Birds of New York

~~ a
a °

Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2008 with funding from
Microsoft Corporation

http://www.archive.org/details/birdsofnewyork02eatouoft

r ; Wew. Yor ic atate

— Cu | th

- ——-—~

Myvseu

be

The University of the State of New York

New York State Museum

GENERAL CHAPTERS; LAND BIRDS

Joun M. Crarke, Director

Memoir 12 5 pT 2

————

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

BY

ELON HOWARD EATON

Part 2

PAGS PAGE
Introductory note - - - - 3 | Private preserves - - - 59
Bird ecology - - - - - 5 | Description of genera and species - 61
The economic value of birds - - 46 | Addendum: New York bird history
The status of our bird laws - - 51 since 1910 - - - - - 542
Special measures for increasing bird life 52 | Explanations of plates - - - 545
Bird refuges - - - - - 58 | Index - - - - - - - 673

ALBANY

THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
1914

1917

1926
1915
1922
1918
1921
1923
1924
1925
1919
1920
1916

THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

Regents of the University
With years when terms expire
Sr Crain McKriwav M.A. 2 ED: DCL. E-HeED.
Chanecllor -
Purny T. Sexton LL.B. LL.D. Vice Chancellor -
ALBERT VANDER VEER M.D.
CueEsTErR S. Lorp M.A. LL.D: - - - -

Wiii1amM NottrincuaM M.A. Ph.D. LL.D. : 2

Francis M. CARPENTER - - - -
Asram I. Erxus LL.B. D.C. 4. : 2 : :
ADELBERT Moor. - :

CHARLES B. ALEXANDER M. A. IE: B. L ‘_ 12); is D.
Joux Moore - e =
ANDREW J. SHIPMAN M. A. Le B. ae D. - -
WaLrerR Guest KeE.voce B.A. E 2 = =

President of the University
and Commissioner of Education

Joun H. Fintey MA. LL.D.

Assistant Commissioners

MA.cea DED”

Brooklyn
Palmyra
Albany
New York
Syracuse
Mount Kisco
New York
Buffalo
Tuxedo
Elmira
New York
Ogdensburg

Avucustus S. Downine M.A. L.H.D. LL.D. for Higher Education
Cuarces F. WHeEELock B.S. LL.D. For Secondary Education
Tuomas E, Finecan M.A. Pd.D. LL.D. For Elementary Education

Director of State Library

James J. Wver, Jr, M.L.S.
Director of Science and State Museum

Joun M. Crarke Ph.D. D.Sc. LL.D.

Chiefs of Divisions

Administration, Grorce M. Witey M.A.
Attendance, James D, SuLLivan

Educational Extension, WitLiam R. Warson B.S.
Examinations, Hartan H. Horner B.A.
History, James A. Houpen B.A.

Inspections, FRANK H. Woop M.A.

Law, Frank B. Givserr B.A.

Library School, Frank K. WaLrerR M.A. M.L.S.
Public Records, Tuomas C. Quinn

Schoo] Libraries, SHERMAN WILLIAMS Pd.D.
Statistics, Hiram C, Case

Visual Instruction, ALFRED W. Aprams Ph.B.
Vocational Schools, ArrHur D. Dean B.Sc.

INTRODUCTORY NOTE

The first volume of this work was communicated for publication in
1908 and was distributed to the people of this State and to the general
scientific public in 1910. It was the expectation that volume 1 would be
immediately followed by another volume which would afford descriptive
accounts, with necessary illustrations, of the land birds of New York, but
this purpose has been obstructed by the regrettable illness of the author.
Students of the birds interested in this work will, therefore, understand
the reason for the apparent long delay in the completion of this under-
taking. With the presentation of this volume 2, the entire field, as
originally planned for the work, is covered, and there are excellent reasons
for feeling that the unavoidable delay has, in some regards, increased the
real value of the present book, as it has afforded opportunity for the
preparation of chapters of a more general import, particularly bearing
upon the relations of the bird life of the State to human concerns.

Joun M. CLARKE
Director

cae

The University of the State of New York

New York State Museum

Joun M. Crarke, Director

Memoir 12

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

BY

ELON HOWARD EATON

PART 2

BIRD ECOLOGY

It is evident that any comprehensive scheme for the protection of
bird life, the increase of valuable species or the introduction of new ones,
must proceed on sound principles of bird ecology, or the relationship of
birds to their environment, and their ability to adapt themselves to new
conditions as they arise. It is not our purpose in this short chapter to
discuss the reaction to environment which resulted in the development
of the bird’s wing and feathers or its numberless other structures which
fit the various species of birds for life in their chosen spheres, but rather
to consider those general principles of ecology which show the relationship
of our different species of birds, first, to their natural environment as it
existed in primeval times, and second, to the changed environment which
. obtains throughout the greater portion of the State at the present day.
It is so often thought to be merely a question of the protection of birds
from boys, gunners, cats and hawks which is necessary to insure their

proper abundance that a consideration of the subject of ecology seems
5

6 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

absolutely necessary at the present time in order to explain the probable
reasons why some birds are abundant in various sections of the State and
others are fast disappearing; and to suggest reasonable means of encouraging
desirable birds to increase in our domains.

FUNDAMENTAL FACTORS OF ENVIRONMENT

Climatic. Of the natural factors which influence the bird life of any
part of the world, those due to the climate are undoubtedly of foremost
importance. Among these is light, the effect of which may be illustrated
by reference to owls, goatsuckers and woodcocks, which feed mostly by
night or in the twilight, and in the daytime must hide away in hollows
or dark portions of the forest. To a less extent the influence of this factor
is observed in those forest species such as many thrushes and wood warb-
lers whose eyes are noticeably larger than those of their relatives which
live in more open surroundings, and unquestionably the intensity of light
affects their nervous equilibrium to such an extent that it even determines
their presence or absence in a given locality, apart from all other factors.

Temperature has usually been considered the most important climatic
factor and is the principal one taken into account by the United States
Biological Survey in mapping the distribution of animals in America.
As illustrations of this factor, it is frequently evident when surveying
a ravine in central New York or when approaching the outskirts of the
Adirondacks, that such species as the Junco, Canada warbler and Hermit
thrush will frequently be present or absent according as the average
temperature varies 2 or 3 degrees during the six hottest weeks of summer.

Of very great importance is the humidity, which is largely dependent
upon temperature and, with it, regulates the distribution of many species.
As direct examples of this factor, the author has become convinced that
such birds as the Wood thrush and the Hooded warbler are usually found
in a denser cover than some of their allies merely because the percentage
of humidity is higher in the coverts where they are found than in other
localities which, by the casual observer, might be considered equally con-

.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 7

genial to them, and because of the humidity, the rate of evaporation from
their bodies is proportionately reduced. In the hard wood tract described
on page 27, it was noticeable that as’ the lower thickets disappeared
by growth of the taller poles, the amount of humidity within ten feet of
the ground was perceptibly lower, so that it undoubtedly was not only
the lack of favorable nesting sites, but the slight change in humidity
acting with it, which caused the Hooded warbler and the Wood thrush
to disappear. Conversely, on many bushy hillsides, if the atmosphere is
comparatively dry, the Field sparrows, chewinks and thrashers will be in
evidence. In damper thickets yellowthroats and Yellow-billed cuckoos
will appear, undoubtedly attracted not primarily by the edaphic condition
but by the humidity of the bush stratum which lies just above the ground.

Another climatic factor of great import is rainfall, which affects the
forest growth; but apart from its influence upon vegetation and thus upon
bird life, it is also a direct factor when flooding marshes and destroying
the nests with eggs and young, or when beating down nests directly from
their support, and sometimes even destroying the full-grown birds them-
selves,! and by the destruction of migrating birds, often observed, while
crossing the sea or large lakes. When the rain is dense enough birds
frequently lose their bearing and fly headlong into the water without
realizing the direction they are taking.

Ice and snow are also factors worthy of consideration as they frequently
cover the food of many species during the winter season. In this way
Quail are frequently winterkilled, and in the early spring meadowlarks
and Savannah sparrows in western New York may often be observed in
severe straits during the days of late March and early April. Many species
during an extensive ice storm or snow storm are in danger of starvation.
In the winter of 1895, as elsewhere noted, the Bluebird was nearly
exterminated by continued ice storms in its winter home and its numbers
were again decimated by the severe winter of 1911-12. During a severe

1Great numbers of sparrows killed in Providence by cold rain and sleet (Bumpus, Wood’s Hole
Biological Lectures 1898, p. 24).

8 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

snowstorm millions of longspurs were destroyed in Minnesota (see page
56, volume 1).

Winds are also a climatic factor of effective influence not only in
determining the humidity and the rainfall of a region, but also because
of their influence upon migrating birds. Asan example note the destruction
of warblers, beaten into the sea by severe head winds while crossing the
Gulf of Mexico, mentioned by Frazar (Henshaw, Nutt. Orn. Club Bul. 6, ;
189). Every bird student may also recall numerous instances of nests and
young birds blown down and destroyed by high winds.

Other climatic factors, such as hail and electricity, might also be
mentioned, and the illustrations given might be multiplied indefinitely,
but we trust that those cited will serve to show that these various factors
act directly upon the physiological nature of the bird and thus serve to
control its abundance,.or even its very presence in a given locality.

Physiographic factors. The wrinkling and sculpturing of the earth’s
surface into great or small land masses, mountains, ravines, valleys, flood
plains, marshes, streams, lakes, sounds and seas, thereby determining the
slope of the land and the influence of the sun’s rays upon it, all have great
influence upon the avifauna of a region. It is evident that they control
many of the climatic factors, especially the latitude and altitude determin-
ing the temperature and the humidity, and the latter is controlled also
by the nearness to the sea and the presence of streams or underground
water on the slopes of ravines and hillsides.

The various statements made in the chapter on distribution in
volume 1, illustrate the influence of mountains or altitude upon the various
zones of bird life within the State. The effect of ravines is well displayed
in central and western New York where many Canadian species are often
found on the south side of ravines which are not exposed so directly to
the sun’s rays, whereas on the north margin of the same ravine Alleghanian
and Carolinian species usually predominate. The influence of streams and
bodies of water is clearly illustrated by their effect on the presence of such
species as kingfishers, herons, ducks and shore birds. Marshes are

=~ oe.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 9

indispensable to the presence of rails, bitterns and numerous species

‘which belong to their community. Rocky cliffs determine the nesting
site of Duck hawks and murres. Thus it might be shown that the physi-

ography of every locality attracts its own characteristic bird life.

Soil factors. The character of the soil, whether it is wet or dry,
must not be neglected while making a study of bird ecology; and the
material of its composition, whether rock, gravel, sand, clay, loam, marl,
muck or peaty ooze; also its richness in mineral ingredients such as lime,
nitrates, sulphates, phosphates etc. These edaphic conditions influence
bird life mainly through their control of vegetation and so affect the
breeding and feeding habitats of numerous species. Some are more directly
affected, such as the Bank swallows, woodcocks, and snipes which can not
breed or find their food supply except in proper soil. .

Biotic factors. Under this heading must be considered first, plants
as furnishing nesting sites, food and shelter, and also as controlling the
light, heat, humidity, and through the heat and humidity the rate of
evaporation which is of great importance in determining the presence
of various species of animals in a given habitat. The effect of vegetation
upon the nesting site is illustrated in the case of all arboreal species which
decline directly in proportion to the deforestation of a region, and of the
thicket community which is very quickly affected by pasturing or the
clearing of hillsides and swamps. Illustrating the important effect upon
various species by certain kinds of vegetation, I noticed that in 1880 the
Purple finch appeared as a common breeding species in the village of Spring-
ville at the same time with the growth of numerous spruce and cedar trees
which were planted by residents in their dooryards. When these became
of a height from ten to twenty feet they were invariably utilized by the
finch as breeding sites. Everyone has noticed the influence of the American
elm upon the abundance of the Baltimore oriole, which, although it breeds
also in various other kinds of trees, succeeds much more often in rearing
its young when it chooses the drooping branches of an elm. In driving
across the country in springtime everyone must have noticed that colonies

|e) NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

of Bronzed grackles are almost always found about dooryards and road-
sides where groups of spruces or pine trees are growing. Thus, if carefully
studied, a large percentage of our native birds will be found to choose
a preferred site for nesting.

Plants as affecting the food directly are of most importance, of course,
in the case of frugivorous and granivorous species such as the Grouse,
Bobwhite and Sparrow which will not be abundant in any district unless
their favorite food can be found. Striking examples of the influence of
food are frequently noticed; a crop of mountain ash berries attracts flocks
of Cedar birds and Pine grosbeaks. Large beds of vallisneria in the central
lakes, of recent years have attracted flocks of redheads and canvasbacks,
sometimes hundreds and thousands, during the early winter. The Ruffed
grouse is frequently observed traveling long distances in the winter to feed
on the buds of birch and apple trees. Unless its coverts contain a suffi-
cient admixture of such species upon which it can feed in winter it will
rapidly disappear. A crop of cones in spruce or pine trees frequently
attracts flocks of crossbills in winter or early spring, and a field of lettuce
or dandelions will bring large numbers of goldfinches to feed on the
seeds.

Plants are also of great importance as shelter for birds apart
from their use as nesting sites, and apart from furnishing food. They
afford a refuge from enemies as well as from storms and the heat of
the sun. Everyone has seen sparrows and other birds scurrying to the
shrubbery when disturbed in the open field or when pursued by hawks
or cats. When grouse are frightened they seek either the dense thicket
or trees as a refuge, the former when pursued by hawks and the latter
when pursued by dogs or foxes. During the migration season one must
look for transient birds on the leeward side of the woods during wind
storms. Here they are often found feeding at leisure, while on the windy
side few or none are observed. Once while seeking refuge beneath a dense
maple from an approaching ‘thunder shower, I observed a small company
of goldfinches come diving into the tree and arrange themselves so that

.

;
,
;
:

BIRDS OF NEW YORK II

each was protected as by an umbrella under the overhanging leaves near
the top of the twig selected for its perch. Everyone has noticed how rapidly
the birds disappear during a severe storm, each seeking its proper refuge
and almost without exception this refuge is some kind of vegetation. The
importance of a shelter from the heat of the sun is illustrated by the actions
of mother robins and other birds when the sun shines directly upon their
nestlings. Then they stand on the edge of the nest and shade the birds
with their outstretched wings. In a similar way the older birds themselves
are affected by the extreme heat of midday. As everyone knows, the
time to go birding is in the morning or in the afternoon. During the
middle of the day the birds are quiet and a greater portion of them are
hidden away in the shadows of the trees and shrubs. During the hottest
days of midsummer one may often notice our common birds standing
with drooping wings and open mouths within the shade of the foliage
seeking to avoid the overheating due to the direct rays of the sun.
Under biotic factors must also be classed the various animals which
affect the bird as a part of its environment, either food, allies or enemies.
As food it is evident that all carnivorous, piscivorous and insectivorous
species will necessarily be present or absent according as their favorite
food may be found. One may not seek for Belted kingfishers in the midst
of a plain, nor for insectivorous birds over the middle of the lake or sea.
During the winter of 1901 meadow mice were very abundant in the fields
of western New York, and the Rough-legged hawk, their principal enemy,
appeared in abundance. The withdrawing of water from the Erie canal
left large numbers of small fish stranded in the wide waters of eastern
Rochester, and immediately great numbers of Herring and Ring-billed
gulls appeared and remained there until the fish were devoured. During
the migration seasons of 1911 and 1912 the author noticed an unusual
number of warblers of eleven species frequenting a group of beech trees
on a tree-covered campus in Geneva, and on investigation discovered
that this group of trees was infested with an innumerable swarm of plant
lice upon which the birds were feeding. Other groups of trees which

I2 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

looked equally attractive to the casual observer had no warblers among
their branches. These illustrations easily indicate the relationship between
food and the abundance of a species, but it must be borne in mind that
similar relationships are all the while at work governing the abundance
of birds when the exact cause is not manifest to the observer.

As allies, some animals affect slightly the abundance of species.
Undoubtedly the Kingbird assists the Yellow warbler and other birds
in escaping from the depredations of hawks and crows when nesting in
the same orchard, and the various little associations observed, such as
the Downy woodpecker, Nuthatch, Chicadee, Creeper and Kinglet coterie,
have a real cause for their existence other than the desire for mutual
companionship.

The most evident cause of the disappearance of birds, to the casual
observer, is the enemy factor. Under the head of enemies must be classed
all beasts and birds of prey, rivals and parasites. To illustrate the influence
of these factors, it is often observed by bird students that a single pair
of Sharp-shinned hawks will destroy nearly every song bird in the wood
where they are nesting, and a cat which has discovered a brood of bob-
whites will return to their range and follow the birds until every chick
has been destroyed. In the same way the cat destroys the broods of
numerous birds which nest in the garden and dooryard, and the parasitic
Cowbird which lays her egg in the nest of a small warbler or sparrow
thereby destroys the entire brood of the other bird. To illustrate the
influence of rivalry, we might mention the effect of the English sparrow
upon the martins and bluebirds. By continually occupying their nesting
sites it is gradually forcing these birds more and more from our dooryards,
and, unless the martins and bluebirds are assisted, they will finally be
driven from the immediate vicinity of our homes. I have also observed
that the Wren frequently picks holes in the Bluebird’s eggs, and thus
destroys one of her rivals in the race for food. The problem of food rivalry
is rather complex, but unquestionably is very often of a determining
influence in governing the abundance of various species. Parasites must

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 13

also be regarded as enemies of the birds, especially the bird-lice which
frequently destroy whole broods of phoebes and swallows, and seriously
impair the vitality of others. Internal parasites are also a source of great
harm. During one afternoon in the’ summer of 1900, the author picked
up forty terns on the Weepecket islands which had died from the effect of
flat-worms growing within the intestine. Thus various kinds of parasites
frequently sap the vitality of birds or destroy them altogether.

The various factors enumerated work together to make up the bird’s
environment. By a combination of favorable factors, as opposed to the
unfavorable ones in any given locality, the balance may be turned to the
bird’s advantage, so that it may increase like the English sparrow in
America. If the natural influences which are unfriendly to the presence of
a bird overbalance the favorable factors, it is useless to expect the species
to increase. The factors which naturally produce a favorable environment
for it must be induced artificially if the species is to be encouraged.
A thorough study of the ecologic status of the birds which societies or
individuals wish to encourage in a given locality, should be made when
any action is taken either to introduce or to encourage the species and by
varying those factors which are of the greatest importance to produce
a favorable environment they may finally be successfully encouraged.

Birp HABITATS

For ecological purposes, birds are properly classified according to the
nesting habitats which they occupy, but for various reasons these do not
always agree with the places chosen for the birds’ other life activities,
and it is necessary, for purposes of general discussion, to recognize also
the feeding habitat. This is different from the breeding habitat of all
truly aerial and aquatic species, of which we have a goodly number. All
our diving birds, gulls and waterfowl must necessarily make their nests
on shore and are usually classified according to the habitat which they ~
utilize for that purpose; but in many of the species, especially the diving
ducks, grebes and loons, the food is almost entirely pursued and taken

I4 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

in the water. In the aerial feeding habitat we notice such species as the
Nighthawk, Whippoorwill, swifts and swallows; and, to a certain degree,
the flycatchers, waxwings, the Red-headed woodpecker, warblers, kinglets
and even many species of sparrows. Of our land birds, likewise, many
that are arboreal in nesting habits are eminently terrestrial in their feeding,
such as the crows, grackles, robins, and, to a certain extent, many species
which normally feed in trees or shrubbery, as they frequently alight upon
the ground to capture their prey; and others like the Bluebird and Red-
headed woodpecker which frequently take their food from the ground
although watching for it from more elevated stations. Many species
like the herons are arboreal in nesting habits but seek their food in the
marshes and streams and lake shores. Some species of ducks that feed
in the open water or in the marsh make their nests in hollow trees. Thus
the feeding habitat must be recognized in considering the landscape which
should be most advantageous to a species, as well as the breeding habitat
which is necessary for its increase.

Likewise, the refuge habitat is of importance in this connection, for
many birds will not appear even in migration time unless their proper
refuge is at hand to protect them both from their enemies and from the
wind or rain or sunshine. Everyone has noticed that many species of
waterfowl which feed in the shallows-or marshes make their refuge habitat
on the wide waters of lakes and bays, or even the ocean, and that birds
like the Blackbird, Robin and Swallow, that feed in the open field and
scatter widely during the nesting season, unite to seek a safe refuge for
roosting purposes, often congregating in immense numbers to pass the
night or to combine against their enemies. The importance of the refuge
habitat is more noticeable in the case of granivorous species than others,
for they necessarily seek their food largely in the fields, and yet most of
them do not roost or nest in the field, and, if disturbed while feeding, will
quickly seek the friendly shelter of shrubbery or dense foliage. This is
particularly noticeable in the case of sparrows and juncos during the
migrating season. Scores of them may be feeding in the open field, but

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 15

if any one approaches, or'if a dog runs toward them, they immediately
rise and follow each other in succession to the shelter of the thickets.
These shelter or refuge habitats are of particular importance in the case
of game birds, as all sportsmen know, for it is in the best cover that they
search for the Grouse, Pheasant and Bobwhite. The various nesting
habitats are enumerated in connection with the bird communities which
inhabit them.

NESTING SITES OF NEW YORK BIRDS

For ecological purposes it is necessary to determine the nesting habitat
and exact nesting site of birds in order to classify them properly. In
recording the nesting site, we might arrange our birds according to the
strata or layers or stories which they occupy, as follows:

Subterranean stratum. In this are included the Kingfisher, Bank
swallow, Rough-winged swallow and occasionally the English sparrow
when usurping the nesting holes of Bank swallows.

Ground stratum. Here are found all the birds which place their
nests directly upon the ground, such as the Loon, Herring gull (on rocks),
Mallard, Black duck, Blue-winged teal, Woodcock, Bertramian sandpiper,
Killdeer, Piping plover (sand or pebbles), Bobwhite, Ruffed grouse,
Pheasant, Mourning dove (occasionally), Duck hawk (on rocky ledges),
Nighthawk, Whippoorwill, Prairie horned lark, Bobolink, Cowbird (in
Song sparrow’s nest, etc.), Meadowlark, Vesper sparrow, Savannah sparrow,
Grasshopper sparrow, Song sparrow (usually), Field sparrow (usually),
Junco, Towhee.(usually), Black and white warbler, Canada warbler, Worm-
eating warbler, Nashville warbler, Blue-winged warbler (occasionally),
Ovenbird, Kentucky warbler, Brown thrasher (frequently), Wilson thrush,
and Hermit thrush. Here also might be included those species which nest
on the oozy ground or grass or moss of marshes, such as the Pied-billed
grebe, Black tern, American bittern, King rail, Sora rail, Virginia rail,
Florida gallinule, Coot, Wilson snipe, Marsh hawk and Short-eared owl.
Also those species whose nests are usually placed in mossy banks or moss-

16 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

covered logs and in the roots of trees, like the Yellow-bellied fly-catcher,
White-throated sparrow, Junco, Water thrush and Louisiana water thrush.

Herb stratum. Here are included those species whose nests are
usually placed in tussocks of grass or flags or among tangles of ferns and
weeds. Many species which nest habitually upon the ground or in thickets
are frequently found nesting in this stratum, but its most characteristic
representatives are the Least bittern, Red-winged blackbird, Sharp-tailed
sparrow, Seaside sparrow, Swamp sparrow, Song. sparrow, Blue-winged
warbler, Golden-winged warbler, Mourning warbler, Maryland yellow-
throat, Short-billed marsh wren and Long-billed marsh wren.

Thicket stratum. In this are included all birds which usually nest
in bushes or in small saplings, usually in tangles on the borders of woods
and in the undergrowth of the forest. The nests are usually placed from
one to eight feet above the ground. The characteristic representatives
of this story are the Yellow-billed cuckoo, Black-billed cuckoo, Alder
flycatcher, Cowbird, Rusty blackbird, American goldfinch (often in trees),
Field sparrow (frequently on the ground), Song sparrow (later broods),
Cardinal, Indigo bird, Migrant shrike (often in low trees), White-eyed
vireo, Yellow warbler (frequently in trees), Chestnut-sided warbler, Prairie
warbler, Black-throated blue warbler, Myrtle warbler and Blackpoll warbler
(in low spruces), Maryland yellowthroat (occasionally on the ground),
Yellow-breasted chat, Hooded warbler, Redstart (occasionally), Catbird,
Brown thrasher (sometimes on ground), Olive-backed thrush. I was
surprised to note how few species had been entered under this stratum,
because it seemed to me it would include by far the most of all the strata
enumerated, but this impression is undoubtedly due to the fact that the
layer is so frequently invaded by both terrestrial and by arboreal species
which belong more characteristically in the lower tree stratum.

Lower tree stratum. In this are included those birds that do not
require so dense a covert for the nesting site as the thicket stratum, but
prefer a moisture habitat in which the rate of evaporation is lower
than in the tree-top story which follows. They are characteristically the

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 17

birds of the shaded or lower branches of forests and groves, placing their
nests from 5 to 35 feet above the ground. Here we might include the
Green heron, Mourning dove, Sharp-shinned hawk, Ruby-throated humming
bird, Kingbird, Wood pewee, Green-crested flycatcher, Least flycatcher,
Bluejay, Orchard oriole, Purple finch, Goldfinch, Chipping sparrow, Rose-
breasted grosbeak, Scarlet tanager, Cedar waxwing, Red-eyed vireo,
Blue-headed vireo, Parula warbler, Magnolia warbler, Black-throated green
warbler, Redstart, Golden-crowned kinglet, Wood thrush, Robin.

Higher tree stratum or tree-top story. Many species included in
the former story frequently invade the higher portions of the trees,
especially trees which have not reached their maximum height in the forest;
but as building more characteristically in this layer we might mention
the Great blue heron, Black-crowned night heron, Cooper hawk, Goshawk,
Red-tailed hawk, Red-shouldered hawk, Broad-winged hawk, Bald eagle,
Fish hawk, Long-eared owl, Barred owl (occasionally), Great horned owl
(frequently), Olive-sided flycatcher, Raven, Crow, Fish crow, Baltimore
oriole, Purple grackle, Bronzed grackle, Crossbill, Siskin, Warbling vireo,
Yellow-throated vireo, Cerulean warbler, Blackburnian warbler, Pine
warbler.

Birds nesting in hollow trees. These species might have been
included in the last two strata enumerated, but as it is of more importance
to recognize them as birds nesting in hollows or woodpecker holes, they
are placed under this separate heading. In it are included the American
merganser, Hooded merganser, Wood duck, Golden eye, Duck hawk (very
rarely), Sparrow hawk, Long-eared owl (occasionally), Barred owl
(usually), Saw-whet owl, Screech owl, Great horned owl (frequently),
Chimney swift (rarely at the present day), Crested flycatcher, Bronzed
grackle (occasionally), Song sparrow (rarely), Purple martin (occasionally),
Tree swallow, Prothonotary warbler (built once in this State), Carolina
wren, House wren, Brown creeper (behind loose bark), White-breasted
nuthatch, Red-breasted nuthatch, Tufted titmouse, Chickadee, Robin
(rarely), Starling, English sparrow.

18 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Birds that excavate their nesting holes in trees. Here belong all
our nine species of woodpeckers, Chickadee (usually), White-breasted nut-
hatch and Red-breasted nuthatch (partially excavate their holes).

Birds that nest in boxes. Under this heading we place those species
that are known to avail themselves of bird boxes: Wood duck (occasion-
ally), Screech owl, Crested flycatcher (occasionally), Purple martin, Tree
swallow, Carolina wren, House wren, Chickadee (occasionally), Robin (in
boxes with large openings), Bluebird, Starling, English sparrow. All
species which nest in hollows, included under the previous heading, might be
induced by judicious treatment to nest in properly prepared boxes or
hollowed limbs.

Birds that nest on structures erected by man. ‘These species, like
the last, have shown some adaptation to civilized surroundings and furnish
clues to methods which might be employed to increase their numbers.
Under this heading we include the Mourning dove (rarely on fence posts
and fence rails), Fish hawk (on wheels or platforms erected on poles),
Barn owl (in belfries and outbuildings), Screech owl (in openings in gable
ends etc.), Downy woodpecker, Red-headed woodpecker and Flicker
(in posts and poles), Nighthawk (on flat roofs), Chimney swift (in unused
chimneys and gable ends), Kingbird (rarely on posts), Crested flycatcher
(sometimes in hollow poles), Phoebe (on beams and under eaves and
bridges), Cowbird (in nests of Phoebe, Robin, Chippy etc.), Chipping
sparrow (in vines on porches and sides of houses), Purple martin (under
eaves etc.), Cliff swallow (under eaves of barns), Barn swallow (on beams
and rafters of sheds and barns), Tree swallow (in holes of posts and tele-
graph poles), Rough-winged swallow (in abutments of bridges), House
wren (in posts, crannies of buildings, etc.), Chickadee (in hollow fence
posts), Robin (on beams, brackets, porch posts, fence posts, window sills,
etc.), Bluebird (in crannies of eaves occasionally), Starling (in eaves and
crannies), English sparrow (in every available hollow, nook and cranny).

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 19

BIRD COMMUNITIES

After long continued consideration and sorting of the species of birds
that nest within the limits of New York State, the author is convinced
that the following communities might be recognized, although the obvious
difficulty of confining many species of birds to one of them is no more than
can be expected.

Communities of the seashore and lake shore. Here we might place
all those species whose nesting site is confined to the immediate vicinity
of larger bodies of water. In this State there seems to be no sharp dis-
tinction between lake shore and seashore communities, so this difference
is not recognized. Even the Roseate tern and the Least tern undoubtedly
nested at one time on the shores of the Great Lakes and the Common
tern at the present time nests on the Canada-New York border among
the Thousand Islands. Those species which breed on the sandy or gravelly
beach are the Common tern, Roseate tern, Least tern and Piping plover.
The species which nest on rocks or waste near the shore are the Loon and
Herring gull. Here might also be included those that nest on trees in
the immediate vicinity of the seashore such as the Osprey, Bald eagle,
Golden eye, and also the Fish crow, which has not been found far from
the sea or the brackish waters of the Hudson.

‘Community of the salt marsh. A few species are not known to nest
except in the salt marshes of the coast. These are the Laughing gull,
Clapper rail, Sharp-tailed sparrow and Seaside sparrow.

Communities of the fresh water marshes. The marshland com-
‘munity is one of the most sharply defined on account of the peculiar edaphic
and humid conditions found within the coverts of the cat-tail, reed
and sedge formations. Herein are included, in the wider and deeper
portions of the marsh where the water is continually standing, such species
as the Pied-billed grebe, Black tern, Least bittern, Sora, Florida gallinule,
Coot, Red-winged blackbird, Long-billed marsh wren. Where the ground

is still moist and water may be standing, but nearer the solid ground than
9

a

20 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

those already mentioned, may be found the American bittern, King rail,
Virginia rail, Marsh hawk, Short-eared owl, Swamp sparrow and Short-billed
marsh wren; where the wet. ground is sparsely covered or about its swampy
borders, the Wilson snipe; and invading the marshland from the shore side,
numerous examples of the stream margin and damp meadow communities,
such as the Spotted sandpiper, Song sparrow and Maryland yellowthroat.

Communities of the meadowland. These birds are related ecologically
to the prairie society, to which they undoubtedly belonged in primeval
time. In the damper portions of our meadowlands will be found the
Bobolink and Savannah sparrow, and in the wet meadows, sometimes
in bogs and weedy marshes, the Henslow sparrow. In the dryer portions
of the meadowland may be found the Bartram sandpiper, Bobwhite,
Meadowlark, Vesper sparrow and Grasshopper sparrow. What might be
called another general division but more or less related to the meadowland
communities, are those inhabiting plains, waste fields and pastures and
plowed fields which have a very sparse vegetation. Here belong more
properly than in the grassland the Vesper sparrow, Killdeer, Prairie
horned lark and Nighthawk, the latter, however, preferring rocky fields
in the wildest districts.

Community of the pond and stream margins. It has often been
noted that many species are practically confined to pond shores and stream
courses although they are not called aquatic species, and it might be said
that the presence of streams and bodies of water is unquestionably a factor
which attracts nearly all species of birds to a greater or less extent, but
those confined to the immediate margins of ponds or streams are the
American merganser (in hollow trees), Red-breasted merganser (nesting
among the grass or low shrubbery), Hooded merganser (in hollow trees),
Green heron (nesting among the lower trees), Spotted sandpiper (nesting
among the grass and weeds), Belted kingfisher, Bank swallow and Rough-
winged swallow (nesting in banks), the Phoebe (on ledges and bridge
beams), Tree swallow ‘(in hollow trees), the Alder flycatcher, Rusty black-
bird, Lincoln sparrow and Northern yellowthroat (in bordering thickets).

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 21

Community of the wooded swamp. These birds are related to the
marshland and stream margin species on one side and to the forest society
on the other, but characteristically seem to prefer wooded country of
considerable extent covering damp or flooded land. Here are included
the Black duck, Wood duck, Great blue heron, Black-crowned night heron,
American woodcock, and Water thrush.

Communities of the deciduous forest. Under this heading we might
make several subdivisions, as, first, those preferring the mature mesophytic
forest. Here might be included the Red-bellied woodpecker, Green-crested
flycatcher, Crested flycatcher, Yellow-throated vireo and Cerulean warbler.
In the same kind of forest, but determined by more or less dense growth
of underbrush may be found the Black-throated blue warbler, Mourning
warbler, Kentucky warbler, Hooded warbler, Canada warbler and Red-
start; and in swampy bottomlands and wooded streamsides, the Louisiana
water thrush; in the flooded bottomlands, the Prothonotary warbler.
In the deciduous woodland but also showing no objection to the presence
of coniferous trees and sometimes preferring the mixed woodland might
be mentioned the Ruffed grouse, Cooper hawk, Red-tailed hawk (mostly
on the higher ground and gully margins), Red-shouldered hawk (pre-
ferring swampy forests), Broad-winged hawk, Great horned owl, Long-
eared owl, Barred owl, Saw-whet owl, Hairy woodpecker, Whippoorwill,
Ruby-throated humming bird, Wood pewee, Bluejay, Crow, Rose-breasted
grosbeak, Scarlet tanager, Red-eyed vireo, Tufted titmouse and Chickadee.

Communities of the open woodland. Here might be included the
Mourning dove, Sparrow hawk, Screech owl, Downy woodpecker, Red-
headed woodpecker, Northern flicker, White-breasted nuthatch.

In scattered trees or bushes in fields and along the roadside nest the
Kingbird, Cedar bird, Migrant shrike.

Open woodlands with thick underbrush are characterized by such
species as the Yellow-billed cuckoo, Black-billed cuckoo, Least flycatcher,
Orchard oriole, Golden-winged warbler, Nashville warbler, Canada warbler,
Yellow warbler, Catbird, Brown thrasher, Carolina wren, Wilson thrush.

22 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Communities of the thicket and forest margin. These are closely
related to the open woodland communities which prefer dense underbrush,
represented by such species as the White-eyed vireo, Black and White
warbler, Worm-eating warbler, Golden-winged warbler, Blue-winged
warbler, Yellow warbler, Chestnut-sided warbler, Prairie warbler, Mary-
land yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted chat, Field sparrow, Towhee, Cardinal,
Indigo bunting, Catbird, Brown thrasher.

Communities of the mixed and coniferous forests. Many of our
species are almost never found except in woodlands with a fair admixture
of coniferous trees or with a preponderance of them. ‘To this group belong
the Sharp-shinned hawk, Goshawk, Broad-winged hawk, Long-eared owl,
Saw-whet owl, Yellow-bellied sapsucker, Whippoorwill, Bluejay, Blue-
headed vireo, Brown creeper, Black-throated green warbler, Chickadee
and Hermit thrush.

Communities of the coniferous forest. Practically confined to the
pine forests, especially those of pitch and red pine, is the Pine warbler.
To the spruce and balsam forests belong the Canada grouse, Arctic three-
toed woodpecker, American three-toed woodpecker, Olive-sided flycatcher,
Yellow-bellied flycatcher, Canada jay, Raven, American crossbill, White-
winged crossbill, Pine siskin, Winter wren, Red-breasted nuthatch,
Hudsonian chickadee, Golden crowned kinglet, Bicknell thrush, Olive-
backed thrush, Myrtle warbler and Black-poll warbler. Practically con-
fined to spruce, pine or hemlock forests are the Magnolia warbler, Black-
throated green warbler and Blackburnian warbler.

Communities of the culture formations. The shade tree and orchard
community includes a few species which have adapted themselves so much
to civilized conditions that their breeding site is more confined to these

situations than to the open woodland formation to which they probably |

belonged at the beginning. In this are included such species as the
Kingbird, Baltimore oriole, Purple grackle, Bronzed grackle, American
Goldfinch, Chipping sparrow, Cedar waxwing, Warbling vireo, Robin,
Bluebird. This community is often joined by other representatives from

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 23

the forest, especially from the open woodland, such as the Mourning dove,
Screech owl, Downy woodpecker, Flicker, Least flycatcher, Cowbird,
Orchard oriole, Purple finch, White-breasted nuthatch and Chickadee.

The garden and shrubbery community is represented by the Song sparrow,
Chipping sparrow and Yellow warbler. This is also frequently invaded
by representatives from the orchards and shade trees as well as from the
open woodland and thicket, such as the Catbird, Goldfinch, and Maryland
yellowthroat.

The bird box and barn communities are represented by the Wren,
Bluebird, Purple martin, White-breasted swallow, Barn swallow, Eaves
swallow, Chimney swift and Phoebe. These species have accommodated
themselves most fully to the culture conditions which prevail about towns
and dooryards.

SUCCESSION OF BrrRD LIFE

Just as a succession of plant formations may be observed in different
localities as the climatic and edaphic conditions change, so different bird
societies will be found in the same locality, as the plant formations and
the various factors of environment vary. When the mature forest is
cleared off, the thickets or underbrush which grow up will support various
brushland communities; and if the thickets are destroyed by pasturing
and cultivation, and grassland succeeds it, the meadow community will
occupy the country. Likewise, when marshes are drained, there will
usually be a grassland or meadow association succeeding the marsh com-
munity which preceded it. If lakes are lowered by the deepening of their
outlets, the marshes which are usually found at their heads or near their
. outlets, become less in area, and grassland communities invade the marsh-
land country. This subject is illustrated by the paragraphs on “‘ Potter
Swamp,” and a ‘‘ Typical Deciduous Forest.’ During the last thirty
years in western New York I have noticed various illustrations of the
succession of bird communities besides those alluded to. When the waters
of Canandaigua lake are held up in the springtime at a higher level than
formerly prevailed, certain marshlands both at the foot and at the head

24 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

of the lake become more extensive. As a result, the marshland com-
munity has noticeably increased in numbers. In a single year at the foot
of the lake I noticed that the number of pairs of Least bitterns nesting
in a marsh of only a few acres in extent increased from one to seven pairs,
and the Florida gallinules from two to four pairs, whereas the rails, Marsh
wrens, Red-winged blackbirds and Swamp sparrows increased in like ratio,
and American bitterns which had not nested near the mouth of Sucker
brook for many years again returned to their old haunts at the foot of
the lake and nested there as they do in the marshes near the outlet.
A similar change is noticed at the head of the lake in the marsh between
the Inlet and Clark’s Bridge. Here great numbers of Marsh wrens, Red-
winged blackbirds, Swamp sparrows, soras and Virginia rails, likewise
a goodly number of gallinules, Least bitterns and American bitterns,
as well as a few Black ducks and Blue-winged teals made their summer
home. On a smaller scale I have noticed an increase of marshland com-
munity in a bit of land near Springville, where a small brook was bridged
by the highway and its channel was dammed by the raising of the outlet
beneath the bridge. As a result, the land, covering only a few acres, which
had been slightly swampy before, grew up to sedges, cat-tails and rank
marsh grass. In the swamp there had been found Wilson’s snipe and
Virginia rail nesting. In one year after the raising of the outlet the
appearance of soras and the Red-winged blackbird was noted, while within
two years both Least bitterns and King rails also appeared.

In like manner the draining of marshes has been observed to result
in the reverse condition. The swamp near the foot of Canandaigua lake,
lying between the ‘‘ feeder’’ and the old outlet, has been drained and
largely converted into meadowland and cultivated fields. As a result,
within five years the Short-eared owl, Marsh hawk, Bittern, Least bittern,
Sora, Virginia rail, Marsh wren, Red-winged blackbird and Swamp sparrow,
together with an occasional pair of Black duck and Blue-winged teal which
formerly occupied it as a breeding ground, disappeared, and in their places

ete) <> ae

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 25

I noticed only Spotted sandpiper, Killdeer, Savannah sparrow, Song
sparrow, Vesper sparrow, Horned lark and Meadowlark.

On a hillside overlooking Canandaigua lake I noticed a definite change
brought about by the cutting off of woodland and the resultant growth
of dense thicket six to twelve feet in height. In this woodland there had
been the usual bird community of that region, especially Wood thrush,
Red-eyed vireo, Scarlet tanager, Crested flycatcher, Redstart and Oven-
bird. Two years after the cutting of the taller trees the thicket was
occupied by Brown thrashers, catbirds, Chestnut-sided warbler, Yellow-
breasted chat, Field sparrow and Indigo bird.

I am aware that most of these successions are more or less unnatural;
but all of them do occur at times in nature, though more slowly, and what
we are at present concerned with is the line of succession which is likely
to occur as a result of conditions now obtaining in the State.

THE Birps oF PoTtTER SwAMP

To give bird students a basis for future comparison as well as to
illustrate the exact nature of swamp bird life in central New York, and
the rapid changes brought about by clearing woodland, we could select
no better bit of territory than Potter swamp which lies in Yates county,
between the villages of Potter and Gorham. The upper part of this swamp
has been carefully studied by Messrs Verdi Burtch and Clarence F. Stone
of Branchport, N. Y., and an estimate made of the number of breeding
birds of the various species inhabiting the swamp. This portion of the
swamp occupies about two square miles of moist and wet woodland along
the course of Flint creek. The tree growth is mostly deciduous, consisting
of red and white maple, white elm and ash, interspersed with “ islands ”’
of white pine and hemlock, and thickets of Arbor vitae. In most places,
especially where the larger trees have been cut down by recent lumbering
operations, there is a dense growth of underbrush, consisting of sprouts
and saplings of the species mentioned and various swamp shrubs like spice
bush, winterberry, alder, willow and a great variety of herbs, ferns, grasses

26 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

and sedges, and, in some localities along the brook, cat-tails and rushes.
Numerous moss-covered logs and hummocks rise from the standing water
or from the soggy earth. Around the edge of the swamp and along the
wood roads there are also dense tangles and thickets of weeds and shrub-
bery and near the southern end, an expanse of damp meadow. The altitude
of the swamp is 880 feet and it is surrounded by hills rising to a height
of 1000 to 1200 feet. The estimated average summer temperature during
the six hottest weeks is about 69 degrees F. The birds included in this
list are from the records of Burtch and Stone, the number after each species
representing its relative abundance as compared with the Song sparrow,
which is held to be the most abundant bird in the swamp and is marked
100. In addition to those birds which nest within the swamp, the author
has added from his own observation and consultation with Messrs Burtch
and Stone the following species which nest within half a mile, but their
relative abundance can not be determined: Killdeer, Belted kingfisher,
Chimney swift, Prairie horned lark, Vesper sparrow. Savannah sparrow,
Grasshopper sparrow, Chipping sparrow, Field sparrow, Cliff swallow,
Barn swallow, House wren and Ring-necked pheasant.

Birds of Potter swamp in 1908. Numbers after each species indicate
relative abundance on the scale of 100. Black duck 1, Wood duck 5,
American bittern 2, Least bittern 2, Great blue heron 7, Green heron 5,
Virginia rail 5, Sora 5, American woodcock 2, Wilson snipe 1, Spotted
sandpiper 5, Ruffed grouse 5, Mourning dove 15, Marsh hawk 1, Sharp-
shinned hawk 1, Cooper hawk 1, Red-tailed hawk 2, Red-shouldered hawk 2,
Sparrow hawk 2, Long-eared owl 3, Barred owl 2, Screech owl 8, Great
horned owl 2, Yellow-billed cuckoo 10, Black-billed cuckoo 1, Hairy wood-
pecker 25, Downy woodpecker 30, Yellow-bellied sapsucker 5, Red-headed
woodpecker 8, Red-bellied woodpecker 15, Flicker 35, Ruby-throated
humming bird 15, Kingbird 8, Crested flycatcher 40, Phoebe 15, Wood
pewee 25, Alder flycatcher 10, Least flycatcher 20, Blue jay 10, Crow 30,
Bobolink 15, Cowbird 40, Red-winged blackbird 50, Meadowlark 10,
Baltimore oriole 30, Bronzed grackle 40, Goldfinch 30, Song sparrow 100,

. 25
4

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 27

Swamp sparrow 20, Rose-breasted grosbeak 30, Indigo bunting 5, Scarlet
tanager 25, Cedar waxwing 5, Red-eyed vireo 25, Warbling vireo 10, Yellow-
throated vireo 20, Golden-winged warbler 3, Yellow warbler 35, Cerulean
warbler 40, Chestnut-sided warbler 1, Ovenbird 10, Water thrush 70,
Louisiana water thrush 2, Mourning warbler 20, Northern yellowthroat 50,
Canadian warbler 15, American redstart 75, Catbird 10, Winter wren 1,
Long-billed marsh wren 15, Brown creeper 20, White-breasted nuthatch 30,
Black-capped chickadee 15, Wood thrush 3, Wilson thrush go, Robin 4o,
Bluebird 15, English sparrow 5.

In the year I911 a single pair of White-throated sparrows nested in
the swamp. During the year 1911-1912 nearly all the standing timber
in the upper portion of the swamp was cut away and manufactured into
barrel staves. As a result of the cutting of the timber a dense growth
of weeds and shrubbery appeared in the summer of 1912. The effect
upon the bird life was very manifest. No Black duck nor Wood duck
were found in this portion of the swamp. The Great blue heron had no
nesting trees and disappeared. Such species as the Hairy woodpecker,
Crested flycatcher, Wood pewee, Blue jay, Crow, Rose-breasted grosbeak,
Red-eyed vireo, Cerulean warbler and Water thrush had noticeably
diminished in numbers, but the Bitterns, Rails, Marsh hawks, Indigo
bunting, Golden-winged warbler and Chestnut-sided warbler had noticeably
increased in number, the last to such an extent that 60 would represent
its standing in 1912. The Brown creeper increased in the swamp just
previous to 1908 due to the winter ice-girdling of the trees near the ground
and the production of favorable nesting sites beneath the dead bark. In
1912 it had diminished to the standing of 3, the nesting sites having been
destroyed.

BirDS OF A TYPICAL DEcipUOUS FOREST

One and one-half miles north of the village of Springville in Erie
county there is a small tract of woodland composed of a formation of
sugar maple and beech with a small admixture of hop hornbeam, black
cherry, white elm and cork elm; the soil is a gravelly loam, well drained,

28 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

with an intermittent brook flowing near one corner of the wood. This
grove covers not more than 30 acres of land. Sometime before 1860 it
was pastured by sheep and the entire growth of seedlings and small sap-
lings as well as the ground cover was practically killed out, so that one
passing along the highway at the edge of the wood could look the whole
length of the grove beneath the branches of the trees. After 1865 the
grove was again allowed to grow up and, as would naturally be expected,
there arose a thick growth of maple and beech seedlings with a slight
admixture of other forms. By the year 1880 there was a dense stand of
saplings from 8 to 20 feet in height, and around the edge of the wood as
well as in a few of the more open spots, a dense growth of red raspberry,
blackberry, elderberry and sumac. The stand of trees and saplings was
so dense that there was only a slight ground cover, except a continuous
coating of dead leaves throughout the summertime, and fair growth of
early spring flowers, such as Trillium, Sanguinaria, Dicentra, Dentaria,
Erythronium and Claytonia. Beginning with the year 1879-1880, the
author made a very careful study of this woodland recording minutely
everything he could observe in regard to its bird life. The species
found nesting in the wood at that time were the Ruffed grouse, Black-
billed cuckoo, Downy woodpecker, Red-headed woodpecker, Flicker,
Least flycatcher, Crested flycatcher, Crow, Cowbird, Red-eyed vireo,*
Yellow warbler,* Chestnut-sided warbler, Hooded warbler, Redstart,
Ovenbird,* Song sparrow,* Field sparrow,* Goldfinch, Rose-breasted
grosbeak,* Indigo bird, White-breasted nuthatch, Wood thrush and
Veery. The species marked with a star were found about the edge of
the wood and in the raspberry thickets. Twenty years later I had an
opportunity of observing the bird life in this same wood. In the interim
the saplings had grown to tall poles and as one walked through the wood
he could see for a considerable distance in all directions. There was no
thicket within eight feet of the ground; in fact, very little foliage lower
than the height of twenty feet. The stand of poles had killed off all the
lower growths. I was interested to note that of the species found there

a

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 29

twenty years before, although the wood was, in other respects than those
mentioned, in the same condition as formerly, one could find no longer
any Ruffed grouse, Least flycatcher, Red-eyed vireo, Yellow warbler,
Chestnut-sided warbler, Hooded warbler, Redstart, Field sparrow, Gold-
finch, Rose-breasted grosbeak and Indigo bird. There were only a few
Wood thrushes left, probably only one pair. Only two new species, how-
ever, were observed. These were the Scarlet tanager and Yellow-throated
vireo, which seemed fairly common throughout the grove, and the
Ovenbird and Veery were much more common than they had been twenty
years before. The student of bird life will readily account for most of
the change in the avifauna noted, which is principally due to the destruc-
tion of the breeding and feeding sites of the birds which had disappeared.
It would seem natural enough that the Yellow-throated vireo should now
be commoner than the Red-eyed vireo, but that it should have been
entirely absent in 1880 and the Red-eyed entirely absent in 1900, was hard
to explain. Also why the Veery was more common and the Wood thrush
less common is equally difficult of solution. These cases of the vireos
and thrushes may possibly be due to questions of rivalry which are not
fully understood at the present time.

‘This brief chapter in history will serve to answer more forcibly than
any general argument a question which has been put to me so often by
nature lovers in different portions of the State, as to why they can not
have certain species of birds in their groves and wood lots, or in their
orchards and gardens. It is absolutely essential that the proper nesting
and feeding habitat shall be provided for those species which are not
universal in their choice of.environment.

BIRDS OF THE CENTRAL LAKE RAVINES
In the west-central part of New York State and extending like the
thumb and fingers of the outstretched palm from the Lake Ontario low-
land toward the highlands of eastern and southern New York, lies the
chain of lakes: Oneida, Onondaga, Otisco, Skaneateles, Owasco, Cayuga,

30 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Seneca, Keuka, Canandaigua, Canadice, Conesus and Hemlock. These
lakes are all of glacial origin, being the drainage valleys of'a preglacial
river system. At the close of the ice age their outlets to the north were
blocked by extensive deposits of drift dropped by the retreating glacier,
causing the general line of lakes with their outlet system to assume a
direction parallel with the margin of the great Ontario lobe of the ice sheet,
the lake valleys running radially to the edge of the ice lobe and extending
mostly in a north and south direction. With the exception of the three
westernmost lakes of the chain, they drain through the Canandaigua-
Seneca-Oneida-Oswego system into Lake Ontario. Thus, the country under
consideration is practically the basin of the Oswego river. The lakes
lie at altitudes ranging from 364 feet to over 700 feet in the case of the
smaller southern and western members of the chain. The northern and
eastern portions of this country average about 500 feet in elevation.
About the southern ends, after Oneida and Onondaga are passed, lie the
hills which mark the northern slopes of the Alleghanian plateau. Many of
these hills surpass 2000 feet in elevation. This lake country is well settled,
and extensive forests are nowhere in evidence except in the larger swamps
and on the more elevated hills. Characteristic trees are the beech, maple,
elm, ash, basswood, sycamore, oaks, chestnut, sassafras, hornbeams, shad
tree, flowering dogwood, thorn trees, white pine, pitch pine and red cedar.
Arbor vitae and tamarack swamps are of frequent occurrence. In the
gullies, hemlock, yellow birch, mountain maple and striped maple are
common, especially on the shaded slopes. There are numerous deep-cut
ravines in the shaly rock of the Hamilton and Chemung periods, well
typified by the famous Watkins glen. Their prevailing east and west
direction causes the southern sides to lie mostly in shade, and at the same
time percolating waters from the outcropping strata on the sides of the
glen, and the tumbling waters of the glen streams, cause a high moisture
content in the glen atmosphere. Consequently, there is both a lower tem-
perature in the glen and a slower rate of evaporation from the surface of

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 31

the plants and animals that inhabit it, which approaches the conditions
found in the North Woods. This is illustrated by the admixture of
Canadian flora on the cooler side of the glen, such as the mountain maple
and moosewood, and by a number of Canadian birds which are found in
nearly every one of the larger and deeper glens. The conditions may
best be understood by enumerating the birds of a typical ravine like
the Seneca glen on Canandaigua lake. Here are found on the forest slopes
such breeding species as the Junco, Hermit thrush, and the Magnolia,
Parula, Blackburnian, Black-throated green, and Black-throated blue warb-
lers; in tangles near the bottom of the glen or about its source, the Cana-
dian and Mourning warblers are found in small numbers. In the woodland
or thicket just above the edge of the glen the Black and white warbler and
Redstart are fairly common, and in the thickets near the edge the Chestnut-
sided warbler, and, in some seasons, the Yellow-breasted chat. In the pine
grove within hearing of the glen itself, three or four pairs of Pine warblers
nest. Near the stream at the bottom of the glen, three or four pairs of
Louisiana water thrushes are found; on the shaly ledges near the falls,
Phoebes are nesting; near the mouth of the glen, a Wood pewee; in the
woods on either side are found the Wood thrush, Scarlet tanager, Crested
flycatcher, Ruffed grouse, and near the head of the glen one pair of Great
horned owls, and one pair each of Red-tailed and Sharp-shinned hawks.
In the thickets near the northern edge of theglen, catbirds, Brown thrash-
ers, chewinks, Indigo birds and Field sparrows are fairly common, and
rarely the Yellow-breasted chat, while near at hand in the dry field
are found the Grasshopper sparrow and Prairie horned lark; not far from
these, in damper situations, the Savannah sparrow and Bobolink. At the
mouth of the glen by the lake shore, the Rough-winged swallow may be
seen flying back and forth to his nest in the shaly bank nearby. In
addition to the species mentioned, all the common birds of the Alleghanian
fauna may be found in suitable sites within the woods surrounding the
glen or in near-by fields. Similar conditions to these prevail in many glens
which the author has visited, both on Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca and

32 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Cayuga lakes. It will be noticed by the student of bird distribution
that here is a curious admixture within a short radius of various Caro-
linian and Canadian faunal species, and a striking illustration of the
effects of slope and of evaporating waters, both upon the temperature
and the low rate of evaporation, which determines the presence of northern
species.

THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURE OPERATIONS

The effect of the so-called culture conditions upon our native bird
life has been referred to in volume I, pages 50 to 57. Anyone who has
perused the present chapter thus far can not fail to perceive that all the
various bird communities are immediately affected by the manifold changes
which have occurred since the settlement of the State. Eighteen and
one-half millions of acres of the State domains are no longer wooded, only
twelve million acres of woodland remaining. The result of such a change
within two centuries has been keenly felt by all the sylvan birds. The
effect of the principal operations which have a widespread influence
upon bird life may be briefly summarized.

Timber cutting. The destruction of our primeval forest has often
been noted as the main cause for the decrease of bird life, but this
subject should be considered more carefully by the students of bird
conservation. There can be no doubt that such species as the Raven,
Pileated woodpecker, larger hawks and owls, and most of those species
which are classed as belonging to the mature forest communities,
whether deciduous or evergreen, will be discouraged by a reduc-
tion of the growth of standing timber. At the same time, the effect
of cutting the forest benefits all species of the open field, and nearly
every kind of bird which is ordinarily classed as a forest species increases
when the forest growth is less dense and the amount of underbrush
increases. As an example of this, we might cite the case of the Chestnut- -
sided warbler. This bird was considered a rare species in the days of
Wilson and Audubon. Chapman in his Warblers of North America,
page 189, calls attention to the fact that it is now a common species in

BIRDS OF NEW YORK = BGS

many sections of the country. The author’s own experience at Springville,
where many forests were cut off and followed in 1880-85 by dense thickets
of briars and saplings, which caused this species to become as abundant
as the Yellow warbler; and the experience of bird students in Potter
swamp, where nearly two square miles within two years have been cleared
of the tall timber, and dense thickets have sprung up all around the
edge of the swamp, shows that this species has increased at least 1000
per cent. There can be no doubt that the gradual clearing of the
Alleghanian and Canadian zone in the northeastern states and lower
Canada has opened up vast stretches of hillside and bushy pasture as
a breeding ground for the Chestnut-sided warbler since the days of Wilson
and Audubon, and that these general conditions are the cause of the fact
that this species is now one of our commonest migratory warblers as well
as one of our commonest breeding species in- many sections of the State.
A similar condition has been noted in regard to the Nashville warbler
in other parts of the country. Alexander Wilson secured only three speci-
mens of this bird and regarded it as a rare species. According to William
Brewster, Samuel Cabot found it a rare species in eastern Massachusetts
up to 1836, but by the year 1842 it had become common in that section,
and a similar condition has taken place over the northeastern states so_
that now, in nearly every portion of New York State, the Nashville warbler
is recorded as common or abundant during the migration season of early —
May. The immense tracts of slashings and burnt lands growing up to
birch and poplar throughout the North Woods region have undoubtedly
helped this warbler in its race for supremacy. The author has noticed
within the last ten years an unusual increase in the numbers of Cape May
warblers observed in central and western New York, and reports of similar
observations have come from various other sources. There can be little
doubt that the gradual advance of clearings and lumbering operations
in Northern Ontario and Quebec has gradually opened up tracts of country
favorable as breeding sites for this species, which formerly were covered
by forests so dense that they did not furnish it the conditions necessary

34 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

for rearing its young, but that now it is increasing as the Nasliville and
Chestnut-sided warblers have done before it. Furthermore, there can
be little doubt that nearly all the North Woods warblers which migrate
through New York in the early days of May have increased in numbers
since the colonial time. The author’s experience in 1905 while studying
the bird life of the Mt Marcy district, illustrates these general conclusions.
Within the mature forest of the Adirondack Forest Reserve we found
very few warblers except the Blackburnian, Black-throated green and
Ovenbird, but as soon as we visited the slashings where the McIntyre
Iron Company had cut off all the large timber, and the extensive burnt
tracts in the vicinity of Elk lake, the number of breeding warblers
immediately increased. This was especially noticeable in the case of such
warblers as the Chestnut-sided, Mourning, Magnolia and the Redstart.
The Black-poll warbler, which in this State is confined mostly to the stunted
spruces on higher slopes of the mountains, and the Myrtle warbler as
well, are favorably affected by the increase of low spruces which follows
the cutting of the larger timber of the mountain sides. What is true of
the warblers is also true of the Ruffed grouse in Canada and the North
Woods. ‘This species is always known to increase when the mature forest
is cut off, and clearings and slashings spring up in various parts of the
forest tract. It is thus evident that the cutting of the forest, provided
the land is not entirely cleared and turned into cultivated field, is a boon
to most of the species which inhabit second growth of shrubbery or open
woodland, to which number must be assigned the greater portion of our
song and insectivorous birds.

Draining of swamps and marshes. It is impossible to hold suck
hopeful opinions in regard to the draining of swamps and marshes. The
marshland society is so closely confined to its own special habitat and
its conditions are so different from those of any other available habitat
that all those birds which nest in the marsh are surely exiled in any district
where the marshes are drained and turned into cultivated fields. A similar
statement could be made in regard to the extensive swamp lands which

ae ee,

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 35

are more or less covered with forest growth. The author has seen one
heronry after another disappear in western New York through the draining
of swamps, and the Wood duck and the Woodcock, as well as the other
members of that community, must necessarily disappear as their coverts
are destroyed. An examination of the health of people living along the
margins of the Montezuma marsh and the Potter swamp reveals the fact
that malaria is practically unknown, and the claim so often made by com-
panies who wish to have the State drain such extensive marshes, that
they are unhealthy in their influence, can not be sustained. The mos-
quitoes bred in such places are undoubtedly annoying to visitors in these
districts, but the mosquitoes certainly do not spread the malaria unless
the malarial parasite is present. However, we expect to see most of the
swamps and marshes disappear, but we hope that a few will be preserved,
at least about the Seneca river, the Hudson, and the shores of Lake
Ontario, which will be preserves for marsh birds in centuries to come.
Pasturing. In many of the bird books one finds the expression that
this or that species is ‘‘ common on hillside pastures,’’ and the ease with
which the bird student walks over the unencumbered ground and examines
the edges of the bushy tracts for favorite species has given the impression
that pastures are favorable habitats for many birds. A more careful
study of the situation reveals the fact that not only most of the grassland
species are driven from the land by pasturing, partly because their nests
are frequently trod upon by the pasturing animals, but also because the
cover which protects the nesting birds is destroyed and they are obliged
to seek more grassy fields outside the pasture. Furthermore, the principal
harm of pasturing, to the bird life, is found in the destruction of ground
cover which inevitably results in woods and thickets. This is especially
noticeable in sheep pastures where all the vegetation is destroyed to
a height of three or four feet above the ground. In such pasture land
the thickets and undergrowth, which usually support an abundant bird
life, are eliminated and the birds must seek other coverts. When we

consider how few woodlands in the more cultivated portions of the State
3

36 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

are governed with any idea of protecting the ground cover and undergrowth,
there is no wonder that the birds of the thicket community are becoming
rarer except in certain favored localities.

Pruning of orchards and shade trees. In other connections we have
spoken of the disastrous effects to bluebirds, chickadees and Downy
woodpeckers of cutting every dead limb from shade and fruit trees, but
this practice is likely to become more uniform and the only salvation
for those species which nest in hollows and dead limbs, is the erection
of artificial nesting sites by State authorities and by the individual land-
owners. The government officials of Germany that control the forest
land are beginning to give more and more attention to the erecting of
nesting sites, finding that woodland birds are necessary to hold in check
the tree-destroying insects which sometimes do widespread damage to
the young forest trees, and many private landowners in various parts
of the world have demonstrated the utility of erecting hollow limbs and
boxes for the woodpecker and bird box communities. It is a noticeable
fact that those birds are usually species which are most useful in holding
the pests of forest trees under proper check, and the day:can not come
too soon when bird protection societies as well as the State officials who
have conservation questions in their hands, will erect nesting limbs and
nesting boxes for all species that can be thus encouraged, to counteract
the wholesale destruction of nesting sites which results from the “ cleaning
up in orchards, parklands, shade trees and State forests.

The spraying of trees. The necessity which is increasing year by
year of holding various insect pests in check by spraying with poisons,
has resulted in some destruction of bird life, although the opinion is usually
held that this danger is largely exaggerated; but when we consider the
fact that dead birds in any case are very rarely seen, the fact that we
find so few which have been killed by spraying operations is not at all
surprising. Dead birds are quickly put out of sight by cats, dogs and
skunks, or buried by the sexton beetles and other scavengers. Sick birds
almost always fly away to some shelter, an instinct which is universal

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 37

among wild creatures, and thus the deadly effects of the spraying upon
bird life are rarely observed. There can be no doubt that many birds
such as cuckoos and orioles feeding continuously on poisoned caterpillars
finally succumb to the cumulative effect of the arsenical poisons which
are most commonly employed. There is some remedy in the fact that
birds will rarely touch larvae that show evidence of sickness, and probably
never touch them after they are dead. The author, however, has examined
two cuckoos which evidently died from arsenical poisoning, and other
instances have been reported by Brewster, Ridgway and Forbush, and by
many inhabitants of New York State. We believe that the decrease of
both species of cuckoos in the apple districts of western New York is
partly due to their gluttonous desire for caterpillar diet.

Plowing and cultivating. The author sees no satisfactory means of
overcoming the disastrous effects of late plowing which are so destructive
to bird communities of the open field. The Meadowlark, Vesper sparrow,
Bobolink and Bartram sandpiper have all suffered tremendously from this
cause during the last fifty years. The Prairie horned lark escapes the
effects to a slight extent by nesting early in the season, but a part of their
broods are destroyed by the early plowing. Much good may be done,
however, by the plowman if he is on the watch for nests, and plows around
them. The slight loss of time and of crop space which results from such -
measures, will undoubtedly be repaid tenfold by the larks, sparrows, kill-
deers and sandpipers that are thus preserved. They feed on the weed
seeds and insects which injure the crops, and the presence of their nests
in the field should be hailed with delight by the agriculturist.

Mowing. In late years the practice of mowing earlier in the season
than was the custom in former years, and completing all the mowing very
quickly by the aid of improved machinery, whereas in former days the
hand mowing prolonged the operation through several weeks, has nearly
completed the destruction of the Bobolink in many localities where it
was formerly one of our most familiar birds. All the meadowland species
suffer from mowing operations and there is little hope of overcoming the

38 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

evil. Even where the nests are discovered and moved, or the knife is
raised before it has done its fatal work, the nests become an easy prey
to grackles and crows or other marauders before the young are able to
leave the nest. Our only escape from this evil seems to be the adaptability
of many of the grassland species which finally teaches them to nest in
the edges of the field, or to nest earlier in the season, or to rear another
brood as soon as the first is destroyed. This, while not a perfect remedy,
has worked marvels in many cases which have come under the author’s
observation where meadowlarks and bobolinks have finally succeeded
in inhabiting grasslands in spite of modern conditions of harvesting and
hay cropping.
Foop or Brrps

Insectivorous species. Of the thirty-two families of land birds found
within the State of New York, every one feeds to some extent upon insects,
and several families are almost exclusively insectivorous. Among these
may be mentioned the goatsuckers, swifts, flycatchers, swallows, vireos,
cuckoos, wood warblers, wrens, titmice, nuthatches and_ kinglets.
Of the great order Passeres, which includes almost all our familiar birds,
every family feeds largely upon insects during the nesting season, and
the young of all are fed upon them. The families which are largely
-insectivorous but vary their diet to some extent on seeds or fruit are the
woodpeckers, larks, blackbirds, orioles, waxwings, tanagers, thrashers
and thrushes. Thus it is evident that birds act as the regulators of insect
life, maintaining the balance of nature so that vegetation, which is the
natural food of the insects, may increase; and it is generally conceded
that if the natural enemies of insects were destroyed the result would be
the rapid disappearance of all vegetation in the fields and forests) We
would not maintain for an instant that birds are the only enemies of
foliage-feeding insects, for unquestionably among their most effective
enemies are unfavorable changes in climatic conditions and the increase
of parasitic species which hold them in check to a great extent; but a study
of the food habits of birds, as observed in the field and by examination

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 39

of their stomach contents in the laboratory, reveals the fact that they
destroy incredible numbers of insects, for they have the most voracious
appetities of all warm-blooded animals. When we consider that one
Whippoorwill has been known to devour thirty-six good-sized moths within
one hour and that a warbler has been seen to swallow five hundred
seventy-six plant lice in four minutes, it is evident that an abundance
of bird life in the field and forest can not fail to keep down the number
of insect pests. Furthermore, the freedom with which birds move from
place to place suggests the especial value of the birds’ work, for, by reason
of their migratory habits and their unrestricted activity, both over the
ground and through the trees and in the air, they are able to discover
danger centers of insect life and prevent serious outbreaks in many cases
when insect parasites might be too slow in their attacks or weather con-
ditions unfavorable to the pest might fail to appear. The especial value
of each family of birds or of each order will be found briefly summarized
in the pages of this book immediately following the family and ordinal
descriptions.

Carnivorous birds. Every one knows that hawks and owls feed on
birds and mice. It is also a fact that nearly every species of hawk and owl
feeds, especially in summer and fall, upon large quantities of insects,
although this is especially true of the smaller species like the Sparrow
hawk and Screech owl. Other members of this family vary their diet
with fish, frogs and reptiles, as the occasion offers, so that the order Rap-
tores can not be considered exclusively carnivorous, although the main
food of all the larger species is composed of some kind of flesh. Besides
the hawks, owls and vultures that are typically carnivorous species, many
other birds at times kill smaller mammals or even other birds, as is the
case with gulls, jaegers, herons, and bitterns, which occasionally capture
mice or young birds; some Red-headed woodpeckers are known to feed
on the young of other birds; crows, jays and grackles are especially fond
of nestlings and also capture small mice in the field; and shrikes are adapted
for capturing birds, which they impale on thorns and partly devour. It

40 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

is thus evident that only the order Raptores, of all our native birds, is
characteristically carnivorous.

Piscivorous species. Many families of water birds subsist largely
on a diet of fish, as is the case with the loons, grebes, auks, gulls, jaegers,
cormorants, pelicans, mergansers and herons, as well as fish hawks and
kingfishers. In addition, some families have a few representatives which
partake to some extent of a fish diet whenever they have the opportunity.
Here are included many of the larger shore birds like the Yellow-legs;
a few of the Accipitres, as the Bald eagle and Red-shouldered hawk; some
of the owls, like the Snowy, Great-horned and Barred owl; and crows
and grackles, both of which I have observed capturing minnows in the
shallow water of ponds and streams.

Granivorous species. A cursory glance at the bird kingdom will
reveal the fact that the most characteristically granivorous of our native
birds are the pigeons, grouse and pheasants. Of these, undoubtedly the
pigeons are more granivorous than the grouse, and all these families at
the same time feed to considerable extent on fruit and insects. Of our
common perching birds, the larks, blackbirds, sparrows and finches are
the most addicted to granivorous diet, in fact subsisting for the most part
on seeds of various kinds except during the breeding season. To these
families we might add a few which feed to a slight extent on seeds in
addition to their other diet. Here belong many of the ducks and geese,
especially the river ducks and our wild goose, which feed mostly upon
grain and seeds during the fall and winter; likewise, the rails, gallinules,
crows, and jays, and to a slight extent the pipits, titmice and nuthatches.

Frugivorous species. As the season of ripe fruit in this State is of
comparatively short duration, except for trees and shrubs which retain
their fruit late into the winter, we could scarcely expect to find any
families of native birds characteristically fruit eaters, but of those that
seem to prefer the fruit diet while it is obtainable, we might mention
the thrushes and waxwings. Other birds which partake to a considerable
extent are the rails, gallinules, pigeons, grouse, pheasants, woodpeckers,

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 41

some flycatchers like the kingbirds, crows, jays, blackbirds, orioles, sparrows,
finches, a few of the vireos and warblers like the Myrtle warbler which
feeds on the waxberry, and the thrashers and nuthatches.

In addition to the main articles of diet in the birds’ regimen included
in this brief summary, we might mention the various species of animals
like snails, spiders, millipeds and crayfish, all of which are devoured by
the fish-eating and insect-eating species; the sea ducks feeding largely
on aquatic mollusca; thrushes frequently attacking the land snails;
grebes, kingfishers and ducks devouring the crayfish; wrens, thrashers
and various other species feeding on spiders.

The buds and leaves of trees are attractive to many species like the
grouse and some of the finches. The sap and cambium layer is eagerly
sought by one species of woodpecker, the Sapsucker. The tender shoots
of many plants are also eaten by ducks, pigeons, grouse, bobwhites etc.
In fact, any kind of animal or vegetable food which is tender and easily
obtainable is likely to be found an article of diet of some species of bird;
but the more conspicuous varieties of diet we have enumerated to suggest
the benefit and the injury which it is possible for birds to accomplish.

InyJuRY DONE BY Birps

Destruction of grain. The Crow and the Blackbird have long been
reviled as corn thieves by the inhabitants of New York and there can be
no doubt that many fields which are located near the haunts of the Crow
and the Grackle have suffered much from the destruction of newly planted
grain, as they pull up the sprouting kernels and render the work of the
planter useless. Various devices have been tried for preventing this pulling
of newly planted corn, such as tarring the seed, which is more or less
effective, but there is little doubt that the crow is injurious in other ways
and there is little reason to preserve him although his injury to the corn
fields might be overlooked. The newly introduced Ring-necked pheasant
has also been destructive in some localities by digging up the newly planted
corn with its beak, following the rows and destroying each hill in succession.

42 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Injury to standing grain, especially corn in the ear, is often attributed
to the Crow and the Blackbird. The author has examined on several
occasions hundreds of acres of corn fields which have been injured while
in the milk by grackles and Red-winged blackbirds, at least the upper
third of nearly every ear in the field having been mutilated by the birds.
Such depredations, however, are mostly confined to low-lying districts
near extensive marshes inhabited by the blackbirds, and are by no means
general, in fact, scarcely noticed in most sections of the country. Corn
in the shock is extensively injured by crows and pheasants when it is left
standing in the field through the late fall and early winter. The loca-
tion of crow roosts in western New York is determined to a considerable
extent by the crops of corn left unhusked in the field. It is also true
that the blackbirds, English sparrows and pheasants, where numerous,
do considerable damage to the wheat, barley and oat fields by attacking
the grain while standing, and also in the shock or grain stack; but none of
our native sparrows have been accused of doing damage to grain in New
York. While ducks, geese and bobwhites take a little corn, wheat and
buckwheat, near the marshes or coverts where they reside, almost all their
foraging is done on waste grain which is scattered over the field and never
would be brought into the granary, so they can not be called injurious
from the grain which they devour.

Injury to cultivated fruit. Of all the frugivorous species mentioned
in a preceding paragraph, only the Robin, Cedarbird, Red-headed wood-
pecker, Catbird and English sparrow have caused extensive trouble from
their destruction of the smaller cultivated fruits in this State. In some
sections the Crow and the Grackle have done some damage and occasionally
slight complaints have been issued against thrashers, flickers, tanagers
and orioles for attacks upon outlying cherry trees. The Crow and Red-
headed woodpecker also attack summer apples to an annoying extent
in some orchards, and in the vineyards of central and western New York,
the Robin and the Pheasant, as well as the Crow, have been annoying
in a few districts. Of all the damage which has been done to the fruit

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 43

crop, however, very little is worthy of sober consideration except the
depredations of robins and cedarbirds in the cherry orchards of the State.
Some of the other small fruits have suffered, especially the berry crop,
but the main damage seems to be to the cherry, and the principal offenders
are the Robin and Cedarbird. It is almost hopeless to attempt frightening
the birds from the trees by any device which can be erected. We believe
the best safeguard is to plant a few trees bearing early fruit around the
edges of the orchard or on the roadside to attract the robins and cedar-
birds away from the orchard.

Destruction of poultry and game. Many farmers have the idea that
every hawk is an enemy to their poultry yard, although Fisher’s famous
work on the economic status of hawks and owls has been in print for
twenty-five years; and it has been impossible for the Audubon Society
or the scientists that have borne testimony before the legislative committees
of New York State to change this popular misapprehension. The main
obstacle in dealing with this subject before legislators undoubtedly arises
from the difficulty which is apparent of recognizing in the field the different
species of hawks, and so for the average citizen to distinguish the useful
from the injurious species. Certain it is, however, that some of the hawks
should be classed as injurious while others are useful in their habits. Birds
decidedly injurious from their attacks upon poultry and game are the
Goshawk, Cooper hawk, Duck hawk and Great horned owl. Other species
of the large hawks and owls also do some injury, but, according to the
most careful study of the subject, should not be classed as more injurious
than beneficial because of their depredations. These are the Red-tailed
hawk, Marsh hawk, Barred owl and Snowy owl. A comparative summary
of the food and habits of the various species will be found on page 62.

Destruction of insectivorous birds. Several species of hawks seem
to be extremely fond of small birds, especially of thrushes, sparrows,
larks and warblers. In this number are the Cooper hawk, Sharp-shinned
hawk, Duck hawk and Pigeon hawk. The Sharp-shinned and Pigeon
hawks feed almost exclusively on small birds. Less destructive in this

44 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

respect, but, nevertheless, feeding to the extent of more than 15 per cent
upon our smaller birds, are the Sparrow hawk, Marsh hawk, Screech owl,
Barred owl and Snowy owl. Especially destructive to nestlings and eggs
are the Crow, Bluejay, Bronzed grackle, Cowbird and English sparrow.

Destruction of fish and frogs. It will be evident to the reader that
all the fish-eating species would fall in this category. Especially injurious
in this respect are the loons, larger grebes, cormorants, gannets, American
and Red-breasted mergansers, herons, Fish hawk and Kingfisher. It is
often urged by bird lovers that the loon, grebe, fish hawk and heron are
more valuable from the picturesqueness which they lend to the lake and
stream-side than the small fry which they destroy in gaining their daily
livelihood, and it is undoubtedly a fact that the larger fishes — the game
fishes in particular — rarely fall a prey to these piscivorous species; but
the destruction of great numbers of minnows, chubs and shiners has
a direct influence upon the abundance of food fishes as that is their
principal sustenance. The birds mentioned also destroy a considerable
number of the young of trout and white fish, as I have found by the
dissection of loons, grebes and mergansers; and the Great blue heron as
well as the Kingfisher are sometimes veritable scourges of brook trout
preserves. I have watched a Great blue heron feeding on the edge of
a trout pond strike and swallow seven fingerling trout in the course of as

many minutes; and the Kingfisher also destroys large numbers of these

speckled beauties. All the fish-eating species are especially voracious.
While duck shooting on the Montezuma marshes, I once noticed a small
flock of Red-breasted mergansers feeding in shallow water capturing what
appeared to be great numbers of fish. After they had been feeding for
half an hour two of the birds were shot, and from the gullet and stomach
of one I took thirteen chubs, some of them five inches in length. The
Hooded merganser is not known to feed to such an extent on fish, although
it destroys a considerable number. Many of the sea ducks, especially
the Old squaw and Golden-eye, are partially fish-eaters. As far as direct
usefulness is concerned, undoubtedly the American and Red-breasted

ee (ev

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 45

mergansers are of no value, but their depredations are chiefly confined
to larger lakes and rivers. The Great blue heron and Kingfisher are the
only ones that are especially destructive to brook trout culture throughout
the State. Frogs, which should be ranked as mostly beneficial animals,
are destroyed in great numbers by all the heron family, and especially
by the bitterns as well as to some extent by the ducks and geese and even
by the shore birds, crows and grackles. The Broad-winged hawk and
Red-shouldered hawk, though mainly beneficial, are especially destructive
to frogs, capturing them in great numbers during the spring when the
frogs are in their spawning pools.

Destruction of trees and timber. There is only one New York species
that can be branded as a serious destroyer of trees. This is the Yellow-
bellied sapsucker. I have noticed many specimens of Scotch pines, spruces,
mountain ashes and birch trees that were so girdled by this sapsucker
that their life was finally destroyed, and innumerable specimens of wood
that showed the scars due to holes bored by the sapsucker which had been
grown over but still left knots and shaky spots in the wood. Fortunately,
this woodpecker also does a great deal of good during a large portion of
the year, but in parks, dooryards and nurseries where his attack is concen-
trated upon valuable trees he must be considered an injurious species
and not to be protected.

Destruction of beneficial insects. As has been stated already, insects
must be regarded as the principal food of our native birds, but it must not
be supposed that all the insects destroyed are injurious species. As every
one knows, the ichneumon flies are examples of a large number of parasitic
hymenoptera which lay their eggs on caterpillars or other leaf-eating insects,
thereby destroying them and preventing their increase. There is also
a large number of ground beetles and tiger beetles which are predaceous
in habits and destroy the vegetable-feeding species. There are also the
lady beetles or ladybirds that feed to a great extent on scales and plant
lice and many other insects beneficial in various ways, even the despised
earthworm or angleworm being extremely beneficial to agricultural interests,

46 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

as shown by the investigation of Charles Darwin. These beneficial insects
are destroyed as well as the injurious ones by many of our native birds,
ground beetles and tiger beetles especially being destroyed by such ground
feeders as the Crow, Blackbird, Robin and Bluebird; the parasitic hymen-
optera by the flycatchers and to some extent by other species like the
vireos, warblers and kinglets. The earthworm and ground beetles are,
unfortunately, a large percentage of the food of the Robin while he is not
devouring fruit of some kind.

Dispersal of injurious plants. The especial harm done in this manner
may be attributed to such species as the Downy woodpecker, Hairy wood-
pecker, Robin, Cedarbird and to a less extent to others which feed on the
fruit of the poison ivy, poison sumac, or other injurious plants and disperse
their seeds broadcast over the country on the roadsides, fence rows and
lake shores.

THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF BIRDS

Destruction of insects. As intimated in various connections hereto-
fore, the main value of birds is in holding tree and crop enemies in check.
Modern methods of fighting injurious insects seem, in some cases, to render
the aid of birds unnecessary, but the special value of the birds’ work con-
sists in attacking insect pests which are not reached by poison spray and
at seasons of the year when spraying is not practised, thereby preventing
outbreaks which otherwise would cause great destruction and expense.
There can be no doubt that the hordes of migrating warblers attacking
plant lice, which can not be controlled by poison, and other injurious species
early in the season, thereby destroying the mother insect from which
innumerable progeny would later result, are of inestimable value. In fact,
insect scourges can never make great headway when the proper enemies
are at hand. Next after weather, parasites and predaceous beetles, birds
are the most efficient force in preventing outbreaks of insects. The almost
incredible voracity of birds and the rapidity of their digestive process,
caused by their high temperature, rapid circulation, activity and generally
high-strung mode of life, inevitably results in the consumption of large

—_—

m

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 47

quantities of food. This is especially true of growing birds which require
one-half their own weight of food daily. As the young of our insectivorous
birds are being reared while our crops are in the midst of their growth,
it is evident that the resultant destruction of insects for food occurs at
just the time of year to be of most service to the agriculturist. When-
ever undue increase of insects begins, birds of the neighboring region invade
the infected area and destroy the injurious species before they have become
a consuming plague. In sections of the country, however, where nearly
all the land is under cultivation and there are few breeding sites for birds,
it is impossible for the few remaining birds to hold the insects in check,
and thus arises the necessity of spraying on an extensive scale. During
the spring of 1898 in the town of Brighton, Monroe county, the author
noticed that several orchards were practically defoliated by cankerworms.
On visiting orchards to which the scourge was spreading, I observed many
‘species of birds coming from the surrounding country and feeding upon
the worms. While seated in a small orchard, thirteen species of birds
were noticed in the course of half an hour coming and devouring the worms
as fast as they could be swallowed, or gathering mouthfuls and carrying
them away to feed their young which were oftentimes at a considerable
distance. Species like the Kingbird and Phoebe which rarely prefer cater-
pillars as diet, and others like the Bobolink, Red-winged blackbird and
Vesper sparrow which are seldom seen feeding in the orchards, were coming
and carrying away the worms for their nestlings. Cuckoos, orioles, cat-
birds and cedarbirds were noticed among the foliage swallowing the larvae
at the rate of fifteen to forty a minute. There seemed to be little inter-
ruption of this work even during midday, but in the morning and late
afternoon there was a decided increase in the birds visiting the orchard
for the cankerworms. There could be no doubt if the birds had been
in sufficient number in the immediate vicinity where this plague of cater-
pillars started they would have held them in check and prevented the
destruction of crop and leaves in several orchards. It is probable that,
in nature, worms of this kind rarely increase to such an extent as to defoliate

48 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

the forests. The service rendered by insectivorous species in destroying
centers of infection is especially to be emphasized in connection with the
benefit the birds render by destroying insects; while in the case of arboreal
species it is immediately evident that we are practically dependent upon
the birds for preserving our forests and taller shade trees, because spraying
operations in these cases are practically out of our control, and the only
means of preserving us from undue increase of the defoliating insect is,
besides weather conditions, the work of parasites and the voracious appetite
of our insectivorous birds. Some birds are especially fond of plant lice.
In this number we might include the wood warblers and kinglets, which,
while loitering with us on their annual migration, attack the female plant
lice which have survived the winter and are about to produce countless
progeny of leaf-sucking descendants. I have watched them on many
occasions and counted from fifteen to seventy-five a minute swallowed by
each warbler observed. Some are even fond of hairy caterpillars. This
number, unfortunately, is very small but includes the cuckoos and, to
a certain extent, the orioles and waxwings. Others prefer the white
ground grub. Here should be mentioned the Robin, Grackle and Crow,
which do considerable damage in other respects but atone in this manner
for many of their sins. Woodpeckers seek the boring larvae of various
beetles and moths found beneath the bark and in winter destroy numerous
cocoons which are hidden in the crevices of the bark and dead limbs.
Thus, if the whole list of birds is examined, we shall find that nearly every
kind of insect which is conspicuous as a destructive species will have
some bird enemy which seems to prefer it as diet; and if the balance of
nature had not been so ruthlessly disturbed by mankind the plagues of
locusts, plant lice, army worms and elm tree beetles would be cured in
the natural process of adaptation.

Destruction of weed seeds. In all cultivated fields there are found
many species of plants popularly known as weeds which often seem more
adapted to occupying the soil successfully than the crops which the farmer
wishes to raise. These weeds must be destroyed or held in check by some

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 49

process such as cultivating, or by destroying the seed, if the crop reaches
its maximum productiveness. Our various granivorous species of birds
such as the blackbirds and sparrows feed for a large portion of the year
upon the seeds of these injurious plants. Even wild ducks and wild geese
destroy immense quantities of weed seeds on the grain fields that are
partially flooded in fall or early spring. The author took from the crop
of a single Pintail duck that had been feeding all the morning in a corn
field at the foot of Canandaigua lake, one hundred and twenty-seven
thousand seeds of the common purslane. There were many other ducks
feeding in this field and it is evident that in six weeks a hundred and fifty
ducks might do some good in this manner. From the crop of a Mourning
dove coming out of a wheat field in the town of Cheshire, I took fifty-
seven hundred seeds of the pigeon grass, one of the commonest weeds that
grow in our grain fields and hinder the development of wheat, rye and
oats. All through the fall, winter and spring our various native sparrows,
and the winter visitants from the far north, are destroying tons upon tons
of weed seed every week in the fields of New York State. From the crop
of a Snowflake taken from a flock of five hundred individuals, one-half
ounce of seed from the Red-rooted pigweed (Amaranthus) and the goosefoot
(Chenopodium) and the ragweed (Ambrosia) were taken. It needs only
a slight arithmetical computation to convince the reader that this flock
of snowflakes might do some good in the course of a few weeks if they
remained in that locality. The Tree sparrow, Junco, Song sparrow, White-
throated sparrow, Vesper sparrow, Savannah sparrow, Chipping sparrow
and Field sparrow, as well as all our less common species of this family,
are doing a similar service for several months during the year. Other
birds that are especially beneficial in this respect are the ground-feeding
species of the family Icteridae including the Meadowlark, grackles, Red-
winged blackbird, Bobolink, and even the Cowbird which does much good
in this manner but can not, however, overcome the evil which it has done
early in the season by destroying the young of insectivorous birds in whose
nest it has left its egg to be hatched. The Prairie horned lark, which is

50° NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

a common species in our fields, is another seed eater and in this category
must also be placed the Bobwhite and, as already intimated, all our graniv-
orous species. I would not seek to overestimate the good done in this
manner, but if we consider that when these birds are not destroying
the weed seeds they are usually rearing their broods of young and must
feed them chiefly on insectivorous diet, it is evident that our smaller graniv-
orous species are an invaluable asset to the State.

Distributing fruit seed. While the inhabitants of New York State
have been destroying the forests more rapidly than wise policy would
dictate, especially on land which is poorly fitted for any other growth than
trees, the birds have been overcoming to some extent the evil effects of
excessive deforestation. As one drives across the country, the roadside and
fence row bear abundant evidence to the effects of planting by the birds.
The sweet cherry and the black tartarian have been scattered along every
fence row, roadside, and the edges of the forests throughout the greater
portion of the State. The Robin and the Cedarbird are principally respon-
sible for this planting. In like manner various sections of the country
have a pleasing line of junipers along the highways and fence rows planted
by the selfsame birds. Likewise, throughout the forest the various dog-
woods and viburnums are scattered by all the fruit-eating species mentioned
in a preceding paragraph, especially by the thrushes. In western New York
the panicled dogwood has been planted along roadsides and many fence
rows and throughout every swamp. The seeds of the shadbush, which
brightens the landscape with its showy blossoms, have been scattered ‘by the
thrushes and finches. The forester might object that most of these trees are
of little use for timber, but there is at least one valuable timber tree which
is planted extensively, especially by the Flicker and Robin,—the black
cherry (Prunus serotina), and to some extent the cucumber tree (Magnolia
acuminata) and sour gum (Nyssa). If the lumberman is not pleased by
the fruit-planting species, the botanist certainly is, for all the fruit-bearing
plants must necessarily become exterminated except for the agency of the
birds in scattering their seeds throughout the fields and woodland.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 5I

Destruction of meadow mice and other injurious rodents. Just as
outbreaks of insect pests are held in check by birds, so a great increase of
meadow mice, squirrels and rabbits is prevented by the agency of our
hawks and owls. Many species like the Rough-legged hawk, feed almost
exclusively on meadow mice, and most of the heavier soaring species like
the Red-tail and Red-shouldered hawks are principally beneficial for the
same reason. Most of the smaller owls, as would naturally be expected,
feed principally upon mice, since these animals are partially nocturnal in
habit like the owls themselves, and the owls are unquestionably nature’s
remedy for rodent pests.

THE STATUS OF OUR BIRD LAWS

For many years on the statute books of the State there has
been a paragraph in the game laws excepting certain birds from the
protection which is afforded the desirable species. There has scarcely
been a year within the author’s memory when this list has not been
changed for some reason or other, but from the beginning hawks, with-
out exception, have been included, on the theory that they are all
injurious or that the injurious can not be distinguished from the beneficial
by the sportsman. As a matter of fact, opinions will differ about many
species; and some species of birds that are beneficial, or at least innocuous
in many localities, will be found decidedly injurious in others. Further-
more, in the same locality certain individuals frequently acquire habits
which place them in the injurious list. Some individuals of the Red-
headed woodpecker become much more cannibalistic than their fellows.
The same is true of grackles, crows and other species which occasionally
feed upon nestlings or eggs. Consequently, there is great difficulty in decid-
ing upon a black list which shall apply to all localities of the State and be
unchangeable. The general consensus of opinion, however, as a result
of observation and examination of stomach contents, should certainly place
the following birds on the black list: Cooper hawk, Sharp-shinned hawk,
Goshawk, Gyrfalcon, Duck hawk, Pigeon hawk, Great-horned owl, Snowy

4

52 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

owl, Great blue heron, Kingfisher, Crow, Bluejay, Crow blackbird (Purple
grackle and Bronzed grackle), Cowbird and English sparrow. Some would
prefer to add to this list various of the hawks mentioned above which are
injurious to a certain degree in the destruction of poultry, game and insec-
tivorous birds. Others would place upon the list all birds the majority of
whose food consists of fishes, and there can be little doubt that the fish-
eating species mentioned above are in reality injurious, but in their case,
as in the case of the Bluejay and Duck hawk, there is such a strong senti-
ment in favor of the bird due to its interesting personality, that either the
Audubon Society or nature lovers in general have succeeded in keeping
them off the black list. As a bird lover I sympathize with this attitude,
but also as a bird lover I can not endure to see all the nestlings and birds’
eggs of the coverts surrounding my own home destroyed even by bluejays
or cowbirds, but these species are both protected according to the current
laws in New York State. I might consent to see the Bluejay remain on
the protected list, but I could never willingly consent to protect the Cow-
bird. In regard to such species as the Red-tailed hawk, Marsh hawk and
Barred owl, circumstances should govern the attitude of the farmer. If
Marsh hawks have discovered that the chickens on his premises are more
attractive than meadow mice and are destroying his poultry, he certainly
should be allowed in that particular instance to protect his property. If
a bird lover finds the Red-tailed hawk is destroying all the grouse in the
coverts which he frequents, those particular hawks should be removed
from the scenes of their operations, and the same principles should govern
our attitude toward all those species that are on the doubtful list. Where
they are doing good in their little community they should be left undis-
turbed; where they develop habits which apparently are doing injury to
the best interests of the State, they should be removed.

SPECIAL MEASURES FOR INCREASING BIRD LIFE

Erecting artificial nesting sites. As suggested on page 18, all birds
which nest in hollows or deserted woodpeckers’ holes, and even the wood-

di

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 53

peckers themselves, may be induced to make their nests in hollow limbs
or boxes erected in orchards, groves and shade trees. It is necessary to
provide these artificial sites if those birds which nest in hollows are to be
encouraged about our homes. It seems that no better work could be sug-
gested for the Boy Scouts or the country boys that wish to do some good
in the world and have unbounded energies, than to provide boxes for the
bluebirds and wrens. Those intended for the Bluebird should be not less
than four by four inches inside measurement, and from eight to ten inches
in height with a hole one and three-fourths inches in diameter near the upper
part of one side of the box. Boxes of the same construction will attract
the wrens, sometimes, unfortunately, to the exclusion of bluebirds and other
species, but boxes erected in the garden or in a corner of the orchard near
the house or even on the corner of the woodshed or under the eaves of a
shed or low barn, with an opening one and one-eighth inches in diameter,
will be utilized by the wren, and if a sufficient number is provided the house-
holder may succeed in gaining some families of these interesting and bene-
ficial birds. The wren has a habit of filling many boxes with sticks and
other nesting materials, so that those which really contain no nests should
be emptied occasionally to give other birds a chance. Thus, if the boxes
are constructed so that one side can be removed: when necessary, this work
will be facilitated. I have found that the Bluebird will utilize nesting
boxes placed on the tops of fence posts about the fields and gardens, but
these boxes are more subject to the depredations of cats which dash up
the posts and sometimes even secure the mother bird, as I have found upon
several occasions. At the same time, these boxes erected on fence posts
are seldom utilized by the English sparrow. Thus, if the marauding cats
can be held in check, the Bluebird can be encouraged without undue
rivalry with the sparrow for a nesting site. Boxes or hollow limbs should
also be erected in the orchard for bluebirds, and if sparrows occupy the
nests they may be destroyed by capturing them in nets thrown over the
opening of the box after nightfall and then the box emptied of the bulky
contents. Martin boxes should consist of four to eight or twelve com-

54 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

partments, each about eight inches square and six inches high inside, with
an opening two inches wide, in this case near the bottom of each section,
and a ledge or doorstep for the birds to occupy. The martins are nearly
as well satisfied with a starch box which has been divided into compart-
inents and covered with a roof as they are with the elaborately constructed
martin boxes described in the bird magazines. Martin houses should be
erected on poles in the garden or back yard at a height of from ten to fifteen
feet, the box so mounted on the top of the pole that marauding cats can
not disturb it and with removable front, if possible, so that the boxes may
be cleaned each spring just before the martins arrive in April, and prefer-
ably should be closed during the winter to keep the English sparrows from
occupying them, and opened just before the time of the Martin’s arrival
from the South. If martin houses were erected in all our villages and
cities and even about many farmyards, this interesting and extremely
beneficial bird might be preserved; but we can scarcely hope that it will
remain a common species in any locality without special protection from
the English sparrow, and unless it is furnished with suitable houses for
shelter and nesting.

The progressive decline of all woodpeckers in the agricultural districts
leads us to suggest that unless nesting limbs are provided for these species
as well as for nuthatches, chickadees, Crested flycatchers, Tree swallows,
and all those birds which nest in hollows, they will continue to decline; but
if nesting limbs are provided they will undoubtedly, to a certain extent,
be tided over the most difficult stage in adapting themselves to culture
conditions and will finally become established among our orchards and shade
trees. At least, this would certainly be the result with the Flicker, Downy
woodpecker, Chickadee and Nuthatch and probably the Crested fly-
catcher. Likewise, the Red-headed woodpecker and Hairy woodpecker
might occasionally avail themselves of the artificial sites and so be estab-
lished in localities where dead and hollow limbs have all been cut away to
improve the parks and shade trees. These limbs for woodpeckers, in the
author’s estimation, should be at least two feet in length, and for the

EE

ne

eS ——— =

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 55

larger species six inches in diameter, cut diagonally at either end so that
they could be nailed to the side of a large branch or the main trunk of the
tree at a moderate elevation. For smaller species like the Downy wood-
pecker and Nuthatch, the limbs need not be more than four inches in
_diameter. In the case of the Nuthatch, Crested flycatcher and Chickadee,
the branches erected for their accommodation should be hollowed artificially,
the size of the entrance being accommodated to the size of the bird expected
as an inmate. Mr William Brewster and Mr E. H. Forbush have recom-
mended nesting boxes made of the bark of birch and elm nailed at the
ends to rounded boards. Branches of these trees cut in late spring or
early summer may be peeled with comparative ease. They should be cut
in the lengths desired, eight to ten inches for chickadees, nuthatches and
bluebirds, and a hole of the proper diameter bored before the sections are
peeled. The Chickadee limbs should have the entrance hole about one
and one-eighth inches in diameter; nuthatches, one and one-half inches;
Crested flycatcher, one and three-fourths inches. In some localities bird
lovers have found that Downy woodpeckers and flickers take possession of
hollowed limbs provided the entrance hole is of a proper size (see descrip-
tion of the nesting holes of the various species of woodpecker which the
bird fancier wishes to attract). Holes should be round or nearly so and
the depth of the excavated interior correspond nearly with the holes usually
constructed by these birds for their own accommodation. The experience
of bird lovers in various parts of the country shows that Screech owls may
also be attracted to limbs of this description, likewise the Sparrow hawk,
and in rare instance, the Wood duck. We believe that hollowed limbs or
even boxes, especially if covered with bark or constructed from bark-
covered slabs, should be erected in the swamps frequented by the Wood
duck so that the gradual disappearance of hollow trees in these localities
should not force this interesting species to desert the locality from failure
of suitable nesting sites. These boxes or hollow limbs for the Wood duck
should have an entrance hole four or five inches in diameter and be placed
at an altitude of at least fifteen to twenty feet from the ground.

56 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

The author has noticed that swallows are discouraged in most of
the barns which have been erected during the last fifteen years in western
New York. The entrance holes for these birds are apparently becoming
‘ out of date ”’ and many farmers even knock down the nests of the swallows
which have entered through a window or the barn door and constructed
their nests on the rafters. We believe that every barn should be con-
structed with an opening for swallows to enter throughout the breeding
season, and even narrow ledges placed on some of the rafters to furnish
the birds with suitable places to attach their nests. The slight annoyance
of droppings from the nest can be overcome by stretching a piece of canvas
three or four feet in diameter beneath the nest or the suspension of a small
platform of half inch boards. Thus the farmyard would be tenanted by
twittering swallows, not only a pleasing addition to the landscape, but
a safeguard against the increase of noxious insects. The Eaves swallow
has practically disappeared in many districts of central and western New
York where it was a common species thirty years ago, because there is
no chance beneath the eaves of the barns for these birds to attach their
gourd-shaped nests. Farmers and bird fanciers might finally secure colonies
of these interesting birds by erecting a very narrow ledge not more than
one inch in projection beneath the eaves, running a part of the distance
but interrupted over the entrance door. In this way we have seen colonies
of the birds attracted. Although one may have to wait several years,
finally the birds will discover the favorable site and utilize it.

Baron von Berlepsch has suggested and put into practice the habit
of trimming shrubs and the lower branches of trees in such a way that
they will sprout out and form suitable crotches for the attachment of
nests like those of our Goldfinch, Yellow warbler, Wood thrush and any
species which the landowner wishes to attract. This is unnecessary in
many localities, but where bird lovers have planted shrubbery and trees
for the special accommodation of birds it is worth while to practise in
this respect so that safe supports may be afforded these crotch-building
species.

ES

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 57

Planting to attract birds. Those who wish to attract various species
of birds to coverts which are reserved for their accommodation should
plant species like red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), flowering dogwood
(Cornus florida), red osier (Cornus stolonifera), green osier (Cornus alterni-
folia), sheep berry (Viburnum lentago), tree cranberry (Viburnum opulus),
spice bush (Benzoin benzoin), blueberries of various species (Vaccinium),
huckleberries (Gaylussacia), tupelo or sour gum (Nyssa silvatica), bird
cherry (Prunus pennsylvanica), choke cherry (Prunus virginiana), shad
bush (Amelanchier canadensis), barberry (Berberis vulgaris), winterberry
(Ilex verticillata), bayberry (Myrica carolinensis), hackberry (Celtis
occidentalis), white or Russian mulberry (Morus alba), red mulberry
(Morus rubra), sassafras (Sassafras sassafras), the various species of Ameri-
can hawthorn or thorn trees (Crataegus), English hawthorn (Crataegus oxya-
cantha), wild grapes (Vitis), Virginia creeper or woodbine (Parthenocissus
quinquefolia), elder (Sambucus canadensis), red-berried elder (Sambucus
pubens), dwarf wild rose (Rosa humilis), blackberries and raspberries
(Rubus), smooth sumac (Rhus glabra), staghorn sumac (Rhus hirta), Euro-
pean mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia), American mountain ash (Sorbus
americana), ginseng (Aralia quinquefolia), sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis),
spikenard (Aralia racemosa), wintergreen (Gaultheria), partridge berry
(Mitchella repens), panicled dogwood (Cornus paniculata), maple leaf vibur-
num (Viburnum acerifolium), hobble-bush (Viburnum alnifolium), bunch
berry or dwarf cornel (Cornus canadensis), fly honeysuckle (Lonicera
canadensis), privet (Ligustrum), also cone-bearing and strobile-bearing
trees like the spruce, hemlock, larch, alder and birch which furnish seeds
for winter birds and buds for grouse. In addition to these shrubs and
trees, bird fanciers would also do well to plant various herbs which retain
seeds through the fall and winter, such as the sunflower and the much-
despised pigweed (Amarantus) and goosefoot (Chenopodium), which
remain standing through the winter and furnish welcome sustenance for
Song sparrows, Tree sparrows, juncos and others of the family when few
other seeds are obtainable. The plantation of even a few acres of the sorts

58 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

named, with small clearings interspersed, planted to large-seeded grasses
and the weeds mentioned, would be ideal coverts for attracting numerous
species of birds. The day will undoubtedly come when bird societies will
own preserves of this kind and plant them with the principal object of
attracting great numbers of their feathered friends.

Water supply. Birds are more numerous during the summer where
there is convenient access to water for baths and drinking. When no pond
or stream is close at hand, an artificial bath or drinking fountain will add
to the attractiveness of the preserves from the birds’ viewpoint. Where
more elaborate provision is impracticable, a shallow tray filled with clear ,
water to the depth of one to two inches, will serve the purpose.

BIRD REFUGES

For many years the author has had a growing belief in the efficacy
of refuges or preserves, not only of trees and flowers, but for the purpose
of preserving our varied and interesting bird life. The Audubon Society
and the national government have demonstrated already the great impor-
tance of large preserves in saving species of birds and animals from exter-
mination. Several foreign governments have also accomplished the same
purpose. It seems that there is especial need in this State for the establish-
ment of several well-distributed preserves, in order to save to future
generations such species as the Wood duck, Woodcock, Ruffed grouse and
many of the woodland song birds that naturally disappear with the culti-
vation of the country.

One hundred fifty thousand dollars are collected annually by the
State in gun taxes. Since the principal object of gun licensing is the
protection of game and wild birds, it seems that one of the most rational
expenditures of this sum would be in the establishment of bird and animal
preserves in various parts of the State, which could be under the control
of the nearest game protectors, and be dedicated to the preservation of
plants and animals which are in danger of extermination, and to act as
centers of dispersal for the surrounding region. By judicious control of

i

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 59

the forest and thickets within such preserves, conditions could be made
favorable to the species for which they were established, and thus, without
additional expense to the State, they could be policed by the protectors
who are already in existence as guardians of the law. It is absolutely
certain that in many counties of the State the Ruffed grouse, Woodcock
and Wood duck can never thrive except with such aid; and as these are
three of the species with which the Game Commission is most concerned,
it would seem that no better expenditure of the gun license money could
be devised than the establishment of such preserves to be owned by the
State and controlled by the State Conservation Commission.

PRIVATE PRESERVES

The salvation of many birds and quadrupeds in various countries of
Europe has been the private preserves which have furnished them with the
only habitat and protection from many of their enemies. In America the
same practice is gaining ground. In New England and various other states
of the Union, landowners are beginning to set aside portions of their wood-
lands, thickets and fields as refuges for the animals in which they are
especially interested. There can be no doubt that if this practice becomes
general in our own State the protection of bits of woodland and stream-
side thickets will be the final means of rescuing many of our most valued
songsters from extirpation in the more thickly populated districts. The
widespread interest in the means of protecting birds and inquiries as to
the proper trees and shrubs to plant for their accommodation are becoming
more frequent. By a study of the bird communities outlined above and
of the habitats which they prefer, bird fanciers may find the information
they need in planting waste land for the encouragement of their feathered
friends. The species of fruit and seed-bearing trees which are so often
recommended (see Forbush Useful Birds and Their Protection, page 374;
Kennard, Bird-Lore 14, 201) will undoubtedly attract the frugivorous
and granivorous species, thereby encouraging many of the thrushes and
sparrows, and at the same time these trees and shrubs will furnish nesting

60 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

sites and insect food for the vireos, warblers and wrens which would not
be attracted by their fruit. The main object in planting for bird refuges,
besides providing food, is to furnish shelter from storm, nesting sites for
the birds and vegetation upon which insects will find abundant food.
Combinations of forest growth, second growth, thickets and tangles and,
wherever possible, pond-side or stream-side thickets with moist land for
some distance on each side of the stream will be found to furnish the
character of cover most suitable to a large number of birds.

From observations on the partially cleared hillsides of southwestern
New York and in the groves and patches of the deciduous forest still
common in the center of the State, the author is well convinced that most
of our birds of the forest and thicket require a higher degree of humidity
than is usually found in brush lots and pastures which are exposed to the
direct rays of the sun, and that slopes furnishing less exposure to direct
sunlight and kept humid by sufficient cover of vegetation, are necessary
to attract most of our thrushes and warblers. Even the birds of the dryer
thickets, such as the Field sparrow and Indigo bird, must have shelter of
foliage to which they may retreat during the hottest portion of the day.
A recent report of the Conservation Commission calls attention to the
fact that there are in New York State at least four million five hundred
thousand acres of land which is more fitted to produce forest growth than
for agricultural purposes, but which is not at the present time covered
with forest. If all this land were gradually planted to forest trees, the
resulting growth to cover, which would gradually become fitted for various
communities of woodland birds, would tend to increase to a perceptible
degree the bird life of our domain, and if the twelve million acres of land
which is already covered with forest growth were managed either by the
clean-cutting system which some foresters advise or by selective cutting,
the result would be that a sufficient portion of our domain would be left
in the various types of woodland to attract both the forest community
and the community of the open wood and thicket, so that conservation
of birds might progress hand in hand with the conservation of our forests.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK
Order RAPTORES
Birds of prey

Ordinal characters. Bill stout, epignathous, hooked at the tip, cered
at the base; feet strong, usually with long, curved talons; the skull des-
mognathos and holorhinal; sternum broad and deeply keeled; furculum
U-shaped; ambiens muscle present except in owls; the biceps slip wanting;
the oil gland nude; wings aquincubital; 2 carotids; crop large; regimen
carnivorous; flight powerful; young downy but remaining long in the nest.

While it is true that the so-called raptorial birds may be recognized
as related in the characters stated above, it is evident that the order is
rather loosely connected and many ornithologists would prefer to separate
at least the owls, and some the American vultures, into independent orders.
The American Ornithologists Union, however, still recognizes the order
as given above. On account of their rapacious habits they are associated
more in the popular mind than they are in scientific classification. They
have always received much attention from the agriculturist and, with
the exception of the vultures, have almost universally been considered
injurious species. I have found very few communities in the State of
New York where even the Rough-legged hawk is recognized as beneficial
in spite of the fact that Doctor Fisher’s admirable work on hawks and
owls has been in print for many years. A careful study of the economic
value of Raptores has been undertaken by the Biological Survey, as
well as by ornithologists throughout the country, and a fairly accurate
estimate of their food can be made. The following table, compiled
mostly from the reports of the Biological Survey, but also from many
notes made by the author and other New York ornithologists, will show
the exact composition, as far as it has been determined by dissection, by
the examination of the stomach balls collected under owl trees and hawk
trees, and by observation of the birds in the field. The fact that two or
three kinds of food are frequently found in the same stomach explains
the fact that the percentage of stomachs containing each variety of food

will not add up to one hundred, but it is thought more instructive to show
61

62 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

the percentage of stomachs containing various kinds of food than to try
to estimate the percentage of each kind of food taken by the species.
Species marked g are near the border line of beneficial birds.

Food of New York hawks and owls
Percentage of stomachs examined containing various kinds of food

D (s) n> a
s [8 | | 28 : zs
SPECIES EXAMINED z 2 Si a a g 8 wi 2 : 5 3
5o| a |&z Es 8 HS a 28 a
z S| at a FI 5 z oe B
Beneficial | ;
Rough-legged hawk... ° ro) at ae ede ae 81 Be) a bie cece 8
Broad-winged hawk... ° 3 18 19 22 19 45 6 10
Red-shouldered hawk. I 6 10 | 19(fish 2) 50 20 45 3 7
Sparrow hawk........| 1/3 | 17 4 4 28 4 71 sp. 9 9
Red-tailed hawk (g)...| 10 9 A 3 50 24 8 | sp. 1/5 16
Marsh hawk (g)...... 6 | 27 6 2 46 18 Loy | nae 7
Barn Owl: ... 26.0 ci 3 bees | ie srde| rac heene ste 56 54 TAs |! cterheore 22
Long-eared owl....... Tout Lvavy|l cecewll) ocenaley s 82 5 Till scare ee 15
Saw-whet owl........ re) Ae race | hs deeeo 79 oe A) Rn eee 14
Short-eared owl... ... Croll) eae la al heicee cece: 77 7 We as Reta 14
Screech owl.....:.... i Oe el ee a 1 | 2(fish 1) 36 5 40 | 4(sp. 3) 17
Barred owl (g)....... 5 | 12 1 | 4(fish 2) 42 17 13 | 9(sp. 2) 18
Snowy owl (g)........ 5 Aa hese (eee eee 48 La tee a fare. es oe 33
Injurious
MTOSHA WIC ere chore coos bo 26 Bi betarta ll" ReGen 40 TQ en aae 32
Cooper hawk......... 23: || 449 2 I 8 a yc 30
Sharp-shinned hawk... Ae OO inte tik wrade even X AN meters 7 ey ha 35
Duck hawk. ns: Buta Nee | geome Rta eee a trae aio fal ler eee Ae * SG
Pigeon hawk......... GN ON hie dolor eas An Pee. Ba Sees 9
Great horned owl.....| 25 a eine, | Sets) Il 53 Silica oes 14

Suborder SARCORHAMPHI
Family CA’*7THARTIDAE

American vultures

Characters. Bill strong, elongated, hooked at the tip and blunt;
nostrils large, longitudinal and perforate; head and neck rather long, bare,
rough and usually bright colored; tongue thick and fleshy; eyes prominent;
feet clumsy and covered with small scales; front toes long, webbed at the
base; hind toe short and elevated; talons obtuse and only slightly curved;
wings very ample; 11 primaries; tail of moderate length, even or slightly
rounded, consisting of 12 or 14 rectrices; the basipterygoid process is present;

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 63

the oil gland is naked; there are no coeca; no syrinx or lower larynx; the
ambiens, semitendinosus and its accessories are present, as is usually the
femorocaudal; there are no aftershafts on the feathers; color somber; sexes
alike in size and plumage.

This is a well-marked group, evidently of neotropical origin, con-
sisting of 9 species. The characters in which they differ from other diurnal
birds of prey are deemed sufficient by many ornithologists to place them
in a separate order, the Cathartidiformes of Sharpe’s Handlist. Their
appearance and habits are also strongly characteristic. They are ambula-
torial in gait and listless in attitude. More or less gregarious in habit,
they sit about on dead trees, fences and large buildings sunning them-
selves in somber companies, or soar with easy, circling flight high over
the fields looking for refuse or carrion which is their principal food.
Their feet are wholly unfitted for carrying prey, as the blunt talons and
small, elevated hallux would indicate; and thus rarely or never subsist on
living animals. They regurgitate the disgusting contents of their crops for
the young to feed upon. The nest is usually built on the ground, among
rocks, or in a hollow stump in a secluded part of the woods. The eggs are
commonly two.in number. These birds have long been considered bene-
ficial and are the principal scavengers of the southern fields, rendering
efficient service to the community by destroying all kinds of offal.

Cathartes aura septentrionalis (Wied.)
Turkey Vulture

Plate 43

Vultur aura septentrionalis Wied. Reise Nord-America. 1839. 1: 162
Cathartes aura DeKay. Zool. N.Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 2, fig. 12
Cathartes aura septentrionalis A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910.
p- 152. No. 325
cathartes, Gr. xafapty¢ a cleanser, i. e. a scavenger; atira, probably a latinized form
of urubu; septentriondlis, Lat., Northern

Description. Adult: Head and upper portion of meck bare, dull
crimson, becoming bright red on base of bill. Plumage black, glossed
with purple or greenish on the back, and the feathers of the upper parts,
especially the wing-coverts and the secondaries, margined with grayish

64 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

brown. Quill shafts from light brown to yellowish white. Bill dull white.
Iris grayish brown. Immature: Similar, but head dusky and covered with
more or less furry down. Downy young: Cottony white, except the
naked head.

Length 26-32 inches; extent 72; wing 20-23; tail 11-12; bill (culmen)
1; tarsus 2.23-2.30; middle toe 2.50

Distribution. The Turkey vulture, or Turkey buzzard as it is usually
called in the Southern States, inhabits
tropical and temperate America from
Patagonia to New York, Saskatchewan
and British Columbia. In our State it
seems to occur only as a summer visitor,
more commonly on Long Island, in the
Hudson valley, and in the warmer por-
tions of western New York. In these

numbers, usually in the months of July
and August. Dozens of records are
before me, the earliest being April 24,
and the latest December 28. Mr F. B.
Robinson of Newburgh reports a young
bird killed near Gardiner, Ulster county,
June 1, 1904; and thinks this species
breeds in that locality, but the speci-
men referred to was old enough to have
flown hundreds of miles, and as yet we
lack definite proof of its breeding
within the limits of the State.

ae Habits. This bird is the most

Turkey vulture. Cathartes aura septentrio- accomplished aeronaut among our birds
lis ied). F speci in the State M = a

SE a ae ae prey. When rising from the ground

its initial flaps are hurried and somewhat ungainly, but when fairly under

way it sweeps in wide interlocking circles, higher and higher, with scarcely

localities it appears yearly in limited .

tr gy ae kf 1 em, Ae

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 65

a motion of its long wings, except when struggling against adverse currents
of air. It nests upon the ground in a secluded spot. The eggs are one
to three in number, nearly plain or spotted with chocolate, 2.8 by 2
inches in size. Its food consists almost entirely of carrion, and in the
South it is considered of great value as a scavenger.

Catharista urubu (Vieillot)

Black Vulture

Vultur urubu Vieillot. Ois. Amer.
Sept. 1807. 1:23. pl.2
Catharista urubu A. O. U. Check
list. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 153. ~« No. 326
catharista, Gr. xabaptto (xabatew) to
cleanse or purify, referring to its work as a
scavenger; zirubu, a vulture

Description. Glossy black, the
under surface of the wings frosted or
silvery, giving a distinctly whitish
sheen to wing quills as the bird flies
overhead; head and neck bare, black-
ishin color. Decidedly more stumpy
in build and less graceful in flight
than the Turkey vulture, the fai
noticeably shorter and the wing strokes
more frequent.

Length 24 inches; extent 55;
wing 17.

Distribution. The Black vult-
ure, or Carrion crow as it is some-
times called, inhabits America from

Kansas and Virginia southward

Black vulture. Catharista urubu (Vieillot). From

through Mexico and Central America specimen in Am. Mus, Nat. Hist. 3 nat. size

and the greater part of South America, and wanders northward rarely as far
as Maine, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ohio. There are records of two or
three specimens taken in New York, near Sandy Hook in the spring of
1877 (Robt. Lawrence, N. O. C. Bul. 5: 116), Coney Island beach, about

66 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

1881 (Le Berier, N. O. C. Bul. 6:126), Shelby Center, May 28, 1892
(Posson, Auk 16:195), Auburn, April 11, 1911 (F. J. Stupp), and Steuben
co., July 11, 1909, Burtch, Auk, 28:112. Mr Ottomar Reinecke reports
that he and the late Charles Linden watched a bird of this species for some
time asit flew about the village of West Seneca, near Buffalo, N. Y.,
one day in June 1884. Mr Dana C. Gillett also reports it from Tona-
wanda swamp, May 1899. The Black vulture therefore must be regarded
as a rare and irregular visitor to New York, not appearing regularly
in any part of the State like the Turkey vulture, but straggling within ©
our boundaries only at long intervals.

Suborder FALCONES
Hawks, Falcons, Ospreys etc.

Family BUTEONIDAE
Buzzards, Eagles, True Hawks, Kites and Harriers

Nostrils oval and impervious; nasal septum, however, is incomplete;
the palate without a median ridge; the scapular process of the coracoid
not reaching furculum; tarsus shorter than tibia, scutellate in front, partly
feathered; wings ample, usually somewhat rounded in shape; tail usually
of 12 rectrices; the legs well feathered, usually below the heel joint,
and the “ flag ’’ well developed; the basipterygoid process is wanting,
and the plumage is aftershafted; general build heavy.

Beside the subfamily Buteoninae, recognized by some authors, which
is the most typical of this family and includes our common buzzards or
soaring hawks and eagles, is the subfamily Circinae or harriers, represented
by our Marsh hawk, which is characterized by weak beak; long tarsus,
bare and equal to the tibia in length; long, narrow, pointed wings; long
slender tail; the legs long and slender; the general build light and slim; and
a facial disc forming an incomplete ruff; as well as ears with large external
opening and a conch, and a soft, fluffy plumage, which characters link
them with the owls. Among the harriers, the sexes are usually unlike.
The nest is placed upon the ground, contrary to the usual practice in this
family.

The subfamily Milvinae, including the kites, have very weak beak

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 67

and extremely short tarsus, shorter than the tibia, with reticulate scales;
the wings very long, narrow and pointed; the legs unusually small; and
the general build very light. They have no ruff like the harriers and the
plumage is not so soft and owl-like.

The subfamily Accipitrinae, or ‘‘ true hawks,” like our Cooper and
Sharp-shinned hawks, has a stronger beak, with a prominent festoon on
the cutting edge; the tarsus is slender and as long as the tibia; wings short,
rounded, concavo-convex, with 3 to 5 of the quills emarginate; the tail
is long; legs long and slim; and the general build light as compared with
the buzzard. Difference in size of sexes is especially marked in this sub-
family. The young are characteristically mottled and streaked longi-
tudinally, whereas the adults are barred and heart-spotted in their marking.
They are arboreal in habits, usually lie in wait for their prey and swoop
upon it with a swift, dashing flight. The flight is low as compared with
the buzzard, and not so free and easy as that of the Marsh hawk.

Elanoides forficatus (Linnaeus)
Swallow-tailed Kite

Falco forficatus Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 1o. 1758. 1:89

Nauclerus furcatus DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 12, fig. 15

Elanoides forficatus A.O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 153. No. 327
elanoides, from Lat. elanus, a kite; forficdtus, from Lat. forfex, a pair of shears,

referring to the forked tail

Description. Wings very long, thin and pointed; tail also very long
and deeply forked; feet stout but very short, the tarsus feathered halfway
in front; talons short, well curved, scooped out and sharp edged on the
under surface; bill weak; cere small. Adult: Head, neck, rump and entire
underparts white; wings, back and tail lustrous black. Young: Less lus-
trous; wings and tail feathers tipped with white, the head and neck with
black shaft streaks; tail shorter.

Length 24 inches, more or less according to the development of the
outer tail feathers; extent 50; wing 15-17.50; tail 13-14.50; tarsus 1.25.

Distribution. The Swallow-tailed kite, or Snake hawk as it is often
called, inhabits America from the warm portions of South America north-

ward to Manitoba and Assiniboia, wintering from Florida and Texas south-
5

68 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

ward. It is of rare or casual occurrence in New England and New York,
only a few State records being before me:

Raynor South L. I., 1837. Giraud, Birds of L. I. p. 13

South Shore of L. I., 1845. Le Berier, N. O. C. Bul. 6, 126

Fisrmont, Rockland co., Aug. 22, 1900. G. N. Nicholas, Auk 17, 386.

In Rensselaer county, near the villages of Pittstown and West Hoosick,

the male figured on this page was

secured July 16, 1886 (see 50th
Report N. Y. State Museum, p. 14;
and Auk 3, 484). Relating to this
specimen Mr Griffin Haight, who
secured it, writes: ‘‘I live two miles
west of West Hoosick in the town of
Fittstown; and two miles from the
Hoosick line. I keep a poultry yard
and breed fancy fowls. Being troubled
with hawks of late I thought I would
clean out a few of them and stopped
at home on the 16th of July for that
purpose. I had succeeded in killing
three hawks and had just fired at
the fourth one, when I saw this kite
rise from the woods back of my house

sles ees date Naa Sa - =e» and go perpendicularly up, as near as
fi Biles phi él, * 9). = a : P
Swallow-tailed kite, Elanoides forficatus (Linnaeus). I could judge, out of sight. He was
From specimen in State Museum, } nat. s‘ze.

gone about 20 minutes when I saw
him coming down again. I called my wife to the door and asked her if
she would like to see a Swallow-tailed kite. She said a kite was no sight
to her. I told her it was a bird by that name, and that I never saw one
north of Port Royal, S. C. The bird came down and lit on a dead pine.
He sat there a short time. Then he took another upward flight, going
straight up out of sight. He was gone just 30 minutes this time and came

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 69

down in the same place where he went up and lit on the same tree. He sat
there 7 minutes this time, when up he went again straight out of sight.
This time he was gone 51 minutes. I had about given him up and turned
to go to the house when I saw him coming down again and another one
with him. They lit on the same tree. I started for them and one started
up again out of sight. He went ina flash. The other sat still. I walked
on a short distance farther, when up he went and I fired at him. He
folded his wings and came down. From where I stood to where the kite
lay was 17 rods, 3 feet. I watched for the other one, but did not see him
again that day; but I have seen him once since, yesterday, the 29th. . . .
I shot the kite on the 16th of July, 10.30 o’clock, a. m.

‘‘T live near a big timber lot of about 500 acres, and about a mile
from my house is a large ash swamp of as much more, with quite a body
of water in the center.”

Under date of August 3, 1886: ‘I will get the mate to this bird (the
mounted kite), and will send it to you gratis. I am watching him and his
manouvering and actions and learning a little something of his habits.
His roosting spot is in the large swamp west of me.”

Under date of August 9, 1886, Mr Haight writes: ‘I shot this bird
(a great blue heron) while hunting for the kite in the big swamp. I saw
him today several times. The last time that I saw him he was dissecting
a hornets’ nest and sat on the top of a dead stub out in the water, so I could
not get a shot at him. I am going to give him another trial tomorrow if
the day is cloudy. A clear day is not a good time to hunt him. He is
a third larger than the other kite I sent you, and I think there are more
in the swamp. I could see some birds in the dead ashes that looked like
them and moved around like a kite.” Evidently, from its size, this kite
was a female and was probably the mate of the male secured on July 16th.
The birds seen among the ashes in the swamp may have been their young,

Under date of July 17, 1891, Mr Haight writes: ‘‘ We are watching
the kite very closely. It seems to alight in the top of the tallest trees in
the woods. It lit on the side hill a short ways from the house today, and

70 — NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

seemed to be catching grasshoppers. I do not know what else he could be
after by the way he ran around and would fly a few feet and light again.
It was after something, whatever it was. I could not approach it as I was
in plain view so I let it work and it flew into the woods after about 25
minutes of flapping and running around. I have not seen any mate as
yet. Mosher [one of his sons] saw the bird yesterday [July 16th] while
I was from home and he said it lit on a tall pine and sat there for a full
hour and then took a sail in the air and went out of sight behind some trees.
I am watching its movements and will write you again.”

In 1900 Mr Haight saw three more kites on June 9, and noticed one
about his place until June 19. All of this evidence would seem to indicate
that the Swallow-tailed kite has established a home in Rensselaer county,
N. Y., but absolute evidence of its breeding in this State is still lacking.

Circus hudsonius (Linnaeus)
Marsh Hawk

Plates 43 and 48

Falco hudsonius Linnaeus. S.N. Ed.12. 1766. 1:128

Circus uligenosus DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 20, fig. 7

Circus hudsonius A. O.U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 155. No. 331
circus L., Gr. xfpxoc, a hawk, from its circling flight; hudsénius of Hudson Bay

Description. Wings and tail long, legs long and slender, face with a
partial ruff, external ear large and fitted with a conch, general build light,
plumage loose and owl-like in softness, sexes unlike in color, but both with
white upper tail coverts. Aduli #: Ashy or bluish gray above and on the
upper breast, rest of under parts white with a few rufous streaks and mottlings
on the sides and belly; tail lighter pearly gray with 5 or 6 imperfectly
defined blackish bars; 5 outer primaries blackish, and all the wing feathers
with the inner webs near the bases white; legs, cere and iris yellow.
Adult 9: Fuscous or umber brown above varied with rufous or yellowish
brown, especially streakings on the head and neck and mottlings on the
wing coverts; under parts ocherous buff or brownish yellow, streaked more
or less with fuscous or umber brown; tail with 6 or 7 blackish bars, the middle
feathers also with ashy bars. Young: Resemble the female but are
darker above with more reddish mottlings on the wing coverts and feather
edges. More rufous below with no streaks on the belly.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 71

_ Length @ 17.50-19 inches, 9 19-22; extent o 40-45, 9 45-52;
wing o 13-14.50, 2 14-16.50; tail o 9-10, 2 9.50-10.50; tarsus 2.75-3.25.
Field marks. This is the easiest of our native hawks to identify.
The long wings and tail, light build, low wavering or coursing flight when
hawking over the marshes or meadows, distinguish the Marsh hawk at
a great distance. The very light color of the old males and the dark brown-
ish appearance of the females and young coupled with the conspicuous
white upper tail coverts make identification doubly sure.

Distribution. The Marsh hawk is one of the most abundant and
generally distributed members of its family in North America, occurring
from Panama to the Arctic tundras, and wintering from 41st parallel south-
ward. In New York it breeds in every portion of the State, from an
altitude of 2000 to 3000 feet in the Adirondacks (Elk lake, Flowed land)
to the tidal marshes of Long Island and the lower Hudson river. In the
warmer portions of the State a few pass the winter, particularly along the
coast and Hudson river, but they are commonest in nearly all portions of
New York from March to to April 30, and from August 1 to November
10, especially in early April and in September and October, when the bulk
of the migration is accomplished.

Habits. Like the Sparrow hawk this species is most common in the
open country, hunting its prey over meadows, marshes and waste fields.
Though it sometimes watches from a low perch, it usually searches out
the mice and small birds which constitute its principal food by hawking
with slowly circling or wavering flight over the marshes and lowland
meadows. When attracted by some movement in the grass it wheels
suddenly about and shoots upward a short distance to examine the spot;
at other times it turns a complete somersault or makes a half turn and drops
suddenly in the grass to strike its humble and unsuspecting quarry. The
prey is devoured on the spot or carried to some sheltered hummock or
muskrat house and swallowed without the plucking or tearing which is
the custom of falcons and true hawks, but more after the manner of the
Buteos. Doctor Fisher reports that ‘“‘ of 124 stomachs examined, 7 contained

72 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

poultry or game birds; 34, other birds; 57, mice; 22, other mammals; 7,
reptiles; 2, frogs; 14, insects; 8 were empty.’’ My own experience shows
that the food of this hawk, as is the case of other Raptores, depends much
upon the individual hawk as well as the locality and the season. Most
of the Marsh hawks from the Montezuma swamp which I have examined
contained nothing but birds (Song sparrows, Tree sparrows, juncos, Red-
winged blackbirds) and a few batrachians, while specimens from the more
cultivated country were largely filled with mice and insects, mostly grass-
hoppers (these latter usually in young birds). Mr Foster Parker, who
lives near Montezuma, has seen Marsh hawks repeatedly attack young
gallinules and finally exterminate the whole brood.

In the mating season Marsh hawks indulge in extensive gyrations
above their nesting sites, often somersaulting over and over from a con-
siderable height and soaring upward again just before reaching the ground.
Both sexes take part in nest building, incubating and rearing the young.
The female sits closely and often remains on the nest until nearly trod
upon, when she rises with a loud harsh cackling note uttered with a jerky
intonation and resembling the syllables Cac-cac-cac-cac-cac. The male
usually joins her at once and they circle excitedly about the swamp uttering
intermittently their complaining screams. If the eggs are nearing the
hatching period, or if the nestlings are quite young, the old birds, especially
the female, will usually charge the intruder, dashing downward from a
height of 200 feet or more with alarming swiftness directly at one’s head
but veering off and upward just before striking. I have been brushed
by the wings of a female Marsh hawk when charging to protect her newly
hatched young, and have had the bellows of my camera, which I had
concealed in the neighboring brush in hopes of securing a snap shot of
the old bird while feeding her young, torn to pieces by the sharp claws of
the parent birds as they attacked the alarming object which they did not
fail to discover at their first approach. The nest, unlike that of any of
our other hawks, is placed upon the ground, usually in a tangle of low
bushes, weeds and grasses in the midst of a swamp or bog. On several

oe

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 73

occasions I have found the nest of the Marsh hawk in small peat bogs
overgrown with huckleberries, cassandra and Labrador tea, the situation
being surrounded by cultivated fields and not far from the farm house.
The nest is nearly the size of a crow’s nest, but not quite so deep, and
is composed entirely of grasses, twigs and weed stalks. The eggs, which are
laid from the 15th to the 3oth of May, are from 3 to 7 or even 9 in
number, usually 5 or 6 in western New York, ovate in shape and bluish
white in color, often with obscure shell markings and brownish spots, and
nearly always much nest-stained. They average about 1.78 by 1.40
inches in dimensions. The period of incubation is 23 days or more, the
young hatching at successive intervals for several days, the female usually
beginning to sit as soon as I or 2 eggs have been laid, a habit which
has probably been acquired to protect the eggs from the attacks of crows
which would easily discover them, attracted by the light-colored eggs, as.
they fly over the exposed nest. While crossing bogs like those in Bergen
swamp, Junius pond and Mendon pond I have several times picked up
eggs of the Marsh hawk which had recently been sucked by crows, and have
known them to treat the nests of Cooper and Red-tailed hawks in a similar
manner. Marsh hawk nestlings are covered with a buffy white down,
through which the wing feathers begin to show in about 10 days, and in
5 or 6 weeks they are able to fly. Nestlings which I brought up by hand
required each from 2 to 5 mice or English sparrows daily to supply the
cravings of hunger, so that the 5 young if left at Mendon pond would have
consumed 600 mice and small birds, more or less, before they left the nest.
The two old birds would consume in the 10 weeks of their sojourn near
the nest about 500 more. So it is easy to see that a family of Marsh hawks
on the farm makes a considerable difference in the abundance of meadow
mice, song sparrows and other small inhabitants of the fields.

74 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Accipiter velox (Wilson)
Sharp-shinned Hawk

Plate 44

Falco velox Wilson. Am. Orn. 1812. 5:116. Pl. 4s, fig. x

Astur fuscus DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 17, fig. 2

Accipiter velox A. 0.U. Check List. Ed.3. xzo10. p.xss: ‘No: 3332
accipiter, L., a hawk; vélox, L., swift

Description. Wings short and rounded; tail long and nearly square;
tarsi and toes long and slender; the former feathered one-third of the way
down in front; bill stout, sharp and festooned or sinuate on the cutting
edge. Adult @ and 2: Above, slaty or bluish-gray, more fuscous on
wings and tail; primaries and tail barred with blackish, the tail usually with
4 bars, the subterminal one broad, and the tip whitish; wnder parts white
more or less heavily barred with rufous except on throat and crissum, these
rufous bars borne outward along each feather shaft, and the shafts, even
on the throat, mostly blackish; bases of the occipital feathers downy white;
scapulars and bases of primaries with concealed white spots. Young:
Above fuscous or urubu brown, varied with rusty on the feather edges;
below, dull white or buffy, spotted and streaked with dark brown or pale
reddish brown; the wings, tail and concealed spots on occiput and scapular
much as in the adults. Cere and feet yellow, often with greenish tinge;
iris according to age varying from grayish yellow to yellow and in high
plumage red.

Length & 10-12 inches, 9 13-14; extent o& 21-23, 9 25-27; wing
6-7, 9 7-8.75; tail @ 5-7.75, 9 6-8; tarsus 2-2.15; middle toe 1.18-1.38.

Field marks. The small size of this hawk, when taken with its short
rounded wings and long square tail, will serve to distinguish it. Its dashing
flight, consisting successively of several rapid flappings followed by a short
soar, together with its general shape, it shares with the Cooper hawk, the
males of which species little more than equal females of this species in
size, but the Sharp-shinned hawk has the square tail while the Cooper
hawk has the rounded tail and, as intimated, is really larger. From the
small falcons, that is the Pigeon hawk and the Sparrow hawk, it can be
distinguished easily by its short rounded wings as compared with the falcon’s
long and pointed ones.

Distribution. The Sharp-shinned hawk is one of our commonest and

ae Ee

a

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 75

most generally distributed species, breeding from Hudson bay and the lower
MacKenzie to Florida and Lower California; and wintering from New
England and New York southward to Central America. In our State it
is very common during the migrations, March 20 to April 30 and September
1 to October 30, especially about April 10 and from September 20 to October
10, when several scores, or even hundreds, of these hawks may be seen in
a single day, in the line of greatest migration not far from the coast and
in the country near the southern shore of Lake Ontario. A few remain
through the winter in the warmer portions of the State, and the species
nests throughout the State, most commonly in the wooded country.
Habits. This American representative of the European Sparrow
hawk is often miscalled the Pigeon hawk but is quite different in appearance,
as already indicated, from Falco columbarius. It is “blue,”
however, in the adult plumage, and is not inferior to that little falcon in
fierceness, often attacking birds which are fully its equal in size, and working
terrible destruction upon the small birds of the field and forest which are
unfortunate enough to establish their homes near its chosen haunts. About
the ‘ killing log” or “ butchering block,’’ which is found near the nest of
the Sharp-shinned hawk, one may see the feathers of thrushes, sparrows,
wood warblers, flickers and young grouse scattered in profusion, telling
their sad tale of the carnage which this little demon has wrought among
the peaceful denizens of the wood. It is a low-flying hawk, dashing swiftly
through the groves and coppice, and seizing its victims as they dash for
cover or watching for them from the shade of some leafy tree and pouncing
upon them as they pass by. In this respect this and the two following
species, our true hawks, differ from those hawks which feed largely upon
mammals, batrachians and insects, and watch for them from some con-
spicuous perch. Doctor Fisher’s examinations show that the food of this
species consists almost entirely of birds, and the experience of all New York
observers as well as my own studies of its habits and of its stomach contents
point to the same result. Consequently I believe this hawk should be

76 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

destroyed wherever the more desirable song and game birds are to be
preserved.

The nest of the Sharp-shinned hawk in New York is almost always
built in an evergreen tree near the edge of a wooded gully or beside a log-
ging road in the forest. Hemlock, pine and arbor vitae seem to be its
preference, and the nest is built close to the trunk of the tree at a height
varying from 10 to 40 feet. Compared with the nests of other hawks it is
rather large for the size of the
bird, about equalling that of the
crow, and is deeply hollowed to
receive the eggs. It is composed
of sticks, usually of the pine and
hemlock, and lined with smaller
twigs and strips of bark. The
eggs are usually laid by the 1oth
or 25th of May. They are 4 or 5
in number, oval or short ovate in
shape, averaging 1.47 by 1.16
inches in size, and bluish white
or greenish white in ground color,
more or less heavily blotched and
spotted with brown of different
shades mingled with marblings of
drab or lavender and clay color.
(Acme «These markings are sometimes

Photo byiGay A. Bailey ‘ st F
Sharp-shinned hawk’s nest and eggs uniformly distributed over the

surface of the egg, sometimes in a heavy wreath near the larger end, and at
other times shading down from heaviest at the very tip of the smaller end.
There is endless variety in the coloration of the eggs of this species, caus-
ing them to be eagerly sought by egg collectors, and I will confess that
cabinets filled with eggs of this bloodthirsty little pirate, as well as those
of the Cooper hawk, Crow, and Cowbird, have shown me that egg-gather-

eh

tne =

a ai ie

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 77

ing when indulged in by a discriminating youth may become a strong
element in bird protection.

Accipiter cooperi (Bonaparte)
Cooper Hawk
Plates 43, 44 and 46

Falco cooperii Bonaparte. Am. Orn. 1828. 2:1. PI. 10, fig. 1

Astur cooperi DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 18, fig. 10

Accipiter cooperi A.O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. roro. p. 156. No. 333
4 coopert, in honor of William Cooper

Distinctive marks. A medium sized species, larger than the Sharp-
shinned hawk but of the same general shape and color, the tail more rounded,
the legs shorter and stouter, and the top of the head darker slate or blackish;
in high plumage the Cooper hawk is of a clearer and more uniform bluish
slate on the upper parts. A large young female of this species resembles
closely a young male Goshawk in size and color, but may be surely dis-
tinguished by the feathering of the tarsus, which extends only one-third
of the way down the front of the slender tarsus in the Cooper hawk, but
one-half of the way on the stouter tarsus of the Goshawk.

Length o 15-18 inches, 9 18-20; extent oc 30, 9 36; wing o& 9-10,
Q 10-11; tail o& 7-8, 9 8-9; tarsus o 2.60, 9 2.70; middle toe @ 1.60,
Q 1.75.

Distribution. The Cooper hawk breeds throughout the United States
and southern Canada, and winters from southern New England and
Illinois southward into Mexico and Costa Rica. In New York it is common
during the migrations, March 20 to April 20 and September 15 to October
20, but may be seen at all times of the year except in the northern and
more elevated portions of the State, where it is only a summer resident.
In the more thickly settled districts it is much less common than formerly,
the nesting birds having been killed off on account of their destructiveness
to poultry and game birds. In the wilder and more wooded portions of
the State it is one of the commonest breeding species but is not seen as

78 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

frequently as the Marsh, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed hawks because
it remains most of the time silently under cover of the forest.

Habits. This hawk resembles the Sharp-shinned hawk in habits as
well as in appearance, being fully as fierce and intrepid as that little pirate
and much more destructive to game birds and poultry on account of its
greater size and strength. Early in April, before the migration of those
individuals that are to breed farther northward has ceased, our summer
residents pair and select some old crow’s or hawk’s nest or the forks of a
tree 20 to 50 feet from the ground as the site for their home. The nest
when entirely constructed by the hawks themselves is of good size, composed
of sticks and twigs and nearly always lined with the outer bark of trees, such
as the hemlock, cedar and yellow pine. -In New York the eggs are laid
from April 25 to May 20. They are 3 to 5 in number, are of a pale bluish
white color, occasionally spotted lightly with brownish, resembling those of
the Marsh hawk but more broadly ovate, averaging about 1.90 by 1.55
inches. The period of incubation lasts about 24 days, and the young
hawks are covered with a whitish down. During the nesting season
the old birds occasionally utter a loud rattling or cackling noise similar
to the Sharp-shinned hawk’s note but louder and also the repeated tick,
tick call, besides the loud shrill scream uttered by the setting female when
disturbed. At other times of the year this bird is mostly silent.

Astur atricapillus atricapillus (Wilson)
Goshawk

Plate 45

Falco atricapillus Wilson. Am. Orn. 1812. 6:80. Pl. 52, fig. 3
Astur atricapillus DeKay. Zool. N.Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 10, fig..4-and 5
Astur atricapillus atricapillus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910.
p. 156. No. 334
astur, Lat., a hawk, perhaps from aster, star, i. e. spotted; atricapillus, Lat., black-
haired, i. e. the top of the head black

Description. A large powerful hawk with the general shape of the
Cooper hawk; but with the tarsus more robust and more extensively
feathered and scutellate. Upper parts dark bluish slate, the feathers with

es

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 79

black shaft-lines; tail with 4 or 5 broad blackish bars and tipped with
whitish; wings also barred; top of head and broad auricular stripe blackish;
a whitish stripe over the eyes, broadening toward the back of head where
the bases of the feathers are cottony white as in other true hawks (Accipi-
trinae); under parts white, thickly barred in fine wavy pattern or vermicu-
lated with slaty brown or dusky except on throat and crissum. All the
feathers, even on the throat, with blackish shaft-lines; bill dark bluish,
cere and feet yellow, iris red. Young: Dark brown above, margined
with rusty, and varied, especially on neck and scapulars, with whitish or
buffy; wings and tail, barred with blackish and buffy; under parts tawny
whitish, with oblong, club-shaped, or drop-shaped streaks; cere and feet
duller yellow, iris yellow, bill brownish.

Length, o& 21-22 inches, 9 22-25; extent o 41-43, 2 44-47; wing
o 12.50-13, 9 13.50-14.50; tail co’ 9.50-10.50, 2 11-13; tarsus co 2.90-3.10,
Q 2.95-3.17; middle toe @ 2.75, @ 1.90.

Field marks. Adult hawks of this species can not be mistaken for the
Cooper hawk which is our only species approaching it in size and resembling
it in form. They are larger, have no rufous markings below, are more
blue and gray in general color and have the decided blackish crown and
ear-stripe as well as the whitish superciliary stripe. The young males
of this species are only slightly larger than the young females of cooperi
and resemble them in color but are more conspicuously buffy in the ground
color of the under parts, and of the tail and scapulars. When the bird
is in hand the feathering of the tarsus is, of course, distinctive.

Distribution. The American Goshawk inhabits the boreal region of
North America, breeding from central Maine and northern New York
northward through the Hudsonian zone and wintering southward to
about the 38th parallel. In this State it is chiefly a winter visitor,
rather irregular in occurrence, but some years is fairly common, as in
1863, when many were killed on Long Island, and in 1889, 1895-096,
1898-99, and in 1906. On Long Island they usually appear between the
18th and 25th of December and disappear between the 15th and 27th ot
March; in western New York my dates range between October 21 and
November 15 for arrival from the north, Mr Burtch giving one record for

September 15; and March 11 to 20 to 28 for last seen in the spring. Mr

80 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

George F. Guelf of Brockport has called to my attention that a considerable
flight of these hawks often occurs during the third week in March not far
from the southern shore of Lake Ontario, the birds moving toward the
eastward and recalling the similar flights of Sharp-shinned, Cooper,
Marsh and Broad-winged hawks which occur a little later in the season.
Audubon, during his visit to western New York, found this hawk nesting
near Niagara Falls, but since that time very few evidences of the Goshawk
breeding in our State have been recorded. In June 1877, Roosevelt and
Minot observed it in Franklin county; Merriam in 1881 ranked it as a
rare resident of the Adirondack region; in June 1905, I observed two of
these hawks near the Upper Ausable lake in Essex county; and Ralph and
Bagg have given us a definite breeding record for the Adirondacks, May 9,
1898. Fortunately, however, this bird is rare as a summer resident, even
in the wildest portions of the Adirondack forest.

Habits. This is the most dreaded scourge of our grouse coverts and
poultry yards. Fierce, daring and more powerful than the Cooper hawk,
it seizes and carries off full-grown fowls with such ease, and makes its
attacks so suddenly and unexpectedly that flight by the intended victim
and resistance by the outraged farmer are alike useless. Both the examina-
tion of the stomach contents of specimens secured and the testimony of
hunters and naturalists who have observed this bird and its nesting sites,
agree in establishing the Goshawk’s unenviable character. Grouse, pheas-
ants, poultry, hares and other larger animals are its usual food. The
Goshawk’s nest is usually placed in a birch, beech or poplar tree and
resembles that of the Cooper hawk in construction. The eggs are from
3 to 5 in number, ovate or elliptical-ovate in shape, and white or pale
bluish white in color, about 2.30 by 1.74 inches, and are laid about the
ist of May.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 81

Buteo borealis borealis (Gmelin)
Red-tailed Hawk

Plates 43, 46 and 47

Falco borealis Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1788. 1: 266
Buteo borealis DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 9, fig. 17
Buteo borealis borealis A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. roro. Di T57.
No. 337
biiteo, Lat., a buzzard; boredlis, Lat., northern

Description. Our typical and commonest buzzard hawk, character-
ized by heavy build, long and broad wings, wide spreading tail of medium
length, 4 primaries notched; a large hawk of high, soaring, circling flight
and conspicuous perches, commonly but improperly called Hen hawk.
Adult: Upper parts dark brown, more or less variegated with whitish
and ocherous buff; tail bright rufous or brick red with a narrow subterminal
band of blackish and tipped with whitish; under parts white more or less
tinged with buffy and variegated with blackish, especially across the fore
breast and on the flanks and abdominal zone, the throat, middle of breast,
crissum, and tibiae being mostly unmarked; iris brown, bill horn color,
legs yellow. Immature: Tail gray with numerous blackish bands; body
colors similar to adult but lacking fulvous markings above and buffy tinge
below; the dark markings below heavier forming a dark abdominal zone but
leaving a large unmarked whitish area on the breast; iris yellow.

Length o 19-21 inches, 9 22-24; extent @ 46-50, 2 52-56; wing @
13.50-16, 2 15-17.50; tail 8.50-10.50; tarsus 3-3.40; middle toe 1.60-1.85;
weight 3-4 pounds.

Distribution. The Red-tailed hawk inhabits eastern North America
from the Gulf States to Northern Canada, being partially migratory in
the northern states and only a summer resident in the boreal region. It
is quite generally distributed in New York, breeding in all parts of the
State and wintering sparingly in the warmer counties. During March and
October large numbers pass through our State on their migrations, the
movement beginning from February 20 to March to and ending from April
1 to 20, migrants often being seen in numbers, near Rochester at least,
after the summer residents have eggs well advanced in incubation. In
our State this hawk nests both in swampy woods and on rugged gullies
and hillsides, but on the whole, in western New York, seems to prefer

82 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

upland or hilly country, leaving the swamps more exclusively to the Red-
shouldered hawk.

Habits. This species is often seen in spring and summer, and again
in the fine days of autumn, sweeping in wide circles over the hills and
valleys, sometimes soaring upward until, with its broad wings and tail
spread, it disappears from sight in the upper air. These evolutions usually
occur over its native woods and hunting fields, and in spring are quite sure
to mark the neighborhood of its nesting site, when both sexes take part
in the performance and wheel about for hours almost out of sight. It
chooses a conspicuous perch on the dead top of a tree by the edge of the
forest or isolated in broad fields, to watch for its humble prey, and may
sit thus for hours apparently asleep, but really continuing a keen scrutiny
of its surroundings, and when it discovers a mouse, shrew, squirrel or bird
which offers a favorable chance, it swoops down and, gliding low, snatches
it up in its heavy talons and bears it away. At other times it may be seen
coursing back and forth over old fields and pastures searching for meadow
mice and grasshoppers. This hawk, though called ‘‘ Hen hawk,” rarely
visits the poultry yard, not more than one chicken being chargeable to
this species while ten go to the Cooper hawk and the Goshawk. It
captures a few cottontails and Ruffed grouse, but the majority of its food
consists of small mammals. ‘“ Of 562 stomachs, 54 contained poultry,
51 other birds, 409 mice and small mammals and 47 insects.” (Fisher)

The nest of the Red-tail is piaced in the fork of a tall tree, a maple,
birch, beech, elm, basswood, hemlock or pine, 40 to 80 feet from the ground,
and is occupied year after year as long as the owners are not destroyed.
If one of the pair is killed, another mate is soon secured and brought back
to the long established site. If the eggs are taken, a new nest is built not
far from the old one, but the next spring the original nest is almost sure
to be occupied again. The birds pair and begin working on the nest early
in March, almost immediately after their arrival from the south. It is
a bulky structure composed of sticks and lined with small twigs and strips
of bark, and usually decorated with green hemlock sprays, fern leaves

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 83

and other evergreens. The eggs are laid from April 1 to 25. They are
from 2 to 4 in number, dull whitish, often tinged with bluish, and usually
spotted or blotched with reddish or yellowish brown and obscurely marked
with lavender, about -2.40 by 1.90 inches in dimensions. The call of the
Red-tail, when soaring, is ‘‘a long drawn squealing whistle’ somewhat
resembling the syllables kee-aahrr-r-r, and in the nesting woods it utters
a sharp scream like kerr or chirr.

Buteo lineatus lineatus (Gmelin)
Red-shouldered Hawk

Plate 47

Falco lineatus Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1788. 1: 268

Buteo hyemalis DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 10, fig. 13

Buteo lineatus lineatus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p.158. No. 339
linedtus, Lat., marked with stripes or bars

Description. Like the Red-tail or common ‘“‘ Hen hawk” of the
New York farmer, but slightly smaller and lighter in build. Four outer
primaries notched. Adult: Lesser wing coverts and under parts rufous,
the wing coverts marked with fuscous, and the under parts barred with
whitish or ocherous buff; wings and tail blackish barred with white; the white
tail bars about 4 or 5, of uniform width and narrower than those of the
Broad-wing, forming with the rufous under parts good identification marks
as the bird flies overhead. Upper parts altogether of a more grayish
appearance than those of the Red-tail, being dark grayish brown, more
or less striped or edged with whitish and ocherous; throat with black
shaft streaks; cere and legs yellow; iris brown. Immature: Upper parts
similar to adult but more dusky; lesser wing coverts distinctly rusty but less
so than in adult plumage; bases of primaries and of outer tail feather mostly
ocherous buff or yellowish red; tail grayish brown barred with blackish;
under parts white or buffy white streaked and spotted with blackish; iris yellow.

Length o& 17.5-19 inches, Q 19.5-21; extent co 40-44, 2 44-50; wing
12-14; tail 7.5-9.5; tarsus 2.8-3; middle toe 1.60; weight 2-3 pounds.

Distribution. The Red-shouldered hawk inhabits eastern North
America from Manitoba and Nova Scotia southward to Oklahoma and
North Carolina, moving slightly southward in winter as far as the Gulf
coast. In New York it is a permanent resident in the warmer portions
of the State and may be found sparingly in winter throughout central

and western New York. It is common during the spring and fall migrations,
6

84 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

especially during March and October, and breeds commonly in all parts
of the State, except the Adirondack wilderness, where it is largely replaced
by the Broad-winged hawk. In the more thickly inhabited counties it is
commoner than the Red-tail.

Habits. This bird is probably the commonest large hawk in the
southern, central and western counties of New York, where most of the
original forests have been cleared away and small patches of woodland
have been left standing along the streams and in swampy tracts. In such

Photo by Verdi Burtch

Red-shouldered hawk’s nest and eggs
localities it is often seen in spring, summer and early fall soaring about
over its chosen haunts after the manner of the so-called ‘‘Hen hawks,”
uttering its shrill kee-you, kee-you, kee-you as it soars upward above the
tree-tops, but becoming silent as it reaches a higher altitude, and mounting
higher and higher, perhaps accompanied by its mate, almost disappears
from view in the upper air. It is less powerful than the Red-tail and its
quarry is of a humbler nature, consisting almost entirely of mice, frogs,
snakes, insects, spiders and crayfish. This species keeps more under cover
of the forest than the Red-tail and though it watches for its prey from

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 85

a lofty perch it is less often observed seated upon dead tree-tops and stubs
in the open, or on the towering hillside. In the breeding season it is per-
haps our noisiest hawk, its oft-repeated cry coming many times each day
from the vicinity of the nesting site. The nest is a bulky structure mostly
made of sticks and placed in the
fork of a lofty tree, an elm, birch,
maple, black cherry or beech being
commonly selected, rarely an ever-
green. The eggs are from 3 to 5
in number, dingy white or bluish
white in color, irregularly and usu-
ally rather heavily spotted and
blotched with dark brown and yel-
lowish brown and obscure shell
markings. The nest is often built
or repaired as early as the middle
of March but the eggs are laid from
April 1 to May to in this State.
The period of incubation is about 4
weeks, and the young remain in the
nest from 4 to 6 weeks. Like other
hawks this species is much attached
to its home, and the same nest or
at least the same locality is occupied
as long as either of the pair survives.

Swainson hawk. Buteo swainsoni (Bonaparte). From
specimen in Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. } nat. size

Buteo swainsoni Bonaparte
Swainson Hawk

Buteo swainsoni Bonaparte. Geol. & Comp. List. 1838. 3
A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p.1s9. No. 342

Distinctive marks. Only 3 outer quills emarginate; tail grayish brown,
often tinged with hoary, with about 9 or 10 narrow dusky bands; variable

86 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

in color of body; iris brown; cere and feet yellow. Adult male: Above
grayish brown; chest plain rufous; forehead, chin and throat white; rest of
under parts buffy or whitish, usually more or less barred and spotted with
brown. Female: Similar, but chest grayish brown. Dark phase: Whole
plumage sooty brown, but specimens show all degrees of melanism from
the normal phase to a uniform sooty color. Young: Above blackish
brown, varied with buffy; head, neck and under parts buff or buffy white,
more or less marked with blackish.

Length o& 19-20, 9 21-22; extent o 48-51, 2 51-57; wing o& 14.50-
16, Q 15-17.50; tail 8-10; tarsus 2.30-2.90; middle toe 1.40-1.65; weight
1.6-3.5 pounds.

This species inhabits western America from Alaska to Chili, and
occasionally wanders eastward as far as New England. There are at
least three records from Massachusetts and two from Maine. It is an
accidental visitant in our State, records of only three undoubted New
York specimens being before me:

Onondaga co., N. Y., Oct. 1877. Brewster. Auk, 10: 83

Brockport, N. Y., Oct. 1, 1889. Short. Birds of Western N. Y. p. 10

Cornwall, N. Y., Oct. 14, 1892. Dutcher. Auk, 10: 83-84

Buteo platypterus (Vieillot)
Broad-winged Hawk

Plate 48

Sparvius platypterus Vieillot. Tableaux Encycl. Meth. 1823. 3:1273

Buteo pennsylvanicus DeKay. Zool. N.Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 11, fig. x1

Buteo platypterus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 159. No. 343
platypterus, Gr., signifying broad-winged

Description. Our smallest buteo; tail with 2 or more rather broad bands
of white; only 3 wing quills emarginate; upper parts dark grayish brown or
slaty gray, more or less edged or marbled with grayish and buffy; under
parts brownish or reddish brown, more or less spotted and barred with
white, especially posteriorly, the chest being nearly solid ocherous brown;
rather distinct dusky mustachios; cere and legs yellow; iris brown. Young:
Upper parts dusky, more or less edged with buff and rusty; under parts

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 87

buffy white, rather heavily spotted and streaked with blackish; tail grayish
brown with 4-8 narrow blackish bands.

Length o 13.5-16, 9 16.5-17.5; extent 33-38; wing 10-12; tail
6.5-7.3; tarsus 2.2-2.8.

Distribution. The Broad-winged hawk is a fairly common summer
resident of the wooded districts of New York. In the Adirondacks it is
probably the commonest hawk. On Long Island and in eastern New York
generally, it is a summer resident of irregular distribution, but in western
and central New York it is almost unknown as a breeding species. Although
it breeds from the Gulf States northward to Alberta, Quebec and New
Brunswick, it is much more local in distribution than the Red-tailed and ,
Red-shouldered hawks, inhabiting more exclusively the wooded country,
either by preference or because its unsuspicious nature has brought about
its extirpation in the more cultivated districts. In all parts of New York,
however, it is a rather common migrant, at least in the coastal district,
the Hudson valley, and in the country immediately south of Lake Ontario,
where large flights often occur late in April and early in October, the
migrations being accomplished between April 15 and May 25, and between
August 10 and October 20. In southeastern New York the Broad-wing
often remains throughout the winter as it does in the Ohio and Delaware
valleys, but in western New York I have never seen a winter specimen.

This species soars about in the air less than our other buteos and
I have never heard it utter such loud and screaming notes. Fisher aptly
compares its common note to that of the Wood pewee. It sometimes
sits for hours on some high and conspicuous perch, but is more often found
in the midst of the forest or silently seated in a low tree beside a stream
or swamp, watching for snakes, mice, frogs or insects which constitute
the principal part of its food. It shows little fear of man and when
approached too closely will usually fly for only a short distance before
alighting unconcernedly and continuing its scrutiny of the ground where
its humble prey resides.

The Broad-wing places its nest in trees, from 25 to 60 feet from the
ground. It is about the size of a crow’s nest and composed of sticks, bark

88 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

and leaves. The eggs are 3 to 4 in number, dull buffy white in ground
color, spotted and blotched with yellowish brown and cinnamon brown,
about 2.12 by 1.6 inches in dimensions. Eight sets of eggs in the Smith-
sonian collection from Hamilton and Herkimer counties, N. Y., were all
taken between May 19 and June 15, May 25 being the usual date for
northern New York. Chapman gives April 18 as the date for eggs near
New York City.

Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johannis (Gmelin)
Rough-legged Hawk

Plates 43 and 48

Falco s. johannis Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1788. 1:273
Buteo sancti-joannis DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 7, fig. 3
Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johannis A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3.
1910. p. 161. No. 347a
Archibiiteo, chief buzzard; lagépus, Gr., hare-footed; sancti-johdnnis, of St John

Description. Legs feathered to the toes; base of tail white; body color
varies from brownish gray above and white or buffy white below streaked
with dusky, forming a more or less complete broad abdominal band, to
a nearly uniform black; cere and toes yellow; iris brown. Light phase:
Upper parts fuscous or grayish brown, margined with whitish and buffy;
under parts varying from white to ocherous buff, spotted and streaked
with blackish, forming a dark band in the abdominal region; inner webs
of primaries and under surfaces of wing feathers white toward their bases;
the tips of the wings black; under wing coverts in the carpal region form
a conspicuous black patch; wing and tail feathers barred with gray and
whitish. The bird gives the appearance of white and black in large patches,
when flying. Dark phase: Varies from slightly darker than the normal
to a uniform sooty black, except the base of tail, a portion of the bases
of the wing feathers, slight marblings or bars on tail and wings, and a small
frontlet of whitish. These white markings, however, do not show except
when the bird is closely examined or, partly, when flying.

Length 21-23; extent 52-56; wing 15-17; tail 9-10.

Distribution. The Rough-legged hawk inhabits the northern portion
of the boreal zone from Newfoundland and central British Columbia to
the limit of trees, and wanders southward in winter over most of the United
States. In New York it is a winter visitor of irregular occurrence, rather

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 89

rare in the eastern and southern highland regions, but common, some
winters, in the larger river valleys, the Lake Ontario lowlands, and the
central lake region, and sometimes on eastern Long Island. At intervals
of a few years there appear large flights of these hawks in western New
York, especially in the Genesee valley and the extensive farm lands which
lie south of Lake Ontario. This was the case in the winter of 1905-6,
when Roughlegs were fairly abundant about Canandaigua, Geneseo, Cayuga,
and many other localities. The birds begin to arrive from the north late
in October, or some years not till the middle of November, and depart
for their breeding grounds between March 25 and April 12, except for
disabled or delayed stragglers which have been seen as late as May 30.

This species prefers an open country of wide marshes, river bottoms,
or rolling plains, with scattered trees from which to watch. for its humble
prey. When trees are too few it is often seen coursing back and forth
over the fields somewhat after the manner of the Marsh hawk, but with
heavier flight and, whenever he discovers a luckless mouse, pounces silently
upon it. Its flight seems low and labored, even when compared to the
Red-tail, although its wings are longer and more pointed. Its habit of
hunting largely in the twilight is correlated with its choice of diet, which
consists almost exclusively of meadow mice. I have frequently found the
remains of 7 to 9 mice in the stomach of one Rough-legged hawk, and
never found a beneficial animal on its bill of fare. It therefore must be
regarded as the most beneficial of all our Raptores, and the farmer should
distinguish it carefully from such injurious species as the Goshawk, and
protect it as one of his most valued allies. As recently as twenty years
after the publication of Fisher’s ‘‘ Hawks and Owls,’”’ one of the most
intelligent and extensive landholders in New York State was paying a
hunter to rid his fields of dozens of this valuable mouser under the mis-
apprehension that it was destroying his game birds. Thus there is need
of spreading further the knowledge of our birds. ;

90 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Aquila chrysaétos (Linnaeus)
Golden Eagle
Plate 49

Falco chrysaetos Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. 1758. Ed. 10. 1:88
Aquila chrysaetos DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 4, fig. 14
A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 162. No. 340
aquila, Lat., eagle; chrysdétos, Gr., ’aet6¢, eagle; xeveds, golden

Description. Legs feathered to toes, tarsus whitish; basal two-thirds of
tail white; back of head and neck ocherous buff or ‘‘ golden brown’’; general
plumage dark brown with purplish gloss; the flight feathers and tip of
tail darker, the latter forming a conspicuous terminal zone of black; cere
and feet yellow; iris brown. Immature birds are darker and have the base
of tail only slightly marked with grayish, and the tarsi and under tail
coverts buffy. This species is little larger than the Bald eagle and at
a distance can hardly be distinguished from immature birds of that species.

Length o 30-34 inches, 9 35-41; extent o 78-84, 2 84-92; wing o
23-25, 9 25-27.5; tail 14-16; tarsus 3.6-4.3; weixht Io or 12 pounds.

Distribution. This noble eagle inhabits the entire holarctic realm but
is mostly confined to mountainous districts. It is rather rare in the eastern
United States, and was never common in New York. In early colonial
days it undoubtedly nested in the Highlands, Catskills and Adirondacks,
but at the present time there seems to be no evidence of its nesting within
our borders, although in 1877 Doctor Mearns thought it possible that it
still bred in some secluded portion of the Highlands, and in 1900 Mr F. G.
Pember of Granville, N. Y., thought it might breed on Pond mountain,
Vermont, four miles east of Granville, where two young were taken from
a nest several years before. Doctor Ralph is also authority for the state-
ment that its eggs have been taken in the Adirondacks. This species
must now be classed as an accidental, or a rare transient visitant. Within
the last 60 years specimens have been reported from Schenectady, Putnam,
Fulton, Chemung, Steuben, Orange, Westchester, Suffolk, Rensselaer,
Herkimer, Columbia, Washington, Madison and Monroe counties. The
latest record before me is October 25, 1900, when a golden eagle was
captured alive in the city of Rochester, and placed in the local zoo (see
Eaton, Birds of Western N. Y. p. 35).

BIRDS OF NEW YORK gI

Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus (Linnaeus)
Bald Eagle
Plates 43 and 49

Falco leucocephalus Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. 1766. Ed. 12. 1:124
Haliaetos leucocephalus DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 5, fig. 1
Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus A.O. U. Check List. Ed.3.
1910. p. 162. No. 352
haligetus, sea eagle; leucocéphalus, white-headed

Description. Adult: Head, neck and tail white; rest of plumage
brownish black; bill and legs yellow; iris yellow. Immature: Nearly
uniform brownish black, more or less varied with white spots, mostly on
the under parts and tail; bill blackish; legs yellow; iris brown; during the
second and third years they show more white on the under parts and tail,
but are still of a prevailing blackish color.

Length o 31-34 inches, 2 35-37; extent o 80-85, 9 85-90; wing o
21-23, 9 23-25; tail 11-13; bill 2.3-2.9; weight 8-12 pounds.

Distribution. The Bald eagle, or its larger northern subspecies,
inhabits nearly the whole of North America north of Mexico, but prefers
the sea coast and regions of lakes and rivers. In New York it is still no
unusual sight to see eagles along the shores of Long Island, in the Hudson
valley, in the Adirondacks, along the Great Lakes, and in the central lake
country. They are commonest in spring and summer, but may be seen
at any time of year, mature birds, evidently not breeders, frequenting
such localities as Conesus lake, Canandaigua lake and Niagara river through-
out the spring and summer months. At latest accounts Bald eagles were
nesting near Sodus bay in Wayne county, Constantia in Oswego county,
Whelby pond in Dutchess county, and Indian lake and Taylor pond in the
Adirondacks. It formerly nested in many places along the shores of Long
Island, along the Hudson, the Great Lakes, the central lakes, the Adiron-
_ dack lakes and Lake Champlain, but constant persecution or the destruc-
tion of the nesting site has caused the abandonment of the majority of
these localities, and ‘‘the eagle tree,’’ or the place where it stood, is

gradually passing from the memory of the nearest inhabitants.

92 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Habits. The Bald eagle frequents the shores of lakes and rivers and
chooses a sightly perch from which to scan the surface of the water for
the dead fish which constitute its principal food in summer time. It is
frequently seen also high in air soaring about in search of some dead sheep
or other offal, which it seems to prefer next after fish, and I have seen it
on several occasions set its wings when at a great height and descend to
an ignoble repast of dead calf or other vulturine provender. Its power
of sight is justly famous, but it is scarcely probable that it surpasses that
of other raptores. Once I watched an eagle that was soaring at a great
altitude above me when all at once he caught sight of a dead fish floating
on the surface of the lake and, making a direct line for the fish, snatched
it from the water and bore it off to shore. The fish I found by subsequent
computation was three miles from the spot over which the eagle was soaring
and I could not see the fish in the eagle’s talons at the time it was picked
from the water although I was using a pair of six power field glasses. It is
possible, however, that even a man could have seen the fish from the eagle’s
station in the air as a white spot on the water. When the eagle does not
find sufficient supply of dead fish it will rob the Fishhawk of its booty,
as is well known by all naturalists, and will even take live fish from the
water, but can not be compared with the Osprey as a fisherman, and probably
does not even equal the Red-shouldered hawk or Barred owl in this accom-
plishment. In the winter this eagle often attacks water fowl successfully,
but can not easily capture the diving species when they are on the water.
I have seen an eagle make repeated attacks upon a Canvasback duck
which dove at every swoop of the eagle and finally escaped. Some have
objected that the habits of this eagle scarcely entitle it to be chosen as the
emblem of our native land, but its appearance, when soaring in the clouds
or perched on the tip of a lofty pine tree, is truly majestic. The scream of |
the eagle resembles somewhat the voice of the seagull; others have likened
it to the bark of a fox or of a small dog, and Doctor Ralph called attention
to the difference in the notes of the sexes, the male’s cry being a high

,

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 93

clear cac-cac-cac, and the female’s more harsh and broken, a note which,
when heard nearby, Doctor Fisher compares to a loud maniacal laugh.

The Bald eagle lays her eggs very early in the season, in February
or early March, being the largest resident and earliest breeder of our diurnal
birds of prey, as the Great horned owl is of our nocturnal Raptores. The
eagle’s nest is usually built in a lofty tree, near the top, and the tree dies
after a few years leaving the huge nest of sticks a conspicious object easily
seen for a long distance by all who pass by. If undisturbed a pair will
occupy the same nest for many years but, although the eagles are quite

Bald eagle’s nest with young

harmless neighbors and a distinct addition to the picturesqueness of the
landscape, and legally protected by the statutes of our State, few eagle
eyries have survived the vandalism of thoughtless tourists and fishermen,
or of countrymen who shoot the birds for the local taxidermist or trap
them for the nearest zoo, or of summer visitors from the city who conceive
it a great achievement to lie in wait with a rifle and slaughter the parents
or climb to the nest and carry off the young, or of oologists who take
the eggs repeatedly. The eggs are 2 or 3 in number, dull white in color,

94 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

and measure about 2.85 by 2.2 inches. The period of incubation is 4
weeks or more, and the young do not leave the nest till July or the first
of August. When hatched they are covered with whitish down, but
before they are able to fly have acquired the brownish black plumage
as described above.

Haliaeetus leucocephalus alascanus C. H. Leonard
Northern Bald Eagle

Eagles of the species leucocephalus inhabiting the boreal zone of North
America are larger than southern birds and equal or surpass the largest dimensions
given (wing 25, tail 13, tarsus 4, depth of bill 1.5). Many specimens from this State
exhibit these dimensions, and are to be assigned to the northern race. In deciding this
question, however, it is well for the amateur to remember that immature eagles have
longer wings and tails than old ones.

Family FALCONIDAE

The Falcons

Characters. Beak sharply hooked, toothed and notched, the lower
mandible truncate and notched near the tip; nostrils circular, high up
in the cere, with a central tubercle; bony eye shield projecting, of a single
piece; septum of the nose much ossified; palatal bone with a median keel
anteriorly; scapular process of the coracoid united to the clavicle; tarsus
shorter than tibia, more or less feathered above, its scales reticulate; middle
toe long; talons strong and curved; wings long, strong and pointed; tail
stiff and rather short; legs stout; general build strong and muscular; the
plumage aftershafted; basipterygoid process wanting; eyes brown in color;
flight swift and strong, the prey usually pursued and captured in the air;
courage great for the size of the birds.

In this family the raptorial nature reaches its highest differentiation.
The muscular build, the length and strength of the wings, the curious
sculpturing of the sharp cutting edges of the beak, the powerful legs and
long, strong, curved talons fit the falcons admirably for their career of
rapine. They choose prey which is oftentimes larger and heavier than
themselves. Few birds can escape their powerful, sweeping flight. They
strike down and slaughter without trouble the swiftest flying ducks, grouse
and pigeons, and, with the exception of the smaller members of the family

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 95

such as the Kestrel and American sparrow hawk, are usually to be classed
as injurious species because of their destructiveness in the feathered king-
dom, though they often evade the condemnation of mankind because of
the general admiration of their dashing bravery and preeminent fitness
for their avocation. In the Orient, members of this family are still
employed in the practice of falconry, but in western Europe this occupa-
tion has fallen into disuse in recent times.

Falco islandus Briinnich
White Gryfa!con
Plate 59

Distinctive marks. Wiite, the head and under parts almost without marks, only
slightly streaked on the top and sides of head and on flanks and flags; the back, wings and
tail marked with dusky broken bars and arrowheads. Young birds are somewhat more
heavily marked than the old ones, and the markings are more lengthwise of the feathers
than in bars, but still the predominant impression is of a white bird, especially the head,
neck and under parts. Size the same as Gyrfalcon.

This Arctic species has been taken in Maine and Ontario. Mr Frederic S. Webster
reports one killed near Troy, N. Y., in the winter of 1874, but the specimen has not been
traced. Arthur H. Helme writes that he saw a bird near Miller’s Place, L. I., which he
feels sure belonged to this species, but as he was unable to secure the specimen, can not
prove its occurrence beyond a doubt. Mr Helme’s experience as a field naturalist and
familiarity with all our native birds, and Mr Webster’s work as a bird student and taxi-
dermist give credence to these reports, but we still lack a New York specimen of this
Gyrfalcon. ;

Falco rusticolus rusticolus (Linnaeus)
Gray Gyrfalcon

This bird differs from the White gyrfalcon only in coloring. The upper parts
barred, arrow-pointed and spotted transversely with grayish fuscous, whitish prevailing
on the head and neck, dark prevailing on the back and wings, under parts white, decidedly
lighter than upper parts, streaked and spotted with dark on the sides, flanks and under tail-
coverts.

Like the preceding this Arctic species has been taken in Wisconsin, Ontario and Maine,
and must visit the northern portions of New York at rare intervals, but no specimens
from the State as yet have been discovered.

96 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Falco rusticolus gyrfalco (Linnaeus)
Gyrfalcon
Plate 50

Falco gyrfalco Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 10. 1758. 1:91
Falco rusticolus gyrfalco A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 164.

No. 354a
falco, Lat., a falcon, from falx, a sickle from the shape of the bill; rusticolus, Lat.,

inhabiting the country; gyrfdlco, probably=hierofalco, divine or noble falcon

Description. Upper parts brownish gray or fuscous, slightly marked
with buffy white, the whitish markings in the form of streaks, and edgings
on the neck and head, but narrow bars on the tail coverts and tail, and
the back only slightly marked. Under parts heavily streaked with fuscous
and dull white. Heavy blackish “mustaches.” Bill bluish horn color,
nearly black at tip; legs bluish gray, claws black; iris brown. As in all
species of gyrfalcons, the immature birds have a tendency to buffy white
in the light markings of the upper parts, and these markings are rather
in streakings than in bars.

Length 23-24 inches, extent 50-55; wing 13.50-16; tail 8.5-10; tarsus
2.4, feathered one-half way down on front and sides; middle toe 2.2;
weight 5 1/4 pounds.

This Gyrfalcon breeds in the Arctic regions from Ellesmere Land east-
ward to Franz-Josef Land, and wanders southward in winter to Minnesota,
New York and Rhode Island. The New York records are as follows:

Long Island, winter of 1856, 9 immature, mounted by John Akhurst,
now in collection Long Island Historical Society, Brooklyn, N. Y. Law-
rence, Ann. Lyc. Nat. Hist. N. Y., 8280. Dutcher, Auk, 10: 274; Chapman,
Birds of N. Y., etc., p. 41, no. 171; and Braislin, Birds of L. I., p. 69, no. 182,
reported asFalcoislandus.

Pond Quogue, L. I., 1877, o adult, shot by William Lane, mounted
by Knoess of Riverhead, N. Y., secured from John Wallace by Robert
Lawrence and presented to the Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. Robert Lawrence,
N. O. C. Bul., 5: 117, reported as Falco sacer.

Rome, N. Y., winter of 1895, 2 killed, H. L. Bowers.

Auburn, N. Y., March 29, 1902, 2 immature, shot by Edwin Redman,
mounted by L. O. Ashbury. Specimen now in State Museum.

Canandaigua, N. Y., Dec. 25, 1905, 9 immature, shot by Duel,

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 97

obtained by Ernest Watts for the author's collection, original of the
painting by Fuertes, plate 50.

The Gyrfalcon is the largest, swiftest and most powerful of our falcons
though, according to Saunders, inferior to the Peregrine in dash and spirit.
It preys upon waterfowl, ptarmigan, grouse and hares. The Canandaigua
specimen mentioned above was feasting on a large Plymouth rock hen
when shot, and its gullet and stomach were filled with the breast meat
of the fowl, with scarcely a trace of bone and feathers. These birds are
very destructive to grouse, pheasants and rabbits but as they are so
uncommon in New York, they can not become a great menace to game
coverts except in rare instances.

Falco rusticolus obsoletus Gmelin
Black Gyrfalcon
Plate 50

Falco obsoletus Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1788. I. 1: 268
Falco rusticolus obsoletus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 164.
No. 354b
obsolétus, Lat., dusky

Distinguishing marks. Uniformly dusky or slaty fuscous, without
bars above except obscure broken bars on the tail and with few and incon-
spicuous streaks below. Size the same as the common Gyrfalcon.

This dark phase of the Gyrfalcon breeds in northern Ungava and
Labrador, and spreads southward in winter as far as Ontario, New York
and Rhode Island. Four New York specimens are known, the first from
Flushing, L. I., fall of 1875, mounted by J. Wallace and now in the collection
of George A. Boardman. See Berier N. O. C. Bul. 6: 126 and 247. Through
a misunderstanding this bird was reported as from Westchester county.
See Rod and Gun, 7:153. Westchester co., winter of 1879, Sage, Bishop
& Bliss, Birds of Conn. State Geol. & Nat. Hist. Surv. bul. 20, p. 83, 1913.
The third specimen from this State was killed near Lake Ontario in
Monroe county, October 1890, mounted at Ward’s Natural Science
Establishment. and now in the State Museum at Albany. See Marshall,

98 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Auk, 9: 203. This specimen is a female, and measured ‘‘ Length 22.5
inches; tail 9.50; wing 15.50, spread 51; cere and feet gray, not so bright
a gray as in the Osprey.’’ Another specimen is reported from Bellport,
L. I., winter of 1899, by Mr W. A. Babson.

Falco peregrinus anatum Bonaparte
Duck Hawk

Plates 43 and 51

Falco anatum Bonaparte. Geog. and Comp. List. 1838. 4
DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 13, fig. 8
Falco peregrinus anatum A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. x9z0. p. 164.
No. 356a
peregrinus, Lat., wandering; dnuatum, Lat., of ducks

Description. A large powerful falcon. Adult: # and 2 bluish slate
above becoming black on crown and sides of head; the back and wing-coverts
indistinctly barred or spotted with dusky; tail with several blackish bars;
under parts buffy or dull whitish, the chest sparingly streaked, and the
remainder, including the under surfaces of wings and tail, uniformly barred
with blackish; throat white or buffy white, bordered by conspicuous black
mustachios; cere, eyelids and feet yellow; bill bluish; claws black; iris dark
brown. Young: Brownish or dusky above, under parts more buffy or
ocherous, quite heavily streaked with blackish.

Length o& about 17 inches; 9 19; extent 40-46; wing o I1.5-13,
92 13-15; statsus1 7-2-1.

Distribution. This noble falcon is found throughout the United
States and breeds from North Carolina and Mexico north to the Arctic
coasts. It prefers the mountainous districts, occurring in New York along
the Palisades, the Highlands, and the Adirondacks. Undoubtedly it is
much more generally distributed than is commonly known, its seclusive
habits and custom of traveling long distances on its foraging excursions
often concealing the location of its home, or even the fact of its residence,
from people who live in the immediate vicinity. Several pairs are known
to nest in the Palisades and Highlands. I have found its eyrie on a
spur of Mt Colvin overlooking the Lower Ausable lake where the guides
of the Adirondack Mountain Reserve have known of its nesting for many

years; also in a deep gorge near the Massachusetts line in Columbia county;

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 99

and at Taughannock Falls near the shore of Cayuga lake, June 25, 1909.
This nest, discovered by Miss Gertrude Yeames and identified by the
author, Mr Fuertes tells me, was occupied again in 1910, and undoubtedly
has been used for many years. It has been photographed and described by
Allen, Knight and Bailey. See Bird Lore, Jan. 1913. This hawk possibly
breeds in the Montezuma swamps in the cavities of basswoods or syca-
mores as it does in the Mississippi valley, for the birds are occasionally
seen there in the nesting season. Nests of the Duck hawk with eggs have
been reported from the Palisades, March 30 (Chapman); from the Helder-
berg mountains 30 miles from Albany, April 11, 1884 (Lintner, Auk, 1: 391);
from Morehouse, Hamilton county, May 16, 1896 (Bagg, Auk, 14: 226)
and from Pond mountain, Vermont, 4 miles from Granville, N. Y., by
F. T. Pember. As a transient this falcon is recorded regularly along the
Long Island coast, September 17 to October 25 (Dutcher), along the Great
Lakes, April and October; and the Montezuma marshes, March 10 to
April 20, and August 20 to October 30 (Foster Parker). Mr Batty reported
it as a ‘‘ common fall and winter resident ’’ along the shores of Long Island
(Forest & Stream, 4:374). From the interior of the State this hawk
has also been mentioned from Seneca lake and Grand island by Ottomar
Reinecke; from Lowville by James H. Miller; from Harmony, Chautauqua
county, by A. E. Kibbe; from Ithaca, 1899, by Fuertes; from Yates county
by James Flahive; from Orleans county by Bruce and Langille; from West
River, Canandaigua lake, June 3, 1906, by Maurice Blake; and from Canan-
daigua, March 15, 1903, a fine male captured by Addison P. Wilbur. But
these reports do not represent its actual occurrence, as it is so rarely taken
or recognized; it surely occurs regularly, though sparingly, in all parts of
the State, but is most often found along the coast, lakes and marshes, where
waterfowl and shore birds are common.

Habits. The Duck hawk differs from the Peregrine falcon of the
Eastern Hemisphere only in having the throat and upper chest unmarked;
its power, swiftness and intrepidity are the same. The Noble falcon,

as it is often called, attacks any kind of game from the size of a wild duck
7

100 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

to a sparrow, but usually chooses birds of medium size, such as pigeons,
flickers, plover and small ducks. It pursues its chosen quarry with astonish-
ing rapidity, the wing strokes resembling more the flight of a pigeon than
that of our common hawks. It rarely soars except for an instant in making
a turn, or after it has struck its prey in mid-air, or has made an wnsuccess-
ful attack and wheels to reconnoitre. I once saw a Duck hawk come like
a descending rocket and snatch a gold finch in the air so suddenly that
the poor finch apparently was not aware of its enemy or, if so, had no time
to change its course to an appreciable degree. Mr Parker has described
the actions of a falcon which came to the Montezuma marshes with the
migrating shore birds in August 1908, as particularly cruel and destructive.
It would pursue the flocks of sandpipers and plover, striking one after
another into the mud or water, but seldom pausing to devour or carry off
its plunder. Whenever the falcon appears over the marshes all the ducks
within sight exhibit the greatest distress, but when an eagle, Red-tail or
Marsh hawk comes over they are not at all concerned. It is not an unusual
experience for this daring pirate to carry off a hunter’s decoy or a wounded
duck so rapidly and unexpectedly that the gun is powerless against him.
The nest of this falcon is almost always placed on a ledge or opening
in the rocks of some precipitous cliff, and in this State the eggs are laid from
March 30 to April 20. These are 3 or 4 in number, about 2.1 by 1.7 inches
in dimensions, of a color ranging from light buff to reddish brown and
heavily marked with cinnamon and dark reddish brown. The young
nestlings are covered with white down, but soon the brown feathers of the
juvenal plumage appear on the wings, tail and scapulars, at the age of
about four weeks entirely displacing or concealing the nestling down.
Both sexes of the eyas or young falcon, unlike the subgenus Cerchneis, are
similar in coloration, dark brown above and heavily streaked below, and
do not show the ashy or slaty color of the adults nor the barring of
the under parts till after the first complete moult. As the nestling
falcon approaches the age for leaving the eyry, its restless disposition
asserts itself, and it screams and hops and tries its wings about its native

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 101

ledge, each day with greater freedom. Sometimes they fall from the nesting-
shelf and perish on the rocks below, as was the case with a tiercel in my
collection, from the Lower Ausable lake. The unhappy fall of this bird
was witnessed by Messrs Achilles, Taylor and Fuller, who were helping
me in the Adirondack bird survey. They had watched the eyry for 24
hours from a concealed station to observe the visits of the parent falcons.
Food was brought only once in this time, and the young birds became
unusually restless. Finally the male fell over the mountain side and was
killed on the talus slope. I believe that the old birds in this case were
trying to lure the young from the nest by bringing insufficient food to the
ledge. As the young begin to fly the parent birds fly by with prey in their
talons, and the young rise to snatch it from them in mid-air as they pass.
Thus the weaklings are sometimes left to perish, or in their struggles to
obtain the prize meet their destruction. The falcon’s eyry must needs be
a strenuous school to train the fiercest of all our raptores for his murderous
career.
Falco columbarius columbarius Linnaeus
Pigeon Hawk
Plate 52

Falco columbarius Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.10. 1758. 1:90
DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 15, fig. 9
Falco columbarius columbarius A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910.

p. 165. No. 357 <!
columba’rius, Lat., pertaining to pigeons

Description. A small but robust, stocky falcon. Tarsus about as
long as middle toe. Male: Bluish gray above, the shafts black; the tail
crossed by about 4 blackish bands; the wings dusky, bar-spotted with
whitish. Under parts and neck buffy white to ocherous, streaked with
Llackish. Bill bluish; cere and legs yellow; iris dark brown. Female and
young: Dusky brown, the tail with about 5 whitish bands; under parts
similar to male’s but more heavily streaked.

Length. Male 10-11 inches; wing 7.40-7.85; tail 4.65-5.25; tarsus
1.30-1.40; middle toe without claw 1.10-1.25. Female 12.50—-13.50; wing
8.30-8.60. ry

This hawk may be recognized at a distance, first by having the

102 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

general build and flight of a falcon (see family Falconidae and remarks
upon the identification of hawks), second, from the Sparrow hawk by its
heavier build and bluish or dusky back, and from the Duck hawk by its
inferior size.

Distribution. The Pigeon hawk, Bullet hawk, or Little blue corporal
is a fairly common migrant through New York State, arriving in spring from
the 1st to the 15th of April and passing northward from the 14th to the
29th of May. Occasionally it remains through the winter, as reported from
Long Island and other parts of southern New York. I saw a falcon of
this species chasing the pigeons from a belfry in Canandaigua in January
1906. The fall migration takes place principally between September 4
to 15 and October 15 to November 5, but fall records as early as August
10 are not rare. This species undoubtedly breeds within the boundaries
of the State, but the evidence is inconclusive. Mr B. S. Bowdish saw a
female and her eggs which were taken in 1891 at Phelps, and Mr Short
(Birds of Western N. Y., p. 11) reports it as breeding at Naples, on the
authority of L. V. Case. Mr Bowdish has told me that he can not remember
positively the description of the Phelps bird and her eggs, but thought
surely at the time that she was a Pigeon hawk. Mr Gustavus S. Hardy
also reports this hawk as breeding at Middleville, N. Y. But still it seems
strange that no eggs from New York have found their way into collections.
Mr F. T. Pember reports a young bird of this species which was scarcely
able to fly, from Indian lake; and the author saw a Pigeon hawk on Skylight
mountain in the Adirondacks in July 1905. It will thus be seen that this
species belongs principally in the catalog of transients, although its retir-
ing habits during the nesting season may explain in part the scarcity of
observations upon it as a summer resident in the Canadian zone of New
York.

The flight of the Pigeon hawk is swift and powerful. It preys almost
entirely upon birds and fearlessly attacks flickers, doves and quails, seeming
to prefer a quarry of nearly its own size. Hence it is not to be regretted
that this intrepid little falcon is not common in the State. It inhabits

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 103

the whole of North America, breeding chiefly north of the United States
as far as Alaska and Ungava.

Falco sparverius sparverius Linnaeus
Sparrow Hawk

Plate 52

Falco sparverius Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 10. 1758. 90
DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 16, fig. 16
Falco sparverius sparverius A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 166.
No. 360
sparve'rius, quasi-Latin, pertaining to sparrow

Description. Our smallest hawk. Sexes unlike from the nest to
maturity. Tail rather long and rounded. Tarsi much longer than the
middle toe. Top of head bluish slate to dusky slate, usually with a rusty
patch. Side of head whitish with three black vertical stripes. Back rufous
or rusty barred with blackish, uniformly in the female, but sometimes the
bars almost lacking in the male. Male: Wings largely bluish slale, the
primaries blackish, bar-spotted on the inner webs with whitish. Outer
tail feathers barred with black and whitish, middle feathers rufous, and all
with a broad subterminal band of black and a whitish tip. Under parts
buffy white to ocherous, marked more or less, especially on the sides and
flanks, with roundish back spots. Female: Wings and tail rufous, barred
with black like the back; under parts dingy white, streaked with brown.
Bill bluish; cere and legs yellow; iris brown. .

Length 10-11.5 inches; extent 22-24.5; wing 7—7.5; tail 4.75-5; weight.
4 ounces.

This hawk can scarcely be mistaken for any other native species. Its:
falconine shape and colors distinguish it easily from the Sharp-shinned
hawk and its smaller size, lighter proportions, longer tail, and colors are.
quite unlike the Pigeon hawk.

Distribution. As a summer resident it is found in every part of New
York State. Though less numerous during migrations than several other
species, and in the wooded districts not so common a summer resident as
the Red-tailed, Cooper and Sharp-shinned hawks, it is probable that it
is more generally distributed in New York than any other of the family.
From Long Island to John Brown’s grave and Plattsburg, and from West-

104 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

field to Orient this little falcon breeds in nearly every community where
it is allowed to remain at peace. In traveling about the State I have found
it a fairly common summer resident and in winter have noticed it in many
cities and villages, or on their outskirts, where it subsists mostly on
“English ’’ sparrows and field mice. In portions of New York City,
Poughkeepsie, Albany, Rochester, Buffalo, Canandaigua and Geneva where
I have watched it day after day in midwinter it seemed evident that the
presence of an abundant supply of sparrows was the determining factor
which inhibited migration. During the migration season, March 20 to
April 30 and September to October 20, the Sparrow hawk is noticeably
commoner, especially near the coast, in the Hudson valley and along the
Erie-Ontario lowland. It breeds from Mackenzie, Keewatin and New-
foundland to Texas and Georgia; and winters from Illinois, New York and
Massachusetts to Costa Rica.

Habits. The Sparrow hawk frequents wide pastures and fields which
have a scattered growth of trees, open groves, ‘‘ slashes,” and half-cleared
hillsides, or bottom lands with fringes of trees along the streams. In such
localities it is often seen perched on some dead branch or telegraph pole
or hovering in the air watching for its humble prey of mice and grass-
hoppers. Its flight is light and easy. Occasionally it gives voice to a
high pitched, rapidly repeated cry resembling the words killy, killy, killy,
killy. This is probably an alarm note, as it is rapidly reiterated when the
nest is in danger or when the young are being led away from their enemies.
The nest is in the deserted hole of some large woodpecker, usually the
Flicker, or in the hollow of a tree, but rarely in the deserted nest of a crow
or hawk. Little, if any, nesting material is placed in the hollow. The
eggs are laid from April 25 to May 30 according to locality and nature of
the season. They are from 4 to 7 in number, of a white or buff or rufous
ground color, variously speckled, blotched and clouded with shades of
chocolate, cinnamon, buff, ocherous etc., in different pattern, sometimes
confluent on the larger end, sometimes on the smaller, sometimes zoned,
and sometimes uniformly covered. They measure about 1.41 by 1.12

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 105

inches. The food, as already intimated, consists principally of grass-
hoppers and mice. Small birds are occasionally taken, but this little
falcon is mostly a harmless and certainly an interesting neighbor.

Family PANDIONIDAE
Ospreys

Character. Beak inflated except at base and much hooked, without
tooth or festoon; nostrils oblique, oval, in the edge of the cere; eye shield
rudimentary; scapular process of the coracoid not reaching furculum;
tarsus roughly reticulate; the large and powerful feet with rough and spiny
scales for holding their finny prey; all the toes free and the outer one
versatile; talons extremely large, sharp and much curved; legs long and
closely feathered; the tarso-metatarsus contains a bony canal for the
extensor tendon of the toes; this and the versatile character of the outer
toe, as well as the aftershafted plumage, the blending of the deep plantar
tendons and the presence of a scapula accessoria, suggesting relationship
to the owls; the plumage, however, is close, oily and imbricated, the quills
and tail feathers stiff and pointed and the coeca are wanting.

The ospreys or Fish hawks are birds of powerful flight, and their
long, curved talons, as well as the granular-spiny palms of their feet, are
admirably adapted for seizing and holding their slippery prey. Although
they feed almost exclusively upon fish, it is usually considered that they
do little harm, as the species which they capture are taken in shallow water
and, consequently, consist of varieties least valuable for food. At any
tate, they are never so abundant that their depredations are especially
annoying and the picturesqueness which they and their nests lend to the
landscape is ample reward for the slight toll they take from the finny tribes.
This family, or suborder, as some:would make it, consists of only three
species and is nearly cosmopolitan in range.

106 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Pandion haliaétus carolinensis (Gmelin)
Osprey; Fish Hawk

Plate 43

Falco carolinensis Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1788. 1: 263
Pandion carolinensis DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 6, fig. 18
Pandion haliaetus carolinensis A.O.U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910.

p- 168. No. 364
pandion, Gr., Havatwy, the father of Progne and Philomela; halidétus, Gr., ‘«Atckezos,
sea eagle or osprey; carolinénsis, of Carolina

Description. Upper parts dark brown, nearly black on the flight
feathers; head, neck and under parts white, but streaks on the crown and
a broad stripe on side of neck blackish, and the breast more or less marked
with brownish; the tail with dusky bars, its tip and bars on the inner webs
whitish; bill blackish, its cere and basal portion bluish; feet bluish gray,
claws black; iris red or sometimes yellow. Male: Smaller and clearer
white on neck and below. Female: With more brownish on breast and
tawny tinging the white areas. Young: More marked with buffy and
brownish on neck and under parts, and the upper parts edged and mottled
with whitish or buffy, the tail more barred.

Length 20-24 inches; extent 4 1/2-5 1/2 feet; wing 17-22 inches; tail
8.5-10.5; tarsus 2.25; middle toe without claw 1.75; culmen and claws 1.30.

Field marks. The uninitiated often mistakes a Fish hawk for an eagle,
but its lighter build, ‘“‘ crooked wings,” and white under parts distinguish
it at a great distance from both the young and the mature eagle. In
expanse of wings, however, it almost rivals the male eagle and the Turkey
buzzard among our native Raptores.

Distribution. The Fish hawk is a regular and not uncommon visitor
on all the lakes and rivers of New York State, arriving from March 15
to April 1 along the sea coast, and departing from September 20 to October
15, but is occasionally seen as late as November 17. It breeds in con-
siderable numbers about the eastern end of Long Island, especially on
Gardiner’s island, where more than 100 nests were occupied in 1910 (see
Bird Lore 5, 6, 180 and Wilson Bulletin 50, 18). On Plum and Shelter
islands it also nested abundantly in recent years. In the interior counties

of New York the Osprey is no longer a summer resident, except in portions

BIRDS OF NEW YORK f 107

of the Adirondacks, where it continues to breed but yearly becomes rarer
and rarer on account of the relentless persecution of thoughtless tourists
and campers.’ Along the Hudson, the Great Lakes, and the Central Chain
its history as a breeding species has been the same as that of the Bald
eagle. One by one the Fish hawk trees have disappeared until now the
author knows of no breeding station in the State except as mentioned above.
As a migrant, however, the Fish hawk is frequently seen over all our inland
waters from March 25 to May 15 in springtime, and from August 20 to
October 25 in autumn.

The food of this species consists almost entirely of fish. Occasionally
frogs and other aquatic animals are taken but, although I have watched
this unequaled fisherman on numberless occasions, hawking, soaring or
hovering over lakes and rivers and flooded marshes, and even mill ponds,
and have seen him as often splash feet foremost into the water with almost
unerring aim, I have never seen him rise with any prey but a fish in his
powerful talons, nor have I ever taken any food but fish from the stomach
of an Osprey. Like other fishermen the Osprey prefers fish of large size
and, it is said, occasionally fastens its claws into prey of such size that he
is unable to rise with it or to loosen his talons, and perishes as the result
of his eagerness. Mr Addison P. Wilbur relates an interesting story of
his boyhood experience on Barnegat bay. While returning home after
a day of unusually bad fortune, just as he was passing over a rise of ground
he perceived a Fish hawk coming directly toward him and struggling under
aheavy load. Concealing himself behind a low bush he awaited its approach
and, just as the hawk was directly overhead, he sprang into the air with
a loud shout and threw his hat, when the Osprey dropped its fish in con-
fusion and flew away uttering its shrill, rapidly repeated whistle of complaint.
My friend, on picking up the fish, found it a fine squeteague or weakfish
weighing nearly 4 pounds.

The evil which the Osprey might do by destroying food fish is mini-
mized by the fact that it can not take fish from deep below the surface
and consequently feeds mostly on species which prefer the warmer waters

108 : NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

and shallows, such as carp, suckers, pike (Esox), bowfin (Amia), alewives
etc., or on fish which are sickly and hence swimming near the surface. It
does not, however, to my knowledge feed on dead fish. This latter is the
province of the eagle.

The nest of the Fish hawk is composed of sticks and rubbish, placed
in a large tree, or, when in a safe locality, on a boathouse, a cartwheel
on a stake, a telegraph pole, or even on the ground. When it has been
occupied for many seasons it becomes a huge affair, visible for a long distance.
The eggs, 2 to 4 in number, usually 3, laid from April 20 to June I, are
usually of a creamy or buffy white, heavily blotched with chocolate. But
they are very variable and are sometimes nearly a uniform reddish brown,
sometimes a plain dull white, and average 2.48 by 1.80 inches in size. The
breeding range of this species is from the limit of trees to the Gulf of Mexico,
and it winters from the Southern States to South America. ;

Suborder STRIGES
Owls

Bill and claws much as in Falcones, but the cere concealed by thick
bristly tufts of feathers, the feet feathered, and the outer toe reversible; eyes
looking forward, large, surrounded by disks of radiating feathers; external
ear remarkably large; plumage loose and soft, the outer webs of the feathers
recurved; oil gland not tufted; coeca large; no crop developed; basipterygoids
present; sternum doubly notched on posterior margin except Aluconidae;
clavicles weak, as long as sternum; palate desmognathous; skull bones,
especially the brain case and maxillo-palatines, spongy; a bony canal in
the tarso-metatarsus for the extensor tendon of the toes (except in Alu-
conidae); ambiens, semitendinosus and accessory, accessory femorocaudal,
biceps slip, and expansor of secondaries, all absent; femorocaudal present;
colors blended; eggs subspherical and immaculate white; nature and regimen
as in Accipitres; flight buoyant but wavering.

Owls are a well-marked order of birds both in external appearance
and internal structure. Everyone knows an owl, an assertion which
scarcely can be made of any other order of birds. Their large, forward-
looking eyes, facial disks, soft blended plumage, noiseless flight, nocturnal
habits and stridulous or resonant, dismal voices, have established their
individuality firmly in the popular mind. There are about 315 species

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 109
!

‘and subspecies of owls, distributed in all parts of the world, 80 of which
belong to the Otus or Screech owl genus.

Family ALUCONIDAE

Barn Owls

These birds have a peculiar physiognomy which has given them the
name of Monkey owls. Facial disk heart-shaped or triangular instead of
rounded; the inner toe is as long as the middle toe; middle claw pectinate
on its inner edge; tarsus long, closely feathered, the feathers becoming
thin and bristly on the toes, and recurved on the rear part of tarsus; first
quill longer than third; none of the primaries sinuate or emarginate; no
bony canal in tarso-metatarsus for extensor of toes; sternum has a manu-
brium, and is entire on the rear margin; furculum ankylosed with sternum.
This family, which is related to the goatsuckers through Steatornis, is
represented by the single living genus Aluco of 26 species and subspecies,
distributed in all warm and temperate regions of the world.

Aluco pratincola (Bonaparte)
Barn Owl
Plate 53

Strix pratincola Bonaparte. Geog. & Comp. List. 1838. 7
DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 31, fig. 28
Aluco pratincola. A.O. U. Check List. Ed.3. 1910. p. 168. No. 365
alvico, Lat., a kind of hooting owl; pratincola, Lat., inhabiting the meadow

Description. Upper parts ocherous yellow, overwashed with grayish,
and speckled and marbled with dusky and white; wings and tail bar-spotted
with dusky; under parts vary from white to tawny, speckled with blackish;
face white to tawny; iris blackish.

Length 15-18 inches; extent 44; wing 12.5-14; tail 5.5-7.5; tarsus
2.25-3.

Distribution. The American Barn owl, which is closely related to
the European species f{1ammea, inhabits the warmer portions of North
America from the northern limit of the upper Austral zone southward into
Mexico. The only New York breeding records before me are from Staten
Island, Long Island and the Genesee valley. It has been regarded as a
rare bird in this State but, as the accompanying records indicate, is well

distributed in the warmer portions of New York, and probably is more

IIo NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

common than the paucity of records would lead us to suppose. Its
secretive and nocturnal habits fortunately protect it from vulgar and
thoughtless interference in many localities, and it has been known to nest
for years in secluded towers, belfries, barn attics and hollow trees without
its presence being suspected by neighboring inhabitants. Doctor Fisher
has shown, by the examination of hundreds of bone and fur pellets disgorged
by these owls, that their food is made up almost entirely of mice, and hence
that they should be strictly protected. .

Two broods are said to be reared in a season, and eggs in all stages
of incubation are frequently found in the same nest. The eggs are from
5 to 11 in number and average 1.73 by 1.28 inches in dimensions. When
disturbed, like other owls it hisses at its tormentor. Bendire mentions
a querulous note, ‘‘ aek, 4ek, somewhat like the call of the nighthawk ”’;
and Chapman has heard it utter “a wild, startling scream, a high rapidly
repeated cr-r-ree, cr-r-ree, cr-r-ree.””

New York records of the barn owl
La Salle J. L. Davison

Ossining January 1873 Fisher, { rae eee pe if Ks
Near New York April 13, 1878 Mearns, Auk, vol. 7, p. 90
New York April 5, 1878 Bicknell, B. N. O. C., vol. 3, p. 132
Pein Vans Gilbert, Auburn list, p. 26
“FPF. & S.,” vol. 7, p. 325

: May 30, 188 Dutcher, Auk, vol. 3,'p. 439
Baca Gs goving ba neat) Beard, Auk, vol. ‘19; p. 408
Bay Ridge Collection L. I. Hist. Soc.
West Hampton November 20, 1886 Dutcher, Auk, vol. 5, p. 180
Cayuga About 1886 Foster Parker
Bayport September 1, 1888 (Hawkins) Dutcher, L. I. Notes
Troy November 19, 1888 Parke, Auk, vol. 7, p. 400
Hecla Works Winter 1889 J. 5. Allwood
Buffalo eee er Bergtold, Auk, vol. 7, p. 400
Troy December 3, 1890 Parke, Auk, vol. 8, p. 114
Parkville September 10, 1890 Johnson, Auk, vol. 8, p. 114
Islip February 16, 1891 (Hawkins) Dutcher, L. I. Notes

Pitcher September 13, 1891 Higgins, Auk, vol. 10, p. 301

Hick’s Beach
Jamestown
Auburn
Blissville

Buffalo

Marcy
Gardiner’s Island
East Marion
Gardiner’s Island
Rochester
Sennett

Bellport
Canandaigua
Montauk Point
Montauk Point

BIRDS OF NEW YORK Ii!

January 10, 1892

September 16, 18940"
About December 13, 1895

December 1894
July 18, 1895
September 1898
September 30, 1898
October 12, 1898
March 1899
September 1899
September 23, 1900

Breeds, April 25th, 7 fresheggs

June 18, 1900
September 12, 1900
September 25, 1901

Howell, Auk, vol. 10, p. 90
Kibbe “ Odlogist,”’ vol. 23, p. 25
Fred J. Stupp,

(Hendrickson) Dutcher, L. I. Notes
Savage, Auk, vol. 12, p. 393
Bagg, Auk, vol. 17, p. 177
Worthington, Auk, vol. 16, p. 85
Worthington, Auk, vol. 16, p. 85
Braislin, Auk, vol. 17, p. 70
David Bruce

G. C. Embody

W. Arthur Babson

Ernest Watts

Braislin, Auk, vol. 19, p. 146
Braislin, Bds. L. I., p. 70

Islip April 23, 1902 H. M. Burtis, Auk, vol. 20, p. 212
Gasport September 1903 Garrett, “ Odlogist,” vol. 23, p. 25
Montauk Point February 17, 1903 Dwight, jr, Auk, vol. 20, p. 434
South Danby December 1, 1904 (Erway) H. D. Reed
Medina June 20, 1905 Posson, “‘ Odlogist,’’ vol. 22, p. 106
Staten Island 1905-7 Breeds James Chapin
Kenyonville October 30, 1905 Garrett, ‘‘ Odlogist,” vol. 25, p. 25
‘Canandaigua April 1907 Ernest Watts
Livingston county March 10, Breeds D. Byron Waite
Wayneand as Breeds A. L. Thorne

ton counties
Ithaca 1906-7 (Several taken) L. A. Fuertes

East Schodack October 1907 (Hall) George L. Richard

Family STRIGIDAE
Horned Owls, etc.

In this family the sternum is notched on the rear margin, there is no
manubrium on its front, and the furculum is more or less defective and not
ankylosed with the sternum; inner toe shorter than middle; feathers on
rear of tarsus not recurved; first quill shorter than third; from one to six
of the primary quills emarginate or sinuate.

Here are included the owls with rounded face disks and large external
ears. Many have plumicorns or ‘‘ horns,” and those with the largest ears
have flaps or lids to cover the opening. There are 290 species and sub-
species, some of which are found in every region of the globe.

II2 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Asio wilsonianus (Lesson)
Long-eared Owl
Plate 53

Otus wilsonianus Lesson. Traité d’Orn. 1830. 110

Otus americanus DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 27, fig. 24

Asio wilsonianus, A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 169. No. 366
dsio, Lat., a kind of horned owl; wilsonidnus, in honor of Alexander Wilson

Description. Ear tufts conspicuous. Plumage finely mottled and bro-
kenly waved with dusky, grayish white, and buffy, the former predominat-
ing on the upper parts, and the buffy overlaid with the dusky and grayish;
wings and tail with dusky bars; obscurely defined blotches of dusky on
breast and stripes combined with obscure crossbars on the belly; facial
disks reddish brown; legs buffy; the whole plumage remarkably blended.

Length 13-16 inches; extent 38-40; wing I1-12; tail 5.5-6.50; tarsus
1.20-1.40; whole culmen I.

Distribution. The American Long-eared owl, closely related to the
Palearctic species Asio otus, inhabits the temperate portion of North
America from Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan to the tablelands of Mexico.
It is one of our strictly resident species, and is not very uncommon about
dense wooded swamps and hillsides in most parts of the State, but is
apparently uncommon in the Adirondack forests. Cedar and hemlock
swamps, pine woods and alder thickets are its favorite retreats. In such
localities it is frequently observed standing motionless in some evergreen
with its ear tufts raised and its feathers drawn close, looking like a weather-
worn stub or ragged piece of bark. At other times one is not aware of its
presence, until it is startled from its perch and retreats with silent wavering
flight, like a great Whippoorwill, to a remoter corner of the swamp. I am
not sure that I have ever heard the note of this owl, but Nuttall describes.
it as a plaintive, hollow moaning, while others compare it to the barking
of young dogs or the noise made by kittens.

This species nests in trees, usually in the deserted home of a crow,
hawk or squirrel, but rarely constructs its own nest, and lays from 3 to
7 white eggs which average about 1.62 by 1.28 inches in dimensions. The
time of nesting varies from March 31 when eggs have been found at Ossining

BIRDS OF NEW YORK Il3

and Branchport to April 19 and May 11 when its nest was found with eggs
at Holland Patent.

The Long-eared owl ranks close to the Barn owl and the Sawwhet
owl in its services to agriculture. From an examination of 129 stomach
pellets cast by this species, the author found its food to consist of mice (187)
and sparrows (5) which agrees very nearly with Doctor Fisher's report
from the examination of stomachs sent to the Department of Agriculture.

Asio flammeus (Pontoppidan)
Short-eared Owl

Plate 56

Strix flammea Pontoppidan. Danske Atlas. 1763. 1:617. pl. xxv, figure

Otus palustris DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 28, fig. 27

Asio flammeus. A.O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. t1910. p. 169. No. 367
flammeus, Lat., flaming, referring to the general yellowish brown coloration

Description. Ear tufts rudimentary. General ground color ocherous
to buffy white, streaked with dark brown; wing and tail feathers barred
with the same; region of the eyes blackish, the eyelids whitish; iris bright
yellow; bill bluish black.

Length 13.7-16.5 inches; extent 40-44; wing 11.7-13; tail 5.7-6.2;
tarsus 1.75.

This is the ‘‘ yellowish brown owl”’ or ‘‘ Marsh owl” so often seen
flying over the marshes early in the evening or on dark days.

Distribution. This is one of our commonest owls, at least in the low-
lands and marshy districts far outnumbering all other species, and in the
more cultivated portions of the State is more frequently observed than
any other owl except the Screech owl. Unfortunately a large percentage
is killed early in the winter each year by gunners and thoughtless sports-
men, but where left undisturbed, it must be regarded a common winter
visitant on all our extensive marshes and waste fields. During October
and November, and again in March and April its numbers are noticeably
increased, when the birds from the far north are sojourning with us on
their semiannual migrations. As a resident species this owl is quite widely
distributed in New York, its presence during the breeding season depending

IIl4 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

upon available nesting sites and freedom from persecution. Mr Worthing-
ton found a nest on Plum island, Suffolk county, May 7, 1891 (Auk, 10,
301) containing a young bird about half grown, which would give April 1
as the approximate date for eggs. The author photographed a young
bird of this species on May I1, 1902, which had recently been taken from
a nest near the foot of Canandaigua lake. This nest contained also 8
eggs in various stages of incubation. Mr Savage reports a set of 7 eggs
taken near Buffalo by Frank S. Low, April 7, 1898. According to Bruce
and Short it breeds quite commonly near Brockport and Chili in Monroe
county. But its commonest breeding grounds are on the marshes of the
Seneca river above and below Montezuma, and on the wet lands near the
eastern end of Lake Ontario. :

Habits. The specific names of this bird formerly in vogue — palustris,
of the marsh, and accipitrinus, hawklike, were more appropriate names
than Pontoppidan’s name which supplants them in accordance with the
rules of our Code of Nomenclature; for this is our Marsh owl par excellence
and is more hawklike both in appearance and habits than any other of
our common species. While traveling about the country I have often seen
it sitting on trees and fence posts in broad daylight watching for its favorite
prey, or hawking back and forth over the grassy lowlands. It is easily
distinguished from the Marsh hawk and other diurnal raptores by its
larger head, more wavering flight and the blunter pointed, more “‘ crooked ”’
wings. Mice, mostly field mice, make about 80 per cent of this owl’s
food, while only 10 or .12 per cent consists of small birds of the open
field, mostly sparrows. Its eggs measure about 1.60 by 1.26 inches, of
a less shiny white than those of the Long-eared owl. The young are
dark brown in color, spotted with ocherous, the face brownish black, and
the lower parts dull buff marked with smoky. They remain for 3 or 4
weeks in the vicinity of the nest, which is a rude affair placed on the ground
in the midst of the thick marsh grass. This is the most silent of our owls
and even when defending itself or its nest, makes only a sharp snapping
sound with its beak.

The Short-eared owl is Holarctic in distribution, sharing with the Snowy

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 115

owl the distinction of being our only species nonseparable, even by sub-
specific rank, from the old world forms. It breeds from Alaska and Green-
land southward to New Jersey and Kansas, and, in winter, is found from
Massachusetts, Ohio and California southward to Cuba and Guatemala.

Strix varia varia Barton
Barred Owl
Plate 54

Strix varius Barton. Fragm. N.H. Penn. 1799. 11

Ulula nebulosa DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 29, fig. 21

Strix varia varia. A.O.U. Check List. Ed.3. ro910. p.170. No. 368
strix, Lat., Gr., ote7§, an owl; varia, Lat., variegated

Description. No “horns”; eyes dark brownish black; upper parts
umber brown barred with whitish; tail bars 6 to 8; under parts dull white
barred on the breast and heavily streaked on the belly with dark brown; face
gray with fine dusky concentric rings; bz/l yellowish. Young: More spotted
above, barred below.

Length 19.5-24 inches; extent 44-50; wing 13-14; tail 9-10; weight
20-32 ounces.

The absence of ear tufts and the barring of the breast distinguish
this species from our other large owls. When I have caught a hurried
glimpse of some large owl retreating through the forest or down some ravine,
the general grayish brown effect has served to distinguish this species
from the more ocherous brown of the Great horned owl; while its superior
size, much larger head and grayer tone are sufficiently different from the
Long-eared owl, our other woodland species.

Distribution. The Barred owl is found throughout New York State,
and breeds wherever it finds swampy woods or forests of sufficient extent
to secure it protection from its one great enemy, civilized man. It is
undoubtedly the commonest owl in the Adirondacks, and is still common
in all the more wooded districts of the State. Although as nearly a strictly
resident species as any of our owls, it is most numerous in fall and early
winter when the young of the year are scattering in search of hunting
grounds, and birds from farther north are seeking a milder climate. The

range of our subspecies is from Hudson bay and Newfoundland to Kansas
8

116 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

and Georgia. In New York the nesting season varies from March 12,
when fresh eggs have been taken near New York City, to April 1 (Branch-
port) and May 1 (Herkimer county).

Habits. This is the most vociferous of our owls. Its notes are deep-
toned and dismal, usually a combination of whoos or whaas, sometimes
interspersed with sounds like the laughter of demons or “ like the horrified
shriek of a half-strangled person.’”” The commonest of its performances,
which has gained it the name of “‘ eight hooter ”” among the north woods
guides, may be written as follows: Whoo-whoo, hoo-hoo; whoo-whoo, hoo-
hooaw, the last syllable being prolonged and ending in a falling guttural
aw sound. There can be little doubt that the stories told by pioneers of
the blood-curdling shrieks of the ‘‘ panther ’’ which followed them in the
woods are to be attributed to this bird.

The Barred owl, in spite of its size, rarely attacks poultry or the larger
game birds, but more than 60 per cent of its food consists of mice and other
small mammals, and it is fond of crayfish, frogs and insects. I have known
repeated instances of poultry roosting in the trees of a farmyard where these
owls were hooting every night about the place without a single fowl being
disturbed. About 16 per cent of their food, however, consists of birds.

The nest of the Barred owl is usually in a hollow tree or in the old
nest of a crow or large hawk. The eggs are 2 or 3 in number, sometimes
4, and measure about 2 by 1.66 inches.

Scotiaptex nebulosa nebulosa (J. R. Forster)
Great Gray Owl

Plate 54

Strix nebulosa Forster. Philos. Trans. 1772. 62: 424
Syrnium cinereum DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 26, fig. 29
Scotiaptex nebulosa nebulosa. A.O.U. Check List. Ed.3. 1910. 171.
No. 370 :
scotiaptex, Gr. cxotia, darkness, and (probably) 7t¥7§, which Prof. D’Arcy Thompson
considers equivalent to Ufprs, the Eagle owl; nebuldésa, Lat., cloudy, gray

Description. Very large; no ear tufts; eyes and bill yellow; upper
parts dusky grayish brown, mottled with white in irregular broken bars;

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 117

grayish white below with ragged stripes of dusky on the breast, and irregular
bars on flanks and belly; face grayish white with narrow dusky concentric
rings. ‘This great owl bears only a superficial resemblance to the Barred
owl. Though of such large dimensions, its body is smaller than that of
the Great-horned owl.

Length 25-30 inches; extent 54-60; wing 16-18; tail 11-12.6.

Distribution. The Great gray owl, closely related to the Lapp owl
of Eurasia, inhabits the Boreal forests of North America from Central
Alberta and Keewatin northward to the limit of trees. In winter it wanders
irregularly southward as far as New York, Ohio, Nebraska and California.
In the Adirondacks it is probably more common as a winter visitor than
is generally supposed, but throughout the remainder of the State is only
of rare and irregular occurrence. The following records, the only ones
from this State at my disposal, will indicate the frequency of its visits.

Marcy, Oneida county February 1875 Ralph and Bagg
Adirondacks March 1879 Lawrence, N. O. C. Bul. 5, 122
Steuben county February 10, 1887 Wood, Auk, 5, 110
Watson, Lewis county December 17, 1889 Miller, Auk, 7, 206
New York State 1889 Bambir, F. & S. 33, 449
ea Oneida \ February 1895 Johnson, Auk, 12, 301
St Lawrence county 1890-95 (3 specimens) Dutcher, Auk, 12:181
Mount: “Sinai, “Suf- (date unknown) A. H. Helme

folk county
Rensselaer county F. S. Webster
eeners Castle; a January 1907 Ernest Watts

tario county

Cryptoglaux funerea richardsoni (Bonaparte)

Richardson Owl

Plate 55

Nyctale richardsoni Bonaparte. Geog. & Comp. List. 1838. 7
Cryptoglaux funerea richardsoni. A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1o10.
prize. NOs37T
cry'ptoglaux, Gr. xpuntés, hidden, and yA@i§, the little owl of Europe; funérea,
Lat.,funereal; richardsoni, to John Richardson

Description. Similar to the next species, but Jarger, fully equaling
the Screech owl; the white spots on head more rounded and not short streaks

118 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

asin acadica; feet buffy, spotted with brown; under tail-coverts striped with
brown; stripes on under parts usually less ruddy than in the next species.

Length 9-12 inches; extent 24; wing 6.6-7.4; tail 4.2—-4.7.

Distribution. This boreal species breeds from northern British
Columbia, Alberta and the Magdalen islands northward to the limit of
trees, being the Nearctic representative of the Palearctic C. funerea
funerea. In winter it has been taken occasionally as far south as New
England, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Nebraska. Only two
definite records for New York are before me; the first a specimen taken
at Hecla Works (Lowell), Oneida county, February 1893, by J. S. All-
wood, and now in the State collection; and the other taken at North
Elba, Essex county, about the middle of December 1896, by Ezra
Cornell, jr.

Cryptoglaux acadica acadica (Gmelin)
Saw-whet Owl
Plate 55

Strix acadica Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1788. 1:296
Ulula acadica DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 30, fig. 23
Cryptoglaux acadica acadica. A, O. U, Check: List.: “Bd: 3;° -r6ro:
p. 172. No.372
acddica, of Acadia

Description. The smallest New York owl; no ear tufts; upper parts
brown, with short white streaks on front and top of head, and larger white
spots on back of head, scapulars and back; the wing and tail feathers spotted
with white on either web, forming interrupted bars; under parts whitish
striped with reddish brown; face whitish with a blackish space around
and in front of the eye, border of the disk dark brown spotted with white;
feet plain buffy white; bill blackish; eyes yellow. Young: Upper parts
and forward portion of lower parts plain chocolate brown; rest of under
parts brownish yellow; no streaks; face sooty brown.

Length 7.25-8.5 inches; extent 17-18; wing 5.2-5.9; tail 2.7—3.2;
tarsus .75.

Distribution. This owl has been regarded as rare, or at least uncom-
mon, in nearly all the local lists of New York birds, but its retiring habits
are undoubtedly responsible for its not being rated as fairly common in _
many portions of the State. It is perhaps less common than the Long-

.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 119

eared owl in southern New York, but more common than that species
in the Adirondacks. A rather decided migratory movement has been
noticed by various observers. In western New York I have seen evidence
of migration in the fact that this bird is often killed by sportsmen in our
woodcock coverts during October and early November, and that it is
frequently observed by bird enthusiasts during April and early May.
Of 13 Long Island records in Mr Dutcher’s notes, 11 occur between October
23 and December 31, while the majority of all New York specimens were
taken in November and December. Mr Bruce reported it as breeding
near Brockport, and Mr Helme has taken 2 sets of 5 eggs at Miller’s Place,
L. I. Ralph and Bagg record 5 sets of 6 and 7 eggs from Oneida and
Herkimer counties, the dates ranging from March 25 (1886) to April 30
(1889). I have seen specimens in nestling plumage from Fourth lake
and Honnedaga, but can find no other records of nesting within the State,
although Doctor Ralph considered it a fairly common breeder on the borders
of the Adirondack forests. The range of the Saw-whet owl is from British
Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec and Nova Scotia south to Arizona, Nebraska,
Indiana and Maryland; in winter as far south as Louisiana and casually
to Guatemala.

Habits. The little Saw-whet or Acadian owl is an inhabitant of the
forest, preferring a swampy woods, and remains concealed during the day
in a hollow tree, a woodpecker’s hole or among dense evergreens. During
migrations it is often found in dense swampy coverts of alders and tangles
of vines. It is very unsuspicious and will frequently permit itself to
be stroked with the hand or captured without resistance. During the
mating season its curious notes are heard in the wood which has been
selected for a nesting site. ‘‘ The call is a frequently repeated whistle,
sometimes uttered in a high and again in a low key, and given in either
a slow or a rapid cadence. Generally it is commenced slowly and gradually
becomes faster and faster till it ends quite rapidly. This call, which is
the only one I have ever heard them give, sounds not unlike the noise made
during the operation of filing a saw and it is easily imitated’’ (Doctor Ralph

120 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

in Bendire’s Life Histories). It feeds almost exclusively on mice and
insects, rarely attacking birds. It is itself often destroyed by the Barred
owl and other carnivorous species, as is shown by the stomach exami-
nations made by the Biological Survey. I have also found the feathers
of this little owl on several occasions where it had been devoured by some
stronger antagonist, and Mr Dutcher mentions a similar occurrence in
his Long Island notes.

The little Saw-whet usually lays her eggs in the deserted hole. of
a woodpecker. Sometimes an old squirrel nest or a crow’s nest is utilized,
and it has been known to occupy a hollow log or box artificially constructed.
The eggs vary from 4 to 7 in number, oval in shape, pure white without
gloss, and measure about 1.20 by I inch.

Otus asio asio (Linnaeus)
Screech Owl

Plate 56

Strix asio Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.1o. 1758. 1:92

Bubo asio DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 25, fig. 25 and 26

Otus asio-asio. A.O.U. Check List. Ed.3. 1910. p. 172. No. 373
étus, Lat., Gr., ®70¢, an eared owl; a’sio, Lat., a kind of horned owl

Description. Small; ear tufts conspicuous; coloration dichromatic.
Gray phase: Upper parts brownish gray, everywhere mottled and dappled
with lighter and darker shades and with fine shaft streaks of blackish: spots
on scapulars form a whitish or buffy band; wings and tail barred distinctly
but not sharply with dusky and whitish; under parts grayish white with
fine streaks and fine wavy crossbars of blackish; a few touches of rufous;
prevailing color gray. Red phase: bright rufous or rust red where the gray
phase is brownish or dusky gray, the fine shaft stripes of the ‘feathers
blackish as before. Specimens intermediate between the red and gray
phases are quite common. Both red and gray owls may come from the
same brood. The particular phase of coloration of each individual shows
in the first plumage, but the color may be controlled somewhat by the
food given in captivity. In New York my experience would show that
the gray phase is at least 10 times as common as the red, and it has
happened (perhaps merely happened) that the red owls which I have
dissected have been feeding on crayfish. The fact that the red phase
is more common in the Mississippi valley might possibly be correlated

BIRDS OF NEW YORK t2I

with the abundance of crayfish in that region. Nestlings: Covered..with
white down. Fledglings: Uniformly and finely crossbarred with dusky
and grayish white.

Length 7.5-10 inches; extent 22; wing 6-7.2; tail 3-3.5; weight 4-6
ounces.

Distribution. The Screech owl inhabits eastern North America
from Minnesota, Ontario and New Brunswick to Texas and Georgia;
represented in the remainder of temperate and tropical America by closely
allied forms. In New York it is generally distributed except in the spruce
and balsam belt, where it is
mostly absent, since it is an
austral species, but reaches the
northern limit of the Transi-
tion zone. It is our commonest
owl, averaging from I to 3 pairs
for each square mile of country,
and is as strictly resident as

any native species. It prefers
orchards, groves and shade trees
to the depths of the forest and
I have found it nesting within
the limits of New York City,
Rochester, Buffalo, Geneva and
Canandaigua.

Habits. The Screech owl
remains concealed during the

day in a hollow tree or dense screech omt Pho bY Guy A. Bailey
evergreen. I have often discov-

ered him perched within the entrance of some jagged hollow with his ear
tufts raggedly elevated and his eyelids drawn obliquely together, appar-
ently watching the progress of events as the day wore by. If approached
too closely he seemed to melt away so gradually that no motion was evi-

dent. As soon as the dusk of evening comes, he issues forth and utters his

I22 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

tremulous, plaintive, mournful whistle. This note seems to be a hunting
cry or a sociable halloo as well as a mating call, for it is heard at all times
of year. I have often called them to me by imitation of their notes, and
have seen them strike mice and crickets and cicadas immediately after they
had called. This note sounds mournful, melancholy and dismal to those
who are in a mournful state of mind, yet in fact has nothing to do with sor-
row or melancholy in the bird’s sensorium, but is as much the expression
of a healthy, happy, vigorous and sociable personality as the chickadee’s
cheery note. By watching these little gnomes calling back and forth to
each other and plying their helpful trade about my camp, I have come
to welcome their notes and their presence as heartily as the Robin and
the Phoebe. Their voices are heard not only in the evening but at. day-
break, and throughout the moonlight nights. Sometimes where mice
and insects are scarce, the screech owls become addicted to the bird-killing
habit, when the settler must use his best intelligence as judge and
executioner.

Like other species, the little Screech owl, when approached, instinc-
tively assumes a curious appearance to escape observation. The upper
figure in Mr Fuertes’s painting (plate 56) is by no means an extreme
illustration of this attitude. While passing through a thicket, I once
came upon an old Screech owl and four young just from the nest, all seated
in a dense shrub slightly above my reach. They had posed in the most
fantastic shapes and resembled jagged strips of bark or torn pieces of
a hornet’s nest more than birds. One that was captured puffed himself
up like a great cat and hissed and opened.his eyes and snapped his beak
in. a fierce and threatening manner.

The Screech owl pairs in March and April. The site chosen for
incubation is a hollow tree, a deserted Flicker’s hole, or a cavity erected
for the owl’s accommodation. The eggs are laid on the chips or rubbish
in the bottom of the hollow, 4 to 7 in number, usually 4 or 5, white as with
all owls, and average about 1.42 by 1.18 inches in size. In this State
they are laid from the Ist to the 25th of April.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 123

Bubo virginianus virginianus (Gmelin)
Great Horned Owl
Plate 57

Strix virginiana Gmelin. Syst. Nat. I. 1788. 1: 287
Bubo virginianus DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 24, fig. 22
Bubo virginianus virginianus. A.O.U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 175.
No. 375
biibo, Lat., the Eagle owl; virginidnus, of Virginia

Description. Very large, conspicuously ‘ horned.”” Upper parts ocher-
ous, profusely marbled and speckled with blackish; wings and tail barred
with dusky; wnder parts lighter ocherous, more or less overlaid with whitish,
finely barred with black; a necklace of black blotches on breast; throat patch
white; bill blackish; eyes yellow, larger than those of any other native bird.
The large size, great head, long ear tufts, and general yellowish brown
color effect, distinguish this bird at a distance from any other species.

Length 21-24 inches; extent 50-60; wing 14-16; tail 8-10; tarsus
2-2.3; weight 3-4.5 pounds.

Distribution. The Great horned owl is a permanent resident through-
out New York State. It is no longer common, however, except in the
wooded districts. The early settlers were too well acquainted with its
disastrous raids upon the chicken roost, and it still imposes a heavy toll
upon all kinds of poultry in the rural districts. Next to the Screech owl
it is the best known member of the family, and the owl cages in every
“700 "’ are always well supplied with specimens of this feathered pirate.
Late in the fall and again in February there seems to be a decided increase
in its numbers and several individuals are occasionally found together
in thick clusters of evergreens or even in the same tree, which fact is
probably to be explained by the partial migration of the species from the
northern portion of its range. Our subspecies inhabits eastern North
America from Wisconsin, Quebec and Newfoundland southward to Florida
and Texas. Other subspecies are found in nearly every other portion of
North America and in South America.

Habits. The Great horned owl is even more nocturnal in habit than

the Barred owl, but in some portions of the country is said to hunt more

124 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

or less on cloudy days, especially when it has young in the nest. It cer-
tainly can see well enough to fly with ease through the trees in brightest
noonday when driven from its diurnal retreats. If they are occupying
the old nest of a hawk or crow for breeding purposes, I have usually found
that the mother bird will leave the nest quietly while danger is yet far
off, and return stealthily when the intruders are past. Even when in
hollow trees they will usually act in the same manner after having been
driven once or twice from the nest. The home of this owl is in some
extensive wooded swamp, or rugged hillside, or deep ravine, but if undis-
turbed it will sometimes nest for years in groves or scattered growths of
trees near farmhouses or the outskirts of villages. The accompanying
photograph is of such a nest near the village of Geneseo. The growing
scarcity of hollow trees suitably situated for nesting sites and the almost
absolute certainty of the destruction of broods reared in open nests, every-
where except in the wildest districts, has been an important factor in the
gradual decline of this species in New York, and the eager warfare of
sportsmen and farmers has completed the extirpation of all nesting pairs
in the thickly settled districts. The general scarcity of this bird and of
the Red fox in the country now occupied by the Ring-neck pheasant has
undoubtedly helped materially the introduction of that species, as well
as the increase of the Cotton-tail rabbit. This owl kills larger prey than
any other of our common Raptores, fully equaling the Gyrfalcon in its
prowess as a hunter. Many are the full-grown fowls which I have seen
dead from his nightly raids, and I once lost a hen turkey that was attacked
while brooding her young, and decapitated with ease. This was the work
of a large female owl, as was demonstrated by the steel trap set by the
carcass on the ensuing night. They also feed on mice and other small
quadrupeds, though not always on small ones, for besides rabbits they are
fond of muskrats, woodchucks, and especially of skunks. I have frequently
examined specimens which had recently partaken of the savory flesh of
Mephitis, and have seen the evidences of such feasts in the fields and woods.
Mr W. E. Lauderdale has called my attention to their habit of feeding

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 125

only the soft parts of mice to the very young nestlings, a habit which is
probably practised by most of our birds of prey.

The voice of this owl is deeper toned and more sonorous than that
of the Barred owl and uttered with more even intonation though less
regular in form and accent, the usual cry consisting of 6 syllables on the
same key, which has gained it the name of six hooter in some parts of the
State. This cry, which may be written whoo, hoo-hoo-hoo, whoo, whoo,

Photo by W. E. Lauderdale, jr
Great horned owl’s nest and eggs in hollow tree

I have frequently mistaken for the distant baying of a large dog, or even
for the tooting of a freight engine in the distant valley. My early recol-
lections of the ‘‘ sugar bush,” where I was occasionally permitted to watch
the boiling sap throughout the moonlight nights of early March, are
inseparably associated with the wonderful vocal performances of the Great
horned owl, answered and reechoed between the hills, until they seemed
at times to pervade the air completely.

This owl nests early in the season, fresh eggs in this State usually

126 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

being found from February 20 to March 15. They are 2 or 3 in number,
white, subspherical in shape and measure about 2.22 by 1.80 inches. As
indicated above, they are commonly laid in a hollow tree on the litter
at the bottom, or in an old hawk’s nest, and Mr C. F. Stone reports a nest
found on the shelf of a precipitous cliff. The nestlings are covered with
white down, the fledglings ocherous buff, finely barred with dusky.

Nyctea nyctea (Linnaeus)
Snowy Owl
Plate 54

Strix nyctea Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.1o. 1758. 1:93

Surnia nyctea DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 22, fig. 20

Nyctea nyctea. A.O.U. Check List. Ed.3. x910. p. 176. No. 376
nyctea, from vw, night

Description. Large, no ear tufts, feet very thickly feathered. White,
more or less barred with dusky; face, throat and upper breast without mark-
ings; eyes yellow; bill black. Males are much smaller and whiter than
females. I have seen a few specimens that were nearly pure white, with
only a few inconspicuous dusky spots, but females and young of the year
are quite regularly marked with narrow transverse bars below and spotted
or brokenly barred above.

Length 22-25 inches; extent 54-60; wing 16-19; tail 9-10.

Distribution. The home of the Snowy owl is on the barren grounds
of the Holarctic realm. In America it breeds as far south as central Ungava
and Keewatin and wanders southward in winter as far as the Middle States,
rarely to Carolina and Louisiana. A few specimens are taken in New
York nearly every winter, but at intervals of several years there is a decided
invasion, as in the winters of 1876-77, 1882-83, 1889-90, I90I-2, when
dozens of specimens were collected in various parts of the State, notably
on Long Island and near the shores of Lake Ontario. My earliest record
of arrival is October 20, 1890, a large female captured at Shortsville; and
the latest a very white male bird killed at Canandaigua April 11, 1907.
The majority of New York records range between November 11 and
February 6.

This species hunts by day nearly as well as in the dusk of evening,

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 127

and duck hunters are sometimes surprised by its descending upon their
decoys while they are concealed in their blinds. It is rarely numerous
enough in this State to do much damage, but destroys some grouse, rabbits
and pheasants, although field mice are its principal food while with us.
As a species it should be ranked as more injurious than the Barred owl,
but much less harmful than the Great horned owl. In its native haunts

its food consists principally of lemmings, mice, hares, ptarmigan, water-
fowl and fish.
Surnia ulula caparoch (Miiller)
Hawk Owl
Plate 55

Strix caparoch Miller. Natursyst. Suppl. 1776. 69

Surnia funerea DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 21, fig. 19

Surnia ulula caparoch, A.O.U. Check List. Ed.3. 1910. p.177. No. 3774
sirnia, Mod. Gr., sdeviev, the European Tawny owl; “lula, Lat., a kind of owl,

from ululare, to howl; caparoch, name given by natives of Hudson bay to this bird,

applied by Brisson in 1760

Description. No ear tufts; fail long and rounded, feet densely feathered,
size medium. Upper parts bistre brown, spotted with white; wings and tail
barred with white; wnder parts white, regularly and narrowly barred with
reddish brown; face white bordered with blackish; eyelids, loral bristles
and nuchal band blackish; eyes and bill yellow.

Length 15-16; extent 32-34; wing 9; tail 7.

Distribution. This bird, the Nearctic subspecies of S. ulula, breeds
from British Columbia, Montana and Ungava northward to the limit of trees,
and winters as far south as Nebraska, Indiana and Rhode Island. In New
York, especially in the northern counties, it is not rare as a winter visitant,
but not so common as the Snowy owl. Of 23 New York records before
me 1 is from Kings county (1863), 1 from Saratoga (1888), 3 from Onon-
daga, 1 from Oneida (1885), 2 from Monroe (1889), 2 from Orleans, 1
from Ontario, 1 from Yates (1875), 1 from Niagara, 2 from Cayuga, 4
from Lewis, and 4 from St Lawrence. These are nearly all reported as
“winter ’’ or ‘‘ November ’’ specimens. Doctor Merriam records 2 defi-
nitely — Lowville, October 24, 1877, and November 16, 1877. Mr Ashbury

reports 2 males, Conquest, November 27, 1902.

128 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

In habits the Hawk owl is the most diurnal of the family. It is
usually seen watching for its prey from some exposed perch and, when
disturbed, pitches downward and flies rapidly away over the tops of the
grass or bushes, gliding abruptly upward when alighting. Its note is
“a shrill cry uttered generally when the bird is on the wing ’”’ (Fisher).

Speotyto cunicularia hypogaea (Bonaparte)
Burrowing Owl

Strix hypogaea Bonaparte. Amer. Orn. 1825. 1:72
Speotyto cunicularia hypogaea. A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910.

p. 177. No. 378

spedtyto, Gr., sné0¢, cave, and tut, a hoot owl; cuniculdria, Lat., a burrower; hypo-
gdea, Lat.,=Gr. Uxdyetoc, underground

Description. Small; no ear tufts;
legs long and scantily feathered; feet bare
except for a few bristles. Upper parts
grayish brown profusely spotted with
white; under parts whitish spotted with
brown in broken bars.

Length 9.5 inches; extent 23; wing
6.5-7.

Distribution. The little burrowing
owl is purely an accidental visitant in
New York. There is only one record of
its occurrence, a specimen taken in New
York City, and reported in Forest &
Stream 5, 4, August 12, 1875. It had
wandered far from its home, for the
species inhabits the Western States

Burrowing ow!. Speotyto cunicularia hypo- from British Columbia and Manitoba

gaea (Bonaparte). From specimen in Am. Mus. Nat.

Hist. 4 nat. size south to Louisiana and Panama. It

lives mostly in the burrows of Prairie dogs and other rodents, but the
subspecies which lives in southern Florida is said to excavate its own
nesting holes.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 129

Carolina piroquet. Conuropsis carolinensis (Linnaeus), From Audubon, Birds of America
Order PSITTACI
Parrots, Macaws, Paroquets etc.
Conuropsis carolinensis (Linnaeus)
Carolina Paroquet

Psittacus carolinensis Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 10. 1758. 1:97

Canvrimulgus carolinensis DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p.33. Extralimital

Conuropsis carolinensis. <A.O.U.Check List. Ed.3. roro. p.179. No. 382
conurépsis, Gr., %@vos, cone, oe, tail, é¥%s, appearance; carolinénsis, of Carolina

130 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Description. Tail long and wedge-shaped, the feathers tapering;
face more completely feathered than in most parrots; bill very stout and
broadly rounded; tarsi very short; wings pointed. Color green; head
and neck yellow; face orange red; bill whitish.

Length 12.5-13.5; extent 21-23; wing 7-8; tail 6-7.

Distribution. The Carolina paroquet formerly inhabited the eastern
United States from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, westward to
eastern Colorado and Texas. Now it is restricted to a few localities in
Florida, the continued persecution of plumage hunters, bird catchers,
fruit growers and “sportsmen ’”’ having brought it already to the verge
of extermination. In New York State this bird is only of historic interest.
Audubon in his Birds of America records it ‘‘as far northeast as Lake
Ontario” (vol. 4, p. 309), and DeKay mentions the appearance of a flock
of Paroquets in winter, 1795, about 25 miles northwest of Albany (see

reference above).
Order COCCY GES

Cuckoos, King fishers etc.

Family CUCULIDAE

Cuckoos

Zygodactylous, the fourth toe being permanently reversed; palate
desmognathous, basipterygoids wanting; two carotids; two intestinal coeca;
ambiens, accessory femorocaudal, semitendinosus and its accessory present;
oil gland bare; feathers without aftershafting; tail feathers usually 10 in
number; spinal feather tract forked in the scapular region.

Cuckoos are famous alike for their migratory habits, loud explosive
voices and the custom of depositing their eggs in the nests of other birds.
This parasitic nature, however, is strictly characteristic only of several
Old World species, especially the European Cuckoo, our native Americans
rarely being guilty of the practice. The family is cosmopolitan in dis-
tribution, but of the 150 or more species, only 2 are found within the limits
of New York State. These cuckoos are quite distinctive in appearance.
Their long slim forms and soft unmarked colors, as well as the gently
curved beaks and long rounded tails, furnish such an individual appearance
that they at once impress even the casual observer as unusual. Our

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 13!

cuckoos build nests of their own, in tangles or thick bushes near the ground,
although their architecture is rather loose and straggiing, and the interior
of the nest only slightly hollowed, so that the eggs rest upon it as on a
small platform. The eggs are usually deposited at intervals, so that young
birds and fresh eggs may sometimes be found in the nest at the same
time. This practice of laying at intervals might readily be conceived as
the beginning of the parasitic habits of some species, and even our native
cuckoos occasionally drop their eggs in the nests of other birds, as has
been reported by several New York observers. Personally, I have rarely
found cuckoos’ eggs in other birds’ nests, excepting that the eggs of the
Yellow-billed species I have found in the nest of the Black-billed cuckoo.

The economic value of cuckoos can not be questioned. Of all our
native birds they seem the most addicted to caterpillar diet, even choosing
the hairy or spiny species, such as the web worms that are shunned by
many of our insectivorous birds. They undoubtedly furnish the best
means of holding in check outbreaks of leaf-eating larvae in the thickets
and shrubbery which border our orchards and gardens, and so prevent
them from spreading to cultivated trees. It-is unfortunate that these
birds are not more abundant, but their numbers might be increased by
offering them suitable tangles and thickets in which to make their nests
at the corners of our farms and cultivated fields. An account of the food
of cuckoos and their value to agriculture is found in Bulletin 9, Biological
Survey, United States Department of Agriculture.

Coccyzus americanus americanus (Linnaeus)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Plate 58

Cuculus americanus Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.1o. 1758. 1: 111
Coccyzus americanus DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 194, fig. 30
Coccyzus americanus americanus. A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910.

p. 181. No. 387 ne , '
coccyeus, Gr., xoxxvGoc, presumable noun corresponding with the verb noxndho, to

cuckoo

rs 4

9

132 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Description. Brownish gray with bronzy luster; under parts dull
white, throat and thighs tinged with pale ash; wing feathers largely rufous,
especially on the inner webs, showing well when wings are spread; fail
feathers black conspicuously tipped with white, except the central pair which
are the color of the back; bill blackish, except the greater portion of lower
mandible which is yellow; feet dark leaden color.

Length 11.5-12.7 inches; extent 15.7-17; wing 5.4-5.8; tail 6-6.25;
bill about 1. ;

The slender form, long tail, soft satiny brown back and white breast
of both the cuckoos at once distinguish them from our other birds. The
present species differs from the Black-billed cuckoo not only in the color
of the bill, but more especially in the cinnamon-rufous color of the wings
and the blackish tail feathers broadly tipped with white — marks which
serve to identify it conclusively at some distance, particularly when flying.

Distribution. The Yellow-billed cuckoo is a fairly common summer
resident of the Carolinian and Transition zones of New York State, more
numerous in the southern portion of the State, but entirely absent from
the Adirondacks and Catskills, except the outskirts and valleys. It arrives
in the spring from the 1st to the 1oth of May in the southern counties,
and a few days later in the more northern districts, and disappears again
between September 20 and October 15 to pass the winter in South America.
Soon after its arrival its call is heard from the copses, hedgerows, orchards,
swampy thickets and vine-clad hillsides which it chooses to inhabit.
This call is not so distinctly enunciated as the note of the European
cuckoo, so perfectly imitated by the well-known cuckoo clocks, but, never-
theless, of the unmistakable cuckoo quality, consisting of a series of loud
and explosive gutterals resembling the syllables kuk-kuk, kuk-kuk, repeated
many times and ending with the syllables kyow, kyow, repeated from two
to six times. Occasionally it utters a low, somewhat liquid coo, coo, coo,
coo, resembling the note of the Least bittern. The former call may be
heard for a long distance, but it is often very difficult to determine either
how far away it really is or in what direction.

Except for its loud call this bird is very unobtrusive in habits. One
is rarely aware of its presence except by a passing shadow or the rustle

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 133.

of a leaf as it alights, or as a slim, soft colored shape glides noiselessly into
the tangle beside one, or as it sits sedately among the foliage peering about
for some luckless insect. This and the next species are our only birds
that seem to be really fond of hairy caterpillars and they may often be
found seated beside their tents, or quietly pursuing them among the branches
and swallowing them by scores. From 3 to 4 dozens of caterpillars,
whether smooth or hairy, seem to be a full meal for a cuckoo, and as they

Photo by Clarence F. Stone
Yellow-billed cuckoo’s nest with eggs and young

need at least two meals each day, it is easy to see that they render untold
service to the agriculturist.

The Cuckoo’s nest is placed among the denser foliage of an apple
tree, a small shrub, or a tangle of vines, from 2 to 10 feet from the ground.
It is a rude platform of sticks, nearly flat, lined with grasses, leaves and
dry catkins. The eggs, varying from 3 to 7 in number, are deposited at
intervals of 2 to 4 days, beginning from May 20 to June 15, but occasionally
nests with eggs are found as late as the middle of August. Rarely this

134 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Cuckoo lays her eggs in nests of the next species or of the Robin and Cat-
bird, thus showing some slight approximation to the notorious habit of
the European cuckoo. The eggs are elliptical in shape, pale bluish green_
in color, and average about 1.20 by .90 inches in size. Frequently nests
are found containing at the same time young birds, partially incubated
eggs and perfectly fresh ones.

Coccyzus erythrophthalmus (Wilson)
Black-billed Cuckoo

Plate 58

Cuculus erythrophthalmus Wilson. Amer. Orn. 1811. 4:16. pl. 28,
fig. 2
Coccyzus erythrophthalmus DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt2, p. 195,
fig. 31
A. O. U. Check List. Ed.3. r910. p. 182.
No. 388
erythrophthdlmus, Gr., ’eov0eds, red, 690ady.6c, eye, referring to the red eyelids (the
eye itself, however, is not red)

Description. Upper parts soft grayish brown tinged with bronzy
or greenish; under parts white, somewhat tinged with buffy on throat; tail
feathers narrowly tipped with white, and with a narrow subterminal
blackish space; dill black, bluish at base of lower mandible; eyelids red;
iris dark brown; feet leaden bluish.

This species is readily distinguished from the preceding by the color
of the bill, wings and tail, both the latter being of the prevailing color of
the upper parts.

Length 11.5-12.7 inches; extent 16-17.5; wing 5.2—-5.7; tail 6.25-7;
bill .9g7.

Distribution. The Black-billed cuckoo is a fairly common summer
resident of New York, and is generally distributed except in the colder
portions of the State (Canadian zone), which it does not penetrate, but
is commoner than the preceding species about the borders and in the valleys
of the Adirondack district. In western New York also it is slightly
commoner than the Yellow-billed cuckoo, but in the Carolinian zone
scarcely outnumbers that species. It arrives from the Ist to the toth of
May in the lower Hudson valley, and from the toth to the 20th in the

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 135

colder districts. In the fall it disappears between the 10th of September
and the 12th of October, to pass the winter in South America.

Habits. In habits it is very similar to the preceding species, but its
voice is much softer, ‘‘ less wooden,” and its long call is introduced by a
- bubbling or gurgling note, and the cow or kyow notes are connected; while
the short call sounds more like kuk, kuk, kuk than like the corresponding
coo, coo, coo of the Yellow-bill. Around the author’s camp on Canandaigua ;
lake the call of this bird is commonly heard at night, especially when the
moon is up, and Mr Gerald H. Thayer writes that near Mt Monadnock
he has frequently heard it at night while the bird was flying about in the
air at a great elevation.

Its nest is of similar location and construction to that of the Yellow-
bill, but is more compactly built and is often lined with moss and pieces
of bark. The eggs are similar in number and in manner of deposition,
but are smalier, more oval in shape, and of a deeper greenish blue color,
measuring from .go to 1.18 (average 1.15) by .75 to .go (average .84) in
breadth. As in the case of the Yellow-billed cuckoo, they are occasionally
found in the nests of other birds.

Family ALCEDINIDAE
Kingfishers

Feet small, syndactylous, the third and fourth toes coherent; inner
toe short, more or less rudimentary; tarsus very short; tibia small, bare
near the lower extremity; bill long, deeply cleft; wings long; primaries 10,
fifth cubital present; tail feathers 12; no ambiens muscle; notches of the
sternum 4 in number; 2 carotids; tongue rudimentary; oil gland tufted;
no aftershaft; no coeca.

This large family, like the cuckoos, is cosmopolitan in distribution,
consisting of about 200 species, mostly found in the eastern hemisphere,
especially in Australia. They are largely birds of bright or conspicuous
plumage, harsh voice, solitary habits, piscivorous or insectivorous diet,
and nest in holes, the insectivorous species often nesting in hollow trees.
The eggs are several in number, white and broadly oval in shape. The

136 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

young are bare when hatched and long cared for in the nest like those of
perching birds.

In economic value, kingfishers can not compare with the cuckoos,
to which they are somewhat related. They destroy a few aquatic insects
which are unquestionably injurious in habits, like the water tiger or larvae
_ of the Dytiscus and the larvae of other carnivorous insects, which do injury
to the young of fish and frogs; but the principal portion of the Kingfisher’s
diet consists of small fishes, not only the more sluggish varieties like the
common minnows and chubs of our warmer waters, but even brook trout
and young bass often fall victims to the skill of this unrivaled fisherman.
Only one species is known in the eastern United States, although the Texas
Kingfisher has been reported from the vicinity of New York City. The
latter was undoubtedly an escape from captivity.

Ceryle alcyon (Linnaeus)
Belted Kingfisher

Plate 58

Alcedo alcyon Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 10. 1758. 1:115
DeKay. Zool. of N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 45, fig. 40 and 41
Ceryle alcyon A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 183. No. 390
céryle, Gr., xnevAos, kingfisher; dlcyon, Axum, halcyon or kingfisher

Description. Head crested, bill very long and stout, tail short and broad,
wings long and pointed, tarsus very short, front toes partially united to
form a fleshy sole. Upper parts and a broad band across upper breast and
the sides bluish gray; rest of under parts white; a broad white collar; wing and
tail feathers blackish, spotted or broken-barred with white; a white spot
in front of eye; the female has a rufous band across upper belly and along
the sides.

Length 12.5-14.75 inches; extent 22-23; wing 6-6.5; tail 3.6-4.2;
tarsus .44; bill 2; weight 5-6 ounces.

Distribution. The Belted kingfisher is a common summer resident,
and breeds in every county of New York State. Both along the coast,
in the Hudson valley and in western New York it is also a winter resident
in localities where there is open water, though much less common than in
the summer. The migratory birds arrive in different parts of the State

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 137

from March 20 to April 10, and the greater number disappear from October
20 to November 20. The species winters from Massachusetts, Illinois
and British Columbia southward to Northern South America; and breeds
from the gulf coast northward to about the limit of trees.

The haunts of the Kingfisher are the lake shore, the river, the pond
and brook. Wherever there is water with finny inhabitants this solitary
fisherman makes his appearance with the advent of springtime, and seldom
is found far from these localities except when crossing from one stream
to another or when going to and from the nesting site which is frequently
in the side.of some gravel pit or stone quarry half a mile or more from the
fishing grounds. His favorite perch is on a dead limb, spile or boathouse
overlooking some pool well stocked with minnows, whence he darts with
sudden plunge after his unsuspecting prey as it approaches the surface.
Frequently he hovers in the air until he sights a favorable mark for his
skill. I have examined hundreds of fishes taken by this bird, and can not
find that it prefers any special species, except that the various kinds of
minnows, chubs, dace, young suckers, trout and perch are taken. oftener
than such spiny species as sunfish and bullheads. It also feeds to some
extent on aquatic insects, small frogs, crayfish and salamanders. When
the Kingfisher rises from the water with his catch he utters a triumphant
rattle and shaking the water from his plumage seeks his favorite stand,
erects his crest, tilts his tail, proceeds to stun or beat the life out of his
squirming victim against the perch, and then swallows it head first. Most
of the fish captured by the Kingfisher do not exceed 3 or 4 inches in length,
but on a few occasions I have seen them try to devour brook trout 6 inches
long. One of the duties entrusted to me at the age of 10 to 15 years was
to free my father’s trout pond from the scourge of kingfishers. It was
supposed that the Kingfisher had an insatiable appetite, for he was always
at the pond devouring the fingerling trout or the minnows which were
useful as food for the larger fish. But I soon found that, although the
Kingfisher has a good appetite, it is not the appetite of the Kingfisher
that is inexhaustible, but the stock of kingfishers. For, no matter how

138 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

unerringly I did my duty as public executioner, there was always a King-.

fisher carrying on the war against the fingerlings whenever I arose from
my night’s rest or returned from a day’s excursion. Sometimes two
kingfishers were on the pond at the same time, but they were always more
or less hostile to each other except in the case of parent Kingfisher and young
which often came together just after the young were out of the nest. Manya
time I have been near this trout pond when a new Kingfisher arrived. They
came mostly by two routes, either up the brook at a moderate elevation,

Photo by James H. Miller

Young kingfishers

or flying overland at a height of 100 to 300 feet. When coming in
from the overland journey they rushed down in a wide, sweeping course,
uttering an unusually loud, shrill, rattling scream, settled on some elevated
perch, erected to the utmost their long crests, repeated sotto voce the
announcement of arrival or discovery, tilted the short tail to its utmost,
bowed with a rather ungainly sweep at the pond, and forthwith began
to consider the prospects of fishing.

ees 7 ‘ _

EE ————— ee ee

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 139

Soon after arrival from the south kingfishers pair and begin to excavate
a burrow in the bank of some stream, sandpit, gravel pit or stone quarry.
The opening is about 3 1/2 inches in diameter and is commonly placed well
up toward the top of the bank. From the opening the hole rises slightly
as it passes backward, and after penetrating the bank to a depth varying
from 4 to 8 feet the end is enlarged into a roomy chamber of oval shape,
about 8 or 10 inches in diameter. Here the Kingfisher forms her nest of
fish bones and scales ejected from her:stomach. The eggs are usually
5 to 8 in number, similar to those of a domestic pigeon in size and shape,
averaging 1.34 by 1.05 inches. When the old Kingfisher has commenced
to incubate the eggs, she will usually defend them against intruders, as
many a small boy who has tried to unearth her treasures can testify from
the wounds which her daggerlike bill has inflicted.

Order PICI

Family PICIDAE

Woodpeckers

Bill chisel-shaped; tongue very long and extensible, usually barbed

at the tip and the base prolonged along the hyoid bone, 2 long rope-
like extensions of which reach upward and forward over the skull
to near the base of the bill; tail feathers stiff and 12 in number; tarsi
scutellate in front and reticulate on the sides and rear; toes scutellate on
top, their basal joints short; 2 anterior toes; 2 posterior toes; the claws
long, curved and sharp; scansorial in habit; flight undulating; voice
usually sharp and loud; food mostly boring insects, fruits and nuts; nest
excavated in trees; eggs pure white, rather broadly ovate; young bare
and helpless.

New York woodpeckers are so clearly distinguishable from any birds
to which they are related that everyone knows this family, although in
other parts of the world they are more closely related to other picarian
families. It is safe to say that more people can distinguish woodpeckers
than the members of any other family unless it be the Owl.

The following summary of the food of woodpeckers is collected from
Bulletin 37 of the Biological Survey, United States Department of
Agriculture.

NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

140

69° 0$ on 1f'6b ae 2a sayonsdes potjeq-Moyja x
g06e + 126-09 eS°e | auroe [tere c ester eect tees e eens yy
90°49 + ¥6'0f obs weer cease Jayoedpoom Pelfeq-pay
11°99 ee leg-ee l99t11 | autos Joss sesso soyoedpoom papeay-pay
z1‘le o Igg-ee Sat Netiee Mean sees eDbsa oe o seypadpoom paywalig
$6°S o 90° +6 }6£° Or *** *Jayoedpoom pa0}-s014} UBOleUTy
1€°11 0 = |69°38 sa Jexoedpoom pa0}-2eI4} O1O1Y
$6°€z 0 |So-9L 0g" ak
££" 7z ° Lo‘ LL Ive 09° +6
ce o 2) = 9° ao] QO 8 & Q Q wo g iy
coy 2. is io) + $
eB) ey yey a | Fle |e a] F alta] El j
g. - 4 ec
g ae ete ee a g | 6 Bi 4 Ge) Fi]
& a S ee - 5 Fa 5 EE g z 8 z oe ee
x | $8 z a ao ilesies lice ee a5 | 6 tg |e Ey g
® a 8 7 = 2 <9 oR ol 3 Ps O35 &
oe] hea C.) te B 8 88 2/ @2 | 63 &
log aa
B| El : 3 Slee] 2] |
= 3 a rae ee es ee
8 4 B a ae
a 3 a i &

sioyoedpoom jo poog

ea ee pe gee ia pre oe 2 —

EE ca og) a

aa

ee

an ae

BIRDS OF NEW YORK I4!I

Dryobates villosus villosus (Linnaeus)
Hairy Woodpecker
Plate 59

Picus villosus Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.12. 1766. 1:175
DeKay. Zool. of N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 186, fig. 32
Dryobates villosus villosus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. toro. p. 185.
No. 393
drydbates, Gr. 590s, oak or tree, and Barns, treader: villésus, Lat., hairy, villous

Description. Colors almost exactly like the Downy woodpecker,
but the outer tail feathers plain white, without spots; larger, nearly the size
of a Robin.

Length 9-9.75 inches; extent 15-16; wing 4.5—5; tail 3-3.6; bill 1.2-1.35;
weight 3 ounces.

Distribution. The Hairy woodpecker is a resident and breeds through-
out New York State. In the wooded districts it is as common, or even
commoner, than the Downy woodpecker, but in the thickly settled country
is uncommon through the summer months, and very rarely breeds except
in woodlands. In the fall, winter and early spring this species frequently
appears in the orchards and shade trees, doing efficient service against
borers, beetles, cocoons and other enemies of the trees. At this season,
like his smaller relative, he partakes to some extent of wild fruits and nuts.
The call of this woodpecker is much louder and heavier than the Downy’s,
though similar in other respects; but more like the syllables ‘“ huip, huip”’
(Bendire). Its ‘ whinney”’ or rattling call is written ¢rrizi, trriii. The
drumming of this species is ‘‘ shorter and louder with a greater interval
between the strokes’’ (Brewster). Its flight is deeply undulating and
strong, but rarely protracted. When he alights on a tree infested with
boring larvae, the vigor with which he hammers the trunk and hitches in
short hops up the trunk or sideways or downward, examining every cranny
and making the chips fly with tireless energy, impresses one with his being,
excepting the Pileated woodpecker, our most competent woodchopper of

sé

the family.
The Hairy woodpecker begins to excavate its nesting hole early in
the season, both sexes taking part in the operation. The hole is placed

142 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

rather high, usually from 30 to 60 feet, and is sometimes excavated in
living trees. The opening is perfectly circular, about 2 inches in diameter,
leading backward 2 or 3 inches through the solid wood, then downward
for 8 to 16 inches, where the cavity is enlarged and a few chips left on the
bottom as a bed for the eggs. These vary from 3 to 5 in number, usually 4,
pure white, and average .95 by .73 inches. In this State fresh sets have been
taken from April 25 to May 30. Like all our woodpeckers, this species
rears only one brood ina season, but if the first set of eggs is destroyed she

will lay again.
Dryobates villosus leucomelas (Boddaert)

Northern Hairy Woodpecker

Larger and lighter colored than villosus.

Length 10.3-11; wing 5-5.4; tail 3.8; bill 1.3-1.5.

This subspecies breeds in the Boreal Zone; in winter entering the northern border
of the United States. Many specimens of Hairy woodpecker taken in Northern New
York, especially winter birds, are on the border line between this form and typical ~
villosus, some being well within the limits of leucomelas.

Dryobates pubescens medianus (Swainson)
Downy Woodpecker

Plate 59

Picus (Dendrocopus) medianus Swainson. Fauna Bor. Am. 1831 (1832).
2: 308
Picus pubescens DeKay. Zool.of N.Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 187, fig. 35
Dryobates pubescens medianus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. ro10.
p. 187. No. 394c
pubéscens, Lat., downy, pubescent; medidnus, middle

Description. Our smallest woodpecker. Color black and white; white
stripes on side of the head and a median white band down the back; wings
and wing coverts spotted with white; crown of the head plain black; outer
tail feathers white slightly spotted or barred with black; under parts plain
dull white; male has scarlet occipital patch.

Length 6.5-7 inches; extent 12-12.4; wing 3.5-4; tail 2.2-2.9; bill
.7-.8; weight 1.5 ounces.

Distribution. This species is generally distributed in New York State,
being a permanent resident in all counties, our commonest woodpecker,

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 143

or, in some sections, perhaps, surpassed in numbers by the Flicker. In the
more thickly settled portions of the State it is at least seven times more
numerous than the Hairy woodpecker in summer and three times as numer-
ous in fall and winter. In the Adirondacks, however, it barely equals that
species in numbers. In the nesting season it is found in orchards, shade
trees and fringes of trees along streams and fence rows as well as in the
woods, and breeds oftentimes within the limits of our villages and cities.

Habits. The little Downy is the least suspicious of our woodpeckers,
coming fearlessly to the suet or bag of scraps placed on ‘“ the birds’ lunch
counter ’’ or nailed to the tree or window sill for his accommodation. He
can even be taught to take food from the hand. When one approaches
him while at work, he merely hitches a few feet farther up the tree or edges
around the trunk, occasionally stealing a glance at the intruder to satisfy
himself that no harm is intended. When startled he flies away with undu-
lating flight, uttering a sharp metallic peek ‘‘resembling the clink of a
stonecutter’s chisel.’” Occasionally this note is rapidly repeated in a long
rattling call, suggesting the ‘‘whinney of a diminutive horse.’”’ The
industrious tap, tap, or peck, peck of his bill as he searches the bark or
rotten wood for grubs and beetles is heard more continuously than his
vocal performances, and even in the mating season he attracts his mate
and announces his supremacy over some chosen sphere of influence by
drumming with his beak on some hard dry limb or resonant piece of bark
rather than by trusting his fortunes to the allurements of his voice. This
instrumental music of the Downy woodpecxer is a long, rolling tattoo of
considerable carrying power, and by the inexperienced is supposed to
arise from some creature much larger than this little bird, but it is by no
means so big a noise as the corresponding performance of the Hairy wood-
pecker, the Sapsucker, or the Flicker.

During the winter these woodpeckers do not associate with their own
kind but are usually found accompanied by nuthatches, chickadees and
Brown creepers. John Burroughs even relates how his nearest Downy
neighbor destroyed the sleeping apartment of the companion which tried
to make friends with him. This undoubtedly was due, not to Mr Downy’s

144 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

special aversion to feminine society, but to his selfish desire to keep all
the food in the immediate vicinity for his own consumption — a form of
rivalry which is very common among birds and is the rule, at least in the
nesting season, with those species which do not travel considerable distances
in search of food.

This species should not be confused with the Sapsucker, for the
farmer who permits its destruction is sacrificing one of his best friends.
The Downy destroys immense numbers of bark-boring beetles and their
larvae, the cocoons of moths, the larvae of gall insects, ants and wood
borers of all kinds. On several occasions I have noted them destroying
the cocoons of Cecropia and Prometheus moths. In fall and winter he
varies his diet to some extent with nuts and wild fruits, but he never has
been found a nuisance by the fruit grower and does not injure trees by
tapping them for sap and the inner bark, as he has been accused by mistake
for the Sapsucker.

The nesting hole of the Downy woodpecker is excavated in a stub or
a dead limb anywhere in orchards, shade trees and woodlands. I have
found them at heights varying from 8 to 50 feet from the ground. The
opening is about 13 inches in diameter and the excavation from 6 to 8
inches in depth. These nesting holes are begun from late in April to the
middle of May in different parts of the State, and fresh sets of eggs are
found from May 2 to June 10. These are 4 to 6 in number and pure shiny
white in color, of a pinkish tinge when fresh owing to the contents showing
through the shell, oval in shape, and measure about .78 by .60 inches.

Picoides arcticus (Swainson)
Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker

Plate 60

Picus (Apternus) arcticus Swainson. Fauna Bor. Am. 1831 (1832). 2:313

Picus arcticus DeKay. Zool.of N. Y. 1844. pt2, p. 190, fig. 36

Picoides arcticus A.O.U. Check List. Ed.3. 1910. p. 189. No. 400
picotdes, Lat., picus, woodpecker, and Gr., ¢f80¢, likeness; Grcticus, arctic

Description. Upper parts black, with steel blue gloss; wing feathers
bar-spotted with white; outer 2 pairs of tail feathers mostly white; white

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 145

stripe from nostril down sides of head and neck; throat, breast and belly
white; sides and flanks barred with black; crown patch bright yellow; only
3 toes, 2 in front and 1 behind. Female lacks the yellow crown patch, but
young males, even fledglings, have it.

Length 9.5-10.2 inches; extent 14-15; wing 4.9-5.3; tail 3.4-3.6;
bill 1.2-1.3.

Distribution. This species is confined to the spruce and balsam belt
of the Canadian zone during the breeding season and is permanently
resident, but during the late fall and winter wanders some distance from
its normal habitat. It has been recorded from Tully, Syracuse, Chau-
tauqua county, Sag Harbor, Ithaca, Sennett, Cattaraugus county, Orleans
county, Saratoga, Bridgehampton and Poestenkill, the dates ranging
from October 6 to February 22. It seems to be of commonest occurrence
in November and December. The only breeding records which are sub-
stantiated by actual specimens are from the Adirondack wilderness, but
it has been reported also as breeding in Tioga county near Smithborough,
and in the higher portions of the Catskills. Throughout the year it is
fairly common in all portions of the spruce and balsam belt of the Adiron-
dacks, there ranking next to the Sapsucker and Hairy woodpecker in
abundance and probably much more plentiful than the American three-
toed woodpecker and the Downy woodpecker.

Haunts and habits. The Arctic three-toed woodpecker prefers the —
dark shades of the spruce forests and seldom wanders far from their coverts,
Its habits resemble those of the Hairy woodpecker, but it is less sprightly
and to me its voice less sharp, loud and penetrating, a shrill chirk, chirk.
It seeks its food on the tamarack, spruce and balsam, devouring the larvae
of the boring beetles which are found just beneath the dead bark and in
the decaying wood. Of all the specimens which I have examined, none
contained any vegetable food; but in the fall and winter it subsists, to a
certain extent, on berries and seeds, the reports of the Biological Survey
showing that less than 10 per cent of its food consists of small wild fruit.
It unquestionably keeps in check the boring beetles which attack all dying
timber and so, by reducing their numbers, protects the trees which are

146 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

still vigorous, as well as the dead timber which is still standing. This
species begins to mate in April and early May. The nesting hole is
excavated in tamarack, balsam or spruce about 20 to 40 feet from the ground
and is completed about the 1oth of May. Doctor Merriam found them
from 4 to 15 feet above water in the flooded swamps of the Fulton chain.
From specimens in the Smithsonian Institution collected by Doctor Ralph
and Egbert Bagg, it is evident that the eggs are usually laid from May 18
to June 2. They are white like those of the Hairy woodpecker and measure
about .96 by .73 inches. The nests which our party found in Essex county
were situated both in swampy tracts and on the summits of wooded ridges.
One nest found by Messrs Achilles and Fuller on the summit of the Bartlett
ridge was carefully measured. The external diameter of the hole was
2 by 13 inches; its greatest depth, 93 inches. The distance straight back
from the entrance to the rear wall, 53; the diameter of the enlargement
at the bottom, 42; the opening faced north by northeast. There were
three young birds in the nest and the remains of a fourth at the bottom,
a curious circumstance which seemed to be true of all the nests of the three-
toed woodpecker which we examined.

Picoides americanus americanus Brehm
Three-toed Woodpecker

Plate 61

Picoides americanus Brehm. Handbuch Végel Deutschl. 1831. p. 195

Picus hirsutus DeKay. Zool.cf N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 191

Picoides americanus americanus Brehm. A. O.U. Check List. Ed. 3.
1910. p. 189. No. 4oz

Description. Similar to the Black-backed three-toed woodpecker, but
slightly smaller and the back barred or bar-spotted with white and the crown
of the female as well as the male spotted or streaked with white, the male’s
crown with yellow patch as in arcticus.

Length 8.4-9 inches; extent 13-14; wing 4.4-4.6; tail 3-3.7; bill 1-1.25.

Distribution. This species inhabits the boreal forests of North America
from Maine, northern New York and northern Minnesota northward to
central Ungava. In New York it is evidently confined to the Adirondack

OO

ST

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 147

forests. I have heard of no specimen taken farther from the spruce belt
than Waterville, Oneida county. It therefore shares with the Spruce

_ grouse, the Canada jay and the Hudsonian chickadee the distinction of

being one of our perfectly nonmigratory species. Within the spruce and
balsam forests it is quite uniformly distributed, but is less common than the
Black-backed woodpecker, evidently about one-half as common as that
species. It inhabits both the spruce swamps and the mountain sides.
While making the bird survey of the Mt Marcy district we found this
species breeding on the slopes of Marcy just above Skylight camp, an
altitude of 4000 feet, and in the swamp at the Upper Ausable lake at an
altitude of 2000 feet. In our experience the birds are even less noisy than
the black-backed species. We could scarcely distinguish them from that
species by their call, but Turner (Bendire’s Life Histories) mentions only
a squealing note like the Sapsucker’s. At that season of the year (July 1)
the old birds were either feeding the young in the nest or leading them from

_ tree to tree. They confined their attention almost entirely to tamarack,
spruce and fir trees and evidently feed principally, if not entirely, upon

the beetles and their larvae found beneath the dead bark. The nests
which we found were situated in tamaracks and spruces from 25 to 40 feet
from the ground and could not be distinguished from nesting holes of the
black-backed woodpeckers except that on careful measurement they were
about one-fourth of an inch less in diameter. From the experience of
Doctor Merriam, their nests are found in spruce, tamarack, pine, balsam
and cedar in order of preference, about 6 or 7 feet above the water line.
In the swamps about Sixth and Seventh lakes in Hamilton county, he

found them mating on the 18th of May at Woodhull, Oneida county, but

found the 2nd of June too early for eggs at Sixth lake. In the Smithsonian
collection I find several sets of eggs taken at Moose river and Sixth lake
from the 4th to the 1oth of June. Evidently this is the usual nesting time
in the Adirondacks. The eggs are 4 in number, slightly smaller than those

of the black-backed woodpecker, averaging .92 by .70 inches in dimensions.
10 .

148 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Sphyrapicus varius varius (Linnaeus)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Plate 62

Picus varius Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 12. 1766. 1:176
DeKay. Zool. of N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 188, fig. 38
Sphyrapicus varius varius A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. i920. p. 190.
No. 402
sphyrapicus, Gr. o9¥ea, a hammer, and Lat. picus, a woodpecker; vdrius, Lat.,
variegated

Description. Male: Crown and throat bright red bordered with black;
a broad black crescent on the upper breast; upper parts variegated with black
and yellowish white; a broad stripe of
white on. the wing formed by the white
ends of the wing coverts; wing feath-
ers black, bar-spotted with white; tail
feathers black, except inner webs of.
middle pair; upper tail coverts mostly
white; under parts more or less heavily
tinged with yellow, especially around
the margin of the black breast shield,
and the center of the belly; sides
dingy brownish white, variegated with
blackish. Female: Throat white in-
stead of scarlet; crown scarlet in
old females but black in young ones,
even through the second summer in
many specimens; otherwise like
male. Young: Similar to adult, but
browner, and lacking the black breast
shield, and the scarlet on crown
not showing till late in the first
autumn.

Length 8—8.8 inches; extent 15-16;
wing 5; tail 3; bill 1.

4

Photo by James H. Miller . . 4 7
Yellow-bellied sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius Distribution. The Yellow-bellied

varius (Linnaeus,
: : sapsucker breeds throughout the
boreal life zone of eastern America from the highlands of Pennsylvania,
Michigan and Minnesota northward to Quebec, Ungava and Mackenzie,

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 149

and winters from southern New York and Illinois southward to the gulf
coast and eastern Mexico. In New York its breeding range is chiefly
confined to the Catskills and Adirondacks, but a few breed along the
southern border of western New York on the highlands near the Pennsyl-
vania line and in some of the swamps of central and western New York,
as near Peterboro, Oneida, Potter, Auburn and Boston, but it is rarely
seen during the nesting season outside the Adirondack and Catskill districts.
During the migration season, from April 1 to May 15, this species is one
of the commonest woodpeckers throughout the greater portion of the State.
Its arrival from the south, near New York City, dates from April 1 to 15;
in western New York, from April 6 to 18. At this season it is frequently
seen about the shade trees of cities and villages as well as in all groves and
forests, being ranked as a common transient visitant in nearly every station
from which we have exhaustive reports. During the migration it is evident
that the male birds arrive first, for during 15 years of continuous records
which I have kept with this object in view I have found that male birds
are the first to be seen each year and no females are seen for several days
after the first males arrive. Then the white-throated females begin to
appear and become relatively more numerous until they outnumber the
males during the first two weeks of May, and, at the last of the migration
season, which usually closes by the 20th of May, only female birds are
to be found and frequently these are the black-crowned females referred
to in the description above, which are evidently the young females of the
preceding season. In the warmer portions of New York the sapsucker
often remains throughout the winter, especially in the region immediately
surrounding New York City where winter records are not infrequent.
The fall migration is mostly accomplished between September 20 or
October 10, and November 1, the time of greatest abundance usually
being the middle of October.

Haunts and habits. The Sapsucker is the most abundant woodpecker
throughout the Adirondack region. While camping in the North Woods it
is a common experience to be awakened at daybreak by the loud drumming
of this species from some neighboring birch tree. He selects a dry branch,

150 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

or better, some hard dry strip of birch bark which has a hollow space
beneath, and mounting himself securely upon it, stretches backward to
his full extent and lets fly his head and neck with all the force of his con-
centrated muscles, his beak flying with such rapidity as to be practically
invisible. The rolling tattoo produced by this performance resounds
across the lake and valley for hundreds of rods. While we were encamped
on the shores of the Upper Ausable we could hear at least a dozen sap-
suckers from our camping site, all drumming to hurry on the sunrise.
This practice seemed to continue well on into the summer, even after the
young were nearly ready to leave the nest. While the Sapsucker is migrat-
ing through portions of the State which are not within its breeding range,
his drumming is rarely heard but he is frequently seen about our ever-
greens and shade trees, and his snarling or squealing note is often heard,
especially when chasing rivals away from the trees which he has selected for
sugar-making. At this season of the year he seems to care little for insect
fare. He bores numerous rows of holes through the bark of our sap trees,
sometimes entirely riddling the trunk and causing the sap to flow in such
abundance as to destroy the vigor of the tree. One frequently finds
mountain ash trees, pines, black spruces, ironwoods and birches so weakened
by the boring of this species that they never recover from his attack. The
object of the Sapsucker in boring these holes, as his name signifies, is to
secure the resinous or sugar-laden sap and I have frequently watched a
Sapsucker which had tapped at least a dozen trees in the same immediate
vicinity, each one of which he visited in turn, lapping up the sap from all
the holes with his brushy tongue and then passing on to the next by merely
casting himself backward from the trunk and soaring with one swoop to
the next tree without a stroke of his wing, working up this trunk and passing
on to the next in the same way until he had completed the loop. As the
spring advances and the weather becomes warm, the sap often begins to
ferment. I suspect this is the reason that the Sapsucker is so frequently
found stupefied by feeding on too great an abundance of the liquid. On
several occasions I have seen a Sapsucker so gorged with fermented sap
that he allowed himself to be picked up in the hand and I have seen one

&

BIRDS OF NEW YORK I5!I

alight on the clothing of a bird student and climb up his outstretched arm
without seeming to realize that he was on a man instead of a tree. It is
evident they become tipsy on the sap in the same manner that thrushes
frequently become stupefied by feeding upon fermented fruit. The Sap-
sucker devours also the soft cambium layer which lies just beneath the
bark of trees and in this way, where its rows of holes are close together,
practically girdles the tree and effects its destruction. It may be said in
partial defense of the Sapsucker, however, that he feeds also on the insects
which are attracted to the sap that is evaporating from the hole and in
this way destroys great numbers of forest pests; but, on the whole, he must
be regarded as a doubtful, if not even an injurious, species. In the late
summer and fall his food consists mostly of wild fruit and nuts, but during
the nesting season while he is rearing his young, his food is largely of boring
larvae and beetles. The nest of the Sapsucker is usually excavated in a
dead tree or stub about 25 feet from the ground. In the Adirondacks
I noticed that they seemed to prefer beeches, birches and maples for nest-
ing sites. The nest is almost always built under the shelter of the forest
and not in clearings, as is the case with red-headed woodpeckers and flickers.
The hole is 1.5 inches in diameter at the entrance, and 6 to 18 inches deep.
The eggs are 4 to 5, sometimes 6, in number, pure white in color and
average .88 by .67 inches in dimensions.

Phloeotomus pileatus abieticola (Bangs)
Northern Pileated Woodpecker

Plate 63

Ceophloeus pileatus abieticola Bangs. Auk, April 1898. 15: 176
Picus pileatus DeKay. Zool. of N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 184, fig. 39
Phloeotomus pileatus abieticola A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1g10.
p. 192. No. 4o5a
phloedtomus, Gr., gotéc, the inner bark of trees, and téuvw, to hew; piledtus, Lat.,
wearing a cap (the pileus, shaped like the half of an egg)

Description. Very large, bill long and heavy, head crested; colors
chiefly black and white; upper parts in general and all the under parts
of body dull black; throat and line from bill on each side of the neck and

152 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

breast, lining of the wings and the base of the larger wing feathers, white
more or less tinged with yellowish. Male: Entire upper part of the head,
including the pointed occipital crest and the “‘ mustaches,” bright red.
Female and young have only the rear portion of the head red, the frontlet
and the mustaches being blackish.

Length 18-19.5 inches; extent 29-30.5; wing 9-10; tail 7—7.5; bill
2.25-2.65. ;

Distribution. The Northern pileated woodpecker is found throughout
the forested regions of North America from northeastern British Columbia,
southern Mackenzie, central Quebec and Newfoundland, southward along
the mountain ranges as far as New Mexico and Carolina.

In New York it was formerly rather generally distributed throughout
the State, but at the present time it is almost entirely confined to the
evergreen forests of the Adirondacks and Catskills. A few are still found
in the highlands along the Pennsylvania border and in various localities
throughout central and western New York where there are mixed forests
of unusual extent. During 25 years at Springville in southern Erie county,
I have met with only 4 specimens of this bird. Mr Savage and Mr Reinecke
of Buffalo have had a similar experience with it in Erie, Chautauqua and
Cattaraugus counties. Mr Higgins reports that it still breeds in the
wilder portions of Cortland county and there seems to be some evidence
that it is tending to reestablish itself in various localities where it had
disappeared for many years. It is by no means common in the Adiron-
dacks or the Catskills, but every day’s journey of 10 to 15 miles through
the Adirondack wilderness will almost surely bring one past the native
haunts of one or more pairs of these birds. More than any of our native
species, with the possible exception of the Spruce grouse and some of the
larger hawks, this bird disappears with the destruction of the forests, and it
probably will never be reestablished in the State except in the larger ever-
green forests of the Canadian zone. It is a strictly resident species, no
north and south migration being manifest, but, like all species of wood-
peckers, it wanders about more or less in the fall and winter in search of
favorable food supply.

ie

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 153

Habits. The Pileated woodpecker when undisturbed in his native
haunts of the hemlock, spruce and balsam forests, is a very conspicuous
bird. Almost as large as a crow, but with the usual deeply undulating flight
of the woodpecker, he darts from tree to tree seeking for dead branches
and dead stubs, beneath the bark of which are concealed the wood-boring
larvae which constitute his principal food. A dead stub of hemlock or
spruce is frequently seen which has been peeled by the heavy strokes of
this giant woodpecker’s-bill, the strips of bark 6 to 8 inches in length, or
even longer, lying scattered about the tree for several rods, and with
cavities in the stub frequently dug in search of grubs 2 or 3 feet in length
and. several inches in depth. As a woodchopper he is unsurpassed among
the members of this family. During the fall and winter he resorts to
a partial diet of mast and wild fruit, but he can not be said to do the
least harm to the fruitgrower or the agriculturist but, on the contrary, is
beneficial by destroying immense quantities of ants as well as the larger
grubs which enter the dead wood and destroy the standing timber.

While flying from tree to tree he frequently gives voice to a loud cac-
cac-cac, and during the mating season, like most members of the family,
he is rather noisy, frequently drumming on dead limbs and uttering a variety
of flickerlike notes.

The nesting hole is from 3 to 3} inches in diameter at the entrance
and extends downward through the solid wood from 12 to 30 inches in
depth. It is usually constructed in a dead stub from 30 to 60 feet from
the ground, the height averaging greater than that of any other of our
native woodpeckers. The eggs are 4 to 5 in number, pure white, and
average 1.28 by .95 inches in dimensions. New York nesting dates range
from May 5 to 25.

It is unfortunate that the large size, loud note, conspicuous black
and white coloration, and flaming scarlet crest of this bird attract the
attention of all hunters that visit the forest to such an extent that its num-
bers are continually diminished almost to the point of extermination.

‘This calamity, together with the fact already stated that it disappears

154 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

with the destruction of the forest, is gradually depriving us of one of the
most interesting of our native birds.

Melanerpes erythrocephalus (Linnaeus)
Red-headed Woodpecker
Plate 62

Picus erythrocephalus Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 10. 1758. 1:113
DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 185, fig. 34
Melanerpes erythrocephalus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 192.
No. 406
melanérpes, Gr., védas, black, and fs, creeper; erythrocéphalus, ép00e6c, red, and
x29aAr, head

Description. The head and neck deep red or crimson; body, wings
and tail blue-black and white in large areas, as the bird flies the white seeming
to predominate, but as it clings to the trunk of a tree the back seems mostly
black, but still gives the appearance of the three principal colors, red,
bluish black and white; bill, bluish horn color; iris, brown; feet, bluish gray;
sexes alike. Young: Grayish where the adults are black and red, during
the first winter, the grayish of the head gradually replaced by the crimson,
and the grayish of the back, wings and tail by the black.

Length 9.3-I0 inches; extent 17-18; wing 5.3-5.7; tail 3.2I-3.7;
bill 1.2.

Distribution. The Red-headed woodpecker is found throughout the
greater portion of the austral region of North America. Although it was
formerly common in New England and eastern New York, it is now rare
in those districts, but still locally plentiful in western New York, as it
is throughout the Mississippi valley. It must be ranked primarily as
a summer resident in New York, but in seasons when beech mast and
chestnuts are abundant this species remains throughout the winter as
was explained in 1883 by Doctor Merriam. I have noticed the same
principle to obtain in western New York since the year 1878, but in
ordinary seasons the Redhead disappears late in October and is not seen
again until the 1st to the roth of May when he arrives from the southern
states whither he had withdrawn to pass the winter. Even in central

and western New York this bird is not so uniformly distributed as is the

reer

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 155

Downy woodpecker and unfortunately is becoming less and less common,
because there are fewer and fewer dead branches for its accommodation;
but the advent of the telegraph pole has partly saved him in some dis-
tricts where he otherwise would have disappeared, by furnishing him at
the same time an outlook from which to pursue winged prey —a habit
which is rather uncommon in this order of birds — and also a site for a nest.
In general, one must conclude that this species is decidedly less numerous
even in western New York than the Flicker or the Downy woodpecker and
in eastern New. York about as rare as the Hairy woodpecker. In 1905
our party found it on the outskirts of the Adirondacks and in the region
of the Black river, so one might say that it is fairly distributed throughout
the Alleghanian faunal area of New York with the exception of the greater
portion of the coastal district and the lower Hudson valley.

Haunts and habits. The Red-headed woodpecker is, more than any
of our other woodpeckers except the Flicker, a bird of the open. He is
frequently seen on the dead tops of stubs and trees and on fence posts
and telegraph poles far from the shelter of the forest, but he is not at home
upon the ground as the Flicker is and when he alights there in pursuit of
grasshoppers or other prey he does not hop around like the Flicker but
immediately flies up again to his station on the fence post or dead stub.
The preferred home of this woodpecker is in open groves and “ slashings ”’
and ‘old burns’”’ and tracts of half-dead forest where the live trees are
scattered and dead stubs are in abundance. In such places as these he
is sometimes quite common but never rivals the Flicker in abundance about
our orchards, villages and farmyards. He is not seen chiseling away at
dead wood or prying behind the bark for wood-boring insects so often
as the Hairy and Downy woodpeckers, but frequently engages in this kind
of foraging during the fall and winter, and at this season is also fond of
nuts and dried fruits and, when they are not to be found, usually wanders
to a milder climate or to a locality where they are plentiful. Next to
the Robin and Cherry bird this species is the most complained of by the
grower of small fruits. On many occasions I have been surprised to see

156 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

the Red-headed woodpecker appear in a cherry tree when the first cherries
began to turn, although I had not seen a Redhead in the neighborhood
for weeks before. I never could determine whether he remembered that
at this season of the year ripe cherries were to be found in that particular
locality, or whether he saw them from a distance and noticed the robins
going and coming from the trees; but, however that may be, he always
found the first ripe cherries in the orchard and would carry them all day
long to his young in the grove three-fourths of a mile away. My early
harvest, sweet bough and red astrachan apples were also eagerly sought.
In spite of this small thieving, and his occasional attacks upon the
young of other birds, the Red-headed woodpecker must be regarded
as a beneficial species. He destroys immense numbers of grasshop-
pers, ants and boring beetles of all kinds which are to be found about
the branches and trunks of trees, and the principal portion of his vegetable
diet consists of wild nuts and fruit. Furthermore, he is one of the most
enlivening objects in the landscape and furnishes an added pleasure to any
stroll across the fields or drive along the country road, for he is a bird that
everyone will see and recognize at a considerable distance. The nest of the
Red-headed woodpecker is excavated in the dead limb of a tree or in
a stub, usually at a height of from 15 to 50 feet from the ground. The
opening is about 2 inches in diameter and the depth of the hole from 10
to 14 inches. The eggs are from 4 to 6 in number and deposited on
the fine, clean chips at the bottom of the hole. The eggs are white like
those of all woodpeckers, and measure 1 by .76 inches in dimensions.
In the different portions of the State they are dep sited from May 10
to June 15.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 157

Centurus carolinus (Linnaeus)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Plate 64

Picus carolinus Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 10. 1758. 1:113
DeKay. Zool. of N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 189, fig. 37

' Centurus carolinus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. ror0. p. 193. No. 409

centirus, Gr., %évte0v, prickle or spine, and éupeé, tail, referring to the bristly tail
feathers, which, as Doctor Coues has remarked, are not sharper than those of other
woodpeckers

Description. About the size of the Red-headed woodpecker. Upper
part regularly barred with black and white; top of head and neck bright
scarlet in the male; in the female, only the occiput is red, the crown being
ashy gray. Under parts dull grayish white, more or less tinged, espe-
cially on the center of the belly, with red; tuft of bristles at the base of the
bill ico reddish.

Length 9.3-10.5 inches; extent 17-18; wing 4.8-5.5; tail 3.5-4; bill
I-1.2.

Distribution. This species inhabits the austral zone of eastern North
America from Delaware, western New York and southern Minnesota
southward to the gulf coast. In New York State it evidently was common
on Long Island and in the lower Hudson valley fifty years ago, but now
has entirely deserted that region. There are only one or two records
for Long Island and the Hudson valley during the last 30 years. In western
New York there are numerous records, mostly during the fall and winter,
for all the counties from Oneida, Madison and Cortland, westward to
Erie and Chautauqua, the species being commoner farther west in the
State. It seems to be more abundant in the wintertime, a curious fact,
considering that it is an austral species. I have seen numerous specimens
in the taxidermists’ shops of Rochester, Buffalo and Niagara Falls which
were taken in winter. It is not entirely a straggler, however, for there
are several breeding records for the western part of the State, especially
at Springville in June 1895; near Buffalo in 1898 and in Yates county
1910-1912. I have also seen it in the vicinity of Geneva during the breed-
ing season and Miss Agnes Paul of East Bloomfield reports it as a per-

158 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

manent resident near her home. It must be regarded, however, as
uncommon and local in western New York and is likely to be extirpated
as a breeding species unless strictly protected in the few localities where
it is found.

Habits. The Red-bellied woodpecker is a conspicuous bird both on
account of its color, its actions, and its vociferousness. It is almost.
impossible for one of these birds to escape attention if it is in the same
woods with a bird observer. It is seldom still for any length of time,
but ascends one tree after another with a peculiar jerky motion uttering
at every hitch its noisy chawh-chawh which immediately attracts attention
as an unsual sound. When he has reached the higher portions of one tree
he flies off to another and begins the same routine. If alarmed he gives
voice to a cha-cha-cha, and frequently, when perched on a lofty limb of
a tree or immediately after alighting, utters a call somewhat similar to
that of the Red-headed woodpecker’s “‘ tchurr-tchurr.’’ The food of this
species is much like that of the Redhead, but it does not seem to be so
fond of garden fruits. A large portion of its food in the fall consists of
nuts and wild fruit. The nest is excavated in some dead or partially
dead tree at a height of from 5 to 70 feet from the ground. The opening
is about 12 inches in diameter and the excavation 12 inches in depth. The
eggs, which are from 4 to 6 in number, are pure white, slightly less glossy
than those of the Red-headed woodpecker, and average 1 inch in length
by .75 in diameter.

Colaptes auratus luteus Bangs
Northern Flicker

Plate 64

Colaptes auratus luteus Bangs. Auk, April 1898. 15:177
Picus auratus DeKay. Zool. of N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 192, fig. 33
Colaptes auratus luteus Bangs. A.O.U. Check List. Ed 3. 1910. p. 194.
No. 412a
colaptes, Gr., xoAunti¢, chisel; aurdtus, Lat., golden, gilded

Description. Somewhat larger than the Robin; upper parts brown,
barred with black; rump white; crown of head ashy gray; bright scarlet

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 159

crescent on the occiput; under surface of wings and shafts of the wing feathers
bright yellow; under surface of tail and shafts of tail feathers yellow except
the tip which is black; under parts grayish white, nearly uniformly spotted
with black; throat, upper breast and sides of the head and neck light

Photo by Ralph S. Paddock

Flicker at nesting hols

vinaceous; black crescent on the breast; male with black mustachios. The
undulating flight, conspicuous white patch on the rump and the yellow
of the wings which shows in flight are field marks which distinguish this
species at a considerable distance.

160 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Length 12-12.8 inches; extent 19.3-21.3; wing 5.5-6.5; tail 4-4.8;
bill 1.3-1.5.

Distribution. The Northern flicker inhabits eastern North America
from the limit of trees in Alaska, Ungava and Newfoundland southward
to Texas and North Carolina. In New York it is uniformly distributed
in every county of the State, being one of our dominant species. While
not so common as the Robin, it is one of the dozen birds well known to
every country boy. It must be considered primarily a summer resident,
arriving from the South between the 2oth of March and the 1oth of April
and gradually disappearing again between the 15th and the 30th of October.
Dates of earliest appearance and departure, however, are obscured by
the fact that many individuals of this species remain throughout the winter
in southern New York and even in the central and northern counties win-
ter specimens are by no means rare. A decided migratory movement at
about the dates mentioned is, however, of usual occurrence. The Flicker or
“High hole,’’ as the countryman usually calls it, is a common or abun-
dant summer resident of our orchards, groves, shade trees, pastures and
forests. He is much more versatile in his propensities than the other
woodpeckers and is frequently seen far from groves and orchards, on the
open field or lawn and along the fences and telegraph poles. He is at
home in the midst of our villages and city parks as well as in the farm
lands and wildernesses. He perches on the twigs of trees more commonly
than any of the other woodpeckers and digs in the ground for grubs and
worms and tears open the ant hills in search of his favorite food. His
notes are as varied as his perching and feeding habits and three or four
dozen different names have been ascribed to him in different parts of the
country, mostly in imitation of his different calls or notes. In this State
he is commonly spoken of as the high hole or high holder, wake-up, yarrup,
yucker, clape, flicker, golden-winged woodpecker, yellow jay, yellow hammer
or pigeon woodpecker. In the spring while courting or endeavoring to
surpass his rivals in displaying his charms, spreading his wings and tail
and bobbing around before the admiring gaze of the female, he is often

1

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 161

heard to utter notes resembling ‘‘ wake up, wake up, wake up,” or “ yarrup,
yarrup, yarrup,”’ or ‘‘ yucker, yucker, yucker,” in subdued tones. In the
fall while visiting black cherry trees, poke weed and pepperidge to feed
on the berries, they are generally to be found in small companies and often
indulge in odd gesticulations with tails spread, bowing and bobbing about
before each other and giving voice to the yarrup or flicker notes which
Chapman compared to ‘ the quick swish of a willow wand.” It may be
imitated by whistling sharply the syllables ‘‘ kee-yer ” two or three times
repeated. When the flicker flies up from the ground and alights on a stub
or fence post, he frequently bobs and bows to an imaginary audience and
immediately thereafter jerks his head high upward giving voice to a sharp
note like the syllable ‘“‘ clape.’’ In the springtime one of the most familiar
sounds of the field and grove is the long-drawn, rolling call which is
unquestionably the mating song of the Flicker. It may be heard for more
than half a mile and has been variously syllabized, usually written ~
as “ cuh-cuh-cuh-cuh-cuh-cuh-cuh-cuh-cuh-cuh-cuh-cuh.”’ Others have writ-
ten it ‘‘ wick-wick-wick-wick-wick-wick-wick-wick-wick-wick-wick-wick”’; and
others, ‘ yuch-yuch-yuch-yuch-yuch-yuch-yuch-yuch-yuch-yuch-yuch-yuch.”
The young imitate the parents in the matter of vociferous habits, a nestful
of young flickers keeping up a continual jangling, jarring note almost
throughout the whole day. The flicker, like other woodpeckers, is also
a good drummer, especially in the springtime. He selects some dry limb
or thin conductor pipe or old stove pipe and mounting thereon at least
fifty times a day batters away with his quick-rolling tattoo to the utter
despair of his nearest neighbors. When a Flicker is suddenly surprised,
he usually utters a low chuckling note and then flies away; and sometimes
when flying about among the trees produces a whining or winnowing note,
suggesting the sound of pigeons’ wings about the dovecote. I imagine
that this habit as well, perhaps, as the slighter, more pigeonlike appear-
ance of its head and neck, have given him the name of pigeon woodpecker.
The Flicker has a tendency to be gregarious, not only during the fruit season
but all through the summer. Small, scattered companies are frequently

162 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

seen hopping about the pasture or playing about the shade trees. The
economic value of the Flicker can not be disputed for an instant. The
number of ants destroyed daily by one of these birds is almost incredible
and we must not think merely of the injury which the ants would do
directly but of all the plant lice to whose welfare they minister. I have
taken as many as seventeen dozen ants from a flicker’s stomach on many
occasions and of all the flickers’ stomachs which I have examined, except
for a short period in the fall when wild berries were abundant, not one.
was without a fair quota of ants. It is a common thing to see the flicker
on the ground in front of an ant hill or an ant hole, apparently motion-
less, but when he is carefully observed with the aid of a glass, one will
see that his tongue is darting out and in with lightninglike rapidity, each
time carrying into the flicker’s ravenous gullet one or more ants which
have adhered to its sticky surface. Although he is fond of wild fruits
in their season, especially blackberries, poke berries, sheep berries, blue-
berries and dogwood berries, I have never heard complaint of the Flicker
being destructive to cherries, currants or cultivated berries, and although
he is fond of wild grapes, I have never yet known of his doing any serious
damage to the vineyards in central and western New York. When these
facts are considered, it is evident that this bird is one of the best friends
which the horticulturist can encourage.

The mating time of flickers is April and early May and they usually
begin to excavate their hole between the 20th of April and the 15th of
May. Fresh eggs, in this State, are found between May 5th and June
10th, although when the first set has been destroyed they will lay again
and again, so that they are frequently found nesting as late as the middle
of July. In fact, the Flicker is one of the most persistent layers we have
among the wild birds. Instances are on record in which the old bird has
laid six dozens of eggs in six dozen and three days. They usually excavate
a new nesting hole each season but occasionally utilize an old nest or even
natural cavity in a tree. The opening is about 2+ inches in diameter
and the hole from 10 to 24 inches in depth. It is enlarged to a spacious

BIRDS OF NEW YORK | 163

cavity at the bottom and the eggs are laid on a layer of chips. They are
5 to 8 in number, pure white in color, slightly less glossy than those of
the Red-headed woodpecker, and average 1.10 by .85 in dimensions.

Order MACROCHIRES

Goatsuckers, Swifts, Hummers etc.
Suborder CAPRIMULGI
Family CAPRIMULGIDAE

Goatsuckers

Palate schizognathous; basipterygoids small; 2 carotids; sternum two
or four-notched; plumage aftershafted; oil gland small and bare; 10 prima-
ries; rectrices 10; bill weak, small and deeply fissured; habits more or less

nocturnal; eggs 2, laid on the bare ground; young downy but not pre-

-cocious; wings long and pointed, the elongation being principally beyond
the carpal joint and in the feathers; plumage mostly soft and owllike;
colors marbled, mottled and intricately blended; tarsus very short; feet

small and weak; the lateral toe very short; the 3 forward toes movable,

webbed at the base; middle claw pectinate; hind toe short, elevated and
partly lateral; formula of the phalanges or toe joints 2-3-4-4.

The goatsuckers, or nightjars, are largely cosmopolitan in distri-

; s bution, consisting of about 125 species, only 2 of which are natives of New |

3 _ York. On account of their small, weak feet they are hardly able to alight
in trees, and when they do must sit lengthwise of the larger branches.
They are mostly nocturnal or crepuscular, the Nighthawk, however, often
going out by day. The eggs are always two as in the case of Humming

§ birds, and are almost perfectly elliptical in shape. The Whippoorwill

and Nighthawk are among our most valuable birds, feeding on flying
_ insects, the Whippoorwill, especially,,on moths which are destructive to
trees and vegetation in general, the Nighthawk on all kinds of insects,
particularly on ants, beetles, flies and moths. These birds should be

y protected and encouraged as much as possible for the valuable services

they render to the Commonwealth.
11

164 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Antrostomus vociferus vociferus (Wilson)
Whippoorwill

Plate 65

Caprimulgus vociferus Wilson. Amer. Orn. 1812. 5:71. pl. 41, figs. 1-3
DeKay. Zool. of N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 32, fig. 59
Antrostomus vociferus vociterus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910.
p. 196. No. 417
aniréstomus, Gr., &vteev, cave, and otéya, mouth, referring to the tremendously
capacious fissirostral gape; vociferus, Lat., vociferous, noisy

Description. Bill extremely short and depressed; the gape enormous;
corners of the mouth bordered with long, recurved bristles; eyes large;
head broad; wings long and pointed; tail long, rounded, of 10 feathers;
feet small and weak; the tarsus partly feathered; the plumage blended
brownish with brownish gray, black, ocherous and buffy. Male: Outer
3 tail feathers tipped with white for half their length; white band across the
throat. Female: The tips of outer tail feathers and neckband ocherous
or buffy instead of white. General impression of the Whippoorwill is of
a mottled dark brown bird like the color of an old decayed log, and when
resting quietly on the leaves or rotten wood in the shady forest it is practi-
cally indistinguishable; but when the male bird springs up in flight, the
white tips of the outer tail feathers make him very conspicucus.

Length 9.5-10 inches; extent 15-16; wing 5.8-6.9; tail 4.6—5.5; bill .36.

Distribution. The Whippoorwill inhabits eastern North America from
Manitoba, Quebec and Nova Scotia south to Louisiana and Georgia, and
winters from the Gulf States to Honduras. In New York it is found in
all parts of the State, but is local in distribution, preferring the wilder
swamps, gulleys and hillsides to the more settled districts. It is a summer
resident, however, from Long Island to Chautauqua county and from
Westchester county to the northern limits of the State. In the Adiron-
dacks it is confined mostly to the edges of the wilderness and is not found
in the depths of the spruce forests, but invades the river valleys and clear-
ings as far as Elk lake, Keene valley, Lake Placid, Saranac and the Fulton
chain. The Whippoorwill arrives from the South from April 20th to May

10th and during the migration is frequently heard throughout the State

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 165

in localities where it is not found as a summer resident; but these
migratory birds have gone on to their nesting grounds by the last of May,
In the fall the whippoorwills are last seen and heard from August 25th
to September 15th.

The Whippoorwill, though seldom seen even by nature lovers or the
country people who live near its favorite haunts, is well known by its voice
to all inhabitants of the State. It is one of the few birds that can be

Photo by Clarence F. Stone

Eggs of Whippoorwill

surely recognized by its note even though the listener has never heard
it before and knows it only by name. This bird comes from its retreat
in the shady forest or the slopes of the glen in the early evening, is seen
along the roadsides and about farmyards half a mile or more from its home
in the wood, and its shrill cry is frequently heard from the ridge pole of
the tent, from the peak of the barn, from the lane fence or from the road-
side, as one journeys along in the dusk of evening. When passing through

166 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

the dense coverts of the swamp or woods during the migration season,
and also during the nesting season, if one is in its summer haunts, the
Whippoorwill may frequently be started from its perch on the ground or
from some old root or mossy log, but he seldom rises until one is within
a few feet of the bird, when he springs suddenly into the air, but with
absolute silence, his soft owllike plumage making his flight as noiseless
as a Screech owl’s. His course also is low and wavering like an owl’s so
that he is oft mistaken for one of that family. As Chapman remarks,
the silence with which he rises in front of one’s face and flies away is fully
as startling as the overwhelming whirr of a grouse’s wings. The food of
the Whippoorwill consists entirely of night-flying insects, principally moths
and beetles. I have taken 36 full-grown moths from the stomach of a
single Whippoorwill which was killed early in the evening, indicating that
within an hour and a half he had killed and devoured these full-grown
inoths, each one of which contained hundreds of eggs. Thus it is evident
that this bird is of untold value to the forester. The call of the Whip-
poorwill is introduced by a low cluck or chuck, which is inaudible unless
the listener is near the bird, but the sharp vigorous whip’-poor-will’, whip’-
poor-will’ which is rapidly reiterated may be heard for the distance of half
a mile. This call is heard mostly during two hours after sunset and the
hour before sunrise. The nest of the Whippoorwill, or rather its eggs
for it makes no nest, is found beneath the dense, low-hanging foliage of
the undergrowth in the forest. The eggs are 2 in number, elliptical-ovoid
in shape and average 1.16 by .84 inches in dimensions, dull white in color
with spots and blotches of brown, drab and lavender.

Ee

ie |

Signe MES ts oT

+ waaay

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 107

Chordeiles virginianus virginianus (Gmelin)
Nighthawk
Plate 65

Caprimulgus virginianus Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1789. 1: 1028
Chordeiles americanus DeKay. Zool. of N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 34, fig. 60
“hordeiles virginianus virginianus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3.
1910. p. 198. No. 420
chordeiles, formed from Gr., 40934, a stringed instrument, and 3¢fAy, evening

Description. In shape resembling the Whippoorwill, but the fail
forked instead of rounded; color of the plumage not so intricately blended
as in the Whippoorwill and without the fulvous and ocherous; colors
blackish and grayish, more or less barred and spotted with dusky and white.
The wing feathers blackish crossed with a broad white band which appears
like a hole through the wing while the bird is in flight; tail blackish with
broken or wavy bars of grayish buff and with a white band near the end
except on the middle pair of feathers; a broad white throat band; breast
and under part barred with blackish and white. The large white spot
on the wing, and white band on the tail, as well as its forked tip, are con-
spicuous marks when the bird is in flight.

Length 9.5-I10 inches; extent 24; wing 7.3-8.3; tail 4.3-4.8; bill .25.

Distribution. Breeds from southern Yukon, Keewatin and New-
foundland south to the Gulf States and westward to the edge of the Great
Plains, and winters in South America from Brazil to Argentina. In New
York it is found in every county of the State as a summer resident, but
is somewhat local in its breeding. In the wilder portions of the State it
still nests on the rocks and the rugged field, but in the more thickly inhabited
districts, on the flat tops of buildings. Dates of spring arrival are rather
uncertain, but it is evident that the Nighthawk reaches this State from
the 1st to the 15th of May. In the fall it is last seen from the Ist to the
20th of September. During the autumn migrations, especially in the month
of August, this species is much more numerous than at any other time of
the year, and is seen in all portions of the State, even where it is unknown
as a summer resident, often appearing in large flocks. Various observers
have reported great scattering troops of thousands and thousands of night-

hawks from the vicinity of Oneida lake and from Chautauqua county during

168 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

the month of August. These flights usually progress ina southwesterly
direction. This would seem to indicate that the principal line of migra-
tion extends down the Ohio-Mississippi valley. I have noticed these
flights several years in Erie county passing in this same general direction.
Habits. The Nighthawk is much more diurnal in habits than

the Whippoorwill, and frequently
is seen flying about in the bright
daylight high in the air, with slow,
measured wing strokes, occasion-
ally darting swiftly downward; at
other times with rapid flapping of
the wings succeeded by a graceful
soaring. The wings appear ex-
tremely long and crooked. As
the birds fly about seeking for
beetles, flies, moths and other in-
sects, they occasionally give voice
to aloud nasal ‘‘ peent, peent,”’ and
sometimes to a squeaky, querulous
“« aék-aék.”’ In the mating season
when the Nighthawk is wheeling
about high in the air, he suddenly

- plunges headlong toward the earth
but, just before striking the ground,
suddenly glides upward again, at

Nighthawk’s eggs on gravel roof

the same time producing a roaring sound by the air rushing through
the wing feathers, which has been likened to the noise made by blowing
across the mouth of an empty bottle, or the bunghole of a barrel.
Although the Nighthawk is frequently seen in cloudy weather during
the middle of the day, he certainly prefers to hunt in the evening and
early morning, and his notes are often heard late at night as he hawks
about for insects high in the air. Like the Whippoorwill, the Nighthawk

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 169

when he perches on a tree, is obliged to alight on the larger branches and
to sit lengthwise of the branch, on account of his small, weak feet which
are unable to clasp the twigs like those of true perching birds. This species
is more often found resting in tnis manner among forest and shade trees
than is the case with the Whippoorwill, but it is evident that he prefers
the ground or rocks and the flat tops of buildings. It frequently alights
on the ledges of chimneys and the cornices of tall buildings to wait for
the bright light of noonday to pass by. Although the Nighthawk, like
the Whippoorwill, feeds largely on moths, a much greater percentage of
its food consists of beetles and flies, as would be expected from its more
diurnal habits, but it is, nevertheless, a very beneficial species and ought
to be stringently protected in all localities. In the southern states it is
‘called “‘ bull-bat,”” and is destroyed in immense numbers by southern
“sportsmen,” but this habit,I am glad to say, is passing out of vogue
through the influence of the Audubon Society. The Nighthawk lays her
eggs on a bare rock or the waste field or an open patch of ground in the
woods or on the gravel-covered roofs of buildings in our cities and villages.
They are 2 in number, almost elliptical in shape, of a grayish white ground
color densely spotted and blotched with blackish, grayish and lavender.
They average 1.20 by .86 inches in dimensions. The young are covered
with a grayish down and are.practically invisible as they sit among the
gravel or on the rough stones where they are hatched. The old Night-
hawk protects them at the risk of her life and tries to draw the intruder
away by fluttering along as if with broken wing to lure him from them.

Suborder CY PSELI
Family MICROPODIDAE

Swifts

Palate aegithognathous; bill deeply fissirostral; rectrices 10; second-
aries only 7 in number; nostrils exposed; wings extremely long, pointed
and thin, both the distal joints and the primaries being remarkably
elongated; feet weak, small, rather skinny than scaly; tarsus usually naked;
lateral and middle toes nearly of the same length; the hind toe more or

170 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

less versatile or turned sidewise; the formula of the phalanges is usually
abnormal, 2—-3-3-3; the claws are very sharp and curved, but none of them
pectinate as in the Goatsuckers; plumage compact, hard, somber colored;
sternum deeply keeled, broad behind, usually with no notches; there is
no ambiens, semitendinosus, accessory semitendinosus or accessory femoro-
caudal; the coeca are wanting; oil gland naked; the salivary glands highly
developed, furnishing an abundant secretion used in the construction of
their nests; the eggs are several, white and narrowly oval in shape; the
young are naked and perfectly helpless.

The characteristics of this family are practically those of the suborder,
and the 100 members of it are widely distributed in the temperate and
tropical regions. The single representative of the family which is found
in New York State belongs to the subfamily of Spine-tailed swifts, with
mucronate tail feathers, helping it in clinging to upright surfaces like the
interior of hollow trees, differing also from the typical swifts in having
the joints of the front toes 3-4-5 in number.

Swifts, like the swallows and the goatsuckers, are very beneficial
as they are exclusively insectivorous in diet, feeding on flying insects which
they destroy in immense numbers. Although some parasitic hymenoptera
are devoured, the majority of these insects are destructive to agricultural
interests as well as to the peace and comfort of humanity. The swifts
have practically abandoned the hollow trees which they occupied both
for roosting and nesting sites before the advent of white men in America
and, on the whole, have profited by the change to the civilized conditions
which prevail over the greater portion of the country; but many people
nowadays cover their chimneys with screens so that the swifts can not
enter, or inadvertently build fires in those occupied by the swifts and
destroy the young birds late in summer. Those who wish to encourage
the swifts, but can not furnish them with disused chimneys during the
nesting season, can assist them by erecting dummy chimneys (even those
constructed of boards will serve the purpose) 6 to 8 feet in depth, which
they will appropriate and thus rear their young in comfort and furnish
abundant amusement to those nature lovers who wish to observe their
nesting operations.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK I7I

Chaetura pelagica (Linnaeus)
Chimney Swift

Hirundo pelagica Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 10. 1758. 1: 192

Chaetura pelasgia DeKay. Zool. of N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 35, fig. 58

Chaetura pelagica A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 200. No. 423
chaetura, Gr., yay, bristle, and dex, tail; peldgica, Lat., pelagic, marine, (without

evident application to this bird’s habits)

Description. Wings very long; tail. short, square and the shafts pro-
jecting some distance beyond the vanes, as little sharp spines; beak short,
but the gape very extensive; feet
very short and small but the claws
sharp and curved; plumage dark
sooty in color; wings and tail darker,
throat and breast fading to a dull
grayish.

Length 4.8-5.6 inches; extent
12.5; wing 4.95—5.25; tail 1.9-2.

The Swift or Chimney “ swal-
” as it is commonly called, is

low
never seen perching on trees or
telegraph wires, but always flying
through the air. It may be recog-
nized by its general sooty coloration
and the rapid wheeling or flickering
flight alternating with occasional
soaring. His appearance in the air
has been aptly likened to a winged
cigar or a flying spruce cone.
Distribution. The Chimney Spa
swift inhabits eastern North America Chimney Sais ssa erens
from Saskatchewan, Quebec and Newfoundland south to the gulf and west
to the Great Plains, wintering south of the United States probably in
Central America. In New York State it is uniformly distributed and breeds
in every county. It is one of the dominant species which are very slightly

172 NEW YORK STATE. MUSEUM

affected by the advance of civilization, and is even positively benefited
by it until people screen their chimneys to prevent the roaring caused by
the entrance and exit of birds early in the morning. In the depths of the
Adirondack wilderness this species is fairly common, breeding in the gable
ends of old deserted lumbermen’s shacks or in the settlers’ chimneys and
possibly, at times, in hollow trees.

Habits. As already stated, the Chimney swift is never observed,
as many suppose, ranged along the telegraph wires with our various species
of swallows. Near the ‘ Free Bridge,” 4 miles below Cayuga, there is
a large hollow tree in which swifts still roost after the primeval fashion,
and another near Scottsville, within sight of the railroad station, about
which thousands of swifts may be seen circling in the evening air before
going to rest within the hollow trunk. Nearly every village or city can
boast at least one large chimney on church or schoolhouse that harbors
multitudes of swifts every night late in summer. It is an interesting sight
to watch these swifts as they wheel about such an old chimney in the August
and September evenings and, when the magic moment arrives, pour down
its capacious mouth in a living cascade. It seems impossible for this
species to perch, but it always alights on some perpendicular surface like
the inside of a large hollow tree or the inner surface of a chimney or the
perpendicular boards at the gable end of a barn or shed. In this position
it sleeps, clinging with its sharp claws to the irregular surface and using
its spiny tail as a support. The swift is seen abroad early in the morning
and late in the afternoon, but in cloudy weather comes out at any time of
day and evidently can see well in the bright sunlight, for it frequently hunts
or seeks materials for its nest during the brightest weather. They begin
to construct the nest in May or early June, the small twigs of which it
is formed being broken from the dead branches of some shade tree by the
bird flying directly against the tip of the twig and snapping it off. Mr
Fuertes asserts that they grasp the twig with their claws as they fly against
it and thus bear it away. I will confess that I have been unable to see
them execute this performance although I have tried on dozens of occasions.

ce a

en Oo

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 173

At any rate, the twigs are carried into the chimney and are cemented to
the wall and to each other by a gelatinous substance secreted by the salivary
glands of the bird itself. When completed, the nest is like a little semi-
circular bracket slightly hollowed downward. The eggs are placed on
this framework of twigs without lining. They are 4 to 6 in number, oval-
elliptical in shape, pure white in color, and average .82 by .50 inches
in diameter. In food the swift is wholly insectivorous, and does an
immense amount of good destroying beetles, flies and gnats, which he devours
in countless multitudes. The Chimney swift, as he darts by, frequently

Photo by Clarence F. Stone
Chimney swift’s nest and eggs

utters a rapid chipper something like the syllable chip-chip-chip, rapidly
repeated, and I have heard a loud cheeping in the chimney, evidently
uttered by the young birds. One of the earliest impressions of my boy-
hood was the curious roaring caused by the wings of parent swifts as they
came and went from their nests at daybreak. This unfortunate habit
of early rising has brought the Chimney swift into bad repute in many
civilized communities, too great zeal in the service of the citizens while
destroying the gnats, flies and mosquitoes which annoy them, closing even

174 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

the chimneys of the village against these beneficent birds whose only
offense is to make a little noise by starting too early in the morning in
pursuit of our enemies.

Suborder TROCHILI

Family TROCHILIDAE

Hummingbirds

Bill long and slender; palate schizognathous; the sternum deeply
keeled, not notched; no manubrium; ambiens, semitendinosus and its
accessory are wanting; femoro-caudal present; the oil gland bare; tail with
10 rectrices; primaries 10; secondaries only 6 and very short; feet very
small, the hallux incumbent; radius arched; carpus very much elongated;
tongue protrusible like that of woodpeckers; the left carotid artery only
is developed; nostrils linear.

This family averages the smallest in size of all the aves. The
coloration is usually brilliant with metallic iridescence. The sexes are
unlike. Voices harsh or insectlike. Disposition pugnacious. The
nest is usually a model of skill, very neatly constructed of fibers or
downy substances and usually ornamented, at least in our native species,
with various lichens or mosses which render it inconspicuous. The eggs
in this family are 2 in number as is the case with goatsuckers, but they are
pure white in color and almost elliptical in shape. The young are helpless
when hatched, nearly bare, and are fed for some time in the nest by the
process of regurgitation, the parent bird forcing the bill well down the
youngster’s throat and discharging the contents of her crop into the
youngster’s stomach. The family is evidently of neotropical origin, the
565 species being confined to America, only one inhabiting the eastern
United States.

Hummers do not subsist entirely upon nectar or the honey of flowers,
as many believe, but are really insectivorous birds, devouring 2 considerable
number of small spiders, ants and various kinds of insects that are attracted
to the flowers which they visit. In this way they render a considerable
service to the agriculturist and are also valuable servants in cross-pol-
linating many species of flowers, sharing this important office with the

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 175

bees and larger moths. They are also valuable neighbors of the helpless
inhabitants of garden and orchard. Although they are so slight in size,
they attack fearlessly and effectively marauding crows and hawks which
approach their domains, and their brilliant and interesting presence, aside
from any service they render, is ample reward for protecting them.

Archilochus colubris (Linnaeus)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Plate 65

Trochilus colubris Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.1o. 1758. 1: 120
DeKay. Zool. of N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 46, fig. 87
Archilochus colubris A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p.202. No. 428
archilochus, perhaps named from the Greek poet; cdlubris, probably from the
barbarous name colibri

Description. Our smallest bird. Wings long; bill long and slender.
Male: Upper parts bright metallic green; wings and tail fuscous, tinged
with purplish; throat, metallic ruby red changing to black and burnished
gold as the angle of reflection varies, the ruby throat-patch bordered
below with whitish; the rest of under parts dusky tinged with greenish on
the sides. Female has the throat whitish instead of ruby. NOONE resemble
the female, but throat feathers spotted with dusky.

Length @ 3.5 inches, 2 3.85; extent 4.6; wing 0 16, Q 1.8; tail
@ei2s, ¢ 1.2; bill co .55-.65, 2 .75.

Distribution. The Ruby-throated hummingbird inhabits eastern
North America from Saskatchewan and Quebec to the Gulf of Mexico,
- westward to North Dakota and Texas, and spends the winter from southern
Florida and Louisiana to Mexico and Panama. In New York it is a
common summer resident in all parts of the State from the more cultivated
portions of southern New York to the densest forests of the Adirondack
region. While surveying the country about Mt Marcy and the other

: elevated peaks of the Adirondacks we found this species nearly as common

as in the orchards and groves of western New York and noticed several
% breeding pairs in the forests of the Bartlett range, Boreas pond, Mt Colvin

= and the slopes of Mt Marcy at an elevation of 3500 feet. The humming-
-_ pird arrives in New York from the 5th to the 12th of May in the warmer

176 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

portions of the State and a few days later in the northern counties. In the
fall the last birds are usually seen from the Ist to the 12th of September
in the northern counties and from the 20th to the 30th of September in
the warmer portions of the State. As with most species of birds, the males
usually precede the females several days in the spring migration, but mated
pairs are usually found by the 20th to the 25th of May and the building of
the nest often begins as early as the 30th of the month.

Habits. Everyone knows the Ruby-throated hummingbird, which

Photo by Clarence F. Stone
Ruby-throated hummingbird’s nest and eggs

is the only species of this family that visits the eastern United States.
It comes familiarly to the cultivated flowers on the window sill, the
honeysuckles which climb the trellises beside porches, and the trumpet
flowers which grow beside the door of the country home. It visits every
flower bed when in bloom, and almost all the blossoming trees, especially
apple trees—and the red buckeye more than anyother species. Frequently
as many as a dozen hummingbirds may be seen about a red buckeye when
it is in full bloom. In late summer the swamp thistle is a great favorite
with the hummers. There is no doubt that hummingbirds visit flowers

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 177

for the sake of their nectar, but they also feed upon the small insects which
are attracted to the flowers by the honey, and also on the small spiders
which are found on both the flowers and the foliage of the plant. Tame
hummingbirds will live on sugar solution and honey, but will not thrive
for any length of time without the addition of insect food. While watching
a hummingbird, one is impressed with the ease and rapidity of its flight
and especially with its ability to change its course at an instant’s warning.
When attacking larger birds to drive them away from its nest—and he is

Photo by James H. Miller

Ruby-throated hummingbird on nest

perfectly capable of driving away the largest hawks, crows and eagles—he
flies at the intruder like a bullet; but just before striking, will back off as
rapidly as he advanced so as to put his enemy in absolute confusion. I have
often seen a hummingbird fly directly at an object so rapidly that he almost
crashed into it, and then just before reaching it back off in perfect unconcern.
He is at home flying across wide expanses of open fields or across the surface
of the lake. I frequently notice them crossing lakes two or more miles
in width without any more hesitation than going from flower to flower; and

178 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

although they seem to fly much more rapidly on account of their small
size, it is perfectly evident to one who studies their flight carefully that
they travel at the rate of 30 to 50 miles an hour. The hummingbird is
rather pugnacious and rarely permits others of the same species, or any
birds, to approach his nesting site. When chasing away intruders, he
usually utters a rapid chirping note while making the attack. Many
people have maintained that they have never seen a hummingbird at
rest except upon its nest, but
it frequently alights on dead
twigs and telegraph wires and
will often sit for many minutes
sunning and preening itself on
the lofty twigs of dead trees in
the forest. The nest of this
species is one of the most beauti-
ful constructed by any of our
native birds. It is composed of
~ the fluffy fibers from seed gossa-
mers, the downy covering of
young fern leaves, and other
soft cottony substances, which
are bound together with spiders’
webs and the whole carefully

covered with green and gray

See Se]

; hots by Ciattace P.stone lichens so skilfully that it resem-
ee eer bles a small, mossy knot. It
is usually saddled upon a branch about the size of a walking stick or on
the horizontal crotch of a limb from 6 to 40 feet from the ground. The ‘|
eggs are always 2 in number, pure white in color, nearly elliptical in shape,
and average .50 by .36 inches in size. The young at first have com-
paratively short, stubby beaks and are nearly naked, but the feathers

rapidly develop and the beaks become longer and slimmer. In Io days

b =)
a
i
4 F.
»
ts

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 179

after hatching the young are about ready to leave the nest. They are
fed from the beginning by regurgitation. The old bird, perching on the
rim of the nest and directing her beak vertically downward into the young
bird’s gullet, proceeds to pump the contents of her crop into the greedy
youngster. In the case of nearly every nest which I have watched, I

a _ became apprehensive lest some harm had overtaken the young birds

because they disappeared so suddenly after 9 or 10 days; but I have become
convinced that they remain in the nest only 10 days, and then follow the

‘old birds to some secure spot where they are fed for several days longer
before they forage for themselves.

Order PASSE RES
Perching Birds

“Oil gland nude; skull aegithognathous; atlas perforated by the
_odontoid process; I carotid, left; coeca present, small; muscle formula
AX Y; no biceps slip or expansor secondariorum ” (Beddard). First
toe is directed backward and is on a level with the front toe, that i is, per-
fectly incumbent; none of the other toes are ever changed in position;
the sternum usually has a forked manubrium and a single pair of notches

on the rear; the aftershaft is very weak and downy; the flexor hallucis is
wholly independent of the flexor communis; the syrinx is well developed

with numerous intrinsic muscles to regulate the voice; the formula of the

toe joints is 2-3-4-5; primaries are 9 or 10 in number; the tail usually of

12 rectrices. In reproductive nature they are all psilopaedic and altricial
in nature, the young being born weak, helpless and nearly naked, and

_ brooded and cared for by the parents for a long time in the nest.

In this order the high-strung life of bird nature reaches its highest

development, the nervous system being acutely sensitive, the special senses
keenly developed, at least those of sight and hearing, the circulation and

respiration rapid, and the temperature the highest among animals. This

; __ is also the largest ordinal group of birds, including nearly all our familiar

land birds and over one-half of the entire number of birds. The order is

- subdivided according to the development of the syrinx and its intrinsic
muscles, as well as the condition of the tarsus.

12

180 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Suborder CLAMATORES

This suborder, which is also called Mesomyodi or Clamatores, includes
the so-called screamers or nonmelodious Passeres, in which the syrinx is
less fully developed and has less than 4 pairs of intrinsic muscles. These
muscles are inserted at the muddle of the upper bronchial half rings. The
tarsus is scutelliplantar; toes scutellate and not laminate; there are 10
fully developed primaries.

This suborder in North America includes only the flycatchers and
cotingas, the flycatchers alone being represented in New York. In general
appearance, habits and voice they are easily distinguishable from the rest
of the Passerine birds, although some of them actually sing as complicated
songs as many representatives of the Oscines or true songbirds.

Family TYRANNIDAE

American Flycatchers

Family characters. Tarsi covered with rows of scutella forming
cylindrical plates enveloping the tarsus like a segmented scroll; primaries
10, the first well developed and often the longest; tail feathers 12; wing
coverts more than half the length of the secondaries; hind claw as long as
the middle claw; feet small and weak; tarsus short; the front toes coherent
at the base, especially the outer to the middle; bill broad and flattened,
gradually tapering to a sharp point, abruptly bent downward near the
tip, and notched at the beginning of the bend; bill very light, the upper
mandible partly hollow; culmen smooth and transversely arched; com-
missure nearly straight to the bend; nostrils near the base of the bill, small
and round, sparsely concealed by bristles; gape large, reaching nearly
beneath the eye, its angles furnished with flaring bristles; wing and tail
ample; shoulders broad; short neck; large head; short legs; coloration of
our native species mostly somber, without spots or streaks.

In this family about 83 genera are described, all American, being well
represented in tropical America. Of the New York species, 3 or 4 resemble
each other so closely that it is almost impossible to distinguish them in
the field; but they differ individually in habitat, notes, nesting site, structure
of the nest, and marking of the eggs, so that these particulars are more
diagnostic in field work than the appearance of these species. Our fly-

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 181

catchers usually choose exposed perches from which to watch for passing
insects, which they pursue and capture on the wing, usually returning
to the same station from which they started. In disposition they are
rather quarrelsome birds, the family character reaching its climax in the
Kingbird which will not tolerate rivals within his sphere of influence, and
will even drive eagles, hawks and crows far away from the vicinity of
its nest.

The food of our flycatchers is almost entirely composed of insects
and all the species are probably beneficial. It is unfortunate that so many
of the parasitic Hymenoptera are included in the food of some of the smaller
species like the Wood pewee, and that bees are frequently destroyed by
the Kingbird, as well as others of the larger flycatchers; but the work of
the Biological Survey in investigating this subject has shown that the
percentage of bees and beneficial Hymenoptera is so low that it is practi-
cally a negligible quantity, and that all the flycatchers, even the Kingbird,
should be regarded as beneficial. In the fall, flycatchers, especially the
Kingbird, frequently resort to a diet of fruit, but this, even in the fall
and winter, amounts to only a smail percentage of the entire food and
none of the flycatchers has been reported as destructive to the small cul-
tivated fruits grown in this section.

The following table will serve to show in detail, from an examination
of stomach contents, exactly of what the food of these birds consists.

Food of New York flycatchers'

s D s
$ 5.2 & e221 .8| .33 ad
2 > 3. ot go E 6 § >
£ |os|ea] seal ¢.| | 32] & gi | $23 #8
New York Species “3 aes a3 gas 5 & § ¢| 8 Se = 4. 4 a
ms & Ae x 35 « 2
88 83 a8 oe go] os ¥ z B35 B 2 BE é S 33
- a 2) q q ra) a
Lt AR aan 88.93 4 07 a 35 oie 3 7 3 be Ir 83 ae Ai a ae! 36
See ETCHED. case 93.70 30] 16.7 13. 14.26] 3 15.62 d , 7
Sanaa Papas wieis 89 23] 10.77] 15.33] 26.69] 10.38} 6.89) 12.91 8:86 $17 ° 4.99] 5 78
Olive-sided = ome acme bhatt 99.95 05 24) 82.56] 3.25) 1.12 4.13] 1.77 ° -04 or
Wood pewee............. 98.97| 1.03] 14.23 28.20} 5.99] 29.08 3.44) 12.31] 2.61 2.21 -84 19
Yellow-bellied fiyeaicher. 97.01} 2.90] 16.53 46.25 .16] 14.890 ° 5.68) .98 8.52] 2.51 48
Acadian flycatcher. . 97.05} 2.95| 13.76 39.93 -03| 8.15 6.38 18.87 .99 2.94) 2.68 -27
Alder flycatcher.......... 96.05} 3.95] 17.80 41.37] 7.24] 14.20] . 3.91 7.73| 2.77 -94| 3.88 .07
Least flycatcher.......... 97.83| 2.17] 21.35 41.10] If.12) 11.34 2.59) 7.27 +95 2.11] 1.83 -39

1From Bulletin 44, Biological Survey, U.S. Department of Agriculture

182 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Tyrannus tyrannus (Linnaeus)
Kingbird
Plate 67

Lanius tyrannus Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 10. 1758. 1:94

Tyrannus intrepidus DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 117, fig. 72

Tyrannus tyrannus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. ror10. p. 298. No. 444
tyrdnnus, Lat., a tyrant

Description. Upper parts grayish slate color; the wing feathers

Photo by James H. Miller

Young kingbirds

blackish; tail black, tipped with white; under parts white, a grayish tinge on
the sides of breast; top of the head blackish concealing a brilliant orange
patch which flashes into view when the bird is excited; bill blackish.

Length 8.40-8.75 inches; extent 14-15; wing 4.65; tail 3.56; bill .60.

The slaty upper parts of this bird, his white throat and under parts,
blackish tail with sharp white tip, combined with his ordinary quivering
and soaring flight low over the fields, with tail spread, make him one of
the easiest of our common birds for the amateur to recognize.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 183

Distribution. The Kingbird breeds from British Columbia, Macken-
zie, Quebec and Newfoundland south to New Mexico and Florida, and
spends the winter from southern Mexico to Bolivia and British Guiana.
In New York it is a common summer resident in all portions of the State
except the interior of the densely forested regions, but it invades the Catskill
and Adirondack districts along the clearings and river valleys to the edge
of the spruce and balsam forests. In the cultivated portions it is one of
the commonest of our dominant species, among the flycatchers ranking
next to the Phoebe and the Wood pewee in abundance. It arrives from
the south from the 25th of April to the 1oth of May and departs for the
south from September 15th to 3oth.

Habits. The Kingbird inhabits orchards, pastures, hedgerows and
roadsides. It is a common sight to see this bird seated on the top of a
mullein stalk, fence post, telegraph wire or the peak of an apple tree, on
the lookout for beetles, bees, grasshoppers, moths and flying insects of all
_ kinds. Whenever he sees an attractive insect he swoops down and snaps
- him up with perfect precision. If a hawk or crow approaches the limits of
_ his domain he immediately gives chase. Mounting above the intruder he
darts down and striking him on the top of the head or the: back drives him
rapidly from the neighborhood. In this way he renders efficient service in
keeping crows and hawks away from the chicken yard. On the other hand,
most beekeepers denounce the Kingbird because of the great number of
bees which he destroys. Examination of stomachs, however, has shown
repeatedly that he prefers the drones to the worker bees, and consequently
does no great damage; but unquestionably at times he becomes too destruc-
tive when he makes his home in the immediate vicinity of a beehive. The
nest of the Kingbird is usually constructed in an apple tree, thorn bush
or shade tree of any species, at a height of from 6 to 20 feet from the ground.
I have even known of its being placed on the top of an old fence post and
in vines overrunning a stone wall. It is composed of straws, weeds and
roots, lined with rootlets, soft bark, fine grasses, hair and wool. The eggs
are usually 4 to 5 in number laid from the 25th of May to the 15th of June,

184 = NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

a rich creamy white in color rather coarsely spotted with reddish brown,
chocolate and lavender, mostly in a wreath near the larger end. They
are oval in shape and measure I by .74 inches. The notes of the Kingbird
are loud, the commonest being a rapidly repeated rattling call resembling
remotely the rattle of a Kingfisher. The researches of the Biological
Survey have shown that their food consists principally of beetles, flies,
grasshoppers and members of the bee family.

Tyrannus dominicensis (Gmelin)
Gray Kingbird

Lanius dominicensis Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1788. 1:302
Tyrannus dominicensis A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 208. No. 445
dominicénsis, of St Domingo

Description. Upper parts plumbeous gray. The adults have con-
cealed orange crown patch; lower parts white; fail emarginate, without a
white ttp.

Length 9-9.75 inches; wing 4.5~-4.75; tail 3.5-4; bill large, length
from nostril .8.

Distribution. The Gray kingbird is an inhabitant of the southeastern
United States from South Carolina to the Greater Antilles; winters in the
Lesser Antilles, Mexico and Central America. In New York it is only
an accidental visitant, a single specimen having been obtained at Seetauket,
Long Island, in Suffolk county, 30 miles east of New York and reported in
‘“‘ Forest and Stream,” volume 2, 1874, page 373. Specimens of this species
have been obtained similarly in Maine and New Jersey, but it rarely wanders
north of Carolina.

Tyrannus verticalis Say
Arkansas Kingbird

Tyrannus verticalis Say. Long’s Exped. 1823. 2:60 (note)
A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p.209. No. 447
verticdlis, Lat., pertaining to vertex, the top or head, in allusion to the brilliant crown
patch of the adult

Description. Head, neck and back light ashy gray; wings dusky
brown; tail black, the outer feathers with white outer webs; a concealed

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 185

ia a crown patch; belly yellow; young, duller colored, with no crown
atch.
P Length 8.5-9.5 inches; wing o 4.75-5.25; tail even or slightly emar-
ginate 3.7-4; bill from nostril .5.

Distribution. The Arkansas kingbird, a western species, has been
_ taken accidentally in the eastern part of the United States, in Iowa, New
Jersey, Maine and the District of Columbia. A single specimen from
New York, taken at Riverdale October 19, 1875, an immature male, is
recorded by E. P. Bicknell in the Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological

Club, volume 4, page 60.

Myiarchus crinitus (Linnaeus)
Crested Flycatcher
Plate 67

Turdus crinitus Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. 1758. Ed. 10. 1:170

Tyrannus crinitus DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 119, fig. 70 -

Myiarchus crinitus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910, p.210. No. 452
myidrchus, Gr., wuta, fly, and aey6c, ruler; crinitus, Lat., haired or crested

Description. Upper parts olive; throat and breast ash gray; belly and
under tail coverts sulphur yellow; tail from below shows all the inner webs
rufous, many of the wing feathers also rufous on the inner webs; head °
somewhat crested.

Length 8.75-9.15 inches; extent 13-14; wing 3.9-4.4; tail 3.6-4.2;
bill from nostril .6; tarsus .8. ,

Distribution. The Crested flycatcher is a summer inhabitant of
eastern North America from the gulf coast to New Brunswick and Ontario;
winters from southern Florida to Central America. in New York State
it is a common summer resident in the warmer districts and fairly common
on the uplands above 1000 feet, but is practically absent from the interior
of the Catskill and Adirondack forests, although it invades the valleys
almost to the heart of those regions. It arrives from the 25th of April
to the 12th of May and disappears in the fall between the 1st and the
25th of September. During some seasons this flycatcher rivals the King-
bird and the Wood pewee in abundance, but, in general, is less common ~

186 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

than either the Kingbird, Phoebe, Wood pewee or Least flycatcher, though
commoner and more generally distributed than the other members of
the family. The Crested flycatcher is more confined to the groves and
forests than the Kingbird and though often seen occupying exposed posi-
tions on tops of dead trees or fence posts, is rarely observed far from the
friendly shelter of abundant foliage. His loud shrill whistle which sounds
like the syllable ‘“‘wheep’’ and resembles somewhat a similar cry of the
Red-headed woodpecker may be heard for one-fourth of a mile and serves
inevitably to call attention to this bird wherever he has established his
home. He is the brightest colored of all our flycatchers and is a bird of
great courage and interesting habits. The nest is usually concealed in
a hollow tree or old woodpecker’s hole at a height of 15 to 50 feet from the
ground, composed of grasses, rootlets, hair, pine needles and invariably
the cast off skin of a snake is woven among the contents of the nest, to act
as some have fancied, as a terrifier of red squirrels and Red-headed wood-
peckers which might see fit to attack the eggs or young. The eggs are
usually 4 in number, sometimes 5 or 6, the ground color a rich cream,
profusely marked with ‘‘ pen streaks’’ of chocolate and reddish brown.
. They average .92 by .68 inches in dimensions. After the mating and
breeding season this flycatcher is less noisy and often escapes attention
so that he is supposed to depart for the south early in August, but if one
searches carefully in his haunts among the foliage and watches for his
spirited sallies in quest of flying insects, it is evident that he has not deserted
his favorite groves but remains with us to the date stated above. The
Kingbird and Crested flycatcher are both valuable on account of their
preference for the larger flying insects, especially beetles, like the June
beetles and other large Coleoptera which are shunned by our smaller
species.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 187

Sayornis phoebe (Latham)
Phoebe

Plate 67

Muscicapa phoebe Latham. Index Orn. 1790. 2: 489
Muscicapa fusca DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 115, fig. 67
Sayornis phoebe A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. roro. p. 212. No. 456

sayérnis, from the name of Thomas Say and Gr., épvt¢, bird; phéebe, in imitation of its
note

Description. Upper parts grayish brown; the top of the head notice-
‘ably darker, almost blackish; wings and tail fuscous; wing bars almost
indistinguishable; under parts dingy white, tinged with brownish gray
on the breast and sides, and washed with yellowish on the belly; bill
blackish.

Length 7 inches; extent 11.25; wing 3.4; tail 3.5; bill .45.

The Phoebe may be distinguished from the Wood pewee by its
blackish under mandible, the whitish outer vane of the outer tail feather
and the fuscous crown. It is also slightly larger and more brownish,

a scarcely showing any olive or greenish tinge on the upper parts. Its note

~ also, a two syllabled call of pe-wee or phoebe is clearly different from the

three syllabled plaintive pee-a-wee of its smaller relative.

Distribution. The Phoebe inhabits eastern America from Alberta,
Keewatin, Quebec and New Brunswick to New Mexico, Mississippi and
Georgia, and winters from latitude 37 southward to Vera Cruz. In New
York it is probably the commonest member of the flycatcher family, being
‘a summer resident throughout the State except in the spruce and balsam
forests of the Catskills and Adirondacks. It arrives from the south from
the 15th of March to the toth of April and departs for more southern
latitudes from October 15th to 30th.

Habits. The Phoebe bird prefers the vicinity of water. It usually

a constructs its nest on the timbers of a bridge, or on the shaly overhanging
bank of some stream, or on the beams of the lakeside cottage or on the

veranda post, or beneath the shed or eaves of the barn. In fact, nearly
any position which is sheltered from the rain and storm is suitable for this
bird. It has adapted itself both to civilized conditions and to the wilder-
ness. Like all flycatchers, the Phoebe chooses a conspicuous lookout from

(o7)

18 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

which it darts upon any passing insect and returns to its chosen perch,
always pumping its tail decidedly as soon as it alights, and frequently
while seated. The note which is often heard and has given it its
common name consists of the two syllables ‘‘Phoe-be”’ or ‘‘ pee-wee,”

Photo by Ralph S. Paddock
Phoebe’s nest and eggs

which also distinguishes the bird from the Wood peewee whose note con-
sists of three syllables. The Phoebe begins to construct her nest as early
as the third week in April and the first sets of eggs are to be found from
the 20th of April to the middle of May. The eggs are usually 5 in number,

Pe a

a

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 189

sometimes 4 or 6; creamy white in color, rather broadly oval in shape,
sometimes with a few fine reddish brown spots; average size .79 by .60
inches. Two broods are reared in a season in this State, but rarely in
the same nest, for before the young are able to fly they and the whole
nesting site usually become infested with innumerable small reddish lice
which sometimes kill the young birds and render the nest uninhabitable
for the remainder of the season. This pitiful misfortune of the Phoebe
bird has made her an unwelcome neighbor about the summer camp, and
many nests are destroyed each season by people who might better dust
the nests and young with insect powder and thus protect themselves and
the birds alike from the unwelcome parasites.

Nuttallornis borealis (Swainson)
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Plate 67

Tyrannus borealis Swainson. Fauna Bor.-Am. 1831 (1832). 2: 141, pl. 35
Tyrannus ccoperi DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 118, fig. 73
Nuttallornis borealis A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p.213. No. 459

nuttall6rnis, formed from the surname of Thomas Nuttall and éovs, bird; borealis,
northern

Description. Upper parts brownish slate; wings and tail blackish;
the indistinct wing bars and edgings of the secondaries grayish; sides
brownish gray; middle line of all the under parts from throat to tail, whitish;
a conspicuous tuft of silky white feathers on the flank, usually showing on
the sides of the rump when the bird is at rest.

Length 7.2-8 inches; wing 4-4.5; tail emarginate, 2.9-3.5; bill from
nostril .54; tarsus .6.

Distribution. The Olive-sided flycatcher inhabits eastern North
America, breeding from Massachusetts to Minnesota, and in the Alleghanies
from North Carolina northward to the Hudsonian zone; winters in tropical
America. In New York State this bird is a rather uncommon transient
visitant in the greater portion of the State, arriving from the 12th to the
20th of May and passing on to the north between the 24th and 31st of

the month. In the fall they make their appearance in the coastal district

190 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

between the 15th and 3oth of August and specimens are last seen in southern
New York between the 1oth and the 30th of September. In the Catskills
and Adirondacks the Olive-sided flycatcher is a fairly common summer
resident, breeding from an altitude of 1500 feet to the highest portions of
the mountains. It inhabits the burned districts, ‘‘ slashings,’’ partially
cleared valleys and mountain slopes, spruce swamps and the borders of
flowed lands throughout this spruce and balsam belt. It has been reported
by Mr Maxon as breeding in Madison county especially about the eastern
end of Oneida lake; and one instance of its nesting not far from the city
of Albany has been reported. But aside from this, it is confined as a
summer resident to the Canadian zone not even occurring in the colder
swamps and uplands of western New York as far as I know. This bird
is a conspicuous inhabitant of the burned lands and swamps of the Adiron-
dacks, his loud whistie resembling the syllables “‘ pi-pee,’’ being audible
at a distance of half a mile. It has also a lower note like the syllable
“chip,” or “ pip-pip-pip,’ which he utters when disturbed, and also
a chatter somewhat similar to the Kingbird’s, uttered when the nest is
disturbed. Its nest is placed at a height of 25 to 40 feet, usually on the
limb of a spruce tree, and composed of roots, grasses and mosses. The
eggs are from 2 to 4 in number, deposited from the 20th to the 30th of
June. They are creamy white, spotted, especially about the larger end,
with reddish brown and lilac and measure .85 by .63 inches.

Myiochanes virens (Linnaeus)
Wood Pewee

Plate 68

Muscicapa virens Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. 1766. Ed.12. 1:327
DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 114, fig. 69
Myiochanes virens A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 213. No. 461
mytochanes, Gr., puta, fly, and probably some form of éy, to grasp (cf. 6yavov); virens,
Lat., green

Description. Upper parts olive brown; the head somewhat darker;
under parts whitish tinged with dull yellow; the breast and sides washed

BIRDS OF NEW YORK I9I

with gray. Fall specimens have the under parts more heavily tinged with
yellow; under mandible light colored toward the base.

Length 6-6.5 inches; extent 10-11; wing 3-3.45; tail 2.5-2.9, slightly
emarginate; bill from nostril .4; tarsus .51.

The Wood pewee may be distinguished from the other small flycatchers
by its larger size, from the Phoebe by being smaller and less brown, more
greenish on the upper parts. Its note, however, a plaintively whistled
“ pee-a-wee,’’ will distinguish it at a distance better than anything else,
both from the Phoebe and its smaller relatives,

Distribution. This species inhabits North America from Manitoba
and southern Quebec, south to Texas and central Florida, and winters
from Nicarauga to Peru. In New York it is universally distributed as
.a summer resident and breeds commonly in every county of the State.
It arrives from the south from the 3d to the 14th of May, in cold seasons

Photo by Clarence F. Stone

Pewee’s nest and eggs

sometimes not appearing in the northern portions till the 20th or 22d of
the month. It is last seen in the fall between the 5th and the 25th of
September. A few October records, however, have come to my notice.
In the southern part of the State it occasionally remains until October 2d
and one record of October 19th comes from Long Island.

192 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Habits. The Wood pewee inhabits orchards, shade trees, groves
and forests in all parts of the State. I have found it breeding in the
shade trees of lawns and in apple trees in the city back yard, as well as
in the midst of the Adirondack wilderness at a distance of only 4 miles
from the top of Mt Marcy. It selects a humble perch, usually one of
the lower limbs of a forest tree or an apple tree. Here it sits, occasionally
whistling its common note and giving chase now and then to the flying
insects which pass its station, returning again to the same perch after the
usual habit of its family. When slightly disturbed it utters a low ‘‘chit,”
and when its nest is in danger flies about uttering a continual “ chitter.”
The nest is usually placed on a horizontal limb or a small fork at aheight |
of from 6 to 30 feet from the ground. The outside dimensions are 2.75 by
1.75 inches and the inside dimensions 1.75 by 1.25. It is constructed
of small twigs, rootlets and grass stalks neatly matted together, and over
the outside a coating of greenish and grayish lichens is invariably affixed.
The center of the nest is so loosely constructed that when it is placed in
the horizontal fork one may see through it from the ground. In general.
appearance it resembles the hummingbird’s nest, but is less downy and
not so deep in proportion to its size. The eggs are from 2 to 4 in number,
usually 3, of a creamy white color more or less heavily spotted, usually
in a wreath near the large end of the egg, with chestnut, claret brown,
rufous and lavender. They average about .72 by .54 inches in dimensions.
The period of incubation is usually 12 days and the young remain in the
nest for 10 days or 2 weeks after hatching. This flycatcher is not commonly
accused, like the Kingbird, of feeding upon the honey bees, but confines
its diet largely to injurious insects, although it occasionally takes some
of the beneficial Hymenoptera.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 193

Empidonax flaviventris (W. M. & S. F. Baird)
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Plate 68

Tyrannula flaviventris W. M. &S. F. Baird. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila.
1843. 1: 283
Muscicapa flaviventris DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 113
Empidonax flaviventris A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 214. No. 463
empidonax, Gr., meaning gnat king; flavivéntris, Lat., yellow-bellied

Description. _ Upper parts olive green, nearly uniform in color, but
the wings with lighter bars and edgings; under parts yellow; sides of breast
somewhat washed with grayish.

This species is one of our four little flycatchers which can be identified
unmistakably at sight, its nearly uniform yellow under parts and olive
green upper parts being an infallible guide.

Length 5.4-5.8 inches; extent 8.6; wing 2.45-2.75; tail emarginate
2-2.3; bill from nostril .31; width at base .26; tarsus .66.

Distribution. The Yellow-bellied flycatcher inhabits eastern North
America from Alberta, northern Quebec and Newfoundland to North
Dakota, Michigan, New York and the mountains of Pennsylvania, and
winters from southern Mexico to Panama. In New York it is a transient
visitant, fairly common in most portions of the State, arriving from the
5th to the 19th of May, usually by the roth, and passing on to the breeding
grounds from May 30th to June 1oth. In the fall the southern migration
begins from the 4th to the 20th of August and the last have passed us
from the 2d to the 18th of September. Our Adirondack party found
them nesting in July on the damp slopes of the Geological Cobble, Indian
Head, Skylight and Mt Marcy; and after the first week of August we
found them more abundant about Elk lake, Boreas pond and similar locali-
ties. This flycatcher has also been reported as spending the summer at
Tully, N. Y., by Mr J. A. Dakin, and at Peterboro (June 15th) by Mr
Gerritt S. Miller; also reported as a summer resident of Granville, Wash-
ington county, by Mr F. T. Pember, and near Buffalo by Mr Ottomar
Reinecke. In the Canadian zone of New York it is a fairly common summer
resident, but is somewhat local in distribution inhabiting mostly the damp

194 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

shady slopes and mountains where the rocks and soil are covered with
a dense mat of green mosses and the atmosphere is continually laden with
moisture. Here it may be found from early in June to the first of August
and here it constructs its nest hidden among the moss on some fallen log
or thickly covered rock or steeply sloping bank. Its external dimensions
are 4 by 4.5 inches and the internal dimensions 2 by 1} inches, composed
of mosses, lichens and liverworts, mostly mosses of various kinds. It is
almost impossible to discover the nest except when the bird is driven from
it. The eggs are from 3 to 5 in number, usually 4, milky white, finely
spotted with rusty or cinnamon brown, and average .67 by .51 inches
in dimensions. They are laid from the 15th to the 25th of June and fresh
ones are occasionally found as late as the middle of July. The Yellow-
bellied flycatcher utters a low plaintive ‘ peeh-peeh”’ or “‘ pee-a,”’ as
some write it, or as it sounds at other times, ‘‘ pee-wick’’; another note
might be written ‘‘ ti-pee-a.” After the young are able to care for them-
selves they commonly descend from the mountainside and are found more
about the streams, swamps and lakesides.

Empidonax virescens (Vicillot)
Acadian Flycatcher

Plate 68

Platyrhynchos virescens Vieillot. Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat. 1878.
Py Ba
Empidonax virescens A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. r910. p.2rs5.. No. 465 ~
viréscens, Lat., greenish (lit. becoming green)

Description. Upper parts olive green, but lighter in shade than that
of the Yellow-bellied flycatcher; under parts white washed with pale yellowish
and slightly tinged with greenish on the breast, but the throat and the center
of the belly tawny white; wing bars and edgings of the secondaries tawny.

Length 5.75-6.25 inches; extent 9.50; wing 2.6-3.15; tail 2.25-2.75; |
bill from nostril .35; width at base .30; tarsus .65.

Distribution. This species inhabits eastern North America from
Iowa, southern Ontario, New York and Connecticut south to Texas and
northern Florida; winters in northwestern South America. In New York

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 195

State it is confined to the Carolinean faunal area, common in the lower
_ Hudson valley as far north as the lower edge of the highlands, fairly com-
mon in the western portion of Long Island, but local and uncommon in
_ Suffolk county. In the upper Hudson valley and on the lowlands of
a western New York it is very irregular in occurrence and must be regarded
as rare or certainly uncommon. Mr Bicknell found it breeding at River-
P dale from the roth to the 25th of June; Doctor Fisher called it a common
summer resident at Ossining; Mr Brownell found it a fairly common summer
resident at Nyack; Mr Roosevelt and Mr Howell found it fairly common
in the vicinity of Oyster Bay, Northport and Wood Haven, Long Island;
Mr Helm has taken two nests with eggs at Millers Place in Suffolk county.
In the interior of New York the definite records are as follows:
Amsterdam, June 5, 1885; Syracuse, May 29, 1887, Smithsonian,
Institution collection no. 162,523; Ithaca, June 4, 1899, T. L. Hankinson;
Hilton, August 14, 1903, seen by Albert H. Wright. Definite breeding
at records for the interior are: Fairhaven, July 18, 1876, see Auburn list,
_ page 23; Canandaigua, 1883, nest found by E. J. Durand; Niagara county,
June 14, 1887, female with nest and three eggs taken by J. L. Davison;
Chili, Monroe county, June 29, 1900, nest found by E. H. Short; Meridian,
Cayuga county, July 4, 1891, nest with three eggs, see Bendire, Life His-
tories, 2:302; Erie, Pa., June 26, 1899, see Todd, Birds of Erie, page 563;
Woodlawn, Monroe county, N. Y., May 30, 1909, nest seen by the author.
B: Besides these, reports of its breeding not confirmed by specimens are:
5 Buffalo, O. Reinecke; Onondaga county, A. W. Perrior; Rensselaer county,
Dr T. B. Heimstreet; Little Falls, J. R. Benton; Orleans county,
—_ O. Reinecke; Jamestown, Mrs R. R. Rogers; West Barry, C. D. Clarkson
and G. D. Gillett.
a The Acadian or Green-crested flycatcher inhabits the dense wood-
4 land, usually of second growth deciduous trees, and seems to prefer dry
situations to swampy localities. Its note is usually written “ wick-up,”
ag or “ hick-up,” often followed by a harsh, abrupt “ queep-queep "; at other

times its call sounds like ‘‘ whoty-whoty’’ (Bendire). The nest is usually
13

ae

196 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

built from 5 to 20 feet from the ground on the horizontal limb of a
deciduous shrub or tree, made of fine roots, grass, and catkins, rather
loosely constructed in flat saucer shape about 3 inches in outside diameter
and 2 inches by I inch inside dimensions. The eggs are from 2 to 4 in
number, usually 3, of a creamy ground color boldly spotted with dark,
reddish brown; average dimensions .74 by .53 inches. They are usually
laid from the 30th of May to the 15th or 25th of June.

Empidonax trailli alnorum Brewster
Alder Flycatcher
Plate 68

Empidonax traillii alnorum Brewster. Auk. April 1895. 12: 161
Empidonax trailli alnoaym A. O. U. Check List.. Ed: 3. r1oro. piers
No. 466a
trailli, to Thomas S. Traill, a Scotch naturalist

Description. Upper parts grayish brown tinged with olivaceous; wing
bars and edgings of the wing tawny whitish; under parts yellowish white
tinged on the breast with grayish; flanks and under tail coverts strongly
washed with yellowish. Lower mandible light colored; tail slightly rounded
instead of emarginate.

Length 5.5-6 inches; extent 9; wing 2.6-3; tail 2.3-2.6; bill from
nostril .34; width at base .30; tarsus .66.

Distribution. This subspecies inhabits eastern North America from
central Alaska, Keewatin, central Quebec and Newfoundland south to
Montana, southern Ontario and northern New Jersey, and the mountains
as far south as West Virginia, and winters in Central America. In New
York it is a summer resident in the greater part of the State, fairly com-
mon in the Catskills and Adirondacks and in the colder swamps of central
and western New York. It has been found breeding at Buffalo by James
Savage; Penn Yan by Verdi Burtch; Branchport by Clarence F. Stone;
West Barry by Neil F. Possun; Oneida county by Egbert Bagg; Wilmurt
by Doctor Ralph; Phelps by B. 5. Bowdish; Nyack by L. W. Brownell;
Gretna by Lispenard Horton; Cortland by H. C. Higgins; Kenwood by
W. R. Maxon; Cayuta by L. A. Fuertes; Medina by Dana C. Gillette;

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 197

the upper Ausable lake, Elk lake and Boreas pond by the author and
his assistaats in 1905. This little flycatcher has evidently extended its
range within recent years in some parts of the State, for no nests and eggs
of this species were collected in the years between 1860 and 1885 in many
portions of western New York where it is now known to breed, although
during those years the country was very thoroughly worked over by
inveterate oologists. Mr Miller (Auk, 20, 68) found it breeding at Plain-
field, N. J. It is thus evident that this species is not confined to the
Canadian zone, but is found both in the transition and the Canadian
swamps. During the migration season it occurs in nearly every portion
of the State, arriving from May 8 to 15 and passing on to its breeding
grounds between the 20th and the 3oth. In the fall the migration is
principally accomplished between the 15th and the 30th of August.

The Alder flycatcher prefers swamps more or less thickly covered.
with a low growth of alders, willows, meadowsweet and other low shrubs,
_ but is rarely found within the depths of the forest. It sometimes occupies

a rather lofty perch on a dead tree or top of an alder while singing its
peculiar song which is uttered with apparent difficulty with a swelling
of the throat and a labored jerk of the head. Doctor Dwight who heard
it in the North Woods syllabizes it ‘‘ ee-zee-e-up.”” Mr F. H. Allen writes
it ‘‘ wee-zee-up,” the ‘‘up”’ very faint. DeWitt Miller writes it “‘ grea’-
deal”’ or “‘ krateel.’’ Tom Taylor, one of my assistants in the Mt Marcy
region, insisted that the birds on the Upper Ausable marshes sang
“ bu-te-o.”” It is evident that these different attempts to write the song
of the Alder flycatcher could not refer to the same note, and in different
parts of the country he evidently sings differently. Beside this so-called
song he has a little alarm note that sounds like “ pep” or “ pip”; and
according to Bendire one like ‘‘ whuish-whuish”; and Allen noted an
emphatic “‘ ca-weet.’’ Like the Green-crested flycatcher this species usually
keeps out of sight among the foliage. It is not found in dense woodland
growths on the upland, but rather in the swampy tangles. The nest is
usually concealed in a low alder or spirea or willow or swamp rose at

.

198 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

a height of from 14 to 4 feet from the ground, and according to my experi-
ence resembles considerably the nest of the Indigo bird, ustally some
large leaves, grasses and straws forming a substantial foundation and
the interior lined with grasses, pine needles and vegetable fibers. The
outside dimensions of the nest are about 3 by 2.5 inches; inside dimensions

Photo by James H. Miller
Alder flycatcher’s nest and eggs

2 by 1.75; the eggs are 3 or 4 in number, creamy white, sprinkled with
brown, more thickly about the larger end and average .73 by .53 inches
in diameter. The dates when fresh eggs have been found vary from June
13th to 28th and a few have been taken as late as the 25th of July. The
period of incubation, as in most of the small flycatchers, is 12 days.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 199

Empidonax minimus (W. M. & S. F. Baird)
Least Flycatcher

Plate 68

Tyrannula minima W. M. &S. F. Baird. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1843.
1: 284
Empidonax minimus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1g10. p. 216. No. 467
minimus, Lat., smallest

Description. This is the smallest of all our smal! flycatchers. Upper
parts grayish brown tinged with olivaceous; wing bars and edgings whitish;
under parts dull whitish tinged across the breast with grayish brown and
washed on the flanks with light yellowish, but much whiter in general
on the under part than either the Alder or the Green-crested flycatcher.

Length 5-5.5 inches; extent 8; wing 2.2-2.6; tail slightly emarginate
2.1-2.4; bill from nostril .29, width at base .25; tarsus .65.

Distribution. The Least flycatcher or Chebeck, as it is usually called,
is a common summer resident of all portions of the State, being almost
or quite as common as the Wood pewee both in settled districts and in
the wooded hills of the ‘‘ southern tier ” and the outskirts of the Adiron-
dacks. It arrives from the south from April 25th to the 12th of May,
average date being May 3, and departs for the south from the 5th to the
25th of September. Its general distribution is from central Mackenzie,
Quebec and Cape Breton southward to Nebraska, Indiana, Pennsylvania
and New Jersey, and its winter range from northeastern Mexico to Panama
and Peru. ,

The haunts of the Least flycatcher are the garden, orchard, grove
and open woodland. He is more often seen in exposed positions than
either the Alder, Green-crested or Yellow-bellied flycatchers and is a rather
familiar bird of orchard lands, sitting on the top of the apple tree or the
telegraph wire, uttering continually his chebeck or sebic with a slight jerk
of the head. At other times it seems to say “ s-slick-s-slick”’ or ‘‘ sewick.”’
It has also a call note which resembles the syllable ‘‘ whit’’ and is some-
times seen hovering over the trees where the nest is concealed twittering
a low “ whit-wee-wee.’’ The nest is a compactly felted structure, more
delicate in appearance than that of any of our other small flycatchers,

200 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

and resembles somewhat a Goldfinch’s nest, mostly composed of gray
plant fibers and cottony down, feathers, hair and a few grasses, placed
in the upright crotch of a tall bush or small tree 10 to 25 feet from the
ground. The outside dimensions are about 3 by 2.5 inches, the inside
dimensions 2 by 1.5. The eggs are 3 or 4 in number, milk white in color,
the average size .65 by .50 inches. Fresh eggs are found from May: 20
to 30, or in the northern counties from the 5th to the 15th of June.

Suborder OSCINES
Songbirds

Syrinx with 4 or 5 pairs of intrinsic muscles. These are inserted
at the ends of the 3 upper bronchial half rings, thereby producing a greater
flexibility and effectiveness of the voice apparatus. The tarsus is bilami-
nate, each side being covered with a horny plate meeting its mate behind
inasharp ridge. The primaries are g or 10, the first often short or spurious.

This suborder includes the greater number of our perching birds which
are characterized by the complexity of their song. They all have the
bilaminate tarsus, with the exception of the larks described under Family
Alaudidae, and the thrushes with their relatives, that have a ‘‘ booted tarsus,”
the chief characteristic of these highly differentiated birds which are usually
considered to represent the acme of avian evolution.

Family ALAUDIDAE

Larks

Wings long and pointed, the inner secondaries conspicuously elongated;
primaries 9 to 10 in number; tail of moderate length, rather broad and
squarish; bill stout, short, subconical; nostrils covered with tufts of bristles;
tarsus subcylindrical and scutellate both before and behind, a very unusual
condition for the passerine foot; the. hind claw long and much straightened,
evidently adapted for walking in the field or snow; moult single; plumage
more or less mottled and streaked. This family is holarctic in distribution,
numbering about one hundred species. They resemble sparrows in feed-
ing habits. Most, if not all the members of the family, however, seem
to be walkers instead of hoppers, spending most of their time upon the
ground. They are excellent flyers, however, progressing in long, sweeping
undulations, and many of the species migrate over vast extents of country.
They are musical, several species singing while on the wing, mounting

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 201

higher and higher in the air like the famous skylark of Europe. They
nest upon the ground. Eggs usually 4, closely mottled with brown. The
sexes are nearly alike in coloration. The larks are valuable not only for
their interesting habits and song, but the destruction of weed seeds and,
during the nesting season, of numerous insects on which the young are fed.

Alauda arvensis Linnaeus
Skylark

Plate 69

Alauda arvensis Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. 1758. Ed. 10. 1:165 :
A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 218. No. 473
alavida, Lat., lark (from Celtic, meaning high song); arvénsis, Lat., of the ploughed
field

Description. About the size of the Horned lark but lighter colored;
upper parts of 3 different shades; the center of the feathers dark brown,
fading to grayish white or yellowish white on the outer margin, giving
a general streaky grayish appearance to the upper parts. Under parts
dull whitish and yellowish white more or less spotted on the breast with

. grayish brown. The outer tail feathers whitish.

Length 7.5 inches; extent 14.7; wing 4; tail 2.5; bill .5.

Distribution. This European species has been introduced in New
York State, especially on the western end of Long Island and in the
southern Hudson valley. In 1887 it had evidently become established
near Flatbush, Long Island, and was found breeding there July 2, 1887
(see Dutcher, Auk, 5, 180). It was still breeding near Flatbush in July
1895 (see Proctor, Auk, 12, 390) and Doctor Braislin noticed them at Neck
Road, Long Island, in March 1898. John Burroughs speaks of them
as occurring at Esopus-on-the-Hudson (see Pepacton, pages 150-53).
It is thus evident that this famous songster became definitely established
in the southeastern portion of New York and retained its hold for many
years. But the latest reports from western Long Island seem to indicate
that the birds are not increasing in numbers or barely holding their own.
So it is evident that without further introduction of new stock from Europe
this bird will not become a widely dispersed species in America as the
English sparrow and Starling have done.

202 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Otocoris alpestris alpestris (Linnaeus)
Horned Lark

Plate 69

Alauda alpestris Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. 1758. Ed. 10. 1: 166
Alauda cornuta DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 179, fig. 165
Otocoris alpestris alpestris A. O. U. Check List. Ed.3. 920. p. 210;
No. 474
otécorys, Gr., earcrest, alluding to the plumicorns; alpéstris, new Lat., of the Alps

Description. Upper parts ocherous brown and grayish brown ;
the scapulars, back and side of neck and head more or less tinged with
vinaceous; tail square, mostly black; the central tail coverts almost as long
as the tail feathers, colored like the back and mostly concealing the tail
when it is closed; a black maxillary stripe on each side of the head from the
base of bill to below the ear; black ear tufts or plumicorns above the eyes
rising from the sides of the forehead and connected around the frontlet
by a blackish line; a black breast plate somewhat crescent shaped in the
middle of the breast; the throat deep sulphur yellow; frontlet near the base
of the bill and line over the eye also decidedly tinged with yellow. Under parts
otherwise grayish white, tinged on the sides with vinaceous and brownish.
Female: Smaller and less brightly colored.

Length 7.75 inches; wing 4-4.25; tail 2.4-2.9; bill .38-.45.

Distribution. The Horned lark inhabits the boreal region from Boothia
peninsula to James bay, Labrador, and Newfoundland, and winters south
to the Ohio valley and the Atlantic coast to Georgia. In New York it
is a common winter resident of Long Island and the coastal region of the
State in general, but in the interior and western portion of the State it
has not been taken in recent years to my knowledge. Thirty or 40 years
ago it was considered a winter resident of the lake shore region of western
New York, but for 15 years I have failed to secure any specimens on
the shores of Lake Ontario or Lake Erie although it unquestionably
does occur there in the winter or during the migration time in the late
fall. In general, however, we must say that this species is confined princi-
pally to the coastal districts, and that the Prairie horned lark is the sub-
species commonly found in the western portion of the State both in sum-
mer and in winter. The horned lark arrives from the north on Long
Island from October 20 to November 15 and is last seen in the spring
from the Ist to the 20th of March.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 203

Otocoris alpestris praticola Henshaw
Prairie Horned Lark

Plate 69

Otocorys alpestris praticola Henshaw. Auk. July 1884. 1: 264
Otocoris alpestris praticola A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 219.
No. 474b
praticola, Lat., pratum, meadow, and colere, to inhabit

Description. This species resembles the Horned lark in color, but
is paler; throat not so deep a yellow and often white without a tinge of sul-
phur; the forehead and line over the eye a dull white without any decided
tinge of yellow. It is also smaller than the Horned lark.

Length 7.25 inches; wing 3.75-4.2; tail 2.4-2.6; bill .38-.40.

Distribution. The Prairie horned lark, which is a subspecies of the
preceding, inhabits the interior of North America from southern Manitoba,
southern Quebec and southern New Hampshire to eastern Kansas, Ohio,
West Virginia and Connecticut. It winters as far south as Texas and
_ Georgia. In New York State the history of this species has been exceed-
_ ingly interesting. While many of our valuable song and insectivorous

birds have been diminishing in numbers, this species has gradually increased
year after year, until at the present time it inhabits the greater portion
of this State as a summer resident. A perusal of the records before me
indicates that in 1876 this species was found breeding in central and western
New York. At Canandaigua by Mr Howey (see N. O. C. Bull. 3, 40);
at Rochester by Mr Jones (ibid., 3, 89); at Lowville by Doctor Merriam
(ibid., 3, 53); in 1877 Mr Rathbun found it breeding at Auburn; in 1881
Mr Park found it breeding at Green Island near Troy. In 1884 it
was found breeding first in Niagara county by Davison and in 1885 at
Virgil (see Forest and Stream 22, 145). In 1886 a female was taken at
Long Island City on July 31 (see Dutcher, Auk, 5, 181). In 1900 Mr
Lispenard S. Horton found it breeding at Gretna, and in 1899 Mr Pember
at Granville, Washington county. In 1905 the author found it on June 16
feeding its fledglings at Elizabethtown in Essex county. It is evident
by a perusal of these records and many others, that there has been a great

204 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

increase in the abundance of this species on the grasslands of New York
and also of the surrounding states, until at the present time it has invaded
not only the eastern part of New York, but Connecticut, Massachusetts
Vermont and other New England states. This species having originally
been confined to the prairie region has now found conditions favorable
to its habitation in the eastern states and has gradually been spreading
year after year till now we must call it one of the common birds of the
open field. It is almost a permanent resident of New York for it is found,
in western New York at least, during every month of the year, although
it is decidedly uncommon in most localities from the middle of December
until the middle of January. We may safely say, however, that it is the
earliest species of passerine birds to migrate. From the 17th to the 23d
of January, provided there is fair weather, we are almost sure to see an
increase in the number: of Prairie horned larks in the fields of western
New York, and their number gradually increases until the middle of
February when the mating song of the males is distinctly heard and nearly
all the birds are paired by the middle of March. They frequently begin
to breed, however, as early as the first of March for I have found the nest
containing eggs well started in incubation on the 11th of March at
Rochester. Nests have also been reported from Erie county in February
and early March. It is thus the earliest of our small songbirds to nest
in western New York. The Prairie horned lark is a bird of decided per-
sonality. He is often seen running along the road in front of the carriage
or horseman; when approached too closely he erects the jet black tufts
of feathers like devils’ horns on the sides of the head, and if more closely
pressed flies over the field at a moderate elevation with long gliding strokes
of his pointed wings and alights on some stone, clod of earth or. possibly
on a fence post. If watched for some time the male will be seen gradually
to mount in the air higher and higher with continued hovering motion
of the wings, uttering his fine, threadlike whistle. He mounts higher and
higher, after. the manner of the famous Skylark, sometimes reaching
a height of several hundred feet, all the while uttering his twittering song

-

plies atine “Agee meh ee

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 205

until finally exhausted he drops like a dart to the field to rejoin his mate.
This flight song is almost sure to be heard several times a day over the
field in which the nest is concealed. The Prairie horned lark walks and
runs instead of hopping like our common sparrows, and his ample square
tail, which is black when extended in flight, as well as his long pointed
wings and easy gliding flight, distinguish him readily from any of our other
field birds. It is evident that two broods are often reared in this latitude, for
after the first brood are well fledged, it is a common thing to find nests
containing fresh eggs as late as the middle of May or early in June. After
the young are reared, they are found about plowed fields and waste lands,
in little troops consisting ;
usually of a pair of old birds
and their young. Frequently
the troop consists of 5 or 6
birds; at other times of 10
or 12, which leads me _ to
believe that the old and their
young keep together during
the greater part of the season.
Late in the fall they gather
into larger bands and in the

springtime after the migra-
tions are well advanced, it is Prdicic Danet lnck’e neck anc eggs

not unusual to see flocks of 15 and 20 Prairie horned larks feeding together
on the open fields in any part of central or western New York. The nest is
concealed in the pasture or meadow beside a clod of earth, a cobblestone,
or a tuft of grass, and consists simply of a few grasses lining the hole which
the mother bird has scooped out in the earth, or in a depression caused
by the foot of a cow or some other domestic animal, which she has rounded
and lined with grasses. The eggs are almost invariably 4 in number,
grayish white in ground color, very thickly spotted with light brown,
resembling closely the eggs of the English sparrow but more thickly and

206 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

evenly spotted and of a slightly different shape; average dimensions .85 by
.63 inches. Frequently, as will be inferred from what is said above, the
eggs are laid before the last severe snow storms of the season. Photographs
by Professor Bailey and others which I have seen frequently show the nest
through a round hole in the snow which is several inches deep about it.
Evidently the old bird by continually sitting on the nest and raising
her head keeps it open to the sky and so preserves her eggs from
destruction; but frequently, if the snow is deep and the temperature
severe, the first brood is destroyed. But as soon as the weather becomes
pleasant again they invariably make new nests and continue until the
young are successfully reared. This interesting little bird must be called
a beneficial species, for its food consists through the winter months almost
entirely of weed seeds. In this manner it destroys millions of noxious
plants which otherwise would interfere with the proper development of
the farmers’ crops; and during the breeding season as well as through a
large portion of the summer months, feeds to a great extent on the insects
which destroy the field vegetation, especially small grasshoppers and leaf-
eating beetles and the larvae of all kinds of insects.

Otocoris alpestris hoyti Bishop
Hoyt Horned Lark

Paler than alpestris, more grayish brown; throat paler yellow, and superciliary
stripe white; size of alpestris. (A.O.U. No. 474k)

This subspecies breeds from the western shore of Hudson bay to the mouth of the
MacKenzie and the Arctic coast; migrates southward to Utah, Kansas, Ohio, and Long
Island in winter. For New York records see Oberholzer, U. S. Nat. Mus. Proc. 24,
845. Dwight, Auk, 7:143. Bishop, Auk, 13:132. It is uncommon in this State, and
can be identified only by collecting specimens and comparing them with museum series.

Family CORVIDAE

Crows, Jays and Magpies

Primaries 10; tail variable, usually rounded; 12 rectrices; bill cultri-
rostal, stout; nostril covered by dense tufts of bristles; rictus also provided

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 207

with a few bristles; middle toe joined to the outer as far as the first joint;
size medium to large, the family including the Raven and the Crow, cur
two largest passerine birds. Sexes alike in coloration and size; voice harsh
and unmusical, though the syrinx is well developed; subfamilies of Crows
or Corvinae, and Jays and Magpies (Garrulinae) are recognized.

These birds are mostly omnivorous in diet, feeding on insects, young
birds, small mammals, fish and crayfish, fruits and grains. Thus, as would
be expected, they frequently develop injurious habits which are very
destructive to song birds and sometimes to the farmers’ crops. Undoubt-
edly, in general, the Crow and the Blue jay arc injurious species. A care-
ful study of the food of the Crow by Prof. Walter B. Barrows will be
found in Bulletin 6, Biological Survey, United States Department of Agri-
culture, and of the Blue jay in the Yearbook for 1896, pages 197-206.

Pica pica hudsonia (Sabine)
Magpie

Corvus hudsonius Sabine. Franklin, Narr. Journ. Polar Sea. 1823. 671

Pica caudata DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 131, fig. 53

Pica pica hudsonia A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 221. No. 475
pica, Lat., magpie; hudsénia, of Hudson bay

Description. Tail very long, rounded, and the central feathers
elongated. Head, neck, back, throat, breast and under tail covers black;
secondaries, belly, sides and inner webs of primaries white; wings and tail
glossy, metallic greenish blue, the whole varied with bronze and purplish.

Length 17.4-22 inches; wing 7.3-8.5; tail 9.3-12; culmen 1.1—1.4.

Distribution. This species is mostly confined to the western country
from the Yukon, Saskatchewan and Winnipeg to New Mexico; and rarely
straggles eastward as far as Illinois, Michigan, Ontario, Hudson bay and
Quebec. The only record for New York State is on the authority of DeKay
who reports its occurrence near Niagara, but there is, as far as I know, no
specimen in existence which was taken within the limits of the State. It
is not improbable that it may have occurred in the northern and north-
western portion of the State, however, for it occurred at Odessa, Ontario,

in March 1898 (see Clarke, Auk, 15:274).

208 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Cyanocitta cristata cristata (Linnaeus)
Blue Jay
Plate 70

Corvus cristatus Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. 1758. Ed.10. 1: 106
Garrulus cristatus DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 120,. fig. 54
Cyanocitta cristata cristata A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 222.
No. 477
cyanocitta, Gr., %5av0s, blue, and x{:t%, jay; cristata, Lat., crested

Description. Head conspicuously crested; tail and wings rounded;
upper parts light purplish blue; wings and tail bright cobalt blue; the
secondaries and tail feathers barred with black, the longer wing coverts,
secondaries and tail feathers except the central pair conspicuously tipped
with white; side of the head and throat purplish white bordered by a black
collar running over the nape down the sides of the head and neck and
across the forebreast; lores black; breast and sides grayish fading to clear
white on the belly and under tail covert.

Length 11-12.5 inches; extent 15.7-17.5; wing 5-5.7; tail 5-5.7; bill
1.25; tarsus 1.25—-1:35.

Distribution. The Blue jay inhabits eastern North America from
central Alberta, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland south to the
gulf coast. In New York it is a resident of all portions of the State but
is a common species only in the less settled districts, seeming to prefer
evergreen or mixed woodlands, and in western New York is confined mostly
to the larger forests, swamps and ravines. Although Blue jays may be
found in nearly every county of the State at any time of the year, it is
perfectly evident to a careful bird student that there is a decided migration
of the species, the southward movement occurring in October from about
September 20 to October 30. In the spring the northern migration is
later than would be expected, migrating individuals often occurring in
considerable numbers from the 25th of April to the 25th of May. I have
frequently noticed as many as 20 or 30 Blue jays in small patches of wood-
land near the shore of Lake Ontario and on the shores of Canandaigua and
Seneca lakes at this season of the year, evidently migrating northward to _
their breeding grounds, for whatever specimens were taken were found
not to be nearer than three weeks to the breeding period although Blue

ee

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 209

jays which nest in the localities mentioned already were incubating their
eggs or had young in the nest. In southern and western New York the
Blue jay makes its nest in April. It is usually placed in an evergreen,
although small deciduous trees are often selected, and is composed of sticks,
leaves, bark and plant fibers, and lined with dead twigs of hemlock or
strips of bark and other fine
materials. The eggs are com-
monly deposited from the 20th
of April to the 15th of May.
They are from 3 to 6 in num-
ber, pale olive greenish or
buffy in ground color, spotted
more or less profusely with

brown. They average 1.1 by
.82 inches in size.
The Blue jay is one of
the noisy birds of our wood-
lands, especially when he sees
a man, a hawk or any large
object moving through the
forest. He seems always |
to be shouting his high
shrill ‘‘jay’’or “ yaéh-yah-yah”’ ;
and also imitates very suc-
cessfully the scream of the
Red-shouldered hawk, and has
other notes resembling the _ "SI ake eS Horta
tooting of a small bugle. His Blne jay'a nest Gaaiaer
activity is almost incessant and his mischief never ending. Most naturalists
consider the Blue jay one of the worst nest robbers we have, and there
is little doubt that they are correct, for my own experience shows that he
is extremely fond of birds’ eggs and young birds; but he also does some

210 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

good by destroying many injurious insects, and plants many forest trees.
I have seen him carrying acorns and chestnuts near my camp on Canan-
daigua lake, and hiding them at a considerable distance from the trees
where he found them, evidently with the idea of picking them up later. I
had heard that the Blue jay was a tree planter but I had always supposed that
he planted them simply by dropping the nuts while flying from place to
place in the forest; but in this instance, he carried the acorns and placed
them under the dead leaves. Going to the spot I uncovered them myself
and was surprised to find that sometimes at least, like the gray squirrel,
he actually plants the nuts in the ground evidently intending to store
them for future use. In the fall and winter the Blue jay frequently attacks
the corn standing in the shock and also visits the granaries to peck at the
kernels which are exposed between the cracks of the boards. This slight
destruction of grain in the fall but more particularly his wanton destruc-
tion of young birds, perhaps more than overbalances the good he does.

Perisoreus canadensis canadensis (Linnaeus)
Canada Jay

Plate 71

Corvus canadensis Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. 1766. Ed.12. 1:158
Garrulus canadensis DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 130, fig. 55
Perisoreus canadensis canadensis A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. toro.
p. 226. No. 484
periséreus, derivation uncertain, perhaps from teetoweedw, to heap up around, refer-
ring either to the bird’s instinct to hoard food, or to the large, high-walled nest; canadén-
sis, of Canada

Description. Tail long and rounded; frontlet, nasal tufts, sides of the
head, throat and forechest dull white; occiput and back of neck blackish;
upper parts dusky gray; tips of the wing feathers and tail feathers indis-
tinctly tipped with whitish; under parts dull grayish. Young similar
but darker, without any white about the head and throat.

Length 11-12 inches; wing 5.6-5.9; tail 5.6-6.4.

Distribution. The Canada jay inhabits the boreal region of eastern
America from Mackenzie, Keewatin and northern Quebec to Alberta,
northern Minnesota, Michigan, New York and Maine. It rarely straggles

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 211

southward in the winter, but has been taken in Nebraska, Pennsylvania
and Massachusetts. In New York State it is confined to the Adirondack
district and is scarcely if ever, seen outside the spruce and balsam belt.
In the denser portion of this Adirondack forest it is a fairly common
resident, both in the spruce and tamarack swamps and on the wooded
mountain slopes. While our party was camping in the Mt Marcy region
these birds were found at intervals in all the forests from the Ausable
lakes to Skylight camp on the slopes of Mt Marcy. .

This jay is known to the northern hunters also under the names of
Whiskey jack, Moose bird and Camp robber as well as various other
epithets referring to his fearlessness in attacking and devouring any kind
of meat or fat which is accessible about the camp. In the winter season
it is almost impossible to drive these birds away from the carcasses of
deer or other animals which have been killed, and they will enter the camp
and hop about the table devouring anything within reach, scarcely giving
any attention to the human occupants who are endeavoring to drive them
away. This jay is much less noisy than the Blue jay and consequently
is a more agreeable attendant of the northern hunter. When following
deer through the North Woods I have frequently discovered that these
birds were also following me, evidently expecting that I might be suc-
cessful in bringing down the quarry, but the only evidence that I had of
their approach was the silent flitting of shadows behind me as the birds
alighted from time to time in the branches not far above my head. The
Canada jay breeds very early in the season, in the Adirondack forests
evidently making its nest late in February or early in March. This is a
bulky affair and is composed of twigs, rotten wood, bark, and catkins,
lined with softer materials of the same kind, especially catkins and feathers
from the bird itself. It is usually placed in a small conifer close to the
trunk. The eggs are 3 to 5 in number, dull gray, profusely speckled with
brown and purplish, the average dimensions being about 1.15 by .82 inches.
The young are out of the nest and flying about foraging for themselves

by the middle of June.
14 :

212 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Corvus corax principalis Ridgway
Northern Raven

Plate 71

Corvus corax principalis Ridgway. Manual N. A. Birds. 1887. 361
Corvus corax DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 134, fig. 5x
Corvus corax principalis A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 228. No.
486a
cérvus, Lat., crow; cérax, Lat., and Gr., x6ea&, raven; principdlis, Lat., chief

Description. Decidedly larger than the crow; bill much heavier and
the feathers of the throat long and pointed; color as in the crow.

Length 22-26.5 inches; extent 46-53; bill about 3.05; wing 16.5-18;
tail 9.9; tarsus 2.65.

Range. The Northern raven breeds from northwestern Alaska,
northern Elsmere Land and northern Greenland south to Washington,
central Minnesota and the coast of New Jersey; in the mountains as far
as Georgia. In the eastern states it is uncommon in the cultivated districts.
In New York the species is confined to the western Adirondack region,
although stragglers are sometimes taken in various parts of the State,
as follows: Comac hill, Long Island, in 1836; Brooklyn, 1848; Mayville,
three seen in 1861 by A. E. Kibbe; Wolcott, 1875 (see Auburn List);
Lansingburgh, one seen in 1872 by F. 5S. Webster; Cayuga, 1880, one seen
by Foster Parker; Canandaigua lake, one shot about 1885 by “ Quake”
Smith; Sandy Creek, about 1890, J. W. Soule; shore of Lake Ontario in
Monroe county, about 1885, taken by David Bruce; border of Schoharie
county, one seen by John Burroughs; Lake George, October 29, 1897,
specimen in the State Museum; Granville, a rare straggler, F. T. Pember;
Mt Marcy, October 23, 1875, several seen (see Colvin, seventh report
Adirondack Survey, page 96); Oneida lake, October 1878, J. P. Hutchins.
All these records are evidently of stragglers, usually seen in the fall or
winter. At the present time a few may be seen in the western Adirondack
region, especially in the northern portions of Hamilton and Herkimer
counties, the southern portion of St Lawrence county and the eastern
portion of Lewis county. In this part of the North Woods the Raven

ae

Sarl are Relat

mw di

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 213

still breeds, but in constantly diminishing numbers. Formerly it was
well distributed throughout the State, before the virgin forest was destroyed.
In 1810, when Dewitt Clinton visited the western counties, he saw great
numbers of ravens on the borders on Seneca lake near the village of Geneva
and was told that no crows had made their appearance in that part of the
country (see Clinton, Intro. Dis. before the Lit. and Phil. Soc. New York,
May 4, 1814). One hundred years from this date, or in 1910, the Raven
had been unknown for many years by the inhabitants of Ontario county
and the common Crow had been for 50 years an abundant resident of all
the surrounding country. Such is the history of the Raven and the Crow
in all portions of New York.

Habits. In habits the Raven is more sedate and retiring than the
Crow, walks with an easy graceful air, is more deliberate and dignified.
On the wing he sails more than the Crow, and the wing stroke is peculiar,
at once attracting the eye as decidedly different from the flight of its.
commoner relative. His notes are a low, gurgling chuckle, or a hoarse
rolling cr-r-r-cruck, sometimes cra-ack, cra-a-ck, varied by deep grunting
koe-rr-koerr (Bendire). This description of its notes enabled me to identify
the Raven at once long before it was seen, in the region of Lake Nipissing
and in the Adirondack forest.

The Raven's breeding site is on cliffs or trees. The nest is compact,
symmetrical, made of sticks and weed stalks, lined with grasses, hair,
wool and other soft materials. It is usually occupied year after year.
The eggs have been found to vary from 2 to 7 in number, and resemble
those of the Crow, but average 1.75 by 1.2 inches in dimensions.

The food of the Raven is offal or refuse of any kind such as dead fish
and other animals. In the North Woods it is a common experience to
find ravens about the spot where deer have been killed and “ dressed.’’
They feed also on young birds, frogs, mice etc., but there seems to be no
likelihood that ravens will ever be common enough in New York to receive
economic consideration. There is rather cause to fear that this famous
and picturesque bird will disappear entirely from the State domains.

214 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Corvus brachyrhynchos brachyrhynchos Brehm
Crow
Plate 72

Corvus brachyrhynchos Brehm. Beitr. Végelkunde. 1822. 2:56
Corvus americanus DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 132, fig. 52
Corvus brachyrhynchos brachyrhynchos A.O.U.Check List. Ed. 3.
1gto. p. 228. No. 488
brachyrhynchos, Gr., shortbilled

Description. With the exception of the Raven, our largest passerine
bird. Plumage entirely shiny black with purplish reflections. The bristly
nasal tufts reach halfway to the end of the bill.

Length 17-21 inches; extent 34.5-38; wing I1.9-13.3; tail 7-8; bill
1.8-2; tarsus 2.2—2.4.

Distribution. The Crow inhabits eastern North America from southern
Mackenzie, central Quebec and Newfoundland to Texas and the Gulf
States. In winter it withdraws from the northern limit of its range, but
in New York is an abundant winter resident throughout the coastal district,
the Hudson valley, and the lowlands of western New York. It breeds
in every county of the State, entering the Catskills and Adirondacks along
the cleared land and river valleys to the very centers of those districts.
About Mt Marcy we found crows at Boreas pond, Flowed land, Keene ~
valley, and John Brown’s grave, but they do not inhabit the depths of
‘the Adirondack forest, being replaced by the Raven in the wildest portion
-of the western Adirondacks. On the highlands of southwestern New York
and in the northern portions of the State, the Crow makes its appearance
early in March with the first warm weather, perhaps about the same time
as the Robin and Blue bird, sometimes a few days earlier. In all parts
of the State the mating season may be said to occur in March and in the
warmer portions of the State the nests are repaired, or the construction
begun, as early as the third week in March, and the eggs are frequently
laid by the 1st of April. But the average date would perhaps be April
15 to 30. The nest of the Crow is usually placed in the fork of a tall tree,
either evergreen or deciduous, at a height varying from 10 to 80 feet from

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 215

the ground, usually above 30 feet. It is a bulky affair, with a large founda-
tion of sticks, twigs, cornstalks or other similar materials, and a well-formed
central cup of the soft inner bark of dead trees, vegetable fibers, or grasses
and cow’s hair. Typical nests in western New York are lined with the
bark of grapevines and Arbor vitae or the inner bark of the basswood.
It is deeply hollowed, so that the bird can scarcely be seen from the ground
except the tip of her tail projecting over the edge of the nest. The eggs.
are 3 to 5 in number, frequently as many as 7, the ground color varying
from a pale bluish green to olive green, rather thickly spotted and blotched
with brown and gray. They average 1.7 by 1.18 inches in dimensions.
The period of incubation is about 17 or 18 days, and the young remain in
the nest about 3 weeks. The habits of the Crow are too well known to
require extended comment, with the possible exception of its tendency to
gather in roosts during the winter months. There are situated in New York
State, on Staten Island, on Long Island, in the Hudson valley and in the

lowlands of western New York perhaps one dozen to two dozen large crow
roosts. It has been practically impossible to obtain reliable information
as to the different roosts. In the vicinity of the author’s home there has
been for 15 years a large roost just west of the city of Rochester, usually
in the town of Gates, and also an immense roost in the vicinity of Niagara
Falls, a large roost in Ontario county, and another in Tompkins county
near the head of Cayuga lake. I have several times visited the Gates
crow roost and as nearly as I could estimate the numbers congregated
were between 20,000 and 40,000. During the day they are accustomed
to spread over the country about the lower Genesee valley as far north
as Scottsville and sometimes to Geneseo and along the shores of Lake
Ontario and Irondequoit bay. The Ontario crow roost was formerly just
north of the village of Canandaigua. It has been moved several times
within the last 12 years. Eleven years ago it was at Paddlefords Station
in a small patch of second growth deciduous timber. The number of
crows was estimated at 20,000 (see Eaton, Auk 20, 57-59). The fol-
lowing year it moved several miles to the eastward and for 5 years at least

216 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

has been in the Gainey swamp, 13 miles south of Phelps, where many
thousands of crows—probably 30,000 to 40,000—have been in the habit
of roosting from November to March. About the last of December IgII,
however, this roost broke up. A small portion, that is, the crows of west-
ern Ontario county, still remained to roost to the number of 3,000 or 4,000
just northwest of Melvin hill; the remainder joined the crows of Seneca
county roosting near the town of Varick, a few miles southeast of Geneva.
Inquiry in different parts of the State indicates that it is customary for
the crow roosts to vary both in numbers of crows assembled and in the exact
location of the roost from year to year, but it is a fact that during the winter
months in all portions of the State the crows congregate in great numbers
to roost, whereas, during the summer months, the roosts consist of only a
few crows, from 50 to 300 being the usual number of male crows and
others which are not engaged about the nest, which meet together to roost
at night, and as soon as the young are out of the nest the roosts become
larger but rarely more than a few hundred, until the winter season begins,
when large roosts are organized, and usually the country covered during
the day extends from 20 to 30 miles in various directions from the roost.

The food of the crows at this time of the year consists mostly of grain
left in the field, especially unhusked corn, dead animals such as cattle,
horses, calves, sheep etc., which are left exposed in the field, dead fish and
other animals found along the shores of lakes and streams, crayfish and
other aquatic animals taken from the shallow water, thorn apples and other
fruits which are searched for under the dead leaves, beetles, cocoons and
larvae of insects which are unearthed from rotten wood, dead leaves and
sod, and occasionally frozen apples hanging on the trees, and field mice
which are hunted in the swamps and meadows. During the summer the
food of the Crow consists to a large extent of cutworms and other injurious
larvae of insects, but they also feed to a considerable extent upon pre-
daceous beetles and the eggs and young of smaller birds, as well as upon
chickens and hens’ eggs found at some distance from the farmhouse. They
also destroy numbers of grouse and pheasant eggs as well as the young of

$$ $$

; 2

ane,

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 217

these birds. On account of the destruction of eggs and young of beneficial
species, I am inclined to think that the Crow in most localities is to be
ranked as an injurious species, but we must remember that the injurious
insects destroyed by the Crow’s victims, while far outnumbering what
the Crow himself would destroy of those special insects, would never equal
the number of cutworms and white grubs which the Crow destroys on
meadows and cultivated land. Consequently, we must take into considera-
tion the fact that the Crow is the principal enemy of cutworms and white
grubs, whereas most of the small birds which he destroys, though decidedly
beneficial, do not reduce the numbers of cutworms to any great extent.
I believe that the Crow’s case must be decided independently by each
intelligent agriculturist, for in some localities he may be in the main bene-
ficial while in others he should be considered injurious. I am certain that
the crows which live on the hillsides back of my camp are injurious from
my standpoint in life, because they destroy a large percentage of the eggs
and young of the small song birds which are so beneficial and such pleasant
neighbors, whereas it is evident that they do very little good in destroying
cutworms or other insects, except grasshoppers, in that locality. On the
other hand, I have seen wide fields of lowland where cutworms had destroyed
perhaps 30 per cent of the corn crop and crows were rendering efficient
service in reducing the number of the pest. The Crow is such an active,
intelligent and versatile character that it is practically impossible to balance
his general account satisfactorily to the agriculturist. At times he appears
in a highly beneficent rédle, energetically bent on the wholesale destruc-
tion of grasshoppers, cutworms and “ Junebugs'’; at others, he is the
traditional black robber of the cornfield, the orchard, the pea patch and
the chicken yard; and again he is the ruthless destroyer and the cannibal,
rifling the Thrush’s and the Grouse’s nest and slaughtering the helpless
nestlings of our vireos and warblers. The farmers of New York are more
or less at variance in their opinions regarding the Crow’s character, accord-
ing as their individual experiences have been favorable or otherwise. But
bird lovers can have no two opinions in their reports if they have followed

218 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

the Crow, early and late, through the months of May, June and July and
have watched with loving care the nests of their woodland songsters. They
will find the Crow among the worst enemies of the bird’s nest and the
fledgling.

Corvus ossifragus Wilson
Fish Crow

Plate 72

Corvus ossifragus Wilson. Amer. Orn. 1812. 5:27, pl. 37, fig. 2
DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. 2:135
A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 229. No. 490
osstfragus, Lat., bonebreaking, referring to its piscivorous diet

Description. Distinguished from the common Crow by its smaller
size. It is, however, of a more uniform black color, with bright bluish
and greenish reflection on the under parts as well as on the upper parts.
It may also be distinguished by its call notes which resemble those of a
young Crow.

Length 15-17.5 inches; wing 10-11; tail 6-7; bill 1.7; tarsus 1.7-2.

-. Distribution. This crow inhabits the coastal districts of the eastern
United States from Connecticut to Louisiana and Florida. In New York
it is confined to the lower Hudson valley as far as West Point and
occasionally to Poughkeepsie, very rarely farther up the river, and to the
western portion of Long Island. It has been reported from Rockaway,
July 1873, by Eagle; Oyster Bay, December 30, 1874, by T. Roosevelt;
Riverdale, by Bicknell; West Point, by Mearns; Mt Vernon, by Eames;
Sandy Hook, by Zarega; Esopus-on-the-Hudson, as a common summer
resident, by Burroughs (see Bicknell, ‘‘ Birds of the Catskills,’ page 135);
Staten Island, fairly common, and Long Island, fairly common and breed-
ing, by Purdy; Bellport, Long Island, common summer resident, breeding,
W. A. Babson; Manhasset, Long Island, 4 specimens, by Dutcher; Park-
ville, Long Island, nest and eggs taken in 1894 by H. C. Oberholzer; reported
from Hudson by Will Richard and Troy by F. S. Webster; also reported
as identified by size and note near Geneva, N. Y., by F. H. Hall and Otto
McCreary. Although the species may occasionally be found as far inland

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 219

as Troy, it is extremely rare to find it far from a tidal river and it is usually
confined to the immediate vicinity of the seashore.

Haunts and habits. When there is no Common crow nearby with
which to compare the size of the Fish crow, it is very difficult to identify
him by size alone, but. his notes are very characteristic, consisting of an
expressionless croak, resembling, as before said, the note of a young Crow,
but a hoarser “‘ car,”’ sometimes a clear ‘‘ cah”’ or a “ cahk”’ often repeated.

The breeding site of the Fish crow is usually in cedars, about 25 feet
from the ground, near the waterside. The nesting materials are sticks,
bark and grasses, lined with inner strips of grapevine bark and fine
grasses, the structure resembling very closely the nest of the Common
crow. The eggs are from 4 to 6 in number, in color not distinguishable
from those of its larger relative, but smaller, averaging 1.46 by 1.06 inches.

Its food consists mostly of fishes, crabs and other small crustaceans
and offal washed up on the shore. Occasionally, like its larger relative,
it feeds on the young and eggs of smaller birds. It is less sociable in
habits than the Common crow, but is often seen in company with that
species. It is less suspicious, however, than the Common crow and more

easily approached.
Family STURNIDAE

Starlings
Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus
Starling
F Plate 74
Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. 1758. Ed. 10. 1: 167
A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 230. No. 493
stirnus, Lat., starling; vulgaris, Lat., common

Description. Shaped somewhat like the Meadowlark but with a
relatively longer bill and shorter tail; general color black glossed with
iridescent purple and greenish, spotted with buff or brownish white; Dzil
yellow; winter plumage with the brownish or buffy of the upper and under
parts mostly obscuring the greenish and purple. Sexes almost alike.
Female slightly more spotted below; young plain grayish-brown.

Length 8.5 inches; wing 5.1; tail 2.6; bill 1; tarsus 1.2.

Distribution. The Starling is a native of western and central Europe
wintering mostly in southern Europe and northern Africa, now introduced

220 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

in the vicinity of New York City. Several attempts were unsuccessful,
but the birds liberated by Mr Eugene Schieffelin in 1890 in Central Park,
have spread over all the country in the vicinity of New York as far east as
central Long Island and up the Connecticut valley as far as Hartford and
Springfield; up the Hudson valley to Newburgh and through New Jersey
to Princeton. As early as 1900 I noticed hundreds of starlings spending
the winter in Morningside Park and the vicinity of Kings Bridge, and
in 1905 Mr Robinson reported them as well established at Newburgh.
They undoubtedly will continue to spread up the Hudson valley and
throughout the State, if not throughout the country, unless their advance
is artificially checked. There is scarcely reason to believe that they
could ever become the pest that the English sparrow has proved itself in
all parts of the country, and yet it is doubtful whether this is a desirable
species to introduce in all parts of the State, for, like the sparrow, it occupies
the nesting sites of all those birds which naturally breed in boxes or holes
in trees, thus crowding out our martins, tree swallows, blue birds, nut-
hatches and probably the woodpeckers. Besides this, they are largely
frugivorous, being particularly destructive to cherries, currants, berries
and other small fruits, and doubtless would become a veritable pest in
the grape regions of central and western New York if they ever became
abundant in those localities. The Starling, nevertheless, is an interesting
bird. It feeds mostly on the ground like our Meadowlark, destroying
large numbers of cutworms and grasshoppers. I have noticed it taking
the berries from ampelopsis and other vines. It is more arboreal in

habits, however, than the Meadowlark, often sitting and singing for hours:

amongst the foliage of parks and groves. His chatter is rather pleasing
although he is scarcely the mimic that he is famed to be. Apparently he
takes suggestion from the songs of all birds and utters a confused jargon
of notes interspersed with clear whistling sounds and gutteral chortlings.
The starlings are more closely gregarious than the meadowlarks, the
fiocks frequently appearing as dense as flocks of rice birds. In England
are justly famous, some-

““ ’

and northern Europe the “ clouds of starlings ’

\y

i
‘

i
|
t
t
{
I

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 221

times practically darkening the sky and appearing in the distance like
great storm clouds drifting over the country. The eggs of the Starling
number from 4 to 7, usually 5 or 6, of a pale greenish blue to bluish white
in color and average 1.16 by .84 in dimensions.

Family ICTERIDAE

Blackbirds and Orioles

Nine primaries; 9 secondaries; tail feathers 12; bill rather stoutand more
or less conical, with the commissure sharply bent downward as in the sparrow;
tarsus scutellate and bilaminate, most of which characteristics they share
in common with the sparrows; the Dill, however, is typically cultrirostral
and shows a decided tendency to taper to a sharp point but in species like
the Cowbird and Bobolink approaches very closely the typical sparrow
type. There is considerable variability in this family, as in the sparrow
family, in the shape of the tail and the wing, but they are both usually
more or less rounded. The family is American, consisting of about 130
species, the Oriole branch of the family usually characterized by brilliant
plumage, while the Blackbird section shows darker plumage with more
or less brilliant iridescence. Many build hanging nests, and the whole
family is frequently spoken of as the “‘ hang nests.’’ The eggs are usually
5 or 6 in number and show a tendency to pen-line markings as in our common
Oriole and Blackbird. There is usually a distinct sexual differentiation
in color, the females being decidedly duller and usually smaller in size.
This family, like the sparrows which they resemble, is largely granivorous
except the orioles which are more confined to insectivorous and frugiv-
orous diet. The blackbirds and meadowlarks are among the best of
the ground gleaners which we possess, feeding largely on worms, white
grubs and grasshoppers. Only the Crow blackbird and Red-winged black-
bird have been accused of serious depredations in the grain fields and the
family in general is beneficial, excepting the Cowbird, which has developed
the curious parasitic habit so destructive to our smaller songbirds, and,
at times, the Crow blackbird because of its destruction of the eggs and

222 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

nestlings of our smaller birds. An account of the food of blackbirds
and Grackles, determined by examination of stomach contents, by Prof.
F. E. L. Beal, is found in Bulletin 13, Biological Survey, United States
Department of Agriculture.

Dolichonyx oryzivorus (Linnaeus)
Bobolink
Plate 73

Fringilla oryzivora Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. 1758. Ed. 10. 1:179
Dolichonyx oryzivorus DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 144, fig. 48
A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p.231. No. 494
dolichényx, Gr., S0Aty%6s, long, and 6vvé, nail; oryzivorus, Lat., oryza, rice, and vorare,
to devour

Description. Male: Mostly black; the scapulars, rump, and upper
tail coverts dull white; the back of the neck buff; except in high plumage
the feathers of the back, wings and even the under parts are more or less
edged with buffy whitish; the high plumage almost pure black, white and
buff. Female: Upper parts olive buff streaked with blackish; under parts
buffy white; a conspicuous line of buffy through the center of the crown and
from the base of the bill over each eye. Winter plumage: Both sexes
and young similar to female but more olivaceous above and more buffy
below. In all plumages the tail feathers are sharp pointed.

Length, o& 7.25-8 inches, 9 6.5-7; extent 12-12.5; wing 3.75-4; tail
2.6-2.9; bill .6; tarsus 1.1.

Distribution. The Bobolink breeds from southeastern British Colum-
bia, Saskatchewan, central Quebec and Cape Breton to Utah, Illinois,
West Virginia and New Jersey, being most abundant in the Alleghanian
area; winters in South America as far as Paraguay; migrates mostly through.
the West Indies and the coast of Central America. In New York State
the Bobolink probably breeds in every county. In the Catskills and
Adirondacks, however, he only enters as far as civilization has established
meadows and open, grassy fields for his accommodation. He is not
especially common on Staten Island and Long Island but, nevertheless,
breeds in each locality especially near the edge of the salt meadows. In
the rocky and dryer portions of the plateau region of Nery York he is not

so common as on the lowlands.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 223

Haunts and habits. The spring migration is accomplished between
‘the 29th of April and the roth of May. Sometimes he is not noted before
’ the 15th or 20th in the northern portions of the State. In the fall they
disappear between the 10th and the 30th of September, but are occasionally
found as late as the 5th of October; at least, they have been heard
migrating at night as late as the 1st and 5th of October. This species
must be regarded as a common summer resident of the State in all the
grasslands, but late plowing and early mowing have reduced its members
considerably in recent years.

All country people know the Bobolink and nearly all the American
poets have celebrated him in song. There certainly is something very
entertaining in the abandonment, ecstacy and irrepressible merriment
of the Bobolink’s melody as he sits in the blossoming apple tree or swaying
on a tall spear of grass pouring forth his soul to his mate hidden in the
meadow, or to the soul of summer. Frequently he is too much overcome
with his feelings to remain in the apple tree and soars about over the
meadows with quivering wings and gurgling roundelay. If his mate chances
to appear he gives chase and pursues until she darts among the thick
grasses to resume her duties of housekeeping.

The bobolinks, even in the nesting season, are somewhat sociable
in habits and several males are sometimes found both in the migration

a season and in the nesting period seated in the same tree trying to drown

each other’s voices in song, and sometimes several at the same time may

be seen in the air circling and singing over the same meadow or swamp-

land. Besides the gurgling, bubbling melody of the Bobolink he has

= a call note, a clear metallic ‘‘ chink,”’ which he utters in migration, evidently

to tell his associates where he is flying, and over the meadows as a sign
of alarm or as a call to his companions. There is something peculiarly
characteristic about this clear ‘‘ chink’’ which makes it unmistakable
even when heard at night as the birds are migrating at a great distance

above the ground.
The nest of the Bobolink is hidden under the thick grass of meadows

224 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

or clover fields or swamplands, in’a slight hollow in the ground, composed
of dry leaves, weed stems and coarse grasses, lined with finer grasses.
Outside dimensions, 4 by 2 inches; inside dimensions, 23 by 14. The
eggs are from 4 to 7 in number — in this State usually 5 or 6 — pale drab
or pearl gray in color, sometimes pale rufous, rather thickly blotched and
spotted with irregular lines and marks of chocolate, claret brown, lavender
and deep purplish. They average .84 inches in length by .62 in diameter.

The nest is very difficult to discover as the female rarely leaves it directly -

when disturbed, but almost without exception runs through the grass.
before taking wing. The surest way is to lie in wait and watch the locality
where they disappear with nesting materials or when visiting the nest.
after the eggs are laid; but even then they usually alight some distance
from the nest and considerable strategy is necessary in order to locate
it exactly. The young are hatched in about 11 days and develop very
rapidly so that they are able to take wing in from 10 to 14 days; but even
at this rate, although the fresh sets of eggs are usually found from the 25th
of May to the 1oth of June, the nest is often uncovered by the mowers.
and the young destroyed on account of the practice, which is becoming
more and more prevalent, of mowing the meadows in June rather than
in July, as was formerly the custom. Consequently, the Bobolink is
becoming less common in most portions of New York.

By the 20th of July the Bobolink’s song has entirely ceased and only
a very few males at that date may be found that are still in the black and
white coat, and by the first week in August they will be found in the edge
of the swamps or in the tall meadows, the males, females and young almost.
indistinguishable in color. They remain in this State until late in August
or early September when they visit the flowed lands of the Delaware and
Susquehanna and are known as Reed birds and are slaughtered by thousands.
for the city market; but when they reach the coast of Carolina, Georgia
and Louisiana they become a scourge to the southern planters, descending
on the rice fields in such myriads that it is necessary to station many men
on every rice field and shoot several pounds of powder for each acre in

a

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 225

order to preserve the crop from their depredations, at ‘least if the grain
is still in the milk. It has been estimated by the Biological Survey experts
that millions of dollars damage is done every year to the rice crop of
the South by the Ricebird, as he is invariably called in the southern states. .
The Bobolink does not remain in the rice states, but before he has left
sometimes a large portion of the planters’ income has been destroyed.
Therefore, more than any of our native species, he has a double reputation,
being perhaps our most favorite songbird in the northern states and the
most dreaded of all the small birds of America in the southern states.

Molothrus ater ater (Boddaert)
Cowbird

Plate 74

Oriolus ater Boddaert. Table Pl. Enl. 1783. 37

~Molothrus pecoris DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 143, fig. 45 (?)
_Molcthrus ater ater A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. roro. p. 231. No. 495

molothrus, Gr., ‘“ one who enters others’ habitations unbidden ’’ (Swainson); dter, Lat.,
black

Description. Head and neck “ coffee” or ‘ deep wood’ brown with
purplish iridescence. The rest of the plumage glossy black, lustrous with
greenish and bluish reflections. Female: Dusky brownish gray, often
with dark shaft streaks giving a slightly streaked appearance. Young in
their first plumage resemble the female, but the belly is whiter, tinged

with greenish buff and spotted with dusky. In August and September
while changing to the adult plumage, many of the young are seen in pied

coloration, large patches of black showing among the grayish or mouse-
colored immature plumage.

Length 7.5-8.25 inches; 9 7-7.5; extent 11.7-13.5; wing 4-46; tail
3-3.35; tarsus 1; bill .68.

Distribution. This species breeds in North America from southern
Mackenzie and Keewatin, Quebec and New Brunswick to northern Cali-
fornia, northern New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana and North Carolina, and
winters from southern New York to the gulf coast and central Mexico.
In New York it is altogether too common a summer resident in all portions

of the State up to the beginning of the Canadian zone, but it also invades

226 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

the valleys and cleared lands of the Adirondacks to the farthest edge of
the Alleghanian area in that district. In the southern portion of the
State it is frequently found throughout the winter. On several occasions
in different cities of central and western New York I have noticed one
or more cowbirds that were spending the winter in company with English
sparrows, and on the Montezuma marshes, when the sedges and grasses
have borne good seed, it is not an uncommon occurrence to meet with
flocks of from 100 to 300 cowbirds in the severest part of the winter; but
this has not been observed in recent years. Occasionally small flocks
are observed during winter in the Hudson valley, and in central and western
New York, but they seem to be wandering from place to place. The
spring migration of the Cowbird is well started by the middle or the 20th
of March, the bulk of birds which have migrated southward arriving before
the 30th of March or the 1oth of April. In the fall the species becomes
scarce or wholly disappears from the Ist to the roth of November.
Haunts and habits. The Cowbird is so named from its habit cf
following cattle in the pasture and frequently alighting on their backs
in order to secure insects which infest them or which are driven from the
grass as they browse along. In this way, of course, the bird accomplishes
some good. It also devours immense quantities of weed seeds, not only
in the spring and summer, but more particularly in the fall when it fre-
quents grain fields and, as my examinations have shown, feeds not so much
upon the waste grain as upon the seeds of pigeon grass, ragweed, smart-
weed, pigweed and other species which grow in profusion in all cultivated
lands. In this way I have reckoned that at least half an ounce of seed
a day is, on the average, destroyed by each member of the flock. The
flecks of cowbirds found during September in the grain fields and pastures
are so large that on one occasion after discharging my gun into a flock
which was passing I picked up 64 birds from the two discharges of the
gun, which will indicate the density of the flock. My estimate of the
flock referred to was that there were between 7000 and 10,000 birds.
The usual flock in the fall, however, consists of from 50 to 200 birds. They

ey A

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 227

fly more densely at this season than the redwings and grackles. In the
evening, like these species, they visit the marshes to roost near the ground
in the dense reeds and sedges close to the water line.
- In spite of all the good the Cowbird does, however, I can not believe
that it is a beneficial species to have about the gardens, lawns and orchards,
for, as is well known, it parasitizes all our small song and insectivorous
species, thereby destroying the whole brood of the foster parent, and in
return for a brood of Yellow warblers, vireos, Song sparrows or some other
interesting and beneficial species we have one Cowbird as the result of
the foster parent’s work. Consequently, although, as Bendire says in
his Life Histories, the Cowbird is beneficial when taking into consideration
its food alone, it certainly must be reckoned injurious, because the four
song birds which would reasonably represent one Cowbird do much more
good than the Cowbird to the agriculturist as well as the nature lover.
The Cowbird begins to deposit her eggs from the Ist to the 15th of

May and they are often found as late as the roth or 20th of June. Every
one of our small song birds is more or less frequently chosen as a foster

parent. A list of 91 species in whose nests the eggs of the Cowbird have
been found was compiled by Bendire. In this State I have noticed at
least 35 species parasitized by this bird, the commonest of which in my
experience are the Phoebe, Song sparrow, Towhee, Indigo bird, Red-eyed
vireo, Yellow warbler, American goldfinch, Vesper sparrow, Chipping
sparrow, Warbling vireo, Redstart and Chestnut-sided warbler.. Fre-
quently as many as 2, 3 or 4 eggs of the parasite are found in one nest,
but in this case only 1 or 2 or possibly none of the eggs of the nest owner
are found with the Cowbird’s eggs. The egg, being usually larger than
that of the foster parent, receives the greater amount of heat from the
incubating bird and consequently hatches more quickly, usually in 10
days after being laid. The young Cowbird, also being larger than the
rightful offspring, takes more of the food and so in a short time he is left
as the sole occupant of the nest. Of all the hundreds of young cowbirds

which I have seen being led about and fed by Indigo birds, Song sparrows,
15

228 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Yellow warblers and Phoebe birds, as well as many other species, not one
in my experience has.ever been accompanied.at the same time by any
of the parent’s own offspring, showing that in every instance the Cowbird
destroys the rightful inhabitants of the nest. Frequently the mother
Cowbird herself assists in this destruction by picking holes in the eggs
she finds in the nest, or by casting them out upon the ground; but this
is unnecessary as the young Cowbird always will effect this result if left
to himself alone. I have noticed in several instances that interesting
species as, for instance, the Yellow-breasted chat and the Yellow-throated
vireo, which came to the hillside near my camp on Canandaigua lake and
were parasitized by the Cowbird, never returned to nest in the locality.
I had become enthusiastic over the vireos and the chats that sang to
me every morning as I sat by the campside and was counting on a fine
brood of young ones which might return the next season and enliven our
surroundings; but although I should have been wiser and discovered the
nest to see that all was going well, I trusted to nature in each instance
and what was my disgust when the young came from the nest to find the
Yellow-throated vireos leading around one disgusting Cowbird instead
of their brood of young, and the chats deserted the hillside in the middle
of July. They evidently were disgusted in their season’s occupation or,
having been killed during their southward migration, never returned.
So these instances, like others of my personal experience, are typical of
numberless instances that could be noted of birds which fail to rear their
young and consequently never return to the nesting site again. When
we consider this influence which the Cowbird exerts on our avifauna, I can
not consent to consider him otherwise than as an injurious neighbor.
Cowbirds are not only parasites but polygamists and free lovers in
habit. Small troops of several males and a few females are found all —
through the breeding season flying around together and walking about
on the lawns with spritely step, pruning their glossy plumage and exulting
in the freedom from family cares, the males occasionally uttering their
uncouth guttural notes and the females, when startled or when seated

ee

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 229

upon the fence or trees, uttering a shrill note resembling that of the Cedar-
bird. The male, when uttering his squeaking chortle, ruffles up the feathers
of the breast and extends the wings, somewhat after the manner of the
Red-winged blackbird when uttering his ‘‘ congaree,’’ an attitude which is
evidently more or less characteristic of the family.

The eggs of the Cowbird are white in color, rather profusely and
evenly speckled with various shades of brown and grayish lavender. They
average .84 by .65 inches, extremes lying between .7 and 1 inch in length,
and .61—.66 in width. They resemble more closely the eggs of the English
sparrow than those of any native species.

Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus (Bonaparte)
Yellow-headed Blackbird

Icterus xanthocephalus Bonaparte. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1826.
51223

“Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910.

p. 232. No. 497
xanthocéphalus, Gr., §av06¢, yellow, and xepaAy, head

Description. Male: Head, neck and chest yellow; primary coverts
and a portion of the greater coverts white; otherwise uniform black.
Female: Brownish dusky, throat and chest dingy yellow; breast mixed
with white; young o similar to the female, larger, darker color.

Length o& 10.6-11 inches; 9 9-10; wing 4.5—5.8; tail 3.6-4.8.

Distribution. This species inhabits western North America from
southern British Columbia, southern Mackenzie and northern Minnesota
to southern California, Arizona and the valley of Toluca in Mexico, its
eastern limit being southern Wisconsin, central Iowa, northern Indiana;
winters from southern California and southwestern Louisiana to Puebla
in Mexico; appears accidentally in eastern North America, in Ontario,
Quebec, Pennsylvania and Florida, and once in New York State. The
specimen now in the State Museum was reported as taken at Irondequoit
bay near Rochester in September 1899. Its occurrence was purely acci-
dental, but this species is likely at any time to appear in flocks of Red-
winged blackbirds which are coming in from the Northwest.

230 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Agelaius phoeniceus phoeniceus (Linnaeus)
Red-winged Blackbird
Plate 73

Oriolus phoeniceus Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. 1766. Ed. 12. .1:161
Icterus phoeniceus DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 141, fig. 47
Agelaius phoeniceus phoeniceus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910.

p. 233. No. 498
agelaius, Gr., gregarious; phoeniceus, Lat. and Gr., deep red, Phoenician red,
referring to the male’s epaulets |

Description. Male: Lustrous black; bend of the wing bright deep
scarlet, bordered with creamy buff. Female: Considerably smaller, blackish
feathers of the back with rusty and buffy edges, giving a rather streaked
appearance; under parts blackish heavily streaked with dull white; the throat
and bend of the wing more or less tinged with salmon or reddish. Young
males at first like female; the first winter plumage resembling the male,
but the red of the wing much duller and all the feathers broadly margined
with rusty and buffy above and buffy or whitish below.

Length o& 9.5-9.75 inches, ? 7.5-8; extent o 15-16, 9 12.5; wing 4.7-8;
tail 3.7—3.9; bill .93; tarsus 1.12; weight 2.5-3 ounces.

Distribution. This species inhabits North America east of the plains
from Ontario and Quebec to northern Georgia and Louisiana; winters
from southern New York and Ohio to the gulf coast.

In this State the Redwing is a common summer resident of all districts,
even the marshes of Staten Island and Long Island and the edges of Elk
lake and the Flowed land near Mt Marcy. A few spend the winter in
the southern portion, but the majority are migratory, making. their appear-
ance in the spring from the 15th of February to the roth of March in the
southern portions and from March 5 to 25 in the northern counties. In
the fall they disappear from the Ist to the 20th of November, sometimes
remaining in numbers till the 1st of December.

Haunts and habits. Everyone who has visited the marshes or river-
side is familiar with the Red-winged blackbird and with his gorgeous
epaulets and the spritely ‘ congaree’’ which he continually utters when
perched on the top of the cat-tails or alders or on the neighboring telegraph
wire or when flying along with outspread tail over the tops of the sedges.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 231

The female is a smaller, inconspicuous bird. As far as I have observed,
she never utters the clear congaree call so characteristic of the male, but
frequently, as she flies up from the marsh and away over the field, shouts
out a confused rattling sound or a single clicking call note.

Photo by Ralph S. Paddock

Red-winged blackbird’s nest and eggs
, )

These birds are gregarious both in the spring and fall, the first migrants
usually coming in flocks of from 30 to 300. Frequently I have been in
the marshes during the first warm spring days without seeing the expected
redwings, when all at once, late in the afternoon, from the southward,

232 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

with measured wing strokes, a scattered company would come over the
hill at an elevation of from 50 to 100 feet and make directly for the marsh,
alighting on the alders and sedges as if they were perfectly at home. —
Evidently these birds migrate by day, as I have seen them come into the
marshes many times in this manner, making their first appearance late in
the afternoon.

The habitat of the Redwing in nesting time is almost without exception
in flooded land where sedges, cat-tails and bushes rise from very wet soil or
from the water, preferably where the water is from 1 to 3 feet deep. The
nests are attached on all sides to the cat-tails, sedge grass or the bushes
in which they are constructed, and are usually placed only a few inches
above the water, but sometimes at a height of 3 or 4 feet. They are made
entirely of grass and sedges woven into a compact structure with the live
grass intertwined between the outer and coarser portions of the nesting
material. The inner portion is lined with fine rushes, grasses and sedges.
The eggs are from 4 to 6 in number, usually 5, of a pale bluish or greenish
white with pen lines of blackish and dark brown and claret brown some-
times arranged in a wreath near the large end, on others irregularly and
thinly scattered over the surface. The average dimensions are 1.05 by .
-72 inches.

This species is more or less injurious to the grain fields, especially
corn, when it is in the milk. I have seen hundreds of acres of corn land
in the vicinity of extensive marshes which had been seriously injured by
the attacks of these birds. In the early days of the country the Redwing
was called the maize thief from his depredations upon the cornfield, but
now when the cornfields are so numerous and the marshes of such com-
paratively slight extent and, consequently, the redwings are so few in
number, the damage they do is so small as scarcely to be noticeable except
in a few instances. At other times of the year they are a beneficial species,
feeding upon weed seeds, cutworms, grasshoppers and all kinds of insects.
Scores of stomachs which I have examined in August, September and October
were filled with grasshoppers. About 70 per cent of the food in autumn
was weed seeds, occasionally mixed with grasshoppers and cutworms.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 233

Agelaius phoeniceus fortis Ridgway
Thick-billed Red-wing

Like phoeniceus but larger; bill relatively shorter and thicker. o wing
4.9-5.2 inches; tail 3.5-4.1; bill, length .82-1.06, depth .53; 9 wing 4-4.3; tail
2.8-3.25; bill, length .68—.81, depth .45.

This subspecies breeds from MacKenzie and southern Keewatin to northern Texas;
wanders eastward during migrations. Specimens showing the dimensions of this form of
Red-wing are occasionally taken in New York during the spring and fall migrations,
especially in autumn.

Sturnella magna magna (Linnaeus)
Meadowlark

Plate 75

Alauda magna Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. 1758. Ed. 10. 1:167

Sturnella ludoviciana DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 138, fig 42

Sturnella magna magna A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 235. No. sor
sturnélla, Lat., diminutive of sturnus, starling; magna, Lat., large

Description. Prevailing color of upper parts brown streaked with
blackish, the ground color really being black, each feather edged ard
tipped with rufous or brown and ocherous buff; the head with 3 broad stripes
of buffy white; sides of the head and neck grayish white; 3 or 4 outer tail
feathers mostly white; spot in front of eye, throat, breast and belly mostly
bright yellow, the breast with a large black crescent; sides grayish white
tinged with buff, streaked with black; wing coverts grayish ash mottled
with blackish; lower belly white. At a distance the white tail feathers
are conspicuous as is also the bright yellow breast when turned toward
one, and the black crescent, also the brownish black head striped with
buff and the general striped brown and black effect of the upper part.
The female smaller, duller colored. In fall plumage the yellow and black
more or less veiled with buffy or ocherous.

Length o& 10.5-11 inches; 2 9-10.25; extent 14-16.50; wing 4.7—5;
tail 3.16; bill 1.4; tarsus 1.70; weight 4 to 5 ounces.

Distribution. The Meadowlark inhabits eastern North America ees
eastern Minnesota, southern Quebec and New Brunswick to northern
Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina, and winters mostly from southern
New York and the Ohio valley to the Gulf of Mexico. In New York it
is a common summer resident of all parts of the State except the forested
portions of the Catskills, Adirondacks and Allegany highland and in the

234 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

southern counties is almost always met with in small numbers throughout
the winter. On the Montezuma marshes and other large swamps good
sized flocks are also observed in winter when grass seed is abundant. The
majority of individuals, however, are migratory. These arrive from the
south from the 2d to the 20th of March, sometimes as late as the 30th,
and disappear in the fall between the Ist and the 30th of November.
The Meadowlark prefers open grass country, prairies, wide meadows
and pasture lands being his favorite haunts. He secures all his food upon
the ground, and walks, like all the ground-feeding members of his family,
preferring weed seeds and some waste grain in the fall and winter, but
in the spring, summer and early fall lives mostly on grasshoppers, crickets,
larvae of insects which are found in the meadows, and ground-feeding
beetles. He sometimes does harm by destroying tiger beetles and black
ground beetles which are predaceous in habit, but secures much less of |
these on account of their activity than of the species whose larvae feed
upon the vegetation of the meadows. In fact, he spends most of his time
upon the ground but is frequently seen perching on tree tops, fence posts
and other elevated stations, apparently to watch the locality for members
of his own company or to utter his clear call note. The Meadowlark’s
flight is strong and well-sustained. When under way it usually consists
of several rapid wing strokes alternating with short periods of sailing.
He rises with a buzzing of the wings which reminds one somewhat of
a Quail’s flight and has given him in many localities the name of ‘‘ Marsh
quail.”” He was formerly hunted for game throughout most of the north
central states, but his flesh is comparatively unpalatable and his beauty,
as well as beneficial habits, should place him in the list of song and insec-
tivorous birds rather than among the game birds. The clear, plaintive
whistle of the Meadowlark which is heard from the time he arrives in
spring till almost the end of the season has been variously described by
different authors. Bendire says it is often interpreted ‘‘ laze-kill-dee.”
I have frequently heard it interpreted ‘‘ spring-most-here.”’ At least it
consists of about three syllables, a high and plaintive whistle. Beside
this note he has a harsh guttural chatter uttered when flying from the

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 235

grass or over the meadow, also a nasal “‘ peent”’ as it is written by Chapman,
as well as a call frequently uttered when alighting upon a fence post or
tree and accompanied with a fluttering of the tail, which may be written
“« eeck-eeck.”’ The nest of the Meadowlark is hidden among the thick
grasses or underneath a tussock of sedge or clover, and consists of weed

Meadowlark’s nest and eggs

stems and coarse grasses, lined with finer blades of grass. It is somewhat
arched over, both by the construction materials and by the grass among
which it is placed so that it is almost impossible to. detect its situation
unless the bird is flushed from the nest. The eggs are from 4 to 6 or 7
in number, usually 5 in my experience, with a white ground color more
or less thickly speckled and spotted with brown, rusty and lavender. They

236 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

are rather elongated ovate in shape, sometimes practically elliptical and
measure from .85 to 1.21 inches in length by from .72 to .89 in width, the
average dimension being 1.1 by .8 inches. The period of incubation is
about 16 days. The young after a few days are so covered with down
interspersed with brownish and buffy feathering, and remain so silent
and motionless, closing their eyes when any unusual sound approaches,
that it is practically impossible to distinguish them. I have frequently
looked into the nest of a Meadowlark and been unable to tell whether
there were 2 or 7 young, without first unraveling the tangle with my fingers.
This is undoubtedly a great protection to the young birds as they would
not be noticed by their enemies. Nevertheless, great numbers of the
young are destroyed by early mowing which is practised so generally
throughout the New York meadows. This species which in 1895 was
reported by Bendire as decreasing throughout central New York due to
this cause seems at present time to be maintaining its numbers by adapta-
tion to the existing conditions, nesting more in waste places, or in localities
which are not mowed and raked by machinery, or by nesting so early
that the young are out of the way of the mowing machine. Meadowlarks
like blackbirds are a sociable species, very rarely an individual being found
alone. In the fall they gather into small troops, not simply one pair with
their young, but apparently several families, so that from the same meadow
or marshland from 30 to 50 or even 100 meadowlarks are frequently flushed
and in the southern states where the principal number of the species pass
the winter I have frequently seen thousands gathered in the same field.

Icterus spurius (Linnaeus)
Orchard Oriole

Plate 75
Oriolus spurius Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. 1766. Ed.12. 1: 162
Icterus spurius DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 140, fig. 46
A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 23. No. 506
icterus, Gr. and Lat. for jaundice, a yellow bird, probably the golden oriole; spzirius,
Lat., spurious, bastard, referring to this bird’s former name of ‘‘ Bastard Baltimore oriole H4

Description. Adult male: Iead, neck, throat and forward part of the
back black; rump, under parts and lesser wing coverts chestnut; wings

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 237

and tail fuscous edged with whitish. Female: Grayish olive green; wing
coverts tipped with whitish; tail bright olive green; under parts dingy
yellow. Male of the first year: Similar to female but browner. Male second
year: Similar but with occasional patches of chestnut on the under parts.

Length o& 7.25 inches, 2 6.5; extent 10.35; wing 2.9-3.25; tail 2.7-3.2;
tarsus .88; bill .7.

Distribution. The Orchard oriole inhabits eastern North America
from North Dakota, Wisconsin, southern Ontario and coastal Massachu-
setts to Texas and the gulf coast, and winters from southern Mexico to
northwestern South America. In New York it is commonest in the
vicinity of New York City, and in the lower Hudson valley, but is fairly
common as far north as Albany and also on Long Island as far east as
Bellport; also in the Delaware valley; but is decidedly uncommon in
western New York although breeding records occur for several stations.
On Staten Island and in the lower Hudson valley this species arrives from
the 2d to the 1oth of May and departs again from the Ist to the 17th of
September, the breeding dates ranging from May 25 to June 20. In the
interior of the State records of its breeding are as follows: Holley, 1876,
Possun, Auk, 16:195; Canandaigua, 1883, E. J. Durand; Granville, 1886,
F. T. Pember; Hamilton, May 26, 1899, G. C. Embody; Montezuma, May
27, 1899, Burdette Wright; Saratoga, June 11, 1810, A. S. Brower; Chau-
tauqua county, 1902, Sarah Waite; Niagara county, Davison; Brockport,
David Bruce; Orleans county, Davison; Green Island, Parks, June 2,
1880; Esopus-on-the-Hudson, Burroughs; Orleans county, June 1904, E. H.
Short; Auburn, 1885, F. S. Wright. Beside these breeding records there
are numerous reports of individuals taken, the northernmost among my
notes being from North Creek and Port Henry, June 22, and July 5, 1905,
by Will Richard. It will thus be seen that this species at least as far as
its distribution in New York State would indicate, is nearly confined to
the Carolinian faunal area as a breeding species, rarely going beyond
this into the lower portions of the Alleghanian zone. The favorite haunts
of this species are orchards, shade trees and leafy tangles on the hillside
and along a stream. The nest is usually placed nearer the ground than
that of the Baltimore oriole, and is not so bag-shaped, but hangs only

238 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

about 3 to 4 inches downward from the twigs on which it is suspended.
The outside diameter is usually about 4-4.5 inches; the inner cup is usually
about 3 inches deep by 2.5-3 inches outer diameter. The upper rim of
the nest is, however, somewhat contracted, and it is almost entirely con-
structed of thin, wiry grass; lined with softer substances like thistledown.
The eggs are 4 to 6 in number, ovate in shape, with a paie bluish white
ground color, overlaid with grayish or pearly. The markings consist of
blotches, spots, scrawls and pen blots of purple, brown and pearl gray,
heaviest about the larger end, forming more or less of a wreath, the darker
brownish and blackish tints predominating. The average dimensions of the
eggs are .82 by .57 inches. The song of the Orchard oriole is decidedly
different from that of our commoner Baltimore oriole. It is a more finished
effort, the voice rich and flexible with considerable expression. The song,
however, is uttered in a rather hurried manner as if the bird were restless
and implusive (Bendire). This bird is even more beneficial than the
Baltimore oriole as it rarely, if ever, is known to feed on green peas or
small fruits, so far as reported in this State, but subsists almost entirely
on caterpillars and rose bugs, beetles and plant lice.

Icterus galbula (Linnaeus)

Baltimore Oriole
Plate 75

Coracias galbula Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. 1758. Ed. 10. 1: 108

Icterus baltimore DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 139, fig. 43 and 44

Icterus galbula A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 238. No. 507
gdlbula, Lat., name of some yellow bird

Description. Colors orange and black; secondaries and greater coverts
edged with white, the. former producing a rather distinct wing bar, the
latter, wing streaks; the head, neck, throat and forward portion of back
and greater portion of wings, and the middle portion of tail, black; under
parts, sides, rump, upper tail coverts, base of the tail, internal portion
of all except the middle tail feathers, orange, deepest on the forebreast
where it is of a decidedly reddish orange. Bill and feet leaden bluish.
Female and young: Much duller, the upper parts being mostly grayish brown
to grayish olive, more or less mottled on the head, sides of neck and back

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 239

with blackish; under parts dingy orange. The female has more blackish
about the head, especially on the throat which shows more or less blackish,
wanting in the young birds of the season.

Length o 7-8.2 inches, 9 7-7.6; extent 11.75-12.3; wing 3.6; tail
2.85; bill .7; tarsus .85.

Distribution. The Baltimore oriole inhabits eastern North America
from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nova Scotia to northern Texas,
Louisiana and northern Georgia; and winters from southern Mexico to
northwestern South America. It is a common summer resident of all
New York State with the exception of the wooded portions of the Catskills
and Adirondacks, but enters the river valleys and cleared lands of the
Adirondacks as far as Keene valley, Ausable chasm, Old Forge and similar
locations. It is commonest in those portions of the State which lie in
the Carolinian and warmer portions of the Alleghanian zone, inhabiting
the orchards, shade trees and open groves. It evidently has increased
considerably since the greater portion of the State was cleared and settled,
and is as common in the streets and yards of our villages and cities as
it is in the country districts. In several villages which I have examined,
it is easy to make a census of the number of orioles which evidently
inhabited the region during the preceding summer. Usually about three
nests will be found on each oriole tree, showing three years of habitation,
sometimes as many as five in different stages of dilapidation, but the
nest of the preceding season is almost always in fairly good condition.
By inspecting these trees it will be evident to nearly any bird student
that from 3 to 5 pairs of orioles must inhabit each large block of our cities

and villages, where shade trees are abundant. Some seasons, however,
"the orioles seem much less common than in others when late snow storms
in May kill large numbers or prevent them from migrating to their old
haunts. The beautiful appearance and melodious notes of the Baltimore
oriole are justly famous and have been praised by many poets, and every
amateur bird student is enthusiastic over this bird which can always be
found and heard during the “birding” season. Next to the Scarlet tanager
he is probably our most gorgeously colored bird, and his song ranks at

240 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

least among the first 20 for melody, but far excels the majority in familiarity,
in fact, rivaling the Robin in this respect. The orioles arrive from the
27th of April to the 8th of May in the warmer portions of the State,
depending upon the season, in the northern districts sometimes not
appearing until the 1oth or even the 20th. They immediately pair and
begin building. By the 15th or the 20th of May fresh eggs may be found
in the southern portions of the State; or from the 25th of May to the 1oth
of June in cases where the first nest was destroyed; and in the northern
portions of the State, sometimes as late as the 20th of June. The period
of incubation is about 12 days and the female is an ideal mother, defend-
ing her young with great courage and caring for them in all kinds of weather.
The young, however, are not such ideal offspring as she ought to expect,
for they are, as Mrs Miller has called them, the crybabies of the bird world.
From the time they begin to feather out until several days after they have
left the nest, they keep up a continual complaining cry for food. In this
way they are unquestionably located by many predaceous animals and
thereby destroyed. The young orioles are usually out of the nest from
the 20th of June to the 5th of July, and are very soon led away by the
old birds into the woods, groves and dense hedgerows. Then we hear
no more of the oriole’s song until the latter days of August or the first
week in September, when, after the autumn moult has been completed,
the males frequently burst into melody for a few days before departing
for their winter home. This departure occurs between the 1oth and the
22d of September. The vernal song period almost always ends by the
12th of July, usually several days before then. The Baltimore oriole
is especially valuable to the horticulturist and forester on account of its
attacks upon the caterpillars of various species which feed upon the foliage
of trees. He even feeds upon the hairy caterpillars which are chosen
by few birds with the exception of the cuckoo, and destroys large numbers
of leaf-eating beetles or their larvae and devours also many aphids, rose
bugs and other hemiptera. Occasionally the oriole destroys a few cherries
and berries and frequently discovers the green peas of the garden, deftly

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 241

opening the pods with his sharp bill and devouring large quantities of
the tender seeds. In this way, in my experience, he does much more
harm than by depredations upon the berries; but he is so much less
destructive than the Robin, Cedar bird, and Red-headed woodpecker that
complaints are rarely made against him and there can be no doubt that
he is one of the very best friends which the gardener can have about his
premises. As everyone knows, the oriole builds a pensile nest, usually
suspending it from the drooping branches of an elm tree, soft maple, apple
tree or in fact any tree, although his preference seems to be for the elm.
I have found this oriole’s nest hanging from Norway spruce, hemlock,
and horsechestnut which one would naturally expect he never would
select. In different villages of western New York the preference seems
to be in this order: white elm, silver maple, sugar maple, and apple. The
main construction materials used by the oriole are gray plant fibers,
especially those from the outside of milkweed stalks, waste packing cord
and horsehair; sometimes pieces of rags and paper are discovered in the
nest, but it is almost without exception a grayish bag as it appears from
the outside, and is lined principally with horsehairs and softer materials,
making a thick felted gourd-shaped structure which swells considerably
toward the bottom so that there is ample room for the 5 young birds to
develop. The eggs, though usually 5, are from 4 to 6 in number. Incu-
bation occupies 12 days. The eggs are ovate in shape but are rather an
elongated ovate, colored grayish or bluish white, more or less heavily
marked with irregular pen lines and blotches of blackish brown, purplish
and pearl gray, usually thickest near the larger end of the egg. The average
dimensions of the eggs are .92 by .61. The average external dimensions
of the oriole’s nest are 6 inches in depth by 4 inches in greatest diameter.
I have seen nests which are no more than 4 inches in depth and 3} in
external diameter but I have been unable to verify the observations of
those popular writers who claim that orioles build shallower nests in villages
or near houses because they are less liable to be visited by predaceous
birds. The height of the nest from the ground in my experience varies

242 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

from 7 to 60 feet, the average being about 25 to 30 feet. In spite of the
skilful placing of the oriole’s nest, it is frequently visited by plunderers.
I have seen crows on several occasions succeed in getting young birds
from the nest and the home of the Screech owl very often shows that the
young orioles have been taken and fed to the owlets. Red squirrels also
descend to the nest to get the eggs and young birds, and I have seen the
gray squirrels do this on one or two occasions. Generally, however, the
young are reared successfully and I am inclined to think that dangers
in migration and severe weather are the principal checks to the increase
of this species.

Icterus bullocki (Swainson)

Bullock Oriole

Xanthornus bullockii Swainson. Philos. Mag. N.S. 1827. 1: 436
Icterus bullocki A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 238. No. 508
biillocki, in honor of William Bullock of London

Description. Size of the Baltimore oriole; color somewhat similar but
the under parts not so reddish orange; the head and neck not black but
yellowish or orange spotted on the crown and back of the neck with black;
chin and center of the throat black; large patch of white on the wing caused
by the white middle and longer coverts. Female considerably duller,
lower parts a light olive gray and the upper parts bright yellowish olive;
where the male is yellowish orange and black, more olive brownish. -

Distribution. This species is purely accidental in New York State.
A single specimen has been reported by Mr Dakin from Onondaga county
on May 17, 1875. Unfortunately, this specimen disappeared from Mr
Dakin’s collection and I have not been able to trace it, but Mr Dakin’s
carefulness as a bird student seems ample proof that the bird which he
describes was a Bullock oriole and was taken in Onondaga county, although,
of course, it may have been an escaped caged bird which gave no evidence
of previous confinement. The normal range of this species is in western
America, from southern British Columbia and southern Saskatchewan to
southern Texas and Sonora; and from California eastward to South Dakota
and central Nebraska.

s

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 243

Euphagus carolinus (Miller)
Rusty Blackbird

Plate 73

Turdus carolinus Miller. Natursyst. Suppl. 1776. 140

Quiscalus ferrugineus DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 137, fig. 50

Euphagus carolinus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 238. No. 509
euphagus Gr., a ‘good feeder"’; carolinus, of Carolina

Description. Male: Shiny black with greenish metallic iridescence.
In high plumage no rusty showing on the edges of the feathers; but in the fall
the upper parts are more or less extensively edged with rusty and the under parts
with ocherous buff and whitish. In specimens taken late in the spring this
rusty has not entirely worn off from the edges of the feathers; but in the
very highest plumage the bird is entirely a lustrous black. Female: Dark
slaty gray; upper parts with more or less greenish reflections, more extensively
edged with rusty in the fall than is the case with the male and the under
parts sometimes almost a uniform ocherous on the throat and breast.
This edging of rusty and ocherous shows in the female as late as April
and May in New York specimens. Jris straw-colored; feet and legs blackish.

Length 9-9.6 inches; extent 13.5-14.5; wing 4.6-4.8; tail 3.52; bill .o1;
tarsus 1.06; weight 2—2.5 ounces.

Distribution. This species inhabits eastern North America, breeding
in the boreal zone from Alaska, central Keewatin and northern Ungava
to central Alberta, central Ontario, northern New York and Maine, and
winters from the Ohio river and the Delaware valley to the Gulf of Mexico.
In New York this species is a common transient visitant in all parts of
the State, arriving from the south from the Ist to the 20th of March in
the southern counties; in western New York, from March 10 to March 30,
passing on to the north from April 20 to May 10. In the fall it returns
from the north in western New York from the roth to the 20th of September;
in the vicinity of New York City, from September 20 to October 10; and
departs for the south in November, usually remaining the last of all our
blackbirds and going only when the marshes are frozen over. The Rusty
blackbird is a summer resident of the wilder portions of the Adirondacks,
especially in northern Hamilton and Herkimer counties and the south-

eastern portion of St Lawrence county. Its nest has been found on Raquette
16

244 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

river June 5, 1878, by C. J. Pennock; by Ralph and Bagg from the 7th to
the 20th of May 1886, at Wilmurt in Herkimer county; by Merriam at
Big Moose on the 15th of June; on Second lake and Moose river, June 16th.
This species has been called the Thrush blackbird, I suppose on account
of its flight and song which resemble somewhat those of the thrushes.
The nest also is usually walled with mud or rotten wood after the manner
of thrushes, but this habit is shared also by the Crow blackbird. The bill
of this bird is slimmer than that of most blackbirds, and superficially
shaped like that of a thrush. Its notes are also more liquid, but it seems
to me a true blackbird, its guttural chortlings reminding me more of our
redwings and grackles than the thrushes. Its flight, however, is more
like that of the Wilson thrush, the longer wings and gliding, wavering
motion suggesting the thrushes. In the spring and fall it is a pleasant
sound to listen to the gurglings of these birds as they pass through the
swamp from field to field and tree to tree in long scattered companies,
keeping up a continual bubbling note suggestive of gushing springs and
wandering waters. The Rusty blackbird is more aquatic in its habits
than even the Crow blackbird, and is frequently seen wading in the water
hunting for crayfish and larvae of water insects. Whole flocks of these
birds are often seen over the beds of chara or rockweed, wading as long as
they are able, and then flying to some partly submerged log or projecting
bunch of flags and picking up the larvae of dragon flies, may flies, snails etc.
from beneath the surface of the water. The nest is placed in a low alder or
willow a few feet above the water, sometimes within 18 inches of its surface.
It is constructed of leaves and straws, then a layer of mud, and lined with
fine grasses; a rather bulky affair thickly lined with bright green grass.
The outside dimensions according to Merriam are about 7 inches in
diameter, by about 5.5 in depth, the inner cup 3.5 by 2.5. The eggs are
4 to 5 in number, ovate in shape, the ground color light bluish green
blotched and spotted rather profusely, especially about the larger end with
various shades of chestnut brown, chocolate and drab; but rarely exhibit
the pen lines and scrawls so common in other blackbirds. They average
about I inch in length by .73 in diameter.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 245

Quiscalus quiscula quiscula (Linnaeus)
Purple Grackle
Plate 74

Gracula quiscula Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.1o. 1758. 1:109
Quiscalus versicolor DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 136. (part)
Quiscalus quiscula quiscula A. O.U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 239.
No. 511
quiscalus, quiscula, forms of the same word, of uncertain origin; perhaps from the
Spanish, a worthless fellow (quisquilla); perhaps like the common name grackle, an
onomatopoeon

Description. Tail long and rounded; whole plumage appears black
in the distance but on a close inspection the head, neck and upper breast a
rich, purplish blue, with metallic green reflection; back, rump and a portion
of the under parts rich purple with bronzy and bluish iridescence, each
feather of the back showing rainbows of peacock blue, purplish and bronze;
the wings and tail bluish purple with green and brassy iridescence. The
female smaller and much duller, especially below, the lower breast and belly
being greenish brown with purplish and bronzy reflections.

Length 2 12 inches; o 12.50-13.50; extent 17-18; wing 5.6-5.8; tail
5.2-5.4; bill 1.2-1.35; tarsus 1.45.

Distribution. The Purple grackle inhabits the Atlantic coastal region
from Connecticut, Long Island and the lower Hudson valley to the high-
lands of Georgia and Alabama and winters in the southern states; not
found west of the Alleghanies except in the south. The range of this
subspecies in New York overlaps the range of the Bronzed grackle, and,
as one would expect, on the border line there are many intermediate forms
which can scarcely be assigned with certainty either to the Purple grackle
or Bronzed grackle but must be labeled intermediate specimens. Almost
all the specimens from Long Island except in migration time are typical
of the Purple grackle, but sometimes of “ phase 3’ as Chapman calls it.
in his review of the species. In the Hudson valley as far north as Ossining,
at least, the residents are fairly typical of the subspecies; further north
intermediates become more common. Phase no. 3 is sometimes found
as far north as Troy but intermediates and the second or first phase of the

Bronzed grackle are more common in the upper Hudson valley, the birds

246 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

of Elk lake, in the northern extremity of the Hudson valley, showing only
a slight admixture of the Purple grackle coloration, hence ranking as
aeneus. A specimen taken at Waterford, Saratoga county, now in the
State Museum, is evidently intermediate between the two subspecies.
At Athens, Pa., Chapman found the third phase intermediate of the Purple
grackle and the second phase of the Bronzed grackle. At Port Jervis
he found one intermediate and one aeneus. Thus it is evident that in
the Susquehanna and Delaware valleys the range of overlapping is about
the southern boundary of New York. In western New York north of
the Susquehanna divide I have seen nothing but typical Bronzed grackle
with an occasional specimen which shows a very slight tendency toward
quiscula. Thus we must assign the range of this subspecies as south-
eastern New York below the highlands; but its intermediate forms are found
as far north as Saratoga county. On Staten Island, Long Island and the
immediate vicinity of New York City practically nothing but typical Pur-
ple grackle in one phase or another is found during the breeding season.
The Purple grackle arrives in this State from the 15th of February to the
toth of March, and departs from the 1oth to the 30th of November.
Breeding records range from April 20 to May 25. In habits and economic
importance this species does not differ from the Bronzed grackle which is the
more abundant subspecies in this State. In voice, however, Mr Ridgway
notices a difference, the note of the Purple grackle being less loud and
metallic. The nest and eggs are indistinguishable from those of the
Bronzed grackle.
Quiscalus quiscula aeneus Ridgway
Bronzed Grackle
Plate 74

Quiscalus aeneus Ridgway. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1869. 134
Quiscalus versicolor DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 136 (part) fig. 49
Quiscalus quiscula aeneus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 239.
No. 511b ; :
aéneus, Lat., brassy, referring to the sheen of the body plumage

Description. Longer and a little larger than the Robin; tail long,
rounded or wedge-shaped, frequently, especially in the nesting season,

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 247

carried in a keeled shape. Head, neck and upper breast deep purplish,
steely blue or peacock blue; wings and iail purplish with metallic reflections,
the outer flight feathers almost plain black. The whole body bronzy or
brassy with changeable sheen. At a distance, however, the bird appears
to be uniform black. Jris straw colored; bill and feet blackish. The body
feathers, especially those of the back, are without the purplish and bluish
rainbows seen on the feathers of the true purple grackle. Female:
Smaller and duller.

Length & 13-13.50 inches, 9 12-12.50; extent 15.75-19; wing 5.63;
tail 5.05; bill 1.2; tarsus 1.48; weight 5-6 ounces.

Distribution. The Bronzed grackle inhabits eastern North America
from Great Slave lake, Keewatin, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland to
Colorado, northern Mississippi, western Pennsylvania, New York and
Massachusetts. He is thus to be regarded a bird of the Mississippi valley,
and not of the Atlantic coastal plain which is inhabited by the Purple
grackle. In New York this subspecies is found throughout all the western
portion of the State as well as the northern portion and, in fact, in all the
_ State except the lower Hudson valley, Long Island, Staten Island, Man-
_hattan island and adjacent country. It passes the winter from the Ohio
valley to southern Texas. In New York it is a common summer resident,
abundant in some localities, arriving from the 26th of February to the
10th or 18th of March and departing for the south from the Ist to the 20th

of November. A few specimens are sometimes found throughout the

winter in the southern portion of the State, but this occurrence is rarer
than with the Red-winged blackbird and Cowbird.

The Bronzed grackle, or Crow blackbird as he is almost universally
called in this State, is principally an inhabitant of the cleared lands,
but is found as far up in the Adirondacks as Elk lake, Flowed land and
Boreas pond, and on the highlands of western New York keeps more
particularly to the river valleys and lake shores. He feeds almost entirely
on the ground and during the breeding season does a great deal of good
by destroying cutworms, wire worms, beetles and caterpillars and later in
the summer feeds largely upon grasshoppers. At this season, however,
he partakes more or less freely of berries, cherries, green peas, and, in the

248 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

early fall, of corn in the milk. In this manner they sometimes do immense
damage to fields of corn which are situated near the great marshes where
they congregate to spend the night, and about which they spend most of
their time after the breeding season is over. During the nesting season
they are found about the dooryards, both in the country and in villages
and cities, building their nests in the evergreen trees, especially spruces
in the thickest part near the top. Frequently, however, they place them in
Lombardy poplars and in various kinds of deciduous trees when the spruces
and pines are not at their disposal. I have often found them also in
deserted nest holes of the flicker and in hollow trees. The nest is a rather
bulky affair varying from 5 to 8 inches in height and from 7 to 9 inches
in diameter. The base and outer portion are mostly composed of weed
stalks, small twigs and coarse grasses, the inner cup of finer materials
like dry grass, strings, rags and a few feathers or any suitable soft substance.
The eggs vary from 4 to 6 or even 7 in number, usually 5 in this State,
elongated oval or ovate in shape, varying from a bluish white or pale
greenish to a grayish brown ground color, more or less thickly blotched,
spotted, lined and clouded with blackish, brown and lavender. They
vary in dimensions from I to 1.25 inches in length by from .75 to .86 in
diameter. The young are ready to leave the nest about one month after
the eggs are laid and are rather noisy at this time, and frequent alarm
notes and squabblings of the old birds with their neighbors are heard about
the orchards and gardens. The young are led away from the nest as rapidly
as possible and seem to disappear entirely from the vicinity of our door-
yards late in June or sometimes by the middle of the month. They gradually
gather into flocks of dozens, sometimes hundreds, and spend the day
foraging about the country in various localities wherever food is most
abundant. At this season of the year they are found about the orchards,
plowed fields, river banks, swamps, and groves, and almost invariably
gather at night to roost in the nearest marsh which is covered with a low
growth of bushes or dense sedges and cat-tails. They settle close to the
surface of the water among the sedges or in bushes at a height of several

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 249

feet. Such a locality is a veritable bedlam at dusk when the birds are
coming in and settling for the night. In these localities they are associated
to a greater or less extent with Red-winged blackbirds and cowbirds.
On the Montezuma marshes, in the spring and fall, I have seen tens of
thousands of grackles come in from the migration flights to roost amongst
the dead sedges. This grackle has a coarse call note, sounding somewhat
like the syllable ‘‘ clack,” which he utters when on the migration flight or
on the way to and from his roosting grounds, and a similar note though
louder serves as his alarm when the nest is approached or when he is
suddenly disturbed. In the spring he has also a song which, however,
is uttered with great difficulty and when successfully produced is far from
melodious. It has a loud metallic squeaky quality which has given this
bird the name of ‘‘rusty hinge’”’ or ‘‘ creaky hinge ’”’ in various parts of
the country. It is commonly uttered while the bird is perched on some
tree or fence post, and is accompanied by a puffing out of the plumage,
a partial extension of the wings, and a spreading of the tail, until he seems
actually to burst with the hoarse squawk. This performance reminds one
of the similar actions of the Red-winged blackbird and the Cowbird when
uttering their love notes. The grackle has been placed for many years
on the black list in this State along with the crows, hawks and English
sparrows; and I will confess that my experience leads me to believe that
_ this is a just decision of our lawmakers, not only because of the destructive-
ness of the Crow blackbird to fields of corn, as well as other grain, green
peas and small fruits, but particularly on account of his appetite for the
eggs and young of smaller birds which might do much more good than he
would if left to grow and multiply. My experience on a single farm will
serve to show what my general estimate of this bird would be. This farm
had an orchard, pond, brook, patches of willows, meadowland, pasture
and a large lawn with shade trees, including several evergreens. It was
the happy home of numerous robins, Least flycatchers, Yellow warblers,
Chipping sparrows, Song sparrows, Purple finches, Cedar birds, cuckoos
and other useful species. As soon as the evergreens grew so tall that the

250 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Crow blackbirds found them suitable for nesting sites, numerous pairs
of these sleek grackles built in the dooryard. At first the owner thought
all was going weil, but he noticed that the robins, sparrows and other
birds were not on friendly terms with the grackles, and when I came to
investigate the case, about the 20th of June, when the Grackles’ young
were nearly ready to leave the nests, I found that of 12 pairs of robins
which ordinarily would be raising their second brood at that time, only
one pair had been able to bring the young to a size able to leave the nest.
This pair had built under the edge of the veranda roof and thus had
escaped the attacks of the Grackle. All the other pairs of robins up to
that time had been unable to accomplish anything and I was also unable
to find any nests with young or any old birds caring for their young of
more than 2 or 3 of the other species named. I did find numerous nests
of warblers, sparrows and flycatchers which had been rifled and showed
clearly from their general appearance that they had been visited by grackles
or some other nest robbers and the young or eggs destroyed. As soon as
the grackles led their voung away, however, and the yard was once more
in peace, the robins which had been attempting all this time to raise their
broods, proceeded to bring up their nestlings unmolested, and the other
small birds likewise brought off their broods successfully; but in this
instance it meant only one brood instead of two for all those species which
raise two broods and undoubtedly a weakened brood for all the others. .
On the day of my arrival I witnessed the destruction of a Robin’s brood
which was the only one remaining besides the one mentioned, under the
eaves of the veranda. The young were just ready to leave the nest.
I heard the battle cry of the robins and came upon the scene just in time
to see the grackles attacking the young birds. The robins had already
become large enough to flutter their wings, and one of the two remaining
young started to fly, succeeded in reaching the garden about three rods
distant, but at the moment it landed upon the ground the Grackle was
upon him and with one blow demolished the base of his skull. Many
naturalists have suggested that some grackles are worse than others in

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 25!

_ their propensity for eating eggs and killing young birds, and I have no
doubt that this is true, but unfortunately many experiences like the one
above recorded have taught me to keep watch on all the grackles wherever
I have any regard for the welfare of the other birds nesting in their vicinity.

Family FRINGILLIDAE
Finches, Sparrows etc.
Wing variable in shape, containing only 9 primaries; tail also variable
in shape, containing 12 rectrices; bill conical, the cutting edges usually
plain, distinguishing them from tanagers; the commissure bent more or
less abruptly down near the base, a characteristic which they share with
the Icteridae; nostrils high up, bare in some species, covered with dense
tufts of bristles in others; tarsus scutellate in front, plated on the side,
with a sharp ridge behind like the characteristic passerine tarsus; in size
they range from small to medium; plumage very variable, from almost
plain to highly variegated.

The family is granivorous in diet, although they all feed to a con-
siderable extent on insects, especially in the summer time and when rear-
ing the young. Asa family they are highly melodious, including some of
our finest musicians, like the grosbeaks and Purple finch. The family
is almost cosmopolitan in distribution, numbering over 600 species. In
this country, as in many others, it is likewise the largest of all the families
of passerine birds. As would be expected from the variability of the wing
and tail, as well as the details in the shape of the bill and in the coloration,
several sections of the family are popularly recognized, such as the linnets,
represented by our Redpoll, the grosbeaks, finches, buntings and sparrows.
These groups merge into each other by such insensible degrees, however,
that no division into subfamilies is recognized by the A. O. U.

The economic value of our native sparrows as destroyers of insects
and weed seeds is clearly shown by Sylvester D. Judd, Bulletins 15 and
17, Biological Survey, United States Department of Agriculture.

252 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Hesperiphona vespertina vespertina (W. Cooper)

Evening Grosbeak
Plate 79

Fringilla vespertina W. Cooper. Ann. Lyc. N. H. N. Y. 1825. 1:220
Hesperiphona vespertina vespertina A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3.
1910. p. 241. No. 514
hesperiphéna, Gr, 2sm¢90¢, at evening, 9W¥4, voice; vespertina, of evening

Description. Adult male: Forehead and streak over the eye, yellow;
crown blackish; rest of the head, neck and back deep olivaceous changing
to yellow on scapulars and rump; wings, tail and upper tail coverts black;
tertials white; the inner webs of the secondaries and inner webs of tail
feathers partially white. Adult female: Top of the head brownish gray;
body plumage light grayish, tinged with olive yellowish; throat bordered
with dusky on each side; greater wing coverts, edgings of secondaries, and
tail coverts, inner webs of tip of tail, and patch on the base of the primaries
white. Young: Similar to female but duller and more brownish. Lower
parts much paler.

Length 7-8.5 inches; wing 4.2-4.5; tail 2.75-3.2; bill .8; depth of
bill at base .55-.7.

Distribution. The Evening grosbeak inhabits boreal North America,
breeding in western Alberta and the surrounding country; and winters
from southern Saskatchewan to Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio, and irregularly
to New England, New York and Pennsylvania. When I began to study
the migration and distribution of New York birds, I supposed that only
one visitation of the Evening grosbeak had ever occurred in New York

State, namely, the great invasion of 1890, when these birds were found
in almost all the northeastern states in considerable abundance; but on
further investigation I find that it has occurred almost certainly on all
the following dates: 1875, 1882, 1886, 1887, 1889-1890, 1896, 1899, 1900,
1904, 1906, and another large visitation in 1910-1911. Thus this bird
must be considered as an occasional winter visitant in recent years, but
usually in very small numbers, especially when the seed crop in the north-
west has failed.

Haunts and habits. With us it feeds on seeds and buds of the maple,
ash, mountain ash and various fruits which are left hanging on the trees.
This interesting species, which is related to the Hawfinch of Europe, is

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 253

a bird of striking appearance, especially the full plumaged males, whose
conspicuous coloration of bright yellow, olive, black and white, and their
enormously heavy beaks, immediately attract the attention of the most cas-
ual observer. The sight of a mountain ash tree full of Evening grosbeaks,
feeding on the brilliant red berries is an event long to be remembered. The
fruits of the sumac and the ash-leaved maple also attract them, and they
sometimes remain for weeks in localities where these trees are loaded with
food, as was the case reported by Mr Verdi Burtch from Branchport in 1911.

The following records of occurrence may be interesting to students
of migration:

Elizabethtown........ Winter 1875 (seen by Doctor Cutting) Brewer,
BN; OCA. 75

NS: 4 (?) 1866, Lawrence, Ann. Lyc. Nat. Hist. 8, 289

Marcellus....... ae ee July 8, 1882 (seen) Coues, B. N. O. C. 7, 250

SS OS ee ea Winter 1886 (20 taken) Ottomar Reinecke

1 SSE 5 ea ee April 15, 1887, Fenton, “ F. & S.” vol. 28, 267
Auk 7, 210

ON Sa Nov. 25, 1887 (1 taken) Swift, “ F. & S.’’ 29, 383

MMO oh cess t-écewld's <4 Dec. 11, 1889, Jan. 21, Mar. 7, 1890 (Fuertes)
Fisher, ‘‘ F. & S.” 34, 65

TAR SC ne Mar. 28, 1890, Cornell Univ. Col.

BOCKPOTt ¢.2< 00005 «5.3 Dec. 14, 1889 (7) (Davison) Fisher, “F. & S.”
34, 65

Feb. 1890, J. L. Davison, MSS.
Orleans county....... Winter 1889, Posson, Auk 16, 195
PTOUEPOLE. ie ges Dec. 30, 1889, Jan. 29, 1890 (Guelf) Fisher,
“F, & S.” 34, 65

a Jan. 30, 1890, Truman R. Taylor

Albion, Chili, Gaines.. © 1889-1890, E. H. Short

Lake George......... Jan. 6, 23, 25, 30 and 31, 1890, several taken
(Lockhart), Fisher, ‘ F. & S.” 34, 64

OS Jan. 10, 11, 18, 1890 (9) (Bergtold), Fisher,

“F. & S.” 34, 65; Auk 7, 210

254

Painted Post

Lowville....
Binghamton.
Lake George

Lake George
Westernville.

0.070.915 © v6 8

Rea oa fale fe,

ef SP 0. ei 6 ear eh @

ere te i ee eae

6) a -6 6) 6 0 a>

Oia Te ae a diet ree

Oe ae ele ee ow:

Car aK Sat say sa TE hat}

MU tH Oa ace Bocuse arteries

ole. ble Rie, <b 9 Sb

NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Jan. 23, Feb. 1, 1890 (Wood) Fisher, “ F. & S.”

34, 65
Jan. 28, 1890 (10, 4 taken) (Miller) Fisher,
oT O6:Oe SA, OS

Jan. 30, 1890 (1 taken) Loring “ F. & S.”’ 34, 65

Feb. 1, Mar. 4, 1890, J. A. Loring MSS.

Jan. and Mar. 1890, Foster Parker collection

Jan. 1890 (2 taken), L. V. Case MSS.

Feb. 20, 1890 (Benton), Bagg, Auk 7, 230

Feb. 1890 (2), Marshall, Auk 9, 203, State
Museum

Mar. 29, Apr. 17, 1890 (Parke), Sampson “ F,
& 8." 34, 247

Feb. 1896, J. H. Miller

Nov. 21, 1899, Lilian Hyde

Dec. 15, Mar. 12, 1900 (6 seen) (Lockhart), Dr
A. K. Fisher MSS.

April 11, 1904, Fuertes, Auk 21, 385

Dec. 8, 1906 (Kerr), L. A. Fuertes

Feb. 8, 1907, Bagg, Birds Oneida Co. 1912, p. 62

Jan. 30, 1909, F. A. Lockhart, A. K. Fisher MSS.

Jan. to Mar. 1911, Bagg, Birds Oneida Co: 1912,
p. 62

Apr. 6-9, 1911 (flock of 12), Bagg, Birds Oneida
Co, 1912, p. 62

Jan. 10 to Mar. 14, 1911 (2 to 30 seen almost
daily) Verdi Burtch ,

Feb. 4, 1911 (30 seen) Elliott, Auk 28, 266

Jan. 4 to Mar. 6, 1911 (several flocks seen) Dr
C. A. Dewey

Feb. 28 to Mar. 9, 1914 (flock of 8), James C.
Maples

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 255

Pinicola enucleator leucura (Miiller)
Pine Grosbeak

Plate 76

Loxia leucura Miller. Natursyst. Suppl. 1776. 150
Corythus enucleator DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 181, fig. 142
Pinicola enucleator leucura A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910.
p. 241. No. 515
pinicola, Lat., pine-inhabitor; enucledtor, Lat., a sheller-out; leuctira, from Gr., light
tailed cr white tailed

Description. Nearly the size of a Robin; like an overgrown Purple
finch in general appearance; beak very heavy; tip of the upper mandible
considerably curved; tail slightly forked. Adult male: Slaty gray
overlaid with rosy red especially on the head, breast and rump, sometimes
giving the bird almost a uniform rosy red appearance; wings and tail
fuscous slightly edged with color of the back; 2 conspicuous wing bars of
whitish, the inner secondaries and tertials also edged with white. Female:
Slaty gray overlaid, especially on the head and rump, with olive yellow or
saffron. Young males: Similar to female.

Length 9-9.2; extent 13-14; wing 4.36; tail 3.68; bill .54; tarsus .88.

Distribution. This species inhabits the boreal region of eastern North
America, breeding mostly in the Hudsonian zone. In New York it is
only a winter visitant, slightly irregular in occurrence, its abundance
depending upon the crop of mountain ash berries and spruce cones in
the northern forests, but a few at least are found in New York State every
winter. The dates of arrival from the north vary from November 9 to
December 4. They are commonest between the middle of December and
the first of March, the latest dates usually from the 25th of March to the
5th of April; but a few are occasionally noted as late as April 20 or May 5.
The winters of 1844, 1896 and 1903 are especially remarkable for the
abundance of this bird in New York. It occurs in all parts of the State,
but is usually not so plentiful on Long Island as in the interior.

Haunts and habits. The Pine grosbeak is one of the largest of its
family found in New York, but is of gentle, unobtrusive manner, almost

entirely fearless of man’s approach, and always seems to be perfectly con-

256 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

tented with its situation wherever encountered. A whole tree full of
these birds may frequently be seen feeding on the seeds of mountain ash
berries, apples or the buds of beeches. One may stand within a few feet
of them for a long time without their taking any notice of one’s presence.
They are rather slow and deliberate in manner. Their flight, however,
is rather rapid and aggressive, slightly undulating as is usual in this family.
While on the wing they often utter a high-pitched call resembling some-
what the note of the Purple finch, or two or three high whistles similar
to the notes of the Yellow-lcg’s “‘ tee-te, tee-tee-te.’’ The food. of the Pine
grosbeak in this State includes the seeds of spruces, larches, hemlocks
and pines, berries of sumac, mountain ash, cedar, Crategus or American
hawthorn, and wild apple; also buds of apple, peach and birch. Like
the crossbills they are more or less gregarious, but in this State the flocks
nearly always consist principally of young birds and females, sometimes
not more than 2 or 3 red birds being found in a flock of 20 or 30
individuals.

Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus
Chaffinch

Description. ‘‘ Forehead black; crown and nape greenish blue; back
and scapulars chestnut tinged with green; rump green; breast chestnut
red fading into white on the belly; wings black, with 2 white bands; coverts
of the secondaries tipped with yellow; tail black, the 2 middle feathers
ash gray, the 2 outer on each side black with a broad white band. Female:
Head, back and scapulars ash brown tinged with olive; lower parts greenish
white; the transverse wing bands less defined.’’ Hudson

Length 6.5 inches.

Distribution. This bird is one of the most popular songsters of
Britain and western Europe in general, a bird of the orchards and hedge-
rows. It was introduced in 1890 at Central Park, New York City, by
Mr Eugene Schieffelin, several pairs being released, and was still found
in that vicinity as late as 1906, when Mr Chapman reported that 3
individuals at least were still in the park. In 1900 I noticed several speci-

mens near the northern end of Manhattan island. It is probable, however,

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 257

' that unless more birds are introduced, this species will not increase as

the Starling and the House sparrow have done.

Ligurineus chloris
Green Finch

General color yellowish green, variegated with yellow and ashy gray. Length 6.5 inches.

The Green finch is one of the characteristic birds of western Europe, common
throughout the greater portion of the British Isles. A single specimen was obtained in
Lewis county by Romeyn B. Hough and was identified by Washington ornithologists as
a fine specimen of the European Green finch. It showed no evidence of having been in
captivity. Of course, the occurrence of this bird in New York State was purely acci-
dental and, as in the case of the European linnet recorded by Mr Thayer, it may have
escaped from captivity and have led a wild existence long enough to efface all evidences
of its former confinement.

Passer domesticus Linnaeus
House Sparrow

Description. Male: Upper parts ashy gray, streaked on the back and
scapulars with black and bay; broad band of deep chestnut or mahogany
behind the eye, spreading on the side of the neck; lesser wing coverts chest-
nut; a white wing bar formed by the white tips of the middle coverts. Under
parts grayish; a conspicuous black bib on the throat and upper breast; bill

blackish; sides of the head and bordering the black bib nearly white.

Female and young: Brownish gray abe ve streaked on the back with ocherous
and black; wing bar obscure; under parts plain dingy brownish white.

Length 6.35 inches; wing 3; tail 2.5.

This bird, which is now our commonest species, is almost exactly
the size of a Purple finch. The tail is slightly emarginate, the bill heavy
though not so heavy as the Purple finch’s, the general build stocky. Per-
sons who shoot the English sparrows from their Martin houses or Bluebird
boxes can not be too careful to identify the bird before shooting. I have
known of Purple finches and 3 or 4 species of native sparrows being shot
by accident for the suspected interloper.

The House sparrow, or English sparrow as it is almost universally
called in this country, as is generally known, is an importation from Europe.
It was liberated in Brooklyn and New York City during the years 1860-

258 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

64, and soon thoroughly established itself both in New York, Boston,
Philadelphia, Washington and all the larger cities of the Atlantic seaboard.
It began spreading westward and soon occupied the whole country east
of the Mississippi. In the year 1879 there were no English sparrows in
the village of Springville, where the author’s boyhood was spent. That
winter he visited the city of Buffalo and was delighted to see the English
sparrows about the streets and dooryards amid the deep snow in the
coldest weather. Two years later the sparrows had thoroughly established
themselves at Springville and before the year 1888 had occupied practically
every hamlet in the State. During the last 20 years they have been work-
ing their way from the cities and villages into the country and nearly every
large farmyard is thickly inhabited by these troublesome parasites. It is
almost impossible for the farmer to keep them from his barns and grain
stacks. Large flocks of young birds accompanied by a few older indi-
viduals gather on the wheat and oat fields in late June, July and August,
doing considerable damage to the standing grain and more to the grain |
in the shock and stack. They also attack the garden fruits, doing especial
damage to berries and currants. Many garden vegetables are also pecked
and rendered unfit for market. There is every reason to believe also
that the San José scale and other injurious parasites of our fruit trees
are distributed by these birds as they are continually flying from one tree
to another, especially about our gardens and orchards, whole flocks filling
the trees and shrubbery and continually flying from one farmyard to another
so that the scales are quickly carried from infected trees to the well-sprayed
orchards of the most careful horticulturist. These direct injuries done
by the English sparrow to our various crops, however, are not the chief
reason why it should be considered an injurious species, nor the litter of
dirt which he creates about our eaves, windowblinds and porches, but
the influence which he exerts upon our native bird life. As intimated
in other connections, the sparrow builds so early in the season that nearly
every available box and hollow limb is occupied by the time the bluebirds,
chickadees and nuthatches, martins and Tree swallows begin to think

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 259

of their nestbuilding, so that the scarcity of such nesting sites, which
becomes greater and greater in all civilized communities, is multiplied
tenfold by the occupation of all the available hollows by the indefatigable
sparrow. Although the bluebirds and martins may drive the sparrows
from the box which they have occupied for generations, as soon as they
arrive in April, nevertheless the sparrows remain in the vicinity and as
soon as the martins or bluebirds are out of the box they begin to carry
in their nesting material again, in this way harassing the native birds so
continually that they succeed in rearing no young. Thus the number of
bluebirds and martins that nest in our dooryards or about the village
is becoming smaller and smaller. The effect on the abundance of swallows
is especially manifest. A farmer closes his barn to keep out the sparrows
and the swallows can not enter. So it is evident that all those birds which
make their nests about our buildings or in boxes prepared by men are
continually crowded out of their nesting sites and driven farther and
farther from our habitations. Furthermore, as the number of sparrows
increases it is not only these birds that are discouraged, but even the
robins, Chipping sparrows, Yellow warblers and various other species.
I have noticed on many occasions the sparrows carrying off the nesting
materials that the Robin was placing in the crotch of an apple tree, the
poor Robin bringing materials day after day, and the sparrows, one pair
after another, carrying the materials away as fast as they were brought.
to fill up some yawning hollow post or some hole in the eaves of a building.
Likewise, they often build their nests on top of Robins’ nests and those
of other birds. Being clumsy nest-builders they seem unable to start
a new nest for themselves in the ordinary crotches of our shade trees, but
as soon as a nest has been started by some respectable architect they
immediately take possession and pile up their straw and feathers into
an unsightly bunch, thus driving away even the crotch builders from our
dooryards. It is not only in this direct way that they discourage the
nesting of our native birds, but as they increase in numbers they destroy

all the available food supply of smooth caterpillars and other palatable
17

260 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

insects which the wrens and warblers desire for their own young, so that
by this method of food rivalry they are continually crowding out native
species which would not only destroy the caterpillars which the House
sparrow destroys in feeding its own young, but would not do the damage
which the House sparrow creates, and at the same time would, in the
author’s estimation, be much more pleasant neighbors than this irritating
foreigner which has established himself so permanently in our midst. As
yet, no parasite has been discovered which might decimate the ranks of
this sparrow pest, and no enemy has yet arisen which has made any
appreciable impression upon it. It is true that Sparrow hawks and Sharp-
shinned hawks frequently establish themselves in the fall and winter in
the vicinity of sparrows’ haunts and feed upon them throughout the
colder months, and in many of the northeastern states the Northern
shrike or Butcher bird has acquired the habit of entering towns or cities
and pursuing the English sparrow; but none of these birds are numerous
enough to affect the abundance of a bird which rears 6 to 8 young in one
brood and brings up 3 or 4 broods each season. A few sparrows are frozen
to death in our coldest northern winters and during severe rain storms
many of the young are frequently destroyed, but they are still increasing
in number. It seems to be a question of rivalry, which is referred to
above. In the old world the various species of birds which compete with
the sparrow for nesting sites and food have become accustomed to his
ways and have gradually become able to cope with him, whereas the
American species with which he comes in contact have never had to
contend with such rivals and can not adapt themselves rapidly enough
to meet him successfully. Of all our native species, the Robin seems to
be the most successful in this contest of rivalry. The Phoebe succeeds
fairly well and the Song sparrow is only slightly affected. It is probable
that many of our more dominant species will survive, but undoubtedly
the sparrow is another influence which must be added to all the changes
mentioned in the chapter on Ecology which are affecting unfavorably
the abundance of many of our more interesting birds.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 261

ahe sparrow begins its nesting operations with the first thaw of
springtime. I have seen the old birds carrying building materials in
December, January, February and March, but in the first warm wave of
March nestbuilding begins in earnest, and the sparrows are continually
fighting and pairing. The nest is usually completed by the third week
in March and eggs are quite common by the first week in April. There
is no question but in some of the warmer cities nesting is considerably
earlier than this, but in western New York the young birds are rarely
seen out of the nest until the 20th of April or the Ist of May.

The various means of destroying the House sparrow are well described
in Farmers Bulletin 493 of the Biological Survey of the United States
Department of Agriculture. There is no doubt that the number of this
pest could be appreciably diminished by poisoning if this were practiced
during the coldest, snowiest portion of the winter; but this means should
not be employed except by persons who understand thoroughly the method
of procedure and would practise the utmost care in protecting the poisoned.
grain from pigeons and other birds that might get it later in the season.
In addition to this, a very effective method would be to destroy all the
nests with the old birds during the breeding season. Boxes erected at.
a moderate elevation, as soon as they are inhabited by sparrows, could
be visited after nightfall and a net thrown over the hole, to be used to:
secure the parent bird. In this way all the breeding birds could often
be secured; but those that nest in eaves and inaccessible places must be
secured by the flobert dustshot cartridge or the shotgun, and as soon as.
these methods are practised, many of the neighboring citizens object.
Some even pride themselves in protecting and singing the praises of the
much despised English sparrow, and he has many points of interest and.
some points to admire. He is a character of great individuality, but in.
the author’s experience the more he is studied the less he is admired,
although we may wonder at his success. In some of the western states.
an organized warfare is often waged at certain seasons against the English
sparrow and wagon loads of the birds are destroyed by universal hunts.

262 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

It is true that these wholesale hunts frequently destroy some beneficial
birds, but if all the house owners of every district should conspire against
the sparrow, each one making himself responsible for all the nesting birds
and nests on his own premises, we believe that each one could be successful,
and it is evident that such warfare would soon be disastrous to this
pestiferous bird.

Carpodacus purpureus purpureus (Gmelin)
Purple Finch

Plate 76

Fringilla purpurea Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1789. 1:923
Erythrospiza purpurea DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 160, fig. 163
Carpodacus purpureus purpureus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910.
p. 243. No. 517
carpédacus, from Gr., fruit-biting; purpureus, Lat., purple

Description. Size of the English sparrow; bill stoutly conical; tail
slightly forked; head slightly crested. Adult male: Head, neck, throat,
breast and rump rich rose red or ‘‘ wine purplish,” brightest on the crest
and rump, the winey purplish most pronounced on the breast; whole
plumage suffused with the same color, but the feathers of the back with
dusky central streaks; the wings and tail fuscous, slightly edged with the
reddish color; belly and under tail coverts whitish. Female: Grayish —
olive brown streaked with darker; under parts white tinged on the throat
and breast with buffy, conspicuously streaked with dusky; sparrowlike in
appearance, but the unusually heavy bill and heavy streaking distinguish
her. Young males: Until the second year, like the female.

Length 5.5-6.25 inches; extent 10.2; wing 3.15-3.4; tail 2.3-2.5; bill
-46; tarsus .68.

Distribution. The Purple finch inhabits eastern North America,
breeding from British Columbia, Alberta, northern Ontario, central Quebec
and Newfoundland southward to North Dakota, Minnesota, northern
Illinois, the mountains of Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey and Long
Island. In New York it breeds in all sections of the State, but is a rare
summer resident on Long Island and in the immediate vicinity of New
York City, and on Staten Island. Throughout the Adirondack and Catskill
districts it is a common summer resident, as well as in the highlands of

ee ee

ae a © ee a mu te Ng a gn aE em A p=

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 263

western New York. On the lowlands of western New York and in the
Hudson valley it is rather uncommon or erratic as a breeding species.
In all sections of the State, however, it is common as a transient visitant,
appearing from March 15 to April 10, migrating birds being common
until the roth to the 20th of May, and disappearing in the fall between
the 5th and the 20th of November. It also remains throughout the winter
in all the southern portions of the State, some years being fairly common
throughout the coldest weather, especially in the vicinity of New York
City and in the lower Hudson valley. It is not a winter resident of the
Adirondacks, however, but in western New York a few may always be
seen throughout the winter. It is rather erratic in habits like its relatives,
the crossbills and Pine grosbeak, some years appearing very early in the
spring and at other times not making itself heard till the middle of April;
but a definite ‘yearly migration is perfectly evident in nearly all sections of
the State as indicated by. the dates given above. I found it one of the
common breeding species throughout the spruce and balsam belt of the
Adirondacks, and in western New York near Springville it was also a
common breeder in the years between 1876 and 1885. Every spruce tree
in the town of Concord from 10 to 20 feet in height could be counted upon
for having a Purple finch’s nest near its top. My friend, Mr William B.
Burke, also noticed it as a common species in the Catskills during the spring
of 1905. Thus we can regard the Purple finch as one of our characteristic
summer residents in the greater portion of the State, and a permanent.
resident in the southern districts although rare in the summer and uncommon
throughout the winter months. The haunts of the Purple finch are the
evergreen forests, not the denser portions, but rather the open woods and
swamps where numerous pointed firs and cedars may be seen scattered
about. Here he fills the neighborhood with his gushing music throughout
the latter part of April, May, and early June. It is one of the conspicuous
birds of these localities. His song is delivered from the top of a spruce
or balsam and consists of a rapid, easily flowing, melodious warble,
resembling somewhat that of the Warbling vireo but more variant in

264 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

character. Sometimes when overcome with emotion he launches into the
air with vibrating wings, rising upward and upward, a torrent of melody
coming from his swelling throat, until he has reached an altitude of 200
to 300 feet, when he descends in wide circles with outstretched wings to
the summit of the evergreen from which he started. Sometimes in late
May or early June he may be heard to burst forth as if with unrestrained
emotion so suddenly as to startle one by the gushing of his overpowering
melody. I have thought sometimes that it was the most impassioned
bird song that we have in our groves and woodlands. I have also seen
him dancing about the female on the limbs of a tree or on the ground with
his wings fully extended and quivering, his crest raised to its utmost, his
tail spread and the brilliant feathers of his rump raised in the air, all the
while uttering his melodious warble, sotio voce, until, apparently overcome
by his emotion, he closed his wings and flew to a neighboring tree, perhaps
‘to repeat the performance in a few minutes. Besides his song, while flying
he utters a sharp “ pit,” and while feeding frequently a ‘‘ chipp chee.”
Mr Bicknell has noticed the song period to begin from the fourth week of
March, or sometimes as late as the 23d of April, and continue to the
‘middle of July, varying from the 2d to the 20th. The autumn song is
weak and desultory. The immature males, which look like the females,
‘sing almost as well as the high plumaged males, and several observers
have stated that they have positively made out the fact that the females
themselves sing, though not so melodiously as the male.

The food of the Purple finch consists in spring largely of the buds of
trees. Unfortunately, the buds of the peach, cherry and apple trees are
frequently selected. In this way he often does considerable harm to the
peach and cherry orchard, but serious complaints have come from only
a few localities in New York. Later in the season I have often found
them feeding on green cherries, one-fourth grown, on the green berries
of the fly honeysuckle, viburnum and ironwoods and, in the fall, on the
ripened fruit of the red cedar, white ash, hemlock, and nearly any species
of seed-bearing tree. They rarely feed upon the ground, but sometimes

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 265

are found where seeds are plentiful, hopping about after the manner of
sparrows. In the winter I have noticed that they seem to prefer the seeds
of maples, ashes and mountain ash. Late in June I have found their food
mostly confined to the samaras or ripened fruit of the elm tree. The species
is more or less gregarious, and throughout the migration season in April
and May, as well as in winter, they are often seen in loose flocks of 6 to
30. While feeding, one will usually notice a rustle of wings as they dis-
lodge seeds from the branches and regain their balance. This sound has
often directed me to a flock which otherwise would have escaped my
attention.

The nest of the Purple finch is usually constructed between the 5th
and the 20th of May in western New York, sometimes as late as the middle
of June. The fresh eggs have been found from the 1oth of May to the
15th of June, and sometimes as late as the 1oth of July. In this instance
I think it was a second brood. The nest resembles very much that of the
Chipping sparrow, consisting outwardly of small twigs, grasses and rootlets
thickly lined with hairs. In dimensions, however, it is conspicuously
larger than that of the Chipping sparrow and the inner nest not quite so
neatly constructed. The eggs vary from 4 to 6 in number, usually 5, in

‘my experience, greenish blue in color, spotted with blackish, brown and
purplish. They average .8 by .56 inches in dimensions.

Loxia curvirostra minor (Brehm)
Crossbill

Plate 77

Crucirostra minor Brehm Allg. deutsche Naturhist. Zeitung. 1846. 1: 532
(note)
Loxia americana DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 182, fig. 144
Loxia curvirostra minor A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 245. No.
521
léxia, Gr., h0&6s, crooked; curvirédstra, Lat., curve-billed; minor, smaller (that is, than
the European crossbill) :

Description. About the size and build of the Purple finch but some-
what less streaky; mandibles crossed; tail rather short, forked. Adult

266 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

male: Dull red varying from reddish orange chrome in summer to dull
vermillion in the high plumage; the color brightest on the head, breast
and rump, the back showing dark brownish centers of the feathers; wings
and tail fuscous, slightly edged with the color of the back; bill horn-colored,
tipped with dusky; iris brown; feet dark brownish. Female and young:
Grayish olive more or less overlaid with a yellowish olive or a dull saffron,
especially on the head and rump.

Length 6.2-6.4 inches; extent 10.75; wing 3.4; tail 2.14; bill .66;
tarsus .62.

Distribution. The American crossbill breeds principally in the boreal
zone of America, occasionally and erratically as far south as southern
New York, but commonly in the Adirondack spruce forest. In other
parts of the State it is an irregular winter visitor, some years appearing in
large numbers in nearly all parts of the State, in other seasons almost
entirely wanting. It is perhaps more erratic than the Pine grosbeak in
its occurrence and more of a wanderer, apparently following the best crop
of pine, spruce and hemlock cones about the country, while at other times
seeming to be led along purely by its fancy. It also occasionally appears
in midsummer in various parts of the State, especially in seasons of great
forest fires in the North Woods. Such occurrences are June 8 to July 28,
1888, in Niagara county (Davison); June 16, 1889, Ithaca, Fuertes; .
Ithaca, July 15, 1900, Hankinson; Hamilton county, July 13, 1903, Embody;
Ontario county, July 27, 1903, Eaton; Monroe county, July 1903, Dr C. A.
Dewey; Ithaca, August 7, 1904, and June 24, 1906, Doctor Reed. On
account of its wandering habits it is practically impossible to mention
migration dates for the Crossbill, but we might say that these birds may
be expected from November 15 to December 12, on the average, and they
will be last seen in the spring from April 12 to May 14. I am aware that
these migration dates do not agree with what would be expected on account
of the early breeding habits of this bird, but they seem to be justified by
the notes which I have taken fcr many years. This species has been
recorded by Merriam, and by Ralph and Bagg, as a common breeder in
Hamilton and Herkimer counties and eastern Lewis county. Eggs in
the Smithsonian Institution collected by Doctor Ralph at Morehouse-

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 267

ville were taken on March 30, 1904. Kennard (Auk, 12:304) found the
bird breeding at Brandreth lake in May 1890 and 1894, and reports a nest
in the same place May 1890, containing young birds. Mr Bicknell reports
the breeding of this species at Riverdale on the Hudson, the fresh eggs
being taken on April 30, 1875 (N. O. C. Bul. 5:7-9), and Mr Helme reports
it breeding at Millers Place, Long Island, April 10, 1883 (Auk, 2:100).
It will thus be seen that the species is also erratic in the time of breeding
as well as in the locality chosen for that purpose.

Habits. The nests are placed in evergreen trees, usually not very
far from the ground; constructed mostly of twigs, grasses and rootlets,
lined with bits of moss and hair. Mr Bicknell describes the nest he found
as composed of spruce twigs in a mass, with cedar bark and a felting of
finer materials, and a second coating of horsehair, rootlets, pieces of string,
and 2 or 3 feathers. The eggs are usually 3 or 4 in number, pale greenish,
spotted and dotted with various shades of brown and lavender, averaging
-75 by .57 inches.

Like the Pine grosbeak this species is gentle and approachable in
disposition, exhibiting very little fear of mankind. I have frequently
stood under a hemlock or a spruce for some time without realizing that 20
or 30 crossbills were scattered throughout the top of the tree, twisting
the seeds from the cones, until the little wings which they had cut from
the seeds came floating down and advised me of their presence. Then
on examination the tree seemed to be full of crossbills. They are very
dexterous in their work of extracting seeds from the cones, climbing about
and hanging by their feet and bills almost as expertly as parrots.
Occasionally the whole flock takes flight suddenly without any appar-
ent reason, as they fly away uttering a keen “‘ pip-pipe, pip-pip-
pipe.’ While feeding they occasionally keep up a series of short chirping
whistles that sounds like a contented chattering among the company.
The flight of the Crossbill is undulating. The flock keeps more closely
together than is the case with most of the members of the finch family,
sometimes wheeling about almost as closely ranked as flocks of cowbirds

268 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

in the fall. The Crossbill has a beautiful song of varied and pleasing
character, though not very powerful. ‘A series of somewhat goldfinch-
like trills and whistles, seldom of any duration and in any case far less
rich than that of the White-winged crossbill. It is more apt to keep up
a low twittering while feeding than that species. Common call notes are
a ‘ pip-pipe-pip-pip-pip’ somewhat like the peeping of young chickens,
and the much deeper ‘ piip-piip’ strikingly similar to one call of the Olive-
sided flycatcher. The last mentioned note is rarely or never uttered when
the bird is on the wing.’’ (Gerald Thayer)

Loxia leucoptera Gmelin
White-winged Crossbill

Plate 77

Loxia leucoptera Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1789. 1:844
DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 183, fig. 145
A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 245. No. 522
leucéptera, from Gr., meaning white-winged

Description. Shaped like the Red crossbill but slightly smaller and
the color more of a rosy red in this species, and the wings and tail black,
the former with conspicuous white bars formed by the white tips of the middle
and greater wing coverts; the center of the belly nearly white. Female
and young: Olive green, yellowish on the rump, gray on the under parts,
mottled on the back and head with blackish.

Length 6—6.2 inches; extent 10.18; wing 3.27; tail 2.4; bill .62; tarsus
61.

Distribution. The range of this species coincides closely with that
of the Red crossbill, but it is if anything more northerly in distribution
and does not wander so far south in winter, but occurs as a fairly common
winter visitant in this State, though more irregularly than the Red crossbill,
and as far as my records show is never found throughout the State in the
summertime. It breeds in the Adirondack forest according to Merriam,
but is very much less common in the summer than the Red crossbill. In
other parts of the State this species is only an erratic winter visitor, appear-
ing from the 29th of October to the 15th of November, and disappearing

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 269

in the spring from the 15th of April to the roth of May, sometimes remain-
ing until late in June (in Scarboro; Gerald Thayer). It certainly is common-
est between the first of December and the last of February, most of the
records occurring between those dates. There were visitations of these
birds in New York State in the winters of 1848, 1864, 1874, 1878, 1882,
1888, 1890, 1893, 1896, 1897, 1899 and 1906. They were especially
common on Long Island in the winter of 1899 and 1900, and in western
New York in the winters of 1882 and 1889. When these birds find a
locality where food is abundant they seem to remain in that immediate
vicinity throughout the winter, as was observed by Mr Bicknell at River-
dale in the winter of 1874-75, from November 3 to May 10, and by Mr
Burtch at Penn Yan from February 4 to April 19, 1900, and by Mr Helme
at Montauk Point from November 8, 1899, to February 20, 1900.

Habits. This species is more active and uneasy than the Red cross-
bill, and also more shy and suspicious, usually keeping near the tops of
tall trees when feeding. The few flocks which I have been able to observe
in western New York and in the Adirondacks, were in the tops of tall
hemlocks and spruces, and it was with great difficulty that I was able to
approach near enough to take specimens. They seemed to fly frequently
from one tree to another, wheeling about in the air and keeping up a
rather loud chattering cry as they flew about, the call note resembling
somewhat the syllables ‘‘ cheep, cheep,’ being uttered in succession by
the different members. of the flock. In the springtime they have a
beautiful song, perhaps more melodious than that of the Red crossbill,
a low, soft warbling, suggesting somewhat the song of the Redpoll. The
nest is described as composed of twigs, strips of bark, mosses, and lined
with softer moss and hair. The eggs are usually 3 or 4 in number, pale
’ blue, spotted and streaked with reddish brown and lilac, averaging .8 by
-55 inches.

“The two common calls of this species are a loud, whistled ‘ wheet-
wheet-wheet’ impossible to mistake for that of any other eastern bird,
and an equally characteristic rolling twitter, which, however, is somewhat

270 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

similar to the corresponding note of the Redpoll. Its song, heard
occasionally in the winter but much more frequently in the birds’ summer
home, is a remarkably loud and rich series of trills, twitters and whistles
suggestive of the song of a strong-voiced canary. It is one of the loudest
and one of the most noticeable songs to be heard in the north woods.”
(Gerald Thayer)
Acanthis hornemanni exilipes (Coues)
Hoary Redpoll

Aegiothus exilipes Coues. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1861. 385
Linaria borealis DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 169
Acanthis hornemanni exilipes A.O.U.Check List. Ed.3. t1g10. p. 247.
No. 527a ;
acanthis, Gr., name of the linnet; hérnemanni, to J. W. Hornemann; exélipes, Lat.,
small-footed

Description. Pattern of coloration similar to the common Redpoll,
but decidedly whiter, the sides being much less heavily streaked and the
upper parts more broadly edged with white; rump plain white without
any streaks; the wings and tail more distinctly edged with whitish; the
breast and rump tinged with pink as in the common species.

For dimensions see table under rostrata.

Distribution. The Hoary redpoll is found throughout the holarctic
regions. In America it breeds from Ungava to western Alaska, and
straggles southward in the winter as far as Maine, Massachusetts, Ontario,
Michigan and Illinois. It is unfortunate that I have been unable to find
any actual specimens of the Hoary redpoll from New York State, but it
is ascribed to New York by Nuttall (see Chamberlain’s edition, page 538)
and also reported from the vicinity of Auburn in 1854 (see paper by William
Hopkins read by Doctor Brewer, Proceedings Boston Society Natural
History, volume 5, 1856, page 13). It is also included by DeKay in “ Birds
of New York,’ but without definite statement as to specimens secured
in the State. It has also been reported as seen by different observers,

the last record coming from Otto McCreary of a specimen seen near ~

Trumansburg with Common and Greater redpolls on March 24, 1912.
There is little doubt that this species occurs in New York, as many speci-

or

at er SD

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 271

mens have been taken in Massachusetts at Swampscott, Revere, Cambridge
and Nantasket (see Brewster, Auk, 4:163); it is also reported by Ridgway
and the A. O. U. from Hamilton Beach, Ontario; Chicago, Ill.; and from
northern Michigan.
Acanthis linaria linaria (Linnaeus)
Red poll
Plate 78

Fringilla linaria Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 10. 1758. 1:182
Linaria minor DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 168, fig. 161
Acanthis linaria linaria A. 0. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 248.
No. 528
linaria, Lat., a linnet

Description. Small, shaped like a Goldfinch; streaky; tail forked;
bill small and sharp-pointed, with conspicuous tufts of bristles over the
nostrils. Adult male: Crown bright red; forehead, chin and upper throat
blackish; upper parts grayish brown streaked with dusky and whitish, lighter
on the rump; under parts whitish especially the belly and under tail coverts;
sides streaked with dusky; the lower throat, breast and rump rosy pink;
whitish wing bars and edgings. Female: Duller, only slightly tinged with
pink on the breast and rump.

Length 5.32 inches; extent 8.25-8.75; wing 2.8; tail 2.32; bill .36; tar-
sus .56.

Distribution. This species inhabits the northern hemisphere, in
America breeding from Alaska and northern Ungava, southward to northern
Alberta and the islands of the Gulf of St Lawrence; winters in the northern
portion of the United States. In New York this species is an irregular
winter visitant, undoubtedly occurring every winter, but frequently being
very abundant. Winters of unusual abundance were those of 1876, 1878,
1882, 1886, 1889, 1898, 1899, 1906, 1908, 1910. The date of arrival varies
from the 9th to the 25th of November. It seems to be commonest from
about the last week in November till the last of March, although they are
frequently seen from the 6th to the 29th of April. Usually they disappear
by the toth of April.

Haunts and habits. The Redpoll is most commonly found in birch
and alder swamps subsisting on the seeds which it extracts from the stro-

272 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

biles with its sharp beak, and along the roadsides and wide fields covered
with weeds, feeding on the seeds of amaranth, goosefoot and ragweed, and
frequently enters the gardens in the outskirts of towns and cities to feed
on the weeds projecting above the snow. In notes and habits it reminds
one very much of the Goldfinch. It is unsuspicious and often allows one
to approach closely, without taking wing; sometimes, however, the whole
flock will rise suddenly without a moment’s warning, wheeling around

Greater redpoll 9 Holboell redpoll d
Acanthis linaria rostratus (Coues) Acanthis holboelli (Brehm)
Redpoll d
Acanthis linaria linaria (Linnaeus)
From New York specimens in the State Museum. } nat. size

over the swamp and disappearing entirely from view. ‘‘ The distinct
call notes of this species are at least four in number; a long drawn, shrill
‘buzz’ very similar to one note of the Pine siskin, but thinner and longer;
a conversational twittering uttered when several birds are feeding together,
difficult to distinguish from the corresponding note of the siskin but some-
what more rolling; a ‘ ker-weet’ extremely similar to the long plaintive call
of the American goldfinch but distinguishable, being different in tone; and

lastly, a common, loud twittering or rolling call uttered when the bird

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 273

is on the wing, which may be described as intermediate between the cor-
responding rolling call of the White-winged crossbill and the ordinary piping
call of the Red crossbill; though somewhat softer than either ’’ (Gerald
Thayer). On the 27th of March 1912, I heard the song of a full plumaged
Redpoll delivered from the peak of a tamarack in a swamp near Geneva,
N. Y. It resembled somewhat the ecstatic flight song of the Goldfinch,
but seemed to me more melodious and finer toned, more of the quality
of the ‘ tweet’’ call of the Goldfinch and less of the warbling quality, but
delivered in the manner of the Goldfinch’s warble. The Redpoll is fully
as gregarious as the Crossbill, is rarely found except in flocks of from 20
to 50, sometimes 200 or 300. When the flocks take wing they keep up
a combination of twittering and chirping very characteristic of the species.
In habits they are wholly beneficial, feeding only on seeds of trees or on
the seeds of harmful weeds which grow in the field.

Acanthis linaria holboelli (Brehm)
Holboell Redpoll

Linaria holboellii Brehm. Handbuch Végel Deutschl. 1831. 280
Acanthis linaria holboelli A. O. U. Check’ List. Ed. 3. i910. p. 248.
No. 528a :
hélboelli, to C. Holboell —

Description. Like the common Redpoll in color, but larger, the bill
slimmer and longer (see dimensions given under rostrata).

Distribution. This subspecies of Redpoll breeds in the holarctic
region, in America on the islands of the Arctic coast, especially Herschel
island, and wanders southward in winter as far as Quebec, Ontario, Maine
and Massachusetts. In New York it has been taken at Lake George,
Warren county, January 27, 1890, A. K. Fisher collection, no. 3940; and
at Kenwood, near Albany, February 15, 1907, a male taken by George
Richard, New York State Museum collection, no. 1753. The dimensions
of the latter specimen, which is figured in the half tone on page 272,
are: wing 77 millimeters; tail 60; culmen 10.5; depth of bill 6.5; tarsus 15;

274 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

middle toe 9. There is little doubt that many specimens of this species
could be obtained in northern New York if a large series of redpolls were
collected and carefully examined; but it resembles so nearly the common
subspecies that it can not possibly be distinguished at any distance in
the field.
Acanthis linaria rostrata (Coues)
Greater Redpoll
Plate 78

Acgiothus rostratus Coues. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1861. 378
Acanthis linaria rostrata A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 248.
No. 528b :
rostrata, Lat., beaked

Description. Much larger than the common species; general colora-
tion darker and browner; stripes on the breast and sides’ decidedly heavier;
the bill thicker and blunter in outline.

Distribution. The Greater redpoll next to the Lesser redpoll is our
commonest species of the genus in New York. It unquestionably occurs
each season. Several specimens have been taken near Shelter island by
Mr Worthington, one of which, a female, taken February 11, 1879, is in
the Dutcher collection, no. 1562. Specimens from the interior of the
State are: Ossining, taken February 12 and 13, 1883, by Ezra Acker (see
Fisher, N. O. C. Bul. 8:121); a pair taken at Lake George, Warren county,
January 2 and 11, by T. A. Lockhart (see Fisher, Auk, 1:156); and
a specimen from Lewis county collected by Doctor Merriam, reported
in the Ralph and Bagg list, page 129. The specimen figured on
page 272 was taken at West Waterford, January 23, 1899, by Will
Richard, and is now in New York State Museum collection, no. 1139.
Its dimensions are: wing 78 millimeters; tail 60; culmen 9.6; depth of bill
7; tarsus 15.5; middle toe 10. By observing flocks of redpolls with a field
glass when they are working among the weeds near one in the field, or
in birch, alder, tamarack and apple trees at a distance of from 2 to 6 rods,
it is possible to distinguish, in size and coloration, between this subspecies
and the Lesser redpoll; and they can thus be recorded with certainty

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 275

by those who are experienced in the differences between our redpolls. In
this way Mr Otto McCreary has observed them on several occasions in
Ontario and Seneca counties during 1909, 1910 and 1912. The home of
the present subspecies is in Greenland and the adjoining country, straggling
southward in winter from Ungava and Labrador to Quebec, Ontario,
Manitoba, Indiana, Illinois, Colorado, New York and Massachusetts.

Average dimensions of Redpolls
(Ridgway, Birds of North and Middle America)

SUBSPECIES paeracracs oo Tobe Shear ae TA goer :

oe ALR UA hares tk vie eae 75.18 57.40 7.87 6.35 14.48 7.87
exilipes ann eee Rate seat ey yp ae 56.13 7.87 6.10 14.48 7.62
ee RPM saora a creiciatnre 74.93 54.10 8.89 6.10 14.73 8.64

linaria PemMAlO css cisuis ea steds 73.91 53.85 8.38 6.10 14.73 8.38
Fal \5 so ON eC 75.18 56.90 9.91 7.37 15.24 8.89
holboelli ees RAs hincnehe ate hlele 72.99 57-15 9.91 7.11 14.99 7.87
t eat OER Ses a Or 80.52 59.94 9.91 7.62 16.51 9.65
pastrata ROMANO iia: gicie Siaslegs 00,3 78.23 58.67 - 9.65 7.62 16.26 9.14

Acanthis cannabina
European Linnet

canndbina, Lat., of hemp

Description. Forehead and crown crimson; rest of the head, nape and sides of the
neck mottled brownish gray; mantle chestnut brown; wing feathers blackish with outer
edges white, forming a conspicuous bar; under tail coverts dark brown with whitish margin;
tail feathers black narrowly edged with white on the outer and broadly on the inner webs;
chin and throat dull white striped with grayish brown; breast crimson; belly dull white:
flanks fawn brown; in winter the crimson feathers concealed by wide grayish margins.
Female: Duller in color and without any crimson.

' Length 5.75 inches.

Distribution. This old-world species, which resembles superficially the Redpoll in
appearance, is not a native of our avifauna, but has been reported once from this State
by Gerald Thayer (see Auk, 17: 389). Of course, its occurrence here was wholly accidental.
The specimen taken by Mr Thayer in Westchester county, at Scarboro, is now in the
State Museum. Besides the one taken, he saw a flock of 5 males and females for several
days about the locality. There is no question about the identity of Mr Thayer’s speci-
men but, of course, it is barely pessible that these linnets had escaped from some zoological
park or had been liberated by persons who had them in captivity, yet there is little more

reason to doubt that they had wandered here, than that many specimens of American
18

276 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

species reported in Great Britian had wandered to that region. It is, moreover, improbable
that so many individuals as the 6 seen by Mr Thayer would have crossed the ocean on
board a ship, as sometimes happens to single individuals of other species.

Astragalinus tristis tristis (Linnaeus)
Goldfinch

Plates 78 and 79

Fringilla tristis Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.1o. 1758. 1:181
Carduelis tristis DeKay.. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 166, fig. 151
Astragalinus tristis tristis A. O..U. Check List. Ed..3. zoro:-“phiag3t
No. 529
astragalinus, Gr., aoteayadtvoc, ‘an unknown small bird’ (D’Arcy W. Thompson),
“a goldfinch ” (Liddell & Scott); tristis, Lat., sad, alluding to its call

Description. Bill conical, sharp pointed; tail forked. Male: Bright
lemon yellow, the crown, wings and tail black; wing bars and streaks on
the wings and tail, white. Female: Grayish olive brown tinged with green,
especially on the throat and sides of the neck; wings and tail blackish;
wings barred and the secondaries and tail feathers streaked with whitish;
under parts dull white tinged with yellowish. Male in winter: Plumage
resembles the female, but the wings and tail blacker, the body plumage
much browner, the throat and sides of the neck more tinged with yellowish
green, the lesser wing coverts and the upper tail coverts bright yellow as in
summer. Young resemble the female.

Length 4.75-5.2 inches; extent 8.8-9.25; wing 5.82; tail 1.95; bill .4;
tarsus .54. .

Distribution. This species inhabits eastern North America from
southern Manitoba, central Quebec and Newfoundland southward to
eastern Colorado, Arkansas and northern Georgia, in winter extending as
far southward as the gulf coast. In New York it is a common resident,
though less common in winter, fairly abundant as a breeding species in
all portions of the State except the dense portion of the forested districts;
found in winter throughout the State, but more commonly in the southern
portion. Many bird students assume that the Goldfinch migrates like
many of our sparrows and warblers because the male birds, assuming
their brilliant hues about the last of April or the first week in May, seem

to appear suddenly; although, if they had visited the swamps and fields,

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 277

they might have found them in somber plumage throughout the winter
months. It is true that the Goldfinch is much commoner and more
generally distributed in the summer time than in the winter, especially
in the gardens and farmyards.

Haunts and habits. Its usual haunts are open fields with plenty of
seeds of the dandelion and thistle. It feeds largely on the ground or among
the weeds, but otherwise spends most of its time in the orchards and shade
trees, in pairs or little companies, being a rather sociable species, and in
fall and winter almost always travels in flocks, after the manner of the
Redpoll and Siskin. I have noticed that the principal food of the Gold-
finch in winter consists of seeds of the birch, alder, hemlock and all kind
of weeds which grow in the open field. In summer and fall it seems
especially fond of hemp seeds, thistle seeds, chickweed, dandelion and
salsify. It is rarely complained of as injurious, but gardeners who are
_ raising lettuce and salsify find it oftentimes very destructive to the seeds;
in fact, a garden of lettuce which has been allowed to go to seed almost
certainly attracts dozens of these gay-plumaged finches until the supply ~
has been exhausted. When the dandelions are in full seed, it is customary
to see dozens of Goldfinches scattered over the lawn, busily engaged in
tearing the seeds from their gossamers and devouring them. Thus, by-
destroying weed seeds through the summer and winter, it does good service
- to the gardener and farmer.

This little finch is not only one of our most beneficial and brilliantly
colored birds, and one of the most familiar during the summer months,
but his call notes and song are as beautiful as his plumage. He has
a plaintive, canarylike ‘‘ tswee-tee’’ uttered with a rising inflection, and,
when flying in deeply undulating sweep, the male utters a call note
resembling the syllables ‘‘ per-chick-a-pee."’ The young birds fresh from
the nest have a curious note somewhat similar to the syllables “‘ chee-pee.”’
The song of the Goldfinch, heard late in June and through the months
of July and August, is sometimes uttered from a perch, but more usually
while the bird flies around in broad circles with fluttering wings, pouring

278 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

forth a torrent of canarylike warbling which sometimes approaches in
beauty the song of the Purple finch.

The nest is constructed the latest of all our native birds. They rarely
begin to build before the last week in June, although they may have been
in residence throughout the year. Fresh eggs have been taken from the
5th to the 27th of July, sometimes as late as the roth to the 19th of August,
and on one occasion I found a Goldfinch’s nest with eggs the first week
in September. This is very unusual. The site selected is in a bush or
tree from 5 to 30 feet from the ground, usually among thickly clustered
limbs. The structure is composed externally of fine grasses, strips of
bark, especially the epidermis of the milkweed, and mosses, lined with
thistledown, a fact almost universal in this species, which has given it
the name of “ Thistle bird’’ in many portions of the State. The eggs
are from 3 to 6 in number, normally 5, ovate in shape, white in color,
slightly tinged with bluish, averaging .65 by .48 inches in dimensions.
Only one brood is reared. The time of incubation is about 10 days.

Spinus pinus (Wilson)

Pine Siskin
Plate 78

Fringilla pinus Wilson. Amer. Orn. 1810. 2:133. pl. 17, fig. 1

Carduelis pinus DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 167, fig. 136

Spinus pinus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3.1910. p. 250. No. 533
spinus, Lat., thorn tree, spina, a spine or thorn; pinus, Lat., pine tree

Description. Sexes similar. Shaped like the Goldfinch but slightly
shorter, the bill more slender; upper parts grayish brown streaked with
dusky; under parts whitish tinged with buffy, streaked with blackish; wing
bars whitish; the bases of the tail feathers, except the middle pair, and
bases of the wing feathers bright yellow showing in flight as yellow patches

at base of tail and in the wing. Young birds have the under parts more

tinged with yellowish and the wing bars ocherous instead of white.
Length 5 inches; extent 8.63; wing 2.76; tail 1.9; bill .43; tarsus .47.

Distribution. The Siskin or Pine finch inhabits North America from
central Alaska, southern Keewatin and southern Ungava to the mountains

i San ae

i i ae a

rege

oe a nae
te. Ani

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 279

of lower California and southern New Mexico, and to northern Michigan,
Nova Scotia and in the Appalachian mountains to North Carolina, nesting
also casually in Massachusetts and the lower Hudson valley. In winter
it wanders over the whole United States and northern Mexico, but ‘is
erratic in its habits and distribution. Some years it appears in great
numbers in various parts of the State; other seasons it is almost unknown.
The years of unusual occurrence were 1882, 1886, 1891, 1898, I90I, 1909.
It must not be assumed that it does not occur nearly every season, especially
in the eastern and northern portions of the State, but certainly is rather
uncommon except at intervals of a few years. The flocks arrive from
the north from the 4th to the 16th or sometimes the 30th of October and
wander about various localities where food is abundant, become commoner
again in April and May, and are last seen from the roth to the 30th of
May, but occasionally as late as the 27th of June, sometimes remaining
to breed, as happened at Ossining, May 25, 1883 (Fisher, N. O. C. Bul.
8:180), and at Cornwall-on-the-Hudson, May 3-12, 1887 (Allen, Auk, 4:
284), at Remsen, April 4-9, 1889 (Ralph and Bagg list). In the higher
Catskills, but more particularly in the Adirondacks, it is likely to breed
each season, although in what part of the Adirondacks the principal breed-
ing will occur is problematic. In the spring of 1905 immense numbers
of these birds bred in Essex county in the region surrounding the higher
peaks of Marcy and Skylight, and young fully fledged and feeding them-
selves were found in large flocks when we visited the district on the 16th
of June. Doctor Merriam speaks of them breeding abundantly in the
western Adirondacks in various seasons. Some years, however, they seem
to be entirely absent from all portions of the Adirondacks as a breeding
species, although it is possible that, if search of the whole region were
made, some would be found breeding in unexpected places. Its breeding
in the southern portions of the State as recorded at Ossining and Cornwall
is certainly very exceptional.

Haunts and habits. The Pine siskin resembles the Goldfinch in habits,
its flight being undulating, and the- flocks usually proceeding over the

280 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

fields in long, waving swoops. It is commonly found in forests of hemlock,
pine and spruce, alder swamps, and open fields. The Siskin is fully as
gregarious as the Redpoll, in my experience. It is no uncommon thing
in the month of November and again in late April or the first half of May
to see flocks of 500 or 600 Siskins sweeping over the country, sometimes
remaining only for a few minutes in any given locality, and then con-
tinuing their wanderings, their presence being determined largely by an
abundance of their favorite food. It feeds principally on the seeds of
conifers and various weeds, scarcely differing in this respect from the
Goldfinch and Redpoll, but is perhaps more confined to seeds of the hem-
lock and the pine than these species. Its call note is a melancholy “‘ chee-a,”’
and the flight call is a chippering ‘‘ ét--tit.”". The Siskin also has a song
suggesting that of the Goldfinch, but less melodious.

The nest is usually saddled on a large limb of hemlock or other conifer
20 to 30 feet from the ground among the thick foliage. It is a bulky
structure with a rough exterior, loosely built of hemlock twigs and _ sprigs
of moss, about 6 inches in external diameter. The interior is compactly
woven of thistledown, fur and hair, the innermost lining being of horse-
hair and the inside dimensions given by Mearns 2.25 by 1.25 inches. The
eggs are 4 to 6 in number, bluish white, slightly spotted with reddish;
average dimensions .67 by .46 inches.

Carduelis carduelis (Linnaeus)

European Goldfinch

Plate 79

carduélis, Lat., thistlefinch, goldfinch

Description. Size and shape of the American goldfinch; fore face bright red, that of
the crown and brow separated from that of the throat by black lores; behind the red
on the sides of the head and upper throat isa margin of white, brightest on the side of
the head; crown and band behind the white onthe side of the head and neck black;
upper parts cinnamon brown; breast and sides tinged with the same; belly white; wings
and tail black; the feathers tipped with white; a large yellow patch in the wing.

Length 5.5 inches; wing 3; tail 2.95; bill .5.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 281

Distribution. This old-world species was introduced at Hoboken, N. J., in 1878.
The following year it appeared in Central Park, New York City, and soon spread over
the northern portions of Manhattan island and the surrounding country. Locally not
an uncommon resident (Adney, Auk, 3:409). The winter of 1889, Mr Hendrickson
reported three specimens from Long Island City. In the winter of 1891 many were
noticed flocking with the American goldfinches at Dobbs Ferry, but several were found
dead in the snow, evidently the severity of the winter proving too much for this
species (Dr A. K. Fisher).

I am not aware that the European goldfinch has increased, or even held its own
in this State since the brief records rehearsed above were published. In the spring of
1900 I noticed several pairs that were endeavoring to build their nests in Central Park,
and in the country about Kings Bridge and Spuyten Duyvil, New York City; but
from all reports it seems that this beautiful species is not likely to become established
so easily as the obnoxious European sparrow. ;

Plectrophenax nivalis nivalis (Linnaeus)

Snow Bunting
Plate 80

Emberiza nivalis Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.10o. 1758. -1:176
Plectrophanes nivalis DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 178, fig. 158
Plectrophenax nivalis nivalis A.O.U.Check List. Ed.3. 1910. p. 251.
No. 534
plectréphenax, from Gr., tAyxz90%, quill or spur, and 9éva, a cheat, referring to the
long hind claw which might be mistaken for a spur; nivalis, snowy

Description. Considerably larger than the English sparrow; tail
slightly forked; hind claw longer than toe; wings long and pointed. Male
in summer: Largely white; back, under portion of primaries, inner second-
aries and inner tail feathers, mostly black. Jn winter: The top of the
head, back of the neck, cheeks and the black feathers of the upper parts,
largely overlaid with rusty and buffy whitish; also a touch of rusty on the
side of the breast; bill yellow tipped with dusky; feet black. Female:
Similar to the male, but upper parts streaked with black in summer, and
the wings and tail not so blackish in winter. “a

Length # 7-7.35 inches, 9 6-6.5; extent 12.5-13.25; wing oc 4.2-4.5,
Q 4; tail 2.7; bill .42; tarsus .83.

Distribution. The Snowflake inhabits the northern hemisphere, being
holarctic in distribution, in America breeding from 83 degrees north, to

282 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

northern Alaska and Ungava; winters from Alaska, southern Alberta and
southern Ungava as far south as northern California, Kansas, Ohio and some-
times Florida. In New York State it is a common winter visitant in nearly
all localities, but is rather irregular in occurrence, sometimes appearing in
great numbers for several weeks in winter, at other times seeming to be
absent except for passing flocks which will be noted at intervals throughout
the colder weather. They arrive from the north sometimes as early as
the 28th of September on the Montezuma marshes and about the central
lakes and the shores of Lake Ontario, but on Long Island and other parts
of the State are rarely noticed before the 22d to the 30th of October, some-
times not before the 26th of November, and remain until the last of Feb-
ruary or the 1oth of March, sometimes being noticed as late as the 22d
to 26th of the month.

Haunts and habits. This species is fully as gregarious as the cross-
bills and redpolls. Although I have frequently seen single individuals
appear on the Montezuma marshes and on the lake shore, almost
without exception they are noticed in companies of from 25 to 50,
and sometimes several hundreds, and on a few occasions I have noticed
flocks of thousands sweeping over the fields like clouds of drifting snow.
Flocks of snowflakes perform various evolutions while on the wing,
careening backward and forward and wheeling about, and again seeming
to blow over the fields like dried leaves driven by the wind. While flying,
the members of the flock keep up a tinkling whistle, a note resembling
somewhat the syllable “ tee’”’ repeated at intervals by the various members
of the flock; also, when disturbed, they utter a harsh ‘‘ beez-beez.”’

Their ordinary fare consists of seeds of the pigweeds (goosefoot and
amaranth) and ragweed (ambrosia), and all species of grass. They feed
entirely on the ground and are almost never observed to alight in trees,
although such instances have been recorded. They walk and run while
on the ground, never hopping as is the custom with the Song sparrow and

2

other birds of the family. Consequently their tracks in the snow are
often mistaken for those of the Horned lark. Snowflakes are wholly

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 283

beneficial on account of the destruction of weed seeds. Although they
were frequently shot for food in the earlier days, they are rarely slaughtered
for that purpose now, and should be left to enliven the winter landscape.

Calcarius lapponicus lapponicus (Linnaeus)
Lapland Longspur

Fringilla lapponica Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 10. 1758. 1:180
Plectrophanes lapponicus DeKay. Zool.N.Y. 1844. pt2,p.177, fig. 159
“Calcarius lapponicus lapponicus A.O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910.
p. 251. No. 536
calcérius, Lat., calcar, a spur, referring to the long, rather straight hind claw; lap-
ponicus, of Lapland

Description. Slightly smaller than the Snowflake; hind claw even
more elongated; bill somewhat more slender; tail more forked; in general,
darker in coloration; upper parts light brownish streaked with blackish.
Male in summer: Head, throat and chest black; a buffy stripe behind the
eye; sides streaked with black; belly white; hind neck chestnut. Male
in fall and winter: The black and rufous more or less obscured by the
brownish white tips of the feathers, but the black showing through,
particularly in the region behind the eye, on the lower cheek, the sides of
the throat, and on the chest. Female in summer: Like the winter male,
but the black areas more broken; the hind neck streaked with blackish.
’ Female in winter: Brownish and less sharply streaked, lower parts brownish
white. Young: Above tawny buff streaked with black; beneath, pale
buffy, chest and sides streaked with blackish.

Length o& 6.1-6.9 inches, @ 5.5-6; wing o& 3.6-3.9, 2 3.5-3.6; tail
2.55; bill .4.

Distribution. The Lapland longspur, like the Snowflake, is found
throughout the northern half of the northern hemisphere, in America
breeding from latitude 73 on the Arctic islands and 75 degrees in east
Greenland, southward to the limit of trees in Mackenzie and northern
Ungava; winters from southern Quebec and Dakota southward to the
Middle States and Texas. In New York this longspur has always been
regarded as a rare or uncommon species, but I have no doubt that this
rating has been the result of inability to distinguish it among the flocks

of snowflakes with which it associates. Though the darker plumage of

284 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

the Longspur in winter will almost always distinguish it from the snow-
flakes, it has been my experience that bird students who are in the habit
of collecting find the Longspur more common than they had supposed
before shooting extensively. During many seasons this species is fairly
common on Long Island and on the plains near Lake Ontario and Lake
Erie. The reports of longspurs in New York are mostly between the 18th
of December and the 22d of February, the greater number having been
taken in January and the first half of February; but Mr Dutcher records
a specimen from Shinnecock bay August 12, 1881, which is about 3 months
earlier than most of the dates before me. Another specimen he records
from Long Island City October 18. A record 6 weeks later than the usual
date of departure is April 18, 1885, a specimen from Hempstead Plains
reported by Mr Dutcher (Auk, 3:440).

Haunts and habits. The Lapland longspur resembles the Snowflake
in habits, walking instead of hopping, living entirely upon the ground
and traveling over the wide fields and desolate shores near the coast in
straggling flocks. It has a tendency, however, to fly higher in the air
than the Snowflake when disturbed in the open fields, or when migrating
across the country.

Calcarius ornatus (J. K. Townsend)
Chestnut-collared Longspur

Plectrophanes ornata Townsend. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1837. pt2.
7: 189
Calcarius ornatus A.O.U. Check List. Ed.3. 1910. p.252. No. 538
orndtus, Lat., adorned, ornamented

Description. Male in summer: Top of the head, stripe behind the eye,
chest, breast and belly black; the under parts sometimes edged with rufous;
hind neck rich rufous; stripe over eye, chin and throat white; cheeks pale
buff. In winter the black largely concealed by light brownish. Female:
Upper parts light grayish buffy brown streaked with dusky; paler below.
Young: Dusky, margined with brownish white; an indistinct whitish
stripe over eye; cheek and throat white flaked with grayish dusky; lower
parts grayish buff, streaked on the breast and sides with dusky. Size of
the Lapland longspur.

i
q

—

— oe ae

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 285

Distribution. The Chestnut-collared longspur inhabits the Great
Plains, breeding from Montana, southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba to
central Wyoming, Kansas, eastern Nebraska and western Minnesota;
winters from Colorado and Iowa to Arizona and the Mexican tableland.
Accidental in the Eastern States. It is purely a straggler within our borders.
Two specimens have been taken on Long Island, the first at Long Island
City, February 16, 1889 (see Hendrickson, Auk, 6:89); the second specimen
was collected at Millers Place, September 14, 1891, and reported by A. H.
Helme.

Pooecetes gramineus gramineus (Gmelin)

Vesper Sparrow
Plate 82

Fringilla graminea Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1789. 1:922
DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 151, fig. 140
Pooecetes gramineus gramineus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1o10.
p. 253. No. 540
Pooécetes, Gr., 76%, meadow, and oizécys, inhabitant; gramineus, Lat., grassy

Description. Grayish brown streaked with dusky; under parts dull
white spotted on the breast and sides with dusky; the tail fuscous except
the central feathers which are like the back; outer tail feathers mostly white; les-
ser wing coverts rufous; ear region usually shows dusky spot; legs flesh colored;
general appearance of the bird is a pale grayish brown, streaked sparrow.

Length 5.8-6.7 inches; extent 10-11; wing 3-3.4; tail 2.4-2.7; bill

_.42; tarsus .83.

Distribution. The Vesper sparrow inhabits eastern North America
from southern Keewatin, central Quebec and Cape Breton to eastern
Nebraska, Kentucky and North Carolina; winters from the Central States
to the gulf coast. In New York this sparrow is a common summer resident
of all portions of the State and in the region near the sea and some of the
warmer counties a few remain throughout the winter. The spring migra-
tion begins from the 18th to the 3oth of March in the southern part of
the State; in the northern counties from the Ist to the 6th of April. In
the fall the birds disappear between the 1st and 15th of November, some-
times a few remaining until the last of the month.

286 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Haunts and habits. The Vesper sparrow, Bay-winged bunting or
Grass finch, as this bird is called in different parts of the country, inhabits
open grassy fields, being almost entirely a ground bird; but it prefers pasture
lands and fields with sparse cover of weeds and grasses to the dense meadow
lands and, on the whole, enjoys a drier soil than the Savannah sparrow.
It is frequently seen in plowed fields and along the dusty roadsides running
along in front of the traveler and, when too closely pressed, darts away
with a rather hurried, sweeping, slightly undulating flight to some distant
fence post or to the shelter of the grass.

The song of this species is heard mostly in the morning, late in the
afternoon and in the evening as late as an hour after sundown. It consists
of two long, low notes, succeeded by two higher notes, then descends in
chippering trills, the whole song being somewhat longer and more deliberate
than that of the Song sparrow. On clear evenings in May and early June
if one walks into the country and takes one’s station near some crossroad,
the song of the Vesper sparrow may often be heard in a dozen different
directions at the same time; first one individual from a near-by fence post
takes up the refrain, followed by another farther in the field standing
upon a clod of earth, another farther off on top of a small tree, still farther
one from a fence rail, and so in every direction near and far at intervals
from different individuals the song will be repeated, the farthermost sending
only the two higher notes to the ear of the listener. Such a concert is
really inspiring if one will take the trouble to stop and listen. The song
is loud, clear and ringing, ‘‘sweeter and more plaintive than that of the
Song sparrow ”’ (Chapman).

The nest of this species is invariably placed upon the ground, usually
beside a clod of earth, partly under a clump of grass, or beside a growing
weed in the open field, rather loosely constructed of coarse grass and weed
stalks, lined with finer grasses, rootlets and long hair. The eggs are 4
or 5 in number, grayish white or bluish white in ground color, spotted
with umber and reddish brown. Average size .83 by .61 inches. The
period of incubation is about 10 days. Two broods are reared in a season

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 287

in this latitude. The first nestful of fresh eggs may be found from the
28th of April to the 20th of May. Later sets are frequently observed
from the 20th of June to the 25th of July.

This sparrow in the summer time destroys many insects, especially
young grasshoppers, leafhoppers and the larvae of insects found among
the grass. In the fall, winter and early spring he feeds almost entirely
upon weed seeds, thus rendering efficient service to the agriculturist.

Passerculus princeps Maynard
Ipswich Sparrow
Plate 81

Passerculus princeps Maynard. Amer. Nat. 1872. 6:637
A. O. U. Check List. Ed.3. 1910. p. 254. No. 541
passérculus, Lat., diminutive of passer, sparrow; princeps, Lat., first, chief

Description. In general appearance this bird resembles a large
Savannah sparrow, having almost exactly the same pattern of coloration,
but paler. The yellowish superciliary line is mostly confined to a spot
of yellow in front of the eye or entirely wanting; the same yellow on the
bend of the wing as in the Savannah sparrow, but the breast and sides
are less heavily streaked.

Length 6.25-6.75 inches; extent 11; wing 2.9-3.2; tail 2.25-2.50;
tarsus .93.

Distribution. This sparrow is confined to the north Atlantic coast of
America, breeds on Sable island, Nova Scotia, and winters from Sable
island southward as far as Georgia. In this State it is confined to the
bleak, wind-swept hillocks of the southern shores of Long Island, and
the barren beaches. The earliest fall records are October 12 to October
26. The latest spring records in Mr Dutcher’s Long Island notes are
found between the 7th of March and the 3d of April. It is evident that
this bird is not so rare on the coast of Long Island as was formerly sup-
posed. Mr Dutcher concluded years ago that it would hereafter be
relegated to the commonplace (Auk, 3:42), and his judgment has been
confirmed by subsequent investigation.

Haunts and habits. Anyone who is willing to scour the barren beaches

285 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

and the rolling sandhills of the Long Island coast, searching carefully
among the bunches of beach grass, will surely find these sparrows through-
out the winter season. They rise rapidly when disturbed and, darting
away with hurried flight, pitch down again to conceal themselves as soon
as they are two or three shotgun ranges from the hunter. They frequently
utter a faint “ sip”’ as they fly or as they hop about searching for food.

Passerculus sandwichensis savanna (Wilson)
Savannah Sparrow
Plate 81

Fringilla savanna Wilson. Amer. Orn. 1811. 3:55. pl. 22, fig. 3
Emberiza savanna DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 161, fig. 155
Passerculus sandwichensis savanna A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3.
tg10o. p. 254. No. 542a
sandwichénsis, of Sandwich island, Alutians; savénna, a meadow (Spanish)

Description. Upper parts streaked with brownish black, dull rufous
and ashy, the general tone being darker and more heavily streaked than
the Vesper sparrow; also smaller than that species, and the tail shorter;
the crown has a median streak of whitish; pale sulphur yellow stripe over
the eye. Under parts white, tinged with buffy and streaked with blackish
on the breast and sides; feet flesh colored.

Length 5.3-5.9 inches; extent 8.8-9.2; wing 2.65-2.9; tail 2-2.2;
bill .41; tarsus .82.

Distribution. The Savannah sparrow is confined to eastern North
America, fron central Keewatin and northern Ungava to northern Iowa,
Pennsylvania and Connecticut; winters from New Jersey and Indiana to
northeastern Mexico and Cuba. In New York it is an uncommon summer
resident in the coastal district, except, perhaps, at the eastern end of Long
Island, but is a common transient visitant in this section of the State and
also an occasional or fairly common winter resident. In other parts of
the State it is an abundant transient visitant, and a fairly common or
common summer resident throughout central and western New York
and in the Adirondack district. Throughout the interior of the State it
is less common as a breeding species than the Vesper sparrow, but decidedly
more common and more generally distributed than the Grasshopper sparrow.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK ; 289

It arrives from the south from the 23d to the 30th of March in the warmer
portions of the State, from the rst to the roth of April in the northern
counties. In the fall it is extremely abundant from the 20th of September
to the middle of October, the migration ending between the 25th of October
and the 15th of November.

Haunts and habits. The haunts of the Savannah sparrow are open
grassy fields; but it prefers damper situations than those chosen by the
Vesper sparrow and frequently is found nesting in wet meadows. Wherever
such situations abound, this bird will be found, even in the southern
portion of the State. It also nests in meadows where the grass is denser
than would be attractive to the Vesper sparrow and where few other birds
are at home excepting the Bobolink and Meadowlark. In the fall it is
found both in the marshes and the dry upland pastures and weed fields.
It lies closer than most of our native sparrows, often rising from beneath
one’s feet with a whirring noise suggestive almost of a diminutive Bob-
white, and, darting rapidly away in wide sweeping undulations, pitches
headlong again into the marsh or the dense weeds some distance from
the observer.

The song of this species is an insignificant note and has often been
taken for that of the Grasshopper sparrow by the uninitiated. It can
rarely be heard more than a few rods and consists of 3 or 4 “ tstps’’ at
the beginning, ending with a reedy trill something like “ tsip-tsip-tsip-se-
e-e-e, r-r-r’’ (Chapman), or “ tsip-tsip-tsip-ts-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e, tsee-ee-ce-ee.”’
Besides this song, which is heard from the first of April till late in June,
sometimes as late as July, is the ordinary call note, somewhat suggestive
of the Chipping sparrow, and a loud insistent chip, uttered when one
approaches its nest or disturbs its coverts.

The food of this species does not differ materially from that of
the Vesper sparrow. It can be ranked as a wholly beneficial species,
the immense numbers which are found here during the fall migra-
tions destroying many tons of weed seed during their stay of several
weeks.

290 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

The nest of the Savannah sparrow is placed on the ground beneath
a clump of sedge or among thick standing grass; composed of dry grasses
and weed stalks, lined with finer blades of grass and a few hairs. The
eggs are 4 or 5 in number, bluish white in ground color, thickly spotted
and washed with reddish brown and purplish shell markings; average size
-70 by .50 inches.

Ammodramus bairdi (Audubon)
Baird Sparrow

Emberiza bairdii Audubon. Birds Amer. 1844. 7:359. pl. 500
Ammodramus bairdi A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 256. No. 545
ammédramus, Gr., ay.os, sand, and Seauetv, to run; bairdz, to Spencer F. Baird

Description. Tail doubly emarginate; feathers sharply pointed; out-
stretched feet reaching beyond the tail; tarsus longer than middle toe;
the hind toe large, its claw as long as its digit and much curved. Head
ocherous buff fading to whitish on the throat; sides of crown heavily streaked
with blackish, leaving a broad median stripe of buffy; heavy black rictal
and submalar streaks; outer edges and tips of tail feathers white; under parts
whitish; breast and sides tinged with buff and streaked with black.

Length 5.2-5.8 inches; wing 2.65-3; tail 1.85-2.12; exposed culmen .44;
depth of bill .28; tarsus .82.

Distribution. The Baird sparrow is an inhabitant of the Great Plains,
breeding from southern Saskatchewan and southwestern Keewatin to
central Montana, North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota; winters
from central Texas to Sonora. A single specimen of this bird has been
obtained in New York, where it is purely an accidental visitant. It was
taken on Montauk point November 13, 1899, and Doctor Dwight pro-
nounces it ‘‘in the juvenal plumage, passing into the first winter ”’ (see

Helme, Auk, 17:296).

2
:

i ia

nn ge ye

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 291

Ammodramus savannarum australis Maynard
Grasshopper Sparrow

Plate 81

Ammodromus australis Maynard. Amer. Exch. and Mart. 1887. 3:33
Emberiza passerina DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 156, fig. 150
Ammodramus savannarum australis A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3.
1910. p. 256. No. 546
savannadrum, quasi-Latin from Sp., savanna, meadow; austrélis, southern

Description. Smaller than the Savannah sparrow. Upper parts
variegated with black, rufous brown, buff and ash, the ash appearing as
edgings on the feathers and tending to form broad back stripes, the rufous
brown most conspicuous as spots and streaks on the neck and back;
a median crown streak of creamy buff; bend of the wing yellow; lesser wing
coverts yellowish olive green; under parts buffy, without spots, fading to
whitish on the belly. Young birds: Somewhat spotted on the breast. and
sides with blackish.

Length 5-5.4 inches; extent 8.5; wing 2.4-2.6; tail 1.8-2; bill .43;
tarsus .75-.8.

Distribution. This species inhabits eastern North America from
southern Wisconsin, Ontario and New Hampshire to Louisiana, Alabama
and South Carolina; wintering from southern Illinois and North Carolina
to Cuba and Yucatan. In New York it is a common summer resident
in various localities of the Carolinian and lower Alleghanian life zones,
its known distribution at the present time being shown by a map on page
23, volume 1 of this work. It is rarely found in localities of greater
elevation than 1000 feet, but is fairly common as a breeding species on
Long Island, in the vicinity of New York City, in the Hudson valley, and
through central and western New York, especially at Canandaigua,
Phelps, Chili, West Barry, Maplewood, Lockport, Bushnell’s Basin,
Potter, Meridian and East Hamburg. In the southeastern part of the
State its spring migration begins from the Ist to the 1oth of May,
sometimes as early as the 26th of April, and it disappears in the fall
between the 5th and the 25th of October. These dates also agree very
closely with the migrations at Rochester and Canandaigua recorded in my

notebook.
19

292 NEW YORK SrATE MUSEUM

Haunts and habits. The Grasshopper sparrow, or Yellow-winged
sparrow as it is frequently called, inhabits meadows, clover fields and weed
fields, usually on dryer ground than the Henslow sparrow or the Savannah
sparrow, often seeming to prefer sandy, rolling plains and upland meadows.
It is frequently seen seated on a mullein stalk, fence post, or any con-
venient object, singing its insectlike song, which has been written ‘“‘ pit-
tuck, zee-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e.’’ This note resembles very much the performance
of a meadow grasshopper, and is so high in pitch that it is inaudible to
the ears of many persons unless the bird is singing within a distance of

Grasshopper sparrow’s nest and eggs

2 or 3 rods. Mr Gerald Thayer writes the song ‘‘ sit-tit, ts-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-
c-c-e."’ This, however, he does not regard as the true song of the bird,
which sounds to him like a “long rambling twitter ’’ uttered in a tone
similar to that of the shorter note and about as loud, but lasts as much
as 10 or 12 seconds. This rolling twitter is uttered when the male and
female are flying together over the meadows or seated near each other.
Mr Fuertes compares the song to that of the Prairie horned lark when
the latter is heard at a considerable distance. It is usually uttered toward
evening, and in May can sometimes be heard in the dusk as late as half

fo

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 293

past eight o’clock when the last Robin is hushed. This sparrow has also
several forms of weak ‘‘tsipps"’ or call notes. A common alarm note
is usually written “ ?’lick,”’ almost a two-syllable exclamation.

This bird is a terrestrial species, feeding on the ground as eaclisively
as the Savannah sparrow, fully as recluse in its habits as that species,
except during the singing season when the male is constantly in evidence
flying in circles about the field, or seated on some prominent weed stalk.
When flushed it rises suddenly from beneath one’s feet and darts hurriedly
away to dive and hide among the grass. :

The nest is concealed in the dense meadow, loosely woven of dry
grass and small weed stalks, lined with fibers, roots, fine grass and hair.
The eggs are 4 or 5 in number, white in ground color, spotted and speckled.
with reddish brown; average size .73 by .54 inches. ~

Passerherbulus henslowi henslowi (Audubon)

Henslow Sparrow
Plate 81

Emberiza henslowii Audubon. Birds Amer. 1829. (folio) 1. pl. 70
Emberiza henslowi DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 157 ;
Passerherbulus henslowi henslowi A.O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 19TO..
p. 257. No. 547
passerhérbulus, evidently a diminutive from Lat., passer, sparrow, aint herba, grass;
hénslowi, to Prof. J. S. Henslow of Cambridge, England

Description. Upper parts streaked with chestnut, black and ashy
white; wings and their coverts chiefly chestnut; head and neck buffy olive,
sides of the crown black, leaving a buffy olive median line; postocular, rictal.
and submalar streaks black; under parts white, the breast and sides tinged.
strongly with buff and distinctly streaked with black; tail feathers very
narrow and sharply pointed. Young: Have no spots on the breast and
the head nearly plain buff; the whole plumage more suffused with buffy..
Length 4.75-5.25 inches; wing 2—2.2; tail 1.75-2.1; exposed bill ae 583.

depth of bill .20—.34; tarsus .66-.73; middle toe 537: 62.

Distribution. This sparrow breeds in the eastern United States from
central Minnesota, Ontario, New York and southern New Hampshire to.
Missouri and northern Virginia; winters in the Southern States, inhabiting

294 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

the dry fields of broom sedge. In New York it is of local occurrence and
is rather uncommon or rare in all portions of the State; yet there can be
no doubt that it is more common than is generally believed. As it is true
that none but the initiated seem to detect the presence of the Grasshopper
sparrow, even in localities where it is fairly common, it is doubly true that
few who are inexperienced distinguish the Henslow sparrow. It has been
reported as breeding in Rockland county by Giraud; in Rockland county
and on Long Island by DeKay; in the vicinity of New York by Lawrence;
in Monroe county by David Bruce; and in Albany and Rensselaer counties,
1908, by the late E. Seymour Woodruff. Specimens of the nest and eggs
fully identified have been found near New York, May 10 (Chapman);
Syracuse, June 30, 1887 (Morris M. Green) ; Stephentown, Rensselaer county,
May 1, 1890 (Hoag); Mount Dorr, Rockland county, May 23, 1897 (L. W.
Brownell). Migration dates are scarce, but it has been reported from
Binghamton, April 10, 1905, by Lilian Hyde; Potter Swamp, Yates county,
August, 1909, by Otto McCreary; Ossining, October 5, 1910 (Fisher);
Scarboro, November 3, 1897, Gerald Thayer; Shelter Island, November 20,
1901 (Worthington). Beside these, I notice reports from Webster, N. H.,
April 17, 1874, and Boscawen, N. H., April 26, 1875 (Ruthven Dean),
as well as Oysterville, Mass., November 6, 1874 (Brewster). The Novem-
ber dates by Brewster and by Worthington seem to indicate that this
species sometimes remains very late in the fall, or possibly through the
winter after the manner of the Sharp-tailed sparrow.

Haunts and habits. The Henslow sparrow is a southern species and
rarely goes beyond the northern limits of the Carolinian zone, but is
found in rather cold localities in New Hampshire, western Massachusetts
and eastern New York, which are ordinarily considered within the Alle-
ghanian area. On the wet, ill-drained hillsides, upland pastures, and
neglected fields overgrown with spiraea, cinquefoil and various sedges,
this bird will be detected by the practised ear.

The call has two characteristic syllables which sometimes sound like
the word “‘ flee-sic,’’ or as Gerald Thayer would write it “ phit-zit,”’ suggest-

a

mE 8 9 em ee nt

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 295

ing to his ear the call of the American pipit. The full song he describes

| as considerably longer than this and generally delivered from the top of

a low bush. It has also a characteristic sharp, thin “‘ sipp"’ which is
its usual alarm note. Mr Jouy writes the common call ‘ tee-wick"’ and

says that the real song may fairly be represented by the syllables “ sis-

r-r-rit, srit-srit.’’ This song is often uttered while the bird takes a short
flight upward and then drops again into the tangled weeds and grasses

where it is impossible to follow it (N. O. C. Bul. 6:57). In such surround-
ings its nest is concealed upon the ground, constructed of grasses and lined

with hair. The eggs are 4 or 5 in number, dull white or greenish white,

~ thickly speckled with pale reddish brown and lilac.

Passerherbulus lecontei (Audubon)

Leconte Sparrow

Plate 81

_ Emberiza leconteii Audubon. Birds Amer. 1844. 7:338. pl. 488
© £-Passerherbulus lecontei A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 258.

No. 548 ‘
lec6ntet, to Dr John L. LeConte of Philadelphia

Description. In general resembling the Henslow sparrow, but the
crown stripe as well as superciliary and malar stripes light buff; sides of

the crown nearly black; hind neck chestnut streaked with light gray, edge
of the wing white; breast and sides buffy streaked with blackish but the
___ Streaks on the breast faint or wanting. Young: Have the whole plumage

suffused with buff except the center of the abdomen. Bill much more

slender than that of the Henslow sparrow.

Length 4.5-5.5 inches; wing 1.94-2.12; tail 1.82-2.06; exposed bill

34.42; depth of bill .2-.23; tarsus .68-.75; middle toe .62.

Distribution. The Leconte sparrow inhabits central North America
from Great Slave lake, southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba to North
Dakota and southern Minnesota; winters from Kansas to Texas, Florida
and the coast of South Carolina. It is purely an accidental visitant in

New York State, a single specimen having been taken at Ithaca, October

II, 1897, by Louis Agassiz Fuertes (Auk, 15:189).

296 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

This little mouselike sparrow might occasionally be found in New
York if it were not so secretive in habits. When flushed, it proceeds with
a weak, rail-like flight for a few feet, or a few rods, over the tops of the
sedges, and drops again into the grass, whence it is almost impossible to
taise it a second time. It frequents a denser cover than the Nelson and
Acadian sparrows and, consequently, is more difficult to procure.

Passerherbulus caudacutus (Gmelin)
Sharp-tailed Sparrow

Plate 81

Oriolus caudacutus Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1788. 1:394

Ammodramus caudacutus DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt2,p. 164, fig. 154

Passerherbulus caudacutus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 258.
No. 549 :

caudacttus, Lat., cauda, tail, and acutus, sharp

Description. Tail rounded; feathers sharp pointed; upper parts
olivaceous tinged more or less, especially on the side of the neck, with
grayish; the back and tertials streaked with white or buffy white; top of
the head dark brown with a very indistinct grayish median stripe; super-
ciliary and malar stripes rich buff, the latter broadening beneath the auricu-
lars and bending upward behind them, but mostly separated from the
superciliary stripe by a postocular blackish line; auriculars gray; abdomen
white; breast and sides strongly tinged with buff and distinctly streaked with
blackish.

Length 5.40-5.85 inches; extent 7.5; wing 2.24-2.36; exposed bill
.46-.50; depth of bill .23; tail 1.9-2; tarsus .85.

Distribution. This subspecies inhabits the salt marshes of the Atlantic
coast from Massachusetts to Virginia; winters from New Jersey, and rarely
from Massachusetts and New York, to Florida. It is common on the
marshes of Staten Island and Long Island throughout the summer, arriving
from April 18 to 29, sometimes as late as May 8, and the majority depart
from the 17th of October to the 2d of November. A few remain each
year throughout the winter on the salt marshes. This sparrow also ascends
the Hudson river as far as Piermont and occasionally to Newburgh.

Habits. ‘‘It runs about among the reeds and grasses with the

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 297

celerity of a mouse, and is not apt to take wing unless closely pressed.
In the breeding season it is usually associated with the Seaside sparrow
on the salt marsh, but prefers the dryer parts and builds its nest in the
tussocks on the bank of a ditch or in a drift left by the tide, rather than in
the grassier sites chosen by its neighbor. From some bit of driftwood
or a convenient stake its infrequent song may be heard morning and even-
ing. It is short and gasping, and only less husky than the somewhat
similar performance of the Seaside sparrow ’ (Doctor Dwight).

Passerherbulus nelsoni nelsoni (Allen)

Nelson Sparrow
Plate 81

Ammodromus caudacutus var. nelsoni Allen. Proc. Bost. Soc..N. H.

1875. 17: 293
Passerherbulus nelsoni nelsoni A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910.

p. 258. No. 549.1
nélsont, to E. W. Nelson, American ornithologist

Description. Similar to the Sharp-tailed sparrow, but smaller and
brighter; markings on the back sharper; the buff on throat, breast and
sides deeper, and the chest only indistinctly streaked with dusky.

Length 5.5 inches; wing 2.1-2.3; tail 1.8-2.1; exposed bill .41; depth
of bill .21; tarsus .8; middle toe .62.

Distribution. The Nelson sparrow breeds from Great Slave lake and
central Alberta southward to Manitoba and northeastern South Dakota,
and winters on the Atlantic and gulf coasts from North Carolina to Florida
and Texas. During migration it is found from Maine to New York. In
this State the Nelson sparrow is a transient visitant but chiefly, if not
entirely, in the fall, not a single spring record being before me. It occurs
every autumn between the 22d of September and the 27th of October
along the shore of Lake Ontario, the central chain of lakes, and the Hudson
valley; Doctor Fisher’s dates of migration at the mouth of the Croton
river being from September 25 to October 10. Ralph and Bagg reported
it October 12 at Oneida lake; and David Bruce, September 22, in Monroe
county; Eaton, October 7, Canandaigua; Embody, October 8 to 17, at

298 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

‘Hamilton; and Fuertes, September 26 to October 1 at Ithaca; Doctor Brais-
lin, October 5, 1907, at Rockaway beach, Long Island. It is also interesting
to note that the dates at Toronto lie between September 22 and October
28 (Auk, 16:277), but there is also one spring date, June 10, 1895, from
Toronto.

This sparrow is found on the reedy margin of the lake or river, not
usually in the very dense grass and reeds far from the shore, but in the
shallow water where there is only a sparse growth of flags, reeds and rushes.
It rises when disturbed with a sudden bound and darts away in a deeply
undulating, swooping flight to the cover of the denser grasses.

Passerherbulus nelsoni subvirgatus (Dwight)
Acadian Sharp- tailed Sparrow
Plate 81

Ammodramus caudacutus subvirgatus Dwight. Auk July, 1887.

4: 233
Passerherbulus nelsoni subvirgatus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3.

1910. p.259. No. 549.1a
subvirgdtus, Lat., less, or slightly, striped

Description. The size of caudacutus but with smaller bill, distinctly
duller and more plainly colored than the two preceding species, the whitish
streaks on the back being obsolete or at least not sharply contrasted. The
buff on the side of the head, breast and sides is paler, and the superciliary
stripe and malar stripes show a more grayish tinge like the olivaceous
of the upper parts.

Wing 2.14—2.32 inches; tail 1.82—2.06; bill .41; depth of bill .21- 25;
tarsus 1.83-1.87; middle toe .64-.66.

Distribution. This subspecies of the Nelson sparrow inhabits the salt
marshes of the Atlantic coast from southeastern Quebec, Prince Edward
island and Cape Breton to Maine; and winters on the coast of South
Carolina, Georgia and Florida. In this State it occurs as a migrant at
the same time and in the same places with the Nelson sparrow. Its habits,
so far as have been observed in this State, during migration time are
exactly those of the Nelson sparrow, from which the amateur could not
distinguish it without collecting the specimens in question. It has been

SR ere ee a

|

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 1 299

recorded from Penn Yan, October 7, 1896 (Burtch, Auk, 14: 93); Ithaca,
October I-10, 1897, October 10, 1899, September 26, 1900, October 8,
1906, by L. A. Fuertes; from Shelter Island, October 7, 1901 (Braislin
“ Birds of Long Island,” page 83); the lower Hudson valley, September
25 to October 10 (A. K. Fisher, Auk, if bia:

Passerherbulus maritimus maritimus (Wilson)
Seaside Sparrow

Plate 81

Fringilla maritima Wilson. Amer. Orn. 1811. 4:68. pl. 34, fig. 2

Ammodramus maritimus DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 163, fig. 153
Passerherbulus maritimus maritimus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3.
Igio. p. 259. No. 550
maritimus, Lat., maritime, of the seaside

Description. Olive grayish, more tinged with olive brown on the

back and faintly streaked with grayish; crown olive on the side, grayish

in the middle, producing three dimly defined broad stripes; a swpraloral
stripe of yellow passing to grayish white above the eye and giving way
to a dim grayish olive stripe above the auriculars; auriculars and submalar -
streaks dusky; malar streak, throat and abdomen white, dimly tinged with
buffy on the breast and sides (buffy absent in the breeding plumage) ;
breast and sides indistinctly streaked with grayish; bend of the wing yellow.

Length 6—6.5 inches; wing 2.5; tail 2.2; exposed culmen .52-.58; depth
of bill .29; tarsus .95.

Distribution. This species inhabits the Atlantic seacoast from southern
Massachusetts to Virginia, and winters from Virginia to Georgia. As a
New York species it is confined to the salt and brackish marshes of Staten

‘Island, Long Island and the lower Hudson river, as far up as Piermont. It

is abundant on the salt marshes as a summer resident, arriving from April
20 to May 10, and departing from October 20 to 30. <A few individuals
remain through the winter with the Sharp-tailed sparrows and other species
which frequent the tide-washed flats.

Haunts and habits. It is rarely seen far from the cover of the rank
grasses which cover its chosen habitat. Its call note is a squeaky “‘ cheep,”
and it has a chippering song of no great melody, uttered from the top of

300 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

some reed or tall stalk just above the marsh. Its nest is concealed near
the high water mark among the dense sedges, and is composed of coarse
grasses and reed stalks. The eggs are 3 or 4 in number, white in ground
color, spotted with purplish and brown; average size .80 by .64 inches.

Chondestes grammacus grammacus (Say)
Lark Sparrow

Fringilla grammaca Say. In Long’s Exped. 1823. 1: 139 (note)
Chondestes grammacus grammacus A.O.U.Check List. Ed.3. 1910.
Pp. 260. No. 552
chondéstes, Gr., meaning “‘ grain-eating ’; grdmmacus, evidently an incorrect form
from gramma, line, intended to refer tc the head stripes

Description. A very sharply marked sparrow, a trifle larger than the
Vesper sparrow. Crown of the head chestnut with a median stripe of buffy
and superciliary stripes of buffy and white; auriculars chestnut; malar
stripes buffy white like the superciliary;'a black stripe through the eye; short,
sharp, black rictal stripe leading back to the chestnut auriculars, and long
black submalar stripes on each side of the white throat; under parts whitish;
a black spot in the center of the breast; upper parts grayish brown striped on
the back with blackish; wings with two buffy white bars and a spot of the
same at the base of the primaries; central tail feathers similar to the back;
all the others black conspicuously tipped with white and the outer pair with
the outer web white for nearly its entire length.

Length 6-6.75 inches; wing 3.5; tail 2.82; bill .45; tarsus .75.

Distribution. This species inhabits the Mississippi valley east of the
Great Plains from eastern Nebraska, northwestern Minnesota, central
Wisconsin and Ohio to Louisiana and central Alabama; accidental in the
Atlantic States during migration. In New York this species has been
taken at least four times on Long Island, as follows: Sayville, August 20,
1879 (Earl, N. O. C. Bul. 6:58); Millers Place, November 27, 1899 (Helme,
Auk, 17:296); Millers Place, November 1900 (Braislin, ‘‘ Birds of Long
Island,” page 83); eastern Long Island, July 28, 1902 (Worthington, Auk,
19:403). It has also been reported from Oneida county, June 13, 1903
(Johnson, Auk, 21:281); and during the summer of 1911 Mr W. L. Dobbin

found it breeding near his home in Monroe county. The birds were around

Bite mrmmremnid tyne

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 301

for several weeks and he carefully identified them, though no specimens
were taken. The nest and eggs were also discovered, and the young birds
were successfully reared. This is the first record of its nesting in New York
State, although I have expected every year to find that it had come into
this region, as it already has appeared in northern and eastern Ohio and
in western Pennsylvania, evidently extending its range gradually from
the Mississippi valley, as the Prairie horned lark and Migrant shrike have
done since the forests of western New York were cleared away.

- Haunts and habits. The Lark sparrow is a grassland bird, and may
become established in New York, perhaps some day becoming one of our
common sparrows. The nest is built on the ground, or near it in a thick
‘bush, composed of grasses, rootlets and long hairs, very much like the nests
of our other ground sparrows. The eggs are from 3 to 5, pinkish white
_ in ground color, spotted and splashed with blackish brown; average size
.80 by .60 inches.

Zonotrichia leucophrys leucophrys (J. R. Forster)

White-crowned Sparrow
Plate 82

Emberiza leucophrys Forster. Philos. Trans. 1772. 62:426
Fringilla leucophrys DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt. 2, p. 153, fig. 139
Zonotrichia leucophrys leucophreys A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3.

1gto. p. 261. No. 554
zonotrichia, Gr., Gwévn, band, and tetyfas, hairy one, alluding to the banded stripes

on the head; leucéphrys, Gr., white eyebrow

Description. Crown with a broad central stripe of white bordered by
2 deep black stripes reaching from the base of the bill to the occiput; side
of the head with a stripe of white beginning just above the eye and reaching
backward, joining the central crown stripe on the occiput; black stripe passing
through the eye and below the white stripe just mentioned back to the side
of the neck. Thus from the eye over the crown there are 4 stripes of black
and 3 of white, making the head of this bird more conspicuously black
and white striped than that of any other native species. Side of the head
and neck ashy gray; throat lighter, almost white; the breast light gray fading
on the abdomen to white; flanks buffy brown; under tail coverts buffy;
back gray streaked with chestnut-brown and grayish white; ramp and upper

302 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

tail coverts light hair brown; tail a darker hair brown; wings with 2 white
bars formed by the tips of the coverts; the secondaries streaked with
chestnut and whitish; bz/l and feet pinkish brown. Young, in the fall much
more ocherous in color, the crown light chestnut rufous on the sides with
a median stripe of ocherous, but not strongly contrasted with the chestnut
rufous; the line backward from the eye more grayish in color but not white
as in the adult; bill and legs, however, a brown, almost as pinkish as in
the adult.

Length 6.75-7.5 inches; extent 9.85-10.3; wing 3-3.3; tail 2.8-3.1;
exposed culmen .42; tarsus .95.

Distribution. This subspecies of the White-crowned sparrow breeds
from central Keewatin and northern Ungava to southeastern Keewatin,
central Quebec and southern Greenland, and in the mountains to southern
Oregon and central California, Wyoming and New Mexico; winters from
southern Kansas, the Ohio valley and the Potomac valley to Mississippi
and the Mexican plateau.

In New York this bird has been reported as breeding on 2 or 3 occasions
in the northern part of the State but, as no breeding specimens have ever
been taken and as the nest and eggs have not been positively identified by
comparison with unquestioned specimens of the species, I am inclined
to think that these records are based on errors. No one has been able
to find the White-crowned sparrow nesting in any portion of the Adiron-
dacks or of the surrounding country in recent years. It is, however, a
common transient in nearly all portions of the State, arriving from the
south, in the warmer districts, from the 23d to the 30th of April; in other
parts of the State from the Ist to the 12th of May, and passes northward
from the 18th to the 25th or even the 30th of May. In the fall the first
arrivals are recorded between the 25th of September and the 12th of .
October, the species passing on to the south usually between the 1oth and
the 24th of October, although specimens are sometimes observed in the
southern part of the State as late as the 17th of November; and one or
two winter records of birds seen have been reported.

Haunts and habits. This is one of our neatest and most elegant
sparrows, usually found in more open places than the White-throat, espe-

|
|

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 303

cially along old fences, hedgerows, stone piles and weed fields, retreating
to a cover of sparse shrubbery when disturbed. It is even less wild and
suspicious by nature than the White-throat and will frequently allow one
to approach within a few feet without the slightest concern. Bird students
have frequently reported to me that they have seen a White-crowned
sparrow when it was only a white-throat, but one who has really seen a
White-crowned sparrow can never be in doubt for a moment, its prevailing
gray coloration on the upper parts being in decided contrast to the more
rufous and rusty hue of the White-throat’s back. This species also has
much more white about the striping of the crown and no yellowish in front
of the eye.

The song of the White-crown is one of the finest of our sparrow
melodies, resembling somewhat the latter portion of the White-throat’s
performance, but repeated several times. It has a peculiarly pleasing,
pathetic quality, a clear soft whistle, ‘a peculiar sad cadence,” among
its near relatives ranking next to the Fox sparrow’s in my estimation.

Zonotrichia leucophrys gambeli (Nuttall)
Gambel Sparrow

Fringilla gambelii Nuttall. Manual Orn. Ed. 2. 1840. 1: 556
Zonotrichia leucophrys gambel A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910.
p. 262. No. 554a
gambeli, to William Gambel of Philadelphia
Description. Almost exactly like the White-crowned sparrow, but the lores entirely
whitish, the white superciliary stripe continuing forward to the bill; bill yellowish; size very
slightly less than the White-crowned sparrow. . :
Distribution. The Gambel sparrow breeds from Montana and eastern Oregon north-
ward to Alaska and Anderson river, passing the winter in Mexico and Lower California.

This western species has been taken once in New York State, at Ithaca, April 30, 1898,

a male in full plumage, by Louis A. Fuertes. The specimen is perfectly typical of the
subspecies gam beli and may be regarded either as a straggler from the western states
or as an aberrant form or mutant of leucophrys. In any case, its occurrence here is
purely accidental.

304 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM"

Zonotrichia albicollis (Gmelin)
White-throated Sparrow

Plate 82

Fringilla albicollis Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1789. 1:921

Fringilla pennsylvanica DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 152, fig. 141

Zonotrichia albicollis A.O.U. Check List. Ed.3. 1910. p.262. No. 558
albicéllis, Lat., white-throated

Description. Adult: Slightly smaller than the White-crowned sparrow;
sides of the head and neck and upper breast ashy gray; chin and throat white,
edged on the sides by narrow black streaks, and sometimes along the lower
margin next the ashy gray of the breast; crown with alternate stripes of
blackish and white, the central stripe being a narrow white one with 2
broad black ones on either side; white stripe also from above the eye passing
to the side of the neck and a black stripe passing backward from the eye,
making altogether 4 black stripes and 3 white ones on the upper part of the
head; a yellow stripe from the nostril to just above the eye; upper parts streaked
with rufous, ocherous and blackish; wings with 2 whitish bars formed
by the tips of the coverts; lower back, rump and upper tail coverts plain
grayish brown; tail similar in color but slightly darker; sides and flanks
grayish brown; lower breast and abdomen white. Immature of both sexes
in the fall or during the second year show the same pattern of coloration,
but the black and white stripes of the head are almost obsolete, the yellow in
front of the eye scarcely distinguishable at a distance of 10 feet, and the
throat almost the color of the dingy ashy gray breast; otherwise like the
adult. Young in the first plumage: The forebreast streaked with dusky
and the general color of the lower parts more buffy. Females are usually
duller than the males of the same age.

Length 6.6-6.8 inches; extent 9.5-10; wing 2.9; tail 2.86; exposed bill
.44; tarsus .Q.

Distribution. The breeding range of the White-throat extends from
northern Mackenzie, central Keewatin and southern Ungava to Alberta,
southern Montana, central Minnesota, southern Ontario and the mountains
of Pennsylvania and New York. It winters from the Ohio valley and
Connecticut, south to Florida and northeastern Mexico.

In New York it nests in the Canadian zone of the Catskills and Adi-
rondacks, and is one of the commonest birds breeding in our north woods.
A few also breed in the higher forests along the Pennsylvania border of

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 305

southwestern New York. During the month of June 1911, Mr C. F. Stone
heard a White-throat in full song and found the nest and eggs, in Potter
swamp, Yates county, N. Y. It has also been found breeding two or three
times in the vicinity of Peterboro (Gerrett S. Miller), and in Oswego
county, and in the woods near Cooperstown, Otsego lake, but it is more
boreal in distribution as a breeding species throughout central and western
New York than the Junco or even than the Winter wren. In the southern
part of New York a few white-throats pass the winter, but it is mainly
a migratory species in the southern and central portions of the State,
arriving from the south from the 2d to the 16th of April, sometimes not
appearing before the 24th or 30th in the more northerly counties. Through-
out western New York the species has passed on to its summer home,
usually from the 14th to the 22d of May. Occasionally, however, migrants
are noticed as late as the 30th of May or the 2d of June. In the fall the
migration begins from the 2d to the 20th of September, sometimes not
before the 30th in the southern counties. The greater number have passed
farther south between the 16th and 30th of October, though a few are
still noted through November and as late as December 8th. As mentioned
above, a few in the southeastern part of the State remain throughout the
winter and a very few are winter residents in western New York.

Haunts and habits. During the migration season the White-throat
is seen familiarly about our gardens and lawns, shrubbery and hedgerows,
appearing in pairs or scattered companies usually of from 10 to 30 indi-
viduals hopping about on the ground and scratching the dead leaves in
search of seeds and insects, but spending a portion of its time in the shrubbery
and trees. The alarm note is a sharp ‘‘ chip,” and a call of less concern is
like the sst of the Song sparrow. Its song is heard during the migration
season, at least after it has been with us for a few days, especially in the
morning and late in the afternoon and on rainy days. It consists of 2
high, clear, whistled notes succeeded by a triple trill usually fading away
and dropping at the last. In New England it has been likened to the
words ‘‘ Old Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody,” or ‘‘ Sow wheat, Peeverly,

306 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Peeverly, Peeverly ’’; but farther north he is supposed to say, ‘“‘ Oh, sweet,
Canada, Canada, Canada.’’ The song is rather plaintive and delivered in a
minor key, but is one of the sweetest songs among the sparrows especially
when heard along the northern trout streams or in the cool spruce forests
or in the moonlight night from near one’s camp in the deep woods.

The White-throat breeds not only in the clearings, but more or less
throughout the coniferous forest of the Adirondacks, especially near the
streams and borders of swamps, or wherever the wind or fire has made
small openings in the woods. The nest will be found on the ground or
near it in a thick bush, composed of coarse grasses and rootlets, mosses
and strips of bark, lined with finer materials. The eggs are 4 or 5 in number,
bluish white speckled and blotched with pale reddish brown and obscure
shell markings. They average .83 by .60 inches in dimensions. Judging
from the fact that I found nests with fresh eggs as late as the 20th of July,
I am inclined to think that two broods are usually reared in the Adirondack
district. The first sets of eggs are found late in May or during the first
half of June.

Spizella monticola monticola (Gmelin)

Tree Sparrow
Plate 80

Fringilla monticola Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1789. 1:912
Emberiza canadensis DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 160, fig. 164
Spizella monticola monticola A.O.U. Check List. Ed.3. 1910. p. 263.
No. 559
spizélla, Lat., diminutive, from Gr., oxtGa, finch; monticola, Lat., mountain inhabitant

Description. Crown chestnut rufous; a rufous stripe backward from
the eye, and a spot of the same on either side of the breast near the bend
of the wing; superciliary stripe and the greater portion of the sides of the
head and the neck gray; back striped with rusty brown, blackish and buffy
whitish; scapulars and inner wing feathers similar to back; 2 conspicuous
white wing bars; lower back and tail coverts plain grayish brown; tail dusky
grayish, the feathers edged with grayish white; under part dingy whitish
tinged with grayish brown on the sides; a blackish spot on the center of the
breast; bill yellowish at the base of the lower mandible, dusky at the tip.

Length 6.36 inches; extent 9.5; wing 3; tail 2.82; bill .41; tarsus .8.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 307

Distribution. The Tree sparrow is a common winter resident in this
State. It makes its appearance in the fall between the 20th of September
and the 1oth of October, and passes northward again in the spring between
the 10th and the 25th of April, occasionally being seen as late as the first
week in May. Its breeding range extends from Great Bear lake and
northern Ungava to Great Slave lake, northern Quebec and Newfound-
land. It winters from southern Minnesota, Ontario and Nova Scotia
to Arkansas and South Carolina.

Haunts and habits. This sparrow is one of our commonest winter
birds. It is found along the edges of woodlands and hedgerows, and is
especially fond of swamps and the borders of rivers and ponds, frequenting
the shrubbery for protection and making excursions into the near-by fields
to feed on the weed seeds, of which it destroys immense numbers during
the course of the winter months. It is rarely seen feeding on the seeds
of birches or other trees which retain their fruit in winter, but almost
always near the ground in patches of smartweed, ragweed, pigeon grass,
amaranth and goosefoot. They are slightly gregarious in habits, little
scattered companies of 20 to 30 members usually associating more or less
with juncos, Song sparrows and goldfinches in their feeding.

While at work among the weeds they keep up a continual tinkling
of notes which have been compared to the syllables “ teel-wit,’’ but sound
to my ear merely like the jingling of tiny bells. In March and April,
however, the Tree sparrow gives his contribution to the spring chorus,
a beautiful strain of long drawn notes which has been compared by many
writers to the song of a Canary, beginning loud and clear, far sweeter than
the quality of the Canary’s voice, and ending in a loud, inspiring trill.
Besides the tinkling call notes, this species also has a feeble “ tsip”’ of
alarm when disturbed.

The flight of the Tree sparrow is less jerky and dodging than that of
the Song sparrow and more easily sustained. He is rather spritely in
movements and more given to seeking exposed perches than either the Song
- sparrow or the Junco, and is frequently seen, after being driven from his

308 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

coverts, perching on a tree or cat-tail flirting his tail and erecting the crown
feathers so that he appears to have a well-developed crest. Even when
associated with the Chipping sparrow or the Field sparrow, which he
resembles in general coloration, he should easily be distinguished by greater
size and the single spot in the center of his breast.

Spizella passerina passerina (Bechstein)
Chipping Sparrow
Plate 83

Fringilla passerina Bechstein. In Latham. Allg. Ueb. Vogel. 1798. 3:544.
pl. 120, fig. 1
Emberiza socialis DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 150, fig. 160
Spizella passerina passerina A.O.U. Check List. Ed.3. 1910. p. 263.
No. 560
passerina, Lat., of a sparrow, or like a sparrow

Description. Small, slender, tail slightly forked; bill rather slender
for a sparrow. Crown deep rufous chestnut or copper colored, blackening
near the bill; superciliary line whitish; narrow black line through the eye;
bill black; sides of the head and neck mostly gray; back and scapulars
striped with rusty brown, blackish and grayish brown; rump and tail coverts
ashy gray; primaries and tail feathers dusky grayish; entire under parts
grayish white. Young: Lack the rufous crown and streaked with dusky
on the breast.

Length 5.36 inches; extent 8.75; wing 2.75; tail 2.3; bill .36; tarsus .64.

Distribution. This species is a common summer resident of New York
State, except the densely forested regions, usually arriving from the 27th of
March to the 12th of April, but has occasionally been noted as early as the
17th of February in the southern counties. In the fall it disappears
between the 15th of October and the 1oth of November, sometimes as late
as the 30th. The breeding range of this subspecies extends from central
Saskatchewan, southwestern Keewatin, central Quebec and Cape Breton to
central Texas, Mississippi and central Georgia; winters in the southern
states.

Haunts and habits. None of our native sparrows except the Song

sparrow is more familiar than the Chippy, which is found everywhere in

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 309

New York about the farmyard, the garden, the orchard and in the groves
and parks, but more particularly near the habitations of men, frequently
placing its nest on the ampelopsis or honeysuckle which climbs on the
porch, and in the shrubbery or young evergreens on the lawn or in the
garden. It feeds both on the ground and among the trees and foliage,
in the fall and spring mostly on the ground, subsisting on the weed and grass
seeds which are scattered about, and during the summer taking its food
largely from the insects of the garden; apple and shade trees. Green
caterpillars and beetles are the favorite food for its young. I have counted
as many as 70 green caterpillars brought by a Chipping sparrow in an hour
and a quarter to feed 4 young that were being reared in a grape vine which
screened our porch.

Two broods are usually hatched in a season. The first sets of eggs
will be found between the 2d and the 20th of May in the warmer portions
of the State, and eggs for the second brood may be found from the 20th
of June to the 30th of July. The nest is composed mostly of rootlets
with a few grass stalks, and lined with horse hair, which has given this
sparrow in many parts of the country the name of Hair bird. The eggs
are 4 or 5 in number, a beautiful greenish blue, almost always wreathed
near the larger end with blackish and reddish brown blotches and pen
lines. They average .72 by .51 inches in dimensions.

The song of the Chipping sparrow is a thin, monotonous trill like the
syllables ‘“‘ chip, chip, chip, chip, chip,” often uttered incessantly or with
little intermission for hours during the day. It can not be called an agree-
able song. Besides this, it has a call note, a slight “‘tszp.”” The song, to
my ear, is more harsh and insectlike than the trill of the Savannah sparrow,
which is comparatively musical, and much higher and thinner in quality
than the trill of the Junco.

310 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Spizella pusilla pusilla (Wilson)
Field Sparrow
Plate 83

Fringilla pusilla Wilson. Amer. Orn. 1810. 2:121. pl. 16, fig. 2
Emberiza pusilla DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 158, fig. 152
Spizella pusilla pusilla A. O.°U. Check List. Ed. 3. i910. p. 26s.

No. 563
pusilla, Lat., very small

Description. About the size of the Chippy, but with longer tail;
crown chestnut rufous, also a postocular stripe and spot on the side of the
breast near the bend of the wing of the same color; the back similar to
the Chipping sparrow, but more extensively rufous; rump and upper tail
coverts less gray but more hair brown in color; wing bars rather incon-
-spicuous; under parts dingy whitish, tinged somewhat on the breast and
sides with grayish buff; bill and legs pinkish brown. Young in first plumage
duller colored and streaked on the breast with darker.

Length 5.68 inches; extent 8.15; wing 2.5; tail 2.55; bill .36; tarsus .74.

Distribution. The Field sparrow is a common summer resident of
the greater portion of New York State, though absent from the higher
portions of the Catskills and the Adirondack forest, and decidedly less
common than the Chippy in the northern districts. The spring migration
begins between the 20th of March and the 6th of April. In the fall the
greater portion disappear between October 15th and November toth,
but in the southern part of the State, especially on Long Island and in the
vicinity of New York City, a few pass the winter. The breeding range
of this subspecies extends from southern Minnesota, southern Quebec and
southern Maine to Texas, Louisiana and northern Florida. The principal
‘winter range is from Missouri and New Jersey to the gulf coast.

Haunts and habits. The haunts of the Field sparrow are bushy
hillsides and berry patches, edges of woodlands with a considerable under-
growth, hedgerows and neglected gardens. Wherever the Indigo bird
and Chewink find a convenient home, here the Field sparrow will be
plentiful. It feeds mostly upon the ground and among the low shrubbery,
like the Chipping sparrow, in the fall, winter and spring subsisting almost

a i deteiatthdeien iene ek .

age PaRAae

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 3II

entirely on weed seeds, and during the summer largely on smooth cater-
pillars, young grasshoppers, beetles and other insects.

The call note of the Field sparrow is a gentle “tsip.”” His song is
a beautiful performance delivered in a minor key, but almost endlessly
varied by different individuals. It usually begins with two or three clear,
high-pitched notes, followed by a rapid run of numerous shorter notes,
often in a descending scale, but sometimes in a rising trill and ending in
a clear sustained note. Occasionally the song seems inverted, beginning
with a run and ending with the high, long tones; and frequently the per-
formance is immediately repeated with slight variation of its original
form, or in a wholly different key. What the Vesper sparrow is to the
wide grassy fields, the Field sparrow is to the brushy hillside, pouring forth
his pensive strain both in the morning and at the close of day, and inspiring
the passerby to gentler and more humanizing reflections.

The nesting season begins early in May, the first sets of eggs being
found between the 14th and 25th of May; later sets from the 21st of June
to the 21st of July. The nest is usually placed on the ground or in a thick
bush not far above it; composed of coarse grass stalks, weeds and rootlets,
and lined with fine grasses and hair. The eggs are 3 to 5 in number, grayish
white or bluish white in ground color, speckled and spotted with reddish
brown and obscure shell markings thickest near the larger end of the egg.
Average size .7 by .52 inches.

Junco hyemalis hyemalis (Linnaeus)

Slate-colored Junco
Plate 82

Fringilla hyemalis Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 10. 1758. 1: 183
Struthus hyemalis DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 147, fig. 138
Junco hyemalis hyemalis A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 266,

fig. 567

jvinco, derivation uncertain, Coues says, from Lat., juncus, a reed; hyemdlis, Lat., of
winter

Description. Upper parts, and the head, neck and breast, slaty gray,
under parts from the middle of the breast to the under tail coverts white,

312 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

the slaty gray of the upper breast giving way abruptly to the pure white
of the lower breast and abdomen; 3 outer tail feathers largely white, showing
conspicuously in flight; bill pinkish white. Fall birds, especially young
and females, more or less tinged with brownish. Females: Similar to
males but lighter slate gray and more dingy or brownish.

Length 6.2-6.4 inches; extent 9.8; wing 3-3.25; tail 2.7—-2.9; bill .41;
tarsus .82.

Distribution. This subspecies of the Junco breeds from northwestern
Alaska, northern Mackenzie and central Ungava to southern Yukon,
central Alberta, northern Minnesota, Ontario and the mountains of New
York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. Winters throughout the eastern
states from Ontario to the gulf coast. In New York this is a very abundant
species, one of the commonest birds nesting throughout the Catskill and
Adirondack districts, and also fairly common as a breeding species in the
highlands of western New York which lie above the 1200 foot line. A
few pairs are also found in many of the colder swamps and gulleys of
central and western New York as summer residents. In the warmer
portions of the State it is a very abundant migrant in April and October,
and a common or fairly common winter resident. Throughout the low-
lands of western and central New York and the Hudson valley the Junco
passes northward from the 22d of April to the 5th of May. I have seen
a few dull-colored migrants as late as the 12th and the 23d of May in the
vicinity of Rochester, Geneva and Canandaigua. In the fall, migrants
begin to appear from the 11th to the 28th of September, in the southern-
most parts of the State sometimes not before the 4th to the 12th of October.
Among the members of the sparrow family, this species rivals the Song
sparrow, Vesper sparrow, Savannah sparrow and Chipping sparrow for
the place of greatest abundance during the spring and fall migration,
probably being as abundant as the Song sparrow in most localities; while
along the principal highways of migration to the North Woods, it is the
most abundant member of the family.

Haunts and habits. The Slate-colored junco or common snowbird,
as it is frequently called, is very gentle and unsuspicious in habits, coming

LATE ALLA

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 313

familiarly into the garden and dooryard to feed on waste crumbs, weed
seeds and whatever insects it can pick up among the grass and shrubbery.
They nearly always travel in scattered companies, sometimes as many as
40 or 50 birds being seen on the lawn at the same time, and though not
strictly gregarious the little company keeps together. When one is dis-
turbed it flies off with a smack of alarm which, together with its flashing
white tail feathers, act as signals to warn and direct the brotherhood.

When quarreling, especially when fighting on the wing, they utter a
curious mellow note sounding like the whistled syllables pu-pu-pu.. While
feeding, the members of the company keep up a merry twittering note.
The flight is rather jerky, although they do not pump their tails so decidedly
as the Song sparrow in flight, but at nearly every wing stroke the white
tail feathers flash, making an easy recognition mark for the species.

These little sparrows do an immense amount of good by destroying
countless weed seeds during the fall, winter and spring months, and also
by feeding on many dormant insects which might do harm in the summer.

For a summer home the Junco prefers damp woodland. The north
woods of spruce and balsam, with moist moss on the ground, are most to
his liking. Whatever pairs I have found nesting in western New York
have been in damp gulleys, swamps and cool shaded hillsides. The nest
has usually been placed on a mossy bank or among overhanging ferns and
other woodland plants. The materiais of the nest are stalks of grass, bits
of bark, rootlets, mosses, and a lining of finer grass, leaves, bits of moss
and long ‘hair. The eggs are 4 or 5 in number, of a white or pinkish white
ground color, more or less speckled and blotched with rufous brown and
obscure lilac shell markings, tending to form a wreath near the larger end
of the egg, rather broadly ovate in shape, and measuring about .76 by .60
inches in dimensions.

Besides its various call notes and notes of alarm, the Junco has at
least two distinct songs, one a simple trill which is to be compared to the
song of the Chipping sparrow, though carrying much farther and, to my
ear, more melodious in quality. The other song is described by Bicknell

314 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

as a whispering warble usually much broken but not without sweetness
and sometimes continuing intermittently for many minutes. This is
evidently the song described by Florence Merriam as ‘‘ low, sweet and as
unpretentious and cheery as the friendly bird himself.”

Junco hyemalis carolinensis Brewster
Carolina Junco

Junco hyemalis carolinensis Brewster. Auk. Jan. 1886. 3: 108
A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 267.
No. 567e

Description. Very similar to theSlate-colored junco, but the slaty gray more uniform,
slightly lighter, the head not decidedly darker than the rest of the plumage; the bill light bluish
horn-colored instead of pinkish white as in the common Junco. The dimensions of this
subspecies very slightly exceed the average of the common Junco, especially the length
of the bill, but the difference is not sufficient to decide the identity of any individual

specimen.

Distribution. This subspecies of the Junco breeds in the higher Alleghanies ‘‘ from
Maryland to northern Georgia.’’ According to the range published by the A. O. U.,
third edition, the winter range is in the adjacent lowlands. It is evident that New York
State lies outside the supposed range of this subspecies and many members of the American
Ornithologist Union who believe in the validity of the form would not credit the occur-
rence of this subspecies within the limits of New York State; but Dr Jonathan Dwight, jr,
who has made a special study of juncos, after examining a long series of skins taken on
Long Island and in other portions of central and southeastern New York, states that “ if
there is any Junco hyemalis carolinensis, many individuals in this New
York series must be assigned to that subspecies.’”’ On authority of this statement I
have included this subspecies as occurring in New York State, and it is evident that
unless the identity of the subspecies is to be decided entirely by the locality where it was
taken, rather than from its evident characteristics, this subspecies must be admitted as
occurring in New York.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 315

Melospiza melodia melodia (Wilson)

Song Sparrow

_ Plate 84

Fringilla melodia Wilson. Amer. Orn. 1810. 2:125. pl. 16, fig. 4

DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 150, fig. 156

Melospiza melodia melodia A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. r1g91ro. p. 272.
No. 581

melospiza, Gr., pédos, song, and onxtta, a finch; meldédia, sweet-singing

Description. Prevailing color of the upper parts brown streaked on the
back with blackish and more or less edged with gray; a grayish stripe through
the middle of the crown; tail rather long and rounded, plain brown; under
parts white, spotted and streaked on the breast and side with blackish, these
streaks more or less bordered with brown, the spots on the center of the
breast confluent into a large blotch of blackish; also on the sides of the throat
tending to form conspicuous submalar streaks or triangular spot. Throat
very slightly spotted; abdomen plain white; bill brownish.

Length 6-6.8 inches; extent 8.5-8.9; wing 2.5-2.8; tail 2.6-2.7; bill
.49; tarsus .82.

Distribution. Of all the numerous subspecies of Song sparrow, this
is the only one found in the eastern United States. It breeds from southern
Mackenzie, central Keewatin, central Quebec and Cape Breton to Nebraska,
Kentucky and North Carolina, and winters from Illinois and Massachusetts
to the gulf coast. In New York State this species is an abundant summer
resident and in all the warmer portions of the State remains throughout
the winter in considerable numbers, in the lower Hudson valley and the
country about New York City being a common winter species. In central
and western New York it is a resident, but in the wintertime confined
mostly to the shelter of swamps and marshes, and is seldom seen unless
one visits those localities. Throughout the greater portion of the State
they begin to appear from the 1oth to the 28th of February in the warmer
localities, these birds being undoubtedly some that have wintered in the
swamps of the immediate vicinity. Migratory birds in western New York
appear from the Ist to the 15th of March. By the 20th to the 3oth of

March they become abundant in nearly all localities. In the fall the

316 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

greater number of individuals disappear between the I1oth and 2oth of
November, a considerable number sometimes remaining until the 5th of
December. As a summer resident it is fairly common throughout the
central portions of the Adirondack wilderness except in the depths of the
forest. I suppcse that this sparrow is the most generally distributed and
most abundant of all the species of the family nesting in the State.
Haunts and habits. The haunts of the Song sparrow are the gardens,
hedgerows, bushy banks, brooksides, edges of groves, fence lines, but
never, as far as my experience goes, in the depths of the forest nor in the
midst of open fields. I have frequently found its nest in a meadow 3 or
4 rods from the hedgerow, and also in small openings in the midst of the
woods even if the clearing is only a few rods in diameter, but it does not
care for the shady depths of the forest, and prefers always to live near dense
shrubbery to which it may retreat in case of danger. They feed largely
upon the ground throughout the fall, winter and spring, like most members
of the family subsisting on weed seeds of various kinds, preferring most
of all seeds of the pigeon grass, amaranth, ragweed and goosefoot. In this
way it does immense good to the agriculturist. During the summer it
feeds itself and its young largely upon young grasshoppers, smooth cater-
pillars, beetles and May flies. At this season of the year it hunts its prey
sometimes 20 or 30 feet from the ground among the foliage of trees, but
mostly among the low bushes and grass. The flight of the Song sparrow
is more jerky than that of any of our other native species, its tail pumping
continually as it flies for cover when disturbed in the field. Its call note
is a simple chip of rather metallic quality. When its nest is approached
the chip becomes more insistent and sharper. Its song is uttered during
every month of the year. If one visits its haunts in January or February
its cherry note may often be heard, especially on sunny mornings. This
song is endless in its variation, but usually begins with two or three loud,
‘full notes, descending in a more or less confused chipper or trill, a song
familiar to every child who has been in the country. The singer usually
chooses a perch of low elevation, not during his work of hunting seeds

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 317

and insects, but flies up to his low perch, usually 7 to 15 feet from the
ground, utters his cherry song, then flies to the ground again to resume
his occupation, for he seems never to be without something to do. He is
rarely seen perched motionless preening himself, but usually busily hunt-
ing about or flying from bush to bush and singing.

The nest of the Song sparrow is placed upon the ground under a tussock
of grass or on a sloping bank, composed of the stalks of grasses, rootlets,

- leaves and strips of bark, lined with finer grasses and long hairs. The

eggs are usually 4 or 5 in number, bluish white or grayish white in ground
color, rather profusely speckled and spotted with rufous brown or purplish
brown and obscure lilac shell markings, sometimes uniformly over the
whole surface, at other times tending to form a wreath near the larger
end. They average about .80 by .60 inches in dimensions. The first
sets of eggs are found in this State from the 25th of April to the 15th of
May; eggs of the second brood are usually found about the 2oth of June;
while a third nesting is often observed in July and August, sometimes
as late as the 25th of the latter month. The second and third nests are
frequently built in thick bushes or tall tussocks of grass, sometimes in
bushes as high as 6 or 8 feet, and Mr Ralph Paddock of Rochester has
a photograph of a Song sparrow’s nest in a hollow apple tree about 5 feet
from the ground. ‘This bird, however, is the common “ ground bird”
or “‘ brown ground bird ”’ of the school boy, and 99 per cent of their nests
are placed upon the ground, but often so securely hidden that they would
never be found if the old bird were not startled from the nest. The Cow-
bird, however, finds them with perfect ease and often deposits her eggs
in the Song sparrow’s nest; but I know of no other native species which
can afford so well to rear the young of this interloper as the Song sparrow,
for it is one of our most abundant birds, and if its first brood fails on account
of the parasitic intruder the mother will, nevertheless, raise one or more
later broods of her own.

318 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Melospiza lincolni lincolni (Audubon)
Lincoln Sparrow
Plate 84

Fringilla lincolnii Audubon. Birds Amer. 1834. (folio) 2. pl. 193
Emberiza lincolni DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 162
Melospiza lincolni lincolni A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. xoro.. p..276;
No. 583
lincolni, to Robert Lincoln, a friend of Audubon

Description. Slightly smaller than the Song sparrow; tail especially,
being slenderer and shorter. Upper parts olive brown to grayish brown,
rather sharply streaked with blackish; a narrow grayish line through the
center of the crown and broader superciliary lines of the same color; also
gray tinged on the side of the neck; wings and tail mostly plain hair brown;
throat and abdomen whitish, the former lightly streaked with blackish;
a broad buffy band across the breast; sides and flanks buffy, the breast and
sides rather sharply but narrowly streaked with black, but there is no tendency
to form a central blotch of black on the breast, and the heavy submalar
streaks of the Song sparrow wanting, but narrow rictal and postocular
streaks of blackish are evident.

Length 5.4-5.9 inches; wing 2.3-2.6; tail 2.3-3; bill .41; tarsus .78.

Distribution. This species breeds in the boreal zone of North America
from the Yukon valley, southern Mackenzie, central Keewatin and northern
Ungava to northern Minnesota, central Ontario, northern New York and
Nova Scotia, as well as in the Rocky and Sierra Nevada mountains; winters
from California, Oklahoma and Mississippi to southern Mexico and
Guatemala. In New York it is a summer resident of the Adirondack
district and a transient visitant in other parts of the State, arriving from
the 3d to the 9th of May and passing northward from the 1oth to the 16th
of May. In the fall it appears from the 15th to the 30th of September
and is last noticed from the 8th to the 27th of October, sometimes as late
as November 27 (Braislin, page 84).

Haunts and habits. In the Adirondacks I found this bird very diffi-
cult to observe due to its shy, retiring habits. It was present, however,
in the spruce and tamarack swamps of Essex county as well as in Hamilton

and Herkimer counties. Where the swamp is open, with small spruces

Ce ee ae call at Ta

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 319

and a few tamaracks scattered about, the Lincoln sparrow is almost surely
found, its nest on the ground near the foot of some spruce sapling, but it
is rare indeed that we catch a fair glimpse of him as he lurks about the low
cover of the swampland. According to Doctor Dwight, he has a very inter-
esting song “ which suggests the bubbling, guttural notes of the House wren
combined with the sweet, rippling music of the Purple finch, and when
you think the song is done there is an unexpected aftermath.”” The nest
of this sparrow resembles closely that of the Song sparrow. The eggs are
greenish white or buffy in ground color, rather thickly spotted with reddish
brown and purplish shell markings. They average .78 by .60 inches.
Fresh eggs are usually found from the 1oth to the 25th of June.

During the migration season I have often found this sparrow among
the sparse shrubbery on dry hillsides and along the courses of small streams
as well as about the edges of gardens and lawns, but he is shy even during
the migration season and as soon as approached retreats to the shelter
of the shrubbery, but is much more easily observed than during the summer
in his chosen haunts of the North Woods.

Melospiza georgiana (Latham)

Swamp Sparrow .
Plate 84

Fringilla georgiana Latham. Index Orn. 1790. 1: 460
Ammodramus palustris DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 165, fig. 161
(pl. 71)
Melospiza georgiana A. 0. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 276. No. 584
georgiana, of Georgia

Description. Slightly smaller than the Song sparrow and bill more
slender. Adult in spring: Crown chestnut darkening to black on the fore-
head; superciliary line, sides of the neck and the chest ashy; dusky postocular
streak and short rictal streak of the same color; back streaked with black,
buffy and chestnut; wings mostly chestnut; inner secondaries heavily marked
with black; tail rufous brown or dull chestnut, at least the outer webs of
the feathers; central feather line dusky; the tail when closed appearing
mostly rufous brown; throat and abdomen white; flanks ocherous; under
parts not streaked; rump and under tail coverts hair brown to ocherous

320 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

brown more or less streaked with blackish. Young birds and fall specimens:
More tinged with brown and stained with yellowish. Young streaked
on the breast and sides with dusky.
Length 5.3-6 inches; wing 2.3-2.5; tail 2.4-2.7; bill .46; tarsus .86.
Distribution. This sparrow breeds from Newfoundland, Labrador
and Fort Simpson southward to the northern United States. In New York

it isa summer resident of all portions

of the State, arriving from March 25
to April 12, a few days later in the
northern counties; and the fall
migration usually takes place from
October 20 to November 15, but in
all the southern counties a few
individuals remain throughout the
winter. I have noticed that it isa
winter resident in Monroe county,
Ontario county and in all the
marshes of the lower Hudson val-
ley and Long Island.

Haunts and habits. The chosen
haunts of the Swamp sparrow are
the grass, sedge and flag-covered
marshes of riversides and the
flooded shores of ponds and lakes.
Vala It is common in the Montezuma
’ Ve marshes, about equaling the Song
Photo by L.S. Horton Sparrow in abundance, also about

sags Seal Lakes Erie and Ontario it is a fairly
abundant species in the flooded portions of the swamps which are covered
with a dense growth of sedges, rushes, flags and grasses. Even in the
migration season the Swamp sparrow is rarely seen far from the edge of the
marsh. As the draining of our swamps and marshes progresses, it is evident
that the habitat of this species becomes more and more restricted and the

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 32I

species must diminish in numbers. Its song is usually delivered from the
top of a cat-tail or some low bush and resembles considerably the trill of
the Chipping sparrow, but is not so thin and insectlike and is somewhat
more melodious. It has also an ordinary chip similar to that of the Song
sparrow.

Its nest, which is placed on the ground at the edge of the marsh or
in a bunch of flags or sedges, resembles very much the nest of the Song
sparrow. The eggs are 4 or 5 in number, greenish white or light blue in
ground color, rather closely spotted and blotched with brown, more heavily
around the large end. Average dimensions .76 by .56 inches. Two broods
are usually reared in a season.

Passerella iliaca. iliaca (Merrem)

Fox Sparrow
Plate 83

Fringilla iliaca Merrem. seytr. besond. Gesch. Vogel. 1786. 2. pl. 10
DeKay Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 140, fig. 166
Passerella iliaca iliaca A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. t1910. p. 277. No.
585
passerélla, diminutive form of passer, sparrow; iliaca, prelinnean specific name of
the Redwing, from Gr., fAté&s, a thrush; perhaps from a superficial resemblance to a
thrush

Description. A large sparrow with a moderately heavy bill, nearly
square tail, prevailing colors rufous and gray. The top of the head and
neck and sides of the neck largely gray or brownish gray; the back brownish
gray streaked with dark rufous; rump and tail deep rufus or rusty; under
parts white, heavily spotted on the breast and sides with triangular spots and
short streaks of blackish; numerous blotches of deep rufous also on the
breast and side of the throat; auriculars largely rusty; heavy maxillary
streaks of dusky rufous; bill yellowish, at least the base of the lower
mandible, tip dusky; legs light brown; sexes alike. Young very similar to
the adult.

Length 6.75-7.5 inches; extent 10.5-11.5; wing 3.4-3.7; tail 2.7-3.1;
bill .5; tarsus .96.

Distribution. The breeding range of the Fox sparrow extends from
the Gulf of St Lawrence and Labrador to Alaska, being practically con-

322 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

tinuous with the Hudsonian zone. It spends the winter in eastern United
States from southerg New York and Illinois to the gulf coast. In New
York this species is a fairly common transient visitant in all portions of
the State, arriving from the south late in March and passing on to its
northern home from April 25 to May 12, the height of the spring migration
usually occurring about the middle of April. In the fall it appears again
late in September and the fall migration is mostly completed by the 25th
of October. In the southern portion of the State, however, especially
on Long Island, a considerable number of this species remain throughout
the winter so that in those localities it is to be rated a fairly common winter
visitant and common migrant. I fail to find any evidence that this species
remains in the coldest portion of the Adirondacks to breed, although I
believe that it has been found to breed in northeastern Maine.

Haunts and habits. This sparrow is always regarded as an interesting
species by the amateur bird student. Its large size and bright colors,
for a sparrow, spritely habits and beautiful song, especially at the season
when migrants are few, tend to make it a favorite with all nature lovers.
It feeds mostly on the ground like the Junco and Song sparrow, usually
keeping nearer the cover of shrubbery, however, than those species, fre-
quently rustling and scratching the leaves with considerable vigor while
searching for its food of seeds and insect larvae. Even as early as the
third week in March his cheery song may be heard, particularly on cool,
bright mornings, but sometimes throughout the day. It consists of a
clear, loud, melodious whistle. This song is usually delivered while the
bird is perched on the limb of a tree from 10 to 40 feet from the ground.
Sometimes it remains quietly perched for half an hour singing at intervals
of a few seconds throughout the morning. Mr Thayer has called attention
to this sparrow’s habit of singing in an undertone, sometimes for half
an hour at a time, as if the bird were expressing day dreams of his summer
home.

iKDS OF NEW YORK 323

Pipilo erythrophthalmus erythrophthalmus (Linnaeus)

Towhee

Plate 84

Fringilla erythrophthalma Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 10. 1758. 1:18¢
Pipilo erythrophthalmus DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 172, fig. 162
Pinilo erythrophthalmus erythrophthalmus A. O. U. Check List.
Ed. 3. 1910. p. 279. No. 587
pipilo, Lat., to chirp; erythrophthd4lmus, Gr., meaning red-eyed

Description. Wings short and rounded; tail long and rounded; head,
neck, forebreast and upper parts black, sometimes, especially in winter,
edged with rusty on the back; inner secondaries streaked with buffy white;
white spot on the base of the primaries, also on the outer edges of the
primary quills; 3 outer tail feathers conspicuously tipped or spotted with
white, the outer web of the outer feather entirely white; lower breast and
abdomen white becoming buffy on the under tail coverts; sides and flanks
rufous; eyes red. Female: Grayish brown where the male is black and
otherwise duller in coloration.

Length 8.35 inches; wing 3.3; tail 3.7; bill .55; tarsus 1.1.

Distribution. The breeding range of this species extends from eastern
Dakota, Michigan and southern Maine to the gulf coast. In New York
it is quite generally distributed as a summer resident throughout the State,
but does not enter the Canadian zone of the Adirondacks and Cats-
kills except along the river valleys and settlements, and in the extreme
northern counties is not common or generally distributed. In the south-
eastern part of the State it is abundant and throughout western New York
a common summer resident, in the country about New York arriving from
April 15 to 25, and in western New York from the 15th to the 30th of April.
In the fall it disappears between the 15th and 30th of October, a few indi-
viduals remaining throughout the winter in the warmer counties in the
_ vicinity of New York City.

Haunts and habits. The haunts of the Towhee are in hedgerows,
thickets, brushy hillsides and “ slashings.” It is a bird of the thicket
more than any other member of the sparrow family. It feeds principally

upon the ground, hopping about, scratching the leaves and bustling around
21

324 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

with considerable noise, but seems rather shy unless one approaches
cautiously, when his curiosity overcomes his retiring disposition, and he
hops onto some near-by stump or bush to inspect the intruder. He is
very restless in disposition except when singing; then he chooses a fairly
elevated perch on top of a small tree, or occasionally 50 to 60 feet from
the ground, and gives himself up to his song, sometimes for an hour at
a time. Ernest Thompson-Seton has written this song, “‘ Chuck, burr,
pill-a-will-a-willa-a,’’ which is the best imitation yet invented. There is,
however, considerable variation in the manner of its delivery, and on one
occasion I mistook a very poor performer of this species for an abnormal
Song sparrow. The call note or alarm note (I have never been able to
determine any distinction between the two) sounds like the word “ che-
wink,’ often followed directly by the other call which has given him his
other name, “‘ tow-hee,’’ uttered in a rather sharp, incisive manner. He
usually flirts his tail as he utters the note and is almost sure to be bobbing
about among the bushes at the same time.

The nest is placed on the ground or very near it, composed of dead
leaves and grasses and strips of bark, usually lined with fine grass.
The eggs are 4 or 5 in number, white or grayish white, finely and evenly
speckled with reddish brown, sometimes with heavier spots about the larger
end. Average dimensions .97 by .71 inches.

During the migration season the Chewink is frequently seen about
the gardens, dooryards and thickets in all our cities and villages, where
it is unknown at other seasons of the year. He is rather an attractive
bird with his conspicuous and sharply marked color pattern. He is a bene-
ficial species, very rarely taking enough berries from the gardener to be
considered a nuisance. The greater portion of his food consists of seeds,
wild fruits, and, in the summer time, a plentiful supply of insects.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 325

Cardinalis cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus)
Cardinal
Plate 85

Loxia cardinalis Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.1o. 1758. 1:172
Pitylus cardinalis DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 171, fig. 143
Cardinalis cardinalis cardinalis A..O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910.
p. 282. No. 593
cardindlis, of the color worn by a cardinal, red

Description. About the size of a Robin; bill very heavy; head con-
spicuously crested; tail long, slightly rounded; colors bright rosy red especially
across the sides of the head and under part; the upper parts more or less
washed with grayish; the inner webs of the wing feathers fuscous; throat
and a narrow space all around the base of the bill black; bill reddish.
Female: Crest, wings and tail dull reddish; upper parts brownish; under
parts buffy ocherous, lighter on the belly; breast slightly tinged with red;
the space around the base of the bill grayish black.

Length 8.25 inches; extent 11-12; wing 3.75; tail 4; bill .66; tarsus .95.

Distribution. The Cardinal inhabits eastern United States from
Iowa and southern New York to the gulf coast and is nonmigratory in
habit. In this State it is commonest in the extreme southeastern counties
west of the Hudson river, but not in Westchester county on the other
side of the Hudson. It is a local resident also on Staten Island, and rare
on the western end of Long Island, only one or two instances of its breeding
there having come to my attention, one at Prospect Park, June 8, 1884
(see Adney, Auk, 1:390), and another instance reported from Bellport by
W. A. Babson. In Rockland county it is undoubtedly commoner than
in any other portion cf the State. Its occurrence in the coastal district
has been reported not only from the localities mentioned, but from River-
dale, Coney Island, Flatbush, Flushing, Seaford, Roslyn and Brooklyn.
In the interior of the State it has been recorded from Brockport, Keuka
lake, Syracuse, Buffalo, Brant, Fredonia, Jamestown and Cohoes. There
is a bare possibility that some of these birds had escaped from cages,
but in the majority of instances the condition of the specimens indicated

that they had not been captive, at least for a long time, and there is no

326 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

question that the species occasionally comes into the western part of New
York State. It is possible that it breeds in Chautauqua county, as Miss
Sarah Waite reports that she has seen it near the shore of Lake Erie through-
out the summer, under circumstances which made her certain it was
breeding in the vicinity. It is probable that the nonmigratory habit
of this bird is largely responsible for its not becoming commoner in southern
New York. What few specimens are raised in the State are likely to be
killed during the shooting season in late fall or during the winter months,
their conspicuous appearance and notes attracting the attention of every-
one that passes by. They learn, however, to be very secretive in habits,
and if dense swamps and thickets of brush and small trees were common,
there is little doubt that it would become much more plentiful on Staten
Island, Long Island, and in the lower Hudson valley. The nature of the
country in Rockland county is more favorable to it, and there it is well
established. If the residents of localities where the bird is beginning to
appear could protect it thoroughly, there is no doubt that it would be able
to remain throughout the winter and become more abundant, especially
if fruit trees and plants which retain their seeds were planted in the
thickets.

The song of the Cardinal is ‘‘ a loud clear whistle into which usually
enters quite frequently the sound of Q/ Q/ Q/, and a peculiar long-drawn-out
e-e! sometimes syllabled as ‘three cheers’’’ (Chapman). Its call note is
an abrupt tsip. The nest is composed of twigs, rootlets, weed stalks and
strips of bark, usually placed in thick bushes. The eggs are 3 or 4, pale
bluish-white, speckled with brown and grayish; average size I by .
inches.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 327

Zamelodia ludoviciana (Linnaeus)

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Plate 85

Loxia ludoviciana Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 12. 1766. 1:306
Coccoborus ludovicianus DeKay. Zool.N.Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 146, fig. 147
Zamelodia ludoviciana A.O.U. Check List. Ed.3. 1910. p. 284. No. 595

zamelédia, Gr., 4%, inseparable prefix meaning very, and yeAwdtz, melody, song;
ludoviciana, of Louisiana

Description. Beak very heavy; tail of moderate length, slightly
emarginate. Male: Black and white with rosy breast; head, neck and
upper parts mostly deep black; a white patch at the base of the primaries,
also the middle wing coverts white, the longer wing coverts tipped with
white and some of the inner secondaries spotted with white; rump mostly
white; 3 or 4 outer pairs of tail feathers extensively tipped with white
on the inner web; breast rich rosy red extending down the middle of the
abdomen; under wing coverts also rosy red; rest of the under parts white;
bill whitish, dusky at tip. Female: Resembles somewhat an overgrown
female Purple finch. Upper parts grayish brown streaked with darker;
wings with obscure wing bars; obscure whitish median line on the
crown; grayish white superciliary streak; under parts dingy white tinged
with buffy or brownish on the breast and sides and heavily streaked with
blackish; under wing coverts saffron yellow. Young: At first resemble
female; during first fall show touches of rosy on breast and under wing
coverts.

Length 7.75-8.5 inches; extent 13; wing 4; tail 3; bill .7; tarsus .88.

Distribution. This species inhabits eastern North America from Maine
and Manitoba south to Kansas and in the mountains to North Carolina,
and winters in Central and South America. In New York it is quite
generally distributed and fairly common throughout the Alleghanian zone,
and also in a large portion of the boreal zone of the Adirondacks. In the
coastal district, especially on Long Island (Brasher, fide A. H. Howell)
and in the lower Hudson valley, it is rare or at least uncommon as a summer
resident. In all the southern and central districts of the State it is more
common as a migrant than as a summer resident, arriving from the south
about the first of May, the dates ranging between April 24 and May 12.
During the migration season of early May, the rose-breasts are often found

328 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

in little companies of 5 to 15 birds among the deciduous trees of our lawns,
parks and the outskirts of towns. Sometimes a few females arrive with
the first little flocks of male birds, but usually they succeed by several
days their more brilliantly colored brethren. In the fall it disappears
between September 22 and October Io.

Haunts and habits. The haunts of the Rose-breasted grosbeak are
the rich woodlands with a fair stand of undergrowth, and swamps and
stream courses well grown with alder, swamp maple and birches. In my
experience also, it prefers a mixed woodland where there is a consider-
able admixture of hemlock, pine or spruce. I have found it nesting about
the Ausable lakes, the lower slopes of Mount Marcy and the shores of
Elk lake in the Adirondacks, and in western New York it prefers such
locations as the Potter swamp, Bergen swamp, Conewango swamp and
the beech, maple and hemlock forests of Allegany, Chautauqua, Erie and
Cattaraugus counties. It also inhabits pure forests of white and red oak
on upland slopes, but the damper forest is certainly preferred. The nest
is usually placed in an alder, maple, beech or hemlock sapling or the limbs
of a low tree at a height of from 8 to 20 feet from the ground. It resembles
considerably the nest of the Scarlet tanager, but is slightly larger, usually
constructed of small twigs, especially those from the beech and hemlock,
lined with finer materials of the same kind and a few rootlets. The eggs
-are 4 or 5 in number, greenish blue in ground color, rather profusely spotted
and blotched with olive-brown and reddish brown markings. They average
.90 by .70 inches in size.

The call note of the Grosbeak is a loud, sharp, questioning ‘‘ peek,
peek.”’ The song is a rich, rolling warble which has been many times
compared to the quality of the Robin’s note, but to me seems more melo-
-dious, approaching the quality of the Purple finch’s song but a larger,
fuller sound. It is frequently delivered when the bird is on the wing,
fluttering through the air after the manner of the Goldfinch during his
ecstatic delivery.

The food of this Grosbeak consists to a considerable extent of green

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 329

fruits such as those of the elm, wild cherry, honeysuckle, viburnum and
dogwood while they are about half grown. It also partakes of the ripe
fruit later in the season; but during the nesting period does immense good
by destroying the larger beetles such as the potato beetle, June beetle,
grape vine beetle, and other injurious species. This is one of the birds
which has been noted in various sections of the country as preferring the
potato beetle to other species. Not only on account of its beautiful
plumage and melodious song, but also on account of this unusual propensity,
it ought to be encouraged in all parts of the State.

Guiraca caerulea caerulea (Linnaeus)
Blue Grosbeak
Plate 86

Loxia caerulea Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.1o. 1758. 1:175
Coccoborus ceruleus DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 145, fig. 146
Guiraca caerulea caerulea A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. rg10. p. 285.

No. 597
guirdca, barbarous Latin, meaning unknown; caerilea, Lat., blue

Description. Adult male: Deep blue, the lores and chin black;
back partly blackish; wings and tail black edged with blue; the wing coverts
tipped with rufous. Female: Grayish brown showing somewhat bluish
about the head, rump and wing coverts; wings and tail fuscous; wing
coverts tipped with ocherous; under parts brownish buff, feathers some-
times showing bluish under plumage. Young resemble the female.

Length 6.5-7.5 inches; wing 3.4-3.6; tail 2.7-2.9; culmen .63-.66;
depth of bill .52-.58.

The Blue grosbeak bears a considerable resemblance, when seen among
the foliage, to the Indigo bunting and might easily be mistaken for it when
imperfectly seen or in unusual conditions of the atmosphere. It is, how-
ever, decidedly larger, being the size of a Cowbird, nearly 2 inches longer
than the Indigo bird. As it has been reported so many times by amateur
bird people in New York, I make these suggestions to restrain the possible
error. Very few New York specimens have ever been seen, and it seems
almost impossible that the numbers reported by different observers could

be actual occurrences.

330 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Distribution. This Grosbeak inhabits the southeastern United States,
locally northward as far as southern Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Kansas;
winters in Cuba and southern Mexico. DeKay, in ‘ Birds of New York,”
page 146, reports a specimen from Manhattan island taken May 15, 1838.
There is also a specimen in the collection of the Long Island Historical
Society taken at Canarsie, Long Island, in May 1843. Bicknell (N. O. C.
Bul. 31:32) mentions its occurrence on Long Island “‘many years ago,”
which allusion may well be to the specimen referred to. Lawrence, in
his catalog of birds from the vicinity of New York, also includes this species
(Lyceum N. Y. Annals 8, 1866, 286); Egbert Bagg reports two seen in
central New York (Birds Oneida County, ed. 2, page 69); Mr Willard
E. Yager writes of seeing a flock of 12 Blue grosbeaks in July 1899, near
Oneonta, Otsego county. Besides these reports there are several others
less clearly substantiated from different parts of the State, which may
well be reports of the actual occurrence of this species; but no specimens
other than the one above recorded have been found in the different col-
lections which the author has examined.

Passerina cyanea (Linnaeus)
Indigo Bunting

Plate 86

Tanagra cyanea Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.12. 1766. 1:315

Spiza cyanea DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 173, fig. 157

Passerina cyanea A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 285. No. 508
passerina, Lat., of or like a sparrow; cydnea, Gr., xuéveos, dark blue

Description. Male: Deep blue; a deep ultramarine blue on head
and breast, more inclined to azure blue on the back; the concealed portions
of the wings and tail blackish, but showing very little except when they
are spread. Female: Grayish brown; tail, wings and rump obscurely
edged with blue; obscure buffy whitish wing bars; under parts dingy white,
strongly tinged on the breast and sides with buffy brown and obscurely
streaked with dusky. Young resemble the female but darker.

Length 5-5.75 inches; extent 8.55; wing 2.6; tail 2.1; bill .41;
tarsus .67.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 331

Distribution. This species breeds in the eastern United States from
Minnesota, southern Ontario and Nova Scotia southward to the Gulf
States, and winters in Central America. In New York the Indigo bird
is a common summer resident in all the warmer portions of the State and

Photo by James H. Miller
Indigo bunting at nest

is found about the edges of the Catskill and Adirondack districts, but
does not enter the Canadian zone. It is decidedly less common in the
northernmost counties of the State, but is one of the characteristic birds
throughout central and western New York, as well as the coastal district.

332 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

The spring migration is accomplished between the 3d and the 17th of May,
and the fall migration between the 25th of September and the 15th of
October.

Haunts and habits. The Indigo bird prefers brushy hillsides, “‘ slash-
ings ’’ and bushy gardens, being a member of the same gild as the Thrasher,
Chewink and Field sparrow. Throughout the hot, dry summer his song
may be heard from the hillside thickets and edges of the woodlands. The
nest is usually placed in a bramble or bush at a height of 2 to 4 feet from
the ground, composed externally of dry leaves, weed stalks and strips of
bark, and lined with finer grasses, rootlets and long hairs. The eggs are
usually 4 in number, broadly ovate in shape, pale bluish white in color;
average size .74 by .55 inches. The first sets of eggs are usually found
between May 25 and June 12, but frequently nests with fresh eggs may be
seen as late as July 15 or even the first of August. |

The Indigo bird is one of our most persistent singers and his pleasing
song may be heard from the time of his arrival in May till well into the
month of August. He usually chooses an elevated, though not exposed,
position while singing; and it is often quite difficult to discover the singer
hidden among the foliage near the top of some tree which overlooks his
chosen brush lot. The song has a fringilline character, a pleasant, chip-
pering warble, not rich and full in quality like the Purple finch’s, but
blithe and gay. Though rather definite in form of delivery, it never makes
a definite impression upon my mind so that I remember it from one season
to another. This little bunting is wholly beneficial, and besides being
one of our most brilliantly colored song birds ranks near the Goldfinch
as a songster. 4

Passerina ciris (Linnaeus)
Painted Bunting

Emberiza ciris Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.10. 1758. 1:179
Passerina ciris A. O. U. Check List. Ed..3. 1910. p. 286. No. 6or
ctris, Gr., ~etets, daughter of Nisus, who was changed to a bird

Description. Adult male: Head and sides of the neck indigo blue;
back golden green; rump and under parts red; wings and tail tinged with

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 333

dull red; greater wing coverts green. Adult female: Upper parts bright
olive green; under parts white washed with greenish yellow; wings and tail
fuscous margined with olive green.

Length 5.25 inches; wing 2.7; tail 2.15; bill .42.

Distribution. The Painted bunting or Nonpareil breeds from the
Gulf of Mexico as far north as Kansas, southern Illinois, North Carolina,
and winters in tropical America. In New York State it is purely an acci-
dental visitant. Bicknell, writing in the Bulletin of the Nuttall Orni-
thological Club, volume 3, page 132, describes its occurrence at Riverdale
July 13, 1875, and on the authority of Akhurst records the capture of 5 or
6 specimens near the Narrows on Long Island and two others at Brooklyn.
It is barely possible that these specimens had escaped from some cage in
which they were being transported to the New York market, but it is
equally possible that they were driven by storm up the coast of the eastern
United States beyond their usual range, or that they wandered northward
as southern species frequently do during their migrations and reached
- the shores of Long Island in the same manner that the Summer tanager
and various other species have done. The occurrence of this bird in New
York is also recorded in ‘‘ Forest and Stream,” 1884, page 424. The
latest record of an apparently wild bird is from Bridgehampton, Long
Island, December 1885, specimen mounted by Knoess, recorded by Dutcher
in his Long Island notes. In the days when there was more extensive
traffic in native birds, numerous specimens of this brilliantly colored
bunting were imported and sold in the New York market so that specimens
occasionally were noticed which had escaped from confinement or had
been liberated; but such specimens exhibit signs of having been kept in
cages and they are not included in this report. The specimens recorded
were evidently wild birds.

334 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Spiza americana (Gmelin)
Dickcissel

Emberiza americana Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1789. 1:872
DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 155, fig. 3
Spiza americana A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 287. No. 604
spiza, Gr., oxtGa, a small bird, the Chaffinch (Prof. D’Arcy W. Thompson)

Description. Male: Upper parts grayish brown streaked on the back
with blackish; sides of the neck gray; lesser and middle wing coverts chest-
nut; breast bright yellow; a large black patch on the lower throat usually more
or less crescentric in shape; superciliary stripe and maxillary spot yellow;
chin and patch below the side of the throat and belly white. Female:
Similar, but much duller and the black patch replaced with black streaks.

Length 6 inches; wing 3.2; tail 2.35; bill .55.

Distribution. The Dickcissel, or Black-throated bunting, breeds in the
Mississippi valley from Minnesota and Wisconsin south to Texas, and
winters in Central and South America. It was formerly common in the
middle states east of the Alleghanies, but has now almost entirely dis-
appeared from that region. In the days of DeKay and Giraud, and to
a less extent at the time of the publication of the Lawrence catalog, the
Dickcissel was still common on Long Island, but now it has entirely dis-
appeared. DeKay speaks of it as breeding throughout the southeastern
and western portions of the State, and Dutcher (Auk, 10:276) speaks of
it as breeding commonly in Kings county in 1842. The specimens in the
collection of the Long Island Historical Society were taken at Flatlands
in 1846. In 1875 Mr W. W. Worthington considered it very rare at Shelter
island. Dutcher reports specimens taken at Millers Place in 1888. John-
son reports a specimen from Blithewood, Long Island, August 25, 1890;
and Doctor Dwight reports a specimen from Kingston, June 5, 1896. This
is the last report from New York. It was still breeding in eastern
Massachusetts in 1877 and 1878 according to the reports of Purdy and
Dean, and as late as July 1904, at Plainfield, N. J. (W. D. Miller, Auk, 21:
487). I have found only two reliable reports from western New York.
The late J. A. Dakin records having seen a small flock at Tully, Onondaga

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 335

county, in 1883; and during the summer of 1875 a pair reared their young
at Junius, Seneca county. They returned the next season and a pair of
the birds was collected and preserved by Mr C. J. Hampton, the male
now being in the Hobart College collection. This is evidently the last
instance of the Dickcissel breeding in New York State. Mr Todd, in the
“ Birds of Erie,’’ reports it, however, as a rare summer resident in north-
western Pennsylvania as late as June 14, 1895. There is a bare possibility
that this species will become reestablished, at least in western New York,
but as far as I can learn there is at present no indication that it is moving
to the eastward as the Lark sparrow and the Prairie horned lark have
done.

Haunts and habits. The Dickcissel is a bird of the grassy field, pre-
ferring prairies and weed fields, usually occupying a low perch on some
stalk or fence post, singing his simple song with great earnestness, the
notes of which have given him his common name throughout the country
which he inhabits. The nest is placed upon the ground, or near it in
a thick bush, and is composed of coarse weed stalks, grasses and leaves,
lined with finer grasses and horse hair. The eggs are 4 or 5 in number,
of a pale blue, without spots, and average .80 by .61 inches in dimensions.

Calamospiza melanocorys Stejneger
Lark Bunting

Calamospiza melanocorys Stejneger. Auk. Jan. 1885. 2:49
A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. roro. p. 288.
No. 605
calamospiza, Gr., xéhayos, a reed, and oxtt«, a finch; melandcorys, from Gr.,
meaning “ black-helmeted ”’

Description. Adult male: Uniform black with a slaty cast; the wing
coverts white forming a conspicuous wing patch. Female: Brownish gray
streaked with dusky; a small white wing patch; lower parts white streaked
with dusky on the breast and side. Male in winter: Similar to adult
female but the under plumage of the abdomen showing black when dis-
arranged. Young: Similar to adult female but more buffy.

Length 6.3-7.5 inches; wing 3.2-3.6; tail 2.9-3.3.

330 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Distribution. This species ranges from Kansas to Saskatchewan
and winters southward to Texas and New Mexico, lower California and
Mexico It is of accidental occurrence in the Atlantic States and west of

the Rocky mountains. Two New
. York specimens have been taken,
the first at Montauk Point, Sep-
tember 4, 1888 (Evans, Auk, 6:
192); the second was reported by
Arthur H. Helme from Millers
Place, Long Island, September 11,
1896.

Family TANAGRIDAE

Tanagers

Lark bunting Calamospiza melanocorys Stejneger Bill turgid, more or less
notched near the tip, the cutting
edge toothed or slightly dentate; primaries 9; size medium; colors bright:
though not intricately variegated. The characters which distinguish this
family are difficult to describe. They are more nearly related to the finches
than most families, although they have something in common with the
wood warblers. They have long been characterized as dentirostral finches,
but the tooth on the side of the beak is practically obsolete in many species.
In general, a tanager is easily recognized, though one can scarcely enumerate
the points on which it is determined. The family is American, evidently
of neotropical origin; consists of about 350 species, only 2 of which are
normally found in the eastern states. Probably the most brilliantly colored
of all New York birds is the Scarlet tanager, and brilliant colors of red,
orange and yellow mostly predominate in the family. They are forest-
loving birds, seeking most of their food amongst the foliage, the native
species feeding on beetles, caterpillars and fruit in its season. They are
more or less melodious, our common tanager singing somewhat like a Robin
or Rose-breasted grosbeak. They build rather weakly constructed nests.
The eggs are bluish green speckled with brown.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 337

Piranga ludoviciana (Wilson)
Western Tanager

Tanagra ludoviciana Wilson. Amer. Orn. 1811. 3:27. pl. 20, fig. 1
Piranga ludoviciana A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1010. p. 288. No. 607

pirdnga, a barbarous word, perhaps one applied to tanagers; ludovicidna, of Louis-
jana, that is, French Louisiana

Description. Adult male: Head scarlet or crimson extending down
along the central line of the breast; back, wings and tail mostly black, the
wings with 2 yellowish white bars; the rest of the plumage bright yellow,
especially the rump and the back of the neck. Female: Olive shaded
with ash on the back; under parts greenish yellow shaded with olive on
the side; wings and tail fuscous edged with olive, the wings barred with
yellowish white. Young males: Resemble female, gradually passing into
the plumage of the adult male.

Length 7 inches; wing 3.75; tail 3; bill .6; tarsus .75.

Distribution. This species inhabits western United States from the
Great Plains to the Pacific coast, as far north as British Columbia; winters
in Central America. Accidental in eastern United States. A single speci-
men was obtained in New York at Fort Montgomery, December 21, 1881,
a young male (Mearns, Auk, 7:53).

Piranga erythromelas Vieillot

Scarlet Tanager
Plate 87

Pyranga erythromelas Vieillot. Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat.. 1819. 28: 293

Pyranga rubra DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 176, fig. 149

Piranga erythromelas A.O.U. Check List. Ed.3. 1910. p. 289. No. 608
erythrémelas, Gr., ¢eveds, red, and péAas, black

Description. Male: Bright scarlet except the wings and tail, which
are black; under wing coverts white, which, however, rarely show except
during flight. Winter plumage: Olive green above, greenish yellow below,
wings and tail black slightly glossed with greenish. Female: Light olive
green; under parts greenish yellow, wings and tail dusky, slightly edged
with greenish. Immature males resemble winter male. During the moulting
season birds partly scarlet and partly greenish are frequently observed.

338 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Length 7-7.3 inches; extent II-12; wing 3.75; tail 2.7; bill .46;
tarsus .77.

Distribution. This tanager inhabits eastern America from Virginia
and Illinois to New Brunswick and Manitoba, and passes the winter in
Central America and northern South America. In New York it is found
in every county of the State, a fairly common summer resident of the
forested districts, but in the more cultivated portions of southern, central
and western New York is uncommon in summer except in swamps, large
groves and wooded ravines. In the Adirondacks I have noticed it as
high as the summit of the Bartlett ridge and the slopes of Mount Colvin
and the forests about St Huberts. It therefore invades the Canadian zone
of New York State nearly to the summits of our higher mountains. The
spring migration, when it is fairly common in most portions of the State,
begins about the 1st of May in the southern counties, the 1oth to the 14th
in the colder districts. In the fall it disappears between the 3d and the
18th of October.

Haunts and habits. As already intimated, the habitat of the Scarlet
tanager is mostly in our larger groves, forests and wooded ravines, although
during migration time it is frequently seen in orchards, shade trees, and
even in the open fields. I have seen as many as 12 or 15 male tanagers
in an open plowed field during the first part of May, when they are feeding
on May beetles and their larvae. The migration is past by the third week
in May, and thereafter we must seek the tanager in its woodland haunts.

The common call note resembles the syllables ‘‘ chip, churr,”’ and his
ordinary song has been compared to that of the Robin, but has a decided
burr or buzz in its delivery.

The females commonly arrive 5 to 7 days after the males and the
mating occurs from the middle to the third week in May. The nest is
constructed from the 23d of May to the roth of June. Fresh eggs have
been found from May 28 to June 19. The nest is usually placed on a hori-
zontal limb at a height of 12 to 30 feet from the ground. Usually
a deciduous tree is chosen, like an oak, beech or maple, though I have

ea tl ee

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 339

found it in hemlocks and pines. It is loosely constructed of fine twigs,
very often the dead twigs of the hemlock being chosen, and is lined with
finer twigs and rootlets, but is frequently so loosely put together that
when viewed from the ground the eggs may be seen through the nest.
These are usually 4 in number, of a bluish green ground color rather thickly
speckled and spotted with reddish brown and lilac. They average about
.95 by .67 inches in dimensions. I have never seen a male tanager incu-
bating the eggs, but he invariably appears when his mate is driven from
the nest or raises an alarm, and flies about in the immediate vicinity, utter-
ing his “chip, churr,’ and buzz of complaint. He is frequently seen
sunning himself on the tops of dead trees in the forest, or on the edge of
a ravine, and warbling from his perch at intervals throughout the forenoon,
but he is not a continuous singer like some of the vireos and warblers.
During the latter part of July and the first half of August, tanagers, like
most birds, seem to go into seclusion. The moult, however, is completed
about the last of August and after that season the males are seen in their
winter plumage. During August, specimens are frequently noticed which
are covered with patches of scarlet and regarded by the uninitiated as
some new species of bird.

Piranga rubra rubra (Linnaeus)
Summer Tanager

Plate 87

Fringilla rubra Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.1o. 1758. 1:281

Pyranga aestiva DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 175, fig. 148

Piranga rubra rubra A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 289. No. 610
: rubra, Lat., red

Description. Male: Entire plumage rosy red, brick red or vermillion,
the hidden portion of the wings and tail being dusky. The shade of red
depends considerably upon the age of the bird. Female: Dull brownish
olive; under parts brownish yellow. Young males resemble the females.

Length 7.5 inches; wing 3.75; tail 2.9; bill .55.

Distribution. The Summer tanager inhabits the eastern United States

from Florida to southern New Jersey and wanders casually as far north
22

340 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

as New England and Nova Scotia. It winters in Central and South America.
In New York it is only an accidental visitant. Of 13 specimens definitely
recorded from this State, 6 were taken on Long Island between the 6th
and the 11th of April, and 7 were taken between the Ist and 18th of May.
No specimen taken in summer or fall, as far as I can learn, is in existence,
and no unquestioned breeding record for this State can be given, although
it has been reported several times as breeding in different localities, as
by Judd in “ Birds of Albany,” page 75. This record is on the authority
of Mr H. A. Slack, an enthusiastic bird student; but, as the birds were
not secured nor the identification verified by ‘‘ professional ornithologists,”
it is possible that the reports were due to error in observation. , It is prob-
able that the early date of many of the tanagers taken on Long Island
is due to the fact that these birds were driven by storms while passing
from the West Indies to the Southern States, and drifted up the coast,
or that they alighted on coastwise trading ships and left the rigging as
the boats approached New York harbor. At any rate, we can not regard
this species as a summer resident of the State, but only an accidental spring
visitant. It is not a common species farther north than the vicinity of
Washington and Baltimore.

Haunts and habits. It inhabits woodland like our Scarlet tanager,
which it resembles in breeding habits. Its common call note is set down
by ornithologists as resembling the syllables ‘‘ chicky-tucky-tuck.”’

Family HIRUNDINIDAE

Swallows

Wings strong and much elongated, the feathers rapidly graduated from
the first or second to the secondaries; primaries 9; tail forked; rectrices 12;
bill short, broad and flat, the gape extending far backward beneath the
eyes equal to twice the length of the culmen; tarsi very short; the feet
small and weak; plumage more or less iridescent, soft and smooth; head
short, broad and depressed.

This family is cosmopolitan in distribution and consists of about 100
species, several of which are found in the eastern United States. They

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 341

are vigorous flyers, spending most of their time in the air hawking for
insects over rivers, lakes and fields, capturing their prey while on the wing.
They are more or less sociable in habits, sometimes immense colonies
associating together on their breeding ground. The nests of some species
were originally affixed to cliffs, but now they have availed themselves to
a considerable extent of structures erected by man; while those which
formerly nested in hollow trees accommodate themselves to boxes erected.
for them; and even the Bank and Rough-winged swallows resort to gravel
pits and masonry, whereas formerly they were confined to the shores of
lakes and streams. As the migration season approaches, swallows gather
in immense numbers on chosen roosting sites where various species may
be found associating together, and separating again in the morning to
seek their food over the surrounding country. During the day they fre-
quently gather in companies of hundreds and thousands on the roofs of
barns and on telegraph wires or on the reeds of extensive marshes. - These
congregations usually last until the end of August or the first weeks of
September when the swallows suddenly disappear and are not seen again
till the following April. Swallow roosts are usually found in the tall reeds
or flags of marshes where there is an expanse of many acres, or in thickets
of willows or alders. I have seen tens of thousands of Tree swallows
gathered on the Montezuma marshes to roost, and in thickets of the French
basket willow I have observed as many as twenty thousand swallows in
a roost which covered only two acres. The birds gather upon these roost-
ing grounds late in the afternoon, usually after sunset, and I have seen
a few belated arrivals come into the roost an hour after sundown. Swallows
are birds of cheerful disposition, continually twittering to each other as
they sit on telegraph wires or flit about over the ponds and streams or
over the meadows. Their flight is the personification of ease and elegance.
At the same time, they are very beneficial by destroying countless hordes.
of insects. Some maintain that beneficial hymenoptera as well as some:
of the predaceous coleoptera are destroyed, but the percentage is com-
paratively small, as shown by the examination of stomach contents. We

342 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

regret to add that swallows do not seem to be increasing in the more
cultivated portions of the country as they ought, but this is not due to
the destruction of forests, thickets and marshes, for they are birds of the
open, and of all our native birds the swallows ought to be benefited rather
than injured by the advance of culture conditions. The trouble is largely
with the modern farmers who do not permit the swallows to enter their
barns and nest upon the rafters or beneath the eaves. The English sparrow
nuisance is partly responsible for this condition. Farmers close their
barns against the sparrows and the swallows can not enter. If the swallow
entrances were closed from September 1 to April 10, the sparrows would
not choose the barn as their home; then if the swallows were let in and
narrow ledges provided on some of the rafters and under the eaves, and
protected with the gun against the sparrows, they might increase again
among us. The author even believes that where no other suitable sites
are found over considerable stretches of country, artificial sandpits should
be constructed for the Bank swallows to occupy, and where hollow trees
are no longer found along the stream courses and the lakeside, hollow
limbs or boxes should be provided in abundance for the Tree swallows to
occupy, and every village should be provided with several martin houses
so that instead of a dozen towns where martins are found in abundance,
we might have them in every city and village throughout the State.

Progne subis subis (Linnaeus)
Purple Martin

Plate 88

Hirundo subis Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.10. 1758. 1: 192

Hirundo purpurea DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 37, fig. 61

Progne subis subis A.O.U. Check List. Ed.3. 1910. p.290. No. 611
proégne, daughter of Pandion, fabled to have been changed to a swallow; szbis,

Lat., some bird mentioned by Pliny

Description. Our largest swallow. Tail moderately forked. Male:
Glossy bluish black. Female: Similar, but under parts brownish gray tipped
with whitish. Young: Resemble the female.

Length 7.5-8.5 inches; extent 15-16; wing 5-5.6; tail 3-3.5; bill .5.

ie

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 343

Distribution. The Purple martin inhabits North America from Nova
Scotia, Saskatchewan and Idaho, south to Florida, Texas and Vera Cruz;
winters in Central and South America. In New York this species is found
in every portion of the State as a summer resident, but is very local in
distribution except in the migration season, when it is more generally
observed. I have been unable to secure full enough returns from observers
in different parts of the State to plot its exact distribution at the present
time, but it is almost entirely confined to villages and cities, both on Long
Island and in eastern, northern and western New York, but only one-half
or one-third of the villages and cities which were summer homes of this
species fifty years ago are now inhabited by it. It is still common in
Canandaigua, Geneva, Auburn and various villages and cities in western
and central New York. At Rochester there is only one locality in the whole
city where it still nests and the pairs are becoming fewer each year. From
the returns which I received, it is evident that the Martin is barely holding
its own in Auburn and Geneva, but has increased considerably in Canan-
daigua due to the encouragement received from residents who have built
martin houses and keep the sparrows from them until the martins arrive
in April. Unless this same method is pursued in cities where it still exists,
the species will be extirpated within a generation in most localities where
it does not receive this protection. In this State the Martin makes its
appearance from the 2d to the 13th of April in western New York, usually
before the 1oth, and disappears in the fall between the 12th and the 30th
of September, in western New York rarely being seen later than the 15th
of the month.

Haunts and habits. The Martin is a cheerful, spritely neighbor—too
spritely for such people as wish to sleep late in the morning. All through
the fine weather in April, May and June the martins begin to chortle and
warble about the martin house as soon as the sun is up. In fact, through-
out the whole day one is likely to see martins flying about the house or
seated on its ridge or shelves, sunning themselves and pursuing whatever
passing insects are observed. In fine weather they hawk for insects high

344 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

in the air, sometimes several hundred feet above the ground, and in their
excursions travel 2 or 3 miles from their native haunts. If there is a river
or lake in the vicinity, though it may be 4 or 5 miles away, they will visit
it frequently, evidently for the purpose of drinking and pursuing insects
which are more numerous near the water. In May and early June they
are frequently seen on the ground in the garden, road or waste places hunt-
ing for straws, twigs and feathers which they use in the construction of
their nests. They rarely alight in trees, but like other swallows prefer
the roofs of buildings, and telegraph wires for perches. One will frequently
see 40 or 50 martins in a close row in those cities where they are most
abundant. In southern New York the nest is made early in May and the
eggs usually found by May 15. In western and northern New York the
dates range from May 20 to 30. In cold, damp weather this species some-
times suffers a great deal from exposure; especially when a cold, damp
snow comes in April after the Martins’ arrival and continues for several
days, they are frequently found dead about their houses. Aside from the
unfavorable weather conditions, their principal enemy seems to be the
English sparrow which occupies their nesting boxes before the martins
arrive in the spring; and although they are very courageous warriors and
drive the sparrows from their chosen home and carry out all the rubbish
that the sparrows have carried in, the sparrows, by keeping constantly
at it throughout the nesting season, prevent the martins from rearing
their young, and so, after a few seasons of this continuous warfare, the
martins are driven from the ancestral home and the sparrows left in con-
trol. I have seen this history repeated in so many martin boxes of central
and western New York that I feel certain it will be the inevitable result
wherever the martins do not receive special protection.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 345

Petrochelidon lunifrons lunifrons (Say)
Cliff Swallow

Plate 88

Hirundo lunifrons Say. Long’s Exped. 1823. 2:47 (note)
Hirundo fulva DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 41, fig. 65
Petrochelidon lunifrons lunifrons A.O.U. Check List. Ed.3. roro.
p. 291. No. 612
petrochelidon, Gr., meaning rock swallow; linifrons, Lat., moonfronted, referring to
the crescentric spot on the forehead

Description. Forehead buffy white; crown and back steel blue; sides
of the head and the throat chestnut; upper tail coverts light rufous or buffy;
grayish collar band; neck and breast brownish gray with steel blue patch
on the center; abdomen whitish; tail and wings dusky and the tail very
slightly forked. Young birds: Similar but duller; easily distinguished
from any of our other swallows by the buffy upper tail coverts.

Length 5-5.5 inches; extent 12-12.75; wing 4.3-4.5; tail 2.25.

Distribution. The Cliff swallow inhabits North America from the
Gulf of Mexico as far as Labrador and the shores of the Arctic ocean.
Winters in tropical America. In New York it is known locally through-
out the State, but in many sections where it was very common 40 years
ago it has almost entirely disappeared. At the present time it seems to
be commonest in the Catskill and Adirondack districts and other sparsely
inhabited sections of the State. Here it nests almost entirely in com-
munities under the eaves of barns, although in the mountainous district
it occasionally plasters its nest under the projecting ledges of the cliffs.
The spring migration begins from the 13th to the 26th of April. In the
fall they disappear from central and western New York from the 8th to
the 15th of September; but in the coastal district are occasionally found
as late as the Ist or the roth of October. As a summer resident it must
be regarded, on the whole, as less abundant than the Barn, Bank and Tree
swallows, but, on the other hand, in some localities, especially the mountain-
ous district, it is often more numerous than any other species. One fre-
quently sees a line of this species’ nests consisting of 50 to 150 thickly

346 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

crowded together under the eaves of some large barn, and a very interesting
community it is.

Haunts and habits. The nests are jug or gourd-shaped with opening
just sufficient for the birds to enter, and usually there is one of the parent
birds guarding the entrance to each nest, with its little buffy-colored frontlet
and chestnut cheeks appearing, and chattering at the opening. There are
birds continually darting swiftly out of some of the nests, wheeling about
in the air, flying around, uttering their sharp monosyllabic note, returning
to the nest, heading around and peeking out again — a bustling city with
all the occupants intent on rearing their young and destroying all the
winged insects that can be found in the air for some distance around. The
interior of this swallow’s nest is lined with fine grass and feathers. The
eggs are from 4 to 6 in number, white in ground color, very thickly spotted
with olive and rufous brown and lavender shell markings. They average
.82 by .56 inches in dimensions.

I have never been able to understand why so many farmers will not
allow these swallows to build under the eaves of their barns, and even
encourage the boys to stone down the nests and destroy whatever pro-
jections there are to help the birds attach them; for these birds are .
certainly among the most beneficial to be found about the farm, and
a very interesting adjunct to rural life. I hope that before the species
entirely disappears from our State a different sentiment in regard to
swallows’ nests under the eaves will have been aroused in rural communities.

Hirundo erythrogastra Boddaert

Barn Swallow

Plate 88

Hirundo erythrogaster Boddaert. Table Pl. Enl. 1783. 4s

Hirundo rufa DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 40, fig. 64

Hirundo erythrogastra A.O.U.Check List. .Ed.3. 1910. p.292. No. 613
hirtindo, Lat., a swallow; erythrogdstra, from Gr., meaning red-bellied

Description. Upper parts deep steel blue; under parts vary from pale
buffy to rich chestnut, deepest on the throat and forebreast; the tail feathers

t

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 347

show a broken band of white when fully spread; tail very deeply forked,
the most so of any of our swallows. Female aud young: Usually paler
in color below; and the young have the tail feathers less elongated.

Length 6-7 inches; extent 12.5-13.5; wing 4.5-5; tail 3-5; the fork
2-3 inches.

Distribution. This species inhabits nearly the whole of North America
as far as Ungava and Alaska; winters in Central and South America. In
this State it is the most generally distributed swallow, a common summer
resident in all parts, arriving from the 4th to the 14th of April and dis-
appearing in the fall from the 1oth to the 20th of September, on Long
Island and in the southern Hudson valley occasionally remaining till the
5th to the 15th of October.

Haunts and habits. This species is the common swallow familiar to
every country boy. It enters the old barn through any window, door
or small aperture, and flies about with a happy cheep and twitter, and
plasters its nest upon the rafters or crossbeams. This is made of pellets
of mud held together with a few straws, and lined with fine grasses and
hens’ feathers. The top of the nest is always open, never inclosed like
the nest of the Cliff swallow. The eggs are from 4 to 6 in number, white
in ground color, rather thickly speckled with reddish brown, olive and
lilac. They average .78 by .54 inches in dimensions, and are elongated
ovate in form. The spots are usually rather uniformly distributed though
sometimes thicker near the larger end.

This is another species which has suffered considerably by improved
conditions on the farm. The modern barn is often built so tight that the
Barn swallow can not enter and, even if he does succeed in building his
nest, it is usually knocked down because the modern farmer thinks the
swallows are unpleasant neighbors to have sleeping in his barn. Con-
sequently, in townships where formerly every barn was occupied by this
species — from 3 to 7 pairs in each large hay barn—there are at the
present time not more than I pair on an average in every 3 or 4 barns.
They still nest to some extent under the sheds and eaves of outbuildings
and in the less cultivated portions of the State still find a hospitable

348 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

reception in the hay barn and sheep shed. Like the Martin and Cliff
swallow, this species is very beneficial. The swallows are all insectivorous
in habit, living almost entirely on flying insects and, although they fre-

Photo by Ralph S. Paddock

Barn swallow’s nest

quently destroy beneficial species like tiger beetles, ladybirds, ichneumon
flies and wasps, the larger portion of their food consists of injurious
species.

om

ye

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 349

Iridoprocne bicolor (Vieillot)
Tree Swallow
Plate 88

Hirundo bicolor Vieillot. Ois. Amer.’ Sept. 1807 (1808). 1:61, pl. 31
DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 38, fig. 63
Iridoprocne bicolor A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 293. No. 614
tridoprocne, from Gr., meaning iris or rainbow-swallow; bicolor, Lat., two colored

Description. Upper parts steel blue with a greenish sheen; under parts
white; tail slightly forked. Immature have the upper parts brownish gray.

Length 6 inches; extent 13; wing 4.5-5; tail 2.5.

Distribution. This species inhabits North America as far north as
Labrador and Alaska. In New York it is found in all portions of the
State, but is much less common and more local in distribution as a summer
resident in the southern counties. It prefers the vicinity of water; and
in localities like river valleys, extensive marshlands, the flooded swamps
of the central lake region and the Adirondack lakes, it is the commonest
swallow. In the fall it sometimes appears in myriads along the coast,
the shores of the Great Lakes, and the Montezuma marshes, as well as
the large river valleys. I have seen tens of thousands gathered to roost
each night in portions of the Montezuma marsh and on the marshes along
the shore of Lake Ontario. It is the earliest of all our swallows to migrate,
appearing in western New York from the 27th of March to the roth of
April, average date April 1, in the Atlantic district occasionally arriving
as early as the 16th of February or from the Ist to the 21st of March.
In the fall it disappears from western New York from the 1oth to the 20th
of October, in the coastal district occasionally remaining to the Ist of
November.

Haunts and habits. The Tree or White-breasted swallow breeds in
hollow trees, the deserted holes of woodpeckers and in boxes which are
erected for its accommodation. In western New York, however, it does
not avail itself so readily of nesting boxes as is reported from the Hudson
valley and from the New England States. I have no doubt that if boxes

350 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

were erected for it along the rivers, lake shores and marshes, it would
gradually acquire this habit and become more numerous with us as a summer
resident. I have found it nesting in every county of the State where
I have made extensive observations of birds, but nowhere so abundantly
as in the marshes of Seneca river and about the Adirondack lakes where
dead timber and hollow trees are abundant. The nesting materials carried
into the boxes or hollow trees consist of grasses and feathers. The eggs
are 4 to 7 in number, pure white in color and average .75 by .55 inches.
Unlike the Barn swallow, it seems that usually only one brood is reared
by this species in parts of the State where I have observed it.

Riparia riparia (Linnaeus)
Bank Swallow

Plate 88

Hirundo riparia Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.1o. 1758. 1: 192
DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 39, fig. 62
Riparia riparia A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. s910. p. 294. No. 616
riparia, Lat., pertaining to ripa, the bank of a stream

Description. Our smallest swallow. Tail moderately forked; a small —

tuft of feathers on the leg above the hind toe; upper parts brownish gray;
under parts white, especially the throat and abdomen; a distinct gray band

across the breast.
Length 5.2 inches; extent 10.5-11; wing 4; tail 2; bill .18; tarsus .45.

Distribution. The Bank swallow is holarctic in distribution, being |

our only common species of small bird which is identical with the corre-
sponding European form. In America this species breeds from the edge
of the tropics to Labrador and Alaska. In New York it is generally
distributed throughout the State as a summer resident, very abundant
in some localities where sand banks are plentiful. The spring migration

begins from the 19th to the 30th of April. In the autumn the bulk of

the birds have left by the 25th of August, but a few linger on in western
New York until the middle of September and in the coastal district as

late as October 1.

:

man TE OT AA ate ct at aN Si tit lied é

—
a ae

a

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 351

_ Haunts and habits. Like the White-breasted swallow, this species
prefers to hunt its prey over the surface of the water and is most abundant
along rivers, lakes and bays. It nests in large communities, sometimes
thousands of holes being seen in the same sand bank, occasionally not
more than a few inches apart. The excavations are from 18 inches to
3 feet in depth, the openings usually a flattened ellipse about 2 inches or
2.5 inches in width and 1.5 inches in vertical dimension. They are excavated
by the birds themselves, and the end of the tunnel is enlarged to contain

Young Bank swallows

the nest of straws, grasses and feathers. The eggs are usually 5 in number,
but vary from 4 to 6. They are pure white in color and average .68 by
.48 inches in dimensions. About a sand bank inhabited by these little
swallows one may frequently see thousands of birds in the air darting in
and out of the holes, wheeling about in every direction, and keeping up
a continuous reedy, buzzing twitter quite distinct from the notes of our
other swallows. In the fall they gather in immense numbers on the tele-
graph wires which cross the swamplands and edges of the lakes, and roost

352 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

at night in the low bushes or reeds which cover the marshes. Sometimes
tens of thousands gather to pass the night in the same marsh, associated
more or less with other species of swallows. On the well-drained uplands
where sand banks are very scarce and the soil mostly “ hard pan,” shale
or rock, I have sometimes traveled miles and miles without seeing any
of this species. In such localities the Barn swallow and Cliff swallow are
the prevailing forms. On the shores of Lake Ontario, in the Genesee
valley, in the Hudson valley and on Long Island, the ‘‘ Sand martin”
or Bank swallow is especially abundant.

Stelgidopteryx serripennis (Audubon)
Rough-winged Swallow

Plate 83

Hirundo serripennis Audubon. Orn. Biog. 1838. 4: 593
Stelgidopteryx serripennis A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. i19z0. p. 295.
No. 617
stelgidépteryx, from Gr., scraper-winged; serripénnis, Lat., saw feathered

Description. Resembles the Bank swallow, but larger; edge of the wing
with sharp recurved hooklets, more easily felt than seen; upper parts grayish
brown; throat and breast light brownish gray fading gradually into the white
of the abdomen. The decidedly larger size, more brownish upper parts
and entire absence of grayish band on the breast contrasted with the pure
white throat, easily distinguish this species from the Bank swallow.

Length 5.5-5.75 inches; extent 12-12.5; wing 4.12—4.35; tail 2.1; bill
-19; tarsus .43.

Distribution. The Rough-winged swallow breeds from British Colum-
bia, Minnesota and Massachusetts southward to the gulf coast; winters
in the tropics. In New York it inhabits the river valleys and lake shores
of all the southern, central and western portions of the State (see map
volume I, page 24), being a fairly common summer resident of the Car-
olinian and lower Alleghanian zones. It was apparently unknown to
Giraud and DeKay, as well as later naturalists in this part of the country,
until about the year 1870, Doctor Mearns reporting it in 1872 from High-
land Falls; Rathbun and Wright from Auburn in 1876; Bicknell from

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 353

Riverdale, 1876; DeLe Rerier from New Utrecht in 1878; Ralph and Bagg
from Trenton Falls in 1886; Burtch and Stone from Branchport, 1886.
Now bird students and collectors find it at nearly every station. I have
no doubt that the Rough-winged swallow has gradually extended its range
in this part of the country and become common in localities where it was
entirely absent 50 years ago, my own experience at Springville seeming
to confirm this at least for that station. No Rough-winged swallows
were found in that vicinity as late as 1884 when I ceased working there
as a youth. When I returned to make a summer survey of the birds of
that vicinity in 1900, I found the Rough-winged swallows common in
many localities where they were wholly unknown 20 years before. Col-
lectors in Niagara, Ontario and Monroe counties have told me similar
tales of their experiences. I feel certain that my own experience was not
due to overlooking these swallows in earlier days, for of all the specimens
taken never was a Rough-winged swallow secured, and the especial pair
which I expected might turn out to be Rough-winged swallows I found
by reexamining my collection were Bank swallows as they had originally
been labeled. This species arrives from the south from the 20th to the
30th of April but, as far as my experience goes in western New York,
disappears very early in the summer. I have never seen one later than
the 1st of August, although they may remain later, as is indicated by
observers in other parts of the State. Chapman records them as late as
September 1 to 10, and others in the Hudson valley report them as depart-
ing on August 12. It may be that after the breeding season is over they
go to other localities, but they certainly are not found along the rivers and
lake shores where they nest in May and June.

Haunts and habits. The flight of the Rough-winged swallow is slightly
slower than that of the Bank swallow and not quite so irregular. The
stroke of the wings is more deliberate. They nest in smaller communities,
sometimes 5 or 6 pairs being found about the same gravel pit, along the
same shale bank, or about the abutments of the same large culvert or stone
bridge, but I have never seen more than 7 pairs nesting in the same imme-

354 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

diate vicinity, and these are not closely crowded together, as is the case in
communities of Bank swallows. Along the central lakes the nest is usually
in fissures of shale rock or around the stonework of bridges. The nest,
like that of the Bank swallow, consists of straws and grasses, lined with
feathers. The eggs are 5 to 7, occasionally 8, in number, pure white,
averaging .72 by .52 inches in dimensions.

Family BOMBYCILLIDAE
Wexwings

Wing long and pointed; primaries 10, the first short; tail rather short,
narrow and. even; feet weak; plumage soft and blended; in our species
the head is conspicuously crested; the secondaries and sometimes the tips
of the tail feathers marked with curious red waxlike appendages. The
young are somewhat spotted, especially on the breast, but the adults
are plain in body colors. There are about 30 members of this family,
inhabitants of the holarctic realm, 2 of which are found in America.

They are insectivorous in the nesting season, but passionately fond
of ripe fruits, and in the winter subsist largely on mountain ash berries
and other fruits left hanging on the trees. They are more or less gregarious
in habit, especially in the winter, when flocks of hundreds sometimes make
their appearance suddenly and disappear as soon as the food supply fails.
They can scarcely be called migratory, but are wanderers, seeking not so
much the warmer regions as those in which there has been a plentiful crop
of fruit. Our waxwings during the summer season feed to a large extent
on flying insects which they pursue from some conspicuous perch where
they remain for half the afternoon, frequently giving chase to passing
insects and returning again to the same station, much after the manner
of flycatchers. Waxwings are extremely fond of canker worms and many
varieties of caterpillars, even feeding to a large extent on the hairy species
which are shunned by many birds. Thus, in spite of the cherries which
they destroy in the fruit season, they must be regarded among our most
beneficial species.

ee enn ee ee a ee

a

4
4

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 35

ws

Bombycilla garrula (Linnaeus)

Bohemian Waxwing

Plate 89

Lanius garrulus Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 10. 1758. 1:95
Bombycilla garrula DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 43, fig. 57
A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. ro10. p. 295. No. 618
bombycilla, from Gr. and Lat., bombyx, silk worm, silk, hence little silky one;
garrula, Lat., garrulous, talkative

Description. In general resembling the Cedar waxwing but larger.
The abdomen gray instead of yellow; the forehead and under tail coverts
chestnut rufous; the secondaries tipped with white, the primaries tipped
with yellow on the outer web, these white and yellow tips on the wing being
very conspicuous when the bird is at a considerable distance.

Length 8-9 inches; wing 4.6; tail 2.6.

Distribution. The Bohemian waxwing is holarctic in distribution
inhabiting the colder portions of the northern hemisphere, in America
breeding far northward and in the high mountains of the west, straggling
irregularly southward in winter as far as the northern United States.
In New York it is an irregular winter visitant. There are records from
Long Island by Giraud, in 1830 and 1832; from Albany in 1835 by DeKay;
Long Island, 1838, by Audubon; a specimen from Crow hill, 1851, is in
the collection of the Long Island Historical Society; from Cold Spring in
1870 by Mearns; from Mexico January 3, 1876, and February 2, 1880, by
Ruthven Dean; from Penn Yan, 1880, by James Flahive; from Lockport,
February 22, 1882, by Davison; from Utica several seasons prior to 1886
by Ralph and Bagg; North Haven April 18, 1889, by Dutcher; in Madison
county, February 4, 1896, by Embody; Syracuse February 10, 1899, by
Johonnot; Saratoga, February 24 and March 2, 1891, by S. R. Ingersoll;
and from Waterford February 24, 1904, by Will Richard. Beside these
records of specimens, numerous accounts have been sent to me of Bohemian
waxwings appearing in various localities in the State, all of them in the
winter months, the latest date being the one by Dutcher, April 18th. It
is pee that a few of this species may occur in the State nearly every

356 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

winter, and if flocks of Cedar waxwings were carefully scrutinized, I have
no doubt that occasional specimens of this species might, by reference
to plate 89, be accurately identified.

Bombycilla cedrorum Vieillot
Cedar Waxwing
Plate 89

Bombycilla cedrorum Vieillot. Ois. Amer. Sept. 1807 (1808). 1:88. pl. 57

Bombycilla carolinensis DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 44, fig. 56

Bombycilla cedrorum A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 296. No. 619
cedrérum, Lat., of the cedars

Description. Head conspicuously crested; soft grayish brown changing
to bluish gray on the rump, wings and tail; tail with even terminal band
of yellow; eye masks, narrow band over the base of the bill and chin black;
abdomen yellow; under tail coverts whitish; bill black; feet leaden gray.
Old birds have the tips of tail feathers and tips of the secondaries ornamented
with scarlet waxlike appendages.

Length 8 inches; extent 11.5-12; wing 3.7; tail 2.4; bill .4; tarsus .66.

Range. The Cedar waxwing inhabits North America, breeding from
- Virginia, and southward in the mountains, northward through the boreal
zone. Only slightly migratory in habits. In New York it is a resident
of all portions of the State but is very irregular in distribution in the winter
time, wandering about wherever food is most plentiful, sometimes in large
flocks of 300 or 400. I have found it a common breeding species along the
swamps and streams of the Adirondacks, as well as throughout the orchards
and shade trees of the more densely populated portions of the State.

It is one of our latest birds to nest, rarely beginning to build before
the middle or the third week in June. Fresh eggs may be found from
the 20th of June to the last of July. The nest is usually constructed in
an apple tree or shade tree of any ‘kind, at a height of from 10 to 30 feet
from the ground. It resembles somewhat the nest of the Kingbird, con-
structed of grasses, cottony substances, leaves and strips of bark, lined
mostly with rootlets, mosses and other fine materials. The eggs are 4 to
5 in number, of a bluish gray or clayey brown color, rather thickly spotted

BIRDS OF NEW YORK S57:

with roundish spots of black, and blotches of umber and brown. Average
size .88 by .62 inches in dimensions.

The Waxwing is usually voted one of the sleekest and softest colored
of our birds. Its long pointed crest also gives it a distinguished appear-
ance, and its sedate manner and gregarious habits also attract attention.
They are called “ polite birds’’ in many sections of the State because of
the habit of bowing and “ passing the word ”’ along the line, and of passing
acherry. When the flock alights they ordinarily face all in the same direc-
tion. Occasionally before one will taste the fruit which has just been
picked, he passes it to the next one on the limb and so it travels down the
line, and on rare occasions has been seen to come back again along a limb.
full of birds, before any member of the company will deign to taste it.
The flock usually takes wing in a body, all seeming to spring into the air
at the same instant. They utter a continual fse-tse-tse, a high thin call,
which is evidently for the purpose of keeping the flock together. When
the breeding season approaches, the waxwings separate in pairs and begin
the duties of housekeeping. As soon as the young are grown one will find
the waxwings most commonly about swamps and edges of streams, where
they occupy exposed perches late in the afternoon and sally forth in pur-
suit of insects much after the manner of flycatchers, sometimes pursuing:
them for several rods in the air and returning again to their chosen stand.
In this way I have seen 2 or 3 dozen waxwings at the same time scattered.
about the shores of an Adirondack lake, all pursuing insects and returning:
to the dry top of some spruce tree to await the approach of further prey.
In the fall and winter their gregarious habit may be of use in locating and
feeding on the berries of mountain ash, winter berry, privet and other
fruits, which are their principal food during the colder months. I have
frequently seen a mountain ash tree which must have been loaded with
several pecks of berries, stripped in a single day by a flock of these birds,
then they scour the country in search of other trees and so journey on from
one locality to another. They also feed in the winter to some extent on
frozen apples and the fruit of the Crataegus. In the spring and summer they

358 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

are largely insectivorous, devouring immense numbers of measuring worms,
canker worms and even hairy caterpillars, ranking close to the cuckoos
and orioles in this respect. As soon as small fruits like sour cherries and.
berries begin to ripen they become a great nuisance to the fruit grower,
destroying large quantities of cherries in a few days, this species and the
Robin being the most destructive of small fruits of all our species of New
York birds. Nevertheless, I believe they should be protected, on account
of the great benefit they otherwise perform, except in special cases where
they have become too destructive on the fruit farm.

Family LANIIDAE

Shrikes

Bill stout, notched and toothed, hooked at the tip, strongly mimicking
that of the birds of prey; feet typically passerine in structure, not noticeably
stronger than those of other perching birds; primaries 10 in number;
rectrices 10; both the wings and tail moderately long and rounded; rictus
bristled; nostrils circular, more or less concealed by tufts of bristly feathers.

The shrikes are stout, bold, quarrelsome birds; in them the predatory
disposition reaches a climax among the Passeres. In cruelty and ability
to destroy their weaker brethren, they fully equal the smaller hawks and
owls. They are carnivorous and insectivorous in diet. The smaller
varieties, such as our Migrant or Summer shrike, are mostly beneficial
on account of their habit of destroying mice, grasshoppers and the larger
beetles. The nests of shrikes are rather bulky affairs, the interior deeply
cupped and lined with feathers. The eggs are 4 to 6, speckled, and of
an elongated oval shape.

Lanius borealis Vicillot
Northern Shrike

Plate 99

Lanius borealis Vieillot. Ois. Amer. Sept. 1807 (1808). 1:80, pl. so

Lanius septentrionalis DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 127, fig. 81

Lanius borealis A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 296. No. 621
lanius, Lat., a butcher; boredlis, northern

Description. Upper parts gray; wings and tail black; a conspicuous
white patch in the wing near the base of the primaries; the outer tail feathers

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 359

conspicuously tipped with white; tips of secondaries white; forehead, tips
of scapulars and the upper tail coverts whitish; a broad black stripe from
the nostril down the side of the head; under parts grayish white narrowly
barred with blackish. Female: - Similar but slightly smaller and the colors
dingier. Young: Like the female, more or less washed with brown, having
a tinge of buffy below.

Length 10.1-10.5 inches; extent 14-15; wing 4.55-5; tail 4; bill .7;
tarsus .9.

Distribution. The North-
ern shrike breeds from north-
western Alaska and northern

Ungava southward to south-
ern Saskatchewan and south-
ern Quebec; winters southward
as far as central California,
Texas and Virginia. In New

York it is purely a winter
visitant, appearing from the
north from the 20th of October
to the 15th of November, and
disappearing in the spring
from the 18th to the 3oth of
March, occasionally lingering
as late as the 12th of April.
It is not a common species
in any portion of the State,
but is distributed rather uni-

Mouse impaled on thorn by Northern shrike formly throughout the coun-
try districts and often enters the limits of towns and cities to feed on the
English sparrows which are easier prey than it can find in the wildernesses.
I have not noticed the Butcher bird as common as it formerly was in western
New York, during the last 15 years. Sometimes a whole winter passes
without my seeing a single specimen while traveling about the country,
but if I spend a day traveling over the broad uplands and across

360 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

the swampy districts, I am usually sure to see one or more of these
birds.

Haunts and habits. In habits this shrike is more daring and blood-
thirsty than its southern cousin. I have frequently stood in the edge
of a thicket and watched the Northern shrike pursue Tree sparrows and
juncos relentlessly for half an hour at a time, through the densest portion
of the tangle and among the trees, until the little birds were apparently
stupefied or nearly paralyzed with fright, when he struck them down with
a sudden blow on the back of the head, fell with them to the ground
and then carried them away to impale on some thorn or barbed wire
fence, where he devoured, perhaps, a small portion of his victim and flew
away to seek some other encounter. I have often found whole chick-
adees, Tree sparrows and juncos impaled upon thorns without being
touched by this bloodthirsty assassin. However, he kills an equal or even
greater number of meadow mice, and in the fall and spring large numbers
of grasshoppers, crickets and other injurious insects. Considering the
fact that he so often feeds upon English sparrows and meadow mice, I
have no doubt he might be considered among our beneficial species in
spite of the few song birds which he destroys.

The notes of the shrike are loud and harsh, rather varied but dis-
connected, a series of squeaks and whistlings; but late in the spring he
occasionally bursts forth into an unexpected song which has been compared
to that of the Catbird and which I myself on one occasion took for the song
of a Mockingbird, having seen the performer in the distance flying from
tree to tree, his gray, black and white varied colors, together with his song,
having suggested the famous southern songster to my mind. I have since
heard that some have gone so far as to suggest that both the colors and the
notes of the shrike are a mimicry of the Mockingbird, but considering the
difference in distribution of the two species, it seems to my mind a purely
fanciful suggestion.

The late Austin F. Park thus describes the hunting of the shrike:
“March 2, 1879, near the Delaware and Hudson Railroad shops, on Green

thi

ee

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 361

Island, N. Y., I saw a Butcher bird sitting on a telegraph pole. Thence
he flew about 40 rods high over the railroad shops, chasing a flock of about
5 English sparrows. He chased an individual about 100 feet high and
about 40 rods off, where he seemed to catch it, then flew and lit on the
topside prongs of the lightning rod which is about 140 feet high on the tall
chimney at the railroad shops, some 40 or 50 rods from where I was. I
started to go toward the lightning rod, but in about one minute saw the
Butcher bird descend from that direction and chase an English sparrow
through the air within about 6 rods of where I was. After rising about
20 or 30 feet above the sparrow and within some 50 feet of the latter, the
Butcher bird would rush for the sparrow, and after two or three such
quickly repeated unsuccessful passes, caught it in the air about 15 feet
from the ground and about 8 rods from me. The sparrov. squealed as
soon as caught and they fluttered directly down to the ground together,
when the Butcher bird gave the sparrow two or three rips with his bill at
intervals of about 4 seconds, and then in about one-third of a minute flew
off past me with the sparrow in his claws. I then looked at the lightning
rod and saw something upon one of its top prongs, and upon going near
and examining it with a telescope found it to be a bird, seemingly a sparrow
newly killed and impaled head first upon one of the lightning rod prongs,
with its legs sticking out and toes expanded as if the bird had been stuck
alive upon the prong, which seemed to be about 4 or 5 inches long and about
one-fourth of an inch thick. Probably the Butcher bird had caught the
first sparrow high in the air and at once flew up to the top prongs of the
lightning rod and thereon impaled it, and then immediately flew down
and caught the second sparrow of the flock as described above.”

362 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Lanius ludovicianus migrans W. Palmer
Migrant Shrike

Plate 90

Lanius ludovicianus migrans Palmer. Auk. July 1898. 15: 248
A. 0. U. Check List. Ed.3. 1910. p. 298.
No. 622e
migrans, Lat., migrating, migratory

Description. Similar to the Northern shrike in coloration, but a
darker gray on the upper part; the under parts plain grayish white, without
any cross bars; smaller. Those who wish to distinguish this species from
the Loggerhead or the White-rumped shrike, may consult Palmer’s descrip-
tion above referred to.

Length 9.2 inches; extent 12.5-13; wing 4; tail about 4; bill .55;
tarsus I.

Distribution. The Migrant shrike breeds in eastern America from
northern Minnesota, Michigan, southern Quebec, Maine and New Bruns-
wick, southward to eastern Kansas, southern Illinois and western Virginia;
winters from the Middle States to Mississippi and Texas. In New York
this species is found as a summer resident in nearly all portions of the
State except the Atlantic district, and may possibly breed occasionally
in the lower Hudson valley or even on Long Island, but definite records
to this effect are not yet before us. It is a fairly common breeder in
western and central New York, in the Black River valley, Mohawk valley,
and around the outskirts of the Adirondacks. The history of this species
in New York is rather interesting. DeKay and Giraud knew nothing
of it. The fact that DeKay speaks of the Northern shrike as breeding
in the interior of the State might indicate that he confused the Migrant
shrike with its northern relative, but similar statements of his regarding
Yellow-legs, Whistling swan and numerous other species, which were
reported on hearsay evidence, were undoubtedly errors, and his remarks
about the breeding of shrikes may also be in error. At any rate, this
species has become more numerous in the interior of New York State since
1869 when it was reported by Allen in the American Naturalist, page 579,

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 363

as breeding near Buffalo; in 1860, MclIlwraith in his ‘‘ Birds of Ontario,”
page 346, reports that it was first seen at Hamilton in 1860, and after 1866
was a regular breeder in southern Ontario; it was noted by Coues from
New England in 1868; by Purdy in 1873; and by Maynard in 1875; reported
by Brewer as breeding in Maine in 1877, and in Vermont the same year.
It is probable that the early records of Northern shrikes breeding in New

Photo by James H. Miller

Migrant shrike on nest

England and in New York are attributable to this species, and it is barely
possible that the Migrant shrike was overlooked for many years on account
of its comparative rarity; but it seems certain if it was as common a bird
as it is at the present day in the interior of New York, it would have been
reported earlier than 1869. From that date onward, records of the breed-
ing of this species increase both in western, central and eastern New York,

364 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

and it may unquestionably be set down as one of those species of birds
which have gradually increased in numbers since the clearing of the country,
like the Prairie horned lark, having invaded the region principally from
the Mississippi valley. The Migrant shrike arrives from the south from
the 20th to the 30th of March, and usually disappears in the fall during
the month of October, but a few evidently remain through the winter, as
Dutcher has a Long Island specimen taken on the 21st of November.
The author once saw a bird of this species on New Year’s day in the town
of Concord, Erie county. The bird alighted on a telegraph wire not more
than 2 rods from the observer and was viewed in the best possible light,
both the size and all the markings indicating this species beyond a doubt;
but those are the only two winter records which are before me. On Long
Island the Migrant shrike appears as a transient, usually during the last
week in August, sometimes as late as the 30th of September, evidently
those birds which breed in eastern New England and Maine migrating
along the Atlantic coast. Except for a single record given by Fisher
(N. O. C. Bul., 4:61) when a young bird was captured at Ossining, June
16, 1877, there seems to be no definite record of the breeding of this species
in southeastern New York, and it is extremely rare both in the lower
Hudson valley and in the vicinity of New York City except during the fall
migration, as above stated. ;

Haunts and habits. This species prefers open fields with sparse
growth of apple and thorn trees. It is usually seen seated on the top of
a dead branch, on a telegraph wire or a fence post awaiting insects or small
birds to make their appearance. Its flight, like that of the Northern
shrike, is rather low and undulating, and when about to alight usually
shoots upward some distance to choose an elevated stand. The nest is
commonly placed in a dense apple tree or thorn bush from 5 to 15 feet
from the ground, usually so low that the observer can look into it while
standing on the ground. It is a bulky structure, composed of sticks,
weed stalks, coarse grasses and a few leaves, lined with softer materials,
bark,. patches of hair, feathers and wool. The eggs are 5 to 7 in number,

a eens

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 265

of an elongated ovate shape, grayish or creamy white in ground color,
rather thickly and uniformly spotted with brown and lavender. They
average .98 by .78 inches in dimensions. In western New York I have
found the first sets of this species laid as early as the Ist to the 15th of
May and later sets are frequently found late in June or in July which
seem to indicate that two broods may be reared in a season. I can not
understand why this bird does not increase more rapidly in numbers,
for it is abundantly able to protect its nest and, furthermore, the nest is
usually very perfectly protected by the dense cover of the thorn bush in
which it is situated. The young, in my experience, are almost always
safely reared, 5 or 6 of the youngsters being frequently seen under the
care of the old birds in the localities which they frequent; but in any locality
which I have watched as the seasons go by, there seem to be no more breed-
ing pairs than there were 20 years ago. It may be that the fearless dis-
position of this little warrior makes him an easy prey to such birds as the
Cooper and Sharp-shinned hawks, but they seem such hardy birds that
it is impossible to believe that unfavorable weather conditions can affect
them seriously. Fortunately, this species being smaller than the Northern
shrike, rarely destroys our smaller song birds, although it occasionally
does so and frequently kills and impales meadow mice on the thorn bushes
near its home; but large beetles and grasshoppers seem to be its favorite
food. Consequently, it can be ranked as a beneficial species.

Family VIREONIDAE
Vireos

Wing of moderate length with 10 primaries, the first short or rudi-
mentary; tail of moderate length; bill shorter than the head, rather stout,
compressed, hooked and notched at the tip; nostril exposed but with an
overhanging scale; rictus conspicuously bristled; tarsus equal in length
to middle toe and claw scutellate in front, undivided on the side; middle
toe joined for half the first joint to the inner and to the second joint of
the outer; size small; plumage not conspicuously variegated, greenish on
the upper part and frequently yellowish on the under parts; young without
spots; sexes alike; diet insectivorous, hence the species are migratory.

366 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

The family consists of about 75 species, all confined to the Western Hemi-
sphere. Evidently the group is of neotropical origin, but several species
have invaded the nearctic region, migrating as far north as Canada.

Vireos are more sedate in habits than warblers, although like them
they are characteristically birds of the forest and feeders among the foliage;
but they do not flit so much among the branches, hanging more with their
feet and peering about among the leaves and in the axils of the buds search-
ing for caterpillars, plant lice, beetles and all species of insects found among
the foliage. They must be reckoned among our most beneficial species.
The family is more melodious than the Wood warblers, some of the species
being our most persistent musicians throughout the summer, although
they can not compete in voice with some of the thrushes, thrashers and
finches. They all build pensile nests of delicate construction. The eggs
are usually 4 in number, white, sparingly spotted with dark brown.

For detailed accounts of the food of vireos, see Bulletin 17 (Judd,
Birds of a Maryland Farm), Biological Survey, United States Department
of Agriculture; also Yearbook for 1906, pages 194-95.

Vireosylva olivacea (Linnaeus)
Red-eyed Vireo

Plate or

Muscicapa olivacea Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 12. 1766. 1:327

Vireo olivaceus DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 124, figs. 79 and 75 +

Vireosylva olivacea A.O. U. Check List. Ed.3. 1910. p. 208. No. 624
vireosylva, forest vireo; olivdcea, olive-colored :

Description. Upper parts olive green; the crown ash, bordered on the
sides by a blackish line, below this a whitish superciliary line, and below
that a dusky line through the eve; under parts white slightly tinged with
greenish yellow along the sides; iris red; legs leaden blue; bill dusky, paler
below. Sexes alike.

Length 6-6.25 inches; extent 9.75-10.75; wing 3-3.3; tail 2.35-2.5;
bill .66; tarsus .75.

Range. This vireo breeds from British Columbia, southern Mack-
enzie, northern Ontario and Cape Breton, to Montana, eastern Colorado
and Florida, and farther south along the Rocky mountains; winters in

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 367

northern South America. In New York it is uniformly distributed through-
out the State, being the commonest species of the family. It is a summer
resident, undoubtedly, of every county. Every grove and woodland in
southern and western New York harbors this species, and I have found
it breeding in the Adirondacks as high as the summit of the Bartlett ridge,
the Geological cobble and Mt Colvin. It seems to be nearly as common
in the North Woods as it is in the groves of western New York, but is not
so generally distributed among the shade trees and orchards of the culti-

Red-eyed vireo 2 incubating

vated districts as one would expect, in these localities being largely replaced
by the Warbling vireo. The spring migration begins from April 28 to
May 12. In the fall it disappears from October 4 to 25.

Haunts and habits. As already indicated, this species is arboreal
in habit, and is usually found singing and feeding in the tree tops. It
has frequently been called the ‘‘ preacher bird” from his habit of keeping
up his little refrain with almost singsong monotony throughout the day,
almost throughout every day of the summer. The song consists of a short

368 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

bar of two to four notes warbled in rather full voice, then a short rest, and
a similar strain repeated. One might imagine he said, as has already been
written, ‘‘ Here I am; look here; in the tree top; do you see me; way up here;
in the tree top?”’ Or, ‘‘ See me; up here; in the tree,’ over and over again.

In habits, this bird, like most of the family, is less nervous than the
warblers. He flits less, but sits quietly in the tree, peering about beneath
the leaves, and hops from twig to twig in search of smooth caterpillars,
beetles and other insects. .

The Red-eye’s nest is suspended from a forked twig in a bush or the
low limb of a tree, from 5 to 10 feet from the ground. It is basket-shaped,
woven of grasses and strips of bark and pine needles, lined with finer strips
and needles. The outside is ornamented with spiders’ webs and nests,
occasionally with bunches of other cottony substances.. The eggs are
usually 3 or 4 in number, elongated oval in shape, white in ground color,
sparingly spoited with black, umber and reddish brown. They average
.82 by .53 inches in dimensions. The Red-eye is very commonly parasitized
by the Cowbird and usually succeeds in rearing its own young only on
a second attempt made in midsummer.

Vireosylva philadelphica Cassin
Philadelphia Vireo

Plate or

Vireosylvia philadelphica Cassin. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1851.
5:153, pl. 10, fig. 2
Vierosylva philadelphica A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 299.
No. 626
philadélphica, in honor of Philadelphia

Description. Our smallest vireo. Colors similar to the Warbling
vireo, but the whitish superciliary line and the dusky line through the eye
more conspicuous, almost as in the Red-eyed vireo; under parts noticeably
washed with sulphur yellow, the breast decidedly yellow, but the throat
and the center of the abdomen nearly white. This species has no apparent
spurious quill in front of the first primary.

Length 4.8-5.1 inches; extent 8-8.5; wing 2.66; tail 2.15; bill .44.

ea

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 369

Distribution.. The Philadelphia vireo breeds in eastern North America
from Labrador, northern Manitoba, northern Ontario, New Brunswick
and Maine to northern Michigan and northern New Hampshire; winters
in Central America and Colombia. In New York this species is a migrant,
in spring and fall fairly common about Rochester and in the lower Hudson
valley. During May and September it undoubtedly occurs in all parts
of the State, but is overlooked by the amateur observer. The spring dates
before me range from May 7 to May 28; the tall dates from August 24
and September 12 to 26 (and October 20 at Ossining). Doctor Mearns
noted this bird as a fairly common migrant in the Catskills, Hunter
mountain, August 29, 1896; Reginald H. Howe at Chateaugay lake
August 24 to September 7; and I have noted the same thing in Monroe
and Ontario counties September 12 to 28. In the spring it seems to be less
abundant as far as my observations go, but { expect to see it at least once
or twice each season during the second and third weeks in May, wherever
I happen to be observing birds in western New York. Mr Fuertes and
Doctor Reed have found it migrating at Ithaca; Mr Davison at Lockport;
Mr Miller at Mayville; Mr Embody in Madison county; Doctor Fisher
at Lake George and Ossining; Mr Bruce at Brockport; Mr Worthington
at Shelter island; Mr Cherrie in Kings county; Mr Dutcher at Fire Island
Light and Shinnecock Light; Doctor Merriam at Fairhaven, Lake Ontario;
Mr Ridgway at Far Rockaway; Mr Park at Troy and Cohoes; Doctor
Mearns at Cold Spring. These records are all based on specimens taken.
Mr Bruce states that it is an uncommon summer resident, but as he makes
no mention of finding its nest in the region about Brockport, it is perfectly
evident that he unwittingly put it down as a summer resident. Having
taken it late in May, he supposed it to remain through the summer. During
the summer of 1905 I made a careful search for this vireo throughout all
the region about Mt Marcy, in the country about North river, and the
western Adirondacks, with the assistance of several young men who were
perfectly qualified to recognize the bird on sight, but we failed to locate
it in this region. It is possible that it nests in the northern Adirondacks,

370 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

but it seems strange it has never been found there in summer by any of
the bird students who have visited the region.

Vireosylva gilva gilva (Vieillot)
Warbling Vireo
Plate or

Muscicapa gilva Vieillot. Ois. Amer. Sept. 1807 (1808). 1:65, pl. 34
Vireo gilvus DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 123, fig. 74
Vireosylva gilva gilva A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 299. No.
627
gilva, Lat., yellowish (but it is the least yellowish of our native vireos)

Description. Decidedly smaller than the Red-eye; upper parts olive
green, not so bright as in the Red-eyed vireo, more mixed with gray, especially”
toward the head, the crown being practically ashy in color but not sharply
distinguished from the more olive green of the back, as in the Red-eyed
vireo; under parts white, slightly tinged with greenish yellow on the sides;
an indistinct white superciliary line and an obscure dusky one through
the eye; no wing bars, and no decided markings of any kind; one of our
most neutral tinted birds.

Length 5.5-6 inches; extent 9; wing 2.8; tail 2.25; bill .4; tarsus .65,

Distribution. The Warbling vireo breeds in eastern North America
from southeastern Alberta, northern Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia,
to northern Texas, southern Louisiana and North Carolina; winters some-
where south of the United States. In New York the Warbling vireo is
a common summer resident of the Carolinian and Transition areas, except
in the northern and colder portions. It is not quite so generally distributed
as the Red-eyed vireo, but undoubtedly breeds in every county of the
State with the exception of the interior of the Catskill and Adirondack
districts. Mr Batchelder informs me that he has found it nesting in the
shade trees of Elizabethtown in Essex county, and Doctor Merriam also
found it at Plattsburg and in Lewis county, and I have noticed it about
the edges of the Adirondack forest, so that it may nest even in the south-
eastern corner of Hamilton county, but no records to this effect are before

me.

‘
;
-
4
¢

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 371

Haunts and habits. In southern and western New York, this is one
of our common birds of the orchard and shade trees. Almost every village,
city and parkland boasts pairs of the Warbling vireo. Every few blocks
it can be located by the song of the male as one journeys about the streets.
As to the birds themselves, they are very rarely seen, even by the inhab-
itants in front of whose houses they build their nests. The song of this
species is a rolling warble longer than the strain of the Red-eyed vireo
and not so frequently repeated. It reminds one somewhat of the song
of the Purple finch but is not so full and is delivered with less intensity
and variety.

The nest of the Warbling vireo is suspended from the fork of an apple
tree, maple or some other shade tree, at a height of from 15 to 40 feet from
the ground. In structure it resembles slightly the nest of the Red-eye,
but is smaller and more compactly put together and not ornamented on

' the exterior so uniformly with spiders’ nests and other downy bunches.

The eggs, deposited from May 23 to June 15, are usually 4 in number,
white, less sparingly spotted than those of the Red-eye with specks of
black, umber and reddish brown. They average .76 by .55 inches.

The spring arrival dates from April 30 to May 8, rarely as early as
April 26, and it disappears in the autumn from September 10 to 22.

Lanivireo flavifrons (Vicillot)

Yellow-throated Vireo
Plate or

Vireo flavifrons Vieillot. Ois. Amer. Sept. 1807 (1808). 1:85. pl. 54
DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 120, fig. 77
Lanivireo flavifrons A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 300. No. 628
flavifrons, Lat., yellow fronted

Description. Upper parts olive green gradually giving way to gray on
the scapulars, rump and tail coverts; wings and tail dusky; secondaries and
outer tail feathers margined with white; 2 distinct white wing bars; throat
and breast bright yellow; abdomen, under tail coverts white; line from the
nostril to the eye and the eye ring, yellow; bill and feet dark leaden blue.

Length 5.75-6 inches; extent 10; wing 3; tail 2.2; bill .55; tarsus .76.

24

372 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Distribution. The Yellow-throated vireo inhabits eastern North
America from southern Saskatchewan, Manitoba, southern Ontario and
Maine southward to Texas, Louisiana and Florida, and winters from
southern Mexico to Colombia. In New York this species is quite generally
distributed as a summer resident throughout the Carolinian and Transition
zones, but it is rather uncommon in the colder portions of the Transition
zone and is scarcely found at all in the Catskill and Adirondack districts.
During the migration period it is somewhat commoner in the southern
part of the State than through the summer, arriving from April 27 to the
10th of May in the different counties, and departing in the fall from
September 16 to 30.

Haunts and habits. Like the Warbling and Red-eyed vireos, this
species is a bird of the tree tops, spending most of its time amid the denser
foliage and frequently warbling in full contralto voice his short message
translated by Chapman ‘‘See me? I am here. Where are you?”
Occasionally, especially when the nest is disturbed, he utters a series of
noisy, harsh notes and frequently, while singing, a buzzing note is
introduced in the song. The nest is suspended from a forked branch
15 to 30 feet from the ground. It is composed of plant fibers, grasses,
shreds of bark, and lined with bits of lichens and spiders’ nests. The eggs
are 3 or 4 in number, white, rather sparingly spotted with black, umber
and reddish brown, and average about .80 by .60 inches. The first sets
of fresh eggs are usually noticed from May 25 to June 6. Occasionally
later nests are found even to the 1oth of July. I found this vireo nesting
in Central Park, New York City, and in the shade trees of Rochester,
Medina, Canandaigua and Buffalo. It also nests in the forests at some
distance from the abodes of man, but can not be considered as characteris-
tically a forest species as the Solitary vireo or even the Red-eyed. In the
more thickly populated portions of New York this vireo ranks next after
the Red-eyed and Warbling vireos in abundance, but is not so generally
distributed as the Red-eye. I have found that in some localities where
it was common years ago it has practically disappeared and made its appear-

-
,

a
‘

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 373

ance in other localities where it was formerly unknown. This shifting of
its centers of abundance is difficult to explain, but I have noticed in certain
small parks and about many groves and on certain streets where it has
been carefully watched, this species has disappeared the next season after
it was unsuccessful in rearing young, due to its having been parasitized by
the Cowbird. Probably this cause and other unfavorable circumstances
like the destruction of its brood by Screech owls or unfavorable weather
conditions, left no descendants to repeople the accustomed grove. Wherever
the Yellow-throated vireo is present, he can scarcely be overlooked, on
account of his loud and characteristic song which will surely attract the
attention of all nature lovers. His food habits entitle him to the strictest
protection of the agriculturist.

Lanivireo solitarius solitarius (Wilson)
Blue-headed Vireo

Plate 91

Muscicapa solitaria Wilson. Amer. Orn. 1810. 2:143, pl. 17, fig. 6
Vireo solitarius DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. raz, fig. 76
Lantvireo solitarius solitarius A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910.
p. 300. No. 629
lanivireo, “‘ shrike-vireo ”’; solitarius, Lat., solitary

Description. TJop and sides of the head bluish gray; upper parts other-
wise olive green somewhat mixed with gray on the back; wings and tail
dusky, slightly edged on the outer webs with greenish, the secondaries
and outer tail feathers narrowly margined with white; 2 distinct white
wing bars; throat and central portion of abdomen clear white; sides greenish
yellow slightly overwashed with olive; line from nostril to eye and eye
ring pure white; iris brown; bill and feet dark plumbeous.

Length 5.25-5.75 inches; extent 8.5; wing 2.75-3; tail 2.3; bill .4;
stout; tarsus .73.

Distribution. The Blue-headed vireo breeds in eastern North America,
from southern Alberta, southern Mackenzie, southern Quebec and Cape
Breton island southward to North Dakota, Michigan and the mountains
of Pennsylvania. Winters from South Carolina to Texas and southward
to Guatemala. In New York this species is a summer resident of the

374 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Canadian zone and presumably of the colder portions of the Alleghanian
area, but I have no evidence of its nesting in this area except the record
of Bicknell and others in the Catskill district, and of Fuertes at Ithaca
in 1893. and of Allen at Ithaca in 1913. My own experience throughout
the hills, gullies and swamps of western New York is that this species
is absent as a breeding species from the whole region, even where juncos,
Hermit thrushes and Blackburnian warblers are fairly common breeders,
and does not occur in any numbers until the Canadian zone is reached
at the edge of the Adirondacks. I found it nesting in Essex county
about the Ausable lakes and on the slopes of the Bartlett ridge up to
an elevation of 2500 and 3000 feet. The nests were mostly attached to
the small forks and horizontal limbs of beech and birch trees only a few
feet from the ground and had young in the nest on the 30th of June to
the roth of July, of a size which would indicate that the fresh eggs would
be found about the roth of June. The eggs are 3 or 4 in number, white
like those of all the other vireos, slightly spotted with black, umber and
reddish brown thickest near the larger end. They average .80 by .53
inches in dimensions. In nearly all portions of the State this vireo is
a fairly common transient visitant, arriving from the 20th to the 30th
of April, sometimes as late as the 8th of May in the colder counties.
Throughout the warmer districts it passes on to the northward from the ©
14th to the 24th of May. It returns again about the 8th to the 16th of
September and leaves us for the south from the 1oth to the 25th of October.
On Long Island and in some other localities of southeastern New York this
species is much less common as a migrant than it is in the western counties,
but the dates agree very closely with those from central New York.

The song of the Solitary vireo to my ear is a more melodious perform-
ance than that of the Red-eyed and Yellow-throated species. Bicknell
describes it as a ‘‘ prolonged, interrupted warble followed by loud notes,
matchless for tenderness and cadence.” The song is rarely heard during
the migration season, but in the nesting haunts it is frequently delivered
in the morning and late in the afternoon.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 375

Lanivireo solitarius plumbeus (Coues)
Plumbeous Vireo

Vireo plumbeus Coues. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1866. 74
Lanivireo solitarius plumbeus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. ro10.
p. 300. No. 629b

Distinguishing characteristics. Upper parts leaden gray, the crown
not sharply contrasted in color with the back; rump glossed with olive;
line from base of bill to the eye and eye ring pure white; flanks with a mere
trace of olivaceous; slightly larger than the Blue-headed vireo.

This subspecies inhabits the southern Rocky Mountain region from
Nevada and northern Wyoming and southwestern South Dakota to south-
western Texas and Vera Cruz. It is purely accidental in the eastern states,
a single individual — an adult female — having been collected at Peter-
boro, N. Y., September 24, 1893, by Gerrit S. Miller jr (see Auk, 11:79).

Vireo griseus griseus (Boddaert)
White-eyed Vireo
Plate or

Tanagra grisea Boddaert. Table Pl. Enl. 1783. 45

Vireo noveboracensis DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 122, fig. 78

Vireo griseus griseus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 301. No. 631
vireo, Lat., “I am green,’ referring to the prevalent color of the upper parts;

griseus, new Lat., gray

Description. Upper parts olive green; under parts whitish; the sides,
flanks and crissum yellow; line from nostril to the eye and eye ring yellow;
wings have 2 whitish bars; iris white; bill and feet dusky leaden color.

Length 5-5.3 inches; extent 8; wing 2.35-2.5; tail 2; bill .5; tarsus .75.

Distribution. The White-eyed vireo inhabits eastern United States
from eastern Nebraska, southern Wisconsin, southern New York and
Massachusetts, to Texas and Florida; winters from South Carolina and
Texas southward to Guatemala. In New York this bird is practically
confined to the Carolinian district, being a common or abundant summer
resident on Staten Island, Long Island and in the lower Hudson valley,
but is uncommon in central and western New York, very few unquestioned

376 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

records being before me, but its nest has been taken near Auburn, Buffalo,
Lockport and Dunkirk. Doctor Heimstreet also records it as a summer
resident at Troy; C. L. Avery at Herkimer; and W. J. Youngs in Delaware
county. It is a very curious circumstance that David Bruce sets it down
as an abundant summer resident at Brockport, N. Y. On several visits
in that vicinity I have been unable to meet with a single specimen of the
species, nor have I ever seen it in western New York except on one occa-
sion in the vicinity of Rochester during 11 years of observation. Therefore,
it seems to me that this bird is more southerly in distribution than the
Orchard oriole, the Yellow-breasted chat or the Louisiana water-thrush
in New York State.

Haunts and habits. The haunts of the White-eyed vireo are thick-
ets and damp tangles. It remains near the ground. It seems more
like one of the small flycatchers in habits than the other species of vireos.
When its haunts are invaded, it shouts a curious questioning or protesting
note as if he asked abruptly, “‘ What do you want, you?’’ Also a scolding
note and whining is suggestive of the Catbird. His song is described by
Bicknell as brief and emphatic, at least two distinct changes, a voluble,
confused outpouring of singularly involved and varied notes heard through
the latter part of May and the month of June, rarely noticed in July and
August, but the autumnal revival song occurs about the first of September.

The spring migration of this species begins from the 29th of April
to the 12th of May in southeastern New York; in the fall it disappears
between September 20 and October 10. Nests with eggs are found between
May 24 and June 12, later nests sometimes being discovered until the
middle of July. They are placed near the ground, suspended from the
forked branch of laurel, briers or small bushes. The exterior is composed
of light materials like bits of rotten wood, spiders’ nests, bits of newspapers,
bits of down from weeds, and almost any article found about. The frame-
work of the structure is woven from grass blades and fine strips of bark.
The eggs are 3 or 4 in number, white, sparingly spotted with black and
reddish brown. They average .75 by .55 inches in dimensions. This is

a ae ee at)

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 377

the species called Politician by Wilson on account of its habit of ornament-
ing the exterior of the nest with bits of newspaper, but in the few nests
which I have seen it was not evident that it ornamented the exterior of
its nest to any greater extent than I have observed of the Red-eyed vireo.

Family MNIOTIL/TIDAE
Wood Warblers

Primaries 9, tail feathers 12; bill ‘‘conoid elongate”’; rictus more or
less bristled; tarsus scutellate; size small; plumage usually variegated and
brightly colored, yellows, greens and blues often predominating.

As many have remarked, this family is difficult to characterize by
positive description, the fact that they are unlike all the other 9 primaried
song birds distinguishing them sufficiently. Within the family itself there
is great variety both in the details of structure and in color and habits.
Some of the birds are exclusively arboreal, feeding among the foliage of
trees; others are scansorial, much like the creepers; others are terrestrial
and have acquired a walking gait like the wagtails; others approach the
flycatchers both in appearance and habits and in the bristling of the rictus
and flattening of the beak. In nesting habits they vary as much as in
their feeding. Some build a bulky nest upon the ground; others make
felted nests of exquisite structure in the tree tops; others nest in the hollows
of trees; while some even build pensile nests among the branches. The
family is exclusively American, being evidently of neotropical origin, but
has invaded the nearctic region in considerable numbers, ranking as the
second largest family in the United States, and inhabiting the boreal region
almost to the limit of trees. They are insectivorous in habit and con-
sequently migratory birds. There is often a sexual differentiation in
color, as well as in seasonal plumage, the young commonly resembling
the female through the first season. About 150 species are recognized.

378 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Mniotilta varia (Linnaeus)
Black and White Warbler

Plate 92

Motacilla varia Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 12. 1766. 1:333
Mniotilta varia DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 52, fig. 89
A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 304. No. 636
mniotilta, from Gr., meaning moss-plucking; vdria, Lat., variegated

Description. Striped with black and white, the crown showing 2 broad
black stripes, with a central and 2 lateral white stripes, but the whole
appearance of the upper parts, breast and sides is of a conspicuously black
and white striped bird; 2 diagonal white wing bars caused by the white
tips of the coverts; ear region mostly black, likewise central portion of
the upper tail coverts; outer tail feathers with conspicuous white patches
on their inner webs; center of the breast and belly white. Female: Similar
but less sharply streaked, with decidedly less black on the throat and sides
of the head, and the whole plumage more or Jess washed with brownish.
Young males: Similar to the adult, but with less black on the cheeks,
throat and breast. Young females: Like the adult female.

Length 5.3 inches; extent 8.54; wing 2.73; tail 2.03; bill .37.

Distribution. This warbler inhabits eastern America from central
Mackenzie, northern Ontario, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, to northern
Georgia, Louisiana and eastern Texas, and winters from Colima and Neuva
Leon to Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, and occasionally in southern
Florida, the Bahamas and the West Indies.

In New York it is generally distributed throughout the State, occurring
as a common migrant in all the southern portions, and as a local or fairly
common summer resident from Long Island, the southern Hudson valley
and the lower portions of western New York, to the edges of the Catskills
and Adirondacks. Within the cooler portions of the Alleghanian zone
and throughout the Canadian zone of New York it is a common summer
resident. In the district about Mt Marcy, I found this bird nesting on
the Indian head, the Geological cobble, Bartlett ridge, Marcy trail by
the old McIntyre lumber camp, Skylight camp, Colden trail, Elk Lake

road, and at the timber line on both Skylight mountain and Mt Marcy.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 379

Several nests and broods of young were found in all these localities. Thus
it will be seen that although this warbler breeds almost throughout the
State, it belongs more characteristically to the Canadian fauna; and in
western New York, during 25 years of field experience, I have found only
a few breeding pairs in Erie, Monroe, Ontario, Genesee and Wayne counties
except about the margins of the larger swamps and along the ravines of
the lake region and the northern slopes of the higher hills. Nevertheless,
in eastern New York it is reckoned a common summer resident by the
observers on Long Island, especially in Suffolk county, and a common
summer resident by Chapman near New York, and by Fisher in the lower
Hudson valley.

Migration. This is one of our earlier warblers, arriving in south-
eastern New York from the 18th to the 30th of April, and in western New
York from the 24th to the 3oth of April, some years being recorded not
earlier than May 3. In northern New York the dates of arrival range
from April 30 to May 8. It is one of the common warblers in migration,
both in the eastern part of the State and throughout western New York,
often as many as 20 or 30 individuals of the species being seen about the
shade trees of our village streets and parks in a single morning. In August
and September the numbers of this species are considerably augmented
by migrants from the north and the last individuals are seen between
the 1st and the 14th of October, stragglers sometimes appearing as late
as the 24th of the month.

Habits. The Black and white warbler, or Black and white creeper
as it is frequently called, is one of the most restless members of this rest-
less family. He is incessantly hopping about on the trunks and larger
branches of the trees or clinging for a moment to the twigs and branches
in search of plant lice and small insects and flitting to another tree and
continuing his search. In creeping over the trunks of trees he resembles
somewhat the Nuthatch in habits, but his progression is more jerky and
at each hop or hitch he almost invariably faces in a different direction,
whereas the Nuthatch keeps calmly ahead without looking first one way

380 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

and then the other. This species is more confined to the trunks and
larger branches than any of the other creeping warblers, such as the Yellow-
throated warbler or the Pine warbler.

The preferred haunts of the species are open woodlands of deciduous
trees or mixed growth, with abundance of brushy vegetation, or the tangles
of brush and vines on the edges of ravines or slashings where only a few
trees have been left. Here its nest is usually found on or near the ground,
concealed under the edge of a mossy log or stone or among roots of a stump
or at the foot of a sapling. It is a rather bulky structure composed of
leaves, grasses and strips of bark, lined with fine rootlets, a few grass blades
and long hair. The eggs are 4 or 5 in number, of a rounded oval shape
and rather bluntly pointed, of a grimy or milky white ground color rather
heavily and profusely spotted with reddish brown, chestnut, hazel and
lilac, as usual in the family, tending to form a wreath near the larger
end of the egg. The dimensions average .66 by .53. In southeastern
New York the eggs are laid from the 1oth to the 20th and 30th of May;
in western New York the first are commonly found between the 20th of
May and the 12th of June. Birds were found near Mt Marcy feeding
their young on the Ist of July, which would seem to give June 5th or 1oth
as the proper date for that year in the Adirondacks.

Mr Gerald Thayer writes the song “ ssee-wwee, ssee-wwee, ssee-wwee,
ssee-wwee’’ with a slight emphasis on the second note of each ‘couplet.
Doctor Mearns has heard it sing a little ditty almost exactly like the
Redstart’s during the full tide of migration. In any case, the song of
the Black and white warbler is described as a feeble refrain, thin and wiry
in quality. Many people can not hear the song at a distance of more
than 3 or 4 rods. The common call note of the bird is written by Allison
as ‘‘ dst, dzt, dzt’’ and often it is repeated several times in rapid succession.
This is the note commonest heard during the migrations. About the
nest a sharp “ pit’’ or chip of alarm is usually heard.

ill. ii i EL LLL LLL ALE A

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 381

Protonotaria citrea (Boddaert)
Prothonotary Warbler

Plate 92

Motacilla citrea Boddaert. Table Pl. Enl. 1783. 44

Protonotaria citrea A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 305. No. 637
protonotdria, a mongrel name from 7eto<¢, first, and notarius, a notary, the appli-

cation of the name also fanciful; citrea, pertaining to citron, yellow

Description. Bill slim and pointed; whole head, breast and most of the
under parts orange-yellow; wings, tail and rump gray; the concealed portion
of the wing feathers black; the inner webs of the tail feathers mostly white
except the tip which is blackish; belly and under tail coverts white; back,
scapulars and a portion of the lesser wing coverts yellowish green; bill
black. Female: Slightly dullerthanthe male. Young: Similar to female.
Adult male in the fall has the back of the head washed with dusky.

Length 5 inches; wing 2.85; tail 1.88; bill .56.

Distribution. This species is confined to the warmer portions of the
eastern United States, breeding from eastern Nebraska, southeastern
Minnesota, southern Michigan, Ohio and central Delaware south to north-
ern Florida and eastern Texas. Winters from Nicarauga to Venezuela,
crossing the Gulf of Mexico in migration. Wanders northward, especially
during the spring migration, as far as Ontario, New England and New
Brunswick.

There are several records for New York State: A specimen taken at
Jamaica, Long Island, in May 1849; one at Montauk Point, August 26,
1886; and Montauk, April 1888 (Dutcher, Auk, 10:276); another at Yonkers,
June 2, 1895 (Bicknell, Auk, 12:307); two seen near Binghamton, May 9,
1905, reported by Lilian Hyde; one seen in Central Park, New York City,
May 4 and 5, 1908, recorded in the Auk, 25:320, by Anne A. Crolius and
a specimen observed at Ithaca (male), May 31, 1910. This last bird was
singing and carrying building materials but its mate was not observed
(Allen, Auk, 28:115). Thus it is evident that this bird is only an accidental
visitant to New York, and possibly has never bred within our limits, but
it reaches us occasionally during migration and should be put in the catalog
of rare or accidental visitants.

382 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Haunts and habits. The haunts of the Prothonotary warbler are in
the swampy forests of the Mississippi valley and kindred localities. The
bird observed at Ithaca was in the partly flooded swampland at the head
of Cayuga lake. It builds its nest in hollow trees and deserted woodpecker
or chickadee holes, usually not far above the stagnant water of the swamp.
In activity and restlessness it has few equals. Its food is usually sought
low down among the thickets, logs and debris which has been deposited
in the swamp during the floods of spring. Its flight is similar to that of
the water thrush ‘“‘ remarkably swift, firm and decided.”” Its note resembles
somewhat the call of the Solitary sandpiper, the commonest syllables
being a simple “ peet, tweet, tweet, tweet.’’ A common ftschip of recognition
occurs when the birds meet each other among the foliage. The song is
of startling intensity when compared with the notes of most of our common
warblers. The alarm or distress note is similar to that of the Louisiana
water thrush. (See Brewster, N. O. C. Bul. 3:153.)

Helmitheros vermivorus (Gmelin)
Worm-eating Warbler

Plate 92

Motacilla vermivora Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1789. 1:951
Vermivora pennsylvanica DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 82, fig. 124
Helmitheros vermivorus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 306.
No. 639
helmithérus, Gr., Worm-hunter; vermivorus, Lat., worm-eating

Description. Sexes alike; crown conspicuously streaked with black and
light buff or olive buff. These streaks are, 3 buffy, 1 median and the other
2 just above the eyes; the black streaks are 4, 2 on the sides of the crown
and 2 through the eyes. Upper parts olive green; under parts creamy buff;
white around the throat; no white wing bars or tail spots.

Length 5.5 inches; extent 8.75; wing 2.78; tail 2.05; bill .39; tarsus .7.

Distribution. This warbler inhabits eastern North America from
northern Illinois, western Pennsylvania, and the lower Hudson and Con-
necticut valleys, south to Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia and the mountains
of South Carolina, wintering from Chiapas to Panama, and sometimes in

s

a ?

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 383

Florida, the Bahamas and West Indies. In New York, as is shown by
the distribution map on page 25, volume 1, this species is almost entirely
confined to the lower Hudson valley where it is common in a few localities
near New York, in northern Westchester county, nesting also at Nyack
and Catskill, and a few stations on Long Island (Bellport, Miller’s Place)
where it has been reported as rare. It has occurred in a few localities of
western New York, especially near Oneonta, May 9 to August 1900; Ithaca,
May 6, 1909; Binghamton, May 14, 1905; Elmira; Corning; Branchport;
Penn Yan; Rochester; Herkimer; and Lockport; but although it was seen
by Mr Stone carrying building material near Branchport, no nest of the
species, as far as I know, has ever been found in western or central New
York. It is, therefore, strictly confined to the Carolinian faunal area of
the State except during migration when a few individuals overreach their
normal range but fail to establish themselves as breeding species. The
migration dates for southeastern New York show that it arrives from the
3d to the 16th of May, and in the fall it disappears usually between the
Ist and the 16th of September, although specimens have been taken as
late as September 21, and in some localities it has not been noted later
than the 15th to the 23d of August.

Habits. The Worm-eating warbler seems to prefer dense undergrowth
in swampy thickets and wet places grown up to huckleberries; wooded
hillsides and ravines; and dense undergrowth of woodland. It spends the
greater portion of its time on the ground, walking instead of hopping,
with slow and deliberate motions, among the dry leaves, with its tail tilted
rather high, often rustling among the dead leaves and occasionally creeping
up the trunks or inclined logs and on the larger branches of trees to the
height of 10 to 20 feet, but it is preeminently a ground warbler. It is
very shy and difficult to capture. Mr Brewster remarks that the slightest
sound would frighten the bird to a different part of the wood. Nearly
all observers agree in comparing the song of this species to that of the
Chipping sparrow, Mr Thayer remarking, however, that it is shorter,
weaker and distinctly more insectlike in tone. The call note is a sharp

384 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

‘dst,”’ similar to that of the Black and white warbler, uttered at all times
and seasons (Allison). The alarm note is a quickly repeated chip.

The nesting site is on the ground, usually on the steep side of a ravine
or near the edge of a swamp or stream at the foot of a bush or by the side
of a mossy log or at the edge of a stone amid the ferns, berry bushes or
Solomon’s seal. The nest is composed of leaves, grasses, strips of bark,
rootlets, usually lined with fine grass and hair or with the stems of maple
seed or the stalks of hair moss. The eggs are 5 in number, white in ground
color more or less profusely marked with spots of brown, reddish and lilac
tending to form wreaths near the larger end, but in many cases rather
evenly distributed. They are rounded oval in shape but usually more
pointed than those of the Black and white warbler. The average size
is .69 by .53 inches. The nesting dates for southeastern New York are
from May 20 to June 5 and June 17.

Vermivora pinus (Linnaeus)
Blue-winged Warbler

Plate 93

Certhia pinus Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.12. 1766. 1: 187

Vermivora solitaria DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 83, fig. 125

Vermivora pinus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 306. No. 641
vermivora, worm-eating; pinus, a pine tree

Description. Upper parts mostly olive green; the forehead, crown and
under parts yellow; wings and tail bluish gray, the wings with two conspicuous
white bars, and 3 outer tail feathers with white spots on their inner. webs;
a black line from the base of the bill through the eye. Female and young:
Very similar to the adult male, but the crown and under parts not so
bright yellow and the eye streak dusky instead of black.

Length 4.85 inches; extent 7.3; bill .45; wing 2.45; tail 1.9; tarsus .67.

Distribution. Breeds in eastern North America from southeastern
Minnesota, southern Michigan, Connecticut and Massachusetts southward
to Missouri, Kentucky and Delaware; winters from southern Mexico to
Colombia. In New York it is a common summer resident in the coastal
district, especially in western and northern Long Island and the lower

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 385

Hudson valley, arriving from the south from the Ist to the 12th of May,
average date May 5; and departing for the south from the Ist to the 8th
of September. It is uncommon or local on southern and eastern Long
Island and in the central Hudson valley and the valley of the Delaware.
Davison’s record for Niagara county evidently establishes a western New
York breeding date; but although the species has been observed and
specimens taken at Penn Yan, Buffalo, Ballston Spa, Canandaigua and
Rochester, it is certainly rare as a migrant and extremely rare as a breeding
species in central and western New York, like the Worm-eating warbler
being practically confined to the typical Carolinian fauna (see map, page
25, volume 1).

Haunts and habits. The Blue-winged warbler frequents swampy
thickets and wooded valleys but is sometimes found among the scrubby
second growth of the hillsides and the undergrowth of the dense woods.
It is deliberate in its movements as compared to the other warblers, acting
more like a vireo than a member of this family.

The song is insignificant, a wheezy performance of notes resembling
the syllables “‘ swee-e-e-e-e, chee-chee-chee-chee,”’ the first inhaled and the
second exhaled. Another song described by Jones is more varied, rendered
by Mr Chapman as “ wéé, chi-chi-chi-chi-, chair, chee-chiir.”” Another song
mentioned by Burns suggests the Chickadee’s ‘‘ che-de-de-e, che-de-de-e.”

The nesting site of this warbler is on the ground in a bunch of herbs
or at the foot of a small bush. The nest is surrounded by the grass, weeds,
ferns or vines which screen it effectively from view. The eggs are 4 to
6 in number, usually 5, white or creamy white in ground color with specks
and spots of dark umber, brown, lavender and purple, the amount of
spotting varying considerably, but usually forming a wreath near the larger
end of the egg. Size averages .64 by .51 inches. The earliest nesting date
in my records is May 15, from Long Island, the usual dates for New York
ranging from May 23 to June 16.

386 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Vermivora chrysoptera (Linnaeus)
Golden-winged Warbler
Plate 93

Motacilla chrysoptera Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 12. 1766. 1:333
Vermivora chrysoptera DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 84, fig. 118
A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910: p. go%2 No:
642
chryséptera, Gr., meaning golden-winged

Description. Upper parts mostly gray or dull bluish gray; the crown
and conspicuous wing bars yellow, the bars forming almost a solid patch;
a line running from the bill through the eye and spreading to a broad patch
on the cheek, and the throat jet black; line over the eye and a broad line
separating the black cheek patch from the black throat, pure white; breast
and belly white; outer tail feathers with white spots in their inner webs.
Female: Similar to the male but the yellow crown and wing patch less
brilliant, the black cheek and throat patches replaced by dusky gray. Young:
Similar to the adults but duller.

Length 5.1 inches; extent 8.1; bill .45; wing 2.46; tail 1.94; tarsus .7.

Distribution. LDreeds in eastern North America from central Minne-
sota, southern Ontario and Massachusetts to Iowa, northern Illinois,
northern New Jersey, and in the mountains to northern Georgia. Winters
from southern Mexico to Guatemala and Colombia. In New York it is
a rare summer resident on Long Island and in Westchester county, but
is a fairly common summer resident locally in the highlands and in
various localities in the Hudson valley, central and western New York,
especially near Highland Falls (Mearns), Greenbush, Rensselaer county
(Heimstreet), Medina and Maplewood (Short), Howland Island (F. S.
Wright), Irondequoit, Monroe county, and West River, Yates county
(Eaton), Corning (Hollister), Kenwood, near Albany (Richard), Potter
swamp, Yates county (Burtch and Stone). During the migration season
it is occasionally observed at various stations in the Hudson valley and
throughout central and western New York except in the highlands above
1200 feet. At this season it is also more common on Long Island and
in the vicinity of New York City, the arrival dates ranging from May Io
to 17, and the date of departure from the 15th to the 29th of August.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 387

Like the Blue-winged warbler, this species is an inhabitant of swampy
thickets and the second growth of damp bushy fields, but as far as my
experience goes is not so likely to be found in densely forested regions
but in open forests with dense growth of shrubbery and always in low
lying situations. Its song is a “ lazy zee-zee-zee.’’ It has also an insect-
like call note, and a sharp chip alarm note like that of the Chipping sparrow.
Jacobs says that the song, when
heard near at hand, sounds like

the syllables “‘ zee-zi-ee’, zee-ti-ee’,
zee-u-ee’, zee-i-zwee’.’’ The nesting
site is thus described by Mr Stone
from numerous examples discov-
ered by himself and Mr Burtch
in Potter swamp:

‘Until 1905 the Golden-winged
warbler had not been observed
here, but as extensive clearings
had been made in Potter swamp
(Yates county) an ideal nesting
area for warblers was created.
Mourning and Canadian warblers
became more numerous and in
1906-7-8 the Golden-winged warb-
ler was not an uncommon breeder.

“Since 1908 the clearings have
rapidly grown up with dense bushes and tangled vines, the old logging
roads have become obliterated, while the Golden-wings have nearly for-
saken the place, which is now (1912) converted into a typical nesting
haunt for such as the Chestnut-sided warbler and Alder flycatcher.

“The illustration is a typical nesting of this interesting warbler, the
nests being placed upon the ground, well concealed at the base of and

in a bunch of weeds or ferns within the shadow of heavy timber, so that
25

Photo by Verdi Burtch
Golden-winged warbler’s nest and eggs

388 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

it is rarely seen until the weeds are parted and the searcher looks directly
down upon the nest.

“It is evident that this warbler begins nest construction about May 20
as fresh sets are found as early as June 2. The nests are neatly made’
of thin, flat, broad blades of swamp grass and strips of weed bark, lined
with fine, round stemlike grasses, giving the interior a reddish appearance.
Nests measure close to 33 inches high, 4 inches in diameter outside and 2
inches deep by 2} diameter inside.

“Eggs 4 or 5, rarely 6, noticeably rounded in shape, with no gloss and
variously speckled or spotted mostly with vinaceous-cinnamon.”

Vermivora lawrenci (Herrick)

Lawrence Warbler

Plate 93

Distinguishing characteristics. Like the Blue-winged warbler except the throat
and cheeks which have the black patches of the Golden-winged warbler. There are different
degrees of intergrading in the coloration of this form between the Blue-winged and the
Golden-winged warblers, but the typical Lawrence warbler is practically as stated above.
Some resemble the Golden-winged warbler more, but all show a greater or less amount of
yellowish green above and yellow below, with black cheek and throat patches in the male
or dusky gray in the female, as in the Golden-winged warbler.

The Lawrence warbler was described as a distinct species and was held for many
years in the hypothetical list of the A. O. U., but has now been dropped, the consensus
of opinion being that it is a hybrid between the species pinus and chrysoptera.
This conclusion is strengthened by the fact that nearly all the specimens of this bird
which have been procured were taken in the strip of country which represents the over-
lapping of the Blue-winged and Golden-winged warblers’ breeding ranges. Most of these
specimens come from central and southern Connecticut and extreme southeastern New
York or northern New Jersey. New York specimens have been recorded from Highland
Falls, July 7, 1879, a female collected by Colonel Mearns (Brewster, N. O. C. Bul., 6:
220); an adult male from Rye, Westchester county, August 31, 1888, reported by C. J.
Voorhees (Auk, 5:427); a male from Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, May 8, 1902,
reported by Doctor Braislin (Auk, 20:53); a male mated with a female Blue-winged warbler
was observed by William C. Beebe breeding in Bronx Park, May 15, 1903; on June 16 the

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 389

young left the nest successfully (Auk, 21:387); on-May 18, 1904, he or one of his descend-
ants returned to the park (Bildersee, Bird Lore 6:131; Hix, Wilson Bul., 51, 41). A male
was taken at Richmond, Staten Island, May 11, 1907 (Chapin, Auk, 24:343).

Vermivora leucobronchialis (Brewster)
Brewster Warbler

Plate 93
Distinguishing characteristics. Like the Golden-winged warbler but lacking the
black patches on the cheek and throat, having the black eye streak of the Blue-winged
warbler and sometimes showing more or less traces of yellow on the breast and under parts,
and traces of yellowish green on the back, but retaining the yellow crown and yellow wing
bars of chrysoptera.

' This interesting warbler is now regarded like the Lawrence warbler as a hybrid between
the Blue-winged and Golden-winged warblers. It is much more common in collections
than the Lawrence warbler, numerous examples having been taken in Connecticut and
southeastern New York, as well as in northern New Jersey, and even eastern Massachusetts.
Doctor Fisher collected 6 specimens near Ossining, N. Y. (N. O. C. Bul. 4:234; 2:378;
and 6:219; Auk, 2:378). Mr Howell took a specimen at Parkville, Long Island (Auk, 9:
306), and another was taken at Nyack (Brewster, N. O. C. Bul. 6:219; Ricker, Auk, 2:
378). The earliest specimen in New York is evidently a male collected by Bell at Rockland
in the spring of 1832 (Trotter, N. O. C. Bul. 44:459; Auk, 2:361). There seems little
doubt that this warbler is a hybrid like the Lawrence warbler, but unfortunately it has
not been absolutely determined upon sufficient observation of birds reared by parents
of these two species, an observation which could easily be performed if mated birds of
these species were carefully watched and, instead of collecting the nests and eggs, the young
birds were studied in the nest, for their early plumages show the characteristic pattern
of the adults.’

1Since the foregoing paragraph was written Doctor Faxon has proved satisfactorily that this warbler
is a hybrid of the Golden-winged and Blue-winged warblers (See Mus. Comp. Zool. Mem. 40; 31 and 16).

390 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Vermivora rubricapilla rubricapilla (Wilson)
Nashville Warbler
Plate 93

Sylvia rubricapilla Wilson. Amer. Orn. 1812. 6:15
Vermivora rubricapilla DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 86, fig. 104
Vermivora rubricapilla rubricapilla A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3.
1910. p. 307. No. 645
vermivora, Lat., worm-eating; rubricapilla, reddish-haired or reddish-crowned

Description. Head and back of the neck gray; a chestnut patch on
the crown, sometimes tinged with gray; eye ring white; back, wings and tail
(their visible portions) olive green; breast and most of under parts yellow;
lower belly whitish. Female: Very similar to male but paler and the
chestnut crown patch smaller or wanting. Fall specimens are browner
or grayer than in the spring.

Length 4.5-4.8 inches; extent 7.5; wing 2.33-2.50; tail 1.75-2; bill .36.

Distribution. Breeds from southern Saskatchewan, central Quebec
and Cape Breton southward to Nebraska, northern Illinois, northern
New Jersey and Connecticut; winters from southern Texas and Vera
Cruz to Guatemala. In New York this species is a common transient
in nearly all portions of the State, arriving in the spring from the Ist to
the 12th of May, usually by the 4th in the southern counties, and rarely
as early as the 28th of April. The greater number pass farther northward
between the 20th and 30th of the month. In the fall they return from
the nesting grounds from the 11th to the 30th of August and depart for
the south from the 5th to the 15th of October. In the northern portions
of the State it is locally a common summer resident, and locally in the
eastern counties which lie in the Alleghanian area — Highland Falls,
Black Dome, Cohoes. Throughout central and western New York it
is extremely rare as a summer resident, as far as my experience goes. I
never met with a breeding pair in any of the western counties of the State,
although other collectors have secured a few nests containing egys; Chili,
E. H. Short; Onondaga county, C. H. Wilder; and South Hill, Tompkins
county, May 27, 1905, and June 6, 1906 (Reed and Wright, Vertebrates
of the Cayuga Lake Basin, Am. Phil. Soc. Proc. 48:444).

a ll ae Eee a

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 391

Haunts and habits. In the breeding season it seems to prefer a second
growth of birch and poplar or other deciduous saplings in young or open
woodland. Of its song, Gerald Thayer writes: ‘It has two main perch
songs and a flight song, all subject to a good deal of variation. It belongs
decidedly among the full-voiced warblers. Its commoner perch song
consists of a string of 6 or 8 or more lively, rapid notes, suddenly congested
into a pleasant, rolling twitter lower in key than the first part of the song
and half as long. In the other perch song, the notes of what correspond
to the rolling twitter are richer and the second part of the song is longer
and more noticeable than the first, whose notes are few and slower, while
the whole is more languidly delivered. The flight song, a fairly common
performance in late summer, is sung from the height of 5 to 40 feet above
the low treetops. It is like the commoner perch song but more hurried
and slightly elaborated, often with a few chipperings added at both ends.
Among the Nashville’s calls, a very small, dry ‘‘chip,”’ and amore metallic,
louder chip, somewhat Water thrushlike, are noteworthy.”’

During the migration season the Nashville is one of our generally
distributed species, frequenting the blossoming orchards and the deciduous
shade trees of our lawns and village streets. Even in migration time it
seems to show a decided preference for rows of white birches or the scattered
birch trees on village lawns, every tree during the season exhibiting
each morning from 1 to 5 or 6 of these warblers among its budding leaves.
Sometimes during the second week of May the orchards are fairly alive
with this species, 50 or 60 often being counted in an hour’s excursion.
It is a very restless species, continually peering about among the blossoms
and foliage and flying from bough to bough or from tree to tree.

The nest is placed upon the ground, usually at the foot of a bush or
on a grassy bank in the open woodland. The eggs are white or creamy
white in ground color, spotted and speckled with reddish brown and lilac
of different shades, usually forming a distinct wreath, and the average
dimensions are .64 by .46 inches. Mr C. F. Stone describes the only nest
he has ever seen in Yates county as follows: ‘“‘On May 26, 1912, W. A.

392 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Tuttle conducted me to a nest of the Nashville warbler which was hidden
by a tuft of dead grass among a growth of sumacs along the edge of a
sloping field near a hemlock wooded gully. The surroundings were quite
open. The nest is very flimsy, fragile and shallow-cupped, made of thin
dead grasses and bits of moss, lined with a few reddish tendrils and hair.
It contained 5 eggs.”
Vermivora celata celata (Say)
Orange-crowned Warbler
Plate 93

Sylvia celatus Say. In Long’s Exped. 1823. 1:169 (note)
Vermivora celata DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 87
Vermivora celata celata A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. xzo10. p. 308.
No. 646
celdta, Lat., concealed, referring to the more or less hidden crown patch

Description. Upper parts olive green, more or less washed with grayish —
except on the rump which is brightest; a crown patch of orange brown
more or less concealed by gray and olive green; eye ring and a narrow
line over the eye dull yellowish; the outer tail feathers frequently have
the inner edge of the inner web margined with whitish; under parts dull
greenish yellow obscurely streaked with dusky.

Distribution. Breeds from Alaska to central Keewatin, and Manitoba,
and in the Rocky mountains locally to New Mexico; winters in the South
Atlantic and Gulf States and Mexico. In New York this species is only
a transient visitant, rare in eastern New York in the spring but more
often observed in the fall. In western New York, however, it is a regular
migrant, though in small numbers, in the spring, arriving from the 12th
to the 17th of May, and disappears from the 18th to the 21st. Mr E. S.
Woodruff took one at Paul Smith’s in the Adirondacks, May 17, 1908.
In the fall, migration takes place between the 25th of September and the
12th of October. It is decidedly less common than the Tennessee warbler
both in the spring and fall as would be expected from the remoteness of
its breeding range to the northwestward.

During migration it is found in the orchards, shade trees and groves
in situations similar to those frequented by the Nashville and Tennessee

i Loe

an)

ae

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 393

warblers. Its call note is a sharp chip. Its song is described by Seton
as much like that of the Chipping sparrow. Jones describes it as not very

high pitched but full and strong, ending abruptly on a rising scale like
the syllables ‘‘ chee-chee-chee, chw'-chw’.”’

Vermivora peregrina (Wilson)
Tennessee Warbler
Plate 93

Sylvia peregrina Wilson. Amer. Orn. 1811. 3:83. pl. 25, fig. 2
Vermivora peregrina DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 85, fig. 105
A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 309. No. 647
peregrina, Lat., wandering, alien

Description. Upper parts bright olive green; the crown and nape
grayish blue; a whitish line over the eye and usually a dusky line through it;
inner webs of the 2 outer tail feathers with a margin of white; under parts
dull white, the breast often tinged with buffy yellowish; sides greenish.
Female: Similar to the male, but the crown washed with the color of
the back and the under parts more yellowish. Female and young in the
fall: Entirely bright olive green above. Adult male in the fall: Less
distinctly bluish gray on the head and neck and under parts more tinged
with yellowish.

Length 4.50-4.80 inches; extent 7.50-8; wing 2.7; tail 1.8; bill .4.

Distribution. Breeds from southern Mackenzie, central Keewatin,
southern Ungava and Anticosti to southern British Columbia, Manitoba,
northern Minnesota, Ontario, northern Maine and New Hampshire;
winters from Oaxaca to Colombia and Venezuela. In New York this
species is a fairly common transient in the fall, even in the eastern portion
of the State, but a rare migrant in the spring in southeastern New York,
though not especially uncommon in the western portions of the State,
arriving in the spring from the 1oth to the 18th of May, passing northward
from the 22d to the 27th, and appearing in the fall from the 15th to the
31st of August, departing southward from September 25 to October 8.
The latest edition of the A. O. U. Check List records it as breeding in the
Adirondacks, as does also Ridgway’s ‘‘ Birds of North and Middle America,”
evidently on the authority of Doctor Merriam’s list of Adirondack birds

394 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

found in N. O. C. Bul. 6:227; but the full text of Doctor Merriam's notes,
which was not published in the Bulletin, does not indicate that the nest
of the Tennessee warbler was found in Lewis county, or that it was even
seen there later than May 29, which may well be merely a migration date.
The only other testimony we have which would indicate its breeding in
New York State is the statement in Roosevelt and Minot’s “ List of the
Summer Birds of Franklin county,’’ where it is included doubtfully as
a breeder. Mr E. H. Short writes that a nest, evidently of this species,
was found by Mr Robbins at North Cohocton. Thus it is clear that we
are lacking sufficient evidence to include it as a summer resident of the
State. It seems probable, however, that it may be found breeding in the
North Woods as it has been noted both in Maine, New Hampshire and,
on July 15, 1888, by Faxon on Greylock mountain, Massachusetts. The
Tennessee warbler is one of those species which breed most abundantly
in the interior of the boreal zone, and like the Connecticut and Orange-
crowned warblers, which it resembles in this respect, is much more common
in New York during the fall migration, although, as stated before, it occurs
regularly in western New York during the spring.

Haunts and habits. Like the Nashville, it nests upon the ground,
but according to the testimony of Brewster and others it is found during
the nesting season in thick growths of black spruce, balsam, mountain
ash and other trees of that association. During the migration it is found
more among the deciduous trees, as is the Nashville warbler. Its song,
as described by Farwell in Chapman’s ‘‘ Warblers of North America,”
is ‘‘ very loud, beginning with a sawing, two-noted trill, rather harsh and
very staccato, but hesitating in character increasing to a rapid trill almost
exactly like a Chipping sparrow, a noticeable but not musical song.”

————— er

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 395

Compsothlypis americana americana (Linnaeus)
Parula Warbler
Plate 94

Parus americanus Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 10. 1758. 1: 1090
Compsothlypis americana americana A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3.
toro. p. 309. No. 648
compsothlypis, Gr., xoyv6s, exquisite, and OAuzts, an unknown bird

Distinguishing characteristics. Duller than the Northern parula,
the dusky chest band indistinct or wanting; no conspicuous chestnut or
reddish on the breast; bill longer; size smaller.

Wing of 2.3, Q 2.18 inches; tail o 1.68, 2 1.56; bill .44.

According to the A. O. U. Check List, this subspecies ranges from the
District of Columbia south to Alabama and Florida, wintering probably
in Florida and the West Indies. The subspecies grades almost imper-
ceptibly into the subspecies usneae, but Ridgway, in his ‘“‘ Birds of North
and Middle America,’”’ part 2, page 482, states that numerous specimens
of the Parula warbler from Ossining and Shelter Island must be assigned
to the southern subspecies. It may, therefore, be considered an inhabitant
of New York State in the coastal district, but can be distinguished from
the common northern form only by careful measurement and comparison

with museum specimens.

Compsothlypis americana usneae Brewster
Northern Parula Warbler

Compsotklypis americana usneae Brewster. Auk. Jan. 1896. 13:44
Sylvicola americana DeKay. Zool. N.Y. pt 2, p. 97, fig. 108
Compsothlypis americana usneae A.O.U. Check List. Ed. 3. toro.
p. 309. No. 648a
americana, American

Description. Upper parts ashy blue; middle of the back with a greenish
yellow patch; lores dusky; an incomplete eye ring; wings and tail blackish
but edged with the color of the upper parts; 2 broad white wing bars; 2
outer tail feathers with large white patches on the inner webs near the tip;
throat and breast yellow; an orange brown and blackish collar band crossing

396 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

the lower throat; lower belly white. Female: Like the male but duller
in coloration; the blue more or less veiled with greenish. Young: Resemble
the female.

Length 4.50-4.75 inches; extent 7-7.50; wing o 2.42, 9 2.25; tail
ro ls Wy ae ape IP ose ee ot ey

Distribution. Breeds from northern Minnesota, central Ontario,
and Cape Breton, to Texas, Alabama and Virginia. Winters in the West
Indies, Mexico and Central America. This species breeds throughout
New York State, but is local in distribution during the nesting season,
being confined to swamps and gullies which produce a growth of gray
moss or usnea. It is probably commoner as a breeding species in the swamps
of Long Island and in the Catskill and Adirondack districts than in other
portions of the State, although I have noticed a few pairs nesting in the
gullies of the Finger Lake region and in various scattered peat swamps

of western New York. In the North Woods it is fairly common, as I

noticed in the swamps about the Ausable lakes, Elk lake and the Boreas
ponds and as my assistants found in nearly every portion of the Adirondacks,
yet it is by no means generally distributed in the North Woods, but almost
entirely confined to the swamps. During the migration season it is a
common transient in nearly all portions of the State, arriving in the spring
from the Ist to the roth of May, the average date in southern New York
being the 5th, but sometimes appearing by the 26th or 27th of April. In
the fall the return migration begins the 15th to the 31st of August and
ends between the 5th and the 20th of October.

Haunts and habits. During the migrations, the Parula warbler
associates with the Dendroicas among the foliage of our shade trees and
orchards, being most common about the time of the bursting of the apple
blossoms, usually seen in about equal abundance with the Chestnut-sided
warbler in most localities of central New York. As soon as he reaches
his summer home, however, he is practically confined to the swamps and
bogs of the Catskills and Adirondacks, and the damper localities of our

swamps and ravines in western New York, and in similar situations along.

the coastal district, preferring, during the nesting season, evergreen trees,

ce a omg ta

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 397

although occasionally found in mixed groves where the deciduous species
predominate. It is practically confined to the localities where usnea moss
is fairly abundant, although in the ravines on Canandaigua and Seneca
and Cayuga lakes I have found it nesting where the atmosphere was damp
on the south side of the gully and the hemlocks rather abundant, but
almost no usnea was visible. In the Adirondacks we found it in the spruce
swamps where this moss was particularly abundant. The nest is almost
always concealed in a large hanging bunch of usnea, largely composed of
filaments of the bunch itself as it hangs from the twigs, but also interwoven
with soft plant fibers and bits of usnea brought from neighboring trees.
The nest is thus pensile and softly lined with cottony substances.

“The salient feature of the Parula warbler’s song in all its many
variations is a guttural buzz. The song may be one uninterrupted buzz
uttered in an evenly accented scale or broken into separate notes at the
beginning or end; but the buzz is always apparent in some portion and
always serves to distinguish it from the song of Dendroica black-
burniae, which sometimes approaches it quite closely in form. The
call is a chip not very characteristic’? (Thayer MSS.). Chapman has
characterized the song of the Parula warbler very aptly as a “‘ sizzling gurgle.”’

Dendroica tigrina (Gmelin)
Cape May Warbler

Plate 93

Motacilla tigrina Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1789. 1: 985

Sylvicola maritima DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 104, fig. 132

Dendroica tigrina A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 310. No. 650
dendroica, from Gr., meaning tree inhabitant; tigrina, Lat., striped

Description. Adult male: Side of neck bright yellow; a conspicuous
chestnut or orange-rufous ear patch which frequently reaches forward both
below and above the eye; crown black; rump yellow; back greenish olive
spotted or obscurely streaked with black; under parts principally yellow,
changing to white on the belly, conspicuously streaked on the breast and
sides with black; wings and tail black edged with the olive green color of
the back; a conspicuous white wing patch formed by the tips of the greater

398 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

and lesser wing coverts, sometimes tending to form 2 white wing bars.
Adult female: Upper parts grayish olive; under parts yellowish white streaked
on the breast and sides with blackish but much less conspicuously than
in the male; wing bars grayish white, not forming the conspicuous white
patch seen in the male; side of the neck and line over the eye and rump
vary from yellowish to olive green. Young male: Lacks the black crown
and chestnut ear patches; upper parts grayish olive green obscurely spotted
with black; rump dingy yellow; the wing bars grayish white; under parts
dull yellow streaked less conspicuously than in the adult. Young female:
Similar to the adult female but less yellow and the streaks more obscure.
Adult males and females are both more obscurely colored in the fall
plumage, being tinged with grayish. The adult female similar to the spring,
but yellower on the rump and more tinged with whitish on belly.

Length 5-5.2 inches; extent 8.32; bill .3; wing 2.62-2.7; tail 1.9;
tarsus .75.

Distribution. The Cape May warbler ranges in summer from Nova
Scotia, New Brunswick, Hudson bay and Great Slave lake, southward
to the northern portion of Maine, northern New Hampshire, Minnesota
and westward to Manitoba and Assiniboia. It has been reported on good
authority that a few breed in the island of Jamaica. The winter range
of the species is the West Indies and Central America.

In New York State this species is only a transient visitant and for
more than a century has been considered a rare species, but of recent years
has apparently increased perceptibly in numbers so that for the last 3 or
4 years it has been a positively common migrant in various sections of
western New York, as I have found it in Monroe, Ontario and Erie counties.
On several mornings in the spring of 1912, the author was able to see,
within a space of two hours, from 12 to 20 different individuals each
morning, often as many as 8 or 10 males being in sight at the same time.
I believe that this really indicates an increase in the species and that it
has not been overlooked in past years as it is quite conspicuous and easy
to observe wherever it occurs, and is one of the most frequently reported
by amateur observers who are unfamiliar with it, but are able to describe
it so that it can be positively recognized. The migrations in New York

begin between the 4th and the 1oth of May. In some portions, however,

eer aaa HM,

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 399

it is not reported earlier than the 20th. The average date of arrival for
several years has been May 9g in western New York. Between the 20th
and 30th of May it disappears on its northward migration. After the
20th of the month very few, if any, males are seen; but on Decoration day,
during 2 or 3 years of my experience, I have seen from 3 to 5 females near
the southern shore of Lake Ontario in Monroe county. Although, as
stated above, this warbler is known to breed in corresponding latitudes,
we have been unable as yet to record it positively as a breeding species
in the Adirondack district, although the author searched for it diligently
during the spring and summer of 1905, and various bird students who are
perfectly familiar with the species have looked for it in the same region
without success. In the fall, migration begins between the 5th and the
12th of September and the last of the species is usually seen between the
15th and the 20th of that month.

Haunts and habits. This warbler is slower and more deliberate in
movements than most of the genus Dendroica, but it seems to have a pre-
dilection for the tree tops during the migration season, although I have
seen it in considerable numbers in cherry orchards and shrubbery, especially
on cool, damp mornings. Brewster and Gerald Thayer have both called
attention to the fact that it is a loud and persistent singer, and that it
frequently remains in isolated trees near houses during the migration.
Its song has been called a ‘‘ remarkable jingling noise,’ and some have
considered it usually a mute species, which has been the author’s experience
with the migrating birds of western New York. On its breeding grounds,
however, the song is fairly conspicuous, resembling considerably the Black
and white warbler’s penetrating note. Comparatively little is known of
its breeding habits, but most of the nests found have been placed in low,
evergreen trees, usually in rather open fields or pastures. The nest is
rather loosely and roughly constructed, though more compact than that
of the Magnolia, according to Chamberlain, and “ the lining is almost
entirely of horse hair, the brim being turned with exquisite grace.’’ The
eggs have been compared in ground color to those of the Magnolia warbler,

400 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

but the Cape May’s are less pyriform and the point less acute. The
markings are different shades of lilac and reddish brown, and the dimensions
of the eggs average .67 by .49 inches.

Dendroica aestiva aestiva (Gmelin)
Yellow Warbler
Plate 95

Motacilla aestiva Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1789. 1: 9096
Sylvicola aestiva DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 99, fig. 130
Dendroica aestiva aestiva A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1010. 'p..31z.
No. 652
aestiva, Lat., summer

Description. Color principally yellow; the head and under parts
rich golden yellow streaked on the breast and sides with rufous or reddish
brown; upper parts principally greenish yellow; wings and tail dusky, but
margined and overlaid with the color of the back; inner webs of the tail
feathers yellow; wing bars yellow. Female: Decidedly less yellow than
the male; upper parts a yellowish olive green; under parts much paler yellow
than the male and the reddish brown streaks scarcely discernible. Fall
plumage: Less bright than in the spring, especially on the top of the head
and under parts, the reddish brown streaks obscured. Young in the fall
resemble the adults but streaks on the under parts mostly wanting.

Length 5.1 inches; extent 7.8; bill .4; wing 2.43; tail I.9; tarsus .74.

Distribution. This species inhabits the greater portion of the United
States and British America with the exception of the southwestern states
and the Florida peninsula. It is also absent from the Arctic zone and the
higher portions of the mountains. It spends the winter from southern
Mexico to Peru and Brazil. In New York it is a common summer resident
in all portions of the State except the spruce and balsam forests of the
Catskills and Adirondacks, but it penetrates those regions as far as the
clearings and river valleys extend. The spring migration begins between
April 18 and May 9, the average date for southeastern New York being
May 1, and for northern New York, May 5. In western New York it
rarely appears before the 23d of April. In the fall it is last seen between

the 2d and 20th of September.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 401

Haunts and habits. The Yellow warbler or Summer yellow bird is
the most familiar member of the family, inhabiting our gardens, shrubbery
and shade trees, making its nest even among the parks and trees of
the city streets. It seems to be one of the merriest and mildest in dis-
position of the whole warbler family and is commonly regarded as a bit
of the sunshine which it resembles. Its cheery song of ‘ weé-chee, weé-
chee, weé-chee,”’ or ‘‘ weechee, chee, chee, chur-wee,’’ or ‘‘ sweet, sweet, sweet,
sweetie ’’ being well known to bird lovers throughout the State. According
to Bicknell the song period lasts from late in April through the month of
July, sometimes nearly until the middle of August, but in my experience
its song is rarely heard after the 12th of July; but after the song has ceased
there is no period of revival before the warbler’s departure in the fall.
The common call note of the Yellow warbler heard in the spring is ‘‘ dzt,”
so common to many members of the family, and a mild chip similar to
that of the Parula warbler.

The nest is usually placed in a shrub or low tree within a few feet of
the ground, but sometimes is found in the branches 30 or even 40
feet above the ground. It is a neatly woven, symmetrical, cup-shaped
structure of fine vegetable fibers, especially the bark of the milkweed,
fine grasses and down from willows, poplars, ferns and various other plants,
lined with fine grasses, plant down, hairs, and feathers. The eggs are 4
or 5 in number, of a grayish white or pale greenish ground color, rather
thickly sprinkled with spots, blotches and irregular markings of umber,
black, lilac and purplish, usually tending to form a wreath near the larger
end. They average .69 by .50 inches in size. The first sets in southern
New York are completed from May 17 to 30, and about a week later in
the northern counties. Sets are frequently found also from the 20th to
the 30th of June, or even the 1oth of July, indicating that a second. brood
is probably reared in many instances. This species is one of those most
frequently selected by the Cowbird as a foster mother for its offspring,
but the warbler often outwits the Cowbird by building a second
lining over the intruder’s egg and laying her own on the new lining, thus

402 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

forming a two-story nest, or, in one or two cases which have been called

Photo by Ralph S. Paddock
Yellow warbler’s nest and eggs, with egg of Cowbird

to my attention, even a three-story nest, so that the egg of the Cowbird

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 403

is not hatched and the warbler’s brood is saved from destruction. Although
I have noticed many of our native birds desert their nests when they have
been parasitized by the Cowbird, the Yellow warbler is the only one that
I have noticed which builds a new lining over the interloper’s egg.

The food of the Yellow warbler consists largely of smooth caterpillars,
plant lice, small beetles, various flies, especially the Ephemeridae and the
smaller Hymenoptera. During the migration season I have watched the
Yellow warbler in company with other species devouring plant lice in
apple trees and shade trees about our lawns, and, before the young have
left the nest, have noticed them bringing large numbers of measuring
worms and green caterpillars, gall flies and lake flies. Aside from the
destruction of a few beneficial beetles and parasitic Hymenoptera, this
beautiful little bird does no damage at all and in general it must be con-
sidered a very beneficial species, and it is at the same time one of the

most beautiful and interesting of those which nest about our gardens and
orchards.

Dendroica caerulescens caerulescens (Gmelin)
Black-throated Blue Warbler

Plate 94

Motacilla caerulescens Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1789. 1: 960
Sylvicola canadensis DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 98, fig. 109 and
131
Dendroica caerulescens caerulescens A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3.
Tg10. p. 312. No. 654
caeruléscens, Lat., bluish, beginning to be blue

Description. Adult male: Upper parts grayish blue; cheeks, throat and
sides black; lower breast and belly pure white; wings and tail blackish but
edged and overlaid with the color of the back so that when closed the whole
upper parts seem nearly uniform in color; a conspicuous white spot in
the wing formed by the white bases of the primaries; the 3 outer tail
feathers with conspicuous white spots on their inner webs. Adult female:
An inconspicuous, neutral colored warbler; upper parts dusky olive green
with only a tinge of bluish on the crown and tail; an obscure whitish line
over the eye; dingy white spot in the wing at the base of the primaries in
the same position as the pure white spot in the male’s wing; under parts

26

404 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

pale buffy whitish; outer tail feathers with white spots. Young female: Similar
to the adult but greener above with no trace of bluish; white wing spot
barely diseernible; white in the tail much reduced.

Distribution. Eastern North America from Hudson bay and New-
foundland south to the Northern States, and in the highlands and mountains
to Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Its breeding
range in New York State is shown by distribution map on page 25, volume
I, of this work. In all parts of the State where it is not a summer resident
it is a common or even an abundant transient, arriving in the spring from
April 25 to May 8 and passing northward from May 20 to 30, reappearing
in the fall from August 27 to September 17, and departing for the south
from September 28 to October 17. On rare occasions it will be noted as
late as the 20th or 30th of November. Throughout the Catskill and
Adirondack districts it is a common summer resident, but prefers mostly
the deciduous and mixed woodlands to the forests of spruce and balsam.
On the colder hillsides and gulleys of central and western New York it is
rather scarce as a breeding species, but nearly every ravine in the central
lake district has from one to three pairs of breeding birds.

Haunts and habits. The Black-throated blue warbler, though not so
brilliantly colored as many members of the family, is one of the neatest
and best groomed of all the warblers. He usually arrives in our State
before the foliage of our deciduous trees is formed, and as he flies from
bough to bough or from bush to bush he displays to fine advantage the
clear black and white and blue coloration, the white spots in the wing
and tail flashing like the wings of a butterfly. He carries his wings and
tail partially spread somewhat in the manner of the. Redstart. His song,
though very versatile, is among the thinnest and most nonmelodious of
the family. Gerald Thayer has noted several different variations of the
strain beside the “‘ zwee-zwee-zwee ’’ so often found in the bird books. One
of the songs he compares to the explosive song of the Blue-winged warbler,

resembling the syllables ‘‘ swee-chir-r-r-r-r’’ or ‘‘ wher-w-e-e-e-e-e”’; another

is ‘ wher-wher-whee-ee ’’ uttered with deliberation; another he renders by

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 405

the syllables “ hi-hi-hi-hi-hi-hi-hi”’ ending in a high-pitched long drawn
“‘whee-ee’’; another he writes ‘‘ bzz2z-bzz2-bzz2-bzz2-bz22,"’ a ‘‘ weak, insectlike
grating.”’ In all these variations Mr Thayer recognizes a ‘‘ characteristic,
full-voiced huskiness ’’ which distinguishes the species. John Burroughs’s
description of the first known nest of this species, discovered in Delaware
county, is found in his “‘ Locusts and Wild Honey.” The eggs are usually
of a buffy white or light greenish ground color, blotched and spotted with
reddish brown and lilac, often forming a wreath near the larger end, but
sometimes evenly distributed over the entire egg. They average .67 by
.51 inches in size. Mr Clarence F. Stone describes the nests found near
Branchport by himself and Mr Burtch, as follows: The nest is usually
placed near the ground in a low sapling amidst a fairly dense growth of
underbrush, especially in woods of beech and maple with a slight admix-
ture of pine or hemlock.

Some years this warbler is a common summer resident, other years
very uncommon. Its abundance seems to depend upon whether there are
clearings in woods that offer the kind of nesting situations suited to its
tastes. In this locality the Black-throated blue warblers prefer clearings
amidst hemlock woods or along hemlock-clad gully banks where there
are dense underbrush, bushes and stump sprouts bearing multitudes of
large leaves.

The male is not so nervously active or demonstrative at any time as
many other warblers. The female is extremely shy when flushed from the
nest, so that it requires some time to get a good look at her. This warbler’s
nest often contains an egg of the Cowbird.

The nests are variously attached to slender scrubby bushes, 8 to 30
inches up, usually very close to trails or old wood roads. They are very
neat, compact, thick walled, and made outside of shreds of weed bark,
bleached blades of grass, beech buds, with lining of fine brown colored
rootlet fibers and horse hair. A constant characteristic of this warbler’s
nest is the decoration of decayed, spongy pieces of light colored wood
fastened to outside by strands of spider’s web.

406 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Dendroica coronata (Linnaeus)
Myrtle Warbler
Plate 04

Motacilla coronata Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 12. 1766. 1:333

Sylvicola coronata DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 88, fig. 103

Dendroica coronata A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p.312. No. 655
corondta, Lat., crowned

Description. Adult male: A yellow patch on the center of the crown,
on the rump and on each side of the breast; upper parts bluish gray streaked
with black; cheeks black; throat white; breast largely black running down each
side below the yellow patches; center of the belly and under tail coverts
white; flank streaked with black; 3 pairs of outer tail feathers with con-
spicuous white spots; 2 conspicuous white wing bars. Adult female in spring:
’ Pattern of coloration similar to the male’s, but the bluish gray replaced by
brownish; the breast less extensively black; the flanks less heavily streaked;
the yellow patches on the crown and sides sometimes obscured, but the
rump patch is as conspicuous as in the male. Male in the fall: Similar to
the spring female but browner. Young: Similar to the male and female
in fall plumage, but the crown and breast patches usually obscured.

Length 5.65 inches; extent 9.05; bill .35; wing 2.9; tail 2.2; tarsus .71.

Distribution. Breeds from the limit of trees in Alaska and Labrador
to Maine, northern New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, western
Massachusetts, northern Michigan, Minnesota and British Columbia. In
New York the breeding range is apparently confined to the spruce belt
of the Catskills and Adirondacks. Its breeding at Utica and Buffalo
which has been reported has never been confirmed by later observation
although it may occasionally, like other species, breed casually in various
parts of the State. The winter range extends from Cape Elizabeth in
Maine, eastern Massachusetts, southeastern New York, southern Illinois,
southward to the West Indies, Mexico and Panama.. Throughout New
York this is one of the commonest of the warblers in migration time,
arriving from the 5th to the 17th of April in the southeastern portion of
the State, from April 17 to 28 in central and western New York, April 26
to 30 in Essex county. In central New York it is commonest during the

first 10 days of May, and passes northward from the 20th to the 28th of

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 407

May. In the vicinity of New York City it passes northward between the
1oth and 20th of May. During the migration season it is evident that
the males precede the females, as is the case with many birds. Sometimes
a flock of 20 or 30 males is seen during the third week of April and during
the second and third weeks of May almost nothing but females are found.
In the fall the southward migration is sometimes noted as early as the
16th of August, but usually in central New York between the 20th and
28th of September; in the vicinity of New York City, from the Ist to the
7th of October, whereas the departure of the greater number for the south
occurs between the 25th of October and the 11th of November.

Haunts and habits. The Myrtle warbler is found in the spring
mostly in deciduous woods, often feeding in the tops of oaks, chestnuts
and maples, but in the fall it is commoner in the thick growths of bushes
along the edges of swamps and cedar thickets and feeds largely on the
berries of the wax myrtle which have given it its common name. The
remainder of the year its food consists almost entirely of insects, during
the early part of the season, especially of cocoons, larvae and eggs which
it seeks about the buds and branches of trees. In the summer it frequents
the coniferous forests of the Canadian zone of the Catskills and Adirondacks,
being the most abundant warbler breeding on the higher slopes of the
mountains, as far up as the stunted spruces on the summits of Skylight,
Haystack, Marcy and Whiteface, associating there with the Blackpolled
warbler and the Junco.

The common call note heard in the spring is a characteristic “ tchip.’”
Another is noted by Allison, which he writes ‘ sweet ’’ with rising inflection.
The song is not heard in its full volume till late in the migration season
or on the breeding ground, but begins in the southern states in March.
According to Thayer it has ‘‘ a loud and silvery sleighbell trill,’ ‘‘ a vivid
spritely utterance.”” Sometimes he utters a deliberate phrase of 3 or 4
well-separated syllables having the usual tone and volume but lacking

‘

sometimes only in part, the jingling tremolo.
The nest of the Myrtle warbler is usually placed in a low coniferous

408 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

tree only a few feet from the ground. It is a rather loose and bulky nest
of dead twigs from spruces and hemlocks, grass stems, a few leaves, lined
with fine roots and hair and usually a number of feathers. The eggs are
from 3 to 5 in number, dull white to creamy white in ground color, spotted
and blotched with reddish brown, lavender and a few purplish black marks.
The average size is .70 by .53 inches. The date of nesting in Essex county
is May 30 to June 15.

Dendroica magnolia (Wilson)
Magnolia Warbler

Plate 97

Sylvia magnolia Wilson. Amer. Orn. 1811. 3:63. pl. 23, fig. 2

Sylvicola maculosa DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 90, fig. 112

Dendroica magnolia A.O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p.313. No. 657
magnolia, named from the magnolia tree which it frequents

Description. Predominant colors black, yellow and white. Adult
male: Back, cheeks, frontlet and upper tail coverts black; crown and back
of the neck bluish gray; wings blackish edged with gray and with. broad
white wing bar; rump and under parts bright yellow; heavily streaked on
the breast and sides with black; tail black with a broad basal zone of white
formed by the white inner edges of the feathers except the central pair
extending from the base half or two-thirds of the way to the tip. Adult
female: MDuller than the male; back olive green spotted with black: the
whole upper parts more or less tinged with gray; under parts lighter yellow
and less heavily marked with black. Male in the fall: Brownish gray
on the crown and neck; back olive green indistinctly streaked; rump and
tail as in spring; breast and sides marked with concealed black streaks
very different from the spring. Female in fall: Upper parts mostly
brownish olive green; sides with a few obscure black streaks; dusky band
across the upper breast.

Length 4.75—-5 inches; extent 7-7.5; wing 2.2-2.5; tail 2; bill .35.

Distribution. Breeds from southern Mackenzie, Keewatin, northern
Quebec and Newfoundland to central Alberta, Saskatchewan, Minnesota,
northern Michigan and northern Massachusetts; in the mountains to
Maryland and Virginia. Winters from southern Mexico to Panama. In
New York it is a common summer resident of the Canadian zone in the
Catskills and Adirondacks and breeds sparingly in the swamps, gullies and

;

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 409

cooler hillsides of central, western and southwestern New York. Through-
out the State it is a common transient, arriving from the 3d to the 14th of
May; average date for western and southeastern New York, May 9, rarely
appearing as early as the 28th of April. In southeastern New York and the
lowlands of central and western New York it disappears between the 22d
and 31st of May, to reappear again the middle to the last of August,
and passes southward from the Ist to the 12th of October. The present

Photo by Clarence F. Stone

Magnolia warbler’s nest and eggs

breeding range of this species is shown by a map, page 26, volume 1, of
this work.

Haunts and habits. Throughout the migration season the Magnolia
warbler is common throughout our orchards and shade trees, as well as
the woodlands. It flutters about considerably while pursuing winged
insects, displaying its brilliant black, yellow and white coloration, spreading
the tail and showing the broad basal band of white which sometimes will

410 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

distinguish it at a long distance through the grove. It is also one of our
full-voiced warblers, the song resembling the syllables “‘ wee-to, wee-to,
wee-e-tee,’ or ‘‘ witchi, witchi, witchi, tit, witchi-tit, witchi-tit, witchi-tit’’ the
first four words deliberate and even, the last three hurried and higher
pitched. Aberrant songs also noted by Mr Thayer are “‘ter-whiz, wee-it”’
and another ‘‘ wee-yer, wee-yer, wee-yer.”’ The song is louder than the Yel-
low warbler’s, and in addition it has several ‘‘ chips’’ which are scarcely
distinguishable from other species, and a more characteristic call note with a
slight metallic ring, “‘ ’tlep, 'tlep.”’

In its nesting grounds, this warbler prefers coniferous growth, especially
young spruces, which crowd the edges of the northern swamp or appear
in slashings, burnt lands and pastures. The nest is almost invariably
placed in a low spruce tree only a few feet above the ground, and is con-
structed of dead twigs of spruce and hemlock, pine needles, grasses and
downy substances, and lined with fine rootlets. The eggs are 3 to 6 in
numbez, usually 4, of a dull, creamy white ground color with spots and
blotches of reddish brown, chestnut, purplish and lilac, often heavily covered,
at other times forming a wreath near the larger end. The average size
is .66 by .48 inches. Mr C. F. Stone thus describes the nests which are
found in the gullies of the Finger Lake region: ‘‘ Every hemlock-clad
gully or hemlock woods where the trees are close and limbs intertwined
afford suitable haunts for this lively and emphatic singer, for the Magnolia
is one of our most agile warblers and utters its two songs, with their
variations, in a clear, loud, emphatic enunciation. Among the smaller
gullies 1 or 2 pairs may be found, and in the larger gullies it is not unusual
to locate 12 or 15 pairs during the nesting period. In some of these
situations the Magnolia does not seem to occur, perhaps because it is so
persecuted by red squirrels and cowbirds. The latter seems to make
a specialty of presenting this warbler with one or more of its eggs, generally
puncturing the eggs of the Magnolia before leaving the nest. The nest-
building of this species begins by May 25 and fresh eggs are found by
June 2 to 15. In this locality the nests are usually situated anywhere

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 411

from 6 to 15 feet above the ground and from 4 to 15 feet from the body
of the tree in a tangle of branches. Rarely do they select other than hem-
lock trees, but I found one nest in the forks of a maple bush in a thick
undergrowth among hemlocks. Another was placed in the top of a scrub
beech through which a hemlock limb extended. While the Magnolia
is one of the most beautiful warblers, agile in actions and energetic in song,
it is a very shabby nestbuilder, lacking by far the skill and neatness dis-
played by the Black-throated green. The nests are made of hemlock twig-
lets very loosely interwoven and mingled with grass stems, fine root fibers,
always lined with plenty of horse hair. The nests are also decorated on
the outside with brown and white woolly substances.”

Dendroica cerulea (Wilson)

Cerulean Warbler

Plate 94

Sylvia cerulea Wilson. Amer. Orn. 1810. 2: 141. pl. 17, fig. 5

Sylvicola caerulea DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 92, fig. 107

Dendroica cerulea A.O. U. Check List. Ed.3. tr910. p. 314. No. 658
cerulea, Lat., sky blue

Description. Adult male: Upper parts blue, the back slightly streaked
with blackish; crown richer blue and with a few dark markings; under
parts pure white streaked in a band across the breast and on the sides with
black; ear patch dusky; eyelids and line over the eye white; wings and
tail blackish, edged with the color of the back; the tail with small white
spots on the outer feathers near the tip and the wings with 2 broad white
bars formed by the greater and median coverts. Adult female: Much less
blue on the upper parts than the male; more grayish in hue and tinged,
especially on the back, with greenish; line over the eye and under parts
pale yellowish instead of white and only very indistinctly streaked on the
sides. Young resemble the female.

Length 4-4.5 inches; wing 2.65; tail 1.95.

Distribution. Breeds from southeastern Minnesota, southern Michigan
and southern Ontario, western New York and western Pennsylvania and
central Delaware to West Virginia, central Alabama, Louisiana and eastern
Texas. The breeding range in New York is shown by map on page 26.

412 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

It is locally a common summer resident in various localities of central
and western New York, especially Tonawanda swamp, Howland island,
Potter swamp, Penfield swamp, Stockbridge hill and many open deciduous
woodlands of the central lowland. In eastern and southeastern New York
this species is extremely rare, only three migration dates coming from New
York City. A single summer date, Hyde Park, July 4, 1895, comes from
Lispenard Horton. Evidently it has invaded this State from the Mississippi
valley and its migrations each year follow this route. It arrives from the
3d to the 14th of May, the 5th being the average date on its breeding
grounds in Yates county. No reliable dates of departure are before me.
Personally, I have never seen it later than the third week in August.
Haunts and habits. Mr Stone thus describes the breeding habits of
the Cerulean in Potter swamp: ‘‘ They are numerous in the maple woods
on the hillsides overlooking the swamp, as well as in the swamp itself,
and in the vicinity of Branchport they also occur in isolated pairs during
the nesting season. In the heavily timbered Urbana and Scottsville swamp
about 5 miles south of Prattsburg they also occur, but less commonly
than in the Potter swamp. The Cerulean spends most of its time cavorting
through the highest tree tops in the most lively manner, singing almost
constantly its ‘ zwee-zwee, zwee, wee-ee,’ during the nesting season. During
rainy days they descend to the lower limbs where they may easily be
observed. When gathering nest materials they give no heed to the presence
of human beings but fly to the ground or along the logs and fallen trees
within a dozen feet, carrying the materials directly to the nest. This is
situated anywhere from 15 to 60 feet above the ground and on all sorts
of limbs from 20 inches to 20 feet from the body of the tree. Sometimes
they sit squarely on a big limb; again in the fork of a limb just like the
Wood pewee; and again, 15 to 20 feet out in the tip end of abranch. I have
found nests almost concealed in a thick cluster of twigs on the knotty
_ portion of a horizontal branch. The nests are sometimes very shabby
and fragile, but usually they are works of art, made of strands of weed
bark, wild grapevine bark, fine grasses, lined with fine reddish rootlets

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 413

and tendrils, giving the interior a decidedly ruddy appearance. It is
characteristic of the Cerulean’s nest to be more or less decorated on the
outside with a sort of whitish lichen and I have never found a nest that
did not have this ornamentation. Other materials are also used, as duck
down, small feathers, feathers of the Cerulean itself, horse hair, dead wood,
_ pieces of moss and spider cells. Nestbuilding begins about May 22. Full
sets are found as early as May 28, but the usual date for complete sets
is June 4to6. The eggs in this locality are usually 4 in number, sometimes

”

5." They are pale bluish white or greenish in ground color, speckled
quite uniformly with reddish brown and lilac. In size they average .69
by 52 inches.

Dendroica pensylvanica (Linnaeus)

Chestnut-sided Warbler
Plate 96

Motacilla pensylvanica Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 12. 1766. 1:333

Sylvicola icterocephala DeKay. Zool. N.Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 102, fig. 134

Dendroica pensylvanica A.O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 314. No. 659
pensylvdnica, of Pennsylvania

Description. Crown plain yellow; sides of the head and neck and
under parts pure white; black patch in front of the eye sending a black
line back above the eye bordering the yellow crown and another down
the side of the throat bordering the white cheek patch; broad streaks of
chestnut run from the sides of the throat entirely down both sides; back
streaked with pale yellow or yellowish white and black; wing bars usually
fused into a large white wing patch. Adult female: Similar but colors
less distinct; loral spot usually wanting, and the chestnut streaks thin or
obscure. Fall plumage, male: Greenish yellow above obscurely streaked with
black; side of the head gray; sides, wings and tail as in the spring. Female
im the fall, and young: Similar to the adult male in fall plumage, but the
back greenish and less distinctly streaked and the chestnut on the sides
obscure or wanting.

Length 5.14 inches; extent 7.8-8.1; wing 2.45; tail 2; tarsus .72; bill .35.

Distribution. Breeds from Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba,
central Ontario and Newfoundland to Rhode Island, New Jersey, northern
Ohio, Illinois and eastern Nebraska, and southward in the mountains to
Tennessee and South Carolina. In New York this species is a common

414 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

or abundant transient visitant in nearly all parts of the State, arriving
from the 3d to the 9th of May, sometimes as early as the 2d, at other times
as late as the 12th. The main troop of migrants has passed northward
from the southern counties from the 19th to the 30th of May, returning
in the fall from the 15th to the 30th of August, and passing south from the
18th to the 30th of September, sometimes as late as the 1oth of October.
It also breeds in all portions of New York State, though uncommonly
on Long Island and only locally in the southeastern portions of the State;
but throughout the Alleghanian and Canadian zones it is a common sum-
mer resident, especially in the bushy pastures of eastern, central and western
New York and the outskirts of the Adirondacks, its distribution varying
considerably in different years, dependent upon the season and the char-
acteristic cover to be found. A considerable increase of slashings and
brambly thickets in any section of the State is almost sure to be followed
by a decided increase in the numbers of this species as summer residents.

Haunts and habits. The Chestnut-sided warbler nests about the
edges of woods, bushy pastures and neglected roadsides, usually in wilder
and more deserted situations than those frequented by the Yellow warbler.
It is partial to the deciduous bushland throughout the hillsides of western
New York; rarely found within the depths of the forest or where there is
any considerable admixture of evergreens. Its hunting ground, as Gerald
Thayer writes, lies between the ground and the tops of the small deciduous
trees.

Its song is a “ full-voiced warble.’”’ Two types are distinguishable,
“both too liquid to be suggested by any set syllables except the clearly
enunciated ending of one of them which may be written ‘ wee-chew, tit-
a-wit-a-wit-a-wit-we chew,’ being something like the phrasing of the whole
song. The other is an elaboration of this rolling warble, with the wee-
chew left off.”” During the migration this is one of the commonest species
in all parts of the State and its cheery little song may be heard in all the
orchards and shade trees from the first to the third week in May about
our villages and parklands and the edges of woods.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 415

“This warbler may be considered abundant and evenly distributed
in Yates county. It is found in all clearings where bushes have grown
up, whether it be the highland or lowland. They begin nestbuilding
about the 17th of May, and in three instances noted take 5 or 6 days
to complete the nest. The full set of eggs is deposited as early as May 26,
sometimes as late as June 9. > “ es
One nest of the Chestnut-sided
warbler was found July 13 con-

#

taining young just hatched,
but July nesting seems to be
rare. The nests are very
shabby, being loosely inter-
woven with broad blades of
bleached grass, shreds of
weed bark and grass stems,
lined with fine, round, reddish
grasses or tendrils, and horse
hair. The eggs are 4 in num-
ber, white or creamy white,
marked with wreaths of brown,
blackish and lavender. Nest-
ing situations are always along ~ Phan byt: 6 Hina
old wood roads or close to OE aE ee a ae eee

open places or the bushy edges of woodland, the nest being concealed
in briers or the forks of bushes from 15 inches to 4 feet from the ground ”’
(Stone MSS.).

As Burtch and Stone have found this the most abundantly distributed
warbler in Yates county brushlands, so I found it in Erie and Cattaraugus
counties from 1882 to 1885, nesting commonly in the same situations
selected by the Indigo bird, and almost always within 2 feet of the ground.

416 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Dendroica castanea (Wilson)
Bay-breasted Warbler

Plate 96

Sylvia castanea Wilson. Amer. Orn. 1810. 2:97. pl. 14, fig. 4

Sylvicola castanea DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 94, fig. 116

Dendroica castanea A.O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p.314. No. 660
castanea, Lat., a chestnut, alluding to the color of the breast

Description. Adult male in spring: Throat and fore breast, run-
ning part way down the sides, chestnut; crown deep chestnut; black
forehead, eye spot and line over the eye; back streaked with black, grayish
olive and buffy; a buffy patch on the side of the neck back of the auriculars;
tail dusky, margined with gray; 2 or 3 outer feathers with white patches
on their inner webs near the tip; wings with 2 broad white bars; belly white;
Female: Similar to male, but the chestnut markings less pure, the chest-
nut on the throat and sides sometimes appearing only in patches. Male
in the fall: Olive green, somewhat streaked with blackish; crown showing
some concealed chestnut when a bird is examined in the hand; wings and
tail similar to the spring plumage but more tinged with yellowish; wnder
parts whitish tinged with yellowish on the throat and breast, with buffy
on the flanks and under tail coverts; sides with more or less chestnut. Young:
Similar to the fall plumage of the male, but showing no chestnut on the
crown or sides.

Length 5.63 inches; extent 8.95; wing 2.95; tail 2.12; bill .41.

Distribution. Breeds from northeastern Alberta, southern Keewatin,
Ungava and Newfoundland to Manitoba, northern New Hampshire and
northern Maine. Winters in Panama and Colombia. Although I searched
for this warbler through the highest portion of the Adirondacks during
the breeding season of 1905, neither I nor any one of my five assistants
could find any evidence of its residence in that region. As it breeds in
the mountains of northern New Hampshire we expected to find it about
Whiteface, Marcy, Skylight, Haystack or some of the neighboring moun-
tains, but utterly failed to find any but negative evidence of it. Duriag
the migration season this is a common transient in most portions of New
York, though somewhat irregular in distribution. During some seasons
it is fairly abundant in western New York and some seasons on Long Island

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 417

and the Hudson valley it is recorded as common or abundant; during
other seasons as uncommon, and sometimes as rare. During 15 years of
observation in western New York, however, my experience indicates that
it is nearly as common as the Blackburnian warbler and almost as regular
in migration. The dates of arrival range from May 3 to 16, May 12 being
about the average. An exceptionally early date of April 30 is recorded
at Branchport. The last migrant is usually seen between the 25th and 31st
of May. In the fall they make their appearance from the 16th to the
24th of September and pass southward from the 18th to the 1oth of October.
The average date of spring arrival in southeastern New York is recorded
by Cook and Chapman as May 8.

Haunts and habits. The Bay-breasted warbler usually frequents the
tops of deciduous trees during migration, being especially fond of chest-
nuts, oaks and hickories just as the leaves are bursting. It is also found
in orchards and about the shade trees of the streets and parks as well as
in the midst of woodlands. Like the Black-poll, in my experience, how-
ever, it prefers the upper portions of trees except in cold or stormy weather
when they descend and feed among the underbrush.

The song is described by Farwell as a ‘‘ weak, monotonous, saw-filing
note.’ Gerald Thayer says: “It varies greatly, from the bases of at
least 2 and probably 3 clearly distinct main songs. One of these —6 or
more barely separated lisping notes — are all alike in volume, accentuation,
tone and speed. They are slightly louder than the average Black-poll
notes and not quite so smooth in tone. Another song begins in about
the same way but ends with 3 or 4 clearly separated, louder notes which
have a more nearly full-voiced ring. The third uncommon song which
I have all but surely traced to the Bay-breast is louder throughout and
otherwise very different, begins with about Io penetrating notes in close-
knit couplets like those of the Black and white’s shorter song, and much
the same tone but louder, and it ends abruptly with a single lower toned,
much richer note, like a fragment of the Ovenbird’s song.”

418 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Dendroica striata (J. R. Forster)
Black-poll Warbler

Plate 96

Muscicapa striata Forster. Philos. Trans. 1772. 62: 406, 428

Sylvicola striata DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 93, fig. 129

Dendroica striata A.O. U. Check List. Ed.3. 1910. p.315. No. 661
striata, Lat., striped or marked with lines

Description. Adult male in spring: Crown black; back grayish streaked
with black; cheeks white; under parts white, the sides heavily streaked with
black; outer tail feathers with white patches on inner webs near the tip;
wings washed with greenish; 2 white wing bars; inner wing feathers margined
with white. Female in spring: Upper parts grayish olive green streaked
with black; under parts dingy white, sometimes tinged with yellow, slightly
streaked with black on the sides of the throat and breast. Fall plumage
all sexes: Upper parts olive green obscurely streaked with black on the
back and on top of the head; under parts dull yellowish or yellowish white,
obscurely streaked with dusky on the sides.

Length 5.56 inches; extent 8.9; wing 2.92; tail 2.05; bill .4.

Distribution. LDreeds in the boreal zone from the limit of trees in
Alaska and Labrador southward to northern Maine, New Hampshire,
Vermont, New York, Minnesota and in the mountains to Colorado and
New Mexico. In New York this is the most purely boreal in its affinities
of all our breeding warblers, being confined to the higher mountains of the
Catskills and Adirondacks. Inthe Adirondacks my party found it breeding
quite commonly near the summits of the Indian head, Mount Colvin, Geo-
logical cobble, Skylight, Haystack, Wolf’s Jaws, Marcy and Whiteface.
There is very little doubt that it may be found on all the higher peaks
which run above 2500 or 3000 feet, at least where there are stunted spruces
and balsam firs. As a transient visitant it is abundant in all portions of
the State, especially in the coastal district and Hudson valley, arriving
from the south from the 9th to the 16th of May, occasionally as early
as the 5th, and passing northward from the 26th to the 31st. In the fall
Doctor Fisher has noticed it as early as the 5th to the 16th of August at

Ossining. In western New York we rarely see it earlier than the 9th to

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 419

the 12th of September. Both in eastern and western New York the fall
migration closes between the 28th of September and the 16th of October,
stragglers sometimes being noticed as late as the first week in November.
Its abundance in the coastal district may be inferred from the fact that
356 individuals of this species were found in a single count at the foot
of Fire Island light, killed by striking on the night of September 23,
1887.

Haunts and habits. During the migrations, the Black-poll frequents
the higher portions of our deciduous trees. The thin, wiry song is fre-
quently heard about the village streets and throughout our groves and
parks. It is not so easily observed as our other migrating warblers, due
to the fact that it arrives late in the season when the leaves have partially,
or sometimes entirely, completed their growth, and it is a neck-breaking
occupation to hunt down these high-feeding warblers with an opera glass.
However, when they are found feeding among the groves of oaks and
chestnuts we may have greater success for their leaves are not so fully
grown at the third week in May when the Black-poll’s floodtide of migration
occurs. In my experience, the Black-poll is least frequently of all our
warblers seen feeding among the lower shrubbery, in the migration season,
but it does descend, especially on cool and rainy days and, as with all
warblers, we can gain a partial victory by mounting a hilltop and looking
downwards into the foliage of the lower hill slopes. Gerald Thayer writes:
“Tts song is a string of from 6 to 12 or more short and equally divided
sibilant notes, cobweb-thin and glassy clear, uttered rather fast; the whole
song smoothly swelling in volume to the middle, and then smoothly falling
off. This should, perhaps, be called the one main song, but the variations
from it are many and pronounced. Its syllables vary in number from
4 to 15 or more. They are’ sometimes uttered very hurriedly and close
together — a song like a trembling wire — and sometimes they are deliber-
ately and distinctly enunciated. Occasionally these 2 styles of delivery
are combined in one utterance. Again, the song’s characteristic swell

and fall in volume is sometimes, though seldom, wholly wanting; and the
bi

420 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

shorter versions are often crescendo to the end” (Chapman, Warblers of
North America).

The nests of the Black-poll which Mr Howard Bradstreet found about
the Ausable lakes were placed in low spruces from 3 to 8 feet from the
ground, composed of twigs, rootlets and bits of moss, and lined with fine
grass, feathers and vegetable down. The eggs are 4 or 5 in number, creamy
white or grayish white in ground color, blotched and speckled with reddish
brown, lilac and gray, usually forming a wreath as with others of the family,
and averaging in size .71 by .52 inches. Adirondack nesting dates vary
from June 5 to 20.

Dendroica fusca (Miller)
Blackburnian Warbler

Plate 07

Motacilla fusca Miller. Natursyst. Suppl. 1776. 175 ,

Sylvicola blackburniae DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 93, fig. 113

Dendroica fusca A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p.315. No. 662
fivisca, dark or dusky in color

Description. Adult male: Throat and upper breast rich orange; side of
the neck, broad line over the eye, spot over the eye, spot on the forehead,
orange; upper parts in general black; streaked with whitish on the back;
wings and tail blackish; the wings with a large white patch; the outer tail
feathers largely white on the inner web; the outer webs white at base, show-
ing as a conspicuous white area when the tail is spread; abdomen whitish,
its forward portions suffused with the color of forward portions of the
breast, but ranging to white on the under tail coverts; sides streaked with
black. Adult female: Much duller than the male; the upper parts grayish
brown to dusky where the male is black; the orange of the throat and
breast much paler; all the markings less distinct. Fall birds: Duller than
the corresponding sexes in spring plumage, more veiled with brown and
grayish. Young: Like female but duller, the throat nearly yellowish.

Length 5.25 inches; wing 2.7; tail 1.95; bill .4.

Distribution. Breeds from Manitoba, southern Keewatin, ‘Quebec and
Cape Breton to central Minnesota, northern Michigan, Massachusetts, the
highlands of Connecticut and in the Alleghanies to Georgia and South
Carolina; winters from Yucatan, to Colombia and Peru. In New York

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 421

this warbler is a common summer resident of the Catskill and Adirondack

_ districts, and breeds locally throughout the cooler swamps, gullies and high-

lands of central and western New York. Its nest has been recorded from
Tonawanda swamp, Orleans county (Langille); Remsen and Holland
Patent, Oneida county (Ralph and Bagg); Stockbridge, Madison county:
(Maxon); Hamilton and Shedd’s Corners (Embody); Seneca and Clark’s
Glens, Canandaigua lake (Eaton); Springville, Erie county (Eaton); near
Mayville, Chautauqua county (Kibbe); Hamburg, Erie county (Savage);
gullies of Keuka lake (Burtch and Stone). During the migration season
it is common throughout central and western New York and in the Hudson
valley, but is recorded as uncommon on Long Island, arriving from April
30 to May 8, average date May 5; sometimes appears as early as April 26.
The main migration is passed by the 21st to the 31st of May. In the

- fall the return migration may be noted from August 15 to September 7,

the last being noted between October 5 and 16.

Haunts and habits. The Blackburnian warbler during the migration
season associates with the Magnolia, Bay-breasted and Chestnut-sided
warblers among the blossoming fruit trees and the leaving shrubbery and
shade trees of our lawns and parks. During: the nesting season, however,
it is almost entirely confined to mixed and evergreen forests, being especially
fond of hemlocks and spruces. In the Adirondacks we noticed it as one
of the characteristic woodland warblers, being practically as abundant in
the depths of the forest as about the edges of the clearings or along the
streams and edges of the swamps. In the gullies and swamps of central
New York I have never found it in the nesting season except where there
is a liberal sprinkling of hemlocks, which it seems to prefer to the pine,
and the old name of Hemlock warbler which was applied to the young
of this species is perfectly appropriate. The Blackburnian flutters about
while feeding almost as conspicuously as the Redstart and Magnolia,
displaying its brillant colors and pied pattern very effectively.

The song is heard during migration’ time as well as in the nesting
coverts, described by Thayer as ‘‘ Thin, but exquisitely smooth in all the

422 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

many variations of its two or more main songs. One of these is much
less changeable than the other. This is the simple one, which may be .
syllabled ‘ tstvvi-tstvvi-tsivvi-tstvvi,’ or a variation ‘ sissi-vit, sissi-vit, sissi-
vit, sissi-vit,’ deliberately and almost languidly uttered in both cases with
a fine ‘ kinglety’ sibilant-voiced tone. The other common song, though
it begins in much the same way, is more hurried throughout and ends
on a sharply ascending scale with a sort of explosion of small, crowded
notes; but the utterances vary widely and the one last described is about
the most changeable of all the warblers’ songs I know. Even the tone
quality is not quite constant, for though it never, in my experience, varies
toward huskiness, it does occasionally range towards full-voiced richness.
Thus I have heard a Blackburnian that began its otherwise normal song
with two or three clear notes much like those of the most full and smooth-
voiced performance of the American redstart and another that began so
much like the Nashville that I had to hear him several times, nearby,
to be convinced that there was not a Nashville chiming in.”

The nesting site of the Blackburnian is usually the horizontal limb
of a conifer, spruce or hemlock. Merriam mentions one 84 feet from the
ground; Bolles, one placed in a sugar maple 60 feet from the ground; and
nests which our party found on the slopes of the Bartlett range and Mt
Marcy were in hemlocks 45 and 60 feet up. The nests reported by Mr
Burtch from the gullies near Branchport were in hemlocks about 35 feet
from the ground and 6 feet from the tree trunk. Mr C. F. Stone thus
describes the nesting as he has observed it: ‘‘ After the great Black-
burnian wave has reached its height and passed northward, a few may
still be found breeding in the gullies in this vicinity. I know of but 3
or 4 pairs that remain to breed in our larger gullies where they are found
among the tallest and thickest hemlock trees. The male, at least, spends
most of his time in the highest hemlocks, darting from one tree to another,
continually on the move so that it is hard to get even a glimpse of him,
and if one were not familiar with his liquid warble the bird would go
unidentified unless the gleaming throat could be seen. To my ear the

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 423

Blackburnian’s warble is scarcely distinguishable from that of the Ceru-
lean’s and, in fact, both of these warblers have the same habit of flying
through the tree tops, hurriedly warbling their songs, apparently giving no
heed to the incubating female. While I have observed the Blackburnian as
late as July 1, locating them by the song, I have found but one nest, which
was on June 7, 1903. It contained 4 eggs and the situation was on the
top of a gully bank in a hemlock rather isolated from the others over a bush
grown area. It was placed 25 feet up and about 1o feet from the body
of the tree in the end of a limb and effectively concealed from view. The
female sat very closely and when flushed remained within 10 feet, slowly
flying about uttering a mild chip of alarm. The male did not appear.
The nest is a neat, compact, nicely interlaced structure of hemlock twiglets
mixed with fine, dry grasses, the latter being inside the interlaced twigs,
and scantily lined with black horse hair.”” The eggs are grayish white to
bluish white in ground color, spotted and blotched and speckled with
cinnamon and olive brown; average size .68 by .50 inches. The nesting
date in New York varies from May 24 to June 12. Like most of our
warblers, this species evidently rears only one brood in a season.

Dendroica dominica dominica (Linnaeus)
Yellow-throated Warbler

Motacilla dominica Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.12. 1766. 17334
Dendroica dominica dominica A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1pio. p.
315. - No. 663
dominica, of Domingo; originally described from Santo Domingo

Description. Upper parts mostly bluish gray; line over the eye, throat
and upper breast yellow; forehead, cheek and stripe on the side of the head
black, and a black line extending from this downward on the side of the
neck; side of the neck behind the black cheek, white; also white line above
the black line on the side of the head; under eyelid white; 2 conspicuous
white wing bars and much white edging of the feathers; belly white; throat
and breast bordered on the sides with black. The conspicuous black streaks
running backward along the side. Female: Similar to male but showing
less black on the head and side. Young: Very similar to adults, but
slightly washed with brownish.

424 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Distribution. This species breeds from central Delaware and southern |
Maryland to middle Florida, and winters from southern Florida to the
Bahamas and Greater Antilles. During the migration it occasionally
wanders as far northward as New England. There are two records for
New York State, the first from Crow hill, Kings county (see Dutcher,
Auk, 10:277; and Lawrence, Ann. Lyc. Nat. hist. of New York, 6, 8).
The second record is also from Long Island, Oyster Bay, July 4-8, 1907,
a bird of this species discovered by Mrs E. H. Swan jr, identified by
Theodore Roosevelt and recorded in Scribner’s Magazine, volume 42,
page 387. This latter specimen, I believe, is now preserved in the American
Museum of Natural History. It is evident that this bird is the rarest of
our accidental visitants of the warbler family, being considerably iets
common in this State than the Prothonotary warbler.

Habits. The Yellow-throated warbler inhabits open piny woods.
Its motions are much slower than those of the Black and white warbler,
but it has a similar habit of searching the larger branches and trunks of
trees for food, its motion being more of a hopping than a creeping one, its
hunting ground being confined mostly to the higher branches and bunches
of pine needles. Its song is loud and ringing, the common form being

““ ching-ching-ching, chicker-cher-wee,” with the wild, ringing, carrying
quality which recalls the song of the Water thrush, and has also been
compared to the song of the Indigo bird (Brewster and Chapman).

Dendroica virens (Gmelin)
Black-throated Green Warbler

Plate 97

Motacilla virens Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1789. 1:985

Sylvicola virens DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 100, fig. 114

Dendroica virens A.O.U. Check List. Ed.3. 1910. p.317. No. 667
virens, Lat., green

Description. Upper parts yellowish olive green; face and sides of the
head yellow; 2 conspicuous whitish wing bars; outer tail feathers largely
white; throat and breast black; sides streaked with black; belly yellowish
white. Female: Similar but duller above and the throat whitish; the

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 425

_ breast black, tipped with yellowish white; the other markings paler and
less sharply defined than in the male. Young: Sometimes lack all traces
of black on the throat and breast. Fall birds in general more brownish
above and the black markings on the male veiled with yellowish white
- feather tips.

Length 5 inches; extent 7.7-8; wing 2.46; tail 2; bill .4; tarsus .16.

Distribution. Breeds from northeastern Alberta, southern Manitoba,
central. Ontario, northeastern Quebec and Newfoundland to southern
Minnesota, northern Ohio, northern New Jersey, Long Island and Con-
necticut, and in the Alleghanies to Georgia. Winters in Mexico and Central
America. In New York it is one of our most abundant breeding species
throughout the Canadian zone of the Adirondacks and Catskills, in the
mixed and evergreen forests of all portions of the State, especially in the
hemlock woodlands near the Pennsylvania border, in the wooded gullies
of the central lake region, in all the cooler swamps of central and western
New York, and locally in southeastern New York, even on Long Island,
as reported by Roosevelt in the vicinity of Oyster Bay, and in Suffolk
county by Helme and Worthington. On the whole, it seems to be slightly
more boreal in distribution than the Chestnut-sided warbler, as indicated
by its New York distribution, but like that species is found locally, at least,
breeding in all portions of the State. During the migrations it is one
of the most abundant species, arriving from the 23d of April to the 7th of
May, the average date being May 3 in western New York, and passing
on to the north from May 25 to 31. In the fall the last individuals are
seen between the 1oth and 26th of October. In my experience for 10
years in Monroe county, this species is one of the hardiest warblers, usually
being the third on the list to arrive, following close after the Myrtle and
Pine warblers during the last week of April.

Haunts and habits. The Black-throated green warbler prefers a
mixed or evergreen forest during the nesting season, especially forests
of hemlock, pine and spruce, trees of second growth being especially
attractive to it. Its usual ‘“ beat”’ is half way up the full-grown ever-
greens, or in the upper third of the second growth trees of 30 to 50 feet.

426 NEW YORK .STATE MUSEUM

‘

Gerald Thayer describes the song as possessing
of huskiness like the Black-throated blue’s, but much less obtrusively

‘a certain quality

noticeable and rather enhancing than marring the quiet sweetness of the
song. One of the two main utterances is remarkable for its deliberate
and highly modulated enunciation; the other, not. The deliberate
song of 5 (sometimes 6 or 8) notes is the one usually described in books,

fait but here about Monadnock the
SEs ae PO Fay,

Ss a

and in midsummer is the com-
monest of the two. The differ-
ences between them are suggested,

; a °
+= : other is at least as often uttered

oe
wel
PS

though feebly, by the two phrases
“sweer, sweer-r-r, swi-ni swee’ (the
first and the last accented notes
the highest pitched), and ‘wi-wi-
W1-wi-wi-wi-wi, wer-we-e-e,’ the last
note highest pitched as well as
most emphatic. Two, at least,
of this warbler’s call notes are
fairly characteristic, a plainly den-
droicine but rather loud and full-
toned ‘tsip’ and a reduplicated
smaller ‘ chip’ often running into

Photo by Verdi Burtch Chippering like that of many young
ee ee ee but few other adult warblers.”’

The nest is usually placed in a hemlock tree. Burtch and Stone note

25 nests all placed in hemlocks with one or two exceptions and they were
placed near the branches of a hemlock. They are usually from 15 to 40
feet from the’ ground, near the thicker portion of the limb some distance
from the trunk. The nest is rather compactly built and deeply cupped,
made of fine twiglets of hemlock lined with tendrils, rootlets and hair,
sometimes a few feathers and dead grasses and fine strips of inner bark,

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 427

and occasionally is ornamented on the exterior with bits of cottony sub-
stances and spiders’ cells. The eggs are commonly 4 in number with a
creamy or grayish white ground color more or less heavily marked with
specks and blotches of various shades of brown, purplish and lilac, usually
forming a well-defined wreath. The average size is .65 by .51 inches.
Nesting dates for western New York vary from May 26 to June 20, the
average date being June 5. Adirondack nests usually have fresh eggs by
the roth of June.
Dendroica vigorsi (Audubon)
Pine Warbler
Plate 95

Sylvia vigorsii Audubon. Birds Amer. 1828. (folio) 1, pl. 30
Sylvicola pinus DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. rot, fig. 120
Dendroica vigorsi A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 318. No. 671

vigorsi, to N. A. Vigors, an English naturalist

Description. Adult male in spring: Upper parts yellowish green;
wings margined with grayish; 2 dull whitish wing bars; outer tail feathers
with white patches near the end; under parts greenish yellow, obscurely
streaked on the breast and sides with dusky; lower belly whitish. Female:
Much duller than the male, the under parts being soiled whitish tinged
with yellow and the upper parts dusky olive green with grayish or brownish
tinge. Young and fall birds: More tinged with brownish.

Length 5 inches; wing 2.8; tail 2.2; bill .42.

Distribution. Breeds in eastern North America from New Brunswick
and Saskatchewan southward to the Gulf States. In New York this
species is rather local in distribution depending upon the presence of pine
woods. It is a summer resident throughout the southeastern, eastern,
western and central portions of the State, especially on Long Island, but
has not been noticed in the Canadian areas of the Catskills and Adiron-
dacks. It has been recorded as breeding in Suffolk county by A. H. Howell,
Oyster Bay by Theodore Roosevelt, central Long Island by L. S. Foster,
Schenectady by James E. Benedict, Rensselaer county by Seymour Wood-
ruff, Cohoes by A. F. Park, Oneida lake by Egbert Bagg, Ithaca by Louis

Fuertes, Reed and Wright, Hammondsport and Branchport by C. F.

428 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Stone, Seneca glen, Canandaigua lake, by E. H. Eaton. This is a hardy
species, arriving in New York early in April (5 to 15 or 20) and even remains
throughout the winter according to the testimony of Mr Benedict who
took February specimens in the pine woods near Schenectady in 1881.
In the fall the latest residents are usually observed between October 15
and November I.

Haunts and habits. It is probable that the Pine warbler is even more
particular in the coverts which it selects for a home than the Black-poll
or the Nashville warbler. I have never found it except in pine groves,
especially groves of pitch pine and red or Norway pine. Even in the
migration season it is rarely found far from the pines and here it remains
throughout the summer months.

Its song is described by Allison as a ‘‘rather slow, monotonous trill.
I have heard the songs in two keys following each other so closely that it
seemed that they were executed by the same bird. These songs are uttered
at all seasons, I think; certainly not more than a few weeks in December
mark a cessation. The ordinary call note is a rather soft, lisping chirp
somewhat like that of the Parula warbler. During courtship and while the
young are being fed, a rapid and incessant chipping is common.’’ Gerald
Thayer says: “Its common song is clear and sweet; an unbroken, fluent
trill, with a tone character at once distinguishable from those of other
trilling wood birds of New England. It is uttered in an even scale, but
is often crescendo in its first half and diminuendo in its second.”

Clarence F. Stone thus describes its breeding habits: ‘‘ The Pine
warbler is rare in this locality (Yates county) at all times. I know of but
10 pairs that are breeders here. Along the Hammondsport glen in Steuben
county there are at least 4 or 5 pairs that remain throughout the summer.
Hereabouts this warbler haunts only the woods that are thickly inter-
spersed with red pines. On May 24, 1903, I found the first nest about
55 feet up in a Norway pine and 6 feet from the trunk in the end of a limb
among clusters of cones. The female remained on the nest until I reached
toward her, when she dropped to the lower branches and soon returned

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 429

with the male who had been singing over and over his whirlwind trill in
a distant part of the wood. However, he refused to take any part in
protesting with the female against my presence, but persisted in his rolling,
whistling trills in the near-by trees while the female came toward me
slowly moving about among the branches uttering a mild ‘ peet, peet.’
The nest contained 4 fresh eggs. It was firmly attached to the limb and
almost hidden from below by clusters of cones. It is composed of strands
of grapevine bark, fine rootlets and horse hairs, decorated with bits of brown
and white spider cells and lined with a compact mass of animal hair and
fluffy feathers with a thick ring of woolly material around the rim. The
other nest found on June 6th contained 3 eggs and 1 of the Cowbird; as
usual, 1 egg of the warbler was punctured. This nest was placed about
50 feet from the ground in a Norway pine and 4 feet out on a crooked,
cone-laden limb, over a cleared place along the edge of the wood. This
nest is made outside of hemlock twigs, strands of grayish weed bark, grape-
vine bark and fine reddish rootlets, lined with animal hair and crow feathers.
Both of these nesting sites were somewhat isolated from other coniferous
trees in portions of the wood surrounded by deciduous trees. The Pine
warbler does not seem at all shy. I watched the female feed the young
ones only 5 feet away while I sat on a limb 40 feet above the ground.
Another. time I hastily dismounted from my bicycle to observe a bird
gathering horse hairs from the roadside only 8 feet away and apparently
unconcerned about my presence. Another time while I was sitting quietly
at the base of a pine, a female warbler hopped about on the ground so
close that I could have touched her with my hand.”’

430 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Dendroica palmarum palmarum (Gmelin)
Palm Warbler

Plate 95

Motacilla palmarum Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1789. 1: 951
Dendroica palmarum palmarum A. O. U.: Check List. Ed. 3.. 1910.
p. 318. No. 672
» palmarum, Lat., of the palms, which it frequents in its winter home

Description. Upper parts grayish olive brown, tail coverts yellowish,
the upper parts obscurely streaked with dusky; crown chestnut rufous; yel-
lowish line over the eye; narrow blackish line through the eye; 2 whitish
wing bars; outer tail feathers with white patches near the tip; throat and
upper breast light yellowish, also the under tail coverts; the rest of the
under parts grayish white more or less suffused with yellow; distinctly but
not heavily streaked with blackish on the sides of the throat, on the sides
and across the breast. Female: Practically like the male. Young and
fall specimens: Similar to the adult, but the crown tipped with brown
and in young specimens sometimes scarcely showing the rufous at all.

Length 5.43 inches; extent 8.4; wing 2.61; tail 2.1; bill .4; tarsus .77.

Distribution. Breeds from southern Mackenzie, central Keewatin,
southward to northern Minnesota. Winters from southern South Carolina,
Florida and the Bahamas to the West Indies and Yucatan. In New York
this warbler is purely a transient visitant, commoner in western New York
than in the coastal district, but appearing on Long Island and throughout
eastern New York sparingly during the migration season. Spring dates
vary from April 14 to April 27 for arrival and April 30 to May 12 for
departure to the north. Western New York arrivals vary from April
20 to 29; latest birds seen, May 12 to 14. In the fall this warbler reappears
in September between the 12th and the 23d. It is fairly common during
the first half of October, disappearing between the 3d and the 18th. It
must be accounted an uncommon species in the eastern part of the State
and only a fairly common migrant in western New York except in the fall
when it is sometimes common for two or three weeks after the first sharp
frost, but at that season it is never more than one-fourth as common as

the Myrtle warbler.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 431

Haunts and habits. The Palm warbler frequents more open situations
than most of the dendroicas, frequently occurring along the banks of streams
where there is very little shrubbery, or even about the banks of ponds
and swamps where there is no cover at all. Sometimes it is noticed in
company with other Dendroicas feeding among the foliage, but it is unusual
to notice it far from the edges of swamps and streams. It is comparatively
a low-feeding species, flying about near the ground or in the low shrubbery,
contmually wagging its tail more after the manner of pipits, however,
than like the water .thrushes. The voice is described by Jones as a “‘trill,
consisting of the syllables tsee four times repeated, uttered with a distinct
swell.”

Dendroica palmarum hypochrysea (Ridgway)
Yellow Palm Warbler
Plate 95

Dendroica palmarum hypochrysea Ridgway. Bul. Nuttall Orn. Club.
Nov. 1876. 1:85
Sylvicola ruficapilla DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt. 2, p. 89, fig. 133
Dendroica palmarum hypochrysea A.O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910.
p. 318. No. 672a
hypochrysea, Gr., meaning golden below

Description. Similar to the Palm warbler but larger, the upper parts
more olive and the under parts entirely yellow, the breast streaks reddish
brown or rufous, the line over the eye yellow at all seasons.

Wing 2.7 inches; tail 2.2; bill .4.

Distribution. This subspecies breeds from Ontario, northern Quebec
and Newfoundland to southern Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and northern
Maine; winters from Carolina and casually as far north as Pennsylvania
to Florida and Louisiana. In New York it is a transient visitant in the
coastal district, arriving from the south from the 14th to the 28th of April,
average date April 18, and usually passing northward by the 12th of May.
It is a fairly common transient in the coastal district, largely displacing
there the Palm warbler which is more characteristic of the interior of New
York. Specimens of the Yellow palm warbler have been taken in migra-
tion also at Syracuse, according to A. W. Perrior, and near Albany by

432 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

A. F. Parks. Doctors Reed, Wright and Allen also report a specimen
from Ithaca, but aside from these migration dates for the interior every
other specimen of the Palm warbler which I have examined has been of
the subspecies palmarum and this is the species which I observe each
season during the migration both in the spring and fall; whereas, while
observing the migrations in the lower Hudson valley and in the vicinity
of New York City I have noticed nothing but the Yellow palm warbler
during both the spring and fall flights. In habits this subspecies does
not differ from the Palm warbler already described.

Dendroica discolor (Vieillot)

Prairie Warbler

Plate 95

Sylvia discolor Vieillot. Ois. Amer. Sept. 1807 (1809?) 2:37, pl. 98

Sylvicola discolor DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 96, fig. 110

Dendroica discolor A.O.U. Check List. Ed.3. 1910. p. 319. No. 673
discolor, Lat., variegated or parti-colored

Description. Upper parts olive green, the back spotted with rufous
or reddish chestnut; line over the eye, space beneath it, the 2 wing bars
and entire under parts yellow; a black line through the eve, another along the
side of the head and a crescentric patch on the side of the neck; sides
streaked with black; outer tail feathers largely white, the second and third
white near the tip. Female: Similar to the male but paler and less dis-
tinctly marked, the chestnut patch on the back sometimes very small or
wanting. Young in fall frequently lack the chestnut marks altogether
and gene-al plumage less brightly and clearly marked but preserving the
same pattern in coloration.

Length 4.75-4.90 inches; extent 7.15; wing 2.2; tail 1.95; bill .35;
tarsus .67.

Distribution. Breeds from northeastern Nebraska, southern Ohio,
southwestern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and along the coast from
Massachusetts south to Florida, northern Mississippi and western Missouri; ,
locally to central Michigan, southern Ontario and New Hampshire, and
rarely in the Gulf States. Winters from central Florida to the Bahamas,
and West Indies. In New York this warbler is local in distribution,

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 433

commonest in the southeastern part of the State and on Long Island. Its
nest and eggs have been reported from Long Island, Oyster Bay, common
(Roosevelt ‘‘ Birds of Oyster Bay,” 1879), still common in 1907 (Scribner’s
Magazine 42, 387); Millers Place, common (A. H. Helme); Shelter Island,
common (W. W. Worthington); Long Island, rather common (Braislin).
It is reported as rare or uncommon at Highland Falls, 1877, by Doctor
Mearns; and at Ossining by Doctor Fisher. According to DeKay, this
species was abundant near Lake Erie in 1844. »We have always suspected,
since DeKay published this on hearsay evidence, that he was mistaken;
nevertheless, the local distribution and erratic habits of this warbler render
it possible that it was abundant there 70 years ago and has since disappeared.
During the last 30 years it certainly has been a rare summer resident in
central and western New York. I have met with the species on only four
occasions and these were in migration time. Baird, Brewer and Ridgway
(Land Birds 1, 276) report a nest and eggs from central New York. D. W.
Soule and M. R. Crockett report a nest and eggs June 2, 1899, from Sandy
Creek, Oswego county. E. H. Short reports a nest from Orleans county
June 16, 1904, collected by J. A. Ritenburg, and C. F. Stone two from
Branchport. The spring migration of this warbler near New York City
begins from the 1st to the 6th of May, the average date being May 4. In
the fall it disappears from Long Island between the Ist and the 13th or 18th
of September. Migration dates for western New York are May 3,9, 11 and
12, birds observed near Rochester and Geneva by the author. The late E. S.
Woodruff reports an adult female taken at Paul Smith’s in the northern
Adirondacks, May 17, 1908. As the birds which the author saw near
Rochester were evidently migrating eastward along the shore of Lake
Ontario, it is probable that a thin line of migration has been established
through Oswego county and down the St Lawrence valley.

Haunts and habits. The Prairie warbler is not a bird of the grass-
land, as might be inferred from its name, but prefers dry hillsides, partially
covered with a scrubby growth of bushes and saplings. In eastern Massa-
chusetts Brewster speaks of it as preferring hilly pastures partially over-

434 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

grown with barberry and juniper. In the southern states it is found
principally on sunny hillsides covered with bushes and saplings. Near
Washington Doctor Coues found it in rather scrubby, hilly, open localities.

The nests are usually placed in barberries or low hickories, dogwood,
scrub pines or cedar bushes from 1 to 5 feet from the ground. Mr Stone
describes the nests he found near Branchport as follows: ‘I know of
but three localities where this warbler finds suitable haunts, and but one
pair in each locality. Here tiey are found in the same surroundings of
bushes, saplings and briers which they prefer in other parts of the country,
nesting in close proximity to the Chestnut-sided warblers. The nests
are attached to forks of bushes from 2 to 3 feet from the ground and are
compact and firmly woven, thick-walled structures of grayish colored
shreds of weed bark, narrow dry grasses, fine round reddish grass stems,
and lined with black horse hair, the outside resembling considerably nests

of the Yellow warbler. Two of the four nests that I have found each — a

contained 4 eggs on June 1 and 2, and two others had 1 and 3 eggs respec-
tively on June 4. One nest was placed in a hazel bush surrounded by a :
dense growth of shrubbery close to a bubbling brook; another was in an
elderberry bush in the midst of a brush lot.”’
The eggs are white or greenish white in ground color, speckled, spotted

_and blotched with dark umber, reddish brown, purplish and lilac shell — x

markings, often with a well-formed wreath about the larger end. The ©
dimensions average .64 by .49 inches.

The song of this species is ‘‘ a lisping trill much like that of the Parula
warbler in general character’ but with a thin, wiry quality which Doctor
Coues has compared to ‘‘the plaint of a mouse with a toothache,”’ surely
an extremely individual performance which, when once heard, will certainly |
distinguish this bird from all the other warblers.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 435

Seiurus aurocapillus (Linnaeus)
Ovenbird
Plate 92

Motacilla aurocapilla Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.12. 1766. 1:334
Seiurus aurocapillus DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 79, fig. 102
A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 319. No. 674
seiturus, Gr., sew, to wave, and éupé, tail; aurocapillus, Lat., gold hair or gold-
headed, referring to the golden crown

Description. Upper parts uniform olive green; crown a dull orange or
golden brown with a black line running down each side from the base of
the bill to the nape; under parts white, rather thickly spotted on the breast
and sides with blackish; narrow maxillary streak on each side of the throat;
sexes alike Fall specimens practically like the spring ones.

Length 6.2 inches; extent 9.75; wing 3; tail 2.15; bill .50; tarsus .g2.

Distribution. Breeds from southwestern Mackenzie, northern Ontario,
southern Ungava and Newfoundland to Colorado, Kansas, southern
Missouri, Virginia, and in the mountains to Georgia east to the Atlantic
coast from Nova Scotia to Virginia. Winters from South Carolina and
Florida through the Bahamas and West Indies to Colombia. In New
York this bird is uniformly distributed in all woodlands from the slopes of
Mt Marcy to the groves of Staten Island. It is fully as dominant a species
as the Yellow warbler though, of course, it requires woodland. Spring
arrivals vary from April 25 to May 3, average dates near New York City
being April 28; in western New York, May 2. In the fall it disappears
between September 20 and October 10, a few sometimes lingering till the
20th.

Haunts and habits. The Ovenbird, or Golden-crowned thrush as it
was formerly called, prefers a rich deciduous woodland, but it is by no
means confined to our woods of maple, beech and hornbeam, or oak, hickory
and chestnut, but is equally common in mixed woodlands, and in the North
Woods I have found it where the growth was predominantly spruces and
pines with only a few deciduous trees intermingled. We noted it a common
species Ms high as the 3500 foot line on several of the mountains of the

436 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

higher Adirondacks, and throughout the State it is one of the most familiar
members of the family. Its cheery note is heard throughout the summer
months at least to the third or fourth week in July, and later on from the
1oth of August to the middle of September.

The Ovenbird is a ground warbler, seeking almost all its food among
the dead leaves and growing plants of the forest floor, but frequently flying

hs TO Le.

Photo by Ralph S. Paddock

Ovenbird’s nest and eggs

up to the larger and lower branches of the trees. Like the Water thrush,
‘it is a walker, searching about with springy tread for worms, spiders and
various kinds of insects. Its nest is placed upon the ground, usually at
the foot of a small sapling or on the side of a slight rise,of the ground.
It is almost always arched over by the brown leaves of last season and
so completely concealed from view that it can rarely be discovered unless

FO A

es

—

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 437

the mother bird is frightened from the nest as one walks through the forest.
It is composed of dry leaves and grasses and is rather bulky, but blends
inconspicuously with the materials on the ground. The entrance is at
one side, the dry leaves drooping down over it so that one can not look
in without thrusting the cover aside. The eggs are usually 4 or 5 in number,
of a creamy white ground color, rather profusely speckled with reddish
brown and lilac. They average .85 by .65 inches in size.

The call note of the Ovenbird is a weak cheep which is uttered when
the bird is worried or frightened, especially while an intruder is near the
nest, when it is frequently reiterated. Its common song has been written
for more than a generation by “ tea-cher, tea-cher, tea-cher, tea-cher,’’ each
repetition being louder and more emphatic than the preceding; but, as
many modern observers have remarked, the accent does not fall on the
first syllable, the proper rendering of the performance being “ chér-te,
chér-te, chér-te, chér-te.’’ This ringing refrain is often heard as one journeys
through the forest, in springtime and early summer, and will surely attract
the attention of everyone that passes. It is not, however, the most
melodious of the Ovenbird’s performances, the passion song, as it is usually
called, being commonly delivered on the wing when the bird is flying through
the trees, as I have witnessed it on several occasions, the performer rising
from a limb of moderate elevation and flying upward through the forest
until he reaches nearly the height of the tallest trees when he seems fairly
to burst with a torrent of warbling, gurgling notes which have no special
form of delivery but arecertainly melodious andimpressive. After the torrent
has spent its force, the performer partially closes his wings and darts down
to the forest floor again, the song seeming to die away, as Thayer has said,
‘‘as if smothered by the sudden descent of the bird through the air.” This
flight song I have witnessed on a few occasions delivered just in the early
dusk of evening, when the bird was flying upward from the highest tops
of the forest trees to an altitude of 100 or 200 feet above the forest, flutter-
ing its wings and rising higher and higher and pouring forth a confused
medley of melody until apparently exhausted, like the Skylark, it closes

438 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

its wings and darts like an arrow to the sheltering coverts of the forest,
the song echoing and dying away on the quiet evening air. This per-
formance of the Ovenbird is truly startling, and it is to be regretted that
it can not be oftener heard.

Seiurus noveboracensis noveboracensis (Gmelin)
Water Thrush
Plate 92

Motacilla noveboracensis Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1789. 1:958
Seiurus noveboracensis DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 78, fig. 106
Seiurus noveboracensis noveboracensis A.O.U. Check List. Ed. 3.

Ig10. p. 319. No. 675
noveboracénsis, new Lat., of New York

Description. Upper parts dark olive brown; a line over the eye, and
under parts yellowish white or light sulphur yellow heavily streaked with
blackish; sexes practically alike. Fall plumage: Like the spring.

Length 5.5-6 inches; extent 8.5-9.5; wing 2.7-5.3; tail 2.25; bill .5.

Distribution. Breeds from northern Ontario, northern Ungava and
Newfoundland southward to central Ontario, New York, northern New
England, and in the mountains south to West Virginia; winters from Mexico
to the West Indies, Colombia and British Guiana. In New York this
species is a common summer resident of the Adirondack district ‘as well
as in the Catskills and many swamps in central and western New York,
especially Potter swamp in Ontario and Yates counties, Canandaigua
Inlet swamp, Urbana swamp near Prattsburg, Montezuma swamp, Oak
Orchard swamp and the swamp about Chautauqua Lake outlet. There
also can be no doubt that it breeds in many other localities which have
not been particularly studied by bird students familiar with this species.
It certainly is a common summer resident in several of the localities
mentioned as well as through the swamps of the Adirondacks and higher
Catskills. Throughout the State it is a fairly common or common transient
visitant, arriving from April 26 to May 7, average date in western New York
being April 29, the spring migration ending between May 21 and 29. In
the fall, southward movement begins from the Ist to the 19th of August;

_ —— — .
in EM CI cet paleo ee

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 439

in some localities not until the Ist to the 7th of September, and the last
birds are recorded between the 16th of September and the 6th of October.

Haunts and habits. During the spring migration, the Water thrush
is fairly common about the edges of ponds and swamps, especially where
there is a friendly cover of shrubbery, even about the edges of our lawns,
and wherever little rivulets run through meadows and parklands or groves,
bordered by a sparse growth of
bushes, one is sure to find this
species during the season of late
April and early May. It walks
lightly and nimbly over the lawn
or along the damp margin of the
brooklet, bobbing its tail some-
what after the manner of the
Palm warbler, but the motion
seems to be produced by a
springy movement of the legs
and the whole rear portion of the
body, rather than by a bobbing
of the tail itself. The flight of
the Water thrush is swift and
darting. When disturbed in its
favorite haunts it dashes rapidly
away at a moderate elevation

down the stream, its course seem- ; 7 : .
ing to be directed by the brook- Photo by Verdi Burtch
3 4 Water thrush’s nest and eggs

let along which it resorts. Even
in the migration season its song is frequently heard, though not with such
fulness and richness as in its summer haunts. It is a loud, ringing roundelay,

rather rapidly delivered with a ‘

’

‘ringing wildness ’’ suggestive of the cool
and bubbling streams of its summer home; ‘a ringing, bubbling warble,

swift and emphatic, made up of two parts, the second lower toned and

440 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

diminuendo.’”’ Both Brewster and Chapman have agreed in considering
this song, short as it is, more melodious than that of the Louisiana water
thrush which has been so highly commended by many bird lovers. It
certainly is inspiring in the vivid suddenness with which it bursts from
the coverts of the swamp or streamside and fades away again into the
echoing forest.

C. F. Stone thus describes its breeding habits: ‘In Potter swamp
this warbler is a common summer resident, and also in Urbana swamp,
where it finds ideal nesting situations in the wettest portions of the heavy
timber. It is a most jubilant singer, rendering its song with animation in
a ringing, sweet, clear voice, the characteristic song of Potter swamp from
the last of April to about June 25. They have full sets of eggs as early as
May 4, and nesting begins, some seasons, as late as June 10, the average
time, however, is from May 15 to June 1. The nests are invariably snugly
hidden in thick beds of moss at the bases of trees or stumps or decayed
moss-covered logs, and rarely in the roots and dirt of upturned stumps,
anywhere from the level of the damp ground to 2 feet above the stagnant
pools of water. The mossy nest is formed from the bits of moss that are
pulled out when the cavity is made in the bed of moss, and the lining is
of the reddish moss stems. The eggs are 4 or 5, decidedly smaller than
those of the Louisiana water thrush, but a series of both these water thrushes
will exhibit such an intergradation that they are indistinguishable.”

Seiurus noveboracensis notabilis (Ridgway)
Grinnell Water Thrush

Seiurus noevius notabilis Ridgway. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 1880. 3:12 —
Seiurus noveboracensis notabilis A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910.
p. 320. No. 675a

Description. Coloration practically identical with that of the Northern
water thrush, but perhaps a little darker and less olive on the upper parts,
and whiter below, but the size larger and the bill longer.

Wing 3.1-3.25 inches; tail 2.20-2.50; bill .52.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 441

Distribution. This species breeds from northwestern Alaska, central
Mackenzie and central Keewatin to British Columbia, central Montana
and northwestern Nebraska and northwestern Michigan; winters from
Cuba and Mexico to South America. Migrates through the Mississippi
valley and the South Atlantic coast. Specimens of this subspecies of the
Water thrush: have been reported from Raritan and from Princeton, N. J.
The only New York specimen was taken at Millers Place, Long Island,
by A. H. Helme and is now in his collection. It is purely accidental in
New York.

Seiurus motacilla (Vieillot)
Louisiana Water Thrush
Plate 92

Turdus motacilla Vieillot. Ois. Amer. Sept. 1807 (1808?) 2:9. pl. 65
Seiurus motacilla A.O.U. Check List. Ed.3. roro. p. 320.. No. 676

motacilla, Lat., wagtail

Description. Upper parts olive brown; stripe over the eye white; under
parts white washed on the flanks and under tail coverts with buffy; breast and
sides streaked with blackish but not so closely as in the Northern water
thrush, the throat and center of the abdomen being plain white. Sexes

like.
Se Leneth 6—6.30 inches; extent 10-10.75; wing 3-3.25; tail 2.25; bill .55;
tarsus .gI.

Distribution. Breeds from southern Minnesota, southern Michigan,
Ontario, New York and southern New England to South Carolina and
northeastern Texas; winters from Mexico, the Bahamas and West Indies
to Colombia. The New York distribution of this species is shown by map
on page 27, volume 1, of this work. It is a common summer resident in
the lower Hudson valley and locally as far north as Catskill and even
the southern end of Lake George. Throughout central and western New
York it is found in all the ravines of the central lake district as well as in
the Genesee valley and some of the streams flowing into Lake Erie; also
in the wooded valley of the Cohocton and Chemung. It is an early migrant,
appearing in southeastern New York from the 9th to the 15th of April,

442 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

sometimes not before the 20th; in western New York usually not before
the 18th to the 24th of April. In the fall it is last seen between the 24th
and 30th of August according to many observers, but the last dates given
by Chapman for the vicinity of New York City and the observations
at Englewood, N. J., give September 20 to 30 as the date of departure.

Haunts and habits. The Louisiana or Large-billed water thrush
prefers wooded stream sides, especially rugged streams where the water is
tumbling over the rocks and steep banks. It is found near the bottom of
these ravines, usually seeking its food of water insects in the shallow stream
as it runs over beds of shale, or flitting from rock to rock that rise just above
the surface. In the southern states it is said to abound in rich wooded
bottomlands, but in New York it is rarely found in swampy localities,
leaving these situations more to the Northern water thrush. Yet a few
have been found nesting in swampy woods in the same locality with the
other species although, as far as my observation goes, there is a sharp
contrast in the habitat of the two species, the Northern water thrush
keeping to the flooded swamps where there is dense cover of forest and
underbrush, and moss-covered logs are in abundance on every hand;
whereas this species prefers, as stated, the shaly glens of our Finger Lakes
region, making its nest close to the bottom of the gully, usually only 2 or
3 feet above the level of the stream which flows through the glen.

The song of this species resembles somewhat that of the Northern
water thrush, the flight song being particularly thrilling. This is often
uttered as the bird rises from the lower portions of the glen and mounts
up above the treetops, pouring forth a sudden burst of melody which
Brewster syllables by the words ‘‘ pseur, pseur, persée, ser,” fully as loud
as that of the Northern water thrush and almost as rapid, but lacking
the beautiful crescendo termination, and altogether a less fine performance.
The call note is scarcely different from that of the Northern water thrush,
which Chapman describes as a sharp, steely alarm note, “‘ clink,” and Thayer
calls ‘‘ a ringing chip somewhat less loud and emphatic than that of the
Louisiana water thrush.’” Stone says: ‘‘In every ravine and gully

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 443

along Lake Keuka, as well as those in the valley north of Branchport,
the Louisiana water thrush finds an ideal summer haunt, as wild and weird
as its ringing, melodious song that is uttered in a most ecstatic manner.
They arrive in this locality as early as April 10, usually close to April 15,
and I have noted a single individual as late as October 2, but by September
25 they are usually gone.
In a small hemlock-clad
ravine but one pair will
be found, while in the
greater gullies that ex-
tend from the valley back
into the hills two miles
or more as many as three
or four pairs will make
their summer home.
They also occur in Potter
swamp, Yates county, in
limited pairs where they
hide their nest the same
as the Northern water
thrush at the base of
trees, stumps and logs.
In the gullies, however,
they select all sorts of
cavities, always within

12 feet above the rocky aE speary 8 by Clazentse Bons
bottom over swift flowing Ee Oe

water or some deep pool. Of over 75 nests examined, probably nine-
tenths were within 4 feet of the bottom of the gully. A favorite nest
site is under a dirt, shale or mossy ledge, behind dangling rootlets.
Sometimes an excavation is made in the mossy bed on nearly perpen-
dicular banks, in cavities at the base of small trees, in barren slate

444 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

stone cavities, and sometimes the same cavity is used two or three
years in succession. The Louisiana water thrush also has a habit of
starting as many as three nests, then abandoning them for some other
site. They are also found occasionally at the extreme entrance of the
gully and sometimes at the upper end or in the entrance of a small branch
leading intc the main gully. The nests are made of skeletonized leaves,
moss, rootlets, twiglets, grass stems, and often lined with fine grasses,
hemlock twigs, dark rootlets, and horse hair, but dead pine needles is
the usual lining. A characteristic feature of this warbler’s nest is the
doormat or path of leaves, from 6 to 12 inches long, leading from the nest,
sometimes forming a striking contrast against the dark green mossy back.
Many times the nest is cunningly concealed behind drooping ferns, but
the pathway of leaves betrays the location of the nest to the careful observer.
The female is a close sitter, allowing one to almost touch her, but when
flushed she glides away, trailing around the rocks and debris with wings
akimbo and extended tail, nervously dabbling her bill in the water in the ©
most dainty manner. This warbler is much imposed upon by the Cowbird
whose visits usually cause disaster by its clumsiness in filling the nest with
loose shale or dirt while kicking 2 to 3 of the thrush’s eggs out of the nest.
In two instances I have noticed 5 eggs of the Louisiana water thrush with
2 of the Cowbird; in two instances, 6 of the water thrush and 2 of the
Cowbird. Several times nests were deserted where the Cowbird had
deposited her egg. One egg a day is laid, often with an interval of 5 and
6 days before the last egg is deposited. If the first nest is destroyed it
requires 15 days to build a new one and lay 5 eggs. Of 61 nests observed,
7 contained 4 eggs, 36 contained 5, and 18 had 6 eggs. They vary greatly
in size and shape and from almost plain to lightly dotted, heavily blotched
and sometimes beautifully wreathed around the larger ends. The average
size is .78 by .61 inches. Normally, the nesting period extends from May
4 to May 30, and young just able to fly are noted out of the nest as early
as May 20. I consider all fresh June sets second attempts at nesting owing
to accidents with the first nests.”’

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 445

Oporornis formosus (Wilson)
Kentucky Warbler

Plate 98

Sylvia formosa Wilson. Amer. Orn. 1811. 3:85. pl. 25, fig. 3

Sylvicola formosa DeKay. Zool.N.Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 105, fig. 127

Oporornis formosus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 320. No. 677
oporérnis, Gr., Sxwe%, autumn, and 4evtc, bird; formédsus, Lat., beautiful

Description. Upper parts olive green; under parts bright yellow;
fore crown and a broad bar running from the bill to below the eye, black;
line over the eye bright yellow. Sexes alike. The female slightly duller.
Fall specimens have the black markings partially veiled.

Length 5.50-5.75 inches; extent 9.25; wing 2.65-2.90; tail 2; bill .45.

Distribution. Breeds from northeastern Nebraska, southern Missis-
sippi, southern Pennsylvania and the lower Hudson valley south to eastern
Texas and Alabama; winters from Tabasco and Chiapas to Colombia.
Its distribution in New York is shown by the map on page 28 of volume I
of this work. Itiscommon as a breeding species only in the lower Hudson
valley where Doctor Fisher found it a regular summer resident near Ossining
and Bicknell near Riverdale and Fort Lee. It is also reported from New-
burgh by F. B. Robinson, and from many localities in New Jersey and
near New York City. On Long Island it has always been considered rare
as a summer resident, but Mr Helme reports a nest and young from Say-
ville, L. I., and Mr Babson from Bellport. It has also been noted in the
migration at Raynor South May 18, 1834, and Fire Island light August 19,
1888 (Dutcher, Auk, 6:139), and also from Flatlands (Auk, 10:277). In
the interior of New York this is one of the very rarest of our summer
warblers. It is reported from Chili May 1894 by Short; Lockport May 21,
1891, by Davidson; Rochester, May 14, 1904, by Professor Dodge; and
its nest has been found near Cincinnatus, June 27, 1903, and at Taylor,
June 11, 1906, by H. C. Higgins. It is probable that this Cortland county
colony is connected with the Rockland county and northern New Jersey
range through the Delaware valley. The spring migration of this species
begins in southeastern New York during the first week in May, the dates

446 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

ranging from May 2 to 18; in the fall Doctor Fisher records it as disappearing
on August 27.

Haunts and habits. The Kentucky warbler is a bird of the deciduous
forest, preferring especially densely grown, well-watered woods and over-
grown clearings, in nearly every instance occurring where there is a dense
growth of underbrush and a fairly moist atmosphere. Gerald Thayer
writes: ‘‘ The song is remarkably loud and clear, strikingly similar to
that of the Carolina wren; a series of 3 clear whistled notes, repeated 5
to 10 or more times, ‘‘ tee-wee-o, tee-wee-o, tee-wee-o,’’ etc. The male while
singing is usually perched on a branch far up on some tall tree and very
often seeks a new perch at some distance after singing a few times, flying
directly and rapidly at a moderate height through the woods. At other
times it may be found on the ground, walking about like the Ovenbird,
but more spritely in action.’’ Chapman describes the song as a loud clearly |
whistled performance of 5, 6 or 7 notes, “‘ turdle-turdle,” clearly heard at
a distance of 150 yards. During the breeding season it is a persistent
singer. On one occasion he watched a male for three hours. During
this time, with the exception of 5 interruptions of less than 45 seconds
each, he sang with regularity every 12 seconds.

The nest is placed on the ground or near it in a dense tangle among —
the roots of a tree and is rather bulkily constructed of twigs, rootlets and
several thicknesses of leaves. The interior is well lined with dark rootlets
and long horse hair. The eggs are 4 or 5 in number, white in ground color,
speckled and blotched with umber, reddish brown and lilac, evenly dis-
tributed or forming wreaths near the larger ends. Their average size is
.74 by .58 inches. Nesting dates from the lower Hudson valley range from
June 1 to 14.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 447

Oporornis agilis (Wilson)
Connecticut Warbler
Plate 99

Sylvia agilis Wilson. Amer. Orn. 1812. 5:64. pl. 39, fig. 4
Oporornis agilis A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 321. No. 678
dgilis, Lat., active, agile

Description. Adult male: Upper parts olive green becoming ashy
on the sides and fore part of the head; throat and fore breast slaty gray; lower
breast, belly and under tail coverts deep yellow; a distinct white eye ring.
Female: Throat and upper breast brownish, palest on the throat; other-
wise similar to the male but duller throughout, showing no ashy or slaty
gray, but the white eye ring nearly as distinct as in the male.

Length 5.50 inches; extent 8.50-9; wing 2.75-3; tail 2; bill .48; tarsus .80.

Distribution. Breeds from Manitoba to central Minnesota and
northern Michigan; winters in South America. In spring, rare east of
the Alleghanies, but in fall common east of the Alleghanies and rare in
the Mississippi valley. In New York this species is only a transient
visitant. Although several reports of spring specimens seen have come to
me from western New York I have been unable to secure or find in col-
lections any spring specimen from the State. The dates of fall migration
range between August 26 and October 11, the average date of arrival being
September 7 and the usual date of departure September 25 to October 5.
It is by no means rare during the fall migration, especially during the middle
and third week of September.

Haunts and habits. As the Connecticut warbler is not found here
during the spring migration, its song is not heard within our boundaries.
During its stay with us it is found in thickets of winterberry, shad bush,
jewel weed and other dense growing herbs and shrubs of the ditches and
swamplands, usually keeping near the ground and under dense cover.
It is frequently seen on the bare margin of sluggish brooks or ditches
walking along like other birds of its genus, not hopping like the dendroica.

Its call note is a quick, sharp, metallic ‘‘plink.’’ Its song, as heard
in its summer home in the tamarack swamps of Manitoba, is described by

448 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Seton as resembling the words “‘ beecher, beecher, beecher, beecher, beecher"’;
at other times like the syllables ‘ fru-chappelle, fru-chappelle, fru-chappelle,
whoit.’”’ As several careful observers, notably Maurice Blake and the
late Frank Antes of Canandaigua, as well as Lawrence Achilles and Tom
Taylor of Rochester and Ernest H. Short of Chili, have reported seeing
birds which they felt sure were examples of this species migrating with
other spring warblers toward the northeast, I made a very careful hunt
for the Connecticut warbler among the spruce and tamarack bogs and
swamps of the higher Adirondacks, but entirely without success. New
York evidently lies outside its breeding range and any spring migrants
found in the State would undoubtedly be only stragglers from the main
route of migration.
Oporornis philadelphia (Wilson)
Mourning Warbler
Plate 100

Sylvia philadelphia Wilson. Amer. Orn. 1810. 2:1or. pl. 14, fig. 6
Trichas philadelphia DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 81, fig. 122
Oporornis philadelphia A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. rozo. p. 321. No.

679
philadélphia, named for Philadelphia, near which Wilson discovered the species

Description. Very similar in size and shape to the Connecticut
warbler. Adult male: Head and neck bluish slate; the lores blackish;
the throat showing blackish feathers among the slaty gray, becoming quite
black on the breast where it gives way suddenly to the deep yellow of the

lower breast and belly; sides strongly tinged with the color of the back; | of

no white eye ring. Adult female: Has the bluish slate of the head and
neck lighter and tinged with brownish; the olive green upper parts and
yellow under parts duller than the male’s. Young in the fall: - Similar
to the adult, but lacking the bluish slate of the head and neck and the males
lacking the blackish seen in the adults in spring. The young females
being nearly uniform olive green above and yellow below. Young also
show an obscure whitish eye ring.

‘Length 5.63 inches; extent 7.60-8.15; wing 2.40-2.60; tail 2-2.25; bill
-45; tarsus .80.

Distribution. Breeds from central Alberta, southern Saskatchewan,
southwestern Keewatin, Nova Scotia and the Magdalenes south to central

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 449

Minnesota, Michigan, central Ontario, New York and Pennsylvania and
the higher portions of Massachusetts; in the mountains to West Virginia.
Winters from Nicaragua to Colombia and Ecuador. The New York
range is shown by the map on page 28 of volume 1. It is fairly common as
a summer resident in the Catskill and Adirondack districts as well as in
the highlands and colder swamps of central and western New York. Unmis-
takable evidence of its nesting has been reported at Green Island, Albany
county, by Austin F. Park; Peterboro and Stockbridge by Maxon and
Miller; Buffalo by James Savage; Niagara county by J. L. Davison;
Orleans county by C. F. Possun; Phelps by Bowdish; northern Cayuga
county by Frank S. Wright; Cincinnatus by H. C. Higgins; Ithaca by
Reed, Wright and Allen; Scottsville by E. H. Short; the “big gully ”
near Chautauqua lake by H. L. Achilles. I have noticed it breeding in
several of the glens of Canandaigua and Seneca lakes as well as in Potter
swamp and in the. cooler hillsides overlooking the village of Springville,
Erie county.

Haunts and habits. In these localities the nest is usually placed
among tangles of briers and ferns on the shady side of the gully or among
second growth in partially cleared woodlands. The eggs are usually
4 in number, white in ground color, rather sparingly spotted and blotched
with reddish brown, hazel, light umber and occasionally a few obscure
shell markings, averaging .72 by .56 inches in size. The nesting dates
reported vary from June I to 17, the average date being June 7.

Mr Gerald Thayer writes: ‘‘ The song, which is not very commonly
uttered during migration, resembles that of the Kentucky warbler and the
Maryland yellow-throat in that it consists throughout of a repetition of
two or three clear, whistled notes and also resembles that of the former
bird somewhat in the modulation of the voice. The song is decidedly
softer and more hesitating than that of the Yellow-throat and has no great
carrying power. The call note resembles somewhat the ‘chack’ of the
Yellow-throat, but is less pronounced.’’ To my ear, the carrying power
of this warbler’s song is fully as great as that of the Yellow-throat. On

450 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

his nesting grounds I am able to hear it at as great a distance as the Oven
bird’s, in fact, the note seeming to my ear fuller and louder than that of
any other species except the Ovenbird.

Mr Verdi Burtch of Branchport thus describes the nesting habits
of this warbler in Yates county: ‘‘In Potter swamp, where the timber
has been well thinned out, where the ground is wet and springy, where
the ferns, skunk cabbage, tall rue, spice bush, bishop’s cap, false Solomon’s
seal, white baneberry and marsh marigold mingle, and poison ivy and woody

Photo by Verdi Burtch

Mourning warbler’s nest and eggs

nightshade cover the stumps and dead tops, and here and there a tall
dead stub towers above the bushes, here the Mourning warbler makes
its summer home, nesting along the abandoned wood roads and more
open places that are now grown up with grass, ferns, skunk cabbage,
rue and marsh marigolds. It arrives about May 9g to 20 and is fairly
common, nesting in company with Northern yellow-throats and Golden-
wing warblers. It begins nestbuilding the last week of May and complete

mre 2

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 45I

sets are laid by June 3 to 10. The eggs are 4 or 5 in number, more often
5, creamy white in color and vary considerably in style of markings, some
sets have fine specks with blotches and spots of reddish brown and a few
lilac shell markings, the markings mostly at the larger end forming a
wreath. A set of 5 has 4 eggs heavily marked about the larger end with
bright reddish brown and lilac shell markings and large dauby blotches
of reddish brown placed irregularly over the balance of the eggs; the other
egg is well marked about the larger end with a few spots scattered over
the rest of the egg. Nearly all eggs have a few fine spots or scrawls of
dark brown like the eggs of Northern yellow-throat and some eggs resemble
those of the Yellow-throat very much but are mostly larger and rather
more elongated. In some sets the markings are rather dull, running mostly
to shell markings. The nest is of dead weeds and grass, lined with fine
dead grass and in most cases with fine strips of black inner bark or black
rootlets. In fact, the lining, with very few exceptions, is black. It differs
from the nest of the Northern yellow-throat by not having any coarse
grass or dead leaves in the base; the cavity is larger but more shallow and
it is broad and flat while that of the Yellow-throat’s is small and tall. A
typical nest measures: diameter, outside, 4 inches; inside, 2 inches;
depth, outside, 23 inches; inside, 13 inches. These swamp nests are usually
situated in a grassy place among the brush and tops that were left by the
lumbermen, in a bunch of weeds, or the middle of a bunch of skunk cabbage
or ferns. One nest was placed on top of a thick vine that ran over the
ground and there was scarcely any attempt at concealment. Another
was in a very wet place in the heart of a marsh marigold. Another was
in a bunch of weeds on a rotted moss and dirt-covered log. The nests
are usually very well concealed and very near the ground. When a nest
is found the female usually runs a little ways ahead, then flies slowly to
a bush, but soon comes back, dodging around among the bushes chipping
all the time. The chip of the female is sharp and rather loud. It might
be likened to the noise produced by striking two pebbles together gently.

When the grass above one nest was parted the female, which was on the
29

452 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

nest, hissed and stuck to the nest until almost touched by the hand. The
male has a habit of sitting on a dead or naked branch high over an open
space where he sings by the half hour stopping occasionally to preen his
feathers. The Mourning warbler also nests in an entirely different
situation near Branchport. June 4, 1903, a nest was found in a dry
bush lot clearing along a large gully at an elevation of 250 feet above
the valley. It was placed in a small beech bush 18 inches from the
ground among wild blackberry bushes, beech stumps and sprouts. It
contained 2 eggs and no more were laid. They were taken June 7.
June 21 a second nest was found in the sprouts around a beech stump.
It contained 4 eggs and was 2} feet from the ground. As it was only
3 rods from the place where the first nest was found and as both nest and
eggs strongly resembled the first nest and eggs, it was undoubtedly a
second set from the same bird. Both nests were larger and more bulky.
than the Potter swamp nests. One measures: diameter, outside, 6 inches;
inside, 2} inches; depth outside, 3} inches; inside, 2} inches. Both
nests were of dead weeds and grass, thickly lined with black horse hair.

“A nest found June 13, 1909, was alittle farther up this same hill and
was placed on the ground in a clump of oxeye daisies close by the highway
through some woods and it was less than 2 feet from the beaten track.
It contained 5 eggs.”

Geothlypis trichas trichas (Linnaeus)
- Maryland Yellow-throat

Plate 98

Turdus trichas Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 12. 1766. 1:293
Trichas marilandica DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 80, fig. 123
Geothlypis trichas trichas A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 322.
No. 681 :
geothlypis, Gr., 74, earth, and Oduzts, a proper name, meaning unknown, word coined
by Cabanis in 1847; trichas, Gr., word for thrush or some similar bird, used by Aristotle

Description. Adult male: Upper parts olive green; throat and breast
bright yellow changing to dingy white on the abdomen; frontlet and sides
of the face, the mask, jet black bordered above by bluish gray. Female:

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 453

Entire upper parts olive green slightly more brownish than in the male;
forehead often tinged with reddish brown; throat and breast yellowish, .
sometimes dingy white; rest of under parts whitish tinged more or less,
especially on the sides, with brownish; whitish eye ring; no black
mask.

Length 5.33 inches; extent 7.20; wing 2.20; tail 2.05; bill .42; tarsus .80.

Distribution. Breeds from North Dakota, northern Minnesota,
northern Ontario and southern Labrador, south to central Texas, northern
parts of the Gulf States and Virginia; winters from North Carolina and
Louisiana to Florida, the West Indies and Guatemala. In New York
this species is a summer resident of all parts of the State. Though it is
confined to swampy localities, it is abundant in the coastal district as well
as the central and western counties and even the interior of the Adirondacks
where I found it breeding commonly at Elk lake and the ‘‘ Flowed land ”’
within a few miles of Mt Marcy. The spring migration begins from the
28th of April to the 1oth of May, average date being May 5 in the south-
eastern counties, May 4 in western New York. In the fall it disappears
between the 15th and the 25th of October, in the coastal district, and from
the 5th to the 15th of October in western New York. The Yellow-throat,
like the Yellow warbler, Redstart and Ovenbird, is one of the dominant
species of this family in New York, and is one of the four best known
warblers in all portions of the State.

Haunts and habits. The Maryland yellow-throat is not a bird of
the dense forest, but frequents the swampy thicket and the edges of moist
woods, the margins of wooded streams, or dense tangles in damp open
woodlands. I have even found it a member of the marsh society far from
the edge of the wood, associated with the Swamp sparrows and Marsh
wrens, especially where a few bushes were intermingled with the dense
growths of flags and sedges. Where garden shrubbery lies near the edge
of ponds or swampy tracts, the Yellow-throat will sometimes make its
home among the berry and currant bushes or about the edges of the garden
shrubbery. It spends most of its time near the ground but is rarely seen
walking about like some of its near relatives, but almost continually flitting

454 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

from one weed or low bush to another, peering about in all sorts of crannies
for caterpillars and other small insects.

The call note is a sharp chick or chack, sometimes changing to chit
or quit. It also utters a variety of jarring, chattering notes almost sug-
gestive of the scolding of a wren, sometimes a little long-drawn snarl,
as Thayer calls it, a wrenlike “‘ b-r-r-r-r-r.”’ Its song is a full-voiced per-
formance but rather irregular in form. The commonest form has usually
been written ‘‘ wichity, wichity, wichity,” or “ rapity, rapity, rapity.”” This
song is almost endlessly varied,
but is a curious ringing whistle

which will certainly be sug-
gested by these attempts to
syllabize the ditty.

The nest is usually placed
on the ground or near it, among
thick bushes or weeds, some-
times in a tussock of marsh
grass, sometimes in a low bush
or in a tangle of briers. It is
rather bulky in construction,
composed of dead leaves, coarse
grasses and strips of bark, lined
with finer grasses, tendrils and

Photo by L.S. Horton rootlets, sometimes a few long

ee ee ee hairs. The eggs are 3 to 5 in

number, usually 4, of a shiny white ground color, speckled, spotted and
blotched with reddish brown, purplish black, umber and a few spots of
lilac. Sometimes the markings are in long pen lines and forming a wreath
near the larger end. The average size is .72 by .54 inches. Nesting
dates in western New York and on Long Island vary from May 24 to 31,
fresh sets being found as late as June 12. Occasionally nests with fresh eggs

are found as late as the 4th to the 1oth of July, possibly representing a

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 455

second brood, although I have no definite evidence that a second one is
reared.

Icteria virens virens (Linnaeus)
Yellow-breasted Chat

Plate 08

Turdus virens Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 10. 1758. 1:171

Icteria viridis DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 126, fig. 71

Ieteria virens virens A.O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 324. No. 683
ictéria, from Gr., meaning jaundice, referring to the bird’s yellow color; virens,

. being green

Description. Upper parts olive green; throat and breast rich yellow;
belly white; lore black; stripe from nostril over the eye, upper and
under eyelid and a narrow maxillary streak white; bill black; feet leaden
blue. Female: Very similar but duller, especially the lore, which is gray-
ish. Young: Like the female.

Length 7.44 inches; extent 10; wing 3; tail 3.15; bill .55; tarsus 1.02.

Distribution. Breeds from southern Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan,
Ontario, central New York and southern New England to the gulf coast;
winters from Pueblo and Yucatan to Costa Rica. The distribution of
the Chat in New York is shown by the map on page 27, volume 1 of
this work. It is a common summer resident in the lower Hudson valley
and Long Island. It is extremely local in distribution in other portions
of southern, central and western New York, occurring especially in the
Delaware, Susquehanna and Chemung valleys and near the southern ends
of the Finger lakes. The average date of arrival in southeastern New
York is May 9, but it occasionally arrives as early as the 2d of May; in
some seasons it is not noted till the 14th. In central New York the dates
of arrival are somewhat earlier, averaging May 5; sometimes at Ithaca
and Branchport as early as the 30th of April. The last fall dates occur
between August 24 and September 13. Definite breeding dates from the
interior of New York are as follows: Cohoes, June 19, 1878, A. F. Park; ©
Kendall, June 1885 and 1889, David Bruce; West Seneca, June 17, 1895,
James Savage; Holland Patent, June 6, 1898, Williams, Auk 15:331;

456 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Granville, June 17, 1890, F. T. Pember; Chili, May 26, 1890, E. H.
Short; Branchport, June 13, 1899, Stone, Auk, 16:285; Castleton, June
1897, nest and eggs in State Museum; Ithaca, 1900 to 1910, Fuertes,
Wright and Allen; Penn Yan, July 8, 1900, Verdi Burtch; Monroe county,
June 2, 1902, E. H. Short; Cincinnatus, June 25, 1902, H. C. Higgins;
Peterboro, June 17, 1877, adult male but no nest reported, Gerritt S.
Miller jr, Maxon, Auk, 20:266; South hill, Canandaigua lake, July 5,
1906, Burtch, Stone and Eaton; Oneonta, summer of Ig00, W. E. Yager;
Corning, summer 1902, George P. Hollister.

Haunts and habits. The Chat is not a bird of the dense woodland
or of open situations, but is confined to thick coverts of shrubs, vines and
young saplings, preferring a denser covert than even the Chestnut-sided
warbler and the Catbird. It is rarely seen far from such situations and
its distribution will depend on the presence of dense tangles of vines and
shrubbery or thick growth of brush where the forest has recently been
cut on some hillside pasture or where bushes are allowed to grow up in
confusion upon the hillside or in some bit of swamp or bunch of rocks.
Though the Chat is so averse to being seen, he will sometimes be found
even within the limits of our villages and cities where suitable thickets
of considerable extent are found and his loud song is frequently heard
from the village streets and sidewalks. ‘‘ The voice of this bird is flexible
to an almost unlimited degree. It has no notes suggesting its place among
the warblers. Perhaps the commonest note is a harsh, rather nasal chuck,
often prolonged into chuck-uck. The song is almost impossible to describe.
It begins with two slow, deep notes; then follows one high-pitched and
interrogative note; then several, rapid and even, and from that point on
to the end, I have never been able to give any rendering of the clucking
and gurgling that completes the long song. As far as I have described,
it may be rendered thus: quoort-quoort! whee? whew-whew-whew!”’ (Alli-
son, Chapman “ Warblers of North America’’). Bicknell notes the song
period from the date of arrival to the third or even the fourth week of
July, quite regularly to the middle of the month. An imperfect song is

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 457

sometimes heard as late as August 14, the last perfect song, however,
being heard between July 15 and August 1; but the chut or chat note can
be heard as long as the bird is present. The wonderful performances
of the Chat during his singing ecstacy have been well described by Taverner
(Bird Lore 8, 131): “‘ His love song is a woodland idyll and makes up
for much of his shortcomings. From some elevated perch from which
he can survey the surrounding waste for a considerable distance he flings
himself into the air, straight up he goes on fluttering wings — legs dangling,
head raised, his whole being tense and spasmodic with ecstacy. As he
rises he pours forth a flood of musical gurgles and whistles that drop from
him in silvery cascades to the ground, like sounds of fairy chimes. As
he reaches the apex of his flight, his wings redouble their beatings, working
straight up and down, while the legs hanging limply down remind the
observer of drawings we sometimes see from the brushes of Japanese artists.
He holds his hovering position for an instant, then the music gradually
dies away and he sinks toward the ground. He regains his natural poise
and seeks another perch like that from which he started.” The nest of
the Chat is placed in the midst of some thicket or tangle of vines or briers
close to the ground, usually about 3 feet up. It is arather bulky structure
composed of dead leaves, grasses, weed stalks, strips of bark, lined with
fine grasses. The eggs are from 3 to 5, usually 4 in number, pure white
in ground color, sometimes tinged with pink or greenish; usually rather
evenly spotted with reddish brown, chestnut and purplish lavender, rather
sharp and clearly outlined, but sometimes forming a wreath near the
larger end, the size averaging .g2 by .72 inches. The nesting dates in
southeastern New York range from May 25 to June 13; in central New York
May 27 to June 14.

458 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Wilsonia citrina (Boddaert)
Hooded Warbler

Plate 98

Muscicapa citrina Boddaert. Table Pl. Enl. 1783. 41

Wilsonia mitrata DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 107, fig. 128

Wilsonia citrina A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 324. No. 684
wilsénia, genus named by Bonaparte in honor of Alexander Wilson, father of Ameri-

can ornithology; cztrina, like a citron, yellow

Description. Upper parts olive green; face and under parts Sigh
yellow; 3 pairs of outer tail feathers largely white; a jet black hood covering
the crown of the head extending around the sides of the neck and covering
the throat, inclosing the brilliant yellow face. Female: The whole face
and under parts yellow, black appearing behind the crown and running
down the side of the neck, barely indicating the hood.

Length 5.67 inches; extent 8.25; wing 2.58; tail 2.3; bill .4; tarsus .77.

Distribution. | Breeds from southeastern Nebraska, southwestern
Michigan, central New York and the lower Connecticut valley south to
Louisiana and Georgia; winters from Vera Cruz and Yucatan to Panama,
occasionally to Cuba. Its breeding range in New York is shown by the
map on page 28 of volume 1 of this work. It is rare on Long Island and
apparently occurs only as a transient visitant in the immediate vicinity of
New York, and in Westchester county it is also a rare species; but farther
north and west, especially near Highland Falls, it is found as an abundant
summer resident; also at Palenville, Greene county (La Dow, Auk, 25:480).
In the interior of New York its distribution is local, but breeding colonies
of considerable extent have been noticed in Cortland county by Higgins; |
in Madison county by Maxon, Bagg and Embody; in northern Cayuga and
Wayne counties by Rathbun and Wright; near Brockport by David Bruce;
near Forest Lawn, Monroe county, by Dr C. A. Dewey and Mr George
Perkins; near Springville by E. H. Eaton; in East Hamburg by Thomas
N. Bunting; near Mayville by A. E. Kibbe. The date of the arrival of
the Hooded warbler in spring averages May 5 in southeastern New York;
in central New York from the 6th to the 12th of May; Long Island records,

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 459

which are very few, range between April 30 and May 14. The last appear-
ance in the fall is usually between the 1st and 8th of September. In the
vicinity of New York Chapman gives September 20 to 30.

Haunts and habits. The Hooded warbler prefers a deciduous forest
although mixed woodlands are frequently occupied in central and western
New York. The preferred growth is beech, maple, cherry and hornbeam,
or oak, chestnut, hickory and sassafras, or oak and laurel, and if the wood-
land is rich and well watered it is all the more attractive to this beautiful
warbler — not open woodland, but rather mature forest, with a considerable
growth of saplings and underbrush of moderate height. The males are
frequently seen above the line of undergrowth in the lower branches of
the taller trees, singing their songs throughout the breeding season.

This song is well characterized by Chapman in his ‘‘ Warblers of North
America’’ as distinguished by an “easy, sliding gracefulness. To my
ear the words ‘ You must come to the woods or you won’t see me,’ uttered
quickly and made to run one into the other, exactly fit the bird’s more
prolonged vocal efforts though they are far from agreeing with the attempts
at syllabication of others. The call is a high, sharp chip, easily recognized
after it has been learned.’’ Allison says the usual note is clear and nervous,
but not a metallic chirp. ‘‘ There are two common songs, both uttered
on every possible occasion in spring when the woods are ringing with them.
The most frequent is a short one of four syllables ‘ se-whit, se-wheer’; a longer
song may be rendered ‘ Whee-whee-whee-a-wheer,’ accented as marked. A
sharp or very clear-cut chirt is sometimes to be heard late in the evening,
about dusk.” Bicknell agrees with Allison and other observers in noting
two distinct songs of this warbler. He has heard the song as late as July
I to 15 and occasionally again during the fourth week of August. The song
of this warbler is one of the few which the author can hear with perfect
distinctness and enjoy. While the song of the Chestnut-sided warbler
is audible to him only for a distance of 5 or 6 rods, and the song of the
Blackpoll is utterly inaudible even at a distance of 3 rods, the song of
the Hooded warbler can be heard almost throughout the forest for a dis-

”

460 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

tance of 30 or 40 rods, and the description which is given by Langille
seems to fit very well the birds of western New York as it did when he
described it years ago in his “‘ Birds in Their Haunts ’’: ‘‘ che-reek, che-
reek, che-reek, chi-di-ee,”’ the first three with a loud, bell-like ring, the rest
much accelerated with a falling inflection.

The nest of the Hooded warbler is usually placed in a low sapling
or bush from 1 to 3 feet from the ground. In my experience it is the
easiest of all the warbler nests to find. Wherever I have noticed a Hooded
warbler singing in a patch of woodland, I have been very successful in
locating the nest by placing my eye close to the ground and looking through
the shrubbery from below the cover of the undergrowth. Then the nest
will almost surely be seen if one is within a few rods, appearing like a bunch
of leaves a short distance above the ground. As soon as the female is
frightened from the nest she flits about from bush to bush, flashing her
tail and uttering a mild chip or cheep. The nest bears some resemblance
to that of the Indigo bird, but is more neatly constructed of dry leaves,
strips of bark, grasses and rootlets lined with fine grasses and sometimes
a few dark rootlets. The eggs are 3 to 5 in number, almost always 4,
creamy white in ground color, rather sparingly spotted, especially in wreaths
about the larger ends, with reddish chestnut, purplish, and obscure shell
markings of pale lavender. The average size is .74 by .54 inches. Nesting
dates from southeastern New York range from May 26 to June 15; from
western New York May 18 to June 12. ,

Wilsonia pusilla pusilla (Wilson)
Wilson Warbler

Plate 98

Muscicapa pusilla Wilson. Amer. Orn. 1811. 3:103. pl. 26, fig. 4
Wilsonia pusilla DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt. 2, p. 108, fig. 117
Wilsonia pusilla pusilla “A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. pi 325,
No. 685
pusilla, Lat., small

Description. Upper parts olive green; crown shining jet black bordered
on the frontlet and sides of the head with bright yellow; under parts bright

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 461

yellow. Female: Like the male, but the colors less bright and the black
cap more or less veiled. Fall specimens: The crown tipped with olive
in the male, the young females lacking the black cap.

Length 5 inches; extent 6.97; wing 2.21; tail 2; bill .32.

Distribution. Breeds from central Mackenzie, central Keewatin and
central Ungava and central Newfoundland south to southern Saskatchewan,
northern Minnesota, central Ontario, New Hampshire, Maine and Nova
Scotia. Winters from Guatemala to Costa Rica. Migrates mainly along
the Alleghanies. In New York this warbler is only a transient, the most
careful search for it in the Adirondacks having, as yet, been fruitless,
although it is recorded from northern New Hampshire and Maine as a sum-
mer resident. The spring migration begins near the coast from the gth
to the 17th of May, the 12th being the average date. In western New York
it is occasionally noted as early as the 3d of May, but the 11th seems to
be the average date of arrival. The last birds pass northward between
the 22d and 31st of May, a few dates in southeastern New York running
as late as June 13. In the fall, migrants come from the north between the
roth and the 27th of August, sometimes not before the 9th of September,
and the last depart for the south from the Ist to the 6th of October. The
species is rather erratic in abundance, some years scarcely being noticed
at all, other seasons appearing in large numbers, but in general, it is called
an uncommon species in the southeastern portion of the State and in many
stations of central New York it is regarded one of the rarer warblers; but
in all localities near the southern shore of Lake Ontario as well as the
region about the central lakes, the Wilson warbler is quite regular in
occurrence, but the abundance varies as has been noted by many observers.
The late David Bruce of Brockport called my attention to the fact that
during the years while he was collecting in Monroe county he was unable
to secure specimens of the Black cap for several seasons; then perhaps
in one day he would notice hundreds of the species and be able to secure
all the specimens he needed for years to come. Personally, I have suc-
ceeded in recording the species every spring, while observing in Monroe,
Erie and Ontario counties, but, on the average, it is considerably less

462 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

common than the Canada warbler, but decidedly more common than the
Tennessee and Orange-crowned warblers during the spring migration.

Haunts and habits. Wilson’s black cap is usually noticed among the
lower shrubbery, thickets, brush piles and undergrowth at the edge of
the forest rather than in the taller trees. ‘‘ Its song suggests somewhat
in miniature that of the Northern water thrush although it is itself quite
loud and rich, a bright, hurried, rolling twitter, suddenly changed into
more of a trill, richer and somewhat lower in tone. The first portion of
the song varies in length and richness, sometimes longer and fuller in tone,
more often shorter and weaker than the second, while some individuals
omit it altogether, uttering only the trill when the song is rather difficult
to recognize. This song is about as loud as that of the Nashville warbler
or slightly louder and resembles it somewhat. The call note is a weak
but ringing tschip.”’ (Gerald Thayer MSS.)

Wilsonia canadensis (Linnaeus)
Canada Warbler ©

Plate 94

Muscicapa canadensis Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.12. 1766. 1:327

Sylvicola pardalina DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. o1, fig. 115

Wilsonia canadensis. A.O.U. Check List. Ed. 3. t1910. p. 325. No. 686
canadénsis, of Canada, quite appropriate name of this warbler

Description. Upper parts bluish gray; forehead and spot before and
behind the eye mostly black; under parts yellow; a well-defined necklace of
black streaks on the forebreast and lower neck; loral stripe and eye ring
yellow. Female: In similar pattern but less brightly colored, and black
on the forehead and cheeks obscured; the black necklace also less pro-
nounced. Young: Like the female but duller and tinged with brownish
on the back; black necklace scarcely discernible.

Length 5.61 inches; extent 8.1; wing 2.53; tail 2.23; bill .4; tarsus .75.

Distribution. Breeds from central Alberta, southern Keewatin, north-
ern Ontario, northern Quebec and Newfoundland south to Minnesota,
Michigan and Massachusetts; in the Alleghanies to North Carolina and
Tennessee; winters from Guatemala to Educador and Peru. The distri-

*

Te ee

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 463

bution in New York is shown by the map on page 28, volume 1 of this work.
It is a common summer resident of the second growth, slashings and

- burnt lands of the Catskills and Adirondacks, and in many localities in

central and western New York. Miller and Maxon have found it a
common summer resident in the vicinity of Peterboro; Ralph and Bagg in
northern Oneida county; Embody near Verona Beach, Oneida lake; Burtch
and Stone in Potter swamp; W. E. Yager near Oneonta; Reed and
Wright south of Ithaca; James Savage and the author in Bergen swamp;
the author in the gully sides and hill slope woodlands of Cattaraugus
and southern Erie counties; H. L. Achilles in “the gulf” near Chautauqua
lake. The spring migration of this species begins from the 3d to the 12th
of May both in eastern and western New York, average date being
about May 8. Some seasons it has not been noted earlier than May 14.
The principal migration flight is passed by the 25th or the 28th of May. In
the fall the return migration begins from the 1oth to the 21st of August
and the last migrants depart between September 19 and October 12.
Haunts and habits. The Canada warbler during the migration season
is found about our dooryard shrubbery, and the thickets on the edges
of streams and woodlands. It is very spritely at this season and its song
is frequently heard. It feeds nearer the ground than the dendroicas, as
is the case with the Wilson and the Hooded warblers. I am always sure
to find it about the tangles of vines and berry bushes in neglected spots
near the edges of the villages, cities and parklands during the first three

weeks of May. In the nesting season we must seek for it in the cooler

gullies of central and western New York or in damp, cool woodlands of
deciduous or mixed growth, usually at an altitude of 1000 to 2000 feet,
but. it nests in Bergen swamp as well as Oak Orchard swamp where the

altitude is scarcely above 500 feet, and the evidence seems to indicate

that a high degree of humidity and a dense covert of herbs and shrubbery
is more to be desired by this species than a low temperature, although
the two may go together. In Potter swamp the Canada warbler is found
in the same situations as those preferred by the Mourning and: Golden-

464 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

winged warblers, in close proximity to the nesting sites of the Water thrush
and Maryland yellow-throat. It is not a warbler of the dense woodland,
but prefers an open growth of trees with a dense undergrowth of vines
and shrubbery. In Erie and Cattaraugus counties I have noticed the
nest usually concealed among a dense growth of ferns and blackberry
bushes close to the ground or resting upon it, a rather bulky affair con-
structed of weed stalks, leaves, grasses and strips of bark lined with fine
grasses and sometimes a few long hairs. The eggs are 3 to 5 in number,
usually 4, of a white ground color marked more or less thickly with spots
and blotches of reddish brown, gray and lavender. The average dimensions
are .68 by .52 inches. Nesting dates in central and western New York
vary from June 1 to 20, usual date June 6.

‘The song is very brisk and clear toned, a series of 10 or more short
notes uttered in rapid succession and with considerable snap, a very pretty
warble and one of the most noticeable warbler songs to be heard in the
east, frequently uttered during migration. The call, a peculiar ‘ tang,’
is recognizable by its vigor and somewhat metallic or ringing tone ’’’ (Gerald ©
Thayer MSS.). Chapman syllabizes the song as “ rup-it-che, rup-it-che,
rup-it-chitt-1t-lit.””

Setophaga ruticilla (Linnaeus)
Redstart

Plate 97

Motacilla ruticilla Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.10. 1758. 1: 186

Muscicapa ruticilla DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 111, fig. 68

Setophaga ruticilla A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 326. No. 687
set6phaga, from Gr., meaning insect-eating; ruticilla, from Lat., red-tail

Description. Male: Colors salmon orange and black, the orange
appearing in 2 conspicuous patches on the sides of the breast and
zones through the basal portion of all the wing feathers and the basal
portion of all the tail feathers except the central pair; black forms nearly
all the remaining upper parts, especially the head, neck, back, the greater
portion of the wings, the central tail feathers and the terminal zone of
the tail; the central abdomen white. Female: Grayish olive brown where
the male is black on the upper parts and yellow where the male is orange,

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 465

the head being nearly plain gray; the throat and under parts grayish white;
yellowish patches on the sides of breast and sides of tail are conspicuous;

_ the yellow patch in the wing is not as extensive as the male’s orange patch.

Young resemble the female, young males in the spring passing gradually
into the plumage of the adult. Specimens midway between the colors of
the male and female are frequently seen showing more or less black feath-
ers on the breast and gradually changing into the black plumage of the male
on the back.

Length 5.42 inches; extent 7.9; wing 2.57; tail 2.27; bill .35; tarsus .66. -

Distribution. Breeds from central British Columbia, central Mac-
kenzie, southern Keewatin, northern Quebec and Newfoundland to Wash-
ington, Colorado, Arkansas and North Carolina; winters in the West Indies .
and from central Mexico to Ecuador and Guiana. It is a common summer
resident of New York, breeding in all portions of the State. I have found
its nest in Central Park, New York City, and in all the deciduous wood-
lands examined in eastern, central and western New York, and in the slash-
ings of the McIntyre Iron Company on the slopes of Skylight and Mt
Marcy in the Adirondacks. The Redstart is probably as universally
distributed as the Ovenbird and the Yellow warbler but is not becoming
accustomed to civilized conditions so rapidly as the latter, though adapting
itself, perhaps, more easily than the Ovenbird. The spring migration
begins between the 27th of April and the 7th of May, depending upon
the advance of the season, average date near New York being about May 1;
in western New York, May 2 or 3. In the fall the last migrants depart
between the 23d of September and the 4th of October.

Haunts and habits. The Redstart prefers a deciduous woodland
with plentiful undergrowth of saplings and low trees. I have found it
nesting in low, damp woods as well as in dry, well-drained upland woods;
also in mixed woodland with a considerable growth of pine or hemlock,
and in the Adirondacks where spruces occupy half the ground. This
flaming little warbler is one of the liveliest of the family, continually
fluttering about among the foliage and darting after flying insects, being
almost as expert a flycatcher as the Wood pewee; in fact, the shape of its
bill and the bristling of the rictus have often beguiled ornithologists into

466

NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Redstart’s nest and eggs

J

Photo by Ralph S. Paddock

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 467

placing it among the true flycatchers. As it flutters about the foliage
it carries the wings and tail partially expanded, being even more addicted
to this habit than the Magnolia warbler or any member of the family
with which I am familiar. The general resemblance to the flitting of a
butterfly has often been remarked by bird students with whom I have
visited its haunts.

The call note of the Redstart is a characteristic tsip. The Redstart
has several distinct songs. Chapman syllables one as “ching, ching,
chee; ser-wee, swee, swee-e-e.”’ Another
is often written “‘ zee-zee-zee,”’ sharp
and rasping in tone, suggestive of the
Black and white warbler’s. Sometimes
it has a resemblance to the buzz of the
Parula’s song; again to the wheezing of
the Black-throated blue. It is always
so thin and wiry in quality that the
author is unable to hear it for more
than twice the distance of the Black-
poll warbler’s song.

In my experience the nest of the
Redstart is the most neatly constructed
of any of our warblers’ nests, though

not so elaborate or so highly orna-

American redstart on nest

mented as some. The materials used

are fine shreds of plant down, the thin gray outer covering of milkweed
stalks, spiders’ webs, the inner bark of vines, and grasses, woven into a
thin but compact and shapely cup, lined with fine grasses and thin
brown shreds of bark and brownish root fibers and long horse hair;
rarely a few feathers are found in its construction. The nest is usually
placed in the upright fork of a sapling from 6 to 12 feet from the
ground although I have found many nests in oaks, maples and beeches

at a height of 20 and even 35 feet. The eggs are 3 to 5 in number,
30

468 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

almost universally 4, of a beautiful creamy white ground color, rarely
with a greenish tinge, marked with specks and blotches of cinnamon
brown, reddish, lilac and occasionally a few dark umber spots, with
obscure shell markings of lavender. Sometimes a distinct wreath is
formed near the larger end and the rest of the egg is nearly plain; some-
times these markings are more evenly distributed. The eggs in my experi-
ence vary considerably in size, but the average dimensions are about .64
by .48 inches. Nesting dates in western New York vary from May 20
to June 10. Later fresh sets are often found as late as the 26th of June
or even the 10th of July. The average date for fresh eggs, however, is
May 28. Near New York City many fresh sets are recorded as early as
May: 17.

Family MO’TACILLIDAE
Wagtails
* Wings rather long and pointed; secondaries large and elongated;
primaries only 9; tail as long as the wing, square or rounded; bill shorter
than the head, slender, acute, straight and notched near the tip; nostril
uncovered; rictus slightly bristled; tarsus slender and scutellate; toes long
and slender, the inner one cleft, the outer one joined by half its joint to
the inner; hind toe with long straightish claw; plumage somewhat varie-
gated; moult double.

The wagtail family is more developed in the Old World than in
America. The members are medium small in size, more or less gregarious _
and migratory in habit; they are insectivorous and largely terrestrial, our
species being walkers like the larks to which they bear a decided resemblance
both in structure and habits. They differ from the larks, however, in
the structure of the bill, the tarsus and the double moult. Our American
species are boreal or arctic in distribution and are only birds of passage —
in the eastern states, frequenting the bare shores, mud flats and wide
plowed fields.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 469

Anthus rubescens (Tunstall)
Pipit
Plate 69

Alauda rubescens Tunstall. Orn. Britannica. 1771. 2

Anthus ludovicianus DeKay. Zool. N.Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 76, fig. 99

Anthus rubescens A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 328. No. 697
dnthus, Gr., év00¢, some kind of a small bird; rubéscens, Lat., becoming red

Description. Upper parts grayish brown; centers of the feathers
showing obscure dusky shaft streaks; wings and tail fuscous; wing coverts
tipped with buffy and wing feathers edged with the same; a buffy super-
ciliary line; wnder parts varying from dull white to buff or even ocherous;
streaked with blackish on the breast and sides; the 2 outer tail feathers largely
white. Fall specimens are browner on the upper parts; spring birds often
slaty gray. Sexes alike. Hind claw elongated.

Length 6.25-7 inches; extent 10.25-11; wing 3.25-3.50; tail 2.75-3;
bill .5; tarsus .9.

Distribution. The Pipit is an arctic species, breeding in northern
Alaska, Mackenzie, west coast of Davis strait, west coast of Greenland,
south to Great Slave lake, central Keewatin and Newfoundland, occasionally
south in the mountains to California, Colorado and New Mexico. Winters
from southern California, Ohio and New Jersey to the gulf coast and
Guatemala. In New York State it is an abundant transient visitant in
suitable localities, arriving on the coast of Long Island from the 12th to
the 29th of March and disappearing from the 15th to the 25th of April,
a few sometimes remaining until the 3d or even the 27th of May. In
western New York the spring migration occurs mostly in April, but the
species is much less common in the interior of the State during the spring
than during the fall migration. Records from Erie and Monroe counties
vary from the 15th of April to the 12th of May. In the fall the Pipit
makes its appearance from the 16th to the 24th of September, sometimes
as early as the 6th, and departs for the south from the 25th of October to
the 16th or even the 30th of November, a few individuals remaining
throughout the winter on the tidal flats of Long Island. During the fall

470 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

migration it is exceedingly abundant on the mud flats and marshes of the
central lake region and the shores of the Great Lakes, as well as along the
larger rivers and on the coast of Long Island, occurring in the same localities
as the Pectoral and Red-backed sandpipers.

Haunts and habits. When disturbed, the pipits rise with an easy
undulating flight, uttering a soft dee-dee, mounting high in the air and hover-
ing about over the marshes, sometimes returning to within a few feet of
the intruder. They walk about or run hurriedly over the muddy and
sandy shores in search of aquatic insects and seeds which are left by the
receding water. In the spring, when the flats of western New York are
usually flooded with water, the Pipit occurs mostly on plowed fields and
burned tracts, and even on the hilltops. I have noticed the spring speci-
mens are of a much more grayish cast above and of a lighter shade on the
under parts than the fall specimens.

Family MIMIDAEB

Thrashers

Wing short and rounded; 10 primaries; tail large, long and rounded;
bill slender, usually more or less curved, about equal to the head in length;
rictus bristled; tarsus equal in length to the middle toe with its claw, the
toes deeply cleft; size medium; colors rather sober grays and browns.

Thrashers are closely related to the wrens and are fully as melodious in
voice, some of them often surpassing the thrushes in this respect, especially
our world-famous Mockingbird which is regarded by some as the best
songster of the world. They frequent low growth and shrubbery and
often seek their food upon the ground. They are largely insectivorous,
but resort more than the wrens to a diet of fruit in its season. The family
is exclusively American and numbers about 40 species, more southerly
in distribution than the wrens, barely reaching beyond the upper austral
zone. They are only slightly less nervous and spritely in habits than the
wrens, continually bobbing about or pumping their tails, which has given
them the family name of Thrasher. The nests are bulky and constructed

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 471

in a thick covert of shrubbery. The eggs are usually 4 or 5, of a color
varying from deep bluish green.to grayish and speckled.

The food and economic relations of the thrashers are discussed in
the Yearbook of the United States Department of Agriculture for 1895,
pages 405-18; also in various bulletins of the Biological Survey, especially
no. 17 by Doctor Judd.

Mimus polyglottos polyglottos (Linnaeus)
Mockingbird
Plate tor

Turdus polyglottos Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 10. 1758. 1: 169
Orpheus polyglottus DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 67, fig. 84
Mimus polyglottos polyglottos A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 110.

p- 331. No. 703
mimus, a mimic; polygléttos, from Gr., meaning many tongued

Description. Upper parts ashy gray; lower parts soiled white; wings
and tail fuscous; basal portion of the primaries and a portion of the greater
coverts white showing as a large white wing patch in flight; 3 outer tail feathers
largely white, the outermost one entirely so. Young: Brown; lower parts
dull whitish, speckled with dusky.

Distribution. The Mockingbird inhabits the southern United States
from eastern Nebraska, Illinois, Ohio, Maryland, to eastern Texas and.
southern Florida, occasionally as far north as Wisconsin, Ontario and’
Massachusetts. On Long Island and in southeastern New York this bird.
has been reported on numerous occasions and there seems to be some:
evidence that it has bred near Rockaway, Long Island, and possibly in
other portions of southeastern New York; but no definite evidence to this:
effect has ever been brought forward. The New York specimens have been
recorded as follows: Rockaway, Long Island, September 1871 (Lawrence,
Forest and Stream, 10, 235); Rockaway, November 7, 1877 (Lawrence,
N. O. C. Bul. 3:129); Riverdale, October 28, and November 21, 1877
(Bicknell, N. O. C. Bul. 3:129); Brooklyn, 1877 (Coues, N. O. C.
Bul. 4:32); Gravesend, August 9, 1879, young bird (DeL Berier, N. O.
C. Bul. 5:46); Fort Hamilton, October 1 and 2, 1880 (Del Berier, N. O,

472 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

C. Bul. 6:125); Flatbush, Long Island, November 1884 (Dutcher,
Auk, 5:183); Millers Place, Long Island, May 10, 1887 (A. H. Helme);
Shelter island, April 29, 1891 (W. W. Worthington); Croton-on-the-
Hudson, winter of 1899 (Miss Annie Van Cortlandt); Floral Park, Long
Island, August 27, 1900 (Childs, Auk, 17:390); Rockaway Beach, Septem-
ber 14, 1902, a young bird (Braislin, Auk, 20:53). In the interior of New
York it has also been taken, especially in the western portion of the State.
J. L. Davison reports a specimen from Lockport, December 27, 1906;
Ottomar Reinecke writes that it has been taken occasionally near Buffalo;
Miss Evelyn Moore reports it from Olean; and several specimens have
been seen in the vicinity of Rochester by different bird students nearly
every year for the last 10 years, sometimes in the spring, especially in
May; other times they appear in the early winter and have been observed
week after week, but in every instance, although the birds have been fed,
they seemed unable to survive the coldest part of the winter, usually
disappearing about the third week in January. Near the shore of Lake
Erie, between Dunkirk and Silver Creek, it is supposed to breed, but I
have never known of any person who has found its nest. Miss Sarah
Waite observed it in full song in that vicinity during the spring of Igoo.
It is thus evident that this famous songster is scarcely able to withstand
our northern winters, although it may breed occasionally within the limits
of the State. If it would only migrate a few hundred miles to the southward
and return again in the spring this bird could undoubtedly be introduced
in New York, but all specimens which have been liberated have disappeared.
Haunts and habits. The wonderful song powers of the Mockingbird

are too well known to require description. In habits it resembles our

Brown thrasher, to which it is closely related. Its nest also is similar

to the thrasher’s nest, but usually placed in thick bushes. The eggs are — " 4

of a bluish green ground color, heavily speckled with different shades of
brown. They average 1 by .75 inches in dimensions. !

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 473

Dumetella carolinensis (Linnaeus)
Catbird

Plate ror

Muscicapa carolinensis Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 12. 1766. 1:328
Orpheus carolinensis DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 60, fig. 85
Dumetella carolinensis A. O.'U. Check List. Ed, 3: toro; p; 331.
No. 704
dumetélla, diminutive of Lat., dumetum, thornbushes or thicket, referring to the
bird’s chosen habitat

Description. Tail long and rounded; color slaty gray, lighter below;
crown and tail black; under tail coverts chestnut; exposed portion of the
wings like the back. This is our only dark slaty bird, slightly smaller
than the Robin, with nearly uniform coloration, with restless habits, almost
continually pumping its tail like the rest of the thrashers.

Length 8.5-9 inches; extent II-12; wing 3.5-3.7; tail 3.6—-4; bill .65.

Distribution. The Catbird inhabits eastern North America, breeding
from British Columbia, central Alberta, Saskatchewan, southern Manitoba,
central Ontario, southern Quebec and Nova Scotia, to northeastern New
Mexico, eastern Texas and northern Florida. Winters from the Southern
States to Cuba and Panama. In New York it is uniformly distributed
throughout the Carolinian and Alleghanian zones, but does not enter the
spruce and balsam forests of the Catskills and Adirondacks, although it
penetrates those districts along the clearings and river valleys up to an
elevation of 2000 feet. Throughout the settled portions of the State it
is one of the dominant species, almost equaling the Chipping sparrow and
Red-eyed vireo in abundance. It arrives from the south from the 20th to
the 30th of April in the warmer portions of the State, from the 5th to the
roth of May farther north; and departs in the fall from the 5th to the 25th
of October. In the coastal district a few individuals remain throughout
the winter, but in western New York this is a very rare occurrence, and
those which do not migrate are usually destroyed by the coldest weather
of January and early February.

Haunts and habits. This is one of the best known of our common

474 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

birds, frequently taking up its abode under the very windows of the farm-
house, and, wherever it is protected, seems to prefer the vicinity of human
habitation, frequently nesting in the barberry bushes and other shrubbery
of lawns in the midst of our cities and villages. It is never found in the
depths of the forest but prefers clearings and the thickets at the edges of
woodlands, the hedgerows and
shrubbery on the edges of
streams and gullys, and the
edges of pasture land. Though
constantly seen and heard, it
seldom ventures far from the
protecting coverts of the
thicket and does not seek so
elevated a perch while deliv-
erirg its song as is the cus-
tom with the Brown thrasher.
This song of the Catbird
seems to me, at its best, not
quite equal to that of the
Brown thrasher, just as the
Thrasher scarcely equals the
best performance of the Mock-
ingbird. Nevertheless, he is
a famous songster. If he
would only omit the scolding

notes and catlike ‘‘ meows,”’

Photo by James H. Miller
Catbird at nest

which are frequently inter-
spersed with his rarest notes, he would be one of our favorite song birds.

The Catbird’s nest is placed only a few feet from the ground in some
dense shrub or vine and is rather a bulky affair, the exterior composed of
long sticks and straws, and the inner nest carefully woven of reddish brown
rootlets. The eggs are from 3 to 5 in number, usually 4, of a deep bluish

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 475

green color, and average .95 by .70 inches in size. They are laid from
the 15th to the 3oth of May, and second sets are often observed as late
as the first week in August, evidently two broods often being reared in
a season in our latitude.

This bird is undoubtedly a beneficial species. The greater part of its
food during the spring and summer consists of injurious insects. It kills

ae

fa.) i
= .

*
ij

Photo by Ralph S. Paddock
Catbird’s nest and eggs

quite a number of ground beetles and other predaceous insects, however,
and as soon as cultivated cherries and berries are ripe it takes a considerable
toll of these fruits. Furthermore, he occasionally destroys the eggs of
other birds, a habit which, in justice, we must say is not characteristic of .
this species. I suspect that, like the House wren, he dislikes near neighbors
because his food range about the nest is rather circumscribed, and finds

476 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

it to his advantage to have a clear field for his operations. In the autumn
the Catbird’s food consists largely of wild fruit. After all has been said,
we must consider the Catbird less agreeable as a neighbor than the Robin
or even the Cedarbird, for its scolding notes become exceedingly monot-
onous, especially when they are uttered day after day, as usually happens
whenever the owner of the premises appears. He becomes more incon-
spicuous as a neighbor after the first week of August, sometimes singing
slightly for a week or two before his departure in October, after the moult
has been completed.
Toxostoma rufum (Linnaeus)
Brown Thrasher
Plate 101

Turdus rufus Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.10. 1758. 1: 169

Orpheus rufus DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 68, fig. 82

Toxostoma rufum A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 332. No. 705.
toxéstoma, from Gr., bow-mouth, that is, curved-billed; rifum, Lat., reddish

Description. Upper parts bright rufous or reddish brown; the wing
coverts tipped with buffy whitish tending to form 2 wing bars; under parts
buffy whitish heavily streaked with black except on the throat and center
of the abdomen. Whenever the amateur sees a brown-backed bird longer
than a Robin, with heavily spotted breast and long rounded tail, he may be
sure it is a Thrasher.

Length 11.5-12 inches; extent 12.5-14; wing 3.8-4.25; tail 5; bill 1;
tarsus 1.3.

Distribution. The Brown thrasher inhabits eastern North America
from southern Alberta and Manitoba, northern Michigan, southern Ontario,
southern Quebec and southern Maine to eastern Louisiana, Mississippi,
Alabama and northern Florida. Winters from southern Missouri and North
Carolina to Texas and southern Florida. In New York its range coincides
very closely with that of the Catbird, but it is less common than that
species, especially in the colder portions of the State. The spring migration
is performed between the 15th and 25th of April in the warmer counties,
from the Ist to the 1oth of May in the northern portions. It sometimes

appears about New York City as early as the 2d of April, and disappears

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 477

in the fall from the 1oth of October to the 3d of November, a few individuals
remaining throughout the winter in the warmer districts. It sometimes
tries to winter in western New York, but is usually killed by the coldest
weather of January and February.

Haunts and habits. The Brown thrasher has not learned to tolerate
the presence of mankind so well as the Catbird. He prefers hedgerows,
thickets, hillside pastures and dry fields overgrown with shrubbery and
vines. He seeks his food mostly
upon the ground, rustling about
and scratching the dry leaves in
search of worms and _ insects
hidden beneath them.

The song of the Thrasher is
one of the loudest and richest bird
melodies that can be heard in New
York State. When one has list-
ened to this bird in full song he is
sure to carry a memory of the won-
derful song which is usually
delivered from a lofty perch—
sometimes the dead top of a tall
tree — where he sings during May
and early June by the half hour,

especially early in the morning and Bt Ciarcnes Gere
on cloudy or rainydays. Thesong Brown shesstier airs 20d eae
bears considerable resemblance to that of the Mockingbird, and anyone who
is familiar with the Catbird’s song can picture to himself the song of the
Thrasher by considering all the ‘‘meows’”’ omitted and the notes made
fuller, louder and richer until the whole hillside resounds with the melody.
The alarm note of the Thrasher is a sharp click, but louder and sharper
than the corresponding note of the Catbird.

The nest is placed close to the ground or even on it, in the midst of

478 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

a dense thicket or a tangle of vines. The nesting materials consist of
twigs, straws, leaves and coarse rootlets. The eggs are usually 4 in number,
sometimes 3 or 5, grayish white or bluish white in ground color, thickly
and rather evenly speckled with minute spots of cinnamon or rufous brown.
They average 1.1 by .8 inches in dimensions. In the southern portions
of the State the first eggs are laid from the 15th to the 25th of May; one
or two weeks later in the northern counties.

In the spring and summer the Thrasher’s food consists principally of
worms and ground-inhabitating insects. Later in the season it partakes
freely of cherries, berries and other fruits. It is to be regretted that so
famous a songster and so striking a bird as the Thrasher will not become
accustomed to the presence of man and live familiarly about our gardens
and lawns like the Robin and the Catbird, but it seems to be scarcely
more accustomed to the presence of mankind than when the first settlers

found him on the edges of their clearings.

Family TTROGLODYTIDAE

Wrens

Wing short and rounded; primaries 10, the first not noticeably reduced;
tail for the most part short and rounded, in some species, however, longer
than the wing; bill slender, nearly straight, as long as the head or, in some
species, considerably less; nostril oval, uncovered by feathers but with an
overhanging scale; the rictus is not bristled; tarsus scutellate; the inner toe
joined by more than half its first joint to the outer toe. In size the wrens
are small birds, gray and mottled brown in coloration. In disposition
they are fearless or impertinent, spritely and rather quarrelsome, insectiv-
orous in diet, and migratory in habits. They are among our most prolific
songbirds, laying from 7 to 9 eggs or even more and frequently rearing
two broods in a season. In the family there are over a hundred species
on both continents, our little winter wren, which is so common in the North

Woods, being the representative of ‘‘ Jenny Wren ”’ of England, though our x

House wren fills more nearly her place in the economy of our gardens and

te, hiapte Net iy -

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 479

orchards. The wrens are among our most exclusively insectivorous birds,
and undoubtedly do a great amount of good about the thicker portions
of the garden shrubbery and hedges where few other birds glean their
livelihood. The especial value of the wren, as shown by examination of
its stomach contents, may be found in the Yearbook of the United States
Department of Agriculture for 1895, pages 416-18; and in bulletin 17 of
the Biological Survey, pages 45-46 and 416-18.

Thryothorus ludovicianus ludovicianus (Latham)
Carolina Wren

Plate 102

Sylvia ludoviciana Latham. Index Orn. 1790. 2:548
Troglodytes ludovicianus DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 55, fig. 94
Thryothorus ludovicianus ludovicianus A. O. U. Check List. Ed.

3.) 1010. “p. 337. No. 718 3
thryéthorus, from Gr., §edev, rush, and 8opétv, to jump; ludovicidnus, of Louisiana

Description. The largest of our wrens. Rufous brown; wings and
tail barred with black; a conspicuous white superciliary stripe; under parts
buffy to ocherous, becoming nearly white on the throat.

Length 5.5-6 inches; extent 7.5; wing 2.4; tail 2.2; bill .65; tarsus .75.

Distribution. The Carolina wren inhabits the eastern United States,
breeding from southern Iowa, Ohio, southern Pennsylvania and the lower
Hudson and Connecticut valleys to the Gulf States. It is practically
resident wherever found. In New York it is confined principally to the
lower Hudson valley, especially the western shores of the Hudson, to Staten
Island and Long Island, but has been reported occasionally from all portions
of the austral zone of New York, especially from Crow hill, Flushing,
Roslyn, Westbury station, Bellport, on Long Island; and Gardner’s island,
where it was found a common resident by Chapman in 1903 (see Bird
Lore, 5:175, 182), and was also noted by Bruen in 1904 (Wilson Bulletin
50:18); from Staten Island, Manhattan Island, Riverdale, Spuyten Duyvil,
Larchmont, Piermont, Hastings and Inwood in the lower Hudson valley,
in all of which localities it has been known to breed, but especially along

480 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

the palisades of the Hudson. In the interior of the State it has been
recorded from Ithaca, Tully, Batavia, Buffalo, Brockport, Forest Lawn
(Monroe county), and Whiskey point, Canandaigua lake. All these records
from the interior, however, are of individual birds or pairs, except the
Ithaca records, the first of which, June 21, 1878, was by King (see N. O. C.
Bul. 3:193); the second by Fuertes; and the third by Doctor Reed,
June 12, 1903. All three of these reports seem to indicate that the species
breeds near the southern end of Cayuga lake and that it is found year
after year in the same locality. It is probable that it breeds in other
localities of western New York, but even this Ithaca instance has not yet
been proved by the finding of the nest. Therefore we must regard this
wren confined, as a breeding species, to the warmest portions of the
Carolinian area in New York. It is interesting to note, however, that of
recent years the Carolina wren has enlarged its territory toward the north,
having been found on various occasions in southern New England, the
writer having observed it himself at Wood’s Hole, Mass., in July 1909;
and the reports mentioned above from Canandaigua lake, Forest Lawn,
Batavia and Buffalo probably indicate a recent advance of the species
from the south, as has occurred in various other Carolinian species. It is
to be hoped that this interesting bird will become common throughout
the warmer portions of the State. ;

Haunts and habits. This wren is exceedingly active and spritely in
habits, but is rather retiring in disposition, preferring rocky glens, borders
of streams, swamps, brush heaps and undergrowths near water, and fallen
tree tops, to the orchard and garden which the House wren prefers. Its
call notes are varied and spritely, consisting of innumerable clacks and
clinks and metallic rattles, musical trills and k-r-ings, its commoner song
notes having been compared to the syllables whee-udee, whee-udee, whee-udee,
and tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle. Its nest is concealed in old stumps,
holes, hollows in trees and crevices in rocks and buildings. It is a bulky
affair, constructed of twigs, grasses and leaves, lined with feathers and other
soft material, fine grass and hair. The eggs are 4 to 6 in number, white

eet, Mant i

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 481

in ground color, speckled with brown, reddish and lavender. They average
.74 by .60 inches in dimensions. Eggs have been found by Dean at Flush-
ing May 8, 1879, and by Bicknell at Spuyten Duyvil May 2, 1879. Chap-
man gives March 28 as the nesting date for the vicinity of New York City.

Thryomanes bewicki bewicki (Audubon)
Bewick Wren

Troglodytes bewickii Audubon. Birds Amer. 1827. (folio) 1. pl. 18
Thryomanes bewicki bewicki A.O.U. Check List. Ed.3. ro10. p. 338.

No. 719

Description. This southern and western species is of about the size
of the House wren, wings and tail being slightly longer. It may be dis-
tinguished easily by the fact the primaries are not barred; central tail
feathers colored like the back but barred with black; outer tail feathers are
black tipped with ashy white; white line over the eye; under parts whitish.

Bewick’s wren inhabits eastern United States from northern Illinois,
southern Michigan and central Pennsylvania to Arkansas, northern Miss-
issippi and central Alabama. There has been no report of this species
from New York State, but as it has occurred in Ontario, western Penn-
sylvania and southern New Hampshire it is probable that it has also visited
New York State and may possibly be found here in the future.

Troglodytes aédon aédon (Vieillot)

House Wren

Plate 102

Troglodytes aedon Vieillot. Ois. Amer. Sept. 1807 (18097). 2:52. pl. 107
DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 53, fig. 97
Troglodytes aedon aedon A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 340.
No. 721 :
troglodytes, Gr., a cave-dweller; aédon—=Gr., endov, the nightingale

Description. Upper parts cinnamon brown, brighter on the upper tail
coverts; the back with indistinct dusky bars; wings and tail finely barred
with blackish; under parts grayish white, the sides and flanks with blackish
bars.

Length 4.5-5.2 inches; extent 6.75; wing 2; tail 2; bill .5.

482 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Distribution. The House wren inhabits eastern North America from
Wisconsin, Michigan, central Ontario, southern Quebec and New Bruns-
wick, to Kentucky and Virginia, winters in the South Atlantic and Gulf
States. In New York it is a common summer resident except in the
Canadian zone, arriving in the spring from the 2Ist to the 3oth of April
in the southern portion, from the Ist to the 1oth of May in northern New
York, and disappearing in the fall from the Ist to the 14th of October.

Haunts and habits. The House wren, as nearly everyone knows,
inhabits gardens and orchards, especially the neglected garden and the old
unkempt orchard. It is also found about the edges of woods and some-
times even in the forest or in the midst of swamps where there is a small
opening, and dead trees and stumps, brush heaps and fallen trees are
abundant. During the last 25 years this species has exhibited periods of
scarcity in central and western New York. Ralph and Bagg refer to its
disappearance in Oneida county between the years 1887 to 1893. I have
noticed a similar disappearance of this species farther west in the State
during the early nineties, and it has only regained its old-time abundance
within the last 7 years in Ontario, Monroe and Erie counties. During
the summer of 1897 I noticed again that it was unusually scarce in many
of the towns of western New York. In fact, I heard only two wrens singing
during that summer — one in the midst of Bergen swamp far from the
habitations of man, and one on the streets of Albion. In localities where
dozens of wrens might be heard in the summer of 1912, not a single wren
song was audible in 1896-7. It is possible that some calamity happened
to the species in its winter quarters in the South just as happened to the
Bluebird during the winter of 1895, and again during the winter of 1911-12;
but many have explained this disappearance of the House wren by the
increase of the English sparrow and the occupation of all the wrens’ nesting
sites about the towns, villages and country homes. I have noticed that
the English sparrow, by filling wren houses and cavities with its nesting
materials before the wren has returned in the spring, has had an unfavorable
influence upon this species, as has also occurred in the case of the Bluebird

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 483

and the Purple martin, but I am inclined to think that the House wren
is much more able to take care of itself and find a nesting site than any
other of our native species which come in competition with the English
sparrow. It is probable that severe weather in the southern states must
be the cause which explains the curious disappearance of this species from
its haunts. At the present
time, the House wren is well
established again ‘throughout
western New York.

It is one of our commonest
and most familiar birds in most
localities, frequently building
its nest in crannies about the

house and garden, occupying
‘cigar boxes, old boots, watering
pots or any hollow objects hung
in trees. Its nest is composed
of short twigs and grass stalks,
almost always more or less orna-
mented with spiders’ nests and
lined with soft materials. The
eggs are from 6 to 8 in number,
of a pinkish brown or vinaceous

hue, almost uniformly covered Photo by L. $. Horton
with minute speckles of a deeper ee eee
shade but usually with a wreath or cap at the larger end. They average
.65 by .52 inches in dimensions. Fresh eggs are found from the 16th to
the 30th of May. Later sets are often found from the 25th of June to
the 20th of July.

The song of this Wren is a characteristic, bubbling, gurgling warble
which seems to burst spontaneously from his swelling throat, as he sits

upon the fence or some old twig, raising his head and lowering the tail,
“31

484 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

his throat and tongue vibrating with uncontrolled delight as the melody -
gushes forth. :

Jenny Wren is more agreeable to her human than to her feathered
neighbors. I have frequently noticed that wrens visit all the boxes placed
about the garden or orchard for the occupation of Bluebirds and White-
breasted swallows, and fill them with sticks and other nesting materials.
Some of my nature-loving friends would have me believe this is to have
a nest ready as soon as the new one is needed for the second brood, but
I am inclined to the belief that it is done to prevent any neighbors moving
into the houses which are about the wrens’ happy hunting ground. Further-
more, I have noticed that the wren frequently visits the nests of the Yellow
warbler, Chipping sparrow and other species which nest about the garden,
and picks small holes in the eggs so that they never will hatch. I am
inclined to think that this habit, like the similar one of the Catbird, is
to prevent too great competition in hunting the early worm when their —
6 or 8 greedy young ones are crying for food, for the wren makes only

short flights from its nest in search of food and must necessarily find
a plentiful supply near home. For this reason it must take care that it
has only a few near neighbors when the nesting season is at its height.
I have often wondered how the wren can escape the numerous cats which
are found about the house and garden, but they seem perfectly able, like
the English sparrow, to cope with the domestic cat, whereas almost none
of our other birds have this facility. If anyone wishes to have wrens
about his garden he can prevent the English sparrow occupying their
houses by making the entrance hole only one inch in diameter, which the’
wren can enter with ease, while the English sparrow can not occupy the
house.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 485

Nannus hiemalis hiemalis (Vieillot)
Winter Wren

Plate 102

Troglodytes hiemalis Vieillot. Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat. 1819. 34:514
Troglodytes hyemalis DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 57, fig. 96
Nannus hiemalis hiemalis A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 341.
No. 722
ndnnus, Gr., vévves, a dwarf; hiemdlis, Lat., of winter

Description. Upper parts dark cinnamon brown; wings and tail dis-
tinctly barred with blackish; under parts pale cinnamon brown; breast,
belly and sides finely barred with black. The more distinct barring, especially
on the under parts, of this Winter wren, as well as the short tail which is
usually held higher than that of the House wren, will distinguish it. Fur-
thermore, in the greater part of New York it is a common wren only in
the early spring and winter months.

Length 4—4.2 inches; extent 6.15; wing 1.9; tail 1.25; bill .35; tarsus .73-

Distribution. This species breeds in the boreal zone of eastern America,
from central Alberta, northern Quebec and Newfoundland to central
Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and the mountainous portions of New
York and Massachusetts, and along the Alleghanies to North Carolina.
Winters from Michigan and Massachusetts to Texas and northern Florida.
In New York this little wren is a summer resident of the Catskills and
Adirondacks and of various localities of central and western New York,
see map page 29, volume 1, but is most of all a common transient visitant
in all the more inhabited portions of the State, arriving commonly from
the 25th of March to the 5th of April and passing northward from the
25th of April to the roth of May, in western New York frequently lingering
to the 20th. In the fall it is seen mostly during October and early Novem-
ber. In the Adirondacks and higher Catskills it is an abundant summer
resident, its tinkling, rippling melody being heard throughout the spruce:
and balsam forests, a different songster of this species usually being heard
at least every five minutes as one journeys along the woodland trails.
throughout the North Woods.

486 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Haunts and habits. The Winter wren delights in rocks and brush
heaps and rubbish in the wildest portions of the mountains and higher
valleys, along the edges of the dashing torrents, and in the silent depths
of the forest, as well as the moss-covered logs and rocks of the humid slopes.
The song, as it appeals to Bicknell, has an indescribable effect, “‘ full of
trills and runs and grace notes, a tinkling, rippling roundelay.” The
young men from Rochester mentioned in the Essex county list who helped
me in my bird survey of the Mt Marcy district, voted unanimously that
the song of the Winter wren was the sweetest melody they heard in the
North Woods, and we gave considerable time to the study of the songs
of the Hermit, Olive-backed, Bicknell and Wood thrushes. Besides its
song, the Winter wren has a sharp chirp of surprise, and a “‘ quip-quap,”
as Chapman writes it, while he bobs and bows to one and hops about
the fallen log or the brush pile which he frequents as a retreat from his
enemies.

The nesting site is usually in the upturned roots of some fallen tree
or in the cavity of a stump or log. The nest is composed of plant stems,
mosses and lichens, with a small circular opening, lined with moss, hair
and feathers. The eggs are 5 to 8 in number, white in ground color, finely
dotted with reddish brown and lavender. They average .65 by .50 inches
in dimensions. Six sets of eggs in the Smithsonian Institution from Holland
Patent and Clinton Falls, N. Y., were taken between June 17 and 29.
From the fact that nearly all the Winter wrens which we saw in the Adiron-

dacks between the 20th of June and the Ist of August had young well

out of the nest by July toth, I am inclined to think the middle of June
is the usual date for fresh eggs. It is possible that a second brood is reared
as many of the dates of eggs taken in the Adirondacks range from ea
16 to the 25th and 29th.

During the migration, this little wren is commonly observed about
the shrubbery of our lawns, parks and the edges of woods, when disturbed
retreating to the recesses of some brush pile or under the damp edges of
the stream bank. A few remain throughout the winter in western and

Ties ie GLa

. = Go eee’ @

ati

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 487

central New York, and it is fairly common as a winter resident in the
southeastern portion of the State, but in the principal breeding range of
the Adirondacks and Catskills it is only a summer resident.

Cistothorus stellaris (Naumann)
Short-billed Marsh Wren
Plate 102

Troglodytesstellaris Naumann. Végel Deutschl. 1823. 3. Table to p. 724
Troglodytes brevirostris DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 58, fig. 93
Cistothorus stellaris A.O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. roro. p. 342. No. 724
cistothorus, Gr., x%toz0¢, shrub, and Oopéiv, to run through; stelldris, Lat., starry,

speckled

Description. Upper parts streaked with white, black, and ocherous,
wings and tail barred; under parts white washed with buffy on the breast,
sides and under tail coverts. This species may be distinguished from the
Long-billed marsh wren by its streaked crown and entire upper parts, and
by its shorter bill.

Length 4-4.5 inches; extent 6; wing 1.75; tail 1.5; bill .4.

Distribution. The Short-billed marsh wren inhabits the austral zone
of eastern North America from southern Saskatchewan, southern Ontaric
and southern Maine to eastern Kansas, Missouri, Indiana and northern
Delaware. It winters from southern Illinois and southern New Jersey
to the Gulf States. In New York this species is local in distribution and
uncommon in nearly all parts of the State except a few colonies in the
lower Hudson valley and in parts of central and western New York. It
has been reported as breeding at Green Island near Cohoes, June 12, 1875,
where E. S. Stebbins took its eggs for the Smithsonian collection; in central
New York by Fowler (Forest and Stream 6, 180); at Cornwall-on-the-
Hudson, near the mouth of Moodna creek, in June 1882 (Mearns, Auk 7,
56; Rowe, N. O. C. Bul. 8:179); at Gretna, in Dutchess county, June 23,
1897, by Lispenard Horton; in Onondaga county by A. W. Perrior; Cayuga
county by Rathbun and Wright; in the Tonawanda swamp, May 30, 1899,
by Grame P. Clarkson, from which locality a colony was also reported
by Langille in ‘‘ Our Birds in Their Haunts ”’; at Hebron by F. T. Pember;

488 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Grand island, Niagara river, and West Seneca near Buffalo, by James
Savage; Irondequoit creek, Monroe county, June 1910, by Fred Gordon.
These are the only breeding records before me, which will show conclusively
that it is both a local and uncommon summer resident of the State. It
arrives from the south in the vicinity of New York City between the roth
and the 20th of May, according to Chapman, and departs between the
1oth and the 30th of October. Worthington’s record of May 17, Igo1,
at Erie, Pa., will indicate that
its arrival in western New York
is about the same. Merriam’s
record, October 27, 1877, from
Lowville, Lewis county, shows
that it departs late in October
from the interior of the State.
Chapman gives the breeding date
for New York City as May 31,
which agrees with Clarkson’s in
Tonawanda swamp.

Haunts and habits. This
wren prefers wet meadows and
the borders of marshes, being less
confined to the flooded areas than

Photo byL. S.Horton the Long-billed marsh wren, and
aa aac as more secretive and retiring in its
habits than that species. It is much more often heard than seen when one

invades its coverts. Its clinking alarm notes may be heard all about
one when a colony of this species is invaded, its call having been aptly
compared to the sound of two pebbles struck together, but rarely may
one of the birds be seen, as they are very mouselike in actions and dis-
like to appear outside the protecting cover of the grass and sedges, the
difficulty of flushing the bird undoubtedly accounting for its apparent
rarity in many places where it must be a summer resident. Its song is

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 489

written by Chapman as ‘ Chup-chup-chup-chup, chup, chup-chup-chup-

p-p-r-r-r-r.”’ During the love season it expresses its feelings in a more

ambitious refrain, quite varied and musical, but still conspicuous for the
great amount of chuppering which enters into its. composition. Sed

The nest is placed close to the ground in a dense bunch of grass or
sedges, is globular in structure with the entrance on one side, and is Gon-+
structed of grasses, sedges and plant down. The eggs are from’6 to 8
in number, pure white in color, with thin, brittle shell, averaging .62 by .45
inches in dimensions. They are not so broad near the larger end as the
white eggs of the Long-billed wren.

Telmatodytes palustris palustris (Wilson)
Long-billed Marsh Wren

Plate 102

Certhia palustris Wilson. Amer. Orn. 1810. 2:58. pl. 12, fig. 4
Troglodytes palustris DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 56, fig. 92
Telmatodytes palustris palustris A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. roto.
p. 342. No. 725
telmatédytes, Gr., swamp dweller; palistris, Lat., marshy

Description. Upper parts brown, the crown and back almost black,
and the latter distinctly striped with white; a white stripe runs over the eye
to the side of the neck; under parts white tinged with ocherous on the sides,
flanks and under tail coverts; wing and tail barred with fuscous.

Length 5.2 inches; extent 6.54; wing 1.75-2; tail 1.7; bill .52; tarsus .8.

Distribution. The Long-billed marsh wren inhabits eastern United
States, breeding from southern Ontario and southern Quebec southward
to the Potomac and the coast of Virginia. Winters from southern New
Jersey to South Carolina and Florida. In New York this species is a com-

mon summer resident in all extensive marshes of the coast, Hudson river,

Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Niagara river and the central lakes. In the

marshes at the head and the foot of Canandaigua lake, at the outlet of
Seneca lake and the head of Seneca and Cayuga lakes, the whole length
of Seneca river, Tonawanda swamp and the Niagara river it is a very
abundant species, arriving in the spring from the 4th to the 16th of May,

490 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

and departing in the fall from the Ist to the 30th of October. A few
individuals remain throughout the winter along the coast and in the lower
Hudson valley, and rarely a few brave the winters of western New York,
especially in the Montezuma marshes.

Haunts and habits. The Long-billed marsh wren is practically con-
fined to the flooded marshes, delighting in a rank growth of cat-tails, sedges
and grasses where the water is from I to 3 feet in depth. In such localities
one may rarely wade a distance of 4 to 6 rods without coming upon one
of its globular nests securely interwoven with the stems of flags and grasses,
composed of the dead leaves of the same woven into a compact structure,
with a small circular opening on one side, the interior warmly lined with
down from the cat-tail. Usually from 6 to 8 nests must be examined
before one containing eggs can be found, for it is evidently a habit of this
wren also to build more nests than it occupies for breeding purposes. The
eggs are usually laid between the 30th of May and the 25th of June, possibly
two broods being reared in the southern part of the State. The eggs are
from 5 to 9 in number, the darkest colored of all of our wrens’ eggs, being

thickly mottled with chocolate brown so as to give the egg a nearly uniform .

old mahogany tint. They average .65 by .49 inches in dimensions, rather
broadly ovate in shape.

One can not be in the favorite haunts of the marsh wren many minutes
without hearing its ‘‘ rippling, bubbling, gurgling song.’’ Doctor Mearns
says: ‘“‘ The marsh wrens live in colonies and are as attractive, merry

little birds as you would wish to see, scolding hard when their retreats — ;

are invaded but singing a busy, happy refrain the moment you pass on.
There are few sounds so cheerful and pleasant to hear as the jingling melody
produced by a colony of marsh wrens left in quiet (?) possession of their
oozy territory after such a disturbance.’’ Frequently the merry songster

overflows so with the delight of love and life that he rises on fluttering &

wings above the tops of the marsh grass and sings in lowly imitation of
the soaring Skylark until utterly exhausted he sinks again into the coverts
of the rushes. - ‘

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 491

Like most of our small birds which frequent the shrubbery, this little
wren migrates at night. On one occasion while I was concealed in a blind
watching for ducks to enter the marsh, I saw the last representative of
this species leave the marshes at the foot of Canandaigua lake. It was |
a cool night late in October when the moon was at the full. The little
fellow uttered a feeble warble which attracted my attention and then
rose from near my station, fluttering higher and higher into the air until
lost at an elevation of about 300 feet, where I caught my last glimpse of
him against the full moon. The following morning when I visited the
marsh no more wrens were left. Evidently they migrate at night, and high
in the air, so as to see their way and escape their enemies more successfully.

Family CER THIIDAE

Creepers

Ten primaries, the first very short; point of the wing formed by the
third, fourth and fifth; tail rather long, rounded, the shafts stiffened and
the feathers pointed, showing a curious analogy to the tails of woodpeckers;
bill long, slender and curved nearly throughout its length; nostril exposed;
the rictus without bristles; the toes joined up to the first joint; the claws
curved and sharp; size small; plumage soft brown and gray in color. This
is a small family related to the wrens and the nuthatches but showing
several sharp family characteristics, especially the slender curved beak
and the stiffened tail. In habits they are scansorial, climbing upon the
trunk and branches of trees in the manner of woodpeckers, using the tail
as a brace against the bark. They are insectivorous in habits and migra-
tory, although hardy enough to withstand the winters in temperate
latitudes. Our one species is closely related to the tree creeper of Europe
and subspecifically to the Mexican, Rocky mountain and California
creepers. Only one species, with five subspecies, is recognized in North
America.

492 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Certhia familiaris americana (Bonaparte)

Brown Creeper

Plate 102

Certhia americana Bonaparte. Geog. & Comp. List. 1838. 11
DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 50, fig. 90
Certhia familiaris americana A.O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. ro10. p. 344.
No. 726
cérthia, Lat., certhius, a creeper; familidris, Lat., domestic

Description. Upper parts streaked and mottled with brown, white
and ocherous; rump pale rufous; wings when spread show a band of
creamy buff across the middle of the feathers; tail grayish brown, the tips
of the feathers pointed and stiffened; under parts dull white; bill slender
and slightly curved.

Length 5.25-5.75 inches; extent 7.5-8; wing 2.6; tail 2.7; bill .63;
tarsus .53.

This little bird, which is the only representative of its family in New
York, may easily be distinguished from all of our other tree-creeping birds
by its principal color matching so closely the tree bark, its slender curved
bill, and its long tail which is held against the tree for a support, like the
tails of woodpeckers.

Distribution. This subspecies inhabits eastern North America, breed-
ing from southern Manitoba, central Ontario, southern Quebec and New-
foundland southward to eastern Nebraska, northern Indiana, New York,
Massachusetts and along the Alleghanies to North Carolina. Winters
from New York to the gulf coast. In the greater portion of New York
it is a transient visitant, and sparingly a winter resident, the few which
remain .all winter being joined, between the Ist and the 15th of April, by
numerous individuals which have wintered farther south. The greater
number leave for their northern summer home from the roth to the 30th
of April in the warmest part of the State, and from the Ist to the 16th or
even the 25th of May in the interior. Throughout the Adirondacks and
Catskills this bird is an abundant summer resident. While passing along
the trails of the Adirondack wilderness one meets this species every few

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 493

minutes. The same is true of the upper Catskills. In the remainder of
the State it is only a local summer resident. Reported as a common breeder
in central New York by Fowler (Forest and Stream 6, 180); near Buffalo
by Ottomar Reinecke and James Savage; from Oneida county by Ralph
and Bagg (Auk, 6:232); from Hamilton by Maxon (Auk, 20:266); Peter-
boro by Gerritt S. Miller; Montezuma and Canandaigua inlet by E. H.
Eaton; West Seneca (Erie county) and West Barre (Orleans county) by
James Savage; and from Potter swamp (Yates county) by Burtch and
Stone.

Haunts and habits. During migration, the Brown creeper is abundant
throughout our woods, groves and shade trees, sometimes as many as 20
or 30 individuals being seen in a single dooryard or small parkland in the
midst of our villages and cities. All observers from the time of Giraud
and Audubon agree with Doctor Mearns in the facts embodied in his apt
description of its habits: ‘‘ The creeper is usually a tame bird, paying
less heed to its admirers than to the capture of insects that infest the bark
of trees; that being the main purpose of its life. With that object in view,
it alights at the base of a tree and begins to ascend in a spiral; in this manner
it advances until the trunk and principal branches have been explored, when,
having reached the top, it spreads its wings and with a direct, sweeping
movement, attaches itself to the extreme base of another tree, and the
same performance is repeated. Thus the creeper has many ups and downs
in its life though, on the whole, it is a monotonous career of labor; but
in spite of this, the bird is interesting and its habits have a certain fascina-
tion. Its somber colors serve an excellent purpose for concealment,
matching so well those of the trees upon which it lives as to make it very
inconspicuous. Its long, slender, curved bill seems ill-adapted as a means
of musical expression and, indeed, I never suspected it of possessing such
attributes until one day I discovered it was the author of a very pleasant
song.” Mr Brewster says: ‘“‘In its summer home, amid the northern
spruces and firs, it has an exquisitely pure and tender song of four notes,
the first of moderate pitch, the second lower and less emphatic, the third

494 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

rising again and the last abruptly falling, to die away in an indescribably
plaintive cadence like the soft sighing of the wind among the pine boughs.”

As far as my experience goes, the nest of this species is uniformly
placed behind a strip of bark which has been loosened from the trunk of
some tree in the swamp. In Potter swamp, where it was an abundant
summer resident, these strips of bark were loosened by the ice which
formed when the swamps were flooded, and left favorable nesting sites near
the ground. Now these trees have been removed and the creeper is no
longer common. The nest is composed of fine twigs, bark, mosses and bits
of dead wood, lined with soft materials. The eggs are from 5 to 8 in
number, white in ground color, speckled with cinnamon or reddish brown
and lavender tending to form a wreath near the larger end of the egg. The
dimensions are .62 by .48 inches. The nesting dates for western New York
vary from the 5th to the 25th of May. Of nine sets of eggs in the Smith-
sonian Institution from Herkimer and Oneida counties, New York, the
dates vary from the 2d to the 21st of May, from the 12th to the 3oth of
June and the 18th of July, indicating that two broods are frequently reared
in the Adirondacks. During my trips to the Adirondacks I have found
the birds feeding their young throughout the month of June and frequently
late in July, indicating also that in the Mt Marcy district there are two
broods reared at least by some of the birds.

This species is undoubtedly one of the most valuable assistants of the
horticulturist and forester, as its food is almost entirely insectivorous and
is taken from the bark and trunks of trees. Although a few predaceous
species may be destroyed, it seems to feed principally upon injurious
insects.

Family SY’ T’TIDAE

Nuthatches
Wing long and pointed, with 10 primaries; tail short and broad, nearly
square, composed of soft feathers; bill slender, acute and subcylindrical
in shape, tapering and compressed, about as long as the head; nostril as
in titmice; the tongue elongated, pointed and barbed; tarsus short, rather

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 495

stout; toes long, and their claws long, curved and compressed. The members
of this family are small in size like the titmice; their plumage is compact;
they are highly scansorial in habits, spending the greater portion of their
time climbing about the trunks and larger branches of trees, going down
the trunk head foremost or clinging to the underside of limbs with the head
hanging outward like true acrobats, seeking everywhere in the crevices
of the bark for the insects which constitute their principal food. In the
fall, however, they feed on various kinds of nuts and a few wild fruits, and
in the winter are easily attracted to the orchard and dooryard by bits of
suet or bones or scraps of meat fastened to the trees. Their voices are
rather unmelodious. They nest in hollows of trees and like the titmice
lay numerous eggs, 7 to 9 being the usual complement. These eggs are
like the eggs of chickadees, finely speckled with brown. Like the titmice
and woodpeckers they are to be regarded among the most efficient guardians
of forest and orchard trees, and should be encouraged by every horticul-
turist to nest as near his orchards as possible. See Yearbook of the United
States Department of Agriculture 1900, pages 296-97.

Sitta carolinensis carolinensis Latham
White-breasted Nuthatch

Plate 103

Sitta carolinensis Latham. Index Orn. 1790. 1: 262
DeKay. Zool. N.Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 48, fig. oz
Sitta carolinensis carolinensis A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910.
p- 345. No. 727
sitta, Lat. and Gr., a nuthatch

Description. Top of head and neck deep black; upper parts bluish
gray; wing and tail feathers blackish but the outer webs of the wing feathers
and the central pair of tail feathers are the color of the back so that the
whole upper parts, excepting the top of the head and neck, appear ashy
or bluish gray when the wings are closed; broad diagonal patch of white
on the outer tail feathers near the tip; sides of the head and neck and under
parts white; crissum and base of under tail coverts rusty brown; bill dark
lead color; feet dark brown. -Female: Similar but slightly duller; top
of the head washed with the color of the back.

496 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Length .5.5-6 inches; extent 10.5-11; wing 3.5; tail 1.75; bill .66;
tarsus .7.

Distribution. The White-breasted nuthatch breeds in eastern North’
America from northern Minnesota, central Ontario and Newfoundland,
south to northern Louisiana and Georgia. In New York it is generally
distributed throughout all parts of the State excepting the spruce and
balsam belt, or the Canadian zone of the Catskills and Adirondacks.
Bicknell found it uncommon in the valleys of the Catskills. It certainly
is uncommon even in Keene valley and about Old Forge, but a few invade
the cleared land and valleys of the Adirondack country up to the edge of
the coniferous woods, where it is replaced by the Red-breasted nuthatch.
It is a resident in other parts of the State and breeds in nearly every county,
being somewhat less common in the northern portion, but generally dis-
tributed throughout the Alleghanian life zone. This is one of our few
species that exhibit scarcely any tendency to migrate.

Haunts and habits. The haunts of the White-breasted nuthatch
are orchards, shade trees, groves and forests. He is found on the trunks.
and larger limbs of trees, almost never alighting on the twigs and smaller
branches. He occasionally alights upon the ground in pursuit of insects
or food which he has dropped from the tree. The nuthatch is famous
among our birds as an acrobat, being our only species of creeping birds
which climbs about a tree up or down or around, and seems to prefer to»
hang with his head down and tilted outward when examining intruders.
As he hops nimbly from ridge to ridge of the bark on the trunk of the tree
he usually keeps up a contented hank, hank or onk, onk, which is frequently
answered by his mate from some neighboring tree in slightly higher key
as if to assure him that the company is still together. He also has a note
consisting of the onk, onk, onk many times repeated, a kind of a rolling’
call. This is undoubtedly his love song as it is heard in February, March
and April as the nesting season advances. Early in spring he occasionally
utters a whistled note, chéé-o.

The nuthatch remains throughout the fall and winter in little companies

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 497

of 4 or 5, frequently associated with chickadees and creepers and Downy
woodpeckers. They mate early in the season and build their nest in some
hollow tree, rarely in the deserted nesting hole of the Downy woodpecker.
All those I have found, however, have been in hollow trees with the entrance
through a knothole, sometimes slightly enlarged by the nuthatches. The
nest is composed of leaves, mosses, soft grass and feathers. The eggs are
from 5 to 8 in number, pinkish white in ground color, rather finely speckled,
more heavily near the larger end, with reddish brown and grayish lavender.

A brood of Nuthatches (one family) posed on stick

They average .8 by .6 inches in dimensions. The young are usually out
of the nest by the first or second week in June and are frequently seen
seated in a row on some limb adjoining the nesting site for two or three
days before they are able to creep successfully around the tree trunks as
their parents do. The mortality among young nuthatches must be high
as there seems to be almost no increase in their numbers in localities where
they are protected year after year. Since the revival of interest in nature
and bird study, many people feed the nuthatches in winter with bits of
suet, nuts and seeds of the sunflower, which are placed on lunch counters

498 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

or trays on the window ledge or nailed to the trunks of trees. They par-
take freely of the food and undoubtedly are helped to weather successfully
the severest portion of the winter.

The nuthatch is unquestionably one of our valuable tree protectors.
He keeps up a continued hunting for beetles, larvae and eggs of insects
which are hidden behind the crevices of bark or about the dead limbs.
Although he feeds to a considerable extent on nuts, grain and oily seeds
in the fall and winter, I have never heard complaint of his becoming a
nuisance. He sometimes takes seed corn which is hung up to dry, but on
account of his small size he never is very destructive even in parts of the
State where open corn cribs are used.

“The nuthatch is an eminently useful and industrious bird. He
devotes his entire existence to the occupation of scrambling about upon
the tree trunks, grubbing out insects from their hiding places under the
bark. At this commendable, but somewhat prosaic, employment he spends
his days; and when night comes, he betakes himself to a hole in some tree,
where, weary with his day’s toil, he sleeps the sleep of the just till day-
break; nor is our bird friend addicted to the disagreeable practice of early
rising. He depends not upon craftiness for his daily sustenance, but gets
it by the sweat of his brow; therefore he indulges in a morning nap after
the sun is up, and the nocturnal worm is permitted to crawl safely into his
den. Doubtless this interesting bird should commend our highest respect,
and our deepest gratitude; for his life is one of tireless industry and great
usefulness. Nor, indeed, should we question the personal motives which
impel him to the accomplishment of such important and valuable results.

“Though the nuthatch does not possess the gift of song, still he is
well and favorably known to most persons who live in the country —
whose lines have fallen in pleasant places. He is found wherever there
are forests, and gets into our orchards and about our dwellings. Moving
steadily in.any direction upon the tree trunks and branches, he searches
the interstices of the bark, tapping hard upon suspected spots with his
bill. At frequent intervals he utters his peculiar cry, a sort of nasal honk-

“ao

© ltd:

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 499

honk. When moving downward, he always advances head first, and never
in the opposite position, as the woodpeckers do. Sometimes his diet is
slightly varied. He never refuses raw meat; and when in Lewis county,
New York, during the latter part of December 1877, I found him eating
the beech nuts, in company with the Red-headed woodpeckers and with
evident enjoyment. The stomachs of the specimens shot were found
distended by those nuts. Sometimes, during storms, in winter, the trees
become so thickly coated with ice that the woodpeckers and creeping
birds, since nature has neglected to supply them with adjustable ice spurs
suitable for such emergencies, are unable to climb upon the icy trees,
and consequently are obliged to desist from their usual vocations and betake
themselves to other situations in quest of food. On such occasions the
nuthatches seem to be particularly distressed, flying about, uttering loud
cries, and alighting freely upon the roofs of buildings.’’ (Mearns, ‘ Birds
of the Hudson Highlands.”’)

Sitta canadensis Linnaeus
Red-breasted Nuthatch

Plate 103

Sitta canadensis Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.12. 1766. 1:177
De Kay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 40, fig. 88
A. O. U. Check List. Ed.3. roto. p. 346. No. 728

Description. Decidedly smaller than the White-breasted nuthatch;
upper parts bluish gray but deeper and bluer than the White-breasted
nuthatch; wing feathers fuscous, edged with color of the back; central
tail feathers like the back, others black, the 2 outer pairs with white
patches; top of head and neck black, also broad stripe through the eye and
along the head and neck; stripe from base of bill over the eye and down
the side of the crown, white; wnder parts rusty or reddish brown; almost
white on the throat and side of the neck. Female and young: Similar,
but the top of the head more like the color of the back and the rest of the
plumage duller than in the male.

Length 4.5-5 inches; extent 8-8.5; wing 2.6; tail 1.5; bill .5.

Distribution. This species inhabits North America, breeding in the

Canadian zone from the Yukon valley, southern Mackenzie, central Kee-
32

500 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

watin, northern Quebec, Newfoundland, southward to northern Minnesota,
Michigan, Massachusetts and in the mountains to California, New Mexico
and North Carolina. Winters from southern Canada to the gulf coast.
In New York this species is a fairly common transient visitant in all parts
of the State, but is somewhat irregular in appearance, sometimes being
extremely abundant in the coastal region and at other times in western
New York; other seasons very few are seen. The usual season of migration
in the spring is from March 15 to May 10, and in the fall from October 8
to November 22. It is also frequently seen throughout the winter in any
portion of the State which seems to offer sufficient food; but it is decidedly
more common, as stated before, in the migration season. It is a summer
resident of the Canadian zone of New York, being very abundant through-
out the Adirondack forests and in the Catskills above an altitude of 2000
to 3000 feet. This is probably one of the commonest breeding birds in
the Adirondacks, where its call is continually heard. As one canoes along
the Adirondack streams and lakes, its sharp nasal yna-yna-yna is continually
heard from the pines, spruces and balsams along the shore. Along the
trail, when crossing mountain ranges or ascending even the highest peaks,
one meets the same experience. It has also been reported as breeding
near Peterboro by Gerritt S. Miller jr; from West Falls by James Savage;
and from the vicinity of Branchport by Verdi Burtch. Ralph and Bagg
report eggs from Wilmurt taken May 30, 1887, and Holland Patent, April
30, 1889. Evidently the breeding season in the outskirts of the Adiron-
dacks corresponds very closely with the date for the White-breasted nut-
hatch, which ranges from April 25 to May 10 in western New York. The
nesting habits of the Red-bellied nuthatch are similar to those of its more
southern relative. The eggs are from 4 to 6 in number and average .62
by .50 inches. Similar in color to those of the White-breasted nuthatch.

FO,

thee

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 501

Sitta pusilla Latham
Brown-headed Nuthatch

Sitta pusilla Latham. Index Orn. 1790. 1: 263
A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 346. No. 729
pusilla, Lat., very small

Description. Top of the head and neck grayish brown; a partly con-

- cealed white patch on the nape; upper parts bluish gray; under parts

dingy whitish; outer tail feathers black tipped with grayish.

Length 4 inches; extent 8; wing 2.5; tail 1.25; bill .5; tarsus .6.

Distribution. This little nuthatch breeds from southern Delaware and
Missouri to southern Florida and eastern Texas. It rarely straggles north-
ward as far as Ohio and Michigan. In New York it is a purely accidental
visitant, one specimen having been taken at Elmira, May 24, 1888, an adult
male (see Swift, Auk, 5:432). Everyone who has visited the states of the
southern coastal plain is familiar with this little bird. In habits it resem-
bles closely our nuthatches of the north.

Family PARIDAE
Titmice

Wings rather short and rounding; primaries 10; tail elongated, rounded,
the feathers softer than the stiffened feathers of thrushes and kinglets;
bill short, rather stout and practically straight, somewhat compressed
and conoid in shape; nostrils concealed by bristly tufts of feathers; tarsus
longer than the middle toe; feet short and stout; the toes joined for most
of the basal joint form a compact palm; the hind toe is padded, thereby
assisting these birds in their gymnastic feats while clinging to the smaller
branches of the trees; in size they are small; plumage is soft and usually
plain, the color of our native species consisting mostly of grays and grayish
brown and a little black. They are hardy little birds, some of them
remaining in the Canadian zone throughout the winter and all our New
York species are resident birds wherever found. They are of cheerful
disposition and great activity, continually exploring the twigs, branches

502 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

and bark of trees for insects, cocoons or eggs which are hidden in the
‘crevices or about the bud scales. In this way they render great service
in the forest, orchard and garden. See Bulletin 54 United States Depart-
ment of Agriculture, page 43, and Yearbook 1900, pages 295-96. Occasionally
their diet is varied with seeds, nuts, and a few wild fruits. Titmice, like
nuthatches and woodpeckers, may be attracted to the birds’ lunch counter
by the window side or to scraps of suet fastened to tree trunks, thereby ©
accustoming them to frequent our dooryards and orchards. Mr Forbush
in his Massachusetts home has induced chickadees to nest in boxes erected
for them by the side of his study window.

Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus)
Tufted Titmouse
Plate 103

Parus bicolor Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.12. 1766. 1:340
DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 59, fig. roz
Baeolophus bicolor A.O.U. Check List. Ed.3. 1910. p. 347. No. 731
baedlophus, from Gr., little crest; bicolor, Lat., two-colored

Description. Upper parts ashy gray; under parts dull white washed
on the sides with rufous; a conspicuous crest.

Length 6-6.5 inches; extent 10-10.75; wing 3.1; tail 2.8; bill .42;
tarsus .8.

Distribution. This species inhabits the warmer portions of the eastern
United States from Nebraska, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New
Jersey to Texas and the gulf coast, occasionally straggling to Wisconsin,
Michigan and Connecticut. In New York it is confined to the warmer
portion of the Carolinian district as a breeding species. It has been
reported at Williams Bridge by Lawrence; at Riverdale by Bicknell and
Mearns; on Staten Island by Richmond and Hollick; near Brooklyn by

Dutcher (Auk, 10:277); at Sheepshead bay by Braislin; and at Bellport :

by W. A. Babson. I have found no records of its breeding in the interior
of the State, but it has occurred at Holley, March 17, 1889 (Possun, Auk,
16:196); Mayville, May 21, 1891 (A. E. Kibbe); Chemung county (Gregg);

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 503.

Rochester, May 21, 1903 (E. H. Eaton); Brockport, December 29, 1908,
12 seen (George F. Guelf); Junius, Seneca county, March 8, 1g1o (C. J.
Hampton); Geneva, February 22, 1913 (E. H. Eaton). Chapman’s record
(American Museum Journal 6, No. 3, page 186) of its breeding on Staten
Island, on the authority of Hollick, is the only definite record of its nesting
within the State which has come to my attention. It is now rare on Long
Island, although evidently more common in the days of Giraud, and it is.
certainly rare or uncommon in the lower Hudson valley. On various.
occasions when it was noted in western New York, pairs or small flocks
were found together, and as these occurrences were early in the season we
would naturally be led to infer that it occasionally breeds in this district,
but no definite record can be found.

Haunts and habits. The Tufted titmouse prefers groves and wood-
lands, is spritely in habits and by no means shy in disposition. Its common.
notes are a frequently reiterated loud clear whistle, written by Chapman.
and others as peto, peto, peto, peto; at other times it calls de-de-de-de, some-
what like the Chickadee, but louder. Its nest is usually placed in the
deserted hole of a woodpecker or a hollow stump, and is composed of
leaves, strips of bark, moss and feathers. The eggs are from 5 to 8 in
number, of a creamy white ground color, closely spotted with reddish brown.
They average .74 by .56 inches in dimensions. ~

Penthestes atricapillus atricapillus (Linnaeus)
Chickadee

Plate 103

Parus atricapillus Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.12. 1766. 1:341
DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 60, fig. 100
Penthestes atricapillus atricapillus A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3..
1910. p. 349. No. 735
penthéstes, Gr., one that mourns, alluding to its plaintive ery; atricapillus, Lat.,
black-haired, black-crowned

Description. Crown, nape and throat jet black; rest of upper parts
ashy gray; wing coverts margined with whitish; wing and tail feathers.

504 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

margined with whitish; sides of the head and neck and under parts white;
sides and flanks tinged with buffy.
Length 5.27 inches; extent 8.05; wing 2.54; tail 2.43; bill .37; tarsus .6.
_ Distribution. The Chickadee inhabits the Canadian and Transition
zones of eastern America, from southeastern Keewatin, southern Ungava
and Newfoundland southward to central Missouri, northern Indiana,
Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and in the Alleghanies to South
Carolina. In New York it is found in every county as a resident species
and is common in most portions of the State, inhabitating both the depths
of the woods and the groves and orchards near human habitations.
Haunts and habits. It is, perhaps, the most fearless of all our birds,
especially in winter, allowing the observer to approach within a few feet,
and frequently taking sunflower seeds and bits of nuts from the hand or
from one’s shoulder, and may be taught to come regularly to the window
sill for its supper and breakfast. Suet and oily seeds are its favorite food
at this season of the year. As soon as spring and summer come, he retreats
to the swamps and woodlands, only a few remaining in the more cultivated
localities. The chickadee or dee dee dee note, which is recognized by every-
one, may be heard at all times of the year, but more commonly in the
winter. In the early spring he frequently utters a whistled call like the
word phe-be. In actions he is nearly as restless as the kinglets, flying
almost continually from twig to twig and indulging in acrobatic feats,
hanging head downward or clinging to the bark of trees in search of hiber-
nating insects and eggs which may be hidden in the crevices of buds and
bark. When flying from twig to twig there is commonly a muffled fluff-
fluff of the wings as he proceeds with jerky flight and pumping tail from
one location to another. Chickadees are even more sociable in habits
than nuthatches, and usually travel in small parties of 5 to 12 or more
individuals and are usually associated with nuthatches, Brown creepers
and Downy woodpeckers during fall, winter and spring. As Doctor
Barrows has shown, the Chickadee destroys some beneficial insects, but
in the main his habits seem beneficial on account of the large number of

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 505

insects injurious to trees which are destroyed during his scrutiny of the
orchards or forests.

The nest is commonly placed in small cavities of dead trees within
a few feet of the ground, sometimes 15 or 20 feet up. On many occasions
I have seen the chickadees excavating their own holes in dead birch stubs
or other soft wood. The entrance is about 1 inch in diameter and the
cavity usually about 6 or 8 inches in depth. The nesting materials are
soft grasses, mosses, cottony down from ferns and other plants, and feathers.

Photo by L. S. Horton

Chickadee feeding young

The eggs are 5 to 8 in number, white in ground color spotted with reddish
brown, with a tendency to form a wreath near the larger end of the egg,
which is broadly ovate, almost spherical at times, in outline. They
average .60 by .47 inches in dimensions. Both birds labor not only in the
construction of the nest, but in incubating the eggs and caring for the young.
Building operations in western New York begin from the 18th of April
to the 1oth of May, and fresh eggs are usually found between the 12th and
26th of May, frequently as late as the 20th of June, although I am inclined
to think that rarely more than one brood is reared in a season.

506 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Penthestes carolinensis carolinensis (Audubon)

Carolina Chickadee

Farus carolinensis Audubon. Orn. Biog. 1834. 2:341
DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 61, fig. 123
Penthestes carolinensis carolinensis A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3.
1910. p. 350. No. 736

Description. In color very similar to the common chickadee, but smaller; the wing
coverts not margined with whitish; the wing and tail feathers with very little white visible.

Length 4.06-4.75 inches; wing 2.2-2.48; tail 1.88-2.12; bill .30—.32.

Distribution. This little Chickadee inhabits the southeastern United States from
central Missouri, Indiana, central Ohio, Pennsylvania and central New Jersey south to
southeastern Louisiana and the gulf coast. Although it has been referred to New York
State by several writers, there are no actual specimens of the species taken within our
borders. According to Mr Dewitt Miller, of the American Museum of Natural History,
who has found it in neighboring parts of New Jersey and is familiar with its notes and
habits, there are no chickadees on Staten Island, or in the lower Hudson valley which he
has suspected of belonging to this species. Nevertheless, it is possible it may yet be taken
on Staten Island and the neighboring portions of the State.

Haunts and habits. Mr Chapman describes the whistled call of the Carolina chick-
adee as consisting of four tremulous notes instead of the two clear notes of the northern
bird, and notes a substantial difference in its other calls, one of which sounds to his ears
like the words ‘my watcher key, my watcher key.”” Doctor Richmond states that the
“* chickadee call of carolinensis is higher pitched and more hurriedly given than
that of atricapillus,” and that the whistle consists of three notes. Mr Brewster
says the ‘low, plaintive tswee-dee-tswe-dee of bias Carolina chickadee contrasts early
with the ringing te-derry of its northern cousin.’

Penthestes hudsonicus littoralis (H. Bryant)
Acadian Chickadee

Plate 103
(Arcadian chicad2e, in error, 01 p‘a‘>) <
Parus hudsonicus, var. littoralis Bryant. Proc. Bost. Soc. N.H. 1865.
9: 368
Penthestes hudsonicus littoralis A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910.
p. 351. No. 740a
hudsénicus, Lat., Hudsonian; littordlis, of the coast, that is, the Acadian district

Description. Upper parts ashy brown; the back similar to the crown —
but lighter; wings and tail grayish; throat black; sides of the head, the breast
and the belly, white; sides rufous; in size the same as the common chickadee.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 507

Distribution. This subspecies inhabits northeastern America from
northern Quebec and Newfoundland to the Adirondacks, northern Vermont
and central New Hampshire, occasionally straggling southward in winter
to Massachusetts and Connecticut. In New York this chickadee was
found by Roosevelt at Bay Pond, Franklin county, in small flocks, during
the early part of August 1877. Dr F. H. Headley found it as abundant
as the common chickadee in the vicinity of Big Moose lake during Feb-
ruary and March 1882; and Doctor Merriam collected four specimens
in a balsam and tamarack swamp near Lake Terror, April 29, 1882 (Merriam,
Adirondack notes mss., no. 13; also N. O. C. Bul. 6:226). Ralph and Bagg
reported it from Remsen, Oneida county, December 25, 1886 (Auk, 7:
232); and the list of Ralph and Bagg reports it as breeding in Herkimer
and Hamilton counties on the authority of Doctor Merriam. <A small
flock has been reported from Utica, January 18, 1877, by ‘‘ Avis’ (Forest
and Stream 7, 395), and from Charlotte, Monroe county, November 29,
1894, by Charles R. Taylor of Rochester; also from Highland Park,
Rochester, January 2-16, 1914, by Wm. L. G. Edson. It is, however,
characteristically a nonmigratory member of the boreal fauna. During
my study of the birds near Mt Marcy, I noticed this chickadee on the
Geological cobble, above Upper Ausable lake, on June 23, 1905; on the
Bartlett ridge, July 31; Skylight camp, on July 12 and 13; and saw it on
several occasions in the spruce and tamarack swamp about the Ausable
inlet during June and July. On July 2, both male and female Hudsonian
chickadees were seen feeding their young along the Ausable inlet about
half a mile above the head of the Upper Ausable lake, which would indicate
that about the first of June would be the breeding date for that locality.
Doctor Merriam’s breeding date is June 15, 1883, and the eggs in the
Smithsonian Institution from Jocks lake, Herkimer county, New York,
are labeled July 17, 1898, in this instance evidently a second brood or
a delayed nesting.

The habits of the Hudsonian chickadee are very similar to those
of the common chickadee, but his notes, though evidently chickadee
notes, are distinctly different from those of the common species.

508 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Family SYLVIIDAE
Old-world Warblers and Kinglets

The structural characteristics of this family are practically the same
as those of the thrushes, both as to the nature of the wing, bill, nostrils
and booted tarsus, as well as the condition of the toes, which are mostly
cleft except the first half joint of the inner and outer. In size, however,
they are diminutive as compared to the thrushes and they undergo a
double moult each year, while the young are unspotted. They are fully
as melodious as the thrushes to which they are so closely related, among
their members numbering the famous Nightingale and Blackcap of Europe,
while in our own country the Ruby-crowned kinglet is regarded by many as
one of our very best songsters of the spring. They are probably more bene-
ficial even than the thrushes as their diet is more exclusively insectivorous.
They destroy immense quantities of small leaf-eating larvae and plant lice.
I have also watched a Ruby-crowned kinglet during the spring migration
swallow 137 scale insects in two minutes from the branch of a garden tree
which was afflicted by these pests. There can be no doubt that like the
Wood warblers they render invaluable service by destroying the scales
and plant lice which are just beginning their season’s operations at the time
of the spring migration, when both the kinglets and the warblers frequent
our gardens and orchards in large numbers.

Regulus satrapa satrapa Lichtenstein
Golden-crowned Kinglet

Plate 104

Regulus satrapa Lichtenstein. Verz. Doubl. 1823. 35
DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 62, fig. 95
Regulus satrapa satrapa A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. ror0o. p. 356.
No. 748 . :
régulus, Lat., little king; sdtrapa, Lat., ruler

Description. Upper parts grayish olive green; wings and tail feathers
edged with yellowish; the inner wing feathers with whitish streaks; middle
and greater wing coverts tipped with whitish forming 2 wing bars; crown

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 509

black on sides and front inclosing a yellow patch which in the male is centered
with flaming orange; black of the crown bordered on the sides and front
by whitish, these crown markings giving the appearance of a striped head,
the white lines being just above the eye succeeded by broad black line, fol-
lowed by yellow and, in the male, with a central portion of orange; under
parts dull white.

Length 4.1 inches; extent 6.75-7; wing 2.15; tail 1.75; bill .28.

Distribution. This species in eastern North America breeds from
northern Alberta, southern Keewatin, southern Ungava and Cape Breton
island south to northern Michigan, New York and the mountains of
Massachusetts, southward to the mountains of Arizona and New Mexico,
and in the higher Alleghanies to North Carolina. In New York, as far
as my records show, it is confined as a breeding species to the boreal zone
in the Adirondacks and higher Catskills, being, with the Winter wren,
the Brown creeper, the Hermit thrush, the White-throated sparrow and
the Junco, one of the commonest summer birds of the higher Adirondacks.
In the remainder of the State it is an abundant transient visitant and a
fairly common winter resident. Throughout central and western New
York it is much less common in winter than the Chickadee, and about as
common as the Brown creeper. During the migrations it is abundant,
appearing in large numbers from March 30 to April 5, sometimes not
arriving in force till the middle of April and passing northward between
the 4th and the 12th of May, a few females sometimes lingering as late
as the 25th. In the fall it makes its appearance between the 20th of
September and the 5th of October, being abundant again until the early
part of November, when the greater number of migrants have passed
farther south. In the lower Hudson valley and the other warmer portions
of the State it is common as a winter visitant.

Haunts and habits. In winter the kinglets prefer the shelter of ever-
greens, frequenting hemlocks, pines and cedars in the swamps and ravines,
in company with chickadees, nuthatches, creepers and Downy woodpeckers.
During the migration season they are found about our dooryards and shade
trees, parks, groves and woodlands, sometimes being fully as abundant as
the Junco, especially in the country just south of Lake Ontario and in

510 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

the Genesee valley, where troops of hundreds of kinglets are a common
sight during early April. They are extremely active in habits, continually
flying from branch to branch and almost as acrobatic as chickadees in
their search for cocoons and hibernating insects. As they fly about they
utter very often a high “‘ ##-t7,’’ which Chapman says is audible only to
the practised ear. I have never heard it, the sound being pitched too
high for my auditory organs. In its summer home the Kinglet gives
voice to a lisping warble which Brewster describes as a succession of five
or six shrill, high-pitched, somewhat faltering notes, ending with a short,
rapid, rather explosive warble. The opening notes are given in a rising
key but the song falls rapidly at the end. The whole may be expressed
as follows: tsee-tsee-tsee-tsee, ti, ti, ter, ti-ti-ti-ti. The nest of the Kinglet
is placed in coniferous trees at varying heights from the ground, sometimes
within reach, sometimes 60 feet high. It is suspended among the thicker
portions of the branches, composed of soft inner bark of trees, green
mosses and feathers. The eggs are 8 to 10 in number, creamy white in
ground color, speckled and blotched with pale brown and lavender. They
average .55 by .44 inches in dimensions.

In its service to the agriculturist, this bird should be considered fully
as beneficial as the chickadees and the nuthatches, for its food consists
almost entirely of insects, whereas both nuthatches and chickadees ~
consume a considerable portion of seeds and fruits.

Regulus calendula calendula (Linnaeus)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Plate 104 ’
Motacilla calendula Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.12. 1766. 1:337

Regulus calendula DeKay. Zool.N. Y. 1844. pt 2,»p. 64, fig. 119
Regulus calendula calendula A.O.U. Check List. Ed.3. 1910. p. 356.
No. 749
caléndula, Lat., gerund from caleo, to be warm or glow, that is the flaming crest

Description. Upper parts greenish olive; 2 whitish wing bars; male with
a flaming ruby patch in the center of the crown which is absent or dimly

I

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 511

indicated in the female. Under parts dull whitish tinged on the sides
with buffy.

Length 4.1-4.5 inches; extent 7—7.35; wing 2.25; tail 1.75; bill .29;
tarsus .67.

It is well for the amateur to distinguish this Kinglet from the Golden-
crowned species, not by trying to contrast the golden with the ruby center
of the crown, but by the conspicuous black edges of the crown in the
Golden-crested species, whereas the Ruby crown has no black about the
head. It is well to note also the greater length of the present species and
the dull whitish eye ring.

Distribution. The Ruby-crowned kinglet breeds from northwestern
Alaska, Mackenzie, central Keewatin, and central Ungava, southward in
the mountains to southern California, southern Arizona, central New
Mexico and to northern Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and northern
Maine. It winters from southern British Columbia, Iowa and Virginia
southward to Guatemala. In New York this is a migratory species, appear-
ing in the spring from the 4th to the 23d of April according to the season
and latitude, and passing northward from the 8th to the 17th of May.

In the fall it reappears between the 20th and the 30th of September, passes

- southward between the 20th of October and the 11th of November. Some

records of winter birds have recently occurred in “‘ Bird Lore” in the
Christmas census from Long Island, and a record of what was supposed
to be a nest of this species containing young was reported by Ernest
Ingersoll (N. O. C. Bul. 1:116). Near Skylight camp, Mt Marcy, the
author saw, on July 19, 1905, what he felt sure was a kinglet of this species,
evidently carrying food to its young, but as he had no means of securing
the specimen or of definitely verifying the observation, the Ruby-crowned
kinglet stiil remains without definite breeding record for this State. It is
probable, however, that it will be found to nest occasionally in the cooler
and damper portions of the higher Adirondacks.

Haunts and habits. The Ruby-crown, like the Gold-crest, is found
throughout our woods, groves, shade trees, and the’shrubbery of our lawns
during the migration season, especially in the springtime, and many a morn-
ing in April I have been awakened by its ecstatic melody delivered from

512 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

just without my window. Its song is one of the sweetest among our native
birds. Giraud described it as “‘ excelling the finest tones of the trained
canary.”” Chapman calls the song ‘“‘ mellow and flutelike, loud enough to
be heard several hundred yards, an intricate warble past imitation or
description and rendered so admirably that I never hear it without feeling
an impulse to applaud.’ I am forced to believe that the flaming crest
of the kinglet has the function not only of charming a prospective mate,
but also of striking terror to the heart of rivals and antagonists. One
morning while I was bird hunting among the spruces, I came upon a kinglet
which was warbling so madly as to attract my attention, and I discovered
him with his neck stretched up, and his flaming crest erected, as his notes
were delivered, like a flame of fire from the top of his head. He slowly
made his way toward the top of a limb where a kinglet, evidently a male
but younger and less vigorous, was cowering as if afraid of annihilation
and yet unable to flee from its approaching antagonist. This bird, at
any rate, had a ruby crest, although it was not so brilliant as that of the
other male, and at the beginning of the contest he sang a song which I sup-
posed to be uttered only by the males. When his antagonist approached
within a few inches, he finally dropped from the limb and flew away. The
behavior of the flaming crest during this contest assured me that it aided
both the warlike attitude of the singer and his wonderful song in con-
vincing his rival of greater superiority.

Polioptila caerulea caerulea (Linnaeus)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Plate 104

Motacilla caerulea Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 12. 1766. 1:337
Culicivora coerulea DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 109, fig. 126
Polioptila caerulea caerulea A.O.U. Check List. Ed.3. 1910. p. 357-
No. 751
polidpila, Gr., gray-feather; caerzilea, Lat., blue

Description. Upper parts grayish blue; under parts grayish white; tail
black, the outer feathers mostly white, the second partly white and the

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 513

third tipped with white; forehead and line over the eye black. Female:
Similar but duller, no black on the head.

Length 4.5—-5 inches; extent 6.3-7; wing 2.1; tail 2.

Distribution. This species ranges from eastern Nebraska, southern
Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario, southwestern Pennsylvania and southern
_ New Jersey to Texas and central Florida. Winters from the Gulf States
to the Bahamas, Cuba and Guatemala. In New York it is an irregular
and uncommon summer visitant. There is, as far as I know, no definite
record of its breeding within our limits, except that a nest evidently of this
species was found in the fall of 1890 at Coldwater, Monroe county, bv
Ernest H. Short, reported in his ‘‘ Birds of Western New York,’’ page 20.
The following records of its occurrence may be of interest to New York
bird students: Canarsie, L. I., 1849 (Dutcher, Auk, 10:277); Far Rock-
away, L. I., April 18, 1874 (N. T. Lawrence, Auk, 2:272); Fort Hamilton,
L. I., October 11, 1879, young bird (Berier, N. O. C. Bul. 6:126);
Penn Yan, N. Y., May 1877 (Gilbert, Auburn List, page 8); Montauk
Point, L. I., September 2, 1885 (Dwight, Auk, 5:324); Canandaigua, N. Y.,
June 3, 1886, a pair collected by Elias J. Durand; Rochester, N. Y., May 10,
1891 (Charles R. Taylor); April 30, 1892 (Harry Denslow); Piermont,
N. Y. (Chapman, Auk, 6:305); Bridgehampton, L. I., July 1, 1893 (Knoess
and Dutcher); Shelter Island, L. I., September 22, 1896 (W. W. Worth-
ington); Bellport, L. I., summer of 1899 (W. A. Babson); Central Park,
N. Y., May 22, 1901 (Isham, Auk, 19:91); Rochester, N. Y., May 3, 1903
(E. H. Eaton); Branchport, May 30, 1901 (C. F. Stone); Charlotte, Monroe
county, N. Y., May 7, 1905 (Lawrence and Paul Achilles); Canandaigua,
April 25, 1906 (Maurice Blake, Auk, 24:226); Middle Granville, August 12,
1908 (Weber, Auk, 26:82).

It is evident that this species, like the Tufted titmouse and the Carolina
wren, is of frequent occurrence in the interior of New York, but has never
established itself as a breeding species.

Haunts and habits. The Gnatcatcher is a bird of the forest and is
usually found in trees of dense foliage. It is restless in habit like the

514 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

kinglets, to which it is related. Chapman compares the bird, both in
character, appearance and song, to the famous Nightingale, the song being
an exquisitely finished production, though lacking in strength and volume.
The characteristic call note is compared to the ting of a banjo string and
can be heard at a greater distance than the song. The nest of the Gnat-
catcher is a beautiful structure, composed of tendrils, bits of bark and fine
grasses woven into a firm, deep structure, carefully covered over the exterior
with lichens and resembling very much in general appearance the nest
of the Ruby-throated humming bird, though, of course, larger and com-
paratively deeper than the humming bird’s. It is placed on a horizontal
branch or at the crotch of a limb from 10 to 50 feet from the ground. The
eggs are 4 or 5 in number, bluish white in ground color, thickly speckled
with reddish brown and umber, averaging .57 by .46 inches in dimensions.

Family TURDIDAE

Thrushes

Wing rather elongate, pointed, the primaries 10 in number, the first
very small or spurious; tail rather square or slightly rounded, shorter than
- the wing, the feathers widening toward their tips; bill moderate in length,
a little shorter than the head, rather slender, pointed, notched near the
tip, nearly straight, but the upper mandible slightly decurved near the
end; nostrils oval or roundish, uncovered; rictus more or less bristly; tarsus
booted, long for perching birds, slender, laminiplantar on sides and rear,
with the front toes deeply cleft, the outer one, however, joined to the inner
for half the basal joint.

The birds of this family are of medium size for perching birds. The
plumage of the adults is usually unvariegated, except for the spotting of
the breast, which is common with the woodland species, and the young
of all, which are spotted both. above and on the breast. They undergo
but a single moult each year. They are migratory in habits and largely
insectivorous, though varying their diet with ripe fruits in the summer,
fall and winter. They are mostly arboreal in habit, though a large portion
of their insect food is captured on the ground, some species like the Robin

and Hermit thrush being particularly terrestrial in feeding habits. Others

| pec a aa,
°
v

Ate ee

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 515

like the Bluebird simply light upon the ground long enough to seize the
insects which they have discovered from near-by perches, then return to
the higher station.

The nests of thrushes are rather bulky and inartistic in structure
and usually have a central wall of mud or soggy, rotten wood. The eggs
are from 4 to 6 in number, of bluish green color, in some species spotted
with brown. The flight of thrushes is slightly undulating, in long sweeps.
Our native forest species usually have curious buffy streaks across the
bases of the wing feathers which show like glances of sunlight as they
fly in front of one through the forest, evidently of use as directive or dis-
appearing marks, like similar patches in the wings of plovers, sandpipers,
and Brown creepers.

Thrushes are among our most melodious birds, the common names
in European languages undoubtedly being attempted reproductions of the
characteristic mellow quality of the prevailing family note — thrush,
throstle, drossel, merle and turdus. As inhabitants of our gardens, orchards
and groves, they are not only interesting because of their music, but largely
beneficial. No serious complaints have been brought against any members
of the family, with the exception of the Robin, which feeds extensively on
cultivated cherries and other garden fruits during their season; and it is
probable that all members of the family kill a considerable number of
ground beetles which are predaceous in their habits; but in general, their
insect fare is of species which are injurious, and they all render efficient
service in scattering the seeds of fruit-bearing trees and shrubs along our
hedgerows and through the forests.

Myadestes townsendi (Aububon)
Townsend solitaire

Ptilogonys townsendi Audubon. Birds Amer. 1838. (folio) 4. pl. 410, fig. 2
Myadestes townsendi A.O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p.359. No. 754

Description. The tail forked in the central feathers and graduated on
the lateral feathers, thus appearing doubly rounded. Bill short and
33

516 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

depressed. Adults: Dull brownish ash, paler below, especially on the
throat and belly; wings and tail blackish; the inner secondaries edged and
tipped with white and the outer tail feathers edged and broadly tipped with
white, nearly all the flight feathers extensively fulvous or yellowish brown
at the base, the middle ones edged on the outside with the same color, these
tawny markings appearing in the closed wing as an oblique spot separated
by a bar of blackish from the tawny patch on the outer webs of the quills
near their ends; white eye ring; iris brown; bill and feet black: Young:
Speckled like the young thrush, but the spots disappearing after the first moult.

Length 8 inches; wing 4.25; tail 4.25; bill .5; tarsus .75.

Distribution. Townsend’s solitaire inhabits western North America,
breeding in the boreal zone from eastern Alaska, southwestern Mackenzie
and western Alberta southward to the San Bernardino mountains, and in
the Rocky mountains to Arizona and New Mexico. Winters from southern
British Columbia and Montana southward, occasionally straggling east-
ward in migration. The occurrence of this species in New York is based
on a single record. The specimen was captured at Kings Park, L. L,

November 25, 1905, by A. J. Weber (Dwight, Auk, 23:105).

Hylocichla mustelina (Gmelin)
Wood Thrush

Plate 105

Turdus mustelinus Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1789. 1:817

Merula mustelina DeKay. Zool. N.Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 71, fig. 86

Hylocichla mustelina A.O. U. Check List. Ed.3. 1910. p.359. No. 755
hylocichla, from Gr., meaning wood-thrush; mustelina, Lat., weasel-like, tawny

Description. Upper parts cinnamon brown, brightest on the head, neck
and foreback, becoming olive brown on the rump and tail; under parts
white, boldly spotted with black on the breast and sides.

Length 8 inches; extent 13; wing 4.25; tail 3; bill .75; tarsus 1.25.

Distribution. The Wood thrush breeds from South Dakota, Minne-
sota, Wisconsin, southern Ontario and southern New Hampshire to Texas
and northern Florida; winters in southern Mexico and Central America.
In New York it is a summer resident of all portions of the State but is
not uniformly distributed. It is common in the southeastern portion of

the State as well as in western New York in all mixed and deciduous wood-

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 517

lands which are well watered and provided with a fair stand of undergrowth.
In 1905 I found it in the mixed forest between the Upper and Lower AuSable
lakes at an altitude of 2000 feet. It also occurs in various other portions
of the Adirondack region, but does not breed in the spruce and balsam
forests, as far as I know. In the Catskill region it is somewhat erratic
in distribution, but is fairly common in various localities of the mixed
and deciduous forest up to a considerable altitude. I have noticed in
various parts of the State where this bird occurs that it may be fairly
abundant in certain stretches of woodland for several years and then almost
entirely disappear, being supplanted, perhaps, by the Veery; but it does
not commonly occur abundantly where the Veery is also in possession of
the woodlands. It has adapted itself somewhat to civilized conditions and
in various cities and parks is a common breeder in the shade trees. This
is particularly true of the south side of the city of Rochester, of the lake
bank in the city of Geneva, of the northern portion of Central Park in
New York City, of some portions of the city of Albany, and various smaller
villages in the State. It is to be hoped that it may become more and more
adapted to civilization and become as common with us as the Robin. This
thrush arrives from the 25th of April to the roth of May, sometimes in
the vicinity of New York appearing as early as the 20th of April, and in
the northern portion of the State not before the 15th of May. In the fall
it leaves us usually from the Ist to the roth of October.

Haunts and habits. The Wood thrush is mostly arboreal in habits,
singing in the tree tops, sometimes on the dead branches at the very top
of a tall forest tree, and feeds to a considerable extent among the branches;
but, like all thrushes, the principal portion of its food is gleaned from the
ground, his brown back matching well with the dead leaves among which
he seeks the beetles, bugs, and snails from which he principally makes
his fare. As soon as the wild fruits begin to ripen he partakes plentifully
of the June berry, the dogwood, viburnum and wild cherries. I never
heard complaints that he has made himself a nuisance among the
cultivated cherries and berry fields.

518 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

The nest of the Wood thrush is commonly placed in a sapling or on
the limb of a tree at a height of from 8 to 30 feet from the ground. It
resembles considerably the nest of the Robin. The exterior is composed
of leaves, and weed stalks and within these a wall of mud or rotten wood
is commonly placed. The lining consists mostly of fine dark rootlets and

Photo by Ralph S. Paddock

Wood thrush’s nest and eggs

a few grass leaves. The eggs are 3 to 5 in number, usually 4, greenish
blue in color, like those of the Robin, and average 1.08 by .71 inches in
dimensions. They are usually laid from the 17th to the 30th of May,
but later sets are frequently found as late as June 25 and the 1oth of

July.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 519

The song of the Wood thrush has been admired by all naturalists
since the days of Wilson and Audubon. He sings from the date of his
arrival until July and sometimes as late as the middle of August. Chapman
describes the song as ‘‘ calm and restful, ringing through the woods like
a hymn of praise pure and clear from a thankful heart; the flutelike opening
notes are an invitation to his haunts, a call from nature to yield ourselves
to the ennobling influences of the forest.’’ He says the opening notes
sound like the words ‘‘Come to me.’ Others syllabize his notes as “‘ ee-o-
lee.”’ The song is peculiarly rich and organlike in quality. Some birds,
however, rest for a considerable time between the phrases, whereas others
weave them into more of a connected anthem, yet the stately and deliberate
method of his phrasing distinguish it readily from those of our other species.
Besides the song, it frequently utters sharp call notes sounding like the
syllables “ pip-pip-pip”’ and also a shrill “ tsee, tsee’’ as well as a low
“tut, tut”’ similar to the Robin’s.

yy

Hylocichla fuscescens fuscescens (Stephens)
Veery

Plate 105

Turdus fuscescens Stephens. General Zoology. 1817. 10: 182

Merula wilsoni DeKay. Zool: N: Y: 1844. pt 2, p: 74
Hylocichla fuscescens fuscescens A. O. U. Check List: Ed. 3. 1g10.

p-. 359. No. 756
fuscéscens, Lat., growing dusky, somewhat dark (not very applicable to the Veery)

Description. Upper parts uniform cinnamon brown; lower parts white
strongly tinged on the breast with buffy and lightly spotted with dusky.

Length 7—-7.5 inches; extent 12; wing 3.85-4; tail 3; bill .6; tarsus 1.18.

Distribution. The Veery breeds from northern Michigan, central
Ontario and Newfoundland to northern Illinois, northern Ohio and northern
New Jersey, and south in the mountains to northern Georgia, being
particularly a bird of the Alleghanian zone. In New York it is a common
summer resident of a large portion of the State, rather uncommon on Long
Island, but quite universally distributed in the damp forests of the

20 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

ou

Alleghanian zone, practically absent from the spruce and balsam forests
of the Catskills and Adirondacks where it is displaced by the Olive-backed
and Bicknell thrushes. It arrives from the south from the 26th of April
to the 12th of May, slightly later in the northern counties, and in the fall

Photo by L. S. Horton °

Wilson thrush’s nest and eggs

usually disappears between the 5th and the 30th of September, rarely

later than the 15th.
Haunts and habits. The Veery or Wilson thrush prefers a damper,

swampier forest than the Wood thrush and is usually very common in
those forests which are flooded early in the season, and in May and June

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 521

have a dense ground cover of shrubs, moss-covered logs and thick herbage.
Here they nest among the ferns and low shrubbery. The nest is commonly
found on the ground or very near it, composed of leaves, strips of bark,
weed stalks, lined with rootlets. Between the lining and the outside of
the nest is usually a layer of well-rotted wood or mud. The eggs are com-
monly 4 in number, of a greenish blue color, very rarely spotted with brown
near the larger end. They average .88 by .66 inches in dimensions. The
nests with eggs are found from the 20th of May to the roth of June, some-
times as late as the 30th of June.

Chapman describes the Veery’s song as a ‘‘ weird ringing monotone
of blended alto and soprano notes. Neither notes nor letters can tell one
of its peculiar quality. If you can imagine the syllables vee-r-r-hu repeated
eight or nine times around a series of intertwining circles, the description
may enable you to recognize the song.’’ The call of the Veery is a sharply
whistled pheeu, which is often heard during migration or when one enters
his favorite coverts, repeated over and over again as one journeys through
the woods or whistles in imitation of the bird.

Hylocichla fuscescens salicicola Ridgway
Willow Thrush
Browner, less tawny, than Wilson thrush; spots on breast slightly darker; size
the same, or slightly smaller. (A. O. U. no. 756a)
This subspecies inhabits western North America, but straggles eastward in migra-
tion as far as New York (South Bristol, October 15, 1904, E. H. Eaton) and Connecti-
cut (Bishop, Connecticut Geol. and Nat. Hist. Sur. Bul. 20, p. 177).

Hylocichla aliciae aliciae (Baird)
Gray-cheeked Thrush

Plate 105

Turdus aliciae Baird. Rep. Expl. & Surv. R. R. Pac. 1858. 9:217
Hylocichla aliciae aliciae A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 360.
No. 757
aliciae, to Miss Alice Kennicott of Illinois

Description. Upper parts olive brown, slightly darker than the Olive-
backed thrush; under parts whitish, spotted on the sides of the throat and

522 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

on the breast with dusky; paler spots on the sides; spotting fully as heavy
as in the Olive-backed thrush; eye ring and cheek gray with no perceptible
buffy tinge; breast very slightly tinged with buffy. —

Length 7.5-8 inches; extent 12.5-13.5; wing 4—4.25; tail 3; bill .55;
tarsus 1.25.

Distribution. This species breeds in the Hudsonian zone from north-
western Alaska, northwestern Mackenzie, to central Ungava and New-
foundland; winters in northern South America. In New York it is only
a transient visitant, arriving from the south from the gth to the 2oth of
May and passing northward between the 20th of May and the 2d of June.
In the fall it returns from the 18th to the 30th of September and passes
southward from the 15th to the 25th of October. It is fairly common as
a migrant both in the coastal district and in central, northern and western
New York.

Haunts and habits. The Gray-cheeked thrush is found about our lawns
and shrubbery as well as in the forests and swamps during the migration time.
It is shyer than the Olive-backed thrush and retreats, at the slighest dis-
turbance, to the coverts of the hedges and trees, assuming rather an erect
posture upon alighting. Its call note is a rather sharp, petulant “‘ fee-a.”
It is also said by Mearns to utter a low note resembling the call of the
Brown creeper and a bubble-bursting sound often heard during the spring.
Its haunts and habits in general resemble those of the Olive-backed thrush,
which is slightly more common with us.

Hylocichla aliciae bicknelli Ridgway
Bicknell Thrush

Hylocichla aliciae bicknelli Ridgway. Proc.U.S.Nat.Mus. 1882. 4:377
A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p..360.
No. 757a
bicknéll1, to E. P. Bicknell, the discoverer of this subspecies

Description. Smaller than aliciae; colors practically the same, but
the upper parts slightly darker and browner, especially the tail, and the
chest slightly more buffy; the bill slightly slenderer.

Length 6.50-7.40 inches, the females being the smaller; extent 11-11.5;
wing 3.4-3.8; tail 2.6-2.9; bill .50-.54; tarsus 1.1.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 523

Distribution. This subspecies breeds in the upper Canadian and
Hudsonian zones of Nova Scotia, northern New England and in the higher
portions of the Catskills and Adirondacks as well as Mt Greylock and Mt
Mansfield; winters in Hayti and probably South America. In New York, —
Bicknell’s thrush is found as a summer resident of the higher portions
of the Catskills, where it was discovered, and in the Adirondacks above
an altitude of 2500 to 3000 feet. Our Adirondack party in 1905 found
it fairly common in the vicinity of Mt Marcy, both on the Geological
cobble, Bartlett ridge and the slopes of Mt Marcy, Skylight, Haystack
and various other neighboring peaks up to the limit of tree growth. Stand-
ing on the top of Mt Marcy after sunset, one could hear the Bicknell
thrushes in the stunted spruce and balsam just below the tree line in every
direction, singing their evening hymn. We found them feeding their
young on July 12 near Skylight camp, and on July 18 took an adult male
in full song near Lake Colden, at an altitude of 2800 feet.

Haunts and habits. Although the song of this thrush is so commonly
heard in the higher portions of the Adirondacks as well as the Catskills,
it escapes observation on account of its shy, secretive habits. The song
resembles considerably that of the Veery, having the same ringing, flutelike
quality, but is slightly more interrupted than the Veery’s performance.
Howell describes the quality as of a “‘ fine, high-pitched reed. Unlike the
Olive-backed thrush, it does not change its pitch perceptibly. The syllables
wee-a, wee-a, wee-a, chi-chi-wee, the opening notes wee-a are open and flow-
ing, followed by two staccato notes; the closing note resembling the open
one is without special emphasis. The last three notes taken together form
the characteristic portion of the song and are frequently given by them-
selves without the prelude.’’ Besides its song, this thrush has a call, very
similar to the whistled phew of the Veery, and a pink resembling that of
the Olive-backed thrush.

The nest is like that of the Olive-backed thrush and is placed in low
bushes or trees only a few feet from the ground. The eggs are greenish
blue, spotted and speckled with reddish brown and cinnamon brown but

524 NEW YORK: STATE MUSEUM

more finely than those of the Olive-backed thrush. The ground color
is also greener.

During migration this thrush is not rare in the coastal district,
especially around the shores of Long Island, appearing in the spring between
the 20th and the 30th of May. In the fall it is first observed between the
18th and 23d of September and the latest records occur between the 12th
and the 23d of October. It is probable that it occurs occasionally in
central or western New York during migration. Doctor Merriam took
one specimen at Locust Grove, but of all the specimens from western New
York which I have examined I have found none which were smaller than
the smallest dimensions given for the Gray-cheeked thrush and I am inclined
to think they were all of that species.

Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni (Tschudi) .S
’ Olive-backed Thrush
Plate 105

Turdus swainsoni Tschudi. Fauna Peruana. 1845-46. Orn. 28
Merula olivacea DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 73
Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910.

p. 361. No. 758a
ustulata, Lat., scorched, ashy, referring to the color; swainsoni, to William Swainson,

English naturalist

Description. Upper parts olive brown; under parts white, washed with
grayish olive on the sides and spotted on the breast and sides with dusky;
the chest perceptibly tinged with buff, and the eye ring, ear coverts and cheeks

plainly buffy.

Length 7-7.5 inches; extent 12-12.5; wing 3.8-4.2; tail 2.9-3.2; bill .5;.
tarsus I.1.

Distribution. The Olive-backed thrush breeds in the Canadian and
lower Hudsonian zone from northwestern Alaska, central Keewatin, southern
Ungava and Newfoundland, southward to eastern Oregon, Nevada,
Colorado, Utah, northern Michigan, New York and the mountains of -—
Massachusetts and Pennsylvania and West Virginia; winters from southern
Mexico southward to Argentina. In New York it is a common summer
resident of the Canadian zone, both in the Catskills and in the Adirondacks,
being more abundant in the higher forests of the mountains than the

reve a

” AO TI mee

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 525

Hermit thrush, as the latter is slightly more abundant in the swamps
and lower altitudes. It also breeds sparingly on the highest mountains
near the Pennsylvania border where the altitude surpasses 3000 feet and
has been reported from several of the colder gullies and swamps of western
New York; but I have never found it breeding in these localities and think
it possible that most of these reports that come to us are due to error,
as they are all based on the eggs which were considered certainly those
of the Olive-backed thrush because they were spotted, but they probably
were spotted eggs of the Veery. During the migration season this is one
of the most abundant thrushes about our shrubbery and shade trees and
woodlands both of southeastern New York and the central and western
portion of the State, arriving from the 9th to the 15th of May and passing
northward from the 18th to the 31st of the month. A few spring dates
as early as May 2 have come to my attention. In the fall it appears
between the roth and 20th of September.and is last seen between the roth
and 22d of October.

Haunts and habits. During the migration, this species is not so shy

as the Gray-cheeked thrush and is often seen hopping about the lawns

or sitting unconcernedly in our shade trees. When flying about or dis-
turbed it utters a subdued plup or whit, and occasionally a high-pitched
note of alarm like the syllable puk. In its breeding grounds it utters an
alarm note which I never heard during the migrations. It has been written
chee-urr, chee-urr, the second syllable being especially harsh and strongly
accented. The song of the Olive-back is frequently heard during the
migration time and reminds one forcibly of the Veery’s song. It is spon-
taneous and lyrical. Bicknell’s description states, “‘ The first note is
loudest and most liquid, after which the melody becomes rapidly fainter,
seeming to dissolve upon the ear like the spent vibrations of a stringed
instrument.’’ Hoffman describes the song as like a Veery’s inverted,
going up instead of down the scale, but throatier, more gurgling, inferior
in purity, richness and suggestiveness. My impressions of the Olive-back,
as heard in the Ausable swamp in the Adirondacks, were more favorable

526 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

than those expressed by Hoffman. In purity and sweetness they seemed
practically to rival the Hermit thrush which was singing in the same locality
at the same time, though decidedly different in character.

The nest of the Olive-back is placed in low balsams, spruces or beeches
from 4 to 15 feet from the ground. It is composed mostly of mosses,
dead leaves and plant stems, lined with dark rootlets. The eggs are
greenish blue, spotted with reddish brown, 3 or 4 in number, and average
.90 by .64 inches in dimensions. The nesting season varies from June 5

to July 20. :
Hylocichla guttata pallasi (Cabanis)

Hermit Thrush

Plate 105

Turdus pallasii Cabanis. Archiv fur Naturg. 1847. p. 205
Merula solitaria DeKay. Zool,.N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 72, fig. 80
Hylocichla guttata pallasi A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 362.
No. 759b F
guttdta, Lat., spotted; pdllasz, dedicated to the famous Russian naturalist

Description. Upper parts olive brown, but browner than the Olive-
backed thrush; rump and tail rufous; under parts whitish, washed with
brownish olive on the flanks; spotted on the breast with black rather more

heavily than in the case of the Olive-backed and Gray-cheeked thrushes.

Length 7—7.25 inches; extent I1-12; wing 3.52-3.75; tail 2.74-2.85;
bill .53; tarsus 1.2. ‘

Young, as in the case of the other members of the genus, are spotted
above with ocherous and dusky.

Distribution. The Hermit thrush breeds in the Canadian and Tran-
sition zones of eastern North America from southern Yukon, southwestern
Keewatin and northern Quebec south to central Alberta, central Minnesota,
northern Michigan, Ontario, New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut
and in the mountains of Pennsylvania and Maryland. Winters from
Massachusetts, southeastern New York and the Ohio valley to Texas,
Florida and Cuba. In New York it is a summer resident of all the Canadian
zone of the Catskills and Adirondacks and of the colder portions of the
Transition zone near the Pennsylvania border as well as in the colder
swamps, gullies and hill slopes of eastern, central and western New York.

;
:
t
i
]
{

wre

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 527

It nests near Lake Ronkonkoma, Long Island (Braislin, Cherrie, Harper
and Davis); in Bergen swamp, Genesee county; in some of the gullies
near the head of Canandaigua lake; near Branchport on Keuka lake and
various other localities of the central lake region. It therefore does not seem
to confine itself to the Canadian zone in this State, but at the same time is
practically absent from all the forests of the greater portion of the State
excepting the spruce, balsam and hemlock zones. It is a common transient
in all parts of the State, where it does not occur as a summer resident, and in
various localities in the lower Hudson valley and on Long Island is found
throughout the winter. The spring migration begins from March 25 to
April 10, and wheré it is not a summer resident the last migrants are found
to disappear between the 5th and 20th of May. It arrives from the north
from the Ist to the 18th of October and passes southward from October
20 to November 26. Thus it is evidently one of the hardiest of the family,
practically rivaling the Robin and Bluebird in its ability to withstand
the northern cold.

Haunts and habits. During migration time this thrush is frequently
seen about our lawns as well as in the woodlands in all parts of the State.
It feeds mostly on the ground after the manner of the Robin, and when
slightly disturbed utters a low chuck and flies to the low branch of a tree.
Upon alighting it almost always tilts its tail slowly, thereby giving an
“ear mark ’’ of its identity when the bird is so far away that its colors
can not be recognized. Besides this common call of the Hermit, it has
also a harsh “ speke’”’ note which is usually heard only on the breeding
grounds, when one is in the vicinity of its nest. The Hermit thrush is
often called the Swamp robin, on account of his beautiful song and his
preference for cool, damp forests. Balsam and spruce coverts are his
special abode. In the winter he prefers cedar groves and evergreen swamps
near the coast. In the Adirondack forest his exquisite song can be heard
morning and evening throughout the breeding season, frequently through
the greater portion of the day, especially in cloudy weather. Bicknell
says: ‘‘ The Hermit thrush bears high distinction among our songbirds.
The notes are not remarkable for variety or volume, but in purity and

528 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

sweetness of tone and exquisite modulation they are unequalled, in tran-
quil clearness of tone and exalted serenity of expression going beyond any
woods music we ever hear.’’ Hoffman says: ‘‘ The song of the Hermit
is divided into cadences of different pitch. Each cadence is introduced
by a pure fluted note, then follow two or three higher notes given with
a tremulo effect. These are either given three on the same pitch or, more
often, the last two are a little higher or lower than the first. The intro-
ductory note is held long enough to give a calm, meditative effect to the
song. It also serves to give the pitch to the cadences, one of which is

ey Ea :
Photo by Verdi Burtch Photo by Verdi Burtch

Hermit thrush on nest Hermit thrush’s nest and eggs

so high it is hardly to be heard at a distance. The others are very full
soprano or mezzo-soprano. There are no bass notes such as the Wood
thrush strikes and no great intervals between any two notes.”’

The Hermit makes its nest on the ground or in the low branches of
some thick tree. It is composed of coarse grasses, leaves and mosses, lined
with dark rootlets or pine needles. Beneath the lining is usually a cup
of mud or damp rotten wood as is customary with the other thrushes.
The eggs are 4 to 6 in number, usually 4, greenish blue in color, lighter
than those of the Wood thrush, and average .88 by .69 inches in dimensions.

~ eid a a as

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 529

Planesticus migratorius migratorius (Linnaeus)
Robin

Plate 106

Turdus migratorius Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.12. 1766. 1: 292
Merula migratoria DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 70, fig. 83
Planesticus migratorius migratorius A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3.
t910. p. 363. No. 761
planésticus, poorly formed from Lat., planus, a plain, the Robin being a plains bird;
migratorius, Lat., migratory

Description. Upper parts slate color more or less tinged with olive
brown; the head black; small white spot above, below and in front of the
eye; the throat largely white streaked with blackish; breast and nearly
all the under parts reddish brown or rufous; the lower abdomen white;
tail and wings blackish; the outer tail feathers tipped with white. Female:
’ Considerably duller than the male, the breast sometimes almost ocherous
brown. Young: Spotted above with whitish; under parts whitish tinged
with cinnamon on the sides and spotted with black.

Length 10 inches; extent 16; wing 5-5.5; tail 4—-4.5; bill .8; tarsus 1.25.

Distribution. Breeds from northwestern Alaska; northern Mackenzie,
northern Ungava and Newfoundland south to central Alberta, south-
eastern Wyoming, Kansas, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and
along the Alleghanies to North Carolina; winters from Kansas, the Ohio
valley and New Jersey, to the gulf coast, and irregularly farther north.
In New York the Robin is an abundant summer resident in all portions
of the State, being probably our most familiar native bird and known
more unmistakably than the English sparrow, the Song sparrow or the
Chippy. It has adapted itself to civilized conditions and prefers to nest
near the habitations of man. It does still frequent the woods, however,
to a considerable extent, and I have found it breeding in the slashings
of the Adirondack forest miles from any settler’s house and in the woods
near the lumber camp or the open summer camps of tourists in all portions
of the North Woods. There can be little doubt that the Robin is and will
remain our most dominant native species. The spring migration of the
Robin begins often as early as the 15th of February in southeastern New

30 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

on

York, rarely later than the 10th of March. Dutcher’s migration dates
for Long Island some years begin on February 7; in western New York,
March 4 to 10 is perhaps the normal time of arrival. Some years they are
common as early as the 24th of February when there is an exceptionally
warm wave. In an unusually late spring they sometimes are not common
before the 22d of: March, but it is a rare season when the Robin is not
in evidence at least as early as March 12. In the fall the last migrants
depart from central and western New York about the Ist to the 12th of
November, a few remaining occasionally until the last of the month.
Fisher gives the date of departure from Ossining as November 30, but a
few remain, as stated before, in nearly all the central and southern portions
of the State in favored localities throughout the winter.

Haunts and habits. The Robin places its nest even on the window
ledge or the veranda post, the brackets of porches, on projections about ©
the sheds, or under the eaves of the barn; likewise in all manner of trees
on the lawn, in the orchard and shade trees along the street, or even on
the trees in the forest. I have found robins’ nests within 1 foot of the
ground, at other times 60 feet high in elm trees, and 80 feet high on the
beams which supported a water tank. The materials used in the nest
construction are almost invariably grass stems and weed stalks for a founda-
tion layer, upon which is built a shell of mud held together with blades of
grass carefully mingled with it by the mother bird, who shapes the nest
by pressing her breast against it, until a well-rounded cup of sufficient
size to support the young birds has been constructed; then the interior
is lined with fine blades of dry grass. The eggs are usually 4’in number,
rarely 5, and on one occasion I found 7 eggs evidently laid by the same bird. —
They are of a characteristic bluish green color, rather elongated ovate in
shape and average about 1.2 inches in length by .82 in diameter. Robins
begin to build the nest in April; some seasons when there is a warm wave.
during the last week in March I have seen nests completed by the 28th
of that month; usually, however, the nest is not finished before the 15th
of April and fresh eggs are commonly found from April 22 to May 8. The —

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 531

second brood is started from May 30 to June 15, and oftentimes a third
brood from the Ist to the 19th of July. In one exceptionally early season
I found a Robin’s nest with fresh eggs on the 31st of March. The time
of incubation varies from 11 to 13 days and the young birds remain in
the nest about 12 days after hatching, sometimes leaving it in 10 days,
sometimes in 2 weeks. They are fed with a great number of caterpillars,
cut worms, white grubs and earthworms. As their appetite increases the
old birds seem to resort almost exclusively to angleworms, as a plentiful
supply of these can usually be obtained. As the young birds become
nearly feathered, ripe cherries are brought them, if they have not left
the nest before the cherry season arrives. I have watched the old birds
feed a nestful of 4 young ones ripe cherries at the rate of 16 to 30 an hour
and the young birds every few minutes would shake their heads and pump
their necks until they had regurgitated the cherry pits which would rattle
on the veranda floor like grape shot. By actual count the cherry pits
would rattle across the floor at the rate of 7 in 15 minutes. On several
occasions I have noticed that the old robins brought half ripe cherries
to the young who were unable to digest them in this condition and perished
accordingly. After the nesting season is past, robins seem to disappear
for a time from the gardens and dooryards, the old birds and young resorting
more to the woodlands and hedgerows and remote fields for feeding, and
as the fall season comes on they are found in the woods partaking of poke-
berries, black cherries and all kinds of wild fruit. They also become
much more wary and can not be approached as in the spring and summer
when they live about the garden. During the winter months, even in
central and western New York where heavy snow and a temperature
often below zero is recorded, the robins remain with perfect safety through-
out the winter provided they have swamps or cedar thickets or a sheltered
gully to which they may retreat and a convenient supply of wild grapes,
barberries, wild privet, poison ivy and juniper berries to furnish, them
abundant nourishment.

The vocal attempts of the Robin are more varied than those of any

532 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

other of our familiar birds. Nearly everyone knows his various songs
and call notes, but in the early spring the notes of many other birds are
frequently mistaken for those of the Robin. Many a time my neighbors
have informed me that they had heard the Robin’s first spring note when
my own observation taught me it was some note of the Nuthatch or the
Downy woodpecker. The loud cries of the Robin which signify distress and
alarm are well known to everyone. As the cats carry off the young birds
one by one this distressing cry is often heard about our gardens and lawns.
Also the fighting cry of the Robin when contending for the possession of
a mate or endeavoring to drive intruders from the feeding ground is
fully as familiar. The ¢wt-tut note which is delivered as the Robin flies
up into a tree and bobs its tail, is of doubtful significance, but evidently
is simply intended to notify his friends that he is there. The rather
explosive ejaculation of four or five rapid notes uttered as the birds start
for a more or less extended flight, evidently serves the purpose of keeping
the company together. The ordinary song of the Robin is familiar to all,
the common evening chant heard from the time of the birds’ arrival in
the spring till late in July. It is also heard in the morning from daybreak
until sunrise, as well as before rain and, in the nesting season, at almost
any time of day.

Much discussion has taken place regarding the Robin’s economic
status, and the general opinion of state and government experts seems to
be that he is a beneficial species, principally because of the great numbers
of cut worms, white grubs, smooth caterpillars, crane fly larvae and wire
worms which he destroys, and there can be no question but that he does
destroy immense numbers of those pests. The harm which he does —
if harm it must be considered — results from the destruction of predaceous
beetles like the black ground beetles and the tiger beetles which destroy
injurious insects. Of these he takes a considerable number, but it may
well be, as Mr Forbush contends, that if they were allowed to increase
indefinitely they might become too numerous and thus destroy each other,
so that the Robin’s destruction of a few of these is not to be considered

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 533

a serious offense. The next count which has been made against the Robin
is his unquestioned destruction of great numbers of earthworms which
are usually considered among the agriculturist’s best friends, for they are
continually loosening the earth and bringing up the subsoil and depositing
it on the surface, thereby returning many soluble minerals from deep down
to the surface again, and carrying down bits of vegetable mould, so that
they are to be regarded as among the most efficient soil makers and pre-
servers of the fertility and looseness of the ground. The same argument
can be made in regard to the Robin’s destruction of earthworms, that it
is necessary to have the surplus individuals removed in order to keep up
the vitality of the race, and undoubtedly this is a potent argument, as
has been shown by British ornithologists in discussing the relationship
of falcons to the game coverts of England. Where no birds of prey are
present to remove the weaker individuals the race gradually loses its stamina.
The third, and probably the most serious count against the Robin in the
eyes of New York agriculturists is his inordinate appetite for ripe cherries,
and this is a serious offense from the standpoint of the small fruit grower
or of the farmer who has a few cherry trees planted for his own use. I have
seen robins clear as many as a dozen cherry trees so effectively, as fast
as the cherries turned ripe, that the owner was obliged to content himself
in the end with 6 or 8 quarts of fruit from the dozen trees. There is scarcely
any effective way of driving robins from these cherry trees. I have
myself attempted to discover some means of protecting the crop, but even
if one remains in the tree with a stick or flag, waving it to drive the birds
away, they will continue to come and carry off the fruit in spite of one’s
endeavors. Even the shotgun will not frighten them away; they must
be killed in order to save the crop. Many have suggested that trees of
early fruit be planted in the neighborhood to attract the robins from the

'- cherry trees and this has been found effective in many cases, but the mul-

berries which have been advised for this purpose, do not ripen early enough,
and the author believes that a few early cherries furnish the best food for
the purpose. About the only native fruit tree which comes early enough

534 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

to be of any use is the shadbush, Amalanchier canadensis. Per-
haps if some enterprising bird student could introduce a very early variety
of this service berry, and grow it for planting as ornament about the
lawns and farmyards, he would do a great service to the Robin and to
the horticulturist.

Ixoreus naevius naevius (Gmelin)
Varied Thrush

Turdus noevius Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1789. 1:817
Ixoreus naevius naevius A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 364.
No. 763
ixéreus = toGde0s, eating the mistletoe, the Missel thrush; naévius, Lat., spotted
Description. Upper parts dark slate color; wings and tail blackish;
2 conspicuous wing bars of orange brown; some of the quills edged with the
same; quills white at the base on their inner webs, but this marking is
not visible when the wing is closed; one or more of the lateral tail feathers
are tipped with white; bright black collar crosses the breast and runs up the
sides of the neck and head; stripe on the side of the head backward from the
eye and under parts orange brown gradually changing to white on the lower
belly; bill black; feet yellowish. Female: Very much duller on the back
but in a similar pattern. Young: Resemble the female but have no white
on the belly, but the under part often washed with umber brown, the young
females sometimes showing scarcely a trace of the collar.
Length about 10 inches; extent 16; wing 5; tail 3.7; bill .8; tarsus 1.25.

Distribution. The Varied thrush inhabits the Pacific coastal region,
breeding from Yakutat bay, Alaska, to Humboldt county, California, and
wintering from southern Alaska to the Colorado river and frequently
straggling eastward in the winter time. Besides several specimens from
New Jersey and Massachusetts, at least three different specimens of this
thrush have been taken in New York State, the first from Islip, L. L.,
reported by G. N. Lawrence (see Baird, Brewer and Ridgway, 1, 29; and
Coues, “‘ Birds of Colorado Valley,” page 19; also Annals Lyc. Nat. Hist.
N. Y., 8, 1866, 281; and Boston Society Natural History 3, 1848, 17).
Specimen from Port Jefferson, L. I., December 20, 1889, a male, collected
by A. H. Helme, reported by Dutcher, Linnaean Society of New York
Proc., No. 2, page 9. A specimen from Millers Place, L. I., November 19,

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 535

1905, collected by A. H. Helme, reported by Braislin, “‘ Birds of Long
Island,” page 100.

This thrush evidently follows occasionally the troops of robins which
come south from Alaska and reaches the Atlantic coast in their company.
When noticed by bird observers he will appear like a curiously variegated
Robin, a bird about the same size and shape; but the regular wing bars
and the black collar, with the black markings and black and reddish yellow
markings on the side of the head, will distinguish him at once among his
more common brethren.

Saxicola oenanthe leucorhoa (Gmelin)
Greenland Wheatear

Motacilla leucorhoa Gmelin. Syst. Nat. 1789. 1: 966
Saxicola oenanthe leucorhoa A.O.U. Check List. Ed.3. 1910. p. 366-
No. 765a
saxicola, Lat., rock dweller; oendnthe, Gr., name of some small bird; leucérhoa,
Gr., white-rumped

Description. In summer, ashy gray; line over the eye, under parts,
and basal portion of tail, white; breast
sometimes tinted with buff; wings and
terminal portion of tail black; broad
line from the nostril through the eye
and along side of the head black; bill
and feet black. Female: Slightly more
brownish. In winter: Both adults
and young clive brown above; under
parts cinnamon brown; wings and tail
much as in summer.

Length 6.75 inches; extent 12.5;
wing 4; tail 2.38; tarsus 1.2. Female:
slightly smaller.

Distribution. This subspecies of

the Wheatear breeds in northeastern Wheatear. Saxicola oenanthe leucorhoa (Gmelin):
“ 2 F Hudson’s “ British Birds.” . si
Arctic erica from Elsmere Lan d rom Hudson’s ritish Bir 3 nat. size

and Boothia peninsula to eastern Greenland, Iceland and northern Ungava.
It winters in west Africa, migrating through the Shetland isles and Great:

536 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Britain, occasionally straggling down the Atlantic coast to Quebec, Bruns-
wick, Bermuda, Louisiana and Cuba. The Greenland Wheatear in New
York has only four records, all of which have appeared in print as follows:
Long Island, Lawrence collection (Lawrence, Ann. Lyc. Nat. Hist. N. Y.,
vol. 8, 1866, page 282); Junius, Seneca county, September 9, 1872 (Baird,
Brewer and Ridgway, “ Birds of North America,” p. 501); Long Island,
about 1863, female, adult, collection D. G. Elliot, in the American
Museum Natural History (Allen, Auk, 3:490); Jamaica, 1885, collection |
of Long Island Historical Society (Dutcher, Auk, 10:277).
The western New York specimen collected by Mr Hampton is now
in the collection of Hobart College. The letter written to Mr Hampton
by Professor Baird in regard to the specimen will be interesting to New

York ornithologists.
Washington, November 7, 1873
C. J. Hampton

Junius, N.Y.
DEarR SIR:

On looking over some old letters I find yours of February 15 in reference to the
occurrence of the Stone chat in New York and as it is not indorsed as responded to I fear
I have neglected to answer it. I now write to say that you are entirely correct in your
supposition and that the occurrence of this species in the interior of New York is a fact
of extreme interest and one which I have introduced in my forthcoming work on the Birds

of North America.
Very truly yours
SPENCER F. Barrp

This Wheatear is one of the most interesting of the land birds of
America for the reason that it crosses the North Atlantic every spring
to nest on the bleak shores of Labrador and Greenland, and returns again
in the fall to spend the winter in northwestern Africa, evidently being the
only small species of land bird which still follows the ancient line of
migration as it was evidently marked out before the glacial epoch and the
subsidence of the north Atlantic connection between Europe and America.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 537

Sialia sialis sialis (Linnaeus)
Bluebird
Plate 106

Motacilla sialis Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed.1o. 1758. 1: 187

Sialia wilsoni DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 65, fig. 98

Sialia sialis sialis A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 366. No. 766
sidlia, Gr., aAts, a bird so called from its slavering or sibilant-note; séalis, ‘‘ To

call this Anacreon a slobberer!’’ (Coues). To double call him that is infamy

Description. Male: Upper parts rich azure blue; throat, breast and
sides chestnut rufous; belly white. Female: Considerably paler, but pure
azure blue on the rump, tail and wings; rest of the upper parts are grayish
blue. Young in first plumage: Upper parts streaked along the shaft lines
with whitish; under parts closely freckled with brownish and white; a dis-
tinct white eye ring.

Length 6.5-7 inches; extent 12-13; wing 3.75-4; tail 2.75-3; bill .25;
tarsus .7. . .

Distribution. Breeds from southern Manitoba, northern Ontario,
southern Quebec and Newfoundland, south to Texas and the gulf coast;
winters from the Ohio valley and Middle States to the gulf; resident in
Bermuda. In New York the Bluebird is a common summer resident of
all parts of the State and locally a winter resident in the coastal district
and the lower Hudson valley. In western New York I have never seen
a Bluebird in midwinter, but it may occasionally remain in sheltered
cedar swamps, as it does in the coastal district. Spring migration begins
in southeastern New York from the toth to the 15th of February, in
exceptional seasons not till March 10. In western New York it very
rarely arrives before the first of March, the average date being March 12,
sometimes not till March 22. Several records of arrival before me are
in the last week of February. One year (1906) I noticed bluebirds com- -
mon on the 24th of February at Ithaca, Geneva, Canandaigua and
Rochester.. In the fall they disappear from the 16th to the 29th of October,
sometimes remaining until the 1oth of November or even later.

During the severe winter of 1895, the bluebirds of our northeastern
states were decimated. The following summer I made a careful search

538 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

for the species in many counties of central and western New York, only
to find perhaps one pair nesting, where, the previous year, 20 or more
pairs would certainly have been found. I noted, however, that the broods
reared were exceptionally large. Often 7 eggs were found in each of the few
nests which I examined. I am inclined to think this indicates simply the
exceptional vitality of the birds which survived the severe weather in
their winter home, and the result was that within 5 years this species was
as abundant as ever throughout the State. It is even possible that the

Photo by L. S. Horton

Young Bluebirds

elimination of all weaker individuals was of final benefit to the stock.
A similar catastrophe occurred during the winter of I91I-12. This is
reported by Professor Cook in Bird Lore 1:59. In the country about
the central lakes I believe that during the summer of 1912 there was not
more than 10 per cent of the usual abundance of bluebirds. Now, as
I am writing this paragraph (March 15, 1913), the bluebirds “have just
become common in their spring migration and it seems to me they are
nearly as abundant as I had noticed them during the last 10 years. It

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 539

remains to be seen how soon those that nest in this immediate vicinity
will be as abundant as they were from 1900 to I9gII.

Haunts and habits. The Bluebird is one of our familiar summer
birds, frequenting the orchard and garden as well as the edges of open
woodlands. It is, however, characteristically a bird of the open, and
delights in vineyards, stump lots, pastures surrounded by rail fences,
cultivated fields interspersed with a few trees along the fence lines, especially
dead trees with hollow branches which furnish it the favorite nesting site.
This species readily accommodates itself to boxes erected for its use and
will build even in cigar boxes nailed to the top of fence posts or a grape
trellis, preferring a height of from 7 to 9 feet. In such situations I have
noticed that it is less troubled by the English sparrow than it is in boxes
which are erected in apple trees or on the corners of buildings.

The Bluebird takes its food mostly from the ground, flying down
from its station on the top of the fence post or small tree, seizing a beetle,
grub or grasshopper which has attracted its attention and flying up again
to the top of the post to devour its prey. There is no question but many
of the beetles taken are predaceous ground beetles and tiger beetles which
are, in general, beneficial species; but, as Forbush has indicated, even
these, when they become overabundant, feed to a considerable extent on
vegetation, and as the Bluebird does not feed exclusively or principally
upon them we can forgive him this slight offense.

The Bluebird’s warble is a mellow, cheery song, a low-pitched lay of
four or five notes. It has been syllabled as ‘“‘ tu-ree-a-lee,”’ its syllables
chattered and fluted in frequent repetition. When frightened or angry he
also utters a rattling chatter; and while flying, a call note which in the
fall is said to be “ far away, far away,” in the spring ‘‘ Come with me.”
It certainly means ‘‘Come with me”’ or ‘‘ Here I go,” for as the little
scattered company or the pairs of birds take flight, each one in succession
calls the note at intervals, thus keeping the group together.

After the nesting season is finished the bluebirds remain in little
family groups and will be found about the edges of the woods and in the

540 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

weedy pastures feeding largely at this season upon small grasshoppers
They remain until the sharp frosts

which are so abundant in the fall.
In the fall they vary their diet con-

of November hurry them southward.

Photo by James H. Miller

Bluebird at nest

siderably on wild fruits of all kinds, but have never been noticed as

destructive to the gardener’s crops.
The nest of the Bluebird is composed of grass blades and weed stalks,

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 541

lined with finer grasses, placed in a. hollow limb, a woodpecker’s hole
or a “ Bluebird box.’’ The eggs are usually 4 to 6 in number, sometimes
7, the usual number in New York being 5. They are of a light blue color
and average .80 by .60 inches in size. Two and sometimes three broods
are reared in a season. As soon as the first brood is ready to leave the
nest the old birds lure them gradually from tree to tree some distance
from the nesting site, away to the fields and edges of the woods, the father
Bluebird usually taking charge of them while the female returns to incu-
bating the second brood. Of all our native birds, the Bluebird by many.
is regarded as the favorite. Its beautiful colors and lovable disposition,
mellow voice and beneficial habits have endeared it to the country people.
I can only regret that it is not as dominant in vitality as the Robin and
needs more encouragement by having its nesting sites furnished it and
protected against the encroachments of the English sparrow. We believe,
however, that the species will continue to thrive in spite of the unfavorable
conditions which frequently prevail in the winter and in spite of the
sparrow’s persecution, at least, wherever nature lovers furnish it with
boxes which are kept free from the interloper.

542 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

ADDENDUM
NEW YORK BIRD HISTORY SINCE tg10

A few notable events have occurred since 1910 in New York ornithol-
ogy which should be added to the histories recorded in volume I of this
memoir. Pesides the numerous notes published in the Auk, Bird Lore and
other magazines which add somewhat to the knowledge of our birds, three
separate publications which require special note have appeared.

The most significant of these in its additions to our ornithology is
““The Vertebrates of the Cayuga Lake Basin, New York,’’ by Hugh D.
Reed and Albert H. Wright, Proceedings of the American Philosophical
Society, vol. 48, p. 370-459, 1909. This paper represents the work of
years by members of the department of vertebrate zoology in Cornell
University andstheir assistants, and takes front rank among all faunal lists
which have appeared in the State. The maps, discussion of life zones and
records of migration and nesting dates have added materially to our
knowledge. Although this publication arrived too late to be noted in the
introduction to volume I, most of the records were furnished us to include
in the Tompkins county list.

A new ‘ Annotated List of the Birds of Oneida County, New York,”
was published by Egbert Bagg in the transactions of the Oneida Historical
Society, vol. 12, p. 16-85, 1912. This edition brings the Oneida county
list up to date, including all the additions made by Mr Bagg since the
original list by himself and Dr Ralph was issued twenty-five years ago.
No new additions to the Oneida county list not noted in volume I of this
work occur, however, except the probable record of the Blue grosbeak.

Mr Ottomar Reinecke of Buffalo has printed his ‘‘ Personal Observa-
tions and Notes on the Breeding, Migrating or Visiting Birds on the
Niagara Frontier.” This pamphlet of thirty-four pages (1912, no date on
the impression received) gives many interesting experiences of Mr Reinecke
while making his extensive oological collections in western New York.

Of the records of rare birds taken in the State since 1910, probably
the most noteworthy is the capture of the Cory least bittern, Ixobry-
chus neoxenus, in the marsh at the head of Cayuga lake, May 27,
1913, by Mr Arthur A. Allen of Ithaca, N. Y., which gives us the first
definite record of this rare bird for New York State. Mr Allen also took
at the head of Cayuga lake on September 16, 1909 (Cornell University
Collection 5,219) an American avocet, Recurvirostra americana,
which is the only definite record of this species for our State during the
last half century. Dr Carlos Cummings of Buffalo has reported another
specimen of the White-faced glossy ibis, Plegadis guarauna, taken

BIRDS OF NEW YORK 543

at Grand island, Niagara river, September 18, 1908. It seems unaccount-
able that another specimen of this bird should be taken in the same spot
as the specimen recorded in volume I after so many years and without
any other specimen of the species having occurred in any of the adjoining
states.

In 1912 there was another great slaughter of Whistling swans in Niagara

river between March 18th and April 6th, but mostly on the latter date.
Nearly 200 swans were swept over the falls and perished (see Fleming, Auk,
19:445-98). Since the ‘‘ Niagara swan trap’’ is working such devastation
upon one of our most interesting waterfowl, we believe that it should be
‘the duty of the State Conservation Commission to station a protector on
Goat island every spring between March 1oth and April toth, when the
weather is favorable for swan migration, and drive the birds up the river,
so as to prevent their destruction by being drawn over the falls.

In February 1912, on account of the unusual extent of ice formation on
Lake Ontario and the entire freezing of Seneca, Cayuga and other central
lakes, many hundreds of waterfowl perished of starvation, especially Can-
vasback, Redhead, Scaup, Whistler, Bufflehead, Horned grebe and Holboell
grebe, but large numbers of the ducks were saved by feeding with grain
under the direction of the Conservation Commission and various local
sportsmen’s clubs.

We regret to record that a further impetus to the extermination of
the Wood duck has occurred in the continued draining of the Montezuma
marshes in connection with the barge canal construction, and in the
destruction of a large portion of the Potter swamp nesting coverts by
reason of cutting away the timber for barrel staves.

Of all the species of birds which we had hoped to find nesting in the
Adirondacks, such as the Bay-breasted warbler and Philadelphia vireo, no
success has as yet rewarded our efforts in adding any new breeding species
to the New York list.

Eton Howarp EATON
Hobart College
Geneva N. Y.

Plate 43
(See plates 44, 46, 47, 48, 49 and 51)

TURKEY VULTURE BALD EAGLE BUTEO (RED-TAILED HAWK)
Page 63 Page ox Page 8+ es,
FALCON (DUCK HAWK)
Page 98 J
ACCIPITER (COOPER HAWK) ARCHIBUTEO (ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK) _
Page 77 Ri, Page 88 ;
MARSH HAWK FISH HAWK

mee Page 106

Memoir 12.
ee

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

N. Y. State Museum

Appearance of Diurnal Birds of Prey in Flight

late 43

Plate 44
| (See plates 43 and 46)

COOPER HAWK *
Page 77

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum Plate 44

COOPER’S HAWK SHARP-SHINNED HAWK
Accipiter cooperi (Bonaparte) ¥ Accipiter velox (Wilson)
IMMATURE FEMALE All } nat. size ADULT MALE

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum Plate 45

_GOSHAWK. 3
Astur atricapillus atricapillus (Wilson)
(MMATURE 3 nat. size ADULT

Plate 46
(See plates 43, 44 and 47)

RED-TAILED HAWK
Page 82
COOPER HAWK
Page 77

Memoir 12.

N. Y.

BIRDS OF

State Museum

NEW YORK

RED-TAILED HAWK Buteo borealis borealis (Gmelin)

erties

Pilate 46

RED-SHOULDERED
Page 83

HAWK

Memoir 12.

BIRDS OF
N. Y. State Museum

RED-SHOULDERED HAWK
Buteo lineatus lineatus (Gmelin)

NEW

ADULT

YORK

Plate 47

RED-TAILED HAWK _
Buteo borealis borealis (Gmelin)

IMMATURE

Plate 48
Wee plate 43)

BROAD-WINGED HAWK _
Page 86 4
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK
Page 48

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum Plate 48

Mbiti A 92 ttre bd ote

BROAD-WINGED HAWK Buteo platypterus (Vieillot)
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK speed IMMATURE
= irs Cc ire ds ‘
Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johannis (Gmelin) Ai ae at tT

a, Eee Spee AT? 2 eae. oe

Plate 49
(See plate 43)

GOLDEN EAGLE
Page 90
BALD EAGLE
Page 91

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12.
fe

ja

N. Y State Museum

Plate 49

GOLDEN EAGLE <quila chrysaetos (Linnaeus)
4 nat. size

GYRFALCON F
Page 96 ’
BLACK GYRFALCON
Page 97

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum Plate 50

os

—_ f j
_ GYRFALCON WHITE GYRFALCON
Paleo rusticolus gyrfalco Linnaeus Faico islandus Brinnich

BLACK GYRFALCON Falco rusticolus obsoletus Gmelin
All } nat. size

DUCK HAWK

Page 98

Memoir 12,

N. Y. State Museum

FIRST YEAR MALE

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

DUCK HAWK Falco peregrinus anatum Bonaparte
ADULT FEMALE

oes
* me 4
*
“a

7

a

fom?

four Ghastiz Fuceribag

SPARROW HAWK
Page 103
PIGEON HAWK
Page 101

BIRDS OF NEW YORE

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum Plate 52

SPARROW HAWK Falco sparverius sparverius Linnaeus

MALE FEMALE A J
PIGEON HAWK Falco columbarius columbarius Linnaeus

1a

BARN OWL

Page 109

BIRDS OF NEW YORE

Memoir 12. N.Y. State Museum Plate 53

ak

a hut Mpastre Qiales

BARN OWL LONG-EARED OWL
Aluco pratincola (Bonaparte) Asio wilsonianus (Lesson)
} nat. size

Plate 54

GREAT GRAY OWL *»

Page 116 *i,

SNOWY OWL :
Page 126

BIRDS OF NEW YORE

Memoir 12. N. Y¥. State Museum Plate 54

f .
A
Ave & tie Gee rhe <

A
Anus Case Dicertas,

GREAT GRAY OWL Scotiaptew nebulosa nebulosa (J. R. Forster)

SNOWY OWL Nyctea nyctea (Linnaeus) BARRED OWL Stri# varia varia Barton
All ™& nat. size

Plate 55
Fr 2
X ;
-,
HAWK OWL —
Page 127 é
SAW-WHET OWL : LA

Page 118

Memoir 12.

BIRDS OF
N. Y. State Museum

N EW

HAWK OWL Surnia ulula caparoch (Miller)
SAW-WHET OWL
Cryptoglaux acadica acadica (Gmelin)

All § nat. size

YORK

RICHARDSON’S OWL
Cryptoglaux funerea richardsoni (Bonaparte)

Plate 55

Plate 56

wa >

SCREECH OWL
Page 120

SHORT-EARED OWL
Page 113

Memoir 12.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

N. Y. State Museum

SCREECH OWL Otus asio asio (Linnaeus)

Gray and red phases
SHORT-EARED OWL Asio flammeus (Pontoppidan)
All 4 nat, size

Plate 56

i
a
ca
%
GREAT HORNED OWL _
Page 123 a

w YOoRK

x
4%

NI

OF

BIRDS

Plate 57

N. Y. State Museum

Memoir 12.

h

"

i ii ) Hi
Dy)

ei
j
if
f

ee

Bubo virgintanus virginianus (Gmelin)

MREAT HORNED OWL.

Plate 58

”~

»
wks
&

os

BELTED KINGFISHER
Page 136

BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO
Page 134

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum

Plate 58

BELTED KINGFISHER Ceryle alcyon (Linnaeus)

HAIRY WOODPECKER
Page 141

YORK

cw

N E

OF

BIRDS

Plate 59

N. Y. State Museum

Memoir 12.

HAIRY WOODPECKER

Dryobates villosus villosus (Linnaeus)

c
WwW
x
oO
g
oO. «
9;
32
<
Zz
>
°
a

s (Swainson)

Dryobates pubes

sate

“ARCTIC THREE-TOED WOODF
Page 144

BIRDS OF NEW YORE

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum

ARCTIC THREE-TOED WOODPECKER Picoides arcticus (Swainson)
FEMALE
MALE
$ nat. size

AMERICAN THREE-TOED wo
Page 146

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum Plate 61

,

i ) ; pe
re ¥ eis Lgassrz Ret tes

/
i
‘

AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER Picoides americanus americanus Brehm

MALE : FEMALE
} nat. size

.
..
ee.
*
4

RED-HEADED WOODPECKER P ’ YELLOW-BELLIED ;

5 A

Page 154 ‘

‘
- e -
'
+E

i os

7 er
’ ” 3
s ¢
, - 4

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir t2. N. Y. State Museum Plate 60

“ Be

—.

RED-HEADED WOODPECKER YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER
Melanerpes erythrocephalus (Linnaeus) Sphyrapicus varius varius am
ASOLY: FEMALE
MALE

IMMATURE All } nat. size

NORTHERN PILEATED WOODPI
Page 15st

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum Plate 63

ed

NORTHERN PILEATED WOODPECKER Philoeotomus pileatus abieticola (Bangs)

FEMALE
MALE .
About } nat. size

NORTHERN FLICKER

Page 158 ¢

RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER
Page 157

*

FEMALE

FEMALE

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N, Y. State Museum

NORTHERN FLICKER Colaptes auratus luteus Bangs

MALE
RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER Centurus carolinus (Linnaeus)

_ MALE
} nat. size

Plate 64

NIGHTHAWK Ss
Page 167 =
WHIP-POOR-WILL
Page 164

Memoir 12.

BIRDS OF NEW YORE

N. Y. State Museum Plate 65

NIGHTHAWK Chordeiles virginianus virginianus (Gmelin)

MALE #3 nat. size
WHIP-POOR-WILL Antrostomus vociferus vociferus (Wilson)
MALE 4} nat. size

3
RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD
Page 175

¢

Memoir 12.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

N. Y. State Museum

RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD
MALE FEMALE

Archilockus colubris (Linnaeus)
MALE

All life size

flu Cipartis Guar Tes,

Plate 66

ws

t

yA

Plate 67

OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER
Page 189

KINGBIRD
Page 182

s

PHOEBE
Page 187

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum Plate 67

OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER CRESTED FLYCATCHER
Nuttallornis boreaiis (Swainson) Myiarchus crinitus (Linnaeus
KINGBIRD Tyrannus tyrannus (Linnaeus) PHOEBE Savornis phoebe (Latham)

All 4 nat. size

Plate 68

‘WOOD PEWEE

Page 190 za ‘ h

ALDER FLYCATCHER rs . Ps LEAST FLYCATC)

Page 196 . Page 199
ACADIAN FLYCATCHER YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER

Page 194 Page 193

a"

BIRDS OF NEW YORK
Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum

WOOD PEWEE Myiochanes virens (Linnaeus)
ADULT

IMMATURE
_ ALDER FLYCATCHER F ee
Empidonaz trailli alnorum Brewster LEAST FLYCATCHER Empidonaz minimus (W. M. & 8S. F. Baird)
_ ACADIAN FLYCATCHER | 2

YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER _—|

Plate 68

Plate 69

ar.

“y
SKYLARK 7:
Page 201 - %
HORNED LARK ,
Page 202
PRAIRIE HORNED LARK
Page 203

td

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N. Y, State Museum

SKYLARK

Alauda arvensis Linnaeus

Plate 69

PIPIT Anthus rubescens (Tunstall)
SPRING AUTUMN

All 4 nat. size

> —-

HORNED LARK Ofocoris alpestris alpestris (Linnaeus)

MALE
PRAIRIE HORNED LARK Otocoris alpestris praticola Henshaw

MALE

FEMALE ‘ IMMATURE
All 2 nat. size

BLUE JAY
Page 208

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum Plate 70

BLUE JAY Cyanocitia cristata cristata (Linnaeus)
qj nat. size

NORTHERN RAVEN
Page 212

azis “yeu F yO
(StlevuUl]) s:sueppy Ds sisuappUD? snI408140g AvaSpiy s1ypdisuid xrps09 snason
Avf VOYNVO N3AVY NYSHLYON

SafAPTUZ, Zisss & si]
of: Y iss Oy

— og = ns
et

‘SI JOWDa|\

iZ aed i ) “ar 2 WNasn| e}24S at *N

MUAMOA MUN FO SCAUAI

FISH CROW
Page 218

ozp “300 ¥ TIV
aiqeig soysufyshyonig sovauhysNyong 8nas0) WOSTILM Snbvufisso snaso.D
MOD MOUD HSI4

i

uinasny 9381S ‘A ‘N ‘cI slowey,

HMUOA MUN AO SCaAUTH

Plate 73

RUSTY BLACKBIRD

Page 243
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD —
Page 230 .
BOBOLINK

‘Page 222

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum Plate 73

c

RUSTY BLACKBIRD Euphagus carolinus (Miller)
ADULT MALE IN SPRING
IMMATURE IN AUTUMN ADULT MALE IN AUTUMN
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD Agelaius phoeniceus phocniceus (Linnaeus)
MALE IN AUTUMN

PURPLE GRACKLE
Page 245
BRONZED GRACKLE
Page 246

Plate 74

COWBIRD
Page 225

BIRDS OF NEW YORK
Memoir 12. N.Y. State Museum

PURPLE GRACKLE

, STARLING
Quiscalus quiscula quiscula (Linnaeus) Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus
MALE
BRONZED GRACKLE Quiscalus quiscula aeneus Ridgway

MALE FEMALE
COWRIRD Molothrus ater ater (Boddaert)

Plate 74.

Plate 75

va

BALTIMORE ORIOLE %
Page 238 t
ORCHARD ORIOLE ‘
Page 236
MEADOW LARK
Page 233

BIRDS OF NEW YORE

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum

Plate 75

4

N) BALTIMORE ORIOLE Jcterus galbula (Linnaeus)
2! MALE P 7 FEMALE

&| ORCHARD ORIOLE Icterus spurius (Linnaeus)

FIRST YEAR MALE FEMALE

at

PINE GROSBEAK
Page 255
PURPLE FINCH

‘Page 262

BIRDS OF NEW YORE

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum

= a
fowrs tyassiz GuerTes,

PINE GROSBEAK Pinicola enucleator leucura (Miller)

SS

ADULT MALE IMMATURE MALE
FEMALE
PURPLE FINCH Carpodacus purpureus purpureus (Gmelin)
MALE FEMALE OR IMMATURE MALE
| All 4 nat. size

Plate 76

CROSSBILL :
Page 265
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL
Page 268

BIRDS OF NEw YORK
Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum

Xx NG? EY

oP wer,

/,
es 4 Pa
- he Lat ip :

nO. ©

——

~~

Aves \
CROSSBILL Lozic rv
ALE

“rvirostra minor (Brehm)

FEMALE

Plate 78

Page 271

e
7 : 4
GOLDFINCH 7
Page 276

GREATER REDPOLL
Page 274

BIRDS OF NEW YORE

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum Plate 78

Moet (Gp auie Gaver.

2 PINE SISKIN Spinus pinus (Wilson)
REDPOLL __ GOLDFINCH Astragalinus tristis tristis (Linnaeus)

o eset ec mm ClasAl CIN MINTER

EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH
Page 280

Plate 79

EVENING GROSBEAK
Page 252

GOLDFINCH
Page 276 F

4. i ai i a ae

Memoir 12,

BIRDS OF
N. Y. State Museum

EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH
Carduclis carduelis (Linnaeus)

NEW YORE

hous Gyowe

GOLDFINCH _.
Astragalinus tristis tristis (Linnaeus)
FEMALE AND MALE IN SUMMER

EVENING GROSBEAK Hesperiphona vespertina vespertina (W. Cooper)

MALE

FEMALE

ra i Sey, pee me

G.

Plate 79

teres

3
:

TREE SPARROW

Page 306

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

ete. Y. St
Memoir 12 ate Museum Plate 80

Oi a ee vine the

TREE SPARROW Spizella monticola menticola (Gmelin)

SNOW BUNTING Plectrophenax nivalis nivalis (Linnaeus)
% nat. size

HENSLOW SPARROW
Page 203
; LECONTE SPARROW
Page 295

IPSWICH SPARROW
Page 287

SHARP-TAILED SPARROW
Page 206

Plate 81

Page 291
SAVANNAH SPARROW
ie Page 288
_ SEASIDE SPARROW
Page 200 :
ACADIAN SHARP-TAILED SPA
Page 208
NELSON SPARROW
Page 207

es as

—a

all

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N, Y. State Museum

HENSLOW’S SPARROW
Passerherbulus henslowi henslowi (Audubon)
LECONTE’S SPARROW
Passerherbulus lecontei (Audubon)
ADULT
IMMATURE
IPSWICH SPARROW
Passerculus princeps Maynard
(SHARP: TAILED SPARROW

yten dt

GRASSHOPPER SPARROW
Ammodramus savannarum australis Maynard
SAVANNAH SPARROW
Passerculus sandwichensis savanna (Wilson )
SEASIDE SPARROW
Passerherbulus maritimus maritimus (Wilson)
ACADIAN SHARP-TAILED SPARROW
Passerherbulus nelsoni subvirgatus (Dwight)
NELSON’S SPARROW

Dressrharhuluse nelannt aeleans (Allan

Plate 81

' Plate 82
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW ¥ WHITE-CROWNED SPA’
Page 304 a Page gor
VESPER SPARROW SLATE-COLORED JUNCO
Page 311

Page 285

i

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum Plate 82

2 WHITE-THROATED SPARROW WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW.
Zonotrichia albicollis (Gmelin) Zonotrichia leucophrys leucophrys (J. R. Forster)
ADULT
IMMATURE
/ VESPER SPARROW SLATE-COLORED JUNCO
Pooecetes gramineus gramineus (Gmelin) Junco hyemalis hyemalis (Linnaeus)

All % nat. size MALE FEMALE

Plate 83

FIELD SPARROW
Page 310 J

PR ad

CHIPPING SPARROW
Page 308
FOX SPARROW
Page 321

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum Plate 83

FIELD SPARROW Spizella pusilla pusilla (Wilson)
MALE
IMMATURE
CHIPPING SPARROW Spizella passerina passerina (Bechstein)

; Plate 84
; 2
SONG SPARROW ah
Zs =, ,
Page 315 r i
SWAMP SPARROW % :
Page 319
LINCOLN SPARROW TOWHEE ‘

Page 318 ; Page 323

Memoir 12.

BIRDS OF
N. Y. State Museum

SWAMP SPARROW
Melospiza georgiana (Latham

SPRING
AUTUMN

_ LINCOLN'S SPARROW
Melozpiza lincolni lincolni (Audubon)

NEW YORK

SONG SPARROW Melospiza melodia melodia (Wilson)

. TOWHEE :
Pipilo erythrophthalmus erythrophthalmus (Linnaeus)

FEMALE

MALE

Plate

84

2 a
ROSE-BREASTED GROSB

Page 327

CARDINAL
Page 325 a

ms

Memoir 12.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK
N. Y. State Museum

(Q Ko Mts Coen Gert;
\

ROSE-CREASTED GROSBEAK Zamelodia ludoviciana (Linnaeus)
ADULT MALE
IMMATURE MALE IN AUTUMN

meee ots _ FEMALE
CARDINAL Cardinalis cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus)

pcemaic MALE

Plate 85

Plate 86

BLUE GROSBEAK
Page 329

INDIGO BUNTING
~Page 330

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12 N Y. State Museum Plate 86

—— eee

BLUE GROSBEAK Gu:raca caerulea caerulea (Linnaeus)
ADULT MALE
CHANGING MALE

FEMALE / F,
INDIGO BUNTING Passerina cyanea (Linnaeus)
MALE IN BUMMER

SCARLET TANAGER _ .
Page 337 ¥

SUMMER TANAGER >
Page 339

:

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12 N Y. State Museum

CHANGING MALE
FEMALE

SCARLET TANAGER Piranga erythromelas Vieillot
MALE IN SUMMER

MALE IN WINTER

Plate 87

BARN SWALLOW
Page 346
CLIFF SWALLOW
Page 345
ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW
Page 352
BANK SWALLOW
Page 350

Plate 88

PURPLE MARTIN
Page 342

TREE SWALLOW
Page 349

1

—cee

BIRDS OF

Memoir t2. N. Y. State Museum

BARN SWALLOW JHirundo erythrogastra Boddaert

FEMALE MALE 4
CLIFF SWALLOW Petrochelidon lunifrons lunifrons (Say)
ADULT IMMATURE
; ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW
Stelgidopteryx serripennis (Audubon)
RANK SWALLOW

NEW YORE

PURPLE MARTIN Progne subis subis (Linnaeus)
MALE
FEMALE

TREE SWALLOW
Iridoprocne bicolor (Vieillot)

Plate 88

Plate 89

ah,
BOHEMIAN WAXWING ¥
Page 355 &
CEDAR WAXWING
Page 356

Be is, —

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum Plate 89

BOHEMIAN WAXWING Bombycilla garruia (Linnaeus)

FEMALE : | MALE
CEDAR WAXWING Bombycilla cedrorum Vieillot
FEMALE IMMATURE

MALE
All § nat. size

Plate go

:
E
:

%
3
d

i
a
aS
ad
é
a

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir t2. N. Y. State Museum
Plate 90

hous Gyere Garhi

NORTHERN SHRIKE Lanius borealis Vieillot
ADULT MALE

IMMATURE

MIGRANT SHRIKE Lanius ludovicianus migrans W. Palmer

IMMATURE ADULT,
All $ nat. size

Plate 91
WARBLING VIREO
Page 370
RED-EYED VIREO
~ Page 366
YELLOW-THROATED VIREO
° Page 371
WHITE-EYED VIREO

Page 375

“

-*

| BLUB-HEADED VIREO

4

PHILADELPHIA VIREO
Page 368

~ Page 373

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum

Plate gi

WARBLING VIREO Vireosylva gilva gilva (Vieillot) PHILADELPHIA VIREO
ADULT Vireosylva pniladelphica Cassin
YOUNG BLUE-HEADED VIREO
RED-EYED VIREO Vireosylva olivacea (Linnaeus) Lanivireo solitarius solitarius (Wilson)

YELLOW-THROATED VIREO Lanivireo flavifrons (Vieillot)
WHITE-EYED VIREO Vireo griseus griseus (Boddaert)
All } nat. size

Plate 92
BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER » _ WORM-EATING
Page 378 + weg
WATER THRUSH PROTHONOTARY WARBLER —
Page 438 Page 381
OVEN-BIRD LOUISIANA WATER-THRUSH

Page 435 ; Page 441

————

BIRDS OF

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum

BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER Mniotilta varia (Linnaeus)
MALE FEMALE
WATER-THRUSH
Seiurus noveboracensis noveboracensis (Gmelin)
OVEN-BIRD Seiurus aurocapillus (Linnaeus)

NEW

ADULT JUVENAL
All } nat. size

YORE

WORM-EATING WARBLER
Helmitheros vermivorus (Gmelin)
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER
Protonotaria citrea (Boddaert)
LOUISIANA WATER-THRUSH
Seiurus motacilla Vieillot

Plate 92

Plate 93

BLUE-WINGED WARBLER

Page 384 ‘
BREWSTER WARBLER . LAWRENCE WARBLER _
Page 389 >. oS Page 386

GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER
° 386 ; 4 2 F
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER NASHVILLE WARBLER im
Page 392 Page 300 e
TENNESSEE WARBLER ;
Page 393

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum Plate 93

BLUE-WINGED WARBLER Vermivora pinus (Linnaeus)
BREWSTER’S WARBLER LAWRENCE’S WARBLER

Vermivora leucobronchialis (Brewster) Vermivora lawrencei (Herrick)
GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER 1 Vermivora chrysoptera (Linnaeus)
MALE FEMALE
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER NASHVILLE WARBLER Vermivora rubricapilla rubricapilla (Wilson)
Vermivora celata celata (Say) MALE IMMATURE

TENNESSEE WARBLER Vermivora peregrina (Wilson)

PARULA WARBLER * CERULEAN WARBLER
Page 395 Page 411
MYRTLE WARBLER '
: Page 406
BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER CANADA WARBLER

Page 403 , i Page 462

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N. Y, State Museum Plate 94

Kyau Cease Zi ere:
=

PARULA WARBLER CERULEAN WARBLER

Cempsothlypois americana americana (Linnaeus) Dendroica cerulea (Wilson)
MALE MALE
FEMALE FEMALE
MYRTLE WARBLER Dendroica coronata (Linnaeus)
MALE FEMALE
BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER CANADA WARBLER
Dendroica caerulescens caerulescens (Gmelin) Wilsonia canadensis (Linnaeus)

MALE PEMALE MALE

Plate 95

PINE WARBLER

?
sy

Page 427 &
CAPE MAY WARBLER > YELLOW WARBLER
Page 397 : a e, Page 400 :
PRAIRIE WARBLER PALM WARBLER
Page 432 4 Page 430

YELLOW PALM WARBLER
Page 431

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum Plate 95

PINE WARBLER Dendroica vigorsi (Audubon)

MALE FEMALE
CAPE MAY WARBLER Dendroica tigrina (Gmelin)
MALE FEMALE YELLOW WARBLER
PRAIRIE WARBLER Dendroica aestiva aestiva (Gmelin)
Dendroica discolor (Vieillot) MALE FEMALE

MALE PALM WARBLER Dendroica palmarum palmarum (Gmelin)

remare vVetl bs BAIA WU/ADeIi co Daendentien malmaweien hesmaschecesh Didnes

Plate 96

BAY-BREASTED WARBLER _ ‘
Page 416 :

x

BLACK-POLL WARBLER
Page 418
CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER

Page 413

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum Plate 96

“Wee

BAY-BREASTED WARBLER Dendroica castanea (Wilson)
IMMATURE ‘ . MALE
FEMALE

BLACK-POLL WARBLER Dendroica striata (J. R. Forster)

IMMATURE MALE
FEMALE
CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER Dendroica pensylvanica (Linnaeus)
IMMATURE
MALE FEMALE
All 4 nat. size

BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER Veet
Page 420 > ee
BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER |

Page 424 “

REDSTART
Page 464
MAGNOLIA WARBLER
Page 408

BIRDS OF NEW YORK
Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum

SS _ el

————e ee
—

eee

—s

nes

BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER Dendroica fusca (Miller)

FEMALE MALE .
BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER Dendroica virens (Gmelin)
MALE
. 2 FEMALE
REDSTART Setophaga ruticilla (Linnaeus)
MALE

: C FEMALE
MAGNOLIA WARBLER Dendroica magnolia (Wilson)

IMMATURE, FEMALE
All } nat. size

Plate 98

WILSON WARBLER

ry _ YELLOW-BREASTED WAR
ees ; a eae
KENTUCKY WARBLER — |
Page 445 ‘tk
MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT

-BLER
Page 452

HOODED WARB a

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum Plate 98

WILSON'S WARBLER Wilsonia pusilla pusilla (Wilson) YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
FEMALE : MALE cteria virens virens (Linnaeus)
KENTUCKY WARBLER Oporonis formosus (Wilson)
MALE FEMALE
MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT
Geothlypis trichas trichas (Linnaeus) HOODED WARBLER Wilsonia citrina (Boddaert)
FEMALE MALE MALE FEMALE

All } nat. size

Plate 99

*

ey
CONNECTICUT WARBLER
Page 447 >

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum Plate 99

CONNECTICUT WARBLER Oporonis agilis (Wilson)
ADULT

.. IMMATURE
Life size

Plate roo

MOURNING WARBLER
Page 448

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

| Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum Plate 100

5
>,

F |

2 Guterses.

MOURNING WARBLER Oporornis philadelphia (Wilson)
FEMALE
P MALE
j nat. size

‘Plate 101

MOCKING BIRD
Page 471

BROWN THRASHER
Page.476

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum Plate io1

a

MOCKINGBIRD Mimus polyglottos polyglottos (Linnaeus)

_BROWN THRASHER Tozost rufum (Li
CATBIRD Dumetella carolinensis (Linnaeus)

All 4 nat, size

HOUSE WREN
Page 481
WINTER WREN
Page 485
SHORT-BILLED MARSH WREN
Page 487

Plate 102

CAROLINA WREN

& Page 479
_ BROWN CREEPER
. . Page 402

LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN

a ae

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum

HOUSE WREN ___
Troglodytes aedon aédon Vieillot
WINTER WREN
Nannus hiemalis hiemalis (Vieillot)

SHORT-BILLED MARSH WREN
Cistothorus stellaris (Naumann)

>

CAROLINA WREN
Thryotharus ludovicianus ludovicianus (Latham)

_. BROWN CREEPER
Certhia familiaris americanc Bonaparte
LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN
Telmatodytes palustris palustris (Wilson)
All 7 nat. size

Plate 102

CHICKADEE.
Page 503
WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH
Page 405

Plate 103

a

*. at al

_ ACADIAN CHICKADEE —

Page go oe
REASTED NUTHATCH
Page 499

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum

Plate 103

ARCADIAN CHICKADEE
CHICKADEE Penthestes

hudsonicus littoralis (H. Bryant)
Penthestes atricapillus atricapillus (Linnaeus)

RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH
Sitta canadensis Linnaeus
FEMALE MALE
WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH TUFTED TITMOUSE
Sitta carolinensis carolinensis Latham Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus)
MALE FEMALE
All § nat. size

GOLDEN-CROWNED >
"Page 508
RUBY-CROWNED KI
Page 510
BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER
Page 512

Memoir 12. N. Y. State Museum

MALE

MALE

BIRDS OF NEW YORE

GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET
Regulus satrapa satrapa Licht.
MALE FEMALE
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET
Regulus calendula calendula (Linnaeus)
FEMALE
BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER
Polioptila caerulea caerulea (Linnaeus)
Z FEMALE
All 3 nat. size

Plate 104

Plate 105

WOOD THRUSH ©
Page 516 4
"HERMIT THRUSH ;
Page 526

VEERY OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH
Page 519 Page 524

Memoir 12.

Hylocichla guttata pallasi (Cabanis)

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

N. Y. State Museum

WOOD THRUSH
Hylocichla nustelina (Gmelin)

HERMIT THRUSH

; VEER
Hylocichla fuscescens fuscescens (Stephens)
All } nat. size

GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH

Hylocichla aliciae aliciae (Baird)

OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH
Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni (Tschudi)

Plate

105

BLUEBIRD

‘Page 537

aT

Memoir 12.

BIRDS OF NEW YORK

N. Y. State Museum

MALE

ROBIN Planesticus migratorius migratorius (Linnaeus)
ADULT IN SPRING

FALL
IMMA

: TURE
BLUEBIRD Sialia sialis sialis (Linnaeus)

IMMATURE,
All 4 nat. size

FEMALE

Plate

INDEX TO VOLUMES 1--2

Page numbers referring to descriptions of species are printed in black face type.

acadica, Strix, 2:118.
Ulula, 2:118. ‘
acadica acadica, Cryptoglaux, 2:118-20.
Acanthis cannabina, 2:275.
holboelli, 2:272; figure, 2:272.
hornemanni exilipes, 2:270.
linaria holboelli, 2:273.
linaria, 2;271, 272; figure, 2:272.
rostrata, 2:272, 274; figure, 2:272.
Accidental visitants, 1:17-18.
Accipiter cooperi, 2:77-78.
velox, 2:74-77.
Accipitres, 2:40.
Accipitriformes, 1:89, 90. ~
_ Accipitrinae, 2:67.
- Actitis macularia, 1 :335-38.
Actodromas bairdi, 1 :312.
fuscicollis, 1:311.
maculata, 1:31.
minutilla, 1 :313.
acuflavida, Sterna, 1:140.
acuta, Anas, I :197.
Dafila, 1 :197-99.
Adirondacks, bird life, 1:42; preliminary

list of birds in, by C. Hart Merriam, 1:77; |

summer birds of, in Franklin county, by
Theodore Roosevelt jr and H. D. Minot,
177.
Adney, cited, 2:325.
aedon aedon, Troglodytes, 2:48t.
Aegialitis meloda, 1:354-55; figure, 1:354.
semipalmata, 1 :352-53.
vocifera, 1 :348.
wilsonia, 1 :356.
Aegiothus exilipes, 2:270.
rostratus, 2:274.

aeneus, Quiscalus, 2:246.

aestiva aestiva, Dendroica, 2 :400.

Motacilla, 2 :400.

Pyranga, 2:339.

Sylvicola, 2:400.
Aestrelata hasitata, 1 :160.

scalaris, 1 :160-62; figure, 1 :161..

affinis, Aythya, 1:206.
Fuligula, 1 :206.
Marila, 1 :206-7.

Agelaius phoeniceus fortis, 2:233.
phoeniceus phoeniceus, 2:230.

agilis, Oporornis, 2:447.
Sylvia, 2:447.

Aix sponsa, I :199-201.

Alauda alpestris, 2:202.
arvensis, 2:201.
cornuta, 21202.
magna, 2:233. _
rubescens, 2:469.

Alaudidae, 2:200.

alba, Calidris, 1:319.
Gavia, I:120. .
Guara, 1 :242.
Ibis, 1 :242.
Pagophila, 1 :120.
Scolopax, 1 :242.

Albatross, 1:154.
giant, 1:154.

albeola, Anas, I :211.
Charitonetta, I :211-13.
Fuligula, 1:211.

albicollis, Fringilla, 2:304.

Zonotrichia, 2:304.

albifrons, Anser, 1 :229.

gambeli, Anser, 1 :229-30.

43 673

674

albus, Larus, 1 :120.
Alca alle, 1:111.

arctica, 1 :105.

grylle, 1:106.

lomvia, 1 :107.

torda, I :110-11.

Alcedinidae, 2:135.
Alcedo alcyon, 2:136.
Alcidae, 1:90, 105, 112.
Alciformes, 1:89, 90, 105-12.
alcyon, Alcedo, 2:136.

Ceryle, 2:136.

Alcyones, 1 :go.
aliciae, Turdus, 2:521.

aliciae, Hylocichla, 2 :521.

bicknelli, Hylocichla, 2:522.
Alle alle, 1:111-12.
alle, Alca, 1:111.

Mergulus, 1:111.
Alleghanian faunal area, 1:19, 33, 34, 36.
Allen, acknowledgments to, 1:7; cited, 1:

220; 2:99, 197, 279, 381, 536.
Allison, cited, 2:428. '
alpestris, Alauda, 2 :202.

alpestris, Otocoris, 2:202.

praticola, Otocoris, 2:203.

praticola, Otocorys, 2:203.
alpina, Tringa, 1 :314.

alpina, Pelidna, 1:314-15.

pacifica, Tringa, 1 :315.

sakhalina, Pelidna, 1 :315-16.
Aluco pratincola, 2:109-11.
Aluconidae, 2:109-11.
americana, Anas, I :190.

Ardea, 1:268. :

Aythya, 1:202.

Certhia, 2:492.

Clangula, 1 :208.

Emberiza, 2 :334.

Fulica, 1 :286-88.

Fuligula, 1:202, 221.

Grus, 1 :268, 269.

NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

americana, Loxia, 2:265.
Mareca, I :190-91.
Marila, 1 :202-3.
Mycteria, 1 :244-45.
Oidemia, 1 :221-22,
Recurvirostra, 1 :294-953 2:542.
Spiza, 2 :334.
Sula, 1:169.
Sylvicola, 2:395.
americana americana, Compsothlypis, 2 :395.
usneae, Compsothlypis, 2:395.
americanus, Chordeiles, 2:167.
Corvus, 2:214.
Cuculus, 2:131.
Cygnus, 1 :236.
Merganser, 1:177.
Mergus, 1:177-79.
Numenius, 1 :338-39.
Otus, 2:112.
Parus, 2 :395.
Phaéthon, 1 :166-67.
Picoides, 2:146. |
americanus americanus, Coccyzus, 2 :131-34.
Picoides, 2:146.
Ames, cited, 1:309, 376.
Ammodramus australis, 2:291.
bairdi, 2:290.
caudacutus, 2:296.
var. nelsoni, 2:297.
subvirgatus, 2:298.
maritimus, 2:299.
palustris, 2:319.
savannarum australis, 2:291.
Anas acuta, 1 :197.
albeola, I :211.
americana, I :190.
boschas, 1 :183.
caerulescens, 1 :228.
canadensis, 1 :230.
carolinensis, I :192.
clypeata, 1:196.
collaris, 1 :207.

INDEX TO BIRDS OF NEW YORK 675

Anas columbianus, 1 :236.
crecca, I :191.
cyanoptera, I :195.
discors, 1 :194.
histrionica, 1 :214.
hyemalis, 1 :213.
islandica, I :210.
jamaicensis, 1:225.
labradoria, 1 :216.
leucopsis, 1 :235.
marila, 1:205.
maxima, 1 :184.
nivalis, 1 :227.
obscura, 1 :185.

rubripes, 1:185.
penelope, 1 :189.
perspicillata, 1:224.
platyrhynchos, 1 :183-85.
rubripes, 1 :185-87.
rufina, I :202.
spectabilis, 1 :220.
sponsa, I :199.
strepera, 1 :187.
vallisneria, 1 :203.

Anatidae, 1:177.

Anatinae, I :182-83, 202.

anatum, Falco, 2:98.

anglica, Sterna, I :137.

Anhingidae, 1:165.

Anser albifrons, 1 :229.
bernicla, 1 :233.
gambeli, 1 :229-30.
hutchinsii, 1 :232.
hyperboreus, 1 :226, 227.
nigricans, 1 :234.

Anseres, 1 :89, 90, 176-77.

Anseriformes, 1:89, 90, 176.

Anserinae, 1:177.

Anthus ludovicianus, 2:469.
rubescens, 2:469.

antillarum, Sterna, 1 :148.

Antrostomus vociferus vociferus, 2:164.

Apternus arcticus, see Picus (Apternus)
arcticus.

Aquila chrysaetos, 2:90.

aquila, Fregata, 1:175, 176.

aquilus, Pelecanus, 1 :176.

Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johannis, 2 ;88-89.

Archilochus colubris, 2:175.

Arctic zone, 1:19.

arctica, Alca, 1:105.
Fratercula, 1 :105-6.
Gavia, 1 :102-3.

Sterna, 1:146.

arcticus, Colymbus, 1 :102.

Larus, 1:122.
Mormon, 1 :105.
Picoides, 2 :144.
Picus, 2:144. *
(Apternus) 2:144.
Urinator, I :102.

Ardea americana, 1 :268.
caerulea, 1:259.
candidissima, I :257.
discors, 1 :264.
egretta, 1:256.
exilis, 1:250.
herodias, 1:253-56; figure of nest and

eggs, 1:255.
lentiginosa, 1 :246.
leuce, 1:256.
ludoviciana, 1:258.
(Grus) mexicana, 1 :269.
minor, 1 :246.
naevia, I :264.
tricolor ruficollis, 1:258.
violacea, 1 :266.
virescens, 1 :262.

Ardeidae, 1 :245-46.

Ardeiformes, 1:89, 90, 240.

Ardetta exilis, 1:250.

Arenaria interpres morinella, 1 :357-58.

arenaria, Calidris, 1:319.
Tringa, 1:319.

676 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Arenariidae, 1 :357.

argentatus, Larus, I :127-30.
smithsonianus, Larus, I :127.

argentea, Sterna, 1 :148.

_ Arquatella maritima, 1 :308.

arquatus, Numenius, I :342-44.
Scolopax, 1 :342.

arvensis, Alauda, 2:201.

Ashbury, cited, 2:127.

Asio flammeus, 2:113-15.
wilsonianus, 2:112-13.

asio, Bubo, 2:120.
Strix, 2:120.

asio asio, Otus, 2:120-22.

Astragalinus tristis tristis, 2 :276.

Astur atricapillus atricapillus, 2:78-80.

.

cooperi, 2:77.
fuscus, 2:74.
ater, Oriolus, 2:225.
ater ater, Molothrus, 2:225.
atricapillus, Astur, 2:78.
Falco, 2:78.
Parus, 2:503.

atricapillus atricapillus, Astur, 2 :78-80.

Penthestes, 2:503.
atricilla, Larus, 1 :132-34.
Audubon, cited, 1:142; 2:80.
auduboni, Puffinus, 1:158.
Auk, 1:90, 105; 2:40.

razor-billed, 1:16, 110-11.

aura septentrionalis, Cathartes, 2 :63-65.

Vultur, 2:63.
auratus, Picus, 2:158.
auratus luteus, Colaptes, 2:158.
auritus, Carbo, 1:171.
Colymbus, 1 :94-96.
Phalacrocorax, 1 :171-72.
aurocapilla, Motacilla, 2:435.
aurocapillus, Seiurus, 2:435.
Ausable lakes, bird life, 1:42.
Austral region, 1:119.
australis, Ammodramus, 2:291.

‘| Barrows, Walter B., cited, 2:207.

autumnalis, Plegadis, 1 :242-43.
Tringa, 1:242.
Avocet, I :293-94.
American, 1:18, 294-95; 2:542; figure,
1 :294.
Aythya affinis, 1:206.
americana, I :202.
collaris, 1 :207.
marila, 1:205.
nearctica, I :205.
vallisneria, 1 :203.

Babson, W. A., cited, 2:98.
Bacon, cited, 1:214. =
Badger, cited, 1:215. ‘=
Baeolophus bicolor, 2:502. a
Bagg, Egbert, cited, 1:78, 117, 153, 160,

238, 257, 290, 293, 313, 322, 340, 356;

2:80, 99, III, 119, 146, 254, 266, 330,507,

542. iS
Bailey, G. A., cited, 2:99. eT
Baird, Spencer T., cited, 1:137, 142,°150,; you

282; 2:534, 536.
bairdi, Actodromas, 1 :312.

Ammodramus, 2 :290.

Pisobia, 1 :312-13.
bairdii, Emberiza, 2:290.

Tringa, I :312.
Baldpate, 1:15, 188, 190-91, 198, 199.
baltimore, Icterus, 2:238.

Barn community, 2:23.
Barnum, Morgan K., cited, 1:78, 342.

Bartramia longicauda, 1 :331-34.
bartramius, Totanus, I :331!.
bassana, Sula, 1 :169.

bassanus, Pelecanus, 1 :169.
Batty, J. H., cited, 1:121; 2:99.
Beach-bird, 1 :354.

Beach-flea, 1:354.

Beal, cited, 1:174.

SS

—

es

|
.

INDEX TO BIRDS

Beal, F. E. L., cited, 2:222.
Beard, cited, 2:110.
Beebe, cited, 1 :345.
Beetle-head, 1 :346.
Bendire, cited, 2:141, 147, 234.
Bergtold, W. H., cited, 1:78, 114, 356; 2:
110.
Berier, cited, 1:111, 309, 335; 2:66, 68, 97,
513.
Berlepsch, Baron von, cited, 2:56.
bernicla, Anser, 1 :233.
Branta, 1 :233.
bernicla glaucogastra, Branta, 1 :233-34.
bewicki, Troglodytes, 2:48.
bewicki bewicki, Thryomanes, 2:481.
Bicknell, Eugene Pintard, cited, 1:77; 2:
110, 185, 195, 218, 267, 330, 333, 381.
bicolor, Baeolophus, 2:502.
Hirundo, 2:349.
Tridoprocne, 2:349.
Parus, 2:502.
Bildersee, cited, 2:389.
Biotic factors, 2:9.
Bird box community, 2:23.
laws, status, 2:51-52.
refuges, 2:58-59. é
Birds, black list, 2:51; communities, 2:19-
23; culture operations, influence of, 2:32-
38 ; dangers threatening bird life, 1 :51-58;
economic value, 2:46-51 ; ecology, 2:5-60;
enemies, 2:12; food, 2:38-41, 46-50;
fundamental factors of environment, 2 :6-
13; habitats, 2:13-15; injury done by,
2:41-46 ; migration, 1 :65-72 ; nesting sites,
2:15-18; of central lake ravines, 2 :29-32;
of Potter Swamp, 2:25-27; of typical
deciduous forest, 2:27-29 ; planting to: at-
tract, 2:57; special measures for increas-
ing bird life, 2:52-58; species added since
De Kay’s publication, 1:6; number of
species in New York, 1:11; increase and
decrease of species, 1:50-58; succession

OF NEW YORK 677

of bird life, 2:23-25; suggestions to stu-
dents, 1:57-64; water supply, 2:58.

Birds of prey, 2:61-128.

Bishop, cited, 2:97, 206, 521.

Bittern, 1:51, 53, 54, 55, 57, 62, 65, 245-46,

285 ; 2:9, 24, 27, 39, 45:
American, 1:13, 36, 43, 64, 246-50; 2:15,
20, 24, 26; figures, I :247, 249.
Cory least, 1:253; 2:542.
least, 1:13, 36, 64, 250-53; 2:16, 19, 24,
26; figure, 1:251.
Black list of birds, 2:51.
Blackbird, 1:54, 68, 70; 2:14, 38, 40, 41,
42, 46, 49, 221.
crow, 1:51, 53, 72; 2:52, 221, 247.
red-winged, 1:13, 39, 46, 51, 53, 54, 57;
62, 63, 64, 67, 68, 72; 2:16, 19, 24, 26,
42, 47, 49, 221, 230; figure of nest and
eggs, 2:231.
rusty, 1:14, 39; 2:16, 20, 243.
thrush, 2:244.
yellow-headed, 1:18; 2:229.

blackburniae, Sylvicola, 2:420.

Blackhead, 1:206.

Blackheart, 1 :316.

Blaine, cited, 1:94.

Blake, Maurice, cited, 2:99.

Blue jay, 2:17, 21, 22, 26, 27, 44, 52, 207,
208; figure of nest and eggs, 2:209.

Blue peter, 1 :288.

Bluebill, 1 :209.
big, 1 :206.
little, 1:207.
marsh, 1 :208.

Bluebird, 1:12, 34, 42, 49, 51, 57, 60, 63,
64, 65, 67, 68, 70, 72; 2:7, 12, 14, 18,
22, 23, 27, 36, 46, 53, 5373 figures, 2:538,
540.

Bluestocking, 1 :294.

Boatswains, 1 :113, 116.

Bobolink, 1:13, 35, 38, 46, 51, 63, 64, 67,
68; 2:15, 20, 26, 31, 37, 38, 47, 49, 222.

678

Bobwhite, 1:12, 31, 33, 37, 50, 57, 72,
361-64; 2:10, 12, 15, 20, 41,
figure of nest and eggs, 1 :362.

southern, I :34.

Bog-bull, 1:250.

Bombycilla carolinensis, 2:356.
cedrorum, 2 :356.
garrula, 2:355.

Bombycillidae, 2:354.

bonapartii, Larus, 1 :134.

Bonasa umbellus togata, 1:367, 373-74.
umbellus, 1 :366-73; figures, 1:368, 372;

figure of nest and eggs, 1 :370.

Booby, 1:17, 168-69; figure, 1 :168.

Booby-coot,” 1 :226.

Boreal region, 1 :19.

borealis, Buteo, 2:81.
Falco, 2:81.

Lanius, 2:358.
Linaria, 2:270.
Numenius, 1 :341-42.
Nuttallornis, 2:189.
Puffinus, 1:155-56.
Scolopax, 1 :34!.
Tyrannus, 2:189.
borealis borealis, Buteo,

boschas, Anas, 1 :183.

Botaurus lentiginosus, 1:246-50; figures,
1:247, 249.

Bowdish, B. S., cited, 1:325; 2:102.

Bowfin, 1:55.

Boy scouts, work suggested for, 2:53.

brachyrhynchos brachyrhynchos, Corvus,
2:214.

Braislin, William C., cited, 1:80, 106, 109,
I1I, 112, 117, 123, 124,125, 136, 153, 156,
189, 191, 228, 230, 238, 257, 258, 262, 267,
290, 309, 313, 319, 321, 322, 335; 2:96,
III, 201, 299, 300, 318, 388, 535.

Brant, 1 :233-34.
black, 1:18, 234-35.
light-bellied, 1 :233-34.

299,
42, 50;

2 :81-83.

NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Brant, white-bellied, 1:17.
white-headed blue, 1 :229.

Brant-bird, 1:358.

Branta bernicla, 1:233.

glaucogastra, 1 :233-34, 235.
canadensis, I :230-32.

hutchinsi, 1 :232-33.
glaucogastra, I :233.
leucopsis, I :235-36; figure, 1 :235.
nigricans, I :234-35.

Brass-eye, I :209.

brevirostris, Troglodytes, 2:487.

Brewer, cited, 1:108, 137, 142, 282; 2 253)
534, 536.

Brewster, William, cited, 1:146, 161, 279,
282, 285 ; 2:33, 55, 86, 141, 271, 382, 388,
493- =

Brewster warbler, 2 :389.

Bristle-tail, 1 :226.

Broadbill, 1 :206.
bastard, 1 :208.

Brownell, cited, 2:195.

Bruce, cited, 2:99, 114, 119.

Bruen, cited, 2:479.

Bubo asio, 2:120.
virginianus virginianus, 2:123-26.

buccinator, Cygnus, 1 :239.

Olor, 1:236, 239-40.

Buffalo and vicinity, birds of, by W. HL
Bergtold, 1:78.

Buffle-head, 1:17, 209, 212.

buffoni, Lestris, 1:117, 119.

Bull-bat, 2:169.

bullocki, Icterus, 2:242.

bullockii, Xanthornus, 2:242.

Bumpus, cited, 2:7.

Bunting, bay-winged, 2:286.
black-throated, 2:334.
indigo, 1:39; 2:22, 27, 330; figure, 2:331.
lark, 1:18; 2:335, 336; figure, 2 £336. i
painted, 1:17; 2:332.
snow, 2:281.

—————————

:
‘
t
!
l
{
}
'
'
t
|
}
|
:

INDEX TO BIRDS

Burgomaster, 1 :123.
Burroughs, Joha, cited, 1:386; 2:143, 201,
405.
Burtch, Verdi, cited, 2:66, 79, 299, 450;
study of birds of Potter Swamp, 2:25.
Burtis, cited, 1:112; 2:111.
Butcher bird, 2:260.
Buteo borealis borealis, 2 :81-83.
hyemalis, 2:83.
lineatus lineatus, 2 :83-85.
pennsylvanicus, 2:86.
platypterus, 2 :86-88.
sancti-joannis, 2:88.
swainsoni, 2 :85-86; figure, 2:85.
Buteonidae, 2 :66-94.
Butorides virescens, 1 :262-64.
Butterball, 1:212, 213.
spoon-billed, 1:226.
Butterbox, 1 :213.
Buzzard, 2:66.
!
caerulea, Ardea, 1 :259.
Florida, 1:259-62.
Loxia, 2:3209.
Motacilla, 2:512.
Sylvicola, 2:411.
caerulea caerulea, Guiraca, 2 :329.
Polioptila, 2:512.
caerulescens, Anas, 1 :228.
Chen, 1 :228-29.
Motacilla, 2:403.
caerulescens caerulescens, Dendroica, 2 :403.
Calamospiza melanocorys, 2:335, 3306; fig-
ure, 2:336.
Calcarius lapponicus lapponicus, 2:283.
ornatus, 2:284.
calendula, Motacilla, 2:510.
calendula calendula, Regulus, 2:510..
Calico-back, 1 :358.
Calidris alba, 1:319.
arenaria, I :3109.
leucophaea, 1 :319-20.

OF NEW YORK 679

Camp robber, 2:211.
Camptolaimus labradorius, 1 :216.
Camptorhynchus labradorius, 1 :216-18;
figure, 1:217.
Canachites canadensis canace, 1 :365-66.
canadensis, Anas, I :230.
Branta, I :230-32.
Corvus, 2:210.
Dendragapus, 1 :365.
Emberiza, 2 :306.
Garrulus, 2:210.
Muscicapa, 2 :462.
Sitta, 2:499.
Sylvicola, 2:403.
Tetrao, 1:365.
Wilsonia, 2 :462.
canadensis canace, Canachites, 1 :365-66.
canadensis, Perisoreus, 2:210.
hutchinsi, Branta, 1 :232-33.
Canandian zone, 1:19, 35; fauna, 1 :36-42.
candidissima, Ardea, 1 :257.
Egretta, 1 :257-58.
cannabina, Acanthis, 2:275.
cantiaca, Sterna, I :140.
canutus, Tringa, 1:307-8.
Canvasback, 1:16, 202, 203-5; 2:10.
caparoch, Strix, 2:127.
Capercaillie, 1:377.
Caprimulgi, 2 :163.
Caprimulgidae, 2:163.
Caprimulgus carolinensis, 2:129.
virginianus, 2:167.
vociferus, 2:164.
Carbo auritus, 1:171.
carbo, Pelecanus, 1:170.
Phalacrocorax, 1 :170.
Cardinal, 1:12, 32, 33, 39; 2:16, 22, 325.
Cardinalis cardinalis cardinalis, 2 :325.
cardinalis, Loxia, 2:325.
Pitylus, 2:325.
Carduelis carduelis, 2:280.
pinus, 2:278.
tristis, 2:276.

680 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Carinatae, 1 :89-90, 91.

Carnivorous birds, 2:39.

carolina, Ortygometra, 1 :276.

Porzana, 1 :276-80.

carolinensis, Anas, I :192.
Bombycilla, 2:356.
Caprimulgus, 2:129.
Columba, 1 :386.
Conuropsis, 2 :129-30.
Dumetella, 2:473.
Ectopistes, 1 :386.
Falco, 2:106.
Hydroka, 1:96.
Muscicapa, 2:473.
Nettion, I :192-93.
Orpheus, 2:473.
Pandion, 2:106.
Parus, 2:506.
Psittacus, 2:129.

carolinensis carolinensis, Penthestes, 2:506.
Sitta, 2:495.

Carolinian faunal area, 1:19, 32; fauna,
1 :36-42.

carolinus, Centurus, 2:157.

Euphagus, 2 :243.
Picus, 2:157.
Rallus, 1:276.
Turdus, 2:243.

Carpodacus purpureus purpureus, 2:262.

Carrion crow, 2:65.

caspia, Sterna, 1 :138-39.

castanea, Dendroica, 2:416.

Sylvia, 2:416.
Sylvicola, 2:416.

Cat, an enemy of birds, 1:52, 54.

Catbird, 1:14, 34, 41, 48, 54, 63, 64, 68, 72;
210} 20,022.23, /25) 275, Bly 42, AT 4786
figures of nest and eggs, 2:474, 475.

Catharacta skua, 1 :113.

Catharista urubu, 2:65-66; figure, 2:65.

Cathartes aura septentrionalis, 2:63-65;
figure, 2:64.

Cathartidae, 2 :62-66.
Cathartidiformes, 1:89, 90; 2:63.
Catoptrophorus semipalmatus, 1 :328-29.
inornatus, I :330.
Catskill mountains, summer birds of, by
Eugene Pintard Bicknell, 1:77.
caudacutus, Ammodramus, 2:296.
Oriolus, 2:296.
Passerherbulus, 2 :296.
caudacutus _ subvirgatus,
2::208.
var. nelsoni, Ammodromus, 2:297.
caudata, Pica, 2:207.
cayana, Sterna, 1 :138, 140.
Cedar bird, 2:10, 21, 42, 43, 46, 47, 50.
cedrorum, Bombycilla, 2:356.
celata celata, Vermivora, 2:392.
celatus, Sylvia, 2:392.
Centurus carolinus, 2:157.
Ceophloeus pileatus abieticola, 2:151.
Cepphus grylle, 1:106.
mandti, 1 :106-7.
Certhia americana, 2:492.
familiaris americana, 2 :492.
palustris, 2:489.
pinus, 2:384.
Certhiidae, 2:491.
cerulea, Dendroica, 2:411.
Sylvia, 2:411.
ceruleus, Coccoborus, 2 :329.
Ceryle alcyon, 2:136.
Chadbourne, cited, 1:156.
Chaetura pelagica, 2:171}; figures, 2:71, 173.
pelasgia, 2:171.
Chaffinch, 2:256.
Chalk-line, 1 :263.

Ammodramus,

Chamberlain, cited, 1 :142.

Chapin, cited, 2:380.

Chapman, Frank M., acknowledgments to,
1:7; cited, 1:78, 109, 123, 142, 330)-383)
355, 385 ; 2:32, 96, 99, 161, 166, 394, 456,
459, 479.

INDEX TO BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Charadriidae, 1 :343.
Charadriiformes, 1:89, 90, 288.
Charadrius dominicus, 1 :346-48.
melodus, 1 :354.
mexicanus, I :295.
semipalmatus, I :352.
squatarola, 1 :345.
virginianus, 1 :346.
vociferus, 1 :348.
wilsonia, 1 :356.
Charitonetta albeola, 1:211-13.
Chat, 1:31.
yellow-breasted, 1:14, 32, 33, 41, 69; 2:16,
22, 25, 31, 455; breeding range, 1:27.
Chaulelasmus streperus, 1 :187-89.
Chautauqua county, birds of, by John M.
Edson, 1:78.
Chebeck, 2:199.
Chemung county, birds of, by William H.
Gregg, 1:79.
Chen caerulescens, I :228-29.
hyperborea, 1 :226.
hyperborea, 1 :226-27.
nivalis, 1:227-28.
Chewink, 1:34, 47, 65; 2:7, 31, 324.
Chickadee, 1:11, 41, 42, 49, 51, 60, 63;
2:12, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23, 36, 54, 55, 503;
figure, 2:505.
Acadian, 2:506.
black-capped, 2:27.
Carolina, 1:17, 76; 2:506.
Hudsonian, 1:11, 13, 41, 49, 50; 2:22.
Chimney swift, 1:13, 38, 44, 60, 62, 63, 64,
72; 2:17, 18, 23, 26, 171; figures, 2:171,
173.
chloris, Ligurineus, 2:257.
chloropygius, Totanus, 1 :326.
Chondestes grammacus grammacus, 2:300.
Chordeiles americanus, 2:167.
virginianus virginianus, 2 :167.
chrysaetos, Aquila, 2:90.
Falco, 2:90.
chrysoptera, Motacilla, 2:386.

681

chrysoptera, Vermivora, 2:386.
Ciconiidae, 1 :244.
Ciconiiformes, 1:89, 90.
cinclus, Tringa, 1 :315.
cinerea, Perdix, 1 :378.
cinereum, Syrnium, 2:116.
cinereus, Puffinus, 1:156.
Circinae, 2:66.
Circus hudsonius, 2:70-73.
uligenosus, 2:70.
ciris, Emberiza, 2 :332.
Passerina, 2 :332.
Cistothorus stellaris, 2:487.
citrea, Motacilla, 2:381.
Protonotaria, 2 :381.

’ citrina, Muscicapa, 2:458.

Wilsonia, 2:458.
Clamatores, 2:180.
Clangula americana, 1 :208.
clangula americana, 1 :208-r10.
hyemalis, 1:213.
islandica, I:210-11; figure, I :21T.
clangula, Fuligula, 1:208.
clangula americana, Clangula, 1 :208-10.
Glaucionetta, 1 :208.
Clape, 2:160.
Clarke, C. K., cited, 2:207.
Clarke, John M., acknowledgments to, 1:6.
Classification, 1 :88-9o.
Climate, effect on bird life, 2:6.
Clinton, cited, 2:213.
clypeata, Anas, 1:196.
Spatula, 1:196-97.
Coccoborus ceruleus, 2 :329.
ludovicianus, 2 :327.
Coccyges, 1:89, 90; 2:130-39.
Coccyzus americanus americanus, 2:131-34.
erythrophthalmus, 2:134-35.
Cock, black, 1 :364.
coelebs, Fringilla, 2:256.
coerulea, Culicivora, 2:512.
Coffin-carrier, 1:126.
Colaptes auratus luteus, 2:158.

682

colchicus, Phasianus, 1 :378.
Colinus virginianus, 1:361-64; figure of
nest and eggs, 1 :362.
collaris, Anas, 1 :207.
Aythya, 1:207.
Marila, 1 :207-8.
colubris, Archilochus, 2:175.
Trochilus, 2:175.
Columba carolinensis, 1 :386.
migratoria, 1:381.
Columbae, 1:89, 90, 380.
columbarius, Falco, 2:101.
columbarius, Falco, 2:101-3.
columbianus, Anas, 1 :236.
Olor, 1 :236-39.
Columbidae, 1 :381.
Columbiformes, 1:89, go.
Columbigallina passerina terrestris, 1 :389-
go.
Colymbidae, 1 :g1-92.
Colymbiformes, 1:89, 90, 98-99.
Colymbus arcticus, I :102.
auritus, I :94-96.
glacialis, 1:99.
holboelli, 1 :92-94.
immer, 1:99.
podiceps, 1:96.
septentrionalis, 1 :103.
stellatus, 1 :103.
Compsothlypis americana americana, 2:395.
usneae, 2 :395.
Conuropsis carolinensis, 2:129-30; figure,
2.120;
Cook, cited, 2:538.
Cooke, acknowledgments to, 1:7; cited, 1:
226.
Cooper hawk, 1:53.
cooperi, Accipiter, 2:77-78.
Astur, 2:77.
Falco, 2:77.
Pisobia, 1 :312.
Tyrannus, 2:189.

NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Coot, 1:55, 270-71; 2:15, 19.

American, 1:14, 36, 286-88;
nest and eggs, 1 :287.

black, I :222.

bumblebee, 1 :226.

whistling, 1:222.

white-winged, 1 :223.

yellow-billed, 1 :222.

Coracias galbula, 2:238.

Coraciiformes, 1:89, go.

corax principalis, Corbus, 2:212.

Cormorant, 1:15, 170; 2:40, 44.
double-crested, 1:15, 171-72.

cornuta, Alauda, 2:202.

cornutus, Podiceps, 1:94.

coronata, Dendroica, 2:406.
Motacilla, 2 :406.

Sylvicola, 2 :406.

Corvidae, 2:206.

Corvus americanus, 2:214. 7
brachyrhynchos brachyrhynchos, 2:214.
canadensis, 2:210.
corax principalis, 2:212.
cristatus, 2 :208.
hudsonius, 2:207.
ossifragus, 2:218.

Corythus enucleator, 2:255.

Coturnicops noveboracensis, 1 :280-81.

Coues, cited, 1:133, 167, 192, 375; 2:253,
534-

County schedules, 1 :80-87.

Cowbird, 1:12, 38, 46, 54, 62, 63, 64, 72;
2:12, 15, 16, 18, 23, 26, 28, 44, 49, 52,
225.

Coween, 1:214.

Crake, corn, 1:18, 282-83; figure, i :283.

Crane, 1:90, 174, 267-68.
sandhill, 1:18, 269.
white, 1 :256.
whooping, 1:18, 239, 268.

crecca, Anas, I :191.

Nettion, 1 :191-92.

figure of

INDEX TO BIRDS OF NEW YORK 683

Creciscus jamaicensis, 1 :281-82,
Creeper, 2:12, 491.
black and white, 2:379.
brown, 1:12, 41, 42, 48, 63, 64; 2:7, 22,
27, 492; breeding range, 1:29.
crepitans, Rallus, 1 :272-73.
Crex crex, 1 :282-83; figure, 1 :283.
galeata, 1:284.
crex, Rallus, 1 :282.
crinitus, Myiarchus, 2:185.
Turdus, 2:185.
Tyrannus, 2:185.
cristata cristata, Cyanocitta, 2:208.
cristatus, Corvus, 2:208.
Garrulus, 2:208.
Podiceps, 1:92.
Crossbill, 1:35, 46; 2:10, 17, 22, 265.
American, 1:12, 39.
white-winged, 1:12, 39; 2:22, 268.
Crow, 1:45, 53, 54, 60, 62, 63, 64, 71; 2:14,
17, 21, 26, 27, 28, 39, 40, 41, 42, 44, 45,
46, 48, 51, 52, 206, 214.
American, 1:11, 38.
carrion, 2:65.
fish, 1:12, 38; 2:17, 19, 218.
Crow bill, 1:288.
Crow duck, 1 :288.
Crucirostra minor, 2:265.
Cryptoglaux acadica acadica, 2:118-20.
funerea richardsoni, 2:117-18.
Cuckoo, 1:44, 54, 90; 2:37, 38, 47, 48,
130-31.
black-billed, 1:13, 37, 64; 2:16, 21, 26,
_ 28, 134-35.
yellow-billed, 1:13, 37; 2:7, 16, 21, 26,
131-34; figure of nest and eggs, 2:133.
Cuculidae, 2:130-35.
cuculiformes, 1:89, 90.
cucullatus, Lophodytes, 1 :181-82.
Mergus, 1:181.
Cuculus americanus, 2:131.
erythrophthalmus, 2:134.
Culicivora coerulea, 2:512.

Cultivating, effect on bird life, 2:37.
Culture operations, influence of on birds,
2 332-38.
cunicularia hypogaea, Speotyto, 2:128.
cupido, Tetrao, 1 :376.
Tympanuchus, I :376-77.
Curlew, 1 :322.
big, 1 :338.
Eskimo, 1:15, 341-42.
European, 1:18, 342-44; figure, 1 :343.
Hudsonian, 1:15, 339-40.
jack, 1 :339.
long-billed, 1:15, 338-39, 342.
short-billed, 1 :340.
sickle-bill, 1 :360.
curvirostra minor, Loxia, 2:265.
Cutwater, 1 :153.
cyanea, Passerina, 2:330.
Spiza, 2 :330.
Tanagra, 2:330.
Cyanocitta cristata cristata, 2:208.
cyanoptera, Anas, 1:195.
Querquedula, 1 :195-96.
Cygninae, 1:177.
Cygninus americanus, 1 :236.
buccinator, 1:239.
Cymophilus fulicarius, 1 :289.
Cypseli, 2:169.

Dabchick, 1 :96.

Dafila acuta, 1 :197-99.

Dakin, J. A., cited, 2:193, 242.

Darters, 1:165.

Darwin, Charles, cited, 2:46.

Davison, James L., cited, 1:78, 126, 165,
238, 257.

Day, cited, 1:164.

Dean, cited, 1 :330.

deglandi, Oidemia, 1 :222-23.

DeKay, cited 1:76, I1I, 141, 174, 293;
2:207, 330.

delawarensis, Larus, 1 :130-32.

delicata, Gallinago, 1 :300-3.

684 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

delicata, Scolopax, 1 :300.
Dendragapus canadensis, 1 :365.
Dendrocopus medianus, see Picus (Den-
drocopus) medianus.
Dendroica aestiva aestiva, 2 :400.
caerulescens caerulescens, 2 :403.
castanea, 2:416.
cerulea, 2:411.
coronata, 2:406.
discolor, 2:432.
dominica dominica, 2 :423.
fusca, 2:420.
magnolia, 2:408.
palmarum hypochrysea, 2:431.
palmarum, 2:430.
pensylvanica, 2:413.
striata, 2:418.
tigrina, 1:59-60; 2:397.
vigorsi, 2:427.
virens, 2:424.
De Vries, cited, 1:268, 377, 380, 382.
Dexter, cited, 1:235.
Dickcissel, 1:14; 2:334.
Didapper, 1 :96.
Diedapper, 1 :212.
dilophus, Phalacrocorax, 1:171.
Diomedeidae, 1:154.
Dipper, 1:95, 96, 212.
broad-billed, 1:226.
discolor, Dendroica, 2 :432.
Sylvia, 2:432.
Sylvicola, 2 +432.
discors, Anas, 1 :194.
Ardea, 1 :264.
Querquedula, 1 :194-95.
Diver, 1:100.
black-throated, 1 :102.
great northern, I :100.
lobe-footed, 1 :92.
pink-eyed, 1:95.
red-throated, 1 :103.
Diving birds, 1:91; 2:13.
Dolichonyx oryzivorus, 2:222.

domesticus, Passer, 2:257.
dominica, Motacilla, 2:423.
dominica, Dendroica, 2 :423.
dominicensis, Lanius, 2:184.
Tyrannus, 2:184.
dominicus, Charadrius, 1 :346-48.
dougalli, Sterna, 1:147.
Dough-bird, 1:341.
Dove, ground, 1:17, 381, 389-go.
little ground, 1 :381.
mourning, 1:13, 37, 62, 64, 381, 386-88;
2:15, 17, 18, 21, 23; 26, 49; figure;
1:387; figure of nest and eggs, 1 :388.
Dovekie, 1:16, 111-12.
Dowitcher, 1:15, 303-5; figure, 1 :304.
long-billed, 1:15, 305-6; figure, 1 :304.
dresseri, Somateria, I :218-19.
Dryobates pubescens medianus, 2 :142.
villosus leucomelas, 2:142.
villosus, 2:141.
Duck, 1:52, 53, 55, 68, 70, 177; 2:8, 14, 40,
41, 42, 45, 49, 543.
American eider, 1 :218-19.
baldpate, 1:188, 190-91, 198, 199.
bay, I :201-2.
black, 1:12, 36, 184, 185-87, 191, 193, 198,
199, 203, 205; 2:15, 21, 24, 26, 27.
buffle-headed, 1 :211-13.
butter, 1 :226.
canvasback, 1:16, 202, 203-5; 2:10.
chunk, 1 :226.
common wild, 1 :184.
deaf, 1:226.
diving, 2:13.
dumpling, 1 :226.
dusky, 1 :186.
golden-eye, 2:44.
gray, 1:188.
green-head, 1 :184.
green-wing, I :195.
harlequin, 1:16, 214-16.
king eider, I :220-21.
Labrador,’ 1:16, 216-18; figure, 1 :217.

INDEX TO BIRDS

Duck, long-tailed, 1:214.
mallard, 1:183-85, 187, 193, 199.
muscovy, 1 :184.
old squaw, 2:44.
pied, 1:216.
pintail, 1:184, 188, 191, 193, 197-99, 213;
2:49.
redhead, 1:202-3, 204, 205, 223.
red-legged black, 1:16.
ring-necked, 1:15, 207-8.
river, 1:177, 182-83, 201, 202; 2:40.
ruddy, 1:15, 36, 212, 225-26.
rufous-crested, 1:18, 202.
sand-shoal, 1 :218.
scaup, 1:52, 205-6, 223.
lesser, I :206-7.
sea, 1:177, 182, 201-2; 2:41, 44.
shoveler, 1 :182, 188, 194, 196-97.
skunk, 1 :216.
spirit, 1:212.
stiff-tailed, 1:177.
summer, I :200.
velvet, 1:223.
wood, 1 :13, 36, 43, 56, 177, 182, 199-201;
2:17, 18, 21, 26, 27, 35, 55, 58, 59, 543.
Duckling, 1:55.
Dumetella carolinensis, 2:473.
Dunghunters, 1 :113.
Dunlin, 1:18, 314-15, 316, 318.
Dutcher, William, acknowledgments to,
1:7; cited, 1:79, 102, 108, 110, III, I12,
114, 115, 116, 117, 120, 123, 133, 136,
138, 139, 149, 150, 156, 157, 158, 164,
169, 174, 211, 215, 216, 218, 219, 221,
226, 227, 228, 229, 230, 235, 237, 238,
243, 245, 257, 258, 260, 262, 267, 271,
277, 283, 284, 290, 292, 293, 295, 296,
305, 306, 309, 313, 316, 319, 321, 322,
329, 335, 338, 339, 342, 345, 347, 355;
356, 360, 377; 2:86, 96, 99, II0, IIT,
119, 201, 287, 334, 381, 424, 445, 502,
513, 536.

OF NEW YORK 685

Dwight, Jonathan, acknowledgments to,
Ts7; Cited) 1122, 125-127 * 2:111, 197,
206, 513, 516.

Eagle, 1:43; 2:66.
bald, 1:11, 37, 44; 2:17, 19, 40, 91-94;
figure of nest and eggs, 2:93.
golden, 1:16; 2:90.
northern bald, 2:94.
Earl, cited, 2:300.
Eaton, Elon Howard, cited, 1:79, 257, 521;
2:90, 215.
Economic value of birds, 2:46-51.
Ectopistes carolinensis, 1 :386.
migratorius, 1 :381-86.
Edson, John M., cited, 1:78.
Egret, American, I :17, 256-57.
Egretta candidissima, 1 :257-58.
ruficollis, 1:258.
egretta, Ardea, 1:256.
Herodias, 1 :256-57.
Eider, American, 1:16, 218-19, 220.
king, 1:16, 219, 220-21.
Elanoides forficatus, 2:67-70; figure, 2:68.
elegans, Rallus, 1 :271-72.
Elliot, cited, 1:123; 2:254.
Emberiza americana, 2:334.
bairdii, 2 :290.
canadensis, 2:306.
ciris, 2 :332.
henslowii, 2:293.
leconteii, 2:295.
leucophrys, 2 :301.
lincolni, 2 :318.
nivalis, 2:281.
passerina, 2 :291.
pusilla, 2 :310.
savanna, 2:288.
-socialis, 2:308.
Embody, G. C., cited, 1:79.
Empidonax flaviventris, 2:193.
minimus, 2:199.

686

Empidonax trailli alnorum, 2:196.
virescens, 2:194. :

Enemies of birds, 2:12.

enucleator, Corythus, 2:255.
leucura, Pinicola, 2:255.

Ereunetes mauri, I :318-19.
occidentalis, 1:318; figure of bill, 1:318.
pusillus, 1 :317-18; figure of bill, 1 :318.

Erismatura jamaicensis, 1 :225-26.
rubida, 1 :225.

Erismaturinae, 1:177, 226.

Erolia ferruginea, 1 :316; figure, I :317.

erythrocephala, Fuligula, 1 :202.

erythrocephalus, Melanerpes, 2 :154.
Picus, 2:154.

erythrogastra, Hirundo, 2 :346.

erythromelas, Piranga, 2 :337.

erythrophthalma, Fringilla, 2:323.

erythrophthalmus, Coccyzus, 2 :134-35.
Cuculus, 2:134.
erythrophthalmus, Pipilo, 2 :323.

erythrorhynchos, Pelecanus, 1 :172-74.

Erythrospiza purpurea, 2 :262.

Euphagus carolinus, 2 :243.

European species, 1:18.

Evans, cited, 2:336.

exilipes, Aegicthus, 2:270.

exilis, Ardea, 1 :250.

Ardetta, 1 :250.
Ixobrychus, 1 :250-53.

Explanation of plates, 1:391-474; 2:545-

672.:

Falco anatum, 2:98.
atricapillus, 2:78.
borealis, 2:81.
carolinensis, 2:106.
chrysaetos, 2:90.
columbarius columbarius, 2:101-3.
cooperi, 2:77.
forficatus, 2:67.
gyrfalco, 2:96.

NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Falco hudsonius, 2:70.
islandus, 2:95, 96.
leucocephalus, 2:91.
lineatus, 2:83.
obsoletus, 2:97.
peregrinus anatum, 2:98-101.
rusticolus gyrfalco, 2:96-97.
obsoletus, 2:97.
rusticolus, 2:95.
s. johannis, 2:88.
sparverius sparverius, 2:103-5.
velox, 2:74.
Falcon, 2:66, 94-105.
Falcones, 2:66.
Falconidae, 2 :94-105.
Falconiiformes, 1:89, 90
familiaris americana, Certhia, 2:492.
fedoa, Limosa, I :320-21.
Scolopax, 1 :320.
ferruginea, Erolia, 1 :316, 317.
Tringa, 1 :316.
ferrugineus, Quiscalus, 2:243.
Finch, 1:54; 2:40, 41, 50, 251.
grass, 2:286.
green, I: 183 2':257.
pine, 2:278.
purple, 1:12, 39, 46, 62, 63, 64, 68; 2:9,
17, 23, 262.
Fish, 1:55.
destruction, 2:44.
Fish-hawk, 1 :130.
Fisher, A. K., acknowledgments to, 1:7;
cited, 1:79, 245, 256; 2:61, 71, 75, 93, 110,
128, 195, 253, 254, 274, 279, 299, 364-
Flahive, cited, 1:309; 2:99.
flammea, Strix, 2:113.
flammeus, Asio, 2:113-15.
flavifrons, Lanivireo, 2:371.
Vireo, 2:371.
flavipes, Scolopax, I :325.
Totanus, 1 :325-26.
flavirostris, Phaéthon, 1 :166.

INDEX TO BIRDS OF NEW YORK 687

flaviventris, Empidonax, 2 :193.
Muscicapa, 2:193.
Tyrannula, 2:193.
Fleming, J. H., cited, 1:103, 108, 109, 215,
239, 385; 2:543-

Flicker, 1:44, 51, 54, 60, 62, 63, 64, 72,
276; 2:18, 23, 26, 28, 42, 50, 54, 55,
140, 160.

northern, 1:12, 38; 2:21, 158; figure,
2:159.

Florida caerulea, 1:259-62; figures, 1 :260,
261.

Fly-up-the-creek, 1:263.

Flycatcher, 1:50, 68; 2:14, 38, 41, 46.

Acadian, 2:181, 194.

alder, 1:11, 14, 38, 45, 62, 64; 2:16, 20,
26, 181, 196; breeding range, 1:20;
figure of nest and eggs, 2:108.

American, 2:180.

crested, 1:13, 38, 44, 62, 63, 64, 72;
2:17, 18, 21, 25, 26, 27, 28, 31, 54, 55,
181, 185.

green-crested, 1:14, 38; 2:17, 21, 195;
breeding range, 1:21.

least, 1:13, 38, 45, 60, 62, 63, 64; 2:17,
21, 23, 26, 28, 29, 181, 199.

olive-sided, 1:14, 38, 45; 2:17, 22, 181,
189; breeding range, 1:21.

yellow-bellied, 1:14, 38, 45, 64; 2:16, 22,
181, 193; breeding range, 1:21.

Food of birds, 2:38-41, 46-50.

Forbush, E. H., cited, 2:55, 59.

Forests, bird communities, 2:21, 22; birds
of typical deciduous forest, 2:27—29;
effect of timber cutting on bird life,
2 :32-34.

forficatus, Elanoides, 2 :67-70.

Falco, 2:67.

formosa, Sylvia, 2:445.
Sylvicola, 2:445.

formosus, Oporornis, 2:445.

forsteri, Sterna, I :142-43.

fortis, Agelaius phoeniceus, 2:233.

Foster, L. S., cited, 1:219, 282.

Fowler, Gilbert, cited, 1:77, 149, 189, 238,

384.

Fratercula arctica, 1 :105-6.

Frazar, cited, 2:8.

Fregata aquila, 1:176; figure, 1:175.

Fregatidae, 1 :175.

Frigate-birds, 1 :166.

Fringilla albicollis, 2:304.
coelebs, 2:256.
erythrophthalma, 2:323.
gambelii, 2:303.
georgiana, 2:319.
graminea, 2:285.
grammaca, 2:300.
hyemalis, 2:311.
iliaca, 2 :321.
lapponica, 2 :283.
leucophrys, 2:301.
linaria, 2:271.
lincolnii, 2:318.
maritima, 2:299.
melodia, 2:315.
monticola, 2 :306.
oryzivora, 2:222.
passerina, 2:308.
pennsylvanica, 2 :304.
pinus, 2:278.
purpurea, 2:262.
pusilla, 2:310.
rubra, 2:339.
savanna, 2:288.
tristis, 2:276.
vespertina, 2 :252.

Fringillidae, 1:46; 2:251.

Frogs, destruction, 2:44.

Frost bird, 1 :348.

Frugivorous species, 2:40.

Fruit, cultivated, injury to, 2:42.
seed, distributing, 2:50.

Fuertes, L. A., cited, 1:243; 2:99, 254.

688

Fulica americana, I :286-88.
martinica, 1 :283.
noveboracensis, 1 :280.

fulicaria, Tringa, 1 :289.

fulicarius, Cymophilus, 1 :289.
Phalaropus, I :289-90.

Fuligula affinis, 1 :206.
albeola, 1:211.
americana, 1:202, 221.
clangula, 1 :208.
erythrocephala, 1 :202.
fusca, 1 :222.
glacialis, 1 :213.
histrionicus, I :214.
labradoria, 1:216.
marila, 1 :205.
minor, 1 :206.
molissima, 1 :218.
perspicillata, 1:224.
rubida, 1 :225.
rufitorques, I :207.
spectabilis, 1:220.
vallisneria, 1 :203.

Fuligulinae, 1:177, 201-2.

Fuller, cited, 1384.

Fulmar, 1 :154.
tropical, 1:76.

Fulmarinae, 1:154.

Fulmarus glacialis, 1 :154.

fulva, Hirundo, 2:345.

funerea, Surnia, 2:127.

funerea richardsoni, Cryptoglaux, 2:117-18.

furcatus, Nauclerus, 2:67.
fusca, Dendroica, 2 :420.
Fuligula, 1 :222,
Motacilla, 2:420.
Muscicapa, 2:187.
fuscata, Sterna, 1:149.
fuscescens, Turdus, 2:519.
fuscescens fuscescens, Hylocichla, 2:519.
salicicola, Hylocichla, 2:521.
fuscicollis, Pisobia, 1:311, 312.
Tringa, 1:311.

NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

fuscus, Astur, 2:74.
Pelecanus, 1 :174.
Fute, 1:341.

Gadwall, 1:15, 187-89.
galbula, Coracias, 2 :238.
Icterus, 2:238.
galeata, Crex, 1:284.
Gallinula, 1 :284-86.
Galliformes, 1:89, 90, 360.
Gallinaceous birds, 1 :360.
Gallinae, 1:89, 90, 176, 360.
Gallinago delicata, 1 :300-3.
Gallinula galeata, 1 :284-86.
Gallinule, 1:57, 62, 65,
40.
American, 1 :285.
Florida, 1:14, 36, 64, 284-86; 2:15, 19,
24.
purple, 1:17, 283-84.
gallopavo, Meleagris, 1 :379.
gallopavo silvestris, Meleagris, 1 :379-80.
gambeli, Anser, 1 :229.
gambelii, Fringilla, 2 :303.°
Game, destruction, 2:43.
Gannet, 1:16, 167-68, 169; 2:44.
Garden and shrubbery i 2323:
Garrett, cited, 2:111.
Garrot, I :209.
garrula, Bombycilla, 2 :355.
Garrulus canadensis, 2:210.,
cristatus, 2:208.
garrulus, Lanius, 2:355.
Gavia alba, 1 :120.
arctica, I :102-3.
immer, I :99-102.
stellata, 1 :103-4.

270-71; 2:24,

‘Gaviidae, 1:98-99.

Geese, 1:90, 177, 182.

Gelochelidon, 1 :119.
nilotica, 1 :137-38.

georgiana, Fringilla, 2:319.
Melospiza, 2:319.

INDEX TO BIRDS OF NEW YORK 689

Geothlypis trichas trichas, 2:452.
Gilbert, John, cited, 1:282; 2:110, 513.
Gillett, Dana C., cited, 2:66.
gilva, Muscicapa, 2:370.
gilva gilva, Vireosylva, 2 :370.
gilvus, Vireo, 2:370.
iravdreyi erected, 1:75, IT, 137, 142,
189, 259, 290, 293; 2:68.
glacialis, Colymbus, 1 :99.
Fuligula, 1 :213.
Fulmarus, 1 :154.
Procellaria, 1 :154.
Glaucionetta clangula americana, 1 :208.
islandica, I :2I0.
glaucogastra, Branta, 1 :233.
glaucus, Larus, 1 :122.
Gleason, cited, 1:384.
Gnatcatcher, 1:32.
blue-gray, 1:14, 41; 2:512.
Goatsuckers, 2:6, 38, 163.
Godwit, Hudsonian, 1:15, 321-22.
marbled, 1:15, 320-21, 322.
Golden-eye, 2:17, 109.
American, 1:12, 36, 208-10.
barrow, 1:16, 210-11; figure, 211.
Goldfinch, 1:55, 62, 63; 2:10, 16, 17, 23,
26, 28, 29, 56, 276.
American, 1:11, 39, 46, 64.
European, 1:12; 2:280.
Goosander, 1:178.
Goose, 2:40, 42, 45, 49.
American white-fronted, 1 :229-30.
barnacle, 1:18, 235-36; figure, 1:235.
blue, 1:15, 226, 228-29, 230.
blue snow, I :229.
blue wavy, 1 :2209.
blue-winged, 1 :229.
Canada, 1:17, 230-32, 233, 234.
ember, 1:99, 100.
greater snow, 1:15, 226, 227-28.
Hutchins, 1:15, 232-33.
lesser snow, 1:18, 226-27.
44

Goose, mud, 1 :233.
Solan, 1:169.
white-fronted, 1:15.
white-headed, 1 :229.
wild, 1:231; 2:40.
Goshawk, 1:37, 43, 53, 363, 364, 373; 2:17,
22, 43, 51, 62, 77, 78-80, 82.
American, 1:12.
Grackle, 1:65; 2:14, 39, 40, 41, 42, 45, 48,
49, 51.
bronzed, 1:13, 39, 46, 62, 63, 64; 2:10,
17, 22, 26, 44, 52, 246.
purple, 1:14, 39; 2:17, 22, 52, 245.
Gracula quiscula, 2:245.
Grain, destruction, 2:41-42.
graminea, Fringilla, 2:285.
gramineus gramineus, Pooecetes, 2:285.
grammaca, Fringilla, 2:300.
grammacus grammacus, Chondestes, 2:300.
Granivorous species, 2:40.
Grassfinch, 1 :63.
gravis, Procellaria, 1:156.
Puffinus, 1:156-57.
Great-head, 1 :209.
Grebe, 1:53, 90, 91-92; 2:13, 40, 41, 44.
crested, 1 :75-76.
Holboell, 1:16, 92-94.
horned, 1:16, 93, 94-96.
pied-billed, 1:13, 36, 43, 62, 64, 96-98;
2 T5510.
western, I :92.
Green, Morris M., cited, 1:292, 313.
Green-back, 1 :348.
Greenland dove, 1:11T.
Gregg, William H., cited, 1:79, 218.
Grey-back, 1 :307.
Grinnell, cited, 1:153, 282.
grisea, Procellaria, 1:158.
. Scolopax, 1 :303.
Tanagra, 2:375.
griseus, Macrorhamphus, I :303-5.
Puffinus, 1 :158-59.

690

griseus griseus, Vireo, 2:375.
scolopaceus, Macrorhamphus, 1 :304.
Grosbeak, blue, 1:17 ; 2:329.
evening, 1:16; 2:252.
pine, 1:16; 2:10, 255.
rose-breasted, 1:13, 39, 46, 62, 64; 2:17,
21, 27, 28, 29, 227.
Grouse, 1:51, 53, 56, 57, 299, 364; 2:10, I5,
40, 41.
black, 1 :377.
Canada, 1:13, 37, 71, 365-66; 2:22.
Canadian ruffed, 1 :13, 37, 42, 367, 373-74.
cock, 1:55.
pinnated, 1 :376.
red, 1 :364.
ruffed, 1:11, 37, 50, 63, 364, 366-73;
2X0) 15,23, 20; 28, 29,31; 345-50;.593
figures, 1:368, 372; figure of nest and
eggs, 1:370.
spotted, 1 :365.
spruce, 1:35, 365-66.
Grues, 1 :267.
Gruidae, 1 :267-68.
Gruiformes, 1:89, 90, 267.
Grus americana, I :268, 269.
mexicana, I :269.
grylle, Alca, 1:106.
Cepphus, 1 :106.
Uria, 1 :106.
Guara alba, 1 :242; figure, 1 :241.
guarauna, Plegadis, 1 :243-44; 2:542.
Scolopax, 1 :243.
Guelf, George F., cited, 2:80.
Guillemot, 1:105.
black, 1:18, 106.
mandt, 1 :106-7.
thick-billed, 1 :107.
Guiraca caerulea caerulea, 2:329.
Gull, 1:90, 119-20; 2:13, 39, 40.
Arctic hawk, 1 :116.
black-headed, 1 :133.
black-toed, 1 :116.

NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Gull, Bonaparte, 1:16, 62, 119, 121,
134-35:
glaucous, 1:16, 122-23, 1206.
great black-backed, 1:16, 119, 125-26.
herring, 1:12, 36, 43, 62, 127-30, 131, 132,
135)), 2:11, 15; 10:
. Hutchins, 1:76.
Icé, Tt 23.
Iceland, 1:16, 123-24, 127.
ivory, 1:18, 120.
Kumlien, 1:16, 124-25, 127, 128.
laughing, 1:14, 36, 132-34; 2:19.
little, 1:18, 135-36.
ring-billed, 1:16, 62, 127, 128, 130-32;
2att.
Sabine, 1:15, 119, 136-37.
white-winged, 1 :123.
winter, 1 :129.
guttata pallasi, Hylocichla, 2:526.
gyrfalco, Falco, 2:96.
Gyrfalcon, 1:16, 53; 2:51, 96-97.
black, 1:16; 2:97.
gray, 2:95.
white, 1:18; 2:95.

131,

Habitats, 2:13-15.

haemastica, Limosa, I :321-22.
Scolopax, 1:321.

Haematopodidae, 1 :358.

Haematopus palliatus, 1 :359-60; figure, I:
359.

Hagdon, black, 1 :159.

Haight, Griffin, cited, 2:68.

Hairy-head, 1:181.

Haliaeetus leucocephalus alascanus, 2:94.
leucocephalus leucocephalus, 2:91-94.

Haliaetos leucocephalus, 2:91.

haliaetus, Pandion, 106.

haliaetus carolinensis, Pandion, 2:106-8.

Hand-rail, 1 :283.

Hardy, Gustavus S., cited, 1:330, 2:102.

Harelda. hyemalis, 1 :213-14.

INDEX TO BIRDS OF NEW YORK 691

Harrier, 2:66.
hasitata, Aestrelata, 1 :160.
Procellaria, 1 :160.

Hawk, 1:43, 50, 51, 53, 68, 70, 90; 2:32,
39, 43, 51, 52, 62, 66; food 2:62; bene-
ficial species, 2:43, 51, 62; injurious
species, 2:43, 51, 62.

American rough-legged, 1:16.

American sparrow, 1:12, 64.

broad-winged, 1:13, 37, 43, 62, 64; 2:17,
21, 22, 45, 62, 86-88.

bullet, 2:102.

Cooper, 1:12, 37, 43, 363, 364, 3733 2:17,
21, 26, 43, 51, 62, 77-78, 82.

| duck, 1:13, 37, 43, 53; 2:9, 15, 17, 43,

51, 52, 62, 98-101.

fish, 2:17, 18, 40, 44, 105, 106-8.

goshawk, 1:37, 43; 2:17, 22, 43, 51, 62,
77, 78-80, 82.

hen, 2:82.

marsh, 1:12, 37, 64; 2:15, 20, 24, 26,
27, 43, 44, 52; 62, 66, 79-73-

night, 1:13, 64.

Pigeon, 1:14, 37, 43, 64; 2:43, 51, 62,
75, 101-3.

red-shouldered, 1:12, 37, 43; 2:17, 21,

26, 40, 45, 51, 62, 83-85; figure of nest
and eggs, 2:84.
red-tailed, 1:12, 37, 43, 62, 63, 68; 2:17,
21, 26, 31, 43, 51, 52, 62, 81-83.
rough-legged, 2:11, 51, 61, 62, 88-89.
sharp-shinned, 1:12, 37, 43, 53, 62, 64,
364; 2:12, 17, 22, 26, 31, 43, 51, 62,
74-77, 260; figure of nest and eggs,
2:76.
snake, 2:67.
sparrow, 1:37, 43; 2:17, 21, 26, 39, 44,
55, 62, 103-5, 260.
Swainson, 1:18, 2:85-86; figure, 2:85.
true, 2:66, 67.
Hawley, G., cited, 1:382.
Heart-bird, 1 :358.

| Heath hen, 1:12, 299, 376-77; figure, 1 :376.
Hell-divers, 1:92, 95, 96.
Helme, Arthur H., cited, 1:284; 2:95,/119,
195, 267, 300.
Helmitheros vermivorus, 2 :382.
Helodromas ochropus, 1 :327.
solitarius, 1 7326-28.
helvetica, Squatarola, 1:345.
Hemipalma himantopus, 1 :306.
Hemipodes, 1 :289.
Hen bill, 1 :288.
Hendrickson, cited, 2:285.
Hens, 1:90.
Henshaw, H. W., cited, 1:313.
henslowi, Emberiza, 2 :293.
henslowi henslowi, Passerherbulus, 2:293.
Herodias egretta, 1 :256-57.
herodias, Ardea, 1:253-56.
Herodiones, 1 :89, 90, 240.
Heron, 1:50, 53, 90, 182, 240, 245-46; 2:8,
14, 39, 40, 44.
black-crowned night, 1:13, 36, 264-65;
ONS le ea
great blue, 1:13, 36, 43, 253-56, 269 ; 2:17,
21, 26, 27, 44, 45, 52, 69; figure of nest
and eggs, 1 :255.
green, 1:13, 36, 63, 262-64; 2:17, 20, 26;
- figure of nest and eggs, 1:263; figure
of young, 1 :264.
little blue, 1:17, 259-62; figures, 1 :260,
261.
Louisiana, 1:17, 258-59; figure, I :259.
snowy, 1:14, 257-58, 259.
white, 1 :256.
yellow-crowned night, 1:17, 266-67;
figure, 1:266.
Hesperiphona vespertina vespertina, 2 :252.
Heteropoda semipalmata, I :317.
Hickory-head, 1 :226.
hiemalis, Troglodytes, 2:485.
hiemalis hiemalis, Nannus, 2:485.
Higgins, cited, 2:111, 152.

692

High hole, 2:160.
High holder, 2:160.
Highlands, Hudson, list of birds of, 1:77.
Himantopodidae, 1 :295.
Himantopus mexicanus, 1 :295-96; figure,
1 :296.
nigricollis, 1 :295.
himantopus, Hemipalma, 1 :306.
Micropalama, 1 :306-7.
Tringa, 1 :306.
hirsutus, Picus, 2:146.
Hirundinidae, 2:340.
Hirundo bicolor, 2:349.
erythrogaster, 2:346.
erythrogastra, 2 :346.
fulva, 2:345.
lunifrons, 2:345.
pelagica, 2:171.
purpurea, 2:342.
riparia, 2 :350.
rufa, 2:346.
serripennis, 2:352.
subis, 22342.
hirundo, Sterna, 1:143-45.
histrionica, Anas, I :214.
Histrionicus histrionicus, 1 :214-16.
histrionicus, Fuligula, 1 :214.
Hix, cited, 2:389.
Hoffman, cited, 2:528.
holboelli, Acanthis, 2:272.
Linaria, 2:273.
holboellii, Colymbus, 1 :92-94.
Podiceps, 1:92.
Holopodius wilsoni, 1 :292.
Hopkins, William, cited, 1:243, 256, 290;
2:270.
hornemanni exilipes, Acanthis, 2:270.
ough, cited, 1:237.
Howell, cited, 2:111, 195.
Howell, G. W., acknowledgments to, 1:7;
cited, 1 :293.

NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

hoyti, Otocoris alpestris, 2:206.
Hudson Highlands, list of birds
Edgar A. Mearns, 1:77.
Hudsonian zone, 1:19.
hudsonica, Limosa, I :321.
hudsonicus, Numenius, 1 :339-40.
hudsonicus littoralis, Parus, 2:506.
Penthestes, 2:506.
hudsonius, Circus, 2:70-73.
Corvus, 2:207.
Falco, 2:70.
Humidity, effect on bird life, 2:6.
Hummers, 2:163.
Hummingbird, 1:44, 56, 64, 72; 2:174, 176,
177; 178.
ruby-throated, 1:13, 38, 63; 2:17, 21, 26,

175; figures of nest and eggs, 2:176,

177, 178.
hutchinsii, Anser, 1 :232.
Larus; 1:122,°123.
Hydranassa tricolor ruficollis,

1 :258-593
figure, 1 :259.

Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis, 1:149-

52; figure, 1:151.
Hydroka carolinensis, 1 :96.
hyemalis, Anas, 1:213.

Buteo, 2:83.

Clangula, 1 :213.

Fringilla, 2:311.

Harelda, 1:213-14.

Struthus, 2:311.

Troglodytes, 2:485.
hyemalis carolinensis, Junco, 2 :314.

hyemalis, Junco, 2:311.

_Hylocichla aliciae aliciae, 2:521.

bicknelli, 2 :522.
fuscescens fuscescens, 2:519.
salicicola, 2:521.
guttata pallasi, 2:526.
mustelina, 2:516.
ustulata swainsoni, 2:524.

— se ee. lL

INDEX TO BIRDS OF NEW YORK 693

hyperborea, Chen, 1 :226.
hyperborea, Chen, I :226-27.
nivalis, Chen, 1 :227-28.

hyperboreus, Anser, 1 :226, 227.
Larus, 1:119, 122-23, 124, 127.
Lobipes, 1 :291.

hypogaea, Strix, 2:128.

Ibididae, 1 :240.
Ibis, I :240.
glossy, 1:17, 242-43; figure, 1:243.
white, 1:17, 242; figure, 1 :241.
white-faced glossy, 1:17, 234-44; 2:542;
figure, 1:244.
wood, 1:17, 244-45; figure, 1 :245.
Ibis alba, 1 :242.
mexicanus, I :242.
Ice, effect on bird life, 2:7.
Ice bird, 1:111.
Icteria virens virens, 2:455.
viridis, 2:455.
Icteridae, 2:49, 221.
icterocephala, Sylvicola, 2:413.
Icterus baltimore, 2:238.
bullocki, 2:242.
galbula, 2:238.
phoeniceus, 2:230.
spurius, 2:236.
xanthocephalus, 2 :229.
iliaca, Fringilla, 2:321.
iliaca, Passerella, 2:321.
imber, Urinator, 1:99.
immer, Colymbus, 1 :99.
Gavia, I :99-102.
Indigo bird, 1:13, 46, 63; 2:16, 25, 28, 29,
31, 60, 330.
Ingersoll, Ernest, cited, 2:511.
Injury done by birds, 2:41-46.
Insectivorous species, 2:38; destruction of,
2:43.
Insects, destruction, 2:46-48 ; beneficial, de-
struction, 2:45.

interpres, Strepsilas, 1:357.
Tringa, 1:357.
interpres morinella, Arenaria, 1 :357-58.
intrepidus, Tyrannus, 2:182.
Ionornis martinica, 1 :283-84.
Iridoprocne bicolor, 2 :349.
islandica, Anas, I :210.
Clangula, 1 :210-11.
Glaucionetta, I :210.
islandus, Falco, 2:95.
Ixobrychus exilis, 1:250-53; figure, I :251.
neoxenus, 1:253, 2:542.
Ixoreus naevius, naevius, 2:534.

Jaeger, 1:113; 2:39, 40.
Arctic, 1:118.
buffon, 1 :118.
long-tailed, 1:15, 117-19.
parasitic, 1:15, 76, 116-17, 118.
pomarine, 1:15, 114-16.
Richardson, 1 :116.
jamaicensis, Anas, 1 :225.
Creciscus, I :281-82.
Erismatura, 1 :225-26.
Porzana, 1 :281.
Rallus, 1:281.
Jay, 1:51, 53, 543 2:39, 40, 41, 206.
blue, 1:11, 38, 42, 45, 63, 64, 68; 2:17,
21, 22, 26, 27, 44, 52, 207, 208; figure
of nest and eggs, 2:209.
Canada, 1:13, 35, 38, 453 2:22, 210.
yellow, 2:160.
Johnson, cited, 1:126, 385; 2:110, 117, 300.
Judd, cited, 1:385, 386.
Judd, Sylvester D., cited, 2:251, 340, 366.
Junco, 1:12, 39, 46, 47, 62, 64, 65; 2:6, 14,
15, 16, 31, 49, 57; breeding range,
F223.
Carolina, 1:14; 2:314.
slate-colored, 2:311.
Junco hyemalis carolinensis, 2:314.
hyemalis, 2:311.

694

Kennard, cited, 2:59, 267.

Kibbe, A. E., cited, 2:99, 111.

Kicker, 1 :282.

Killdeer, 1:13, 37, 51, 63, 348-52; 2:15, 20,
25, 26; figure, 1:349; figure of nest and
eggs, 1:351.

King, cited, 2 :480.

Kingbird, 1:13, 38, 44, 53, 62, 63, 64, 68,

J2O2N2, 17. 18; 21; 22).20,, Al, 47; 1Ol,
182, 186; figure, 2:182.

Arkansas, 1:18; 2:184.

gray, 1:17; 2:184.

Kingfisher, 1:44, 62, 63, 68, 90, 130, 263;
2:8)" 15) 40) AT AA, Ab) 52. <120,) F315:
figure, 2:138.

belted, 1:12, 38, 64; 2:20, 26, 136.

Kinglet, 2:12, 14, 38, 46, 48, 508.

golden-crowned, 1:12, 41, 49, 63; 2:17,
22, 508.

ruby-crowned, 1:16, 41, 49, 50, 63, 64; 2:
510.

Kirkover, cited, 1:243.

Kite, 2:66.
swallow-tailed, 1:17; 2:67-70; figure, 2:

68.

Kittiwake, 1:16, 121-22, 134.

Knight, cited, 2:99.

Knot, 1:15, 307-8.

Kobbe, cited, 1 :322.

Kreeker, 1 :310.

Krieker, 1:310.

kumlieni, Larus, 1 :124-25.

labradoria, Anas, 1 :216.
Fuligula, 1 :216.

labradorius, Camptolaimus, 1 :216.
Camptorhynchus, 1 :216-18.

La Dow, cited, 2:458.

Lagopus lagopus, 1:375-76; figures, 1 :374,
375.

lagopus, Tetrao, 1 :375.

NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

lagopus sancti-johannis, Archibuteo, 2:88-
89. ,
Lake ravines, central, birds of, 2:29-32.
Lake shore communities, 2:19.
Lamellirostral swimmers, 1 :176-77.
Langdon, cited, 1 :170.
Langille, J. H., cited, 1:78, 293; 2:99, 487.
Laniidae, 2:358.
Lanius: borealis, 2:358.
, dominicensis, 2:184.
garrulus, 2:355.
ludovicianus migrans, 2:362; figure, 2:
363. ;
septentrionalis, 2:358.
tyrannus, 2:182.

| Lanivireo flavifrons, 2:371.

solitarius plumbeus, 2:375.

solitarius, 2 :373.
lapponica, Fringilla, 2:283.
lapponicus, Plectrophanes, 2 :283.
lapponicus lapponicus, Calcarius, 2 :283.
Lapwing, 1:18, 344-45; figure, 1 :344.
Laridae, 1 :119-20.
Lariformes, 1:89, 90, 112.
Lark, 2:38, 40, 43, 200.

horned, 1:16, 63; 2:25, 202.

Hoyt horned, 1:18; 2:206.

Meadow, 1:12, 39, 46, 51, 53, 55, 62, 63,
64, 65; 2:7, 15, 20, 25, 26, 37, 38, 49,
233; figure of nest and eggs, 2:235.

prairie horned, 1:11, 12, 38, 45, 62, 69;
2:15, 20, 26, 31, 37, 49, 202, 203;
figure of nest and eggs, 2:205.

Larus albus, 1:120.

arcticus, 1:122.

argentatus, I :127-30.
smithsonianus, I :127.

atricilla, 1:132-34.

bonapartii, 1:134.

delawarensis, 1 :130-132.

glaucus, I :122.

INDEX TO BIRDS OF NEW YORK 695

Larus hutchinsii, 1:122, 123.
hyperboreus, 1:119, 122-24, 127.
kumlieni, I :124-25.
leucopterus, 1 :123-24, 125.
marinus, 1:119, 125-26.
minutus, I :135-36; figure, 1:136.
parasiticus, 1:116.
philadelphia, 1:134-35.
pomarinus, 1:114.
sabinii, 1 :136.
tridactylus, 1:12.
zonorhynchus, I :130.

Lauderdale, W. E., cited, 2:124.

Lawrence, cited, 2:96, 117, 253, 330, 424,
536. .

Lawrence, George N., cited, 1:76, 103, 111,
141, 160, 236, 330.

Lawrence, N. T., cited, 1:115, 116, 143, 153,
189, 260, 291, 293, 306, 309, 312, 335,
338, 342, 356; 2:513.

Lawrence, R. B., cited, 1:111, 282, 290, 292,
360.

Lawrence, Robert, cited, 2:65.

lawrenci, Vermivora, 2:388.

Laws relating to birds, status, 2:51-52.

Lawyer, 1:296.

leachi, Thalassidroma, 1 :163.

Lead-back, 1 :318.

LeBerier, cited, 2:66, 68, 97, 513.

lecontei, Passerherbulus, 2:295.

leconteii, Emberiza, 2:295.

Lee, cited, 1 :169.

lentiginosa, Ardea, 1 :246.

lentiginosus, Botaurus, I :246-50.

Lestris buffoni, 1:117, 119.
parasiticus, 1:76, 118.
pomarinus, 1 :114.
richardsoni, 1:76, 116, I109.

leuce, Ardea, 1:256.

leucobronchialis, Vermivora, 2 :389.

leucocephalus, Falco, 2:91.

Haliaetos, 2:91.

leucocephalus alascanus, Haliaeetus, 2:94.
leucocephalus, Haliaeetus, 2:91-94.
leucogaster, Peiecanus, 1 :168.
Sula, 1 :168-69.
leucophaea, Calidris, 1 :319-20.
leucophrys, Emberiza, 2:301.
Fringilla, 2:301.
leucophrys gambel, Zonotrichia, 2:303.
gambeli, Zonotrichia, 2:303.
leucophrys, Zonotrichia, 2:301.
leucopsis, Anas, I :235.
Branta, I :235-36.
leucoptera, Loxia, 2:268.
leucopterus, Larus, 1:119, 123-24, 125.
leucorhoa, Motacilla, 2:535.
Oceanodroma, 1 :163-64.
Procellaria, 1:163.
leucura, Loxia, 2:255.
Lewis county birds, 1:77.
lherminieri, Puffinus, 1:158.
Lice, attacks of, on birds, 1:56.
Life zones of New York State, 1 :19-24.
Light, effect on bird life, 2:6.
Ligurineus chloris, 2:257.
Limicolae, 1:89, 90, 112, 288-89.
Limosa fedoa, 1 :320-21.
haemastica, I :321-22.
hudsonica, I :321.
scolopacea, I :305.
Linaria borealis, 2:270.
holboelli, 2:273.
minor, 2:271.
linaria, Fringilla, 2:271.
linaria holboelli, Acanthis, 2:273.
linaria, Acanthis, 2:271, 272.
rostrata, Acanthis, 2:272, 274.
lincolni, Emberiza, 2:318.
lincolni lincolni, Melospiza, 2:318.
lincolnii, Fringilla, 2:318.
Linden, Charles, cited, 1:230; 2:66.
lineatus, Falco, 2:83.
lineatus lineatus, Buteo, 2 :83-85.

696

Linnet, European, 1:18; 2:275.

Linnett, cited, 1 :221.

Lintner, cited, 2:99.

Little blue corporal, 2:102.

Little peep, 1 :313.

lobata, Tringa, 1 :291.

lobatus, Lobipes, 1 :291-92.
Phalaropus, 1 :291.

Lobipes hyperboreus, I :291.
lobaius, I :291-92.

Local lists, 1 :75-80.

loculator, Tantalus, 1:244.

lomvia, Alca, 1 :107.

Uria, 1 :107-8.

Long Island, birds of, by J. P. Giraud jr,
1:75; by William C. Braislin, 1:80; by
William Dutcher, 1:79.

longicauda, Bartramia, I :331-34.
Tringa, 1 :331.

longicaudus, Stercorarius, 1 :117-19.

Longipennes, 1:89, 90, 112.

longirostris, Numenius, 1 :338.

Longshanks, 1 :296.

Longspur, 1:56; 2:8.
chestnut-collared, 1:18; 2:284.
Lapland, 1:16; 2:283.

Loon, 1:12, 36, 62, 64, 90, 98-99; 2:13, 5,

19, 40, 44.
big, 1 :100.
black-throated, 1:18, 99, 102-3.
common, I :99-102, 104.
red-throated, 1:16, 99, 100, 103-4.
sprat, 1:103.

Lophodytes cucullatus, 1 :181-82.

Lower Austral. zone, 1:19.

Loxia americana, 2:265.
caerulea, 2:320.
cardinalis, 2:325.
curvirostra minor, 2:265.
leucoptera, 2:268.
leucura, 2:255.
ludoviciana, 2:327.

NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

ludoviciana, Ardea, 1:258.

Loxia, 2 :327.

Piranga, 2:337.

Sturnella, 2 :233.

Sylvia, 2:479.

Tanagra, 2 :337.

Zamelodia, 2 :327.
ludovicianus, Anthus, 2:469.

Coccoborus, 2:327.

Troglodytes, 2:479.
ludovicianus ludovicianus,

2:479.

migrans, Lanius, 2:362.
lumme, Urinator, 1 :103.
lunifrons, Hirundo, 2:345.
lunifrons lunifrons, Petrochelidon, 2:345.
Lyrurus tetrix, 1:377.

Thryothorus,

Macaw, 2:129-30.
MclIlwraith, cited, 1 :335.
Mackay, cited, 1:308, 348.
Macrochires, 1:89, 90; 2:163.
Macrorhamphus griseus, 1:303-5; figure,
1 3304.
scolopaceus, I :305-6; figure, I :304.
macroura, Zenaidura, 1 :386.
carolinensis, Zenaidura, 1 :386-88.
macularia, Actitis, 1 :335-38.
Totanus, I :335.
Tringa, 1 :335.
maculata, Actodromas, 1 :3IT.
Pisobia, 1 :309-10, 312.
Tringa, 1 :309.
maculosa, Sylvicola, 2:408.
Madison county, birds of, by George
Charles Embody, 1:79.
magna, Alauda, 2:233.
magna magna, Sturnella, 2:233.
magnolia, Dendroica, 2:408.
Sylvia, 2:408.
Magpie, 1:76; 2:206, 207.
major, Puffinus, 1:156, 159.

ES eee

INDEX TO BIRDS OF NEW YORK 697

Mallard, 1:15, 36, 183-85, 187, 193, 199;
BATT
green-backed, 1:76, 184.
Man-o’-war bird, 1:17, 175, 176; figure, 1:
175.
mandti, Cepphus, 1 :106-7.
Mareca americana, I :190-91.
penelope, 1 :189.
Marila affinis, I :206-7.
americana, I :202-3.
collaris, 1 :207-8.
marila, I :205-6.
vallisneria, I :203-5.
marila, Anas, I :205.
Aythya, 1 :205.
Fuligula, 1:205.
marila nearctica, Aythya, 1:205.
marilandica, Trichas, 2:452.
marinus, Larus, I :119, 125-26.
maritima, Arquatella, 1 :308-9.
Fringilla, 2:299.
Sylvicola, 2:397.
Tringa, 1 :308.
maritimus, Ammodramus, 2 :299.
maritimus maritimus, Passerherbulus, 2:
299.
Marlin, brown, 1 :321.
ring-tailed, 1 :322.
Marling-spike, 1 :116.
Marsh birds, 1:50, 55, 267.
Marsh hen, salt water, 1 :273.
Marshall, cited, 1:342; 2:97, 254.
Marshes, effect on bird life, 2:8; draining,
effect on bird life, 2:34-35; fresh water,
communities, 2:19.
Marshland community, 2:24.
Marten, 1:55.
Martin, 1:56, 65, 68; 2:12, 53-54.
purple, 1:13, 39; 2:17, 18, 23, 342.
martinica, Fulica, 1 :283.
Tonornis, 1 :283-84.
mauri, Ereunetes, 1 :318-19.

maxima, Anas, 1:184.
. Sterna, 1 :139-40.
Maxon, William R., cited, 1:80; 2:190.
Maynard, cited, 1:167.
Meadow hen, 1 :288.
Meadow mice, destruction, 2:51.
Meadowland communities, 2:20.
Meadowlark, 1:12, 39, 46, 51, 53, 55, 62, 63,
64, 65; 2:7, 15, 20, 25, 26, 37, 38, 49,
233; figure of nest-and eggs, 2:235.
Mearns, Edgar A., cited, 1:77, 123, 149;
2:90, 110, 337, 487, 493, 499.
medianus, Picus (Dendrocopus), 2:142.
Megalestris skua, I :113-14.
Megapolensis, J., cited, 1:377, 380.
Melanerpes erythrocephalus, 2:154.
melanocorys, Calamospiza, 2:335, 336.
melanoleuca, Scolopax, 1 :323.
melanoleucus, Totanus, 1 :323-24.
Meleagridae, 1 :379.
Meleagris gallopavo, I :379.
silvestris, I :379-80.
silvestris, 1 :379.
meloda, Aegialitis, 1 :354-55.
melodia, Fringilla, 2:315.
melodia melodia, Melospiza, 2:315.
melodus, Charadrius, 1 :354.
Melospiza georgiana, 2:319.
lincolni lincolni, 2:318.
melodia melodia, 2:315.
Merganser, 1:177}; 2:40.
American, 1:12, 36, 43, 177-79; 2:17, 20,
44.
hooded, 1:13, 36, 181-82, 212; 2:17, 20,
44.
red-breasted, 1:12, 36, 43, 62, 178, 179-
80; 2:20, 44.
Merganser americanus, I :177.
serrator, I :179.
merganser, Mergus, 1 :177.
Merginae, I :177.

698 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Mergulus alle, 1:111.

Mergus americanus, 1 :177-79.
cucullatus, 1 :181.
merganser, I :177.
serrator, I :179-80.

Merriam, C. Hart, acknowledgments to, I:
6; cited, 1:19, 34-35, 77, 123, 149, 169,
291, 376; 2:80, 127, 146, 147, 154, 266,
507.

Mershon, cited, 1:385, 380.

Merula migratoria, 2 :529.
mustelina, 2:516.
olivacea, 2:524.
solitaria, 2:526.
wilsoni, 225109.

Mesomyodi, 2 :180.

mexicana, Ardea, 1 :269.

Grus, 1 :269.

mexicanus, Charadrius, 1 :295.
Himantopus, I :295-96.

Ibis, 1 :242.

Mice, destruction, 2:51.

Micropalama himantopus, I :306-7.

Micropodidae, 2:169.

Migration, 1 :65-72.

migratoria, Columba, 1 :38r.

Merula, 2 :529.

migratorius, Ectopistes, 1 :381-86.
Turdus, 2:529.

migratorius migratorius, Planesticus, 2:529.

Miller, acknowledgments to, 1:7; cited, I:
109; 2:117, 197.

Miller, DeWitt, cited, 2:197.

Miller, Gerritt S., cited, 2:193.

Miller, James H., 2:99.

Miller, W. D. cited, 2:334.

Milvinae, 2:66.

Mimidae, 2:470.

Mimus polyglottos polyglottos, 2:471.

minima, Tyrannula, 2:199.

minimus, Empidonax, 2:199.

Mink, 1:55.

minor, Ardea, 1 :246.
Crucirostra, 2:265.
Fuligula, 1:206.

Linaria, 2:271.

Philohela, 1 :297-300.

Rusticola, 1 :297.

Scolopax, I :297. ;
Minot, H. D., cited, 1:77; 2:80, 394.
minuta, Sterna, 1:148.
minutilla, Actodromas, 1 :313.

Pisobia, 1 :313-14.

Ttinga}, 1/313; 317,
minutus, Larus, 1 :135-36.
mitrata, Wilsonia, 2:458.
Mniotilta varia, 2:378.
Mniotiltidae, 2:377.
Mockingbird, 1:12, 41; 2:471.
mollissima, Fuligula, 1 :218.
Molothrus ater ater, 2:225.

pecoris, 2:225,.
monticola, Fringilla, 2:306.
monticola monticola, Spizella, 2:306.
Moose bird, 2:211.

Moran, Daniel E., cited, 1:312.

Mormon arcticus, 1 :105.

Motacilla aestiva, 2:400.
aurocapilla, 2:435.
caerulea, 2:512.
caerulescens, 2:403.
calendula, 2:510.
chrysoptera, 2:386.
citrea, 2:381.
coronata, 2:406.
dominica, 2:423.
fusca, 2:420.
leucorhoa, 2:535.
noveboracensis, 2:438.
palmarum, 2:430.
pensylvanica, 2:413.
ruticilla, 2 :464.
sialis, 2:537.
tigrina, 2:397.

Se —— SEES

INDEX TO BIRDS OF NEW YORK 699

Motacilla varia, 2:378.
vermivora, 2:382.
virens, 2:424.

motacilla, Seiurus, 2:441.

Turdus, 2:441.
Motacillidae, 2 :468.
Mother Carey’s chickens, 1:154, 165.
Mt Marcy region, 1:42-50; bird life, 2:34.
Mowing, effect on bird life, 2:37.
Mud hens, 1 :270, 273, 288. ;
little, 1:274.
red-billed, 1:285.
white-billed, 1 :288.
Munsell, cited, 1 :174.
Murre, 1:107; 2:9.
Briinnich, 1:16, 107-8.
common, 1:76.
Muscicapa canadensis, 2 :462.
carolinensis, 2 :473.
citrina, 2:458.
flaviventris, 2:193.
fusca, 2:187.
gilva, 2:370.
olivacea, 2:366.
phoebe, 2:187.
pusilla, 2:460.
ruticilla, 2:464.
solitaria, 2:373.
striata, 2:418.
virens, 2:190.
mustelina, Hylocichla, 2:516.
Merula, 2:516.
Turdus, 2:516.
Myadestes townsendi, 2:515.
Mycteria americana, 1:244-45; figure, I:
245.
Myiarchus crinitus, 2:185.
Myiochanes virens, 2:190.

naevia, Ardea, I :264.
naevius naevius, Ixoreus, 2:534.
Nannus hiemalis hiemalis, 2:485.

Nauclerus furcatus, 2:67.

nebulosa, Strix, 2:116.
Ulula, 2:115.

nebulosa nebulosa, Scotiaptex, 2 :116.

nelsoni nelsoni, Passerherbulus, 2 :297.
subvirgatus, Passerherbulus, 2:298.

neoxenus, Ixobrychus, 1:253; 2:542.

Nesting sites, 2:15-18; artificial, erection of,
2:36, 52.

Netta rufina, 1 :202.

Nettion carolinensis, 1 :192-93.
crecca, 1:191; figure, I :192.

New York city, birds of New York city and
vicinity, by George N. Lawrence, 1:76;
list of birds known to occur within
fifty miles of, by Frank M. Chapman,
1:78.

Niagara county, birds of, by James L.
Davison, 1:78.

Niagara frontier, birds, 2:542.

Nicholas, G, N., cited, 2:68.

Nighthawk, 1:38, 44; 2:14, 15, 18, 20, 163,
167; figure of nest and eggs, 2:168.

Nightjars, 2:163.

nigra, Rynchops, 1 :152-53.

Sterna, 1:149, 152.

nigra surinamensis, Hydrochelidon, 1:149-
52.

nigricans, Anser, I :234.

Branta, 1 :234-35. -
nigricollis, Himantopus, 1 :295.
nilotica, Gelochelidon, 1 :137-38.

Sterna, 1 :137.
nivalis, Anas, I :227.

Emberiza, 2 :281.

Plectrophanes, 2:281.

nivalis nivalis, Plectrophenax, 2:281.

Noddy, 1:154.

noevius, Turdus, 2:534.

noevius notabilis, Seiurus, 2:440.

Nonpareil, 2:333.

Northern species, 1:18.

700 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Notebooks, 1:58.
noveboracensis, Coturnicops, 1 :280-81.
Fulica, 1 :280.
Motacilla, 2:438.
Ortygometra, 1 :280.
Porzana, 1 :280.
Scolopax, 1 :303.
Vireo, 2:375.
noveboracensis notabilis, Seiurus, 2:440.
noveboracensis, Seiurus, 2 :438.
Numenius americanus, 1 :338-39.
arquatus, I :342-44; figure, I :343.
borealis, 1 :341-42.
hudsonicus, 1 :339-40.
longirostris, 1 :338.
Nuthatch, 2:12, 38, 40, 41, 54, 55, 494.
brown-headed, 1:17; 2:501.
red-bellied, 1:12, 42, 49.
red-breasted, 1:41, 63, 64; 2:17, 18, 22,
499; breeding range, I :30.
white-bellied, 1 :49.
white-breasted, 1:11, 41, 63, 64; 2:17,
18, 21, 23, 27, 28, 495; figure, 2:497.
Nuttall, cited, 2:270.
Nuttallornis borealis, 2:189.
Nyctale richardsoni, 2:117.
Nyctanassa violacea, 1:266-67; figure,
1 :266.
Nyctea nyctea, 2:126-27.
nyctea, Strix, 2:126.
Surnia, 2:126.
Nycticorax nycticorax naevius, I :264-65.
violaceus, 1 :266.

Oberholzer, acknowledgments to, 1:7; cited,
2 :206.

obscura, Anas, 1 :185.

obscura rubripes, Anas, 1 :185.

obscurus, Puffinus, 1 :158.

Observers, list, 1 :73-74, 80-86.

obsoletus, Falco, 2:97.

occidentalis, Ereunetes, 1:318.

oceanica, Procellaria, 1:164.

oceanicus, Oceanites, I :164-65.

Oceanites oceanicus, I :164-65; figure, 1 :165.

Oceanitinae, I :162.

Oceanodroma leucorhoa, 1 :163-64; figure,
T2163,

ochropus, Helodromas, 1 :327.

Ochthodromus wilsonius, 1 :356-57; figure.

13350;

Odontophorinae, 1 :36r.

oenanthe leucorhoa, Saxicola, 2:535.

Oidemia americana, I :221-22.
deglandi, 1:222-23.
perspicillata, 1 :224.

Old-squaw, 1:16, 213-14, 220.

Old wife, 1:214.

olivacea, Merula, 2:524.
Muscicapa, 27366.
Vireosylva, 2 :366.

olivaceus, Vireo, 2:366.

Olor buccinator, 1 :236, 239-40.

columbianus, I :236-39.

Oneida county, birds, 2:542; birds of, by

Ralph and Bagg, 1:78.

Onondaga county, birds of, by Morgan K.

Barnum, 1:78.

Oporornis agilis, 2:447.
formosus, 2:445.
philadelphia, 2:448.
Orchard community, 2:22.
Orchards, pruning, effect on bird life, 2:36.
Oriole, 1:46, 63, 68, 70; 2:37, 38, 41, 42,

47, 48, 221. ;

Baltimore, 1:13, 34, 39, 46, 62, 64, 67;
2:9, 17, 22, 26, 238; spring migration,
1:66.

Bullock, 1:18; 2:242.

orchard, 1:14, 33, 39, 46, 69; 2:17, 21,
23, 236; breeding range, 1:22.

Oriolus ater, 2:225.

caudacutus, 2:296.

phoeniceus, 2 :230.

spurius, 2 :236.

ornata, Plectrophanes, 2 :284.

ve ae

——————— hl lhl ll

ae

SS ee

OOO OEE

ay

INDEX TO BIRDS OF NEW YORK

ornatus, Calcarius, 2:284.

Orpheus carolinensis, 2 :473.
polyglottus, 2:471.
rufus, 2:476.

Ortolans, 1 :279.

Ortygometra carolina, 1 :276.
noveboracensis, I :280.

Ortyx virginiana, I :361.

oryzivora, Fringilla, 2:222.

oryzivorus, Dolichonyx, 2 :222.

Oscines, 2:200.

Osprey, 1:43; 2:19, 66, 105-8.

American, 1:13, 37.

ossifragus, Corvus, 2:218.

Otocoris alpestris alpestris, 2:202.
hoyti, 2:206.
praticola, 2:203.

Otocorys alpestris praticola, 2:203.

Otus americanus, 2:112.

asio asio, 2:120-22.
palustris, 2:113.
wilsonianus, 2:112.

Ovenbird, 1:14, 41, 42, 48, 63, 64; 2:15,
25, 27, 28, 20, 34, 435; figure of nest
and eggs, 2:436.

Owl, 1:43, 50, 51, 53, 90; 2:6, 32, 39, 51,
61, 62, 108-28; food, 2:62; beneficial
and injurious species, 2:62.

Acadian, 2:119.

American barn, I :12.

American hawk, 1:16.

American long-eared, 1:11, 37.

barn, 1:37; 2:18, 62, 1og-11I.

barred, 1:11, 37, 43; 2:17, 21, 26, 40, 43,
44, 52, 62, 115-16.

burrowing, 1:18; 2:128; figure, 2:128.

great gray, 1:16; 2:116.

great horned, 1:11, 37, 53, 373; 2:17, 21,
26, 31, 40, 43, 51, 62, 123-26; figure of
nest and eggs, 2:125.

hawk, 2:127.

horned, 2:111.

long-eared, 2:17, 21, 22, 26, 62, 112-13.

Owl, marsh, 2:113.
monkey, 2 :109.
Richardson, 1:16; 2:117-18.

saw-whet, 1:12, 37; 2:17, 21, 22, 62,

118-20.
Screech Mier 37, O253075" 2-27; 38,21,
23, 26, 39, 44, 55, 62, 120-22.
short-eared, 1:11, 37; 2:15, 20, 24, 62,
413-15.

snowy, 1:16, 53; 2:40, 43, 44, 52, 62,

126-27.

Oxeye, 1:313, 318.
meadow, 1 :314, 318.
sand, 1:318, 320.

Oxyechus vociferus, 1:348-52; figure,
1:349; figure of nest and eggs, 1:351.

Oyster-catcher, 1 :358.

American, 1:17, 359-60; figure, 1 :359.

pacifica, Pelidna, 1 :315.
Paddy-whack, 1 :226.

Pagophila alba, 1 :120.

pallasii, Turdus, 2:526.
palliatus, Haematopus, 1 :359-60.
palmarum, Motacilla, 2 :430.

palmarum hypochrysea, Dendroica, 2:431.

palmarum, Dendroica, 2:430.
Palmer, cited, 1 :330.
Paludicolae, 1:89, 90, 267.
palustris, Ammodramus, 2:319.
Certhia, 2 :489.
Otus, 2:113.
Troglodytes, 2:489.
palustris palustris, Telmatodytes, 2 :489.
Pandion carolinensis, 2:106.
haliaétus carolinensis, 2:106-8.
Pandionidae, 2:105-8.
paradisaea, Sterna, 1:146.
Parasites preying upon birds, 1:55; 2:13.
parasiticus, Larus, 1:116.
Lestris, 1:76, 118.
Stercorarius, I :116-17.
pardalina, Sylvicola, 2:462.

701

702 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Paridae, 2:501. pelagica, Chaetura, 2:171.
Park, cited, 1:164, 283. . Hirundo, 2:171.
Parke, cited, 2:110. Thalassidroma, I :162.
Parker, Foster, 2:72, 99, 100. pelasgia, Chaetura, 2:171.
Paroquet, 2:129-30. Pelecanidae, 1:172.
Carolina, 1:12, 76; 2:129-30; figure, | Pelecaniformes, 1 :89, 90, 165.
2:129. Pelecanoididae, 1:154.
Parrot, I :90; 2:129-30. Pelecanus aquilus, 1:176.
Partridge, 1 :367, 377. bassanus, 1 :169.
American, I :361. carbo, 1 :170.
European, 1 :378. erythrorhynchos, 1 :172-74; figure, 1 :173.
Hungarian, 1 :378. fuscus, 17174.
spruce, I :365. leucogaster, 1 :168.
Parus americanus, 2 :395. Pelican, 1:90, 172}; 2:40.
atricapillus, 2:503. American white, 1:172-74; figure, 1:173.
bicolor, 2:502. brown, 1:17, 174.
carolinensis, 2:506. white, 1:15, 239.
hudsonicus var. littoralis, 2 :506. Pelidna alpina alpina, 1 :314-15.
Passer domesticus, 2:257. sakhalina, 1 :315-16.
Passerculus princeps, 2 :287. pacifica, 1:315.
sandwichensis savanna, 2 :288. Pember, F. T., cited, 2:90, 99, 102, 193.
Passerella iliaca iliaca, 2 :321. penelope, Anas, 1 :189.
Passeres, 1:89, 90; 2:38, 179. Mareca, 1 :189.
Passerherbulus caudacutus, 2:296. pensylvanica, Dendroica, 2:413.
henslowi henslowi, 2:293. Motacilla, 2:413.
lecontei, 2 :295. pennsylvanica, Fringilla, 2 :403.
maritimus maritimus, 2:299. Vermivora, 2:382.
nelsoni nelsoni, 2:297. pennsylvanicus, Buteo, 2:86.
subvirgatus,2 :298. Penthestes atricapillus atricapillus, 2 :503.
Passeriformes, 1:89, 90. carolinensis carolinensis, 2 :506.
Passerina Ciris, 2:332. hudsonicus littoralis, 2:506.
cyanea, 2:330. , Perching birds, 1:90; 2:179.
passerina, Emberiza, 2:291. Perdix cinerea, 1:378.
Fringilla, 2 :308. peregrina, Sylvia, 2:393.
passerina passerina, Spizella, 2 :308. Vermivora, 2:393.
terrestris, Columbigallina, 1 :389-g0. peregrinus anatum, Falco, 2:98-101.
Pasturing, effect on bird life, 2:35. Perisoreus canadensis canadensis, 2 :210.
Pavoncella pugnax, 1 :330. Peristeridae, 1:381.
Payne, G. E., cited, 1 :290. perspicillata, Anas, 1:224.
pecoris, Molothrus, 2:225. Fuligula, 1 :224.
pectoralis, Tringa, 1 :309. Oidemia, 1 :224.
Peep, 1 :318. Petrel, 1:90, 154.
little, 12313. : black-capped, 1:17, 160.

a

INDEX TO BIRDS OF NEW YORK 703

Petrel, diving, 1:154.
forked-tail, 1 :162.
leach, 1:15, 163-64; figure, 1 :163.
least, 1 :162.
little stormy, 1:76.
scaled, 1:17, 160-62; figure, 1:161.
stormy, 1:18, 154, 162, 165; figure, 1 :162.
Wilson, 1:17, 162, 164-65; figure, 1:165.
Petrochelidon lunifrons lunifrons, 2:345.
Pewee, wood, 1:13, 38, 45, 63, 64, 68; 2:17,
21, 26, 27, 31, 181, 190; figure of nest
and eggs, 2:191.
Phaéthon americanus, 1:166-67; figure,
1 :167.
flavirostris, 1 :166.
Phaéthontidae, 1 :166.
Phalacrocoracidae, I :170.
Phalacrocorax auritus, I :171-72.
carbo, 1:170.
dilophus, 1:171.
Phalarope, 1 :289, 294.
northern, 1:15, 291-92.
red, 1:15, 289-90.
red-necked, 1 :291.
Wilson, 1:15, 292-93.
Phalaropidae, 1 :289.
Phalaropus fulicarius, 1 :289-go0.
lobatus, I :2Q1.
tricolor, 1 :292.
Phasianidae, 1:377.
Phasianus colchicus, 1 :378.
torquatus, I :378.
Pheasant, 1:52, 63, 367, 377; 2:15, 40,
42.
English, 1:12, 378.
Mongolian, 1 :378.
ring-necked, 1:12, 64, 378; 2:26, 41.
water, 1:181.
philadelphia, Larus, 1 :134-35.
Oporornis, 2:448.
Sterna, 1:134.
Sylvia, 2:448.
Trichas, 2:448.

philadelphica, Vireosylva, 2:368.

Philohela minor, 1:297-300; figure of nest
and eggs, 1 :299.

Phloeotomus pileatus abieticola, 2:151.

Phoebe, 1:13, 38, 45, 55, 60, 62, 63, 64,
68, 72; 2:13, 18, 20, 23, 26, 31, 47, 181,
187, 260; figure of nest and eggs, 2:188.

| phoebe, Muscicapa, 2:187.

Sayornis, 2:187.
phoeniceus, Icterus, 2:230.
Oriolus, 2:230.
Physiographic factors, 2:8.
Pica caudata, 2:207.
pica hudsonia, 2:207.
hudsonia, Pica, 2:207.
Pici, 1:89, 90; 2:139.
Picidae, 2:139.
Piciformes, 1 :89, go.
Pickerel, 1:55.
Picoides americanus, 2 :146.
americanus, 2:146.
arcticus, 2:144.
Picus arcticus, 2:144.
(Apternus) arcticus, 2:144.
auratus, 2:158.
carolinus, 2:157.
erythrocephalus, 2:154.
hirsutus, 2 :146.
(Dendrocopus) medianus, 2:142.
pileatus, 2:151.
pubescens, 2 :142.
varius, 2:148.
villosus, 2:141.
Pigeon, 1:70, 90, 380; 2:40, 4I.
passenger, 1:13, 299, 381-86, 387.
Pigeon hawk, 1:53.
Pike, 1:55.
pileatus, Picus, 2:151.
pileatus abieticola, Ceophloeus, 2:151.
Phloeotomus, 2:151.
Pinicola enucleator leucura, 2:255.
Pintail, 1:15, 184, 188, I91, 193, 197-99,
213.

704

pinus, Carduelis, 2:278.
Certhia, 2 :384.
Fringilla, 2:278.
Spinus, 2:278.
Sylvicola, 2:427.
Vermivora, 2:384.
Pipilo erythrophthalmus erythrophthalmus,
2-923,
Pipit, 2:40, 469.
American, 1:16.
Piranga erythromelas, 2 :337.
ludoviciana, 2 :337.
rubra rubra, 2:339.
Piscivorous species, 2:40.
Pisobia bairdi, I :312-13.
cooperi, 1 :312.
fuscicollis, 1:311, 312.
maculata, 1 :309-10, 312.
minutilla, 1 :313-14.
Pitylus cardinalis, 2:325.
Planesticus migratorius migratorius, 27529.
Planting to attract birds, 2:57.
Plants, effect on bird life, 2:9.
injurious, dispersal, 2:46.
Plates, explanation of, 1:391-474; 2:545-
672.
platypterus, Buteo, 2:86-88.
Sparvius, 2:86.
Platyrhynchos virescens, 2 :194.
platyrhynchos, Anas, 1 :183-85.
Plectrophanes lapponicus, 2 :283.
nivalis, 2:281.
ornata, 2:284.
Plectrophenax nivalis nivalis, 2:281.
Plectropterinae, 1 :177.
Plegadis autumnalis,
I :243.
guarauna, I :243-44; 2:542; figure, 1 :244.
Plover, 1:70, 90, 288-89, 322, 326, 343.
American golden, 1:16, 346-48.
beach, 1 :358.
black-bellied, 1:15, 345-46, 358.
bull-head, 1 :346.

1:242-43; figure,

NEW YORK STATE. MUSEUM

Plover, golden, 1:289, 341, 346.
gray, 1 :346.
Idildeer, 1°348-52; figure, 1:349; figure
of nest and eggs, 1 :351.
piping, 1:14, 37, 354-553 2:15, 19; figure,
1:354-

semipalmated, 1:16, 352-53.

upland, 1:289, 331, 332, 333, 341.

whistling, 1:71, 346, 358.

Wilson, 1:17, 356-57; figure, 1 :356.
Plowing, effect o bird life, 2:37.
plumbeus, Vireo, 2:375.

Pochard, 1 :203.
Podiceps cornutus, I :94.

cristatus, 1:92.

holboellii, 1 :92.

rubricollis,, 1 :92.
podiceps, Colymbus, 1 :96.

Podilymbus, 1 :96-98.
Podicipedidiformes, 1:89, 90, 91.
Podilymbus podiceps, 1 :96-98.

Polioptila caerulea caerulea, 2:512.
polyglottos, Turdus, 2:471.

polyglottos, Mimus, 2:471.
polyglottus, Orpheus, 2:471.
pomarinus, Larus, 1:114.

Lestris, I :114.

Stercorarius, 1 :114-16.

Pond communities, 2:20.

Pooecetes gramineus gramineus, 2:285.

Porter, cited, 1 :124, 125.

Porzana carolina, 1:276-80; figure, 1:277;
figure of nest and eggs, 1:278.

jamaicensis, I :281.

novebor:censis, 1 :280.

Posson, Neil F., cited, 1:109, 139, 233,

243, 257, 313, 335, 340; 2:66, III, 253.
Potter swamp, birds of, 2:25-27.

Poultry, destruction, 2:43.
Prairie hen, 1:364, 376.
pratincola, Aluco, 2:109-11.

Stix 2" 700:

Preserves for birds, 2 :58 ; private, 2:59.

INDEX TO BIRDS OF NEW YORK 795

princeps, Passerculus, 2 :287.
Private preserves, 2:59.
Procellaria glacialis, 1 :154.

gravis, 1:156.

grisea, 1:158.

hasitata, 1 :160.

leucorhoa, 1 :163.

oceanica, I :164.

puffinus, 1:157.

Procellariidae, 1 :162.

Procellariiformes, 1:89, 90, 153.

Proctor, cited, 2:201.

Progne subis subis, 2:342.

Protonotaria citrea, 2:38.

Psittaci, 1:89, 90; 2:129-30.

Psittaciformes, 1:89, go.

Psittacus carolinensis, 2:1209.

Ptarmigan, 1 :364.
willow, 1:18, 375-76; figure, 1:374, 375.

Ptilogonys townsendi, 2:515.

pubescens, Picus, 2:142.

pubescens medianus, Dryobates, 2:142.

Puffin, 1:16, 105-6.

Cinereus, 1 :157.

Puffinidae, 1:154.

Puffininae, 1 :154.

Puffinus auduboni, 1:158.
borealis, 1:155-56; figure, 1:155.
cinereus, 1 :156.
gravis, 1:156-57; figure, 1:157.
griseus, 1 :158-59; figure, 1:159.
lherminieri, 1:158; figure, 1:158.
major, 1 :156, 159.
obscurus, 1:158.
puffinus, 1 :157.
stricklandi, 1 :158.

puffinus, Procellaria, 1:157.

pugnax, Pavoncella, 1 :330.
Tringa, 1 :330.

purpurea, Erythrospiza, 2:262.
Fringilla, 2 :262.

Hirundo, 2:342.
45

purpureus purpureus, Carpodacus, 2 :262.
Purre, 1:316.
pusilla, Emberiza, 2:310.
Fringilla, 2:310.
Muscicapa, 2:460.
Sitta, 2:501.
Tringa, 1:313, 317.
pusilla pusilla, Spizella, 2:310.
Wilsonia, 2:460.
pusillus, Ereunetes, 1 :317-18.
Pygopodes, 1:89, 90, 91.
Pyranga aestiva, 2:339.
erythromelas, 2 :337.
rubra, 2:337.

Quail, 1:50, 361, 377; 2:7.
sea, 1 :358.
Quawk, 1 :265.
Querquedula cyanoptera, 1:195-96; figure,
12196.
discors, 1 :194-95.
Quiscalus aeneus, 2:246.
ferrugineus, 2:243.
quiscula aeneus, 2:246.
quiscula, 2 :245.
versicolor, 2:245, 246.
quiscula, Gracula, 2:245.
quiscula aeneus, Quiscalus, 2 :246.
quiscula, Quiscalus, 2:245.

Rail, 1 51, 55, 57» 70; 90, 267, 270-71, 279;

2:9, 24, 27, 40.

black, 1:17, 271, 282.

Carolina, 1:36, 64, 276-80.

clapper, 1:14, 36, 271, 272-73; 2:10.

king, 1:14, 36, 271-72, 274; 2:15, 20, 24.

little black, 1 :281-82.

sora, 2:15. :

Virginia, 1:13, 36, 64, 270, 271, 274-76;
2:15, 20, 24, 26; figure, 1:274; figure
of nest and eggs, 1:275.

yellow, 1:15, 280-81, 282.

706

Rainfall, effect on bird life, 2:7.
Ralli, 1 :267.
Rallidae, 1 :270-71.
Ralliformes, 1 :89, 90, 267.
Rallus carolinus, 1 :276.
crepitans, I :272-73.
crex, 1 :282.
elegans, I :271-72.
jamaicensis, 1 :281.
virginianus, 1 :274-76; figures, 1 :274, 275.
Ralph, William L., cited, 1:78, 117, 238,
257, 293, 356; 2:80, 90, 92, 119, 146, 266,
507.
Raptores, 1:89, 90; 2:39, 61-62.
Rathbun, Frank R., cited, 1:77, 189, 238.
Rathbun, Samuel F., cited, 1:77, 189, 238.
Raven, 1:45; 2:17, 22, 32.
northern, 1:13, 38; 2:212.
Ravines, effect on bird life, 2:8.
Recurvirostra americana, I :294-95; 2:542;
figure, 1 :294.
Recurvirostridae, 1 :293-94.
Red-head, 1:16, 202-3, 204, 205, 223; 2:10.
Redpoll, 1:16; 2:271, 272; figure, 2:272.
greater, 1:16; 2:272, 274; figure, 2:272.
hoary, 1:18'; 2:270.
holboell, 1:16; 2:272, 273; figure, 2:272.
Redstart, 1:41, 48, 63, 64; 2:16, 17, 21, 25,
27, 28, 29, 31, 34, 464; figures of nest
and eggs, 2:466, 467.
American, I :14.
Redwing, 2 :230.
thick billed, 2:233.
Reed, cited, 2:390, 542.
Reed birds, 2:224.
Reffeix, cited, 1 :382.
Refuges for birds, 2:58.
Regulus calendula calendula, 2:510.
satrapa satrapa, 2:508.
Reinecke, Ottomar, cited, 2:66, 99, 152,
193, 542.
Residents, 1 :11-13.

NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Ricebird, 2 :225.

Rich, cited, 1:143.

richardsoni, Nyctale, 2:117.

richardsonii, Lestris, 1:76, 116, 1109.

Richmond, acknowledgments to, 1 :6.

Ridgway, acknowledgments to, 1:6; cited,
1:89, 137, 142, 202, 282; 2:395, 534, 530.

Riley, acknowledgments to, 1:6.

Ring-bill, 1 :208.

Ring-neck, American, 1 :353.
pale, 1:354.

Riparia riparia, 2:350; figure, 2:351.

riparia, Hirundo, 2:350.

Rissa tridactyla, 1 :121-22.

Roberts, T. S., cited, 1:56.

Robin, 1:12, 42, 49, 53, 54, 63, 64, 65,
68, 70, :71,:72; 214, 17 pdOi22 ser ase ass
46, 48, 50, 260, 529.

Robinson, F. B., cited, 2:64.

Rodents, destruction, 2:51.

Roosevelt, Theodore jr, cited, 1:77; 2:80,
195; 394; 433.

Rostratula, 1 :289.

rostratus, Aegiothus, 2:274.

Rowe, cited, 2:487.

rubescens, Alauda, 2:469.
Anthus, 2:469.

rubida, Erismatura, 1 :225.
Fuligula, 1 :225.

rubra, Fringilla, 2 :339.
Pyranga, 2:337.

rubra rubra, Piranga, 2:339.

rubricappilla, Sylvia, 2 :390.

rubricappilla —_ rubricappilla,
23390.

rubricollis, Podiceps, 1:92.

rubripes, Anas, 1 :185-87.

rufa, Hirundo, 2:346.

rufescens, Tringa, 1 :334.

Ruff, 1:18, 330.

ruficapilla, Sylvicola, 2:431.

ruficollis, Egretta, 1:258.

Vermivora,

INDEX TO BIRDS OF NEW YORK 707

tufina, Anas, I :202.

Netta, 1 :202.
rufitorques, Fuligula, 1 :207.
rufum, Toxostoma, 2:476.
rufus, Orpheus, 2:476.

Turdus, 2:476.

Rusticola minor, 1:297.
rusticola, Scolopax, I :296.
rusticolus gyrfalco, Falco, 2 :96-97.

obsoletus, Falco, 2:97.

rusticolus, Falco, 2:95.
ruticilla, Motacilla, 2:464.

Muscicapa, 2:464.

Setophaga, 2:464.
Rynchopidae, 1 :152.
Rynchops nigra, I :152-53.

sabini, Xema, I :136-37.
sabinii, Larus, 1 :136.
Saddle-back, 1 :126.
Salt marsh community, 2:19.
Sampson, cited, 2:254.
sancti-johannis, Buteo, 2:88.
Falco, 2:88.
Sanderling, 1:15, 319-20, 358.
Sand-peep, 1 :314.
Sandpiper, 1:302, 358.
baird, 1:15, 312-13.
Bartram, 2:20, 37.
Bartramian, 1:13, 37, 51, 331-34, 350;
2:15; breeding range, 1:20.
black-bellied, 1316.
Bonaparte, 1:311. :
buff-breasted, 1:15, 334-35.
Cooper, 1:76, 312.
curlew, 1:18, 316; figure, 1:317.
green, I :327.
least, 1:15, 313-14, 318.
pectoral, 1:15, 309-10, 314, 336.
purple, 1:16, 308-9.
red-backed, 1:15, 314, 315-16, 320.
red-breasted, 1 :307.

Sandpiper, rock, 1 :309.
Schinz, 1:311.
semipalmated, 1:15, 313, 317-18.
solitary, 1:14, 37, 63, 70, 326-28.
spotted, 1:13, 37, 43, 62, 63, 64, 68, 72,
263, 327, 335-38, 350; 2:20, 25, 26;
figure of nest and eggs, 1 :337.
stilt, 1:15, 306.
western, 1:15, 318-19.
white-rumped, 1:15, 311.
sandvicensis acuflavida, Sterna, 1 :140-41.
sandwichensis savanna, Passerculus, 2 :288.
Sapsucker, 1:44, 62, 68.
yellow-bellied, 1:12, 38, 42, 44; 2:22, 26,
41, 45, 140, 148; figure, 2:148.
Sarcorhamphi, 2 :62-66.
Sargood, C., cited, 1 :282.
satrapa satrapa, Regulus, 2 :508.
Savage, James H., cited, 1:123, 126, 139,
174, 239, 243, 290, 307; 2:111, 114, 152.
savanna Emberiza, 2 :288.
Fringilla, 2:288.
savannarum australis, Ammodramus, 2 :29r.
Sawbill, 1:43, 178, 180, 209.
Saxicola oenanthe leucorhoa, 2 :535; figure,
2:535-
Sayornis phoebe, 2:187.
scalaris, Aestrelata, I :160-62.
Scape-grace, I :103.
Scaup, greater, 1:17, 206.
lesser, I :17.
schinzi, Tringa, 1 :31T.
scolopacea, Limosa, 1 :305.
Scissor bill, 1:153.
scolopaceus, Macrorhamphus, I :305-6.
Scolopacidae, 1:296.
Scolopacinae, 1 :296.
Scolopax alba, 1:242.
arquatus, I :342.
borealis, I :341.
delicata, I :300.
fedoa, 1 :320.

708 NEW

Scolopax flavipes, 1 :325.
grisea, I :303.
guarauna, I :243.
haemastica, I :321.
melanoleuca, 1 :323.
runor, I :297.
noveboracensis, I :303.
rusticola, 1 :296.
semipalmata, 1 :328.
wilsoni, I :300.

Scoter, American, 1:17, 221-22.
surf, 1:17, 221, 224.
white-winged, 1:17, 222-23, 224.

Scotiaptex nebulosa nebulosa, 2:116.

Sea dove, 1:III.

Sea-hawk, 1:113, 114.

Sea parrot, 1 :106.

Sea pigeon, 1:106, IIT.

Seashore communities, 2:19.

Sea swallow, 1:144, 145.

Seiurus aurocapillus, 2:435.
motacilla, 2:441.
noevius notabilis, 2 :440.
noveboracensis notabilis, 2:440.

noveboracensis, 2 :438.

semipalmata, Aegialitis, 1 :352-53.
Heteropoda, 1 :317. \
Scolopax, 1 :328.

Symphemia, 1 :328.

semipalmatus, Catoptrophorus, I :328-30.
Charadrius, 1 :352.
Totanus, 1 :328.

semipalmatus inornatus,

I :330.

Sennett, cited, 1:139, 238.

septentrionalis, Colymbus, 1 :103.
Lanius, 2 :358.

serrator, Merganser, 1:179.
Mergus, 1 :179-80.

serripennis, Hirundo, 2:352.
Stelgidopteryx, 2:352.

Seton, cited, 1:215.

Cetoptrophorus,

YORK STATE MUSEUM

Setophaga ruticilla, 2 :464.

Shade tree cominunity, 2:22.

Shade trees, pruning, effect on bird life,

2:36.

Shag, 1:170.

Sharpe, cited, 1:80.

Shattuck, cited, 1 :109.

Shearwater, I:153, 154.
Audubon, 1:17, 157, 158; figure, 1:158.
Cory, 1:17, 155-56, 159; figure, 1 :155.
dusky, 1:158.
greater, 1:17, 156-57, 159; figure, 1:157.
little, 1 :158.
Manx, 1:18, 76, 157.
sooty, 1:17, 158-59; figure, 1 :159.
wandering, 1:157.

Sheldrake, 1:178.
Indian, 1 :180.
pied, 1:180.
swamp, 1 :181.

Shitepoke, 1 :263.

Shore birds, decrease of species, 1:50.
Short, Ernest H., cited, 1:79, 126; 2:86,
102, 114, 513.
Shot-pouch, 1 :226.
Shoveler, 1:15, 182, 188, 194, 196-97.
Shrike, 1:53; 2:39, 358.
migrant, 1:11, 73, 40, 48, 62, 64, 69; 2:16,
21, 362; figure, 2:363.
northern, 1:16, 2:260, 358.
Sialia sialis sialis, 2:537.
wilsoni, 2:537.
sialis, Motacilla, 2:537.
sialis sialis, Sialia, 2:537.
Sickle-bill, 1 :338.
silvestris, Meleagris, 1 :379.
Sing Sing, birds of, by A. K. Fisher, 1:79.
Siskin, 2:17.
pine, 1:12, 39, 46, 64; 2:22, 278.
Sitta canadensis, 2:499.
carolinensis carolinensis, 2:495.
pusilla, 2:501.

EE ——EeEEE——E——_—_ =

INDEX TO BIRDS

Sittidae, 2:494.

Skimmer, 1 :152.
black, 1:17, 152-53.

Skua, 1:18, 113-14.

skua, Catharacta, I :113.
Megalestris, 1 7113-14.

Skunk, 1:55.

Skylark, 1:12; 2:201.

Sleepy-head, 1 :226.

Snake, black, 1:55.

Snake birds, 1:165.

Snipe, 1:51, 70, 288-89, 296, 326, 333; 2:9.
brown-back, 1 :305.
Deutscher, 1 :305.
Dowitcher, I :303-5.
English, 1:302, 305.
German, I :305.
grass, 1 :310.
gray-back, 1 :305.
horse-foot, 1:358.

Jack, 1:302.

painted, 1:289.

quail, 1 :305.

red-breasted, 1 :305.

robin, 1:305, 307.

surf, 1 :320.

Wilson, 1:14, 36, 300-3, 304, 305, 310; 2:
15, 20, 24, 26.

winter, I :309, 316.

Snow, effect on bird life, 2:7.

Snowbird, 2:312.

Snowflake, 1:16; 2:49, 281.

socialis, Emberiza, 2 :308.

Soil factors, 2:9.

Solitaire, Townsend, 1:18; 2:515.

solitaria, Merula, 2:5206.
Muscicapa, 2 :373.
Vermivora, 2:384.

solitarius, Helodromas, I :326-28.
Tringa, 1 :326.

Vireo, 2:373

solitarius plumbeus, Lanivireo, 2:375.

solitarius, Lanivireo, 2:373.

OF NEW YORK 709

Somateria dresseri, 1 :218-19.
spectabilis, 1 :220-21,

Songbirds, 2:200.

Sora, 1:13, 62, 65, 273, 274, 276-80; 2:19,
24, 26; figure, 1:277; figure of nest and
eggs, 1:278.

Sorees, 1/279; —

South-southerly, 1 :214.

Southern species, 1:17.

Spanish curlew, 1 :242.

Sparrow, 1:42, 50, 52, 53, 70;.2:10, 12, 14,

40, 41, 42, 43, 49, 59, 251.
Acadian sharp-tailed, 1:16; 2:298.
Baird, 1:18; 2:290.
chipping, 1:13, 39, 46, 62, 64, 72; 2:17,
18, 22, 23, 26, 49, 308.
English, 1:46, 57, 60, 63, 64; 2:12, 13,
15, 17, 18, 27, 42, 44, 52, 53, 257.
field, 1:13, 39, 46, 62, 64, 65; 2:7; 15, 16,
22, 25, 26, 28, 29, 31, 49, 60, 310.

fox, 1:16, 70; 2:321.

Gambel, 1:18; 2:303.

grasshopper, 1:14, 33, 39, 63, 69; 2:15,
20, 26, 31, 291; breeding range, I :23;
figure of nest and eggs, 2:292.

Henslow, 1:14, 39, 2:20, 293.

house, 1:11; 2:257.

Ipswich, 1:16; 2:287.

lark, 1:18; 2:300.

Leconte, 1:18; 2:295.

Lincoln, 1:14, 39, 47, 62, 64, 65, 70;
2:20, 318.

Nelson, 1:16; 2:297.

Savannah, 1:13, 39, 46, 62, 64; 2:7, 15, -
20, 25, 26, 31, 49, 288.

seaside, 1:14, 39; 2:16, 19, 299.

sharp-tailed, 1.:14, 39; 2:16, 19, 296.

song, 1:12, 39, 46, 60, 62, 64, 68, 72;
2:15, 16, 17, 20, 23, 25, 26, 28, 49, 57,
260, 315.

swamp, 1:12, 39, 46, 57, 62, 64; 2:16, 20,
24, 27, 319; figure of nest and eggs,
2 3320.

710

Sparrow tree, 1:16; 2:49, 57, 306.
vesper, 1:13, 39, 46, 51, 62, 64, 68; 2:15,
20, 25, 26, 37, 47, 49, 285.
white-crowned, 1:16, 62, 64; 2:301.
white-throated, 1:12, 35, 39, 46, 47, 62,
64; 2:16, 27, 49, 304; breeding range,
1:22.
yellow-winged, 2 :292.
Sparrow hawk, 1 :63.
sparverius sparverius, Falco, 2:103-5.
Sparvius platypterus, 2:86.
Spatula clypeata, 1 :196-97.
spectabilis, Anas, 1 :220.
Fuligula, 1:220.
Somateria, I :220-21.
Spelman, Henry M., cited, 1 :313.
Speotyto cunicularia hypogaea, 2:128; fig-
ure, 2:128.
Sphyrapicus varius varius, 2:148; figure,
2:148.
Spinus pinus, 2:278. -
Spiza americana, 2:334.
cyanea, 2:330.
Spizella monticola monticola, 2 :306.
passerina passerina, 2 :308.
pusilla pusilla, 2:310.
sponsa, Aix, I :199-201.
Anas, I :199..
Spoon-bill, 1:197.
Spraying of trees, effect on bird life, 2:36.
Spring arrivals, 1 :72-74.
spurius, Icterus, 2:236.
Oriolus, 2 :236.
Squatarola helvetica, 1 :345.
squatarola, 1 7345-46.
squatarola, Charadrius, 1 :345.
Tringa, 1 :345.
Squirrel, red, an enemy of birds, 1:54. °
Stake-driver, 1:250.
Starling, 1:12; 2:17, 18, 219.
Steganopodes, 1 :89, 90, 165.
Steganopus tricolor, 1 :292-93.
Stelgidopteryx serripennis, 2:352.

NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

stellaris, Cistothorus, 2:487.
Troglodytes, 2:487.

stellata, Gavia, I :103-4.

stellatus, Colymbus, 1 :103.

Stercorariidae, 1 :113.

Stercorarius longicaudus, 1 :117-19; figure,

1 OG fel ;
parasiticus, 1:116-17; figure, 1:118.
pomarinus, 1 :114-16.

Sterling, cited, 1:221.

Sterna acuflavida, 1 :140.
anglica, I :137.
antillarum, 1 :148.
arctica, 1 :146.
argentea, 1:148.
cantiaca, I :140.
caspia, I :138-39.
cayana, 1:138, 140.
dougalli, 1:147.
forsteri, 1:142-43; figure, I :141.
fuscata, 1 :149.
hirundo, 1 :143-45.
maxima, I :139-40.
minuta, 1:148.
nigra, 1:149, 152.
nilotica, I :137.
paradisaea, 1 :146.
philadelphia, 1 :134.
sandvicensis acuflavida, 1:140-41; figure,

I :140. j
superciliaris, 1:148.
surinamensis, 1 :149.
trudeaui, 1:141-42; figure, I :141.
tschegrava, 1 :138.

Stilt, 1:295.
black-necked, 1:18, 295-96; figure, 1 :296.

Stint, 1:318.

Stone, Clarence F., cited, 1:126; 2:405, 410,
412, 422, 428, 434, 440, 442; study of
birds of Potter Swamp, 2:25.

Stork, 1 :244.

American wood, 1:245.
Stream margins, communities, 2:20.

INDEX TO BIRDS OF NEW YORK 7i1

Streams, influence on bird life, 2:8.

strepera, Anas, 1:187.

streperus, Chaulelasmus, 1 :187-89.

Strepsilas interpres, 1 :357.

striata, Dendroica, 2:418.
Muscicapa, 2 :418.

Sylvicola, 2:418.

stricklandi, Puffinus, 1 :158.

Striges, 1:90; 2:108-30.

Strigidae, 2:111-28.

Strigiformes, 1:89, go.

Strix acadica, 2:118.
asio, 2:120.
caparoch, 2:127.
flammea, 2:113.
hypogaea, 2:128.
nebulosa, 2:116.
nyctea, 2:126.
practincola, 2:1009.
varia varia, 2:115-16.
varius, 2:115.
virginiana, 2:123.

Struthus hyemalis, 2:311.

Sturnella ludoviciana, 2 :233.
magna magna, 2:233.

Sturnidae, 2:219.

Sturnus vulgaris, 2:219.

subarquata, Tringa, 1 :316.

subis, Hirundo, 2:342.

subis subis, Progne, 2:342.

subruficollis, Tringa, I :334.
Tryngites, 1 :334-35.

Sula americana, 1 :169.
bassana, I :169.
leucogaster, 1 :168-69; figure, 1 :168.
sula, 1 :168.

Sulidae, 1 :167-68.

Summary of the New York State avifauna,
1:11-18,

Summer residents, 1 :13-15.

Summer visitants, 1:17.

superciliaris, Sterna, 1 :148.

surinamensis, Sterna, 1 :149.
Surnia funerea, 2:127.
nyctea, 2:126.
ulula caparoch, 2:127.
swainsoni, Buteo, 2:85-86.
Turdus, 2:524.
Swallow, 1:51, 53, 55, 56, 57, 68, 70; 2:13,
14, 38, 56, 340.
bank, 1:13, 40, 47, 62, 64; 2:9, 15, 20,
350; figure, 2:351.
barn, 1:13, 40, 47, 60, 62, 64, 68, 72;
2:18, 23, 26, 346; figure, 2:348; spring
migration, 1:66.
chimney, 2:171.
cliff, 1:13, 40, 47, 63, 64; 2:18, 26, 345.
eaves, 2:23, 56.
rough-winged, 1:11, 14, 33, 40, 47, 62,
64; 2:15, 18, 20, 31, 352; breeding
range, 1:24.
tree, 1:13, 40, 47, 62, 64; 2:17, 18, 20,
54, 349-
white-bellied, 1 :63.
white-breasted, 2:23, 349.

Swamp, wooded, community, 2:21.
Swamps, birds of Potter swamp, 2:25-27;
draining, effect on bird life, 2:34-35.

Swans, 1:174, 177.
American, 1 :236.
trumpeter, 1:18, 236, 237, 239-40.
whistling, 1:15, 236-39; 2:543.
Swift, 1:53; 2:14, 38, 163, 169.
chimney, 2:17, 18, 23, 26, 171.
spine-tailed, 2:170.
Swimmer, long-winged, 1:112.
tube-nosed, 1 :153.
Sylvia agilis, 2:447.
castanea, 2 :416.
celatus, 2 :392.
cerulea, 2:411.
discolor, 2:432.
formosa, 2:445.
ludoviciana, 2:479.

712

Sylvia magnolia, 2:408.
peregrina, 2:393.
philadeiphia, 2:448.
rubricapilla, 2:390.
vigorsii, 2:427.

Sylvicola aestiva, 2 :400.
americana, 2:395.
blackburniae, 2 :420.
caerulea, 2:411.
canadensis, 2:403.
castanea, 2:416.
coronata, 2 :406.
discolor, 2 :432.
formosa, 2:445.
icterocephala, 2:413.
maculosa, 2:408.
maritima, 2:397.
pardalina, 2 :462.
pinus, 2 :427.
ruficapilla, 2:431.
striata, 2:418.
virens, 2:424.

Sylviidae, 2:508.

Symphemia semipalmata, 1 :328.

Syrnium cinereum, 2:116.

Tanager, 1:51; 2:38, 42, 336.
Louisiana, 1:18.
scarlet, 1::13;. 30, 47;62, 64. 2°17,-21,

25, 27, 29, 31, 337-

summer, 1:17, 32; 2:339.
western, 2:337.

Tanagra cyanea, 2 :330.
grisea, 2:375.
ludoviciana, 2 :337.

Tanagridae, 2:336.

Tantalus loculator, 1:244.

Tapeworms, 1:55.

Tattler, semipalmated, 1 :329..
varied, 1 :324.

Taverner, cited, 2:457.

Taylor, H. H., cited, 1 :313.

NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Taylor, Tom, cited, 2:197.

Teal, blue-winged, 1:14, 36, 193, 194-95,
196; 2:15, 24.

cinnamon, 1:18, 195-96; figure, 1:196.
diving, 1:226.

European, 1:18, IQI; figure, 1 :192.
green-winged, 1:15, 184, 192-93.
spoon-bill, 1 :197.

summer, I :194.

Teaser, 1:113, 116.

Teeter-tail, 1 :336. =

Telmatodytes palustris palustris, 2 :489.

Temperature, effect on bird life, 2:6.

Tern, 1:119-20; 2:13; first primaries, fig-
ure, 1:144; outer tail feathers, figure,
13144.

Anglican, 1:138. °

Arctic, 1:15, 144, 145, 146.

black, 1:14, 36, 119, 148, 149-52; 2:15,
19; figure, 1:15.

Cabot, 1:17, 140-41; figure, I :140.

Caspian, 1:15, 119, 138-39, 140.

Cayenne, I :140.

common, 1:14, 36, 142, 143-45, 146, 147;
2:19.

Forster, 1:15, 142-43, 144, 145; figure,
T:14I.

gull-billed, 1:17, 137-38.

least, 1:14, 36, 148; 2:19.

McDougall, 1:147.

marsh, 1 :138.

Nuttall, 1:138.

roseate, 1:14, 36, 145, 147; 2:19.

royal, 1:17, 139-40.

Sandwich, 1:140.

short-tailed, 1:150, 151.

sooty, 1:17, 149.

Trudeau, 1:17, 141-42; figure, 1:141.

white-headed, 1 :42.

Wilson, 1:144.

Tetrao canadensis, 1 :365.
cupido, 1 :376.

INDEX TO BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Tetrao lagopus, 1 :375.

togatus, I :373.

umbellus, 1 :366.

urogallus, 1 :377.

virginianus, 1 :361.

Tetraonidae, 1 :364.
tetrix, Lyrurus, 1 :377.
Thalassidroma leachi, 1 :163.

pelagica, 1:162; figure, 1 :162.

wilsoni, 1 :164.

Thayer, Gerald H., cited, 2:135, 273, 275,

417, 419, 426, 428, 446, 449, 462.

Thrasher, 1:34, 65; 2:7, 38, 41, 42, 470.

brown, 1:14, 41, 48, 63, 64, 72; 2:15, 16,
21, 22, 25, 31, 476; figure of nest and
eggs, 2:477.

Threadworm, 1:56.
Thrush, 1:42, 49, 50, 53, 70, 71; 2:38, 40,
41, 43, 50, 59, 60, 514.

Bicknell, 1:15, 41, 49, 50, 2:22, 522.

golden-crowned, 2:435.

gray-cheeked, 1:11, 16; 2:521.

Grinnell water, 2:440.

hermit, 1:12, 35, 42, 49, 63, 64, 70, 73;
2:6, 15, 22, 31, 526; breeding range,
1:30; figure of nest and eggs, 2:528.

large-billed water, 2:442.

Louisiana water, 2:16, 21, 27, 31, 441;
figure of nest and eggs, 2:443.

olive-backed, 1:15, 35, 41, 42, 49, 63, 64;
2:16, 22, 524.

varied, 1:18; 2:534.

water, 2:16, 21, 27, 438; figure of nest
and eggs, 2:439.

willow, 2:521.

Wilson, 1:14, 35, 41, 49, 57, 63, 64; 2:15,
21, 27, 520; figure of nest and eggs, 2:
520.

wood, 1:14, 34, 41, 49, 63, 64; 2:6, 7, 17,
25, 27, 28, 29, 31, 56, 516; figure of
nest and eggs, 2:518.

713

Thryomanes bewicki bewicki, 2 :481.

Thryothorus ludovicianus ludovicianus, 2:
479-

Thunder-pumper, 1 :250.

Ticks, 1:55.

tigrina, Dendroica, 1:59-60; 2:397.
Motacilla, 2:397.

Timber, destruction, 2:45.

Timber cutting, effect on bird life, 2:32-34.

Tinker, 1:106, I10.

Tip-up, 1 :336.

Tit, tufted, 1:32; breeding range, I :30.

Titmouse, 2:38, 40, 501.

Carolina, 1:76.
tufted, 1412, 33; 4132217, 21, 502.

Todd, cited, 1:139, 281, 307, 311, 313, 329,
385; 2:195, 335.

togatus, Tetrao, 1 :373.

torda, Alca, I :110-11.

torquatus, Phasianus, 1 :378.

Totanus bartramius, I :331.
chloropygius, 1 :326.
flavipes, 1 7325-26.
macularia, 1 :335.
melanoleucus, I :323-24.
semipalmatus, 1 :328.

Totipalmate birds, 1 :165-66.

Towhee, 1:13, 39, 62; 2:15, 22, 323.

townsendi, Myadestes, 2:515.

Ptilogonys, 2:515.

Toxostoma rufum, 2:476.

trailli alnorum, Empidonax, 2:196.

Transients, 1 :15-16.

Transition zone, 1:19.

Trees, destruction, 2:45; planting to attract
birds, 2:57; spraying and pruning, effect
on bird life, 2:36.

Trichas marilandica, 2:452.
philadelphia, 2:448.

trichas, Turdus, 2:452.

trichas trichas, Geothlypis, 2:452.

714 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

tricolor, Phalaropus, 1 :292.
Steganopus, I :292-93.
tricolor ruficollis, Ardea, 1:258.
Hydranassa, 1 :258-59.
tridactyla, Rissa, 1 :121-22.
tridactylus, Larus, 1:121.
Tringa alpina, 1 :314.
pacifica, 1 :315.
arenaria, 1 :319.
autumnalis, I :242.
pairdii, 1 :312.
canutus, I :307-8.
cinclus, 1 :315.
ferruginea, 1 :316.
fulicaria, 1 :289.
fuscicollis, 1 :31T.
himantopus, 1 :306.
interpres, I :357.
lobata, 1:291.
longicauda, I :331.
macularia, 1 :335.
maculata, I :309.
maritima, I :308.
minutilla, 1:313, 317.
pectoralis, 1 :309.
pugnax, I :330.
pusilla, 1:313, 317.
rufescens, I :334.
schinzi, 1:311.
solitarius, 1 :326.
squatarola, 1:345.
subarquata, 1 :316.
subruficollis, 1 :334.
vanellus, 1 :344.
Tringae, 1 :296.
tristis, Carduelis, 2:276.
Fringilla, 2:276.

tristis tristis, Astragalinus, 2:276.

Trochili, 2:174.
Trochilidae, 2:174.
Trochilus colubris, 2:175.

Troglodytes aedon aedon, 2:481.

bewicki, 2:481.
brevirostris, 2 :487.
hiemalis, 2:485.
hyemalis, 2:485.
ludovicianus, 2:479.
palustris, 2:480.
stellaris, 2:487.
Troglodytidae, 2:478.
troile, Uria, 1:107.
Tropic bird, 1 :166.

yellow-billed, 1:17, 166-67; figure, I: Sens

Tropical region, 1:19.

Trotter, cited, 2:3809.

trudeaui, Sterna, 1 :141-42.

Tryngites subruficollis, 1 :334-35.

tschegrava, Sterna, 1 :138.
Tubinares, 1:89, 90, 153.
Turdidae, 2:514.

Turdus aliciae, 2:521.
carolinus, 2 :243.
crinitus, 2:185.
fuscescens, 2:519.
migratorius, 2 :529.
motacilla, 2:441.
mustelinus, 2:516.
noevius, 2:534.
pallasii, 2:526.
polyglottos, 2.:471.
rufus, 2:476.
swainsoni, 2:524.
trichas, 2:452.
virens, 2:455.

Turkey, 1 :379.

wild, 1:12, 50, 299, 379-80.

Turner, cited, 2:147.
Turnicidae, 1 :280.
Turnstone, 1:16, 357.
ruddy, 1 :357-58.
Turtle, snapping, 1:55.
Tweezer, 1:178.

INDEX TO BIRDS OF NEW YORK

Tympanuchus cupido, 1:376-77; figure, 1:
376.

Tyrannidae, 2:180.

Tyrannula flaviventris, 2:193.
minima, 2:199.

Tyrannus borealis, 2:189.
cooperi, 2:189.
crinitus, 2:185.
dominicensis, 2:184.
intrepidus, 2:182.
tyrannus, 2:182; figure, 2:182.
verticalis, 2:184.

tyrannus, Lanius, 2:182.
Tyrannus, 2:182.

uligenosus, Circus, 2:70.
Ulula acadica, 2:118.
nebulosa, 2:115.
ulula caparoch, Surnia, 2:127.
umbellus, Tetrao, 1 :366.
togata, Bonasa, 1:367, 373-74.
umbellus, Bonasa, 1 :366-73.
Upper Austral zone, 1:19.
Uria grylle, 1:106.
lomvia, 1 :107-8.
troile, 1 :107.
Urinator arcticus, I :102.
imber, 1:99.
lumme, I :103.
urogallus, Tetrao, 1:377.
urubu, Catharista, 2 :65-66.
Vultur, 2:65.
ustulata swainsoni, Hylocichla, 2:524.

vallisneria, Anas, 1 :203.
Aythya, 1 :203.
Fuligula, 1:203.
Marila, 1 :203-5.
Vanellus vanellus, 1:344-45; figure, 1 :344.
vanellus, Tringa, 1 :344.
varia, Mniotilta, 2:378.
Motacilla, 2 :378.
varia varia, Strix, 2:115-16.

715

varius, Picus, 2:148.
Strix, 2:115.
varius varius, Sphyrapicus, 2:148.
Vaughan, cited, 1 :313.
Veery, 2:28, 29, 519; figure of nest and
eggs, 2:520.
velox, Accipiter, 2:74-77.
Falco, 2:74.
Vermivora celata celata, 2 :392.
chrysoptera, 2 :386.
lawrenci, 2:388.
leucobronchialis, 2 :389.
pennsylvanica, 2 :382.
peregrina, 2 :393.
pinus, 27384.
rubricapilla rubricapilla, 2 :390.
solitaria, 2:384.
vermivora, Motacilla, 2:382.
vermivorus, Helmitheros, 2:382.
versicolor, Quiscalu3, 2:245, 246.
verticalis, Tyrannus, 2:184.
vespertina, Fringilla, 2:252.
vespertina vespertina, Hesperiphona, 2 :252.
vigorsi, Dendroica, 2 :427.
vigorsii, Sylvia, 2:427.
villosus, Picus, 2:141.
villosus leucomelas, Dryobates, 2:142.
villosus, Dryobates, 2:141.
violacea, Ardea, 1 :266.
' Nyctanassa, 1 :266-67.
violaceus, Nycticorax, 1 :266.
virens, Dendroica, 2:424.
Motacilla, 2:424.
Muscicapa, 2:190.
Myiochanes, 2:190.
Sylvicola, 2:424.
Turdus, 2:455.
virens virens, Icteria, 2:455.
Vireo, 1:52, 54, 68, 70; 2:38, 41, 46, 60,
365.
blue-headed, 1:14, 40, 47, 62, 64; 2:17,
22, 373; breeding range, 1:24.
Philadelnhia, 1:16, 63, 65; 2:368, 543.

716 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Vireo, plumbeous, 1:18; 2:375.
red-eyed, 1:14, 40, 42, 47, 63, 64; 2:17,
21, 25, 27, 28, 29, 366; figure, 2 :367.
solitary, 1:35.
warbling, 1:14, 40, 47, 62, 64; 2:17, 22,
27, 379.
white-eyed, 1:14, 33, 40; 2:16, 22, 375;
breeding range, I :24.
yellow-throated, 1:14, 40, 47, 62, 64; 2:
17, 21,27; 20)°371.
Vireo flavifrons, 2:371.
gilvus, 2:370.
griseus griseus, 2:375.
noveboracensis, 2:375.
olivaceus, 2:366.
plumbeus, 2 :375.
solitarius, 2:373.
Vireonidae, 2 :365.
Vireosylva gilva gilva, 2:370.
olivacea, 2:366; figure, 2:367.
philadelphica, 2:368.
virescens, Ardea, I :262.
Butorides, 1 :262-64.
Empidonax, 2:194.
Platyrhynchos, 2:194.
virginiana, Ortyx, 1 :361.
Strix; 23123:
virginianus, Caprimulgus, 2:167.
Charadrius, 1 :346.
Colinus, 1 :361-64.
Rallus, 1:274-76.
Tetrao, 1 :361.
virginianus virginianus, Bubo, 2:123-26.
Chordeiles, 2:167.
viridis, Icteria, 2:455.
vocifera, Aegialitis, 1 :348.
vociferus, Caprimulgus, 2:164.
Charadrius, 1 :348.
Oxyechus, 1 :348-52.
vociferus vociferus, Antrostomus, 2:164.
Voorhees, cited, 2 :388.
vulgaris, Sturnus, 2:219.

_Vultur aura septentrionalis, 2:63.

urubu, 2:65.

Vulture, American, 1:90; 2:39, 61, 62-66.
black, 1:17; 2:65-66; figure, 2:65.
turkey, 1:17; 2:63-65; figure, 2:64.

Wagtails, 2 :468.

Wake-up, 2:160.

Wallace, cited, 1:216.

Warbler, 1:42, 48, 50, 52, 54, 65, 68, 70,
71; 2:8, II, 12, 14, 34, 39, 41, 43, 46, 60.

bay-breasted, 1:16, 48, 64; 2:416, 543.

black, 1:48.

black and white, 1:14, 40, 62, 64; 2:15,
225, 31,7398.

black-poll, 1:15, 40, 47, 48, 52, 64, 68;
2°16, 22; 34) 428.

black-throated blue, 1:15, 40, 42, 48, 62,
64; 2:16, 21, 31, 403; breeding range,
1:25.

black-throated green, 1:14, 40, 42, 48, 62,
64; 2:17, 22, 31, 34, 424; figure of
nest and eggs, 2:426.

Blackburnian, 1:15, 35, 40, 42, 48, 63,
64; 2:17, 22, 31, 34, 420; breeding
range, 1:26,

blue-winged, 1:14, 33, 40; 2:15, 16, 22,
384; breeding range, I :25.

Brewster, 1:14, 40; 2:389.

Canada, 1:15, 41, 48, 63, 64; 2:6, I5, 21,
27, 31, 462; breeding range, 1:28.

Cape May, 1:16, 48, 59-60, 64, 65; 2:33,
397-

cerulean, 1:14, 40, 69; 2:17, 21, 27, 411;
breeding range, 1:26.

chestnut-sided, 1:14, 40, 48, 63, 64; 2:
16, 22, '25;:27,7 20; 20, 31,032; 23mesAs
413; figure of nest and eggs, 2:415.

Connecticut, 1:11, 16, 65; 2:447.

golden-winged, 1:14, 33, 40; 2:16, 21, 22,
27, 386; breeding range, 1:25; figure
of nest and eggs, 2:387.

INDEX TO BIRDS OF NEW YORK 7 A if

Warbler, hemlock, 1 :76.

hooded, 1:14, 33, 41, 64; 2:6, 7, 16, 21,
28, 29, 458; breeding range, 1:28.

Kentucky, 1:14, 33, 41, 69; 2:15, 21,
445; breeding range, 1:28.

Kirtland, 1:65.

Lawrence, 1:14, 40; 2:388.

magnolia, 1:15, 40, 48, 63, 64; 2:17, 22,
31, 34, 408; breeding range, 1:26; fig-
ure of nest and eggs, 2:409.

mourning, 1:15, 41, 48, 64, 68; 2:16, 21,
27, 31, 34, 448; breeding range, 1:28;
figure of nest and eggs, 2:450.

myrtle, 1:12, 40, 42, 47, 48, 62, 64; 2:16,
22, 34, 41, 406; breeding range,
1227:

Nashville, 1:14, 40, 62, 64; 2:15, 21, 33,
390.

northern Parula, 1:14, 40; 2:395.

old-world, 2 :508.

orange-crowned, 1:16; 2:392.

palm, 1:16, 73; 2:430.

Parula, 1:48, 62, 64; 2:17, 31, 395.

pine;.1:14, 40; 2:17, 22, 31, 427.

prairie, 1:14, 33, 40; 2:16, 22, 432;
breeding range, 1:26.

prothonotary, 1:17; 2:17, 21, 381.

southern Parula, 1:14.

Tennessee, 1:15, 40, 48, 63; 2:393.

whistling, 1:76.

white, 1:48.

Wilson, 1:16, 48, 63; 2:460.

wood, 2:38, 48, 377.

worm-eating, 1:14, 40; 2:15, 22, 382;
breeding range, 1:25.

yellow, 1:14, 40, 48, 62, 64, 72; 2:12, 16,
21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 56, 400; figure
of nest and eggs, 2:402.

yellow palm, 1:16, 73; 2:431.

yellow-rumped, 1:35.

yellow-throated, 1:17; 2:423.

_ Wassenaers, cited, 1 :381.

Water birds, 1:43.

Water hen, 1:288.

Water supply, 2:58.

Waterfowl, 1:56, 176; 2:13, 14; decrease

of species, 1:50.

Water-thrush, 1:41, 48, 63, 64; 2:438:
breeding range, 1:27; figure of nest and
eggs, 2-439.

Grinnell, 1:18; 2:440.

large-billed, 1:31.

Louisiana, 1:11, 14, 33, 41, 63, 65, 69;
2:441; breeding range, 1:27; figure of
nest and eggs, 2:443.

northern, 1:15, 70.

Water-witch, 1:95, 96.

Waxwing, 2:14, 38, 40, 48, 354.

Bohemian, 1:16, 2:355.

cedar, 1:11, 40, 47, 62, 64; 2:17, 22, 27,
356.

Weasel, 1:55.

Weber, cited, 2:513.

Webster, Frederic S., cited, 1:174; 2:95.

Weed seeds, destruction, 2 :48-50.

Wekas, 1 :270.

West, S. H., cited, 1:174.

Western species, 1:18.

Wheatear, 1:18.

Greenland, 2:535; figure, 2:535.
Wheaton, cited, 1:103, 309, 335.
Wheezer, 1 :178.

Whimbrel, American, 1 :339.

Whip-poor-will, 1:13, 38, 44, 62, 70; 2:14,

15, 21, 22, 39, 163, 164; figure of nest and

eggs, 2:165.

Whiskey jack, 2:211.

Whistle-wing, 1 :209.

Whistler, 1 :209.

White-throat, 1:46, 65.

Whitfield, cited, 1:382.

Widgeon, 1:18, 199.

American, I :190-9I.

European, I :189.

718

Widgeon-coot, 1 :226.
Wilbur, Addison P., cited, 2:99, 107.
Willet, 1:15, 328-30.
western, I :330.
Wilson, Alexander, 2:33.
wilsoni, Holopodius, 1 :292.
Merula, 2:519.
Scolopax, I :300.
Sialia, 2:537.
Thalassidroma, 1 :164.
Wilsonia canadensis, 2 :462.
citrina, 2:458.
mitrata, 2:458.
pusilla pusilla pusilla, 2:460.
wilsonia, Aegialitis, 1 :356.
Charadrius, 1 :356.
wilsonianus, Asio, 2 :112-13.
Otus, 2:112.
wilsonius, Ochthodromus, 1 :356-57.
Winds, effect on bird life, 2:8.
Winter visitants, I :16-17.
Wood, cited, 2:117.
Woodcock, 1:43, 52, 70, 289, 327, 333; 2:6,
9, 15, 21, 26, 35, 58, 59.
American, 1:13, 36, 296, 297-300; figure
of nest and eggs, 1 :299.
European, 1:76, 296.
Woodland communities, 2:21.
Woodpecker, 1:44, 51, 55, 90; 2:18, 36, 38,
40, 48, 52, 54, 139.
American three-toed, 1:13, 38, 44; 2:22,
140, 146.
Arctic three-toed, 1:13, 38; 2:22, 140,
144.
banded-backed, 1:71.
black-backed, 1:71.
black-backed three-toed, 1:44.
Canadian, 1:76.
downy, 1:11, 38, 44, 51, 62, 63, 64; 2:12,
18, 21, 23, 26, 28, 36, 46, 54, 55, 140,
142.
golden-winged, 2:160.

NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Woodpecker, hairy, 1:11, 38, 44, 51, 63;
2:21, 26, 27, 46, 54,-140, 141.
northern hairy, 1:76; 2:142.
northern pileated, 1:13, 38; 2:151.
pigeon, 2:160, 161.
pileated, 1:44, 51; 2:32, 140.
red-bellied, 1:12, 38; 2:21, 26, 140, 157.
red-cockaded, 1:76.
red-headed, 1:11, 38, 44, 51, 62, 64; 2:14,
18, 21, 26;° 28, 39;..42,. 51, Saye 40s
154.
Sapsucker, 1:44, 62, 68; 2:22, 26, 41,
45, 140, 148; figure, 2:148.
three-toed, 1:35; 2:146.
yellow-bellied, 1:64.
Woodruff, cited, 1 :313.
Worthington, cited, 1:108, 137, 215; 2:11I,
114, 300.
Wren, 1:51, 52).54,. 70}. 2:12).23)" 48. ais
53, 60, 478.
Bewick, 2:481.
Carolina, 1:12, 31-32, 33, 41, 69; 2:17,
18, 21, 479; breeding range, 1:29.
house, 1:14, 41, 48, 63, 64, 76; 2:17, 18,
26, 481; figure, 2:483.
long-billed marsh, 1:14, 41, 64; 2:16, 19,
27, 489.
marsh, 1:251;-55).573 OSn-ese4on at
short-billed marsh, 1:14, 41; 2:16, 20,
487; breeding range, 1:29; figure of
nest, 2:488.
winter, 1:12, 41, 42, 48, 49, 63; 2:22, 27,
485; breeding range, 1:29.
wood, 1:76.
Wright, A. H., cited, 2:542.
Wright, Frank S., cited, 1:77, 189, 238,
243; 2:390, 542.

xanthocephalus, Icterus, 2 :229.
Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus, 2 :229.
Xanthornus bullockii, 2:242.

Xema sabini, 1 :136-37.

INDEX TO BIRDS OF NEW YORK 719

Young, cited, 1:315.
Yucker, 2:160.

Zamelodia ludoviciana, 2 :327.
Zenaidura macroura, 1 :386.
carolinensis, 1:386-88; figure, 1:387;
figure of nest and eggs, 1 :388.
zonorhynchus, Larus, 1:130. |
Zonotrichia albicollis, 2:304. _ ag 3
leucophrys gambel, 2:303. oe »
leucophrys, 2 :301. mee!

¢

ok eal

ei