within the field of this work belong to two rather distinct subgenera, which may be defined as follows : 1. Yphantes. Bill rather stout, conical, the outlines very straight; tail slightly rounded, much shorter than the wing. 2. Pendulinus. Bill slender, decurved at the tip; tail graduated, about as long as the wing. ICTERID.E — THE AMERICAN" ORIOLES. 319 The species (including a western one, which may reasonably be expected to occur as a straggler) are characterized as follows : A. Tail much shorter than the wing, nearly even; bill with with straight outlines. Males orange and black, the females much duller. (Subgenus Yphantes.) 1. I. galbula. Adult male. Head and neck all round, back, wings, and part of tail, deep black, the wing-feathers edged with white; rest of plumage usually rich cad- mium-orange, but varying from yellowish orange to intense reddish orange. Adult female. Above olive, usually more or less mixed with blackish; beneath dull orange, the throat usually mixed with black (whole head and neck sometimes broken blackish) ; tail yellowish olive. Young like the adult female, but without black on throat. 2. I. bullocki. Adult male. Crown, nape, back, wings, and part of tail.deep black; a narrow stripe through the eye and a broad one on the throat, also black; a largo white patch covering greater wing-coverts; rump dull orange; superciliary stripe, with lower parts orange, varying from Indian-yellow to a rich reddish cad- mium hue. Adult female and young male in second year. Above brownish gray the back usually spotted with blackish; beneath brownish white, yellowish ante- riorly—sometimes wholly yellowish— the throat often with more or less of an indi- cation of a dusky stripe; tail yellowish olive. B. Tail about equal to the wings, graduated; bill slender, decurved at the tip. Adult male; chestnut and black. (Subgenus Pendulinus.) 3. I. spurius. Adult rmale. Head, neck, jugulum, back, wings and tail, deep black; rump, lesser and middle wing-coverts, and lower parts, rich chestnut. Adult female. Above olive-green, beneath greenish yellow. Young male, in second year. Similar to adult female, but throat black. Young, first plumage. Much like the adult /em ate. Icterus galbula (Linn.) BALTIMORE OKIOLE. Popular synonyms. Hanging Bird; Hang-nest; Golden Oriole; Golden Eobin; English Eobin; Fire Bird; Pea Bird. Coracias galbula LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 107. Icterus galbula COUES, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, v, 1880,98; 2d Check List, 1882, No. 32C; 2ck, and jugulum metallic brassy green, steel-blue, violet or purple (according to the individual), always very abruptly defined against the very different color of the ba.ck and breast. Adult male. Total length (fresh), 13.00; extent. 17.75; wing (skins), 5.55-5.75; tail, 5.50- 6.20; bill, from nostril, .88-.90. Bill and feet deep black; iris yellowish white. Adult female. Total length (fresh), 11.25-11.50; extent, 16.00-16.50; wing (in skins), 5.00- 5.05; tail, 4.80-4.90; bill, from nostril, .70-.75. Plumage much duller than in the male, the metallic colors less brilliant. Young. Uniform grayish dusky, without metallic tints. Iris pale brown. * "A. 0. U. Check List;" Quiscalus ceneus, according to the author's views. ICTERID/E — THE AMERICAN ORIOLES. 327 Tliis fine but unpopular bird is very common throughout the State, and, like the Blue Jay, is in many places one of the most familiar of birds, nesting in the groves or shade trees within towns, evincing little fear, of man. In the fall they congregate in large numbers, which keep together during the. winter, and in the spring when these large companies break up they do not disband entirely, but separate into colonies of greater or less extent, the different pairs of which build their nests in as close proximity to one another as suitable places for their location will permit. In their choice of a location for the nest they are by no means particular, any place where it can be securely attached answering the purpose equally well ; and it is by no means unusual to see in the same tree sev- eral nests, some saddled on horizontal branches, others built in a large fork, and others again in holes, either natural or those made by the Flicker. On a small island, near Mount Carniel, densely covered with a growth of young willows of twenty to thirty feet in height, but very slender, the writer once found a colony numbering upwards of seventy nests, all attached to the willow trees and sup- ported against the trunks by small twigs. In the immediate vicinity, along the river bank, were many other nests, most of them, built inside of holes in the large dead trees or in stumps. The Crow Blackbird is quite as omnivorous as the Crow or Blue Jay, and whenever opportunity offers will not hesitate to attack and eat smaller birds, especially defenseless young. But his own off- spring are sometimes destroyed by carnivorous enemies, the writer having once seen, in the locality mentioned above, a Fox Squirrel (Sciurus ludovicianus CUSTIS) emerge from a hole in a large dead tree with a young blackbird in its mouth. The squirrel was attacked by a number of the blackbirds, who were greatly excited, but it paid no attention to their demonstrations, and, after descending, scampered off into the woods with its prey. The general habits of the Bronzed Grackle are in all respects identical with those of the Purple Grackle (Q. quiscula), unless it may be that it is more apt to build its nest in holes of trees than ihe latter species. We do not think, however, that they really differ in this respect, but believe that Q. quiscula will prob- ably be found to avail itself of such nesting sites wrhen they are to be found in the localities which they frequent. Certain it is that Q? ceneus builds its nests in exactly such situations as are sup- posed to be usually chosen by Q. quiscula whenever no holes are 328 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. available for the purpose. From an almost equal familiarity with the two birds, we are able to say that their notes differ decidedly, especially those of the male during the breeding season, the "song" of the western bird being very much louder and more musical, or metallic, than that of its eastern relative. COB.VID.E — THE CHOWS AND JAYS. 329 FAMILY CORVID^E.— THE CROWS AND JAYS. Primaries ten; the first short, generally about half as long as the second (or a little more) ; the outer four sinuated on the inner edge. The nasal fossae and nostrils usually more or less concealed by narrow, stiffened bristles (or bristly feathers), with short appressed lateral branches extending to the very tip, all directed forwards (these bristles occasionally wanting). Tarsi scutellate anteriorly, the sides undivided (except sometimes below) and separated from the anterior plates by a narrow naked strip, some- times filled up with small scales. Basal joint of middle toe united about equally to tho lateral, generally for about half the length. Bill generally notched." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The Corvidse constitutes a very strongly marked family or group of the Oscines, the principal character being the separation of the lateral and anterior scutellae of the tarsus by a narrow interval which is devoid of smaller scales, the conspicuous nasal tufts (these absent in a few genera) and the absence of an angle at the base of the commissure, which is invariably present in the Icterldce and Fringillidce. Some of the genera resemble gigantic Titmice — Cyano- citta corresponding to the genus Lopliophanes and Perisoreus to Parus. The resemblance is, however, apparently a purely superficial one, there being many important differences. Thus, "the feathers at the base of the bill in the Jays, are bristly throughout, with lateral branches reaching to the very tip. In Paridce these feathers are inclined to be broader, with the shaft projecting considerably beyond the basal portion, or the lateral branches are confined to the basal portion and extended forwards. There is no naked line of separa- tion between the scutellse on the outer side of tarsi. The basal joint of the middle toe is united almost or quite to the end to the lateral instead of half-way. The first primary is usually less than half the second, instead of rather more ; the fourth and fifth pri- maries nearly equal and longest, instead of the fifth being longer than the fourth." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Two so-called sub-families of typical Cbrvidce are recognized, but they are not very well characterized, on account of the evidence of numerous intermediate forms. Taking the North American members of the family there is, however, no difficulty in recognizing the two pub-families, which may be defined as follows 330 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Corvinae. Bill as long as the head. Tail short, nearly even; wings long and pointed, longer than tail, and nearly reaching its tip: projecting beyond the under tail-coverts, which reach the middle of tail. Tip of wing formed by the third, fourth, and fifth quills. which are longest. Tarsi usually with a row of small scutellaj on each side. Garrulinae. Bill usually shorter than head. Tail lengthened, rounded, and gener- ally longer than the wings, which are short, rounded and extend scarcely beyond the lower tail-coverts; these not reaching the middle of the tail. Tip of wing formed by the fourth, fifth, and sixth quills, which are longest. Tarsi usually with a row of small scutellaj on the inner side only. • SUBFAMILY CORVINE.— THE CROWS. CHAE. "Wings long and pointed, longer than the tail, and, when closed, reaching nearly to its tip, extending beyond the under tail-coverts, the third, fourth, and fifth quills forming the tip of the wing. The following diagnoses may serve to distinguish the three genera of North American Coruina: A. (Cori'ecK). Bill compressed, much higher than broad; its tip compressed. Size large (i. e. over 13 inches long), color black, or mainly black. Color black throughout; bill much compressed, the culmen much arched, and the gonys convex ; nasal bristles strong - Corvus. B. (Nucifragece.) Bill cylindrical, scarcely or not at all higher than broad; its tip depressed. Size small (i. e. less than 15 inches long). Color uniform blue or with ashy on body, and black wings and tail. Color ashy, with wings and tail mainly black. Culmen convex, gonys slightly concave. Nostrils covered by short nasal tuft - Picicorvus- Color uniform blue, bright on the head; the throat streaked with whitish. Culmen straight; gonys slightly convex. Nostrils completely exposed; no nasal tufts - Gymnokitta. Only the first of the above genera has representatives in eastern North America, the other two being distinctly western. GIN s CORVUS LINNJEUS. Corvus Lrsiraus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10, i. 1758, 105. Type, Corvus corax LINN. "GEN. CHAR. The nasal feathers lengthened, reaching to or beyond the middle of the bill. Nostrils large, circular, overhung behind by membrane, the edges rounded else- where. Rictus without bristles. Bill nearly as long as the tarsus, very stout; much higher than broad at the base, culmen much arched. Wings reaching nearly or quite to the tip of the tail, the outer four primaries sinuated internally. Tarsi longer than the middle toe, with a series of small scales on the middle of each side separating the an- 'terior scutellate portion from the posterior continuous plates. Sides of the head occa- sionally with nearly naked patches. Tail graduated or rounded." (Hist. JY. Am. B.t The following species occur in eastern North America : A. Feathers of the throat elongated, narrow, and with very distinct outlines. (Ear en?.) 1. C. corax sinnatus. I-Vailu-rs nf the neck and breast dull gray beneath the surface. Wing more than 10 inches., tail 9.50 or more. 2. C. cryptoleucus. Feathery, of the neck'and breast -pure white beneath the surf;icc. Wing less than 15 inches: tail less than 9. CORVID.T5 — THE CROWS AND JAYS. 331 B. Feathers of the throat normal; i. e., short, broad, and blended. (Croirs.) 3. C. americanus. Plumage, glossed with purplish violet, but this hardly perceptible on head and neck. Wing 12 inches or more ; tail 7 or more; culmen 1.80 or more ; tarsus 2 or more. 4. C. ossifragus. Plumage glossed with violet-blue, more greenish on head, neck and lower parts, the gloss very perceptible throughout. Wings less than 11 inches; tail about 6.50; culmen 1.55; tarsus, 1.65. Corvus corax sinatus (Wagl.) AMERICAN RAVEN. Corvus carnivorus "BAKTE." BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858, 560; ed. 1860, pi. 21; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 428. Corvus corax var. carnivorus B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 233, 234, pi. 37, fig. 6. Corvus corax carnivorus EIDGW. Noin. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 280. Corvus corax WTLS. Am. Orn. ix, 1825, 136, pi. 75, fig. 3. -Nun. Man. i, 1832, 202.— A UD. Orn.Biog. ii, 1834, 476, pi. 101; Synop.1839. 150; B. Am.iv,1843, 78, pi. 224.— Co UES, Key, 1872,162; Check List, 1874, No. 220: 2d ed. 1882, No. 338; B. N. W. 1874.204. Corvus sinuatus WAGL. Isis, 1829, 748. Corvus cacalote WAGL. Isis. 1831, 527.— BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858,563; Cat, N. Am. B. 1859, Nos. 423, 424. SP. CHAK. Adult. Tail graduated ; feathers of throat lanceolate, those of neck, jugu- lum, and fore part of back gray— at bases. Entire plumage glossy black, the upper parts, especially wings and tail, with rich purplish reflections. Bill and feet black ; iris brown. Total length (fresh), 25 to 27 inches; extent, 49 to 51 : wing (in skins), about 17; tail, 10. The Raven is a very local and nowhere abundant bird in Illinois. The writer has seen it only in the bottoms of Big Creek and about the borders of Fox Prairie, in Richland County, where, up to 1871 at least, one or two pairs might be seen at almost any time, usually soar- ing in circles over the timber. It wras never observed in the vicinity of Mount Carrnel, nor have I ever been able to hear of its oc- currence anywhere in that portion of the State except in the locali- ties mentioned. According to Mr. Nelson it was "formerly a not uncommon resident" in the northeastern portion of the State, but "now [1876] occurs only in winter and is rare." Mr. Nelson further remarks: "Frequents the sand hills along the lake shore from the last of October until spring. The first of November, 1875, I saw several specimens near Waukegan, where they were repeatedly seen flying along the lake shore, and in winter they unite in small flocks and move from place to place." Corvus americanus Aud. COMMON CROW. Popular synonyms. American Crow ; Tom Crow (Nevada). Corvus corone WILS. Am. Orn. iv, 1814. 79. pi. 25, fig. 3 (nee LINN.)— Sw. & RICH. F. B.- A. ii, 1831. 291.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 20!>. Corvus americanus AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 817; v, 1839, 477, pi. 156; Synop. 1859, 156; B. Am. iv, 1842, 87, pi. 225.— NUTT. Man. 2d ed. i, 1840, 221.— BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858,566: Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 426.— COUES, Key, 1872, 162; Check List, 1873, No. 228: B. N. W. 1874, 206.-B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 233, 234, pi. 37, fig. 5. 332 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Corvusfrugivorus "BAETK." COUES. Pr. Phil. Acad. 1875, 346; 2d Check List, 1882, No. 340.— EIDGW. Nom. Am. B. 1881. No. 282. HAB. Whole of temperate North America, except northwest coast; south to northern Mexico. Rare in the interior western districts. SP. CHAE. Tail slightly rounded. Feathers of throat short, blended, those of neck, etc., dusky grayish at bases. Adult. Deep black, with violet gloss, the latter fainter on lower parts. Bill and feet deep black ; iris brown. Young. Dull, lusterless black. Total length (fresh specimens), 18.50-19.50; extent, 37.00-38.50; wing (in skins), about 13.00-13.50; tail. 8.00. During the breeding season, when the plumage becomes worn or "weather-beaten," there is much less gloss to the plumage. "All specimens shot at this season do not exhibit this peculiarity, and some show it in a more marked degree than others. These speci- mens are characterized by the entire absence of the violet gloss on the wings and tail, those parts being of a lustreless, purplish brown color. Some specimens have the concealed bases of the feathers of a fine, violet-glossed black, and the residue of a rich bronze hue." (MEABNS, Butt. Nutt. Orn. Club, Vol. Ill, 1878, p. 71.) So well known a bird as the Common Crow needs no special biography in a work like this. His general habits are as familiar to every one, as are his appearance and voice. There are never- theless some traits of his character which are hardly appreciated to the extent that they should be, and it is exceedingly probable that he is a much more useful member of bird society than he is given credit for. ST-BFAMILY GARRULIN^.— THE JAYS. "CHAB. Wings short, rounded; not longer or much shorter than the tail, which is graduated, sometimes excessively so. Wings reaching not much beyond the lower tail- coverts. Bristly feathers at base of bill variable. Bill nearly as long as the head, or shorter. Tarsi longer than the bill or than the middle toe. Outer lateral claws rather shorter than the inner. (Hist. N. Am. B.] The following genera belong to North America, there being two others (PsHorldnus and Xanthoura] which barely come within our borders across the lower Bio Grande. A. Tail very long and much graduated; first primary very narrow, falcate. Pica. Head without crest; wings and tail metallic green and bluish. B. Tail about as long as the wings, rounded; first primary not falcate. a. Head conspicuously crested. Cyanocitta. Wings and tail blue, barred with black. 6. Head without crest. Aphelocoma. Above blue, the back (in North American species) more or less gray- CORVIUJE— THE CROWS AND JAYS. 333 ish, the wings and tail not barred; beneath light grayish or dull whitish (in some Mex- ican species wholly blue underneath). Perisoreus. Plumage exceedingly lax and "fluffy." Bill very small, scarcely half the length of the head. Color mainly dull grayish. GENUS PICA BRISSON. Pica BRISSON, Ornithologia, 1760, ii, 35. Type, Corvus pica LINK. "GEN. CHAR. Tail very long, forming much more than the total length; the feathers much graduated; the lateral scarcely more than half the middle. First primary falcate, curved, and attenuated. Bill about as high as broad at the base, the culmen and gonys much curved, and about equal; the bristly feathers reaching nearly to the middle of the bill. Nostrils nearly circular. Tarsi very long; middle too scarcely more than two thirds the length. A patch of naked skin beneath and behind the eye. "The peculiar characteristic of this genus, in addition to the very long graduated tail, lies in the attenuated, falcate first primary. Calocitta, which has an equally long or longer tail, has the first primary as in the Jays generally (besides having the nostrils ex- posed)." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The American Magpie (P. pica hudsonica) belongs to a circum- polar species (P. pica) which in the various parts of its range is differentiated into more or less strongly marked geographical races. Many ornithologists do not admit the subspecific distinctness of the American bird, and the differences from the European (typical) form are indeed slight in some specimens, though easily recognized in the majority. A probably distinct species (P. nuttalli), confined to California, differs in having the bill and bare suborbital space bright yellow instead of black. Pica pica hudsonica (Sab.) BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE. Popular synonym. American Magpie. Corvus pica WILS. Am. Orn. iv, 1811, 75, pi. 35, flg. 2 (nee LINN.)— Sw. & HIGH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 292.— NUTT. Man. i, 1&32, 219.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, 408, pi. 357. Corvus hudsonicus SABINE, App. Franklin's Voy. 1823, 25, 671. Pica hudsonica BP. 1838.— BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858, 576; Cat, N. Am. B. 1859, No. 432. Pica melanoleuca var. hudsonica COUES, Key. 1872, 164; Check List, 1873, No. 233; B. N. W. 1874, 211. Pica caudata var. hudsonica ALLEN, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. iii, 1872, 178.— B. B. & R. Hist, N. Am. B. ii, 1871, 265, 2CO, pi. 38, flg. 1. Pica rustica fi Jmdsonica~RiT>G-w. Field & Forest, June, 1877, 218. Pica rustica hudsonica BIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 286.— COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 347. Pica melanoleuca AUD. Synop. 1839, 157; B. Am. iv, 1842, 99, pi. 227. 384. BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. HP. CHAR. Bill and naked suborbital skin black. Head, neck, breast, interseapulars, lining of wing, tail- coverts, and tibiae, deep black, the pileimi usually glossed with bronze-greenish. Lower parts (except as described), scapulars, and inner webs of pri- maries, pure white. Wings metallic greenish blue; tail rich metallic green, passing, near tips, through bronze and reddish violet into violet-blue. Total length (fresh speci- mens), 17.50-21.75; extent, 21.25-25.CO; wing (in skins). 8.00-8.50; tail, 12.00-13.50. Feet deep black; iris brown, with bluish gray outer ring. The occurrence of the Black-billed Magpie at present anywhere in Illinois is extremely doubtful. There is no recent record of its having been taken or even seen within the limits of the State, and its claim to a place in our fauna rests solely on Mr. Kemiicott's statement that it is (or was at the time his list was published) a rare winter visitant to the extreme northern counties. The nest of the Magpie is a very bulky and somewhat remarkable structure, composed exteriorly of sticks of various sizes, forming a spherical mass, the upper portion of which forms a canopy to the nest proper, the entrance being through one side. The eggs are usually six in number, but often as many as nine, and are of a pale olive or grayish white color, thickly speckled with olive-brown. GENUS CYANOCITTA STRICKLAND. Cyanocitla STRICKL. Ann. Nat. Hist, xv, 1845, 2G1. Type, Corvn-s cristatus LINN. ryai,.urus "SwAiNSON," BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 264, 271, et Aucx. (nee SWAINS.) "GEN. CHAR. Head crested. Wings and tail blue, with transverse black bars; head and back of same color. Bill rather slender, somewhat broader than high at the base; culmen about equal to the head. Nostrils large, nearly circular, concealed by bristles. Tail about as long as the wings, lengthened, graduated. Hind claw large, longer than its digit." (Rift. X. Am. B.) Two widely distinct species of this well-marked genus belong to North America, one of them being peculiar to the Eastern Province, the other restricted to the mountainous portions of the Western Province, and south through Mexico to Guatemala and Honduras. The latter is divided into several geographical races, as follows : (1) C. coronata (rera), Honduras, Guatemala, and southern Mexico ; (2) C. coronata diadem at a, central Mexico; (3) C. coronata macrolopha, Rocky Mountains of the United States ; (4) C. coronata annectens, northern Rocky Mountains; (5) C. coronata stelleri, northwest coast, from the northern Coast Eange of California to Sitka; (6) C. coronata front alis, Sierra Nevada range. These races arc very distinct when typical examples are compared; so much so, in fact, that were not true intergradatioii evident they would be considered separate species. They are all characterized in "History CORVOXE - -THE CROWS AND JAYS. of North American Birds," Vol. II. page 272, to which the reader is referred for furthur information. Cyanocitta cristata (Linn.) BLUE JAY. Corws cristatus LINN. S.N. ed. 10,1,1758,106; ed. 12, i, 1766, 157.—WILS. Am. Orn. i, 1808,11, pi. l.fig. 1.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832,224.— Aur>. Orn. Biog. ii,1834,ll,v, 1839, 475, pi. 102. Garrulus cristatus VIEILL. 1817.— Sw. \-riiCH.F.B.-A. ii, 1831, 293.— AUD. B. Am. iv,1842, 110, pi. 231. Cyanurus cristatus BAIKD.B. N. Am. 1858, 580; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 434.— (JouES.Key, 1872,165; Check List, 1874, No. 234; B. N. W. 1874, 204.-B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 271.373.pl. 42, fig. 2. Cyanocitta cristatus STKICKL. Am. Nat, Hist. 1845, 261.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 289.— COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 349. HAB. Whole of eastern North America, north to 56° in the interior, west to the border of the Great Plains; resident and breeding throughout, "Sp. CHAK. Crest about one third longer than the bill. Tail much graduated. Gen- eral color above light purplish blue ; wiugs and tail-feathers ultramarine blue ; the second- aries and tertials, the greater wing-coverts, and the exposed surface of the tail, sharply blended with black and broadly tipped with white, except on the central tail-feathers. Beneath white; tinged with purplish blue on the throat, and with bluish brown on the sides. A black crescent on the fore part of the breast, the horns passing forward and connecting with a half-color on the back of the neck. A narrow frontal line and loral region black; feathers on the base of the bill blue, like the crown. Female rather duller in color, and a little smaller. Length, 12.25; wing, 5.65; tail, 5.75." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Few of our birds are more numerous, and none, certainly, are better known than the Blue Jay. With us he has none of the shy- ness which characterizes him in the more eastern States, but makes himself at home in the door-yards and orchards, building his nest in the apple trees, in shade trees along the streets, or even among the vines trained up the sides of houses ; and, with greater or less regularity, especially in winter, obtains a not inconsiderable portion of his or her daily food from the immediate vicinity of the kitchen door. At Olney, Eichland County, a Blue Jay's nest was, in the spring of 1865, found inside an old unused barn in the middle of the town, placed on a sill against the weatherboarding, in the upper part of the building. 336 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. FAMILY Al.ATJDID.ffi.— THE LARKS. "CHAE. First primary very short or wanting. Tarsi scutellate anteriorly and pos- teriorly, with the plates nearly of corresponding position and number. Hind claw very long and nearly straight. Bill short, conical, frontal feathers extending along side of the 1 >ill ; the nostrils concealed by a tuft of bristly feathers directed forward. Tertials greatly elongate beyond the secondaries." (Hist. N. Am. B) The Alaudidas are preeminently a Pahearctic family, being numer- ously represented throughout Europe and central Asia, and with many members in the more open portion of the African continent. Amer- ica possesses a single species, and that of circumpolar distribution. "The most characteristic feature of the Larks among other oscinine families is seen in the scutellation of the tarsus. The anterior half of this is covered by divided scales lapping around on the sides, but instead of the two plates which go on each side of the posterior half and unite ultimately behind as an acute ridge, there is but one, which laps round on the sides, and is divided into scales like the anterior ones, but alternating with them. The posterior edge of the tarsus is as obtuse as the anterior, instead of being very acute. There is a deep separating groove on the inner side of the tarsus ; and there may be really but one plate divided transversely, the edges meeting at this place. "In the elongated hind claw and lengthened tertials, general style of coloration, mode of life, and manner of nesting, there is decided approximation in the Alaudidce to the Anthitife, of the family Mo- taciUidtf; but in these the posterior edge of the tarsus is sharp and undivided transversely, the toes more deeply cleft, the bill more slender, etc. — their relations being rather nearer to the Sylvicolidce than the present family." (Hist. N. Am. B.) GENUS OTOCORIS BONAPARTE. Eremophila BOIE, Isis, 1828, 322. Type, Alauda a/pesZrjs LINN. (Nee Eremophilus HUMS. 1805.) Otocoris BONAP. Fauna Ital. Uccelli. Introd. 1839, (not paged). GEN. CHAB. No spurious primary; bill small, scarcely higher than broad; nostrils circular (the nasal fossae oblique), concealed by a dense tuft of feathers. Adult with a narrow tuft of feathers on each side of the crown (most developed in the male). Colors of the adult pinkish gray or brownish above, with more or less distinct streaks on the back; a black cheek patch and pectoral crescent (indistinct in the female). ALAUDID.E — THE LARKS. 337 This being the only American genus of Larks, there is no need in the present connection, for comparison with aliied genera. There is only one American species, so far as known. This one (O. alpes- tris) inhabits all the more open portions of the continent, breeding from the table-lands of southern Mexico to the shores of the Arctic Ocean, and from the region of the Great Lakes (western New York, Ohio, etc.) to the Pacific. In the various famial districts of this extensive area, it is divided into a number of well-marked geographi- cal races, which have been distinguished by Mr. H. W. Henshaw ("Auk," I. p. 263) as follows:* "0. alpestris. Size large; wing,4.44; tail, 3.02; tarsus, .61; bill, .50. (Average of 19 males.) Nape, lesser wing-coverts, rump, etc., deep vinaceous. Habitat, northeastern North America, Labrador, Greenland. "0. alpestris praticola. Size smaller; wing, 4.17; tail, 2.93; tarsus, .83; bill, .46. (Average of 19 males.) Nape, lesser wing-coverts, rump, etc,, pale vinaceous; back dead gray, in contrast; whole aspect generally paler than in true alpestris. Habitat, Upper Mississippi Valley and region of Great Lakes. "0. alpestris leucolaema. Size about as in alpestris: wing 4.39; tail, 2.96; tarsus,. 89; bill, .9. (Average of 12 males.) Chief character, paler: nape, lesser wing-coverts, rump, etc., very pale vinaceous ; back gray, in contrast. Throat white or with but faint trace of yel- low. Colors are still paler in fall; occasionally at this season there is some yellow on the throat. Habitat, British America and Alaska; western United States only in winter. "0. alpestris arenicola. Size smaller than leucolcema; wing, 4.27; tail, 3.35; tarsus, .84; bill, .48. (Average of 16 males.) The colors similar to the last.butthroat always decidedly yellow. Fall specimens are brighter, with more yellow on the throat and forehead. Habitat, Great Basin of United States and Kocky Mountains, "0. alpestris giraudi. Wing,3.78; tail, 2.57; tarsus, .80; bill, .43. (Average of 9 males.) General color above brownish gray ; streaks of back very indistinct; yellow of throat bright; breast usually pale yellow. Habitat eastern and southeastern Texas. "0. alpestris chrysolaema. Wing 3.98; tail, 2.91; tarsus,. 83; bill,. 46 (Average of 4 males.) Much deeper in color than arenicola. Nape, etc., deep pinkish rufous; throat deep yel- low,but breast always white. Habitat, Mexico, possibly across the border into southern Arizona and New Mexico. "0. alpestris rubea. Wing,3.51; tail, 2.71; tarsus, .77; bill, .45. (Average of 11 males.) General color above, deep cinnamon or ferruginous; throat bright yellow; streaks on dorsum nearly obsolete. Habitat, California. "0. alpestris strigata. Wing, 3. 99; tail, 2. 75; tarsus, .76; bill, .44. (Average of 2 males.) Coloration above very dark; much less cinnamon than in either rubea or chrysolcema; back distinctly striped with dusky; breast usually yellow. In some fall specimens the yellow overspreads the entire under parts. Habitat, coast region of Washington Terri- tory and Oregon." * The color descriptions are based on males in breeding plumage. —22 338 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Otocoris alpestris (Linn.) SHORE LARK. Popular synonyms. Snow Lark; Snowbird; Prairie Lark; Skylark; American Skylark; Horned Lark. Alauda alpestris LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 16C. Otocoris alpestris BP. Fauna Ital. Ucc. Introd. 1839 (not paged).— HENSHAW, Auk, July, 1884, 257, 263. Eremophila alpestris BOIE, Isis. 1828,322.— CouES,Key,1872,89; Check List, 1874, No. 53; 2d Check List, 1882, No. 82; 2d Key, 1884, 281 (part).— RIDGW. Nora. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 300 (part). Eremophila alpestris var. alpestris B. B. £ R. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 143. Eremophila alpestris a. alpestris COUES, B. N. W. 1874, 37. Alauda cornuta WILS. Am. Orn. i.lSOS, 87 (in text).— Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii,1831,121. Eremophila cornuta BOIE, Isis, 1828, 322.— BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858, 403; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 302. This larger, darker colored form of the Shore Lark is an irregu- lar winter visitant, sometimes, however, occurring in large flocks. Its habits are identical with those of the resident race. Otocoris alpestris praticola (Hensh.) PRAIRIE LARK. Popular synonyms. (Same as those of alpestris proper.) Eremophila alpestris AUCT., ex-parte (nee BOIE). Otocoris alpestris praticola HENSHAW, Auk, i. No. 3, July,18S4,3C4. « HAB. Mississippi Valley and region of the Great Lakes, breeding, and resident, east to western New York. SUBSP. CHAE. Adult male in spring (No. 90763, U. S. Nat. Mus., Richland Co., 111., May 16, 1883; R. Ridgway): Posterior portion of crown, occiput, nape, sides of neck and breast, lesser wing-coverts, and shorter upper tail-coverts, light vinaceous; back, scapu- lars, and rump, grayish brown, the feathers with, darker centres, becoming darker and much more distinct on the rump; middle wing-coverts light vinaceous terminally, brownish gray basally. Wings (except as described) grayish brown, the feathers with paler edges; outer primary with outer web chiefly white. Middle pair of tail-feathers light brown (paler on edges), the central portion (longitudinally) much darker, approach- ing dusky; remaining tail-feathers uniform black, the outer pair with exterior web broadly edged with white. Longer upper tail-coverts light brown, edged with whitish and marked with a broad lanceolate streak of dusky. Forehead (for about .15 of an inch) yellowish white, this continued back in a broad superciliary stripe of nearly pure white; fore part of crown (for about .35 of an inch) deep black, continued laterally back to and including the ear-like tufts; loi-es, suborbital region, and broad patch on cheeks (\\iili convex posterior outline) deep black; jugular crescent also deep black, this extend- ing to the lower part of throat; chin and throat pale straw-yellow, gradually fading into white on sides of foreneck; anterior half of ear-coverts white, posterior half drab-gray, each portion forming a crescent- shaped patch. Lower parts pos1eri<>r to the jugular crescent pure white, the sides of the breast light vinaceous, the sides similar but browner and indistinctly streaked with darker. Upper mandible plumbeous black, lower bluish plumbeous; iris deep brown; legs and feet brownish black. Wing,4.30; tail,2.85; culmen, .47; tarsus,. 85. ALAUDIDJE— THE LAKES. 839 Adult male in winter (No. 955S3, Gainesville, Texas, Feb. 12, 1884; G. H. Ragsdale) : Similar to the spring plumage, but darker, with the vinaceous somewhat obscured by grayish brown, the black by pale tips to the feathers, and yellow of throat slightly deeper. "Wing, 4.20; tail, 3.00; culmen, .43; tarsus, .85. Adult fi-male in spring (No. 90760, Richland Co. ,111., May 25.1884; R. Eidgway): Above grayish brown, the pileum narrowly and distinctly, the dorsal region broadly and less sharply, streaked with dusky; nape, lesser wing-coverts, and shorter upper tail-coverts dull light vinaceous, the first very indistinctly streaked. A narrow frontlet and broad superciliary stripe (the latter very sharply defined above) dull white; lores, suborbital region, and triangular patch on cheeks, dull brownish black, without sharp definition posteriorly; auriculars drab, the anterior half lighter; chin and throat white, the former faintly tinged with yellowish; jugulum crossed by a distinct band of black, narrower and less intense in color than in the male; rest of lower parts white, tinged with pale brown- ish on breast, the sides (especially of breast) pale Isabella- brownish, the flanks indis- tinctly streaked with darker. Wing, 3.85; tail, 2.50; culmen, .45; tarsus, .80. Adult female in winter (No. 85417, Mt. Carmel, 111., Dec. 20, 1874; S. Turner): Differing from the Slimmer plumage in being browner, and with the streaks on the pileum less distinct, the whitish frontlet obsolete, and the superciliary stripe less sharply defined; the lores, suborbital region, and cheeks dull brownish, like the auriculars, the latter with an indistinctly lighter central spot; chin and throat dull buffy white, with a tinge of straw-yellow, changing to clearer buffy white on sides of foreneck; jugulum with an in- distinct blackish patch, the feathers broadly bordered with dull whitish. "Whole breast and sides light isabella-color, indistinctly streaked with darker; abdomen and crissum white. Wing. 3.75; tail, 2.45; culmen, .40; tarsus, .80. Young, first plumage (male, No. 907C1, May 29, and female, No. 90792, May 16, Richland Co. ,111.; R. Ridgway): Above brownish black, the wings brownish; back dotted with sharply defined deltoid and rhomboid specks of white; pileum with similar but much more minute markings, and rump also varied in the same manner, but spots rather more transverse than on the back. Lesser and middle wing-coverts brownish black, broadly tipped with buffy white; greater coverts dusky, edged with isabella-brown, and narrowly tipped with pale buff; prevailing color of closed remiges isabella-brown, the tertials. however, darker brown, bordered with buff, this bordered internally with a dusky sub- margin. Lower parts dull white, the jugulum, sides of breast, and sides, dull isabella- buff, spotted or clouded with dusky. Measurements: wing, 4.30; tail, 3.08; tarsus, .80; bill, .45 (largest of 16 males). Measurements: wing, 4.10; tail, 2.80; tarsus, .78; bill, .45 (smallest of 16 females). "The first indications of a departure from the type of the true alpestris are to be noticed in the region to the south and west of the Great Lakes, especially in Illinois. The birds of this region are to be distinguished as a race from alpestris proper by smaller size and by paler colors. Specimens in the breeding plumage are at hand from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and eastern Kansas. Those from Michigan are paler than any of the others, and suggest an approach to the leu- colcema type. "In connection with this race, it is of interest to note that it ap- pears to be gradually extending its range and to be encroaching on a territory which by reason of recent deforestation has been made to approach the conditions this prairie-loving species seeks. Thus Dr. C. H. Merriam writes that it has made its appearance in Lewis BiO BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. county, New York, within a very few years, and appears to be gaining a foothold there. The number of specimens of this form before me is very large, and while they snow it to be a well-marked race, especially when extremes of either form are compared, they also prove that on the one hand it intergrades with alpestris and on the other with Icncola-ma, according as the respective regions in- habited by these forms are approached. Certain specimens also from Kansas more than hint that, as we go westward, it passes into arenicola of the plains. A winter specimen of this form from Texas indicates the extent of its dispersion at tiiis season." (HENSHAW, I. c.) This common but by no means well-known bird is a constant resi- dent throughout the State, except in the wooded districts, although the same individuals probably nowhere remain the year round in any one locality. It is mostly confined to the prairie portions, but has spread to all the cultivated districts, and there is no doubt that its range has greatly extended of late years as the country has become more cleared of forest and a greater area brought under cultivation. TYRANNID2E — THE TYKANT FLYCATCHERS. 341 FAMILY TYRANNIDJE.— THE TYKANT FLYCATCHEKS. f'HAEACTERS. "Primaries ten. Bill in typical forms broad, triangular, much de- pressed, abruptly decurved and notched at tip, with long bristles along gape. Tarsi with scutelh« extending around the outer face of tarsus from the front to back; sometimes divided on the outer side. Bill with ciilmcn nearly as long as the head, or shorter; straight to near the tip, then suddenly bent down into a conspicuous hook, with a notch behind it; tip of lower jaw also notched. Commissure straight to near the notch ; gonys slightly convex. Nostrils oval and rounded, in the anterior extremity of the nasal groove, and more or less concealed by long bristles which extend from the posterior angle of the jaws along the base of the bill, becoming smaller, but reaching nearly to the median line of the forehead. These bristles with lateral branches at the base. Similar bristles are mixed in the loral feathers and margin the chin. Tarsi short, generally less than middle toe, completely enveloped by a series of large scales, which meet near the posterior edge of the inner side, and are separated either by naked skin or by a row of small scales. Sometimes a second series of rather large plates is seen on the posterior face of the tarsus; these, however, usually on the upper extremity only. Basal joint of middle toe united almost throughout to that of the outer toe, but more than half free on the inner side ; outer lateral toe rather the longer. Wings and tail variable ; first quill always more than three fourths the second. The outer primaries sometimes attenuated near the tip. "The primary characters given above will serve to distinguish the North American Tyrannidce from their allies ; the essential fea- tures consisting in the peculiarity of the scales of the tarsus and the ten primaries. In the Sylvicolidee there are species as truly "flycatching," and with a depressed bristly bill, but the nine (not ten) primaries, and the restriction of the scales to the anterior face of the tarsus, instead of extending entirely round the outer side, will readily separate them." (Hist. N. Am. B.} The following analysis of genera is taken from "History of North American Birds" (Vol. II, pp. 307, 308), those belonging exclusively to the southwestern border of the United States being omitted. IYRANNI. Size large: colors generally brilliant; crown with a brighter colored crest, usually concealed; outer primaries abruptly contracted or attenuated near the tip; upper scales of tarsus usually continuing round on the outside and behind. Nest in trees, very bulky, containing much downy material; eggs white or pinkish, with ovate aots of rich brown, of various shades. Milvulus. Tail exceedingly forked and lengthened; more than twice as Ions: as the wings. Tyrannus. Tail moderate , nearly even or slightly forked; less than the wings. 342 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. TYKANNULI. Size generally small; colors usually plain; crown without any colored crest concealed by the tips of the feathers; primaries normal; scales of the upper part of the tarsus usually continuing only to the middle of the outer face, and a second series opposite to them behind. 1. Tail lengthened; about equal to the wings, which reach scarcely to the middle. Myiarehus. Tarsus eaual to the middle toe, which is decidedly longer than the hinder one. Tail even or rounded. Throat pale ash, rest of lower parts yellow generally, the primaries edged with rufous, and inner webs of tail-feathers with more or less of the same color. Nest in a cavity of a tree, of loose material; eggs whitish, with intricate tangled lines and streaks of dark brown, the gen- eral effect salmon-color. Sayornis. Tarsus rather longer than the middle toe, which is scarcely longer than the hind toe. Tail slightly forked. Bill very narrow. No light orbital ring, nor distinct bands on wings; both mandibles black. Nest attached to rocks or parts of buildings, very compact and bulky, containing much mud in its composition; eggs pure white, immaculate, or with very minute sparse dots near larger end. 2. Tail decidedly shorter than the wings, which reach beyond its middle. Tarsus shorter than the middle toe. Contopus. Hind toe much longer than the lateral. Tail considerably forked. Wings long, pointed; much longer than the tail, reaching beyond the middle of the latter; first quill about eaual to the fourth. Bill broad. Color olive-gray, and white, sometimes with a yellowish tinge beneath. Lower mandible pale colored. Nest saucer-shaped, compact, and very small, saddled very securely upon a thick branch; eggs cream-colored, with a zone of lilac and rich brown blotches round the large end. 3. Tail shorter than the wings, as in the last. Tarsus considerably longer than the middle toe; hind toe much longer than the lateral. Tail nearly even, some- times slightly rounded, but little shorter than the wings; first primary much shorter than the fourth. Empidonax. Head moderately crested; tail about even. Bristles of bill reach- ing about half way to tip. Legs stout. A conspicuous light orbital ring, and distinct band, en the wing. More or less tinged with sulphur-yellow on lower parts. Nest variously constructed, deeply cup-shaped, compact or loose, en- tirely of either grassy or fibrous and downy material, and fixed to slender twigs or lodged in a crotch between thick branches; eggs white, immaculate, or with blotches of brown round larger end. GENUS TYRANNUS CUVIER. Tyrannus CuviEB,Le9ons Anat. Comp. 1799, abl. ii. TypQ,Lanius tyrannus LINN. GEN. CHAE. Tyrant-birds of large medium, or rather small size, with strong, conical bills, strongly bristled rictus, even.emarginated, or slightly rounded tail, and the ends of the outer primaries abruptly narrowed. Crown with a concealed colored crest (red, orange, or yellow); plumage without streaks or bars. The above brief diagnosis, although imperfect, will suffice to dis- tinguish the members of Tyrannus from those of allied genera. Milvulus agrees in the attenuation of the outer primaries, the colored crest, and many other features, but the tail is excessively forked, the lateral feathers twice, or more, as long as the middle pair. Pitanyus is also quite similar in many respects, but has the bill TYRANNIDJE — THE TYKANT FLYCATCHERS. 3-43 more elongated, less depressed, the outlines straighter, while there are various other differences. Upon the whole, the genus may be considered quite a natural group. The species vary among themselves not only in colors, but in other respects also, each one having its own peculiarities oi: external form, so that were all identical in coloration they could even then be readily distinguished. Attempts have been made to subdivide the. genus, but all have proved unsatisfactory. There is, truly, a vast dif- ference in size and form between the robust, almost gigantic, T. magni- rostris, and the little T. auraiitio-atrocristatus; but as other species are variously intermediate, it seems best to consider the variations of form and size in this genus as of mainly specific importance. The single eastern species and two western ones which may be expected to occur in Illinois differ from one another as follows : A. Lower parts white, upper parts blackish. 1. T. tyrannus. Wings black, feathers margined with white. Tail black, sharply tipped with white. B. Lower parts yellow, ashy anteriorly; upper parts ashy olive. 2. T. verticalis. Wings brownish dusky, feathers indistinctly edged with paler. Tail deep black, the outer webs of lateral feathers pure white, in abrupt contrast. Throat and jugulum pale ashy-gray. 3. T. vociferans. Wings light brownish gray, the feathers with paler edges. Tail dull black, the tip dull grayish, as are also the outer webs of the lateral feathers. Throat and jugulum deep slate-gray. Tyrannus tyranniis (Linn.) KINGBIRD. Popular synonyms. Bee Bird; Bee Martin. Lanius tyrannus LINN. S. N. ed. i, 1758,94; ed. 12, i, 1766, 136. Muscicapa tyrannus WILS. Am. Orn. i,1808. 66, pi. 13,flg. 1.— NUTT. Man. 1, 1832, 265.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1810, 453; v, 1842, 420, pi. 79; Bynop. 1839,40; B. Am. i, 1839.204, pi. 56. Tyrannus tyrannus JOSD. Man. Vert. ed. 4,18S4,9o. Lanius tyrannus,*? ax. y. carolinensis GMEL. S. N. i, 1788,302. Tyrannus carolinensis TEMM. Tabl. Meth. 1836, 24.— BAIED. B. N. Am. 1858, 171; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859,No. 124.— COUES, Key, 1872, 169 ; Check List, 1874, No. 242; 2d ed. 1882. No. 368; B. N. W. 1874, 235.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 316, pi. 43, fig. 4.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 304. HAB. Eastern North America, north to 57° in the interior, west, regularly, to and in- cluding the Rocky Mountains, and irregularly to the Pacific coast, especially along northern boundary of the United States; in winter, the whole of Middle America, and south to Peru and Bolivia; Cuba and Bahamas. "Sp. CHAB. Adult. Above black, becoming plumbeous on the back, scapulars, and rump; large wing-coverts and remiges edged with whitish; upper tail-coverts bordered ; with white, and tail broadly tipped with the same. Below pure white, strongly shaded with ash-gray across the jugulum. Middle of the crown with aconcealed patch of bright orange-red. Young. Above dusky brownish- slate, the wing-coverts bordered with pale 844 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. fulvous, the remiges with dull whitish; upper tail-coverts bordered with pale rusty; tail tipped with pale fulvous, or brownish white. Beneath as in the adult, but jugulum tinged with pale fulvous. No colored patch on vertex. Wing, 4. 45-4.75; tail. 3. 40-3. 75; bill, from nostril, .50-. 57, depth at base, .24-. 27; width, .37- .40; tarsus, .70-. 78; middle toe, .55-. 60. The Bee Bird or Bee Martin is a very common bird throughout the State, and its general habits are well known. It is a summer resi- dent, arriving in April and departing early in September. "No one of our common birds," says Dr. Brewer, "possesses more strongly marked characteristics of manners and habits than this species. Its pugnacious disposition during the breeding-season, the audacious boldness with which it will attack any bird larger than itself, the persistent tenacity with which it will continue these attacks, and the reckless courage with which it will maintain its unequal warfare, are well-known peculiarities of this interesting and peculiar species. Its name, Kingbird, is given it on the supposition that it is superior to all other birds in these contests. My own observations lead me to the conclusion that writers have somewhat exaggerated the quarrelsome disposition of this bird. I have never, or very rarely, known it to molest or attack any other birds than those which its own instinct prompts it to drive away in self-defense, such as Hawks, Owls, Eagles, Crows, Jays, Cuckoos and Grakles. These it will always attack and drive off to quite a distance from their nests Nothing can be more striking than the intrepidity with which one of these birds will pounce upon and harass birds vastly larger and more powerful than itself. The Kingbird is always prompt to perceive the approach of one of these enemies, and always rushes out to meet it. Mounting in the air high above, it pounces down upon its back, upon which it will even rest, furiously pecking at the exposed flanks of its victim, and only leaving it to descend again and again with the same unrelenting animosity. In these encounters it always comes off conqueror." GENUS MYIARCHTJS CABANIS. Myiarchus CABANIS, Tschudi's Fauna Peruana, 1844-46. 152. Type, Muscicapa, ferox GMEL. "GEN. CHAK. Tarsus equal to or longer than the middle toe, which is decidedly longer than the hind one. Bill wider at base than half the culmen. Tail broad, long, even, or slightly rounded, about equal to the wings, which scarcel y reach to the middle of the tai 1 ; TYKANNID.E — THE TYRANT FLYCATCHERS. 315 the first primary shorter than the sixth. Head with elongated lanceolate distinct feath- ers. Above brownish olive, throat ash, belly yellow. Tail and wing feathers varied with rufous. (Hist. X. A m. II.} This genus is one of the most strongly marked in the entire family. This species are of exceptionally irritable, pugnacious dis- position, continually quarreling among themselves, and during the breeding-season, attacking all larger birds which approach the vi- cinity of the nest. The latter is placed within holes in trees, and the eggs are remarkable for the fine and intricate pencilings of various rich shades of brown upon a creamy ground. In fact they are among the most striking in their color and markings of all bird's eggs. A single species (M. crinitus) inhabits eastern North America, another (M. cinemsccns) replacing it in the west. Myiarchus crinitus (Linn.) CHESTED FLYCATCHER. Popular synonyms. Great Yellow-bellied Flycatcher; Great crested Flycatcher. Muscicapa crinita LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1760,325.— WILS. Am. Orn. ii, 1810, 75, pi. 13,fig. 2.— NUTT. Man. 1,1832,271.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834,170: v. 18S9, 423,pl. 129; Synop. 1839,40; B. Am. i, 1840, 209, pi. 57. Tyrannus crinitus Sw. 182C.— NUTT. Man. 2d ed. 1840,302. Myiarchus crinitus CAB. 1855.— BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858,128; Cat, N. Am. B. 1859, Xo. 130. — CouES,Key,1872,171; Check List, 1874, No. 247; 2d ed. 1882, No. 373; B. N. W. 1874. 238.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 334, pi. 43, fig. 3.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 312. HAB. Eastern United States and British Provinces, but rare northeastward beyond the Connecticut valley; west to the edge of the Great Plains. In winter, Guatemala, and south to Costa Rica; Cuba? "Sp. CHAR. Head with a depressed crest. Third rjuill longest; fourth and second successively biit little shorter; first a little longer than seventh; much shorter than sixth. Tail decidedly rounded or even graduated ; the lateral feathers about .25 of an inch shorter. Upper parts dull greenish olive, with the feathers of the crown and to some extent of the back showing their brown centres; upper tail-coverts turning to pale rusty brown. Some feathers at the base of the bill, lores, sides of the head as high as the upper eyelid, sides of the neck, throat, and forepart of the breast, bluish ashy; the rest of the lower parts, including axillaries and lower wing-coverts, bright sulphur- yel- low. A pale ring round the eye. Sides of the breast and body tinged with olivaceous. The wings brown; the first and second rows of coverts, with the secondary and tertial quills, margined externally with dull white, or on the latter slightly tinged with oliva- ceous yellow. Primaries margined externally for more than half their length from the base with ferruginous; greater portion of the inner webs of all the quills very pale fer- ruginous. The two middle tail-feathers light brown, shafts paler: the rest have the outer web and a narrow line on the inner sides of the shaft brown, pale olivaceous on tlm outer edge; the remainder ferruginous to the very tip. Outer web of exterior feather dull brownish yellow. Feet black. Bill dark brown above and at the tip below; paler towards the base. Length, 8.75; wing, 4.25; tail, 4.10; tarsus, .85," 346 BIEDS OF ILLINOIS. "The young is hardly appreciably different, having merely the wing- coverts tinged with rusty at the ends." (Hist. N. Am. B.) This bird, while probably more numerous than the Kingbird, at least in the more heavily wooded districts, is by no means so well known. It is essentially a woodland species, being commonest in the wildest parts of the forest, where its shrill, querulous, whistling notes are in accord with the surroundings. It is by no means con- fined to such localities, however, but frequently takes up its abode in orchards, even in the midst of towns, and occasionally becomes rather a familiar bird. At Mount Caraiel several pairs nested every summer inside the town limits, and one pair raised a brood in a nest which was built in a window corner of the county jail, a brick building, which stood in the very centre of the town. The usual posi- tion, however, of the nest of this species is a hole in a tree, either a natural cavity or a deserted Woodpecker's hole. The nest, as a rule, is composed of a very miscellaneous assortment of materials, such as dried grasses, feathers, hair, etc., to which is usually added one or more cast-off snake skins, perhaps for ornament. The eggs are probably more remarkable for their coloring and marking than those of any other North American bird, being "scratched" over with lines of rich purple and brown on a buffy or cream-colored ground. While rarely attacking birds of large size, the Great Crested Fly- catcher is a tyrant among the smaller species, charging with great impetuosity upon every one which comes in the immediate vicinity of the nesting place. GENUS SAYORNIS BONAPARTE. Sayornis BONAP. Coll. Delattre, 1864,87. Typo, Tyrann ulanigrieans SWAINS. Aulanax CABANIS, Journal fur Orn. 1856,1. Same type. "GEN. CHAK. Head with a blended depressed moderate crest. Tarsus decidedly longer than middle toe, which is scarcely longer than the hind toe. Bill rather narrow: width of base about half the culmen. Tail, broad, long, slightly forked; equal to thf wings, which are moderately pointed, and reach to the middle of the tail. First primary shorter than sixth." (Hist. J\7. Am. U.) This genus agrees with Myiarchus in the length of the broad tail, but has a longer tarsus and a different style of coloration. The three North American species, although very distinct in col- oration, agree closely in habits. They are all familiar birds, fond of the society of man, taking up their abode about the barn-yard, and placing their nests underneath the carriage-shed or any suitable place about the farm buildings. TYRANNID.E — THE TYRANT FLYCATCHERS. 347 One species (S. nigricans) is confined to the Pacific coast and the southern border, and thence south into Mexico. Another (S. sin/u ) has a very extensive distribution over the western portions of the con- tinent, and has even been once taken in Illinois. Our list therefore includes two of the three species, which may be distinguished as follows : A. Belly white or sulphur-yellowish. 1. S. phcebe. Above grayish olive, the head much darker; beneath dull white or sulphur-yellowish, the sides of the breast grayish. B. Belly tawny ochraceous 2. S. saya. Above brownish gray, the tail black; throat and breast grayish, rest of lower parts tawny ochraceous. Sayornis phcebe (Lath.) PHCEBE. Popular synonyms. Pewee; Barn Pewee or Phoebe; Bridge Pewee or Phoebe; Pewit Flycatcher. Muscicapa fusca GMEL. S. N. i, 1788, 93 (nee BODD. 1783).— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834,122; v, 18S9, 424, pi. 120; Synop. 1839, 43; B. Am. i, 1840, 223, pi. C3. Tyrannus fuscus NUTT. Man. ed. 2, i, 1840, 312. Sayornis fuscus~&&.iKD, B. N. Am. 1858, 184; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 135.— COUES, Key, 1872, 172; Check List, 1874, No. 252; 2d ed. 1882, No. 379; B. N. W. 1874, 241.— B. B. & B. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 343, pi. 45, fig. 2.— EIDGW. Nom. 1881, No. 315. Muscicapa atra GMEL. S. N. i, 1788, 946 (nee MULL. 1776).— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 278. Muscicapa phoebe LATH. Ind. Orn. ii, 1790, 489. Sayornis phoebe STEJN. Auk. ii, Jan. 1885, 51. Muscicapa nunicola WILS. Am. Orn. ii, 1810, 78, pi. 13, fig. 4. HAB. Eastern United States and British Provinces, west to the edge of the Great Plains; winters in more southern United States (north to about 38°), and eastern Mexico south to Vera Cruz ; Cuba. "Sp. CHAK. Sides of breast and upper parts dull olive-brown, fading slightly towards the tail. Top and sides of head dark brown. A few dull white feathers on the eyelids. Lower parts dull yellowish white, mixed with brown on the chin, and in some individ- uals across the breast. Quills brown, the outer primaries, secondaries, and tertials edged with dull white. In some individuals the greater coverts faintly edged with dull white. T'ail brown; outer edge of lateral feathers dull white; outer edges of the rest like the back. Tibiae brown. Bill and feet black. Bill slender, edges nearly straight. Tail rather broad and slightly forked. Third quill longest; second and fourth nearly equal; the first shorter than sixth Length, 7 inches; wing, 3.42; tail, 3.30. "In autumn, and occasionally in early spring, the colors are much clearer and brighter. Whole lower parts sometimes bright sulphur- yellow ; above, greenish olive ; top and sides of the head tinged with sooty. In the young of the year the colors are much duller ; all the wing-coverts broadly tipped with light ferruginous, as also the ex- treme ends of the wing and tail-feathers. The brown is prevalent 348 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. on the whole throat and breast ; the hind part of the back, rump, and tail strongly ferruginous." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The Pewee or Phoebe is one of that charming coterie of the feathered tribe who cheer the abode of man with their presence. Less numerous than the Chipping Sparrow, the Catbird, the Barn Swallow, or even the Bluebird, there are still few farm-yards with- out a pair of Pewees, who do the farmer much service by lessening the number of flies about the barn, and by calling him to his work in the morning with their cheery notes. Says Dr. Brewer : "This species is attracted both to the vicinity of water and to the neighborhood of dwellings, probably for the same reason — the abundance of insects in either situation. They are a familiar, confiding, and gentle bird, attached to localities, and returning to them year after year. They build in sheltered situa- tions, as under a bridge, under a projecting rock, in the porches of houses, and in similar situations. I have known them to build on a small shelf in the porch of a dwelling ; against the wall of a rail- road station, within reach of the passengers ; and under a projecting window-sill, in full view of the family, entirely unmoved by the presence of the latter at meal time." Sayornis saya (Bonap.) SAY'S PHCEBE. Popular synonyms. Say's Pewee; Say's Flycatcher; Eocky Mountain Pewee. Muscicapa *«2/aBr. Am. Orn. i, 1825, 20, pi. 2, fig. 2.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 277.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, 428, pi. 359; Synop. 1839, 41; B. Am. i, 1840, 217, pi. 39. Tyrannus saya NUTT. Man. 2d ed. i, 1840, 311. Sauonii* ffii/ns BATED, B. X. Am. 1858, 185; Cat. X. Am. B. 1S59. Xo. 136.-CouES.Kry, 1872, 172; Check List, 1S74, No. 250; 2d ed. 1882, Xo. 377, C'.sr; ///"); B. X. W. 1S74. 240. — B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 347, pi. 45, fig. 3.— EIDGW. Nom. X. Am. B. 1881, No. 316, ("sayi") HAB. Western North America from the Great Plains to the Pacific, north, in the in- terior, to latitude 60°; straggling east to Michigan, Wisconsin, and northern Illinois. In winter, south to Vera Cruz, Mexico. "SP. CHAR. Above and on the sides of the head, neck, and Im-ast, grayish brown, darker on the cr<>\vn; region aiioiit I lie eye dusky. The chin, throat, and upper part of the breast similar to the back, but rather lighter and tinged with the color of the rest of the lower parts, which are pale cinnamon. Under wing- coverts pale rusty white. The wings of a rather deeper tint than the back, with the exterior vanes and tips of the quills darker. Edges of the greater and secondary coverts, of the outer vane of the outer primary, and <>f the secondaries and tertials, dull white. The upper tail-coverts and tail nearly black. Edge of outer vane of exterior tail-feather white. Bill dark brown. rather paler beneath The feet In-own. Second, third, and fourth quills nearly equal: fifth nearly equal to sixth; sixth much shorter than the fifth. Tail broad, emarginatc. Tarsi with a posterior row of scales Length, 7 inches; wing, 4.30; tail, 3.35. TYIUNNIIXi; — THE TYRANT FLYCATCHERS. 349 "The young of the year have the upper parts slightly tinged with ferruginous ; two broad (ferruginous) bands on the wings formed by the tips of the first and second coverts. The quills and tail rather darker than in adult specimen. "Autumnal specimens are simply more deeply colored than spring examples, the plumage softer and more blended." (Hist. X. Am. B.) According to Mr. Nelson (Bull. Essex Inst. Vol. VIII., 1876, p. 113), "Two specimens of this species are registered in the catalogue of birds in the Museum of the Northwestern University, at Evanston, from 'West Northfield, Illinois, collected by R. Kennicott.' These specimens are not in the collection at present. Dr. Hoy has also taken it in Wisconsin." GENUS CONTOPUS CABANIS. Contopus CABANIS, Journ. fur Oruith. iii.Nov. 1885,479. Type Muscicapa virens LINN. "GEN. CHAK.' Tarsus very short, but stout; less than the middle toe and scarcely longer than the hinder; considerably less than the culmen. Bill quite broad at the base ; wider than the culmen. Tail moderately forked. Wings very short and much pointed, reaching beyond the middle of tail; the first primary about equal to the fourth. All the primaries slender and rather acute, but not attenuated. Head modei-ately crested. Color olive above, pale yellowish beneath, with a darker patch on the sides of the breast. Under tail-coverts streaked in most species. A tuft of cottony white feathers on each side of the rump (concealed in most species). "This genus is pre-eminently characterized among North Amer- ican Flycatchers by the very short tarsi and the long and much pointed wings. "In most other genera as Sayornis, Myiarchus and Empidonax, a trace of cottony tuft may be discovered by careful search on the flanks ; but in the present genus, there is, in addition, the tufts 011 the rump, not found in the others." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Of the four known North American species only two have not been recorded from the region east of the Mississippi River. One of them (C. pertinax CAB.) occurs only along the southern border in Arizona, and therefore cannot reasonably be expected ; another, how- ever (C. richardsonii SWAINS.), is of very general distribution through- out the west, and may very possibly sometimes stray east of the Missouri River. This species is therefore included in the synopsis along with the two which properly belong there. A. Size large (\ving3.90 or more); side of rump with a conspicuous tuft of white cot- tony feathers. 1. C. borealis. Above brownish slaty darker on the head; beneath white medially, dark grayish, in marked contrast, laterally. Wing, 3.90-4.50; tail, 2. 90-3. 50. 350 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. B. Size small (wing 3. GO or less); sides of rump without conspicuous cottony tuft. 'l>. C. virens. Above olive- slaty, the head darker; sides olive-grayish, this color al- most meeting across the breast; throat and abdomen whitish. Wing, 3.30-3.40; tail,2.80-3.00. 3. C. richardsonii. Colors of C. virens, but breast uniform grayish, and upper parta •with less of an olive tinge. Wing, 3.25-3.60; tail. 2.80-3.20. Contopus borealis (Swains.) OLIVE SIDED FLYCATCHER. Tyrannus borealis Sw. F. B.-A. ii, 1831.141, pi. 35. Contopus lorealis BATED, B. N. Am. 1858, 188; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 137.— COUES, Key, 1872, 173; Check List, 1874, No. 253; 2d ed. 18S2,No. 380; B. N. W. 1874,243.— B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1S74.353. pi. 44. fig. 1.— EIDGW. Num. N. Am. B. 1831, No. 318. Miiscicapa inornata "Coop. & XUTT.," NUTT. Man. i, 1S32.2S5. MuscicapacooperHXuTT. Man. i, 1832, 282.— AUD. Oru. Biog. ii, 1834, 422; pi. 174; Bynop. 1839, 41; B. Am. i, 1840, 212, pi. 58. Tyraitmis co >i>< ri BP. 183S.— Nrxr. Man. 2J ed. i, 1840,298. HATS. Whole of temperate North America, but colder regions only in summer, breed- ing from northern border of the United States northward, farther south on higher moun- tain ranges, especially westward; also breeding in more elevated districts of Mexico, and migrating south as far as Voragna. "Sp. CHAR. Wings long, much pointed; the second auill longest; the first longer than the third. Tail deeply forked. Tarsi short. The upper parts ashy brown, showing darker brown centres of the feathers; this is eminently the case on the top of the head; the sides of the head and neck, of the breast and body, resembling the back, but with the edges of the feathers tinged with gray, leaving a darker central streak. The chin, throat, narrow line down the middle of the breast and body, abdomen, and lower tail-coverts white or sometimes with a faint tinge of yellow. The lower tail-coverts somewhat streaked with brown in the centre. On each side of the rump, generally concealed by the wings, is an elongated bunch of white silky feathers. The wings and tail very dark brown, the former with the edges of the secondaries and tertials edged with dull white. The lower wing-coverts and axillaries grayish brown. The tips of the primaries and tail-feathers rather paler. Feet and upper mandible black, lower mandible brown. The young of the year similar, but the color duller; edges of wing-feathers dull rusty instead of grayish white. The feet light brown. Length,7.50; wing, 4.33; tail, 3.30; tarsus,.CO." (Hist.N. Am.H.t The Olive-sided Flycatcher is confined almost exclusively to the northern coniferous forests, including their southern extension along the higher mountain lauges, the principal of which it follows through Mexico and Guatemala. Eegarding its occurrence in Illinois, the only knowledge we have is Mr. Nelson's note (Bull. Essex Inst. VIII. 1876, p. 113), to the following effect : "Not an uncommon migrant, from May 15th to 25th and the last of September and the first of October. I have taken one specimen as late as June 2d. It may breed." TYKANNID.E — THE TYKANT FLYCATCHERS. 351 Contopus virens (Linn.) WOOD PEWEE. Muscicapn virens LINN. S. N. eel. 12, i, 1766. 327.— NUTT. Man. 1, 1832, 28.".— ATJD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834. 93; v, 1839,425, pi. 115; Synop. 1839, 42; B. Am. i, 1840, 231, pi. 64. Tyrannus virens NUTT. Man. 2d ed. i,1840, 316. Contopus virens CAB. 1855.— BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858.190; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 139.— COUES, Key, 1872, 173; Check List, 1874, No. 255; 2d ed. 1882, No. 382; B. N. W. 1874, 245.— B. B. £ E. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 357, pi. 44, fig. 3.— KIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 320. Muscicapa rapax WILS. Am. Orn. ii, 1811, 81, pi. 13, fig. 5. HAB. Eastern United States and British Provinces, west to edge of the Great Plains. breeding throughout. In winter, eastern Mexico, and Central America, south to Guate- mala. (Said by AUDUBON to winter in Louisiana and Florida, but this statement is un- confirmed by later observers.) "Sp. CHAK. The second quill longest; the third a little shorter; the first shorter than the fourth. The latter nearly .40 longer than the fifth. The primaries more than an inch longer than the secondaries. The upper parts, sides of the head, neck, and breast, dark olivaceous brown, the latter rather paler, the head darker. A narrow white ring round the eye. The lower parts pale yellowish, deepest on the abdomen; across the breast tinged with ash. The pale ash sometimes occupies the whole of the breast, and even occasionally extends to the chin. It is also sometimes glossed with olivaceous. The wings and tail dark brown; generally deeper than in 8. fuscus. Two narrow bands across the wing, the outer edge of the first primary and the secondaries and tertials.dull white. The edge of the tail-feathers like the back; the outer one scarcely lighter. Upper man- dible black; the lower yellow, but brown at the tip. Length, 6. 15; wing,3.50; tail,3.05. "A large series shows considerable variations; autumnal speci- mens have a more appreciable tinge of yellow on the lower parts, while summer individuals are more grayish.'' (Hist. N. Am. B.) Modest and retiring in its habits, plain in dress, and quiet in man- ner, this little bird, although one of the most abundant species, is by no means well known. If noticed at all, it is generally con- founded with the common Pewee (Sayornis pho'be} ; but a little ob- servation is sufficient to show how very distinct they are. The Wood Pewee will sit almost motionless for many minutes, in an erect position, on some dead twig or other prominent perch, pa- tiently watching for its insect prey. While is position is appar- ently so fixed, however, its eyes are constantly on the alert, and close watching will show that the bird now and then turns its head as its glance follows the course of some distant insect, while anon the feathers of the crown are raised, so as to form a sort of blunt pyramidal crest. This sentinel-like attitude of the Contopus is in marked contrast to the restless motion of Sayornis, who, even if perched, keeps its tail constantly in motion, while the bird itself seldom remains long in a fixed position. The notes of the two 352 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. species are as different as their habits, those of the Wood Pewee being peculiarly plaintive, — a sort of wailing p-e-c-c-e-i, wee, the first syllable emphasized and long drawn out, and the tone a clear, plain- tive wiry whistle, strikingly different from the cheerful, emphatic notes of the true Pewee. Says Dr. Brewer (Hist. N. Am. B., Vol. II., p. 358) : "This species, like all its family, is a very expert catcher of in- sects, even the most minute, and has a wonderful quick percep- tion of their near presence, even when the light of day has nearly gone and in the deep gloom of the thick woods. It takes its station at the end of a low dead limb, from which it darts out in quest of insects, sometimes for a single individual, which it seizes with a peculiar snap of its bill ; and, frequently meeting insect after insect, it keeps up a constant snapping sound as it passes on, and finally returns to its post to resume its watch. During this watch it occa- sionally is heard to twitter, with a quivering movement of the wings and tail, and more rarely to enunciate a louder but still feeble call- note, sounding like 'pee-e." The nest of this species, which is always "saddled" and securely attached to a rather stout branch, usually lichen-covered, is one of the most elegant examples of bird architecture. From beneath, it usually so much resembles a natural protuberance of a branch, or knotty excrescence, that but for its betrayal by the owner it would seldom be discovered. It is a very compact saucer-shaped structure, with thick walls, and the whole exterior is a beautiful "mosaic" of green, gray, and glaucous lichens. The eggs themselves are ex- tremely handsome, having a rich but delicate cream-colored ground, and ornamented by a "wreath" round the larger end of rich rnad- der-broAvn, purple, and lilac spots. GENUS EMPIDONAX CABANIS. t.r CABANIS, Journal t'i'ir Ornithologk-, iii, Nov. 1855. 480. Type, Tyrannula pusilla SWAINS. "(JEN. CHAK. Tarsus lengthened, considerably lunger than the bill, and exceeding the middle toe, which is decidfdly longer than the hind toe. Bill variable. Tail very slightly forked, even, or rounded: a little shorter only than the wings, which are considerably rounded; the first primary much shorter than the fourth. Head moderately crested. Color olivaceous above, yellowish beneath; throat generally gray. "The lengthened tarsi, the short toes, the short and rounded wings, and the plain dull olivaceous of the plumage, readily distinguish the species of this genus from any other North American Flycatchers. The upper plates of the tarsi in a good many species do not encircle the outside, but meet there a row on the posterior face." (llift. JV. Am. Jl.) TYEAMNIDJE- — TYRANT FLYCATCHERS. 853 The following species occur, more or less abundantly, throughout the State : A. Tail emarginated. 1. E. flaviventris. Above olive-green, beneath light greenish yellow, shaded with olive across the breast. Wing, 2. 45-2. 75; tail. 2.30-2. 55. 2. E. minimus. Above olive-gray, beneath whitish, slightly shaded with gray across the breast. Wing-bands grayish white. Wing. 2. 25-2. 65; tail,2. 25-2. 50; bill, from nostril, .28-. 30; width at base, .22-. 25. B. Tail even or slightly rounded. 3. E. pusillus traillii. Above brownish olive, or grayish olive-brown, beneath white, the sides of the breast strongly shaded with the color of the back, the flanks and crissum tinged with sulphur-yellow. Wing-bands dull grayish, or brownish gray. Wing, 2.60-2.90; tail, 2.45-2.75. 4. E. acadieus. Above grayish green, or greenish gray, beneath white, shaded with olive on sides of breast. Wing-bands buff y white, or pale buff. Young trans- versely mottled above. Wing, 2.80-3.15; tail, 2.50-2.85. Empidonax flaviventris Baird. YELLOW BELLIED FLYCATCHER. Tyrannula flaviventris WM. M. & S. F. BAIRD, Pr. Phil. Ac. i, 1843, 283. Muscicapa flaviventris AUD. B. Am. vii, 1844, 341, pi. 490. Empidonax flaviventris BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858, 198; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 144.— COUES Key, 1872, 175; Check List, 1874, No. 259; 2d ed. 1882, No. 388; B. N. W. 1874, 255. -B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 378, pi. 44, fig. 12.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 322. HAB. Eastern North America, breeding from northern border of United States northward (for an undetermined distance) ; in winter, eastern Mexico, and south to Colombia. Accidental in Greenland. (Replaced in western United States by an allied, but apparently distinct species, the E. difficilis BAIED.) "Sp. CHAK. Second, third and fourth quills nearly equal; first intermediate between fifth and sixth. Tail nearly even, slightly rounded. Tarsi long. Above bright olive- green (back very similar to that of Vireo noveboracensis); crown rather darker. A broad yellow ring around the eye. The sides of the head, neck, breast and body, and a band across the breast, like the back, but lighter; the rest of the lower parts bright greenish sulphur-yellow; no white or ashy anywhere on the body. Quills dark brown; two bands on the wing formed by the tips of the middle and secondary coverts, the outer edge of the first primary and of the secondaries and tertials pale yellow, or greenish yel- low. The tail-feathers brown, with the exterior edges like the back. The bill dark brown above, yellow beneath. The feet black. In the aTitumn the colors are purer, the yellow is deeper, and the markings on the wings of an ochrey tint. Length, 5.15; wing, 2.83; tail, 2.45." (Hist. N. Am. B.) "First plumage: male. Above uniform yellowish olive. Beneath dull yellow, with a brownish cast, tinged strongly with olive upon the throat, breast and sides. Wing- bands brownish yellow. Altogether very similar to the adult. From a specimen in my collection shot at Upton, Me, August 4, 1»74." (BKEWSTEK, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, Oct. 1876, p. 178.) —23 854 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. This inconspicuous bird is known in Illinois only as a migrant, but it may possibly breed in the extreme northern portion of the State, since it has been found by Dr. Hoy to be a summer resident in the vicinity of Eacine, Wisconsin. In its habits it is essentially similar to other species of the genus, though in the position and composition of its nest it differs from all except its western repre- sentative, E. dijjicilis Baird. The nest is bulky, made largely of moss and soft materials, and is placed often in some cavity of an old log of stump, near the ground. The eggs, like those of E. acadicus and E. traillii, are spotted. Empidonax minimus Baird. LEAST FLYCATCHER. Muscicapa acaclica "GM." NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 288 (nee Grnel.). Tyrannula minima WM. M. & S. F. BATED, Pr. Phil. Academy, i, 1843, 284. Muscicapa minima AUD. B. N. Am. vii, 1M4, :'>•$, pi. 491. Empidonax minimus BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858, 195; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 142.— CoUES. Key, 1872, 175: Check List, 1874, No. 258; 2d ed. 1882, No. 377; B. N. W. 1S74. 254.-B. B. & E. Hist, N. Am. B. ii, 1S74, .".72 pi. 44. figs. 10.— BIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 326. HAB. Eastern North America, breeding from northern border of United States north to subarctic districts; west regularly to border of Great Plains, irregularly to base of llocky Mountains. In winter, eastern Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. "Sr. CHAE. Second quill longest; third and fourth but little shorter; fifth a little less; first intermediate between fifth and sixth. Tail even. Above olive-brown, darker on the head, becoming paler on the rump and upper tail-coverts. The middle of the back most strongly olivaceous. The nape (in some individuals) and sides of the head tinged with ash. A ring around the eye and some of the loral feathers white; the chin and throat white. The sides of the throat and across the breast dull ash, the color on the latter sometimes nearly obsolete; sides of the breast similar to the back, but of a lighter tint; middle of the belly very pale yellowish white, turning to pale sulphur-yellow on the sides of the belly, abdomen, and lower tail-coverts. Wings brown; two narrow white bands on the wing, formed by the tips of the first and second coverts, succeeded by one of brown. The edge of the first primary, and of the secondaries and tertials, white. Tail rather lighter brown, edged externally like the back. Feathers narrow, not acumi- nate, with the ends rather blunt. In autumn the white parts are strongly tinged with yellow. Length, about 5.00; wing, 205; tail, 2.50. Young with ochraceous, instead of grayish- white wing-bands." (Hint. N. Am. B.) "First i>hnnc. Terminal half or third of inner webs of three outer tail- feathers biiffy whitish or ochraceous. Female. Outer tail-feathers without light tips. B. Rictal bristles without lateral filaments. Wing less than 7 inches. 2. A. vociferus. Male. Tail-feathers (except middle pair) with terminal third of both webs white. Female. Tail-feathers Avithout white tips. CAPR1MULGID/E — THE GOATSUCKERS. 367 Antrostomus carolinensis (Gmel.) CHUCK- WILL'S -WIDOW. Popular synonym. Dutch Whip-poor-will. C'aprimulgus carolinensis GMEL. S. N. i, 1788,1028.— WILS. Am. Orn. iv, 1811, 95, pi. 54, fig. 2.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 612.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1832, 273; v, 1839, 401, pi. 52; Synop. 1839, 31; B. Am.i. 151, pi. 41. Antrostomus carolinensis GOULD, Icones Avium.— BAIED, B.N. Am. 1858,147; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 1838. -COUES, Key, 1872, 180; Check List, 1874, No. 264; 2d ed. 1882, No. 396; B. N. W. 1874, 2C3.— B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 410, pi. 46, fig. 1.— BIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 353. HAB. South Atlantic and Gulf States, and lower Mississippi Valley, north to southern Illinois and Indiana; in winter, eastern Mexico and south to Costa Eica; Cuba? SP. CHAR. Bristles of gape with lateral filaments. Above, finely mottled gray, ochra- ceous, tawny, and black; the pileum with broad irregular streaks of black, the scapulars with irregular blotches of the same; primaries dusky, spotted with ochraceous rufous. Lower parts mixed tawny ochraceous and grayish, vermiculated and transversely barred with dusky; the gular region and crissum with ochraceous prevailing. Male. Inner webs of three outer tail-feathers with terminal third, or more, white (ochraceous on lower surface), female. Inner webs of outer rectrices without white. Wing, 8.70-8.90; tail, 6.26-6.30, The Chuck- will's-widow is essentially a southern bird, the extreme northern limit of its range being the lower Wabash valley, where, as far north as Mount Carmel it is, or at least was, not uncom- mon. The writer has heard its easily recognized notes as far north as the then (in 1865) heavily timbered Big Creek bottoms in Rich- land County, about three miles south of the town of Olney. Its habits are essentially the same as those of the Whip-poor-will, and its notes are somewhat similar, but louder, and easily distinguished after once being heard. Antrostomus vociferus (Wils.) WHIP POOR WILL. Caprimulgus vociferus WILS. Am. Orn. v, 1812, 71, pi. 41, figs. 1, 2. 3.— NUTT. Man. i. 1832, 614.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1832, 443; v,1839, 405, pi. 82; Synop. 1839, 32: B. Am. i, 1840, l.v.. pi. 42.— EIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 354. Antrostomiis vociferus BP. 1838.— BAIBD, B. N. Am. 185s, 148; Cat. N. Am. B. 185!). N... 112.— COUES, Key, 1872, 180: Check List, 1874, No. 265; 2d ed. 1882, No. 397; B. X. W. 1874, 260.— B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 413, pi. 46, fig. 2. HAB. Eastern United States and British Provinces, north to about 50° in the interior; winters in Gull States, and south through eastern Mexico to Guatemala. (Replaced m Arizona and table-lands of Mexico by A . rociferus ariionce Brewster.) SP. CHAK, Bristles of gape without lateral filaments. Above finely mottled gray, brown and tawny, the gray prevailing on the pileum, which has a median series of black longitudinal blotches, with narrower streaks on each side. Scapulars blotched with black ; 368 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. primaries dusky, spotted with ochraceous rufous. Beneath, mottled grayish, brown.and buff.vermiculated with black, the lower part of the throat crossed by a bar of white or ochraceous. Adult male. Tail-feathers (except middle pair) with terminal third (ap- proximately) of both webs white. Adult female. Tail without any white, but three outer rectrices tipped with buff or ochraceous. Wing. G.20-C.70; tail, 5.10-6.50. Although so well known by its familiar nocturnal song, the Whip- poor-will is a bird that comparatively few people have seen. This is accounted for by its strictly nocturnal habits. Its flight, says Dr. Brewer (Hist. N. Am. 13. Yol. II., p. 415), "is noiseless to an incredible degree," and is by no means protracted. "They are usually very shy, and are easily startled if approached. At night, as soon as the twilight disappears, these birds issue from their retreats, and fly out into more open spaces in quest of their favorite food. As many of the nocturnal insects, moths, beetles, and others, are attracted about dwellings by lights, the Whip-poor-will is frequently enticed, in pursuit, into the same vicinity. For several successive seasons these birds have appeared nearly every evening within my grounds, often within a few feet of the house. They never suffer a very near ap- proach, but fly as soon as they notice any movement. Their pur- suit of insects is somewhat different from that narrated of the pre- ceding species, their flights being usually quite brief, without any perceptible sailing, and more in the manner of Flycatchers. Their song is given out at intervals throughout the night, until near the dawn. "The nocturnal habits of this bird have prevented a general or accurate knowledge of its true character. Strange as it may seem, in many parts of the country the Night-Hawk and the Whip-poor- will are supposed to be one and the same bird, even by those not ill-informed in other respects." GENUS CHOBDEILES SWAINSON. Chorcleiles SWAIXSON, Fauna Bor.-Amcr. ii,lS31,337. Type, (Japrimulgus rirghiiamts GMF.L. GEN. CHAR. Bill small, the nostrils depressed; the gape with feeble, inconspicuous bristles. Wings long, narrow, and pointed, the first quill nearly or Quite equal to thu second. Tail rather narrow, slightly forked; plumage quite compact. Habits diurnal or crepuscular. Many species of this genus belong to America, although but two that are well characterized enter into the fauna of the United States. These are easily distinguished as follows : 1. C. virginianus. Outer webs of primaries without ochraceous spots; white patch on primaries extending over five outer quills, anterior to their middle portion. CAPRIMULGUXE — THE GOATSUCKERS. 369 2. C. texensis. Outorwobs of primaries more or less spotted with rufous or ochrace- ous; white patch on primaries extending over only four quills, and posterior to their middle portion. Chordeiles virginianus (Gmel.) NIGHTHAWK. Popular synonyms. Whip-poor-will; Bull Bat; Wilt-o'the-wisp (Connecticut). Caprimulgus virginianus GM. S. N. i, 1788, 1028 (part only).— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 619; 11, 134,609.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii. 1834. 273; v. 1839. 406, pi. 147. Caprimulgus (CUordeiles) virginianus 8w. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 337. Chordeiles virginianus BP. 1838.— AUD. Synop. 1839. 32; B. Am. i, 1840, 259, pi. 43.— COUES, Key. 1872, 351; Check List, 1874, No. 267; 2d ed. 1882, No. 399; B. N. W. 1874, 263. Caprimulgus popetue VIEILL. O. A. S. i, 1807, 56. pi. 24 (female). Chordeiles popetue BAIED. B. N. Am. 1858, 151; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 114.— B. B. & B. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 401.— Rroow. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881,No. 357. Caprimulgus americanus WILS. Am. Orn. v, 1812, 65, pi. 40, figs. 1,2. HAS. Eastern North America, north to Hudson's Bay; in winter, Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, and eastern tropical America to Brazil. SP. CHAR. Male. Above greenish black, with but little mottling on the head and back. Wing- coverts varied with grayish; scapulars with yellowish rufous. A nuchal band of fine gray mottling behind which is another coarser one of rufous spots. A white V-shaped mark on the throat; behind this a collar of pale rufous blotches, and another on the breast of grayish mottling. Under parts banded transversely with dull yellowish or reddish white and brown. Wing quills quite uniformly brown. The five outer pri- maries with a white blotch (about half an inch long) midway between the tip and carpal joint, not extending on the outer web of the outer quill . Tail with a terminal white patch which does not reach the outer edge of the feathers. Female without the caudal white patch, the white tail-bands more mottled, the white of the throat mixed with reddish. Length of male, 9.50; wing, 8.20. (Hist. N. Am. B.) First plumage. Above dull black, irregularly marbled everywhere with reddish fawn-color and pale rusty. All the feathers are tipped, edged, and barred with the lighter colors, the back appearing for the most part in stibterminal spots or blotches. The primaries (which are but just sprouting) are black, broadly tipped with pale rusty. Under parts clothed thickly with fluffy, whitish down, beneath which on the breast and sides, true feathers of a dull white barred with dark brown are beginning to appear. (From a specimen in the cabinet of Mr. N. C. Brown, taken at Deeriug, Me., June 29. 1875.) It seems probable that young of this species— and perhaps of the whole family, like those of the Tetraoni,.ce and some others— pass through a state of plumage previous to the usual primal one. The specimen above described is, strictly speaking, in process of transition between the two, and still retains patches of the soft whitish down wliich must have constituted its entire covering at an earlier period." (liBEWSTEB, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1S76, p. 178.) Popularly confounded with the Whip-poor-will, the Nighthawk is a bird of very different appearance and quite distinct habits. In- stead of being strictly nocturnal it is hardly crepuscular, but may often be seen flying about in broad daylight, though toward evening is their favorite time of activity. Says Dr. Brewer: "Ordinarily laying its eggs upon the bare ground, usually in some open situation, the Night Hawk has become accustomed to nest on —24 370 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. the flat roof-tops of houses in cities, even in such densely populated places as New York and Brooklyn. (See Louis A. Zerega, in Forest and Stream, Vol. XVIII., No. 24, p. 467.) Chordeiles virginiamis henryi (Cass.) WES TEEN NIGHTHAWK. Chordeiles henryi Cass. Illustr. B. Cal. Tex. &c. 1865, 239.— BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858, 153, 922; ed. 1860 17; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 115. Chordeiles popetue var. henryi ALLEN.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 404, pi. 46, fig. 4. Chordeiles popetue henryi EIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 337a.— 2d Check List, 1882, No. 400. Chordeiles virginlanus var. henryi COUES, Key, 1872, 181.— Check List, 1871, No. 267«. HAB. "Western United States (except Pacific coast north of San Francisco?). SUBSP. CHAE. Similar to true C. virginianus, but much paler and grayer, often with much buffy mottling. This form, which is of occasional occurrence in Illinois, is in habits and notes a counterpart of the ordinary eastern bird. In the desert regions of the Great Basin the writer found it to be a com- mon summer resident. ORDER PICI — THE WOODPECKERS, ETO. 871 ORDER PICI. — THE WOODPECKERS, ETC. CHARACTERS. Bill straight, pointed or chisel- shaped at tip: tongue barbed at point and extensile ; feet zygodactyle ; tail-feathers 12. but outer pair rudimentary and concealed. FAMILY PICID^E. — THE WOODPECKERS. "CHAR. Outer toe turned backwards permanently, not versatile laterally, the basal portion of the tongue capable of great protrusion. "The preceding characters combined appear to express the essen- tial character of the Picida. In addition, it may be stated that the tongue itself is quite small, flat, and short, acute and homy, usually armed along the edges with decurved hooks. The horns of the hyoid apparatus are generally very long, and curve round the back of the skull frequently to the base of the bill, playing in a sheath, when the tongue is thrown forward out of the mouth to transfix an insect. "There are twelve tail-feathers, of which the outer is, however, very small and rudimentary (lying concealed between the outer and adjacent feathers), so that only ten are usually counted. The tail is nearly even, or cuneate, never forked, the shafts very rigid in the true Woodpeckers; soft in Picumnince and Jyngina. The outer primary is generally very short, or spurious, but not wanting. The bill is chisel- or wedge-shaped, with sharp angles and ridges and straight culmen; sometimes the culmen is a little curved, in which case it is smoother, and without ridges. The tarsi in the North American forms are covered with large plates anteriorly, posteriorly with small ones, usually more or less polygonal. The claws are compressed, much curved, very strong and acute. "The Picldce are found all over the world with the exception of Madagascar, Australia, the Moluccas, and Polynesia. America is well provided with them, more than half of the described species belonging to the New World. "The subfamilies of the Picida may be most easily distinguished as follows, although other characters could readily be given: Pieinse. Tail-feathers pointed, and lanceolate at end; the shafts very rigid, thickened, and elastic. Picumninse. Tail soft and short, about half the length of wing; the feath- ers without stiffened shafts, rather narrow, linear, and rounded at end. Jynginge. Tail soft and rather long, about three fourths the length of wing; the feathers broad, and obtusely rounded at end. 372 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. "Of these subfamilies the Picina alone occur north to Mexico. The Jyngince, to which the well-known Wryneck of England (Jynx torquilla) belongs, are exclusively Old World ; the Picumninae belong principally to the tropical regions of America, although a few species occur in Africa and India." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The North American Pitina may for convenience of identification be divided into the following groups: — Dryobatese. Bill variable in length; the outlines above and below nearly straight; the ends truncated; a prominent ridge on the side of the mandible springing from the middle of the base, or a little below, and running out either on the commissure, or extending parallel to and a little above it, to the end, sometimes obliterated or conlluent with the lateral bevel of the bill. Nostrils considerably overhung by the lateral ridge, more or less linear, and concealed by thick bushy tufts of feathers at the base of the bilL Outer posterior toe generally longer than the anterior. Melanerpeae. Bill rather long ; the outlines, that of the culmen especially, decidedly curved. The lateral ridge much nearest the culmen, and, though auite distinct at the base, disappearing before coming to the lower edge of the mandible; not overhanging the nostrils, which are broadly oval, rounded anteriorly, and not concealed by the bristly feathers at the base. Outer pair of toes nearly etiual; the anterior rather longer. Colapteae. Bill rather long, much depressed, and the upper outline much curved to the acutely pointed (not truncate) tip. The commissure con- siderably curved. Bill without any ridges. The nostrils broadly oval and much exposed. Anterior outer toe longest. The preceding diagnoses will serve to distinguish the three groups sufficiently for our present purposes ; the bill being strongest in the Dryobatcce and best fitted for cutting into trees by its more perfect wedge-shape, with strengthening ridges, as well as by the lateral beveling of both mandibles, which are nearly equal in thickness at the base, and with their outlines nearly straight. The lateral ridge is prominent, extending to the edge or end of the bill, and over- hangs the nostrils, which are narrow and hidden. The Melanerpea and the Colaptece have the upper mandible more curved (the commissure likewise), the lower mandible smaller and weaker, the bill with little or no lateral beveling. The nostrils are broadly oval and exposed. In the former, however, there is a distinct lateral ridge visible for a short distance from the base of the bill ; while in the other there is no ridge at all, and the mandible is greatly curved. In all the species of North American Woodpeckers, there is more or less red on the head in the male, and frequently in the female. PICID/E — THE WOODPECKERS. 373 The eggs of all are lustrous polished white, without any markings, and laid in holes in trees, upon a bed of chips, no material being carried in for the construction of the nest. According to Mr. Brewster (Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, October, 1878, p. 179, foot-note), "the young of most, if not all. of the Woodpeckers, regularly moult the wing- and tail-feathers with the rest of the first plumage. No exceptions to this rule occur among large series of the common North American species examined, and it may probably be found to hold good among all, excepting, perhaps, some highly specialized groups. Another peculiar feature in the early development of the species most thoroughly investigated, and one which is perhaps common to all the members of this family, is the fact that a certain portion of the females in first plumage possess to a greater or less degree the adornments which in more advanced stages are peculiar to the males alone and which are lost with the first moult. Marked examples of this are afforded by young females of Colaptes auratus, Picus pubescens, and others of which detailed descriptions are given in the text." The genera with which we have to deal in this work may be dis- tinguished as follows: Section Dryobatea. A. Posterior outer toe longer than the anterior one. (Fourth toe longer than third.) a. Lateral ridge starting above the middle of the base of the bill, and extending to the tip. 1. Campephilus. Lateral ridge above the middle of the lateral profile of the bill when opposite the end of the nostrils, which are ovate, and rounded anteriorly. Bill much depressed, very long; gonys very long. Posterior outer toe consider- ably longer than the anterior. Primaries long, attenuated towards the tip. Spurious quill nearly half the second. Shafts of four middle tail-feathers remark- ably stout, of equal size, and abruptly very much larger than the others ; two middle tail-feathers narrower towards base than towards end.* A pointed occipital crest. 2. Dryobates. Lateral ridge in the middle of the lateral profile opposite the end of nostrils, which are ovate and sharp-pointed anteriorly. Bill moderate, nearly as broad as high. Outer hind toe moderately longer than the outer fore toe. Primaries broad to the tip, and rounded. Spiirious primary not one third the second quill. 3. Picoides, Lateral ridge below the middle of the profile, opposite the end of the ovate acute nostrils, which it greatly overhangs. Bill greatly depressed; lower mandible deeper than the upper. Inner hind toe wanting, leaving only three toes. Tufts of nasal bristles very full and long. ft. Lateral ridge starting below the middle of the base of the bill, and running as a distinct ridge into the edge of the commissure at about its middle; the terminal half of the mandible rounded on the sides, although the truncate tip is distinctly beveled laterally. 4. Sphyrapieus. Nostrils considerably overhung by the lateral ridge, very small, linear. Gonys as long as the culmen from the nostrils. Tips of tail-feathers elongated and linear, not cuneate. Wings very long; exposed portion of spurious primary about one fourth that of second quill. *A character common to all the members of the genus, and distinguishing them from the species of every other; this peculiar form of the middle tail-feathers is caused princi- nally by a folding of the webs downward, almost against each other. The under surface of the shafts have a very deep groove their whole length, which is seen in no other genus. 374 BIKDS OF ILLINOIS. B. Posterior outer toe considerably shorter than the anterior outer one. (Fourth toe shorter than third.) 5. Ceophloeus. Bill depressed. Lateral ridge above the middle of the lateral pro- file near the base. Nostrils elliptical, wide, and rounded anteriorly. Tail almost as in Sphyrapicus. A pointed occipital crest, as in Campephilus. Section Melanerpece. 6. Melanerpes. Back and wings banded transversely with black and white. Crown more or less red; rest of head with under parts grayish, and with red or yellow tinge on the middle of the abdomen. Hump white. (Subgenus Centurus.) Upper parts uniform black, without bands, with or without a white rump; variable beneath, but without transverse bands. (Subgenus Melanerpes.) Section Colaptece. 7. Colaptes. Above brown, barred with black; a white spot on rump; lower parts, posterior to black crescent on chest, vinaceous white or pale vinaceous, hand- somely spotted with black; shafts of quills and tail-feathers bright yellow or red. GENUS CAMPEPHILUS GRAY. Camppphilus GRAY, List of Genera, 1840, 54. Type, Picus principalis LINN. "GEN. CHAR. Bill considerably longer than the head, much depressed, or broader than high at the base, becoming somewhat compressed near the middle and gradually beveled off at the tip. Culmeu very slightly curved, gonys as concave, the curve scarce- ly appreciable; commissure straight. Culm en with a parallel ridge on each side, start- ing a little above the centre of the basal outline of the bill, the ridge projecting outwards and downwards, and a slight concavity between it and the acute ridge of the culmen. Gonys considerably more than half the commissure. Nostrils oval, below the lateral ridge near the base of the bill; concealed by the bristly feathers directed forward. Simi- lar feathers are seen at the sides of the lower jaw and on the chin. "Feet large; outer hind toe much longest; claw of inner fore toe reachingto middle of outer fore claw ; inner hind toe scarcely more than half the outer one ; its claw reaching as far as the base of the inner anterior claw, considerably more than half the outer anterior toe. Tarsus rather shorter than the inner fore toe. Tail long, cuneate ; shafts of the four middle feathers abruptly much larger than the others, and with a deep groove running continuously along their under surface; webs of the two middle feathers deflected, almost against each other, so that the feathers appear narrower at the base than termi- nally. Wings long and pointed, the third, fourth, and fifth quills longest; sixth second- ary longest, leaving six 'tertials,' instead of three or four as usual; primaries long, at- tenuated. Color continuous black, relieved by white patches. Head with a pointed occi- pital crest." (Hist. JV. Am. E ) This genus embraces the largest of known Woodpeckers. The largest species is C. imperialis GOULD, of western Mexico, which con- siderably exceeds our Ivory-billed Woodpecker (C. principalis} in size, having the b.ll three and a half inches long (measured from the forehead) and the wing more than thirteen inches. Campephilus principalis (Linn.) IVCKY-BILLID WOODPECKER. Popular synonyms. White-billed Woodpecker; White-billed Logcock. rincivaiis'LrxxS. N. ed. 12,1706, 173.— WILS. Am. Oru. iv, 1811, 20, pi. 39, fig. 6. —AuD. Orn. Biog. i, 1832, 341; v, 1839, 525, pi. 66; B. Am. iv, 1842, 214, pi. 256. PICUXE — THE WOODPECKERS. 875 Campephilus principalis GEAT, 1840.— BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858, 83; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 72.— COUES, Key, 1872, 192; Check List, 1874, No. 293; 2d ed. 1882, No. 431. -B. B. &E. Hist, N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 496, pi. 49, figs. 1, 2.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 359. HAB. South Atlantic and Gulf States and lower Mississippi Valley, north to North Carolina, southern Illinois, and southeastern Missouri, west to eastern Texas. (Accord- ing to AUDUBON, formerly occurred accidentally as far north as Maryland, and regularly in Kentiicky, southern Indiana and up the Mississippi to the mouth of the Missouri.) "Sr. CHAR. Fourth and fifth quills equal; third a little shorter. Bill horn- white. Body entirely of a glossy blue-black (glossed with green below); a white stripe begin- ning half an inch posterior to the commissure, and passing down the sides of the neck, and extending down each side of the back. Under wing-coverts, and the entire exposed portion of the secondary quills, with ends of the inner primaries, bristles, and a short stripe at the base of the bill, white. Crest scarlet, upper surface black. Length, 21.00; wing, 10.00. Female similar, without any red on the head, and with two spots of white on the end of the outer tail-feather. "In the male the entire crown (with its elongated feathers) is black. The scarlet commences just above the middle of the eye, and, passing backwards a short distance, widens behind and bends down as far as the level of the under edge of the lower jaw. The feathers which spring from the back of the head are much elongated above ; considerably longer than those of the crown. In the speci- mens before us the black feathers of the crest do not reach as far back as the scarlet." (Hist. N. Am. B.) There are no recent records of the occurrence of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Illinois. There can be little doubt, however, that it is still to be found in the heavily timbered counties of the extreme southern portion of the State. Audubon states that in descending the Ohio river he met with it near the confluence of that stream with the Mississippi, and that he observed it along the latter as far up as the mouth of the Missouri. The writer has a distinct recollection of what he believes to have been this species in White county, some forty miles south of Mount Carrnel, but never ob- served it in the vicinity of the latter place. The flight of this magnificent Woodpecker is said to be totally different from that of the Pileated, and on this account, when on the wing it may readily be distinguished from that species. Its manner of flight is similar to that of the Hairy Woodpecker, or by deep undulations, while that of the Pileated is an unsteady some- what laborious flapping in a straight horizontal line. "The transit from tree to tree," as Audubon observes, "is performed by a single sweep, as if the bird had been swung in a curved line from one to the other." Its notes are also very different, sounding like pait, 376 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. pait, pait, uttered in "a clear, loud, and rather plaintive tone," beard "sometimes to the d- stance of half a mile, and resembling the false hgh note of a clarionet." GENUS DRYOBATES BOIE. IK (part), LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i. 1758, 112; ed. 12, i, 1766, 173, and of most authors. Dendrocopos KOCH. Syst. Baier Zool. i, 1816, 72. Type, by elimination, Picus major LINN. (Nee VIEILL. Analyse, 1816, p. 45.) Dryobates BOIE, Isis, 1826, 977. Type, Picus pubescens LINN. "GEN. CHAB. Bill equal to the head, or a little longer; the lateral ridges conspicuous, Btarling about the middle of the base of the bill; the basal elongated oval nostrils nearest the commissure; the ridges of the culmen and gonys acute, and very nearly straight, or slightly convex towards the tip; the bill but little broader than high at the base, becom- ing compressed considerably before the middle. Feet much as in Campephilus; the outer posterior toe longest; the outer anterior about intermediate between it and the inner anterior; the inner posterior reaching to the base of the claw of the inner anterior. Tarsus about equal to the inner anterior toe; shorter than the two other long toes. Wings rather long, reaching to the middle of the tail, rather rounded; the fourth and fifth quills longest; the quills ralher broad and rounded." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The species found in eastern North America may be distinguished as follows: A. Back longitudinally striped with white. 1. D. villosus. Outer tail-feathers without black bars. Wing. 4.25 or more. 2. D. pubescens. Outer tail-feathers barred with black. Wing less than 4.25. B. Back transversely barred with white. 8. D. borealis. Auriculurs entirely white; sides spotted with black. Wing, 4.60-4.75. Dryobates villosus (Linn.) HAIRY WOODPECKER. Popular synonyms. Big Sapsucker; Big Guinea-Woodpecker. Picus villosus LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1866. 175.— WILS. Am. Orn. i. 1808, 150. pi. 9.— NUTT. Man. i.1832.575.— AUD. Orn. Biog. v, 1839, 164, pi. 416; Synop. 1839,179; B. Am. iv, 1842, 244, pi. 262.— BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858, 84 (var. medius); Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 74.— CODES. Key, 1872, 193; Check List, 1874, No. 298; 2d ed. 1882, No. 438; B. N. W. 1874, 279 (a. villosus, b. medius).— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am.B. 1881, No. 360. Picus villosus var. 'medius BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858, 84. Picus villosus var. villosus B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 503, pi. 49, figs. 3, 4, 5. Picus martincB Axro. Orn. Biog. v. 1839, 81. pi. 417; Synop, 18i>9, 178; B. Am. iv. 1812, 240.pl, 260 (= young!). Picus rulricapillus NUTT. Man. 2d ed. i, 1840, 685 (= martince). HAB. Eastern United States (except Gulf States) and more southern British Pro- vinces. (Replaced in Gulf States by D. villosus auduboni, in northern British America by D. villosus leucomelas. and in western North America by D. villosus harrisi.) SP. CHAB. Above black, with a white band down the middle of the back. All the mid- dle and larger wing-coverts and all the quills with conspicuous spots of white. Two white PICID.E — THE WOODPECKERS. 377 stripes on each side of the head; the upper scarcely confluent behind, the lower not at all so; two black stripes confluent with the black of the nape. Beneath white. Three outer tail-feathers with the exposed portions white. Length, 8.00-11.00; wing, 4.00-5.00; bill, 1.00-1.25. Male, with a nuchal scarlet crescent (wanting in the female) covering the white, generally continuous, but often interrupted in the middle. Immature birds of either sex with more or less of the whole crown spotted with red or yellow, or both, sometimes the red almost continuous. Specimens from Mount Carmel measure, before skinning, as follows : Adult males. Total length, 8.75-9.00; extent, 14.75-15.25. Adult females. Total length. 8.50-9.00; extent, 14.00-15.00. Bill varying from slate-color to bluish horn-color; iris brown, varying to claret- purple; feet ashy blue, olive-gray or slate-color. This common and well-known species is a permanent resident throughout the State. It is most numerous, however, in winter though by no means rare, as a rule, during summer. It possesses no characteristics worthy of special mention here. The large northern form, D. villosus leucomelas, may occur as a winter visitant to the extreme northern portion of the State. In an article condemning the Yellow-bellied Woodpecker (Sphy- rapicus varius) as a scourge to fruit and shade trees, published in the Prairie Fanner for Jan. — , 1862, Dr. P. E. Hoy, of Racine, Wisconsin, has the following good words to say for the present species : "This species is not migratory but remains the entire year with us. Cheerful and industrious, he is always on the lookout for those worms that burrow in the substance of the wood, or under the bark of trees — the larva of the Capricorn Beetles, the Buprestidse, etc. He is an expert at auscultation and percussion, and he is not in- debted to Laennec for the art either. As he explores suspicious localities with gentle taps, he quickly detects the evidences of un- soundness, and is not slow to learn the cause. Worms is his hobby —soon he chips an opening, and with his long, slender tongue, armed with a barbed lance point, a capital tool, he soon extracts the cause of the evil. While engaged "worming," he continues to utter his cheerful Plick, PUck, in a major key, as if conscious that he is engaged in a good cause, and not ashamed to own it. You can always tell where he is. A few ears of corn is about all the pay he takes for his valuable work. Protect him, he is our friend. May that gun ever hang fire that is directed against the Hairy Woodpecker." 378 BIEDS OF ILLINOIS. Dryobates pubescens (Linn.) DOWNY WOODPECKER. Popular synonyms. Little Sapsucker; Little Guinea- Woodpecker. Picus pubescens LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 175.— WILS. Am. Orn. i, 1808, 153, pi. 9. flg. 4.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 576.- AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 81; v, 1839, 539, pL 112; Synop. 1839, 180; B. Am. iv, 249. pi. 263.— BATED, B. N. Am. 1858, 89; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 76.— COUES, Key, 1872, 194; Check List. 1874, No. 299; 2d ed. 1882, No. 440; B. N. "W. 1874, 282 (a. pubescens).— B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 509, pi. 49, figs. 6, 7.— REDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1«81, No. 361. Picus (Dendrocopus) pubescens Sw. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 307. Picus (Dendrocopus) mer/iaini* Sw. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 308 (New Jersey). Picus medianus NUTT. Man. ii. 1834, 601. Picus (Dendrocopus) mericliomilix Sw. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 308 (Georgia). HAB. Eastern and northern North America, resident throughout; northwest to Alas- ka, including nearly the whole of that country, or from the Yukon Valley to Kodiak . (Replaced in the western United States and British Columbia by D.pubescens gairdneri.) "Sp. CHAB. A miniature of P. villosus. Above black, with a white band down the back. Two white stripes on the side of the head; the lower of opposite sides always separated behind, the upper sometimes confluent on the nape. Two stripes of black on the side of the head, the lower not. running into the forehead. Beneath white; all tin- middle and greater coverts and all the Quills with white spots, the larger coverts with two series each; tertiaries or inner secondaries all banded with white. Two outer tail- feathers white, with two bands of black at end; third white at tip and externally; crissum sometimes spotted with black. Length about 6.25; wing, 3.75. Male with red terminat- ing the white feathers on the nape. Young with whole top of head red." (Hist. N. Am. B.) This, the smallest of our woodpeckers, is almost a perfect minia- ture of I), villosus, and is of very similar habits. It is rather more numerous, however, especially in summer. GENUS PICOIDES LACEPEDE. Picoides LAflEP. Mem. Inst. 1801, 509. Type Picus tridactyhis LINN. "GEN. CHAE. Bill about as long as the head, very much depressed at the base; the outlines nearly straight, the lateral ridge at its base much nearer the commissure than the culmen, so as to bring the large, rather linear nostrils close to the edge of the com- missure. The gonys very long, equal to the distance from the nostrils to the tip of the bill. Feet with only three toes, the first or inner hinder one being wanting; the outer lateral a lit.tle longer than the inner, but slightly exceeded by the hind toe, which is about equal to the tarsus. Wings very long, reaching beyond the middle of the tail, the tip of the first quill between those of sixth and seventh. Color black above, with a broad patch of yellow on the crown*; white beneath, transversely banded on the sides. Quills. but not wing- coverts, with round spots. Lateral tail-feathers white, without bands on exposed portion, except in European species. "The peculiarities of this genus consist in the absence of the inner hind toe and the great depression of the bill." The two species represented in eastern North America, differ as follows : •Except in female. PICID.E — THE WOODPECKERS. 379 COMMON CHARACTERS. The American species of Picoides agree in being black above and white beneath; the crown with a yellow patch in the male; a white stripe behind the eye and another from the loral region beneath the eye; the ciuills (but not the coverts) spotted with white; the sides banded transversely with black. Four middle tail- feathers wholly black. 1. P. arcticus. Dorsal region without white markings; no supraloral white stripe or streak, nor nuchal band of white. Sides of the breast continuously black. Male. Crown with a patch of yellow, varying from lemon, though gamboge, to orange, and not surrounded by any whitish markings or suffusion. Female. Crown lustrous black, without any yellow, and destitute of white streaks or other mark- ings. Wing, 4.85-5.25; tail, 3.60-3.85; culmen, 1.40-1.55. 2. P. americanus. Back barred or otherwise varied with white; a white supraloral streak and nuchal band. Male. Crown with a patch of yellow, surrounded or margined with more or less of a whitish suffusion. Female. Crown streaked, speckled, or suffused with whitish. Wing, 4.40-5.10; tail, 3.40-3.70; culmen, 1.10-1.25. Picoides arcticus (Swains.) ARCTIC THREE TOED WOODPECKERS. Popular synonym. Black-backed Three-toed Woodpecker. Picus tridactylus "LiNN." AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 198; v,1839, 538, pi. 132.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 578. (Not of LINN.) Picus (Aiiternits) arcticus Sw. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 313, pi. 57. Picus arcticus AUD. Synop. 1839, 182; B. Am. iv, 1842, 2U6, pl.,208.— NUTT. Man. 2d ed. i, 1840, C91. Picoides arcticus GRAY, 1845.— BATRD, B. N. Am. 1853,98; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 82. — COUES, Key, 1872, 194; Check List, 1874, No. 300; 2d ed. 1882, No. 443; B. N. W. 1874, 284.— B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 530, pi. 50, fig. 1.— KIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 367. HAB. Northern North America, south, in winter, to northern border of United States (Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, northern Illinois, etc.); in the West, breeding south (to 40° afe least) in higher mountain ranges. "Sp. CHAK. Above entirely uniform glossy bluish black; a square patch on the mid- dle of the crown saffron-yellow, and a few white spots on the outer edges of both webs of the primary and secondary quills. Beneath white, on the sides of the whole body, axil- lars, and inner wing-coverts banded transversely with black. Crissurn white, with a few spots anteriorly. A narrow concealed white line from the eye a short distance backwards, and a white stripe from the extreme forehead (meeting anteriorly) under the eye, and down the sides of the neck, bordered below by a narrow stripe of black. Bristly feathers of the base of the bill brown; sometimes a few gray feathers intermixed. Exposed por- tion of two outer tail-feathers (first and second) white; the third obliquely white at end, tipped with black. Sometimes these feathers with a narrow black tip." (Hist. N, Am.B.} This species differs from the other American three-toed Wood- peckers chiefly in having the back entirely black. The white line from the eye is usually almost imperceptible, if not wanting entirely. Specimens vary but little ; one from Slave Lake has a longer bill than usual, and the top of head more orange. The size of the crown patch varies ; sometimes the frontal whitish is inappreciable. None of the females before me have any white spots in the black of head, as is always the case with those of P. americanus. 380 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. This northern bird is a rare winter visitor to the extreme northern portion of the State. According to Mr. Nelson (page 115 of his catalogue), "a specimen was shot from a telegraph pole in Chicago a few years ago by Dr. Yelie." Mr. Nelson also states that it is a common species in northern Wisconsin, "and before the pines along the lake were destroyed, was probably a; regular winter visitant." GENUS SPHYRAPICUS BAIED. Sphyrapicus BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 101. Type, Picus varius LINN. "GEN. CHAK. Bill as in Picus, but the lateral ridge, which is very prominent, run- ning out distinctly to the commissure at about the middle, beyond which the bill is rounded without any angles at all. The culnien and gonys are very nearly straight, but slightly convex, the bill tapering rapidly to a point; the lateral outline concave to very near the slightly beveled tip. Outer pair of toes longest; the hinder exterior rather longest; the inner posterior toe very short, less than the inner anterior without its claw. Wings long and pointed; the third, excluding the spurious, longest. Tail-feathers very broad, abruptly acuminate, with a very long linear tip. Tongue scarcely extensible." (Hist. N. Am. B.) This is a very strongly marked genus, of which but a single species occurs east of the Eocky Mountains. In the West, however, occur three others, one of which (S. thyroideiis) is perhaps the most beautiful 'of North American Woodpeckers, while it is further re- markable on account of the great difference in color between the sexes — a difference probably wholly exceptional in this family. Sphyrapicus varius (Linn.) YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCHER. Popular synonyms. Ked-throated Sapsucker; Squealing or Whining Sapsucker. Picus varius LTNN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766,176.— WILS. Am. Orn. i, 1808, 147, pi. 9, fig. 2.— NUTT. Man. i,1832. 574.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii.1834, 519; v,1839, 537, pi. 190; Synop. 1839. 182; B. Am. iv, 1842,203, pi. 267. Sphyrapicus varius BALED, B. N. Am. 1858, 103; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859,No. 85. — CODES, Key, 1872, 195; Check List, 1874, No. 302; 2ded.l882,No.446;B. N. W. 1874, 285. (a, varius.) — B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 539, pi. 51, figs. 1,2.— KIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 369. HAB. Eastern North America, north to at least 61°, in the interior, breeding from northern United States northward. (Replaced in the Eocky Mountain district by S. nuchalis, and along Pacific coast by S. rui e '.) ; — THE WOODPECKERS. "Sp. CHAK. Third quill longest; second a little shorter; first between fourth and fifth, considerably shorter. General color above black, much variegated with white. Feathers of the back and rump brownish white, spotted with black. Crown crimson, bordered by black on the side of the head and nape. A streak from above the eye, and a broad stripe from the bristles of the bill, passing below the eye, and into the yellowish of the bel y, enclosing a black postocular one, and a stripe along the edges of the wing- coverts, white. A triangular broad patch of scarlet on the chin and throat, bordered on each side by black stripes from the lower mandible, which meet behind and extend into a large quadrate spot on the breast. Kest of under parts yellowish white, or yellow, streaked and banded on the sides with black. Inner web of inner tail-feather white, spotted with black. Outer feathers black, edged and spotted with white. Quills spotted with white. Length, 8.25; wing, about 4.75; tail, 3.30. Female with the red of the throat replaced by white. Immature bird without black on the breast, or red on top „ of the head, as in every intermediate stage to the perfect plumage." (Hist. 2f. Am. B.) This bird, the true "Sapsucker," is a winter resident in most portions of Illinois, and though it may perhaps breed sparingly in the extreme northern portion, I can find no record of its doing so. GENUS CEOPHL.CEUS CABANIS. Hylatomus BAIBD, Birds N. Am. 1858,107. Type Picus pileatus LINN. (Nee Bylotoma LATREILLE, 1804. Ceophlosus CABAN, Jour, fur Orn. 1862, 176. Same type. "GEN. CHAR. Bill a little longer than the head; considerably depressed, or broader than high at the base; shaped much as in Campephilus, except shorter, and without the bristly feathers directed forwards at the base of the lower jaw. Gonys about half the length of the commissure. Tarsus shorter than any toe, except the inner posterior. Outer posterior toe shorter than the outer anterior, and a little longer than the inner anterior. Inner posterior very short, not half the outer anterior; about half the inner anterior one. Tail long, graduated; the long feathers much incurved at the tip. Wing longer than the tail, reaching to the middle of the exposed surface of tail; considerably graduated, though pointed; the fourth and fifth quills longest. Color uniform black. Head with pointed occipital crest. A stripe from nasal tufts beneath the eye and down side of neck, throat, lining of wing, and basal portion of under surface of quills, white; some species with the abdomen and sides barred black and brownish white; others with a white scapular stripe in addition. Male with whole crown and crest and maxillary patch red; female with only the crest red." (Hist. N. Am. B.) This genus is similar in general appearance and size to Campeph- ihts, but differs essentially in many respects ; the differences being, however, mostly those which distinguish all other Woodpeckers from the species of Campephilus, which is unique in the peculiar structure of the tail-feathers and in other characters, as detailed under the head of that genus on page 374. The single species belonging to North America has numerous rep- resentatives within the tropics. fclRDS OF ILLINOIS. Ceophloeus pileatus (Linn.) PILEATED WOODPECKER Popular synonyms. Woodcock; Black Woodcock; Logcock; Black Logcock. Picus pileatus LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 173.— WILS. Am. Orn. iv, 1811, 27, pi. 29, fig. 2.— NUTT. Man. i, 1 32, 637.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 74; v. 1839, 533, pi. 111.— B. Am. iv, 1842,226, pi. 257. Hylatomus pileatus BATED, B. N. Am. 1858, 107; Cat, N. Am. B. 1859, No. 90.— COUES. Key, 1872, 192; Check List, 1874, No. 294; 2d ed. 1882, No. 432; B. N. W. 1874, 278; B. B. & K. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 550, pi. 56, figs. 5,6.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 317. (Jeoplil&us pileatus CABANIS, Jour, fur Orn. 1862, 176. HAB. Whole of heavily timbered portions of North America, south to Florida, Texas, New Mexico, and California; north to Nelson river and Fort Laird, or even to between latitude t!2° and 63°, in the interior. "Sp. CHAK. Fourth and fifth quills equal and longest; third intermediate between sixth and seventh. Bill blue-black; more horn-color beneath. General color of body, wings, and tail dull greenish black. A narrow white streak from just above the eye to the occiput; a wider one from the nostril feathers (inclusive), under the eye and along the side of the head and neck; sides of the breast (concealed by the wings), axillaries, and under wing-coveits, and concealed bases of all the quills, with chin and beneath th« head, white, tinged with sulphur-yellow. Entire crown from the base of the bill to a well-developed occipital crest, as also a patch on theramus of the lower jaw, scarlet-red. A few faint white crescents on the sides of the body and on the abdomen. Longer pri- maries generally tipped with white. Length, about 18.00; wing, 9.50. Female withoiit the red on the cheek, and the anterior half of that on the top of the head replaced by black." (Hist. N. Am. B.) This noble bird, inferior only to the magnificent Ivory-bill (Campe- philus principalis) among North American woodpeckers, occurs in wooded districts throughout the State, being still abundant in the more heavily timbered portions. It is very active and noisy, and therefore as well as on account of its large size and striking colors, is a conspicuous bird. Its blows upon dead trees sound more like those of a woodman's axe than the hammerings of other wood- peckers, while its spread of wing and general bulk may be compared to that of a crow; and, although a far less powerful bird than the Ivory-bill, it is nevertheless sure to attract the attention, or even excite the enthusiasm, of the ornithologist. "The loud hammering of this large and vigorous bird on the sonorous dried trees, compared with which the tapping of the smaller species is but a weak noise, very soon becomes familiar to the ear of the woodman ; and may designate the bird at a dis- tance. The old adage, 'a workman is known by his chips,' certainly affirms much for the industry of this bird. In his search for insects for which he attacks the dead and dying trees, he will denude great spaces of the trunk and larger branches in a short time, heaping up the chips and strips of bark on the ground in an as- PICID/E — THE WOODPECKERS. tonishing manner. Very useful, indeed, must this bird be in pre- serving our primeval forests from the ravages of insects. Whether one notes his strong, undulating flight, his elastic bounding and springing along the trunks of the trees, the effective chiseling of his powerful bill, or his sonorous cackling, one is particularly impressed with the spirit and immense energy of the bird." (LANGILLE.) GENUS MELANERPES SWAINSON. SUBGENUS Melanerpes. Melanerpes SWAINS. P. B.-A. ii, 1831, 316. Type, Picus erythrocephalus LINN. Melanerpes erythrocephalus (Linn.) RED HEADED WOODPECKER. Picus erytliroceplialus LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1706, 174.— WILS. Am. Orn. i, 1808, 142, pi. 9, fig. 1.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 569.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1832, 141, pi. 27; Synop. 1839, 184; B. Am. iv, 1842, 274, pi. 271. Melanerpes erythrocephalus SWAINS. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 316.— BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858, 113; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 94.— CouES.Key, 1872, 196; Check List, 1874, No. 309; 2cl ed. 1882, No. 453; B. N. W. 1874, 290.— B. B. & E. Hist, N. Am. B. ii, 1874,564, pi. 54, fig. 4.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, 375. HAB. Eastern United States and British Provinces, west to eastern base of Rocky Mountains, south to Florida and Texas; breeds throughout: irregularly or locally mi- gratory. Rare in most parts of New England. SP. CHAB. Adult. Entire head, neck, and jugulum uniform rich crimson, bordered below against white of breast, by a more or less distinct black line. Secondaries, rump, upper tail-coverts, and lower parts white, the abdomen usually more or less tinged with reddish. Back and scapulars glossy blue-black; wings, except secondaries, and tail deep black. Bill bluish white, darkening into plumbeous terminally; iris brown (vary- ing from umber to chestnut); feet greenish gray. Young. Head, neck, and jugulum brownish gray, streaked with dusky. Back mixed black and grayish; secondaries with one or more black bands near ends. Total length (fresh' specimens), 9.25-9.75; extent, 17.00-17.75; wing, (skins), 5.30-5.70; tail, 3.60-3.75. This splendid Woodpecker, to which belongs the honor of having been the first bird to excite the latent enthusiasm of Alexander Wilson, and determine him to be an ornithologist, is found through- out th 3 State. In the more heavily wooded portions it is decidedly the most numerous member of the family. As a rule, it is, in the vicinity of Mount Carniel at least, and presumably in similar localities throughout the southern portion of the State, not only a permanent resident but is even more abundant in winter than in summer. Sometimes (probably very rarely), however, it makes a complete migration which is very difficult to account for. 384 ; BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. SUBGENUS Centurus SWAINSON. Centurus SWAINS. Classif. B. ii, 1837, 310. Type, Picus carolinus LINN. GEN. CHAE. Bill about as long as the head, or a little longer, the length from the tip to the nostril about equal to the tarsus, or a little greater; decidedly compressed anteri- orly, but depressed at the extreme base; the lateral groove distinct for half the length of the bill; culmeu decidedly biit gently curved from the base; gonys nearly straight, and about half as long as the culmm. Nostrils broad, elliptical, situated about midway be- tween the culmen and tomium, and only partly concealed by the frontal tufts. Anterior outer toe a little longer than the posterior, the inner anterior toe decidedly shorter, and the inner hind toe only about half its length. Wings long and broad, third to fifth pri- maries longest, the first equal to the sixth to the ninth. Tail about two thirds as long as Ihe wing, graduated, the feathers (except the outer) rather abruptly attenuated at ends. Colors, banded with black and white, or yellow, above, with more or less of the pileum scarlet in the male; below plain, the abdomen tinged with red, orange, or yellow in most species. While only one species of Centurus occurs in eastern North America, two others are found along our southwestern border: C. aurlfrons in southern Texas, and C. uropygialis in southern New Mexico and Arizona. Other species belong to Mexico, Central America, Cuba, Hayti, and Jamaica. Melanerpes carolinus (Linn.) RED BELLIED WOODPECKEE. Popular synonyms. Carolina Woodpecker; Checkered Woodpecker; Wood Chuck ; Zebra Woodpecker. Picus carolinus LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758. 113; ed. 12, i, 1766, 174.— WILS. Am. Orn. i, 1808, 115, pi. 7, fig. 2.-NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 572.— AUD. Orn. Biog. v, 1839, 1C9, pi. 415; Synop. 1839, 183; B. Am. iv,1842, 270, pi. 270. Ceniurus carolinus BP. 1838.— BAIED.B. N. Am. 1858,109; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859,No. 91.— COUES, Key. 1872, 196; Check List, 1874, No. 306;2ded.l882,No. 450; B. N. W. 1874,289.— B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. ii,1874, 289.— KIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 372. Melanerpes (Centurus) caroliuus KIDGW. Ann. Lye. N. Y. Jan. 1874,378. HAS. Eastern United States, rare northward, but occurring accidentally as far as Massachusetts; west, sparingly, to eastern base of Rocky Mountains, and south Lo Florida and eastern Texas (except Kio Grande Valley). SP. CHAE. Adult male. Entire pileum and nape bright scarlet, deepest on the crown, the forehead lighter, or more pinkish (sometimes approaching reddish white); rest of thtj head and neck with lower parts, pale buff-grayish, lighter on the chin and throat; middle of the abdomen pinkish red, the remainder of the lower parts sometimes tinged with the same, especially on the breast and cheeks; tibiae and crissu in white, relieved by rather sparse hastate marks of black. Back scapulars and upper part of rump broadly and dis- tinctly barred with black and white, the two colors in about equal proportion, or the blade bars rather the wider; wings black, the coverts and secondaries barred with pure white; primaries tipped with white.uarrowly margined with the same beyond their emargiuations and blotched with white near the base ; upper tail-coverts and lower part of rump white.re- lieved by rather sparse irregularly hastate spots or bars of black, the coverts sometime PICIM3 — THE WOODPECKERS. 385 nearly immaculate. Tail black; the inner webs of the intermedia chiefly white, crossed with a greater or less number of broad black bars, or transverse spots, the outer webs with a longitudinal stripe of white on the basal half; outer reetrices broadly barred at the ends with dull white, and with spots of the same indenting the outer web; next pair of feathers tipped with yellowish white. Adult female. Similar to the male, but red of the crown replaced by deep ash-gray, lighter anteriorly; lower parts tinged with red only on the abdomen, and cheeks with little if any red tinge. Young female. Whole pileum dull brownish gray, transversely mottled with darker; nape dull light fulvous red; back and scapulars barred with grayish white and grayish dusky, much less sharply than in the adult; abdomen tinged with dull buff, but without red. Total length (fresh specimens), .910% inches; extent, 15^-17)4; wing (skins), 4.85-5.40; tail, 3.50-3.90; culmen, 1.00-1.20; tarsus, .80-.90. Bill (in life), slate-black, the basal portion of gonys sometimes mixed with light ashy; iris varying from ferruginous to bright scarlet; naked orbital spaces olivaceous ashy; legs and feet olivaceous. In the young, iris brown. Among adult males of this species, the principal variation is in the amount of red tinge on the lower parts. In most examples from the Atlantic States and in many from the Mississippi Valley, the reddish is entirely confined to the middle of the abdomen, while on the head there is a mere tinge of it on the lores and cheeks. Many western specimens, however, had the breast more or less strongly tinged with purplish pink, while two now before me (No. 34317, Kansas City, Mo., May 14, 1864, and another from Mount Carmel, 111., May 28, 1878), have not only the lores and cheeks, but the whole chin and upper throat also, bright salmon-color, or saffron-pink. In these highly-colored specimens the forehead is a bright saffron-red, while the Kansas City specimen above alluded to has the red on the abdomen very intense, approach- ing a saffron-scarlet. An adult female from southern Illinois (Mount Carmel, October 18, 1879), has the occiput red, like the nape, while there are several red feathers in the middle of the crown. Next to the Eed-head (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) this is probably the most abundant Woodpecker in southern Illinois. It is also, per- haps with the same exception, the most conspicuous and, instead of being shy and retiring, as has been recorded of it by writers, it is almost constantly to be seen in orchards and the vicinity of houses, as well as in the depths of the forest. It is very fond of ripe apples, and where very abundant thus makes itself somewhat of a nuisance. Besides raiding the orchards it is also in winter a frequent, visitor to the corn crib, to which it easily gains ingress between the logs and thus obtains an abundant supply of food. It —25 386 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. is rather a noisy bird, its emphatic and not disagreeable notes of chuck, cliuck, chuck, or chow, chow, chow, being frequently repeated. In contest with the Eed-headed Woodpecker it is, so far as I have observed, invariably vanquished. In the northern portion of the state it is comparatively rare, and also said to be only a summer resident. Mr. H. K. Coale informs me that he saw a pair in Lincoln Park, Chicago, in July, and that they were evidently breeding there, as he saw one of them come out of a hole in the dead top of an oak tree. GENUS COLAPTES SWAINSON. Colaptes SWAINSON, Zool. Jour, iii, Dec. 1827, 353. Type Cuculus auratus LINN. "GEN. CHAR. Bill slender, depressed at the base, then compressed. Culmen much curved, gonys straight; both with acute ridges, and coming to quite a sharp point with the commissure at the end; the bill consequently not truncate at the end. No ridges on the bill. Nostrils basal, median, oval and exposed. Gonys very short; about half the culmen. Feet large, the anterior outer toe considerably longer than the posterior. Tail long, exceeding the secondaries; the feathers suddenly acuminate, with elongated points." (Hist. N. Am.B.) Excluding the C. chrysoides, Malh., which is confined to the ex- treme southwestern portion of the Union, (Arizona and southern California), the two remaining North American species of Colaptes may be distinguished as follows: COMMON CHARACTERS. Head and neck ashy or brown, unvaried except by a black or red malar patch in the male, and sometimes, in both sexes, a scarlet occipital patch. Back and wings brown, banded transversely with black; rump and upper tail-coverts white. Beneath whitish, with circular black spots, and bands on crissum; a black pec- toral crescent. Shafts and under surfaces of quills and tail-feathers either yellow or red. 1. C. auratus. Under surface and shafts of wings and tail rich golden yellow. A red nuchal crescent. Throat pinkish, top of head ashy. Hide with tho "moustaches" glossy black. HAB. Eastern North America. 2. C. mexicamis. Under surface and shafts of wings and tail pinkish red. No red nuchal crescent. Throat ash, top of head brownish. Male with the "moustaches" bright red. HAB. Western North America. Distinct as these two forms appear to be, they are yet connected by a series of intermediate specimens which have been a great puzzle to ornithologists. This intermediate series is further con- sidered under the head of C. hylridus on page 387. HCID/E — THE WOODPECKERS. 387 Colaptes auratus (Linn.) FLICKER. Popular synonyms. Yellow-hammer; Yellow- shafted Flicker; Wake-up; High-holder, or High-hole; Clape; Golden-winged Woodpecker; Pigeon Woodpecker. Cuculus auratus LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 112. ficus auratus LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 174.— Was. Am. Orn. i, 1808, 45, pi. 3, fig. 1.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832. 561.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1832. 191; v, 1839, 540, pi. 37; Syiiop. 1839, 184; B. Am. iv, 1842. 282, pi. 273. Colaptes auratus Sw. 1827.— BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858,118; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, In o. 97.— CouES.Key, 1872,197; Check List, 1874. No. 312; 2d ed. 1882, No. 457; B. N. W. 1874,292.— B. B. & K. Hist. N. Am. B. ii. 1874, 575, pi. 55, figs. 1,2.— KIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 378. HAB. Eastern and northern North America, including all wooded parts of Alaska, south to Sitka; south to Florida and eastern Texas, west to cage of Great Plains; casual in California. "Sp. CHAE. Shafts and under surfaces of wing- and tail-feathers gamboge-yellow. Male with a black patch on each side of the cheek. A red crescent on the nape. Throat and stripe beneath the eye pale lilac-brown. Back glossed with olivaceous green. Female without the black cheek-patch. "ADDITIONAL CHABACTEBS. Acrescentic patch on the breast and rounded spots on the belly black. Back and wing-coverts with interrupted transverse bands of black. Neck above and on the sides ashy. Beneath pale pinkish brown, tinged with yellow on the abdomen, each feather with a heart-shaped spot of black near the end. Rump white. Length, 12.50; wing, 6.00." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Wing, 5.50-3.40; tail, 4.50-4.90. Specimens from Mt. Carmel measured, before skinning, as follows: Adult males: Total length, 12.15-12.75; extent, 19.60-20.75. Adult females: Total length, 12.00-12.25; extent, 19.25-19.75. To so common and well-known a bird as the "Yellow-hammer" or Flicker, we need here give but a brief notice. It is universally distributed throughout the State, and is everywhere a permanent resident. Colaptes hybridus (Baird.) HYBRID FLICKER. Colaptes ayresii AUD. B. Am. vii, 1843, 348, pi. 494. Colaptes Jiybridus BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858, 122; Cat, N. Am. B. 1859, No. 98a. Colaptes auratus hybridus EIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 878a, 1L Colaptes aurato-mexicanus SUNDEV. Consp. Av. Picin. 1866, 72. HAB. Western United States, but chiefly the region of the upper Missouri, and thence across the northern border and south into California. CHAB. Intermediate between C. auratus and G. mexicanus, the character of the two species being mixed in various degrees, in different specimens. Typical combinations are as follows: 388 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. a. With the shafts, etc., orange, or intermediate in tint between the yellow of auratus and the red of mexicanus. b. With the pure yellow shafts, etc., of auratus, combined with red "moustaches" of mexicanus. c. Similar to mexicanus, but having either the red occipital crescent or pinkish throat of auratus. d. Similar to mexicanus, but having the red "moustaches" mixed with black feathers. e. Similar to auratus, but with red or orange-colored feathers mixed in wing or tail; or like mexicanus, but with yellow feathers in wing or tail. ORDER COCCYGES — THE CUCKOOS, ETC. 389 OKDER COCCYGES.— THE CUCKOOS, ETC. CHARACTERS. Bill variable in form, but never chisel-shaped at tip, the culiucn usually more or less curved; tongue not extensile nor barbed at tip; feet zygodactyle.or else the middle and outer toes connected for at least half their length. FAMILY ALCEDINIDJE.— THE KINGFISHERS. "CHAR. Head large, bill long, strong, straight, and sub-pyramidal, usually longer than the head. Tongue very small. Wings short; legs small, the outer and middle toes united to their middle. Toes with the usual number of joints (2, 3, 4, 5). "The gape of the bill in the Kingfishers is large, reaching to be- neath the eyes. The third primary is generally longest ; the first decidedly shorter; the secondaries vary from twelve to fifteen in number, all nearly equal. The secondaries cover at least three quarters of the wing. The tail is short, the feathers twelve in number; they are rather narrow, the outer usually shorter. The lower part of the tibia is bare, leaving the joint and the tarsus un- covered. The tarsus is covered anteriorly with plates; behind, it is shagreen-like or granulated. The hind toe is connected with the inner, so as to form with it and the others a regular sole, which extends unbroken beneath the middle and outer as far as the latter are united. The inner toe is much shorter than the outer. The claws are sharp ; the middle expanded on its inner edge, but not pectinated." (Hist. N. Am. B.) GENUS CERYLE BOIE. Ceryle BOIE, Isis, 1828, 316. Type, Alcedo rudis FINN. "GEN. CHAR. Bill long, straight, and strong, the culmen slightly advancing on the forehead and sloping to the acute tip; the sides much compressed; the lateral margins rather dilated at the base, and straight to the tip; the gonys long and ascending. Tail rather long and broad. Tarsi short and stout. "This genus is distinguished from typical Alcedo (confined to the Old World) by the longer tail, an indented groove on each side the culmen, inner toe much longer than the hinder instead of equal, etc." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Only one species occurs in eastern North America, except in southern Texas, where the C. cabanisi, of tropical distribution, is found. 390 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Ceryle alcyon (Linn.) BELTED KINGFISHER Popular synonym. Kingfisher. Alcedo alcyon LINN. 8. N. ed. 12, i. 1766, 180.— WLLS. Am. Orn. iii, 1811, 59.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 394. pi. 77; Synop. 1839, 173; B. Am. iv. 1842, 205. pi. 255,-NuTT. Man. i, 1832. 594. Ceryle alcyon BOIE, 1828.— BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858, 158; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 117.— COUES, Key, 1872,188; Check List, 1874, No. 286; 2d ed. 1882, No. 423; B. N. W. 1874. 372.-B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. ii. 1874, 392, pL 45, flg. 6.-BiDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 382. HAB. Whole of North America, south (in winter only ?) to Isthmus of Panama and throughout West Indies. SP. CHAB. Bluish plumbeous above, white beneath; nape with a white collar and breast with a plumbeous or brownish band. Head with a double erectile crest of narrow feathers. Adult male. Sides white, tinged with plumbeous. Adult female. Sides and a more or less complete band across belly, rufous. Young. Similar to the adult, but the male with the breast-band and color of sides tinged with rusty. Total length (fresh specimens), 13.50-14.50; extent, 22.50-24.00; wing (skins), 9.10-9.50; tail. 3.80-4.30. The Belted Kingfisher is to be found wherever there are streams, ponds, or lakes, affording a sufficient supply of its food. It is chiefly a summer resident, but has been frequently observed during mild winters in the southern counties. "The Kingfisher," says Dr. Brewer,* "is an eminently unsocial species. It is never found other than in solitary pairs, and these are very rarely seen together. They feed almost entirely upon fish, which they capture by plunging into the water, and which they always swallow whole on emerging from their bath. Undigested portions of their food, such as scales, bones, etc., they have the power of occasionally ejecting from their stomachs. They may usually be noticed by the sides of streams, mill ponds and lakes stationed on some convenient position that enables them to over- look a deep place suitable for their purpose, and they rarely make a plunge without accomplishing their object." "They nest in deep holes excavated by themselves in the sides of streams, ponds or cliffs, not always in the immediate vicinity of water. These excavations are often near their accustomed fishing grounds, in some neighboring bank, usually not many feet from the ground, always in dry gravel, and sufficiently high to be in no dan- ger of inundation. They make their burrow with great industry and rapidity, relieving one another from time to time, and working in- cessantly until the result is satisfactorily accomplished. When dig- •Hist. N. Am. B.. Vol. II. pp. 894, 395. ALCEDINID.E — THE KINGFISHERS. 891 ging through a soft fine sand bank, their progress is surprising, sometimes making a deep excavation in a single night. The pages of "The American Naturalist" contain several animated controver- sies as to the depth, the shape, and the equipment of these passa- ges. The result of the evidence thus given seems to be that the holes the Kingfishers make are not less than four nor more than fifteen feet in length ; that some are perfectly straight, while some, just before their termination, turn to the right, and others to the left; and that all have, at or near the terminus, an enlarged space in which the eggs are deposited. Here the eggs are usually laid on the bare sand, there being very rarely, if ever, any attempt to con- struct a nest. The use of hay, dry grass, and feathers, spoken of by the older writers, does not appear to be confirmed by more re- cent testimony. Yet it is quite possible that in certain situations, the use of dry materials may be resorted to, to protect the eggs from a too damp soil." BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. FAMILY CUCULID2E.— THE CUCKOOS. CHAE. Bill compressed, usually more or less lengthened and with decurved culmen. Kictal bristles few or none. Nostrils exposed, no nasal tufts. Tail long and soft, of eight to twelve feathers. Toes in pairs, deeply cleft or not united, the outer anterior toe usually versatile, but directed rather laterally than backward. "The Cuculidce form a strongly marked group of birds, easily dis- tinguished among the Zygodactyli by the characters given above. The outer toe is versatile, but in the American forms is more lateral than posterior, in the skin standing sideways, or even an- terior, more frequently than behind." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Of the several subfamilies which have been recognized by authors, only three belong to eastern North America, and of these two are mere stragglers from other regions. They may be characterized as follows : Coccyzinae. Face covered with feathers; bill elongated, more or less cylin- drical, straight or curved. Tail of ten feathers. Bill about th 3 length of the head, or not longer; curved. Loral feathers soft. Legs weak, tarsus shorter than the toes. Arboreal Coccyzus. Bill longer than the head; straight. Loral feathers stiff, bristly. Tarsi much longer than the toes. Terrestrial Geococcyx. Crotophaginae, Face naked; bill much compressed, with a sharp crest. Tail of eight feathers. Bill shorter than and nearly as high as the head. Crotophaga. Only Coccyzus has a claim to special notice in this connection, Crotopliaga and Geococcyx being "extralimital" so far as this work is concerned, although the latter approaches rather near, having been obtained in the western portion of the Indian Territory (Kiowa Agency) and in Southwestern Kansas. GENTJS COCCYZUS VIEILLOT. Coccyzus VIEILLOT, Analyse, 1816, 28. Type, Cuculus americanus LINW. "GEN. CHAE. Head without crest; feathers about base of bill soft; nearly as long as the head, decurved, slender, and attenuated towards the end. Nostrils linear. V/mgs lengthened, reaching the middle of the tail; the tertials short. Tail of teu graduated feathers. Feet weak ; tarsi shorter than the middle toe. CUCULID^E — THE CUCKOOS. 893 "The species of Coccyzus are readily distinguished from those of Geococcyx by their arboreal habits, confining themselves mainly to trees, instead of living habitually on the ground. The plumage is soft, fine and compact. "The American Cuckoos differ from the European (Cuculus) by having lengthened naked tarsi, instead of very short feathered ones. The nostrils, too, are elongated instead of rounded. The habits of the two are entirely different, the American species rearing their young, instead of laying eggs in the nests of other birds, like the European Cuckoo and the American Cowbird (Molothnis pecoris)." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The two species of Coccyzus which are entitled to notice here may be distinguished by the following characters : 1. C. americanus. Tail feathers (except middle pair) black with broad white tips. Inner webs of primaries mostly rufous. Mandible and bare orbits yellow. 2. C. erythrophthalmus. Tail feathers grayish brown, with very narrow tips of dull whitish. Inner webs of primaries rufous only in young. Mandible bluish (black- ish in dried skins), bare orbits deep red in the adult (yellow in young). Coccyzus americanus (Linn.) YELLOW BILLED CUCKOO. Popular synonyms. Rain Crow; Wood Pigeon; Cow-cow. Cuculus americanus LINN S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 170. Coccyzus americanus BP. 182r>.— NUTT. Man. i. 1832, 551.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1832, 18; v. 1839. 520.pl. 2; Synop.lb39, 187; B.Am.iv, 1842, 293, pi. 275. -CouES, Key, 1872, 190; Check List, 1874, No. 291; 2d ed. 1882, No. 429; B. N. W. 1874. 275.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B 1881, No. 387. Coccyzus americanus CAB. 1856.— BAIRD, B. N. Am. 1858, 76; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 69. — B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874. 477, pi. 48, fig. 4. Cuculus carolinensis WILS. Am. Orn. iv, 1811, 13, pi. 28. HAB. United States in general, especially the Eastern Province (irregularly distrib- uted in the Western), north to British Provinces; in winter, south through Mexico and Central America as far as Coste, Rica, and also many of the West India Islands. Acci- dental in Europe. "Sp. CHAE. Upper mandible and tip of lower, black; rest of lower mandible and cut- ting edges of the upper, yellow. Upper parts of a metallic greenish olive, slightly tinged with ash towards the bill; beneath white. Tail feathers (except the median, which are like the back) black, tipped with white for about an inch on the outer feathers, the external one with the outer edge almost entirely white. Quills orange-cinnamon; the terminal portion and a gloss on the outer webs olive; iris brown. Length. 12. Oft; wing, 5.95; tail, 6.35." (Hist. N. Am. B.) There is considerable variation in the amount of rufous in the quills ; sometimes this shows very distinctly externally, sometimes it is entirely replaced by the bronzed olive of the back. A greater amount of the rufous seems to characterize the more southern and 39-4 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Jamaica specimens, which also are smaller; northern specimens, however, show similar variations. In the immature birds the under surface of the tail-feathers is gray, not black, so that the contrast with the white tips is very indistinct, as in erythrophthafavus, in which, however, these light tips are much narrower, while the bill is entirely black. This bird, familiarly known as the Kain Crow, Wood Pigeon, or Cow-cow, is a summer resident of all portions of the State, though more abundant southward, its range being to some extent comple- mentary to that of the black-billed species, which is more common northward. While habitually building its own nest, and caring for its young, this species as well as C. eryth/rophthahnuB occasionally not only impose on one another, but also, though more rarely, upon other birds. Of this fact there is much indisputable evidence on record. It is also a well-known fact that in nests of both these species it is not an uncommon thing to find not only eggs in different stages of incubation but also young and freshly laid eggs in the same nest. Colonel S. T. Walker, of Milton, Florida, writes to Professor Baird that he has found young birds in the nest just ready to fly, others half fledged, and some just hatched, and at the same time one or two fresh eggs. He is not sure whether other Cuckoos lay in the same nest or whether the same bird continues to lay while setting. From what he has seen, however, he is inclined to believe that the latter is the case, and that "the old bird utilizes the warmth of the young first hatched to continue the incubation of eggs sub- sequently laid." Eegarding this point it may be stated that the parasitic habit of the European Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) is supposed to result from the very slow development of the eggs in the oviduct, rendering it practically impossible for themselves to attend to the incubation of then: eggs ; and it may be suggested that the circumstances to which Col. Walker alludes, and which have been noted by other observers, arise from the same cause. Furthermore since, as stated above, it is known also that both the American Cuckoos occasionally drop CUCULID.E — THE CUCKOOS. 395 an egg in the nest of the other, or even in other birds' nests, it is not at all improbable that they may eventually become completely parasitic, like their European cousins. Coccyzus erythrophthalmus (AVils.) BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. Cuculus erythrophthalmus WILS. Am. Orn. iv.1811, 16. pi. 27, fig. 2. Coccyzus erythrophthalmus BP. 1825.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1832, 170, pi. 32; Synop. 1839,187; B. Am. iv, 1842, 300, pi. 276,-CouES. Key, 1872, 199; Check List, 1872, No. 230; 2d ed. 1882, No. 428; B. N. W. 1874, 274.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 388. Coccyzus erythrophthalmus CAB. 1856.— BATED, B. N. Am. 1858, 77; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 70. -B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. ii, 1874, 484, pi. 48, fig. 5. Coccyzus dominions "LiNN." NUTT. Man. i, 1832,556 (nee LINN.) HAS. Eastern North America, north to Labrador, west to Rocky Mountains; south in winter, through eastern Mexico and Central America to the Amazon Valley; Cuba (and Florida?) in winter. Accidental in Europe. "Sp. CHAR. Bill entirely black. Upper parts generally of a metallic greenish olive, ashy towards the base of the bill; beneath pure white, with a brownish yellow tinge on the throat. Inner webs of the quills tinged with cinnamon. Under surface of all thu tail-feathers hoary ash-gray. All, except the central on either side, suffused with darker to the short, bluish white, and not well-defined tip. A naked red skin round the eye. Length, about 12.00; wing, 5.00; tail, 6.50." (Hist. N. Am. B.) "First plumage: female. Above lustrous plumbeous ashy, feathers upon the crown, nape, and anterior part of the back, narrowly tipped with pale ashy; those of the inter- scapular region and rump, together with the scapulars and upper tail-coverts, more broadly so with ashy white. Outer edges of quills light rufous. Beneath delicate pearl- gray, lightest on the abdomen, slightly tinged with pale brownish yellow on the throat and breast. From a specimen in my collection shot in Lincoln, Mass., June 17, 1871. Autumnal specimens (probably only the young birds) differ from spring adults in hav- ing the naked skin around the eye yellow instead of red." (BKEWSTEE, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, Oct. 1878, p. 178.) Popularly confounded with the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, this species closely resembles it in habits and in general appearance. They may not frequently be found in the same localities, as evidence of which it may be stated that the writer once found a nest of each in adjoining trees in an apple orchard, near Mt. Carmel. In the vicinity of the place just mentioned it is far rarer than the C. americanus, occurring in about the proportion of one to twenty-five of the latter; but to the northward it increases in numbers until in the northern portion of the State, it is perhaps more common than C. americanus. 396 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. ORDER PSITTACI.— THE PARROTS, ETC. CHAK. Bill deep and strongly hooked, the upper mandible movable, as well as the lower, and furnished at base with a distinct cere, or else the latter densely covered with short feathers; feet zygodactyle. FAMILY PSITT ACID JE.— THE PARROTS. "CHAR. Bill greatly hooked; the maxilla movable and with cere at the base. Nostrils in the base of the bill. Feet scansorial, covered with granulated scales." (Hist. N.Am. B.} GENUS CONURUS KTJHL. Conurus KUHL, Consp. Psittac. 1820, 4. Type Psittacus carolinensis LINN. "GEN. CHAR. Tail long, conical, and pointed; bill stout; cheeks feathered, but in some species leaving a naked ring round the eyes; cere feathered to the base of the bill. "The preceding diagnosis, though not very full, will serve to in- dicate the essential characteristics of the genus among the Middle American forms with long pointed tails, the most prominent feature consisting in the densely feathered, not naked, cheeks. But one species belongs to the United States, though three others are found in Mexico, and many more in South and Central America. A few species occur in the West Indies." (Hist. N. Am. B.) Conurus carolinensis (Linn.) CAROLINA PAROQUET. Popular synonym. Illinois Paroquet. Psittacus carolinensis LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 141.— WILS. Am. Orn. iii, 1811, 89, pi. 24, fig. 1.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 545.— AUD. Orn. Biog. v, 1832, 135. pi. 26. Conurus carolinensis LESS. 1831.— BAIKD.B. N. Am. 1858,67; Cat, N. Am. B. 1859, No. 63. — COUES, Key, 1872, 199; Check List, 1874. No. 315; 2d ed. 1882, No. 460; B. N. W. 1874, 296.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. ii. 1874.587,pl. 56. figs. 1.2.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 392. Centurus (error carolinensis') AUD. Synop. 1839, 189; B. Am. iv, 1842, 386, pi. 278. HAS. Now confined to limited portions of Florida and the Gulf States, and portions of the lower Mississippi Valley, north to Arkansas and Indian Territory— possibly to southern Mississippi and extreme southern portion of Illinois. Formerly abundant throughout the Mississippi Valley, east to the Alleghanies, north (extreme limits) to tho Great Lakes, west to Nebraska and even eastern Colorado. SP. CHAE. Adult. Rich grass-green, varying to emerald in some lights, the lower parts lighter and more yellowish green than the upper; tertials, tips of greater coverts, and basal portion of primaries greenish yellow ; primaries dark blue at tips. Forehead, lores and cheeks, rich orange-red, or orange-chrome; rest of head, with upper part of neck' PSITTACID^ — THE PAKROTS, ETC. 397 pure gamboge -yellow. Edge of wing tinged with orange. Bill creamy white; eylMs whitish; iris blackish brown; feet whitish. Young. Similar, but no yellow on head or neck, which are green, the forehead only, or forehead and lores, dull orange-red. Wing, 7.20-7.60; tail, 6.40-7.10. The avian-fauna of Illinois has lost no finer or more interesting member than the present species, which is probably now every- where extinct within our borders, though fifty years ago it was of more or less common occurrence throughout the State. The Na- tional Museum possesses a fine adult example from Illinois (Cat. No. 12272), another from Michigan, and several from the Platte Eiver, in Nebraska; now, however, it appears to be quite extermi- nated except in isolated and rapidly contracting areas in Florida, and thence westward to the lower Mississippi Valley. Its present northern limit in the interior is uncertain, but so far as known is the eastern part of the Indian Territory and portions of Arkansas. In the opinion of the best judges, twenty-five years hence the species will exist only in museums and in literature. An outline of its former distribution is thus given by Dr. Brewer, in History of North American Birds, Vol. II., p. 580 : "In descending the Ohio in the month of February, Wilson met the first flock of Parakeets at the mouth of the Little Scioto. He was informed by an old inhabitant of Marietta that they were sometimes, though rarely, seen there. He afterwards observed flocks of them at the mouth of the Great and Little Miami, and in the neighborhood of the numerous creeks which discharge them- selves into the Ohio. At Big Bone Lick, near the mouth of the Kentucky Eiver, he met them in great numbers. They came screaming through the woods, about an hour after sunrise, to drink the salt water, of which, he says, they are remarkably fond. "Audubon, writing in 1842, speaks of the Parakeets as then very rapidly decreasing in number. In some regions, where twenty-five years before they had been very plentiful, at that time scarcely any were to be seen. At one period, he adds, they could be pro- cured as far up the tributary waters of the Ohio as the Great Kanawha, the Scioto, the head of the Miami, the mouth of the Maurnee at its junction with Lake Erie, and sometimes as far northeast as Lake Ontario. At the time of his writing very few were to be found higher than Cincinnati, and he estimated that along the Mississippi there were not half the number that had ex- isted there fifteen years before." 308 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Were it not for its piercingly shrill screeching notes, this species would be a great favorite as a cage bird, on account of its great beauty and extreme docility; but its distracting, "ear-splitting" notes render it extremely undesirable as a pet. The writer has owned several, and therefore had the experience which warrants the above statement. The Carolina Parakeet breeds very readily in captivity if proper arrangements are made for the purpose. OliUElt ACCIfrTRES — THE BIEDa Ol'1 PREY. ORDER ACCIPITRES.— THE BIRDS OF PREY. SUBORDER STRIGES. — NOCTURNAL EAPTORES (OwLs). CHAE. Eyes directed forward, and surrounded by a radiating system of feathers, which is bounded, except anteriorly, by a ruff of stiff, compact- webbed, differently formed, and somewhat recurved feathers ;loral feathers antrorse, long and dense. Plum- age very soft, lax, of a fine downy texture, the feathers destitute of an after-shaft. Oil- gland without the usual circlet of feathers. Outer web of first primary with the points of the barbs recurved. Feathers on the sides of the forehead frequently elongated into ear-like tufts. Tarsus usually, and toes frequently, feathered. Ear-opening usually very large, sometimes provided with a lappet. (Esophagus destitute of a dilated crop; eoeca large. Maxillo-palatines thick and spongy, and encroaching upon the intervening valley; basipterygoid processes always present. Outer toe reversible; posterior toe only about half as long as the outer. Posterior margin of the sternum doubly indented; clavicle weak and nearly cylindrical, about equal in length to the sternum; anterior pro- cess of the coracoid projected forward so as to meet the clavicle, beneath the basal pro- cess of the scapula. Eggs variable in shape, usually nearly spherical, always immaculate white. The above diagnosis is sufficient to distinguish this order from the most nearly related group, the Accipitres, or Diurnal Raptores. There are also many important anatomical peculiarities, which it is unnecessary to mention here. The Order comprises two well- marked families, which may be distinguished as follows: Strigidae. Inner toe equal to the middle in length; inner edge of middle claw pectinated. First quill longer than the third, all the quills with their inner web entire, or with- out emarginations. Tail emarginated. Feathers of the posterior face of the tar- sus recurved, or pointed upwards. Bubonidae. Inner toe decidedly shorter than the middle one ; inner edge of middle claw not pectinated. First quill shorter than the third; one or more of the outer quills with inner webs emarginated. Tail more or less rounded. Feathers of posterior face of tarsus (when present) pointed downwards. 400 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. FAMILY STRIGID^].— THE BAEN OWLS. CHAE. Inner toe equal to the middle in length; inner edge of middle claw pectinated. First quill longer than the third; all the quills with their inner web entire, or without emarginatlon. Tail emarginated. Feathers of the posterior face of the tarsus recurved, or pointed upwards. The family Strigidte includes, so far as known, but two genera, Strix and PJiodilus. The former is cosmopolitan, having species in nearly all parts of the world, with the exception of the colder regions. Phodilus is restricted to a limited portion of the Indian region, and need not be further mentioned here. GENUS STRIX Sirix LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 92. Type, Strix flammea LINK. Aluco GERINI, Orn. Met. Dig. i, 1767, 88. GEN. CHAR. Size medium. No ear-tufts; facial ruff entirely continuous, very con- spicuous. Wing very long, the first or second quill longest, and all without emargina- tion. Tail short, emarginated. Bill elongated, compressed, regularly curved; top of the cere nearly equal to the culmen. straight, and somewhat depressed. Nostril open, oval, nearly horizontal. Eyes very small. Tarsus nearly twice as long as the middle toe. densely clothed with soft short feathers, those on the, posterior face inclined upwards; toes scantily bristled; claws extremely sharp and long, the middle one with its inner edge pectinated. Ear-conch nearly as long as the height of the head, with an anterior operculum which does not extend its full length; the two ears symmetrical? Strix pratincola Bonap. AMERICAN BARN OWL. Popular synonyms. Monkey Owl; Monkey-faced Owl. Strix flammea "LiNN." WILS. Am. Orn. vi, 1812, 57, pi. 50,flg. 2.— NUTT. Man. 1,1832,139.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 403; v, 1839, 388, pi. 171. Strix pratincola BP. Comp. Dist. 1838,7.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858. 47.— BAIKD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 47. Strix flammea var. pratincola B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 13. Aluco flammeus pratincola COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 4C1. Strix americana AUD. Synop. 1899,25; B. Am. i, 1840, 127, pi. 34. Strix flammea americana SCHLEG, 1862. Strix flammea var. americana COUES, Key, 1872, 201; Check List, 1873, No. 31G. STRIGIPJE — THE BARN OWLS, 401 Strix flammea d. americana COUES, B. N. W. 1874, 298. Aluco flammeus americanus RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 394. HAB. United States generally, but more rare northward, and wanting in unwooded districts; south through Mexico; north, occasionally, to Canada. SP. CHAK. Usua1 plumage. Ground-color of the upper parts bright orange -ochra- ceous; this overlaid in cloudings, on nearly the whole of the surface, with a delicate mot- tling of blackish and white, the mottling continuous on the back and inner scapulars, and on the ends of the primaries more faint, while along their edges it is more in the form of fine dusky dots, thickly sprinkled. Each feather of the mottled surface (excepting the secondaries and primaries) has a median dash of black, enclosing a roundish or cordate spot of white near the end of the feather; on the secondaries and primaries the mottling is condensed into indistinct tranverse bands, which are about four in number on the former and five on the latter; primary coverts deeper orange-rufous than the other por- tions, the mottling principally at their ends. Tail orange-ochraceous, finely mottled- most densely terminally— with dusky, fading into whitish at the tip, and crossed by about five distinct bands of mottled dusky. Face white, tinged with wine-red; an ante- orbital spot of dark claret-brown, this narrowly surrounding the eye; facial circle.from forehead down to the ears (behind which it is white for an inch or so) soft orange-ochra- ceous, similar to the ground-color of the upper parts, the lower half (from ears across the throat) deeper ochraceous, the tips of the feathers blackish, the latter sometimes predominating. Lower parts snowy white, but this more or less overlaid with a tinge of fine orange-ochraceous, lighter than the tint of the upper parts; and, excepting on the jugulum, anal region, and crissum, with numerous minute but distinct specks of black; under surface of wings delicate yellowish white, the lining sparsely sprinkled with black dots; inner webs of primaries with tranverse bars of mottled dusky near their ends. Extreme plumages. Darkest (Male, No. 6,884, Tejon Valley, Gal.; Dr. Heermann): There is no white whatever on the plumage, the lower parts being continuous light ochraceous; the tibia4 have numerous round spots of blackish. Lightest (No. 6.885, same locality): Face and entire lower parts immaculate snow-white; facial circle white, with the tips of the feathers orange; the secondaries, primaries, and tail show no bars, their surface being uniformly and finely mottled. Measurements. (Male, No. 6,884, Tejon Valley, Cal. ; Dr. Heermann): Wing, 13.00; tail, 5.70; culmen, .90; tarsus, 2.50; middle toe, 1.25. Wing formula, 2, 1-3. Among the very numerous specimens in the collection, there is not one marked female. The ex- tremes of a large series are as follows: Wing, 12.50-14.00; tail, 5.70-7.50; culmen, .90-1.10; tarsus, 2.55-3.00. The American Barn Owl, although generally distributed and in some localities common or even abundant, is by no means well known to the general public. It is the bird which has figured so often in the newspapers as the rare, remarkable, or anomalous "Monkey- faced Owl" — "only two specimens known," "Barnurn offered five hundred dollars for this one," etc., with variations, according to circumstances. It is rather a southern bird, being rarely, if ever, found north of the Great Lakes, while it is probably common nowhere north of the parallel of 40°, except perhaps in California. Kegarding its habits, it may be said that it is decidedly nocturnal, like many other owls, and that it has a special predilection for church towers and abandoned or little frequented buildings of —26 402 BIRDS OP ILLINOIS. various kinds. It is a most useful bird, destroying large numbers of rats and mice, which are its principal food, and seldom, if ever, molesting poultry, even domestic pigeons often nesting in its com- pany without fear of molestation. Of this there is plenty of evi- dence on record, as for example the following, by Mr. E. T. Shep- herd, of Monroe, Ohio, published in the Ornithologist and Oologist for October, 1884, p. 124. "The Barn Owl is undoubtedly a very useful bird to the farmer, having as it has, an almost unlimited penchant for rats and mice. Two or three pairs of these birds would in the course of a year destroy many hundreds of these pests that infest our barns and grain sheds. I quote the following from Mr. Dury's article on the Barn Owl in the Cincinnati Natural History Journal : 'On going up into the tower of the 'town hall' of the village of Glendale,' (where several of these owls were secured the past year,) 'I was astonished at the sight presented. The floor and ledges were covered with the cast-up pellets of the birds. There were hundreds of these pellets, and they must have contained the debris of several thousand rats and mice.' This is certainly evidence of the economic value of these birds. Mr. Dury also states that he found them living in harmony with the several pairs of tame pigeons which had their quarters in the tower." BUBONID.E— THE OWLS. 4.03 FAMILY BUBONID^3.— THE OWLS. The characters of this family having been given with sufficient detail on page 399, they need not be repeated nor enlarged upon here. The North American genera may be distinguished as follows : A. External ear excessively large (extending almost entirely across the head) furnished with an operculum or "flap" along the anterior margin, those of the opposite sides very unlike inform; skull also in some genera very asymmetrical. (Asionince.) a. Size medium to very large (wing 11.50 inches or more). 1. Asio, Size medium (wing 11. 50-13.CO inches) ; cere large and arched, its length on. top exceeding the chord of the culnien; nostrils large, horizontally oval, open- ing laterally; only one to two outer quills with inner webs emarginated; head proportionally small, the ear- tufts variable as to development. 2. Syrnium. Size medium, or rather large (wing 12 inches or more); cere on top shorter than chord of culmen; nostril comparatively small, nearly circular; four or five outer primaries with inner webs emarginated; head proportionally large, with no indication whatever of ear-tufts. Toes partly or entirely naked. Eyes moderately large, black, or dark brown. 8. Scotiaptex. Size very large (wing 16.00 or more); cere on top longer than chord of culnien, the nostrils as in Syrnium; six outer quills with inner webs emargi- nated; head large, and without trace of ear-tufts. Toes densely clothed with long hair-like feathers. Eyes small, yellow. 6. Size very small (wing less than 8 inches). 4. Nyctala. Cere on top decidedly shorter than chord of cialmen; nostrils small, vertically oval, opening in anterior edge of the inflated membrane; two outer quills with inner webs emarginated; head proportionally very large, without distinct ear- tufts. B. External ear small, vertically oval, or nearly circular, without operculum, the two of opposite sides not differing in size or contour; skull always symmetrical. (Bubo- a. Nostrils opening in the anterior edge of the flat nasal membrane. § Tail even, or very slightly rounded, not more than half as long as the wing. 5. Megascops. Size small (wing less than 8.00 inches). Two to five quills with inner webs emarginated, 'he second to the fifth longest. Bill weak, light-colored; iris usually yellow (said to be brown in M. flammeolus). Ear-conch elliptical, about one third the height of the head, with a slightly elevated fringed anterior mar- gin. Ear-tufts usually well developed. 6. Bubo. Size large (wing 12.00 inches or more). Two or three outer quills with inner webs emarginated, the third or fourth quills longest. Bill robust, black; iris usually yellow (brown in B. mexicanus). Ear-conch as in Megascops, but •without the elevated anterior margin, and from one third to one half the height of the skull. Ear- tufts well developed; lower tail-coverts not reaching end of tail; toes covered with short feathers, the claws (and sometimes the terminal scutellaa) wholly exposed; bill not concealed by loral bristles. 404 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. 7. Nyetea. Size very large (wing 15. 00 inches or more). Four outer quills with inner webs emarginated. Lower tail-coverts reaching end of tail; toes densely cov- ered with long hair-like feathers which almost completely hide the claws; bill nearly concealed by the loral feathers. Ear-tufts rudimentary. (Otherwise similar to Bubo.) §§ Tail much graduated, nearly as long as the wing. 8. Surnia. Size rather small (wing about 9 inches). Four outer quills with inner webs emarginated, the third longest. Bill strong, yellow; iris bright yellow. Ear-conch oval, simple, less than the diameter of the eye. No ear-tufts. 6. Nostril opening back from the anterior margin of the much inflated nasal mem- brane; usually small and circular, § Tarsus little if any longer than the middle toe; first quill shorter than tenth. 9. Glaueidium. Size very small (wing less than 4.50 inches). Tarsus about equal to the middle toe, densely feathered; tail much more than half the wing, rounded; third or fourth quill longest, the outer four with inner webs emargi- nated; bill pale colored; iris yellow. 10. Micrathene. Size very small (wing less than 4.50 inches). Tarsus a little longer than middle toe, scantily haired; tail less than half the wing, even; fourth quill longest, the outer four with inner webs emarginated; bill pale colored, iris yellow. §§ Tarsus more than twice as long as the middle toe; first quill longer than the sixth. 11. Speotyto. Size moderately small (wing about 7.00 inches). Tarsus closely feath- ered in front nearly or quite to the toes, naked behind; tail less than half the wing, slightly rounded; bill light colored; iris yellow. GENUS ASIO BRISSON. Asia BEISS. Orn. i, 1760, 28. Type, Strix otus LINN. Ot us Cuv. Lee. Anat. Comp. 1799, tab. ii. Same type. Brachyotus GOULD, P. Z. S. 1837, 10. Type Strix brachyotus FORST.,=$. accipitrina PALL. GEN. CHAR. Size medium. Ear- tufts well developed or rudimentary; head small; eyes small. Cere much arched, its length more than the chord of the culmen. Bill weak, compressed. Only the first, or first and second, outer primary with inner web emarginated. Tail about half the wing, rounded. Ear-conch very large, about as long as the height of the skull, with an anterior operculum, which extends its full length, and bordered posteriorly by a raised membrance, the two ears asymmetrical. The two North American species belong to distinct subgenera, as follows : A. Ear-tufts greatly developed. (Asio.) 1. A. -wilsonianus. Above finely-vermiculated dusky brown and light grayish, the former prevailing; lower parts whitish (buffy beneath the surface), marked with transverse dusky bars, which are much broader than the mesial streaks. B. Ear-tufts rudimentary. (Br achy otus.) 2. A. accipitrinus. Ground-color (above and below) ochraceous, varying to buffy whitish, striped, but not barred, with dark brown. The subgenus Asio has but one other representative, as far as known, in America. This is the A. siytjius (WAGL.) of the tropical regions (including Cuba), which differs from A. wilsonianus in much darker color, perfectly naked toes, and attenuated tips to the outer primaries. A. ivilsonianus has a close ally in A. otus of the Palse- BUBONID^E — THE OWLS. 405 arctic region, but is sufficiently distinct. Of the subgenus Br achy otus there are two American species besides the nearly cosmopolitan A. accipitrinus, namely, A, galapagoensis GOULD, confined to the Galapagos Islands, and A. portoricensis BIDGW., peculiar to the island of Porto Eico. Asio wilsonianus (Less.) AMERICAN LONG-EARED OWL. Popular synonym. Lesser Horned Owl. Strix otus WILS. Am. Orn. vii,1812, 73, pi. 51, fig. 3 (nee LINN).— NUTT. Man. !, 1832, 130.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1835, 573, pi. 83. Strix (Asio) otus Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A.ii,lS31,72. Otus icilsonianus LESS. Traite, i, 1831,110.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 53.— BAIKD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 51. Otus vulgaris var. wilsonianus ALLEN, 1872. — CouES,Key,lS72,204; Check List, 1873, No. 320.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 18. Otus vulgaris b. wilsonianus COUES, B. N. W. 1874, 304. Asio wilsonianus COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 472. Otus vulgaris americanus SCHLEG. 18C2. (Nee Strix americana GMEL.)' Asio otus, subsp. a. Asio americanus SHAEPE, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. ii, 1875, 229. Asio americanus RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 395. HAB. North America in general north to the limit of forests, south to Mexican table- lands. SP. CHAK. Adult. Upper surface transversely mottled with blackish brown and grayish white, the former predominating, especially on the dorsal region; feathers of the nape and wings ochraceous beneath the surface; lower scapulars with a few obsolete spots of white on lower webs. Primary coverts dusky, with transverse series of dark mottled grayish spots, these becoming somewhat ochraceous basally; ground color of the primaries grayish, this especially prevalent on the inner quills; the basal third (or less) of all ochraceous, this decreasing in extent on inner feathers, the gray ish tint every- where finely mottled transversely with dusky, but the ochraceous unvaried; primaries crossed by a series of about seven quadrate blackish brown spots, these anteriorly about as wide as the intervening yellowish or mottled grayish; the interval between the pri- mary coverts and the first of these spots about .80 to 1.00 inch on the fourth quill, the spots on the inner and outer feathers approaching the coverts, or even underlying them ; the inner primaries— or, in fact, the general exposed surface— with much narrower bars of dusky. Groundcolor of the wings like the back, this growing paler on the outer feathers, and becoming ochraceoxis basally, the tip approaching whitish; secondaries crossed by nine or ten narrow bands of dusky. Ear- tufts with the lateral portion of each web ochraceous, this becoming white, some- what variegated with black, toward the end of the inner webs, on which the ochraceous is broadest; median portion clear, unvariegated black. Forehead and postauricular disk minutely speckled with blackish and white; facial circle continuous black, becoming broken into a variegated collar across the throat. "Eyebrows" and lores grayish white; eye surrounded with blackish, this broadest anteriorly above and below, the posterior half being like the ear- coverts. Face plain ochraceous; chin and upper part of the throat immaculate white. Ground-color below pale ochraceous. the exposed surface of the feathers, however, white; breast with broad longitudinal blotches of clear dark brown; each feather and sides and flanks marked with a median stripe, crossed by as broad, or broader, transverse bars, of blackish brown; abdomen, tibial plumes, and legs plain ochraceofls, becoming nearly white on the lower part of tarsus and on the toes; tibial 406 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. plumes with a few sagittate marks of brownish; lower tail-coverts each with a median sagittate mark of dusky, this continuing along the shaft, forking toward the base. Lining of the wing plain pale ochraceous; inner primary coverts blackish brown, forming a conspicuous spot. Wing, 11.50-12.00; tail, 6.00-6.20; culnien, .65; tarsus, 1.20; middle toe, 1.15. Young. Wings and tail as in the adult; other portions transversely banded with blackish brown and grayish white, the latter prevailing anteriorly; eyebrows and loral bristles entirely black; legs white. Western specimens apparently average decidedly grayer than eastern ones, some of the latter being very much darker than any I have seen from the West. The American Long-eared Owl is closely related to the European A. otus, but seems sufficiently distinct. The latter has the upper parts striped, instead of confusedly mottled, with dusky ; the lower parts ochraceous on the surface, relieved by ragged longitudinal stripes (but not distinct bars), of dusky. The Long-eared Owl is a species of very extensive distribution, yet few of our owls are less generally known. This arises from its strictly nocturnal habits and its predilection for special localities, such as are not everywhere to be found. Its favorite haunts are dense willow thickets, where it may be surprised taking its day- time nap, standing bolt upright, with feathers closely pressed to its body, and long ear-tufts erect, thus presenting a very comical figure. "The usual number of eggs laid by the Long-eared Owl on the Pacific coast is five, although six in a set are by no means rare. When fresh, the eggs are of a bright white color. They are about equally rounded on both ends and rather globular in shape. They average about 1.60 inches in length by 1.32 inches wide, and vary considerably in size, but rarely in shape. The Long-eared Owl commences laying during the first week in April, and I believe that they rear but a single brood in a season. They will lay a second and sometimes a third set after losing their first one, and will occupy the same nest for several seasons, if not too often disturbed. The eggs are hatched in about sixteen days, and the young for the first two weeks are covered with a thick grayish down. Their food consists principally of mice and the smaller rodents, and I doubt if they are guilty of catching small birds." (Capt. C. E. Bendire, in OrnitJiologist and Oologist.) BUBONIC^ — THE OWLS. 407 SUBGENUS Brachyotus GOULD. Asio accipitrinus (Pall.) SHORT EARED OWL. Popular synonyms. Marsh Owl; Meadow Owl; Prairie Owl. Strixaccipitrina PALL. Reise. Russ. Reichs. i, 1771-76, 455. Asio accipitrinus NEWT. ed. Yarrell's Brit. B. i, 1872, 163.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 396.— COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 473. Strix brachyatus FOEST. Phil. Trans. Ixii, 1772, 384.— WILS. Am. Orn. iv, 1812, 64, pi. 33, fig. 3.— NUTT. Man. i, ia32. 132, AUD. Orn. Biog. v, 1839, 273, pi. 432. Otus brachyotus BOIE, 1822.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 28; B. Am. i, 1840, pi. 38. Otus (Brachyotus) brachyotus B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. iii,1874.22. Strix palustris BECHST. Nat. Deutschl. ii, 1791, 344. Brachyotus palustris BP. 1838.— COUES, Key, 1872, 204; Check List, 1874, No. 321; B. N. W. 1874.306. Brachyotus cassmi BREWEK, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. 1856, 321.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 54.— BAIKD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 52. HAB. Nearly cosmopolitan; whole Northern Hemisphere, including Sandwich Islands, and all of America, from Arctic coast to Cape Horn. (Replaced, however, in Porto Rico and Galapagos by A. portoricensis and A. galapagoensis, respectively.) SP. CHAR, Adult. Ground-color of the head, neck, back, scapulars, rump, and lower parts, pale ochraceous; each feather (except on the rump) with a median longitudinal stripe of blackish brown— this broadest on the scapulars; on the back, nape, occiput, and juguhim, the two colors about equal; on the lower parts, the stripes grow narrower pos- teriorly, those on the abdomen and sides being in the form of narrow lines. The flanks, legs, anal region, and lower tail coverts are always perfectly immaculate; the legs most deeply ochraceous, the lower tail-coverts nearly pure white. The rump has indistinct crescen tic marks of brownish. The wings are variegated with the general dusky and ochraceous tints, but the markings are more irregular, the yellowish in form of indenta- tions or confluent spots, approaching the shafts from the edge— broadest on the outer webs. Secondaries crossed by about five bands of ochraceous, the last terminal; pri- mary coverts plain blackish brown, with one or two poorly defined transverse series of ochraceous spots on the basal portion. Primaries ochraceous on the basal two thirds, the terminal portion clear dark brown, the tips (broadly) pale brownish yellowish, this becoming obsolete on the longest; the dusky extends toward the bases, in three to five irregularly transverse series of quadrate spots on the outer webs, leaving, however, a large basal area plain ochraceous, this somewhat more whitish anteriorly. The ground- color of the tail is ochraceous, becoming whitish exteriorly and terminally, crossed by five broad bands (about equaling the ochraccou?, but becoming narrower toward outer feathers) of blackish brown; on the middle feathers, the ochraceous spots enclose smaller, central transverse spots of blackish; the terminal ochraceous band is broadest. Eyebrows, lores, chin, and throat soiled white, the loral bristles with black shafts; face dingy ochraceous white, feathers with darker shafts; eye broadly encircled with black. Postorbital circle minutely speckled with pale ochraceous and blackish, except im- mediately behind the ear, where for about an inch it is uniform dusky. Lining of the wing immaculate delicate yellowish white; terminal half of under primary coverts clear blackish brown; under surface of primaries plain delicate ochraceous white; ends and one or two very broad anterior bands, dusky. Wing, 11.80-13.00; tail, 5. 80-6. 10; culmen, .60-.65; tarsus, 1.75; middle toe, 1.20. 408 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Probably no land bird has so extensive a range as the present species, occurring as it does throughout all the grand divisions of the earth's surface, except Australia, and also on many of the Polynesian islands. In America it is found everywhere in suitable localities, from Alaska and Greenland to Cape Horn. Notwithstanding the fact that this species has an almost cosmo- politan range (the Australian region being almost the only part of the world where it is wanting), and also that great variations are noticeable in the plumage of the different individuals, I am con- vinced of the futility of any attempt to separate, as races even, the birds from different countries. In this connection the reader is referred to Vol. IV., of the "Proceedings" of the U. S. National Museum, pp. 366-371, where the subject is treated in detail. In Illinois the Short-eared Owl occurs in all open grassy situations, either as a winter visitant or resident, and is particularly common on the prairies. Mr. Nelson says (in Bull. Essex Inst. Vol. VIII., p. 117,) the following of it as observed by him in the northeastern por- tion of the State : "The most abundant species of the family. Arrives from the north in large numbers the first of November, and disperses through the State. They are common everywhere, on prairies and marshes, during the winter. Eemain concealed in a bunch of grass or reeds until about two o'clock p. m., when they commence flying low over the ground in search of their prey. When approached, while stand- ing on the ground, they crouch and try to escape observation, much in the manner of the Burrowing Owl. They are very harmless, and are easily tamed." GENUS SYRNTUM SAVIGNY. Syrnium SAVIGNY, Desc. de 1'Egypte, 1809,298, et AUCTOEUM. Type (by elimination), S. LiNN.,=ulosum). HAB. Eastern North America, north to Hudson's Bay, south to Georgia and eastern Texas, west to the edge of the Great Plains. (Replaced in Florida by S. nebulosum alleni, a race with perfectly naked toes and somewhat different coloration.) SP. CHAE. Adult. Head, neck, breast, back, scapulars, and rump with broad regu- lar transverse bars of ochraeeous white and deep umber-brown, the latter color always terminal; on the upper surface the brown somewhat exceeds the whitish in width, but on the neck and breast the white rather predominates. The lower third of the breast is somewhat differently marked from the upper portion, the brown bars being connected along the shafts of the feathers, throwing the white into pairs of spots on opposite webs. Each feather of the abdomen, sides, flanks, and lower tail-coverts has abroad median longitudinal stripe of brown somewhat deeper in tint than the transverse bars on the upper parts; the anal region is plain, more ochraeeous, white; the legs have numerous, but rather faint, transverse spots of brown. Ground-color of the wings and tail brown, like the bars of the back; middle and secondary wing-coverts with roundish transverse spots of nearly pure white on lower webs; lesser coverts plain rich brown; secondaries crossed by six bands of pale grayish brown, passing into paler on the edge of each feather; primary coverts with four bands of darker ochraeeous brown; primaries with transverse series of quadrate pale brown spots on the outer webs (growing deeper in tint on inner quills); on the longest are about eight. Tail, like the wings, crossed with six or seven sharply defined bands of pale brown, the last terminal. Face grayish white with concentric semicircular bars of brown; eyebrows and lores with black shafts; a narrow crescent of black against anterior angle of the eye. Facial circle of blackish brown and creamy white bars, the former prevailing along the anterior edge, the latter more distinct posteriorly, and prevailing across the neck in front, where the brown forms disconnected transverse spots. Bill deep wax- or dull chrome-yellow; iris brown- ish black, the pupil appearing dull blue by contrast; scutella? of toes dull wax- yellow or grayish yellow; soles of toes deep dull chrome-yellow; claws black, or dark horn-color tipped with black. Total length, 19. 50-22. 00 inches; extent, .44-. 48; wing, 13.00-15.00; tail, about 9. 00-10. 00. This is by far the most numerous species of owl iu wooded por- tions of the State. It is familiarly known as the "Hoot Owl" 011 account of its well-known loud hooting call, generally interpreted as "who— who, ivho, who^ivho, ivho, who, ar-r-r-r-e, you?" although some- times translated as "who cooks for you all?" This call is far louder than the deeper bass hooting of the Great Horned Owl, and is also more varied. Frequently it is preceded by a very loud, "blood- curdling" shriek, causing the hair of the uninitiated to rise on his 410 BIKDS OF ILLINOIS. head and his knees to tremble for fear that a panther is prowling in the neighborhood. When several get together their nocturnal concerts are very entertaining. One appears to tell some joke or do something funny, at which the rest set up a hearty though demoniacal lie -he -he -he, hi-hi-hi-hi, ha-ha-ha-ha, — and the uncanny company is boisterously hilarious for a few moments, when the solitude of night again reigns supreme. The Barred Owl is less strictly nocturnal than the Great Horned Owl, Long-eared Owl, or Little Screech Owl, and may often be seen flying about during dark or cloudy weather. In fact, its call may often be heard in bright sunny days, and is then often the means of the bird's destruction, as perhaps no bird is more easily lured by a good imitation of its note, — and that of the present species is susceptible of very exact imitation. GENUS SCOTIAPTEX SWAINSON. Scotiaptex SWAINS. Classif . B. ii, 1837, 217. Type Strix cinerea GMEL. GEN. CHAB. Size large, although the body is very small in proportion to the length of the wing and tail. Head without ear-tufts. Six outer quills with inner webs emargi- uated. Toes completely and densely covered by long hair-like feathers. Scotiaptex cinereum (Gmel.) GREAT GRAY OWL. Popular synonyms. Great Cinereous Owl; Great Sooty Owl; Spectral Owl. Strix cinerea GMEL. S. N. i, pt. i, 1788,291.— Sw. & RICH. P. B. A. ii, 1831, 77, pi. 31.— NUTT.' Man. i, 1832, 128.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv. 1838, 364, pi. 351.— COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 474. Ulula cinerea BP. Consp. i. 1850, 53 (part).— RLDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 399. Syrnium cinereum BP. 1838.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 26; B. Am. i, 1840, 130, pi. 35.— CASS in Baird'sB. N. Am. 1858,56.— BAIED, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 33.— COUES, Check List. 1873, App. p. 131; B. N. W. 1874,307 (b. cinereum}. Syrnium lapponicum var. cinereum COUES, Key, 1872, 204; Check List, 1873, No. 322. Syrnium (Scotiaptex} cinereum B. B. £ R. Hist. N. Am. B. iii,1874, 30. HAS. Northern North America, south, in winter, to northern United States, as far as Massachusetts, Rhode Island, northern New York, northern Illinois, Minnesota, etc. ; breeding as far south as Canada ("Oologist", v, 1880, p. 54). SP. CHAE. Adult. Ground-color of the upper surface dark vandyke-brown, but this rrlirved by a transverse mottling (on the edges of the feathers) of white, the median portions of the feathers being scarcely variegated, causing an appearance of indistinct longitudinal dark stripes these most conspicuous on the scapulars and back. The an- terior portions above are more regularly barred transversely; the white bars interrupted however.by the brown median stripe. On the rump and and upper tail-coverts the mot- tling is more profuse, causing a grayish appearance. On the wing-coverts the outer webs BUBONHXE — THE OWLS. 411 are most variegated by the white mottling. The alula and primary coverts have very indistinct bands of paler; the secondaries are crossed by nine bands (last terminal, and three concealed by coverts) of pale grayish brown, inclining to white at the borders of the spots; primaries crossed by nine transverse series of quadrate spots of mottled pale brownish gray on thn outer webs, those beyond the emargination obscure, — the termi- nal crescentic bar distinct, however; upper secondaries and middle tail-feathers with coarse transverse mottling, almost forming bars. Tail with about nine paler bands, these merely marked off by parallel, nearly white bars, enclosing a plain grayish brown, sometimes slightly mottled, space, just perceptibly darker than the ground-color; basally the feathers become profusely mottled, so that the bands are confused; thu last band is terminal. Beneath, the ground-color is grayish white, each feather of the neck, breast, and abdomen with a broad, longitudinal ragged stripe of dark brown, like the ground-color of the upper parts; sides, flanks, crissum, and lower tail-coverts with regular transverse narrow bands ; legs with finer, more irregular, transverse bars of dusky. "Eyebrows," lores and chin grayish white; a dusky space at anterior angle of the eye; face grayish white, with distinct concentric semicircles of blackish brown; facial circle dark brown, becoming white across the foreneck, where it is divided medially by a spot of brownish black, covering the throat. Wing, 16.00-18.00; tail. 11.00-13.00; culmen, 1.00; tarsus, 2.30; middle toe, 1.50. The Old World form of this s^ecies(cinereum lapponicum) is much paler in coloration, the lighter markings predominating. The under- side of the primaries shows a conspicuous patch of whitish, covering the basal portion of these feathers, this patch being much reduced in size or altogether wanting in the American race. The Great Gray Owl is a northern bird of very rare or accidental occurrence in Illinois. It is given by Mr. Nelson (p. 117 of his list) as a very rare winter visitant to Cook county, but outside of this record we have no knowledge of its having been taken or observed anywhere in the State. GENUS NYCTALA BEEHM. Nyctala BKEHM, Isis, 1828, 1271. Type, Strix tengma'mi GMEL. «. GEN. CHAK. Size small. Head very large, without ear-tufts; eyes moderate; iris yellow. Two outer primaries with their inner webs distinctly emarginated. Tarsi and toes densely, but closely feathered. Ear-conch very large, nearly as high as the skull, with an anterior operculum; the two ears exceedingly asymmetrical, not only externally but in their osteological structure. Furcula not anchylosed posteriorly, but joined by a^ membrane. The North American species of this genus are two in number, and may readily be distinguished from one another by the char- acters given in the following comparative diagnosis. One of them 412 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. is conspecific with the single Palsearctic species, N. tengmalmi. A third species, the N. harrisi CASSIN, belongs to northern South America (Colombia). COM. CHAE. Adults. Above brown, more or less spotted with white; beneath white, broadly striped with reddish brown. Young. Above uniform brown, the wings and tail, however, marked with white, as in the adult. Face uniform dusky surmounted by con- spicuous white "eyebrows." Lower parts uniform brown anteriorly, and uniform bright ochraceous posteriorly. 1. N. tengmalmi richardsoni. Wing, 7.20 inches or more; tail about 4.50 ; culmen, .60; tarsus, 1.00; middle toe, .67. Bill yellow. 2. N. acadiea. Wing, 5.25-5.50; tail, 2.60-3.00; culmen, .45-.50; tarsus, .80; middle toe, .60-.65. Bill black. Nyctala tengmalmi richardsoni (Bp.) KICHAKDSON'S OWL. Popular synonym. Sparrow Owl. Strix tengmalmi Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 94, pi. 82, (nee GMEL.).— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 562.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 559, pi. 380. Ulula tengmalmi AUD. Synop. 1829, 24; B. Am. i.1840,122. pi. 32. Kyctale richardsoni BONAP. Comp. List, 1838, 7.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 57.— BATED, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 55. Nyctale tmgmalmi var. ricliardsrmi RIDGW.— COUES, Key, 1872, 205; Check List, 1874, No. 327; B. N. W. 1874, 313.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 40. Nyctale tengmalmi ?-i'c/ia?-cZsoni RIDGW. Nona. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 400.— COUES. 2d Check List, 1882, No. 482. HAB. Northern North America; south, in winter, to New England (New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island), Wisconsin, northern Illinois, and Oregon. SP. CHAE. Adult. Upper surface brownish olive or umber-brown. Forehead ami crown with numerous elliptical (longitudinal) marks of white, feathers everywhere with large partly concealed spots of the same; these spots largest on the neck and scapulars —on the latter of a roundish form, the outer webs of those next the wing being almost wholly white, the edge only brown; on the nape the spots form V-shaped marks, the spots themselves being somewhat pointed ; below this is a transverse, less distinct collar, of more concealed spots; wing-coverts, toward the edge of the wing, with a few large, nearly circular, white spots; secondaries with two transverse series of smaller white spots, these crossing about the middle, remote from the end and base; outer feathers of the alula with two white spots along the margin; primary coverts plain; primaries with four or five transverse series of white spots; 'tail with the same number of narrow trans- verse spots, forming interrupted bands, the spots not touching the shaft— the last spot not terminal. Facial circle much darker brown than the crown, and speckled with irregular spots of white, these either median or upon only one web; across the throat the circle becomes paler brown, without the white spotting. Eyebrows and face grayish white; lores and eyelids blackish. Lower parts white, becoming pale ochraceous on the legs; sides of the breast, sides, flanks, and lower tail- coverts with daubs of brown (slightly lighter and more reddish than on the back), those of the breast somewhat transverse, but Ihe posterior ones decidedly longitudinal; front of tarsus clouded with brown. Wins, about 7.20; tail, 4.50; culnieu, .CO; tarsus, 1.00; middle toe, .97, BUBONID.E — THE OWLS. 413 A female from Alaska (No. 49,802, Nulato, April 28, 1866; W. H. Ball) is considerably darker than the specimen described above; the occiput has numerous circular spots »t white, and the tarsi are more thickly spotted; no other differences, however, are appre- ciable. Two specimens from Quebec (Nos. 17,064 and 17,065; Wm. Couper) are exactly similar to the last, but the numerous white spots on the forehead are circular. Young. Above uniform dark brown, the sides of the forehead, back to the eyes, and a space beneath the eye to the base of the bill, white; lower parts, from breast back, uniform fulvous or tawny ochraceous. This species was included among the "probabilities" in my cata- logue of 1881 (p. 207), having been taken by Dr. Hoy near Eacine, Wisconsin, and being included in Mr. Allen's catalogue of the birds of Iowa. Its only claim, to date, to being a member of the Illinois fauna is the following record, in the Ornithologist and Oologist (Pawtucket, E. I.) for March, 1885, p. 47, by J. E. Dickinson, of Eockford, Winnebago county: "Captured one Eichardson's Owl, October 15, 1884. He flew against a store window and was slightly stunned." Nyctala acadica (Gmel.) SAW- WHET OWL. Popular synonyms. Acadian Owl; White-fronted Owl; Kirtland's Owl. Strix acadica GMEL. S. N. i, pi. i, 1788, 296.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 137.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii. 1834,567; v, 1839, 397, pi. 199. Xyctale acadica BP. 1838.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 58.— BAiED.Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 56.— CouES.Key, 1872, 205; Check List, 1873, No. 328; 2d ed. 1882, No. 483; B. N. W. 1874, 315.— B. B. & K. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 43.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 401. TJlula acadica AUD. Synop. 1839,24; B. Am. i, 1840, 123, pi. 33. Strix albifrons SHAW, Nat. Misc. v, 1794. pi. 171. Nyctale alb it ran s CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858,57.— BATED, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 57. Strix passer-ilia WILS. Am. Orn. iv, 1812, 66, pi. 34, fig. 1, (nee LINN.) Nyctale kirtlandi HOY. Proc. Phila. Acad. vi, 1852, 210.— CASS. Illustr. 1853, 63, pi. 11. HAB. Northern United States and British Provinces; south to about 40° (or a little beyond) in Eastern Province, but in Western Province entirely across into Mexico, on high mountain ranges, and south to Oaxaca. SP. CHAE. Adult female (No. 120,044, Washington, D. C., Feb., 1859: C.Drexler). Upper surface plain soft reddish olive, almost exactly as in N.richardsoni; each feather of forehead, anterior part of the crown, and the facial circle, marked with a short median line of white; feathers of the neck white beneath the surface, forming a collar of blotches; lower webs of scapulars white bordered with brown; wing-coverts with a few rounded white spots; alula with the outer feathers broadly edged with white. Primary coverts and secondaries perfectly plain; five outer primaries with semi-rounded white spots on the outer webs, these decreasing toward the ends of the feathers, leaving but aboiit four series well denned. Tail crossed by three widely separated narrow bands of white, formed of spots not touching the shaft on either web; the last band is terminal. "Eye- brow" and sides of the throat white; lores with a blackish suffusion, this more concen- trated around the eye ; face dirty white, feathers indistinctly edged with brownish, caus- ing an indistinctly streaked appearance: the facial circle in its extension across the throat converted into reddish umber spots. Lower parts, generally, silky white, becom- 414 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. ing fine ochraceous on the tibis and tarsi; sides of the breast like the back, but of a more reddish or burnt- sienna tint; sides and flanks with longitudinal daubs of the same ; chest, abdomen, lower tail- coverts, tarsi, and tibiae, immaculate. Wing formula, 4-3-5-1-8. Wing,5.40; tail.2.80; culmen, .50; tarsus,. 80; middle toe,. 60. Seven specimens before me vary in length of wing from 5.25 to 5.80; tail 2.60 to 3.00 (female). The largest specimen is 12,053 (female, Fort Tejon, California: J. Xantus). This differs from the specimen described, in whiter face, more conspicuous white streaks on forehead, smaller, less numerous, red spots below, and in hav- ing a fourth white band on the tail; this, however, is very incon- spicuous. There are no authentic males before me, though only h\o are marked as females; the extremes of the series probably represent the sexual discrepancy in size. Young male (No. 12,814, Kaeine, Wisconsin, July.1859; Dr. P. R. Hoy): Upper surface continuous plain dark sepia-olive; face darker, approaching sooty blackish, perfectly uniform; around the edge of the forehead, a few shaft-lines of white; scapulars with a concealed spot of pale ochraceous on lower webs; lower feathers of wing-coverts with a few white spots; outer feather of the alula scalloped with white; primary coverts per- fectly plain; five outer primaries with white spots on outer webs, these diminishing toward the end of the feathers, leaving only two or three series well defined; tail darker than the wings, with three narrow bands composed of white spots, these not touching the shaft on either web. "Eyebrows" immaculate white, lores more dusky; face and eyelids dark sooty brown; sides of the chin white. Throat and whole breast like the back, but the latter paler medially, becoming here more fulvous; rest of the lower parts plain fulvous ochraceous, growing gradually paler posteriorly. Lining of the wing plain dull white; under surface of primaries with dusky prevailing, but this crossed by bands of large whitish spots; the three outer feathers, however, present a nearly uniform dusky aspect, being varied only basally. Wing formula, 3, 4-2-5-6-7,1. Wing, 5.50; tail, 2.80; culmen. .45; tarsus. .80; middle toe, .65. This handsome little owl is not an uncommon resident of the more northern portions of the State and occasionally makes its appearance during winter in the southern counties. According to Mr. Nelson (p. 117 of his list), it is "not an uncommon species" in Cook county, being "of frequent occurrence in Chicago, where, upon some of the most frequented streets in the residence portion of the town, over a dozen specimens have been taken within two years." Mr. H. K. Coale, of Chicago, informs me that he has ex- amined or skinned thirty specimens in ten years. BUBONID^ — THE OWLS. 415 GENUS MEGASCOPS KAUP. Scops SAVIGN. Desc. de 1'Egypte, 1809, 291. Type, Strix scops LINN. (Nee BEUNN. 1772.) Megascops KAUP, Isis, 1848, 765. Type, Strix asio LINN. GEN. CHAE. Small owls with distinct ear-tufts, the tarsus more or less feathered (usually completely feathered) the wings ample (more than twice the length of the short, slightly rounded tail), the plumage exceedingly variegated with vermiculations, cross- bars, and mottlings; toes naked or bristled— never completely feathered, except toward the base. The above brief diagnosis is sufficient to characterize this group. In general aspect the species of this genus are miniatures of those which belong to the genus Bubo, and are perhaps as nearly related structurally to the latter as to any other members of the family. All the American species have the outer webs of the scapulars mostly light-colored (generally white, with a blackish terminal border — rusty ochraceous in flammeolus and the darker forms of Irasilianus), producing a more or less distinct stripe along each side of the dorsal region ; the feathers of the upper and lower parts usually have blackish shaft-streaks, those beneath generally with narrow transverse bars; outer webs of the remiges with light- colored spots, and the tail more or less (never sharply) banded. Nearly all the species are, in some part of their range, dichromatic, having a bright rufous phase, quite different from the "normal" grayish plumage. Meg-ascops asio (Linn.) SCREECH OWL. Popular synonyms. Little Mottled Owl; Little Ked OwL /Sttriz asfo LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 132.— WILS. Am. Orn. v, 1812,83, pi. 42, fig. 1.— AUD. Orn.Biog.i, 1832, 486; v, 1839, 392, pi. 97.— NUTT. Man. 1,1832,120. Scops asio BP. 1838.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 51.— BATED, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 49.— COUES, Key, 1872, 202; Check List, 1873, No. 318; 2d ed. 1882, No. 465; B. N. W. 1874, 303.— B. B. & K. Hist. N. Am. B. iii. 1874, 49.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1831, No. 40± JBw&o as/o VIEILL. 1807.— AUD. Synop. 1839,29; B. Am. i, 1840, 147, pi. 40. Strix ncBvia GMEL. S. N. i. pt. i. 1788, 289.— WILS. Am. Orn. iii, 1812, 16, pi. 19, fig. 1. HAB. Eastern United States and British Provinces, west to edge of the Great Plains. (In Florida replaced by M. asio floridanus and in southern Texas by M. asio maccalli.) a. Normal plumage. SP. CHAE. Adult. Ground-color above brownish cinereous, palest on the head, purest ashy on the wings, minutely mottled with fine zigzag transverse bars of black, each feather with a median ragged stripe of the same along the shaft. Inner webs of rar- tufts, outer webs of scapulars, and spots occupying most of the outer webs of the two or three lower feathers of the middle and secondary wing-coverts, white, forming (except on the first) conspicuous spots, those of the scapulars bordered with black. Secondaries crossed with about seven regular paler bands, each enclosing a more irregular dusky 410 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. one: the ground-color, however, so mottled with grayish, and the pale bands with dusky, that they are by no means sharply defined or conspicuous, though they are very regular; alula and primary coverts more sharply barred with cream-colored spots, those on the former nearly white; primaries with broad quadrate spots of creamy white on outer webs, these forming from seven to eight transverse bands, the last of which is not terminal. Tail more irregularly mottled than the wings, and crossed by seven to eight narrow, indistinct, but continuous pale bands. Eyebrows white, the feathers bordered with dusky; cheeks, ear-coverts, and lower throat dull white, with transverse bars of blackish; chin immaculate; upper eyelid dark brown; facial circle black; neck and jugu- lum like the cheeks, but more strongly barred, and with blackish along the shaft. Ground-color of the lower parts white, each feather with a median, stripe of black, this throwing off distinct bars to the edge of the feathers; the median black is largest on sides of the breast, where it expands into very large conspicuous spots, having a slight rusty exterior suffusion; the abdomen medially, the an»l region, and the lower tail- coverts are almost unvaried white. Tibiae and tarsi dull white, much barred transversely with blackish, or pale ochraccous, more sparsely barred with dark brownish. Lining of the wing creamy white, varied only along the edge; light bars on under surface of pri- maries very indistinct. b. Rufescent plumage. Adult. General pattern of the preceding, but the grayish tints replaced by lateriti- ous rufous, very fine and bright, often with a slight vinaceous cast; this is often uniform, showing no trace of the transverse dark mottling; there are, however, black shaft- lines to the feathers (these most conspicuous on the head above, and scapulars, and narrower and more sharply defined than in the gray plumage). The inner webs of the ear-tufts, outer webs of scapulars, and lower secondary and middle wing-coverts, are white, as in the gray plumage ; those of the scapulars are also bordered with black. The secondaries, primaries, and tail are less bright rufous than the other portions, the markings as in the gray plumage, only the colors being different. The upper eyelid, and, in fact, all around the eye, fine light rufous; cheeks and ear-coverts paler, scarcely variegated. Lower parts without the transverse bars of the gray plumage, but in their place an irregular clouding of fine light rufous, like the back: the lower parts medially (very broadly) im- maculate snowy white: most of the feathers having the red spotting show black shaft- stripes, but the pectoral spots are not nearly so large or conspicuous as in the gray bird. Tibiae fine pale ochraceous rufous; tarsi the same posteriorly, in front white with cuneate specks of rufous; lower tail-coverts each with a median transversely cordate spot of dilute rufous, the shaft black. Lining of the wing with numerous rufous spots. Young. Wings and tail as in adult; markings on head and body as in the young gray bird, but white bars more reddish, and dark ones more brown. Two adult males obtained at Mt. Carmel, Illinois, measured, when fresh, as follows: Gray specimen. Total length, 7.50 inches ; extent, 19.50 inches. Rufous specimen (January 21, 1867) : Total length, 8.25 inches; extent, 21.50. Two adult females from the same locality measured, respectively, 9 inches in length by 21.50 hi extent, and 9 by 23 inches. The fresh colors of the soft parts were as follows : Bill pea-green or pale greenish blue, sometimes with a tinge of emerald-green; iris lemon-yellow; toes and basal half of claws yellowish gray, the terminal portion of the claws dusky. BUBONID^ — THE OWLS. 417 The fact that in eastern North America this species is dichro- matic, while in most parts of the West it presents a single phase of plumage — the gray — is one of the most interesting problems in North American ornithology. Scarcely less curious is the fact that in different portions of the Eastern Province the two phases vary in relative abundance. For example, during several years' close observation of birds in the vicinity of Mount Carmel, Illinois, I saw but a single specimen in the gray plumage, while the number of "red" specimens must have exceeded fifty. In the vicinity of Washington, D. C., the proportion of the two phases is more nearly equal, although the rufous style is perhaps the more common. In the neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, about the same proportion obtains, according to Dr. F. W. Langdon, who, in the Journal of the Cincinnati Society of Natural History (Vol. V., pp. 52, 53), states that of 56 specimens actually examined, 32 were rufous and 24 were gray. The Screech Owl (as this species is almost universally known), is, with the possible exception of the Barred Owl, much the most abundant species of the family in Illinois, and is a constant resi- dent wherever found. We quote the following account of its habits, by Dr. T. M. Brewer, from History of North American Birds, Vol. III., pp. 56, 57 : "The Mottled Owl. is nocturnal in its habits, never appearing abroad in the daylight except when driven out by the attacks of hostile birds that have discovered it in its retreat. Its eyes cannot endure the light, and it experiences great inconvenience from such an exposure. During the day it hides in hollow trees, in dark recesses in the forests, or in dark cornel's of barns, and comes out from its retreat just before dark. During the night it utters a very peculiar wailing cry, not unlike the half- whining, half-barking com- plaints of a young puppy, alternating from high to low, intermingled with deep guttural trills. These cries, which are sometimes pro- longed until after midnight, usually elicit an answer from its mate or companions, and would seem to be uttered as a call soliciting a reply from some lost associate. Their flight is noiseless and gliding, and they move in a manner so nearly silent as to be hardly per- ceptible. They are excellent mousers, and swallow their food whole, ejecting the indigestible parts, such as hair, bones, feathers, etc." —27 418 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. GENUS BUBO CUVIER. Bubo Cur. Rr>g. An. 1817, 331. Type, Strix bubo LINN. GEN. CHAE. Size varying from medium to very large; head with well-developed ear- tufts. Bill black; iris yellow, orange, or brown. Two or three outer quills with their inner webs einarginated. Third or fourth quill longest. Bill very robust, the lower mandible nearly truncated, and with a deep notch near the end; cere gradually ascend- ing basally (not arched) or nearly straight, not equal to the culmen. Tail short, a little more than half the wing, slightly rounded. Ear-conch small, simple, without opercu- lum; the two ears symmetrical. There is but one species of this genus, as restricted, in North America. This, however, varies so much with locality that several geographical races have been recognized, of which the following appear pretty well characterized : Of. virginianus. Dark colored, usually with much ochraceous or tawny, the dark markings broad and distinctly defined. Hab. Eastern North America, south to Costa Eica. ft. subarcticus. Light colored, with buff instead of ochraceous, the dark markings narrower and less distinct. Hab. Western United States and interior of British America; east, occasionally, to Wisconsin and Illinois, south to central and west- ern Mexico. y. saturatus. Very dark colored, with the dark markings much broader than in vir- ginianus. Bab. Northwest coast, from northern California to Sitka; Labrador. 8. arcticus. Very light colored, the prevailing aspect white, the dark markings very much reduced in extent. Hab. Interior of Arctic America. These races are very strongly characterized in a majority of speci- mens from any typical locality, but there is a very great amount of individual variation in each. Only two of them (virginianus and subarcticus} are known to occur in Illinois. Bubo virginianus (Linn.) GREAT HORNED OWL. Popular synonyms. Cat Owl; Booby Owl. Strix eirginiana GMEL,. S. N. i, pt. i, 1788, 287.— WILS. Am. Orn. vi, 1812, 52, pi. 50, flg. 1.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 124.— A UD. Orn. Biog. i, 1832,313; v, 1839, 393.pl. 61. Strix (Bubo) virginianus Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831,82. Bubo virginianus BP. 183s.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 29; B. Am. i, 1840, 143, pi. 39.— CASS. in Baird'sB. N. Am. 1x58, 49.— BAIKD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 48.— COUES, Key, 1872, $202; Check List, 1873, No. 317; 2d ed. 1882, No. 402; B. N. W. 1874, 300 (a. virginianus; excl. syn. pt.). — B. B. & 11. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1S74, CO, 62 (var. virginianus). — RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 405. Bubo virginianus atlanticus CASS. Illustr. 1854, 178; in Baird's B. N, Am. 1858, 49. BUBON1DJE — THE OWLS. 419 HAB. Eastern North America, west to edge of Great Plains, south through eastern Mexico to Costa Eica. SP. CHAE. Adult male (No. 12, 057. Philadelphia: C. Drexler). Bases of all the feathers yellowish rufous, this partially exposed on the head above and nape, along the scapulars on the rump, and sides of the breast. On the upper surface this is overlaid by a rather coarse transverse mottling of brownish black upon a white ground, the former rather predominating, particularly on the head and neck, where it forms broad ragged longitu- dinal stripes (almost obliterating the transverse bars), becoming prevalent, or blended anteriorly. The lowermost scapulars, and some of the lower feathers of the middle and secondary wing-coverts, with inconspicuous transverse spots of white. On the second- aries the mottling is finer, giving a grayish aspect, and crossed with eight sharply de- fined, but inconspicuous, bands of mottled dusky; primary coverts with the ground color very dark, and crossed with three or four bands of plain blackish, the last terminal though fainter than the rest; ground-color of the primaries more yellowish, the mot- tling more delicate; they are crossed by nine transverse series of quadrate dusky spots. The ground-color of the tail is pale ochraceous (transversely mottled with dusky), be- coming white at the tip, crossed by seven bands of mottled blackish, these about equal- ing the light bands in width; on the middle feathers the bands are broken and confused running obliquely, or in places longitudinally. Outer webs of ear- tufts pure black, inner webs almost wholly ochraceous; eyebrows and lores white, the feathers with black shafts; face dingy rufous; eye very narrowly encircled with whitish; acrescent of black bordering the upper eyelid, and confluent with the black of the ear-tufts. Facial circle continuous black, except across the foreneck; chin, throat and jugulum pure immaculate white, to the roots of the feathers. Beneath, white prevails, but the yellowish rufous is prevalent on the sides of the breast, and shows as the base color wherever the feathers are disarranged. The sides of the breast, sides, and flunks have numerous sharply defined narrow transverse bars of brownish black ; anteriorly these are finer and more ragged, coalescing so as to form conspicuous, somewhat longitudinal, black spots. Ou the lower tail-coverts the bars are distant, though not less sharply defined. The abdomen, medially, is scarcely maculate white. Legs and toes plain ochraceous white. Wing formula. 2,3-4-1,5. Wing, 14.50; tail, 8.20; culmen, 1,10; tarsus. 2.00; middle toe, 2. 00. Female (No. 12, 065, Maryland: B. J. Pollard): General appearance same as the male. Black blotches on head, above, and nape less conspicuous, the surface being mottled like the back, etc. ; primary coverts with three well-defined narrow pure black bands; primaries with only six bands, these broader than in the male; secondaries with only five bands; tail with but six dark bands, these very much narrower than the light ones. Tibi;e and tarsi with sparse transverse bars of dusky. Wing formula, 3,2,4-1=5. Wing, 16.00; tail, 9.00; culmen, 1.20; tarsus, 2.20; middle toe, 2.10. Young (No. 12,062, Washington, D. C., May 20,1859: C. Drexler): Wings and tail as in adult. Downy plumage of head and body ochraceous, with detached, rather distinct, transverse bars of dusky. Although much less numerous than the Barred Owl, this power- ful and destructive species is much more plentiful than the farmer or poultry raiser desires. As Dr. Brewer truly remarks (Hist. N. Am. B. Vol. III., p. 68), "It is one of the most destructive of the depredators upon the poultry-yard, far surpassing in this respect any of our hawks. All its mischief is done at night, when it is almost impossible to detect and punish it. Whole plantations are often thus stripped in a single season. (M{ 420 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. "Its flight is rapid and graceful, and more like that of an eagle than one of this family. It sails easily and in large circles. It is nocturnal in its habits, and is very rarely seen abroad in the day, and then only in cloudy weather or late in the afternoon. When detected in its hiding-place by the Jay, Crow, or Kingbird, and driven forth by their annoyances, it labors under great disadvan- tages, and flies at random in a hesitating flight, until twilight enables it to retaliate upon its tormentors. The hooting and noc- turnal cries of the Great Horned Owl are a remarkable feature in its habits. These are chiefly during its breeding season, especially the peculiar loud and vociferous cries known as its hooting. At times it will utter a single shriek, sounding like the yell of some unearthly being, while again it barks incessantly like a dog, and the resemblance is so natural as to provoke a rejoinder from its canine prototype. Occasionally it utters sounds resembling the half- choking cries of a person nearly strangled, and, attracted by the watchfire of a camp, flies over it, shrieking a cry resembling waugh- h-o-o. It is not surprising that with all these combinations and variations of unearthly cries, these birds should have been held in awe by the aborigines, their cries being sufficiently fearful to startle even the least timid. "The mating of this bird appears to have little or no reference to the season. A pair has been known to select a site for their nest, and begin to construct a new one, or seize upon that of a Eed-tailed Hawk, and repair it, in September or October, keeping in its vicinity through the winter, and making their presence known by their continued hooting. Mr. Jillson found a female sitting on two eggs in February, in Hudson, Mass. ; and Mr. William Street, of Easthampton, in the spring of 1869, found one of their nests on the 3d of March, the eggs in which had been incubated at least a week. If one nest is broken up, the pair immediately seek another and make a renewed attempt to raise a brood. They rarely go more than a mile from their usual abode, and then only for food. Mr. Street's observations have led him to conclude that they mate about February 20, and deposit their eggs from the 25th to the 28th. They cease to hoot in the vicinity of their nest from, the time of their mating until their young have left them in June. On the 19th of March, 1872, Mr. Street found two of their eggs containing young nearly ready to hatch." BUBON1IXE— THE OWLS. 421 Bubo virginianus subarcticus (Hoy). WESTERN HORNED OWL. Bubo subarcticus HOY, Proc. Phila. Acad. vi. 1852, 211 (Wisconsin). Bubo virginianus subarcticus RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 405a. Bubo virginianus var. arcticus (part) COUES, Key, 1872, 202; Check List, 1873, No. 317a. — B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874,60, 64. [Not Mrix (Bubo) arcticus Sw. & RICH.] Bubo virginianus c. arcticus COUES, B. N. W. 1874, 301 (excl. syn. pt.). Bubo virginianus var. pacificus (part) CASS. Illustr. 1854, 178; in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858,49. Bubo virginianus AUCT. (all citations from western United States, and western and central Mexico). HAS. Western United States, interior districts of British America, and table lands of Mexico. (Replaced in western Oregon and Washington Territory, and northern coast region of California, by the very dark-colored B. virginianus saturatus RIDGW.) SP. CHAE. Pattern of coloration precisely like that of var. virginianus, but the gen- eral aspect much lighter and more grayish, caused by a greater prevalence of the lighter tints, and contraction of dark pencilings. The ochraceous much lighter and less rufous. Face soiled white instead of deep dingy rufous. Male (No. 21,581, Camp Kootenay, Washington Territory, August 2, 1860) : Wing, 14.00; tail.S.GO; culmen, 1.10; tarsus, 2.00. Tail and primaries each with the dark bands, nine in number; legs and feet immaculate white. "Wing formula, 3, 2=4-5-1. Female (No. 10,5 4, FortTejon, California): Wing, 14.70; tail, 9.50; culmen, 1.10; tar- sus, 2.10; middle toe, 2.00. Tail and primaries each with seven dark bands; legs trans- versely barred with dusky. Wing formula, 3, 4, 2-5-1, 6. The above description covers the average characters of a light grayish race of the B. virginianus, which represents the other styles in the whole of the western and interior regions of the continent. Farther northward in the interior of the fur countries, the plumage becomes lighter still, some Arctic specimens being almost as white as the Snowy Owl. The paler-colored race of the Great Horned Owl, like other western and northern birds, sometimes strays to Illinois during its winter migrations. There is a specimen from Pelun, Tazewell Co., in the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Cambridge, Mass., which the writer had the opportunity of examining in 1872. Its habits are of course essentially, if not exactly, the same as those of the typical form. 422 BIKDS OF ILLINOIS. GENUS NYC TEA STEPHENS. Nyctea STEPHENS, Shaw's Gen. Zool. xiii, pt. ii, 1826, 63. Type, Strix ermenia SHAW,— S. scandiaca LINN. GEN. CHAB. Size very large, the head comparatively small, and without obvious ear- tufts. Loral feathers very long, almost concealing the bill, and hair-like feathers of the toes nearly hiding the claws. Lower tail-coverts extending quite to the tip of the tail. Color of adults pure white, relieved by more or less numerous bars of slate-color. The genus Nyctea is closely related to Bubo, and has been united with the latter as a subgenus. They seem to be sufficiently dis- tinct, however, as the following differential characters may serve to show: Bubo. Two to three outer quills with their inner webs emarginated. Ear- tufts well developed; loral feathers not hiding the bill, and the claws and terminal scutellae of the toes exposed. Lower tail-coverts not reaching the end of the tail. Nyctea. Four outer quills with their inner webs emarginated. Ear-tufts rudimen- tary; loral feathers hiding the bill, and claws and entire toes concealed by long hair-like feathers. Lower tail-coverts reaching to the end of the taiL Nyctea nyctea (Linn.) SNOWY OWL. Popular synonyms. Great White Owl; Snow Owl; Ermine OwL Strixnyctca LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 93.— WILS. Am. Orn. iv, 1812, 53, pi. 32, flg. 1.— Sw. & RICH. F.B.-A.ii,1831,88.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 116.— AUD. Orn.Biog. iv,1834,135; v, 1839, pi. 121. Surnia nyctea SELBY, 1833.— AUD. Synop. 1839,21; B. Am. i, 1840,113, pL 28. Strix scaxdiaca LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 132. Xyctea scandiaca NEWT. ed. Yarrell's Hist, Brit. B. ed. 4, iii. 1872, 187.— B. B. £ E. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 61 (var. scandiaca).— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 406.— COUES, B. N. W. 1874,309; 2d Check List, 1882, No. 479. Strix arctica BAETK. Trav. 1791, 2S9 (Pennsylvania). A'yctea scandiaca var. arctica B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 61,70. Strix nire.a THUNB. Sv. Sk. Handling, 1798, 84. Myctca nivra GBAY, 1844.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 63.— BAIBD. Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 61.— GOUES, Key, 1872. 275; Check List 1874, No. 325. . Sr. CHAB. Adult. Ground-color entirely snow-white, this marked with transverse bars of clear dusky, of varying amount in different individuals. Male (No. 12.059, Washington, D. C., December 4, 1858: C. Drexler): Across the top of the head, and interspersed over the wings and scapulars, are small transversely cordate spots of clear brownish black, these inclining to the form of regular transverse bars on the scapulars; there is but one on each feather. The secondaries have mottled bars of more dilute dusky; the primaries have spots of black at their ends; the tail has a single series of irregular dusky spots crossing it near the end. Abdomen, sides, and flanks with transverse crescentic bars of clear brownish black. Wing, 16.50; tail, 9.00; culmen, 1.00; tarsus, 1.90; middle toe. 1.30. Wing formula, 3,2=4-5,1. Female (No. 12,058, Washington, D. C., December 4, 1858): Head above and nape with each feather blackish centrally, producing a conspicuously spotted appearance. Rest of the plumage with regular, sharply denned transverse bars of clear brownish black ; BUBONHXE — THE OWLS. 423 those of the upper surface more creseentio, those on the lower tail-ooverts. narrower, and more distant. Tail crossed by five bands, composed of detached transverse spots. Only the face, foreneck. middle of the breast, and feet, are immaculate; everywhere else, excepting on the crissum, the dusky and white are in nearly eaual amount. Wing, 18.00; tail, 9.80; cnlmen, 1.10. Wing formula, 3=4, 2-1=5. Young (No. 36,434, Arctic America, Aagust, 1863; MacFarlane) : Only partially feathered. Wings and tail as in the adult female described, but the blackish bars rather broader. Down covering the head and body brownish or sooty slate, becoming paler on the legs. It is only at irregular intervals, and usually during very severe winters, that this arctic species becomes common in the United States. Such a winter was that of 1876-77, when the Snowy Owl was really abundant along the Atlantic seaboard, as far south as Washington at least, and probably much farther. GENUS STJRNIA DUMEKTL. Surnia DTJMERTL. Zool. Anal. 180G, 34. Type, Strix ulula LINU. GEN. CHAB. Size medium; form elongated, and general aspect hawk-like. No ear- tufts. Four outer quills with their inner webs sinuated, the third longest; tail nearly as long as the wing, graduated. Ear-conch small, simple, oval. Bill strong, yellow. Eyes small, the iris yellow. Tarsi and toes thickly covered with soft, dense feathers; tarsus shorter than the middle toe. Plumage much more compact and less downy, and remiges and reetrices stirfer and straighter, than in other owls. The single species of this genus belongs exclusively to the cold- temperate and arctic zones of the Northern Hemisphere, and is circumpolar. Though somewhat hawk-like in its appearance, it is nevertheless a true Owl, and possesses no affinities of structure with the Hawks, any more than other species of Strigidce. The two races of S. ulula may be distinguished as follows: COMMON CHAKACTEKS. Above dark vandyke-brown, the head above dotted with white, and the scapulars spotted with the same. Beneath transversely barred with vandyke-brown and white, the bars regular, continuous, and sharply denned. Head and neck with two lateral,, and one posterior median, stripes of brownish black, the space between them with white prevailing. Bill and iris yellow. Wing about 9.00 ; tail, 6.80-7.00. a. ulula. White spotting prevailing. Hob. Palaearotic Eegion; occasional in western Alaska. p. caparoch. Brown spotting prevailing. Ilab. Nearctio Region. 424 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Surnia ulula caparoch (Mull.) AMERICAN HAWK OWL. Popular synonyms. Hudsonian Hawk Owl, or Day Owl. Strix fitnen-a'Li-sy. S. N. ed. 12,1,1766,133 (part, but not of 1758).— Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. il, 1831,92.— NUTT. Man. i. 1832, 115.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1834, 350, pi. 378. Surnia fnnerea BP. 1838.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 21; B. Am. i, 1840,112, pi. 27.— Rroaw.Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 407.— COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 480. Strix caparoch P. ST. MULLEK, Suppl. S. N. 1779, 69. Surnia ulula caparoch STEJNEGEE, The Auk, 1884, 363. Strix hudxonia GMEL. S. N. i,pt. 1,1788. 295.— WILS. Am. Orn. vi, 1812, 64. pi. 50,flg. 6. Surnia ululavar. hudsonia COUES, Key, 1872, 305; Check List. 1874, No. 326; B. N. W. 1874, 311.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 75. Surnia nlula (LiNN.) CASS in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 64.— BATED, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 62. HAS. Northern North America, south in winter to northern border of United States (Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, northern Illinois, Massachusetts, etc) . SP. CHAE. Adult. Above rich dark vandyke-brown, darker anteriorly, less intense and more grayish on tail. A narrow streak of brownish black originating over the mid- dle of eye, and extending backward above the upper edge of the ear-coverts, where it forms an elbow passing downward in a broad stripe over the ends of the ear-coverts; confluent with this, at about the middle of the vertical stripe, is another of similar tint, which passes more broadly down the side of the nape; between the last stripes (those of opposite sides) is another or median one of less pure black, extending from the occi- put down the nape. Every feather of the forehead, crown, and occiput with a central ovate dot of white: those anterior more circular, on the occiput less numerous and more linear. Between the lateral and posterior nuchal stripes the white prevails, the brown forming irregular terminal and transverse or median spots; these grow more linear toward 1 he back. Interscapulars plain; posterior scapulars variegated with partially concealed large transverse spots of white, the lower feathers with nearly the whole outer webs white, their confluence causing a conspicuous elongated patch above the wing. Rump with sparse, irregular, but generally transverse, spots of white; upper tail- coverts with broader, more irregular bars of the same, these about equal to the brown in width. Lower feathers of the middle and secondary wing-coverts each with an ovoid spot of white on the outer web; secondaries crossed by about three transverse series of longitudinally ovoid white spots (situated on the edge of the feather), and very narrowly tipped with the same; primary coverts with one or two less continuous transverse series of spots, these found only on the outer feathers; primaries with about seven transverse series of white spots, these indistinct except on the five outer feathers, on which those anterior to the emargination are most conspicuous; all the primaries are very narrowly margined with white at the ends. Tail with seven or eight very narrow bands of white, those on the middle feathers purely so, becoming obsolete exteriorly; the last is terminal. Eyebrows, lores.and face grayish white, the grayish appearance caused by the blackish shafts of the feathers; that of the face continues (contracting considerably) across the lower part of the throat, separating a large space of dark brown, which covers nearly the whole throat, from an indistinct collar of the same extending across the jugulum— this collar uniting the lower ends of the auricular and cervical dusky bands, the space between which is nearly clear white. Ground-color of the lower parts white, but everywhere with numerous very regular transverse bars of deep brown, of a tint more reddish than the back, the brown bars rather more than half as wide as the white ones; across the upper part of the breast (beneath the dark gular collar) the white invades very much and reduces the brown, forming a broad lighter belt across the jugu- lum; below this the brown bars increase in width, their aggregation tending somewhat to a suffusion, giving the white jugular belt better definition. On the legs and toes the bars axe narrower, more distant, and less regular. BUJBONID.E — THE OWLS. 425 The whole lining of the wing is barred like the sides. The dark brown prevails on the under surface of the primaries, etc.; the former having transverse, irregular, ellipti- cal spots of white, these touching neither the shaft nor the edge; on the longest quill are seven of these spots; on all they are anterior to the emargination. Jlatfi (No. 49 908, Nulato, Alaska, April 21, 1867; W. H. Dall) : Wing formula, 3, 4-2,5-6-1. Wing.9.00; tail, 7. 00; culinen,.70; tarsus, (of another specimen; wanting in the present), .'JO; middle toe, .82. Female (No. 49,807, Nulato, April 20; W. H. Dall): Wing formula, 3, 4-2-5-6-7-1 . Wing, 9.00; tail, 6.80; culmen, .70; middle toe, .80. There is only one valid record known to me of the occurrence of this northern species in Illinois, viz., that by Mr. Nelson in his list of the birds of the northeastern portion of the State (Bull. Essex Inst. Vol. VIII. , 1876, p. 117), where its capture in Kane county, by Dr. J. W. Velie, the first of September, 1809, is noted. 426 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. SUBORDER FALCONES. — DIURNAL EAPTORES. FAMILY FALCONID.ZE. — FALCONS, KITES, HARRIERS, HAWKS, AND EAGLES. CHAB. Eyes directed laterally, and eyelids provided with lashes. Toes Invariably naked, and tarsus usually naked and scutellate (feathered only inAquila andArchibuteo). Outer toe not reversible (except in Pandion). Head never with ear-tufts, and never wholly naked (except in the Vulturince, of the Old World). The above characters are about the only readily observable points in the external anatomy in which the Falcones differ strikingly from the Singes and Sarcorhamphi, and may serve to distinguish the birds of this family from those of the two others. The osteo- logical characters, however, are more decided and important from a taxonomic point of view, and serve to separate the Diurnal Rap- tores as a well-defined suborder. The number of subfamilies into which the family is divisible is an open question. In North America, however, the following may be distinguished : A. Nasal bones almost completely ossified, the nostril being a small orifice, with a conspicuous central bony tubercle; its form nearly or quite circular, or (in Polyborus) linear and oblique, with its upper end the posterior one. Scapu- lar process of the coracoid produced forward so as to meet the clavicle. Inferior surface of the supramaxillary bone with a prominent median angular ridge. Superciliary process of the lachrymal consisting of a single piece. Falconina?.. B. Nasal bones very incompletely ossified, the nostril being a large, more or less oval, opening, of oblique direction, its lower end being invariably the pos- terior one; without bony tubercle, and never perfectly circular. Scfipular process of the coracoid not produced forward so as to meet the clavicle. Nasal bones incompletely ossified, the nostrils being very large, and without bony rim or tubercle. Inferior surface of the supramaxillary bone without a median ridge. Superciliary process of the lachrymal variable. a. Outer toe not reversible. Claws of unequal length, and not contracted in width on under surface. Plumage with aftershafts Accipitrince. &. Outer toe reversible. Claws all of equal length, and narrowed and rounded on their under surface. Plumage without aftershafts Pandlonince. FALCONID.E— DIURNAL RAPTORES. 427 I am not fully satisfied of the advisability of according Pandion the rank of a family but am rather inclined to look upon it as constituting a subfamily of a family Buteonida. The reversible toe and the peculiarly compact plumage, which are apparently its most marked characters, are certainly teleologicai modifications, fitting it perfectly for its piscatorial habits. In other characters, both anatomical and external, it exhibits numerous points of analogy, if not relationship, to the genera Elanoides and Elanus, and it seems to me should be placed at least as near to these forms as they are to any of the Buteonine genera. SUBFAMILY FALCONINJE. CHAE. (See page 426.) The Falconinse, as here recognized, include not only the true Falcons (Falconece), but also three other groups, each of which is peculiar to Middle and South America. They may be distinguished as follows : A. Posterior toe abbreviated, very much shorter than the lateral pair; tarsi and toes covered with small hexagonal scales, larger in front. a. Nostrils a small, round, or oblique opening, with a bony-rimmed margin and central tubercle. 1. Superior tomium with a conspicuous tooth, and inferior tomiuin with a corresponding notch. Superciliary process of the lachrymal elon- gated, narrow, reaching nearly across the orbit. Posterior margin of the sternum nearly even, with a pair of large oval foramina. One or two outer primaries with inner webs emarginated near their tips.. Falconece. 2. Tomia without tooth or notch. Superciliary process of the lachrym •! abbreviated, reaching only half-way across the orbit. Posterior mar- gin of the sternum with a pair of deep indentations. Three or more outer primaries sinuated near the middle portion Polyborea;. 6. Nostrils a large opening without bony-rimmed margin or central tubercle. 3. Superciliary process of the lachrymal elongated, broad, extending nearly across the orbit. Tomia without tooth or notch. Posterior margin of the sternum as in Falconece. Four or more outer primaries with inner webs sinuated near the middle portion Micrastureae. B. Posterior toe elongated, almost equal to the lateral pair. Tarsi and toes cov- ered uniformly with thick, rough, imbricated scales. 4. Tornia without tooth or notch. Nostrils as in Fa'coneceand PolyborecR. Superciliary process of the lachrymal elongated, very broad, reach- ing nearly across the orbit. Posterior margin of the sternum nearly even, entire, and without foramina. Primaries as in Polybon'ce and Micrasturece Htrpetotherew. 428 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Of the foregoing groups only two have representatives in North America; the Falconeae, with several members, and the Polyborece with a single tropical species coming just within our border. The Falconea are represented in North America by apparently a single genus, Falco, although it may ultimately prove necessary to raise one or more of the supposed subgeneric divisions to full generic rank. GENUS FALCO LINN^US. CHAR. Bill strong, its breadth at the base equal to or exceeding its length ; upper outline of the cere on a level with, or rather lower than, the base of the culmen; gonys very convex, the chord of the curve about half that of the culmen. Maxillary tomium with a very prominent "tooth," and mandibular tomium with a corresponding deep notch; the end of the mandible being truncated and the tip of the maxilla compressed ;md produced into a strongly hooked tip. Nostrils small, circular, and with a conspicuous central bony tubercle. Orbital region bare; projecting superciliary shield bare and conspicuous, though not very prominent. Tail shorter than the wing, more or less rounded, the feathers rather hard. Primaries very strong, elongated, never more than two having their inner webs emarginated, the enaargination angular and near the end of the quill. Tarsus never with a single continuous row of transverse scutellae. either in front or behind. Middle toe very long— never much shorter, and sometimes longer than the tarsus. The above diagnosis includes the essential characters of all the true Falcons, which apparently constitute a single genus, with, how- ever, a number of more or less strongly marked subgeneric divisions. "What are probably distinct genera of Falconince are Spizapteryx, KAUP (South America), and lerax VIGORS (Indian). The latter in- cludes the smallest of the Accipitres, some species being no larger than the European House Sparrow (Passer domesticus). The following groups of North American Falcons are pretty well characterized, and some of them (especially Tinnunculus) may be entitled to generic rank : A. Only the first primary with inner web emarginated. First or second quill longest, the first longer than the fourth. Sexes essentially alike in coloration, but young very different from adults. 1. Hierofalco. Tarsus longer than middle toe, and feathered far below the knee. First quill shorter than the third. Size large to largest of the family. 2. Khynchodon. Tarsus shorter than middle toe and scarcely feathered below tho knee. First quill equal to, or longer than, the third. Size large to medium. B. Two outer primaries with inner webs emarginated. Second or third quill longest, the first shorter than the fourth. o. Basal joint of toes without transverse seutellae. Tarsus about equal to the mid- dle toe. FALCONlb.'E— -DIURNAL RAPTORES. 3. .ffisalon. Size small (wing never more than 9 inches). Sexes very different in adult plumage, the young of both sexes resembling the adult female. 6. Basal joint of toes covered with transverse scutellfE. Tarsus longer than middle toe. 4. Tinnunculus. Size small (wing never more than 8 inches in the American species). Sexes very different at all ages, but not differing according to age.* Large transverse scutellse of feet interrupted at lower extremity of tarsus aii'l extreme base of toes. Tarsus much longer than middle toe. Bill small, the cere on the tup les* than one fourth the culrnen. 5. Rhynchofalco. Size medium (wing more than 9 inches). Sexes alike in color. and young not essentially different from adults. Large scutelUe of feet unin- terrupted at base of toes. Tarsus but little longer than middle toe. Bill very robust, the cere on top about one third the culmen. (Tropical, north to Texas.) SUBGENUS Hierofalco CUVIER. Hierofalco Cuv. Eeg. An. 1817, 312. Type, Falco candicans GMEL.,=J''.isZancZwsBKUNN. (Jennaia KAUP, Isis, 1847, 69. Type, Falco jugger GRAY. Synopsis of North American Species. . F. gyrfalco. Feathering of the tarsus extending around on to the posterior face, where the narrow naked strip is nearly or auite concealed. Male. Wing, 13.00-15.80; tail. 7.50-10.00. Female. Wing, 15.75-17.00; tail, 9.50-11.50. Colors extremely variable, the extremes being bluish or brownish gray barred or striped with dusky on tin- upper parts, and uniform dark sooty slate, with few or no light markings. F. mexicanus. Feathering of the tarsus confined almost wholly to the anterior face, the posterior face entirely naked. Male. Wing. 11.80-12.50; tail, G. 40-8.00. Fcmnii. Wing, 13.25-14.30; tail, 8.00-9.00. Adult male. Above light brown, barred anterior! v with pale fulvous and posteriorly with pale bluish gray; top of head grayish brown, streaked with dusky. Adult female. Above brown, without distinct bars, but feathers bordered with paler rusty brown. Young. Above brown, feathers distinctly margined with light rusty; beneath creamy white, the axillars and broken flank- patch dusky brown; chest, etc., streaked with dark brown. Falco mexicanus Schleg. PRAIEIE FALCON. Popular synonym. American Lanner Falcon. Falco mexicanus "LiCHT." SCHLEG. Abh. Geb. Zool. 1841, 15.— GOUES, Key, 1872,213; Check List, 1874, No. 342; 2d ed. 1882, No. 502. Falco polyagrus (part) CASS. Proc. Phil. Acad. vi. 1854, 450; Illustr. B. Gal. etc. 1853, 88, pi. 16 (light fig.) ; in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858. 12.— BATED, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 10. Falco lanarius var. polyagrus B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. J3. iii, 1874. 123. Hierofalco mezicanus polyagrus RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 412. HAS. Western United States and table-lands of Mexico; north to Washington Ter- ritory and Dakota, east to Illinois (prairie districts), Indian Territory, etc. * In the European Kestril (F. tinnunculus Linn.) and its Old World allies, the young male is said to resemble the adult female in coloration. 430 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. SP. CHAR. Adult male (No. 69,003. U. S. Nat. Mus., Wahsatch Mts.. Utah, May 23, 1868: L. E. Rieksecker). Above cinereous-drab, becoming gradually paler and more bluish posteriorly, barred, indistinctly, everywhere with a more dusky tint, the shafts of all the feathers blackish; anteriorly the darker shade predominates, while posteriorly the bluish prevails; on the anterior portions the light bars are much restricted in width, and of a more ochraceous tint. Tail plain, very pale, ashy drab, narrowly tipped with reddish white, this changing to pale rusty on the middle pair; the concealed portion of the feathers outside the shaft show obsolete or faint traces of darker bars, which on the middle pair are apparently about eleven in number. On the inner webs the paler bars become broader than the darker ones, and incline to ochraeeous in tint, the lateral feather being edged externally with this color. Primaries plain ashy drab, with a hoary tinge, growing insensibly darker terminally, and with a slightly paler apical margin. Head and neck above, dark umber-brown, with conspicuous shaft-streaks of black. Lores and broad superciliary stripe (somewhat interrupted above the eyes) white, finely and sparsely streaked, the two stripes confluent across the occiput; a broad heavy "mustache" from the lores and rictus downward and obliquely backwards, across the maxilla, and a wider posterior stripe, like the crown. Beneath continuous white, with a faint ochraceous tinge on the abdomen and crissum; abdomen and sides of the breast with a few scattered, small, ovate spots of vandyke-brown; sides transversely spotted with vandyke-brown, the spots coalesced into a broken patch on the flanks; outside of the tibia3 with transverse spots of the same. Axillars plain clear vandyke-brown, with a few nearly obsolete rusty specks near their ends; lining of the wing clear white, the feathers with central spaces of dusky brown, which toward the edge become aggregated into a longitudinal patch; inner webs of the primaries with broad transverse spots of white, which reach nearly to the shaft; they are about thirteen in number on the longest quill. Feet yellow; base of the bill tinged with the same. Wing, 12.00; tail, 7.50; tarsus, 1.90; middle toe, 1.70. Adult (?) female (No. 18,258, Fort Buchannan.New Mexico: Dr. Irwin): Above contin- uous umber-drab, growing gradually lighter posteriorly, the tail being pale drab; no transverse bars (except a few concealed ones on back and secondaries), but all the feathers faintly bordered with paler rusty brown, these edgings on upper tail-coverts almost white. Tail tipped with creamy white, and with many transverse spots or broad bars of the same on inner webs, outer feather irregularly skirted with the same, and all decidedly paler than the ground color along their edges. Head as in the male, but fore- head white, and superciliary stripe more continuous. Breast and abdomen with longi- tudinal lanceolate or cuneate streaks of dark vandyke-brown; patch of same on flanks, more continuous than in the male; axillars unvariegated clear dark Vandyke brown, longest primary with eleven transverse spots of white ; posterior outer face of tibiae with sagittate spots of dark brown. "Wing, 14.25; tail, 8.00; tarsus, 2.10; middle toe, 2.00. Young male (No. 32,207, South Fork of Platte, July 19, 1858: C. S. McCarthy): Above darker umber than the last, each feather distinctly bordered terminally with rusty ochra- ceous. Beneath with a deeper cream-colored tinge, streaks blacker; flank-patch more conspicuous and uniform; axillars unvariegated dusky. Wing, 13.25; tail. 7.25. Adult males. A specimen from Gilmer, Wyoming Territory, (No. 60,176, U. S. Nat. Mus. : H. E. Durkee), is very similar to the Wahsatch example described above, but being in more worn plumage the markings are not so well defined. The bars are entirely obsolete on the rump, where, however, the bluish ashy is relieved by very sharp black shaft-streaks; on the exposed sur- face of the closed tail, the tint is very pale brownish ash, and the bars are almost completely obliterated. The tints generally partake of a dull ashy character, with little brown. It measures, wing, FALCONID33 — DIURNAL RAFTORES. 4ol 11.80; tail, 7.50; culnien, .75; tarsus, 2.15; middle toe, 1.65. Cere, base of both mandibles, eyebrow, bare orbital region, tarsi and toes, clear yellow. Adult (?) females. A female obtained by Captain Bendire at Camp Harney, Oregon, measured, when fresh, 18.50 inches in length; wing, 13.25; tail, 8.00; weight 4 Ibs. 12 oz. "Base of bill and cere sky-blue ; 'tarsi and toes light greenish yellow." Young males. A young male obtained by me November 29, 1867, at Carson City, Nevada, measured as follows before being skinned : Total length, 17 inches; extent, 37.75; wing, 12.25; tail, 7.50; weight only 1£ Ibs. Bill, very fine bluish white, shading terminally into bluish slate, the point black; cere, rictus, and bare orbital region, greenish white; iris, vivid vandyke-brown ; tarsi and toes pale yel- lowish, with a tinge of verdigris-green. This fine falcon is a mere straggler to Illinois, having been ob- served on but few occasions. A specimen was obtained at Bock Island, by Mr. I. D. Sargent, of Philadelphia, and by him pre- sented to the Academy of Natural Sciences in that city, while it has been observed on two occasions by the writer, once near Mount Carmel and once in Lawrence county (near the town of Bridge- port), both during the month of September, 1871. SUBGENUS RhynchocLon NITZSCH. Rhynchodon NITZSCH, Pterylog. 1840, 7, 8. Type, Falco iieregrinus LATH. The essential characters of this subgenus having been given on page 4z8, there is no necessity, for their repetition here. There is but one species in North America, the circumpolar F. peregrinvs, or Peregrine Falcon. Falco peregrimis anatum (Bonap.) DUCK HAWK. Popular synonyms. American Peregrine; Great-footed Falcon; Black-capped Falcon. Falco peregrinus WILS. Am. Orn. ix, 1814, 120, pi. 76.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 53.— AUD. Orii. Biog. i, 1832, 85; v, 1839, 365, pi. 16; Synop. 1839. 16; B. Am. i, 1840, 84, pi. 20. Falco naevius GMEL. S. N. i, pt. i; 1788, 271. Falco peregrimis ncevius RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 414. Fa'co anatum BONAP. Comp. List, 1838, 4.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 7.— BAIKD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 5. Falco communis var. anatum EIDGW. in B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 128,132. Falco comrnunis c. anatum COUES. B. N. W. 1874. 341. 432 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Falco nigriceps CASS, Proe. Phil. Acad. vi, 1853; 450; Illust. B. Cat. etc. 1854,87; in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858 8; ed. I860. pi. 11.— BAIKD. Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 6. Falco communis "GMEL." COUES. Key, 1872, 213; Check List, 1874,No. 343. HAB. Whole of America. SP. CHAR. Adult male (No. 43,134, U. S. Nat. Mus., Fort Resolution, Brit. N. Am., June: J. Loekhart). Upper parts dark bluish plumbeous, approaching black anteriorly, but on rump and upper tail-coverts becoming bluish plumbeous ash. On the head and neck tbe continuous plumbeous black covers all the former except the chin and throat, and the back portion of the latter; an invasion or indentation of the white of lower parts up behind the ear- coverts separates the black of the cheeks from that of the neck, throwing the former into a prominent angular patch; forehead and lores grayish. All the feathers above (posterior to the nape) with transverse bars of plumbeous black, these most sharply defined posteriorly, where the plumbeous is lightest. Tail black, more plum- beous basally, very faintly paler at the tip, and showing ten or eleven transverse narrow bands of plumbeous, these most distinct anteriorly; the bars are clearest on inner webs. Alula, primary and secondary coverts, secondaries and primaries, uniform plumbeous black, narrowly whitish on terminal margin, most observable on secondaries and inner primaries. Lower parts white, tinged with delicate cream-color, this deepest on the abdomen; sides and tibiae tinged with bluish. Chin, throat and jugulum immaculate; the breast, however, with faint longitudinal shaft- streaks of black; sides, flanks and tibiae distinctly barred transversely with black, about four bars being on each feather; on the lower tail- coverts they are narrower and more distant; on the abdomen the mark- ings are in the form of circular spots; anal region barred transversely. Lining of the wing (including all the under coverts) white tinged with blue, and barred like the sides; under surface of primaries slaty, with elliptical spots or bars of creamy white on inner webs, twelve on the longest. Wing formula, 2-1-3. Wing, 12.25; tail, 6.00; tarsus, 1.60; middle toe, 1.85; outer, 1.40; inner, 1.20; posterior, .80; culmen, .80. Adult female (No. 13,077, Liberty Co.. Georgia: Professor J. L. Leconte): Like the male, but ochraceous tinge beneath deeper; no ashy wash; bands on the tail more sharply denned, about ten dark ones being indicated; outer surface of primaries and secondaries with bands apparent; tail distinctly tipped with ochraceous white. Inner web of longest primary with thirteen more reddish transverse spots. White of neck extending obliquely upward and forward toward the eye, giving the black cheek patch more prominence. Markings beneath as in the male. Wing formula the same. Wing, 14.50; tail, 7.00; tarsus, 1.95; middle toe, 2.10; culmen, .95. Young male (No. 53,193, Truckee Eiver, Nevada, July 24, 1867; R. Eidgway): Above plumbeous black, tail more slaty. Every feather broadly bordered terminally with dull cinnamon; these crescentic bars becoming gradually broader posteriorly, narrower and more obsolete on the head above. Tail distinctly tipped with pale cinnamon, the inner webs of feathers with indistinct transverse spots on the same, these touching neither the edge nor the shaft; scarcely apparent indications of corresponding spots on outer webs. Region round the eye, and broad "moustache" across the cheeks, pure black, the latter more conspicuous than in the older stages, being cut off posteriorly by the exten- sion of the cream-color of the neck nearly to the eye. A broad stripe of pale ochraceous running from above the ear-coverts back to the occiput, where the two stripes of oppo- site sides nearly meet. Lower parts purplish cream-color, or rosy ochraceous white, deepest posteriorly; jugulum, breast, sides, flanks, and tibiae with longitudinal stripes of plumbeous black, these broadest on flanks and abdomen, and somewhat sagittate on the tibiae; lower tail- coverts with distant transverse bars. Lining of the wing like the sides, but the markings more transverse; inner web of longest primary with nine trans- verse purplish ochre spots. Wing formula, 2-1-3. Wing, 12.50; tail, 7.00. Length, 16.50; expanse, 39.25. Weight, 1% Ibs. Basal half of the bill pale bluish white, cere rather darker; terminal half (rather abruptly) slate-color, the tip deepening into black; iris very dark vivid vandyke-brown; naked orbital space pale bluish white, with a slight greenish tint; tarsi and toes lemon-yellow, with a slight greenish cast; claws jet-black. FALCONID^I — DIURNAL RAPTORES. 483 It is extremely uncertain how many of the so-called "species" of Peregrine Falcon which pass current should he referred to F. peregrinus as geographical races, and it is equally doubtful how many of the latter should be recognized. I have yet to see a North American Peregrine which I could not distinguish readily from European examples, the chest being usually either immaculate or else very inconspicuously streaked in the American b.rd ; but European writers say that they have inspected American specimens which had the breast as distinctly streaked as those from Europe. It is possible, however, that their remarks are based upon specimens of F. pealei, which has the chest so heavily marked as to be sometimes even spotted, and which differs so much from typical peregrinus that it may eventually prove to be a distinct species, though I am inclined to regard it as one of several geographical races of a widely distributed parent stock, to which I would also refer F. cassini Sharpe, of the southern extremity of South Arneri.ca. In the adult plumage the principal variation is in the extent and disposition of the bars beneath. In most individuals they are reg- ularly transverse only laterally and posteriorly, those on the belly being somewhat broken into more irregular cordate spcts, though always transverse ; in no American specimen that I have seen, are they as continuously transverse as in a male (No. 18,804) from Europe, which, however, in this respect, may form an exception to most European examples. Very old males (as 49,790, Fort Yukon; 27,188, Moose Factory, (type of Elliott's figure of F. peregrinus, in Birds of America) ; and 42,997, Spanishtown, Jamaica) lack almost entirely the reddish tinge beneath, and have the posterior portions strongly tinged with blue. The fact that this noble bird breeds in hollow trees in various parts of the Mississippi Valley is a comparatively recent discovery, being first announced by Col. N. S. Goss in the "Nuttall Bulletin" for January, 1878. In the spring of 1878, the writer found several pairs nesting in sycamore trees in the neighborhood of Mt. Carmel. Three nests were found in the immediate vicinity of the town. All were placed in cavities in the top of very large sycamore trees, and were inaccessible. One of these trees was felled, however, and measurements with a tape-line showed the nest to have been eighty- —28 434 BIKES OF ILLINOIS. nine feet from the ground, its location being a shallow cavity, caused by the breaking off of the main limb, the upper part of which projected over sufficiently to form a protection from the sun and rain. SUBGENUS JEsalon KAUP. jfEsalon KAUP, Sk. Ent, Eur. Thierw. 1829, 40. Type Falco cesalon GMEL. The species of this subgenus may be distinguished by the follow- ing characters: COMMON CHAKACTERS. Adult males plumbeous blue above, the feathers with dusky shafts; tail more or less banded with black, and tipped with whitish. Beneath whitish, buffy, or light rusty, striped with brownish. Adult females. Above brownish, with darker shaft-streaks. Tail usually with five to eight, more or less distinct, lighter bands (all but the terminal one sometimes obsolete in F. suckleyi). Beneath whitish, buffy, or ochraceous, striped with dusky or brownish. Young (both sexes}. Similar to the adult female, but colors softer, more blended. A. Tail of adult male with six imperfect blackish bands, besides the subterminal broad black zone. Adult female and young with about eight light bands, including the ter- minal one. (F. regulus, of Europe and Northern Asia.) B. Tail of adult male with only three or four blackish bands, besides the broader sub- terminal one. Adult female and young never with more than six light bands, includ- ing the terminal one. 1. F. richardsoni. Adult male. Above pearl-blue or pale ashy blue, the crown more or less tinged with ochraceous. Tail crossed by five dark and six light bands, the latter more or less mixed or clouded with white; outer webs of pri- maries distinctly spotted with light bluish gray, the inner web of the longest with eight white spots. "Mustache" obsolete, or but very slightly indicated. Lower parts buff, or buffy white, the tibi;B and a nuchal collar more ochraceous. Breast, etc., rather broadly striped with brownish. Wing, 7.70-8. 60; tail, 5.00-6.00; culmen, .50-.60; tarsus. 1.42-1.55; middle toe, 1.20-1.30. Adult female. Above earthy brown, more or less distinctly marked with transverse spots of a lighter shade. Tail with six very distinct and perfectly continuous whitish bands; secondaries distinctly banded with ochraceous, and outer webs of primaries distinctly spotted with a lighter tint of the same. Beneath white or buffy, the breast, etc., broadly striped with light brown. Wing, 8.50-9.00; tail, 6.00-6.30; cul- men, .55-.5S; tarsus, 1.55-1.65; middle toe, 1.35-1.40; Young. Similar to the adult female, but more decidedly buffy below, the upper parts more or less tinged with rusty. 2. F. columbarius. Adult male. Above much darker plumbeous. Tail crossed by not more than four dark or five light bands (including terminal one). Adult jemale and young. Very variable in color, but tail never with more than four dark or five light bands, including the whitish tip. OC. columbarius. Adult female and young with distinct light spots on inner webs of primaries, and the light bands on the tail more or less distinct. Male: Wing, 7.20-7.90; tail, 4.90-5.50; culmen, .48-.50; tarsus, 1.30-1.40; middle toe,].15. Female: Wing, 8. 00-8.55; tail, 5.50-6.00; culmen, .55-.60; tarsus,1.55- 1.60; middle toe, 1.35-1.40. P. suckleyi. Adult female, and young, without distinct spots on inner webs of primaries, or light bands on tail (except the whitish tip), these markings being sometimes wholly obsolete. General color much darker, the lower parts even with dusky predominating. Male: Wing, 7.35-7.70 ; tail, 5 25-5. 60; culmen, .48-.50; tarsus, 1.30-1. 45; middle toe, 1.20. Female: Wing, 8.25-8.50; tail, 5.70-5.80; culmen. .55-.60; tarsus, 1.50-1.60; middle toe, 1.35-1.40. (Adult male unknown!) FALCONID-E — DIURNAL RAPTORES. 435 Falco cohimbarius (Linn.) PIGEON HAWK. Popular synonyms. American Merlin; Little Corporal (AUDUBON). Falco columlarius LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 90; cd. 12,i, 1766, 128.— WILS. Am. Orn. ii. 1810, 107,pl. 15, fig. 3.— AUD. Orn.Biog.i, 1831,466; B. Am. i, 1839,88, pi. 21; 8ynop. 1839, 16.— NUTT. Man. i, 1882, 60.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 9, (s. g. Hypotriorchis).— CoUES.Key. 1872, 214; Check List, 1874, No. 344; 2d ed. 1882. No. 505; B. N. W. 1874. 345. Eypotriorchis columbarius GEAT, 1844.— BAIBD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 7. ^Esalon columlarius KAUP, Contr. Orn. 1850,54.— RIDGW. Nona. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 417. Falco (jEsalori) lithofalco var. cohimbarius B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 143, 144. Falco temerarius AUD. Orn. Biog. i,1831, 381; B. Am. pis. 75,92. HAB. Whole of North America, migrating in winter over whole of Middle America and northern South America (as far as Ecuador and Venezuela), and throughout West Indies. SP. CHAR. Adult male. Above cinereous, varying in shade, but generally of a slaty bluish cast; each feather with a distinct shaft-streak of black, these lines most conspicu- ous on the head above. Tail with a very broad subterminal band of black, about one inch in width; there are indications of three other bands, their continuity and distinct- ness varying with the individual, but generally quite conspicuous, and each about half the width of the subterminal one; the latter is succeeded by a terminal one of white, about three sixteenths of an inch in width, sometimes broader; on the lateral feathers the black bands are always conspicuous, being in the torm of transverse oblong spots, crossing the shaft, but less extended on the outer web, which is often immaculate ex- cept at the end, the broad terminal band always extending to the edge of the feather. Primaries dusky black, margined terminally more or less distinctly with whitish (some- times fading on the edge only); on the inner web is a series of about eight transverse oval spots of white, and generally corresponding to these are indications of bluish ashy spots on the outer web. Beneath white, this purest on the throat, which is immaculate; there is generally a more or less strong tinge of fulvous beneath, this always prevalent on the tibiae, and on a distinct collar extending round the nape, interrupting the blue above; the tibiae frequently incline to ochraceous rufous. Lateral portions of the head with fine streaks of dusky, these thickest on the upper edge of the ear-coverts, leaving a distinct whitish superciliary streak, those of opposite sides meeting on the forehead. Breast, upper part of the abdomen, sides, and flanks, with longitudinal stripes of umber, each with a shaft-streak of black; on the flanks their shape is modified, here taking the form of spots running in chain-like series; tibia? with narrower and darker streaks; lower tail-coverts with narrow central streaks like those on the tibiae. Frequently there is a strong bluish shade on flanks and lower tail-coverts, sometimes replacing the brown of the spots on the former, and clouding in a similar form the latter. Length about, 11.00; extent, 23.75 ; wing, 7.20-7.90 ; tail, 4.90-5.50 ; culmen, .48-.50 ; tarsus, 1.30-1.40 ; middle toe, 1.15-1.25. Adult female. Pattern of coloration as in the male, but the colors different. The blue above replaced by dark umber-brown with a plumbeous cast, and showing more or less distinct darker shaft-lines; those on the head above very broad, giving a streaked appearance; white spots on inner webs of primaries more ochi-aceous than in the male. Tail dark plumbeous brown, shading into blackish toward end, with five rather narrow ochraceous or soiled white bars, the first of which is concealed by the upper coverts, the last terminal. White beneath less tinged with reddish than in the male, the tibiae not different from the other portions; markings beneath as in the male. Total length, about 12.50-13.25; extent, 20.50-22.00; wing, 8.00-8.55; tail, 5.50-6.00 ; culmen, .55-.60; tarsus, 1.55-1.60; middle toe, 1.35. Young. Above plumbeous brown, tinged with fulvous on head, and more or less washed with the same on the rump; frequently the feathers of the back, rump, scapu- 436 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. lars, and wings pass into a rusty tinge at the edge ; this color is, however, always preva- lent on the head, which is conspicuously streaked with dusky. Tail plumbeous dusky, darker terminally, with five regular light bars; those towards the base ashy, as they ap- proach the end becoming more ochraceous; these bars are more continuous and regular than in the adult female, and are seen conspicuously on the middle feathers. Primaries dusky, passing on edge (terminally) into lighter; spots on the inner webs broader than in the female, and pinkish ochre; outer webs with less conspicuous corresponding spots of the same. Beneath soft ochraceous, marked as in adult female, but stripes less sharply defined; tibiae not darker than abdomen. This little Falcon, like the Peregrine, is resident, locally, through- out the State, but is comparatively rare. Like its larger relative, it nests in cavities of large trees in the forest, but where suitable cliffs occur it also builds its nest among rocks. "This Hawk," says Dr. Brewer,* "is remarkable for its rapid flight and its courage and enterprise in attacking birds as large or even larger than itself, though generally it only preys upon smaller birds, such as Grakles, Bed-winged Blackbirds, Robins, and Pigeons." SUBGENUS Tinnimcultis VIEILLOT. Tinnunculus VIEILL. Ois. Am. Sept. 1, 1807, 39. Type Falco tinnunculus LINN. P&cilornis KAUP, Nat. Syst. 1828, 108. Type Falco sparverius LINN. Falco sparverius (Linn.) AMEEICAN SPAEROW HAWK. Popular synonyms. American Kestril; Little Rusty-crowned Falcon. Falco sparverius LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1~;>8, 90; ed. 12, i, 1766, 128.— WILS. Am. Orn. ii, 1810, 117, pi. 16. fig. 1 (male), pi. 23, fig. 2 (female).— Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 31, pi. 24. — AUD. B. Am. fol. ed. 1831. pi. 22; oct. ed. i, 1840, 90, pi. 22; Orn. Biog. ii, 1831, 246, pi. 14-'.— NUTT. Man, i, 1832, 58.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 13, (s. g. Tinnunculus). — COUES, Key, 1871,15; Check List, 1874,No. 346; 2d ed. 1882, No. 508; B. N. W. 1874,349. Falco (Tinnunculus) sparverius B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 169 (var. sparverius). Tinnunculus sparverius VIEILL. 1807.— BAIED, Cat. N. Am. B, 1859, No. 13.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 420. Falco isabellinus SWAINS. Anim. in Menag. 1879, 281 (Cayenne). Falco (Tinnunculus} sparverius var. isabellinus B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 107, 171. Tinnunculus sparverius isabellinus RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 420ct. Falco sparverius isabellinus COUES, 2d Check List. 1882, No. 509. SP. CHAK. Adult male (No. 12,025, Washington, D. C. : W. Wallace). Forehead, lateral and posterior regions of the crown, occiput, and wings, bluish ash. Crown, nape, scapulars interscapulars, rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail, fine cinnamon-rufous; scapulars and back barred with black, the bars broadest and most conspicuous posteriorly. Tail tipped •with white, and with a broad, sharply defined subterminal zone of black, about one inch in width; lateral feather, with outer web and terminal half of inner ashy white, the later with one or two distinct transverse spots of black anterior to the terminal one. Wing- * Hist. N. Am. B. iii, pp. 150, 151. FALCONID.E — DIURNAL RAPTOEES. 437 h coverts with more or less conspicuous cordate spots of black, rather sparsely distributed ; basal two thirds of secondaries, and whole of primaries, deep black,— the latter whitish around the terminal margin, and with nine transverse bands of white on inner web of longest (second), the white rather exceeding the black, the points of which do not reach the edge of the feather; lining of the wing white, with conspicuous cordate spots of black. Front and superciliary region more hoary than the forehead, almost approach- ing white. Whole lateral region of the head, with chin, throat, and lower parts, white; the neck, breast, and sides, however, with a deep tinge of ochraceous, the tint hardly approaching the depth of color seen on the nape. On the head there are (considering both sides) seven black spots,— the first originating in front of the bare anteorbital space (leaving the lores white), and extending in a stripe downward across the malar region, forming a conspicuous "mustache;" the second crosses the tips of the ear-coverts, in the form of an oblong transverse spot; the third is smaller, situated as far behind the last as this is posteriorto the "mustache," crossing the side of the neck. The last is an odd nuchal spot, separating the ash of the occiput from the rufous of the hind-neck. Breast and sides with circular or cordate spots of pure black, these varying in >-ize, but generally larger on the sides. Other lower parts immaculate. Wing formula, 2=3-4, 1. Wing, 7.10; tail, 4.50; tarsus, 1.32; middle toe, .98; culmen, .45. Adult female (No. 10,751, Fort Bridger, Utah: C. Drexler). Blue above confined to the head, which shows rufous patch as in the male; entire upper parts rufous, lighter and less purplish than in the male, everywhere barred with black. Tail with twelve sharply defined narrow bars of black, the subterminal broadest, and about Ithree eights of an inch in width. Longest primary with eleven transverse spaces of pale rufous, nearly twice as wide as the dusky ones, which scarcely touch the edge. Beneath yellowish white, paler than in the male; breast and sides with rusty longitudinal spots. Head as in the male. Wing, 7.60; tail, 5.20; tarsus, 1.50; middle toe, .90; bill, .50. Wing formula, 2=3-4-1. Young male (No. 5,581, Medicine Bow Creek, Nebraska, August 7, 1856: W. S. Wood.) Exactly like the adult male, but with rufous darker, approaching to chestnut; spots be- neath inclining to a tear- shaped form, and, though more numerous, not so well defined as in the adult; also rufescent tinge beneath more general; blue of the wings with scarcely any spots; white terminal band of tail tinged with rufous. Sometimes the two or three outer feathers are clouded with ash, and possess indication of bars, formed of irz-egular black spots. Young female (No. 40,520, Fort Kice, Dakota: S. M. Rothhammer). Generally like the adult, but with rufous above darker, approaching ferruginous; the bars everywhere broader, and purer black; rufous vertical patch streaked centrally with black; spots be- neath larger, darker, approaching reddish umber. VARIATIONS. While perhaps a majority of specimens of this species agree very nearly with those described above, there is nevertheless a very wide range of individual variation, in each plumage. Speci- mens from tlie eastern United States are apparently more variable in their markings than western examples, and this is true of any locality within that region. The extreme variation reached in this portion of the continent is that plumage upon which Swainson based his Falco isabellinus, which is characterized (1) by the uniform dark plumbeous pileum, the usual rufous crown-spot being absent or much reduced in size ; (2) by the whole breast and jugulum, in the adult male, being immaculate deep ochraceous or buff, the few spots, should any be present, confined to the sides. The females of this style are much darker colored than those in the normal 438 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. 4 plumage, and, like the males, usually lack the rufous crown-patch. The Sparrow Hawk is the American representative of the Kestril of Europe (Tinnunculus tinnunculus), a considerably larger but other- wise very similar bird. The common note is peculiar, consisting of a protracted, not unmusical chatter, difficult to describe, but when once heard always to be recognized afterward. Neglected fields with old dead trees are the favorite abode of the Sparrow Hawk, for the lofty naked branches are a convenient and commanding position from which to survey the surroundings, while the knot- holes or deserted excavations of the larger woodpeckers afford cosy and secure houses for their nests. Upon a lofty branch the Sparrow Hawk may be seen resting or patiently "waiting for something to turn up"; sitting quietly, in an upright position, sometimes for an hour or more. Should a thoughtless mouse steal incautiously from her nest for a ramble, the quick eye of its watchful enemy detects it. He first dives from his perch and flies directly over the object in view. Should the latter be quiet for a while, the hawk poises itself in mid-air, its fan-like tail widely expanded, and its head lowered, waiting for a favorable opportunity to descend upon its in- tended victim. But the mouse is usually rather restless, running first to one point, then, after a short halt, zigzagging off to another. The hawk, however, follows every movement, shooting rapidly off and hovering temporarily exactly to correspond with the movements of the unsuspecting mouse. When thus engaged it is sure to attract attention, and this characteristic of the species is doubtless familiar to sportsmen as well as to all people used to country scenes. When it alights, the Sparrow Hawk plunges upon the branch, closes its wing with a nervous snap, and tilts its expanded tail up and down, at the same time turning its head watchfully from side to side. Instances have been known where this hawk deposited its eggs in a deserted crow's nest ; but it is seldom that they expose them in this manner. There is usually no nest, but the eggs are laid upon the rubbish at the bottom of the hole. The eggs are generally five in number, but range from three to seven, the latter number, however, being but seldom found in one nest. In shape they are nearly spherical, but little difference in size and contour being observable in the two ends; their length ranges from 1.32 to 1.48 inches, the average being about 1.38; and in breadth they measure from 1.08 to 1.20 inches, with an average diameter of 1.13. The ground color of the eggs varies from white FALCONUXE — DIURNAL KAPTOKES. 439 to a rather deep buff or cream-color, which is relieved by a greater or less amount of brown and reddish spotting ; the spots are nearly always small, and usually rather scattered, but sometimes they are thickly sprinkled over the entire surface ; the markings are generally of several shades of rusty brown, but the tint vanes from umber to reddish chestnut. SUBFAMILY PANDIONTN^.— THE OSPEEYS. CHAR. Outer toe reversible. Claws very large and strongly curved, of equal length, their under side narrowed and rounded. Plumage without at tershaf ts. that of the thighs very close and compact, the feathers short. The above characters separate the Ospreys from all other diurnal Accipitres. (See page 426.) The subfamily includes a single genus, Pandion, which occurs throughout the temperate and tropical portions of the globe. GENUS PANDION SAVIGNY. Pandion SAVIGN. Desc. de 1' Egypte, 1809, 272. Type Falco haliaetus LINN. GEN. CHAR. Bill inflated, the cere depressed below the arched culmen; end of bill much developed, forming a strong, pendent hook. Anterior edge of nostril touching edge of cere. Whole of tarsus and toes (except terminal joint) covered with rough, somewhat imbricated, projecting scales. Outer toe versatile; all the claws of equal length. In their shape, also, they are peculiar; they contract in thickness to their lower side, where they are much narrower than on top, as well as perfectly smooth and-round- ed; the middle claw has the usual sharp lateral ridge, but it is not very distinct. All the toes perfectly free. Tibiae not plumed, but covered compactly with short feathers, these reaching down the front of the tarsus below the knee, and terminating in an angle. Pri- mary coverts hard, stiff, and acuminate, almost as much so as the quill themselves; third quill longest; first longer than fifth; second, third, and fourth sinuated on outer webs; outer three deeply emarginated, the fourth sinuated on inner webs. Pandion haliaetus carolinensis (Gmel.) AMERICAN OSPKEY. Popular synonyms. Fish Eagle; Fish Hawk. Falco carolinensis GMEL. S. N. i, 1788,263. Pandion carolinensis AUD. B. Am. 1831,pl. 81; Orn. Biog. 1, 1831, 415.— CASS. In Baird's B. N. Am. 1858. 44.— BAIRD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 44. Pandion haliaetus var. carolinensis RIDGW. 1870.— B. B. £ R. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 183, 184. Pandion haliaetus carolinensis RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 425. Pandion haliaetus AUD. B. Am. i, 1840, 64, pi. 15; Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 415,-CouES, Key, 1872. 219; Check List 1874, No, 360; 2d ed. 1882, No. 530; B. N. W. 1874, 367. HAB. Whole of North America, and south through West Indies and Middle America to northern Brazil, Trinidad, and Panama. Represented in the Palaearctic Region by the true P. haliaetus (Linn.), and in the Australian Region by P. haliaetus leucocephalus (Gould). SP. CHAR. Young male (No. 17,227, San Jose, Lower California, December 15, 1859, J. Xantus). Upper surface dark vandyke-brown, with a faint purplish cast; quills black. Every feather with a conspicuous sharply denned terminal crescent of pure white. Tail 440 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. brownish drab, narrowly tipped with white, and crossed with seven (one concealed) reg- ular bands of dusky; inner webs almost wholly white, the black bands sharply denned and continuous; shafts entirely white. Ground color of the head, neck, and entire lower parts pure white ; a broad stripe from the eye back across upper edge of the ear-coverls to the occiput brownish black; white head also sparsely streaked with blackish, these streaks suffusing and predominating medially; nape faintly tinged with ochraceous, and sparsely streaked. Breast with large cordate spots of brown, fainter ilian that of the back, a median spot on each feather, the shaft black; rest of lower parts immaculate. Lining of the wing white, strongly tinged with ochraceous; the brown of the outer surface en- croaching broadly over the edge. Under primary coverts with broad transverse spots or bars; under surface of primaries grayish white anterior to the emargination, irregu- larly mottled with grayish; axillars immaculate. Wing formula, 2=3, 4-1, 5. Wing, 20.00; tail, 8.80; culmen, 1.35; tarsus, 1.10-2.15; middle toe, 1.90; outer,1.75; inner, 1.40; posterior, 1.15; posterior outer and inner claws of equal length, each measuring 1.20 (chord); middle, 1.15. "Iris yellow; feet greenish yellow." Adult male. Similar, but upper parts uniform dusky brown, and the breast very slightly (often not at all) spotted. Adult female (No. 290, Carlisle, Pa., April 17, 1841, S. F. Baird). Similar to adult male but breast rather more spotted. Wing formula, 3, 2-4-1, 5. Wing, 20.50; tail, 9.15; culmen, 1.35; tarsus,2.15; middle toe, 1.70. The specimens described are those having the breast most dis- tinctly spotted. Many others have the breast immaculate, this being the rule in the American bird, especially the adult male. Specimens vary, in length of wing from 17.50 to 20.50. Contrary to the usual rule in this family, the male appears to exceed the female in size. Measurements. Sex. Wing. Tail. Culmen. Tarsiis. Middle toe. Specimens. Male 19.00-20.50 10.00-10.50 1.35 2.25-2.40 1.80-1.85 5 Female 18.75-19.00 8.80- 9.50 1.25-1.35 2.00-2.25 1.70-1.80 4 Second and third quills longest; first shorter or longer than fifth. The Fish Hawk is a common species on all the larger waters of the State. It is a summer resident, though in the southern por- tion individuals have occasionally been observed during mild winters. From History of North American Birds, Vol. III., pp. 188, 189, we quote the following respecting the habits of this species : "I can find no instance on record where our Fish Hawk has been known to molest any other bird or land animal, to feed on them, though their swiftness of flight, and their strength of wing and claws, would seem to render such attacks quite easy. On their arrival the Fish Hawks are said to combine, and to wage a deter- mined war upon the White-headed Eagles, often succeeding by their numbers and courage in driving them temporarily from their haunts. FALCONID.E — DIURNAL RAPTORES. 441 But they never attack them singly. The Fish Hawk nests almost invariably on the tops of trees, and this habit has been noticed in all parts of the country. It is not without exceptions, but these are quite rare. The trees on which their nests are built are not unfrequently killed by their excrement or the saline character of their food and the materials of their nest. The bird is bold and confiding, often constructing its nest near a frequented path, or even upon a highway. "The nests are usually composed externally of large sticks, often piled to the height of five feet, with a diameter of three. In a nest described by Wilson, he found, intermixed with a mass of sticks, corn-stalks, sea-weed, wet turf, mullein-stalks, etc., the whole lined with dry sea-grass (Zostera marina) and large enough to fill a cart and be no inconsiderable load for a horse. "They are very devoted in their attentions to their mates, and supply them with food while on the nest. "In some localities the Fish Hawk nests in large communities as many as three hundred pairs having been observed nesting on one small island. When a new nest is to be constructed, the whole community has been known to take part in its completion. They are remarkably tolerant towards smaller birds, and permit the Purple Grakle (Quiscalus purpureus) to construct its nests in the in- terstices of their own. Wilson observed no less than four of these nests thus clustered in a single Fish Hawk's nest, with a fifth on an adjoining branch." SUBFAMILY ACCIPITRIlyLZE.— THE KITES, HAWKS, AND EAGLES. GHAB. Outer toe not reversible, and claws graduated in size, with their under surface grooved, or at least not contracted; bill without distinct teeth in connection with a small circular nostril enclosing a distinct long tubercle. _Other characters extremely variable. The variations of form among the numerous members of this ex- tensive subfamily are so great that it becomes a difficult matter to diagnose it briefly. A fuller diagnosis may be found on page 426, which, taken in connection with the one given above, should enable the student to identify without difficulty a bird belonging to this subfamily. It is not claimed that the following arrangement is perfectly natural, since it is intended expressly as a convenient artificial analysis to facilitate identification of the North American genera. 442 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. A. Wing less than 18 inches; inner webs of not more than four or five outer quills dis- tinctly emarginated. a1. Lower half, or more, of tarsi naked. 61. Front of tarsi without transverse scutellae. 1. Elanoides. Tail excessively forked, the lateral rectrices more than twice as long as the middle pair. Claws grooved beneath. Tarsi covered with large, irregular scales. 2. Elanus. Tail double-rounded. Claws rounded on their under side. Tarsi covered with minute roundish scales. 62. Pront of tarsi with transverse scutellaa. c1. Tail emarginate, and bill greatly hooked or else distinctly notched and toothed. 3. Ictinia. Bill Falcon-like, with distinct, though not prominent, notch and teeth. Feet small and robust, the claws not unusually elongated. 4. Rostrhamus. Bill very slender and greatly hooked, entirely devoid of notch or tooth. Feet slender, the claws unusually lengthened. (Ex- tralimital; tropical.) c2. Tail truncate or rounded, or if emarginate the bill neither greatly hooked nor distinctly notched. d1. Form slender, the head proportionally small, the legs slender, claws very acute, and tail lengthened. Bill comparatively weak, com- pressed, high through the base, the culmen much ascending basally, and the cere decidedly arched. 6. Circus. Face surrounded by a "ruff" of stiffened, differently formed, feathers, as in the owls. Tarsus more than twice as long as the middle toe. Wing very long, outer four primaries with inner webs sinuated. 6. Accipiter, Face without ruff. Tarsus less than twice the length of the middle toe. Wing short, very concave beneath, the outer quill much bowed, the five outer with inner webs emarginated. cP. Form short and heavy, the head larger, tail shorter, and legs more robust, with claws less acute. Bill stronger, less compressed, lower through the base, the upper outline less ascending basally, and cere less arched. 7. Parabuteo. Form heavy, the wings and tail moderately long, and feet very robust; bill rather elongated, the conimissural lobe prominent, and the base of the culmen somewhat depressed. Fourth quill longest; outer five with inner webs cut. Lores naked, and almost destitute of bristles. (ExtralimitaL) 8. Onychotes. Outstretched feet reaching beyond end of tail; tibial plumes short, close, not reaching below the joint. Wing short, rounded, very concave beneath, the fourth quill longest; outer five with inner webs sinuated. Tail short, but little more than half tho wing, slightly rounded. Claws very long and extremely acute. (ExtralimitaL) 9. Asturina. Bill and feet as in Parabuteo; lores densely bristled; wing short, rounded, concave beneath, the third to fourth quills longest; outer four with their inner webs cut. 10. Buteo. Form of Parabuteo, but primaries longer and more pointed, the fourth usually longest, and the outer three or four with inner webs cut. Tail moderate, or rather short, nearly even, or slightly rounded. c2. Tarsus densely feathered to the base of the toes. 11. Archibuteo. Feathering of the tarsus interrupted behind byabare strip along the full length. Nostril broadly oval, obliquely horizontal; bill weak, the upper outline of the cere much ascending basally. Feathers of the nape normal, blended. Third to fourth quills longest; outer four or live with inner webs cut. FALCONID.E — DIUKNAL RAPTORES. 443 B. Wing more than 20 inches ; inner webs of outer six primaries distinctly emarginated. a1. Tarsus densely feathered, all round, to the base of the toes. 12. Aquila. Nostril narrowly oval, obliquely vertical. A very distinct web between middle and outer toes. Feathers of the nape distinctly lanceo- late. a*. Tarsus with lower part naked. I1. Tail short, much less than two thirds the pointed wing; feet moderately robust, with upper half of tarsus feathered in front. Head crestless ; feathers of neck all round, distinctly lanceolate. No distinct web between middle and outer toes 13. Halieeetus. Tail rounded, of 12 rectrices. Upper outline of cere nearly straight; nostrils with lower end rounded, opening rather abruptly in- ward. 14. Thalassoaetus. Tail cuneate, of 14 rectrices. Upper outline of cere much arched; nostrils with lower end pointed and beveled gradually to the level of the cere. (Extralimital; Kamtschatkan— and Aleutian?) fc2. Tail long, truncated, two thirds or more the very broad, rounded wing. Feet enormously robust, with nearly the whole tarsus naked. Head with a broad erectile crest of lengthened broad and rounded feathers; feathers of neck all round, broad and rounded. A moderately developed web between middle and outer toes. 15. Thrasaetus. Secondaries greatly developed, both in length and breadth, reaching to the end of primaries; fifth to seventh quills longest, the outer seven with inner webs shallowly sinuated. Claws enormously large and powerful, but rather obtuse, the inner and posterior ones equal to their digits in length. (Extralimital; tropical.) GENUS ELANOIDES VIEILLOT. Elanoides YIEILLOT, Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xxiv, 1818, 101. Type, Falco forflcatus LINN. Nauclerus AUCT. nee VIGORS, 1825. CHAE. General external characters. Bill rather small and narrow, intermediate be- tween that of Pandion and Elanus; compressed anteriorly, and very broad at the base ; the terminal hook well produced, the tomia very regular; cere ascending; nostril broadly oval, oblique; gonys nearly straight; tomium of the lower mandible very con- vex. Lores densely feathered, the feathers bristle-like. Feet robust; tarsus a little longer than the middle toe, covered with large, irregular, hexagonal scales; toes with transverse scutellae nearly to the base; claws short, strong, abruptly flattened boneatli. the edges very sharp, the middle claw bent laterally, the inner side very convex, the pro- jecting edge sharp and entire. No web between the toes. Primaries and rectrices ex- cessively elongated and narrow, the former more than twice the length of the second- aries. Outer tail-feathers about equal to the primaries, and more than twice as long as the middle pair. Osteological characters* Cranium very similar in contour and proportions to that of Pandion, but presenting important modifications in minor details. Superciliary process of the lachrymal distinct from the frontal, which is completely anchylosed with the nasal; inner convoluted edge of the palatines scarcely produced downward; nasal septum completely ossified; pterygoid bone narrow, and of a uniform width throughout its length. Sternum similar to that of Pandion, having, like it, a pair of indentations on the posterior margin, and destitute of foramina; the clavicle, coracoids, and scapula arc also very similar. Anatomical characters. "Palate flat with two longitudinal ridges; upper mandible with a tuberculate median ridge, lower deeply concave; posterior aperture of the nares oblongolinear, with the edges papillate. Tongue somewhat decurved, emarginate, and finely papillate at the base, flat above, its tip narrow and acutely emarginate. (Esopha- , * Of this genus we have seen only the skull and sternum. 444 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. gus of nearly uniform width, being destitute of crop, and thus resembling that of the owls; its walls extremely thin; stomach very large, round, slightly compressed, its mus- cular coat very thin, and composed of a single series of fasciculi. Intestine short and rather wide; pylorus with three knobs, duodenum forming a loop in the usual manner; no ca3ca; rectum short, with a large globular dilatation."— MACGILLIVRAY. Pterylographical cliaraoters . "Inner branch on the jugular part distinct but short; « niter branch entirely free. Dorsal portion of the spinal tract usually long."* (NrrzscH.)_ Contour-feathers with aftershat'ts. Lumbar tract present. Eemiges, 23. Apparently more nearly related to Pernis, Leptodon, Regerhinus, and allied forms than to any other genera, the genus Elanoides yet stands isolated from these by the absence of many characters com- mon to them, and by the possession of features peculiarly its own. In general external form, it approaches quite nearly the genus Mil- i- us, but when compared closely, the two are found to possess no real affinities of structure. The same is true of its relationship to X ancients riocouri, usually placed in the same genus, but which is more intimately related to Ictinia, Elanus, and their affines. The genus contains but a single species, the E. forficatus, which is peculiar to America, belonging to the tropical and subtropical portions on both sides of the equator. The species is noted for the elegance of its form and the beauty of its plumage, as well as for the unsurpassed easy gracefulness of its flight. Elanoides forncatus (Linn.) SWALLOW-TAILED KITE. Popular synonyms. Swallow-tailed Hawk; Fish-tail Hawk; Snake Hawk; Fork-tail Snake Hawk; Mackerel- tail Hawk; White-headed Swallow Kite. Falco forficatus LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 89. Nauclerus forficalus RIDGW. 1870,— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 192,-CouES, B. N. W. 1874,332. Elanoides forficatus CouEs.Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil. 1875,345; 2d Check List, 1882. No. 493.— KIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 426. Falco furcatus LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 129.— WILS. Am. Orn. vi, 1812, 70, pi. 51,flgs. 1,3.— AUD. B. Am. fol. ed. 1831, pi. 72; Orn. Biog. i. 1830 368; v,1839, 371. Naucierus furcatus VIG. 1835.— AUD. B. Am. i, 1840, 78, pi. 18; Synop. 1839, 14.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858,36.-BAiKD,Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 34.-CouES, Key, 1872,211; Check List, 1874, No. 337. H AB . Whole of tropical and subtropical America, except West Indies ; north, casually to Massachusetts and Michigan, more regularly to Maryland, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, etc. Much more numerous in the Mississippi Valley than east of the Alleghanies. SP. CHAR. Wing, 15.40-17.70; tail, 12.50-14.50; culmen, .70-. 81); tarsus, 1.00-1.30; middle toe, 1.00-1.20. Head, neck, entire lower parts (including lining of the wing and basal half of the secondaries underneath), and band across the rump pure white. Back, * NITZSCH gives the above characters of a group in which he includes Milvus regalis, .¥. ater, and Elanoides forficatus. FALCONID.E— DIURNAL RAPTORKS. 44") wing, and tail plain polished blackish, with varying reflections; tertials white, witli blackish tips. Adult. The white of the head and neck immaculate; back, scapulars ami lesser wing-coverts with a soft reflection of dark purplish bronze, the other black por- tions with a glaucous or chalky cast, with a green reflection in certain lights. Young. Feathers of the head and neck with dusky shaft-streaks; the black above less glossy, more brownish, a bottle-green reflection replacing the soft purplish bronze on the bark and shoulders; remiges, rectrices, and primary coverts with a narrow terminal border of white. There is little variation in the coloration of this beautiful species, the only one presenting differences particularly noticeable being No. 56,099 (said to be from England), in which the black in its entire extent is nearly uniform, and glossed with a uniform violaceous slate. This appearance, however, is probably caused by the greater age of the feathers. The fresh colors of an adult male, shot at Mt. Carmel, Illinois, August 1, 1870, were as follows: "Bill deep black, the basal half of the lower mandible, the basal portion of the upper beneath the cere, the cere, rictus, and naked eyelids, plumbeous blue; feet similar but paler; claws grayish brown: iris very dark brown; interior of the mouth bright cobalt- blue." (No. 84,480, male, Mt. Carmel. 111., Aug. 1,1870. Length ,22. 75; extent, 50. 80.) In former years common throughout the State, and in some por- tions even at times abundant, this, the most graceful of all the birds of prey, is becoming scarcer every year. In the northeastern portion of the State it was once common, according to Mr. Kenni- cott, but at the time he wrote* (1854) it had become rare; while in 1876, Mr. Nelson sayst that he can testify to its scarcity, "only two or three instances of its occurrence within the last twenty years having been ascertained." It feeds with the greatest ease while flying, the food being held in the feet, which are reached gently forward at the same moment the bird's head is lowered to tear a mouthful from the object that is being eaten. GENUS ELANUS SAVIGNY. El amis SAVIGN. Desc. de 1'Egypte, 1809, 284. Type Falco me7.,=F. cceruleus DESF. GEN. CHAK. Bill rather small, very wide basally, much eoniprossnl ;mtorii>rly, tho tip well produced; lower mandible declinate, obliquely truncated, its tomium greatly arched; superior tomium somewhat "bulged" laterally, and slightly sinuated; gonys straight, or very slightly convex. Nostrils roundish, or oval and horizontal, in middle * Illinois Agricultural Report. 1853-54. t Bull. Essex Inst,, viii, 1876, p. 118. 44f> filRDS OP ILLINOIS. of the cere. Feet small, but very robust; tarsus about equal to middle toe ; outer toe shorter than the inner, and about equal to the hallux; web between outer and middle toe just apparent; claws small, but sharp, and well curved, the under surface rounded and just perceptibly flattened; middle claw with the sharp protecting lateral ridge very prominent. Tarsus and toes (except terminal joint of the latter) covered uniformly with minute roundish scales. Wing long; second to third auill longest; first intermediate between second and fourth. First quill with inner web emarginated, near the end; second, sinuated. Tail double-rounded, more than one half the wing. Elamis leucurus (Vieill.) WHITE-TAILED KITE. Popular synonym. Black-shouldered Kite. Hlih"us leucurus VIEILL. Nouv. Diet, xx, 1818. 556. Elanus leucurus BP. 1838.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 36.— BAIRD, Cat. N, Am. B. 1859, No. 35,-CouEs, Key, 1882,211; Check List, 1874, No. C7.-B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874,197,198. Falco dispar TEMM. PI. Col. i. 1825, pi. 319 (=juv.).— AUD. B. Am. 1838, pis. 351, 352; Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, 367. Elanus dispar Cuv. Keg. An. ed. 18:29, i, 334.— NUTT. Man. 1833, 93.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 13; B. Am. i, 1840, 70, pi. 16. Elanus glaucus "(BAKTR.)" COUES, Proc. Phil. Acad. (ex Falco glaucus BAETK. Travels, 1791. 2901; 2d Check List, 1882, No. 492.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 427. HAB. The whole of continental tropical and subtropical America; south to Paraguay, Argentine Republic, and Chili, north to southern United States (Texas to Florida and South Carolina), Indian Territory, New Mexico, and California; occasional (breeding?) in extreme southern portion of Illinois. SP. CHAK. Adult. Upper surface, including occiput, nape, interscapulars, scapu- lars, rump, upper tail-coverts, and wings (except lesser and middle coverts), soft, deli- cate, rather light bluish cinereous, becoming gradually white on the anterior portion of the head, above. Best of the head, with the tail, lining of the wing, and entire lower parts, pure white, sometimes with a very faint tinge of pale pearl-blue, laterally beneath; two middle tail-feathers ashy, but much lighter than therurnp; shafts of tail-feathers black, except toward ends. Bristly loral feathers (forming ante-orbital spot, extending narrowly above the eye), a very large patch on the shoulder, covering lesser and middle Aving-coverts, and large quadrate spot on under side of wing (on first row of primary coverts), deep black. Under side of primaries deep cinereous (darker than outer surface) : under surface of secondaries nearly white. Second quill longest; third scarcely shorter (sometimes equal, or even longest); first longer than, or equal to the fourth. Tail slightly emarginated, the longest feather (next to outer) being about .50 longer than the middle, and .60 (or more) longer than the lateral, which is shortest. J/a'e. Wing, 11. 80-12. 50; tail, 7. 30-7. 60; culmen, .66-.80; tarsus, 1.30-1.50; middle toe, 1.00- 1.15 (eight specimens). Female. Wing.ll. 60-12. 75; tail,7. 20-7. 80; culmen, .70-.72; tarsus, 1.25-1. 40; middle toe. 1.10-1.20 (eight specimens). Specimens not perfectly adult have the primary coverts, second- aries, and inner primaries, slightly tipped with white. Still younger individuals have these white tips broader, the tail more ashy, and the upper parts with numerous feathers of dull brown, tipped narrowly with white; the breast with sparse longitud- inal touches of brownish. FALCONIDJE —DIURNAL RAPTORES. 447 Young female (No. 48,826, Santiago, Chili, May,1866: Dr. Philippi). Occiput and nape thickly marked with broad streaks of dusky, tinged with rusty; scapulars umber-brown, tipped with rusty; all the feathers of the wings narrowly tipped with white; tail-feathers with a subterminal irregular bar of dark ashy ; breast tinged with rufous, and with badly defined cuneate spots of deeper rusty. Wing, 12.25; tail. 7.50. An adult female, obtained at San Francisco, California, Febru- ary 11, 1868, had the "bill black, eyes orange-red, tarsi and toes yellow." Total length 16£ inches, extent 42 inches. As to the occurrence of this species in Illinois, we have little infor- mation, the only record being that of the writer's previous lists, based on a pair observed near the river at Mt. Carmel during the summer of 1863 or 1864. It is very likely of not uncommon occur- rence during summer in suitable places in the extreme southern counties of the State. GENUS ICTINTA VIEILLOT. Ictinia VIETLL. Analyse, 181C, 24. Type, Falco mississippiensis WILS. Nertus BOIE, Isis, 1828, 314. Type, Falco phimbeus GMEL. • GEN. CHAR. Form falcon-like; the neck short, shoulders broad, wings long and pointed, the rectrices strong and stiff, claws strongly curved and acute, and general or- ganization i-obust. Bill short and deep, "bulged" laterally, the terminal hook abruptly compressed; toinia irregularly toothed and notched; gonys very convex, ascending ter- minally. Cere narrow; nostril very small, roundish. Feet small but robust, the tarsus about equal to the middle toe; outer toe decidedly longer than the inner, which is equal to the hallux; web between it and the middle toe well developed; tarsus with a distinct frontal series of broad transverse scutellse; claws short, but strongly curved, very sharp, grooved beneath. Third quill longest; first of variable proportion with the rest; outer two with inrifer webs sinuated. Tail a little more than half the wing, emarginated, or nearly even, the feathers broad, with nearly truncated, though rounded, ends. Structurally, Ictinia seems to be most nearly related to Harpagu-s, a tropical American genus, which, however, differs much in gen- eral appearance, being of decidedly hawk-like aspect. The struc- tural differences between the two genera may be tabulated as fol- lows : Ictinia. Tomial tooth simple. Tarsus nearly equal to, or but little longer than, the middle toe; posterior toe equal to the outer. Wing very long, reaching to or beyond end of the tail, the primaries greatly developed, almost twice the length of the second- aries. Tail about one half the wing, even, or slightly emarginated. Harpagus. Tomial tooth double. Tarsus about one and a half times the middle toe; posterior toe decidedly shorter than the outer. Wing short reaching only to about the middle of the tail, the primaries only moderately developed, less than one and a half times the secondaries. Tail nearly equal to wiug, slightly rounded. 448 BIRDS OP ILLINOIS. Ictinia mississippiensis (Wils.) MISSISSIPPI KITE. Popular synonyms. Blue Kite; Blue Snake Hawk. Falco mississippiensis WILS. Am. Orn. iii, 1811, 80, pi. 25, fig. 1. Ictinia mississippiensis BP. 1850.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 37.— BATED, B. N. Am. 1859, No. 36,-CouES, Key, 1872, 211; Check List, 1874, No. 335. Fa'co phtmbeus "GMEL." AUD. B. Am. 1834. pi. 117; Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 108; v, 1839,374 (nee GMEL.). Ictinia plumbea NUTT. Man. i,1833, 92 (nee VIEIJVL.)— AUD. Synop. 1830. 14; B. Am. i, 1840, 73, pi. 17. Ictinia subccKrulea "(BAETE.)" COUES, Proc. Phil. Acad. (ex Falco subcceruleus BABTI:. Trav. 1791,290); 2d Check List, 1882, No. 491.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 428. HAB. More southern eastern United States; north, regularly, to South Carolina, and southern Illinois, more rarely to Iowa and Wisconsin, and casually to Pennsylvania; south through eastern Mexico and Guatemala. SP. CHAE. Adult male (No. 84,483, Fox Prairie, Richland Co., 111., August 19, 1871). Head, neck, secondaries, and entire lower parts plumbeous ash, becoming, by a gradual transition, lighter on the head and secondaries, where the shade is pale cinereous; the head anteriorly, and the tips of the secondaries being silvery white. Lores and eyelids black. Rest of the plumage dark plumbeous, approaching plumbeous black on the lesser wing-coverts, primaries and upper tail-coverts, the tail being nearly pure black. Pri- maries with an indistinct narrow concealed stripe of chestnut-rufous on the outer webs, and larger spots of the same on the inner webs; feathers of the head, neck, and lower parts abruptly pure white beneath the surface, this showing in partly exposed spots on the pectoral region and crissum. Scapulars also with large concealed white spots. Shafts of primaries and tail-feathers black on both sides. Wing formula, 3, 2-4-5-6,1. First primary angularly, the second concavely, emarginated. Tail emarginated, lateral feather longest; depth of fork, .40. Wing, 11.75; tail, 6.80; culmen, .63; tarsus, 1.20; middle toe, 1.15. Adult female. (Fox Prairie, Richland Co.. III., August 19, 1871). Similar to the male, but head and secondaries decidedly darker, hardly approaching light ash; scarcely any trace of rufous on the primaries, none at all on outer webs; shafts of tail-feathers white on under side. Wing, 11. SO; tail, 7.25. Bill, cere, eyelids, and interior of mouth, deep black; iris deep lake-red; rictus orange-red; tarsi and toes pinkish orange-red, lower part of tarsus and large scutelhe of toes dusky. (Notes from fresh specimens, the ones above described.) Immature male (transition plumage;No. 84,484, FoxPrairie, Richland Co., 111.. August 21, 1871). Similar to the adult female, but the white spots on basal portion of pectoral and crissal feathers distinctly exposed; secondaries not lighter than rest of the wing. Tail-feathers with angular white spots extending quite across the inner webs, producing three distinct transverse bands when viewed from below. Inner web of outer primary mostly white anterior to the emargination. Wing, 10.50; tail, 6.25. Color of bill, etc., as in the adult, but interior of mouth whitish, and the iris less pure carmine. Immature frmaie (Coll. Philadelphia Academy, Red Fork of the Arkansas, 1850; Dr. Woodhouse). Similar to the last. Wing, 11.10; tail, 6.31. Y n a ng. female (first plumage; Coll. Philadelphia Academy, North Fork Canadian River, September 19,1851: Dr. Woodhouse). Head, neck, and lower parts white, with a yellowish tinge; the most perceptible on the tibiae. Each feather with a median longitudinal ovate spot of blackish brown, more reddish on the lower parts. The chin, throat, and a broad superciliary stripe, are immaculate white. Lower tail-coverts each with a median acu- minate spot of rusty, the shaft black. Upper parts brownish black; wing- coverts, scapu- lars, and interscapulars, feathers of the rump, and the upper tail-cover, narrowly FALCONIDJS — DIURNAL RAPTORES. 449 bordered with ochraceous white, and with concealed quadrate spots of the same; pri- mary coverts, secondaries, and primaries sharply bordered terminally with pure white. Tail black (faintly whitish at tip), with three (exposed) indistinct bands of a more slaty tint; this changing to white on the inner webs, in the form of angular spots forming the bands. Lining of the wing pale ochraceous, transversely spotted with rusty rufous; under primary coverts with transverse sp*ots of white. Wing, 11.90; tail, G. 40. Six adult males measured as follows: Wing, 10.16-11.85; tail, 6.00-8.80; culmen, .60-.65 ; tarsus, 1.35-1.55; middle toe, 1.00-1.10. Five adult females: Wing, 11.30-12.30; tail, 6.50-8.00; culmen, .60-.65; tarsus, 1.30-1.40; middle toe, 1.00-1.05. This neat and spirited falcon-like Kite is not an uncommon bird in some localities of the southern portion of the State. It is fre- quently an associate of the Swallow-tail, which it rivals in the gracefulness of its flight and even excels in swiftness. In August, 1871, it was very plentiful on Fox Prairie. It was usually observed sa.Lng about, far above the Swallow-tails, but now and then half closing the wings and pitching nearly straight downward With the velocity of an arrow, as if to strjke the earth; but by a sudden ex- tension of the wings instantly checking its rapid descent and re- mounting, by a steep angle, almost to the height from which it had started, the whole of the downward and upward courses un- accompanied by a single motion of the wings. This performance was sufficiently startling when done by a single bird ; but when several plunged headlong simultaneously, their tracks crossing one another at various angles, the effect was impressive to an extreme degree. Regarding his experience, in the vicinity of Cairo, Mr. Nelson writes as follows (Bull. Essex Inst., IX., 1877, p. 58) : "Their power of sight is truly wonderful. I saw them repeatedly dart with unerring aim upon some luckless grasshopper, from an elevation of at least one hundred yards. "No less remarkable in their power of flight. I repeatedly saw them dart down from a great height with such a velocity that it would seem an impossibility for them to escape being dashed to pieces on the ground, but instead, when within a few feet of the earth, they would suddenly spread their wings and the reaction would lift them with almost equal rapidity to about one half their former elevation. They were so shy that it was impossible to get within gunshot of them." Audubon regards this species as remarkable for its devotion to its young, and narrates that in one instance he saw the female bird lift up and attempt to carry out of his reach one of her fledglings. She carried it in her claws a distance of thirty-five yards or more. -29 460 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. He also describes their flight as graceful, vigorous, and protracted. It feeds on the wing with great ease and dexterity. It rarely, if ever, alights on the earth; and, when wounded, its movements on the ground are very awkward. It is never known to attack birds or quadrupeds of any kind, though it will pursue and annoy foxes and crows, and drive them to seek shelter from its attacks. The Mississippi Kite is said to be by no means a shy bird, and may be easily approached when alight, yet it usually perches so high that it is not always easy to shoot it. (BREWER.) GENUS CIRCUS LACEPEDE. Circus LACEPEDE, Mem. de 1'Inst. iii, 1806, 506. Type Falco cyaneus LINN. GEN. CHAE. Form very slender, the wings and tail very long, the head small, bll! weak, and feet slender. Face surrounded by a ruff of stiff, eompaet feathers, as in tho Owls. Claws strongly curved, very acute. Wings very long, the third or fourth quills longest; first shorter than the sixth; outer three to five with inner webs sinuated. Tail very long, about two thirds the wing; rounded. The relationships of this well-marked genus are to Accipiter on the one hand, and Elanus on the other ; nearest the former, though it is not very intimately allied to either. The species are quite numerous, numbering about twenty, of which only three are American. North America possesses but one (C. hudsonius, Linn.), and this with the C. cinereus, Vieill., of South America, is closely related structurally to C. cyaneus of Europe, but is sufficiently distinct. The birds of this genus frequent open, generally marshy, locali- ties, where they course over the meadows, moors, or marshes, with a steady, gliding flight, seldom flapping, in pursuit of their food, which consists mainly of mice, small birds, and reptiles. Then- assault upon their prey is sudden and determined, like the "Swift Hawks," or the species of Accipiter. Circus hudsonius (Linn.) MARSH HAWK. Ponular synonyms. American Harrier; King-tailed Harrier. Falco hudsonius LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 128. Circus hudsonius VIEILL. 1807.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 38.— BATED, Cat. N. Am. i B. 1S59.NO. 38.-EmGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 430. Circus cyaneus hudsonius SCHLEG. Mus. P.-B. Gird, 1862, 2,— CouES.2dCheckList, 1882, No. 489. FALCONIDJE — DIURNAL RAPTORES. 451 Circus cyaneus var. hudsonius COUES, Key, 1872, 210; Check List, 1874, No. 333; B. N. W. 1874, 327.-B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 214. Falco uliginosus GMEL. S. N. i, 1788, 278.— WILS. Am. Orn. vi, 1812, 67, pi. 51, fig. 2. Circus cyaneus? var? americanus Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 55, pi. 29. Falco cyaneus "LiNN." AUD. B. Am. vi, 1843, pi. 356 (nee LINN.) Circus cyaneus "BoiE," NUTT. Man. 1833, 109.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 19; B. Am. i, 1840,105, pi. 26. HAB. The whole of North America; south, in winter, to Panama, north to Hudson's Bay Territory and Alaska; Cuba. Breeding throughout western United States (south to Texas), and in Eastern States chiefly north'of 40°. SP. CHAK. Adult male (No. 10,764, Washington, D. C., December). Head, neck, breast, and upper parts light cinereous, palest anteriorly where it is uninterrupted or continuous ; occiput somewhat darker, with a transverse series of longitudinal dashes of white, some- what tinged with reddish. Back, scapulars, and terminal third of secondaries, with a dusky wash, the latter fading at tips; five outer primaries nearly black, somewhat hoary on outer webs beyond their emargination; lesser wing-coverts faintly mottled with paler, or with indistinct dusky spots. Upper tail-coverts immaculate pure white. Tail- bluish cinereous, mottled with white toward base; crossed near the end with a distinct band ot black, and with about five narrower, very obscurely indicated ones anterior to this; tip beyond the subterminal zone fading terminally into whitish. Whole under side of wing (except terminal third or more of primaries) pure white; immaculate, excepting a few scattered transverse dusky spots on larger coverts. Rest of under parts pure white everywhere, with rather sparse transverse cordate spots of rufous. Wing, 14.00; tail, 9.20; tarsus, 2.80; middle toe, 1.30. Third and fourth quills equal, and Ion est; second intermediate between fifth and sixth; first 5.81 inches shorter than longest. Adult female. (No. 16,758, Hudson's Bay Territory: Captain Blakiston). Umber-brown above, feathers of the head and neck edged laterally with pale rufous; lores, and super- ciliary and suborbital stripes dull yellowish white, leaving a dusky stripe between them, running back from the posterior angle of the eye. Lesser wing-coverts spattered with pale rufous, this irregularly bordering and indenting the feathers; feathers of the rump bordered with dull ferruginous. Tail deep umber, faintly fading at the tip, and crossed by six or seven very regular, sharply defined, but obscure, bands of blackish; the alter- nating light bars becoming paler and more rufous toward the edge of the tail, the lateral feathers being almost wholly pale cream-color or ochraceous, darker terminally ; this tint is more or less prevalent on the inner webs of nearly all the feathers. Ear-coverts dull dark rufous, indistinctly streaked with dark brown; the feathers of the facial disk fine pale cream-color, each with a middle stripe of dark brown; throat and chin immacu- late dirty white, like the superciliary and suborbital stripes. Beneath dull white, with numerous broad longitudinal stripes of umber-brown; these broadest on the breast, growing gradually smaller posteriorly. Under surface of primaries dull white, crossed at wide intervals with dark brown irregular bars, of which there are five (besides the terminal dark space) on the longest quill. Young female (No. 15,585, Bridger's Pass, Rocky Mountains, August: W. S. Wood). Upper parts very dark rich clove-brown, approaching sepia-black; feathers of the head bordered with deep ferruginous, and lesser wing-coverts much spotted with the same, the edges of the feathers being broadly of this color; secondaries and inner primaries fading terminally into whitish; upper tail-coverts tinged with delicate cream-color (im- maculate). Tail with four very broad bands of black, the intervening spaces being dark umber on the two middle feathers, on the other fine cinnamon-ochre; the tip also (broadly) of this color. Ear-coverts uniform rich dark snuff-brown, feathers of satiny texture; feathers of facial disk the same centrally, edged with fine deep rufous. Entire lower parts deep reddish ochraceous or fulvous rufous, growing gradually paler pos- teriorly; immaculate, with the exception of a few faint longitudinal stripes on the breast and sides. Under side of wing as in the last, but much tinged with rufous. 452 BIRD 3 OF ILLINOIS. So far as I am able to judge from the large series of specimens examined, there does not appear to be the slightest difference be- tween eastern and western specimens, in any stage of plumage. The American Harrier is quite distinct from the European C. cyaneus, although the two species are much alike in some plumages. The adult male of C. cyaneus is wholly destitute of the dusky sub- terminal bar to the tail-feathers and secondaries, and lacks the reddish markings on the lower parts, which, posterior to the jugu- lum, are immaculate pure white. The dimensions are also less than those of C. Jiudsonius. Measurements of C. hudsonius. Sex. Wing. Tail. Culmen. Tarsus. Middle Toe. Specimens. Male 12 90-13 85 9 00-9 90 60- 70 2 85-2 90 1 90-1 30 36 Female 13 00-16 00 8 80-10 50 70- 75 2 85-3 35 1 22-1 55 32 A young male, shot August 17, 1867, in the Truckee Valley, Nevada, measured 18f inches in length by 42 in spread of wings. The bill was deep black, more bluish basally ; cere and rictus green- ish gamboge-yellow, the former purer yellow on top; iris yellowish gray; tarsi and toes rich orange-yellow, the claws jet-black. Two young females obtained in August and December, 1867, on the lower Truckee and on the shore of Pyramid Lake, Nevada, measured 19^-20^ inches in length, and 43|— 44 in extent of wings. The fresh colors were as above described, except that the specimen obtained in December had the iris dull fulvous. The Marsh Hawk is a bird of very extensive distribution, but at the same time is by no means a well-known species except in those portions of the country where it is most abundant. In Illinois it may be observed at all seasons of the year, but, at least in the southern portion of the State, it is decidedly most numerous in winter. "According to Audubon, the Marsh Hawk rarely pursues birds on the wing, nor does it often carry its prey to any distance before it alights and devours it. While engaged in feeding, it may be readily approached, surprised, and shot. When wounded, it endeavors to make off by long leaps ; and when overtaken, it throws itself on the FALCONID^3 — DIUKNAL RAPTORES. 458 back and fights furiously. In the winter its notes while on the wing are sharp, and are said to resemble the syllable pee-pee-pee. "Mr. Audubon has found this Hawk nesting not only in low lands near the sea shore, but also in the barrens of Kentucky and on the table lands of the Alleghanies, and once in the high covered pine- barrens of Florida. "After having paired, the Marsh Hawks invariably keep together, and labor conjointly in the construction of the nest, in sitting upon the eggs, and in feeding the young. Their nests are variously con- structed as to materials, usually chiefly of hay somewhat clumsily wrought together into the form of a nest, but never very nicely interwoven ; occasionally, in more northern localities, they are lined with feathers, in some cases with pine-needles and small twigs." (BREWER.) GENUS ACCIPITER, BRISSON. GEN. CHAR. Four to five outer primaries with inner webs emarginated; third to fifth quills longest; inner toe reaching scarcely beyond the first joint of the middle toa or falling short of it. Form slender, the tail long, the wing short and rounded, the feet slender, claws very acute. Head comparatively small; the bill rather weak. Bill nearly as deep through the base as the length of the culmen (chord), its upper outline decidedly ascending basally; maxillary tomium with a prominent '"festoon." Nostril broadly ovate, obliquely hori- zontal. Superciliary shield very prominent. Tarsus longer than the much lengthened middle toe, the frontal and posterior series of transverse scutellae very distinct and con- tinuous (except in males of some of the smaller species, in which tliese scales are "fused" into a continuous plate). Outer toe longer than the inner. Wing comparatively short, much rounded, and very concave beneath; third to fifth quills longest, the first usually shortest, and never longer than the sixth; outer three to five with inner webs sinuated. Tail long (nearly equal to the wing), usually rounded, occasionally even, and rarely slightly emarginated. The above diagnosis is intended to cover the characters of this genus in its most comprehensive sense. In North America there are two strongly marked subgenera, which may be characterized as follows : Accipiter. Less than one third of the tarsus feathered in front, the feathering widely separated behind; frontal scutellifi uninterrupted at the digito-tarsal joint. (Tarsal scutellae fused into a continuous plate in adult males of the smaller species.) Astur. More than one tnird (nearly one half) of the upper part of the tarsus feathered in front, the feathering scarcely separated behind; frontal scutellffl interrupted at the digito-tarsal joint, where replaced by small scales. (Tarsal scutellis never fused.) Size larger than typical Accipiter. 454 BIEDS or ILLINOIS. In South America is found a third subgenus which may be dis- tinguished from typical Accipiter as follows : Accipiter. Five outer primaries with inner webs emarginated ; fourth or fifth quill longest ; inner toe not reaching middle of second joint of middle toe. Hieraspizias. Four outer primaries with inner webs emarginated ; third or fourth quills longest ; inner toe reaching to or beyond middle of second joint of middle toe. SUBGENUS Accipiter BRISSON. Accipiter BKISS. Orn. i, 17GO, 10. Type Falco nisus Lnw. Ifisus Cuv. Legons Anat. Comp. i. tabl. ois. 1799. Same type. Cooperastur BP. Eev. et Mag. Zool. 1854, 638. Type Falco stanleyi AuD.,=.F. cooperi BP. •«! The species of this subgenus are generally of small size and slender form ; but, with a graceful and apparently delicate structure they combine remarkable strength and unsurpassed daring. They differ from the species of Astur mainly in less robust organization. The species are very numerous, and most plentiful within the tropi- cal regions. The Old World possesses about thirty nominal species. Tropical America has, .so far as known, thirteen species, two of which are peculiar to Cuba. (These the reader may find carefully monographed in the Bulletin of the U. S. Geological and Geograph- ical Survey of the Territories, Vol. II., No. 2, pp. 91-129.) The two North American species may be distinguished as follows : COMMON CHARACTERS. Adults. Above bluish slate or plumbeous, the tail with darker cross-bands and narrowly tipped with whitish; lower parts white, barred or transversely spotted with pinkish rufous or light brownish, the crissum plain white. Toung. Above grayish brown, the feathers bordered, more or less distinctly, with rusty, and scapulars with large white spots, mostly concealed, however; tail-bands more distinct than in the adults, the spaces between them browner; lower parts white, sometimes tinged with buff (especially in younger individuals), longitudinally striped with brownish or dusky. 1. A. cooperi. Size large, the wing more than 8.50 inches. Tail decidedly rounded. Male: Wing, 8.85-9. 40; tail, 7.80-8.30. Female: Wing, 10.00-11.00; tail, 10.00-10.50. 2. A. velox. Size smaller, the wing usually less than 8 inches. Tail even, or (in adult males) slightly emarginated. Male: Wing, 6.10-7. 10; tail,5.80-6.10. Female: Wing, 7.80-8.80; tail, 6.60-8.20. FALCONID.E — DIURNAL RAPTORES. 455 Accipiter cooperi Bonap. COOPEE'S HAWK. Popular synonyms. Stanley's Hawk ; Blue Chicken Hawk : Blue Hawk ; Blue Quail Hawk ; Swift Hawk; Blue-backed Hawk: Blue Darter. Falco cooperi BP. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ii, 1826. 433; Am. Orn. 1, 1828, pi. 10, fig. 1. Astur cooperi~Bp. 1838.— AUD. B. Am. i, 1840, 98, pi. 24. Accipiter cooperi DEKAY, Zool. N. Y. ii, 1844, 18, pi. 4,fig. 5.— CASS, inBaird'sB.N. Am. 1858, 16.— BAIED. Cat. N. Am. B. 1859,No. 15,16.— COUES. Key, 1872,112; Check List, 1874, No. 339; 2d ed. 1882,No. 495; B. N. W. 1874, 334.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 431. Nisus cooperi SCHLEG. Rev. Aoe. 1873, 73.— B. B. & R. iii. 1874, 230. Falco stanle.yiA.UD. ft. Am. 1831, pis. 36,141; Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 186. Accipiter mexicanus Sw. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 45.— CASS, in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 17.— BAIED, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 16. Nisus cooperi var. mexicanus B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 231. HAB. Whole of the United States and table-lands of Mexico ; north in summer to New Brunswick, the Saskatchewan, and Washington Territory; south, in winter, to Costa Rica and Veragua; breeding throughout its United States range. SP. CHAE. Wing, 8. 70-11. 00; tail, 7.80-10.50; culmen, 0.58-O.SO; tarsus, 2.30-2.85; middle toe, 1.45-1.85. Fourth or fifth quill longest; first equal to or shorter than tenth; outer five with inner webs sinuated. Tail rounded. Tarsi usually distinctly scutellate. Adult. Above slate-color, varying from a fine bluish to a brownish cast, the shafts of the feathers black. Pileum plumbeous black, the occipital feathers snow- white be- neath the surface; primaries plain brownish slate, their shafts clear brown. Tail nar- rowly tipped with white, and crossed by four very regular, but sometimes not sharply defined, bands of dusky, narrower than the slaty ones, the last broadest, the first nearly obsolete, and concealed by the coverts, which are sometimes narrowly tipped with white. Lower parts white and rufous, in transverse bars, the shafts of the feathers black, and the T'ufous bars usually connected along the middle portion of the feathers; tibiae more deeply colored, the rufous usually predominating; crissum immaculate white. Lining of the wing white, irregularly spotted with deep rufous; inner webs of the primaries with transverse bands of dusky and white anterior to their emargination and silvery gray terminally, the dusky bands about seven in number on the longest quill, the two colors nearly equal in width. Male. Slate of the upper parts of a fine bluish cast; nape and sides of the head bluish ashy, the sides of the breast usually tinged with the same. Wing, 8.85-9.40; tail, 7.80-8.30; culmen. .60-.G8; tarsus, 2.30-2.60; middle toe. 1.45-1.55. (Eight specimens.) Female. Slate of the upper parts of a brownish cast, nape and sides of the head dull rusty brownish, the sides of the breast without ashy tinge. Wing, 10.00- 10.80; tail, 9.00-9.40; culmen, .70-.80; tarsus, 2.65-2.85; middle toe, 1.60-1.85. (Five specimens.) (Colors in life. Terminal half of bill deep black, basal half pale blue; cere greenish yel- low; iris deep orange-red; tarsi and toes deep lemon-yellow; claws deep black.*) Young. Above grayish brown, the feathers more or less bordered with rusty; the scapiilars and upper tail-coverts with concealed white spots; the occiput blackish, with the bases of the feathers white, and the pileum and nape streaked with rusty. Tail gray- ish brown, tipped with whitish, and crossed by four bands of brownish black or dusky. Lower parts white, longitudinally striped with clear dusky brown, the shafts black. (Colors in life. Iris varying from greenish white to chrome-yellow; bill blackish ter- minally, pale blue basally ; tarsi and toes varying trom very pale greenish yellow to lemon-yellow; claws slate-black.) *Fresh colors of an adult male killed January 16,1867, at Mount Carmel, Illinois. Length, 17 inches; extent. 30.50 inches. 456 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. The extent of Individual variation in this species. though very considerable, is limited by thu terms of the above diagnosis. This bold marauder is a common resident in all wooded portions of the State. Its habits and more prominent characteristics cannot be better described than in the following, by "J. M. W." in the Ornithologist and Oologist for December, 1881, pp. 73, 74. "Before transcribing my notes on the breeding habits of the viva- cious little Sharp-shinned Hawk, we must pay our compliments to its larger congener. Indeed through the season it forces itself upon our notice in so many ways, and with such persistence, that we are obliged to respect its prior claims. When we go into the leafless woods, during the first week in April, for our earliest set of Buteos, the Cooper's Hawks are already paired and apparently ready to begin housekeeping. They feign alarm at our approach to the old haunts, and following us, scold us well as \ve go from nest to nest. But as usual with the sex when house-hunting, the females are capricious and not easily suited. The old home, though in . good repair, is perhaps in a neighborhood where callers are too free, and ample time must be taken to choose a new tenement. "Then again about the twenty-fifth of April, when we once more climb to our Buteos, hoping for a second clutch, we are surprised to find the first egg of a Cooper which has taken possession of this ready-furnished abode. The second week in May they are breeding commonly, and by the first of June they are so abundant here as to outnumber all the other Baptores. They will breed in old nests in the same low situations in hemlocks and young pines as the Sharp-shinned Hawk, but they frequent as well the tall deciduous woods, and I have taken eggs from dizzy heights on outlying prongs, away above the loftiest forks of the Buteos. Very rarely A. cooperi selects a new and unused site, but as a rule old nests are used, and often on a pile of rubbish in a crotch they will rear a very large superstructure. If the forks of the tree go up a little way without divergence, the pair will work for weeks and raise the nest three or four feet until it is bulkier than the home of any of our local rapacice except the Fishhawk. I know to-day where there are three such old Cooper's nests which are piled so high with brush that FALCONID.E — DIURNAL RAPTORES. 457 standing on a level with the bottom of the nests it is difficult for a climber to reach inside. The males assist at intervals in bringing sticks, and unite with their mates in scolding any witness of their house-raising. The fecundity of this Hawk, under the peculiar persuasion of the oologist, is not so great as its small congener's, yet it will lay three clutches each year in as many nests, if the first and second sets are taken. Five eggs is the usual clutch, though I have seen four eggs incubated many times, and have taken an extreme clutch of six. The first egg laid is usually pale blue, the rest of the nest comple- ment is lighter, and the eggs, as a whole, fade as incubation pro- gresses. Two weeks are occupied in laying, and at the end of one week's incubation the eggs can be easily blown. Sets with mark- ings are not rare; but the pigment is used sparingly, so as a rule a fair series of these eggs present few changes and are unattractive. Coopers are the most deadly scourge in country farm-yards. While the Buteos give warning of their whereabouts by soaring far overhead for hours, and sometimes days, before dropping among the young poultry, the dreaded Accipiters, sailing very low, will sud- denly start over a wall and be off with a chicken without notice. The old domestic cocks and Guinea-fowl will see a Buteo when but a speck in the sky, and 011 a too near approach to the earth of the common enemy sound an alarm which sends all the timid ones to cover. But even after repeated raids of the Cooper, his advance is so unheralded, and his dash so quick, that he gets off scot free, even though the farmer stands in his doorway with gun in hand." Accipiter velox (Wils.) SHAEP-SHINNED HAWK. Popular synonyms. Little Swift Hawk; Slate-colored Hawk; Bullet Hawk. Falco fuscus GMEL,. S. N. i, 1788, 280, (uot of FABKICIUS, 1780).— NUTT. Man. i, 1833 87. Accipiter fuscus BP. 1838.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1S58 18. — BAIKD. Cat. N. Am. B. 1869. No. 17.— COUES. Key. 1872, 212; Check List, 1874, 33d; 2d ed. 1882. No. 494; B. N. W. 1874, 333.— KIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 432. 458. BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Asturfuscus AUD. B. Am. i. 1840, 100, pi. 25. Msusfuscus KAUP. 1850.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. ili, 1874. 224. Falco veloz WILS. Am. Orn. v, 1812, 116, pi. 45, fig. 1. Falco pennsylvanicus WILS. Am. Orn. vi,1812, i.pl. 46,ng. 1. HAB. The whole of North America; south, in winter, to Panama and the Bahamas; breeding nearly throughout the United States and northward. SP. CHAE. Wing, 6.35-8.80; tail, 5.50-8.20; culmen, .35-.60; tarsu?, 1.85-2.30; middle toe, 1.10-1.55. Fourth and fifth quills longest, third nearly equal to sixth, outer five with inner webs emarginated. Tail even or slightly emarginated. Adult male. Above plumbeous, becoming gradually darker on the pileum, the feathers with blackish shaft- streaks. Tail rather lighter.usually browner, (sometimes with a narrow white terminal margin), crossed with four dusky bands. Occipital feathers pure white beneath the surface, and scapulars with large concealed roundish spots of the same. Lower parts mixed white and rufous, in transverse spots or bars, the rufous bars usually connected along the middle of the feather, the shaft being conspicuously darker. Throat and cheeks streaked but not barred. Crissum and anal region immaculate puro white. Tibiae usually with the rufous predominating, rarely uniform rufous. Wing, 6.70-7.10; tail, 5.80-6.10; culmen, .3S-.43; tarsus, 1.90-2.05; middle toe, 1.10-1.25. Adult female. Similar to the male, but less bluish above, and the white of the lower parts less pure. Wing, 7.80-8.80; tail, 6.60-8.20; culmen, .48-.60; tarsus, 2.00-225; middle toe, 1.30-1.55.* Young male. Above dark sepia, the feathers bordered terminally with rusty, those of the nape widely edged with the same, or with fulvous whitish; feathers of the pileum similarly but more narrowly edged with the same. Tail brownish gray, crossed by four to five well-defined, continuous, narrow bands of blackish. Scapulars and upper tail coverts with concealed large spots of white, and occipital region white beneath the sur- face. Beneath, white, with or without an ochraceous tinge, the anal region and crissum immaculate, the throat sti-eaked with dusky; the breast, abdomen, sides, and flanks with broad stripes of dilute sepia, with darker shaft-streaks, these stripes sometimes dilating on the sides into chain-like series of spots; tibiae with elliptical or tear-shaped stripes, or variously shaped spots, of dilute sepia, on a white or pale rusty ground. Wing. 6.35- 6.95; tail, 5.50-6.30; culmen, .35-.40; tarsus, 1.85-2.05; middle toe, 1.05-1.25. Youny female. Exactly like the young male in markings and colors. Wing, 7.75-8.60; tail, 6.50-7.60; culmen, .45-. 50; tarsus, 2.05-2.30; middle toe, 1.30-1.50. Dr. Brewer gives us the following biography of this species, in History of North American Birds, Vol. III., pp. 227-229: "Mr. Andubon regarded it as the very miniature of the Goshawk, in its irregular, swift, vigorous, varied, and yet often undecided, manner of flight, and on occasion greatly protracted. When in search of its prey, it is said to pass over the country, now at a moderate height, now close over the land, and with a surprising swiftness. It advances by sudden dashes, and pounces upon the Tresh colors of an adult female (No. 8,450, U. S. Nat. Mus.) shot at Mount Carmel.Ill. . October 22, 1809. Terminal two thirds of bill deep black; basal portion pale blue; interior oi mouth bright cobalt-blue, more purplish far back; cere, rictus, eyelids and naked "eye-brow" oil-green; iris deep orange-red; tarsi and toes brownish lemon-yellow; claws jet-black. Total length, 13 inches; extent, 84 inches. FALCONID.E — DIURNAL RAPTORES. 459 object of its pursuit so suddenly as to render hopeless any attempt to escape. It has frequently been known to seize and kill a bird so large that it was unable to carry it, and had to drop to the ground. "In nearly every instance the nest of this Hawk has been con- structed in trees. It is usually large in proportion to the size of the bird, and its materials are somewhat elaborately put together; it is composed chiefly of large sticks and twigs, and the whole platform is covered with a thin lining of dry leaves, mosses, grass, etc. Mr. John Krider, of Philadelphia, found a nest in New Jer- sey, in the vicinity of that city, which was built on the edge of a high rock." SUBGENUS Astur LACEPEDE. Astur LACEP. Menag. Mus. Hist. Nat. 1815, 505. Type, Falco palumbarius LINN. Notwithstanding the vast difference in size between the typical species of Astur and those of Accipiter, the details of structure are essentially the same, the greatest differences between them being very nearly bridged over by species of intermediate size and struc- ture. North America possesses a single species of the subgenus Astur, and this is a near relative of A. palumbarius, but sufficiently dis- tinct, having the plumage of the lower parts much more delicately penciled and the color of the upper parts more bluish than in the European species. Accipiter atricapillus (Wils.) AMERICAN GOSHAWK. Popular synonyms. Blue Hen Hawk or Chicken Hawk. Falco atricapillus WILS. Am. Orn. ii, 1808, 284, pi. 52. fig. 3. Astur atricapillus BP. 1830.— NUTT. Man. 1833. 85.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858. 15.— BAIKD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 14.— COUES, Key, 1872, 2K; Check List, 1874, No. 340; 2d ed. 1882, No. 490; B. N. W. 1874, 338.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 433. Astur palumbarius var. atricapillus B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 237. Falco palumbarius "LiNN."— AUD. B. Am.pl. 141; Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 241 (nee LINN.). Astur palumbarius AUD. Synop. 1839,18; B. Am. i, 1840, 95, pi. 23. Accipiter (Astur) palumbarius Sw. & RICH. !\ B.-A. ii, 1831, 30, pi. 26. 460 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Astur atricapillus var. striatulus (part) EIDGW. InB. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 238, 239, 240 (adult). HAB. Northern North America (except coast of Alaska, east and south of Kodiak) ; south in winter across greater part of the United States (Pacific coast excepted), breed- ing chiefly north of the United States. (Eepresented in the Pacific province by A. atricapillus striatulus EIDGW.) SP. CHAK. Adult male (No. 44,940, Boston, Mass.: E. A. Samuels). Above continuous bluish slate, shafts of the feathers inconspicuously black. Tail darker and less bluish, tipped with white (about .25 of an inch wide) and crossed by five broad, faintly denned bars of blackish, these most distinct on inner webs; the first concealed by the iipper coverts, the second partially so; the last, or subterminal one, which is about twice as broad as the rest, measuring about one inch in width. Primaries darker than the tail (but not approaching black). Forehead, crown, occiput, and ear-coverts pure plumbeous black, feathers snow-Avhite beneath the surface, much exposed on the occiput; a broad conspicuous supra-auricular- stripe originating above the posterior angle of the eye, running back over the ear-coverts to the occiput, pure white, with fine streaks of black: lores and cheeks grayish white. Lower parts white; the whole surface (except throat and lower tail-coverts) covered with numerous narrow transverse bars of slate; on the breast these are much broken and irregular, forming fine transverse zigzags; pos- teriorly they are more regular, and about .10 of an inch wide, the white a very little more. Chin, throat, and cheeks without transverse bars, but with very sharp shaft- lines of black; on breast, sides, and abdomen, a median longitudinal broad streak of slate on each feather, the shaft black; on the tibise, where the transverse bars are nar- rower and more regular, the shaft-streaks are also finer; anal region finely barred; lower tail-coverts immaculate pure white. Lining of the wing barred more coarsely and irregularly than the breast; under surface of primaries with white prevailing, this growing more silvery toward the ends; longest (fourth) with six oblique transverse patches of slate, the outlines of which are much broken. Wing formula, 4,5,3-6-2, 1=10. Wing. 13.00; tail, 9.50; tarsus, 3.70; naked portion, 1.35; middle toe, 2.00; inner, 1.21; outer, 1.37; posterior, 1.00. Ad ilt female (No. 12.'J39, Brooklyn, N. Y. : J. Ackhurst). Almost precisely similar to the male. Slate above less bluish; bands on tail more distinct, five dark ones (about .75 of an inch in width) across the brownish slate ; indistinct lighter bands indicated on outer webs of primaries, corresponding with those on inner webs; lores more grayish than in male; bars beneath more regular; longitudinal streaks blacker and more sharply defined. Wing. 14. 25; tail, 11. 25; tarsus, 1.60-2.20; middle toe, 1.95; inner, 1.40; outer, 1.45; posterior, 1.30. Young male (No. 26,920, Nova Scotia, June: J. G. Winton). Plumage very much vari- egated. Head above, nape, and anterior portion of the back, ochraceous white, each feather with a median stripe of brownish black, these becoming more tear-shaped on the nape. Scapulars, back, wing-coverts, rump, and upper tail-coverts umber-brown; the feathers with lighter edges, and with large, more or less concealed spots of white, these largest on the scapulars, where they occupy the basal and middle thirds of the feathers, a band of brown narrower than the subterminal one separating the two areas; upper tail- coverts similarly marked, but white edges broader, forming conspicuous terminal crescentic bars. Tail cinereous umber, with five conspicuous bands of blackish brown, the last of which is subterminal, and broader than the rest; tipof tail like the pale bands; the bands are most sharply defined on the inner webs, being followed along the edges by the white of the edge, which, frequently extending along the margin of the back, crosses to the shaft, and is sometimes even apparent on the outer web; the lateral feather has the inner web almost entirely white, this, however, more or less finely mottled with grayish, the mottling becoming more dense toward the end of the feather; the bands also cross more obliquely than on the middle feathers. Secondaries grayish brown, with flve indistinct, but quite apparent, dark bands; primaries marked as in the adult, FALCONIDJE — DIURNAL RAPTORES. 461 but much lighter. Beneath pure white, all the feathers, including lower tail-coverts, with sharp, central, longitudinal streaks of clear dark brown, the shafts of the feathers black; on the sides and tibice these streaks are expanded into a more acuminate, ellip- tical form; the crissum only is immaculate, although the throat is only very sparsely streaked; on the ear-coverts the streaks are very fine and numerous, but uniformly distributed. Young female, second year? (No. 26,921, Nova Scotia: W. G. Wiuton). Head above, nape, rump, and upper tail-coverts, with a deep ochraceous tinge; the character of markings, however, as in the male. Bands on the tail more sharply defined, the narrow white bar separating the black from the grayish bands more continuous and conspicu- ous; lateral feathers more mottled; grayish tip of tail passing terminally into white. Beneath with a faint ochraceous wash, this most apparent on the lining of the wings and tibias; streaks as in the male, but rather more numerous, the throat thickly streaked. Young male, first year (No. 49,662, Calais, Me.: G. A. Boardnian). Differs from No. 26,9:21 as follows: On the wings and upper tail-coverts the yellowish white spots are less concealed, or, in fact, this forms the ground-color; secondary coverts ochraceous white, with two very distinct transverse spots of dark brown, rather narrower than the white spaces; tips of feathers broadly white; secondaries grayish brown, tipped with white, more mottled with the same toward bases, and crossed by five bands of dark brown, the first two of which are concealed by the coverts, the last q.uite a distance from the end of the feathers; upper tail-coverts white, mottled on inner webs with brown, each with two transverse broad bars, and a sub-terminal cordate spot of dark brown, the last not touching the edge of the feather, and the anterior bars both concealed by the overlaying feather. Tail grayish brown, tipped with white, and with six bands of blackish brown; these bordered with white, as in the older stage. Markings beneath as in the older stage, but those on the sides more cordate. Wing formula, 4, 5, 3-6-7-2-S-9, 1. 10. Wing, 14.00; tail, 11.50. Some of the examples upon which the supposed western race "A. atricapillus var. striatuhis," of "History of North American Birds" (Vol. III., pp. 238-240) was based, prove to be only very old birds of the true A. atricapillus. They differ from the ordinary plumage of the adult in the much finer pencilings of the plumage of the lower parts, and more bluish cast to the upper parts. This daring and powerful hawk is by no means common in Illi- nois, where it makes its appearance only in winter. Mr. Nelson (page 119 of his list) says of it as follows: "Formerly a common winter resident; now very rare. Dr. A. L. Marcy, of Evanston, found them quite plentiful during the winter of 1870-71, and obtained specimens. The only time I ever saw the bird alive, was the 3d of May, 1876, at Waukegan, when a fine adult specimen passed slowly overhead and disappeared toward the north." GENUS ASTURIN"A VIEILLOT. Asturina VIEILL, Analyse, 1816, 24. Type Falco nitidus LATH. SP. CHAR. Somewhat similar to Astur, but of much heavier and more robust build; tarsi longer and stouter, tail shorter and less rounded, wings longer, etc. Bill more elongated than in Astur, the cere longer, and the festoon on the commissure more de- veloped; nostril oval, horizontal. Wings rather short, but less concave beneath than in. •102 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Astur; third to fourth quill longest; first shorter than eighth or ninth; four outer quills with their inner webs sinuated; tail considerably shorter than the wing, slightly emar- ginated, the lateral pair of feathers longest. Feet large and robust, when outstretched reaching almost to the end of the tail; tarsi very robust compared to the toes, about one and a half times as long as the middle toe, the frontal and posterior rows of transverse scutellas very distinct and regular; outer toe longer than inner; claws strong, well curved, but not very acute. Sexes alike in color; old and young plumages very different. This genus is peculiar to tropical America, and contains but two species, the^.. nitida (LATH.) of South America and A. plagiata (LiCHT.) of Middle America. This genus Asturina is closely related to Leucopternis KAUP, but differs as follows: Asturina. First quill longer than tenth. Tail even or emarginate, the lateral pair of rectrices usually longest. Nostril decidedly horizontal. Young and adult ex- ceedingly different in plumage. Leucopternis. First quill shorter than tenth. Tail slightly rounded, the lateral pair of feathers shortest. Nostril nearly circular, rather vertical than horizontal. Young and adult scarcely differing in plumage. Asturina nitida plagiata (Licht.) MEXICAN GOSHAWK. Buteo plagiatus LICHT. Nomencl. 1854. 3. Asturina plagiata SCHLEG. Mus. P. B. Asturina?, 1862, 1.— SCL. & SALT. Ex. Orn.l8G9, 179, pi. 90.— COUES, Key, 1872, 218 ; Check List, 1874, No. 358 ; 2d ed. 1882, No. 527 ("plagata") Asturina nitida var. plagiata RIDGW. 1873.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. iii.1874, 246. Asturina nitida plagiata RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 445. Asturina nitida CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 35 (not Falco nitidus LATH.).— BAIRD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 33. HAS. Whole of Middle America, south to Panama, north to southwestern border of United States; accidental (?) in southern Illinois (Richland Co.. cf. RIDGW. Am. Nat. July 1872, p. 430). SP. CHAK. Adult male (No. 51,343, Mazatlan, Mexico: Ferd. Bischoff). Above deep (rather dark) cinereous, becoming paler and finer on the head above, where the feathers have the shafts (finely) black; wings with indistinct lighter bars; rump almost black. Upper tail-coverts immaculate pure white. Tail pure black, tipped with pale grayish brown (this passing terminally into white); about 1J6 inches from the tip is a continuous band of white, half an inch in width; and a little over an inch anterior to this is another narrower and less perfect one. Primaries approaching black at ends; the tips broadly edged with dull white, as also the ends of secondaries. Head uniform fine delicate ashy, becoming white on chin and throat, and approaching the same on the forehead; shafts of feathers on head above, and neck, black; neck with indistinct paler transverse bars, these most distinct on jugulum; the breast, abdomen, sides, flanks, axillars, and tibiae are regularly barred transversely with cinereous and pure white, the bars of each about equal, the white, however, gradually increasing, and the ashy bars narrowing posteriorly, the tibiae being finely barred; lower tail-coverts immaculate pure white. Lining of the wing white, with very sparse, faint, transverse zigzag bars next the axil- lars and on larger coverts; under surface of primaries white anterior to their emargina- tion, beyond which they are more silvery, leaving about an inch of the terminal portion black, the end of each, however, ashy; outer two quills crossed by narrow bars of ashy, the rest with indications of the same, near the shaft. Fourth quill longest : third scarcely shorter; second shorter than fifth; first intermediate between eighth and ninth. "Length 16.00; extent,38.00." Wing.10.50; tail.7.00; tarsus.2.60; middle toe. L50. FAI.CONID;E — DIURNAL RAPTORES. 46B Adult female (No. 34,002, Mazatlan, June: Colonel Grayson). Cinereous, above darker, the fasciee of the wings hardly observable; front and throat scarcely whitish; rump almost pure black; second tail-band much broken and restricted. Ashy prevailing on thejugulum, ashy bars beneath rather broader. Wings, 11.00; tail, 7.50; tarsus. 2.80; middle toe, 1.70. Young male (No. 35,060, Rio de Coahuyana, W. Mexico, October: J. Xantus). Above, from bill to upper tail-coverts, dark bistre-brown, almost black; feathers of the head and neck edged laterally with pinkish ochraceous.or sulphuret-of-manganese color; scapu- lars with nearly whole outer webs of this color, they being blackish only along edges- and at ends; middle wing-coverts spotted with the same. Secondaries and primaries faintly tipped with whitish ; secondaries with indications of darker bands, and outer webs of primaries with still more obscure ones: upper tail-coverts white, with sagittate specks of black, one or two on each. Tail umber-brown (considerably lighter than the wings), tipped with pinkish ash (this passing terminally into dull white) and crossed with six or seven bands of black (these becoming gradually, but very considerably, narrower toward the base). Beneath white, with vinaceous tinge (this deepest laterally); breast, abdomen, and sides with large tear-shaped or cuneate spots of black; tibias with numerous trans- verse bars of the same. Young female. Similar to last, but the brown lighter, and more approaching umber. In both sexes the iris is brown, bill and claws black, or bluish black; cere, rictus, legs, and feet yellow. Four other adults, with sex not indicated on labels, measure as follows : Wing, 10.00-11.70; tail, 6.80-8.00; eulmen, .90-95; tarsus, 2.65-2.80; middle toe, 1.50-1.65. A specimen of this tropical species was seen by the writer on Fox Prairie, in Kichland Co., on the 19th of August, 1871.* It several times came so near that its peculiar markings could be seen with perfect distinctness, and the writer having previously handled many stuffed specimens there cannot be the slightest doubt as to the correctness of its identification. *See American Naturalist. July, 1872, p. 430, and April, 1873, p. 201. 464 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. GETWS BUTEO CUVTER. Buteo Cuv. Lee. Anat, Comp. i, 1800, tabl. ois. Type, Falco buteo LTNN. Craxirex GOULD, Voy. Beag. Birds, 1841.22. Type, Polyborus galapagoensis GOULD. TachytriorcMs KAUP, Class. Saug. Vog. 1844, 143. Type, Falco pterocles TEMM.,— Buteo albicaudatus YIEILL. Poecilopternis KAUP. Isis, 1849, 329. Type, Falco pennsylvanicus WILS. Buteola BONAP. Compt. Read, xli, 1855, 651. Type, Buteo brachyurus VIEILL. GEN CHAR. Form robust and heavy, the wings long and rather pointed, the tail moderate and rounded, the bill and feet strong. Bill intermediate between that of Astur and that of Parabuteo. Wing long and rather pointed, the third to fifth quill longest, the first shorter than eighth; three or four with inner webs emarginated. Tail moderate, slightly rounded. A. Pour outer primaries with inner webs emarginated. a. Tarsus more than twice as long as the middle toe. 1. B. lineatus. Tail always dusky, crossed by white or buffy narrow bands; outer webs of primaries, anterior to their emarginations, more or less spotted with white or ochraceous. Adult. Lower parts rufous (varying in intensity), more or less barred or transversely spotted with white (breast sometimes nearly uniform rufous). Tail and primaries slate- black, the former barred, the latter spotted on outer webs wifh pure white; lesser wing-coverts dark rufous or chestnut. Young. Lower parts dull whitish or buffy, longitudinally striped with dusky. Primaries and tail brownish dusky, the former crossed by narrow bands of pale grayish brown, buffy, or dull whitish, the latter spotted towards base with the same. Male. "Wing, 12.90-13.50; tail, 7.70-9.70; tarsus, 2.70-3.25. Female. Wing, 13.35-14.25; tail, 9.00-10.00; tarsus, 3.10-3.20. 6. Tarsus less than twice as long as middle toe. Form decidedly more robust. 2. B. borealis. Tail rufous in adult, brownish gray banded with black, in young; outer webs of primaries without light spotting. Adult. Lower parts varying from entirely white, with a few dusky markings on abdomen and flanks, to dusky, with or without a rufous breast- patch. Tail rufous, usually with a single subter- minal black bar, sometimes with indications of other bars, rarely without any bar. Young. Lower parts white, more or less varied with dusky, especially across abdomen, or almost wholly dusky (in some western specimens). Tail brownish gray, crossed by about 9 narrow bands of blackish. Male. Wing, 13.50-16.50; tail, 8.50-10.00; tarsus, 2.40-3.20. Female. Wiug,15. 25-17. 75; tail, 9.50-10.50; tarsus, 3.15-3.40. 3. B. harlani. Similar in form to B. borealis, but lateral toes nearly equal, and tibial plumes better developed, reaching to or beyond the base of the toes. Pre- vailing color blackish, the bases of the feathers pure white. Adult. Tail con- fusedly mottled with grayish, dusky and white, in variable relative amount, often mixed with rufous, and crossed by a subterminal bar or narrow band of dusky. young. Tail crossed by 7-9 bands of grayish brown and dusky, the two colors about equal in width. Male. Wing, 14.25-15.00; tail, 8.80-10.00; tarsus, 2.75-3.25. . Female. Wing, 15.75-16.20; tail, 0. 10-10.00; tarsus, 2.90-3.50. B. Only three outer primaries with inner webs emarginated. 5. B. swainsoni. Size large (wing more than 12 inches), the tips of the closed wings reaching nearly or quite to the end of the tail. Tail (of both adults and young) grayish brown (sometimes with a hoary cast), crossed by 9 or more narrow dusky bands, these less distinct basally. Upper parts nearly uniform dusky brown. Normal plumage. Lower parts whitish (or light colored), with a distinctly defined breast-patch, rufous in the male, brown in the female. Melanistic plumage. Lower parts entirely dusky, or with dusky prevailing, with or without admix- ture of rufous. Young. Above brownish black, with ochraceous edgings to feath- ers; beneath fine ochraceous, more or less marked with tear-shaped spots of FALCONID.E — DIURNAL KAPTORES. 465 brownish black. (Palest-colored specimens nearly or quite free from spots be- neath; melanistic examples with dusky prevailing.) Male: Wing, 13.70-15. 25; tail, 7.00-9.00; tarsus, 2. 10-2.65. Female: Wing, 14.75-16. 50; tail, 8.80-9.00 ; tarsus, 2.50-2. 70. 5. B. latissimus. Size small (wing less than 12 inches), the tips of the closed wings reaching only to the middle of the tail. Adult: Tail dusky, crossed by 2-4 broad bands of light brownish gray or brownish white, and narrowly tipped with whitish. Upper parts nearly uniform dusky brown, darker on the back; lower parts dull rufous brown varied by white spotting, the latter color prevailing pos- teriorly. Young: Tail grayish brown, crossed by about 5-7 narrow bands of dusky and tipped with whitish. Side of head and entire lower parts white or pale buff, relieved by a more or less distinct dusky "mustache;" a dusky streak down middle of throat, and various longitudinal markings of the same color on breast, sides, etc. Male: Wing, 9.85-10. 70; tail, 6.50-7.00; tarsus, 2.15-2.80. Female: Wing, 11.00-11.40; tail,7.00-8.00; tarsus, 2.20-2.80. Buteo borealis (Gmel.) RED -TAILED HAWK. a. borealis. Eastern Ked-tailed Ha-wk. Popular synonyms. Chicken Hawk; White-breasted Chicken Hawk; Common Chicken Hawk or Hen Hawk. Falco borealis GMEL. S. N. i, 1788, 266.— WILS. Am. Orn. i, 1808, pi. 52, fig. 1.— AUD. B. Am.i, 1831, pi. 51; Orn. Biog. i, 1831. 265.— NUTT. Man. ed. 2, i, 1S40, 102. Buteo borealis VIEII.L. 1816.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 122.— AUD. Synop. 1839,6; B. Am.i, 1840, 32, pi. 7.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 185S, 25.— BAIRD, Cat. N. Am. B. LS59. No. 23.— COUES, Key, 1872, 216; Check List, 1874, No. 351; 2d ed. 1882, No. 516; B. N. W. 1874, 352.— EIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 436. Buteo borealis var. borealis B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 282. Falco leverianus GMEL. S. N. i,1788, 266 (=young).— WILS. Am. Orn. i.1808, pi. 52, fig. 2.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 265. HAB. Eastern North America to and including the Mississippi Valley; north to the Fur Countries, south through eastern Mexico to Guatemala. b. calurus. Western Ked-tailed Hawk. Popular synonym. Black Bed- tail. Buteo calurus CASS. Proc. Phil. Acad. vii, 1855 281; in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 14; ib. ed. 1860, pi. 14.— BAIRD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 20. Buteo borealis var. calurus RIDGW. 1873.— B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 286. Buteo borealis b. calurus COUES, B. N. W, 1874, 286. Buteo borealis calurus EIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 4365.— COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 517. Buteo montanus "NUTT." CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 26 (nee. NUTT.).— BAIRD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 24. HAB. Western North America, from Eocky Mountains to the Pacific; north to Sitka, Alaska; south to southern Mexico. c. krideri. Krider's Red-tailed Hawk, Popular synonyms. White Bed- tailed Hawk; White Hen Hawk or Chicken Hawk. Buteo borealis var. kridetri HOOPES, Proc. Phil. Acad. 1873, 283, pi. 5 (= young).— B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, Ih74, 284.— COUES. Che< k List, 1874, No. 351c. Buteo borealis d. krideri COUES, B. N. W. 1874, 35:f. Buteo borealis krideri EIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 436.— COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 519. —30 466 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. HAB. Eastern border of the Great Plains, from Minnesota to central Texas. SP. CHAR. Third to fifth quill longest, the first always shorter than seventh (some- time shortest); four outer quills with inner webs distinctly emarginated. Tarsus less than twice as long as middle toe. A<,ult. Tail rufous, paler (sometimes whitish) at tip, and usually, crossed by a subterminal narrow band of black, often with more or less dis- tinct indications of other narrow bars. Upper parts blackish brown (sometimes much mixed with white), nearly uniform on the back, elsewhere broken by more or less of paler transverse barring and spotting. Occipital feathers pure white at the base, but feathers of nape edged with dull rufous. Wings with indistinct lighter grayish brown bands, the tips of the remiges distinctly paler. Lower parts varying from nearly pure white, with few dark spots across the abdomen, to almost uniform blackish brown. Un- der surface of primaries plain white anterior to their emarginations. Young. Tail gray- ish brown, crossed by 9 or 10 narrow but usually sharply defined bands of blackish: colors otherwise much as in the adults but with less rufous. The above characters cover the extreme variations in the plum- age of this species that have come under my notice. The species varies not only to a great extent individually, but also geographi- cally, a peculiar style of plumage prevailing in separate geographical areas of the country. The following geographical races are fairly well denned : A. Never with dusky or rufous prevailing on lower parts; tail of adult usually with only one continuous dusky bar, sometimes with none. Of. borealis. Upper parts with dark brownish largely prevailing; abdomen and flank with conspicuous dusky spots. Tail deep rufous, usually with a dis- tinct subterminal bar of black. /?. krideri. Upper parts with much white spotting; lower parts almost wholly white, with little or no dark spotting on abdomen and flanks. Tail light rufous, usually without a subterminal bar. B. Frequently AY 1 1 rufous or dusky prevailing on lower parts. Tail of adult frequently with indications of numerous bars. y. calurus. Karely but little darker than borealis; usually much darker, and not unfrequently almost uniform blackish brown. a. borealis. SP. CHAB. Adult. Upper parts rich blackish brown, approaching black on the back; scapulars and middle wing coverts edged and barred beneath the surface with dull white, and tinged along edges with ochraceous. Wings generally of a paler shade than the back; secondaries fading into nearly \vhite at tips, and, with the greater coverts, obscurely barred with darker; primaries nearly black, tips edged with pale brown, this passing into whitish. Rump uniform blackish brown, the feathers obscurely bor- dered with rusty. Upper tail-coverts ochraceous white, nearly pure terminally, and with about two distinct transverse bars of deep rufous. Tail rich uniform lateritious rufous, passing narrowly into white at the tip, and about an inch (or less) from the end crossed by a narrow band of black. Head and neck with the feathers medially blackish brown, the edges rusty rufous, causing a streaked appearance; the rufous prevailing on the sides of the occiput, ear-coverts, and neck. The blackish almost uniform on the forehead and on the cheeks, over which it forms a broad "mustache"; lores and sides of frontlet whitish. Throat white, with broad stripes of pure slaty brown; lower parts in general ochraceous FALCONIDJE — DIURNAL RAPTORES. 467 white ; tibiee and lower tail-coverts immaculate ; across the abdomen and flanks (immedi- ately in front of the tibiseHs a broad interrupted belt of longitudinal black blotches, those on the abdomen tear- shaped, on the flanks larger and more irregular, throwing off bars toward the edge of the feathers; whole pectoral area variegated only with a few shaft-streaks of black (these growing broader laterally), and sometimes washed with rusty. Lining of the wing ochraceous white, with sparse diamond-shaped spots of pa e rufous, and shaft- streaks of darker; under surface of primaries white anterior to their emargination, beyond which they gradually deepen into black; the innermost ones are finely mottled with slaty, and with imperfect transverse bars of the same. Male. Wing, 13.50-16.50; tail. 8.50-10.00; culmen, .95-1.08; tarsus, 1.40-3.20; middle toe, l.GO-1.70. Weight, 2)4-3 Ibs. Female. Wing, 15.25-17.75; tail, 9.50-10.50; culmen, 1.00-1.15; tarsus, 3.15-3.40; middle toe, 1.70-1.80. Weight, 3-4 Ibs. Young (No. 28,154, Philadelphia, J. Krider). Above similar to the adult, but lacking entirely any rufous tinge, the scapulars and wing-coverts more variegated with whitish. Tail light grayish brown (very much lighter than the rump), tinged, especially basally, with rufous, narrowly tipped with white, and crossed with nine or ten narrow, curved bands of black; upper tail-coverts white, with broad bars of black. Head as in the adult, but the rufous wanting, leaving the streaks black and white; forehead more, broadly white; chin and throat wholly white, the latter with a collar of dusky streaks across the lower part; whole pectoral region entirely immaculate, pure white; abdominal band as in the adult; tibiae somewhat tinged with ochraceous, unvariegated. In its typical form, B. borealis may usually be distinguished from the lighter-colored examples of B. borealis caliirus by having the posterior lower parts (tibiae and lower tail-coverts) free from trans- verse bars or other markings, and in the absence of transverse bars on the tail anter.or to the usual subterminal one. These differences are by no means absolutely constant, however, s ni-e, while eastern specimens occasionally occur which have these parts more or less distinctly barred, western specimens with the same parts immaculate are sometimes found. Such, however, are in either case exceptional. Young birds from the eastern side of the continent occasionally have the tibiae more or less barred or spotted, but usually such markings, if present, are either small or faint in color compared with western specimens of corresponding age. 6. oalurus. SVJBSP. CHAE. Adult. Similar to borealis, but darker, or with more rufous and blackish in the plumage; tibia3 usually distinctly barred with rufous, or else nearly uniform rufous or dusky; throat usually with dusky prevailing, sometimes wholly of this color. Tail frequently with more or less distinct indications of numerous blackish bars. In melanistic individuals, which are not uncommon, the whole plumage nearly uniform sooty black or dark brown, the breast, however, usually paler, sometimes rufous or ferruginous. (Between this plumage and the lightest-colored individuals every pos- sible intermediate coloration occurs.) Young. Much darker than the corresponding stage of borealis. In melanistic specimens, whole plumage blackish brown, varied only with fulvous edgings to the feathers and concealed white spotting; the tail grayish brown, with about nine broad black bars. In the lighter-colored individuals, the tibiaa with very distinct— usually heavy— transverse spots of dusky. 468 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Adult male (five specimens from Nevada, collected by the author). Total length, 21.50- 23.00 inches; extent, 49.00-53.00; weight, 2-3 pounds. Bill dull black terminally, light bluish basally ; cere and rictus greenish yellow; iris deep hazel in some specimens, light yellow in others, in two specimens yellow on upper portion and brown below; legs and feet light yellow; claws black. Adult female (five specimens from Nevada, collected by the author). Total length, 23.00-24.00 inches; extent, 54.00-57.00; weight, 3-4 pounds. Fresh colors as in the above- mentioned males. (Iris Naples yellow in one very black melanistic individual, deep hazel in a rufous-breasted melanistic specimen, and hazel in three light- colored ex- amples.)* The young bird of this western style is usually as different from that of the eastern as is the adult, and the essential differences are about the same, — i. e. darker colors, or a predominance, or rather, increase in size, of the dark markings. The numerous heavy transverse spots on the tibise constitute a marked feature of the average young calurus, as compared with the almost, or sometimes entirely, immaculate white of those in borealis. c. krideri. SUBSP. CHAB. Adult. Similar to borealis, but beneath continuous pure white, with- out rufous tinge, and without distinct spots across the abdomen, or lacking them entirely ; above much lighter, the brown, light rufous, and white being about equal in amount. Upper tail-coverts immaculate white; tail pale rufous, the shafts pure white, arid thu webs mixed with white along their edges, its amount increasing toward the base; no trace of a dusky subtermiual bar, or else only indicated by badly defined spots. "Young. Differing from that of var. borealis in the immaculate, snowy white lower parts, nearly equal extent of the white and dusky on the upper parts, and whitish cast of the tail. This fine bird, although far less numerous than the Bed- shouldered Hawk (B. lineatus) is yet very common in most por- tions of the country. According to Mr. Horace A. King (in Orni- thologist and Oologist, Vol. IX., July, 1884, p. 81), "One of the com- monest birds of prey to be found in northern Illinois, is the Eed- tailed Hawk (Buteo borealis). A person will meet with them in all sorts of places, but they are most common in the vicinity of heavy timber. In driving through the country one will see them perched upon rail fences, trees by the way-side, sitting on the ground in stubble or pasture fields, or soaring over fields in search of their prey. When on one of his foraging expeditions, the Bed-tail, on sighting his prey, will remain at the same place in the air by a continual flapping of the wings, when at the proper time he will dive swiftly and silently upon it." * The color of the iris in this species (any race) is very inconstant. In the fully adult it may be either deep hazel, light hazel, light yellow, or partly brown and yellow; if the latter, the yellow usually occupies the upper portion of the iris. In immature birds the iris may be either clear light yellow, pale brown, or light grayish; the first, however, ap- pears to be the usual color. FALCONID.B — DIURNAL RAPTORES. 469. Two eggs of this species, unusually large and entirely free from markings, were obtained by the writer at Mount Carmel, on the 6th of March, 1867, and are now in the collection of the National Museum at Washington. The nest was on the summit of a tall black gum tree (Nyssa sylvatica), about ninety feet from the ground. The claim of the western race of the Eed-tailed Hawk rests on the capture of a single specimen "near Chicago in April, 1873," by Mr. C. H. Smith, as recorded by Mr. Nelson in his list, p. 119. The occurrence in Illinois of the very strongly marked race known as Krider's Eed-tailed Hawk, is verified by a specimen presented to the United States National Museum, by Mr. H. K. Coale, and ob- tained July 25, 1876, on the bank of the Des Plaines Eiver, about 34 miles northwest of Chicago. Buteo harlani (Aud.) HARLAN'S HAWK. Popular synonyms. Black Warrior; Harlan's Buzzard. Falco harlani AUD. B. Am. i, 1831, pi. 36; Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 441. Buteo harlani "Rf. 1833.— AUD. Synop. 1839,6; B. Am. i, 1840, 38, pi. 8.— CASS. in B. N. Am. 1858, 24 (part; not dese. of supposed young, which=.G. borealis calurus!). — BATED, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 22.— COUES, Key, 1872, 216; Check List, 1874. No. 350; 2d ed. 1882, No. 515; B. N. W. 1874, 352.— B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. iii. 1874.292. — RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 438. Buteo cooperi CASS. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil. 1856, 253. HAB. Southern portion of Mississippi Valley, from Louisiana and Texas, to southern Illinois and eastern Kansas; New Mexico; Pennsylvania? eastern Mexico? Guatemala. a. Light phase. Adult (No. 8, 525, Santa Clara, California, October, 1856: Dr. J. G. Cooper. Type of B. cooperi CASS). Head, neck, and whole lower parts white; feathers of the head and neck with median longitudinal streaks of black, the white prevailing on the occiput and super- ciliary region, the black predominating over the cheeks, forming a "mustache"; throat with fine lanceolate blackish streaks; sides of the breast with broader, more cuneate markings of the same; flanks with narrow, lanceolate stripes, these extending sparsely across the abdomen; tibiae, and lower tail-coverts immaculate, the inner face of the for- mer, however, with faint specks. Upper plumage in general dark plumbeous brown, inclining to black on the back; plumbeous clearest on primaries, which are uniformly of this color, the inner ones inclining to fine cinereous. Scapulars and wing-coverts spat- tered with white beneath the surface. Bump black; upper tail-coverts white tinged with rufous, and with irregular distant transverse bars of blackish. Tail with light rufous prevailing, but this broken up by longitudinal daubs and washes of cinereous, and darker mottlings running longitudinally on both webs; basally the ground color ap- proaches white; tip white, and a distinct, but very irregular, subterininal band of black, into which the longitudinal mottlings melt; outer webs of lateral feathers entirely cinere- ous, and without the black band. Under side of the wing white with a large black space on the lining near the edge ; under surface of primaries white anterior to their emargi- nation, finely mottled with ashy, and with indistinct transverse bands terminally. Fourth quill longest; third shorter than fifth; second equal to sixth; first equal to tenth. Wing, 15.75; tail, 9.10; tarsus, 3.25; middle toe. 1.70f 470 BIBDS OF ILLINOIS. Adult female.? (No. 99,969,11. S. Nat. Mus., Gainesville. Texas: G. H. Ragsdale). Head and neck above white, each feather marked with a central guttate or acute-ovate spot of dusky brown, the whole under surface of the plumage, however, pure white. Back and scapulars mixed brownish gray, dusky brown, and white, in nearly equal proportion, the whole underlying portion of the feathers white; lesser and middle wing-coverts nearly uniform dusky brown, with a faint purplish gloss; greater coverts grayish brown, trans- versely spotted, or irregularly barred, with dusky, the concealed basal portion white; secondaries similar, but darker terminally, and narrowly tipped with white; primaries grayish brown, darker toward ends, indistinctly mottled with darker or lighter, the shorter quills with decidedly, though not abruptly, paler tips. Upper tail-coverts white, marked with an irregular subterminal blotch of dusky brown (continued, irregularly, along the shaft), the inner webs of some of them stained with ochraceous. Tail white, the outer webs of all the feathers confusedly mottled, chiefly near the edges, with brown- ish gray, these mottlings more coalesced, and also darker in color, near the end of the feathers, so as to suggest a poorly denned subterminal darker band; inner webs of all the rectrices, also the shafts, entirely white. Head, neck, and entire lower parts white, the first finely streaked laterally with dusky, the throat more broadly streaked, and from the rictus backward a broad stripe of dusky, formed of coalesced guttate streaks or spots, which at the lower part of the throat extend across, forming a narrow interrupted band; sides of jugulum marked with guttate spots of dusky brown; flanks and lower part of abdomen marked with guttate and lanceolate spots or streaks of very dark brown; front and inner sides of tibise sparsely and irregularly marked with clear grayish brown; whole breast, anal region, and crissum, immaculate. Lining of wing white, sparsely and irregularly spotted with dusky, thus forming a patch on the anterior under wing- coverts; under surface of primaries, anterior to their emargination, faintly, sparsely, and irregularly mottled with grayish. Wing, 16.25; tail, 10.00; culrnen, 1.10; tarsus.2.85, the bare portion in front 1.75; middle toe, 1.75. &. Dark phase. Adult m a IP (Lawrence, Kansas. October, 1871: in collection of Kansas University) . General color deep, almost carbonaceous, black, showing much exposed white on the head, neck, and breast, all the feathers of which are snowy white beneath the surface, the black being merely in the form of tear-shaped spots on the terminal portion of the feather; chin, lores, and front pure white ; upper parts in general, the posterior lower parts, and the lining of the wing, with the black unbroken, but all the feathers— except the under wing-coverts—more or less spotted with white beneath the surface, on a gray- ish ground, these spots being usually arranged in pairs on each side of the shaft, on the flanks; tail-coverts, above and below, spotted irregularly with bright rufous, in nearly equal amount with the black and white. Alulae, primary coverts, and primaries, with quadrate, spots of plumbeous on their outer webs, forming transverse bands; under sur- face of primaries plumbeous gray except at ends, but much broken by coarse marbling of white, this prevailing anteriorly, where it is much confused, but posteriorly about equal with the grayish, and exhibiting a tendency to form quadrate spots. Tail, with the ground color white, but this nearly hidden on the upper surface by a longitudinal mot- tling of dark and light ashy, this growing more uniform terminally, where it becomes slightly suffused with reddish and crossed by a subterminal, broad, but broken and irregular, band of black, the tip again very narrowly grayish and reddish. Wing formula, 4, 3,5-2,6; 1=10. Wing, 15.00; tail, 8.80; culmen, 1.00; tarsus, 2.75; mid- dle toe, 1.50; lateral toes equal. Plumage of flanks, tibiae, and crissum remarkably lengthened and lax, the latter reaching within two inches of the tip of the tail, and the tibial plumes reaching to the base of the toes. Adult female (No. 6,851, Bio Grande, lat. 32°: Dr. T. C. Henry. U. S. A.). Whole plum- age purplish black, or chocolate-black, with a purplish lustre; feathers everywhere pure white at bases, this exposed, however, only on the occiput, or where the feathers are dis- arranged. Forehead, lores, and chin white. Secondaries and primaries more brown than other portions, crossed by distinct bands of; black,— about six on the secondaries. Whole FALCONUXE — DIURNAL RAPTURES. 471 lining of the wing and upper tail-coverts, continuous, unvariegated black, dnder sur- face of the primaries ashy white, more slaty terminally; ends with distinct, and other portions with indistinct, mottled bars of dusky. Tail ashy brown on outer webs, white on inner; both with a confused, rather longitudinal mottling of blackish; terminally, there is a broad, nearly continuous subterminal band indicated by blotches, these mixed very slightly with a rufous tinge. Primaries injured by shot, therefore proportions of the quills cannot be determined. Wing,15.75; tail,9.10; culmen, 1.00; tarsus 2.90; middle toe.l.fiO; outer, 1.15; inner.1.15. Young male (Gainesville, Texas, Nov. 16, 1876: G. H. Kagsdale*). Prevailing color dark sooty brown, nearly black, the entire plumage white beneath the surface, showing wherever the f eathe rs are disarranged. Throat white, with a few streaks of sooty brown ; lores whitish. Scapulars and larger wing-coverts with large concealed bars and spots of white; feathers of the rump, upper tail-coverts, flanks, tibiae and crissum with indistinct roundish spots of pale fulvous, pale grayish brown and dirty white, on the edges of the feathers, the continuity of the dusky ground-color being thus broken. Remiges gray- ish brown, with distinct bands of sooty black, with a purplish reflection, these bands averaging about .50 of an inch in width, .60-. 75 apart; on the secondaries they are three in number, exclusive of those concealed by the greater coverts and the very indistinct terminal one; rectrices similar to the remiges, but the black bars nearly equal in width to the interspaces (both averaging about .45 of an inch in width), and seven in number on the intermediate (not counting the nearly obsolete basal one); on the inner webs of tho intermediiB these bars are less regular, those toward the end of the feathers being decidedly zigzag and oblique; inner webs mottled with grayish next the shaft, white toward the edge, the bars narrower and more conspicuous than on the outer webs. Lining of the wing and axillars blackish dusky, irregularly spotted with white and pale fulvous; inner webs of primaries white anterior to their emarginations, this white re- lieved, however, by an irregular clouding and sprinkling of grayish. Fourth quill longe: t; third and fifth, .35 of an inch shorter, and equal; second, 1.60; shorter than the fourth, and exceeding the sixth in length; first, 4. 25 shorter than the fourth, and intermediate between the eighth and ninth. Wing,16.20; tail.10.00; culmen, .98; tarsus, 3.50; middle toe, 1.70; outer toe decidedly longer than the inner The specimen last described calls to mind at first sight the young of Buteo abbreviatus, on account of the numerous white spots which show wherever the feathers are disarranged. It is, however, more spotted below, and the general cast of the plumage is decidedly more brownish ; while the proportions are, of course, entirely differ- ent. From melanistic young specimens of B. borealis, it differs in the conspicuous white spotting alluded to, in the decidedly greater width and distinctness of the black band of the remiges and rec- trices, as well as the more hoary cast of the interspaces between the latter — especially on the intermedia. ''This species, though smaller than the Bed-tail, to which he re- garded it as allied, Audubon thought greatly superior to it in fl ght and daring. Its flight is described as rapid, greatly protracted, and so powerful as to enable it to seize the prey with apparent ease, or effect its escape from its stronger antagonist, the Bed- tail, * This specimen was, at last accounts, in the collection of Dr. R. M. W. Gibbs, of Kala- mazoo, Mich. (Of. The Naturalist ai d Fancier, Grand Rapids, Mich., Vol. I., No. 8, August, 1877.) BIKDS OF ILLINOIS. wh'ch pursued it on all occasions. It had been seen to pounce upon a fowl, kill it almost instantly, and afterward drag it along the ground several hundred yards. It was not seen to prey on hares or squirrels, hut seemed to evince a marked preference for poultry, partridges, and the smaller species of wild duck. He saw none of the young, but was told that they appeared to be of a leaden gray color at a distance, and at the approach of winter be- came as dark as their parents." (Hist. N. Am. B. Vol. III., pp. 294, 295.) A fine adult male of this rare species was taken by Mr. Chas. K. Worthen, near Warsaw, Hancock county, in March, 1879. "Two of them were seen at the time, flying up the Mississippi river, apparently following the flight of water-fowl which were then com- ing north in great numbers." Buteo lineatus (Gmel.) BED -SHOULDERED HAWK. Popular synonyms. Hen Hawk: Chicken Hawk. Falco lineatus GMEL. S. N. i, 1788, 268.— WILS. Am. Orn. i, 1808, pi. 53, fig. 3.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 296. Buteo lineatus JAKD. 1&32.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 7.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858. 28.— BAIED, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 25,-CouES, Key, 1872, 217; Check List, 1874, No. 352; 2d ed. 1882, No. 520; B. N. W. 1874. 354.-B. B. & B. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 275 (var. lineatus).— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 439. Falco buteoides NUTT. Man. i, 1832,100. HAB. Eastern North America, from the British Provinces to Florida, and west to the Great Plains; Texas and eastern Mexico to Orizaba. (Represented in California and western Mexico by B. lineatus elegans.) Accidental in Scotland. SP. CHAK. Adult male (No. 32,500, Washington, D. C., January). Head, neck, and in- terscapulars deep rufous (above becoming darker posteriorly), each feather with a median stripe of blackish brown. Throat and cheeks almost destitute of rufous tinge, the ground being dull white,— the dusky forming an indistinct "mustache," and an imperfect, obsolete collar (formed by confluent, or suffused streaks) across the throat. Breast, sides, abdomen, and tibiae rather light rufous, becoming paler posteriorly; breast with shaft- streaks of blackish; the rufous of sides of breast almost unvaried; abdomen, sides, and middle of the breast, with transverse bars of ochraceous white; tibiae uniform pale ochraceous; anal region and lower tail-coverts, immaculate white. Lesser wing- coverts chestnut rufous, feathers with black shaft streaks, these becoming larger IK in- teriorly ; scapulars and middle wing-coverts edged broadly with rufous, and indistinctly s|n itted on inner webs with white— this some what exposed; secondaries dark clear brown, tipped and crossed with two (exposed) bands of white; primaries black, fading at tips in- 1 <> dilute grayish brown, and with quadrate spots of white on outer webs. Bump uni- 1'urm blackish brown; upper tail- coverts tipped and banded with black. Tail clear brown- ish black, crossed with six sharply defined narrow bands of white, the last of which is terminal, and the first two concealed by the upper coverts. Lining of the wing nearly uniform pale rufous, with very sparse, deeper rufous, somewhat transverse spots; under surface of primaries silvery white, crossed by broad bands, these where the white FALCONID.E— DIURNAL RAPTOEES. is clearest being pale rufous, bordered with dusky, but as the white grows more silvery they darken into black; the longest (fourth) has eight, of these spots, including the sub- terminal, very broad one. Fourth quill longest; fifth, just perceptibly shorter; third, a little shorter; second, considerably longer than sixth; first equal to ninth. Wing, 13. no; tail, 8.50; tarsus, 2.90; middle toe, 1.33. Adult female (No. 11,991, Washington, D. C.: Dr. W. Wallace). Generally similar to tin- male, but rufous more extended, this tinging the outer webs of secondaries and pri- maries. On the under parts the rufous is rather deeper, and the tibiee are strongly barred, and even the lower tail-coverts have obsolete spots of the same. Wing, 13.75; tail, 9. 00; tarsus, 2.90; middle toe, 1.50. Young male (No. 1,210). Ground color of head, neck, and under parts white; feathers of head and neck with median stripes of dark clear vandyke-brown, leaving a supercili- ary space, and the ear-coverts scarcely striped; a blackish suffusion over cheeks, form- ing a "mustache," and large longitudinal spot of the same on middle of throat; breast, abdomen, sides, and flanks, with rather sparse, irregularly sagittate spots of clear van- dyke-brown, those on the sides of breast more longitudinal; tibia? with a faint ochra- ceous tinge, and with sparse, small, and irregular specks of brown; lower tail-coverts with a very few distant isolated bars of the same. Upper parts generally, clear dark vandyke-brown; interscapulars and wing-coverts edged (most broadly beneath the sur- face) with pale rufous; middle wing-covorts with much white spotting on upper webs, partially exposed; wing-coverts generally, and scapulars, narrowly bordered with white; secondaries narrowly tipped with white, and crossed with about four (exposed) bands of paler grayish brown; primaries inclining to black; faintly margined at ends with whitish; outer webs anterior to the emargination, rufous white, with distant, narrow bars of blackish, these widening on inner quills; upper tail-coverts white with trans- verse spots of blackish. Tail dark vandyke-brown, narrowly tipped with white, and crossed with numerous narrow bands of pale grayish brown, these obsolete towards tlm base. Lining of the wing pale ochraceous, with a few irregularly cordate spots of dark brown toward edge of wing; under surface of primaries mostly white, the dusky bars not extending across the web, except on inner quills. Wing, 13.25; tail, 9.30; tarsus,2.85; middle toe, 1.40. Young female (No. 11,994, Washington, D. C., January: C. Drexler). Almost precisely similar; tibiaB unspotted; light bands of the tail more sharply denned basally, and palo mottled rufous, instead of pale ashy brown. Wing, 14.50; tail, 9.60; tarsus, 3. 10; middle toe. 1.45. This is decidedly the most numerous of the larger hawks in most portions of Illinois, especially in the timbered districts. It does not differ much in its habits from other species, except that it is a very noisy bird, its very loud but plaintive and not unmusical cry of kee'-oe, kee'-oe, kee'-oe, being frequently heard, especially during the breeding season, most often uttered as the bird sails in broad circles high over the tree-tops. The food of the Eed- shouldered Hawk consists chiefly of frogs, reptiles, and field mice, but it occasionally, like others of its tribe, makes a descent upon the poultry-yard. •174 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Buteo swainsoni Bonap. SWAINSON'S HAWK. Popular synonym. Brown Hawk. Buteo vulgarus Sw. & EICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 41, pi. 27 (male ad.).— AUD.B. Am. 1,1840, pi. 6. Buteo swainsoni BP. Cornp. List, 1838, 3.— Cass. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 19; ed. 1860, pi. 13 (female ad.).— BAIKD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 18.— COUES, Key, 1872, 217; Check List. 1874, No. 354; 2d ed. 1882, No. 523; B. N. W. 1874. 355.— B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. iii. 1874, 263.— EIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 442. Buteo montanus NUTT. Man. ed. 1840, i, 112. Buteo bairdii HOT, Proc. Phil. Acad. 1853, 451 (= young).— CASS. Illustr. 1855, pi. 41; in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 21.— BAIKD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 19. Buteo insignatus CASS. Illustr. 1854, 102, 198, pi. 41 (= melanistic phase); in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 23.— BAIED, Cat, N. Am. B. 1859, No. 21. Buteo ojyjjterus CASS. Proc. Phil. Acad. vii, 1855, 282 (= young); in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 30; ib. ed. I860, pi. 15, fig. 2.— BAIKD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 28.— COUES, Key, 1872. 218. Buteo swainsoni var. oxypterus B. B. & K. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 266. HAB. Western North America, north to the Yukon and McKenzie Eiver districts, south to Central America (Guatemala and Costa Eica), east to the Mississippi Valley (Illinois, Wisconsin, Arkansas, etc.); occasional visitant further eastward, especially north of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence. Massachusetts (Brewster). Straggling (?) over South America, as far as Patagonia, Argentine Eepublic, and Masafuera. SP. CHAR. Only three outer primaries with inner webs emarginated; third or fourth (usually the third) quill longest; first shorter than the sixth (usually about equal to— rarely shorter than— the seventh). Wing reaching nearly to the end of the tail; prima- ries exceeding secondaries by about one third the length of the wing. Tail even. Trans- verse scutella? on front of the tarsus, 9-13. Color: tail grayish brown, or grayish, some- times with a hoary cast, usually passing narrowly into whitish at the tip, and crossed by an indefinite number of very indistinct narrow bands of a darker shade. Colors of other portions extremely variable. Adult. Nearly uniform dusky brown above, the frontlet, concealed bases of occipital feathers, and the upper tail-coverts more or less mixed with white ; beneath sometimes pure white, with a broad patch of uniform brown or rufous on the breast, and white throat-patch, but from this light extreme the lower parts vary to uniform dusky chocolate or sooty brown, through intermediate shades of ochraceous or rufous upon which ground deeper colored bars are visible on portions posterior to the pectoral patch; very rarely the lower parts are irregularly spotted with brown, while the pectoral patch is broken up into similar spotting by the admixture of more or less of white. In the extreme melanistic condition the bird is uniformly blackish brown, Avith white bars on the crissum. Young. Ochraceous and purplish black, in relative quantities varying according to the individual; the ochraceous forms the ground color, and usually predominates, but is sometimes much less in amount than the black; the tail is the same as in the adult. a. Normal phase. Adult. Above continuous blackish brown, the feathers usually with somewhat paler borders; outer scapulars and upper tail-coverts very rarely tinged with rufous— the latter usually more or less barred with white or ashy ; occipital feathers white beneath the sur- face; primaries plain brownish black, without trace of bars on outer webs. Throat and chin more or less white, usually inform of a sharply defined patch ; jugulum and breast brown, generally plain, very rarely spotted with whitish, the tint varying from, rufous (male) to the color of the upper parts (female). Other lower parts varying from white to ochra- ceous (rarely almost rufous), generally more or less barred, or spotted transversely, with FALCONID.E — DIURNAL RAPTORES. 470 dark brown or rufous— very rarely immaculate; crissum usually immaculate, but some- times with faint and distant bars. Lining of the wing white, sometimes tinged with ochra- ceous, often immaculate, but generally sparsely (never heavily) spotted with rufous or In-own. Under surface of the primaries cinereous (the outer two or three more whitish) sometimes plain, sometimes indistinctly barred with darker. Male. Breast-patch rufous with daiker shaft- streaks. Female. Breast-patch dark grayish umber, or blackish brown (like the back). Young. Above brownish black, with a faint purplish lustre, the feathers all paler on their borders; wing-coverts and scapulars more or less variegated with ochraceous or whitish spotting, this usually very conspicuous on the longer scapulars; upper tail- coverts ochraceous or whitish (their inner wrebs more brownish), barred with dusky. Tail as in adult. Ground color of the head, neck, and lower parts, ochraceous, varying in shade from very deep cream-color to nearly white; the feathers of the head, neck, anterior part of the back, and sides of the breast with median longitudinal tear-shaped spots of brownish black; lower parts generally spotted, sometimes everywhere, with black, and occasionally immaculate. b. Melanistic phase. Adult. Prevailing color plain blackish brown; the tibite, lining of the wings, and sometimes the breast, inclining more or less to rufous. Crissum usually white, some- times immaculate, generally barred with rusty or blackish; occasionally with dusky and whitish bars of equal width. No white on the throat, or else but little of it. Young. Brownish black, variegated with ochraceous spotting, in amount varying with the indi- vidual. This, being a western species, here reaching the normal eastern limit of its range, is one of the rarer species in Illinois. The writer has never identified it with certainty anywhere in Wabash or ad- joining counties; but Mr. Nelson found it breeding on Fox Prairie, in Kchland county, during the summer of 1875, and obtained speci- mens. In his list of the birds of northeastern Illinois (p. 119), Mr. Nel- son records the following as to its occurrence in that portion of the State: "Of rather rare occurrence in this vicinity. Have only noted it during the migrations. I obtained an immature specimen May 30, 1875, at Eiverdale, 111., and have since seen others. As this species breeds in southern Illinois it probably also breeds in the northern portions of the State." 476 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS, Buteo latissimus (Wils.) BEO AD -WINGED HAWK. Falco pennsylranicus WILS. Am. Orn. vi, 1812, 92, pl.54,flg. 1 (not plate 46,ng. l,whlch= Accipiter velox, young).— AUD. B. Am. i, 1831. pL 91; Orn. Biog. i, 1839, 461.— NUTT. Man. i. 1832, 105. Buteo pf-nnsylvanicus BP. 1830.— AUD. Syuop. 1839,7; B. Am. 1840, 43, pi. 10.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 29.— BAIRD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 27,-CouES, Key, 1872, 217; Check List, 1874, No. 355: 2d ed. 1882, No. 524; B. N. W. 1874. 360.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874.— KIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 443. Falco latissimus WILS. Am. Orn. vi, 1812, 92, pi. 54, fig. 1. Buteo latissimus SHARPE, Cat. B. Br. Mus. i, 1874,193. HAB. Eastern North America, north to Hudson's Bay; eastern Middle America and south to Ecuador, Venezuela, and upper Amazon; Cuba (resident); and other "West India islands. SP. CHAE. Adult. Upper surface dark umber-brown, the feathers gradually paler toward edges; on the back the feathers more uniformly dusky .causing a prevalent blackish appearance. Bump and upper tail-coverts blackish vandyke-brown, the latter tipped with pure white, and with a concealed bar of the same, about the middle of each feather. Tail dull black, with an indistinct terminal band of dull brown, this fading ter- minally into whitish; across the middle of the tail a broad band of dull light umber (in some individuals approaching dull white) about three fourths of an inch in width; about as far anterior to the main band as this is from tip is another much narrower and less distinct baud of the same color, crossing just beyond the ends of the coverts, or con- cealed by them. Primaries uniform brownish black, fading on the terminal edge into pale brown. Head above, and broad but inconspicuous "mustache," running from the rii-t us downward across the cheek, dull black; the crown posteriorly, with the occiput and nape, having the dull black mueh broken by lateral streaks of dull rufous on all the feathers; this dull rufous tint prevails on the rest of the head and neck, as well as the breast, leaving the lores and chin and lateral portion of the frontlet alone whitish; throat streaked with blackish. Beneath dull brownish rufous, that of the breast almost unvarie- gated; medially, however, are roundish spots of white on opposite webs, but these are not confluent; posteriorly, these spots become gradually more numerous and more transverse, forming on the flanks transverse bands, almost continuous; on the tibiae the white prevails, the rufous bars being more distant, and connected on'y by a brown shaft line; lower tail-coverts with less numerous transverse spots of dull rufous. Lining of the wing ochraceous white, with sparse, rather small, irregularly deltoid spots of dull rufous: under surface of the primaries unvariegated white, as far as their emargination, beyond which they are black. Fourth quill longest: third a little shorter; second inter- mediate between fifth and sixth; first about equal to the ninth. Female (extremes No. :iO.%9. Brookline, Mass., and No. 30,895. Mirador, Mexico— the latter the larger): Wing, ll.OJ-11. 30; tail, 6. 80-7.10; tarsus, 2.30; middle toe, 1.30. Male (So. 32,309, Moose Factory, Hudson's Bay Territory): Wing, 10.50; tail, 6.30; tarsus, 2.30; middle toe, 1.20. Young, first year (No. 11,984. Washington, D. C.). The blackish above is mueh •\;iri«'gated,being broken by narrow rusty borders to the interscapulars, rump-feathers, and lesser wing-coverts, broader and more ochraceous borders to scapulars and greater wing-coverts, and partially concealed whitish spotting on the former. Upper tail- coverts white, with broad bars of blackish brown; secondaries and primaries edged ter- minally with whitish. Tail dull umber-brown, go-owing darker terminally, narrowly tipped with white, and crossed with six indistinct, narrow bands of dusky, the (con- <-e;iled) bases of all the feathers white. Superciliary region, cheeks, chin, throat, and entire, lower parts delicate pale ochraceous or whitish cream-color; a conspicuous "mustache," a median longitudinal series of streaks on the throat, large longitudinal ovate spots on sides of breast, cordate spots on sides and flanks, and sagittate spots on tibiae, clear blackish brown. The ochraceous deepest on the abdomen and crissum. Wing beneath as in adult. FALCONIDJE— DIUKNAL BAPTORES. 477 Measurements. Wing. Tail. Culrnen. Tarsus. Middle toe. Specimens. Male 9 85-10 70 6 50-7 00 70 2 15-2 80 1 20-1 38 11 Female 11.00-11.40 7.00-8.00 .70- 78 2 20-2 70 1 30-1 40 14 "Audubon characterizes this Hawk as spiritless, inactive, and de- ficient in courage, seldom chasing other birds of prey, but itself frequently annoyed by the little Sparrow-Hawk, the Kingbird and Martin. It only attacks birds of a weak nature, young chickens and ducklings, and feeds on small animals and insects. It is usually found singly, is easily approached, and when wounded throws itself on its back, erects its top feathers, utters a hissing sound, and attempts to defend itself with its talons. "A nest of this bird, found by Mr. Audubon, is said to have been about the size of that of the Crow, and to have been placed in the larger branches of a tree, near the trunk. It was composed exter- nally of dry sticks and briars; internally, of small roots, and lined with numerous large feathers. The nest found by Professor Adams, near Middlebury, Vt., was quite large, and was coarsely constructed of sticks, and lined only with fibrous roots and fine grass. In this instance the eggs were three. This is the more usual number, though occasionally four or five are found." (Hist. N. Am. B.) GENUS ARCHIBUTEO BKEHM. Archibuteo BKEHM. Isis, 1828, 1269. Type Falco lagopus GMEL. CHAK. Similar to Bute.o, but bill and feet weaker, -wings longer, and tarsi feathered in front, to the toes. Bill small, compressed anteriorly, but very broad through the gape; upper outline of the cere ascending basally; nostril broadly oval, nearly horizon- tal. Tarsus densely feathered in front and on the sides down to the base of the t<> s; naked behind, where covered with iuregular scales. Tarsus more than twice as 1< >MU- a-i the middle toe; basal half of the toes covered with small scales; outer toe longer than the inner; claws long, strongly curved, acute. Feathering of the head and neck normal. Wing very long; the third to fourth quill longest; first shorter than seventh: outer four or five with inner webs deeply emarginated. Tail moderate, rounded. Plumage full and soft. The relationship of this well-marked genus appears to be nearest to Buteo and Circus, with an approach to Cin'-nl'tus in character of the plumage, especially the wing. The two North American species are exceedingly distinct and may readily be separated by the following characters : 478 BIRDS OP ILLINOIS. 1. A. lagopus saneti-johannis. Bill comparatively narrow at the base and compressed terminally. Tarsus not more than 3 inches. Breast never immaculate white; no rufous on upper parts or tibise. Adult: Tail with several bands. Lie/lit phase with white prevailing, this much broken however, by dusky spotting, the spots rather coalesced on pectoral region. Melanistic phase sometimes unii .-m coal- black (more commonly dark brownish), with white lores, white under side of quills, and light (grayish or white) narrow bands on tail, Young: Terminal half (or less) of tail grayish brown, without bars, basal portion white (usually unvaried;. Light phase grayish brown above, with dusky streaks and fulvous or buffy edg- ings; beneath ochraceous or buffy whitish, the belly and flanks usually dark brownish; breast streaked with brown. Melanistic specimens blackish brown, sometimes nearly uniform, but usually more or less streaked with fulvous edg- ings to the feathers. Male: Wing, 15.75-16.80; tail, 9.00-10.00; tarsus, 2.75-2.80 Female: Wing, 16.15-18. 00; tail, 9.00-11. 00; tarsus, 2.80-3.00. . A. ferrugineus. Bill very broad, and somewhat depressed, at the base, the gape almost "fissirostral." Tarsus more than 3 inches. Breast usually immaculate white (rufous in molanistic specimens); upper parts and tibiae rich rufous in adults. Adult, light phase: Upper parts and tibias fine rufous, the former with tear-shaped stripes, or spots, the latter with transverse bars of dusky. Tail white washed with ashy, and more or less stained with light rufous. Melanistic phase: Prevailing color deep chocolate-brown, more or less varied with rufous; tail as in the light phase. Young, light phase: Above grayish brown, the feathers edged with ochraceous or fulvous; tibiae white, usually more or less barred with dusky; tail white only on basal portion and on inner webs, the terminal half (or more) grayish brown, usually with several more or less distinct darker bars. Male: Wing, 15.90-17.00; tail, 9.50-10.50; tarsus, 3.10-3.45. Female: Wing, 17.00-18.80; tail, 10.5tMl.00; tarsus, 3. 20-3.40. Archibuteo lagopus saneti-johannis (Gmel.) AMERICAN ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. Popular synonyms. Black Rough-leg; Black Hawk. Falco saneti-johannis GMEL. S. N. i, 1788, 273.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1831, 381. Buteo saneti-johannis CDV. 1817.— NTTTT. Man. i,1832. 98. Archibuteo saneti-johannis GRAY, 1849.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 33. — BATED, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 31. Archibuteo lagopus var. saneti-johannis COUES, Key, 1872, 218; Check List, 1874, No. 356; B. N. W. 1874,361.— B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 304. Archibuteo lagopus saneti-johannis RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 447.— COUES, 2d Check List,1882,No. 525. Falco lagopus WILS. Am. Orn. iv, 1821, pi. 33, fig. 1 (nee BRUNN}.— AUD.B. Am. 1831, pis. 166,422; Orn. Biog. ii, 1831,277. Buteo lagopus Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 52, pi. 28.— NUTT. Man. 1832,97.— Aur>. B. Am. i, 1840, 46, pi. 11. Archibuteo lagopus BP. 1850.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858,32.— BATED, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 30. Falco niger WILS. Am. Orn. i, 1812, pi. 53, figs. 1,2. HAB. Whole of North America, breeding in arctic and subarctic districts. (The true A. lagopus occurs in western Alaska.) a. Normal plumage. SP. CHAR. Adult male (No. 43,073, Port Resolution, June: J. Lockhart). Ground color of the upper parts dull umber-cinereous, this more rufous on the shoulders, and dull white on nape, scapulars, inner secondaries, and upper tail-coverts; rump entirely black, feathers bordered with whitish. All the feathers above with central oblong or irregular spots of black, this color predominating on top of head, and forming trans- verse bands across the wing-coverts and secondaries; upper tail-coverts pure white — DIURNAL RAPTORES. 170 each marked with an exceedingly irregular transverse spot of black. Tail white on basal two thirds, and narrowly, but sharply tipped with the same; subterminal portion pale mottled cinereous, with a very broad zone of black next the terminal white, and an- terior to tnis three narrowed and more irregular bands of the same. Primaries blackish cinereous, with indistinct darker bands. Ground color of head and lower parts dull white; cheeks thickly streaked with black; ear-coverts and throat more sparsely streaked; forehead and sub-orbital region plain whitish. Breast with large, longitudinal but very irregular, oblong spots of dark brown, these largest and somewhat confluent laterally; lower part of breast with much less numerous and less longitudinal spots: tibia? strongly tinged with rusty, and with tarsus, abdomen, crissum, and flanks having irregular transverse spots of blackish brown; lower tail-coverts unvariegated. Lining of wing white, with numerous spots of black, these becoming more rusty towards the axillars ; a large space of continuous clear black, covering the under primary coverts and the coverts immediately anterior; under surface of primaries and secondaries pure white, the former becoming black at ends, the latter ashy; no bars, except toward shafts of the latter. Fourth quill longest; third equal to fifth; second intermediate between fifth and sixth; first eqiial to eighth. Wing,16.50; tail, 9.00; tarsus, 2. 50; middle toe, 1.30; bill from base of cere, 1.30; culmen, .90. Adult female (No. 28,156, Philadelphia, Pa.: J. Kricler) Generally similar to the male. On head and nape, however, the yellowish white predominates, the central black being much reduced; on the other hand, there is less white on the upper parts, the dull cine- reous drab being much more evenly spread; darker markings less conspicuous. Tail white only at the base, the remaining portion being pale cinereous drab crossed with four or five distinct, very regular bands of black, the tip being very broadly ashy. Flanks with ground color light umber-drab, and marked with transverse bands of black. Lower surface generally as in the male; tail-coverts with two or three blackish spots, apparently out of place. Fourth quill longest; fifth much shorter than third; second intermediate between fifth and sixth; first intermediate between seventh and eighth. Wing, 17.00; tail, 9.00; tarsus, 2.40; middle toe, 1.30; bill from base of cere, 1.30; culmen, .85. Young (No. 25,934, United States). Upper surface generally light umber, becoming lighter on scapulars and middle wing-coverts, but showing nowhere any trace of spots or bands; wings, scapulars, and back with blackish shaft- streaks, primaries approaching black toward ends, becoming white basally; upper tail-coverts white, with a hastate stripe of brown along shaft; tail, basal half white, terminal half plain drab, becoming darker terminally, the tip narrowly white. Head.neck.and lower plumage in general, white stained with ochraceous, this deepest on tibiae and tarsi ; head and neck streaked with dark brown, ear-coverts almost immaculate; breast with oblong spots of clear brown; flanks, abdomen, and anal region continuous uniform rich purplish vandyke- brown, forming conspicuous transverse belt: tibiae and tarsi scarcely varied, the few markings longitudinal; lower tail- coverts immaculate. Under side of wing much as in adult; black area, however, more extended; lining much tinged with rufous, and with longitudinal streaks of dark brown. &. Melanistic phase. Adult male (No. 28,153, Philadelphia: J. Krider). General plumage blackish brown, 1 he head streaked by whitish edges of the feathers; wing-coverts, secondaries, pri- maries, and tibial plumes paler terminally; tarsi mottled with whitish; upper and lower tail-coverts tipped indistinctly with white. Tail narrowly tipped with dull white, and with about five nearly obsolete pale ashy bands. Lining of wing black, spotted with white near edge; whole under surface of the primaries pure white anterior to their emargination, beyond which they are black. Third and fourth quills equal and longest; second intermediate between fifth and sixth; first shorter than seventh. Wing, 16.00; tail, 8.85; tarsus, 2.45; middle toe, 1.25. Adult female (No. 12.008, Philadelphia: C. Drexler). Continuous pure coal-black; forehead white; occiput same beneath surface. Tail paler at tip, and crossed with four ill-defined though continuous bands of ashy white, the last of which is distant over two and a half inches from the tip; lower tail-coverts with a few white spots. Whole lining 480 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. of wing glossy coal black; under surface of primaries, anterior to their emargination. white mottled with ashy. Fourth and fifth quills equal and longest; third only a little shorter; second a little longer than sixth; first intermediate between seventh and eighth. Wing, 16.50; tail, 9.00; tarsus, 2.50; middle toe, 1.20. Young. Similar, but the tail dusky, growing whitish toward the base, and without any bars. A very fine adult male, representing the very extreme of the black phase, shot at Mount Carrnel, Illinois, December 15, 1874, measured 21.00 inches in length by 50.00 in extent of wings ; bill black, light blue basally, the lower mandible tinged with yellow; cere and rictus rich chrome-yellow; eyebrow olivaceous; iris burnt umber; toes rich chrome-yellow, the claws black. This fine hawk is a winter resident in Illinois, but its abundance varies greatly with different years. From Dr. Brewer's account of its habits we quote as follows :* "Audubon never met with this species south of North Carolina nor west of the Alleghanies. He regarded it as a sluggish bird, confining itself to the meadows and low grounds bordering the rivers and salt marshes, where its principal food appeared to be moles, mice, and other small quadrupeds. He has never known it to at- tack a duck on the wing, although it will occasionally pursue a wounded one. Except when alarmed, it flies low and sedately, and manifests none of the daring courage or vigor so conspicuous in most hawks. They are also described as somewhat crepuscular in habit, watching for their food long after sunset, and Mr. Kichardson speaks of their hunting for their prey 'by the subdued daylight which il- luminates even the midnight hours in the high parallels.' For these nocturnal hunts it is well fitted by the softness of its plumage, which renders its flight noiseless, like that of the more nocturnal birds/' In his list of the birds of Northeastern Illinois, Mr. Nelson refers to this species (pp. 119, 120) as follows : "Arrives in large num- bers the first of October, and after remaining for a few weeks the ma- jority pass further south for the winter. The last of February and first of March they depart for the north. Exceedingly shy except while migrating, and in consequence but few are shot. Mr. C. H. Smith captured alive a fine specimen in the black plumage, in the spring of 1874, and kept it until the early part of summer, when the hot weather caused its death." For noble presence and piercing eye this bird has few equals among our Falconida3. The specimen above mentioned bore a striking resemblance to a Golden Eagle. * Hist. 2f. Am. B. iii, pp. 307-809. FALCONID^E — DIUENAL RAPTORES. 481 Archibuteo ferruginous (Licht.) FERKUGINOUS BOUGH-LEGGED HAWK. Popular synonym. California Squirrel Hawk. Falco ferrugineus LICHT. Abh. K. Akad. Berl. 1838. 429. ATchibuteoferrugineus GRAY, 1844.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am, 1858,34.— BATED, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859.NO. 32.— COUES, Key, 1872, 218; Check List, 1874, No. 367; 2d ed. 1832. No. 526; B. N. W. 1874, 363.— B. B. £ R. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 300.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 448. HAB. Western United States, east to the Mississippi Valley and Texas; north to the Saskatchewan, south to table-lands of Mexico. SP. CHAR. Adult male (No. 41,719, Fort Whipple, Arizona. Dec. 2,1864: Dr. Coues). Ground color of head and neck white; each feather with a median streak of black, these growing broader posteriorly; and along the upper border of the ear-coverts so blended as to form an indistinct stripe back from the eye. Entire lower parts (except tibia?) and whole under surface of the wing continuous pure white ; breast with a faint tinge of deli- cate ochraceous. tibiae and tarsi reddish white, tinged with or inclining to deep ferru- ginous on upper portion, and with numerous transverse bars of darker ferruginous and blackish; sides of the breast with a very few hair-like shaft- streaks of black; flanks with a few distant, dark ferruginous bars; a.xillars with two or three cordate spots of ferru- ginous near ends; feathers of the lining next the body, with blended, irregularly has- tate spots of rufous; under primary coverts shading into cinereous on terminal half, and with indistinct broadly hastate spots of a darker shade of the same; primaries slaty be- yond their emargination, deepening gradually toward their tips. Back, scapulars, and lesser and middle wing-coverts fine rufous, each feather with a broad median, longitud- inal spot of brownish plumbeous- black, these on the back rather exceeding the rufous ; longer wing-coverts and secondaries ashy umber, with very indistinct transverse bands of darker: primary coverts more ashy, and more distinctly banded; primaries fine chalky cinereous, this lightest on outer four; shafts pure white. Rump nearly uni- form brownish black,— posterior feathers rufous with median black blotches; upper tail- coverts snowy white on outer webs, inner webs more rufous; a few concealed blackish transverse spots. Tail pale pearly ash, becoming white basally, and with a wash of dilute rufous along the edge of outer webs; inner webs white, with an ashy tinge thrown in longitudinal washes: outer feathers nearly white, with faint pale ashy longitudinal mottlings; shafts of tail-feathers pure white. Fourth quill longest; third but little shorter; second very much shorter than fifth; first intermediate between seventh and eighth. Wing, 10.75; tail, 9.20; tarsus, 2.95; middle toe, 1.35. "Length, 22.50; extent, 54.50. Iris clear light yellow; cere, edges of commissure, and feet bright yellow; bill very dark bluish horn; mouth, purplish flesh-color, livid bluish along edges." Young female (No. 41,720. Fort Whipple: Dr. Coues). Almost exactly like the male, but black spots on rufous portions of upper parts much restricted, forming oblong spots in the middle of each feather; rump almost entirely rufous, variegated, however, with black. Longitudinal lines on breast more distinct; transverse bars on flanks and ab- domen more numerous; third and fourth quills equal and longest; second intermediate between fifth and sixth; first equal to eighth. Wing, 17.25; tail, 9.75; tarsus, 2.95; middle toe, 1.40. "Length, 23 25; extent, 56. 50. Iris light ochraceous brown." Young female (No. 6.883, Los Angeles, California: Dr. Heermann). General plumage above grayish brown, interscapulars, scapulars, lesser and middle wing-coverts, and feathers of head and neck, edged laterally with light rufous; secondaries passing broadly into pale ashy at ends; primaries slaty brown with obscure darker bands; no appear- —31 482 BIEDS OF ILLINOIS. ance of these, however, on secondaries; rump entirely blackish brown; upper tail- coverts wholly white. Tail hoary slate, basal third (or more) white, the junction of the two colors irregular and broken; tip obscurely paler; feathers obscurely blackish along edges, and with obsolete transverse spots of the same; white prevailing on inner webs. Beneath entirely pure white scarcely variegated; tibias and tarsi with a few scattered sm'all transverse spots of blackish; flanks with larger, more cordate spots of the same. (Breeds in this plumage.) This magnificent hawk, which Dr. Coues justly styles the "hand- somest of the North American Falconidse," is perhaps little more than a straggler to Illinois. It has been seen by the writer only in the far West, where the few observed were sailing majestically over- head, describing broad circles, and resembling the Golden Eagle in the manner of their flight. At such times it may be immediately distinguished from A. sancti-johannis by the snowy white of its lower plumage, which, as seen from below, is the predominating color of the bird. GENUS AQUILiA BRISSON. Aqufla BKISS. Orn. 1. 1760, 419. Typo (by elimination). Falco chrysaetos LHTCT. GEN. CHAE. Form robust and structure powerful; bearing and general aspect of Euteo and Archibuteo. Wing long, the primaries long and strong, with their emarf 'na- tions very deep. Tail rather short, slightly rounded or wedge-shaped. Bill stronger than in the preceding genera, its outlines nearly parallel, and the tip somewhat inclined backward at the point; commissure with a more or less prominent festoon; nostril nar- rowly oval, vertical; skin of the cere very hard and firm. Superciliary shield very prom- inent. Feet very strong, the membrane between the outer and middle toes very much developed; tarsus less than twice as long as the middle toe; outer toe equal to, or longer than the inner; claws very long and strong, very much graduated in size; scutellze of the toes small except on the terminal joint, where they form broad transverse plates; tarsi densely feathered all round down to the base of the toes; tibial plumes well devel- oped, loose-webbed, their ends reaching down to or beyond the base of the toes. Feathers of hind neck and occiput lanceolate, acute, and distinct, forming a "cape" of differently formed feathers. Third to fifth quill longest; first shorter than the seventh; outer five or sis with their inner webs deeply emarginated. This genus is almost peculiar to the Old World, where about seventeen so-called species are known, while America has no mem- ber of the genus exclusively its own, the single North American species being the same as the European one. Though the details of external structure vary somewhat, and the size ranges from that of Buteo latissimus to that of a sea-eagle (Haliceetus), the generic characters given in the above diagnosis apply equally well to all the species. FALCONID.E— DIURNAL KAPTOEES. 483 Aquila chrysaetos (Linn.) GOLDEN EAGLE. Popular synonyms. Mountain Eagle ; Ring-tailed Eagle; Black Eagle. Falco canadensis LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 88. Aquila canadensis WILS. Am. Orn. i, 1808, pi. 55, fig. 1.— CASS. in Baird's B.N. Am. 1858, 41.-BAiKD.Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 39. Aquila chrysaetus var. canadensis RIDGW. 1873.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B.iii, 1874, 214. Aquila chrysaetus canadensis RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 449. Falco chryscetos LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 88. Aquila chrysaetus DUMONT. Diet. Sci. Nat. i, 1816, 339.— AUD. B. Am. i, 1840, 50, pi. 12; Synop. 1839,9.— COUES, Key, 1872, 219 ; Check List, 1874, No. 291; 2d ed. 1882, No. 429; B. N. W.1874, 368. Falco fulvus "LiNN." WILS. Am. Orn. vii, 1813, pi. 55, fig. 1. Aquila fulva NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 62. HAS. Whole of North America, south to elevated regions of Mexico; breeding within the United States chiefly in mountainous districts. SP. CHAE. Adult male (No. 24,167, Eort Crook, California, December 25: D. E. Park- inson). General plumage sooty blackish, this deepest on the head, throat, lower surface in general, under surface of the wings, back, scapulars, shoulders, secondaries, pri- maries, and rump; middle and secondary wing-coverts, upper and under tail-coverts, tarsi, and inside of tibite, considerably paler, inclining to light umber. Lanceolate feathers ot occiput and hind neck with exposed portions light fulvous, the shafts black; dusky beneath the surface. Tail black, somewhat paler on basal half and with about three irregular, obsolete zigzag bands of pale brown (on two middle feathers ashy); no concealed white on breast. Fifth quill longest; third and fourth intermediate between fifth and sixth; second considerably shorter than sixth; first intermediate between eighth and ninth. Length 31. 60; extent.78.30. Wing, 24.50; tail, 13.40; culmen, 1.60; from base of cere, 2. 15; tarsus, 3.85; middle toe,2.40; hind claw (chord) 1.90. Adult female (No. 12,006, Washington.D. C., March 7,1869: C.Drexler). Almost exactly like the male. Black covering forehead, ear-coverts, cheeks, chin, throat, foreneck.and under parts generally (except the tarsi, inside and front of tibiae, and lower tail-coverts which are light fulvous, the tarsi palest); "mane" more tawny than in the male. The lanceolate, pale, tawny feathers, which in the male cover only the occiput and neck, in the female extend forward over the top of the head, leaving the forehead only blackish. Upper parts and tail as in the male. Fourth quill longest; third slightly shorter than fifth; second intermediate between sixth and seventh; first intermediate between eighth and ninth. Wing,26.00; tail, 14.25; culmen, 1.70; tarsus, 3.80; middle toe, 2.70; hind claw, 2.15; inner toe, 1.90; outer, 2.00; inner claw, 1.80; middle, 1.35; outer, 1.10. Young male (No. 49,684, Camp Grant, near Tucson, Arizona, July 10,1867: Dr.E. Palmer). Continuous deep sepia-black, with the purplish lustre; breast and scapulars with large concealed spots of pure white; lanceolate feathers of the "mane" dull brown, not con- spicuously different from the throat; under surface of primaries showing much white basally, most extended on inner feathers. Upper and under tail-coverts more brownish than the rump, the basal portion white. Basal half, or more, of tail white (more ashy on outer feathers), distinctly defined against the broad, pure black, terminal zone; tarsi dull white, clouded with dilute brownish; feathers on inside of tibise tipped with white. Young female— older? (No. 9,124, Washington, D. C. December, 1856: B. Cross). Simi- lar, but black more brown; "mane" as in adult; tarsi dull whitish brown; tail-coverts deep umber-brown; tail as in young male, but terminal band narrower, the white occu- pying nearly the basal two thirds. Wing, 25.70; tail 14.75; culmen, 1.65; middle toe, 2.80; hind claw, 2. 20. 484 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. The following is from. Mr. Nelson's "List of the Birds of North* eastern Illinois" (Bull. Essex Inst. VIII., 1876, p. 120). "Not very uncommon during winter. Arrives in November and departs early in spring. Formerly nested throughout the State. Dr. Hoy records the breeding of a pair of these birds iii a tree near Eacine in 1851. (Wis. Agr. Kep., 1852.) In December, 1874, while hunting Prairie Chickens in a field a few miles south of Chi- cago, my friend, Mr. T. Morris, was suddenly attacked writh great fury by a pair of these birds, they darting so close that had he been prepared he could easily have touched the first one with his gun. As it arose to renew the attack he fired a charge of number six shot, and brought it down, dead. The second one then darted at him, and so rapidly that he did not fire until it had turned and was soaring up, but so near that the charge passed through the prjmaries in a body, disabling but not injuring the bird, which was then captured alive. The cause of this attack was explained by the prox.mity of a carcass upon which these birds had been feed- ing. The craw of the dead eagle contained a large quantity of carrion, as I learned upon skinning it." GENUS HALJ^ETUS SAVIGNT. Ealiceetus SAVIGNT, Desc. de 1' Egypte, 1809, 254. Type, Falco albicilla LINK. GEN. CHAK. Form robust, and organization powerful, as hi Aquila; size large. Bill very large, usually somewhat inflated, the chord of the arch of the culmen more than twice the length of the cere on top; commissure with a more or less distinct festoon and sinuation behind it. Nostril oval, obliquely vertical. Feet robust and strong, the tarsus less than one and a half times the middle toe; tarsus feathered in front and on the sides for about one half its length; front of the tarsus and top of the toes with an imper- fectly continuous series of transverse scutellae, entirely interrupted in the region of the digito-tarsal joint; the other portions covered with roundish, somewhat granular, scales, these larger on the posterior face. Claws large, strongly curved, and more obtuse, and less graduated in size, than in Aquila. No distinct web between outer and middle toes. Wing very large, the primaries well developed and strong; third to fifth quill longest; first longer than the ninth; outer five to six with inner webs deeply emarginated. Tail short and rounded, with twelve feathers. Feathers of the neck, all round, lanceolate. North America possesses but two species of this very strongly characterized genus, and one of these claims- a place in our fauna solely on account of its occurrence in Greenland. The other is the common Bald Eagle, the distribution of which includes the entire continent with the exception of the tropical portions. FALCONIDJE — DIURNAL RAPTORES. 485 Haliseetus leucocephalus (Linn.) BALD EAGLE. Popular synonyms. "White-headed Eagle; Gray Eagle; American Sea Eagle; Bird of Washington; Washington Eagle or Sea Eagle. Falco leucocephalus LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 124.— WILS. Am. Orn. iv, 1811. 89, pi. 26.— AUD. B. Am. 1831, 300, pi. 31; Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 160. Haliaetus leucocephalus STEPH. 1826.— NUTT. Man. i,1832, 72.— AUD. B. N. Am. i, 1840, pi. 14; Synop. 1839, 10.— CASS. inBaird's B. N. Am. 1858, 43.— BATED, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 43.— COUES, Key, 1872, 219; Check List, 1873. No. 362; 2d ed. 1882, No. 534; B. N. W. 1874, 369.— B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 326.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 451. Falco ossifragus WILS. Am. Orn. vii,1813, pi. 55,flg. 2 (= young). Falco washingtonii AUD. Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 1, i, 1828,115; Orn. Biog. i, 1831,58; B. Am. 1831, pi. 11; ed. 1840, i, 53, pi. 13. Falco washingtonianus NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 67. Haliaetus washingtoni JAKD. 1832.— AUD. Synop. 1839,10; B. Am. i, 1839, 53, pi. 13. HAB. Entire continent of North America, south to Mexico; northwest through the Aleutian chain to Bering Island, Kamtschatka; breeding throughout. SP. CHAR. Adult. Entire head and neck, upper and lower tail-coverts, and tail, im- maculate pure white. Rest of the plumage brownish black, the feathers fading toward the edges, these paler borders being most conspicuous on the upper surface. Primaries uniform deep black. Bill, cere, superciliary shield, and feet, deep chrome-yellow; iris Naples yellow. Male, (No. 12,017, Philadelphia: C. Drexler): Wing, 22.00; tail, 10.50; cul- men. 1.90; top of cere, .80; depth of bill, 1.30; tarsus, 3.00; middle toe, 2.60; outer, 2.00; inner, 1.50; posterior, 1.30. Wing formula, 3=4-5, 2-6; 1=7. Female (No. 11.9S6. Philadel- phia: C. Drexler): Wing, 25.00; tail, 12.75; culmen, 2.20; top of cere. .80; tarsus, 3.10; mid- dle toe, 2.85. Wing formula, 3=4, 5-2-6-7-1, 8. Young, second year (?) (No. 58,977, Mount Carmel, Wabash county, Illinois, Decem- ber. 1869: D. Ridgway). Head and neck brownish black, white beneath the surface, the penicillate ones of the neck tipped with pale brown. Prevailing color of other portions blackish brown inclining to umber on the dorsal region, wing-coverts, and lower parts; all the feathers white at their roots, this much exposed on the lower parts, where the brown forms tear-shaped terminal spots; axillars and lining of the wing white, each feather of the latter region with a median lanceolate stripe of blackish brown. Primaries and tail brownish black ; inner webs of secondaries and tail-feathers spattered longitudi- nally with creamy white. Bill and cere black; iris brown; feet yellow. Wing, 25.50; tail, 15.00; culmen, 2.10; tarsus, 3.10; middle toe, 2.60. Young, first year (No. 41.595, eastern United States?). Whole plumage, nearly uni- formly black, this very continuous above; beneath, the basal white is much exposed, producing a somewhat spotted appearance. Primaries and tail deep black, the inner webs of the latter sprinkled with cream color. Young in down (Washington, D. C.) Downy covering uniform deep sooty gray; the sprouting feathers on wings, etc., all brownish black. The following measurements represent the average of the sexed specimens which have been examined. It will be noticed that the young of either sex exceed the adults in the length of the wing and tail. Altogether more than sixty specimens have been inspected. 486 I3IRDS OF ILLINOIS. Sex. Wing. Tail. Culmen. Tarsus. Middle toe. Specimens. Adult males... 20.00-23.00 11.00-13.00 1.85-2.00 2.65-3.40 2.35-2.65 10 Young males.. 23.50-25.00 12.00-15.25 1.95-2.20 3.20-3.30 2.70-2.90 5 Adult females. 23.50-25.00 12.50-13.50 1.90-2.20 3.40-3.60 2.55-2.80 7 Youngfemales 25.50-26.00 15.00-15.50 2.10-2.20 3.25-3.70 2.55-3.10 0 A very fine adult female obtained at Mount Carmel, Illinois, January 1, 1870, measured 34.50 inches in length and 85.00 inches (7 feet 1 inch) in spread of wings; weight 12 pounds. Bill and cere uniform wax-yellow, inclining to chrome; rictus and eyebrow pale chrome-yellow; iris clear light Naples yellow; tarsi and toes deep chrome-yellow, claws black. A very large specimen in the collection of the Audubon Club, of Chicago, measured 3 feet 6f inches in total length and 8 feet 14- inches in extent. Along all the larger water-courses in our State the Bald Eagle is a more or less common bird, and may be met with at all times of the year. "The White-headed Eagle," writes Dr. Brewer,* "appears to be' equally well adapted by nature for the endurance of heat or cold, and is apparently indifferent to either. Its residence is influenced only by its abundance of food, especially that of fish ; and it seems to matter very little whether that plenty is procurable within the Arctic circle or on the coast and rivers of Florida and Texas. In places like the Falls of Niagara, where the stream is ever liable to contribute the remains of animals destroyed by the descent of the torrent, this eagle is especially abundant. Unscrupulous, greedy, voracious, not select in its choice of food, and capable of providing for itself when necessity compels, we find this not altogether suitable emblem of our country now enacting the tyrant and robber and plundering the Fishhawk of the fruits of its industry, now sharing with the Raven and the Vulture the dead salmon of the Columbia, and in other places diving for and catching its own fish. The impetuosity and skill with which it pursues, overtakes, and robs the Fishhawk, bearing off a fish it has just taken, must be- witnessed to be appreciated; and the swiftness with which the Eagle can dart down upon and seize the booty, which the Hawk has been compelled to let fall, before it reaches, the water, is not * Hist, N. Am, E, iii, p. 331. FALCONID.& — DIURNAL RAPTORES. 487 the least wonderful feature of this striking performance. Un the banks of the Columbia, where there are no Fishhawks to depend upon, this bird finds an easy subsistence on the vast numbers of dead and dying salmon which abound; and in Florida Mr. Allen has observed it dive and catch its own fish. This is also confirmed by the statements of other naturalists. Wilson also accuses this Eagle of destroying great numbers of young pigs in the Southern States, young lambs, and even sickly sheep; and in one instance it attempted to carry . off a child, which was only saved by its dress giving way." 488 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. SUBORDER SARCORHAMPHI. — THE AMERICAN VULTURES. * FAMILY CATHARTnXZE.— THE AMERICAN VULTURES. (Cathartidce GEAY. 1842. HUXLEY, P. Z. S. 1867, p. 463. Cathartince LAFR. 1839. Sar- corhamphidce GEAY, 1848. Gryphince REICH. 1850.) The Suborder Sarcorhamplii (briefly characterized on page 45) is exactly equivalent to the Family Cathartidce, the essential charac- ters of which are as follows : CHAE. Whole head, and sometimes the neck, naked; eyes prominent, and not shaded by a superciliary shield. Cere much elongated, much depressed anteriorly below the very arched culmen; nostrils longitudinal, horizontal, the two confluent or perforate. Middle toe very long, and the hind one much abbreviated. A web between the base of the inner and middle toes. The so-called family Vulturida* as long recognized, included all the naked-headed carrion-feeding Raptores of both the Old World and the New. The later researches of science, however, have shown the necessity of separating the Vultures of the latter continent from those of the former, and ranking them as a distinct family, while at the same time the Old World Vultures are found to be merely modified Falconida, the resemblance between the Cathartidfe and the vulturme Falconida being merely a superficial one of analogy, and not one of affinity. Scavengers of the countries they respec- tively inhabit, they perform the same office in nature ; therefore, for adaptation to a similar mode of life their external characters are correspondingly modified. The Cathartidte differ from the Vulturin(B\ as to their external structure in the following particulars, the osteological structure being entirely different in the two groups ; the latter resembling the' Falconidce in all the characters which separate the latter family from the Cathartidce. * Established by Vigors in 1825. + From the Vulturincp. are excluded the genera Gypcetos and Neophron, each of which probably constitutes a subfamily by itself. CATHAETIDJE — THE AMERICAN VULTURES. 489 Cathartidae. Nostrils horizontal, perforate; a well-developed web between the inner and middle toes, at the base. Vulturinae. Nostrils vertical, not perforate; no trace of web between inner and middle toes. In habits, as before stated, the Cathartida resembles the vulturine Falconidce of the Old World. "They lack the strength and spirit of typical Raptores, and rarely attack animals capable of offering re- sistance ; they are voracious and indiscriminate gormandizers of carrion and animal refuse of all sorts, — efficient and almost indis- pensable scavengers in the warm countries where they abound. They are uncleanly in their mode of feeding; the nature of their food renders them ill-scented, and when disturbed they eject the fetid contents of the crop. Although not truly gregarious, they assemble in multitudes where food is plenty, and some species breed in com- munities. When gorged, they appear heavy and indisposed to ex- ertion, usually passing the period of digestion motionless, in a list- less attitude, with their wings half spread. But they spend most of the time on the wing, circling high in the air; their flight is easy and graceful in the extreme, and capable of being indefinitely pro- tracted. On the ground, they habitually walk instead of progress- ing by leaps. Possessing no vocal apparatus, the Vultures are almost mute, emitting only a weak hissing sound." (CouES.) The Cathartidcc all belong to the tropical and warm-temperate portions of the continent, only one species (Cathartes aura) extend- ing its range as far as the border of the colder regions. The famous Condor (Sarcorhumphus gryphus) of the Andes and the equally large California!! species (Psciidogryphus californianus) are amongst the largest birds of night in the world, being exceeded in size by none, and rivaled by but one or two of the Vultures of the eastern hem sphere. The two genera having representatives in eastern North America (both of them found in Illinois) may be readily distinguished by the following characters : 1. Cathartes. Nostril occupying the whole of the nasal cavity, its anterior end broadly rounded; cere decidedly arched on top, its upper and lower outlines divergent basally ; mandible much less deep than the maxilla; skin of neck with- out corrugations, but that of the head usually with irregular papilla? in front of eye and on crown (these wanting in the young). Wing long, the primaries reach- ing to or beyond end of the rather long, much rounded, tail. 2. Catharista. Nostril occupying only the posterior half of the nasal fossae, its an- terior end contracted and acute ; cere depressed and not perceptibly arched, much broader than deep, its upper and lower outlines parallel; maxilla and mandible about equal in depth. Skin of neck transversely corrugated or wrinkled. Wing short, the primaries scarcely reaching to the middle of the short, truncate or slightly emarginated tail. 490 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. GENUS CATHARTES ILLIGEB. Cathartes ILLIG. Prodromus, 1811, 236. Type (by elimination), Vultur aura LINN. Rhinogryphus RIDGW. in Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 337, 343. Same type. GEN. CHAE. Size medium (about equal to Neophron), the wings and tail well de- veloped, the remiges very long and large. Head and upper portion of the neck naked; the skin smooth, or merely wrinkled; a semicircular patch of antrorse bristles before the eye. Nostril very large, with both ends broadly rounded, occupying the whole of the nasal orifice. Cere contracted anteriorly, and as deep as broad; lower mandible not so deep as the upper. Plumage beginning gradually on the neck, with broad, rounded, normal feathers. Ends of primaries reaching beyond the end of the tail; third or fourth quill longest; outer five with inner webs appreciably sinuated. Tail much rounded; middle toe slightly longer than the tarsus. Sexes alike. Cathartes aura (Linn.) ; TURKEY BUZZARD. Popular synonyms. Turkey Vulture; Buzzard. Vultur aura LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 122.— WILS. Am. Orn. ix, 1814, 96, pi. 75, fig. 1. Cathartes auraluLiG. 1811.— NuiT.Man. i, 1832, 43.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1835, 296; v,1839, 339.pl. 151; Synop. 1839, 3; B. Am. i, 1840 15 pi 2.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 4. — BAIBD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 1.- COUES, Key, 1872,222; Check List. 1874, No. 365; 2ded.l882,No. 537;B.N.W. 1874, 379.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 454. Shinogryphus aura RIDGW. in Hist. N. Am. B. iii,1874, 344. HAB. Whole of tropical and temperate America, including West Indies; north to southern New England, Ontario and the Saskatchewan, south to Chili, Patagonia, and Falkland Islands. Resident south of 40°. SP. CHAE. Length, about 27.00-30.00; extent of wings, about 6 feet; weight, 4-5 pounds. Wing, 20.00-23.00; tail, 11.00-12.00; culmen, about 1.00; tarsus, 2.25-2.30; middle toe, 2.50; outer, 1.55; inner, 1.25; posterior, .80. Iris brown; tarsi and toes dirty whitish, tinged with yellow or flesh color. Adult. Bill chalk-white; naked skin of the head and neck livid crimson, approach- ing dilute carmine on the cere, and sometimes with whitish papilla? on the crown and before the eye. General plumage dull black, this deepest and uniform on the lower parts; upper parts with a violet lustre, changing to greenish posteriorly, all the feathers of the dorsal region and the wing- coverts passing into light brownish on their borders. Primaries and tail-feathers dull black, their shafts clear pale brown; sometimes nearly white. Male (No. 12.015, Maryland: M. F. Force): Wing, 22.00; tail, 12.00; culmen, .95; tarsus,2.30; middle toe, 2.50; outer, 1.55; inner. 1.25; posterior, .80. Female (No. 49.681, Camp Grant, Arizona: Dr. E. Palmer): Wing, 20.00; tail, 11.50. Young. Bill, and naked skin of the head and neck, livid blackish, the occiput and nape with more or less of whitish down; plumage more uniformly blackish, the brown- ish borders above less distinct; the reflections of the plumage rather green than viola- ceous. The Turkey Buzzard is a very abundant bird in the southern half of the State, and is a permanent resident at least as far north as Mt. Carmel, though it is only during clear bright days that specimens are seen in midwinter. In the extreme northern portion CATHARTID.E — THE AMERICAN VULTURES. 491 of the State, however, it appears to be more or less rare. Mr. Nelson, in his list of the birds of Cook county (Bull. Essex Inst. VIII., 1876, p. 120) says: "A very irregular and rare visitant in this vicinity. Sixty miles south it is a common summer resident, yet I know of but very few instances of its occurrence here. A specimen was captured, after a snow storm, late in autumn, several years since at Wauke- gan, by Mr. Charles Douglas." In the vicinity of Mt. Carrnel it is very abundant, many pairs breeding in hollow trees, mostly old sycamores, in the river bot- toms, especially in the vicinity of the cypress swamps. "The flight of the Turkey Buzzard," says Dr. Brewer,* "is grace- ful, dignified and easy. It sails with a steady, even motion, with wings just above the horizontal position, with their tips slightly raised. They rise from the ground with a single bound, give a few flaps to their wings, and then proceed with their peculiar, soaring flight. They rise very high in the air, moving round in large cir- cles. They are of gregarious habits, and usually associate in com- panies of from ten to a much larger number. They feed upon all kinds of animal food, and are accused by Audubon of sucking eggs and devouring the young of Herons and other birds. Yet in Trini- dad they were observed by Mr. E. C. Taylor associating with the poultry, apparently upon the most amicable terms, and, although surrounded with chickens of all sizes, they were never known to molest them. Mr. Audubon also states that they devour birds of their own species when dead. They are said to walk well on the ground and on the roofs of houses, and associate and even roost in company with the Black Vulture." GENUS CATHARISTA VIEILLOT. Catharista YIEH/L. Analyse, 1816,21. Type (by elimination)=T7'M^wr urubu YIEILL. V. atratus BAKTE. GEN. CHAR. Size of Cathartes, but more robust, with shorter wings, and very differ- ent flight. Wings with the remiges abbreviated, the primaries scarcely reaching to the middle of the tail. Tail even, or faintly emarginated. Head and upper portion of the neck naked, the feathers extending farther up behind than in front; naked skin of the side of the neck transversely corrugated; no bristles before the eye. Nostril narrow, occupying only about the posterior half of the nasal orifice, its anterior end contracted and acute. Cere not contracted anteriorly, but the upper and lower outline parallel; much depressed, or broader than deep. Plumage beginning gradually with normal, or broad and rounded, feathers. Fourth or fifth quill longest; outer five with inner webs sinuated. Tarsus longer than middle toe. * Hist. N. Am. B. iii, pp. 347-349. 492 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. This well-marked genus is composed of a single species, which is confined to the tropical and warm-temperate portions of America. The differences from the other Vultures, which this bird exhibits in its habits and especially in its flight, are very striking, and furnish additional characters distinctive of the genus. Catharista atrata (Bartr.) BLACK VULTURE. / Popular synonym. Carrion Crow. Vultur atratus BAKTE. Trav. 1792, 289. Cathartes atratus LESS. 1828.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 3; B. Am. i, 1840, 17, pi. 3.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 5.— BATED, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 3.— COUES, Key, 1872, 222; Check List, 1874, No. 366; B. N. W. 1874, 383. Catharista atrata GEAY, 1869.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 351.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 455.— COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 538. Cathartes iota ("MoL.") BP. 1828. (nee Mol.).— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 46.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835, 35; v, 1839,345, pi. 106. HAB. Whole of tropical, subtropical, and warm-temperate America, including West Indies; north, on Atlantic coast, regularly to North Carolina, casually to New Bruns- wick: in the interior to southern Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, and west of the Mississippi to northern Dakota. SP. CHAE. Form heavy; the wings and tail short, the latter square; the remiges and rectrices very hard and stiff. Bill strong, the mandibles broader than deep, and of about equal depth, the terminal hook well developed; upper and lower outlines of the cere parallel, and nearly straight. Nostril narrow, its anterior end contracted and pointed. Wing, 17.00-17.50; tail, 7.50-8.50; culmen, .90-. 95; tarsus, 3.00; middle toe, 2.90; outer, 1.90; inner, 1.50; posterior, .75. Adult. Bill blackish the point horny white; naked skin of the head and upper part of the neck blackish. Entire plumage continuous, perfectly uniform dull black; pri- maries becoming grayish basally (more hoary whitish on their under surface), their shafts pure white for their whole length. For some unexplained reason, the Black Vulture is an uncommon bird in most parts of Illinois. In fact, it does not seem to be numerous anywhere, even in the extreme southern portion of the State. Near Mt. Carrnel the writer has met with it only in the cypress swamp, where, during spring and summer, it wras several times seen, but always singly. In the same locality the Turkey Buzzards could be counted by hundreds. It seems, however, to be a very local species, and the country about Mt. Carmel may be in some way unsuited to its habits. It is so conspicuously different in appearance and manner from the Turkey Buzzard that there is no chance of confounding the two; therefore, the species cannot have been overlooked. CATHARTIRZE — THE AMERICAN VULTURES. 493 * "Both in their mode of flight and in their movements Upon the ground this species differs materially from the Turkey Buzzard. The latter walks steadily while on the ground, and when it mounts does so by a single upward spring. The Black Vulture is ill at ease on the ground, moves awkwardly, and when it essays to fly upward takes several leaps in a shuffling side-long manner before it can rise. Their flight is more labored, and is continued by flap- ping several times, alternated with sailing a limited distance. Their wings are held at right angles, and their feet protrude beyond their tail-feathers. In all these respects the differences between the two birds are very noticeable, and plainly mark the species." (BREWER.) 494 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. ORDER COLTJMB.ZE.— THE PIGEONS on DOVES. CHAR. Basal part of the bill tumid and covered with a soft skin, in which are situated the narrow, longitudinal nostrils, overhung by a valve-like scale or covering; terminal portion of the bill hard; the culmen more or less strongly arched. Hind toe usually in- cumbent, and front toes generally cleft to the extreme base. Plumage peculiarly dense, the feathers without aftershafts, and very easily detached from the skin. Primaries ten; secondaries, eleven to fifteen: rectrices, twelve to fourteen. The number of families composing this order is at present some- what uncertain. Whatever the number, however, America possesses but one, the Columbidce, or true Pigeons, whose characters are as follows : FAMILY COLUMBID-aE.— THE PIGEONS. "CHAE. The basal portion of the bill covered by a soft skin, in which are situated the nostrils, overhung by an incumbent fleshy valve, the apical portion hard and convex. The hind toe on the same level with the rest; the anterior toes without membrane at the base. Tarsi more or less naked ; covered laterally and behind with hexagonal scales. "The bill of the Columbidce is always shorter than the head, thin- nest in the middle ; the basal half covered by a soft skin ; the apical portion of both jaws hard; the upper one very convex, blunt, and broad at the tip, where it is also somewhat decurved. There is a long nasal groove, the posterior portion occupied by a cartilaginous scale, covered by a soft cere-like skin. The nostrils constitute an elongated slit in the lower border of the scale. The . culmen is always depressed and convex. The bill is never notched in the true Doves, though Didunculus shows well-defined serrations. The tongue is small, soft, and somewhat fleshy. COLUMBID.E — THE PIGEONS. 495 "The wing has ten primaries, and eleven or twelve, rarely fifteen, secondaries ; the latter broad, truncate, and of nearly equal length. The tail is rounded or cuneate, never forked. "The tarsus is usually short, rarely longer than the middle toe, scutellate anteriorly, [except in Starnosnas] and with hexagonal plates laterally and behind ; sometimes naked. An inter-digital membrane is either wanting entirely, or else is very slightly indicated between the middle and outer toes." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The two principal groups of American Columlridce, which for con- venience may be termed subfamilies, may be briefly distinguished as follows: Columbinae. Tarsus shorter than the lateral toes, feathered above. Zenaidinae. Tarsus longer than the lateral toes, entirely bare of feathers. The North American genera (but two of which come within the field of this work) are characterized as below, the extralimital genera being in brackets: SUBFAMILY Columbinae. CHAE. Tarsi stout, short, with transverse scutellas anteriorly ; feathered for the basal third above, but not at all behind. Toes lengthened, the lateral decidedly longer than the tarsus. Wings lengthened and pointed. Size large. Tail-feathers twelve. d. Columba. Head large; tail short, broad, and rounded.] 2. Ectopistes. Head very small; tail much lengthened, cuneate. SUBFAMILY Zenaidinae. CHAE. Tarsi stout, lengthened; always longer than the lateral toes, and entirely with- out feathers; the tibial joint usually denuded. Tarsus sometimes with hexagonal scales anteriorly. Tail-feathers sometimes fourteen. a. Zenaidece. Size moderate. Wings lengthened, acute, the primaries much longer than the secondaries. Tarsus scutellate anteriorly. A blackish spot beneath the auriculars (except in Engyptila); tail-feathers tipped with white, and with, a blackish subterminal bar. Sides of the neck with a metallic gloss. [3. Engyptila. Outer primary abruptly attenuated terminally . Color plain grayish brown above, lighter and (usually) more vinaceous below; under side of wing mainly rufous.] [4. Melopelia. Bill lengthened, much depressed. A white patch on the wing; no black spots on the scapulars ; plumage ashy, lighter beneath. Tail of twelve feathers, rounded.] 496 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. [5. Zenaida. Bill smaller, more compressed. No white patch on the wing; scapulars with black spots. Above olivaceous, beneath vinaceous. Tail usually of twelve feathers, rounded.] 6. Zenaidura. Similar to Zenaida, but tail of fourteen feathers, much more length- ened, and graduated. 6. ChamcEpeliece. Size very small. "Wings rounded, the primaries scarcely longer than the tertials. Tarsus seutellate anteriorly. No blackish spot beneath the auriculars; no metallic gloss on sides of the neck. £7. Scardafella. Tail of twelve feathers, lengthened (much longer than wings), doubly rounded, the lateral feathers much shorter; the three outer pairs with white ter- minally.] [8. Columbigallina. Tail of twelve feathers, short (much less than wings), simply rcmnded, the lateral feathers only slightly shorter; outer feathers without white terminally, or with only a slight edging. Wing-coverts with obliaue black spots, and body without transverse blackish bars.] c. Geotrygonece. Size moderate (generally a little larger than Zenaida); form robust, or quail-like. Legs very stout; tarsi decidedly longer than the middle toe, variously scaled anteriorly. Wings short, very broad, and much rounded, but the primaries decidedly longer than the secondaries. [9. Starnoenas. Legs very stout; tarsi covered anteriorly with hexagonal scales; crown blue ; a black gular patch, bordered below by white.] [10. Geotrygon. Legs moderate; tarsi covered anteriorly with transverse scutellae; crown never blue, and throat without black patch or white markings.] GENUS ECTOPISTES SWAINSON. Ectopistes SWAINSON, Zool. Jour, iii, 1827,302. Type, Columba migratoria LINN. "GEN. CHAR. Head very small. Bill short, black; culmen one third the rest of the head ; feathers of the chin running very far forward ; gonys very short. Tarsi very short, half covered anteriorly by feathers. Inner lateral claw much larger than outer, reaching to the base of the middle one. Tail very long and excessively cuneate; about as long as the wings. First primary longest. Black spots on scapulars ; a black and a rufous spot on inner webs of tail-feathers. "This genus is readily distinguished from the other Columbine, by the excessively lengthened and acute middle feathers. It for- merly included the Columba Caroline us is, but this, with more pro- priety, has been erected into a different genus (Zenaidura), and will be found in the next section." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The E. migratorius, or common Wild Pigeon or Passenger Pigeon of eastern North America, is slaty blue above, the wings and scap- ulars more brownish and spotted with black ; the inner webs ol the tail-feathers have each a rufous and a black spot. The male has the whole head bluish plumbeous, the fore-neck and jugulum rich . cinnamon, passing into vinaceous on the breast, this gradually COLUMBIDJE— THE PIGEONS. 497 becoming paler posteriorly; the sides of the neck richly glossed with metallic solferino-purple. The female has the head, foreneck, and jugulum brownish ashy or drab, gradually lightening posteriorly. Ectopistes migrator ius (Linn.) PASSENGER PIGEON. Popular synonym. Wild Pigeon. Columba migratoria LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 285.— WILS. Am. Orn. 1, 1808, 102, pi. 44. flg. 1.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 629.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831. 319; v. 1839. 561, pi. 62. Ectopistes migratoria Sw. Zool. Jour, iii, 1827, 355.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 174; B. Am. v. 1842, 26, pi. 285.— BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858, 600; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 448.— COUES, Key, 1872, 225; Cheek List, 1874, No. 370; 2d ed. 1882, No. 543; B. N. W. 1874, 387.— B. B.& E. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 808, pi. 57, flg. 4.— EIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 459. HAB. Whole of temperate eastern North America, west to the Kocky Mountains; no extralimital records, except Cuba and England (accidental). IS tragglerto. Western Prov- ince of United States (Nevada, eastern Oregon, etc.). SP. CHAR. Adult male. Head and hind-neck bluish plumbeous, lighter on chin; rump bluish plumbeous; back, scapulars, and tertials grayish brown or drab; wings more plumbeous, the innermost coverts, with tertials and outer scapulars, spotted with black. Tail shading from dusky on middle rectrices through gradually lighter slate and ashy to white on lateral feathers; inner web of each feather (except middle pair) with a transverse spot of black, preceded by another of rnfous. Jugulum and breast rich vina- ceous rufous, gradually changing to soft pinkish vinaceous on the sides. Crissum and middle of abdomen white. Hind part and sides of neck with brilliant reflections of metallic solferino-purple, changing to violet, green, golden, etc. Bill black, the cere glaucous whitish, the rictus crimson; iris bright red; legs and feet lake-red. Adult female. Head brownish gray, paler toward throat; jugulum and breast brownish gray or drab, changing to paler brownish gray on sides; metallic reflections on neck less brilliant. Young. Somewhat like the adult female, but the wing-coverts, scapulars, and fea hers of the head, neck, and jugulum tipped with whitish, causing a mottled appear- ance; rusty margins of primaries more distinct, widely bordering the tips of the quills. Bill black, the rictus pinkish; iris brown, with a narrow outer ring of carmine; feet pale livid salmon-pink, the scutellse more brownish; claws blackish. Wing, 8. 40-8. 50; tail, 8. 20-8. 60; culmen, .60. -65; tarsus,1.15; middle toe.1.15. So much has been written about the extraordinary abundance, in past years, of the Wild Pjgeon, that the subject may seem thread- bare. Still, it is so full of interest, that we quote the following from History of North American Birds (Vol. III., pp. 371-374) : "Several writers, who have witnessed the occasionally enormous fl ghts of these Pigeons, have given very full and graphic accounts of their immense numbers that seem hardly credible to those who have not seen them. Mr. Audubon relates that in 1813, on his way from Henderson to Louisville, in crossing the barrens near Hardens- burg, he observed these birds flying to the southwest in greater —32 498 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. numbers than he had .ever known before. He attempted to count the different flocks as they successively passed, but after counting one hundred and sixty-three in twenty-one minutes, he gave it up as impracticable. As he journeyed on, their numbers seemed to increase. The air seemed filled with Pigeons, and the light of noon- day to be obscured as by an eclipse. Not a single bird alighted, as the woods were destitute of mast, and all flew so high that he failed to reach any with a rifle. He speaks of their aerial evolu- tions as beautiful in the extreme, especially when a Hawk pressed upon the rear of a flock. All at once, like a torrent, and with a noise like that of thunder, they rushed together in a compact mass, and darted forward in undulating lines, descending and sweeping near the earth with marvellous velocity, then mounting almost per- pendicularly in a vast column, wheeling and twisting so that their continued lines seemed to resemble the coils of a gigantic serpent. During the whole of his journey from Hardensburg to Louisville, fifty-five miles, they continued to pass in undiminished numbers, and also did so during the three following days. At times they flew so low that multitudes were destroyed, and for many clays the entire population seemed to eat nothing else but Pigeons." GENUS ZENAIDURA BONAPARTE. Zenaidura BONAP. Consp. Avium, ii. 1854, 84. Type, Columba carolinensis LINN. "GEN. CHAR. Bill weak, black; culmenfrom frontal feathers about one third the head above. Tarsus not as long as middle toe and claw, but considerably longer than the lateral ones; covered anteriorly by a single series of scutellre. Inner lateral claw con- siderably longer than outer, and reaching to the base of middle. Wings pointed; second quill longest; first and third nearly equal. Tail very long, equal to the wings; exces- sively graduated and cuneate, of fourteen feathers." (Hist. N. Am. B.) The fourteen tail-feathers render this genus very conspicuous among the North American doves. It was formerly placed with the Passenger Pigeon in Ectopistes, but has nothing in common with it but the lengthened tail, as it belongs to a different subfamily. At present three species are known, one (Z. graysoni LAWR.) being pecul.ar to Socorro Island, well off the coast of western Mexico, the other (Z. yucatanensis LAWR.) from the vicinity of Merida, in northern Yucatan. The latter is possibly a hybrid between Z. carolinensis and Zenaida amabilis, being exactly intermediate in form and color- ation, whde the type specimen still remains unique. (Cf. Hist. N. Am. B. Yol. III., p. 382, and "The Auk," Vol. I., Jan. 1884, p. 96.) COLUMBttXE — THE PIGEONS. 499 Zenaidura macroura (Linn.) MOUENING DOVE. Popular synonyms. Turtle Dove; Americ n Turtle Dove; Common Dove; Carolina Dove. Columba macroura LTNN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 164 (part). Zenaidura macroura EIDGW. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. viii. 1885, 355. Columba carolinensis LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 286.— WILS. Am. Orn. v. 1812, 91, pi. 43, fig. I.-NUTT. Man. i. 1832, 626.-Aur>. Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 91; v, 1839, 555, pi. 17. Ectopistes carolinensis EICH. 1837.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 195; B. Am. v, 1842, 36, pi. 286. Zenaidura carolinensis BP. 1854.— BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858, 604; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 451.— CouES.Key, 1872, 226; Check List, 1874, No. 371; 2d ed. 1882, No. 544; B. N. W. 1874,389 (Zencedura).—B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 383, pi. 58, fig. 2.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 460. HAS. The whole of temperate North America to a little north of the United States boundary (Ontario, etc.); south through Mexico and Central America to the Isthmus of Panama, Cuba, Jamaica, and some other West Indian islands. SP. CHAK. Adult male. Above grayish brown, the scapulars withroundish or oblong spots of black; sides, and imder surface of wings light grayish blue. Tail, except middle pair, shading from white on outer web of lateral feathers to dark plumbeous on next to middle pair, which are grayish brown; each rectrix crossed, just beyond the middle, by a broad bar of black, after which the- gray is considerably lighter than that anterior to the spot. Occiput and nape light pearl-gray, with a glaucous tinge; rest of head pale purplish cinnamon, inclining to whitish on the chin. Breast delicate pinkish vinaceous changing to fine creamy buff on abdomen; crissum pale creamy buff. Sides of neck richly glossed with metallic reddish purple, and just beneath the auriculars a spot of glossy blue-black. Bill black, the cere bluish gray, and rictus lake-red; naked orbital skin delicate pale blue, tinted with greenish; iris deep brown; feet lake-red claws black. Total length (fresh) 12.60-13.00; extent, 17.50-18.25; wing (skin), 5.80-6.10; tail, 6.00-6.50. Adult female. Similar to the male, but colors duller. Head light drab, wliitish on chin, and scarcely, if at all, bluish on occiput and nape; breast light drab, changing gradually to creamy buff on the abdomen; metallic gloss on sides of neck fainter, and black spot be- neath ears smaller and without blue gloss. Size a little smaller. Young. Somewhat like the adult female, but much duller, more brownish, and with feathers of jugulum, neck, and upper parts margined or tipped with paler. The Mourning Dove is found throughout the State and is a per- manent resident in most places, though less numerous and of un- certain occurrence in winter. In the spring of 1883 all the speci- mens shot at Wheatland, Indiana, had the ends of the toes frozen off, showing that they had braved the almost unprecedented cold of the preceding winter. The species have even been known to winter as far north as Canada; Mr. John J. Morley, of Windsor, Ontario, informing Professor Baird (in epist.) that he had seen con- siderable numbers near that place on the 6th of- December, 1878, and that he had on other occasions seen it "in various places, from three to twelve at a time." 5(JO BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. In the northeastern portion of Illinois, it is according to Mr. Nelson (Butt. Essex Inst. VIII., December, 1876, p. 121), "a very common summer resident. The majority arrive the last of March f.nd first of AprJ, and depart by the middle of October. Straggling part es are occasionally observed during the winter. In many places this species becomes semi-domesticated, breeding in the trees in the yard and showing but little fear when approached." ERRATA. Page 5. line 2 from bottom, after that insert it. Page 30, line 1, for but now read not now. Page 70, line 17, for townsendi read townsendii; line 5 from bottom, before .85 read 3. Page 88, for Troglodytidce read Troglodytince. Page 99, lines 9 and 14 from bottom, for hyemalis read hiernalis, Page 121, line 12 from bottom, for swainisonii read swainsoni. Page 123. for Uplmithe.ros read Helmitliprus. Page 133, line 20 from bottom, for marli'ina read maritima. 502 INDEX. INDEX Acan this, 221, 231. brewsteri,232. hornemanni.231. hornemanni exilipes.232. linaria.232,233. linaria rostrata, 232, 234. Accentor, Aquatic, Itil. Golden- crowned, 158. Accipiter.442,453,454. atricapillus,459. COOperi.454, 455. fuscus,457. mexicanus.455. palumbarius, 459. velox.454,457,476. Accipitres.45,399. Aceipif rinse, 426, 441. canescens exilipcs,232. exilipes,232. fuscescens,233. linaria, 233. linaria, var. exilipes,232. linaria, var. fuscescens,233. linaria holbolli, 234. rostratus,234. .Esalon.428,434. columbarius.435. Agelaina3,305. Agelaius.306,313. assimilis,313. gubernator.313. longipes,312. pliO3niceus,313. xanthocephalus,312. Ajaja ajaja,43. Alauda alpestris, 330,338. cornuta,338. ludoviciana.lll. magna.315,316. pensylvauica.lll. rufa.lll. spinoletta, 109. spragueii, 109. Alaudid;e,48,33G. Alcedinida?,3h9. Alcedo alcyon.o'JO. rudis,3S9. Alcyones,44. Aluco,400. flammeus amerio.ana, 401. flammeus pratincola, 400. AmmodrameaB, 248. Ammodramus, 248, 250. caudaeutus, 250. caudacutus nelsoni,250, 251. henslowi.252,253,254. lecontei.252,253,257. maritimus,250. passerinus palustris,286. sandwichensis savanna, 259. savannarum passeriuus.252,253. AmpelidtE.48,198. Ampelinae.198. Ampelis,198. americaua, 200. cedrorum.199,200. garrulus,198, 199. japoniea, 199. phoenicopterum, 199. bialis, G8. Amphispiza. 249, 265. Anorthoura, 89,94, 96. troglodytes, 96. troglodytes hyemalis.96. Anseres,45. Anthus, 101, 109. aquaticus.lll. ludovicianus, 111. pensilvanicus, 110, 111. pipiens.lll. spinoletta, 111. spragueii, 110. Antrostomus, 366. carolineusis, 366. 367. vociferus.366,367. vociferus arizonoe,367. Aphelocoma, 332. Aauila, 443, 482. canadensis,483. chrysaetos,483. chrysaetus canadeusis,483. fulva, 483. Archibuteo, 442, 477. ferruginous, 478, 481, lagopus,47S. INDEX. 503 Archfbuteo lagopus sancti-johannis.478. sancti- johannis, 478. Asio.403.404. accipitrinus, 404, 407. americanus. 405. galapagoensis, 405, 407. Otus,404,405,406. otus, aubsp. americanus, 405. portoricensis.405,407. stygius,404. wilsonianus.404,405. Asionina3,403. Astragalinus tristis,236. Astur, 453,454,459. atricapillus,459. atricapillus striatulus,460. cooperi, 455. fuscus,458. palum'oarius,459. palumbarius var. atricapillus. 459. Asturina, 442,461,462. citida.462. nitida plagiata.462. plagiata.462. Aulanax,346. Auriparus,78. Autumn arrivals, 32. Avifauna of the State, Characteristic fea- tures of the, 24. Avocettinus,359. Avocettula,359. Baelophus.78. Bee Bird, 343. Bed, 217. Bell Bird. 52. Bibliography, 36. Bird of Washington, 485. Birds of Prey, 399. Blackbird, Blue-headed, 323. Brewer's, 323. Cow ,310. European, 64. Bed and buff shouldered. 313. Red-shouldered, 313. Bed-winged.313. Busty. 322. Skunk, 307. Swamp, 313- Violet-headed,323. Western Crow. 326. Yellow-headed. 312. < Black-cap, Wilson's, 175. Black Warrior. 469. Bluebird, 68. Arctic, 69. Eastern, 68. Mountain, 69. Rooky Mountain, 69. Bob Lincoln, 307. Bobolink, 307. Bombycilla carolinensis,200. cedrorum,200. garrula, 199. Bottom Lands, The Southern. 17. Brachyotus, 404, 407. cassini.407. palustris,407. Bubo. 403, 418, 422. asio,415. mexicanus,403. subarcticus, 421. virginianu s, 418, 421. virginianus arcticus,418,42L virginianu s atlant,icu.«,418. virginianus var. paciflcus, 421. virginianus saturatus, 418, 421. virginianus subarcticus, 418,421. Bubonidffi.399,403. BuboninaB,403. Bull Bat, 309. Bunting, Bay- winged, 261. Black-throated. 303. Cow- pen, 310. Henslow's.254. Indigo. 300. Le Conte's,257. McCown's,245. Painted. 301. Smith's, 243. Snow, 240. Butcher Bird. Great Northern, 193. Southern, 194. Buteo.442,464. abbreviatu?.47L albicaudatus, 464. bairdii,474. borealis. 464. 465. 466, 471. borealis calurus, 465, 466, 467, 469. borealis krideri, 465, 466, 468. brachyurus,464. calurus, 465. cooperi, 469. harlani.464,469. insignatus, 474. lagopus, 478. latissimus, 465, 476. line atus, 464, 472. lineatus elegans.472, montanus, 465,474. oxypterus,474. pennsylvanicus, 476. plagiatus,462. 8ancti-johannis,478. Bwainsoni.464,474. swainsoni. var. oxypterus.474, vulgaris.474. Buteola.464. Butler Bird.307. Buzzard,490. Harlan's.469. Turkey, 490. Caerebidfe,48. Calamospiza. 290. Calcarius.221,241. lay ponicus, 241, 242. 504 INDEX. Calcarius ornatus,242. pictus.242,243. Callichelidon,207. cyaneoviridis, 207. Calocitta.333. Campephilus.373,374. imperialis, 374. principals, 43,374.375. Campylorhynehus,89. Canary, Wild, 137. Caprimulgi.45,358. Caprimulgida?, 358, 306. Caprimulgus amerieanus,3G9. carolinensis, 366, 307. popetue,369. virginianus, 368, 3C9. (Chordeiles) virginiauus, 369. vociferus,369. Cardinal, 295. Cardinalis.291,294. cardinalis,295. virginianus, 295. Carduelis tristis,236. Carpodaeus, 220, 224. cassini,225. frontalis,225. purpureus, 225. purpureus ealifornicus,225. Catbird, 107. Cathaiista.489,491. atrata, 492. Cathartes, 489, 490. atratus,492. aura, 490. iota, 492. CathartidaB.488,489. Cathartin;fi,488. Cal herpes, 89. Cedar-bird, 200. Cedar-lark, 200. Centronyx,249. Centrophanes lapponicus,242. pictus,243. Centurus.374,384. carolinensis, 396. carolinus.384. Ceophloeus.374,381. pileatus,382. Cepphi,45. Certhia,86. americana,87. caroliniana,90. f am iliari s.86,87. familiaris americana,86. familiaris montana,87. familiaris oeeidentalis,87. familiaris rufa, 87. maculata, 117. palustris.97,99. pinus, 126. rufa, 87. varia, 117. Certhiid8B.48.86, Certhiola.48. Ceryle.389. alcyon,390. cabanisi,389. Cha3tura,363. pelagica,364. vauxii.364. Chama?a,78. Chamreinae, 78. Chama?pelieaD, 496. Chat, Yellow-breasted, 171. Chatterer, European, 199. Northern, 199. Waxen, 199. Chelidon.204,207. erythrogaster, 207. Cherry-bird, 200. Chewink,292. Chickadee, 80. Black-capped, 80. Carolina, 81. Eastern, 80. Hudsonian,82. Hudson's Bay, 82. Northern, 80. Southern, 81. Chickty-beaver, 188. Chimney Sweep, 364. Chip- bird, 272. Field, 275. Chippy, 272. Field, 278. Bed-billed, 275. Winter, 271. Chondestes.249,262. grammacus , 262, 263. strigatus,262. Chordeiles, 366, 367. henryi, 370. popetue,369. popetue henryi, 370. texensis,369. virginianus, 368, 369. virginianus henryi, 370. Chrysomitris, 235. pinus, 238. tristis,236. Chuck- will's widow, 367. Ciconiae, 45. Cinclidse.47. Circus, 442, 450. cinereus,450. cyaneus.450,451,452. cyaneus var. americanus.451. cyaneus hudsonius,450,451. hudsonius,450. Cistothorus, 90,97, 98, palustris.98,99. stellatus,98. Clamatores.44,47,48. Clape,387. Climate, 19. Clivicola.204,210. riparia, 210. Clodhopper, 310. INDEX. 505 Coccoborus ludovicianus, 296. Coccothraustes. 220, 221. vespertinus.221, 222. Coccothraustinse, 219. Coccyges, 44, 45, 389. Coccyzinas, 392. Coccyzus,392. americanus,393. dominicus,395. ery throriht halmus. 393, 395. Colaptese, 372,374. Colaptes, 374,386. aurato-mexicanus, 387. auratus.386,387. auratus hybridus,387. ayresii,387. chry&oides, 386. hybridus,387. mexicanus.386,387. Collurio borealis,193. excubitorcides. 194. ludovicianus, 194. ludovicianus var. excubitoroides, 194. Columba, 495. carolinensis, 498, 499. macroura, 499. migratoria, 496, 497. Columbse,44,494. Columbida3,494. Colmnbigallina, 496. Columbine, 495. Compsothlypis,115, 131. americana, 131,139. Contopus.342,349. borealis.349,350. pertinax,349. richardsoni. 349, 350. virens.350,351. Conurus, 396. carolinensis, 43, 396. Cooperastur,454. Coracias galbula.318,319. Corn-cracker, 295. Corral Bird. 323. Corthylio,74. Corvese.330. CorvidaB.48,329. Corvin£e,330. Corvus.330. americanus,331. cacalote,331. carnivorus,331. corax.330,331. corax carnivorus,331. corax simmtus,330,331. coronata,334. coronata aunectens,334. coronata diademata,334. coronata frontalis,334. coronata macrolopha,334. coronata stelleri,334. corone,331. cristatus, 334,335. cryptoleucus, 330. Corvus frugivoru s.332. hudsonicus,333. ossifragus.331. pica. 333. sinuatus,331. Corythus canadensis,224. enucleator.224. Cotingida3,48. Coturniculus, 248, 252. henslo\vi,254. lecontii,257. manimbe,252. passerinus,253. Cotyle.210. riparia, 210. serripenuis.212. Cowbird,310. Cow- cow, 393. Craxirex,464. Creepers, 86. Creeper, American Tree, 86. Black-and-white, 117. Brown, 86. Striped, 117. Crossbill, American, 227. American Bed, 227. White- winged, 228. Crotophaga,392. Crotophaginae, 392. Crows, 330. Crows and Jays, 329. Crow, American, 33L Carrion, 492. Rain, 393. Tom, 331. Crucirostra minor, 227. Cuckoos, 389,392. Cuckoo, Black-billed, 395. European, 394. Yellow-billed, 393. Cuculi,45. Cuculidse.392. Cuculus americanns.392,393. auratus, 386, 387. canorus,394. carolinensis, 393. erythrophthalmus, 395. Culicivora Ccerulea,73. Curvirostra americana, 227. leucoptera,229. Cyanecula,49. Cyanocitta.332,334. cristata,335. Cyanospiza,299. ciris,301. cyanea, 300. Cyanurus,334. cristatus, 335. Cynanthus,359. Cypseli.44,358. Cypselus pelasgius,364. Darter. Blue, 455. 506 INDEX. Dendrocopos, 376. Dendroica.115,132,135. aestiva.135,137. blackburnia?. 136, 148, 149. cserulea,136,142,143. caerulescens, 136, 139. oanadensis,139. carbonata.133. castanea, 136, 146. coronata, 136, 139, 140. dominica, 137, 150. dominica albilora. 150. discolor, 137, 155, 156. kirtlandi,137. montana, 137. maculosa.136,142. palmarum, 137, 154. palmarum hypochrysea.137,154. pennsylvanica, 136, 145. pinus,152. 6triata,136,147, supereiliosa,150. tigrina.133. vigorsii,137, 152. virens, 136, 151. Dick Cissel, 303. Didunculus,494. Discura,359. Dolichonyx. 305,307. oryzivorus,307. Dove, American Turtle, 499. Carolina, 499. Common ,499. Mourning, 499. Turtle, 499. Dryobatefe.372,373. Dryobates.373,376. borealis,376. pubescens.376,378. pubescens gairdn<.'ri,378. villosus,376. viUosus auduboni,376. vili^sus harrisi,376. vill- 8usleucomelas,376,377. , American Sea,4S5. Bald, 485. Black, 483. Fish, 439. Golden, 483. Gray, 485. Mountain, 483. Bing-tailed.483. Washington, 485. Washington Sea, 485. White-headed, 485. Ectopistes.495,496. carolinensis,499. migratorius,49i>,497. Elanoides.442,443. forflcatus,444. EUinus.442,445. - dispar,446. Elanus glaucus,446. leucurus,446. Emberiza americana, 302,303. canadensis,271. ciris,301. erythrophthalma,292. graminea,261. grammaca, 263. henslowi,254. lapponica,242. leconteii,257. leucophrys.264,267. nivalis.239,240. oryzivora,307. pallida,273. passerina,253. pecoris,310. picta,243. pusilla.275. savanna, 257. shattucki,273. smithii,243. socialis,272. Embernagra,249. Embernagre8B,249. Empidonax.342,352. acadicus, 353,356. difflcilis,353. flaviventris,353. minimus, 353, 354. pusillus trailli.353.355. trailli,3.55. Engyptila,495. Eremophila,336. alpestris,338. cornuta,338. Eremophilus,336. Erythaca (Sialia) arctica,69 Erythrospiza purpurea,225 Euetheia,291. Euspina,302. Euspiza,302. americana, 303. Eutoxeres,359. Falco,428. aesalon,434. albicilla, 484. anatum,431. atricapillus,459. borealis,465. buteo,464. buteoides,472. canadensis, 483. candicans,429. carol inensis, 439. cassini,433. chrysBetos.482,483. coeruleus,445. columbarius.434,435. cohimbarius suckleyi,434. communis, 432. commuuis anatuua,431. INDEX. 507 Falco cooperi.454,455. cyaneus, 4SO, 451. dispar,446. ferruginous, 481. forflcatu s.443, 444. fulvus,483. furcatus.444. fuscus,457. glaueus.446. gyrfalco,429. haliaetus,439. harlani,469. hudsonius,450. isabellinus,43G,437. islandus,429. jugger,429. lagopu s,477, 478. lanarius var. polyagrus,429. latissimus,476. leucocephalus,485. leverianus,465. lineatus,472. (.ZEsalon) lithofalco var. columbarius, 435. melanopterus, 445. mexicanus,429. mississippiensis.447,448. naevius,431. niger,478. nigriceps,432. nisus,454. nitidus,461. ossifragus,485. palumbarius,459. pealei,433. pennsylvanicus, 458, 464. 476. peregrinus,431. peregrinus anatnm,43l. peregrinus nsevins, 431. plumbeus, 447, 448. polyagrus,429. pterocles,464. regulus,434. richardsoni,434. sancti-johannis, 478. sparverius,436. sparverius isabellinus,436. stanleyi, 454, 455. subcaeruleus,448. temerarius,435. tinnuuculus, 429, 430, 438. uliginosus,451. velox,458. washingtonianus, 485. •washingtonii, 485. Falcons, Kites, Harriers, Hawks, and Eagles, 426. Falcon, American Lanncr,429. Black- capped, 431. Great-footed, 431. Little Kusty-crowned,436. Prairie, 429. Falconeae,427. Falcones,45,426. Falconidas.426. Falconina?,426,427. Faunal Provinces, 30. Features of the Avifauna of the State, Characteristic, 24. Features of the State, Physical.7. Fieldfare, American. 65. Carolina, 65. Finches, 219. Finches, True, 219. Finch, Bachman's, 280. California Purple, 225, Cassin's Purple, 225. Grass, 260. House, 225. Lark, 262. Lincoln's, 285. Morning, 266. Nelson's Sharp-tailed, 251. Painted, 301. Purple, 225. Eoseate,225. Fire Bird, 319. Flicker, 387. Hybrid,387. Yellow-shafted,387. Flycatcher, Acadian, 356. Canada, 176. Crested, 345. Fan-tail, 177. Great Crested, 3-15. G-eat Yellow-bellied, 345. Green Black-capped, 175. Green-crested, 356. Least, 354. Olive-sided, 350. Pewit,347. Bed-eyed, 181. Say's, 348. Townsend's,70. Traill's, 355. Tyrant.341. Warbling, 184. Yellow-bellied, 353. Yellow-tailed, 177. Former Species.30. Fringilla albieollis,269. ambigua,310. arborea,271. bachmanii,279. borealis,232. caerulea,298. canadensis, 269, 271. cardinalis,295. cinerea,276. ciris.301. comata, 266. cyanea,300. domestica, 247. erythrophthalma,291,292. fasciata.282,283. ferruginea,289. (Aminodromus) georgiana,286. graminea,260/261 508 INDEX. Fringilla grammaca, 262,203. harrisii,266. henslowi,254. hudsonia,277. hyemalis,277. iliaca.288. juncorum.275. lapponica.241,242. leucophrys.267. linaria.231,233. lincolnii,285. ludoviciana, 296. melodia,282,283. monticola,269,271. nivalis,277. oregona,279. palustris,286. passerina.252,253. pecoris,309,310. pennsylvaniea,269. pinu s,238. purpurea,225. pusilla,275. querula.266. rubra,217. rufa,289. savanna, 258, 259. savannarum, 253. socialis,272. spinus,235. tristis.236. vespertina,221. Fringillid0e.48.219. Galeoscoptes.102,106. carolinensis,107. Gallin8e,45. Garrulin8e,330,332. Garrulus cristatus.335. Gennaia,429. Geococcyx.392,393. Geothlypeae,114,115. Geothlypis.115,163,167. agilis,164. formosa.164,166. macgillivrayi, 167, 168. philadelphia.167,169. trichas.167.168. trichas oecidentalis, 168. Geotrygon,496. Geotrygoneae, 496. Glaucidium,404. Gnatcatchers,72. Gnatcatcher, Blue-gray, 73. Eastern, 73. Goatsuckers, 366. Goatsuckers, Swifts, and Hummingbirds, 358. Golden-crest, American, 75. Goldfinch. American, 236. Pine, 238. Goniaphea cserulea,298. ludoviciana, 296. Goshawk, American, 459 Mexican, 462. Grackle, Bronzed, 326. Busty, 322. Gracula barita.324. ferruginea,322. quiscala.324. Grass- bird, 253, 259. Grasshopper-bird, 253. Green Bird, 300. Greenlet, Bell's, 190. Blue-headed, 187. Philadelphia, 183. Eed- eyed, 181. Solitary, 187. Warbling. 184. White-eyed, 188. Yellow-throated, 186. Grive des Bois,52. Grosbeak, Blue, 296. Cardinal, 295. Evening, 221. Pine, 224. Purple, 225. Bed-breasted, 296. Boseate,225. Bose-breasted, 296. Bose-breasted Song, 296. Ground-bird, 253, 259. Grues,45. Gryphinae.488. Guinea- woodpecker, Big, 375. Little, 378. Guiraca.291,298. caerulea,298. ludoviciana,296. melanocephala.296. Gymnokitta,330. Habia.291,296. ludoviciana, 296. melanocephala, 296. Hair-bird, 272. Haliseetus,443,484. leucocephalus,485. Washington!, 485. Hang Nest,319. Hanging Bird. 319. Little Green. 188. Harpagus,447. Harpes redivivus, 103. Harporhynchus.102,103. rufus,104. Harrier, American, 450. Bing-tailed,450. Hawk, American Bough-legged, 478. American Sparrow, 436. Black, 478. Blue, 455. Blue Chicken, 455. Blue Hen, 459. Blue Quail. 455. Blue Snake. 448. INDEX. 509 Hawk, Blue -backed , 455. Broad-winged, 476. Brown, 474. Bullet, 457. California Squirrel, 481. Chicken, 459. 465, 472. Common Chicken, 465. Common Hen, 465. Cooper's, 455. Duck. 431. Eastern Bed-tailed, 465. Ferruginous Bough-legged, 481. Fish, 439. Fish-tail, 444. Fork-tail Snake, 444. Hen, 472. Krider's Bed-tailed, 465. Little Swift, 457. Mackerel-tail, 444. Marsh, 450. Pigeon, 435. Bed-shouldered, 472. Bed-tailed, 465. Sharp-shinned, 457. Slate-colored, 457. Snake, 444. Stanley's. '155. Swainson's,474. Swallow-tailed, 444. Swift, 455. "Western Bed-tailed, 465. "White Hen, 465. White Bed-tailed, 465. White-breasted Chicken, 465. Hedymeles,296. ludovicianus,296. Heliactin.360. Helinaia, 115, 120. celata,129. chrysoptera,127. peregrina,130. protonotarius, 119. rubricapilla.128. solitaria,126. swainsonii,121. vermivora,124. Helminthophaga, 125. celata, 129. • chrysoptera,127. peregrina,130. pinus,l26. ru capilla,128. Helminthophila, 115. 125. bachmani,125. celata, 125, 129. celata lutescens,129. celata obscura,129. chry soptera, 125, 127. cincinnatiensis, 126. lawrencei,125. leucobronchialis, 125. peregrina.126,130. pinus.125,126. ruflcapilla.125.128. Helminthophila ruflcapilla gutturalis,128. Helminthotherus, 123. vermivorus,124. Helmitheros.115,123. swainsoni,121. vermivorus,124. Helonsea swainsoni,121. Herodii,45. Herodiones,45. Herpetotherea3,427. Hesperiphona,221. vespertina,222, Hesperocichla, 49. Hieraspizias,454. Hierofalco.428,429. mexicanus polyagrus,429. High-holder, 387. High-hole, 387. Hirundinida3,48,203. Hirundo americana,207. bicolor,209. erythrogaster, 207. erythrogastra horreorum,207. fulva.206. horreorum,207. lunifrons.205. melanogaster, 205. pelagica.363,364. purpurea,204. riparia,210. rufa,207. rustica,207. serripennis,211, 212. subis,204. thalassina.208. viridis,209. Holoquiscalus,324. Hummingbirds, 359. Hummingbird, Buby-throated,36. Hylatomus,381. pileatus.382. Hylocichla.49,50. alici3B,57. alicise bicknelli,59. fuscesoens.53,55. fuscescens Falicicola,55. mustelina,52. unalascaB pallasi,62. ustulata swainsoni,60. Hypotriorchis columbarius,435. Ibides,45. Icteria.115,170. virens,171. viridis,171. Icteridae, 48,305. Icterie0e,114,115. Icterinae,305. Icterus, 306, 318. agripennis,307. baltimore.319. bullocki,319. galbula,319. 510 INDEX. Icterus icterocephalus, 311,312.' pecoris, 310.1 perspicillatus,312. phceniceus,313. spurius.319,320. spurius var. affinis,321. xanthocephalus,312. Ictinia.442,447. mississippiensis,448. plumbea,448. subcserulea,448. Ierax,428. Indigo Bird, 300. Introduction ,7. Introductory note, 43. Iridoprocne bicolor,209. Jaree,292. Jays, 332. Jay, Blue. 335. Junco.249,276. aikeni,277. annectens,277. bairdi,276. caniceps,277. cinereus , 276, 277. dorsalis,277. hiemalis,277. hyemalis,277. hyemalis oregonus,279. insularis,2?6. oregonus.277,279. Junco, Oregon, 279. Slate-colored,277. Jyngina3,371. Jynx torauilla,371. Kestril, American , 436. European, 429, 438. Kick-up, Bessy, 161. Land, 158. Water, 161. Kingbird, 343. Kingfishers, 389. Kingfisher, 390. Belted, 390. Kinglets, 74. Kinglet, American Golden- crowned, 75. Golden-crested, 75. Golden-crowned, 75. Ruby- crowned, 70. Kites, Hawks, and Eagles, 441. Kite, Black-shouldered, 446. Blue, 448. Mississippi.448. Swallow-tailed, 444. White-headed Swallow, 444. White-tailed, 446. Lake Shore District.10. Laniidae, 47,192. Lanius. 192. borealis.192,193. Lanius carolinensis,194. collurio,192. excubitoridcs,194. garrulus,199. ludovicianus, 192, 194. ludovicianus excubitorides.192,194. mexicanus,ll)4. tyrannus.342,343. tyrannus^ar. carolinensis,343. Lanivireo.180,185. flavifrons,186. solitarius,187. Larks, 336. Lark, Field, 316. Horned, 338. Little Field,303. Little Meadow, 303. Meadow, 316. OldField,316. Prairie, 338. Shore, 338. Snow, 338. Western Field, 317. Western Meadow, 31?. Lazy Bird, 310. Lettuce-bird, 236. Leucopternis,462. Leucosticte,221. LimicolcE.45. Linaria borealis,232. brunnescens,234. minor,233. pinus,238. Linnet, Blue, 300. Coues',232. Green, 300. Pine, 238. Purple, 225. Redpoll, 233. Rosy, 225. Little Corporal, 435. Loddigesia mirabilis.360. Logcock,382. Black, 382. White-billed, 374. Longipennes,45. Longspur, Lapland , 242. McCown's,245. Painted, 243. Smith's,243. Lophophanes,78. bicolor,79. Loxia.221,226. atrata,229. cserulea,298. cardinalis/294,295. coccothraustes,221. curvirostra,226,227. curvirostra americana,227. curvirostra mexicana,227. curvirostra minor, 227. enucleator,224. erythrina,224. leuc optera, 227, 228. INDEX. toxla ludoviclana,296. rosea,296. I Macro chires, 44. 45, 358. Magpie, 333. American, 333. Black-billed, 333. Martin, 204. American, 204. Bee, 343. House. n04. Purple. 204. Rough-winged Sand.212. Sand, 210. Megaquiscalus,324. Megascops.403,415. asio,415. asio floridanus,415. asio maccalli,415. brasiliamis,415. flammeolus.403,415. Melanerpeae, 372,374. Melanerpes, 374,383. aurifrons,384. carolinus,384. erythrocephalus,3S3. uropygialis,3S4. Melopelia,495. Melospiza.249,282. fasciata,283. georgiana.283,286. lincolni.283,285. melodia,283. palustris,286. Melospizeas. 249. Merle Tanne, 52. Merlin, American, 435. Merula.49,64. conflnis,64. merula, 64. migratoria 65. migratoria propinqua.65. minor, 53. solitaria,62. Methriopterus, 102, 103. Micrastureae,427. Micrathene,404. Micropodidas, 358, 363. Migrations, 31. dates of, 35. Milvulus,341. Milvusater,444. leueurus,446. regalis.444. MiminaB.88,102. Mimodes,102. Mimus.102,105. carolinensis, 107. polyglottos.105. Mniotilta.114,116. borpialis.117. varia,117. variaborealis,117. variauar. longimb_ris,117. Mniotiltea3,114. Mniotiltidae.48,113. Mocking-bird, 105, 194. English, 107. Ferruginous. 104. Fox-colored, 104. French, 104. Sandy, 104. Southern, 105. Yellow, 171. Mblothrus.305,309. ater,310. pecoris,310. Motacilla a3stiva,137. auricollis,119. aurocapilla, 157,158. bl;tckburnia3, 148. C£erulea,72,73. ca3rulescens,139. calendula, 74, 76. canadensis,139. caroliniana,90. chrysoptera,127. citrea.118,119. coronata.132,135,140. domestica,94. icterocephala, 145. juncorum,275. maeulosa, 142. mitrata.173,174. nasvia, 161. noveboracensis, 161. palmarum,154. pennsy Ivanica, 145. protonotarius, 119. regulus,74. ruticilla,177. sialis.67,68. tigrina,132. troglodytes, 94. varia, 11(3, 117. vermivora, 123, 124. virens,151. Motacillid8e,48,109. Muscicapa acadica.354,356. atra,347. bonapartii,176. canadensis,175. carolinensis. 106. 107. cooperi,350. crinita,345. ferox,344. flaviventris,353. fu sea, 347. gilva,184. inornata,350. melodia, 184. minima, 354. noveboracensis, 179, 188. mmicola,347. olivacea.180.181. pho3be,347. pusilla,175. querula,356. 512 INDEX. Muscicapa rapax,35l. rubra.215,217. rutieilla, 177,178. saya,348. 8elbii,173,174. solitaria, 187. striata,147. sylvicola,186. trailli,355. tyrannus,343. virens.349,351. viridis.170,171. wilsonii,175. Myadestes,70. genibarbis,70. townsendi,70. Myadestinae.49,69. Myiarchus.342,344. cinerascens,345. crinitus.345. Myiodioctes,173. bonapartii,176. canadensis,176. forraosa,166. mitratus, 174. pusillus.175. wilsonii,175. Myrtle Bird, 140. Nauclerus,443. forflcatus,444. furcatu»,444. Neocorys,109. Nertus.447. Nighthawk,369. Western, 370. Nightingale,Yirginia,295. Niphcea hyemalis,277. oregona,279. Nisus,454. cooperi,455. cooperi var. mexicanus,455. fuscus,458. Nonpareil, 301. Nucifrageae.SSO. Nuthatches, 83. Nuthatch, Canada, 84. Eed-bellied,84. White-bellied, 84. Nyctala.403,411. acadica, 412, 413. albifrons,413. harrisi.412. kirtlandi,413. richardsoni.412. tengmalmi richardsoni,412. Nyctea.404,422. nivea,422. nyctea,422. scandiaca.422. scandiaca var. arctica.422. Nyctidromus.366. Odontoglossae,45. Onychotes.442. Oporornis, 115, 103. agilis,164. formosus.lGC. Orioles, American, 305. Oriole, Baltimore, 319. Brown, 320. Chestnut-colored, 320. Golden,319. Orchard, 320. Oriolus ater.309,310. baltimore.318,319. caudacutus,250. ferrugineus,322. icterus, 318. mutatus,321. phoeniceus,313. spurius, 318,320. Oroscoptes,102. Orpheus carolinensis,107. felivox,107. poly glottus, 105. rufus,104. Ortolan ,307. Oscines.44,47. Osprey s,439. American, 439. Otocoris,336. alpestris, 337,338.. alpestris arenicola.337. alpestris chrysolaema, 337. alpestris giraudi,337. alpestris lcucolaema,337. alpestris patricola,337,338. alpestris rubea,337. alpestris strigata,337. Otus,404. brachyotus,407. vulgaris wilsonianus,405. Oven Bird, 158. Owl s,399. Owl, Acadian, 413. American Barn, 400. American Hawk, 424. American Long- eared, 405. Barn, 400. Barred, 409. Booby, 418. Cat, 418. Day, 424. Ermine, 422. Great Cinereous, 410. Great Gray, 410. Grfat Horned, 418. Great Booty, 410. Great White, 422. Hoot, 409. Hudsonian Hawk, 424. Kirtland's,413. Little Mottled, 415. Little Bed, 415. Marsh, 407. Meadow, 407. INDEX. 513 Owl .Monkey, 400. Monkey-faced, 400. Prairie, 407. Bichardson's,412. Saw- whet, 413. Screech, 415. Short-eared, 407. Snow, 422. Snowy, 422. Sparrow, 412. Spectral, 410. Western Horned, 421. White- fronted, 413. Paludicolae,45. Pandion,439. carolinensis, 439. haliaetus carolinensis,439. haliaetus leucocephalus,439. PandioninaB.426,439. Parabuteo,442. Paridas.48,78. PariniE,78. Paroquet, Carolina, 396. Illinois, 396. Parrots, 396. Parula,131. americana,131. Paru!us,131. Par us, 78, 80. americanus,131. atricapillus.80. atricapillus, var. carolinensis, 81. atricristatus,89. bicolor.78,79. carolinensis, 80, 81. cristatus,78. hudsonicus.80,82. inornatus,79. major, 80. rufescens,82. varius,78. . wollweberi,79. Passer, 247. domesticus,247. Passerculus, 249, 258. sandwichensis alaudinus, 259. sandwichensis savanna, 259. savanna, 259. Passerella,288. iliaca, 288, 289. megarhyncha, 288. obscura,289. schistacea,288. unalaschcensis, 288. PasserellinEe, 219, 287. Passeres.44.47. Passerina.,291.299. amoena,3iK). eiris.300,301. cyanea,300. versicolor.300. Passed nae. 219, 247. Passerine Birds, 47. —33 Pea bird, 319. Peabody Bird, 269. Pendulinus.318,319. Penelopes, 45. Peregrine, American, 431. Perisoreus,333. Perissoglossa, 132. tigrina, 133. Petrochelidon.203,205. arborea, 205. ariel,205. lunifrons,205. swainsoni,205. PeucEea.249,279. SBStivalis.280. sestivalis bachmanii,280. eestivalis illinoensi3,280. cassini,280. illinoensis,280. lincolnii,285. Pewee,347. Barn. 347. Bridge. 347. Rocky Mountain, 348. Say's, 348. Wood, 351. Phaleenoptilus, 366. Phasiani,45. Phodilus.400. Phoebe,347. Barn, 347. Bridge. 347. Say's, 348. Physical Features of the State,?. Pica, 332, 333. caudata.uar. hudsonica, 333. hudsonica,333. melanoleuca, 333. melanoleuca,i)ar. hudsonica, 333. nuttalli,333. pica hudsonica, 333. rustica hudsonica, 333. Pici.45,371. Picicorvus,330. Picid{E,371. Picinge.371,372. Piooides.373,378. americanus,379. arcticus,379. PicumninEe,371. Picus, 376. arcticus,379. (Apte nus) arcticus,379. auratus,387. carolinu3,384. er y throcephalus, 383. major. 376. martinBe,376. medianus,378. (Dendrocopus) merldionalis.378. pileatus.381,382. principalis,374. pubescens,376, 378. rubricapillus, 376. 514 INDEX. Picus tridactylus.378,379. varius,380. villosus,376. villosus, var. medius,376. Pigeons, 494. Pigeons or Doves, 494. Pigeon, Passenger, 497. Wild, 497. Wood, 393. Pinicola,220,223. canadensis,224. enucleator,224. Pipilo,291. erythrophthalmns,292. Pipit, American, 111. Louisiana, 111. Pennsylvanian.lll. Pipra poly glotta, 171. Piranga,215. aestiva,217. erythromelas,215,216. ludoviciana,215. ru bra, 215. 216, 217. rubra cooperi,217. Pitangus,342. Pitylus cardinalis,295. Plants, dates of leafing and flowering, 33. Plectrophanes, 239. lapponicus,242. mccownii,245. nivalis,240. pictus,243. Plectrophenax.221,239. hyperboreus,240. nivalis,240. Posecetes,261. Podi,488. Sarcorhamphus gryphus,489. Saxicola,49 Sayornis, 342,346. fuscus,347. nigricanp.347. phoebe,347. say a, 347,348. Scardafella,496. Scolecophagus, 306,322. carolinus,322. cyanocephalus, 322,323. ferrugineus,332. Scops, 415. asio,415. Scotiaptex.403,410. cinereum,410. Seiurus,115,157. aquaticus,161. aurocapillus.157,158. ludovicianus,160. ' motacilla,157,160. nasvius.iei. nfevius notabilis,162. noveboracensis, 157, 161. noveboracensis notabilis.157,162. Setophaga.115,177. bonapartii,176. ruticilla,177, 178. Setophage;E,114,115. Shrikes, 192. Shrike, Carolina, 194. Common American, 194. Great American, 193. Great Northern, 193. Loggerhead, 194. Louisiana, 194. Northern, 193. White-rumped,194. Sialia.49,67. arctica.67,69. mexicana,67. sialis.67,68. wilsoni,68. Siskin, Pine, 238. Sitta, 83. canadensis, 83,84. carolim-nsis,b3.84. earolinensis aculeata,84. europasa, 83. pusilla,83. varia, 84. Sittinse, 78,83. Siurus aurocapillus.158. motacilla.160. nfevius,161. Skylark, 338. American, 338. Snowbird, 233,338. Black, 277. Black-headed. 279. Brown, 242. Common, 277. Eastern, 277. Gray, 277. Oregon, 279. Slate-colored, 277. White, 240. Snowflake,240. Solitaires, 69. Solitaire,Townsend's.70. Southern Bottom Lands, The, 17. Sparrow, Bachman's,2sO. Canadian, 271. Clay-colored.273. Chipping, 272. English, 247. European, 247. European House, 247. Field,275. Fox, 288. Fox-colored, 288. Grasshopper, 253. Harris's. 266. Henslow's,254. House, 247. Illinois,280. Lark, 262. Leconte's,257. Lincoln' s,285. Lincoln's Song, 285. Nelson's, 251. Oak- wood, 280. Rufous, 288. Savanna, 259. Spotted Swamp, 286. Swamp, 286. Swamp Song,286. Tree, 271. Turkey, 292. Vesper, 261. White-crowned, 267. White-throated,269. Yellow, 257. Yellow-browed, 269. Yellow- winged, 253. Speotyto,404. Sphyrapicus.373,380. nuchalis,380. 516 INDEX. Sphyraplcus ruber.380. thyroideus,380. variu s,380. Spinus,220.235. notatus.235. pinus.235,238. tristis.235,236. Spiza.290,302. .americana,303. ciris,301. cyanea.300. soeialis arizonse.272. townsendi,303. Spizapteryx, 428. Spizella.249,269. agrestis.275. atrigularis,270. breweri.271,273. domestiea.272. montana,271. monticola,270,271. monticola ochracea,271. pallida.271,273. pinetorurn,270. pusilla.270,275. soeialis, 270, 272. wortheni,270. Spizellea3,249. Spizellinae.219,248. Spizinae, 219,290. Sporophila, 291. Spring arrivals, 31. Starling, Red- winged, 313. Starno3nas,493,494. Steganopodes,45. Steganura,359. Stelgidopteryx,203,L'll. serripennis,212. Stink Bird, 99. Strugglers,29. Strawberry Bird, 225. Striges, 45,399. Strigidfc, 399,400. Strix,400. acadica,413. aecipitrina, 404, 407. albifrons,413. americana,400,405. arctica,422. (Bubo) arcticus,421. apio,415. braehyotus.404,407. bubo, 418. caoan ch,424. cinerea,410. flam inea, 400. flammea americana.400,401. flammea, car. pratincola,400. funerea, 424. hudsonia,424. na3via,415. nebulosa.409. nivea,422. Strixnyctea,422. otus.404,405. palustris,407. passerina,413. pratincola,400. scan diaca, 422. scops, 415. tengmalmi, 411, 412. ulula,423. virginiana, 418. Sturnella, 306,315. ludoviciana, 316. magna,316. magna neglecta,317. neglecta.316,317. Sturnid8B,48. Sturnus ludovicianus,316. predatorius.313. Summer Residents, 26. Northern, 28. Southern, 28. Summer Visitants, Southern, 28. Surnia,404,423. funerea, 424. nyctea, 422. ulula.423,424. ulula caparoch.423,424. ulula.^ar. hudsonia,424. Swallow, Bank, 210. Barn, 207. Black-and-White, 209. Bridge, 212. Chimney, 364. Cliff,205. Crescent, 205. Eave,205. Green -blue, 209. Purple, 204. Republican, 205. Rough- winged, 212. Rough-winged Bank.212. Rufous-bellied, 207. Sand, 210. Square-tailed Eave,205. Tree, 209. Violet, 204. White-bellied, 209. White-fronted. 205. Swifts.363. Swift, Chimney, 364. Sylvania.115,173. bonapartii,176. canadensis.173,170. co3rulea,73. microcephala, 173. mitrata, 173,174. pusilla.173,175. pusilla pileolat,T,175. Sylvia a3stiva,137. agilis.163,104. americana, 131. arctica,69. auricollis,119. autumnalis,146. INDEX. 517 Sylvia azurea, 143. blackburniae,148. casrulea.142. calendula, 76. canadensis,139. castanea, 146. celata,129. children!, 138. chrysoptera,127. citrinella.,138. coronata,140. cucullata,174. discolor, 155. domestica,94. formosa,lfi6. icterocephala,145. ludoviciana,90. maculosa,142. magnolia,142. maritima,133. marylandica,167. minuta,156. mitrata,174. palmarum,154. pardalina,176. parus,149. pennsylvanica,145. pensilis,150. peregrina,130. Philadelphia, 169. pinus,152 protonotarius,119. pusilla.131,139. rara,143. rathbonia,138. regnlus,75. roscoe,167. rubricapilla,128. ruflcapilla, 125,128. sialis.68. solitaria,126. sphagnosa,139. striata,147. swainsonii, 120,121. trichas,167. troglodytes, 96. varia,117. vermivora,124. vigorsii,152. virens,151. •wilsonii,175. Sylvicola 0estiva,137. agilis.164. americana,131. auricollis,119. blackburnia3,148. caBrulea,142. canadensis,139. castanea, 146. coronata,140. discolor, 155. icterocephala, 145. maculosa,142. maritima,133. Sylvicola palmarum,154. parus,149. pensilis,150. (Vermivora) peregrina,130. petechia,154. pinus,152. rathbonii,138. striata,147. virens,151. Sylviidas, 47,48,72. Sylviinse, 17,72. Syrnium.403,408. aluco,408. cinereum,410. cinereuni lapponicum,411. lapponicum var. cinereum,410. nebulosum,409. nebulosum alleni,409. stridula,408. Tachycineta.204,207,208. bicolor.208,209. thalassina,208. Tachytriorchis,464. Tanagers,214. Tanager,Red,217. Scarlet, 215. Summer. 217. Vermilion, 217. Tanagra aBStiva, 217. coccinea,217. cyanea, 299,300. rub ra,, 215. Ta,nagrid8e,48,214. Telmatodytes, 90,97,98,99. palustris,99. Thalassoaetus,443. Thistle-bird, 236. Thrasaetus,443. Thrasher, 104. Brown, 104. Thriothorus bewickii,92. Thrushes, 49. Mocking, 102. True, 49. Thrush, Alice's, 57. Bell, 52. Bicknell's,59. Eastern Hermit, 62. Fly catching, 70. Golden-crowned, 158. Gray-cheeked, 57. Hermit, 62. Migratory, 65. New York Aquatic, 161. Olive-backed, 60. Eed-breasted,65. Robin, 65. Rufous- taile d, 62. Solitary, 62. Swainson's,60. Tawny, 53. Willow, 55. Wilson's, 53, 518 INDEX. Thrush, Wood, 52. Thryomanes, 89, 90,92. bewicki,92. Thryothorus.89,90. arundinaceus,97. bewickii, 90,92. ludovicianus,90. Tichodroma,86. Tinnunculus.428,436. sparverius,436. sparverius isabellinus,436. Titlark, American, 111. Titmice and Nuthatches, 78. Titmouse, Black-capped, 80. Black-fronted, 79. Carolina, 81. Hudsonian,82. Hudson's Bay, 82. Tufted, 79. Tomtit, 84. Towhee,292. Towink,292. Trichas agilis,164. marylandica,167. Philadelphia, 169. roscoe,167. tephrocotis,164. Trochili.44,358. Trochilidte, 358,359. Trochilus colubris,361. Troglodytes, 89, 94. aedon, 94,95. aedon parkmanii,94. americanus,94. arundinaceus,90. bewickii, 90,92. brevirostris,98. domesticus,94. domesticus parkmani,94. europ£eus,96. fulvus.94. hiemalis, 94,96. ludovicianus,90. palustris,99. parkmanii.94,95. parvulus rar. hyemalis,96. stellaris.97,98. Troglodytidae, 48,88. TroglodytintB.88,89. Trogones,45. Tubinares,45. Turdid8B,47,49. Turdinas,49. Turdus.49,50. alicise.51,57. ' alicise bicknelli.51,59. aonalaschkse auduboni,62. aonalaschkse pallasii.51,62. aquaticus,161. aurocapillus,158. brunneus,53. carolinus,322. felivox.107. fuscescens.51,53,55. Turdus fuscescens salicicolus.51,53,55. iliacus,49. lividis,107. ludovicianus,160. melodus,52. merula,64. migratorius,65. minor, 62. motacil!a,160. mustelinus.50,51,52,53. (Seiurus) noveboracensis,161. pallasii,62. polyglottos,105. rufus.103,104. solitarius,62. swainsonii.60,62. swainsoni var. aliciae,57. trichas,167. unalascae nanus,62. ustulatus alicise, 57. ustulatus swainsonii, 51,60. virens,170,171. wilsoni,53. Tyranni,341. TyrannidaB.48,341. Tyrannula flaviventris,353. minima,354. nigricans,346. pusilla,352. Tyrannuli,341. Tyrannus.341,342. aurantio-atrocristatuP,343. borealis,350. carolinensis,343. cooperi,350. crmitus,345. fuscus,347. magnirostris,343. saya.348. trailli,355. tyrannus,343. verticalis,343. virens,351. vociferans,343. Ulula acadica.413. cinerea,410. tengmalmi,412. Veery, 53. Rocky Mountain, 55. Vermivora celata,129. peregrina,130. Yireo, 179, 180,188. belli, 188, 190. cantatrix,188. flavifrons.185,186. flavoviridis,181. gilvus.181,184. gilvus swainsoni, 181. noveboracensis,188. olivaceus,181. philadelphicus, 181, 183. INDEX. 519 Vireo solitarius.186,187. swainsoni,184. vigorsii, 152. Vireos,179. Vireo. Bell's. 190. Blue-headed, 187. Brotherly-love, 183. Philadelphia, 183. Red-eyed, 181. Solitary. 187. "Warbling, 184. White-eyed. 188. Yellow- throated. 186. Vireonidas.48,179. Vireosylva,180. gilva,184. flavifrons.186. olivacea, 181. Philadelphia, 183. solitaria,187. Vultur atratus.491,492. aura, 490. urubu,491. Vultures, American, 488. Vulture, Black, 492. Turkey, 490. Vulturinse.488,489. Wagtails and Pipits, 109. Wagtail, 160. Water, 160, 161. Wood, 158. Wake-up, 387. Warblers, 72. American, 113. Flycatching.114. Ground, 114. Wood, 114. Warbler, Autumnal, 146. Azure, 142. Bay-breasted, 146. Black-and-red, 177. Black-and-y ellow, 142. Black-and-white, 117. Black-and-white Creeping, 117. Black-masked Ground, 167, 168. Black-poll, 147. Black-spectacled, 167,168. Black-throated Blue, 139. Black- throated Green, 151. Black- throated Ground, 169. Blue, 142. Blue Golden-winged, 127. Blue fellow-backed, 131. Blue-winged, 126. Blue-winged Swamp, 126. Blue- winged Yellow, 126. Bonaparte's, 176. Canadian, 139, 176. Canadian Flycatching.176. Cape May, 133. Cerulean, 142. Chat, 114. Chestnut-backed Yellow,155. Warbler, Chestnut- sided, 145. Connecticut,164. Fan- tail, 177. Flycatching,175. Golden Swamp, 119. Golden Winged, 127. Golden-winged Swamp, 127. Gray-headed, 164. Hemlock, 148. Hooded, 174. Hooded Fly catching. 174. Kentucky, 166. Magnolia, 142. Mitred, 174. Mourning, 169. Myrtle, 140. Nashville, 128. Necklaced,176. Orange-crowned, 129. Orange - throated, 148. Palm, 154. Particolored, 131. Parula,131. Pine, 152. Pine Creeping,152. Pine Swamp, 139. Prairie, 155. Prothonotary,119. Red-poll, 154. Selby's,174. Swainson's,121. Swainson's Swamp, 121. Sycamore, 150. Tennessee, 130. Tip-up, 154. Titlark, 154. Wagtail,154. White-browed Yellow-throated, 150. White-cheeked, 150. White-throated Blue, 142. Willow,119. Wilson's, 175. Worm-eating, 124. Worm-eating Swamp, 124. Yellow, 137. Yellow-crowned Wood. 140. Yellow-poll, 137. Yellow-rump, 140. Yellow-tailed, 177. Water Thrush, 161. Grinnell's.162. Large-billed, 160. Louisiana, 160. Small-billed,161. Wyoming, 162. Waxwings,198. Waxwing, Black-throated, 199. Bohemian, 199. Carolina, 200. Cedar,200. European, 199. Northern, 199. Western residents or regular visitants, 29. Western visitants, irregular, 29. 520 INDEX. Whip-poor- will ,367 ,369. Dutch.367. Whiskey Jack, White, 193. Will-o'-the- Wisp, 369. Wilsonia,173. mitrata, 174. pusilla, 175. Winter Birds, 24. Northern, 26. Southern, 25. Wood Chuck, 384. Woodcock, 382. Black, 382. Woodpecker, Arctic Three-toed, 379. Big Guinea, 376. Black-backed Three-toed, 379. Carolina, 384. Checkered, 384. Downy,378. Golden- winged, 387. Hairy, 376. Ivory-billed, 374. Little Guinea, 378. Pigeon, 387. Pileated,382. Red-bellied, 384. Bed-headed, 383. White-billed, 374. Zebra, 384. Wrens and Mocking Thrushes, 88. Wren, American Golden- crowned, 75. Bewick's, 92. Blue, 73. Brier, 167, 168. Bunty,96. Carolina, 90. Golden-crowned, 75. Grass. 99. Great Carolina, 90. House, 94. Large Wood, 90. Little Log,96. Long- billed Marsh, 99. Long-tailed,92. Long-tailed Blue, 73. Long-tailed House.92. Mocking, 90. Wren, Parkman's, 94. Ruby-crowned, 76. Short-billed Marsh, 98. Short- tailed House, 94. Western House, 94. Western Wood, 94. Winter, 96. Wood, 94. Yellow Brier,167, 168. Wryneck, 372. Xanthocephalus.306,311. icterocephalus, 312. xanthocephalus, 312. Xanthomus affinis,321. Yellow-bird,236. Black-capped, 236. Black-winged, 236. Summer, 137. Yellow-hammer,387. Yellow-throat, Black-cheeked, 167, 168. Maryland, 167. Western, 168. Yphantes, 318,319. Zamelodia,296. ludoviciana,296. Zenaida,496. Zenaidesp,495. Zenaidinse,495. Zenaidura.496,498. carolinenpis,499. gray soni, 498. macroura, 499. yucatanensis, 498. Zonotrichia,249.264. albicollis.266,269. coronata,266. gambeli,265. intermedia, 265, 285. leucophrys,265, 267. mystacalis,265. pileata,265. querula.265,266. Quinquestriata, 265. . Tunlits mustelhuif!. Men/la migratnria. Sin I in sialis. -.Myttctrstes townsenrli. Polioptila caerulea. x satrapa. II /'urns Licolor. Par us Si/ln Certhia fnniiU.aris americana. Tliri/otliorus -nin us. . Thryothorus bewickii. Troglodytes aedtm. Ill Troglodytes /< iemalis. (Jistothoriis stellnri.**. HarporUyncTi its rufus. Jfimus polyglottos. Ant)ms pensiivnnicus. .1 nt /i us IV I'rotonotaria ritrea. Dendroica tigrina. Ilelinaia swainsoii ii. Helmitheros vermivorus. Dendroica connuita. 1(1! IS J)r)idi iiirii iliiiiiinii-ii. Dendroica palmar nm. Icterla virens. 3a031 Geotldypis plilladelp/ua. Geothlypis agilis. Geothlypis trichas. (j-eothlypis formusa. ~ « g e • VI Tirrn .•>'// li'a lut rli a I n In . Y'n-co solitarius. •vi i Chenaon erytrirogastei Piranga er Stelgidopteryx serriyeimis. 1G77O 1677O Goccotliraustes I'p.spertinus . 18597 Coccothrauates m VIII •§ o Pinicola enucleator. Loxia curvirostra minor. Acati.this tin aria. Siiinus tristis. O s 19647 >• . «2S2 $ ^^ Rhynchophanes mcrownii. 67471 RTiyncliophanes mccownii. Passer domesticus. Aimnodramus caudacutus. Ammodramus sai-annantm passerinus. S34S] 80012 A . A. sandwichensis x ijft gramineus. Zonotrichia leucop/irys. monticola. XI Melospiza fast- in In. Melospiza Peucwa csstwaUs. 1 Nst ' Hdl)ia ludoviciana. Guiraca cwrn/ea. Sjiizu americann. Dolichonux oryzivorus. Molotlu-ns ater. XII I XIV Cornis XV /'lea pica Hudson ica. Cyniiucllta cristala. Otocorls alpestr/s. XVI XVII Troc/ii/ti s c o /•< (, l> ris. <_'lior 'n 111 /ii'iili i/i/.s1 jiri n/'i /m/is . XIX Melanerpes erythrocephalus Colaptes auratus. 1640 Ceryle ale yon. Coccyzus americanus. XXI •••'-="5- •: >'-f^» • *' . . '/'"!"—- •*-v -^ ,«:-.i i-.- --• •. tvv -'-•;- -w.^r- ^'^ii !\-- - - -Vc^ ^v i ~N~ :-^M*X'"- --~.-.-'-- ^-' ~ " • Falco peregnnus anatuin. XX V flat***" carolinensis. -n colii'inbarins. XXVI Irtinin mississi/jjiiensis. Elanits leucurus. [Adult.) Elauoides forflcatus. XXVII \ mmmiwm :-l?lff ^ ^i \, J "4t ~* t»lt './ ' V ( 'MV//.S // tnfxon //^N. m •^j^Ve^SS "?•• &r 3^»U^ ' Jvrlrf s?ji'Ws Sz.t-*£fry- w%%& Lnteo sicainsoni. (Adult.) eo loreaJis. (Adulf.) XXTX Ltateo swa-nsoni. (Young-.) 54338,^ Archibuteo. (Posterior face of tarsus. Aquila. (Posterior face of tarsusj Archibuteo ferruginens. XXX Aquiln chrysartos. (Adult.) Archilnileo lagopus sancii johannis. (Light-colored phasej 41901,^. Foot of Aqnila. Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johannis. (Black phase.) Foot of ffajiaetu*. XXXT Hal'uKetus /encocephalus. (Adult.) Eclopistes migratorius. XXXII Catkertes aura.